Lancashire’s third win of the season keeps them within reach of Division One leaders Surrey

ECB Reporters Network15-Jun-2022Lancashire 291 (Croft 90, Norwell 5-78) and 329 for 6 (Wells 175*, Jones 66) beat Warwickshire 292 and 327 for 9 dec (Davies 121, Brookes 55) by four wicketsLancashire strengthened their position among the LV=Insurance County Championship Division One leaders after a perfectly executed run chase led by Luke Wells’ unbeaten 175 brought them a four-wicket victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.The Red Rose, set a target of 329 in a day and four overs, reached 329 for 5 with 24 balls to spare.They were in jeopardy at 93 for 4 but Wells, who hit 22 fours and a six from 280 balls, batted beautifully alongside Rob Jones, who scored 66 off 138 balls, in a fifth-wicket stand of 162 in 45 overs.Lancashire’s third win of the season keeps them within reach of Division One leaders Surrey at the halfway point of the season. Reigning champions Warwickshire, meanwhile, with just one win from seven games, have it all to do to retain their title and sit too close to the opposite end of the table for comfort.Lancashire resumed on the final morning on five without loss, needing to make the highest total of the match to win. They added only another 14 before Olly Hannon-Dalby struck twice in an over. Keaton Jennings edged to third slip and, three balls later, Josh Bohannon fell lbw.When Steven Croft was lured into driving at a wideish ball from Henry Brookes and edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess, the Red Rose were 53 for 3.Dane Vilas’ frustrating match with the bat then continued. Given out caught when he appeared not to have hit the ball in the first innings, his second knock ended in different but equally exasperating fashion… run out backing up. A sweetly-timed straight drive from Wells was diverted on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end by Liam Norwell – rotten luck for the Lancashire captain, but credit to the big paceman for getting down quickly to parry the ball onto the stumps.That was the only wicket to fall in the afternoon session as Wells and Jones consolidated to take their side to 167 for 4 at tea, at which point, with 162 runs or six wickets needed from a minimum of 35 overs, all results remained possible.On a flattening pitch, Wells and Jones played with increasing freedom to take Lancashire into the last 20 overs needing 91. Jones fell in pursuit of his 11th four, well-caught at deep square leg by Alex Davies, but the wicket did not stem the run-flow as George Balderson (33 from 43 balls) helped Wells seal the victory with a measured partnership of 70 in 12 overs.

Imad Wasim, Asif Ali, Dwaine Pretorius, Evin Lewis and Dewald Brevis headline the overseas signings

Madushka Balasuriya06-Jul-2022

Jaffna Kings

Who to start with than Jaffna Kings? Formerly Stallions, they are two in two in the LPL finals and are no doubt the team to beat. If you were to pinpoint the reason for their success, though, you would boil it down to shrewd team building, which has left the other franchises playing catch-up.Their captain Thisara Perera, Avishka Fernando, Shoaib Malik, Suranga Lakmal and Wanindu Hasaranga formed the spine of the side that won the first LPL, and were integral parts of last year’s campaign as well. Last season, Kings also identifed exciting young overseas as well as local talent in the likes of Jayden Seales, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Maheesh Theekshana.Avishka Fernando is out with a knee injury•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images

But all good things must come to an end, and this season will certainly put Kings’ think tank to the test, first and foremost in navigating the losses of Hasaranga, Avishka and Lakmal. Hasaranga has been signed by Kandy Falcons, Avishka is out long-term with a knee injury and Lakmal has retired.Still, Kings focused on rebuilding their core of the last two years as much as possible and picked Thisara (Ruby), Malik (Sapphire), and Theekshana (Diamond A) pre-draft and Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the draft.Big-hitting West Indies opener Evin Lewis (Ruby) and South African quick Hardus Viljoen (Sapphire) were their two pre-draft signings as overseas players. The remaining overseas slots were taken by 23-year-old Pakistan quick Shahnawaz Dahani (Diamond B) and 21-year-old South African wicketkeeper-batter Tristan Stubbs.Their fans will also be excited by the inclusion of allrounders Dhananjaya de Silva (Sapphire) and Dunith Wellalage (Diamond B), their captain at the U-19 World Cup earlier this year. Both were signed pre-draft as direct local signings.Squad: Evin Lewis, Thisara Perera, Hardus Viljoen, Dhananjaya de Silva, Shoaib Malik, Shahnawaz Dahani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Tristan Stubbs, Praveen Jayawickrama, Suminda Lakshan, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dilshan Madushanka, Nipun Dananjaya, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Theesan Vidushan, Theivendiram Dinoshan, Ashan Randika

Galle Gladiators

Twice Gladiators have made the title round, and twice they have lost. The second defeat might have hurt more than the first, not necessarily for the nature of it, but because leading up to the final, they seemed to have had Kings’ number. But if they are to go all the way this time around, they will have to do it without their skipper from last season, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who has been signed by Dambulla Giants.While that loss will likely hurt, Gladiators managed to retain the services of Danushka Gunathilaka (Ruby) and Kusal Mendis (Diamond A) – the respective top scorers in the past two editions of the tournament. The rest of the side has a much fresher look about it, with Pakistan allrounders Imad Wasim (Ruby) and Faheem Ashraf (Sapphire) brought in as direct pre-draft overseas signings.Gladiators picked Imad Wasim as one of their direct pre-draft overseas signings•ICC via Getty

Much like Kings, a large part of Gladiators’ squad-building was done pre-draft, with fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera (Sapphire) and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan (Diamond B) drafted as direct local signings.The big signing from the main draft for them was South Africa’s top-order batter Janneman Malan (Diamond A). Afghanistan legspinner Qais Ahmad (Diamond B) and Pakistani batters Azam Khan (Diamond B) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (Platinum) rounded up the overseas picks.Squad: Imad Wasim, Danushka Gunathilaka, Faheem Ashraf, Dushmantha Chameera, Janneman Malan, Sherfane Rutherford, Azam Khan, Kusal Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Thushara, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Pulina Tharanga, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nimesh Vimukthi, Movin Subasinhga, Nipun Malinga, Sachindu Colombage, Lakshan Gamage, Tharindu Kaushal, Sammu Ashan

Colombo Stars

If Gladiators are disappointed at falling short twice in a row, spare a thought for Colombo Stars. In the inaugural edition, they were the standout side in the group stages, winning six out of eight games, before losing in the semi-final to a Galle side that had snuck through with just two wins.The last edition, though, was admittedly a write-off, where despite having one of the more impressive squads on paper, they lacked consistency.Seekkuge Prasanna was one of the many players Stars managed to buy back•LPL

On the plus side, they successfully retained the services of many of their key players in Angelo Mathews (Ruby), Dinesh Chandimal (Diamond B), Seekkuge Prasanna (Platinum) and Jeffrey Vandersay (Platinum), while also adding two exciting left-hand batters in Charith Asalanka (Sapphire) and Niroshan Dickwella (Diamond A).However, they lost both Chameera and Dhananjaya to rival sides, and there is no Kusal Perera either this year as he is recovering from an injury.In their rebuild, Stars have this year chosen to cast their net a little wider. The addition of Dwaine Pretorius (Ruby) as their premier overseas signing hints at an overarching strategy of bringing in more players with all-round skills. Then there is Dhananjaya Lakshan (Diamond B), who was pivotal in Galle’s run to the final in 2020, Ishan Jayaratne (Platinum) and young Afghanistan seam-bowling allrounder Karim Janat (Platinum).Janat is one of three Afghanistan fast bowlers in the squad, alongside Fazalhaq Farooqi (Diamond B) and Naveen-ul-Haq. West Indies’ Dominic Drakes (Diamond A) offers another all-round option.In the batting department, Stars are mostly set, and the signing of Pakistan’s Asif Ali (Sapphire) will provide further heft to an already robust line-up.Squad: Dwaine Pretorius, Angelo Mathews, Asif Ali, Charith Asalanka, Dominic Drakes, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Karim Janat, Seekkuge Prasanna, Jeffrey Vandersay, Ishan Jayaratne, Muditha Lakshan, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Kevin Koththigoda, Chathuranga Kumara, Navod Paranavithana, Chamod Battage

Dambulla Giants

Led by Dasun Shanaka, the national T20I captain, the franchise from Dambulla has flattered to deceive in the two LPL outings, going from impressive performances to mediocre ones. If they were to find some consistency, one gets the sense they could be a match for any side, but striking the necessary balance has proved elusive – though the signing of Rajapaksa (Sapphire) is certainly a step in the right direction.Rajapaksa, the former Galle Gladiators skipper, has been a consistent performer in the LPL, and his addition gives the middle order some much-needed bite. Especially after last season’s campaign had run almost exclusively on the form of the opening pair of Phil Salt and Dickwella – both of whom are no longer part of the squad.Bhanuka Rajapaksa will turn up for Dambulla Giants in LPL 2022•AFP/Getty Images

The lack of big-hitters has been further addressed through the signings of Australian allrounders D’Arcy Short (Ruby) and Ben Cutting (Sapphire), while New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert and Pakistan batter Haider Ali – both in the Diamond B category – further bolster Giants’ middle order.Short’s wristspin is likely to prove useful on Sri Lankan pitches, though it’s another wristspinner, Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane (Diamond A), who is likely to get top billing on that front. Lamichhane has been a regular in the BBL, picking up 34 wickets across the last three seasons. It will be intriguing to see the impact he can have in the LPL, considering how influential spinners have been in previous seasons.Chaturanga de Silva, the elder brother of Hasaranga, has also been signed from the Diamond A category along with West Indies’ left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell (Diamond B). Giants have also retained the services of spin-bowling allrounder Ramesh Mendis (Diamond B) and fast-bowler Nuwan Pradeep (Diamond B).Squad: D’Arcy Short, Dasun Shanaka, Ben Cutting, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sandeep Lamichhane, Tim Seifert, Haider Ali, Chaturanga de Silva, Ramesh Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Sheldon Cottrell, Tharindu Ratnayake, Pramod Madushan, Lasith Croospulle, Kalana Perera, Dilum Sudeera, Sachitha Jayathilake, Dushan Hemantha, Sacha De Alwis, Ravindu Fernando

Kandy Falcons

It has been three changes of ownership (and names) in three seasons for Falcons (formerly Warriors and Tuskers), and they will certainly be hoping to be third time lucky.The first edition saw them struggle to even register a win. They didn’t fare much better last season either, registering just two victories across the tournament. But this season, they have made as clear a statement of intent as possible, signing Sri Lanka’s premier spinner Hasaranga (Ruby) as their top-most priority signing pre-draft.Kandy Warriors (now Falcons) finished last in each of the last two seasons•AFP/Getty Images

Hasaranga has been without a doubt the LPL’s most destructive bowler, taking 28 wickets across two editions, while he is also capable of hefty blows with the bat. Not only does his addition strengthen Falcons, it also significantly weakens the defending champions Kings, from whom they nicked him.Another player nicked from Kings is Pakistan’s Usman Shinwari (Platinum), who will lead a fairly light-looking pace attack consisting of 19-year-old Matheesha Pathirana (Diamond B) and seam-bowling allrounders Carlos Brathwaite (Ruby), Chamika Karunaratne (Sapphire) and Isuru Udana (Diamond A) – all three of whom will add power-hitting options lower down the order.Brathwaite isn’t the only West Indian in the side, with spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen (Sapphire) and top-order batter Andre Fletcher (Diamond A) picked up in the main draft.South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (Diamond B) and Australia’s Chris Green (Diamond B) round up the overseas draft picks. Brevis most recently had an impressive showing in the IPL for Mumbai Indians, while Green has shown his utility with both bat and ball in the BBL and T20 Blast.Squad: Carlos Brathwaite, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fabian Allen, Chamika Karunaratne, Andre Fletcher, Dewald Brevis, Chris Green, Isuru Udana, Matheesha Pathirana, Ashen Bandara, Usman Shinwari, Kamindu Mendis, Ashan Priyanjan, Minod Bhanuka, Avishka Perera, Ashian Daniel, Malinda Pushpakumara, Janith Liyanage, Lasith Abeyratne, Kavin Bandara

Dwayne Bravo and Colin Munro have also put their names forward

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2022Rashid Khan has been confirmed in the new BBL draft for overseas players and will be joined by former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard who leads the way in overall T20 appearances.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Pollard is among a sizeable contingent of West Indies names in the latest group of players to sign up for the draft and is joined by the all-time T20 wicket-taker Dwayne Bravo.Rashid is one of the household names of the BBL, having spent five seasons with Adelaide Strikers, so much so that the retention pick process within the draft has been dubbed the “Rashid Khan rule” and allows a club to retain a player they had last season if they are taken in the draft by a rival side.Related

• The BBL overseas draft is here: how will it work?

• Faf du Plessis nominates for the BBL overseas draft

• 'Critical' BBL to finish in early February, priority to get crowds back

When players nominate for the draft they need to state their availability and it is yet to be confirmed whether Rashid will be free for the whole tournament with Afghanistan expected to have some internationals later in January.Rashid left last year’s edition early due to Afghanistan commitments, signing off from the competition with an extraordinary career-best of 6 for 17 against Brisbane Heat.Other Afghanistan players, including fellow legspinner Qais Ahmad who will also be eligible for retention by Melbourne Stars, are included in the draft. New Zealand batter Colin Munro, who was part of Perth Scorchers’ title-winning side last season, has also nominated.Pollard, who has played 598 T20 matches, and Bravo, who has claimed 596 wickets, have previously played in the BBL but not last season. Both have retired from international cricket so will not be part of the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Andre Russell, who made five appearances for Stars last season, is understood not to be among the latest nominees.Faf du Plessis was among the first group of players confirmed for the draft which will be held in mid-August.Players nominate themselves in either Gold, Silver or Bronze categories while there is an additional Platinum level where CA will place the biggest names.

All current draft nominationsAfghanistan
Rashid Khan, Qais Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Waqarullah Ishaq, Izharulhaq Naveed, Naveen Ul Haq Murid, Hazratullah ZazaiNew Zealand
Colin Munro, Todd AstleSouth Africa
Faf du Plessis, Marchant de Lange, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese (also Namibia)West Indies
Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sheldon Cottrell, Chemar Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Ravi Rampaul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair, Tion Webster, Nyeem Young

The South African was part of India’s support staff between 2008 and 2011, a stint that culminated in the World Cup victory

Nagraj Gollapudi and Shashank Kishore26-Jul-2022India have roped in South African mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton to work with the players ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year. ESPNcricinfo learned that Upton joined the India squad on Monday and will begin his role ahead of the third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad on Wednesday.Upton, 53, comes with extensive experience of working with the Indian team and players. Between 2008 and 2011, he was an assistant to India coach Gary Kirsten, a stint that culminated in the World Cup victory under MS Dhoni. Upton then teamed up with Kirsten once again and helped South Africa become the No. 1 Test team in 2013.It is understood that Upton was approached by India’s head coach Rahul Dravid with the specific brief of helping the players stay mentally charged for the T20 World Cup in October and November. Upton’s appointment had the support of India captain Rohit Sharma, who arrived in the Caribbean on Monday for the five-match T20I series starting on July 29.Another key reason for the swiftness of Upton’s appointment is that Dravid was keen to have an expert who could immediately work with players – especially the younger ones – on mental conditioning, having played in biosecure environments for over two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the relentless schedule of international cricket, Dravid wants his players in the best frame of mind ahead of the T20 World Cup, after India had failed qualify for the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament in the UAE.Upton has been on the T20 coaching circuit for several years now, most recently as the team catalyst for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022. He also worked with Dravid at the Rajasthan and Delhi franchises, and was part of Sydney Thunder’s support staff when they won the BBL title in 2015-16.Upton is known for his unique methods as a mental-conditioning expert. He has used activities such as extreme sports, mountain climbing and canoeing, improvisation theatre, and breath-holding techniques to test the endurance of players when put under stress and help them realise that “fear on the cricket field is very small as compared to these activities.”In the past, India have also used the services of other mental-conditioning experts such as Rudi Webster prior to the 2007 World Cup, and Sandy Gordon in the 2003 World Cup. More recently, sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare was part of the India women’s support staff for the 2022 World Cup.

Gilchrist four-for keeps hosts below target, despite fighting fifties from Weatherley, Vince and Fuller

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Hampshire’s dream of winning the LV= Insurance County Championship title for the first time in 49 years was ended by a 77-run defeat to Kent.Joe Weatherley, James Vince and James Fuller – 56, 73 and 78 not out respectively – had given the south coast county a sniff of successfully chasing an unlikely 378 runs.But Hampshire’s hopes of replicating the 1961 and 1973 champions were dashed to give Surrey the pennant for the second time in five seasons – with Nathan Gilchrist taking 4 for 60, including the winning wicket as Hampshire only reached 300.It was Hampshire’s third defeat of the season, and Kent’s third victory.For Kent, their battle for survival in Division One was given a huge boost. To go with the 19 points they took from this win, closest rivals Warwickshire suffered a shock defeat to rock-bottom Gloucestershire, giving Kent a 14-point buffer ahead of the final round – where they face Somerset at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.Hampshire’s hopes of winning the game had been trounced after they had been bowled out for 57 – in doing so giving up a 108-run first-innings deficit – and were further diminished when they had lost four wickets in their pursuit of 378 on the second evening.Weatherley had been the shining light of that period with his first score above 25 since April. He had ended the day on 54, having left and defended well, while also finding ways to score.The morning only brought two runs in a six-over stay before a full Gilchrist delivery thudded into his shin. Gilchrist’s following over saw the end of the unbalanced Ben Brown, who clipped a similarly full ball to square leg.Conor McKerr had been sent on loan from Surrey for this fixture, but hadn’t personally helped his parent county with one and a duck with the bat, and no chance to bowl in the first innings. His celebration was perhaps the loudest of the day when he pinned Aneurin Donald in front.Vince wasn’t allowing Kent to ease to victory though, as he demonstrated his trademark mix of dogged determinism to win the game for his team and beautiful shot-making. His first three scoring shots were variations on a cover drive, including the first ball of the day.He moved to his sixth half-century of the season off 81 balls with a dabbed three down to third, to take the required runs down to 169 runs at lunch.But only 27 more runs were knocked off before a turning half-tracker from Jack Leaning lit up Vince’s eyes, and his pull shot fell straight into Tawanda Muyeye’s grasp on the deep midwicket boundary. It ended a 90-run stand with Fuller which had almost made Hampshire surprise favourites.Kyle Abbott was undone by bounce out of the footholds by Leaning to loop to first slip. And despite Fuller racing past a 74-ball fifty and biffing some late runs, Mohammad Abbas had his off stump knocked over by Gilchrist.The defeat is Hampshire’s first at home in the Championship since losing to Somerset last May – a run of 10 victories – and just their second since the start of the 2019 season.

Arun Dhumal, currently the BCCI treasurer, will take over as the IPL chairman from the outgoing Brijesh Patel

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Oct-2022Roger Binny, the former India allrounder, is set to become the new BCCI president, replacing Sourav Ganguly, who is not expected to have a position in the board any longer. Binny will assume charge on October 18, when the BCCI annual general meeting will be held, in Mumbai.Jay Shah, son of India’s home minister Amit Shah, will continue as BCCI secretary, the most influential position in the board. Rajiv Shukla will also stay on as the board’s vice-president.Along with Binny, there will be two first-timers in the new administration: Ashish Shelar, who served as Mumbai Cricket Association president between 2017 and 2019, will be the treasurer, and Devajit Saikia, currently secretary at Assam Cricket Association, will be the joint secretary.Another key appointment is that of Arun Dhumal, who is set to take over as the new IPL chairman, a post held since 2019 by Brijesh Patel, the former India batter, who will be forced to vacate the seat as he turns 70 soon [on November 24]. That is the maximum permitted age limit for an office bearer or administrator in the BCCI’s constitution.Dhumal, who became a BCCI functionary during the Ganguly administration, is the brother of former board president Anurag Thakur, the current sports and youth affairs minister in India’s central government.As a formality Dhumal will initially need to contest for a position for being a IPL governing council member. Also joining the governing council will be Avishek Dalmiya, son of former BCCI and ICC bigwig Jagmohan Dalimya. Avishek, who is the Cricket Association of Bengal president, will replace Khairul Majumdar, who will be nominated as the BCCI’s general body representative on board’s Apex Council.Binny, 67, has a lot of experience in cricket administration. He has served in different positions at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) over the years, and has been its president since 2019. Prior to that, Binny also was part of the KSCA administrations led by Patel and Anil Kumble (2010-12).Brijesh Patel will have to give up the IPL chairmanship because of the age-cap of 70 years•AFP

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Binny was the sole candidate for the BCCI president’s post so far with the deadline for filing nominations ending on Wednesday for the five office-bearers’ positions, which were meant to be contested at the board elections on October 18. As things stand, there will be no elections for any position after the top brass of the BCCI, including Ganguly, along with senior past and current administrators from prominent state associations, finalised a shortlist of people that will occupy key positions in the BCCI over a series of meetings in Delhi last week and one on Monday evening in Mumbai.Among those present at these meetings included former BCCI president and ICC chairman N Srinivasan, former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, former BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, and Delhi & Districts Association president Rohan JaitleyThe age-cap rule, which has led to end of Patel’s run, will also restrict 1983 World Cup-winner Binny’s tenure to one term of three years.This, despite the Supreme Court recently diluting several RM Lodha Committee recommendations. Including the big one, that any office-bearer who had held any post for two consecutive terms in the BCCI shall not be eligible to contest any further election in the BCCI without completing a cooling-off period of three years. Also, if a person has served two consecutive terms each in a state association and in the BCCI, or vice versa, without any break [12 years in total], such a person shall not be eligible to contest any further election in a state association or in the BCCI, without completing a cooling-off period of three years.That was a modification of its 2018 judgment, where it had ruled that an office-bearer would need to serve a three-year cooling-off period once they had served six years at a state association and/or the BCCI.If that rule had not been amended, the entire set of office-bearers in the Ganguly administration would have become ineligible to carry on in any capacity in the BCCI.However, the likes of Shah can now continue till 2025. He had taken over as BCCI secretary in 2019, when Ganguly was elected president, after board elections were held for the first time since Supreme Court mandated a new constitution, drafted as per the Lodha Committee recommendations, which were meant to overhaul the structure and running of BCCI.

Shakib struck 70 off 44 balls in the tall chase but his was a lone effort

Mohammad Isam12-Oct-2022New Zealand joined Pakistan in the final of the tri-series by beating Bangladesh by 48 runs in Christchurch. After Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips made quickfire sixties, Adam Milne and Michael Bracewell made early inroads to bowl the hosts to a comprehensive victory. Though Bangladesh looked competitive with the bat, they could not sustain the momentum in pursuit of a target of more than 200.Milne’s three wickets broke the chase, with his pace making a difference. Bracewell and stand-in captain Tim Southee finished with two wickets apiece. Shakib Al Hasan struck 70 off 44 balls with eight fours and a six, but there was no support from the middle and lower order.New Zealand, on the other hand, had plenty of strong batting performances after getting sent in to bat.Conway builds on Allen’s start
Finn Allen started from where he left off against Pakistan in the previous game, going after Bangladesh’s bowlers from the first over. He struck Ebadot Hossain for two sixes in three balls in the third over and hit three boundaries to get New Zealand off to a strong start. But Shoriful Islam removed Allen in the fifth over, when Yasir Ali moved to his right at midwicket to catch the skier.Conway then converted his promising start into a big score. The left-hander dominated his 82-run stand with Martin Guptill for the second wicket, hitting five fours and three sixes in his 40-ball 64. Guptill also looked good towards the end of his 27-ball 34.Phillips shows off his big hits
New Zealand’s top three gave Phillips the perfect platform to take aim at Bangladesh in the last five overs. He struck Shakib for two sixes – both slog-swept – in the 16th over. Mohammad Saifuddin removed Conway and Mark Chapman in the space of four balls in the following over, but Phillips carried on, slamming Shoriful Islam and Saifuddin for consecutive sixes to reach a half-century off 19 balls. Phillips’ strike rate of 250 was the third highest by a New Zealand batter who has scored more than 60 runs in a T20I innings.Adam Milne took two wickets•Getty Images

Finally, a fast start
Bangladesh, despite using a third opening pair in as many games, had their best powerplay of the tri-series. After Milne cleaned up Najmul Hossain Shanto in the fourth over, Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar attacked the bowlers. But they couldn’t convert their starts, with Litton holing out in the sixth over and Soumya ramping one to third man in the 10th over. Bangladesh could not keep up with the required run-rate but for the first time on this tour they looked more comfortable as a batting unit.Shakib showed his fluency from the get-go, charging down the wicket on the first ball he faced to loft Bracewell over mid-on for a four. He got an extra life while he was batting on 11 and he made sure to take advantage of that, racing to a half-century off 33 balls. With wickets falling regularly at the other end and the asking rate climbing, there wasn’t much Shakib could do. He brought out the big shots against the quicks too, but he fell with Bangladesh needing 56 off 11 balls.Bracewell continues to impress
Milne bowled well on his comeback from a niggle, while Bracewell continued to impress after his frugal returns in the last two matches. After winning successive Player-of-the-Match awards in the previous matches, Bracewell took two wickets and also completed a difficult catch on the boundary. In the 12th of the Bangladesh innings, he bowled Afif Hossain and conceded just three runs. Later, he took a superb catch on the boundary line to dismiss Yasir Ali.

Australia have a trickier ride while New Zealand are hot favourites to top Group 1

S Rajesh29-Oct-20221:40

Fleming: Possibly the strongest squad NZ have ever had

New Zealand
New Zealand have pulled clear of the rest of the teams in the group, both in terms of points, and even more so, in terms of net run rate. One more win in their two remaining matches should seal qualification, given their excellent NRR. However, if they lose both games, then several other results will have to go their way for them to qualify with five points.England
The defeat against Ireland could hurt England badly.Rain is forecast in Brisbane on Tuesday for their game against New Zealand – if points are shared in that game, England will finish on a maximum of six points, not what they want since New Zealand (with a much better NRR) would touch six points too, and Australia can get up to seven if they beat both Ireland and Afghanistan.If England grab four points from their last two games, then it is possible that three teams – New Zealand, England and Australia – finish on seven points, bringing NRR into play.Ireland
Ireland’s fortunes rest in their own hands: if their follow the victory against England with wins in their last two games – against heavyweights Australia and New Zealand – then they will qualify for the semi-finals regardless of other results. The problem for them, though, is that they have a 0-5 T20I record against those two teams.For the defending champs, it is a chance to stay in contention of making the semis at their home World Cup•Associated Press

Australia
Australia’s two remaining games are against the two new Full Members – Ireland and Afghanistan. Victory in both will lift them to seven points, but Australia will also want to undo the damage caused by the 89-run loss in their tournament opener against New Zealand. The margin of that defeat could hurt them if it comes down to NRR.Sri Lanka
If Sri Lanka win their last two games, New Zealand lose their last two, and Australia beat Ireland but lose to Afghanistan, then Sri Lanka will top group 1 with six points. However, both Australia and New Zealand will finish on seven points if the scenario doesn’t play out that way. Sri Lanka’s only option, then, is to win their last two and then hope.They might not even get a chance to get to their maximum of six points if the weather forecast holds true for Brisbane on Tuesday, when they are scheduled to play Afghanistan.Afghanistan
Like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan can also top the group – on six points – if they win both their games and if New Zealand lose both of theirs. For a start, though, they will be hoping to play some cricket after their last two games were abandoned without a ball being bowled. A third such match is on the cards given the forecast in Brisbane for Tuesday. If that game is washed out and other results follow a specific pattern, it is possible for all six teams in the group to finish on exactly five points.

There was also Joel Davies’ run out and Marcus Stoinis flaying the bowling

Andrew McGlashan01-Jan-2023Jordan flies in
Chris Jordan was a late arrival for Sydney Sixers’ but he flew in for the game against Melbourne Renegades – almost literally. His fielding brilliance is a well-known part of his game, adding to his all-round value, and it was soon on display in Geelong as he swooped for a superb catch to remove Shaun Marsh. “When the ball went up it was just a matter of getting on my bike and when I get close I just trust my hands. It managed to stick,” he said. With a wicket in his first over as part of figures of 2 for 25 he took the Player of the Match in his first outing.Related

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• McSweeney and Brown shine as Heat win run-fest

Richardson’s rockets
There is no shortage of depth in Australian fast bowling. Jhye Richardson, who took a five-wicket haul in the Ashes last season, is currently on the outer of the Test set-up but has given a reminder of his skills in the early stages of the BBL. He has touched 150kph and taken regular wickets, forming a key part as to why Perth Scorchers are again so well placed. Against Melbourne Stars he went for 20 in his first nine balls, but the comeback was emphatic: he twice found himself on a hat-trick and conceded just another five runs. “I didn’t have a great run-in to the tournament,” he said. “But once you get the first one out of the way and you have a good performance, you just thrive off that confidence and ride the wave.” Sydney Thunder’s rebound
Sydney Thunder made headlines around the world although for the wrong reasons when they were bundled out for 15 early in the tournament, but their recovery from that embarrassing low – compounded by the season loss of captain Jason Sangha – has been very impressive. They have strung together four wins on the bounce, including back-to-back wins against Brisbane Heat, one by 10 wickets, and a New Year’s Eve mauling of Hobart Hurricanes who were taken for 228. Alex Hales has led the way with the bat while Ollie Davies sparkled against Hurricanes with a 24-ball fifty and Matthew Gilkes has bounced back from early ducks.Joel Davies’ moment
On the subject of Thunder, there was a standout moment in the field against Hurricanes. It involved Davies, but not Ollie. Instead his brother Joel, who had recently signed on as a replacement for Thunder, produced a stunning throw from the deep to run out the dangerous Tim David as he fielded for the first time in the competition. “He wasn’t really expecting to come on, he was second [substitute] fielder,” Ollie told AAP. “It gave him an opportunity to do something special in the field and he took that chance.” Joel recently excelled at the Under-19 national championships where he made 458 runs in six games and took eight wickets. He is part of the Australia Under-19 squad to face England this month. Munro falls short
It came in defeat, but Colin Munro played an outstanding innings to nearly take Brisbane Heat to victory over Thunder. He made 98 off 53 balls before falling in the final over; the only other Heat batter to make double figures was James Bazley with 29. However, the closing stages of the innings highlighted the fine margins of T20. Having got the requirement down to 17 off 7 he missed out on dispatching a full toss. He still had the strike for the start of the last over, but when Nathan McAndrew bowled a waist-high full toss he took a single so was not on strike for the free hit. When he was back on strike 13 were needed off five balls and he picked out deep midwicket where Daniel Sams held an excellent catch.Stoinis’ fireworks display
Marcus Stoinis closed out the year with a bang to emerge from a lean start to the tournament. He had Covid during the opening game and had collected 0, 0, 4 and 10 in his first four innings. He was then rested for the game against Sydney Sixers to allow him to spend Christmas at home in Perth. But he was back to his best in the traditional New Year’s Eve fixture at Adelaide Oval as he hammered Strikers for 74 off 35 balls, including taking Henry Thornton for the most expensive over of the season so far which cost 29. Few hit the ball harder when they get going and some of the striking was phenomenal. There was, though, a hint of controversy with the home side claiming he should have been timed out and the bowler given a few go at the stumps under one the BBL’s funky playing conditions.Performance of the week
It’s hard to go past Josh Brown for his magnificent display of striking at the Gabba last night. In just his second BBL game, having been named in Heat’s squad as a replacement for Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, he smashed 62 off 23 balls. Some of his strokeplay left the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Adam Gilchrist speechless. He was also using one of his own bats. “Didn’t really know I was any good at cricket until I was 24,” Brown, now 29, told . “Sort of kicked off from there.”

Only 51 overs were possible in the day with rain wiping out the entire final session

Ashish Pant04-Feb-2023Amid the Bazball era and a trillion T20 leagues, Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul brought out the good old-fashioned Test match cricket grind to gain ascendancy over Zimbabwe on a rain-curtailed opening day of the first Test in Bulawayo.With the weather always expected to be a factor, West Indies opted to bat first. Zimbabwe had to field four debutants with plenty of their first-choice players out. Gary Ballance, who had played 23 Tests for England, was handed his first Zimbabwe Test cap. While there was a bit of movement early on under cloudy skies, the West Indies openers dug in to remain undefeated when heavy rain brought about an early end to the day’s proceedings with only 51 overs possible.Both openers raised their respective half-centuries, with the visitors reaching 112 for 0 at the end of day one.The Bulawayo surface looked dry from the outset and with variable bounce often coming into play, both Chanderpaul and Brathwaite took the safety-first approach. Chanderpaul only got off the mark with the 19th ball he faced, although that didn’t mean he was in any trouble. In fact, he was fairly solid despite some probing Zimbabwe bowling.Brathwaite, on the other hand, was beaten on the outside edge multiple times. There was also a chance in the 20th over when he seemed to glove a short-of-a-length Richard Ngarava delivery to the wicketkeeper. The fielders went up in unison, but the umpire remained unmoved, and there was no DRS in place to challenge the decision.The Zimbabwe bowlers kept bowling around the channel outside off, but were met with staunch defense from both batters. Even when the ball started to keep low, Brathwaite and Chanderpaul remained unfazed.The runs came in instalments in the first session, with West Indies scoring only 54 runs in 27 overs. Zimbabwe could have struck straight after the break but the debutant wicketkeeper, Tafadzwa Tsiga, mistimed his jump. Brad Evans, also on debut, had secured Chanderpaul’s edge with a quick bouncer. Tsiga sprung to his right, but was late in getting his glove up as the ball raced away to the fence. Chanderpaul followed that up with a punchy square drive and looked much more fluent in the second session.Brathwaite reached his half-century – his seventh fifty-plus score in the last 12 innings – first with a drive past mid-off off 116 balls. Chanderpaul then smashed legspinner Brandon Mavuta for two successive fours before pulling Ngarava through square leg to bring up his second Test fifty. The duo also brought up the 100-run stand in 47 overs. This is just the fifth time these two have opened for West Indies in Tests and already have three fifty-plus stands.Soon, though, the skies opened up, early tea was taken and it did not take long for play to be called off for the rest of the day.