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ESPNcricinfo rates the England players involved in the Ashes series

George Dobell24-Aug-2015

9

Stuart Broad
Has he ever bowled better? While Broad’s career has been littered with brilliant spells, it is perhaps not since the UAE tour at the start of 2012 since he has bowled with the consistent excellence he demonstrated in this series. Pitching the ball noticeably fuller – apart from at The Oval where he slipped back into old habits – he gained movement in the air and off the seam and probed just outside off stump. Even at Lord’s, where he was confronted with a surface offering him little, he demanded respect and picked up extravagant rewards in ‘that’ spell at Trent Bridge. He averaged almost 20 with the bat, too, and with Moeen contributed the most runs of any England partnership throughout the series.

8.5

Joe Root
It is hardly surprising Root has developed a bad back: he has been carrying England’s batting from several months. England’s only centurion in the series and the top scorer in all three first innings of the Tests they won, Root has flourished despite routinely coming to the crease with his side in trouble and on a couple of tricky surfaces. His strike-rate – 67.08 runs per 100 balls – reflects his fluency and aggression and if there were times – such as his second innings dismissal hooking at The Oval – when it was clear he would have benefited from a slightly more conservative approach, that is only to be expected from a 24-year-old. Recently promoted to No. 4, he is already a fine player and there is no reason why he shouldn’t continue to improve. He also took some eight catches – only the wicketkeepers on either side took more – some of which were brilliant and claimed four wickets. It might have been a very different story if Brad Haddin had taken that chance at Cardiff, though.Steven Finn made a high significant comeback•Getty Images

7

Moeen Ali
Finished the series as England’s second highest wicket-taker (12 wickets is more than Ashley Giles took in 2005 and only two fewer than Graeme Swann in 2009) and third-highest in their batting averages. Indeed, an England No. 8 has never previously made 250 runs in a series as Moeen managed here. While he did not always completely convince with the ball – he conceded almost four-and-a-half runs an over – he just about held it together in the face of Australia’s attempts to attack him and produced two match-shaping innings with the bat despite often having to bat with tailenders. Nobody is claiming he is the best spinner England have ever had, but the package of skills he offers played a decent part in England winning the Ashes.Steven Finn
While Finn was unable to quite sustain the standard he set on his remarkable comeback at Edgbaston – where he claimed eight wickets in the match and six in the second innings – he still finished the series with the best strike-rate of any bowler on either side with more than 10 victims. A newly acquired ability to swing the ball added another string to his bow and, if there were moments when he struggled to find his rhythm at Trent Bridge and The Oval, there had also been moments when he bowled in excess of 90mph and looked back to something approaching his best. Either way, from the low points of the last couple of years, this was a hugely encouraging return.

6

James Anderson
Wicketless at Lord’s and absent for almost half the series (he missed the final two Tests and most of the second innings at Edgbaston), Anderson had to be content with a supporting role in what was almost certainly his final Ashes series. While his six wickets at Edgbaston played a huge role in that victory, he looked worryingly innocuous on a flat track at Lord’s. Might it be the years – and all the overs – are beginning to catch up with him? In typical English conditions he can still be lethal, but he seems unable to deliver the excellent spells quite as often as he once could in less helpful conditions. This could prove a tough winter.Ben Stokes
He produced one brilliant spell of bowling, probably the best catch of the series and two decent innings, but this was only a partially satisfying campaign for Stokes. While he showed his character, class and potential with the bat in the first two Tests of the series, he also showed some naivety with his dismissals at The Oval. With the ball he suffered more than most from dropped chances over the first few games and showed an ability to swing it both ways while cutting through Australia at Trent Bridge. The stats do not yet reflect his worth, but England’s ability to field a man capable of contributing match-defining performances with bat and ball should help balance the side for much of the next decade.Alastair Cook
It is telling that Cook’s two best innings – and his only half-centuries – came in backs-to-the-wall fights to avoid defeats. Such situations bring the best out of him. They play to his strengths. At other times, he has sought to spread his wings a little more than is wise – think of his dismissals at Cardiff – and failed to provide the solid platform England required to protect their fragile middle-order. Cook caught well and impressed most onlookers with his improved captaincy. But as a batsman – still his primary role in the team – he disappointed with a series average of 36.66. England will need a great deal more from him if they are to succeed in the UAE or South Africa.Gary Ballance: don’t forget his Cardiff innings•AFP

5.5

Mark Wood
At his best, bowling with pace and generating swing, Wood looks every inch a Test bowler. In this series, though, Wood was probably only at his best at Cardiff. A slightly lacklustre display at Lord’s was followed by being rested and then a modest return for the final couple of games. With doubts remaining over his resilience for back-to-back Tests, in particular, the England management will surely need to use him sparingly if they are to benefit from the best of his undoubted ability. Because, at his very best, he can make a real difference. He can bat, too, and ended the series averaging more than four men who had batted in his side’s top six.

4.5

Gary Ballance
In retrospect, Ballance could well feel a little aggrieved at being dropped after Lord’s. One of his four innings – the first in Cardiff – helped shape the game (he posted 153 for the fourth wicket with Joe Root after coming together with the score 43 for 3) while only one man in England’s top five scored more runs in the match at Lord’s. Still, he had not always convinced against New Zealand, did look uncomfortable against the short ball and was criticised – perhaps unfairly – after he appeared to be stuck in the crease by a swinging Mitchell Johnson delivery that bowled him at Lord’s. He will surely return to be given another chance to show that his technique – while unusual – can work at this level and it would be a surprise if he did not return to the team – perhaps at No. 5 – in the UAE.Jonny Bairstow
Forcing his way into the side due to some prolific form in county cricket, Bairstow made a lively 74 against a somewhat dispirited Australia at Trent Bridge. His struggle in the second innings at The Oval – against both Johnson and Nathan Lyon – was painful to watch, though, and he may struggle to retain his place in the XI for the first Test in the UAE. With Jos Buttler struggling, however, he also has an opportunity to gain a spot as keeper at some stage.

4

Ian Bell
Beautiful and infuriating in equal measure, Bell had the sort of Ashes that polarises views upon his future in the side. His supporters would point out that, in a low-scoring summer, he contributed three half-centuries in nine innings and, when promoted to No. 3, was the highest run-scorer in the match in tricky conditions at Edgbaston. His critics would counter that, as an experienced batsman in a young side, more was required than a top-score of 65 not out and an average of 26.87. Certainly his form has been disappointing for one so richly talented – at one stage his century in Antigua was his only score above 30 in 11 Test innings – and many of the old criticisms of his ability to perform under pressure have returned. Chances of retirement, despite his post-Oval comments about “taking stock”, have receded and it would be a huge surprise if he was not in the UAE.

3

Jos Buttler
Buttler admitted he had endured “a really poor series” and is hard to disagree. While his keeping continues to improve – he took a couple of outstanding catches standing back in the series and one very good one down the leg side standing up at The Oval – he is still learning his trade as a first-class batsman. Naturally a dasher, it seems he is trying to force himself into being a more traditional grafter without the technique or temperament to match. While he battled hard in reaching his highest innings of the series at The Oval, the manner of his dismissal – driving on the up to extra cover with rain clouds approaching – was hideous.

2

Adam Lyth
England batsmen of an earlier age could only envy the opportunities given to Lyth this series. But to play all five Tests, never reach 40 and average just 12.77 is a poor reward for such faith. Among openers to have batted eight times in an Ashes series, only Graham Gooch – who averaged – 12.12 in 1981 – has averaged lower. Lyth struggled to judge which balls to leave or play and, losing confidence with his defence, three times was drawn into unnecessary aggressive strokes that led to his wicket. He is a far better player than he has shown here and has, aged 27, time to come again. But it would be a surprise if he makes the squad to the UAE.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2015Rahane led the way for India, making his maiden Test century at home•BCCIHe was dismissed by Imran Tahir for 127 but R Ashwin brought up his sixth Test fifty and pushed the hosts ahead•BCCIKyle Abbott, however, bowled India out for 334 soon after lunch•Associated PressRavindra Jadeja then struck thrice in five overs to leave South Africa tottering at 62 for 4•BCCIAB de Villiers showed everyone that the Delhi pitch had no demons in it, with a fluent 42•Associated PressThe rest of the line-up could not measure up though, as six single-digit scores suggest•BCCIJadeja picked up a five-for and Ashwin chipped in with two wickets to bowl South Africa out for 121•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2016He added 57 for the opening wicket in the company of Kane Williamson•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan, however, clawed their way back with two quick wickets•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand were dealt another blow when Ross Taylor retired hurt for 6•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesCorey Anderson, though, launched a counterattack that featured six fours and four sixes•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesGrant Elliott provided him support in an 80-run stand for the fourth wicket before getting run out in the 18th over•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesAnderson remained unbeaten on 82 off 42 balls to propel the hosts to 196 for 5•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan made the worst possible start to their big chase when Mohammad Hafeez was dismissed in the second over•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesWickets continued to tumble freely, as the visitors struggled to muster even a single meaningful stand•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesAnderson followed up his blazing half-century with the key wickets of Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik, as New Zealand eventually wrapped up the match and series by 95 runs•Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

Two impassioned screams for lbw, neither of them given, told the story of an Afghanistan side who are so close to winning, but just can’t get over the line

Jarrod Kimber23-Mar-20161:41

Match Day: Nabi showed cricket IQ

The ball hit Ben Stokes’ pad, and eight of them screamed, like this mattered to them more than anything else. All demanding, pleading, appealing, for an lbw where the ball wasn’t in the same post code as the stumps. None of them need much proof. They always appeal like it is the most out dismissal they have ever seen. No matter what their view of it, they know it is out.The umpire disagrees.Mohammad Nabi will not get his hat trick.The ball hit Moeen Ali’s pad, and this time only two of them screamed for the wicket. Screamed like everything they had worked for, everything they wanted, was on the line. Like this mattered more to them than anything else.Again, the umpire disagrees.Shapoor Zadran will not get his wicket. Afghanistan will not win the match.There are some who talk of the Afghan players like they are magical pixie fairy elves, sent from some far-off land to cheer up cricket and provide good-natured mirth. They mention that they are refugees, from a war-torn nation, outside the British Empire, who have somehow turned up in cricket tournaments.It is a disservice to them as cricketers. As professional cricketers. Afghanistan are not here because they have some magic cricket gene, they are here because they work hard, train hard, and they have been given a great deal of funding.USAID helped build Kabul Cricket Stadium. They brought in cricket gear for schools and cricket clubs. They constructed pitches throughout the country. They helped with training. They supported Salam Watander radio network’s attempts to broadcast Afhgan away games.From 2010 until 2014 two USAID programmes spent or programmed $2,287,934 on cricket. It wasn’t just the Americans either, the Indian and German governments also invested heavily in Afghan cricket.That also doesn’t count the tough club cricket in Pakistan, the support from the ICC, the fact that they have become the trendy associate to play, that they were one of the few countries outside the big three to see extra money after the ICC takeover and that as they keep qualifying for major events they keep receiving extra funding. All of this is making them stronger. Making them better.These are professional cricketers, doing a job, playing for a country that demands they win. The money might be smaller, but the stakes are often higher.For five overs, England did what you would expect to an associate qualifier, even a good one. They handled their good balls, dispatched the bad ones, executed their skillsets, as they say. Jason Roy got one that skidded through him. But James Vince drove the ball so fast the grass looked like ice. Joe Root started scoring by putting big Shapoor into the crowd. His next scoring shot was a reverse lap sweep. Vince twice gave himself room and crashed Amir Hamza through the covers and England were 41 for 1 after five.

Nabi is no longer Afghanistan captain. That seems bizarre, as everything about him, with bat, or ball, screams leader

One of the world’s best batsmen was at the crease, the ball was skidding onto the bat, the base had been set, and the run rate was at 8.2 an over. We know what happens from there. It didn’t.Nabi is no longer Afghanistan captain. That seems bizarre, as everything about him, with bat, or ball, screams leader. Even at bad times, he still takes over the team. But when his batting dipped after the World Cup last year, he stepped aside.This World T20 it his bowling that has been amazing. To watch him come in, you are watching what surely must be a part-timer. His action screams “I bowl a bit of offspin”. It’s part-time 101, he comes in slowly, he turns his front shoulder too early, he doesn’t have a powerful rotation through the crease and he’s known as a batsman. But the ball does come out of his hand well. He does spin it, it does get drop, it isn’t as friendly as he makes it look.But even then his accuracy is only ok. He can drop short, does bowl wide, and sometimes the ball gets away from him. He does have a good straight ball. But mostly, he’s super canny. He thinks like a batsman, and works them out at the crease. That coupled with a part-timer’s action means many a batsman slips up.When Vince backed away to give himself room, Nabi didn’t panic, fire down a quick ball, he didn’t go wide of off stump either, he just drifted up a slow turner straight at Vince. It bamboozled Vince so much that somehow Vince was beaten the way you are outside off stump by a ball outside leg stump. The next ball, still in a daze, Vince was out caught and bowled.The following ball, Eoin Morgan received one of Nabi’s straight ones, but he played for the one that turned.Then there was a Root run out chance. In his haste to get back to the stumps, he knocked off the bails. But he had still had the ability to take the ball cleanly, and pick up the stump with the ball touching it. In four balls, Nabi had broken the partnership, bowled the captain and run out the star player.Afghanistan had gone from out the game, to in front of it. Nabi was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. Both things were pretty unlikely, and pretty amazing.Ben Stokes falls in a heap after failing to pull a slow trundler•Associated PressWith England suddenly looking like it was all a bit much for them, Afghanistan had the opportunity with their four spinners to really go for them. They didn’t. As soon as Nabi’s over finished, the sixth of the match, Afghanistan instantly retreated into after-Powerplay mode. Sami Shenwari, one of their best bowlers this tournament, started against two new batsman, with his team well on top, with no attacking fielders and only the four fielders inside the circle. Nabi continued at the other end, with a slip for a few balls, before his field spread as well.But still England managed to find the few fielders around them. Jos Buttler hit Sami straight to cover. Then Stokes fell over – bowling himself off a short one.Still Afghanistan didn’t push. They took their six wickets as a victory, and let England just find singles. Had it not been for another mistake from England when Chris Jordan found the leading edge, they would have quite happily just let England drift.The problem came when England finished tripping over themselves.Eventually England just found the gaps, and forgot the wickets. Top teams, with all their experience, will, if given enough chances, get it right. It may have looked to Afghanistan that they were still on top, but England were in a position to take control. One more wicket could change that.You only need to see Shapoor bowl once to be hooked. Of all the Afghan bowlers, none is more Pakistan ’90s than Shapoor. There are times when he seems to run faster than he bowls, but he does it with such pomp and swagger, his mane flying around behind him, that he almost convinces batsmen he is as fast as he once was. Afghanistan have three fast bowlers, their first hero Hamid Hassan and the silky Dawlat Zadran.In Australia they formed a trio, but Shapoor has been the man to miss out here. But the others haven’t been firing. Hassan has been bowling as if his hamstrings are made of peanut brittle, and Dawlat has struggled for consistency. So Shapoor was back, the big prancing show horse just about past his best came galloping in like a 1980s rock god and bowled to Moeen Ali.The ball wasn’t seam up, it wobbled about everywhere, but landed on a length just outside off stump, and came back in to slap into Moeen’s pad as he tried to work it on the leg side. The ball flew out on the off side. Ramiz Raja, on TV, said it would miss the stumps. Our ball by ball said “missing leg-stump”. The umpire didn’t even really look at it seriously. The match continued as England took a run.Later the DRS would show the ball hitting the stumps. Had it been possible to refer it, it would have been out. England would have been 102 for 8. But there was no DRS, Afghanistan had to finish the innings out, the final 16 balls with Moeen still there.Shapoor finished his over well. Next up was left-arm spinner Amir Hamza. He had started well, even as England had gone after him in the powerplay. Hamza is not one of the Afghan players who grew up in a Pakistan refugee camp, he has learnt his cricket in Afghanistan, and is a product of their system. His left-arm spin does not turn massively, but he is clever, changes the pace well, and has a great temperament.He had six balls to get through. A good over and his team was still on top. A great over and England were all but gone.

Inzi rubbed his beard. The other players just looked like they had been beaten. Like all their hope was gone

His team-mates in the dugout all brimmed with nervous energy. Moeen had enough and was clearly coming after him. The first ball was saved from a boundary because of great fielding, fielding they are not known for. No one could save the next ball, it was slog swept into the crowd. Hamza was always going to bowl a quicker ball straight away, Moeen knew it, and bashed it down the ground to the fence. Hamza fought back and had a decent shout for lbw, but all that did was bring Willey on strike. Nabi came over, whatever he said didn’t work, two sixes followed.The Afghan dug out went dead quiet. Everyone stared straight ahead. There was no energy, nervous or otherwise. Inzi rubbed his beard. The other players just looked like they had been beaten. Like all their hope was gone.The little hope when they went out to bat was in the hands of Mohammad Shahzad, everyone’s new favourite cricketer. A rotund rebel with the bat who plays the game as if it is to be enjoyed. Shahzad edged his first ball for four, he was unsure about his next one, and for the third he was hobbling off the ground with a bruise on his right leg and a plumb lbw.Noor Ali was the only other batsman who looked like he could handle the English pace bowlers. When he was out, he stood at the crease for such a long time with a face as broken as the dugout had been at the end of Hamza’s over.At the end it was Shafiqullah. Twenty-four off the last over was always going to be too much, but he made sure they batted out, and finished with a slow slash through the covers.The Afghan team were crushed. Not for the first time, not even the second, but for the third time this week they had been in a position to beat a big team, but they have lost all of them. Against Sri Lanka it was sloppiness, against South Africa it was their bowling and here against England it was one over. Just one.They know they are close, they don’t want our sympathy, they don’t want to be our second favourite team, they don’t want patronising, they want to win. And they are so close.When that ball hit Moeen, Shapoor went down onto his knees. Both his arms were straight out at the umpire. His hair flopped all over his head. His eyes were wild with passion, desire, hope. Behind him Mohammad Shahzad jumped into the splits position and appealed with all he had as well. They both screamed, pleaded, like they both knew, that this ball was it. They are professional cricketers; they know how to read a game. If they got that one wicket, right then, maybe they could keep England down to a total they could get.That next over, that over, went for 25. Afghanistan lost by 15. The over that will haunt Hamza for a long time, his team-mates will replay it in their minds for years to come. That will make them train harder, that will inspire them to get better. That damn over. Those damn lbws.They knew how much that over cost them. They knew how much that wicket could have helped. They know how close they are. They know how much they want it.

The return of James Anderson and Ben Stokes will give England a boost as they look to level the series at Old Trafford

George Dobell at Old Trafford20-Jul-2016The reaction to defeat at Lord’s speaks volumes for the febrile atmosphere in English cricket at present.With a couple of newspapers calling for the selectors to be sacked, you would think defeat at Lord’s, or defeat against Pakistan, was an unprecedented disaster. But actually England lost at Lord’s in 2015 and 2014 and Pakistan beat them 2-0 barely six months ago.So quite why the defeat at Lord’s has caused such shock is puzzling. Pakistan are a fine side with, arguably, the best bowling attack in the world. They are rated above England in the rankings and Lord’s (and The Oval and Manchester) offer England little home advantage. Anyone surprised by Pakistan playing well – or England’s batting looking fragile – really hasn’t been paying attention.The consternation over the absence of James Anderson is puzzling, too. The decision not to risk him at Lord’s – a not unreasonable decision bearing in mind he had yet to play a game after sustaining a shoulder injury – was not responsible for the defeat. England’s “naïve” batting, as Alastair Cook termed it, was.It’s certainly not a selection fiasco in the grand traditions of English cricket. Take the Major Nigel Bennett episode, for example. Major Bennett popped into The Oval in 1946 to renew his county membership after the war, but was mistaken for Major Leo Bennet – who had represented the British Empire XI during the war – and offered the captaincy. He took up the offer before anyone realised a mistake had been made and went on to lead Surrey to what was, at the time, the worst season in their history. He averaged 16 with the bat.Still, Anderson’s return to the squad – he bowled in the nets on Wednesday and looks fully fit – is welcome. So, too, is Ben Stokes, who admitted he required the bowling he gained in the Championship match he played against Lancashire instead of the first Test to regain match fitness. Both of them are highly likely to play though the selectors have given the captain and coach – a coach, it should be remember, who has barely seen a week’s county cricket in his life – every option with an unusually large 14-man squad.With Stokes and Woakes available as allrounders, England have plentiful options here. One of those is to field a second spinner (Saqlain Mushtaq worked with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in training on Wednesday) and either drop one of the batsmen (probably James Vince, but perhaps Gary Ballance) or play only three of Stokes, Woakes, Anderson and Stuart Broad.Bearing in mind Pakistan’s excellence against spin and England’s record of success fielding a two-man spin attack in home Tests – they have not won a game in England using a two-man spin attack since 1985 – and that looks both an unwise and unlikely scenario. England have only fielded a two-man spin attack at home six times in the last 20 years. The last time – at The Oval in 2013 – saw Simon Kerrigan’s unfortunate debut. The time before that was in 2009 when Monty Panesar helped James Anderson bat England to what had seemed an unlikely draw against Australia in Cardiff.It seems more likely that England will pick the four-man seam attack with one spinner. Whether that is Rashid or Moeen remains to be seen, though Rashid does look the favourite at this stage. Pakistan look likely to play only one spinner though, as Stokes remarked on Wednesday, Yasir may well be “the best legspinner since Shane Warne.”As well as a few Lancashire players, Glen Chapple and Steve Rhodes attended England training on Wednesday with a view to taking coaching tips back to their counties. Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, will again bowl in the nets on Thursday (he was with the England squad at Lord’s) and Mason Crane, the Hampshire legspinner, will do the same at The Oval. The England camp also hope to continue to engage with former players and create situations where they can pass on their tips to the current team. Andy Caddick is expected to speak to the squad at Edgbaston and Darren Gough will do so later in the summer.Although the outfield at Old Trafford is not especially pretty – the result of staging lucrative Rihanna and Beyonce concerts here in recent weeks – the pitch is expected to be good. It should offer some pace, bounce and spin as the surface wears; in short, it should reward good cricket.Lancashire played two spinners in their last Championship match here. One of them – Parkinson – took a five-wicket haul in the first innings. The groundstaff are using the ‘cannabis hot lamps’ we have seen previously at Edgbaston to promote grass growth on the outfield (either that or they have moved into a most unorthodox sideline) but, unless heavy rain hits, it should only be a cosmetic problem.

From having all but given up on cricket in 2013 to playing for Jamaica Tallawahs in front of his home-state fans this weekend, Timroy ‘Popeye’ Allen has rediscovered his passion for the game in a remarkable journey back

Peter Della Penna31-Jul-2016Twelve months ago, the prospect of Caribbean Premier League games being played in the USA may have seemed improbable. In line with that, the chance for an American player to play in a professional franchise team on home soil also seemed a distant possibility.Both have been achieved this weekend in Florida and the journey taken by Timroy Allen is a remarkable one, not least because he had almost all but given up on cricket in 2013 at age 26. But two-and-a-half years later, Allen is back this weekend in Florida with the Jamaica Tallawahs squad with a chance to play in front of his home-state fans.”It’s definitely mind-boggling,” Allen told ESPNcricinfo. “Never thought something like this would ever happen. It’s definitely been unreal to say the least. When you’re in a strong enough team especially guys like Chris Gayle, [Kumar] Sangakkara, [Andre] Russell guys like those, you look at it like an honour and a privilege to be a part of the team with these guys, especially where we are now, winning where everybody’s performing. You couldn’t ask for any better.”Born in Jamaica, Allen came to Florida as a teenager and developed quickly, making his USA debut aged 21 against Barbados in 2008,
taking 1 for 26 in eight overs. Two matches later, he claimed a career-best 5 for 7 against Suriname and garnered a reputation as a match-winner for his abilities with both bat and ball. He won two Man-of-the-Match awards at 2012 WCL Division Four in Malaysia, hitting 72* in 43 balls against the hosts to open the event and produced an all-round effort in a must-win game against Singapore, to help USA gain promotion to Division Three in Bermuda.But the following year was full of disappointment. When USA failed in Bermuda that May and missed out on a spot in the 2014 50-over World
Cup Qualifier in New Zealand, Allen was so distraught that he left his kit bag in the team hotel and got on the plane to go home vowing never to play again. He was coaxed to come back in November for the World T20 Qualifier, but USA’s last-place finish in group play, and a fall-out with coach Robin Singh, resulted in him turning his attention to his pest control and extermination business, believing once again that he’d given up the game for good.Allen’s road back began in August when applications opened up for an ICC-organised Combine trial in Indianapolis where he competed against 68 other players from USA, Canada, Argentina and Cayman Islands for the right to progress to a second phase of competition against players from the region who had been part of their respective 2015 World T20 Qualifier squads.From the start of the Combine, Allen caught the eyes of talent evaluators including Courtney Walsh and Mike Young, who were curious how a player with his skills was in the first batch of players instead of being fast-tracked into the previously shortlisted players earmarked for the final phase a week later. Allen not only made it through as one of 12 players invited back for the second part of the trial, but made it through the final round of cuts to be in a 15-man ICC Americas squad that went to this January’s Nagico Super50 in Trinidad & Tobago.The players were also told that six of them would be given opportunities, one with each franchise, to gain a CPL contract. Going to Trinidad meant taking some time off from his business, but the sacrifice has been worthwhile.Allen’s medium-pace impressed enough during the Nagico Super50, taking Dwayne Smith’s wicket twice and also that of West Indies Test representative Shai Hope, to catch the Tallawahs attention, too, who snapped him up in the draft. The Jamaica-born US citizen says he couldn’t believe his fortune.”Ever since I heard that it was Jamaica, excited from day one,” Allen says. “Initially when the trial camp came up and they said the top six players, one of them will go to each franchise, yes it was appealing. But I think afterwards, you realise you get a chance and you get to play for Jamaica. You get to represent the island that you’re from. You didn’t get a chance to represent while you were living there but you come to America, you kind of get a chance to go back and represent, it’s a different feeling inside, excited from day one.”It hasn’t been all smooth sailing though for Allen. He was good enough to make the Tallawahs opening day line-up against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots but coming in at No. 8 in the final over, he was bowled with a first-ball yorker. His first two overs conceded just 14, but asked to bowl the final over with 29 runs to defend, he conceded twos off the first two balls to clinch victory, but then proceeded to give up three consecutive sixes to Devon Thomas in an eventual 24-run over.”For the first game that I played in, that was kind of a wake-up call for me,” Allen says. “At this level, it’s not like league cricket where you can probably bowl a little fast and intimidate certain people but after the first two or three balls, you realise they start reading it and picking it up, and you have to be able to change.”It’s a more aggressive format of the game and this is the best of the guys out there. It’s not like you’re going to make a little mistake and get away with it. If you make a mistake, you’re going to pay the price for it. I kind of learned that the hard way.”Apart from Allen’s performances, his exuberant celebrations for every team wicket have also been appreciated by his Tallawahs mates•CPL/SportsfilePart of that hard lesson was being left out for the next five games. He made the most of that time though, spending quite a bit of it picking his team-mates’ brains, in particular Dale Steyn for advice on how to improve.”Dale was saying, ‘Listen, you’re not the first person this happened to and you’re not going to be the last person. This is your first game but it’s not going to be your last game. You just have to make sure the next time you come in that you don’t do the same thing again and you need to work on your variations,'” Allen says. “On the plane ride there, he said, ‘Okay, more than likely you’re here for a reason because people think you have the capability to be here and perform at this level.'”I was telling him some stuff that I would like to achieve and especially with his knowledge I knew he had the experience. If he could help me out a little bit with all the games he’s played in his career… knowledge of that nature you don’t get over a day or two. So he was one of the guys who was working with me on my bowling in the nets. When we played the last game [in Jamaica], he was standing at mid-off or mid-on when I was bowling just to make sure we stayed on point. So I really do appreciate all his help and he gave me some great knowledge and, hopefully I can execute those things.”Allen was recalled during the Tallawahs’ home leg at Sabina Park and in his third game in the line-up, he claimed the wickets of Akeal Hosein and Shoaib Malik, and very nearly Kieron Pollard, in a victory over Barbados Tridents. It wasn’t just the performance with the ball, his celebrations were just as lively for all of the team’s wickets with an infectious spirit that hasn’t gone unnoticed amongst his team-mates.”I think what has impressed me most about Timroy is his attitude,” Sangakkara says. “He had a tough last over in our first game, a game that we won, was out for a little while, came back in for the last two games and you could see his determination to do well. When he took a wicket or a catch, the way he celebrated, you could see it in his face how much it meant to him.”I think his confidence has grown, our confidence in him has grown throughout the tournament and it’s exciting for Tallawahs to have him and he’s been an absolute wonderful guy and I think that’s also very important. It doesn’t matter how talented you are and how well you perform, you need to fit into the group and contribute to the group and he’s been outstanding.”Aside from the experiences gained playing against some of the world’s best players in the CPL, Allen has also gained a new nickname over the course of the season. While answering a question, Allen bursts out laughing as Kesrick Williams casually interrupts, walking past Allen while singing, “Toot! Toot! It’s Popeye, the sailor man!””The first day I went to training, you kind of introduce yourself and they start calling you and say, ‘Oh that’s the young kid,'” Allen says. “Chadwick Walton’s the one who came up with the name. He said, ‘This morning I saw you eating and I could’ve sworn you were eating spinach because your arms started getting bigger.'”So from then on whenever they call me the little song goes out, ‘Toot! Toot!’, and you know they’re talking about you but it’s a lot of fun. Ever since he mentioned it, it stuck to me because even the coaches now go, ‘Hey Pops, you gonna bat or bowl?'”Beyond this tournament, USA will be competing in the ICC WCL Division Four later this year in Los Angeles as they continue their attempts to climb up the Associate ladder for potential 50-over World Cup qualification in 2019. Allen is eager to be back involved in the national team set-up.”I’ll be more than ready for the upcoming tournament and hopefully we can get back on a winning track and come in a higher division, play some better cricket,” Allen says. “We have a great group of guys in the 30 so more than likely we’re going to get a good team to go there. So it’s just for us to go and execute. Performance is always going to be the key but I know a lot of the guys have been practising, been preparing for it. It’s a hungry group of guys.”At the moment though, Allen is focused on his role helping Tallawahs try to claim their second CPL title. Coach Paul Nixon has been impressed with the way he has bounced back and responded both on and off the field after the rough early adjustment period and believes Allen is a player for the future.”He’s more relaxed, more confident and stepping up to the plate in a couple of great games with some key situations,” Nixon says. “Under pressure he’s handled some great moments. He had a tough time when he first came in, but we maybe didn’t look after him well enough at that particular time as a management group looking back, but he hasn’t shirked any responsibility and he’s been up for the fight and up for the moment. He’ll definitely play a major role moving forward in our group.”Allen got to play in front of several cousins during the Jamaica-leg of the season and, on Saturday, the chance to play in front of his wife Tracie, not to mention 8000 local fans. It’s something he couldn’t have imagined at this time last year when his days consisted of getting up at 5am and hopping into his van to head out to local residences, spraying for termites and cockroaches.”I wouldn’t give this up for anything else,” Allen says. “I really appreciate the opportunity that [Tallawahs owner] Mr [Ron] Patel and the Jamaica line-up have given me, especially playing with guys like Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Sangakkara, Chadwick Walton, they’re some of the best guys that you can ask anything. So just being around the guys, I’m really happy. I’m excited and I’m loving every moment of it. Hopefully we can come out victorious at the end of the tournament.”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2016Azhar went past 150 and added 137 with Asad Shafiq for the second wicket•AFPDevendra Bishoo had Shafiq caught and bowled to provide West Indies with temporary relief•AFPESPNcricinfoBabar Azam provided able assistance to Azhar with a measured fifty on debut before he picked out cover•AFPBut Azhar cruised to 250 as Pakistan went to dinner comfortably placed at 530 for 3•Getty ImagesPakistan then declared at 579 for 3, right after Azhar became the fourth Pakistani to score a triple-century in Test cricket•AFPIn reply, West Indies lost Leon Johnson early, but Kraigg Brathwaite progressed to 32 not out as they closed the day at 69 for 1•Getty Images

Haseeb Hameed’s impressive Test debut has fired England’s optimism that this time they have found an opener to be reckoned with

George Dobell in Rajkot12-Nov-20161:37

Compton: Hameed’s style is similar to Root’s

They have kissed some frogs along the way, but it looks as if England may have found their prince.It wasn’t just Haseeb Hameed’s runs that impressed. And it wasn’t just the uncomplicated technique. It was, most of all, the composure of a 19-year-old dealing with the pressure of playing his first Test against the No. 1 rated side in their own country. If he had any nerves, he didn’t show them.The basic facts are these: Hameed has become the first England opener to make a half-century on debut since Alastair Cook in 2006. He has become the third youngest man (after Jack Crawford and Denis Compton) to make a half-century in Test cricket for England (and the second youngest opener, after Crawford) and, if he makes 38 more runs on the final day, he will be the first England opener to make a century on debut since Cook and the youngest England Test centurion of all time.While the scorecard hardly suggests it, his runs were made under some pressure. With England starting their second innings just 49 runs ahead of India and the pitch starting to show signs of modest deterioration, any early wickets could have resulted in a serious case of jitters in the England dressing room. Offering a little more turn and a little more uneven bounce, this is no longer the genial-natured pitch on which five men have recorded centuries this match. These were not soft runs.So while Cook (who is said by the England camp to be in robust good health despite a couple of spells off the field, an uncharacteristic drop at slip and another scratchy display with the bat) prodded and poked as if batting on the most treacherous of surfaces, Hameed was able to drive boundaries through the covers off front and back foot, late cut anything even slightly short and, when Ravi Jadeja gave the ball just a little flight, skip down the pitch and drive him over long-off for six.

Hameed is ‘great talent’ – Rashid

Adil Rashid credited a new sense of self-belief for arguably his best display of Test bowing to date.
Rashid has previously been urged to bowl with more pace if he is to prove a success in Test cricket, but he claimed four wickets in Rajkot by sticking to the slightly slower pace with which he was comfortable in the belief it enabled him to gain more turn.
“The pace is key,” Rashid said. “It’s the pace I’m comfortable with and where I spin the ball most. It’s crucial I believe in that and that I’m confident in doing the skills out in the middle.”
Rashid also had warm praise for Haseeb Hameed who he first saw in the Roses game in which Hameed scored a century in each innings.
‘He played seam exceptionally well and spin very well,’ Rashid said. “So I wasn’t surprised at all how he came out and played here. He’s got a good head, he’s a clever and solid boy, works hard in the nets and he’s a great talent. He’s a very calm, organised cricketer.”

His footwork was crisp and unhurried. His judgment over which balls to leave and which he could nudge off his legs was astute. He already uses the crease against the spinners better than all but one member of the England team. He could not be bullied by the seamers or befuddled by the spinners. This has been England’s most assured debut since Joe Root.But for a twist of fate, Hameed could have ended up playing for India. His father, Ismail, who looked understandably emotional in the stands as his son reached his half-century with a delicious late cut for four off the world’s No.1 rated Test bowler, tells a tale of the invitations extended their way after one of Haseeb’s trips back to the land of his parents to work on his game on turning tracks.Would he be interested in playing club cricket in Mumbai? Might he like to think of the Mumbai side in the Ranji Trophy as his target? Might he think of joining his heroes, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, as an Indian player?It was never going to happen. By then, Haseeb was impressing in the Lancashire age-group teams. Their Academy Director, John Stanworth, a man not prone to hyperbole, told that Hameed was “probably as good a player as we’ve had for a generation” two years before he graduated to the Championship side, and made comparisons with Mike Atherton and John Crawley. He captained England U-17 and U-19 and although there have been setbacks – he was especially stung to be left out of the England team for the U-19 World Cup – he has long carried great expectations.The records followed. He became the youngest Lancashire player to make 1,000 runs in a Championship season, the first Lancashire player to make centuries in both innings of a Roses match (Tim Bresnan told him he had played “a seriously special knock” after the second innings century) and, despite it all, possessed a demeanour busting with a desire to learn but graced by humility. Even if Haseeb Hameed was hopeless at cricket, his parents would have reason to be immensely proud of him.Haseeb Hameed became the third youngest England player to make a Test fifty•Associated PressHis first memories are of cricket: batting with a mini bat and punching his father’s friendly lobs in the living-room of their Bolton home. Later Ismail resolved to teach his son the defensive technique of Geoff Boycott which, whatever the changes in the modern game, remains a decent foundation. He hasn’t played a first team game of white ball cricket for Lancashire yet, but there’s no reason why he cannot make a success of that. He’s not a blocker with a limited game; he’s a class act with an array of elegant strokes and the sense to play within himself. He looks as if he was born to bat.There are still questions to answer, of course. Most of all, there was talk on the county circuit of the day he was worked over by a sharp Surrey attack containing Stuart Meaker and Mark Footitt. You can be quite sure that Australia, in particular, will explore any potential vulnerability against the short ball.The signs in this match are promising, though. While others have paid the price for taking their eye off the ball in this game and taken short balls on the head or upper body, Hameed reacted to the first ball of his Test career – a well-directed short-ball from Mohammed Shami – with a composure you suspect is going to become mightily familiar. He kept his eye on the ball and dropped his hands expertly. There haven’t been any obvious chinks in the armour.Other England openers have enjoyed good days, of course, only to be discarded a short while later. Sam Robson and Adam Lyth both made centuries in their second Tests and Nick Compton made two in New Zealand. But have any of them – and Hameed is Cook’s 10th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in 2012 – looked this assured and unflappable? Have any of them looked to have such a well-rounded game?Ben Duckett made a half-century as opener in the previous match, but it always seemed a little frenetic and little as if it was a punt that was coming off. Hameed offered something approaching certainty. His journey is just beginning and there will, no doubt, be some stony terrain on the way. But if you could buy shares in people, you would put your shirt on Haseeb Hameed.Hameed’s runs have helped put England in an almost impregnable position. While there will be talk of a declaration sometime in mid-afternoon – you cannot give a side containing the best limited-overs chaser in history a hint of a chance in a run-chase – there might also be a thought to keep India in the field for another full day. With only three days between Tests, those extra overs could be telling in Visakhapatnam. Besides, any psychological edge India thought they had before this game could be further eroded. It was a tactic that served England well in Brisbane in 2010.The counter argument suggests that opportunities to win may be few and far between in this series and that England, with a slim chance, should do all they can to take it. In the end, it may depend on how much the pitch has deteriorated by lunch. It is breaking up, certainly, but whether it is doing it fast enough to force a result is doubtful.Hameed need not worry about that. He just needs to bat. And, for the first time in several years, England may well not need to worry about finding a new opening partner for Cook. It’s premature to reach conclusions, of course, but it really does seem as if the search is over.

ESPNcricinfo takes a look at some of the key takeaways from this summer’s Sunfoil Series

Firdose Moonda13-Feb-2017Less than two points separated the winners from the runners-up in South Africa’s first-class competition, which saw Knights claim their first cup in seven seasons. In a closely-fought competition, no team won more than four matches and all six were still in the running on the final weekend. A healthy first-class structure is vital for the success of a Test team and the signs are good that South Africa will be well-stocked in the future.The best attack winsObviously. Taking 20 wickets is the essence of long-format cricket and Knights did it more times than anyone else. They dismissed their opposition 14 times in their 10 matches, the rest of the teams managed it 12 (Cobras and Titans) and 11 times (Lions, Dolphins and Warriors). Duanne Olivier and Marchant de Lange finished first and second on the wicket charts with 52 and 34 scalps respectively and Olivier earned a mid-season call-up to the Test side that will surely translate into a longer stint across tours in New Zealand and England but it was not only the premier pacemen who did the job for Knights.Shadley van Schalkwyk was seventh on the bowling charts after contributing 29 wickets and Mbulelo Budaza picked up 15. That all four of the Knights’ frontliners are quicks speaks volumes about their penetrative ability because this franchise’s home games are played on two of the flattest surfaces in the country, in Bloemfontein and Kimberley.Get more of the old guard involved Good coaches are not necessarily made out of good players but it cannot be ignored that the three teams in the top half of the table are all managed by former internationals in their first full-time stints in charge. Nicky Boje (Knights), Mark Boucher (Titans) and Ashwell Prince (Cobras) were all part of a golden generation of South African players and are now transferring their knowledge. They may inspire the likes of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Jacques Rudolph, Robin Peterson and Herschelle Gibbs to follow in their footsteps but perhaps more crucially, with Russell Domingo unsure if he will reapply for his job when his contract expires after the England tour, they may be putting themselves in the frame to take over the South Africa job. Keeping former players close can only work for a country and South Africa have finally started to do this more regularly.Batting strengthAlthough South Africa’s Test top seven are well settled, there is a spot for a reserve batsman in the touring party to New Zealand with Rilee Rossouw signing a Kolpak deal and three candidates stand out. Theunis de Bruyn, the Knights captain, finished third on the run charts with 751 runs at 57.76 and was sandwiched between two Dolphins batsmen who are making strong cases of their own. Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who celebrated 100 first-class appearances this season, was second with 799 runs at 53.26 and Khaya Zondo was fourth with 740 at 67.27. Zondo’s progress is particularly notable because he is one of a handful of black African specialist batsmen plying their trade domestically. After an aborted start to his international career – he was part of the South African ODI squad that traveled to India in late 2015 and then did not play a game – to see him come good will please the selectors.Simon Harmer, Warriors’ captain and leading wicket-taker, has signed a Kolpak deal with Essex•Associated PressWarriors need to work on local talent There’s a reason the top-ranked batsman was not mentioned in the previous point and that’s because he has joined the Kolpak ranks. Colin Ackermann, a 25-year-old from Warriors, scored 883 runs at 51.94 and is headed to Leicestershire, where he will play on a Dutch passport, perhaps with a view to representing Netherlands in the future. Ackermann was one of the few shining lights in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Warriors, who have more to worry about than their last-placed finish. Their top bowler was their captain Simon Harmer, who has also signed a Kolpak deal and with Colin Ingram also part of their squad, their number of overseas-based players sits at three. Cricket SA are currently debating whether to limit the number of Kolpak players in the system and if they do Warriors could be the biggest casualty.And Lions on their depth After several seasons of producing players for the national side – Quinton de Kock, Stephen Cook, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius, Hardus Viljoen, Aaron Phangiso and Eddie Leie – Lions are used to having their squad depleted but they will not consider a fifth-placed finish good enough. Dominic Hendricks was their top run-scorer and ninth overall – and Hardus Viljoen (Kolpak) led their wicket-takers but they will want to source some senior players to hold their group together. With Cook and Rabada on Test duty more often than not, Lions may have to look beyond their borders to lure a veteran player into their ranks while they continue to develop young talent.In safe hands Quinton de Kock could become the Mark Boucher of his era, which will leave several wicket-keepers with little hope of making the step up but South Africa will want to be careful of becoming over-dependent on him, especially because there are options if de Kock needs some rest. The best news is that the options can all bat. Knights’ gloveman Rudi Second was sixth on the run charts, one place ahead of Titans’ Heinrich Klaasen. Lions’ Mangaliso Mosehle lay outside the top twenty but is regarded as the man with the safest hands out of the three and was picked in South Africa’s T20 squad. With Dane Vilas (Kolpak) out of the international picture and AB de Villiers not available for Test cricket for the rest of 2017, South Africa may pick from the trio for their trips to New Zealand and England.

From planning to protest against the IPL to becoming fans of the league

Rahul Misra23-Apr-2017In the middle of the previous decade, cricket fans in India were introduced to a new spectacle. The BCCI, in all its wisdom, paraded its top brass on television and proposed the Indian Premier League. Supposedly perfect for an evening out with friends and family, the matches would finish in three hours. You know, like baseball.I still remember the disgust with which my circle of friends discussed the new competition. Our beloved game was being demolished, sold to the television gods for prime-time revenues. What about the battle between bat and ball, we asked, our collective voices high-pitched with indignation. What about the delicious build-up to the final hour? Imagine our horror when we realised that the game blessed by WG Grace and Ranjitsinhji would now have cheerleaders.We couldn’t have been more annoyed if our quiet neighbourhood pub was being replaced by a screeching karaoke bar. Or if our favourite local fish-and-curry restaurant was demolished for a fast-food joint. Might as well tear up Eden Gardens and put a shopping mall on the pitch.We felt we were being betrayed. After a few beers, we even drew up plans to raise banners of protest outside the BCCI office. But then we were a bunch of couch commentators. Talkers, not doers. By the next morning, our indignation had given way to a headache and a hangover, but our decision to boycott stood firm. Or so we thought.One of the chaps in our group was more of a football fan. Every set of friends has at least one of them. He couldn’t stand Test cricket, thought draws after five days were a colossal waste of time, and believed David Beckham was a greater sportsman than Sachin Tendulkar. Always the odd one out, he couldn’t understand why we were so fussed. From his point of view, cricket was finally becoming a tad interesting.He was the one who secretly got us tickets. After raining our anger down at him, the rest of us looked at each other and shrugged. It was a Mumbai Indians match. Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya in the same team, opening the batting together. We couldn’t really resist that, could we?So when the day of the match arrived, all of us grudgingly headed to the stadium, promising ourselves we wouldn’t enjoy it. It probably took about five overs for our resolve to fly out of the stadium like those huge sixes that the batsmen unleashed. By the end, we were dancing the in the aisles while the cheerleaders twirled their pom-poms.Ten years have passed since then. I no longer live in India and that circle of friends has spread to different parts of the world. Last month, I saw a tweet from that football-loving friend praising Cheteshwar Pujara’s 525-ball vigil against Australia. I buzzed him and imagine my surprise when he said it was the best match he had ever seen!If it wasn’t for the initial taste of the IPL, perhaps he would never have gotten converted. T20 is cricket’s teaser, that free cocktail that gets people in the door and encourages them to hang around for the seven-course dinner. They come in for the sixes and stay for the maiden overs.As for me and the rest of my friends, we have enthusiastically supported our chosen teams for the past decade. Let’s just say that while we enjoy our quiet beers, that doesn’t mean we can’t sing a mean rendition of “We are the Champions” on karaoke.Want to be featured on Inbox? Send your articles to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.