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Jesse Ryder’s latest indiscretion has given Tom Latham a spot in the New Zealand Test squad. And if Ross Taylor’s second child does not arrive by tomorrow, Latham will make his Test debut in Wellington against India

Abhishek Purohit in Wellington12-Feb-2014Jesse Ryder’s latest indiscretion has given Tom Latham a spot in the New Zealand Test squad. And if Ross Taylor’s second child does not arrive by tomorrow, Latham will make his Test debut in Wellington against India. It is a “tricky” scenario, Latham admitted, but it will also fulfil his dream to play Test cricket for his nation, and the 21-year old is gearing up for it.”I suppose it is a tricky one but I have to prepare myself to play and if I do get the nod, then I am ready to go and if not, then Ross will slot back in,” Latham said. “It will be very exciting. I have always wanted to play Test cricket, to play Test cricket for New Zealand is a dream and it will be very rewarding.”There could be pressure playing your first Test, but Latham said it helped coming into a side that was yet to lose a game to the visitors. “It’s probably the best way to come into a team, when the team is doing well. There will be pressure on me but the boys will be squarely behind me if I do get the nod.”Latham has caught some of the Indian bowling on television during this series and feels they are a decent attack, especially on a Wellington pitch which wore a green look two days before the match starts. “I remember playing [Mohammed] Shami out here a few years back when he came out with the India A team and he was a good bowler,” Latham said. “They are all good bowlers in probably tricky conditions which should be out there. If I do get the nod, then fingers crossed I will do well.”He got the call-up on the back of his 687 runs at an average of 68.70 in the ongoing domestic first-class Plunket Shield. He made five half-centuries and an unbeaten double-hundred for Canterbury, and was glad to have turned in consistent scores.”That’s what I was asked to do,” he said. “I went back and played for Canterbury and it’s nice that I have been putting those numbers on the board and I think that consistency is probably the most pleasing thing. It is nice that the selectors have rewarded me for that consistency. I have done a lot of work with Bob [Carter] in the Black Caps setup. He has been really good and he was my coach a few years ago at Canterbury.”Those first-class runs came at the top of the order but if he plays in Wellington, Latham will have to slot into the middle order, something he said he should have “no problems” doing. “I have batted in the middle order before. It’s my first season sort of opening for Canterbury. Last season I was in the middle order so it’s not a position that is unfamiliar to me, so hopefully I can carry on from where I have left off with Canterbury.”Latham said even opening in first-class cricket had not posed too many issues, as he had done the job through age-group cricket. If the Test debut happened, he said he would look to continue what had worked for him at Canterbury, which was to play his natural game.He was part of the New Zealand side that toured Sri Lanka in November last year, and made a match-winning 86 off 68 in the second ODI in Hambantota. Before that, he had fifties in unofficial Tests in Sri Lanka and India for New Zealand A. Latham said those scores had boosted his self-belief.”It was obviously nice to score runs and let yourself know that you can do it. In the games after that, I have certainly felt more confident batting out there. Putting those numbers on the board builds that confidence.”

Chris Gayle scored his 21st century to earn West Indies a bonus-point win against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park

The Report by Devashish Fuloria28-Jun-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle followed his own modus operandi – dead-bats to hittable deliveries, axe-swings against good ones•AFPChris Gayle had failed to leave a mark in cold and wet England, but he probably knows there is only one thing cool in the warmer climes of Jamaica – he himself. And no one at Sabina Park would disagree. After a lean patch in the Champions Trophy where his highest score was 39, Gayle scored his 21st ODI century – his first against Sri Lanka – as West Indies brushed the visitors aside by six wickets and earned a bonus point in the first match of the tri-series.Sri Lanka didn’t have a strong total to defend after their batsmen were felled by the spin of Sunil Narine, who picked up four wickets. Angelo Mathews kept his main bowlers on throughout to try and ensnare the big fish, but Gayle kept blocking, blocking, and then powering it over the ropes with metronomic precision.It was a typically ‘measured’ Gayle innings, following its own rhythm, irrespective of the conditions, the pitch, the attack, and the field. He followed his own modus operandi – dead-bats to hittable deliveries, axe-swings against good ones – giving not even an inkling of a chance to the fielding side and hitting at least a six off each of the five bowlers he faced.Defending a middling total, Sri Lanka knew Gayle was one hurdle they had to get past quickly, but it wasn’t to be. Mathews opened with Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara as expected, but introduced Ajantha Mendis in the fifth over to see if Mendis could do what Narine had done in the first innings. Mathews persisted with fielders in catching positions, however, Gayle was in no hurry. Whenever it seemed a hit was needed, he had one.But despite Gayle hitting three sixes and four fours in the first 10 overs, West Indies hadn’t run away. Johnson Charles was doing his best to keep Sri Lanka interested with a laboured stay. There couldn’t have been a starker contrast. Charles struggled to read Mendis’ spin and the quicks’ swing, his misery prolonged by first, a dropped catch by Mathews, and then, by the umpire who let him get away against two good lbw appeals. He finally hit his first boundary – a six – off his 45th ball, but from West Indies’ perspective, he helped put up 115 for the opening stand.Darren Bravo joined Gayle and the two put up a quick 66-run stand to bring West Indies within touching distance of the target. The big wicket did come, when Gayle finally top-edged a sweep that was intended for the stands. There was a minor flutter as Sri Lanka picked two more wickets in the next three overs, but it was a case of too little too late.Sri Lanka’s openers had also laid a solid foundation with a half-century stand after being put in, but their lower middle order failed yet again to shore up a faltering innings after Narine dismissed both Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. But for a fighting half-century by Mathews, they could have finished with much less than the eventual score.Jayawardene, opening for only the 26th time in 370 ODI innings, scored an effortless half-century at run-a-ball, finding the boundary with silken drives and precise cuts. He greeted Narine with a reverse-swept boundary to bring up his fifty, but was out two balls later inside-edging a sharply-turning delivery to his pads, the ball lobbing up for the wicketkeeper for a simple chance. Sangakkara was dismissed soon after, tamely pushing a flighted delivery to cover.The situation was tailor-made for the much talked-about, but yet to fire, young brigade – Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne – to send a message to their detractors. But Mathews, dropped on 7, decided thereafter to curtail his strokemaking while Chandimal and Thirimanne allowed the pressure to build and fell to soft dismissals, reducing the innings to a crawl.Only 15 runs came in the seven overs after the 28th and by the time they were forced to take the batting Powerplay, Sri Lanka were left with little firepower to take advantage. The Powerplay brought further damage. Ravi Rampaul picked up two quick wickets and Sri Lanka were left trying to use up the full quota of overs rather than going for runs.That shouldn’t take away anything from the way West Indies came back. Dwayne Bravo had elected to field hoping his fast bowlers would exploit the early moisture in the pitch, but it was Bravo who provided the first strike, getting Upul Tharanga to edge to the keeper. There was no looking back once Narine, who now has 33 wickets from 14 matches at home, was introduced. Gayle then provided the ideal finishing touches.

Opener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, and a collective bowling performance, saw Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2013
ScorecardRuvindu Gunasekera put up strong performances in both innings for Canada, scoring 72 and an unbeaten 100•Canadian Cricket AssociationOpener Ruvindu Gunasekera’s fifty and unbeaten hundred in consecutive innings, as well as a collective bowling performance, helped Canada win the two-day Auty Cup match against the United States on the basis of a first-innings lead.Canada, chosing to bat, made a strong start with a 105-run opening stand between Gunasekera and wicketkeeper Trevin Bastiampillai. However, once left-arm spinner Ryan Corns broke the partnership, Canada lost regular wickets and were eventually dismissed for 228. Gunasekera top-scored with a 164-ball 72, which included six fours, while Bastiampillai made 55 off 91 deliveries. USA captain and legspinner Timil Patel took four wickets for 66 runs, while Corns ended with 3 for 21.USA made a poor start to their innings, losing openers Steven Taylor and Alan Dodson for just 28 runs in 11 overs. But a 79-run, fourth-wicket stand between Ravi Timbawala and Karan Ganesh stabilised the innings, before Ganesh fell for 35 to left-arm spinner Salman Nazar. From there on, USA slumped from a stable 134 for 3, to 183 all out. Nazar and medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan picked up three wickets each, as USA conceded a 45-run lead.Canada’s batsmen played freely in the second innings, scoring at more than five runs an over. Gunasekera led the way again, scoring an unbeaten 93-ball 100, which included 11 fours and three sixes.The two teams will play a 50-over match on July 27, as well as two Twenty20 matches on July 28.

Matthew Hoggard, the swing bowler who helped England regain the Ashes in 2005, has announced his retirement after an 18-year career.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2013Matthew Hoggard, the swing bowler who helped England regain the Ashes in 2005, has announced his retirement after a 17-year career at the age of 36.He posted on Twitter that it was “time to hang up the boots” five years since the last of his 67 Test matches, during which he took 248 wickets at 30.50 with his prodigious swinging deliveries, becoming the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Tests for England. He also played 26 ODIs and served his home county Yorkshire and latterly Leicestershire with distinction.Hoggard hoped to play one final season for Leicestershire having signed a contract extension last year but after a bit-part summer, and relinquishing the four-day captaincy, he has decided his playing days are over.Big, bustling, and with the sort of energy coaches kill for, Hoggard flourished under Duncan Fletcher’s regime as England coach, finding a regular place in the side despite Fletcher’s love of out-and-out pace bowling.In 2004, he began the year with a hat-trick in Barbados before helping England to an unbeaten summer against West Indies and South Africa. That winter he single-handedly bowled England to a series-clinching win in Johannesburg, taking 12 wickets in the match.Then came the legendary Ashes series of 2005. Hoggard took 16 wickets and, perhaps most memorably, struck Brett Lee for four through extra-cover to help England edge home in a nerve-jangling run-chase at Trent Bridge.

It's been an amazing journey filled with some fantastic experiences shared with great people but time has come to hang the boots up !

— Matthew hoggard (@Hoggy602) September 11, 2013

“I want to thank all of my family, friends, my past opponents, and both Yorkshire and Leicestershire for the support and dedication that they have shown me over the course of my career,” Hoggard said. “I have been inspired by so many different people and the late Phil Carrick is just one example of someone who supported me from the very beginning and I owe him a lot.”Playing cricket professionally and, of course, playing as part of the national side is a dream that nearly every young boy growing up in Yorkshire shares. I feel truly honoured to have been given such incredible opportunities and I am grateful to everyone that I have worked alongside.”I want to thank my wife Sarah for the immense support she has shown me throughout my career. She has always been there for me and has continued to help me to do the very best that I can for my team, both on an international and county level.”Nothing will ever replace the role that cricket has played in my life but I am looking forward to a new chapter and the chance to spend a little more time with my family. Cricket will continue to be hugely important to me and I wish Leicestershire the very best of luck for the future.”Peter Moores, who was Hoggard’s England coach towards the end of the his career, paid tribute to him: “He’s been a real character. Anyone who takes over 200 wickets for England and bowls the way he did and plays in iconic series like the 2005 Ashes will be satisfied when he looks back on his career.”He started off as a really quick bowler when he burst on the scene and steadied that down to become a lively, out-swing bowler and very successful at it. He was very skilfull and a bit like we’ve seen with Jimmy Anderson, he learnt to bowl on the subcontinent, learnt to bowl in different conditions and learnt how to not just bowl in swinging conditions. He learnt how to run the ball on, bowl a cutter and do different things which is always a testament for anyone who has lasted in the game over a decent amount of time.”

Scotland will host Pakistan for two ODIs in Edinburgh in May 2013, shortly before the Champions Trophy in England

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013Scotland will host Pakistan for two ODIs in Edinburgh in May 2013, shortly before the Champions Trophy in England. Both games – on May 17 and 19 – will be played at the Citylets Grange in Edinburgh. Scotland have played Pakistan on three occasions in the 50-over format, the last one being an abandoned fixture in 2007.”These fixtures are a fantastic boost for Scottish cricket,” captain Gordon Drummond said. “We have the chance to qualify for two global ICC events in 2013, and now we find we also have the opportunity to play two top test nations with Australia also visiting for an ODI in September. These matches are particularly important for the development of the current squad.”We are all really looking to welcoming the Pakistan team to Scotland once again, and these fixtures will undoubtedly build on the already strong ties between the Pakistani/Scots community. It’s a fantastic platform for us to show what we are capable of, as we did with victory against Bangladesh last year- these are the sort of matches that every Scottish squad member will want to be involved in.””Following the ICC’s additional investment in Cricket Scotland through their TAPP [Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme] scheme, we committed to secure further matches against the Full Members,” chief executive Roddy Smith said. “These games are vital to continue our progress and measure ourselves against the best in the world, and are integral to the on field improvements desired for by the ICC. We are very grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their support in making these games happen.”

Bangladesh Women, playing their opening game against West Indies Women, did everything right in the first half unlike their male counterparts on the previous night, but slumped in the second half to concede the match in Sylhet

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShaquana Quintyne bowled a stifling spell of 3-1-5-3•ICCBangladesh met West Indies for the second time in 24 hours and for the second time, the home side botched the chase. Bangladesh Women, playing their opening game against West Indies Women, did everything right in the first half unlike their male counterparts on the previous night, but slumped in the second half to concede the match in Sylhet.The batting collapse mirrored the travails of the Bangladesh Men’s team that had suffered a heavy loss on Tuesday. Only three players got into double-digit scores and the innings keeled over in spectacular fashion as Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for just seven runs to be bowled out for 79 in the 18th over.Chasing a modest target of 116, the Bangladesh openers made a steady start, scoring 19 in 5.4 overs of graft. But once legspinner Shaquana Quintyne made the first breakthrough, the innings lost its way. West Indies kept picking up regular wickets to not let Bangladesh get back up on their feet. A stand of 28 for the fifth wicket between Rumana Ahmed and Nuzhat Tasnia raised faint hopes but once Tasnia was dismissed by the offspin of Anisa Mohammed, the team caved in.Being made to field, Bangladesh made an excellent start by dismissing Kycia Knight for a duck. With West Indies were looking to rebuild, Fahima Khatun’s quick strikes scuppered their plans. Although the dangerous Deandra Dottin, who scored a run-a-ball 34, kept the innings moving for West Indies, the run rate of less than six meant things remained in Bangladesh’s control. Dottin was eventually dismissed by Khadija Tul Kubra, who picked up two other wickets, and the rest of the West Indies batsmen could only add a further 26 runs to the total.

Time has almost run out for Matt Prior to make a return to the Test side against Sri Lanka. With England’s Test squad set to be announced late next week he has just one Championship match remaining to prove his fitness.

Andrew McGlashan29-May-2014Time has almost run out for Matt Prior to make a return to the England Test side against Sri Lanka. With the Test squad set to be announced late next week he has just one Championship match remaining to prove his fitness.Even if Prior played and kept wicket in the match against Nottinghamshire, and in the NatWest T20 Blast on Friday, it would still be a huge risk to select him.An Achilles problem – which Prior has managed for considerable time – has limited him to just one Championship appearance this season, the opening match against Middlesex, where he scored a hundred but did not have the gloves.He was withdrawn from Sussex’s rain-ruined return fixture against Middlesex at Merchant Taylor’s School so he could undertake intense work with Bruce French, the England wicketkeeping coach, to further assess the state of his injury but there is still no guarantee he will keep in the T20 against Glamorgan.A fit Prior was all-but assured of reclaiming the place he lost after the third Test against Australia in Perth. Alastair Cook has been having regular conversations with Prior, who was also the Test vice-captain when he was dropped, but knows that rushing back from such an injury could have long term consequences.”It is a big concern,” Cook said. “I’ve been speaking to him every week and he’s been doing everything he can. He’s incredibly frustrated because Achilles injuries are hard to heal.”He’s a big part of our plans, but we can’t rush a guy back, that wouldn’t be fair on him or to the England team. There’s time, about two weeks to the first Test match and we’ll be in constant communication throughout.”He knows he is a big part of things and we want him to be there, but if he’s not there it will give someone else an opportunity.”The identity of that someone else remains the subject of much debate. Jonny Bairstow is the man in possession having played in Melbourne and Sydney but did not convince in the role with either bat or gloves, although the coaching staff at Yorkshire are convinced that is partly due to the way he has been handled by England.Jos Buttler has been in the limited-overs role for more than a year now and put in a tidy performance in the Old Trafford ODI with four catches but his performances behind the stumps remain inconsistent.”Like a lot of guys he is a really talented keeper and a really talented cricketer,” Cook said of Buttler. “He’s nowhere near the finished article with his keeping but just watch him practise and you will see him put the hard yards in and that progress will keep going in the right way no doubt.”Mick Newell, one of the England selectors, admitted this week that the keeping debate split people into two camps and appeared to suggest that the option of returning to a more pure gloveman, in the James Foster or Chris Read bracket, was not being discounted.”There are two camps of keeper,” Newell said. “There is the Kieswetter, Buttler, Bairstow group and there is the Foster, Read group, more the old-school wicketkeeper. I watched Foster last week and he was terrific. There will be an interesting debate there.”What has come out of the winter is a complete rethink with five, six, seven spots up for grabs, which is a bit scary but exciting at the same time.”

Western Australia compensated for a first day wash-out by rushing through Queensland’s batting then pushing to within sight of first-innings points on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2013
ScorecardWestern Australia compensated for a first day wash-out by rushing through Queensland’s batting then pushing to within sight of first-innings points on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground.On another lively pitch that spent a day under the covers, the Bulls were soon in trouble after being sent in by the WA captain Adam Voges. Burt Burt Cockley maintained his notable rebirth as a Warrior, plucking four wickets, while Ryan Duffield, Michael Hogan and Mitchell Marsh supported ably.Luke Pomersbach was the only Bulls batsman to pass 50, and the inadequacy of their total was demonstrated by WA’s progress in the latter part of the day.Ryan Harris did his best for the Bulls, claiming another three wickets as he maintained a strong case for an Ashes recall, but Michael Hussey and Sam Whiteman were in solid occupation at the close.

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has reacted to the Premier League vote which failed to block his side's pathway to related-party loans.

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PL clubs vote not to ban loan moves from affiliate clubsHowe asked about how that would help NewcastleMagpies are majority owned by Saudi Public Investment FundWHAT HAPPENED?

The clubs did not vote in favour of a temporary prohibition on loans to linked parties. At a shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, 12 Premier League clubs voted in support of not placing a restriction on loan transfers between teams owned by the same person. This figure was two votes shy of what was required for the ban to be implemented.

AdvertisementWHAT HOWE SAID

"You say Newcastle were favoured but it was a Premier League vote," said Howe in a press conference. "We're not the only club involved in that vote. I think the majority of the Premier League and other clubs around the world [benefit] so it's not solely on us, I don't think.

"Newcastle, our club, had a view. We voted in a way, a way that we're allowed to, and the vote came out on the side that it did. I think just from my dealings with it, we're very relaxed on it. It's not the be-all and end-all for us. We've got a squad that we really like. Now if we get players fit before January then the need to recruit will become much less intense for us."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Thanks to the vote, Newcastle, which was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021, would be able to loan players from other teams that the fund also owns. Indeed, the 'big four' Saudi Pro League teams – Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr, and Al-Hilal – are majority-owned by PIF, with Newcastle having been linked with Ruben Neves.

There are ownership connections between other Premier League teams and foreign clubs. The Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group owns Manchester City and has ownership interests in a number of other teams worldwide. Meanwhile, BlueCo, the group that bought Chelsea, has an agreement to acquire shares in Racing Strasbourg in June. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ownership of French club Nice would also have provided obstacles for Manchester United, who are reportedly interested in Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.

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WHAT NEXT FOR HOWE?

Howe will now be free to pursue Newcastle's interest in Al-Hilal's Neves, who has been targeted by the Magpies after Sandro Tonali was banned from footballing activities due to his involvement in betting. Before that, though, Newcastle face a tough test against Chelsea in Saturday's Premier League fixture.

Peter Moores has asked for time to continue his rebuilding job with England as his future becomes the subject of increased speculation with some commentators suggesting he could be sacked within days

George Dobell04-May-2015Peter Moores has asked for time to continue his rebuilding job with England as his future becomes the subject of increased speculation with some commentators suggesting he could be sacked within days.Moores feels that, despite a defeat in Barbados that held England to a drawn Test series in the Caribbean, his young side are progressing and hopes to be given the chance to take them into the Ashes series before any firm decisions are taken over his record as coach.”We’ve got an exciting group of players,” Moores said. “I want to be involved with this group going forward as I think I can help them get better.”I think we’re moving the right way. I think this has been a really good trip in many ways. Watching us develop, the way people are learning what is required to be successful at international cricket and feeling a bit more relaxed with an England shirt on, that has been good. I feel we’ve moved forward.”We’ll get a better judge in the summer because New Zealand and Australia are very tough sides who are slightly more mature. That will be the time to assess how strong we are.”We look at ourselves internally and think ‘we’re moving in the right way.’ But we’re frustrated that we didn’t come away with a 2-0 series win.””Frustration” is a word that crops up often in conversation with Moores at present. Frustration that the progress he sees within his team has not been reflected in results. Frustration that his reputation and his reality are poles apart. And frustration that his existence as England coach appears permanently to be on the edge of a precipice.Today at least, he is particularly frustrated by the much-repeated assumption that he is “obsessed” with data and statistical analysis. It stems, in part, to a mis-heard line in a radio interview during the World Cup.Indeed, as ESPNcricinfo reported at the time, England’s analyst during the World Cup was so frustrated by the lack of use of his “data” that he considered going home early.”I get frustrated when people say things about me that aren’t true,” Moores said. “When people talk about laptops…. it couldn’t be further from the truth.”It’s not fact and it’s not right. It’s not how I operate as a coach. If you ask any player I deal with, they’ll tell you that. A coach’s CV is his players. If the players think you can coach, you can coach. If the players think you can’t, then you can’t.”I know I’m a good developer of players. My record is good at developing players; certainly younger players as they’ve come through. And I think we’re seeing players develop.There are legitimate areas of criticism of Moores. England’s World Cup performance – or lack of it – was particularly damaging and Moores, who altered the team plans on the eve of the tournament, was partially culpable.But England’s record in Test cricket – four wins and a defeat in the last six games – is less bad and Moores feels the signs are there to suggest results will improve.”Of course results count,” he said. “But the emergence of teams and players – and I’ve built teams at Sussex and Lancashire, I’ve been through this three or four times at county and international level – is never a straightforward curve. It goes up and down. You invest in people you feel can go on and become special players.”The question for the ECB management is whether they feel Moores is worthy of further investment. The fact that he has heard nothing from them in recent days – he is, in his words, “out of the loop” – suggests equivocal support at best.While Moores suggests he still “loves” coaching, the constant criticism, especially from ex-players who have chosen a career in media rather than coaching, the lack of support from the ECB and the ever-present threat of the axe must leave him feeling more like a pinyata than a coach at times.He smiled at the reminder that Colin Graves threatened there would be “some enquiries” if England failed to win the series. “It feels like it has been an inquiry for the last 12 months,” he said, suggesting he cannot let such issues cloud his thinking.”I can’t view it like that. It’s not my choice. It’s not within my control. What is important to me is to totally commit to my job; to try to help players develop.”Of course there’s going to be impatience. Everyone wants to win. English cricket is in the spotlight and I totally get that. We are coming out of an era where we have been very dominant and then in Australia we fell off the edge of a cliff and we lost some players.”But I don’t want people to forget we have won four out of the last six Test matches. We have won overseas and we have made some mistakes. But as a group we are confident we can play competitive cricket. We know we are getting better. Coaches always want time. But it helps having a bit of stability around the team as well.”For all the money, facilities and support staff, however, stability and time seem to the scarcest resources in English cricket.