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Marks out of ten for each of South Africa’s players, following their convincing 2-1 victory over Australia in a highly charged series down under

Firdose Moonda in Adelaide28-Nov-2016

10

Kyle Abbott
Brought on the tour as a reserve bowler, Kyle Abbott was picked ahead of Morne Morkel for the Hobart and Adelaide Tests and stepped up in spectacular fashion. With red ball, he found swing and took a match-haul of nine including 6 for 77 at the Bellerive Oval to win the series. With pink ball, he managed to make the ball just wobble off the seam and added four more. These two Tests were the first Abbott has played consecutively in a series since his debut three years ago, proving why he is called the best 12th man around. He has earned the right to a longer run.

9

Vernon Philander
Making his comeback from an ankle ligament tear that kept him out of action for almost seven months last season, Vernon Philander looked back at his best – maybe even a little better. He stepped up in Dale Steyn’s absence in Perth to limit the Australian first-innings lead, scored 73 to build South Africa’s second innings, and ripped through the hosts in Hobart to dismiss them for 85. Philander’s pink-ball game was not quite as good but, all-round, he put in a performances away from home that proved he is much more than a Newlands bully.

8

Quinton de Kock
Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock’s hot streak with the bat featured four consecutive half-centuries, dating back to the New Zealand series in August, before he topped that up with what proved to be a match-winning century in Hobart. De Kock’s ability to score quickly has bulked up South Africa’s lower-middle order and, although he will be disappointed not to have helped build more of a target in Adelaide, he is the only one of their batsmen to have showed consistent form.Kagiso Rabada
At just 21, Rabada plays with the maturity of a man much older and the results are speaking for themselves. Rabada was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker, two behind series-topper Josh Hazlewood, and combined raw pace with excellent control to earn the title of spearhead. Although Rabada has shrugged off such comments, he is increasingly looking like the leader of the attack. His five-for completed the Perth win and he took wickets in Hobart and Adelaide at crucial times to underline his value to the South African team.Quinton de Kock went after the Australian bowlers with vigour•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

6

Faf du Plessis
The stand-in captain went from hero to villain to hero again (to some) in a series in which he made a case to take over the role permanently. Faf du Plessis managed his troops excellently in Perth, especially after Dale Steyn broke down, and Hobart before he needed them to back him up in the “mint-gate” scandal. That they rallied behind him with such force showed how much respect he commands. The Australian public were much harsher on du Plessis and have branded him a cheat (he was found guilty of ball tampering and is fighting the verdict on appeal) but he used that as fuel to change his fortunes with the bat. Du Plessis’ hundred came amid boos in Adelaide but was seen as a sign of character in his own changeroom. After being dropped last season, du Plessis has now come full circle and South Africa have the problem of plenty in the batting and leadership departments.Temba Bavuma
The little man with the big heart, Temba Bavuma won many fans in Australia for his commitment and class. He scored two gritty half-centuries in Perth and Hobart and would have been disappointed at being unable to convert either of them into bigger scores, but has given South Africa a glimpse of a bright batting future. His series will be best remembered for his lively fielding and the run-out of David Warner in Perth that has become the stuff of legend.

5.5

JP Duminy
In Perth, where his Test career began, Duminy resurrected it with a big hundred to help South Africa post a match-winning total at the WACA. But he did not contribute much after that, and his bowling was hardly required. Although Duminy played an essential role as a senior player, he looks likeliest to have to make way when AB de Villiers returns.Dean Elgar
As the senior member of the top two, much rested on Dean Elgar and he shouldered the responsibility well with a century in Perth. That innings also helped bury some demons – Elgar made a pair there, on debut, four years ago. He may be concerned, however, that none of his other scores were higher than 17 and he was unable to share in any substantial stands with his opening partner.How often have you seen Hashim Amla finish at the bottom of the pile?•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

5

Stephen Cook
After a tough tour in which his technique was dissected and dismissed as inadequate, Stephen Cook showed why he had thrived for a his decade-and-a-half on the first-class scene with an ugly but effective hundred in the second innings in Adelaide. Cook’s patience and determination are the two ingredients most needed in an opener, but he may still have some work to do outside his off stump. He is likely to be retained for at least the next series but will know that he and Elgar need to start clicking if they are to survive in the long term.Keshav Maharaj
One of the two rookie spinners on the tour, Keshav Maharaj put his hand up as a future prospect with an impressive debut in Perth. He was disciplined and complemented the quicks while also proving feisty with bat in hand. Maharaj did not have much of a role in Hobart and may have thought himself unlucky to miss out in Adelaide, but will take comfort in knowing that the international stage is sure to see more of him.

4

Tabraiz Shamsi
The other South African debutant was chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who was held back as a secret weapon for the day-night Test. Much like Imran Tahir, he appeared overawed by the occasion and seemed to try too many things in the first innings, but returned well to find turn and bounce in the second. Shamsi is a unique asset to any team and is difficult to pick, but will need to work on his keeping things a little tighter going forward.

3

Hashim Amla
South Africa’s most experienced batsman had a disappointing series to add to a lean away run that stretches back to 2014. Hashim Amla’s last four away tours have only brought 233 runs at 16.64. He was out to Josh Hazlewood on all five occasions here, leading to an examination of his technique – he seems to playing inside the line too often – and questions over whether he is in decline. That he put down three catches only added to such suggestions. But Amla was more vocal than he has ever been, particularly in defence of Faf du Plessis, and seems to be stepping up in the senior-role stakes. Batting coach Neil McKenzie has predicted the Sri Lankan attack may come in for some punishment during South Africa’s home summer, which may prove pivotal in Amla’s distinguished career.

Australian cricket never really accepted Michael Clarke for who he was, and instead expected him to be much like his mean, tough predecessors

Amber Sinha19-Aug-2015As tributes will undoubtedly flow in celebrating Michael Clarke’s achievements as a batsman and a captain, you get the sense that he has hung his boots in anticipation of being pushed out. The cricket establishment in Australia is generally less accommodating than the other big powers, India and England. Tours are not planned to let a star retire at home, nor are MBEs awarded after one Ashes victory. We have seen the Australian board effectively transition captaincy from Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting in the past where other cricket boards might have been hesitant in taking strong decisions. In principle, this sounds like a good policy. No player is bigger than the game and one wishes more cricket administrations thought the same. However, in the case of Clarke, the willingness to be rid of him has left a bad taste.Alastair Cook has been lampooned, MS Dhoni and Shaun Pollock had their detractors, but no international captain barring Sourav Ganguly, had divided opinions like Michael Clarke. He was marked for greatness from an early age. An attacking game, timing to rival Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn, twinkle toes, and solid technique – Clarke’s game had future star written all over on it. Unlike his namesake Hussey, who served an extended apprenticeship in domestic cricket, tightening his game every season, Clarke graduated to international cricket early and despite modest returns in the Sheffield Shield. His first-class average was under 40 when he debuted against India in Bangalore. But, if there were any doubts about his ability to score at the top level, a century in his first Test dismissed them conclusively.More than the runs he scored, it was the manner in which he got them that demonstrated his obvious class. In a series which stood out for the strategy of attritional cricket by Australians to deny the Indian batsmen the freedom to score, the tone was ironically set by a very Indian innings played by Clarke.Australian batsmen have traditionally struggled against spinners in the sub-continent. Even those who have come out with flying colours have relied on playing back and late like Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn, or counted heavily on the sweep with a giant stride outside the crease. The lightning footwork and assured stroke play against Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh by this debutant took everyone by surprise.Most of us fail to note that it was Clarke, and not Hayden, Ponting or Steve Waugh, who played the definitive innings in the only series victory Australia have managed to win in India in recent decades. Later that season he scored a century on his home debut against New Zealand in Brisbane and it was clear for all to see why Clarke had been spoken of as the future of Australian batting.As rosy as the start to his career was, Clarke went through his fair share of troubles both on and off the field. His propensity to get out right before the end of a session, and failure to perform in critical matches stood against him.It also became more and more clear that Clarke’s ‘un-Australian-ness’ was not limited to his on-field comfort in playing spinners, but also extended off it. In a video interview, Glenn McGrath provides an entertaining account of the ‘Julios’ and ‘Nerds’ classification in the Australian dressing room. Julios are the pretty boys, always concerned with how they look, while Nerds don’t really care, as real Australian men don’t.The motif of manliness is a curious one in Australian cricket. Geoff Lemon, writing for the , considers this very Australian idea of what sporting aggression ought to be. Big moustaches, guzzling pints of beer, incessant abuse at the opponent are synonymous with this manliness.I do not mean to denigrate the brand of cricket Australians play for a number of them have brought great joy to me over the years. But I take issue with some specific things; things that make many uncomfortable in celebrating their cricketing achievements. Sledging is not wrong per se, and gamesmanship only makes sports more colourful, but to confuse it with constant hurling of abuse does not do the practitioners of this art any favours.Also, the particular ethos of sledging espoused by the Australians, which translates to self-righteous anger when the other team oversteps the boundaries created by them, is what grates teams and fans from other countries. Alcohol is also a strangely recurrent theme in this mix, be it in the form of the the idea of boys sorting out on-field skirmishes over a bottle of beer, or Shane Warne’s embarrassing chatter about how thirsty the Australian team was after winning the World Cup earlier this year. It is no wonder that Clarke’s unwillingness to hang about and have a drink with his mates is supposedly a sore point.Andrew Symonds called Clarke a great batsman but not a natural leader. In an ironic way, I agree with his assessment. Clarke always felt like an unlikely choice to preside over this culture. He was seen as self-involved, emotionally vulnerable and had too glamorous a lifestyle. That did not endear him to the masses. Virat Kohli has felt this sting too, but, even India has been more accepting of his relationship with a popular Bollywood actress than Australia was of Clarke’s relationship with a supermodel.Lemon says that for an Australian batsman, being a pretty boy is a crime that only truckloads of runs can absolve. Clarke did that and led his team on the field more ably than his predecessors. If Clarke was another cricketer, his narrative might have been of the guy who scored a string of double hundreds, who battled a broken bone and Morne Morkel to score a hundred, who came back after being retired hurt and scored a hundred mourning the death of his best friend.Along with Mahela Jayawardene, Clarke may have been the captain with the most tactical nous in the last two decades. Much as we wish from the game’s leaders, Clarke brought a sense of adventure to Test cricket through his imaginative and positive captaincy.Yet to the popular Australian imagination, he did not fit in with their definition of a hero, to be truly loved. It is in this respect that I feel Clarke has had a bit of a raw deal from his country.To rein in a player for his indiscretions is one thing. But to be less than fully accepting of him for his differences off the field suggests the hegemony of a culture that leaves little scope for different characters. To pile on the misery of a neutral Clarke admirer, he decided to embrace the Australian way in the most chest-thumping manner by asking an opponent to get ready for a broken arm.To an outsider relying on reports in the media, Clarke was clearly not the most popular among his own men. His man management of Shane Watson, among others leaves a lot to be desired. But one wonders, how good a captain he might have been had he been accepted more for who he was.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Every time the new England coach Peter Moores renewed his contract with Lancashire the sighs of relief could be heard from Blackpool to Bacup. Now the sighs are tinged with gratitude and disappointment

Paul Edwards21-Apr-2014Every time the new England coach Peter Moores renewed his contract with Lancashire the sighs of relief could be heard from Blackpool to Bacup. But many Lancashire supporters always suspected that the man who helped bring them the Championship nearly three years ago would soon be tempted away to pursue his other goals in cricket. It was just a question of when.Now it has finally happened, perhaps those supporters can reflect how lucky they were that one of the game’s best coaches worked with their players for five eventful summers. “We realised we were not going to have someone like Peter for 20 years,” acknowledged Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket. “We knew he had an ambition to do something else at some stage.”But until the national team unravelled big style, as they say in Bolton, few Lancashire members thought that a return to the England job was particularly likely. Now they can be a trifle comforted that it took one of the biggest jobs in world cricket to persuade Moores to leave a post he plainly enjoyed.And perhaps they, like many of us, will now look back to February 2009 and conclude that Moores’ readiness to take on the Old Trafford job, five weeks after his bruising first experience with England, revealed something of the measure of the man.He later disclosed that the rigour of the interview process had stimulated him at a time when he was not sure whether he wanted to return to the county game. Two 15-minute presentations and two hour-long interviews were tough. He liked that – and suddenly he very much wanted to coach the club he had always loved since his days as a boy at King’s School, Macclesfield. Fortunately for Lancashire, they gave him the gig.He impressed us at his first press-conference. England was then in his past, he said; he had had a job with the national team but he didn’t have it any more. Now he wanted to talk about Lancashire’s players, their strengths, their hopes, their dream of winning the County Championship. It was his task to help them become better cricketers and he was looking forward to it. Already he had a detailed knowledge of their recent records. His eyes shone with excitement at the prospect of the work ahead. The press pack would get used to that look.And so began five years during which very few requests to “have a word with Mooresy” were turned down. Regardless of Lancashire’s fortunes on the field, he was almost always available. One remembers the pavilion at Trent Bridge after a hard-earned win; the outfield at Guildford after Kevin Pietersen had given Simon Kerrigan a fearful mauling; innumerable occasions in the press tent at Aigburth as Glen Chapple’s men made their uncertain way to that improbable title.The coach was always ready to offer his opinions and take our questions, albeit that one or two required skilful deflection to the long grass. Experienced communications professionals have said that Moores is the most understanding and obliging sportsman with whom they have ever worked. It is easy to see why.Inevitably, perhaps, there was coachspeak. Lancashire’s players had to “take the positives” from a dismal draw, and a tricky run of fixtures, for example, “is what it is”. But journalists are sometimes all too ready to criticise their interviewees and just as frequently reluctant to praise them for original and enlightening comments. When Moores was asked if he had banned talk of the title in the closing months of 2011 he replied that of course he hadn’t. “We talk about it all the time,” he continued, “It’s great. Why wouldn’t you want to talk about it?”After Lancashire had subsided to a particularly supine defeat at home to Worcestershire in 2012, the Old Trafford coach, albeit honourably reluctant to single out particular individuals for blame, still said that he hoped the players were hurting because they certainly should be. Stories filtered out that he was prepared to hand out old-style rollickings when they were required. He may have mellowed a little since the last time he coached England but he remains ready to challenge players who are performing averagely.But then some of the fans who laid out hard-earned cash to watch the last Ashes series might agree that the players needed a bit of confrontation as to what the hell they thought they were doing.There were quieter times, too. One could turn up at Lancashire’s Indoor School on a cold morning deep in December and find Moores happy to talk about the skills some of the second team newcomers were developing under his guidance. We are going to miss him in the press box.The most important and lasting legacy of Moores’ time at Lancashire will be the way he took decent cricketers and turned them into winners. Good teachers show their pupils how they can achieve their known potential; great ones convince their charges they are capable of performances beyond their own beliefs. Peter Moores is a great teacher.As evidence of this, consider the way in which he developed the talents of players like Kyle Hogg, Karl Brown and particularly Simon Kerrigan in the Championship season. Yet he remains a student of the game and of the wider issues involved in coaching. Perhaps it was his reading of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball that enabled him to see the potential of the Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof in the Spring of 2011. Or perhaps it was just that he got the best out of more or less the only overseas professional Lancashire could afford at that time.Like many other fine coaches, Moores takes a group of players and turns them into a team. When Chapple’s men arrived at Taunton for the last day of the 2011 season, they found photographs of each of their most notable performances pinned up on the dressing room wall. Each of them, even Maharoof, who was not playing but had stayed on in the hope of seeing the Championship won, was reminded of his contribution to the collective success.And when the next season brought only the disappointment of relegation, Moores was quickly out on the Lord’s balcony. “Last year these players won the Championship,” he said. “This year they’ll have to cope with relegation. These things are all part of being a professional cricketer. It’s all part of it.” One felt he was speaking from experience.Until Moores was appointed on Saturday it was tempting to adapt and echo F Scott Fitzgerald’s obiter dictum that there are no second acts when it comes to coaching the England cricket team. As it is, this inspirational leader has been given the chance to deal with what he probably regards as unfinished business, although it might be decades before he acknowledges it as such.For the moment, he is in charge of the Lancashire side for their current game against Warwickshire. It will be his last official job at Old Trafford. Apparently the players are to go out for a pint with him later this week but one hopes he gets a decent farewell from the Old Trafford members too. He certainly deserves some plaudits and I reckon he would appreciate them. After all, as Basil Fawlty said: “Now comes the tricky bit.”

Stats highlights after the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan18-Dec-2012 Of the 12 matches played in the seventh round, six produced outright results. Two of those were innings wins while the other four were won by the team chasing. The previous round also had produced six outright results. The runs-per-wicket figure in this round was 29.75. In comparison, the corresponding number in the sixth round was 29.07. The seventh round had 16 five-wicket hauls. While the number of five-fors in this round is lower than that in the sixth round (17), it is higher than the numbers in the fourth and fifth rounds (14 and 15 respectively). After the seventh round, the total tally of five-fors in this season has gone up to 91. The seventh round of Ranji Trophy matches featured 18 centuries taking the total number of centuries scored in the season to 155. In comparison, the sixth round had 15 centuries while the fourth and fifth rounds had 25 and 22 centuries respectively. CM Gautam’s 257 for Karnataka against Vidarbha was the highest score in the seventh round. The only other double-century in the round was scored by Aditya Tare for Mumbai against Saurashtra. Gautam’s 257 is the fourth-highest score by a Karnataka player in the Ranji Trophy. The highest is 283 by Barrington Rowland against Madhya Pradesh in 2004-05. The knock is also the fifth-highest so far in this season. Ravindra Jadeja leads the way with 331 against Railways followed by Kedar Jadhav who scored 327 against Uttar Pradesh. Rohit Sharma added yet another century to his impressive season. In six matches so far, Rohit has scored 712 runs at an average of 71.20 with three centuries and two fifties. Punjab’s Jiwanjot Singh also scored 103 against Madhya Pradesh in Gwalior. He has so far scored 776 runs in seven matches at an average of 77.60 with four centuries. Karnataka’s 619 against Vidarbha was the highest score in this round. Karnataka’s highest total, however, is their 791 against Bengal in in 1990-91. The lowest total in this round was registered by Jammu and Kashmir, who were bowled out for 85 against Services. Jammu and Kashmir have lost three matches so far this season and have been bowled out under 200 in five occasions. Karan Sharma’s 8 for 97 for Railways against Rajasthan was the best bowling performance in the seventh round. Overall, it ranks seventh on the list of best bowling performances by a Railways bowler in the Ranji Trophy. The performance is also the fourth-best in the season so far, Ankeet Chavan’s haul of 9 for 23 for Mumbai against Punjab is the best innings bowling performance in this season.

In all their matches Central Districts have won phases of play and looked very competitive before it went kaput

Sriram Veera in Port Elizabeth18-Sep-2010Jamie How looked shattered at the press conference. He wasn’t sure where his team was making mistakes. In all their matches they have won phases of play and looked very competitive before it went kaput. Suddenly, they go flat. Inexplicably, the bad habits creep in and the opponents walk all over them. It’s a matter of skill of course but it’s not only that. The youngsters freeze when they get a chance to get ahead. They still haven’t experienced victory; they still don’t know what it takes to win. And so, probably, they freeze. “We have to sit down and find out what happens in those moments,” How said later. “They are learning fast – this is a valuable learning platform – and will be better off for the experience.”It’s in those exact moments where Warriors score. It’s in those exact moments where they don’t choke. They used to choke for 18 years. “Whenever the game was in a fifty-fifty situation the boys would give up,” Davey Jacobs, their captain, said the other day. It was before he took over the leadership. Young blood was drafted in – the likes of Colin Ingram, Craig Thyssen, Rusty Theron – and the team’s character began to change. The seniors too pulled their weight and as a result Warriors have become a champion team.Today, it was the seniors who did everything. Before the game, it was expected that Central Districts wouldn’t offer much fight. They were 63 for 1 after six overs. They had gatecrashed the party. Or so it seemed. Jacobs threw the ball to his spinners, Nicky Boje and Johan Botha. Boje struck in his first over, Botha in his second and suddenly the game had changed. Central Districts were at 84 for 3 after12 overs.The two spinners work well in tandem. “Boje is slower through the air, whereas I am quicker and we both strangled them a bit in the middle overs,” Botha said. Only one other team, Chennai Super Kings, has two international spinners playing together in this competition. It’s in the middle-overs that the game changed. Though How tried valiantly in the end, they couldn’t bat Warriors out of the game.The chase was still stiff, but they had another senior in Ashwell Prince who played a neat supporting act to Jacob’s adventurous knock. Prince is not known for his limited-overs hitting. Don’t try telling him or his captain that though. “The South African selectors haven’t given me much chance in limited-overs format and so the perception of the outside world is that I am only a Test player. I am not.”Even as you were listening to Prince, his captain jumps at you. “Let me tell you, in the 50-overs and T20 competitions that we won last year Prince opened and scored 130 and 70 respectively,” Jacobs said. “So I don’t think you can box him as a Test player.” It was Prince who walked up to his coach last year and spoke of his desire to open in the limited-overs. The team management saw merit in that and gave him the option.The seniors have done the job so far in the tournament. “It was the youngsters who started the turnaround for us in the domestic competition,” Jacobs said. “Yes the seniors have done well here and have always done so but it won’t be long before you see the likes of Ingram, Thyssen and the rest start firing.”

Andrew McGlashan reviews the county season

Andrew McGlashan26-Sep-2005.

Middlesex
Runs were never in short supply – both Owais Shah and Ed Joyce were prolific – but the fact that they were still battling relegation in the final week of the Championship emphasises their problem with the bowling. Wicket-taking potential was not such a factor in the one-day game and, after years of poor performances, they ended a very creditable second in the National League. Injuries to the seamers, especially Chad Keegan, hampered their progress but Ben Hutton has been given a vote of confidence with an extension to his captaincy.
Player of the season Owais Shah – could not have batted much better.Northamptonshire
Their late surge in the Championship just showed what a poor start to the season they had. Jason Brown and Monty Panesar came to the fore once the pitches took more turn; they are the best pair of English spinners. Martin Love and David Sales provided the bulk of the runs, although Usman Afzaal played some attractive innings. Their one-day cricket was consistent with two quarter-final appearances, and Kepler Wessels is building a team that can challenge strongly for some silverware in the coming seasons.
Player of the season Damien Wright – Led the bowling from the front and hit useful runs in the middle order.Nottinghamshire
They became the first team to win the Championship the season after being promoted – and fully deserved their triumph. Their game plan was simple; pile on the runs and let the bowlers to their stuff. Part One was taken care of by Jason Gallian, David Hussey and Stephen Fleming with support from Chris Read, among others. The seam bowlers then did their job with Mark Ealham the leading striker, taking 56 victims. Fleming’s captaincy set the tone and Gallian was an able deputy. Their one-day game was more of a struggle, but they maintained their National League division one status during the last round of matches to end a memorable year on a high.
Player of the season David Hussey – It was a team effort, but his batting and catching were outstanding.

Somerset
Disappointing in the four-day game, exciting in the one-day arena. Give this team a couple more years and they will be producing some high quality players. Mike Garaway has swept the board clean at Taunton, blooding the youngsters and showing faith in them. The mixed results were to be expected but the Twenty20 win showed what can be achieved with a balance of youth and experience. Matthew Wood, Arul Suppiah, Wesley Durston and Carl Gazzard have bright futures. Graeme Smith instilled a gritty, professional side to their cricket and Somerset hope he will return.
Player of the season Ian Blackwell – Maturing as a captain, batsman and bowler. Very unlucky not to feature this winterSurrey
Problems on and off the field mean Surrey won’t be able to compete for the Championship for the first time in their history. The eight points lost for the ball tampering controversy against Notts in early season proved crucial, although their last-match win was against a relaxed Middlesex team. The team’s troubles are not confined to just their performances on the field, with the professionalism of some of the players called into question. Steve Rixon made his feelings known too, before being replaced for the last week of the season by Alan Butcher. Mark, Alan’s son, missed most of the summer with injury and the attack was depleted, but the side has started to look its age. The replacements are not obvious and an immediate return to Division One won’t be easy. Their one-day form was just as inconsistent, as they failed to defend 358 in the C&G quarter-final against Hampshire.
Player of the season Mark Ramprakash – still the most technically correct batsman in England.Sussex
A consistent season on the south coast, as Sussex were always competitive in the Championship thanks to their solid top order and two high quality overseas players in Mushtaq Ahmed and Naved-ul-Hasan. Three batsmen passed 1000 runs and five bowlers took wickets at under 30 in the Championship, but their early defeat against Nottinghamshire was critical. The one-day season also provided success with the second division National League title.
Player of the season Mushtaq Ahmed – A constant threat and the perfect overseas professionalWarwickshire
The fact they won three more matches than in 2004, but finished only fourth shows how competitive the Championship race became this season. It is now the end of an era at the club, with Nick Knight and John Inverarity both leaving. Whoever takes over will inherit a team with some young, exciting players and others, such as Jim Troughton, showing a new lease of life. The bowling is still an issue but James Anyon is a useful prospect, although an overseas bowler is important. Mark Wagh’s knee injury restricted him to one Championship match and put pressure on the likes of Ian Westwood and Luke Parker to come through the ranks. They remained competitive in the one-day arena, with an appearance at Lord’s in the C&G, but came unstuck in the Twenty20 bowl-out against Surrey.
Player of the season Dougie Brown – Kept running it and provided an experienced head for Nick Knight.

Worcestershire
It was a disappointing first season in charge for Vikram Solanki – both as a team and as an individual. Worcestershire failed to seriously challenge for promotion, and Solanki didn’t make a single Championship century. Add to that the poor run of form suffered by Graeme Hick and it often left the team short of runs, despite the best efforts of Ben Smith and Stephen Moore. The bowling was more impressive, with Matt Mason and Kabir Ali carrying a heavy workload. Shoaib Akhtar also provided the occasional, explosive burst. The season ended on a disappointing note with relegation in the National League: there is a lot of work to be done over the winter.
Player of the season Ben Smith – Tried his best to compensate for the lack of runs from Hick and Solanki.Yorkshire
Promotion in the Championship means it was a successful season for Yorkshire, but it will be tinged with annoyance after they failed to turn up for the C&G semi-final against Hampshire – almost literally when the coach driver refused to take them to the ground. The lack of pace bowling meant they struggled to bowl teams out: they must unearth some young, quick bowlers soon if they are to be competitive in the first division. They do, though, have some useful spin bowling in the shape of Mark Lawson and Richard Dawson but will need the young seamers to come through next season.
Player of the season Anthony McGrath – 1425 runs and useful wickets

A 69-run third-wicket partnership between Sam Billings and Abdullah Shafique combined with Rashid Khan’s three-for pushed the defending champions Lahore Qalandars into the PSL play-offs once more, with victory over Multan Sultans.After opting to bat, Qalandars lost Fakhar Zaman for a duck in the first over. Mirza Baig and Shafique then combined to up the ante, taking Khushdil Shah for 17 runs in the second over as they helped rebuild the innings with a 49-run stand. Ihsanullah broke through with Baig’s wicket as Mohammad Rizwan completed a superb catch behind the stumps, following which Billings joined Shafique at the crease. Then on, the duo made sure they scored boundaries regularly on their way to their strong stand.Related

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Kieron Pollard struck to remove Shafique in the 13th over for 48 and then struck again in his next over to dismiss Billings soon after the England batter reached his half-century. Qalandars lost wickets at regular intervals following his dismissal but they did not let the run rate drop too much. Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi struck two boundaries in the last over before getting dismissed to take his side to a strong 180 for 9.Sultans, meanwhile, got off to a sedate start in the chase. Zaman Khan removed Shan Masood for a 20-ball 19 in the seventh over. Raza then pinned Rizwan in front in the 10th over. It was then Rashid’s turn to do his thing: following a double-strike in the 11th over where he removed Usama Mir and David Miller, he took Rilee Rossouw out in the 13th. The required run rate had soared to over 15 by the end of the 15th over, and Sultans struggled to keep up with it. Pollard did hit two sixes and a four in the last over, but it was too late by then as Sultans crumbled to a 21-run loss.

The Red Devils' shiny new strikeforce excited the Old Trafford faithful but they were let down by their hapless goalkeeper

Manchester United's expensive new front line looks like money well spent after Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha gave Arsenal a real fright but Altay Bayindir's blunder in the 1-0 defeat underlined the need for the club to invest in a new goalkeeper.

The Turkish goalkeeper's weak hand pushed a Declan Rice corner towards the far post and would have resulted in an own goal had Ricardo Calafiori not nudged it over the line with his head. The blunder undid a very positive start from United, as Mbeumo bullied Arsenal's defenders and flew forward with intent, even if his final shot was lacking.

United defended well throughout and Arsenal barely troubled Bayindir after scoring, making the goalkeeper's error all the more frustrating. New £74m signing Benjamin Sesko made his debut in the second half but could not come to the rescue, missing the target with his only opportunity.

GOAL rates Man United's players from Old Trafford…

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Altay Bayindir (3/10):

Onana's absence should have given him extra motivation but instead he showed that United need two new goalkeepers, conceding a second goal directly from a corner after a similar mishap at Tottenham last year. And the most frustrating thing about the clanger is he was barely tested otherwise.

Leny Yoro (6/10):

Dealt well with Viktor Gyokeres and kept Gabriel Martinelli quiet. The only criticism was his slow distribution and his reluctance to play long-range passes.

Matthijs de Ligt (7/10):

A typically solid display after missing the back end of last season. Stayed on top of Gyokeres and quickly snuffed out any danger. It was a shame he got so little contact on his effort deep in added time.

Luke Shaw (6/10):

Looked comfortable among the centre-backs, keeping Bukayo Saka shackled for much of the game.

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Diogo Dalot (5/10):

Defended well but did not offer enough in attack. It was no great surprise when Amad replaced him in the 55th minute.

Casemiro (6/10):

Had good positional sense and his ability to break up play and then telegraph a pass to Mbeumo sparked one of United's best moves.

Bruno Fernandes (6/10):

Played an inviting pass for Mbeumo but mostly stayed further back in midfield, trying to influence proceedings from deep with mixed results.

Patrick Dorgu (6/10):

Built on his good pre-season campaign with a decent display. Almost levelled with a shot off the post but the less said about his earlier 30-yard effort, the better.

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Bryan Mbeumo (7/10):

A very bright debut, getting fans off their seats whenever he charged forward. Demonstrated his pace and power and although he couldn't conjure a goal he has already lit up United's attack.

Mason Mount (6/10):

Playing false nine is not his forte but he worked hard and could be spotted all over the pitch, even at left-back.

Matheus Cunha (7/10):

A classy display, opening up lots of space behind Arsenal's defence. Had one of the best efforts of the game, denied by a finger-tip save from Raya in the first half.

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Amad Diallo (6/10):

Gave United an extra edge going forward but failed to trouble Raya with his one effort.

Manuel Ugarte (6/10):

Gave the team an injection of energy although his wayward long-range strike was a waste of a good field position.

Benjamin Sesko (5/10):

Not exactly the debut he would have imagined. A glancing header which went well wide of the target was his only real contribution.

Harry Maguire (N/A):

Thrown on in the 80th minute to cause chaos in attack but didn't manage to unnerve the Gunners.

Ruben Amorim (6/10):

Not starting Amad showed his sense of caution and Mount as a false nine was another surprise which did not really work. He will be encouraged by the performance, however, if not the result.

Just 18 wickets fell across four days on an unresponsive surface at HQ

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2024Middlesex and Sussex maintained their status as Vitality County Championship Division Two promotion front-runners as their match at Lord’s petered out into a draw.It looked inevitable that the spoils would be shared once the home side had avoided the follow-on early on the final day and they went on to post 613 for 9 declared in reply to Sussex’s total of 554 for 9.Nathan Fernandes missed out on a century by nine runs, while Jack Davies struck a career-best 68 and Henry Brookes registered his first half-century as a Middlesex player, with off-spinner Jack Carson taking 4 for 166.Captains Leus du Plooy and John Simpson shook hands at 4.50pm, with the draw enabling Sussex to increase their advantage at the top to eight points over Middlesex, who remain in second place.Any faint prospect of a positive outcome essentially disappeared as early as the third over of the morning, when Fernandes clipped Fynn Hudson-Prentice for two to steer Middlesex past the follow-on target of 405.With their over rate in negative territory the previous evening, Sussex were soon utilising spin at both ends and the seventh-wicket pair continued to chip away at the deficit as they built a partnership of 119.Having swept Carson over the short boundary for six, Davies overtook his previous best of 65, but added just three more before he was out in the off-spinner’s next over to a ball that turned away from him and took the edge.Fernandes looked assured against both seam and spin, cutting and sweeping confidently to usher his side’s total beyond 500 and move within range of what would have been a second first-class century.The left-hander gained a reprieve when he was put down at backward square leg, pulling a short ball from Tom Clark – but he failed to take advantage, repeating the stroke to the next delivery. This time James Coles dived to take a tumbling catch in the deep.The remainder of the afternoon largely involved batting practice for the Middlesex tail. Sussex deployed nine bowlers and, at one stage, set a field with all nine men ranged in a semi-circle on the off side.Luke Hollman shared a sedate ninth-wicket partnership of 65 with Brookes, which eventually came to an end when the left-hander was bowled around his legs by Ollie Robinson’s slower ball.However, Brookes completed his half-century – the sixth of his career – after tea, swatting Coles’ full toss into the grandstand and finishing 52 not out as he and Ethan Bamber steered Middlesex to the 12th-highest total in their history.

Franchise leagues are attracting all the top talent so cricket boards are having to adjust their parameters for selection

Firdose Moonda08-Dec-2023Welcome to the future of South African bilateral cricket.This is a place where players who don’t feature in international series will still remain available for the national side at major tournaments. And where players who grind it out in the bilaterals might just be placeholders for the superstars.Does this sound revolutionary? It might not, because it’s been done before. Kind of. West Indies have long selected from their T20 franchise superstars for World Cups, even if they had not played for the national side. Trent Boult gave up his New Zealand central contract in 2022 but was part of the 50-over ODI World Cup this year. And Jofra Archer last played international cricket in March and was ruled out for the entire summer but remained a traveling reserve for this World Cup.Related

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Now, having conceded defeat to the financial clout of T20 leagues, that’s how South Africa will treat Quinton de Kock (and maybe even Faf du Plessis), who are currently playing cricket – just not for them. They’re both at the Abu Dhabi T10, where de Kock is opening the batting for the Delhi Bulls, which clashes with his other commitment to play for the Melbourne Renegades at the BBL, which also clashes with South Africa’s white-ball series against India. In that order, that’s his priority list.That means de Kock will not play any international cricket for at least six months but he remains nationally contracted and is still expected to be named in the T20 World Cup squad. Du Plessis’ name has popped up again after white-ball coach Rob Walter mentioned him in a press conference earlier in the week and he subsequently confirmed his interest in a World Cup comeback. In the meantime, the show must go on.It will from this weekend, where South Africa’s short international summer begins with an all-format visit from India in what would normally be a headline series. Instead, the white-ball games – three T20Is and three ODIs – will be played without several frontline players on both sides as workloads are managed, a fifty-over World Cup cycle ends, and the priorities of the global game shift.The upshot of all this is that there is opportunity for players to establish themselves in the national side, whether or not they are able to sustain that through to a World Cup spot.Take Matthew Breetzke. He made his debut in the third T20 against Australia in September – a series South Africa lost 0-3 – and scored five runs batting at No. 3. Given that de Kock and David Miller had been given a break for that series, and both are certainties in South Africa’s T20 XI, that could have been that for Breetzke and he knew it. “I only got one shot at it, in the last game of that series,” he said from Durban, where the series starts on Sunday. “This time, hopefully I will get all the shots. It frees me up to be the best that I can be.”He doesn’t have to hope. Walter named Breetkze as the designated opener alongside Reeza Hendricks, after Breetkze impressed him with his work ethic and temperament against Australia. While it is only a sample size of one, Walter said Breetke’s approach in the innings, where he made room and tried and to hit Marcus Stoinis over the mid-on early in the innings showed “the courage to make a play in that situation is sometimes worth more than the actual result.”And Breetkze intends to continue in that vein. “I like to play positive cricket,” he said. “I will be looking to play the conditions but if it’s a good wicket, I will be out there trying to put the first foot forward.”Donovan Ferreira is another experimental pick in the South African side•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesSo far this summer, Breetzke has not managed to do that. He has played five List A games with a total of 57 runs and a top-score of 36 and two first-class matches, while only crossing 40 once. “The runs haven’t been where I’ve wanted them to be and I have been getting out in silly ways,” he said. “But I have been hitting the ball really nicely. In terms of form I have been feeling good.”He also has the pedigree to back that up. After finishing the 2018 Under-19 World Cup as South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer, Breetzke was also the second-highest run-scorer in the 2021 domestic T20 Cup and the highest run-scorer in the 2022-23 first-class competition and is regularly in the conversation when it comes to the next crop of South Africa’s batters. So much so that he was picked up by Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, where he batted as a floater and rubbed shoulders with some of the game’s greats, including the player he is now replacing, de Kock. He described the experience as “awesome,” because of the “crowds and the way we got treated on and off the field. It gets you used to international cricket in terms of media and crowds. I feel a bit more relaxed than if I had come in two or three years ago.”And that’s really what sums up the way South Africa (and likely other countries) aim to develop their T20 game going forward: through their own league structure and then by having more high-profile players like de Kock in overseas leagues. Like most others, their schedule of international T20 fixtures is limited – South Africa play these matches and a three-match series in West Indies just before next year’s World Cup – so choosing a squad is based as much on performances in bilaterals as on league stats.Another example is allrounder Donovan Ferreira, who earned an international call-up on the back of his SA20 performances and will also have the three-match series against India to make a case for future selections. South Africa’s other experimental picks are Ottniel Baartman, a medium-pacer who has been playing professionally for almost a decade and earns a call-up as Kagiso Rabada is rested, and Nandre Burger, a left-arm quick who is seen as a replacement for Anrich Nortje in this squad. Those are shoes for both to fill, as are Breetzke’s in de Kock’s spot and it will be important for the players to remember that’s not really the point.As Breetzke said, facing India is a “special opportunity,” and even though the sparkle of bilateral white-ball games has been dimmed by leagues, there’s still a lot to play for.