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This season’s NatWest Blast has set new records for ticket sales, with official attendance rising to 883,000 overall

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2017This season’s NatWest Blast has set new records for ticket sales, with official attendance rising to 883,000 overall. Finals Day at Edgbaston is also a record sellout, while average attendances among the 18 counties were up to 7500.The return of the competition to a block in July and August – as well as soaring run rates – seems to have helped the Blast’s growth, despite poor weather causing 16 matches to be abandoned. Taking into account those through the turnstiles to watch the Kia Super League, 907,000 tickets had been sold for domestic T20, before the women’s Finals Day at Hove on Friday.The 2017 Blast figures were a 7% rise on the previous record, set in 2015 when the competition was played largely on Friday nights from May through to August. Last year saw a slight drop in attendances, partly down to poor weather.”It’s a genuine pleasure to be able to congratulate all 18 first-class counties for their outstanding efforts in making the 2017 Blast such a hit,” Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, said.”The competition moved to a new place in the schedule this year, with all games played in a block in July and August rather than spread through the summer. That was welcomed by the players and has helped draw the crowds to NatWest T20 Blast – in bigger numbers then ever before.”The change created some fresh challenges for counties alongside the new opportunities but the record advance sales show how well the game has responded – the counties deserve huge credit. The quality of the cricket has been very clear too, with further records set for runs scored and sixes hit – our thanks to the players for producing such entertaining games.Blast Finals Day, in front of 24,426 people at Edgbaston on Saturday, will see Hampshire, Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire and Birmingham compete to the lift the trophy.From 2020, the ECB is set to introduce a new, 38-game T20 tournament, featuring eight regional/city-based team. The NatWest Blast is planned to continue as a secondary competition for all 18 counties to contest.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said the board will not negotiate further with Faruque Ahmed, who resigned as chief selector on Sunday

Mohammad Isam20-Jun-2016BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said the board will not negotiate with Faruque Ahmed, who resigned as chief selector on Sunday. Hassan said the BCB hadn’t received an official resignation yet.Faruque announced his resignation after the board of directors restructured the selection panel, expanding it to six members comprising the three original selectors, the Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, and two BCB representatives in cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and director Khaled Mahmud, who is also the Bangladesh team manager. Faruque said the new selection process would be a hindrance.Hassan insisted that Faruque had worked under a similar system when he took over as chief selector for his second stint in 2013.”He hasn’t officially informed me or the board,” Hassan said. “He has been working under the same system all this time. I don’t see any difference now and I don’t know where the problem is. This is not a new system and we are not changing anything as the team is doing well. I think I now have to ask him whether the teams he gave [for approval] wasn’t changed. We had to sit in many meetings with the selectors before every single game.”There is no scope for negotiation. Did we get a better pace bowling coach than Heath Streak? We didn’t negotiate with him when he wanted to leave.”Hassan said Faruque’s success was a factor in his appointment as chief selector to the three-member panel.”I like Faruque,” Hassan said. “We have respected his past record by keeping the chief selector’s post. But he can resign if he doesn’t agree with it. There’s no need to create any problems or spread confusion. I don’t want to do it but if I am pushed, I will tell everyone directly what happened.”Questions were raised after Mahmud’s controversial inclusion in the selection committee, but Hassan said his role was to only provide strategic input.”The manager is not in the selection process,” Hassan said. “The team will be picked by the selectors. Before every series, the coach and manager will only inform the selectors of their requirements. The selectors will pick the team with those in mind.”Tamim Iqbal or Shakib Al Hasan never came to me [for selection matters], only [Khaled Mahmud] Sujon comes to me. We could have included the captain in the selection committee instead of the manager. Since the captain is happy with the inclusion of the manager, the selectors shouldn’t have a problem with him.”

Timm van der Gugten’s 6 for 29 and 57 with the bat put Netherlands in a commanding position on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match against Papua New Guinea

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2015
ScorecardFile Photo – Timm van der Gugten followed up his 6 for 29 with an important 57•ICC/Helge Schutz

Timm van der Gugten returned figures of 6 for 29, as Netherlands bowled Papua New Guinea out for 128 in the first innings to take firm control of their Intercontinental Cup game in Amstelveen. PNG’s last four wickets could add only 25 runs to their overnight score of 103 before being bowled out in 48.4 overs. Middle-order batsman Mahuru Dai, with 26, was the team’s highest run-getter.With a lead of 81 in hand, Netherlands were reduced to 17 for 3 inside eight overs of their second innings after early strikes from Willie Gavera and Loa Nou. However, a 65-run, fourth-wicket partnership between Michael Rippon and Wesley Barresi provided a recovery, taking the team to 82 before Mahuru Dai removed Rippon.Netherlands once again lost quick wickets and were precariously placed at 110 for 7, but van der Gugten followed up his good showing with the ball by sharing an 83-run stand with Paul van Meekeren, eventually helping the team make 223. PNG’s right-arm seamers Gavera and John Reva picked up seven scalps between them while Nou and Dai landed a wicket each.Chasing 305, PNG lost Tony Ura for 13 in the eighth over, with van Meekeren providing the breakthrough. Ura’s opening partner Lega Siaka was lively and struck 11 fours during his 37-ball 49 but was dismissed off the last ball of the day by offspinner Max O’Dowd. PNG went to stumps at 66 for 2, still needing another 239 runs for victory.

Australia’s Test wicketkeeper Matthew Wade enhanced his reputation for making runs when most needed with a punchy 50 to guide Victoria to a five-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2012
ScorecardMatthew Wade’s punchy innings took Victoria to outright victory•Getty Images

Australia’s Test wicketkeeper Matthew Wade enhanced his reputation for making runs when most needed with a punchy 50 to guide Victoria to a five-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Western Australia at the MCG.Set 171 to win after James Pattinson, Jayde Herrick and Clint McKay shared the wickets to round the Warriors up for 138 in their second innings, the Bushrangers wobbled at 5 for 99 after the loss of three wickets for two runs.However Wade wrested the initiative from the visitors with an innings that featured a trio of sixes, quickly whittling down the target to complete an unhappy week for WA cricket following the investigation into the conduct of the Perth Scorchers at the Twenty20 Champions League and Marcus North’s resignation as captain.Jason Behrendorff claimed three second innings wickets with his left-arm fast mediums for a haul of seven in the match, but he and the rest of the bowlers were not given quite enough runs to defend after their batsmen had folded meekly in the second innings.

Although the English winter is drawing in there is still plenty happening around the county circuit. During the off-season, ESPNcricinfo will keep you up to date with major developments, news and the odd quirky story

George Dobell20-Oct-2011Will Chris Gayle be adding Middlesex to his list of overseas teams?•Associated Press

Middlesex have eyes on GayleChris Gayle has been targeted by Middlesex as an overseas player ahead of the 2012 T20 season.”If you’re asking whether we would like Chris Gayle in our side then yes, of course we would,” said Middlesex’s director of cricket, Angus Fraser, “but whether we can afford him in another thing entirely.”In the past, however, Middlesex have benefited from a partnership with the MCC whereby the burden of playing the top overseas players’ wages has been shared between the two clubs. Adam Gilchrist was signed thanks to such a partnership.As things stand, however, Middlesex are likely to play only three of their five home games at Lord’s with international commitments and the Olympics limiting the ground’s availability. The club may even need to persuade the ECB to allow them to stage their first game a couple of weeks before the formal launch of next year’s event.Middlesex have already strengthened their top-order batting with the signing of Joe Denly from Kent. Fraser confirmed, however, that Andrew Strauss will not play any Twenty20 cricket in future.High-profile candidates for MCC roleSteve Elworthy, currently director of marketing and communications at the ECB, and Dave Richardson, currently the general manager of cricket at the ICC, are understood to be among the short-listed candidates for the vacant role of chief executive of the MCC. The previous CEO, Keith Bradshaw, resigned recently in order to spend more time with his family in Australia.Shanker for IPL?You might have thought we’d heard the last of Adrian Shankar. After the debacle of his brief stint at Worcestershire, most people would have slunk away and got on with their life far away from the world of cricket.But not our Adrian. He’s nothing if not determined. It now seems that Shankar has turned his attention to the IPL and has, somehow, aroused the interest of Rajasthan Royals.As a result, Royals management have made enquiries to players in England to learn more about Shankar’s background. The question they asked was: is Shankar a fantastic, untapped talent who has somehow escaped the notice of all English scouts; or is he just an audacious blagger?You can probably guess the answer they received.Moeen Ali’s England chanceIt might have been presumed that the likes of Monty Panesar, Samit Patel and Scott Borthwick were the men jostling for the second spinner spot in the England squad to the UAE (in January-February) and Sri Lanka (March-April).But Moeen Ali is also in contention. The 24-year-old Worcestershire allrounder took more wickets than any other off-spinner in Division One of the Championship in the 2011 season (albeit a modest 18 at 51 apiece) and also scored 930 runs at an average of 33.That allround ability subsequently won Moeen a place in England’s potential performance squad and, along with a few of the other batsmen and spinners in that squad, he will remain in Sri Lanka after the three-week training camp in Colombo. The players will be allocated first-class teams and benefit from playing for another seven weeks in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.The inference is that a role in the Test side – probably batting at six and fulfilling the role of second spinner – is just about within Moeen’s grasp. While there are several players ahead of him in the queue at present, most have question-marks against them; Panesar, for instance, has few pretensions as a batsman or a fielder, while Patel’s fitness remains an issue.Whatever happens, if England do need to call upon Moeen in Sri Lanka, it will surely prove beneficial that he has experience of the conditions. It’s another example of the planning and attention to detail that has characterised the England management in recent years.Financial issues for WarwickshireWarwickshire have left several clubs disgruntled by their approaches for players in recent seasons, but the boot could soon be on the other foot.The failure to land an Ashes Test in 2013 will have a large impact on the finances at Edgbaston and is likely to make recruiting – and retaining – top players increasingly difficult.In the short-term, it has done little to help them secure the signing of James Taylor. Taylor is also wanted by Nottinghamshire, who won the right to host Ashes Tests in 2013 and 2015 and, as a consequence, have the certainly of a high income for the foreseeable future.In the longer-term, attention will focus on retaining Warwickshire’s best players. Chris Woakes, for example, is out of contract at the end of the 2012 season and is certain to attract interest from a number of other counties. As a quality allrounder who might not quite make the Test team, Woakes might even be considered one of the most valuable players in the entire county game. If Warwickshire are going to keep him, they’re going to need to fund the mother of all pay rises.Kartik set for Oval moveSurrey are close to securing the singing of Murali Kartik, the left-arm spinner, as an overseas player for the 2012 season. He has previously enjoyed spells at Lancashire, Middlesex and Somerset. While it is understood that Surrey’s salary bill remains the largest in the county game, the club have not breached the salary cap of £1.8m.

Virender Sehwag, as optimistic and positive a soul as any in the Indian dressing room, looked on the bright side after the day’s play

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2010At the end of the opening day, India wouldn’t have been sure whether to feel satisfied after a hard day’s work or slightly let down over passages of play when they let things drift. They did splendidly to recover from a barren opening session that cost 95 runs, but then conceded 57 in an hour to Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. Hussey fell to a poor stroke and Ponting, on his favourite Indian ground, was denied another hundred by Suresh Raina’s part-time offspin. But by the time play was called off for bad light, it was hard to escape the feeling that MS Dhoni had played the occasional-bowler card a few overs too many.Virender Sehwag, as optimistic and positive a soul as any in the Indian dressing room, looked on the bright side after the day’s play. “We’re happy with the score,” he said. “The way they started, we thought they might make 350 or so. We’re especially happy with the wicket that Raina took, when Ponting looked set for a hundred.”After the paltry crowds in Mohali, Bangalore provided a much more raucous atmosphere. Ponting was greeted by boos – though Shane Watson claimed later not to hear them – and every Indian wicket whipped the crowd into a frenzy. “In Bangalore, people usually come to see Tests and cheer India,” said Sehwag. “So we’re very happy. Hopefully, they’ll come for all five days.”The players went off three deliveries after the new ball was taken, but there was no grumbling from the Indians, with overcast conditions expected for much of the five days. “We just ask them to stay consistent,” said Sehwag. “Then it’s fair for both teams.”Once again, India wasted the new ball. Zaheer Khan was perhaps still feeling the effects of his exertions in Mohali, while Sreesanth overpitched consistently early on trying to get the ball to swing. When he got the right shape, the length was wrong and then continued in his later spells when he bowled some fine deliveries without quite stringing together a great over.In Indian conditions, Zaheer has invariably been more effective with the older ball, while Sreesanth, too, helped India win a game in Kanpur last year with telling spells of reverse swing. There was no dramatic action with the old ball here though, with spinners bowling in tandem for much of the afternoon. “Because of the ground conditions, which are wet, and the side wickets not being dry,” said Sehwag when asked about it. “If they dry up, then reverse swing will be a factor.”India were dealt a blow in the morning with the late withdrawal of VVS Laxman, though Sehwag insisted that the decision to go with young blood in Cheteshwar Pujara was the right one. “He [Laxman] tested in the morning and he said his back was still stiff and sore. We didn’t want to take any chances. If something goes wrong, we can’t even get a fielder for him. So it was the right decision not to play.”Having experienced his own dip in form in South Africa in 2006-07 – he was axed after the final Test in Cape Town – there was some sympathy from Sehwag for Marcus North, fighting for an Ashes place and unbeaten on 43 overnight. “I think he’s batted really well in this Test,” said Sehwag. “At the moment, he’s looking comfortable. But tomorrow morning, we’ll be looking to put more pressure on him.”Unlike at Mohali, where dropped catches proved rather expensive, India were tidier in the field on Saturday. There was still some sloppy groundfielding, especially from those the wrong side of 30, but the catches taken by Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni and Sehwag represented a big improvement on what was on view in the opening Test.With a new ball in hand on Sunday and the tail to come, a quick wrap could put India in a commanding position. For that to happen, they’ll need to shake off an old habit and use the new ball effectively under cloudy skies.

Vettori and McCullum broke free with a combination of intelligence and exhilarating strokeplay to seize control of the game

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera12-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Daniel Vettori’s fifth Test century gave New Zealand the advantage in the final Test•Getty Images

The Test was evenly balanced at tea. New Zealand were trailing by 57 runs with only five wickets in hand, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori were yet to settle in, Danish Kaneria was in hot form having run through the middle order and the second new ball wasn’t far away. Either team could have grabbed the ascendancy. It was Vettori and McCullum who broke the shackles of the first two sessions with a combination of intelligence and exhilarating strokeplay, and seized control of the game.McCullum was explosive, improvising constantly, while Vettori combined inventiveness with solidity to rapidly change the character of the game. New Zealand’s nervous approach of the first two sessions – the defensive, perhaps over-cautious, batsmen struggling to survive Kaneria as several close catchers hovered around the bat – gave way to a thrilling evening. Runs came quickly and New Zealand swiftly took a sizeable first-innings lead.New Zealand’s jail-break was assisted by the Pakistan fast bowlers, who have caused batsmen the most problems this series with seam, swing and tight lines and lengths. Not today though. Umar Gul and the rest offered width with their short-of-a-length deliveries and Vettori kept picking boundaries with his favourite short-arm cuts and deflections. McCullum attacked Kaneria by playing the sweep and suddenly the floodgates were flung open.At times McCullum placed his bat outside off, with his back foot in line with off stump, and started to create his own angles. Even the skillful Mohammad Asif lost his poise and sprayed the ball around. The shot of the evening was an imperiously-pulled six from outside off stump against Asif. McCullum startled the bowler again when he charged out to crash a length delivery over cover.Pakistan seemed to have run out of ideas when, against the run of play, Gul got the ball to burst off the pitch towards the throat of McCullum, who fended it straight to gully. Pakistan also had an opportunity to get rid of Vettori, but Kaneria dropped a straightforward return catch off him on 97.Until Kaneria’s lapse, though, Vettori, who has marvellous self-awareness of the limitations of his game and thrives within them, had played a chanceless innings. He arched his back to cut short-of-a-length deliveries from the line of the stumps without making it appear risky, he walked across to work perfectly acceptable deliveries to fine leg and frustrated bowlers with his short-arm pulls and nudges. Once in a while, Vettori increased pressure on the bowlers with calculated big hits: he lifted Kaneria for a straight six, and swept him and pulled Asif for more fours.New Zealand’s 123-run lead at the end of day two, however, might not have been possible without the patience Tim McIntosh showed during the first session. The defining image of his half-century was not a shot but the military snap with which he shouldered arms. He left 59 balls alone and played 151 dot balls as he defended passionately. McIntosh’s batting has almost an anaesthetic air about it but today’s stone-walling effort wasn’t dull or boring. He laid the platform and allowed McCullum and Vettori to express themselves later on.McIntosh’s defiance was the primary feature of the morning session, but Kaneria eventually broke his resistance and that of several others after lunch. Kaneria was allowed to settle into a rhythm because of New Zealand’s defensive approach and it was his googly that caused batsmen the most trouble. Unlike in the past, when he has been guilty of overusing it at times, Kaneria was more prudent in deploying the wrong ‘un today. He concentrated on building pressure with his bouncing legbreaks and sliders, and bowled a variety of deliveries that slowly suffocated the batsmen.It was the wicket of Ross Taylor, who top-edged a slog sweep, that got Kaneria going. He bowled a few loopy deliveries on the leg side to McIntosh who suddenly began playing the sweep before top-edging one as well. Kaneria then turned his attention to Daniel Flynn, spinning a few legbreaks into the left-hand batsman before slipping in a googly that caught the edge. The appeal for caught-behind was turned down, but the decision was reversed after a review. It may have been the right decision, for Flynn seemed to walk as soon as the review was asked for, but video evidence wasn’t conclusive.New Zealand were 145 for 5 at that stage, having lost three wickets for 27 runs, and Vettori and McCullum had just come together for a partnership that would give New Zealand the upper hand in the deciding Test.

The team owner and management haven’t responded to the players’ calls for updates as they await tickets for flights back home

Mohammad Isam02-Feb-2025Durbar Rajshahi’s overseas players are effectively stranded in their team hotel in Dhaka after the franchise continued to miss payment deadlines. The team owner and management haven’t responded to the players’ calls for updates as they await tickets for flights back home. When this report was filed, the players were still in Dhaka.Rajshahi were eliminated from the Bangladesh Premier Leauge (BPL) on Saturday when Khulna Tigers beat Dhaka Capitals on the last day of the league stage.Mohammad Haris (Pakistan), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Mark Deyal (West Indies), Ryan Burl (Zimbabwe) and Miguel Cummins (West Indies) are all waiting for some portion of their payments due. A couple of them have been paid 25%, while some haven’t been paid at all. Furthermore, the players haven’t received daily allowance for the last 11 days.Related

• BPL crisis: Rajshahi dues to be cleared by February 10, sports ministry says

• BPL gets a boost from arrival of eliminated ILT20 players

• Shaun Tait keeps it simple to find success with Chittagong Kings

• Rajshahi promise to pay local players after training boycott

• Rajshahi's overseas players sit out Sunday's game over non-payment of dues

Rajshahi have been dogged by financial problems from the start of this BPL. Anamul Haque said that the local players hadn’t received any payments prior to the start of the tournament as they are usually played 25% before the tournament starts. They boycotted a training session in Chattogram last month, while the overseas players boycotted a match. Burl and Haris eventually made themselves available to play and helped them stay in contention for a playoff finish, but they fell short on net run rate.Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman got into trouble with the team hotel in Chattogram after failing to pay them on time. Photos of security personnel sitting outside his room went viral, while Rahman’s car was seized by the hotel authorities. Later, when the Rajshahi team returned to Dhaka, they were forced to check out of one hotel due to payment issues.Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, member-secretary of BPL’s governing council, said that the BCB didn’t vet the Rajshahi franchise properly when they were taken on board last year. “I think we didn’t judge the franchises properly. I think we didn’t verify their experience and financial strength. It has now put us in a difficult situation.”On Saturday, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud said that he spoke to Rahman, warning him of the consequences.”I spoke to the Rajshahi owner, who assured us that he will clear the payments,” Mahmud said. “I have told him clearly that if he fails to do so, we will take legal steps. No more discussions. Our fact-finding committee will be looking into how this team came to be.”

Former Notts and England keeper takes over from Paul Shaw on two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2023Chris Read, the former Nottinghamshire and England wicketkeeper, has been appointed as the new head coach of Thunder, and will take over from Paul Shaw who stepped down at the end of the 2023 campaign after four seasons in charge.Read, who played 15 Tests between 1999 and 2007 and represented England in all three formats, has since served as assistant coach with Trent Rockets in the women’s Hundred and Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL, as well as wicketkeeping consultancy work with the ECB, including a stint with England men’s Under-19s squad.He will join the Thunder set-up on a two-year contract in January, and inherits a squad that reached Finals Day in the 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup.”I am extremely proud to have taken up this position and I am looking forward to getting to work with such an ambitious club and a talented squad of players,” Read said.”The development of the Thunder regional programme in recent years has been most impressive and it is clear to see the ambitions of everybody involved is to back that up by bringing silverware to Emirates Old Trafford.”I believe that my experiences as both a player, and more recently as a coach around the world, will help Thunder push on and achieves our ambitions in the coming seasons.”David Thorley, regional director of women’s cricket, added: “Throughout an extensive interview process, Chris excelled against the candidate brief of what we were looking for in a head coach – which is somebody to build on the strong foundations laid during Paul Shaw’s tenure and to help continue to evolve the high-performance culture here at Thunder.”It is clear that Chris is an excellent strategist who knows what it takes to win through a positive brand of cricket, and I am looking forward to the future of Thunder under his leadership.”

Though his international future is uncertain, allrounder wants “to win another World Cup – or two more – for West Indies”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-20222:11

Why they said it: ‘I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!’

Andre Russell still has ambitions of playing international cricket, and wants to win “another World Cup – or two more – for West Indies”.Russell has not played for West Indies since the T20 World Cup in November 2021. Last week, he responded to head coach Phil Simmons’ statement that he would not be “begging” players to be available for West Indies, writing in a since-deleted Instagram post: “I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!!!” With four “angry” emojis thrown in.Related

• Phil Simmons: We can't beg people to play for West Indies

• 'I know this was coming' – Russell responds to Simmons

Russell, who is currently in England playing for Manchester Originals in The Hundred, was asked about his position by Daren Sammy, the former West Indies captain, during ‘ build-up to their game against Welsh Fire on Tuesday night.”I’m going to be quiet, because at the end of the day, we had a discussion, and the discussion was very clear,” Russell responded. “So now, making me look bad, throwing me under the bus… I was expecting it. I’m going to stay quiet, Daren, to be honest.”But when Sammy asked if he still wanted to play for the West Indies, Russell was emphatic in his assertion.”Of course, of course. The maroon is all over,” he said. “Honestly, I have two franchise hundreds and I wish those hundreds were actually playing for West Indies. I don’t regret saying this just now. I really enjoyed playing for Jamaica Tallawahs but those two hundreds, it would be more special coming in international cricket.”I always want to play and give back. But, at the end of the day, if we are not agreeing on certain terms, you terms is my terms [sic], and they have to respect my terms as well. At the end of the day, it is what it is. We have families and we have to make sure that we give our best opportunity while we have one career.”It’s not like I can start over again. I’m 34 and I want to win another World Cup – or two more – for West Indies because, at the end of the day, I’m here now, and I’m just taking it day by day.”Russell will leave The Hundred next week to play in the CPL for Trinbago Knight Riders, and Desmond Haynes, West Indies’ lead selector, has suggested that performances in that tournament would be a major factor in World Cup selection.”If there is a competition that is run by the West Indies [and] somebody is playing well, I think his name should really come up for selection,” he said last week.