All posts by n8rngtd.top

He also defended Pakistan’s performance at the Women’s World Cup, and called for a stronger domestic women’s structure

Danyal Rasool14-Mar-2022The Pakistan Super League could ditch the draft system, which it has operated under since its inception, as early as next year, with PCB chairman Ramiz Raja keen to replace it with an auction. At the National Stadium in Karachi, Ramiz said Pakistan needed to “elevate the concept” of the PSL, and an auction system could provide it the financial clout to rival the IPL.”We need to create new properties to be financially independent. We have nothing for now but the PSL and ICC funds. There’s an argument over the model from next year; I want to switch it to an auction model from next year,” he said. “The market forces are conducive, but we’ll sit down with the franchise owners to discuss it.”This is a game of money. When the cricket economy grows in Pakistan, our respect will rise. The main driver of that financial economy is the PSL. If we take the PSL to auction model, increase the purse, then I’ll put it in the IPL bracket. And then we’ll see who goes to play the IPL over the PSL.”The financial health of individual franchises and the willingness of the owners to invest further capital into their sides will go a long way to gauging support for the dramatic shift in the PSL’s model. When the league was launched, the PCB opted for a draft system over an auction to afford similar opportunities to franchises with inferior financial clout, preventing them from being locked out of acquiring the best talent because of an inability to pay for it. The draft was designed to allow every side a chance to assemble as strong a squad as possible, with the egalitarianism allowing more competition.That theory has, so far, worked in practice. It has taken just seven years for all six sides to win the competition at least once. In an auction system, most famously employed by the IPL, it would be up to the individual franchises to compete for the signature of every player, with the side willing to offer the most lucrative salary securing their services. The IPL does have a mechanism to level the playing field, however, with all teams assigned the same spending purse at the auction. Teams were allowed a purse of INR 90 crore (USD 12 million approx) at the 2022 auction.’We want to regularise the women’s cricket calendar. The more they play the better they’ll be’ – Ramiz Raja•Associated Press

Ramiz also said the PCB wanted to host the PSL across more than the two venues it was played at over this season, going so far as to say the league might adopt a home-away structure from next year. “We want the PSL to be on a home and away basis from next year. The gate money will be excellent, and we want to elevate the concept of the PSL.”Every side’s purse will increase, and if they want to improve they’ll have to spend money. When you go from a draft system to this, the world’s talent suddenly becomes available to you. I’ve spoken to a couple of the franchise owners; they’re quite happy to experiment with this. I’ll talk to the others, too. It’s in the embryonic stages, but it’s top of my wish list.”Ramiz bats for first-class matches in women’s domestic calendar
Ramiz, meanwhile, defended Pakistan’s performance at the Women’s World Cup, where they have lost all four of their games so far. He said women’s cricket needed more investment, and reiterated his desire to see Pakistan become the first Asian country to host a women’s T20 league.”We want to regularise the women’s cricket calendar. The more they play the better they’ll be,” Ramiz said. “You can’t just go into hibernation and then expect them to beat Australia. It’s not going to happen. We have our limitations and cultural issues, and to get out of that we have to fix their calendar. They need to play first-class-style three-day matches. Then look at selection and U19 structure.”We want to sign up young girls and develop them. Right now, the excitement is we might launch a T20 league before India, and the world can’t believe that because there’s a particular perception around Pakistan that needs to be broken.”The shape a women’s PSL would take is not immediately clear. Pakistan currently have just 12 centrally contracted women cricketers, with a further eight listed in the emerging category. A league, even if, as ESPNcricinfo understands, it were initially to include just four sides, would require at least 60 cricketers, meaning even if there was a significant international presence, Pakistan would have to dig deep into their reserves of local talent to fill the squads.”In January-February, we’re thinking of the women’s PSL,” Ramiz said. “There’s a lot of traction and a lot of takers for it. Pak women’s cricket needs to improve a lot, and that will only happen when we give them an environment where they can make money and share the dugout with world-class players.”We are also thinking of making first class women’s teams and attaching them with provincial teams. They don’t play much cricket and operate on a trial-and-error basis.”

A round-up of the Momentum One Day Cup matches on February 5, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2016Alviro Petersen continued his fine form in the Momentum One Day Cup, stroking his fifth century of the season to guide Lions to an eight-run win against Dolphins at Senwes Park. Petersen now has 594 runs from six innings, at an average of 118.80. Lions, after being inserted, rode on a 116-run partnership between Petersen and Temba Bavuma (42), which lifted the team to 276 for 7. Petersen hit seven fours and three sixes during his 92-ball 107; no other batsman managed a half-century.Dolphins were struggling at 56 for 3 in their chase before Ryan McLaren (62) and Kyle Nipper (55) led a recovery, sharing a 117-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, both batsmen fell in the space of two overs, and despite an 18-ball 27 from Calvin Savage, Dolphins could only muster 268 for 7. Matt McGillivray was the pick of Lions’ bowlers, taking 4 for 49. Victory took Lions to second place in the table.Cape Cobras strengthened their position at the top of the table, cruising to a 113-run D/L win against Titans in Benoni. Cobras, batting first, lost two early wickets, but Omphile Ramela (53) and Justin Ontong (65) both hit fifties, and Dane Vilas provided a late surge, slamming a 23-ball 41 to take the team to 237 for 5 in 42 overs.Titans failed to gather any momentum in their chase, with only Graeme van Buuren (40) managing a score of note; nobody else made more than 14. Beuran Hendricks collected 5 for 31 to run through Titans’ line-up in 30.4 overs, as the team folded for 133.

A reinvigorated Cameron White shepherded Victoria to a third win in as many matches, this time over New South Wales, and then joined the Tasmania captain George Bailey in questioning this year’s limited-overs tournament format

Daniel Brettig at Bankstown07-Oct-2013
ScorecardSteven Smith gave fellow NSW batsmen a demonstration in batting on a sluggish track•Getty Images

A reinvigorated Cameron White shepherded Victoria to a third win in as many matches, this time over New South Wales, and then joined the Tasmania captain George Bailey in questioning this year’s limited-overs tournament format and the poor Bankstown pitches on which it has so far been contested.Relieved of the state captaincy at the start of the season to allow the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade to expand his leadership skills, White has played with considerable authority and freedom to take the Bushrangers past a pair of pesky targets against South Australia and now the Blues.But personal success did not dissuade White from expressing doubts about the suitability of a competition squeezed into little more than three weeks in October, before six Sheffield Shield matches are lined up in as many weeks in November and December. Bailey offered similar reservations before departing for India with the national team.”I’m enjoying it from the point of view that Victoria are three wins from as many games,” White said. “But I’m not sure about the tournament to be totally honest, six games isn’t a lot, but I understand the scheduling is a fine balance these days. I’m not sure about the whole Sydney thing and the whole set-up itself, but, off the top of my head, I haven’t got any better ideas at the moment. It’s interesting to see how this format’s going to work once it’s done and dusted in a couple of weeks’ time.”You create extra space in the draw by playing this at the start of the season but then you still play six four-day games before December 12. That to me is a lot of cricket in a short space of time if you’re a fast bowler. That’ll be interesting to see where teams are at with their depth when you have a week off before BBL starts.”Another slow and untrustworthy surface at Bankstown made life difficult for both sides at times, and though he prospered, White said the pitch recalled nothing quite so much as some of the more curmudgeonly club wickets he had played on in Melbourne. “That’s probably the best way to describe the pitch, it’s just low and slow and if you bowl stump-to-stump it’s quite difficult to score,” he said. “You can see by the scores that it was pretty tough work. Not sure it was much of a spectacle on the sidelines either, it was a hard slog.”The hard slog had begun early, NSW finding little joy in it despite Steve Smith’s success at the toss. A strip that had been used already for Friday’s match between the Bushrangers and South Australia had worn in the meantime. David Warner did not find it to his liking and soon dragged a tentative cut shot attempt onto his stumps from Scott Boland, having fussed over avoiding a grade match in order to gain extra net practice for the game.His struggles were to be replicated by others. The former Victoria representative Ryan Carters fell in similar fashion to John Hastings, before the left-hander Scott Henry was beaten by a Boland delivery that straightened from around the wicket. As against Tasmania, it was left to Smith to demonstrate how to adjust to the prevailing conditions, waiting on the ball instead of chasing it too hastily.His innings was another reminder of a talent beginning to bloom, but it would be ended short of fifty by Dan Christian, who found a sharp off-cutter to strike Smith in front of the stumps – whether the ball would have continued its arc down the leg side was a matter for debate. Peter Nevill was the victim of a too-sharp single, run out by David Hussey, and Sean Abbott was pinned in front of his stumps by Jon Holland.At 6 for 85 a defendable total looked unlikely, but Ben Rohrer has proven himself to be a most resourceful player, and he fashioned a series of lower-order partnerships to lift the Blues’ tally into the realm of the respectable. The No. 10 Nathan Lyon had batted in grade cricket on Saturday, and ended the innings on a defiant note by crunching the previously nagging Boland for a six and a four in the final over.Victoria’s chase was punctuated by regular wickets, as Doug Bollinger, Josh Hazlewood and Gurinder Sandhu all bowled diligently. But Wade and then White played with commendable fluency in the circumstances, ensuring that, even as wickets were lost, the visitors had plenty of time in which to cobble together the remaining runs. The leadership handover appears to have agreed with both men.”Matt’s doing a great job and I’m just enjoying the role and batting with a fair bit of freedom,” White said. “As you can see the team’s in a fairly good spot as well – everyone’s enjoying their cricket including myself. When you’re captain you probably do think about more things than just yourself, you can really concentrate on your own game when you’re not captain, so I’m sure in many ways it’s probably a good thing.”

Fast bowler undergoes successful surgery to remove glass fragment from his hand

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Mar-2021Jofra Archer is set to return to India to play for the Rajasthan Royals after a period on the sidelines recovering from injury, despite some early doubts over his availability for the 2021 IPL.ESPNcricinfo understands Archer, who had finger surgery on Monday in England, is expected to miss at least the first four matches of the Royals’ schedule.The IPL, which will be played behind closed doors in India, starts on April 9 with the Royals scheduled to play their first match on April 12 in Mumbai against the Punjab Kings.The Royals were awaiting an update from the ECB on a firm date of departure, but it is understood the franchise expects him to be out for at least for the first four matches.On Wednesday, the ECB said Archer had undergone successful surgery to remove a fragment of glass from the middle finger on his right hand and that he would now begin two weeks of rehabilitation. He would be reviewed by a consultant before returning to training and more would be known about the effectiveness of an injection to an ongoing elbow problem, once he was bowling again, the ECB added.In terms of his IPL involvement, the ECB said it was too early to confirm and a decision would be made once he was given the all-clear to return to bowling.Archer suffered a cut to his hand while cleaning at his home in January shortly before flying to India to prepare for their four-Test series. The ECB’s medical team managed the injury throughout the tour, and it did not impact on his availability.Archer returned to England from the India tour immediately after the T20 series in March to have the injuries seen to, the elbow issue having troubled him since the South Africa tour in January 2020.On Tuesday, Ashley Giles, the ECB’s director of cricket, revealed detail of Archer’s finger injury on BBC’s Tuffers & Vaughan show. According to Giles, Archer suffered a cut on the middle finger of his bowling hand in January while at home in Hove after dropping a tropical fish tank in the bath.”They’ve operated and I think they found a small fragment of glass still in attendance. It obviously healed but there was part of the fish tank still in his finger,” Giles said.On April 15 the Royals play against the Delhi Capitals, followed by the Chennai Super Kings on April 19 and then the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 22.Additional reporting from George Dobell

Surrey have signed Azhar Mahmood for this year Friends Life T20 competition

George Dobell19-Apr-2013Surrey have signed Azhar Mahmood for this year Friends Life T20 competition. Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder who now qualifies as a non-overseas player, represented Surrey between 2002 and 2007 and is currently with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.Aged 38, Azhar sustains Surrey’s recent policy of signing ‘mature’ players: Vikram Solanki (37), Gary Keedy (38) and Ricky Ponting (38) are also among the new additions to the club, joining the likes of Zander de Bruyn (37), Gareth Batty (35) and Jon Lewis (37).Azhar is certainly experienced. Only seven men have played more than his 170 T20 games and only three men have taken more than his 190 wickets. He is also 17th on the run-scorer list. He represented Kent between 2008 and 2012.”From what I gather, Azhar has been sorely missed since he left and should never have been released in the first place,” the Surrey team director, Chris Adams, said. “Come the start of the FLt20, to have such a high-skilled player of his quality to fill a number of roles with bat and ball is a great bonus for us. He comes with a wealth of experience, a great record behind him and we’re really, really pleased.”Mahmood said: “It feels very special to be coming back to Surrey. I enjoyed my time with Kent but, ever since I left Surrey in 2007, I was always getting messages from Surrey fans and supporters asking when I was coming back, so I say thank you especially to Chris Adams and Alec Stewart in bringing me home.”Obviously it’s a very different set up to when I was last at Surrey and Twenty20 cricket has also gone from strength to strength so it’s exciting times ahead. I like the squad Surrey have for Twenty20. It looks strong and a real mix of youth and experience, and I look forward to catching up with the guys when I get back from India.”Surrey, who came bottom of the South Group in last year’s competition, have also announced Octopus Investments as a new FLt20 sponsor.

The hosts could be without their first-choice opening pair of Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis

Umar Farooq02-Aug-2021

Big picture

The series was of significant importance for both teams in their preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup but so far rain has ruled the headlines, ditching all the promises for the series. With two of three games washed out and one game slashed before the series began, Pakistan come into the final match against West Indies 1-0 ahead.Pakistan’s run-scoring has revolved around Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. They have rejigged their line-up to break the two up, playing Sharjeel Khan as an opener, but the washouts mean they haven’t gathered enough evidence to vindicate the tweak. The middle-order conundrum is deeper than ever with Mohammad Hafeez’s silent bat, misfiring Sohaib Maqsood and inexperienced Azam Khan out with an injury.For a while now, Hafeez has been in the side mainly because of his batting with his bowling being used on an as-and-when-needed basis. However, his four-over spell – at an economy of 1.50 – in the only completed game, earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and has been a big positive for Pakistan. More of that in the final T20I will give Pakistan wider options for the World Cup to be played in the UAE, where pitches are more conducive to spin.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

The West Indies vs Pakistan series is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

West Indies, under Kieron Pollard, were hoping to know most of their first-choice picks by the end of this series but have not learnt much either. Despite restricting Pakistan to 157 in the second T20I, their dangerous batting order failed to display the firepower they are synonymous with. Only Nicholas Pooran made any impression, scoring an unbeaten 62 runs off 33 balls.On Tuesday, Pakistan will be eyeing an away series win, and while winning remains paramount, what they would seek is batters apart from Rizwan and Azam to raise their hands. Before the series, Azam had promised to check the bench strength. In that sense, this game gives both sides yet another opportunity to finetune their respective team combinations.

Form guide

West Indies LWLWW (last five completed T20I, most recent first)
Australia WLLWW

In the spotlight

Chris Gayle scored a match-winning 67 against Australia but against Pakistan, has scored 7, 16 and 1*. In the last 12 months, he is averaging 16.53 with a strike rate of 114.97 with just one half-century in 15 T20Is. His T20 numbers aren’t great either; this year he has played 25 innings and averaged 22.72 at a strike rate of 130.20. The last calendar year where he averaged less than 25 in T20s was in 2010. West Indies will have to see whether he’s strengthening the batting unit or weakening it.Gayle showed he still has the hands for international cricket against Australia, can he repeat it against Pakistan?•AFP

Pakistan’s middle and lower order will be under scrutiny. In the last completed game, they were well set to go past 180 but finished with a middling 157, including just 23 runs in the last four overs despite a fairly long batting line-up. Maqsood’s success has largely been built batting in the top order, but being sent in at No. 7 is reducing his effectiveness. Fakhar Zaman and Hafeez’s numbers keep fluctuating, and the pinch-hitting stocks of Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali dip when transitioning from T20s to T20Is. Can they come together to the best of their potential this time around?

Team news

With their two-first choice openers nursing injuries – Lendl Simmons was injured in the first match and Evin Lewis retired hurt in the second – Gayle could open alongside Andre Fletcher.West Indies (probable): 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Shimron Hetmyer 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk) 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Dwayne Bravo, 10 Hayden Walsh, 11 Akeal HoseinIt’s likely that Haris Rauf remains in the XI after he replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi for the washed-out third match. Azam Khan, however, could make it to the XI if he is cleared by the medical team.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, (capt) 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Mohammad Hafeez, 6 Sohaib Maqsood/Azam Khan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Hasan Ali, 9 Mohammad Wasim, 10 Usman Qadir, 11 Haris Rauf

Pitch and conditions

With rain predicted for the week as a whole, there is a chance that the contest may be a shortened one. However, there is a clear window in the day but conditions are expected to be overcast. Win toss, bowl first may be the best bet.

Stats and trivia

• During the second T20I, Rizwan became the most-prolific run-getter in a single calendar year in the format.

Ashwin strikes early to make New Zealand’s final-day task tougher

Hemant Brar28-Nov-20211:30

Jaffer: Iyer backs his game, whatever the situation

Stumps Debutant Shreyas Iyer followed up his 105 in the first innings with 65 to help India set New Zealand a target of 284 in the first Test in Kanpur. He was well-supported by Wriddhiman Saha, who struck an unbeaten 61 after being off the field with a stiff neck on day three.In the morning session, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Ajaz Patel had reduced India to 51 for 5, but Iyer and R Ashwin eased the hosts’ nerves with a 52-run stand for the sixth wicket. Then, Iyer and Saha added 64 for the seventh wicket to take India’s lead past 200.

Watch live cricket on ESPN+ in the US

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from India vs New Zealand live in the US. Match highlights of India vs New Zealand Day 4 is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Iyer was caught down the leg side off Southee in the last over before tea but Saha and Axar Patel dashed any hopes New Zealand might have had of keeping the target under 250. The two added 67 in 20.4 overs in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand without showing any urgency until the very end.India finally declared on 234 for 7, and in the four overs possible before bad light forced stumps, Ashwin dismissed Will Young lbw with the one that kept low. Had Young opted for the review in time, he would have survived as replays showed the ball was spinning past leg stump.Saha kept wickets at the start of New Zealand’s second innings but was substituted by KS Bharat after only two overs.Earlier, it was surprising to see Kane Williamson starting with batting allrounder Rachin Ravindra after lunch with India placed precariously on 84 for 5. To his credit, Ravindra was tidy but didn’t pose much of a threat. From the other end, Southee’s short-ball ploy against Ashwin didn’t quite come off either.It was Jamieson who eventually broke the stand with Ashwin chopping one onto his stumps, but by then India’s lead had crossed 150.Meanwhile, Iyer showed great maturity, playing the ball late on a slow pitch and picking up the majority of his runs in the third man region. He brought up his half-century off 109 balls, becoming the first India batter – and 16th overall – to score a hundred and a fifty in his first Test.Saha stuck around with Iyer and even hit William Somerville for a four and a six off successive deliveries, the first of those shots bursting through Henry Nicholls’ fingers at midwicket.Iyer looked to bat more freely after his half-century. While he couldn’t add too many to his tally, his knock had put India in a comfortable position.Wriddhiman Saha struck an unbeaten 61 after being off the field with a stiff neck on day three•BCCI

With India starting the day on 14 for 1, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal were offered some freebies on the pads as Jamieson and Southee bowled straight with a catching short midwicket in place. While Agarwal struggled, Pujara made good use of the opportunities and moved to 22 off 32 balls.However, Jameison then banged one short, and even though the ball was angling down the leg side, Pujara ended up fending at it and gloved it to the wicketkeeper. The on-field umpire ruled it not out but New Zealand got the decision overturned on review.Ajinkya Rahane had scored a valuable 35 in the first innings but on Sunday he didn’t look comfortable at the crease. He opened his account off his 14th ball with a four off Ajaz but the left-arm spinner trapped him lbw on the very next ball with the one that went on with the arm.Coming back for his second spell of the day, Southee drew the outside edge of Iyer’s bat straightaway, but the ball went for four through the gap between the wicketkeeper and a wide first slip. That prompted New Zealand to have a more conventional slip cordon, and soon there was another opportunity. In Southee’s next over, Agarwal edged an outswinger to second slip, where Tom Latham took a tumbling catch to his left.Two balls later, Southee jolted India further by dismissing Ravindra Jadeja lbw from around the wicket. With half the side back in the pavilion and it not being clear then if Saha would bat, India’s lead of 100 looked paltry.Iyer and Ashwin, though, eased some of the pressure by hitting four fours in the next three overs and played out the rest of the first session without further damage.

The second ODI will now restart on Saturday with the final match taking place on Monday

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2021The ODI series between West Indies and Australia will resume on Saturday with the final match now taking place on Monday after no further positive Covid-19 tests were reported in the bubble.The second ODI was suspended moments before play was due to begin on Thursday with the toss having already taken place when a positive test came through from a non-playing member of the West Indies squad.That game will now resume from the position it was halted with Australia batting first on Saturday and the teams remaining as named.The two squads as well as match officials and TV crew were immediately returned to the hotel after the positive result on Thursday and put into room isolation where they were retested with all 152 coming back negative on Friday morning.All those involved remained in isolation on Friday while negotiations went on between Cricket West Indies, Cricket Australia and health officials and further investigations took place over the source of the positive test.”We are happy to be able to announce the restart of the CG Insurance ODI series at Kensington Oval tomorrow,” Ricky Skerritt, the CWI president said. “We want to thank our counterparts at CA for their co-operation in this matter as we look to get the games going again.”Special thanks to our CEO Johnny Grave, Chairman of Cricket Australia, Earl Eddings, his CEO Nick Hockley along with our respective medical and operations teams. I appreciate the crucial role of the BCA and the Government of Barbados for working closely with CWI to ensure everything is in place for resuming the series. “”It has been a challenging two days and we have worked very swiftly and safely, following all the established medical protocols, to make sure that all necessary precautions are in place to ensure that we can go-ahead to resume play safely, tomorrow. We will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.”With the ODI series now extended to Monday, CWI will have discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board about potential adjustments to the T20I series which is due to start in Barbados on Tuesday.Australia were already due to stay on the island for three days after the end of the one-day series before taking a charter fight to Dhaka ahead of the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh which was confirmed earlier this week.

Jamaica secured their place at the top of the points table at the end of the round-robin matches, scoring a five-wicket win against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Kingston

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2013
ScorecardJamaica secured their place at the top of the points table at the end of the round-robin matches, scoring a five-wicket win against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Kingston. Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller played a central role in the victory with a match haul of eight, including six in CCC’s second innings. He was well supported by debutant offspinner Jamie Merchant, who finished with five in the match.The pair, with help from the new-ball partnership of Sheldon Cotterrell and B Buchanan (playing only his second first-class game), helped restrict CCC to 150 after they had chosen to bat. The visitors made a fist of it by keeping Jamaica to an 88-run lead, with one of their two debutants, pace bowler Dawayne Sealy, picking up a five-for. However, the Miller-Merchant combine wreaked havoc in CCC’s second take, reducing them from 68 for no loss to 152 all out.That left Jamaica with a target of 65, and while they made heavy weather of it, they eventually got home in the 23rd over with half their wickets intact. They will now host Trinidad and Tobago in the semi-finals from May 2.