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Stuart Broad did not train at The Oval on Wednesday but England said that was always the plan and insisted he remains on course to be available for the final Investec Test against India

Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2014Stuart Broad did not train at The Oval on Wednesday but England said that was always the plan and insisted he remains on course to be available for the final Investec Test against India after suffering a fractured nose from a Varun Aaron bouncer at Old Trafford.Broad retired hurt after the ball squeezed between his grille and helmet on the third day at Old Trafford. He was stitched up by the England doctor at the ground before heading to hospital where X-rays confirmed the fracture but a specialist advised that the damage was not serious enough to require surgery.The initial moments after Broad was struck looked nasty, as blood dripped on to the Old Trafford pitch, but with the outcome not being as serious as it appeared it could be his team-mates have spotted a chance for some gentle ribbing, with sympathy in short supply.Stuart Broad has seen a specialist after suffering a fractured nose at Old Trafford•Stuart Broad/Twitter”It’s not very pretty,” Joe Root said. “He’s not got his ‘boy band’ looks you’d normally associate with Stuart. He’s milking it definitely … as you’ll probably have seen on all the social network sites.”But I’m sure he’ll be desperate to play on Friday. He’s obviously in good form and will want to finish the series strongly with the rest of us.”A picture posted by Broad on Twitter on Tuesday showed him sporting a pair of black eyes but the England camp have been confident that he would not be kept out of the final Test of the season and included him as part of an unchanged squad.There have been suggestions, started by Broad, that he may need to wear a protective mask – the type seen in other sports after facial injuries – although that may not be the case now with some type of splint being another option considered.Broad has been a key part of England’s resurgence in the last two Tests, taking 6 for 25 at Old Trafford to follow an important role at the Ageas Bowl.Root believes the secret to the change in fortunes was how the team stuck together in the wake of the Lord’s defeat and when the threat of James Anderson being banned was hanging over the team, although to suggest England have been able to “throw a punch back” was perhaps slightly unfortunate.”The good thing that came from that was that we didn’t let it affect us,” Root said. “That may be one way where we did get slightly more tight. It gave us another incentive to want to throw a punch back at them.”I don’t think we can really rest on the fact we’ve played well in the last couple of games. India are a very good side – we know that – and we’re going to have to make sure we do everything we can to win this series comfortably.”Such was the turmoil England found themselves in just a few weeks ago that it was being suggested in some dispatches that the captaincy should he handed to Root. After two wins and a few runs for Alastair Cook that topic has been put away for the time being, but for Root it never even entered his thoughts.”It didn’t come anywhere near the front of my mind,” he said. “We knew that Alastair is the man to take us forward. That’s one area we’ve been very good, we’ve stayed very tight to what we believe in and I think that’s why we’ve managed to turn it around. It’s only a start but if we continue the way we have then we have a very good chance of improving as a Test side.”If Broad does take his place in the line-up on Friday, the only decision for the selectors is whether to stick with Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan as the support seamers. The pair have only taken four wickets between them so there could be a temptation to recall Steven Finn for his first Test since facing Australia, at Trent Bridge, last July.Two days out, the Test strip had a tinge of green but The Oval does not have the reputation of leaving much grass on its Test wickets. England would like it to carry as the Old Trafford strip did, but recent Test surfaces here have not been fliers.

Lancashire’s batsmen have had a thin time this season. This, therefore, was the sort of day their supporters have had little chance to enjoy although it was no surprise at all that a Paul Horton hundred was at the heart of the home side’s effort

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford16-Aug-2014
ScorecardPaul Horton made his 20th first-class century•PA PhotosApart from their June hog-feast of an innings against Northamptonshire, Lancashire’s batsmen have had a thin time this season. Until their form recovered a little in midsummer, a total above 300 seemed as distant as a summit in the Karakoram. This, therefore, was the sort of day their supporters have had little chance to enjoy although it was no surprise at all that a Paul Horton hundred was at the heart of the home side’s determined 256 for 5 on a curiously involving day at Old Trafford.Horton’s 114, his second century against Durham and the 20th of his first-class career, helped Lancashire end the day only 88 runs behind the visitors. Indeed, both sides have batted respectably on a wicket that was being scrutinised by Pitch Liaison Officer Tony Pigott early on Saturday morning. But no one is taking any bets on the Test Match track behaving reliably on its seventh day of use, so Lancashire’s hopes seem to rest on Ashwell Prince and the tail building a substantial first-innings lead.Frankly, though, any recovery by Lancashire’s batsmen, perhaps backed up by their bowlers on that wearing last day pitch, could scarcely be better timed. The rows of street vendors festooned with football scarves for sale and the vans selling gourmet burgers – surely a form of cannibalism? – spoke eloquently on Saturday morning of many varieties of greed, not least that displayed by a sport whose season scarcely ends. There may be a fair chunk of domestic cricket left to us, but summer is gently passing and the chill Mancunian breeze contrasted sharply with the warmth enjoyed only a week ago by crowds at the Test match.More to the point, Lancashire have three Championship games left after this current match ends on Monday, and reliable top order batting will be key to their chances in September. So it was heartening for the muffled-up spectators in front of the pavilion to see the groundwork for their reply done in part by opener Luis Reece, whose 12 Championship innings yielded a mere 123 runs prior to this game.In such a context Reece’s 36 in 184 minutes was a major innings, not least because he batted for almost twice as long as he had managed in any of his dozen previous efforts. Utterly unflustered by the sight of Horton accumulating boundaries and thus outscoring him by nearly three to one, the 24-year-old occupied the crease quite correctly and certainly very stubbornly.When he was caught at slip off Borthwick, Paul Collingwood diving forward at slip to complete the snare off bat and pad, Reece had helped put on 138, a first-wicket record for his county against Durham. More significantly he had occupied the crease in a manner that seemed quite beyond him on the fresh green wickets of an English spring.In the next over the dry pitch of a late summer, added to Borthwick’s loop, proved too much for Usman Khawaja, the Australian giving a return catch after adding only a couple to the total. But Ashwell Prince partnered Horton to tea, by which time the opener had reached his century with his twelfth four, a square drive off Stokes prompting the almost statutory arms aloft and badge-kissing routine. Well, a man who has made a fine century can celebrate exactly how he chooses.Five overs into the evening session Horton was lbw to Chris Rushworth, the ball nipping back off the seam, although it would have been no shock had Steve Gale decided that it was going down the leg side. Steven Croft then battled away in characteristically doughty fashion to make 6 in half an hour before leaving a ball from John Hastings that uprooted his off stump.Late in the session the wind strengthened and you could have mistaken the season for autumn. But this seemed only to stiffen the resolve of Lancashire’s No. 6 Alex Davies, who is already a tough little bantam of a cricketer in the tradition of George Duckworth and Warren Hegg. So it was almost a surprise when the wicketkeeper-batsman was dismissed for 25 just ten minutes before the close, gloving a lifter from Ben Stokes to Calum MacLeod in the gully.By then Collingwood had taken the new ball and the skipper may have been quietly satisfied with the efforts of an attack which had been deprived of anything but two overs from offspinner Ryan Buckley, one of several Durham cricketers currently suffering from a virus. Borthwick, though, remained fit for service and his 36 overs on Saturday are the second most he has bowled in an innings. He will bowl more on Sunday, as no doubt will Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan. The duel of the spinners should be central to the result of the match.

Jesse Ryder claimed career-best first-class bowling figures to keep Essex in contention for promotion on the first day of their County Championship game against Leicestershire

Press Association15-Sep-2014
ScorecardJesse Ryder’s bowling has been a revelation at Essex (file photo)•Getty ImagesJesse Ryder claimed career-best first-class bowling figures to keep Essex in contention for promotion on the first day of their County Championship game against Leicestershire at Grace Road. The bottom-of-the-table hosts were dismissed for 138 in 36.4 overs, with New Zealand allrounder Ryder taking 5 for 50.And by the time a heavy rain shower ended play half an hour early, Essex had reached 153 for 3 to lead by 15 runs, with Ravi Bopara and James Foster still together having shared a fourth-wicket stand of 58.It was Ryder’s third five-wicket haul of the season and only Dan Redfern, who made an unbeaten 54, showed any real resistance on a green looking pitch that offered plenty of encouragement to the Essex seam bowlers.Graham Napier took 3 for 43 and David Masters 2 for 43 as Leicestershire lost eight wickets for 90 runs in the pre-lunch session after being put in to bat. It required some spirited hitting from tailenders Charlie Shreck and Atif Sheikh to take the total beyond the 100 mark. Shreck made 16 in a ninth wicket partnership of 34 – the biggest of the innings – while Sheikh contributed 12 to a last wicket stand of 14.The only other batsman to reach double figures was opener Greg Smith, who made 26 before edging a catch to Foster off Masters. The seven other Leicestershire batsmen mustered just 21 runs between them.Ryder ripped through Leicestershire’s top and middle order with his accurate medium-pace swing bowling, taking five wickets in an unbroken 14-over spell before lunch. He trapped Angus Robson, Niall O’Brien and Jigar Naik lbw, bowled Josh Cobb with a delivery that nipped back and had Rob Taylor caught at first slip.Then Napier chipped in with the last three wickets, despite being hit for a six by Redfern who reached 50 off 65 balls with six other boundaries. His effort was the only bright note in an otherwise disappointing batting performance by Leicestershire.In contrast the Essex openers, riding their luck at times, put on 47 in 18 overs before Taylor had Tom Westley lbw with a fine inswinging delivery for 24. Westley should have been out without scoring but was dropped at slip by Smith off Shreck. Taylor struck again in the same over with another lbw decision going in his favour when he rapped Jaik Mickleburgh on the pads.Shreck finally picked up the wicket he deserved when O’Brien took a good catch behind to remove Nick Browne for 44. But there was no further breakthrough for Leicestershire as Bopara and Foster took control. Foster was unbeaten on 36 with six fours and a six and Bopara’s 33 came off 95 balls.Essex head coach, Paul Grayson, said: “I was delighted to see some grass on the wicket because we desperately need a result. And our three seam bowlers all stepped up to the plate and delivered for us.”

Assad Fudadin’s fourth first-class hundred helped West Indies A to a strong start in Moratuwa, but a five-wicket haul from the offspinner Tharindu Kaushal dragged the visitors down to 239 for 6 at stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2014
ScorecardAssad Fudadin’s fourth first-class hundred helped West Indies A to a strong start in Moratuwa, but a five-wicket haul from the offspinner Tharindu Kaushal dragged the visitors down to 239 for 6 at stumps.Opting to bat, West Indies began brightly as Fudadin and his opening partner Kraigg Brathwaite put up a 137-run stand. Kraigg muscled seven fours to make his way to 75, but his dismissal in the 38th over triggered a slide, as Kaushal struck at quick intervals to reduce West Indies A to 178 for 5.Fudadin, though, batted through the collapse and managed to score 103, with 11 fours. He and Chadwick Walton hinted at a recovery with a 41-run partnership, but Fudadin was caught by Kaushal off his own bowling towards the end of the day.

Sri Lanka are enjoying home conditions but have to do without Mahela Jayawardene in Habantota. Thilina Kandamby is set for a comeback as the hosts look to take a 3-0 series lead

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Dec-2014If the mastery of spin and the flags in the stands had not made it clear Sri Lanka are enjoying home conditions, then the teams’ training schedules over the past week has laid this truth out.As day-long northeast monsoon rains break up and recede into the sunset hours by late November, Sri Lanka have been wise to switch their training times to the morning. They had been scheduled to train under lights, but for the second time in a week a late-afternoon thunderstorm arrived at the ground at the same time as England, by which time Sri Lanka had completed their practice and departed.It may all come to little. The forecast is not good for the next two days. But with Mahela Jayawardene unavailable for this match, vice-captain Lahiru Thirimanne said Sri Lanka’s top order has the chance to prepare for another rainy day, a few months in the future.”Mahela is a big loss. He is normally our backbone, because he strengthens up our middle order,” Thirimanne said. “But this is a good challenge for our younger players as well, because we have to replace him some day. This is an opportunity for them to show what they’re capable of. “Sri Lanka have drafted Ashan Priyanjan into the squad as cover, but the team manager confirmed that he is unlikely be in the XI on Wednesday. Thilina Kandamby, 32, is likely to play his first ODI since 2011 instead. With middle order spots still up for grabs in the short term, Jayawardene’s replacement will seek to earn a World Cup berth as well.But the exact team combination, and batting spots, will also depend on the weather. A shortened game might see Sri Lanka move closer to their T20 blueprint. Thirimanne has already been moved around plenty in his relatively brief career, so he hopes for some stability in his role.”I don’t think I will move up to take Mahela’s spot, because I will play my normal number six position, hopefully. We’ll have to see about the length of the game. According to that, I’m ready to play at any position.”We had a good match last game, so the boys are really looking forward to this match. Confidence levels are really high. Hopefully we can play a full fifty over match tomorrow.”I think it’s a must-win game for us, because if we win tomorrow, we’ll have a good chance of winning the series on the seventh.”Sri Lanka’s 2014 dominance over England has in part been due to their muzzling of Alastair Cook. The England captain has 10 and 22 in the series so far, as the din for his exit from the ODI side grows louder. Thirimanne hoped his team could extend Cook’s poor stretch, just as they had done in the summer, when Cook only crossed fifty once in eight innings against Sri Lanka, across all formats.”We all know he’s a very good batsman. We have to apply pressure on him, because if we do that, the whole team will be a little bit under pressure. Hopefully we can get him out early tomorrow as well. Normally every batsman goes through rough patches, but we want to concentrate on our bowling.”

Western Australia’s captain Adam Voges was within sight of his 20th first-class century at stumps on the second day at the WACA, where his side was 5 for 219 against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2014
ScorecardWestern Australia’s captain Adam Voges was within sight of his 20th first-class century at stumps on the second day at the WACA, where his side was 5 for 219 against Victoria. Voges was on 91 at the close of play and Sam Whiteman was on 1, and the Warriors needed another 132 runs to edge ahead on the first innings after Victoria posted 350.Voges and Shaun Marsh combined for a 100-run fourth-wicket partnership that ended when Marsh was caught off the bowling of Glenn Maxwell for 55, and the loss of nightwatchman Jason Behrendorff to Fawad Ahmed arrived in the last over of the day. Five Victoria bowlers picked up a wicket each, as Western Australia’s top-order batsmen failed to convert their starts.Michael Klinger fell victim to an outstanding take down leg side from Matthew Wade off Marcus Stoinis for 5, and Daniel Christian dismissed Cameron Bancroft for 29 and Tom Beaton fell to Scott Boland for 18. Beaton had been the subject of concern when he ducked into a delivery from Christian and players rushed to see if he was injured, but he was okay, and batted on.Earlier, the Victorians had added 35 to their overnight total for the loss of their last four wickets. Wade was the first man out, bowled for 68 by Simon Mackin, who ended up with 3 for 55 after cleaning up much of the Victorian tail.

Former Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell has been appointed managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2015Former Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell has been appointed managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket and replaces Wilfred Mukondiwa, who will be redeployed elsewhere in the organisation. Campbell’s position will be an all-encompassing role which will include identifying and developing talent for the national team.He was previously involved in cricket administration as convener of selectors, a position from which he resigned in October 2011, and as chair of the cricket committee until 2012.Campbell played 60 Tests and 188 ODIs between February 1992 and March 2003. He had retired by the time Zimbabwe’s cricket factionalised during the white-player walkout in 2004 and was one of the first of a crop of former players who became involved with the administration when it tried to rebuild from 2009. He played an instrumental role in ending Zimbabwe’s six-year self-imposed exile from Test cricket in 2011.Campbell had been critical of Zimbabwe Cricket recently, calling for more former international players in the national coaching set-up. He has been appointed days after Dav Whatmore took over as Zimbabwe’s coach.Zimbabwe Cricket had created the post of managing director following a board meeting in November last year. ZC also announced positions of general manager [cricket operations] and director of coaching.

Twenty-four hours after receiving the biggest blow from the nation’s apex court, BCCI members have put the ball in the court of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal ruling party in India

Amol Karhadkar23-Jan-2015Twenty-four hours after receiving the biggest blow from the nation’s apex court, BCCI members have put the ball in the court of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal ruling party in India.A majority of BCCI members confided that it would be best if N Srinivasan’s fate is decided in consultation with the BJP. Of the 30 BCCI full members, at least one-third of the associations are directly controlled by the BJP. The ruling party has so far not commented on the verdict.Here are the possible factors that could determine the next BCCI regime:Jaitley, the kingmakerIt is understood that finance minister Arun Jaitley is likely to get the ball rolling once he returns from the World Economic Forum in Davos over the weekend. Jaitley, a former BCCI vice-president, has been a Srinivasan supporter during the crisis over the last 20 months. The rest of the BJP hierarchy is likely to follow the suggestions of the seasoned administrator.Despite the court’s blow, Srinivasan still enjoys the support of the majority of the BCCI members. It is possible that Srinivasan’s discussions with Jaitley will decide whether it would be wiser to pitch for a Srinivasan confidant as a proxy president or appoint a fresh set of office-bearers.Who can be the new president?According to the BCCI rulebook, it is the East Zone’s turn to nominate a president till September 2017. An eligible candidate from any other zone can contest the election if he gets a proposer and a seconder from East Zone. Only an individual who has attended two AGMs and has held at least one of the five key posts in the BCCI – president, secretary, joint-secretary, treasurer and vice-president – can file his nomination papers for the president’s post.Going by the criteria, Jagmohan Dalmiya and Chitrak Mitra are the only two candidates from East Zone who are eligible to contest the election. Both have been loyal Srinivasan supporters so far. Despite Dalmiya, who controls two key votes from the east, having expressed displeasure in public at times over certain decisions of the Srinivasan regime over the last two years, he has never voted against the ruling faction. Ranjib Biswal and Amitabh Chaudhary – two more Srinivasan loyalists from the zone – won’t be eligible since they haven’t held an office-bearer’s post.Proxy president?There is a possibility of either having a proxy president or bringing in a fresh set of officials, depending on the preference of Jaitley and Co. In case of the former, Sanjay Patel would be the most ideal candidate. The current secretary has remained a Srinivasan supporter all through the crisis. Though he doesn’t enjoy the support of Baroda Cricket Association’s managing committee, he is close to BCA chief Samarjit Gaekwad who has a very good rapport with the BJP.Administrative overhaulIf the BJP shoots down the proxy-president proposal, then Rajiv Shukla and Anurag Thakur – the two aspiring candidates – will try and pounce on the opportunity. Despite being from the Congress, the main opposition party, Shukla enjoys a healthy relationship with Jaitley, while Thakur is a BJP member of parliament. He is also the incumbent BCCI joint-secretary.The other two obvious candidates are Dalmiya and Mitra, with their eligibility from the East Zone. Dalmiya’s ill health is likely to go against him. If a non-East Zone member takes charge, then either Biswal or Chaudhary would emerge as front-runners for the secretary’s post.

Western Australia replied strongly with 2 for 169 after bowling out South Australia for 469 on the second day at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Michael Klinger carried his fine form from the last game, where he scored 190 and 51*•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaWestern Australia replied strongly with 2 for 169 after bowling out South Australia for 469 on the second day at Gliderol Stadium in Adelaide.After openers Marcus Harris (47) and Cameron Bancroft were dismissed by legspinner Adam Zampa, captain Adam Voges and Michael Klinger put on an unbroken stand of 93 runs.The two batsmen carried their form from the last match in Perth, against the same opponents, where both had scored a hundred each.Earlier, South Australia’s batsmen strung together some impressive scores, Trent Lawford and Zampa raising 73 runs for the eighth wicket after the home side resumed on 6 for 306.The innings folded soon, however, after Zampa’s dismissal, and Lawford remained unbeaten on 81 from 109 balls. Ashton Agar added two wickets to Monday’s tally to achieve his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Ottis Gibson has been appointed as England’s fast bowling coach for the forthcoming West Indies tour with the chance to push his credentials for the job fulltime ahead of the Ashes series against Australia this summer

David Hopps26-Mar-20153:05

‘Too much emphasis on the impact of coaches’ – Butcher

Ottis Gibson has been appointed as England’s fast-bowling coach for the forthcoming West Indies tour with the chance to push his credentials for the job full time ahead of the Ashes series against Australia this summer.Gibson fulfilled the role for nearly three years from 2007 before he was appointed as coach of West Indies. He left that job last August by mutual consent after guiding West Indies to a World Twenty20 crown in Sri Lanka but otherwise finding an overwhelming job to regenerate West Indies cricket a growing source of frustration.His knowledge of West Indian conditions will now be of particular benefit to England as they seek to rally morale ahead of the international summer.Failures in major competitions normally bring a desire for a fresh start, but England’s post-World Cup period has also been flavoured by comebacks. Jonathan Trott has been recalled to England’s squad for the first time since leaving the 2013-14 Ashes series with performance anxiety and the most celebrated comeback of all – that of Kevin Pietersen – remains a possibility.Gibson replaces David Saker, whose job was already in jeopardy before he indicated to the ECB that he intended to leave his post in September to take up a position as coach of the Melbourne Renegades Big Bash franchise – a coaching role with his home state he had long cherished.Saker was quickly informed that he was not required for next month’s three-Test tour of the Caribbean as England took the opportunity to bring Gibson back into the fold.He was reintroduced to the England set-up on England Lions’ recent tour of South Africa and also spent time at the England Performance Programme’s four-week training camp for fast bowlers – also in South Africa – before Christmas, working alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad among othersThe departure of Saker means that every senior member of the coaching setup has now departed since the 5-0 Ashes whitewash Down Under 14 months ago.England’s managing director, Paul Downton, said: “We are delighted to have secured a bowling coach of Ottis’ calibre as he is highly respected among the fast bowling fraternity and his knowledge and experience of local conditions will be invaluable in the Caribbean.”We must, however, stress that this is a short-term appointment at this stage. No decision has yet been made on a long-term replacement for David and we will need to review how we staff this position going forward following the conclusion of the West Indies tour. “