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The left-arm spinner took five wickets as Pakistan collapsed spectacularly around Azhar Ali in a chase of 176

The Report by Danyal Rasool19-Nov-2018
1:22

Ajaz Patel: teenage left-arm seamer to Test-grade left-arm spinner

In the pantheon of infamous Pakistan implosions, this must rank right around the top. Pakistan were cantering to a victory around lunchtime, courtesy Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali, and the wicket of Shafiq off the last ball before lunch seemed no more than an inconsequential irritant. But New Zealand, blindly, illogically, unreasonably, refused to write off this match as a lost cause, compelling Pakistan to believe the game was still on, the pressure all theirs to bear. And somewhere along the line in the middle session, Pakistan were convinced. New Zealand had won that game of poker, and, in the process, set the wheels in motion for a four-run victory, their narrowest Test win in history, and surely one of their most gratifying ones.
After lunch, Babar Azam lost his head and ran for a single his partner was least interested in, and just like that the panic set in. Sarfraz Ahmed, woefully short of confidence, edged a sweep – a shot that once was a strength but now appears to be a crutch. The tail was in, and the shots they played soon turned the panic into complete hysteria. Even as Pakistan lost their heads, New Zealand kept theirs. Azhar Ali was running out of partners without quite having the belief to take the game into his own hands, and he tried to inch Pakistan to victory with No. 11 Mohammad Abbas in tow. But, having blown their chance to waltz through the door, Pakistan soon found the back door slammed shut too by a New Zealand side playing their first Test cricket in over seven months.New Zealand’s indomitable spirit played a massive part in how they sneaked home in one of the most unlikely comebacks of all time, but the inquisition from Pakistan is destined to be punitive. There was so much to take issue with in the approach to the target, a small target by lunch. These were professional cricketers and with the finishing line almost reaching out in embrace, they forgot how to run. Strategies were thrown out of the window, composure tossed aside in the frenzy. Babar and Sarfraz may be the most disappointed in the manner of their dismissals, but the lower order could have few excuses too.Bilal Asif tried to swing Patel into Dubai with an ugly hoick, with Azhar Ali at the other end, handing New Zealand the seventh wicket as the possibility of defeat became a probability for the first time. Azhar, too, was guilty of sensing the moment far too late, only properly farming the strike when he was with Abbas.Hasan Ali may receive the brunt of the blame; Pakistan cricket does like a scapegoat or two. He was the one who decided to go into T20 mode, hoicking Patel to deep midwicket with his side needing 12 runs. Eighteen months ago, Pakistan made Shannon Gabriel the butt of many jokes when the No. 11 tried to sweep Yasir Shah when a defensive block would have given senior partner Roston Chase the strike for the final over and secured a draw. Hasan’s smear was in no way less hare-brained, and in the end equally as costly to Pakistan, condemning them to their narrowest Test defeat.Neil Wagner roars after taking a wicket•AFP

For New Zealand, Patel was the hero and such team spirit exists in their dressing room that it barely registered he had completed a five-wicket haul on debut, when he trapped Azhar Ali in front for the final wicket. It was a compliment to the debutant that he was the man Williamson trusted to spin the side to victory even when Ish Sodhi was in the side, and Patel repaid that in bucketloads. Flighting the ball, controlling the spin, drifting it in, rushing it through, he could do it all. He had Pakistan’s batsmen on a piece of string by the end, and cut the cord just in time to prevent them scrambling their way to safety.Things had looked so different at lunch. Azhar and Shafiq had belatedly appeared to step into the boots of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, an 82-run partnership putting Pakistan within touching distance of a 1-0 lead in this series. Coming together with Pakistan at 48 for 3, they had sucked the life out of New Zealand’s hopes.Patel had triggered Pakistan’s slide with a lovely offbreak that came back in and hit the pads quicker than Imam-ul-Haq could cope with, before Sodhi made his impact on the game. A flighted delivery beat Mohammad Hafeez in the air, leaving him spooning a catch to short cover, while Haris Sohail – much as he had first innings, scooped drove a low full toss in the air. Sodhi completed a brilliant, low catch, and the famed Pakistan implosion never far away from the surface came bubbling to the fore once more.But then, Azhar and Shafiq joined hands. Not the Azhar of late, the uncertain, hard hands imposter that has dented his reputation in the past year, but the real thing. He was never rash, but insisted on keeping the runs flowing, eager to play the supporting role to Shafiq who looked so free from pressure you wondered if he really understood the importance of the situation. Sodhi, who had been looking to rip through the Pakistan line-up as spinners do on surfaces like these, suddenly lost his rhythm and couldn’t pitch two consecutive deliveries in the same postcode.Pakistan have had trouble chasing down low totals in the fourth innings recently. Last year in Barbados, they were shot out for 81 in a chase of 187, while at this very ground 13 months ago, Sri Lanka had bowled them out for 114 to deny them a seemingly certain win. They might have been looking to consign those results to musty corners of hidden history today. But, against a side that would not accept they would lose, Pakistan suddenly became a side that refused to believe they were winning.

The Australia left-arm spinner fractured his right little finger while fielding in the third ODI in Indore

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2017A fractured finger for left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is another setback for Australia after the tourists surrendered their ODI series 3-0 to India in Indore with two matches remaining.Agar broke the digit as Steven Smith’s team were unable to defend 293 against India’s rampant batsmen. He spent time off the field and, though he returned to bowl, he is now out of the tour.”Ashton injured his right little finger whilst fielding in the match last night,” the team doctor Richard Saw said. “Following the conclusion of the match he went for x-rays which have confirmed a fracture of the finger. He will return home to Australia and consult a specialist with a possibility of surgery.”After playing in two Tests in Bangladesh, Agar was not initially part of the ODI team but was included after Adam Zampa was harshly dealt with by India’s middle order in the first ODI in Chennai. Smith was critical of Zampa bowling too full in the match and subsequently preferred Agar. Zampa, who possesses a handsome IPL record, can now expect a recall for the remainder of the series.

Shan Masood all but confirmed his place in the Pakistan side for the third Test at Edgbaston with a patient half-century in the tour game against Worcestershire

George Dobell at New Road29-Jul-2016
ScorecardAzhar Ali found some timely form ahead of the third Test•Getty Images

Shan Masood all but confirmed his place in the Pakistan side for the third Test at Edgbaston with a patient half-century in the tour game against Worcestershire.Masood, who has looked less than immoveable at the top of the order in the Test series, came into the game under a little pressure, but easily out-scored his most obvious rival for a spot, Sami Aslam, and has almost certainly done enough to retain his spot.That news may not cause any sleepless nights for James Anderson. He has dismissed Masood, who has scored 71 in four innings this series, in all six innings in which they have confronted one another in Test cricket and on four of those occasions he has failed to pass 2.But here, confronted by a modest attack and a painfully slow pitch being used for the second time in a week (it was described by Azhar Ali as “a very tired pitch”), he took the opportunity to gain some time at the crease and build some confidence with a determined innings that belied the low-key nature of this two-day contest.There was one nervous moment early on when he played and missed at Charlie Morris on 1 and another on 52 when Morris put down a tough chance at backward square leg off George Rhodes’ offspin. But in between times he demonstrated patience – he did not score his second run until his 27th delivery and it took him 124 balls to reach his half-century – some familiar nicely timed strokes off his legs and one pleasing off-drive against the medium pace of Alex Hepburn.Aslam may reflect that he has not been given the best opportunity to shine on this tour. Having not played a first-class game since December, he had had to wait until now for his first innings of the tour and, having clubbed the first boundary of the innings – a lofted drive over mid-on off the out of sorts Jack Shantry – from the penultimate ball of the 14th over, then followed one angled across him and edged to slip. Aslam may look back on this as a frustrating tour but, aged just 20, he has time on his side. Pakistan also hope to bat again in the latter stages of the second day of this game, so he should have one more opportunity to impress.There were also runs for Azhar. He is captain in this game in place of the rested Misbah-ul-Haq and has also endured a modest start to the series – he has scored 39 in four innings – but here he looked a class above in making an accomplished 81 that included a straight six off Rhodes and a slogged four through midwicket to bring up his half-century from 103 deliveries. “Teams do work you out in international cricket,” he said afterwards when asked about England’s bowlers exploiting his habit of falling over towards the off side. “You need to cope with it.”While Worcestershire are close to full strength – Brett D’Oliverira, who has just signed a three-year contract extension with the club, and Ben Cox and Joe Leach, who have both played every game this season, were the only three rested – this was a used surface and their attack is a good deal more sedate than the one Pakistan will experience at Edgbaston next week. Three of them – Rhodes, Hepburn and Alexei Kervezee – have nine first-class wickets between them, while Ed Barnard is just 20.Barnard can bowl, though. He produced a beauty to account for Azhar- the ball reversed just enough to clip the top of off stump – and, as he grows and strengthens, looks as if he could be a good prospect.The decision to rest Cox provided an opportunity for Joe Clarke, arguably the most talented 20-year-old batsman in England, to keep wicket and although he fumbled a couple of times, he took a nice catch to end Masood’s innings as the batsman skipped down the pitch, was beaten by some turn and edged his attempted drive.That allowed Mohammad Rizwan to compile an unbeaten 49 full of elegant strokes – his late cut and sweep, in particular – and Iftikhar Ahmed, whose first scoring stroke was a slightly mis-hit six off Kervezee, to make an unbeaten 41 in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 80 before the declaration. Younis Khan, slightly surprisingly given his form, was rested but batted in the nets. This two-day game does not have first-class status so there is some potential for the teams to change on the second day, though both sides have said they will resist that temptation.Meanwhile, Mohammad Hafeez worked with Carl Crowe, the former county spinner turned coach, in the nets. Crowe helped Sunil Narine re-model his action after it was deemed illegal and is trying to help Hafeez through a similar process now. As yet, though, there is no re-test booked for Hafeez and, until there is, he cannot be cleared to bowl in a match. As a result, it seems there is no chance of him bowling in the third Test and very little in the final Test.

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Irfan Karim struck six fours and three sixes in his unbeaten 74•Getty Images

Irfan Karim’s 54-ball 74 led Kenya to a convincing seven-wicket win against Canada in Edinburgh. An unbeaten 94 run fourth-wicket stand between Karim and Morris Ouma helped Kenya romp home in a 144-run chase with nine balls to spare.After being inserted to bat, Ruvindu Gunasekara and Rizwan Cheema got Canada off to a sedate start – 15 were scored off the first four overs. However, the pair attacked the last two overs of the Powerplay, smashing 38 to lift the score to 53 in six overs. Three sixes were hit in the eighth over as well as Canada looked set for a dominating total. James Ngoche broke the stand in the 10th over, dismissing Cheema for 35 and also got the wicket of Gunasekara(51) in his next over, slowing Canada down. From the 15th over, Canada scored a boundary in each over save the last, but could add only 45 runs in the last six overs, eventually ending at 143 for 5. Nelson Odhiambo picked up 2 for 22, his wickets of Navneet Dhaliwal and Hiral Patel coming off successive deliveries in the 19th over.In the chase, Narendra Kalyan and Karim provided a solid start – 35 in 29 balls, which included two fours each in the third and fourth overs – before Kalyan was caught off Jeremy Gordon for 19. Kenya lost two more wickets in the space of three runs as the match evened out at 52 for 3 in the eighth over. However, Karim and Ouma’s partnership consolidated for Kenya and at the mid-way point in the chase, Kenya required 84. Seventeen were scored in the 13th over as the pair took control of the chase. They hit boundaries regularly and kept the required run-rate in check, and a four and a six in the 15th and 16th over effectively sealed the game, before Ouma wrapped it up with successive fours. Jeremy Gordon picked up two wickets.

AB de Villiers has admitted for the first time that he has been overburdened by his demanding roles of batsman, wicketkeeper and captain after conceding the gloves for South Africa’s one-day series against New Zealand

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-2013AB de Villiers has, for the first time, admitted being overburdened by his roles as a batsman, wicket-keeper and part of South Africa’s leadership core. His acknowledgment comes after a policy change to the limited-overs squads which has seen the gloves taken away from de Villiers to allow him to focus on captaincy.”I have always felt a bit rushed trying to captain the side and keep wicket,” de Villiers said ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand in Paarl. “I will probably stand at mid-off and be able to communicate with my bowlers a lot better as well as get a better perspective of the game.”De Villiers latest statement contrasts with his assessment of his own handling of the triple task the last time South Africa played limited-overs cricket, at the World Twenty20 in September. De Villiers required three weeks rest after the tournament after he aggravated his chronic back condition during the tour of England and the ICC event.Despite the recurrence of the injury, de Villiers insisted he was not paying the price for taking on too much. “I don’t believe there is too much on my plate; I really enjoy the captaincy and batting and keeping. It’s what I am going to do,” he said, while even going as far as to say he would continue in all three roles irrespective of the effect it had. “If I miss out on a year of my career, so be it.”Since that tournament, de Villiers has played five Test matches for South Africa and one domestic 50-over match. De Villiers complained of a tired body after turning out for his franchise, the Titans in the one-day cup playoff. He scored a hundred in a losing cause that day but was so worn out from the cumulative effects of that match after a Test series that he to be rested from the three-match T20 series against New Zealand, a request which was granted.In that time, de Villiers also “changed his mind,” according to convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson about ‘keeping at Test level. When de Villiers was required to take over from Mark Boucher in and emergency situation in England, he was reluctant to become the permanent wicket-keeper. During the third Test against Australia in Perth in early December, Hudson spoke to de Villiers again and he asked if he could continue in the role. The selection panel and team management agreed.But de Villiers ‘keeping at Test level has widespread implications beginning with his own batting. Crouching behind the stumps for extended periods seemed to hinder de Villiers ability to bat with freedom, which South Africa needs him to do. As yet, that theory has not been completely disproved. The 169 he blazed at the WACA came after he was in the field for three overs more than an ODI. Even against New Zealand, where he scored two half-centuries, periods on the park were minimal thanks to the visitor’s short batting time.It has been enough to convince the powers that be, though and de Villiers will continue as Test wicket-keeper but in order do that, he has had to give up the gloves in shorter formats. Quinton de Kock did the job in the T20s and will do in the ODIs, to allow de Villiers time to develop his leadership style, 18 months after taking over the job.De Kock’s selection is also a means to ensure de Villiers’ back can be rested, although how much it will be questionable. Gary Kirsten revealed yesterday that de Villiers finds keeping in 50-overs “more intense,” than in a Test. Previously de Villiers went on record saying he found it harder on his body to be in the outfield – where he will now prowl – than to keep wicket.After the three ODIs, it may be clearer which discipline takes greater toll on de Villiers because his back can be compared to the way it felt after the World T20. Should de Villiers first guess be correct and he comes out worse, he may have to consider ‘keeping again which will require another rethink of South Africa’s limited-overs policy. Should he cope well with fielding again, it could open up another option for South Africa at Test level, the specialist wicket-keeper, should they require it.As a result, the debate over South Africa’s wicket-keeping options is far from closed. Life after Boucher was always going to be uncertain because of the poor planning that preceded it. Even as Boucher’s form dipped, no clear attempts were made to identify or groom a successor.At that time, de Villiers himself distanced himself from wicket-keeping permanently as he confirmed his career goal was simply to become the best batsman in the world. Recently, he has spoken of his desire to improve his wicket-keeping, to captain the side as best he can and to contribute with the bat.To change one’s mind or expand one’s goals is only natural, for the administrators to accommodate that if it works with their team plans is also understandable but it all points to an obvious question that must be asked soon: when does too much room for individual flexibility cause too much disruption to the team’s needs?

A round-up of the action from the fourth day of the second round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2011

Group A

Kerala and Services were involved in a thrilling draw at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi, where the hosts clung on to a draw with one wicket left. Kerala had the upper hand for much of the day, and were in an excellent position to win the game but ended up taking away just one point while Services took three. Seamer Sony Cheruvathur bagged four wickets and was backed up Prasanth Parameswaran, Unnikrishnan Manukrishnan and Padmanabhan Prasanth, who took two each, to bowl out Services for 148. Kerala had conceded a first-innings lead of four runs, but bounced back to reach a winning position.However, they faltered in their chase of 153 in 63 overs. They top order failed, with the team being reduced to 17 for 3 at one stage. Rohan Prem, Sachin Baby and Karimutthathu Rakesh scored 20s but couldn’t push on and at 103 for 9 in the 43rd over, Kerala were staring at defeat. For Services, Yashpal Singh starred with five wickets. However, Manukrishnan and Parameswaran, the last-wicket pair, not unlike James Anderson and Monty Panesar in Cardiff two years ago, saw off 125 deliveries, adding 27, to save the game for Kerala.Andhra Pradesh were made to wait and work hard but they eventually found success, beating Tripura by 124 runs in Visakhapatnam. They had reduced Tripura to 24 for 5 in a chase of 233 at the end of the third day, and left them in further trouble at 76 for 7. But wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant and the explosive duo of Manisankar Murasingh and Udit Patel put up a fight. Samant fell on 42 with the score on 109 but No.9 and 10 provided plenty of entertainment. Both Murasingh and Udit faced 39 balls, struck eight fours and three sixes. Murasingh made 52, Udit made 59 but soon enough, AP struck to seal victory. Seamet Tekkami Atchuti Rao took four wickets, supported by Syed Sahabuddin who took three.

Group B

Goa took three points from their draw against Assam in Guwahati, having gained a first-innings lead. On the fourth day, the tenth-wicket pair of Amit Yadav (68) and captain Robin D’Souza (35) continued their good work, extending their score to 306 before the last-wicket pair added a further 30. There wasn’t much to play for in the second innings as an outright result would take a miracle, and Assam batted out 68.3 overs to make 190 for 3. Opener Dheeraj Jadhav helped himself to a century.There was finally a fair amount of play in the game between Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand in Srinagar. Openers Adil Rishi and Ian Dev Singh shone for J&K, adding 171. Ian scored a century while Adil made 88. In 75 overs, J&K scored 270 before declaring. Jharkhand were left to face only 20 overs, but it was for enough for Manish Vardhan to make an unbeaten 58 in quick time.

New Zealand are toying with the idea of opening the innings with Brendon McCullum in the upcoming series against India

Sriram Veera in Ahmedabad01-Nov-2010New Zealand are toying with the idea of opening the innings with Brendon McCullum in the upcoming series against India. McCullum announced his decision to quit wicketkeeping in Tests in June so that he could bat higher up the order, but said he would continue to keep in the limited-over formats. New Zealand’s top-order woes have been a persistent theme for a long time, and they are hoping that McCullum will provide the solution.Daniel Vettori said there would be a team meeting in the late evening on November 1, where they would decide whether to bat McCullum as an opener or at No.3. “I think he can set the tone opening or at number three,” Vettori said. “Much like (Virender) Sehwag does for India. He really sets the tone for the team and takes a lot of pressure off the rest of the batsmen. I think Brendon can do that role, whether it is opening or at number three.”Wouldn’t it have been better if the decision on the opening role was taken before coming to India? “I suppose it’s the nature of not having a warm-up game and also, it’s the nature of our cricket as well,” Vettori said. “Those top three positions have been unsettled for the history of our game. It is a continual problem and something that we are always searching for. We are really hoping Brendon, with his experience as an opener in one-day cricket and his good form in Test cricket last year, can be a real solution.”McCullum sees it as an “exciting” opportunity and said he has decided to play aggressively. “In the past, I have been caught between the two approaches – aggression and fiddling around – and there have been a few interesting innings. Now I have decided that my best course of action is to be aggressive. I can take heart from the success of attacking openers like [Chris] Gayle, [Virender] Sehwag, Tamim Iqbal, [Tillakaratne] Dilshan or [Matthew] Hayden over the years.Those players have remained true to their nature and have been a success. I want to bat aggressively at the top and do well for my team.”McCullum said his preparations for Tests have changed since he gave up the gloves. “It’s a lot different but I don’t want to get it too complicated. If you are just a batsman you can spend a lot of time grooving your technique. But I am a reactive and an instinctive batsman. I don’t want to change that. I have just the lead-up to this Test in this new role; I am sure I will learn how to prepare as I go along.”

A round-up of the second day’s action from the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2009

Group B

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s five-for kept UP in the match against Bengal after they folded for 62•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Scorecard
Irfan Pathan’s all-round show powered Baroda to victory against Saurashtra on another day for bowlers to savour at the Moti Bagh Stadium. Cheteshwar Pujara was the only Saurashtra batsman to come to terms with the track, making 71 (next highest 15) before he was the last man out as his side was rolled over for 137. It has been a match has swung from one side to the next, and Saurashtra’s batting let them down once again after their bowlers had wrung out a first-innings lead on Tuesday. Irfan took the opening wicket before grabbing the final three in the space of six deliveries. Firdaush Bhaja also finished with four, running through the middle-order. Baroda lost three batsmen in their chase of 141 but Irfan blasted a 45-ball 65 to clinch the win which dented Saurashtra’s hopes of making the quarter-finals
Scorecard
Twenty-two wickets went down on a manic day at the Green Park Stadium, after which Uttar Pradesh had a slight edge over Bengal. Fast bowler Ranadeb Bose ripped through the UP top order in the morning with a five-wicket haul that helped bowl out the home side for 62 in only 24.1 overs. That gave Bengal a handy 131-run lead, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed exactly what Bose did to keep UP in the match. He grabbed five of the first six wickets to limit Bengal to 104. Manoj Tiwary and Sourav Ganguly both fell for ducks and it was 56-run eighth-wicket stand between Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Sourav Sarkar that helped Bengal reach triple digits after they were struggling at 35 for 7. UP made a relatively solid start to the chase of 236, finishing at 53 for 2. Bose, though, predicted a much more closely-fought second innings, as the wicket had eased out. “I am in no mood to enjoy the five-wicket haul as the match is not over yet,” he told the . “We still have to get eight wickets. The wicket won’t help as much as it did on the first two days. Remember, lightning doesn’t strike twice. Uttar Pradesh can’t be bowled out for 62 again. But we have to win this match.”
Scorecard
A solid bowling performance from Delhi pushed them towards a win that will take them five points clear of fourth-placed Baroda. Medium-pacer Parvinder Awana took five to scythe through Maharashtra’s first innings, keeping them to 163. Even that needed a brisk 39, including eight fours, from No. 10 Jitendra Patil. Forced to follow on, Maharashtra finished the day at 32 for 1, still a long way from making Delhi bat again. Among the few moments to enjoy for Maharashtra was getting rid of overnight batsman Mithun Manhas for 170, the addition of only four runs.

Group A

Scorecard
It was still an even game between Hyderabad and Railways at the Uppal Stadium. Again the batsmen took their time to make the runs; M Suresh’s 329-minute 64 guiding Railways to a satisfactory 305. Alfred Absolem, the ICL returnee, was the most effective of Hyderabad’s bowlers finishing with a five-for. Hyderabad replied with a patient effort, opener Shashank Nag taking 144 deliveries for his 51 before being dismissed in the day’s final over. Anirudh Singh made a measured 41, and in partnership with Nag, took Hyderabad to 99 for 2.
Scorecard
Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat were involved in an intense tussle for the first-innings lead in Surat. Gujarat lost their final five wickets for 19 runs to make a modest 234. This after the overnight pair of Bhavik Thaker and Sunny Singh added 71 runs on the day. The HP top-order collapsed, with four of the top five falling in single digits. Vinit Indulkar (49) and an unbeaten 65 from the experienced Paras Dogra kept HP’s chances of gaining three points by overhauling Gujarat’s total alive. It is Gujarat who hold the edge, though, as they need only two more wickets while HP need 60 runs.
Scorecard
Basanth Mohanty’s four wickets left Orissa poised to taking the first-innings lead against Punjab in Chandigarh. Orissa’s final three wickets extended the innings to 283, thanks to Alok Sahoo’s half-century. Punjab’s top-order flopped in reply, with Ravi Inder Singh being the only one of the top six to cross 20. Basanth scalped the first four wickets to reduce Punjab to 74 for 4. It was then the turn of Debashis Mohanty to do the damage, striking three blows to push Punjab to 114 for 8.Click to read Nagraj Gollapudi’s bulletin of the second day’s play between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.

Ecclestone’s 33 off 19 helped UPW tie the scores by smashing 41 runs off the last 17 balls before delivering a stunning Super Over

Shashank Kishore24-Feb-2025
Super Over An extraordinary night of drama delivered a thriller, with UP Warriorz sending a crowd in excess of 28,000 into stunned silence after RCB failed to knock off the nine runs they needed in the Super Over.In a game that seemed to be headed RCB’s way until the last two overs in regulation time, Sophie Ecclestone’s incredible final-over hitting against Renuka Singh, which went for 17, forced the game into a Super Over. But the showstopper for the night was a sensational final over Ecclestone delivered to deny Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh as Warriorz sprung their campaign back to life with a second straight win.Related

• Ecclestone carries UP Warriorz with her big-game mentality

• Stats – Perry overtakes Lanning, WPL gets its first ever Super Over

The high-octane end

Forty-two needed off 18, with two wickets in hand. Ecclestone had pottered to 3 off eight balls, and had no option but to go for broke, especially with Chinelle Henry, seemingly the last hope for Warriorz, gone.Ecclestone got stuck into Georgia Wareham by muscling two sixes in a 13-run over. But when Saima Thakor was run out a ball after swinging one out of the ground in the 19th over, it was all on Ecclestone to knock off much of the 18 runs they needed off the last six.She hit 17 in an extraordinary sequence of 6, 6, 4, 1, taking Renuka to the cleaners as she repeatedly missed her lengths. But Ecclestone’s single off the fifth ball that left Warriorz needing one off the last ball, brought rookie Kranti Goud on strike.When Goud missed and the batters ran, Richa Ghosh did an MS Dhoni, choosing to sprint to the stumps and knock the bails off rather than risk an underarm throw. And just like that, the WPL had its first Super Over.Sophie Ecclestone’s sixes took the game into a Super Over•BCCI

Ecclestone’s dream night continues

When Kim Garth bowled Henry, who had muscled an incredible eight sixes in her 23-ball 62 against Delhi Capitals, with a slower delivery with Warriorz needing 47 off 22, she wouldn’t have envisaged having to bowl the Super Over.Yet, when she did, and conceded just 8 while dismissing Henry again, she wouldn’t have imagined finishing on the wrong side of the result. But, five minutes later, she watched in agony as Mandhana and Ghosh failed to find their hitting range on the face of some nerveless bowling from Ecclestone.It was a performance straight out of fantasy for the world’s No. 1 T20I and ODI bowler, who had also quite extraordinarily just conceded six runs off the final over in RCB’s innings. Three of those deliveries were pinpoint yorkers that denied Ellyse Perry a final charge towards what would have been an extraordinary century.

Perry, Wyatt-Hodge set RCB up

Perry offset Mandhana’s early loss – against offspin for the 11th time in the WPL – by welcoming Ecclestone with back-to-back fours, her step-out to bisect cover and mid-off being the standout. Perry’s intent-laden approach brought her a first six when she launched Thakor down the ground. At 42 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, RCB had a base.All through her innings, Perry was bubbling with flair. She became the first player to hit the 200-run mark in each of the first three WPLs. She also overtook Meg Lanning to become the highest run-getter in the tournament’s short history, during the course of a 94-run second-wicket stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge.The five-over period between seven and 11 brought RCB just 33, but the pair was able to flick the switch. Goud, who hustled Wyatt-Hodge with an excellent bumper early on, was picked away for three back-to-back fours in the 13th.In doing so, Wyatt-Hodge exhibited her range of shots – a cut when offered width, a swat back past the bowler when it was dug in short, and a pummel over extra cover when the bowler went full. Wyatt-Hodge brought up her maiden WPL half-century off 36 balls against the side that had traded her out. But her dismissal brought Warriorz two more wickets – of Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja.Ellyse Perry brought out her glorious drives from the start•BCCI

But Perry didn’t pass up an opportunity to go all out in the death overs. She took a liking for Deepti Sharma’s predictable lengths and bowling into the surface by picking her for a sequence of 4, 6, 4, 2 in the penultimate over – hitting the ball to different areas, from deep cover to long-on to deep midwicket.Perry’s use of angles to try and get inside the line and sweep the bowlers off their lengths was particularly noteworthy. She finished unbeaten on 90 off 56, with RCB hitting 105 off the last nine overs.

Navgire sparks life into chase

With Chamari Athapaththu again on the bench, Warriorz needed some firepower up top, and when Kiran Navgire smashed a 27-ball 51 four nights ago against Capitals, it seemed like they had found an answer.Navgire tantalised yet again, her uncomplicated stand-and-deliver mantra bringing her 24 off just 12 balls, as she swung at anything remotely in her zone before she was bowled attempting to hoick Renuka. Vrinda Dinesh’s run of low scores stretched into a fourth game as she picked out mid-off for 14 as Warriorz lost two early.

Warriorz rise after slide

An injury to Shreyanka Patil opened up a spot for Sneh Rana as a replacement, and she inflicted more agony for Warriorz when she struck twice in two overs. This put Warriorz in freefall mode, even though Shweta Sehrawat sparked life into the innings with a sprightly 31. But at 125 for 7 in 15, only a freak Henry innings would have silenced the crowd. But when she chopped on to Garth in the 17th, Warriorz needed a miracle, and Ecclestone scripted one.

CA are also focused on the changing nature of the global game and working with T20 franchises

Andrew McGlashan27-Oct-20231:59

Where are all the last-over thrillers?

The bosses of Cricket Australia believe ODIs can continue to play a key part in the men’s international game but have stressed the importance of having context around bilateral fixtures.There has been heightened debate around the 50-over format amid the ongoing World Cup which has seen some disappointing crowds and a lack of close games, although the tournament has produced a number of eye-catching results with Afghanistan beating England and Pakistan while Netherlands overturned a powerful South Africa.But amid an increasingly packed calendar, now becoming ever-more dominated by T20 franchise leagues, there is a growing suggestion that it is ODI cricket that will be squeezed particularly at bilateral level with discussions set to take place when the ICC meets next month in India.Related

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The 2027 ODI World Cup is locked in to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and 2031 is to be staged by India and Bangladesh, with a returning Champions Trophy due to be held in Pakistan in 2025.Direct qualification for the current World Cup in India was decided by the ODI Super League which meant bilateral series had added importance but that has been disbanded after one cycle.”It’s really important that there’s context for those bilateral series,” CA chief executive Nick Hockley said after the board’s AGM. “We’ve seen with the introduction of the World Test Championship how that works, we’ve seen with the qualification through to this World Cup with major nations [like] West Indies missing out, Netherlands coming through.”So really creating jeopardy in those bilateral series. That’s something we’ll be discussing when we are in India towards the end of the tournament with the ICC.”Bilateral T20I series could be given greater context in the future with Olympic qualification likely to be based on the rankings.Australia have three men’s ODIs in their upcoming summer – crammed into five days against West Indies in early February – which according to the Future Tours Programme (FTP) is the likely figure for most future seasons. They are then not scheduled to play the format again until September when they tour England for a five-match series, with three ODIs against Ireland also marked on the FTP before that.Australia’s men will play three home ODIs this season•AFP/Getty Images

Mike Baird, the CA chair, suggested that performances such as the 40-ball century by Glenn Maxwell against Netherlands show how the T20 game can help keep the one-day format relevant.”We certainly see a role for all three formats,” he said. “To see a T20 century, Glenn Maxwell came in in the 39th over, so the spectacular impact of that in an ODI it adds a whole other dimension than just a T20.”It’s an important format, we certainly think there’s a role. What is important is context, [not] just having matches without connecting them into qualifiers for a World Cup as an example – so those are the things, how do you give more context.”

Central contracts vs franchise cricket

Linked to the changing nature of the men’s international game, particularly around white-ball cricketers, is how players are contracted to their national boards. newspapers reported that CA has put a group of their leading players on multi-year deals and the ECB has recently done the same. also reported this week that there is now a mechanism within contracts where players can be docked a percentage of their earnings if they opt to play in overseas tournaments during the home season.”It is designed so that if a situation does not clearly warrant a player being given a [No Objection Certificate], the answer doesn’t have to be only ‘no, you can’t go and play’. It is ‘let’s have a conversation and see if we can negotiate a mutually satisfactory outcome’,” Todd Greenberg, the Australia Cricketers’ Association CEO, said. “That keeps the relationship strong and the player in our Australian system for longer.”CA acknowledged the rapidly changing landscape and how all sides need to work together.”We are conscious of the increased opportunity for players and to show some level of flexibility to pursue opportunities, certainly in the IPL and some of the other leagues around the world, is something we’ll need to support going forward,” Hockley said.”To go forward into the future, there are changes that are here, there are changes that are coming,” Baird added. “The fundamental thing we need is trust and that relationship with the players and we’ve certainly established that.”

CA makes a loss, but confidence for years to come

Meanwhile, CA reported a loss of nearly AUD$17 million for the last financial year but that was a stronger performance than expectations aided by AUD$42 million coming from hosting the men’s T20 World Cup.The upcoming year, which sees the men’s team host Pakistan and West Indies at home, is expected to also be loss-making before two big-earning seasons with India and England touring for five-match Test series in 2024-25 and 2025-26.”It’s part of the cycle … these [past] 12 months is the difficult period,” Baird said. “But we’re certainly very confident on where we’re going … over the next two or three years, the forecasts are really strong.”