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Defending champions Australia will take on England at Townsville’s Tony Ireland Stadium on Saturday to kickstart the latest edition of the Under-19 World Cup, in Queensland

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2012Defending champions Australia will take on England at Townsville’s Tony Ireland Stadium on Saturday to kickstart the latest edition of the Under-19 World Cup, in Queensland. On the same day, two-time former champions Pakistan play Afghanistan at John Blanck Oval on the Sunshine Coast, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face each other at Townsville’s Endeavour Park. At the Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Zimbabwe play Papua New Guinea.The biennial competition features 16 teams, including the 10 Full Members of the ICC and six qualifiers (Afghanistan, Ireland, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Scotland). The teams are divided into four groups of four each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The bottom two from each group will compete in the Plate Championship. The grand final will be played at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 26.Australia captain William Bosisto said his side cannot expect an easy journey, despite playing at home. Australia have won the tournament a record three times. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that Australia is a firm favourite in any way,” Bosisto said. “I think we see ourselves as having a very good chance to win the title, and hopefully we can do everything in our power to do that. But I know there will be many strong sides from the subcontinent, and obviously England, so we know there is a lot of tough competition out there.”England last won the title in 1998, under Owais Shah, and the captain Adam Ball said consistency is the key.”It is definitely time for England to add to that previous success,” Ball said. “It will be very tough for us to repeat that but I feel the team has what it takes to do so. I think Australia have to be one of the favourites as they are playing in their own country and have won the tournament several times before. I also think that Pakistan will be a very hard team to beat even in conditions that may not favour them.”Pakistan captain Babar Azam said his team’s chances will depend on how soon they adapt to the conditions.”I think we are one of the tournament favourites as we bat deep, have a couple of good allrounders and also possess a few quality fast bowlers and spinners in the side,” Azam said. “Moreover, our recent performance at the international level is encouraging so I think our team could be termed as favourites alongside some other teams. However, it will all depend on how quickly we adjust to the conditions in Australia. We all know that pitches and outfields in Australia are very hard and there is extra bounce on the pitches.”South Africa have never won the tournament, though they came close in 2008 in Malaysia, finishing as the runners-up. They open their campaign on Sunday, against Bangladesh.”This squad has been on a two-year progression plan for this event,” the captain Chad Bowes said. “We have arrived in Australia to play good, solid cricket and we believe that we have the potential to be the first South Africa side to win the U-19 World Cup.”

Afghanistan opened their Intercontinental Cup One-Day campaign with a close win over Canada at King City

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2011
ScorecardAfghanistan began their Intercontinental Cup One-Day campaign with a close win over Canada in a shortened game at King City. This result followed their commanding nine-wicket win over the same opposition in the four-day format of the tournament on August 5.Afghanistan chose to bowl, but it was Canada who started strongly after their openers Ruvindu Gunasekara and Hiral Patel put on 75 within the first 10 overs. Gunasekara was severe on fast bowler Hamid Hassan, who went for 28 runs in his first three overs. Mohammad Nabi, however, struck to dismiss Gunasekara (57) in the 10th over. Patel held firm at the other end, though, and his 57-run fourth-wicket partnership with Rizwan Cheema carried the hosts to 181 for 3 before debutant Dawlat Zadran dismissed them in quick succession. The remaining batsmen failed to get going as Canada slumped from 188 for 5 to 230 all out. Nabi was the only Afghanistan bowler to concede less than four runs an over, taking 4 for 31.Afghanistan’s chase started poorly as they lost two wickets within the first three overs. Opener Shabri Noori steadied the innings with a 62-run partnership with captain Nawroz Mangal for the third wicket before rain interrupted play at the end of the 22nd over. At that stage Afghanistan, on 93 for 3, were ahead of the chase by five runs according to the D-L method.When play resumed, Afghanistan’s target was revised to 213 in 43 overs. They kept pace with the asking-rate, courtesy a 114-run stand between Noor and Nabi for the fourth wicket. Nabi was dismissed in the 34th over for 58 and Noori followed soon after for 94. Afghanistan suffered a hiccup in the 40th over, stumbling to 207 for 8, with Patel picking up three wickets. However Samiullah Shenwari, batting at No. 8, held his nerve to carry his team home.

Pakistan located the cornered-tiger spirit that has long been their tactic of last resort, and conjured up a batting display that started out with dedication and erupted into delight

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston08-Aug-2010This was the day of defiance that this series so desperately needed. Against all expectations – not least those of England’s bowlers who had envisaged two days of R & R – Pakistan located the cornered-tiger spirit that has long been their tactic of last resort, and conjured up a batting display that started out with dedication and erupted into delight. Under the clearest skies of the contest, and with little fear of lateral movement, Pakistan overcame their suspicions about a two-paced surface and were able to remember the simple pleasures of putting bat to ball.By the close Pakistan’s lead was a slender 112, but even that was 40 runs more than they themselves had mustered in their first innings – not to mention 24 runs better than the total for which they had skittled Australia at Headingley. “Cricket is such a game that you are never out of it until it ends,” said Pakistan’s captain, Salman Butt. “This is a total that teams can get out to, and with the kind of bowling we have – and the wicket has taken spin as well – we surely have a chance.”There are the inevitable precedents for the sort of capitulation that Butt is now envisaging – at Sydney in 1993-94, Fanie de Villiers produced the spell of his life as Australia crumbled to 111 all out, chasing 117, while at Edgbaston in 1981, Ian Botham’s summer of miracles continued with his 5 for 1 in 28 balls as the Aussies once again tripped up in sight of a straightforward victory. With Umar Gul injured, pride is probably as much as Pakistan can hope to salvage in this particular contest, but with them you never know. With a sniff of incentive to fire up their fielders, and some all-important cloud cover to get Amir and Asif in the groove, they’ve certainly got the guns to give England a real fright.It might seem strange, then, to suggest that England needed a day like this as well. They might not appreciate the reminder right this minute, but all summer long, a suspicion has lingered that they’ve simply had it too good. When, for instance, Azhar Ali punched James Anderson through mid-off for 2, it was the first time in four innings Pakistan had reached 50 with fewer than six wickets down. On the one hand such a statistic underlines the sheer excellence of England’s efforts with the ball; on the other, it begs numerous questions about the application of Pakistan’s batsmen, as well as England’s troubling lack of incisiveness when at last those clouds deigned to shift.”The wicket is as dead as a dormouse,” said England’s spinner, Graeme Swann, whose career-best figures of 6 for 60 did at least suggest that, like one of those chalet-shaped barometers featuring a husband and wife on a pivot, England’s attack does contain options for rain and shine alike. But Swann can only bowl from one end at a time, and once his initial threat had been negated, his colleagues found no alternative means of getting past Pakistan’s ever-broadening bats. As Stuart Broad’s latest and most irksome case of white-line fever demonstrated, they did not enjoy the hard yakka one little bit.”Pakistan made us work really hard, but I don’t think it is any surprise that that was going to happen at some stage,” said Swann. “We have bowled them out cheaply three times in the series so far, so it’s just the way the innings went. It led to a few frustrations because of the fact we got through the top order and it was the guys lower down who made us work, but Pakistan deserve the plaudits rather than us getting the downers.”That may indeed be the case, for Zulqarnain Haider’s first substantial Test innings was a treat to behold. He reacted to his incredible king-pair reprieve like a man who believed that destiny had just spoken, and he found in Amir and Saeed Ajmal a superbly contrasting pair of allies – one who wormed his way under England’s skin with his limp-batted refusal to budge, and another whose array of leg-side biffs carried the fight to another level, once the threat of an innings defeat had been averted and the onus shifted to the creation of a defendable lead.But in dealing with both challenges, England found themselves distinctly lacking in ideas. “I took a perverse pleasure in watching Ajmal get his fifty,” said Swann. “It was a knock that I like to play with fielders spread all over the place and annoying the bowlers, but we lost our way a little bit when he was batting. We probably went to three men out, bowling bouncers, a little bit early. But I thought they stuck at it very well – it was so slow, so turgid for the seamers.”It has been a year of strange and unsettling contrasts for England. In the space of five days they rolled Pakistan for consecutive totals of 80 and 72, having claimed 20 wickets in the space of two sessions in their previous Test outing, against Bangladesh at Old Trafford in June. Prior that, however, Tamim Iqbal had slammed 266 runs from 276 balls in three of the most carefree onslaughts imaginable, and if you rewind even further, to the first Test in Chittagong, it was Swann himself who lost his rag through frustration, as Junaid Siddique’s century kept England waiting for their hardest-earned win of the year.Australia’s batsmen will have watched today’s events with interest. Notes will have been taken – much like the ones that John Buchanan is bringing in the other direction in his newly-announced capacity as an ECB consultant – and a tendency towards toothlessness will have been acknowledged, regardless of the rip that Swann applied to his third delivery of the match, an absolute snorter that pitched outside Imran Farhat’s leg stump and clipped the top of off.Magic balls are one thing, but a lack of mystery is another – and there’s something a touch transparent about England’s attack when the heavens conspire against them. Ajmal Shahzad, and his ability to reverse-swing the old ball at pace, would have been an asset in the circumstances, but in the absence of a five-man attack, his is a luxury that is unlikely to be countenanced.Right at this moment, clear skies conjure up images of just one contest – the Ashes. And if England’s sights are set on world domination, as Andrew Strauss declared they were before this Test, then it is no use for them to be big cats at home, but pussycats abroad – which is the very same accusation that was levelled at the current No.1 Test team, India, throughout the 1990s. Up until now, the attack has been spoiled by swing-friendly conditions, and while the advantage they have taken has been thrilling to behold, it’s not exactly prepared them for the challenges that lie ahead.”It’s not a bad thing that we’ve had to work to get ourselves into this position,” admitted Swann. “After getting three or four early wickets you do hope you will be able to go through, but they applied themselves well and put on two big partnerships, dead-batting the ball on a slow wicket.”

Josh Hull also included in development squad that will play unofficial Test against South Africa A

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2024Andrew Flintoff will oversee a 19-man squad in South Africa next month in his first assignment as the new England Lions head coach, with Jafer Chohan – the Yorkshire legspinner who was this week named in his first senior white-ball squad – among six new inclusions in the set-up.The tour, which comprises a training camp and a four-day unofficial Test against South Africa A in Western Province, will run from November 20 to December 14, and will be an opportunity for a clutch of promising players to replicate the training methods of the senior men’s squad, who will playing a Test series in New Zealand during the same timeframe.Josh Hull, who was an original inclusion for the ongoing Test tour of Pakistan but withdrew with a quad injury, has been named in the Lions party, having played his only Test to date against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval last month.He is one of four players with prior experience of the senior men’s set-up, the others being Dan Mousley and Dillon Pennington, who were non-playing squad members in the summer just gone, and Pat Brown, the Derbyshire and former Worcestershire seamer who played the last of his four T20Is in 2019.Chohan, the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy to be named in an England squad, is set to play a limited role in the South Africa tour due to his prior Big Bash League commitments, as is Matt Hurst, the Lancashire wicketkeeper-batter who is also making his first Lions tour.The squad also includes a number of recent graduates from England’s Under-19 set-up, among them Harry Moore, a highly-rated 17-year-old Derbyshire fast bowler, and Freddie McCann, the Nottinghamshire opener whose century in last week’s final round of the County Championship helped to preserve his team’s top-flight status.Related

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• Josh Hull ruled out of Pakistan Test tour with quad injury

Flintoff, who is also the head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Men’s Hundred, said: “We’re delighted to have such a high-potential group of players heading to South Africa. In selecting these players, we have a mix of well-established performers who’ve been in the England setup and excelled in the domestic game, through to some of the most exciting young talent coming through.”The camp will support and accelerate the players’ development, provide insight into various aspects of the international setup and aid their transition into future performance set-ups”.England Men’s performance director, Ed Barney, added: “Selection aligns with England’s short and long-term needs across all formats, and we will continue supporting a group of exciting pace bowlers. Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.”We are also excited about the competitive match opportunities, with a four-day fixture against South Africa A offering the opportunity for the squad to enjoy putting their skills on show against strong opposition.”The full coaching and support staff will be announced shortly.England Lions squad: Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Zaman Akhtar (Gloucestershire), Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Pat Brown (Derbyshire), Jafer Chohan (Yorkshire), James Coles (Sussex), Henry Crocombe (Sussex), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Matt Hurst (Lancashire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Ben McKinney (Durham), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Dillon Pennington (Nottinghamshire), James Rew (Somerset), Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire), Mitch Stanley (Lancashire), John Turner (Hampshire)

Club accept sanctions but express disappointment at being docked 48 points in County Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2023Yorkshire have been fined a total of £400,000, and handed points deductions in both this year’s County Championship and Vitality Blast competitions, following the announcement of long-awaited sanctions from the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).The punishments relate to Yorkshire’s handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations of institutional racism at the club, for which they admitted to four amended charges at the original CDC hearing in February. In those, they accepted that their conduct between 2004 and 2021 had been prejudicial to the interests of cricket and had brought the game of cricket into disrepute.On Friday, the CDC panel – comprising Tim O’Gorman (chair), Professor Seema Patel and Mark Milliken-Smith KC – issued the club with an official reprimand, in addition to a £400,000 fine, an immediate 48-point deduction in the 2023 County Championship, and a four-point deduction from the 2023 T20 Blast.Neither points deduction is likely to make any material difference to Yorkshire’s on-field ambitions this season. They finished fifth in the North Group standings in the Blast, and so missed out on a quarter-final berth of a competition that concluded earlier this month, while they are off the pace for promotion in Division Two of the Championship, after managing one win in their first ten fixtures.The official breakdown of the fine is as follows:

The left hander will fly out with the squad at the weekend but remains under a fitness cloud

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2022 • Updated on 11-May-2022Henry Nicholls has been cleared to travel to England this weekend but may be struggling to be fit for the opening Test at Lord’s after picking up a grade one calf strain during a pre-tour training camp.Nicholls, the left-handed middle-order player, underwent a scan on his right calf on Tuesday after picking up the injury doing running drills in Mount Maunganui. The positive news was that he has not suffered a tear but he still faces uncertainty and is unlikely to play a full part in the two warm-up matches at the end of the month.”While it’s a positive that Henry hasn’t torn the calf, the next two to three weeks are going to be crucial in terms of his recovery and subsequent availability for the Test series,” head coach Gary Stead said. “Calves can be a challenge to rehab and we will need to minimise the risk of him re-injuring himself with any return to match action.”Related

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Nicholls is a key part of New Zealand’s Test side having made eight centuries in 46 matches with an average of 40.38. Daryl Mitchell, who is one of five members of the Test squad currently at the IPL, would be in the frame to replace Nicholls in the middle-order if required with Rachin Ravindra another option who would also be able to provide some spin bowling.”Henry’s obviously an important player for us at number five and we know he’ll be doing everything he can to make himself available,” Stead saidNew Zealand face England in three Tests during June with the opening match beginning at Lord’s on June 2.There remains a question mark over when the IPL-based players – Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Trent Boult and Tim Southee – will join the tour depending on the progress of their franchises.Initially an enlarged 20-player squad has been named to cover for those absences with a reduced 15 names expected to be confirmed before the opening Test.

Updates, analysis and colour on the crucial third day

Andrew McGlashan19-Dec-2020*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

6.00pm: Questions for India

The famous Adelaide scoreboard records the details of India’s collapse•Getty Images

Here’s some thoughts from Nagraj:India now have six days to figure several questions that will confront them ahead of the Boxing Day Test. And they will have to do it without Virat Kohli, who will be back in India from next week on paternity leave. Here are the key questions in no particular order:Do they retain Prthivi Shaw?From his backlift to his footwork, experts have picked holes in Shaw’s technique after the opener, playing his first Test in Australia, was bowled twice in Adelaide. Ideally Shaw would want him to be judge after getting a longer rope.Is there a place for Shubman Gill?Gill has been sitting restlessly in the dugout ever since he got a maiden call-up to the Test squad about a year ago. He has tall first-class scores playing for India A overseas and got good starts in the second warm-up match in Sydney against Australia A, scoring 43 and 65. But who does Gill replace? One option is take Shaw’s spot. The other can be play in the middle order as a replacement for Kohli.What about KL Rahul?Rahul’s last Test was in West Indies last year. He was dropped from the home Test series against South Africa and not included for the two-Test series in New Zealand in February. But based on a strong IPL form, the selectors named Rahul in the squad. In terms of experience, Rahul would fancy getting Kohli’s spot.Will Navdeep Saini or Mohammad Siraj get a Test debut?In case Mohammed Shami is declared unfit then one between Saini and Siraj will play their maiden Test. Both have speed and recognised for their red-ball skills and have got enough mileage being part of India A tours.

5.45pm: Strong opening

On what can be considered a perfect day for Australia, there is another box being ticked as Matthew Wade and Joe Burns add a fifty-run opening stand. The pressure is not huge, but it could be significant especially if David Warner doesn’t recover for Boxing Day. Wade has been fluent, Burns hasn’t but he has shown signs of more confidence after that painful blow on the arm.

4.35pm: Interval – Australia 15 for 0, target 90

Phew, time to catch your breath. Unbelievably, Australia are already chasing their target after a morning session of magnificent pace bowling reduced India to rubble. Matthew Wade has played positively so far, but Joe Burns has grimly hung on and has taken a nasty blow on the arm from Jasprit Bumrah which has caused significant pain.Here’s Sid Monga trying to make sense of it:

Just a quick no-hindsight comment on India’s batting. There will be a lot of criticism and even insult thrown their way but this is one of those perfect storms of excellent bowling, pitch doing just enough, all the nicks carrying, all mistakes resulting in edges. This is what tends to magnify technical flaws and there are replays played over and over again. It is one of those things that happened against a ruthless excellent attack. People will question Virat Kohli’s shot but there wasn’t anything wrong with it. On a flat pitch it was a bad shot; on this you had to go after any width you got. Someone had to score runs.

Just a stat that will tell you what a perfect storm it was: India were not in control of 32 balls they played. Usually you need around 10 such balls to get a wicket in Test cricket. Here they got nine with 32. That is how perfectly it went for Australia.

ESPNcricinfo Ltd

4.00pm: India 36 all out!

India have recorded their lowest ever total in Test cricket as they startling second innings ended on 36 when Mohammed Shami was forced to retire hurt following a crunching blow on the arm from Pat Cummins. Their previous lowest was 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974. What a session that was. Australia need 90 to win.“Everything went to plan,” Josh Hazlewood says modestly on Channel Seven. “Patty set the tone and I just followed suit. To join the 200th club is pretty special.”

3.50pm: Magnificent Hazlewood

A jubilant Josh Hazlewood is congratulated by team-mates after his devastating strikes•Getty Images

Josh Hazlewood has taken his 200th Test wicket and completed one of the best five-wicket hauls you will see. He was on a hat-trick when he removed Wriddhiman Saha and R Ashwin (the second his milestone wicket) and though he couldn’t make the three-in-three his fifth wicket wasn’t long in coming. It’s hard to keep up!

3.20pm: And now Kohli goes!

Virat Kohli’s tour is over. Pat Cummins drew edge which flew quickly into the gully where it bobbled out of Cameron Green’s hands but he held on as it rolled up his chest and back into his grip. This has been sensational bowling from Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Can India set a target of 100?This is India’s lowest score at the loss of their sixth wicket.And here are India’s lowest Test totals…

3.10pm: Hazlewood’s first over

Blimey, this game is moving…12.1 Hazlewood to Agarwal, OUT, and he strikes first ball. Wow. The most Josh Hazlewood dismissal you’ll see. Extra bounce from a length, and the initial angle – much like the Pujara dismissal – isn’t even attacking off stump but going slightly inside the line of the stumps. Then it straightens to take the edge, with Agarwal squared up in defence12.2 Hazlewood to Rahane, no run, length ball on off stump, defended into the covers12.3 Hazlewood to Rahane, no run, length ball outside off, a bit of seam movement away, left alone12.4 Hazlewood to Rahane, no run, phew. What a great line this is, so tight on off stump, and Rahane has no option but to play. Straightens and zips past the edge. The length is more or less perfect too12.5 Hazlewood to Rahane, OUT, I said the length was more or less perfect the previous ball. This one was a few inches fuller, along the same line, and the ball straightened again to take the edge. India are effectively 68 for 5. Rahane doesn’t get a stride forward, just pushes at the ball, in front of his body, and pays the price12.6 Hazlewood to Vihari, no run, back of a length in the corridor, left alone

3.00pm: A Cummins special

Australia are back in this. It did not take long for Pat Cummins to remove nightwatchman Jasprit Bumrah, but then he struck a huge blow – producing a beauty to take Cheteshwar Pujara’s outside edge which carried low to Tim Paine. His figures at that moment: 5.2-3-8-3. This game is on a knife-edge.

2.40pm: Agarwal’s early landmark

Mayank Agarwal’s opening-over boundary off Mitchell Starc brought up 1000 Test runs…ESPNcricinfo Ltd

2.20pm: Have your say

2.10pm: Nervousness over Sydney Covid outbreak

2.00pm: Shaw’s series could be done

Prithvi Shaw gets bowled for the second time in the Test•Getty Images

The late blow Australia struck last night could be significant for Prithvi Shaw’s series as he has been bowled through the gate twice in this match. It was a tight call between him and Shubham Gill for this match and Shaw hasn’t done anything to back up the faith. It will be a big decision for Boxing Day.

1.30pm: What’s a matchwinning lead?

What a day for India yesterday. They secured a vital first-innings advantage that they will look to swell today, especially during the first two sessions before the lights come on. Australia may need to have bowled them out by then otherwise the game could be too far away. There has been help in this pitch and just a sign that it may start to go up-and-down a bit, so anything around 250 would seem to be a tough chase. Still, Australia have the bowler attack to keep them in the game. It should be great viewing.

It might have been the England captain’s day after three early lives, but he encountered a familiar nemesis, and a familiar ball

Alan Gardner at The Oval12-Sep-2019How’s your luck, Joe Root? Fighting for pride and, ahem, World Test Championship points at the end of a gruelling Ashes series and a summer flushed with emotional highs and lows, Root must have felt things were going his way as he went to tea on 57, his side reasonably placed on 169 for 3. Then Pat Cummins strolls in, rips the old ball past his outside edge and rattles the top of off with a stonking delivery that might as well have been a laser-guided replica of his dismissal at Old Trafford.Two innings, two dismissals, two unplayable deliveries. Well, maybe only unplayable if you are not coming forward as much as you should be – a minor quibble but they are fine margins at this level. Root had in fact looked much better with his footwork in compiling a fourth half-century of the series, but after benefiting from three drops earlier in the day, he finally saw his luck desert him as Australia tightened up after tea.Plenty has been said about the role of luck in sport, and life in general. England’s head selector, Ed Smith, wrote a book about it: . ESPN has the Luck Index, to try and fully quantify its effects. Some people prefer to imagine you make your own luck, falling back on a phrase often attributed to Gary Player: “The harder I practise, the luckier I get.”In cricket, the very first action is a game of chance. One captain tosses the coin, the other calls “heads” or “tails”. Sometimes, it’s a game you’d rather not win, and there was a hint of that uncertainty on a crisp, clear morning at The Oval. This is a ground on which it is possible to construct scores with the imposing solidity of the famous gas holders that squat behind its north side, as well as one given to spinning later in the game, but there was just a hint of mottled grass and a forecast for cloud cover throughout the day.As it turned out, Root lost the toss, but was still handed the chance to bat by his opposite number, Tim Paine, who wanted to extract any possible early advantage for his seamers. England’s openers then diced with danger during a testing new-ball spell from Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to post the highest first-wicket stand of the series (albeit a modest 27). Burns was given out lbw on 3, Hazlewood snaking the ball back to strike him on the back thigh – but Burns is a Surrey man, knows there’s a bit of bounce on this ground, and reviewed straight away.If that was more judgment than luck, Root was soon to benefit from a few helping prods from Dame Fortune. Coming in during the ninth over, after Joe Denly had finally run out of lives in his game of pin the tail on the donkey, Root attempted to strike the carefree notes that characterise the best of his batting, latching on to some unexpected width from Peter Siddle to squire his fifth and eighth balls for fours through backward point.Ground down through the series by the tight lines Australia have bowled to him, Root may well have resolved to play his shots and be damned. He dabbed and missed, inside-edged into his pads and generally threw some shapes before twice surviving presentable chances in the space of four balls delivered by – that man again – Cummins.The first, an airy pull on 24 that flew straight to deep backward square, was butchered by Siddle, who received a tongue-in-cheek ovation from the crowd when he walked back out towards the OCS Stand a couple of deliveries later. Cummins then induced a thick outside edge in his following over, only for Paine to do Root another favour by palming it over David Warner at first slip.A third gift was bestowed shortly after lunch, Steven Smith this time the man to prove that incessant practise can’t completely overrule the whims of the sporting gods. Root, on 30 at the time, drove Hazlewood authoritatively through cover a couple of overs later, bringing up his 7000th Test run and it looked like he might be on his way. He duly jinked past 50 for the 16th time in Ashes contests, only for Cummins to prolong his conversion issues. If captaincy, as Richie Benaud said, is 90% luck and 10% skill, then the delivery to dismiss Root flipped those numbers around.So it goes. Fourteen years ago to the day, Kevin Pietersen memorably rode his luck to a hundred on this ground that not only sealed the return of the Ashes but brimmed with the showmanship worthy of a series almost without parallel. They came hoping to see something similarly uplifting from an England team rallying around their captain, even with the urn already gone, but the 2019 Ashes have turned into a contest that threatens to slink away quietly, from an English perspective, just as Root did from the crease during mid-afternoon. And luck hasn’t had much to do with that.

The recalled opener hopes that a combination of technical work and a fresh mental approach will result in better returns this time

George Dobell at Headingley30-May-20181:12

Jennings skips exam to be at Headingley

Keaton Jennings hopes a more relaxed approach can help him make a successful return to “one of the toughest jobs in Test cricket.”Jennings, who has been recalled for a second stint as Alastair Cook’s opening partner, knows full-well the challenges of the job and refers to a “dark period” around the time he was dropped previously. But he hopes that a combination of technical work and a fresh mental approach will result in better returns this time.His recall is, in some ways, quite a surprise. While he has scored centuries in his two most recent first-class innings, they are the only time he has reached 50 in 22 first-class innings since he was dropped last August. In that period, he has averaged just 26.18 in the first-class game after 22 innings realised 576 runs. All of which is hard to square with the coach, Trevor Bayliss, stating that “averaging 40 isn’t enough” for county players trying to force their way into the team. Jennings averaged 24.50 in his first six Tests as an England player but, after a century on debut in India, suffered six single-figure scores – including three ducks – in his next 11 innings.He does, at least, come into this game after those two centuries. While the first game on a flat pitch at Old Trafford, the second was in a low-scoring match at Trent Bridge and against a strong attack that included Stuart Broad, Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney.Whatever happens, Jennings is determined to enjoy the experience. He hopes to not only block out any criticism but not be too critical of himself. And, most of all, he wants to simply focus on the pleasure of playing Test cricket.”It might be the last Test that I play,” he admitted. “So I really want to enjoy the feeling and the five days of tough, hard cricket. I want to play with a free, happy heart and take in every moment I can.”I’m always determined and I’m never the sort of guy to take things for granted. I’ve never taken my foot off the gas in life. If anything, I’ve pushed the gas too hard to try to make things work. That’s why I stress that I want to enjoy this week.”It’s special being here, special being in front of a variety of cameras and people and playing in front of big crowds and big viewerships. I’m in a really privileged position.”While he admits he has tinkered with his technique since he was dropped – and various England coaches, including Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe continued to work with him – he suggests that the more important progress came in his mental approach and his determination to see cricket as just one aspect of his life.Keaton Jennings prepares in the nets•Getty Images

“The England team management give you as much support and assistance as you need,” he said. “The support is there. I’ve worked pretty closely with Andy Flower and my dad – Ray Jennings – is always a big supporter. And my uncle is a sports psychologist.”Opening the batting is one of the toughest jobs in Test cricket, especially in England. The new ball is obviously a crucial phase of four-day cricket and Test cricket. That’s what makes Alastair Cook invaluable to our environment. But it’s tough, hence the fact there’s been a lot of guys rotated around him.”I’ve tried to address as much as I can. At the end of the week, I suppose there’ll be more talk about anything technical and if changes have worked and if there are runs on the board that’s great. If not, there’s more addressing to be done. I suppose that will only be answered at the end of the week. You will only get judged on the amount of runs you score.”I’d like to think I’ve addressed certain issues, but I won’t come out and start batting right-handed. I won’t suddenly start triggering or moving around because the product I’ve had for the last 25 years has worked. It’s about fine-tuning to try to better myself. I’ve looked at myself personally and addressed bits and pieces in my life to get better.”I don’t think we sometimes realise that cricketers are people. There’s a lot of things that impact your performance. With cricket, you can do everything right and things just don’t work out sometimes. So, I’m really excited for this week. I want to play with a happy heart and a big smile on my face.”One of those things he has continued to involve himself in away from cricket is a degree in accountancy. Indeed, with this call-up coming as something of a surprise, he was forced to miss an exam in London on Wednesday afternoon. And for the first time, either; he confesses he has been pursuing the degree for eight years.”It seems to be taking forever to complete,” he said. “I’m really trying to get it finished.”I’ve tried to focus on myself and my own internal processes and belief systems. I’ve moved to address certain things, not just technique but also in my life and the way I go about things. I’ve tried to not read things or be on Twitter and really enjoy my cricket again. Having moved to Lancashire over the winter, I’ve really found that flow and that enjoyment around it.”How did I cope with the scrutiny last time? You try and lean on your support structure; lean on people you trust. You lean on anybody at the time that you feel is going to make a difference and pull you through that dark period. That’s one of the things I’ve tried to address: the way I deal with media and when I walk into a room with 25 cameras. There’s a variety of things that come with being in the position I’m in right now.”But this is a special moment and I want to enjoy it.”While Pakistan’s Wednesday training session was badly hit by rain – they were forced into the indoor nets – England enjoyed a long outdoor session in the afternoon. As well as Jennings, other familiar faces returned to training, including Ryan Sidebottom, who is now on the coaching staff at Surrey, and Ant Botha, who is on the coaching staff with Nottinghamshire.

Middlesex have become the first county to publicly declare opposition to the ECB’s move to change its constitution

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2017Middlesex have become the first county to publicly declare opposition to the ECB’s move to change its constitution in order to pave the way for a new, eight-team T20 tournament.The ECB proposed amending its Articles of Association last month, in order to remove the stipulation that any new competition had to involve all 18 counties. Letters were sent to the ECB’s 41 constituent members (the first-class counties, MCC, Minor Counties Cricket Association and 21 recreational boards), with 31 positive responses needed to pass the change.Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, called it a “watershed” moment for the game that would help to attract new audiences. The counties have been promised a fee of £1.3m a year in order to compensate them for the creation of new teams to take part in the competition, scheduled for 2020.However, while the changes to the constitution are expected to be voted through, reigning county champions Middlesex have announced that they will not be supporting the move after consultation with members at the club’s AGM.Middlesex chairman, Mike O’Farrell, said the planned tournament represented “great risk” to the club’s financial position – citing their tenancy agreement with MCC to play at Lord’s – and suggested that removing the requirement for all 18 counties to be involved could lead to a reduced status for some.”Whilst Middlesex is fully supportive of the creation of a new T20 tournament to drive the future of the game, we are unable to support this proposal at the current time,” O’Farrell said. “Middlesex has a unique position in playing at a ground that is likely to be a host venue at the tournament, yet not benefiting from the revenues associated with that status. Therefore, the financial impact on Middlesex is still very uncertain and contains great risks to our current revenue streams.”Additionally, the current governance of the ECB means that this article change creates a significant risk that counties that are not host venues for the new tournament may, in the future, be downgraded both in status and in revenue terms.”We welcome the ECB’s commitment to a further revision to its articles to provide the protections that we require but, until these commitments become legally binding, we cannot support the current change of articles of association. We look forward to working with the ECB in the near future to developing a proposal that alleviates our concerns and provides a solution to domestic cricket that meets all our collective objectives.”Several counties have expressed reservations about the ECB proposals – Middlesex’s London neighbours Surrey foremost among them – but it is not known how many are prepared to oppose them. Yorkshire, Sussex, Somerset, Leicestershire and Derbyshire have come out in favour. Replies must be received by the ECB within 28 days of the letters being sent out, with a non-response effectively a vote against.