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Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten fifty to seal a chase of 139 against Delhi Daredevils and lead his team into the playoffs

The Report by Alagappan Muthu22-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoyal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli had another outstanding match•BCCI

It seemed a little like grandstanding when Virat Kohli said he “loved” that Royal Challengers Bangalore had to win four out of four matches to quality for the playoffs. That was two weeks ago, when his team was placed sixth and he had recorded his first single-digit score of the season. Since then the lowest Kohli has been dismissed for is 109 and Royal Challengers have racked up the back-to-back wins they needed. Their six-wicket dismantling of Delhi Daredevils on Sunday took them up to second place on the points table, a qualifier at home and a second shot at a place in the IPL final.

Shane Watson reprimanded

Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Shane Watson was reprimanded by match referee Chinmay Sharma for using language or gesture which is deemed obscene, offensive or insulting during a match. Watson admitted to the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.4 of the IPL Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials) and accepted the sanction. The match referee’s decision is final and binding for Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct.

Raipur provided the toughest batting conditions yet for Royal Challengers this season. The pitch had extra bounce, and the boundaries were long enough that top edges and mis-hits didn’t simply skip away. Their bowlers made use of both and strangled Daredevils to 138 for 8. That Quinton de Kock contributed 60 of those runs exemplifies the lack of application from the rest of the Daredevils batsmen.Kohli understood hitting through the line wasn’t prudent. When he had tried to do so in the sixth over, a good length ball from Chris Morris had straightened, kissed the edge and fell short of Karun Nair at first slip. Royal Challengers had already lost Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Losing the man who has averaged nearly 100 in T20 cricket in 2016 too could have been catastrophic.Kohli, though, refused to give his wicket away. He concentrated on the singles and twos and barring a pristine on-drive that totally disrespected a good length ball on middle stump and an inside edge to fine leg, the rest of his six fours came off deliveries that were short, down leg or overpitched. He struck the winning runs with 11 balls to spare and his unbeaten 45-ball 54 propelled his average above 100 in 2016.The most pleasing aspect of the Royal Challengers’ victory, however, lay in the efficiency of their bowlers. Left-arm seamer S Aravind made the first blow immediately after de Kock catch was dropped off his bowling. Yuzvendra Chahal did not spin the ball much, but he was able to make it kick up off the pitch. That aspect accounted for two of his three wickets – Sanju Samson was caught behind attempting a late cut and de Kock holed out to long-off.On both occasions the batsman had seemed rather unhappy. Samson felt he did not nick it, but replays suggested the ball had run off the face and into wicketkeeper KL Rahul’s gloves. De Kock was stopped before he left the ground so the umpires could check the no-ball. Replays in this case indicated Chahal had overstepped, but the third umpire Virender Sharma disagreed.Bad luck, however, was a distant second in the list of reasons why Daredevils, having won five out of seven matches at the start of the season, crashed out. Tweaks in selection – some forced by injury and others strategic – didn’t give them continuity. On Sunday, they dropped JP Duminy, who was out of form but had the experience to come good in a crunch match, for Sam Billings, who hadn’t played since May 7.The other change, Morris, worked a little better. He was held back until No. 8 – another questionable move – and struck and unbeaten 27 off 13 balls. His height and hit-the-deck style of bowling had Gayle bowled off the inside edge in the second over. Daredevils built on that in the next over when a Zaheer Khan delivery got big on de Villiers and had him spooning a catch to cover point. At 17 for 2, Royal Challengers needed a partnership. They got one as Rahul lent a hand to Kohli and the 66 runs they added took the team within striking distance of victory.The Daredevils innings had cried out for two batsmen to take responsibility like that. De Kock, brought up on the fast and bouncy tracks in Johannesburg, did well to keep one end ticking along. His six down the ground off Aravind was simple and brutal and a four to fine leg off a ball that had been outside off showcased his inventiveness. But his partners were less adept at coping with the pitch and the nagging bowling.Rishabh Pant nicked off for 1 to Aravind. Karun Nair was caught brilliantly on the boundary by Kohli, who had tracked the ball down from mid-off. Samson played an excellent slog sweep by smothering Chahal’s legspin but fell the next ball. Billings could not get on top of a Chris Jordan delivery and was caught by a diving Gayle at point. Pawan Negi, elevated to No. 6, to hit the legspinner and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla off their line was dismissed for 6 off 12 and Carlos Brathwaite guided his second ball to point. Daredevils lost five wickets for 36 runs and lurched from 71 for 2 in the 10th over to 107 for 7 in the 17th. A recovery from there was just too much of an ask.

Alex Hales made 99 and Jos Buttler an unbeaten 48 from 28 balls as England took a 2-0 lead in their five-match ODI series against South Africa

The Report by David Hopps06-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSt George’s Park, the oldest of South Africa’s international venues, stayed true to its nature by overseeing a one-day international with an old-fashioned flavour on an inhibiting surface. A keenly-fought affair, in which both innings seemed locked together throughout, had the makings of a last-over nail-biter. Instead, thanks to Jos Buttler’s sudden lift of tempo, it fell England’s way by five wickets with 20 balls to spare.Inhibitions? Not when you have just won your first IPL contract and are nearly £400,000 richer. Buttler gave the impression he would have played just as freely on the cobbled streets of his native Somerset as he logged an unbeaten 48 from 28 balls.Three successive fours off Kyle Abbott, the first of them streaky (where was South Africa’s slip?) then three sixes in a row off Imran Tahir in the following over sent England scooting to victory. South Africa’s pace bowling had gone up a notch since their defeat in Bloemfontein but they now trail 2-0 in the five-match series.It was Alex Hales’ 99 from 124 balls that placed England for victory, although there was work to be done when he was fifth out with 59 needed from 52 balls – caught down the leg side pulling at Abbott with visions of a hundred. Front-foot pushes and crafted singles had supplanted what has become the common avalanche of sixes but the incoming Buttler recognised only a day of dreamy blue skies.Hales has played more exciting innings, he has played fine innings in more draining conditions, but this was one of his most judicious ODI affairs. The Test series did not advertise the emergence of a rounder game, but his selectivity did here. With the exception of AB de Villiers, whose 73 from 91 balls was a notable return to form, he managed the conditions better than anybody.Abbott, fit again after hamstring trouble, put in a combative shift, a bowler of great physicality, nipping one through to gate to bowl Jason Roy for 14 – Norton anti-virus would insist on a patch to stem that weakness. Root was at his most conservative, labouring 64 balls over 38 before he tried to advance to Abbott and deflected a rising ball into his stumps.Eoin Morgan came in at No 4 – shrewdly, no promotion for Buttler on this occasion with grafting to be done – and kept England in touch with the rate with judicious sixes against Imran Tahir and Farhaan Behardien before Morkel defeated his blow-down-the-ground shot with a wide cutter.Stokes’ fate was an eventful duck. Tahir nearly had him twice in an over, sweep and reverse sweep both failing in turn with a review needed to spare him on the second occasion. In the next over he deflected Morkel into his stumps. The pressure was on England, but not, it became evident, on Buttler.Financially, Chris Morris was even better served than Buttler by the IPL auction – he was sitting on a cool million dollars after a bidding frenzy that eventually saw him move to Delhi Daredevils. No matter: he had to watch from the outer. South Africa, seemingly of different persuasion, dropped both him and his Bloemfontein new-ball partner Marchant de Lange.The match did not turn solely on Buttler’s late merrymaking – Chris Jordan also played a crucial part in South Africa’s innings. De Villiers came into the match with three successive ducks to end the Test series and 8 in the opening ODI, but he did the hard yards, his form flooded back and he signalled his intentions as South Africa reached the last 10 overs by lashing Jordan over midwicket for six.But Jordan is a multi-faceted cricketer, dangerous with the bat, outperformed by few at slip and in the deep, and when de Villiers failed to middle another mighty hit over the leg side off Ben Stokes in the following over, Jordan was equal to the challenge.It was a hugely difficult catch, a white ball falling out of a blue sky, a swirling breeze strong enough to fleck the sea and shake the branches of the trees outside the ground holding the ball just within range: Jordan’s range anyway as he dashed back full tilt to take the ball over his shoulder at mid-on with remarkable poise.De Villiers had built his own stage in the early part of South Africa’s innings but the final onslaught which could have carried the game away from England never materialised. Only 64 came from the last 10 – respectable but not a game changer.By the 20th over, South Africa had been three down for 98, Hashim Amla bowled when Reece Topley’s semblance of inswing developed into something straighter, Quinton de Kock’s bountiful run of form ended when Stokes had him lbw with a fullish delivery, and du Plessis’ confident innings fell just short of a half-century when Adil Rashid found drift and turn to have him caught at slip.Rashid and Moeen Ali throttled the mid-innings, both stints completed by the 37th over. That left a lot of onus on Jordan, and he could have done without Buttler spilling a very acceptable catch, one-handed to his left, when JP Duminy tried to run him to third man on 37. Five overs for 33 did not flatter him, but the catch released him from his troubles and Topley, maintaining a full length, squeezed South Africa to a chaseable total.A slow pitch was to get slower still. The breeze was lifting. The match was in the balance. Hales got a break on 17 when he scrunched a full toss from Tahir into no-man’s land and played with great responsibility. Then came Buttler, the liveliest breeze of all.

A half-century by Georgia Voll was the decisive factor as Heat won by 26 runs

AAP21-Oct-2022Georgia Voll whips off her toes•Getty Images

Brisbane Heat’s batting depth has come to the fore with a match-defining half-century by Georgia Voll securing a 26-run win over the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.Heat posted 8 for 163 and dismissed the Renegades for 137 at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval. It was the Heat’s second win in three days over the same opposition after prevailing in Mackay on Tuesday.Heat slumped to 3 for 31 at the end of the sixth over before Voll (52 off 37 balls) and Amelia Kerr (27 off 22) conjured a rescue mission to get their side back in the game.Voll’s innings was a masterclass of placement and common sense in a knock that included nine boundaries. She stayed until the 19th over to hold the innings together with late cameos from Jess Jonassen and Pooja Vastrakar giving the Heat bowlers a total to defend.Renegades’ innings was a carbon copy of Heat’s at the start as they crashed to 3 for 15 in the fifth over.Josephine Dooley (40 off 28) gave the Renegades a sniff but the turning point came when she holed out to the first ball of the 11th over. Two balls later Heat medium pacer Courtney Grace Sippel dismissed Georgia Prestwidge without scoring.Melbourne needed 99 from the last nine overs and a whirlwind hand by Ellie Falconer (27 off 11) gave her side a chance before she chopped on to Kerr. Courtney Webb ran out of partners when the last wicket fell at the end of the 19th over.Heat’s bowlers performed well as a unit with legspinner Kerr (3 for 26) and offspinner Charli Knott (3 for 19) chiming in with key wickets to swing the momentum their team’s way.Renegades announced on Friday that they had signed Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu for the remainder of the season.The 32-year-old will join the squad following Monday’s match against the Adelaide Strikers, and she replaces Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who was ruled out for the season with a back injury.Meanwhile, the dates for the WBBL finals have been confirmed, with all three matches to take place between November 23-26.The Eliminator (3rd v 4th) is on November 23, with The Challenger (2nd v The Eliminator winner) to be held a day later.The November 26 final is on the same day as the Socceroos’ World Cup clash with Tunisia, and also the Victoria State election.

Sri Lanka, who at one stage seemed set to take a commanding lead, claimed one of only four runs and were 40 runs ahead by stumps

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Jul-2022Prabath Jayasuriya terrorised Pakistan in the first session before Babar Azam struck a valiant 119, much of it in the company of No. 11 Naseem Shah, as the hosts surged back into the match either side of tea. Between Jayasuriya’s 5 for 82, and Pakistan’s 70-run last-wicket stand, the teams ended day two roughly even in the context of the match.Sri Lanka, who at one stage seemed set to take a commanding lead, claimed one of only four runs and were 40 runs ahead by stumps. They had lost captain Dimuth Karunaratne to the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz. Nightwatcher Kasun Rajitha was at the crease alongside Oshada Fernando.Babar’s century was extraordinary for how many of his runs came in the company of the tail. When Pakistan lost their seventh wicket, he was on 28. When they lost their eighth, on 36. One wicket to go, he was on 55. And this was when he started farming the strike beautifully, facing 133 of the 185 balls Sri Lanka delivered to the last-wicket pair.It wasn’t as if he suddenly switched to hyper-aggression either. Sri Lanka put their field back for Babar, routinely putting at least seven fielders on the boundary while he was on strike, then bringing the field in for Naseem. Thanks in part to Naseem’s resolute defence, and refusal to be tempted into big shots even when the spinners tossed it tantalisingly into the air, Babar kept pressing. Occasionally, he would have enough of merely taking the single off the fourth or fifth ball, and ventured boundaries. Against Kasun Rajitha, for example, who he smoked down the ground, lashed over midwicket, then whipped aerially through deep square leg, to hit three successive boundaries off the last three balls of the over.This was after Naseem had proven his mettle, though. Next over, he saw six Jayasuriya balls out, much to the frustration of the bowler, who kicked the turf when his last ball – a quicker one at the stumps – was blocked out. Naseem’s contribution to a 70-run partnership was just five runs. But he survived, unbeaten, for 52 balls.Prabath Jayasuriya celebrates his five-wicket haul•AFP/Getty Images

This pair having come together roughly midway through the second session, Pakistan went to tea with Babar needing five more for his hundred, which he got three balls into resumption, whipping a full toss from Maheesh Theekshana through wide mid-on for four, before nurdling a single square on the legside to completed his seventh Test hundred, and third against Sri Lanka. He’d turned down many singles for the sake of keeping the strike before this.He hit two more boundaries – a six over wide long-on off Jayasuriya, and four through square leg off the same bowler, before eventually Theekshana spun an offbreak through his defences and hit him in front of the stumps. The last-wicket stand had taken them from 148 for 9, to 218.Earlier, it had been Jayasuriya who ran the show. First ball of the day, he had Azhar Ali chipping to cover, only for Dimuth Karunaratne to shell the chance. It didn’t matter. He slid one into Azhar’s pad two balls later. Bowling unchanged at the fort end right through that first session, he also removed debutant Agha Salman with a straighter one, then claimed the wickets of Mohammad Nawaz (jumping down the pitch, clipping straight to short leg who held a chance that hit his chest), and Shaheen Afridi (lbw) off successive deliveries.Having also dismissed Abdullah Shafique the previous evening, this completed Jayasuriya’s third five-wicket haul in as-many bowling innings. He was not quite so good against the tail, failing to break through after lunch, as Yasir Shah, and Hasan Ali put on useful stands worth 27 and 36, respectively, with Babar. In his 39 overs, during which he secured figures of 5 for 82, Jayasuriya repeatedly beat right-handed batters’ outside edge, and threatened their pads with his straighter one. Ramesh Mendis, who took 2 for 18 from his 13 overs, was more economical and gained greater turn. But no one threatened like Jayasuriya.

Another strong showing from the Pakistan contingent in round three of the Championship

Andrew Miller25-Apr-2022The third round of the 2022 County Championship concluded on Sunday, with another strong showing from the Pakistan representatives. Here we take a look at how they got on.

Division One

Mohammad Abbas
A curious season so far for Hampshire – innings win, innings loss, and now another innings win, with Kent powerless to resist a middle-order mashing at the hands of James Vince, Liam Dawson and Ben Brown. And either side of that towering total of 652 for 6 declared, Mohammad Abbas simply did the needful, picking off four wickets in the match in a support role to Keith Barker’s first-innings six-for and Kyle Abbott’s match-sealing 5 for 29. Without yet hitting the heights of previous Hampshire campaigns, Abbas has quietly picked off ten wickets at 22.60 in three matches, including a wicketless display at The Oval. His guileful, edge-threatening medium-pace will doubtless continue to bring the slips into play for some time yet.Hasan Ali
A joyous introduction to Old Trafford for Hasan Ali, who is already well on his way to feeling as at home in his northern surroundings as Lancashire’s most famous Pakistan import, Wasim Akram. Hasan’s exuberant displays with the ball were matched by his habitual power-surge celebrations – on nine separate occasions in this match, and 14 in two outings to date – as Gloucestershire were overwhelmed by one of the most eye-catching county attacks of recent vintage. His match haul of 9 for 96 comfortably outshone the returning James Anderson, albeit Anderson’s second-innings display of 2 for 25 in 25 overs was a hint of great hauls to come, as Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson completed a formidable support act. With pace and swing on a hostile full length, Hasan’s finest moment was the fierce stump-smashing yorker that dispatched James Bracey on the third evening to end any realistic hopes of a Gloucestershire rearguard.Haris Rauf

Match figures of 3 for 128 in 44 overs do scant justice to Haris Rauf’s spirited attempts to carry Yorkshire’s ill-balanced attack against Northants. Shorn of the services of the newly-capped England quick Matt Fisher, they were ultimately thwarted on one of the flattest fourth-day decks that Wantage Road has produced in recent times, but not before Rauf had produced two bona fide snorters in the space of three balls in the day’s opening exchanges – a pair of round-the-wicket splice rattlers to see off Ricardo Vasconcelos and Emilio Gay, and prise open an innings that the young allrounder Matthew Revis did his best to clean out. But with Northants five-down and vulnerable come the second new ball, Rauf disappointed himself with his failure to finish the job. In particular, the Australian Matthew Kelly, coming in at No.8, stood firm against a reprisal of Rauf’s short-ball approach, twice pulling him for six over square leg, and Rauf’s work was concluded with a frustrated kick of the turf.Zafar Gohar

There wasn’t much quarter given by Lancashire while Josh Bohannon was grinding out his career-best 231, least of all while he and Dane Vilas were adding 203 for the fourth wicket across the second evening and third morning. But in emerging from the ordeal with 4 for 135 across 65 tidily compiled overs, Zafar Gohar’s left-arm spin showed once more the dependability in adversity that could yet be translated into a matchwinning capability when conditions are more in Gloucestershire’s favour. Each of his scalps was hard-earned and well prised out, not least Luke Wells, trapped on the knee-roll for 59 by one that turned back in. Gohar also popped up with a lively piece of fielding at square leg to run out George Balderson early in Lancashire’s innings, before the traffic had turned one-way.

Division Two

Shan Masood
Never mind the legendary landmark of 1000 runs before the end of May; Shan Masood is in the mood to have a dart before the end of April. He’s got 611 to his name in four innings so far, with last week’s 239 against Sussex blending seamlessly into this week’s 219 against Leicestershire – an innings best summed up by a straight drive for four off Beuran Hendricks that left Twitter weak at the knees. Once again, he will encounter stiffer bowling attacks than was on show at Grace Road, but as he showed on Pakistan’s tour of England in 2020, with a graceful 156 in the first Test at Old Trafford, the purity of his technique means he is well equipped for a return to the national set-up.Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan began his week with a notable accolade, after being announced as Wisden’s Leading Twenty20 Player in the World. Unfortunately for Sussex, he ended it with a (hopefully) temporary blip to his first-class form, making scores of 0 and 4 in a crushing innings defeat against Worcestershire at New Road. It was a disappointment, too, for those onlookers yearning for a display of Indo-Pak harmony out in the middle – we did at least get a glimpse of Rizwan and Cheteshwar Pujara batting together for the first time this season… but only for one ball, as Rizwan nicked his first delivery from Joe Leach to the keeper. An inducker from Ed Barnard saw him off second time around. But he did at least pick up a smart diving catch off Ben Cox for one of his two dismissals in the match. Shaheen Shah Afridi
A truly box-office debut for Shaheen Shah Afridi – who is quite possibly the most captivating signing of the summer across all competitions (not least the Hundred). His eagerly anticipated bow for Middlesex came within a leg-side snick of a first-day hat-trick against Glamorgan at Cardiff, and though his returns diminished thereafter, his impact did not. His four wickets in the match included Marnus Labuschagne, the ICC’s No.1-ranked Test batter, in both innings (as well as Sam Northeast for a first-baller) as Glamorgan’s batting twice folded in his absence for scores of 122 and 132. Afridi had fun with the bat too, biffing a quick 29 from 39 balls in Middlesex’s 336, before Labuschagne extracted a measure of revenge by having him caught in the covers.Azhar Ali

It’s been a slow start to the campaign for Azhar Ali, with this week’s innings of 20 taking his tally to 23 from three innings. However, Worcestershire hardly struggled in the absence of his big runs – thanks to Brett D’Oliveira’s unbeaten 169, they needed to bat just the once to trounce Sussex by an innings.

And the non-combatants …

Naseem Shah has been ruled out of action at least until the start of the T20 Blast next month after suffering a shoulder injury, but in his absence, Gloucestershire have pulled off something of a coup, with the news that Mohammad Amir will be coming out of his red-ball retirement as a short-term replacement. He linked up with the squad in Manchester this week, and is in line to make his return to first-class cricket against Surrey on Thursday.

This was an excellent match for Surrey. It illustrated their strengths and suggested they are ready for the tough school that is Division One of the County Championship

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford17-Sep-2015
ScorecardAshwell Prince salutes the crowd after his last innings at Old Trafford•Getty Images

This was an excellent match for Surrey. It illustrated their strengths and suggested they are ready for the tough school that is Division One of the County Championship. Even though Lancashire’s resilient batting on the final day prevented Gareth Batty’s team from winning the game and with it the Division Two title, there was no doubt which team had bossed the contest.But this was also a very useful match for Lancashire, providing they learn the lessons it proffered and recruit the players they need in the close season. Quite regardless of where the title ends up, and Surrey go into the final round of matches with an eight-point lead over their rivals, these four days at Old Trafford surely showed Ashley Giles the gaps he needs to fill if 2016 is not to be a chastening experience.All this matters because Surrey and Lancashire are in the middle of a project which they hope will see them rise to the top of the English domestic game. They have enjoyed promotions only to suffer three relegations apiece over the past 11 seasons. They have had enough of the switchback between joy and disappointment.Although they might not admit it, both counties probably expected to be promoted this season. Now they aim to establish themselves at the top table of the English domestic game.In John Sturges’ classic 1960 filmThe Magnificent Seven hired guns Chris and Vin are defying the local racists to ensure that a native Indian is given a decent burial at the squalid local cemetery Boot Hill. As they make their way to the graveyard Vin voices his fears: “It’s not getting up there that’s bothers me. It’s staying up there that I mind.”Vin’s words need only a slight tweak to be applicable to both Surrey and Lancashire. Getting up to Division was barely the concern; it was expected. It’s staying up there that bothers them now.The final day of the season brought reasons for Lancashire supporters to be concerned and reasons for them to be cautiously optimistic. The chief concern was surely prompted just after midday when Ashwell Prince, who has been the mainstay of Lancashire’s batting for the past four seasons walked away from the Old Trafford wicket for the final time. He had just been caught by Kumar Sangakkara off Matt Dunn for 11.Although often accused of being at Lancashire under a flag of convenience, Prince is leaving the club wearing a badge of honour. This was shown when he received a standing ovation at a members’ forum at Tuesday evening. Somebody is going to have to score Prince’s runs if Lancashire are to survive, let alone flourish next season.However, the rest of the day at Old Trafford was dominated in part by the batting of Haseeb Hameed, an 18-year-old opener whose excellent technique and calm temperament help to explain why Lancashire feel able to dispense with Paul Horton’s services, although Hameed’s undoubted talent may not entirely justify that decision.Hameed’s 91 in 325 minutes suggested that he has the concentration necessary to succeed at the top level of the county game. However, he faced 234 balls and did not score off 195 of them, suggesting that his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over needs work. That, though, will come with time, experience and hard work.On the final day of this game Lancashire supporters were simply grateful that Hameed stayed at the crease for over five hours and was only dismissed when caught at leg slip by Tom Curran off his brother Sam a few overs before bad light ended the game nine overs early when Lancashire were 195 for 7 and a tense finish was in prospect.Hameed’s success in resisting Surrey’s talented seamers was not shared by too many of his colleagues. In the first hour or so of play Karl Brown was leg before to Tom Curran and  Dunn had removed both Alviro Petersen and Prince to catches in the slip cordon. That left Lancashire on 71 for 3 and almost grateful that Surrey had left with so little time to bat on the third evening and the absurd target of 492 to chase.Steven Croft kept Hameed company in a 91-run stand for the fourth wicket but his dismissal, caught at the wicket by Ben Foakes off Tom Curran just before tea, was followed just after the resumption by the dismissals of Phil Mustard, Jordan Clark and finally, Hameed.It was, though, an excellent day for Surrey’s seamers. Tom Curran bowled economically and well; his brother, Sam, maintained a constant threat; and Matt Dunn, often overlooked recently took 3 for 46. Gareth Batty’s seamers look ready for Division One; whether some Division One batsmen are ready for them is an intriguing question.

Bajan hits 67 not out off 37 then takes two key wickets as Welsh Fire fall short

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2022A superb all-round display from ex-West Indies star Deandra Dottin led Manchester Originals to a thrilling 11-run women’s Hundred victory over Welsh Fire at Emirates Old Trafford.Dottin’s 67 off 37 balls underpinned a total of 156 for 2 having been inserted, the fourth-highest in competition history.But, in a clash between two sides who had lost their opening games, Fire were on course for victory as Dottin’s fellow Bajan Hayley Matthews whacked an equally impressive 69 off 41 from the top of the order.She shared 110 in 72 balls with fellow opener Tammy Beaumont. However, Sophie Ecclestone bowled Matthews and Dottin later struck twice in two balls with her medium pace, and Fire were left needing 19 off the final set of five. They finished on 145 for 3.Related

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The game, which saw Beaumont finish unbeaten on 45 off 42 and Dottin with 2 for 21 from 15 balls, narrowly avoided a controversial ending.Fire actually bowled 101 balls in their innings following a miscount from the umpiring team, and the rogue delivery was cut for four by Emma Lamb at the end of the third set of five. For large parts of the chase, it was very realistic that the extra four runs would come into play in the final reckoning.As it was, Dottin’s double-strike to get Australians Rachael Haynes caught at mid-on and Annabel Sutherland caught at midwicket left the score at 123 for 3 after 83 balls and brought about a telling squeeze in the run rate.Deandra Dottin picked up two wickets in two balls to hurt Fire’s chase•ECB/Getty Images

The Manchester innings included contrasting scores in the mid-thirties from England duo Lamb and Ecclestone. Dottin muscled eight fours and two sixes in 37 balls, while opener Lamb struggled for momentum in 35 before unbeaten Ecclestone added an excellent quick-fire late 36 off 18 with two sixes.Dottin, the self-professed ‘World Boss’ who retired from international cricket at the start of the month, came in at No. 3 with the score 27 for 1 after an early wicket for the excellent Alex Hartley, the left-arm spinner returning to home turf.Dottin, who reached her fifty in 31 balls, dominated a second-wicket stand of 67 with Lamb before adding an unbeaten 62 with Ecclestone in the final 31 balls.She was strong on both sides of the wicket, hitting two sixes over midwicket off Matthews and another over long-off against Katie George.Originals scored 96 off the final 50 balls of their innings, a competition record.Hartley, an Original last year and still a mainstay of the Old Trafford-based Thunder’s regional team, was superb with 1 for 17 from her 20 balls, making the initial breakthrough by getting Lizelle Lee caught at short fine leg off a top-edged sweep.Matthews was strong on both sides of the wicket, punishing anything too short or too full as she hit 12 fours.Like Dottin, she reached her fifty off 31 balls. But when she was bowled trying to cut a quicker ball from Ecclestone’s left-arm spin, it proved a key moment in an entertaining fixture wrapped up as Kate Cross defended 19 against Beaumont and Fran Wilson.

He is expected to take at least three weeks to recover

Mohammad Isam20-May-2022There’s more bad news for Bangladesh’s bowling attack, with Nayeem Hasan ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka, in Dhaka, with a finger injury.A BCB statement quoted national team physio Bayzidul Islam as saying, “Nayeem had a contusion of the right middle finger while batting and fielding in the first Test. An X-Ray after the match confirmed an oblique fracture on the tip of the middle finger. He will miss the second Test. We will take specialist opinion before planning his rehab and recovery.”Offspinner Nayeem was seen with his right hand in a sling, and the injured finger in wraps, on the flight from Chattogram, where the first Test was played, to Dhaka on Friday. Nayeem will be the fourth frontline bowler to be sidelined from the two-Test series after injuries to Shoriful Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taskin Ahmed; Mehidy and Taskin are missing the whole series.Nayeem took career-best figures of 6 for 105 in the first innings of the Chattogram Test as he made his return to the Test team after 15 months. The injury took place on the fourth day, when Nayeem couldn’t hold on to a return catch offered by Dimuth Karunaratne and his finger was jammed into the pitch. He still ended up bowling 23 overs in the Sri Lanka second innings as the match petered out into a draw.Earlier in the same afternoon, quick bowler Kasun Rajitha, himself a concussion sub for Vishwa Fernando, struck Shoriful’s hand during the Bangladesh innings, and the left-arm quick did not take any further part in the match. He has already been ruled out of the Dhaka Test and, like Taskin, is unlikely to play in the West Indies Test series next month.The second Test will start on Monday.

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.

Luke Wells and Ben Brown both made big hundreds as Sussex piled on the runs against Glamorgan on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Hove

ECB Reporters Network04-Jul-2016
ScorecardLuke Wells was in the runs for Sussex•Getty Images

Luke Wells and Ben Brown both made big hundreds as Sussex piled on the runs against Glamorgan on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Hove.Wells scored 181 and Brown an undefeated 159 as they shared a partnership of 294 in 73.1 overs, the second-highest for the fifth wicket in Sussex’s history.But a turgid pitch still looks like being the only winner. After declaring with a first-innings lead of 217 on 552 for five, Steve Magoffin
trapped Nick Selman lbw in the seventh over but Mark Wallace and nightwatchman Owen Morgan saw Glamorgan to 30 for one at stumps, 187 behind.Glamorgan paid a heavy price for handing Wells a life on 56 when he was missed at second slip by Aneurin Donald off Tim van der Gugten. He didn’t offer a chance thereafter as he reached his third hundred of the season.Brown gave him excellent support as he rediscovered the form which brought him 1,031 Championship runs in Division One last season, but their task was made easier by a surface on which batting was relatively straightforward.Glamorgan plugged away but their fast-bowling spearhead Michael Hogan was restricted to 10 overs as he continued to recover from mild concussion when he was hit on the helmet on the second day.Graham Wagg did remove Luke Wright for 19 when the Sussex captain lost his off stump playing no shot but Sussex accumulated remorselessly after that as Wells and Brown set a new record for any wicket against Glamorgan, beating the 281 by John Langridge and Harry Parks at Eastbourne in 1938.Wells guided van der Gugten through the vacant slip area for his 10th four to reach his century and Brown got to his off the last ball before tea when he cut slow left-armer Morgan to the point boundary.As Wells inevitably tired towards the end of an innings which ended four minutes short of seven hours, Brown upped the tempo after tea as Sussex sped towards their declaration.A dab to the third-man fence took him to 150 for only the second time in his career. Wells then struck a straight six – only the 16th of his career – before offering a sharp return catch to Morgan off the next ball. Wells’ 181 came off
343 balls and he also hit 18 fours.Brown’s 159 not out was only four short of his career best and came off 225 balls with 15 fours and a maximum.With skipper Jacques Rudolph nursing a badly bruised hand, Glamorgan’s 46-year-old coach Robert Croft was among five substitute fielders employed.