Latest news with #testcricket
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Cricket: Robert Anderson, member of historic NZ team, dies aged 76
Robert Anderson (centre) celebrates a dismissal along with Geoff Howarth (left) and Mark Burgess (right) during the 1978 test against England. Photo: Supplied: NZ Cricket Top order batter Robert Anderson - a member of the New Zealand side to achieve an historic first test win over England in 1978 - has died aged 76. Born in 1948, Anderson was a tall, strong man known by his team-mates and opponents alike as "Jumbo," and hailed from a cricketing family. His father Mac Anderson opened the batting with Walter Hadlee in New Zealand's test against Australia at the Basin Reserve in 1946, while his son Tim later played as a leg-spinner for Central Districts. His own career began with Canterbury in 1967-68, and he went on to represent three other New Zealand provinces: Northern Districts (1969-70), Otago (1971/72-1976/77), and Central Districts (1977/78-1981/82). Anderson's international career began with a tour of England in 1973, though he did not play a test. His test debut came in Lahore in 1976 during New Zealand's tour of Pakistan, a match that highlighted his grit. Scoring 92 in the second innings, his highest test score, Anderson forged a 183-run fifth-wicket partnership with Mark Burgess (111) in just 155 minutes, a New Zealand record at the time. With New Zealand following on 260 runs behind, their stand rescued the side from 62 for four, though Pakistan clinched a four-wicket victory. The match was notable for other debutants: Peter Petherick took a hat-trick, Warren Lees stepped in as wicketkeeper following Ken Wadsworth's death and and Javed Miandad announced himself to the world with an innings of 163. Anderson's finest hour came during the 1977-78 season, his most prolific, when he scored 849 runs at 38.59 (across all competitions). That summer, he played all three tests against England and was part of New Zealand's landmark 72-run victory at the Basin Reserve, the first time New Zealand had defeated England in a test. Though his contributions with the bat (28 and 26) were modest, they were vital in a low-scoring match - his 26 being the top score across both the New Zealand and England second innings. Retained for the 1978 tour of England, Anderson played nine tests in total, with his 92 in Lahore remaining his best. -RNZ
CNA
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
England dominate Zimbabwe after Bennett's record century
NOTTINGHAM, England :England were closing in on a crushing victory over Zimbabwe at the close on the second day of the one-off test on Friday, despite opener Brian Bennett scoring the fastest test century for the African side. The touring team finished on 30-2 in their second innings after following on, 270 runs behind the hosts, the 21-year-old Bennett dismissed for one following his fine knock of 139 in Zimbabwe's first-innings total of 265. England earlier declared on 565-6 after pummelling Zimbabwe's poor quality bowling to all corners of Trent Bridge. Bennett led an initially positive reply as Zimbabwe, playing their first test in England in 22 years, reached 73-1 at lunch. Captain Craig Ervine contributed 42 and Sean Williams made 25 but the last six wickets fell for just over 100 runs with Zimbabwe one batsmen short after seamer Richard Ngarava was unable to bat due to injury. Spinner Shoaib Bashir (3-62) and home captain Ben Stokes, bowling in a match for the first time in five months, shone in England's attack with debutant Sam Cook toiling for his solitary wicket. Stokes found movement on a dry pitch as he swung the ball both ways and took 2-11, also having Bennett dropped at first slip by Joe Root when he was on 89. Bennett wasted no time in racing to his century with three successive boundaries bringing up the milestone off 97 balls. He had a brief rest before coming back out for the last 45 minutes in Zimbabwe's second innings and was trapped lbw by Gus Atkinson, followed soon by Ervine for two when Zimbabwe's skipper was snagged at short leg by Ollie Pope off Josh Tongue. Ben Curran (4) and Williams (22) were unbeaten at stumps with Zimbabwe facing a daunting task to save the match. Rain is forecast on Saturday, which will give the English bowlers a sense of urgency as they seek to wrap up victory in the four-day match.
CNA
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Vaughan says first-innings injury substitutes should be allowed to bat and bowl
NOTTINGHAM, England : Former England captain Michael Vaughan said substitutes who replace injured players in the first innings of a test match should be able to bat and bowl for the remainder of the contest instead of being restricted to fielding duties. Under the current laws of the game, injured players can be replaced during a match but the substitute is only allowed to field, with the lone exception being a concussion substitute. The restriction leaves teams shorthanded with only 10 eligible batters and puts added strain on a bowling corps if the injury was to a bowler. Zimbabwe's frontline seamer Richard Ngarava could bowl only nine overs before being helped off the field due to a back injury on the opening day of their one-off test against England on Thursday. England's top three batters then feasted on Zimbabwe's pedestrian attack, with each of them smashing a hundred as the hosts racked up 498-3. "Injury replacements should be permitted in test cricket in the first innings of the game," Vaughan told BBC Sport. "If there's a genuine injury in the first innings, it affects the game and the entertainment, which fans pay money to watch. The first innings is a good cut-off to make it fair." Former Zimbabwe seamer Henry Olonga said substitutes should be allowed to bat or bowl regardless of when they enter a match. "I'm open to the idea of substitutes, perhaps with a limited number, but not necessarily like-for-like and not only restricted to injuries," the 48-year-old said. "If you want to grow the game globally, then make it more like other sports where subs are allowed. "Think of football, tactically if a game is going in a certain way, substitutes can be used to tweak the direction."
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Vaughan says first-innings injury substitutes should be allowed to bat and bowl
NOTTINGHAM, England, May 23 (Reuters) - Former England captain Michael Vaughan said substitutes who replace injured players in the first innings of a test match should be able to bat and bowl for the remainder of the contest instead of being restricted to fielding duties. Under the current laws of the game, injured players can be replaced during a match but the substitute is only allowed to field, with the lone exception being a concussion substitute. The restriction leaves teams shorthanded with only 10 eligible batters and puts added strain on a bowling corps if the injury was to a bowler. Zimbabwe's frontline seamer Richard Ngarava could bowl only nine overs before being helped off the field due to a back injury on the opening day of their one-off test against England on Thursday. England's top three batters then feasted on Zimbabwe's pedestrian attack, with each of them smashing a hundred as the hosts racked up 498-3. "Injury replacements should be permitted in test cricket in the first innings of the game," Vaughan told BBC Sport. "If there's a genuine injury in the first innings, it affects the game and the entertainment, which fans pay money to watch. The first innings is a good cut-off to make it fair." Former Zimbabwe seamer Henry Olonga said substitutes should be allowed to bat or bowl regardless of when they enter a match. "I'm open to the idea of substitutes, perhaps with a limited number, but not necessarily like-for-like and not only restricted to injuries," the 48-year-old said. "If you want to grow the game globally, then make it more like other sports where subs are allowed. "Think of football, tactically if a game is going in a certain way, substitutes can be used to tweak the direction." The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of cricket's laws, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jamie Smith will ‘take on' the pressure as he eyes match-winning role ahead of Ashes tour
England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is aiming high ahead of a busy summer and winter with the test team as he hopes to become a 'match-winner' for the team. The 24-year-old is just starting his test career, having played nine matches so far, but is already looking at what it takes to be remembered as a great of the game. England's summer kicks off with a four-day test against Zimbabwe later this month before a five-match series against India at home and an away tour to Australia over the winter. Smith is excited about facing two of the best teams in the world and is confident he can rise to the challenge of taking on two blistering bowling attacks when the pressure is mounting. 'When the pressure's on it definitely gives you more of a focus,' Smith said in an interview with The Guardian. 'You can't get away from the fact that, when the game is on the line, you want to be the one that takes it on and wins it. Look at some of the best players that have played the game – and the impact they've had in situations where they've been needed the most. 'Look at Stokesy and some of the innings he's played where he's rescued the side from defeat or led them to victory. They're the things that get remembered. So it would be nice to be the sort of player that can do similar.' Smith's start to test match cricket has been a strong one. Propelled into the team to replace Surrey teammate Ben Foakes, he has scored 637 runs at an average of 42.46 including four fifties and a maiden century in 15 innings. An aggressive batting style marries up with the philosophies of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendan McCullum which is helping Smith's belief that he can become a special player for England. 'If you don't have that belief there's no point putting yourself through some of the stuff you have to as a cricketer,' he added. 'When you have a good day you want it to be a memorable day where you've put the side in a position to win. You've got to have that optimism that you can be the one that, on a given day, can win the game.' Smith is also keen to make an impression in the Ashes this winter and has been drawing inspiration from 2010/11 tour that England won down under - the last time they achieved the feat. He said: 'I enjoyed putting [boxsets] on and rewatching them, knowing every word of the commentary and knowing these are recent pillars in English cricket. 'They show what can be done and to do something similar, and win an away Ashes, would be every England cricketer's dream. 'You look at recent results and see how difficult it is out there – it's almost Test cricket on fast forward with the media and the Australian public. So it would be fantastic to be involved.'
