Capacity crowd treated to blistering innings on same surface as epic final, as South Africa star turns on style

Matt Roller at Lord's18-Jul-2019″Me, I’m from the Wild West / Guess you’d call it Middlesex” sing The Rhythm Method on their debut album How Would You Know I Was Lonely? Tonight, AB de Villiers played the role of the gunslinging sheriff at Lord’s, with the middle of his bat the weapon of choice, as Middlesex cruised to a seven-wicket win in their Vitality Blast opener thanks to his 43-ball 88 not out.On the same slow pitch that saw so few batsmen manage to time the ball in Sunday’s World Cup final, de Villiers took 15 balls to score his first 17 runs before launching a memorable assault on Essex’s misfiring attack in partnership with the more sedate Dawid Malan.Essex had hatched a plan early to bowl spin at de Villiers, as so many sides successfully did in this year’s IPL. With Adam Zampa and Simon Harmer at their disposal, it had briefly seemed like a canny move as he struggled to find his rhythm early on.Then, he flicked the switch – and how. Ravi Bopara’s cutter was whacked over extra cover for six; Harmer was launched ten rows back into the Mound Stand; Shane Snater’s drag-down was nailed high and mighty into the night sky.The pick of the bunch came off Dan Lawrence, the part-timer entrusted with the 14th over just as de Villiers had put his right foot all the way to the floor.He speared in an offbreak, hoping to cramp de Villiers for room; moments later, Lord’s fell into momentary silence, as the 28,000 sell-out collectively held its breath while the ball flew into the top tier of the Grandstand some 90 metres away.AB de Villiers enjoyed a sparkling Middlesex debut•Getty Images

Lawrence is a handy bowler on his day, who has had success at this ground in the past, but in such a situation was a lamb to the slaughter; if the unthinkable had happened and he had got the star man out, de Villiers would have been entitled to repeat that infamous W.G. Grace line: “They came to watch me bat, not you bowl.”A six and a four off Harmer to finish the job meant 61 had come from his final 28 deliveries. He finished the night with six sixes – no other Middlesex batsman hit even one.Statistically, de Villiers sits alongside a bunch of superstars in the top handful of T20 players; aesthetically, he is in a class of one. There is no finer combination of brute force and beauty than a de Villiers assault, and this innings will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it.It was an innings several years in the making, too.It is five years since Middlesex first talked about a deal with de Villiers, and they had a gentleman’s agreement in place by 2016. Several counties tried their utmost to sign him after his international retirement last year, with Northamptonshire reportedly pulling out all the stops in their bid to secure his signature, but Lord’s and London proved too great a pull to resist.The Blast’s bizarre scheduling meant a single net at Merchant Taylor’s School was the only practice de Villiers had with his new team-mates before this game; his most recent innings was as long ago as May 5, long before the debacle of his World Cup will-he-won’t-he had come to light.But this was not the innings of a man lacking match practice. Essex bowled too short, and played to his strengths, but that is the mark of the best players.There is a reason that tennis players double-fault more when they face Roger Federer, and why golfers play worse when Tiger Woods is playing in the same tournament as them. It is the very spectre of de Villiers that throws his opponents off their game.Things could have been so different. Essex’s total of 164 looked like an imposing total at the interval, not least after Ryan ten Doeschate had helped them add 88 in the final eight overs. And after Paul Stirling – having been dropped twice, once comically by Cameron Delport – and Nick Gubbins fell cheaply, they were in some sort of trouble at 39 for 2.They needn’t have worried. De Villiers claimed afterwards that he didn’t feel like he was quite at his best, despite his brilliance; if he can reach that level when Middlesex travel to The Oval on Tuesday, it will be another night to remember.

Find out what terbutaline does to an athlete, and why it is on the WADA list of prohibited substances

Varun Shetty01-Aug-2019What is terbutaline?Terbutaline is classified as a bronchodilator, which is any medication that relaxes muscles in the airways and allows easy circulation of air in and out of the lungs. It is available in the form of tablets, syrups, shots, and as the liquid inside inhalers. It is a prescription drug.What does it do?Terbutaline’s primary function is to make breathing easier, so it is used to treat symptoms of lung problems like asthma or bronchitis, although it is sometimes used to slow down or delay contractions during pre-term labour.In general, it is used to control symptoms like cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest.Why is it on the WADA list of prohibited substances?Aerobic exercise – or cardio, as it’s called popularly – is dependent on getting oxygenated blood as quickly as possible to working muscles. So any exercise that exerts pressure on the heart and lungs can be positively affected by easing up the breathing – which is exactly what something like terbutaline would do.Terbutaline is on the list of substances that are prohibited at all times (even in therapeutic use) by the WADA because it has been shown to enhance time to exhaustion and, among other things, the muscle power output in cyclists.Does it affect a cricketer’s performance? Not really, as per the BCCI’s anti-doping manager Dr Abhijit Salvi.”Terbutaline helps to open the airways and thereby ventilate the lungs effectively. It may be beneficial to cyclists, runners, etc, but wouldn’t really help a cricketer perform better,” Salvi told ESPNcricinfo.Where have I heard of it before?A couple of years ago, Yusuf Pathan was also tested positive for terbutaline and was handed a back-dated five-month ban.Terbutaline is a fairly prevalent topic in the world of cycling as well. In 2016, British cyclist Simon Yates failed a drug test that prevented him from participating in the Tour de France. Yates, like many other cyclists and elite athletes, took the substance to treat long-term asthma.But is it even possible for elite athletes to have asthma? Yes – their intense training methods and exposure to lung irritants affect their airways and can cause something called exercise-induced asthma.

Follow our live report for updates, stats, trivia, colour and discussion during the third Test of the 2019 Ashes from Headingley.

Valkerie Baynes22-Aug-2019

Linde, who is already in India with the touring South Africa A squad, will join the senior team on their arrival

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2019Allrounder George Linde has earned a maiden call-up to the South Africa squad for the upcoming T20Is against India. Linde will replace allrounder JJ Smuts, who was withdrawn from the tour after failing to meet the side’s fitness standards, according to Cricket South Africa.Linde is currently in India with the touring South Africa A side and will join the senior squad on their arrival. In the ongoing one-day series against India in Thiruvananthapuram, Linde has scored 69 runs at an average of 34.5, including one half-century, and has taken three wickets with his left-arm spin. Having made his T20 debut in January 2012, he has been a source of quiet overs for Cape Cobras in domestic cricket and was able to translate that skill to the Mzansi Super League as well, playing half of the Cape Town Blitz’s 10 games last year, picking up five wickets at an average of 18.The call-up to the T20I squad had marked a comeback for Smuts, who last played an international game for South Africa in February last year, during India’s tour of the country, and had missed out on selection for the home series against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. His selection had been based on consistent performances at the franchise level. In CSA’s T20 Challenge, he scored 205 runs at a strike rate of 143.35, including a century, and picked up three wickets.The South Africa squad will leave for India on Friday. The T20I series will begin on September 15 in Dharamsala, followed by the three- Test series, which will be played between October 2-23.South Africa T20 squad (updated): Quinton de Kock (capt), Rassie van der Dussen (vice-capt), Temba Bavuma, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde

The BCB wants to avoid visa-related difficulties because of the current situation

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2019The Bangladesh Cricket Board will not send its women team’s Indian support staff members – head coach Anju Jain, assistant coach Devika Palshikar and trainer Kavita Pandey – to Pakistan for a tour featuring ODIs and T20Is. The BCB wanted to avoid potential visa-related difficulties given the current political tensions between India and Pakistan. The three India nationals will instead be in charge of the Bangladesh women’s A team during their home series against India A that begins on October 4.”There will be a lot of formalities because of the current situation, which is what we wanted to avoid. We have two women’s series concurrent, so they will be in charge of the Bangladesh women’s A side,” chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said.The senior women’s team will depart from Dhaka on October 23 and are scheduled to play two T20Is and three ODIs from 26 October to 4 November, all to be hosted in Lahore. This is yet another step towards bringing international cricket back in Pakistan after the 2009 terrorist attack. Earlier this year, Karachi had hosted West Indies women for three T20Is, while Sri Lanka men’s team is currently in Pakistan for three ODIs and as many T20Is.Meanwhile, India A will play three one-day matches and as many T20s in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, with the tour concluding on October 14.Dipu Roy Chowdhury, who coached the women’s side between 2009 and 2012, will be the interim head coach of the senior women’s team, while Emdadul Haque will be the assistant coach. Anwar Hossain Monir is the trainer and Javed Omar will be the team manager.

Singapore slide to 43-run defeat despite being in a strong position when they had PNG at 101 for 4

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019Tony Ura and Assad Vala started the good work with the bat, Charles Amini and Kiplin Doriga built on it, and then the bowlers, led by Damien Ravu, put the seal on a strong Papua New Guinea performance as they beat Singapore by 43 runs in Dubai. The result helped PNG get to eight points from five games, placing them top of the Group A table for the moment, while Singapore, after starting their campaign with a win over Scotland, have just four points from five games.Singapore captain Amjad Mahboob asked PNG to bat upon winning the toss, and the experienced PNG opening duo of Ura and captain Vala proceeded to add 61 runs in quick time before Vala was dismissed off the last ball of the Powerplay for an 18-ball 24. Ura fell 20 runs later for a 21-ball 30 in the ninth over, and when Lega Siaka was dismissed next ball for 13, PNG did look a bit shaky at 81 for 3, which appeared worse when Sese Bau fell for 11 to leave the scoreboard reading 101 for 4.But that brought Amini and Doriga together, and they both hit unbeaten 40s as Singapore, who had lost the services of offspinner Selladore Vijayakumar before the game after he was suspended for a suspect bowling action, wilted.Amini ended on 41 not out off 28 balls, with two fours and a six, while Doriga’s 43 not out came off 27 balls, with two fours and two sixes. The two added an unbroken 79 runs for the fifth wicket.Singapore’s reply started on a poor note as Surendran Chandramohan was dismissed for a diamond duck, run out without facing a ball. If that was bad, it got worse when Ravu sent back Rohan Rangarajan and Rezza Gaznavi off consecutive balls in the sixth over to leave Singapore on 37 for 3.There was a bit of a fightback, led by Tim David, who hit a 26-ball 44, but though four others – Aritra Dutta, Navin Param, Vinoth Baskaran and Avi Dixit – got into double figures, there wasn’t the one other big knock that could have helped David pull off an unlikely win, Ravu’s 4 for 18 making it simpler for PNG.Singapore’s last group-stage match will be against Namibia tomorrow, while PNG’s final fixture is against Kenya the day after.

Somerset batsman talks about his breakthrough 2019 and white-ball ambitions

Matt Roller10-Dec-2019Eighteen months ago, Tom Abell was part way through his fifth season in the Somerset first team with just 13 T20 runs to his name. Now, he is Bangladesh-bound for his first taste of franchise cricket with Rangpur Rangers at the BPL, having reinvented himself as a middle-order accelerator in the shortest form.After a useful run with the bat in 2018, Abell’s limitations as a T20 player were exposed in a televised game at Canterbury at the end of the group stage. Chasing an imposing 231 to win, Abell eked out 21 not out from 18 balls, eating up the time left for captain Lewis Gregory to close the game out; Gregory ended unbeaten on 44 off just 15 balls, but Somerset fell five runs short.This season, he was a player transformed, scoring quicker than any other batsman in the competition other than AB de Villiers (minimum 200 runs) and almost doubling his scoring rate against seamers.