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Holland stretched their lead at the top of Group A with a 43-run victory over Leicestershire at Grace Road.

04-Jun-2012
ScorecardHolland stretched their lead at the top of Group A with a 43-run victory over Leicestershire at Grace Road. Put in to bat, Netherlands posted their competition-best total of 304 for 3, with Michael Swart making a maiden one-day century and sharing a record second-wicket stand of 152 with Tom Cooper.Despite a brilliant 115 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire were unable to end their dismal run in the competition, finishing on 261 for 9 to slump to their fourth defeat in five games. For Netherlands it was their fifth win in seven matches having already beaten Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Lancashire and Essex. Swart followed up his century by taking 3 for 55.Stephan Myburgh gave the visitors a flying start, hitting a massive six off the fourth ball of the innings from Alex Wyatt. Another followed off Nathan Buck as Myburgh raced to 37 off 27 balls before being brilliantly run out by Josh Cobb – he made a great diving stop off his own bowling, and then whipped the ball back to wicketkeeper Ned Eckersley before Myburgh could regain his ground having set off for a single.But Myburgh’s quick-fire knock set the tone and the partnership between Swart and Cooper took the innings to another level as Leicestershire were left chasing the ball to all parts.Swart survived a difficult chance to Michael Thornely at cover and reached his 50 off 63 balls with three boundaries.Then he began to cut loose, hitting three sixes off Claude Henderson as the stand surpassed the previous best of 132 against Worcestershire at Kidderminster. Cooper was no slouch either, pulling Nathan Buck to the ropes to reach 50 off 53 balls.The next landmark was Swart’s century, reached off 96 balls with three sixes and five other boundaries. But he was out two runs later, skying a catch to long on off Wayne White. Cooper followed at 229 giving a return catch to Cobb having scored 68 off 67 balls.But Cameron Borgas, with an unbeaten 61 off 33 balls, and Mudassar Bukhari kept the runs flowing, 74 coming off the last six overs as Holland posted their biggest score against county opposition.Thanks to Sarwan, Leicestershire made a brave effort to chase down the target but once he had gone for 115 off 89 balls with nine fours and a six they had little hope. Jacques du Toit was the next highest scorer with 48 and White hit an aggressive 32 but Holland deservedly chalked up their third win in a row.

A round-up of the fifth match day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2011Karachi Dolphins moved into the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank super Eight T20 tournament with the biggest win in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 history, thrashing Faisalabad Wolves by 124 runs at the Iqbal Stadium. Opener Shahzaib Hasan was the chief destroyer, muscling 69 off just 28 balls to power Karachi to a massive 231. In reply, Faisalabad were rolled over for 107, bowled out in the 14th over with fast bowler Sohail Khan and offspinner Haaris Ayaz taking three wickets each.The carnage began in the third over after Karachi chose to bat, with Shahzaib slamming Mohammad Talha for 26 runs. Shahzaib reached his fifty as early as the fifth over, and Karachi’s 100 came up in the eighth. Khalid Latif took over once Shahzaib was dismissed in the seventh over, clubbing five sixes in a 26-ball 46. Faisalabad hit back with four wickets in two overs, but cameos from Mohammad Sami and Ayaz pushed Karachi to the biggest total of the tournament.Faisalabad’s chase was rocked early as the openers were dismissed in the second over, and the big names, Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq, also perished cheaply. They moved to 84 for 4 in the eighth over before the challenge petered out, the final six wickets going down for 23 runs.

Rawalpindi Rams joined Karachi in the semi-finals by cruising to a seven-wicket victory over Multan Tigers in the final league match of Group B. Left-arm spinner Raza Hasan ran through the Multan middle order to set up the win.Multan began what was virtually a quarter-final match steadily, if not spectacularly, reaching 51 for 0 in the seventh over. It was mostly downhill for Multan after that; first they lost both openers in the space of five deliveries as they slid to 54 for 3. Naved Yasin and Zeeshan Ashraf crafted a patient recovery before another collapse. This time the damage was 7 for 26 as Raza struck four times.That left Rawalpindi needing only 129 to make the semi-finals. They had a bit of a stutter as their openers departed after a bright start. It was easy for Rawalpindi after that, losing only one more wicket before Jamal Anwar and Sohail Tanvir put on 73 to confirm Multan’s exit.

A round-up of the latest action from the MetBank Pro40 Championship in Zimbabwe, with wins for Southern Rocks and Mashonaland Eagles

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2011With Zimbabwe well into its rainy season, both games in the latest round of the MetBank Pro40 Championship were shortened due to the inclement weather. Masvingo Sports Club has a reputation as a batting paradise and that certainly seemed to be the case in the midst of Sikandar Raza and Chamu Chibhabha 161-run opening stand that helped set up a massive total of 253 for 6 in just 32 overs for Southern Rocks. Matabeleland Tuskers’ batsmen failed to build any notable partnerships in reply as the visitors fell 45 runs short.Chibhabha and Raza, both of whom have been included in Zimbabwe’s preliminary World Cup squad, have put together several useful opening partnerships for Rocks in Twenty20 cricket, and they appeared to be operating in a similar mode as they rocketed along at close to eight an over after being put in to bat by Tuskers. Raza was the quicker of the two, sprinting past fifty and reaching a career-best 80 – including five fours and four sixes – before he was trapped lbw by Keith Dabengwa’s left-arm spin.Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura took their team past 200, and though wickets fell regularly after they were dismissed Rocks still managed to reach a formidable total. Despite enterprising innings from captain Gavin Ewing and Paul Horton, Tuskers stumbled through the early stages of their reply and slipped to 63 for 4 in the ninth over. Offspinner Hilary Matanga ensured there would be no fightback, taking a career-best 4 for 30 as Tuskers closed on 208 for 8.The rain was even more extensive up north, and Mashonaland Eagles’ match against Mid West Rhinos at Harare Sports Club was reduced to a 25-overs-a-side affair. A disciplined performance from Eagles’ new-ball bowlers, Douglas Hondo and Chad Keegan, with competent back-up from Andrew Hall and Ray Price kept Rhinos to 120 for 7. After Cephas Zhuwawo’s boundary-laden 34 launched the innings, Regis Chakabva’s unbeaten 47 guided Eagles home to a seven-wicket win in the 21st over.Eagles captain Forster Mutizwa opted to field after winning the toss and the move soon paid off as the home attack proved a handful in the damp conditions. Hondo removed both openers, including Gary Ballance for a four-ball duck, and when Price had Malcolm Waller caught by Innocent Chinyoka for his second wicket Rhinos were 52 for 5 in the 13th over. That they eventually scored as many runs as they did was almost entirely due to Riki Wessels’ unbeaten 43.Rhinos threatened to fight back with the ball when both Eagles openers were removed in the space of five balls with the score only just past 40, but Chakabva couldn’t be tied down and found helpful support from Mutizwa and Greg Lamb to seal the win.It was a sorely needed result for Eagles, who remain at the bottom of the Points table despite their win after losing five of their first six games. Rocks’ victory takes them to second position, edging ahead of Tusker by virtue of their superior net run-rate.

Australian cricketers could be barred from participating in this year’s IPL, after the right-wing political party, Shiv Sena, warned that they would not be welcome in parts of the country in retaliation for a series of attacks on Indian students in Melbou

Cricinfo staff14-Jan-2010Australian cricketers could be barred from participating in this year’s IPL, after the right-wing political party, Shiv Sena, warned that they would not be welcome in parts of the country in retaliation for a series of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne.The Australian Cricketers’ Association, a body which is not recognised by the IPL, requested access to the tournament’s security plans but was denied, and has consequently refused to recommend this year’s event to its members. This has led to the prospect of 25 players, including Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Shane Warne, sitting out of the tournament in March and April, and missing out on an estimated total of A$9.2m.”The players rely on us to ensure that security is properly assessed and a recommendation is provided to them,” Paul Marsh, the ACA’s chief executive, told the Age. “If the IPL won’t allow us to review arrangements for this year’s event, how can we recommend to our players that they play in the event?”Shiv Sena’s leader, Bal Thackeray, recently declared that “kangaroo cricketers” would not be welcome in the state of Maharashtra, but a spokesman, Diwakar Raote, subsequently qualified those remarks. ”We are not against Australians, we are not against Australian tourists, but this agitation is because of how we feel about what is happening,” he said.”We will respect any guest who comes but we will not allow Australians to play until the attitude is changed in Australia. What we are hearing is that they are killing our people, they are burning our people, they are stabbing our people. For what? The students are going there. Do you think we are going to do the same thing? No. But we will not allow you to play.”Ponting, who is currently involved in the third Test against Pakistan in Hobart, felt there was still sufficient time to sort the issue before the IPL gets underway in March.”I’m sure CA and all the players and the players’ association will do everything they have done for every tour we have been on for the last 10 years to check out some of these threats and most importantly keep the players up to date with everything they are finding out,” he said. “That happens on every tour we go on and we will be expecting and demanding that happens again.”

He also reveals how moving around the crease has helped him, a skill he developed during the last LPL

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Sep-2023If Sri Lanka had aimed too high in their Super Four game against Bangladesh, they could have ended up with a sub-par score. These are the thoughts of Sadeera Samarawickrama, the star of Sri Lanka’s batting innings, who struck 93 off 72 balls.Across the match, Samarawickrama was the only batter to make more than 20 at more than a run a ball. But he lauded Pathum Nissanka, who hit 40 off 60, and Kusal Mendis, who made 50 off 73, for setting the foundation.”When Pathum and Kusal were batting, the pitch seemed a bit slow and they did really well,” Samarawickrama said. “If they had taken risks at that point and got out, maybe I would have got out cheaply too. But because they took the game a little deeper and gave us some momentum, I found it easier too.Related

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“When I saw the pitch, we talked about how this wasn’t a 320 pitch – it’s a 250 surface. Even that you just have to get in the last eight overs or so. If we had gone too hard early, we might have been out for 220. So what I tried to do after getting a start was to get the team to 250.”Samarawickrama, who made his Sri Lanka debut in Tests in 2017, has clearly worked on his white-ball batting since then. On Saturday, he frequently shuffled towards off stump to access the leg side, and backed away to leg to hit through off – often behind point.These were skills he had developed and used in last year’s Lanka Premier League, he said. In that tournament, he was second on the run-scorers chart, with 294 runs and a strike rate of 131.25. It was that performance, in fact, that had launched him back into the conversation as an international player.”Moving around the crease is something that I started in the LPL last year – playing with the bowler’s mind and figuring out how to put pressure on him,” Samarawickrama said. “However the pitch plays, I have to back my strengths, one of which is to back away and hit. It’s something I learned with a lot of hard work, so I back myself to do that.”Sri Lanka have now also won 13 ODIs consecutively, second only to Australia, who had won 21 in a row.”When you play as a team, your own performances are lifted,” Samarawickrama said. “If we had lost, my performance today wouldn’t be highlighted either. If the top order isn’t doing well, the middle order gets it done. If the middle order can’t do it, the top order has scored runs. We’re playing as a team.”

Lea Tahuhu, Georgia Plimmer named in T20I squad only; Hannah Rowe, Molly Penfold picked just for ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2022New Zealand are set to hand a debut to Wellington wicketkeeper-batter Jess McFadyen in the upcoming home series against Bangladesh, after she was named in the 15-member squad for the three T20Is and ODIs. McFadyen’s selection in place of fellow wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze, who is India with the Under-19 team, was the only change to the squad that had recently toured the West Indies.Coach Ben Sawyer said playing Bangladesh would be a great opportunity for McFadyen, especially with the T20 World Cup to be held next year.”Debuting for your country is always a special moment, so we’re delighted to be welcoming Jess into the side for what will be an exciting series,” Sawyer said. “Jess brings great energy – when we worked together at the Commonwealth Games, I was really impressed with what she brought to the team environment – and she has good experience with the bat, especially in that middle order.”McFadyen, 31, had been picked in the New Zealand squads earlier for last year’s tour of England and the Commonwealth Games this year but didn’t get to play.”We used the recent series in the West Indies to try different combinations with bat and ball and we also want to do that with the wicketkeepers; we want to see what Jess can bring to the team,” Sawyer said. “We’re also in a fortunate position that we have a New Zealand Development team touring India, which Izzy (Gaze) is involved in, so we’re able to give both players experience in different conditions and against different opposition.”McFadyen herself was eyeing a spot for the T20 World Cup, looking to “put her name forward” for the big tournament after missing out on a debut in the Commonwealth Games in England.”Ben was there as well… to be in that environment, see how he wanted to run things and to spend time with the established players – they are world class,” McFadyen said. “I am lucky to be playing for [Wellington] Blaze, and have a dozen of them around me for training. [I am] super lucky to have those experiences.”Both the T20I and ODI sides will be led by Sophie Devine, with pace bowler Lea Tahuhu and batter Georgia Plimmer named in the T20I squad only, while seamers Hannah Rowe and Molly Penfold picked just for the ODIs.It will be New Zealand’s last official series before the T20 World Cup next year in South Africa.”Over the last couple of months we’ve put together a blueprint of how we want to play, particularly in the T20 format, with an eye on the World Cup next year,” Sawyer said. “This tour will be a great opportunity to continue working and refining those plans and making any necessary adjustments.The series against Bangladesh begins with the first T20I on December 2 in Christchurch, with Dunedin and Queenstown to host the other T20Is. The ODIs begin on December 11 in Wellington, before Napier and Hamilton stage the last two matches of the tour. The series will be the first time Bangladesh play a bilateral series in New Zealand but will be their second visit this year, following the World Cup in March.Squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Jess McFadyen, Molly Penfold (ODIs only), Hannah Rowe (ODIs only), Georgia Plimmer (T20Is only), Lea Tahuhu (T20Is only)

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.”

Steadfast Hassan Azad innings anchors Leicestershire reply but falls short of third successive hundred

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2019Hassan Azad’s carefully compiled 92 saw Leicestershire build a steady reply to Northamptonshire’s 299 on the third day at Wantage Road. Azad batted for over two sessions to help Leicestershire reach 273 for 7 before bad light curtailed the day 15 overs early.Following a century in each innings against Gloucestershire in his last match, Azad again demonstrated a thirsty appetite for occupying the crease and blunted a game Northants attack who operated with good control throughout the day and found some movement.The 25-year-old left-hander showed excellent judgement to leave well and was proactive in his defence, often advancing at the bowling to negate the moving ball. There were only three boundaries – one of them a top-edged pull over the wicketkeeper’s head – in his 132-ball half-century.His strike rate was pedestrian but it was a classic case of grinding out a score when timing wasn’t particularly easy and the bowling was probing.After tea, Azad very carefully swept Rob Keogh’s offspin for four before an all-run four, via an overthrow, took him to 90. His latest advance down the wicket saw him shimmy out at Luke Procter to drive him through mid-off and take him past 600 runs for the season.But within sight of a third consecutive century, Azad clipped Procter straight to Matt Coles at backward-square leg. The trap had been set for much of the day and he finally succumbed after a 212-ball vigil.Procter struck again immediately, trapping Colin Ackermann lbw for a third-ball duck and as the new-ball was taken, Northants sensed a first-innings lead.The new ball paid prompt dividends as Harry Dearden edged Ben Sanderson to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, who was wrong-footed and dived to his left to take a sharp chance. Sanderson then swung one into Mark Cosgrove to win an lbw appeal.Cosgrove had batted with Azad for much of the afternoon in a stand of 115 for the third wicket. The evergreen Australian played the shot of the day by driving Coles with a flourish past mid-off on a day where timing the ball proved difficult and played another flowing cover drive for four off Procter. But after reaching a fifth fifty of the season in 87 balls with six fours, fell for 63.Dieter Klein was then pinned lbw by Coles after striking three boundaries in his 15 and the wicket was the fifth to fall for 48 runs in 12.2 overs.The late burst saw Northants finally find reward for a day where they remained consistent with the ball. Initially they were frustrated with only one wicket with the first new ball – Paul Horton edging Nathan Buck to second slip for 29 after an opening stand of 60 – and had to wait until after lunch for a second breakthrough when Neil Dexter was caught in the crease by Brett Hutton and fell for 27.

Kirsten, the former India and South Africa coach, had joined the RCB set-up as a batting coach before the 2018 edition

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2018Gary Kirsten has been appointed coach and mentor of IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kirsten had joined the RCB set-up earlier this year as batting coach. He replaces Daniel Vettori, who was with the side for last eight years – initially as a player and then, since 2014, as a coach.Kirsten’s appointment comes on the back of strong coaching credentials. It was under his coaching stint – from 2008 till 2011 – that India lifted the 2011 World Cup, apart from topping the Test rankings. After that, he moved on to coach his old national side, South Africa, taking them to the summit of Test rankings as well.However this is not Kirsten’s first assignment as a coach in the IPL; he coached Delhi Daredevils for two seasons, in 2014 and 2015, both times with little success. He was also the coach of Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League in 2017.In a statement from the franchise, Sanjeev Churiwala, the RCB chairman, said: “During the last IPL season, Gary has proved to be a brilliant mentor to both seasoned and young RCB players and we are confident that he will bring a fresh perspective to the team.”In 11 editions of the IPL, RCB have never been able to win the title despite having some of the best T20 players over the years in Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Dale Steyn, and Mitchell Starc. In 2018, they failed to make it to the playoffs and finished sixth on the points table.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who had recovered from a thumb injury he picked up earlier, has been advised to not even lift a bat for two months

Sidharth Monga19-Jul-2018Wriddhiman Saha, India’s first-choice Test wicketkeeper, will be out of action for at least two months with a shoulder injury. His injured shoulder will soon be assessed to see if it requires a surgery. As of now he has been advised to not even lift a bat for two months. The India selectors and the BCCI, however, had never made it public that Saha had recovered from the thumb injury he picked up earlier this year, and that it was this serious shoulder injury that was keeping him sidelined.This injury – which could even put him in doubt for the Australia tour – caps what has been an extremely disappointing year for Saha, who will be 34 by the time India travel to Australia later this year. After he scored 0 and 8 in the first Test of the year, against South Africa in Cape Town, he suffered a hamstring injury and was sent home. During the IPL he had injured his thumb, which was believed to be the reason for his missing the Afghanistan Test.
A BCCI press release in June had said: “Saha suffered an injury to his right thumb while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the VIVO IPL Qualifier 2 against Kolkata Knight Riders on 25th May, 2018 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. He was under observation by the medical staff of the BCCI and the management has decided to give him adequate rest before the start of the England Test series. Saha’s recovery period is expected to be around five to six weeks.”What has followed raises more questions over the BCCI’s handling of injuries, its communication regarding injuries, and, more importantly, over the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru where Saha was undergoing the rehabilitation. It is learnt that the NCA medical team communicated to the BCCI that Saha will need five to six weeks of rehabalitation; it now looks like it might take five to six months.The BCCI didn’t help matters by withholding the information that a shoulder injury – much more serious than the thumb one – existed when Saha was not picked for the Afghanistan Test. India’s injury management has been under the scanner with Bhuvneshwar Kumar already ruled out of the first three Tests in England. Bhuvneshwar, whose workload was managed during the IPL because of a back condition, was cleared to play all three formats on the long tour of England. The injury resurfaced during the ODIs; he missed the first two matches but aggravated the injury when playing in the final ODI, a day before the Test selection.Curiously the chairman of the selection committee still believes Saha is out with a thumb injury. “Saha’s recovery from a fractured right thumb hasn’t been satisfactory. He hasn’t responded well enough to the rehab at the National Cricket Academy, in Bengaluru. At this moment, therefore, Saha is uncertain for all five Tests, not just the first three,” chief selector MSK Prasad was quoted as saying by the .