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Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as Pakistan’s T20I captain

Umar Farooq05-Apr-2016Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as Pakistan’s T20I captain. Sarfraz is already the vice-captain of the ODI team, and he will now take over the T20I captaincy from Shahid Afridi, who stepped down from that role following Pakistan’s early exit in the recently-concluded World Twenty20 in India.”I am happy to have this opportunity and I am honored that PCB has trusted my ability to lead the country,” Sarfraz told ESPNcricinfo. “Indeed, this is a challenging job but at the same time, it’s the highest privilege in a cricketer’s life, so I am determined to do my best to justify my position captain. I didn’t make any future plan, but I will sit down with the PCB and will talk about it in due course.”The best thing about me, I believe, is my ability to contribution for the team. I always try to play my role whatever it is – batting or wicketkeeping – regardless of the situation or the number I bat on. The more important thing about me is that I remain in my limit and don’t talk much. It’s my cricket that speaks, and this is what a captain should be doing – lead form the front.”The position of Pakistan’s T20I captain had been a subject of much speculation in recent days, as Afridi was heavily criticised as a leader following the team’s poor performances in both the Asia Cup and the World T20 – Pakistan won just three matches out of eight across the two tournaments.In a scathing report after the World T20 debacle, Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s now former coach, had lambasted Afridi’s style of leadership, writing that “Afridi was not performing with the bat, ball or as a captain but I was not listened to,” and that the allrounder “didn’t attend few meetings, practice – and this is not how a captain leads from the front.”Sarfraz Ahmed will take over as captain of the T20I side from Shahid Afridi•AFP

Soon after Waqar’s report, Pakistan’s team manager Intikhab Alam branded Afridi as an “absolutely clueless” captain in a five-page report that was hugely critical of Afridi’s on-field tactics and off-field leadership. Intikhab also termed the use of Sarfraz in the batting order by Afridi in the World T20 as a “critical waste of talent and form”. Intikhab referenced various statistics, including that of all the deliveries that Pakistan faced at the World T20, Sarfraz only played 17 of them despite having made scores of 41, 25, 58 and 38 in his four T20I innings leading into the tournament.Sarfraz has played 21 T20Is, scoring 291 runs at 29.10, with two half-centuries. He was the captain of the Pakistan Under-19 team which won the World Cup in 2006, and is presently one of the few players in the Pakistan set-up who is assured of a spot in the XI in all three formats, which is possibly why the PCB views him as the best candidate to replace Afridi. Sarfaz also showed off his captaincy credentials during the Pakistan Super League, where he led Quetta Gladiators to the final.Sarfraz’s T20I captaincy debut, though, will have to wait till September 7, when Pakistan play England at Old Trafford for a one-off match. The team’s next home series is against West Indies in the UAE, where at least two T20Is are likely to be played.

Zimbabwe had their moments where they stretched Pakistan with a confident start in their chase of 162, but tackling the spinners in the middle overs was always going to be the bigger proposition

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran23-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShahid Afridi made an impact with bat and ball, scoring 23 and taking three wickets•AFP

Zimbabwe had their moments where they stretched Pakistan with a confident start in their chase of 162, but tackling the spinners in the middle overs was always going to be the bigger proposition. Pakistan’s spin trio – led by Shahid Afridi – put the stranglehold on the scoring with regular wickets and the hosts found the target rapidly slipping away from them. Once the required rate neared an improbable 12, the final passage of play turned tepid.In both innings, Pakistan found the going tough in the first half of the innings but clawed back in the second. Ahmed Shehzad weathered a sluggish start with a solid half-century that set the base for Shahid Afridi to play his natural game and push Pakistan to a competitive score. The Pakistan seamers struggled to contain the openers, but following a few quiet overs of spin, the momentum shifted. Brendan Taylor was looking to play himself into some form, after a poor series against India, and he didn’t have the time or an attacking partner at the other end to help his side reclaim the edge.After being put in to bat, Pakistan lost their first three wickets inside nine overs, all off questionable shots. Tendai Chatara accounted for the first two, and his second wicket to get rid of Mohammed Hafeez was made possible thanks to a brilliant reflex catch by Taylor. That catch was a good example of Zimbabwe’s fielding in the early part of Pakistan’s innings, but they couldn’t put enough pressure on Pakistan in the second half.Pakistan progressed to a less-than-satisfactory 57 for 3 after ten overs, but the turning point in the innings came in the 12th over. It was Elton Chigumbura’s first and he leaked 17, which included a pulled six by the debutant Sohaib Maqsood and two swept boundaries by Shehzad past short fine leg. Pakistan ensured they maintained that momentum till the end of the innings, picking 75 runs off six beginning from the 12th.Maqsood looked promising in a stand of 55 with Shehzad, pouncing on anything short from the seamers. After pulling Chigumbura over deep square leg, he tried to clear the straight boundary the following ball but was done in by an impressive running catch by Vusi Sibanda.Shehzad’s knock was vital in giving Pakistan a base to build on, which was crucial given the under par scores from the rest of the top order. He managed only one boundary in the first ten overs and began to open up in the company of the confident Maqsood. He was caught on the edge of the long-on boundary for 70, attempting a second six. Afridi, sent in at No.6, made a cameo 23 to give the bowlers a solid score to defend.Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza helped Zimbabwe race to 35 off five overs – at the same stage Pakistan had already lost two wickets. Taylor said at the toss that Zimbabwe were more comfortable chasing, and the openers certainly gave the impression. Sibanda didn’t look too troubled by Mohammad Irfan’s pace and lift, improvising by arching his back to steer the ball wide of the fielders on the off side.Saeed Ajmal was brought on in the sixth over as damage control. Captain Hafeez reverted to his seamers and Anwar Ali struck in the first over of his second spell when he trapped Hamilton Masakadza lbw attempting to pull a ball that wasn’t short enough. A set Sibanda lost his leg stump to Afridi, staying back to a flat, quicker delivery. Sean Williams was trapped lbw on the sweep, but didn’t appear satisfied with the decision.What Taylor needed was a form partner and the team management probably erred by not promoting Elton Chigumbura. Chigumbura performed better than some of the specialists in the one-dayers against India and when he walked in today Zimbabwe needed in excess of 17 an over. Timycen Maruma, who came in ahead of him, faced 13 balls for ten runs, at a time when Zimbabwe were desperate for a massive surge. The spinners held sway and the margin of victory was a comfortable 25 runs.

Former India opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu has been appointed the chairman of Punjab cricket association’s technical and coaching committee

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2012Former India opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu has been appointed the chairman of Punjab cricket association’s technical and coaching committee. Sidhu’s role will incorporate advising the association on technical issues connected to effective management of cricket in the state. Two former Punjab captains – Chaman Lal Malhotra and Vinod Sharma – have also been included in the committee.Sidhu represented Punjab in first-class cricket in a career spanning 19 years. He scored 9571 first-class runs from 157 matches, including 3202 from 51 Tests for India. He also played 136 ODIs, starting with four consecutive half-centuries during the 1987 World Cup.

Martin Guptill struck an assured, unbeaten half-century to guide Derbyshire to their first County Championship away victory this season with a six-wicket success over Glamorgan at Cardiff

30-Jun-2011
ScorecardMartin Guptill struck an assured, unbeaten half-century to guide Derbyshire to their first County Championship away victory this season with a six-wicket success over Glamorgan at Cardiff.
The New Zealand opener was the pick of the batsmen as Derbyshire chased down 130 to win in 27 overs. Derbyshire took 23 points to Glamorgan’s four. It was Glamorgan’s fourth defeat of the season.Despite Guptill’s efforts Derbyshire, who go up to fifth place in Division Two with their second win, did not have it all their own way. James Harris broke through with the second ball of the innings to have Wayne Madsen well caught for a duck at second slip by Ben Wright, and in the eighth over Chesney Hughes gave a simple catch to Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen at
mid-on off Graham Wagg.At that stage Glamorgan might have fancied causing an upset. But Guptill looked in fine touch, dealing mainly in boundaries. He particularly took a liking to Harris, striking six fours off his bowling – three in one over. Harris was withdrawn from the attack after conceding 41 runs in his first six overs.Derbyshire had reached the halfway point in their run chase when Guptill planted Jim Allenby over long-on for six to bring up his half-century out of 71 for 2 in 43 balls. There was some respite for Glamorgan when Will Owen, in his opening over, trapped first-innings centurion Wes Durston lbw on the back foot to leave Derbyshire 75 for 3. It ended a third-wicket partnership worth 56 in 6.3 overs.On the stroke of lunch Dan Redfern chipped Owen to mid-off as Derbyshire reached 85 for 4. After the interval Ross Whiteley proved to be the more productive half of the fifth-wicket partnership, striking 30 off 34 balls, but it was left to Guptill to seal the win with a six off Dean Cosker. Guptill finished 70 not out from 72 balls with 52 of his runs coming in boundaries.Victory was sealed 32 minutes after lunch with 61 overs of the day still remaining.Glamorgan’s second innings had lasted only 25 minutes on the final morning after they had resumed on 250 for seven – a lead of 96. Tim Groenewald, armed with the second new ball, struck with the fourth ball of the day to trap Wagg lbw.And from 253 for 8 the home side found themselves 262 for 9 in Groenewald’s next over when Mark Wallace was caught behind for 70. The final pair of Cosker and Owen did their best to hang around, but the end of the innings came when Cosker was bowled shouldering arms to Tony Palladino.

Kent wrapped up their Friends Provident t20 home fixtures and moved off the foot of the South Group table with a comfortable six-wicket win over Glamorgan in Canterbury with five balls to spare

11-Jul-2010

ScorecardKent wrapped up their Friends Provident t20 home fixtures and moved off the foot of the South Group table with a comfortable six-wicket win over Glamorgan in Canterbury with five balls to spare.The Spitfires posted a fifth win of the campaign courtesy of an unbeaten stand of 43 between Geraint Jones (22) and top-scorer Azhar Mahmood, who hit 30 from 29 balls to take the man-of-the-match honours.Pursuing the Dragons’ modest total of 126 at an asking rate of 6.4 an over, Kent made a poor start when James Hockley (nought) dabbed at a Robert Croft arm-ball to edge to the keeper.Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld both enjoyed a life in adding 43 for the second wicket but Van Jaarsveld’s good fortune expired two balls after giving his first chance when he top-edged a sweep to short fine-leg. Denly, who was dropped on 18, went on to reach 36 from 38 balls with four boundaries, before he too fell to the wiles of Croft.Beaten in the flight as he advanced to drive, Croft turned one through the gate to peg back off-stump and finish with 3 for 19. Left-arm spinner Dean Cosker, having seen two catches go down, deservedly picked up the scalp of in-form Darren Stevens (10) who missed an attempted lofted drive to be stumped by Mark Wallace.Kent promoted Mahmood to bat at number four and though he might have gone for two when James Harris downed a difficult diving chance at deep cover, the ploy ultimately worked as the former Pakistan Test all-rounder teamed up with Jones to see Kent home.With 20 needed off 18 balls, the duo crucially took 12 off Jamie Dalrymple’s third over, the 18th of the innings, seven came off the next from Shaun Tait leaving Jones to win it with a crisp off-driven boundary un the final over from Jim Allenby.Glamorgan’s low-key total of 126 for 6 contained only 10 fours and one six as their top order struggled for timing on a tinder dry pitch being used for the third time which helped both Kent spinners Malinga Bandara and Van Jaarsveld.The Dragons posted 48 for the first wicket through Mark Cosgrove, their top-scorer with 36 from 33 balls and with half their boundaries, and Allenby, who went for 17 in the eighth over after clipping a full toss from Ashley Shaw straight to deep mid-wicket.Bandara’s introduction at The Pavilion End swung the balance Kent’s way with an excellent four-over stint of three for 15. The Sri Lankan had Wallace (nought) caught off a top-edged reverse sweep then Tom Maynard (nought) off a miscued slog sweep at long-on.In his next over Cosgrove, who got under way with two edged boundaries to third man, eventually ran out of luck when his lofted off-drive was superbly held on the run by a diving Denly. Kent’s sharp fielding also led to a couple of run outs in the final two overs as Ben Wright (27) and Gareth Rees (nought) were undone by direct hits from Mahmood, following through, and Alex Blake from long-off.

India lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Chennai by 280 runs

Hemant Brar26-Sep-20242:23

Manjrekar: I will play Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test

Big picture: Another stern test awaits Bangladesh

Bangladesh came into this series riding on the high of winning 2-0 in Pakistan. It peaked when they had India 144 for 6 in the first innings in Chennai. But then India once again showed why they are arguably the strongest home side in Test history and went on to steamroll Bangladesh by 280 runs.It was a show of India’s depth in both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli managed only 34 runs between them across four innings, but India had three centurions and two half-centurions. When it came to bowling, their seamers shared eight wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings and the spinners nine during the second.Things will not get easier for Bangladesh in Kanpur, where New Zealand’s tail had held on to secure a draw the last time a Test was played here. There is also some uncertainty about the pitch. The ground staff were preparing two surfaces and, as of noon on the eve of the match, it was not clear which one would be used.Related

• Green Park's C stand deemed 'unsafe' for India-Bangladesh Test

• Shakib 'eligible for selection' for Kanpur Test against India

• Ravindra Jadeja, the quick and the deadly

Kanpur generally offers good Test-match pitches that help fast bowlers on the first morning before flattening out and assisting spinners on the last two days. However, the weather could be an issue this time, with rain forecast on the first three days. That could impact not just the pitch but also the toss decision and team compositions.But all is not bleak for Bangladesh. In their second innings in Chennai, their openers gave them a solid start, followed by Najmul Hossain Shanto’s return to form with 82. In their first innings, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz all got starts. But to be competitive against this Indian team at home, you have to be at your best for much longer periods. Can Bangladesh do that?

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
Bangladesh LWWLL0:48

Manjrekar: Bangladesh attack lacks quality and experience

In the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Shakib Al Hasan

Shubman Gill knows his ceiling. Even after scoring 452 runs with two hundreds in the home series against England earlier this year, he recently said he was yet to fulfil his expectations as a Test player. Gill got out for a duck in the first innings of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh but scored a stroke-filled unbeaten 119 in the second. Given India are to face tougher opponents in the coming months – New Zealand and Australia – Gill would be keen to fine-tune his game at No. 3.When is Shakib Al Hasan not in the spotlight? While batting in Chennai, he was seen biting a black strap, wrapped around his neck, to keep his head from falling over. When it was time to bowl, there were murmurs about his workload, ineffectiveness and discomfort with the spinning finger. And after Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe confirmed Shakib’s availability for the second Test, he dropped a bombshell about his future on the eve of the match.

Team news: Wait and watch?

There was no indication from the Indian camp whether they would play three spinners. Even if they do, it may not be a straightforward choice. If the pitch is too slow, Axar Patel could be handy with his pace and attacking the stumps. But India already have a similar spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. In Kuldeep Yadav’s favour, this is his home ground. So he is a tempting option, too. If India play one of Axar or Kuldeep, Akash Deep could be the one to miss out.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajIf Bangladesh go with three spinners, Taijul Islam could replace Nahid Rana. That could also help with Shakib’s workload, if required.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin AhmedGautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar inspect one of two pitches in consideration for the Kanpur Test•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Slow and low bounce?

The red-soil pitch in Chennai had decent bounce for both seamers and spinners in the first Test. Kanpur will be different. The two pitches being considered for the match are black-soil surfaces. They are likely to be flatter, with lower bounce, and are expected to become slower as the Test progresses. All that could change if it rains as forecasted, and bad light could become a factor too towards the end of each day.

Stats and trivia: Jadeja double on the cards

• For the first time in their Test history, India have more wins (179) than losses (178).
• Jadeja is one short of becoming the seventh Indian to take 300 Test wickets.
• When Jadeja gets there, he will also complete the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets. If he does it in Kanpur, in his 74th Test, he will be the second fastest to do so after Ian Botham (72).
• Virat Kohli is 129 short of 9000 Test runs.
• Taijul is five short of 200 Test wickets. Only Shakib (242) has more Test wickets for Bangladesh.

Quotes

“We don’t particularly pattern bad pitches. But we try to make sure the conditions are tough enough so that the players are challenged. A lot of these guys have played for so many years. Only if they’re challenged are they going to get better. So sometimes the thought process is just to challenge them differently so that your game and you, organically and mentally, grow.”

His 206 runs during the Bangladesh series take him past Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, among others

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2023Harry Tector has moved up to a career-best No. 7 spot, which is also the best for an Ireland batter, in the latest ICC men’s ODI batting rankings following his 206 runs during the three-match series against Bangladesh.Tector registered scores of 21*, 140 and 45 across three ODIs. While it wasn’t enough to prevent a 2-0 loss for Ireland, it saw him gain 72 rating points and take his tally to 722, which is also the most for an Ireland men’s batter. The previous best for them was Paul Stirling’s 697 in June 2021.Tector’s performance took him past Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, among others, who are currently at No. 8, 9 and 10 respectively on the table. Babar Azam continues to be the top-ranked ODI batter with 886 rating points .

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Since 2022, he has smashed 769 runs in 13 innings – including four centuries and as many half-centuries – at an average of 76.90 and a strike rate of 90.89. The next best tally for Ireland in this period is Paul Stirling’s 352 from 12 innings. Tector will get a chance to further improve his ranking when Ireland take part in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June.Tector’s team-mate Mark Adair also made giant strides in the latest update, jumping 30 spots up to No. 31 on the bowlers’ list and 33 spots up to No. 33 on the allrounders’ list. Adair took seven wickets, and scored 40 runs from two innings, during the Bangladesh series.

Sheffield Shield’s leading wicket-taker Chelmsford-bound following Australia’s Pakistan tour

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2022Essex have signed long-term target Mark Steketee for the first six matches of the 2022 County Championship as they look to regain the title they won in 2019.Steketee, 28, is the Sheffield Shield’s leading wicket-taker this season and his career-best form earned him a call-up to Australia’s Test squad for the ongoing tour of Pakistan.He will link up with the rest of the Essex squad after that tour and is expected to be available for six games, starting with the season opener against Kent on April 7.Related

• Hasan Ali signs for Lancashire for six Championship games

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• Bird, Kelly sign early-season Championship deals

• Siddle joins Somerset on all-format deal for 2022 season

• Harmer signs new long-term Essex contract

“I’m really pleased to be joining up with Essex for the first half of the LV= Insurance County Championship campaign,” Steketee said.”I’ve always wanted to get over to England to play some county cricket. A lot of my team-mates in Australia have had the opportunity to play in the County Championship and all of them only have positive things to say.”Essex are expecting to compete for the title this season after a disappointing 2021 season in which they missed out on the six-team top division but won Division Two at a canter. They were champions in 2017 and 2019, and also won the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020.Peter Siddle, who had played for the club in three of the last four seasons, has signed for Somerset for 2022 and Anthony McGrath, Essex’s head coach, said that he was keen to sign a fast bowler to complement a seam attack featuring Jamie Porter, Sam Cook and Shane Snater.”I’m thrilled we’ve managed to secure Mark’s services,” McGrath said. “He’s someone we identified quite a while ago and his numbers for Queensland this year are phenomenal.”We were keen to bring in another seam bowler to complement our bowling attack and I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a great addition.”Simon Harmer will be Essex’s other overseas player in the early stages of the Championship season and signed a four-year, all-format contract extension at the end of last year – though his availability may be limited at times this summer following his surprise South Africa Test recall.

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.

The former New Zealand coach had taken charge of the IPL franchise in October last year for the 2019 IPL season, where Kings XI finished sixth

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2019Mike Hesson has parted ways with Kings XI Punjab after a ten-month tenure as coach of the IPL franchise.Hesson announced his decision to step down through a post on Twitter on Thursday.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Kings XI franchise,” his tweet said, “and wish to thank them for the season I had in charge. Whilst disappointed not to be able to build on the work we did this year, I’m sure success isn’t too far away for them. I wish them all the best for the future.” Hesson’s departure from the IPL comes at a time of significant coaching changes at the international level in the aftermath of the men’s World Cup.Hesson, who had coached New Zealand between 2012 and 2018, replaced Australian Brad Hodge as Kings XI coach in October last year. He took up the IPL role five months after stepping down as New Zealand coach, and his stint with Kings XI was his first in a T20 franchise league. During his tenure, Kings XI finished sixth in IPL 2019, winning six of their 14 games, with R Ashwin as captain.Hesson had quit as New Zealand coach less than a year before the 2019 World Cup, with a view to taking a “break from the rigours of international cricket”. Under him, New Zealand became a dominant Test team and also made the World Cup final in 2015. In 59 T20Is under Hesson, New Zealand won 30 and lost 24.