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Thami Tsolekile’s first taste of Test cricket, eight years ago, set his career back and for a time he left the game behind. But a second chance came his way and he has grabbed it

Firdose Moonda11-Jul-2012There is a desk in the Western Province Cricket Association offices that once belonged to Thami Tsolekile. Not a kit bag or a piece of cricket equipment – a desk. And a chair, and a computer, and a few notebooks and some pens. Four seasons ago, Tsolekile was a clerk. He was dropped by his home franchise, unwanted by any of the others and his cricket career seemed to be over.It was an anti-climax for a man who had promised so much. As a double international – having also played hockey for South Africa – Tsolekile was a true athlete. He had exceptional hand-eye co-ordination, was fit, fast and skilled and cricket considered itself lucky that he had opted to use the bulk of his talent on it.He was identified as a potential challenger for Mark Boucher – at that stage the word successor was not being used – and was picked for South Africa in 2004. At 23 years old, Tsolekile knew relatively little of the world but enough to realise he was largely not wanted. A public outcry and even internal administrative strife followed his call-up, tainting his short stint.Boucher had played 75 consecutive Tests and was sent to the sidelines as punishment for his rapidly growing sense of self rather than as a response to his loss of form with the bat. He was never expected to be out of the side for very long. Tsolekile knew his inclusion was merely an experiment to see if anyone else had could play in the wicketkeeper’s role.After three Tests, the selection panel was convinced no-one could. Tsolekile made his debut in India and was dropped after one Test at home against England, although AB de Villiers briefly had the gloves before Boucher returned. His self-confessed “lack of experience,” showed, especially with the bat, where he managed just 47 runs five innings. He was not as bad with gloves on but South Africa had lost the Test at Port Elizabeth, the first of the series, and wanted a quick fix. Boucher had been considered reprimanded so two Tests later was recalled and Tsolekile faded, as far away as he could, into an office job.Being managed carelessly formed a large part of Tsolekile’s retreat into anonymity. He was young and enthusiastic and having a small chance snatched away from him hurt. Although he continued play for Cobras, his spirit had been noticeably squashed. It took a call from up country to revive it.In 2009 the Highveld Lions franchise, then a struggling team, needed a wicketkeeper after Matthew Harris retired. With a history of importing players from the Cape, they asked Tsolekile if he could be lured onto the cricket field again. A new chance with a new team in a new city beckoned and even someone as disillusioned as Tsolekile could see that it would be foolish to turn them down.The change immediately paid dividends. Tsolekile took more catches than any gloveman across the franchise system in his comeback season. Given the tame nature of the Lions bowling attack then, it is not impossible to suggest that Tsolekile’s success meant he took every chance that came his way in that period. His batting had also improved – he scored his second first-class century that summer – and starred in a record partnership with Stephen Cook to the end the season with an average of 58.10.Maturity was the standout improvement in Tsolekile’s game. Once so hot headed – he was suspended by Western Province hockey for ill-discipline – Tsolekile had grown into a respectful adult. Administrators at Lions hailed and rewarded him for his leadership skills. He was picked as captain of the South Africa A side, elevated to vice-captain of the franchise and installed as leader when Alviro Petersen was on national duty. Under him, Lions qualified for the Champions League T20 in 2010, ending months of sub-standard showings.

Being managed carelessly formed a large part of Tsolekile’s retreat into anonymity. He was young and enthusiastic and having a small chance snatched away from him hurt

Tsolekile’s glovework has remained his strongest asset but with a top heavy domestic batting line-up that aspect of his game has not developed much further. Still, the selectors were satisfied enough with his progression to hand him a national contract earlier this year, something that identified him again as a successor to Boucher, who announced his intention to retire after the England series.A roadmap was laid out – in which would Boucher mentor Tsolekile – but it seemed to change course swiftly. Instead, Tsolekile was included in various A sides, such as the one that played Australia A in Potchefstroom. On a pitch that was green and where the North West Cricket Union apologised to Michael Clarke for the lack of batting practice his side had had there, Tsolekile scored a half-century. He also played in the recent two match series against Sri Lanka A, where he equalled the South African record for the most catches in a first-class innings with eight.Vincent Barnes, coach of the A side, said Tsolekile was “exceptional,” in those matches and was “definitely ready for international cricket.” Tsolekile was also due to travel to Ireland with the A side that will shadow the senior side from August. His plans have been fast-forwarded because of the enforced retirement of Boucher and he now finds himself on the cusp of playing in the year’s most anticipated Test contest.However, before he even got here, it seemed Tsolekile may find himself an outsider again. Both Gary Kirsten and Allan Donald said AB de Villiers will be the team’s wicketkeeper in the first Test. The national selectors would not confirm that they agreed with those thoughts. Instead, they announced Tsolekile as Boucher’s replacement the next day and named De Villiers as an “option”. While the selection panel picks the squad, the starting XI is chosen by Kirsten, Graeme Smith and the touring selector which leaves uncertainty over whether Tsolekile will play at all.With South Africa likely to want to include an extra batsman, he may not feature initially and judging by the reaction his call up has received in South Africa some would prefer him not feature at all. Tsolekile is not a popular choice. There have been calls for Dane Vilas, who was unimpressive in the recent Twenty20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, and Quinton de Kock, who will captain the Under-19 side and has yet to play a full season of franchise cricket, to replace Boucher and Tsolekile’s support has been slim and grudgingly given.After years of playing cricket, it is something he is used to. When he was first called up, Tsokelile was labelled a quota player. It is a term he and others of his skin colour – such as Vernon Philander – will have to put up with for years to come. In 2004, it stuck a stigma to him that he could not overcome. Eight years later, Tsolekile no longer flinches when he hears that word. He is more secure than that.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo in December he said: “I am a much better player than I was when I first played international cricket.” It is something that has also been acknowledged by selection convenor Andrew Hudson. Tsolekile feels he knows his game well enough to make an impact and even though his age, he will soon be 32, may mean he cannot think of spending the amount of time Boucher did in the international game he believes he has something to offer. Now all he needs is a chance to do that.

Sidharth Monga rates the performances of New Zealand’s players in the Tests against India

Sidharth Monga08-Apr-2009Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder could form the core of New Zealand’s middle-order for years to come•Associated Press8.5
Jesse Ryder
Revelation of the series for New Zealand. The compact technique, the cool head, the wide array of strokes heralded a new Test star on the horizon. Former New Zealand players who saw him bat reckoned he should go on to score at least 15 centuries. He scored two in the first two Tests, coming in at 40 for 3 and 23 for 3. The second was a double. Was perfect at gully and, at times, third slip.8
Chris Martin
Was the spirit that kept New Zealand high. Ran in over after over against the most experienced batting line-up. Made a successful comeback from injury and overcame the selectors’ reported reluctance to field him. Repaid captain Daniel Vettori’s faith by ending as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series.6.5
Ross Taylor
Flashy, rode his luck, but had 322 runs at 64.4 and two centuries to show by the end of the series. If he tightens up his aggression at the start of his innings, he and Ryder can form the core of a solid middle-order for years to come. Was the most impressive slip fielder on view too.6
Brendon McCullum
Very impressive behind the stumps, and did his bit with the bat too. Made sure New Zealand didn’t lose the first Test by an innings. Kept India on the field for long enough with an aggressive century in Napier. His catch of Rahul Dravid in Wellington, moving down the leg even as he shaped to paddle, was spectacular.Iain O’Brien
Didn’t have the results to show for it – nine wickets at 50.22 – but has the makings of an ideal first-change bowler for New Zealand. Hits the seam hard, and could have done with more seam movement from the pitch. His batting improved a lot as he scored 61 runs and helped avert an innings defeat in Hamilton along with McCullum. Had totalled 61 in his previous 14 Tests.5
Daniel Vettori
Big disappointment as a spinner, to the extent that he was more useful as a batsman. Scored a century in Hamilton, from 60 for 6, without taking undue risks. Will irk him that he couldn’t do more in Napier when New Zealand were the only team who could win with two days to go. Led the side fairly well, though.Jeetan Patel
Was the surprise package from New Zealand. Unlucky to have missed out in Wellington, where the pitch was expected to assist the fast bowlers more. Bowled really well in Napier, drifting the ball, getting it to turn too, and dismissing well-set batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir twice.4.5
James Franklin
Came into the side as a specialist No. 6 batsman, riding on a successful domestic season with the bat. Didn’t contribute much in the first Test, scored 52 in a total of 619 in the second, failed again in the first innings in Wellington, and scored 49 in the second after the series was lost. Was a much better bowler with swing in the air in Wellington, and generally deserved better series figures than 1 for 290.4
Daniel Flynn
Showed his grit in the second innings in Hamilton, and also in trying desperately to get fit in time for the second Test. But scored only 12 runs in three other innings, and got out edging outside off too frequently for a No. 3 batsman.3
Martin Guptill
Showed flashes of brilliant strokeplay, but also showed his inexperience in the longer format of the game. Had already shown his preference for the front-foot play rather unsubtly, and Zaheer Khan kept troubling him with the short ball. But Guptill is not a stickler, and is one of the better top-order batsmen around in New Zealand.2
Tim McIntosh and Jamie How
On evidence from this series, didn’t look good enough for a Test top order. McIntosh got into trouble too often, didn’t use his height as he didn’t bend his knee, and barring one ordinary decision, contributed to his own demise with limp shots outside off.How got just one match and 11 balls, and didn’t do much to help his average of 22.Collectively, the top three, though still inexperienced, gave New Zealand their biggest headache with starts of 40 for 3, 75 for 3, 23 for 3, 80 for 3, and 84 for 3.Kyle Mills and Tim Southee
Neither of them showed signs of having recovered from the beating they got in the one-day series. Mills’ problems with no-balls continued, Southee continued to struggle for swing. Between them they gave away 271 runs for three wickets in one match apiece as Martin struggled for support from the other end.

Wrexham have been warned they may be "caught out" in the Championship, with co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac facing a "massive shock".

• Wrexham promoted to Championship
• Warned they face a "massive shock"
• Told they could get caught out

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Manchester United star Gary Pallister believes that the Welsh outfit are in for their toughest test yet as they prepare for life in the Championship. Despite securing three promotions in as many years, the ex-Middlesbrough man feels reaching the Premier League in 2026 may be a long shot.

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• WHAT PALLISTER SAID

  He told Betvictor: "Wrexham are in for a massive shock in the Championship. I've always thought that between League One, League Two and National League, there's not a great deal in terms of quality as you go up the ladder there. I think when you go from League One to the Championship, it's a step up. Obviously the Championship to the Premier League is an even bigger step. But first to the championship, I think it can catch a lot of people out. I've not seen what they've done in terms of transfers and bringing people in with the experience of Championship football, but they've certainly got momentum behind them. Everybody's talking about Wrexham. I went to a game there last year. The atmosphere was terrific. I think a lot of people are loving Wrexham because of the guys who are in charge, the documentary that we've seen and the way they seem to be embracing it all. They're getting the fans on the journey, they're creating a great feeling about the place and I think it's exciting. I've got Mickey Thomas telling me how good they are and what a place Wrexham is at the moment and they're only going to go onwards and upwards. I'm loving the story. I'm loving the owners. Wrexham back in the day were a big club and it'd be great to see them getting back somewhere near to that."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham created history when they secured a record third-straight promotion earlier this year but this next hurdle could be their toughest one yet. The Red Dragons will no longer have one of the biggest budgets in the division; they need to get their signings spot on, and manager Phil Parkinson's tactics will be severely tested this campaign. But they are riding the crest of a wave, and momentum can certainly help a team kick on.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Parkinson's Wrexham side begin their Championship campaign away to recently relegated Premier League side Southampton at St Mary's on August 9. That may be a good barometer to see where they are at for the upcoming season.

In other news, Faisalabad end their season with just one point, Salman Butt’s hopes of an international recall diminish, and Fawad Alam’s patchy form continues

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-20171:22

Highlights – Umar Akmal’s blistering century for United Bank

Group stage concludesIn April this year, Misbah-ul-Haq featured in grade 2 cricket for his native Faisalabad side and helped them regain first-class status. A nine-wicket victory against Multan promoted Faisalabad to grade one, allowing them to return to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier
first-class tournament. They had been out of it since being relegated at the end of the 2014-15 season.Their time in the top tier, however, has been disastrous, with the side losing six out of seven games, the final game being abandoned due to fog that has gripped much of the country.And so Faisalabad, now led by the offspinner Saeed Ajmal, finished rooted to the bottom of Pool A, managing just one point. SNGPL remained unbeaten, winning six matches, while SSGC, Lahore Blues and WAPDA qualified for the super eight round.From Pool B, UBL, HBL, KRL and Lahore Whites went through to the next stage with FATA ending up bottom, losing five games and winning one. Pakistan Television, a department side that qualified for this year’s tournament, also lost five out of six games, finishing just ahead of FATA. The next round will kick off next month and the final will be played on December 16.Feast or famine for Umar AkmalUmar Akmal’s troubles of late have garnered significant media attention, the 27-year old losing his central contract and being ordered to return to domestic cricket and prove himself all over again. His Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season with United Bank (UBL) didn’t begin happily either, with scores of 47, 6, 11 and 12 in his first four innings.So when he was dismissed by Habib Bank bowler and fellow former international Umar Gul for a first-ball duck, it appeared he was
continuing his downward spiral of the last few months. However, he stormed back in the second innings to play one of the innings of the season so far, smashing 116 off 144 balls in a reminder of the quality he can offer to any line-up he adorns. It helped his side amass 309 in the second innings and defeat Habib Bank by 142 runs. It may prove nothing, however; people have waxed lyrical about his talent for ages anyway. But if he can add consistency and discipline to the mix, he could plot a route back to the international team for the fresh start he clearly believes he deserves.Salman Butt strugglesSalman Butt had pinned his hopes of returning to the international side on this year’s first-class performances, but that call-up now seems a distant prospect. After a couple of stellar seasons, runs have dried up for the former Pakistan captain. He has only managed 264 at 20.30 this season – a performance that fell far short of the standards he would have set himself.During the season, he came under the spotlight after he raised a question about sportsmanship following a close finish in which his side lost by four runs due to No. 11 batsman Mohammad Irfan being mankaded. It invited, given his past background, considerable derision. His national selection almost became a reality earlier this year before Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies, but plans had to be shelved in the wake of the PSL spot-fixing saga.Fawad watchAfter a half-century last week, Fawad Alam stuttered again with the bat in what has been an inconsistent season for the SSGC captain. The slow pace of the game – only 15 wickets fell over the four days – meant he only got to bat once. He couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity, and was out for 6. However, having qualified as the second-placed side from Pool A, Fawad should get the opportunity to showcase his class in the knockouts, and thereby continue to plug away at the ever-receding prospect of an international recall.

The beauty about AB de Villiers is he forces a change in mindset, be it the opposition bowler, captain, his own teammate or even a spectator. He makes one realise that boundaries can be pushed just by making the effort

Nagraj Gollapudi in Pune22-Apr-20161:04

‘Kohli and AB are quality players’ – Rahane

There is an urgency that AB de Villiers brings to the crease. Restless energy, but always full of positivity – in this mood he can murder an opposition and uplift his teammates in case they are stuck in a rut.The South African was in one such mood today when he joined his captain Virat Kohli, with whom he had already shared one half-century and two century partnerships this IPL. It is easy to see intent on de Villiers’ face most times. He wants to score and score fast. He reads the field quickly and picks his areas, but most importantly de Villiers picks his moments.Ishant Sharma was bowling the final over of the powerplay. Having delivered a no ball off the second delivery, Ishant had recovered well by bowling an off stump yorker against Kohli that was guided into the off side for a single. On the next ball, de Villiers jumped out of his crease – even as Ishant bowled a short one into the body – to smash a pull over midwicket.He could have even stayed back and played the same shot, but de Villiers’s intent was to hurt the bowler mentally too. It also helped Kohli to make the bold move of charging Ishant on the final ball of the over with a slap to the third man boundary.Some observers feel de Villiers plays too many premeditated strokes, but the element of surprise is always wrapped up nicely. When Ankit Sharma tossed one on the off stump he might have thought de Villiers would push him to the cover for a single. Instead the South African quickly moved outside the line of the ball to unleash a powerful sweep for his first six.Even before he walked to the crease de Villiers had an advantage with his knowledge and success at the ground. In three previous matches in Pune, de Villiers has two half centuries: 50 not out against Pune Warriors in 2013 and 66 against Rajasthan Royals last year. So de Villiers was aware when he swept Ankit, he was trying to clear the shortest boundary in the ground.Stunning the bowler is something de Villiers gets excited about quietly. When M Ashwin came to bowl immediately after the halfway stage, the South African took on Ashwin’s first ball, picked his legbreak from the off stump and swept it over backward square deep into the stands. The expression on the legspinner’s face showed what a batsman like de Villiers can do leave a bowler blindsided.De Villiers was not yet done with the legspinner. As he was taking guard to face Ashwin in the 14th over, Dhoni moved Kevin Pietersen to square point. Ankit Sharma was at backward point, five yards to Pietersen’s right. Dhoni asked Pietersen to go back a few yards. All of Dhoni’s fine tuning left no impression on the South African. De Villiers reverse swept Ashwin exactly between the two fielders. To remind Dhoni that he had a lot more gaps to plug, de Villiers then swept Ashwin for an easy four between fine leg and deep square leg.The beauty about de Villiers is he forces a change in mindset, be it the opposition bowler, captain, his own teammate or even a spectator. He makes one realise that boundaries can be pushed just by making the effort. Today, Kohli played the supporting act superbly, but de Villiers understood that if Royal Challengers needed a strong finish, Kohli had to not just bat till the end but also score runs.De Villiers had noticed that Kohli was playing to his strengths, playing in the V, but he was not going the distance. De Villiers was frequently in his captain’s ears, uttering the encouraging word and at one point, possibly, asking him to move down the off side and paddle sweep the ball past the fine leg that had been pulled inside.The understanding between both men is very clear and the numbers support that fact. Both men also agree that they cannot stop running. They would rather be breathless than keep quiet. It means the opposition is left out of breath too in the process.”Till you are allowing him a second run and sending AB to the non-striker’s end, you are doing a good job,” Ajinkya Rahane, Rising Pune Supergiants leading scorer on Friday, said with a smile. “The way cricket has moved forward and the way AB de Villiers bats the margin of error for the bowlers is very less. Our bowlers did not bowl that badly, but you need to give him the credit. You need to have a daring to reverse sweep and sweep the fast bowlers.”Among the various stand out characteristics about de Villiers is his sporting spirit. As soon as his South African teammate Faf du Plessis dived forward to interrupt his lofted drive at long-on in the 17th over, which saved a certain boundary, de Villiers tapped his bat to appreciate the fielder’s effort.When Harshal Patel had been hit for a six and four boundaries, de Villiers charged towards Harshal, took the ball, swept the dew off it, put an arm around the helpless bowler and asked him to keep his chin up. All the time keeping that smile on his face. His energy is both restless and boundless.

Roger Harper remembers West Indies’ one-wicket defeat to Pakistan at the 1987 World Cup

Alagappan Muthu20-Feb-2015When you log in to Facebook from a new computer or a new country, you might be given a security check. The site asks you to prove you are who you say you are before granting access and one way to do that is by recognising your friends/adversaries/competitors from a set of pictures.The World Cup put West Indies through its version of that test and they are struggling to prove they are who they say they are.Kemar Roach just about picked out Scotland in the warm-ups but, in their first group game, a leprechaun disguising himself in a new fluorescent green outfit (minus the shamrock) confounded everyone. By the time Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons got the hang of it, West Indies were locked out.So maybe it is good that they play a more familiar face on Saturday. They have met only one team more often than Pakistan in 50-over history (and that is Australia). More pertinently, West Indies have won 68 of those 128 matches against Pakistan and an even healthier six out of nine at World-Cups. As comforting as that is, Jason Holder and his men might be better motivated by pain and the urge to not feel it again.Perhaps they should remember 1987. Roger Harper sure does.Lahore. Imran Khan captaining in Imran Khan territory. The hosts were favourites. The visitors were a fading power, at least in one-day cricket. Partisan crowds. The World Cup like never before.The match see-sawed wildly. An Imran special to start. A Viv Richards counterattack for flavour. An Abdul Qadir six for kicks. A dash of controversy from Courtney Walsh and Saleem Jaffer. West Indies had only 216 to defend, but they did it like it was 116. Pakistan needed two runs off the final ball. Nails were torn off, nerves jangled but the noise never ceased.Two taken. A classic. And a heartbreak. Twenty-eight years later, Harper still retains that feeling of disappointment.”The team had just come back in the dressing room,” he said. “Some things were shared about the importance of the match and what it meant to our chances of progressing in the tournament. It was a World Cup and we had fought our way back into a winning position and then just fell short.”As it turned out, they could have made the semi-finals with one more victory; instead, England and Pakistan progressed from Group B.

“We felt that we had a competitive total, a defendable total. And it would have been had we taken our chances”Roger Harper

It might be jarring to inspect those wounds, but West Indies’ class of 2015 does mirror their seniors. Like Sunil Narine, Malcolm Marshall had pulled out of the tournament. Michael Holding and Joel Garner had run their last. It was a new side; a young side seeking to establish their identity and keep up with their history. The 15 men in Christchurch right now preparing to face Pakistan again might empathise with that.”We weren’t as good as we used to be,” Harper said. “But at the same time we had guys who had been around for a couple of years or so. I still thought we had enough talent. Youth was blended in with the experience of Richards, [Desmond] Haynes and [Jeffrey] Dujon. We were confident of getting the job done.”Pakistan were not lacking talent, either, all the way down to No. 7 Saleem Yousuf. It didn’t matter that he was facing Walsh with his tail up. It didn’t matter that he had walked in with his side 107 runs off their target. It didn’t matter that until then he had worn an ODI average of 14.45 with no fifties. It is understandable that West Indies felt “more in control”, according to Harper, but Yousuf’s 49-ball 56 began creating problems. They were compounded by a deafening home crowd and the noise only escalated when he was dropped.”We were looking to get close to 250. Though we fell short, we still felt that we had a competitive total; a defendable total,” Harper said. “And it would have been had we taken our chances. Yousuf was dropped at, I think it was long-on, off Walsh in the 48th over or something like that and it took Qadir in the end to get them through.”West Indies had squeezed out the ninth wicket in the penultimate over and 14 runs were still needed. Then Qadir defied his position at No. 9 by belting Walsh over the long-off boundary midway through the final over. Blood pumping, breath heaving, field closing in on him, Qadir sliced the final ball of the chase – an attempted yorker – to third man and raised his bat in glory even as he was completing that second run.A half-century for a helmet-less Phil Simmons on debut gained a bitter aftertaste; the way he had milked Qadir and took on Imran and Wasim Akram to very nearly match Richards’ strike rate became consolatory praise. Walsh received more press for choosing not to run out a rapidly backing-up Jaffer at the non-striker’s end as he pulled out from bowling the last ball, than for the spell that returned West Indies’ hopes. Four crucial wickets that cut through the middle order and nearly turned the game around. Nearly.

Lancashire bet their house on a redevelopment that would return Test cricket to Old Trafford; with the arrival of Australia, that dream has been realised

Paul Edwards29-Jul-2013In sport, as in life, some events are freighted with so much significance that the moments in which they occur seem barely capable of holding the weight.For Lancashire’s officials and supporters, just such an event will take place at 11am on Thursday when, Manchester’s weather permitting, the first ball will be bowled in the Third Investec Test between England and Australia.An Ashes Test is always something to be savoured, of course, but this contest will be uniquely special for Mancunians because in the eight years since the last such game, Old Trafford has been redeveloped – some might say reborn – to the extent that spectators at the 2005 match might initially struggle to recognise the new stadium if they had seen no cricket at the ground in the intervening period.Gone are the broadcasting boxes at the Stretford End; gone is the massive stand opposite the pavilion; gone are the seated areas to the right of that twin-towered pavilion, which itself has been virtually gutted and rebuilt with only the façade and the towers remaining. Lancashire have even realigned the square on a north-south rather than east-west axis. If some have problems getting their bearings on Thursday, that is partly because those bearings have changed.In place of the old structures, which were, truth be told, a rather ramshackle collection of buildings badly in need of refurbishment, Lancashire have built a stadium with all the shock and awe that size often evokes.There are new player dressing rooms and a media centre at the Statham End, both of which seem to have the “wow” factor; there is a huge temporary stand of 9,500 tiered seats at the old Stretford End, all of them in the distinctive scarlet livery used elsewhere in the new arena; and there is a massive hospitality and function suite, The Point, which overhangs the ground like a symbol of the modernity its architecture exemplifies. If the familiar intimacy of the old ground has been lost, the new Old Trafford possesses a confident swagger befitting a stadium in Manchester, a world city to which many businesses and organisations, not least major departments of the BBC, are relocating. The new place may have only a third of the capacity of the other Old Trafford across the way, but it no longer looks like its poor relation.Yet the moment when the first ball is bowled on Thursday will be charged with even more emotional power because of what Lancashire risked in order to create their new home. The £44m redevelopment was financed, in part, by a four-way agreement between Lancashire, Ask Developments, Tesco and Trafford Council. As part of this agreement Tesco were given the go ahead to build a huge new superstore in Trafford. A rival developer, Albert Gubay of Derwent Holdings, objected to this permission being granted and took his case to the courts.Indeed, Gubay took his legal proceedings so far that he imperilled not only Old Trafford’s redevelopment but also the very future of the county club. Reviewing what he agrees was the most fraught time of his entire professional life, Lancashire’s chief executive at the time, Jim Cumbes, makes no attempt to hide the stakes for which Lancashire were playing. Given legal costs and the possibility of losing vital grants, Old Trafford officials had bet their beloved house on winning the case.

“If we’d lost, there was really no Plan B. The club might have just disappeared or we would have downsized and become a county ground”Former Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes on the legal battle to redevelop Old Trafford

“In that two- or three-year period there were times when you’d wake up at 3.30 in the morning and argue with yourself,” Cumbes says. “Outwardly I was confident and optimistic and I always thought we’d win, but I didn’t know when or how much it would cost.”It was hard because we were getting into financial difficulties. We were spending money on legal cases and as soon as we got over one hurdle, another appeared before us. All the staff were nervous but we ploughed on. Nobody got a rise in salary for three years but we told them there’d be no redundancies. We kept that promise and the curious thing was that we won the Championship in the year in which we’d had to clip the financial wings of Mike Watkinson and Peter Moores, as regards player recruitment.”And all the time that Cumbes was being reassured by the club’s QC Robert Griffiths that he was very confident of winning in court, he was also mindful of the barrister’s “but”: you never know what happens on the day.”If we’d lost, there was really no Plan B,” Cumbes says. “The club might have just disappeared or we would have downsized and become a county ground like Taunton, Northampton or Leicester. We wondered about the wisdom of going ahead with our plans but ultimately we thought we owed it to our members, to Manchester and to the people of the northwest to try to build a ground fit to stage an Ashes Test.”That Old Trafford was no longer fit to stage an Australia Test had been made abundantly clear by the ECB in 2006 when Cardiff, well-funded and soon to be well-presented, had got the nod in preference to Manchester for a game in the 2009 series.”We were going ahead with redevelopment before we heard the bad news in 2006,” Cumbes points out. “But we were all former sportsmen and being told that we had lost the Ashes made us all that much sharper and competitive. That was in our nature and when it went to court we were all saying, ‘We’ve got to win this bloody case.'”All the same, being reminded that hosting a Test was a granted privilege, not an inalienable right, was good for Lancashire officials who quietly accept that they had become a little complacent. So whatever emotions are felt by Old Trafford’s present hierarchy on Thursday morning, complacency is unlikely to be among them. On the contrary, Lancashire are now keen to present the best case they can for their new ground staging as many Test and one-day international matches as possible. Thus, there was manifest concern and urgency when a brief but embarrassing power cut occurred in part of the ground during last week’s FLt20 game against Yorkshire.The ground has changed significantly, more than half a century on from Jim Laker’s famous Old Trafford Test•PA PhotosDoes the new stadium have as much character as the old ground? Of course not. Or, at least, not yet. This is partly because experience often endows a place with character and only when spectators associate the new Old Trafford with games to cherish in the memory will they really think fondly of the place. What’s more, massive banks of tiered seats can be found in most Test venues now and not everywhere can be Trent Bridge. That said, while the old ground was an eccentric and endearing collection of bits and pieces, it was also a pain if you were queuing for almost anything.Ultimately, though, the story of Old Trafford’s rebirth illustrates the granite truth that heritage counts for diddly-squat in the brutal business of international cricket. When the Old Trafford hierarchy were fighting for Lancashire’s very future three or four years ago, they knew that little consideration would be given to black-and-white footage of Jim Laker modestly hitching up his flannels after taking 19 wickets against Australia in the 1956 Manchester Test, and even less to the epic battles of 1896 and 1902, both won by Australia.More recent memories of comparable richness – Benaud bowling May behind his legs in 1961; Botham’s hundred in 1981; Warne to Gatting and Gooch being given out handled ball in 1993, both watched by this journalist, who wondered if it was too late to make an honest woman of cricket writing – helped to make Old Trafford a much-loved home. If the match beginning on Thursday can produce one innings, one spell, or even one moment of comparable stature, Jim Cumbes may permit himself a quiet inward smile of satisfaction. The epic battle will have been worth it, after all.

ESPNcricinfo presents Plays of the Day for the match between Australia and India in Adelaide

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval12-Feb-2012The sacrifice
Rohit Sharma continued his good work in the field when he dived at cover-point and ran David Warner out. The batsmen reacted strangely: Warner and Michael Clarke both thought there was a single available there, but Warner was more cautious and went back in his crease when he saw Rohit had stopped the ball. Clarke, though, kept strolling towards the striker’s end. At this point, Warner left the crease to sacrifice his wicket. Perhaps it had to do with how well Clarke had been striking the ball until then. Warner was 18 off 24, and Clarke 26 off 20.The tackle
In the 48th over of the Australia innings, Matthew Wade drove Vinay Kumar towards long-on. It wasn’t well hit, and Vinay thought he could dive and save the single. Except he would have to dive around Dan Christian, the non-striker. He delayed the dive for a split second, but it wasn’t enough and he dived into Christian’s legs, tripping him. Christian, though, recovered fast enough to make the single.The run-out
Christian was run out next ball, attempting a second. It was observed immediately that he ran the second a bit casually, and that he didn’t dive for the second. Christian, though, didn’t know that the throw was coming to his end. That was thanks to the street-smart MS Dhoni. Dhoni never lets on that the throw is coming in at his end. This was a good example. While running towards the stumps, even before Christian had finished his first run, Dhoni signalled to Ravindra Jadeja to throw at his end, and then came and stood casually by the stumps, looking blank. Only when the ball approached did Dhoni get into action, and by then it was too late for Christian to dive or make up ground.The edge
In the Test at the Adelaide Oval, Virender Sehwag fell to two full tosses, both leading edges. There must be something about this track then. Today he got a terrible loosener from Clint McKay, short of a length, down the leg side, a wide if he hadn’t touched it, not a slower ball, but he somehow managed to get a leading edge on it to be caught at point. We could call it the Adelaide edge.The Clarke touch
That Clarke is going through a captaincy honeymoon has been obvious this season with how his bowling changes have brought immediate wickets. He added to that tally today with an even more startling immediacy. McKay got Sehwag with the first ball he bowled, and when Clarke brought him back in the 35th over, he struck first ball again, getting Gautam Gambhir lbw for 92.

The women have played eight World Cups so far and Cricinfo asked former and current players what their lasting memories from each tournaments was

06-Mar-2009

.1978, India
Megan Lear
This was my first World Cup with the England side since the previous time I played for Young England, and my first time in India. The most memorable part of this tournament was playing in front of crowds of 40,000 plus.When we left our hotel, we would be followed for autographs.India is certainly a country of many experiences, and on one occasion we had handed our cricket whites in to the hotel laundry and on a journey by coach to the practice ground we saw them all being washed in the local river and laid out to dry on the rocks!The hospitality was fantastic under very difficult circumstances for their association, which was only a few years old.My best personal cricket memory was of a warm-up at Eden Gardens when I scored 96 not out and hit two sixes and two fours off last over. When I came in to the pavilion it was as if I had won the FA Cup – everybody leant over to try to pat me on the back.

Grace Scrivens anchors chase with unbeaten 63 as Sunrisers start campaign with victory

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Jodi Grewcock and Nicola Hancock claimed three wickets apiece as Sunrisers launched their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Western Storm at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.Seamer Hancock took 3 for 15 in 5.4 overs and teenager Grewcock bowled unchanged for 10 overs to return impressive figures of 3 for 28 with her legbreaks as Storm were dismissed for a wholly inadequate 114 in 30.4 overs.Offspinner Mady Villiers weighed in with 2 for 36, while Esmae MacGregor took a wicket and contributed a run out as Sunrisers produced a disciplined performance in the field after winning the toss. Only Nat Wraith offered meaningful resistance with the bat, top-scoring with 42 as Storm opened this campaign as they finished the last, by suffering heavy defeat.Sunrisers skipper Grace Scrivens then led by example, compiling a composed innings of 63 and sharing in a reassuring partnership of 59 with Cordelia Griffith for the second wicket as the visitors comfortably overhauled their target with 16.2 overs to spare.Victorious in their final four matches of last season, Sunrisers have picked up where they left off and will go into their next match against Thunder at Sale in confident mood. For their part, Storm have now been beaten in their last five outings in the 50-over competition and will need to find improvement ahead of their trip to play Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Wednesday.Put into bat, Storm were unable to recover from the loss of early wickets and were shot out inside 31 overs, only three batters managing double-figures in an innings which the home side will no doubt want to forget in a hurry.Hancock produced a probing new-ball spell to remove Alex Griffiths for 2, but fellow opener Sophia Smale responded in positive fashion, helping herself to three leg-side boundaries to advance her score to 16. Calamity then struck, Smale clipping Villiers behind point and setting off for a quick single, only to collide with partner Sophie Luff halfway down the track and be run out by MacGregor while getting back to her feet.That unfortunate mishap sparked a dramatic collapse which saw five wickets fall in just 8.1 overs as Storm subsided to 64 for 6, their top and middle-order batting undermined by spin. Luff played and missed at a delivery from Grewcock that nipped back and was adjudged lbw for 7, while Dani Gibson was also undone by the England Under-19 legspinner, playing back to a ball that struck her on the pad and departing for 3.Plying her offbreaks at the other end, Villiers trapped Katie Jones in the crease and then struck a telling blow, inducing former England international Fran Wilson to drive straight to Jo Gardner at mid-on. Wilson had made 18 and with her went Storm’s best chance of posting a competitive total.Fearing she might run out of partners before she was able to do anything to remedy a parlous situation, Wraith adopted a forthright approach and dominated stands of 24 and 26 with Niamh Holland and Amanda-Jade Wellington for the seventh and eighth wickets respectively. But Holland eventually offered a return catch to MacGregor and Wellington miscued a drive to extra cover as Grewcock continued to deploy clever variation in flight to strike again in her final over.Attempting to take matters into her own hands, Wraith plundered half a dozen boundaries in carrying the fight to the Sunrisers bowlers, her luck finally running out when she hoisted a ball from the returning Hancock to deep midwicket. Her combative innings of 42 spanned 52 balls and at least enabled embattled Storm to realise three figures.Hancock required just four deliveries to wrap-up the innings, having Chloe Skelton caught at the wicket, the seventh Storm player to perish either in single figures or without scoring.Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Storm’s bowlers did their utmost to build pressure and new overseas recruit Wellington provided a silver lining when gaining an lbw decision to remove Ariana Dowse with the score on 21 in the eighth over. Making a good first impression on her debut, the Australian international spinner finished with 1 for 24 from nine overs and discomfited the top-order batters sufficiently to suggest she is going to make a positive impact in Storm colours this season.But the implacable Scrivens overcame all attempts to unseat her, playing a captain’s innings to ensure her team reached their target without enduring any undue dramas. She found the perfect partner in Griffith, who adopted the role of chief support in an innings of 28 that spanned 48 balls and included a quartet of fours before she holed out to Holland in the deep off the bowling of Skelton.Unperturbed by that setback, Scrivens went to 50 via 65 balls with her ninth four, a fluent cover drive plundered at the expense of Griffiths. Perhaps fittingly given her performance with the ball earlier, Grewcock hit the winning runs as she finished unbeaten on 15.