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Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny took combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs to choke Chittagong to 139, a total they chased down with 11 balls to spare

The Report by Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Comilla Victorians beat Chittagong Kings by six wickets, in almost the same fashion as their other two wins in the tournament. After restricting their opponent to 139 for 4, Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler almost walked them to the target.The pair added 74 runs for the third wicket before both were dismissed with not left to chase. Imrul top-scored with 45 while Buttler got out for 44 off 31 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.Chittagong, who have now lost three out of four games, lost just four wickets in their innings, but struggled for fluency right through. The Comilla spin trio – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny – put the brakes on with combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs.Brisk start, slow finish, againLuke Ronchi provided Chittagong with another brisk start, with 31 off 19 balls. No other batsman score more despite consuming more deliveries. Sarkar used 32 balls for 30 runs, with two fours and a six over midwicket, before he was stumped off Nabi. Dilshan Munaweera made 19 off 25 balls, which had one six, before he was bowled by a beautiful Rashid Khan googly.Sikandar Raza found just one boundary in his 24-ball 20 which ended with a scoop to Al-Amin Hossain at short fine leg. Ronchi’s 19-ball 31 included five fours and a six that was hit over long-on off Nabi. He fell lbw to Mohammad Saifuddin.Imrul steadies another chaseMunaweera removed the returning Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das in seven overs but Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler took control quickly. Imrul struck Subashis Roy for first six pulled over midwicket before lifting Sikandar over square leg for his second in the tenth over.His third six was his best, swatting Chris Jordan over midwicket off one knee as he struggled with cramps. He made 45 off 36 balls, having also struck two fours. It was his third successive match-winning innings, having remained unbeaten on the two previous occasions.

Glenn Maxwell also misses opening game against England while Cameron Green stays with the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2022Australia’s frontline attack have all been rested for the first T20I against England in Perth on Sunday as the selectors continue to juggle their resources ahead of the World Cup.Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa, along with Glenn Maxwell, will not make the cross-country trip to Perth and instead remain in the east and rejoin the squad the two games in Canberra.Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson and Ashton Agar officially return to the squad for the England series having been managed through side injuries over the last few weeks.Related

• Cummins wary of burning Green but 'huge demand' inevitable as IPL question looms

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Cameron Green has been retained for the England matches while Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis have been added for the first game.”We have a World Cup to win and that is what we have got to peak for,” Cummins said after the opening game against West Indies. “There is no point in burning out in these five games. We’ve been over in India for three games as well.”You might see some people having a rest and in some different roles to make sure we give ourselves the best chance not only for the start of the tournament but the back end if we are there.”Richardson and Mitchell Marsh, who played as a batter only in the first T20I against West Indies as he returns from an ankle injury, have travelled to Perth on Thursday so will therefore miss the second match in Brisbane on Friday.The selectors have taken a cautious approach with players ahead of the World Cup, particularly around flying them to and from Perth in quick succession. Stoinis was left in Perth rather than heading to Queensland while Australia’s main bowlers have avoided two lengthy journeys either side of a match day.”The high-performance team and selectors have planned these matches to ensure our squad get to the World Cup fresh and ready to perform,” national selector George Bailey said.”Some squad members travelled to Perth early to begin preparations slightly earlier than the main squad and a handful of others will not make the trip to Perth. With some players remaining on the east coast, it provides further opportunity for Nathan Ellis and Daniel Sams who both performed well in India.”Likewise Mitchell Swepson was a part of last year’s World Cup squad and continues to provide good depth in our T20 spin bowling department.”After the opening game against West Indies, captain Aaron Finch said they would be using the upcoming matches to try out players in various positions and combinations ahead of the World Cup”We’re going to keep tinkering with things just to try and make sure that we’ve got all bases covered.”Australia squad for England in Perth Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, Nathan Ellis, Kane RichardsonAustralia squad for England in Canberra Aaron Finch, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson

The wicketkeeper-batter says Australia will not rest players just because they have sealed their semi-final slot

Andrew McGlashan20-Mar-2022In an ominous warning to those hoping to stop Australia at the World Cup, Alyssa Healy believes the fact that their performance against India was not without its faults is a good sign after they became the first team to confirm their semi-final slot.Australia chased down 278 with three balls to spare at Eden Park with the finish becoming a little tighter than appeared likely, with eight needed off the final over, but Beth Mooney ensured against any drama. They had been wayward with the ball, giving away 24 runs in wides and Harmanpreet Kaur a life on 33 but even then the eventual total, which meant Australia needed the third-highest successful chase in ODIs, did not daunt them.”It’s something that we pride ourselves on in this group, that ability to potentially win a game from anywhere and any situation,” Healy said. “When our backs are against the wall, we fight our way out of that and that’s exactly what you need in ODI cricket, exactly what you need in World Cup cricket.Related

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• Meg Lanning slices India apart, one cut at a time

• Stats: Australia's 17th successful ODI chase in a row

• Peerless Lanning leads the way as Australia enter semi-finals

“You just need to find a way to win games. The first half of our game yesterday wasn’t perfect, [it] wasn’t disastrous, I thought potentially they could have put 300 on us – if we had been batting first we would have looked at that score knowing how good the wicket was – so it wasn’t perfect, which is probably a good thing. You don’t want to be playing your perfect cricket now. Just to be able to get the win the way we did was pleasing.”Healy played the key role in laying the platform for the chase with a crunching 72 off 65 balls and even when she and Rachael Haynes fell in consecutive overs after adding 121, it barely knocked Australia off course. Meg Lanning highlighted the majority of what was to come with 97 and Mooney, as she so often does, iced the game with 30 off 20 balls after Ellyse Perry had laboured somewhat in making 28 off 51 balls. It was the latest example of the formidable nature of the Australia batting order with Ashleigh Gardner unused at No. 7.”Having that confidence in what those top seven batters can do is really a free license for the rest of us to play the way we do,” Healy said. “We know that if we all come off on one day, it will be a ridiculous score and if we don’t come off, there are six other players who can come off. We know someone has our back if it doesn’t work, but if it does…we just keep going.”Australia have used 14 of their 15-player squad during their first five matches (Heather Graham was briefly added as a replacement) coping seamlessly with Gardner’s delayed entry into the tournament due to Covid-19. They have also been able to carefully manage the workload of quick Darcie Brown who again proved a point of difference against India with 3 for 30.”That’s probably been the most pleasing thing for me,” Healy said. “We haven’t had to rely solely on one batter or one bowler that’s been doing the heavy lifting. It has been a genuine team effort, and think coming into finals play, it’s going to be crucial that everyone is firing, feeling good about themselves and their cricket and this team is in a really good place in that regard.”While Australia can now have their eyes on that semi-final – “to do it this early is a nice feeling to have,” Healy said – they have their focus firmly on the next match against fellow unbeaten team South Africa in what has the makings of another fantastic contest.”They’ve played some really cricket and knocked off some big teams in this tournament, no doubt they’ll be looking to do the same for us and have their sights set on finishing first,” Healy said. “I hope we don’t take the foot off the pedal, we may as well maintain the momentum while we’ve got it. I would imagine we wouldn’t be looking to rest people purely because we have two games in hand. That’s not the way we look at our cricket.”

Tim Murtagh took four wickets as Middlesex finished their final day at Lord’s this season with victory

ECB Reporters Network21-Sep-2018
ScorecardTim Murtagh finished with 4 for 55 as Middlesex ran through the Derbyshire batting to secure a 117-run victory in their final home County Championship match of the season.Murtagh – who passed 750 first-class career wickets in the process – finished the visitors off in the seventh over after tea, despite an unbeaten century from Derbyshire skipper Billy Godleman.Although Godleman carried his bat for 105 from 147 balls at Lord’s, it was not enough to deny his former county a victory that enabled them to leapfrog Derbyshire into fourth place in the Division Two table.Middlesex declared on their overnight total of 199-7, setting the visitors a fourth-day target of 328, and they might easily have made deep inroads during the early overs.Godleman played and missed, as well as surviving three appeals, but he gradually settled down and looked particularly strong on the off-side as he advanced towards his half-century.

Toss rule not working – Malan

Middlesex’s captain Dawid Malan welcomed a calmer Lord’s pitch which allowed his batsmen to set up victory.
“It was probably back to an old-school Lord’s wicket and that suits the way we play,” he said. “It’s nice for guys to play on a wicket where they can trust their defences and get runs.
Middlesex’s batsmen have made only four Championship hundreds all season, despite most of them being pushed at some time or other for England recognition.
“It showed that if we do play as well as we can in conditions that suit us, we can get big scores and win games,” Malan said. “A lot of good players have struggled this year when the conditions were really tough.
“I think we’ve got to make up our minds whether we want to have a heavy roller or a toss rule. The toss rule was brought in to aid spinners and we haven’t played a spinner in several games at Lord’s this year. So if the rule was brought in to help spinners, it isn’t working.”

It was Murtagh who made the breakthrough for Middlesex, tempting Luis Reece (12) into the hook shot and Ethan Bamber held a tricky catch at deep square leg.The home side continued to take wickets at regular intervals, with James Harris trapping Wayne Madsen leg before and Martin Andersson finding the outside edge of Alex Hughes before lunch.Although a brief downpour delayed the resumption, Murtagh struck again with his first ball of the afternoon, having Harvey Hosein caught behind as Derbyshire’s scoring rate slowed dramatically.At the other end, Bamber bowled a tight, consistent spell, and deservedly collected the wicket of first-innings centurion Matt Critchley, pinned in front of his stumps for eight as the visitors slid to 123 for 5.Gary Wilson proved slightly harder to dislodge, sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of exactly 50 with Godleman before Harris sent his off stump flying with the next delivery.With Derbyshire 189 for 6 at tea, every result remained possible heading into the final session – but Middlesex soon cemented their advantage by capturing the remaining four wickets inside half an hour.Murtagh’s first delivery of the session proved lethal once again, with Anuj Dal leg before for 14, and Bamber (3-35) then removed Hardus Viljoen and Tony Palladino in rapid succession.Godleman did manage to complete the 12th century of his Derbyshire career in style, advancing down the wicket to drive Murtagh for a six over long-off.But Derbyshire’s cause was well and truly lost by then and Murtagh sealed the result by bowling last man Lockie Ferguson.

Stevie Eskinazi’s career-best, unbeaten 178 was the mainstay for Middlesex as they ground to within striking distance of Warwickshire

Jon Culley at Edgbaston04-Jul-2017
ScorecardStevie Eskinazi made a career-best 178 to carry the fight for Middlesex•Getty Images

The considerable fillip Warwickshire drew from dismissing Sam Robson for a third-ball duck was counterbalanced by a century from Stevie Eskinazi in which the South Africa-born batsman produced some good, aggressive strokeplay but also had to show some gritty qualities and ride his luck.Eskinazi, whose 157 against Yorkshire at Scarborough this time last year was one of the key innings of Middlesex’s title-winning season, doubled his tally of career first-class centuries to four with his second of this season, consolidating his position as leading run-scorer.Although born in Johannesburg, Eskinazi has an English mother and a Zimbabwe-born father and after playing some junior cricket in Hampshire moved with his family to Perth, in Western Australia, where he played representative state cricket at under-17 and under-19.Goodness knows where that leaves him in terms of nationality, although that is a matter for another day. For the moment, he is unbeaten on 178, having overtaken his Scarborough scored to guarantee himself a new career-best with his 23rd four after more than five hours at the crease.By the close, against the team propping up the table and desperate to find a first win, he had hit 24 fours and pulled Boyd Rankin for three sixes, which were impressive statistics, although he had been well into three figures before he began to look properly comfortable.At times earlier he had looked anything but, as was illustrated, even on 116 and 124 against a ball that was 55 overs old, when he twice edged Rankin to the boundary through gaps in the cordon.Another difficult over earlier in the day had seen Rikki Clarke beat him twice but somehow miss the stumps. There was a close call on a run-out too and, not long afterwards, a sharp chance offered to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose when Jeetan Patel entered the attack after 31 overs and Eskinazi was on 56.All of that followed a massive appeal for a catch in the gully off the first ball he faced, which was turned down on the basis that the deflection was off pads only.How different the day might have been had the finger gone up at that moment, given that Keith Barker, spearing the ball in from around the wicket, had dismissed Robson leg-before with the immediately previous delivery. Robson has twice hit a double-hundred against Warwickshire.But if he was lucky at times, Eskinazi might reasonably claim he earned it on a pitch of unreliable bounce that had a nasty surprise in store for a number of batsman.Earlier in the day, Barker had been denied a half-century with the bat when he was deceived into playing too soon at a ball from Tim Murtagh, connecting with a leading edge. Murtagh, going down low in his follow-through, took a good return catch.Nick Compton suffered in a more painful way, hit first in the box and then on the inside of the left knee by balls that did not get up. The second blow forced him to retire on 12, although he was able to return after the fall of the next wicket, when Patel’s second ball accounted for Dawid Malan, who went back to cut but could only nudge the ball into the gloves of Ambrose, who this time held the chance, albeit none too tidily.Like Nick Gubbins, who was left out of this match through lack of runs, Compton has not had a productive season. It would have been a toss up between the two of them as to who stood aside to make way for Robson’s return from the Lions. Compton’s hundred against Essex last week came at just the right moment.He did not look vastly more on top of things in his second spell at the crease and had reached 33 when Clarke returned for a new spell and had him caught behind off a thin edge with his second delivery.That left Middlesex 195 for 3, following which a terrific catch from Matt Lamb at point in the next over ensured Paul Stirling’s stay was brief, the 20-year-old hanging on to a full-blooded cut off Rankin.After a mostly sunny day, Patel increasingly came into his own deep into the final session, when he had John Simpson caught off bat and pad at short leg and Ryan Higgins caught behind, feathering a catch after shaping to cut.Spin could become a bigger factor still on the last two days, so Middlesex will look to Eskinazi to squeeze out a few more runs yet to give them a lead.

Teams batting first have made 290-plus totals in six of the last nine ODIs at the venue

Hemant Brar16-Jul-20224:50

Jaffer: Shikhar Dhawan needs to come good

Big picture

The last time India came away from a multi-format tour of Australia, England, New Zealand or South Africa without a series loss in any format was in 2018-19 in Australia. To find the next-most-recent instance, one will have to go all the way back to 1986, when India drew their ODI series in England 1-1, and won the Test series 2-0.On Sunday, India will have an opportunity to add to that list. Yes, they lost the Edgbaston Test on this trip but the Test series, which began last year, ended at 2-2. Then they clinched the T20I series 2-1 with their new, attacking approach. Can they produce the same result in the ODIs as well?Related

• Shikhar Dhawan to lead India in West Indies ODIs

• Rohit Sharma bats for Virat Kohli again amid 'slump' talk

• Rohit Sharma wants India to be more positive in tricky chases

• Harry Brook, Phil Salt, Matt Parkinson released for Finals Day by England

While England may not be aware of India’s touring record, they, and their captain Jos Buttler, will not want to start the post-Eoin-Morgan era with defeats in both white-ball series, that too at home.Both teams, however, need to do better with the bat. In the first ODI, England were bundled out for 110. In the second, India only managed 146 in a chase of 247. One strategy could be to see out the new ball – in both games, the eventual losing team all but lost the match in the first ten overs of their innings. Another thing that should provide some relief to the batters is the fact that Old Trafford, the venue for the third ODI, has seen some high totals in the recent past.

Form guide

England WLWWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LWWWWJason Roy’s form will be a concern for England•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

Jason Roy epitomised England’s aggressive approach under Morgan. But in his last five outings, the first three in T20Is and the next two in ODIs, he has scored 4, 0, 27 (off 26 balls), 0, 23 (off 33 balls). While he has continued to show the intent to go hard from the get-go, the results have been missing. With England’s white-ball bench strength arguably at its all-time peak, Roy will know he needs an impactful knock sooner rather than later.Virat Kohli will always be in the spotlight – whether he is scoring runs, not scoring runs, or replying to Babar Azam on Twitter. But the focus will also be on Shikhar Dhawan, who scored an unbeaten 31 at The Oval but consumed 54 balls while doing so and looked less than convincing. In the second ODI at Lord’s, he was out for 9 off 26 balls. He was been named the ODI captain for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, but at 36, his long-term place in the side could be in danger if his form doesn’t improve.

Team news

England have released Harry Brook, Phil Salt and Matt Parkinson for the T20 Blast Finals Day. While the trio will be back in Manchester for the ODI, they are unlikely to play. England didn’t make any changes after a ten-wicket drubbing in the first ODI, so it’s unlikely they’ll tinker with the side that gave them a 100-run win in the second.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Craig Everton, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Reece Topley.Despite Dhawan’s struggles, India may still persist with him. They could, though, bring in Shardul Thakur for Prasidh Krishna to extend their batting because No. 8 feels at least one slot too high for Mohammed Shami. Thakur may also be better-suited than hit-the-deck Prasidh to exploit the swing that the new Kookaburra has offered so far on the tour.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Prasidh Krishna/Shardul Thakur.Prasidh Krishna could make way for Shardul Thakur if India want to lengthen their batting•PA Photos/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions

Given its big boundaries and a dry square, Old Trafford is generally the best pitch for spin in the country. The UK’s weather office has issued a warning for “extreme heat”, but one would assume a peak temperature of 30°C would not affect India too much. That, though, could mean the pitch assists the spinners even more.

Stats and trivia

• In the last nine ODIs played at Old Trafford, teams batting first have posted 290-plus totals on six occasions.
• Teams batting first have won eight of those last nine ODIs at this venue.
• Moeen Ali is 20 short of 2000 ODI runs. He also has 91 wickets to his name.

Quote

“I’m expecting a pretty good atmosphere in Manchester – almost like an away game really. But that’s the thing you want to practise, especially with a World Cup in October [in Australia] – you want those win-or-you-are-out-of-it sort of games.”

Given he is also keeping wickets, it is possible Bancroft could be included in any one of three ways in the Australian side: as an opener, No. 6 batsman or gloveman

Daniel Brettig13-Nov-2017Getty Images

Cameron Bancroft built a near undeniable case for Ashes selection by adding another innings of real substance to his Sheffield Shield ledger against South Australia at the WACA Ground.Pushed as a candidate by his state coach Justin Langer, Bancroft batted throughout day one to finish on an unbeaten 161, aided by a freewheeling 95 from the Western Australia captain Mitchell Marsh.Given he is also keeping wickets, it is possible Bancroft could be included in any one of three ways in the Australian side: as an opener, No. 6 batsman or gloveman. Either way, he is fitting the definition of “banging the door down” the selectors have been looking for.There were less glad tidings for Shaun Marsh, Hilton Cartwright and the returning Marcus Stoinis. All made starts before being dismissed, Marsh dragging on, Cartwright bowled between bat and pad, and Stoinis caught behind.SA’s bowlers were largely unable to stem the scoring rate, though the wicketkeeper Alex Carey claimed a pair of catches and the recalled Kane Richardson was economical.

Malinda Pushpakumara claimed a 13-wicket haul and then hit the winning runs as Sri Lanka A completed a dash to victory in Dambulla to square the unofficial Test series with England Lions

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2017
ScorecardLiam Livingstone scored centuries in each innings for England Lions, but to no avail•England & Wales Cricket Board

Malinda Pushpakumara claimed a 13-wicket haul and then hit the winning runs as Sri Lanka A completed a dash to victory in Dambulla to square the unofficial Test series with England Lions.Needing 90 to win during the final session, having been defied for much of the day by Liam Livingstone’s second hundred in the match, Sri Lanka A lost wickets regularly but did enough to hold off the Lions’ unlikely tilt at snatching victory. Udara Jayasundera made 32 off 36 and Dhananjaya de Silva, Sri Lanka A’s captain, 23 off 13 to bring the target in sight before Pushpakumara finished the job after a late wobble.The Lions began the final day still 163 runs in arrears and were grateful for Livingstone’s painstaking, unbeaten 140; in all he batted for seven-and-a-half hours in the match, becoming only the second batsman after Kevin Pietersen to score a century in each innings of a first-class match for England Lions (or their predecessors, England A and England B).Ben Foakes was the only other Lions batsman to pass 20, though, as the Sri Lanka A spinners worked their way through the order. Pushpakumara claimed 5 for 78 to go with his eight-wicket haul in the first innings, finally leaving Livingstone stranded when he bowled Jack Leach for 1 after a dogged 12-over, last-wicket stand.Tom Curran threatened to spark an upset, taking the first four wickets to fall. Sri Lanka A were 34 for 3 when first-innings centurion Sadeera Samarawickrama was dismissed but Jayasundera and de Silva added 34 in 4.2 overs to regain the momentum.The stand was broken by Curran and then Sri Lanka A lost three wickets for four runs to Leach and Ollie Rayner to leave them 82 for 7. When Dimuth Karunaratne, batting down at No. 6 after making a career-best 212 at opener in the first innings, was caught behind off Rayner, Foakes had ten victims in the match – including a couple of stumpings off Leach – to set a new Lions record. But with the skies remaining clear, Pushpakumara and Jeffrey Vandersay got Sri Lanka A over the line with five overs to spare.”It was a valuable experience for all of us,” Lions coach Andy Flower said. “There were some outstanding performances in the game, and the primary examples of that were Ben Foakes, mainly with his wicketkeeping, and Liam Livingstone.””I know Bruce French, our lead wicketkeeping coach, was really proud watching Foakes’s performance, because he’s put in so many hours with Ben over the years, and the culmination of that was a real artist’s performance with the gloves. Ten dismissals, but they were good dismissals – it’s not like they were all straightforward nicks. A number of them were standing up to the wicket, both stumpings and catches, and he took one of the best catches I’ve seen from a wicketkeeper diving to his right – and that was in the 128th over.”The other standout was Livingstone, in both innings. I really enjoyed watching both innings, and one of the most enjoyable things was he looks like he’s growing quite quickly as a player. Some of the things he’s been working on in the training camps seem to have come to the fore in his play of spin. It was a really great performance on a typical subcontinental wicket – dusty, turned a bit, skidded a bit, he had to bat for long periods against spinners operating from both ends, where the slightest mistake could mean you’re out. He showed the tactics and the skill to manage that.”After the Lions had resumed on 32 for 2, Vandersay made the opening breakthrough by bowling Tom Westley for 12. Keaton Jennings was then stumped off Pushpakumara, giving the left-armer his tenth in the match, but Livingstone and Foakes combined to hold up the home side during a partnership of 107 in 36 overs.Foakes fell to the final ball before lunch, edging Pushpakumara to slip, and the Curran brothers were both dismissed in single figures with the Lions still in deficit. Livingstone continued to play with authority, however, reaching his fourth first-class hundred off 156 balls, with 11 fours and a six.In partnership with Toby Roland-Jones, Livingstone eked the Lions into a lead, before Rayner and Leach helped add valuable extra runs but with extra time available to make up for overs lost on days two and three, Sri Lanka A were not to be denied.

Struggling against the short ball, Afghanistan slumped to 135 all out, but Rashid Khan ensured West Indies’ chase would be far from straightforward

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGulbadin Naib scored 51 and took two wickets•AFP

Stung by their 63-run defeat in the first ODI, West Indies hit back via their fast bowlers, who exposed Afghanistan’s frailties against the short ball as they slid to 135 all out. West Indies’ batting, though, isn’t without frailties of its own, and Rashid Khan, responsible for bowling them out for 149 on Friday, caused yet another serious wobble with his zippy, stump-to-stump legbreaks and googlies. Afghanistan’s total, though, proved a fair way short of matchwinning as Shai Hope held a shaky chase together and steered West Indies to a series-levelling four-wicket win.Afghanistan could perhaps have pushed West Indies even closer with more aggressive tactics. Asghar Stanikzai, their captain, only brought Rashid on in the seventh over, by which time Evin Lewis and Kieran Powell had already knocked 37 off the target.Rashid struck in his first over, getting Powell to nick a googly to slip, and went around the wicket in his third over to trap Lewis lbw with another perfectly pitched wrong ‘un. This was high-quality bowling, and West Indies’ batsmen, unsure of which way the ball would turn, were stabbing nervously at him with leaden feet. Stanikzai, though, took Rashid off the attack after only a five-over spell.Gulbadin Naib, who had already made a sizeable contribution by scoring his third ODI fifty, then brought Afghanistan more cheer with his medium-pace, dismissing Jonathan Carter – who showed poor judgment while cutting – and Jason Mohammed – who failed to keep a cut down – in his first three overs.With West Indies four down, Stanikzai brought Rashid back after only two overs from Amir Hamza. Hope and Roston Chase played out the legspinner’s sixth and seventh overs, but he struck again with the last ball of his eighth, flighting it wide of off stump and inviting the drive. Dip deceived Chase into reaching for the ball, turn made him miss it, and all of that unbalanced him enough to drag him out of his crease. Afsar Zazai’s lightning hands did the rest behind the stumps.By then, though, West Indies only needed 38, and only needed one reasonable partnership. Hope and Rovman Powell provided that, and Jason Holder applied the necessary touch of urgency at the finish.Apart from Naib’s 51, there was little to cheer for Afghanistan when they batted, and their batsmen played no role in West Indies’ only real moments of concern, with Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph spending brief spells off the field nursing injuries. Gabriel walked off four legal balls into his sixth over, clutching his left side, while Joseph hurt his ankle while stumbling over the advertising hoardings in a failed attempt to flick a hook from Rashid back into play.Having chosen to bat once again, Afghanistan made a cautious start – Noor Ali Zadran shouldered arms to every ball of the sixth over, bowled by Holder – and moved to 21 for 0 in seven overs before the short ball found its first victim. Holder got one to lift towards Noor’s helmet, and the batsman, fending awkwardly, popped back a return catch.A mix-up at the end of the same over, which left Ahmadi and Rahmat Shah stranded at the same end, was quickly followed by Rahmat top-edging a hook off Gabriel to the fielder at long leg. Afghanistan had lost three wickets in 11 balls. Gabriel struck again in his next over, this time with a fuller length, the umpire ruling Samiullah Shenwari out lbw even though the ball seemed to be slanting down the leg side.West Indies introduced Alzarri Joseph in the 13th over, and he immediately set about peppering Stanikzai and Nabi with bouncers. Neither survived the test. Stanikzai was unlucky to receive the ball of the innings, angled in wickedly and rising head-high while giving him no time to react.Naib, expecting another short ball first up, ducked at what turned out to be a good-length delivery outside off. Exceedingly nervy at the start of his innings, he calmed down as Joseph, bowling a six-over spell, lost some of his sting, and West Indies called upon the offspin of Ashley Nurse and the gentle medium-pace of Rovman Powell.Naib grew comfortable enough to launch a rare full ball from Joseph over the long-on boundary, but that aside, runs came in a trickle. Zazai crawled to 9 off 33 before stepping out and nicking Roston Chase to slip. Then Rashid, having top-edged a hook over deep backward square leg, fell trying a similar shot next ball, only managing a nick to the keeper.Naib, looking to farm the strike, began finding the straight boundary with greater frequency, but couldn’t keep the tail away from the strike entirely. Dawlat Zadran slogged Nurse to deep midwicket, and a couple of overs later Naib, having just reached his fifty, gave Nurse his second wicket, holing out to long-off.

The win helps Royal Challengers Bangalore consolidate fourth position on the points table

Deivarayan Muthu08-May-20223:38

Vettori: Malik must study batters like they might study him

Virat Kohli bagged his third golden duck this IPL, but strong hands from Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to 192 for 3. In reply, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost both their openers, Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma, for ducks and eventually careened to their fourth successive defeat after having won five in a row.It was Patidar, promoted to No. 3, who began the repair job before du Plessis cranked up the tempo during their 105-run partnership off 73 balls. Karthik then shellacked 30 off a mere eight balls, including a sequence of 6, 6, 6, 4 off the last four balls, to give the innings a rousing finish.The momentum seamlessly shifted towards Royal Challengers in the middle and end overs as a depleted Sunrisers attack, which was missing T Natarajan and Washington Sundar, was left scrambling for an extra option. Umran Malik bowled only two overs for 25, with Abhishek pitching in for the other two.Rahul Tripathi battled with a 37-ball 58 but the regular fall of wickets at the other end and the rapidly rising asking rate was too much to overcome. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga benefited from that scoreboard pressure and came away with 5 for 18 to seal a net-run-rate boosting victory for Royal Challengers.Patidar, du Plessis step up after Kohli wicket
The first ball of the match, from J Suchith, was just short of a leg-stump half-volley and Kohli simply chipped it into the hands of Williamson at short midwicket. Just like that, Williamson snuck in a two-run first over from the left-arm fingerspinner.Rajat Patidar and Faf du Plessis took care of the powerplay after Virat Kohli’s early fall•BCCI

Royal Challengers’ response was to bump up Patidar. After quietly knocking the ball into the gaps, he made everyone sit up and take notice when he swatted a Bhuvneshwar Kumar legcutter off the front foot over wide long-on for six in the fourth over. Patidar was responsible for 23 of the 47 runs Royal Challengers put together in the powerplay.Malik has been Sunrisers’ enforcer in the middle overs, but du Plessis tucked into him in his first over, hitting him for two fours and six off successive deliveries. The second four could’ve instead been a wicket had Tripathi held on to a fairly tough chance at midwicket.du Plessis also took a liking to the extra pace of Kartik Tyagi and raised a 34-ball half-century after being on 9 off 13 balls at one stage. The first two overs of Mailk and Tyagi produced a combined 37 runs. Patidar fell two short of his fifty when he dragged Suchith straight to deep midwicket.Maxwell, Karthik play sparkling cameos
Glenn Maxwell announced himself with a switch-hit six second ball, off Suchith, and then belted Malik through the covers for four. When Bhuvneshwar marginally missed his yorker, Maxwell got underneath the length and walloped him for six. When Tyagi put one on a similar length, Maxwell swung for the hills, but this time he picked out Aiden Markram in the outfield.Karthik came to the crease in the 19th over, and the options Sunrisers had for the last over were Malik and Fazalhaq Farooqi, the Afghanistan left-arm seamer who was playing his first IPL game.Wanindu Hasaranga struck with his second ball when he sent back Aiden Markram•BCCI

Williamson sided with Farooqi but under pressure, he ditched the slower balls for the on-pace deliveries, which were right up Karthik’s alley. Farooqi could’ve cut short Karthik’s knock at 8 had Tripathi held on to a more straightforward chance at deep midwicket. However, Tripathi let the ball burst through his hands and land on the boundary cushions. Karthik pounded two more sixes and a four on the next three balls to ensure Royal Challengers got an above-par total.The start
Sunrisers had a terrible start to their chase, losing both Williamson and Abhishek for ducks. While Williamson was run out without facing a ball, Abhishek was castled by a slider from Maxwell. The double blow left Sunrisers at 1 for 2 in the first over. Markram struggled to 17 off 19 balls in the powerplay, which brought 39 for Sunrisers overall.The endgame

Tripathi showed his range by helping Josh Hazlewood over short fine leg for four, scoop-sweeping Shahbaz Ahmed for another four in the same region and launching Mohammed Siraj over extra-cover for six. However, Hasaranga picked off one batter after another at the other end to offset Tripathi’s blows.When Tripathi fell to Hazlewood in the 16th over, Sunrisers needed 79 off 26 balls. They were bundled out for 125 with four balls unused in their innings.