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Hamish Marshall struck his fourth century of the season on an even first day at Northamptonshire.

02-Aug-2013
ScorecardHamish Marshall led Gloucestershire into a good position before a late collapse•PA Photos

Hamish Marshall struck his fourth century of the season on an even first day at Northamptonshire. Marshall hammered a brilliant 145 off 197 balls including 19 fours and two sixes to help Gloucestershire recover from a shaky start.A late collapse meant the visitors were bowled out for 358 towards the end of the day with David Willey, Andrew Hall and Muhammad Azharullah each taking three wickets for Northants, who then closed on 13 for 0.Gloucestershire won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Chris Dent for a four-ball duck in the third over when he edged Willey to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy. In Willey’s next over, Gloucestershire’s wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick was trapped lbw for just 2 to leave the visitors 9 for 2.But Alex Gidman helped his side recover from their poor start by racing to 50 off just 54 ball as part of a partnership of 92 with captain Michael Klinger. But Gidman was to throw his wicket away on 59 when he slashed Hall to Willey at point as Gloucestershire reached lunch on 117 for 3.Klinger, though, was to fall three runs short of a composed half-century when he was taken by Murphy off the bowling of Hall in the third over of the afternoon.Marshall then went past 50 off 81 deliveries with a four over extra cover off James Middlebrook as the visitors dominated the rest of the session. He went on to complete his 24th century in first-class cricket – and his third in five innings – off 125 balls before Benny Howell completed his half-century
off 84 deliveries in the last over before tea.But Howell fell on 60 early in the evening when he swept Hall to David Sales at deep square leg to break a fifth-wicket stand of 183. Marshall finally departed two overs after Northants took the second new ball by nudging Azharullah’s leg side strangler to Murphy.James Fuller followed him back to the pavilion as he was bowled by Willey before Will Gidman chopped Azharullah on to his stumps to walk for 15. Craig Miles and Tom Smith were then pinned lbw by Azharullah and Steven Crook respectively, meaning Gloucestershire’s final five wickets had fallen for just 20 runs.Northants captain Stephen Peters and Kyle Coetzer then survived two overs before stumps and will resume tomorrow on 12 and 1 respectively.

Independent research that may have swayed the ICC’s executive board into approving mandatory use of the DRS was not shown at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur

Daniel Brettig09-Jul-2012Independent research that may have swayed the ICC’s executive board into approving mandatory use of the DRS was not shown at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur, despite being pivotal in convincing both the cricket committee and the chief executives’ committee of the technology’s accuracy.Wally Edwards, the Cricket Australia chairman, has revealed that the research on ball-tracking conducted by Dr Ed Rosten, an expert in computer vision technology, was left off the agenda of the executive board meeting, which concluded without the issue of DRS even being put to a vote due to India’s reluctance to accept its use.The ICC will now send a mission to India to show Dr Rosten’s research to the BCCI, alongside details of the enhancements made to Hot Spot, the infrared cameras used to detect edges that had their accuracy questioned after the 2011 Test series between England and India.Edwards told ESPNcricinfo that while other members of the board had also expressed some reluctance to go ahead with mandatory use of the DRS, he believed the tabling of Dr Rosten’s research may have resulted in a different outcome.”ICC had got some independent research done on the accuracy and all those issues. Now unfortunately they didn’t present that information to the board,” Edwards said. “India have agreed and the boards have agreed for ICC management to go to India and take all the information, take their presentations, take their technical support and talk to them over there.”India are willing to look at it, but they’re sceptical, and others are too – it’s not just India. I think it is part of the game for the future, but it’s a good time to review. Unfortunately if that presentation, or whatever it is they had, had been presented to the board it might have changed things. But we probably need another process, because people would have to go back to their boards and say ‘this is the latest, can we move from where we are to there’. Obviously Australia supports it, and we understand there’s still an error factor, but overall it’s better than what we had.”The accuracy of the DRS had been warmly endorsed by both the ICC’s cricket committee and chief executives committee, with Dr Rosten’s research a critical part of winning their approval. Following the CEC meeting, an ICC statement read: “CEC recommended to the Board the universal application of the DRS after being satisfied with the technology enhancements provided by new Hotspot cameras and the results of the independent research on ball tracking conducted by Dr Ed Rosten, an expert in computer vision technology. Dr Rosten had tested the accuracy and reliability of ball tracking in a recent Test series and concluded that the results were 100% in agreement with the outcomes produced from his assessments.”Much has been made of the back-room politics of the executive board, which appears to be far more consequential to the running of the global game than anything said in formal meetings. Edwards, however, said he did not find it unusual that the DRS was not tabled for a vote, based on his previous experience on various corporate and cricket boards in Australia. Instead, he awaited India’s response to the research they will be presented with.”Obviously if there are debatable issues we try to debate them. The more difficult the issue, the more you should talk,” Edwards said. “But in any boards that I’ve been on, there are very few decisions that will actually go to a ‘we’re going to count the votes here’ situation. Governance is one of them, but most others you’ll find a consensus that says ‘yeah right we’ll give that a run’. I didn’t find it unusual.”We knew where India stand on it, and at this point in time they’re not ready to change their thoughts. Those lines you see on TV, are they accurate, that’s the scepticism. It looks accurate, but from their point of view they are reluctant just to accept it as gospel. I think it is possible they’ll change, but we’ll have to wait and see how they go with this new information in India.”Previous attempts have been made to demonstrate the intricacies and accuracy of ball-tracking and other technology to the BCCI, notably via a planned trip to Australia during the 2010-11 Ashes series. On that occasion the visit was at first approved by the BCCI but then ruled out due to “scheduling difficulties”.

Graeme Swann has become the world’s No. 1 one-day spinner after his eight wickets helped England to a 3-2 series win against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2011Graeme Swann has become the world’s No. 1 one-day spinner after his eight wickets helped England to a 3-2 series win against Sri Lanka.It is the first time he has reached the landmark in his career and he overtakes New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who had held the spot since September 2009.Swann is also ranked No. 2 in Test cricket, behind Dale Steyn, but his No. 1 ranking is the first time an England bowler has achieved that feat in any form of the game since Steve Harmison briefly rose to the top of the Test rankings in August 2004.Swann’s England team-mate James Anderson put behind his disappointing World Cup to claim nine wickets at 21.77 and jumped 17 places to the 11th spot, but Stuart Broad, who only managed two wickets in the series, went in the other direction, falling eight places to 21st.In the batting ranks Sri Lanka’s captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has dropped six places, after a wretched series that brought 17 runs in five knocks, to sit joint-ninth with Australia captain Michael Clarke, while Kumar Sangakkara rose a spot to No. 4.Jonathan Trott remains England’s highest-ranked batsman at No. 7. Eoin Morgan gained one position to sit joint-23rd place with Ireland’s Paul Stirling. Alastair Cook was man of the series after his 298 runs at 74.50, which helped him break into the top 50 for the first time, but at 48th, he still has a long way to climb.Full ICC rankings.

Jamaica have named Tamar Lambert their captain ahead of Chris Gayle for the Caribbean T20 starting July 22

Cricinfo staff15-Jul-2010Jamaica have named Tamar Lambert their captain ahead of Chris Gayle for the Caribbean T20 starting July 22. Lambert has been part of the Jamaica squad for seven years, averages 30.36 with the bat in 55 first-class matches and has led Jamaica to three consecutive regional four-day titles. Gayle is part of the squad of 15, which also includes internationals such as Marlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, David Bernard and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.”Everything has gone very well so far. We are getting everything in place. When we reach Barbados we mean business,” Lambert said. “We have been working really hard. The 14 players have been selected now and our physical trainer has been putting us through our paces.”We have a few games this weekend and we will try to get everything ready so when we get to Barbados we will be in good stead. We are focussed on doing very well and ultimately winning. We will take it step by step, game by game.”Lambert banked on his batsmen to deliver. “It is always good to have Marlon in the team. He has been training very hard to get back into the team and with his experience in the middle-order it will help to strengthen the batting.”We have some very experienced players in the team and everyone will have a part to play if we are to do well in the Caribbean T20. We need a good contribution from everyone. I believed we have a balanced team and a good all-round team. Andre Russell did well with West Indies A team in England and we know what a player like Chris (Gayle) is capable of. He has done it at the international level many times and we will certainly benefit from his experience in our team unit.”The winner of the tournament qualifies for the Champions League to be held in South Africa in September. “It would be extremely nice to win and move on to the Champions League, but first the focus of everyone must be on the Caribbean T20. If we want to make it to South Africa we have to first take care of business in the region,” Lambert said. “When we look at the teams in our zone, Trinidad and Tobago have done well in this version of the game. We will be planning well for all the teams. The focus will be on the Leewards in the first game and after that we will move on to the other opponents as the matches come up.”Soon after the squad was announced, Jamaica’s chairman of selectors, former offspinner, Nehemiah Perry resigned. While there was speculation that the resignation was a result of Perry being upset over the captaincy handed to Lambert over Gayle, Courtney Francis, the Jamaica Cricket Association’s cricket operations officer denied any controversy. “That is my understanding [that there is no controversy],” Francis said. “I went out to the practice session today and had a little chat with the coach (Junior Bennett) and he told me there was no animosity in the camp and I’m comfortable with that.”Jamaica squad: Tamar Lambert (capt), Nikita Miller, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Xavier Marshall, Chris Gayle, Brenton Parchment, Wavell Hinds, David Bernard, Odean Brown, Krishmar Santokie, Andrew Richardson, Andre Russell, Carlton Baugh (wk), Junior Bennett (coach)

The India head coach lauds the players for fighting back from tricky situations, and plays down talks of this being a redemption for him

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2024India beat South Africa by seven runs to lift the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados, thus ending their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy. But their outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid believes it will not take the team this long for their next title.”We have fantastic talent in Indian cricket right now,” Dravid said after the final. “The energy and confidence the players have is at another level. We were aiming for an ICC trophy for a long time and I am sure the team will carry this confidence forward and will win a lot of trophies in the next four, five, six years because the ability and talent this bunch has… they lack nothing.”There was a moment when we were feeling that we were working really hard and playing good cricket as well but we were not able to cross that hurdle. But after today I am very hopeful that these boys will take it forward and win a lot of trophies.”Related

• Dravid: 'Ro, thank you for making that call and asking me to continue'

• Good luck finding another Rahul Dravid

• Rohit Sharma: This is my greatest achievement, I wanted it badly

• Rohit: It's not what we did today, it is what we have done for three-four years

• Gambhir interviews for India head coach position

Dravid took over from Ravi Shastri in November 2021. His initial term was for two years, which was then extended till T20 World Cup 2024. Under him, last year, India made it to the finals of the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup, but the trophy eluded them. Until Saturday, the last ICC title they had won was the Champions Trophy in 2013.When asked about India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup, Dravid said, “Honestly, this is a journey of two years. This is not a journey from just this T20 World Cup. When I think about the construction of this team, the kind of skills we wanted, the players we wanted, those discussions started in September [November] 2021.”So it’s two years of work. This is not a work of just this World Cup. I think it culminated in this World Cup. The disappointment in Australia [at the 2022 T20 World Cup] and then the one-day World Cup – there’s so much that has gone into it. This feels like a journey of not just one month, it feels like a journey of two years. What we’ve tried to build, what we have tried to create, it feels like it has all come together here on a beautiful afternoon in Barbados.”Dravid lauded his players and their fighting spirit, which was on display during the final. At one point, South Africa needed just 30 from as many balls with six wickets in hand, but India kept the applied pressure and squeezed a narrow win.”I’m not usually short of words but I have felt really short of words over the last few hours,” he said. “I just could not be more proud of this team. The way we’ve had to fight in difficult situations and even today, I think it was a great testament to the fight in the team. Losing three wickets in the first six [overs], to be in the kind of position we were in with 30 balls to go. But the boys just kept fighting, they kept believing, and I think it’s just a great credit to them.Rahul Dravid gets a champion’s farewell•Getty Images

“As part of the coaching staff, I feel really grateful because we’re getting to enjoy these moments because of what they have done in a pressure situation. This is lovely to be a part of a dressing room like this and I think it’s a memory of a lifetime for me. So I’m really thankful and grateful to the team and everyone in the support staff who has made this possible.”As a player, Dravid never won a World Cup. Under his captaincy, India were knocked out of the 2007 ODI World Cup in the first round. That tournament was also held in the West Indies but Dravid is not seeing the latest victory as a redemption.”There is no redemption. I’m not one of those guys who think about redemption and those kind of things. As a player, I was not lucky enough to win a trophy. But I tried my best, I gave my best whenever I played and it wasn’t to be, and that happens, it’s part of sport. There are a lot of other players I know who have not been able to win a trophy. I was lucky to be given the opportunity to coach a team and I was lucky that this bunch of boys made it possible for me to win this trophy.”It’s a nice feeling, but it’s not like I’m aiming for some redemption. It’s just a job that I was doing. I’ve loved doing this job. I have loved working with Rohit [Sharma] and this team. It’s been a great journey and I really enjoyed it.”Earlier this year, Dravid had communicated to the BCCI his decision not to seek another tenure. That means he ends his coaching stint on a high but he is not looking to create “any legacy”.”I just feel glad that we gave it the best we could and it’s not just me,” he said. “I think I’d like to really acknowledge the support staff that I’ve worked with. I think I’ve been lucky to have been working with exceptionally hard-working professionals, an intelligent bunch of coaches, and other support staff who have made it possible for us to create a fantastic environment, led by Rohit. I am glad that with a bit of luck, it resulted in this trophy.”When asked what he would miss the most about Rohit, Dravid replied, “I will miss him as a person. Forget the cricket and captaincy and everything, but what really has impressed me is the kind of person he is, the kind of respect he has shown towards me, the kind of care and commitment he has had for the team, the kind of energy he has had to spend, and he’s never backed down from it.”So for me, it’s the person that I will remember the most. He’ll be a great captain, he’ll be a great player and he will score runs and win trophies, but I think it’s who he is as a person that I will be most fond of.”Going forward, India will be without Rohit and Virat Kohli as well in T20Is as both players have announced their retirements from the format. According to BCCI president Roger Binny, it will take “two to three years” for the team to fill that void.”A lot of cricketers are coming through the IPL but it is going to take some time to bridge the gap,” Binny said after the final. “They have contributed so much. It’s going to take time. We will probably see in the next two-three years, the team coming back into its own without them.”Meanwhile, the BCCI has started its search for the next coach, with Gautam Gambhir on top of its wishlist. But Binny did not divulge much about it.”Nothing concrete has come yet. Gautam Gambhir has a lot of experience. He has worked with teams. He played Test matches, ODIs, T20s. Let’s see.”

He played a total of 29 Tests and also represented the country in hockey at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2023Brian Booth, the former Australia Test captain, has died at the age of 89.A middle-order batter and a part-time offspinner, Booth played a total of 29 Tests, scoring 1773 runs and taking three wickets. He also represented Australia in hockey at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics before he earned his Test cap on the 1961 Ashes tour as a 27-year-old. In an interview with The Cricket Monthly in 2013, Booth had said that “he was fortunate to be able to play two sports.”He waited for 16 months to play a Test at home, and when the time arrived, he notched up 112 and 19 not out against England in Brisbane in December, 1962. He followed it up with a second hundred in the next Test in Melbourne.He is best remembered for his two hundreds against South Africa – 169 in the first Test in Brisbane and 102 not out in the fifth Test in Sydney.In 1965, on the tour of the Caribbean, Booth scored a century against high-quality pacers such as Charlie Griffith and Wes Hall, and shared a 220-run stand with Bob Cowper (143) for the third wicket in a drawn match in Trinidad. He had mentioned in the same interview that “Charlie Griffith and Wes Hall were the fastest pair I faced. They were always pretty fiery and they let us have it in ’65 in the West Indies.” He went on to add that to make a hundred against West Indies “gave me immense satisfaction.””Brian was immensely respected and admired throughout the cricketing community and beyond and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Judy and their family and friends,” Nick Hockley, CA CEO, said.”Less than 50 players have captained the Australian men’s Test team and Brian’s name is included on a list that features many of the game’s greats. He has had an extraordinary life and will be sadly missed. His contribution to cricket continues to be an inspiration and will always be remembered.”Representing New South Wales at the domestic level, he scored a total of 5577 runs in 93 first-class matches, including 11 hundreds.Lee Germon, Cricket NSW CEO, said: “Brian’s record on the playing field and as a leader are well documented and the fact he was able to captain Australia and NSW in cricket, as well as play hockey for Australia at a home Olympics, shows just how special he was as an athlete.”But that is just a part of who Brian was and it was his respectful, courteous and friendly manner off the field that will endure in the memories of all that he came into contact with.”Booth is survived by his wife Judy and four daughters.

Abdul Samad and Shahrukh Khan also score tons for their respective teams; Pujara out for a four-ball duck as Saurashtra struggle

Saurabh Somani19-Feb-2022Hanuma Vihari followed up a first-innings half-century with a second-innings 106, as Hyderabad put themselves in a strong position to gain an outright victory over Chandigarh on the third day of the first round of matches in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22.The day also saw aggressive centuries from two men who have made headlines for their short-form batting more, with Abdul Samad hitting 103 off 78 balls for Jammu and Kashmir against Pondicherry, and M Shahrukh Khan smashing 194 off 148 balls for Tamil Nadu against Delhi.Vihari, who was selected in India’s Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka, had been Hyderabad’s top-scorer in the first innings too, with 59 runs even though every single batter made it to double figures to drive the total to 347 all out. In contrast, Chandigarh had Manan Vohra playing a lone hand with 110 in a total of 216 in an Elite Group B match at the Vikas Cricket Ground in Cuttack.In Hyderabad’s second innings, Vihari hit his 22nd first-class century, as Hyderabad declared on 269 for 8, setting Chandigarh an unlikely 401 for victory. Tilak Varma shared in a 130-run stand for the third with Vihari, before he was out for 63. Chandigarh had already lost two wickets in the eight overs and were 21 for 2 at stumps.In the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Tamil Nadu held the advantage against Delhi in an Elite Group H match, thanks to Shahrukh’s swashbuckling innings, the standout century in a game that had Yash Dhull hitting a hundred on debut to rescue Delhi from 7 for 2, then Lalit Yadav’s maiden first-class century that swelled to 177 as he took Delhi from 253 for 7 to 452 all out. B Indrajith also hit 117, but it was Shahrukh’s 194 that stole the show. With only a day left, a draw seems most likely but Shahrukh has ensured Tamil Nadu will get first-innings lead points, a prospect that seemed unlikely when they were 162 for 5.In an Elite Group C match in Chennai’s SSN College of Engineering ground, Jammu and Kashmir were on the brink of victory against Pondicherry.Qamran Iqbal fell on his overnight score of 96, but Samad’s whirlwind century drove J&K to a first-innings lead as they were bowled out for 426 in reply to Pondicherry’s 343. Parvez Rasool’s spin then had Pondicherry tumbling to 113 for 9 at stumps, a lead of only 30 runs.File photo: Cheteshwar Pujara walks back•Shailesh Bhatnagar

In Ahmedabad, Cheteshwar Pujara was out for a four-ball duck as defending champions Saurashtra were made to follow on against Mumbai in an Elite Group D match.Overnight 18 without loss, Saurashtra were bowled out for 220 after Mumbai had piled on 544 for 7 declared. Pujara came in at No.4, and was lbw to Mohit Avasthi shortly after. Sheldon Jackson’s 61 was Saurashtra’s highest score in the first innings, but they put up a better show when following on, with openers Harvik Desai and Snell Patel having shared a 105-run stand that is still unbroken. Even so, given their massive deficit in the first innings, Saurashtra are trailing by a sizeable 219 runs.Three games finished on the third day, with Kerala beating Meghalaya by an innings and 166 runs in an Elite Group A match, Chattisgarh defeating Jharkhand by eight wickets in an Elite Group H match, and Manipur victorious by an innings and 25 runs against Arunachal Pradesh in a Plate Group match.Playing his first first-class match since his ban in 2013 for spot-fixing, S Sreesanth didn’t have a good outing for Kerala, although his team overwhelmed Meghalaya.In the first innings, Meghalaya were bowled out for just 148, with Eden Apple Tom taking 4 for 41 on debut. Sreesanth took the wickets of the No.9 and No.11 batters, returning 2 for 40 in 11.5 overs. Centuries by P Rahul, Rohan Kunnumal and Vatshal Govind then propelled Kerala to 505 for 9 declared, before they bowled out Meghalaya for 191. Sreesanth went wicket-less, giving up 57 runs in nine overs.

The tall paceman has already taken 13 wickets in just three innings at the start of the Plunket Shield

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2020Kyle Jamieson’s impressive start to the New Zealand season continued as he claimed a hat-trick on the second day of the Plunket Shield match against Central Districts.Jamieson, who took match figures of 8 for 45 in the opening round against Otago, removed Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver and Brad Schmulian for his hat-trick in the 27th over. The Auckland quick finished with figures of 5 for 41.The hat-trick delivery to Schmulian was a booming inswinger which came back sharply to take off stump as the batsman shouldered arms.”I said to mid-off and mid-on, I’m just going to bowl a big [inswinger] and try to make him play,” Jamieson said. “When you are on a hat-trick you have to try and go pole-hunting a little bit, it managed to come back a wee bit and the rest got swept up in the emotion of it. Pretty cool moment.” Jamieson has been working on adding the inswinger to his armoury over the last couple of seasons and has started to use it with greater regularity at the start of this summer. He has also tried to attack the crease more in his delivery stride having watched the Australia and New Zealand bowlers when he was first called into the Test squad as a replacement late last year on the tour of Australia.”It’s been a couple of years work,” he said. “Did a little bit last winter and continued it this winter. I got a couple out of the hand last week which settled the nerves in terms of bowling it in a game, it’s nice to be able to offer a couple variations to keep the batter guessing.”My first impressions of watching all the guys run, both the Aussies and the Kiwis, was just how much they attacked the crease and I thought there’s probably a little room to move for me in that area. I did a little work in the nets in Sydney and then brought it back, it’s about finding ways to keep improving and adding bits to your game. It helped me at the back end of last season and just trying to take it forward into this one.”Jamieson made an immediate mark on international cricket when he debuted against India in February, taking nine wickets in his first two Tests including 5 for 45 in Christchurch. He is now looking in fine form ahead of New Zealand’s home international season, which begins against West Indies late next month before a visit by Pakistan, boosted by a winter of fitness work with the cancellation of cricket due to Covid-19.”I’m very comfortable with where my game’s at at the moment, the things I’ve been working on and how I’ve been feeling in the middle more importantly. I certainly feel in the best shape I ever have going into a season.”

The hosts secured their very first ODI series clean sweep over a fellow Full Member in Stormont

The Report by Liam Brickhill07-Jul-2019James McCollum’s second fifty of the series, and a nuggety 49 from captain William Porterfield, took Ireland to an historic six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Stormont. Following on from his fifty in Ireland’s series-sealing win on Thursday, McCollum set up Ireland’s pursuit of Zimbabwe’s 190 with 54 at the top of the order. Porterfield’s knock pushed Ireland closer to victory, and an unbeaten 35 from Kevin O’Brien secured their very first ODI series clean sweep over a fellow Full Member.With swing on offer with the new ball, McCollum didn’t have it all his own way early in his knock and was given a particularly thorough working over by Kyle Jarvis, playing and missing at three outswingers in a row. But Zimbabwe couldn’t make any inroads, despite several near misses and one clear chance that came their way. In the second over of Ireland’s chase, Tendai Chatara drew a false shot from Paul Stirling, a leading edge presenting Sean Williams with a tough high chance running back from cover, but it was spilled and Ireland cruised through the Powerplay at better than five an over.Having scored six consecutive fifty-plus ODI scores, Stirling was in sight of a seventh when he edged an attempted cut off Chatara to fall for 32. Zimbabwe snaffled a second wicket just before the first drinks break, Andy Balbirnie top edging a sweep off Williams before he could get going, but after the interval McCollum and Porterfield continued to find the boundary whenever one was needed to ease pressure.Porterfield nudged his way past 4,000 ODI runs during a 43-run third wicket stand that steadied Ireland and took the score beyond 100 in the 23rd over. At the other end, McCollum raised his fifty with a handsome drive through cover off Solomon Mire, but then fell against the run of play in Mire’s next over, driving a long half volley uppishly into the covers, where Ryan Burl dived to his right to hold the catch.By then, Ireland needed only 81 more runs from the better part of 25 overs, and Porterfield steadily whittled away at the target alongside Kevin O’Brien. So effective in the last match, today Zimbabwe’s spinners struggled to pin Ireland’s middle order down, with Porterfield putting the sweep to particularly good use against Sikandar Raza’s offspin.It was Ryan Burl’s part-time legspin that finally got the better of Porterfield, however, as he was beaten by sharp turn and bowled for 49 in the 37th over, with Ireland needing just 32. O’Brien administered the last rites, batting a little within himself but still allowing for the odd moment of flair.”We set out to win the series and obviously to win it 3-0 is pretty good,” Porterfield said after the game. “Starting back in May, quite a few cricketers have come in. It’s really pleasing that the lads are coming in and making contributions. There’s depth in that pool of players and the confidence is right up there.”It was one of Ireland’s veterans who set the match up. Once again utilising the conditions expertly, Tim Murtagh picked up 3 for 39 to lead the attack. He found the outside edge of Burl’s bat in the third over of the morning, the left-hander having been promoted to open, and then snapped up the vital wicket of Brendan Taylor for the second time in the series. With Craig Ervine dragging a pull at Mark Adair onto his own stumps, Zimbabwe were three down early and the slide began in earnest.They were tottering at 88 for 6, but Richmond Mutumbami joined a settled Williams at the crease to steady things somewhat with a 43-run stand. Boyd Rankin’s pace and bounce snapped the partnership, Mutumbami wafting flat-footed outside off to be caught behind, but after him Jarvis also showed a little stickability to chaperone Williams to his second fifty of the tour.Williams’ desperately unlucky dismissal for 67 – run out at the non-striker’s end as Adair palmed a firm drive from Jarvis back onto the stumps – completely opened up Zimbabwe’s tail. Jarvis attempted to push things on with a couple of lusty blows, but two overs later Zimbabwe were all out for their lowest total of the tour.”I’m obviously getting on a bit now, but still enjoying my cricket,” Murtagh said after being named Player of the Series for his nine wickets. “And these boys keep me young. I’m enjoying it. They’re good kids. They’re desperate to learn. Mark’s last over in the last game was really special. Shane [Getkate] looks like he’s been playing for years.””We haven’t played our best cricket,” admitted Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza. “Ireland have showed us up and really put us under the pump. We need to make better decisions under pressure. That’s what Ireland have done, every time they’re on top, they haven’t let us come back.”

The former Australian batsman will no longer continue as a selector after his contract ends in August because of his increasing involvement in TV commentary

Daniel Brettig14-May-2018Australian cricket will soon rid itself of a major conflict of interest after Mark Waugh chose to step down as a national selector in order to commentate full-time for the pay-TV provider Fox Sports.Officially Waugh is still slated to be the selector on duty when the limited-overs team travels to England in June for a series also to be broadcast on Fox, but he will have moved on by the time the next home summer begins.Waugh, who has been a selector since May 2014, will be part of Cricket Australia’s new host broadcaster, with Fox Sports (part-owned by News Corporation) having paid the lion’s share of the A$1 billion television-rights fee sought. In return for the cash, CA has hidden two of three international formats – ODIs and Twenty20s – behind a paywall for the first time in Australian history.For the past year, Waugh has been officially designated CA’s T20 selector in addition to being on the panel to choose teams across all formats, despite concurrently commentating for the Ten Network on its successful coverage of the Big Bash League (BBL). Ten’s loss of the rights to the BBL, alongside Nine’s forfeiture of the rights to international cricket for the first time in 40 years, has led to a feeding frenzy for commentary positions at Fox and also Seven, which will show Test matches and some BBL games on free-to-air television as part of a sub-licensing deal.Alongside the CA board director Mark Taylor while he was also commentating for Nine, Waugh’s has been the most obvious conflict on Australian television screens over the past four seasons, making for numerous awkward moments – not that Ten minded the recurring source of conversation starters. Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria’s operations manager, said what many were thinking after Waugh offered a thinly veiled criticism of Glenn Maxwell on one broadcast by saying of D’Arcy Short: “Haven’t seen him play a reverse sweep, have we in six games? I think some of the other batsmen around the country, take note.””I know he puts himself into a little bit of a conflict of interest by being a commentator as well, [but] I don’t think that’s the forum to discuss anything like that,” Graf told SEN Radio last summer. “Maybe ‘Junior’ should concentrate on his special comments but not maybe talk as much in relation to the selection side of things.”The Olympic hockey player and respected coach Ric Charlesworth, a state cricketer for western Australia in the 1970s and ’80s, raised the issue of Waugh’s conflict in a 2016 book. Charlesworth is a mentor to the new Australian coach Justin Langer. “Another boundary that seems to have been crossed in cricket is that of selection,” Charlesworth wrote in .”One of the Australian selectors, Mark Waugh, appears on television as an expert commentator and gives opinions on form and performance… this appears an extraordinary conflict of interest. Many of the traditional boundaries are being crossed and there is increasing pressure for coaches and players to ‘come out’ of the game during the contest and sponsors, broadcasters and producers drive this behaviour.”Given to following his instincts rather than relying overly on numbers, Waugh made a mark upon the final squad-selection he has been involved in, choosing Nic Maddinson for the T20 leg of the England tour even though the former state captain had been left out of the New South Wales contract list for next season.Waugh’s signature with Fox Sports joins those of Isa Guha, Mel Jones, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey and Michael Vaughan. Seven, meanwhile, have signed Ricky Ponting. Nine’s long-time commentator Bill Lawry has declined approaches from the two networks.