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Doug Bracewell and Todd Astle combined for seven wickets to help New Zealand cruise to a five-wicket win in the first ODI in Whangarei

The Report by Nikhil Kalro19-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The early bird often gets the worm, but there is an equally good chance of nocturnal birds catching it. There are also significantly different approaches to ODI cricket. New Zealand are a disciplined team, insistent on doing the basics right. West Indies rely on their strength: a batting approach that revolves around attempting to find the boundary more often than gaps through the field. The longer the duration of a game, the better the chances of discipline trumping aggression.West Indies weren’t able to sustain their approach for long enough, but New Zealand did as they limited the visitors to 248 for 9, and then chased it down clinically in the first ODI in Whangarei. Doug Bracewell, on his return to international cricket after pleading guilty to a drink-driving offence, picked up 4 for 55 from eight overs, and legspinning ODI debutant Todd Astle finished with 3 for 33. New Zealand’s openers, George Worker and Colin Munro then blazed away with a 108-run stand off just 100 balls to effectively kill the game on a surface that got progressively better to bat on.Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis began cautiously, playing out three successive maidens. The first five overs produced four runs. Both batsmen soon found their hitting rhythm, combining for five fours and a six in a 40-run opening stand. At no point did they consider singles as a scoring option. Bracewell then had Gayle caught behind off his first ball. A thick inside edge had Shai Hope two balls later.West Indies enjoyed their best period of batting thereafter, as Shimron Hetmyer and Lewis picked their deliveries to score off. Unsurprisingly, both batsmen were in most control when they were attacking. Hetmyer, though, failed to pick a googly from Astle in the 24th over, chipping a catch to long-off, an indicator that Hetmyer hasn’t found his batting tempo just yet.As has happened so often on their tour already, West Indies’ middle order was again done in by a combination of pace and the lack of it. Lockie Ferguson, generating 145-kmph speeds, had Jason Mohammed caught on the crease and chopping onto his stumps. Jason Holder was caught at gully, a one-handed stunner from Ross Taylor to his right, off a legcutter from Bracewell. West Indies had quickly slumped from 103 for 2 to 134 for 5.After a 43-run partnership that stabilised West Indies, Lewis misread a googly, missing a sweep off a full delivery on 76. Umpire Shamshuddin, it seemed, misread the variation too, as replays showed the ball would have missed off stump. West Indies didn’t have a review left.Rovman Powell displayed admirable patience, biding his time to carry West Indies to 50 overs. In Kesrick Williams’ company, he struck a belligerent 50-ball 59, which included two fours and four sixes.New Zealand’s top order, led by openers Worker and Munro, showed up West Indies’ woefully under-par total. West Indies’ seamers bowled two lengths: too short or too full, struggling to find the perfect length in between. Both batsmen laid into short and wide deliveries, scoring a combined 47 runs square on the off side.West Indies, though, hit back quickly with wickets in consecutive overs. Munro lobbed a catch to short cover in the 17th over, beaten slightly for pace off the bowling of Williams. Worker then misread the trajectory of a dart from Ashley Nurse, missing a cut that was far too close to his body.With no lateral movement on an even surface, conditions were perfect for batting. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor looked largely unflustered in a 57-run partnership at 4.12 per over.One of Williamson’s strengths is his ability to rotate strike through third man with an angled bat, but with the line close to off stump, that stroke becomes risky. He chopped one such delivery from Jason Holder onto his stumps on 38.Taylor stayed circumspect through his innings, displaying a keenness to take New Zealand home. His unbeaten 76-ball 49 included just two fours, but like New Zealand’s way, it got the job done.

A round-up of the final day of Group B matches in the second round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2016Maharashtra picked up the all-important first-innings points, despite a triple century from Rishabh Pant, as their run glut against Delhi, which was only the second first-class match to have two triple centuries, ended in a predictable draw at the Wankhede Stadium. The first match took place in the 1988-89 edition, between Tamil Nadu and Goa, which saw triples from WV Raman and Kripal Singh.Delhi had ended the third day on 376 for 5 in their first innings. That, after Maharashtra had piled on 635 for 2 declared, courtesy Swapnil Gugale’s triple century and Ankit Bawne’s double century, and the duo’s unbeaten, record-breaking third-wicket stand of 594 – the second-highest for any wicket in first-class history.Pant, resuming on 155, scored 308 at breathtaking speed, off just 326 balls, studded with 42 fours and nine sixes. He became the third-youngest Indian to score a first-class triple century, after Wasim Jaffer and Abhinav Mukund, as well as the second wicketkeeper to score a triple ton in the Ranji Trophy, and seventh in first-class cricket. When he fell, stumped off the left-arm spin of Satyajeet Bachhav, Delhi were 577 for 7, still 58 shy of Maharashtra’s total. However, they were bowled out 46 balls later, for 590.Maharashtra reached 58 for no loss in the second innings when play ended.A low-scoring encounter between Odisha and Saurashtra ended with Odisha picking up a narrow 32-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, thanks to right-arm medium pacer Suryakant Pradhan’s 5 for 69. Odisha had taken 42-run first-innings lead, before getting dismissed for 169 in their second innings. Set 212, Saurashtra had limped to 96 for 5 at the end of the third day, with Sagar Jogiyani on 42 and Arpit Vasavada on 1. The two added 60 more, before Jogiyani fell lbw to Deepak Behera for 68. Vasavada fell for 45 eight overs later, and was the ninth man dismissed. Soon after, Saurashtra were bowled out for 179, having lost their last four wickets for 23 runs.Karnataka collected first-innings points, courtesy their first-innings lead of 203 against Jharkhand in Greater Noida. Karnataka had put up 577 for 6 after making first use of the surface, courtesy R Samarth’s maiden double century. Jharkhand were 309 for 6, with Ishan Kishan unbeaten on 118 when the final day began. They folded for 374, with Kishan unbeaten on 159.Legspinner Samar Quadri dismissed Karnataka’s top-three, before unbeaten half-centuries from Karun Nair and Kaunain Abbas took them to 162 for 3 when play ended.

Jesse Ryder scored a breezy hundred, Ravi Bopara made a rather more steadfast 99 but James Anderson’s four-for ensured that Lancashire remain in with a sniff of conjuring the victory required if they are to overtake Surrey

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford23-Sep-2015
ScorecardJesse Ryder scored his second Championship hundred of the season•Getty Images

It was a day for high-class operators at Chelmsford. Jesse Ryder scored a breezy hundred, Ravi Bopara made a rather more steadfast 99 but James Anderson’s four-for ensured that Lancashire remain in with a sniff of conjuring the victory required if they are to overtake Surrey and claim the Division Two title.As England’s leading Test run-scorer, Alastair Cook can probably count himself in high-class category too but he managed only 1 off seven balls before losing his duel with Anderson. Forced to watch on from the Essex balcony, it is possible some of the day’s entertainment might have been lost on him. “I didn’t get a smile at lunch,” Anderson said afterwards.Anderson sat out the last two Tests of England’s Ashes victory due to a side strain but he looked to have found his groove again here, a week before the squad flies out to the UAE.”I’ve missed playing so it’s been nice to have a couple of games for Lancashire,” he said. “It was frustrating missing maybe six weeks with injury but I think once you get a little bit older and more experienced it’s easier to come back and settle back in to four-day cricket. I’ll hopefully continue to get better rhythm and take more wickets in this game.”The last time Lancashire played here, in 2013, they bowled Essex out for 20. At 14 for 2 and then 29 for 3 after being put in on a damp September morning, there were dark murmurings that the home side would implode again. They were rescued by stands of 186 and 95 for the next two wickets, before Anderson returned with the second new ball to leave things in the balance. It is not inconceivable that a deal could be struck later on, should Surrey fail to put away Northamptonshire at The Oval.Essex may have appeared in trouble but Ryder does not seem to let too much worry him these days. After showing Anderson and Glen Chapple due deference, he tucked in against the change bowling, the bat swinging insouciantly through the line as he recorded his second Championship century of the season.Ryder has found tranquillity in Chelmsford after the turbulence that marked his earlier career. He looks like finishing short of 1000 first-class runs but the supporters do not lack for excuses to applaud his lazily destructive batting or handy seam-up bowling (he has taken another 44 wickets this season). Tom Bailey felt the brunt of his attack, conceding 37 off the 27 balls he bowled to Ryder, which included a couple of sixes swatted beyond the boundary boards.He brought up his hundred from just 115 deliveries, having also threatened the fencing at the Hayes Close End with another maximum off Luis Reece. Then, a ball after pulling Bailey dismissively over square leg, he played leadenly at a straight one to be bowled for 116, his appetite sated.Bopara looked less at ease throughout, which is perhaps to be expected after a season in which his previous top score in the Championship was 69. Anderson was peeved not to be awarded an lbw decision against him on 27 and Bopara nearly ran himself out on 78, having to dive for his crease as Bailey chased the ball into the leg side in his follow through but missed the stumps.In between times, he threaded a number of silken drives through the covers and down the ground, while Ryan ten Doeschate contributed to the flow with an aggressive 59 during a partnership of 95. He eventually spooned Anderson to mid-off and Bopara, after spending 26 balls in the 90s and five overs on 99, followed him two overs later when he got something on a rising delivery and Phil Mustard sprawled to take the catch.The fact this is now effectively a three-day match, after Tuesday’s washout, lent an old-fashioned feel to proceedings. The involvement of so many international players was also slightly retro – Lancashire’s new-ball pair had 321 England caps between them (albeit Anderson had 320 of them).Cook got off the mark with a push into the covers off Chapple but only survived one delivery from Anderson before being pinned in front. Cook once recalled that the first time he played against Anderson a decade ago “he called me everything under the sun” but he would surely have put up with the potty mouth if it had meant significant time in the middle ahead of England’s UAE tour. The next time Anderson wants a rest with England, he may have to ask his captain extra nicely.Chapple then picked up wickets 983 and 984 of his illustrious first-class career. Will he play on next season to reach the four-figure mark? It seems even he is unsure. But a demanding opening spell of 12 overs in which he had Tom Westley, Essex’s England Lions batsman, caught behind and Nick Browne, their leading scorer this season, taken at third slip, suggested he still has the skill and stamina to contribute as Lancashire attempt stay in Division One.

Former Test batsman Hashan Tillakaratne has replaced Hemantha Wickramaratne in Sri Lanka’s new selection panel

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jan-2013Former Test batsman Hashan Tillakaratne has replaced Hemantha Wickramaratne in Sri Lanka’s new selection panel, after Wickramaratne stepped down due to work commitments, new chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya said.Tillakaratne had been among the nominees sent to the sports minister by Sri Lanka Cricket, but had not been appointed in the five-member panel on Monday. Tillakaratne is a member of provincial council for the United National Party, which is in opposition to the United People’s Freedom Alliance of which Jayasuriya and the sports minister are members.Wickramaratne had resigned because he was called upon to become one of the two full-time selectors on the panel, but was unable to relinquish his other commitments. “He can’t be a full time selector with us because of his work,” Jayasuriya said. “Because of that we’ve got Hashan Tillakaratne in our panel, who has played a lot of international cricket and brings that experience.”Tillakaratne will be a full time selector alongside former fast-bowling team-mate Pramodya Wickramasinghe, while Jayasuriya, Eric Upashantha and Chaminda Mendis will be employed part-time. Tillakaratne had been a critic of the current administration, and had even alleged political interference in the last SLC elections. He said he would continue to hold his post as a member of provincial council, while he worked as a full-time selector.”I took this job because I see it as a duty,” Tillakaratne said. “I played for a long time and benefited from the game, and I think if I can help take Sri Lanka cricket forward in any way, I have a duty to do that.”I do have the time to be both a member of provincial council and a full time selector, and it is after considering all that that I decided to accept this position. Sanath was one of the best cricketers in the world and I’m enthusiastic about working with him and the rest of the panel. I think we will be able to do something good.”SLC had said it would endeavour to cut its ties with politics after Haroon Lorgat issued his report recommending less political influence in the board, but with two politicians now on the selection panel and the with no moves having been taken to cut the sports minister out of the selection process, superficially, politics has become even more embedded in cricket administration.Jayasuriya was adamant however, that his panel’s sole focus would be on cricket, and that the selectors’ political affiliation would not affect their work for SLC. “We’re not concerned with the politics of either party on this panel. What we are concerned with is Sri Lanka’s cricket and that will be our top priority. We should thank the sports minister for choosing someone like Hashan, who has played for Sri Lanka and also been a good captain.”The sports minister has given us the freedom to act independently of political affiliations and it was encouraging to hear that. We will stay focused on improving Sri Lanka’s cricket.”Tillakaratne was a stylish left-handed batsman who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka. He captained the side in 11 Tests between 1999 and 2004, and was a member of the World Cup winning side alongside Jayasuriya and Wickramasinghe in 1996.

Northern Districts rode on Kane Williamson’s all-round performance to snuff Wellington’s challenge by 34 runs at the Basin Reserve

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2012Northern Districts rode on Kane Williamson’s all-round performance to snuff Wellington‘s challenge by 34 runs at the Basin Reserve. Williamson did the early running at the top of the order after Northern Districts chose to bat. His 53 off 41 deliveries dominated his three partnerships and laid the base for Peter McGlashan to launch a late assault. McGlashan hammered three sixes in racing to 29 off 14 before being run out off the final delivery of the innings. Andy McKay and Luke Woodcock returned decent figures for Wellington, picking up two wickets each, but Mark Gillespie went for 49 from his four overs as Northern Districts ended on 162 for 7.Trent Boult and Scott Styris almost ended Wellington’s chase early, striking twice each to reduce them to 35 for 4, a position from which they never recovered. James Franklin was the lone batsman to produce any sort of fightback, but when he fell for 48 to Daniel Vettori, Wellington’s chase was all but over. Williamson helped himself to three lower-order wickets as Wellington were dismissed for 128 with an over to go.

The first Test between Sri Lanka and England’s Under-19 teams at Galle ended in a high-scoring draw, with neither side’s bowlers able to wrest the initiative as the batsmen prospered in helpful conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2011
ScorecardThe first Test between Sri Lanka and England’s Under-19 teams at Galle ended in a high-scoring draw, with neither side’s bowlers able to wrest the initiative as the batsmen prospered in helpful conditions. Seven half-centuries and two hundreds scored in the course of the four-day game, Sri Lankan captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa top-scoring with 149 on the first day.Rajapaksa’s decision to bat first appeared to be vindicated when his side racked up a mammoth 376 for 4 by stumps on the first day, with opener Dhananjaya de Silva contributing 84 and Yasoda Lanka striking 12 fours in an aggressive 80. Rajapaksa was in an even more dominant mood during his innings, which included 18 fours and four sixes.England fought back almost immediately on the second day, however, when Duleeka Thissakuttige was dismissed by Tom Milnes three deliveries into the day’s play. His departure sparked a lower-order collapse and the home side were bowled out before lunch for 415.A team effort from England’s batsmen, with wicketkeeper Adam Rossington’s 113 well-supported by half-centuries from captain Lewis Gregory and Adam Ball and contributions from every player, took England to a first-innings lead of 117 as they were bowled out for 532 on the third day.There was still an outside chance of a result to the game at that stage, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen once again cashed in and only offspinner Jack Parsons, with 4 for 93, had any luck as they reached 324 for 6 before the game was called a draw.

The ICC is planning a meeting with television broadcasters in March to sort out problems arising from the Umpire Decision Review System

Akhila Ranganna25-Jan-2010The ICC is planning a meeting with television broadcasters in March to sort out problems arising from the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS). Speaking on Cricinfo’s show, Dave Richardson, ICC’s general manager, said the system – which he said has reduced errors in decision-making since its implementation – would improve with standardisation of technology, and the meeting would discuss the cost implications in this for the member boards and broadcasters.”The only way for us to successfully standardise the technology specifications and develop protocols is first of all to discuss and determine them,” Richardson said. “The first step will be to get together with the broadcasters and the technology suppliers and come up with a more refined set of specifications. And [then] to implement those protocols and practice them.”The overall consensus across the board, whether from umpires or players or the media, is that the UDRS has worked well; that we should continue to implement it but we should look at ways of improving the technology, refining the technology and certainly as far as possible standardise the technology across all series.”One serious issue is inadequate equipment – there are currently four Hot Spot cameras available worldwide and the technology has not been used in all Test series since the UDRS was made mandatory last October. Richardson admits to the problem but says having less equipment is better than none – at least some errors will still be caught this way.However, the main hurdle on the way ahead is the cost involved in getting the system up to scratch. Richardson conceded that things were difficult “with existing agreements in place between members and broadcasters” when the system was implemented but disagreed with suggestions that the ICC should take on the cost burden to implement the technology. “When someone says the ICC must pay, in effect what we are asking is for the members to pay. Now some will argue, why should members like Afghanistan, Ireland, Holland – or even some of the other full members who do not have as many Tests – be paying the costs for Tests put on in some other full-member country?”The misgivings surrounding the UDRS reached a flashpoint during the recent fourth Test between South Africa and England in Johannesburg with umpire Daryl Harper at the centre of controversy. When Graeme Smith, on 15, cut Ryan Sidebottom, England went up for the top-edge. However, Tony Hill, the on-field umpire, turned down the appeal and Andrew Strauss asked for a review. There was no noticeable deflection on the replays so the noise from the stump microphone would have to be the decisive evidence. Harper said he couldn’t hear anything and upheld Hill’s verdict.The problem, as David Lloyd, the former England coach, explained on , was a multiplicity of broadcasters. “The [host] broadcaster, SABC, had a technical glitch in their sound department at that time so the director and the two commentators didn’t hear the nick either,” said Lloyd, who was on the commentary panel for that series. “So the information fed to Harper meant that he didn’t hear the nick, but on Supersport and Sky [who were also broadcasting the game], with different technicians, everybody heard the nick. So there is a real problem there for the ICC and the review system to ensure the broadcasting body has got the right people and the right equipment to hear the nick. Harper was also looking at a totally inadequate monitor. He has got to have the best monitor available.””[That] was a very good example of how complicated this can all get,” Richardson conceded. “Obviously if we had that series again we would make sure that the same levels or specifications that the host broadcaster was using was also being used by the other broadcasters so that there was no room for different feed going out to different people.”One of the key reasons behind the introduction of the UDRS was to reduce the scrutiny on the umpires but the Johannesburg Test showed that the results can sometimes be the opposite. “Obviously the DRS system is going to involve much more scrutiny on the third umpire himself and the role of the third umpire is crucial to the success of the system,” said Richardson. “But we are hoping that once everyone gets used to the DRS being used it will be used like it is in tennis. In so doing actually, the end result will be that the umpires won’t be blamed necessarily for causing series to be lost or players’ careers to be ended and everyone will just accept that the best decision was reached in a majority of the cases.”There is a view that the UDRS should have been trialled at the first-class level before it was introduced at the Test level but Richardson disagreed. “The problem with that is purely a practical one. First, there is very little first-class cricket that is televised. Secondly, if it is even televised, the technology that is available at those matches is very scant. Thirdly, what is needed is for players to get better understanding of when to use the system and when not to. The umpires also need to get practice at implementing the various protocols. I don’t think we would have made any progress had we initially trialled it at first-class level.”In the 13 Tests the UDRS had been used in since October 2009, the correct decision percentage had gone up from 91.3% (had the UDRS not been used) to 97.4%. But Richardson conceded that “when it comes to decisions involving thin edges, more often than not in fact, the TV technology that is available does not always help on every occasion”.The answer, he reiterated, is standardisation. “Unless we are able to improve and refine the specifications it may well be that in the end we think this is too complicated and we leave it to the on-field umpires. But I think we have already learnt enough to see that the percentage of decision-making can be improved using the DRS and, yes, it is not going to be perfect 100% of the time, so if we can get correct 97% of the time then it is all worthwhile.”

Star-studded Lancashire derailed as George Garton claims four wickets

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Jul-2025Birmingham Bears opened the Vitality Blast North Group right up with a 36-run victory over leaders Lancashire Lightning at Edgbaston.Warwickshire stacked up 203 for nine, their first 200-plus total against Lancashire in the Blast, thanks to Dan Mousley’s thunderous 32 from 12 balls, which took them to 74 in the powerplay, and Ed Barnard’s luscious 54 (34). Jack Blatherwick and Tom Hartley emerged from the onslaught with a creditable three for 29 and two for 29 respectively.Lancashire replied with 167 all out from 18.1 overs, their chase undone right at the start when George Garton (four for 28) dismissed both openers in the first over. They slumped to 111 for seven and Hartley’s violent late 35 (16) was in a lost cause as the Lightning faded to defeat beneath the beautiful, burgundy Birmingham sunset.The Bears’ win means just eight points separate the top six as the North group heads towards its denouement.After the Bears were put in it was a case of two fours and out for openers Alex Davies and Tom Latham, both back in the pavilion before the end of the second over. That paved the way for a dazzling cameo from Mousley who hit James Anderson for four fours in an over before leading-edging Luke Wood to mid off.Barnard smote his first ball for six and timed the ball exquisitely in a stand of 74 in 47 with Sam Hain (36, 27) before the latter drove Hartley to extra cover. The spinner soon added the wicket of Barnard who passed his third T20 half-century, from 30 balls, then slogged to deep mid-wicket.Rob Yates (19, 14) and Garton (16, eight) kept the momentum high, the latter falling to a wonder catch by Green who hurled himself far and low to take a skier in front of the Hollies Stand.Lancashire’s quest for 204 started horribly – after one over, from Garton they were two for two. Keaton Jennings chipped his first ball to deep mid-wicket and Jos Buttler was lbw to his third. Phil Salt then fell to another stunning catch, by Yates, again right in front of the Hollies, from a pull off Garton.Already needing more than ten per over, there was no way back for Lightning. Luke Wells chipped Craig Miles to extra cover and Ashton Turner slog-swept Danny Briggs’ fourth ball to Hain at deep mid-wicket. That was Briggs’ 303rd T20 wicket and Hain’s 85th T20 catch and sent Lancashire into the last ten overs needing 119 with five down.Hartley’s 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th T20 sixes achieved no more than taking his side to respectability. Anderson has performed many excellent feats on the cricket field but finding 37 from the last two overs here was beyond him and the Lightning’s run of four successive wins was over.

Assam withdrew the appeal during the tea break right after the dismissal and the decision was accepted by the umpires

Vishal Dikshit16-Feb-2024Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane was given out obstructing the field for the first time in his 16-year professional career, before he was dramatically called back to bat because the opposition, Assam, withdrew the appeal in the last league game of the Ranji Trophy at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai.Rahane was batting on 18 with Mumbai on 102 for 4 in the last over before the scheduled tea break, when he drove his 52nd delivery, from Assam fast bowler and debutant Dibakar Johri, to mid-on and took off for a single. But by the time his batting partner Shivam Dube denied the single and sent Rahane back, Assam captain Denish Das fired in a throw at the keeper’s end and hit Rahane who was trying to get back to the crease.The Assam players went up in an appeal immediately for “obstructing the field” and Rahane was given out by the on-field umpire on the fourth ball of the 25th over. Tea was taken two balls early with Mumbai 102 for 5 in reply to Assam’s 84 all out.Related

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However, Assam decided to withdraw the appeal during the tea break and told the umpires as much. As per the laws, the appeal for a dismissal needs to be withdrawn before the next ball is bowled and has to be accepted by the umpires for the batter to be recalled. Luckily for Rahane, there was a break in play after his temporary dismissal and both teams were back in the dressing room. The withdrawal of the appeal was accepted by the umpires and Rahane walked out to bat again about 20 minutes later.Shardul Thakur later said Rahane was reluctant to bat again “because his ethics didn’t allow him,” but also explained what he saw on the replays in the dressing room, which could have led to the withdrawal of the appeal.”We were playing the video [in the dressing room] and all we saw was he turned and he was running in a straight line,” Thakur said after the day’s play. “So at no point he changed his direction. The only direction that was changed was when he took that turn and after that he didn’t change his direction looking at the ball and he wasn’t trying to obstruct the field. But yes umpires felt that he could be given out since the throw was aimed at the stumps but I think the Assam coach also saw the video and he didn’t feel Rahane had done it purposely and obstructed the throw.”Thakur emphasised that Rahane had not changed his direction while running because as per Law 37.1, as stated by the MCC, “Either batter is out Obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, and while the ball is in play, he/she wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action.” Law 37.2 further states: “A batter shall not be out Obstructing the field if the obstruction or distraction is accidental, or the obstruction is in order to avoid injury…”Thakur further said the Assam coach Trevor Gonsalves walked up to the Mumbai dressing room during the tea break to “apologise” for the appeal and asked Rahane to resume batting after the break.”They wanted to withdraw the appeal and since it was tea time, they couldn’t convey it immediately but their coach walked up to us and he said, ‘we apologise for the appeal because it was in the heat of the moment and we want to withdraw the appeal.’ He conveyed the same thing to the umpires also and probably it was mutually agreed that Rahane would go on to bat. But Ajinkya was not keen on going back again because he said once he’s given out, it’s out. But we convinced him that if it’s not out then you can go and bat again and if you do that, it’ll be for the team. His ethics didn’t allow him to do that but for the team it was needed that he goes back again and bats.”Rahane padded up again and went out with Dube but couldn’t capitalise on his luck and was bowled by the same bowler four overs after the tea break. He survived only 17 more deliveries and was eventually sent back for 22 off 69 balls.Rahane had earlier struck three fours in his innings – two through the covers and one wide of mid-on – and was reviving Mumbai’s innings with Dube after they were 60 for 4 in the 16th over. Their partnership was worth 50 off 77 deliveries, including 16 runs from Rahane, 30 from Dube and four extras.Rahane has so far had an unimpressive Ranji season with just 112 runs from eight innings at an average of 16.00. He had missed two league games with injuries when the team was led by Shams Mulani against Bihar and by Dube against Bengal.Assam were earlier bowled out in just 32.1 overs as Shardul Thakur, who returned from a niggle in the last round, ran through the visitors with figures of 6 for 21 from 10.1 overs after Mumbai had opted to bowl.It was Thakur’s first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket in two years and he was playing only his second Ranji game of the season after recovering from an ankle niggle that had kept him out of action for a few weeks. He said he was now back to full fitness and ready to bowl as many overs as required in a day.”All I tried to do was pitch in the right areas and once we got a couple of wickets, the whole idea was to take four to five wickets before lunch time,” he said. “We weren’t targeting them to take all 10 wickets but the whole idea was to take as many wickets we could and if we could take five wickets in a session that would be brilliant. Shams also chipping in after my spell, he got those two wickets, and the last three or four wickets were the icing on the cake.Mumbai are currently leading the Group B table with 30 points after four wins, one draw and a loss from six games and have already qualified for the quarter-finals.

“We know very well that if we win against India, it will be called an upset. We will try to play our best cricket”

Mohammad Isam01-Nov-20221:44

Shakib: ‘India one of the favourites – if we win, it will be an upset’

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has downplayed the team’s chances against India, who he feels are the “favourites”, but says he will try to produce an “upset”, when the two sides meet in the T20 World Cup in Adelaide on Wednesday. Shakib called on his young team to forget about India’s might and play with a “nothing to lose” mentality, as he feels Bangladesh are “not here to win the World Cup”.Asked what Bangladesh’s next target is after overcoming Netherlands and Zimbabwe, Shakib said: “We want to play well in the next two matches (against India and Pakistan), so if we can win one of them, it will count as an upset.Related

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• Under-fire Shanto and Mustafizur finally come good

• Zimbabwe fall short as Bangladesh win in chaotic final-over finish

“We will be happy to inflict that upset. Both teams, on paper, are better than us. If we play well, if it is our day, why can’t we win? We have seen Ireland beat England, and Zimbabwe beat Pakistan in this World Cup. A similar result will definitely make us happy.”As I said in Bangla before, India is the favourite team, they came here to win the World Cup. We are not favourites, we didn’t come here to win the World Cup. We know very well that if we win against India, it will be called an upset. We will try to play our best cricket.”These are usually not the words that fans would want to hear, particularly during a World Cup when emotions are high. India also have a better head-to-head record in T20Is, having won ten T20Is and lost only one against Bangladesh. Shakib feels India will be particularly dangerous at the Adelaide Oval, having played here 29 times compared to Bangladesh’s experience of playing in this venue only once.”I can’t say that (the day-night timing) makes it equally balanced (for both sides),” he said. “India have played plenty of matches in all formats in this ground [29 times, overall]. Only Taskin and I have played here from our team. Quite naturally, it is not the same feeling. We will try very hard to give our 100 percent, to get the best result for the team.”They have tied up teams below 160 in all their matches. We have to bat really well to get 160-170, which is a par score in this World Cup. We have to play really well against India’s bowling. They have some world class players.”He also praised his side for closing out tight matches, particularly the one against Zimbabwe in which Bangladesh were expected to struggle on the pacy and bouncy Gabba wicket. Instead, they defended 150 with consistent performances from the fast bowlers and won the game by three runs.”Most T20 matches are decided in the last two overs. It is important to hold on to the nerve,” Shakib said. “We are turning around from a time when we lost a lot of close matches. We are improving in that regard, by winning a couple of close games.”I am definitely satisfied (with our performance). We were playing well except for the game against South Africa. It can happen in T20s. We want to play well in the remaining matches, which is very difficult in different conditions and against different attacks. I believe our team is capable of playing well consistently.”He also hoped that Bangladesh’s 2015 World Cup memories at this venue, when their 15-run win over England took them to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time, could inspire them.