Fantastic start at Anfield, with Manchester City and Liverpool both giving the neutrals the perfect beginning to an action packed day of football.
Despite the Citizens coming out of the blocks flying, Brendan Rodgers’ side settled down and made a good spell of dominance count with Jordan Henderson completing a fine move with a wonderful curled finish into the top corner, leaving international team-mate Joe Hart without any hope in the world of saving it.
After a poor start to life on Merseyside, following his high profile transfer from Sunderland, Henderson has gone on to become a key player for the Reds over the last few months. And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect for Liverpool with talisman Steven Gerrard leaving for LA Galaxy in the summer.
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Filling the shoes of the iconic Stevie G won’t be easy but the signs are promising from Hendo, especially after his beauty today, and Liverpool fans are certainly getting carried away:
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Sunday was a poignant reminder of just how far Leeds have fallen. Matched against the current Premier League champions who had clambered their way to the top from similar depths to us, in a cup tie that was never even a contest.
Leeds were outplayed, outfought and outdone in every single department. Except one.
Once again, the fans were the only good thing to be associated with our club. Non-stop chanting throughout a game that was beyond us as early as the fifth minute meant that the players had no excuses about being intimidated by the home crowd, Leeds fans gave it their all and once again, were let down by the team representing them on the pitch.
This club is nothing without it’s fans. They are the difference between us and every other mid-table Championship team, the heartbeat of the club.
It’s about time they got rewarded with more than just half hearted performances and after match excuses.
I’m not speaking solely about the cup game, we were never expected to win, but how many games this season have we come up against teams that are struggling or out of form and crumbled.
We’re tired of hearing the same old excuses, I’ve lost count of the amount of people in the football world that have claimed that Leeds will be back in the Premier League in no time, only for us to be found wanting time and time again. There is no quick fix, the club needs direction and it needs it now.
If GFH are to stay then they need to act quickly, this season is well and truly over but bringing in a new manager now gives them time to assess the squad and then he needs serious backing in the summer. This is obvious to every single Leeds fan that I’ve ever spoken to, so why does it appear to be falling on deaf ears at the club?
I understand their loyalty to Warnock at the time of the takeover, fair enough, he’d stuck with us while the whole sorry saga dragged on, but that was months ago and for him to claim that he deserves a medal is nothing short of ridiculous.
What do the fans deserve Neil? Did we not stick with the club too?
The difference is that we don’t want medals and we don’t want recognition, because sticking with the club is what we do. That doesn’t mean that we deserve to sit and watch dire performances week after week and then listen to the excuses afterwards about how great a job you’re doing. If this is what you would call a great job, then we should be seriously thankful that you aren’t doing a bad one.
While we’re here, I agree. You aren’t doing a bad job Neil, you’re doing an awful job.
I read somewhere that Warnock had claimed to have turned Leeds around. I can only assume he’s referring to the way that we’re now rapidly going backwards.
No matter what happens over the next few months, GFH have to start listening to the fans. We aren’t chanting ‘Warnock out’ for the laugh. It’s all good and well keeping Ken Bates around to help guide you, but you have all the help you could ever need sat around you watching the club fall apart every Saturday afternoon.
If GFH want to succeed, they need to trust the fans in what we’re saying, we know the club better than anyone ever could, and after 8 years of being ignored we’re more than willing to help. Advice is only good advice when it’s given by the right people, if GFH choose those people wisely there’s every chance they can bring success to Elland Road.
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If not, we’ll carry on going backwards until it’s too late to recover. The next few months will see some of the most important decisions made off the field, the only thing you can guarantee is that the fans are going nowhere.
Bowling coach and mentor Jhulan Goswami says “the ultimate motto of WPL” is to “go to different venues and expand women’s cricket” in India
Vishal Dikshit05-Feb-2025The first ever WPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) aim to adopt an “aggressive approach” in all three departments. They want their players to be “fearless” in their quest to lift a second title in three seasons in front of their home crowd, according to head coach Charlotte Edwards.For the upcoming third edition of the WPL, MI have bought wicketkeeper-batter G Kamalini, and allrounders Nadine de Klerk, Akshita Maheshwari, and Sanskriti Gupta, whom captain Harmanpreet Kaur called “exciting talent”. De Klerk is the only international name among those, and the only one above 25 years of age.MI have also started preparing for the new season with almost a week’s training done in Navi Mumbai, mainly with the Indian players.Related
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Harmanpreet's rhythm in spotlight as Mumbai Indians chase 2023 repeat
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A Sunday to savour for Kamalini: runs, trophy, and big payday
Gujarat Giants vs RCB to kick off WPL 2025 on February 14
“Every player that comes into MI hopefully knows what’s expected of them. But equally [important is] that aggressive approach which is what we want to have throughout when we bat, bowl or field – and that’s something we tried to put across most of the players,” Edwards said at a press conference in Mumbai. “But equally, have that clarity about what our strengths are.”Every player, we just want them to be fearless, and obviously, most of all, have lots of fun. That’s what makes me and obviously Jhulan [Goswami, bowling coach and mentor] very happy is when they’ve got smiles on their faces and they can impact games like the way they have done.”I thought we played some fantastic cricket last year, and that’s all we can ask [for]. Things that we really set here is that we want people turning on the TV and watching the Mumbai Indians playing, and we certainly did that last time – we had some entertaining games of cricket.”One of those entertaining games in WPL 2024 was when MI had chased down 191 against Gujarat Giants, led by Harmanpreet’s stunning 95 off 48 balls, an innings which was studded with ten fours and five sixes. But when it came to the Eliminator, MI fell just five runs short in their pursuit of 136 against eventual champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), as their middle order failed to score 16 runs off the remaining 12 deliveries after their captain’s dismissal.Last year, MI fell just five runs short in the Eliminator against RCB•BCCI
“We missed out by the narrowest of margins last year, which was disappointing. But we played the way we wanted to play, and this year, it’s just pure excitement for it,” Edwards said. “That we can keep building this team, to keep improving and hopefully get back to the winning ways, and get back to CCI (the Brabourne) and be in another final this year.”This time, MI have as many as nine players under the age of 25, including the 16-year-old Kamalini, who scored 143 runs for winners India during the recently-concluded Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Edwards said the key was to teach those youngsters that being aggressive was not only about hitting sixes.”The wonderful thing about youth is they’ll come in, and they will be aggressive,” she said. “So now it’s for us to just teach somehow to play T20 cricket, and it’s not all about hitting sixes. And that’s our job now to instil that within the players, but never take away this aggressive approach that we want to just build on their wonderful talent.”And that’s what’s impressed me so much about the talent coming through. They’re just so forward-thinking and open-minded, and it’s so wonderful to coach, and they do it all with a smile on their face, which makes me very happy.”
Goswami: WPL’s motto is to expand women’s cricket
While the maiden WPL was held in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the second season expanded to Bengaluru and Delhi. The third edition that starts from February 14 will be played across four cities: Vadodara, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Goswami, who played international cricket for over 20 years, said expanding the women’s game in the country was the “motto” of the WPL, while she also hoped to lift the trophy at the Brabourne Stadium again, which will host the final two league games and the knockouts.”One of the best things about WPL is it’s now going in different places in our country, and it will impact local young girls, [and] budding cricketers – to motivate them, encourage them,” she said. “And that is the ultimate motto of WPL – to go to different venues and expand women’s cricket, particularly in our country.”Baroda (now Vadodara) will be a new venue for all of us. Recently, the Indian team played a series against West Indies [there], and the wicket was good; it’s a new stadium. Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium is a fantastic stadium. Coming back to Mumbai, [we’re] looking forward to coming back in our home and playing in front of our MI fans. It’s a big thing, and we have fond memories of our first year, and [are] really looking forward to this season and playing in front of our MI fans.”MI’s first game in WPL 2025 will be on February 15, against Delhi Capitals in Vadodara.
Gardner picked up four wickets on what was otherwise a long day for Australia on the field
Srinidhi Ramanujam22-Dec-20231:26
Ghosh: ‘I didn’t let the pressure of playing my first Test get to me’
India overcame eight bowlers and batted 100 overs on an enthralling second day to lead Australia by 157 runs in the one-off Test in Mumbai. Determined fifties from Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, debutant Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma took the hosts to a mammoth 376 for 7, from the overnight score of 98 for 1, putting India in a commanding position.Offspinner Ashleigh Gardner’s accuracy and relentless bowling earned her four wickets on a surface that kept low and turned as the ball became old but otherwise, Australia toiled for wickets.Despite the lack of experience in playing Test cricket, Indian batters showed great technique and temperament built on solid defence. The hosts did suffer a mini-collapse in the second session, however, they recovered well in the final session to extend the lead.Related
Harmanpreet and Healy – different methods, same ambition
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An unbroken partnership of 102 for the eighth wicket between Deepti and Pooja Vastrakar suggested that it was a matter of hanging on for the batters to thrive and score runs in tangible terms.Mandhana, who was unbeaten on 43 on the first day, took her time to find boundaries in the morning and looked positive to convert her fifty to a big score. With the nightwatch Sneh Rana, she stitched 50 runs for the second wicket. Rana contributed 9 off 47 deliveries to frustrate the bowlers. Australia had their first breakthrough when Gardner cleaned Rana up after she missed a sweep, playing for the turn. Four overs later, a mix-up between Ghosh and Mandhana ended in the latter throwing her wicket away for 74. Her 106-ball knock consisted of 12 fours.Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh added 113 runs for the fourth wicket•BCCI
Once Mandhana departed, India had two crucial and big partnerships, one in the middle order and one lower down. Ghosh, who has been seen as a T20 specialist and is yet to become a regular in ODIs, made a mark by notching up a well-made 52 off 104 deliveries. She looked unhurried, putting the loose deliveries away and defending the good balls with confidence. She was also helped by Ellyse Perry’s drop at mid-off on 14. But after that, Ghosh looked set for her maiden fifty.She became one of the six players to have scored a fifty on debut since 2021.On the other end was Rodrigues, playing her second Test and making the most of the opportunity in whites. Having come in at 147 for 3, she accounted for 73 runs, hitting nine boundaries in her 121-ball stay.The two young batters played 187 deliveries to put on 113 runs that blunted Australia.Alyssa Healy, on her first tour as full-time Australia captain, tried almost all the bowlers in search of a wicket – left-arm spin, offspin, legspin, left-arm pace, right-arm pace – but no other bowler bowled such tight lines and troubled the batters like Gardner.Such was her consistency that Healy extracted 36 of the 100 overs that Australia bowled on Friday from her. Having bowled 41 overs overall, Gardner looked most threatening in the Australian attack to take a wicket every time she came in to bowl.Deepti Sharma was solid after India had lost some quick wickets•BCCI
Australia though fought back – briefly – with quick wickets when Ghosh fell to right-arm pacer Kim Garth while trying to go big after fifty. Gardner then added two wickets to her name, trapping Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika Bhatia lbw before picking up the big wicket of Rodrigues just before tea. India lost 4 for 14 in 8.5 overs as they slipped to 276 for 7, with a lead of 57 after the second session.From there on, allrounders Vastrakar and Deepti showcased extraordinary game awareness to pile on more misery in the final session. When the ball was old and assisted spinners, the duo batted cautiously with patience aplenty for the first 20 overs. When the new ball was taken and the opportunities arose, they found boundaries with good technique.Deepti also looked more comfortable charging down the track to spinners when the new ball came into the picture. She kept the scorecard ticking to remain unbeaten on 70. This also meant she became the second woman with fifty-plus scores in each of their first four Tests after Australia’s Denise Emerson.Vastrakar, who played second fiddle, was mostly content to take singles in her 115-ball knock. The 100-run stand came up in 232 balls in the penultimate over of the day.
Former captain confirms she will focus on domestic coaching roles in England and Australia
Valkerie Baynes15-Sep-2022Charlotte Edwards has ruled herself out of contention for the soon-to-be-vacant England Women’s head coach role.Lisa Keightley will leave the post she has held for three years after announcing last month that she would not seek a contract extension beyond India’s tour of England, which ends with the last of three ODIs at Lord’s on September 24.Edwards was widely seen as a strong candidate for the position, given her success with Southern Vipers and Southern Brave, should she want to apply.Related
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She told ESPNcricinfo two weeks ago that she was interested in the job but, when asked again during her Sky Sports commentary stint in Bristol, where England and India were contesting their third and final T20I, Edwards said she had decided not to put herself forward for it.”I won’t be applying for the England coach’s role,” Edwards said. “I’m thoroughly enjoying my role with the Southern Vipers and I’m heading off to Australia in two weeks’ time to coach the Sydney Sixers. So there, it’s done.”Edwards will make her WBBL coaching debut with Sixers in the upcoming edition of the competition, having seen Vipers to back-to-back domestic 50-over titles in 2020 and ’21 and lift the 20-over Cup named after her in June. She has also twice taken Southern Brave to the final of the women’s Hundred in the first two years of the competition.Edwards is England’s leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs and T20Is, and captained her country to three Ashes victories in 2008, 2013 and 2014 as well as 50-over and T20 World Cups in 2009.Despite admitting she has “massive ambitions to coach internationally”, Edwards had previously indicated that it would be tough to trade in her many coaching hats, albeit for one she described as “one of the most prestigious jobs going around”.”I feel like I have the best job in the world doing what I’m doing,” she said at the time. “That’s going to be the hardest thing: I’ve loved doing the Southern Vipers, I’ve loved doing the Southern Brave and I’ve got the Sydney Sixers role in Australia, so there’s a lot going on.”That’s why I’ve not really thought about it, and why I need to think long and hard about what the next step is for me.”I feel like I’m ready to do something like that, since I’ve had six years since I’ve stopped playing. The Sixers was a big role to take on because I wanted to test myself in a different country. There’s lot to think through.”Now, with Edwards’ mind made up, England’s search goes on.
Steven Mullaney’s unbeaten fifty has Nottinghamshire 89 in front at 188 for 4 in reply
David Hopps06-May-2021If you had to nominate a player who exemplifies the beating heart of county cricket, Luke Fletcher would be high up the list. That heart has rarely pumped as merrily as it did against the champions, Essex, as he turned in the most successful shift of his career.It was a grand day for Fletcher, a day when this stalwart Nottinghamshire servant got a bit of a sweat on. Presented by a cloudy day and a green Trent Bridge surface, he bowled with exemplary accuracy and skill, moved the ball both ways in the air and off the pitch and collected six for 24, the first six-for of his career.Conditions were in his favour. According to a “colour expert”, Sage Green harnesses the calming energy inherent in green, but anchors it with earthiness and depth. Not when Fletcher is bowling on it, it doesn’t. By the end of Essex’s innings, Sage Green was not remotely calming. What’s more, it had been combined with Desire, one of the pinker, and lesser-known red tints, but suitably conveying not just Fletcher’s colour as the overs totted up, but his wholehearted commitment to the cause.He rounded things off with a triple-wicket maiden – and came close to a hat-trick in a four-wicket maiden, only to stifle his appeal against the last man, Jamie Porter. As Porter took a while to appear, the Essex dressing room presumably a chaotic picture of discarded pads, Fletcher had chatted contentedly to the umpires, a convivial guy in a largely convivial competition.It is too early to predict a shock result with confidence, but Nottinghamshire, who ended a winless Championship run of 1,043 days last week by thrashing their East Midlands rivals, Derbyshire, are perfectly positioned to follow it up with an even more startling win. They will begin the second day on 188 for 4, a lead of 89, and threaten to throw Group One wide open.Related
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Until Steven Mullaney (63 not out from 69 balls) and Lyndon James took the initiative for Notts late in the day with an assertive, unbroken partnership of 104, only two batters had played with any authority,Nick Browne’s excellent 53 for Essex, full of solid drives and purposeful shorts of his legs, will gain little attention. Haseeb Hameed’s excellent 49 at the top of Notts’ order brought purrs of pleasure and rightly so because after a horrendous few years, his moving parts appeared to be well oiled again. His chin-length haircut might owe much to lockdown but it feels like a symbol of his move into adulthood. But this is three good weeks after three traumatic years, he is enjoying his cricket and vice captaincy and England should have the resolve to leave him to it for the summer.But back to Fletcher because it is rightly his story. If Notts are the Outlaws then he is surely the epitome of Little John, a formidable figure – 6ft 6ins tall, born in the county, and as loyal to the cause as they come. His great champion, the BBC radio commentator, Dave Bracegirdle, told that nobody has taken more red-ball wickets for Notts this century. Lissom he is not (Fletcher, not Bracegirdle), but he has rarely looked fitter and his stamina is proven; he is one of the county game’s great character cricketers.His first wicket, and the only one he took all morning, was that of the Essex captain, Tom Westley, who was unhinged by a superb delivery that left him to hit off stump. “A dream ball,” Fletcher said – his definition of a dream ball simply being an occasional and deserved reward for doing good things.In the afternoon, Essex lost six wickets for 28 and Fletcher’s share of that was five for 11 in seven overs. He began with Ryan ten Doeschate, swinging one back to have him lbw, and Adam Wheater, strangled down the legside as Fletcher lost control of the swing. Then came three in an over: Browne, who until then had been unperturbed, well caught at deepish backward point as he was drawn into a drive at a swinging delivery; Shane Snater, bowled by another ripper which pitched and left him; and the Australian, Peter Siddle, who nodded that he was ready to receive his first ball then mentally nodded again as he missed it and fell lbw.Fletcher braved the drizzle and falling temperatures, hoodie obscuring his face, to consider his great day. He does not crow on such occasions, has no great ambitions, so he shared that the he had taken confidence from the team win at Derbyshire and had been in good rhythm all season.Far more revealing was the feedback from the outer. The disappointment of Fletcher’s six-for was that it came in an empty stadium, because he is a Fan’s Cricketer. But social media can assuage that to some degree.Chris Nash, a former teammate, messaged in to say that Fletcher was fast becoming his 27th favourite cricketer. “That’s good from him – he played with Bradman,” Fletcher said. Another onlooker suggested that he should be given the Freedom of Nottingham. “That could be dangerous,” he ventured, imagining a beer or two, and ensuring that a day of serious endeavour ended with bursts of laughter.
Amelia Kerr’s sister Jess finds a place in the 15-member squad named for the home ODIs against South Africa
ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2020Allrounder Sophie Devine is set to lead New Zealand at the Women’s T20 World Cup, having been named captain on Thursday. Devine takes over indefinitely from Amy Satterthwaite, who recently gave birth to her first child.Devine’s first assignment as full-time New Zealand captain will be the three ODIs and five T20Is against the visiting South Africa team, leading into the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia from February 21.Medium pacer Jess Kerr, sister of allrounder Amelia Kerr, was also picked for the ODI series against South Africa. This was twenty-two-year-old Jess Kerr’s maiden New Zealand call-up. She plays for Wellington in domestic cricket.Devine’s new assignment comes on the back of some red-hot form in her previous high-profile tournament, the Women’s Big Bash League, where she was named Player of the Tournament. There, playing for Adelaide Strikers, she led the batting charts with 769 at 76.90 in 16 games, scoring at 130.33 runs per hundred balls inclusive of a whopping 29 sixes. She was also fourth on the bowling charts, with 19 wickets at 20.68, conceding just over a run a ball. In all she has played 102 ODIs and 83 T20Is for New Zealand, having debuted in October 2006.Speaking about her new job, Devine said: “This is a team I’m deeply passionate about and to have the opportunity to help drive its future is a privilege.”It’s an exciting time for women’s cricket in this country with the recently signed MOU with NZC, a fresh direction with our new coach Bob Carter, and two ICC World Cups [the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, and the one-day World Cup in New Zealand in 2021] on the horizon.”We’ve got a good mix of talent and experience in the group and I’m looking forward to leaning on my fellow senior players to try and build on the good work done by Amy and Suzie Bates.”Satterthwaite had announced in August 2019 that she would be taking a break from cricket to have her child with her wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu. Under the new Women’s Master Agreement, Satterthwaite will continue to be contracted with New Zealand Cricket while she is on her break. She had said she would look to take up mentoring duties during this period, and looked forward to “working my way back with an eye on the 2021 ICC Women’s World Cup held in New Zealand”.Jess Kerr credited sister Amelia for pushing her to get to the level she is at, and said she was excited to play alongside her for New Zealand. “To be selected in my first White Ferns squad is a huge honour and it’s something I’ve been working towards for a while. To be picked in a squad alongside Melie [Amelia] is pretty special. She’s inspired me a lot to get back into playing cricket competitively and push for higher honours.”I’ve loved playing alongside her in the [Wellington] Blaze but to be representing our country together is even more special.”New Zealand’s ODI squad for the South Africa series: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Rachel Priest
Former England spinner will take up the role in January ahead of the team’s tour of the Caribbean
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2018Ashley Giles has been confirmed as the ECB’s new Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, and will take up the role in January ahead of the team’s tour of the Caribbean.Giles, who played 54 Tests as a left-arm spinner, including the 2005 Ashes victory, is currently Sport Director at Warwickshire. He replaces Andrew Strauss, who stepped down in October for family reasons.”I am delighted to be joining the ECB and shaping the future of England cricket throughout the men’s game,” said Giles.”I am very grateful for the opportunity and excited about working with some talented people. The legacy left by Andrew Strauss has put the performance programme in a stable place. It is fundamental that I facilitate the great work currently being carried out, meet our objectives and help our sport achieve great things in the coming years both domestically and internationally.”Giles, 45, joins the ECB at the start of what promises to be one of the most crucial years in the history of English cricket. With a home World Cup closely followed by the Ashes, two competitions for which the team are current favourites, there is expectation and opportunity for the ECB, as well as considerable jeopardy if they fail to make the impact that might be expected of a side that, in white-ball cricket in particular, has transformed its horizons since the ignominy of the 2015 World Cup.Much of the credit for the upturn in white-ball fortunes can be attributed to Strauss, whose appointment of Trevor Bayliss as head coach was made in recognition of the need to seize on the transformative opportunities offered by a home World Cup – something that England singularly failed to acknowledge when they crashed out early in their last hosting of the event in 1999.”I believe it is important for the game to have a strong international set-up, which is showing great promise in what will be a significant year for our red- and white-ball teams leading into the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup this summer and The Ashes,” said Giles. “The next 12 months could transform the game like no other time in recent memory.”In a press release, the ECB stated that Giles “will be responsible for the long-term strategy of the England men’s cricket teams and the performance pathways leading into the international teams. He will also be responsible for developing the right coaching and management structure to support it.”The appointment follows a month-long formal recruitment process led by ECB chief executive, Tom Harrison. As ESPNcricinfo reported last week, Giles emerged as the standout candidate after several significant rivals for the role, including Andy Flower, Martyn Moxon and the ECB director of women’s cricket, Clare Connor, all chose not to pursue their interest.”We were fortunate throughout this process to interview some of the most talented and respected people in the game,” said Harrison.”Ashley was the standout candidate amongst a very strong field. He will bring a fresh perspective to the role and build on the excellent work carried out by Andrew Strauss over the past three and a half years. He has a tremendous passion for England cricket, extensive knowledge of our county game, and a wealth of experience from playing at the highest level to becoming a respected leader in the sport.”He will lead the England men’s teams forward in what is a pivotal year with an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes Series, both on home soil. This is a key appointment and we are excited about Ashley’s arrival.”It’s quite a comeback at the ECB from Giles, who was England’s limited-overs coach from 2012 to 2014, and a national team selector for six years from 2008. On his watch, England reached the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy, but he was sacked in the wake of their poor showing at the World T20 in Bangladesh the following year – his dismissal being signed off by the man whose role he now fills, the original England team director, Paul Downton.Prior to his move into coaching, Giles played for Warwickshire for 13 years and, following his retirement in 2007, became the club’s director of cricket, leading them to the championship title in 2012.He subsequently took over as head coach and cricket director at Lancashire, and in his first season at Old Trafford, he won the Blast and led the county to promotion to Division One of the County Championship.He returned to Warwickshire as Sport Director in January 2017, in the wake of their relegation from the Championship top flight, and oversaw an immediate return as Division Two champions, as well as finalists in the T20 Blast.”Finally, I would like thank Warwickshire County Cricket Club and in particular Chairman, Norman Gascoigne, and Chief Executive, Neil Snowball, for their guidance and support during my time at Edgbaston.”
A five-wicket victory over Scotland in Port Moresby meant they are only two points behind Netherlands
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2017Papua New Guinea have moved up to second place on the World Cricket League points table on the back of beating Scotland by five wickets in Port Moresby. Bouncing back in fine style, with Mahuru Dai’s 63 off 54 balls, they chased the target of 204 with two overs and five wickets to spare.The small target was helpful considering only one of the top five could move past 25. Captain Assad Vala had taken the score to 130 for 5 before handing the reins over to Dai, who came in during the 31st over, and went on a boundary-hitting spree. He struck 10 fours, which accounted for 63% of his runs, and ensured Scotland’s bowlers, despite the work they put in to push the chase to the 48th over, were defeated.A much larger portion of the blame fell on the batsmen, which would have been doubly disappointing considering Scotland had won the toss. Matthew Cross made 91 off 120 balls – accounting for nearly half of his team’s total – as his team-mates fell in a heap around him. The next highest score was 22.
Chris Tremain and Daniel Worrall picked up nine wickets between them as India A were handed an eight-wicket loss in their Quadrangular series opener against Australia A in Townsville
ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2016 ScorecardChris Tremain’s maiden five-wicket haul spurred Australia A on to a comprehensive win in their series opener•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
The fast bowling pair of Chris Tremain and Daniel Worrall picked up nine wickets between them as India A were handed an eight-wicket thumping in their Quadrangular series opener against Australia A in Townsville.India A’s innings lasted just 15.4 overs as they were bowled out for 55 after being sent in to bat. Only Axar Patel, batting at No. 8, managed to get into double digits, top scoring with 15. Tremain, playing in only his fifth List-A game, recorded his maiden five-wicket haul, while Worrall picked up four.Tremain triggered the meltdown when he struck thrice in the third over, removing Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh and Manish Pandey, all India internationals, in the space of four deliveries. He returned to dismiss Sanju Samson and opener Faiz Fazal in his next over, the fifth of the innings, to cap off a five-wicket haul.Worrall then sliced through the lower middle order, to finish with his best returns in eight List A games so far. Michael Neser, the third seamer, was the other wicket-taker for Australia A, dismissing Axar.Australia A’s chase was slow but relatively steady in the face of India A’s spin. India A managed to nip out two wickets courtesy Yuzvendra Chahal, the legspinner, and Axar, the left-arm spinner before Kurtis Patterson and Peter Handscomb saw the hosts home in the 18th over.Australia A next take on the National Performance Squad at the same venue on August 16, while India A will play their second game against South Africa A a day later.