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However, the independent adjudicator has waived away a fine of Rs 1 million that had been placed on him

Umar Farooq31-Jan-2018Pakistan batsman Khalid Latif’s five-year ban for corruption has been upheld by an independent adjudicator. Latif, 32, had filed an appeal with the adjudicator after he was banned from cricket last September by an independent tribunal, for his role in the spot-fixing scandal that marred the second edition of the PSL in 2017. The adjudicator, Justice Fakheer Mohammad Khokhar, upheld his conviction on all six of the original charges but did offer some relief, waiving away the fine of Rs 1 million (approximately US$9500) placed on him.”Khalid Latif has been found guilty on all charges,” the PCB’s legal advisor Taffazul Rizvi told reporters after the verdict. “This is a vindication of what the PCB had been saying. He met bookies twice, and the second time, when he took Sharjeel Khan along with him, provided conclusive proof of his guilt. The PCB does not take pleasure from meting out punishment to any cricketer, but the law must be upheld. We need to rid ourselves of corrupt cricketers like these. I hope all other cricketers learn a lesson from this case. If anyone is even thinking of indulging in corrupt practices, they should banish the thought. And if anyone is illicitly approached, they must report it immediately.”It would appear the fine has been waived keeping in mind that Latif’s career is all but over. He will be 36 by the time his ban ends, with the chances of making a domestic comeback greatly reduced, and an international one almost out of the question.”I think the reason for the fine being set aside was that with his career over, it would have been difficult for him [to pay it],” Rizvi said. “Everyone knows the effects a five-year ban can have on someone.”Latif’s lawyer Badar Alam did not show up to hear the verdict being announced. He had raised several objections throughout the initial proceedings of the tribunal, and did not turn up when the ban was imposed last year either. Alam had refused to turn up for several hearings during proceedings too, and had registered a case against the formation of the tribunal to adjudicate on Latif’s case. A detailed report of the judgment will be released later.A domestic veteran who made his debut 17 years ago when he was still 14, Latif has never quite been able to make the grade at international level. He was a rising star on the Under-19 circuit, captaining the Pakistan side to a World Cup win in 2004. He was called up to the ODI side in 2008, but played just five games over two years. He hasn’t been able to find much more consistency in T20Is, playing 13 over an eight-year period, the last against the West Indies in a home series in 2016.

Karachi Kings continued their dominance in the PSL by coming back from behind several times during the game to complete a 27-run victory

The Report by Varun Shetty26-Feb-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Lahore Qalandars came close to overturning their poor start in the tournament, only to falter in a chase of 160 that had been set up by a Powerplay where they blitzed 68 runs. Captain and opening batsman Brendon McCullum made his first score of greater than 40 in the PSL, but a slide engineered by Shahid Afridi, with support from Imad Wasim, ensured that Qalandars’ slim middle order were put under enough pressure to fall short by 27 runs. Left-arm seamer Usman Khan cleaned up the lower order to hand Karachi Kings their third win in as many games.Having elected to bat, Karachi had three successful phases in their innings. However, the phases were separated by two collapses. Opener Joe Denly led a brutal start to the innings. After surviving an lbw decision – on field and then on review – he carted fast bowler Shaheen Afridi for a six over long-on that measured 104 metres.The introduction of Yasir in the Powerplay did pay off for Lahore though when he got Denly to top-edge a pull. Mustafizur Rahman trapped Babar Azam lbw off the next ball, extended that start into a wicket-maiden, and by the time Sunil Narine was halfway through his first over, Karachi Kings had fallen to 36 for 3. A fifty-run stand followed, but another collapse ensued and they fell from 86 for 3 to 117 for 7. However, Ravi Bopara, in the company of Mohammad Irfan Jr. sparked a late surge that lifted them to 159.Lahore lost Narine for a first-ball duck, which offset their decision to push Fakhar Zaman to No. 3 in order to bolster the middle order. The left-hander did make a contribution in the Powerplay as he is wont to do, but when both him and McCullum were dismissed playing reverse sweeps, Karachi Kings latched onto the opening and completed the job. They’ve now taken 28 wickets in three matches.Joe Denly hits down the ground•Pakistan Super League

Where it was wonKarachi had two distinct moments that gave them the victory in a match where they were constantly battling to stay ahead. After collapsing a second time, they were seven down in 18 overs, but Bopara and Irfan Jr. didn’t let that change in momentum cost their team. With three sixes and a four in the last two overs, they stretched the score from 128 to 159. Ten runs fewer could have made a difference to Lahore, whose strategy was to play the spinners out and make up against pace.The strategy might have worked too, had it not been for the second moment. Denesh Ramdin, brought into the side to give the spinners more confidence through his keeping abilities, was also meant to play the finisher’s role in the middle order. Just when he decided to take on Irfan Jr., he ended up slapping a cut forcefully, only for Denly to leap to his right and take the catch of the tournament at backward point. That was the end for Lahore.The men that won itAfridi hit his first ball for six today, but was dismissed next ball with more than three overs to go. With the ball, however, he sychted through Lahore’s middle order. After getting 68 in the Powerplay, they only managed 38 runs in the next six overs, losing four wickets in the process. Three of these were to Afridi, who conceded only 19.Moment of the matchShaheen Afridi was among the most expensive bowlers in the game, but he has reason to remember it. Colin Ingram had been the more adventurous batsman during his partnership with Bopara. Once the pair had stabilised the innings with their fifty-run stand, Ingram looked to lift the scoring rate with a slog sweep. He ended up getting too far under it and lifted it high towards deep midwicket where Shaheen had it covered. In the end though, it seemed like he wasn’t sure of keeping his balance and completing this catch. Instead, he used his height to dab the ball back into play while lifting off the ground like a volleyball player, and found Umar Akmal had come to his aid from long-on. With an exaggerated tumble, Akmal grabbed hold of the lob and completed the catch.Where they standThe result didn’t affect the standings. It was Karachi’s third win in a row and they continue to lead the table. On the flip side, Lahore’s third loss in a row makes their situation even more dire at the bottom of the table.

The result meant a brisk half-century from Anton Devcich and a late blitz from Brendon McCullum came to nought, and Lahore remained winless this season

The Report by Arun Venugopal08-Mar-2018Luke Ronchi’s stunning assault at the top of the order backed up Islamabad United’s disciplined bowling performance and condemned Lahore Qalandars to a six-wicket defeat, their sixth loss in as many games. Ronchi’s 41-ball 77 meant Islamabad chased down a target of 164 with 2.2 overs to spare. This was Islamabad’s second victory over a hapless Lahore side this season, the first one having come in a Super-Over finish.Ronchi and JP Duminy set the tone for the chase with a 47-run opening stand in 4.3 overs. Sunil Narine received a rude welcome as Ronchi smashed his first delivery for a six, but he hit back two balls later by having Duminy caught at slip. Narine would go on to take two more wickets, including Ronchi’s, but it was the latter who had the last laugh. During the course of his innings, which included five fours and six sixes, Ronchi brought out his complete repertoire – the swivel-pull, cut, drive and even the flat-batted smash. When he tonked Aamer Yamin over long-off in the ninth over, he brought up his half-century off 22 balls, the joint-fastest in the PSL. When Ronchi perished in the 16th over, Islamabad needed only 13 to win.In contrast to their performance for the most part of the match, Lahore had started in rousing fashion with the bat, with Fakhar Zaman and Anton Devcich (62 off 42 balls) raising an opening stand of 56 in 6.4 overs. Zaman led the way in the early exchanges as he biffed, pulled and cut his way to 34 off 24 balls. He was smartly caught behind by Ronchi off Duminy’s bowling, but Devcich sustained the momentum. Playing his first game of the tournament, Devcich, much like Fakhar, revelled in leg-side strokes. Often, he cleared his leg and swatted the ball between long-on and deep midwicket.While overs six to nine brought 37 runs to Lahore, there was a lull in the scoring after Agha Salman was dismissed in the 12th over. With Denesh Ramdin, promoted to No.4, struggling to middle the ball, Devcich found himself under more pressure but couldn’t accelerate the tempo. Eventually both the batsmen perished in the 17th over bowled by Faheem Ashraf. Captain Brendon McCullum made a furious late dash with an unbeaten 12-ball 33, but that would eventually prove inadequate. Ashraf picked up three wickets for Islamabad, while legspinner Shadab Khan finished with figures of 4-0-15-1.Where the match was won
Before this match, Ramdin hadn’t scored a single boundary in the PSL this season. It wouldn’t change by the time his painful crawl to 9 off 20 balls came to an end. What then remained baffling was McCullum’s ploy to promote Ramdin ahead of himself at No. 4. Ramdin came in with the score on 101 in 11.2 overs, and departed with the addition of 20 runs in five overs. His inability to time the ball had an adverse effect on Devcich as well during a period where Lahore went eight overs without a boundary. They managed only 69 runs in the last 10 overs, and in retrospect Lahore’s cause would have been better served had McCullum faced more than the dozen balls he did.The men that won it
As much as Ramdin’s knock contributed to Lahore’s slowdown, Shadab’s role in sapping the life out of the innings can’t be overstated. Introduced into the attack at the halfway mark, the 19-year-old legspinner gave away seven runs in his first over. He then went on to concede only eight more runs in his next three. Ramdin had a particularly hard time as he swished and groped at the ball without being able to connect his bat. Shadab’s parsimony effectively halted Islamabad’s march to a total in the range of 180.Where they stand
Islamabad jumped from fifth to second with their fourth win. Lahore, meanwhile, continued to languish at the bottom of the table, and while they aren’t mathematically out of reckoning for a spot in the playoffs, they have their task cut out.

New Zealand wrapped up the series 4-0 against the visitors in Hamilton

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Mar-2018A disciplined bowling performance from New Zealand’s bowlers set up their seven-wicket win over West Indies with 3.4 overs to spare. The win helped New Zealand stay unbeaten and wrap up the series 4-0. Chasing 140, New Zealand lost openers Natalie Dodd and Sophie Devine, and Maddy Green inside the first three overs to slump to 27 for 3. Katey Martin and Amy Satterthwaite then put on an unbeaten 116-run partnership for the fourth wicket to take the hosts home. Martin finished with a 41-ball 54, while Satterthwaite finished a run-a-ball 43.West Indies had had a much better start after being put in to bat by New Zealand. Openers Hayley Matthews and captain StafanieTaylor put on 60 runs for the opening wicket in 7.2 overs before Leigh Kasperek struck to remove Matthews. Chedean Nation departed soon after when she was caught behind by Martin off Lea Tahuhu. Then, Taylor and Deandra Dottin added a 33-run stand before Taylor was removed by Devine. Dottin was the third-highest scorer for the team with a 31-ball 33, but even she couldn’t ensure an end-over acceleration.Thereafter, West Indies began their end-overs crawl as they managed only 35 runs in their last 33 balls despite losing only five wickets in all. Three of New Zealand’s bowlers finished with an economy rate of less than seven. Kasperek finished with 2 for 19 from her four overs, while Tahuhu claimed 2 for 27 in her quota. Devine picked up 1 for 23 from three overs.Seamer Shamilia Connell provided early hope for West Indies with three strikes, but that was the only high point for their bowlers as Martin and Satterthwaite took the game away from the visitors.

Jack Leach had the misfortune to break a thumb before start of play at Taunton, while James Vince’s unbeaten double century raised a finger to his critics

Paul Edwards at Taunton14-May-20181:43

County round-up: Vince makes England case with double century

ScorecardJack Leach and James Vince arrived at the County Ground on the final day of this game with different objectives but conjoined purposes. Leach was seeking wickets to defeat Hampshire while Vince was aiming to frustrate his England colleague. Both were hoping to turn in the sort of performances to win a place in the Test squad for the opening Test of the summer. Only Vince, who made 201 not out, achieved his goal; Leach never got the chance to do soThe wheels of fortune and circumstance are rarely in easy concert with human desire. At ten o’clock, when Leach was batting in the Taunton nets, he broke his left thumb, ironically when facing his head coach, Jason Kerr, who was armed with a dog-ball thrower. Firms call these gadgets side-arms; Leach can probably see their point. His part in this match and the series against Pakistan was over.But while Leach sat miserably on the balcony wondering when he might make his second Test appearance, Vince played the sort of gloriously patient innings which saves matches, including this one, his task made easier by the absence of Somerset’s slow left-armer.As if provoked by those who maintain he rarely manages anything more than pretty half-centuries – efforts that win fans but not Test matches – Vince produced not only the slowest century of the County Championship season so far but the longest innings of his first-class career, both in terms of minutes and balls faced. His hundred took him 324 minutes and included hardly any of the loose cover drives which, as far as Vince is concerned, are freighted with risk.By close of play Vince had faced 437 balls, hit 28 fours and batted 514 minutes. It had been a proper innings, a monument to concentration and professional discipline. The wicket may have offered far less help than most of us anticipated on the first day but that did not lessen his achievement.James Vince pulls during his mighty innings•Getty Images

Hampshire were 432 for 4 when the players shook hands. Any chance of Somerset achieving the victory that would have left them top of the table until June had disappeared sometime before the tea interval. Were he a cricketer of vulgar temperament Vince could have cupped his ear in the manner of footballers and enquired of his critics whether that innings would do for them.”We just had to get in and grind them down and it’s pleasing to have done that,” said Vince. “I still looked to score when I could but I was just making sure my defence was nice and solid. I haven’t thought too much about the England selection meeting but hopefully that innings helps. It gives me belief that I can face over 400 balls if the situation occurs again.”Somerset took two wickets all day and rarely looked likely to take more on a Taunton wicket which recalled its run-stuffed past. Having batted for a mere 245 minutes, Hashim Amla was caught behind when attempting an ambitious cut to a wide bouncer from Lewis Gregory. Amla had made 107 but Vince’s effort was to make his innings seem a frippery. Just before lunch Tom Alsop was taken at slip by James Hildreth off Tim Groenewald. Rilee Rossouw joined Vince and the pair had put on an undefeated 176 by the close.As thew score mounted, Kerr was left to reflect on his part in the day. “Unfortunately, I have to take responsibility for Jack’s injury,” he said. “He will probably be out for around six weeks. I think I am more distraught about it than Jack. It is wretched timing when he was probably about to be selected by England again, but I know he will work hard and there is plenty of Test cricket later in the year.”Vince and Rossouw had earned the right to collect some easy runs against the part-time bowlers and they did so. The crowd’s interest in the final half-hour centred on whether Vince would reach his double-hundred and whether Matt Renshaw would incur an injury by fielding closer to the wicket than Brian Close would have dared. The former was grandly achieved in game’s penultimate over; the latter, thankfully, did not occur at all. Nothing overshadowed Vince this day at Taunton. The selectors have been shown what he can do. It is now up to them.

Australia pacer says comments on honesty at a banking forum, which were linked to the ball tampering scandal, have been lost

Daniel Brettig09-Jun-2018Relationships within the Australian Test team were “strained” by the Newlands ball tampering scandal but “remain very much intact”, fast bowler Mitchell Starc has said in clarifying his reported comments at a business forum in Sydney this week.Starc added further context to his comments about the key press conference following the revelation of attempts to use a foreign object to tamper with the ball in Cape Town. At the time, former captain Steven Smith said it had been a decision of the “leadership group” to resort to measures outside the laws and spirit of the game.”Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending a ‘Women in Banking and Finance’ forum in Sydney with my wife Alyssa,” Starc said in a statement on his website. “I was invited as one of the guest panelists at the event, which provided some fantastic insight from some very successful and influential businesswomen in understanding the role we play in managing our own personal and professional reputation.”My comments at the forum were provided in the context of a particular topic, as it related to being honest and authentic in delivering a message. This context has unfortunately been lost in certain media reporting and headlines in recent days. But fundamentally there are many things that we can all learn from recent events in South Africa.”It was such a stressful time in our lives. There was strain on relationships both as individuals and as a team. However, the relationships of that group remain very much intact. I look forward to the opportunity to play alongside every one of my team-mates from that tour again. We still have a long way to go in rebuilding the trust with the Australian public and I know personally, that I am 100% committed to doing that.”Starc said that he retained the “utmost respect” for Smith, and looked forward to playing alongside him, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft once their bans elapse. “Despite reports to the contrary, I continue to have the utmost respect for Steve Smith as captain, team-mate and friend and I look forward to having him back in our great game soon,” he said.”That goes for David and Cameron who have also been through an extremely tough time. It is good to see all three guys planning to be back in cricket soon in different competitions around the world. Rebuilding trust and developing a positive reputation will take time and through our actions, we hope to demonstrate this to cricket fans everywhere.”The process has already started and the focus now should be on the cricket being played and the stories of performance and change in the current series, led by new Aussie coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine and the current team over in the UK. To all stakeholders and fans out there, please stick with us. Trust me when I say we all love the game as much as you do!”

Middlesex threw the Division Two promotion race wide open, and maintained interest in their own season in the process, with a hard-won 18-run victory

David Hopps at Lord's24-Jul-20182:07

Morkel stars as Surrey smash Notts

ScorecardMiddlesex threw the Division Two promotion race wide open, and maintained interest in their own season in the process, with a hard-won 18-run victory against the leaders Warwickshire at Lord’s. Pre-season punditry imagined that this might be a clash between first and second and even if it had turned out to be nothing of the sort, it boiled up into a grand finish all the same.Forty-one were needed when Warwickshire lost their ninth wicket, the game as good as gone, but Chris Wright and “the other” Ryan Sidebottom, a No. 11 with a top score of 13, slowly whittled down the target. Wright, the senior partner, contrived to play and miss at all three Middlesex seamers in successive overs, but by then the requirement was below 20.Wright’s inside edge against James Fuller then fell perilously close to leg stump. Surely even Warwickshire, whose Championship side is stronger than the sum of its parts, could not find an escape route? When Fuller bowls, the game tends to rush on – one way or another. He found an excellent yorker, Wright was cleaned up, and an industrious Middlesex bowling display had been rewarded shortly before six o’clock.Defeats for the top two, with Kent beaten inside two days at Canterbury, means that only 17 points now separate the top four sides. Sussex are now on the prowl in second, Kent dropping to third, with Leicestershire demanding respect a place behind.As for Middlesex, at least they retain fond imaginings that are still in contention and nobody deserves to play his cricket with a sense of optimism more than Tim Murtagh. His 4 for 54 – and seven in the match – took his season’s tally to 35 wickets at 15.02.Middlesex survived on four bowlers here (give or take a couple of fill-in overs from Max Holden) and had no Steve Finn, Toby Roland-Jones or Tom Helm. At such times, Murtagh, at 36, dutifully keeps standing up and being counted. He has his Ireland Test cap, and few county bowlers have deserved the accolade more.It was just another sultry day in London in a never-ending summer and it was increasingly laced with tension as Warwickshire lost wickets regularly in search of 203. Murtagh’s two wickets in the first over made immediate inroads, ducks in turn for Dom Sibley and Ian Bell, the first caught at slip down the slope, Bell gated by one that went the other way.

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Bell’s revival this summer had left even Middlesex loyalists secretly hoping on Sunday afternoon that they would be able to delight in something suitably blissful for an hour or two. Now, with the match at the business end, they wanted shot of him. He obliged second ball.The sun has poured down upon this glorious summer – the finest since 1976, the year when Mike Brearley’s Middlesex won the first of five titles in 10 years – and Bell has delivered boundaries for Warwickshire as confidently as a socialite delivers cocktail-party pleasantries. But he has been tongue-tied at Lord’s, making 8 and 0, trussed up by Murtagh in no time at all, playing for the slope and finding the ball defying gravity.Warwickshire will feel they let an opportunity slip, although it was an awkward chase on a wearing pitch, and with muggy conditions encouraging the pace bowlers. It became more awkward still as they lost three wickets for 21 in the first 7.2 overs on either side of lunch – Will Rhodes the third as he lost his off stump to James Harris.Their chase was then weakened by three successive lbw decisions: Jonathan Trott’s skittish stay ending on 32 as Murtagh brought one up the slope with the keeper standing up; Chris Woakes beaten on the back foot by Ollie Rayner’s offspin; Sam Hain, the only player to drive assertively on this surface, making 37 in impressive fashion before he was defeated by Harris’ inswing.
Tim Ambrose, who has accepted a new one-year contract, assembled a nuggety 41, replete with square-of-the-wicket pushes. He finished the afternoon session with a flourish, despatching Murtagh through extra cover, but it was to prove his farewell message.At 151 for 6, Warwicksire were within 52, perhaps the only time they threatened to get on top of the chase, but in the first over after tea Fuller took one down the slope, Ambrose nicked and Rayner clutched the catch at first slip.Warwickshire, solid all season, now find too much company at the top of the table for comfort. Their excellent young pace bowler, Henry Brookes, also has a stress reaction in his back – hopefully noting too serious but he faces a prolonged period of rest. This promotion story could have many a twist left yet.

Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara both struck hundreds with ease on a Chelmsford pitch on which Somerset will hope to meet just as successfully

Dan Norcross26-Jun-20181:34

Surrey hit with five-run penalty

ScorecardTalk to any professional cricketer, past and present, and they will tell you that it is a horrible game to master. It plays devilish tricks on the mind, and even worse ones on the body. In a few fleeting moments you may enter the fabled “zone” but beware, for Mother Cricket is waiting to bite you on the arse at any, or indeed every moment.It is the cruelty of cricket that so attracts its supporters. The fine balance between bat and ball. That sense of jeopardy that accompanies every delivery in the very best of matches; a jeopardy that has led some, famously, to chew through their umbrellas or even drop down dead.While Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate, in his first game back since a two-game suspension, were compiling a fifth-wicket record partnership for Essex against Somerset of 294, cricket, however, looked the easiest game in the world, at least for the batsmen. It was a stupendous feat of concentration on another blistering day by two men with decades of experience between them.There were some elegant strokes, plenty of immaculate defence and, towards the end, when the imperative was to speed towards a declaration target, some genuinely spectacular hitting, but it was impossible to escape the impression that it was all too easy.Runs, certainly for the first two hours today, weren’t so much scored as extracted from Somerset’s bowlers; a tithe to be paid if they wanted to share the same pitch. Dominic Bess, who finished yesterday’s play covered in more grit, dust and grime than a Victorian child chimney sweep, struggled manfully on a pitch that offered him nothing.Again he kept the Essex duo in check until ten Doeschate shifted gears late in the first session, driving the increasingly battered ball with perfect precision along the ground through the covers like a European Central Bank mandarin scything through the more hopeful parts of a Greek finance minister’s budget with a pink marker pen. Bess’ reward for 49 overs of earnest, and committed toil was figures of 2 for 132.Jamie Overton, playing his first championship match of the season after injury, tried a different approach. Banging the ball in halfway down the wicket he generated decent pace, but the ball was soft, the pitch was docile and the batsmen, in particular ten Doeschate, adapted with ease. Overton’s 22 overs yielded 110 runs, but at least it broke the monotony. Instead of a modest tithe, the batsmen were now extracting Super Tax.Nearly four hours into the day, Bopara slogged at Trego and paid with his middle stump. His 118 was, astoundingly for a man who is the seventh highest run scorer in all cricket worldwide over the last decade, only his second championship century since July 2, 2014. There was time for ten Doeschate (173*) to go past his highest championship score before he declared10 overs before tea on a mere 515 for 5.Somerset were able to negotiate the short session to tea easily. All too easily. And then the game burst into life. Neil Wagner, who gave the full pitched swinging ball two or three attempts, promptly and with commendable devotion, explored the middle of the pitch, much as Overton had earlier, but at greater pace and at a nastier angle.The last eight overs of his marathon ten over spell consisted almost entirely of short balls. A couple, suddenly, shot along the ground. Most of them reared to chest and throat height. Davies glanced one to Wheater behind the stumps to depart for 41. Byrom and Bartlett channelling their inner Andrew Hilditch, pulled and hooked at pretty much every ball. They even middle the occasional one. It was baffling. Westley was stationed at back-stop for the top edged hook. You could hear Geoffrey Boycott mithering at their failure to sway and duck, and he may have had a point. It was ludicrous stuff, but, after hours of somnolent dominance by the bat, it was marvellous fun.And then it stopped again. Wagner couldn’t bowl all day. Sam Cook and Jamie Porter adopted a more orthodox approach. Byrom and Bartlett settled back into the rhythms of this match and the day dawdled to its close with the lights finally taking effect, Somerset comfortably enough placed on 140 for 2.

Stead has previously overseen New Zealand women’s run to the World Cup and World T20 finals, something he’ll be looking to replicate come World Cup 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2018Gary Stead, the former New Zealand and Canterbury batsman, has been named Mike Hesson’s successor. He will take over as New Zealand coach for a two-year term, following Hesson’s resignation from the post in June.This means Stead will oversee New Zealand’s run to the 2019 World Cup; he already has some experience in the matter, having coached New Zealand’s women’s side to the final of the 2009 World Cup and 2010 World T20.Stead, 46, has also previously worked with New Zealand’s High-performance Centre between 2004 and 2008, and took over as Canterbury coach in 2012, leading them to four titles in four seasons from 2013-14 to 2016-2017. He also worked as New Zealand batting coach for a period in 2016-17.

What they said about: Gary Stead’s coaching style

Here are players who’ve worked under Gary Stead previously, speaking to the .

“He’s probably the most organised coach I played under. He never left anything to chance with his planning. That will be important at international level. Teams can be on the road nine or 10 months a year, and players want to know everything will be taken care of so they can worry about performance.
“When he first coached Canterbury, he was strong at putting his opinions across, and I think he still is. I don’t think he’ll be shy challenging players if he thinks there’s a way they can get better, or if there’s something different they can be doing. He won’t be afraid to make tough decisions.”

“I found him easy to work with. Some of the comments about his black-and-white management style or as an old-school coach hit the nail on the head from what I experienced. I have a lot of respect for him.
“He challenged us, and that’s the role of the coach: bring new ideas, offer solutions, and don’t let people get too comfortable and stale. “He’s a meticulous planner who thinks things through. He’s not the type of coach who gives a big pep-talk at the end of the day.”

In 1999, Stead played his five Tests for New Zealand, batting in the top order and never being dismissed in single digits. He hit two half-centuries, with a top score of 78 against India in India. That knock, a gritty, second-innings blockathon – his 78 came off 173 balls – helped New Zealand draw the Ahmedabad Test after playing out 95 overs. However, an average run against West Indies followed, and Stead never played for New Zealand again. He comes with vast first-class experience though, having played 105 first-class matches, in which he scored 4984 runs at 32.15.In replacing Hesson, who quit the coaching job a year ahead of schedule for personal reasons, Stead will have a tough act to follow. In his six years as coach, Hesson took New Zealand to new ground, their stirring run to the final in the 2015 World Cup and dominance at home in Test cricket being the chief highlights. Under Hesson, they won eight out of 11 Test series at home. In all, Hesson’s record reads: 21 wins and 21 losses in Tests, 65 wins and 46 losses in ODIs, and 30 wins and 26 losses in T20Is.Stead knows World Cup 2019 will be his main goal, but he doesn’t want that to be his only focus. “I just want to see people keep getting better,” he said after being announced coach. “I continue to drive towards making players who are self-sufficient and can make good decisions on the field. I really get a kick out of seeing people improve.”The World Cup is no doubt a strategic priority for New Zealand Cricket and it’s high on the agenda and I’m acutely aware of the importance of that, but there are other things that are important as well. I want to get to know their [players’] motivations and what makes them tick and how they want me to operate and how they feel I can get the best out of them as well. Those types of things are the most important things for me in the short term.”Stead’s first assignment will be in October, when New Zealand play Pakistan in the UAE.

Middlesex’s late promotion psh was held up by Chris Dent but they still enjoyed a reasonable day at Bristol

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2018
ScorecardGloucestershire skipper Chris Dent continued his fine form, top-scoring with 82 as Gloucestershire closed on 208 for 7 on day one of the Specsavers County Championship match against Second Division promotion hopefuls Middlesex at Bristol.Made to work hard on an essentially true pitch, Middlesex’s seam bowling unit nevertheless removed the cream of Gloucestershire’s top-order batting on a day when neither side could claim to have fully wrestled control of an absorbing contest.But with the new ball just 13 overs old and further bowler-friendly overhead conditions forecast for day two, Dawid Malan will arguably be the happier of the two captains.In fine form after scoring a double hundred in his last innings, Dent looked to impose himself, staging stands of 63 and 43 with Miles Hammond and Gareth Roderick for the first and fourth wickets respectively after Gloucestershire had been put in beneath heavy cloud cover.Intent upon occupying the crease in the face of nagging line and length from new ball bowlers Tim Murtagh and James Harris, Dent and Hammond demonstrated admirable discipline and concentration in laying solid foundations.Returning to his former county, James Fuller redressed the balance, dismissing Hammond and James Bracey in quick succession either side of lunch.
But an increasingly assured Dent found a willing ally in Roderick and Gloucestershire’s third wicket pair raised the scoring rate to put Middlesex on the back foot for the first time.Having mustered defiance aplenty in facing 174 balls and accruing 11 fours to move to within 18 runs of a second successive hundred, Dent was understandably aggrieved when surrendering his wicket in limp fashion.Desperate to effect a breakthrough ahead of the advent of the second new ball, Middlesex skipper Malan introduced his leg breaks in the penultimate over before tea. No doubt lulled into a false sense of security, Dent inexplicably scooped a soft shot to Sam Robson at mid-wicket.Gloucestershire’s prospects of posting an imposing total went with him. Jack Taylor fell to James Harris, edging a catch low to Paul Stirling at second slip, and Roderick departed in the next over, snaffled by Robson at first slip off the bowling of teenage seamer Ethan Bamber as the home side subsided from 149 for 3 to 162 for 6 inside seven overs.Charged with the task of repairing the damage, former Middlesex all-rounder Ryan Higgins and 17-year-old rookie pace bowler Ben Charlesworth, playing in only his third first-class match, were relieved to see the back of the impressive Fuller, who was withdrawn from the attack after suffering an attack of cramp.The seventh wicket pair were still required to negotiate 13 overs against the new ball and Harris removed Higgins, who was held by Stirling in the slip cordon for 24.But Charlesworth, along with Craig Miles, displayed no little resilience in reaching the close without further loss, in the process securing a batting bonus point for their team.
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