Tag Futebol

Griffin coached Western Storm to two KSL titles in first of two stints in charge of regional side

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2024Somerset have appointed Trevor Griffin as head coach of their women’s team. Griffin, who has signed a two-year deal, previously had two spells coaching Western Storm in the women’s regional structure.He oversaw Storm’s two Kia Super League successes between 2017 and 2019, before moving on to coach Sunrisers and London Spirit in the Hundred. He also had a four-season spell in charge of Sydney Thunder in the WBBL.A former district sales manager with Nationwide, Griffin took an unusual route into coaching, via the Devon Cricket Board, Chance to Shine, and the University of Exeter. He worked for Canterbury Cricket in New Zealand before being offered the job of analyst and assistant coach at Western Storm, and was subsequently promoted to head coach when Caroline Foster stepped down.Griffin returned to take charge of Storm in 2022 and will now oversee the reintegration between women’s cricket and the county game at Taunton.”I’m absolutely thrilled. To be the first Head Coach and lead Somerset Women into this new era is a huge honour and I’m really excited for the future,” Griffin said. “Women’s cricket is going from strength to strength, and we’ve seen tremendous growth in the southwest in recent years. To be able to build on this as we move forward with Somerset is incredibly motivating for staff and players alike.”Somerset has a great history of supporting women’s cricket, and I can’t wait to share our knowledge and experience and work alongside their staff and players as we build a women’s squad to compete for top honours, inspire others and entertain the fans.”Somerset director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “Trevor is a coach who has achieved domestic success both in England and in Australia. He has a really strong understanding of our domestic structure which will enable him to lead this team into an exciting new era for the women’s game.”He has built and developed key relationships with players and staff across the region during his time with Western Storm and he is someone who shares the values that we at Somerset adhere to both on and off the field.”Trevor is held in high regard by players and staff alike and we very much look forward to working with him as we commence our journey to build a team and a brand of cricket that competes on all fronts and inspires the next generation of players.”

The board is hoping to create at least 10-12 women’s teams, though no concrete timeline has been announced

Madushka Balasuriya25-Jul-2023Sri Lanka Cricket is in the process of creating women’s sides affiliated with several first-class clubs, though no concrete timeline has been announced.”The top clubs in Sri Lanka such as SSC, NCC, CC and Tamil Union will start fielding women’s teams in the upcoming domestic competitions,” SLC President Shammi Silva said at a media briefing on Tuesday.However, Head of National Cricket Operations at SLC Chinthaka Edirimanne, clarified that the move was still in the discussion stage.”We have spoken to several Major League clubs, and we’re we’re hoping to hear back from the clubs in about two weeks,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Sri Lanka’s top domestic first-class structure is the Major League tournament, with 26 club sides being represented currently. Edirimanne said that they hope to create at least 10-12 women’s teams.Currently, women’s domestic cricket in Sri Lanka comprises the Division One Tournament, a limited-overs contest with eight sides taking part. While several more clubs have competed over the years, only a handful remain – with some of those affiliated with the armed forces even fielding a second XI.In terms of other cricketing nations, countries such as India, New Zealand and Australia have state-affiliated women’s teams, while England has several club sides.SLC announced earlier this year that the women would earn the same match fee as their male counterparts, however women’s cricket in the country has largely fallen by the wayside in years gone by. Following the 2020 T20 World Cup, for example, Sri Lanka Women didn’t play another international match for over a year.In that sense, the move to create women’s sides affiliated with premier club sides, were it to transpire, would signal a significant step forward in how the women’s game is viewed in the country

Compton brings up 1,000 red-ball (but not first-class) runs in English season before the end of May

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2022New Zealand were beaten by seven wickets in their final warm-up game ahead of Thursday’s first Test against England at Lord’s as Ben Compton’s fifth hundred of the season led the County Select XI to a surprise win at Chelmsford.The Select XI – a side comprising the best first-class cricketers who were not required by their counties for the T20 Blast and keen to play – needed another 152 runs to seal victory on the fourth day with nine wickets in hand after Jamie Porter and Ben Gibbon had run through New Zealand’s top order on Saturday.Related

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And Compton – with strong support from Hampshire’s Nick Gubbins – ensured that they cruised to victory midway through the afternoon session, turning his overnight score of 56 not out into 119 before he was bowled, looking to lap-sweep Ajaz Patel’s left-arm spin.Upon reaching 83, Compton completed 1,000 red-ball runs in the English summer before the end of May, but his milestone will not be officially recognised. While 878 of his runs have come in the County Championship, this tour match did not have first-class status, with New Zealand keen to use all of their squad members and the Select XI using 12 different players at various stages.Gubbins, meanwhile, made 67 not out off 121 balls, hitting 10 boundaries including two reverse-sweeps in three balls off Patel. He was at the non-striker’s end when Ryan Patel, the Surrey opening batter used as a No. 5, hit the winning runs over extra cover. Tom Haines, who was not out on 12 overnight, added two runs on Sunday morning before edging behind off Matt Henry, who found extra bounce from a good length.”They played really well and I think that’s exactly what you want in games like this,” Henry said. “You want to be playing against some guys that are really in form and Ben Compton is one of those guys. It was good for us bowlers to get out there and work on a few plans and get that time in the legs which has been really crucial.”It’s been great to have a couple of weeks here playing but I think everyone has had their eye on that first Test for a while now and I think everyone is looking forward to getting to London and getting the preparation underway.”New Zealand used nine bowlers in their second innings, including spells from Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Henry who – with Trent Boult playing in Sunday’s IPL final – appear likely to form a seam quartet at Lord’s next week. Blair Tickner, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week, also bowled, having completed a period of self-isolation.New Zealand will confirm a final reduced squad for the Test series on Monday, having selected an initial 20-man touring party to cover the warm-up games.

The opener knows he won’t be at full fitness but is doing everything he can to play the third Test

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-2021The next 48 hours will be key in determining whether David Warner will be fit enough to take his place in Australia’s side for the third Test against India in Sydney with his ability in the field as important as what he can do with the bat.Warner admitted it’s unlikely he would have 100% recovered from his groin injury regardless of how the next few days go. He is conscious of not being a liability to the side despite the eagerness to have him return but feels confident he would be able to manage the batting side of the game. Australia’s next two training sessions at the MCG on Saturday and Sunday will give a clearer indication of where he stands.”I’ll be doing everything I can to get on that park and play even if that means I’m not 100%,” he said. “It’s about being smart on this occasion. If I feel like I can do my duties, whether it’s standing in the slips cordon, taking catches to my right and left…think that’s where it will determine whether I do play or not.Related

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“I know I can manage the running between wickets, the shot-making I have, it’s whether I have that capacity of catching the balls left and right. With Gazza [Nathan Lyon] bowling, am I going to field at first slip or leg slip? I’ve got to be agile enough to make sure I’m taking those chances.”It will have some restrictions here and there. When you get into the game adrenaline takes over. For me it’s about my speed between wickets, that’s all that matters, it doesn’t matter what shots I can and can’t play. It’s about the drop-and-run, helping the guy at the other end get off strike. They are the things I like to be 100% fit for. In this case, I’m most likely not going to be, but I’ll have to work out myself how I’m going to manage that.”David Warner’s return could come down to how he can move in the field•Getty Images

Warner has been doing extensive rehabilitation since suffering the groin injury in the second ODI at the end of November, which has included using a hypobaric chamber to increase oxygen intake and cryotherapy, where ice is applied directly to the injured tendon.”I had a couple of jabs to get me pain-free,” he said. “The first two weeks were quite challenging, it was difficult to move around in bed and get in and out the car. When it comes to these tendon issues they hang around for quite a while and it’s quite hard to get through that pain threshold. I’m trying to manage that and we are doing everything we can to fast track that process.”In Warner’s absence, Australia’s top order has struggled to impose themselves in this series with their run rate uncharacteristically slow although the bowling from both sides has been impressive on surfaces offering more assistance that is often the case. Warner said that batsmen rode a fine line when trying to score freely but said that it was about more than just the shot-making.”It’s the loud calling, the way your shoulders are back, you are in the bowler’s face, you are trying to unsettle their line and length,” he said. “It has its challenges but sometimes you have to play outside the square and a little bit brave. I’ve always said it from day dot, I’d rather go down swinging than sitting there on the crease. If I’m able to get out there, I’ll have that intent as I always have. Applying a bit of pressure there can release the tension up the other end, help your partner out.”On the flip side of that if they are bowling well, you have to respect that and that’s what has happened in the last two Tests. Batsmen have got into that period of trying to bat time, then it has dictated that run rate. You can’t do anything about if the attack is going well. You’ll have to play a shot somewhere…if you nick off, someone says it’s a bad shot. If you hit it for four, it’s a great shot. That’s why I love it, I live by the sword, die by the sword when I’m out there with the bat.”

England are set to field yet another top-three combination on their New Zealand tour

Alan Gardner31-Jul-2019The boys Down Under
England went to Australia with something approaching a plan. Alastair Cook was joined at the top of the order by Mark Stoneman – the 12th opener to try and fill Andrew Strauss’ shoes – with a stylist at No. 3 in James Vince. Although that plan was quickly shown to be inadequate for regaining the Ashes, and Vince was then dropped in Auckland (where England were blown away for 58), they had a final outing in the Christchurch Test that concluded a lengthy tour of the antipodes. Vince made 76 in the second innings and finished with an average of 30.54 for the winter; England haven’t picked him in a Test since.A (brief) summer affair
After much badgering on the subject, Joe Root opted to once again move back up a spot. Stoneman only lasted one more Test, bowled in each innings against Pakistan at Lord’s, which prompted England to go back Keaton Jennings – last seen being tortured on or around off stump by Vernon Philander and co in the 2017 summer. Cook and Jennings did not really combine to any greater effect second time around, and Root’s returns tailed off after making 80 against India at Edgbaston – still, by recent standards, this was a period of stability, the top three unchanged for almost five Tests. And then…Things start to get weird…
Having been dropped in New Zealand at the end of a difficult winter (see above), Moeen Ali returned to the Test XI against India in Southampton. He made 40 at No. 7 and took 5 for 63 – so far so normal – but then appeared at the fall of the first wicket in England’s second innings, apparently at his own request. Root was only too happy to switch back to No. 4, but although Moeen made a half-century in the final Test at The Oval – where Cook rubberstamped his retirement with scores of 71 and 147 – he wasn’t long for the top order.New era, same problems
On tour without Cook anchoring the batting for the first time since 2005-06, England stuck with Jennings alongside the debutant Rory Burns. Jennings repaid some of the faith with an unbeaten 146 in Galle, were Moeen’s stint at No. 3 ended; for the Pallekele Test, Ben Stokes was asked to have a go. “Ben’s game is in good shape and he is more than capable of batting at No. 3,” Root said. “We are fortunate that many in the side could bat in that position.” Many would have to. In the second innings, Jack Leach‘s deployment at nightwatchman meant Stokes shunting down to five, below Root, and then another solution entirely presented itself in Colombo.Jonny B good (please)
Jonny Bairstow was understandably a little peeved at how things developed in Sri Lanka. An ankle injury saw Ben Foakes take the gloves, winning Man of the Match on debut, and Bairstow found his only route back in was to bat at No. 3 in Colombo. The pumped-up celebrations of his hundred – the first for England from that spot in the order since 2016 – told a story, but Bairstow’s tenure would also be short. He made a half-century in defeat in Antigua a couple of months later, before reclaiming the gloves and heading back to the middle-order at Foakes’ expense.Shuffling the deckchairs
England’s fumbling for a solution saw them drop Jennings after the first Test in the West Indies, handing a debut to Joe Denly (who hadn’t opened in first-class cricket since 2015). Denly was then moved down to replace Bairstow, while the woefully out-of-form Jennings was recalled – making scores of 8 and 23 – for the victory in St Lucia. Almost six month later, on the back of World Cup success, Jason Roy finally got the call, partnering Burns against Ireland at Lord’s, with Denly back at No. 3. Then Leach showed up everyone by making 92, Roy shone at No. 3… and when the bottle stopped spinning it was pointing at Root again.Back to the future?
While Burns locked down his spot with 133 at Edgbaston, chaos reigned at the far end: Roy made 57 runs in six innings as an opener, and was shunted down to No. 4 for Old Trafford, with Denly making the jump back to the top and Root staying put (other than one innings back at No. 4 while Craig Overton shifted up as nightwatchman). But with the first New Zealand Test looming, Root decided No. 4 “suits my game a little bit more”, so an arrow has been drawn next to his name with another one – Dom Sibley – scrawled in at the top. All that meant England fielded their most inexperienced top three at Mount Maunganui since the Ireland game, with just 20 caps between them: what could possibly go wrong?Football, bloody hell
Afflicted by a sickness bug in Centurion, and 1-0 down arriving in Cape Town, England were hoping to restart their tour on a more positive footing. Instead, it was Burns’ stumble during a game of warm-up football that forced another reshuffle at the top. With ankle ligament damage ruling him out for the rest of the series, Kent opener Zak Crawley was catapulted into the side (having made his debut at No. 6 in New Zealand a few weeks earlier) – meaning England’s opening pair went into the game at Newlands with just four caps between them. The last time they had fewer was 1963. It was also just the second time an England opening partnership had comprised two right-handers since 2002, the other occasion being Lord’s 2016 when Alastair Cook came in down the order due to injury.January 3, 2020 – This article was updated during England’s tour of South Africa

Australia’s T20 captain believes they will take confidence from their recent success against England in the shortest format

Melinda Farrell at Edgbaston26-Jun-20181:19

T20 a chance for Australia to ‘strut our stuff’ – Finch

Aaron Finch believes Australia will take confidence from their recent T20 success against England into the standalone fixture at Edgbaston and has said the different format gives his players the opportunity for a fresh start after their 5-0 loss in the ODI series.Australia won the Trans-Tasman T20 Tri-Series earlier this year, beating England twice before going on to defeat New Zealand in the final. They have most of the same squad available at Edgbaston, although Finch is captain in the absence of David Warner, who led them to success in February before his embroilment in the Cape Town saga.”We’ve played really good T20 cricket over the last little while,” Finch said. “That was with Davey as skipper in the T20 tri-series but we’ve got a pretty similar group and the guys are playing some really good cricket in that format. It’s probably a format the guys have played a lot more of in the last 12 months, with Big Bash and IPL and things like that.”It’s just about trying to get some continuity over the next six games and really start to develop a core squad that we can take forward almost with one eye on the 2020 World Cup at home.”Finch has captained Australia in both the 20-over and 50-over formats and there has been speculation he may take the ODI reins should Alex Carey, his vice-captain for this game, be favoured as wicketkeeper over Tim Paine, who struggled with the bat in the series against England and admitted his place would be up for discussion.”Someone asked me about this the other day and I haven’t spoken to Tim about anything like that. I haven’t thought about it to be honest,” Finch said. “If the opportunity came up at some point, having done it a couple of games in New Zealand going back quite a while, if the opportunity is there anyone would love to captain their country but Tim’s the man for the job.”Australia will head home via Zimbabwe for a tri-series also involving Pakistan. While there have been security concerns surrounding the tour, Finch said the players had been briefed by the security team and felt comfortable with arrangements. Along with this one-off fixture, the upcoming matches give Finch a chance to nail down the captaincy.Aaron Finch, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting chat at training•Getty Images

“Yeah I think so,” Finch said when asked. “I think when I had the job last it was one game here and there tacked on to a long tour and it would almost be a heap of guys that ship out and a couple of guys would come in to just play one game here and there.”So I think the amount of T20 that’s coming up, I think most of them are three-game series against other countries so it’s going to be a great opportunity for guys to start to really cement their spot, put their hand up and be the one going forward in their position and just get some continuity with selection and playing more games.”But before that, Australia will be desperately seeking a win to finish a disappointing tour on a high. After England’s last-gasp victory at Old Trafford, Eoin Morgan recalled the way the team’s confidence was affected by a string of losses before the 2015 World Cup. “There was a big mountain to climb,” in terms of belief, Morgan said.But Finch rejected the idea that Australia’s poor ODI form against England – they have lost 10 out of the last 11 contests between the sides – will have a lasting effect.”We’ve just got to start winning, we’ve just got to play better cricket,” Finch said. “I don’t think when we turn up next year for the World Cup there’ll be any mental scars there, they’re probably more for England to be fair. They haven’t won a World Cup and it’s at home so no doubt the pressure will be huge on them.”In the one-day format the confidence was definitely affected, England put us on the back foot from the word go and we weren’t able to catch up. But we’ve had success in this format, from seventh in the world to first or second which is a great achievement and done it with mixed and matched teams. We’re getting more settled. The confidence took a hit in the one-dayers but I don’t think there will be anything to worry about in this format.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches held on April 26, 2017

Mohammad Isam26-Apr-2017Ziaur Rahman smashed five sixes in his unbeaten half-century as Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club defeated defending champions Abahani Limited by six wickets at the KSOA Stadium in Fatullah. His 57-ball 73 paved the way for their 270-run chase, and closed out the game for Dhanmondi Club with 12 balls to spare.Ziaur came in to bat after Dhanmondi Club were struggling at 3 for 160 in the 33rd over. He shared a 102-run fourth-wicket stand with Nurul Hasan, who struck three fours in his 43-ball 46. Ziaur, an allrounder with a reputation of being a big-hitter, clobbered six sixes, with two of them landing deep into the stands over midwicket. He skied another over long-on, as the Abahani bowling attack, in the absence of Taskin Ahmed, were left reeling under pressure.Fazle Mahmud and Dhanmondi Club’s Indian recruit Prashant Chopra had earlier laid the foundation with a 114-run second wicket stand. Chopra made 57 off 86 balls with five fours and a six while Mahmud retired hurt on 63 with a leg injury, having struck two fours and as many sixes in his 86-ball knock.Earlier, having elected to bat, Abahani gave away a good start as they were bowled out for 269 runs in 50 overs. Liton Das and captain Mahmudullah made 62 each but there was no real push from the rest of the line-up as they fell about 30 runs short on a pitch that had very little in it for the bowlers.That, however, didn’t stop legspinner Tanbir Hayder from finishing with four for 45 in his ten overs while Shahadat Hossain and Abdur Razzak took two wickets apiece.Mominul Haque smashed Bangladesh’s third highest List-A score as Gazi Group Cricketers picked up their fourth win in a row, beating Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club by 35 runs at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar. They are now the only team with eight points and, thus, are placed top of the points table.Mominul’s 152 came after Mohammedan Sporting Club’s Tamim Iqbal struck 157 in this year’s league opener against Kalabagan Krira Chakra. Coming in to bat in the second over with Gazi Group having put only two runs on the board, Mominul finished with 16 fours and six sixes in his 120-ball innings in what is arguably his best knock in domestic cricket. This was his third hundred in the List-A format; he had struck 104 against the same opposition in Dhaka Premier League’s last season.He added 153 runs for the third wicket with Nasir Hossain, who contributed with 64 off 76 balls, before adding another 101 runs for the fourth wicket with Parvez Rasool who hit three sixes in his 54-ball 53. Gazi Group, however, failed to accelerate from 263 for 4 in the 42nd over, as they tumbled to 307 all out in the penultimate over of the innings, having lost their last seven wickets for 44 runs within the space of seven overs.For Prime Doleshwar, seamers Farhad Reza and Delwar Hossain took four and three wickets respectively.Much in the fashion of Gazi Group, Prime Doleshwar, too, lost an early wicket but recovered through a 72-run second-wicket stand between Imtiaz Hossai (42) and Shahriar Nafees (36). They, however, slipped to 98 for 5 in the 21st over. Their Afghan recruit Samiullah Shenwari (55) and wicketkeeper Jaker Ali (52) added 103 runs for the sixth wicket.Once the two set batsmen were removed within the space of 11 deliveries, followed by captain Farhad’s dismissal soon after, the chase only had academic interest. Doleshwar laboured to 272 for 9 in 50 overs as Nasir took three wickets while Shafiul Islam picked up two.Legends of Rupganj thumped Kalabagan Krira Chakra by two wickets at the BKSP-4 Ground in Savar, where the game had to be reduced to 27 overs a side due to a wet outfield.Having elected to bat first with the game starting at 1pm after a four-hour delay, Kalabagan posted 176 for 8 in 27 overs with Mehrab Hossain jnr carrying his bat through his 81-ball 79.Mohammad Sharif, Mosharraf Hossain and Mashrafe Mortaza took two wickets each.Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored for Rupganj with 44 off 53 balls – studded with three fours – while Hasanuzzaman, Ashar Zaidi and Mashrafe chipped in with brisk knocks to take their side close to the target. Rupganj’s chase, however, required the ninth-wicket pair of Sharif and Mahmudul Hasan to complete the win with two balls to spare.Abul Hasan, Muktar Ali and Sanjit Saha took two wickets each for Kalabagan.

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2016Hashim Amla remains adamant that, despite South Africa’s failure to progress to the World T20 semi-finals, their much-vaunted senior players will refocus on the 2017 Champions Trophy in England in an attempt to add a limited-overs medal to their cricketing CVs.Ahead of South Africa’s dead-rubber against Sri Lanka on Monday, Amla insisted that he will join AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir in proving that they still have the capacity to succeed in major international tournaments.”A lot of us are extremely keen to keep playing international cricket,” Amla said. “It’s something we’ve enjoyed. A lot of us feel like we’ve got a few more years left in us.”It would be great if we can make it to the next 50-over World Cup – that would be ideal. But first we’ve got a Champions Trophy next year. As long as you are fit and healthy and scoring runs and you warrant your place in the team then hopefully you can make it.”Although there has not been yet been much dissection of South Africa’s exit – perhaps because they still have a game to play – one of the inevitable questions will be about the future of some the squad.De Villiers, for example, has been outspoken about managing his workload. Considering his roles as captain in both Test and ODI cricket and a packed schedule of T20 leagues including the IPL and CPL in 2016, leaving international T20s behind may be an option.The same can be asked of Dale Steyn, who spent all but two days of the summer injured and was carefully brought back for this tournament but then only played one match. But Amla dismissed ideas that either of them is considering phasing themselves out.”The whole rumour of AB retiring was before I gave up the Test captaincy and I think it was just that: a rumour,” he said. “There are no issues whatsoever. Everyone is really passionate and desirous of doing well. We’re just hoping we can play good cricket and at the next ICC event have a better performance.”Steyn only played South Africa’s opener against England before South Africa opted for the pace-off-the-ball bowling of David Wiese, even at the Wankhede where the quicker bowlers had more in their favour.Amla defended Steyn’s non-selection as a logical thought process. “Before coming to this tournament, the captain and the coach talked about picking the right team for the venue or the wicket,” he said.”In Mumbai, with a smaller field and a lot of boundary hitting, the quick bowlers came into the picture a lot more,” he said. “In Nagpur, the slower bowlers were more effective. I can understand why the captain and coach opted for David Wiese.”That wasn’t the only selection question South Africa faced.AB de Villiers had been playing as an opener until the tournament began, which led to questions about his reversion to the middle order. JP Duminy’s hamstring injury just as he returned to form also meant that South Africa’s middle order was weakened ahead of the vital tie against the West Indies.The fact that South Africa’s key batsmen failed to fire was identified by critics back home as a key reason for their inability to advance to the knockouts but when Amla was asked if he felt de Villiers and Duminy had given the team enough, he displayed rare irritation. “Is that a serious question? Really?” he asked. “Next one, please.”Instead, Amla put South Africa’s performances down to lack of cohesion as a unit and did not place any individual blame. “We haven’t played our best cricket throughout. We haven’t had a game where our batting and our bowling has clicked in the same game.”All hope had not gone, he said, issuing a familiar message. “This team will win a World Cup or an ICC tournament at some stage.” Just not this time.

Luke Wright smashed 114 off just 69 balls as Sussex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Netherlands in their day-night Yorkshire Bank 40 game at Hove

13-Aug-2013
ScorecardLuke Wright blasted a century from 62 balls•Getty Images

Luke Wright smashed 114 off just 69 balls as Sussex cruised to a nine-wicket win over Netherlands in their day-night Yorkshire Bank 40 game at Hove. Sussex’s fourth win in Group A is unlikely to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stages for the third successive year but they at least managed to end a winless run at Hove that had extended for two days short of a year.Wright and Ed Joyce put on 175 in 20 overs for the first wicket with Wright cruising to the sixth List A hundred of his career and second of the summer, after he made 115 against Kent in June.The 28-year-old played the last of his 46 ODIs for England more than two years ago and is to lead England Lions in three matches against Bangladesh A next week. While he ruthlessly exposed the limitations of the Dutch attack it was nonetheless an impressive display of hitting against both seam and spin.He struck five sixes, either straight or on the leg side, and reached his century with his 11th four, a powerful back-foot force through extra cover off Tim Gruitjers. Gruitjers did have the satisfaction of removing Wright thanks to a superb running catch on the long-on boundary by Pieter Seelar, but it was a rare moment of relief for the seven Dutch bowlers used, none of whom had an economy rate of less than seven an over.Skipper Joyce hit the winning runs in the 22nd over to reach a 58-ball half-century.Netherlands had been hoping to build on Sunday’s encouraging win over Warwickshire and having won the toss they were well placed after 22 overs on 125 for 3. But the dismissal of top-scorer Wesley Barresi sparked a collapse which saw seven wickets go down for 60 runs in 14.2 overs.Barresi had shared a stand of 50 from just 35 balls with Gruitjers when he was leg-before to Will Beer for a run-a-ball 64, which included seven fours and a six. Three deliveries later Peter Borren was trapped in his crease by Chris Liddle and Dutch wickets fell regularly after that although Gruitjers hinted at a recovery with 27 before he was stumped down the leg side by debutant Callum Jackson to give Beer, who finished with 3 for 49, another wicket.It was a good night for the Sussex spinners. On a slow pitch, Mike Yardy and Chris Nash were operating in tandem after nine overs. Offspinner Nash picked up Michael Swart to a catch on the midwicket boundary after the opener had added 44 for the second wicket with Barresi following the early loss of Stephan Myburgh.Nash, Liddle and Lewis Hatchett all picked up two wickets and a target of 186 was never going to be a test for Sussex, especially after Wright and Joyce had plundered 71 off the first six-over Powerplay.

Pakistan Under-19s improved on their already impressive bowling performance in the first one-dayer to rout Australia Under-19s for 139, setting up a seven-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2012
ScorecardSaad Ali was unbeaten at the finish•Getty Images

Pakistan Under-19s improved on their already impressive bowling performance in the first one-dayer to rout Australia Under-19s for 139, setting up a seven-wicket victory that clinched the three-match series. A succession of useful contributions from the top-order batsmen allowed the visitors to reach the target with 15.2 overs to spare.Pakistan had dismissed Australia for 187 in the first match, after choosing to field, and Babar Azam asked the hosts to bat once again. Australia reached 14 before losing their first two wickets in the space of three runs. The promising Kurtis Patterson was run out for a duck.They slipped to 53 for 4 before Cameron Bancroft and Travis Head had a 52-run partnership. However, they too fell in quick succession and after that the end was swift. Fast bowler Zia-ul-Haq claimed 3 for 20 in seven overs, while Azizullah and Ehsan Adil conceded less than two runs per over.Australia’s bowlers struck at regular intervals but they needed to knife through the Pakistan line-up to pose a challenge and they were unable to do so. All of the top five batsmen got past 20 and Saad Ali raised the tempo, scoring 36 off 33 balls to secure victory in the 35th over.”We started quite well at the top with Peirson and Bancroft and we were quite aggressive but unfortunately in the batting side of things there wasn’t many positives after that,” Patterson said after the defeat. “The bowling was good early on, we bowled quite patiently but at the end of the day 139 is just not really enough.”We have gone two games in a row now where we have massively underachieved and especially today as the pitch was even better, to only get 140 on a flat wicket is really under par and we need to particularly work on our play to spin as well as our play to pace as well.”