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The India coach was asked whether the lack of BBL experience was a factor in India losing the semi-final to England

Sidharth Monga10-Nov-20221:39

Dravid: ‘If you allow Indian players to play overseas leagues, our domestic cricket will be finished’

India can’t send their players to overseas T20 leagues, their coach Rahul Dravid has said, because a lot of these leagues are played during India’s domestic season. The topic came up when Dravid was asked whether India had been at a disadvantage during their semi-final defeat to England because their players don’t have any BBL experience in Australia, while England’s do, and if India would look to send players to the BBL in the future. The tenuous link between the experience of playing the BBL in the Australian summer and doing well there in early spring conditions notwithstanding.”I mean, sure, there’s no doubt about it, the fact that England… a lot of their players have come here and played in this tournament,” Dravid said, “and it certainly showed. It’s tough. I think it’s very difficult for Indian cricket because a lot of these tournaments happen right at the peak of our season.Related

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“I think it’s a huge challenge for us. Yes, I think a lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in a lot of these leagues, but if you were to… it’s really up to the BCCI to make that decision, but the thing is it’s right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand there would be for Indian players, if you allowed all the Indian players to play in these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket. Our domestic cricket, our Ranji Trophy, would be finished, and that would mean Test cricket would be finished.”I know a lot of people talk about it [no Indians in overseas T20 leagues], but we have to be very careful when we… we have to understand the challenges that Indian cricket faces or the BCCI would face in a situation like this. You’d see all our boys… like a lot of boys being asked to play leagues right bang in the middle of our season. We’ve seen what that’s done to West Indian cricket, and I would definitely not want Indian cricket to go that way. It would certainly affect our Ranji Trophy; it would affect Test cricket. Indian boys playing Test cricket is pretty important for the Test game as well, I would think.”England’s captain Jos Buttler was also asked about this, but he quickly went on to praise Alex Hales, who ran away with the chase on the night. “I think Alex would have played as much Big Bash cricket as anyone, and his performance tonight was amazing,” Buttler said. “I think it’s some huge strengths of his, square of the wicket, which obviously today on this kind of grounds really is great. No, he’s a tough guy to bowl at. He’s been obviously performing really well for a long period of time. Unfortunately hasn’t been able to get back in due to other players playing brilliantly well as well. A few circumstances and that opportunity has arisen, and he’s come in, and the last three matches especially, his form has been brilliant.”The topic of participation in overseas T20 leagues has been a sticky one in Indian cricket. The bigger fear perhaps is that even if the BCCI allows only those with no ambition for a place in first-class cricket to play these T20 leagues, it will result in more and more players opting not to play first-class cricket, thus weakening the structure that has resulted in a formidable Test side. Other teams do have to deal with this friction, too, but the demand for Indian players for commercial reasons would be much higher.

After new coach Walter handed him a lifeline, Sodhi became the third men’s player to 150 T20I wickets and committed to keep playing for NZ

Deivarayan Muthu25-Jul-2025A fairly low-profile tri-series in Zimbabwe continues to bring a number of high moments for Ish Sodhi. In New Zealand’s opening game, he made his 200th international appearance and then he marked his 201st appearance by becoming the third player to 150 wickets in men’s T20Is after Tim Southee and Rashid Khan. Along the way, Sodhi, 32, bagged his career-best T20I figures of 4 for 12 against Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the final against South Africa.Sodhi is uncontracted – young legspinner Adithya Ashok pipped him and earned his maiden deal – but he certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by new coach Rob Walter. In the final, Sodhi is set to tick off another landmark: New Zealand’s most capped T20I player. He’s currently level with Southee on 126 T20Is.Related

• Bracewell replaces Phillips for NZ's first Test against Zimbabwe

A numbers man, Sodhi is savouring every high. “It’s really nice. I’m really proud of the achievement. To get 150 wickets in a format for your country, obviously you have to play for a long period of time to be able to do that. It’s something I’m really proud of and hopefully there’s a lot more on the bank.”On Thursday, Sodhi also took a moment to reflect on his early years. Born in India, Sodhi moved to Auckland with his parents when he was a child. After impressing Daniel Vettori during an Auckland playing trial he broke into the New Zealand squad when he was 20. He has since become a key player for New Zealand, especially in white-ball cricket.”It has been an incredible journey,” Sodhi said. “I think something came out of the other, I think I debuted in 2013. I think my first ODI was here in Harare. It’s nice to be here and still being able to perform for New Zealand. Hopefully it’s something I can still do for a time to come.”Contracted or not, Sodhi is eager to play for New Zealand and win games for them. Having been thrown a lifeline by Walter, Sodhi could form a potent partnership with captain Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell as New Zealand tune up for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.”There’s always incentive to win games for your country, I like playing international cricket,” Sodhi said. “Growing up, it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do and I think it’s probably the same for all the guys that are in there now. International cricket is really special. You pop the fern on, certainly things you dreamed of in the backyard growing up playing. Any game for New Zealand, there’s always motivation out there to be playing your best.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean was a forgettable one for Sodhi and New Zealand. In spin-friendly conditions, Sodhi sat out three of New Zealand’s four games, but in the lead-up to the next World Cup, he’s trying to reinvent himself. On Thursday, he fronted up to bowl in the powerplay – after Zimbabwe had run away to 21 for 0 – and claimed figures of 2-0-5-3 during this phase. Sodhi had also operated in the powerplay against South Africa in New Zealand’s series opener. This tri-series is the first time since 2021 that Sodhi has bowled in the powerplay in T20Is and it’s a role he relishes playing for the Black Caps.”It’s quite a new role for me and I haven’t bowled a lot in the powerplay in my career,” Sodhi said. “So, this is a really strong New Zealand side nowadays, so trying to get into the side and almost have to learn to be able to bowl in the powerplay. So, it’s really nice it could come off as it is relatively a new role. I’m trying to play for New Zealand and yeah to get some wickets was quite pleasing and it shows me I can do it at this level and yeah something I want to keep building.”Sodhi also delivered a glowing appraisal of Tim Seifert, who is currently the leading run-getter in the tri-series, with 166 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 145.61. Sodhi believes that Seifert has become a more versatile and dangerous batter after playing franchise T20 cricket around the world. In the lead-up to the tri-series, Seifert was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL and San Francisco Unicorns in the MLC, and his next franchise assignment is with CPL champions St Lucia Kings.”Yeah, look Seife is incredible,” Sodhi said. “I’ve sort of seen him come through when he was 18 years old playing cricket in all the districts he came through. A lot of talent, hit the ball really nice and cleanly. But I think the product of franchise cricket that’s made him such a good player is that he’s been able to play on surfaces that aren’t actually that great for batting.”If you look at that surface out there, it wasn’t the truest of surfaces but to score at the rate that he did shows great growth in his game. It shows that he’s rallied around a lot of great players all around the world in the franchise tournaments that he’s played and it’s making him a lot better player. It’s a huge asset for New Zealand cricket the way that he’s playing and he’s still so young.”The way he’s batting is showing a lot of leadership. He’s leading from the front and it’s great to see him being in my shoes having seen him come through when he was an 18, 19-year-old. It’s brilliant to see.”

South Africa batter also backs his captain Dean Elgar to bounce back from a poor tour

Andrew McGlashan07-Jan-2023South Africa’s Khaya Zondo has questioned whether the light was suitable for play to be continuing at the time of his dismissal in the Sydney Test and also believed he got an inside edge on the yorker from Pat Cummins.Zondo, who fought hard for his 39 after coming in with South Africa 37 for 3, was pinned in front deep in the final session on Saturday with floodlights on when Cummins went around the wicket and produced a brilliant piece of bowling. The lbw was given on field and Zondo did not immediately review but then saw a spike on the replay, although it appeared to be caused by bat hitting the ground.”There was a spike,” Zondo said. “I don’t want to go too on about it, the decision’s made. It is what it is.”It was just dark…that’s what I felt, it was quite dark. He [Cummins] is not slow, is he?”Related

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• Hazlewood marks return to Australia XI with 'vintage' performance

The umpires set their level for bad light when play was first interrupted on Wednesday. Josh Hazlewood acknowledged it was getting gloomy towards the close as Marco Jansen was peppered by short deliveries, but that was after Zondo’s dismissal.Zondo’s wicket was followed by that of the in-form Kyle Verreynne who edged to slip during a magnificent spell from Cummins, leaving South Africa needing 127 to avoid the follow-on or with 14 wickets to see out the final day.”We’ve got a day to bat, I’m sure we’ve done that before so I’m sure we’ll be able to do it tomorrow,” Zondo said.

Zondo backs Elgar to bounce back from poor tour of Australia

He also had words of support for captain Dean Elgar whose miserable tour with the bat continued with a fierce working over from Hazlewood and Cummins. With one innings remaining, Elgar’s average of 9.20 is the fourth-lowest for a visiting captain to have played at least three matches in a series, behind Courtney Walsh, Ivo Bligh and Arthur Gilligan.”He’s been in good spirits…in the changing room, you don’t see any frustrations,” Zondo said. “I’ve been a captain at domestic level and I know what it can be like. If you are doing it at international level I’m sure it’s 10 times heavier but he’s handling it well.”You can see that he’s experienced, so he knows the wheel will turn. He’s just got to stick to his processes and the team will also gather more experience and come right at some stage. The sun will shine eventually, it won’t stay like this forever.”

She praised Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-mari Marx, who shared four wickets, and said they would go on to have ‘massive careers’

Ekanth07-Feb-2024Marizanne Kapp showed she is an all weather, all-conditions and all-situations match-winner yet again with a player-of-the-match performance in Sydney that took South Africa over the line against Australia for the first time in their ODI history, and she knows the significance of this result.”It’s a proud moment,” Kapp said, “not only for me but for South African cricket as a whole. We all know we’ve never beaten Australia in a one-day game. So, to be able to perform and help my team over the line is a massive achievement for me.”It wasn’t straightforward as South Africa’s innings was hit by a couple of rain breaks in the middle overs, after they were sent in to bat. Kapp wasn’t always comfortable but that didn’t stop her from grinding away to 75 off 87 balls, which carried the visitors to a healthy total of 229 in a shortened 45-over innings.Related

• Kapp's stunning all-round display secures South Africa another famous win

“At first it was okay,” she said, “but then I probably got a little bit annoyed because I was worried that the wicket might get too wet and it might make things difficult later on. I definitely felt like at the back end when I batted it got really tough, one or two balls really sprung at me especially off a length.”I knew It was gonna be tough. In saying that, I knew Australia would have to bat on it as well. So it was something that went both ways.”But this was Australia, a team that has sustained long-term excellence thanks to their talent and professionalism. However, this was also a team in transition. They no longer had Meg Lanning, who had led them from the front for nearly a decade. And while they still boasted a strong side, they didn’t carry that air of invincibility. There’s another side to the story though, and it’s not all that bad.”There’s definitely a change and I’ve mentioned it previously as well,” Kapp said of Australia. “Losing someone like Lanning, you’re never going to be able to replace her, not her captaincy and I don’t think her batting as well. I remember too many games where we had Australia in trouble and she came in to bat and she saved them. So, yeah, I think everyone’s catching up a bit around the world. Even your Associate teams are picking up against your lower-ranked teams. It’s good for the women’s game. It’s a lot more challenging and, hopefully, this can continue.”Ayanda Hlubi dismissed Ellyse Perry for her first ODI wicket•Getty Images

South Africa themselves are an evolving side looking to fill the void left by Shabnim Ismail, who drew curtains on a 16-year-old career last year. Apart from Kapp and Nadine de Klerk, no bowler in their side has picked up more than five wickets with an average below 30 since her retirement. It led to some introspection and soul-searching within the side.”We had a [the] odd chat,” Kapp said. “I feel like, a lot of times, we don’t wanna speak straight and say it as it is, and we had that chat. We asked the whole squad to just to go to your room, look at yourself a bit and come back with [answers]. It’s always easy to say, ‘it was tough conditions or they really bowled well,’ but we also bowl well. You have to try things and you have to be positive. I feel like, today, we were a little bit better at that.”After a thumping in Adelaide, they brought in young blood to strengthen their bowling despite the series being on the line. Nineteen-year-old Ayanda Hlubi was handed an ODI debut and 21-year-old Eliz-mari Marx came in as well. The duo repaid the team’s faith by sharing four wickets, including big guns Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner.”I’m relieved, I’m not gonna lie.” Kapp said of the two youngsters joining the attack. “It meant I could ease off a little bit. They’re two upcoming youngsters. I love the way they bowl. I’ve seen them in the nets. It’s a big thing to come for them in their career.”It obviously helps when you get a wicket like this to bowl on. But they’ve been been brilliant. I feel like they have massive careers ahead of them. For now, it’s big boots to fill. We all know how good Shabi is and she is missed, I’m not gonna lie, she is missed, but it’s good to see different bowlers picking up their hands.”The conditions were tricky and South Africa managed to get over the line this time. What if it happens again in two days’ time in the series decider? Kapp not only dismissed those concerns but also welcomed the challenge.”I think it’s probably the rain that made it so tough,” she said. “I think it’s usually a flat wicket, it’s very good for batting. It was one of those days where it got a little bit too wet and it moved around a bit. So I feel like it’ll probably be a little bit flatter the next game. But that’s cricket. Look, as an allrounder I get so annoyed when we keep on playing on these flat and low wickets. You want wickets like this where you need a little bit more skill and it brings the bowlers into the game as well.”

For CSK, this game comes with barely any time to prepare and against one of the most consistent teams of recent years

Alagappan Muthu11-May-20243:33

Aaron: ‘Ruturaj should open; he shouldn’t be batting at No. 3 at all’

Match details

Chennai Super Kings (4th; W6, L6) vs Rajasthan Royals (2nd; W8, L3)
Chennai, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT)

Big picture: CSK in a spin

Will this be MS Dhoni’s final home game in the IPL? He played through a severe knee injury last year. He has been pushing through side strains and other discomforts this year. Even under that duress, he has produced some vintage moments, but CSK are suddenly in a bit of a fight to make the playoffs.They would ideally want to win both of their two remaining games but this one comes with barely any time to prepare and against one of the most well-rounded teams of recent years. RR don’t have a title to back the claim but they have been the most consistent unit since 2022. Plus, they have won each of the last four meetings against CSK. Central to that is the performance of their spinners, particularly R Ashwin, who has intimate knowledge of how Chepauk behaves. With this being an afternoon game, there is every chance that spin will dictate terms.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings LWLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LLWWW

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Chennai Super KingsCSK have carried Ajinkya Rahane all through this campaign and now at the pointy end, they are stuck with a batter who is out of form. Dropping him now and having a youngster take on a role as important as opener might be just as big a risk but they could potentially use Daryl Mitchell up there and make room for Sameer Rizvi down the order as a ten-ball hitter.Likely XII: 1 Rachin Ravindra, , 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Tushar Deshpande, 12 Rajasthan RoyalsDonovan Ferreira attended the pre-match press conference, which suggests he might once again make the XI, which in turn suggests Shimron Hetmyer isn’t quite up to speed yet (and there might be a degree of caution in play here since he is part of the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup in June). The other question RR face is between choosing Rovman Powell, who will have it tough on a spinning pitch, and Keshav Maharaj, who is an excellent weapon to have as a bowler, but shortens the batting line-up.Likely XII: , 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shubham Dubey, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Rovman Powell/Keshav Maharaj, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Sandeep Sharma,

In the spotlight: Shivam Dube and Yuzvendra Chahal

Given the expectation of a slow pitch, batters capable of coping with that become instant difference-makers. That is Shivam Dube to a T. With his long reach and incredible power, he has the ability to send good balls soaring over the boundary. Most teams have tried to hide their spinners when he is at the crease – he has faced only 40 balls from them – but RR won’t shrink like that. They have quality in their attack.The Chepauk pitch should suit Yuzvendra Chahal more•AFP/Getty Images

Yuzvendra Chahal has broken back into India’s T20I team through sheer weight of wickets. This is a time when even wristspinners are asked to be quick through the air and Chahal has understood that, occasionally getting the speed gun up to 95kph, but in between those, he still trusts the old, loopy legbreaks that seem like they could go the distance before they end up as catches on the boundary. He has lost some of his form over the last few games – 1 for 48, 0 for 62, 0 for 48, 1 for 41, 0 for 54 – but three of those took place in Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad, which have been extremely high-scoring venues. In Chennai, he might have better luck.

Stats that matter

• The MA Chidambaram stadium is the toughest challenge for a visiting team, with a win percentage of only 27.3%. Therein lies solace for CSK. In a crunch match, against a big team, they will be happy to draw on the strengths of their home crowd and familiar conditions. The only thing is, their fortress has been breached twice already this year.
• Jos Buttler has unfavourable T20 match-ups with Mitchell Santner (80 runs off 70 balls, one dismissal), Moeen Ali (74 off 51, with five dismissals) and even Maheesh Theekshana (51 off 45, no dismissals) if CSK consider bringing him in.
• But if CSK go all in on spin, that brings Yashasvi Jaiswal into the fray. He is a left-hand batter, and Ravindra Jadeja and Santner’s stock ball will be turning into his hitting arc. Jaiswal, in the IPL, averages 67 against spin with a strike rate of 144.
• Sanju Samson vs Jadeja is an all-action match-up with 73 runs in 52 balls and three dismissals.
• Dhoni might not be spending too much time at the crease but it is all by design. He is fulfilling his cameo role perfectly, to the extent that he has the highest strike rate (227) by any batter during the first five balls of their innings this season.
• Ashwin has won eight of the 11 matches he has played against CSK. He has 13 wickets against them at an economy rate of 7.75.

Pitch and conditions

There have only been four day games in Chennai since the end of 2019. Three of them went in favour of the chasing team. Two of them produced sub-140 totals by the team batting first. That’s when the ball holds in the pitch, and when the evening comes, it gets better to hit through the line. The problem with chasing, though, is that team will have to spend a lot of time melting away in 40°C heat.

Quotes

“I don’t think really that you can be 100% prepared because this heat and this humidity is crazy. But hopefully we’ve been training in this heat and this humidity the last two days so that should condition us to be ready for the game

India captain takes heart from India having put the pressure back on Australia late in the Gabba Test, despite having fallen behind earlier

Alagappan Muthu18-Dec-20246:07

Rohit: ‘No harm in accepting I’ve not batted well’

Rohit Sharma took heart from India’s performance at the Gabba, particularly in the way they were able to save the follow-on and then take a few quick wickets when Australia were batting in the second innings.Although they fell behind in the game – after winning the toss and choosing to bowl – KL Rahul held the batting together in their first innings with his 84 and their lower-order rallied hard enough to effectively dismiss Australia’s hopes of a win. India were helped in large parts by the rain in Brisbane which affected all but one day’s play.”This thing has been in our team for a while now that we don’t give up easily, whatever the situation. We want to keep fighting. Even when we bowled in the second innings, we had the same intensity that we wanted to bowl them out for 60-70 runs because we knew they would play their shots and look to score quickly. That gives you opportunities and we get some as well. But we didn’t have enough time to chase 270-280 in 50 overs.”Related

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Australia batted with the purpose of setting up a declaration on day five, so they went out and took a lot of risks and in the process lost a lot of wickets. They declared on 89 for 7 and had about one session or so to go for a win but then the rains came again.”There’s pressure on the other team too,” Rohit said. “Until you put some pressure on the other team you won’t come to know how they react under pressure. When we were here last, we had chased 320-330 [328] on the last day and they’ll remember that in the back of their mind, they know we are capable of chasing like this. Whatever happened today, it gave us confidence ahead of Melbourne. We’re aware we have to start from scratch, conditions are different there and the ball may not move around so much there like it did here. We have to analyse all this and proceed.”Rohit’s own form is a matter of concern as well with the 10 he scored in Brisbane being his highest score in four innings so far on the tour, including a practice game in Canberra.”Yeah, I have not batted well. There is no harm in accepting that. But I know what’s in my mind. How I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible [batting].”Which I am pretty sure I am just there. As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well. I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me.
Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind. What kind of prep I am having before each game. And how I am feeling about myself. That’s the most important thing.”And I am feeling good about myself, to be honest. Yeah, runs are obviously not showing that. But inside it’s a different feeling.”India move to Melbourne on Thursday for the fourth Test of the series which remains locked at 1-1, and the team is fairly pleased with that state of affairs.”It might appear that we were lagging behind in this Test but we take a lot from here,” Rohit said. “I’m immensely proud of the attitude we have shown because runs and wickets are one thing, but if your attitude and character are good then you can turn the impossible into possible.”

Teague Wyllie fell just short of a ton as Western Australia ground down the visitors at two runs an over

Tristan Lavalette05-Oct-2023Former Test opener Cameron Bancroft made an early season statement with a disciplined century to frustrate Victoria’s attack on a sedate WACA pitch to put Western Australia in a strong position in the Sheffield Shield.WA trailed by 19 runs at stumps on day two after Bancroft and Teague Wyllie combined for a 193-run second-wicket partnership.Wyllie, 19, fell short of his second first-class century when he was bowled by quick Mitchell Perry, shouldering arms as the ball nipped back to hit the top of middle stump. It was the only wicket on an attritional day, where WA scored 208 runs off 96 overs.Related

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After finishing unbeaten on 121 off 306 balls, Bancroft started his case to replace veteran opener David Warner, who is set to retire from Test cricket this summer. Bancroft has not played Tests since the Ashes in 2019.With fringe Test opener Marcus Harris not playing due to the birth of his first child, Bancroft seized his opportunity on the back of being the standout batter in the Shield last season.Even though he scored 289 more runs than second-placed South Australia batter Daniel Drew, Bancroft did not make the Ashes touring squad but issued a reminder of his indefatigable approach.It was a fitting performance for Bancroft with his mentor Justin Langer, who has acted as his private coach, at the ground.Resuming at 29 for 1, Bancroft and Wyllie dug in as WA scored just 46 runs in 30 overs during a slow first session.WA coach Adam Voges recently said domestic teams might consider adopting elements of Bazball, believing England’s aggressive approach would inevitably creep into the Shield, but Bancroft and Wyllie didn’t get the memo.The pair were forced to stonewall against typically accurate bowling from quick Scott Boland, who had clean bowled WA captain Sam Whiteman in the shadows late on day one.The first boundary was not struck until 45 minutes into the day’s play as Boland – armed with four slips – relentlessly probed outside the off-stump but without reward.WA did not cross 100 runs until midway through the day’s play, but Bancroft and Wyllie started to take advantage of a tiring Victoria in warm conditions.Though a green-tinge was still notable, the pitch flattened under the baking sun as WA eyes a big total with temperatures set to soar on day three.”I think we’re going to try to bat as long as we can…hopefully bat just once,” Wyllie said.Disciplined and playing straight, Bancroft and Wyllie batted in contrast to Victoria who were left to rue gifting several wickets late on on the opening day.Wyllie started last season spectacularly when he famously resisted celebrating his maiden first-class century in the Shield opener against New South Wales.But his form tailed off, perhaps unsurprisingly given his age, as teams exposed him outside the off stump. Wyllie only scored one half-century for the rest of the season, but WA stuck with him and he was at the crease when their title triumph was complete against Victoria.Much like at stages last season, Wyllie was similarly bogged down against Victoria’s accurate pace attack but he dug in alongside Bancroft.The smattering of fans did grow restless, but there were no bronx cheers echoing from the terraces like when Victoria batter Ashley Chandrasinghe produced a painstaking 46 off 280 balls in last season’s final.With solid defence and powers of endurance, like his idol Rahul Dravid, Wyllie kept his composure and made his move in the second session.As temperatures approached 30 degrees celsius, sensing Victoria’s attack was flagging, Wyllie put the foot down to reach his half-century amid three boundaries off Boland.While Wyllie was scoring mostly through boundaries, Bancroft calmly nudged the ball around to pick off the bowling. A rare moment of aggression was against Test offspinner Todd Murphy when Bancroft, an accomplished white-ball batter, hit a reverse sweep to the boundary.Wyllie also took a liking to Murphy, striking several lusty blows after advancing down the pitch.After another quiet patch following Bancroft’s century, Wyllie agonisingly fell short of a ton almost exactly a year since his maiden century earned him national prominence.

Hazlewood, who picked up a side niggle at the IPL, remains in contention for the first Ashes Test starting June 16

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2023Josh Hazlewood has lost his race to be fit for Australia’s World Test Championship final against India. He has been replaced in the squad by Michael Neser. This makes Scott Boland a favourite to make the XI for the match, which starts on June 7 at The Oval.Hazlewood, who picked up side soreness at the IPL, remains in Australia’s squad for the Ashes, though, with chief selector George Bailey saying he remains in contention for the first of those Tests, in Edgbaston on June 16.”Josh was very, very close to being given the green light but we are cognisant that our upcoming schedule [the WTC final quickly followed by five Ashes Tests] means this is not a one-off Test match of us.Related

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“This will give Josh an ideal preparation leading into Edgbaston. With six Test matches in a little over seven weeks we will need all of our fast bowling assets.”Neser comes in on the back of a stint with Glamorgan on the county cricket circuit. Given the uncertainty over Hazlewood, Neser, along with Sean Abbott, had been pulled out of county duty to train with the Australian squad in Beckenham. “Michael’s county form has been strong and knowing that he was going to be close by allowed for him to keep playing and for us to be able to call on him,” Bailey said. “He is a great strength to have as part of the fast-bowling group.”Hazlewood had been withdrawn from the IPL after three games for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and at the time the decision was considered to be a precautionary measure, with scans clearing him of any damage to his side. The precautions were due to his recent run of injury, including two side strains over the past two years and an Achilles issue. This has all meant that he has only played four of Australia’s last 19 Test matches and has not played in back-to-back first-class games since early 2021.He was picked for the WTC final subject to proving his fitness with heavy training loads leading up to the game, and as recently as May 31 he was still very hopeful of making it. Sunday’s announcement came after Hazlewood bowled three spells at training on Saturday.As for the other specialist quicks in Australia’s WTC squad, captain Pat Cummins is back after missing Australia’s previous two Tests, in India, due to family reasons, and Mitchell Starc is fully fit having missed the first two games of that India series with a finger injury.

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.

Experienced allrounder Lata Mondal has been left out

Mohammad Isam30-Oct-2023Young batter Sumaiya Akter and uncapped offspinner Nishita Akter have been named in Bangladesh’s women’s ODI squad for the three-match series against Pakistan, starting next week. Nishita is just 15 years old while Sumiaya, who has featured in one T20I, is 18 and is yet to make an ODI debut.From the last ODI series against India at home, which they drew 1-1, only the experienced allrounder Lata Mondal has been left out, with Bangladesh naming Salma Khatun, Shorifa Khatun and Sharmin Akter as standbys.The ODI series is part of the ICC Women’s Championship cycle 2022-25, where Bangladesh occupy the ninth position on the table with just one win from nine matches. Pakistan, meanwhile, are fourth with six wins from 12 matches, and suffered back-to-back series defeats against South Africa (home) and Australia (away) before this series. India are currently the table-toppers with seven wins from nine games.Bangladesh are coming off a 2-1 series victory against Pakistan from earlier this week in Chattogram. Left-arm spinner Nahida Akter was adjudged the player of the series for her eight wickets.The three ODIs against Pakistan will be held on November 4, 7 and 10 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.Bangladesh ODI squad: Nigar Sultana Joty (capt & wk), Fargana Hoque, Sobhana Mostary, Murshida Khatun, Shamima Sultana, Disha Biswas, Rabeya Khan, Ritu Moni, Sultana Khatun, Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akther Meghla, Sumaiya Akter, Nishita Akter.Standbys: Salma Khatun, Shorifa Khatun and Sharmin Akter.