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Odds were in Foxes’ favour but determined half-centuries turn tide hosts’ way

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Worcestershire 83 (Wright 5-32, Davey 3-26) and 274 for 7 (Hose 84, Roderick 59) beat Leicestershire 173 (Ackermann 52, Waite 3-17) and 180 (Hill 49, Leach 5-41, Waite 4-21) by three wicketsAdam Hose and Gareth Roderick played major roles in Worcestershire achieving a three-wicket win over Leicestershire with a day to spare in the LV=Insurance County Championship encounter at New Road.The odds were in the Foxes favour after Worcestershire lost two wickets for two runs yesterday evening on a pitch of variable bounce after being asked to chase a 271 target – the highest of the game.But Hose struck a fluent 84 and Roderick dug in for more than five hours to make an equally crucial 59. Then club captain Brett D’Oliveira, who battled away for 137 deliveries to score an unbeaten 41, and Adam Finch saw Worcestershire home.Wiaan Mulder did his best to pull the game out of the fire for Leicestershire with four wickets to add to his five-fors against Derbyshire and Sussex in the previous two games.Ultimately a see-saw third day was a superb advert for Championship cricket with first one side and then the other appearing to be in the ascendancy.Worcestershire showed immense character, determination and skill to fight back in superb fashion from being bowled out for 83 in just 21.1 overs on the first day.Their bowlers set the tone by bowling out Leicestershire for 180 in their second innings with Joe Leach and Matthew Waite sharing nine wickets.Then their batters showed tremendous application in attempting to chase down a testing target on a still difficult pitch.Hose made the switch from Warwickshire to New Road on a three-year deal during the winter, partially because he felt he would have a greater chance of playing red ball cricket.He had not played a Championship game for three years since the end of the 2019 season and has spent the past year impressing in T20 cricket. He was the third highest scorer in last year’s Vitality Blast and then made a significant contribution for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and earned praise for his calming influence from Head Coach Jason Gillespie.Hose had scored his capabilities in Championship cricket by making 59 and 41 in the previous home game against Sussex when England’s Ollie Robinson had bowled superbly to pick up 14 wickets.Here he produced a knock worthy of a century given the challenging conditions in making 84 and was given excellent support by Roderick.
He had been a top-five batter during his time with Gloucestershire but has spent the bulk of his time at New Road in the middle order.Here he was promoted to No.3 for this game and provided rock solid support for Hose in dropping anchor at the other end.Worcestershire resumed on 26 for 2 on a pitch still offering plenty of encouragement to the bowlers with its unpredictable bounce.Loan signing Josh Davey made the first breakthrough of the day when Jack Haynes was adjudged lbw to a delivery angled back in. The England Lions batter smacked his bat in frustration before leaving the crease.Roderick was joined by Hose, who was fortunate when a delivery from Davey popped up onto the offside. But he was soon into his stride in straight driving Chris Wright for four and then pulling Davey for six.The former Warwickshire batter looked in good touch but Roderick’s contribution was also invaluable. The 50 stand came up in 13 overs but there was still threat of a delivery misbehaving and Roderick edged one delivery from Tom Scriven high over the slips and keeper to the boundary.A straight drive by Hose brought him his eighth four and enabled him to complete an excellent half century from 66 balls.The third-wicket pair had extended their stand to 92 by lunch and the century partnership came up shortly after the resumption from 168 balls.Wright came back into the attack after lunch and Roderick flicked him off his legs for a boundary. Hose went into overdrive with a flurry of boundaries which took him into the 80s and brought the target to within realistic proportions.But after adding 131 in 37 overs with Roderick, Hose’s superb knock came to an end when he pushed forward to Wiaan Mulder and was caught behind. His two-and-a-half-hour knock spanned 117 balls and contained one six and 14 fours.Roderick was dropped at slip off Wright on 49 in the same over as he completed a 185-ball half-century.The scoring dried up after Hose’s dismissal and D’Oliveira needed 53 deliveries to collect his first boundary.Roderick’s patient knock ended on 59 when Colin Ackermann held onto a chance at second slip off Mulder.The second new ball was taken at 206 for 5 and Matthew Waite made a quickfire 22 before the former Yorkshire all-rounder and Joe Leach both went lbw to Mulder. But D’Oliveira and Finch held their nerve to settle the issue in favour of the home side.

“It’s a bit of a surreal experience, but it was a really good day. I’m tired now but I really, really enjoyed it”

Valkerie Baynes22-Jun-2023To the outside world, it looks like Lauren Filer has burst on to the scene, bowling with raw pace and taking two wickets so far on her international debut – in an Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, no less.But it was time spent over winter remodelling her action which has helped lead to this point, working intensively with Matt Mason, England’s fast bowling coach, and Jack Brooks, the veteran Somerset seamer.”They spoke together and it was all about my load up,” Filer, the 22-year-old Western Storm quick, said. “My timing was all wrong. So it was trying to load up at the same time to get my timing right basically, in simpler terms. It’s helped a lot.”I think it looks a lot different. It didn’t take me too long, it took me probably a couple of weeks to get used to it, but a lot of people have noticed it and said how weird it looks, saying they I think I’m hiding a variation, but I’m not.Related

• Perry's 99 sets the tempo for Australia as Filer cranks up the pace on debut

• Ellyse Perry: Getting out for 99 is a 'bummer' but life goes on

• Filer backed to give England 'wicket-taking' edge

“It’s good for me because it makes me feel comfortable and I’m less likely to get injured as well. So for me, it’s really great and then other people notice it as well, which is nice to hear.”The new approach is also helping her to bowl even faster, too. Upon being selected, Jon Lewis, the England head coach, and captain Heather Knight had described her as being among the fastest bowlers in the country. Filer was clocked at 76 mph/123kph during the opening day of the Test, which swung this way and that to be pretty evenly poised at the close.”I know that I’ve definitely put on a few yards,” Filer added. “It’s almost easier to bowl quicker as well. I feel like last year I had to really try and it did hurt whereas now it feels I’m having a really good flow.”Filer ended a rain-interrupted day with 2 for 65, including the wicket of the vastly experienced Ellyse Perry, caught at gully for 99.Filer thought she had a wicket with her first ball in international cricket when umpire Sue Redfern gave Perry out lbw on 10. But Perry immediately called for a review, which confirmed that she had hit the ball onto her pad. Filer’s second ball beat Perry for pace, and, with her 18th delivery, she had formidable Australia opener Beth Mooney out for 33 with a 74mph/119kph delivery that climbed on her and took an edge before flying to Kate Cross at gully.”I was a bit shocked,” Filer said of learning she had earned her maiden senior cap. “I’m not usually lost for words but I didn’t really know what to say to Lewy [Lewis] when he told me.”It’s weird. I don’t think it sank in until I was on the pitch. So I didn’t feel too bad until probably about five minutes before and five minutes on the pitch. Once I fielded my first ball I think I settled down a bit, but it was definitely a bit nerve wracking at the start.”That’s a great start and that’s what I want to do as well, so I’m very happy. It’s a bit of a surreal experience, but it was a really good day, I’m a bit tired now but I really, really enjoyed it.”Filer almost had a first-ball wicket before Ellyse Perry reviewed•Getty Images

Perry, who helped Australia recover from 83 for 2 and close the day on 328 for 7, was impressed.”I had a really great tussle with Filer the whole time, I thought she was extremely impressive today on debut and brought the game alive at different points,” Perry said. “That ball [dismissal] just had my measure, which is which is totally fine. But I really enjoyed today to be out there and to be a part of it.”Sophie Ecclestone, the ICC’s No. 1-ranked bowler in both white-ball formats, who is only two years older than Filer but 110 matches more experienced at this level, made life easier for her seam-bowling team-mates, sending down a mammoth 28-over spell – which took in the lunch break and a 90-minute rain interruption – with her left-arm spin, and capturing three wickets, including Alyssa Healy for a second-ball duck.”She’s a bit of a bowling machine,” Filer said. “Bowling for two hours, that’s pretty impressive. I’ve never really seen anyone do that before, but she is still standing and she’s going strong.”It’s great that she can kind of tie up an end and that she’s consistent and we can rely on her. It’s a big, big role to fill and she does it so well. It makes the other bowlers at the other end feel comfortable doing what they’re doing because I know that she’ll go for nothing. So if I go for a for a couple of boundaries she’s got my back at the other end, that’s really good.”With the second new ball just five overs old, Filer could well be called into action early on the second day, but she was relishing the prospect.”Now with the new ball we’re definitely going to attack tomorrow morning,” she said. “It’s probably evenly poised at the moment.”

North Zone and Central Zone all but secured their berths in the semi-finals on day three

Himanshu Agrawal30-Jun-2023

Saurabh four-for shakes East up

Saurabh Kumar’s four wickets helped Central Zone take a big step towards the Duleep Trophy semi-final ahead of the final day’s play against East Zone in Alur. Saurabh’s wickets included the Bengal trio of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed, as East ended the third evening at 69 for 6, another 231 runs away from their target of 300.East’s slide began with Saurabh dismissing captain Abhimanyu early in the sixth over to get Abhimanyu for 11. Three overs later, Avesh Khan got into the action by dismissing Sudip Kumar Gharami for a duck. And before Shantanu Mishra and Majumdar had hardly even settled down, Saurabh removed Majumdar for 13, as East started losing their way.Related

• Flesh-and-blood Murasingh shows he's as impressive as his numbers

They lost 4 for 33 in a middle-order collapse – losing the last three wickets for just eight runs – as Saurabh ended with figures of 4 for 33, while Avesh and Shivam Mavi got one wicket each. Before that, Central had had a slide of their won, losing all ten wickets while adding only 115 after the opening partnership fetched 124.Himanshu Mantri got 68 while Vivek Singh hit 56, but once Ishan Porel bowled Vivek to break the first-wicket stand, East found a way back. Porel finished with 3 for 15 – he got Upendra Yadav and Saurabh off back-to-back balls in the 69th over – while Shahbaz took 3 for 66 to restrict Central to 239 after they were 60 ahead in the first innings. However, the day eventually belonged to Central.

All-round North decimate North East

North Zone warmed up for the semi-final by continuing to dominate over North East Zone in Bengaluru. Set an improbable 666 to win, North East lost three early wickets on the third evening.The day had begun when they were 65 for 3 in the first innings, where they soon folded for 134 to hand North a huge first-innings lead of 406. Siddarth Kaul and Pulkit Narang grabbed three wickets each to secure that for North.However, North chose not to ask North East to follow-on, instead opting to bat again despite the huge advantage, and their bowlers having bowled only 39.2 overs spread across two days. They were 23 for 2 in their second innings, before the middle order got down to some batting practice. Ankit Kalsi and Prabhsimran Singh added 83 before Kalsi fell one short of a fifty. Prabhsimran went on to hit a quick 59 with nine fours and a six.It was then Ankit Kumar and Jayant Yadav’s turn to entertain, as they formed a union of 113 for the sixth wicket, their partnership coming at above four runs an over. While Jayant remained unbeaten on 55, North declared their second innings on 259 after Ankit was dismissed for 70. And soon after, their bowlers left the result a mere formality.

West Indies are up 2-1 with two to go, but both teams would be looking at the bigger, broader picture ahead of more high-stakes challenges

Hemant Brar11-Aug-20234:05

Do India hold the edge with their wristspinners?

Big picture – India, West Indies look at the long term

After losing the first two T20Is, India kept the five-match series alive with a thumping win in the third. While, in the long run, the result of this series will matter little, India are looking to try out personnel for the 2024 T20 World Cup – handing Yashasvi Jaiswal a debut in the previous game was a sign of that.At the same time, they have an eye on the upcoming ODI World Cup, and Tilak Varma has emerged as a strong candidate for the No. 4 slot in that squad. Tilak’s international career is just three T20Is old, but he has impressed everyone with his temperament. Moreover, India don’t have a left-hander in their first-choice top six in ODIs. If picked, he can fill that void too.India, however, know that success in T20Is is no guarantee for success in ODIs. In the last two years, Suryakumar Yadav has had an extraordinary run in T20Is, but he has himself admitted that his ODI numbers are “really bad”. Tilak’s List A numbers are outstanding, though: 1236 runs in 25 matches at an average of 56.18 and a strike rate of 101.64. He has five hundreds and as many fifties in the format. If they want, India can test him further in the Asia Cup to see where he stands, especially if Shreyas Iyer isn’t fit by then.Related

• India need to cut long tail short to find T20 success

• Powell: 'Series will be decided on how WI play spin'

• A glimpse of a future with a lot of Tilak in it

West Indies are not going to the ODI World Cup, but under Rovman Powell, they are rebuilding their T20I side. In March, they beat South Africa 2-1 and now have a chance to win back-to-back T20I series for the first time since 2017.So far, this has been a series of middling totals. But that could change as the caravan moves to Lauderhill in the USA for the last two games.

Form guide

West Indies LWWWL
India WLLWW

In the spotlight – Shimron Hetmyer and Shubman Gill

After the first T20I, Powell said that the series would be decided by how his left-hand batters, Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer, play spin in the middle overs. While Pooran seems to have hit a purple patch, Hetmyer has looked off-colour. Playing for West Indies after almost a year, Hetmyer had scores of 11, 9 and 4 in the ODI series. In three T20Is so far, he has managed 10 off 12, 22 off 22 and 9 off 8. Can he turn it around on Friday and help West Indies win the series?1:54

Analysing Shubman Gill’s recent form

Shubman Gill finished the ODI series as the second-highest run-getter, his tally of 126 taking him to No. 5 in the ICC ODI batters’ rankings. However, runs have been hard to come by in the T20I series: Gill has been dismissed in single digits in all three innings. With India’s tail starting from No. 8, they would want bigger contributions from him in the remaining two games.

Team news

If fit, Jason Holder should replace Roston Chase. West Indies can also consider bringing in Shai Hope for one of Brandon King and Johnson Charles.West Indies (probable): 1 Kyle Mayers, 2 Brandon King, 3 Johnson Charles, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jason Holder/Roston Chase, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Akeal Hosein, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Obed McCoyExpect India to stick with the same XI that won them the third T20I.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Mukesh Kumar, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

In the last two T20Is played in Lauderhill, India – batting first both times – posted 191 for 5 and 188 for 7. They won both. In fact, teams batting first have won 11 of the 13 completed T20Is played here. However, a 47% chance of rain in the afternoon may be a temptation for chasing.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies and India have played six T20Is against each other in Lauderhill, with India winning four, West Indies one, and one being washed out.
• Yuzvendra Chahal needs five wickets to become the first Indian, and eighth overall, to take 100 T20I wickets. If he gets there on Saturday, in his 78th match, he will be the joint-third-fastest to the mark.
• Charles is 12 away from becoming the ninth West Indies batter to 1000 T20I runs.
• This is India’s fifth T20I series under Hardik Pandya. They are yet to lose one.

The PCB, hosts for the tournament, agreed to the decision reluctantly after the ACC sent out a message to stakeholders without consulting the PCB

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Sep-2023The PCB has reluctantly agreed to have the last five matches of the ongoing Asia Cup played in Colombo, as scheduled. This is despite the Pakistan board having strongly objected to the games staying in Colombo and not moving to Hambantota, as well as the manner in which the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) made that decision.The PCB had been on board with plans to move the Colombo matches to Hambantota, on account of rains being forecast in Colombo during the next ten days – this information is understood to have been provided by Sri Lanka’s department of meteorology. On Monday evening, and on Tuesday morning, the ACC appeared to be working on the understanding that the games would shift to Hambantota.But suddenly, around midday on Tuesday, the ACC sent a mail to the stakeholders stating that the matches would be played in Colombo as originally scheduled. This incensed the PCB officials, who not only would have preferred the matches to have been played in Hambantota but were also alarmed that the ACC had made this decision unilaterally, without adequately consulting them, the hosts of the tournament.In response, the PCB called for an immediate ACC executive board meeting, and has also sent a letter to ACC president Jay Shah, protesting the decision-making process at the ACC. But beyond pulling out of the tournament, there is little the PCB can do now. While deeply troubled by the events of Tuesday, the PCB appears unlikely to take a drastic step.On Tuesday afternoon, Shah himself made a statement as ACC president, which addressed the matter of the tournament’s scheduling.”All the full members, media rights holder, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan,” Shah said in this statement. “This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country.”However, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have visited Pakistan for bilateral tours since 2019, and have also played matches there in the group stage of the ongoing Asia Cup. Neither team has publicly expressed a reluctance to play there, nor have their boards expressed a reluctance to send teams to Pakistan. In fact, two BCCI officials – board president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajeev Shukla – have visited Lahore over the past two days, and were hosted by the governor of (Pakistani) Punjab.The background to all of this is that the PCB had originally wanted the whole tournament to be played in Pakistan, but the BCCI refused on the basis that their government would not allow the team to travel to Pakistan. Much of the tournament was then shifted to Sri Lanka.This seemed a workable compromise, until the Pakistan vs India match in Pallekele was rained out on Saturday, prompting fears that the whole tournament would be severely affected by the weather.BCCI president Roger Binny and vice-president Rajeev Shukla flank PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf during their visit to Lahore•PCB

In any case, the SLC is pleased the tournament will stay in Colombo, and has always preferred the tournament to be played there, as it is logistically the easiest city in which to host a multi-team tournament. SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday that one of the reasons the ACC decided to keep the games in Colombo was because “a lot of fans had already made arrangements to watch the matches in Colombo” and because “the last few days it hasn’t been raining as much” in the city.He also cited Sri Lanka’s largely successful history with hosting ODIs. In the last ten years, 79 of the 84 men’s ODIs played in the country have been completed. Of the five abandoned matches, Saturday’s game was the only match to be abandoned in the month of September, which historically is not an especially wet month.

Jay Shah points to ‘several changes’ in PCB for confusion

In his statement, Shah also said, “In my capacity as ACC President, I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I had accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches.”In response to initial PCB suggestions that the tournament be played in Pakistan and the UAE – aired again in recent days given the weather in Sri Lanka – Shah said there was a difference between playing 20-over games and 50-over games in the UAE in September.”The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It’s important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format. In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup.”The decision-making process regarding the Asia Cup 2023 format and venue was guided by a sincere desire to prioritise the well-being of the players, as well as the overarching interests of the sport. Ultimately, the goal was to strike a balance that would allow for a competitive and successful tournament while ensuring the health and readiness of the participating teams for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.”

Pakistan’s coaching staff point out that Pakistani music was also missing on the night, even as visa issues continue to plague their fans and journalists

Shashank Kishore14-Oct-20232:35

Arthur: Pakistan were ‘timid’ with their performance

How many people were in the crowd on Saturday in Ahmedabad was not made public, but you wouldn’t have struggled to count the number of green shirts in the stands. That number possibly stood at three, all Pakistani-Americans from the United States.The crowd could’ve been anywhere between 115,000 to 125,000, so it was a sea of blue that welcomed both teams at the anthems. It remained that way until the end of the match, the decibel levels rising as India got closer and closer to completing their chase of 192 with seven wickets in hand.Related

• An atmosphere like never before, but it could have been so much more

• Tour diary – Searching for green in a universe of blue

Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, didn’t want to use this as an excuse for the loss, but nonetheless questioned the one-sided nature of the fan base.”Look, I’d be lying if I said it did [not affect us],” Arthur said when asked about the partisan crowd. “It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear coming through the microphones too often tonight.Pakistan’s players would have seen a wall of blue all around•Associated Press

“So yes, that does play a role, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse because for us it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball, and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian players tonight.”The lack of green in the stands was partly down to Pakistani fans not being granted visas for the tournament. It wasn’t too different for Pakistan’s travelling media contingent. Until Friday, only three out of Pakistan’s contingent of 60 journalists – from an original application long list of 355 – had been provided visas, that too after lengthy delays.This is in stark contrast to the situation in 2016, when India last hosted a global tournament. Or perhaps even the 2011 World Cup, when the BCCI facilitated 6500 visas for travelling Pakistani fans for the Mohali semi-final alone.As a follow-up, Arthur was asked if such a situation should be allowed at global events. It’s a question he dead batted. “Look I don’t think I can’t comment on that just yet,” he said. “I don’t want to get fined.”Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn had similar sentiments.”Naturally that [a sea of blue] was going to be the case. We are really sad that our supporters aren’t here,” he said. “They would love be here and I am sure Indian cricket fans would love our supporters here as well.”It was certainly unusual in that way, no familiar music for us today. So it did not feel like a World Cup game, honestly. We didn’t expect anything else. [But] we love the occasion and we are disappointed that we did not do justice to the occasion or justice to our many fans at home and globally.”

Afghanistan and Sri Lanka face each other in a crucial game for their semi-final ambitions

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-20231:57

Moody: India’s bowlers relentless with their lengths

—Fixtures | Squads | Points table | Tournament Index

Top Story: Shami and Bumrah demolish England to make it six out of six for India

Mohammed Shami ripped the heart out of England as India defended a modest total in Lucknow to maintain their unbeaten World Cup run and condemn their opponents’ campaign even further.Shami claimed 2 for 4 from three overs inside the first powerplay in a breathtaking spell and Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 17 from five as England lurched to 40 for 4 after 10 overs chasing 230 for just their second win of the tournament. Shami claimed two more and Bumrah one to ensure that wasn’t to be as none of England’s batters passed Liam Livingstone’s 27 and India romped to a 100-run victory with 15.1 overs to spare.Click here to read the full report

Match analysis: Shami to Stokes: Ten balls from hell

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami ripped through England•Associated Press

Nine balls, nine dots, no runs. Five balls on a good length, three a fraction shorter and one a little fuller. One leave, two charges, three balls that connected with Ben Stokes’ bat. Fifteen balls since England last scored a run. 197 to win in 42.1 overs, eight wickets in hand. Six games, five defeats, two points. 32 nights since England’s players left home, 14 more until they are finally put out of their misery.Which of those numbers passed through Stokes’ head when he made the calculation that the final ball of Shami’s second over had to go? Maybe none; maybe so many that his mind was scrambled. Stokes planted his front foot outside leg stump, looking to make room to force the ball through the off side for four. The ball nipped in off the seam, skidded through off the pitch and clattered into his middle and leg stumps.Click here to read the full analysis from Matt Roller in Lucknow

Must Watch: Time for an England rethink?

2:32

Should England rethink their brand of cricket in this format?

News headlines

• The top seven sides at the end of the league stage of the ongoing ODI World Cup in India will qualify for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, along with hosts Pakistan, to compete in the eight-team event meaning England could miss out
• Lahiru Kumara has been ruled out of the World Cup after hurting his left thigh during training in Pune, where Sri Lanka play their next game of the tournament, against Afghanistan on Monday..
• India are hoping to get further clarity on Hardik Pandya’s fitness over the next few days, ahead of their match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on November 2

Match preview

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Lucknow (2pm IST; 8.30am GMT; 7.30pm AEDT)2:57

Shahidi: This is Afghanistan’s best-ever World Cup

While this World Cup has only belatedly started offering up some nail-biters, it’s been rather more generous in terms of unexpected results. As a result, despite the sides currently occupying the top-four spots in the points table being the likeliest to make it through to the knockouts, there’s a cluster of teams just below them ready to capitalise on any potential slip-ups.For Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, three wins from their final four games in the league stage will leave them on ten points, which would give them a genuine shot at a semi-final berth. But of those four games, Afghanistan will face Australia and South Africa, while Sri Lanka still have to take on India and New Zealand.Click here for the full previewTeam newsAfghanistan (possible) 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSri Lanka (probable) 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Angelo Mathews 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka

The win, after four losses in a row, has lifted Pakistan to No. 5 on the points table and kept their faint hopes of a semi-final appearance alive

Danyal Rasool31-Oct-20231:02

Mumtaz: Shafique a ‘breath of fresh air’ in this line-up

Pakistan put in their most convincing performance of the World Cup to end their longest World Cup losing run, trouncing a dismal Bangladesh by seven wickets and keeping their faint hopes of semi-final qualification alive.The win was set up by a commanding performance from Shaheen Shah Afridi – now the fastest to 100 ODI wickets for quick bowlers and the leading wicket-taker at this World Cup – to dismiss Bangladesh for 204. Fakhar Zaman, freshly recalled to the side, then turned in his best showing in months, a vintage 74-ball 81 that set Pakistan up for a win that gave both their confidence and net run-rate a shot in the arm.It felt like a classic Pakistan performance right from the outset, first-over Afridi wicket and all. He trapped Tanzid Hasan off the fifth ball to push up to 100 wickets and, taking advantage of a moving ball, got his second in his next over, getting Najmul Hossain Shanto caught at square leg. Haris Rauf made it three, hitting back after being spanked for three boundaries in his first over, drawing an edge from Mushfiqur Rahim that sent him on his way.Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique put up 128 for the first wicket in just over 21 overs•Associated Press

Bangladesh’s best passage of play followed, a 79-run partnership between Litton Das and Mahmudullah that reset the innings and undid the early damage somewhat. It helped that Pakistan’s premier legspinner Usama Mir had another off day, unable to land his lengths consistently. He found himself regularly punished, particularly by Mahmudullah, who looked by far the most accomplished batter.The turning point came when Litton fell with the softest of dismissals against a harmless delivery from Iftikhar Ahmed, a long hop which the batter wafted up to short midwicket. Litton stood transfixed in dismay for nearly half a minute at the crease, almost as if his body would not permit him to walk off.Bangladesh rebuilt, but the momentum had been sapped right out of the innings. Shakib Al Hasan took his time to get going, and once Afridi came back, he cleaned Mahmudullah up with an unplayable reverse-swinging delivery from around the wicket. With reverse swing coming into play in a big way for the final 15 overs, Bangladesh’s lower-order batters found themselves at a further disadvantage, and Pakistan began to apply the squeeze as Babar Azam rotated his bowlers with rare judiciousness.Only when Shakib belatedly decided to take on the spinners did Bangladesh look like showing any intent. Iftikhar was slapped for three boundaries and Mehidy Hasan Miraz deposited Usama for a six over cow corner, so Babar went back to Rauf’s pace, and he struck in his first over, getting rid of Shakib. It then took Mohammad Wasim just seven balls to clean up the tail, Mehidy, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman finding their stumps knocked back as they folded for 204.1:25

Harmison: Bangladesh’s top six has made different mistakes every game

A sedate first three overs saw Pakistan’s openers play themselves in, but Fakhar in particular was loosening his arms. After three runs in 11 balls, he thumped Taskin for a huge six over square leg that got him going. He would later say that he didn’t mind how the pitch played because he knew he could hit sixes anywhere, a point he demonstrated through his innings as sixes regularly punctuated dot deliveries. Within the powerplay, he and Abdullah Shafique brought up the half-century partnership, and with Shafique joining in the run fest, the stand raced towards three figures.Mustafizur was a particular favourite recipient of Shafique’s ire, as he was pummelled for three successive boundaries in the 12th over before Fakhar slapped Mehidy for another six. His fifth of the innings brought up his half-century, a slap off Taskin back over the bowler’s head bringing up the landmark, while Shafique eased to his own half-century in the same over. Shafique also played perhaps the shot of the day, a smear over cow corner off Taskin that flew all the way, and at that time, Pakistan looked like they were racing towards a ten-wicket win.Mehidy did his bit to ensure the ignominy wasn’t quite as severe, taking three wickets (the only ones Pakistan lost) to stem the flow. Shafique fell first, sweeping across the line, while Babar, who never really got going, holed out to long-on before he got into double-figures. And while Fakhar had hit two sixes off Mehidy, he was brave enough to keep pitching it up, using a variation in pace to get him to mistime one to the midwicket boundary. Fakhar had fallen for 81 even though he had looked nailed-on for a hundred,It wouldn’t matter too much in the end as a flurry of boundaries from Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar saw Pakistan coast through with more than 17 overs to spare. It ended a pall of gloom that had settled over the side over the last fortnight, and while Bangladesh are officially out, the late Pakistan charge that characterises so many ICC tournament is showing signs of rousing from its slumber.

Gladiators take pole position on points table; Samp Army and Strikers extend winning streak to four

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2023Samp Army’s reign at the top of the points table proved to be shortlived, as Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s whirlwind 19-ball 69 not out on the back of Nuwan Thushara’s 4 for 12 catapulted Deccan Gladiators to the No. 1 spot on Tuesday evening in the Abu Dhabi T10. It was Northern Warriors who bore the brunt of the two-man show as they went down by eight wickets in what was their fourth loss on the bounce.Thushara struck with his second and fourth deliveries of the day, taking out Kennar Lewis and Hazratullah Zazai. Josh Cobb was run-out on the fifth ball of that over as Warriors slipped to 13 for 3 after two. Angelo Mathews and Jimmy Neesham added 50 runs for the fourth wicket but took 34 balls to do it. Thushara returned to send back Mathews and Azmatullah Omarzai in his second over to finish with the best bowling figures in the competition this year so far.Rahul Chopra and Neesham then got a few big hits away to drag Warriors to 100 for 6 in ten overs.Kohler-Cadmore, though, made a mockery of the target. He hacked Mathews for four sixes in the first over of the chase, followed it up by whacking Omarzai for three successive fours, and then hammered Tabraiz Shamsi for one four and three sixes. En route, he brought up his fifty off just 13 balls.It took Gladiators all of 6.1 overs to chase down the target with Kohler-Cadmore’s strike rate a barely believable 363.15, with four fours and eight sixes.Karim Janat picked up two wickets in an over to derail Bangla Tigers’ innings•Abu Dhabi T10

Qais and Irshad bowl Samp Army to victory

Miserly three-wicket hauls from Qais Ahmad and Salman Irshad, backed up by Andries Gous’ 20-ball 42 helped Samp Army down Bangla Tigers by six wickets and extend their winning streak to four games. The win also saw them move to eight points after five matches.After Samp Army elected to field, Jason Holder struck in his first over, but Jordan Cox lay into the bowlers before Qais and Co. derailed their innings. Qais first took out Cox last ball of the fifth over, and Karim Janat picked up two wickets in the next. Qais then sent back Dominic Drakes and Daniel Sams off successive balls, while Irshad picked up two wickets in an over of his own as Tigers slipped from 36 for 1 to 59 for 8 in 22 balls. Benny Howell (11* off six balls) and Rohan Mustafa (11 off eight) pushed Tigers to 82 before they were bowled out off the final ball of the innings.In reply, Samp Army lost Faf du Plessis early, but Gous smashed Sams for two fours in the first over before taking Shannon Gabriel for two fours and two sixes. Gabriel, who had on Monday picked up 2 for 2, went for 26 in just his first over. Samp Army did lose their way a bit in the middle overs, but Gous’ whirlwind knock countered that.Captain Moeen Ali and Najibullah Zadran provided the finishing touches, taking Samp Army home with ten balls to spare.Rahmanullah Gurbaz was named player of the match for his 16-ball 41•Abu Dhabi T10

Gurbaz, Smith and Narine keep Team Abu Dhabi waiting for victory

Team Abu Dhabi slumped to their sixth defeat in six games as New York Strikers registered a comfortable win that took them to eight points from five matches thanks to impressive performances from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Muhammad Waseem, Odean Smith and Sunil Narine.Gurbaz and Waseem put on a 62-run opening stand to give Strikers a strong start. Waseem made 23 off 14 before picking out square leg off Noor Ahmad.That triggered a slide of five wickets for 27 runs but Smith (17* off 7) and Kieron Pollard (8* off 4), captaining in Nicholas Pooran’s absence, ensured a powerful finish for Strikers.The West Indies spin duo of Narine and Akeal Hosein then put more pressure on Abu Dhabi. Hosein and Mohammad Amir bowled a tight first two overs before Narine removed Tom Banton and Leus de Plooy in a double-wicket maiden.Hosein got rid of Abu Dhabi impact sub Colin Ingram for a first-ball duck in the next over to consolidate Strikers’ grip on the match. Kyle Mayers and UAE’s Asif Khan put on a 51-run stand to try and revive Abu Dhabi, but the asking rate continued to soar.Mayers was run out in the seventh over and Muhammad Jawadullah dismissed Asif in the ninth to effectively finish the game off.

Test contender dismissed for a second low score as pace bowlers dominated at the Gabba

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2024Test aspirant Matt Renshaw failed for the second time in as many days as batters continued to struggle on a spicy pitch at the Gabba with Tasmania quick Gabe Bell claiming career-best figures and his first Sheffield Shield 10-wicket haul.Queensland went to stumps on day two at 114 for 8, leading the ladder-leading Tasmania by 177 after they were dismissed for 219 on Sunday with Mark Steketee claiming figures of 4 for 58 to help give the Bulls a first innings lead earlier in the day.Renshaw, who was the spare batter in Australia’s squad during the recent Test series against the West Indies, was out for 2 after hitting the same score in Queensland’s first innings.After playing the last of his 14 Tests in India last year, Renshaw is considered the next in line after being added to Australia’s squad ahead of Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft following David Warner’s red-ball retirement.Just like Saturday, Queensland’s top-order was rocked before Ben McDermott walked to the crease. Unlike the first innings, when McDermott smashed a brilliant unbeaten 146 to take Queensland to 282, Tasmania’s bowlers charged on with the demolition job of the middle-order.McDermott was out for 16, while Joe Burns, Michael Neser and Jimmy Peirson all fell for ducks.Bell backed up his outstanding spell of 4 for 40 on Saturday by destroying the Queensland second-innings with figures of 6 for 31 from 13 overs. It was Bell’s maiden 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket, topping his previous best match figures of 7 for 73.But Jack Clayton, who made a valuable 26 in the first innings, gave Queensland a chance of posting a defendable total. Like McDermott on Saturday, Clayton appeared to be batting on a different pitch as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 66 from 85 balls.Tailender Liam Guthrie hung around with Clayton at the end, surviving 30 balls and his only scoring shot was an edge through slips.Guthrie earlier claimed two wickets alongside Steketee’s four as Queensland’s attack never allowed Tasmania to get settled in their first innings. No Tasmania batter reached 40 as they were bowled out inside 60 overs.Queensland are searching for just their second win of the season as they sit last out of the six states. Meanwhile, Tasmania are trying to maintain their place on top of the ladder after losing just one of their six matches before the break for the BBL.