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A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches on May 10, 2016

Mohammad Isam10-May-2016Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club captain Mahmudullah celebrated his 200th List-A match with 130 against Cricket Coaching School, which paved the way for a 90-run win at the BKSP-3 ground.Mahmudullah added 203 runs for the third wicket in 39 overs with Marshall Ayub, who scored his maiden List-A century. He made 103 off 115 balls with 12 fours while Mahmudullah struck eight fours and five sixes during his career-best 130 off 139 balls. This meant that Dhanmondi Club surged to 290 for 5 in 50 overs.In reply, CCS had a good start, with Saif Hassan and Pinak Ghosh adding 60 for the first wicket. Captain Rajin Saleh built on it with 51 off 78 balls, but Jeevan Mendis and Shafiul Islam pierced through the middle order with two wickets each. Ayub picked up the last wicket to fall – Refatuzzaman – to cap off a memorable day. CCS were bowled out for 200 in 48.3 overs.Mohammedan Sporting Club went to the top of the points table in the Dhaka Premier League, after securing a four-wicket win over over Kalabagan Cricket Academy in Fatullah.Mohammedan and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club are currently locked with eight points from five matches, but Mohammedan have a better net run rate.They chased down a revised target of 207, after rain interrupted the chase in the 21st over. Opener Ezaz Ahmed and No.3 Upul Tharanga put on 111 runs for the second wicket to set up the chase. Ezaz struck two fours and four sixes before being dismissed by allrounder Mahmudul Hasan for 60 off 68 balls. Tharanga stayed unbeaten on 90 off 114 balls, including eight fours and one six. Left-arm spinner Bishwanath Halder was the pick of the bowlers for KCA, taking 2 for 39.Having been sent in, KCA were bowled out for 231 with four balls to spare, with left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr claiming three wickets. Naeem Islam jnr and Naeem Islam pitched in with two wickets each. Jatin Saxena and Mehedi Hasan Miraz hit fifties, but the rest of the batsmen failed, the third-best score being opener Myshukur Rahaman’s 31 off 65 balls.Gazi Group Cricketers rode on a 155-run opening partnership between Shamsur Rahman and Anamul Haque to beat Kalabagan Kira Chakra by six wickets in Mirpur.Anamul, having kept wicket earlier, made 70 off 83 balls, including six fours and one six, before retiring hurt because of cramps. Shamsur hit nine fours and one six during his 91-ball 75. Though he, Mehedi Hasan, Faruque Hossain, and Farhad Hossain fell in quick succession, Alok Kapali, who had picked up three wickets, and Saeed Anwar jnr completed the 224 chase in the 46th over.Earlier, each of Kalabagan’s top four had starts, but none managed to convert it into a half-century. Tasamul Haque top-scored with 47 off 63, before he was the sixth batsman dismissed. Tanveer Haider and No.10 Abdur Razzak made late cameos to push Kalabagan past 200, but it wasn’t enough.

Making sound plans and sticking to them was how Pakistan overcame their fielding lapses and an unresponsive pitch in the first Test against Bangladesh

Umar Farooq in Khulna29-Apr-2015There are good days and there are bad days. Neither lasts forever. After spending 15 of the miserable variety in Bangladesh, Pakistan enjoyed a “flawless” one in Khulna according to spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed. The bowlers stuck to plans, catches were taken safely and batsmen chugged along at almost four runs an over. Mohammad Hafeez scored his eighth Test hundred and, with Azhar Ali, led Pakistan to finish 105 shy of Bangladesh’s 332 with nine wickets in hand.Four wickets. Pakistan’s yield after their bowlers had thrown everything at an unresponsive Khulna pitch all through the first day. But on the second, they wrapped up the Bangladesh line-up in a session. Six wickets for 96 runs because Pakistan decided not to let a flat track bog them down.Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah might have economy rates over three, but they shared five wickets between them. Fast bowler Wahab Riaz chipped in with the other three and captain Misbah-ul-Haq had contributed by having the right men patrolling important areas in the field.”It was really tough to get wickets here but quality bowler does adjust in any condition,” Mushtaq said. “Our bowlers knew exactly how to test the batsmen and when to attack and contain.”Pitch at times wasn’t even helping spinners as the batsmen had enough time to adjust and play with freedom. But we had a plan with our field placements for them today to help the bowlers to get wickets. We didn’t believe that Bangladesh would collapse this way as the pitch was slow but our bowlers bowled very well and the fielders today supported them to make it our day.”Yasir was injured during the ODI series and recovered only two days before the Test. Yet his control was admirable and dismissed Bangladesh’s in-form captain Mushfiqur Rahim. Zulfiqar conceded 99 in 32 overs, the most by a Pakistan bowler, but trapped Shakib Al Hasan in the fourth over of the morning.”I was expecting Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar to take more wickets, they deserved it after the way they bowled. But then again we missed a lot of chances the other day and it didn’t go well. But I believe they did well and combined well with the fast bowlers. We have done great to execute the plan.”So what did Pakistan do to reverse a tour where nothing had gone right? “If you focus too much on the opposition strength then you may undermining your strength so we rather spend time to see what we can do better,” Mushtaq said. “What we did between yesterday and today was to motivate players to quickly make up from the mistakes and do their best.””To avoid repeating the fielding mistakes [on the first day], Waqar made a plan to get the right fielders at the right places. So we knew Asad Shafiq is a good fielder at leg-slip. He took another vital catch at midwicket, an outstanding take that repaired day one’s mistake. So despite fielding for 120 overs, players still had the spark.”More of Pakistan’s plans fell in place with the bat. “The idea today was to avoid losing wickets and get as many runs as we can,” Mushtaq said.” This wicket requires some caution, but if you are not positive as well and don’t attack the bowlers, there are limited scoring options. Full credit goes to Hafeez. He played an outstanding innings even with the slowness of the pitch and of the outfield.”

Australia wouldn’t be a pushover but would face a stern test by a strong West Indies when the two teams meet on Saturday

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale21-Sep-2012

Match facts

September 22, 2012
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)

Big Picture

Australia and West Indies entered this tournament with vastly different expectations placed upon them. Although the Australians were quietly confident, plenty of people saw their form, ranking and not-so-settled side as an indication they would struggle. West Indies came in as one of the tournament favourites, the first time in a long while that they have been considered such a strong chance. Australia have already overcome Ireland and should West Indies do so as well, both these sides will progress to the next stage. But West Indies don’t want to be placing themselves under any unnecessary pressure when they take on Ireland so victory in this, their first match, is important. Not that Australia will be a pushover – the teams drew 1-1 when they met for two T20s in the Caribbean earlier this year.Everywhere you look in the West Indies line-up there are men seemingly made for T20. Chris Gayle at the top of the order. Kieron Pollard in the middle. Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell. The best player in the IPL this year, the offspinner Sunil Narine. And the highly under-rated legspinner Samuel Badree, who has the best economy rate of any bowler in T20 history (with a minimum qualification of 300 balls). Badree goes for 4.59 an over, on average. If every bowler in a team managed that, the opposition wouldn’t even rack up a hundred. But for all of their star power, West Indies haven’t really turned their potential into results. In the past year, they have won four T20s and lost four. Overall, they are the only ICC Full Member besides Bangladesh to have lost more T20s than they have won. Much greater consistency is what they will require to go all the way in this tournament.For Australia, the opening victory against Ireland has provided a handy bit of breathing space and they know that victory against West Indies will put them through to the Super Eights. There have been minor health worries for the veteran spinner Brad Hogg and the fast bowler Mitchell Starc over the past couple of days, but both are still in contention to take their places against West Indies.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Australia WWLLW
West Indies WWLWL

Watch out for

On the ICC’s rankings for T20 international allrounders, it is Shane Watson and then daylight. Against Ireland on Wednesday he showed why, with 3 for 26 and 51 from 30 deliveries, ensuring there were no nasty surprises for the Australians in their opening game. Notably, he also made important contributions in both T20s against West Indies earlier this year in the Caribbean, and his 69 in the first match was the highest score in the two-game series.Australia are aware of their potential weakness against high-class spinners with hard-to-read variations – Saeed Ajmal showed that in the UAE recently – and Sunil Narine fits that category. He baffled the Australians during the ODIs in the West Indies earlier this year, although they managed to survive against him in the T20s that followed. Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur believes attacking Narine might be the best approach. “He’s always going to be a factor, like Ajmal for Pakistan and [Ajantha] Mendis for Sri Lanka,” Arthur said. “I think if we can put him under just a little bit of pressure, that’s something we haven’t been able to do with the spinners, we’ve always been a couple of wickets down, so we haven’t been able to attack Ajmal, or Narine in the West Indies where it turned massively.”

Team news

Australia had a couple of minor concerns in the lead-up to the match, with the veteran spinner Brad Hogg having missed training on Thursday due to a headache and flu-like symptoms, while Mitchell Starc also sat out due to gastro. Xavier Doherty has rejoined the squad having made a quick dash home to be at the birth of his child, while Clint McKay and Ben Hilfenhaus are the backup fast men in the squad. However, the captain George Bailey on Thursday played down the possibility of Starc and Hogg missing the match.”They’re all right,” Bailey said. “Training is quiet without Hoggy, [but] he’s pretty good and from all reports Starcy was certainly on the mend. We’ll make a call.”Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Cameron White, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Brad Hogg/Xavier Doherty.The West Indies selectors have plenty of options and their final decision will depend on how they believe the side should be balanced. Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle appear likely to open and there is the possibility of a dual spin attack with Narine and Badree likely to enjoy working on the pitches in Sri Lanka.West Indies (squad) Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Lendl Simmons, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Samuel Badree, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Fidel Edwards.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Premadasa was hard on the opening day of matches there on Wednesday, and there were runs available for the batsmen. It is expected to remain reasonably hard for the early stages of the tournament.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies could find themselves a little rusty if they are forced to chase in this match, for they have batted first in their past eight T20 internationals. The last time they chased was against India in Trinidad last year, the only time in the past two years West Indies have batted second
• Chris Gayle’s strike rate of 153.47 in the World T20 is the highest amongst players who have batted at least ten World T20 innings

Quotes

“It’s good to come into the tournament and have people show us the kind of respect and admiration to rate us among the top teams.”
“They are one of the best fielding sides around in the world and that counts for a lot in T20.”

Waqar Younis has resigned as Pakistan coach. The upcoming tour of Zimbabwe will be his last assignment with the national team

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2011Waqar Younis has resigned as Pakistan coach citing personal reasons that include his and his wife’s health. The upcoming tour of Zimbabwe will be his last assignment with the national team.”I have tendered my resignation to the [Pakistan Cricket] board last week and the tour to Zimbabwe will be my last,” Waqar Younis said at a press conference in Karachi. “I have taken this decision on personal grounds, including medical grounds, and have no differences with anyone and my resignation has been accepted by the board.

Timeline

• March 2010: Waqar Younis takes over as Pakistan coach from Intikhab Alam

• May 2010: Pakistan reach the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean

• August 2010: The spot-fixing scandal breaks out during Pakistan’s tour of England

• November 2010: Zulqarnain Haider flees to London during the South Africa series in the UAE, after receiving death threats

• November 2010: Pakistan keep South Africa to a 0-0 draw in the Tests

• January 2011: Pakistan defeat New Zealand 1-0, winning their first Test series since 2006-07

• March 2011: Pakistan reach the semi-finals of the one-day World Cup, along the way bringing to an end Australia’s 34-match winning streak in the tournament

• May 2011: Pakistan win the one-day series against West Indies in the Caribbean 3-2

• May 2011: Cracks appear in captain Afridi and Waqar’s relationship following the Caribbean tour

“Had everything in my personal life — that is, my wife’s health and my own — been all right, I would not have taken this decision. But I do not want to fail to do the job justice because of the personal problems on my mind.”Waqar, 39, took over as coach of the national side in March 2010 in the aftermath of the disastrous tour of Australia on which Pakistan failed to win a single game. He replaced Intikhab Alam and his stint coincided with another turbulent phase for Pakistan cricket. The spot-fixing controversy erupted during the tour of England and the wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, fled to London while Pakistan was involved in a series against South Africa in the UAE. Prior to the World Cup, where his team reached the semi-final, Waqar oversaw a successful tour of New Zealand, where Pakistan won both the Test and ODI series.Waqar described his tenure as coach as a “rollercoaster” and claimed his side was shocked when told that he’ll be stepping down. “It was a roller coaster for me, with a lot of controversies including the spot-fixing scandal, but I am proud of the fact that all these young boys have carried on the good work despite these problems.”I only told the players on Saturday morning, and they were shocked because until today the matter was between me and the PCB, but I am sure that this young team will do well in future.”The PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said: “”The PCB has accepted his resignation and understands his personal reasons. His tenure was good and we wish him the best in his future.”Waqar’s most recent major assignment was the tour of the West Indies where Pakistan drew the Test series and won the ODI series but it was marred by his differences with then limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi over discipline and team selection that ultimately led to Afridi’s retirement from international cricket. However, Waqar claimed his resignation had nothing to do with what transpired during the West Indies tour.Ijaz Ahmed, the former Pakistan captain, who took over as batting and fielding coach at the same time as Waqar was appointed head coach, was appointed assistant coach for the tour of Zimbabwe. The PCB are yet to name a replacement for Waqar.The tour of Zimbabwe begins on August 28 and includes one practice game, one Test, three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.

Half-centuries from Samit Patel and Chris Read helped Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a three-run victory over Durham Dynamos

30-Aug-2010

ScorecardHalf-centuries from Samit Patel and Chris Read helped Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a three-run victory over Durham Dynamos – a win which sets up a winner-takes-all clash with Warwickshire Bears for a semi-final place. Needing a victory to maintain their push for top spot in Group C, Patel hit 75 and Read an unbeaten 66 from 51 balls as Nottinghamshire posted 257 for 7 after batting first at Trent Bridge, with 85 runs coming in the last seven overs.A third-wicket partnership of 86 between Gordon Muchall (47) and Ben Harmison (46) set up a thrilling finish for the visitors, who needed 18 off the final over from Darren Pattinson and five off the final ball, but Chris Rushworth could only force a single to mid-off and they finished on 254 for 8. Pattinson finished with 3 for 70 but Ryan Sidebottom, with 3 for 45, and Steven Mullaney, with 2 for 24, were the stars with the ball for the hosts.Nottinghamshire will go to Edgbaston on Sunday knowing victory will continue the quest for their first one-day trophy since 1991.A Nottinghamshire win looked unlikely in the opening three overs as some appalling decision-making saw both Alex Hales and Adam Voges run out. Samit Patel then set about repairing the damage with younger brother Akhil and dominated a partnership of 95 in 18 overs.That pushed the score on to 98 before Akhil was caught at long-off off the bowling of Scott Borthwick for 38, with Samit driving to extra cover soon after. Scott Elstone produced a useful 30 before he was stumped off Ian Blackwell, at which point Nottinghamshire skipper Read combined with Mullaney to blast 57 runs in the batting powerplay, including 21 off one Mark Davies over, before Mullaney and Paul Franks fell in the penultimate over to Rushworth.Durham got off to a flying start, hitting 65 off their first 10 overs for the loss of Phil Mustard and Mark Stoneman to England seamer Sidebottom. Harmison and Muchall opted to bat safely through the middle overs but were unable to accelerate when required, both falling to catches in the deep.Ben Stokes clubbed three sixes in a 29-ball 39 to put the visitors back in the hunt, with Blackwell and Gareth Breese both caught on the boundary. When Will Smith was caught at point with four balls remaining, 16 more runs were needed, and although Borthwick paddle-swept the next delivery for four and Rushworth swatted a six over midwicket, he was unable to repeat the trick off the final ball.

A new state government was recently elected with Olympic plans set to be reassessed but a brand new venue is not part of the plan

AAP08-Nov-2024A frustrating wait over the Gabba’s future has prompted a joint plea for a new 2032 Olympic stadium from tenants Queensland Cricket and AFL club Brisbane Lions.A letter has been sent by the sporting bodies to Premier David Crisafulli urging him to reconsider his new stadium ban, backing a proposed AU$3.4 billion Victoria Park venue as the Brisbane Games centrepiece.They now want to meet with the premier to discuss the Gabba’s future, seeking assurances over a venue plan to ensure both sports will survive and “doesn’t send us broke”.Related

• Gabba to be demolished after 2032 Olympics, cricket to get new home in Brisbane

• Ashes 2025-26: CA schedules Brisbane day-night Test after Perth opener

• Is this the end for the Gabba?

Mr Crisafulli threw out Labor’s Olympic venue plan after winning the October 26 election, with an independent body set to launch a 100-day review and provide a new 2032 blueprint.However the Liberal National Party leader has repeatedly ruled out building a new Olympic stadium.Queensland Cricket and the Brisbane Lions are unfazed, saying they hope “common sense will prevail” when they speak with the premier after enduring an anxious wait over the Gabba’s future.”We’re hoping to meet with the new premier and his team over the next couple of weeks,” Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson told reporters on Friday.”[It is] just really to talk about what our expectations are but I guess more the frustrations that we have had over the last 18 months.”The Gabba was initially set to be knocked down and rebuilt for AU$2.7 billion under the Labor government for the 2032 Games before that was scrapped amid a backlash over rising costs.It was then set for a $600 million Olympic facelift under Labor before plans went back to square one under the new LNP government.Mr Svenson said “everything is on the table” for their government talks but backed the proposed 55,000-capacity Victoria Park stadium pitch.An independent Olympic venue review earlier this year claimed the Gabba would reach the end of its life in 2030 and was in “poor condition”.Uncertainty over the ageing facility’s future has ensured the Gabba is scrambling to host prestige international cricket matches as Australia’s No. 5 ranked Test venue.Mr Svenson said Queensland Cricket and the Lions wanted a decision on the Gabba’s fate sooner rather than later so they could plan for the future.Both sporting codes would need to find another home venue if the Gabba is revamped or replaced, with Queensland Cricket alone facing up to AU$40 million in displacement costs.”If displacement is back on the table we actually need to have that conversation with the government,” Mr Svenson said. “If this place gets knocked down and rebuilt where do the Lions play, where does Australian cricket play? It’s important for us to have certainty that it doesn’t send us broke.”Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie on Friday said he had not seen the letter but was “happy to look into it”.However, he backed its 100-day review, sticking with the government’s “no new stadium” mantra.

Clarity of purpose at the crunch moment delivered both of England’s World Cup titles. Can the same work for the Ashes?

Matt Roller18-Jul-2023England love semi-finals. Their best performances in both one-day and T20 cricket over the last five years – and maybe ever – have come in semis: the eight-wicket thrashing of Australia at Edgbaston in 2019, and the ten-wicket demolition of India in Adelaide last November.Now, they are at the equivalent stage of an Ashes series: two wins away from a trophy. It is a different format, with different coloured balls and kits, but seven members of England’s XI at Emirates Old Trafford this week have featured in at least one of those two semi-final routs, and two of them – Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes – played in both.These situations seem to focus the minds of England’s players, and sharpen their resolve. Their most recent semi-final defeat – against New Zealand in Dubai, in the 2021 T20 World Cup – came after a cruise through the group stage, which culminated in a defeat to South Africa in a game that was effectively a dead-rubber.The scenario was very different to that in both World Cup triumphs. In both tournaments, surprise results early in the group stages left them on the brink of elimination, needing to win four games in a row. In both tournaments, they resolved to double-down on their attacking approach. In both tournaments, the clarity brought out their best.In 2019, a rare team meeting at Edgbaston instigated by psychologist David Young prompted players to discuss candidly their fear of defeat and elimination ahead of their first must-win game against India. England resolved, as Woakes recalled in the book , that “If we were going to lose, we were going to go down swinging”. It was Stokes who opened up first that day, having been encouraged by Young over coffee the day before.Chris Woakes was a key performer as England routed Australia in the 2019 World Cup semi-final•Getty Images

And in 2022, Jos Buttler delivered a similar message at a training session at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, again before England’s first must-win game – this time, against New Zealand. “If anything, let’s fall on the positive side every time,” he told his team-mates. “We’re not going to go through the next few games and come away thinking, ‘I wish I took it on a bit more.'”Such moments often take on greater significance retroactively, assigned importance as inflection points in narrative arcs. Yet it was that clarity that Stokes alluded to at Lord’s, in the aftermath of a defeat that left England two-nil down with three to play: “It’s actually very exciting to know that the way in which we are playing our cricket couldn’t be more perfect for the situation we find ourselves in.”England’s ultra-attacking method with the bat came under sustained scrutiny in their defeat at Lord’s, with an expectation that they would rein themselves in at Headingley. Instead, they doubled down: they raced along at 4.79 runs per over in the third Test, their quickest scoring rate of the series so far.Woakes came into the side and played a significant role in that win, and acknowledged the parallels with those World Cup wins. “It maps it out for you, doesn’t it?” he said. “There are no ifs or buts or maybes: you’ve got no choice but to go and win. That probably suits this team nicely, as it has done the white-ball team when we’ve been in those situations.Related

• James Anderson nears his End-game with a rare point left to prove

• England, Australia and a men's Ashes that is locked and reloaded

• 'It might bring more out of us' – Stokes and England hope to beat the weather

• Switch Hit: Ashes and chill?

• Whisper it quietly but Zak Crawley is so far nailing this Ashes

“Hopefully, those experiences of a few players can help them. Everyone knows that we’ve got to go out there and try and win: Ben’s a big fan of not drawing Test matches. It does map it out for us and set it up for us that we have to go out there and win – and we are in Manchester, so I’m sure there’ll be rain at some point.”Stokes has suggested that the weather forecast – which is bad all week, but particularly at the weekend – will play a role in England’s approach, emphasising their determination to force a result. And that is where this Ashes Test differs from a World Cup semi-final: only one team actually needs to win.”A draw’s good enough for them,” Stokes said. Pat Cummins insisted that Australia’s “first preference is always to try to win”, citing their disappointment at drawing the 2019 series two-all. But he also conceded: “As the game progresses, you maybe start working out how risky you want to be.””It makes everything that we’ve been doing more relevant,” Stokes added. “If we were to shy away from the task at hand, that wouldn’t get the best out of us as a team in terms of the personnel that we have at the moment. Knowing we need to win this one… probably suits us even more, to be honest.”England’s unprecedented success in fourth-innings run-chases under this regime has proved that they thrive on lucidity, stripping the sport’s most impenetrable format back to something simple. If they do treat this Test like an Ashes semi-final, recent precedent suggests it will be worth watching.

At the same time, he sees ‘big things coming’ from pace duo of Fernando and Rajitha

Mohammad Isam23-May-2022Two wickets for 416 runs in 157 overs. These are the damning numbers of Sri Lanka’s spinners in the tour of Bangladesh so far. And Chris Silverwood, their new head coach, didn’t mince words when he was asked to assess their performance.On Monday, Sri Lanka had Bangladesh on the mat at 24 for 5, and then saw Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim add an unbroken 253-run stand that rescued the hosts. Spin accounted for 49 out of the 85 overs on the day, but none of the four bowlers could pick up a wicket.”We could have bowled a lot better but it is something we will talk about in the dressing room,” Silverwood said. “I think we need to bowl much better line and lengths. We gave too many balls away to hit. That’s something we have to work hard on to rectify. There’s no point hiding from it.”Silverwood, in particular, rued substitute Kamindu Mendis dropping Litton on 47 in the second session “Obviously it is disappointing to not push on from the start we got,” he said. “I thought we exploited the early movement fantastically well. The two seam bowlers [Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando] were exceptional again, in their discipline, the way they asked the batters questions.”Unfortunately we didn’t back it up after that. From there on, we gave away a lot of scoring opportunities. When we did force an error, we didn’t take that catch. It would have made a huge difference. It proved very costly to us.”While Silverwood was disappointed with the spinners, he was effusive in his praise for the new-ball bowlers. The coach was particularly pleased with how Fernando and Rajitha worked in tandem and believes he is seeing the makings of a strong Sri Lankan pace attack.”It does (give us hope),” he said. “In my second game in charge, I am having a good look at what we have got, and what we haven’t got. It does give me a lot of hope in the fact that in a very short period of time, we have managed to install discipline in the seam bowlers so that they can make a difference.”Whether it is attacking off-stump or bowling short. It worked in the last game, and created an opportunity in this game. But we didn’t take. It does give me a lot of hope. There’s room for improvement but we have to do it quickly. It is something that excites me.”

A decision on the matter will be taken during a meeting on January 17

PTI12-Jan-2021The Indian cricket board is set to organise a curtailed Ranji Trophy tournament from next month, and in all likelihood, in the same six bio-bubbles created for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A decision with regards to this will be taken during the BCCI Apex Council meeting on January 17, scheduled to be held virtually.There are seven items on the agenda, and at the top of the list is domestic cricket, which also includes junior and women’s categories. “As of now, there is 90 per cent chance that Ranji Trophy will start in February and we will have the same six bio-bubbles created for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The groupings will also be same — five groups of six teams each and one group of eight teams,” a senior BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity.The logic behind having the same bio-bubbles is that it’s already set and will be more convenient for operational purposes. “It could well happen that the league stage of the Ranji Trophy will be held before the IPL and then the knockouts, quarters, semi-finals and final held after the T20 league so that best teams don’t lose out on best players. It’s up for discussion. The women’s national tournament will be on and all age-group tournament will be held,” the source said.Other items on the agenda include the 2023-2031 ICC FTP cycle, for which the BCCI might ask for a bigger IPL window to host the ten-team tournament that is set to start from next year. The IPL will require a minimum of two months’ window and the other boards need to agree to have their players released for the better part of the tournament. It is expected that India will be playing a lot more bilateral series with more emphasis on T20 and Test cricket and lesser number of ODIs. There has been a constant debate on whether bilateral ODIs are fast losing their context.The ICC tax exemption issue is also slated to come up for discussion in the meeting. It is already decided that India will ask the global body to deduct from its annual revenue of USD 490 million in case they don’t get exemption from the central government on existing tax laws. The council will be intimated as to what the government’s stance is on the matter.

The Warriors spinners combined for figures of 7 for 46 as they kept their perfect season rolling with a 12-run win (DLS method) against Barbados Tridents

The Report by Varun Shetty23-Sep-2019
Guyana Amazon Warriors sealed a spot in the 2019 CPL playoffs with a 12-run win (DLS method) in a rain-truncated chase against Barbados Tridents. Their win was built on yet another impressive performance from their bowlers, particularly their spinners. Chris Green took a career-best 4 for 14, and Imran Tahir and Shoaib Malik took three between them as the spinners combined for figures of 11.3-0-46-7 to dismiss Tridents for 138. Tridents’ spinners couldn’t come into play as effectively, as Brandon King’s unbeaten fifty led the way in a chase that was stopped after 11 overs by rain with Amazon Warriors comfortably ahead of the par score.They now have 12 points in six matches, while Tridents stay in fourth place with four points in five games.A cracking start with the batAfter being put in, Tridents were served several short and wide balls by Keemo Paul in the first over, with a free hit also thrown in. They made 17 off that over, but Johnson Charles fell, slicing a cut to third man.Alex Hales, returning from the Vitality Blast, found his timing and played smart shots – flicks over square leg and one imperious cut through the covers. JP Duminy, caught in a rut last match, came out attacking too, picking up 14 off three in one sequence. Once again, it was Paul at the receiving end, with his second over going for 18. Tridents were 63 for 2 after the Powerplay.Spinners turn the gameThe very first ball after the Powerplay, Hales crunched a slog sweep off Tahir, but couldn’t get enough elevation on it. He picked out Shimron Hetmyer at deep midwicket. Tahir made it a double-wicket over off the last ball, screeching desperately as Jonathan Carter was struck on the front pad. After long consideration, the umpire nodded his head and raised his finger. Carter wasn’t pleased, but replays showed the legbreak had turned enough to hit him in line.Jason Holder then struggled during his short stay, being beaten twice on the inside edge by Malik and Tahir, before chipping one to long-on off Malik. Amazon Warriors had used spin to apply a squeeze in their last match as well, with Malik playing the fourth spinner’s role. On Sunday, he bowled four overs for ten runs.With the middle order crashing rapidly, Green was back to bowl in the final stages of the innings and had Ashley Nurse stumped, Duminy caught at deep square leg, and closed the innings with wickets off consecutive deliveries.A no-fuss chaseChandrapaul Hemraj struggled for rhythm but did just enough to put up yet another formidable opening stand with King. They put on 61 in seven overs before Hemraj chipped one back off Sandeep Lamichhane. He had hit one handsome shot, a back-foot punch over extra cover for six previously, but fell for 20 off 23.Hetmyer was out top-edging Duminy next over, but King had done enough to keep the pressure at bay. He hit three sixes, one running down the track and two rooted to the crease to lift over the leg side, and hit back-to-back boundaries square on either side just before rain stopped play. By that time, he was on 49 off 30 with Malik at the other end. The DLS par score was 61 for 2, and Amazon Warriors were 16 ahead.When play resumed an hour and 15 minutes later, the revised target was 97 – 20 to win off four overs – and King brought up his fifty in the only over bowled before rain returned.