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Worcestershire have confirmed that Saeed Ajmal will not be able to join them for the Friends Life t20 due to international commitments with Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2012Worcestershire have confirmed that Saeed Ajmal will not be able to join them for the Friends Life t20 due to international commitments with Pakistan.ESPNcricinfo reported earlier this month that Ajmal would have to pull out of his contract because of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka and that trip is now set to take place between late May and mid-July. The FLt20 tournament begins on June 12 with the group stages finishing on July 8.Ajmal played for Worcestershire last year and was their best bowler in the FLt20. He claimed 16 wickets in eight games, conceding fewer than six runs an over and averaging 11.37 per wicket.Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said: “Losing a player of Saeed’s quality is a big disappointment, however, we are extremely active in finding a replacement for the t20.”Ajmal’s Pakistan team-mate Junaid Khan, the left-arm fast bowler, is still waiting to find out whether he will be given permission to join Lancashire for the second half of the season including the FLt20.

Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, hailed the team spirit and character his side showed in winning the first Test against Pakistan by 40 runs on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2011Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, hailed the team spirit and character his side showed in winning the opening Test against Pakistan by 40 runs to secure their first success in more than two years.It ended a 17-match wait for a Test victory having last won when they overcame England at Sabina Park in 2009, a side who Gibson was bowling coach of at the time, and gave some much-needed respite to the West Indies management after being roundly criticised in the lead-up to match.In a low-scoring encounter at Providence, Gibson felt it was the fight shown by the batsmen that helped them over the line. “The way we batted out the first day and the way we understood how difficult it was going to be showed me that everyone understood what was happening,” he said.”In the past, given the nature of the pitch we would probably have capitulated, but to hang in there and battle all day on the first day was what probably set us up for the fight we showed in the next three days.”A key period in the match was the 48-run stand for the final wicket in West Indies’ second innings where debutant legspinner Devendra Bishoo hung on with Shivnarine Chanderpaul to set Pakistan a target beyond 200.”The contribution from the lower order was exceptional,” Gibson said. “One of the things we have changed in our nets is that ‘everybody is a batsman’. Everyone must be seen to be trying to improve in the batting department. That was a huge difference in the match.”The performance of captain Darren Sammy, who was named Man of the Match after finishing with seven wickets in the game, was another huge positive for Gibson. Sammy’s position at the helm had been questioned by those who doubted he was good enough to hold his place in the side but he answered his critics emphatically.”For Sammy, who was under so much pressure, to perform the way he did was a credit to himself and the way he goes about his work. He’s an honest worker and a hard trier,” Gibson said. “You could not ask for more. Also for Ravi [Rampaul], who has been in and out, to come back into the team was great to see. He is a pleasure to work with and has a thirst for knowledge.”Bishoo came in and did a great job with the ball. He’s a keen, hungry, young cricketer who just wants to get better and do great things for the West Indies,” he added. “He’s an asset to have around. When he didn’t get any wickets for us in the second innings others stepped up and delivered. That is what team is all about.”The contribution of the whole team, was great. Everybody worked hard and we all stuck together. We won the first match so that means we can’t lose the series, but we don’t want to stop there. Winning the series is the goal. It has always been the goal.”Gibson’s next target is to try and back up the victory with another strong performance in the second Test in St Kitts which starts on Friday. He admitted that will be difficult, especially for a side that has struggled desperately for consistency, but hopes they can take confidence from the showing in Guyana.”Long before the Pakistanis arrived we spoke about the belief in the team that we could win the series. We want to win in St Kitts and take the series. Before Sunday’s result it was more than two years since we won a Test match and a series. You will have to go back a long time since the West Indies last won back-to-back Test matches.”The team will feed off this win and we will enjoy it. In international sport you have to enjoy your success, especially in our case where our last victory was more than two years ago.”

Gloucestershire were left on the brink of their third consecutive County
Championship win after rain and bad light wiped out 22 overs on the third day at
Bristol

12-May-2010
Scorecard
Gemaal Hussain found life tougher going in the second innings after picking up three cheap wickets in the first•Getty Images

Gloucestershire were left on the brink of their third consecutive County
Championship win after rain and bad light wiped out 22 overs on the third day at
Bristol.Leicestershire’s last-wicket pair of Jaques Du Toit and Matthew Hoggard safely
negotiated 79 balls to leave their side 282 for 9 at the close after
following on. That meant a lead of just eight runs.Openers Paul Nixon (63) and Matt Boyce (62) were the main contributors, while
Anthony Ireland (three for 84) was the most successful bowler. Leicestershire faced a backs-to-the-wall fight from the start of a day which began with them 122 without loss, but still 152 behind.Boyce could add only three to his overnight score before the ninth ball of the
morning saw him caught by Alex Gidman at first slip to give Gemaal Hussain his
30th Championship wicket of the season.It was 125 for one and after four runs had been added there was a break for
rain in which eight overs were lost. Nixon was in no mood to surrender his wicket lightly on the resumption and scored only three runs in the first 15 overs of the day before edging Anthony Ireland for a boundary.The total had moved to 150 for one at lunch, with Nixon having progressed from
an overnight 50 to 58. Having added five more to his score after the interval,
the veteran wicketkeeper top edged a pull shot off Ireland and was well caught
by Will Porterfield at backward square.Nixon had faced 205 deliveries, but his colleagues could not match his
application. Andrew McDonald had made only 12 when hooking a short ball from
Gidman down the throat of James Franklin at deep square.Will Jefferson had dropped down the order to number five because of a twisted
ankle and had to bat with a runner. He was lbw for nine driving at Jon Lewis to
make the score 205 for 4.That was the first over with the second new ball and it soon brought another
breakthrough as, without a run added, James Taylor was bowled playing a loose
shot at Franklin, having played well for his 39.Franklin took his second wicket when Tim New, on nine, was caught low in the
slips by Chris Dent after edging a drive. At 219 for 6 with the ball still
new, Leicestershire were staring down the barrel of defeat inside three days.Du Toit and Claude Henderson did their best to avoid that ignominy, putting on
27 before more rain wiped out a further 10 overs. That partnership extended to
54 before Henderson (29) cut Ireland to the diving Chris Taylor at point.Nathan Buck followed next ball, pushing forward to Ireland. Andrew Harris
failed to trouble the scorers, but Gloucestershire could not force a win, even
though Gidman claimed the extra half hour, which bad light curtailed with a
possible four more overs remaining.

Charith Asalanka had been appointed their T20I captain just before the ongoing series against India

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jul-2024Sri Lanka’s selectors have appointed Charith Asalanka as the new ODI captain, replacing Kusal Mendis. Asalanka had been named T20I captain as well, ahead of the ongoing series against India after Wanindu Hasaranga had resigned from the role following Sri Lanka’s early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup.The same set of selectors had appointed Mendis as the ODI captain in December 2023, though he had also led Sri Lanka in several matches in last year’s World Cup in an acting capacity. Though Mendis has been in good touch with the bat, and Sri Lanka won six of the eight completed ODIs under his leadership, the selectors opted to go in a different direction. Under Mendis’ captaincy Sri Lanka had won five consecutive home matches against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, but lost 2-1 away to Bangladesh.Asalanka’s elevation to the T20I captaincy was expected following Hasaranga’s resignation, but a change in the ODI leadership was somewhat unexpected, largely because Mendis has not been in the position long. Nevertheless, Asalanka has been one of Sri Lanka’s more consistent ODI batters, averaging 43.59 with a strike rate of 90 across 52 innings.Test batter Nishan Madushka, 24, has also been included in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three ODIs against India on August 2, 4 and 7, while the likes of Akila Dananjaya and Chamika Karunaratne receive recalls.Seamers Dilshan Madushanka and Asitha Fernando, who were only added to the T20I squad after Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara were ruled out, will stay on for the ODI series. Left-arm spinning allrounder Dunith Wellalage has also found a place.The remainder of this squad is largely as expected. Illness continues to keep Chameera out, while a fractured thumb makes Thushara’s participation impossible. In addition to Madushanka and Asitha, Matheesha Pathirana is the only other specialist seamer. This is understandable given Khettarama stadium in Colombo, where the three matches will be played, tends to be spin-friendly. There is no room for Lahiru Kumara or Pramod Madushan, who had played in Sri Lanka’s most-recent ODI series, against Bangladesh.On the spin-bowling front, Sri Lanka have plenty of options, between Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dananjaya and Wellalage. Kamindu Mendis and Asalanka himself can send down some part-time spin as well.The top order seems fairly set. Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, and Mendis are likely to form the top three. Kusal Perera has not been included, despite some good T20 performances recently. Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, and Kamindu are in the mix to be in the middle order. Captain Asalanka will likely bat at No. 5.

Sri Lanka squad for ODIs vs India

Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Nishan Madushka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando

Their XI is likely to include PJ Moor and James McCollum, who went to Mumbai to prepare to face Bangladesh’s spinners

Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2023There is excitement in the Ireland camp ahead of their return to Test cricket after more than three years. Captain Andy Balbirnie, himself about to lead the Test team for the first time, set the scene by talking about how they could have several Test debutants, one of whom could also be cutting his teeth in first-class cricket. Ireland have been so out of loop from Test cricket that they stopped playing the longer-version game at home.But it won’t just be the novelty factor of playing a Test match. The excitement has translated to couple of them, PJ Moor and James McCollum, taking the extra step. The pair were in Mumbai couple of weeks ago to have a few sessions of specifically playing spin in the Global Cricket School. It is a cricket programme, founded by Sachin Bajaj in 2007, quite popular with county and European cricketers.Related

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Moor and McCollum worked under Vinayak Mane, the former Mumbai batter, at the Parsi Gymkhana ground. Mane said that their focus was obviously on spin as they were preparing for the Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka this month.”They were mainly playing spin,” Mane told ESPNcricinfo. “They will be facing that in the Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They were mainly facing different kind of spinners. Our role was to arrange lots of spinners, and give them a feedback how they approach. I think they are pretty well equipped. They have decent techniques. They are very aware of what they will encounter in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They will be facing couple of left-arm spinners and offspinners. Nowadays professionals do have a lot of information about their opposition.”Mane said that he impressed upon Moor and McCollum the general playing style of encountering spin in the sub-continent.”Being an Indian batsman, I always think of it as a game of cat and mouse, more so against spinners,” Mane said. “In a Test match, you set a spinner up. You can hang back and get him to come towards you and move out. There are times you move out and then hang back. It is a tactical game, which you can keep playing in a Test match.”Former Zimbabwe batter PJ Moor will be the most experienced player in Ireland’s Test line-up•AFP

Moor has played in this region previously. In fact his last Test was for Zimbabwe at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in 2018. Ireland captain Balbirnie said that Moor’s experience is invaluable to a team that comes up short in that aspect.”[Moor] brings experience, he has played eight Tests. More than double of any of our players,” Balbirnie said. “He has played a number of first-class matches too. I think he played a Test here with Zimbabwe so he has knowledge of the ground. He is really good with the younger guys. He will be crucial for us for the next two or three weeks.”Ireland’s big challenge in the one-off Test in Dhaka will be to stretch themselves in all departments. Balbirnie said their players have to bat, bowl and field for longer periods than they are used to in white-ball cricket.”I think [the challenge will be] the longevity. A lot of our guys don’t have a huge amount of first-class experience,” Balbirnie said. “Five-day Tests are very different. A lot of our guys have been brought up on white-ball cricket. A batter has to set himself to bat for as long as possible. Bowlers have to be as disciplined as possible. That’s going to be the biggest challenge. Conditions will play a part in terms of the heat. These guys need to learn on the job.”He called the occasion so unique that one of their players, Matthew Humphreys most likely, could be making his first-class debut in this Test match. “It is not many times in recent history that there’s going to be a lot of Test debuts,” Balbirnie said. “It only happens to the new nations. It would have happened to Bangladesh in the early 2000s. We are going to have a bit of a get-together tonight to do some presentations. I think if we do it in the morning, it will take too long.”It is certainly unique. We have potentially someone making his first-class debut tomorrow. I can’t think of a cricketer who has done that before.”In fact, the last time so many cricketers made their Test debut for reasons other than inaugural Tests, South Africa’s readmission or West Indies’ 2009 players’ boycott, was a South Africa-New Zealand Test in 1961.Ireland have only four survivors from their last Test in 2019•Getty Images

Balbirnie said Ireland are up against a Bangladesh side that is known to do well at home, so the message to the team has been to simply play without any trepidation.”A lot has happened.” he said. “We have been through a pandemic. There’s been so much changes. Players have gone. Players have come in. It was a memorable occasion in 2019 for a lot of Irish cricket people. This is memorable as well.”This is a big cricketing nation, playing against a top team. A lot of good teams have come here and got unstuck. The message is to go out and play, not hold too many fears. There’s not a lot to lose in a one-off Test. So we want to enjoy it.”Balbirnie himself is leading the Test side for the first time. He said he may have to lean on his team-mates for help from time to time. “It will be nice. I was fortunate to play under William Porterfield for a long time. I know how much it meant for him to captain the Test team. It is certainly different for me.”I don’t think I have captained in first-class cricket so it brings its own challenges as well. It is exciting. There will be times I will have to think on my feet, and look for help from the other players. It is part of the challenge of being a Test cricketer.”Ireland’s return to Test cricket is already a memorable moment for them. The excitement will start from the eve of the Test when they will hold a special cap ceremony.They will also have a keen follower from Mumbai. “Couple of guys who did the sessions with me will play for Ireland tomorrow,” Mane said. “In any case I love Test cricket, so I will definitely be eager to follow the game tomorrow.”

Zak Crawley reprieved after being caught off a no-ball late in the day

Alex Malcolm06-Jan-2022Usman Khawaja has produced a comeback century of the highest class to put Australia in another commanding position at stumps on day two of the fourth Test against England at the SCG.Khawaja’s silky 137 from 260 balls underpinned Australia’s 8 declared for 416, but it would have been more without a magnificent lone hand with the ball from Stuart Broad. After writing publicly about his frustrations at being left out in two of the first three Tests, Broad backed up his words with his 19th Test five-wicket haul including the crucial wickets of Khawaja and Steven Smith for 67, having knocked over David Warner on day one.England had to face a frightful five overs before stumps and Zak Crawley got a major reprieve. He nicked Mitchell Starc to first slip with Warner taking the catch head high. As Crawley walked off for what would have been a 12-ball duck, replays showed Starc had overstepped. Extras were the major contributor as the ball nipped and bounced prodigiously but Haseeb Hameed and Crawley survived another brutal examination from Starc and Pat Cummins.Related

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Khawaja was the star of the day for Australia. Playing his first Test in more than two years after he was dropped during the 2019 Ashes, he made his ninth Test century in his 45th Test, and his first in an Ashes series since making 171 in the SCG Ashes Test four years ago. Khawaja’s innings was proof he remains one of Australia’s best batters despite only playing due to Travis Head’s Covid-19 diagnosis.He was calm and composed throughout on a pitch that was not the traditional SCG batting paradise. He played some sparkling pull shots off Mark Wood and Broad and attacked Jack Leach and Joe Root with his full repertoire, scoring boundaries via reverse sweeps, cover drives and pull shots. Beyond his trademark stroke play, his ability to withstand some excellent spells of fast bowling was particularly noteworthy. As Australia lost Smith and Cameron Green in quick succession when Broad made the second new ball talk, Khawaja calmly kept the good balls out and was unflustered as several misbehaved on a surface becoming increasingly uneven.He did offer one chance on 28 that England will rue. Leach had barely troubled him on a leg stump line from around the wicket, but finally pitched outside off and found the outside edge as Khawaja prodded forward. The edge went past Jos Buttler’s gloves and deflected off his thigh before floating to Joe Root’s right, but the skipper failed to grasp it.From then on Khawaja was flawless and had the crowd so engrossed and invested that they booed Australia captain and New South Wales darling, Cummins, in the penultimate over before tea when Cummins retained the strike with an untimely single. But the skipper was immediately back in the good books, sneaking a single early in the next over to give Khawaja three balls to reach his century before the break. He only needed one with a neat tuck behind square sparking a standing ovation.Usman Khawaja latches onto a pull•AFP/Getty Images

Earlier in the day, Khawaja shared a 115-run stand with Smith, their seventh together in Tests, their third at the SCG and their first since the last Ashes Test in Sydney in 2018. He also shared invaluable stands with Cummins and Starc. The latter was worth 67 to help Australia press to 400 with Starc making 34 not out, his third score of 30-plus for the series.Smith looked destined for a century of his own as he cruised to his second fifty of the series and his sixth consecutive fifty at the SCG. His only concern in the opening session, where Australia made 83 without loss, was keeping his bat dry as several brief showers interrupted play momentarily.Smith looked impenetrable. He played a contemptuous on-drive off James Anderson’s first ball after one rain delay. He also picked off anything fractionally straight and dealt with an unsuccessful short-ball barrage that left Ben Stokes wicketless and unable to bowl for the rest of the day. Stokes failed to complete his 14th over due to sharp pain in his left side. He left the field with grave concerns but returned after lunch and fielded without issue.But Broad stopped Smith in his tracks with his outstanding spell with the second new ball. In one over he deceived Smith completely as he shouldered arms to a good length ball that hit him in front of middle and leg. But it had seamed back considerably and he was given not out, and the decision was proven correct as England lost a review proving it was missing leg stump. Broad got his man for the ninth time in Test cricket two balls later as he turned Smith inside out with a back-of-a-length leg cutter that took the outside edge. Broad added to his haul finding Cameron Green’s outside edge with a fuller cutter. Green’s struggles in the series continued as the only boundary in his 5 came from a nick that went between first and second slip.Alex Carey missed a golden chance to cash in against a weary attack, holing out for just 13 trying to slog-sweep Root from the rough outside off. It was Root’s seventh wicket in England’s last three Ashes tours in Australia making him the equal-most successful England spinner across those tours.Broad returned later to bounce out Cummins with a brutal lifter that brushed the top of the bat handle on the way through to Buttler. He also knocked over Khawaja with a beauty late in the day. It was another leg cutter that nipped off the seam, caught the inside edge and ricocheted onto leg stump.Broad had been described as a caged lion prior to the Test by England assistant coach Graham Thorpe and his five wickets was just reward for a lion-hearted effort. He also went past Bob Willis to claim the second-most Ashes wickets for England behind Ian Botham, and became the second-oldest visiting quick to claim a five-wicket haul in Australia behind Sir Richard Hadlee. He did suffer the ignominy of Nathan Lyon launching his last ball into the stands at midwicket but he deserved the warm applause he got walking off after Australia’s declaration.

Mayank Agarwal almost took Kings XI Punjab home, but Stoinis stole a tie out of nowhere before Kagiso Rabada bossed the Super Over

Karthik Krishnaswamy20-Sep-2020Seam movement and bounce with the new ball. A 20-ball half-century that came out of nowhere. A two-wicket over ending with a nasty-looking injury. A slow-burning, calculated rescue act that all but aced a tricky chase. A short run that wasn’t. Then, with one run required from three balls, somehow, Marcus Stoinis, who had also been the Capitals’ gamechanger with the bat, produced a dot and two wickets.The second match of IPL 2020 contained pretty much everything, until an anticlimactic Super Over handed two points to the Delhi Capitals and heartbreak to the Kings XI Punjab, particularly to Mayank Agarwal whose 89 off 60 balls had rescued them from an abject 55 for 5 in their chase of 158.Just as he was against the Kolkata Knight Riders last season, Kagiso Rabada was the Capitals’ Super Over hero. He took out KL Rahul with a well-directed bouncer, which followed the batsman’s premeditated movement towards the leg side, and bowled Nicholas Pooran next ball. Pooran’s slog across the line wouldn’t have been cause for too much censure in the regular part of a T20 game, but it was an unwise shot off the third ball of a Super Over, in which teams are only allowed two wickets.That left the Capitals just three runs to get, and they completed the job with no additions to the day’s quota of twists and turns.A fast bowlers’ pitchWith only three venues hosting this tournament, the pitches will, at some point, slow down and offer plenty of assistance to the spinners. For now, though, they’re keeping the fast bowlers interested. Saturday’s surface in Abu Dhabi had a healthy covering of grass. Today’s pitch in Dubai was well-grassed too, and offered seam movement and plenty of bounce. Both teams filled two of their overseas slots with fast bowlers.It was an Indian quick, however, who made the most of the early help. Delivering with his trademark upright seam, Mohammed Shami nipped the ball around, got it to spring off the pitch, and sent back Prithvi Shaw and Shimron Hetmyer in his second over. He had two catches dropped in his first over too, but one of them – Rahul putting Shikhar Dhawan down off a gloved hook – turned into a run-out.A recovery, and an eye-catching debutFrom 13 for 3 at the four-over mark, there was a bit of rebuilding to be done for the Capitals. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant ensured they wouldn’t lose another wicket for another 10 overs, but the Capitals’ run rate remained in check. Staying below 6 an over even at the 12-over mark.One of the main reasons for this was the performance of Ravi Bishnoi, the 20-year-old legspinner, who performed the difficult act of keeping Pant quiet despite being the left-hander’s obvious target to go after. He did this by slanting the ball across Pant from over the wicket, and almost exclusively bowling sliders and wrong ‘uns that veered away from his hitting arc. He exhibited impressive control over his lengths as well, and only conceded 13 runs to Pant off 12 balls, ending their skirmish by bowling him off the inside edge.Iyer had a better time against his designated target, hitting the offspinner K Gowtham for three towering sixes. Ever since his India return late last year, Iyer has shown he’s become a ruthless hitter against spin, and this ability should come in handy for the Capitals right through this season.Stoinis goes berserkJust when Iyer was looking dangerous, Shami returned to the attack in the 15th over and dismissed him with a well-disguised knuckle ball. There were no boundaries in that over, or the next one from Bishnoi, or the one after that from Sheldon Cottrell. After 17 overs, the Capitals were 100 for 6 and looking at a total in the region of 130.They ended up with 158, thanks to one of the most remarkable slog-overs efforts the IPL has ever seen. The bowling wasn’t great – Chris Jordan and Cottrell didn’t vary their pace all that much, and kept missing their length while going for yorkers, both wide and straight – but Stoinis’ hitting was magnificent. He took guard on off stump to get closer to the line if the bowlers went wide, and that also allowed him to put away straighter deliveries behind square on the leg side. From there, it was all still head and stable base, and the last three overs brought the Capitals 13, 14, and an eye-watering 30 runs respectively.Stoinis ransacked 49 runs in the last three overs of the Capitals’ innings. Only Virat Kohli and Andre Russell have scored more in that part of an IPL innings.Mayank Agarwal drives powerfully•BCCI

Ashwin’s two-way impactJust as in the first innings, the new ball did a bit in the second too. Kings XI expected this, and also had a not-particularly-steep target to chase, so their top order played out this phase with a little more caution than Shaw and Hetmyer in particular had done for the Capitals. Rahul muscled a Mohit Sharma free-hit for a monstrous leg-side six but was otherwise circumspect until he was bowled by an inducker from Sharma in the fifth over. Agarwal was even more circumspect: he was on 4 off 10 at the end of the fifth over.Ashwin came on for the sixth over, and took a wicket with his first ever ball for the Capitals, against the team he captained last season; Karun Nair was the victim, falling to a top-edged sweep. Four balls later, Ashwin burst through Pooran’s defences with an arm ball from around the wicket. Kings XI were 34 for 3, and were looking at negotiating 19 more balls from Ashwin, but in an attempt to dive and save a single down the ground, he damaged his left shoulder and left the field in what appeared to be intense pain.Glenn Maxwell fell in the next over, miscuing Rabada to mid-off, but Kings XI had a bit of a lifeline. With Ashwin unable to bowl any further, targets could be found among the other five bowlers.Agarwal comes agonisingly closeWhen Kings XI lost Sarfaraz Khan at the end of the 10th over, they needed 103 from their last 60 balls with only five wickets in hand. Agarwal at that point was batting on 13 off 20.The boundaries began to arrive for him, but still in small, measured doses: a pulled six off Stoinis in the 11th over, two fast-hands slashes square on the off side off Anrich Nortje in the 13th. Amidst all this, the left-arm spinner Axar Patel kept him and Gowtham quiet, finding a bit of in-drift and getting the ball to skid towards the stumps.With 74 needed off 36, Gowtham went after Sharma, picking his slower delivery and launching it over the long-on boundary before flat-batting a short one over mid-off for four. He fell in the next over, off Rabada, but Agarwal kept Kings XI in touch with the required rate with two more fours off Nortje in the 17th.If Ashwin had been able to bowl, Sharma may not have had to finish his quota. As it happened, Sharma bowled the 18th and conceded two sixes to Agarwal, who was by now picking his spot and finding it ruthlessly, even if it meant carving full balls over point. Then, in the 19th over, Agarwal got the bit of luck that his innings deserved, Iyer putting down a chance running to his left from deep midwicket and giving away another four.Twelve came off that Rabada over – it could have been 13 but for a tight but erroneous call of short run when Jordan turned for a second run – leaving the Capitals’ sixth bowler, Stoinis, to defend 12 off the last over. Agarwal smacked the first ball for six, high over long-off, and seemed to have the match all sewn up two balls later with a drive that beat long-off to his left.That left one to get off three balls. A dot ball followed as Agarwal slashed at and missed a bouncer outside off. Stoinis brought all but one of his fielders into the 30-yard circle, and bowled a wide full-toss. Did he mean to? Who knows, but Agarwal picked out deep point, the only fielder on the boundary.Then, with one to get off the last ball, Jordan flicked powerfully, but just within range of Rabada, who moved a step to his right at square leg to pull off a terrific reflex catch. There was no logical reason for the Capitals to still be alive in this match, but logic was taking a day off.

The left hander is expected to miss at least India’s next two matches and his ability to field will also be a factor in his recovery

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2019Shikhar Dhawan’s fractured left hand will be assessed after 10-12 days and India captain Virat Kohli hopes the batsman’s positive mindset will help his recovery.Dhawan was injured in the match against Australia played on June 9, during which he scored a century, and therefore the earliest he will go through an examination of how much his fractured hand has mended can only be made after approximately June 21.”Dhawan is going to be in a plaster for a couple of weeks. After that we will assess where he stands,” Kohli said. “Hopefully, the injury heals quickly and he will be available for the latter half of our league games and semi-finals for sure.”From that point of view, we want to hold him back, keep him here because he wants to play. I think that kind of mindset will help in healing the injury as well as he really wants to play.”However, it will not be his ability to bat alone that will be under question. India fielding coach R Sridhar said that the assessment will have to include the load that his hand will be put under once it has mended sufficiently to undergo heavier examination.Sridhar said that “throwing won’t be a problem as it is not his dominant hand” – Dhawan is a natural right hander who bats left handed. What will need to be studied carefully is “the impact while fielding and catching, specially is he is a slip fielder”.Following the washout against New Zealand it is possible Dhawan will miss on not one but India’s next two matches, against Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sridhar said that as far as his department goes, Dhawan would be tested out after 10-odd days, “with lighter balls first and gradually move on to the cricket ball and see how it goes from there, but yes that will be a challenge”.Rishabh Pant has been called into the squad as cover but will not officially be added unless Dhawan fails to recover. Once a player is ruled out of the tournament through injury he can’t be brought back unless another player is injured and the ICC technical committee is satisfied with the replacement. In the short-term India will use KL Rahul in the opening position.

Victoria registered their first victory of the season, chasing down 252 with six wickets remaining on the final day

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2018
Scorecard
Australia’s Test squad member Peter Handscomb hit form before heading to South Africa, scoring an unbeaten 114 off 127 balls to carry Victoria to their first win of the season, helping them chase 252 against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval.Victoria’s fast bowlers ran through South Australia’s line-up on the final day, starting with Scott Boland, who broke an 80-run partnership between Tim Nielsen and Alex Ross in the fifth over of the day. South Australia subsequently slid from 216 for 6 to 243 all out, having added just 35 runs to their overnight score of 208. Boland picked up four wickets to finish with a match haul of 8 for 129.In response, Victoria lost openers Travis Dean and Marcus Harris to Joe Mennie, but a solid 138-run, fourth-wicket partnership between Handscomb and Cameron White pushed Victoria closer to the target. Although Jake Lehmann dismissed White, captain Handscomb’s 13th first-class century comfortably took Victoria home with six wickets remaining.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has glimpsed a few weaknesses in New Zealand’s batting line-up and believes his varied attack can bring it down

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch16-Nov-20161:30

Fernando: Pakistan attack can exploit NZ conditions

When South Africa returned from a 0-3 drubbing in India in 2015, they went on to lose the subsequent home series against England. When Australia returned from a 0-3 drubbing by low-ranked Sri Lanka this year, they went to lose the subsequent (and ongoing) series against South Africa.New Zealand hope to break the trend; they hope their 0-3 in India will not have a similar effect on their home summer. Misbah-ul-Haq, though, has glimpsed a few weaknesses. He believed his varied attack can bring an ailing New Zealand top order down.”If you see, after the Indian tour, most of the Kiwi batsmen have been struggling and short of confidence,” Misbah said. “I know this is their own territory and they’ll be confident playing here, but as a batsman, and a cricketer, confidence can play a big role. Being short of confidence – we’ll look forward to exploiting that.”While New Zealand’s batsmen seek a return to collective form, Pakistan’s own top order must resist the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee on Hagley Oval’s green top. Pakistan did win two Tests in England this year, but both those matches were played in London, where pitches were less seam-friendly than elsewhere. It had, in fact, been the legspin of Yasir Shah that defined the Lord’s Test, as well as playing a crucial role in the second innings at The Oval. Tracks in New Zealand have not been so spin friendly recently.”If you look at the UAE conditions and New Zealand conditions, these are totally different,” Misbah said. “That’s the biggest challenge for us, especially for our batting. Most of our players have been to New Zealand before, and they know how these conditions can be different from what we are used to. We need to make sure that we bat with discipline and put good scores on the board. Our bowling is very much capable of performing well in any sort of conditions.”There may be rain in the air in Christchurch, but Pakistan had also had their three-day practice match in Nelson completely washed out, meaning their preparation in New Zealand has been less than ideal. Misbah said his team would fall back on their recent experience in England, and hoped the lessons learned on that tour would hold true here.”The England series was a tough series for us. That experience will really help us here, because of the confidence we gained from that. The players are up for this challenge, and we can prove ourselves here also. We need to learn some things from that tour – those conditions, and how we go about business. How we’ve batted, how our disciplines are, and how we’ve bowled.”It’s going to be a key for us because we missed the practice game here. A couple of practice sessions are the only experience we’ve got before the Test match. As professionals, we need to use that information and be ready enough for the Test.If India lose the series against England, Pakistan have an opportunity to reclaim the no. 1 Test ranking they had briefly held following Australia’s loss in Sri Lanka. Misbah said the prospect continued to spur his team.”Always the no. 1 ranking is a big motivation. If you play any sport, you want to be the best. That’s what we are looking forward to. That said, we need to improve ourselves every game. Every series and game becomes important for us. Looking forward to playing well in this series and in Australia.”