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ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the first day of the second Test at Headingley

George Dobell and Firdose Moonda at Headingley02-Aug-2012Decision of the day
The decision to replace Graeme Swann with Steven Finn meant England went into a Test without a specialist spinner for the first time since 2003. That game was also against South Africa at Leeds; a game that South Africa won by 191 runs. This was also the first time in 43 Tests that Swann has been omitted. Despite a game at The Oval, Swann’s record in 2012 is pretty good: in nine Tests this year he has claimed 35 wickets at an average of 31.82. But England have a habit of taking gambles at Headingley: this was the ground where Darren Pattinson in 2008 and Mike Smith in 1997 enjoyed their only Test caps (both games ended in heavy losses for England) and where England also omitted a specialist spinner in 1989 against Australia when they lost by 210 runs.Drop of the day
Perhaps Swann’s absence was felt most keenly in the field. Alviro Petersen was on 29 when James Anderson found his outside edge. The ball flew at a comfortable height to Alastair Cook at second slip but the fielder was unable to hold on to a relatively easy chance. Had Swann been included, he would almost certainly have been at second slip. It is hard to believe he would have squandered such a simple chance. Petersen went on to close 124 not out.Dead ball of day
Graeme Smith was on just 6 when he edged one angled across him from Steven Finn and Andrew Strauss held the catch at first slip. But Smith was reprieved as the umpire, Steve Davis, called dead ball on the grounds that Finn may have distracted the batsmen by knocking off the bails with his right knee as he ran into bowl. While Davis’s decision was not popular with a partisan crowd, it was justified by Law 23.4 section B VI which states: “Either umpire shall call and signal dead ball when the striker is distracted by any noise or movement or in any other way while he is preparing to receive, or receiving a delivery. This shall apply whether the source of the distraction is within the game or outside it.”Low point of the day
The selection of James Taylor might have marked a new low in English cricket. While he is probably not the shortest man to represent England in Test cricket, he may well be in the top – or should that be bottom? – half-dozen. Walter Cornford, who was imaginatively nicknamed “Tich”, played four Tests for England in 1930, was thought to be about 5’1″, while Billy Quaife, who played the last of his seven Tests in 1902, was said by his son Bernard to measure “somewhere between 5’1″ and 5’3″.” “Tich” Freeman, the prolific spinner who played the last of his 12 Tests in 1929, was said to 5’2″. Taylor’s official height is given as 5’4″ though some believe that it stretching credulity.Stat of the day
When the wicket of Graeme Smith fell 50 minutes after lunch, it ended what seemed like a lifetime of wicketless overs for them. It was, in fact, 139.3 overs – 102.1 at the Oval and 37.1 at Headingley – since they had taken their last wicket, also the scalp of Smith. Ten hours and three minutes of time on the field had passed between Smith being bowled by Bresnan for 131 and Smith feeding a full delivery to Ian Bell at backward square leg, also off Bresnan. In that time, South Africa’s batsmen had scored 497 runs, meaning that England’s last five wickets in Test cricket cost them 900 runs, dating back to when Tino Best was at the crease at Edgbaston.Job-done of the day
Despite suggestions to the contrary, Alviro Petersen’s place in the starting XI was never in doubt but he made extra certain of that with his pull shot off Stuart Broad in the last hour of play. The four runs completed his hard-fought century, which took 215 balls to reach. Petersen first fifty came in quick time but the second was a laboured effort but after being dropped on 29 and with conditions becoming more bowler friendly, he may have wanted to make absolutely sure he got to the milestone. His celebration was not lavish, the usual raising of arms and acknowledgment of a standing ovation but he did take one, long hard look at the badge on his helmet. It could simply have been him figuring how to put it back on but it could also have been a poignant moment of realisation that he belongs in this South African side.

A Rangers player who was once described as a "top" performer by Jack Butland is now expected to quit the club imminently, according to an update from reliable journalist Chris Jack.

Rangers transfer news

When last season reached its conclusion, most Gers supporters were well aware that reinforcements were needed within Philippe Clement's squad, in terms of further narrowing the gap between themselves at Celtic.

Rangers have done exactly that in the summer transfer window to date, making as many as six new signings, including left-back Jefte from Fluminense, and Mohamed Diomande on a permanent basis to bolster the midfield.

Former Liverpool midfielder Ryan Kent ended up being an excellent signing for Rangers, providing many years of good service, and the Scottish side could once again turn to the Reds this summer, eyeing a move for talented youngster Bobby Clark. The midfielder made 12 appearances under Jurgen Klopp last season, including in the EFL Cup final win over Chelsea.

In terms of current Gers players who could move on and enjoy fresh challenges, Scott Wright has emerged as a strong target for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, who could offer him more regular playing time than he is currently enjoying under Clement. Now, another exit claimed has emerged, as a squad member looks set for pastures new.

"Dream" Rangers signing now set to leave

According to Jack on X, Rangers goalkeeper Robby McCrorie is now set to seal an exit from the club imminently, with a move to Kilmarnock on the cards: "Rangers keeper Robby McCrorie is set to join Kilmarnock. McCrorie will leave Rangers' training camp in Holland this evening to put pen-to-paper at Rugby Park."

In Jack's report for Rangers Review, he states that McCrorie is "poised to quit" the Gers, seeing a transfer away from Ibrox as beneficial for his development. It will save the club just shy of £300,000 this season, with his £5,700-a-week earnings owed until next summer coming off the wage bill.

It does make complete sense for the 26-year-old to leave in the current summer transfer window, allowing him to be a regular elsewhere, not to mention giving him more chance of making the grade for Scotland, who he is yet to win a cap for at senior level.

Rangers goalkeeper Butland has a lot of time for McCrorie, clearly rating him highly as a player, as well as having sympathy for his lack of football at Ibrox: "He’s a top goalkeeper who works extremely hard, it must be difficult because I’ve been in his position before where you’ve not played as much and I can understand frustrations but he has worked hard. Scotland have a top goalie on their hands."

Imagine him & Igamane: Rangers could land a "blistering" gem

The Light Blues have been linked with an interest in the talented speedster this summer.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 9, 2024

The fact that McCrorie is out of contract with the Gers next summer also allows the club to cash in on him now, which makes total sense, rather than lose him for free this time next year.

Cristiano Ronaldo set a timeline for retirement after scoring a brace in Portugal's 5-1 thrashing of Poland on Friday.

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• Ronaldo opened up on retirement
• Scored a brace against Poland
• Portugal clinched a 5-1 win

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ronaldo is still going strong at 39 as he scored a brace, including an incredible bicycle kick, in the Nations League on Friday as Portugal recorded a 5-1 win over Poland. This was Ronaldo's 132nd career win in international football as he went past Sergio Ramos' tally and is now the player with the most victories with the national team in men's football.

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  After the game, the Al-Nassr star, who turns 40 in February 2025, hinted that he is considering slowing down and could hang up his iconic boots in the next couple of years. However, the ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star clearly stated that he won't go into football management in future.

• WHAT CRISTIANO RONALDO SAID

  Speaking to reporters, the superstar said, "I just want to enjoy. Plan for retirement… if it has to happen, in one or two years… I don't know. I'm turning 40 soon… I really want to enjoy, as long as I feel motivated I keep going. The day I don't feel motivated, I will retire. When I decide to leave the national team, I'll do it spontaneously but thoughtfully. There won't be any advance announcements. I don't see myself managing a team; that's not in my plans. My future lies in other areas outside of football, although time will tell what happens."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

  Ronaldo will be next seen in action on Monday as the Selecao take on Croatia in their final Nations League group-stage match before heading back to Saudi Arabia where Al-Nassr face Al-Qadisiyah in a Saudi Pro League clash on November 22.

Mikel Arteta is building something special at Arsenal. He may only have an FA Cup trophy to show for his work so far but they have come incredibly close in the Premier League.

In 2022/23 it was a gap of just five points that separated the Gunners and Manchester City. Last term they got even closer, finishing only two points behind Pep Guardiola's super team.

So, how do they bridge that narrow gap and surpass the 90-point mark? Well, by keeping hold of their best players and adding to those around them.

The trouble is, with Arsenal now such an impressive side, the biggest sides on the continent will no doubt take notice.

Arsenal star becoming a wanted man

It's unlikely that homegrown talents like Ben White, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice will be upping sticks anytime soon.

However, one of their foreign imports, William Saliba may well have his head turned if Arsenal don't win a few trophies soon.

Barcelona have already been linked with a move for the French centre-half, but according to reports Real Madrid are now also interested.

That's according to reports in Spain who suggest that Saliba has 'caught the attention' of the Champions League winners following his displays for club and for country at Euro 2024.

It's said Arsenal would be willing to sell if their financial conditions are met. An alleged £117m price is the magic and unlikely number that Real would have to pay.

Why Saliba is one of the world's best

As scout Antonio Mango put it on social media, Saliba is "one of the best in the world" now in his position.

It's easy to see why. After finally breaking into the Arsenal first-team at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign following several loan spells, the French centre-back has been nothing short of a revelation.

To underline his importance to the Arteta revolution at the Emirates Stadium, he played every single minute of the club's Premier League campaign last season. As a result, he was perhaps the most important cog in the best defence in England's top-flight last season.

Saliba helped to keep 18 clean sheets, more than any single player in the entire top flight as Arsenal came up desperately short in their bid for league glory.

But what makes him so good and why do Madrid want him? Well, he's unfazed by any situation, possesses immense composure and is incredibly hard to beat physically.

Saliba has already got the better of Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2024, preventing him from scoring and also bodied Erling Haaland last term as the Norwegian failed to find the net against Arteta's side.

To rubberstamp just how good he is, the France international ranks inside the top 9% of positionally similar players in Europe's top five leagues for pass success, the top 11% for challenges lost and the best 16% for carries.

His defensive numbers aren't awe-inspiring but it's worth noting that Arsenal didn't actually have much work to get through at the back in 2023/24 because they keep the ball so well.

Even for a colossal £117m price tag, it would be very difficult to let the 22-year-old walk out the door. Already at such a young age he is one of, if not the best centre-backs in Europe and he's only going to get better.

Arsenal are reportedly moving closer to securing the signature of Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori this summer but even if they do get that one over the line, it's imperative that Saliba stays. Arteta trusts him more than any other defender at the club.

Fabregas all over again: Arsenal's "monster" star is wanted by Barcelona

The talented ace is “one of the best in the world.”

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 24, 2024

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the fourth day of the final Test at Lord’s

George Dobell and Firdose Moonda at Lord's19-Aug-2012Drop of the day
James Anderson has a well-deserved reputation as England’s best fielder in any position. But his failure to accept a simple chance at short mid wicket offered by AB de Villiers off the bowling of Graeme Swann when the batsman had scored just 8 was a major blow to England’s hopes. De Villiers went on to score 43 and England later also dropped Jacques Rudolph. It meant that, in this innings they had dropped Hashim Amla on 1, de Villiers on 8 and Rudolph on six and, in the series, that they had dropped nine chances. As if it is not hard enough to beat South Africa….Celebration of the day
South African batsmen have put their emotions into their gestures when bringing up hundreds on this tour. When Jacques Kallis brought up his hundred at the Oval, he pointed to his eye as a dedication to his friend Mark Boucher. When Amla etched his name onto the Lord’s honours’ board for the second time, he wrote a square in the sky with his hands, as though he was calling for the third umpire. Some thought it was a way of indicating that his name would be engraved again but it was actually a television sign, in recognition of the teams’ video analyst Prasanna Agoram who has been helping Amla behind the scenes. Agoram has been with the team for since before their 2010-11 home series against India and previously worked with the Indian Hockey Federation, Royal Challengers Banglalore and Rafael Nadal.Review of the day
If was not for the DRS, this series may have resembled the 1998 South Africa tour of England, one which Allan Donald remembers for the number of umpiring mistakes. One mistake that was not though was the decision Kumar Dharmasena made when he rejected James Anderson’s appeal for lbw against de Villiers. Live it looked as though de Villiers was in line and height was not an issue so England seemed to have called for a good review. Replays showed the ball was only clipping legstump, less than half of it, so the call remained with the umpire, giving a rare upholding to the two men in the middle for this match.Record of the day
Andrew Strauss has not had much to celebrate in this match so far but he did achieve something significant in his 100thTest. When his fingers closed around the delivery that dismissed de Villiers – a waist high catch off a thick outside edge – he had claimed his 121st catch for his country. In doing so he surpassed Ian Botham and Colin Cowdrey and became the England player to have taken the most catches in the outfield.Dosing of the day
Morne Morkel can come across as a dopey character and while batting he showed why. Morkel reached a careful nine runs, during which he reviewed an onfield decision against him which gave him out because he was actually hit on the grill, before a loss of concentration cost him his wicket. Morkel had his front foot just outside the crease when Matt Prior collected a delivery bowled by Swann. Prior waited for Morkel to raise his back foot and took off the bails in the fraction of a second when Morkel did. His timing was impeccable because Morkel’s foot was soon back on the ground, but not quickly enough to avoid him being saved. Prior had tried something similar when Rudolph when he lifted his foot very briefly but got it down in time. On both occasions though, Prior’s attention to detail was superb.

Board confirms they don’t have enough players who can pass covid tests required for international travel

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2021Papua New Guinea have been “forced to withdraw” from the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe this month after a slew of Covid-19 infections in the camp.PNG were forced into quarantine on October 30 for their planned departure on November 6, but when multiple PCR tests on squad members failed to return a negative, they were left with no option but to withdraw because of “not having enough players for the tour who can pass the covid tests required for flying.””We have also over the weekend worked with the ICC on later flight options to give the team more time to still be able to tour. Unfortunately, all the extra efforts to get the team to travel have been unsuccessful,” read a Cricket PNG media release.”We do not have enough players for the tour who can pass the Covid test required for flying internationally leaving the Cricket PNG Board no option other than to withdraw the team from the tour today.”PNG were set to travel early to acclimatise to Zimbabwean conditions after nearly two years of no cricket due to the pandemic. PNG were going to compete with West Indies, Netherlands, Ireland, and Sri Lanka in the group phase of the World Cup Qualifiers. In all, two teams from this tournament will enter the tournament proper.”Unfortunately, despite everyone in Cricket PNG being fully vaccinated, Covid has robbed us of the opportunity to play international cricket once again,” the release went on to say. “The board, management, staff and players are all devastated at this turn of events.”Months of hard work have gone into this tour, and to be robbed by Covid before we could leave is hard to accept. Covid is in the community in PNG and despite putting in best practices, including vaccinations and quarantining players seven days early, it wasn’t enough on this occasion.Our only comfort is that all the players and support staff who have tested positive, due to being vaccinated, have had only mild or no symptoms.”

Ruud van Nistelrooy performed a wild celebration after Bruno Fernandes' penalty goal against Chelsea on Sunday.

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• Van Nistelrooy celebrated wildly after Fernandes' goal
• United held to a 1-1 draw
• Van Nistelrooy explained his celebration

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United skipper broke the deadlock from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Rasmus Hojlund was brought down by Chelsea custodian Robert Sanchez inside the box. As Fernandes netted the opening goal, Old Trafford erupted in joy. Interim coach Van Nistelrooy performed a wild celebration as he first ran down the touchline and then jumped and fisted the air.

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  The Red Devils' celebrations, however, were shortlived as Moises Caicedo scored the equaliser four minutes later to make sure his team left Old Trafford with at least a point. The Dutch coach took charge of the team on an interim basis after Erik ten Hag left last week. United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their permanent coach who will take charge from next week.

• WHAT RUUD VAN NISTELROOY SAID

  Explaining his celebration after the game, the 48-year-old told "It was a great moment, the goal, when Old Trafford explodes. Bruno Fernandes did well taking it and the emotion came out. This week has been special, I have enjoyed every second of it.

  "I am here to help and will get behind the new manager and make sure the club grows. "We are behind the new manager, everyone at the new club is focusing on the two games that are coming which are very important but then we will work hard to make this club better every day."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  The English giants will face PAOK and Leicester City in the Europa League and Premier League, respectively in their next two games before Amorim formally takes charge of the club.

After securing promotion to the Premier League last season, Ipswich Town are looking to use the summer window to build a squad capable of competing with the big boys.

McKenna looks to build top flight ready team

Following their exceptional second-placed finish in the Championship last season, the Tractor Boys are now making sure that their team is ready to stave off relegation in the next campaign.

Ipswich could smash transfer record to sign star who's perfect for McKenna

Ipswich Town could show they mean business moving up to the Premier League with this record purchase.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 25, 2024

Ipswich's recent retained list saw a number of out of favour players shown the door at Portman Road in order to make room for new signings.

In regard to incomings at Ipswich the most recent rumours have linked the Tractor Boys with moves for new defenders. Hull City's Jacob Greaves has long been a target for McKenna with the Tigers' vice-captain also attracting interest from numerous Premier League clubs.

Joining Greaves on Ipswich's shopping list is West Ham full back Ben Johnson. The 24-year-old has rejected multiple contract offers from the Hammers as he looks set to become a free agent this summer.

With shoring up their defence clearly a priority for Ipswich this summer, the club now look close to signing a highly rated shot stopper from a fellow Premier League outfit.

Ipswich set to complete deal for goalkeeper this week

As first reported by HITC, Ipswich Town are confident of getting deal done for Carl Rushworth this week. The 22-year-old is currently on the books at Brighton & Hove Albion, who are seemingly eager to move the Englishman on this summer.

The outlet understands that the one time England under 21 player is the Tractor Boys' number one target between the sticks as they look to sign a goalkeeper that they think is ready to compete in the Premier League.

Rushworth spent last season on loan at Swansea City, where he played in all 46 of the Swans' league games, keeping ten clean sheets in the process. The 22-year-old's performances in South Wales saw him earn significant praise from manager Luke Williams who waxed lyrical about the keeper back in February, telling the press: "Rushy is incredible – I think he is going to be a top keeper

"I think he is going to be with us next season of course, but after that he is going to go on and be a top Premier League keeper I am sure because of the quality he has but also the personality he has to go with it."

Whilst Williams' prediction of Rushworth playing Premier League football appears to have come true, the Swansea boss will not get his wish to keep the shot stopper for another year. Instead, Ipswich will allow Rushworth to leapfrog another season in the second tier and become McKenna's number one as they look to make a good account of themselves in the topflight.

Iftikhar blasted KP to the final in a thriller against Northern, while Central Punjab secured a more routine win against Sindh

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2021Sahibzada Farhan’s half-century followed by a blistering 17-ball 45* from Iftikhar Ahmed saw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa storm into the final of the National T20. The title defenders looked like they might stutter midway through the chase, only for Iftikhar to bail them out.Put into bat first, Northern had a cautious start, scoring 48 in the Powerplay with no batter really able to capitalise on their start. Nasir Nawaz (27 off 18), Ali Imran (24 off 24), Umar Amin (22 off 18) and Zeeshan Malik (29 off 21) all failed to build on their innings, and Northern looked vulnerable at the 15-over mark, going at under seven an over. But 52 runs were scored in the last five overs to put on enough to give their bowlers something to defend. Arshad Iqbal was most prolific for KP, taking three wickets for 35, while Iftikhar Ahmed kept the runscoring down.KP started off the pursuit with Farhan played a steady knock to lay a solid foundation with 53 off 39 balls. Kamran Ghulam who scored an unbeaten 110 last night put together a more measured knock, managing 35 off 29. KP were 107-5 when before Zaman Khan and Sohail Tanvir allowed just ten runs in the following two overs, meaning KP required 40 in the final three. But for a dialled in Iftikhar, it proved only too easy. 44 runs were plundered off the next 13 balls as KP sealed their place in tomorrow’s final.Central Punjab stormed into the final by beating Sindh in a one-sided affair by seven wickets. They will take on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tomorrow at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.CP, chasing a moderate target of 142, made a wobbly start, losing Mohammad Akhlaq in the second over, but Ahmed Shehzad (49 off 46) and Kamran Akmal (51 off 36) shared an 88-run stand for the second wicket to keep the pursuit on track. It broke the back of the chase, with Hussain Talat and Qasim Akram finishing the job with more than two overs to spare.CP had put Sindh into bat first, who made a decent start thanks to aflying start from Sharjeel Khan, who blazed 32 off 19 deliveries. Khurram Manzoor at the other end struggled for fluency, scoring 34 in 40 balls, while the middle order fell apart somewhat cheaply. After stumbling to 107 for 6, Sohail Khan tried to stabilise the innings with 21, while Mir Hamza struck a couple of sixes, but the 141 they managed felt distinctly below par.Akram and Zafar Gohar were the pick of the bowlers, each conceding just 15 in their allotted four overs, picking up three and two wickets respectively. Those overs of spin told much of the tale of Sindh’s struggles to ensure it’ll be Central Punjab to try and dethrone KP from pole position in the final tomorrow.

Mike Hesson couldn’t stay as coach of Kenya for long enough to make enough of a difference, but he is confident the side has a bright future

Firdose Moonda11-May-2012Mike Hesson started driving around himself three days after he moved to Nairobi. It may not sound like a significant achievement but it was.Considering he had arrived from Dunedin, a place known as a ten-minute city because that is how long it takes to get from any one place to another, Kenyan traffic was, in Hesson’s own words, “a decent challenge”. The trip from his apartment to his workplace, a distance of around five kilometres, took almost two hours, mostly because of the slew of roadworks. But by the time Hesson resigned his post, ten months later, though, the drive took less than ten minutes.Hesson announced this week that he was stepping down as Kenya national coach, and said security concerns were the only reason for his decision. “I want to stress that this has absolutely nothing to do with any issues relating to my role as national coach and is not cricket related in any way,” his statement read. “This is purely a decision about the safety of my family and quality of life.”In recent years Kenya, known as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, has earned a reputation as unsafe. Two grenade attacks in as many months in Nairobi, one on a bus, the other in a church, resulted in seven deaths. Foreigners have been kidnapped and held for ransom. The United States embassy issued a warning that terror attacks on prominent government buildings and hotels in the capital could be imminent. The United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had strict guidelines for travel, instructing people to stay away from the coastline along the Kenya-Somalia border.Kenya’s military has become increasingly involved in Somalia and mounting fears of more violence caused Hesson to make the difficult decision to leave. Kenya had become his home and in his time there, transport was not the only thing he saw change for the better. Having taken the job at a time when Kenya Cricket needed someone to usher in good fortune, he believed he “had just started something” and says he is sad that the situation made it impossible for him to continue.Hesson is not the typical Westerner who has had enough of deep, dark Africa. He is well travelled, having lived in Buenos Aires in 2004, when he coached Argentina, and put a lot of thought into his move to Kenya. He chose the country a year after resigning the position as head coach of Otago in New Zealand, where he had been for six seasons.”It was a good opportunity for the family to experience a different country and a different culture,” Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. “We travelled quite a lot as a couple but not with the kids. And professionally, with Kenya cricket not going so well, it was a real opportunity to push them forward.” In July last year, Hesson, his wife Kate and their two daughters, aged two and five, packed up their lives in relatively quiet Dunedin and moved to bustling Nairobi.The family was put up in a furnished apartment in a large, secured complex. Kate started work with a number of charity organizations, while the two girls went to school. “We lived in a good location. We had a gym, pool and playing ground for the kids, so it was really nice,” Hesson said. “Our girls went to a local school that they thoroughly enjoyed. They leant many valuable life lessons and quite a lot of Swahili.”Hesson went about trying to understand the ins and outs of Kenyan cricket, a task that would prove more complicated than merely getting to grips with another country’s sporting culture. “My initial ideas were to observe and see how they go about things, see how things were done in the past, what worked and what hasn’t, and try and put my own stamp on things,” he said.When he arrived, though, eight national players, including the much lauded batsman Alex Obanda and the experienced Maurice Ouma were on strike, demanding better pay and work conditions. A makeshift Kenya side played the UAE in an Intercontinental Cup match and lost by 66 runs. The immediate challenge Hesson faced was getting the core of the squad back.By the time of his first assignment, against Netherlands in September, the issue was still unresolved. Kenya were forced to name a fairly inexperienced side but came close in the first game, losing by only two wickets. It was only in October, when the players and the board agreed on a solution, that Hesson felt his job had actually started to take shape.”When we got our full squad back, it was like real coaching again. There was a larger group of players needing guidance tactically and technically, and that was why I was attracted to the job. It took about four months to get the whole squad together but we got there,” he said. Results, though, took longer to change. Kenya lost 6-2 in an eight-match Twenty20 series against Namibia in November, having at one stage been 5-0 down.It was only in February this year that a dramatic improvement could be seen. In Mombasa, Kenya came within ten runs of beating Ireland in an Intercontinental Cup game, a thrilling low-scorer that could have been one of the biggest upsets of the year.

“There’s a lot of skill, but what needs to be worked on is the experience. Things like decision-making under pressure is where Kenya have got a lot of work to do”

Hesson was pleasantly surprised, having thought Kenya would fare worse. “We were playing against the top Associate in the world, so the expectations were low,” he said. “We started the game so well and in such a low-scoring game to lose by nine runs was a top effort. But we we’re still very disappointed we didn’t win.” Kenya went on to beat Ireland in a World Cricket League one-dayer, becoming the first Associate to beat Ireland in a 50-over match in over a year.A respectable performance at the World T20 qualifiers followed. Kenya finished fourth in Group B, with four wins from their seven matches, and missed out on the next stage by 0.007 of a run. More heartening were the individual efforts, which highlighted some of the promise Kenya has within their ranks.”Alex Obanda had an extremely good tournament,” Hesson said. Obanda scored 298 runs at a strike rate of 146. “Duncan Allen is only 19 and he is a talented and determined cricketer. Rakep Patel is certainly a player to watch, especially in the shorter versions as he is an explosive strokeplayer. There are also a number of quality spin bowlers to choose from, like Hiren Varaiya, who took 12 wickets against Ireland, and the Ngoche brothers, Shem and James.”What’s keeping Kenya’s results from reflecting their talent, according to Hesson, is only a matter of time and more matches. “There’s a lot of skill, but what needs to be worked on is the experience,” he said. “Things like decision-making under pressure is where they have got a lot of work to do.”Having seen the team perform in a range of formats, Hesson had developed ideas on how they could improve. “In 2003, for example, none of the Associates played first-class cricket and now all of them do, within Test-playing nations’ programmes,” he said. All the sides we play against are under pressure every week. We are in a changing landscape now and we’ve got to try and get exposed to those playing programmes, whether that be in South Africa or Zimbabwe.”Hesson, his family and the Kenyan players are all disappointed that their time together had to end. While Hesson is going back to New Zealand without any firm arrangements on a job, he believes that the team he leaves behind in Kenya can be certain of a bright future.Far from being unrealistically optimistic, though, he said it is important that they build on the structures that have been put in place if they hope to see success. “It will take time and this group of players have only been together four months as a whole squad. They have to be allowed time to develop,” he said. “What I will say is that the players I am working with now are extremely proud of playing for Kenya and they work extremely hard. Unfortunately, we’ve just started.”