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Ned Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval

Press Association12-May-2015
ScorecardNed Eckersley ensured a strong Leicestershire retort•Getty Images

Ned Eckersley hit a superb 118 as Leicestershire fought hard to avoid defeat against Surrey following Kevin Pietersen’s epic 355 not out in the Second Division match at the Kia Oval.Pietersen did not field before lunch, or for much of the day’s last session, because he needed ice treatment on a slight calf strain, but he fielded throughout the afternoon session with Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, confirming that Pietersen “felt let down” by Strauss’s comments at Lord’s earlier in the day.His remarkable innings meant an eventual Surrey total of 557 and a 265-run first innings lead, but by stumps on day three Leicestershire had worked hard to get themselves 45 runs in front at 310 for 5 in their second innings.Eckersley struck a six and 17 fours in a fluent and attractive knock, dominating a second wicket stand of 161 with Angus Robson, who made 55 from 110 balls before becoming the first of three scalps for Zafar Ansari’s left-arm spin.Ansari and Gareth Batty, the Surrey spinners, chipped away at Leicestershire after Eckersley’s tenth first-class hundred ended when he was beaten by Ansari’s turn and edged to Jason Roy at slip.Offspinner Batty then snared Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove, who also survived a stumping chance off Ansari on 14 but was caught at short leg by Rory Burns for 44 as he tried to flick away a ball to leg from a couple of paces down the pitch.Leicestershire were still five runs short of making Surrey bat again when Neil Pinner, with whom Cosgrove had added 42, was leg-before to Ansari for 24 after resisting for 74 balls.Niall O’Brien and Ben Raine battled hard until the close, however, seeing off the second new ball too as they added an unbroken 50 for the sixth wicket.Earlier, Pietersen had been left just two runs short of Bobby Abel’s 116-year-old record for the highest individual innings by a Surrey player, set against Somerset at the Oval in 1899, when last man Matt Dunn’s brave resistance finally came to an end 4.5 overs into the third day.Dunn, though scoring only five in 104 minutes, had stayed with Pietersen while a remarkable 139 runs were added for Surrey’s final wicket. Pietersen’s historic knock contained 15 sixes and 36 fours and occupied 396 balls.It was the sixth highest score ever made in the County Championship and the seventh highest first-class innings made in England. It was also the highest first-class innings against Leicestershire, eclipsing Yorkshire legend George Hirst’s 341 in 1905.All eyes were on Pietersen, 326 not out overnight, when Surrey resumed on 528 for 9 in reply to Leicestershire’s 292, especially as the resumption of his innings coincided with the announcement at Lord’s, by newly-installed England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, that an international recall for Pietersen was “not in the short-term interests of the England team”.Twenty-nine runs were added to Surrey’s overnight total, and all of them by Pietersen. There was a flipped four to fine leg, from a ball pitching outside off stump, a five when he tipped and ran for a short single to keep the strike and a run-out attempt ricocheted off the stumps to the boundary, a six slammed high over long off against Raine’s fast-medium, and then a four launched over mid off to go to his 350.When Dunn popped up a catch to short square leg off a lifting ball from Raine, every Leicestershire player ran to congratulate Pietersen on his magnificent seven-and-a-half hour innings. Pietersen, with 467 runs from five innings, now averages 233.50 in championship cricket this season.Leicestershire’s second innings began badly, with first innings century-make Lewis Hill leg-before to Dunn for a duck to the fifth ball of the opening over, but Eckersley and Robson both impressed in the big partnership which followed.

Rizwan’s half-century helped Multan canter to a six-wicket win despite a brief early stutter against a depleted United

Danyal Rasool20-Feb-2022There was very little riding on this game, and perhaps that shone through in the way it played out. Islamabad United, hobbling on as injuries continue to ravage them, limped to 105 in 20 overs, before an unbeaten 42-ball 51 from Mohammad Rizwan helped Multan Sultans canter to a six-wicket victory despite a brief early stutter. But for the unlikeliest of miracles United were assured progression to the last four, though the depleted state in which they eventually get there perhaps raises questions about their ability to be competitive.United, like Quetta Gladiators, who won earlier against Karachi Kings, finish with four wins in ten, but had the cushion of a vastly superior net run rate to sneak through to the eliminator. Making half a dozen changes – goodness knows how many enforced – they were no match for a ruthless Sultans bowling line-up, who bent them to their will all innings. Besides Liam Dawson and Muhammad Musa, no Islamabad batter managed better than a run-a-ball, with Asif Afridi, Imran Tahir, and even Tim David chipping in with wickets.Azam Khan in the middle order was United’s best hope of a big total, with superstars and power hitters in short supply elsewhere. But he ended up struggling most of all, put out of his misery by a ripper of a catch at deep midwicket by Shan Masood, who can’t seem to put a foot wrong in this competition. Skipper Asif Ali’s wretched PSL with the bat continued, with Masood once more taking the catch at deep midwicket to burrow into the lower order. Only a devil-may-care cameo from Musa, who finished unbeaten with 26 in 21, helped his side get to three figures, setting the Sultans 106 for victory.They needed to get there in an almost mathematically impossible 3.4 overs if United were to be eliminated at the Gladiators’ expense. Instead, they got a brief scare of their own when three early wickets by Dawson reduced them to 18 for three, and Tim David fell cheaply. But a situation like this is tailor-made for Mohammad Rizwan, who was happy to steer his side towards the target. In David Willey, he had a partner who understood the situation, and shelved his big shots for a sensible, game-appropriate knocking, finishing unbeaten with 28 off 32.It was a game that seemed to be dragging on interminably, and the Sultans stretched it out till the 18th over before finally putting United, and indeed the contest, out of its misery. There was still time for Rizwan to give his phenomenal career numbers another shot in the arm, getting to 50 with a glorious six over cover for the winnings runs. The Sultans now get ready for a likely blockbuster against the Sultans on Wednesday, with United left licking wounds both literal and metaphorical.

Former England batting coach will continue to work with Middlesex through 2022 summer

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022Mark Ramprakash will work alongside Middlesex’s batters this summer after the club extended his consultancy.Ramprakash, who began his playing career at Middlesex before moving south of the river to Surrey, was England’s batting coach between 2014 and 2019. He subsequently took up a role a director of cricket at Harrow, which he has combined with media work, before being brought in by Middlesex over the winter.”Since Ramps joined us at the start of our winter training programme, the impact he’s had has been incredible,” Middlesex’s head of men’s performance cricket, Alan Coleman, said. “He has brought an energy to our sessions that not only engages the players but constantly challenges them to improve.Related

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“I share Ramps’ view that you don’t want to waste a single session and that getting in the nets isn’t simply about hitting balls. He raises the intensity, puts the players under pressure in scenario-based sessions, where every ball counts and every shot matters.”He has engaged the group, who are showing plenty of signs of responding well to his methods, and in Ramps we have a coach that completely gets what we’re trying to achieve as a playing group and coaching team and cares deeply about the club.”I’m thrilled that he has committed himself to the group for the rest of this season, and I can’t wait to see what we can collectively achieve with him as an important part of the coaching unit.”Ramprakash scored more than 35,000 first-class runs in his career, including 114 centuries, although he was viewed as an unfulfilled talent after averaging 27.32 across 52 Tests for England.He spent a period as Middlesex’s batting coach after retiring from playing in 2012, and returns with the club seeking to improve fortunes after a difficult 2021 that saw Angus Fraser, the long-serving director of cricket, moved sideways into a new role and Stuart Law sacked as head coach. Coleman now heads a new coaching structure, with Richard Johnson – a former Middlesex team-mate of Ramprakash – appointed as first-team coach last month.In particular, Ramprakash will look to raise batting standards among a top order that has struggled to regularly post big scores in Championship cricket, with Middlesex losing eight out of 14 red-ball fixtures last season.

BCCI anti-corruption unit helps player lodge police complaint

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jan-2022Former Tamil Nadu batter R Sathish has filed a police complaint in Bengaluru after allegedly being approached on social media to fix a match.In the complaint, filed on January 14 and seen by ESPNcricinfo, Sathish has mentioned that on January 3 he was approached by a person named Bunny Anand, who “offered” the player INR 40 lakh (USD 53,000 approx) to “fix” a match. In the complaint, filed in the Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru, Sathish has also alleged that Anand told him “two other” players had “already agreed” to fix the match. The statement said that Sathish politely declined to entertain the offer.Sathish also declined to respond to ESPNcricinfo when asked about which match or tournament Anand was referring to concerning the alleged fix. While Sathish, who turned 40 on January 14 (the day he lodged the complaint), last played on the Indian domestic circuit in 2017, he has continued to be an active player featuring in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he represents Chepauk Super Gillies.Having received Anand’s message, Sathish is believed to have alerted all the concerned authorities, including the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the BCCI, before being advised by the board’s anti-corruption unit to approach the police. According to BCCI ACU chief Shabir Hussein Khandwawala, the board’s ACU officer B Lokesh facilitated Sathish in lodging the FIR. Khandwawala said that the BCCI had informed the ICC’s ACU. “For the offer made of 40 lakh in an attempt to fix the games, abetting a crime and thus cheat the game of cricket, the complaint is accepted,” the police’s first information report (FIR) said.Sathish gained more prominence in the first half of the 2010s, when he featured in the IPL. In all, he played for three IPL teams. He was part of Mumbai Indians in 2010 and 2011, having been picked up after the players who had joined the banned and now-defunct Indian Cricket League were allowed back into the BCCI’s fold. He then played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2013, and his final IPL stint was with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.

Greg Smith’s first County Championship century for Essex guided the visitors into a strong position on the opening day against Gloucestershire at Bristol.

28-Aug-2013
ScorecardGreg Smith, seen here at Friend Life t20 Finals Day, struck his first century of the season•Getty Images

Greg Smith’s first County Championship century for Essex guided the visitors into a strong position on the opening day against Gloucestershire at Bristol.Smith, the 30-year-old South African, hit an unbeaten 149 as his side ran up 333 for 7 after losing the toss. Owais Shah contributed 34 and Ben Foakes 32, while Will Gidman and David Payne claimed two wickets apiece.Former Derbyshire batsman Smith was dropped on 19 by Michael Klinger at third slip off Payne and went on to face 274 balls, hitting 17 fours and a six.With the skies overcast, Gloucestershire skipper Klinger elected to field first and saw his seamers bowl without much luck in the morning session. Gidman went past the bat on a number of occasions, but did have the satisfaction of bowling India Test player Gautam Gambhir off an inside edge for a duck with the total on 9.It was 46 for 2 in the 15th over when Jaik Mickleburgh, on 26, was well caught by wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, having got an inside edge to a delivery from Graeme McCarter, who had received a late call into Gloucestershire’s team when Liam Norwell withdrew because of a groin injury.Smith survived his second chance on 41 when Gidman failed to hold a tough one-handed catch at gully off Craig Miles and went on to a half-century off 98 balls, with four fours, having spent 21 deliveries on 48.Shah looked in confident form as the pair added 80 either side of lunch. But with the score on 126 he played down the wrong line to Miles and was pinned lbw, having hit seven fours in a fluent 72-ball knock. Ryan ten Doeschate helped Smith add a further 45 in nine overs, contributing 24 to the stand, before edging Benny Howell to Roderick attempting to drive.Smith moved relentlessly towards his ton and reached it with a sweet cover-driven four off McCarter, having faced 207 balls and extended his boundary count to 10 fours and a six. In his second season with Essex, Smith’s previous best Championship score for the county was 42 against Hampshire last season. He played with increasing sureness and began to cut loose after reaching three figures.Gloucestershire took the new ball in the 81st over with Essex 259 for 4 and Gidman struck with it as Foakes edged to Chris Dent in the slips. Foakes had ridden his luck at times, facing 84 balls and striking four fours in a stand of 94 with Smith. James Foster looked more assured, but on 26 edged Payne up in the air and Klinger took the catch running back from gully. Graham Napier fell to what proved the last ball of the day, caught by Dent off Payne for 10.

Hazlewood now has Root eight times in 14 Tests and Cummins seven times in 11

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2021Pat Cummins took an early lead in the head-to-head with his opposite number, Joe Root – the No. 1 men’s Test bowler and batter in the world – on the opening day at the Gabba with Australia delighted they were able to follow the “blueprint” which has previously brought them success.As soon as Root walked out, Cummins brought himself on – removing Mitchell Starc from the attack after he had taken a wicket with the first ball of the series – but never got the chance to bowl at the England captain as Josh Hazlewood found the edge with a perfect delivery that was full enough to draw Root forward.Both sides pointed out that it was just one innings out of 10 Root might play this series, although Australia were able to acknowledge that from a position of much greater strength, but such is the weight that Root carries in this England order that it was one of the day’s significant moments.Related

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“It’s only the first innings of a five-Test series but it’s a huge reason why we were able to knock them over for 147,” Cummins said. “Walk into lunch having them four down, that’s big, by the time the ball gets softer you are already into the batting line-up. One of a number of the batters who were big wickets, after his year and being captain it’s probably a little bit bigger but it’s only the first time he’s batted this series.”Root has not scored an Ashes hundred since Trent Bridge in 2015 and his trip to Australia in 2017-18 was a story of unfulfilled promise as he passed fifty five times. Hazlewood now has Root eight times in 14 Tests and Cummins seven times in 11.”Josh and Pat have almost brought that blueprint from the previous Ashes over in England where they seemed to have their plans down pat to Joe,” Mitchell Starc told during the rain delay. “Fantastic to get off to the start we did and have him for nothing.”Hopefully that continues throughout the series, but those two have carried that blueprint on from four or five Tests in England to now at the Gabba. To stay on top of the opposition captain is a big one and we’ve certainly started off in that fashion today.”Although Cummins missed out on an early bowl at Root, he was able to claim the next-best thing when Ben Stokes edged to third slip shortly after the first drinks break. Stokes, playing a first-class innings for the first time since March, had lined the ball up well during his brief stay, got one boundary away through the covers and hit mid-off a couple of times before playing one from round the wicket he might have left on length.”It’s nice when they don’t get a good look, face too many balls,” Cummins said. “They are a huge part of their batting line-up. Thought Joshy Hazlewood, that’s the blueprint to bowl to Joe Root, high quality relentless bowling and nice to get Stokes’ wicket. Everything went to plan today.”Josh Hazlewood dismissed Joe Root for a duck•Getty Images

Ollie Pope, who was part of England’s best partnership of the innings alongside Jos Buttler, was not reading too much into a lean opening day for Root in a year where he has 1455 runs.”He’s on the back of an amazing summer, sometimes you play and miss, sometimes you nick them,” he said. “Wouldn’t say it dents the confidence of the team at all. Joe’s an amazing player and he’ll come back strong. We don’t look into that much, it’s nice when the captain gets runs but we have enough quality around him to score the bulk of the runs we need.”One of the other big talking points of the day came from England’s selection. It was already known that James Anderson would sit out this Test, but Stuart Broad was also sidelined which meant for the first time since 2016 neither was in the line-up – and the first time in an Ashes Test since the MCG in 2006-07.”Not sure if you asked anyone a couple of days ago if that was going to happen that anyone would believe you,” Starc said. “To take 300 Tests and over 1000 wickets out of their side is pretty interesting. Glad I don’t have to pick any side let alone that, or tap those two on the shoulder to say they aren’t playing but we certainly enjoyed conditions out there.”It meant England’s attack had eight Tests of experience in Australia – four apiece from Stokes and Woakes – and they might have liked the first opportunity on the sporty Gabba pitch.”I thought either one of those two would play in every game,” Cummins said. “Probably surprised but they have plenty of other bowlers to step in. It’s a big day for those bowlers on Thursday.”

The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has stepped up its education programme for young players in the country about the dangers of spot-fixing and corruption in cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2013The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has stepped up its education programme for young players in the country about the dangers of spot-fixing and corruption in cricket. Players from various age groups will attend sessions with officers from the ACSU during the ongoing National Cricket Academy camps and the programme will be extended to other cities from next month.”The anti-corruption unit of the BCCI has recently begun the education course for cricketers during the national camp for the Under-19 and U-15 players, held in Bangalore and Mysore. Ravi Sawani, director of anti-corruption unit, has planned the educational course. From July onwards these courses will start in every state association along with anti-doping procedures,” BCCI game development manager Ratnakar Shetty told the .The development follows the recent spot-fixing scandal during the IPL where three cricketers – Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – and 11 bookies were arrested and charged with fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy. Sreesanth and Chavan have since been released on bail.Sethu Madhavan, a senior investigation officer with the ACSU who held a session at the Mysore camp, said an ACSU officer will accompany each team during the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. He instructed the players not to discuss team combinations or disclose any information before the match starts, even to family members.Madhavan has told players they could be punished for agreeing to fix even if not proceeding to do so, as well as failing to report an approach by a bookie. Players have been told to either inform the ACSU or the team manager when they receive a call from unknown people. The issue of failing to report approaches by bookies was highlighted with the news of Siddharth Trivedi, another Royals player, facing possible suspension for the same offence, even though he has said he did not pay heed to their demands and will be a witness for the Delhi police.

The allrounder wants to be back to peak bowling fitness in time for the T20 World Cup later this year

Varun Shetty06-Jul-2021Hardik Pandya is inching closer to his goal of bowling “in all games at the T20 World Cup”, with his team-mate in Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav, confirming that the allrounder has been sending down more and more deliveries in training ahead of the limited-overs series.”He did bowl in the England series [at home earlier this year]. I was part of it – in all the T20 games, he bowled,” Yadav said ahead of the series. “In the decider ODI also he bowled when the team was in a crunch situation, so it was good.Related

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“I think that the team management and Hardik knew their responsibilities really well, so they were taking a call. Here, in the intra-squad game, he did bowl in the nets. He is bowling. It is his and the team management’s call how they want to go about it. But yes, he is bowling and it is a very good sign.”Pandya was not picked for India’s long Test tour of England, which included the World Test Championship final, as part of the long-term project to get him to full bowling fitness following back surgery. As Yadav pointed out, Pandya did bowl in some of the games against England, but not for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021, which was pushed back after 29 matches following reports of multiple Covid-19 cases among the teams.Pandya last played a Test in 2018, in England. His utility, particularly in overseas Tests, has been recognised but for that, he has to be in full bowling capacity. For now, Pandya is focussed solely on the T20 World Cup later this year.”I started bowling in the IPL and my focus is on the World Cup,” Pandya said in a chat with last month. “I want to make sure that I will be able to bowl in all the games at the World Cup. I am just trying to be smart and make sure that I don’t miss that. On the bowling front, what matters is how fit I am.”Even after my surgery, I didn’t drop my pace. I was not able to drop my control. My bowling is related to my fitness. The fitter I get, the better it comes out. As a fast-bowling allrounder, I tend to get injuries. It is bound to happen and I am okay with it.”For India, I have realised that my bowling brings a lot of difference because the balance changes. In IPL, I am lucky to have a franchise where there is so much love that I was able to pick my batting and make sure that for India, I am able to be at my best. I have to make sure I am fit to be able to bowl and if I bowl, that brings balance to the side.”

A quick glance at the scorecard tells only half the story of Australia’s first day against Sussex. At stumps they were 354 for 5, which in a Test match would have set them up soundly

Brydon Coverdale in Hove26-Jul-2013
ScorecardSteven Smith was two runs short of a century at the close•Getty Images

A quick glance at the scorecard tells only half the story of Australia’s first day against Sussex. At stumps they were 354 for 5, which in a Test match would have set them up soundly. Steven Smith was on 98 and there were contributions all the way down the order; except for Matthew Wade, who failed to score, the batsmen all spent valuable time in the middle. But it was also a day that could have been so much more, a day of missed opportunities. And the men who missed them know that David Warner didn’t waste his chance in Pretoria this week.Warner’s 193 against a quality South Africa A attack featuring Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange might have been placed in perspective by the way the South Africans batted on the same pitch: Dean Elgar, who had made a pair on Test debut at the WACA last summer posted a lazy 268. But there were plenty of reasons for Australia’s batsmen to relish the conditions at Hove as well: a benign surface, a quick outfield, a tiny square boundary and a weakened attack. That Smith was the only man still in the market for a century by stumps was a disappointing outcome.He was a little shaky early and survived two tight lbw calls against the inswing of the left-armer Lewis Hatchett, including one off a no-ball. But Smith persevered and rotated the strike, he found the boundary when possible – which by the time the second new ball came late in the afternoon was often, including three from consecutive deliveries against Chris Liddle. It helped that on the pavilion side the dimensions were so tiny that the square-leg umpire was two-thirds of the way to the fence.Smith and James Faulkner put on 131 for the fifth wicket, which fell shortly before stumps when Faulkner was bowled for 48 trying to slog-sweep Monty Panesar. By the close of play, Smith had been joined by Ashton Agar, yet to score in his new position of No.7, having starting his Test career at No.11. The only other entry on the scorecard that was not double-figures was that of Wade, who cut Panesar to point for a sixth-ball duck, ending any hope he had of forcing his way into the Test side as a specialist batsman.The day started encouragingly for the Australians, whose stand-in captain Ed Cowan won the toss and chose to bat. Although there was some movement early and plenty of thick edges evaded the slips, the conditions were generally favourable. Cowan and Phillip Hughes put on 150 for the opening wicket and both men looked like centuries were there for the taking.However, soon after the break Cowan fell on 66 when he clipped Hatchett uppishly to square leg and was caught by a diving James Taylor. It was a frustrating end for Cowan, who is in his 21st first-class match since his one and only Test century, which also happens to be the most recent time he has reached triple figures in a first-class innings. That hundred came in November, around the time Usman Khawaja also made his last first-class ton. Here, Khawaja looked good until on 40 he edged Panesar to slip.But perhaps the batsman with the most to lose was Hughes, who until Faulkner was dismissed late in the day was leading the averages during the first-class matches on this tour. It is easy to forget the contribution Hughes made in the first Test at Trent Bridge, where his unbeaten 81 was overshadowed by Ashton Agar’s 98. But at Lord’s, Hughes struggled significantly and Warner’s near double-century piled up the pressure on him as much as anyone.Hughes was dropped on 22 when he edged Chris Jordan, the leader of the attack in the absence of Steve Magoffin and James Anyon, to Chris Nash at slip, and it was one of very many early edges off Hughes’ bat. As his innings wore on, Hughes played some impressive back-foot drives and appeared much more at ease against Panesar, spinning the ball in, than he had in the Tests against Graeme Swann, turning it away from him.Hughes brought up his half-century from 62 deliveries and not surprisingly outpaced Cowan comfortably. But Hughes is becoming the Hall and Oates of cricket: big in the 80s but can’t crack the 90s. Since the tour of South Africa in late 2011, Hughes’ highest Test scores have been 88, 87, 86 and 81 not out, and in the tour match against Worcestershire he added another 86 to his tally. Here, he edged behind on 84 when Hatchett moved a delivery away.It was a good innings but whether it compares favourably enough with Smith’s potential century and Warner’s 193 remains to be seen. And with rain forecast for the second day at Hove, the selectors might not have another innings on which to base their decisions before the Old Trafford Test.