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Keogh, Miller, Sales extend lead after India spinner rips through Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2024Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed five wickets as Northamptonshire ran through Derbyshire’s batting line-up on a day dominated by spin at Wantage Road before Northamptonshire’s batters put the hosts in the ascendancy.Chahal, veteran of 152 white-ball internationals, finished with figures of five for 45, only his third career five-wicket haul, as Derbyshire lost their last six wickets for just 15 runs in 10.2 overs.For most of the morning Chahal bowled in tandem with off-spinner Rob Keogh on a pitch offering plenty of turn and bounce with fielders stationed all around the bat. Keogh also took three wickets for 65 as Northamptonshire claimed a handy first inning lead of 54 on day two of this Vitality County Championship encounter.Luis Reece had top scored for Derbyshire with 50 and while Wayne Masden (47) and Aneurin Donald (21) staged a fightback during a 51-run partnership, Chahal removed both batters in a lengthy spell which included a double wicket maiden.In Northamptonshire’s second innings, teenage Derbyshire quick Harry Moore took two early wickets for just six runs, before youngsters Gus Miller (42) and James Sales (40) mounted a stand of 76. Rob Keogh hit a well-paced unbeaten 46 as Northamptonshire closed on 178 for five, leading by 232 when heavy rain and bad light stopped play.Earlier Ben Sanderson made the initial breakthrough for Northamptonshire, knocking back Brooke Guest’s (28) off stump, while Reece’s innings ended when he edged one from Keogh which spun away. Keogh struck again in his next over when David Lloyd was adjudged lbw as he attempted to sweep.Masden refused to be bowled at, coming down the wicket to strike Keogh over midwicket, cutting and sweeping the spinners as he and Donald manoeuvred the ball into the gaps and kept the scoreboard tickingDonald swept Chahal square for six when he tossed one up, but the bowler got his man when Donald swept a half-volley straight to Sales at square leg. Chahal almost had another wicket with his next ball but Sales, now at short leg, could not hold onto a sharp chance offered by Martin Andersson.Masden was undone by one from Chahal that pitched middle and hit the top of off-stump, while Chappell, hero of the One Day Cup fixture here in July, fell two balls later when he chipped to Luke Procter who ran in to take a diving catch at mid-off. Keogh then removed Andersson thanks to an excellent sharp grab by Justin Broad at leg slip.Chahal wrapped up the innings immediately after lunch, Alex Thomson top edging an attempted sweep, Prithvi Shaw running behind the stumps to take the catch. Chahal then bowled Jack Morley next ball to end the innings.Debutant Moore had Shaw adjudged lbw in the second over of Northamptonshire’s innings, while Procter edged him to Masden at second slip, the Derbyshire man’s 250th first-class catch for the county.Miller though started positively, driving Chappell through mid-on for four to get off the mark before Derbyshire turned to their own spin duo of Thomson and Morley who, while they created problems of their own, were inconsistent, failing to apply sustained pressure.Miller cut Morley for four to take Northamptonshire’s lead into three figures, Sales steering the spinner square for four and flicking him through midwicket for another. Miller duly drove Thomson through cover to bring up the 50 partnership.Miller though became the latest batter to perish playing the sweep, trapped lbw by Thomson shortly before tea, while Sales departed to seam shortly after the break, given out caught behind off Andersson.Saif Zaib and Keogh shared a stand of 41 for the fifth wicket to push the Northamptonshire lead towards 200. Zaib picked up where he had left off in his first innings 90, playing some crisp drives against Andersson and reverse sweeping the spinners, but he departed in a rush of blood, bowled as he danced down the track to Morley.Keogh profited from the reverse sweep in particular, deploying the shot to collect three consecutive boundaries off Thomson. He struck eight fours in total and despite the light worsening during the evening session, he helped Northamptonshire towards a daunting lead.

Taskin also returned to the ODI side after having missed the Ireland series in Chelmsford last month

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2023Mohammad Naim and Afif Hossain have been recalled to Bangladesh’s squad for their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan next month. Taskin Ahmed also returned to the side after missing the Ireland ODIs in Chelmsford last month, but there was no room for Yasir Ali, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Rony Talukdar.Taskin, who took four wickets in the second innings of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, has recovered from side strain. As for Naim, he returned to the ODI squad after a gap of two years. He has was the leading run-getter in the Dhaka Premier League, with 932 runs in 16 innings at an average of 71.69 and strike rate of 91.64. It is likely that the selectors as looking at Naim as a back-up opening option for Rony for the World Cup in India later this year.Afif, who was dropped during the home ODI series against Ireland, returned after some impressive showings in the DPL that ended last month. He had also led the Bangladesh A side in two of the three unofficial Tests against West Indies A recently before missing the last game, citing fatigue.Yasir is among three players who have been left out from the ODI squad that played last month. Yasir didn’t get a game in Chelmsford, but played two matches against Ireland in Sylhet in March. Mrittunjoy, who made his ODI debut in Chelmsford, made way for Taskin.Afghanistan will leave Dhaka after the one-off Test that ended on Saturday. They will return to Bangladesh on July 1 to play the three ODIs on July 5, 8 and 11 in Chattogram, and two T20Is on July 12 and 14, in Sylhet.Squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Afif Hossain, Mohammad NaimIn: Mohammad Naim, Afif Hossain, Taskin AhmedOut: Yasir Ali, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Rony Talukdar

Ellis took career-best 4 for 28 while Inglis played a vital innings, coming off seven days of isolation to help Australia beat Pakistan

Alex Malcolm06-Apr-2022Captain Aaron Finch predicts the future is bright for Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis after the inexperienced pair played a vital role in Australia’s one-off T20 international win against Pakistan in Lahore.Australia were missing David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc from the side that won the T20 World Cup, as well as regular squad members Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson, who both played in Australia’s last T20I series against Sri Lanka.But the inexperienced side, that featured three T20I debutants in Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Ben Dwarshuis, got the better of Pakistan by three wickets.Green and Ellis wrestled the game back in Australia’s favour taking 6 for 44 between them after Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan plundered 63 runs in the first seven overs without loss.Ellis took career-best figures of 4 for 28 in just his third T20I, with Finch predicting he has a bright future at the international level.”He’s someone who brings an unbelievable attitude, an unbelievable work ethic to games and training,” Finch said.”His energy, his intensity, his ability to learn really quickly, whether it be with the new ball, old ball, talking to experienced players, coaches, he’s just got an amazing attitude that he brings to the table.”And he’s someone that the boys love playing with.”When he turns up, he’s just got an infectious attitude that he brings and he’s just one of [those] guys that will have a super future because he’s prepared to challenge himself each and every day, which is a great sign, especially from a guy who hasn’t had a huge amount of international experience.”Related

• McDonald backs Finch to regain form heading towards T20 World Cup

Inglis kept wicket for the first time in T20I cricket having played his previous five games as a batter. He made a valuable 24 off 15 batting at No.3, which was made even more impressive by the fact that he carried the drinks throughout the Test series and then missed the entire ODI series because of a Covid-19 positive test that forced him to isolate in his hotel room.”He’s been fantastic,” Finch said of Inglis. “Nothing seems to faze him. The attitude that he brings out in the middle is brilliant. It’s good fun batting with him. He’s somebody who again takes in so much information and his ability to walk out of a hotel room after seven days of isolation and start off really well was outstanding.”And he’s just someone again, like Nathan Ellis, the guys love being around and love having him in squads. He’s a super player. He’s got so much talent as well. So yeah, I’ve been really impressed with Josh.”Aaron Finch acknowledges his half-century•AFP/Getty Images

Finch himself made a nice return to form scoring 55 off 45 balls to guide Australia home in the chase. Finch had gone 16 international innings without a half-century, including 13 T20Is, and had posted nine single-figure scores in that period culminating in back-to-back ducks to finish the recent ODI series. Coach Andrew McDonald had backed the skipper to come good 24 hours earlier and Finch repaid the faith.Finch used his feet to advance at the quicks early in his innings but then settled into a different set-up thereafter, keeping his left leg planted well outside leg stump to avoid getting trapped lbw.”It’s something that I tend to do,” Finch said. “It’s after my initial eight to 10 balls, when you start to get a bit more of a rhythm that I tend to go to that one. Especially, when guys are angling in and attacking the stumps quite a bit more on low bouncing wickets in particular.”I should have gone to it earlier, shouldn’t I.”But it’s just one of those things. I mean, you get knocked over early. Today the wicket played really nicely against the new ball. There probably wasn’t quite as much swing initially. So, yeah, slight tinkering with technique, but that’s nothing uncommon.”

Mendis, Kusal Perera struggle to find higher gear as Tuskers slide to fourth loss in five games

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Dec-2020
How the match played outKandy Tuskers had significant top-order partnerships and never quite seemed like they were in trouble, but a total of 156 for 6 always seemed light. Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera both produced slow-burn innings – Mendis hitting 55 off 45, and Perera 41 off 34. But although they set a solid foundation – their 58-run partnership coming off 45 balls – Tuskers were slow through the middle overs, and the they failed to explode towards the close.Only 55 runs came in the last seven overs of the innings, as Viiking’s left-arm spinners – Samit Patel and Malinda Pushpakumara delivered cheap overs through this period. Although Asela Gunaratne and Kamindu Mendis struck the occasional boundary for Tuskers at the death, the target always seemed sub-par.That is not to say Viiking cruised to victory. They lost Niroshan Dickwella in the first over of the chase, Upul Tharanga in the sixth over, and generally ambled through the powerplay, making just 42. Patel was out soon after, and after nine overs, the required rate had climbed to nine. But then Dasun Shanaka – Viiking’s best batsman so far – came to the crease, and Angelo Perera combined to produce the definitive partnership of the game, hitting 79 off 48 balls in each other’s company, to propel Viiking into dominance. They would both be out in quick succession, but Samiullah Shinwari and Anwar Ali took the chase home without much drama.Stars of the dayAngelo Perera, who had not been picked for the two first matches of the tournament, produced the kind of solid robust innings he has become renowned for on the domestic circuit. His 67 off 49 balls formed the spine of Viiking’s chase, and featured three sixes and five fours. He was especially severe on legspinner Sekkuge Prasanna, whom he took for 19 off 10 balls, but he also scored rapidly off seamers Nuwan Pradeep and Munaf Patel.Earlier, Viiking offspinner Ramesh Mendis had conceded only 21 runs off his four overs, while claiming the wicket of Kusal Perera. Kasun Rajitha and Pushpakumara were also excellent, taking two wickets apiece. Rajitha only gave away 16 from his three overs.Turning point
Angelo Perera had strolled to 21 off 23 balls to get himself going in this innings, but it was in the company of Shanaka that he first began to truly attack. He hit successive fours off the 11th over, bowled by Prasanna, before hitting a stylish six over deep square leg off Pradeep soon after. Shanaka, meanwhile, was confident right throughout those middle overs, rarely failing to latch on to a poor delivery.The big miss
The Tuskers’ batting lacked intent in this match. This is the side that lost Chris Gayle in the week leading up to the tournament remember, so they are short one explosive batsman that they had counted on. But as well as Viiking bowled, too few big shots were attempted.

Haddin and Bayliss have worked together before, winning the Champions League T20 for Sydney Sixers as captain and coach respectively, in 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2019Sunrisers Hyderabad have roped in former Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin as their new assistant coach. Haddin will join Sunrisers’ new coach Trevor Bayliss in the support staff.While Bayliss replaced Tom Moody, Haddin will take over from Simon Helmot. Haddin and Bayliss have worked together before, winning the Champions League T20 for Sydney Sixers as captain and coach respectively, in 2012. Both of them have also been involved with Kolkata Knight Riders, although in different roles at different times. Bayliss was the Knight Riders coach from 2012 to 2015 and Haddin had played for them in 2011.Haddin comes to the IPL with international coaching experience with Australia. He was appointed their fielding coach for a two-year period in August 2017 after coaching Australia A earlier in the same year.Haddin retired from international cricket after the 2015 Ashes, which Australia lost 3-2, but five months after he had been part of the World Cup-winning squad. He finished with 3266 Test runs from 66 matches, averaging nearly 33, and 3122 in ODIs, at 31.53 from 126 matches.

The 20-year-old pace bowler is highly-rated and tipped to have a future with England

George Dobell07-Jun-2018Josh Tongue, the Worcestershire seamer, could be out of action until mid-August having suffered a “stress reaction” in his left foot.Tongue, 20, toured with the England Lions training camp over the winter and had an excellent chance in featuring in their squad this summer. He claimed nine wickets in his most recent Championship match and came relatively close to a call-up during the Ashes as injuries bit deep into England’s seam-bowling resources. As one of the most talented seamers in the England game, he has every chance of playing at the highest level.With Worcestershire hoping Tongue will be fit to return for their final six Championship matches of the season, it is possible he will only miss three games in the competition. Already established as a key bowler in their Championship side – he has a first-class bowling average of 24.52 after 20 matches – he was not certain to feature in their T20 side and had already been rested from several of their Royal London games.Tongue first felt pain in his foot while warming up ahead of the Royal London match against Nottinghamshire. A subsequent scan showed the stress reaction in the fifth metatarsal, which is the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe.”It is a blow to lose Josh who showed last season how much potential he has got,” head coach Kevin Sharp said.”But there is nothing you can do about injuries. We just have to get on with it and hope we will have Josh back for the final part of the season and those final six Championship matches which is still a lot of cricket.”If his rehabilitation progresses as Worcestershire plan, they hope Tongue will be available for the match against Yorkshire in Scarborough in mid-August. That would also give him several weeks to impress the England scouts ahead of the selection for the winter tours.Tongue’s place in the Worcestershire side for their key Royal London match at Edgbaston was taken by 19-year-old Dillon Pennington. Like Tongue, he is a highly-rated young fast bowler who has made his way through the club’s youth system and impressed with England U-19s. The Edgbaston match is his first-team debut.

Gareth Berg might just have played one of the finest all-round hands in Hampshire’s recent history

Vithushan Ehantharajah at the Ageas Bowl22-Apr-2017
ScorecardHeard the one about the Italian allrounder with a Batman tattoo? He might just have played one of the finest all-round hands in Hampshire’s recent history. No jokes, here: Gareth Berg, having made hay against a weary Yorkshire attack to pilfer 99 unbeaten runs, turned the tie with a new-ball spell of 3 for 11 in his first six overs.Giving himself every chance with lengths that tempted and lines that probed, Berg removed both Yorkshire openers and then had the prized scalp of Joe Root in his first innings for Yorkshire since becoming England Test captain. Berg would late return later to take a fourth – Tim Bresnan adjudged caught behind. Jonny Bairstow, also batting for the first time this season after the ECB’s contentiously imposed rest, was trapped on the crease by Brad Wheal for 7.Berg’s knock and demolition job overlapped in the most pulsating hour of play in two days that have, largely, tested the patience of anyone without Hampshire allegiances. This type of pitch that is far worse than any minefield that leads to an ECB reprimand. Which makes Berg’s new ball performance all the more impressive. His story so far is a heck of a tale.He left South Africa to pro on the club cricket scene, eventually getting some 2nd XI games for Northamptonshire in 2004. While that came to nothing, a switch to Radlett Cricket Club got him an in with Middlesex that eventually turned into his first full-time contract in 2007, aged 26.It was for Middlesex that he scored his last first-class hundred: 130 not out in the first innings of a match against Leicestershire in 2011 that secured the county’s promotion to Division One. In the second innings, with 124 needed for victory, Berg smashed six, four, then six to seal victory.The moment is immortalised in a tattoo of three dice on his left forearm showing six, four, six. It supplemented a Batman tattoo on the same arm. A year later, he was representing Italy in the 2012 World T20 qualifiers through the Italian passport that helped bring him to the UK.His departure from Middlesex was a sad one for all parties: a popular member of the dressing room and lower-order firefighter restricted to just one game in his final year because of a shoulder injury. Overcoming it was no certainty, so the fact that Berg is playing in his 31st first-class match for Hampshire since his first season at the Ageas Bowl in 2015 speaks volumes of his work ethic.Here, a third Championship century looked nailed on. Yorkshire had the best of the morning session, taking four wickets and conceding just 68, leaving Hampshire 349 for 8 at lunch. But just as hopes of a sizeable first innings were diminishing, Berg resurrected them. He drove powerfully from a still base but perhaps did his best work when moving forward to Adil Rashid: 46 runs came from their seven overs against each other, with Berg depositing Rashid for two huge sixes, too. Rashid came close to his wicket, drawing a flashy edge that Lyth put down at first slip.But, on 99, Berg watched on as No. 11 Wheal guided a tame delivery from Root into the hands of Lyth at slip. Berg did well to hide his anger, turning almost immediately to the dressing room and walking off (Wheal a long way behind). It was the second time that Berg had finished on 99 for Hampshire – his highest score for the county – after a match against Sussex in 2015 in which he was run out having a dart for that single to take him to three figures. There’s no doubt the frustration fuelled what was to come.While the first two dismissals of Alex Lees lbw and Lyth bowled were all his own work, Kyle Abbott deserves an assist for the wicket of Root. Bowling with good pace from the Pavilion End, Abbott tested Root’s resilience outside off stump, beating both edges of the bat. Aside from a leg stump delivery that Root worked away for four through square leg, almost everything Abbott sent down had Root second-guessing his footwork. Abbott’s former international team-mates should take notes. A tempter from Berg that got big was enough to tempt Root into a poke behind. Yorkshire were left reeling on 18 for 3.Abbott was eventually rewarded with the scalp of Peter Handscomb, though the Australia did look to have been struck outside the line while playing forward. Yorkshire’s hopes of rescuing this game lie with their captain Gary Ballance. At times passive in the field, he set his stall out early: one run from his opening 25 deliveries, then the 49 runs for his half-century coming in the next 64.He remained unmoved with Rashid, willed on by a dressing room disgruntled by a handful of key decisions that did not go their way. As recent history shows, this Ageas Bowl pitch will not deteriorate much and this game is still very salvageable.

Vernon Philander made a successful return to franchise cricket after more than four months out of action and is targeting more competitive action over the South African winter in the hope of an international recall

Firdose Moonda31-Mar-2016Vernon Philander made a successful return to franchise cricket after more than four months out of action and is targeting more competitive action over the South African winter in the hope of an international recall.Philander, who tore ankle ligaments during South Africa’s Test tour of India in November, played a club match earlier this month followed by an outing for Western Province in the three-day amateur competition below franchise level and will be available for the end of Cape Cobras’ domestic season before searching for a county offer.”The plan is for Vernon to play the two first-class matches at home and then maybe look to go over to the UK for a period of time to play there,” Arthur Turner, Philander’s agent told ESPNcricinfo. “He wants to make sure he gets game time.”On his comeback for Cobras against Dolphins, Philander seemed his old self: miserly and menacing under some morning cloud. He shared the new ball with Wayne Parnell, who overshadowed him with a seven-wicket haul, but Philander helped apply the pressure. He claimed the second wicket, that of Dolphins’ captain Imran Khan, and bowled 11 overs at an economy of 1.81, the lowest on the day to remind South Africa of the discipline they have lacked.At the recent World T20, South Africa’s bowlers leaked extras and conceded 36 runs in wides. His only T20Is came back in 2007 so a return in that format would appear unlikely, but he may be considered for South Africa’s next assignment, an ODI tri-series in the West Indies in June which also includes Australia.Philander has been part of South Africa’s one-day plans as recently as the 2015 World Cup and Turner said he is “hopeful of being picked again in the near future.” If Philander is overlooked for the trip to the West Indies he would almost certainly come into contention for the home August Tests against New Zealand and will want to have overs under the belt before then.With no IPL or CPL deal, Philander’s best chance of playing will be on the county circuit, where he most recently represented Nottinghamshire in the 2015 season but Turner said he will not rule out any other playing possibilities. “If something comes up somewhere, Vernon will definitely consider it because he wants to play now that he is fit. He worked very hard to get himself back to playing. He always knew that the injury would heal but it took longer than expected,” Turner said.When Philander was injured in November, it was estimated he would recover by mid-January in time to play in two of the Tests against England. But Philander did not play any cricket until two months after that and Turner said, “once the international season was over and he could see he wasn’t going to play, he gave it as much time as he could to make sure there will no problems in future.”South Africa were also without Dale Steyn for six of the eight Tests against India and England, and the combined loss of bowling experience was one of the reasons Russell Domingo cited as one of the reasons for their back to back series defeats. “We probably didn’t have the strike power that we wanted with a few injuries with guys like Dale and Vernon not playing. That was a big loss,” Domingo said.That does not mean Philander will be able to walk back into the Test XI. In his absence, 20-year-old quick Kagiso Rabada emerged and South Africa will now need to look at which quicks they want to use in which format.

United Arab Emirates booked their berth in the semi-finals of the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup with a 59-run win over Bangladesh Under-23

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShaiman Anwar’s 135-ball 100 helped UAE beat Bangladesh Under-23 by 59 runs•ACC

A century from the opener Shaiman Anwar, followed by an incisive spell of 5 for 17 from offspinner Nasir Aziz helped United Arab Emirates beat Bangladesh Under-23 by 59 runs at The Padang, and seal their spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup in Singapore.Anwar, who accounted for almost half his team’s total, struck nine fours during 135-ball 100, and put up vital stands of 62 and 64 for the second and sixth wicket with the wicketkeeper Swapnil Patil and Ahmed Raza respectively, to take UAE to 202 in their 50 overs.After being put into bat, UAE were off to a bad start, as Amjad Khan mistimed a short ball from Nazmul Islam straight to mid-on for an easy catch for Maisuqur Rahman. A tight bowling performance, spearheaded by legspinner Noor Hossain who finished with 3 for 31, curtailed UAE with wickets at regular intervals.But Aziz added a late flourish to the innings to end with 17 off just 11 balls, and took the team to a competitive total.Needing just over four runs an over, Bangladesh began their chase strongly with a 50-run opening stand between the openers Soumya Sarkar and Rony Talukder. Talukder departed for 21 in the 10th over, but a patient 34 off 78 balls by Maisuqur took Bangladesh to 132 for 3 after 35 overs, seemingly on course for an easy win.But his dismissal in the 36th over to Aziz triggered an unprecedented collapse,as Bangladesh lost their last seven batsmen for just 10 runs. Aziz, the Man of the Match, took four wickets and conceded just six runs in a three-over spell, and was well-complimented by Raza, who finished with 3 for 22, as Bangladesh were bowled out for 143 in 41 overs.UAE will next square off against India Under-23 in the first semi-final on August 23.

Stuart Thompson has been included in an otherwise experienced 15-member Ireland squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2012

Ireland squad for World Twenty20

William Porterfield (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Max Sorensen, Stuart Thompson, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Uncapped 21-year-old allrounder Stuart Thompson has been included in an otherwise experienced 15-member Ireland squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, in which only Thompson, Tim Murtagh and Max Sorensen haven’t played in a previous World Cup or World Twenty20. The team will be led by William Porterfield.Ireland Coach Phil Simmons said that representing Ireland will be a big opportunity for Thompson, who is part of the Ireland XI team that is currently playing South Africa A at home. “He’s done well at A team level and in the few senior games he’s played this year,” Simmons said. “It’s up to him to push and cement his place in the squad.”Simmons also expressed satisfaction at the composition of the team. “Everybody has been there before and knows what’s expected of them,” he said. “It’s good for the younger players who will learn how we do things and how we proceed at tournaments.”The Ireland squad will be without the services of John Mooney, who was ruled out because of a serious finger fracture. Simmons said that losing Mooney a day before team selection was a serious blow. “It’s disappointing for both John [Mooney] and the team. He’s suffered two finger injuries and this latest one won’t heal in time for the start of the tournament. He’s been a major part of the team for the last 3 or 4 years and it’s disappointing we have to go without him.”This will give others other an opportunity to push for his place and stake a claim. We have guys who can come in and fill the spot and if selected can hopefully fill the role of John Mooney.”Ireland are placed in Group B with Australia, whom they play on September 19 in Colombo, and West Indies.