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Milne replaces Usama Mir for the first three games, while Renegades have signed USA allrounder Hassan Khan and Hurricanes have signed Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil

Alex Malcolm08-Dec-2024Melbourne Stars have signed New Zealand quick Adam Milne for a pre-Christmas stint in the BBL as a replacement for Pakistan legspinner Usama Mir who will miss the first three matches of the season.Stars are also set to unveil a new captain this week after Glenn Maxwell stood down at the end of last season. Maxwell is unlikely to be fit for the first match against Perth Scorchers on December 15 as he continues to recover from his hamstring injury and it remains to be seen whether he will appear in any of the first three games before Christmas.Mir is also unavailable for the first three games against Scorchers, Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers which will be played in three cities in the space of five days. Stars have swooped on Milne to fill in for those three games. He has previously played in the BBL for Sydney Thunder in 2020-21, taking just five wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 7.56.Related

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“To be able to secure someone of Adam’s talent and experience is a huge boost for the squad for the first three games,” Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said. “Adam knows Australian conditions well, we value what he will add to the squad and we look forward to seeing what he can produce.”Milne also covers for the absence of Scott Boland who is on Test duty. Stars could also be missing allrounder Beau Webster for at least the opening game in Perth as he looks set to remain with the Test squad for the third match against India in Brisbane which starts on December 14. Stars’ second BBL match against Heat falls on day five of the third Test, meaning Webster could potentially be available if he is released from the Test squad pending Mitchell Marsh’s fitness.Stars are also missing England Test opener Ben Duckett for the opening three games of the BBL season, as he completes his Test duties in New Zealand, with Joe Clarke set for his second stint at Stars as a replacement after playing two seasons from 2021-23. Clarke also played six games for Melbourne Renegades last season and three games for Scorchers in 2020. He recently played for Victoria in the Global Super League in Guyana.Hassan Khan will play for Renegades in the BBL•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Renegades have signed USA spin-bowling allrounder Hassan Khan as a replacement player. The former Pakistan Under-19 representative has yet to play international cricket but starred for San Francisco Unicorns, a franchise run by Cricket Victoria, in Major League Cricket taking 10 wickets and scoring 204 runs at a strike rate of 143.70 across his nine games. He was named domestic player of the tournament. He also performed well for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the GSL.”Hassan is an exciting young talent who gives us options in both departments,” Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten said. “His ability to contribute in those important middle overs with the ball and add valuable runs down the order will be crucial as we push for success this season.”Hobart Hurricanes have signed Afghanistan left-arm wrist-spinner Waqar Salamkheil as an overseas replacement for Rishad Hossain who has been ruled out of the entire BBL due to international commitments and the Bangladesh Premier League, despite being Hurricanes’ third pick in the overseas draft.Salamkheil will be available for the first six games of the BBL season before departing for the ILT20 in January. He was Trinbago Knight Riders’ leading wicket-taker in the recent Caribbean Premier League bagging 15 scalps in 11 matches, playing alongside two other Hurricanes players in Tim David and Chris Jordan.”Waqar is a tremendous young talent, he adds a different element to our bowling line-up and is a wrist-spinner with a well-disguised wrong-un, similar to Rishad,” Hurricanes High Performance Manager Salliann Beams said.”While we are disappointed that Rishad can’t join us because of the BPL, we know that we have someone who will help us win matches in the first half of the tournament in Waqar.”He was on our radar during the draft, with Ricky [Ponting] and Hopsey [James Hopes] familiar with his talent after seeing him play in franchise cricket, he will complement what we have in our squad already.”

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.

Georgia Elwiss seals six-wicket win after dominant display from bowlers

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2022The Southern Vipers are the first team through to Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day – and the final – after beating Thunder by six wickets under lights at Emirates Old Trafford, chasing 95 in 15.3 overs.Vipers have qualified for the Northampton showpiece (June 11) with one Group B game remaining following a superb bowling and fielding display led by England off-spinner Charlie Dean, who returned three for 16 from four overs to limit their hosts to 94 for six.Thunder included England trio Emma Lamb, Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone – the latter pair only just back from IPL Challenge commitments in India. But they were unable to break the shackles imposed on them by a team who have now won all five games in the competition named after their head coach.None of the Vipers’ five bowlers conceded more than 20 runs in their four-over spells, with left-arm seamer Freya Kemp also impressing with two for 20 before Georgia Elwiss top-scored in the reply with a measured 38 not out off 35 balls.The Vipers have also qualified direct for the final a week on Saturday as the best of the two group winners courtesy of a five-point, bonus point win here.They sit on 23 points, while Group A leaders Central Sparks have 17 with only five more points to play for.This was a display from the Vipers which had all the hallmarks of a team who reached last year’s Charlotte Edwards semi-final and are back-to-back Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy champions.Thunder, who elected to bat, lost in-form openers Lamb and Georgie Boyce for five and nine as the score slipped to 44 for three after 10 overs.Kemp had Lamb caught at mid-on and bowled Boyce. Sandwiched in between, Cross, promoted to bat at three, fell victim to a combination of England team-mates Dean and Danni Wyatt for 18.Cross hoisted Dean out to deep midwicket, where Wyatt took a fine low catch on the run.Ecclestone was also promoted to No.4 in a side who have struggled for middle-order runs through the competition.She demonstrated her power by pulling her fourth ball for six over backward square-leg off Kemp as the score moved to 41 for two in the 10th over – shortly before opener Boyce’s dismissal.Unfortunately for Thunder, playing in the primetime slot on a T20 double-header day with Lancashire’s men, there was no more acceleration.While Ecclestone made 28 not out off 32 balls, she was unable to find the boundary again and saw canny Dean trap Danielle Collins lbw and get Thunder captain Ellie Threlkeld caught and bowled cheaply.In all, Thunder only hit four fours and that Ecclestone six, while 21-year-old Dean has now taken eight wickets in her first three games of the summer. This was her best haul so far.Determined to complete the chase in 16.1 overs to secure the bonus point win which qualified them direct to the final, visiting openers Wyatt and captain Georgia Adams were busy from the off.Wyatt slog-swept Ecclestone for six over midwicket to advance the score to 22 without loss after three overs.But there was a stumble as both openers fell in the space of four balls as the score slipped to 34 for two in the sixth over. Wyatt was stumped for 13 by Threlkeld sweeping at ex-World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley before Cross had Adams caught at cover for 17.Another left-arm spinner, Hannah Jones, had Maia Bouchier caught and bowled before Threlkeld superbly stumped Kemp stood up to Laura Jackson’s seam as the score fell to 75 for four after 13 overs.But the presence of Elwiss ensured they were only minor blips, hitting five fours in her match-clinching innings.

Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder, Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers can all win the BBL

Alex Malcolm27-Jan-2021

Sydney Sixers

Qualified: 1stRoad to the playoffsDefending champions the Sixers were the team that utilised the Bash Boost point better than any other team in the competition, claiming nine throughout the season including the point that sealed top spot against Melbourne Stars. But they also won more games than any other team and proved themselves to be clutch chasers. The Sixers won four games in the last over on the back of their exceptionally experienced middle order. It was back-to-back, last-gasp wins on the Gold Coast against the two Melbourne sides that really kick-started their season and then they completed three clinical chases in January against Brisbane Heat, Perth Scorchers, and Sydney Thunder to qualify for the finals with three games to go. They did lose two of their last three matches with two poor bowling performances but returned to their best against the Stars to claim top spot.Path to the titleIf the Sixers beat the Scorchers in the Qualifier at Manuka Oval on Saturday, they will qualify for the BBL final and likely host it in Canberra. An SCG final hasn’t been ruled out but border restrictions for certain states will make it difficult. If the Sixers lose the Qualifier, they will host the Challenger in Canberra and would need to win that before travelling to Perth for the BBL final, where they were bowled for 97 earlier in the season.How the squad shapes upThe Sixers squad has been boosted by the inclusion of Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott. Mitchell Starc is an outside chance to join them but it depends on his fitness after requiring a scan on his hamstring following the Test series against India. The three overseas of James Vince, Carlos Brathwaite, and Jake Ball, who have been together since Jason Holder’s brief three-game stint ended in late December, are available throughout the finals, but it will be interesting to see how Ball is used after he was the X-Factor sub in the last game against the Stars. The batting order is incredibly deep with Josh Philippe and Vince opening up, Henriques bolstering the middle order, while Jordan Silk and Dan Christian are in red-hot form lower down. The attack is well balanced with a variety of options to turn to depending on the surface and the match-ups.The Scorchers have depth in both batting and pace bowling•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Perth Scorchers

Qualified: 2ndRoad to the playoffsThe Scorchers overcame a horror start to the season to storm into second spot, and probably should have clinched first had they played better against Brisbane Heat in the final match. The Scorchers were winless from their first four games, but they clicked into gear on New Year’s Eve once Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone had shaken the rust from 14-days quarantine. The batting line-up was settled with the English pair moving to the top of the order and Josh Inglis sliding to No.4. It gave them tremendous depth and the well-established attack some scores to defend. The Scorchers won four in a row at home and eight of their next nine before the loss to the Heat.Path to the titleThe Scorchers blew a chance to secure two home finals but they can still host the BBL final at Perth Stadium if they can beat the Sixers in Canberra in the Qualifier. The Scorchers lost both matches they played at Manuka Oval this season including one against the Sixers. But they have won a BBL final at Manuka Oval against the Sixers in BBL03. If they lose to the Sixers, they return home to Perth to host the Challenger. If they win that they will fly back to either Canberra or Sydney to face the Sixers again with just a 48-hour turnaround.How the squad shapes upThe squad is as well-balanced as any with only a couple of concerns. Ashton Agar is unlikely to available for the finals series having not played all tournament due to a calf injury, despite being named in Australia’s T20I squad to tour New Zealand on February 7. Mitchell Marsh, who is also in the Australian squad, is unavailable to bowl due to a side strain but will play as a batsman. Marsh’s inability to bowl does put pressure on the Scorchers’ fifth bowler in Aaron Hardie. He has been targeted in recent games with Ashton Turner forced to get creative in using either himself or Livingstone to make up some overs. Cameron Green is being rested ahead of the South Africa Test tour.Alex Hales has been prolific for Sydney Thunder•Getty Images

Sydney Thunder

Qualified: 3rdRoad to the playoffsThe Thunder won five of their first six matches to sit pretty on top of the table and looked like the team to beat. But when Daniel Sams suffered a concussion in the loss to Brisbane Heat, they lost four of the next five with the balance of the side thrown off when he missed a couple of games. They righted the ship with a dominant performance against the Sixers in Adelaide with Alex Hales plundering a century to help the side post a BBL record score. Hales continued his incredible form against the Strikers to secure third spot for the Thunder and make them a real threat for their second BBL title.Path to the titleThe Thunder will host the Knockout against the winner of the Eliminator between the Heat and Strikers at their home-away-from-home in Canberra. If the Thunder win the Knockout, all roads to the title lead through Perth. They either face the Scorchers in Perth in the Challenger or the Final. Perth Stadium won’t hold as many fears for the Thunder as it does other teams. The Thunder have won two of four matches at the venue and nearly pinched a third against the Scorchers this season. They also have to beat the Sixers in Canberra in either the Challenger or the final. They beat the Sixers in Adelaide but lost the rain-affected clash in Canberra.How the squad shapes upThe Thunder are well balanced but the fitness of Sams is important. He injured his wrist in the loss to the Hurricanes and has missed the last three matches although is hopeful of playing in the finals. Brendan Doggett’s form with the ball gives the Thunder plenty of options from a bowling perspective and potentially a selection headache if Sams is passed fit. Hales and Usman Khawaja are a formidable opening combination but Khawaja is due for a big score and finals may bring the best out of him.Marnus Labuschagne has had a big impact with bat and ball since returning to the Heat•Getty Images

Brisbane Heat

Qualified: 4thRoad to the playoffsThe Heat left it right to the last day to steal a spot in the finals thanks to a nail-biting win over the Scorchers in Adelaide. The Heat’s season started horrendously losing four of their first five games. Ironically, a hamstring injury to Chris Lynn actually kickstarted the Heat’s season. Jimmy Peirson took over as captain and the Heat won three out of four, with the only loss a controversial one-run defeat to the Hurricanes. Lynn returned and promoted himself to the top of the order with good effect but, unlike the three stable sides above them, the Heat continually tinkered with their batting line-up and looked like they would miss the finals after two horror defeats to Perth and Adelaide where they were bowled out for 115 twice. The Heat needed to win their last two matches and did thanks to blistering half-centuries from Lynn and superb allround performances from Marnus Labuschagne on return from the Test squad.Path to the titleThe Heat and the Strikers have the toughest road to the title. They each have to win four games in eight days. The Heat at least get to host the Strikers at the Gabba, a ground that suits them well. Should they win they will then head on the road to face the Thunder in Canberra 48 hours later for the Knockout. Should they win the Knockout, they will need to beat the Sixers and Scorchers in Canberra and Perth to clinch the title.How the squad shapes upLabuschagne’s inclusion initially looked problematic for the Heat but his all-round package gives them a lot of versatility. It gives the dynamic duo of Lynn and Max Bryant at the top some middle-order stability, however their last two innings have stalled a touch with Labuschagne and Joe Denly have got together. But they have power down the order and then a balanced attack that has benefitted hugely from Mitchell Swepson’s return. He has made up for the absence of Mujeeb Ur Rahman who won’t return for the finals. The Heat have been the most adventurous with the X-Factor sub, and can afford to be given the bevy of allrounders and fast bowlers they have in their squad. Their major flaw is there is no left-hander in their batting line-up, with Sam Heazlett on the outer, which leaves them vulnerable given every finalist has either a legspinner or a left-arm orthodox in their line-up.The Strikers have stuttered, but Jake Weatherald has found form•Getty Images

Adelaide Strikers

Qualified: 5thRoad to the playoffsThe Strikers can count themselves incredibly fortunate to be playing in the Eliminator. Had either the Hurricanes or the Stars (including a Bash Boost point) won their last match the Strikers would have missed the finals. Had both results fallen the other way the Strikers would have finished seventh on the table. They have been inconsistent but mainly paid a price for some unforced errors at home. In back-to-back matches they capitulated from strong positions with bat and ball against the Renegades, who had lost seven matches in a row, and missed the chance to claim an easy Bash Boost point against the Stars, although they still won the game. Those two results alone would have secured third spot. They had to rely on favours from the Renegades and the Sixers to finish in fifth.Path to the titleThey have the toughest road to the title. They need to win four games in a row in eight days, all away from home. It starts with the Heat on Friday at the Gabba. If they win that they face the Thunder in Canberra on Sunday. Then they face trips to Perth and back to Canberra or vice versa, to win their second title.How the squad shapes upThe Strikers have tinkered endlessly with their batting line-up but have finally settled on the opening combination that won them BBL07. Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald have found form at the right time, but their middle-order is a worry. Phil Salt is batting out of his preferred position, Jon Wells has failed to fire this season and Matt Renshaw is also battling for runs. The attack has been strengthened by the return of Michael Neser and they do have options depending on the conditions at the Gabba to play an extra seamer or a second spinner. Rashid Khan’s absence has hurt them and he won’t return this season.

Hopes remain of a maiden Championship title despite only 27.5 overs being possible

Paul Edwards at Taunton23-Sep-2019James Hildreth gets inside the line of a ball from Simon Harmer and sweeps it to the boundary just to the right of Gimblett’s Hill. The locals at the County Ground applaud the stroke and are momentarily buoyed by fresh hope. But it is a rare reverse for Harmer, who will shortly trap Hildreth and Tom Banton leg before wicket in the space of three balls. The offspinner has now taken 80 wickets in the Championship and is a bowler of rare skill and subtlety. He dismissed Hildreth for 32 when bowling round the wicket to cramp the batsman for room and then accounted for Banton in more conventional style from over the wicket. Both balls turned appreciably but this pitch has not yet behaved sufficiently erratically to send the pitch inspectors into a ferment.Despite a dismal weather forecast there is a large crowd at Taunton, which is only fitting on the first morning of the match which will decide the destiny of the County Championship. Sky are covering the game and there is a bevy of radio commentaries, both local and national. Everyone is focused closely on the immediate moment and the destiny of the greatest prize in English domestic cricket. In order to accommodate other media, the written press are housed in Portakabins, just as they were when Tom Abell made his maiden first-class century four sweet summers ago. That rehousing was necessitated by the construction of the Somerset pavilion, which is only the latest of Taunton’s new buildings and, in a glorious piece of eccentricity, the fourth of its pavilions.And yet, even on a ground so obviously clothed in modernity, the past exerts a powerful hold, an effect achieved not simply by the large pictures and brief biographies of Somerset cricketers which are placed every few yards on the perimeter wall and inside the Ondaatje Pavilion. Somerset’s history is fondly remembered partly because the county has been freakishly lucky in the quality of its cricket writers, many of whom worked in the old press box with its high desks and its scant acknowledgement of technological change.This was a good day for Essex. Sam Cook removed Murali Vijay and Steve Davies inside the first 20 minutes of the morning and when the predicted rain arrived at 12.10pm Somerset were 75 for 4. Their chances of posting the sort of total that might help them to embarrass their opponents in the remainder of the game have been significantly damaged. Yet this has still been a fine season for Somerset cricket and one wonders what men like David Foot and Alan Gibson might have made of it.Foot worked mainly for newspapers in the West Country and also for the . His books of essays, and , are as good as that form has produced. Rich in knowledge and insight, they capture a cricketer’s character in a phrase. Take this, for example, from “Twelve O’Clock Low”, Foot’s brilliant essay on Bill Andrews:Andrews’ bowling action was known as “Twelve O’Clock High”. The title of the essay refers to the depression with which this fine cricketer was cursed. Foot knew Andrews so well that he was able to see how an apparently extrovert character also suffered the sideswipes of fate.The old wooden stand from which Foot watched countless days of county cricket is gone; the famous Stragglers Bar is gone; and the old press box with those desks and its hot water urn chuntering in the background is gone, too. Yet time was when at least one journalist used to sit in that box comforted by the fact that it was where Foot and Gibson had worked.Alan Gibson’s reports in the were favoured both by those who played the game professionally and those who simply watched it. Sometimes he did not write about the play so much as the experience of attending a match. Railway stations featured as frequently as pavilions, a fact beautifully reflected in a glorious and very honest book, written and edited by Gibson’s son, Anthony, and lovingly produced by Stephen Chalke’s Fairfield imprint.There were occasions when all the inspiration Gibson needed was a chance meeting. Take this from 1971:Gibson concocted fine soubriquets for his favourite cricketers. Robin Jackman was the “Shoreditch Sparrow”; Colin Dredge was the “Demon of Frome”. As one watched Somerset battle away in this game they must win to take their first title, one wondered what Gibson would make of today’s cricketers. Would the Overton twins be “The Instow Monoliths”? Would Jack Leach be “Sainsbury’s Archivist”?But that’s the point about writers so rich in human sympathy and so bounteously endowed with talent as David Foot and Alan Gibson. Their writings live on, even through their palest imitators and even on damp days when the title may be slipping away from Somerset. “The past becomes the present inside your head,” says Margrethe, Niels Bohr’s wife, in Michael Frayn’s play .

Sri Lanka’s ODI captain has delivered a stern rebuke to Danushka Gunathilaka, who is the latest player to be sanctioned for misconduct during a series

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jul-2018Sri Lanka’s ODI captain Angelo Mathews has delivered a stern rebuke to Danushka Gunathilaka, who is the latest player to be sanctioned for misconduct during a series. Gunathilaka was officially reprimanded for breaching curfew on the second night of the recent Colombo Test against South Africa.What has especially irked Sri Lanka Cricket and the team is that although Gunathilaka himself is free from suspicion of any criminal wrongdoing, his curfew offence is linked to an alleged incident of sexual assault within the team hotel. As part of that criminal investigation, police have arrested a man believed to be known to Gunathilaka.”It is disappointing to lose out on a player, but we will not tolerate any indiscipline,” Mathews said when asked about Gunathilaka’s absence for the ODI series against South Africa. Gunathilaka had been the incumbent ODI opener, but is now suspended for six limited-overs matches.”If they take that risk they have to deal with the consequences, they can be the best player, but we will not tolerate that kind indiscipline. When it comes to team rules they have to abide by it. We do care what they do outside the ground, because it affects the whole team and the image. Players have to be very careful to take good care of themselves on and off the field not try and damage the team’s image.”Gunathilaka is the second player to be punished for off-field behaviour. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay was also fined 20% of his annual contract fee and put on probation for a year, over a night out in St. Lucia last mont. Vandersay’s offence did not occur during a Test match, however.

Sikandar Raza’s adventurous 97 not out helped Zimbabwe recover from 59 for 5 on the third day at Khettarama

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo16-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Sikandar Raza stalled Sri Lanka’s charge with a selection of cross-batted strokes•AFP

All through the tour, Sri Lanka have had Zimbabwe cornered, and games have threatened to follow a familiar, one-sided form. Yet all through the tour, Zimbabwe have found ways of resisting, of stubbornly holding out, and eventually fighting back.Day three at Khettarama saw perhaps their most impressive turnaround yet. Having eked out a 10-run first-innings lead in the morning, Zimbabwe found themselves 23 for 4, then 59 for 5. But for the remainder of the day, the middle order would rally around an adventurous Sikandar Raza, and turn the match in dramatic fashion. Having played definitive hands in Zimbabwe’s ODI series, Raza stood on the verge of a vital maiden Test ton, finishing the day on 97 off 158 balls. Peter Moor struck 40 and joined him for a sixth-wicket stand of 86. Malcolm Waller did even better, cracking 57 off 76 deliveries in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership worth 107.All this means that Zimbabwe now control the Test, and may even have put themselves in a position to pull off the unexpected result of the year. Overturning Sri Lanka in ODIs was surprising enough, but in Tests, the hosts may not have dreamed they would be challenged by the lowest ranked team – one they have consistently thrashed over the past two decades. But with Zimbabwe’s lead at 262 their target is already a challenging one. If the score grows by another 100 runs, could become a near-impossible pursuit.Unusually, Sri Lanka have caught well in this Test, but the bowling has been consistently menace-free. Of the 16 Zimbabwe wickets to have fallen, Rangana Herath has claimed nine. For the second half of day three, he seemed the only bowler capable of beating the Zimbabwe batsmen, and had he not run riot in the first session, Sri Lanka’s position would have been even bleaker. Dilruwan Perera was not miserly enough for a bowler who isn’t taking wickets, Lahiru Kumara’s lines have been too wayward, and Suranga Lakmal has been modest in unhelpful conditions. Sri Lanka are also missing the bowling of Asela Gunaratne, whose tweaked hamstring had substantially hampered his running between the wickets, and now has kept him off the field in the second innings.The first 10 balls of Raza’s innings defined his approach. First ball, he had picked a single to fine leg. After three further singles off the next five balls, he punched a ball out to the cover sweeper and took two. Though his team was threatening to be all out for 120, Raza took seven off the first 10 balls, and batted as if they were 300 for 5. He favoured the lap sweep and the drive off the spinners, and rarely failed to find gaps when he was looking for them.Rangana Herath claimed three wickets in four overs before lunch•AFP

Perhaps the only real chance in his innings came when he was 31, when he attempted to reverse sweep Herath, but only ended up top-edging the ball. Slip fielder Dimuth Karunaratne – who had already taken two excellent catches in the innings – might have been in a position to make a third take, had he not begun moving squarer in anticipation of where he felt the ball may travel. As it happened, the ball bisected the keeper and slip before skimming away to the third man fence. Raza would hit two more fours in that over to make it Herath’s most expensive of the innings. Outside that over, Raza only struck four fours and a six.Waller was more openly aggressive – but only by a little bit – as he hit eight fours, and repeatedly put bowlers under pressure by scoring singles and twos freely as well. His fourth Test fifty had come off just 54 deliveries, before the final overs of the day prompted a slowdown from both batsmen. Beyond Waller, Zimbabwe also have Graeme Cremer and Donald Tiripano, both of whom have first-class centuries to their names.Before Raza came to the crease, Herath had knocked out Zimbabwe’s top three in his first four overs, before Perera also took a wicket. By lunch, Sri Lanka had had them by the collar, at 23 for 4. Taking the new ball, Herath needed an over to settle, but the first delivery of his second over was of a higher quality than Regis Chakabva had the ability to handle. Breaking more sharply than any of his deliveries in the first over, the ball missed Chakabva’s defensive shot, and hit the top of the off stump. That over would go on to be a wicket-maiden, which Herath’s next would be as well. This time, having beaten Tarisai Musakanda’s inside edge with a slider, Herath tossed the ball up slightly wider, tempted Musakanda into an expansive drive, and then had him caught sharply by Karunaratne at slip.Herath’s next dismissal – in his following over – was perhaps the most controversial wicket of the wicket-filled session. Attempting a big sweep, Hamilton Masakadza was struck in front. There was no doubt the ball would go on to hit the stumps, but perhaps feeling it brushed his glove on the way, Masakadza reviewed the out decision, and there was not enough evidence to overturn the on-field call.All this followed a milestone for Cremer who became the first Zimbabwe captain to take a five-wicket haul. He had taken two of the last three Sri Lanka wickets in the morning, and had helped eke out a 10-run first innings lead. Cremer now will have plenty to defend as Zimbabwe set their sights on a rare victory against a top-eight team.

Allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who last played an international game in March 2012, has been recalled to the Sri Lanka side for the upcoming ODI matches against Ireland and England

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2016Allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who last played an international game in March 2012, has been recalled to the Sri Lanka side for the upcoming ODI matches against Ireland and England.Maharoof and four other players – allrounder Danushka Gunathilaka, legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, offspinner Suraj Randiv and batsman Upul Tharanga – will fly to the UK to join the current Sri Lankan squad on tour. Some Test specialists are expected to return to Sri Lanka, but the selectors have not yet told the team which players will depart. Sri Lanka are set to play Ireland on June 16 and 18, before the five-match series against England starts from June 21.

Thisara Perera in SL A squad

Allrounder Thisara Perera has been named in the Sri Lanka A one-day squad for the upcoming tour of England. Perera has had a lean run for Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket since the start of 2015, scoring 282 runs in 33 international matches at an average of 11.75, while taking 25 wickets. He was also left out of Sri Lanka’s ODI squad for the matches against Ireland and England. The four-day and one-day squads will be led by batsman Ashan Priyanjan and also include wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who is currently part of the Test squad. The team, which will be coached by former opening batsman Avishka Gunawardene, will start with a tour match against Durham before two four-day matches against Pakistan A from July 3. This will be followed by a tri-series between Sri Lanka A, Pakistan A and England Lions, starting from July 18.
Sri Lanka A squad (four-day) Ashan Priyanjan (capt), Mahela Udawatte, Udara Jayasundera, Madawa Warnapura, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Angelo Perera, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Sachith Pathirana, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Ramith Rambukwella, Prabath Jayasuriya
Sri Lanka A squad (one-day) Ashan Priyanjan (capt), Mahela Udawatte, Udara Jayasundera, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Niroshan Dickwella, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Angelo Perera, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Sachith Pathirana, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Gamage, Kasun Rajitha, Mohomed Dilshad, Asitha Fernando, Ramith Rambukwella, Lakshan Sandakan

Sri Lanka will be without spinner Rangana Herath and fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad and Dushmantha Chameera. While Herath announced his retirement from limited-overs cricket in April, both Prasad and Chameera were ruled out of the tour due to injuries. Prasad suffered a shoulder injury in the lead-up to the first Test against England at Headingley, and Chameera returned home after playing only one Test due to a stress fracture on his lower back.Maharoof, 31, was the leading wicket-taker in Sri Lanka’s List A competition, the Premier Limited Over Tournament, in 2015-16, taking 16 wickets in five matches at an average of 6.31. He also struck 77 runs for Nondescripts Cricket Club in the tournament. Overall, Maharoof has played 22 Tests, 104 ODIs and seven T20Is and has taken 133 ODI wickets.Randiv, too, performed well for his side, Galle Cricket Club, in the Premier Limited Over Tournament, finishing as their leading wicket-taker with seven dismissals in five matches. The offspinner last played for Sri Lanka in November 2014, touring India for a five-ODI series.Notable absences from the squad include Nuwan Kulasekara, who recently retired from Tests to focus on the shorter formats, and Thisara Perera. Though once a key bowler in the limited-overs attack, Kulasekara’s form appeared to have dipped over a two-year period. His 25 ODI wickets since the start of 2014 have come at an average of 42.8. Thisara Perera has also been dropped thanks to slide in form.Batsman Tharanga has not played for Sri Lanka since July last year, but makes his way back to the squad after an impressive first-class season, in which he struck 803 Premier League runs at an average of 61.76. He has more recently also been among the runs in the Dhaka Premier League, in which he hit four scores of 70 or more in seven innings. He may be in contention to open the batting, as Tillakaratne Dilshan has opted out of the tour. Kusal Perera and Gunathilaka are the other potential opening batsmen on tour.The selection of Maharoof, Tharanga and Randiv is a slight departure from the selection panel’s quest for youth and regeneration. All three players – Tharanga in particular – have enjoyed limited-overs success at times in their career, but had been discarded due to loss of form.

From being homeless, Rajasthan Royals have gone winless in no time. Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, seem to have started getting it right, with their first-choice eleven finally available for selection

The Preview by Amol Karhadkar02-May-2015

Match facts

Sunday, May 3, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:43

O’Brien: RR seem to have lost it after a good start

Big Picture

From being homeless, Rajasthan Royals have gone winless in no time. Delhi Daredevils, on the other hand, seem to have started getting it right, with their first-choice eleven finally available for selection.After winning their first five matches of the season, Royals have failed to win any of their last five. With two of those games washed out, Royals have seen an addition of two points to their kitty. That has helped them retain their top-two standing. But with just four matches remaining, Royals would know they are running out of time to get back to winning ways.Delhi Daredevils have no such problems. After a slowish start, they have started appearing as a more consistent unit and have moved from the bottom of the pile into the Playoffs cut-off. A win against a higher-ranked team would bolster their chances to make the cut.It is supposed to be a home game for the Royals but the Brabourne Stadium will see its first game of the season. Royals may hold the edge, not just because of a strong presence of Mumbai players in their squad, but also due to the fact that they had a pre-tournament camp at Cricket Club of India. Delhi would also be far from alien to the conditions, with Mumbaikars Zaheer Khan, Shreyas Iyer and Pravin Amre being vital cogs in their set-up.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Delhi Daredevils WLWLW

Watch out for…

It took him seven innings to score his first fifty of the season but Sanju Samson would still be cursing himself for having failed to see his team through against Mumbai Indians on Friday night. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been shuffled in the batting order as much as Steven Smith’s horizontal movement at the crease. Samson appeared comfortable at No. 3 and would look to build on his good form.Zaheer Khan was considered to be more of a bowling coach rather than being a player. But the injury-prone bowler made his presence felt in the first game he played for a year by dismissing Virender Sehwag off his second ball. If Zaheer can keep himself fit, Daredevils would have a lethal pace combo in him and an in-form Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Stats and trivia

• Ajinkya Rahane is six runs shy of becoming the 20th batsman to tally 2000 IPL runs. With 1846 of his 1994 IPL runs having been scored for Royals, Rahane sits behind Shane Watson (2197 runs) in leading scorers for Royals in IPL.
• Amit Mishra needs one wicket to become the first bowler to earn 50 wickets for Delhi Daredevils in IPL.
• Rajasthan Royals are one win away from joining Chennai Super Kings (75) and Mumbai Indians (60) to join the 60-win club in IPL.

Quotes

“In our team even if you don’t do well you can see so many people coming to you and talking positive things to you.””We now have to win 4 out of the remaining 6 games. That’s how we are looking at it.”

An Auckland win in the earlier game would turn the Delhi-Titans game into a knockout game

The Preview by Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2012

Match facts

October 23, 2012
Start time 1730 local (1530 GMT)Virender Sehwag finally hit form in the Champions League T20•Getty Images

Big Picture

The semi-finalists from Group A will only be decided after the match between Delhi Daredevils and Titans in case Auckland Aces beat Perth Scorchers in the preceding match. If Perth beat Auckland in the first match, both Titans and Daredevils will be through and the result of second match will only decide who they will play in the semi-finals.A win for Auckland, however, will put them level with Daredevils on 10 points, and ahead of the Titans who are on eight. If Daredevils win, they will be through to the knockouts along with Auckland. If Titans win, they will finish at the top of the table and the second team will be decided based on the net run rate.Daredevils will be confident after their hard-fought three-wicket win over Perth in their previous game. They were efficient in their other victory – against Kolkata Knight Riders – but had to sit out eight days between the two wins as the game against Auckland was abandoned.The Titans had a horrible evening against Knight Riders in their last game when they were bowled out for 89 runs. It was a wake-up call, according to opener Henry Davids, but the timing of the thrashing is worrying. In the previous two games they had much better outings, with comfortable wins against Perth and Auckland.

Watch out for…

For a player whose participation for the Delhi has generated so much interest and divided opinions, Kevin Pietersen has had a quiet campaign so far. He got off to a slow start against Kolkata and fell trying to force the pace. Left-arm spin took care of him in the last game, Michael Beer taking full advantage of his unnecessary aggression. With a place in the semifinal on the line, Pietersen is the best person to expect a big performance from.Titans however will hope to bring in Roelof van der Merwe the moment Pietersen walks in, not merely because he’s a left-arm spinner but because he has bowled three good spells. Van der Merwe is one of the eight bowlers in the tournament who have an economy rate below the five-run mark and the only one among the Titans. He would want to improve on the four wickets, though, and a certain wicket would definitely encourage van der Merwe.

Quotes

“(The win over the Perth Scorchers) was too close for comfort. We’d have liked to win more easily than this but a win is still a win. We’ve got to make sure we keep going well and one IPL team goes the distance in the tournament.””This team was due for a bad game and luckily we’ve got it now. We’ve got one more game in which we must raise our game some notches higher and play to our potential.”