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Tom Harrison says failure to secure Lions fast bowler a visa for India tour was a “difficult and very political” issue

George Dobell22-Feb-2019Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, has admitted he was “concerned” by the ECB’s failure to obtain a visa for Saqib Mahmood to travel to India.Mahmood, the 21-year-old Lancashire fast bowler, was due to go to India as part of the England Lions limited-overs squad earlier this year. But delays in obtaining his visa, caused in part by his Pakistan heritage, eventually saw him replaced in the squad by Tom Bailey.”I was concerned,” Harrison said. “We worked closely with the BCCI to try and get Saqib a visa. But these are difficult issues and very political. We can kick and scream all we like but these are issues that are sensitive and I’m not going to make a clumsy comment about it.”While India’s long-standing strained relationship with Pakistan was part of the reason for the delay – Saqib was Birmingham born but is of Pakistan heritage – it appears there were also delays at England’s end. At one stage his passport was sent to the wrong address and, with the Lions squad able to be named only after the full England squads, there was limited time to go through the necessary process.”It’s very disappointing because he’s a young bowler who’s missed out on a really exciting opportunity which would develop him,” Ashley Giles, the director of England men’s cricket, said. “I’m not sure there’s much I can do but it’s important we keep dialogue open that tries to mitigate this sort of stuff in the future.”It’s difficult because once you’ve got politics involved… tours are only so long and if there’s a block there. It’s very disappointing.”Relations between India and Pakistan have dipped even lower in recent days, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir, amid suggestions the BCCI could ask for Pakistan to be removed from the World Cup.

West Indies needed five to win from the last over with six wickets in hand but offspinner Anna Peterson took two wickets and added a run-out on the penultimate ball to seal the win

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2018Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Just the way they had welcomed West Indies on their shores – with a one-run win in the first ODI – New Zealand sealed the T20 series in similar fashion in New Plymouth, and kept the visitors away from their first win of the tour. Chasing 135, West Indies needed five to win from the last over with six wickets in hand but offspinner Anna Peterson took two wickets and added a run-out on the penultimate ball to add to West Indies’ woes. When they needed three off the last ball, Merissa Aguilleira failed to connect to a flat delivery and only managed a leg bye.West Indies showed their intent by making captain Stafanie Taylor open along with Hayley Matthews, and they were scoring at more than run a ball before offspinner Leigh Kasperek trapped Taylor lbw for 14. West Indies wobbled further when Kasperek struck again in her next over and 17-year-old Amelia Kerr – the fifth bowler to bowl by the seventh over – had Matthews caught for 14. Deandra Dottin’s boundaries and Aguilleira’s patience put the chase back on track by taking them past 70 in the 12th over but Kasperek had Dottin also stumped, in the same over.Even as Suzie Bates kept rotating her bowlers, Aguilleira and Kycia Knight scored briskly for the fifth-wicket stand and brought the equation down from 60 off 48 balls to 12 from 12. They collected seven from the penultimate over but Peterson conceded only three in the last over and stole the win. Kasperek finished with 3 for 31 and Peterson ended with 2 for 25.Earlier, West Indies opted to bowl but saw openers Sophie Devine and Bates race past the 50 mark in the sixth over, after Devine collected 18 runs off Shamilia Connell in the third over. Devine was soon bowled for an 18-ball 41 by Matthews and West Indies pulled things back from there.Even though Bates moved along to score her 16th T20I half-century, she didn’t find much support with only two other batsmen – Maddy Green and Amy Satterthwaite – reaching double-figures. Matthews collected two more wickets for her 3 for 24, Dottin took 2 for 23 while Taylor ended with a miserly 4-0-19-0 to restrict New Zealand to 134 for 7. They lost four wickets in the last 16 balls but Bates struck a four on the last ball of the innings to remain unbeaten on 52, which eventually turned out to be useful runs.The remaining two T20s will be played on Thursday and Sunday.

Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2016Patience may be a key virtue for Australia’s Test batsmen in Sri Lanka, according to Joe Burns, who hit 72 in the ongoing practice match at the P Sara Oval. Burns’ half-century was one of three in Australia’s solid 431 for 9. The visitors scored at 3.53 runs an over against a modest Sri Lankan XI attack, but Burns suggested Australia should become accustomed to a slow run rate, given the nature of the surfaces they are likely to encounter on tour.”We’ve talked as a batting group about needing to be patient for long periods on the subcontinent,” Burns said. “If they bowl good areas, it’s tough work and slow going. You have to be committed to trying to bat all day. I guess that’s one disappointing thing to come out of the day – all our batsmen spent some time at the crease but no one went on to get a big score.”When bowlers are bowling straight, with straight fields, you hit the fielders a lot. You go long periods where you’re not scoring quickly, and then you might get a few boundaries away in a cluster. That’s generally how scoring goes on low, slow wickets with reverse swing and spin bowling. You just have to ride the waves and wait for the sets to come in.”Burns was tested by both seam and spin during his stay. He and Shaun Marsh made a quick start against the new ball in the third session of the first day, but were more measured as the innings wore on – particularly to left-arm seamer Vimukthi Perera and the spin bowlers. Burns was eventually dismissed by Perera, who angled a ball in through his defences early on day two.”You just have to be prepared to buckle in and try and go with the conditions,” Burns said. “There’s nothing too much you can do about it as a batter. As a batting group we’re prepared for those long battles. Hopefully we can bat for extended periods of time going into the Test series.”The Australian batsmen largely scored their runs square of the pitch with a few venturing slog sweeps to push the spinners off their lengths. Burns suggested this could be a trend through the Test series.”I guess here – with the lower, slower wickets – you hit more balls than perhaps you would in Australia, especially because bowlers bowl straighter as well. I guess you want to be hitting straight, but that seems to be where the fielders are. Generally you probably pick up your runs quite square, even though you’re trying to hit straight. There are also periods when it’s reversing quite a lot, and then it will die down.”The Australians are 202 runs ahead with one wicket in hand, at stumps on day two of the three-day encounter.

Queensland bundled out South Australia’s last six wickets for 54 runs to make sure they did not have to bat again, and sealed an innings-and-14-run win in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2015
ScorecardChris Hartley took two catches on the last day to make a new first-class record for Queensland with 521 dismissals•Cricket Australia

Queensland bundled out South Australia’s last six wickets for 54 runs to make sure they did not have to bat again, and sealed an innings-and-14-run win in Brisbane. Debutant Billy Stanlake and James Hopes took four-fors to finish the match with seven and eight wickets respectively as South Australia were dismissed for 235.Continuing from their overnight 181 for 4 with a trail of 68 runs, SA lost Alex Ross in the first over of the day to Hopes and Tom Cooper (44) also fell to Stanlake seven overs later, after they crossed 200. Tim Ludeman and Adam Zampa resisted with double-digit scores but Marnus Labuschagne broke the stand before the last three wickets were wiped out for 14 runs in 21 balls. Hopes finished with match figures of 8 for 85 and also scored 57 at No. 8 for Queensland.Wicketkeeper Chris Hartley took two more catches to finish with ten in the match, taking his first-class career tally to 521, a record Queensland, by overtaking Wade Seccombe’s 519.”[The record] reminds me that I’ve been playing for a while,” Hartley said. “It’s a good indication of how your fast bowlers are going. We had a lot of guys taking catches behind the wicket.”

New Zealand Croatia, a side comprising New Zealand cricketers of Croatian origin, are scheduled to embark on their maiden cricket tour to Cook Islands

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2013New Zealand Croatia, a side comprising New Zealand cricketers of Croatian origin, are scheduled to embark on their maiden cricket tour to the Cook Islands. The side will participate in a tri-series against the senior and Under-19 sides of Cook Islands between August 12 and August 16.Joseph Yovich, an opening batsman for Northern Districts and one of the founding members of the New Zealand Croatia side, said the tour was an opportunity for cricketers to discover links to Croatia’s cricketing history.”New Zealand Croatia is distinct from the Croatia national team, and creates another great opportunity for cricketers with Croatian heritage in New Zealand to unite, to learn more about the 200-year history of the game in Croatia, and the link it has with New Zealand,” cricketer Joseph Yovich said. “It will strengthen those bonds within the game and, at the same time, we’ll be helping develop cricket in the Cook Islands – an ICC Affiliate member – which has very strong links to New Zealand, and particularly Northern Districts, which assists with coaching and resources in the islands.”Cricket was introduced to Croatia when British soldiers established a base during the Napeolonic Wars (1803-1815). Interest in the game dwindled but a few Australian and New Zealand cricketers, who returned to the country in the late 1990s, worked at reviving interest in the game. Croatia became an Affiliate Member in 2001 and has since hosted different touring sides, including the MCC squad in 2009.The New Zealand Croatia squad to the Cook Islands features four New Zealand-based players who have been involved in cricket development in Croatia: current Croatia internationals Paul and John Vujnovich (the current Croatia captain), Anthony Govorko and former international Anton Vujcich. Anton Devcich is unavailable due to his New Zealand A commitments, while Dusan Hakaraia and Michael Ravlic are also missing out.New Zealand Croatia will also visit schools and promote women’s cricket as well as the game’s development at the grassroots level on their tour.New Zealand Croatia squad: Matthew Adsett, John Arnerich, Brad Bennetto, Anthony Govorko, Daniel Marsic, James Piskulic, Matthew Vujcich, Anton Vujcich, John Vujnovich, Paul Vujnovich, Joseph Yovich.

Cricket Australia has named allrounder Mitchell Marsh as a replacement for Brett Lee in Australia’s ODI squad for the series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Cricket Australia has named allrounder Mitchell Marsh as a replacement for Brett Lee in Australia’s ODI squad for the series against South Africa. Marsh is a part of Australia’s Twenty20 squad in South Africa and will remain with the team for the one-day leg of the tour, as Lee underwent a surgery for appendicitis on Monday that ruled him out of the tour’s limited-overs games.The one-day squad, even without Lee, has four fast bowlers, so chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said it was not necessary to pick another quick. “The one-day squad already has four specialist fast bowlers in Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Johnson, James Pattinson and Patrick Cummins, so the national selection panel did not consider it necessary to replace Brett with a specialist fast bowler.”Mitchell was very close to selection in the one-day squad when it was initially picked. He played extremely well during the recent Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and is a pace bowler who has the ability to bat in the top six, providing great balance and flexibility to the squad.”Marsh picked up 12 wickets in six matches on the Australia A tour, and contributed with the bat as well in the one-dayers. In 19 List A matches, he has claimed 13 wickets at 25.00 apiece and has four half-centuries with a highest score of 92.

Cricket Kenya has announced new 20 and 50-over domestic competitions aimed at bolstering the standard of cricket in the country

Martin Williamson03-May-2011Cricket Kenya has announced new 20 and 50-over domestic competitions aimed at bolstering the standard of cricket in the country. The inclusion of two Ugandan sides in the six-team set-up will also provide a valuable boost to their up-and-coming neighbours.The gulf between the NPCA league, Kenya’s premier competition, and the national side has been a worry for a long time. In 2009 an attempt was made to establish a four-team elite event in both three-day and limited-over formats, but it floundered because of a lack of finance and poor support from players.The latest initiative will feature four Kenyan sides – two from Nairobi, one each from Coast and Rift Valley – as well as two Ugandan teams. Each side will play ten games over weekends, with a Twenty20 match on a Saturday followed a day later by a 50-over contest. The leading four teams in each event would then progress to play-offs and a final.Nationally contracted players will be split between sides to ensure a fair balance between the competitors, and Tom Sears, Cricket Kenya’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo there were also plans to bring in overseas players from the subcontinent. “I believe by bringing in players from abroad we have the best chance of our players improving their game,” he said.Original plans had been for all six sides to come from within Kenya, but Sears admitted that “the level of competition was such that we could not offer enough strength in depth to provide strong enough cricket”. He added that as Africa’s leading Associate, it was Kenya’s responsibility to help the progress of Uganda. “They have good players,” he said. “That’s why we opted to give them a chance to take part.”It was also revealed that a media deal had been agreed with Supersport for them to cover the semi-finals and finals of each competition.

South Australia Redbacks spun their way to victory over the Victoria Bushrangers at the MCG – guaranteeing them the top spot and a home final on February 5

The Bulletin by Andrew Fuss28-Jan-2011
ScorecardMatthew Wade’s half-century was in vain for Victoria•Getty Images

South Australia Redbacks spun their way to victory over the Victoria Bushrangers at the MCG – guaranteeing them the top spot and a home final on February 5. The Redbacks spinners Adil Rashid, Nathan Lyon and Aaron O’Brien restricted the hosts to a seemingly below-par score of 4 for 144, on a somewhat slow deck, and their batsmen knocked off the runs with five wickets to spare.It could have been much worse for the Bushrangers, but big-hitting wicketkeeper Matthew Wade (52 off 31 balls) saved their blushes, smashing 41 of the 43 runs scored in the final three overs.Michael Klinger started positively for the Redbacks but was run out thanks to some brilliant outfielding from Evan Gulbis. Aiden Blizzard looked sharp in the time he was at the crease, but was dismissed by a Brad Hodge full toss – caught at deep midwicket when he would have normally put it into the stands.Callum Ferguson fell cheaply before Daniel Harris and Cameron Borgas steadied the innings, leaving room for a cameo from Daniel Christian (28 off 17) to seal the match. Young spinner Jon Holland was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, finishing with 2 for 23.The reigning champions have now been condemned to a bottom-place finish while the Redbacks have eight days off before they play the final at home on February 5. New South Wales play Queensland on Saturday night to decide where the Preliminary Final will be played against Tasmania.

Plays of the day for day three of the third Test between South Africa and England at Cape Town

Andrew McGlashan in Cape Town05-Jan-2010Another quiet start
For the second day running anyone taking their seat a few minutes late would have looked up at the scoreboard and realised they’d missed something. Following Graham Onions’ lead from yesterday Morne Morkel was soon in the action when a well-directed bouncer was fended to first slip by Graeme Swann. Next ball it got better for Morkel as Jimmy Anderson fenced another catch to Graeme Smith to give him his fifth-wicket. Although Matt Prior briefly rallied for England, Morkel’s early blow had set the tone for South Africa’s day.Prince goes for a walk
Daryl Harper is having an interesting match. On the second day he had to change a leg-bye signal to four runs and today he gave an horrendous decision against Ashwell Prince which was swiftly overturned on review. However, in Harper’s defence Prince didn’t do himself any favours as he shaped to walk after missing a leg glance. The ball had clipped the pad, but Prince motioned to make his way back to the pavilion so Harper raised his finger. Prince immediately called in a review and the pictures showed he’d missed the ball by some distance. His reprieve, though, didn’t last long before he again fell to Graeme Swann.Take five
South Africa accelerated during the afternoon session with the most free-scoring period of the match. With Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla both well-set, at one point a 10-over period brought a run rate above six-an-over as England started to lose control. With boundaries leaking the last thing they needed was to gift South Africa any extras, but to sum up their afternoon the total was boosted to the tune of five runs when Matt Prior missed a delivery from Swann that beat Smith and scooted through to hit the helmet.Jimmy heads to boiling point
It was seriously hot work in the middle as the day wore on and England started to feel the heat in more ways than one. After a wicketless session between lunch and tea they were desperate for a breakthrough, but Smith and Amla forged on. Jimmy Anderson’s mood wasn’t helped when he conceded consecutive boundaries to Smith. Paul Collingwood couldn’t do much about the first at fine leg, but Stuart Broad should have done better at mid-on with his dive. Anderson wasn’t impressed and when he collected a subsequent delivery in his follow through he hurled it straight back at the stumps in frustration.Hot under the collar
Anderson wasn’t the only one losing his cool. Graeme Swann is a chirpy, unflappable character most of the time, but even he started to lose his rag. When Amla played yet another sweep off him, Broad ambled around from deep square-leg to hurl the ball in and Swann clearly thought the batsmen should have been kept to a single. He waved his arms in annoyance and marched back towards slip with the odd chunter. When Swann can’t see the funny side you know the problems are mounting.Welcome home, Trotty
Jonathan Trott and Graeme Smith used to be team-mates at Western Province, but now they are adversaries of the strongest kind. Smith has made it clear he isn’t happy with the time Trott takes to prepare himself at the crease so there was always likely to be a bit of needle if Smith ever faced Trott’s bowling. To make it tougher for Trott, Smith had a hundred to his name and was seeing it like a football when he crunched four boundaries in an over including a dismissive lofted straight drive. Now all we need is Smith to have a bowl at Trott.

Brett Lee is unsure what his body will allow him to do next

Peter English17-Nov-2009

Lee’s latest setbacks

2006-07
Tears ankle ligaments in New Zealand, misses 2007 World Cup
2008-09
Suffers giardia during India tour
Broken foot leads to more surgery
2009
Side strain rules him out of first three Tests of Ashes tour and not picked for final two
2009-10
Elbow problem sends him home from India one-day series and recurs in Sydney on Sunday

Self-belief has been one of Brett Lee’s best assets along with extreme speed. Throughout his Test career, which began with a wicket in his first over, Lee has known what was going to happen next, whether it be achieving a milestone or pin-pointing a date for his return from a well-managed injury. This time, coming to the end of an awful year, he is unsure what his body will allow him to do next.The bone spur problem in his right elbow means he will probably face surgery and be out for up to three months, ending his chances of appearing in a Test this summer. Previously he would have accepted the setback with a grimace and headed for the surgeon, physio and fitness trainer to plot a way back.Following his recovery from foot surgery at the start of the year came a side strain that kept him out of the Ashes in the middle of it, and with this latest problem he is starting to doubt whether he will play a 77th Test or take a 311st wicket. His last appearance was at the MCG last December when he limped off to the surgeon.”At this point in time I do not need to make a call,” he said at the SCG. “I still want to play for Australia but that all depends on how the operation takes place and then how the fitness is and how much I want it.” He finds the prospect of not playing Test cricket “scary and challenging”, but as he accepts this injury his mind switches from being desperate to play on to thinking about signing off.Desire has never been a problem before, not when he thought his career was over after breaking the same elbow in 2001, or when he was sitting behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark in the pecking order during the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds. He was fit, ready and shattered when the team was named, but he still wanted to field under a baggy green. Now he craves – and needs – a break.”I have had setbacks before and I can’t see why I cannot come back from this, but I also, to be honest, need to get away from the game for a little while to work out what my future holds,” he said. “I want to have this forced rest and if surgery needs to happen that means anything from six to 12 to 14 weeks away from the game, which would be the perfect opportunity for me to get away from everything and work out what I want from cricket.”He sounded like Shaun Tait when he stepped off the international circuit due to mental and physical exhaustion caused by the depression of so many comebacks. It won’t just be care for Lee’s 33-year-old body that will be needed over the next couple of months.Another issue pecking at him has been being away from his young son Preston for the long periods demanded of a player wanting to appear in all forms of the game. Since the start of last year’s India tour Lee has been troubled by personal problems as well as fitness ones.”The hardest things for me over the past 12 months were getting injured during the Ashes but, most importantly, being six months away from my little boy, that has been really tough,” he said. “They are all things I need to weigh up.” Don’t expect him to be flying out of Sydney any time soon.While any comeback will be subject to a number of fitness and family conditions, one thing is not negotiable. “If I can’t bowl fast then I won’t bowl,” he said. His job has led his body to this rickety condition but he has always refused to follow the method of Dennis Lillee, who extended his career by slowing down and focussing on swing and seam.For Lee it has always been about speed. “When you try to bowl 155kph for over 16 or 17 years, there is a lot of wear and tear on the body,” he said. “I will try to get the elbow right.”If I don’t play another game for Australia or play another game of cricket again then yes, I am very pleased with what I have achieved. It’s more than I would ever had expected at the age of 10. But I still think there is a lot of cricket left in me yet, which is why I am not making any call on my future.”