Category Uncategorized

Somerset well placed to consolidate second place in group after only 9.3 overs are possible on third day

ECB Reporters Network08-May-2021Rain and bad light frustrated Somerset’s push for victory with just nine-and-a-half overs bowled before play was abandoned after just 45 minutes late on Saturday at the Ageas Bowl.Hampshire closed the day on 110 for 4 in their second innings – still trailing Somerset by 147 runs – with opener Joe Weatherley unbeaten on 34 and skipper James Vince 5 not out.A heavy overnight downpour in Southampton left the outfield saturated as ground staff worked from 10am to dry off the standing water before play finally got underway at 5.30pm with a minimum of 16 overs to be bowled.Weatherley and Sam Northeast came out to bat in perfect seam bowling conditions, their side on 92 for 3 as heavy clouds enveloped the ground and with the floodlights on.The pair did well to survive some testing bowling from Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory as Somerset pushed hard for early wickets.Related

• Craig Overton stars with bat and ball to put Somerset in total control at Hampshire

• One man's legacy to Yorkshire and the game he loved beyond measure

But it was the excellent Overton who finally made the breakthrough with his fourth wicket of the innings, as Northeast mistimed a push towards mid-wicket and George Bartlett took a stunning one-handed catch at short-leg.However, the visitors’ joy was short-lived as play was abandoned by umpires Graham Lloyd and Alex Wharf due to bad light.The forecast is better for Sunday with Somerset looking well placed to consolidate their second-place spot in Group Two after leaders Gloucestershire beat Middlesex at Lord’s.

The loss for Lahore Qalandars dented their net run-rate, and now leaves them on the brink of not making the playoffs for the fourth season in a row

The Report by Peter Della Penna09-Mar-2019How the game played outA day in which batting records tumbled one after another was won by one of the finest bowling spells in T20 cricket by Faheem Ashraf as Islamabad United clinched a playoff berth with a 49-run win over Lahore Qalandars on the opening night of matches at Karachi in PSL 2019.

List of records broken

1) Highest PSL score of all time (238)
2) Most PSL sixes (16) in an innings
3) Joint-fastest PSL half-century (Asif Ali, 17 balls)
4) Highest ever T20 total in Karachi
5) Most expensive spell in PSL (Shaheen Afridi, 62 runs)
6) Least number of twos in a completed PSL innings (one, Islamabad)
7) Fastest PSL hundred (Cameron Delport, 49 balls)

Cameron Delport produced the fifth century in the history of the PSL – the fastest of the lot too in just 49 balls – as he propelled United to the largest total in PSL history, eclipsing the previous best – 204 for 4 by Lahore Qalandars earlier this year – by 34 runs. Delport added 118 for the third wicket with Chadwick Walton, then another unbroken stand of 88 with Asif Ali to take United through to the end of the innings.Delport struck the first five balls he faced to or over the boundary in a fiery knock, but appeared out of gas after slog sweeping Sandeep Lamichhane for six on back-to-back balls to bring up his century in the 16th. He only scored 13 runs off the last four overs, opening the door for Asif to take control on the way to bashing the joint-fastest PSL fifty off just 17 balls.Delport’s century was worth its weight in gold, though it was achieved on a flat pitch with incredibly short boundaries. By comparison, Ashraf’s 6 for 19 was platinum-encrusted. He took three wickets in his first two overs to slow down a rampaging start to the Qalandars chase, then followed it with three more in a later spell to see off the last remaining threat.Cameron Delport drives through the off side•Pakistan Super League

Turning points

• In the fourth over of the match, Delport was on 27 when he miscued a flick in the air over midwicket off Shaheen Afridi but was spilled badly by Sohail Akhtar running back from inside the ring. He added another 90 runs after the second life.
• Qalandars were 51 for 0 in four overs, but Ashraf got momentum to shift back towards United in the field for the first time with a five-run fifth over that included the wicket of Anton Devcich driving to Walton at extra cover.
• Sohail Akhtar was the last recognized bat for Qalandars and primed for a big finishing kick on 75 with his side needed 64 off the last three overs, tough yet doable under the conditions on the day, before Ashraf induced a mistimed pull to Shadab Khan at long-on for his fifth wicket.

Star of the dayFaheem Ashraf was bowling with a different magic ball compared to every other bowler on either side. After dismissing Anton Devcich, he nabbed Fakhar Zaman for 38 thanks to a sharp sliding catch by Phil Salt at long-on in the seventh before ending the same over getting Haris Sohail driving to backward point. He began his second spell claiming Agha Salman with a miscued slog to deep midwicket for a sharp catch by Shadab Khan, and teamed up with Shadab later to get Sohail Akhtar for the five-for. Faheem rounded off his day yorking Afridi for the second-best figures in PSL history.The big missPoor Luke Ronchi. On a pitch that served up an all-you-can eat buffet for most batsmen, he was out on the first ball of the match to Shaheen, edging a drive that was well taken by a diving Haris Sohail at slip.Where the teams standIslamabad United end the regular season on 10 points and will play either Karachi Kings or Qalandars in the first eliminator. In order for Qalandars to claim the fourth playoff spot, they need to beat last-place Multan Sultans in their final match with a fairly large margin, and hope Kings lose both of their remaining matches to Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi.

The former Pakistan fast bowler will work to develop the young pace bowlers in the franchise, including Haris Rauf, who was signed on for ten years after an impressive trial in Gujranwala

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2017Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been signed on as a mentor by the Pakistan Super League franchise Lahore Qalandars.Akhtar, one of the fastest bowlers in the world during an international career that spanned 14 years, has been roped in primarily to work with the young fast bowlers in the Qalandars’ squad, alongside another former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed, who is the franchise director.Last year, Qalandars signed on Yasir Jan, a promising fast bowler who can bowl with both arms, on a ten-year contract. This year, they brought on board another young fast bowler, Haris Rauf, on a ten-year contract. The franchise signed on Rauf after spotting him at a talent hunt in Gujranwala, where he reportedly bowled at 92 miles per hour (approximately 147 kph). Rauf will travel to Australia with the Qalandars’ development squad for matches against Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes.”I’m honored and privileged to be a part of Qalandars,” Akhtar said. “Extremely excited and thrilled. Haris is from Pindi and he is the find of Aaqib Javed. Aaqib knows a talent when he sees one.”

MCA and TNCA believe the rescheduling of two Group A fixtures to after the final round of matches would be unfair on the other teams, and have expressed their displeasure to the BCCI

Arun Venugopal27-Nov-2016Mumbai Cricket Association and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association have opposed BCCI’s decision to reschedule two postponed Delhi fixtures (due to pollution and smog) to after the completion of the ninth and final round of matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.The Group A clash between Gujarat and Bengal and the Group C fixture between Hyderabad and Tripura will now be played four days after the completion of the final round, from December 15 to 18, in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata respectively.The MCA has already lodged an official protest against the rescheduling of the Group A clash, and the TNCA is expected to follow suit on Monday. Mumbai are currently group toppers with 26 points, while Gujarat, with 21 points, are two points behind second-placed Tamil Nadu.While Tamil Nadu and Mumbai only have one and two games respectively, Gujarat have three by virtue of the rescheduling. According to , MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar had stated in his letter to the BCCI the rescheduling was unfair to the other teams.”The rescheduling of the said match after the completion of all matches gives unfair advantage to the participating teams with respect to their qualification the knockout phase,” Khanvilkar wrote. “This would be unfair for the rest of the teams who would have finished all the matches by then.”TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan said the matches in question shouldn’t be rescheduled, and that the points should be shared retrospectively. “In a league stage you cannot do this; it will be a disadvantage to the other teams. It is an act of God, and you should have only shared points,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Last year we lost almost four days due to rain against Gujarat; so many matches have been affected by fog, nothing was done then.”We are saying the matches should not be rescheduled and that points should be shared like in any match that is washed out. We have orally conveyed [our displeasure] to the BCCI. We will have a meeting with our president and office bearers, and then we will file an official protest tomorrow mostly.”Viswanathan said they should have waited till the fourth day before calling the games off in Delhi. “After all, only two days of play had elapsed; they could have still completed the game on the third and the fourth day,” he said. “It has happened in so many games in the past; it is not something new.”He also contended the technical committee wasn’t empowered to reschedule the games. “The BCCI press release says that the two matches were called off by the technical committee,” he said. “I would like to point out that the technical committee has no jurisdiction over it. Only the senior tournament committee has the powers to decide this.”In Group C, the top-three teams are separated by only three points. While table-topper Andhra and third-placed Haryana have two more matches remaining, Hyderabad, who trail Andhra by only two points, have an extra game against Tripura, who are in the bottom half. Andhra coach Sanath Kumar admitted Hyderabad would have the advantage of knowing what they need to do in the last match, but said there was no point worrying about it.”All we have to do is our two games we have to focus and have to do our best. If we win one of the games and take the first-innings lead in the other we are anyway through,” he said. “These things we can’t do anything about. It is not intentionally done or something like that. Definitely it is an advantage, but you can’t avoid it; you can’t do anything else.”The BCCI had also pushed back the knockout matches to accommodate the two games. The quarter-finals, initially scheduled to begin on December 17, will now be held from December 24 to 28. The semi-finals were moved from December 27 to January 3, while the final, originally set to be played from January 7, will now take place from January 12 to 16.

Sri Lanka have picked Kushal Perera, the wicketkeeper-batsman, for the limited-overs series in Australia, and spinner Ajantha Mendis makes a comeback after suffering a side strain during the World Twenty20 late last year

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2013Sri Lanka have picked Kushal Perera, the wicketkeeper-batsman, for the limited-overs series in Australia, and spinner Ajantha Mendis makes a comeback after suffering a side strain during the World Twenty20 late last year. Mendis hasn’t played ODI cricket since January last year.Perera replaces Kumar Sangakkara, who was ruled out of the tour last month due to a hand injury. Perera has had a good run in the Premier Limited Over Tournament, the List A competition in Sri Lanka; he’s the leading run-scorer, with 365 runs in eight games at 73, including a century and two fifties.Two names missing from the limited-overs squad that played New Zealand in November are allrounder Chamara Kapugedera and offspinner Tharindu Kaushal. Suranga Lakmal, who has been called in as replacement for Chanaka Welegedera in the squad for the third Test in Sydney, has been selected for the limited-overs series. Sri Lanka play five ODIs and two T20 internationals; the first ODI starts on January 11 in Melbourne.Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Kushal Perera, Shaminda Eranga.

Faf du Plessis will be joining Somerset – subject to all necessary clearance – as their second overseas player for the FLt20

George Dobell03-May-2012Faf du Plessis will be joining Somerset – subject to all necessary clearance – as their second overseas player for the FLt20. Du Plessis, the 27-year-old South Africa allrounder, will replace Chris Gayle, who has pulled out of his deal with the club in order to make himself available for the West Indies.As things stand, Somerset hope that du Plessis will be available for the duration of the competition. He may, however, be involved in South Africa’s five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe that runs until June 24. Somerset’s T20 campaign begins on June 13, meaning du Plessis could miss as many as five games.”We have signed him subject to clearance,” Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, told ESPNcricinfo. “We are waiting to hear whether he will be required by South Africa but, even if he is, we are unlikely to sign another overseas player.”

Two old nemeses turned up against India on the first day of the series

The Report by Sidharth Monga06-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThat man again: Shivnarine Chanderpaul scores his seventh century against India•AFP

Two old nemeses turned up against India on the first day of the series. A typical slow and low Kotla track broke the bowlers’ backs, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul continued his torture of Indian bowlers with his seventh century against his favourite opposition, making it two in the last two Tests. Attrition remained the order for the day, as is evident from West Indies’ run-rate of 2.81, but Chanderpaul scored at close to four per over. India, though, kept chipping away at the others with accurate spin bowling to make sure the honours were shared on the first day.Chanderpaul drew support from a man who was two years old when he began using the bail to mark his guard in Tests. Kraigg Brathwaite, who became only the second West Indian to score two fifties before his 19th birthday, has similar reserves of patience, idolises Chanderpaul, and uses the bail to mark his guard. For 37 overs and 108 runs today, the youngest and the oldest members of the side did all that together. Except that the youngster played the old-fashioned watchful innings and Chanderpaul turned the momentum with quick runs.You couldn’t quite blame the teams for the slow cricket, though. When the third ball of the match doesn’t carry through to the wicketkeeper, and when it happens four more times in the next seven overs, it’s best not to expect attractive cricket. Effort balls went through waist high, and strokes found little value. On this pitch, Syed Abid Ali and Eknath Solkar would have been as effective as Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. When India bowl 91 overs in a day’s play, it has to be either during a push for a win on the final day or when the pitch has nothing in it for the quicks. While the latter was true, the way the West Indies top order went into a shell the former didn’t seem incorrect either.

Smart stats

• Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s century is his seventh against India, bringing him joint-second on the list of players with the most Test centuries against India. Garry Sobers and Viv Richards are on top with eight centuries each.

• The century is also Chanderpaul’s 24th in Tests. He is now level third with Viv Richards on the the list of West Indians with the most Test centuries. Brian Lara and Garry Sobers, with 34 and 26 centuries respectively, are the top two on the list.

• MS Dhoni went past Syed Kirmani’s tally of 198 wicket-keeping dismissals to become India’s all-time leader. He now has 200 dismissals in 62 Tests.

• Dhoni also became the 13th wicketkeeper to reach the landmark of 200 Test dismissals. Mark Boucher is on top with 521 dismissals.

• Chanderpaul’s strike rate of 66.46 in his innings is the third-highest for a 100-plus score in his career (all other completed knocks). The highest strike rate is 138.88 during his 100 off 72 balls against Australia in 2003.

• The 108-run stand between Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite is the ninth century stand for the fourth wicket for West Indies in Tests in India. It is also the third-highest for West Indies in Tests in Delhi.

Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards, who scored 29 off 80 balls between them, allowed Pragyan Ojha and debutant R Ashwin to bowl wherever they liked to. What started as one slip and one short leg soon became a spinner’s umbrella field. The result was a period of 14.3 overs that went for 20 runs and consumed both the batsmen. Both fell to Ojha, whose figures then read 7.3-4-8-2. Darren Bravo tried to disturb that state of affairs, but gave Ashwin his first Test wicket when he went manufacturing a cut off a length ball.When Chanderpaul walked in, at 72 for 3, the man at the other end was going at the strike-rate he himself often does. He would have known if two men did that, sooner or later one might pop up to one of the many catching men. Thus began his shuffle, nurdles, deflections, late-cuts, chips, stolen singles, and two sixes down the ground. Mid-on and mid-off had been deep earlier too, sweeper-cover had been in place too, but the field looked much more porous now.There were three shots that very Chanderpaul. The second ball of spin he played he dragged it from outside off for a single through midwicket. Later on in the piece, he moved well across into a wide delivery from Umesh Yadav, and it was like just the momentum of the shuffle and the wrists forced the ball between mid-off and extra cover. That four took him to 62, level then with Brathwaite, who was 30 when Chanderpaul walked in. In the next over, he danced down to Ojha, was beaten in the flight, but nonchalantly flicked him for his second six over long-on. He was working the singles, he was forcing the fours, and even when he was beaten in the flight it was not proving good enough.Brathwaite might not have taken similar liberties, but was good at running the ball to third man or helping it around the corner on the leg side. Behind square on the off side he scored 26 runs, including four boundaries, all of them intentional. Ojha, though, continued his toil and finally got one to dip, which made Brathwaite drag his back foot as he tried to play the forward-defensive. It wasn’t a big drag, nor did it take him long to get back, and he might have possibly survived with other keepers, but MS Dhoni’s no reverse-follow-through stumping left him no chance.That was one fine way to reach 199 dismissals, beating Syed Kirmani’s Indian record in 26 fewer Tests. No. 200 came soon when Marlon Samuels, always one to camp back against spin, edged a length ball from Ashwin. With two wickets for 20 runs, India now looked to build more pressure. Chanderpaul took 11 runs in the next over. Four overthrows followed in the next over, and Chanderpaul was in his nineties. With a gentle paddle sweep he matched Viv Richards’ 24 centuries, and there hardly seemed any pressure.Even as Carlton Baugh remained circumspect with stumps approaching, Chanderpaul made sure the sixth-wicket partnership of 56 runs chugged along at 4.1 per over. Chanderpaul walked back with Indian players rushing to shake his hand, and no one to nag him, telling him how to bat.

Sparkling innings from replacement keeper turns close game for home side

ECB Media16-Aug-2025Trent Rockets 145 for 6 (Moores 55, Banton 49) beat Southern Brave 140 for 4 (du Plooy 55, Stoinis 2-18) by four wicketsA brilliant innings on his home county ground by Tom Moores saw Trent Rockets to a four-wicket win over Southern Brave in the Hundred men’s competition.Moores, making his first appearance in this year’s competition having only just arrived as an emergency wicketkeeper replacement, hit 55 in a partnership of 76 with Tom Banton as Rockets got home with four balls to spare.Rockets chose to bowl first on a slow surface and struck early when James Vince was bowled by one that ran across him from David Willey.Jason Roy and Leus du Plooy began to get to terms with the surface, Roy scooping Marcus Stoinis’s first ball for four. Left-hander du Plooy then slog swept Callum Parkinson for six and smashed Lockie Ferguson for a maximum over long-off.Stoinis returned to bowl Roy for 23, but du Plooy kept his own momentum going, switch-hitting Calvin Harrison into the stands and bringing up his half-century with another six off Parkinson.The game then was forced to pause for a while, the players leaving the field as Adam Hose received medical treatment after a nasty slip on the leg-side boundary. Trent Rockets later confirmed Hose had dislocated his ankle and been taken to hospital for further assessment.When play resumed, Brave looked to accelerate through Michael Bracewell and James Coles. Coles struck Ferguson for two boundaries in the final set to see the Brave reach 140 for 4, a competitive total on this Trent Bridge surface.Trent Rockets came flying out of the blocks – Banton hit the first two balls of the chase for four and then reverse-swept Coles for six from the fourth.Jordan Thompson picked up Joe Root for 6, before Jofra Archer was pulled for fours by both Banton and Rehan Ahmed as Rockets closed the powerplay on 41 for 1.Rehan then went well caught by Roy off Tymal Mills and Max Holden followed, caught by Archer off Danny Briggs. Bracewell removed Willey with his first ball but was later deposited over midwicket for the first of Moores’ five sixes, the left-hander’s arrival shifting the momentum of the match.Mills picked up his 50th wicket in the Hundred, but it came too late as Rockets reached their target.Moores, the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “It was a little bit slow at times but ultimately I felt it was a pretty good wicket. It was a nice win.”It’s great to bat with Tom [Banton], he was keeping me nice and calm and we just tried to bat together really and bounce off each other. We score in different areas so we complemented each other well.”The way I play, I’m always trying to take it to the bowler if I can. It’s always nice to do it in front of a home crowd and I thought the boys stuck at it really well after a tough thing in the field that happened to Adam [Hose] and we hope he’s all right.”

Bumrah was seen clutching his abdomen repeatedly on the third day of the Sydney Test

Shashank Kishore12-Jan-2021India’s tryst with injuries continues as they look to put together a fit XI for the series decider at The Gabba. A day after Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the tour on Monday, and it emerged that Hanuma Vihari (right hamstring injury) and R Ashwin (back tweak) batted through pain to save the Sydney Test, there is an injury cloud over Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the fourth and final Test starting January 15.Bumrah was seen clutching his abdomen repeatedly during Australia’s second innings on the third day’s play in Sydney. He even left the field once for medical attention. However, he bowled 25 overs in all, in a total of 87 overs that India sent down before Australia declared.Bumrah has had the most workload among fast bowlers among both sides, bowling 117.4 overs across the six innings so far in the Tests. Bumrah, who was rested for the T20I leg of the tour to play India’s warm-up fixture in Sydney, has so far featured in each of the three ODIs and the three Tests.Related

• India confirm they will travel to Brisbane

• Rahane: Draw at SCG 'as good as winning'

• Jadeja ruled out of Brisbane Test

While the physio may have to work overtime to get him ready, India’s already inexperienced attack will further be depleted if he is ruled out. If that happens, Mohammed Siraj – all of two Tests old – will be the spearhead, alongside Navdeep Saini and one of the uncapped T Natarajan or Shardul Thakur. India have one other reserve fast bowler in the squad – rookie Kartik Tyagi – who has been used as a net bowler. Tyagi, however, featured in the first warm-up fixture.Meanwhile, if Ashwin too is deemed unfit, India may have to turn to Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, or allrounder Washington Sundar, who stayed back to assist the side after being part of India’s T20I series win in December. Kuldeep, who was one of India’s finds of their tour in 2018-19, was left out of the five of the six white-ball matches and went wicketless in his only first-class game on tour in Sydney.

Marnus Labuschagne bagged a duck while Matt Renshaw approached a hundred

Andrew McGlashan08-Nov-2020A batsman who looks increasingly under pressure for his Test place made a low score, one who is among the most prolific players in the world bagged a duck and two former Test batsmen filled their boots on the opening day at Glenelg.Usman Khawaja probably won’t come into consideration for Australia’s Test squad, and Matt Renshaw certainly won’t, but the former made his first century since February 2019 and the latter closed within touching distance of his first for two-and-a-half years.Joe Burns’ hold on the Test opening berth appears more tenuous by the day – across town Will Pucovski piled up another big hundred – as he fell for 10 in the sixth over, given caught behind via an inside edge although he did not seem thrilled by the decision.Marnus Labuschagne then bagged his second consecutive duck, walking into a wide delivery and edging to slip, to leave Queensland 2 for 11. Khawaja and Bryce Street added 128 for the third wicket followed by a 103-run partnership between Khawaja and Renshaw, before the day was capped by a boundary-studded half-century from Jimmy Peirson.Khawaja was the aggressor in Queensland’s early recovery as Street took 107 balls to reach double figures. Street had started to make progress when he fell to a stunning short leg catch by Henry Hunt who parried the ball up then held the rebound.That gave Lloyd Pope his lone success of the day but it was another tough outing for the legspinner who conceded a run-a-ball. Khawaja, especially, enjoyed his regular loose offerings while Renshaw did not miss out on many.Khawaja’s previous century had been his Test hundred against Sri Lanka in Canberra and he reached three figures off 149 balls against the first delivery of the evening session. He eventually fell to the deserving Wes Agar, edging to Callum Ferguson at first slip in his last first-class match, but Queensland rattled along in the final session which brought 159 runs in 38 overs.Peirson was largely responsible for that, hitting 48 off his 60 runs in boundaries, and the stand with Renshaw was unbroken on 89 on another tough day for the South Australia attack.