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West Indies captain understood to have agreed a deal in April ahead of Ireland tour

George Dobell in Barbados17-Jan-2019Jason Holder is set to join Northamptonshire as an overseas player for the early weeks of the 2019 season.Holder, the West Indies captain, is understood to have agreed a deal to represent the county in April ahead of West Indies’ trip to Ireland
from May 1, as part of their World Cup preparations.That means he should be available for two Championship and five One-Day Cup games. He is currently rated 10th in the ICC’s Test bowling rankings and third in their Test all-rounder rankings.Northants have previously announced that South African batsman Temba Bavuma will join them from May for around eight Championship matches, while Faheem Ashraf will join them for the T20 competition.

Gujarat secured their first-innings lead against Kerala while Tajinder Singh’s maiden first-class century shored up Rajasthan

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2017Ravindra Jadeja’s double-century underpinned Saurashtra’s dominant batting performance against Jammu & Kashmir in Rajkot. Jadeja, who was unbeaten on 150 overnight, struck another 51 runs, while Snell Patel, who resumed on 31, ended up with 94 as Saurashtra racked up 624 for 7 before declaring their innings. Jammu & Kashmir openers Ahmed Bandy and Shubham Khajuria could not build on starts, while Pranav Gupta and Ian Dev Singh were sent back cheaply. The side finished on 103 for 4, with Parvez Rasool, their captain, unbeaten on 23. The left-arm-spinning Jadejas – Ravindra and Dharmendrasinh – combined to take all four wickets, the latter accounting for three of them.Chirag Gandhi’s unbeaten 91 gave Gujarat the first-innings lead against Kerala in Nadiad. Gujarat began the day on 60 for 2 in response to Kerala’s first-innings 208. With Gujarat at 164 for 6, either team could have taken the lead, but Gandhi ensured the hosts would be that team, striking 12 fours and a six in his 142-ball knock. He found support from Rujul Bhatt with whom he added 90 runs for the seventh wicket. Gandhi is in the middle of an unbroken last-wicket stand of 28 with Siddharth Desai, who is yet to contribute a run. MD Nidheesh and Jalaj Saxena took three wickets each for Kerala.Tajinder Singh’s maiden first-class century shored up Rajasthan to 423 in their first innings against Jharkhand at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Tajinder resumed on 66 in the company of the overnight centurion Amitkumar Gautam, who scored just four more before being dismissed. Tajinder finished with 134 with the help of 18 fours and a six before becoming the ninth man dismissed. Rajasthan were also aided by contributions of 35 from their captain Pankaj Singh at No. 10 and an unbeaten 18 from their No. 11 Khaleel Ahmed. Jharkhand lost their openers early to be reduced to 15 for 2 before Saurabh Tiwary (56*) and Virat Singh (28*) rescued them with an unbroken 82-run stand.

MS Dhoni has spoken of how the disappointment of the 2007 World Cup exit, and the angry reception the players received, played an important role in shaping his personality in the public domain and as a cricketer

Aishwarya Kumar in New York16-Sep-20162:34

It felt like we had committed a big crime – Dhoni

MS Dhoni, India’s limited-overs captain, has spoken of how the disappointment of the first-round exit in the 2007 World Cup, and the angry reception the players received upon their return home, played an important role in shaping his personality in the public domain and as a cricketer.”When we landed in Delhi, there was a lot of media. At times, people feel that we are not emotional enough about it, but I always felt, as sports persons, you have to be strong enough to go through everything and it has to be within yourself,” Dhoni said. “It is not about coming for a press conference and crying about stuff, or crying in the field about what has happened.”India had crashed out of the tournament in the Caribbean after losing their group matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and having beaten only Bermuda. Dhoni’s house, which was under construction in Ranchi at the time, was pelted with stones in the aftermath of the exit.”At that point of time, when we landed, we had to get out in a police van. I was sitting next to Viru [Virender Sehwag] . It was evening or night time,” Dhoni said. “We were travelling at a decent speed – 60 or 70 kms – and that’s quite a bit for India, that too on the narrow roads. And, you know, media cars around us with their cameras and the big lights on top, it felt as if we had committed a big crime, maybe like a murderer or terrorist or something. We were actually chased by them.”After a while, we entered a police station. We went there, we sat for a while and then we left in our cars after 15-20 minutes. That actually had a big impact on me and I channelised the aggression to become a better cricketer and a better human being.”Dhoni was speaking in New York, ahead of the release of his biopic – . The press conference at Fox Building in Manhattan was unlike the usual ones Dhoni is used to giving. The number seven jersey and the India cap were replaced by a greyish black suit and a silver tie. The movie, which set to release worldwide on September 30, is about Dhoni’s journey from when he started playing cricket to the 2011 World Cup.A group of Dhoni fans, dressed in their best attire, were huddled outside Fox Building, with big smiles on their faces. They had won a contest and made their way from Chicago and other parts of New York to collect their prize: a meet and greet with Dhoni.The change in atmosphere was evident as Dhoni walked in with his wife Sakshi, and Arun Pandey, the producer of the film.”It is a very simple story and that is the beauty of it,” Dhoni said about the movie. “One thing I told Neeraj [the director] was, this story should not be to glorify me. It is about the journey of a professional sports person and that’s what it should be about.”Talking about how he told his life’s story to Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor playing him, Dhoni said it was challenging to go back in time and reconstruct the story because he hardly spent time dwelling on the past. “More than the physical attributes and the characteristics, Rajput wanted to know what I was thinking at different points of time in life and to explain that was hard and nostalgic,” Dhoni said.”I was a bit worried initially when the whole concept of the movie came in, but once we were in, I was not really worried, the reason being I was just narrating my story. I was just telling Neeraj that this is what happened.”Pandey, the producer of the movie, recounted an anecdote that told him Dhoni’s story was important. It was when he saw Dhoni talk to a child at an airport in India – “the question was less than 15 seconds, but Dhoni gave the kid an eight-minute answer,” he said. Pandey met the child’s parents two years later and learnt how Dhoni’s one interaction had inspired him.Dhoni spoke of how important it was for him to have a steady Railways job after he finished high school to give him the stability to pursue a risky career in cricket. He also talked about how it was important for parents in India to encourage their kids to take up sports seriously. Pushing for sports in the long run – that’s what will bring India medals, he said.”How to keep things simple in life? Often, you hear legends talking about ‘watch the ball, hit the ball,’ and that’s how simple it is,” Dhoni concluded, when asked what had worked for him, as a cricketer and as a person.

James Anderson has been ruled out of the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge but is hopeful of being fit for a possible decider at the Oval, which starts on August 20

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2015James Anderson has been ruled out of the fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge but is hopeful of being fit for a possible decider at the Oval, which starts on August 20*. Anderson did not take any further part in the Edgbaston Test after being forced off the field with a side strain on the second day.Anderson was two balls into his ninth over of Australia’s second innings when he felt some pain on his left side. He bowled another one after that and ran in for the fourth but pulled up to then leave the field. The ECB had called the injury a “tight side” which was to be “assessed overnight”.Speaking after England had secured an eight-wicket win, Anderson said: “I’m not going to play the next game, unfortunately, but I’m hoping I can get myself fit for the Oval. It’s a bit sore, I felt something on one of the deliveries yesterday and Stuart Broad, who’s had experience of that sort of injury, said ‘Don’t bowl another ball and risk it’. I set off for another one and then thought, he’s right.”I’ve never had that sort of injury before. I felt a bit stiff, I just put it down to that and the next ball I could feel something so I came off.”The last 24 hours has been talking to the medical team and trying to figure out if it is realistic,” he said, of his chances of playing at The Oval. “They were pretty happy with me this morning, checked me over and were happy it didn’t look too serious, so that’s what I’m aiming for.”Mark Wood, who missed out at Edgbaston with an ankle niggle, might be considered first in line to replace Anderson for Trent Bridge. Liam Plunkett and the uncapped Mark Footitt could also come into consideration. Chris Woakes, who was in the Test side last summer, has been working his way back from injury, while Chris Jordan has not played since suffering a side strain in June.England captain, Alastair Cook, said it would be an opportunity for someone to come into the side and impress.”It’s obviously a huge miss because Jimmy is outstanding but it gives an opportunity,” Cook said. “We had an opportunity, at 1-1 in the series, to grab it and we’ve done it as a side, now it will give whoever is selected that opportunity to fill Jimmy’s boots. Yes, it’s going to be hard but it’s and opportunity for someone to stand up.”Anderson took a six-for on the first day at Edgbaston and was instrumental in restricting Australia to 136 to lay the platform for England to take a 2-1 lead. In the second innings he removed the top-scorer David Warner for 77 to finish with 1 for 15 from 8.3 overs.Whoever is selected will have a job to emulate Anderson’s impressive record at Trent Bridge, which reads 53 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.24. He picked up a 10-wicket haul in the last Ashes Test there, in 2013, and has six five-fors overall. In his last Test at the ground, against India in 2014, he also scored 81 at No. 11, his maiden fifty, in a record stand of 198.*5pm BST – This story was updated with Anderson’s quotes

Half-centuries from Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith gave Central Districts their second win of the HRV Cup, a seven-wicket victory against Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2013
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Mathew Sinclair and Ben Smith gave Central Districts their second win of the HRV Cup, a seven-wicket victory against Auckland, who now have to win both their remaining games and hope other results go their way in order to make the playoff. Central Districts are bottom of the league and have no chance of progress. Auckland, however, are fourth and need to win two games and also hope Northern Districts lose both of their remaining games.Central Districts’ victory was built on a 106-run stand for the third wicket between Sinclair and Smith. Chasing 182, Sinclair made 71 off 52 balls and Smith 59 off 31 deliveries. Sinclair fell with the scores level and Central Districts won with three balls to spare. Smith’s innings was his best of the tournament.Auckland had set a competitive total at Pukekura Park after a wobbly start – they were 59 for 4 in nine overs after winning the toss. Colin de Grandhomme led their fightback, scoring a half-century off 20 balls before he was dismissed for 55 off 24. Craig Cachopa made 49 off 33 deliveries to lead his team to 181. Bevan Small and Andrew Lamb took two wickets each for Central Districts.

A record crowd at the Gabba for a domestic Twenty20 undoubtedly came to see Shane Warne.

Alex Malcolm20-Dec-2011
ScorecardShane Warne rediscovered his magic, taking 1 for 22 from his fours overs•Getty Images

A record crowd at the Gabba for a domestic T20 undoubtedly came to see Shane Warne. They got their monies-worth as Warne and his team delivered in the most entertaining match of the BBL so far.Melbourne Stars, the side with as much star-power as any in this competition, beat Brisbane Heat by eight runs in a match that featured highlights with bat and ball and a virtuoso performance from Warne in front of 29,241 people.Rob Quiney’s match winning 97 from 60 balls set up an imposing total of 7 for 177 on a pristine Gabba surface, before Clint McKay’s 3 for 22 was statistically the pick of the bowlers in the Stars defensive effort. But in reality, both men were overshadowed by night’s star attraction: Shane Warne.Brisbane were on track at 2 for 70 after seven overs of their run chase. Matthew Hayden clubbed four fours in the second over of the innings from England international Jade Dernbach. Hayden smashed his tenth ball straight to mid off to fall for an entertaining 22 but Brendan McCullum picked up the slack cruising to 26 from 16 balls before Warne entered. McCullum had got off the mark with a six over long on in the first over but he was far more respectful of Warne first up.Two balls at McCullum and four at Peter Forrest in Warne’s first over were all delivered with artistry and precision. He conceded four runs, as well extracting some turn and bounce from a wicket he adores.McCullum attacked Warne in his second over. The New Zealander charged, Warne tossed high and wide, McCullum miscued a spooned drive, high, but safely beyond cover-point. Warne picked him up two balls later, bowling him around his legs as he attempted to sweep.Dan Christian was the only player to get a piece of Warne, clubbing him for six over long on. But Warne’s other 23 balls cost just 16.Outside of Warne and McKay the Stars other three bowlers conceded more than nine-an-over. But they did enough to curtail Brisbane, who simply could not construct a partnership. Their largest was 55 unbroken stand between Michael Neser and Ryan Harris but it came too late as it began in the 15th over with the score at 7 for 114.Earlier the Stars had set-up their total on the back of a 105-run stand between Quiney and David Hussey. Melbourne were 2 for 31 when the pair came together after Nathan Hauritz opened the bowling with great success snaring Matthew Wade and George Bailey early.But Quiney found the pace of the Gabba wicket to his liking as he smashed six sixes and five fours in a 60-ball knock that ended three short of a well-deserved century. Outside of Hauritz, who showed the value of a slow bowler at the Gabba by taking 3 for 18 from four quality overs, Brisbane were exposed for a lack of variety.Quiney’s high grip and Gilchrist-like swinging arc took full toll of all the medium pacers’ length offerings. Hussey was a valuable contributor as well. His 45 from 32 showcased his wonderful skill as a T20 cricketer.Brisbane slumped to their second loss of the tournament, whilst the Stars squared the ledger with a win and a loss.

Sean Ervine will return to international duty with Zimbabwe at the World Cup after being included in the finalised squad of 15 for the tournament, which starts on February 19

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2011Sean Ervine will return to international duty with Zimbabwe at the World Cup after being included in the finalised squad of 15 for the tournament, which starts on February 19. Elton Chigumbura will captain an evenly-spread group that includes six batsmen, two of whom are part-time spinners, three seamers and three specialist slow bowlers.Ervine will join his young brother Craig in the squad on a three-year contract, signed over Christmas, but for the moment will also continue his association with Hampshire as an overseas player and remains part of their squad for the ongoing Caribbean Twenty20 competition. His return to Zimbabwe colours ends an international hiatus of nearly seven years, and his experience will help to shore up a brittle middle order, as well as providing a third all-round option along with Chigumbura and Greg Lamb.The squad also provides options in the wicketkeeping department. Tatenda Taibu is an obvious first choice for the role, but Regis Chakabva, Brendan Taylor and Charles Coventry could all provide competent back-up should he be injured.One area in which Zimbabwe may be a little light is their opening batsmen. With Hamilton Masakadza omitted from Zimbabwe’s World Cup plans despite helping to put together some useful opening stands last year, Chamu Chibhabha failing to make the cut and Terrence Duffin, Tino Mawoyo and Vusi Sibanda included only as non-travelling reserves it would appear either Chakabva or Taibu will be Taylor’s partner at the top.Chakabva has opened for Zimbabwe Under-19, Zimbabwe A and Zimbabwe Provinces in limited-overs cricket on occasion, while Taibu has taken first strike in three one-day internationals – most recently against Bangladesh at Mirpur in January 2009 – although his only success in that position has been in domestic cricket.Prosper Utseya, Ray Price and Graeme Cremer were always certainties in the World Cup squad with Zimbabwe building their bowling attack around spin in recent times, while Shingi Masakadza, Chris Mpofu and Ed Rainsford were the three most obvious choices for the seamers’ positions. There’s no space for Ryan Butterworth, whose all-round performances in the domestic Stanbic Bank 20 Series earned him a call-up for the trip to Bangladesh late last year, with Charles Coventry and Sean Williams taking the final two spots.Brian Lara, who signed a contract as batting consultant to the national side after his involvement in the local Twenty20 tournament with the Southern Rocks franchise, will join the touring party on a pre-World Cup trip to Dubai and India from February 1. Zimbabwe will play two warm-up matches in each country, and coach Alan Butcher has argued that they will be better or as well prepared for the World Cup as any of their 13 rivals.Zimbabwe World Cup squad: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Regis Chakabva, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Sean Ervine, Gregory Lamb, Shingirai Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Raymond Price, Edward Rainsford, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya, Sean Williams
Non-travelling reserves: Terrence Duffin, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Njabulo Ncube, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda

The PCB will make a fresh appeal with Dubai authorities requesting them to revoke the travelling restrictions imposed on fast bowler Mohammad Asif

Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2010The PCB will make a fresh appeal to Dubai authorities requesting them to revoke the travelling restrictions imposed on fast bowler Mohammad Asif. Asif, 27, was banned from entering the UAE after being stopped with a small quantity of opium at Dubai airport in June 2008. He spent 19 days in detention in the UAE and was barred from re-entering Dubai, though no criminal charges were pressed.The board confirmed that it would soon make an attempt to get Asif’s name cleared by the Dubai authorities as Pakistan had several series lined up in the UAE. “Asif is an important member of the team,” Wasim Bari, PCB’s chief operating officer, said. “We have some series lined up in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in coming months. We will play England in two Twenty20 Internationals next month in Dubai.”He said the board had also tried to get clearance for Asif to play in the UAE last year for the New Zealand series, but failed in its attempt. “We will make another attempt and try to request the authorities in Dubai to remove the conditions that bar Asif from travelling there.”Having been slapped a year-long suspension for testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone, Asif made his limited-overs comeback during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. A Test return soon followed when Pakistan toured New Zealand for a three-Test series.Pakistan may also invite South Africa to a Test and ODI series later in the year in the UAE, with South Africa ruling out a visit to Pakistan for their scheduled tour in October-November this year due to security concerns.

Fast bowler says he is unable to commit to all formats “mentally and physically” at this stage of career

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2025Jamie Overton, the England and Surrey fast bowler who was a permanent member of the Test squad during this summer’s series against India, has announced an “indefinite break from red-ball cricket”. The decision effectively rules him out of this winter’s Ashes campaign, a development that has left his white-ball captain and Test team-mate, Harry Brook, “shocked”.Overton, 31, played the second and last of his two Tests at The Oval in July, claiming two second-innings wickets in England’s thrilling six-run loss. His previous match had come at Headingley in 2022, when he made a match-turning 97 in partnership with Jonny Bairstow, in the first summer of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s stewardship of the England team.Despite his infrequent appearances, Overton was a near-certainty to feature in England’s Ashes squad, given his sturdy build, strong action and ability to bowl at 90mph – all attributes that the selectors have been identifying in their bid to win in Australia for the first time since 2010-11.However, in an interview with the Telegraph, he spelt out his reasons for the shock decision, saying that at this stage of his career, it was “no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally”. He will be in Australia this winter, but as part of Adelaide Strikers’ squad in the Big Bash, a team with whom he has spent the past two seasons, and for whom he was named MVP earlier this year for his haul of 11 wickets and 191 runs at 95.50.Related

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“After a great deal of thought, I have decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket,” Overton said. “I feel very fortunate to have played 99 first-class matches, including two Test matches for England. Red-ball, first-class cricket has provided the foundation for my professional career and has been the gateway to every opportunity I’ve had in the game so far. It’s where I learnt the game, and it fuelled the goals and ambitions that have driven me for so long.”However, at this stage of my career, with the demands of cricket across a 12-month calendar, it’s no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally. Going forward, my focus will be on white-ball cricket, and I will continue to give everything to play at the highest level for as long as I can.”Overton is currently at Headingley, as part of England’s white-ball squad, with their first ODI against South Africa coming up on Tuesday. Speaking on the eve of the match, Brook admitted he was taken aback by the announcement, and its timing.”A little bit shocked to be honest,” Brook said. “I thought he did well in that last Test, he bowled quick. Obviously you’ve got to respect that decision that he’s going to have a little bit of a break from red-ball cricket. Hopefully at some point we’ll see him again in the future.Overton arrives at training ahead of the Headingley ODI•Getty Images

“I’d heard rumours but I hadn’t heard it from him until today. You’ve just got to respect the decision, he obviously doesn’t feel like he wants to play red-ball cricket at the minute and we can’t do anything about it. He’s made the decision now but it’s unfortunate. I thought he did really well in that last Test match and it would have been nice to have him there in the Ashes.”From his perspective as white-ball captain, however, Brook acknowledged that the singular focus could be of benefit to his team. “Absolutely,” he said. “When he is fully fit and firing he bowls thunderbolts and he can whack it out of the park. Hopefully he can upskill even more from what he’s got now and be the best white-ball player he can be.”Overton had only played once in the County Championship for Surrey this season before being recalled to the Test squad. Overall, he has made four first-class appearances for his county since the start of 2024, with injuries limiting his availability.Rob Key, England Men’s director of cricket, said: “Jamie’s news came unexpected and it is sad to see, as he would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future. That said, it serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in. We respect his decision and are grateful to him for informing us when he did.”

LSG’s CEO confirmed as much after Mayank bowled just the one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday night

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Mayank Yadav will have his workload managed over the coming week as a “precaution”, according to Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) CEO Vinod Bisht.Mayank, the tearaway quick who’s been turning heads so far at IPL 2024, walked off after bowling just one over against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, leading to questions about his fitness.”Mayank felt soreness in lower abdominal area and as a precaution we are managing his work load over next week,” Bisht said on Monday. “We hope to see him soon in the field.”Mayank’s pace was down on Sunday night, and he was hit for three boundaries in the fourth over of Titans’ eventually unsuccessful chase.9:56

The Mayank Yadav story – A 21-year-old boy from Delhi with express pace

Following LSG’s win, Krunal Pandya, who had starred with figures of 3 for 11 in his four overs, shrugged off concerns about Mayank. “I don’t know what is happening but I did have a brief couple of seconds’ chat [with him] – he seemed okay, which was quite a relief for us,” Krunal had told the broadcaster.”A bright prospect, I’d been watching him from last two years. He used to [be a] gun in the nets,” Krunal added. “Last year, unfortunately, missed it [due to injury]. But again, whatever conversation I have had, what I see is that he has a good head on his shoulders as well.”After four games, LSG sit at No. 3 on the points table with three wins. They host Delhi Capitals in Lucknow for their next match, on April 12.