Notts recover from 19 for 3 as Duckett hits winning runs a year on from semi-final heartache

Matt Roller04-Oct-2020Nottinghamshire confirmed their status as the dominant force in English T20 cricket, sealing a second Blast title in four seasons by chasing down 128 with 16 balls to spare in a 16-over final against Surrey.Fittingly, Ben Duckett and Dan Christian were their stars on the night: after his semi-final nightmare in 2019, Duckett leapt into the freezing Birmingham air to celebrate heaving Gareth Batty through straight midwicket for the winning boundary, before Christian, the club’s overseas player since 2015 and one of the format’s best captains worldwide, lifted him off his feet with a heartfelt embrace.Notts have won more games that anyone else in the last four seasons of the Blast, and have reached the quarter-finals every year since 2015. They were the competition’s oldest side with an average age above 30 and more than 1700 T20 appearances between them – confirming captain Christian’s pre-tournament proclamation that “old blokes win stuff” – and the only team to field two overseas players throughout.Their triumph this year came despite the injury-enforced absence of Harry Gurney for the whole competition; Jake Ball, the Blast’s leading wicket-taker, might not have got a game had Gurney been fit. While Surrey had been earmarked as favourites by some after a nine-game winning streak, Notts were the rightful victors.Roy, Evans lead recoveryAfter being asked to bat first, Surrey struggled to find their gears. Hashim Amla, recalled after being left out of their semi-final win, eked out 3 off 10 balls, surviving a stumping chance only to hole out to cover immediately after, while Jason Roy was dropped by Peter Trego on 2. When Will Jacks skied a catch to Christian, running back at mid-off, Surrey were 24 for 2 after their 4.5 overs of Powerplay; Samit Patel, who took 1 for 25 from his four overs, was particularly frugal.But Roy and Laurie Evans counterpunched, adding 90 in a violent third-wicket stand that lasted only 8.4 overs. Perhaps unexpectedly, it was Evans who was the main aggressor, scoring heavily through wide mid-on and extra cover and finding the middle of the bat almost every ball.Roy, meanwhile, was more sedate, but still accelerated up to a strike rate of 140, tucking into Nottinghamshire’s spinners and pounding boundaries over the off side. With the two of them set heading into the final four overs, 160 was on the cards.Christian pulls it backAfter Imad Wasim’s final over went for only eight runs, Evans holed out to deep midwicket off Christian, and Surrey’s lack of middle-order hitters became apparent. Jamie Overton was promoted to No. 5, but felt first ball courtesy of a superb flying catch by wicketkeeper Tom Moores, before Ball went round the wicket to trap Roy lbw.In Christian’s final over, Ben Foakes picked out Duckett at deep midwicket, and when Liam Plunkett – strangely batting below Foakes and Rory Burns – holed out to Alex Hales at long-on, Surrey had managed 24 for 5 in the final four overs, without hitting a single boundary.Notts’ shaky startFollowing an underwhelming run in the Blast, Hales had signalled his intentions to finish with a flourish ahead of the quarter-finals. But after being bowled by the Parkinson twins in the quarter and the semi, he pulled the first ball of the chase to deep square leg to give Reece Topley an early breakthrough.Joe Clarke slog-swept Will Jacks straight to deep backward square leg in the second over, and Samit Patel, promoted to No. 4 after languishing at No. 8 for most of the tournament, holed out to Burns at long-on twice in three balls: the first chance was spilled, the second gobbled up.That left Notts in a hole at 19 for 3 after 3.3 overs, with Trego – 14 months after his last Blast appearance and in his first T20 for his new club at the ripe old age of 39 – striding out at No. 5.Duckett rights a wrongDuckett sank to his haunches on Finals Day last year, failing to lay bat on ball needing only a single off the last ball of the semi-final against Worcestershire. Here, promoted to open after Chris Nash’s injury and with wickets tumbling around him, he continued to attack Surrey’s spinners in particular, pulling powerfully to keep things ticking.As Trego freed his arms, flaying a 21-ball 31 and cashing in against Overton and Plunkett’s wayward middle overs, Duckett happily ticked over, taking responsibility in a way that he had failed to last season. After Trego was incorrectly given out lbw to Daniel Moriarty, Duckett and Christian came together and decided not to risk taking the game into the last over, as they had in the nerve-jangling quarter-final against Leicestershire.Instead, they added 47 in 26 balls for the fifth wicket, punishing drag-downs and slot balls in ruthless fashion. With seven to win from the final three overs, Duckett nailed Batty for two boundaries through the leg side and set off in celebration. With the government’s 10pm curfew in place, celebrations will be confined to the dressing room, but it seems unlikely that Notts will care.

Planned goodwill trip in New Year off the agenda for now due to cost, availability issues

George Dobell16-Nov-2020England’s tour of Pakistan is set to be postponed until September or October, ESPNcricinfo understands, after plans for the tour to go ahead at the end of January were abandoned on the grounds of cost and availability.With England’s Test squad scheduled for series in Sri Lanka and India in January and a large number of their top limited-overs players scheduled to be involved in the BBL, there had been the prospect of England sending the equivalent of a C Team to Pakistan for what would have amounted to the first official tour of the country in 15 years.However, it is understood that both boards agreed that such a historic occasion warranted a full-strength England squad. It is also understood that some at the ECB had reservations about devaluing international caps by awarding them to players who might, in ordinary circumstances, be considered third- or fourth-choice.Although the trip might have lasted as little as 96 hours – the plan was to play two or three games in Karachi in that period – England were planning on arranging a training camp in the UAE and hiring a charter flight for the team. It is understood costs could have extended to somewhere around £800,000 for the trip.The lack of star players – on the England side, at least – might also have had a knock-on effect on the value of the broadcasting deal in Pakistan.It now seems likely both sides will use the postponed trip as preparation for the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be played in India in October and November. While the exact dates are yet to be confirmed, it seems England will leave almost as soon as the domestic season finishes in late September and expect to play at least three T20Is in Pakistan with their full-strength squad.England have not toured Pakistan since Michael Vaughan’s team visited in the winter of 2005. Although they are already scheduled to play a Test series there in late 2022, the PCB have expressed their desire for a visit sooner than that to show the ECB’s support for the return of international cricket to the country.With Pakistan’s players having endured less than perfect conditions in helping England fulfil their international fixtures in 2020, there is a sense that the ECB do owe Pakistan a reciprocal favour.The strong working relationship between the two CEOs, Tom Harrison of the ECB and Wasim Khan of the PCB, has also played a part in squeezing the tour into an already crowded schedule.

Multan Sultans had roped in Mahmudullah in place of Moeen Ali, and he was supposed to leave Dhaka on November 9

Mohammad Isam08-Nov-2020Mahmudullah has become the latest Bangladesh cricketer to test positive for Covid-19, which rules him out for the PSL playoffs starting November 14. The Multan Sultans had roped in Mahmudullah in place of Moeen Ali, and he was supposed to leave Dhaka on November 9. That means Tamim Iqbal, who replaced Chris Lynn in the Lahore Qalandars squad, will be the only Bangladesh cricketer travelling to Pakistan.Mahmudullah, Bangladesh’s T20I captain, said that he got tested twice to be sure, but after two positive results, he has isolated himself in a separate room at his house.”I was surprised with a positive result from my Covid test, on November 6,” Mahmudullah told ESPNcricinfo. “I didn’t have fever or any other symptoms other than a bit of cold. Nothing more than that. I got tested for a second time yesterday, and that also came out as positive. I am now taking rest in a separate room. I am a little worried about my wife and kids. I am seeking everyone’s prayers for quick recovery and for my family’s well-being.”It is disappointing to miss the chance to play in the PSL. It is a competitive tournament. It was a good opportunity to play a couple of matches there. I am now looking forward to getting well soon and try to participate in our Bangabandhu T20 Cup.”Mahmudullah has been in all of BCB’s camps since September and has also been training individually. His team won the BCB President’s Cup last month. Yesterday, he was named in Grade A of the players’ draft for this month’s Bangabandhu T20 Cup tournament.Previously, Abu Jayed, Saif Hassan and Mashrafe Mortaza had tested positive and subsequently recovered. A few cricketers and coaching staff from the Under-19 camp had also tested positive last month.According to the official figures, there have been 418,764 Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh, with over 6000 deaths.

Head coach heaps praise on captain Rahane’s influence

Sidharth Monga29-Dec-2020Bowled out for 36. Missing three, arguably four, first-choice players. Losing another mid-Test. Spending months on the road and in mentally challenging bubbles. Losing the toss. Becoming only the third team to come back from a 0-1 deficit in the last 50 years in Australia. You might have accused India coach Ravi Shastri of hyperbole in the past, but you probably wouldn’t argue against his assessment that India’s win in Melbourne after all that is one of the great comebacks in Test history, not just Indian cricket.”I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket – no, world cricket – as one of the great comebacks in the history of the game,” Shastri said. “You know to be rolled over for 36 and then three days later to get up and be ready to punch was outstanding. The boys deserve all the credit for the character they have shown. Real character.”The key to this comeback, Shastri said, was to accept the result in Adelaide and move on. He was asked what the chat was in the dressing room in Adelaide and then in Melbourne when they rocked up.”No chat,” he said of Adelaide. “And when we arrived in Melbourne, it was the things we have got to do to get up and fight.4:10

Ravi Shastri: Great to see maturity, flair and discipline from Shubman Gill and Siraj

“We had a lot of positives in Adelaide but at the end of the day it is the result that counts. We were blown away in the second innings in one hour. So when you are blown away, you are blown away. There is nothing you can do about it than to get up and fight, which we did in this Test match. To beat a team like Australia, especially in Australia, there is no point having one good day or two good days, you have got to have five good days if you have to beat them. As simple as that.”India began the final day of the Test still needing four wickets with scores level, and were held up by a stubborn tail helped by a missing seamer and by now a lifeless track. “We were focusing on accuracy and discipline,” Shastri said. “And be patient. Be prepared to be patient even if they batted a session or a session and a half. Be prepared to chase even 100 or 150 if needed. Think in that fashion. Think as if you have to take 10 wickets not just four wickets.”Shastri was glowing in the praise of the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, especially his batting. “The discipline,” said Shastri of Rahane’s century. “On such a big stage, in a massive arena, to come as captain of the team, bat at No. 4. When he went out to bat, we were two down for 60 and then to bat six hours on probably the toughest day to bat. It was overcast; all day the sun never came out. He batted for six hours. Unbelievable concentration. I thought his innings was the turning point.”Shastri acknowledged the calmness of Rahane played a part on the field. “He is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding for the game. A good reader of the game. And I thought his calm composure out there in the middle helped the debutants as well, helped the bowlers as well. There was a calming influence out there. In spite of losing Umesh [Yadav], he did a great job out there.”India fans show their support•Getty Images

One of the big positives for India will be that the debutants Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill looked ready for the occasion, for Test cricket, playing in a big match. “That’s the brand of cricket we have been playing for the last three or four years,” Shastri said. “When you saw these two debutants show that kind of maturity and discipline there, it was great to see. Today Siraj’s effort was outstanding actually. He might not have the numbers to show for it but the discipline and the ability to bowl long spells, the maturity he showed for someone playing his first Test, doing the job he had to do once we lost Umesh, was outstanding.”Then Shubman going and playing with that kind of flair later on was great to see. Great character. More than anything else, great character. He looked very very mature for someone playing his first Test match. He looked very calm and composed. Wasn’t afraid to play his shots, which was great to see. Even in the second innings, it was very easy to get into a shell but he went out there and played his natural game, which was great from the team point of view.”Related

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Shastri credited the IPL for giving India international-cricket-ready debutants. “A lot has to do with the IPL,” he said. “The fact that they share the dressing room with international players, they rub shoulders with the best, it is that complex factor disappears very quickly. And you see what you see now.”While Shastri gave all the credit to the players, the team management made a bold move of playing a fifth bowler, Ravindra Jadeja, who proved his worth in all three disciplines. “He is a genuine allrounder,” Shastri said of Jadeja. “That is why he bats where he is. He can bat at 6, he can bat at 5 if need be on a given occasion. But he is a genuine genuine allrounder. That’s why he lends a lot of balance to the side. Also when you play overseas there is a chance of one of the bowlers getting injured, like you saw with Umesh. With Jadeja there, it gives better balance and it also gives fast bowlers some respite with Jaddu and Ashwin doing the bowling.”They also replaced Wriddhiman Saha, the more accomplished pure wicketkeeper, with Rishabh Pant, the keeper-batsman. “I thought he was very very good,” Shastri said of Pant. “Anyone can make a mistake. Any batsman can make a mistake. I thought the discipline he showed, the runs he made, his ability to counterattack, and play some shots and move the game forward. It is a huge plus for the team. He showed it in this game. He might have got only 29 but there was a lot more than 29 there.”Shastri confirmed they will continue with five bowlers for the next Test, but will wait to see how fit Rohit Sharma is before deciding on any change in the batting for the third Test. “We will stick to five bowlers,” Shastri said. “Rohit joins the team tomorrow. We will have a chat with him tomorrow to see where he is placed physically because he has been in quarantine for the last couple of weeks. Also got to see how he feels before we take the call.”

Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Rory Burns return for Chennai Tests

Matt Roller21-Jan-2021Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood have been rested by England for the first two Tests of their series in India next month, with Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Rory Burns all added to the squad currently touring Sri Lanka.Ollie Pope, who is currently in Sri Lanka continuing his rehab after a shoulder injury, will also travel to India and will be added to the squad when passed fit. Excluding Pope, the squad comprises 16 players, while six of the seven reserves will travel to India from Sri Lanka on standby in case of illness or injury. Craig Overton will return home, subject to the fitness of the rest of the touring party.Jos Buttler, England first-choice wicketkeeper, will also fly home after the first Test, with Ben Foakes set to take over. Ed Smith, England’s national selector, had previously suggested that Foakes would be handed a chance at some stage on the tour.England had signalled their intentions to rest all of their multi-format players at some stage after Christmas when naming their squad for the ongoing Sri Lanka series, with Archer and Stokes rested for those two Tests. Burns returns following paternity leave.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The decision to rest Bairstow for the start of the series leaves England with fewer selection headaches than they might have anticipated. Zak Crawley has been moved up to open alongside Dom Sibley in Galle, but looks set to move back down to No. 3 – where Bairstow has batted – with Burns back at the top of the order.After missing the series in Sri Lanka following a positive Covid test, Moeen Ali will be in contention for the first two Tests in Chennai, which start on February 5. England will have various options as to how they balance their side, with Stokes’ return to the middle order likely to provide them with greater flexibility. Moeen is also set to be rested at some stage during the India tour, either in the second half of the Test series or during the white-ball series that follows, as is Chris Woakes.Wood’s omission could create an opportunity for Olly Stone to win his second Test cap, after he was overlooked for Friday’s second Test in Galle. Adil Rashid remains absent from the red-ball set-up as he manages his long-standing shoulder injury.Related

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The uncertainty around Pope’s fitness comes as a surprise. At the time of his diagnosis, it was anticipated that he would be available to return in time for the start of the Sri Lanka series, and he made an unbeaten 58 in an intra-squad warm-up match two weeks ago.But he clarified to the this week that he remains wary about fielding, having told ESPNcricinfo in November that it would be “the last piece of the puzzle” in his return. “I don’t want to feel like my rehab is rushed and put myself under too much stress,” he said. “I need to make sure I get it right in the long term.”Smith said: “We’d love Ollie to be available when he’s fit. So when he’s fit, he’s fit. And as soon as he’s fit, he will be added to the squad. I wouldn’t want to speculate too much on that or create any pressure on him. I think life should be nice and simple for Ollie: he’s a brilliant young batsman. [We’ll tell him to] just keep working with the physios, and when they tell us you’re ready, [and] when you’re happy, we’ll put you in the squad and you can resume your sparkling international career – hopefully sooner rather than later but I wouldn’t want to put a timescale on it.”Archer, Burns and Stokes have returned to the squad•PA Images via Getty Images

Speaking before the squad’s announcement, England captain Joe Root said that he was heartened by the competition for places within the squad. “I certainly feel like it’s growing all the time, and that’s really exciting,” he said. “In terms of our fast bowling, we’ve seen more and more depth, and that’s continued over the summer and winter and is really nice to see. For that to now be happening in the batting, not just middle order but top order as well, I think that’s a really good place for us.”Competition for places is always something that stands out in improving teams. It’s something that, [with] these big squads in bubble life and modern-day touring, is a real benefit. It’s great to have so many guys wanting to get better, [and] making the most of learning from these experiences. It will grow us as a team, will definitely make our squad depth better and improve us as a team.”Root said that Archer and Stokes’ returns would provide “a huge boost”, and suggested that they would be refreshed after time off in recent weeks. “You speak to any side in the world, those two guys coming back into it would give the squad a huge boost and it’s certainly the case for us,” he said. “They’re two wonderfully talented players [and] with the climate and environment we’re in, resting players is going to be vital.”It’s a huge year of Test cricket and also a [T20] World Cup, and a lot of one-day cricket alongside. We’re going to have to look after players. It’s crucial we look after them and others as well, that we look after each other and make sure we’ve got guys who are fit and raring to go, physically and mentally, for everything that’s going to be thrown at us in the next 12 months.”India named a strong squad for the series earlier this week, with Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah all available again.England squad for India (first two Tests): Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler*, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
Reserves: James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi

252 overseas players will compete for seven spots in next week’s draft

Matt Roller17-Feb-2021252 players will compete for the seven remaining overseas spots in next week’s draft for the men’s Hundred, with Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Shakib Al Hasan and David Warner among those to have put their names forward for selection.The Hundred, the ECB’s new 100-ball competition, will finally launch in July 2021 after its inaugural season was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Teams were able to retain as many players as they wished from the squads selected at the initial men’s player draft in October 2019, at a mutually agreed salary band. Wages have been cut by 20% from their original level, with the highest salary now set at £100,000 ($140,000 USD approx.) rather than £125,000.Most teams opted to retain the majority of their squads, with Rashid Khan (Trent Rockets), Andre Russell (Southern Brave), Aaron Finch (Northern Superchargers) and Kane Williamson (Birmingham Phoenix) among the overseas players to re-commit to the competition. 35 players will be selected in next week’s draft – 28 domestic, seven overseas – with Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire making nearly half the picks between them after opting for overhauls.Related

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As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, the draft will be staged virtually and behind closed doors, rather than in a live studio setting, with picks due to be announced on Tuesday, February 23, the day after the draft itself.The availability of overseas players will be a major factor in who is picked up in the draft. New Zealand and South Africa currently have clear schedules for the tournament’s window from late July to late August, though the pandemic has left the Future Tours Programme unclear. West Indies are due to play home series against Australia and Pakistan which overlap with the start and end of the Hundred respectively, but Pooran and Pollard could be picked up for short stints with a view to long-term retention.Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, who were both contracted to Welsh Fire for the 2020 season, have not put themselves forward for the draft. Trent Boult, Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga are another notable absentees, after they went unpicked in the first draft, while AB de Villiers has again opted not to enter.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

10 players have entered with a reserve price of £100,000, meaning at most four of them will be picked up. They are: Shakib, Babar Azam, de Kock, Lockie Ferguson, Jason Holder, Tamim Iqbal, Pollard, Pooran, Rabada and Warner. Teams may be wary about selecting Warner due to the overlap with Australia’s series in the Caribbean, and following his withdrawal ahead of the 2020 season after Southern Brave had selected him.Other players who might attract interest include Shahid Afridi, Jhye Richardson, Imran Tahir (all £80,000 reserve price), Shadab Khan, Chris Morris, Dan Christian, Dale Steyn (£60,000), Dwayne Bravo, David Miller and Mitchell Santner (£48,000). Colin Ingram, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are among those without reserve prices.Overseas players from 13 different nations have entered, including Ireland, Netherlands, Oman and USA. Sandeep Lamichhane, the only Nepalese player involved, was previously retained by Oval Invincibles. No Indian players have put their names forward, after Harbhajan Singh’s late withdrawal from the 2019 draft.How the squads stack up before the Hundred draft•The Hundred

254 domestic players have registered for the draft. Several players who were not retained including Saqib Mahmood, Tom Abell, Harry Gurney, Ravi Bopara, Danny Briggs, Ben Foakes and Richard Gleeson will feature on teams’ shortlists, while those who went undrafted in 2019 – including Olly Stone, Tom Lammonby, Ian Cockbain, Jamie Overton, Colin Ackermann and Samit Patel – will also attract interest.Only three domestic players have entered with reserve prices: Tim Bresnan, Ryan ten Doeschate (both £48,000) and Richard Levi (£32,000). Agents have been in discussions with teams for several months, and it is understood that a handful of players have been given assurances that they will be picked at certain salary bands in the draft.After the draft, each team will have 14 players in their men’s squad, including three overseas players, as well as either one or two England players with red-ball central contracts who will be available for a handful of games at the start of the season and for Finals Day, depending on the biosecurity requirements in place for international fixtures. They will pick one final player following the group stage of the T20 Blast as a ‘wildcard’ selection.Recruitment in the women’s competition falls under a different system, with players able to negotiate directly with teams and agree deals until the end of June. Further players will be announced next week.Rob Hillman, the Hundred’s head of operations, said: “We are delighted with the level of interest we’ve had from both overseas and domestic players. The calibre of the players involved means that it’s going to be an exciting men’s draft, with a lot of competition for spaces amongst really top-drawer names.”

Kyle Verreynne and Andile Phehlukwayo almost pulled off a coup, but South Africa eventually fell short

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2021Pakistan have become the second team after Australia to win two bilateral ODI series in South Africa after successfully defending 321 in the decider in the third ODI at SuperSport Park. They earned 20 points in the World Cup Super League and move to the top of the table, level with England and Australia.In a match that tested both teams’ depth with 11 changes across the two teams – South Africa made seven and Pakistan four – one player’s touch remained exactly the same. Fakhar Zaman scored his second successive hundred, and on the way, became the first Pakistan batsman to score more than one ODI century in South Africa and score the most runs by a batsman in a three-match series against South Africa to set up the victory.Between him and Babar Azam, who notched up 94, they asked their hosts to pull off the highest successful chase at this ground, as Kyle Verreynne and Andile Phehlukwayo almost pulled off a coup. Their 99-ball 108-run sixth-wicket partnership steadied South Africa from 141 for 5 and put them 73 runs away from a win. But in the end, the tail was left with too much to do after most of the rest of the top six were undone by spin, with Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Qadir taking four wickets between them.While South Africa will once again have cause to examine their approach against the turning ball, they also missed their frontline attack, all of whom have departed for the IPL. With Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi absent, Daryn Dupvaillon, Lutho Sipamla and Beuran Hendricks bowled 18 overs for 118 runs without taking a single wicket. Instead, it was Keshav Maharaj, brought in for Tabraiz Shamsi, who enjoyed the most success, supported by allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts and part-time offspinner Aiden Markram. In total, South Africa bowled 28 overs of spin – the most in a home ODI – and they collectively picked up six wickets.In a left-field move, Markram opened both the bowling and the batting, which made him only the second South African after Robin Peterson to start in both disciplines in the last two decades. He will be happier with his performance with the ball than the bat though, after he took 2 for 48 in ten overs but was out for 18, inside-edging onto his pad before being caught behind.Markram and South Africa began well with the ball and Pakistan only got one boundary away in the first six overs, but that was the calm before the storm. When Zaman hit the first six of the innings – off a Sipamla short ball that he muscled over midwicket – the openers seemed to find rhythm. Imam-ul-Haq, meanwhile, took on Dupavillon’s short ball with his trademark pull and brought up his half-century off 60 balls.Their century stand came up in the 19th over and made the first Pakistan opening pair to record five century stands in ODIs, but were separated just as an acceleration appeared on the cards. Imam went down the track to try and hit Maharaj over long-on but did not time his stroke and was caught by Verreynne.Enter Azam, who signalled his intent with a gorgeous back-foot drive through point off the eighth ball he faced. Zaman continued as the anchor, cashing in where line and length allowed such as in a Sipamla over, where the young quick sprayed it on both sides of the wicket and Zaman plucked three boundaries. His hundred came with a short-arm jab to midwicket and with more than 15 overs left, he had enough time to finish what he had started in the second ODI at the Wanderers, where he was run-out for 193 but Maharaj prevented that.Kyle Verreynne shared 108 with Andile Phehlukwayo for the sixth wicket•AFP via Getty Images

He had Zaman given out lbw when the batsman missed a slog sweep and was hit on the back pad but Zaman reviewed. Ball tracking showed it was missing leg. Off the next ball, Zaman tried to paddle Maharaj away but got an inside edge on to his pads to instead give Heinrich Klaasen a simple catch.That dismissal sparked a mini-collapse that saw Pakistan lose 5 for 51 in 64 balls. Maharaj, Smuts and Markram were responsible for the squeeze and could have kept Pakistan to under 300 before Azam and Hasan Ali came together for a final flourish. They took 56 runs off the last three overs, with Azam finishing one shot away from a century.With South Africa needing to score at close to 6.50 runs an over from the get-go, they needed a good start. Markram and Janneman Malan, both powerful hitters, laid the groundwork with boundaries on both sides of the field including Markram’s classic cover drive and Malan’s front-foot pull off Shaheen Afridi. Their partnership was worth 54 when Markram was dismissed in the ninth over.With Jon-Jon Smuts, a new – and as yet untested – batsman at the crease, Azam waited for the powerplay to end before introducing Qadir. Smuts showed some aggression with a strong sweep through square leg but never looked entirely comfortable as Qadir bowled him with a flipper.Soon there was spin from both ends, with Nawaz into the attack but captain Temba Bavuma and Malan negotiated them fairly well. Bavuma relied on his sweep and Malan waited for width, bringing up fifty with a cover drive off 63 balls. The pair still maintained a degree of caution, especially with Bavuma battling a hamstring niggle.Their partnership grew to fifty before Nawaz removed them both in his fourth over to expose South Africa’s middle order. He had Malan trapped lbw when he played down the wrong line to a delivery that straightened and three balls later bowled Bavuma, who played all around a straight one. Four overs after that, Nawaz got Klaasen, who missed an attempted mow and was hit on the back pad. He reviewed the lbw but ball tracking showed the ball would have hit the stumps.At the end of the 28th over, South Africa were 141 for 5, without the injured Rassie van der Dussen or the IPL-bound David Miller, leaving it to Verreynne and Phehlukwayo to score at above eight runs an over. Verreynne’s first boundary came off Faheem Ashraf – a top-edge over the wicketkeeper – before he unleashed the pull and the back-foot punch. Phehlukwayo took on spin and hit Nawaz over cover and Qadir over deep square leg for six, with both hitting anything wide from Rauf.Verreynne brought up fifty in the 40th over – off 40 balls – while Phehlukwayo reached the milestone in the 42nd off 56 balls. South Africa then needed 76 runs off the last ten overs but had to contend with Rauf’s changes of pace. He snuck in slower balls at opportune moments and got Verreynne to drag on to deep-square leg, attempting to clear the rope.Six balls later, Phehlukwayo went in similar fashion when he swung at a Hasan slower ball and skied it. Sarfaraz made good distance, and called for and claimed the catch to end South Africa’s hopes of winning a third trophy in nine series under Mark Boucher. Pakistan, though, have now won series in South Africa with Misbah-ul-Haq as captain (2013) and coach (2021).

Suranga Lakmal took 4/94 but the captain’s century and the allrounder’s 73 kept the home team strong

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Mar-2021Stumps Kraigg Brathwaite completed a ninth Test century in the first over of the day, before Rahkeem Cornwall and later Lahiru Thirimanne completed half-centuries during a meandering day of Test cricket that ended with neither team ascendant, again.West Indies’ eventual 354 was more than Sri Lanka would have liked to concede. But, at stumps, Sri Lanka had reached a reasonable 134 for 3. On a pitch that offered little assistance to the bowlers, they were still in the hunt to haul in the opposition’s lead.This was, however, a slow day of Test cricket. Only six wickets fell, and despite that, only 203 runs were scored across 86 overs – a scoring rate of 2.36. Only Cornwall batted with adventure, in the first hour of the day, with both West Indies’ and Sri Lanka’s remaining batsmen choosing to dig in on a slow track.The visitors had Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva not out at the close. Chandimal was 34 off 80; de Silva 23 off 95. Slow.There had been some excitement in the earliest overs of the day, however, as Brathwaite moved from his overnight 99 into triple figures with a single to fine leg. Cornwall then completed a half-century, edging a ball behind point for four in the third over of the day.It was in the first hour of play that West Indies made the most ground, and it was Cornwall who did most of the damage: flicking, punching, driving and sometimes edging fortuitously as Sri Lanka grew visibly frustrated that the eighth wicket had taken them so long to get. The pair batted through the first hour and wound up producing a century stand, the first of the innings. Their partnership was worth 103 when Cornwall holed out to mid-on to give Suranga Lakmal his fourth wicket, ending with 73 off 92 balls.Lahiru Thirimanne scored his third successive half-century•RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images

Kemar Roach attempted to hang in and managed to stick around for 36 balls while Brathwaite continued to hold his end tight, progressing only gradually. Dushmantha Chameera put an end to the innings though, having Roach caught behind and getting Brathwaite to play on for 126 in successive overs. Still, West Indies had frustrated the visitors for an entire session, and grown their total by 67 runs.Sri Lanka’s response was sedate from the outset. Although Thirimanne began confidently, driving his second ball through mid-off for four, he quickly settled into a measured rhythm. That first boundary did set up something of a trend as Thirimanne collected four of his eventual six boundaries down the ground. But it was the less ambitious strokes that defined the innings – the blocks, the leaves and the singles square of the wicket. Not long after tea, he reached 50 with a run to point. It was his third consecutive half-century.Around him, though, the top order faltered. Dimuth Karunaratne fell cheaply again. He took a single off the first delivery he faced, remained scoreless for the next 15 balls, then fell attempting an expansive drive off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph. Karunaratne’s thick edge might have passed between the cordon and gully, but Nkrumah Bonner provided the best piece of catching in the series when he leapt hard to his right and clinched the ball one-handed as it threatened to zip rapidly by him.Oshada Fernando produced an uncharacteristically pained innings, making 18 off 71 as he survived several close lbw shouts before eventually succumbing to a Kyle Mayers delivery that jagged in off the seam. Not long after, Thirimanne fell inside-edging a Roach ball that hit his pad, then ricocheted on to the stumps.Chandimal and de Silva were meticulous in their defence as they took Sri Lanka through to the close. West Indies thought they had de Silva caught behind in the last over, but his bat had flashed right past the leg-side delivery from Cornwall bowling a negative line around the stumps, and the hosts lost a review. De Silva padded away the next delivery to end the day’s play.

The Punjab Kings captain says the team bowling second shouldn’t have such a “huge disadvantage” because of dew

Hemant Brar18-Apr-2021KL Rahul, the Punjab Kings captain, feels there should be a provision to change a wet ball during the second innings of a T20 game, especially in dewy conditions else the bowling team faces a “huge disadvantage”.Defending 195 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, the Kings’ bowlers struggled with the dew, forcing Rahul to even check with the umpires if the ball could be changed. The playing conditions didn’t allow that and the Capitals went on to win the game with ten balls to spare.”I think that [the ball change] will really be fair to the team bowling second, and I am not just saying that because I am on the losing side,” Rahul told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “I think that’s only fair that the team bowling second doesn’t have such a huge disadvantage. Our bowlers try and practice their skills with the wet ball, but when you go out in the middle with the pressure it’s always difficult. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times, but again, it’s not in the rulebook, so that’s how the game goes, we’ve got to take it.”Related

• Bowling with a wet ball: 'It's about training your brain to understand that it is going to be extremely difficult'

• KL Rahul feels changing wet ball during second innings 'will really be fair'

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• Dhawan smashes 92 as Capitals cruise past big target

The dew has been a big factor at the Wankhede, making it easier to chase totals in night games as the ball comes better on to the bat in the second innings. Moreover, spinners too struggle to grip the wet ball and find it hard to get any purchase from the surface, as was seen on Sunday when the ball slipped from Jalaj Saxena’s hand during his delivery stride and landed behind him. Rahul said his side expected those challenges but it’s not easy to overcome them.”It was not something that was unexpected. When we come to Wankhede, we know that bowling second is always a challenge. We, as a bowling unit, tried to prepare for such conditions as well, but, again, it does get a bit difficult in a game situation, and especially when you are bowling against quality batters.”Mayank Agarwal, who scored a brilliant 36-ball 69 for the Kings, also said that dew made batting easier in the second innings.”It wasn’t as easy [in the first innings] as it looked in the second innings,” Agarwal said at the press conference after the game. “I thought the Delhi Capitals batted exceedingly well and also there was as dew factor. We cannot do much about it as players. It just boils down to execution under pressure and practising that. That’s as much as you can do as a player. Those are the things that are in our control. Obviously, we cannot do much apart from that.”In the five games played so far at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2021, the side winning the toss has opted to chase every single time. On four occasions, they ended up winning the game. The Rajasthan Royals, the only side to lose after winning the toss, came within a shot of chasing down 222 against the Kings.The Kings have played their three games at the Wankhede so far and were asked to bat first on all three occasions after losing the toss.After the Chennai Super Kings’ first game this season, their captain MS Dhoni had also stated that 7.30pm IST starts were giving an advantage to the team bowling first. His reason: when you start at 8pm, the dew has already set in, thus not giving the chasing side any real advantage.

Faulkner took three wickets for the Qalandars in the powerplay while their captain Sohail top scored with 40

Danyal Rasool09-Jun-2021Few games are worth waiting three months for, but on the resumption, the PSL served up a UAE-style thriller. In a game that the Lahore Qalandars dominated but somehow found a way to lose control of in the final few overs, Rashid Khan smashed three fours off the final over, when they needed 16, to rescue a game that had slipped away for his side, condemning Islamabad United to a stunning last-ball defeat. With one needed off the final delivery, Tim David’s top edge cleared the keeper, and United’s fate was sealed.The Qalandars had got off to a brilliant start thanks to three wickets up top from James Faulkner in the first innings. United struggled for fluency throughout the innings as wickets fell regularly, with only a cameo from Faheem Ashraf, who top-scored with a 24-ball 27, taking them past 120. That late surge dragged Shadab Khan’s team back into the game, with the 143 they posted looking like the sort of total that was just about defensible in the UAE; the very notion would have been unthinkable in Karachi.Fakhar Zaman and Sohail Akhtar got the Qalandars off to a fluent start, but accurate, disciplined bowling from United derailed the chase fairly soon. Zaman lost fluency and was cleaned up by Ashraf , and as the asking rate began to climb, captain Akhtar became increasingly key for his side. When he smashed Shadab for 15 in the 12th over, the Qalandars were back in the game, but the true consequences of that over were yet to emerge.With wickets falling regularly and Ben Dunk nowhere near his best, the game looked dead and buried for the Qalandars when Hasan Ali removed the Australian in a superb penultimate over. Singaporean international David’s six off the final ball meant United needed to defend 15, and Shadab threw Hussain Talat the ball instead of taking it himself. Rashid smashed him for three successive boundaries, and a rollercoaster of a contest was suddenly done and dusted.The decision
Shadab’s confidence with the ball isn’t what it might have been, but even so, backing Talat, who didn’t otherwise bowl all day, to line up for that final over seemed an unnecessary risk. Shadab would later say he didn’t fancy bowling at the left-handers, and with Dunk there till the 19th over, he kept himself away from the bowling crease. But Dunk was gone, and with Rashid and David batting, there were two right-handers out in the middle for the Qalandars. Shadab, nevertheless, didn’t quite trust himself at the moment. Talat’s over was fairly ordinary, in truth, but given it was his first, laying the blame at his feet would be excessively harsh.Faulkner’s military medium
Faulkner was a surprising pick in the replacement draft for the Qalandars anyway, but when he was thrown the ball to open alongside Shaheen Afridi, the faith the Qalandars had placed in him seemed excessive. Even more so when he shuffled to deliver what could most generously be termed medium-fast deliveries and Colin Munro took him apart with a four and a six off successive deliveries.But it was that lack of pace that would prove especially destructive on a slow pitch, particularly when the Australian mixed it up by deliberately taking the pace off some. Munro was undone when he played down the wrong line, but Faulkner was only getting started. While Afridi was unfortunate not to pick up wickets, his less celebrated new-ball partner was more than making up for it. Rohail Nazir was undone by an offcutter that slowed off the surface, while Shadab found no timing on another slower delivery as United reeled. Akhtar was so impressed that Faulkner went on to bowl his full allotment of four on the trot, and by the time he was done taking three wickets, his side was in charge.The Rashid Khan masterclass
It’s difficult to overstate the enormity of the impact Rashid’s availability had on the Qalandars’ chances. While it seemed initially he would be lost to Sussex for the T20 Blast at this time of year, he chose to stick with the PSL, and with the opportunity to bowl in these conditions, why wouldn’t he? Rashid in the PSL is just about as close to a cheat code as T20 cricket has these days, and with United already under pressure when he was introduced, the Afghan asphyxiated them through the middle overs.His four overs conceded just nine runs, along with the wicket of Talat, as the wheels came off entirely for the batting side. The combination of the quicker, flatter delivery, the conventional legbreak, and a devilish googly ran United ragged, and by the time he was done, United had only managed to hobble on to 101 for 7 in 16 overs. And all that without mentioning his later exploits with the bat.Where they stand
United slip to fourth, with three wins in five, whilethe Qalandars go top with eight points and four wins in five matches.