Captain Bell leads MCC to victory

MCC 299 (Foakes 91, Clarke 58, Burns 51, Bresnan 4-58, Carver 4-106) and 257 for 6 (Bell 66, Westley 58) beat Yorkshire 275 (Ballance 105, Rhodes 95, Tredwell 3-53) and 239 for 7 (Lees 86, Patel 3-52, Tredwell 3-79) by four wicketsScorecard Ian Bell top-scored in MCC’s successful run chase © Getty Images Champions Yorkshire were beaten by four wickets in Abu Dhabi as Ian Bell helped lay the platform…

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South Africa welcome Nagpur's change of scene

Aaron Phangiso could carry heavy responsibility for South Africa © AFP Given what happened to South Africa the last time they were in Nagpur, in November 2015, you would think it is the last place they would want to return to. Especially so soon. But you would be wrong. “That was a Test match and this was T20 cricket. It’s a totally different format,” said Imran Tahir, who was not…

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Afghanistan were '100%' set on winning – Rashid

Play 01:27 ‘Wanted to restrict England to below 100’ – Rashid Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s teenage legspinner, believed “100%” that his team were on course for victory over England after they had claimed six wickets in the first 10 overs of their contest at Delhi. Instead, England recovered to post 142 for 7 and close out a victory that confirmed Afghanistan’s elimination from the tournament. “We thought we had our game…

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India alive after heart-stopping finale

Bangladesh chose to bowl v IndiaLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Tamim Iqbal was back in Bangladesh’s XI © ICC/Getty Images Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza decided to field first against India on a flat pitch with a covering of grass, which should not worry the batsmen who can hit through the line. Mashrafe said Bangladesh did not mind chasing a big total. The India captain MS Dhoni said he would have…

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Cook scores half-century on Essex return

Alastair Cook will follow his appearance on Countryfile with his own version of Springwatch over the next few weeks – a close-up view of some of England’s most promising batting talent. Cook took a break from the lambing at his Bedfordshire farm this week to play in Essex’s two-day warm-up fixture against Kent in Canterbury. He opened up with 88, a highly satisfactory return in his first innings since the end…

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'Beat anyone, but not us'

After Mohammad Shahzad’s whirlwind start in their chase against South Africa, many were looking forward to Afghanistan testing England, a team not new to being upset by Associate teams. Things started well for England despite a wicket in the third over: they were 42 for 1 after 5.2. That’s when they lost three in three balls. Cue a Twitter meltdown. Yesterdays frenzy at the end of the England women’s game…

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Garton commits to Sussex

England Under-19 international George Garton has signed a two-year contract extension at Sussex. A graduate of the Sussex Academy, the 18-year-old was only handed a junior professional deal last November but will now remain at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove until at least the end of the 2018 campaign. Left-arm seamer Garton, born in Brighton, also played two matches for England at the recent ICC Under-19 World Cup. Garton…

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Bangladesh opt to bowl; Tamim returns

Bangladesh chose to bowl v IndiaLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Tamim Iqbal was back in Bangladesh’s XI © ICC/Getty Images Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza decided to field first against India on a flat pitch with a covering of grass, which should not worry the batsmen who can hit through the line. Mashrafe said Bangladesh did not mind chasing a big total. The India captain MS Dhoni said he would have…

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Badree happy to fill the Narine void

Samuel Badree – “We have seen how important spin is especially after the Powerplay during the middle overs when the ball is a little bit older” © AFP Samuel Badree has already seen the best and worst of himself in West Indies’ first two matches in the World T20. In Mumbai, against England, he had the third-most expensive figures in his T20I career. In Bangalore, on Sunday, he silenced Sri…

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Moeen staves off an England calamity

England 142 for 7 (Moeen 41*) beat Afghanistan 127 for 9 (Shafiqullah 35*) by 15 runsScorecard Play 03:51 Highlights – England survive batting slump The final margin of victory might not show it, but England survived a major scare against Afghanistan to sustain their World T20 hopes. At 85 for 7 in the 15th over of the match, England were teetering on the brink of a defeat that would have…

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