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A dominant Australia Women side thumped Sri Lanka Women by ten wickets in the one-off T20I in Colombo with 71 balls to spare, the largest margin of victory (by balls remaining) in women’s T20 cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Kristen Beams troubled Sri Lanka Women again, taking 3 for 11 in her four overs•Getty Images/ICC

A dominant Australia Women side thumped Sri Lanka Women by ten wickets in the one-off T20I in Colombo, chasing down a target of 60 with 71 balls to spare, the largest margin of victory (by balls remaining) in women’s T20 cricket. Australia, who had swept the preceding ODI series 4-0, bettered the record of 70 balls set by New Zealand in 2010.Put in to bat, Sri Lanka struggled from the outset, extending their poor form shown during the one-day series. In the middle stage, between the 11th and 14th overs, the team lost five wickets for eight runs, before labouring to 59 for 8. Kristen Beams, who had returns of 3 for 11, took all her wickets during that slide, and also dismissed Eshani Lokusuriyage and Ama Kanchana off successive deliveries in the 13th over. Beams was the top wicket-taker in the ODI series with 13 dismissals.Sri Lanka lost five batsmen to Australia’s spinners – Beams, Jess Jonassen and Erin Osborne – and two to run-outs. Opener Lasanthi Madushani top-scored with 17, and the next best score was 8 from No. 10 batsman Inoka Ranaweera.Openers Beth Mooney and Elyse Villani struck 55 in the Powerplay, and took another 13 balls to wrap up the win. Australia captain Meg Lanning missed the game due to an illness and Alex Blackwell led the side in her place.

Opener Swapnil Gugale’s 91 on yet another rain-curtailed day has put Maharashtra on course to take a first-innings lead and start their season with three points against Haryana

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Pune03-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Ankit Bawne and Maharashtra will hope for as little rain as possible on the final day in Gahunje•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Opener Swapnil Gugale’s 91 on yet another rain-curtailed day has put Maharashtra on course to take a first-innings lead and start their season with three points against Haryana. Play was stopped in Gahunje just before tea on the penultimate day with hosts Maharashtra 256 for 3, only 79 runs behind Haryana’s first innings total of 335.Claiming the lead might not be quite so straightforward with heavier rain predicted on the final day. The unbeaten batsmen Kedar Jadhav and Ankit Bawne, were quite aggressive during their 76-run partnership, and would be hoping for at least an hour’s play tomorrow to push Maharashtra ahead.The day, however, clearly belonged to Gugale. He had debuted in 2010-11, got a duck and did not play the rest of the season. After a few years in the wilderness, he broke through in 2014-15 with 596 runs at 54.18, including a century in the semi-final against Tamil Nadu. He had come in midway through the season and ended up with the highest average.Gugale began cautiously today, taking his time to gauge the pace and adjusting to the lesser bounce on the pitch. He saw off the pace of Ashish Hooda, the standout bowler for Haryana, before getting into gear with some lovely drives.Jayant Yadav, on a high after impressing for India A against the touring Bangladeshis last week, was introduced after drinks but Gugale didn’t let him settle. He laced a four through cover and followed it up with a paddle sweep to the fine leg boundary. Next over, he charged down the wicket and struck medium-pacer Sachin Rana over his head and into the sight screen. Gugale completed the assault by hoicking Yadav into the stands beyond long-on just before lunch.Gugale had scored 174 against Delhi last season and memories of that knock may have come up for Virender Sehwag, now leading Haryana. But, Hooda was eventually rewarded for his discipline as Gugale edged one to keeper Nitin Saini just after entering into the nineties.Gugale was glad to have started the season with a good knock which wiil give him “enough confidence to avoid second-season blues.” but was disappointed to have missed out on a three-figure mark.”A hundred is, after all, a hundred,” he said after the day’s play was called off ten minutes before scheduled close. “It would have been better to leave home for four consecutive away games with a hundred at home but it wasn’t to be. Hopefully I can make amends in the coming games.”

Holly Ferling, a gangling, giggling fast bowler, all of 17, found out she was playing an important World Cup match against the old rivals after the woman she idolizes is ruled out unfit

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai08-Feb-2013A gangling, giggling fast bowler, all of 17, finds out she’s playing an important World Cup match against the old rivals after the woman she idolizes is ruled out unfit. “Instant nerves” result, but in a low-scoring game, she pounds in, a bow holding her flying long hair together, and strikes with her first delivery. She strikes again in the first over of a comeback spell, removing the game’s top-scorer. She ends with 10-0-35-3 in only her second international match. Not exactly a normal Friday for your average teenager.But Australia’s Holly Ferling is no normal teenager. And it is not the first time she’s made an immediate impact after replacing an injured player. She took a hat-trick with her first three balls in men’s grade cricket in her hometown of Kingaroy in Queensland. She was 14 then. She is the first female to be declared the Queensland Junior Cricketer of the Year and has reportedly impressed Jeff Thomson, the former Australia fast bowler. Today, she tested England with the bounce she generated at speeds in the late 110kphs, striking for someone so young.Her obvious talent cannot mask her age, and when she walked into the media room at Brabourne Stadium, she looked every bit the awkward teenager feeling overwhelmed, with spotlights trained on her and people waiting to ask questions. Just like she was able to overcome her nerves on the field, though, she answered without inhibition, flashing the radiant smile of a young girl thrilled beyond measure to have done what she did.With her inspiration Ellyse Perry ruled out with a stomach bug, Ferling found out she was going to play about an hour before the start. “I was like, ‘oh my God, I am playing England’. It was an unreal feeling,” Ferling said. “I was just excited to get another game.”Perry had a few words of advice for Ferling, whose international debut had come only a week ago against Pakistan. “She just wished me luck and told me to hit the deck. My goal was just to come in and bowl fast.”Brought back for her third spell in the 41st over of England’s chase, Ferling felt tense again. “I was so nervous. I was trying to keep things simple which is something I have struggled with in the past, and tried to do too much. Hopefully they’d make the mistakes.” Lydia Greenway, on 49, hit the final ball of that Ferling over to short extra cover.Ferling felt she had come a long way in the past year, with support from Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia. She then forgot the name of the place she trains at. “Centre of Excellence,” the team’s media manager helpfully reminded her.Ferling’s voice was laced with emotion when she revealed what Perry, who has represented Australia in World Cup football as well, meant to her. “I have always looked up to her. To do what she has done at such a young age is an incredible feat and I don’t think it will ever be done again. To play alongside her against Pakistan and then to train alongside her and to be in the team environment with her is just an incredible feeling.”Didn’t she feel she would be inevitably compared with her idol? The 17-year old laughed as she pointed out the differences. “I wear a bow and my hair is curly.”

David Warner may soon captain Australia in Twenty20 internationals but the head coach Mickey Arthur has said he has the potential to lead his country “in any form of the game”

Brydon Coverdale16-Jan-2012David Warner may soon captain Australia in Twenty20 internationals but the head coach Mickey Arthur has said he has the potential to lead his country “in any form of the game”.A poor run of scores in the Big Bash League has the incumbent T20 captain Cameron White looking over his shoulder, and Warner has advanced his leadership credentials greatly by leading the Sydney Thunder. He was also named captain of a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI for one of India’s pre-series warm-up matches in Canberra, proof that the national selectors are not blind to the possibility.Add to that a barnstorming 180 in Perth to set the course of the third Test and Warner’s stock is rising fast. Arthur, also a selector, said his own perceptions of Warner as a brash T20 merchant had been confounded by working closely with him since his Test debut against New Zealand in Brisbane.”Davey has leadership potential. He has the ability to lead any Australian team in any form of the game at some stage,” Arthur said. “Whether that’s in the next couple of weeks or whether that’s in a year or five years time I’m not sure.”He has a very good cricket brain. He leads a lot by example. He trains the house down. The perceptions that everybody had of David Warner and the reality of David Warner the person are poles apart.”Arthur further believes that Shaun Marsh can arrest his slump in the fourth Test in Adelaide after he saw signs of improvement in Marsh’s batting at the WACA. Arthur also hinted that Shane Watson was more likely to make his comeback from injury in next month’s limited-overs matches rather than in the Adelaide Test, where the offspinner Nathan Lyon might be the only inclusion.While Lyon’s return will force a reshuffle of the fast-bowling line-up, the batting group is unlikely to change, which will give the struggling Marsh and Brad Haddin a chance to regain their form. Marsh has made 0, 3, 0 and 11 in this series and he is the only one of the top six who has not made a significant contribution to Australia’s 3-0 lead.Cricket Australia has also cleared Marsh and Haddin, along with Lyon and Mitchell Starc, to play in the Big Bash League before the Adelaide Test, a sign that they are the few men who need more time in the middle. The rest of the Test players will remain out of the Twenty20 tournament while they prepare for the fourth Test.”The stars have aligned for us in the whole series except in the No.3 position,” Arthur said. “We haven’t got anywhere near selecting the squad that’s going to go down there. If Shaun gets that opportunity, which I’m hoping he does, I’m pretty sure he’ll go out there and perform well.”I saw signs of him coming back. I saw signs of his movement being a lot crisper. His weight transfer was a lot better. He looked really good at a point in this innings [in Perth]. I’m just hoping he gets through it and gets a score, because if he gets a score, Shaun is a player who, once he gets on a roll, is hard to bowl at. Hopefully Adelaide is the catalyst for him.”Marsh has a fine record at Adelaide Oval, where he has made two centuries and two fifties from five first-class matches and averages 64.44. Another big score there would ease the pressure on him after his lean patch, which followed a six-week lay-off due to a serious back injury that he picked up while batting in the Cape Town Test in November.”We just thought he was tentative in the first two Test matches,” Arthur said. “By his own admission he was as well. It’s hard when you’re coming back into the team after an injury, it’s always tough. You need to get going, you start doubting yourself and your ability. You just need a score and he hasn’t got that yet. Hopefully Adelaide is the place and hopefully he takes that into the Twenty20s and one-dayers.”Those shorter-format games, which begin with a T20 against India in Sydney on February 1, could also mark the return of Watson, who has not played a home Test so far this summer due to his injury problems. Watson has been battling hamstring and calf injuries this season, and whenever he returns to the Test side, it will mean a reshuffle for the batting order with David Warner and Ed Cowan having established a promising opening combination.”We’re wanting a fit and firing Shane Watson for the T20s and one-day series and I’m pretty sure we’re going to have that,” Arthur said. “Whether he plays in Adelaide or not, I’m not sure. But I do know that Shane Watson will be around our Twenty20 and one-day side.”I don’t see the need to change too much right now. I think we’ve got some really good momentum. We’ve had a lot of success with this squad.”The one change that does seem certain for the Adelaide Test, which starts on Tuesday next week, is the return of Lyon for one of the fast bowlers. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus appear to be certain starters, especially with such a long break between matches, while Starc and Ryan Harris are the two men in danger of losing their place.”All indications are in Adelaide you’re going to play a spinner, there’s no doubt about that,” Arthur said. “Mitchell Starc came into the squad this time and he performed really well. It’s part of us broadening the base of our quick bowlers. We’ll have a look at how all the guys pull up.”The early finish to the Perth Test, where Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has given most of the players a chance to fly home before they reconvene in Adelaide.

The Newlands pitch is “more challenging for the batsmen than it is for the fielding team,” Hashim Amla said at the end of the opening day

Firdose Moonda at Newlands02-Jan-2011The Newlands pitch is “more challenging for the batsmen than it is for the fielding team,” Hashim Amla said at the end of the opening day of the deciding Cape Town Test. Amla was pleased that, despite the challenging conditions, South Africa finished at stumps “in a good space, considering we were put in to bat.”With moisture in the air and heavy cloud above, it was considered a good toss to lose, since there was uncertainty over whether the winning captain should exploit conditions by bowling or bat in the knowledge that the weather was expected to clear. “I may have bowled,” Amla said. “The pitch has a lot in it for the bowlers. If you hit a decent length, it has a lot of swing and a lot of nip.”Amla felt the South African batsmen did a good job negotiating their way through the tricky conditions. “The day went quite well for us especially since the track has some juice in it and given the overhead conditions.” Amla also praised the batsmen for not allowing the breaks in play to cause jitters in the line-up, as 112 minutes were lost to rain and bad light. “It is a mental shift to switch on and switch off. Fortunately, it went quite well for us after the break.”After just nine overs, the players marched off the field for light drizzle and bad light. An hour and 15 minutes of play was lost in that delay. At that stage, Amla had scored just one run off 10 balls and South Africa were in a tricky position at 23 for one. The early lunch break allowed for some reflection and in Amla’s case provided an injection of intent for the session that followed. He came out and scored 58 off 70 balls in the post-lunch session, including nine fours and a six. “I had a couple of chocolates, I think it was a sugar rush,” Amla joked.Of course, for the measured man from Durban, it was nothing of the sort and although he had not planned it, he was able to take advantage of some of the bowling he was presented with. “I think I just had a lot of bad balls. There were a few full balls that I got to capitalise on and momentum just went with me for that bit.” Three fours and the solitary six came off the bowling of Sreesanth, whom Amla eventually gave his wicket. While there was nothing of the fiery exchange witnessed between Sreesanth and Graeme Smith, some words in anger were muttered from the Indian bowler. Amla said that had nothing to do with his dismissal. “There weren’t any words exchanged, I didn’t say anything back. I tried to keep it down and I got a top edge.”Sunny skies saw South Africa to the close of play, them having lost just four wickets, and a bright forecast is predicted for tomorrow. Amla didn’t think that would necessarily translate into better batting conditions. “I don’t know if it will be very good for batting since there is a fair covering of grass on the pitch. The ball is 70 overs old and it’s still nipping.”He did think a sustained presence of sunlight may “dry the wicket out” but predicted a “crucial first session” for the hosts. For that reason, Amla could not identify a total that South Africa would be comfortable posting. “Let’s see what the conditions are like. If it’s cloudy it will be a lot tougher, if it’s a sunny day, maybe the wicket might flatten out.”

Plays of the day from the first day of the second Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata

N Hunter14-Feb-2010Petersen pierces the field
Silly point, short cover, and extra cover were in place as Amit Mishra tossed up a legbreak on middle and off stump. Alviro Petersen, a debutant, took on the challenge, strode forward and drove handsomely to the boundary. It was easily the shot of the in morning.Mishra kicks dust
The last ball of the same over was a straighter one that pitched on middle stump, held its line and, as Hawk-Eye indicated, probably would have hit between middle and leg. But when the umpire turned down Mishra’s vociferous appeal, he couldn’t believe it and raised his arms and shrieked. He had bowled 53 overs without a wicket in Nagpur and continued to toil.Laxman drops a sitter
They don’t come much easier. Hashim Amla tried to cut a delivery outside off from Harbhajan Singh but the outside edge travelled straight to VVS Laxman at first slip. He juggled thrice but couldn’t hold on. He made amends, though, by running from first slip towards short third man to catch Jacques Kallis, also off Harbhajan.Spell of the day
4-1-12-0. It was delivered by Ishant Sharma, whose first spell in the afternoon was about half hour before tea. Until then, play had been dominated by Petersen and Amla. Maintaining speeds between 129 and 140 kph, Ishant pitched accurately – short of a length on the off-stump line. Even Amla, who had survived 100 overs in the series till then, was hopping and skipping as he tried to fend off Ishant’s snorters, one of which hit him on the hips. It was a crucial spell because the runs dried up for the first time in the day.Blunder of the day
After Petersen’s departure on the brink of tea, South Africa needed Amla to extend his vigil. He was more aggressive today compared to Nagpur and had stepped out dangerously against Harbhajan but got away. There were a few misses as he tried to upper-cut Ishant during his hot spell as well. But off the fourth ball after tea, an away-going short delivery from Zaheer, Amla went for an unnecessary pull, and the edge travelled into MS Dhoni’s gloves.Harbhajan’s tent
As soon as Harbhajan trapped Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy off consecutive deliveries, Dhoni set a tent-like field to help his spinner take a hat-trick. Men had already been positioned at first slip, silly point and short leg, and joining them now were a leg slip and an additional slip. Memories of 2001 returned as Harbhajan charged in to claim a dramatic hat-trick. Even as Dale Steyn survived the ball, the ring of close fielders jumped up and appealed in unison out of sheer excitement., Harris
India did not forget Paul Harris’ choking lines and lengths in the first Test as well as his quips to mentally disintegrate them. So Zaheer, having just run out AB de Villiers, walked alongside Harris, the new man, as he stepped into the raucous Eden Gardens. Next, Ishant did not waste time in bowling in the channel and repeatedly breathed under Harris’ nose. Smiles and words were exchanged. Harris tried to stay calm, but the pressure was relentless, and he eventually edged a delivery that shaped away a bit. Ishant bowed dramatically with folded hands (traditional Indian greeting ‘namaste’) to see the South African out.

Veteran opener steps away from the game after 16 seasons at Bristol

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2025Chris Dent, Gloucestershire’s long-serving opening batter, has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect.Dent, 34, represented Gloucestershire in 356 matches, scoring over 15,000 runs across all formats, including 11,237 at 36.01 in first-class cricket, placing him 28th on the club’s all-time list.Born in Bristol, Dent joined Gloucestershire’s Pathway at the age of 12, and made his senior debut in 2009 during a Pro40 match against Nottinghamshire. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on four occasions, most recently in 2019, when he captained the side to promotion to Division One, their first such appearance since 2005.This season, however, he struggled for form in the opening round of Championship games, and had not featured for the first team since April.”After 16 memorable seasons playing professional cricket, I’ve decided that the time is right to step away from the game,” Dent said. “It’s hard to put into words what cricket has given me, but I will always be truly grateful.”I want to thank Gloucestershire CCC for giving me my opportunity 16 years ago. The support and faith you’ve shown me have been a huge part of any success I’ve had over the years.”To the fans – your encouragement throughout my career has meant everything. What stands out most, especially over these last few difficult years, is the love and kindness you’ve shown me. That support helped me more than you’ll ever know.”The biggest thank you goes to all the players. You guys are what made the last 16 years so memorable. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the field with so many brilliant people. When I look back on my career, my favourite memories are special because of the people I shared them with. Even though my time as a cricketer is over, I hope there are still more memories to be made with you all.”Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s head coach, said: “Reaching the end of a first-class playing career is always a daunting time, but I am sure Denty will look back with brilliant memories of his time with Gloucestershire.”I remember him in his teenage years, knocking around in the Academy, and I am not surprised he became one of our most valued players to come through our Pathway.”Batting at the top for most of his career in England is an unenviable task, but once again he managed to impact games from that position on a regular basis. His presence there kept him perennially in England’s shortlist, though he never quite got the call. I believe the international stage could have seen him flourish.”Although still in great physical shape, it has been more challenging mentally, and on that sad note, his appearances have been somewhat restricted.”The last few years will not define what has been a stellar career with the Glorious, and I would like to thank him for his immense contributions over the years.”

Skipper’s unbeaten 84 guides Tasmania to a four-wicket win over Queensland after an extraordinary Clayton century gave the hosts hope

AAP05-Feb-2024Jordan Silk has struck a classy unbeaten 84 to lead Tasmania to a four-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland inside three days at the Gabba.Chasing 224 for victory after Jack Clayton made an extraordinary 102 out of Queensland’s total of 160 in the second innings, Tasmania slumped to 13 for 2 and 99 for 4 on Monday, before Silk held the innings together with a match-winning captain’s knock.Silk was on track for his 12th first-class century, only for teammate Mitchell Owen (29 not out off 15 balls) to strike some lusty blows at the death to secure victory for Tasmania just before stumps on day three. The win keeps Tasmania on top of the Shield table, while Queensland are last with only one win and two draws from seven matches.Silk struck 13 fours in his unbeaten knock, but he paid special tribute to Tasmanian paceman Gabe Bell, who claimed player-of-the-match honours after returning figures of 4 for 40 and 6 for 39.”He’s going fantastic, career-best figures and a 10-wicket haul,” Silk said. “We don’t have that sort of [gettable] chase without his effort.”I’m really rapt with how everyone approached it. It was a good collective effort.”It’s not often we come here [to Brisbane] and get the points.”Queensland captain Jimmy Peirson was among the Bulls to struggle with sickness in the intense Brisbane heat. Clayton was physically ill during his epic 181-ball knock. Ben McDermott was the only other batter to reach double figures having fallen for 16 yesterday.”I’m feeling better today, but I was on my deathbed yesterday to be honest,” Peirson said.”It’s not fun, gastro. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the win today, but [if we can get] three wins in our last three games, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”Tasmanian opener Caleb Jewell was the first wicket to fall in Tasmania’s chase when his wild slash resulted in an edge through to the keeper. The Tigers were in early trouble at 2 for 13 when Tim Ward’s attempted hook off a rising Mark Steketee delivery gave Peirson his second catch.Charlie Wakim (36) and Silk helped steady the ship with a 60-run stand. But when Gurinder Sandhu trapped Wakim lbw before finding the edge of Jake Doran’s bat 10 overs later, Tasmania were looking wobbly at four down and still needing 125 more runs to win.Silk and Beau Webster (28 off 41 balls) led the counter-attack as Tasmania got their run chase back on track. Webster struck three fours and a six, but his bid to keep the runs flowing came undone when he inside-edged Liam Guthrie onto his stumps.Bradley Hope added some handy runs, before Owen struck three fours and a six to shut the door completely on Queensland.

George Balderson’s hundred chased down but Lancashire also qualify

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2022Kent 298 for 8 (Blake 81, Stewart 49, Stevens 49, Blatherwick 3-57) beat Lancashire 295 for 9 (Balderson 106*, Bohannon 75, Gilchrist 3-52, Podmore 3-53) by two wicketsA thrilling finish at Canterbury saw the Kent Spitfires qualify for the Royal London Cup play-offs with a two-wicket win over Lancashire, in Darren Stevens’ white-ball swansong at the Spitfire Ground.Kent were in deep trouble on 190 for six, but Harry Podmore hit Luke Wells’ penultimate ball for four to send Kent through to the knock-out stages, after a day of raw, unfiltered tension.Stevens hit 49 in his final List A innings at the St. Lawrence, but he was nearly upstaged by Lancashire’s George Balderson, who played a high-risk innings and was rewarded with an unbeaten 106 from 87 balls. Josh Bohannon was the visitors’ next highest-scorer with 75 as Lancashire recovered from 95 for five to post 295-9. Nathan Gilchrist claimed three for 52 and Harry Podmore three for 53.Alex Blake was Kent’s top scorer with 81 and his century stand with Stevens kept the Spitfires in contention before Podmore finished the job, with Kent closing on 298 for eight.Stevens, who is still hoping to prolong his career, but who has been waylaid this season by shoulder and calf injuries at the age of 46, said: “It’s sad times, it’s my last white-ball game at Kent, but it’s good to be out there. It’s just a shame I didn’t go on and win the game like I wanted to.”Kent now have a play-offs tie against Leicestershire – the county were it all began for him 26 years ago. “You couldn’t have written it could you? It’s a different challenge, a different place to play. We haven’t played white ball cricket there for a long time. We’ll do our work over the next couple of days to figure out how we’re going to play it.”Related

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The hosts needed to win to stand any chance of reaching the quarter-finals, while hoping Yorkshire lost to Hampshire. Lancashire, having already qualified, were trying to overhaul Hampshire at the top of the Group B table.Kent chose to field first and Grant Stewart made an early breakthrough when he had Luke Wells caught behind for a duck in the third over.
Gilchrist then bowled Keaton Jennings for 17 and had Steven Croft lbw for nought, but Bohannon and Dane Vilas put on 51 for the next wicket before Podmore removed the latter for 22 after a brilliant diving catch by Hamid Qadri at square leg.When Rob Jones charged at Qadri he was stumped by Ollie Robinson for nine, but Bohannon and Balderson rebuilt the innings as conditions improved.Their stand of 101 was ended when Bohannon skied Qadri to Gilchrist but George Lavelle maintained the momentum with 24 from 13 balls before he spooned Podmore to Alex Blake.Podmore then removed Danny Lamb, caught behind for eight, but Balderson reached three figures when he hooked Stewart for four in the penultimate over.Although Gilchrist subsequently bowled Tom Bailey for nine it was still Lancashire’s highest List A score against Kent and when Jack Blatherwick took two wickets in three balls the target looked a long way off.Ben Compton went for three in the third over of the chase when Lamb took a juggling catch at first slip off and Ollie Robinson lasted just two balls before Blatherwick had him caught behind for a duck.Joe Denly produced a couple of elegant fours but was lbw to Bailey for 13, before the same bowler had Joey Evison caught and bowled for 20. At 53 for four the stage was set for Stevens and with Alex Blake he hauled Kent back into contention as they put on 105 for the next wicket.Back in the year 2000 Stevens had played for Leicestershire against a Kent side that included Wells’ father Alan and he hit successive Wells Junior
deliveries for six before falling just short of his half-century, caught and bowled by Croft. He departed to a standing ovation and kissed his helmet before entering the pavilion.Blake then chipped Wells to Jennings, but Harry Finch and Grant Stewart hit back with a 73-run partnership.When Stewart hit Balderson for successive sixes Kent looked favourites, but he fell for 49, caught by Croft off Blatherwick, just as news filtered through that Yorkshire had lost.Podmore joined Finch and whittled away at the target, with every run cheered by the crowd of 2,101, to leave Kent needing three from the final over, but Finch hit Wells first delivery to Vilas.The next two were dots and Wells missed a difficult return catch as Qadri scrambled a single from the fourth, leaving Podmore to drive the winning boundary through the covers. Kent now have a quarter-final trip to Stevens’ home county Leicestershire.

Boult, Henry and Patel all among the wickets after New Zealand make six changes from Lord’s

Valkerie Baynes10-Jun-2021Half-centuries to Rory Burns and Dan Lawrence restored order for England after a New Zealand attack bolstered by Trent Boult threatened to derail the hosts on an opening day when the ball and the momentum swung at Edgbaston with entertaining effect.Boult, New Zealand’s leading seamer, linked up with the squad on Saturday having served his post-IPL quarantine period and was an automatic inclusion amid a staggering six changes to the side which drew the first Test at Lord’s.With Kane Williamson (elbow) and Mitchell Santner (finger) out because of injury and BJ Watling (back problem) replaced by Tom Blundell shortly before play began, Will Young and and Ajaz Patel came into the side. They were joined by Boult for Tim Southee and Matt Henry for Kyle Jamieson, while Daryl Mitchell replaced Colin de Grandhomme as New Zealand showed an embarrassment of riches ahead of next week’s World Test Championship final against India.When Boult prised out opener Rory Burns for 81 with his 12th ball after the tea break, he removed England’s main hope for recovery at that point. It came soon after England had lost three wickets for 13 runs in less than 20 minutes and slumped to 152 for 4 in the afternoon session.But Lawrence stepped in with an assured and unbeaten 67 to guide England to the close in a far more comfortable position than had looked likely between lunch and tea.After removing Burns, Boult struck with the first delivery of his next over, removing James Bracey for a duck – his second in as many innings – but Olly Stone survived the hat-trick ball and went on to steady the innings with Lawrence, the pair putting on 47 runs for the seventh wicket.Dan Lawrence en route his half-century•Getty Images

The Stone-Lawrence union was a much-needed bright spot for England, along with Burns’ opening stand of 72 with Dom Sibley, which had steered their side to the lunch break at 67 without loss. What ensued in between times had the potential to devastate England’s innings.Burns and Sibley batted sedately but smartly in the morning, Sibley’s knock bearing little resemblance to his grinding 60 off 207 balls which helped England salvage a draw in the fourth innings at Lord’s. Sibley struck five fours on his way to 35 from 84 deliveries, including one through square leg to bring up England’s fifty.But when they returned from lunch, New Zealand’s bowlers started to find some swing and it proved a weapon.Henry struck with the sixth ball after the break when Sibley was caught betwixt and between by a ball just back of a length and in the corridor which swung away enough to find an edge and carry to stand-in keeper Blundell.Zak Crawley’s lean patch continued as he followed up twin scores of two at Lord’s with a duck. Having been rushed into a defensive shot by a Neil Wagner ball that swung in, Crawley hung his bat out to the next delivery which moved less and edged to Mitchell at third slip.Henry then claimed his second wicket – the prized scalp of Joe Root – with a late outswinger that caught the edge and was snapped up by Blundell.Related

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Burns brought up his fifty with an authoritative drive through extra cover for two as the wickets tumbled around him. Ollie Pope stuck with him for a while but not long enough, falling for 19 when he was caught behind off Patel.As Burns and Lawrence looked to rebuild, Boult came to the fore, luring Burns into an attempted cover drive with a ball that swung away and clipped the outside edge, with Tom Latham, acting captain in Williamson’s absence, taking a good, low catch at second slip. Bracey followed and with six men down, only three had reached double figures.That’s when Stone and Lawrence got to work and they managed to stall New Zealand’s momentum until Patel had Stone out lbw. From there, Lawrence really took control though. He struck Boult for two fours in an over late in the day, the first a gorgeous drive through extra cover and then a neat clip off the pads.Mark Wood stuck with him to be 16 not out at the close, his straight hit for four off Henry mirrored by Lawrence off Boult on the next ball and the 70-percent-capacity crowd enjoyed it – and every moment of the day – if the noise, colour and movement that heralded the return of fans under a post-pandemic Government trial was anything to go by.