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Liam Hatcher and Nic Maddinson twice turned things around in the field for the Stars who were then left a tough six-over target

Andrew McGlashan16-Dec-2020Rain in Launceston meant the first abandoned game of the BBL season as the points were shared between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars.The Stars will probably have been the happier with that: having been set a demanding 76 in six overs in an adjusted chase, they had lost Marcus Stoinis lbw the ball before the rain returned to end the game.The Scorchers’ innings was halted at 17 overs and they had been hauled back by the Stars attack after a stand of 70 in five overs between Colin Munro and Ashton Turner and put then on track to push 200.Hatching a planSpeaking to the television coverage, Glenn Maxwell said he had hoped to use a lot of spin in the first half of the innings but he had to adjust things when Tom O’Connell – who would be subbed out at the 10-over mark in favour of Ben Dunk – and Clint Hinchliffe went for 32 between them in the space of two overs. Liam Hatcher was brought on before Maxwell really wanted, but made an immediate impression when he had Joe Clarke – who had sped to 34 off 16 balls after being missed on 9 – caught behind, then trapped Mitchell Marsh lbw first ball. However, replays showed the Marsh lbw was missing leg stump which reignited the lack-of-DRS-debate, with Adam Gilchrist being especially vocal on Twitter.Turning it onTurner averaged 12.28 from seven innings in last year’s BBL and has drifted well down the Australia reckoning but he remains a very fine middle-order limited-overs batman. In the space of seven balls against Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright he struck five sixes, with the latter’s over costing 23 and the Stars may have regretted subbing out a bowler in O’Connell. However, the innings was turned around by Nic Maddinson’s occasional left-arm spin as he had Turner caught behind off a pull – a juggling catch for Stars debutant Nicholas Pooran – and then Munro picked out deep midwicket. In between an over from Nathan Coulter-Nile cost just seven and when Billy Stanlake removed Aaron Hardie the innings was threatening to subside.Chase on, chase offAfter a lengthy delay the rain briefly cleared enough for a six-over chase which left plenty of people checking the playing conditions about what would happen to the Bash Boost (the answer was that the point was shared). In the end it didn’t matter: the weather only allowed seven balls, with the only real impact being on Stoinis’ average when he was beaten for pace by Jhye Richardson.

Batsmen slipped on marble floor outside dressing-room on way to training

George Dobell03-Feb-2021Zak Crawley has been ruled out of first two Tests against India with a wrist sprain.*Crawley, who was expected to bat at No. 3 in the England side, slipped outside the dressing room on Tuesday and, having fallen heavily on his right wrist, was unable to train on Wednesday.A statement from the ECB on Thursday morning said, “Scan results have confirmed that Crawley has jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation.”The Kent player sustained the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday when he slipped on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play.”The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks.”Joe Root, England’s captain, described the Crawley’s injury as a “real freak incident”, and added that steps had been taken to prevent further such accidents in the course of England’s stay.”It’s really frustrating, for Zak in particular,” Root said. “A real freak incident, and hard for him to take, especially off the back of trying to get as best prepared as possible for the series. And, of course, it means that we have to look at things from a selection point of view”We initially tried to put some towels down. And since then they’ve put something a bit more substantial down for us.”We know we’ve got to be careful, but it’s not something you first think about when you turn up to ground, trying not to slip over. It’s a real freak accident and hopefully that’ll be the last of it, and no one else can do the same thing.”Crawley’s unavailability will provoke a significant change of tactics from England. With Jonny Bairstow having returned to England for a period of rest outside the bio-bubble, there is not an ideal candidate for No. 3 within the squad.While Joe Root has considerable experience of batting at No. 3, he has made no secret of his preference for No. 4 and has recently demonstrated his suitability to the position. Ben Stokes and Dan Lawrence, who looked set to miss out with Ollie Pope returning, would be other options for the position.It could also be that England utilise the incident to squeeze another allrounder into their side. Both Moeen Ali, who scored two centuries on England’s most recent Test tour of India and has previously batted at No. 3, and Chris Woakes could slot into the side and offer both batting and bowling options.”Everything’s on the table in terms of selection,” Root added. “We’ll have to get to the ground, look at the conditions, look at the surface again, try and have real clarity get into the game.”We’ve got lots of brilliant players, and brilliant options to choose from. And we need to look at the balance of the side as well. They will all be things that we’ll discuss over the course of today and make sure that we’re really happy with the team that we take into the game.”*

The former Pakistan fast bowler replaces Abdul Razzaq

Umar Farooq12-Jan-2021Former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul has been named bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators ahead of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League. He will replace Abdul Razzaq, who had been with the franchise for last four seasons, but had to step down after the PCB’s Conflict of Interest policy which barred associations’ coaches from being involved in the league. This will be Gul’s first ever coaching role after retiring from all forms of cricket last year.Gul, 36, represented Pakistan in 47 Tests, 130 ODIs and 60 T20Is from 2003-16. He decided to quit cricket following after National T20 Cup last year, where he played for Balochistan. He retired as a modern great of Pakistan fast bowling, being a leading wicket-taker during Pakistan’s run to the 2007 World T20 final, and also the leading wicket-taker in the 2009 edition, when Pakistan won the trophy. He spent much of this time heading the world T20 rankings, with a reputation as one of the best yorker bowlers in the format. His career best, five for 6 against New Zealand at the World T20 in 2009 were, at the time, the best ever T20 bowling figures.”Gul will bring in a wealth of experience to our franchise,” franchise owner Nadeem Omar said in a statement. “He has had a tremendous T20 career and clearly a standout successor for us to replace Abdul Razzaq, who had an exceptional time with us over the years. His[Gul] knowledge of modern day cricket will surely help and support our young fast bowlers like Naseem Shah and Mohammad Husnain. I am very excited to have him on board and I have no doubt that he can offer a great deal to our bowling unit for the upcoming PSL season.”Razzaq joined Gladiators in the second edition and has since then been a part time coach at the franchise. But the stint ends with the PCB’s new policy that was bought last year in which coaches who are involved with the domestic circuit cannot sign in any capacity with the PSL franchise to avoid any conflict of interest. Razzaq is presently a head coach of one of the sixth associations – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and is an active member of the national selection committee.ESPNcricinfo had reported last year that the PCB had introduced a clear-cut code of ethics which was set to have a far-reaching effects on various employees. Its ramifications are meant to clamp down on coaches or selectors working in the system with dual jobs that could cause a potential conflict.The policy could have effected Gul’s appointment as he is also a member of the PCB’s cricket committee, but the PCB confirmed that this appointment didn’t fall foul of their code of ethics.

Wicketkeeper-batsman, who initially rejected contract extension, is awarded a Benefit Year

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2021Ben Cox has agreed terms to keep him at Worcestershire until the end of the 2023 County season.Cox initially rejected an offer to stay with the club beyond the 2021 season, but Worcestershire announced on Tuesday that he had agreed a two-year contract extension.Cox, who made his debut for Worcestershire as a 17-year-old schoolboy in 2009, has also been awarded a Benefit Year in 2021, recognising his “lengthy and outstanding service”, the club said.”This club means the world to me, being a Worcestershire boy, and it means a hell of a lot to commit for another three years to the club,” Cox told the Worcestershire website. “If you had asked me when I made my debut that you would have had a 15-year career, and the club had offered you a Benefit Year, I would have snapped your hand off.”I’m over the moon to get things sorted for another three years, and I will still have more to give at the end of this contract, which excites me in itself. Fitness is always something I hold a high regard too, so, as I get older, I don’t see that changing, and I just want to keep doing the best I can be every time I go onto the field.”Cox believed that the club had taken “a big step in the right direction” last year in finishing second in the Central group of the Bob Willis Trophy.”There are some excellent keepers in the country,” he added. “If I can finish my career and people are saying ‘he was pretty good’, that is how I want to leave it.”Ben Cox starred on Blast Finals Day in 2018•Getty Images

Cox reached 500 career dismissals last year, including including 343 in first-class cricket, and he has scored 4764 first-class runs. He played a pivotal role in Worcestershire Rapids’ 2018 Vitality Blast triumph with Man-of-the-Match performances in the semi-final and final at Edgbaston.Worcestershire CCC Chairman Fanos Hira said: “It is pleasing that Ben will be with us until at least 2023. He is an impressive, popular player who has performed at a high level as a wicketkeeper since making his debut as a local schoolboy. He has ability, ambition, desire and potential to improve further.”I’m delighted he has reflected on and accepted our contract extension. Members will be able to support him in his richly deserved Benefit Year during his contract. We wish him well.”

All the New South Wales bowlers played their part as Western Australia fell apart for 149

Andrew McGlashan at Bankstown Oval11-Apr-2021A century from Jack Edwards and a four-wicket haul from Sean Abbott carried New South Wales to the Marsh Cup title with a massive 102-run victory over Western Australia.On a surface where it was difficult to force the pace, 20-year-old Edwards played the defining innings with his second List A hundred having been recalled with New South Wales missing David Warner, Steven Smith and Moises Henriques at the IPL.He lifted the Blues from 3 for 50 in the 12th over, in a 118-run stand for the fourth wicket with Daniel Hughes, reaching his century from 117 balls.The Western Australia innings then fell away against Abbott while the rest of New South Wales’ international-standard attack played their part, especially Josh Hazlewood whose first eight overs cost just 17 runs.It was New South Wales’ 12th one-day title in the various forms the competition has taken and they will aim to secure both state competitions when they face Queensland for the Sheffield Shield from Thursday in Brisbane.They had made a brisk start after batting first with Matthew Gilkes going at better than a run-a-ball before being found short by Sam Whiteman’s excellent return from the deep.Kurtis Patterson, captaining in place of Pat Cummins, dragged on against Liam Guthrie to continue a lean season and when Jason Sangha was sharply held by Mitchell Marsh in his follow through the home side were tottering.Hughes, who made a century in final group match, had been given an early life when he was dropped at slip by Marsh off Cameron Green, whose barren time with the ball continued, and alongside Edwards set about restoring the innings at a sedate pace.The pair brought up their half-centuries in quick succession – Hughes from 92 balls and Edwards from 69 – but there was no major acceleration although Edwards did manage to clear cover with one of the shots of the day.After Hughes had been stumped off D’Arcy Short, Ollie Davies accompanied Edwards in another useful stand but was unable to score at his usual high tempo and took two blows – one on the helmet and the other in the box.Edwards went from 79 to his century in one and twos; on another day that approach may have come into question but the end result more than justified the means. After reaching his century he added his third six, a huge strike over the leg side, but late wickets meant the charge was muted.New South Wales did not have to wait long for their first wicket when Mitchell Starc pinned Sam Whiteman lbw in a nine-ball opening over that cost 11. The next nine overs produced just 20 runs as Hazlewood’s first four-over spell cost just six and Abbott struck in his first when Josh Philippe swiped across the line.Abbott was replaced after his opening over but then returned to have Mitchell Marsh caught at mid-off while Short could not get any momentum into his innings as he laboured 56 balls over 26 before being well caught by Abbott, back-tracking from mid-on to take a top edge off Nathan Lyon.Green and Josh Inglis tried to rebuild the way New South Wales had managed but after nine overs Inglis flicked Abbott to deep square leg who removed Ashton Turner, caught at midwicket, in his next over.With Green still there and a deep batting order full of internationals the chase remained just about within reach, but Ashton Agar was given out sweeping – much to his dismay as he lingered at the crease with replays suggesting it came off the arm – and then Green was run out to seal the contest.

CSK might want to replace Gaikwad with Uthappa, while Narine could get a look-in for KKR

Sreshth Shah20-Apr-20217:11

Where should Sam Curran bat? Should Kolkata play Narine?

Big picture

The Chennai Super Kings’ opening-game defeat and the Kolkata Knight Riders’ first-match win both seem so long back already – since then, their fortunes have headed in opposite directions.A long batting line-up together with a combination of swing bowlers and spinners have made the Super Kings early contenders for a playoff spot even though they are only three matches old at the moment. MS Dhoni’s own batting form has been far from great, but the other batters seem to have more clarity in how to maximise their scoring, with everyone is chipping in across various periods in different games.Deepak Chahar made the ball talk one night, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali did the same another night, and Sam Curran has been consistently tight with the new ball. It’s still early days, but the Super Kings are looking like the classic yellow team that always found a way to cross the line. They have two wins in three now and are favourites to make it three wins in four. The only major worry is the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has struggled in all three matches. Maybe it’s time for Robin Uthappa to have a go against his former IPL side.Related

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The Knight Riders, meanwhile, are just not getting enough from their batters. Shubman Gill has been breezy but hasn’t batted long enough. Barring the first game, it’s the same with Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi. Eoin Morgan is not pulling his weight as the experienced pro, Shakib Al Hasan is not scoring quickly enough, and Dinesh Karthik has struggled against spin. That has left too much for Andre Russell to do, and he has an average of 15.00 and a strike rate of 112.50 this season so far.Their bowling has been doing better than in the last season, taking more powerplay wickets and ending innings well (barring that one brilliant afternoon of batting from AB de Villiers). The jury is out: they need more from their batters if they are to avoid a hat-trick of defeats.It’s also going to be their first game in Mumbai in IPL 2021, so is there a case for Shakib to be dropped? Sunil Narine and Lockie Ferguson are frontrunners to grab that spot, depending on conditions. Harbhajan Singh, too, could be rested as the team moves away from Chennai. Either way, the Knight Riders will hope a new city brings in a change in fortunes.

In the news

Jason Behrendorff is not yet available for the Super Kings, as he continues to serve his quarantine. He was drafted into their squad after Josh Hazlewood had pulled out.Brendon McCullum revealed after the Knight Riders’ third game that Narine was supposed to start in their first game, but a niggle was the reason for Shakib getting the nod. There’s no formal update on the Narine situation.If fit, Sunil Narine might get back into the Knight Riders’ playing XI•BCCI

Likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Nitish Rana, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Shakib Al Hasan/Sunil Narine/Lockie Ferguson, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Harbhajan Singh/Shivam Mavi, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Prasidh KrishnaChennai Super Kings 1 Robin Uthappa/Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 9 Dwayne Bravo, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak Chahar

Strategy punt

• There’s a case for the Super Kings to open the bowling with Shardul Thakur – instead of the Chahar-Curran combination. Thakur has bowled to Gill in three T20 innings: in 16 balls, the bowler has dismissed the batter three times.
• Narine in the XI can work well for the Knight Riders. His weakness as a batter is facing short balls from express quick bowlers, and the Super Kings pacers are not the fastest. With the ball, Narine is very successful against the Super Kings batters too. In T20s, du Plessis’ strike rate against Narine is 62, Gaikwad’s is 80, Rayudu’s is 83, Dhoni’s is 45, and Jadeja’s is 102.

Stats that matter

• Russell has never hit an IPL six at the Wankhede Stadium and averages 8.20 there. That, however, is mainly because he has struggled against the usual home team at the venue, the Mumbai Indians.
• Since IPL 2020, Gaikwad has the lowest powerplay strike rate (84) of all batters (minimum fifty runs). Uthappa has the third-highest strike rate in the first six (142.5) in the same period, behind only Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.
• Since IPL 2019, the Super Kings have won 70% of their games when they have taken two powerplay wickets. The win-rate boosts up to 80% when they take three or more. Also, they have never lost a game when Curran has taken a powerplay wicket.
• du Plessis is one run away from becoming the sixth South Africa international to reach 6000 T20 runs. AB de Villiers, David Miller, Colin Ingram, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock are ahead of him.

New Zealander makes unbeaten 73 to put contest out of Leicestershire’s reach

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2021Lancashire 172 for 8 (Allen 73*, Griffiths 4-24) beat Leicestershire 156 for 5 (Steel 54*) by 16 runsLancashire Lightning’s New Zealand opener, Finn Allen, made an unbeaten 73 off 51 balls as his side made it two wins out of two in this year’s Vitality Blast with a 16-run victory over Leicestershire Foxes.Allen batted through his side’s innings of 172 for 8 and that total proved just too many for the visitors, who finished on 156 for 5 despite Scott Steel’s 54 not out.Having opted to bat first, Lancashire skipper Dane Vilas saw his openers, Allen and Liam Livingstone, score 31 runs off the first three overs but that healthy progress was ended by Gavin Griffiths, who dismissed Livingstone for 25 and Alex Davies for a golden duck with his first two balls.Griffiths completed a rare double-wicket maiden but Lancashire’s brisk run-rate was maintained by Jos Buttler, who made 22 off 16 balls before he was caught at long off by Ben Mike off Colin Ackermann.Related

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Vilas made 16 and Steven Croft included a straight six in his 21 but Griffiths returned to dismiss both Croft and Luke Wood and it was left to Allen to take Lancashire to a defendable total. He succeeded in this task, reaching his 50 off 41 balls and he celebrated his half-century with a straight six off the Afghan fast bowler Naveen ul Haq.Griffths was the most successful Foxes bowler, taking a career-best four for 22 but Ackermann returned his customary fine figures off 2 for 22.Needing to score at 8.65 runs per over, the Foxes took 47 runs off the first 4.3 overs before Josh Inglis was bowled for a 19-ball 34 when attempting to reverse-sweep Danny Lamb. Arron Lilley holed out at deep midwicket for four in Parkinson’s first over and the three Lancashire spinners began to control the game.Livingstone dismissed Ackermann and Tom Hartley’s superb figures off one for 18 included Lewis Hill’s wicket. The Foxes needed 73 off the last six overs but Steel and Rishi Patel maintained the pursuit, both batsmen taking sixes off Lamb’s third over.With 42 needed off three overs Patel hit Parkinson for a straight six before being caught at long on by Croft for a 17-ball 32 when he tried to repeat the shot. Steel and Patel’s 52-run partnership off 31 balls left the Foxes with a hope of scoring the 32 needed off the final two overs but Lancashire’s seamers held their nerve.

Seamer suggests ‘communication disappeared’ when Ed Smith was national selector

George Dobell17-May-2021Stuart Broad has suggested the “communication disappeared” when Ed Smith was national selector but insisted he would “understand” if he is left out of England’s Test side at any stage this summer.Broad took to Sky Sports to register his anger and disappointment after he was left out of England’s side for the first Test of last summer. He made his point even more eloquently on the pitch, being named England’s player of the series just a few weeks later.While Broad is adamant he would like to play all seven Tests in the English summer, he accepts it is not “realistic” to play every game and says he would “absolutely” understand if the team management decided to leave him out to “build experience into different players”.”Last year I was disgruntled because the selectors had said the first Test team of the summer will be our best team,” Broad said. “For someone who had been through the Ashes successfully, been through South Africa successfully and stayed fit, I felt it was my shirt. I felt I was in the best team. So to be told I suddenly wasn’t in the best team with my record in England, that’s what upset me.”Is it realistic I’m going to play every Test? No. But if the communication is done well then you understand the reasons for it. You understand why you might miss certain games to be fit for other games. That along with building experience into different players.”If I had a choice I’d want to play all seven Tests. Part of the reason I don’t play white ball cricket any more is so I’m fit and available for Test cricket and fresh when I’m needed. But if Chris Silverwood decides he needs to get experience into some players and have a look at a different line-up and it’s explained in a good way… absolutely, I would understand.”I pride myself on being available and ready. I’m bowling well, taking wickets for Notts and helping win games. I don’t think many could argue against Jimmy and I being in the best bowling attack in England, but if you need to get experience and overs into bowlers that is what it is.”It’s when the communication disappears; that’s when players can’t see reasons or see through it.”That complaint about communication would appear to be directed firmly towards Smith. While Broad rates Smith’s overall as “a success”, he admits their own relationship was strained.Related

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“You can say [Smith’s period as National Selector] was a success in the sense that the team won games and a World Cup,” Broad said. “And he brought some fine players through.”But from my point of view we struggled a bit on the communication side and probably saw the game of cricket slightly differently. A lot of people have bosses who don’t rate them as much as other people and I think he was mine. He probably didn’t rate me as much as other players. That’s fine but I kept trying to prove some selection decisions wrong.”I really disagreed with getting left out in Barbados [at the start of 2019]. It’s one of the best places to bowl as a tall fast bowler. And there are a few occasions where I have felt a bit disgruntled and didn’t have the clarity of communication that I would have liked. That Test I missed at the Ageas Bowl is the only English Test I’ve missed in what, 10 years? And that was through selection.”I am very open to being told things. You have a discussion face to face and then have a beer and move on. That’s how I like to do things. Maybe Ed and I didn’t have that sort of relationship. But he did a lot for bringing through some young cricketers and giving them exposure to the international scene. But he didn’t rate me overly highly and I just had to keep proving that view wrong.”Broad, now aged 34, is at what he terms “the sexy phase” of his career.”In Ryan Giggs’ last few years at Manchester United he wouldn’t play every game but he’d have a big impact at certain times,” Broad said. “I’m sure it was made very clear what his role was in the side. If that means that Jimmy Anderson and I get rested at certain times then that’s much easier to take.”I still want to be around to help and guide bowlers through the Test match. We’re all part of a unit wanting to get the team better and better. But if I had a choice I’d want to play all seven.Stuart Broad was coaching schoolchildren at Hague Primary School•Aron Klein

“It’s nice to be able to share my experience. Peter Moores calls it the sexy stage of your career: you know what you’re doing, you don’t have too many bad days because if you bowl a bad ball you know why you’ve bowled a bad ball. You’re also sharing all your information on how to be competitive, how to grab momentum, how to take a stride forward in a game.”I look at Jimmy aged 38. Three years ago I’d have thought no chance I’d get anywhere near that. Now I can sit here and think why not play and enjoy it? The ECB have looked after Jimmy really well in the last few years. Whenever he’s had a niggle or an injury they’ve rehabbed him back and given him the chance to play more cricket. Why wouldn’t I want the same opportunity? Keep enjoying it, keep learning and keep winning games for Notts and England.”But there’s a difference between being rested and dropped. I feel as though I’ve had a career of being dropped and others have had a career of being rested. If I can finish my career with the games I miss being through being rested rather than dropped then I’ll be a bit happier.”Lifebuoy are proud to partner with Chance to Shine, as part of their ambition to double the rate of handwashing in the UK. Stuart Broad was coaching schoolchildren at Hague Primary School, as a representative of the England Cricket team, of which Lifebuoy are also a partner.

Leicestershire’s 207 for 3 too much at Grace Road as run-chase falters

ECB Reporters' Network25-Jun-2021Lancastrians Arron Lilley and Callum Parkinson dealt North Group leaders Yorkshire Vikings a blow as Leicestershire Foxes won by 34 runs to chalk up a third successive Vitality Blast victory.Lilley just missed out on a maiden T20 hundred, but as the Foxes piled up 207 for 3, his 99 not out off 55 balls with four sixes was comfortably a career-best, while Parkinson took 4 for 35 with his left-arm spin.Lilley shared a stand of 90 for the third wicket with Foxes skipper Colin Ackermann (40) on a poor night for the Vikings with the ball and in the field.Chasing 208 to win, Gary Ballance and Harry Brook threatened briefly but after both fell in the 30s no other batter could pick up the pace and the Vikings were bowled out for 173 as Ben Mike took two wickets in the final over.Opting to bat, the Foxes lost Josh Inglis in making 63 for 1 in the Powerplay, the Australian out to a tame return catch off a Joe Root full toss. Soon after reaching halfway at 98 for 1, Leicestershire saw Scott Steel run out for 32 after a mix-up with Lilley, and Ackermann dropped without scoring in the same over, albeit a difficult chance in the air to bowler Dom Bess. Ackermann cashed in, hoisting Jordan Thompson over deep midwicket for six.Related

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Lilley, who reached fifty off 28 balls, cleared the rope off Matty Fisher, Matthew Waite twice, and clouted Root over long-on.Ackermann hit a Thompson full toss out of the ground over midwicket but was fortunate when he tried to do likewise to Lockie Ferguson, Thompson taking the catch but stepping over the rope. After a Fisher slower ball bowled Ackermann, Lilley was unlucky not to become the eighth Foxes centurion in T20, twice seeing lofted shots drop just short of the rope in the final over.Two wickets in three balls from Parkinson checked the Vikings’ early progress as Jonny Tattersall hit straight to point and Adam Lyth was leg before sweeping but 58 for 2 in the Powerplay looked competitive.Ballance was quickly striking the ball well but Parkinson struck another blow as Root hit a wide delivery to point to fall on 15 and after the Vikings reached halfway needing another 123 to win, Ballance chopped on to Steel’s off-spin for 34.George Hill holed out to deep midwicket and Thompson was bowled by Parkinson for a duck to leave 86 required from the last five overs, the Vikings’ hopes effectively disappearing as Brook swung but was caught and bowled by Gavin Griffiths.

Lamb claims List A-best 4 for 35 to limit visitors before scoring 92 to see hosts home at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2021Warwickshire 289 for 7 (Lamb 92) beat Somerset 287 for 8 (Goldsworth 79, Hildreth 72, Lamb 4-35) by three wicketsWarwickshire beat Somerset by three wickets in a thriller at Edgbaston to spoil the west country side’s hopes of qualification for the Royal London Cup knockout stage.The home side went into action with qualification already beyond them but their youngsters delivered an impressive victory driven by a powerhouse all-round display from Matt Lamb.Lamb’s List A-best bowling of 4 for 35 limited Somerset to 287 for 8 after a third-wicket stand of 118 between Lewis Goldsworthy (79) and James Hildreth (72) left them apparently heading for 300-plus.The 25-year-old then scored 92 off 103 balls as the Bears reached 289 for 7 with six balls to spare. At 108 for 4, they were on the back foot but Somerset’s qualification bid was then unpicked by stands of 77 between Lamb and Dan Mousley and 88 between Lamb and Jacob Bethwell.After choosing to bat, Somerset soon lost Sam Young to a sharp return catch by Tim Bresnan but Steven Davies (46) gave the innings early momentum before lifting Bethell to deep mid-wicket.Goldsworthy, in his eighth List A appearance, and Hildreth, in his 220th, dovetailed nicely to add 118 in 20 overs. Hildreth passed 50 in 52 balls and was accelerating dangerously when he hoisted Craig Miles to deep square.At 219 for 3 in the 40th over, Somerset looked set for 300-plus but, after Goldsworthy chipped Bethell to mid-wicket, the innings lost momentum. Lamb’s fiendish variations earned him his first List A wickets to continue a productive RLC for the 25-year-old who scored his maiden List A ton in the home win over Leicestershire.Josh Davey then inflicted early damage on Warwickshire’s reply with two wickets in the third over. Rob Yates sliced to point and Will Rhodes nicked a superb delivery to wicketkeeper Davies.Ed Pollock sped to 44 from 29 balls but Somerset skipper Green astutely kept the impressive Davey on and was rewarded when Pollock chipped to mid-wicket.Michael Burgess made a fluent 38 but then also perished to a catch at mid-wicket, off Ned Leonard. That was 108 for 4 but Lamb and Mousley added 77 in 15 overs and, after Mousley was bowled by George Drissell, Bethell settled immediately.Somerset’s young side fought valiantly and when Lamb and Bethell sent up catches with 12 still needed, the game was back in the balance but Brookes and Bresnan saw the Bears home with six balls to spare.