Openers Josh Cobb and Greg Smith both hit centuries as Leicestershire beat Somerset by six wickets in a spectacular run-laden Yorkshire Bank 40 clash at Grace Road

26-May-2013
ScorecardJosh Cobb’s 130 was his second YB40 hundred of the season•Getty Images

Openers Josh Cobb and Greg Smith both hit centuries as Leicestershire beat Somerset by six wickets in a spectacular run-laden Yorkshire Bank 40 clash at Grace Road.Somerset, who had won their first three games in the competition, posted 323 for 3 with Peter Trego hitting 118 and Marcus Trescothick, Alviro Petersen and Jos Buttler weighing in with half-centuries.However, Leicestershire responded by scoring 324 for 4 to win the game with seven balls to spare, thanks largely to the efforts of Cobb and Smith. The duo set up the record-breaking run chase with the club’s biggest-ever opening partnership in one-day cricket, putting on 235 in 25 overs to beat the previous best of 228 by Phil Simmons and Vince Wells against Kent in 1996.Cobb’s 130 was his second successive century in the competition this season while Smith, brought in only because Niall O’Brien was away playing for Ireland against Pakistan, hit a career-best 135 not out. Leicestershire’s previous most successful run chase was against Durham when they scored 289 for victory in 1996.Captain Cobb, who made 107 in the first game of the season against Gloucestershire, again led from the front reaching a half-century off 35 balls with 10 fours. Smith matched him shot for shot, taking only 27 balls for his 50 with eight fours and a six.The boundaries continued to flow as the two batsmen put Somerset’s attack to the sword, Cobb moving to his century off 62 balls with 16 fours and a six. The 200 stand came up in the 20th over, but with the record partnership established Cobb was yorked by Steve Kirby for 130 off 87 balls.Joe Burns, Ned Eckersley and Matt Boyce all went cheaply as Leicestershire stuttered. However, it was only a temporary blip with Shiv Thakor joining Smith in a fifth-wicket stand that produced 46 runs and a stunning victory.It was difficult to believe that Somerset’s innings could be eclipsed after some great batting that saw Trescothick (57) and Trego put on 120 in 15 overs for the first wicket. Trego, finally caught in the deep off Nathan Buck, hit 118 off 100 balls with 15 fours and a six while Petersen (63 not out) and Buttler (54no) shared a fourth-wicket stand of 82 in the last seven overs.It was the second time in four games this season that Somerset had topped the 300 total. Incredibly, this time it was not enough.

Two Sri Lankan umpires who were named in a television sting operation last year dealing with illegal payments for influencing first-class matches have been banned by Sri Lanka cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2013Sri Lanka Cricket has banned two umpires, Sagara Gallage and Maurice Zilva, who were named in a sting operation last year dealing with illegal payments for influencing first-class matches. A third umpire, Gamini Dissanayake, has been downgraded from the top umpire’s panel for a year and issued a “severe warning” by the board CEO.The decisions came after an emergency executive committee meeting in Colombo, where the recommendations of the disciplinary committee’s recommendations were endorsed.The sting, broadcast by India TV, claimed to have “exposed” several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting, conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.The hardest hit of the three Sri Lankan umpires was Gallage, who was banned for 10 years from all cricket, while Zilva got a three-year ban. Dissanayake, the third Sri Lankan umpire named in the sting, was the most high-profile of the three, having regularly been the fourth umpire in international matches, though he was yet to be one of the main officials in an international game.The Pakistan and Bangladesh boards have already handed out punishments to their umpires caught in the sting. Bangladesh’s Nadir Shah was banned for 10 years by the BCB on corruption charges, and Pakistan’s Nadeem Ghauri and Anis Siddiqi have already been slapped with bans.Zilva and Gallage were the reserve umpires in two warm-up matches each before the World T20 in Sri Lanka last year.

James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2013James Pattinson has been ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes series in England after being diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lower back.Pattinson reported “hip and back soreness” after the final day of the second Test at Lord’s and subsequent scans, which he underwent in London on Monday, showed the early signs of a stress fracture.He will travel with the squad to Sussex and then on to Manchester before returning home to Australia. His place was likely to have come under scrutiny ahead of the Old Trafford Test after two disappointing performances at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, where he has taken seven wickets at 43.85.This is the latest injury setback in Pattinson’s career following a rib injury he picked up against South Africa last year and a foot problem he sustained against India the during the 2011-12 season.Cricket Australia team doctor Peter Brukner said: “We had some scans done today in London that have identified an early stage low back stress fracture. Unfortunately he will not take any further part in this Test series and will commence a rehabilitation program with the aim to have him back for the Australian summer.”Pat Howard, the Cricket Australia team performance manager, added: “While we are obviously disappointed for James, the selectors have five bowlers fit and ready to perform in England, providing them with many options.”It is also important to note that several players have been performing for Australia A and are available to be called up at any stage if the NSP required them. We’ve been well planned to have as many bowlers fit and available in the lead-up to this important series and while this set-back for James is disappointing, we are confident we have good fast bowling depth.”The other pace options currently in England, who weren’t selected at Lord’s, are Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and James Faulkner. The fast bowlers currently on duty for Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa are Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Chadd Sayers, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Gurinder Sandhu.Cummins, regularly billed as one of the brighest talents in Australian cricket, has played one Test and is being handled very carefully by Cricket Australia after he, too, suffered a number of injuries. Hazlewood, who has appeared in one ODI and one Twenty20, is another who has had fitness issues.Sayers has played just 14 first-class matches but put his name in contention with an impressive 2012-13 season and showed eye-catching form when Australia A were in the UK ahead of the Ashes series. Coulter-Nile was part of Australia’s squad for the recent Champions Trophy in England.

Kumar Sangakkara met with the SLC executive committee on Tuesday evening to discuss further whether he would represent Kandurata Maroons or Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Champions League, but no decision has been made yet

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Aug-2013Kumar Sangakkara met with the SLC executive committee on Tuesday evening to discuss whether he would represent Kandurata Maroons or Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Champions League, but no decision has been made yet. SLC remains hopeful that Sangakkara will play for Kandurata, and has begun a discussion with Sunrisers regarding Sangakkara’s release.”What we told Kumar at the meeting was that we would like him to play for the local team,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. “We have told the franchise we would like Kumar to play for the local team as well.”Ranatunga also said Sangakkara was “happy to play for Kandurata,” but stopped short of confirming he would appear for his local team. Champions League organisers had confirmed on Monday that players who do not play for their IPL team in the tournament do not breach any contracts, although they do take a significant pay cut.Sangakkara stands to lose $140,000 from his $700,000 IPL salary if he opts out of playing for the Sunrisers and the board’s correspondence with the franchise is understood to include a request to mitigate this penalty. Whether Sunrisers are content to allow Sangakkara to play for Kandurata but still pay him his full salary may be dependent on whether Sangakkara shapes as a major cog in their tournament strategy.SLC will hope Sunrisers did not plan to play Sangakkara in their preferred XI, and that they will be swayed by the prospect of retaining the $150,000 sum that a foreign franchise must pay a players’ qualifying home team, if he plays for the foreign team in the Champions League.Despite its dire financial situation, SLC has seemed unconcerned about receiving this payment and Ranatunga confirmed the board was happy to effectively incur that loss.Sangakkara is crucial to Kandurata’s hopes in the tournament as he was their most experienced player in the domestic competition, and is also capable of providing leadership support to young captain Lahiru Thirimanne. He has also been in the limited-overs form of his life in the past three months, in which he has revealed a new, hyper-aggressive facet to his batting, borne out through an unprecedented range of strokes.In contrast, Sangakkara had had a poor IPL for Sunrisers, and although he began the season as captain, he increasingly left himself out of the side towards the end of the tournament.

It seems not a day goes by that a former Essex academy product leaves the confines of Chelmsford to yield performances above and beyond anything they produced before

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford04-Sep-2013
ScorecardBen Foakes’ stand with Graham Napier bolstered Essex’s lead•Getty Images

It seems not a day goes by that a former Essex academy product leaves the confines of Chelmsford to yield performances above and beyond anything they produced before.Maurice Chambers is the latest to enjoy pastures new; five Division One wickets on Warwickshire debut after moving on loan to Edgbaston to quell their squad woes, joining the Essex alumni and Championship winners Varun Chopra and Chris Wright.Chambers’ last game for Essex came in an innings defeat to Northamptonshire; a game in which Paul Grayson felt compelled to issue a public apology for what he described as a “shambolic display”. When word came through to Chelsmford of his four wickets in the game against Nottinghamshire, one observer remarked: “It’s almost enough to make you laugh”.His is another name on a list continually waved in Essex faces as a damning indictment of their inability to nurture precocious talents after graduation. But, if you’ll allow the -type bluntness, perhaps only the truly strong survive?Alastair Cook, England’s Test and one day captain, has stayed put – his picture overlooking commuters as they make their way down the stairs at Chelmsford station – as has Ravi Bopara, who registered his maiden one day international century yesterday against Ireland.So what say you of Ben Foakes?There is a quiet group of optimists around the club who feel that Foakes may be one of the most talented players to come through the academy in the last 10 years, and maybe even longer. “Certainly more naturally gifted than Cook,” one punter began, resorting to heresy, “who knows, maybe even Gooch.”It’s one heck of a shout. But there are times when you watch the 20 year-old – whether batting for Essex or sub-fielding for England – when you feel that it all just fits so well. For someone so young, he wears the weight of so many expectations so nonchalantly, you might mistake them for a pair of Beats headphones.When Ryan ten Doeschate went in the fourth over of the day, Foakes took little notice and became entrenched in a battle with county warlock Alan Richardson. Impeccable in defence, he pushed back Richardson’s length, before picking him off on the back foot with a couple of lovely drives through mid-on and midwicket.Just before James Foster’s departure, he nearly caused one of them a calamitous demise – his over-exuberance resulting in both batsmen at the same end, only spared by a wayward throw from the deep. His fifty came off 88 balls, before he hit the shot of the match – a wristy on-drive for four – two balls later.He was joined by Graham Napier, in his 16th year of first-class cricket at Essex which is already his best with the bat and soon to be with the ball, too. He notched up his seventh fifty of the season with some crisp, clean hits from lovely shots and one barbaric thump down the ground for six which took him from 49 to 55.Undoubtedly one of the best No. 8 batsmen in the country, his temperament in all forms has held together a side that has often struggled to come close to the sum of their parts. Who knows what might have been if Napier’s efforts with the bat were more of a bonus than a godsend.In truth, the pair should have taken Essex past 400. But Foakes fell after lunch to Richardson, who then picked up his fourth wicket when he deceived David Masters with a change of pace. The end came soon after, with the wickets of Reece Topley and Monty Panesar falling to Jack Shantry in successive balls, giving Essex a first innings lead of 249.Worcestershire’s openers Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Pardoe took the score past their team’s entire first effort in the 37th over, in serene batting conditions. Pardoe remained unbeaten at stumps, but the wickets of Mitchell, Moeen Ali and Tom Fell keep the prospect of an innings victory for the hosts alive.Panesar has two wickets to his name, but was out-bowled and out-spun by Greg Smith, who has been encouraged to work further on his spin due to a side injury earlier this season. Panesar did improve towards the end, and bowled a very good final over with a bit more zest that, should he be able to replicate on Thursday, could see him register eye-catching figures in a comprehensive win.

Paul Collingwood appeared genuinely surprised by the suggestion that he might be considered a candidate for the Managing Director of England Cricket position

George Dobell18-Sep-2013Paul Collingwood appeared genuinely surprised by the suggestion that he might be considered a candidate for the Managing Director of England Cricket position soon to be vacated by Hugh Morris.”Me?” he asked. “Managing director? I don’t think so. I’ll leave that to the posh boys like Straussy.”The suggestion is not so ridiculous, though. Collingwood’s record as a leader is exceptional and he has a range of experiences that would render him an intriguing candidate.After an unhappy period as England captain in 2007, he returned to lead the side to the only global trophy they have ever won – the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010 – and has now helped Durham from the bottom of the Division One table in July 2012 to the brink of being County Champions in 14 months. In that time, Durham will have, with victory over Nottinghamshire, won 14 out of 21 Championship games in which he has captained and a club record five in succession to seal the title.And all that against a backdrop of financial trouble that prevented the acquisition of new players or an overseas cricketer, of high-profile injuries and departures (the likes of Michael di Venuto, Ian Blackwell and Steve Harmison have all, for one reason or another, been phased out in recent times, while Dale Benkenstein has missed most of the campaign through injury) and of the heart attack to head coach, Geoff Cook, that cast a shadow over the club for several weeks. It is an achievement worthy of the highest praise.This challenge, Collingwood conceded, came at the right time of his career. With his international career over and many personal ambitions sated, he had the combination of experience and personal ability to instil the values that he saw benefit England into a Durham squad that, for all its skill, had an ‘old-school’ feel when it came to matters such as fitness and preparation.”I have been a reluctant captain in the past,” he admitted. “I am not one to go out calling for the captaincy whichever team I have played for but when I’ve done it, I’ve done it to the best of my ability.”This has come at the right time for me. It’s kept me fresh and it’s given us the chance to take the club forward five or 10 years. It’s not just about success on the pitch, it’s about instilling a culture in the club that can take us into the future.”That culture has seen several high-profile players – the likes of Harmison and Blackwell – sidelined and opportunities given to young, locally-developed cricketers who were more in-tune with Collingwood’s fitness ethic and, in general, preference for reliability over flair.He concedes that his own powers as a player are waning. He has claimed only one Championship wicket this season and, though he has passed 50 five times on some demanding surfaces, he has not managed a century and his average is a modest 30.85. He dismissed the suggestion that he will seek a new contract after the 2014 season with a snort of laughter: “I doubt it,” he said with feeling.”That would be pretty much it for me, I would have thought,” he said. “I am enjoying it but I’m nowhere near as good a player as I was. And that frustrates the hell out of you.When you get a ball and think ‘I used to whack that.’ I’m scrapping more than I ever have. I’m trying to play shots I used to be able to play and the ball isn’t going anywhere. But I guess I am still contributing and I would be very upset if I wasn’t.”Collingwood is a little coy about his future beyond 2014. Partially because of the heart attack suffered by Geoff Cook a few weeks ago, talks about the coaching structure at Durham at present are sensitive and, perhaps, inappropriate. Until a few months ago, it was presumed that Dale Benkenstein would, in time, succeed Cook with Jon Lewis as his deputy.Now, however, there is a thought that it may be Collingwood and Lewis who take the club forward. Understandably, Collingwood is reluctant to be drawn on the subject, limiting himself to saying “conversations have taken place” but nothing is decided.He is also modest about his own contribution to Durham’s achievements. “I’d put this success down to the skilful players we have in the dressing room,” he said. “Several young guys have put their hands up and I always feel that we have the attack to take 20 wickets. We have an exceptional attack and in Graham Onions – whose averages are ridiculous in the last couple of years – and Chris Rushworth we have bowlers who know how to bowl on this wicket.”The days of former England players going back into the county game are, sadly, declining. The lure of media work and foreign leagues has given them other options and, as a consequence, seen the domestic game robbed of just a little bit of the experience that can help develop the next generation. Collingwood has shown the value of such players, however, and deserves much of the credit for Durham’s fine achievement.

Martin Guptill blasted a sensational maiden first-class double century to bring back memories of his World Cup quarter-final spectacular and guide Derbyshire into a winning position against Gloucestershire in Bristol

Press Association27-Apr-2015
ScorecardFlashback to Wellington as Guptill became the centre of attention•ICC

Martin Guptill blasted a sensational maiden first-class double century to bring back memories of his World Cup quarter-final spectacular and guide Derbyshire into a winning position on the second day of the LV=County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.The 28-year-old New Zealander hit 227, off just 176 balls, with 29 fours and 11 sixes, reaching his double hundred with three successive maximums off Liam Norwell, as his side ran up 511 for 8 in reply to the home side’s 275. Matt Taylor claimed five for 89.An increasingly grouchy day in Bristol, before a modest crowd, might not have had much in common with his memorable intervention in the World Cup last eight against West Indies in Wellington, when his double hundred came up in 152 balls, but there was a reminder in his bruising strokeplay.On a day when Gloucestershire spilled six catches, Guptill received good support from Ben Slater (56), Billy Godleman (44) and Shiv Thakor, who contributed a sparkling 83 off 109 balls, with 13 fours and a six.The tone of the day was set with the first ball as Derbyshire resumed on 24 without loss. Slater drove at a wide one from James Fuller and saw a straightforward chance spilled by Geraint Jones at first slip.It was a day to forget for the Gloucestershire skipper, who later gave Guptill a life on 57 from another routine slip chance off Liam Norwell.Godleman was also dropped before falling with the score on 88 in the 27th over, adjudged caught behind off Norwell.It was 118 for one at lunch, Slater having reached his half-century off 114 balls, with 8 fours, and Guptill on 17. They took the total to 162 before Slater, given another life on 55, was held by Chris Dent in the slips off Norwell.Guptill pulled Norwell for six and after his reprieve set about the Gloucestershire attack with some savagely-struck boundaries. He lost two more partners as Wayne Madsen played on to Taylor and Wes Durston was caught by Jones, also off the young left-arm seamer.Guptill three figures off 101 balls with a glorious straight drive for four off Craig Miles On 101 he was dropped again by Will Tavare at point before tea was taken at 270 for 4.Thakor was on 22 and in the final session he began to match Guptill’s strokeplay, despite overcast conditions. The former Leicestershire player moved to 50 off 89 deliveries, with 6 fours and a six, just after Guptill had launched Kieran Noema-Barnett for a huge six over long-on.By the time the second new ball was taken at 360 for four, Guptill had reached 150 off 147 balls, with 23 fours and 4 sixes, and together with Thakor had added 90 in the previous ten overs.The carnage continued until Thakor got a thin edge to Taylor and was caught behind. The next ball was an inswinger that pinned Alex Hughes lbw and the one after that beat the outside edge of Harvey Hosein’s bat.It was belated reward for Taylor, who had bowled without much luck. But even he came in for punishment as the irrepressible Guptill starting lofting the ball over the ropes at will to reach 200 off 165 balls.An unforgettable exhibition came to an end when he miscued a Taylor full toss to extra cover, giving the bowler his fifth wicket.By the close Derbyshire led by 236, having scored 487 runs in the day, 241 of them in the final session.

Fawad Ahmed faces a battle to be included in Australia’s Test team after coach and selector Darren Lehmann declared there were enough part-time options in the side to leave out a second spin bowler

Daniel Brettig in Roseau03-Jun-2015Fawad Ahmed faces a battle to be included in Australia’s Test team for the remaining six matches of their dual tour to the West Indies and England after the coach and selector Darren Lehmann declared there were enough part-time options in the side to leave out a second spin bowler.Given its history of extravagant spin, Dominica had been considered Fawad’s best opportunity for a call-up, but Lehmann stated that the use of Michael Clarke, Steven Smith and the left-arm spin of the debutant Adam Voges constituted more than enough slow bowling to support Nathan Lyon. If that was the case in Dominica, then Fawad may spend most of the next four months carrying the drinks.Lehmann also stated the team’s preference for a three-man pace attack in order to “go pretty hard at” their opposition. Given Australia’s success in battering England with pace Down Under in 2013-14, it seems highly unlikely that twin spin will be employed during the Ashes series, slow pitches or not.”We know it spins here traditionally but at the end of the day we thought the three quick options were the best way to go considering we’ve got Smith, Clarke and Voges who can all bowl left-arm spin or wrist spin,” Lehmann said. “So with Lyon we think that gives us enough spin options and with the three quicks it lets us go pretty hard at them.”The practice wickets have played pretty well, they’ve taken spin but also had a little bit of carry. We think the option with Smith, Clarke and Voges doing the bowling covers that. It was a really tough decision. Time will tell but we’re really comfortable with that side. Fawad might get his opportunity next Test.”Fawad had arrived in Dominica thinking he was more than likely to win Australia’s 442nd baggy green cap, and was the subject of enormous media coverage. However his chances faded with each passing day, and by match eve he cut a disappointed figure as he bowled in the pace net with Lehmann while Voges and Lyon served as the prime spin tandem.Intriguingly, the captain Michael Clarke had appeared to be in favour of Fawad’s inclusion, writing extensively about Fawad in his Australian newspaper column. Clarke also spoke at some length about their growing relationship and thought the legspinner shared some traits in common with no less a master of the art than Shane Warne.”I’ve known Fuzz for a while now,” Clarke had said. “We spent a bit of time together even before he was playing for Australia. He came and bowled to us regularly when we were in Melbourne. I’ve got to know him over the last couple of years. I said in my column today that one of his greatest strengths is his consistency. For a wrist spin bowler to be able to be so consistent is a great strength to have.”Fawad is experienced. He knows his strengths, He knows his weaknesses. We speak daily about field settings in different conditions all around the world. I’m confident if he gets an opportunity that he will be able to have success, and we’ll be able to work together to get the appropriate fields to take wickets.”Clarke, though, is not a selector, and Lehmann’s desire to hunt the West Indian batsmen with pace was vindicated on the series’ opening day. Fawad could only look on from the boundary, and wonder whether his chance had gone.

ESPNcricinfo previews the latest round of matches in the T20 Blast with both groups tightly packed

Will Macpherson03-Jul-2015

North Group

Durham v Leicestershire, Chester-le-Street, 5.30Leicestershire head into a weekend double-header riding high after pulling off a remarkable heist – with a wicket from the final ball – to claim a tie against Yorkshire last week. They sit third in the congested North Group and have both O’Briens – Kevin and Niall – available before they join Ireland’s bid to qualify for next year’s World T20. Durham’s Scotland star Calum McLeod is also available before he heads off to the qualifiers.So crowded is the North Group that while Durham sit sixth, they are just two points behind second-placed Worcestershire and two ahead of table-proppers Derbyshire. As with the County Championship defeat to Yorkshire earlier this week, the injured Paul Coughlin is replaced in the squad by Jamie Harrison, who hopes to make his T20 bow three seasons after his maiden first-class and List A appearances for the club. Leicestershire face four Blast matches in ten days – as well as a Championship match against Kent – and have named a 15-man squad for this match, including youngsters Lewis Hill, Aadil Ali and Rob Sayer, as well as in-form former Durham man Ben Raine.Lancashire v Yorkshire, Old Trafford, 6.30The Roses clash, following one for the ages at Headingley last month which Jos Buttler’s outrageous 71 won for Lancashire, has a distinctly Australian feel, with Yorkshire’s Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch lining up opposite their World Cup winning team-mate James Faulkner. Lancashire have lost three of their four games since Buttler’s knock but still sit a point ahead of Yorkshire in the table – both are outside the top four – as they scramble for qualification. Finch will have fond memories of this fixture last season, when he smashed 88 in 55 balls to help Yorkshire to a five-wicket win.Aussies aplenty, but both sides are missing England stars, with Buttler unavailable for Lancashire and Adil Rashid joining Joe Root, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance among Yorkshire’s absentees. Man of the moment Jonny Bairstow remains, but Liam Plunkett is injured, while spinners James Middlebrook and Karl Carver are called up in Rashid’s stead. Lancashire have named the eleven who lost by one run to Warwickshire last week, plus Tom Bailey and Saqib Mahmood.Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire, Trent Bridge, 6.30Seventh-placed Nottinghamshire can draw level with second-placed Worcestershire with a win but they will have to do without star men James Taylor and Luke Fletcher, who both picked up hamstring injuries in the Championship match between the two sides this week. Riki Wessels, playing his 100th T20 in England, will captain the side in Taylor’s place. Even with the group so tight, Nottinghamshire can barely afford another defeat if they are to continue their run of five consecutive home quarter-finals. Sam Wood and Will Gidman take places in the squad after missing out against Northamptonshire on Sunday. Worcestershire are hoping to win four away games on the bounce for the first time in this format.Birmingham v Derbyshire, Edgbaston, 6.30It is top plays bottom at Edgbaston as star draw Brendon McCullum makes his home debut for high-flying Birmingham Bears who have won six of their first eight matches and 12 of their last 14 in the format. They sit two points clear at the top of the North Group after their dramatic, traffic-defying, weather-beating one-run win over Lancashire last Friday. Birmingham have named an unchanged squad while Derbyshire – who are bottom of the group but just four points off second after an important victory over Nottinghamshire last week – have named a squad containing the 11 players involved in that game, as well as batsman Ben Slater.

South Group

Somerset v Gloucestershire, Taunton, 5.30Gloucestershire’s dramatic last-ball defeat to Surrey at Kia Oval on Wednesday leaves them a point and a position behind sixth-placed Somerset, leaving plenty riding on this game as the group stages reach the business end. Gloucestershire boast the tournament’s joint leading run-scorer – Michael Klinger with 520 – and wicket-taker – Tom Smith with 20 – but captain Klinger said after the defeat to Surrey that they now need to win all of their remaining fixtures to qualify for the knockouts.Recent history, however, is not in Gloucestershire’s favour. Somerset have won the last five fixtures between the two teams, including last month’s five-wicket win in Bristol. For Gloucestershire, Liam Norwell – is replaced in the squad by Miles Hammond, while Somerset add Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory to the XI that were pipped by Glamorgan at Taunton on Sunday.Surrey v Middlesex, Kia Oval, 6.30The first London derby of 2015 takes place after the two bottom sides in the South Group enjoyed contrasting midweek home games. Surrey will be in confident mood; Azhar Mahmood’s last-ball six against Gloucestershire gave them their second win on the spin, and they’ve won seven of their last eight against their rivals from across town. Mahmood, meanwhile has 11 more T20 wickets against Middlesex than anyone else (32) and has dismissed skipper Eoin Morgan six times in the format. Only the seven times Zaheer Khan’s has snared MS Dhoni gives a bowler more dismissals of a single batsman in T20 cricket.For Surrey, Freddie van den Bergh has been added to the 13-man squad for the win over Gloucestershire, while bottom-placed Middlesex, seeking to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat, have overhauled the squad that was thrashed by Sussex at Lord’s on Thursday. Mitchell McClenaghan is out with a badly broken and dislocated finger, while experienced men James Franklin and Nick Compton make way, with Ryan Higgins, Nick Gubbins, George Scott and Gurjit Sandhu all vying for places in the side.Hampshire v Glamorgan, Ageas Bowl, 7.00pmThese two sides are jostling for position in mid-table in the South Group. Hampshire – who have qualified for the knockout stages for the last five seasons – are battling to avoid losing three consecutive T20s for the first time since 2007 and the only change to the squad for the defeat to a Jesse Ryder-inspired Essex last Friday is the absence of allrounder Liam Dawson, who has headed to Chelmsford on loan, while Joe Gatting is expected to make his first T20 appearance of the season in place of the injured Sean Ervine.Glamorgan’s hopes of qualification for the knockout stages took a boost with their outstanding win at Taunton last Sunday but in that game they bid farewell to South African Wayne Parnell, whose stint with the county ended. Graham Wagg misses out with a lower back injury, while England U-19 star Aneurin Donald – who is available after completing his A-Levels – is in line to make his T20 debut.Sussex v Kent, Hove, 7.00pmSussex thrashed Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday – their fourth win on the spin – to go top of the South Group but Kent, who have played a game less, can overtake them with a win in front of a sell-out crowd at Hove.Kent will be without death bowling specialist David Griffiths for the rest of the campaign after he underwent surgery on his back this week, but they welcome back Sam Billings from England duty, as well as Matt Coles and Darren Stevens, who sat out their clash with the Australians with minor injuries. Stevens needs just eight runs to become the first man to 3000 domestic runs in English cricket, while Oxford MCCU captain Sam Weller – a 20-year-old pace bowler – is also named in the squad for the first time. Sussex have named an unchanged squad.

India batsman Ambati Rayudu has been ruled out of the team’s ongoing tour of Zimbabwe because of injury to his right quadriceps muscles

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2015India batsman Ambati Rayudu has been ruled out of the team’s ongoing tour of Zimbabwe because of injury to his right quadriceps muscles. The BCCI has drafted Sanju Samson into the squad as Rayudu’s replacement for the final ODI and two T20I matches.A BCCI media release confirmed that Rayudu, 29, sustained the injury during the second ODI in Harare and will “require two to three weeks of rehabilitation”. Rayudu is the second player to pull out of the squad after a fractured finger ended Karn Sharma’s series last week.Rayudu, who scored a match-winning 124 not out in the first ODI, is currently the leading run-scorer in the series. His withdrawal will give 20-year-old Sanju Samson, who has already played 137 senior matches, a chance to make his international debut.”The Indian team is the world’s best team,” Samson said. “I am very lucky to get a call to play for the country”India secured the one-day series with a 62-run win in the second ODI, and will play the last match in Harare on Tuesday.The two T20 matches are scheduled to be held on July 17 and 19.