Essex could wrap up the Championship this week and Warwickshire could be relegated. Both scenarios moved a step closer on the opening day with only Dom Sibley standing firm

George Dobell at Edgbaston12-Sep-20171:34

The highlights from a crucial round of the Specsavers Championship

Like lifts passing in opposite directions, Essex and Warwickshire are destined to conflicting emotions at the end of this season.While Essex, going into this round of games 36 points clear of second-placed Lancashire, look all but certain to finish as County Champions for the first time since 1992, Warwickshire are doomed to life in Division Two for the first time since 2008. Both eventualities could be confirmed in this round of games.If Essex do go on to clinch the trophy – the first time a promoted side will have done so since Nottinghamshire in 2005 – it is a success that will be celebrated far beyond the county’s own boundary. They have shown what can be achieved by building their revival on the skills of locally-developed players – even without Alastair Cook, eight of this side could be so described – with a shrewd Kolpak signing filling a hole when it comes to spin-bowling talent.By doing so they have not only provided opportunities for England-qualified players to develop – and several of this Essex side could have England careers ahead of them – but improved the standard of the county game. They have, in short, almost perfectly fulfilled the role of county clubs. They gain full-houses for their home T20 matches, too.Essex took a firm stride towards their desired destination on the first day of this game. Taking advantage of an early start (10.30am for September matches), a fresh surface and a batting line-up lacking confidence, they had Warwickshire two down within the first 15 deliveries and never relented. Had Dominic Sibley, the one man to pass 37 in the Warwickshire innings, been held at slip on 2 – as he should have been – Essex might already have a first innings lead.As it is, that may have to wait until early afternoon. But the comfort with which they started their reply wasn’t just due to the easing nature a pitch that may have dried out as the day progressed, but the difference in confidence between these sides. Essex expect to win; Warwickshire know they are relegated.It was Simon Harmer who dropped Sibley, but he more than made amends. Bowling the sort of spell that would have him pushing hard for England selection if he were qualified, he harnessed a surprising amount of turn (this pitch has not been used previously this season) allied to some admirable accuracy and well-controlled variation. He has, no doubt, benefited this season from the footholes provided by playing with a couple of left-arm seamers – but here, without much assistance from that, he troubled all the batsman and was largely responsible for Warwickshire losing their last six wickets for 48 and their last five for 20.Jamie Porter was in the wickets again•Getty Images

But it was Jamie Porter who made the key breakthroughs at the start of the day. Bowling from slightly wide of the crease, he pushes the ball into the batsman but looks for away movement rendering it hard to leave him and dangerous to play. He also hits the seam often and bowls wonderfully, relentlessly full and straight. It is no coincidence that Essex claimed seven leg-before dismissals; one more would have equalled the first-class record. Porter is currently, with 61, the leading wicket-taker in the division. He and Harmer (59) are the only men in Division One with 50 wickets.Porter’s first spell set the tone for the day. He punished both Sam Hain (preferred to the dropped Andy Umeed) and Jonathan Trott for falling to the off side with straight deliveries and should have had Sibley caught in the slips with one that left him. Later he punished Keith Barker for playing across one before Sibley, left only with the No. 11, dismissed any thought of trying to carry his bat in a selfless attempt to hit a few quick runs. An edged drive was his reward.Should Porter be in consideration for an Ashes place? His skills are timeless and universal, so he would not let England down. The lack of height or pace is a concern, though, and pitches in Australia are unlikely to offer this sort of assistance. Besides, England may consider they are already well-served by fast-medium seamers in the presence of James Anderson. Porter seems unlikely to make the trip.For a while it seemed Ian Bell might be on the brink of a long overdue return to form. Certainly he timed a few strokes, notably a pair of cover drives off Neil Wagner, beautifully. But, having made his highest score for 10 first-class innings, his planted front foot was struck by a fine inswinger from the same bowler.Meanwhile Matt Lamb, having fought well for a time, hung his bat out at one from Sam Cook, before Chris Woakes was beaten by a quicker one from round the wicket that held its line, Alex Mellor (playing instead of Tim Ambrose, who hurt his neck in training on Monday) left a straight one, Jeetan Patel played across another, though replays suggested he was unfortunate, and debutant Henry Brookes was bowled through the gate.The fact that 18-year-old Brookes is playing – he was preferred to Chris Wright and playing instead of Olly Stone, who has a bruised heel after Finals Day – speaks volumes for Warwickshire’s situation. After a few years where the squad was allowed to stagnate, the club is now aggressively – desperately, even – pursuing a more youthful policy. That Brookes is the 24th man to represent them in first-class cricket this season and the 30th in all first-team cricket (the likes of Ed Pollock, Adam Hose and Aaron Thomason have not featured in the first-class team) suggests they are none too sure about the identity of the next generation, but know they have to find it.One of the next generation will, no doubt, be Sibley. There was little pretty about this innings, but it demonstrated the virtues of great application, leaving well and playing straight. Without him Warwickshire would have been routed.It will have rubbed salt in the wounds of Warwickshire supporters that Varun Chopra, who could easily still be playing for the club, looked so accomplished in reply. It’s going to take a few years to turn things around at Edgbaston. They could find the climb out of Division Two slippery and steep.

Yasir Ali’s brisk century and Abu Hider’s three-for starred for Bangladesh A, helping them trounce Ireland A by 76 runs in the fifth unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar

Mohammad Isam26-Oct-2017
ScorecardAFP

Yasir Ali’s brisk century and Abu Hider’s three-for starred for Bangladesh A, helping them trounce Ireland A by 76 runs in the fifth unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar, leaving the visitors without a win on tour. Bangladesh A completed a 4-0 win in the ODIs, and had also win the solitary unofficial Test.Batting first, Bangladesh A racked up 286 for 6 in 50 overs. Yasir joined Shadman Islam at the crease in the 15th over, by which time Anamul Haque and Nazmul Hossain Shanto were both dismissed. Yasir and Shadman added 132 runs in 22.5 overs, with the latter making 68 off 103 balls, with one six and four fours.Bangladesh A scored 85 runs in the last five overs with Yasir leading the charge. He struck five sixes and eight fours in his 101-ball 102. Barry McCarthy and Shane Getkate took two wickets each while Simi Singh and George Dockrell took one apiece.The visitors started poorly, losing Sean Terry and the in-form Andrew Balbirnie in the first 9.2 overs. Thereafter, Jack Tector and John Anderson added 83 runs for the third wicket to bring them back into the contest.But from 117 for 2, Ireland A lost four wickets in the less than eight overs, before eventually getting bowled out for 210 runs in 43.4 overs.

The India fast bowler, who is set to play his last international on November 1, said he is happy to call time on his career when people are asking ‘why and not why not’

Arun Venugopal12-Oct-2017Ashish Nehra had been thinking about retirement plans for a while, but his non-inclusion in the first XI for the first two T20Is against Australia might have hastened the call. He also said that playing for India was always motivation for him, which is why he has retired from all official cricket. He will end his 18-year international career with the T20I against New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla, his home ground, on November 1.”No particular reason. At one point everyone knows [that it is time to quit]. It’s not an overnight decision,” Nehra said on the eve of the final T20I against Australia. “It’s my own decision. I have given it a good thought. When I came into this series, I had come prepared to bowl. The day I linked up with this squad, I spoke to the captain and coach about my plan because whenever Ashish Nehra is in the side he plays in the XI, he doesn’t sit out. We’ve seen that in the T20s over the last couple of years.”I feel Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] is ready, the way he has been bowling. And there is no big event in the next five or six months, like a World Cup. I think this is the way forward, especially the manner in which Bhuvneshwar has been bowling in the last couple of years, whenever I’ve played with [Jasprit] Bumrah, either of Bhuvi or [Mohammed] Shami have had to sit out. So I think this is the right time [to retire] and I think people are welcoming it. I came prepared to play in this series, but I also put across my point of view. If they ask me to play in the XI, I’m available.”It’s very important to me what people in the dressing room think. Now, they say you can easily play for one more year. I’ve been a believer of the fact that it’s always good to retire when people ask why and not why not. And it can’t get bigger than the fact that I’m retiring at home. I played my first Ranji game there 20 years ago.”Nehra said he had first sounded out captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri about his intention to retire before going through with his decision. “Like I said, I put my point of view to them,” he said. “This is how I feel and this is my thought. Obviously, I could still play. But the first thing Virat said was you can still play, then second thing he said you could play IPL. It’s good that people still think I can play. It was a tough decision for me, but they all respect my decision.”While Nehra’s career will be remembered for being ridden with injuries, he also gained a reputation for making stirring comebacks out of nowhere. His most recent comeback in 2016 after being out of the team for five years marked the start of one of the more successful phases of his career. Since the start of 2016, Nehra has picked 21 wickets from 18 T20Is at an average of 21.66. Nehra also enjoyed a successful World T20 campaign where he was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker with five scalps from five games going at less than six runs per over. In the IPL, too, over the last few years, he has been one of the go-to fast bowlers for captains – first for MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings and then David Warner at Sunrisers Hyderabad. Nehra said his ability to bounce back from injuries made a difference to his life off the field as well.”For me the true measure of success is how many times you bounce back from failure,” he said. “When you are always on top, you don’t know how to come back up after a failure. People have always said that you’ve had 11-12 surgeries, how you made a comeback despite that. But they have made me mentally strong. When you make a century or take a five-for, everyone is with you but your character comes when you are not doing well and bounce back from it. It has made a difference even in my normal life, apart from my cricketing life.”[My second coming since 2016] has been great. Like, in between, unfortunately, the problem in India is people count you as playing only when you are playing international cricket or the IPL. In India, only 15 [players] can play at a time, and if you combine all formats maybe 20-25. I was still playing IPL regularly. Last two-three years has been a great journey. I always feel it is not how you start, but how you finish.”Every individual has certain strengths and certain weaknesses. I was always mentally strong. I am that sort of a person who trains day in and day out to play for India. Like I said, I could have played easily one more year of international cricket. People said you are retiring in November, you can still play the next IPL which is just five months away. But it’s my decision that if I leave, I will leave completely, I won’t even play the IPL.”While any highlights reel of Nehra would unfailingly feature his spell of 6 for 23 against England in the 2003 World Cup, the man himself felt he couldn’t point to one standout memory from his career. “When you are playing cricket, every day is a memory,” he said. “This is something you are doing day in and day out. People will always remember you for moments in international cricket. But, for me there are times in domestic cricket or the IPL, when you may not pick up wickets but you still enjoy. When it comes to cricket world or media, people remember Ashish Nehra bowling the last over in Karachi or the six wickets against England. But for me those are not the only memories. Because in cricket you win some, you lose some. I will always go thinking that I must be doing something good so that captain asks me to bowl the last over. Result might not go your way. For me playing for India, winning the World Cup [in 2011], losing the [2003] final, T20I world cup, I have seen all the ups and downs.”Nehra said he hadn’t given his post-retirement life a thought yet and that he had made plans only for November 1. “I haven’t thought of it yet. All those options are open, either coaching or mentoring. I haven’t decided yet. I am always somebody who takes one series at a time,” he said.Nehra, however, ruled out any possibility of a comeback. “I am not playing IPL, so you can judge me from that,” he said. “So many people will play one or two years or IPL [after retiring from international cricket]. Once I’ve decided something then it’s final, there is no going back on that. I always said, never say never, but it’s not applicable in this case.”

Opener proud of how he rediscovered his form in the final two matches of the international summer, after an unexpected recall

Andrew Miller15-Nov-2017Jason Roy believes that Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have “dealt extremely well” with the fall-out of Stokes’ arrest in Bristol in September, an incident that inadvertently allowed Roy to reclaim his place at the top of England’s ODI batting order.Speaking at the Chance to Shine Awards at Lord’s, Roy reflected on a disappointing personal season in England’s limited-overs teams, but added that he was proud of the way he put aside England’s huge off-field issue to rediscover his form in the final two matches of the international summer.”The team wasn’t that focused given the events that happened, but as with most sports, you have to come in and take your opportunities,” Roy told ESPNcricinfo. “You have to blank out all the stuff that’s happening in the media, all the stuff that people are saying to you about what’s happened in previous games, and just crack on with the next delivery.”The circumstances of Roy’s return to the side could hardly have been less of a cause for celebration for the player, who had been dropped during England’s Champions Trophy campaign after mustering 51 runs in eight ODI innings.He had seemed resigned to a long stint on the sidelines, but was instead drafted back in for the fourth ODI against West Indies as a direct replacement for Hales, who had returned to Bristol to help police with their enquiries after emerging as a key witness following Stokes’ arrest at 2.30am on the morning after England’s victory in the Bristol ODI.Jason Roy made his first fifty in ten ODI innings•Getty Images

Roy seized his chance, scoring 84 in his comeback at The Oval and 96 in the season finale at the Ageas Bowl two days later, as England wrapped up a 4-0 series win.”For England it was a disappointing international summer,” he said. “I went over to the IPL, got sidelined for a couple of games, came back and didn’t have that rhythm that I usually have. And then in the Champions Trophy, I tried a few stupid things, and got myself in a bit of a rut.”I’ve always been pretty honest with myself and with everybody else about where I’m at, and yeah, I got myself in a bit of a rut and I couldn’t really get out of it. Then found my way with a few runs in the county game with Surrey, a few good wins under my belt, and then finished strongly at the end of the summer.”The star of the West Indies series, however, was Jonny Bairstow, the man who had himself taken over from Roy during the Champions Trophy, and who marked his promotion with two hundreds in a Man of the Series display.”It is healthy for English cricket,” said Roy. “If any one of us is sitting on the sidelines, it’s only going to be a positive for England. At the end of the day that is exactly the mentality of Jonny, Halesy and myself, if one of us is sidelined then happy days, because we must have a seriously strong opening pair.”Neither Hales nor Stokes has spoken publicly since the Bristol incident. However, both men were present at Roy’s wedding in France in October, where they were pictured smiling and joining in the festivities.”They are fine,” Roy added. “It was obviously an unfortunate event, an unfortunate period, but they came to my wedding, all bearing smiles and everything was all good. Obviously it’s something we wish didn’t happen, but it did. They’ve actually dealt with it extremely well.”Jason Roy was supporting Chance to Shine, the national charity who aim to spread the power of cricket through schools and communities. NatWest have partnered with Chance to Shine as part of their Cricket has no boundaries campaign, championing diversity and inclusion in cricket.

A packed crowd at the Gabba was treated to some sensational hitting as McCullum, Burns, Ross, Cutting and Stoinis took centerstage

The Report by Alex Malcolm at the Gabba20-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNo Chris Lynn, no worries for Brisbane Heat.Last season’s semi-finalists threw down a marker in their opening match against Melbourne Stars with a win that was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested. They destroyed the Stars’ well-balanced attack and dismembered the Star-studded top order to show that Lynn is a value add to the Heat rather than an irreplaceable member of the Bash Brothers two-man band.But the Stars have so much talent that they never gave in thanks to a remarkable innings from Marcus Stoinis, who made 99 off 51 balls to take the game to the last over.Stars’ captain John Hastings gave the Heat a leg up early, making the curious decision to bowl first on a superb pitch for batting. He would have felt good after two overs when the Heat were 1 for 10 with Jimmy Pierson back in the shed and Lynn absent as he continues to recover from his shoulder injury.But Hastings’ mood soon soured when Brendon McCullum lit up the Gabba. Scott Boland’s first over, the third of the innings, went for 24. McCullum found the rope three times and cleared it once. He raced to 40 off 22 balls before he was deceived by a Stoinis slower ball.Getty Images

But the Heat never lost momentum despite McCullum’s exit. Joe Burns (50 off 28 balls), Alex Ross (51 off 36 balls) and Ben Cutting (35 off 18 balls) climbed into the Stars’ seamers to keep the run-rate above 10 an over through to the end of the innings. Hastings and Boland gave up 96 runs from six combined overs, including 10 fours and six sixes.Strangely, James Faulkner opened the bowling and conceded just seven runs in the opening over but did not bowl again. By contrast, the spin of Michael Beer and Adam Zampa took 2 for 45 from seven overs. Beer did not concede a boundary and McCullum scored just nine runs off 10 balls against Beer in the Powerplay.The Heat’s plans for the Stars’ world-class top order worked a treat. Josh Lalor lured last year’s leading scorer Ben Dunk into a thick outside edge that was caught on the second bite by a perfectly placed Mitch Swepson at deep gully. The plans to remove Kevin Pietersen and Glenn Maxwell cheaply were cold, calculated and perfectly executed.Pietersen played the world’s most feared quicks extremely well in his prime but his lack of match practice against them recently may leave him exposed. He scored just four runs from 11 balls against the genuine pace of Mohammad Amir and Steven Finn in his only two T20 matches during the English summer, with Finn taking his wicket.McCullum instructed Lalor, Mark Steketee and Ben Doggett to bowl as quick and aggressively as possible at Pietersen. He hopped, ducked and weaved through his first seven balls to score just four runs before launching a length ball into the stands. But he holed out to mid-off next ball.The Heat had also scouted Maxwell. In four straight innings during Australia’s limited overs tour of India in October, Maxwell fell to the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal. He also fell to Hobart Hurricanes legspinner Cameron Boyce in a BBL warm-up game after Boyce was introduced immediately upon Maxwell’s arrival.McCullum called on Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan in the fifth over when pace had already removed Dunk and Pietersen. Maxwell hit the first long-hop for six but holed out to long-on two balls later. Shadab bowled Wright shortly after to seemingly kill off the game.But Stoinis produced an innings of the highest quality to once again confirm his credentials for further international honours. He struck six sixes and six fours, mixing power with touch and supreme fitness in warm conditions during a 137-run stand with Faulkner to take the Stars to the brink.Stoinis was run out trying to complete his hundred but he was a thoroughly deserving Man of the Match in a losing cause.

Three bowlers who will be much sought after at the IPL auction for their skills at the end of an innings

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman25-Jan-2018Death overs stats•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dwayne Bravo

Base price: INR 2 crore (US$315,000)Angles, bowling form both sides of the stumps, mixing up pace and variations, bowling off-stump yorkers, slower-ball bouncers – all with a poker face. Bravo has evolved to become one of the best slog-overs specialists during his long career. Bravo has battled a hamstring injury over the last year, but he has given himself ample opportunity to keep himself fit for the final phase of his career.NumbersBravo has picked up the most wickets during the slog overs (overs 17 to 20) in T20 history – 201 wickets (of his 409), coming at 9.50 and a strike rate of 11.31. Since 2012, Bravo takes a wicket every 10 balls during the slog overs in the IPL. That is the best for any bowler in the IPL during that period.

Andrew Tye

Base price: INR 1 crore ($160,000)
The knuckle ball is tied to Tye’s name. But that is not the only variation he utilises to dominate batsmen at the end. He uses his tall frame to deliver a very good short ball that is equally lethal. And, like Bravo, Tye has a cool temperament in the high-pressure overs at the end of the innings where being able to breathe easy on the job is an asset.NumbersSince June 2015, Tye has the fourth-best strike rate (10.84) in the slog overs at and economy of 9.57. Tye has taken three hat-tricks in T20s and is only the second player to achieve the feat alongside India legspinner Amit Mishra.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jaydev Unadkat

Base price: INR 1.5 crore ($315,000)
Heavy balls into the body, sly wide yorkers, and a sharp bouncer – Unadkat teases the batsmen and keeps them thinking. Unadkat always had the pace, but last year, for Pune, he showed his bowling intelligence and brought out all the skills he had worked on to become a complete T20 fast bowler. The variety of being a left-hand bowler adds to his allure.NumbersLast IPL, Unadkat had 16 wickets in the death overs, which was the joint-best along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whom Steven Smith had called the best in that phase. Importantly, Unadkat’s economy rate was 8.41. He is the only Indian bowler to take two five-wicket hauls in the IPL. Overall among fast bowlers, Undakat was the second highest wicket-taker in the IPL last year with 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.02

The hosts need another win to keep the series alive. Both teams might also want to keep an eye on the weather, with showers forecast for the afternoon in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Firdose Moonda12-Feb-20184:16

Cullinan: Will be surprised if SA play an all-pace attack

Big picture

Suddenly South Africa have something to play for.After three matches of one-way traffic and few answers to India’s wristspinners, South Africa were staring at 6-0. But a change of outfit was as good as a new gameplan for them. In pink, at the Wanderers, South Africa chased a target of 202 inside 28 overs, which required them to score at more than seven runs to the over. They took more than half those runs off Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, giving the pair only three wickets. That will have boosted the hosts’ confidence ahead of two must-win games to share the trophy.Crucially, South Africa’s runs did not come from one person and most of them came from the two people who had a lot to prove. David Miller showed much-needed big-match temperament, Heinrich Klaasen justified his selection and Andile Phehlukwayo put on another fine finishing effort. South Africa’s next challenge will be to prove it was not a one-off. Can they pull back India’s line-up again? And can they tame India’s spinners once again?India were slightly guilty of taking their foot off the gas with the knowledge they cannot lose the series. After Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gave the team a strong start, the rest of the line-up all but fell away and lost five wickets for 76 runs. They will want more from their middle-order as they aim to close out the series before they get to the final fixture in Centurion.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WLLLW
India: LWWWW

In the spotlight

The focus on South Africa’s middle-order and India’s spinners has taken some attention off the opening partnership, but Hashim Amla and Aiden Markram will only have two more opportunities to show what they can do together. Neither has managed a score higher than 33 but together shared a stand of 43 in Johannesburg and will want to work towards giving the hosts a more solid platform to launch from. Markram may also want to seek Amla’s advice about a few other things, like how to stay within the stipulated time to meet the over-rate, because another offence will see him suspended.The honours have gone to the India’s spinners who have taken their combined wicket-tally on this tour to 24. Jasprit Bumrah follows them on that list. He has five wickets to his name, one more than Kagiso Rabada and more than double that of any of his non-spinning team-mates. Bumrah has set the tone well and has had the better of Amla twice in the four matches so far. Who will win the head-to-head continues on Tuesday?AFP

Team news

A spinner is likely to be brought back into the South Africa XI and the toss-up will be between Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi. Though Tahir may get in on seniority, South Africa might want to check on his mindset after the incident he had with spectators at the Wanderers, which is being investigated for racial abuse. David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen have done enough to leave Farhaan Behardien fighting for a spot against one of the allrounders.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 JP Duminy, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Farhaan Behardien/Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir/Tabraiz ShamsiIndia attended an optional practice session on the eve of the ODI. Shreyas Iyer is set to retain his spot given Kedar Jadhav’s hamstring niggle is unlikely to have healed.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Shreyas Iyer/Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Known for being one of South Africa’s slower surfaces, St George’s Park should suit India’s attack. The average score over the last five matches – batting first – has been 227, and a warm and humid day is forecast in Port Elizabeth. There is also a highly probability of afternoon showers.

Stats and trivia

• MS Dhoni has spent the series inching towards 10,000 ODI runs and he is now just 46 away.
• Results at St George’s Park have been marginally in favour of the chasing team, with 17 of the 32 ODIs won by the team that fields first.

Quotes

“The guys have been specific about their training. They have been doing good analysis and have good game plans. Obviously the conditions were different. So it’s a game plan that we have had in our change room, to be really positive and look to score and get into good positions.”

And in their chase, Peshawar Zalmi cruised to a ten-wicket victory courtesy a hundred-run partnership between Kamran Akmal (57*) and Tamim Iqbal (37*)

The Report by Danyal Rasool03-Mar-2018In a nutshellThe template doesn’t change for Lahore Qalandars. They got off to a blazing start in the Powerplay again with Fakhar Zaman smashing 25 in the first two overs. Once the first six overs had ended, they began to lose wickets and the wheels came off rapidly. Peshawar Zalmi skittled them out for 100, the lowest total in the PSL this year. Soon after, they became the fifth team to inflict defeat on Brendon McCullum’s beleaguered side. This was the most resounding one yet, the first 10-wicket defeat in the history of the PSL.The collapse this time was even more dramatic than previous games, tempered only by its predictability. After reaching 57 for one at the end of the Powerplay, they failed to build on it through the middle overs, continuing to go for rash shots and losing wickets rapidly in the process. Before you knew it, the tail was in, and Peshawar, further strengthened by the return of Hasan Ali, prowled ominously.The chase was everything Lahore are not: calm, clinical, mature and professional. It required just openers Tamim Iqbal and Kamran Akmal to brush aside Lahore. Kamran scored a 47-ball 57, while Tamim was unbeaten on 36 as the chase effectively became a stroll early on. Lahore’s bowlers were toothless, their fielding uninspired, their captain out of ideas – and their side very likely out of the tournament already.Where the match was wonA chase of 101 isn’t daunting by any means, but many teams thought processes get muddled while assessing how to go about a small chase. Not Peshawar Zalmi, whose openers were as assured as could be hoped in the situation. They got their eye in for the first couple of overs, not letting the lack of runs worry them. Inevitably, the runs came once they were settled at the crease. Lahore weren’t good enough in the field either, dropping a catch early on, and allowing themselves errors they could ill-afford. It wasn’t Lahore’s charity to give, and Peshawar didn’t need it at any rate, the opening pair ensuring no one else in the dugout was disturbed.The men that won itHasan Ali hasn’t bowled for over a month, but he didn’t look any worse for it. Skiddy, quick and consistent, he bowled in the Powerplay when Fakhar was in blistering form, keeping that over to just three runs. He got rid of the McCullum, and was instrumental in orchestrating Lahore’s collapse, cleaning up Sunil Narine and wrapping things up with a third wicket for good measure.Another newcomer into the side didn’t do much worse either. Liam Dawson was brought in to replace Darren Sammy. It doesn’t bear repeating that those are big shoes to fill. But Dawson was up to the challenge, ripping the Lahore top order apart with his left-arm spin. He dismissed Fakhar and Dinesh Ramdin off just his second and third deliveries, and overall figures of 4-0-20-3 suggest he’s more than just a back-up in Peshawar side.Where they standLahore look to have taken out a lease on the basement of the table, firmly sixth after their fifth successive defeat. Peshawar are third, having won three of their five games.

England allrounder could be the fall guy for Auckland defeat, says Trevor Bayliss, with Livingstone and Leach potential debutants

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2018England allrounder Moeen Ali could be dropped for the first time in his Test career as England search for a solution to their overseas woes after the innings defeat at Eden Park, which included being bowled out for 58.Moeen played his 50th Test in Auckland and has only missed one Test since his debut in 2014 – that was due to injury, which forced him to sit out the Antigua Test against West Indies in early 2015. However, his torrid Ashes form has followed him to New Zealand as he made 0 and 28 with the bat in the first Test, then took 0 for 59 off 17 overs having averaged 115 with the ball against Australia.”I’m sure he’s disappointed with the way he’s gone,” coach Trevor Bayliss said. “He had a fantastic summer, this winter away I’m sure hasn’t gone how he would have liked. I’m sure that will be a discussion.”There are a couple of routes England could take to replace Moeen. Given his lack of bowling impact, they could opt for another batsman – a potential debut for Liam Livingstone who would offer some part-time spin alongside Joe Root and Dawid Malan – and throw the bowling weight behind four quicks, including a possible recall for Mark Wood.Another option would be to hand Jack Leach, the Somerset left-arm spinner who replaced Mason Crane, a first outing. England are likely to be wary of lengthening the tail, but the onus should be on the top order to do most of the run-scoring and Moeen has barely contributed with the bat recently.”Having lost this game, they will certainly come into contention and certainly will be spoken about,” Bayliss said. “Having lost so many games overseas, we’ve given a lot of guys an opportunity who haven’t really grabbed hold of it. At some stage we have to look at who is next. That will certainly be discussed over the next couple of days.”There could be multiple changes after England’s fifth innings defeat in eight Tests away from home, with Wood in contention to offer a different dimension to the pace attack. He would be a likely swap for Craig Overton who claimed 1 for 70 in Auckland. If Wood did play, it would be his first Test since Lord’s against South Africa last July, when he suffered a heel injury due to wearing the wrong insoles in his bowling boots.”He was buzzing during the one-day series,” Bayliss said of Wood. “That [playing a Test] would be something he hasn’t done for a while, but his ankle is fine and he’s in a good head space.”The other member of the bowling attack under pressure is Chris Woakes after a wicketless display in Auckland which took his overseas average to 61.77. However, he showed his value with the bat as he made a 118-ball 52 on the final day to give England a glimmer of escaping with a draw and his lower-order value may yet save him.”Hopefully he can bowl a lot more like he did in the one-dayers,” Bayliss said. “What he showed in the one-day series was the length – he just got a little bit fuller and that puts pressure on, that fullish good length rather than that shortish good length. At home all pace bowlers can run in and the ball fairly naturally moves, where you have to work a little bit harder away from home with the Kookaburra ball on flatter wickets.”England’s thinking will be partly dictated by the fitness of Ben Stokes who struggled with his back towards the end of his four-and-a-half hour 66. However, it is believed the pain stemmed for the amount of time at the crease – it was Stokes’ first first-class match since September and his fourth-longest Test innings in terms of balls faced – rather than a reaction to his attempts to increase his bowling workloads in training. Shortly before the first Test it was decided he was not ready to act as a fifth bowler, but he ran through his action before play each day.Bayliss did not know whether he would be a bowling option in Christchurch, but was encouraged by his display with the bat having long endorsed Stokes as a No. 5″The way he went about it over the last home summer, it stood out that he had the ability to be a world-class No. 5. I think we saw that again yesterday when it was tough and under a lot of a pressure. He led from the front doing the hard yards.”

Two new bats belonging to the Bangladesh ODI captain were stolen ahead of the team’s tour of South Africa. Luckily for her, help was at hand from a famous member of the men’s team

Mohammad Isam26-Apr-2018Ahead of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa, ODI captain Rumana Ahmed had a problem. Both her new bats had been stolen. An Australian sports outlet had given them to her when she went to the WBBL earlier this year.A couple of days before the team’s flight to Johannesburg, Rumana called Tamim Iqbal and asked if he could arrange a bat for her. Luckily for Rumana, Tamim had a special one with him in Mirpur.Within 15 minutes, Tamim arranged for a meet-up in the BCB office where he handed over the bat to Rumana. But she had a question.”How much should I pay?” she asked.”What? You don’t have to pay,” Tamim said. “This is for you. Come from South Africa, I will arrange a sponsor for your team.”Normally, Rumana tries to source high-quality bats from abroad, since they are difficult to find in Dhaka and the Bangladesh women cricketers aren’t at the economic level of their male counterparts. Rumana is probably the best paid among the current women players but still, a good bat would cost her as much as her BCB monthly salary of BDT 30,000 (USD 350 approx).Rumana will lead Bangladesh in what is expected to be a difficult ODI series in South Africa. A good bat will help, no doubt.