T20 Blast Finals Day | ECB release Harry Brook, Phil Salt, and Matt Parkinson
As Leach returns, Parkinson debate burns
ENG vs NZ | 2nd Test | England announce 14-man squad for Nottingham Test
‘Matt Parkinson has to play Test cricket’- Former Lancashire cricketer
With the likes of Jack Leach and Craig Overton selected for the upcoming series against New Zealand, the in-form leg spinner has been ignored, and it has raised quite a few eyebrows in domestic cricket.
County Championship 2022 Division II | Middlesex fiery pace attack shines against Leicestershire
Pakistani star seamer Shaheen Afridi made his County debut, bagging a total of 3 wickets, which cramped the batting order of Leicestershire.
David Lloyd urges England to 'trust' Late Shane Warne's judgement and pick Matt Parkinson
Former cricketer and commentator David Lloyd has urged the English management to trust the judgement of the legendary Shane Warne and hand the Test cap to Matt Parkinson in the forthcoming summer. Parkinson has claimed 102 wickets at an average of 23 since making his First-Class debut for Lancashire in 2016. He picked 36 wickets in 11 county championship games last summer at an average of 20.55. The right-arm leg-spinner had earned plaudits for his craft from several former cricketers and pundits, including the late Shane Warne, who was baffled when the Joe Root-led management didn't pick him for the Ashes. Writing a column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd said he had observed Parkinson from close quarters, claiming that the young leggie had improved his control besides developing a flipper. Lloyd said: "England, meanwhile, have traditionally had a suspicion of leg-spinners but I would trust the judgment of the late, great Warne and he really rated Parkinson. The debate has always been over the relatively slow speed Parkinson bowls but Shane said that didn't matter as long as he spins it," "I've watched Parkinson closely at Lancashire. His development has entailed gaining control while retaining spin and working on the straight-on ball from out of the front of his hand. In other words, the flipper." he added. One of the team's concerns usually has been while picking a leg-spinner is that he might get carted around due to lack of control. Lloyd wrote that England should not worry about Parkinson occasionally getting clobbered as he feels that the right-arm spinner possesses the ability to run past batting units on his day. "The leg-spinner and flipper were the only weapons Warne really had for all his talk about zooters, tooters and scooters. There was no googly as such. But when the ball was in flight from Warne it would swing in towards the right-handed batsman before spinning away sharply. And that's exactly what Parkinson does," wrote Lloyd. "So let's not worry about his batting. It's up to the dopey blokes above him to get 400 or 500 on the board and give the bowlers something to work with. Yes he will get clattered occasionally. Kevin Pietersen would clatter Shane Warne. That's leg-spin. But Parkinson can bamboozle people. For goodness' sake get him in the side this summer," he added. Parkinson was called-up for the Test series in the Caribbean last month. But, to everyone's surprise, he did not get a single game to play. Hopefully, the leggie should receive his maiden Test cap against New Zealand or South Africa in the upcoming summer at home. He is currently involved in Lancashire's County season opener against Kent in Canterbury.
Matt Parkinson alleges counties of 'attitude problem' towards spinners
Young England spinner Matt Parkinson has reckoned that county cricket's 'attitude problem' towards spinners is hindering the growth and development of spinners like him.
The Hundred | Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals: Where to watch Live, Probable XI, Fantasy XI
Welsh Fire, who have won both their games will face Manchester Originals who won the bounce against Birmingham Phoenix, having lost their opening match to Oval Invincibles. The Fire will miss the services of their dynamic leader Jonny Bairstow while Originals too will not have the luxury of having Jos Buttler by their side as both these leave for their national duty against India. However, this absence of great players gives chances to youngsters from both sides to prove their mettle in the newest and most exciting format of the game- The Hundred. The match will be played at Sophia Gardens, the same venue of Sophia Gardens will host the match where Fiore played their first game against Southern Brave and won it as well. Originals have won their last game as well courtesy of some brilliant bowling by what people call the second Warne, or Warne of England- Matt Parkinson. Will Fire be able to win this game and remove Trent Rockets from the top, or will Originals be able to get back to back wins? Welsh Fire vs Manchester Originals Match Number- 12 Date and Time: July 31, 2021, 07:00 pm IST, 02:30 pm Local, 01:30 pm GMT Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Broadcast and Live Stream: Fancode App Pitch Report The pitch at Glamorgan County’s home ground was refreshingly great for batting and resulted in a high scoring game in the first encounter there. After its slowness during the Sri Lanka tour of England, it was feared that might just ruin the glamour of The Hundred. Weather Forecast Since the match is taking place in the afternoon, the templates would be around 20 degrees celsius and the chances of rain are very less. Thus a good game of cricket would be at display in the Welsh capital. Welsh Fire Probable XI Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Ian Cockbain, Matthew Critchley, Joshua Cobb, Qais Ahmad, Jake Ball, David Payne Manchester Originals Probable XI Philip Salt, Joe Clarke (wk), Colin Munro, Tom Lammonby, Sam Hain, Carlos Brathwaite, Tom Hartley, Fred Klaassen, Steven Finn, Matthew Parkinson, Lockie Ferguson Fantasy XI Philip Salt, Colin Munro, Carlos Brathwaite, Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Tom Hartley, Matthew Parkinson, Qais Ahmad, Lockie Ferguson Captain James Neesham Vice-Captain Matthew Parkinson
The Hundred | Manchester Originals vs Birmingham Phoenix: Where to watch Live, Probable XI, Fantasy XI
Moeen Ali’s men would be considering themselves lucky after a bailout by young and unknown talents in lower batsmen Chris Benjamin and Benny Howell. But their challenge in the next game is going to be a bit more difficult as away from home, they face a bruising Manchester Originals at Old Trafford. The Originals were beaten by nine runs in their first encounter against Oval Invincibles away from home. Their star players in Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Colin Munro couldn’t really do much and by the time Carlos Braithwaite came into his own, it was too late to rescue the skinning Originals boat. In this match, the two teams would be giving it their all as stars like Ali, Liam Livingstone, Buttler and Brathwaite could give the Manchester crowd a hundred per cent entertainment. Manchester Originals vs Birmingham Phoenix: Match Details Match Number- 06 Date and Time: Jul 25, 2021, 11:00:00 PM IST, 06:30 pm Local Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester Live Stream in India: Fancode Pitch Report In the last T20I played here, the match between Pakistan and hosts England went down to the wire and so did the one prior to that between Lancashire and Yorkshire in the T20 Blast. The deteriorating pitches after a long English summer are helping the spinners and hence the likes of Imran Tahir, Ali and Matt Parkinson will remain in the game. Weather Forecast With chances of precipitation less than 5%, the match at iconic Old Trafford would most likely be devoid of intervention from the weather. The temperatures will be ranging in the early twenties. And thus it promises to be a great game. Manchester Originals Probable XI Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Joe Clarke, Colin Munro, Tom Lammonby, Carlos Brathwaite, Calvin Harrison, Tom Hartley, Fred Klaassen, Steven Finn, Matthew Parkinson Birmingham Phoenix Probable XI Finn Allen, Miles Hammond, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali (c), Daniel Bell-Drummond, Chris Benjamin, Chris Cooke (wk), Benny Howell, Adam Milne, Tom Helm, Imran Tahir Fantasy XI Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Finn Allen, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Colin Munro, Tom Lammonby, Carlos Brathwait, Imran Tahir, Tom Hartley Captain: Jos Buttler, Vice-Captain: Liam Livingstone
Shane Warne backs Matt Parkinson to make it to England's Ashes squad
The most successful leg spinner to have ever played the game of cricket, Shane Warne has thrown his weight behind England prodigy Matt Parkinson and said that the leg spinner should be included in the Test squad for the Ashes series. Speaking on the eve of The Hundred, where he will be in the lead role along with Eoin Morgan for the London Spirits, Warner said that he loves to watch Parkinson bowl and that he can become a “huge” part of the England Test team if “pencilled” into the playing XI for the first Test at Gabba. Counting on the factors that can help him succeed in Australia, Warner said that Parkinson has all the armoury up his sleeve such as perfect pace, the amount of spin and bounce he extracts off the pitch. He suggested that the England team management should also consider bringing him to the squad for the Test series against India, especially at the Old Trafford and the Oval. "He is pretty exciting, isn't he? I love watching him. I've been watching him from afar and been very impressed so far. I really like the look of the way he bowls. He is a great addition to white-ball cricket, but also I see him playing a huge part in Test cricket, especially in Australia. I wouldn't be surprised in that first Test match at the Gabba if he is “pencilled” into the playing XI." "I think of the Australian conditions, the pace he bowls, the amount of bounce and spin he gets, I think he is perfectly suited to Australian conditions," Warne said. "So I think he has a big role to play and he might even play a Test match through the summer. "Jack Leach will be the spinner, probably to start with for England, but Matty Parkinson might get a gig at The Oval or Manchester, somewhere like that. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a look at him during the India series thinking about the Ashes down the track." Parkinson has attracted criticism for not bowling with pace, but Warner said that it’s good that the leg spinner is sticking to his own methods and not responding on the basis of people’s comments. He said that spinners should be judged on the basis of their ability to turn the ball and not the pace at which they operate as medium pacers are there for that role in the side. “The good thing is a lot of people would have told him to bowl fast, but he has stuck to being true to himself and what he is good at," Warne said. "It is like anything. If you are doing well, no one will question anything about your pace. If it starts to go wrong, that's when people start to question it, but he has stayed true to himself and that is what I really like. I have been pretty impressed watching him and I am looking forward to seeing his career develop.” "Mate, if I wanted a spinner to bowl fast, they would be called medium-pacers. Spin bowlers are spin bowlers because they spin the ball and he does that. If you can swing, seam or spin the ball, you will be successful, no matter what form. He definitely does that and I think he bowls a beautiful pace.” Parkinson travelled with England Test squads for the tour of Sri Lanka and India earlier this year without making it through to the playing XI. He would not have made it into the ODI squad against Pakistan as well, where he had achieved to turn the ball the maximum by any spinner in England since the ball tracking data is made available if there would not have been a covid-19 crisis in England camp. Parkison had produced a jaffa of leg spinner in the initial phase of the County Championship 2021 that had ignited the debate about his credentials as England’s spinner for the longest format. England have announced their Test team for the first two Tests of the series against India starting August 04 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
England punish clueless Pakistan to stretch T20I series to a finale
It was a total team effort by England led by stand-in skipper Jos Buttler as the trounced Pakistan, who gave up rather easily and timidly. The 45 runs victory by the hosts in their maiden T20I game at Headingley, Leeds would mean that they head to Old Trafford with renewed energy and a chance to win the series which stands at 1-1. Chasing a target of 200, Pakistan had a reasonably good start getting to 50 in the sixth over. However, one shot too many by Babar Azam meant that he was caught at short covers by Dawid Malan off the bowling of Saqib Mahmood on the fourth delivery of the last over of the powerplay. As soon as he was gone, Pakistan seemed to lose the lot as Sohaib Maqsood departed soon after, getting stumped off an Adil Rashid leg spinner which turned just a bit to deceive him. At 71-2 in the ninth over and with Mohammad Rizwan at the crease, the visitors still fancied a fightback, but it wasn’t to be. They lost their next four wickets in a span of 21 balls and 23 runs, slipping to 105-6 at the end of the 14th over. Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan tried to hit as many runs as possible but it was never going to be a problem for the English side as they eventually beat Pakistan by 45 runs. Rizwan top-scored with 37 while Shadab remained unbeaten at 36. For the Three Lions, Mahmood took three wickets while both Moeen and Rashid pick two each. Earlier in the day, it was a bizarre decision by Pakistan to ask England to bat first after winning the toss, given the fact that they won the last game batting first and the wicket was to assist spinners as the day passed. Nevertheless asked to bat, England couldn’t get off to a flier as Roy was removed in the very first over. Malan went out soon as well and it was then that the onslaught from Moon and Buttlerbegan as the pair added 67 in just 31 balls. While Moeen gout out for a 16 balls 36, Buttler carried on his merry ways joined by Livingstone. The former hit a fifty and got out on 59 from 39 while the latter hit enormous sixes for his 23 ball 38. Courtesy of these innings the men in Red and Blue Managed to get to 200 even after getting all out in the 20th over. Moeen was adjudged Man of the Match for his all-around efforts.
The Hundred | Team Preview - Not favourites, but Manchester Originals capable of springing surprise
It’s an altogether new format of cricket that the England and Wales Cricket Board aim to garner success with. The inaugural season of The Hundred would kick off from July 21 with the first match taking place between the women’s sides of Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval in London. While the competition in itself is so raw and people are grabbing every chance possible to be able to read and know about the rules of the game, that the buzz seemed to be have been created around the 100 balls, 10 balls from one end competition. There are many other rule changes and all of which you can find here. The main focus of this piece is to get you one on one with the Manchester Originals squad and why they pose a serious threat to the title, even after not being the top contenders to win it. Manchester Originals Men's squad England centrally-contracted Test players: Jos Buttler Overseas players: Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Colin Munro (New Zealand) Rest of squad: Joe Clarke, Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson, Jamie Overton, Tom Lammonby, Steven Finn, Colin Ackermann, Richard Gleeson, Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Sam Hain, Fred Klaassen Coach: Simon Katich Ferguson, Brathwaite and Robinson hold key to Originals' success The first name on the squad list is England Vice-Captain in Limited Overs’ Jos Buttler and yet New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson, West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite and England’s newest sensation, Ollier Robinson are being termed as the core of the team. It is mainly because Buttler’s availability full time is at risk due to his international engagements for the India Test series. With the Covid-19 once spreading its wings once again, Buttler and other England probable 15s wouldn’t be allowed to be a part of the Hundred. The players would be forced to leave the tournament around July 31, to switch to the Eng vs Ind bio-bubble, hence missing out on the major chunk of the 100-ball tournament. Coming back to the trio, on their day, they can blank any team and we have already seen that with Brathwaite’s ‘Remember the Name’ heroics in the T20 World Cup 2016 Final, Ferguson’s 2019 World Cup outing and Robinson’s approach in the debut Test series against New Zealand this summer. To back up their abilities, they have the numbers behind their back as well. With 1800 runs and 192 wickets in 204 T20 games, Brathwaite is nearing a rare double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets in T20 and would join his Caribbean teammates Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo among a few others. Ferguson on the other hand also has impressive figures for a 71-match career. Not only can he bowl with great speed, but is also economical considering his economy rate of 7.52 for the 77 wickets that he has taken. And if hattrick in the Roses game in the Blast is anything to go by, the Kiwi could be a real asset for Originals and a great threat to the opposition. As far as Robinson is concerned, he has had a very young career for a 20 over format with only 47 games to his credit and only 44 wickets in them while he hasn’t really been able to get much of a chance with the bat. But now, he has something to prove, and show to the world that he is more than just some miscreants tweets. The stage is set for him to go and express himself. Bowling depth is an advantage The Originals have a great bowling depth with the likes of Steven Finn, Richard Gleeson, Fred Klaassen, Jamie Overton, Matt Parkinson and Tom Hartley supporting the original trio discussed above. While Parkinson has been in a terrific form and got the richly deserved national call up, Hartley is a young apprentice at work, learning the tricks of the trades with his slow left-arm orthodox. It however doesn’t end here as the team has batting all-rounders in the form of Colin Ackerman and young Tom Lammonby. The depth is just not in terms of numbers but the guys like Finn, Gleeson and Klaasen have got a significant amount of experience playing the game. The spinners might be young but are equally effective if not more in a 100 ball game set up where batsmen would look to get after them. Batting: The loose end in Originals' string The lack of a centrally contracted English player in the squad is one thing, the other major roadblock is the lack of attacking finishers. While Phil Slat and Colin Munro could provide a rapid-fire start, but in the case they don’t score big, the likes of Ackerman, Lammonby and Sam Hain, along with Joe Clarke and Overton come under the pump against quality international stature bowling attack. Though Clarke and Hain have a lot of T20 experience, how well they could utilise it is to be seen and judged. Chances of a shot at the title The first season winners are always remembered, be it Rajasthan Royals in IPL, India at T20 World Cup and West Indies in the 50 over World Cup. And who wouldn’t want to win the inaugural season? The team from Old Trafford would be banking on its players to deliver, but on paper, against other sides with established faces in their account, a championship win would be a surprise, a delightful one at that too, much like that of the Rajasthan Royals, India and West Indies in their inaugural championships, when no one backed them to win, but they did it nevertheless. Probable Playing XI Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Colin Munro (New Zealand), Phil Salt, Sam Hain, Tom Lammonby, Colin Ackermann, Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Matt Parkinson Manchester Originals Women Squad Kate Cross (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Danielle Collins, Alice Dyson, Cordelia Griffith, Hannah Jones, Georgie Boyce, Natalie Brown, Ellie Threlkeld, Alex Hartley, Emma Lamb, Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Jackson Coach: Paul Shaw Overseas stars matter a lot The Originals’ women squad has some of the best-known stars in the limited-overs department. It includes the likes of India Women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, former South Africa Women skipper in Lizelle Lee and a power-hitting batter and former captain, also from South Africa in Mignon du Preez. All these women have got huge numbers behind them. While Lee has played 78 WT20Is, Harmanpreet has an experience of 116 T20Is, and du Preez a 108 to her kitty. With such a huge amount of experience by their side and runs in their bag, the trio, if fit and in form could be the lone deciding factor for the Original’s claim at the inaugural title. The English stars in the side In the ongoing series against India Women, Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross have been two of the outstanding performers and both these ladies form the part of the Orioginals’ bowling squad. They would be joined by another England international in Alex Hartley. The three of them among them have 232 international wickets for England Women and an experience of 17 years of international cricket. Thus combined with the overseas professionals’ batting and English internationals’ bowling, the team sets up a very formidable unit. Decent domestic talent Eleanor Threlkeld, the wicket-keeper batter has had the biggest hype among domestic stars getting into The Hundred. She has had a good season with the Thunder scoring a decent amount of runs and being electric behind the wicket. Another Thunder player that has had an impressive domestic season in Rachael Hay-Hoe Flint and Charlotte Edwards Trophy is Natalie Brown. The all-rounder has hit a fifty and a few thirties along with taking a wicket or two in every game that she has played. Along with these stars, there are little less known, but experienced campaigners Cordellia Griffith, Emma Lamb, Laura Jackson and Hannah Jones, all of whom have been in great touch in the recent past and would make it to the XI and try and pull it home in the inaugural season for Manchester Originals. Chances of winning the title If asked, who among the two Manchester sides have the better chances of winning the title, undoubtedly it would be the Women’s side with such a balanced and experienced unit. Probable Playing XI Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Emma Lamb, Harmanpreet Kaur (India), Mignon du Preez (South Africa), Ellie Threlkeld, Cordelia Griffith, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross (captain), Laura Jackson, Alex Hartley, Hannah Jones
Watch: Matt Parkinson achieves maximum turn by any England spinner to castle Imam-ul-Haq
Just when Pakistan were on course for a big score on the board with a flourishing partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and captain Babar Azam, leg spinner Matt Parkinson produced an absolute beauty to dismiss the left-hander to give England a much-needed breakthrough. Imam was well set after reaching his fifty but the rough outside his off-stump was providing enough assistance to the leg spinner. Parkinson gave the wicket ball a lit more air and drew the batsman to play a drive and found just enough turn to sneak through between his pad and the bat. After facing big defeats in the first two ODIs, Pakistan got back in the groove with the top order batsmen coming to their best. Imam batted with control while Babar Azam batted with sublime timing to reach another century in ODIs. Pakistan were under pressure and they were jolted early once again when Saqib Mahmood found the outside edge of Fakhar Zaman’s bat when the left-hander tried to force him through the off side of his backfoot. Pakistan have reached 237 runs by the end of the 40th over on the back of a century from Babar Azam and counterattacking half-century from Mohammad Rizwan. On the other hand, England bowlers could not replicate their success from the first two games of the series and none apart from Mahmood and Parkinson could provide Ben Stokes breakthroughs.
Surprised Ben Stokes commends 'talented' squad for 'incredible achievement' against Pakistan
England stand-in skipper Ben Stokes is delighted that the fringe players who have made their way into the ODI side only after the first-choice players were ruled due to the Covid-19 crisis have been absolutely unfazed by the occasion of international cricket. He said that players coming from county cricket have bought into the ideas of playing a certain brand f cricket and have not made it look like a different team at all apart from the change in personnel. "With how vocal we have been in the media about how we want to play, I think players see that, read that and come in and buy into the mindset we have as a white-ball group. Everyone who has come into this squad has lived up to the reputation and mindset we have as an England team. It's different personnel but everyone has tried to play in the way we want,” Stokes said ahead of the final ODI of the series against Pakistan. "It's so pleasing to have a group of young players coming from county cricket and straight into international cricket and not let the occasion faze them whatsoever. I think how vocal we have been has definitely rubbed off onto the guys that have come in." Stokes conceded that he has been pleasantly surprised by the level of performances the players have put in the two ODIs against India although he always knew the squad that was picked at the last moment for the series against Pakistan would be a ‘strong and talented’ squad. He said that the attitude of players have established that the fearless approach that the England side have employed in the last four or five years have been received well by the players in the county circuit. "When I looked at the squad I thought that even though it was a last-minute thing, it was still a seriously strong and talented squad. I knew that we would be able to compete against Pakistan - but it would be a lie to say I am not surprised at how easily we have managed to do it,” Stokes said. "I think it's a reflection of the mindset England has when it comes to white-ball cricket - the modern way of playing is to go out and express yourselves, not worry about the occasion and be fearless. He credited the players for an ‘incredible achievement’ against a ‘very experienced’ Pakistan side in only two matches and rated players’ performance to turn things around in quick time a real positive for the overall state of England cricket. “A great thing to come out of the series is inexperienced guys performing on the biggest stage against a very experienced Pakistan side. To take the series two games in is massive credit to the team. With such a tight turnaround to get a group of players together, to be able to put all that to one side and put in the performances have done, is an incredible achievement,” Stokes added. “When you have a re-jig, a whole new squad comes in and puts in such good performances, that only adds to the expectations that get put onto the main guys' shoulders when they come back." Ben Stokes had injured his hand in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League and missed the Test series against New Zealand at the start of the summer. However, he was rushed to return to England side as the leader of the pack in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis in the camp.