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Television footage appeared to show James Anderson digging his fingernail into the ball on a rain-affected fourth day of the fourth Test at Melbourne

Andrew Miller29-Dec-2017Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, dismissed media allegations of ball-tampering as mere “pommie-bashing” after television footage appeared to show James Anderson digging his fingernail into the ball on a rain-affected fourth day of the fourth Test in Melbourne.The incident was picked up by Australia’s Channel Nine commentary team early in Australia’s second innings, and circulated widely among the local media, including the news arm of Cricket Australia’s official website.”I’m not sure you are allowed to use your fingernail there,” Shane Warne said during the live coverage. His co-commentator, Michael Slater, added: “That’s interesting, you can’t get your nail into the ball. That’s a no-no.” Mike Hussey, another former Australia cricketer working for the outlet, predicted that Anderson might be asked to explain his actions to the match referee, Ranjan Madugalle. However, an ICC spokesman later confirmed that no action would be taken.The England management took issue with the tone of the initial reports, and the use of the word “ball tampering” was removed from some headlines, with Fox Sports later apologising to the team for their interpretation of the story.The fact that Anderson’s fingernail appeared to be working on the shiny side of the ball rather undermined the allegations that he was seeking to adversely alter its condition, as Bayliss pointed out while dismissing the story as a “beat-up” [made-up] when he spoke to the media at the close of play.”As soon as I saw it during the rain break, I went to the umpires to find out what was going on,” Bayliss told BT Sport. “And in their words it was a beat-up. You’re allowed to clean the ball and that’s what we were doing. There was no problem at all, they said.”However, on a tour that has already featured head-butts, beer throwing, matchfixing allegations and a sledging row, a ball-tampering rumpus was the missing incident on the series bingo card.”We’ve had a good couple of days and there was no too much positive press for them, so it was a bit of pommie-bashing I suppose,” said Bayliss. “But we are used to that. We knew when we came out it was going to be 24 million versus 11, and we just have to laugh it off.”An England spokesman confirmed that Anderson had been legitimately pushing down a loose bit of leather, in full view of the umpires, using the back of his fingernail so as to avoid transferring any moisture from his fingertips.An ICC spokesman later added that no report had been issued by the umpires. However, both sides were spoken to about the tactic of scuffing the ball on the wicket ends when throwing it in from the outfield, a tactic that is commonly used by most international teams when attempting to hasten the onset of reverse swing.”It has been both teams,” said Bayliss. “To get the ball to go reverse, one side has to be rough, the other smooth and dry, so all teams around the world try to get it reversing as soon as possible. The umpires don’t want it to be too over the top, so a quiet word to both captains soon stops it.”The incident had echoes of a similar flare-up in Australia’s 2016-17 home season, when South Africa’s Faf du Plessis was caught on camera sucking a sweet and rubbing saliva on the ball. On that occasion he was found guilty by an ICC hearing and fined his match fee.

James Anderson has addressed the latest incident to have unsettled England’s Ashes tour by describing Ben Duckett pouring a drink over him in a bar as “a non-event”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2017James Anderson has addressed the latest incident to have unsettled England’s Ashes tour by describing Ben Duckett pouring a drink over him in a bar as “a non-event”, although he admitted that the squad need to avoid further controversies while in Australia.Writing in his column, Anderson said the players had moved on from “what was a pretty silly incident”. Duckett has been suspended from playing for the Lions after the episode in Perth last Thursday, which added fuel to suggestions that England’s squad has a problem with drink.”The incident with Ben Duckett was not malicious and was a bit of a non-event but we understand that in this climate we have to be smarter in the future,” Anderson wrote. “The frustrating thing is that what was a pretty silly incident would have gone unnoticed before but now puts an unfair question mark over our culture.”We have been working really hard and every now and then on a tour like this you need a release. We don’t shout about the things we do behind the scenes. We are not those type of people but, for example, five players from the squad have today gone to see an England fan who is terminally ill and can’t come and watch the Test match. That sort of thing is not reported, which is fine, but is a fairer representation of this group of players rather than a couple of minor incidents in bars that have been blown out of all proportion.”Anderson said he knew Australia would use the disruption to their advantage as they try to secure the Ashes at the WACA. But he added that the squad was once again fully focused on the third Test, starting on Thursday.”We are all aware that from now on even a minor incident will be seized upon,” Anderson said. “There is also a bigger picture. The ECB have their sponsors and we have a job as role models to the next generation of cricketers who play this game so we have to stay away from silly things that can be misconstrued.”I know Australia will use the Duckett incident as a way of goading us, or taking the mickey. Fine. It will probably be funnier than what they have spouted at me so far in this series. They jump on anything to have a go at you so I am expecting a bit of lip. I have no problem with that.”

He has been cleared to resume bowling after the BCB’s bowling action review committee found his action to be “sufficiently rectified”

Mohammad Isam12-Jan-2018Pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain has been cleared to resume bowling in Bangladesh’s domestic competitions after the BCB’s bowling action review committee found his action to be “sufficiently rectified”.”The technical assessment found no extension outside what is allowed. He (Al Amin Hossain) is now free to bowl in matches and competitions,” the committee’s chairman Mohammed Jalal Yunus said.Al-Amin was reported for suspect action during the recent BPL. His wicket of Ariful Haque in the 15th over of the match between Khulna Titans and Comilla Victorians on November 28 had brought him under scrutiny of the match officials.He continued bowling in the BPL but didn’t take part in the first round of the BCL first-class competition that started earlier this week. On January 7, he underwent a retest under the bowling action review committee in Mirpur.According to the BCB’s MIS (Management Information Systems) manager Nasir Ahmed, a considerable change was noticed from the time he was reported to his remodelled bowling action in the retest. “The elbow extension has come down from almost 20-21 degrees in some deliveries to a perfectly acceptable 11-12 degrees,” he said.

Pubudu Dassanayake was confident about his fast-bowling unit but said they were looking for a good finisher who could bat with the tail

Peter Della Penna01-Mar-2018In the build-up to USA’s primary ICC tournament assignment for 2018, the World Cricket League Division Three, repairing a hole in the middle order has been put at the top of their coach Pubudu Dassanayake’s to-do list for the upcoming USA Cricket Combines. Dassayanake made his evaluations following a return from the CWI Super50 tournament in February in Antigua.”There are a couple of games we would have won pretty easily if we had played basic cricket,” Dassanyake told ESPNcricinfo. “It was disappointing to miss that but lots of positions were settled down and we just need to improve from there now. I think the batting order is pretty decent. It’s just a matter of one more batter in the middle order. That’s what I’m looking for at these combines.”Mainly, what we are missing in this order is a good finisher who can bat with the tail, bat to the end and change games. Of course, Mrunal [Patel] is capable and highly talented, but I want him to be more consistent and there is room for another batter if we find someone. If we have a good finisher, then I think we will have a very decent batting order.”USA won only one out of their eight matches overall, defeating only Leeward Islands by 59 runs. However, they squandered strong positions in three other games. The first came against Jamaica, who recovered from 170 for 8 to eventually win by 99 runs.Perhaps more frustrating for USA were the two blown opportunities against Kent. In the first match, USA slipped from 102 for 3 to 188 for 9 while chasing 216 and in the rematch, they had Kent at 51 for 6 but allowed them to recover to post 172 for 9 and USA were bowled out for 142 after a middle-order collapse.Dassanayake said that he was satisfied with the contributions from the top order after a rough start. The emergence of Jaskaran Malhotra on his debut tour was a positive for Dassanayake in particular. The opener finished as USA’s leading scorer with 277 runs, 12th on the list overall. There were also sporadic contributions from others: with half-centuries made by Sunny Sohal, Xavier Marshall, Roy Silva and captain Ibrahim Khaleel. However, Dassanayake said their inconsistency could be traced to readjusting from artificial wickets around the USA in mostly T20 competitions to turf wickets in the Super50 tournament, but said it was a problem that could be fixed.”The problem I see with them is getting used to US conditions a lot playing on concrete and artificial, and then playing lots of T20s where when the pressure is there, they are looking for that boundary rather than the single,” Dassanayake said. “But they have done it in their career before, it’s just [that] they’ve gone away from that system a bit since they have been in the US.”So it’s not going to be a big job for me to turn them around for 50-over cricket and playing on turf against good quality bowling. That’s what I really was looking at because it will be hard for me to get a youngster who don’t know those things. It’s just about putting them into a proper training programme and covering those things in the next six months. I’m confident in those top five guys. We just need one more good batter. The job is now very clear for me and even for the players for the next six months in what we need to do to dominate Division Three.”Though the batting was hit or miss in Antigua, USA’s bowlers shone brightly, led by the left-arm medium-pace duo of Elmore Hutchinson and Saurabh Netravalkar, and backed up by the superb left-arm spin of Nosthush Kenjige. Both Hutchinson and Netravalkar finished sixth overall in the tournament with 13 wickets each. While Hutchinson stood out for his economy rate of 3.65, Netravalkar bowled perhaps the more challenging spells that often went unrewarded, though he did take 4 for 45 in the last match against Jamaica.”I think the main thing Saurabh brought is his experience,” Dassanayake said. “He doesn’t have extra pace but he’s very consistent on hitting the good areas. More than anything, he’s one of the guys who really understood the tactical side well and implemented his own plans well. Ibrahim has his plans and Saurabh was one of the guys who really followed them, and Elmore bought into the plan and they stuck to it regardless of the situation. The key for both guys was consistency. [In] the spinners department, I think Nosh is really leading the pack.”With CPL-contracted Ali Khan missing the Super50 due to work commitments and the injured Jessy Singh to soon return from reconstructive knee surgery, USA’s fast bowling depth is exceptionally strong. Hammad Shahid, who excelled in the 2016 Auty Cup against Canada before suffering a knee injury ahead of last year’s WCL Division Three, is also waiting in the wings for a return. With others like Keshav Pabbisetty, who excelled for USA Under-19 last summer at the World Cup Qualifier in Toronto, also pushing for spots, Dassanayake said their fast bowling competition will be the backbone of overall team success going forward.”You never know when bowlers will break down or in the USA environment because of work commitments someone has to miss a tour,” he said. “So my plan is to build up a squad of 10-12 good fast bowlers and give them training programmes to do on their own year round plus get together three or four times to sharpen their skills. That’s the plan for what we want to build after the combine. I want them to have competition through the group and having a big group we won’t have any issues if someone gets injured.”When you go through the Associate world, fast bowlers are key. I know spinners dominate statistically in Associate tournaments, but if you have a good fast bowler, you can give lots of trouble to Associate batters and one of the reasons Afghanistan moved so quickly is that they had three good fast bowlers who bowled at 140kph plus. I think USA also is blessed with that, with a very good bunch of fast bowlers and we have to use them properly to get the best out of the whole squad.”USA Cricket recently announced that players currently in the national squad will be automatically included at the final USA squad trials in Houston this June at the conclusion of the regional combines throughout the spring. However, Dassanayake said he expected all of those players to attend the regional combines to bring the best competition out of other players trying to force their way into the team and build the best squad possible for tournaments late in the year, including Division Three, the Auty Cup series against Canada and the start of 2020 World T20 Qualifying, tentatively scheduled for August.”We always have to carry a third opener, there’s a middle-order vacancy,” he said. “It’s open to anyone but it’s just a matter of showing the improvement. We have seen guys before and now the guys in the last tour, but now for us to settle the order we need to see guys score under any conditions and under pressure. Those are the two big things I’m looking for and, of course, the consistency.”

It’s been a long time between outings for New Zealand’s Test specialists. It’s been even longer for wicketkeeper BJ Watling

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland19-Mar-2018It’s been a long time between outings for New Zealand’s Test specialists. It’s been even longer for wicketkeeper BJ Watling – 359 days to be precise.Watling will return to the line-up for the series against England after recovering from a hip injury which ruled him out against West Indies in December. In the meantime, his replacement, Tom Blundell, scored a century on his debut in Wellington and notched another in the recent pink-ball warm-up match against England in Hamilton.After the century at Seddon Park, Blundell said he was resigned to losing his place when Watling was available again. Watling has earned that loyalty from the selectors; over 52 Tests he averages 38.05 with six centuries. His average of 40.52 with the gloves is the highest for a New Zealand wicketkeeper over a significant duration. He has enjoyed some magnificent moments including two match-saving hundreds in Wellington and one in New Zealand’s victory at Headingley in 2015.However, it would not take much to ignite a serious debate over the position, particularly if Blundell has a strong finish to the Plunket Shield season and Watling has a couple of lean Tests against England. After this series, New Zealand’s next Test matches are not until October or November against Pakistan.”I think you feel pressure going into any Test and I’m just looking to do as well as I can over the two matches,” Watling said. “[Tom] is a quality keeper. We’ve got a good young crop coming through which is good to see and it definitely motivates you.”Watling hip problem which caused him pain when changing direction – something a wicketkeeper has to do often – but not when moving in straight lines which meant he was able to play as a batsman for Northern Districts. He returned to keeping in mid-February at the back end of the Ford Trophy and has played two Plunket Shield matches ahead of his Test return with no reaction to the workload. His longest stint with the gloves is 94 overs but he is confident of being able to come through the potentially greater strains of a Test match.”I’m feeling really good. The body has been good for the last couple of months, been playing a fair bit of cricket for ND,” he said. “It’s something I monitor and work on every day at the gym but I haven’t felt anything over the last two months.”It was decided that Watling would play the most recent Plunket Shield match, against Canterbury in Whangarei, rather than join the New Zealand XIs for their matches against England. Watling has spent two days in Mount Maunganui, training under the lights with the pink ball, with the Test squad before arrived in Auckland.Four of New Zealand’s squad faced England in the pink-ball warm-up – Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme – and though England’s bowlers had the better of the contest, removing the quartet for a combined total of 35 runs, with Raval failing twice, they will still be able to provide useful intel to the Test squad.”We’ve had discussions about what happened there and what we’ll do in different conditions,” Watling said. “So we’ll be discussing that a bit more to make sure we are ready.”New Zealand had a day off in Auckland in Monday before resuming for two days of build-up to the first day-night Test in the country. Watling was part of the New Zealand team who took part in the inaugural floodlit fixture, against Australia in Adelaide, but is a little unsure what to expect this time.”It might be a bit different at Eden Park with the drop-in pitch and no wickets around it,” he said. “It still swings but also flattens out for periods and can be good to bat on.”

Keshav Maharaj’s flight left Australia’s No. 5 stranded outside his crease, but he lived to fight on (though not for too long) thanks to the timely efforts of a wicketkeeper-hating bee

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg31-Mar-2018Quinton de Kock missed a stumping late on the second day of the ongoing Wanderers Test, but he had a good reason. De Kock was stung by a bee as he attempted to collect the ball and let Shaun Marsh, who was on 15 at the time, off the hook.Marsh had come down the pitch to drive a Keshav Maharaj ball that beat his outside edge and hit de Kock on the left pad. As de Kock crouched to retrieve the ball, he stopped and let it roll away, while attending to his upper left arm.De Kock was seen flicking the bee away and trying to pull out the sting while the ball trickled away for a bye. South Africa’s physiotherapist Craig Govender was soon on the field to attend to de Kock.The moment didn’t prove particularly costly to South Africa. Marsh only added one more run to his score before edging Maharaj to AB de Villiers at slip.This is not the first time bees have been a problem at the Wanderers. In February last year, a beekeeper had to be called to the ground to get rid of a swarm of bees that interrupted play in the pink ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Sussex looked down and out but Stiaan van Zyl had other ideas to leave the encounter at Hove on a knife edge

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2018
ScorecardFour wickets in 17 balls boosted Sussex’s chances of claiming their first Championship win of the season against Gloucestershire at Hove.Chasing 167 to win, Gloucestershire looked in control when they reached 69 for 1. But Stiaan van Zyl picked up two wickets in successive balls and then had Jack Taylor caught behind. Ollie Robinson claimed the key wicket of opener Benny Howell for 45 as Gloucestershire slumped to 72 for 5.As the light deteriorated, Sussex were forced to bring on left-arm spinner Danny Briggs who removed Graeme van Burren after van Burren had added 23 with Ryan Higgins. But conditions got worse and when the players came off because of bad light Gloucestershire were 108 for 6, 59 runs from victory with Sussex requiring four more wickets.A dire forecast for Monday suggests the game might end in a draw which would be a pity. Both sides had periods of control on an absorbing third day. Although the odd ball misbehaved the pitch played pretty well but overhead conditions were poor throughout with the lights on from the start.Sussex resumed on 51 for 2 and lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Harry Finch batted through the morning session and for a while he and van Zyl looked to be putting Sussex in a decent position. They then lost van Zyl, who nicked Dan Worrall to slip, and Luke Wright, lbw to Higgins, in successive overs and before lunch Ben Brown (16) and Michael Burgess (17) had also departed.Finch played the anchor role to perfection, coming out his shell to pull Jack Taylor for six, before losing his middle stump to Worrall for 48 after lunch. The Australian ended the innings when he had Ishant Sharma lbw to finish with 4 for 45 while Higgins’ three wickets gave him a match haul of 8 for 86.Gloucestershire lost skipper Chris Dent (13) when Robinson beat him with late seam movement but Howell and Roderick appeared to be putting their side in a strong position with a stand of 45 in 13 overs.Then van Zyl nipped one away and Roderick was caught behind to give Ben Brown his 300th first-class catch and Jack Bracey lost his off stump to the next ball. Howells’ patient innings was ended by another good ball from Robinson before van Zyl picked up Taylor.Gloucestershire regrouped through Higgins and van Burren but Briggs deceived van Burren with his arm ball to make Sussex favourites again shortly before conditions got too bad.

Cricket operations chairman Akram Khan felt the board should figure out a proper plan to make sure senior players participating in overseas leagues avoid picking up injuries

Mohammad Isam29-May-2018Mustafizur Rahman has been summoned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board after a toe injury forced his withdrawal from the India-bound squad for the three T20Is against Afghanistan in Dehradun.Akram Khan, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, expressed displeasure because Mustafizur didn’t communicate the extent of his injury after arriving from his stint with Mumbai Indians in the IPL.Mustafizur played a practice game in Mirpur on Saturday, and was given two days off to recuperate from his niggle which at the time was thought to be minor. On Monday, Mustafizur complained of pain with subsequent scans revealing a hairline fracture that could sideline him for upto four weeks.”When he returned from India, he told the physio that he got hurt,” Akram said. “We also saw it on TV that he hurt his toe playing in his last game in the IPL, but he didn’t make it clear to the physio the gravity of the injury; how bad the pain was.”He played the practice match, and then was given two days off because we thought it would help him recover. Then on the evening before the departure, he informed that he has severe pain, and then we had to do the scans which revealed a fracture.”Akram, a former captain, felt the board should figure out a proper plan to make sure senior players participating in overseas leagues avoid picking up injuries. As such, the BCB only allows two No Objection Certificates a year to those on contract to play abroad.”This sort of thing really hampers the morale of the team. He is an important player. I have now spoken to him in the presence of the BCB doctors and selectors,” Akram said. “I will report my findings to the board directors. We should discuss what to do with our players in these franchise leagues. I think it is time we get serious about it.”Bangladesh play a practice match on June 1 before the first of three ODIs against Afghanistan on June 3. All matches will take place in Dehradun, which is hosting international cricket for the first time. The selectors will wait to arrive on site before deciding if they need to pick a spinner or a fast bowler as Mustafizur’s replacement.

Another century from Mayank Agarwal set up India A’s match-winning 309 for 6, as the Lions lost for the first time in the tri-series

Jon Culley at Grace Road26-Jun-2018
ScorecardEngland Lions were beaten for the first time in the tri-series after India A, whom they had beaten comfortably at Derby last week, emphatically turned the tables in the wilting heat at Grace Road.Chasing a total that they would have fancied themselves to reach on what was essentially a good batting surface, the Lions made a miserable start by losing their top three batsmen in the first eight overs and never recovered.It means that they must beat West Indies A at Northampton on Thursday if they are to be sure of their place in the final at The Oval on Monday, although they would still qualify even if beaten, having won both their opening two matches, if India beat West Indies on Friday.

‘Enjoying batting here’ – Agarwal

India’s century-maker Mayank Agarwal said he had been troubled by a muscle strain in his lower right side, for which he needed treatment on the field, but did not expect it to rule him out of playing should India qualify for next Monday’s final.
“I had a little issue but it is okay,” he said. “I will be assessed by the team doctor but I don’t expect it to be a problem. I was very pleased with my innings, it’s good to get back-to-back hundreds. That’s three here now – I’ve enjoyed batting here.
“England outplayed us last week but we have been playing good cricket since we have been here, in the warm-up games too, and it is good to be rewarded with back-to-back wins because everybody is putting in the effort, putting in the performances at crucial times.”

Given that this talented India side has been in impressive form these last two days at Leicester, you would expect that to happen. They saw off the West Indians with almost 12 overs to spare here on Monday and defeated England by a comfortable margin, even after leaving out Deepak Chahar, who had taken five wickets in that game.They did not, however, leave out Mayank Agarwal, their other key man on Monday, and how wise they were. Despite needing treatment for a back injury during the innings and subsequently being unable to field, the opener made his second century in consecutive days.It was as impressive a performance by India A as it was a disappointing one by the Lions, who had left the field relatively pleased with themselves at the end of their opponents’ innings.India A had been 100 without loss after 15 overs, and may actually have felt they ought to have built more handsomely on such a start.The precociously talented Shubman Gill contributed 72 in an opening stand of 165 with Agarwal but the Lions fought back well, with Worcestershire’s Ed Barnard impressing on his senior representative debut, Matt Fisher taking his first Lions wickets and the spinners, Liam Dawson and Matt Parkinson, playing a key role in frustrating the India batsmen in the middle phase of the innings, even if neither took a wicket.Parkinson, the 21-year-old Lancashire legspinner, had shown impressive character, taking a mauling in his opening three-over spell, which cost 28 runs after both openers went after him, but conceding only 35 more in seven overs after Steven Mullaney brought him back in the 32nd over and stuck with him.Barnard, who was added to the squad after the opening two matches in the tri-series following an injury to Craig Overton, was the best of the four seamers used, producing probably the delivery of the innings, finding extra bounce to have Gill caught at short third man having shaped to cut.But England’s innings was never able to gather any momentum after a fine opening spell by Shardul Thakur had accounted for both openers and Sam Hain, whose unbeaten 145 at Derby was the foundation of the Lions’ win over West Indies A, was unable to get past 1 before having two stumps uprooted by Chahar’s replacement, Prasidh Krishna.The biggest source of frustration in the England dressing room will be that most of their batsmen played themselves in but that Dawson’s 38 was their highest score, and that the top three apart they were mostly the architects of their own demise.It had been good watching, though, especially for the schoolchildren, mainly wearing India replica shirts, who had a special day out. Gill, aged 18 and the leading batsman in India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup team, is not long out of school himself yet is clearly a top-class player in the making, while Agarwal’s frustrating wait for international recognition at the top level must surely end soon.The 27-year-old ended the Indian domestic season with 2,141 runs, a record aggregate for an individual batsman across all formats. His first-class average was 105.45 and his 723 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was the most by any Indian player in a List A tournament, topping Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 at the 2003 World Cup.

In a re-match of both the 2016 and 2017 finals, Vipers were blown away by the Storm having been bowled out for their lowest ever total of 91

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2018
ScorecardSmriti Mandhana continued her glittering start to the Kia Super League as she smashed 43 not out to hand Western Storm a bonus point victory over Southern Vipers.In a re-match of both the 2016 and 2017 finals, Vipers were blown away by the Storm having been bowled out for their lowest ever total of 91.Mandhana, on the back of an unbeaten 52, 37 and 48 to start the campaign crashed 43 off 27 to set up a nine wicket victory.Heather Knight won the toss and elected to bowl on a green tinged wicket under unblemished blue skies.And it took until the third over for the Storm to make their first breakthrough, as Danni Wyatt was caught behind off Anya Shrubsole attempting to guide a shot down to third man.Claire Nicholas grabbed her first wicket of the match when she bowled Mignon du Preez – Vipers reaching 28 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay.Sara McGlashan was the only Vipers batsman to appear in any comfort at the crease, with the New Zealander crashing a six straight down the ground. But while McGlashan stroked the ball around, wickets kept on falling at the other end.Captain Suzie Bates was slightly unlucky to be caught and bowled by Danielle Gibson – with the ball nestling in the bowler’s midriff.Arran Brindle was given a life when she was dropped at fine leg, with Nicholas brilliantly diving forward but just failing to hang on.But the missed chance didn’t prove costly as former England star Brindle was run out by a direct hit by Naomi Dattani at mid-off.Maia Bouchier was handed her debut, with Tammy Beaumont unable to play due to the suspected concussion she sustained during Sunday’s defeat to Lancashire Thunder.The Middlesex batsman gained a life when Rachel Priest missed a stumping, but was run out soon after by Knight.McGlashan was then stumped for 31 to leave Vipers 63 for 6 as the innings long collapse continued. The final four wickets were an example in self-destructive batting after growing frustrated at struggling to nurdle runs. Tash Farrant, Amelia Kerr and Katie George all departed playing either reverse sweeps or scoops.Priest avoided all of the gremlins the Vipers batsmen had found in the pitch by hitting 30 off 14 balls. The opener took Farrant apart in the opening over, with two fours and a massive six down the ground, before three boundaries on the spin off George in the next overs gave the visitors a flier.She departed when she swept Brindle to McGlashan, but it couldn’t stop the onslaught from Mandhana, who was accompanied by Knight. The Indian popped Bates over the rope to go alongside five fours, with Knight ending up unbeaten on 18 with Storm winning with 63 balls to spare.