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Archer, who has been replaced by Chris Jordan at Mumbai, will continue to have his fitness and recovery monitored by ECB

Matt Roller09-May-20234:31

Explaining Jofra Archer’s sudden exit from the IPL

Jofra Archer has flown home from the Indian Premier League “to focus on his rehabilitation” with four games remaining in the group stage of the tournament.”Archer has been recovering from right elbow surgery,” an ECB statement said. “However, pushing through the discomfort whilst recently playing, hoping it will settle, has proven challenging. Therefore, it has been agreed for him to return to the UK for a period of rest and rehabilitation to give him the best opportunity for a full recovery.”Archer, who has been replaced at Mumbai Indians by his England team-mate Chris Jordan, will return to the UK this week and work on his rehab with the ECB medical department and how county, Sussex.Archer has played five of Mumbai’s ten matches this season and has struggled to make an impact, taking two wickets and conceding 9.50 runs per over – though has regularly bowled at speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph.Related

• Stats – Mumbai Indians, masters of the 200-plus chase

• Chris Jordan joins Mumbai Indians for remainder of IPL 2023

• Jofra Archer: 'I want to make the most of all the cricket that is available to me'

After playing in Mumbai’s opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Archer experienced discomfort in his right elbow. He briefly travelled to Belgium to visit a specialist during a short lay-off, and returned to the side just under three weeks later.He has played in four of their last five games, but will not take part in Tuesday night’s game against RCB at the Wankhede Stadium or in their final three league fixtures.Mumbai said in a statement that Archer’s “recovery and fitness continues to be monitored” by the ECB’s medical team. “Jofra will return home to focus on his rehabilitation,” the franchise added.Archer told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview that he retains ambitions as an all-format cricketer, heading into a year which sees England involved in a home Ashes series and their defence of the 50-over World Cup.Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, said earlier in the tournament that the ECB were speaking to Mumbai Indians “all the time” and that they had been “a brilliant franchise to work with” on Archer’s return to fitness since they bought him at the mega-auction in early 2022. The ECB have been approached for comment.Jordan, Archer’s replacement, has been with the squad on standby for the last two weeks. He went unsold at December’s auction but has previously played for Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and joins for a fee of INR 2 crore (£200,000 approx.)

Pakistan batting coach was full of praise for Starc and Cummins’ bowling, but believes the hosts can “fight and try and take it to the end”

Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2022They had been kept out in the heat for 189 overs. Twelve overs into the second innings, they still trailed by more than 530 runs. There were almost nine sessions left in the Test match, and Pakistan’s bowlers were knackered after two draining days in the field. There was, suffice to say, no rush.So when, in Mitchell Swepson’s first over of Test cricket, Imam-ul-Haq took on Pat Cummins by summoning Abdullah Shafique for a tight single, it was a slightly bewildering moment. Cummins hit the stumps, as Imam only just made his ground. Pakistan had only just escaped what would have been the most embarrassing way to lose an early wicket.Three balls later, Imam prodded one behind point, where Swepson stood poised. Babar Azam admitted before the Test they hadn’t seen much of him bowl, so there was little chance of them having a clue how good his arm was. They tried to scurry through once more, but the 28-year picked up and threw side-arm in one whirlwind motion to knock the stumps down, sending Abdullah Shafique on his way. It doesn’t require a conducive pitch to lose a wicket like that.Related

• Australia's plans pay off as seamers conjure reverse swing to cap perfect day

• Mitchell Starc's reverse-swing masterclass rips through Pakistan as Australia dominate

• No slip-up for Carey this time as he takes 'little step in right direction'

Imam’s dismissal shortly after, too, had little to do with the surface. Using his feet to an uncharacteristically ineffectual Nathan Lyon, the left-hander never quite got to the pitch, only managing to shovel it to long-on. The bane of Australia’s existence in Rawalpindi was going to have the afternoon off in Karachi.Pakistan’s batting coach Mohammad Yousuf pointed to that passage of play as a key juncture. “They got momentum due to the run-outs,” Yousuf said. “They had experienced bowlers, and once they got momentum, they bowled in the right areas.”Imam scored runs in the last match by using his feet. He hit a six and a four here doing that too. It’s his strength. I feel batters score runs on their strength but can also be dismissed on it. People learn from these mistakes; it shouldn’t mean you abandon your strength.”It was an advice Mitchell Starc readily took to heart as the ball began to age. While conventional swing was unavailable, the ball began to offer reverse around the 20th over, and Starc, who had only bowled four overs with the new ball, was immediately brought back in.And as to why that happened became devastatingly clear to Pakistan in a match-defining 26th over. Starc’s intimidating pace and the angle from around the wicket to Azhar Ali harassed him into playing a wide delivery that was shaping away rather than in. But the piece de resistance was reserved for Fawad Alam’s first ball of the series, which had crashed into his pads before he had even appeared to get into position from his extravagantly side-on stance.Australia had seen their opening, and they rammed right through. Between the 26th and 33rd over, Pakistan lost four wickets in 41 balls as the relentlessly brilliant Cummins partnered up with Cameron Green to leave Pakistan reeling. It was a narrow window in which the ball suddenly seemed to come into life, and while Australia on day one saw off that tricky period, Pakistan found themselves blown away.”When such a big score is posted, the other side is under pressure,” Yousuf said. “The bowlers know they have runs on the board and can bowl with almost no pressure. Cummins and Starc bowled in fantastic areas. The hard period was when the ball was reversing between 20 and 40 overs or so; they exploited that beautifully. In that time, we lost five-six wickets.”Full credit to them for bowling and fielding so well. You’ll have seen often that when a side posts a big total on a pitch where there’s a chance of reverse swing or turn, the team batting second faces problems, no matter how good they are.”It’s very easy for me to tell them how to play from the outside, but when the bowling is so good and reverse swing is in play, we were taught to play only for inswing and not to take a big stride out. That’s my message to them, but it’s much easier said than done. It’s tough, because Starc and Cummins were magnificent. But you never know, sometimes a side can bat out two days. We’ll fight and try and take it to the end.”Yousuf understood frustrations around the batters’ failure to learn, both from Australia and past mistakes, offering up a tranquil defence as suited to his game as it is to his persona.”You always have to continue learning,” he smiled. “I try and learn something off my players, too.”On the evidence of today’s showing, Pakistan supporters would rather the learning went the other way, for quite a while yet.

Wins for both sides take them one step closer to the playoffs, but it does not confirm a final-four spot

S Rajesh27-Oct-2020Finally, after the 48th match of the season on Wednesday, a team will reach 16 points when the Mumbai Indians play the Royal Challengers Bangalore – both are currently on 14. This is most matches it has taken the first team to reach 16 points in an eight-team IPL season; the previous record was 46 matches, in 2016. Here is a look at what a win or a loss on Wednesday will mean to the two teams.The IPL points table after match 47 of IPL 2020•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mumbai: Played 11, Points 14, NRR 1.252
If they win
Mumbai’s fantastic net run rate of 1.252 means they will almost certainly be through to the playoffs if they win. That is because only five teams can get to 16 points, and one of them is the Kolkata Knight Riders, who have a terrible NRR of -0.479.Just how far ahead Mumbai’s NRR is, will be clear from this example. Assume the following:

• Mumbai beat Royal Challengers by one run
• They lose their last two by an aggregate run margin of 180 runs (that is, the margins of the two losses add up to 180 runs)
• The Knight Riders win their last two by an aggregate margin of 180

Even if these improbable results happen, Mumbai will still have an NRR of around 0.32, compared to 0.25 for the Knight Riders. Thus, a win will clearly be enough for playoff qualification, though Mumbai will be aiming for much more than that.If they lose
Even if Mumbai lose to the Royal Challengers, they will qualify if they win one of their last two games. However, in the unlikely scenario that they lose all three, then other results will come into play. The Delhi Capitals, the Royal Challengers, the Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab can all reach 16 and eliminate Mumbai.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Played 11, Points 14, NRR 0.092
If they win
The Capitals’ crushing defeat on Tuesday has put the Royal Challengers in second place, but their NRR of 0.092 is some distance behind Mumbai’s. Even so, a win on Wednesday and 16 points will still leave them well-placed for the playoffs. Let us do a similar simulation of results as we did for Mumbai:

• The Royal Challengers beat Mumbai by five runs
• They lose their next two by an aggregate margin of 70 runs
• The Knight Riders win their last two by the same aggregate margin of 70 runs

If these results happen, then the Knight Riders will sneak ahead on NRR. It is not quite as far-fetched as Mumbai’s scenario, but it will still require several things to go wrong for the Royal Challengers to slip below the Knight Riders if they win on Wednesday and reach 16 points.If they lose
As long as they keep the defeat margin within reasonable limits and win one of their remaining matches, the Royal Challengers will have a good chance of making the playoffs. If they lose all three, though, then things will get tough as seven teams can still potentially make it to 14 points.

Not necessary for critics to be constructive, says the England World Cup captain of his former team-mate’s analysis

George Dobell10-Jul-2019Eoin Morgan has called comments from Kevin Pietersen “not good for a team environment”.Pietersen suggested that Morgan “looked scared” of Mitchell Starc’s bowling during England’s group match defeat against Australia. Writing on Twitter at the time, Pietersen said he had “not seen a captain show such weakness for a while” and that it was “a horror sign” for England.But, on the eve of England’s first World Cup semi-final in 27 years, Morgan compared his former team-mate’s words to those of Geoffrey Boycott in saying that they “don’t take the best interest of the team or the player” into account and suggested the current England dressing room did not pay much attention to comments of the sort.”When Kevin Pietersen comes out with a comment, it’s very similar to comments I address from Geoffrey Boycott,” Morgan told the . “They are not ones that are considered good for a team environment and don’t take the best interests of the team or the player at heart. Guys are trying their heart out to do well for their country, trying to learn, trying to get better.”Morgan did acknowledge, however, that he had struggled to deal with the short ball in the past. He was memorably forced to retire hurt having been struck by a Starc bouncer in an ODI in Manchester in 2015 – he later said his helmet “probably saved my life” – while he also accepted that it wasn’t necessarily Pietersen’s role to be constructive. In making such comments, Morgan said, the former players were merely doing “their job”.”Possibly four years ago I was challenged in that area,” Morgan said. “Since then I’ve been challenged in different areas and, over the past two years, I’ve managed to counter that.”And you have critics being critics. But they need to do that; that’s their job. So let them be.”

A strong all-round performance from Warwickshire toppled Nottinghamshire by 108 runs

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2018
ScorecardA strong all-round performance from Warwickshire toppled Nottinghamshire by 108 runs in their Royal London Cup meeting at Trent Bridge.Warwickshire hadn’t beaten Notts in any of their last six one-day meetings and hadn’t won at Trent Bridge since 2008 but had the better of the exchanges after opting to bat first.Warwickshire scored 295 for 9 from their 50 overs, after winning the toss. Sam Hain, following on from centuries in his two previous innings, made 72, with contributions of 56 from Ed Pollock and 51 from Adam Hose. Hain’s runs came from 91 balls, with five fours.Matt Carter, on his one-day debut, returned figures of 4 for 40 for the hosts.Notts were then bowled out for only 187 in 38.5 overs, with Ross Taylor making 56. Aaron Thomason picked up a career-best 4 for 45 for the visitors.In pursuit of a victory target of 296 the Outlaws got off to a poor start, losing both openers with only four runs on the board. Chris Woakes, playing his first domestic match of the season, removed Riki Wessels for a single during an opening six over burst.Tom Moores and Taylor added 63 together for the third wicket before Thomason separated them, having Moores caught in the deep for 33. Taylor reached his 50 from 57 balls but then guided Henry Brookes straight into the hands of third man.The game ran away from Notts quickly during the middle overs, as Thomason picked up three more wickets and Olly Stone closed out the contest by bowling Carter with more than 11 overs still remaining.Earlier, Ed Pollock got Warwickshire off to a flying start, despite losing his opener partner Jonathan Trott to Samit Patel, for an eight-ball duck.The left-handed Pollock blazed his way to a quickfire half century, reaching the landmark from only 22 deliveries faced, four of which were launched over the ropes.Fired on by his aggressive start Pollock failed to reign in his stroke-play and paid the price when a lofted shot failed to clear midwicket, giving Carter the first of his four wickets.Notts rotated their bowlers regularly, using seven different inside the first 18 overs, including 19-year old quick Jack Blatherwick who, like Carter, was on debut.Samit Patel, who took 2 for 48, reduced the visitors to 172 for 3 when he had Hain taken at long-on, after a stand of 89 in 17 overs with Ian Bell.Hain reached his own 50 from 59 balls and advanced to 72 before charging Carter, to provide Tom Moores with a routine stumping.Carter’s third and fourth wickets were repeats of each other, as both Adam Hose and Tim Ambrose found Billy Root in the deep. Hose made 51 from 53 deliveries and Ambrose 38 from 37.Nicely placed on 180 for 3 after 30 overs, Warwickshire lost their way in the final stages of the innings, after appearing well set to reach 350.Woakes was run out for 9, as the holders put the squeeze on with some accurate death bowling during the final overs but the total was already well beyond reach.Warwickshire now move on to five points from four matches, equalling the points total of Notts, who have played a game more.

Lahore Qalandars, who were thrashed by Quetta Gladiators in their tournament opener, made light work of a 159 target in Dubai

Danyal Rasool11-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
5:13

Watch – Highlights of Lahore Qalandars’ successful chase

Lahore Qalandars demonstrated that they had learned plenty of lessons from yesterday’s demoralising loss to Quetta, beating Islamabad United by six wickets. Chasing 159, slightly under par, Lahore received a trigger-boost courtesy Brendon McCullum and Jason Roy, who smashed 36 off the first two overs. Roy, often criticised for not turning style into substance, then established a 71-run partnership with Umar Akmal to set Lahore up for the finish, and stayed unbeaten on 60. A late cameo from Sunil Narine then snuffed Islamabad out of the contest.The defending champions started ominously, and had raced to 73 for 1 after nine overs. Grant Elliott dismissed openers Dwayne Smith and Sam Billings in his first over. He accounted for two more wickets and a catch to halt Islamabad’s progress. Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, rose to the occasion in a crisis, scoring 61 not out off 36 balls as Islamabad posted 158 for 7. The surface, however, was a belter and Lahore’s batsmen were far too explosive for Misbah’s men to keep them at bay.Where the match was won

With Billings and Smith rocking along at 73 without loss, and Brad Haddin and Shane Watson to follow, Islamabad looked to be in the form of the kind that helped them chase down 190 two nights ago against Peshawar Zalmi. Enter Elliott and the game changed. The medium pacer accounted for all four foreign recruits; his nagging, middle-stump line didn’t allow Islamabad’s batsmen to free their arms, and setting up a total that would have been significantly more challenging for McCullum’s side.The men that won it

On Friday, Roy looked in sparkling touch for the 14 balls that fetched him 27. The platform was set, but he threw it away. Today, though, he hung around after McCullum fell, turning in a much more sedate, yet tenacious batting performance, not dissimilar to the way his England captain Eoin Morgan batted in Peshawar’s seven-wicket win last night. Umar Akmal was lively at the other end, timing the ball beautifully in a 26-ball 35 to set the stage for Narine’s fireworks at the finish.The 21-run overs

Islamabad’s 34-year old left-arm spinner Imran Khalid, who has never played at international level, was given a baptism of fire today when Misbah asked him to open the bowling in the Powerplay with Roy and McCullum at the crease. It was an odd choice, and poor Khalid was evidently nervous; he bowled two wides and both line and length were all over the place. McCullum took a particular liking to him, thumping him for 21 runs in the over. It set Qalandar’s up for the chase. There was symmetry to the Lahore assault, with Watson also going for 21 runs in the 17th over, which put the game beyond all doubt.The moment of the match

There was a shot played in this match you might have to wait a while to see again, even in this T20 age. As Lahore’s Bilawal Bhatti came in to bowl, Billings looked set to play a scoop over fine leg. Wisely enough, Bilawal went wide outside off stump. Billings followed, holding his bat straight out in front of his chest. It was miles away when he tried to play the long-awaited scoop. The ball instead hit his helmet, and went to third man for four leg-byes. Who would be a bowler, really?Where they stand

Islamabad and Lahore now both have one win and one loss from their games, and two points each. Four of the five sides now sit on that number, with Karachi yet to register a win.

Rajeev Shukla has said there has been a proposal to adopt the DRS minus the referrals for lbw decisions in IPL 2016

Arun Venugopal29-Jan-2016In what is a significant departure from its stubborn resistance to the Decision Review System, the BCCI has initiated discussions about the use of the system in IPL 2016. Rajeev Shukla, the chairman of the IPL governing council, said there has been a proposal to adopt the system minus the referrals for lbw decisions.A member of the IPL governing council, who present at the meeting in Mumbai on Friday, said the discussions were still at a preliminary stage. “This [discussion on introducing DRS] came up a few years ago as well, when the ICC insisted that we try it. But it met with a lot of opposition,” he said. “Now, we are looking at the option of using it again, without the lbw element. Of course, there needs to be a lot of technical discussion on this before we go forward. This will continued to be discussed in subsequent meetings.”The BCCI’s change of heart – it has come a long way since the time former president N Srinivasan labelled it a “faulty” system – appears to have been prompted by the recent softening of stance by the Indian team towards the system. While Test captain Virat Kohli said during the Bangladesh tour last year that he was open to discussing the matter with his team, R Ashwin said he wouldn’t mind a DRS without an umpire’s call.”Personally speaking, I don’t agree with the concept of umpire’s call,” Ashwin had told ESPNcricinfo. “Cricketers are not rocket scientists. Let’s keep it that simple. Do you think in 15 seconds the captain standing at mid-off will be able to say it is not umpire’s call? If you want to make the game a better place, either trust the technology completely or don’t.”MS Dhoni, the limited-overs captain, had briefly suggested during the Brisbane Test in late 2014 at a kinder view towards the DRS if it wasn’t used to justify the decision of the umpires. But, during the recent ODI series against Australia, India could have overturned the decision – had DRS been in place – to reprieve George Bailey, who went on to score a match-winning hundred in Perth.Dhoni reiterated his general mistrust of the DRS rule. “It could have [changed the course of the match] but at the same time we need to push the umpires to make the right decisions,” he had said. “You have to see how many 50-50 decisions don’t go in our favour. It always happens, then you have to take it. But I am still not convinced about DRS.”Dhoni also felt there were too many variables involved for the teams to factor in while using the system. “There are quite a few deviations,” he had observed. “Even the makers agree that can happen. Now you have to also take into account whether it was given not out or out. If it was given out it needs to touch the stump [for the decision to remain out]; if it was not out it needs to hit half the stump [to be given out]. That itself makes the variable too big. In cricket every inch, every millimetre, matters.”Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive, had said in June last year that he was confident of getting the BCCI on board, with the technology being perfected over time.”Ideally we want to be uniform but we are not there yet. What Geoff [Allardice, ICC general manager] is arranging is the testing of the technology so that everyone believes and trusts what the technology is supposed to be delivering is accurate and reliable,” he said. “Once we get over that hurdle, the confidence in the DRS will grow and eventually we will end up with everybody accepting it.India have used DRS only twice in a bilateral series. The first of those was on the tour of Sri Lanka in 2008, where the team felt most of the 50-50 decisions went against them. Three years later, in England, the system was partially adopted with only the hot spot and audio technology being used.

The ECB hosted Tony Greig’s memorial service in Trafalgar Square, an occasion at which his promotion of Kerry Packer and Word Series Cricket was only lauded

Ivo Tennant24-Jun-2013Last summer, a few months before he died, Tony Greig was invited by the MCC to give its prestigious Cowdrey lecture at Lord’s. Now, in death, he has been honoured by the other cricketing body who once outlawed him in England. To the gratitude of his widow, the ECB hosted his memorial service in Trafalgar Square, an occasion at which his controversial promotion of Kerry Packer’s rebellious World Series Cricket – the breakaway movement which changed cricket forever – was widely praised.Here was a service and reception at which the leading Packer-ites of the 1970s, Richie Benaud, John Snow and Derek Underwood among them, mingled happily with the odd foe. Doug Insole, a leading administrator in that era, was present. Michael Holding, whom Greig reckoned would once grovel before his England team, gave a reading. Jeff Thomson was there, the only member of the congregation not to wear a tie.Dennis Amiss spoke movingly in St Martin in the Fields church, Trafalgar Square, of Greig’s qualities of friendship and loyalty, but inevitably it was Benaud, with his lifelong gift of unearthing the telling phrase, who captivated his distinguished audience. “Players in those days were fine men who had families, wives, children and mortgages,” he said. Then – after one of those characteristic pauses – “never forget the mortgage.”Pre-Packer, Benaud said, “players were paid peanuts and were treated with minimal respect if they asked for more. Tony felt strongly that there should be a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. If I had to choose one word to sum him up, it would be ‘strong’. If two, it would be ‘very strong’. ” He concluded on the occasion by saying, “there is sadness but his advice would have been, ‘just get on with it’, so that is what we shall do.”Amiss said he had never heard Greig say a bad word to anyone – “except the Aussies, of course”. He recalled his outstanding century in Brisbane against Thomson and Dennis Lillee on England’s 1974-75 tour of Australia and how he would goad fast bowlers, be they Australians or West Indians, notably at The Oval in 1976. After describing how he had upped his pace and uprooted one of Greig’s stumps in that final Test, Holding, the most gentle of cricketers off the field, was reading from Corinthians.Greig’s daughter, Beau, sang “Amazing Grace”. There followed a stout defence of his stance over World Series Cricket by Vivian, his widow, who was critical of both administrators and the media of that era. She spoke of his enticing to WSC six England players who were at the end, or coming to the end of their Test careers, which was not strictly true: Underwood and Alan Knott, Greig’s greatest supporter, were at the peak of their careers and Bob Woolmer had still to attain that, but her sentiments were understood and accepted.Not least by Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, the body that has succeeded the Test and County Cricket Board of Greig’s time. Clarke, who was present, told her that “we have not properly recognised him”.The old players in the congregation – Geoff Boycott wearing a hat bearing his own signature, Mike Brearley, Keith Fletcher, John Lever, Tony Lewis, Pat Pocock and Mike Selvey among them – would doubtless have endorsed Underwood’s view that Greig remains under-rated as a cricketer. “That was partly because Ian Botham came along, but Tony’s ability to score a century against Lillee and Thomson in Australia and then make a nine-hour century in India showed that he could play in all conditions. And he was one of the best captains I played under.”Greig died last December, aged only 66. To a younger generation who had not seen him play cricket, he would have been best known as an exuberant, over-the-top commentator. He had told his second wife, whom he had known for 33 years, that by delivering MCC’s ‘Spirit of Cricket’ lecture at Lord’s last year, he had hoped to achieve “acceptance and understanding”.To his public, according to Vivian, “he could make anyone feel special”. And to his children, he was a father “who would tell them such exciting bedtime stories that they couldn’t go to sleep.”

Through Alastair Cook’s 20th Test hundred, a chanceless innings, it was England who ended the opening day in control on a healthy 267 for 3

The Report by Andrew McGlashan19-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook batted throughout the opening day of the series to lay a solid foundation•Getty Images

Much has been made of the fact this is only a three-Test series, a contest that will determine the No. 1 team in the world – and one thing it means is that the early advantage becomes even more crucial. Through Alastair Cook’s 20th Test hundred, a chanceless innings, it was England who ended the opening day in control on a healthy 267 for 3, as they aim to consolidate their top ranking.Cook’s hundred, which came from 222 balls, made him the third England batsman this year to reach the 20 Test century mark following Kevin Pietersen at Colombo and Andrew Strauss at Lord’s. It is a close race between the trio to become England’s leading century-maker, overtaking the 22 scored by Geoff Boycott, Wally Hammond and Colin Cowdrey, but there is little doubt that Cook, who is still only 27, should finish his career at the top of that list.This innings ended an 11-month gap between Test hundreds for Cook, whose previous was the mammoth 294 against India at Edgbaston. He has since twice fallen for 94 – the hundreds have instead come in one-day cricket and he has often looked in wonderful touch – so it was timely to get the century count ticking over again. He played some delightful drives, with one back-foot punch through mid-off against Dale Steyn standing out, and also collected a six when he hooked Steyn during the first session.Cook and Jonathan Trott added 170 for the second wicket as England confidently overcame the loss of Strauss to the fourth ball of the series. The pair, who have previously added stands of 392, 251 and 173, encapsulate the methodical, pragmatic and calculated cricket that has taken England to the top of the rankings. They are not the most flamboyant No. 1 team in history – South Africa, if they are to overtake them, wouldn’t be either – but they have found a formula that, especially at home, is becoming mighty difficult to unpick.That gameplan revolves around grinding opposition down; when bowling first that comes in terms of drying up runs and when batting first it means digging in for the long haul with the top three laying foundations for a more expansive middle order. It was far from revolutionary – in fact it is ‘old fashioned’ Test cricket – but it has proved a revelation in recent years.What was impressive about England here was the way they responded to the early loss of Strauss. It was the third time the captain has fallen in the first over a Test and this was the team’s most confident reply. The last time he faced South Africa, at Johannesburg, he was out first ball and it precipitated a poor England performance. This early departure brought back memories of Brisbane 2010, when he carved the third ball to Michael Hussey at gully and England fumbled to a total of 260 although ultimately, and famously, saved the game.Significant credit must go to Graeme Smith and some shrewd captaincy. Even before this innings Morne Morkel had an impressive record against Strauss, who he had removed six times in Test cricket – often from around the wicket – and he started with that line of attack straight away. Morkel’s second delivery was miles down the leg side but the radar was soon adjusted although Steve Davis, the umpire, did not give the decision and it required a review from Smith. It proved his second smart decision in less than an over, with the ball shown to be hitting middle and leg.

Smart stats

• Alastair Cook’s century is his 20th in Tests and second against South Africa after the 118 in Durban. Four batsmen including Andrew Strauss are ahead of Cook on the list of England batsmen with the most Test centuries.

• Cook’s strike rate of 40.28 is his third-lowest for a three-figure knock. His lowest such strike rate is 37.63 during his 105 against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2006.

• The 170-run stand between Cook and Jonathan Trott is the seventh-highest second-wicket partnership for England against South Africa overall and the second-highest since South Africa’s readmission.

• Strauss was dismissed by Morne Morkel for the seventh time in Tests. Only Shane Warne has dismissed Strauss more often (8 times).

• Strauss was dismissed for a duck for the 15th time in his career. Only Michael Atherton (20) has more ducks among England top-order (innings between 1-7) batsmen.

• It is the eighth time that Cook and Strauss have had a zero-run partnership. Only Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya have featured in more such partnerships (10).

Trott, however, calmly drove his first delivery through mid-on while Cook was given too many deliveries he could leave, especially by Morkel from round the wicket. Steyn was held back from the new ball as Vernon Philander partnered Morkel and there was swing on offer, which caused the batsmen a few nervous moments without creating a chance.Having been billed as a battle of the bowling attacks, South Africa’s five-pronged unit were on the whole disappointing. The visitors had been bullish that their limited preparation would not be a factor heading into the match but Steyn, who wasn’t handed the new ball, Morkel and Jacques Kallis looked short of a decent workout. There was also a suggestion that Steyn may not be fully fit as he spent time off the field having his ankle strapped.Imran Tahir, the legspinner, did not pose a huge threat and the batsmen could sit on him while waiting for the bad ball. Both Cook and Trott were quick to latch onto anything short, with midwicket being especially profitable for Cook. It was Morkel who provided the breakthrough when he managed to pitch the ball a touch fuller and found Trott’s outside edge from a rare loose drive after South Africa had gone wicketless during the afternoon session.The day’s play then developed an extra edge as Pietersen, in a week where he has never been far from the headlines, entered the fray. Morkel tried for a yorker first ball and gifted Pietersen a full toss to open his account but he played carefully to reach 3 off 20 deliveries before stepping across his stumps and flicking Philander over mid-on.A crunching pull off Steyn was the most dismissive shot of the day, closely followed by a straight drive off Kallis, and an attempted scoop against JP Duminy suggested he felt ready to expand. But Kallis had his revenge when Pietersen gloved a bouncer to AB de Villiers two balls before the 80-over mark. It was England’s poorest piece of cricket in the day, as it gave South Africa hope of making late inroads, but Cook and Ian Bell negotiated the new ball to complete a very satisfactory start for the hosts.

Somerset spinner Arul Suppiah took world-record Twenty20 figures of 6 for 5 in his side’s five-wicket Friends Life t20 victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff

05-Jul-2011 98 by five wickets
ScorecardSomerset spinner Arul Suppiah took world-record Twenty20 figures of 6 for 5 in his side’s five-wicket Friends Life t20 victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff.The home side, who were put into bat by Somerset, had no answer to Suppiah and the other two spinners, Murali Kartik and Max Waller, as they were dismissed for just 98 – their second worst total in the tournament – in just 17.4 overs of an 18-overs-per-side contest which was reduced because of rain.Suppiah’s record figures, which bettered Sohail Tanvir’s 6 for 14 for Rajasthan against Chennai in Jaipur in May 2008, came from 3.4 overs as all 10 Glamorgan wickets fell to the Somerset spinners.In reply Somerset got over the winning line with 21 balls to spare, Kieron Pollard finishing unbeaten on 31 from 20 balls.On the turning pitch, which had been used for two previous t20 matches, the Welsh county’s first two wickets to fall came through attempted reverse sweeps.Captain Alviro Petersen was out for a duck to the fifth ball of the innings to Kartik’s slow left-armers – caught at extra cover – and Gareth Rees was trapped leg before wicket by Waller at the start of the sixth after smashing 34 from 20 balls including two sixes.From 41 for 2 Glamorgan sank to 54 for 3, Mark Cosgrove holing out to long-on off Waller having scored just nine from 15 balls. And with Kartik virtually unplayable on a spin-friendly surface Mark Wallace found himself stumped down the leg-side as Glamorgan stuttered to 72 for four.It did not get any better for the home side as Suppiah entered the attack and they were soon reduced to 83 for 7. Kartik finished with 2 for 15 from his four overs – he went for just 13 singles and a two – while Suppiah accounted for the last four wickets to fall as Glamorgan set Somerset 99 to win.The visitors also struggled on the tricky wicket and found themselves 44 for 4 within eight overs, Marcus Trescothick caught at short fine leg off Dean Cosker for 16. Robert Croft struck twice to remove both Peter Trego (11) and Kartik (11) before Pollard struck Simon Jones for three fours in an over to take the pressure off the Somerset chase.