While Ben Stokes keeps a low profile, the prospect of him returning to action in New Zealand has brought a mixed response

David Hopps29-Nov-20171:57

Woakes: Stokes’ trip to New Zealand was news to us

The Canterbury cricket board has held an emergency meeting in Christchurch as protests broke out about the prospect of Ben Stokes returning to action this weekend.Stokes did not attend the meeting, but kept a low profile with his family in Christchurch after his arrival on a Singapore Airlines flight to New Zealand attracted considerable media attention.After hugging his parents, Gerard and Deb, Stokes, stern faced, remained largely silent about the investigation by Avon and Somerset police into his part in a fracas outside a Bristol nightclub in late September.As he wheeled several large cricket bags out of the airport, he deadbatted questions by suggesting that he had arrived in New Zealand to see his parents and work on his golf swing.Canterbury’s coach, Gary Stead, has supported the idea of Stokes playing at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora this weekend in a one-day Ford Trophy match against Otago.”I think if you get someone like that, then let’s do it,” Stead told an Australian radio station on Wednesday.But as howls of outrage carried from Australia across the Tasman Sea, it was clear that opposition to the idea was also building.Stokes meets his parents, Ged and Deb, at Christchurch airport•Getty Images

Peter Fulton, who retired from international cricket last year after 16 seasons with Canterbury, told stuff.co.nz: “”If he can’t play for [England], I would question whether he should be playing for Canterbury. It would depend on what his legal situation is really. He hasn’t been charged with anything.”Match practice would be a boon for Stokes, who was born in Christchurch and moved with his family to Cumbria at the age of 12. If police decided not to charge him, he could conceivably return to England’s side in time for the third Test in Perth.The ECB Board is poised to meet within 48 hours to consider any police decision and, if no charges resulted, they could take the view that any ban could be served retrospectively from the moment they withdrew him indefinitely from international cricket pending the police investigation.But the Canterbury situation is complicated by the actions of Ken McClure, a young Canterbury batsman, who withdrew from representative cricket on Friday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of injuring with reckless disregard.McClure assaulted a man in September on a pre-season trip for his Christchurch club side. He has been remanded for sentencing until January 19 and won’t play for Canterbury until that has been sorted by the courts.
Unlike McClure, Stokes has not been charged, but parallels were being drawn.The comments from Canterbury’s chief executive Jez Curwin have received particular attention. “We expect a certain level of behaviour on and off the pitch from everyone that represents us,” Curwin said earlier this week.
Fulton concluded: “From a cricketing point of view, it makes all the sense in the world, but from the other point of view, it gets a little bit more complicated.”

The Australia quick underlined his destructive capability with a hat-trick composed of three screeching yorkers, while captain Steven Smith coupled his first-innings 76 with an unbeaten 74

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2017
ScorecardMitchell Starc after yorking Simon Mackin en route to completing his hat-trick•Getty Images

Mitchell Starc underlined his destructive capability with a hat-trick composed of three screeching yorkers in the Sheffield Shield match at Hurstville Oval, but at the other end Cameron Bancroft carried his bat for Western Australia to maintain an unlikely bid for Ashes selection as a wicketkeeper-batsman.Bancroft’s effort was the first instance of an opener carrying his bat through an entire Shield innings since Joe Burns did the trick for Queensland in 2014, and was achieved against the very same bowlers – Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon – who will form Steven Smith’s bowling attack against England at the Gabba later this month.He looked capable of motoring on to a century before Starc intervened, first bowling Jason Behrendorff with a reverse swinger from around the wicket, before finding a quicker version of the same to pin David Moody lbw. The hat-trick ball to Simon Mackin was the pick of the three, tilting back middle stump well ahead of the No. 11’s schedule.In a day punctuated by rain delays, the Blues then set about building their advantage, and after David Warner and Nic Maddinson were again dismissed cheaply, Smith was able to follow up his first-innings 76 with an unbeaten 74 in the company of the elegant left-hander Kurtis Patterson, who was unbeaten on 60. Should Patterson make further runs on day four, he, too, may be in with a chance for a Test berth.

With New Zealand having won the first Test by a big margin, and with Tim Southee set to return, West Indies are up against it to level the series

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Dec-2017

Big picture

Two sessions of fortitude – that was about as much as West Indies could summon at the Basin Reserve. Either side of their third-day resistance, however, the visitors appeared outmatched with bat and ball – New Zealand’s batsmen cruising to big scores, and their bowlers more or less running riot. That West Indies will be without captain Jason Holder – suspended due to an over-rate violation – and that the hosts are likely to have Tim Southee back in their XI would seem to make the disparity between these teams even greater.And yet, there is unpredictability about West Indies that suggests New Zealand will not stroll to victory with quite so much ease, at Seddon Park. In August, having been walloped witless by England at Edgbaston, the likes of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite scripted a wonderful comeback win at Headingley. Last year, having been defeated handsomely by Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, West Indies had also triumphed in Sharjah. This young West Indies side has sometimes been overwhelmed in Tests, but over the last year they have also refused to cede trophies without a fight – winning at least one Test in each of their last four series.Such is New Zealand’s confidence at home, however, and so in form are their batsmen, that they will expect to pile on more big scores at Hamilton. The West Indies attack, intense only in short bursts at the Basin Reserve, has major improvements to make if their team is to square the series.

Form guide

New Zealand WDLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LDWLW

In the spotlight

He may have crept up on the competition, but over the past three years Neil Wagner has become one of the best quicks in the world. That he has only 139 wickets to his name is a reflection of the scarcity of Test cricket for New Zealand. The figure that makes for more impressive reading, however, is his average of 23.44 since 2015. Among quicks, only James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada have bettered him in that period. The challenge for Wagner is to sustain his success as more and more teams become wise to his unique mode of operation, and devise batting plans specifically to counter him.A number of batsmen did get the better of Wagner in the second innings at Wellington, however – among them: 20-year-old Shimron Hetmyer. Having been dismissed by Wagner in the first innings, Hetmyer scored 21 runs off 18 Wagner deliveries in the second dig, pulling him disdainfully on two occasions, and cracking him for offside boundaries as well. But Wagner was not the only bowler Hetmyer attacked – Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner also went for runs during what was a sparkling maiden half-century. There is talent here for sure, but New Zealand will be more prepared for him in Hamilton.

Team news

With Southee set to come back in, the seamer most likely to make way seems to be Matt Henry, despite Henry’s second innings three-wicket haul in Wellington. As BJ Watling remains unavailable, Tom Blundell will be the home side’s wicketkeeper-batsman again.New Zealand 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tom Blundell (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBrathwaite is set to lead the visitors in Holders’ stead. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph or uncapped left-arm quick Raymon Reifer may come into the side to replace him.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt) 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmeyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Sunil Ambris, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Raymon Reifer, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on a surface comprising Patumahoe soil, which means there is likely to be pace, bounce and carry right through the Test. There is some rain forecast for Sunday and Monday, with cloudy patches expected for the remainder of the Test.

• Of bowlers with more than 50 wickets since 2015, Wagner’s strike rate of 46.2 is third best, after Rabada and Mitchell Starc
• New Zealand have won three of their last four Tests at Seddon Park – one of those victories having come against West Indies in 2013
• Shai Hope needs 42 runs to complete 1000 runs in Tests

Quotes

“Seventeen is the benchmark that Hogan [Martin Crowe] wanted me to get to and beat. But he said, also, carry on and don’t stop there. Hopefully, in time, Kane will probably end up with about 40.”
“The key for us is the first-innings total. If we could get a good first-innings total, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”

The first T20 squad of Chandika Hathurusingha’s tenure features a preponderance of youth

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Feb-2018The first T20 squad of Chandika Hathurusingha’s tenure features a preponderance of youth. Seam bowlers Asitha Fernando and Shehan Madushanka (20 and 22 respectively), inexperienced spinners Jeffrey Vandersay and Amila Aponso, and seam-bowling allrounder Dasun Shanaka, all feature for the two-match series.One old hand did return, however. Three years after he played his last international, legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis, 35, made his way back into a Sri Lanka squad. Though his recall was unexpected, he has nevertheless been in good bowling form for Tamil Union Cricket Club in the ongoing Premier League first-class tournament.In the continued absence of Angelo Mathews, the team will be led by Dinesh Chandimal, who himself has not played a T20 in over a year. Thisara Perera was in the squad, but was overlooked for the captaincy.Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne returned to T20 internationals after their long injury-related absences, and Akila Dananjaya retained his place as Sri Lanka’s main limited-overs spinner. Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka were also in the squad, which means that with Kusal and Niroshan Dickwella around, there will be some competition for the opening positions.The area in which Sri Lanka appear lightest on experience is the seam-bowling department. Neither Asitha nor Madushanka has played a T20 international. In fact, with Suranga Lakmal and Dushmantha Chameera both also omitted, left-armer Isuru Udana – who has played 13 T20 internationals – is the senior specialist quick. Allrounders Thisara and Shanaka are the other seam-bowling options.The first T20 will be played in Mirpur on February 15, before the action moves to Sylhet for the second game. This brief series will serve as a precursor for the Nidahas Trophy tri-series, which will feature these two teams and India. That tournament begins March 8.T20 squad: Dinesh Chandimal (captain), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Shehan Madushanka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Akila Dananjaya, Amila Aponso, Jeevan Mendis, Asitha Fernando

Usually, the eliminator and the second qualifier are held at the home venue of the runner-up in the previous season. But with Rising Pune Supergiant no longer part of the IPL, other venues are lobbying to host the play-offs

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Feb-2018The absence of Rising Pune Supergiant, the runner-up in the last IPL, has given rise to an interesting challenge for the tournament organsiers, who have not yet announced the final schedule for the 2018 edition. The IPL has only said that the tournament will commence on April 7 in Mumbai, which will also host the final on May 27.Usually, the eliminator and the second qualifier are held at the home venue of the runner-up in the previous season. By that token, Pune should be the automatic choice. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that some of the other state associations are lobbying to host those two play-off matches. Lucknow and Kolkata are two venues that have been pushed as potential favourites to replace Pune.In a move to eliminate rival states from staking claim, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president Abhay Apte sent an e-mail to the IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Monday, requesting that the eliminator and the second qualifier be staged in Pune as per norm.In the two-page letter, Apte noted the MCA request was only valid because the IPL had been following an “unwritten rule” of allotting the tournament opener, the Qualifier 1 and the final to the home venue of the defending champions. “For past several years we are observing a practice, which has become an unwritten rule of playing the first (tournament opener), and Qualifier 1 as well as the final match at the venue of last year’s champions and playing the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches at the venue of the runners up team,” Apte said in the e-mail. “Pune IPL team (Supergiant) was the runner-up during the last year’s IPL and of course the home venue was Pune. As such, the venue of the last year’s runners-up of IPL team i.e. MCA’s Gahunje, Pune should be the logical choice to stage the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches.”Apte pointed out that “history” could not be changed just because the Supergiant team no longer exists.Pune is also the second choice home venue for the Rajasthan Royals, who are awaiting a final verdict from the Rajasthan High Court on whether matches can be staged at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur.

The opener scored 94 off 50 balls, the highest this season, to give Lahore Qalandars their third successive win

The Report by Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLahore Qalandars continued their late resurgence in the PSL, notching up their third successive win after downing Quetta Gladiators by 17 runs. They had opener Fakhar Zaman to thank primarily for their two points. He put on a show of fabulous power-hitting to clout 94 off 50 balls – the highest individual score this season – and lead his side to 186.Lahore haven’t made any changes to their team since picking up their first win, and their openers Fakhar and Anton Devcich gave them a solid start again. However, when Devcich, Agha Salman and Brendon McCullum – the captain who was controversially given out off a no-ball – fell in quick succession, Fakhar held the innings together, brilliantly supported by a 27-ball 42 from wicketkeeper-batsman Gulraiz Sadaf. A cameo in the end from Sunil Narine (20*) ensured Lahore finished with a flourish.With Jason Roy back in the Quetta side, their top order boasted a frightening quartet of Roy, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen and Rilee Rossouw. While the England opener got Quetta off to a fast start – they raced to 52 for 0 in five overs – the wicket of Watson immediately set them back. And from thereon the Quetta chase began to unravel. Narine took care of both Pietersen and Roy, and as the asking rate climbed, Quetta found themselves out of the contest. Rossouw launched a counterattack, smashing five sixes in a 22-ball 42, but it only gave Lahore a late scare. Quicks Shaheen Afridi and Sohail Khan eventually wrapped up a comfortable win.Where the match was won
It may have taken till after Lahore were eliminated to begin working on their weaknesses, but they did illustrate the extent to which they have improved in the middle overs on Wednesday. After losing three quick wickets, Lahore’s run rate had dipped below seven, and after 11 overs they were stuttering at 76 for 3. But instead of capitulating, Fakhar and Gulraiz launched an astonishing onslaught, hitting 64 in the next four overs. It included an over of fearsome hitting from Fakhar that cost 24 runs, with Rahat Ali the hapless recipient. It was the phase of the game Sarfraz Ahmed might have deemed Lahore to be most vulnerable, but they turned that weakness into a comprehensive strength.The men that won it
While it is hard to look past Fakhar, one would be remiss to overlook vital contributions from Narine and Gulraiz. After all, Fakhar was dismissed with nearly five overs left in Lahore innings and the score only at 141, when the pair put on an unbroken 45-run stand in 28 balls.The brain freeze
A team led by McCullum on course to win three in a row is likely to be a happy unit. That was how Lahore had been appearing all tournament. Even when they had lost six on the bounce, they never looked like a dressing room falling out with each other. But towards the end of today’s contest, when both teams were almost going through the motions with the game virtually in the bag for Lahore, a bizarre scuffle erupted. Sohail Khan, who had been trying to get the attention of Yasir Shah on the boundary without success, inexplicably lost his temper and threw the ball on the full towards him. It very narrowly missed Yasir’s head, and the legspinner, to put it mildly, was incandescent. It took all of McCullum’s diplomatic powers to assuage the pair, but the lack of judgment from Sohail couldn’t help leaving one nonplussed. The pair reconciled at the end of the game, and Yasir even laughed it off. It would have been rather different, of course, if the ball had actually made contact with Yasir.Where they stand
Lahore drew level with Peshawar Zalmi, though they are still in last place on net run-rate. Quetta remained second, two points behind table-toppers Islamabad United.

Eoin Morgan hopes the sanctions imposed on Steve Smith and David Warner will have served to restore the reputation of a game he feels has been “battered”

George Dobell05-Apr-2018Eoin Morgan hopes the sanctions imposed on Steven Smith and David Warner will have served to restore the reputation of a game he feels has been “battered” in recent days.Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, says he was “shocked” by the Australian players’ attempt to alter the behaviour of the ball with sandpaper, insisting he had never experienced such a premediated plan in any team he has represented.But while he accepted such behaviour could damage the reputation of the game, he felt the severity of Cricket Australia’s punishments – on Warner and Smith especially – sent a firm message that such tactics will not be tolerated and could improve the way the game is played around the world.”The sanctions imposed by Cricket Australia have shown how serious the actual mistake was, how seriously they are taking it and how seriously they regard the values, principles, spirit and laws of the game,” Morgan said.”For the last two weeks, the game has been battered. But I’d like to think that the balance [between the damage done to the game and the benefits brought by the suspensions] changed when the sanctions were imposed, because they were serious sanctions.”It’s one thing to say something is wrong. But to back it up with such a sanction says a huge amount. This isn’t two of their worst players, either. It’s two of their best. One is possibly one of their greatest ever.”Naturally this will pull the leash [on the way Australia play].”Morgan accepts there are some “grey areas” around the issue of ball-tampering. The use of sugary saliva, for example, has been prevalent for years (albeit with a distinction around whether mints and sweets are directly transferred to the ball), as has the practice of fielders returning the ball to the keeper on the bounce to scuff up one side. But, the way he sees it, Cricket Australia’s actions have “gone a long way” to “saying none of it is acceptable”.”I was shocked there was a premeditated plan,” he said. “I’ve never heard talk like that in a dressing room.”Throwing the ball in, one bounce, is fine. But if you throw to the keeper from long-on or long-off, the umpires will monitor how often the ball hits the playing surface and tell you they’ll change the ball if you do it again.”Things have changed. The LED lights on the advertising hoardings around the ground have little bulbs that stick out and they can take a huge chunk out of the ball. We have forced our bowlers to chuck it to the umpires [after it hits the board] so they don’t think we have done something to the ball.”So, yes, there are grey areas but I think Cricket Australia have gone a long way to saying none of it is acceptable.”It might have been relevant that Morgan was talking at the 2018 launch of All Stars, the ECB initiative aimed at introducing a new generation to the game. Confronted by dozens of enthusiastic children aged between five and eight, Morgan and his fellow ambassadors (Michael Vaughan, Sarah Taylor and Isa Guha) might naturally have been keen to focus on the more family-friendly aspects of the game.But Morgan, like so many in England cricket, was deeply impressed by the example of Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand side at the 2015 World Cup, in particular. Seeing New Zealand play so effectively – they thrashed England so quickly in Wellington that the game ended before the lights were turned on for the day-night fixture – without resorting to any of the posturing or ‘mental disintegration’ that had started to become a feature of England’s Test cricket in 2013 and 2014, made a big impression.”I massively endorse the way New Zealand play the game,” Morgan said. “Just look at the Test series in New Zealand. You have two fantastic ambassadors for the game – Joe Root and Kane Williamson – playing hard but enjoying the game. Nothing has come close to being controversial. And people have enjoyed watching it.”You can talk about it [playing the right way] all the time, but living it and breathing it is a different thing. You have to recognise when it’s veering too far the wrong way. And it doesn’t stop you winning.”

Though Malaysia could be promoted depending on the Uganda-Jersey replay on Sunday, they may get relegated if Bermuda beat them in the reverse fixture

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur05-May-2018No result
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAhmed Faiz looks on after connecting with a clean strike•Peter Della Penna

Malaysia’s slim hopes of securing one of the two berths available to WCL Division Three were kept alive courtesy of a no result when just three more overs were needed for an official result. Bermuda were 55 for 2 in 17 overs chasing a target of 229 when rain stopped play at Royal Selangor Club.The DLS par-score for two wickets down was 65 after 17 overs and would have been 72 after 20, putting Malaysia in a position to secure their status in Division Four, while Bermuda (and Vanuatu) would’ve been relegated.Though Malaysia now has a shot at promotion depending on the Uganda-Jersey replay on Sunday, they also now face the prospect of being relegated should Bermuda beat them – and overtake them on net run rate. This would send Malaysia back with Vanuatu to WCL Division Five.Malaysia’s total was built around a series of starts from the top order, with everyone in the top five making double-digits but no one in the group bettering the 45 made by Ahmed Faiz. Malaysia had looked solid at 100 for 1 but Dion Stovell’s offspin triggered a middle-order collapse that reduced the hosts to 145 for 6 in the 35th.It took a handy lower order knock from wicketkeeper Shafiq Sharif to take Malaysia past 200 after he top-scored with a 45-ball 47. Sharif teamed with Virandeep Singh in a 79-run partnership that stretched into the final over before the latter was removed by left-arm seamer Cejay Outerbridge. Outerbridge ended with 4 for 46.Bermuda’s quest to win and overtake Malaysia on net run-rate tiebreaker, in order to avoid relegation, was derailed in the Powerplay when the opening pair of Okera Bascome and Kamau Leverock fell inside the first seven overs. However, they’ll get another crack on Sunday to avoid going down.The replay has shifted venues from Royal Selangor Club to Kinrara Oval. Kinrara became available due to the Denmark-Vanuatu match reaching a conclusion with Vanuatu winning by five wickets. The event’s technical committee made the decision to switch venues late Saturday night over concerns from tournament officials that the RSC pitch would not be suitable for play on Sunday due to an excessive amount of rain it absorbed that caused Saturday’s match to be halted.

Essex and Kent both qualified for the play-offs in the Royal London Cup but it was Essex who were by far the most bouyant after dishing out a thrashing at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network06-Jun-2018
ScorecardRavi Bopara and Dan Lawrence smashed centuries to set Essex Eagles up for a home quarter-final tie in the Royal London Cup with a comfortable victory over Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford.Bopara’s 125 took 88 balls and included 11 fours and six sixes, while Lawrence, surpassing his previous highest List A score by 79 runs, finished on 115 from 109 balls with seven fours and three sixes.The pair put on 187 in 25 overs for the fourth wicket. It was a partnership that took time to ignite, principally because Darren Stevens bowled his allocated 10 overs straight through, taking 1 for 37, during which time Essex crawled from 45 for 2 to 132 for 3. The fireworks came a little later with the Eagles adding 167 from the last 15 overs, courtesy of their two centurions.The unfortunate Calum Haggett bore the brunt of the second-half assault, conceding 90 runs for the consolation of two wickets.Kent had won five games in a row to qualify for the knockout stages, but defeat at Chelmsford enabled Essex to climb above them on run-rate. They were always off the pace in their chase and suffered the ignominy of former player Matt Coles taking two key wickets, including Kent captain Sam Billings to the first ball he bowled. Jamie Porter claimed four wickets for the second consecutive match.Lawrence and Bopara grafted to their first fifty partnership from 10 overs, with Lawrence passing his top List A score of 37 at the same time. It marked the point that the shackles came off. Lawrence hit Henry for a straight six to reach his half-century. He then posted the 100 stand from 17 overs with the first of successive straight sixes off Denly. Essex, accelerating, had added 55 in six overs.A lofted sweep for his sixth four brought up Bopara’s fifth fifty in the Royal London Cup this summer. It had taken 57 balls. Lawrence turned Haggett into the onside for the single that took him to a 99-ball century, his second fifty taking 42 balls.The 150 partnership came up in 23 overs, followed by a mighty pull for six by Bopara. However, Lawrence went for one big hit too many and found Heino Kuhn at deep extra cover.Ten Doeschate went in similar fashion, miscuing Haggett before Bopara hit the bowler for successive sixes over long-off and long-on. His century, reached with a push into the legside, came from 80 balls.The New Zealander Henry, having taken two for 59 from 9.1 overs, was withdrawn from the attack after bowling his second waist-high full-toss. Haggett took over and Bopara smashed successive sixes, one straight and out of the ground, the other beating Qayyum on the rope.Zaidi went to Sean Dickson’s catch on the boundary before another six, from a full-toss by Claydon, prefaced Bopara’s departure, caught in the deep by Kuhn. As a postscript, Coles’s first ball against his old team-mates also cleared the ropes.And when Coles dismissed Billings with his first ball, castled for six to reduce the Spitfires to 42 for 3 after 13 overs, his joy knew no bounds.Kent had already lost Kuhn, after centuries in his previous two innings, for just four as Jamie Porter clipped the top of off-stump. Daniel Bell-Drummond hung around for 10 unproductive overs before swishing wildly at Sam Cook and was caught behind for 12.Coles’s second wicket was equally important in the context of the match as he had Denly caught at deep cover by Lawrence. Blake pulled Coles and drove Bopara for sixes, but played over one from ten Doeschate and was bowled for 41.Dickson took 64 balls to make it to his fifty but perished on 51 when he lifted the returning Porter to Bopara at mid-off. Essex were heading for a home quarter-final.

The move will allow Bayliss the chance to watch the England Lions and some domestic cricket which he has rarely been able to do as head coach

George Dobell22-Jun-2018Paul Farbrace is to assume the role of head coach of the England teams for the T20 matches against Australia and India.Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has had previous spells as interim head coach, notably at the start of the 2015 English season. At that time, after Peter Moores had been sacked and before Trevor Bayliss started, Farbrace oversaw the start of England’s resurgence in limited-overs cricket – they passed 400 for the first time in their ODI history in the series against New Zealand and also achieved their highest ODI run-chase of 350 – and installed Ben Stokes as the Test side’s regular No. 6.Farbrace has also coached Sri Lanka with some success, winning the World T20 and Asia Cup in 2014.Bayliss, meanwhile, will spend the time watching prospective England prospects. As well as watching England Lions in their tri-series matches, he is also expected to go to some county matches including the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s. He will resume his role as head coach for the ODIs against India.Bayliss’ lack of county knowledge has been a persistent weakness during his period as England coach. Having never played or coached in the county game, he found that the demands of the England role left little time to travel around the counties watching players and gathering the opinions of coaches.While it has previously been suggested that he need not be present at every day of England’s games, it has taken until now – more than three years into the job – for him to take such action. It may be relevant that it is only weeks since Andy Flower became acting director of the England teams in the temporary absence of Andrew Strauss. Bayliss remains, alongside Ed Smith, one of England’s selectors. The job advert for a third selector has recently been published.It would probably be wrong to assume that Farbrace will succeed Bayliss at the end of the 2019 season. While Farbrace would be a strong candidate for the role – or roles if, as expected, the limited-overs and Test roles are split – it is far from certain he would want to commit to more years on the road. He has been with England since 2014 (originally as assistant to Moores) and has been in demand for both county roles and other international sides.Equally, England may decide they want a fresh start. Much will depend on what happens in the 2019 World Cup and Ashes series that follows it.