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SRH will continue to miss Williamson, and might want to rejig their top order with Bairstow pushed to open

Annesha Ghosh16-Apr-20212:35

Bond: It will be hard work against Sunrisers’ tough bowling line-up

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The Sunrisers Hyderabad had lost two straight games at the start of their IPL campaigns in 2014, 2016 and 2020 too. In 2016, they went on to win the title, and in 2020, they made the playoffs, finishing third. But a look back at history might not be enough if they are to avert a third successive loss this season. Especially as they go up against defending champions Mumbai Indians, fresh from consigning the Kolkata Knight Riders to an epic capitulation after coming up marginally short in their season opener against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.Chasing at Chepauk in their first two games, the Sunrisers combusted in a rash of ill-judged shots, particularly in their last outing, against the Knight Riders, the want of solidity and fluency in their middle order exposed. They could miss the services of Kane Williamson for a third game on the trot, but even in his absence, the Sunrisers possess resources potent enough – at least on paper – to pose the Mumbai Indians a challenge.That possibility, however, might warrant some tinkering in the line-up, perhaps even a promotion to the opening spot for Jonny Bairstow, who, if handed the gloves, could allow the side to bring in an Indian allrounder – like Kedar Jadhav – in place of Wriddhiman Saha, who kept in the first two matches but struggled with the bat.Team combination concerns aren’t as acute for the Mumbai Indians, but they might sense an opportunity to hand offspinner Jayant Yadav his first game of the season, a tactical ploy that has reaped captain Rohit Sharma impressive rewards over the past two editions.

In the news

Williamson is unlikely to be fit to make the playing XI, as he continues his recovery from an elbow injury, but he said in a social-media video posted by his franchise that he was “pretty optimistic” about returning to full fitness “within the week”.England batter Jason Roy, whom the Sunrisers had acquired as Mitchell Marsh’s replacement, finished his seven-day quarantine on Friday, but might have to wait before getting a game.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt) 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Marco Jansen/Jayant Yadav, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit BumrahSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2. Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 Rashid Khan, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Abdul Samad, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Shahbaz Nadeem, 11 T NatarajanThey have won one and lost one, but the Mumbai Indians are already starting to look formidable•BCCI

Strategy punt

Victoria trail by 89 runs with eight wickets in hand at the halfway stage of the match

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2019Victoria 2 for 205 (Pucovski 62*, Maddinson 59, Handscomb 44*) trail New South Wales 294 (Abbott 54, Nevill 50, Siddle 3-52, Pattinson 3-62) by 89 runsVictoria lost only two wickets in 69 overs as they razed 205 runs off New South Wales’ first-innings total of 294 on the second day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Will Pucovski, who had recently taken a mental health break, returned with an unbeaten 62 at stumps with Peter Handscomb for company. Victoria opener Nic Maddinson had earlier set the base with a fifty at the top.The day had begun with NSW’s batsmen in the middle. Restarting on 6 for 223, they were bowled out 71 runs later, but not before their overnight batsmen Peter Nevill (50) and Sean Abbott (54) earned their respective half-centuries. Their seventh-wicket stand of 93 helped NSW recover from 149 for 6, and although Steve O’Keefe and Trent Copeland chipped in with twenties, Victoria ensured they did not cross 300. Peter Siddle and James Pattinson took three wickets apiece.Victoria’s response began with a 72-run opening stand between Marcus Harris and Maddinson. Harris scored 23 with Maddinson making the bulk of the runs. After Harris was adjudged lbw to O’Keefe, Maddinson added another 38 runs with No. 3 Pucovski, but was dismissed on 59 by Abbott with the team’s score at 110. But that was all the success NSW had for the rest of the day. Pucovski motored on to a fifth first-class half-century while Nevill made 44 in 100 balls to put Victoria in the driver’s seat by stumps. They trail by only 89 with eight wickets in hand at the halfway stage of the match.

Jason Holder was replaced by Guyana allrounder Raymon Reifer for the two Tests in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2018West Indies will be without their captain Jason Holder because of a shoulder injury for the entire tour of Bangladesh, starting November 22. They will be led by vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite for the two-Test series in Chittagong and Dhaka.

Sixteen-year-old Rishad Hossain picked in BCB XI squad

Bangladesh have picked Under-19 legspinner Rishad Hossain in the 13-man BCB XI squad that will take on West Indies for the two-day match in Chittagong. Rishad has been in good form for Bangladesh Under-19s this year.
From the current Bangladesh Test squad, the selectors have included Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Shafiul Islam. Among this season’s performers from the NCL, highest run-scorer Shadman Islam, top wicket-taker Nayeem Hasan, Mizanur Rahman, Robiul Haque and Soumya Sarkar were also picked.
Fazle Mahmud was also given an opportunity, after he had made two ducks in the ODIs against Zimbabwe.
The match is scheduled for November 18 and 19 at the MA Aziz Stadium in central Chittagong.
Squad: Rubel Hossain (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Zakir Hasan , Mizanur Rahman, Fazle Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Shadman Islam, Nazmul Islam Shanto, Nayeem Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Robiul Haque, Mohammad Mithun, Rishad Hossain

Holder was replaced in the 15-man squad by Guyana allrounder Raymon Reifer, the only change from the squad that toured India last month. Reifer made his Test debut against New Zealand in Hamilton last year for a total of 52 runs and two wickets in the match. He had played two patient innings at No. 8 in the Test West Indies lost: an unbeaten 23 in the first innings and a 109-ball 29 in the second. He has not played another Test since then.Holder has a partial thickness tear of the subscapularis tendon in his shoulder and will undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation in Barbados, according to a CWI release. He will be reassessed in four weeks’ time, according to CWI chief executive Johnny Grave.”The medical panel were concerned that if Jason was to bowl in Bangladesh, the partial tear may become a full tear which may involve the need for surgery and/or a significant break from cricket,” Grave told . “It was, therefore, then recommended for Jason not to travel to Bangladesh and instead undergo physiotherapy and rehab in Barbados.”Holder said that he had been troubled with the injury since the World Cup Qualifiers in March. “I am definitely disappointed not being able to make the tour to Bangladesh,” he said. “But based on the advice from the medical team, we felt this was the best course of action to deal with the ongoing issues I have been having with my shoulder and prevent further damage.”I’ve been having issues with my shoulder since the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe in March. Since then I have been trying to manage it and the pain levels, but it has got to a point now where I’ve got to take time to correct it so that going forward I have no further issues. Obviously I am disappointed to miss the tour but I know the boys are capable of beating Bangladesh.”Ten members of the side will arrive in Chittagong on Wednesday, while the rest are scheduled to arrive in three groups on Thursday. West Indies’ first on-field action in Bangladesh is a two-day practice match in Chittagong.The two Test series will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is in December to be played in Dhaka and Sylhet.Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Shermon Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican

Essex rediscovered the grit that has taken them to the top of Division One under cheerless Chelmsford skies

Tim Wigmore at Chelmsford29-Aug-2017
Nick Browne produced an innings of fortitude•Getty Images

County Championship titles are not merely won by performances in glorious sunshine. Just as much, they are won by grit under sepulchral skies, fortitude under pressure and resilience after yielding a first innings lead.Or, at least, Essex will hope so after the end of a second day played against the backdrop of clouds so gloomy they necessitated the use of floodlights, which could still only hold off the onset of bad-light for so long.Their position, 112 ahead with seven second innings wickets in hand, remains far from impregnable. But a few hours before the players were taken off, Essex fans had dark thoughts of a two-day defeat to the second-bottom team in Division One.At 36-3 in the second innings, a lead of only 31, and fresh from their first innings collapse to 159, the crowd recognised that here was a test of Essex’s fundamental resolve.Then, Nick Browne and Adam Wheater combined for the longest stand in this frenetic game – and, at an unbeaten 78, the equal highest of the game so far. They were some pleasing shots to enjoy – Browne’s square-driving and cutting, and Wheater’s cover drive – but, over 32.3 overs, this was an alliance defined by grit and cautious accumulation. There was a little fortune, too: Wheater was dropped on 14 at second slip off the admirable Paul van Meekeren.Browne, though, was chanceless; and there are some here who consider that he, rather than Tom Westley, is the Essex batsman whose technique is best-suited to joining Alastair Cook in England’s top three. His 66* has taken him to 36 runs shy of reaching 1,000 runs for the third consecutive summer. Over the last two of those, he now has 2226 runs at 51.76 apiece. “Every year that’s my target to score 1,000 – Championship runs mainly and hopefully I’m not too far away from that now,” he said.The backdrop to Browne’s austere innings was a ground brimming with tension. Not the high-octane sort that marks Chelmsford’s rambunctious T20 evenings, but the quiet of 2,500 spectators very intensely watching the cricket, sensing a passage of play whose significance could extend far beyond the day itself.By the time Browne and Wheater fled off to escape the gloom, which later gave way to showers, they had gone a long way towards maintaining Essex’s grip on the County Championship. While the Chelmsford wicket is far better than the scores so far in the match suggest, Essex’s bowling potency – and the conspicuous vulnerability of Somerset’s batting – is such that they would expect to defend anything over 200 in the fourth innings. Manage that, and Essex would probably need just one win and two draws from their final four matches to secure the prized pennant.”You’re going to think about it, it’s natural,” Browne admitted. “It’s an amazing achievement what we’ve done so far. There’s no pressure on us whatsoever – we’re just coming out and having fun.”Not that it looked like it when confronting Craig Overton. The primal scream Overton let out when celebrating snaring Varun Chopra, leaving a delivery that moved back to trap him indecisively on the crease, was in keeping with the intensity of his opening spell. The short ball was used as a weapon of shock rather than stock, recognising how seam movement, was Overton’s great threat under murky skies: the over after snaring Chopra, a full length jagged past Dan Lawrence’s crooked bat.When Ravi Bopara used his feet to Jack Leach, and succeeded only in being being in the flight, at least Essex’s one, three and four had been consistent, mustering a combined ten across both innings of the match. That is not solidity befitting Championship leaders. Just as well, then, that Alastair Cook will return for two more fixtures, as Essex hope, and that Tom Westley might well be back even sooner.And Essex confirmed today that they will also be fortified by return of Neil Wagner for the final three Championship games, once he has overcome a slight hamstring strain. In the meantime, they are hopeful of having Mohammad Amir available for the crunch trip to Old Trafford next week.His mark on this day was small but indelible, sealed in a coruscating opening over of play. Amir’s second ball, from over the wicket, swung away from the left-hander Jack Leach and kissed his edge; his fifth, from round the wicket, was a sublime yorker that eviscerated Overton’s middle stump. Amir then promptly went off, feeling his back, returned for another over, and then went off again. He didn’t reappear thereafter, although Essex do not anticipate that his back spasm will prevent him bowling later in the match.The upshot was that Somerset continued a dispiriting trend this season: of bowling the opposition out cheaply, only getting a modest lead – in this case just five runs – when they should have gained a decisive one, and then struggling later on in the game. To remedy this weakness, they are still considering signing an overseas batsman, but time – the registration deadline is September 8 – and the packed international calendar is working against them.

In only his first week in the job as India coach, Anil Kumble has already re-introduced one of Wright’s key concepts: a buddy system

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Bangalore02-Jul-2016When Anil Kumble took over as India’s head coach, he was quick to acknowledge the influence of his predecessors, notably John Wright, and said he would continue to pick his brain. In only his first week in the job, Kumble has already re-introduced one of Wright’s key concepts: a buddy system.During the 2001 series against Australia, Wright assigned a partner to each member of the team, usually pairing a batsman with a bowler. One such relationship, VVS Laxman becoming Zaheer Khan’s unofficial batting coach, carried on well beyond Wright’s tenure. Kumble has instituted something similar, usually pairing a batsman with a bowler or an allrounder: Shikhar Dhawan with Mohammed Shami, for example, or Virat Kohli with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.”It’s about the senior guys communicating with the junior guys,” Stuart Binny said. “Today we’ve paired up – each guy’s paired with another guy; it’s called a ‘buddy programme’. So it’s me and Rohit [Sharma] paired up together. Ro has played a lot of one-day cricket and Test cricket, and for me to share thoughts with him, that’s the way forward, I think. If I can help Rohit by 2%, then maybe he can help me with 30% – that’s what we’re looking to do today. It’s about helping each other through situations.Binny said the primary reason for the system was to get the players to communicate better, and voice their thoughts without hesitation.”It’s about me and Rohit communicating about our net sessions, about areas that I bowl [for example]. In the past, many guys held back because you didn’t want to say something to upset another guy, but we’ve been pushed in a direction to communicate what we want, especially with our games. There’s a lot you can learn from someone else, even by telling him that, I think this is the way forward. Communication is the key, I think. That’s what we’re trying to breed.”Over the course of their Test careers so far, Binny and Rohit have often vied for the same spot in the side, depending on whether conditions have demanded an extra batsman or an allrounder. Binny said that topic hadn’t come up yet. “No, not yet. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but, look, the team comes first, so whatever needs to be done on that day or before the Test match, we’re there to do it.”There was a slightly lopsided air to India’s nets session on Saturday in Bangalore; among the first to pad up was Amit Mishra, and one of the first spinners to have a lengthy bowl was Cheteshwar Pujara, who yelped in delight when he beat Ajinkya Rahane’s outside edge. Pujara had perhaps already picked up a tip or two from his buddy Mishra.”We’ve divided in such a way that batsmen will help bowlers and bowlers will help batsmen, so that whenever we need to play six or seven batsmen, the batsmen can chip in with the ball, bowl seven-eight overs for us,” Mishra said. “My buddy is Pujara – he bowls a bit of legspin; he can help me with my batting, and I can help with his legspin, so that whenever we might need it, he can bowl seven-eight overs for the team and help us.”

India’s tour to Bangladesh, that includes a Test and three ODIs, may be a short jaunt to a country where they have enjoyed success in the past but it is also an opportunity for India’s selection panel to set in motion their plans for the next generation

Amol Karhadkar19-May-20155:53

Agarkar: Don’t see Raina in Test squad

If previously India’s targets were focused on the World Cup and the back-to-back away tours, they are now in need of a reset. India’s tour to Bangladesh, that includes a Test and three ODIs, may be a short jaunt to a country where they have enjoyed success in the past but it is also an opportunity for India’s selection panel to set in motion their plans for the next generation.With every passing series, the influence of MS Dhoni, who has already retired from Tests, will gradually wane as Virat Kohli will look to leave his own mark. There may also be changes from how the composition of squads have been conceived in the past.Sweeping changes are unlikely, but decisions on Wednesday may reveal a peek into the team’s future direction. There are, however, a few short-term issues to be addressed.To rest or not to rest
Bangladesh may have had an impressive outing against Pakistan, but that will have no bearing on India’s decision to field their best eleven, despite the fact that the tour could offer an opportunity to rest key players who have been playing non-stop for the last ten months.It is likely that the best available eleven will be fielded in the Test match, scheduled to start in Fatullah on June 10. There has been speculation about the availability of Test captain Virat Kohli, who took over as MS Dhoni’s successor after the latter’s retirement midway through the Test series in Australia, but he appears certain to play the Test.The selectors may, however, consider resting some of the regulars for the ODI series. Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin are unlikely to feature in the ODIs, thus opening doors for fringe players. If Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit and Ashwin are rested, Suresh Raina may be asked to lead the team yet again.Will the selectors back Karn Sharma as the second spinner in the Test team?•Getty Images

If Dhoni skips or is rested for the series, Wriddhiman Saha is the frontrunner to don the gloves in his absence, with Sanju Samson likely to be considered as a back-up wicketkeeper-batsman.If Kohli and Rohit are rested, then Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary and Robin Uthappa are among the contenders for the slots. If the selectors decide to look at an untested talent pool, then Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer would stand an outside chance of selection.If Ashwin is rested, Parvez Rasool could be brought in, and Harbhajan Singh’s name is also likely to be discussed.Second spinner for Test
India’s last Test outing was in Australia more than four months ago. Karn Sharma was handed a debut in the first Test of that series, before Ashwin played the three remaining Tests. Axar Patel was drafted into the Test squad as a like-for-like replacement for an injured Ravindra Jadeja.With Jadeja having been far from impressive in away games last year – his last series in England fetched him nine wickets from four Tests at 46.67 – the selectors are likely to look beyond him for Tests. It remains to be seen if they prefer to stick with Karn and Axar as the second spinner. There is speculation that Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh may be considered. Mishra won’t be a bad choice but Harbhajan – who has bowled well in the IPL – has featured in only three first-class matches this season, picking six wickets at an average of 42.Fitness issues
Mohammed Shami is unlikely to be available for selection, as he is still recovering from a knee injury. Zaheer Khan, on the other hand, played a few games during the second half of the IPL. It will be interesting to see if Zaheer is considered or if the selectors decide to move to the next generation.

Pankaj and Rituraj Singh took four wickets each to dismiss Madhya Pradesh for 256 on the first day

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Jaipur17-Nov-2012
ScorecardPankaj Singh, 27, has been on the domestic circuit for nine seasons, while Rituraj Singh, 22, had played only nine first-class matches before Rajasthan’s Group A game against Madhya Pradesh. The right-arm seamers complemented each other in Jaipur, like they did repeatedly last season, and took four wickets each to dismiss the visitors for 256 on the first day.Rajasthan could have finished the day in a stronger position had Rameez Khan and Anand Rajan not added 88 for the eighth wicket after MP were 150 for 7.Pankaj and Rituraj utilised the bowler-friendly conditions after stand-in captain Vineet Saxena chose to field, and they were ably supported by left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary. Most of the wickets didn’t come off exceptional balls; the accuracy of the seamers forced the MP batsmen into committing mistakes. While Naman Ojha and Jalaj Saxena, MP’s aggressive batsmen, threw their wickets away by chasing wide balls, the two standout dismissals were those of Zafar Ali and the captain Devendra Bundela.Both the Singhs hardly got the new ball to swing, but once the senior partner had a word with Rituraj after Ojha’s dismissal, the younger Singh started bending his back. The result was some extra bounce, which induced an edge from Ali to the keeper.In the second session, when Bundela and Rameez Khan had begun to form a partnership, Pankaj struck. Despite bowling an immaculate line and length, Pankaj gone wicketless in his first two spells, but moments after Bundela made his 36th first-class fifty with an edge through the slip cordon, Pankaj managed to get one in sharply and trapped Bundela lbw.Rajasthan were primed to end MP’s innings, but with the blazing sun taking its toll on the three seamers, who had bowled more than 50 overs collectively in the first two sessions, Rameez and Rajan dominated the final session.The moment the second new ball became available after 80 overs, Saxena gave it to Pankaj, who had been resting while the part-timers were operating. Rituraj had taken three wickets in his first spell, and Pankaj did the same in his last, dismissing Rameez, Rajan and Ishwar Pandey to end MP’s innings.”The wicket did ease out after the early morning moisture evaporated but still, it was commendable on Rituraj and Aniket’s part to keep asking questions of batsmen,” Pankaj said. “After the kind of first session we had [MP were 90 for 5 at lunch], we would have ideally liked to dismiss them for 200, but nevertheless we have done our job.”Pankaj has been a successful bowler on the domestic circuit for the last five years and has had a bigger role to play in this game after the captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar was sidelined by a calf injury. “We discussed it in the meeting [ahead of the game] that I shall have to bear the additional responsibility of not just leading the bowling attack but also being more involved by interacting with the bowlers more than before. It is expected that it will take time to get accustomed to what a new captain is thinking and we managed it well, I think.”Rituraj was cramping after bowling an eight-over opening spell followed by a nine-over spell either side of lunch. Pankaj then told him to cut back a little. “Since he had bowled a long spell, I asked him to hold himself back a little and bowl in short spells,” Pankaj said. “And anyway we had decided to rotate the three of us. As a result, while Rituraj bowled a long first spell up front, I bowled a shorter one and then bowled a seven-over spell after lunch. The more we interact with each other, the better we perform as a team.”

On a pitch that seemed to have roughed up and become vicious, Sri Lanka came out of a testing session-and-a-half with the loss of just one wicket

The Report by Sidharth Monga28-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outOn a pitch that seemed to have roughed up and become vicious, Sri Lanka came out of a testing session-and-a-half with the loss of just one wicket after they had fallen behind by 164 in the first innings. The 45 overs of Sri Lanka’s innings was edgy stuff with almost every ball from the spinners misbehaving. It was one of those spells of play where it was just a matter of time before the one with your name showed up. Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara, left-hand batsmen both, kept trying their best to negate the rough outside their off stumps, and were yet to meet the one with their name on it.In comparison the first half of the day, important in its own right, seemed to be on sedatives. The ball hardly did anything for Sri Lanka except for some manageable reverse swing for Dhammika Prasad, and despite the early loss of Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq and Adnan Akmal built towards a crucial lead. Shafiq showed he had learned his lesson from the first-Test go-slow, and batted purposefully along with Akmal.Before Shafiq and Akmal, the day’s play was definitely a morning walk. Misbah’s early dismissal and the presence of a nightwatchman left Pakistan crawling as 11 runs came in the first half hour, including four byes, and 18 in the next half. Around this time Angelo Mathews at gully accepted a second offering from Ajmal, after which Shafiq and Akmal got busy.Even as Chanaka Welegedara strung together a tight spell, Shafiq welcomed Suranga Lakmal with a pull and Rangana Herath with a six over long-on. At the opposite end, Akmal drove Welegedara for back-to-back boundaries either side of cover. The shots were played slightly away from the body and on the up. If you had just tuned in, you could tell his last name just from those two drives. Shafiq joined in the fun with a fore-handed four through covers to make it 14 off that over. Welegedara had bowled his previous eight for 15.After that over it was down to accumulating almost in ODI-style, the absence of which they were criticised for in the first Test. The lunch break broke the flow a bit a bit, and when Shafiq tried to use Prasad’s pace, he ended up steering straight to gully. After that the innings lost direction. The wickets kept falling, and Akmal didn’t try a single big shot. When Tillakaratne Dilshan took the last wicket, he ended a period of nine runs in 11 overs.Dilshan chose to play no further part in the day’s play barring a top-order collapse. The beleaguered regulation openers came out to face the music. The first ball from Umar Gul shaped to swing into the left-hand Paranavitana, and then seamed away, just missing the edge. That set the template for the rest of Paranivatana’s effort. He kept playing and missing, but he didn’t play a release shot. If he got beaten in the flight, he somehow managed to avoid the edge; the bat-pads didn’t make it to the fielders; and even when he ran poorly he somehow survived.When Misbah introduced Mohammad Hafeez as early as the sixth over, it seemed inexplicable. The fast bowlers had given him good starts almost every time, they were causing trouble now too, and Junaid Khan wasn’t injured either. Soon, though, the ball started turning and kicking. Abdur Rehman joined him from the other end. They kept firing the ball in the rough, the orthodox flighted delivery became a change-up. Hafeez soon bowled one with Lahiru Thirimanne’s name on it: a flat offbreak that pitched middle and took off, past a forward-defensive from the batsman.For 31.5 following overs, Sangakkara and Paranavitana had to face a similar test of variable turn and bounce. As the turn kept missing the edge, or the odd big explosion beat the keeper too with the batsman stranded, you could see Pakistan begin to feel edgy too. They have to bat last on this pitch, although it can be argued the Sri Lanka bowlers don’t boast similar pedigree.There were occasions when Pakistan came even closer. In the 20th over, with the score on 35, Pakistan felt they had Sangakkara caught down the leg side. The replays seemed inconclusive after the umpire had ruled in the batsman’s favour. Four overs later there was no debate on the edge, but it didn’t carry to gully. Paranavitana benefitted from the absence of short leg, forward first and backward on a later occasion. In the 32nd over he was caught ball-watching as Misbah dived at cover-point. The throw from substitute Shoaib Malik, though, came in wide. Still, if an anxious Ajmal had collected it Paranavitana would have been caught short.”To survive, perchance to score” remained the policy until the faster bowlers came back. Between them the three spinners bowled 32 overs for 52 runs. An exceptionally testing spell of 10 overs in the middle of the final session brought just eight runs. Still, the batsmen refused to play rash shots, and will come back to fight on the fourth day.

The pitch at Hambantota, one of Sri Lanka’s new venues for the 2011 World Cup, was not to blame for the low scores in the second unofficial Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A, Sri Lanka’s head curator has said

Sa'adi Thawfeeq19-Sep-2010The pitch at Hambantota, one of Sri Lanka’s new venues for the 2011 World Cup, was not to blame for the low scores in the second unofficial Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A, Sri Lanka’s head curator, Anurudda Polonowita, has said.Only 505 runs were scored in the unofficial Test that finished in a little over two days with the home team winning by 39 runs. Twenty two wickets fell on the first day while 13 went down on the second. The ICC’s pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, was also present to witness the first day’s play and despite the flurry of wickets he was extremely happy the way the pitch played, according to Polonowita.He said that there was some assistance for the bowlers from the newly-laid turf wicket, but blamed poor batting by both teams for the early finish. “The batsmen lacked application and they were getting out trying to hit boundaries without settling down to play a long innings,” Polonowita said. “This was a four-day test and the batsmen needed to spend some time in the middle before opening out.”National selector Ranjit Fernando, who watched the match, said that there was nothing alarming in the pitch. “Not a single ball misbehaved, nor was any ball unplayable,” he said. “There was more grass left on the pitch than at Colombo. It helped the fast bowlers in the morning and the spinners later. Both teams have been playing on very placid pitches in Colombo and when the ball did a little bit the batsmen were found wanting. It is a dry area and you need to have some grass on the pitch otherwise it will dry up very quickly.”On the first day, when 22 wickets fell, there was movement as well as turn but gradually, over a period, the pitch settled down as you can see from the second-innings totals. Every time teams get out for low scores you cannot say the pitches are bad.”Hambantota will host two matches in the World Cup – Sri Lanka against Canada on February 20 and Kenya against Pakistan on February 23 – and Fernando had a word of caution for teams travelling there. “Any team playing here should come 2-3 days ahead of the match to adjust to the conditions. The winds are so strong (I am told it is stronger than at Dambulla) that the bails often get blown away and have to be replaced constantly. Even after making deep grooves on the stumps the bails were still flying.”Also the batsman must know which side to hit the ball in the air. The stadium is so large that you need to get used to the atmosphere. The distance between the centre pitches to the boundary lines is about 100 metres.”

Afghanistan have now won each of their bilateral ODI series against Zimbabwe bar the one in 2014, which was split

Himanshu Agrawal21-Dec-2024Sean Williams slog-swept Rashid Khan in the 24th over of Zimbabwe’s innings, but the ball ballooned off the top edge for Hashmatullah Shahidi at midwicket. Shahidi looked to catch it with a reverse cup, but dropped the ball – possibly because of the sun in his eyes – and invited the loudest cheers until then from the sparse crowd at Harare Sports Club.They didn’t have much going for them, really, since Zimbabwe were 89 for 8 at that stage. Williams, on 33 at the time, went on to score 60 at just under a run a ball, and dragged his side to 127 in 30.1 overs. Afghanistan wiped out the target of 128 with eight wickets and 23 overs in the bank. Sediqullah Atal followed up a knock of 104 from the second ODI with 52 off 50 balls in the third, hitting four fours and two sixes on the way, and Afghanistan completed a 2-0 series win over Zimbabwe after the first ODI was washed out.That gave Afghanistan their sixth successive ODI series win over Zimbabwe, who are yet to beat them in a bilateral series in seven attempts – the first one, back in July 2014, was shared 2-2.The chase began with just 15 runs from the first six overs, as Zimbabwe kept it tight. But Atal drove and got a top edge for four off Richard Ngarava in the seventh over, and that got Afghanistan going. Although Abdul Malik, the other opener, took his time, Atal attacked from the other end to raise the fifty stand in the 11th over. The partnership ended at 83 when Ngarava had Malik chopping on for 29, before Brian Bennett took a blinder running and diving to his left to send Atal back. Shahidi and Rahmat Shah, however, didn’t have any bothers finishing the job.[File photo] Sean Williams was the only Zimbabwe batter to take the fight to Afghanistan•Getty Images

But Afghanistan’s win on Saturday was set up by 18-year-old offspinner AM Ghazanfar. He bowled his quota of ten overs unchanged starting from the seventh, and finished with 5 for 33, his second ODI five-for in just 11 games. Shahidi chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and his bowlers proved the decision right. Afghanistan’s seamers were getting appreciable swing even after the powerplay, while their spinners almost magically turned the ball both ways.Eight of the ten wickets went to Ghazanfar and Rashid, who got 3 for 38. That, though was aa result of both batters not reading them well, and the on-field umpires making debatable calls – perhaps not reading the bowlers well either. In a series where the teams don’t have DRS to turn to, Craig Ervine and Ben Curran walked back unhappy. Even Sikandar Raza shook his head on being given out lbw off Rashid, but whether he did that because he was disappointed with the umpire or with himself… who can tell.Zimbabwe’s innings featured a mini-collapse as well as a big crumble. But before either of those, Afghanistan’s new-ball bowlers Fareed Ahmed and Azmatullah Omarzai kept a tight leash on opening batters Curran and Joylord Gumbie. Twenty-two of the first 28 balls were dots; there were four more to start the seventh over, after which Zimbabwe lost three wickets for five runs in next to no time.It started with Gumbie top-edging an attempted sweep off Ghazanfar to short fine-leg. Next over, Omarzai got one to seam away from Ervine, who was squared up as the ball went past. Ervine was given out caught behind, but there was no visible nick. Ghazanfar then got his second when he trapped Curran in front for 12 in the ninth over, although the first impression was that the ball was heading down the leg side.Rashid Khan picked up three wickets, but played second fiddle to his junior colleague, AM Ghazanfar•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Senior hands Raza and Williams briefly rebuilt thereafter. Williams had 21 runs off his first 22 balls, including three fours and a six, after 14 overs. But come the 16th, Raza’s wicket triggered a period where Zimbabwe lost five wickets for 29 runs. He was hit on the back leg by one which turned in from Rashid, and was adjudged lbw for 13. In his next over, Rashid had Bennett lbw with a googly as well, as Bennett played down the wrong line.Ghazanfar then got two more back to back, almost in identical fashion. He cleaned up both left-hand batters Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wellington Masakadza in the one over, the 19th of the innings, and each time, going around the wicket, the carrom ball fi the trick. Both batters swung across the line, and left a big gap between bat and pad for the ball to hit the off stump. On the hat-trick ball, Ghazanfar beat Newman Nyamhuri on the outside edge, with Shahidi placing as many as three slips for the right-hander.Williams, meanwhile, continued ticking at the other end even as he kept running out of partners. He whacked Rashid for four over midwicket, and slogged him for six over square leg, while Ghazanfar completed his five-for by having Nyamhuri top-edging to slip in between.Williams added 30 for the ninth wicket with Ngarava, and brought up his 36th ODI fifty when he hammered debutant seamer Bilal Sami to deep backward point. Williams had also bashed birthday boy Sami for a four and six off consecutive balls in the 14th over.But when going for a reverse sweep against Rashid in the 28th, Williams ended up tickling one to slip, where Mohammad Nabi caught him. Zimbabwe’s innings lasted only another 15 balls, in which Ngarava and Trevor Gwandu added eight runs. The defeat capped off a year in which Zimbabwe’s collective batting average was at its lowest at 14.22 (with a minimum of nine batting innings).