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The allrounder injured his ankle during South Africa’s practice session on Tuesday

Liam Brickhill03-Oct-2018South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against Zimbabwe after injuring his ankle during practice on Tuesday. The injury appears to be in his left Achilles tendon, and Mulder has been withdrawn from South Africa’s squad for further assessment.”Wiaan felt some pain and discomfort in his left ankle at practice and has been withdrawn from the remainder of the ODI series,” South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee explained. “He will be assessed by an ankle and foot specialist in Johannesburg, who will be able to further assess the injury and give us a way forward in terms of the treatment and rehab strategy. The selectors will not name a replacement for the last ODI.”Mulder, 20, has only played seven ODIs for South Africa but had been expected to be a regular in their starting line-up this summer. He played in all five ODIs against Sri Lanka in August, and coach Ottis Gibson has voiced his support for giving his young allrounders extended runs in the side.

The opener made his sixth 80-plus score in seven innings in the tournament and added 155 with Karun Nair in a nine-wicket win against Maharashtra

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Mayank Agarwal crossed 2000 runs across formats this season, scoring an 86-ball 81 in the presence of the national selectors in Delhi, during Karnataka’s nine-wicket win against Maharashtra in the first semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. This was Agarwal’s sixth 80-plus score in seven innings in the tournament. His opening partner and Karnataka captain Karun Nair made an unbeaten 70 and hit the winning runs after the pair had put together 155 in a 161 chase.Mayank Agarwal’s 2141 runs are the highest by anyone in a single Indian domestic season•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Maharashtra lost opener Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over after electing to bat. A second-wicket stand of 57 between Shrikant Mundhe (50) and Rahul Tripathi (18) would be their most substantial one as first the seamers and then offspinner K Gowtham (3 for 26) ensured the wickets fell regularly. Following the run-out of Ankit Bawne, Naushad Shaikh (42) kept the innings afloat before being the last man dismissed. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna finished with figures of 2 for 26.Agarwal, on the back of a 140 against Hyderabad in the quarter-final, started the chase with a six and four off the first two balls. He got Karnataka off to a quick start and forced Maharashtra to bring on the left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav (1 for 32) early to try and restrict the runs. Maharashtra failed to capitalise on the offered chances and the opening pair went about the chase with the run rate barely falling below five at any point.In the final, Karnataka will face either Saurashtra or Andhra, who face off in the second semi-final at Palam on Saturday.

Ambrose took his side from a strong position to a totally dominant one as he gained the measure of a slow wicket to work the Northants attack around

ECB Reporters Network21-Apr-2018
ScorecardTim Ambrose made his 17th first-class century to give Warwickshire a chance to press for victory over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road with two days remaining. Ambrose made 103 as Warwickshire ground out 413 to take a first-innings lead of 266 before Northants, with 10 overs to face at the end of the day, closed on 41 without loss.Ambrose, who made 81 last week against Sussex in the season opener, took his side from a strong position to a totally dominant one as he gained the measure of a slow wicket to work the Northants attack around. He nudged, prodded, glanced and flicked his way to 96-ball fifty with just one boundary – the long, heavy outfield making boundaries a rarity – before playing more fluently to raise a century in another 58 balls with five fours and a six.For the latter half of his innings, he had 18-year-old Henry Brookes for company playing just his second first-class match. He settled to become a sound partner for Ambrose and repelled Northants’ fightback with the second new ball to compile a record ninth-wicket partnership for Warwickshire against Northants of 116.After Ambrose fell, caught on the deep square fence, Brookes took top billing as he worked his way towards a maiden first-class fifty. He got there with a mighty pull over midwicket off Brett Hutton and added a second to take Warwickshire past 400 as Northants wilted in 128.1 overs they were forced to send down.The hosts had hope of a revival in the morning session where Doug Bracewell made the day’s opening breakthrough with the 18th ball of the morning, straightening a full delivery to clip Will Rhodes’ off stump to end a stand of 91 for the fourth wicket.Sam Hain was the other member of the partnership and fell 15 short of memorable return to the ground where he become Warwickshire’s youngest centurion in the County Championship four years ago. He resumed on 51 and struck two flowing cover drives on his way to 85. But Ben Sanderson hatched a plot with the wicketkeeper stood up and three catchers in front of the bat and got Hain to chip a full delivery to short midwicket where Bracewell claimed a smart catch down to his right.Twenty-one-year-old Matt Lamb developed another useful stand with Ambrose of 66 for the sixth wicket before Lamb fell to the second new ball and Warwickshire slipped to 263 for 8 and the lead 116 – but Ambrose and Brookes ensured Warwickshire’s advantage was far greater.Northants had 10 overs to survive before the close and Rob Newton was almost stumped when he was deceived by Jeetan Patel. Some pad saved him and Newton and Ben Duckett, who avoided a king pair, went to the close intact.

Mark Stoneman, who failed twice at Lord’s and hasn’t passed 60 in 11 Test matches, has been left out

Andrew McGlashan28-May-2018England have responded to their thumping nine-wicket defeat at Lord’s by recalling Keaton Jennings for the second Test against Pakistan at Headingley with Mark Stoneman dropped following a continuation of his poor form in the heavy loss.Jennings, 25, scored a century on his Test debut against India in Mumbai but lost his place midway through last season after struggling to build on that early milestone.However, following a move from Durham to Lancashire, he has been one of the few in-form batsmen on the domestic circuit this season. He has scored two centuries in the County Championship, including one against a strong Nottinghamshire attack, and has carried that form into the Royal London Cup.

Someone in form: Jennings’ season

County Championship 314 runs @ 44.85; two hundred
Royal London Cup 306 runs @ 76.50; one hundred, two fifties

Stoneman failed twice at Lord’s – bowled by Mohammad Abbas in the first innings and defeated by a one that kept low from Shadab Khan in the second – in a display bereft of confidence.He had been somewhat fortunate to retain his place in the first place following a lean start to the season for Surrey. In his 11 Tests he has made five half-centuries but not gone beyond 60, with a distinct slump in his performances after getting hit on the helmet at the WACA.”Keaton Jennings showed a strong temperament in scoring a hundred on his Test match debut against India in December 2016,” national selector Ed Smith said. “Keaton has found good form in county cricket this season, including three centuries in his last seven innings.”Mark Stoneman misses out at Headingley. Mark has experienced a disappointing start to the 2018 season and had a difficult Test match at Lord’s.”With the swap of Jennings for Stoneman confirmed, the one decision to be made on the final XI is whether there is a return for Chris Woakes, who was the man to miss out from the 12 at Lord’s. Mark Wood was preferred in the hope that he could provide a different element to the pace attack but his first-innings return of 2 for 74 was underwhelming.England squad: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (capt), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Dom Bess, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes and Matt Henry also break into the top 10 for ODI bowlers

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2019″Yeah, in a heartbeat,” Kane Williamson said when asked if he’d swap his Player of the Series trophy for one extra run at the end of the greatest World Cup final in history. He might have to keep that line handy again as the ICC announced another individual milestone for the New Zealand captain.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Williamson hit a career-high 799 points on the ODI batsmen’s rankings after the semi-final against India and is currently at No. 6 on the table. Scoring only 30 runs against England, though, has brought his tally down to 796, but he remains one of only two New Zealanders in the top ten, Ross Taylor above him with 817 points.Ben Stokes, the Player of the Final, rose five places to No. 20 after not one but two amazing innings – first to keep England’s chase alive on a remarkably tough pitch and later to lift them in the Super Over while virtually running on empty. Jason Roy, whose power at the top helped England recover from a hiccup in the group stages of the World Cup, is in the top 10 batsmen’s rankings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There was another allrounder who made a giant leap on the batsmen’s rankings too. Ravindra Jadeja, who was nearly unstoppable in the semi-final against New Zealand, has leapt 24 places to occupy the 108th spot.ALSO READ: The Monga-Kimber World Cup 2019 XI is hereChris Woakes, whose opening spells were vital to England’s title run, has gone up to No. 7 in the bowler’s rankings. He took seven wickets in the first Powerplay at the World Cup – the joint second-highest – while the topper of that list, Matt Henry, also broke into the top ten. Jofra Archer, playing his first World Cup, finished not only as England’s highest wicket-taker but also one of the ICC’s top 30 bowlers in the world.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England remain the top-ranked team in the world, while India are at No. 2 and New Zealand at No. 3. Shakib Al Hasan, who produced the most remarkable all-round show ever seen in a World Cup, retains dominance in the allrounders’ ratings.

Australia have lost six of their last seven completed ODIs, while South Africa chase their fifth straight series win over their opponents

Alex Malcolm21-Aug-2025

Big Picture: Australia address ODI slump, SA chase another series win

Australia are the reigning ODI World Champions but they have not been playing like it since their 2023 triumph in India. There are mitigating circumstances, having not fielded a full strength team in any game since while beginning a transition towards 2027 following some key retirements. But they have lost six of their last seven completed ODIs including being thumped in game one in Cairns with an experienced top six and an attack featuring two World Cup winning bowlers.Meanwhile, South Africa looked polished with a transitional team of their own. The absences of David Miller and the retired Heinrich Klaasen were not felt in the slightest with the bat as they posted an excellent score on a sluggish surface with even contributions from the top-four and very little from the powerful duo of Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis on ODI debut.Keshav Maharaj’s stunning bowling display did mask a poor new-ball spell from Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger. But it was still an excellent performance overall after losing Kagiso Rabada from the series on the eve of the match. The win was soured by the news that debutant offspinner Prenelan Subrayen had been reported, yet again, for a suspect bowling action. Coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that Subrayen would not play in the final two matches despite being available to play, before having his action independently assessed in Brisbane at the end of this ODI series.But the win in Cairns has South Africa one win away from claiming a fifth straight bilateral ODI series against Australia dating back over a decade.Related

• Keshav Maharaj rises to No. 1 in men's ODI bowling rankings

• Adam Zampa reprimanded for using obscene language

• Maharaj shakes off T20I snub with statement white-ball display

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Prenelan Subrayen reported for suspect action, SA rest him from final two ODIs

Conditions in Mackay, further south of Cairns, will be an unknown as the only men’s ODI played there was in 1992 and only two balls were bowled. The last List A game played there in 2023 was very high scoring. But there was a 50-over game between Australia A and New Zealand A in Mackay in that same season where the bowlers dominated. South Africa A played four 50-over matches in Mackay in a Quadrangular A-team one-day series in 2016 but none of South Africa’s current team played in it.Australia will be desperate for their batting to click. They have been bowled out for under 200 in six of their last 10 completed ODIs. They have been bowled out for under 200 in their last three ODIs at home, which has never happened in Australia’s history. The order looks slightly different, and there is no Steve Smith or Glenn Maxwell, but the quality of players in the top six should be capable of functioning better than they have been.South Africa’s only batting question is how to best utilise Brevis after questions arose as to whether he entered too late in Cairns. With the ball, they will know that Maharaj is the trump card, but would want to have more impact with the new ball to avoid him bowling to a set left-hander in Travis Head, something he did not have to do in game one.

Form guide

Australia LLWLL
South Africa WLWWL

In the spotlight: Marnus Labuschagne and Tristan Stubbs

Marnus Labuschagne was Australia’s player to watch in Cairns and nothing changes heading into Mackay. Much of the interest in him surrounds his road to the Ashes and whether he can reclaim his Test place, but his ODI form and his role within the new look batting line-up has some significant question marks over it as well.Since his match-winning unbeaten 58 in the 2023 World Cup final and an unbeaten 77 in a winning chase against England in 2024 just two innings later, he has really struggled. He’s averaging just 15.22 at a strike-rate of 76.53 in his last nine ODI innings without a half-century. Six of those were batting at No.5 and two were batting at No.4 in the Champions Trophy, where he did make a valuable 47 off 45 in the win over England. He has been elevated to No.3 for this series with a view to positioning him potentially as the long-term Smith replacement with Mitchell Marsh and Head becoming the opening combination. But he needs some runs to bed that position down.Keshav Maharaj trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw in game one•Getty Images

Klaasen’s retirement from international cricket leaves a giant hole in South Africa’s middle-order. Tristan Stubbs has been given first option at making Klaasen’s No.5 role his own but with Brevis breathing down his neck and Miller still available to return at some point, Stubbs will need to perform sooner rather than later. He is still early in his career having only played 10 ODIs to-date, but outside of 79 and 112 not out against Ireland, his returns have been very lean, with six single-figure scores including 1, 0, and 0 in his last three ODIs.Middle-order batting is fickle in ODI cricket and sample sizes are important when measuring output given entry points can vary greatly, with Cairns being a prime example of him needing to go from ball one with limited time remaining in the innings. But his T20I returns in a similar role have only been solid in terms of runs made and sluggish in terms of scoring rate by comparison to Brevis or Klaasen. His fielding is also normally a strength, but he has had a torrid tour of Australia with a number of dropped catches including one at cover in Cairns. If he can find form in the final two games it gives South Africa a deep and powerful batting unit heading towards a home World Cup.

Team news: Connolly in the mix; Subrayen won’t play

There were suggestions that Matt Kuhnemann should have played in Cairns and should also come into the mix for Mackay but it is more likely that Aaron Hardie’s position at No.7 will come under scrutiny with an option to play a spinning allrounder instead in Cooper Connolly, who also bowls left-arm orthodox, as Australia scramble to fill the hole left by the retired Maxwell and the injured duo of Matt Short and Mitchell Owen. Josh Hazlewood’s loads will continue to be monitored with the Ashes in mind. Australia have Xavier Bartlett in the squad if Hazlewood needs to rest from one of the last two ODIs which will be played with only a day’s break in between.Australia (possible): 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Alex Carey, 7 Aaron Hardie/Cooper Connolly, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodSubrayen being rested from the final two ODIs opens the door for Senuran Muthusamy to play if they wish to continue to attack Australia’s right-hand heavy top five with left-arm orthodox spin. Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka are also available if Lungi Ngidi needs a rest in one of the final two games after playing every match of the tour so far.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Senuran Muthusamy, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

Conditions at Great Barrier Reef Arena will be unknown for both sides. In the three women’s ODIs played there in 2021 the chasing side won all three times. In the two List A games in 2023 the chasers were 1-1 but Victoria needed every bit of their first innings 349 to hold a fast finishing Queensland. Cameron Green said the pitch “looks like a beauty” a day out from the game on Thursday. It will be a pleasant temperature again but there is set to be a strong breeze from the south-east, with the ground very close to the ocean, which will undoubtedly influence bowling tactics and scoring options as it did in Cairns.

Stats and trivia

• Mackay last hosted a men’s ODI during the 1992 World Cup but only two balls were bowled between India and Sri Lanka due to rain.
• Marsh has won the toss 21 times as captain across T20Is and ODIs – choosing to bowl on every occasion
• Australia have been bowled out for under 200 in their last three home ODIs which has never happened previously

Quotes

“Just had a quick walk past [the pitch]. It looks like a beauty. We’ve heard some really good things about it. A couple of Queenslanders I think have played some games up here for Queensland. Heard it’s a great wicket. So looking forward to tomorrow.”
“We just felt, together with ‘Subs’ (Prenelan Subrayen) that less noise, get him away and out of the public eye [and] just make sure that he’s OK. “That’s why his name’s not going to be on the team sheet tomorrow.”

Nottinghamshire looked a different side to that spoken of as pre-season title contenders as their struggle for survival continued at Scarborough

Paul Edwards at Scarborough19-Aug-2019
The water is up to Nottinghamshire’s neck and very soon it will be little use their cricketers opposing the knock of the tide. So much was clear at tea on the second day of this game after Yorkshire’s openers had successfully extended their side’s 48-run first innings lead to 109 with a partnership that scarcely raised a ripple on the surface of the game.By close of play the advantage was 225 and Yorkshire should have wickets to spend in the search for quick runs sometime on the third afternoon. Having dismissed their hesitant visitors for 184 in the first half of the day, Steve Patterson’s team have now done the groundwork for the victory that will sustain their hopes of the title.And something like an hour after the cricketers had left the ground sleek, dark-suited figures were stalking across the outfield at North Marine Road as they made their way to the great marquee where a dinner celebrating this 133rd festival is being held. Scarborough has always been generous to Yorkshire cricket even in the relatively rare years when the White Rose did not prosper here. The talk this mellow evening will be of Fred and Brian, of Ray and Geoff, but perhaps there will also be a word for the current team who remain in the hunt for another pennant, even in a year when their performances have not forked lightning in the manner of their predecessors.So perhaps the diners will recall this day’s cricket, too. They might recall that while Duanne Olivier had bowled capably for his four wickets, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance’s 108-run partnership had given them even more satisfaction in the perfect evening sunlight. Lyth’s cover-driving remains one of the joys of the English game and the only sorrow for neutrals was his dismissal for 81, caught at short fine leg off Liam Patterson-White, two overs before the close. Ballance, though, is unbeaten on 52 and one cannot be sanguine about the visitors’ prospects tomorrow afternoon.For already it seems clear that Nottinghamshire will have to score the biggest total of the match in order to win it. One’s mind went back to this second morning when Chris Nash’s batsmen had hopes of securing their own winning position. Those notions were all but destroyed in the first session when the visitors scored 90 runs but lost six wickets, some of them frittered on the sea air. It has been a theme of what is set to be a relegation season.And thoughts even returned to Cambridge in late March when Ben Duckett and Ben Slater put on 325 for their team’s first wicket. Yes, it was only the students, but the runs were far from given away. There was the heady scent of blossom in the city but hardly a tree was in the slightest leaf. Some folk were talking of Steven Mullaney’s team as title contenders. When did it become clear that four-day honours were not to be theirs? “Who turned the page?” asked the poet, Ian Hamilton. Perhaps things are never that clear in an English summer.Yet so much is right at Trent Bridge these days, apart from the cricket. The county boasts one of the finest yet most intimate grounds in the country and they are not short of money. Supporters pitch in, too. When officials decided not to continue with a yearbook the Nottingham Cricket Lovers’ Society stepped in and published the 2019 annual. It is a fine and modestly priced piece of work and one hopes it is continued but God knows what it will say about this year. One thinks of the lines Roy Campbell addressed to “Some South African Novelists”: “They use the snaffle and the curb all right, / But where’s the bloody horse?”There are Nottingham supporters at Scarborough, just as there were at Newclose and Tunbridge Wells this season. If they haven’t greatly enjoyed the cricket, they have at least visited some wonderful grounds. But such excursions are all the more pleasurable when your team is playing well and supporters from Caythorpe or Cuckney were right to be disappointed by the dismissals which smirched the morning. Slater can be excused; he was caught behind off Ben Coad’s first ball of the morning, a delivery which compelled the defensive push only to punish it with an edge to Jonny Tattersall.Others were culpable. Jake Libby’s ugly drive at a wideish ball from Olivier merely deflected the ball onto his off stump. Nash appeared in dominant form when hitting his seven fours but then played too soon at Olivier and was caught and bowled; he left after patting the pitch reproachfully. Joe Clarke prodded at a ball too far from his body and edged Coad to Tattersall; Duckett tried to cut a ball from Keshav Maharaj and was bowled off his pad. None of the errors glared at orthodoxy but they were enough. It is often the way when you are in the toils.There was respite for visiting supporters, though. It arrived in the combative form of Tom Moores, who hit Maharaj for a straight six before lunch and then twice more to the Popular Bank early in the afternoon session. Moores also took three fours off one Maharaj over and while he was batting there seemed a possibility that Nottinghamshire might achieve parity. But after making 48 off 49 balls he pushed jerkily at a ball from Olivier and nicked a catch to Tattersall. It had been an enjoyable innings but not one to change the shape of the game.For that we had to wait for Lyth and Ballance and their easeful strokes across a crystal evening.

A career best 73 for Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman set Pakistan up for a convincing win over Australia in Harare

The Report by Daniel Brettig05-Jul-2018
Pakistan gained a mental advantage over Australia by dominating Aaron Finch’s team in a match that served as a dress rehearsal for Sunday’s Twenty20 triangular tournament final at the Harare Sports Club.Having beaten Pakistan comfortably in their first meeting, the Australians put in an unfocused performance, dropping far too short with the new ball after Finch sent Sarfraz Ahmed’s side in to bat to allow Fakhar Zaman to fire off a succession of pull shots on his way to the highest score of the match. They then lost a series of early wickets to the late moving ball in the hands of Faheem Ashraf and the 18-year-old left-armer Shaheen Afridi.Having slid as low as 75 for 5, Australia never looked likely to get close to their target, though the wicketkeeper and vice-captain Alex Carey played another intelligent innings down the order. Pakistan’s victory also served the purpose of preventing Australia from taking their place at the top of the ICC’s T20 international rankings.Both sides had already qualified for Sunday’s tournament final, making this game chiefly a chance to gain information and psychological high ground. Australia kept the same side that delivered comfortable wins over Pakistan and Zimbabwe to be the first team to reach the decider. Pakistan included the youthful Afridi for his second T20I in place of Hasan Ali, while Usman Khan came in for Mohammad Nawaz.4:18

‘Steven Smith is the toughest batsman to bowl to’

On a cold morning in Harare, Billy Stanlake failed to induce the sort of early collapse he had been responsible for in Monday’s match. While Jhye Richardson enjoyed the good fortune of having Haris Sohail clip his first delivery straight to square leg to depart for a golden duck, the Pakistan top order were able to feast on a generous helping of short stuff.Fakhar was the major beneficiary, flashing nine boundaries and a trio of sixes on the way to the highest score of his T20I career thus far – he is Pakistan’s leading run-maker in this tournament by a distance, and will require far more careful planning by Australia’s pacemen and coaches ahead of the decider.They reached 80 inside nine overs before Hussain Talat was cramped for room by Glenn Maxwell’s off-breaks and bowled, and from there a series of nifty partnerships ensured that Finch’s side was unable to restrict the run rate. A particularly heavy toll was taken from the bowling of Ashton Agar, while 18 runs from the final over rather disfigured Aaron Tye’s previously excellent figures.Needing a rapid start given the task they were facing, Finch and D’Arcy Short were instead confounded by Pakistan’s fast men pitching the ball much further up to the bat and finding movement both in the air and off the seam. Finch was cornered by an Afridi delivery bending back at him and was caught behind off the inside edge, then Travis Head’s minimal footwork was exposed when Faheem Ashraf seamed one back to pluck out middle stump.Maxwell managed a pair of boundaries before he played around a late inswinger from Afridi that pinned him in front of middle stump, and the innings of Nic Maddinson – who made the squad despite being cut from the New South Wales contract list – lasted only eight balls before he misread a well-pitched wrong’un from Shadab Khan and was comfortably stumped.Short had persevered without timing the ball with anything like the power of which he is capable, but was well and truly beaten by the yorker Afridi served up on his return to the bowling crease. From there it was largely a matter of damage limitation for the Australians, as Carey knocked the ball around with the sort of resourcefulness that is quickly becoming his trademark without ever looking likely to threaten a distant target.Pakistan will now go into the final with plenty of confidence, while the Australians must face Zimbabwe before reconsidering their approach to Fakhar, Afridi and the rest of Sarfraz’s team.

Former Lancashire captain takes reins at Lord’s in first major coaching assignment

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2025Middlesex have appointed former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Dane Vilas as interim first-team coach until the end of the season. The move comes two days after Richard Johnson departed after three-and-a-half seasons in the role.Vilas, 40, retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2023 season after seven years with Lancashire, although he continued to play in the SA20. He has been based in London for some time and will take charge at Middlesex with immediate effect.The club are currently third from bottom in Division Two of the County Championship, having won just twice in the opening block of seven games. They are in a similar position in the Blast, winning for only the second time this season on Thursday evening, shortly before Vilas’ appointment was announced.Related

• Vilas announces Lancashire departure

• Johnson departs role as Middlesex first-team coach

“I am delighted to welcome Dane to the club as our Interim first-team coach,” Middlesex’s director of cricket, Alan Coleman, said. “He has a wealth of experience to offer our squad, and I believe that we will all benefit from his presence and leadership across the rest of this season.”Though Dane is still early in his coaching career, having only finished playing for Lancashire in 2023, I am confident that his leadership presence, competitive edge and experience of all formats, including franchise cricket, will have a huge impact on our squad.”It is the leadership qualities that were evident when he captained Lancashire that drew me towards Dane. The teams that he has led played hard, committed, never-say-die cricket and I believe that is a style that will resonate well with our players, staff group and members.”Dane will be supported by what I believe is an exceptional coaching team of Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, who all bring variety and wide-ranging knowledge to our team.”I am sure you will all joining me in welcoming Dane over the coming weeks as we look forward to the rest of our season. There is still a lot to play for and I am excited to see where our talented playing group can take us.”Vilas played six Tests and one T20I for South Africa before joining Lancashire on a Kolpak contract. He was subsequently made club captain, leading the team to T20 Finals Day on three occasions and back-to-back runners-up finishes in the County Championship.Vilas said: “It’s an absolute honour to be here. Lord’s is such a special place and I’m looking forward to getting started with the squad. The potential is endless for the group and I’ll be keen to harness that and help grow their careers.”I’ve got good relationships with Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, so to have the four of us together is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Visitors lead by 165 overnight, with hopes of pushing for third consecutive win

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2024Fifties by Jake Libby, Brett D’Oliveira and Adam Hose ensured Worcestershire would make Essex bat again in their rollercoaster match at Chelmsford.When bad light took the players off the field with 20 over remaining on day three of the Vitality County Championship match, Worcestershire had turned a 138-run first-innings deficit into a 165-run lead.Libby laid the foundations for the recovery with a 112-ball 65 at the top of the order. But it was an 80-run stand for the sixth wicket between D’Oliveira (51 from 71 balls) and Hose (64 off 91) – the pair coming together with two runs still required to erase the arrears – that gave Worcestershire hope of securing a third successive victory to move clear of the relegation area.Simon Harmer spearheaded the mercurial Essex attack, sending down 26 overs in the foreshortened day and taking 3 for 110, including the wicket of Hose to an extraordinary delivery. Essex will be looking for a first victory in four games on the final day to maintain their fading interest in the title race.Nightwatchman Joe Leach lasted just four balls on a grey, overcast morning before Sam Cook ended his 21-ball nought by inducing a thick edge through to the wicketkeeper. Gareth Roderick narrowly avoided a pair before he was turned around by Jamie Porter on six and nicked to second slip.Libby found good support from Kashif Ali in a 51-run third-wicket stand until Paul Walter was introduced and with his fourth ball had Ali following the ball across him through to slip.Libby survived a couple of scares but reached his fifty from the 90th ball faced, his eighth four helped on its way high over the wicketkeeper’s head. His latest partner Rob Jones took a liking to Harmer, hitting four successive boundaries, two of them identical shots on the sweep.However, the 55-run fourth-wicket stand was broken soon after lunch when Libby drove loosely at Cook and was caught low down at backward point. And six runs later, Jones went for another sweep against Harmer, this time more uppishly, and Dean Elgar completed the dismissal when running back from square leg.That left Worcestershire five down and still two runs short of making Essex bat again. That landmark was duly achieved and built on as Hose and D’Oliveira dug in obdurately initially to the extent that Porter came on for three overs and went off again without conceding a run. The first fifty of their partnership took 16 overs.The run-rate rose steeply with 31 runs added by the pair in the next four overs before Matt Critchley switched ends to give Harmer a rest and first ball had D’Oliveira fencing to second slip. Harmer’s rest spanned the tea break but his first ball after the interval brought the downfall of Hose, who padded up outside off-stump to a ball that turned prodigiously as it hit the crease to leave him bewildered to see the bails lying on the ground behind him.Harmer had a third wicket to his name when Ethan Brookes went to reverse-sweep, as he had successfully on several occasions in the first innings This time, however, the ball popped up off an edge to Robin Das diving full-length at short leg to cling on one-handed.With the floodlights on and the light deteriorating appreciably, Essex declined the option of taking the new-ball when it was due after 80 over, sticking with their spinners. The gesture proved in vain as the umpires deemed it too dark to continue an over later.