Hurrah! The last week in May and finally the bowlers have something to celebrate. With five counties collecting their 16-point win bonus, there were some major shifts in league positions, too, with Lancashire surging to the top of Division One, and non-playing Yorkshire slumping to mid-table.
For once, there was considerable competition for places in my Team of the Week, too. I can’t count the performances of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad but, while England were hammering another nail in the coffin of the five-day game, any number of counties were promoting the four-day format in all its glory.
Perhaps the best match was at the Rose Bowl, where Hampshire overcame Nottinghamshire by 69 runs. It probably didn’t help the visitors to lose star bowler Jake Ball to an England call-up mid-game, nor Chris Read to injury. However, despite nine wickets from Harry Gurney, it was the whirlwind sex machine, aka Tino Best, who did most to propel the hosts to victory on day four. Strangely the highest individual score was a mere 72!
Lancashire made short work of Surrey, with Alviro Petersen’s first hundred of the campaign and Kyle Jarvis capturing eleven wickets. Durham are just ten points behind them after despatching Warwickshire. Chris Woakes finished on the losing side despite claiming a magnificent 9-36. However, in mitigation he followed Jake Ball to the England camp before the second innings could begin. Instead, the final day bowling honours went to Durham’s James Weighell, although his own nine-wicket haul came at the expense of 130 runs.
At Lord’s, Middlesex and Somerset shook hands on each side’s sixth successive draw. Chris Rogers and Nick Gubbins swapped centuries, while James Hildreth and Peter Trego again stabilised Somerset’s batting. Trego seems to bowl less these days but two more fifties make him an invaluable asset at six or seven, especially as our new wicket-keeper can’t bat to save his life.
In the second tier, it was the bad old Leicestershire who turned up to Grace Road and face Worcestershire. Matt Henry and Joe Leach cut through their second innings batting like a hot knife through butter, dismissing them for 43 and leaving their own top-order a meagre total to chase, which they did for the loss of only three wickets.
At Derby, Shiv Thakor’s fine century and five-for were in vain, as Kent wrapped up another seven-wicket success. Sean Dickson ended a miserable run by amassing the week’s only double-century, and James Tredwell justified his four-day place with six scalps.
Gloucestershire must be licking their lips now that Michael Klinger has arrived at Bristol. He racked up 140 on his season debut, but it wasn’t enough to beat Northants, for whom Steven Crook found some form with the bat. Glamorgan kept leaders Essex at bay, thanks largely to Will Bragg, who followed a first-innings duck with a career-best 161 not out.
Next week, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Somerset can break their duck at home to Surrey. I just hope Mr Sangakkara doesn’t take a liking for the Taunton wicket! However, the Bank Holiday weekend heralds the War of the Roses at Headingley. Can Lancashire widen the gap over the champions?
In the promotion hunt, Essex travel to Northampton while Kent entertain Leicestershire, whose new-look batting line-up needs to forget this week’s second-innings horror show.
Team of the Week:
Dickson (Ken), Jennings (Dur), Bragg (Gla), Klinger (Glo), Davies (Lan +), Thakor (Der), Crook (Nor), Woakes (War), Jarvis (Lan), Weighell (Dur), Gurney (Not)
Showing posts with label Tino Best. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tino Best. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 May 2016
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Tino bests Bangla best
In many ways it would have been nice to have been commemorating Bangladesh's record innings score with a memorable win against the West Indies. However, the home team showed again why they can't quite make that transition to the elite of the elite.
That they came remotely close to a first Test victory since beating a weakened Windies three years ago is itself remarkable given the visitors' dominance of the first two days. Chris Gayle gave debutant Sohag Gazi a dreadful drubbing in his first over, including a first ball six, before the 21 year-old snared the big man a few overs later. Kieran Powell reached his third Test hundred, then Shiv Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin shared an unbeaten 296-run stand, with the former equalling his best score in Test cricket (203 not out) before his cpatain declared on 527-4 declared.
No massive scores in reply but Bangladesh batted almost all the way down the order to achieve a record total of 556 all out. Naeem Islam was the only centurion but Nasir Hossain came mighty close, thumping four sixes in his 96. West Indies also fielded a debutant, spinner Veerasammy Permaul, whose only wicket in this innings was that of the Bangladesh skipper.
A 29-run lead in three days set the scene for an interesting finale, although a draw looked the more likely result. Gayle departed early again but his fellow opener Powell again compensated, striking a second hundred with support from Darren Bravo. With Chanderpaul injured, Sohag Gazi claimed an excellent 6-74 leaving his side an eminently reachable target of 245 in about 70 overs. Unfortunately, the skill and inspiration of the first innings deserted them. Yes, they were consistent - but only in that plenty reached double figures but none managed to make thirty. New boy Permaul took 3-32 but the matchwinner proved not to be a spinner but paceman Tino Best.
Often derided for his wayward bowling, Best lived up to his reputation in the early exchanges but maybe his failings contributed to his success because the batsmen struggled to cope with the variety of short balls, wide stuff and the occasional full and straight delivery. Averaging a feeble forty-odd in Tests, Tino's 5-24 was easily his - er - best in a 17-match career which stretches back almost ten years. He made his debut in 2003 at Bridgetown, he bowled twenty wicketless overs for 99 against the all-conquering Aussies.
Bangladesh are not in the same league, of course, but his performance this week ensured the Windies avoided an embarrassing defeat which would have dampened their new-found confidence. Bangladesh fans would have been desperate for a big scalp and so must be bitterly disappointed to see their side capitulate so easily. Some criticised them for being too negative early on but on day five of a Test, going out guns blazing would probably have been a suicidal strategy. In truth they simply weren't good enough to win, but it may give them heart as they prepare for the second Test at Khulna. Eleven months without a Test may also have contributed to their failure this weekend so the practice may yet yield dividends.
That they came remotely close to a first Test victory since beating a weakened Windies three years ago is itself remarkable given the visitors' dominance of the first two days. Chris Gayle gave debutant Sohag Gazi a dreadful drubbing in his first over, including a first ball six, before the 21 year-old snared the big man a few overs later. Kieran Powell reached his third Test hundred, then Shiv Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin shared an unbeaten 296-run stand, with the former equalling his best score in Test cricket (203 not out) before his cpatain declared on 527-4 declared.
No massive scores in reply but Bangladesh batted almost all the way down the order to achieve a record total of 556 all out. Naeem Islam was the only centurion but Nasir Hossain came mighty close, thumping four sixes in his 96. West Indies also fielded a debutant, spinner Veerasammy Permaul, whose only wicket in this innings was that of the Bangladesh skipper.
A 29-run lead in three days set the scene for an interesting finale, although a draw looked the more likely result. Gayle departed early again but his fellow opener Powell again compensated, striking a second hundred with support from Darren Bravo. With Chanderpaul injured, Sohag Gazi claimed an excellent 6-74 leaving his side an eminently reachable target of 245 in about 70 overs. Unfortunately, the skill and inspiration of the first innings deserted them. Yes, they were consistent - but only in that plenty reached double figures but none managed to make thirty. New boy Permaul took 3-32 but the matchwinner proved not to be a spinner but paceman Tino Best.
Often derided for his wayward bowling, Best lived up to his reputation in the early exchanges but maybe his failings contributed to his success because the batsmen struggled to cope with the variety of short balls, wide stuff and the occasional full and straight delivery. Averaging a feeble forty-odd in Tests, Tino's 5-24 was easily his - er - best in a 17-match career which stretches back almost ten years. He made his debut in 2003 at Bridgetown, he bowled twenty wicketless overs for 99 against the all-conquering Aussies.
Bangladesh are not in the same league, of course, but his performance this week ensured the Windies avoided an embarrassing defeat which would have dampened their new-found confidence. Bangladesh fans would have been desperate for a big scalp and so must be bitterly disappointed to see their side capitulate so easily. Some criticised them for being too negative early on but on day five of a Test, going out guns blazing would probably have been a suicidal strategy. In truth they simply weren't good enough to win, but it may give them heart as they prepare for the second Test at Khulna. Eleven months without a Test may also have contributed to their failure this weekend so the practice may yet yield dividends.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Man of the Moment: Tino Best
It's been a good week for Number Elevens. First it was Monty Panesar's four fours and a six in Sussex's first innings against Surrey, and now Tino Best's remarkable 95 for the Windies. I half expect any West Indian bowler to have the potential for the occasional late-order blitz but Tino Best?
Maybe it was the knowledge that with the dismal weather, the game required something better than endless rain by which to be remembered. Yes, it ended as an inevitable draw, having lost days 1, 2 and 5 to the Edgbaston elements, and - yes - there was the controversy of Denesh Ramdin's disrespectful handwritten note to Sir Viv Richards on reaching his century. However, I do hope the truncated Third Test to be more fondly recalled for the record-breaking effort from Tino Best.
He swept past his previous highest score quite early on, passed first the Windies record for a number eleven before overtaking Zaheer Khan's Test world record of 75 and, to almost everyone's disappointment, falling for 95 with a mistimed slog in an attempt to reach one of the most implausible hundreds in cricketing history! At the other end, Ramdin played an excellent innings, holding it all together while Tino wielded the willow with carefree abandon. They weren't all slogs, either. Crisp drives, cuts and pulls sent the scoreboard spinning, all played with a smile on the face that is all too rare to see these days.
Best's score off 112 balls formed the majority of a tenth-wicket partnership of 143, the third highest in history and only eight short of the record. The previous peak for the final Windies Test wicket was 106, featuring Carl Hooper and one of the most famous 'rabbits' of all, Courtney Walsh. Then the great fast bowler contributed only 30, but this time it was the supposed bunny who dominated the stand.
The compact Bajan proceeded to grab the wickets of Strauss and Bairstow but, given Best's terrible career Test bowling average of 47, perhaps he ought to practise his batting a bit more and let the bowling take a back seat. I remember watching him bowl a few overs for Yorkshire a few seasons ago. His windmill delivery action is a delight to behold. He runs and bowls like a clockwork machine wound up to maximum and then released.
His Test career stats may make dreadful reading, with a paltry 30 wickets spread over 15 matches and nine years but in all first-class cricket, he has 271 scalps to his name, at fewer than 28 apiece. That's not bad going at all. He may have been given this chance, after a three-year gap, only because of injuries to most other pacemen and I think it's fair to say he has shrugged off Flintoff's infamous sarcastic 'Mind the windows, Tino' sledge and given us something more positive to remember him by.
So what next? I can see it now. Against South Africa, England 200-9, still 150 short of saving the game, and in strides Monty.... Well, you can dream!
Maybe it was the knowledge that with the dismal weather, the game required something better than endless rain by which to be remembered. Yes, it ended as an inevitable draw, having lost days 1, 2 and 5 to the Edgbaston elements, and - yes - there was the controversy of Denesh Ramdin's disrespectful handwritten note to Sir Viv Richards on reaching his century. However, I do hope the truncated Third Test to be more fondly recalled for the record-breaking effort from Tino Best.
He swept past his previous highest score quite early on, passed first the Windies record for a number eleven before overtaking Zaheer Khan's Test world record of 75 and, to almost everyone's disappointment, falling for 95 with a mistimed slog in an attempt to reach one of the most implausible hundreds in cricketing history! At the other end, Ramdin played an excellent innings, holding it all together while Tino wielded the willow with carefree abandon. They weren't all slogs, either. Crisp drives, cuts and pulls sent the scoreboard spinning, all played with a smile on the face that is all too rare to see these days.
Best's score off 112 balls formed the majority of a tenth-wicket partnership of 143, the third highest in history and only eight short of the record. The previous peak for the final Windies Test wicket was 106, featuring Carl Hooper and one of the most famous 'rabbits' of all, Courtney Walsh. Then the great fast bowler contributed only 30, but this time it was the supposed bunny who dominated the stand.
The compact Bajan proceeded to grab the wickets of Strauss and Bairstow but, given Best's terrible career Test bowling average of 47, perhaps he ought to practise his batting a bit more and let the bowling take a back seat. I remember watching him bowl a few overs for Yorkshire a few seasons ago. His windmill delivery action is a delight to behold. He runs and bowls like a clockwork machine wound up to maximum and then released.
His Test career stats may make dreadful reading, with a paltry 30 wickets spread over 15 matches and nine years but in all first-class cricket, he has 271 scalps to his name, at fewer than 28 apiece. That's not bad going at all. He may have been given this chance, after a three-year gap, only because of injuries to most other pacemen and I think it's fair to say he has shrugged off Flintoff's infamous sarcastic 'Mind the windows, Tino' sledge and given us something more positive to remember him by.
So what next? I can see it now. Against South Africa, England 200-9, still 150 short of saving the game, and in strides Monty.... Well, you can dream!
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