All posts by h716a5.icu

Duronto Rajshahi have finished top of the Bangladesh Premier League table after winning what ended up being a tense match against Dhaka Gladiators in Mirpur

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2012
ScorecardMohammad Sami took lots of wickets for very little runs•BPL T20Duronto Rajshahi have finished top of the Bangladesh Premier League table after winning what ended up being a tense match against Dhaka Gladiators in Mirpur. Dhaka also qualify as they have a better run-rate than Chittagong Kings. Mohammad Sami had remarkable figures of 5 for 6 as Dhaka were shot out for 116, but Rajshahi stuttered in the chase and needed captain Mushfiqur Rahim to score 40 not out as they won in the final over.Sami had ripped through the Dhaka line-up, causing them to collapse from 59 for 2 to 116 all out in 18.2 overs. All of Sami’s wickets were either lbw or bowled.The chase looked a simple one, but Rajshahi slipped to 80 for 6. Mushfiqur stitched together a 32-run partnership with Soumya Sarkar to get Rajshahi close. Sarkar’s dismissal in the 19th over meant the match was pushed into the final over. Sami, who had been the star with the ball, came in and scored 3 off 3 balls with the bat to help Mushfiqur get Rajshahi over the line.

Samit Patel, the England allrounder, has withdrawn from next year’s IPL auction in a bid to boost his chances of earning a Test place

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2011Samit Patel, the England allrounder, has withdrawn from next year’s IPL auction in a bid to boost his chances of earning a Test place. If he had been picked up for the IPL – and it was far from certain he would have gained a deal – it would have meant missing up to seven County Championship matches at the start of the English season.Patel returned to England’s one-day side against Sri Lanka during the 2011 season having missed out on a World Cup berth due to his fitness issues. He played every game during England’s recent tour of India, scoring 160 runs at 40.00 and took four wickets in the 5-0 whitewash to emerge as one of the few players with some credit.However, although Patel’s move will be noted by the England management, he faces a tough task to force his way into the Test reckoning as either a second spinner or frontline batsman but is hoping the weight of runs in the early domestic season will bring him into the selectors’ thinking for the series against West Indies and South Africa in 2012.”My biggest ambition is to play Test cricket,” Patel said. “I need to score a high volume of runs in the Championship to push my case. If I was selected for the IPL then I would miss several Championship matches and that won’t help me at a time when I need to do everything I can to impress the selectors.”I have listened to the advice from people that I trust and it is clear that this decision is the right one to have made for cricket reasons. The IPL is an exciting tournament and I would like to be involved in it in the future, but not to the detriment of my England ambitions.”Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire coach, supported Patel’s move which will also strengthen the county during a crucial period of Championship cricket.”Samit has got himself back into England’s limited-overs teams but he feels that he can become a Test match regular and it goes without saying that scoring a high volume of runs for Nottinghamshire will help him to achieve his ambition,” said Newell. “Staying away from the IPL this year is a mature decision and one that we hope will benefit Samit’s career and improve our prospects in the Championship.”Patel’s decision mirrors that of Ravi Bopara who decided not to play in last season’s IPL, in an attempt to secure a place against Sri Lanka, while Stuart Broad has also resisted the the tournament’s lure. Yet, despite Bopara’s 408 runs in the opening five matches last season, the England selectors favoured Eoin Morgan for the first Test, who did play in the 2011 IPL, after he struck 193 for the Lions in the tour match against Sri Lanka at Derby.As ever with Patel, runs and wickets won’t be the only factor, either, as Andy Flower, the England team director, made clear in a recent interview with the when he said Patel “hasn’t properly addressed his fitness issues. He’d better, otherwise he’ll be out of the side.”Patel faces a challenge to dislodge one of England’s established top six batsmen, while Bopara and James Taylor are also ahead of him in the pecking order. The most likely route into the Test team remains as a second spinner, which England rarely require on home soil.Last season Patel took 33 first-class wickets at 30.81, together with over 1,000 runs at 47.56. Monty Panesar, England’s reserve spinner on the 2010-11 Ashes tour, was the highest wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship in 2011 with 69 victims at 27.24 and also boasts 126 Test match wickets at 34.37.The England Test squad is set to be announced in the forthcoming weeks for the three-match series against Pakistan in Dubai.

Dinesh Karthik, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper, will move from Kings XI Punjab to the Mumbai Indians in the first notable transfer ahead of the IPL’s fifth season

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jan-2012Dinesh Karthik, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper, will move from Kings XI Punjab to the Mumbai Indians in the first notable transfer ahead of the IPL’s fifth season. Karthik was bagged by the Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed sum. A BCCI insider said it was easily the highest sum paid to buy a player from another team in the history of the IPL. In exchange for Karthik, allrounder R Sathish will go to Kings XI.”It was a substantial sum and easily the highest in strictly trading terms,” the board official said. “Mumbai wanted a keeper. Punjab did not mind as they were getting a good amount of money.”Kings XI had spent $900,000 (Rs 4.77 crores) on Karthik during the Jaunary 2011 auction, making him the second-most expensive player in their squad, behind David Hussey and joint with captain Adam Gilchrist. Though the IPL and both franchises have been muted about the trade, it is understood that Mumbai have paid $2.35 million (Rs 12.4 crores* approximately) for Karthik. Unlike during the auction, when the franchises are restricted by a specific purse, there are no caps on spending during trading. According to IPL rules, 20% of the profit made in a trade – in this case $1.45 million – goes to the player with the rest going to the franchise selling him.Sathish, who does not have an India cap, will be paid Rs 30 lakhs ($56,619) by Kings XI according to IPL rules.Despite having a power-packed squad, Mumbai Indians have struggled to find a full-time wicketkeeper. Yogesh Takawale, Luke Ronchi and Aditya Tare were tried over the first three seasons. They bought South African Davy Jacobs during the 2011 auction, and he turned heads by standing up to the quicks. However, he picked up a hip injury during the Champions League T20 in September last year, forcing Mumbai Indians to throw the gloves to Ambati Rayudu, whose frailties as a keeper were exposed during the tournament.When the trading window opened on December 15, 2011, Mumbai Indians immediately declared their interest in Karthik. Kings XI have Gilchrist as their first-choice wicketkeeper and Haryana’s Nitin Saini in reserve, which would have made it easier for them to take the large amount offered for Karthik.Karthik spent the first three IPL seasons at the Delhi Daredevils but they did not retain him for the next season. Kings XI grabbed him at the auction, doubling the $525,000 Delhi had bought him for in 2008. Karthik was the first-choice wicketkeeper for the Daredevils but had to play as a batsman for Kings XI. In thirteen matches for Kings XI, he scored 282 runs at 25.63. In his 46 matches for the Daredevils, in the IPL and CLT20, he got 803 runs at 25.90 and affected 37 dismissals.In a release issued by the BCCI, the owners of Kings XI were quoted as saying, “Dinesh played an important role for Kings XI Punjab last season, but with our captain Adam Gilchrist donning the wicketkeeping gloves, we were unable to harness Dinesh’s complete potential. Everybody at Kings XI Punjab wishes him the very best in his future endeavours.”The owner of Mumbai Indians, Nita Ambani, said: “We are very pleased to add a player of Dinesh Karthik’s calibre and specific skills to the Mumbai Indians squad as this addition will further strengthen our side.”Sathish joined the Mumbai Indians for the third season of the IPL; he was granted amnesty by the BCCI after he quit the rebel Indian Cricket League. He played 28 matches for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and CLT20, scored 223 runs at 15.92 and took two wickets. He also impressed with his athletic fielding.The first window for trading between IPL franchises closes on January 20. There will be another short window for trading after the February 4 auction in which the players of now terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be sold.04:26 GMT, Jan 7: This story had said Rs 1.24 crores. This has been corrected

Benny Howell blasted an explosive half-century as the Hampshire Royals demolished the Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 174 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at Wantage Road

26-Jul-2011
ScorecardBenny Howell blasted an explosive half-century as the Hampshire Royals demolished the Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 174 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B match at Wantage Road.Howell smashed an unbeaten 84 runs off just 54 balls, including six fours and three sixes as the Royals piled on 307 for six from their 40 overs. Liam Dawson weighed in with 70, while David Lucas took five for 48 – his first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket.The Steelbacks were woeful in response as they collapsed to 133 all out with Ben Howgego absent hurt as Chris Wood took three for 34 and only captain Andrew Hall’s 44 not out provided any resistance. The Royals won the toss and chose to bat and they started confidently before losing James Vince for 38 off 23 balls when he chipped Lucas straight to David Willey at extra cover.Lucas then accounted for Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams for 23 when he was caught by Willey at deep extra cover before he trapped Michael Carberry leg before wicket for a single. Former Zimbabwe international Sean Ervine bludgeoned 38 off 34 deliveries before launching James Middlebrook to Willey at long-off.Dawson reached 50 off 48 balls by smashing James Middlebrook for six over midwicket before he perished by top-edging Lucas to Evans at short third man.Dimitri Mascarenhas smashed 26 off just 16 balls before giving Lucas his five-for by launching him to substitute Rob Keogh at long-on. Howell then completed his half-century off 44 balls as the hosts conceded their highest total in a 40-over match.Chasing a mammoth 308, the Steelbacks lost Mal Loye in just the third ball of their reply when he was pinned lbw by David Griffiths before Rob White (six) swept Mascarenhas to Dawson at deep square leg.The hosts’ wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien walked on 22 as he mistimed his scoop shot off Wood and was easily caught by Ervine at backward point. Rob Newton (22) was next to fall when he chipped Wood to Vince at midwicket, before the same bowler bowled Middlebrook for a six-ball duck.Chaminda Vaas (one) continued the Steelbacks’ miserable procession when he was caught by Ervine at slip off Mascarenhas. Ervine was brought on in the 17th over and he forced both Willey (one) and Lucas (four) to edge to Royals wicketkeeper Michael Bates.With Howgego not fit enough to bat, the final nail in the coffin was hammered down when Luke Evans (18) launched Imran Tahir to Wood at long-on, sealing the hosts’ second-heaviest defeat in one-day cricket.

Eoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach once again produced their one-day best as England scraped home by six wickets in a tense Twenty20 against India at Old Trafford

The Report by Andrew Miller31-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Eoin Morgan was, once again, the key to an England run chase with a thrilling 49•Getty ImagesEoin Morgan and Jade Dernbach, England’s matchwinners in their jaunt to Ireland earlier in the week, once again produced their one-day best as England scraped home by six wickets in a tense Twenty20 against India at Old Trafford. Morgan made 49 from 27 balls to break the back of a stiff 166-run target, after Dernbach’s array of slower balls and yorkers had stopped India’s big hitters in their tracks with career-best figures of 4 for 22 from 3.4 overs.On a sluggish pitch, India chose to bat first and posted a competitive total of 165, thanks largely to an eye-catching 61 from 39 balls from the debutant Ajinkya Rahane. Rahul Dravid, in his first and last Twenty20 international appearance, smacked three consecutive sixes off Samit Patel to turn a previously laborious knock into a sprightly 31 from 21, while Suresh Raina put his miserable Test series to one side with a useful 33 from 19.Dernbach and Morgan, however, produced the day’s most captivating performances, and thanks to their combined efforts, England appeared to have the game in the bag with 32 runs still required from the final 29 deliveries of the contest. However, an exceptional 19th over from Munaf Patel went for just three runs, as Patel smashed his bat in two with an attempted cover drive, before Ravi Bopara was suckered by Munaf’s line outside off and struggled to put bat on ball.Needing ten from the final over, England then had a stroke of major fortune when umpire Rob Bailey erroneously called wide when Vinay Kumar pitched his first delivery just inside the tramlines. Suitably buoyed, Patel then squeezed a pair of fours through third man before sealing the match with a lofted drive over extra cover with three balls of the contest remaining.England’s innings had started ignominiously when the debutant Alex Hales – whose only other slice of the action had been a juggled catch at long-on which deflected off his shoulder – was suckered by Praveen Kumar’s command of swing and pinned lbw for a second-ball duck. After three of their Powerplay overs England were floundering on 17 for 1, with a hyperactive Kevin Pietersen inside-edging their only boundary through third man, and they scarcely looked any more composed when Pietersen was dropped by a diving Parthiv Patel at third man.Two balls later Craig Kieswetter found a thick edge for six off Munaf, and it wasn’t until Pietersen whistled a conventional pull through square leg that their innings really found its feet. Vinay was muscled expertly through the covers twice in four balls by Kieswetter, before R Ashwin’s first nine-ball over was bookended by two more Pietersen boundaries. At 58 for 1 after six, England were suddenly up and running.Smart stats

The target of 166 is the second-highest chased by England in Twenty-20 internationals. Their highest successfully-chased target is 170 against West Indies in 2007.

The 73-run stand between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara is the second-highest for the fourth wicket for England in Twenty-20 internationals.

Ajinkya Rahane’s 61 is the second-highest score by an Indian batsman against England in a Twenty-20 international.

Rahane’s 61 is also the highest score by an Indian batsman on debut in a Twenty-20 international. The highest remains Ricky Ponting’s 98 against New Zealand in 2005.

The 65-run stand between Rahul Dravid and Rahane is the fourth-highest second-wicket stand for India in Twenty-20 internationals.

India’s 165 is their second-highest total against England and their sixth-highest overall (first innings only).

From a total of 104 for 2, India lost the last eight wickets for 61 runs. The 61-run aggregate from the third wicket to the tenth wicket is the lowest for India in Twenty-20 internationals.

That solid position was dented twice in the next seven balls, however. First Kieswetter holed out to short cover, then Pietersen’s international summer was ended by a flash of inspiration from MS Dhoni, who moved down the leg side to gather a swinging delivery from the part-timer Virat Kohli, and whipped off the bails as Pietersen toppled out of his crease. He was gone for 33 from 23 balls, and at 60 for 3 after 7.1 overs, England were suddenly tottering.It didn’t take Morgan long to find his range, however. After seeing out Kohli’s over, he drilled his first three balls from Rohit Sharma for four, four, six – two threaded cover-drives and a massive mow over deep midwicket. He added two more fours in Kohli’s next two overs, then marked the resumption of play after a lengthy delay by clipping a Praveen full-toss off his pads through fine leg.At the other end, Bopara struggled to match either Morgan’s poise or placement, as he was made to wait 24 deliveries before cuffing his first boundary through deep midwicket off Ashwin. But while Morgan was in the zone, all he needed to do was stay with his partner. The pair added 73 for the fourth wicket in 8.1 overs, before Morgan was sweetly caught at point by Sharma. The decision required ratification from the third umpire, but was never seriously in doubt. And nor, at that stage, was the result.Bopara’s unconvincing 31 from 36 balls allowed India to regain a toe-hold in the game, and it wasn’t the only aspect of England’s performance that lacked conviction. Earlier, the notion of unsettling India’s openers with the short ball backfired spectacularly as Rahane unveiled a range of cultured but aggressive strokes, including four fours in Stuart Broad’s first two overs. His first-class average of 67 points to a player with a rounded technique that can cope with all eventualities, and as India muscled along to 49 for 1 in the six-over Powerplay, their prospects looked sky-high.Bopara ended a second-wicket stand of 65 in seven overs when Dravid’s debut ended with a drill to short extra cover. Five balls later, Rahane was on his way as well, as Dernbach at third man pocketed a cramped uppercut off Broad. Kohli came and went in the same Broad over as he flung his bat at a lifter outside off, and when Graeme Swann had Sharma stumped for 1, India had lost four wickets in 16 balls.The stage was set for Raina, whose Test series had ended in such ignominy with a 42-ball pair at The Oval. His struggles against the short ball had been a recurring theme of the summer, although he proved a point of sorts by smashing a Broad bouncer with alacrity over midwicket for six. Two more sixes off Tim Bresnan gave India’s innings a late lift, but Dernbach’s variations were too cunning for the tail. India were bowled out with two balls of their allocation remaining, and how vital would those prove to be in the final analysis?

Chris Gayle continues to miss out on West Indies selection and is not part of the 13-man squad for the third ODI against India. Danza Hyatt and Kemar Roach have replaced the rested duo of Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011Chris Gayle continues to miss out on West Indies selection and is not part of the 13-man squad for the third one-dayer against India. Gayle has been out of favour with the West Indies Cricket Board since his controversial radio interview and was not selected for the first two one-dayers. The board has reiterated that since it been unable to meet Gayle, he has again not been considered for selection. The date for the proposed meeting is yet to be finalised.There are two changes to the squad that was selected for the first two ODIs: Dwayne Bravo’s request to be given a break has been granted and Jamaica batsman Danza Hyatt – who played in the only Twenty20 against India – has been selected in his place. The board has also decided to rest fast bowler Ravi Rampaul for the Antigua leg of the series which comprises the third and the fourth ODIs. Kemar Roach has returned to the squad to replace Rampaul.Adrian Barath, the opener, will spend a week working at the Sagicor High Performance Centre undergoing practice in order to be considered for selection for the Test series against India starting on June 20 in Jamaica. Barath has been undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the 2011 World Cup.West Indies trail India 0-2 in the five-match series. The third ODI will be played at North Sound in Antigua on June 11.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons.

The preview of the first semi-final of the World T20 between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran03-Oct-2012Match factsOctober 4, 2012
Start time 1900 (1330 GMT)Raza Hasan has been Pakistan’s unexpected trump card•AFPBig Picture
Pakistan didn’t know until late on Tuesday night whether they’d have to keep their hotel reservations in Colombo for a few more days. But when South Africa’s Robin Peterson gloved a ball for a single to take the score to 122 against India, a roar went around the Premadasa. It sounded as though Sri Lanka were playing, but the noise was from a legion of Pakistan fans who were celebrating their team’s progress to the semi-finals on net run rate, at India’s expense. There wasn’t much separating the two sides, but Pakistan were better placed because they got their tactics right and won big against Australia earlier in the evening.Spin has been Pakistan’s strength in this tournament and their captain Mohammad Hafeez used his resources astutely. If that meant giving a rookie spinner the new ball and making the most experienced fast bowler wait till the 18th over, then so be it. The plan was to suffocate the Australians with turn on a sluggish pitch and it worked to such an extent that even Shane Watson had a rare, bad outing. The fielders made Australia’s qualifying target of 112 seem distant. As a result, Pakistan play their fourth World Twenty20 semi-final tomorrow, but unlike on Tuesday, they will not have the lion’s share of the support.Sri Lanka are familiar opponents for Pakistan. The hosts were the more dominant side when Pakistan visited in June-July. Sri Lanka looked a more settled side in the Super Eights, making heavy weather of the chase against New Zealand (which culminated in a Super Over victory) and trouncing West Indies and England. The return of Ajantha Mendis has given their spin attack more bite and the seamers, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara don’t offer respite.It’s ironic though that the semi-final is Sri Lanka’s first game in Colombo during this World Twenty20. They love playing at the Premadasa and the pitch – not as quick as the ones Pakistan played on in June – should suit their spinners. Sri Lanka haven’t had a world title since 1996. They are two games away from breaking the drought, at home.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WWWLW
Pakistan WLWWWWatch out for Spin v spin: Opening with spin has become the norm for Pakistan. Will Hafeez adopt the same tactic against Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene, who are fluent players of slow bowling? Hafeez, Hasan and Saeed Ajmal conceded only 53 in 12 overs and took all seven wickets that fell against Australia. The two Mendises – Ajantha and Jeevan – have played vital roles for Sri Lanka as well, and they also possess a largely unknown quantity in Akila Dananjaya.Something’s got to give for Shahid Afridi. He has looked a shadow of his old self with the ball, while as a batsman he remains unreliable. His three wickets in the tournament are at odds with his reputation for running through line-ups. Afridi still gets the odd delivery to grip and beat the bat, but Pakistan need more from him. His star value may not have diminished, but his wicket-taking and match-winning ability has.Team news Mohammad Hafeez didn’t drop any hints of team changes. Pakistan wouldn’t want to disturb their winning combination.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Nasir Jamshed, 4 Kamran Akmal (wk), 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Raza Hasan.Mahela Jayawardene stopped short of saying he would captain again after Sri Lanka’s smart play-safe approach against England. He didn’t hint at team changes either.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Jeevan Mendis, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Ajantha MendisStats and trivia Sri Lanka have lost all four Twenty20 matches they’ve played at the Premadasa.Of the 11 matches at the Premadasa in this tournament, only one has been won by the team winning the toss – by Australia against South Africa.Quotes
“We may not have won too many finals but getting there itself shows that we have played consistent cricket.”

“T20 is all about giving surprises every time you play. We are trying to do that, and most of the time, we are getting some success in that. I have no idea what it will be [tomorrow], but you never know.”

Afghanistan’s rise through the cricket world continued they secured the Intercontinental Cup in their first year of participation

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010
ScorecardAfghanistan’s rise through the cricket world continued as they secured the Intercontinental Cup in their first year of participation with a commanding seven-wicket victory against Scotland in Dubai. Mohammad Shahzad guided the pursuit of 124 with an unbeaten 56 after Scotland had been skittled for 82.Scotland were facing an uphill battle at the start of the third day when they resumed on 64 for 6 and the lower order couldn’t turn around their fortunes. The innings lasted just a further eight overs with Mirwais Ashraf claiming three quick wickets and Hamid Hassan completing a match-haul of eight when he removed Richie Berrington.Karim Sadiq fell early in the chase, but Scotland needed more than one breakthrough to give Afghanistan a scare. Shahzad and Shabir Noori (35) added a brisk 55 to ease any tension in the dressing room. When Noori was caught behind, Narwoz Mangal hit four boundaries to take Afghanistan to the brink of victory.Hassan was named Man of the Match and his coach, Rashid Latif, offered him high praise with comparisons to Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. “I kept wicket a lot with Wasim and Waqar who are both mentally and physically very strong and they used to bowl spells of 18 and 20 overs on the trot and to see Hamid come in and bowl 22 odd overs on the trot I think is amazing,” he said. “I didn’t think anybody could bowl 22 overs in a row, but Hamid did and it was simply great stuff.”Hassan, though, was more modest. ” I don’t know where I get the stamina to bowl 22 overs, I think I was just so desperate to make sure we won the final that I lost count of how many overs I had bowled,” he said.”It wasn’t easy bowling as I’ve got a bit of a heel injury but all that mattered was that we won the final today. Credit should go to Scotland, they played well and particularly [Neil] McCallum who scored the century for Scotland on the first day.”

Worcestershire registered their second Friends Life t20 victory of the week as they squeezed past local rivals Warwickshire by one wicket in near darkness at Edgbaston

17-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Worcestershire registered their second Friends Life t20 victory of the week as they squeezed past local rivals Warwickshire by one wicket in near darkness at Edgbaston.The Bears’ highest Twenty20 total of the season – an imposing 184 for 6 – still proved inadequate as the ever-dangerous Gareth Andrew led the Royals home with five balls to spare. The big-hitting all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 65 with four fours and four sixes from 32 deliveries as Worcestershire’s lower order successfully chased 51 from the last five overs.With steady drizzle falling at the start of the innings, Vikram Solanki kept them up with the Duckworth-Lewis rate with a rapid 33 but when Chris Woakes knocked out his leg stump, wickets fell at frequent intervals, three of them to Steffan Piolet.However, the medium pacer’s last over then cost 21 runs and Warwickshire fell apart under a withering assault from Andrew in his second Twenty20 half-century of the season. With four wanted from the last over, he finished the match by pulling Neil Carter for six.For the first time in seven matches Warwickshire batted first. William Porterfield got them under way with a brisk half-century and Tim Ambrose gave the innings a final flourish with an unbeaten 44 from 23 balls.Umpires Mark Benson and Peter Hartley kept the game going despite steady rain and it was Worcestershire’s bowlers who suffered first as they struggled with a wet ball.The pressure got to them at the death when Ambrose and Woakes (17 not out) stretched an unbroken partnership to 65 after plundering 36 from the last two overs by Jack Shantry and Andrew.Warwickshire lost two early wickets to full tosses and Porterfield’s destructive performance could have ended prematurely as a steepling shot off Chris Whelan only just cleared Shakib Al Hasan in front of the fence at midwicket.The Ireland captain was finally caught at deep point for 54 as Worcestershire adopted their regular formula by getting their spinners into play at an early stage but Shakib and Moeen Ali became a shade more expensive than usual.Their three wickets cost 57 in seven overs against a strong bating line-up. Rikki Clarke chipped in with a useful 22 and Ambrose scooted away at the end, scoring 33 runs from the last 12 balls he faced and reaching his highest Twenty20 score in four years.

Ruben Neves deciding to leave Wolves this summer would be a ‘massive, massive loss’ for the club, according to Midlands-based journalist Josh Holland.

The Lowdown: Endless Neves links

The Portuguese maestro has been continually linked with a move away from Molineux in recent times, with the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal tipped to snap him up.

Neves is undoubtedly one of the most highly-valued players at Wolves currently, with his quality in midfield playing a huge role in Bruno Lage’s side pushing for a European finish this season.

The 24-year-old has shown quality on the ball, scoring four goals and registering two assists in the Premier League, but also tenacity off it, averaging 2.3 tackles per game.

[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]

The Latest: Journalist bemoans possible exit

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Holland said it would be an enormous setback for Wolves after hearing of Arsenal’s interest:

“Yes, 100 per cent. I think as the season’s gone on, Ruben Neves’ importance to Wolves has just got bigger and bigger and you realise how much they miss him in games like against Newcastle.

“If Neves does go, with Arsenal now interested, I think that would be a massive, massive loss for Wolves.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-the-latest-from-wolves-3/” title=”All the latest from Wolves!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Plan for life without him

The longer the links go on, the more likely it feels that Neves will leave, with the midfielder giving few indications that he will stay on beyond this season.

The Portugal international may feel he now belongs in a Champions League team, which is understandable given his performances this season, and it does feel like he has reached a natural conclusion at Molineux.

That’s not to say that any Wolves wouldn’t be desperate for him to stay on, though – if that did happen, it would feel more significant than any signing made this summer.

In other news, a journalist has discussed a potential shock Wolves exit. Read more here.