James Faulkner stars as Lancashire win T20 Blast final

August 30, 2015

London, Aug 30: Australia all-rounder James Faulkner capped an eventful couple of months by helping Lancashire to a 13-run win over Northamptonshire in the final of English domestic cricket`s Twenty20 Blast tournament at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Faulkner

Faulkner, man-of-the-match in Australia`s World Cup final win over New Zealand in Melbourne in March, was fined £10,000 ($15,650, 14,350 euros) and banned from driving for two years by an English court on August 5 after being found to be nearly three times over the legal alcohol limit when his car was involved in a minor collision with the back of another vehicle in Manchester.

Prior to that drink-drive punishment, Cricket Australia temporarily banned Faulkner for "conduct that is unbecoming of a representative", ruling him out of both last week`s one-day international against Ireland in Belfast and the upcoming white-ball matches against England, starting with Monday`s Twenty20 in Cardiff.

But the focus was back on the 25-year-old Faulkner`s cricket on Saturday as Lancashire, last season`s beaten finalists, ended a 16-year wait for a limited overs trophy.

The Tasmanian took two for 25, including both Northamptonshire openers David Willey and Richard Levi, and afterwards Lancashire coach Ashley Giles told Sky Sports: "(Faulkner has) a huge impact on the whole team. He`s been a pleasure to have around.

"His skills are undoubted and he loves these big occasions -- he just steps up and gets on with it," the former England left-arm spinner added.

Sent into bat, Lancashire made 166 for seven in their 20 overs, a total built on a 77-run opening stand between South Africa`s Ashwell Prince (43) and Alex Davies (47), who was named man-of-the-match.Pakistan star Shahid Afridi helped check Lancashire`s progress, the veteran all-rounder taking a superb three for 14 in a maximum four overs with his leg-spinners.

Meanwhile, Northampton-born Willey, set to leave his native side for county champions Yorkshire, saw his left-arm fast-medium bowling yield figures of two for 21.

Northamptonshire had stormed into finals day on the back of Willey`s blistering 40-ball hundred against Sussex -- the quickest Twenty20 century by an Englishman.

The way he struck Faulkner into the Eric Hollies Stand for six on Saturday hinted at similar heroics.

But Faulkner responded by removing Levi (16) and England limited overs all-rounder Willey (24) in the space of four balls, with the aid of catches at mid-off and mid-wicket respectively.

Josh Cobb (44 not out) and Afridi (26) revived Northamptonshire`s hopes with a rapid fifth-wicket stand of 52.

Afridi, nicknamed `Boom Boom` on account of his penchant for big-hitting, struck one huge six while another fierce hit straight back at Faulkner left the Australian needing to have his finger straightened out by a member of the Lancashire medical staff.

But Gavin Griffiths effectively ended Northamptonshire`s victory charge when he induced Afridi to hole out to Liam Livingstone in the deep.

"To win would have been a dream finish for me," said Willey. "As has been well documented, we`re a small club and we`ve overachieved so credit to the lads and backroom staff.

"Unfortunately we couldn`t get across the line."

The semi-finals saw Lancashire dismiss Hampshire for 115 in a six-wicket win, while Northamptonshire beat Edgbaston-based Warwickshire by five wickets, with Levi making 63 not out as they chased down a target of 132.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
July 31,2020

Hampshire, Jul 31: David Willey's maiden five-wicket haul guided England to a six-wicket victory over Ireland in the first ODI here on Friday.

With this win, the hosts have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Chasing a small target of 173 runs, England got off to a bad start as opener Jonny Bairstow was given LBW in the third over, bowled by Andy McBrine. Jason Roy was then joined by James Vince and the duo added 22 runs on the board before the former was dismissed.

Craig Young then got hold of Vince, who was caught behind after scoring 25 runs. Sam Billings and Tom Banton then took the charge of the chase but the latter too was caught behind which ended his 11-run innings.

Banton's dismissal brought skipper Eoin Morgan on the field. Billings and Morgan played stunning innings and kept scoring boundaries. Morgan struck a scintillating six on the last bowl of the 28th over to take England over the line. Morgan scored 36 runs while Billings played a knock of 67 runs.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Ireland witnessed a poor start as Paul Stirling was dismissed in the very first over of the innings, bowled by Willey. Andy Balbirnie then joined Gareth Delany but Willey struck again in his next over, removing Balbirnie.

Delany then played furiously and smashed three consecutive boundaries to Saqib Mahmood in the fourth over. However, the fall of wickets did not stop as England took three wickets in quick succession. Mahmood bowled Harry Tector while Delany and Lorcan Tucker were sent back to the pavilion by Willey.

Kevin O'Brien and Curtis Campher then took the charge and played cautiously, taking their struggling side over the 50-run mark. Adil Rashid got hold of O'Brien (22) in the 22nd over before Simranjit Singh was run out in the same over.

Andy McBrine was the next batsman and he played brilliantly along with Campher, who went on to complete his half-century. Both formed a 66-run partnership before McBrine (40) was dismissed by Tom Curran.

Campher remained unbeaten on 59 but failed to find a partner as England bundled out Ireland on 172 runs.

The second ODI between both teams will be played on Saturday.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 10,2020

New Delhi, May 10: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has proposed radical changes in the LBW laws, stating that a batsman should be given out leg before as long as the ball is hitting the stumps irrespective of the spot of its landing and impact.

Chappell also said captains should agree on one way of working up the ball which will encourage swing bowling, even as the ICC is considering the use of artificial substances to shine the ball instead of sweat and saliva in post-COVID-19 scenario.

"The new lbw law should simply say: 'Any delivery that strikes the pad without first hitting the bat and, in the umpire's opinion, would go on to hit the stumps is out regardless of whether or not a shot is attempted'," he wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

"Forget where the ball pitches and whether it strikes the pad outside the line or not; if it's going to hit the stumps, it's out."

The 76-year-old said the change in lbw law would attract expected criticism from the batsmen but it would make the game more fair.

"There will be screams of horror - particularly from pampered batsmen - but there are numerous positives this change would bring to the game. Most important is fairness.

"If a bowler is prepared to attack the stumps regularly, the batsman should only be able to protect his wicket with the bat. The pads are there to save the batsman from injury not dismissal.

"It would also force batsmen to seek an attacking method to combat a wristspinner pitching in the rough outside the right-hander's leg stump," said Chappell.

He cited Sachin Tendulkar's example on how he negotiated Shane Warne's round the wicket tactic during the 1997-98 Test series in India.

"Contrast Sachin Tendulkar's aggressive and successful approach to Shane Warne coming round the wicket in Chennai in 1997-98 with a batsman who kicks away deliveries pitching in the rough and turning in toward the stumps. Which would you rather watch?

"The current law encourages "pad play" to balls pitching outside leg while this change would force them to use their bat. The change would reward bowlers who attack the stumps and decrease the need for negative wide deliveries to a packed off-side field," he said.

Chappell said his proposed change to the lbw law would also cut down "frivolous" DRS challenges.

"This change to the lbw law would also simplify umpiring and result in fewer frivolous DRS challenges. Consequently, it would speed up a game that has slowed drastically in recent times.

"It would also make four-day Tests an even more viable proposition as mind-numbing huge first-innings totals would be virtually non-existent."

On the substitute of shining the ball without sweat and saliva, Chappell said international captains should find out a way of working up the ball.

"With ball-tampering always a hot topic, in the past I've suggested that administrators ask international captains to construct a list (i.e. the use of natural substances) detailing the things bowlers feel will help them to swing the ball.

"From this list, the administrators should deem one method to be legal with all others being punishable as illegal," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 29,2020

Feb 29: India were all out for 242 in their first innings following a stunning battling collapse, triggered by paceman Kyle Jamieson on the opening day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval, here on Saturday.

India were steady at 194 for five at tea but lost wickets in quick succession after the play resumed. Jamieson returned figures of 14-3-45-5.

Hanuma Vihari top-scored for India with his combative 55 while Prithvi Shaw (54) and Cheteshwar Pujara (54) hit contrasting half-centuries.

Virat Kohli's (3) poor run continued while his deputy Ajikya Rahane (7) also fell cheaply.

India lost last five wickets for 48 runs, of which 26 were contributed by last-wicket pair of Mohammed Shami (16) and Jasprit Bumrah (10).

Brief Scores:

India 1st innings: 242 all out in 63 overs. (H Vihari 55, P Shaw 54, C Pujara 54 batting; Kyle Jamieson 5/45, Tim Southee 2/38, ).

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.