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The PCB will not renew Pakistan head coach Dav Whatmore’s contract, when it expires ahead of the Asia Cup in late February 2014

Umar Farooq10-Nov-2013The PCB will not renew Pakistan head coach Dav Whatmore’s contract, when it expires ahead of the Asia Cup in late February 2014. The PCB said in a release that Whatmore informed the board earlier this month that he would not be seeking an extension in the job due to personal and family reasons. His last assignment with Pakistan will be the upcoming Sri Lanka series in the UAE, between December 2013 and January 2014.The release said the two parties had “mutually agreed to conclude the contract on February 28, 2014”. “Everyone at the PCB wishes Mr Whatmore the very best at a personal level and in the world of cricket in the future,” the statement said.*ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB had been mulling releasing Whatmore after the Champions Trophy in June, in which Pakistan didn’t win a match, but held back on such a move to avoid the compensation (three months’ salary) they would have had to pay him if they terminated the contract.”We are not against a foreign coach,” PCB Interim Management Committee head, Najam Sethi, recently said in the UAE. “Our problem is, with foreign coaches our players are not able to communicate freely. The players are not that well educated when it comes to English. So there is a lot of problem in communicating with each other and they don’t understand fully.”Whatmore was appointed head coach in March 2012 and Pakistan have failed to win a Test series under him, and have only won two out of the 10 matches they’ve played so far. After feedback from various players in the team, it is learnt, the PCB is not satisfied. A top PCB official said that some players are not quite comfortable around Whatmore and the suggestion is to bring in a local coach.Sethi told : “I personally think the coach has done a decent job but his contract expires in February, so we have to seriously look at it. In fact, I think Whatmore himself will be looking at it. I won’t deny that there is tremendous pressure to appoint a home-bred coach.”Recently, spinner Saeed Ajmal had said on television that there was no difference between Whatmore and a local coach, and that language was proving to be a barrier. “There is no difference, just that we are paying more to him, otherwise there is no difference,” Ajmal said. “Dav is a foreign coach, he doesn’t know our language much, but he is a coach and has done coaching for various countries and has helped other teams win, he is not that bad. We had our coaches, we have our language.”Whatmore, 59, while talking to ESPNcricinfo in September, confirmed that there would have to be a mutual understanding between him and the PCB if his contract is to be renewed. “When you are about to conclude your contract, these questions do emerge,” Whatmore said. “But the renewal depends on mutual willingness. I know what I do is done with the best of intentions and at the end of the day I can sleep straight, comfortably.”*04.25GMT, November 13: This article was updated after the PCB sent out a statement.

Even if Trent Boult does not take a single wicket in Hamilton, he has had the most productive year for a New Zealand bowler since Daniel Vettori claimed 54 wickets in 2008 and the fourth best of all time

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington14-Dec-2013It has been a good few weeks for left-arm pacemen. In Australia, Mitchell Johnson has been tormenting the England batsmen and, in a more understated series and in a less visceral manner, Trent Boult has been doing the same to West Indies.The leading wicket-takers this year include the usual suspects – Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Dale Steyn; Boult, who moves to 41 wickets with his haul of 10 for 80 in Wellington, is fully deserving of his place among those names.Quite how high he ends 2013 depends on his performance in Hamilton and the others around the world, but even if he does not take a single wicket at Seddon Park he has had the most productive year for a New Zealand bowler since Daniel Vettori claimed 54 wickets in 2008 and the fourth best of all time. He is now a bowler who demands the utmost respect in a variety of conditions.The celebrations of the win he inspired included a Wellington tradition of the bowling attack taking a limo up to the top of Mt Victoria in the city – something none of the current line-up have been able to do as New Zealand’s previous victory here was in 2008.”It was one of those days where things seemed to fall my way,” Boult said, a few hours before the evening drive up the summit. “It’s easily one of the best days I’ve had in Test cricket, personally and from a team perspective so nothing I’m going to forget in a hurry.”Boult is an unassuming character, quietly spoken (except when talking his team-mates through the spectacular catch at backward point to remove Denesh Ramdin) and not inclined for bullish comments that sometimes emerge from pace bowlers.His rise can be traced back to late 2012, when he excelled in Sri Lanka to help New Zealand level the series – a country where success as a fast bowler is something to be cherished. This year, on some docile pitches at home, he has found ways and means to extract movement and trouble the batsmen. Against England in Auckland, when James Anderson struggled to move the ball off straight, Boult hooped his way to 6 for 68, the figures he surpassed in Wellington.He is also quicker than may first appear, pushing the speed gun towards 140 kph. He has rattled the helmets of a few West Indies batsmen in this series, even on the slow pitch in Dunedin, and he makes smart use of an accurate bouncer.”Trent’s been bowling well for over a year,” said New Zealand coach Mike Hesson. “It hasn’t just happened. He’s bowled well on occasions and been frustrated that he hasn’t got the wickets that he’s deserved. For him to have the day he had, we are all hugely excited for him.”The way he presents the seam is as good as there is going around. He’s got the ability to take top-order wickets because he swings the ball late and he’s got a good bumper so he keeps guys off the front foot and he’s extremely fit so he can bowl three, four hard spells a day.”Fitness is an aspect that stands out. There has been toil for New Zealand’s bowlers this year, none more so than the past week where they have twice been asked to perform in the follow-on. They spent 224 consecutive overs in the field in Dunedin – of which Boult bowled 53, the most by any of the seamers – followed by a swift turnaround to the second Test.Brendon McCullum is wary of the expectations placed on his seamers and at the start of West Indies’ follow-on at the Basin Reserve. Boult’s initial spell was just two overs which created some debate given how McCullum admitted it was not a simple decision to enforce. Later, though, Boult returned, the opening having been created by his team-mates, to hurry the Test to a conclusion.”There was a plan in place. I had a heavy workload not just in the first innings but the previous week as well so it was good to just refresh and come back,” Boult explained. “When the ball was new and glossy, it didn’t really talk as much until the lacquer came off. So it was nice to come back in that later stage and exploit a bit of swing.”Hesson lauded the stamina of his whole squad, although said there were a few niggles that needed to be checked before the squad for the final Test was confirmed. He had particularly high praise for Boult who, according to the team’s fitness reports from the dreaded Yo-Yo test which involves shuttle running, compares favourably to any other elite sportsmen in New Zealand.”I look at the fitness tests he’s been through, and we compare then to other sports, and he’s right up there,” Hesson said. “It shows his ability to sustain his pace over a period of time. He’s a good athlete and still young.”Still, regardless of the impressive levels of energy, there will be no one happier about the rapid conclusion to the second Test than New Zealand’s bowlers. They have two extra days to put their feet up before aiming for a repeat performance in Hamilton and a first series victory over opposition other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe since beating West Indies in 2005-06.

A comprehensive bowling performance from Bangladesh Under-19s set up their 104-run win in the first ODI against the touring West Indies Under-19 in Chittagong

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2013
ScorecardSaeed Sarkar made 83 from No. 8 for Bangladesh U-19s•BCBA comprehensive bowling performance from Bangladesh Under-19s set up their 104-run win in the first ODI against the touring West Indies Under-19 in Chittagong.Having won the toss and elected to bat, Bangladesh were struggling at 84 for 6 in the 31st over, in danger of being skittled out for a low score. A 119-run stand between Mosaddek Hossain and Saeed Sarkar boosted the score beyond 200. Sarkar smashed a 66-ball 83 with eight fours and four sixes before he was dismissed by Jerome Jones. The stand between Mosaddek and Sarkar came in 17.3 overs at a brisk clip of 6.80 runs per over. Mosaddek continued batting, stretching the score to 222 before he fell for 77 off 107 balls to Fabian Allen in the last over. West Indies captain Ramaal Lewis was the most successful bowler taking 3 for 24, while Gudakesh Motie and Allen picked up two wickets apiece.Chasing 223, West Indies were struggling at 41 for 6, with pacer Mehedi Hassan, offspinner Mosaddek and left-arm spinner Nihaduzzaman claiming the early wickets. Tristan Coleman tried to instill some respectability into the total – first adding 35 runs for the seventh wicket with Lewis and then guiding No. 11 batsman Jones in a 33-run, last-wicket stand – but the side couldn’t recover from the poor start and the innings ended at 118 in the 45th over. Legspinner Jubair Hossain cleaned up the tail to finish with 3 for 30 in 10 overs. Hassan, Mosaddek and Nihaduzzaman finished with two wickets each.

The news of his IPL retention was a surprise for Manan Vohra but his Punjab team-mate, Yuvraj Singh, believes he could succeed

Devashish Fuloria10-Jan-2014Manan Vohra, the 20-year-old Punjab opener, wasn’t even part of the state Ranji team when the season started but has since caught the fast elevator to success.Three back-to-back centuries in the Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy, the four-day Under-25 tournament, in November, springboarded him into the Ranji team and he cemented his place at the top of the order with impressive half-centuries. His performances were capped with 187 against Jharkhand on a turning pitch. Now, Vohra’s season has just got even better; he was one of two players retained by Kings XI Punjab in the lead-up to the 2014 tournament, ahead of other talented locals like Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh.The news of his retention came as a surprise for Vohra, but his celebrated Punjab team-mate, Yuvraj Singh, believes he could succeed. “He is an outstanding young talent,” Yuvraj told ESPNcricinfo. “He has the potential to play for the country one day, hopefully he will justify his talent.”Vohra is not a new name in Punjab cricket circles. He first rose to prominence at the U-19 level, scoring an unbeaten 79 off 35 balls against Australia A in a 167-run stand with Unmukt Chand in 2011, but missed the U-19 World Cup in 2012 due to injury. After debuting for the Punjab Ranji team in 2011 – he played two matches that season – he went off the radar again and lost vital preparation time in 2013 because of a knee injury. However, once he was drafted into the squad this year, he hasn’t looked back.”Vohra was selected on the basis of his performances in U-25 cricket,” Bhupinder Singh Sr, the Punjab coach, said. “He scored three hundreds in [a total of] four matches there before making it to the first-class team. We wanted to draft him in when he was in his best form and he has shown he can play in the big league.”He is an attacking batsman and he likes to play his shots. He is one of the most promising batsmen from the region and we are happy with the news that he has been retained by Kings XI.”Vohra was added to the Kings XI squad last year and impressed in his first outing, scoring an unbeaten 28-ball 43 against Pune Warriors. He scored a further 118 runs in 11 matches, but his prime form in the Ranji Trophy has given him a surprise boost.Bhupinder believes Vohra is the best of the new generation of Punjab batsmen. However, he said, while being retained in the IPL is a positive for any cricketer, Vohra should remain focused on further developing his game. “How he handles the pressure… a lot will depend on the individual, his family will have a supporting role to play too,” he said. “Even to get into the IPL, you have to be a consistent player in the BCCI-run tournaments. Otherwise, you can get in for one or two years, but won’t be able to sustain it. So my best wishes to him. He is a promising player and I hope he can make it to the national team one day.”

Corey Anderson, who fetched $750,000 in the IPL auction, could barely believe or sleep with real money being thrown around in the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2014Corey Anderson, who fetched $750,000 in the IPL auction, could barely believe or sleep with the money being thrown around in the IPL auction. He has been giving bowlers and bowling coaches sleepless nights since he scored the fastest ODI century on the first day of this year, but it was time for him to struggle to sleep as he watched on nervously and then responded to congratulatory calls and texts.”I thought it was crazy,” Anderson, now part of John Wright’s Mumbai Indians, told . “To see it unfold in front of your eyes, it felt like a little game you might play with your mates then you have to pinch yourself and realise that it’s real money they’re throwing around. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It feels like you are putting a value on yourself. People want you and you’re expected to do things now for that kind of money. It feels like you’re a house and someone wants to move in. It feels very strange.”People say I’ve had a pretty good year but it’s been the last couple of months that were pretty good,” Anderson said. “That’s caused all the havoc about what’s happened. It’s a strange feeling thinking that one event like that can change everything.”Going by previous auction standards, Anderson was expected to attract at least a million dollars, but he is not complaining. He is still pleased he went for four-and-a-half times his base price. “As soon as I got that first bid I was pretty ecstatic,” Anderson said. “From there on in it was just a waiting game. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep then get ready for training. It’s a life-changing event and pretty exciting.”Anderson also saw New Zealand team-mates Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and Jeese Ryder attract no bids. Like many observers, Anderson, too, failed to make sense of the dynamics of business. “It’s pretty surreal,” he said. “Watching the auction all unfold, it’s hard to explain. There’s times when you think you’re going to get picked up and times you’re not too sure. You see people who aren’t picked up and wonder why, then guys are picked up for more than what you might think.” Anderson himself might have lost out because Glenn Maxwell’s name came out of the bag first, and the teams spent a lot of their enthusiasm on his auction, which meant there wasn’t enough desperation to push Anderson’s price further up.The auction took place two days before New Zealand’s second Test against India, at Basin Reserve. Anderson followed it on the Internet in his team hotel in Wellington, in the company of bowling coach Shane Bond, physiotherapist Paul Close and security officer Sam Dickason.

An unbeaten century from Rob Quiney denied Queensland the victory they needed to reach the Sheffield Shield final and ensured Western Australia would play in their first decider for 15 years

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2014
ScorecardRob Quiney scored his only century of the Sheffield Shield season (file photo)•Getty ImagesAn unbeaten century from Rob Quiney denied Queensland the victory they needed to reach the Sheffield Shield final and ensured Western Australia would play in their first decider for 15 years. After New South Wales wrapped up the right to host the final early on Friday with their win over the Warriors, all the attention turned to the MCG, where the Bulls had to secure victory to jump ahead of Western Australia and into the final.But Queensland were unable to run through Victoria in their second innings as Quiney and Marcus Stoinis (74) put on 148 for the second wicket before David Hussey joined Quiney for an unbeaten 54-run stand. Play was eventually called off with the Bushrangers sitting at 2 for 314, by which time they had a 41-run lead and Queensland had no hope of pulling off the miracle they required.Quiney finished unbeaten on 143, which was his only century for the Sheffield Shield season. The drawn match meant Queensland ended the season in fourth position on the points table, while Victoria were last, having recorded only one win.

West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said that they allowed Australia to score a crucial 20 runs more than they should have in their semi-final

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur03-Apr-2014West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira said that they allowed Australia to score a crucial 20 runs more than they should have in their semi-final. The dismissals of the key batting duo Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin were also crucial as West Indies fell short by eight runs.Australia made 140 for 5 in 20 overs, having pressed the accelerator in the last five overs when Alyssa Healy helped them add 48 runs. West Indies were also on 92 at the start of the 16th over, but their chance of hunting down the target diminished when Dottin holed out at deep midwicket in the penultimate over.”I think they got 20 runs too many,” Aguilleira said. “We were in good positions but we lost them. I think that’s an area we need to look at. We were in control to restrict them to a respectable total.”I think both [dismissals were crucial]. They [Dottin and Taylor] are the two main batters in the team. It was really pleasing to see other individuals stepping up to the plate but Taylor’s run out was very touching to us. We had King and Dottin batting, and they looked good but it was hard to see her getting out.”Ahead of the game, Aguilleira said she knew exactly what sort of pressure her team would be facing in the field. As a result, she was satisfied with her team’s performance in the tournament, particularly after losing four games in New Zealand earlier this year.”Coming in here, we knew we were playing the world champions. They weren’t going to give up their position just like that. Australia are in the top of the table, and we are in a stage of development. I think the improvement from my team is good.”We still have faith that we can take the team to the next level. After coming back from New Zealand where it was tough, we needed to do well here. We played good cricket, but we couldn’t carry it to the next level. There’s a lot of faith in us. We will come back stronger.”

The long shot has a special place in the heart of most sports fans. Not to mention the underdog that bites

Alan Gardner in Chittagong19-Mar-2014The long shot has a special place in the heart of most sports fans. Not to mention the underdog that bites. For Afghanistan to get through to the next round of the World T20 and continue menacing the established sides, they will need to grasp a “one percent chance”, according to their coach, Kabir Khan. It may even be smaller than that.Afghanistan, who many fancied to cause an upset in the opening match of the tournament, will need several improbables to go their way if they are to deny Bangladesh top spot in the group. The hosts have won two from two with plenty to spare and now face Hong Kong, whose record so far is as bad as Bangladesh’s is good. Even a landslide win for Afghanistan over a more-than-handy Nepal would require Hong Kong to mete out an extraordinarily unlikely thrashing of their own.Kabir can only focus on the job at hand for his team. “Every match is important and we want to win, obviously now we are in a position to plan to win with big margins,” he said. “Cricket is a funny game and we are expecting a one percent chance of anybody beating Bangladesh here. But if someone beats Bangladesh, we have to keep our chances alive, at least the run rate should be higher and if that happens and our run rate is there, then we could qualify.”Afghanistan are currently third behind Nepal on NRR, after contrasting fortunes on the first day. The run rate situation means that Nepal are actually better placed to go through should Bangladesh slip up and consequently will be expected to push Afghanistan hard. Had Kabir’s team beaten Hong Kong more heavily on Tuesday, the equation may have been more in their favour but he said the batsman had been following instructions only to unleash towards the end.”In respect of Bangladesh getting beaten, we had to put ourselves in a position where we could win and then you go for the plan to get your run rate better,” he said. “We wanted to keep wickets in hand and then, at a stage that we were in control, we wanted to finish the match early. So that’s the sort of thing you do in T20, you get yourself in a position of control and then you dominate.”Shafiqullah’s 24-ball half-century, to follow up a slightly more measured (by his own standards) 68 from Mohammad Shahzad, suggested they could have started the domination a little earlier.Their best chance may be to bowl Nepal out cheaply – no mean feat after their fellow Associate resisted all 20 overs for the loss of just five wickets against Bangladesh – and then race past the target. Afghanistan certainly have the firepower in their attack, which will be the quickest Nepal have faced on a lively Chittagong surface, although such riches may have inadvertently undermined their chances of progression. Kabir suggested, with a grin, that the beating Bangladesh took in the Asia Cup earlier this month had triggered a defensive posture by the hosts.”We have good-quality fast bowlers, we train them like that, they are aggressive and everybody knows that our fast-bowling attack is very good, especially at Associate standard and sometimes at Test standard. In the Asia Cup, the bowling was very all together and I think that’s why the Mirpur wicket was a bit slow.”

England’s new era has begun with a workmanlike victory over Scotland in Aberdeen

The Report by George Dobell in Aberdeen09-May-2014
ScorecardIan Bell continued his impressive early-season form•AFPJust for a moment it appeared there might be sunshine on Leask. Just for a moment it appeared England could be upset by a 23-year-old who has just given up his job in a bank to take his chance with a summer contract with Cricket Scotland. Just for a moment, as Michael Leask thrashed five sixes in an innings of 42 from 16 balls, it seemed the nightmare of defeat against Holland could be revisited in Aberdeen.But in the end the romance of an underdog victory was outshone by the professionalism of an England unit who had a bit more nous, a bit more quality and a bit more experience. Leask had to be content with a man of the match award and the people of Aberdeen had to be content with the fact that they had somehow, against all the odds, pulled off an enjoyable fixture in which their team had given a more than decent account of themselves.So England’s new era began with a workmanlike victory over Scotland. It was not, perhaps, the dominant performance that some might have liked but, in wretched conditions that England captain, Alastair Cook described as “the wettest I’ve ever played in” a disciplined, professional England held off a rapidly-improving Associate side who they next meet in the World Cup in Christchurch in nine-months time.Perhaps Alex Salmond knew what to expect. The leader of the Scottish independence movement was invited to the match but stayed away, quite possibly having taken one look at the weather forecast. Aberdeen has many charms, but watching cricket in bitterly cold, wet conditions is not one of them. Staging such a match at such a venue at this time of year was an accident waiting to happen. And sure enough, one of the groundstaff, Ken McCudie, sustained a dislocated elbow when slipping on the outfield in a mopping-up process that went well beyond the call of duty.Certainly conditions could hardly have been more difficult to those anticipated in the World Cup. Rain delayed the start until 4pm, reducing the match to a 23-over encounter. It then intervened again during the Scotland innings to see the contest reduced to 20-overs a side with drizzle continuing for much of the game.So it was never likely that England, without white ball cricket so far this season and put in on a pitch that had been under cover for a couple of days, would produce the aggressive top-order batting that their critics say will be required if they are to prosper in global events.Instead they produced a measured, mature performance. The sort of performance that has served them pretty well in England over recent years. The sort of performance that may infuriate those who want them to bat with more urgency but that was a sensible tactic in conditions that Cook rated as “one of the worst I’ve ever played in.”They adapted and, through Ian Bell and Cook, posted an opening stand of 83 in 11.3 overs that laid the platform for a decent total in these circumstances.Bell was the dominant partner. While Cook thrashed around without ever finding his timing – it sometimes looked as if he were using a broken bat – Bell sped to a 33-ball half-century and in the process overtook Alec Stewart to become the second highest run-scorer in ODI cricket for England. Twice he drove straight sixes – once skipping down the pitch to loft the offspin of Majid Haq back over his head and once punching Rob Taylor over long-off – and also reverse-swept, drove and pulled other boundaries.”On a wicket where no-one else could time it, it just flowed for ‘Belly,'” Cook said afterwards. “It was just class.”But the late acceleration never quite came. When Bell was dismissed, bowled round his legs attempting to flick over the legside, Cook became bogged down and finally departed to a fine, running catch on the long-off boundary and Jos Buttler was brilliantly caught by Taylor, jumping high on the midwicket boundary.England pacemen rested

England announced that the majority of their squad will be available for the round of Championship matches starting on Sunday. The exceptions are fast bowlers James Anderson, Chris Jordan and Harry Gurney, who will be rested.

“Scotland’s fielding was exceptional,” Cook said. “We were struggling to stand on our feet. There was standing water at mid-off and I was struggling to grip my bat, so for them to take running catches was exceptional.”Eoin Morgan, who thrashed two full tosses to the boundary and one more over it, and Joe Root, improvising cleverly, pushed the score forward with bright contributions. But when Morgan edged a wide one and Root and Ravi Bopara fell to successive deliveries, Cook admitted England “weren’t sure if that was a good score.”Scotland never threatened to overhaul the target. James Anderson was too quick for both opening batsmen and both Harry Gurney, who made a quietly impressive debut as a death bowler, and Chris Jordan, maintained their lengths well enough on to prevent Scotland ever getting on top of the rate.Only when Leask, a 23-year-old from Aberdeen playing just his third ODI, was at the crease did a Scotland victory appear possible. Leask thrashed five sixes and two fours in a breezy innings of 42 from just 16 deliveries.Just for a few minutes, with England’s bowlers struggling to grip the slippery ball, it seemed the former banker might pull-off a memorable heist. But when James Tredwell, the unfortunate victim of most of the six hitting, held one back and caused Leask to drag the ball to wide mid-on, Scotland’s challenge was over. Of the rest of the batsmen in the top eight only Matt Machan, who scored 33 at almost a run-a-ball, made double-figures.There were a couple of areas of concern for England: Buttler missed a fairly straightforward chance when Kyle Coetzer had 1 and they will know that these conditions bear almost no comparisons to those expected in Australia. But in circumstances where some England sides might have gone missing, they did enough to avoid any potential embarrassment and ensured the new Peter Moores era started smoothly.

Ravi Bopara’s non selection for England is very much Essex’s gain who have him in the form of his life. He smashed 81 in just 44 balls to send Essex joint top of the South Group of the NatWest T20

Ryan Bailey at Canterbury 11-Jun-2014
ScorecardRyan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara took the game away from Kent•Getty ImagesRavi Bopara can shoulder very little of the blame for England’s winter failings, but at a time of flux in the Test side he has been pointedly ignored to the fact where adding to his 13 caps has never seemed such a distant possibility.Bopara’s unbeaten 81 from 44 balls offered further evidence for his belief that he is in the best form of his life and by granting Essex victory with one over to spare took them alongside Hampshire at the top of the South Division.More often than not, on his return to the county circuit, Bopara produces the type of striking performances that raise questions over his in ability to forge a permanent spot across all formats for England. His worth to Essex, however, is rarely belittled.On the back of a Championship hundred at the same ground this week, Bopara constructed an innings of consummate mastery that had most of the Canterbury crowd, despite their gloom at seeing as formidable Kent total overhauled, heading home satisfied with their evening’s entertainment.Essex made a steep target seem like child’s play – admittedly on a true surface – as Bopara combined with Ryan ten Doeschate to dismantle a Kent attack stymied by fielding lapses. Three chances were shelled, the most costly when Bopara was dropped by Daniel Bell-Drummond on 37.Bopara batted with a swagger that almost made it look as if he hand-picked which deliveries he wanted to dispatch with disdain. A combination brutality, deft strokeplay and inventiveness left Rob Key, the Kent captain, scratching his head.At the other end, ten Doeschate played the role of subordinate but was equally destructive after receiving a reprieve early-on when Doug Bollinger dropped a straight-forward chance at long-on.The Essex captain fell a couple short of an opportunistic half-century but Bopara ensured the job was complete without any hiccups. Often labelled ‘a finisher’, but rarely able to complete the job in an England shirt, he lived up to the tag by striking consecutive boundaries off James Tredwell in the penultimate over and then swatting the winning runs down the ground in fitting fashion.”It was good fun,” Bopara said afterwards. “We went out there with a plan and we executed it brilliantly. I’m in the best form of my life and I’ve been hitting it well so long may it continue.”For all the attention given to overseas luminaries and T20 specialists, Key continues to demonstrate that conventional batting in the shortest format yields healthy dividends. In scoring a half-century of his own, and in the process moving to the top of the competition’s run-scoring charts, he gave his side the perfect platform.However, the loss of Key succeeded the departure of Bell-Drummond and Essex managed to take a stranglehold of proceedings after the hosts made a blistering start; the openers had put on 119 one ball into the 13th over. But, two wickets in the following over from Tymal Mills in the fourteenth over checked their momentum.Mills, who bowled with pace, was expensive throughout as he struggled for a consistent line and length but provided an extra dimension to the attack in the second-half of the innings. A couple of late cameos from Sam Billings and Sam Northeast lifted Kent in the final overs but they were well below par; they had scored 218 here last week.That said, the wicket of Mark Pettini in the first over – an ugly heave across the line – hinted at the extravagance that was going to be required to chase down the tasking total. Instead, Pettini’s departure was but a minor hitch as Jesse Ryder and then Tom Westley cracked thirteen boundaries between them in the Powerplay overs to silence the home crowd and provide the platform for the middle-order. Bopara and ten Doeschate did the rest.