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The new-look Adelaide Strikers, led by opener Alex Carey and legspinner Rashid Khan, secured a 53-run win over Sydney Thunder to get their campaign off to the perfect start

The Report by Alex Malcolm in Adelaide22-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe new-look Adelaide Strikers were a bit of mystery coming into this year’s tournament. But their rejuvenated line-up, with the help of mystery legspinner Rashid Khan, delivered a dominant win over the Sydney Thunder to get their campaign off to the perfect start.Rashid weaved some magic, taking 2 for 22 from his four overs, to sink the Thunder. But he was helped by the work of new opener Alex Carey’s 44 off 26 balls that laid the foundation for a defendable total of 163. Then Peter Siddle, the new recruit, delivered a frugal opening two overs and removed the dangerous Jos Buttler to put the Thunder well behind the asking rate in the chase.The Strikers had made an excellent start after winning the toss and batting first, save for the early dismissal of Jake Weatherald.Getty ImagesGiven the task of replacing last year’s leading scorer Ben Dunk at the top of the order, Carey looked right at home. He struck five crisp boundaries and launched two sixes. One was inside-out over cover against a turning legbreak from Fawad Ahmed, the other a flat slog sweep against a turning offbreak from Arjun Nair.Travis Head wasn’t quite as fluid at the other end but the Strikers were 1 for 89 from 9.4 overs before Head was brilliantly caught behind by Buttler off Nair.The Strikers then hit the skids. They scored 34 runs from the next 37 deliveries of spin offered by Fawad, Nair and Chris Green and lost Carey and Colin Ingram in the process. Nair got the spoils with three wickets but Green delivered 12 valuable dots in his four overs.The Strikers scrounged 40 runs in the last four overs that featured a couple of controversial moments. Jake Lehmann was dropped by Mitch McClenaghan but the New Zealand quick felt he was obstructed by the non-striker Jonathan Wells. McClenaghan still got both hands to the relatively simple chance and Wells had done nothing but hold his ground as McClenaghan tried to get around him.McClenaghan, however, had a decision go his way in the last over. He delivered a full toss well above waist height but was not penalised a no-ball. The next delivery should have been a free-hit but wasn’t, and Lehmann holed out for 23.The Thunder started poorly in the chase. Siddle and Billy Stanlake bowled long-form lines and lengths and Kurtis Patterson and Shane Watson did little to try and throw them off. At one stage the Thunder were 1 for 23 after five overs. Four boundaries in the next two overs then pushed the run rate past six. Watson tried to force Head’s offspin over the long boundary and fell 20m short.Rashid then settled into his work. His first three balls cost nine runs. His next 12 cost just seven runs and yielded two wickets. He had Ryan Gibson nicking off with a quick, full legbreak with Carey making the catching behind look a lot easier than it was. Two balls later Ben Rohrer was completely bamboozled by a world-class wrong ‘un that clipped the top of his off stump.Patterson was the Thunder’s only hope having scored 48 of his team’s 81 runs by the 12th over but he picked out midwicket in the next over. Ben Laughlin cleaned up the tail with three wickets in four balls. Siddle finished with the remarkable figures of 2 for 6 from three overs.

The Bash Brothers finished the job but it was Brisbane Heat’s spin twins – Mitchell Swepson and Yasir Shah – who laid the platform for Melbourne Stars’ nine-wicket defeat

The Report by Alex Malcolm in Melbourne02-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Bash Brothers – Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum – finished the job but it was Brisbane Heat’s spin twins – Mitchell Swepson and Yasir Shah – who strangled the Melbourne Stars at the MCG, consigning them to a nine-wicket defeat.Swepson and Shah put on a legspin masterclass, taking 4 for 30 in eight overs of exceptional variety and control, having identified the MCG pitch would respond to a slightly quicker and shorter trajectory. McCullum and Lynn opened the batting for the first time this season and produced a 101-run stand in just 10.4 overs. McCullum was the only wicket to fall during Heat’s win.Thanks to the victory, the Heat vaulted into the top four on the BBL table with their third victory in five games while the Stars slumped to their third straight loss in as many appearances since the start of the season.Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum put on a century stand•Scott Barbour/Getty ImagesSpin to win
Shah opened the bowling in a bold move that paid immediate dividends. He trapped Ben Dunk in front in his second over after conceding just three runs from his first.The Heat, however, nearly let the early advantage slip. They paid dearly for three dropped catches on New Year’s Eve against the Adelaide Strikers and carried the catching form to the MCG. Cameron Gannon dropped a simple chance off Luke Wright down at third man in the second over. Then Joe Burns dropped a straightforward chance off Kevin Pietersen at cover, and McCullum feared the worst as Pietersen raced to 28 and the Stars reached 1 for 53 after seven overs. McCullum, however, then turned back to legspin. Swepson lured Wright down the track and beat him on the inside edge to have him stumped by a mile.It was how the duo bowled to Glenn Maxwell that forced the wickets of Pietersen and Marcus Stoinis. Maxwell scored five runs from his seven balls before Pietersen holed out trying to pick up the rate. Maxwell was 16 off 19 without a boundary of either spinner when Stoinis was run out trying to pinch a second run that wasn’t on. Rob Quiney was Swepson’s third scalp in his last over and the Stars were 5 for 85 with only six overs left.Maxwell’s grind
Maxwell has battled for form all through the tournament after dominating the Sheffield Shield in the lead-up. He played an innings that was most unlike him but was invaluable for his team. At one stage, he was 30 off 30 before he launched his first six. That sparked him to life. He scored 20 in nine balls to reach his first fifty of the season before miscuing a ball badly off the toe of the bat. As ugly as it was, he did enough to help lift the total above 140.One chance
Lynn was promoted to open with McCullum to try and make the most of the new ball on the unusual surface. Lynn gave John Hastings a gift-wrapped chance off the third ball of the innings from James Faulkner. It was waist high, slightly to his right on the ring at mid-off. Hastings took four bites at it before it fell to the turf. Hearts around the MCG sank immediately.Bash Brothers open up
McCullum shimmied down the track one ball later and clipped beautifully wide of mid-on for four and that was that. McCullum targeted Stars danger man Michael Beer, partnering Lynn to launch three fours and a six in his two overs in the Powerplay. Beer had previously conceded less than five an over in Powerplays this season. While Lynn took 24 balls to get his strike-rate above 100, McCullum’s hovered above 200. He hit seven fours and three sixes in a 30-ball 61 before holing out to Quiney. Lynn reached his slowest half-century in BBL cricket, off a comparatively tortoise-like 40 balls. As poorly as he hit the ball by his incredible standards, he still matched McCullum’s seven fours and three sixes and finished the job alongside Burns with 32 balls to spare.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been dealt a significant setback to the depth of his squad ahead of the visit to Burnley.

What's the Aston Villa team news?

Villa could be without number one goalkeeper Emi Martinez on Sunday against the Clarets, as per an update from Emery's press conference

"Today (Friday) he didn’t train, and we’re going to wait for tomorrow. He has a small pain in his calf, it’s not big, but we have to take our time. Tomorrow is our last training for Sunday’s match, and it is the day to take a decision if he is going to be ready or not."

The manager will also be without Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings, who are long-term absentees, while Jacob Ramsey is thought to be a few weeks away from full fitness.

According to Football Insider, Philippe Coutinho is also now expected to out of action for a number of weeks, having picked up a hamstring injury in the 4-0 win at home to Everton last weekend, but it may not affect a potential move away this summer:

"Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho is facing three to four weeks out with the hamstring injury he sustained in Sunday’s win over Everton, sources have told Football Insider. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old could complete a move away from Villa Park before the window shuts – with the Midlands giants giving him the green light to do so.

"It is believed a Qatari club is currently leading the race to seal his signature – ahead of competition from sides in the Saudi Pro League. The injury should not prevent Coutinho from completing a medical at a potential new club – and the transfer windows in the Middle East are open for longer than in England."

This is another setback for Coutinho is a career that has nosedived so much since he departed Liverpool for Barcelona in a big-money move in 2018, at which point he was arguably one of the most sought-after players in world football. He flopped badly at the Camp Nou, subsequently being sent out on loan to Bayern Munich, and he has simply been a shadow of his former self for years now, including at Villa.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

That being said, this injury blow still has to be considered a negative for Emery, considering he is match-winner on his day who has been hailed as "world-class" by Steven Gerrard during his time as manager. Having him as an option off the substitutes' bench can always be a handy weapon, so not having him at Turf Moor and beyond is a shame.

How much does Philippe Coutinho earn?

The 31-year-old, who earns £125,000 a week at Villa Park, arrived from Barcelona in January 2022, being seen as an exciting signing who once excelled in the Premier League for Liverpool.

In truth, Coutinho has underwhelmed hugely in a Villa shirt overall, despite a promising start in which he scored against Manchester United on his debut, netting only six times and registering three assists in 43 appearances. More has been required from such a talented player, and his future at the club is up in the air ahead of next week's transfer cutoff.

A move to Saudi Arabia in the summer transfer has been mooted for the 68-time capped Brazil international, but it remains to be seen where he will be plying his trade for the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.

Whether a move away from Villa comes to fruition in the next week or so remains to be seen, but if he does stay put, much more will be required from him upon his return from injury.

Bukayo Saka has responded after hearing huge praise given to him by the Arsenal faithful; while he also built his perfect Premier League football player, which includes two direct rivals.

What's the latest on Bukayo Saka and Arsenal?

At the start of this week, the 21-year-old winger was acknowledged for his superb efforts last term as he won the PFA men’s Young Player of the Year award for the 2022/23 season.

Across that campaign, Saka scored 15 times in all competitions and provided 11 assists. He was also involved in all 38 Premier League games, and finished ahead of teammate Gabriel Martinelli, Manchester City goal ace Erling Haaland (who won the PFA men's Player of the Year award), Jacob Ramsey, Evan Ferguson and Moises Caicedo.

Saka took to social media to express how delighted he was with the award, saying: "It's an honour for me to accept this award and have my name alongside the previous winners. To have your peers acknowledge you is a very special feeling! Thank you to the PFA and congratulations to all the other winners and nominees this evening."

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

He was also able to enjoy himself at the event, it seems, as he was quizzed at one point by Goal, who asked him to build his perfect Premier League footballer.

In the video, he said he would take Man City ace Kevin de Bruyne's right foot; use his own left foot; take Martinelli's speed; have Kyle Walker's strength; and use Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard's football IQ.

And on top of this, Goal also showed him a video of Arsenal fans repeatedly saying they wouldn't sell him, even if it guaranteed winning the league.

As all the Emirates faithful said they couldn't sell him simply because he means too much to them, Saka replied saying: "Wow, that's real love you know. That's real talk."

He added: "That's real love. I appreciate that. And I hope I can pay off their faith."

How old is Bukayo Saka in Arsenal?

Still only 21 years of age, Saka can technically win the award again next season as you have to be that age or younger at the start of the campaign – though previously, the award was open to any player under 23 years of age in England's football leagues.

No doubt Saka will be hoping to go one step further this term, however, and win the main award outright – although Haaland has set a high bar for that having scored 52 goals in all competitions in his debut season with City, while also winning the treble.

With two goals in three games so far this season, though, Saka has made a pretty strong start to the current season. What's more, as per WhoScored, he has been the best-performing Arsenal player in this time, with an average match rating of 7.60.

He may well have strong competition for individual accolades from his teammates though. After all, alongside Saka, Odegaard, William Saliba and Aaron Ramsdale were all also selected in the 2022/23 PFA’s Premier League Team of the Year.

The full team was: Aaron Ramsdale; Kieran Trippier, Ruben Dias, John Stones, William Saliba; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane.

In the last-ever BBL game at the WACA, the Perth Scorchers ran down a small total to clinch a win over the Adelaide Strikers in the last over

The Report by Alex Malcolm25-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the last-ever BBL game at the WACA, the Perth Scorchers ran down a small total to clinch a win over the Adelaide Strikers in the last over. It was a predictable, yet fitting finale to a ground that has served them so well.The nervy win secured the Scorchers the top spot on the BBL table. They have already booked a home semi-final at the brand new 60,000-capacity Optus Stadium, just across the Swan River. Should they win that match, they will host the final courtesy of this victory.Getty ImagesThe Strikers paid a price for tinkering with their line-up. They limped to 6 for 137 on a great batting surface. The Scorchers bowled exceptionally well, as they always do, but the decision to bat Alex Carey at No. 6 to promote Jono Dean will be questioned should the Strikers be forced to travel for the final. They also opted to rest the in-form Peter Siddle eight days away from the semifinal.Billy Stanlake and Rashid Khan pulled the Strikers back into the game with four quick wickets in the chase, but Adam Voges and Cameron Bancroft steadied the ship. The Scorchers captain finished with a calm and calculated unbeaten half-century to guide his side home with three balls to spare.Carey capers Carey won’t play in the Strikers semi-final due to international T20 duty. The Strikers management elected not to open with him in order to prepare for the semifinal with a new opening combination of Jake Weatherald and Jono Dean. So the second-highest run-scorer in BBL 2017-18 https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=11935;type=tournament sat for 15.5 overs while the Scorchers strangled the Strikers. Weatherald made an excellent 56 off 43 balls, but his last 44 runs came from 41 balls. Dean, Colin Ingram and Jonathan Wells scored 27 runs from 46 balls. Mitchell Johnson bowled 12 dot balls in his first three overs and conceded just eight runs. Ashton Agar bowled six dot balls in three overs, conceding just 17, before Weatherald taxed him for a six and a four in his last. Carey made a mockery of his batting position, scoring 25 off 10 balls before a Richardson missile got through him. Richardson had two in two when he castled Michael Neser in the same manner next ball.Another pacer off the Scorchers production lineThe Scorchers lost Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff pre-tournament to injury, and then lost Andrew Tye and David Willey to international duties during the tournament. Matthew Kelly had only made his first-class debut this summer, and the extent of his T20 experience had been restricted to club cricket. But since being called into the Scorchers line-up, he has bowled superbly. He picked up two key wickets tonight, including Weatherald in the 16th over. With Weatherald on a roll, he delivered two dots in a row by executing a yorker, which was dug out, and beating the outside edge with angle and seam movement. He then bowled him next ball with another cracking yorker. Kelly showed great skill execution in his four overs, and Voges trusted him with the new ball and at the slog. He has seven wickets in four games with an economy rate of 6.6.Stanlake terrifies, Rashid mesmerisesIf the Scorchers have a weakness, it is their Powerplay batting, and the Strikers exploited it. They got lucky with the dismissal of Sam Whiteman, who picked out short fine leg from a rank half volley down the leg side. But Stanlake and Rashid were superb again. Stanlake’s terrifying pace and bounce forced a miscue from Michael Klinger. Ingram cleverly turned to his trump card, Rashid, in the Powerplay, and he was mesmerising. He forced a panicked shot from Hilton Cartwright, having already bowled two dots to him in the over. He then delivered a dazzling wrong ‘un to Ashton Turner first ball that trapped him lbw. It zipped and spun so far that Hawkeye revealed it was missing leg stump, but the umpire gave it out on first sight. The Scorchers were 4 for 28 after five overs.Old dog, old tricksVoges is the man for a crisis. His extraordinary record across formats speaks for itself. Four times in his innings, he faced consecutive dot balls. Two of his teammates had already fallen trying to make up for two dots with boundary strokes. Voges remained calm, continuing to find a way to keep his own strike-rate above 100 and not let the required rate go beyond 7.5. He had an excellent ally in Bancroft, who has now made 193 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of 133 since returning from Test duty. He fell one run short of a third half-century, also undone by a superb wrong ‘un from Rashid. But the 77-run partnership had got the equation to 33 off 26 balls. They had forced Stanlake and Rashid to bowl out, leaving the inexperienced Wes Agar, playing in place of Siddle, to bowl at least one over in the last four. Voges twice found the boundary in that over, taking 12 runs from it to leave 14 needed from the last two overs. Ben Laughlin bowled an exceptional penultimate over to give Neser nine runs to defend. But Voges hit the first ball for six, allowing Tim Bresnan to hit the winning runs with an uppercut for six over third man.

The allrounder scored his seventh first-class century as the hosts scored at over four runs per over through the day

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Stumps
Scorecard
Moises Henriques whips one to the leg side•Getty ImagesAn unbeaten century from Moises Henriques helped New South Wales put Tasmania to the sword on day one at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Henriques punished a tired Tigers attack in the second half of the day, having entered in the 50th over after the top four had laid a strong platform. Nick Larkin and Ed Cowan put together a 115-run stand for the second wicket. Larkin made 85 and Cowan 68. The latter fell to 17-year-old off-spinner Jarrod Freeman who was on debut.Henriques then joined Kurtis Patterson and the pair made 156 runs in less than 35 overs before Patterson was bowled by Tom Rogers for 72. Rogers picked up his third scalp, Nic Maddinson, shortly after, to finish with three wickets. Henriques and Peter Nevill will look to continue the carnage on day two.

Chelsea have been tipped to win the race for one of the top-flight's most exciting talents by Owen Hargreaves.

The former England midfielder has praised Brighton and Hove Albion gem Evan Ferguson after a scintillating performance against Newcastle United on Saturday, in which he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 3-1 win over their league rivals.

Ferguson has understandably made headlines after his most recent performance, with fans and pundits around the country in awe at his maturity at such a young age and has now been backed to seal a switch to Stamford Bridge in the future.

What did Hargreaves say about Ferguson?

Hargreaves appeared on 'The Kelly & Wrighty Show' alongside Arsenal legend Ian Wright to discuss the game, where they had plenty of praise for the Irishman.

On the striker's performance, he said:

“That was against the best defence in the Premier League last season. Dan Burn looked very worried about Ferguson.”

His admirations continued, saying:

“I like the fact that all three goals were different. The first one was an easy one, he was in the right spot. The second was a great goal.

“He’s a bit of an old school centre-forward, he’s got that physical profile.”

The one-time Manchester United midfielder then suggested Chelsea as a likely destination for the emerging sensation – “Probably Chelsea," he said when asked about the Irishman's future, adding: "because they buy all of Brighton’s players”.

Who is Evan Ferguson?

The 18-year-old joined the Seagulls academy in January 2021 from Irish side Bohemians, despite interest from Liverpool.

Since making his first-team debut for Brighton in August 2021, aged just 16, he has played 33 times in all competitions scoring 14 goals, 4 of which have come in the opening four games of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

After an FA Cup quarter-final brace in March, the clinical striker earned the plaudits of BBC's Danny Murphy who labelled Ferguson a “superstar”, while Gary Lineker took to Twitter to write: “I see a real centre forward before my eyes.”

Ferguson is the latest of Brighton’s incredible talents that we have seen burst onto the scene in the Premier League in recent years, joining names such as Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister.

As with the previous players, the Irishman hasn’t been spared from links to some of the biggest clubs in the league, with Sky Sports reporting (via GOAL) in August that he was Tottenham’s ‘dream’ replacement for Harry Kane.

Arsenal are also thought to be plotting a £100m move for the Seagulls star next summer, per FootballTransfers.

Meanwhile, it was no secret that Chelsea were trying to bring in another frontman before the transfer window slammed shut last weekend.

With Nicolas Jackson yet to hit the ground running – having scored just once in four starts – and Christopher Nkunku's injury troubles, Chelsea could continue their search for a centre-forward next summer and with Ferguson’s strong progress so far, it would be unsurprising to see Chelsea go after the Brighton man.

The two sides have done business on numerous occasions in recent years, with owner Todd Boehly spending big on the likes of Caicedo and Marc Cucurella to name a few, while Tariq Lamptey and Billy Gilmour have gone in the other direction.

Hargreaves was merely speculating on where Ferguson may end up in the future but given the evidence above, he could well be the latest figure to swap the south coast for west London in the near future.

Some will nod their heads in satisfaction; few will wax lyrical about Newcastle United's performance on their return to Champions League football.

Having travelled to the San Siro for a much-anticipated tie to kickstart the Magpies' European campaign, Eddie Howe's side dug in deep to rebuff an AC Milan onslaught, thanks to a Nick Pope masterclass between the sticks – hailed as the "great wall of San Siro" by the Chronicle's Lee Ryder – and finishing with a goalless draw.

While a point away from home is not a bad way to start a Champions League group phase consisting of Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund alongside I Rossoneri, it's "still not clicking on the whole", as journalist Craig Hope would put it.

Indeed, Newcastle started the Premier League season with aplomb after finishing fourth last term, dismantling Aston Villa 5-1 at St. James' Park, but then swallowed three successive defeats against Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, before securing a slender victory over Brentford last time out.

Against Milan, the Magpies can take solace in their resilience and workrate against a Serie A side who threatened throughout but failed to dominate in their historic home stadium, despite taking 25 shots to Newcastle's six.

The contest marked the return to his Italian homeland for playmaking midfielder Sandro Tonali, who joined Newcastle in a £55m transfer from, as fate would have it, AC Milan in July.

How did Tonali play against AC Milan?

The midfielder hasn't quite hit the ground running despite bagging on his debut against the Villans, and against his former outfit, he was culpable of a meek display, completing just seven of his ten passes and winning only one of his six duels.

Withdrawn after 72 minutes, Hope also noted that the 23-year-old was "struggling to impact" upon his return to his old stomping ground, having also failed to make a key pass and squandered possession nine times, despite having just 20 touches of the football.

While Tonali did struggle, it was striker Alexander Isak who cut the bleakest figure on a miserable night for the Swedish striker, having failed to make an impact or even affect the game with any shred of positivity.

How did Alexander Isak perform vs AC Milan?

Isak, also aged 23, did not enjoy his most fruitful fortunes for Howe's side up front, with presenter Kev Lawson remarking that the ace looked "knackered" and needed "hooking" during the game. Such a statement is a worry considering he didn't even play last weekend.

Isak did enjoy more of the ball than his Italian teammate, taking 34 touches and actually completing 18 of his 20 passes at a completion rate of 90%.

He failed to do much with it though, succeeding with just one of his five dribble attempts and failing to unleash a single shot on Mike Maignan's goal, ineffective and seeing his threat negated – in isolation, adrift from his peers.

Ryder was particularly scathing in his post-match player ratings, branding Isak with a lowly 6/10 and writing: 'A spectator at times and lost the ball cheaply. Didn't manage a shot.'

Capping off his post-match thoughts, Howe mused that "it could be a vital point, who knows?", having avoided defeat on their return to the big time.

Perhaps. And there were certainly encouraging signs for the Tyneside club, but their star signings in Isak and Tonali will need to click into gear with a bit more inspiration if they are to advance from the 'group of death' of this year's edition of Europe's pre-eminent club competition.

The India opener is looking forward to playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, his home ground, in the forthcoming IPL season

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2018M Vijay is “blessed” to return to the Chennai Super Kings fold and is looking forward to playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, his home ground, in the forthcoming IPL season. Vijay last played for Super Kings in 2013, and since plied his trade with Delhi Daredevils in 2014 and then Kings XI Punjab during the following two years before pulling out of last year’s IPL with an injury. Vijay, who will turn 34 next month, said representing Super Kings was a dream come true for him.”The brand of cricket CSK was playing before and now, it’s going to be a fantastic opportunity for me to be back with CSK and contribute to the side. I’m blessed,” he said at an event in Chennai. “To represent CSK and put up a show for them is always a pleasure. I’m good enough to do that. Hopefully, I can be consistent and put up a good show. I’m ready to go. I want April 7 to come early. It is a dream-come-true moment for me.”During Vijay’s first stint with Super Kings from 2009 to 2013, he scored 1600 runs from 64 innings, including two hundreds and seven fifties, at a strike rate of 127.89. While he has been out of the national reckoning in the shorter formats, Vijay was a reliable opener for Super Kings. Vijay was one of the team’s permanent fixtures at the top of the order, and along with Michael Hussey, the team’s current assistant coach, he was instrumental in getting Super Kings off to a good start on a number of occasions. For his part, Vijay felt the team created the right environment for players to succeed.”The one good thing about playing for CSK is that we always put the team ahead of individual performances,” he said. “It is very difficult in franchise-based cricket, because outstation players and domestic players need to have the right rapport to help the team play at a competitive level. We did it with ease in the past. That is going to be important to do from the start of the season, and hopefully we can do it with more fun and flair.”It is a proud moment to play for your home state and play in front of home. As [Dwayne] Bravo said, they have created a family atmosphere here for both locals and international players and it is something very difficult to achieve. We will do well this year. I have a lot of memories. The win against Mumbai [Indians] in Mumbai was special. Like that, I have lots of other memories. We are here to create more such memories and hopefully we can do that.”Vijay, however, hasn’t had the best of times in the recent past. After an underwhelming tour of South Africa, where he managed only 102 runs from six innings at an average of 17, Vijay found himself in the middle of a controversy after he was left out of the Tamil Nadu squad midway during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Vijay, however, felt he could use the time off from international cricket to get fitter.”I always have had a free mind. It’s just about getting opportunities. I’m blessed to have had this time off to get myself fitter and I’m really looking forward to his IPL stint,” he said. “Hopefully, as a team, we can play the brand of cricket that we decide to play and accomplish that. It’s going to be interesting times for us.”On transitioning from Test cricket to the shortest format, Vijay said: “we are professional enough to acclimatise and put up a better show. We will do that hopefully. [The] team is wanting to do well. In South Africa, we did a great job even though unfortunately we ended up on the wrong side. Effort level was fantastic from bowlers. The batsman let down initially and we could capitalise in the last Test match. If it had been a five-Test series, it would have been interesting.”Vijay was asked if he was open to the idea of playing for a county side ahead of the start of the England tour later this year. While he said a county stint involved a number of complex formalities, he also revealed that a number of teams had approached him after he went unsold on the opening day of the IPL auction in February.”It is definitely going to help us ahead,” he said of playing for a county side. “We are all looking for that and hopefully opportunities open up for us to play a few matches before the Test series. There is a procedure for it. You have got to wait. If they need outstation players, then you can get an opportunity to go and play. There is a lot of procedure involved in that and it’s not that easy. Counties have approached me. After seeing the first day’s auction, a lot of teams approached me.”

Jake Ball’s five wickets ensured that promoted Nottinghamshire harried a Lancashire side fancied for a strong Championship challenge

Paul Edwards14-Apr-2018
Scorecard”I dreamed that, as I wandered by the way, / Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring.” Unlike Percy Shelley, the cricketers had no need of a reverie to transform the seasons on the second day of this game; mere slumber had been enough. And immediately the game began on a bright morning, the players and spectators returned to that shared watchfulness for which some of them had waited six months. As if to mirror their mood, the sun returned by lunchtime, and with a far greater suggestion of permanence than Liam Livingstone’s batsmen managed against Jake Ball in the first two sessions.Indeed, by the time a rather late tea was taken Lancashire had been bowled out for 158 with Ball hustling the innings to its close by taking four wickets in 14 balls to finish with 5 for 43 in 17 overs. The home supporters, who had congregated in decent numbers for their first day of Championship cricket, looked for a response from their four seamers and they received it thanks largely to Tom Bailey who took three wickets to help leave Nottinghamshire on 127 for 6 at the close. Against all odds, Lancashire can feel they had enjoyed fractionally the better of things.One of Bailey’s wickets was that of Steven Mullaney who surely thought he was going to end this first day on the field as the more content of the two freshmen captains pitted against each other in this match. The Nottinghamshire skipper rotated his bowlers sensibly while Livingstone’s main contribution was to leave alone a booming inswinger from Luke Wood which duly knocked out his off stump.By the time that third wicket fell Mullaney’s decision to dispense with the toss had been justified, Ball gaining the benefits from eventually bowling a fuller length when he had a hesitant Haseeb Hameed leg before for seven after 45 minutes play. Harry Gurney then had Jennings caught and bowled off a leading edge for 11 with his third ball and the tone of matters had been set.Wood’s direction was awry in his first over and Alex Davies collected two boundaries with brutal cuts but the effervescent left-arm seamer then cleaned up Livingstone and another inswinger in the next over had Davies leg before for 23. The blonde-haired Wood’s joyous celebrations after both his wickets were reminiscent of the golden age of glam rock.Lancashire’s best partnership was shared by the contrasting figures of Dane Vilas and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who put on 64 for the fifth wicket, most of the runs coming in the hour after lunch. Vilas took the lead with some dominant drive and pulls off Ball and Wood while Chanderpaul accumulated 11 runs in 53 balls. The latter’s patience put one in mind of a sculptor but given that he marks his guard by knocking a bail into the crease with his bat-handle, this was not inappropriate.Jake Ball runs in to bowl•Getty ImagesHowever, Chanderpaul was caught by Jake Libby at square leg for 11 when attempting a pull off Luke Fletcher and Vilas was bowled through the gate by Harry Gurney when one short of his half-century. Ball then took two wickets in two balls to account for Steven Croft and Tom Bailey and in his next over he had Jordan Clark caught at deep square leg by Wood for 19. The same combination removed Onions without scoring to leave Lancashire needing a fightback from their bowlers in the evening session.The fine judgement of Nash and Mullaney in a second-wicket stand of 42 suggested this might not be forthcoming but Bailey’s removal of Chris Nash and Ross Taylor, both of them lbw, transformed the day. Joe Mennie’s first two wickets for Lancashire confirmed the change and the patience of home supporters had been justified. For the next five months they will be guests at the table of life.