Category Uncategorized

Lions brushed aside an uninspired Guyana in front of a healthy home crowd in Johannesburg to boost their chances of making the semi-finals

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran19-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Richard Cameron was in sparkling form•AFP

Lions brushed aside an uninspired Guyana in front of a healthy Johannesburg home crowd to boost their chances of making the semi-finals. After Guyana’s batsmen showed a lack of nous, and put up an inadequate total, Richard Cameron and Alviro Petersen blunted their attack to pilot the Lions to victory with nearly five overs to spare. Guyana never looked like repeating the heart-warming run of Trinidad & Tobago, who powered their way to the final of the Champions League last year, and their slim chances of reaching the final four ended with this crushing defeat.Guyana’s batsman looked to thrash almost every delivery, and mistimed plenty of strokes, but never attempted to dab the ball around to rotate the strike when things weren’t going their way. A late flourish lifted them from the depths of 88 for 6 to the relative respectability of 148, which still proved too trifling a target.The express pace of Craig Alexander and the sideways movement extracted by some of the Lions other quick bowlers proved too much for Guyana. The trouble started in the very first delivery of the match when Travis Dowlin escaped an extremely close lbw call. His short stay foreshadowed the Guyana effort: filled with thrashes and flails for little reward, and one panicky piece of running before he fell in the second over.Ramnaresh Sarwan is the most important batsmen in the Guyana line-up and he came out firing, cracking four boundaries in five deliveries to kickstart the innings. However, his performance was cut short in the fifth over by a spectacular diving catch by John Symes, at backward point, off Craig Alexander’s first delivery. In the next over, their other experienced batsman, opener Sewnarine Chattergoon who had faced only three deliveries in the Powerplays, holed out to mid-on.From 42 for 3, debutant Steven Jacobs stepped up to push Guyana forward. He was often beaten by the movement, and his timing was mostly awry, but he slipped in some flamboyant boundaries to take Guyana to 77 after 11 overs.Lions were well on top soon after due to some muddled running that led to the run outs of Christopher Barnwell and Esuan Crandon. Jacobs also perished, one of his mistimed strokes finally carrying to long-off. Ethan O’Reilly bowled a pinpoint yorker and a low full toss to take out middle stump twice in the 17th over to end with career-best figures of 4 for 27 and put Guyana in further trouble.Guyana somehow managed to push their total close to 150, thanks to some free-swinging from Lennox Cush who finished on 19 off 10 including a massive six over long-off.The chase began brightly with both Petersen and Johnathan Vandiar picking a boundary each. Lions’ only moment of bother was when Vandiar nicked Esuan Crandon behind in the third over, bringing together Cameron and Petersen who bludgeoned the weak Guyana bowling to bring up Lions’ second win in three games.Petersen sparked the innings to life after a quiet spell following Vandiar’s exit by thumping Esuan Crandon over long-on for a 102-metre six and then cracking him past point for four. It was mayhem after that – only two of the remaining overs of the chase went for less than 11 runs as Cameron went into overdrive. Helped by a gift-wrapped bunch of short deliveries from the Guyana spinners, Cameron soon overtook his captain with a series of pulls and carves.Petersen was content to let Cameron take most of the strike, and quietly moved to his second consecutive half-century. Cameron more than doubled this previous career-best of 36 before the victory was completed in the 16th over, keeping Lions firmly in the mix for a semi-final spot.

After conceding 75 in his first 15 overs, he dismissed Pant, Rahul and Jadeja to put New Zealand in sight of victory

Ashish Pant19-Oct-20241:17

What worked for New Zealand’s bowlers?

William O’Rourke admitted being “pretty streaky” and “hot and cold” in the early part of the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. But having gone for 75 off his first 15 overs, he dismissed Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja in three successive overs with the second new ball as India lost their last six wickets for just 29 runs.”Overall, for me, I’ve been pretty streaky, pretty hot and cold with the ball,” O’Rourke said at the end of the fourth day. “Pant and Sarfaraz [Khan] obviously batted very well for a long time there, but that second new ball came on and started doing a little bit for us.”So, credit to Timmy [Tim Southee] for getting that first breakthrough [of Sarfaraz] and then I was lucky enough to get a wee chop on there [from Pant] to give us a bit of momentum going through.”Related

• Eccentric, electric, entertaining – it's the Sarfaraz and Pant show

• Stats – India's comeback, collapse and Pant's dubious record

• Spells of rain and thunderstorms forecast for last day

• India flex batting muscle before collapsing to set NZ 107

Sarfaraz, in particular, handled O’Rourke well, picking him for 39 runs in 35 balls and repeatedly throwing him off his lengths with ramps and late cuts. While O’Rourke said he and the rest of the bowling unit could have been tighter with their lengths, he credited Sarfaraz for using the angles and opening up the field.”He [Sarfaraz] played me really well,” O’Rourke said. “With that angle of me sort of falling away, it sort of opens up that little dab shot. Yeah, maybe we could have been in the game a little bit, but he played it so well.”I would have liked to be a little bit tighter. Obviously, one of his strengths is that [the late cut]. So, yeah, I would have liked to be a little bit tighter, but I was missing a little bit wide, and he put me away. So credit to him.”O’Rourke has had a rousing start to his Test career. This is his fifth Test and he has already picked up 26 wickets at 18.84, which includes two five-fors. Fifteen of his 26 wickets have been in the subcontinent. He had an excellent tour of Sri Lanka last month where he picked up eight wickets in two Tests, and has continued his good run in India.William O’Rourke took three wickets in three overs to hurt India•BCCI

“I think we had a really good prep in Tauranga and down in Lincoln,” he said about his success in the subcontinent. “We had a few wickets that were a bit drier than probably what we are used to at that time of the year in New Zealand. And yeah, learning from the guys like Matt Henry, Tim Southee, who have been here before and done it before, it’s been massive for me coming here.”In the first innings here, O’Rourke picked up four wickets, including Virat Kohli’s for a duck.”It’s obviously pretty special getting someone so great, one of the greats of our game, out like that,” he said of the Kohli wicket. “You grow up watching those guys. So to come here and take that wicket, it’s probably right up there as one of the [best] wickets I’ve got.”While O’Rourke has been pleasantly surprised by the bounce he has seen on the Bengaluru surface, he is also loving bowling with the SG ball.”It has got a bit more of a pronounced seam than the Kookaburra [that New Zealand use at home], so it seems to be nice and hard to start with. It goes through nicely and big seams are always a big plus. [It’s] my first time here and [Bengaluru] probably had a little bit more bounce, a bit more pace than we expected coming over here, which suits a bowler like me. So far, I’ve really enjoyed it.”We definitely do our scouting and stuff before games. I’d say at the moment in my career, I’m more of a feel bowler. I like to back what I do, run in and do what I do. But definitely I have a look at the players beforehand, I like to know their strengths and weaknesses. But I think it normally comes back to just being me and doing what I do.”

Opener believes 2-2 would be just, welcomes prospect to take on the quicks at The Oval

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-Jul-2023By the time Monday came around, the rains had ceased in Manchester. The clouds were finally empty after a weekend of showers. And just to rub it in, the sun dipped in and out of view as a reminder it was still up there on this, the first morning in which the 2023 Ashes were no longer live.An abandoned match and a draw in the fourth Test has Australia taking the urn back with them, boasting an unassailable 2-1 lead heading into the fifth Test at the Kia Oval. The great decider that was supposed to send English cricket into the stratosphere is now signposted as the tourists’ chance to win their first overseas Ashes series since 2001.Nevertheless, mimicking the two-all scoreline of 2019 is a huge motivation for this England side. Unlike then, when the fifth Test had a very end-of-term feel, with the only thing missing being both sides playing out the match in jeans, Ben Stokes’ charges have the opportunity to affix an asterisk to Australia’s retention.They believe they have been the most assertive across the series so far, despite the fact they were 2-0 down after two. And while it may only be an asterisk that those in the dressing-room can see, the fact that the weather stopped them from going into the final match on Thursday with it all to play for has England feeling robbed. A squared series at the end, to them, would represent some form of justice.”I think 2-2 would be fair,” said Crawley, whose stunning 189 from 182 deliveries drove England to 592 for a 275-run first-innings lead that they could not cash in. “They had the better of us at Lord’s, Edgbaston could have gone either way. We probably deserved this one and Headingley could have gone either way. So I think two-all would be right. We’ll see, hopefully we can get it.”We’ll play the same way and to know we can make a big score. It suits us to have a little in the wicket – we’ll see what happens. That’s the beauty of a five-Test series; you get a look at them, work out tactics and nuances. I’ve never played a five-match series before this one.”We’re massively up for it. And as Stokesy says, we’re building as a team, this isn’t the end just because it’s the Ashes. It’s very much the start, hopefully.”Even amid the positivity, Crawley admitted the Old Trafford dressing-room was flat when the match was eventually abandoned on day five, at around 5.24pm. A consistent downpour across days four and five meant England were only able to bowl 30 out of a possible 180 overs to push for victory.Up until Friday evening, England had played more or less the perfect game; reducing Australia to 113 for 4 in their second innings, trailing by 162, by stumps on day three. Alas, it was all in vain.”It’s pretty flat,” said Crawley of the mood among the squad. “We’re disappointed we’ve played a lot of good cricket in this game. We wanted to win, we were in a good position to win, and two days of rain cost us. But that’s how it is.”Related

• Zak Crawley bats like no one is watching

• Free-flowing England post highest home Ashes total since 1985

• Vaughan: 'Sentimental' Anderson selection 'may have cost' England

• What more can we expect to see from Zak Crawley in this Ashes series?

• 'Cry me a river, England' – Australian press reacts to the turn of events at Old Trafford

As for Crawley personally, his innings took him to the top of the run-scorers charts this series – comfort for a player derided as a weak link throughout Stokes’ and Brendon McCullum’s time in charge. He arrived into the fixture with handy starts, including 61 in his first knock of the series, which he marked by striking the first ball of the first Test at Edgbaston for four off Pat Cummins.He continued on in a similar vein and, as such, his 385 runs so far – at an average of 55.00 – have come from just 428 deliveries. Number two on the list, Australian opener Usman Khawaja, has scored his 377 from more than twice as many (961).”I feel I’m as good a player as I have ever been,” Crawley said, having now passed 2,000 career runs and lifted his 38-cap average to 31.01. “I feel good about my game, I’m pleased with how I’m playing – I’ve just got to build on it. I have a bit more experience now, things to fall back on in different conditions, so yes, I feel I can kick on now.”Crawley agreed that Australia’s extra pace throughout their attack has been a contributing factor to his upturn in performance. And on what should be an Oval pitch favouring batters, the Kent batter hopes to cash in once more before the Test summer concludes.”I think so, I certainly feel quicker attacks do. Fast bowling suits my game. The Australian attack is a quick attack and I think a bit less when they’re faster. I think that just suits my game a bit more. They are unbelievable bowlers, they present different challenges.”I love batting at The Oval for Kent, and I have played one Test match there and did okay (five and 69 not out against South Africa last summer). Hopefully it’s a decent wicket and a good game.”

Royal Challengers are coming off two successive wins while Kings were drubbed in their last outing

S Sudarshanan12-May-20222:25

How can Kings get the best out of Rahul Chahar?

Big picture

It’s not just cricket anymore. It’s mathematics.At the core of it all, the equation for Punjab Kings is pretty simple – they need to win their remaining games to stay in with a chance of making the playoffs. As for Royal Challengers Bangalore, they are already in the top four with 14 points, but their poor net run rate leaves them with less room to work with. They still need two wins to be assured of qualification.

Watch live in the USA

You can watch the match on ESPN+ in English and in Hindi.

In the IPL, Royal Challengers’ captain Faf du Plessis has not scored more runs against any other team than Punjab Kings; he has 702 runs in 13 innings against Kings and the next best is his 432 in 14 innings against Kolkata Knight Riders. True to the numbers, du Plessis hit a stroke-filled 88 against Kings earlier this season. As the season has progressed, Royal Challengers have fitted their jigsaw puzzle better.In their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, four of the top five batters scored 30 or more while their bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood, put on a clinical show. One of the key players in the past few games, the usual suspects aside, has been Rajat Patidar, who was brought in belatedly as a replacement player.Patidar is fourth among the Royal Challengers players in terms of player rating score as per ESPNcricinfo’s MVP ratings, among those who have played a minimum of four matches this season, after Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga and Hazlewood. In fact, Patidar’s batting impact score of 39.75 is the best for his side – tenth overall, closely followed by Dinesh Karthik’s 34.96.Their opponents, Kings, are yet again hovering in the lower half of the table after having a strong start. They are returning after a five-day break, having lost against Rajasthan Royals in their last outing. Jonny Bairstow’s promotion to the top of the order seems to have done him good and with Jitesh Sharma finding his feet lower down, Kings would be confident of putting up a good show, irrespective of whether they are batting first or chasing.Related

• Jitesh Sharma: 'The responsibility of finishing is huge and not everyone has the capability'

However, with an economy rate of 8.65 this season, Punjab Kings have been the second-most expensive bowling side behind Mumbai Indians and how they use Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh, two of their key bowlers, could well dictate how the contest flows.

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Mahipal Lomror, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Josh HazlewoodPunjab Kings: 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Mayank Agarwal (capt), 4 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Rishi Dhawan, 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Strategy punt

• Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli have fallen to Sandeep Sharma a combined nine times and to Kagiso Rabada on six occasions in T20 cricket. That could perhaps be best new-ball combination for Kings.
• Both Shikhar Dhawan and Bairstow have been quiet against Wanindu Hasaranga, having a strike rate of 85 and 67 respectively in T20 cricket. With Liam Livingstone and Bhanuka Rajapaksa having superior strike rates against the legspinner, there could be a case for Royal Challengers to open the bowling with Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood.

Stats that matter

• Twenty-seven sixes were hit in the Royal Challengers-Kings game earlier this season – the most in a game in IPL 2022.
• Arshdeep has given away just five sixes off the 38 overs he has bowled this season, the least for a bowler with a minimum of 35 overs.
• Kohli has been dismissed in the first 15 balls on eight occasions in IPL 2022, the most by a batter batting in the top six.
• Rabada’s 18 wickets are the most by a pacer in IPL 2022

“It is too taxing for the boys, asking them to travel to Brisbane and be in the jail for another five days”

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Jan-20211:35

Rahane: ‘Being in quarantine definitely has its own challenges’

The BCCI has told Cricket Australia that India will not be able to travel to Brisbane for the final Test of the ongoing series if they will have to undergo another round of hard quarantine. ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI mentioned that point in its latest communication sent to CA on Thursday.The Brisbane Test, scheduled between January 15 and 19, will mark the end of India’s long tour of Australia, which started with the white-ball segment last November. A senior BCCI official confirmed an email had been sent to CA, and said that a hard quarantine was “immaterial” when the India squad had already spent the first two weeks upon arrival in Australia isolating.The official pointed out that while normal life in Australia continued without too many restrictions, asking players to be confined to their rooms in team hotels, put down as a condition by the Queensland government, did not add up.Related

• Gabba Test – India fear multiple quarantines will impact home series against England

• Plans continue for Gabba Test despite Brisbane's newly announced weekend lockdown

• Paine: 'Tension starting to boil under the surface'

• Rahane: Stay in bubble 'challenging' when 'life outside in Sydney is normal'

• Fresh report casts doubt on Brisbane Test, but Cricket Australia says it's not heard from BCCI

Life in Sydney, the venue for the ongoing third Test, while not completely normal, is less restrictive than the biosecure environment the players have been put in. Parts of Northern Beaches where the latest Covid-19 outbreak occurred remain in lockdown, but people are generally free to move about. However, the players have been kept in stricter restrictions because the border between New South Wales and Queensland, which will host the next Test, has been locked down as Greater Sydney is still a “hotspot”.According to the official, the Indian team management has told the BCCI that the players had cited it was becoming “too stressful” to be restricted to the team hotels.As reported earlier on Thursday, CA had booked the team hotels at both Sydney and Brisbane. Players are allowed to mingle outside their rooms in the communal areas within the hotel. The one difference is that the restrictions in Sydney are CA protocols while those in Brisbane are imposed by the Queensland government as the terms to allow exemptions to be granted.According to the BCCI official, in case the CA was “so particular” about the restrictions they could conduct the final Test also in Sydney, where the third Test is taking place this week. “It is too taxing for the boys, asking them to travel to Brisbane and be in the jail for another five days,” the official said.

Tallawahs’ home stretch ended with another defeat, their sixth in seven games

The Report by Sreshth Shah20-Sep-2019Jamaica Tallawahs ended their series of home games with another defeat, losing by 20 runs to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Sabina Park. Patriots rode on Fabian Allen’s 27-ball 62 to reach 176 for 6 from 82 for 6, after which their bowlers combined to strangle Tallawahs, dismissing them for 156.Glenn Phillips was the only Tallawahs batsman to make a worthy contribution, scoring a 49-ball 87 to become the highest run-getter this season, but, with eight single-digit scores in the innings, Phillips had little chance to make a difference. Tallawahs’ defeat was their sixth in seven games, while Patriots, with eight points, are in the battle for a top-two finish with Trinbago Knight Riders, who have played three fewer matches.Honours shared in first ten overs
Having been put in to bat, Patriots lost openers Evin Lewis and Devon Thomas by the third over, but a tidy 46-run third-wicket stand between Laurie Evans and Mohammad Hafeez helped them recover. The Tallawahs’ bowlers rode on the back of some early swing with the new ball, and Dwayne Smith, particularly, troubled the batsmen early on, his lack of pace forcing them to manufacture shots.Hafeez then struck four fours off Shamar Springer in the seventh over to break the shackles. At the halfway stage, Hafeez had crunched five fours and a six, but fell in the next over toe-ending a drive to cover after scoring 37. At that stage, the scoreboard read 76 for 4.Allen rescues Patriots after middle-order wobbleOver the next two overs, Shamarh Brooks was trapped lbw by Zahir Khan, and Carlos Brathwaite was out slicing a catch to cover. At 82 for 6, the Patriots innings seemed destined for a quick finish, but Fabian Allen, batting at No. 7, had other ideas.Batting alongside No. 8 Keron Cottoy, Allen took on Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, smashing 16 runs off the 16th over. The next two overs – off Jade Dernbach and Springer – yielded 13 and 18 runs respectively, and included two fours, two sixes and a dropped chance to reprieve Cottoy.Dernbach’s final over, the penultimate of the innings, went for another 20 runs, with Allen reaching his half-century off 23 balls. The run spree of the final overs was capped by a 14-run over to end the innings, and from 82 for 6, Patriots had climbed to 176. The unbeaten Allen-Cottoy partnership was worth 94, of which 81 runs came in the final five overs.Varied fortunes for Phillips and TallawahsThe 22-year-old New Zealand batsman took charge of the Tallawahs chase after opener Chris Gayle was out in the third over, trying to pull one over cow corner. The very next ball, Phillips crunched Sheldon Cottrell for a drive through the covers and followed it up with three more boundaries off successive deliveries to collect 18 off the over. Phillips did not slow down even after Tallawahs lost Chadwick Walton, and had raced to a half-century by the eighth over, taking 25 balls to reach the landmark. When Phillips reached 50, his team’s score was 60 for 3, headlining the ease with which he scored, even as his team-mates struggled.Phillips then raced into the 60s by hitting Brathwaite for a four and two sixes in the ninth over, taking 17 runs off the Patriots’ captain. However, Tallawahs were tied down again by tidy second spells from Hafeez and Joseph. Imran Khan, the leg-spinning allrounder, was having a difficult time rotating the strike, and Hafeez prised his wicket out with a caught-and-bowled dismissal in the 14th over. He ended the innings with remarkable returns of 1 for 13 in four overs. The next over saw Andre Russell fall for a first-ball duck, trying to pull Rayad Emrit, and the pressure of the chase and lack of support finally took a toll on Phillips.Looking to target Cottoy in the 16th over – with the required run-rate around 12 – Phillips holed out to long-on for a 49-ball 87 that included eight fours and five sixes. At that stage, he had scored 71% of the Tallawahs’ runs.At 123 for 6, Tallawahs needed a near miracle from their lower order to pull off the chase, especially with the pitch slowing as the evening progressed. Springer entertained with a few lusty blows, and Tallawahs entered the final over with 25 needed and three wickets in hand. But Brathwaite’s accuracy stifled them, and they lost all three wickets, including a run-out, in five balls.

The allrounder won the Man of the Match award for his four-wicket haul in India’s first innings and then a brilliant 63 from 65 balls to rescue England from calamity

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2018A pulsating Edgbaston Test may have been lit up by a masterful batting contribution from an all-time great in Virat Kohli, and sealed on the final morning by a three-wicket burst from England’s premier allrounder, Ben Stokes. And yet, the Man of the Match award went to a 20-year-old rookie in only his second Test – and the recipient, Sam Curran, found it hard to believe what he had been a part of.”I can’t take it in,” Curran said during the post-match presentations. “It’s all so special, it feels like I’m dreaming. I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight as I didn’t sleep last night!”In spite of his tender years, Curran grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck twice in as many days. First, he routed India’s top order, claiming three wickets in eight balls en route to first-innings figures of 4 for 74.Then – after Kohli’s brilliant 149 had hauled India back into the ascendancy – he rescued England’s second innings from calamity at 87 for 7 with a counterattacking 63 from 65 balls.It was a precocious display from a player whose temperament has been well known on the county circuit since his Surrey debut as a 16-year-old. But even for a player used to taking the big stage in his stride, this was a step up in intensity.”I tried to take it as another game but it is quite hard when the Barmy Army is chanting down there, and you’ve got world-class players on show, and I’m just on my second game, trying to learn my way. But it’s awesome., I’m just taking it in.”He is, however, well used to gleaning advice from the senior men around him, and Curran admitted that he followed the example of two all-time greats in producing his vital maiden half-century – Kohli on the one hand, and Kumar Sangakkara, his former Surrey team-mate turned Sky Sports commentator, on the other.”To be honest, I was trying to learn a bit from Virat in the first innings, when he batted with the tail,” Curran said. “But chatted with Kumar in the hotel the other day and he also told me a few things about batting with the tail. A few came out of the middle and I was lucky enough to get a few runs.”Joe Root, England’s grateful captain, was full of praise for the manner in which Curran rose to the challenge in the most intense atmosphere of his young career, but also warned that expectations should be tempered so early in his career.”He played a brilliant game, with a huge amount of skill, and he didn’t seem to feel any sort of pressure there,” said Root. “He loves the occasion, it’s like having two Ben Stokes, which is a great thing. But two Tests in, it’s very easy to get carried away.”Stokes himself, whose three wickets on the final morning sealed England’s victory, also credited Curran’s impact as the decisive moment of the Test.”I thought we are a bit behind with the lead but Sam Curran took them out of play,” he said. “The way that he played at such a young age, that was the big turning point of this Test match.”The world is clearly at Curran’s feet at the age of 20, with IPL contracts doubtless in the offing after impressing India’s huge viewership throughout the first Test. But, he said, the chance to win a Test match for England was the ultimate fulfilment of his ambition.”I have dreamt of this growing up,” he said. “Playing Test cricket, in front of these big crowds, with all these players I’ve seen growing up. Stokesy, Jimmy, Broady, I’m just trying to learn a bit every day.”Asked if he’d felt any nerves in what, personally speaking, had been a nerveless display, Curran responded: “Obviously Jimmy getting that first one of [Dinesh] Karthik, that gave us a bit more confidence, but whilst Kohli was there it was obviously going to be nervous. But luckily Stokesy got an awesome spell this morning and turned the game around.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches that took place on May 24,2017

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2017Liton Das’ 73-ball 85 led a strong batting performance by Abahani Limited, who brushed aside Prime Bank Cricket Club by 60 runs in the 2017 DPL’s first Super League game – a rain-affected affair at the BKSP-4 ground in Savar.Das’ effort was complemented well by Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mohammad Mithun, the Abahani captain, who both struck quick half-centuries of their own to lift Abahani to 321 for 6 in an innings curtailed to 47 overs. In reply, Prime Bank were snuffed out in 43.3 overs for 273.Das laid out a solid platform for Abahani with a century stand for the second wicket in the company of Saif Hassan who struck a more sedate 46. After Das fell, having struck eight fours and four sixes, Shanto and Mithun added 107 more for the fourth wicket. Atif Hossain and Manan Sharma then raced away to unbeaten cameos to shore up Abahani.Prime Bank’s innings was strewn with batsmen perishing after getting off to starts. Five of their top six made a score in excess of 20, but Zakir Hasan’s 55 was the highest score. Prime Bank captain Asif Ahmed mounted a late fightback, but ran out of partners. He struck 32 of the 44 runs his team scored after his arrival at 229 for 7, before becoming the last man to be dismissed. Manan led Abahani’s bowling efforts with 3 for 54, while Afif, Shuvagata Hom and Mohammad Saifuddin took two each.A 641-run slugfest at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium ended with Mohammedan Sporting Club prevailing by seven runs, consigning Gazi Group Cricketers to their third consecutive defeat.Mohammedan ran up 324 for 8 after half-centuries from Rony Talukdar (92) and Shamsur Rahman (74) at the top. Chasing a stiff target, Gazi Group were off to a flying a start, but ended up on 317 for 8.Anamul Haque and Munim Shahriar kicked off the chase with a 61-run opening stand in 6.4 overs. Kamrul Islam Rabbi struck in the seventh over to end Anamul’s burst on 36 off 22 balls. He had struck three fours and two sixes. Mominul Haque fell soon after, but Shahriar repaired the damage with identical stands of 64 for the third and fourth wickets, with Jahurul Islam and Parvez Rasool respectively.Shahriar fell for 88 in the 39th over, after which Suhrawadi Shuvo kept Gazi afloat with a 51-run seventh-wicket stand with Mahedi Hasan. Though Shuvo and Mahedi struck a combined 84 runs, they only managed three fours between them, and the lack of boundaries hurt Gazi in the end. Kamrul, Bipul Sharma and Sajedul Islam took two wickets each.When Mohammedan batted, they were lifted by a 148-run second-wicket stand between Shamsur and Talukdar. The stand ended with Shamsur’s dismissal for 74 that had one four and five sixes. Talukdar fell in the 35th over, after the score had crossed 200. Thereafter, Bipul (28 off 31) and Nazmul Hossain Milon (47 off 33) made handy contributions to propel them to a big total. Mahedi (1 for 49) and Rasool (1 for 51) impressed in their respective quotas.In another curtailed game, at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar, Imtiaz Hossain’s career-best 128 vaulted Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club to a 40-run win over Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.Imtiaz, who struck 17 fours and four sixes, made nearly half his team’s runs as Prime Doleshwar put up 274 for 7 in an innings shortened to 46 overs. In reply, Dhanmondi Club were bowled out for 251 after their batsmen failed to convert their starts.Imtiaz’s second-wicket stand of 176 with Shahriar Nafees (67) formed the bulwark of Prime Doleshwar’s total. Sharifullah later made a valuable late contribution through a 27-ball 35.Three of Dhanmondi Club’s batsmen made 40s, including Tanbir Hayder, who top-scored with 46, while Ziaur Rahman made 37. But none hung on to make a big score.Five of the six bowlers used by Prime Doleshwar were among the wickets. Chathuranga de Silva and Arafat Sunny were the most impressive of the lot with figures of 2 for 38 and 2 for 41 in their respective nine overs.

Mark Wood has been told that he requires a second operation on his troublesome left ankle that is expected to rule him out for up to eight weeks of the 2016 season

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2016Mark Wood, the Durham and England bowler, has been told that he requires a second operation on his troublesome left ankle that is expected to rule him out for up to eight weeks of the 2016 season*.Wood, who flew home early from England’s tour of the UAE in November to undergo an initial operation on the ankle, was forced to pull out of his scheduled comeback for Durham’s second XI against Scotland, at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, after suffering from more pain during pre-season training.After a cortisone injection failed to resolve the problem earlier this month, Wood today visited a specialist in the Netherlands who diagnosed a small piece of bone that is causing irritation and inflammation at the back of the joint.A keyhole procedure will take place either later this week or early next, and while the anticipated recovery time is less than the three to six months that would have been required after a full operation, it is still likely to rule Wood out of the three-Test series against Sri Lanka that gets underway next month.Wood, who played the most recent of his eight Tests against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in October, was an important member of the England team that won back the Ashes last summer, claiming ten wickets in four Tests, including four in each of England’s wins at Cardiff and Trent Bridge.However, Wood himself has faced up to the increasing likelihood of surgery, admitting last week: “At some point, the back of my ankle will need to be operated on, that has been made pretty clear to me by England.”It would be the worst possible time, the worst possible feeling, the worst possible everything, but I would have to take it on the chin.”* 2pm BST: This story was updated with further information

The pitch was pancake flat and slow, the disheartened India A bowling a little listless, and the fielding poor. However, West Indies A balanced it out by throwing away wickets, not taking full advantage of three dropped catches, and failing to convert two

The Report by Sidharth Monga in Shimoga02-Oct-2013
Scorecard
The crowds came in huge numbers, but the action didn’t quite live up to their enthusiasm•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

An enthusiastic holiday crowd of over 10,000 packed under – and on – the trees that surround the cricket ground of Shimoga’s Jawaharlal Nehru College of Engineering, but what happened on the field of play didn’t match their enthusiasm. The pitch was pancake flat and slow, the disheartened India A bowling a little listless, and the fielding poor. However, West Indies A balanced it out by throwing away wickets, not taking full advantage of three dropped catches, and failing to convert two half-centuries into hundreds. They ended at 283 for 6 with Kraigg Brathwaite and Assad Fudadin scoring fifties, and Leon Johnson and Chadwick Walton cushioning the blow of two quick wickets with a 68-run partnership for the sixth wicket.The day began with pleasantries for West Indies A. First they won the toss on the benign pitch, and then as they waited to go out to bat they were treated to a rendition of “Rally Round the West Indies”. Similarly hospitable bowling followed from Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan, who couldn’t manage movement in the air. There wasn’t going to be much off the pitch anyway. The openers got through the quicks’ opening spell without having to play at many deliveries.Against spin, though, Kieran Powell and captain Kirk Edwards lost their heads. Powell holed out to cow corner, and Edwards walked past one soon after he was dropped and hit a six off left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt. Narsinh Deonarine played across the line to Zaheer, and was given out lbw.West Indies A had gone from 55 for 1 to 98 for 3, but Brathwaite wasn’t about to lose his mind. He ground the runs out with the spinners – Bhatt and Parvez Rasool offered enough cutting and driving opportunities, sometimes off successive deliveries. Fudadin wasn’t as alert as Bratwaite, but he was dropped by VA Jagadeesh and Mohammad Kaif on 12 and 27 at square gully and backward point. Abhishek Nayar and Shami were the unfortunate bowlers.Either side of tea, the two added 117 runs. After the drops, the game settled into a lethargic little stroll with easy runs for the two. Zaheer bowled a third spell, but wasn’t effective. After Zaheer was taken off after two overs in that spell, spin came on at both ends, and pretty much only a mistake was going to get any batsman out. The mistakes duly arrived. Fudadin fell lbw while sweeping Bhatt, and Brathwaite edged to the keeper while cutting Rasool.The twin breakthrough didn’t buoy India A enough to overcome conditions, and Johnson and Walton began to accumulate runs again. Both of them showed preference for clearing the infield, and kept managing to find vacant spaces to put the ball in. Johnson did that five times in one Rasool over, taking 20 off it. He ended the day unbeaten on 36.India A didn’t claim the new ball, but in the 88th over of the day Walton handed them fillip by trying to square-drive a wide ball and offering Uday Kaul an easy catch.