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Craig Overton has received an automatic two-match suspension after an ECB cricket discipline commission examined a ditsurbing disciplinary record which has brought three umpiring reports in a single season

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2015Craig Overton has received an automatic two-match suspension after an ECB cricket discipline commission examined a disturbing disciplinary record which has brought three umpiring reports in a single season.The suspension is a blow to Somerset, who are not yet safe from relegation, and will cause further concern about the on-field behaviour of Overton, who has been called up, along with his brother Jamie, for an England fast bowlers camp in South Africa in November.Overton was reported by umpires Alex Wharf and Ian Gould during Somerset’s LV= Championship match against Sussex this week for a Level One breach of the directives: using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or making an obscene gesture.He has now received a total of nine penalty points and is suspended from Somerset’s Championship match against Warwickshire on 22-25 September 2015 and also from the first match in the 2016 programme. Somerset meet Warwickshire at Taunton, and although they lie sixth they still need seven points to be assured of safety irrespective of other results.Overton had previously breached the fixed penalty directives on two occasions in 2015. The penalty for a further breach at Level 1 within 24 months is three penalty points. These penalty points will remain on his record for a period of two years.

R Ashwin troubled the top order, but Australia were rescued by their captain Michael Clarke and their debutant Moises Henriques, who shared a 151-run stand

The Report by Daniel Brettig22-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Clarke began his tour of India with a century in Chennai•BCCI

Not a single observer on the opening day of India’s series against Australia was surprised by the sight of Michael Clarke conjuring his side’s spinal innings. And not one of them would have been game to predict that Clarke’s partner for a rousing stand of 151, after some major early stutters on a parched pitch, would be the debutant Moises Henriques.Arriving at the wicket soon after lunch, his team floundering at 153 for 5, Henriques showed enormous composure and exemplary technique to construct a supporting innings in the company of his captain, fulfilling the potential first evident when he starred for Australia’s Under-19 World Cup team when only 16 years old a decade ago. Clarke’s century, which took him past Sir Donald Bradman on the nation’s list of Test aggregates, was less of a surprise but no less an achievement, his pacing and poise only briefly interrupted at a critical moment shortly before tea.India’s outstanding bowler R Ashwin appealed vehemently for a bat-pad catch, and replays showed a fat inside edge. Seldom have India cursed the lack of DRS given their opposition to its vagaries, but they were left to gnash their teeth this time. A wicket then would have opened up Australia’s tail to a ball that was reverse swinging and spinning. Instead Clarke and Henriques were not separated until the final half-hour, the allrounder missing a sweep at Ashwin before Ravindra Jadeja skidded one past Mitchell Starc.Clarke had showed rare glee at winning the toss on a surface more clay court than cricket pitch, and the visitors made a rapid start before stuttering twice. First when Ed Cowan’s intemperate charge down the wicket was followed by the swift exit of a vulnerable Phillip Hughes, and again when Shane Watson, David Warner and Matthew Wade fell swiftly after lunch.

Smart stats

• Michael Clarke’s hundred takes him to joint-second position on the list of Australian batsmen with the most centuries against India. Ricky Ponting is on top with eight centuries.

• Since the beginning of the series in South Africa in 2011, Clarke has scored 2136 runs in 18 Tests at an average of 82.15. His prolific run has included eight centuries (two away).

• Among Test captains who have played at least 20 matches, Clarke’s average of 72.57 is the second-highest after Don Bradman’s 101.51. In 37 innings as captain, Clarke has scored nine centuries and five half-centuries.

• Clarke’s average is his highest since the end of his sixth Test when he averaged 60.88. The century is his sixth against India and the third in last four Tests against India.

• R Ashwin picked up each of the first six wickets to fall on the first day. The five-wicket haul is his first against Australia and sixth overall. All six five-fors have come in home Tests.

• Chennai holds the record for the most five-fors picked up by spinners in the first innings in Tests since 1970. Galle is second, with seven five-fors.

• The century stand between Clarke and Moises Henriques is the third-highest stand for the sixth wicket for Australia in Tests in India. The highest sixth-wicket stand for Australia in India is 197 between Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden in Mumbai in 2001.

• Henriques’ 68 is the sixth-highest score by an Australian No. 7 batsman on Test debut. The highest is 108 by Greg Chappell against England in Perth in 1970.

Ashwin gained spin, dip and bounce while harvesting six wickets, but the rest tended to pitch too short and gave the Australians room to manoeuvre the ball around the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Ishant Sharma and the debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar appeared peripheral members of the attack; the omitted Pragyan Ojha can feel justly aggrieved.Cowan and Warner made a cheery start, swatting the ball around with ease against Kumar and Ishant. Warner was the scratchier of the two, having batted properly in the nets for only a few days before the match due to his rehab from a fractured thumb. Twice Ashwin beat Warner outside off stump, first drawing an edge that an incredulous Virender Sehwag contrived to spill at slip, then creating a difficult stumping chance that MS Dhoni failed to complete due to the bounce extracted.Meanwhile Cowan looked serene, so much so that he advanced to loft Harbhajan down the ground for only the second six of his 14-Test career. If that stroke showed how good Cowan was feeling, his next aggressive measure was to smack of misplaced comfort. Trying to belt another six, he was beaten by Ashwin’s greater drop and bounce, and failed to get back to his crease before Dhoni tipped the bails off. On the first morning of the series, it was hard to imagine a more wasteful exit.Unlike Cowan, Hughes had failed to make a decent score in the warm-up, and his indecisiveness was evident in a stay that featured plenty of shuffling and ended with a horrid, half-hearted cut at Ashwin that dragged the ball onto leg stump. Watson found the middle of the bat from his first ball, and with Warner had formed the foundation of a potentially handsome union by lunch.However the interval disrupted their rhythm, and moments after resumption Watson was pinned lbw on the crease by a quicker, straighter delivery that skidded. Warner fell in similar fashion, fooled by Ashwin’s change in trajectory and struck in front on the back foot when he might have leaned forward.Wade fought to get himself established but on 12 was too imprecise with placement of bat and pad and was ruled lbw to an offbreak that pitched on middle and straightened. After their rapid start Australia were sinking fast.Henriques walked to the middle in this dire scenario, but showed the good sense of a maturing cricketer, and the skills of one raised on Sydney’s often slow and turning pitches. He helped Clarke in manning the pumps, then setting a steady course, and was not unduly troubled despite the pitch’s tendency to offer the odd ball that jumped and fizzed or scuttled through low.Ashwin was absent for most of this phase, inconvenienced by a jammed finger. His return to the crease should have brought an instant wicket in the shadows of the tea break, as Clarke squeezed off bat and pad to short leg. But the umpire Kumar Dharmasena was deaf to the appeals. Clarke’s mastery of body language was apparent, too, holding the bat up and re-marking his guard as though nothing had happened.Aware of how the afternoon began, Clarke and Henriques did not dally after tea, jumping on India’s bowlers with intent. Their attack soon had Dhoni reverting to the timid captaincy and modest field placings he has become increasingly reliant upon in recent times, and the hosts’ bowling and fielding lost much of their earlier vim.Clarke appeared handicapped by a sore right shoulder at times, but was otherwise in control. Henriques, his confidence growing by the ball, did not look like getting out until he aimed a sweep at Ashwin in the 89th over of play, Marais Erasmus handing a line-ball verdict to the hosts. Starc’s swift exit provided a reminder of what may have unfolded had the tail been exposed earlier, but Clarke was still there at the close, going to his hundred with a lofted drive. With Henriques’ help, he had given Australia a chance.

ESPNcricinfo’s player-by-player coverage of the 2012 IPL auction in Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2012

The ECB is facing legal action to return around £2.2 million ($3 million) received from the disgraced financier Allen Stanford

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2011The ECB is facing legal action to return around £2.2 million (US$3 million) received from the disgraced financier Allen Stanford, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.Receivers acting for creditors of the collapsed Stanford empire are pursuing a number of sporting bodies which had dealings with Stanford.”There has been a running fear in the ECB that the receiver could come after them, and this could be the knock on the door they have been dreading for two years,” a source familiar with the Stanford deal told the newspaper.The ECB declined to comment on the issue but it is believed it took legal advice on the possibility of this situation occurring some time ago and was advised it was unlikely to have to pay the money back.The Stanford Super Series, which took place in October and November 2008, was a hugely embarrassing episode for the ECB, which was seeking a bargaining chip in the simmering dispute with its contracted players who were seeking a share of the new-found riches in IPL cricket.The original US$100 million deal was for five Stanford Super Series, featuring England and a Stanford Superstars XI, which culminated in a $20 million winner-takes-all final at Stanford’s private ground in Antigua. His subsequent arrest on fraud charges meant that only the first of those tournaments was played, in which England were humiliated by ten wickets.The ECB’s plans to host an annual quadrangular Twenty20 tournament at Lord’s featuring England, a Stanford XI and two international sides, were quietly shelved. Of the prize fund, US$13 million was split between Chris Gayle’s victorious Superstars team – money which could also attract the attention of the receivers – while the remaining US$7 million was split between the ECB and the West Indies Cricket Board.Stanford, who was last month deemed unfit to face trial in Texas on account of his addiction to anti-anxiety drugs, stands accused of fronting a US$7 billion “Ponzi” scheme, charges which he denies. Speaking at the time of his arrest, Rose Romero of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said: “We are alleging a fraud of shocking magnitude that has spread its tentacles throughout the world.”

Waqar Younis has been offered a contract by the PCB to coach the Pakistan side until December 2011

Osman Samiuddin27-Feb-2010Waqar Younis has been offered a contract by the PCB to coach the Pakistan side until December 2011. The former fast bowler, in Sydney currently, received the contract yesterday and is expected to sign it and send it back over the next few days, in the process becoming Pakistan’s fourth coach in three years.The PCB finally confirmed that they had made an offer to Waqar to coach the side. “I would like Waqar to join the Pakistan team,” Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, said at a press conference. “We are awaiting a reply as we have offered him to take over as our head coach.”It is believed that Waqar has some concerns over the contract that has been sent and will raise a couple of points with the board. There is likely to be further negotiation over the financial package and Waqar is also keen to have a clause which allows him to take stock of his role after the 2011 World Cup, a buffer of sorts against what is a generally a period of considerable administrative turbulence.Some of the targets set in the contract, about what the team needs to be achieving in that timescale might also be re-calibrated. None of them, however, are thought to be significant enough to derail his desire to be coach.Waqar will likely be working alongside former team-mate Ijaz Ahmed, who will be, according to Butt, the fielding coach for the side. Ijaz was in charge of the recent Under-19 Pakistan side that finished runners-up at the World Cup in New Zealand; as one of the best Pakistan fielders of his time he is expected to improve the lot of what must be among the world’s poorest fielding sides. Ijaz was with the side in Dubai as a batting and fielding trainer for the two Twenty20 internationals against England.The PCB has also spoken about their plans to engage foreign coaches for consultancy stints as and when needed on Pakistan’s tours, of which there will be a few given that they are not playing at home for some time. The idea sits well with Waqar.”I think that is good thinking and I would be happy with anything that works to better and improve the state of the national side,” Waqar told Cricinfo.Remarkably there is still no official announcement on the fate of Intikhab Alam, the man Waqar is replacing. Intikhab still has time to run on his contract; he was appointed for two years in October 2008. The board initially said that a decision would be taken on the coaching set-up only after an inquiry committee analyzing the Australia tour completed its work and made its recommendations. But they seem to have pre-empted themselves by contacting and now offering the position, without having – publicly at least – decided on the fate of Intikhab.

Both men were named to captain their sides but had to pull out due to illness and injury respectively

Ashish Pant28-Aug-2025Shubman Gill has missed the 2025-26 season-opening Duleep Trophy encounter against East Zone, which began on August 28 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Gill was named captain of the North Zone team, but it is learnt that an illness has forced him to miss the quarter-final. He is expected to be in Bengaluru later in the week before departing for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9 in Abu Dhabi. In his absence, Haryana top-order batter Ankit Kumar is captaining the North Zone side, while Services batter Shubham Rohilla has replaced Gill in the squad.Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who was named the Central Zone captain in their quarter-final against North East Zone, has also been ruled out after he complained of a groin niggle. Rajat Patidar, who was initially named the vice-captain, is now leading the side. Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav are all part of the Central XI facing North East.There was a setback for the East Zone side as well, with regular captain Abhimanyu Easwaran ruled out due to fever. Allrounder Riyan Parag is leading East Zone in the Duleep Trophy opener.Gill had a sensational tour of England in his maiden series as captain, where he amassed 754 runs in five Tests at 75.40. He has also been named vice-captain of the Indian T20I side for the Asia Cup.Apart from Gill, there are two more Asia Cup-bound members in the North Zone side: Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, who will be in action with the ball later in the game.The two semi-finals will be played at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence ground from September 4, while the final will be staged from September 11 at the same venue.

Delmi Tucker and Chloe Tryon made battling half-centuries to ensure the home side had to work hard

Tristan Lavalette17-Feb-2024Australia’s versatile and talented attack overcame a resolute South Africa mustering belated fight to complete a comprehensive Test victory at the WACA late on day three.Having been pushed in tight T20I and ODI series victories, Australia’s experience in red-ball cricket came to the fore as they clinched the inaugural multi-series between the teams 12-4.Australia’s attack were made to work against gritty batting on a surface that flattened out as the match wore on, but their bowling depth shone with six bowlers taking wickets in South Africa’s second innings of 215.Related

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Captain Alyssa Healy was forced to unfurl her deep attack with eight bowlers used, including allrounder Annabel Sutherland who finished with five wickets for the match to go along with her historic double century.Debutant Delmi Tucker and Chloe Tryon helped stretch the match longer than expected with maiden Test half-centuries as South Africa salvaged some respectability after a torrid initiation into Test cricket against Australia.Tucker, Tryon and debutant Tazmin Brits faced more than 100 deliveries each as South Africa lasted 97.2 overs in a considerable improvement on their meek first innings of 31.2 overs.After being routed for 76 on day one, their lowest ever Test score, South Africa had been in danger of humiliatingly losing within two days when they crashed to 13 for 3.South Africa resumed their second innings at 67 for 3 with Brits and Tucker hoping to continue their rearguard after defying Australia late on day two with a half-century stand.In warm conditions, Brits looked tentative as Australia’s seamers targeted a dangerous length outside off-stump. Darcie Brown’s extra pace proved a handful and she was unlucky not to take a wicket when Brits edged just in front of second slip.She also had Tucker top-edging over wicketkeeper Healy, but the batters settled on a sun-baked surface offering little movement. They put away rare loose deliveries and were untroubled by short deliveries coming off the wicket relatively slowly compared to earlier in the match.Tucker had a couple of anxious moments as she neared her half-century, including miss-hitting a pull shot off Ellyse Perry that narrowly was out of reach of Alana King running back from square leg.Chloe Tryon brought up an excellent fifty•Getty Images

But Tucker regained her composure and notched her half-century on the very next delivery. Healy resisted using her three frontline spinners and she was rewarded with her faith in the seamers when Perry ended the 96-run partnership after Brits edged low to second slip where replays confirmed that Phoebe Litchfield had her fingers under the ball.But Australia were again made to wait as Tryon showcased a mix of power and finesse to continually hit through the off-side as Healy finally reverted to spin.It almost paid off immediately when Sophie Molineux, playing her first international since late 2021, had Tryon inside edging onto her pad only for Healy to drop a tough chance moments before lunch.Ashleigh Gardner and King, who received warm applause on her home ground when she entered the attack in the 42nd over of the day’s play, bowled well in tandem after lunch and found turn and bounce. They shackled Tryon with four fielders around the bat as runs crawled to a halt.The pressure built on Tucker, who was undone by extra bounce as she chipped a return catch that was well taken by Gardner. She trudged off in disappointment, but earned a strong ovation from the crowd after making 64 off 180 balls in four hours at the crease.King was denied a first wicket of the match when Mooney dropped a straightforward catch at slip to reprieve Tryon, who capitalised to notch her half-century soon after.But an Australia victory was always just a matter of time as Sutherland capped a memorable match by clean bowling Tryon with hometown hero King claiming the final wicket to punctuate Test cricket’s return to the WACA.

The legspinner will make his first first-class appearance since 2019 if selected against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2022Adam Zampa is in line to make his first Sheffield Shield appearance since 2019 and have a chance to push a claim for a spot on the Test tour of India after being named in New South Wales’ squad to face Victoria in Melbourne.Zampa has not played first-class cricket since moving back to New South Wales two years ago but a window has opened up for him to feature in one game before the Shield breaks for the BBL.There is a chance that he will be considered as a left-field option for the Test series in India during February and March, although he will only have the one game to showcase his long-form skills.”My dream is still to play Test cricket,” Zampa told before the third ODI against England in Melbourne last week. “I feel like my game’s evolved over the last few years, it’s just about the workload and seeing how my body will cope. I’d love to throw my hat in the ring [for the India tour].”Zampa’s overall first-class record is modest with 105 wickets at 48.26 from 38 matches, the last of which came for South Australia against Western Australia in late 2019. He made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 2012, taking five wickets in the match against Queensland.Mitchell Swepson has been Australia’s legspinner on their last two overseas tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, so far taking 10 wickets at 45.80 in four outings.”It’s rare that Adam is available for Sheffield Shield, given his taxing white ball schedule but he has this week free and has always maintained his desire to play red-ball cricket,” New South Wales’ head of male cricket Michael Klinger said. “For us to be able to bring in a player of his calibre and experience is a welcome one.”Offspinner Todd Murphy and left-armer Ashton Agar, who both played for the Prime Minister’s XI against West Indies in Canberra, are also in the frame. Agar would have played the Tests in Sri Lanka if he had not suffered a side strain

Veteran allrounder becomes first Englishman to 250 wickets and 5000 runs in T20

ECB Reporters' Network18-Jun-2021Veteran allrounder Samit Patel took the starring role as Nottinghamshire Outlaws beat Derbyshire by two runs to go second in the North Group after a Vitality Blast match shortened by rain to 15 overs a side.The 36-year-old hit three sixes and six fours in an unbeaten 62 – his first half-century in the format for three years in his 110th consecutive appearance – and in taking 2 for 14 from three overs of his left-arm spin entered the record books as the first English player to complete the double of 250 wickets and 5000 runs in Twenty20 cricket.Luis Reece hit 56 from 26 balls and Leus Du Plooy an unbeaten 58 including a six off the last ball but Derbyshire fell two runs short of their target of 153.Ben Duckett supported Patel with 38 off 25 balls as the Outlaws totalled 152 for 6, the wickets shared equally between seamers Logan van Beek and George Scrimshaw.Asked to bat first, the Outlaws lost top-scorers Alex Hales and Joe Clarke in the opening over, Hales leg before for a duck after van Beek’s opening delivery was called wide, Clarke well caught by Billy Godleman on the run from mid-off.Debutant Sol Budinger confidently cut his first ball for four off Conor McKerr but was dropped at mid-off in the same over and miscued van Beek to be caught by the wicketkeeper in the next.The Outlaws were restricted to 40 for 3 from a 4.3 over Powerplay before Scrimshaw removed Tom Moores. Duckett pulled Reece for the first six of the night but fell when Scrimshaw found some extra bounce and had him caught at backward point. Scrimshaw claimed his third wicket as Mullaney holed out to midwicket but Patel lifted Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Matt Critchley’s legspin over the rope in a 23-ball half-century and did the same to McKerr.Derbyshire were 19 without loss after an untidy first over by spinner Matt Carter. They were checked by Jake Ball taking wickets with his first two balls as Harry Came looped to deep gully and Godleman hit straight to mid-off but Reece hit Luke Fletcher for 18 and there were sixes for both Reece and du Plooy in Ball’s second over as Derbyshire posted 61 for 2 in the powerplay.Reece fell when he picked out Hales on the long-on boundary before Patel took his place in the record books by pinning Critchley leg before as the left-arm spinner teamed up with skipper Mullaney in stemming the flow of runs, Patel bowling Hudson-Prentice, before holding a tricky catch as Carter dismissed Brooke Guest.du Plooy hit three sixes to take the Falcons close but ultimately not close enough.

Board president Ganguly reasons allrounder in contention for home ODI series against South Africa

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Mar-2020The BCCI has told the Saurahstra Cricket Association (SCA) that it cannot permit the latter’s request to release Ravindra Jadeja for the Ranji Trophy final next week because the allrounder is in “contention” to be selected for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which will be played between March 12 to 18. The Ranji Trophy final will, meanwhile, take place in Jadeja’s home town Rajkot between March 9 to 13.The SCA request was sent immediately after Saurashtra beat Gujarat in the semifinals on March 4, the fifth day of the match. The request, which was signed by former Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah, the SCA president, was sent to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.”It is a proud moment for us. So we just sent a request,” Shah told ESPNcricinfo. “It is an important match for us. It is the final.”Ganguly replied promptly. “I congratulate you and the Saurashtra Cricket Association for reaching the final,” Ganguly is understood to have said his response over the e-mail. “Ravindra Jadeja only can be released if he is not part of the Indian team of upcoming series. And currently there are players from both Bengal and Saurashtra who are in contention for selection to the Indian team. The priority will be always given to Indian team.”This is not the first occasion when the SCA had requested players to be released for Ranji Trophy duties. In 2013, too, Saurashtra had made the Ranji final, and were playing against Mumbai, but that match clashed with India’s home ODI series against England. The Ranji final was scheduled from January 26, while the final game of the five-match ODI series was being played in Dharamshala on January 27. Two Saurashtra players – Cheteshwar Pujara and Jadeja – were part of the Indian squad. The SCA had put in a special request to release both, but the BCCI turned down that request even as Jadeja played the final ODI and Pujara sat on the bench.Shah said Ganguly was “very right” and the SCA wanted to just put in the request because of the importance of the occasion. But Shah pointed out that the BCCI ought to pay attention to keeping a free window for the Ranji finals, so that if the Indian players were free they could participate.”If you want domestic cricket popular you need big players to feature in the match. We have requested in the past, too, saying if the player is resting on the bench then he should be released.”Earlier Shah had told the that the BCCI should consider not playing any international cricket during Ranji Trophy. “Will BCCI keep an international match during IPL? No, because it gives money. Ranji Trophy can only be popularised if star players play at least in the finals. Don’t keep any international cricket during finals, have a proper window.”Like Jadeja, Mohammed Shami is also expected to be a part of the India ODI squad – he suffered an external injury in the last Test in New Zealand – and will not be a part of the Bengal line-up, but Test specialists Pujara (Saurashtra) and Wriddhiman Saha (Bengal) are available for selection.