Same sides meet again in Saturday’s Eliminator for chance to face Invincibles in final

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2023Tymal Mills continued his excellent Men’s Hundred campaign with three more wickets to help Southern Brave beat Manchester Originals by six wickets chasing 131 at Emirates Old Trafford and qualify for Saturday’s Eliminator – against the same opponents.Brave leapfrogged Welsh Fire into third place in the table with their fourth win from eight games, which also included a calm 54 off 40 balls from unbeaten New Zealand opener Devon Conway.Mills’ deceptive left-arm was perfect for this used, pace-off pitch. He returned 3 for 27 from 20 balls, and his tally of 15 wickets is now more than anyone else in the competition.Brave, who won with five balls to spare, remain on course to reclaim the title they won in 2021 – the Hundred’s inaugural year – and they will face last year’s finalists Manchester at the Oval on Saturday evening. The winners face the Oval Invincibles in the Lord’s final 24 hours later.Manchester were all but qualified in second place before a ball was bowled. Brave needed to chase their target in 50 balls to knock them out.England limited-overs captain Jos Buttler top-scored with 45 off 42 for Originals, who made 130 for 8 and were never able to break free having been inserted.Phil Salt, with two fours and a towering straight six in 17 off eight balls, was their most aggressive batter, and sluggish conditions were best highlighted by Buttler lacking fluency.Despite all being said about pace off, Buttler had to evade a fabulous early bouncer from left-arm seamer George Garton.Buttler later reverse-swept a couple of his five boundaries but didn’t hit a six before being caught at long-on off Rehan Ahmed’s leg-spin.At 110 for 5 with 16 balls remaining, it was evident the Originals were going to have to bowl well to win.Ahmed finished with 2 for 26 from his 20 balls, while fellow spinners Mitch Santner and Colin Ackermann were miserly. The latter struck once, and the trio’s combined figures were 3 for 53 off 50 balls.Mills had removed Salt, caught at deep midwicket with the new ball, before returning at death to outfox and bowl Jamie Overton off an inside edge and get Tom Hartley caught.Manchester only scoring eight runs and losing three wickets in the last 10 balls of their innings felt decisive, and so it proved.An eventful opening set of five balls at the start of the Brave chase saw Finn Allen hit two fours and an uppercut six before falling caught at short fine-leg against a Josh Tongue short ball.Conway then took on the aggressor’s role as some sweeping rain had everyone looking for the Duckworth Lewis Stern par score. But Brave were well ahead, reaching 25 balls at 51 for 1. Rain did briefly intervene at 52 for 1 after 26, but play resumed and Brave calmly sealed their qualification.Either side of the rain delay, Conway and second-wicket partner James Vince hit sixes over long-on off Hartley in sharing 67, skipper Vince adding 33. His departure, caught at long-on off Ashton Turner’s off-spin started a mini collapse from 81 for 1 after 53 balls to 91 for 4 after 64.Pakistani pacer Zaman Khan’s slingy action had Derbyshire team-mate Leus du Plooy caught and Joe Weatherley lbw. Khan built pressure impressively with 2 for 22 to take the game down to the penultimate set of five balls. But Conway reached his first fifty of the campaign off 38 balls and quelled concerns.

Fast bowler made history with career-best 8 for 15 while bowling from that End in 2015 Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2023The Pavilion End at Trent Bridge is to be renamed The Stuart Broad End, in recognition of the former Nottinghamshire and England seamer who retired from professional cricket after this summer’s Ashes.Broad, 37, bowed out in style at The Oval this summer, claiming the 604th and final wicket of his 16-year Test career to square the Ashes 2-2 with a 49-run victory over Australia.And, having confirmed on the penultimate evening of the match that he would be retiring from all cricket, Nottinghamshire have chosen to commemorate Broad with the same honour that Lancashire chose for his longstanding England team-mate, James Anderson, when they renamed Old Trafford’s Pavilion End in his honour in 2017.Though Broad began his professional career at Leicestershire, his ties to Trent Bridge were strong long before he joined the county for the first of his 16 seasons in 2007, thanks to his father Chris, who opened the batting for Nottinghamshire from 1984 to 1992, and is currently the club president.Many of Broad’s finest hours in Test cricket also came while bowling from the End that will now bear his name. In 2011, he turned the course of that summer’s second Test against India with the first of his two Test hat-tricks (and still the only one to have been completed at the ground).And then, in 2015, he produced his career-best spell of 8 for 15 to bowl Australia out for 60 on the opening morning of the fourth Test, in so doing all but sealing England’s reclaiming of the Ashes.”When I first visited Trent Bridge, as a kid with dreams of pulling on the Nottinghamshire and England jerseys, I could never have imagined I’d be fortunate enough to enjoy so many memorable moments in the game,” Broad said.”It’s a bit surreal to think that part of the ground where I fell in love with cricket will now bear my name.
“Playing for Notts has meant so much to me, and I’ve been so grateful that, wherever my career has taken me, I’ve always been able to come home to Trent Bridge.”As someone who is Nottingham born and bred, this is an incredibly proud moment for myself and my family.”In the course of his career, Broad claimed 190 wickets in 43 appearances for county and country at Trent Bridge. He played roles in their 2010 County Championship victory, their Division Two title in 2022, and also featured in two one-day finals, helping to win the first of those, against Glamorgan in 2013, with figures of 3 for 29.Nottinghamshire Chairman Andy Hunt said: “Stuart’s achievements at the highest level are quite remarkable – it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see another English bowler match his record over the past 15 years, let alone one from within our county’s borders.”Throughout that time, Stuart has been the perfect ambassador for Nottinghamshire – not just through his deeds with the ball, but also through his unstinting commitment to the cause for his county and his continued championing of Trent Bridge on the world stage.”It feels only fitting that the end of his home ground where he recorded some of his greatest achievements will now serve as a permanent honour to his cricketing career.”

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.”

Offspinner Sajid Khan will play his first game of the series

Danyal Rasool02-Jan-2024Pakistan vice-captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has been rested for the third and final Test against Australia at the SCG to manage his workload. Saim Ayub will make his Test debut in place of opener Imam-ul-Haq, who struggled in the second Test at the MCG despite scoring a half-century in Perth.The decision that has been enforced upon the visitors is the continued unavailability of Abrar Ahmed. He bowled in the nets on Monday, but there are lingering doubts about his ability to remain fit over the course of five days, as well as concerns around how his body responds to being Pakistan’s lead spinner and potentially bowling over 50 overs across the Test. Having pulled up with discomfort in his right leg during the Prime Minister’s XI game in Canberra, Pakistan are aware that risking playing him means potentially going down to ten players early into the Test match.Abrar was subsequently ruled out of each of the Tests, and Sajid Khan, the man flown in as his replacement in Perth, will play his first game of the series. It is the first Test Sajid will play since Australia’s tour of Pakistan in 2022. He fell down the pecking order behind Abrar and Noman Ali since, but injuries to both, as well as Pakistan’s eagerness to play a spinner at the SCG, has seen him return to the side.Saim Ayub will make his Test debut•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Afridi’s absence is the big surprise, with captain Shan Masood praising him for being the leader of the attack just hours earlier. But his lack of pace since his return from injury last year has been the most talked-about aspect of his bowling, his pace rarely rising above the low 130s. In addition, he has had to shoulder greater responsibility in the absence of key frontline bowling partner Naseem Shah, with the absence of Pakistan’s first-choice spinner and an inexperienced fast bowling attack throwing an even greater burden his way. Consequently, he has bowled – by far – more deliveries than any other player across both sides this series, sending down four balls shy of 100 overs. The man in second place on that list is offspinner Nathan Lyon at 69.5 overs.Imam being dropped to the bench is less of a surprise, not so much for his struggles in Melbourne but how out of touch he looked while at the crease. Masood also stressed the importance of playing attacking cricket, with Imam’s strike rate of 31.22 not quite conducive to that philosophy. While Ayub has limited red-ball experience – the 21-year old has only played 14 first class games – his aggressive disposition is more likely to fall in tune with that brand of cricket.Australian captain Pat Cummins announced earlier on Tuesday that the hosts were going into the third Test with an unchanged side after having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in this series.

“When the leagues first started, they were seen in a bad light, but when you play in different leagues, you pick up little bits of golden nuggets”

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2023Embracing T20 leagues as a feeder system for international cricket, instead of viewing franchise tournaments and bilateral matches as being in conflict with each other, will benefit both forms of the game, according to South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi.Speaking after South Africa beat India by five wickets in Gqeberha, with both teams fielding experimental XIs, Shamsi emphasised that leagues can help to create more players who are ready for international cricket and allow for skill sharing.Related

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“When the leagues first started, they were seen in a bad light in the sense that it was all about players wanting to earn money. But when you play in different leagues, you pick up little bits of golden nuggets,” Shamsi said. “We are so used to doing things a certain way in South Africa, as are other countries, so you pick up bits and pieces of what other other people do slightly differently and you try that for yourself. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t and you improve as a player. Guys go and get more experience, and it gives other players and it widens the pool.”The best example of that is Shamsi himself. He was playing in the second tier of South Africa’s domestic system in the early 2010s when he was recruited by the Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2015 CPL. He finished as their highest wicket-taker and a year later made his debut for South Africa in an ODI series in West Indies, and said the experience of the CPL helped him make the transition to the national team.”As a youngster playing in the CPL before I made my debut for the Proteas in West Indies helped me feel so relaxed because I had been in those stadiums and I had done well on those pitches. So when I eventually did play for South Africa, I felt at home,” he said.He believes other players have benefitted from similar experiences in leagues around the world, particularly Indian players in the IPL.”Over the years, we’ve seen what the IPL has done for Indian players and Indian youngsters in particular. When they come to the international scene they have already played in front of huge crowds, they have had their disappointments and bad games in front of huge crowds, so they have learned how to deal with that, and they’ve had success in front of good crowds so they know how to deal with that too,” he said. “When they come to international cricket, it’s just business as usual.”From India’s current squad, Yashavi Jaiswal is a case in point. He moved through the ranks in Indian domestic cricket and the Under-19 side before being picked up by Rajasthan Royals. He plays alongside Jos Buttler there and holds the record for the fastest IPL fifty, off 13 balls, before he made his international debut and he was more than ready for the big time. In 14 T20Is, he already has one hundred and two fifties to his name.”After the IPL, when the Indian players come to international cricket, it’s just business as usual”•AFP/Getty Images

Shamsi doesn’t think it will be too long before South Africa will have a success story similar to this, of their own.”The SA20 is brilliant for our country – in giving exposure to players. We’ve just had one season so we may not see it now, or in the near future but in the years to come we will see how much more prepared our new generation and guys that are in the system will be when they do play for the Proteas,” he said. “It won’t be a thing that they are playing international cricket. They will just let their natural talent shine.”All players in South Africa’s current T20I squad have SA20 deals, and South Africa will rely heavily on performances in that tournament to select their T20 World Cup squad. That’s because they only have one more pre-World Cup series – in West Indies, just before the tournament – and they will travel there with their final 15.That gives fringe players such as opening batter Matthew Breetzke, allrounder Donovan Ferreira and left-arm seamer Nandre Burger an opening to force their way into the T20 World Cup squad, and they’ll know many eyes will be on them.”The SA20 is huge in terms of preparation for the (T20) World Cup. It will be in different conditions but it’s T20 cricket and it’s good to play as much cricket as you can play,” Shamsi said. “And not only to have good games. I am a big believer that when you have bad games you learn a lot and you improve your game a lot. You’ve just got to be playing. It gives you another 10 fixtures to play high quality cricket.”The SA20 takes place from January 10 to February 10 and will clash with South Africa’s two-Test tour of New Zealand which starts on February 4. CSA has confirmed that all Test players with SA20 contracts will be unavailable for their Tests as they are obliged to play for the franchises and so a makeshift Test side will be sent to New Zealand instead.

Allrounder also available for two Championship fixtures after impressing in Big Bash

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2024Beau Webster, the Australia allrounder, has joined Gloucestershire for this year’s Vitality Blast.Webster, a right-handed bat who bowls both right-arm medium-pace and off-spin, will join up with his new teammates in Bristol in late May. He will be available for the entirety of Gloucestershire’s Blast campaign, as well as two County Championship fixtures against Yorkshire and Glamorgan in June.”I am really excited and very grateful for the opportunity to join Gloucestershire for the 2024 Vitality Blast campaign,” Webster said. “I’m looking forward to not only developing my game further in the UK but also to playing a part in helping the team win matches during my time here. I can’t wait to meet my teammates and get started.”Webster, 30, has played for Tasmania in Australia’s domestic competitions since 2014, and made 554 runs at 61.55 in this year’s Sheffield Shield, second only in the run-scoring charts to Cameron Bancroft. Using his 6’6” frame to good effect, he also took 13 wickets in seven appearances.He has previous experience of county cricket, having played for Essex in last year’s Metro Bank One Day Cup. He finished that campaign with 14 wickets at an economy of 5.47, and also scored 280 runs at 37.14.More recently, Webster impressed in this year’s Big Bash League, scoring 262 runs at 43.66 for Melbourne Stars.Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire’s incoming head coach, said: “Beau is an incredibly well-rounded player who is experienced across all formats and offers a great option with both the bat and the ball.”He’s enjoyed a good season in the Big Bash League and will bring with him a lot of knowledge of playing in T20 franchise cricket, particularly in Australia. Beau is a tall, powerful player who can have a terrific impact on a game, and has I’m really excited to have Beau join us for the Vitality Blast and to see him help win cricket matches for Gloucestershire.”

Sri Lanka allrounder says they had a really good chance to win after reducing Bangladesh to 92 for 4

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Mar-2024Sri Lanka had Bangladesh at 92 for 4, chasing 256 in the first ODI. But then dew set in, and the bowlers struggled to be penetrative. This was what allrounder Janith Liyanage felt, having bowled five overs himself.Through the back-end of the game, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim put on a match-winning 165-run fifth-wicket stand, as Shanto finished with 122 not out and Musfhiqur 73 not out.Towards the end of the match, though, the outfield was essentially sodden. Sri Lanka did not take a wicket after the 16th over. Their bowlers were visibly struggling with the amount of moisture on the ball.”We were on top at that moment when it was 92 for 4,” Liyanage said after the match. “We thought we had a really good chance of winning the game. But when the dew came into play it was really hard for the bowlers to grip the ball. But they batted really well.”Credit to the Bangladesh team the way they batted. Shanto played extremely well and, of course, Mushfiqur also played really well.”Sri Lanka had, however, won the toss and chosen to bat, despite the T20Is in Sylhet having been affected by dew. “We never expected there to be so much dew,” was the reason Liyanage gave for his team’s batting first.It is also understood that the dew was a surprise to almost everyone. There was no discernible dew over the last few evenings in Chattogram, nor was there much dew during the BPL.It is possible there has been a shift in the weather in the last few days across Bangladesh, with the storm season possibly close by.Although the dew made Sri Lanka’s 255 difficult to defend, Liyanage did admit that it was too light a total, particularly after their openers had sped to 71 inside 10 overs.”We got a really good start. Our opening batsmen played really well. But after that Bangladesh took three quick wickets. Then we had to rebuild.”With the start we got we could have got 300 runs today. We were a bit disappointed about that.”

Cox and Critchley pile on the runs as Kent are made to suffer on opening day

Andrew Miller12-Apr-2024Essex 421 for 6 (Elgar 120, Critchley 103*, Cox 67) vs KentNothing changes with any great speed at Chelmsford. Plans are currently afoot for a grand renovation of the pavilion and its surrounding concourse – the only corner of this postage-stamp ground with any wriggle-room for expansion – though rather like this week’s announcement that the ground’s Hayes Close and River Ends have been renamed in honour of its most storied Test performers, Graham Gooch and Sir Alastair Cook, there’s been no pretence of an upgrade in signage in the interim. Indeed, the interactive “Graham Napier Sixes Trail”, with its 16 plaques to commemorate each of Napier’s swings for the bleachers in his famous T20 onslaught against Sussex in 2008, remains Chelmsford’s most visible tribute to any former player, Graham or otherwise.Until, that is, Dean Elgar rocked up with a note-perfect tribute to Cook, whose studiously anonymous retirement last summer had precluded any official attempts to send him off in style. As if to make amends, Elgar filled his boots – in every sense – with no fuss and little flourish. Just 176 balls of nuggetty application across the best part of two sessions, as Essex’s latest left-handed ex-Test opener shifted through his gears with the same unshowy elitism that his English forebear had habitually brought to bear.And, just as had been the case in Essex’s opening-week victory at Trent Bridge, Elgar’s sidekick throughout an innings-defining third-wicket stand of 159 was an up-and-coming England prospect with the same weight and range of stroke as the recently departed Dan Lawrence. Between them, Elgar and Jordan Cox set about convincing an impressive first-day crowd of 2,226 that nothing whatsoever has changed about Essex’s red-ball batting prowess. A scoreline of 421 for 6, capped by an unbeaten century from Matt Critchley, amply backed up that pretence.It wasn’t all plain sailing for Essex after Tom Westley had won a handy toss on the first genuinely shirt-sleeves day of the season. In keeping with the uneven challenge that this month’s two-round experiment with the Kookaburra ball has created, Kent’s seamers caused havoc for precisely 21 balls. In that time, Westley himself was caught behind for 5 off George Garrett, after Feroz Khushi – whose use of an improperly sized bat at Trent Bridge still threatens his side’s top-of-the-table status – chose not to use it at all this week in being bowled by Wes Agar while shouldering arms first-ball.That double-whammy brought Cox out to face his former team-mates at an awkward 10 for 2 – and given his pointed pre-season remarks about Kent’s lack of red-ball ambition, the stage was set for him to be served a large dollop of schadenfreude. Instead, Cox’s opening gambit was a volley of extraordinarily poised drives down the ground – three fours and a three as Garrett strained for swing – and as he marched to 15 from his first six balls, it was as if all threat off the pitch or through the air had been dragged away with him.Jordan Cox made a free-flowing fifty against his former team-mates•Andrew Miller/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Cox’s confidence on the front foot was ample excuse for Elgar to step up his own intent with a series of compact drives of his own, but it was the introduction of Matt Parkinson’s legspin that kicked Essex’s innings into overdrive. Cox greeted his first-ball full-toss with a dismissive slap through the covers – the first of three fours in a 13-run first over – and he was scarcely allowed to settle thereafter in leaking 25 runs in his first three.Having romped to his fifty from 61 balls, a chance came and went for Cox when Agar at fine leg fumbled a top-edged pull off Nathan Gilchrist, but he had added only seven more runs when Garrett pushed a touch fuller to pin him on the knee-roll for 67. It was hardly the harbinger of a Kent fightback, however. Critchley emerged with a platform of 169 for 3 but just as importantly the Kookaburra entering its dead-zone in the 39th over, and Essex duly punched along at a rate of 4.5 an over, with scarcely a need to over-reach themselves.Elgar’s departure came as something of a surprise when, on 120, he popped a tame catch to short midwicket off Parkinson and dropped his bat in frustration at his own missed opportunity, but that merely unleashed the long levers of “Tall” Paul Walter, who bombed the long-off boundary with a four and two increasingly weighty sixes before scuffing a third attempt to give Parkinson his second wicket.Michael Pepper, too, peppered the boundary, including with a full-faced lift for six over the cover rope, only to pick out deep third with an attempted ramp, one short of his fifty. Critchley, however, made no such error in carrying Essex past the second new ball and through to the close, with the promise of plenty more where these first-day offerings had come from.The only truly duff note for Essex had come before play, when Sam Cook – their Kookaburra-proofed seamer whose ten-wicket haul had routed Nottinghamshire in the first round – was ruled out of contention. Not, it should be said, in protest at the wrong Cook getting the honour of an End named after him, but as a precaution after feeling a thigh strain.

The hosts chased down 154 with three deliveries to spare in Texas

Mohammad Isam21-May-2024United States of America, the No. 19 ranked cricket team in T20Is, shocked Bangladesh, the ninth ranked team in the world, with a five-wicket victory in Texas. More impressively, the hosts dominated most of the proceedings, as they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, picking up their second win against a Full Member in T20Is, following their victory against Ireland in 2021.Harmeet Singh, the former India Under-19 cricketer, struck the winning runs in a chase of 154 after his three consecutive sixes turned the tide in favour of the USA. He finished unbeaten on 33 off 13 balls, adding 62 runs in 4.4 overs for the unbroken sixth wicket stand with Corey Anderson, who was not out on 34.The USA also bowled superbly to restrict Bangladesh to 153 for 6. The visitors had slipped to 68 for 4, with Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto continuing to struggle. However, Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah continued to rescue the side from tough situations as they have done all year, helping the team to a respectable score.Hridoy top-scored with 58, lasting till the 20th over. He added 67 runs for the fifth wicket with Mahmudullah, who also showed that he can adapt to conditions faster than most in this batting line-up.

Litton can’t make chance count

Litton couldn’t do justice to the faith shown on him by the Bangladesh team management, as he fell for 14 in the fifth over. He had already survived when he was on 2, when the US captain Monank Patel dropped a sitter behind the stumps. Litton also survived a run-out when the cover fielder couldn’t hit the stumps as he was stranded a few feet away from the crease.Litton had struck a nice straight six in the third over but looked increasingly edgy. He missed the ramp-scoop in the fifth over against Ali Khan before falling lbw to Jasdeep Singh’s superb first over. Jasdeep’s delivery jagged back into Litton.Soumya Sarkar followed him back to the dugout three balls later when he struck Steven Taylor right down deep midwicket’s throat. Najmul Hossain Shanto, another top-order Bangladesh batter now out of form, got stumped off Taylor. He couldn’t time any ball as he made three off 11.

Hridoy, Mahmudullah step up, again

Hridoy made things worse before making them better. When he nudged the ball towards the cover, Hridoy stood still as Shakib Al Hasan came down the pitch looking for a quick single. The run-out made it 68 for 4 in the 12th over. Hridoy made it up with two sixes off Jasdeep, but then he was caught in the covers in the 14th over.Thankfully for the batter, left-arm spinner Harmeet bowled the first of his two no-balls. Mahmudullah struck Khan for a four and a six in the 17th over, but fell trying to heave Saurabh Netravalkar over long-on, where Nitish Kumar took a good catch. Mahmudullah made 31 off 22 balls, but more importantly added 67 runs for the fifth wicket with Hridoy. Jaker Ali and Hridoy took 17 runs off the last over, but Khan at least managed to remove Hridoy with the last ball of the innings.

Gous’ short-lived fireworks

Monank Patel couldn’t take advantage of being dropped by his opposite number Shanto in the third over, when he was run out from Taylor’s straight drive. The ball brushed against Shoriful Islam’s fingers as Patel stood out of his crease at the non-striker’s end.Within two balls, USA’s No. 3 Andries Gous got going with a punched four through the covers. Taylor slammed Shakib for a six before Gous hit Rishad Hossain for two fours in the seventh over. He repeated the dose on Rishad in the legspinner’s next over, but then top edged a sweep to the deep backward square-leg boundary, where Mustafizur Rahman took a good tumbling catch.File pic: Towhid Hridoy made 58 off 47 balls•BCB

Bangladesh slow down USA surge

Gous’ wicket slowed down the USA batting approach. Aaron Jones couldn’t time the ball which forced Taylor to try to clear mid-off. Mahmudullah ran back and took a good catch, ending Taylor’s stay on 28 off 29 balls. One ball later, Jones departed, skying Mustafizur to get out on 4 off 12.Nitish Kumar struck a six off Shakib in the 14th over to break a 31-ball sequence of no boundaries but he fell trying to clear Shoriful in the 15th over. The left-arm quick had conceded just one run in that over, leaving the US to get 60 off the last five overs.

Harmeet strikes back

The required run-rate was going out of the home team’s control when they needed 50 off the last 20 balls. Harmeet, having scratched around for five balls, pinged Mustafizur for two straight sixes to hand back the pressure to Bangladesh. When he got the strike in the next over, Harmeet slammed Shoriful straight down the ground again. He finished the 18th over with a carved four through point, as the USA collected 31 runs in two overs, leaving them needing 24 off the last 12 balls.

Anderson remembers his past

Anderson was minding his own business even as Harmeet was landing the big sixes. The former New Zealand allrounder finally struck a six off his 22nd ball when he crashed Mustafizur over long-on in the penultimate over. Off the first ball of the last over, he drilled Mahmudullah for another six. It left the USA with just three runs to win off five balls. Harmeet struck the third ball for a four, bringing the home side a historic win.

“I don’t know the schedule exactly – but I’ve enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year,” he says of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-20243:38

Will Starc quit ODIs to play more franchise cricket?

Mitchell Starc stayed away from the IPL for the best part of his peak years, but after winning the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), will consider dropping one format from his life, and that might be ODI cricket.”The last nine years, I’ve prioritised Australian cricket. I have given myself a chance to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well, so that’s certainly been where my head’s been for the last nine years,” Starc said at a press conference after the IPL 2024 final in Chennai, where KKR steamrolled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win their third title, with Starc playing a starring role.”Moving forward… look, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There is long time before the next one-day World Cup and whether that format continues for me or not… it may open doors for more franchise cricket.”Related

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And franchise cricket could mean two months of the IPL, a tournament he had played just twice in the past, for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and 2015, but usually skipped to be fit and fresh for international cricket.In fact, in all these years of playing top-level cricket – he made his international debut in 2009 – Starc has only played 137 T20s.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season,” he said. “It’s been great, it leads into the World Cup, that’s the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It’s a great lead-up to a World Cup.”Next year – I don’t know the schedule exactly – but I’ve enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold [KKR’s colours] again.”Starc, the most expensive IPL auction buy ever when KKR splurged INR 24.75 crore (US$2,982,000 approx.) had a terrible time of it to start with, going wicketless in his eight overs in the first two games while conceding 100 runs. He took time to get it right, picking up a three-for against Lucknow Super Giants and a four-for against Mumbai Indians, but really came into his own in the playoffs, with 3 for 34 and 2 for 14 against SRH in Qualifier 1 and the final.”I’ve played a lot of cricket, so I know how to manage myself,” Starc said. “I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last few years, so for me, it was trying to find that rhythm of [the] T20 format, and trying to stay ahead of batters.”