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From the moment Port of Spain woke up to 2.15pm, when any hope of a resumption of play evaporated, no rain fell at Queen’s Park Oval. Yet not a single ball was bowled

The Report by Sidharth Monga19-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Port of Rain: There was little rain but the wet outfield accounted for the whole second day’s play•AFP

From the moment Port of Spain woke up to 2.15pm, when any hope of a resumption of play evaporated, no rain fell at Queen’s Park Oval. Yet not a single ball was bowled despite the sun beating down on the ground till 2pm.The umpires came out for inspection after inspection after inspection, but didn’t find the outfield to be fit for play. There was no super sopper to assist the ground staff nor was the whole ground covered when it rained. The eventual downpour at 2.15pm, 15 minutes before yet another inspection, accounted for any remaining hopes.With only 22 overs possible on the first two days, with forecast not great for the rest of the Test and given the facilities available at Queen’s Park Oval, only an unbelievable three days could produce a result. India needed to win this Test to retain their No. 1 Test ranking and not lose it to Pakistan. West Indies were 62 for 2 after 22 overs, all bowled in the first session on the first morning.

Third-wicket stand of 159 lifts visitors from 17 for 2 on rain-affected first day

ECB Reporters Network15-Aug-2020A third-wicket partnership of 159 left Durham in a strong position when rain caused an early close of play on the first day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.It was an impressive recovery from the visitors, who after being put in to bat under grey skies, might have feared the worst after being reduced to 17 for 2.Opener Sean Dickson poked tentatively at a Dieter Klein delivery pushed across him by the left-arm seamer to edge a simple catch to wicket-keeper Harry Swindells, and Cameron Steel, having scored just one, edged an out-swinger from Gavin Griffiths to Hassan Azad at first slip.Alex Lees and David Bedingham had other ideas, however, taking advantage of the lack of seam movement and a fast outfield to score quickly.Lees looked in good touch, particularly when driving straight, but Bedingham needed two moments of good fortune, firstly when he was dropped on 24, a straightforward edge off Tom Taylor put down by Swindells, and then on 37, when he advanced down the pitch to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson and was beaten by the turn, only for Swindells to fail to gather the ball.Bedingham was the first to his half-century, made off just 70 balls and reached by lofting Colin Ackermann for a huge six over midwicket, with Lees following in a more circumspect manner soon afterwards, off 103 balls.The occasional ball was turning for the spinners, but slowly, and with runs continuing to flow, Ackermann turned back to his seamers to try and regain control of the scoreboard.Bedingham continued to prosper, but on 96 and looking for the boundary required to bring up his century, edged a drive at a Taylor out-swinger and Ackermann took a neat catch low to his left at second slip.Shortly afterwards a shower saw the umpires take the players off for an early tea, with 38 overs remaining and Lees undefeated on 62. A restart was planned for 4.45pm, but the rain became heavier and play was abandoned for the day shortly before 5.30pm.

The much-anticipated meeting between the BCCI and PCB heads took place in Dubai on Sunday afternoon

Nagraj Gollapudi & Umar Farooq22-Nov-2015The much-anticipated meeting between the BCCI and PCB heads took place in Dubai on Sunday afternoon, at the ICC headquarters. BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who is in Dubai in his role as the ICC chairman, met PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to discuss a way to break the deadlock over the staging of a bilateral series between the two countries. Although there has been no official information on the outcome of the meeting yet, it is understood that one possible solution discussed at the meeting was staging the series in Sri Lanka, comprising five matches: three ODIs and two Twenty20Is.*Though it remains to be confirmed, even a mere discussion around having the series at a neutral venue like Sri Lanka would have to be seen as a positive step, given both the BCCI and PCB have remained defiant about not playing at the other’s home venue. According to the ICC’s FTP, Pakistan are meant to host India in the UAE for a full tour comprising two Tests, five ODIs and two T20Is. However, with India leaving for Australia after the first week of January for an ODI series (which starts on January 12), the Pakistan series should it go ahead will need to be scrunched into a shorter one.None of the officials present at the meeting, including Khan, usually an effusive speaker, revealed any details. Khan only said that ECB president Giles Clarke – who was present at the meeting – is likely to brief the media on Monday.”We had a fruitful meeting,” Khan said. “Giles Clarke was our facilitator and Shashank was also in there. It has been decided that Giles Clarke will give a briefing tomorrow. We have also decided that there will be no further briefing. I am not in a position to say more than this.”Khan was accompanied by Najam Sethi, head of the PCB’s executive committee, at the meeting, while Manohar was the sole representative of the BCCI. Neither Clarke nor Manohar could be reached for a comment at their hotel. Khan and Sethi were scheduled to return to Pakistan by a late-evening flight, while Manohar will be in Dubai for another two days.The presence of Clarke at the meeting was no surprise considering he has been a strong supporter of an India-Pakistan series for a long time. On the eve of the meeting Khan had already said that Clarke was playing the role of a mediator.Clarke is head the ICC task force on Pakistan, which has looked into how the PCB could fulfill its commitments under the Future Tours Programme given the security issues following the Lahore attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. In his report, Clarke had stressed on the significance of India-Pakistan cricket, saying: “It [the severed bilateral ties] is hurting the sport, particularly in Pakistan and the PTT sees no reason why this great sporting rivalry should not be restored as soon as possible, even if on neutral soil.”Still Clarke would have found it difficult to mediate here, given the rigid stance adopted by both sides going into the meeting. Manohar had earlier made it clear India would not play in the UAE as desired by the PCB, and speaking to the on Saturday, he reiterated that stance once again. “Presently, there is no question [of playing in the UAE]. We gave an option to Pakistan, asking them whether they will come to India. Pakistan was to get back to me, they haven’t got back to me.” Asked whether there were any specific reasons he was opposed to India playing in the UAE, Manohar said there were none.Khan’s response to the offer initially was that the PCB would not send its team to India, keeping in mind two factors: the security situation given some political elements having opening displayed their opposition to Pakistan, and the MoU India had signed in 2014 where it was decided that Pakistan would host the first of the six bilateral series in the UAE. While the BCCI agrees that the MoU had been signed, its officials have always stressed that the series was dependent on the federal government giving it its nod.On Friday Khan had feigned ignorance about the impending meeting, saying he was in the UAE to attend the fourth ODI between Pakistan and England. He said that he had not heard at the time from Manohar but would be open to discuss the matter. On Saturday Khan travelled to Abu Dhabi to meet top UAE government officials, reportedly to seek support for hosting the series in the Gulf state. He said the decision to play India now did not lie with the PCB anymore, but the Pakistan government would take the final decision.*19.00GMT, November 22: This article was updated.

He joins the team as a strategic consultant ahead of IPL 2021

Matt Roller01-Feb-2021Kolkata Knight Riders have hired England’s white-ball analyst Nathan Leamon as a strategic consultant ahead of IPL 2021.Leamon, who has been involved with the England team since 2009, has worked closely with Eoin Morgan – the Knight Riders captain – in recent years. He will be involved with the franchise’s auction planning, and will work alongside AR Srikkanth, their current performance analyst, during the season.It is understood that Leamon will take a leave of absence from the ECB during the tournament itself, after they recognised the value in him spending two months at the IPL working alongside Morgan ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year.Related

• Eoin Morgan: 'Nothing untoward' about coded signals from dressing-room

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The Knight Riders finished mid-table at fifth in IPL 2020, which was played in the UAE, with seven wins and equal number losses, closely losing out on a playoff spot. It was also the first time the franchise had been coached by the former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, a close friend of Morgan, who was appointed captain by the Knight Riders midway into the 2020 season after Dinesh Karthik stepped down abruptly.Morgan found himself defending Leamon in December after England trialled a system of coded signals from the dressing room to the pitch during their T20I series in South Africa, which suggested a choice of bowler and a possible field through a letter and a number. Morgan said there was “nothing untoward” about the trial and said it was “100% within the spirit of the game”.Leamon’s previous experience working in franchise cricket includes his time with Multan Sultans in last year’s Pakistan Super League, but a clash between the tournament and the white-ball leg of England’s tour to India means he will not return to that role this year.The IPL auction will be held on February 18. The Knight Riders have eight slots available, including two for overseas players after releasing Tom Banton and Chris Green from their 2021 squad. They have the joint-smallest purse remaining alongside Sunrisers Hyderabad, at INR 10.75 crore (USD 1.47 million approx).

After dismissing Peshawar for 123, the hosts overcame an early wobble to eventually saunter to victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna26-Feb-2020
How the game played out
Shan Masood’s men gave the home fans a night to remember on PSL 2020’s debut evening in Multan as a rip-roaring bowling performance set up a simple chase iced by Rilee Rossouw’s unbeaten 49 in a six-wicket win against Peshawar Zalmi.Mohammad Irfan had Tom Banton dropped at slip by James Vince on the first ball of the match, but it was just about the only misstep on the night by Multan in the field. Banton fell five balls later driving Irfan to Shahid Afridi at extra cover and the Multan pacers continued to rip through the Peshawar line-up, aided by Sohail Tanvir’s four-wicket haul, to eventually bowl out the visitors for just 123 in 18.3 overs.In a deja vu moment, Darren Sammy dropped the first ball of the Multan chase at slip when James Vince edged a drive off Hasan Ali, only for the bowler to have Vince caught at mid-on by the end of the over. Whereas Peshawar were 41 for 4 at one stage, Multan slipped to a near-identical 47 for 4 in the seventh over when Zeeshan Ashraf cut Wahab Riaz to Banton at backward point.But that was where the similarities between the two innings ceased. Rossouw got Multan back on track before he was slowed down with a hip injury after getting pinged by Wahab to end the 12th over. He was then dropped in the 14th on 46 by Livingstone at deep cover off Mohammad Amir Khan, the last sniff Peshawar had of an unlikely fightback.From there, Khushdil Shah helped send the Multan fans home with happy hearts by smashing a no-ball by Amir Khan through mid-off for four before clubbing a slower ball on the free hit 20 yards over the long-on rope for six to end the 14th. Another six yanked flat over square leg off Wahab in the 15th by Khushdil put Multan one stroke away from victory. It was sealed with a single down the ground by Rossouw, clinching a mostly one-sided contest.Turning point
Superficially, the scorecard might point to Peshawar’s top-scorer Haider Ali heaving Tanvir to Vince on 47 for the fifth wicket to break a 44-run stand with Liam Dawson. But in terms of impact and energy on the field, it had to be the double-strike by Mohammad Ilyas in the sixth over after Peshawar had been sent in to bat.At 41 for 2 in five overs, the powerplay honors were about even before Ilyas decimated Peshawar with two wickets in the space of three balls to identical back-of-a length deliveries edged behind. Shoaib Malik played slightly away from his body to the first to fall for 2, and then Liam Livingstone was completely squared up by one angled into the off-stump line and had no choice but to fend at it for a second-ball duck. At 41 for 4, the Powerplay was decisively won by Multan.Star of the day
Tanvir got the big wickets beginning with Kamran Akmal. Coming off a century in his last match, Akmal was looking ominous early once again with three fours. But hubris got the best of Akmal, who charged at Tanvir only to miscue a full ball to Vince at midwicket for 15 in the fourth over.The left-arm quick struck again in the 11th, having Haider caught at deep midwicket. Haider had played an identical stroke hammering Ilyas over the region for six just moments earlier but could not achieve the same against Tanvir. After the spinners worked through the rest of the middle order, Tanvir came back to claim Hasan Ali and No.11 Rahat Ali.The big miss
Rossouw was actually dropped twice. The latter came on 46 at deep cover but a far more costly chance came off Rahat’s bowling in the sixth over when Rossouw was on 15. The South African checked a drive that resulted in a low chance floating back to the tall Rahat at ankle height. He was able to crouch out and get two hands to it but couldn’t clasp on completely. It opened the door for Rossouw to form a 77-run stand with Khushdil to see Multan across the line.Where the teams stand
Multan are now in first place, level with Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on four points but way ahead of the other two on net run-rate. Peshawar are equal with Karachi Kings on two points but technically in fifth place way behind Kings on net run-rate.

Incident took place during a One-Day Cup Division 2 match between KwaZulu-Natal Inland and Northern Cape on December 8 last year

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2023Northern Cape Heat’s Andrew Rasemene and KwaZulu-Natal Inland’s Malcolm Nofal have both been suspended for short periods from first-class cricket by CSA following a physical altercation during their One-Day Cup Division 2 match, played in Kimberley on December 8 last year.Video footage of the incident, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, shows Rasemene, the non-striker at the time, striding towards the celebrating Tuskers players after the dismissal of Grant Thompson. The umpires then rush towards Rasemene, and there appears to be a scuffle between Rasemene and some of the opposition players.While the footage, taken from one static camera, doesn’t provide more details, the umpires’ report, also accessed by ESPNcricinfo, mentions that Rasemene “grabbed him [Nofal] by the throat”.A CSA statement confirmed that the decision to suspend the two players was taken “as a result of a disciplinary report lodged by the umpires, Jurie Sadler and Roderick Ellis, for an alleged breach of clause 6.3.1 and clause 6.5.1 of the Code of Conduct, respectively”. Clause 6.3.1, which relates to Nofal’s offence, is for “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play”, while Rasemene’s offence, 6.5.1, relates to “physical assault of another participant or spectator”.Nofal will now be ineligible for the upcoming 4-Day Series match against Eastern Cape Iinyathi, scheduled for February 9 to 12, and Rasemene will be ineligible for the forthcoming CSA Division 2 4-Day Series matches against Eastern Storm, from February 23 to 26, and against Garden Route Badgers, from March 2 to 5.

A round-up of the third day’s action of the seventh round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2009-10

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009

Group B

Quetta were pushed to the bottom of the table after sinking to a ten-wicket defeat to Lahore Ravi in a basement battle at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground. The match had been evenly balanced after two days, and Quetta started the third day well, removing Lahore’s final two wickets in three overs, keeping the deficit to 48. Their batsmen flopped though, slumping to 108 all out, with only Ata-ur-Rehman making more than 25. Lahore’s new-ball bowlers, Junaid Zia and Waqas Ahmed, shared seven wickets to roll over Quetta in 30 overs. Lahore’s openers then knocked off the 61 needed for victory in less than 15 overs to confirm their first win of the season.In another battle between struggling teams, Peshawar were struggling to stave off defeat against Islamabad at the National Ground. Set a tall target of 393 with more than 140 overs to play, Peshawar were hanging on at 249 for 7 at stumps. Opener Israrullah top scored with a hurricane 82, with a huge 66 of those runs coming in boundaries. Several of his team-mates, adopting a more measured approach, got off to starts but none went on make even a half-century. Peshawar’s hopes of surviving are now pinned on No. 6 Azam Jan, who is unbeaten on 40.At the Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot’s batsmen made amends for their first-innings failure by piling on 493 for 9 against Rawalpindi. Mohammad Ayub batted all through the day to remain unbeaten on 179, the highest score of his career. It was a hard slog for the Rawalpindi bowlers as he strung together several large partnerships: 103 for the fifth wicket with Ayaz Tasawwar, 108 with Nayyer Abbas (65) for the sixth before ending the day with an unbroken 69-run stand with Bilawal Bhatti (41 off 24) for the ninth. His effort has pushed Sialkot’s lead to 385, virtually eliminating chances of a defeat.Multan took control of their match at the Gymkhana Ground by reducing Abbottabad to 156 for 8. The Multan tail wagged in the morning, with the final three wickets adding 68 runs, during which Mohammad Hafeez completed his century. That cut the first-innings deficit to 25 runs, after which Abbottabad’s Ghulam Mohammad (45) and Ehteshamuddin (39) guided their side to a relatively safe 135 for 3. A stunning collapse followed, four wickets going down for one run to put Multan on top.Table-topping Karachi Blues’ match against Faisalabad at the National Stadium witnessed a day of batting domination. No. 9 Tanvir Ahmed made the bulk of the runs for Karachi, smashing a 94-ball 88, to push Karachi to 401 from an overnight 293 for 8. The bowlers continued to have a hard time when Faisalabad batted; half-centuries to Ammar Mahmood and Zeeshan Asif taking the reply to a patient 188 for 4 by stumps.Group A
Having gained first-innings points the previous day, the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, did well to restrict Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to 230 for 8 at the Diamond Club Cricket Ground. Beginning on 248 for 9, the HBL batsmen lasted just nine balls, as Asad Ali finished with 7 for 98. Naeemuddin and Ali Waqas hit half-centuries as the SNGPL top order aimed for a bright start during the reply. But Abdur dented the middle and lower orders to leave them tottering at stumps, ahead by 226.Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) were in danger of losing their match against Karachi Whites at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, despite gaining first-innings points. From their overnight score of 196 for 4, Karachi were boosted to 310 all out, courtesy Mohammad Hasan’s watchful 88. Having set WAPDA a target of 259, the Karachi fast bowling duo of Malik Aftab and Tabish Khan shared five wickets between them to damage the top order. At 152 for 6, WAPDA’s hopes rest heavily on wicketkeeper Ahmed Said, who is unbeaten on 48.Well-compiled hundreds by Imran Javed and captain Naumanullah steered National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to first-innings points against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Rawalpindi. Resuming on 174 for 3, both overnight batsmen went about overhauling KRL’s first-innings total of 353 in confident fashion. While Imran hit 18 fours and a six during his 321-ball 176, Naumanullah managed 12 boundaries during his 110 off 236 balls. The 263-run stand for the fourth wicket was enough for NBP as they finished on 398 all out. KRL left-arm spinner Nauman Ali had the consolation of a five-for.Lahore Shalimar‘s woes at the bottom of the table continued as they conceded first-innings points to Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) at the Gaddafi Stadium. All the SSGC bowlers chipped in with useful contributions – most notably right-arm seamer Bilal Asad with 3 for 45 – as they bowled out Lahore for 307, 115 short of SSGC’s first-innings total. At stumps, SSGC were 90 for 2 with opener Asif Zakir (42) and Imran Abbas (25) at the crease.Kashif Daud’s 6 for 47 put Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limted (ZTBL) in pole position against Pakistan Customs at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. Customs’ resistance from 143 for 6 was over in 15 overs as they folded for 183, with right-arm fast bowler Daud adding three more to his overnight tally. Looking to build on their lead of 146, the ZTBL batsmen weighed in with good starts as they declared on 183 for 8. Chasing the target of 330, Customs lost wicketkeeper-captain Hanif Malik, trapped leg before by, who else, but Daud.

Young allrounder makes 121 not out to rescue WA after they had slumped to 7 for 53 in their second innings

The Report by Alex Malcolm05-Nov-2019Emerging Western Australia allrounder Cameron Green has put his name up in lights with a stunning final-day century to help rescue his team from almost certain defeat against Queensland at the Gabba.Green’s 121 not out from 172 balls featured 13 fours and three sixes. He made 208 runs in the match without being dismissed and steered WA to safety after they appeared destined for an innings defeat.The visitors slumped to 7 for 53 just 12.1 overs into the final day, still needing 26 to make Queensland bat again. Cameron Gannon pinned Hilton Cartwright and Josh Philippe in consecutive balls to take his tally for the match to eight before Xavier Bartlett found Josh Inglis’ outside edge.Green, who had already made 87 not out in the first innings at No. 8 to dig WA out of trouble on day one, came in at No. 9 this time because of nightwatchman Matthew Kelly, and he again played with remarkable composure and assuredness for a 20-year-old in just his ninth first-class match.Green and Kelly batted nearly 42 overs in a partnership of 115 to at least ensure Queensland would have to bat again. Kelly faced 180 deliveries to reach his highest first-class score of 46 before falling to the part-time legspin of Marnus Labuschagne, edging an attempted cut trying to reach his fifty.Jhye Richardson joined Green after the pair put on 99 in the first innings, and again they frustrated Queensland by scoring freely against the second new ball.They added 52 to take WA into the last session and the lead beyond 150. But with Green on 97, Richardson was trapped lbw by Mitch Swepson. David Moody had to survive three balls of the over, having stranded Green in the first innings. He managed to do so before Green found the three runs needed for his maiden Sheffield Shield century in the next over via a tightly run two and a bonus overthrow. Green added 21 more runs before the match was declared a draw.

Selectors hand maiden call-ups to Gurrey and Mair for the three T20Is against India

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2019Frances Mackay returns to the New Zealand women’s T20I squad five years after she last featured in an international. The selectors have also included uncapped Caitlin Gurrey and Rosemary Mair in their 13-member squad for the three-match series against India starting February 6.Mackay and Gurrey were selected following their chart-topping show at the 2018-19 Super Smash. Allrounder Mackay struck two centuries and a 97 for Canterbury women recently, while Gurrey has impressed with scores of 102, 79 and 55 since December. Mair, the Central Districts’ 20-year-old medium pacer, has taken a wicket in each of her last ten games, with a best of 3 for 28 in the warm-up game against India. For head coach Haidie Tiffen, this is an opportunity for the team to regroup after a disappointing group-stage exit from the 2018 Women’s World T20. It has meant that Maddy Green, Lauren Down, Katie Perkins, Holly Huddleston and Anna Peterson miss out.”We’ve had to draw a line in the sand after our performance at the T20 World Cup,” Tiffen said. “We need to reward and give opportunities to players in form, while building depth and competition for places within the environment. Frankie, Katie and Rosemary can all be proud of how they have performed in their respective Super Smash campaigns. We are rewarding players who are in form and we feel these three deserve a chance at the highest level.”The squad also features the return of Katey Martin, who was unavailable for the ODIs against India due to personal reasons.New Zealand women T20I squad: Amy Satterthwaite (capt), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Caitlin Gurrey, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

The PSL franchises fill up their rosters ahead of the 2019 season

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2018