August 24, 2024

Jack Morley Puts Derbyshire on the Cup of first Home Win in Five Years

In the Vitality County Championship match, Derbyshire is close to breaking a five-year drought as they head towards victory against Glamorgan. On the third day at the County Ground in Derby, Jack Morley, on loan from Lancashire, made a significant impact by taking 3 wickets for 35 runs in 20 overs. This strong performance has put Derbyshire on the brink of their first Championship win at home since August 2019.

Glamorgan, who were 226 for 4, fell into trouble as they lost three wickets quickly, ending the day at 236 for 7 and still trailing by 25 runs. Despite fifties from Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson, Derbyshire’s bowlers, including Morley and Pat Brown (2 for 50), have put them in a strong position for their first Championship victory in 25 months.

After rain canceled the morning session, Derbyshire’s bowlers took charge, leading to Glamorgan’s collapse. Brown and Zak Chappell struck early, taking three wickets in just six overs. Billy Root, who had survived the previous evening, managed only 13 runs before getting caught behind while attempting a ball from Brown he could have let go.

Brown also tempted Ben Kellaway into a risky shot, resulting in another wicket for Brooke Guest. Chappell then dismissed Glamorgan’s captain, Sam Northeast, with a delivery that moved just enough to hit the stumps.

A 20-minute shower interrupted play, which might have given bowlers a chance to recover and disrupted the batters’ focus. However, after the break, both Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram resumed their innings solidly. Carlson played cautiously after surviving an early scare, while Ingram, who had scored a century at this ground last season, capitalized on any loose deliveries.

With Anuj Dal off the field, Derbyshire were one bowler short. Brown faced some frustration when Carlson’s edge just cleared third slip, and Ingram was given a second chance on 25 after an edge went low to Guest, who couldn’t hold onto the catch.

Colin Ingram reached his half-century off 93 balls just before tea, helping Glamorgan reduce their deficit to under 100 runs. However, their progress was halted three overs into the final session when Ingram, trying to play a big slog-sweep off Jack Morley, was bowled out, ending a solid partnership of 110 runs from 179 balls.

In the next over, Derbyshire thought they had dismissed Kiran Carlson when he was caught behind off David Lloyd, but the umpires correctly ruled that the ball had hit the ground first. Carlson then reached his half-century off 125 balls.

Derbyshire’s hopes were briefly dimmed when Pat Brown, who had an apparent ankle injury, had to leave the field four overs into his second spell. David Lloyd stepped in and soon took a key wicket when Chris Cooke, trying to drive, was bowled out, ending a 50-run stand from 122 balls. Derbyshire’s chances of victory increased when Carlson, inexplicably charging at Morley, was stumped out.

Timm van der Gugten was dismissed lbw on his first ball, and although Mason Crane survived the hat-trick ball, Glamorgan will need a remarkable performance on the final day to prevent Derbyshire from securing their long-awaited home win.

Shikhar Dhawan Retires from International and Domestic Cricket

Shikhar Dhawan has announced his retirement from both international and domestic cricket via a social media post on Saturday morning. The left-handed opener, who has played 269 international matches for India, scored 24 centuries in his career—17 in ODIs and seven in Tests. His last competitive game was in April, when he captained the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024.

“It’s important to turn the page to move forward in life and that’s why I am announcing my retirement from international and domestic cricket,” Dhawan said in a video message. “I am leaving with peace in my heart that I played for so long for India. I tell myself not to feel sad that you will not play for India anymore, but to feel happy that you played for your country.”

Shikhar Dhawan, who made his debut for India in 2010, is retiring as one of only eight ODI players to score over 5000 runs with an average above 40 and a strike rate above 90. His ODI career includes 6793 runs in 167 matches, averaging 44.11 with a strike rate of 91.35. His last ODI was against Bangladesh in December 2022.

Dhawan first gained attention in Test cricket with a rapid 100 on debut against Australia in 2013, which he followed with a match-winning 187. However, his ODI records outshine his performances in other formats. In 2013, he scored 1162 runs in 26 ODIs at an average of 50.52 and a strike rate of 97.89. That year, he also made 363 runs in the Champions Trophy, helping India win the title.

Dhawan’s partnership with Rohit Sharma became one of the most prolific in ODI history, ranking fourth for total runs and second for century partnerships among openers, behind only Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

Throughout his career, Dhawan consistently performed well in key tournaments, being India’s top scorer in the 2014 Asia Cup, 2015 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy, and 2018 Asia Cup. His career faced a setback in 2019 with a thumb injury during the World Cup, but he continued to contribute with leadership roles in India’s second-string sides.

In the IPL, Shikhar Dhawan played for several teams, including Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. He is the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history, just behind Virat Kohli, with 6769 runs in 222 matches and a strike rate of 127.14.

In domestic cricket, Dhawan was part of Delhi’s successful Ranji Trophy team that won the title in the 2007-08 season by defeating Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium. He also made a mark early in his career as the top run-scorer in the Under-19 World Cup in 2004.