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West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy has been handed the Titans captaincy for the remainder of the South African domestic 20-over competition with the franchise yet to decide who will take over in other formats

Firdose Moonda14-Nov-2014West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy has been handed the Titans captaincy for the remainder of the South African domestic 20-over competition with the franchise yet to decide who will take over in other formats.Sammy replaces Henry Davids, who has been asked to concentrate solely on his batting as the Titans attempt to overturn a poor start to the tournament which has seen them slump to three straight defeats.”This is a tactical decision to see how we can turn things around,” Jacques Faul, CEO of the Titans franchise told ESPNcricinfo. “He is a World T20 winning captain. If you have someone like that at your disposal, you should use them.”Sammy is one of five West Indies players and one of six internationals who have been signed on for the duration of the Ram Slam but the only one who has been given the additional responsibility of leading a team. Ironically, he is the only one who has yet to deliver a stand-out performance for his side.Chris Gayle scored the competition’s first century and also has two fifties to his name for the Lions; Craig Kieswetter is the Warriors’ top-scorer; Kieron Pollard’s 72 off 36 balls helped the Cobras to victory over the Titans; Andre Russell scored 48 off 21 balls and took 1 for 20 when the Knights beat the Titans and Dwayne Bravo’s 43 off 25 balls took the Dolphins to a match-winning total over the Warriors.But Sammy is Titans’ leading wicket-taker with five scalps at 14.60 and Faul believes what he offers behind the scenes will be vital. “We are more than happy with what Darren has brought to the team. He has been inspirational and the guys really respect him,” Faul said. “We want to see what someone else can do to get back to winning ways.”The Titans are traditionally one of South Africa’s stronger teams but have had a difficult start to the season, particularly in limited-overs cricket. They lie fourth on the one-day cup table and fifth on the 20-over standings having suffered from a squad depleted by national call-ups.Currently, both their leading paceman Marchant de Lange and key batsman Farhaan Behardien are in Australia with the South African ODI squad. They were also without David Wiese, who travelled for the T20s and Albie Morkel, who was injured pre-season and is not expected to be back before January after first targeting a December comeback.The player drain has had an impact on both areas of the Titans’ game, with bowlers struggling to contain line-ups and batsmen unable to chase tall targets. The former may be boosted by the return of Wiese but the latter is why Davids, who has played two ODIs and nine T20s for South Africa, has been asked to focus on runs, rather than leading the sideThis is the second time this season that a performance-related demand has cost Davids the captaincy. He was left out of the opening game of the season, despite being announced as the franchise captain over the winter, because of a lean run in the 2013-14 first-class campaign in which he averaged less than 20. Behardien captained the Titans in that match, which they lost by 190 runs. That prompted a change in personnel and Davids was brought back for the next game. He scored 22 and 43 and the Titans beat the Warriors by 170 runs.Davids has led the side since then but there is uncertainty over whether he will continue to do so in future. Sammy will take charge for the rest of the Ram Slam, in a bid to get the Titans to qualify for the final and the Champions League T20.In mid-December, when the first-class competition resumes, the Titans will make another decision about whether to return to Davids or seek someone else. Behardien could be the front-runner, having already done the job this season, or they could look to the experience of Roelof van der Merwe.

A predatory mauling that lasted for most of Chennai Super Kings’ innings set up a mammoth 77-run for the visitors, who ruined Sunrisers Hyderabad’s perfect home record and placed themselves on the very brink of another playoffs berth

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA predatory mauling that lasted for most of Chennai Super Kings’ innings set up a mammoth 77-run for the visitors, who ruined Sunrisers Hyderabad’s perfect home record and placed themselves on the very brink of another playoffs berth. Michael Hussey’s 42-ball 67 fanned the sparks of a bright start into a roaring middle-over onslaught, before Suresh Raina acquired the bellows and set the stadium ablaze. At the close of the innings, he was one run short of a deserved hundred, having struck at over 190, and with the aid of a brief late burst from Ravindra Jadeja and a woeful Sunrisers attack, he had lifted his side to 223 for 3.Sunrisers rarely looked capable of challenging that total during their response, and finished eventually on 146 for 8, now facing a steep climb into the playoffs, as their net run rate (-0.228) suffered due to the big defeat.At the toss MS Dhoni said he had instructed his side to drive their 60-run loss to Mumbai Indians from their minds, and it is difficult to imagine how his side could have been more emphatically obedient. The same top order that succumbed to 40 for 6 in their last match appeared in supreme collective form in Hyderabad, and though their opponents were lacklustre at best, Super Kings’ batsmen not only exacted a heavy toll from the bad balls, they heaped pressure on the bowling by creating their own space and blasting even good deliveries to the fence.Ishant Sharma began the rot for Sunrisers on his way to figures of 0 for 66 in his four overs – the worst ever spell in the history of the tournament. Dale Steyn, who conceded only 17 in contrast, had begun the match with a maiden to Hussey, but the batsman quickly amended his strike-rate against Ishant, before his opening partner M Vijay exploited the poor bowling even more brutally in Ishant’s next over, by hitting him for three consecutive on side sixes.Hussey’s knock was drenched in class. Running hard as always, and finding gaps with uncanny precision, Hussey moved smoothly through the gears after his slow start, and before long, Super Kings were hitting 10 runs or more an over as a matter of routine. The spinners were treated little different from the errant quicks – Hussey launched both Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma into the stands – before Raina came quickly up to speed and had eclipsed his senior partner before Hussey’s dismissal.Sunrisers continued to stray, though it must be said the flat pitch offered little wiggle room for bowlers, and Raina, moving particularly swiftly around the crease, rarely seemed to be breaking a sweat as he hit ball after ball to the fence. He tortured a broken Ishant in his final over, hitting four pretty fours and a slogged six, plundering 23 from that over for himself, though two wides added a couple more to the team tally.Sunrisers failed to rally at any point after Super Kings had set off, and though Parthiv Patel gave the hosts a sliver of hope, as he set off quickly in their reply, the clatter of wickets at the other end snuffed that chance, and left them still outside the top four on the table. Super Kings consolidated their position at the top with 20 points, with three league games to play.

Dawid Malan hit splendid 96 off 88 balls to revive his own dismal form and keep Middlesex’s hopes alive in the Yorkshire Bank 40 with a six-wicket win over Yorkshire at Radlett.

27-May-2013
ScorecardDawid Malan led Middlesex’s chase with 96•Getty ImagesDawid Malan hit splendid 96 off 88 balls to revive his own dismal form and keep Middlesex’s hopes alive in the Yorkshire Bank 40 as Eoin Morgan made a golden duck on his return to county cricket in a six-wicket win over Yorkshire at Radlett.Yorkshire’s third defeat in four games, which probably ended their hopes of achieving the knockout stage, featured a pugnacious 81 from Phil Jaques but cheap top-order wickets left the total well short of daunting on a sound pitch and slick cambered outfield.Thanks to Malan and wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, with his first one-day half-century, Middlesex passed Yorkshire’s total of 236 with more than four overs to spare. Their fourth-wicket stand of 135 at more than seven runs an over destroyed the Yorkshire back-up bowling.Defeat for Middlesex would have ended any chance of success in this year’s competition after two defeats in their two earlier games. So it was an exciting way to mark a first competitive appearance at their new training base in Hertfordshire, on Watling Street a few miles north of London.Yorkshire owed much to Jaques’s 86-ball knock and a late flurry from Adil Rashid, who made 46 not out from 36 balls, but Malan’s fierce driving put the home side in charge after a shaky start.Malan had endured a barren season in the County Championship, averaging 14.25 in eight innings, and had made little impact on the one-day format until his exhuberant strokeplay at Radlett.Middlesex started shakily in their pursuit of victory as Iain Wardlaw unsettled Paul Stirling with a slow looping full toss with the first ball of the innings and then blasted out off and middle stumps with the second ball.Joe Denly followed after a breezy 38, bowled pushing forward to Richard Pyrah, and then came what might have been the defining moment – the dismissal of Eoin Morgan first ball.Morgan, Middlesex’s most potent threat, had returned fresh from the Indian Premier League and a recent glut of exotic locations and flamboyant shots must have affected his judgement because he tried an instant reverse sweep to leg-spinner Rashid and was given out lbw.Morgan claimed afterwards that he had made contact with the bat but an orthodox stroke should have sufficed with less risk.His blunder seemed to swing the pendulum towards Yorkshire, but fortunately Malan and Rossington seized the initiative with sensible aggression, keeping the percentages firmly in their favour.Malan snicked Tim Bresnan just short of a well-deserved century with the match all but won but Rossington, a heavy scorer on this ground in Middlesex second-team games, continued in style and finished undefeated with 79 off 72 balls.

Northants have signed Australian seam bowler Trent Copeland on a short-term deal for the first half of the season.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2013Northants have signed Australian seam bowler Trent Copeland on a short-term deal for the first half of the season.Copeland, 26, will join the county for the first County Championship match of the season against Glamorgan on April 10 and play seven Championship matches and six Yorkshire Bank 40 League matches.He will return to Sydney on June 8 before Cameron White arrives for the Friends Life t20, which begins on June 26.Copeland has taken 131 first-class wickets at 26.12 and made his Test debut for Australia in Galle in September 2011. He played all three Tests of the tour but after six wickets at 37.83 he was dropped and hasn’t played a Test since.But he remains a talented bowler that should enjoy early-season English conditions. He also recently showed some ability with the bat, making 106 against Tasmania in Hobart in his last first-class match.”We are delighted to welcome Trent to Northants,” Northants Cricket Head Coach David Ripley said. “It’s not been a straightforward journey but he was the first player we approached in October about becoming our overseas bowler for the first part of the season and with a few twists and turns he is now coming.”Everybody I have spoken to about Trent – Michael Hussey, Cameron White and Matt Nicholson to name three, have been consistent with their opinion – skilful, accurate, long spells, should be perfectly suited to early-season conditions in England and a top bloke.”He has a first rate record in Australian state cricket and we are looking forward to him shaping our season in the two months he is with us. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that he has just scored his maiden first class century too.”

Preview of the second Test between New Zealand and England at the the Basin Reserve, Wellington

George Dobell13-Mar-2013Match factsMarch 14, 2013
Start time 10.30am (2130 GMT)Stuart Broad’s batting form has fallen away sharply•PA PhotosBig PictureHad the first Test been decided on a points decision, there is little doubt that most judges would have awarded it to New Zealand. After bowling out England for 167 – their lowest first innings score since 2009 – the hosts replied with 460 to take a first innings lead of 293; their third highest against England in completed innings. While a flat pitch and some determined England batting prevented a repeat in the second innings, it was England who benefited most from the first day having been lost to rain.But the fact is that the match was drawn and, bearing in mind the history of England improving after a faltering start, New Zealand may come to reflect that they have missed their best opportunity to strike a telling blow. Worryingly for New Zealand, this pitch is expected to provide more assistance to the England seamers.It certainly proved that way in 2008. After New Zealand won the opening Test in Hamilton, England struck back at Wellington with Tim Ambrose recording his only Test century and claiming the man of the match award as England leveled the series. They subsequently went on to win it by prevailing in the final Test in Napier.It remains to be seen how much the effort in Dunedin took out of the New Zealand side. While they should have taken confidence from some aspects of their performance, the concern is that their three seamers bowled 114 overs between them in the second innings in their pursuit of victory. With so little time to recover between the games, Wellington will offer a stern test of their stamina. The ability of Steven Finn, who went into the Dunedin Test with few pretensions as a batsman, to resist the New Zealand bowlers for nearly five hours in the second innings might also prove sobering for the hosts.Still, any fears New Zealand had over the potency of England’s seam attack should have been eased by the Dunedin performance. Indeed, in three first-class innings on the tour to date, England have yet to bowl out their opposition with the New Zealand XI in Queenstown declaring in their first innings and completing a testing fourth-innings target with three wickets in hand in their second innings.Form guideNew Zealand DLLWL (Completed matches, most recent first)
England DDWWLIn the spotlightHad Martin Guptill been fit, it is highly likely that Hamish Rutherford would not have played in the first Test in Dunedin. Rutherford seized his chance with some style, though, and in scoring 171 set a new high for an opener on debut against England. Only Mathew Sinclair, who made 214 on debut against West Indies in 1999, has made a higher score on New Zealand Test debut. Rutherford’s excellent start has buoyed home hopes that a line-up containing Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Brendon McCullum and, one day, perhaps, Jesse Ryder, might have the potential to develop into the strongest batting unit in New Zealand’s Test history.Stuart Broad’s form has been the subject of much debate. But while the focus has tended to fall on his bowling – he claimed his first Test wickets since August in Dunedin – his batting has – arguably – fallen away more sharply. Since he last made a half-century – in January 2012 against Pakistan in the UAE – he has had 16 Test innings, passed 20 only four times with a highest score of 37 and averaged only 13.60. Perhaps more remarkably, in that time the average balls he has faced in a completed innings is just under 20. Such statistics do little to support the claim that he can be viewed as an allrounder and suggests that he may be batting too high at No.8.Team newsNew Zealand will be unchanged and England are likely to follow the same route. For New Zealand, Doug Bracewell has not recovered from the foot injury sustained while cleaning up glass after a party while for England Kevin Pietersen is expected to play despite what Andy Flower described as “a little bit of pain in his right knee.” Flower went on to say: “Most of the players play with something sore most of the time. I don’t anticipate it being a huge problem for us at all.”New Zealand 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Dean Brownlie, 6 Brendon McCullum (capt), 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Bruce Martin/Ian Butler, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent Boult.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Joe Root, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 James Anderson, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Monty Panesar*.Pitch and conditionsThe pitch is expected to have more pace and bounce than Dunedin, with some claiming it is the quickest in New Zealand. The last time England played here, Ryan Sidebottom and James Anderson both gained swing movement and claimed five-wicket hauls and it is worth noting that Chris Martin, with 60 wickets in 14 Tests, is the highest Test wicket-taker on the ground. Bowlers capable of generating bounce should enjoy it.New Zealand have not won any of the last six Tests on the ground. The last two – against South Africa in 2012 and Pakistan in 2011 – have been drawn, though the weather played a role on both occasions.Wind may also play a role. Wellington is a notoriously windy city and some bowlers struggle to adapt to the challenge of running into it. Shane Bond, the New Zealand bowling coach, has admitted it is an experience that all three of his side’s leading seamers are unaccustomed to having developed as strike bowlers running in with the wind behind them.Stats and trivia New Zealand and England have played each other in 10 Tests at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. England have won four times and New Zealand only once, in 1978, when an England side captained by Geoff Boycott were bowled out for a paltry 64 chasing 137 for victory. Nick Compton and Alastair Cook are currently averaging 81 per opening partnership. The sample size is small – they have now played five Tests together – but only Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe – who averaged 87.81 in 38 innings – of regular England openers have a better record. New Zealand have won four of their last 33 Tests against England dating back to 1986. The last one of those game seven Test ago, at Hamilton in 2008, James Anderson needs eight wickets to become the fourth England bowler after Fred Trueman, Bob Willis and Ian Botham to take 300 in Tests. He needs five to draw level with Derek Underwood, currently the fourth highest wicket-taker in Tests for England.Quotes”We always knew the guys are fit, and can bowl a lot of volume, we just need to make sure they are fresh and ready to go.”
Shane Bond, the New Zealand bowling coach reflecting on the fitness of his side’s three seamers, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, who delivered 114 of the 170 overs in England’s second innings in Dunedin.”I’d rather have been batting for 170 overs than fielding, let’s put it that way.”
Matt Prior.*06.40GMT, March 13: The preview had previously listed Graeme Swann in the line-up.

It would have been understandable for the vice-captain to get tetchy when overlooked for the leadership with the skipper out injured. Not Brad Haddin, team man

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-2014″Don’t they want to ask about my keeping?” Brad Haddin joked after his press conference at the MCG on Tuesday. Struggling with the bat, overtaken by Steven Smith for the Test captaincy – it’s no wonder his glovework would have been Haddin’s choice of conversation topic. After all, nine dismissals in the win at the Gabba was equal second to Adam Gilchrist’s 10 in Hamilton in 2000 on Australia’s all-time list.Of course, Haddin was speaking mostly in jest. Sure, he would like more runs – he said so half a dozen times – but he is comfortable with his position, happy to help Smith develop his captaincy on the job. It would have been understandable for the vice-captain to get tetchy when overlooked for the leadership with the skipper out injured. Not Brad Haddin, team man.”I think they have made a very brave and very good decision in giving Steve the captaincy,” Haddin said. “I think it is the perfect time for him, he is on top of his game at the moment which is one thing you don’t have to worry about being captain. He is a good leader, he is only young and he is going to get better and better in the role.”It was an outstanding decision by Cricket Australia. He has got a good core group of senior guys to help him out if he needs it, but things are going well. He’s got his own thoughts on the game, he is a good thinker about it, he still wants to learn. A very good decision.”Asked if he had expected or wanted to be given the job with Michael Clarke out with a hamstring injury, Haddin said he was happy simply to have led the side in the final stages of the first Test. “I would much rather you remember the last two hours I did in Adelaide rather than do it all the time,” he said.Brad Haddin: “I don’t feel in bad touch, I just need to get some runs”•Getty ImagesFor the time being, Haddin might also prefer that Australian fans remember his batting for past achievements than current ones. In last year’s Ashes at home he rescued Australia from first-innings holes in all five Tests, but since then he has managed Test scores of 0, 9, 1, 13, 3*, 22, 0, 10, 13, 0, 14*, 6 and 1.”I think my preparation has been spot on. Leading into this summer I felt better than I did last summer,” he said. “It’s just about getting that luck at the start of your innings. If you get through that first bit you start to get into the rhythm of the game, then you work from there. I don’t feel in bad touch, I just need to get some runs. That’s as simple as it is.”I’m not concerned about it. All my preparation and that has been spot on, I have just been out of runs,” he said. “I am not stressed or too worried about it. The game will turn and it will go my way … I don’t feel it [pressure]. This game turns. I’d obviously like some more runs. I’ve been in this situation before.”While Australia would like more from Haddin at No.7, they also need to work out what to do with the rest of the batting order after Joe Burns was included in the side. Burns has been opening for Queensland since near the start of last summer and Shane Watson also prefers to bat at the top, but one will likely have to slide down to No.6 with Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh seemingly settled at Nos. 4 and 5.”I think if you can bat in the top order in state cricket it holds you in good stead to bat anywhere for Australia,” Haddin said. “That’s where you’re under pressure the most, you’ve got the new ball, you can get trying conditions there [in the Shield].”I haven’t seen too much of Burns play. He seems pretty relaxed and understands his game. He’s asked a lot of questions about cricket. He didn’t know where to sit in the change room. I think he’s suited to anywhere in the order because if you bat in that top three, second new ball at No.6, I think he’ll handle it quite well.”

England’s traditional cricketing summer must face up to another unwelcome challenge next week when meetings take place in London to promote a United States Twenty20 league

David Hopps and Peter Della Penna01-Sep-2012England’s traditional cricketing summer, already under siege from the expanding ambitions of IPL, must face up to another unwelcome challenge next week when meetings take place in London to promote a United States Twenty20 league planned to launch next July with a host of international stars.The league will be launched in direct competition to the English season with ambitions to attract many of the world’s top stars for what Neil Maxwell, one of the main proponents, is presenting to the States as “baseball on steroids.”Maxwell also freely admitted that USA promoters are monitoring tense negotiations between the ECB and Kevin Pietersen, which will determine whether he has an England future. Maxwell told ESPNcricinfo: “We haven’t spoken to Pietersen as yet. We are keen to work through the Boards to ensure the appropriate processes a followed. Once his position and ours is clarified we will no doubt chat.”Pietersen’s choice of whether he commits himself to a serious future on the Test circuit – which he told England he would on a specially-commisioned YouTube video – or becomes an itinerant player, making a fortune on the Twenty20 circuit, could now not be more stark.England will be slap bang in the middle of an Ashes summer, and will automatically be unavailable, but if UST20 succeeds it will cause further disruption for a county circuit already struggling to find overseas players of quality, including for a long-standing t20 tournament that is struggling to compete with newer, brasher competitors.While the ECB continues to agonise over the future make-up of its t20 competition, which earlier this week lost its sponsor, Friends Life, promoters from the United States are heading for London to begin the tender process for six inaugural franchises, with ambitions to grow to as many as ten by 2016,The league would most likely get underway after the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy, which takes runs from June 6-23 in England. The 2013 Ashes Series then follows, which means that top international stars from Australia and England would be unavailable but players from other countries might be tempted by the prospect of coming to play in America.Cricket Holdings America, a joint venture headed by the USA Cricket Association and New Zealand Cricket, has also declared ambitions for the USA to apply and secure hosting rights for future ICC events, including the ICC World Twenty20 within the next 10 years.In addition to taking bids for franchises starting this month, CHA also plans to host exhibition matches in the USA next year between imported stars and local talent.The population in the USA with South Asian background has doubled in ten years, leaving promoters convinced that the time is right to launch what will initially be a league relying entirely on imported talent.Maxwell, a CHA director, told The this week that the success of ESPNcricinfo in the United States was further proof that a market exists. There is little pretence, however, about educating an American audience, initially at least, about the finer points of the game.”Our marketing has to appeal to mainstream America,” he said. “It’s about promoting an entertainment product. Almost remove the reference to cricket and create a thing called Twenty20 that competes with movies. Link it to Hollywood and Bollywood and provide all the razzmatazz that goes with it.”CHA hopes for the league to grow to as many as 10 franchises by 2016. The first season, reports suggest, will be played primarily in New York and San Francisco. New York has thriving West Indian and South Asian immigrant populations, particularly in Brooklyn and Queens, while the San Francisco Bay Area includes Silicon Valley, where thousands of South Asians have immigrated over the years for work in the software and technology industries.If the league does launch franchises in New York and San Francisco, it would be highly probable that matches in those cities would be played on artificial pitches. While both cities are home to multiple professional sports teams with outdoor stadiums that hold in excess of 40,000 seats, neither city has an international standard natural turf wicket facility exclusively for cricket and it is doubtful that one would be built to be ready in time for next summer.Currently, the only facility in the USA that is approved by the ICC for use in Twenty20 and ODI matches is the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Two t20 internationals between New Zealand and West Indies in Florida in July attracted decent crowdsA Twenty20 league launched in the summer months would primarily be competing for fan and media interest inside the USA with mid-season Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. The NHL and NBA typically finish their play-offs by the middle of June while the NFL, currently the most popular professional league in the USA, starts its regular season every September.

Joe Root scored 222 not out to confirm his rich promise as an potential England opener and give Yorkshire a fourth batting point at Hampshire

Ivo Tennant at West End13-Jul-2012
ScorecardJoe Root made his career-best first-class score with an innings that included his second, third and fourth sixes•Getty ImagesNo-one has ever doubted Joe Root can bat. Not in Yorkshire, not the England Under-19 coaches and, it can be assumed without fear of contradiction, not the national selectors. His second century in three matches and highest score of his career, an unbeaten 222, enlivened a match that has been wretchedly affected by the weather. There was just about every orthodox shot in anyone’s book, as well as a few unfamiliar ones, as Yorkshire sprinted to an unlikely fourth batting point.”I am very proud of what I achieved,” Root said. “But I was equally proud that we achieved that extra batting point which could be vital come the end of the season. The pitch was flatter than on the first day, when I had to work hard, and the key was to absorb the pressure when Hampshire bowled well and capitalise when they didn’t. I am not renowned for hitting sixes but was given licence to try to reach the fourth point by the coach and captain.”I am very pleased I made my family proud as they have done such a lot for me, carting me to matches around the country. I’ll have a little celebration but then will really celebrate if we achieve promotion at the end of the season. That is our most important aim – to play in the first division once again.”Quite where Root’s innings will lead to in the context of this match is another matter. After three days, we are barely into the second innings of four. To highlight the magnitude of Root’s contribution, the next highest score in Yorkshire’s total of 350 for nine declared, was 37, made by the No. 9, Steven Patterson. The pitch was sluggish, the ball still nipping off the seam.Towards the end of his innings, Root took a step down the pitch and straight drove Kabir Ali for six, only the second of his first-class career, followed by a vicious square cut for four and a further six, this time over midwicket. He is not powerfully built, so this was quite a statement against the bowler who had removed Phil Jaques and Jonny Bairstow so quickly the previous day. There were 25 fours and another six in his double century besides. His second century was achieved at better than a run a ball.Patterson’s contribution was significant, for he and Root, who went past 500 first-class runs for the season and was not dropped until he had made 215, put on 121 off 199 balls. This after Yorkshire, 83 for 3 overnight, had slumped to 108 for 6 through the dismissals of Anthony McGrath and Richard Pyrah, both off Dimitri Mascarenhas. Azeem Rafiq, and then Patterson, bolstered the total.Statistics came in a flurry, now: Root reached his double century off 260 balls, the final 50 runs of his 222 took just 24 balls and his innings in all amounted to 63% of Yorkshire’s total. That there was a declaration upon reaching a fourth batting point at least enabled Stephen Harmison, that honorary Yorkshireman, to have a burst in – remarkably – late afternoon sunshine. Only it amounted to a burst of wides – three in the opening over. Hampshire survived without losing a wicket.Among Root’s numerous admirers is one Geoffrey Boycott, who has already stated that he can succeed Andrew Strauss in the England side in due course. High praise indeed.

Tim Bresnan could not be making better use of his first competitive outing since breaking down with a stress fracture to proclaim that he has no wish to sit out the entire Ashes series.

David Hopps28-Nov-2013
ScorecardTim Bresnan took 4 for 31 for the England Performance Programme•Action PhotographicsTim Bresnan could not be making better use of his first competitive outing since breaking down with a stress fracture to proclaim that he has no wish to sit out the entire Ashes series.Nobody really expects Bresnan to be a serious contender for a place in the second Ashes Test, but with every day that passes, he is at least making them revisit the assumption.He will join the Test squad following this England Performance Programme fixture, where Bresnan followed up a half-century (57 from 62 balls) on the opening day with 4 for 31 in 10 overs on the second day against a Queensland 2nd XI. There are a few England players who would have given a lot for such figures with bat or ball at the Gabba, where they suffered a drubbing against Australia in the first Test.But England rarely shift from their preconceived plans and it is highly doubtful that they have ever contemplated playing Bresnan in Adelaide. On the roads around Australia, one often sees signs asking tired drivers undergoing long journeys: “Do you have a Plan B?” England’s tendency will be only to consider Plan B when the wheels are falling off and smoke is pouring out of the engine.It is difficult to gauge the worth of Bresnan’s display against a Queensland 2nd XI – “solid” was one word routinely bandied around by Australian observers who felt he was still some way down on pace – and England’s team director, Andy Flower, and coach David Saker are both in Alice Springs. He struck in the first over, having Dom Michael caught behind, and two other wickets came in the close-catching cordon.Joe Burns, the one Queensland player of note in the side, also escaped Bresnan’s clutches, falling just short of an unbeaten hundred as his side were dismissed for 156 at Allan Border Field. EPP squad then reached the close on 156 for 5 to secure a lead of 376 with a day remaining.”He looked pretty good,” Burns told Brisbane’s . “He was swinging it a bit and bowling within himself a little bit but you could see he still had that effort ball. It certainly felt as if he was still building but he was not too far away.”It was another satisfying day for the Performance squad. They declared on their overnight 376 for 9, content that arguably the two most highly-regarded batsmen in the squad, Middlesex’s Sam Robson, who retired on 102 and Moeen Ali of Worcestershire, who made 83, had made a favourable impression.Bresnan had not played a competitive match since he broke down in the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street in August. His inclusion in Adelaide looks improbable, especially as the first drop-in Test pitch at the now multi-purpose stadium could well be a stamina-testing experience for both bowling attacks.But his 24 wickets in five Ashes Tests mean that Australia hold him in high regard, none more so than the coach Darren Lehmann, who played alongside the younger Bresnan at Yorkshire. His hopes will be growing that he can make a contribution later in the series, certainly in Melbourne over Christmas, where he bowled the defining spell three years ago during the Test in which England retained the Ashes.He has rarely attracted the plaudits during his 21-Test career, but after England’s heavy defeat at the Gabba, his batting average of 30 and bowling average of 32 are looking more than ever the sort of dependable all-round figures England could do with.Another all-round option that is a genuine possibility for the second Test is Ben Stokes. He made his international debut in the one-day series against Australia in England and will look to stake his claim for a Test debut in the No. 6 slot during England’s two-day match in Alice Springs, alongside batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance.”Everyone is going to go out there and make sure they put their hand up and prove a point that they want to be out here and be in that second Test match,” Stokes said. “There’s probably three guys who’ve got the chance to try and get into that number six. Whether it’s me or not, Gary or Jonny, but we’ve got this next two days to go out there and really try to get in there.”England are yet to name their final XI for the Alice Springs tour match but are expected to rest Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and James Anderson as they try to gather the evidence they need about how best to rebalance their side now that Jonathan Trott has returned home with a stress-related illness and they have gone 1-0 down in the series.*November 28, 12.45 GMT: This article was updated to reflect the England team for Alice Springs

Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, has replaced Ijaz Butt as the chairman of the PCB

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, has replaced Ijaz Butt as the chairman of the PCB. The appointment, made by Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, is only “until further order,” though, and not for the usual three-year tenure stipulated by the board’s constitution. Butt’s tenure as PCB chairman had ended on October 8.Ashraf had said on October 11, before his appointment was officially confirmed, that his priority was to improve Pakistan cricket’s image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals. “I will work day and night to live up to President Zardari’s confidence. My top priority will be to improve Pakistan’s cricket image and to stop bookies and match-fixers.”He also said he would try to improve relations with other cricket boards – including India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. “People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties,” he had said.Ashraf will resign as president of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), according to an AP report. He is a close confidant of Zardari, who is Patron of the board. ZTBL is one of Pakistan’s top public-sector banks and is also represented by a team in Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the domestic first-class competition. The team features several players who have played for Pakistan, including Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir and Zulqarnain Haider.Apart from being president of ZTBL, Ashraf is co-chairman of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Punjab zone. He reportedly studied with Zardari in college and stayed in the same hostel.Butt had attended the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on October 10 with an extension of his tenure under consideration. His term was plagued with controversies, including the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore that resulted in Pakistan being denied the chance to co-host the 2011 World Cup, the spot-fixing scandal and the problems with the ECB in its aftermath when Butt made controversial accusations against the England team, Zulqarnain Haider’s fleeing to the UK mid-way through a tour after receiving threats from bookies and, most recently, a much-publicised clash with Shahid Afridi.