Akeem Jordan.
Spirited late spells from pacers Akeem Jordan and Keon Harding helped the Barbados Pride set up an interesting final day of play on Saturday against the Guyana Harpy Eagles in their first round West Indies Championship fixture at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua.
Friday’s day four started with the Pride’s overnight pair of Shamarh Brooks and Keon Harding adding a further 54 runs to their overnight 105-3 before Harding was dismissed by Veerasammy Permaul for 24 in the 63rd over.
That wicket brought Nicholas Kirton to the crease but he did not last long before getting dismissed by Kevin Sinclair for two in the 66th over.
Brooks and new batsman Shemar Springer took the Pride to lunch without the loss of any more wickets, finishing 166-5 off 67 overs with Brooks on 47 and Springer yet to get off the mark.
Brooks brought up his fifty shortly after lunch but failed to kick on, being dismissed by Permaul for 51 with the score on 178 in the 71st over.
It quickly became 178-7 after Sinclair removed Akeem Jordan for a duck.
The Pride only batted with 10 as captain Shane Dowrich was unable to bat.
Springer made a crucial 35 not out as Chaim Holder (13) and Jair McAllister (2) both fell as the Pride ended their innings 220-9 off 91.2 overs, trailing Guyana by 151 runs.
Veerasammy Permaul finished with 4-53 from 26.2 overs while Kevin Sinclair took 3-65 in his 24 overs.
The beginning of the Harpy Eagles’ second innings was not ideal as Tevin Imlach was dismissed by Jair McAllister for a duck in just the second over with the score on three.
The tight opening spells by McAllister and Jordan paid dividends when Jordan trapped Kemol Savory in front for a duck in the seventh over to leave the Harpy Eagles 4-2.
First innings centurion Matthew Nandu was then joined by captain Leon Johnson and the pair added some respectability to the total with a 38-run partnership before Johnson became Keon Harding’s first victim for 12 in the 17th over.
Next it was Shemar Springer’s turn to get in on the fun, dismissing Anthony Bramble for one to leave the Guyanese reeling at 49-4 in the 20th over.
Kevin Sinclair also failed to significantly trouble the scorers before he became Harding’s second victim, falling for one in the 23rd over.
The 25th over saw wicket number six fall as Nandu was removed by Harding for a 77-ball 16.
Three overs later, Chanderpaul Hemraj went caught behind off the bowling of Akeem Jordan for 15.
Shamar Joseph became Jordan’s third wicket, going for four in the 32nd over to leave the score at 90-8.
The Harpy Eagles ended the day 91-8 off 33 overs with Permaul (11) and Nial Smith (0) at the crease. They have a lead of 242 runs heading into day four.
Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 371 off 121.1 overs (Matthew Nandu 126, Kevin Sinclair 43, Veerasammy Permaul 37, Jair McAllister 3-43, Chaim Holder 3-72) and 91-8 off 33 overs (Matthew Nandu 16, Akeem Jordan 3-18, Keon Harding 3-37)
Barbados Pride 220-9 off 91.2 overs (Sheyne Moseley 65, Shamarh Brooks 51, Shemar Springer 35*, Veerasammy Permaul 4-53, Kevin Sinclair 3-65, Shamar Joseph 2-33)
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Stop Clock trial to get underway from opening West Indies vs England T20I
In its ongoing efforts to speed up the pace of play in international cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced a stop clock, on a trial basis, in Full Member Men’s ODI and T20I matches (approximately 59 fixtures) between December 2023 and April 2024.
The trial will start with the first T20I match between the West Indies and England on 12 December in Barbados.
The stop clock will restrict the amount of time taken between overs, meaning that the bowling team will need to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. Failure to do so for the third time in an innings (following two warnings) will result in a five-run penalty being imposed against the fielding team.
Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager – Cricket said: “We are continually looking at ways to speed up the pace of play across international cricket.
“The stop clock trial in white ball international cricket follows the introduction of a successful new playing condition in 2022, which resulted in the fielding team only being allowed four fielders outside of the inner circle if they were not in a position to bowl the first ball of their final over in the stipulated time.
“The outcomes of the stop clock trial will be assessed at the end of the trial period.”
Rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir handed shock call-up for England tour of India
Shoaib Bashir – a rookie spinner with “world class” potential – has been handed a shock call-up for England’s new year Test tour of India, just six months after making his first-class debut for Somerset.
The 20-year-old off-spinner only made his LV= Insurance County Championship bow in June but has been fast-tracked to the very highest level after just six senior red-ball appearances.
Bashir’s track record is wafer thin – with 10 wickets to his name at an average of 67 – but he impressed on a recent England Lions training camp in the United Arab Emirates and will travel as one of three uncapped players in a 16-strong squad.
The others, Lancashire’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey quick Gus Atkinson, have represented their country in white-ball cricket and were fancied to make the five-match trip.
Director of men’s cricket Rob Key heads the selection panel that made a similar call 12 months ago when drafting 18-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed for the tour of Pakistan.
Ahmed, who also travels as one of four frontline slow bowlers, went on to take a five-wicket haul on debut in Karachi and Key insists investing in promising individuals is the correct course – particularly in a discipline that is notoriously under-served by the domestic game.
“Life is always about how good someone’s good is, not how bad their bad is,” he said.
“He’s very raw – he’s going for experience as much as anyone else, albeit we won’t be afraid to play him if required. This is the start of his journey, where we will hopefully see a world-class spinner in the future.
“He’s got one of the higher release points in the game, he just looks like everything that you see in a classical off-spinner: a bit of real craft, a bit of real guile and a decent character as well.
“It can be different if you’re bowling at Virat Kohli out in India in front of 50,000 people but we feel like his character is very solid and he looks like his ceiling is very high.
“It’s very hard, especially for spinners in English cricket to judge them on their numbers as such. You’re not going to expect your spinner to average 24 with the ball in county cricket, you’re trying to see something else and back their character. You want to see how the ball comes out of their hand and make those judgements. You’re going more to the art of selection, rather than the science of selection.”
England may need to continue thinking creatively when it comes to balancing their XI in India, with Key admitting there is next to no chance of captain Ben Stokes being able to bowl so soon after surgery on a longstanding left-knee issue.
Stokes is currently recovering and, while hopes are high he will be ready for the first Test on January 25 in Hyderabad, it will be as a specialist batter.
“The surgery has been a success and we expect him to be fit but we are not expecting him to be able to bowl at that point,” said Key.
“We never had him down to be bowling in India. We won’t try to rush through it. It does make it trickier but, as long as you know that, you can come up with a plan.”
Senior spinner Jack Leach is fit again after a stress fracture of the back saw him miss last summer’s Ashes series, but Chris Woakes drops out following his player-of-the-series efforts against Australia and may have played his last overseas Test.
Hartley, a tall left-armer who England feel can cause problems by spearing the ball quickly into the pitch, has effectively been selected over the more experienced Liam Dawson.
The Hampshire veteran was touted for a possible return after an excellent domestic season but has been left to pursue franchise opportunities. Will Jacks, the big-hitting Surrey all-rounder currently on England white-ball duty in the Caribbean, has also been left out and will take up T20 deals over the winter.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes travels despite losing the gloves to Jonny Bairstow against Australia and could be a strong candidate to break back into the first choice XI given the importance of the role in the sub-continent.
With Stuart Broad retired, there are four fast bowlers chosen: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson.
England squad for Test tour of India: B Stokes (c), R Ahmed, J Anderson, G Atkinson, J Bairstow (wkt), S Bashir, H Brook, Z Crawley, B Duckett, B Foakes (wkt), T Hartley, J Leach, O Pope, O Robinson, J Root, M Wood.
Rob Key and England hand shock call-up to spinner Shoaib Bashir
Rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir has been handed a shock call-up for England’s new year Test tour of India, just six months after making his first-class debut for Somerset.
The 20-year-old off-spinner has made just six senior red-ball appearances, taking 10 wickets at an average of 67, but earned a spot on a recent England Lions training camp in the United Arab Emirates and impressed enough to be fast-tracked into the main squad.
Bashir is one of three uncapped players in a 16-strong group, though Lancashire’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and Surrey quick Gus Atkinson have represented their country in white-ball cricket and were fancied to make the trip.
Bashir represents a much bolder choice, having only broken into Somerset’s LV= Insurance County Championship side for the first time in June.
Speaking to the Somerset website just a matter of weeks ago, he suggested his had not even expected to be involved with the Lions this winter.
“When I got the call, I was very surprised,” he said.
“I’m very grateful to get this opportunity and I’m excited to get started. I’m just going to keep working hard, learning and making the most of opportunities like this.”
England’s selection panel, headed by director of cricket Rob Key, made a similar call this time last year when they drafted teenager Rehan Ahmed for the tour of Pakistan. He went on to become the country’s youngest male Test cricketer at just 18 and took five wickets on debut in Karachi.
Fresh from an encouraging ODI series in the Caribbean, leg-spinner Ahmed returns to the Test squad as part of a slow-bowling group led by Jack Leach. Leach is fit again after a stress fracture of the back saw him miss last summer’s Ashes series.
The experienced left-armer Liam Dawson, who had been tipped for a potential recall after an impressive season for Hampshire, was not included. Both he and talented Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks missed out on the recent batch of central contracts and have pursued franchise contracts over the winter.
England begin the first of five games against India in Hyderabad on January 25 following a training week in the UAE. Ben Stokes is hoping to be fit to lead the side but is currently in rehabilitation having undergone surgery on his longstanding left knee injury.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes travels despite losing the gloves to Jonny Bairstow against Australia and could be a strong candidate to break back into the first choice XI given the importance of the role in the sub-continent.
With Stuart Broad retired, there are four fast bowlers chosen: James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Atkinson.
England squad for Test tour of India: B Stokes (c), R Ahmed, J Anderson, G Atkinson, J Bairstow (wkt), S Bashir, H Brook, Z Crawley, B Duckett, B Foakes (wkt), T Hartley, J Leach, O Pope, O Robinson, J Root, M Wood.
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