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The legendary Portuguese helped his side piece together a quite remarkable run of results, but they're still well adrift of the runaway leaders

Cristiano Ronaldo just could not let it lie. It had been an especially bad-tempered game, with the Al-Nassr star clashing with a play-acting opponent, seeing two goals disallowed for marginal offside calls and also being clattered by Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou without a penalty being given.

And with Ronaldo quietly simmering after all this misfortune compounded a disappointing 3-0 defeat for his side, he was drawn into a fiery argument with Al-Hilal chairman Fahad Bin Nafel en route down the tunnel.

Eventually, he did trudge back to the dressing room. Once there, he would have reflected on the result and his side's season so far, likely concluding that his dream of lifting a first Saudi Pro League title may already be out of reach – less than halfway into the 2023-24 season.

GettyResponding to early setbacks

The incredible run Al-Nassr had been on prior to that comprehensive, albeit controversial, Al-Hilal defeat will have only led to the result hurting more. After lifting the Arab Club Champions Cup in the summer, they started their Pro League campaign horrendously, falling to damaging defeats against Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq and plucky underdogs Al-Taawoun in their opening two games.

However, since then, Luis Castro's side have been near perfect, both in the league and in various cup competitions. After that early-season blip, they pieced together a 10-game winning run, a period that included two AFC Champions League group-stage triumphs and a dramatic 4-3 victory against fellow state-owned side Al-Ahli.

The wind was taken out of their sails somewhat when they were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by lowly Abha at the beginning of October, but once again Al-Nassr responded superbly, winning their next eight matches in all competitions.

AdvertisementGettyRonaldo has been absolutely key

Right at the heart of this recovery has been Ronaldo. Before the season properly got going, he had already helped his team claim the Arab Club Champions Cup, netting twice in the final as Al-Nassr overcame Al-Hilal 2-1 after extra-time.

His exploits in that victory resulted in Ronaldo missing the first game of the Pro League campaign through injury. He also did not look at his best during the Al-Taawoun loss, but this sluggishness was soon shaken off; the 38-year-old kick-started his side's season with a superb hat-trick against Al-Fateh on matchday three.

Ronaldo has used that performance as a platform to silence any critics who believe he's too old to score regularly. Since that treble, he's failed to net in just three of the following 12 Pro League games, also grabbing a vital brace in a Champions League victory over Al-Duhail.

It's not just the goals that have been important either. As Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro revealed earlier this season, his leadership role is also vital. "He has a lot of focus on everyday football. He transmits a contagious energy to the game and to his team-mates. The day-to-day training, recovery, is fantastic," Castro said back in August.

"He is a captain for what he does every second of his day. Food, rest, hours of sleep, it's total control of his body. On the field, he is that player. He can go to his own limits."

GettyFalling short

One of the only players who has managed to hold onto the in-form Ronaldo's coat tails in the Pro League scoring charts is Aleksandar Mitrovic. And, fittingly, it was the Al-Hilal talisman who ended up dealing his main rival for the Golden Boot a major blow in the title race last Friday.

Things were delicately poised heading into the contest – Ronaldo and Co hovering menacingly just four points behind the table-toppers. But it just didn't happen for Al-Nassr. They had no issue dominating the ball, racking up 64 percent possession, but were disrupted by Jorge Jesus' physical side who committed no less than 20 fouls during the game.

Ronaldo, in particular, had a tough time against veteran defensive bruiser Ali Al-Bulayhi, who gave Lionel Messi similar treatment when Saudi Arabia shocked Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. He eventually had enough, angrily confronting the centre-back with some assistance from Sadio Mane just before Albulayhi was shown a very late red card.

His tormentor picking up a suspension will have done little to cushion the blow of the defeat, though. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put Al-Hilal in front with a perfectly-timed glanced header midway through the second half, before his Serbian compatriot Mitrovic outjumped several opposing players to make it 2-0. The former Fulham man then put the icing on the cake with a well-taken second two minutes into stoppage-time.

It was a serious blow for Al-Nassr. Although 3-0 was probably not a completely fair reflection of the contest, Ronaldo was never truly in the game, while his partner in crime Anderson Talisca had a rare off day in front of goal, taking seven shots with a combined value of 0.74 xG without making the net bulge. Mane, too, was not at his best.

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Getty ImagesNo Neymar, no problem

Al-Nassr's deflation could not contrast more with the sheer elation witnessed in the Al-Hilal dressing room at full-time. The victory put them seven points clear at the Pro League summit, still unbeaten and having scored the most goals while conceding the least.

In the aftermath of their derby-day win, a video emerged on social media of club chairman Nafel promising the squad a bonus for their efforts, a gesture that was greeted with unbridled joy, particularly by the lower earners in the squad like Al-Bulayhi who have been so critical to their runaway success.

While they were always expected to do well after a wild summer that saw the likes of Malcom, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly make the move to Riyadh, the sheer ease with which they have been able to pull away from their rivals has been surprising – particularly after they were handed a potentially season-derailing blow back in October.

It's worth remembering that Al-Hilal's almost-flawless Pro League record has been achieved without their marquee signing, Neymar, who suffered a nasty ACL injury while on international duty in the autumn.

Jesus' side have not let this bad fortune knock them off course, though. Experienced Pro League operator and captain Salem Al-Dawsari has simply stepped up to the plate, scoring seven times and providing two assists from the left-forward berth that the Brazilian would have been pencilled in for during transfer negotiations.

Mitrovic has also repaid Al-Hilal for their persistence with a killer touch in front of goal. For a long while, it seemed like the 29-year-old would be staying at Fulham, but the Saudi side refused to admit defeat and they've been rewarded with the striker turning out to be the smartest signing of the league's entire summer transfer window amid some stiff competition.

The ICC and Sri Lanka Cricket are closer to overcoming their stand-off after ICC made a conditional commitment to release further funds to SLC

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-May-2015The ICC and Sri Lanka Cricket are closer to overcoming their stand-off after the ICC made a conditional commitment to release further funds to SLC, while Sri Lanka’s sports minister pledged to hold board elections in January next year, SLC officials have said.Though the ICC has said it will release enough of the escrowed funds to ensure SLC can function as normal, they have maintained that SLC does not have voting rights at the ICC at present – a stance which SLC is protesting. The latest discussions were held in Dubai last week, at a meeting sports minister Navin Dissanayake and interim committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny described as “cordial”.”The ICC have agreed to release the funds on a certain basis,” Wettimuny said. “They said they do not want to jeopardise Sri Lanka Cricket in any way. They wanted to find out what our financial requirements are until the end of the year, and they’ll look at those cashflows and release the funds.”The ICC had already agreed to release 2.5% of the escrowed amount ten days prior to this latest meeting.Minister Dissanayake had previously suggested the interim committee would run cricket for one year, but a commitment to hold elections sooner appears to have come partly as a result of last week’s meeting with the ICC.”Some headway has been made with regard to resolving the concerns of the ICC and the minister and officials of the SLC interim committee are confident that the concerns of the ICC vis-a-vis SLC will be fully resolved in the very near future,” a sports ministry release said.However, it may be some time before SLC’s rights are reinstated at the ICC. In April, SLC treasurer Nuski Mohamed had been asked to leave an ICC board meeting, after he refused to attend it purely as an observer. SLC’s role at the ICC may be similarly diminished for some time, though discussions are ongoing.”There is absolutely no doubt about our full membership – that’s not in question,” Wettimuny said. “The only thing is, as an interim committee, because their constitution has changed, they think that we’ll need to come in as just an observer. We told them that that is not in their constitution to do that. There is a dialogue going on. There is nothing drastically out of order.”Wettimuny reiterated that progress was being made between the two administrative bodies.”We had a very cordial meeting with the ICC. Their concerns stem from some stakeholders writing in and saying there was chaos and so on. The ICC had legitimate concerns. The minister explained why he had to appoint an interim committee. He said it was for a short time, and now he has said that our committee will be dissolved by January, after which he will go in for elections.”

The pace trio of Ashish Nehra, Parvinder Awana and Sumit Narwal hunted in a pack as Delhi walloped Vidarbha by an innings and 156 runs

The Report by Amit Shetty in Delhi16-Dec-2013
ScorecardThe pace trio of Ashish Nehra, Parvinder Awana and Sumit Narwal hunted in a pack as Delhi walloped Vidarbha by an innings and 156 runs. The win at Roshnara Club Ground earned Delhi seven points and kept them in contention for a quarter-final berth.Trailing by 360 runs after Delhi declared their first innings at their overnight score of 448 for 9, Vidarbha were shot out for 204 with each of Delhi’s three quicks taking three wickets. The main resistance came from opener Faiz Fazal, who extended his solid run this season with a stroke-filled 90.A Delhi win was a foregone conclusion as Vidarbha certainly don’t have the quality to survive two days on a seamer-friendly track but it was the ineptness of their top-order that will worry the visitors. Nehra with 3 for 66 wiped out the top-order before Awana (3/29) ran through the middle-order and Narwal (3/52) polished off the lower-order.The match started 50 minutes behind scheduled time due to fog. Once the proceedings began, Nehra started off from where he had left in the first innings as he trapped right-handed opener Akshay Kolhar leg before with a sharp incutter in the first over.In Nehra’s fifth over, left-hand batsman Ravi Jangid fished at an away going delivery which was neatly taken by Rahul Yadav.Before Vidarbha realised, Awana took the next three wickets to reduce them to 40 for 5 as another sub-100 score looked imminent.Awana bowled fast and straight, a tactic which provided dividends. Vidarbha captain Shalabh Srivastava was done in by a delivery that was bowled into his body and he was caught at Rajat Bhatia at short-leg.Rashmi Parida (1) committed early to a stroke and the reflex return catch was taken by the bowler. Four balls later, Ranjit Paradkar couldn’t get his bat down and the off stump went for a walk.Fazal decided to play positively and in the company of Urvesh Patel, he frustrated the Delhi bowlers for the next 33 overs. Since Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir kept an attacking field, the wide gaps in front of square helped Fazal to hit plenty of boundaries, especially as the outfield was a quick one.Finally it was Narwal who broke the partnership, even as the first signs of an afternoon fog set in. He bowled an effort ball that hurried Urvesh and the ball lobbed up for Unmukt Chand to take a simple catch running towards gully.Once the stand was broken, Vidarbha’s resistance also waned with another couple of wickets falling in quick succession.First, it was Amol Jungade, who became Nehra’s ninth victim of the match while Fazal’s dream of getting another century went up in smoke as he poked to an away-going delivery from Narwal. Fazal now has 665 runs in the season and will get another match to get past 700 runs as Vidarbha doesn’t have any chance of qualifying for the next round.There was some entertaining batting by Shrikant Wagh, who played a cameo hitting 44 off 33 balls with 10 boundaries — half of them were streaky edges and mishits.After Narwal removed No. 10 batsman Ravi Thakur, Wagh hit the bowler for four boundaries in an over. This prompted Gambhir to bring in Manhas who finished the match with his first delivery as Virender Sehwag took a nice diving catch at first slip.It will be interesting to see that whether Delhi players agree to play the last two matches at the Kotla. It is likely they will have to play the last match at Kotla as it is on New Years’ Eve and the Roshanara being a private club, the main turf is used for a gala party.

Shahzada Masoud, the advisor to the Afghanistan president on tribal affairs, has been named chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for an indefinite term

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2012Shahzada Masoud, the advisor to the Afghanistan president on tribal affairs, has been named chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) for an indefinite term. He takes over from another political figure, Omar Zakhilwal, who resigned from the board due to his commitments as the country’s minister of finance.Masoud had a stint as the ACB president six years ago, and since then cricket has progressed significantly. The team has qualified for two World Twenty20 tournaments and has gained Affiliate status with the ICC. At a press conference at the ACB headquarters in Kabul, he emphasised the need to have a strong relationship with the ICC and improve the facilities around the country.”We are hoping to be promoted as an (ICC) Associate member soon and that will be a good boost for us,” Masoud said. “The Afghanistan cricket team currently has a good reputation and I have assured a good relationship with the staff and will work as a unit for the improvement of Afghanistan cricket.”Afghanistan has no lengthy history in cricket but the game has gained a lot of popularity and it’s growing significantly. What’s required in the country is more grounds and facilities like setting up a national academy. I wish to build a strong relationship with the world cricket body as well as the other boards. The team has gained a good reputation and the future of cricket looks bright.”

Dav Whatmore and Julien Fountain have signed two-year contracts with the PCB as Pakistan coach and Pakistan fielding coach respectively

Umar Farooq in Lahore04-Mar-2012Dav Whatmore and Julien Fountain have signed two-year contracts with the PCB as Pakistan coach and Pakistan fielding coach respectively. Whatmore and Fountain had arrived in Lahore on March 2 but there had not been an official announcement regarding their appointment. On March 4, Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, and Intikhab Alam, the director of international cricket, formally announced that Whatmore and Fountain had been contracted by the board.”I wanted the best coaches in the world for my team and I gave the task of finding them to the committee appointed to select a coach,” Ashraf said at a press conference in Lahore. “They analysed all the candidates and they have found the best people for our team. I am happy to have Dav Whatmore and Julien Fountain as a part of our setup and hope they can ensure Pakistan always puts up fighting performances, whether we lose or win.”Whatmore, who has previously coached Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, has been linked with the Pakistan coaching job since December last year. Waqar Younis had quit the job after the tour of Zimbabwe in September and Pakistan were due to announce a coach after their tour of Bangladesh. However, the interim coach, Mohsin Khan, continued in the role for the England series. Meanwhile, Whatmore met with the PCB in January and has now been officially given the role of head coach. Fountain, who has been fielding coach of Bangladesh and worked with the PCB before, also met the PCB in January and travelled with Whatmore to Lahore on March 2.Whatmore said his goal was to bring some consistency to the team and do away with the poor performances. “We want to be consistent. We don’t want peaks and troughs,” Whatmore said. “We want the team to be at a good level for a long period. When we’re brilliant there will be peaks, but we want to still perform and win games when we’re not brilliant. We want to eliminate the bad performances. But you can’t do that by focusing on the result. You have to focus on the process.”The appointments come after Pakistan followed up their whitewash of England in the Test series in the UAE by losing 0-4 in the ODIs and 1-2 in the Twenty20 internationals. Whatmore said the performances had been disappointing but said he was more concerned with the future. “It was disappointing after the fantastic effort in the Tests. Everyone needs consistency and to at least put up a fight in games, even if you lose them. But I’m not looking too much at the past. We want to focus on what’s coming up keeping in mind what’s happened before.”Whatmore’s first assignment is the Asia Cup, a one-day tournament also featuring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He said Pakistan would need to select different teams for all three formats. Whatmore also made clear that though the eventual goal was to take Pakistan to the top of the rankings in all formats, it would take time.”At the minute the team is ranked six [Pakistan are fifth in Tests and sixth in ODIs in the ICC rankings], so it will take time to get them to the top. To achieve anything you have to take small steps. We are focussed on those steps now rather than the ultimate goal.Whatmore and Fountain have visited the National Cricket Academy in Lahore where former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz is working with the national team’s bowlers.Whatmore is set to cover the batting department for Pakistan while Fountain will concentrate on fielding. Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, had been lined up to form the trio but he opted to become coach of UAE. The PCB has said it will advertise to fill the position of bowling coach but will not rush into a decision.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

On a rain-hit day in Canberra, the Indians’ top order did not make use of what could be their last chance to bat in a competitive match ahead of Boxing Day

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2011
ScorecardVirender Sehwag was out cheaply on a rainy day•Getty ImagesOn a rain-hit day in Canberra, the Indian top-order batsmen did not make use of what could be their last chance to bat in a competitive match ahead of the Boxing Day Test. They slipped to 4 for 84 against the CA Chairman’s XI, after play had begun two hours and 40 minutes late, before a positive partnership between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma steadied the innings.Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were rested for this tour match, while Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan were included in the thirteen after sitting out of the first game. Ishant Sharma, whose fitness is still doubtful, also missed out.After choosing to bat on a gloomy day – there was an interruption for bad light soon after the play finally began – the Indians lost Sehwag for a run-a-ball 12, caught off the bowling of Peter George. Gautam Gambhir, like he had in the first tour game, fell after getting a start. He was bowled for 24 by Jason Behrendorff, who was the most economical of the Chairman XI bowlers with figures of 1 for 8 in nine overs. Ajinkya Rahane, India’s reserve opener on the tour, also failed for the second time in two innings, and when he and Gambhir were dismissed in quick succession India had crawled to 3 for 53 in 21 overs.VVS Laxman showed signs of repairing the innings with Virat Kohli. Laxman struck a couple of fours – including a well-timed on drive – before missing one from left-arm spinner Jon Holland while trying to work it to the leg side. Holland had replaced Doug Bollinger from the Telopea Park end, after the fast bowler – who’s looking to work his way back into Australia’s Test team – had failed to pick up a wicket.Rohit Sharma was dropped first ball at short leg, after pushing at a delivery. Kolhi, who’s in a race with Rohit for the No. 6 spot in India’s batting line-up, counterattacked. He too had a bit of luck early on, edging wide of the slip cordon, but he made the most of it, driving through the covers, pulling and punching down the ground for boundaries.Kohli brought up his fifty, and Rohit too began to show some aggression. He drove twice through the covers and lofted the ball over long-off to bring up India’s 150. The pair added 78 off 104 balls before stumps – though Rohit was dropped once again, by Usman Khawaja in the slip cordon off legspinner Cameron Boyce – to take the Indians to 4 for 162.The Chairman’s XI captain, David Warner, left the field a couple of times during the day to get treatment for a sore back, though it wasn’t deemed a serious problem.

The golden age of the overseas spinner may have passed, but The Oval remains as good a place as any for county twirlers to show off their skills

Tim Wigmore at The Oval16-Aug-2012
ScorecardMurali Kartik ran through the Middlesex middle order•Getty ImagesThe golden age of the overseas spinner may have passed, but The Oval remains as good a place as any for county twirlers to show off their skills. Pragyan Ojha proved as much last year, claiming ten wickets in Surrey’s final game of the season to secure promotion. Another Indian left-arm spinner, Murali Kartik, was signed with similar deeds in mind. After an underwhelming start to Surrey life that saw him omitted from their Championship game at Chester-le-Street last week, Kartik claimed his maiden Surrey five-wicket haul to turn around their contest with Middlesex.By the day’s close, Surrey were only two runs behind, with nine second innings wickets remaining. They must add at least another 180 tomorrow to give themselves a realistic chance of victory. Yet, given that Middlesex started the day just 45 runs behind with nine first innings wickets in hand, Surrey’s relief that a long day of leather chasing did not transpire must be overwhelming.That it did not owed much to Kartik, whose display suggested Surrey’s spin-dominated strategy may yet be vindicated. In picking two spinners while Middlesex’s leading spinner, Ollie Rayner, is injured, they made clear what sort of wicket they had in mind. After the ground staff emphatically delivered their part of the bargain, Surrey’s players found matters rather more difficult. Indeed, when Middlesex reached 164 for 3, already leading by 20, Surrey minds must have contemplated the grim prospect of relegation, especially as their next Championship match is a trip to Taunton.Bowling from the Vauxhall End for 18.4 overs unchanged, Kartik produced a spell of 5 for 42. With immaculate control, he varied his trajectory cannily. The highlight was the dismissal of Neil Dexter, deceived by a delivery that was given more air and superbly caught by Jason Roy diving to his left at slip. He also was aided by some rash shot selection, notably from Adam Rossington, who slapped a ball to cover after being kept on 0 for 15 minutes and 13 balls.However, Kartik received fine support from a Surrey attack that bore little resemblance to the innocuous, somewhat ragtag version on display on Wednesday evening. Jade Dernbach and Tim Linley claimed an early wicket apiece, taking advantage of movement in between some early showers. Linley would have been particularly relieved to have Joe Denly, who played a couple of sumptuous drives in his 17, caught behind with a fine delivery that left the batsman. Linley, who led Surrey’s promotion-winning attack last season in claiming 73 wickets at 18 apiece, had earlier suffered the ignominy of seeing Zander de Bruyn’s gentle swingers preferred at the start of the day.But Kartik’s main ally in Middlesex’s collapse of 6 for 24 was Gareth Batty, who bowled with his typical control and claimed debutant Andrew Balbirnie, whose 14 included two sparkling extra cover drives off Kartik, and Steven Crook in consecutive deliveries. Both were caught playing back, which is certainly not advisable on this wicket. Middlesex were showing again that their batting is too often over-reliant upon Chris Rogers: indeed, he was the only batsman to pass 31 in this innings.But, as is often the case, the batting collapse did not include the last wicket stand. Tim Murtagh, far too good a player to bat at number 11 in first-class cricket, slog-swept Batty over midwicket for six and played some powerful back-foot strokes to hit 26. By the time he was last man out, neatly caught by Rory Hamilton-Brown at midwicket to give Kartik his fifth wicket, he had added 44 with Toby Roland-Jones, doubling Middlesex’s lead in the process. When Jade Dernbach threw the stumps down with Roland-Jones well in his crease it provided a hint of how much the pair had infuriated Surrey.Yet by the end of the day they could reflect on a position of virtual parity. After Zafar Ansari was dismissed for a duck – edging behind to a probing delivery from Roland-Jones, which was superbly caught by Sam Robson’s dive from third slip – Surrey would have feared a repeat of their recent batting woes, especially with Arun Harinath surviving a close lbw shout from Roland-Jones first ball. However, he combined with Rory Burns to add an unbroken 73, marked by sensible accumulation. It is easy to see why there are such high hopes for Burns, whose skill manipulating the ball around the field and busy persona at the crease is almost reminiscent of Graham Thorpe.Although Middlesex were characteristically disciplined – save for five wides from Murtagh at the start of the innings – their bowling did not pose great threat once Roland-Jones’ exceptional opening burst, which read 7-4-6-1, had been seen off. While the spin of Tom Smith and Balbirnie was economical enough, it lacked the threat of Batty or Kartik. How Roland-Jones and Murtagh begin tomorrow will go far towards determining what kind of score Middlesex have to chase.

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, has said he needs more runs in Tests to “lead from the front” and is not as worried about his form in the shorter formats

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2013Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand captain, has said he needs more runs in Tests to “lead from the front” and is not as worried about his form in the shorter formats. McCullum’s last Test series was in Bangladesh, and he left the tour mid-way because of a back problem. He also missed the ongoing limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka to prepare for the home Tests against West Indies.In two Tests in Bangladesh, McCullum scored 54 runs in three innings. Prior to that, during the summer in England, he had managed only 31 runs in four innings. His last respectable scores were in the home series against England in March when he scored a fifty in each of the three Tests.”As captain I need more runs to have more impact with the message you’re delivering to the group,” McCullum told . “You always want to lead from the front. There’s huge pressure in the next few Tests, not just from the team point of view but the individual as well. I’ll certainly leave no stone unturned. Let’s see how I go and if it doesn’t work out we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”McCullum’s next opportunity in Tests is against West Indies in Dunedin from December 3. Before that, he will also lead New Zealand XI against West Indians in a three-day warm-up match starting on November 27 in Lincoln, having recovered from the injury that sent him home from Bangladesh.”Before I went to Bangladesh I was the fittest and strongest I’ve been and tested off the scales, and still managed to pick up an injury,” McCullum said. “There was complete and utter disappointment. I knew it wasn’t great. That last game [second ODI against Bangladesh], I played on pretty heavy painkillers and that’s not how the game is meant to be played. I was incapable of keeping and was running around like an old man. Knowing I had to leave the tour, leaving the boys behind, was the hardest thing.”McCullum also said he had felt soreness in his back while keeping in England, especially during the second Test in Leeds. “I blew my back out after about 53 overs when I reached to put a helmet down,” he said. “I’d love to still be keeping in Test cricket but it’s just not possible any more. I’m just lucky to be able to make the team as a batter, and some people question that, but I haven’t picked a team throughout my career.”McCullum was not happy to give up the gloves but he was realistic about how long he might have had in the game if he had not. “It’s something I’ve got to look at, and it’s not very nice when it’s what you’ve been doing it for a while. It might be either that [finish keeping] or give the game up,” he said. “People think I pick and choose [games to keep wickets] but it’s nothing to do with that. I’ve got a 60-year-old back and if I want to be able to lift my kids at 35 it’s something I’ve got to entertain.”For now, McCullum is focused on leading the side, scoring more runs and leaving the team in a better state than when he got it. “I believe in this group of players and want to make a difference,” McCullum said. “Just because I’ve had a few low scores hasn’t changed my thinking. I’m very determined to finish my career in a strong way and leave this team better than when I took over.”

“Buzzin” was Scott Borthwick’s stock description of how he felt at the end of four days of astute cricket from Durham that saw him take a career best 6 for 70 as Durham recorded their first ever win at The Oval.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at The Oval13-May-2013
ScorecardScott Borthwick took 8 for 92 in the match•Getty Images”Buzzin” was Scott Borthwick’s stock description of how he felt at the end of four days of astute cricket from Durham that saw him take a career-best 6 for 70 as Durham recorded their first ever win at The Oval.You would be hard-pressed to find anything in colloquial speech that could better describe him; a grin from ear to ear, head bobbing from side to front to side as he completed his post-match interviews in such a happy-go-lucky manner that made you appreciate how nice it is to see a talented young cricketer in the process of turning potential into quality – and a legspinner, no less. Enough to make you “buzz”.”It’s nice to bowl the overs and see the ball spin past the bat,” Borthwick remarked on day three here. It is a simple statement but one that must buoy any young English spinner trying to forge a first-class career. Here were two of them – Borthwick in the second innings and Ryan Buckley with his five wickets in the first – out-bowling two stalwarts with more than 400 first class games between them in Gareth Batty and Gary Keedy.Paul Collingwood admitted that he feared the worst when he lost the toss, not least because he was not truly aware of young Buckley’s strengths, having only faced him a handful of times in the nets. But he had full faith in his team’s dexterity and that, in essence, is what won them the game.”We’ve got a very versatile team” Collingwood said. “It was a big loss losing Stokes as a bowler so you’ve got to change the dynamics of the team around and bring in an extra seamer. It’s great when you’ve got someone like Scotty – he’s a genuine allrounder. He can bat at three, so you can be very versatile as a team depending on what the conditions are.”Batty was measured in defeat but unhappy at what he deemed were moments where his batsmen “self-destructed”.”A young fella did really well,” Batty said. “Ultimately did we get ragged out? I’m not entirely sure we did and I think we have to take that on the chin and say we’ve let ourselves down on a few occasions which allowed Durham to come back in. They’re a very good team and they punished us for that.”Gary Wilson and Batty did absolutely the right thing this morning, aiming to get value from every shot, either through good placement or hard running. Dawdling would only lead to panic. But having just taken Surrey past 200, they both fell in the space of three balls – Batty lbw to Buckley and Wilson caught by Collingwood at slip off the bowling of Borthwick – leaving Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley to take Surrey’s lead to 180. The innings came to a close when both presented Borthwick with two return catches, meaning 19 of the 30 wickets to go had fallen to spin.As such, Batty shared the new ball with Linley, as Durham were given a target of 181 for victory in just over two sessions. Linley redressed the balance of match wickets when he found some movement away from the right handed Will Smith to take the edge through to Steven Davies with the last ball of the first over.But that was the only casualty before lunch, as Stoneman and Borthwick looked comfortable going into the break on 39 for 1.The afternoon session started at a canter for Durham, as the pair continued – Borthwick this time playing the lead as he caught up with Stoneman by punishing anything short from Keedy. He put Linley over the rope for six and then took four from Batty to bring up his second half-century of the match. But Borthwick couldn’t follow – trapped in front by Batty, who nearly nabbed Stoneman when he drove wildly outside off that scorched the fingers of Jason Roy at slip.The introduction of Meaker livened things up as he caught Stoneman on the shoulder with a bouncer and then made a complete mess of his stumps with a searing yorker, and when Benkenstein was early into a shot off Linley – spooning it up to Batty at mid-off – Surrey sensed they were onto something.But only one further wicket fell – Collingwood bowled – providing Keedy with a wicket to give him match figures of 1 for 125 – before Ben Stokes finished things off with a brace of stylish fours.It’s now three wins in five for Durham this season and eight in the last 11 with Collingwood at the helm. Tipped by many for nothing more than a relegation scrap, they are now top of the table and playing some very smart cricket.

Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, has revealed she is in discussions to play men’s second XI county cricket later this year

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2013Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper, has revealed she is in discussions to play men’s second XI county cricket later this year.Taylor, who will shortly fly to India for the Women’s World Cup, is hoping to play for the Sussex second XI at some point during the 2013 season.Mark Lane, the England Women’s coach, has led the way in trying to secure Taylor a spot in a men’s team and the plan is for her to start with Birmingham League side Walmley. A number of the England women’s team play regular men’s club cricket.”Mark is looking at me getting some games with the second XI at Sussex and that will be just phenomenal cricket,” Taylor told the . “The plan is also for me to play some early season games for the MCC boys. Mark is trying to get me a lot of men’s cricket which can only help my game.”Taylor, 23, would target the longer form of limited-overs cricket where the difference in power would be more easily accommodated. One of the measurable differences between the women’s and men’s game is that it is played with a slightly smaller cricket ball.”There’s part of me doubting myself,” she said. “I’ve just got to start believing in myself a little bit more. But I would love to do it. It would be such a challenge – facing a bigger ball and bigger bowlers. But I’d have to look at myself after the second XI games and say: ‘Can you handle this?'”Taylor is regarded as one of the finest women cricketers of all time. She averages 39.42 from 71 one-day internationals including four hundreds and has a strike-rate of 112 from her 46 Twenty20s (the fifth-highest among players to have made 15 or more appearances) alongside an average of 32.94In 2011, Taylor’s England team-mate Arran Brindle became the first woman to score a hundred in men’s Premier League cricket as she hit 128 for Louth in the Lincolnshire League.