'Worrying thing is I've got a fifty before a five-for' – Wood

“I get to 20 and I think I’m like Bradman, that’s the problem,” the fast bowler joked after he staged a significant fightback for England along with Jonny Bairstow on the opening day in Christchurch

Andrew McGlashan in Christchurch30-Mar-2018Mark Wood praised the role played by Jonny Bairstow in making batting “fun” as the pair staged a significant fightback for England on the opening day in Christchurch.Wood, recalled for this match in place of Craig Overton, joined Bairstow with England tottering on 164 for 7 with seemingly a longer tail having also dropped Chris Woakes. He proceeded to make his maiden Test fifty, dominating an eighth-wicket stand of 95 in 18 overs which, at the very least, have given England a foothold in a match that appeared to be slipping away.”I had loads of fun but the worrying thing is I’ve got a fifty before a five-for, so I’ve done that the wrong way round,” he said. “I loved batting with Jonny, a lad I’ve played with and against since I was about 11 years old. So nice to do it with him at the other end.”When I went out to bat we were in a bit of trouble. Jonny knows I like to have a bit of fun out there, so it made it easier – just having a laugh and seeing how it goes. It just put my mind at ease and you forget the situation you are in.”Wood’s first-class average of 21.10 shows he has some ability and he has previously given glimpses in his short Test career, but after this innings, he has made a strong case to be No. 8 ahead of Stuart Broad. However, Wood believes he should already have scored more runs than he has managed and has to remember not to get carried away.”I worked hard in the nets this week thinking I might play this game. I get to 20 and I think I’m like Bradman, that’s the problem, I try too many shots. It was nice having Jonny there, he kept it fun, kept it calm whereas sometimes I think I get a bit ahead of myself and try too much. [Neil] Wagner was bowling a lot of bouncers more often than not I knew where the ball was going to be. Me and Jonny talked about a plan and we could set up. When I first got in, [Tim] Southee had done a lot of the damage and was nipping it around so it was harder.”Wood defended England’s top order after another poor display, saying there was significantly more help for the bowlers in the first part of the day.”Maybe there was panic stations at one point but New Zealand bowled really well this morning…maybe it felt like we just changed the momentum a little bit and brought it back in our favour. We rotated the strike well, that’s one of things Jonny does – he runs well between the wickets.”Southee, who finished the day with 5 for 60 to move level with Chris Cairns at No. 4 in New Zealand’s all-time list on 218 scalps, conceded the day had taken a different turn after the post-lunch spell of 3 for 1 in nine balls by him and Trent Boult.”That little burst after lunch was good for us with three quick wickets then England dug deep and that partnership was a crucial one for then,” he said.”One thing to come out of it, it shows that once you get in and the ball gets a bit older the wicket is reasonably good. I think it’s pretty even, it would have been nice to finish them off this evening but credit has to go to the way the lower [order] of England stuck in. The way that Jonny has played all summer so we know he’s a big wicket and a dangerous player which he showed at the end.”

Heino Kuhn set to earn South Africa Test call

Opening batsman Heino Kuhn will likely be named in South Africa’s Test squad to play in England next month

Firdose Moonda23-Jun-20170:44

Quick Facts: Heino Kuhn

Opening batsman Heino Kuhn will be named in South Africa’s Test squad to play in England next month, ESPNcricinfo has learnt.Kuhn, who scored a century in the ongoing unofficial Test against the England Lions on the back of an unbeaten 200 against Hampshire last week, will be joined by his A squad team-mates Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma and Duanne Olivier but it remains to be seen if Stephen Cook will keep his place.Cook was dropped for South Africa’s last Test, against New Zealand in Hamilton, and was replaced by de Bruyn, a regular No. 3. Selection convener Linda Zondi confirmed in the aftermath that de Bruyn would not be considered for a permanent place the top two, which suggests his inclusion in the squad is as back-up, especially as South Africa are unsure if Faf du Plessis will play in the opening Test as he awaits the birth of his first child. That means Kuhn and Cook will be competing for the same spot.Kuhn was 13th on the first-class run-charts last season with 527 runs at 43.91 with one hundred and three fifties but topped the list last summer. He scored 1126 runs at 62.55 with four hundreds and four fifties and missed out on selection after Cook, who had been the leading batsman the season before and in the top 10 for seven seasons prior to that, was preferred. Cook scored a century on debut and has two other hundreds to his name but has gone through lengthy lean patches, especially on away tours. He had scored just 75 runs in four innings before his hundred in Adelaide and 17 runs in four innings before being benched in New Zealand.In preparation for the England series, Cook has been playing county cricket for Durham and has scored 348 runs in seven matches at 26.76 with two fifties. In contrast, his Test opening partner Dean Elgar has is the fifth-highest run-scorer overall in Division 1 and has notched up 517 runs at 47.00 for Somerset in six matches with two hundreds and two fifties.This month, Heino Kuhn has hit 200* against Hampshire and 105 against England Lions•Getty Images

In addition to his ability to open the batting, Kuhn will also more than likely serve as the back-up gloveman to Quinton de Kock. Though Kuhn no longer regularly keeps wicket for his franchise, the Titans, he has done the job for several of his 12 years as first-class cricketer and most recently donned the gloves for the entire domestic one-day cup when Heinrich Klaasen was called up for national duty in New Zealand. Kuhn’s move from wicket-keeper batsman to specialist opener came last summer under Mark Boucher’s guidance after Boucher identified the opener’s spot as the only possible gap in the South African side.Kuhn’s selection suggests that South Africa will remain unsettled when it comes to their top two for a while yet. Neither Kuhn, who is 33, nor Cook, who is 34, can be considered a long-term solution but they may be placeholders for another member of the A side, who is expected to miss out this time. Aiden Markram captained the four-day side and scored a century against Hampshire and 71 in the first innings against the Lions but it appears he will have to wait his turn for a national call-up.South Africa’s Test squad will be announced at the conclusion of the A match against the Lions. The A team are headed towards a hefty defeat and after losing to Sussex and in the fifty-over series, there will be questions about the depth of South African cricket following a spate of Kolpak signings last summer.

Iyer, Milind back in India U-19 one-day squad

Batsman Shreyas Iyer and pace bowler Chama Milind return to India Under-19s limited-overs squad for the quadrangular series in Visakhapatnam later this month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2013

India U-19 squad for the quadrangular

Vijay Zol (capt), Akhil Herwadkar, Ricky Bhui, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Shubham Khajuria, Ankush Bains, Atul Singh, Chama Milind, Atit Seth, Abhimanyu Lamba, Kuldeep Yadav, Aamir Gani, Jagdish Jope

Batsman Shreyas Iyer and pace bowler Chama Milind return to India Under-19s’ limited-overs squad for the quadrangular series in Visakhapatnam later this month. Iyer, who also bowls part-time offspin, and new-ball bowler Milind had missed the one-day series against Sri Lanka in August – they had played the unofficial Tests though.Batsman Vijay Zol will continue to lead the side. Zol has been enjoying a fine season as captain and batsman – he led the team to victory in a tri-series in Australia in July, then a drawn Test series in Sri Lanka where India enjoyed several periods of dominance and a 2-0 win in the three-match ODI series that followed. His previous seven innings across formats include three centuries and two fifties, including a hundred on first-class debut, for India A against New Zealand A, last month. The only new face in the team is Zol’s fellow Maharashtrian Jagdish Jope.Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe comprise the other teams in the quadrangular, which kicks off on September 23.

Serious business starts for Pakistan and South Africa

ESPNcricinfo previews the South Africa and Pakistan Super Eights World T20 match, in Colombo

The Preview by Firdose Moonda27-Sep-2012

Match facts

September 28, 2012
Start time 1530 local (1000 GMT)Imran Nazir was ruthless in Pakistan’s previous game•AFP

Big Picture

What appears to be the tougher of the two Super Eight groups gets underway with a repeat of the 2009 World T20 semi-final, a match that is remembered as one the most thrilling, in a format where almost anything can be labelled so. Historically, these two make good opponents: the unpredictability of Pakistan against the sometimes uber-predictability of South Africa. But things have changed.Pakistan still implode at times but tend to bring some of their best games to major tournaments. They have also tempered their fiery side with reason and both have been on display in equal measure in the group stage and even before that, in series against Australia and Sri Lanka. Combined, those two contrasting styles could result in a Pakistan side that consistently performs as well as they have done of late.They defended a decent total against a determined New Zealand line-up and then turned on the heat when they hunted down Bangladesh’s score ruthlessly. Importantly, their top three all have runs to their name and each of the bowlers, particularly Saeed Ajmal, have seen success.South Africa also take confidence into this round. They have had one all-too-easy encounter (against Zimbabwe) and one severely reduced match (a seven-over-a-side shootout against Sri Lanka) and managed not to get carried away by the former or spooked by the latter. Their philosophy when playing major tournaments appears to have changed. AB de Villiers spoke about not needing to win every game but building to a crescendo but South Africa have so far won and built at the same time.Having been on tour since the beginning of July, Gary Kirsten has stressed the importance of being fresh to his men. They had two days off in Bentota before they resumed training, which was describe as “lengthy and intensive” by the coaching staff. Surprisingly, they do not have a certain starting line-up as they try to keep an aura of mystery about them in their bid for ICC silverware.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa WWLWW
Pakistan WWLTW

Watch out for

South Africa will not have fond memories of playing against Shahid Afridi after he was solely responsible for stopping their march at the 2009 event. Afridi was a one-man act as he destroyed a Graeme Smith-led side that had not lost a single match in the lead-up to the semi-finals with both bat and ball. He is a man for a big occasion and even though the contest is not a knockout, to make a statement of intent against one of the favourites may be just the stage for Afridi to perform as he did on that day.Power is the quality that most batsmen want to be able to use to score runs in the shortest format, but Hashim Amla has chosen a different route. Small adaptations to his game have allowed him to keep the class and still become the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman. Flanked by the strength of the Richard Levi and the experience of Jacques Kallis, Amla is the calm in the South African batting line-up, something they will need as the tournament goes on.

Team news

Pakistan played the same XI in both their group matches and with two good results should keep the same team.Pakistan : 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Yasir Arafat, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed AjmalSouth Africa also won both their matches, although they fielded different XIs, with the change being in the batting line-up. Faf du Plessis was given an opportunity to bat at No. 3 against Sri Lanka and scored 13 in a reduced game. He is the likeliest to be left out as South Africa opt for two spinners on a pitch that should take more turn than was on offer in Hambantota.South Africa (probable): 1 Richard Levi, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Albie Morkel 8 Johan Botha 9 Robin Peterson 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Dale Steyn

Pitch and conditions

Albie Morkel expects a more typically sub-continental surface in Colombo compared with what he called “home conditions,” in Hambantota. The pitch is said to be much slower, with little in it for the quicks. A 60% chance of rain should lessen as the afternoon grows longer but the chance of another shortened match remains.

Stats and trivia

  • Three of the top four wicket-takers in World T20 are all from Pakistan. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul are on 29, 27 and 27 wickets respectively.
  • South Africa and Pakistan have played against each other in five T20s, twice in World T20s. South Africa have a better head-to-head record, winning three of the five played overall.

Quotes

“The beauty of our batting line-up is that we have a lot of variety and different sets of batting skills in our line-up. Guys can use their feet, guys can sweep, guys can reverse sweep; so we have some very good options in our line-up.”

“We are blessed with some of the greats in T20s, especially Ajmal and Afridi. This is our main strength even though we also rely on our fast bowlers.”

Ben Stokes faces injury lay-off

Durham allrounder Ben Stokes will be out of action for six to eight weeks after badly dislocating a finger during his team’s innings-and-125-run thrashing of Lancashire on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2011Durham allrounder Ben Stokes will be out of action for six to eight weeks after dislocating a finger on Tuesday during his team’s innings-and-125-run thrashing of Lancashire at Chester-le-Street.Stokes, who turns 20 on Saturday, damaged his right index finger while attempting to take a catch that would have dismissed Paul Horton in Lancashire’s second innings. X-rays revealed joint damage and a piece of bone fragment, and will require surgery to be pinned.The injury brings an end to a season in which Stokes has blossomed as a cricketer. He made four hundreds, including a career-best 185 during a 331-run stand with Dale Benkenstein in the win over Lancashire. It bettered the 315 for the seventh wicket between Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson, against Yorkshire at Headingley in 2006, as Durham’s highest partnership in the Championship.In April, Stokes took 6 for 68 and scored a hundred that included five sixes in an over against Hampshire, and just over a month later, he registered his maiden limited-overs ton, cracking 150 not out against Warwickshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40. There had even been talk of Stokes being added to England’s one-day squad this summer, but he now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Chris Wright crowns final game by keeping Leicestershire on top

He and Ian Holland take three wickets each as Northamptonshire are skittled for 189

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Sep-2025Leicestershire 429 (Eskinazi 155) and 86 for 2 (Budinger 50, Keogh 2-20) lead Northamptonshire 189 (Zaib 62, Wright 3-19, Holland 3-28) by 326 runsChris Wright celebrated his 600th first-class wicket, crowning the final game of a 21-year professional career as his 3 for 19 helped put Leicestershire in the ascendency on day two of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Wright, who was greeted by a guard of honour when he batted in the morning session, also collected his 800th wicket in all formats, and with Ian Holland taking 3 for 28, a hapless Northamptonshire were skittled for 189 inside 58 overs, 240 behind.Only the prolific Saif Zaib looked totally assured for Northamptonshire, scoring 62, his sixth half-century of the season to go with six centuries. Named the Supporters’ Club Player of the Year during lunch, his innings moved him into sixth place on the list of Northamptonshire batters with the most runs in a season this century.With Leicestershire deciding not to enforce the follow-on, Sol Budinger picked up where he left off in the first innings, smashing 50 off 44 balls. Rob Keogh took two wickets in two balls in the day’s closing overs to offer Northamptonshire a glimmer of hope, but the visitors closed strongly on 86 for 2, 326 ahead.Earlier Northamptonshire wrapped up the Leicestershire innings within 40 minutes, Logan van Beek (35) edging behind off Justin Broad (3 for 38). Centurion Stephen Eskinazi added just five to his overnight 150 before Broad found some late movement to take the edge. Finally, Josh Hull was caught down the leg side to give George Scrimshaw his third wicket and Lewis McManus his fifth catch of the innings and 51st dismissal of the Championship season. The Northamptonshire keeper, who has played every competitive game this summer has 75 dismissals in all formats.McManus (25) displayed some crisp strokeplay, unfurling sweet drives through the covers, but he also edged several balls which fell just short or ran wide of the slip cordon. He fell playing a rash pull to Hull’s first ball with two men back for the shot, van Beek taking an excellent catch as he back peddled at fine leg.Debutant Arush Buchake survived probing early spells from Leicestershire’s seamers and showed good timing as he drove through the covers. But after punching Holland behind square for his sixth boundary, he edged to second slip for a well-made 35, as Northamptonshire lost three wickets for 12 runs in seven overs.James Sales fell cheaply to Wright when he cut too close to his body and chopped on to his stumps. Then Keogh (28), who had got off the mark with two consecutive legside boundaries off Hull, was possibly unlucky to be adjudged lbw as he came down the track to Wright, 10 short of 10,000 career runs in all formats.Zaib attacked the spin of Liam Trevaskis, smashing six down the ground before collecting another maximum as he swept over deep midwicket.At the other end, Broad dropped anchor, but after half an hour van Beek got one to lift sharply and draw the edge of his bat through to keeper Ben Cox.Zaib took on van Beek, pulling and hooking, while using his feet to drive Trevaskis down the ground, but Northamptonshire lost a sixth wicket when debutant Stuart van der Merwe fell cheaply, sweeping Trevaskis round the corner into the hands of van Beek.Zaib drove Hull through the covers to reach fifty off 58 balls, while George Bartlett (11) flat batted a full toss from part-time spinner Rishi Patel over long off for six. But on the brink of tea, Bartlett was trapped lbw as he played down the wrong line to a straight one from Trevaskis.After tea Zaib had a rush of blood smashing Holland straight to mid-off before Wright celebrated his milestone wicket when he snared Ben Whitehouse lbw. Scrimshaw was the last to go, offering a return catch to Holland.Batting again, Leicestershire made their intentions clear as Budinger went on the offensive, blazing six fours and a six before he was bowled by Keogh with one that spun away. Next ball Keogh removed Holland via a brilliant one-handed grab by Broad at first slip.

RCB senior official Nikhil Sosale granted interim bail by Karnataka High Court

Sosale, along with two officials from DNA Networks, the event management company associated with RCB, has been released on specific conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2025Nikhil Sosale, the senior Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) official arrested over the June 4 tragedy that left 11 dead in a stampede during the team’s victory celebrations, has been granted interim bail by the Karnataka High Court.Sosale, along with two officials from DNA Entertainment, the event management company associated with RCB, has been released on specific conditions, the most notable being the surrender of their passports.In Thursday’s hearing, Sosale’s lawyers argued that the arrests had been made solely on “the orders of the Chief Minister [Siddaramaiah without conducting any investigation and collecting any material to point out that the petitioners were responsible for the stampede.”Related

  • Bengaluru stampede: Tribunal observes RCB 'created nuisance' without prior permission

  • BCCI forms committee to prevent incidents like Bengaluru stampede

  • Chinnaswamy stampede: KSCA secretary, treasurer resign citing 'moral responsibility'

  • RCB official challenges arrest as court grants interim relief to KSCA administrators

  • Police file FIR against RCB after deaths of 11 fans

At the time of the arrests on June 5, two days after RCB won IPL 2025, Bengaluru Police claimed they denied RCB permission to conduct their victory parade at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, around which the stampede occurred leading to casualties.RCB were listed as the first accused along with DNA Entertainment, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which is in charge of the stadium premises. Subsequently, two senior KSCA officials – treasurer ES Jairam and secretary A Shankar – resigned from their posts on June 7, citing “moral responsibility.”As things stand, Sosale and all other RCB officials who are part of the management team are likely to undergo an internal investigation by parent company Diageo. RCB has made no comment on the matter since issuing a public apology via a press release a day after the incident.There has been no social media posts or updates on their platforms since.

Owen hammers 149 off 69 balls as Tasmania win high-scoring thriller

South Australia were already assured of a spot in the final and clinched hosting rights as the game was ongoing

AAP23-Feb-2025
Mitch Owen produced another heroic batting display, crushing 149 off 69 balls in Tasmania’s thrilling two-wicket One-Day Cup win over South Australia.Ladder leaders South Australia posted a formidable 329 for 9 at Adelaide Oval courtesy of a century from Mackenzie Harvey and Daniel Drew’s 63.Related

  • Queensland crash out of One-Day Cup to youthful WA

  • Kellaway's maiden one-day hundred leads Victoria into final

Owen went into overdrive in Tasmania’s run chase, cracking 14 fours and 10 sixes in a blistering knock that helped lift the visitors to 197 for 3 by the 20th over.He reached his century in just 48 balls. It was a near mirror image to his heroics in the BBL final, when his 108 off 42 balls lifted the Hobart Hurricanes to victory over the Sydney Thunder.Owen’s innings on Sunday finally came to an end when he was bowled between his legs by Wes Agar, with Tasmania slipping to 291 for 8 in the 39th over.With Tasmania still requiring 39 runs to win, Will Prestwidge (26 not out) and Tom Rogers (16 not out) dug in to see their team over the line with six balls to spare.

Dean Jones Cup Final

South Australia vs Victoria, Adelaide Oval, March 1

South Australia entered Sunday’s match knowing they had already secured a spot in the March 1 final, and they were then guaranteed hosting rights when Victoria beat New South Wales.That result catapulted Victoria from fourth to second, securing them a spot in next Saturday’s final against at Adelaide Oval. Tasmania finished the season in fifth spot with three wins, three losses and a no-result from their seven games.South Australia made a hot start on Sunday, reaching 207 for 1 by the 33rd over as Harvey and Drew took control.Allrounder Beau Webster helped limit the damage, ensuring South Australia’s total didn’t become insurmountable.Although Tasmania lost wickets at regular intervals, Owen’s explosiveness ensured they had plenty of runs on the scoreboard.The 23-year-old cracked South Australia’s attack to all parts of the ground, with Jordan Buckingham (1-79 off eight overs) and Wes Agar (2-91 off 10 overs) suffering the bulk of the punishment. Spinner Lloyd Pope was South Australia’s best bowler and found himself on a hat-trick as he nearly turned the game around for the home side.

Will Mahmudullah make Bangladesh's T20 World Cup squad?

A prolonged dip in form has meant Bangladesh’s most capped T20I player can no longer be assured of his place

Mohammad Isam12-Sep-2022The biggest question going around in Dhaka right now is whether Mahmudullah will make it into Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup team. The selectors are expected to announce the 15-member squad on September 15, shortly after the BCB president Nazmul Hassan gives his approval. Before the announcement, the board has arranged a three-day training camp for the new technical consultant, S Sriram, to look at the talent at his disposal.On Monday, the first day of the camp, team director Khaled Mahmud said they are yet to take a call on Mahmudullah. He made 52 runs at 106.12 strike rate in the Asia Cup, having made just 99 runs in six T20s earlier this year. Gone are the days of Mahmudullah being the designated hitter for Bangladesh in the death overs. He has looked a shadow of the player he once was between 2016 to 2018.”(Mahmudullah) Riyad is an important part of our white-ball cricket,” Mahmud said. “There has been no decision on him. We will take a decision when we sit down to do the team, whether we need him in the squad or not. I can say that Riyad is still important for us. It is good to have discussions on whether Riyad will get the chance or not. We also can’t say that Riyad isn’t an automatic choice. We have to take everything into consideration.”Mahmud suggested that Mahmudullah’s experience – he is Bangladesh’s most capped T20I player – will not give him an advantage at the selection table. Mushfiqur Rahim, a senior player similarly under pressure to score regularly in T20Is, retired shortly after the Asia Cup, citing his need to give more time to Tests and ODIs. But it was quite clear that Mushfiqur knew his time was up in T20Is.Mahmud, considered Mahmudullah’s mentor from his early days, said that they were not getting the best out of him right now. “At the end of the day, we will consider the best interest of the Bangladesh team. We are not going to see someone differently just because he is more experienced. We definitely value his service, like the other experienced players. Riyad is trying hard, but we are not getting what we expect from him. He is scoring a run-a-ball 27, for instance.”But Riyad has been our match-winner,” Mahmud said. “He made centuries in the 2015 World Cup. He had a big partnership with Shakib [Al Hasan] in the 2017 Champions Trophy. He has won matches single-handedly too. We can’t say no to him all of a sudden, but the team is bigger than the individual. We have called up a lot of players [to the camp], but not all are called up for selection.”Bangladesh’s thinking of a side without Mushfiqur and probably Mahmudullah comes from their confidence in the return of Litton Das, Nurul Hasan and Yasir Ali from various injuries. It is reportedly hoped that the return of this trio could solve their middle and top order problems that have plagued them for more than 12 months.

Nottinghamshire left snow-blind amid uncertainty over Championship future

ECB dismisses ‘speculation’ about 12-team Premier League but Division Two counties in dark

Matt Roller31-Mar-2022It seemed a long way off when Nottinghamshire’s squad photograph was interrupted by a snowstorm at Trent Bridge on Thursday morning, but the English season starts next week with a round of eight County Championship fixtures with the competition under more scrutiny than ever.After two years in which the structure of the domestic first-class game was altered by the pandemic, the Championship reverts to two uneven divisions in 2022, with ten teams in Division One and eight in Division Two. This format was originally planned to be introduced in 2020, and finishing positions for 2019 have been honoured, much to the relief of top-tier counties who have struggled in the last two years and the irritation of second-flight teams who have punched above their weight.Notts have more right to feel aggrieved than most. They were relegated in 2019 after a winless season, but made significant strides in 2021 as they finished third, four points behind champions Warwickshire in a six-team Division One after topping their early-season conference.

England must bring back selector role – Newell

England’s “red-ball reset” must include the appointment of an independent selector, according to Mick Newell, Notts’ director of cricket who spent four years in the role from 2014-18.
Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, handed selectorial responsibilities to head coach Chris Silverwood last year when Ed Smith was made redundant but both men have since left their roles.
“There has to be a selector, absolutely,” Newell told ESPNcricinfo. “I think it was the wrong decision. There has to be somebody making the phone calls, watching cricket, putting the time in explaining decisions to players, and doing things that the head coach shouldn’t have to do because they should be concentrating on the performance of the team.”
Newell, who was beaten to the role of managing director by Giles in 2018, said he had not applied for the vacancy this time, with Marcus North and Rob Key among the leading candidates.
Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said he would not categorically rule out the prospect of a third stint as England coach but that he was “pretty confident that they might not be looking my way.”

“We’ve accepted it,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, told ESPNcricinfo. “We’d have liked the decision to have taken the two years after 2019 into account, but we also accept that we got relegated in 2019. Everyone’s got their head around it now and we’ve all decided that we have a job to do, which is to win that division.””We’re all disappointed that we’re in Division Two but those were the rules that they came up with, and that was the vote that was carried out,” Mick Newell, their director of cricket, added. “There’s no point blaming the ECB. It wasn’t their vote; the counties voted for this system. We feel that last year we were the third best team in the country, but we’ve got to prove it again. If we play as well as we did last year, I think we’ll be okay.”What comes next is anyone’s guess. Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s interim managing director of men’s cricket, announced earlier this month the launch of a “high-performance review” into the English game at all levels, due to be published in September so that recommendations can be implemented in time for the 2023 season, but it remains at a nascent stage.The ECB issued a statement on Thursday morning dismissing as “speculation” and “not true” newspaper reports that the Championship could be split into a 12-team ‘Premier League’ and a six-team second division. County chief executives were told the same thing in a meeting on Wednesday.Related

  • Haseeb Hameed's Nottinghamshire form gives hope that dark days are behind him

  • Peter Moores extends Nottinghamshire tenure after interest from PCB

  • Andrew Strauss says ECB to launch high-performance review of English game

  • Alec Stewart calls on England selectors to keep faith as he defends county 'breeding ground'

“The terms of reference for the Strauss report are not out yet,” Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, said on Thursday. “There’ll be a game-wide consultation – coaches, players, media, PCA, fans. This is going to be a massive piece of work. I understand why you want to ask questions on this but it’s all speculation.”Anybody that is writing anything in newspapers at the moment is making it up. Until this process starts and the consultation is worked through to whatever the end result is, you’re all speculating.”But for second-division counties, the lack of clarity is a frustration. Their finishing positions in 2022 will determine which division teams play in next year, but it may not become apparent until the final weeks of the season whether teams need to finish in the top one, two or three to get promoted. In the event of a radical restructure – three divisions of six, for example – it may be that no teams in this season’s Division Two are promoted at all.”Everyone will be thinking a little bit about 2023 without really knowing what they’re playing for,,” Newell said. “I’m not sure we’re going to get [clarity] very soon. But clearly, there will be that realisation that if you’re not in the top two, you will definitely not be in a Division One in 2023.”Division Two is going to be interesting. Durham are obviously coming back well; Sussex have strengthened their batting which had been a problem; Middlesex I think will be good with their new coach. Nobody is saying it’s a foregone conclusion that Notts will be in the top two, but it should be a good, competitive division.””If we won the division this year and then didn’t go into Division One, after getting more points than anyone else last year [across both phases of the season], then you’d think the system is wrong,” Moores added. “The whole idea of divisional cricket is to get the best teams in it but we’ve got to keep it really simple: we’ve got to try and win Division Two. What happens outside of that will be dictated by other people and then we’ll take it from there.”

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