Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman is a former Indian international cricketer and a former cricket commentator and pundit. A right-hand batsman known for his elegant stroke play, Laxman played as a middle-order batsman in Test cricket. Laxman is currently the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), and the head coach of the India Under-19 and India A teams.
International cricket matches are played between teams representing their nations, normally organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The main forms are Test matches, One-Day matches and Twenty20 matches.
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It became an official title in 1890. The competition consists of eighteen clubs named after, and representing historic counties, seventeen from England and one from Wales.
Mushtaq Ahmed Malik is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who currently acts as the spin bowling coach for the Pakistan Cricket Team. A leg break googly bowler, at his peak he was described as being one of the best three wrist-spinners in the world. In an international career that spanned from 1990 until 2003, he claimed 185 wickets in Test cricket and 161 in One Day Internationals. He was at his most prolific internationally between 1995 and 1998, but his most successful years were as a domestic player for Sussex in the early 2000s.
The 2005 English cricket season was the 106th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Before it began, a resurgent England cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by an innings. This was followed by a tri-nations one-day tournament that also featured Australia. Australia still started the Test series as favourites but most fans expected England to put up a challenge.
The 2004 English cricket season was the 105th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. England recorded a 4–0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies and a comfortable 3-0 win over New Zealand. Their one-day form was sporadic, however. In the Natwest Trophy, they failed to make the final, which saw New Zealand defeat the West Indies by 107 runs. In the Natwest Challenge, they beat India 2-1. In domestic cricket, Warwickshire won the County Championship.
The 2002 English cricket season was the 103rd in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Surrey were crowned champions but 2001 county champions Yorkshire were relegated. Yorkshire did, however, win the C&G Trophy. India and Sri Lanka toured England to compete in a Test series with England. England drew with India 1-1 and beat Sri Lanka 2-0.
The 2008 English cricket season was the 109th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Four regular tournaments were played: The LV County Championship (first-class), Friends Provident Trophy, NatWest Pro40 League and the Twenty20 Cup (T20). All four tournaments featured the eighteen classic county cricket teams, although the Friends Provident Trophy also featured sides from Ireland and Scotland.
The 2008 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away. The top two teams from Division Two are promoted to the first division for 2009, while the bottom two sides from Division 1 are relegated. Durham won the tournament, their first title, after beating Kent in their final match.
The 2003 County Championship season, known as the FrizzellCounty Championship, was the 103rd County Championship. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away. The top three teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for the 2004 season, while the bottom three sides from Division 1 were relegated.
The 2006 County Championship season, known as the Liverpool Victoria County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away. This season saw a change in promotion and relegation, with the top two teams from Division Two being promoted to the first division for 2007, while the bottom two sides from Division 1 are relegated.
The 2005 County Championship season, known as the Frizzell County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away. The top three teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for 2006, while the bottom three sides from Division 1 were relegated.
The 2004 County Championship season, known as the Frizzell County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away. The top three teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for 2005, while the bottom three sides from Division 1 are relegated.
The 2011 English cricket season was the 112th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and continued until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2011 County Championship won by Lancashire, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 won by Surrey and the 2011 Friends Life t20 won by Leicestershire.
The 2012 English cricket season was the 113th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 31 March with a round of university matches, and continued until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 15 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2012 County Championship won by Warwickshire, the 2012 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2012 Friends Life t20 both won by Hampshire Royals.
The 2013 English cricket season was the 114th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 5 April with a round of university matches, and continued until the conclusion of a round of County Championship matches on 27 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2013 County Championship, the 2013 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2013 Friends Life t20.
The 2014 English cricket season was the 115th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 1 April with a round of university matches, continued until the conclusion of a round of County Championship matches on 23 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2014 County Championship, the 2014 Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2014 NatWest t20 Blast. The Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest t20 Blast were newly created competitions as from the 2014 season, replacing the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the Friends Life t20.
The 2015 English cricket season was the 116th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began in April with a round of university matches, and continued until the conclusion of a round of County Championship matches in late September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2015 County Championship, the 2015 Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2015 NatWest t20 Blast.
The 2017 English cricket season was the 118th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. The season, which began on 28 March and ended on 29 September, featured two global one-day competitions played in England and Wales, the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup. England Women's team won the World Cup, defeating India in the final at Lord's. Pakistan beat India in the Champions Trophy final.
In 2008, Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division One of the County Championship, the South-East Division of the 50-over Friends Provident Trophy, Division Two of the NatWest Pro40 and the South Division of the Twenty20 Cup. Kent also hosted a three-day first-class match against the touring New Zealanders and a three-day match without first-class status against Leeds/Bradford UCCE, both at the St Lawrence Ground.
