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The legspinner is getting married and will miss RCB’s opener against Mumbai Indians on April 9

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2021Australian legspinner Adam Zampa will not be available for the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first game of IPL 2021 because of his marriage, the team’s director of cricket Mike Hesson said in a video posted on Twitter. The Royal Challengers will play the Mumbai Indians on April 9 in the tournament opener, to be held in Chennai.Zampa, who has 200 wickets in 173 T20s, played only three games for the Royal Challengers in IPL 2020, picking up two wickets.Related

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“We won’t have our full contingent of overseas players available for the first game,” Hesson said. “Adam Zampa is getting married. It’s an important time for him and it’s something that as a franchise we are aware of and we respect and we hope he has a great time. So when he joins us, once again he is going to be fresh and make a massive contribution to the rest of the tournament.”Most of the Royal Challengers’ overseas players will arrive in India in a staggered manner, depending on their international engagements and also the NOCs from their respective boards. After that, they will have to serve a mandatory seven-day quarantine period before joining the squad.”We have got players arriving all the way through till 1st of April, which is where we get the NOCs for some of the overseas players, particularly those who are playing,” Hesson said. “Finn Allen is playing in T20s in New Zealand on the 1st of April; he will be coming the day after. We have got Australians who play up to 31st, likes of Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson. They then jump on a plane and come. ABD [de Villiers] arrives on 28th.”So we have got players arriving at different times and we have to factor that into our preparation, which will include some practice games heading into our first game on 9th.”The Royal Challengers will start their camp in Chennai on March 29, a day after India’s ODI series against England gets over. The players who are part of the ODI squad in Pune and will be hopping from one bubble to another won’t have to serve the quarantine.”We have got some who have been in the bubble all the time, so they will come straight bubble to bubble transfer,” Hesson explained. “From Pune, they will join us. We have got one or two who will have a day or two at home. They have been in a bubble for so long and need to freshen up. When they will be arriving, they obviously will have to take their seven-day quarantine.”I see it as a jigsaw puzzle, pulling everything together. But really keen to get started. Those guys who haven’t been playing a huge amount of cricket, it [the quarantine period] will benefit them. Those who have, I think seven days will be great for them just to refresh.”

Spectators will be allowed at the venue for all 33 matches if they show proof of vaccination

Peter Della Penna27-Apr-2021The 2021 Caribbean Premier League will be hosted entirely at Warner Park in St. Kitts, beginning on August 28. The 33-match tournament will allow fans to attend at up to 50% capacity of the 8,000-seat venue – as long as they show proof of vaccination to enter the stadium facility. However, CPL chief executive Pete Russell said that not all players would be required to be vaccinated in order to take part, in light of varying vaccine access to overseas players in particular.”We’re aware that we need to get people vaccinated where possible,” Russell said during a press conference on Tuesday. “That’s not always going to be the case but that is a process that we’re undergoing right now whether it’s [those] working for the CPL or playing [who] will be vaccinated. But it’s not a requirement that they’ll be vaccinated because there will be quarantine options as well.”We were the first to lead back last year, so I think we led the way in terms of the protocols that we put in place that obviously have now become part of most events. We were the first large-scale cricket tournament back and that went very successfully. You’ve seen that others have had their problems so the planning and detail that needs to go into making these things happen is so important. I think to have the first fully vaccinated tournament is again just showing the world the way forward and I’m sure that this will encourage people, certainly in the federation, to get their vaccines so that they can come and watch some great cricket.”Compared to 2020, when the CPL was split between two stadium venues in Trinidad, Russell said he has confidence that the turf square at Warner Park will be able to handle the stress of 33 matches without compromising the condition and quality of pitches. Russell said the situation is viable thanks to six training grounds around the island of St Kitts which, he said, will be made available to each of the franchises rather than having any training sessions conducted at Warner Park.”As any agronomist will know, to play 33 games in one venue is going to be challenging,” Russell said. “But what we are blessed with in St. Kitts is that there are six grounds around the island all of which can host the training. So we will be making use of the training facilities which are away from Warner Park. Effectively, Warner Park will just host the games. Actually, one of the largest wear and tears of any ground is when there are practice sessions on the outfield before the games.CPL CEO Pete Russell hands Rayad Emrit a runners-up medal after the 2016 CPL final•Sportsfile/Getty Images

“We’re totally aware of the challenges. We’re blessed again that the soil in the wicket in St Kitts is some of the best in the region. So we’re very comfortable that we’ll be able to prepare some incredibly good decks for the players as we always have done. We use a pitch consultant based out of New Zealand. He deals with Eden Park and has also dealt with a number of US grounds as well and has worked for the ICC. He’ll be coming into St. Kitts probably 10 weeks before the tournament to assist and make sure everything from grass growth through to preparation is on track. They’ve worked very closely with the grounds people in St. Kitts before and are very comfortable and confident that we’ll be preparing some great wickets.”The main concern is to make sure the wickets themselves stand the test of time. We know exactly the process. We have a block of five wickets to work with and we’ve got to make sure that obviously they are kept refreshed so we can play some great cricket on them. This has been part of the process and looking at it with one of the considerations is, ‘Can you play all 33 games with the standard of cricketers that we have at one ground?’ The answer has been: yes, we can.”Russell also said that squads will be allowed to increase their personnel from 17 players to allow an 18th member for this season in order to accommodate any injuries or late withdrawals during the tournament in consideration of a strict bio-bubble that will be in place from the start of the event for all players, coaches, staff, and tournament officials. The 2021 CPL Draft is expected to take place in the final week of May, though an exact date is yet to be finalised.The CPL was the first of the major franchise T20 tournament to resume operations since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, playing the entire 2020 event in Trinidad split between two venues at Queen’s Park Oval and Brian Lara Academy Stadium. However, the event was played entirely in a bio-bubble without any fan attendance. Recent internationals hosted by Cricket West Indies in Antigua have also been played without fans, but the CPL is pressing forward by encouraging fans to return to Warner Park with support from the St Kitts government.”We are greatly confident that the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League in St. Kitts & Nevis in 2021 will stimulate much-needed economic activity, especially for small and medium-sized local businesses,” said Jonel Powell, St. Kitts & Nevis minister for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. “As it relates to Covid-19, we will maintain our vigilance to ensure that our health protocols are not compromised and that the country remains protected from any serious spread of the coronavirus. It will most certainly help to revive the tourism sector that has been struggling for over a year, under the weight of the deadly Covid-19 global pandemic.”

Abell falls for 98 but joins Steve Davies in resounding second-wicket stand to build home side’s lead to 372

David Hopps05-Jun-2021Marcus Trescothick left Somerset just before the start of the season to become England’s elite batting coach, but he has been seen around Taunton once or twice during this match and who can blame him? The quality of the young crop of batsmen he has overseen is so apparent that letting go completely must be impossible to contemplate.Tom Abell, the once oh-so-youthful captain who is becoming a senior figure now at 27, captured most attention on a third day that offered good batting conditions. Taunton sighed when he fell two runs short of his hundred, but there were also cameos from George Bartlett and Lewis Goldsworthy which reminded onlookers again of the fitful yet obvious talent at Somerset’s disposal.Steve Davies finds himself opening the batting – a more natural role for him in limited-overs cricket – and he has taken on the responsibility with success, adding 82 to his first-innings 37. He was reprieved, on 19, when Felix Organ could not hold a ball in to his midriff at long leg. “It has been a good game for me moving up the order, but whether I will continue to open I don’t know,” he said.Related

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Somerset’s batting adventure was again a joy to behold. They began this round in second with a 10-point advantage over Hampshire. Having earned a 49-run first-innings lead 40 minutes into the third day, their priority must have been to bat Hampshire out of the game, and the appearance of Josh Davey as a nightwatchman suggested as much in a tame end to the day. Until then, in making 323 for 6 by the close, they extended their lead with impressive alacrity.If they had Jack Leach, one of England’s Lord’s hygiene supervisors, in their side (or his fellow spinner Dom Bess, who has joined Yorkshire) their chances of a final-day victory would be decent. But a county that has made such an impact with spin must instead hope that, if the rain is not too disruptive, some menacing clouds may pep up their seamers.Josh Davey claimed a five-wicket haul•Harry Trump/Getty Images

So much emphasis has been placed upon Abell’s ability to survive a captaincy that was thrust upon him shortly before Christmas 2016 that the progress of his batting is rarely mentioned. His first-class average is only 34, but he now averages 63.50 this season and with the veteran James Hildreth so bereft of form, his runs have become more important than ever.Abell is so bristly and businesslike that the fact he is such a touch player can almost pass unnoticed. He leans into his drives with minimal physicality. Two delicate boundaries to third man off Kyle Abbott – the second taken off middle stump – left the bowler mildly nauseated. His innings was immensely orderly, as if every shot had been properly audited before he played it.Somerset’s first-innings lead was not so secure that they could afford an early collapse – certainly not to the extent of their 113 for 7 in the first innings – but once Eddie Byrom, foot fast against Abbott, had been caught at the wicket – Abell and Davies combined in a resounding second-wicket stand of 139 in 30 overs.The essence of Davies was seen in his first boundary, an uppish square drive against Abbott that has been both his strength and weakness over the years. He was helped by some fatigued overs from both Abbott and Keith Barker, the latter looking a throttled-back version of the bowler whose swing caused such mayhem first time around.Barker, as a left-armer, did at least provide ample rough for Organ, a balletic offspinner (think a lightweight version of Simon Harmer) who became the central figure in Hampshire’s attack, claiming Davies, Abell and Hildreth in a spell of 3 for 115 in 29 overs, which was broken only by a short, and misconceived, return for Abbott immediately after tea.Davies fell lbw to a full-length ball, sweeping, which at least brought some hollow consolation for his fielding blemish earlier; Hildreth, who scraped around, popped a catch back off a leading edge; Abell reached 98 with a sumptious back-foot cover drive, but sought a late cut for his 100 later in the over and under-edged a ball that turned back sneakily low. Liam Dawson’s slow left-arm option was not utilized at all and he probably has his mind on the Blast.At 203 for 4, there was still work to do, and Organ’s turn, if not substantial, did demand a certain wariness. Bartlett, lanky and stylish, and Goldsworthy, much more diminutive and in his debut season, acquitted themselves splendidly in a four-an-over stand of 108. Goldsworthy, a spin-bowling allrounder from Truro, got off the mark with such a pleasant off-drive against Abbott that his reward was a waspish bouncer. Bartlett, put on the seat of his pants by another Abbott bouncer, responded by uppercutting him for six.It was Bartlett who became the senior figure, fittingly so because he is all of 23. He might have been caught off Organ at cow corner, on 43, only for Hampshire’s captain, James Vince, to complete a tank around the boundary by recognizing that it was not his – or Hampshire’s day as the catch evaded him.At least Vince was not quite as extended as the elderly spectator who pedalled frantically backwards to catch – or perhaps avoid – Bartlett’s six over extra cover and hopefully was brought to a halt before heading west down the A38 towards Wellington.

Return of Ben Stokes means that two-spinner line-up could be maintained for Chennai Test

George Dobell26-Jan-2021England are confident of having Ollie Pope and Moeen Ali available for the first Test of the series against India.Both men missed the 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka due to injury and illness respectively. But, with the bulk of the squad flying to Chennai on Wednesday, the England management are confident they will be available for the Test starting at Chepauk on February 5.Pope and Moeen were both part of the tour party in Sri Lanka. However, Moeen was forced into extended quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival – he subsequently suffered mild symptoms and was obliged to sit out the entire series – while Pope was there to continue his rehabilitation having undergone a second bout of surgery on a shoulder injury. He was able to bat – and bat very well – in the warm-up game at the start of the tour, but has not been considered fit enough to field.”I’m hoping Ollie will be able to throw his hat in the ring for that first Test,” England head coach, Chris Silverwood, said from Galle on Tuesday. “The sooner we can get him back the better it is for us.”Moeen should be available for the first Test, too. He’s been through everything he needs to go through and is progressing nicely.”It is likely to be a much-changed England side that plays in that first Test. Rory Burns, who has been absent on paternity leave, has every chance of returning at the top of the order, while Ben Stokes will slot into the middle-order – probably in place of Dan Lawrence – and Jofra Archer may well replace Mark Wood in the fast bowling role. That would allow England to play an attack that included Stokes as one of three seamers and still retain two spinners. Moeen, who scored two Test centuries during England’s last tour to India, could replace Dom Bess as off-spinning all-rounder.Ollie Pope looks on in training•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley could yet retain spots in the top three with Jonny Bairstow having been rested for the first couple of Tests. Although neither looked especially comfortable against Sri Lanka’s spinners, England will also be mindful that India have an outstanding array of fast bowlers. Sibley and Crawley might, therefore, he required to see off the new ball in relatively traditional fashion.Despite England proving surprisingly reliant upon their seamers in the victory over Sri Lanka, Silverwood has hinted they will resist the temptation to field a seam-dominant attack. Instead, he suggested England would probably continue to field two spinners.”We’ll have to look at the wicket when we get there, but history may suggest you’ll be looking at two spinners,” he said. “We have to have a look at how the rest of the bowling attack will look beyond that. I’m open to ideas all the time. We’ll look at the stats, what has been successful at that ground before and then take the lead from it.”England’s preparation for the India series is far from perfect. The players arriving from Sri Lanka will be obliged to spend six days in their hotel rooms serving a quarantine process, which only allows three full days of training ahead of the game.Related

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Many of them will, at least, have played some cricket in Sri Lanka. The players arriving from the UK – which includes Stokes, Archer and Burns – have not had that advantage. But they have been in India for a couple of days already and will be able to train from Saturday. That allows them five days of practice ahead of the first Test. Both groups of players will be obliged to return three negative Covid-19 tests during their quarantine period. “If they’re fit and ready, if they look good, they’ll be available for selection,” Silverwood said.In a perfect world, Silverwood would have the likes of Bairstow (who misses the first two Tests), Jos Buttler (who will miss the last three) and Mark Wood (who also misses the first two) available to him for the full four-match campaign. But he has no complaints about the policy of rest and rotation and asks that England supporters also try to empathise.”We’ve got to look after our people,” Silverwood said. “We’re spending a lot of time looked in hotel rooms inside bio-secure bubbles and it’s not easy. It’s good that we’re being proactive and looking after people. I’m perfectly happy with the system we’re using.”So I’d just ask them [supporters] to understand why we do what we do, we’re resting in the best interests of that player and equally to get the best out of them long term.”

Teenager became a viral hit with a legside stumping that evoked MS Dhoni in his prime

Matt Roller09-Dec-2020Nottinghamshire have announced the signing of Dane Schadendorf, a teenaged wicketkeeper who played for Zimbabwe in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, on a two-year contract.Schadendorf became a viral hit in the warm-up matches ahead of the tournament, thanks to a legside stumping in a fixture against New Zealand that evoked MS Dhoni in his prime. He also made 81 against eventual finalists India in a warm-up match, though was less successful in the World Cup itself with 138 runs in nine innings. He was born in Harare, but will qualify as a local player in county cricket thanks to a British passport. He had played club cricket for Caythorpe as well as for Nottinghamshire’s Under-18s and second XI in the 2020 season.”My game is probably more suited to white-ball cricket at the moment, but I’m working really hard on my red-ball game, and I think I’m getting better,” Schadendorf said. “My aims for the next year or so are just to get off to a good start here, score as many runs as I can, and try to stake my claim for a place in the first team.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, said: “We believe there’s a high ceiling of potential there… we hope to see him pushing for a place in our first team in the near future.”Schadendorf follows his compatriot Nick Welch in signing a county contract. Welch, a 22-year-old top-order batsman, gained British citizenship in September and played five games for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast.Welch will play for Mountaineers in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s major domestic competition, which started on Wednesday. There is further representation from county cricketers in the tournament in the shape of Shane Snater, the Essex seamer, and Ben Curran, the Northamptonshire opener and brother of Sam and Tom, who will both play for Southern Rocks.

Takes over from Steven Smith, who was one of eight players to be released by the franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2021Sanju Samson has been named captain of the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021. The franchise made the announcement today, while confirming the list of players they’ve released or traded ahead of the auction in February. Samson replaces Australia’s Steven Smith, one of eight players to be released.Samson, who was signed by the franchise in 2013, becomes the third Indian after Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane to be entrusted with the top job. He finished as the side’s highest run-getter in the 2020 season, making 375 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 158. The Royals, though, finished the tournament in last place on the points table.Samson will have the experience of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer, their highest wicket-taker in 2020, to bank on as the side looks to turn their fortunes around after finishing last in the 2020 season that finished in November. Robin Uthappa, Jaydev Unadkat, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia are among the Indian players they’ve retained.”It’s a team that is so close to my heart, which I’ve been lucky enough to play for over the years, and I’m excited about the challenge that lies ahead of me as the leader of the team,” Samson was quoted as saying by the franchise. “The Royals have had some wonderful captains over the years and I’m so grateful for all the time I’ve spent working with and learning from great leaders like Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith. I now cannot wait to get started and look forward to the season ahead.”Manoj Badale, co-owner of the Royals, underlined the importance of having an Indian at the helm. “Steve [Smith] has been a great player and great leader for the Royals, and we want to thank him for his contribution to the franchise.”[But] as the IPL has grown, the captaincy has become a year-round task, and as such strong local Indian leadership has become increasingly important. Sanju made his debut as a Royal, and it has been a joy to watch his development over the last eight years. He is the ideal person to lead the Royals into the 2021 season.”Samson’s performances for the Royals over the last three seasons have been central to him returning to India’s radar for the T20 World Cup later this year, five years after his T20I debut. He is part of a wider pool of T20I players India have picked with an eye on the showpiece event. He was part of India’s white-ball squad during their tour of Australia, and also led Kerala in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20s, where the team finished with three wins in five matches.

Pace bowlers Steve Patterson and Mitchell Starc were quick to make their mark on the first day of Yorkshire’s match against Northamptonshire

30-May-2012
ScorecardAndrew Hall’s 79 helped repair some of the early damage for Northamptonshire•Getty Images

Pace bowlers Steve Patterson and Mitchell Starc were quick to make their mark on the first day of Yorkshire’s County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Headingley.Patterson, who received his first team cap before the start of the game, responded by firing out both openers. Left-arm paceman Starc, on his Championship debut, also picked up two early wickets as the visitors slumped to 45 for 5 in this Division Two contest after winning the toss.However, captain Andrew Hall, led a spirited rearguard action with a rugged 79 which boosted his side’s score to 253. In five overs before the close, Yorkshire reached 27 without loss.Offspinner Azeem Rafiq, replaced the out-of-form Adil Rashid, for his first Championship outing since last May, and wicketkeeper Gerard Brophy made way for Jonny Bairstow – who had been given permission to play by England.Patterson shared the new ball with Ryan Sidebottom and in his third over dismissed Stephen Peters, who edged low to Phil Jaques at third slip. Patterson struck again two overs later when he trapped former Yorkshire all-rounder James Middlebrook leg before wicket.Starc got his chance when Sidebottom was rested and his fifth delivery comprehensively bowled Alex Wakely. The Australian was then struck for three legside boundaries in one over by Rob White but quickly gained revenge by trapping him lbw, leaving Northamptonshire 35 for 4.The slide continued as Sidebottom returned to the attack and had Kyle Coetzer caught behind with a ball which held its line. However, Hall and David Murphy teamed up move the visitors to 62 for 5 at lunch – and continued the revival in the afternoon.Hall, after an uncharacteristically slow start, played Starc through midwicket for four and in the same over slashed a boundary to third man, but Murphy had an escape on 35 when the Australian had him put down by Adam Lyth low at second slip.Murphy, having greeted Rafiq by driving his fifth ball for six, soon afterwards edged Sidebottom to Bairstow for 40 to end a 76-run stand in 27 overs with his captain. Northamptonshire continued their fightback through Hall and Con de Lange although Hall, on 25, survived a chance when he slapped Patterson to midwicket – where Anthony McGrath could not hold on to the catch.Hall’s fighting half-century came off 138 balls with seven boundaries but at 163 he lost De Lange, who was lbw on the back foot to McGrath. The scoring accelerated with the arrival of David Willey until both departed quickly when the new ball was taken.Hall was bowled attempting an expansive drive at Patterson for 79 from 179 deliveries with 10 fours and in the next over Willey fell lbw to Sidebottom after umpire Peter Hartley had spent a long time raising his finger. Pattinson pulled up with cramp in his 19th over and left the field for treatment and the innings was wrapped up by Rafiq, who bowled Oli Stone to claim his only victim.Yorkshire began well with Lyth taking two boundaries from Willey’s opening over and the left-hander stood on 14 at the close with Joe Root 7.

An all-round performance from Stafanie Taylor helped West Indies Women to a seven-run win over Sri Lanka Women in the second Twenty20 game in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2012
ScorecardAn all-round performance from captain Stafanie Taylor helped West Indies Women to a seven-run win over Sri Lanka Women in the second Twenty20 game in Barbados.West Indies won the toss and chose to bat, and started strongly with openers Taylor and Juliana Nero putting on 50 runs. Nero was dismissed by Chamani Seneviratna in the ninth over, and Deandra Dottin, Shanel Daley (retired hurt) and Stacy-Ann King followed in quick succession to leave the hosts in trouble at effectively 73 for 4 in the 14th over. However, Taylor held firm, hitting six fours and one six in her 49-ball 62, to steer her team out of trouble. She was ably supported by Shemaine Campbelle (22 off 18) as West Indies recovered to 129 for 4 in their 20 overs.Sri Lanka started poorly, losing their openers with just nine runs on the board. Two crucial partnerships, between Deepika Rasangika and Inoka Galagedara (43) and Rasangika and Seneviratna (38) wrested the initiative back for the hosts and at 98 for 4 in the 17th over, they looked on course for victory. However, Taylor struck to dismiss Rasangika, and that triggered a collapse as the visitors slumped from 98 for 4 to 115 for 8. Fifteen runs were required off the last over but Sri Lanka managed only seven to give West Indies a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The next Twenty20 will be played in Port of Spain on May 6.

Fast bowler may withdraw from BBL after 87 days in bio-security, longer than any player

George Dobell14-Sep-2020Jofra Archer has indicated he may pull out of this winter’s Big Bash League in Australia, after acknowledging that the “mental challenge” of life in England’s bio-secure bubble may, at times, have had a compromising effect on his performances.Archer, the player of the match on Sunday as England levelled the ODI series against Australia, has spent longer in the bubble – 87 days, in all – than any other player this summer.In that time, he had a four-day rest period between the two Test series and a further five days during the T20I series against Pakistan, but he was also required to spend a week in isolation in his hotel room at Emirates Old Trafford following an unauthorised visit to his home in Brighton after the first Test against West Indies.While he did, at times, bowl unusually quickly in the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan, he wasn’t quite able to make the same impact as he has regularly when performing for England’s white-ball teams.The amount of overs bowled in each format is one obvious explanation. Archer has bowled at least 39 overs in six of the 11 Tests he has played and makes the reasonable observation that he cannot sustain the pace over that number of overs that he can over four or 10. Equally, in white-ball cricket Archer is given a new ball and entrusted with bowling at key moments throughout the innings; in Test cricket this year, he has generally had to be content with playing a supporting role to James Anderson and Stuart Broad.But alongside that, Archer has also acknowledged that “a change of scenery or a change of personnel” may have refreshed him ahead of the white-ball matches after admitting he felt as if he had “hit a wall” at times during the summer.Jofra Archer trains during the fifth day of the second Test against Pakistan•Visionhaus/Getty Images

Numerous players, from relatively inexperienced ones such as Ollie Pope to vastly experienced ones like James Anderson, have described the challenges of living in the bubble for an extended period of time. The proximity to the pitch – most players have rooms looking out onto the playing surface – has, they have said, made it hard to switch off from the game and resulted in increased anxiety and weariness.”I’ll tell you, it has been mentally challenging,” Archer said. “We’ve been in here for 16 weeks or something like that. I think it is going to be more rare going home or being normal again. Here has become the new norm. We’ll just have to adjust again when we get some time off.”The time I spend bowling with the white ball is a lot less than in Test cricket. You can’t run in the whole day. It is actually impossible to run in the whole day bowling at 90mph. If you can show me someone who does it then fair play. I’ve not seen any bowler who bowls 90mph do it for a whole day.ALSO READ: Holding ‘doesn’t know anything that’s going on’ – Archer on ECB’s anti-racism drive“It might be different environments as well. A change of scenery or a change of personnel. You do sometimes feel like you hit a wall. Sometimes you just need to relax or just need to switch your mind off for a few days.”I honestly don’t know what it is but if you’re in a good frame of mind I feel you’ll probably bowl a bit faster. On Sunday, I didn’t feel as though I was bowling that fast. At times I felt I’ve bowled faster. For me as long as I feel good, I don’t care what speed I’m bowling at.”For Archer, at least, the bubble life looks set to continue for a while yet. Along with the other England and Australia players contracted to IPL teams, he will fly to the UAE on Thursday – the day after the final ODI of the summer – on a specially charted flight. From there, he could be facing more time in lockdown if England, as planned, visit South Africa for a limited-overs tour in November and then visit India – or the UAE – for an all-format tour in the new year. There is every chance the 2021 English season may have to be played in similar conditions, too.As a result, he has confirmed he does not anticipate taking part in the BBL this year and indicated a hope to take some time off before Christmas.”I’ll be honest with you. I’m not sure how many more bubbles I’ve got left in me for the rest of the year,” Archer continued. “I haven’t seen my family really since February and it’s September now. The IPL is going to take up most of October. In November we go to South Africa; well, hopefully we go to South Africa. That only leaves me with a few weeks in December for the rest of the year.”I love my Hobart [BBL] family but I think I need to spend some time with my real family as well. When the year turns, we’re going to be back in a bubble in the UAE and India or somewhere. Family time is really important especially when you’re in the bubble and you can’t see them physically. So any time I get I try to spend with them.”

Zimbabwe weathered a spirited fightback from Pakistan’s lower middle order to secure a tight five-run Duckworth-Lewis win in controversial circumstances in the second ODI at Harare Sports Club

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare03-Oct-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:46

By the numbers – Malik stranded four short of record ton

Zimbabwe weathered a spirited fightback from Pakistan’s lower middle order to secure a tight five-run Duckworth-Lewis win in controversial circumstances in the second ODI at Harare Sports Club.Chasing Zimbabwe’s 276 for 6, Pakistan sank to 76 for 6 before Shoaib Malik and Aamer Yamin resurrected the chase with a 111-run stand for the seventh wicket. After a rain delay Malik was on 96, with 21 needed from 12 deliveries, when the heavy clouds prompted umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Jeremiah Matibiri to take the players off. With the sun setting, the light only got worse, allowing a rare Zimbabwe win – much to Malik, and Pakistan’s chagrin.That they got so close at all was due mainly to Malik’s brilliance and it was once again left to Pakistan’s lower order to try to lift the team out of the mire when they slipped to 17 for 3 – their worst start of the tour. Malik responded with one of his finest limited-overs innings, and came within one shot of what would have been his ninth ODI hundred – and the first by a Pakistan No. 5 batsman in a run chase. He was also helped by Zimbabwe’s errors in the field, having been dropped by substitute fielder Tino Mutombodzi at backward point when he was on 37. That was just one of a number of errors from the hosts in the latter half of the chase.In the course of their own innings this morning, Zimbabwe had looked a completely different batting unit to the one that was bowled out for 128 in the first ODI. But this time it was in the field that the wheels had threatened to come off. The required run-rate was already above seven an over when Yamin joined Malik at the wicket, but the direction of the match changed completely with Yamin’s first boundary. He stepped down the wicket to hit legspinner Graeme Cremer back over his head, who leapt up at the ball and landed awkwardly to suffer a painful ankle sprain.Zimbabwe lost a bowler, but they also very nearly lost the plot as they dropped three catches, missed a stumping and let the game drift completely away from them in the following 16 overs. Malik and Yamin collected five sixes and nine fours during that period, Yamin celebrating a 54-ball fifty with a mid-pitch . His fearlessly attacking innings eventually came to an end when Elton Chigumbura was fortunate to have him caught down the leg side but, with rain falling intermittently, Malik continued undeterred.He found an able partner in Yasir Shah and, on either side of a dramatic rain break, took the equation down to 21 from the last two overs. But then the umpires called the players together and told them they could no longer see the ball. Chigumbura led his players off, and just over ten minutes later the match was called off, the result going in Zimbabwe’s favour.Chigumbura had played a strong hand with the bat for Zimbabwe earlier in the day, his 55-ball 67 building upon Chamu Chibhabha’s patient 90 to lift the hosts to a competitive 276 for 6.
That was more than had been expected when Azhar Ali called correctly at the toss and sent the hosts in this morning. Harare Sports Club head groundsman Fungai Shanganya left plenty of grass on the track for this game and there was a noticeable twinge of green to it, suggesting swing, seam and bounce first up.The pitch was definitely firmer, but the movement on offer was not extravagant. For their part, the hosts promoted senior batsman Hamilton Masakadza to open the innings with Chibhabha, but his scratchy knock came to an end when he skied a pull off a Wahab Riaz bouncer.At the other end, Chibhabha displayed a sure-footed drive and favoured the off side to collect his first four boundaries on that side of the wicket. He took a particular liking to Yamin’s medium pace and played the spinners with measured assurance with Chari playing a perfect foil to the more attacking Chibhabha.When Chari edged Mohammad Irfan to Mohammad Hafeez at first slip against the run of play Pakistan had an opening, and enlarged it with the wicket of Sean Williams soon afterwards to reduce Zimbabwe to 132 for 3. A tiring Chibhabha needed treatment for cramp on a sweltering day – this being his longest international innings in terms of balls faced by quite a distance – but even as he struggled, Chigumbura asserted himself.Chigumbura had taken a little time to play himself in and was struck a fierce blow to the helmet by Riaz, but his riposte was emphatic. A muscular pull off the same bowler sent the ball onto the roof of the Tobacco Stand on the Western side of the ground, and he celebrated a 46-ball half-century by lifting a full toss from the same bowler almost as far. With Sikandar Raza also playing a busy hand, and Richmond Mutumbami and Luke Jongwe’s cameos ensuring an energetic finish, Zimbabwe took 96 off the last ten overs. It proved just enough.