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Sourav Ganguly is set to be elected unopposed as the joint secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal during the AGM next week

Amol Karhadkar20-Jul-2014Sourav Ganguly is set to be elected unopposed as the joint secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal during the AGM next week, marking the former India captain’s first stint with cricket administration.The deadline for filing candidatures for the election to be held on July 27 ended today (July 20). CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey confirmed that Sourav Ganguly and Subir Ganguly are the only two candidates to have submitted nomination papers for the two posts of joint secretaries. While Subir is an incumbent joint secretary, Sourav will replace Sujan Mukherjee who is to complete his maximum term of four years.It will be interesting to see if Ganguly is able to spare substantial amount time for his new role from his commitments as a television expert, though CAB office-bearers exuded confidence about Ganguly’s intentions.”Sourav would have never took up such an important responsibility had he not been sure about his availability,” Dey said. It is also worth noting if Ganguly represents the CAB at important BCCI meetings.After retiring from international cricket in 2008, Ganguly was appointed as the head of BCCI’s technical committee. However, since he was still active on the domestic circuit, he was replaced by his team-mate Anil Kumble. Once he was done with his domestic assignments, including the IPL in 2012, Ganguly took over as the CAB’s cricket development committee chief.He had played an instrumental role in roping in Waqar Younis and Muttiah Muralitharan as bowling consultants for Bengal cricket ahead of the previous domestic season.Ganguly’s inclusion will be the only change to an otherwise stable CAB administrative set-up, headed by former BCCI and ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya. All the eight posts for office-bearers, including that of the president, will be elected unopposed during the AGM.

James Taylor has been given the perfect platform to stake his case for selection in the second Investec Test after he was included in the Sussex side to play a three-day match against Australia.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2013James Taylor, the Nottinghamshire batsman, has been given the perfect platform to stake his case for selection in the third Investec Test after he was included in the Sussex side to play a three-day match against Australia.England may have to call on a middle-order batsman for Old Trafford if Kevin Pietersen does not recover from a calf strain that ruled him out of the final two days of the Lord’s Test. The third Test begins on August 1.Taylor’s county, Nottinghamshire, have no County Championship fixtures before the third Test so an agreement was reached between the England management and Nottinghamshire to allow Taylor to play for Sussex in the tour match starting on Friday.”This will provide James with a valuable opportunity to play in a longer format of the game while we consider our options ahead of the third Test next week,” England team director Andy Flower said. “Kevin Pietersen is continuing his recovery from a calf strain and a decision about his availability for the Test will be made nearer the time.”Pietersen is likely to recover from his injury but the decision to provide an opportunity for Taylor to face Australia indicates he is England’s preferred option should they need a replacement. It also indicates they are not certain Pietersen will be available.Taylor, a diminutive right-hander who began his career at Leicestershire, was handed a Test debut against South Africa at Headingley last season and made 34 in the first innings, sharing a partnership of 147 with Pietersen that got England back into the match. But after 10 and 4 in the third Test at Lord’s he was left out of the tour party for India.His work over the winter, when he toured Australia with England Lions, did not produce immediate dividends on tour, but it has produced results this season with 824 runs in the County Championship at 58.85 including 204 not out against Sussex. He has also made 456 runs in seven Yorkshire Bank 40 matches.His guest appearance for Sussex rules Taylor out of Nottinghamshire’s final two Friends Life t20 group matches against Yorkshire on Friday and Lancashire on Sunday. Notts currently sit top of the North group but are yet to secure a quarter-final berth.”I’m hopeful that KP will be fit to play and, as it stands, I’m preparing to play in the three-day game for Sussex and nothing more,” he said.”I’m disappointed to have to miss two big Notts matches but the Sussex fixture will give me an opportunity to get some red ball practice and then I’ll wait and see.”I’m not back in the Test side yet but I’m pleased to be a step closer to it and I’ve always dealt with situations like this by concentrating on the game in hand and refusing to look too far ahead.”Taylor has scored 196 runs in the competition but his director of cricket, Mick Newell is fully supportive of his England ambitions. “We want to provide James the best possible opportunity to be prepared to play in the third Test should he be required,” Newell said. “While clearly he is an important player for us and will be missed on Friday and Sunday we have a proud record of producing players for England.”We remain in close contact with James and the ECB regarding the situation and hope that he can make a contribution and be selected.”England have previously inserted players into different teams for match practise. Earlier this summer Nick Compton was allowed to play for Worcestershire against Australia, although it didn’t help his quest for selection for the first Test against Australia, and in 2011 Andrew Strauss played for Somerset against India to try and regain form.

Mohammad Ashraful thought he had forgotten how to hold the bat after a torrid start to the 2012-13 season before he regained his form recently

Mohammad Isam11-Feb-2013Mohammad Ashraful thought he had forgotten how to hold the bat after a torrid start to the 2012-13 season. But a first-class hundred on the normally flat Bogra wicket, which he considered a lucky break, and now an unbeaten 103 against Khulna Royal Bengals in the BPL have completely turned around his form, and possibly his mindset towards making runs.He averaged only 13.22 for Dhaka Metropolis in the National Cricket League, aggregating 119 runs in nine innings. There were questions raised after he was included in the Central Zone side for the year’s second first-class tournament. Not many would have expected him to make two centuries thereafter as the usual wait for the Ashraful special had dissipated years ago.”During this season’s National Cricket League, I felt as if I had forgotten how to bat,” Ashraful said. “Even after the first match of the BCL, I didn’t feel like playing anymore in the tournament. But I was persuaded by [Mahmudullah] Riyad and then I was lucky to play in Bogra, where there’s a flat wicket and I scored a hundred.”Ashraful believed that had he been under less pressure from the public and the media, he could have played more freely. Maybe the freedom from the limelight has helped him regain confidence in this season’s BPL.”You need luck to make big runs and today luck was on my side. If I score 20 or 25 runs in the next game, everyone will say that I have flopped. In the last two games, I hit the ball straight to fielders. It was my bad luck, so when people talk about it, the pressure goes up.”There’s less pressure in BPL, I can play my shots. I was confident I would do well here. It also helps to bat in the top-order, especially opening the batting in T20s. I think this year more local players are getting opportunity at the top order,” he said.He made a slow start to this year’s BPL before hitting 73 against Rangpur Riders in the second game. His next best had been 38 until today, so presented with another big chase, Ashraful hardly changed his method of batting in a Twenty20.”I don’t think you can play T20s with a hundred in front of your mind. You have to play it ball by ball. I had the chance to slow down. I could have just picked the singles towards the last two overs but I was thinking of finishing the chase.The only moment during the 58-ball innings when he thought a century was a possibility was when he had taken a breather after ten overs. But even after he was dropped off a difficult chance on 94, he hardly believed it was coming.”After 10 overs, my score was 56. I thought if I played all the overs, I will have a chance. I wanted to be aggressive from the start, because I think this was the best wicket so far in the tournament. When they made 176, we all thought they were 20 runs short. I was told to play straight, and with that in mind, I continued doing so,” Ashraful said.

Don Robson, the driving force behind Durham’s emergence as a first-class county, has died at the age of 82

David Hopps11-Mar-2016Don Robson, the driving force behind Durham’s emergence as a first-class county, has died at the age of 82.Durham became the 18th first-class county in 1992, the first since Glamorgan in 1921, defying the general assumption that county cricket was certain to decline rather than expand bravely into what became its most northerly outpost.After difficult beginnings, they went on to dominate the professional game, winning six trophies between 2007 and 2014, including three Championships, and also staging international cricket at their purpose-built Chester-le-Street ground.The death of the man who was chiefly responsible for delivering that dream comes at a challenging time when Durham are under considerable financial strain, inviting questions whether regular England cricket in the north-east is sustainable.Robson, immensely proud of the north-east, would have had no truck with such pessimism. As leader of Durham county council (the youngest ever when he was appointed in 1973) and an influential member of the regional assembly, he had political clout in the region and he put it to good use in a straightforward, immensely committed style.His ambition was to provide a home for the succession of cricketers developed in the north-east but who had previously had to leave the county to fulfil their ambitions to play professional cricket.Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, knew Robson well from his time as commercial director at Durham.He said: “Don played a leading role in gaining first-class status for Durham prior to their inaugural season at the top table in 1992. The north-east was going through a really tough time economically and Don’s efforts therefore didn’t just help cricket, they also helped the region regain some pride.”The success of Durham on the field, the development of several England players and the staging of international cricket at the Emirates Riverside are all achievements that would not have been possible without Don’s contribution”Don was equally committed to the recreational game – I would often see him watching Greenside CC play in the Tyneside & Northumberland league on a Saturday afternoon.”Robson became Durham’s first chairman as a first-class county, but this was no political sop. He led the fundraising drive, lobbying extensively and continuing his involvement in cricket in the north-east.He was involved when Durham were England’s dominant minor county through the 1970s and ’80s – going 65 games unbeaten between 1976 and 1982 – managed the Under-19 team for a while and represented the county at several committees on the Test and County Cricket Board – the forerunner of the ECB.In April 1992 they played their first match as a first-class county – a Sunday League fixture against Lancashire at the Racecourse Ground in Durham. Ian Botham and Wayne Larkins, two high-profile signings, opened the batting and Durham won. It was a decade and more before winning became a habit.Most importantly, Durham secured land for a permanent headquarters on the outskirts of Chester-le-Street, adjoining the River Wear and with Lumley Castle providing a striking backdrop. A Chester-le-Street farmer had been willing to end his lease because the land was too wet. In May 1995, Durham played their inaugural game on the ground against Warwickshire and the pavilion was named in Robson’s honour and opened by the Queen in 1996.Geoff Cook, Durham’s director of cricket – the longest-serving county coach in the game – said on the their website: “You had to be involved at the time of Durham’s emergence from minor counties cricket to appreciate the enormity of Don’s involvement in the whole scheme.”To be the first new county for 70 or 80 years was a big thing in its own right, but the practicalities of getting the finance and the ground in place were vital to us having a realistic chance of succeeding.”A tremendous amount of balls were up in the air at the same time, but Don remained completely focused throughout the process and at the same time he progressed his business as well as his political career.”It was amazing to be on hand to witness his mental and physical energy and the way he was able to pull things together. He really was a remarkable man. He had a ferocious energy and a determination to satisfy his vision.”No matter the size of the hurdles that got in his way, he always felt he could surmount them. He was formidable, but he had a lot of warmth and he was a caring person.”Before awarding first-class status, Durham had to have at least £1m in the bank and guarantee to secure a permanent ground within five years.Robson used his political contacts to win major support from such companies as Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, but he was a politician who also had a strong connection with the public and they trusted him with a rush of small donations and offers of help in the belief that he would achieve his goal.He was awarded a CBE for services to local government in 1997 and received an honorary doctorate from Sunderland University in 2002 in recognition both of this and his role in securing Durham’s first-class status. He also played professional football as a centre-forward with Doncaster Rovers and Gateshead.

Trent Copeland, the Australia seamer, will return to boost Northamptonshire’s hopes of achieving promotion

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2013Trent Copeland, the Australia seamer, will return to boost Northamptonshire’s hopes of achieving promotion. Copeland was initially signed for the first half of the season, claiming 36 Championship wickets in seven games, and he will now return for Northants’ final three fixtures.Copeland returned to Sydney in June with Northants unbeaten and top of the table, having averaged 49.3 with the bat and 16.25 with the ball. Since then, the club have drawn once and lost twice to Lancashire, who have also overtaken them as Division Two leaders.In all competitions Copeland claimed 50 wickets but he was replaced for the FLt20 by Australia allrounder Cameron White and South Africa opener Richard Levi. Northamptonshire’s head coach, David Ripley, had previously indicated they might try to re-sign the tall fast bowler, who has played three Tests for Australia.”This news will give everybody involved with Northants a lift,” Ripley said. “Trent made an outstanding contribution in his first stint with us, both on and off the field, we look forward to welcoming both him and his wife Kim back to the County Ground.”Northamptonshire currently lie second in Division Two, a point behind Lancashire having played a game more than the teams around them. With six fixtures left, they are 38 points clear of Worcestershire in the race for automatic promotion.

Sam Hain scored his second century in seven first-class matches as Warwickshire took a grip over Durham at Chester-le-Street.

Press Association14-Jul-2014
ScorecardSam Hain made his second first-class century•Getty ImagesSam Hain scored his second century in seven first-class matches as Warwickshire took a grip over Durham at Chester-le-Street.Hong Kong-born Hain reached his hundred off 188 balls and remained unbeaten on 109 after enjoying a seventh-wicket stand of 101 with Rikki Clarke in the morning.Durham’s reply was twice interrupted by rain and bad light, cutting 21 overs from the day’s allocation, and they struggled against impressive bowling from Keith Barker.Clarke hit two sixes in one Scott Borthwick over and added seven fours in his classy half-century, made off 71 balls, but departed for 54 when he drove at John Hastings and edged to Phil Mustard.When Warwickshire resumed on 256 for 5, Hastings had three of the wickets and he struck with the day’s 10th ball on his way to figures of 5 for 94.Tim Ambrose shouldered arms and a ball which barely deviated shaved his off stump, then Hain, still on his overnight 12, survived his one big scare in Hastings’ next over. The Australian looked astonished when umpire Steve Gale turned down his lbw appeal but, although some hostile bowling and angry glares followed, Hain remained unperturbed.There were nine overs to be bowled with the old ball at the outset and it was during that period that Hastings carried the greatest threat.When Graham Onions took the new ball he conceded 23 runs in six overs and made way for Hastings to return, while Borthwick was tried at the other end. In the legspinner’s second over Clarke advanced to drive a six over long-off, then pulled another one in front of midwicket. He was looking in complete command when he got out.Jeetan Patel confidently stroked 32 off 26 balls before edging a cut to Mustard off Onions, who had one for 121 on his return from a two-month lay-off with back trouble.Hain was on 82 when he was joined by last man Boyd Rankin and continued to show maturity beyond his years in keeping the strike as much as possible. An upper cut for his 12th four off Onions took Hain to his hundred and in the next over Rankin was lbw to Borthwick, who finished with 3 for 70, his best Championship analysis for over a year.Chris Wright took the first Durham wicket when Mark Stoneman inside edged a flat-footed drive to be well caught by Ambrose.After the second break lasted an hour they had to come back out for 12 overs and Barker caused all kind of problems. He swung one past Keaton Jennings’ forward defensive stroke to hit off stump then Michael Richardson edged a drive to Clarke at second slip.Borthwick twice drove Wright handsomely through extra cover in his unbeaten 24 and Gordon Muchall made a confident start in reaching 13.”Sam Hain showed great concentration,” Durham skipper Paul Collingwood said. “We tested him with all sorts, but he came through it. He’s a bit like Jonathan Trott with some of his mannerisms.”It was a tricky decision whether to take the new ball in the morning. The old ball was giving us some reverse swing but when we did take the new one nothing happened.”

Shane Watson will miss the majority of the ODI series against England after being granted a longer period of rest than first planned by Australia’s selectors

Daniel Brettig16-Jan-2014A fatigued Shane Watson will miss the majority of the ODI series against England after being granted a longer period of rest than first planned by Australia’s selectors. Originally slated to return to the limited overs squad for the SCG match on Sunday after missing Friday’s Gabba fixture, Watson will now be absent until the final match, in Adelaide on January 26.To cover for Watson’s absence, the Victoria and Brisbane Heat allrounder Daniel Christian has been recalled to the ODI team for his first taste of international cricket since the being part of the squad for the most recent World Twenty20 event in Sri Lanka in 2012.Watson suffered a groin strain on day one of the Boxing Day Ashes Test, and while he was rehabilitated successfully enough to take part in the rest of that match and also the final Test at the SCG, the coach Darren Lehmann said it had been decided that he needs additional time to recharge ahead of a challenging Test match assignment in South Africa following the England matches.Evidence of this was clear for all in the first ODI at the MCG, where Watson bowled five expensive overs and was dismissed for a duck.”Given Shane’s workload in the past 12 months we consider it would be beneficial for him to have a longer break and continue his training program at home in Sydney ahead of the final ODI and the tour of South Africa,” Lehmann said. “Dan Christian, who has been in excellent form in recent weeks, has been added to the ODI Squad to provide an all-round option in Shane’s absence.”Australia’s management of Watson has been careful this summer, aimed at extracting the most out of the allrounder in between his frequent injury lay-offs. A hamstring complaint during the ODI tour of India that preceded the Ashes had reduced his ability to bowl at top pace early in the series, though he still contributed useful spells in addition to his batting.The addition of the team doctor Peter Brukner to Australia’s support staff has been hugely significant for Watson’s progress, his expertise and use of dry needling techniques allowing Watson on several occasions to rebound from a muscle strain far more quickly than he had done in the past.”There’s no doubt that this certainly has been a new thing for me. Previously with this sort of injury it has nearly put me out for the summer in the past,” Watson said earlier this summer. “I’d continue to re-injure it and then it’s a struggle from there. It gives me confidence that if something does go slightly wrong, I’ve got more chance to come back.”Lehmann has stated previously his strong desire for Watson to be capable of bowling at all times, while also making it widely known that he would prefer his Australian teams to include five bowling options wherever possible, the better to lighten to load on the team’s pacemen.Australia’s ODI squad had been named for the first three contests of the series and will be refreshed, with an eye on the South Africa Test matches to come, after the SCG match on Sunday.

Shane Watson saved his best until last to enable Australia to end their almost four-month stay in England with silverware as they wrapped up the NatWest Series

The Report by Andrew McGlashan at the Ageas Bowl16-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson led Australia’s innings with an 87-ball century•PA PhotosAs in the Ashes, Shane Watson saved his best until last to enable Australia to end their almost four-month stay in England with silverware as they wrapped up the NatWest series with a convincing 49-run victory. Watson’s 143 provided nearly half of Australia’s total and his stand of 163 with Michael Clarke, who battled through with his troublesome back, was the defining period of the match and series.England’s chase only ignited when Ravi Bopara and Jos Buttler were adding 92 in 13 overs; perhaps it was the autumnal chill which descended and left spectators huddle up in jacks that prevented an early spark. But by then it was a monumental task, even for Buttler’s nerves of steel. Kevin Pietersen was run out in the third over and any remnants of a chance, however slim, disappeared when Eoin Morgan departed straight after the halfway mark of the innings.Australia were clearly the better team over the three-and-a-bit ODIs that the weather allowed and this trophy, although low down in the priority list when they arrived in late May, will be some solace for Darren Lehmann – who wasn’t even in charge when the Champions Trophy squad landed at Heathrow. Australia really have been here that long.That is not to say there are no benefits England can take, and in this match it was the bowling of Ben Stokes and debutant Chris Jordan – who replaced the injured Steven Finn – as they shared eight wickets. Stokes finished with 5 for 61 having struck early in the innings and then during Australia’s collapse of 7 for 87. Both young pace bowlers were sharp, hitting 90mph, and held their nerve against flashing blades.As in Cardiff, Australia struggled at the top and tail of their innings but this time the central plank provided by Watson and Clarke was so dominant it made a crucial difference. It appeared a rain break in the 10th over might derail their innings when, on resumption, Stokes struck twice in consecutive balls to leave Australia 48 for 3. But England’s inexperienced attack could not keep up the pressure as Clarke and Watson feasted on some wayward bowling during their rapid partnership.Watson reached his eighth one-day hundred from 87 balls in a muscular display of hitting and then latched on to Joe Root’s sixth over, which cost 28, the most expensive by an England bowler in ODIs, including three massive leg-side sixes. He was threatening his best score against England – an unbeaten 161 at the MCG in 2011 – but edged behind to give Stokes his fourth wicket.Stokes claimed his fifth two balls later when Mitchell Johnson lobbed back a return catch and along with Jordan and Boyd Rankin, the latter superbly economical on another good batting pitch, provided a positive glimpse at some of England’s depth. Jordan had managed to open his wicket tally in his second over – after being driven twice by Aaron Finch in his first – when he beat Phillip Hughes for pace and the left-hander top-edged to midwicket.Jordan returned in the batting Powerplay, taken early by Clarke in the 29th over, with Australia at the peak of their scoring rate and removed the Australia captain when he clubbed to mid-off for 74 five balls after Rankin had dropped him in the same position. Clarke had not been convincing at the start of his innings, as England tested out his back with the expected short-pitched attack, but was given early scoring opportunities to get his innings underway and was rarely under a run-a-ball. His straight drive for six off Stokes stood out.The problem for England was that the combined 10 overs of spin from Root and James Tredwell went for 96; Watson immediately aimed Tredwell over midwicket in a four-over spell that proved his only one of the day. If other sides have been taking notes, Tredwell will need to “batten down the hatches”, as he put it the other day, in future series.Overs 21-30 of Australia’s brought 93 runs – a scoring rate considered impressive for the final 10 of an innings – and at 202 for 3 after 30 overs anything seemed possible, but a combination of some laziness from them and resilience from England gave the final 20 overs a very different outcome, to the extent that Australia did not use up their final five deliveries.Australia rued their late collapse in Cardiff, but it never had the feel of a repeat here. The Pietersen-Michael Carberry opening partnership has not hit it off in this series and for the second time it ended through a breakdown in communication. Pietersen was beaten but Matthew Wade could not take the ball cleanly and it bobbled to short fine-leg. Carberry started to make his way up the pitch, but only made a positive call a few seconds later, by when there was not enough time for Pietersen to make his ground.Carberry’s hometown innings – and perhaps, even, his last for England – was ended by the DRS after Rob Bailey had turned down an appeal from James Faulkner. Joe Root, who laboured for his 21, dragged on against the quick and thrifty Johnson when playing without footwork and most shambolically Luke Wright – a last-minute replacement for Jonathan Trott, who suffered a back spasm – was run out when he did not even attempt to ground his bat going for a sharp single.Adam Voges gained an lbw decision against Bopara with his first ball, only for DRS to show it was sliding past leg stump, but he claimed the key wicket of Morgan when the England captain was drawn out of his crease and Wade did not add to his list of errors.For a while, as Buttler and Bopara started picking off boundaries at will, a grandstand finish was not out of the question until Faulkner, from round the wicket, cleaned up Buttler. Seven balls later Bopara rifled a catch to cover off Johnson’s first ball back to give him his 200th ODI wicket. That was that, barring the finishing touches, but for anyone who is feeling misty-eyed at the end of England-Australia contests, don’t worry: it all starts again in 66 days.

Lionesses Ella Toone, Millie Turner and Maya Le Tissier have completed an impressive keepy-uppy challenge while away on England duty.

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Red Devils team-mates in Wiegman's squadHoping to figure in friendly datesEnjoying some warm weather trainingWHAT HAPPENED?

The Manchester United stars form part of Sarina Wiegman’s squad that is preparing to face Austria and Italy in a couple of international friendlies. While preparing for those fixtures, which will take place on Spanish soil, an opportunity has been taken to enjoy some warm weather training.

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During their free time, England’s players have taken to relaxing by the pool. A ball is never far from their thoughts, though, and challenges have been taken on when it comes to showcasing touch, control and team work.

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Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Toone, Turner and Le Tissier have set the standard when it comes to keepy-uppy skills, with the trio combining to complete a complex sequence of passes without allowing the ball to hit the ground. Wild celebrations were sparked once pulling off that move, although nobody ended up in the water!

Paul Stirling’s incisive spell was followed by a John Mooney hat-trick at the end of the first innings as Ireland quelled a Jersey threat in a seven-wicket win at Malahide

The Reprt by Peter Della Penna in Malahide19-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Stirling’s incisive spell was followed by a John Mooney hat-trick at the end of the first innings as Ireland quelled a Jersey threat to seal their spot in the 2016 World T20. Ireland’s qualification was also helped by losses to Papua New Guinea and Namibia. PNG, Namibia and Hong Kong finished on seven points to confirm their place in the playoffs next week.Stirling claimed 3 for 16 before bashing a swift half-century in the chase, which was sealed with 20 balls to spare, while Jersey’s knockout stage hopes were extinguished with the loss.Jersey were 88 for 1 in 13 overs after being sent in as captain Peter Gough and Sussex academy batsman Jonty Jenner put on a 46-run stand before Stirling sparked the visitors’ slide with the wicket of Jenner. However, replays showed that Jenner was struck outside the line of off stump on his attempted sweep.Jersey were still in with a chance though at 102 for 2 in 15 overs with Gough still at the crease, but Stirling and Alex Cusack continued to keep Jersey off balance and the last eight wickets fell for just 16 runs. Stirling hadn’t bowled since the tournament opener against Namibia, but his spell shifted momentum back in favour of Ireland as he induced Cornelis Bodenstein to loft to long-off before another ill-advised sweep accounted for Anthony Kay.Cusack opened the bowling and was hit hard in his first two overs – going for 18 runs, but came back in the 17th to end Gough’s scratchy innings for 42 as he mistimed a slog over midwicket that was well taken by Stuart Poynter backpedaling from edge of the circle. He struck again four balls later, teaming up with Poynter at cover to get the right-handed Nat Watkins for 1 before snatching his third in the 19th over as Corey Bisson lofted to Stuart Thompson at long-off.Mooney reinforced his position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, moving to 14 in six games by wiping out the tail with a series of slower balls in the final over. Charles Perchard was done in by a yorker out of the back of the hand off an attempted paddle scoop. Kevin O’Brien claimed a skier on the next ball to remove Ben Kynman before George Dockrell settled at deep square leg to catch Ben Stevens and give Mooney his hat-trick.With Niall O’Brien still nursing a knee injury and unlikely to take any further part in the tournament, William Porterfield moved himself back up to open with Stirling for the first time in the tournament. The previous five opening partnerships – a mix of Stirling, O’Brien and Andy Balbirnie – amounted to a total of 27 runs, but the reunification of Ireland’s prolific opening duo from the last few years had its desired effect, adding 44 runs in just 4.5 overs.Jersey’s fielding, which had been impressive all tournament, let them down as Porterfield did survive a straightforward chance at slip in the first over. Stirling also could have been caught off a slash to third man on 35, but Nat Watkins opted to let the ball fall in front of him to prevent a boundary which left the bowler Kynman bemused.Porterfield added 17 to his tournament tally of 186, including a huge six that clanged off an oak tree beyond the deep square leg boundary but fell trying to repeat the shot off the following ball from Kay and was caught by Bodenstein running in from deep midwicket. Stirling added another 47 for the second wicket with Balbirnie and brought up his fifty off 34 balls, his first of the tournament, before being caught in the deep by Jenner off Stevens’ left-arm spin.The only other wicket to fall was Kevin O’Brien, leg before after missing a sweep to Stevens. Balbirnie and Gary Wilson took Ireland the rest of the way in an unbeaten 21-run stand. Balbirnie hit the winning single through the off side on the fourth ball of the 17th over to finish 32 not out while Wilson ended unbeaten on 11.