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Steve Rhodes claimed a “moral victory” for Worcestershire after rain thwarted their victory attempt on the final day of the Championship match against Gloucestershire

George Dobell at New Road01-Jun-2010
ScorecardSteve Rhodes claimed a “moral victory” for Worcestershire after rain thwarted their victory attempt on the final day of the Championship match against Gloucestershire.Worcestershire would have risen to second in the division two table had they been able to secure the win. But, with rain preventing any play until 3.45, the visitors were able to cling on for a draw. Perhaps, had Vikram Solanki clung on to a chance offered by Vikram Banerjee at fourth slip, Worcestershire might have been able to force victory.But, by then, Gloucestershire were already 85 runs ahead with just 18 overs remaining.
It was wretched luck for Alan Richardson, however. The 35-year-old seamer, who bowled 28 accurate overs in the second innings, was easily the pick of the attack and richly deserved his third five-wicket haul of the campaign.A couple of Gloucestershire players were also grateful for the reprieve. Both James Franklin and Chris Taylor were dismissed by bizarrely inappropriate shots. Franklin obligingly pulled directly to the man positioned for the shot on the square-leg boundary, before Taylor undid much of the value of his resistance with a horrid heave across the line.Without Richard Jones, however, who was off the field with a hamstring strain, Richardson lacked support and Gloucestershire were able to cling on until the sides agreed to shake hands on the draw with 10 of the scheduled overs remaining. Jones will undergo a scan to ascertain the extent of his injury in the next 24 hours.”It’s very frustrating,” Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said afterwards. “I felt we played all the cricket in the game but we can’t control the weather. That’s two games in a row we’ve had the best of draws. It’s a moral victory.”Rhodes expressed satisfaction at Worcestershire’s start to the season, however, taking particular pleasure in the performance of the club’s younger players.”We’re reasonably well placed,” he said. “We’ve only lost one [championship] game – which is better than anyone else in the division – and we’ve shown a bit of resilience. There are good signs for the future. Our two leading run scorers are aged 20 and 22 [Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali respectively] while until this game 23-year-old Richard Jones was our leading wicket taker. All three are very ambitious and, with hard work, can go a stage further.”I’ve always said I want us to be in a position to challenge for promotion in the last month of the season. That would be lovely. We’re a proud county and we want to be playing in the top division.”Gloucestershire were stung by the news that they had suffered a two-point deduction for their tardy over rate. Still, they are up to second in the table (equal on points with Sussex, who have a game in hand) and look likely to be involved in the promotion race.”We still felt we could win this morning,” their captain, Alex Gidman said afterwards. “But to come out of the game with a draw having not played our best cricket is a positive for us.”
Gidman also insisted he was not concerned by his side’s poor form with the bat. Despite Gloucestershire averaging the lowest score per wicket of any side in the country and are the only team without a first-class century in the campaign.”I’m not really worried, no,” he said. “We’ve played on some tough wickets and, at the halfway stage of the season, we’re challenging for promotion. Statistics are fine, but it’s what works for the team that is important, and we’re right in the hunt.”Meanwhile Gloucestershire have added Ian Butler to their squad for the T20 Cup. The fast bowling allrounder, who recently impressed in New Zealand’s World T20 campaign, joins up with compatriots John Bracewell, Hamish Marshall and James Franklin in Bristol.

Jordan Cox’s absence through illness keenly felt as challengers slump to 145-run loss

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2024Tom Lawes was Surrey’s last-day hero with four for 26 as they bowled out Essex for 215 to complete a 145-run victory over their nearest rivals at the Kia Oval and increase their lead at the top of the Vitality County Championship table.Dean Elgar scored a typically defiant 60 but Surrey’s quicker bowlers chipped away relentlessly once morning rain had cleared, with 21-year-old tyro Lawes first taking two wickets in successive balls and then returning after tea to break further Essex resistance from Paul Walter and Michael Pepper.Surrey’s 20-point win, their sixth from nine Division One matches so far this season, was completed with 25.5 overs to spare and they remain on course for three championship titles in a row. In support of Lawes, Jordan Clark finished with three for 56 and Dan Worrall two for 71.Second-placed Essex, rightly, will be sore that they effectively had to play a vital top-of-table fixture with ten men due to the absence virtually throughout of Jordan Cox, who left the field early on day one feeling unwell. Cox has since had an operation to remove his appendix but ECB regulations allow a substitute only for concussion victims.Perhaps Cox’s full involvement might have made little difference, particularly on a well-grassed pitch that encouraged the seamers throughout, but the 23-year-old came into the game heading Essex’s championship batting averages with 763 runs at 69.36. Losing him to illness was unfortunate enough, but not be able to replace him with another batsman in such circumstances meant Surrey also had to take just 18 wickets overall, not 20.Resuming their second innings on 21 for two, Essex would have been aiming only for survival, rather than an improbable chasing down of a 361-run win target, and a two-hour bad weather interruption early in the day certainly helped their cause.Only 13 balls were bowled at the start, Essex moving quickly to 38 for two as Westley took two fours from Clark’s opening over, before rain ruled out a resumption until after an early lunch at 1.10pm.Elgar and Westley then initially flourished – once Westley had survived a huge early shout for leg-before when a Worrall outswinger squared him up and thudded into his back pad – and the pair took their third wicket alliance to 69 before Lawes’ introduction dramatically swung the contest back in Surrey’s favour.Worrall had been taken for three offside fours in one over by Elgar, while Westley off drove Clark elegantly for four before flicking Worrall away for further boundaries to fine leg and then off his pads to square leg.But, with his second ball, after replacing Worrall at the Vauxhall End, Lawes had Elgar dropped by Dom Sibley at second slip on 36 before, in his second over, removing both Westley and Matt Critchley.Each time Ben Foakes dived to his right to take good catches as perfectly-pitched outswingers took the edge of both Westley and Critchley’s forward defensive bats and, suddenly, Essex were 86 for four with Lawes on a hat-trick.He had to wait until the first ball of his third over for the hat-trick opportunity, only to see Elgar clip away a full ball to deep mid wicket for three to complete his half-century.Lawes’ six-over spell of two for 18 had, however, seriously damaged Essex’s hopes of batting out the day for a draw and, when Worrall returned to replace Lawes in the attack and tempt Elgar into hooking a short ball straight into deep mid wicket’s hands it looked as if the end was nigh for the visitors.Walter and Pepper, though, added 64 until Lawes struck again with the sixth ball after tea to have Pepper held at second slip for 26, and the young fast bowler then bowled Walter for 56 – via an ugly under-edged pull to a ball that was not there for the shot – to leave Essex 194 for seven.Simon Harmer (7) hung around bravely for 42 balls before edging Worrall to Foakes and the next ball, Clark’s first of the following over, pinned Shane Snater lbw for seven to wrap up Surrey’s win.An overall attendance for the match of 13,706, meanwhile, boosted considerably by the 6,300 who turned up to support the club’s Festival of Red Ball Cricket initiative on day one – when the Oval concourses were offering a wide variety of family-friendly activities – is a ground record for a Surrey championship fixture this century.

Surrey batter not looking too far ahead after successful shift up order under Stokes and McCullum

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Apr-2023Ollie Pope is among many within English cricket watching Ben Stokes at the IPL with bated breath.Despite nursing a troublesome left knee, Stokes chose to fulfil his commitment to Chennai Super Kings. Reinforced by a cortisone injection prior to travelling out to India, England’s Test captain is currently two games into his stint and even bowled in the victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Monday, albeit an over that went for 18. Even with promises from the man himself that he won’t take undue risks, and the reassurance offered by head coach Brendon McCullum that the medical team at Chennai – one of McCullum’s former franchises – will look after Stokes, everything is crossed he arrives back in one piece ahead of an Ashes summer.For Pope, the concern is a little more complex. While Stuart Broad was the unofficial vice-captain during the 2022 summer, it was Pope who actually fulfilled the role over the winter, skippering two warm-up matches – against England Lions in Abu Dhabi ahead of December’s Pakistan tour, then in New Zealand ahead of the two-match series in February. Granted, they were low-key affairs (both two-day matches which Stokes chose to skip), but the England management gave Pope the opportunities to further his leadership credentials and were impressed by what they saw.Related

• Foakes unfazed amid talk of battle for England gloves with Bairstow

• Surrey hold the crown but Lancashire looking to go one better

• Surrey sign Latham for mid-season Championship stint

Stokes has been reticent to name a deputy officially. But should he be unable to take to the field at any point this summer – he might even choose to sit out the Ireland Test at Lord’s which begins on June 1 – Pope is evidently the next in line. Though he hopes otherwise, Pope backs himself to do the job, if required. His only previous experience in competitive cricket came in September 2021, leading Surrey in a County Championship match against Glamorgan.”It’s not a conversation that’s been had, it’s just something that if it comes about, then I feel confident,” Pope said. “I feel the cricket brain’s good enough to allow that to happen. Whether they choose to do that in a Test, I’ve honestly no idea.”Fingers crossed, touch wood – his [Stokes] knee’s all good. Firstly, that’s not something we’ve spoken about. I don’t know if Stokesy did go down, I’m not sure who would do it to be honest, we’ve not spoken about it.”There’s really one Ben Stokes, isn’t there, in England. And I think that’s something that if he did get injured and someone had to do it, no one is going to try and replicate exactly what he does, but take the ideas he implemented into the team. Do it slightly in their own way, but continue the messages that he provides if someone were to do it if he did get injured. Again, touch wood, he’s all good.”Pope enjoyed leading those warm-up matches and believes it has given him a new perspective on the field. Throughout five Tests in Pakistan and New Zealand – four of them England wins – he watched Stokes a little closer: “What he does with the bowlers and what he does with the fields and how he talks to his bowlers as well.”He seemingly took those lessons on board, and was a more vocal presence in games, whether consulted by Stokes between overs or offering his own suggestions regarding on-field tactics. Coaches are particularly enamoured with how Pope has emerged as a more senior member of the squad, something which is no doubt linked to taking more responsibility as the No. 3 batter in this exciting new iteration of the Test team.That, ultimately, will be his primary focus this summer. Since moving to first-drop, Pope is averaging 41.63 across 12 caps, a marked improvement from the 28.66 across the previous 13. As impressive as the two centuries and five fifties in that time is the strike rate of 75.04, in line with the positive mantra espoused by Stokes and McCullum.Pope is gearing up to start the Championship season with Surrey•Getty Images

Pope credits the pair for making him a better player now. The shift in mindset has benefitted him greatly, as has the faith shown in him. This time last year, after being dropped after a dispiriting Ashes series – England lost 4-0 and Pope averaged 11.16 from three Tests – he boldly decided to call up a newly appointed Stokes and request a move up the order. It was a gamble, from both parties, that has paid off.”I feel a much better player,” Pope said. “I’ve got a better defence and a better game plan. That’s come through just constantly playing.”Our new mindset in that England team means I go into a Test series really excited for it, rather than thinking: ‘Oh, if I miss out this time, I hope it’s not going to be my last.'”They should be the best times of your life, playing for England, and they’ve [Stokes and McCullum] made that pretty clear. Your career’s too short for you not to love those moments so that’s a good message for me. You’ve got to enjoy it while you’re there.”Surrey begin the defence of their County Championship title on Thursday, against Lancashire at Old Trafford. It will be the first of six matches they will be able to call on Pope before the international season gets going. Having contributed 700 runs at an average of 70 last time around, his aim, for now, is to get the club off to a strong start in Division One. Then he will allow himself to get excited for the challenges ahead, particularly those five Tests against Australia.”What worked for me last year was that when I was at Surrey and I was around for the start of the Championship, I didn’t necessarily think I was going to be playing for England. I wasn’t thinking about England.”That’s going to be my plan again this year. I’ve got half an eye on it just from a mental and physical state, so you know you can peak at the right time. But while I’m here I’m going to 100 percent concentrate on this because that’s what’ll put me in good stead for the Ashes. It’s something to really look forward to, something I’m really excited for. But while you’re here in a Surrey shirt, why not enjoy this as well?”

Molineux’s foot injury hasn’t healed in time as Australia pick two legspinners in 15-strong squad

Alex Malcolm26-Jan-2022Australia allrounder Sophie Molineux has been ruled out of the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand due to a foot injury. It paves the way for Amanda-Jade Wellington to be included in the 15-strong squad after missing out on Ashes selection.Molineux suffered a stress fracture in her foot during the WBBL late last year but it was hoped she would be fit for the World Cup. However, Australia selector Shawn Flegler confirmed she would not be available until late in the tournament and coupled with the 10 days quarantine on arrival it was too much of a risk. Australia have called in Wellington as a second legspinner alongside Alana King.”Sophie Molineux, unfortunately, misses out due to injury,” Flegler said. “She was unlikely to be available until the backend of the tournament and with limited match time and having to complete ten days managed isolation, it was a tough call, but we weren’t prepared to take the risk.”She tried her best to get up. We left it until the last possible moment.”Amanda-Jade provides us with another quality spin option and has the potential to play an important role spinning the ball away from the bat. Leg-spin has been a big part of our success in recent years and while Alana King is currently doing that role for us, there’s no reason we couldn’t play both in the same team if conditions and match-ups suit.”Related

• Molineux ruled out for up to 12 months after rupturing her ACL

• 'Unplayable' Stella Campbell added to Australia's squad amid hunt for 20 wickets

• Tayla Vlaeminck ruled out of Ashes and ODI World Cup with stress fracture

Tayla Vlaeminck and Georgia Wareham had already been ruled out due to their respective long-term injuries. The loss of Vlaeminck last week forced Australia’s heirarchy to get creative with her replacement.”We’ve had to adapt our thinking a little bit in terms of the make-up of the team and the make-up of the squad,” Flegler said. “Tay is obviously very unique in the way she bowls. There’s not a like for like replacement really for her so we’ve changed our thinking a little bit.”Wellington returns after the disappointment of being overlooked for the Ashes with King claiming the spot as the sole legspinner. Wellington hasn’t played an ODI for Australia since 2018 but Flegler said she was never far from a return.”She’s always been in our thinking and she’s a fantastic bowler,” Flegler said. “That’s why we picked her in the first place a few years ago, and she’s continued to perform. She’s in the squad now. Doesn’t mean she’s in the team now but she’s got a chance if something does happen. Again, if conditions suit and match-ups suit, then we’ll look to play her.”Queenslander Grace Harris has been included as the extra batter who can bowl some off-spin after being a late addition to the Ashes squad. Harris hasn’t played an ODI since 2016 but has forced her way into the squad after excellent domestic form.”It’s a good story for Grace,” Flegler said. “She’s continued to perform well domestic cricket. I think if you ask around the country, who do you not want to bowl to, Grace’s name is right up the top of the list. She’s a hard-hitting batter at any position in the top to middle-order. She bowls off-spin as well. We thought with the conditions in New Zealand, particularly the longer tournament, if wickets start to turn Grace comes into her own with off-spinning options as well.”Hannah Darlington and Georgia Redmayne will travel with the 15 to New Zealand as reserve players. Stella Campbell, who has been added to the Ashes squad after Vlaeminck’s injury, hasn’t been included in the final 15. But Campbell, Elyse Villani, Maitlan Brown, Molly Strano and Heather Graham will all be with the Ashes squad on standby for the final two ODIs of the Ashes series in Melbourne in case of injury or Covid issues.Australia squad: Darcie Brown, Nic Carey, Ash Gardner, Grace Harris, Rachael Haynes (vc), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning (capt), Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Kalpana Venkatachar, Arati Vaidya, Mithu Mukherjee and Renu Margrate the others in the panel

Annesha Ghosh26-Sep-2020Neetu David, the former India left-arm spinner, has been appointed as the chairperson of the new women’s national selection panel, with former cricketers V Kalpana, Arati Vaidya, Mithu Mukherjee and Renu Margrate the others in the panel.ESPNcricinfo understands that no clear tenure has been defined for the new selectors yet, but their first assignment would likely be to select the squads for the upcoming three-team Women’s T20 Challenge, slated to be held from November 1-10 in the UAE alongside the IPL 2020 playoffs.The BCCI had put out an advertisement on their website inviting applications in January. In it, while the criteria were listed – the age limit was 60, international playing experience was mandatory, and the candidates should have been retired for at least five years – no details of the tenure of the new appointments were provided, and there was no update in the board statement issued on Saturday.It, however, remains unclear as to who selected the new selectors.According to the board’s constitution, the Apex Council is required to direct the BCCI to choose the selectors, and then the panel is “to be appointed by the BCCI at the Annual General Meeting [AGM], on such terms and conditions as may be decided by the Apex Council from time to time”. In the case of the latest appointments, it’s worth noting that the BCCI had postponed its September 30 AGM indefinitely because of the Covid-19 pandemic.In late July, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had told ESPNcricinfo that the board “will start making the appointments [in due course of time]” because there was no cricket on, and the lockdown had meant no proper meetings at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.”It is going to take some time because this needs following of protocol as interviews will need to be taken by a committee as per the BCCI’s new constitution, and this will have to be cleared by them, and it’s very difficult to do it without a face-to-face meeting,” he had said. “Since there is no women’s cricket at the moment till October, I think we will get it done before that.”Central zone’s David was appointed the chief of the panel on account of her seniority over Kalpana (south), Vaidya (west), Mukherjee (east) and Margrate (north), the usual rule with such appointments.David, arguably the best female spinner to have played for India, took 182 wickets in her international career, 41 in ten Tests and 141 in 97 ODIs, between 1995 and 2008. She continues to hold the world record for the best innings figures in women’s Test history, her 8 for 53 against England in Jamshedpur in November 1995 still the only instance of a woman picking up eight wickets in a Test innings.The previous selection panel, led by Hemlata Kala, was handed an extension in October last year and officially finished its term on January 22, after the final of the quadrangular series featuring India A, India B, Thailand and Bangladesh in Patna. Members of the panel, though, were in Australia for the T20 World Cup in February-March.

Squad seeking clean sweep in T20s to salvage share of series, after surrendering Ashes in drawn Test

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2019Essex’s Mady Villiers has earned her first call-up to the England Women’s squad for the T20Is against Australia, as they look to save face after surrendering the Ashes in last week’s drawn Test in Taunton.Villiers, 20, made an unbeaten half-century for England’s Academy in the Australians’ Test warm-up match, and impressed with her resolve after coming in at No.9 to a scoreline of 89 for 8 at Marlborough.She is the only new face in a 15-player squad, as England – currently 8-2 down in the multi-format Ashes – seek the 3-0 clean sweep in the T20s that would allow them to claim a share of the series.Captain Heather Knight said: “It’s almost like a one-off IT20 series and we need to give it everything across these last three matches.”We came back strongly in Australia in 2017 and it would feel very different if we ended up at 8-8. That has to be our aim now and we want to finish strongly.”The first of the three T20Is takes place in Chelmsford on Friday.England squad Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

Yorkshire staged one of the greatest fightbacks in County Championship history after being skittled for 50 on the opening day

ECB Reporters Network06-May-20182:04

Yorkshire complete epic comeback

ScorecardSteve Patterson, who claimed a career-best, and Ben Coad tore out four Essex wickets for no runs in the space of 23 balls to set up one of the most incredible comeback victories in County Championship history.Essex had started the day requiring 141 to reach their 238-run target with six wickets standing. The end came at 12.30pm, half an hour before lunch, with Essex still 92 runs short.It was a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of Yorkshire, who almost exactly 48 hours earlier had been all out for a humiliating 50 in little more than 18 overs. It became the sixth-lowest first-innings total to win a Championship match.It was Essex’s first defeat in the Championship for 20 months, spanning 19 games, since they lost at Chelmsford to Glamorgan in the match that confirmed their promotion to Division One. Yorkshire took 19 points for their win to Essex’s three.Yorkshire’s second victory of the season was sparked by Jonny Bairstow, who elevated himself to open the second innings after tea on the first day and thrashed 50 in double-quick time to alter the destiny of the game, and then set up by Harry Brook’s maiden first-class hundred.Yorkshire came back from being dismissed for 50 in the first innings to win by 91 runs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was finished by Patterson who claimed career-best figures of 6 for 40, beating the 6 for 56 he took against Durham in June 2016, the last time he had a five-wicket haul.”It was a really difficult first day for us. The first session was probably the worst session of cricket I’ve ever been involved in,” Patterson said. “But I thought the courage and the belief we showed from that moment on, for the rest of the game, was pretty impressive. A lot of people stood up at tough times and made important contributions and thankfully several days later we’re celebrating victory.”It’s hard to win four-day games no matter who it’s against, so you’ve got to savour the victories. From where we were in the game nobody would have backed us to be where we are now.”But the one thing about Yorkshire in all the days I’ve been in the side is we’ve got tremendous belief and we’ve got some fantastic talent in the dressing room. We know if we truly believe and stick together you can achieve anything in the game. And that’s shown in the last two days.”Coad broke Essex’s resistance after 25 minutes of play when he dismissed Ryan ten Doeschate and followed with the wickets of James Foster and Simon Harmer in the space of 11 of his own deliveries.Patterson had rattled through the first Essex four wickets on the second evening, and sent back the man upon whom Essex’s hopes rested, Dan Lawrence, to claim his fifth of the innings. At that stage the county champions had lost four wickets in 23 balls with the score stuck resolutely on 114.England Test captain Joe Root bowled the first over of the day from the River End and almost had Lawrence lofting airily to extra cover where the ball eluded two converging fielders. However, Lawrence calmed down after that rush of blood and brought up Essex’s hundred two balls later.ten Doeschate, who had cut Patterson for a thumping four, was the first in the procession after helping Lawrence to negotiate the first seven overs without concern. The pair had put on 59 in 23 overs, lifting Essex from 55 for 4 before Coad got one to keep low and had the Essex captain lbw for 34.James Foster lasted just three balls before Coad nicked his outside edge and Bairstow, standing up, took the catch. Simon Harmer became Coad’s third victim when he played over a delivery and went 1bw.Lawrence’s 100-ball stay for 32 ended when Patterson removed his middle stump as he played around a straight one. Peter Siddle and Jamie Porter put on a dozen runs for the ninth wicket before Porter became the latest lbw victim and Patterson’s sixth. Siddle was the final wicket to fall of an extraordinary match when Tim Bresnan trapped him in front.

A round-up of the Group A matches of the Vijay Hazare trophy held on February 26, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2017At the Feroz Shah Kotla, Amit Verma and Arun Karthik starred with half-centuries in Assam’s successful chase of 244 against Punjab. Pallavkumar Das dominated the early part of Assam’s chase with 48 off 49 balls, before they went from 75 for 1 to 90 for 3. Karthik, the captain, and Verma shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 92 off 107 balls. Sandeep Sharma ended the association with the wicket of Karthik for 63. He later had Verma caught for 65 with Assam one run away from the target, which they completed off the next ball. Sandeep Sharma took 3 for 52 for Punjab.When Punjab batted, Shubman Gill scored nearly half their runs – 121 out of 243 – to raise his maiden century in his second List A game. Gill’s fourth-wicket partnership of 141 with Gurkeerat Singh Mann (58) lifted them from 19 for 3 and formed the bulwark of Punjab’s total. Assam’s new-ball pair of Pritam Das and Arup Das took three wickets each.At the Palam Grounds, debutant Hitesh Kadam scythed through Haryana’s lower middle order to bowl Railways to a 71-run win. Haryana were reeling at 86 for 5 in pursuit of 253, before a half-century stand between Rahul Dagar (57) and Rahul Tewatia (33) had revived them when Kadam made his first strike. Soon, Haryana went from 138 for 5 to 142 for 8. Kadam took out Dagar for 57, before bowling Mohit Sharma to close out the game.Earlier, when Railways elected to bat, they were driven by a third-wicket stand of 102 between Pratham Singh (51) and Arindam Ghosh, who top-scored with 76. Railways were also helped by contributions from Mahesh Rawat (31), and Amit Mishra, whose seven-ball unbeaten 17, lifted them to 252 for 7.At the Karnail Singh Stadium, Vidarbha mounted a late fightback after electing to bat against Baroda, before successfully defending their total by 22 runs in a shortened game. Apoorv Wankhade (62*) and Akshay Karnewar (54*) struck half-centuries and stitched together an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 98 that took Vidarbha from 153 for 5 in the 36th over to finish on 251 in 45 overs. Wankhade’s knock came off 46 balls and included two fours and three sixes, while Karnewar struck at 180, with one four and five sixes. Before the duo got together, Faiz Fazal, the Vidarbha captain and their opening batsman, held the innings together with 58, although he used up 104 balls.Baroda’s chase was driven by a second-wicket stand of 66 between Aditya Waghmode (79) and Krunal Pandya (43). But the rest of the order failed to make an impression, and though Pinal Shah biffed 36 off 32 balls at No. 8, they fell well short of the target. Yash Thakur, playing his second List A game, took 3 for 64.

Zimbabwe could bring back their designated captain Elton Chigumbura along with Sikander Raza and Luke Jongwe in must-win third T20I

The Preview by Mohammad Isam19-Jan-2016

Match facts

January 20, 2015
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)Bangladesh are a step away from their second successive T20I series win over Zimbabwe•AFP

Big Picture

It is becoming increasingly difficult to predict playing XIs from both sides, who aren’t afraid to tinker with their combinations in their quest to narrow down on an ideal combination going into the World T20 in India.Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have to play in the preliminary round, also featuring Oman, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands, with the top two teams progressing. That means, both sides will want to throw the younger players into the deep end, to see how they acclimatise to the pressure. That Bangladesh are sitting pretty with a 2-0 lead means the time is ripe for them to unleash their bench strength. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, are still smarting from their series loss to Afghanistan in the UAE. Ordinary performances in the first two games means they are running out of time.They rested the designated captain Elton Chigumbura among three players in the last game. It remains to be seen if they are brought back in at a crunch time. That apart, they will also need impact players like Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe to come good if they are to challenge the hosts in conditions as subcontinental as they can get.With Bangladesh missing Mushfiqur Rahim due to a hamstring injury, even as Mustafizur Rahman and Al-Amin Hossain, their best seamers on show in the first two games, have been rested, Zimbabwe will hope to cash in on the relative inexperience of some of the Bangladesh players. Among them, Sabbir Rahman will be keenly followed after his impressive outing in the previous game that also earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)


Bangladesh: WWLWL
Zimbabwe: LLLLW

In the spotlight

With Mushfiqur out of the series, Nurul Hasan, who impressed in the Bangladesh Premier League, will now have a lot more focus on his batting as well. But his main job would be to keep things clean behind the stumps.Malcolm Waller did well in the last T20 series in Bangladesh and also had his moments in the BPL, but hasn’t really come up with a blinding knock in this series. Zimbabwe will look at him to provide a late flourish.

Teams news

Although Imrul Kayes has remained in the squad, it is likely that newcomer Mosaddek Hossain will come in place of Mushfiqur, while three out of Taskin Ahmed, Muktar Ali, Mohammad Shahid and Abu Hider are likely to get a place in the XI. Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Muktar Ali, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Abu HiderWith the series on the line, Zimbabwe could bring back their regular captain Chigumbura along with senior members Sikandar Raza and Luke Jongwe. Zimbabwe: (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Sikandar Raza, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Taurai Muzarabani

Pitch and conditions

Favorable batting conditions are likely to continue. Both sides have started well with the bat, but haven’t been able to finish off the innings. The team batting second will have the advantage of dew, as it would allow the ball to slide onto the bat nicely, while making life difficult for the spinners.

Stats and trivia

• If Bangladesh hand debuts to three players, it will be the first time since December 2012, against West Indies. The uncapped players are Abu Hider, Mohammad Shahid, Mosaddek Hossain and Muktar Ali.
• In the previous game, Hamilton Masakadza became the first Zimbabwean to reach 3000 runs in T20s.

Quote

“Like we always do, we will try to win tomorrow. If we play our own game we will definitely win. We are not talking about a series win right now.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad gave themselves a lead over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the race for the final spot in the IPL playoffs with a comprehensive win over the troubled Rajasthan Royals

The Report by Sidharth Monga17-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
File photo: Amit Mishra took big middle-order wickets•BCCI

Sunrisers Hyderabad gave themselves a lead over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the race for the final spot in the IPL playoffs, with a comprehensive win over the troubled Rajasthan Royals, their sixth win out of seven home games. Both Sunrisers and Royal Challengers have a game left, but Sunrisers play the easier opposition in Kolkata Knight Riders. Royal Challengers go up against Chennai Super Kings in their last match.Royals, who have qualified for the playoffs but have also been rocked by an alleged spot-fixing scandal, began the game needing a big win to give themselves a chance of finishing in the top two. For a long time they looked like they could do so, thanks largely to James Faulkner’s second five-for of the season – both against Sunrisers – but they let Sunrisers back in followed by an indifferent batting display in the chase of 137.Royals will rue a seemingly innocuous moment in the sixth over. Sunrisers had gone against their winning formula of chasing at home and were in deep trouble when Biplab Samantray took two instinctive steps down the wicket and went back a little lazily. The ball had gone towards point, Ajinkya Rahane swooped in, and had actually run Samantray out. Except that nobody appealed.Had Rahane appealed, Sunrisers would have been reduced to 21 for 4. Instead Samantray – 8 off 12 then – went on to score his first IPL fifty, which took Sunrisers to a fighting total. With Darren Sammy, Samantray added 56 runs in 5.5 overs. Sammy scored 23 off 19. Sunrisers didn’t even manage a big push towards the end, because Faulkner came back to undo the rebuilding work, but Sunrisers’ bowlers have defended worse than 136.Their two big bowlers – Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra – set the tone of the defence. Steyn bowled fast, accurate and with swing, and conceded just four runs in his first two overs. Royals had surprisingly still opened with Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane because they needed a huge-win-or-nothing approach: they couldn’t have missed out on the playoffs but needed a win and a big net-run-rate boost to compete for the top two slots.The pressure exerted by Steyn was too much on the openers, and Mishra didn’t let up at all. He returned the joint-most economical figures of this season: 4-0-8-2. In between, Rahane and Shane Watson holed out, effectively ending the chase. Mumbai and Super Kings now finish in the top two, and Royals await either Sunrisers or Royal Challengers in the eliminator.