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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.

West Indies allrounder Andre Russell has admitted he has not yet performed to his standard in the Pakistan Super League so far, having scored 77 runs and taken eight wickets in seven games

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Feb-2016West Indies allrounder Andre Russell has admitted he has not yet performed to his standard in the Pakistan Super League so far. Russell has scored 77 runs and taken eight wickets in seven matches for Islamabad United. On the eve of the eliminator against Karachi Kings, Russell said he had a clear goal: to “raise the bat” and keep Islamabad’s hopes of making the inaugural final alive.”I still haven’t done whatever I want to. I still haven’t achieved what I want to achieve as yet playing for Islamabad,” Russell told ESPNcricinfo on Friday. “And as of tomorrow I want to start that. I know whenever I go to bat, people are expecting big sixes and me to raise my bat. I haven’t raised my bat in months now. And I want to start that tomorrow.”Russell was named the Man of the Series of the IPL last year, where he played for Kolkata Knight Riders. He was also one of the best allrounders in the recently concluded Big Bash League, where his team Sydney Thunder won for the first time. His overall strike rate in T20s is 166.89, the highest among all 2000-plus run-getters. Still, Russell admits he is not the finished product.Despite his on-field performances not being spectacular, Russell said the PSL has been a good learning experience. “I know for sure by the time I leave, I’m going to learn a lot about how to play against left-arm orthodox. These teams have a lot of these spinners, boy. Even in the nets you would see them.”Even though Russell has been occasionally limited against spinners, he believes his game can overcome those obstacles. “At the end of the day playing spin is crucial in any form of the game, but in T20 cricket I don’t worry about spinners. I would prefer to bat spin more than pace. I love when the ball coming on (to the bat), but I would be more confident playing a shot against a spinner because I know that I have nothing to fear. If he spins the ball, he’ll beat me. Alright, he beat me. If I hit him for six, I win. I can sweep, but with my power I don’t really need to sweep sometime. But I can sweep to rotate strike.”Russell also said he was impressed by the emerging talent on show in the PSL. “A lot of talent in the PSL. This reminds me of playing in the Caribbean where you see so many (talented) guys. I ask a lot of of local guys here ‘Does this guy plays for Pakistan? I think he should play for Pakistan’ Russell said.

Andy Flower has praised the captaincy of Alastair Cook as a crucial factor in England’s success in the Investec Ashes.

George Dobell13-Aug-2013Andy Flower has praised the captaincy of Alastair Cook as a crucial factor in England’s success in the Investec Ashes. England secured a series win over Australia in Durham on Monday and are now unbeaten in their last 12 Tests and last four series since Cook was appointed.While Flower, the England team director, admitted the side had not played to their true potential over the first four matches of the series, he was full of praise for the team’s attitude and the calm direction provided by Cook.”I don’t think we’ve played our best cricket in the series,” Flower said. “But what we have done is been resilient. We’ve held ourselves well in pressure situations.”Cook’s captaincy has been excellent: strong in the dressing room and out in the field. He made some decisions that turned the game, such as bringing on Bresnan, who got Warner straight away. He’s been maligned in some areas, I’ve heard. I’m not sure what is said off the field but we judge ourselves by our own standards.”As a Test captain he is still a young man but he has led the side brilliantly. He’s a strong leader and he’s made some really good decisions in this Test series.”Cook’s leadership has been heavily criticised by some, with former Australian legspinner Shane Warne a persistent negative voice. Indeed, Warne took to Twitter on Monday to say: “Cook is having a horror with his captaincy in the last two Tests. He set the tone early being very defensive and negative today.”Warne was also critical of the decision to bring Bresnan back into the attack on the fourth afternoon of the game. But Bresnan claimed the breakthrough wicket of David Warner with the fourth delivery of a fine six-over spell that also included the wicket of Shane Watson.Flower also praised the contribution of Stuart Broad, who claimed 11 wickets in the match and produced a top-class spell on the fourth day as England claimed nine wickets after tea. But he admitted the Ashes tour to Australia will present further challenges and require England to adapt.”It was nice being part of that afternoon session where Broad and Cook turned things around for us,” Flower said. “Broad’s spell of bowling was outstanding, showing real competitiveness, flair, nous and heart. They are all great qualities that reside in some of these very fine players.”Playing in Australia will be a bigger challenge and we’ve already got some of our planning in operation. It will be a tough series and conditions will be very different. South Africa went there last winter and nearly lost to a very similar team to the one we’ve faced.”We won in India last winter and that was a good example of adapting to very different conditions. We’ll have to do that in Australia if we are to thrive out there.”

Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2012Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford because he was stuck on the train from London but the club remain ‘disappointed’ by the situation.Morgan was caught in disruption on the London to Manchester line from Euston station and did not make it to the ground in time for the toss which forced Middlesex to leave him out of the side for what as a key match with semi-final places at stake.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said lessons will need to be learned. “We are disappointed and frustrated it happened. It was an important match for us,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ll have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”However, Fraser also suggested that because Morgan is still employed by the ECB on a central contact that it would be quite difficult for Middlesex to discipline him as he is not contracted to them.The majority of Middlesex’s squad travelled north on Sunday evening following the abandoned game against Leicestershire at Uxbridge although a couple of players were allowed to drive up on the morning of game. Fraser said the club were aware that Morgan wanted to take the train.During his lengthy journey, Morgan tweeted: “Just the 7 hours to Manchester… not sure the train is an option any more!!”He arrived shortly after the scheduled start time at Old Trafford, ironically as rain was falling so Middlesex’s innings had been suspended, and watched from the dressing room. The game was curtailed to a 16-over aside match and Middlesex could only muster 97 for 8 with Lancashire chasing a slightly revised target with ease.The result left both teams level on eight points but Lancashire jumped ahead of Middlesex by virtue of having four victories to Middlesex’s three. Morgan’s travel disruption could yet prove very costly for the county.

A defiant century by Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale carried his side to safety against County Championship leaders Durham as the rain-shortened match was shortened at Chester-le-Street

21-Jun-2011
Scorecard
A defiant century by Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale carried his side to safety against County Championship leaders Durham as the rain-shortened match was shortened at Chester-le-Street.Gale’s second century of the season came off 192 balls and he was unbeaten on 101 at the close of play with Yorkshire 57 ahead on 280 for 4. But they took only two bonus points from the match, compared with Durham’s maximum of eight, and slipped to next to bottom courtesy of Worcestershire’s win against Hampshire.Adam Lyth made his season’s best score of 69 and the third left-hander, Gary Ballance, contributed 53 to an unbroken stand of 120. The only chance given by either of the fifth-wicket pair came with Ballance on 23, when Gordon Muchall was unable to hang on to a sharp head-high chance just to his left at first slip off Callum Thorp.Gale was very composed in an innings which spanned almost four hours, looking solid in defence while also hitting 15 fours. Durham were not helped by the absence of Paul Collingwood who was ruled out with a groin injury picked up while making a century yesterday.Steve Harmison also looked out of sorts in two wayward six-over spells on a pitch which had lost most of its early life. With a day and a half lost to rain, there was not enough wear in the surface for the spinners to play a big part, although Ian Blackwell did have Lyth stumped to end a stand of 95 with Gale.When Jonny Bairstow was run out two overs later Yorkshire were 160 for four in early afternoon, still 63 adrift. But Durham were flagging by tea, when the visitors were nine runs ahead. Only eight minutes play were lost to a light shower at 11.30 and shortly after the resumption Durham took two wickets.Lyth put on 50 for the first wicket with Joe Root, who made 28 before he fell lbw to a shooter from Graham Onions. Anthony McGrath’s struggles continued when he departed for a duck, following a leg-side ball from Harmison and providing Phil Mustard with a catch.But the only other wobble came with the loss of Lyth and Bairstow in quick succession. Lyth reached 50 off 100 balls, with six fours, by driving Blackwell through extra cover for three. But after adding five to his previous best this season of 64 he stretched forward and was smartly stumped by Mustard.Bairstow’s run out came when he played the ball to mid-wicket and set off before hesitating when Gale was committed. Dale Benkenstein whipped the ball in to beat Bairstow to the non-striker’s end.

At the end of last season Somerset decided Wes Durston had no future at the club and he was left contemplating a career outside the game

Sahil Dutta17-Jun-2010For a 29-year-old who had spent the last eight years of his life playing professional cricket, being dumped by the county that nurtured him since boyhood was a frightening situation. At the end of last season Somerset decided Wes Durston had no future at the club and he was left contemplating a career outside the game.One remarkable innings later his fortunes flipped. He cracked 117 off 68 balls in a chase of 325 in the Clydesdale Bank 40, the highest score by any side batting second in the history of 40-over cricket, to help the Unicorns, an ECB team made up of players outside the professional game, stun defending champions Sussex.He was then promptly snapped up by Derbyshire for the Friends Provident t20 and celebrated by hitting the first century of the tournament – 111 off 59 balls – against Nottinghamshire in his fourth game.”It has been a huge turnaround, I completely didn’t expect it. It was an incredible hour, where I just hit everything cleanly and that one innings against Sussex changed my life effectively,” he told Cricinfo. “Just a few months ago, I was out the game and trying to become a teacher. Suddenly now it’s all non-stop and I’m completely loving it.”Between the 2009 and 2010 seasons a host of players were quietly released by their counties, some finding new opportunities within the county game and others left scrambling outside the profession for new avenues to earn a living.”Losing your contract is a very painful experience,” said Durston. “You imagine yourself playing the game for as long as you can, and then suddenly I was 29 and out the game. It was very, very difficult to take.”In my mid-season appraisal last year there was no indication I’d be out of a contract. The communication from Somerset was really poor.”Durston was lucky enough to have a sports fitness degree to fall back on and had spent the previous four winters teaching hockey and cricket at Millfield school. Yet, despite his qualifications there was no job for him to walk into and it was left to the PCA to help him find his feet.”The PCA were very helpful. Within two weeks of explaining my situation to them they had found me two job interviews,” he said. “They play a crucial role making players seek out courses and work experience while they’re in the game so that when that day comes – an injury or retirement or something – people aren’t lost.”However, there is always that lingering hope for a second chance. Back in the professional game and scoring heavily, Durston’s story is a boon for the ECB, whose Unicorns idea was ridiculed in some quarters when it first emerged.They were little more than a hasty arrangement, invented as a 21st team for the new 40-over competition when Ireland pulled out of English domestic cricket to focus on international commitments. Yet their success, and Durston’s promotion, proves the side can be both competitive and act as a shop-window for prospective players.”I’m obviously the person that has profited most but people can see from my experience that there is a link back to county cricket through the Unicorns,” he said. “We were a fully-fledged team that trained throughout the winter, which meant that by time the game’s came round we had got to know each other quite well, had built up an understanding and had good camaraderie.”We beat Glamorgan and Sussex and proved there is definitely a space for having us in the tournament, that’s two professional clubs with egg on their faces and a feather in the cap for us.”For now though, he has set his sights higher. He wants to play all forms of the game and has been promised that good performances could lead to a full contract for the remainder of this season. If he keeps pummelling runs in Twenty20 cricket, however, even bigger riches may not be far away.

Matthew Breetzke 94 in vain as home side get home in shortened chase

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2024Derbyshire 123 for 3 (Donald 68) beat Northamptonshire 193 for 8 (Breetzke 94, Dupavillon 3-43) by 24 runs (DLS method) A brilliant innings from Aneurin Donald gave Derbyshire Falcons a 24 run win over Northants Steelbacks under Duckworth Lewis Stern in the North Group match at Derby.Donald smashed eight sixes in a 26-ball 68, equalling his own record for Derbyshire’s fastest T20 fifty, to put Falcons ahead of the run rate on 123 for 3 after 11 overs when a violent thunderstorm ended the game.Matthew Breetzke batted superbly to score a T20 best 94 from 54 balls, sharing a stand of 81 with Sikandar Raza, as Steelbacks reached 193 for 8.Rain left Falcons with a revised target of 187 from 19 overs but Donald’s demolition shredded the bowling before David Lloyd (33), and Cam Fletcher kept the home side ahead of the game before the heavens opened.Steelbacks scored only six from the first two overs which included a maiden from Daryn Dupavillon before Breetzke took three fours from Pat Brown.Ricardo Vasconcelos was dropped at cover by Samit Patel off Brown but it did not prove costly as the opener was comprehensively yorked in the fourth over by DuPavillion.Breetzke was finding his range and pulled Zak Chappell into the car park before David Willey dished out the same treatment to Dupavillon. But Dupavillon had the last word by getting Willey to miscue a drive low to mid-off as Steelbacks ended the powerplay on 55 for 2.After a brief stoppage for a sharp shower, Breetzke and Ravi Bopara worked the ball around without taking risks and had put on 48 from 36 balls when Falcons made a big breakthrough.Bopara tried to launch Mitch Wagstaff over the midwicket boundary only for Ross Whiteley to take a well judged catch just inside the ropes.But Breetzke and Raza trod on the accelerator to plunder 79 in five overs as the ball disappeared to all parts. After Breetzke reached 50 from 36 balls, he pulled Brown for six and dispatched Ross Whiteley for another maximum before Raza launched Chappell over the ropes.Breetzke passed his previous highest T20 score of 80 by taking three consecutive fours off Dupavillon before a yorker ended a thrilling innings.Brown and Chappell dragged it back by conceding only 11 from the last two overs in which Steelbacks lost four wickets trying to push towards 200.Falcons needed a fast start and Donald delivered, driving Willey straight for six and pulling and driving Ben Sanderson for two more as they raced to 50 in the fifth over.Donald pulled Raphy Weatherall into the home dugout and smashed a Saif Zaib full toss for six before he launched a no-ball over deep midwicket to reach 50 from 19 balls.He hammered two more off Freddie Heldreich before holing out to long-off in the seventh over but he had done exactly what the situation demanded.Bopara had Wayne Madsen caught behind and Patel was caught at deep square but the Falcons had done enough by the time torrential rain ended the contest.

Bangladesh lose home rubber for first time since 2016 after dominant England performance

Andrew Miller03-Mar-2023England 326 for 7 (Roy 132, Buttler 76) beat Bangladesh 194 (Shakib 58, Curran 4-29, Rashid 4-45) by 132 runs Jason Roy’s 12th ODI century and second in five innings set England on their way to a hefty total of 326 for 7, but Sam Curran’s masterful spell of left-arm swing bowling wrecked any prospect of a contest in the second ODI at Mirpur. His opening burst of three wickets in eight balls condemned Bangladesh to their first bilateral ODI series loss at home since England’s last visit in 2016-17.Adil Rashid picked away at the middle order with 4 for 45 in his ten overs, but the game had been as good as won at 9 for 3 after 14 balls, after Curran – replacing Chris Woakes in the side – bagged Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto for golden ducks in his first over before adding the key scalp of Mushfiqur Rahim for 4. England’s eventual 132-run victory wrapped up a 2-0 series lead with Monday’s third contest in Chattogram still to come, and so secured Jos Buttler’s first ODI series win in five attempts since taking over from Eoin Morgan at the start of the English summer.And if that record seems incongruous given England’s lofty status as dual World Cup-holders, then this was a throwback performance from a team that has been forced by circumstance to put the 50-over format on the back-burner in recent campaigns, but which retains a core of senior players who, on this evidence, will still be a force to be reckoned with come the defence of their title in India this winter.Related

• Apparent Shakib-Tamim issue a big storm in a tea cup

• Malan shows how to play the perfect Mirpur innings

• Malan special guides England home in tense chase

• Moeen: England 'really looking forward' to thriving in packed Mirpur

No England player has had more 50-over exposure since that 2019 final than Roy – he’s featured in 31 of England’s 35 subsequent ODIs, despite struggling for fluency for long tracts of the past 12 months in particular. However, this was a performance that repaid the faith, as he tailored his typically proactive methods to the vagaries of another tacky Mirpur surface, one on which it was tough for all batters to make starts, as four of his top-six colleagues showed in making 24 runs from 54 balls between them.Roy’s own hard-handed approach caused him a few early scares, particularly off the probing seam of Taskin Ahmed whom he edged short of slip and past his own stumps inside the powerplay. However, his determination not to be cowed by the conditions was the defining aspect of a magnificent innings of 132 from 124 balls. In all he struck 18 fours and a six before falling lbw to Shakib Al Hasan, by which stage he had added a crucial stand of 109 in 15.3 mid-innings overs with Buttler, who went on to make 76 from 64 in a typically understated expression of his class in tricky conditions.Between them, England’s senior pair covered off the entirety of England’s first 44 overs, whereupon Moeen Ali and Curran applied a final flourish to a relay-race of an innings, crashing 75 off 54 balls between them as England added 106 more runs in their final ten overs.Jos Buttler rolls out the reverse-sweep•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Bangladesh’s captain Tamim Iqbal hadn’t bargained for conceding the first 300-plus total at Mirpur in five years when he won the toss and inserted England, although had Roy not taken a leaf out of Dawid Malan’s one-man show from the first ODI, his gambit might well have paid off. Roy’s opening partner Phil Salt managed four scoring shots in a 15-ball stay before fencing Taskin low to Shanto at slip, while the introduction of Mehidy Hasan Miraz did for Malan this time, as he played back to his second ball to be pinned plumb lbw for 11.And though Roy kept busy to keep the score ticking, England were in danger of stalling at 96 for 3 in the 21st over, after Taijul Islam had combined with his fellow spinner Mehidy to tie down the new man, James Vince, eventually luring him outside his eyeline with extra flight and bounce to induce a nick to the keeper for 5 from 16.Buttler, however, arrived in a mood to get things moving, with a reverse-sweep for four in the same Taijul over, and continued to work the angles to pick off the spinners with minimum risk before greeting the extra pace of Mustafizur Rahman with a sweetly-struck cover drive to bring up the fifty partnership.That was the signal for England to pick up their tempo. In Mehidy’s next over, Roy took him down the ground for the first time in the match, with a free-flowing golf swing over long-on for six, and eased through to his hundred from 104 balls in Mustafizur’s next over, with a measured pull out through midwicket.Jason Roy hits over the top•AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Roy celebrated with a punch of the air but overall his reaction was muted – perhaps an indication of the struggles he’s endured in recent months, with no scores above fifty in last year’s series against India, South Africa and Australia, and a total of 14 runs from 32 balls in three innings since appearing to rediscover his touch in the opening ODI against South Africa in January.After his century, however, Roy relocated the sort of freedom that has characterised his most domineering displays. England went to drinks with their platform set at 165 for 3, whereupon he crashed five fours in his next 12 balls, including three in an over from the previously threatening Taskin – the last of them a full-toss that wriggled through the sliding Mahmudullah at deep midwicket, as Bangladesh’s heads started to drop.Shakib struck back in his next over, pinning Roy lbw on the sweep as he attempted one forcing shot too many, whereupon Will Jacks also discovered how difficult it can be to force the pace on this surface, as he climbed through a clip off his pads off Taskin and lobbed a simple catch to midwicket for 1 from 4.At 219 for 5 after 40 overs, however, Buttler took up the cudgels for himself. He clipped Taskin with sublime timing through midwicket to reach his fifty from exactly 50 balls, and after powering England past 250 with back-to-back sixes off Mehidy, it took a brilliant return catch one ball later to cut him off in his prime, as Mehidy stooped low in front of the non-striker’s stumps to cling onto another firm bash down the ground.Moeen, however, got the memo, carting Mehidy for two more vast sixes over deep midwicket in his next over, en route to a bruising knock of 42 from 35, and when he mistimed a clip to midwicket, Curran clattered through the death overs, with a brace of final-over sixes to finish unbeaten on 33 from 19.Sam Curran wheels away in celebration during his new-ball burst•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

That was just the warm-up act as far as Curran was concerned. Armed with the new ball (and with a headline act at the IPL to warm up for) he tore a swathe through Bangladesh’s top order, with a series of ball-on-a-string outswingers that confounded all attempts to negate him. Das threw his hands through the full length to scuff a drive high to point, Shanto opted for a block but was scuppered by half a bat’s width of movement, before Mushfiqur attempted a back-foot punch and was sent on his way after Buttler reviewed a feather into his gloves.Shakib and Tamim rebuilt as best they could in a fourth-wicket stand of 79, but England offered them little room for manoeuvre. Tamim had ground along to 35 from 65 when he attempted to launch Moeen over long-on but picked out Vince inside the rope, and when Shakib holed out to mid-off to give Adil Rashid the first of his four wickets, there could be no recourse. In the course of his spell, Rashid overhauled Stuart Broad to become England’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs – still some way shy of James Anderson’s seemingly unassailable record, of course, but a nice way to get back to the day-job after his uncomfortable afternoon on the (virtual) witness stand on Thursday.And though he went wicketless in his nine overs, the sight of Saqib Mahmood, back in the team for the first time since suffering a stress fracture of the back last year, capped an uplifting evening for Buttler’s men. They may be running out of opportunities to finetune their World Cup plans but, on this evidence, they aren’t as short of matchwinners as their recent results have implied.

Gayle chipped in with a 45-ball 51 as well as Sylhet were shut out of the BPL playoff race

Mohammad Isam08-Feb-2022How the match played outFortune Barishal ended Sylhet Sunrisers’ hopes of a place in the BPL playoffs, beating them by 12 runs. After putting together a formidable 199 for 4 batting first, Barishal waited out Colin Ingram’s 49-ball 90 before closing out the game with tight overs in the second half of the chase.Shakib Al Hasan once again turned in an all-round performance, but this time it was his 2 for 23 from four overs that made more of a difference. His fourth over going for three runs helped Barishal turn the corner, before part-timer Najmul Hossain Shanto removed the well-set Ingram and Mizanur Rahman off consecutive balls to put the pressure back on Sylhet.The win solidified Barishal’s position on top of the table with 13 points from nine games. Sylhet remain rooted at the bottom after their sixth defeat in eight outings.Big hitBarishal’s batters combined to hit 14 sixes, the most in an innings in this season’s BPL. Munim Shahriar started the big-hitting by taking 17 runs off Sohag Gazi in the first over. He struck three sixes and six fours, reaching his maiden BPL fifty off just 26 balls.Shakib continued the run-spree with his 19-ball 38, hitting four sixes over midwicket, backward square leg and wide long-off. All this time, Gayle bided his time at the other end, playing a supporting role. He struck his first six in the 16th over, and although he went on to score a fifty, it was Dwayne Bravo towards the end who did actual damage. Bravo struck four sixes, one sliced off Shiraz Ahmed, and the others conventional over long-off and wide long-on.The left-handed Ingram gave Sylhet a brilliant start by hitting ten fours in the powerplay overs, the most by any batter this season. Six of those fours were off the usually economical Mujeeb Ur Rahman.Ingram reached his second BPL fifty in no time, as he crashed Mehedi Hasan Rana for 21 runs in the 10th over. He struck four boundaries, all along the carpet on the offside, bringing down the required run-rate below ten for the first and only time, in the chase.But a combination of Shakib, Bravo, Ziaur Rahman and Shanto made all the difference for Barishal.Big missSylhet leaked a lot of runs, mainly due to left-arm quick Shiraz who had an outing to forget. He conceded 56 runs in four wicketless overs. The Barishal batters took a liking to his pace, it seemed, hitting him for five sixes and three fours. It is the worst bowling figures in the BPL this season, beating Taskin Ahmed’s 1 for 53 from four overs. In his second game for Sylhet, Shiraz remains without a wicket in the tournament.Mujeeb also had an off-day, giving away 40 runs in four wicketless overs. It was rare to see the mystery bowler go for so many, with Ingram hitting him for six fours in the powerplay. Some of the fours were streaky, but Mujeeb was certainly knocked off his length by the left-hander.

Woakes, Archer, Sam Curran claim three wickets each as Australia crumble

Valkerie Baynes13-Sep-2020England 231 for 9 (Morgan 42, Zampa 3-36) beat Australia 207 (Finch 73, Labuschagne 48, Woakes 3-32, Archer 3-34, S Curran 3-35) by 24 runsEngland’s bowlers answered every question asked of them to snatch an unlikely victory and level the series 1-1 as Australia capitulated in the second ODI at Emirates Old Trafford.Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer gave England every hope of avoiding their first bilateral ODI series defeat at home since 2015 by claiming three crucial wickets each before Sam Curran chimed in with three wickets of his own after a staggering Australian collapse to seal the win and keep the series alive going into Wednesday’s final encounter.Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne put on 107 for the third wicket to build on the solid foundation set by Australia’s bowlers, who restricted England until a late partnership worth 76 between Rashid and Tom Curran gave the hosts something to bowl at.Chasing 232 for victory after England had won the toss, Australia stumbled to 37 for 2 and then lost four wickets in the space of 21 balls – three of them to Woakes – to give England more than a sniff of the victory which had seemed so distant after their performance with the bat and again when Finch and Labuschagne were cruising.Archer defied a used pitch which had been keeping low with devastating speed and bounce in an excellent five-over opening spell which delivered 2 for 22. He dismissed David Warner for a seventh time in international cricket with a scorching delivery up around the ribs which drew an edge through to Jos Buttler.Archer hit Finch on the helmet but the blow failed to trouble the visiting captain who, having passed the necessary on-field concussion testing, settled back into his rhythm even in the face of another wicket as Archer struck again with a short ball that reared up and found the shoulder of the bat as Marcus Stoinis fended awkwardly and was caught behind. Finch and Labuschagne wrested back control until Archer and Woakes returned and wreaked havoc.England brought in the Curran brothers for Mark Wood, who pulled up with a sore ankle, and Moeen Ali, left out in what Eoin Morgan described as “a tactical move”.Those tactics came under the microscope on a pitch which rewarded Australia’s legspinner, Adam Zampa, whose 3 for 36 combined with some miserly bowling by the seamers had contained England so well. But the decision paid off amid Morgan’s masterful captaincy as England again stood up against huge pressure.Zampa’s opposite number, Adil Rashid, was wicketless after his first three overs, having conceded 27 runs from them. Rashid returned from the opposite end only to be punished by Finch bringing up his half-century with a bottom edge through fine leg and a straight hit that sped through Rashid’s hands and all the way to the rope at long-off.Both Currans had failed to make inroads up to that point, prompting the return of Archer and Woakes. Archer struck Finch another brutal blow on the chest but Finch shrugged it off by clipping the next ball to the leg side and running a swift two.Labuschagne pulled Woakes gloriously for four and then brought up the 100-stand with Finch via a single off the next delivery. But Woakes made the breakthrough England so desperately needed when he dismissed Labuschagne lbw for 48 from 59 balls after England successfully reviewed umpire Michael Gough’s original not-out decision, sparking Australia’s collapse.Mitch Marsh entered with Australia needing 88 from 20.1 overs, having scored 73 in the first ODI and an unbeaten 39 in a player-of-the-match performance as Australia won the third and final T20I. But when Archer had Marsh so flummoxed on the sixth ball he faced that he chopped on, the spring returned to England’s step.They were positively jumping when Woakes bowled Finch for 73 as Australia lost a third wicket for just one run in the space of 11 balls. Archer had just completed his 10 overs with 3 for 34 when Woakes struck again next ball, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 1. From 144 for 2, Australia were 147 for 6 needing 82 runs from the last 15 overs.With Archer and Woakes – who claimed 3 for 32 – bowled out, England turned again to Rashid and the Currans. It was Sam Curran who claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, bowling Pat Cummins and having Mitchell Starc caught behind as Australia crumbled further to 166 for 8.Zampa survived the hat-trick ball but Sam Curran had the final say when he had Zampa caught by Archer to claim his third and put England within one wicket of triumph. Rashid claimed the last wicket when he had Alex Carey stumped off a googly as England won by 24 runs with eight balls to spare.Australia were unchanged from their 19-run victory in the first match despite Steven Smith passing a second concussion test in a move Cricket Australia insisted was precautionary after he took a blow to the head during training which kept him out of that game.Starc almost struck with the second ball when he had Jason Roy given out lbw to a delivery that pitched in line and nipped back in. Roy had the decision overturned on review when the DRS showed that the ball was going over the top of the stumps, but Starc made a breakthorugh a short time later with a ball that held its line and found the edge from a prodding Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for a duck.He inflicted more pain when Joe Root attempted to drive and edged the ball hard onto his back knee, and when Roy was run out to a sniper-like throw from Stoinis in the covers, England were 29 for 2.Root laboured to 39 off 73 before Zampa had him caught by Finch at first slip, putting England at 90 for 3. Root’s dismissal sparked a mini gear-shift from Morgan, who struck three fours in five balls from Marsh and Zampa, but when Finch changed up the attack with the re-introduction of Cummins, who struck with his third ball back to trap Buttler lbw for 3, England suffered another setback.Zampa dismissed Morgan lbw for England’s top score of 42 and Sam Billings with a legbreak that was too full for the cut attempted by Billings, who ended up chopping onto his stumps and trudging off with just 8 from 28 balls. The hosts then lost Sam Curran and Woakes in quick succession, but Rashid’s rearguard 35 from 26 balls combined with Tom Curran’s 37 off 39 limited the damage.