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Fifties from Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed helped Peshawar Region cruise through to beat Karachi Region Blues by seven wickets and win the final of the Haier Mobile T20 Cup in Rawalpindi

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-detailsFile photo – Mohammad Rizwan struck eight fours and a six in his unbeaten 58•AFP

Half-centuries from Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan helped Peshawar Region beat Karachi Region Blues by seven wickets and defend their T20 title in Rawalpindi. All of Peshawar’s seven wins in the tournament have come batting second, and this one meant Karachi crashed to their fifth loss in the finals of the T20 Cup.Chasing a challenging target of 177, Peshawar began strongly with opener Rafatullah Mohmand bashing 43 of the 48 runs for the opening wicket. Rafatullah and his partner Israrullah fell in a space of eight balls, but Iftikhar and Rizwan then took charge, adding an unbroken 110 off only 64 balls to ace the chase. Rizwan crunched 58 off 34 balls while Iftikhar hit 57 off 40 balls as Peshawar sealed the win with seven balls to spare.After having inserted Karachi, Peshwar struck in the first over with Imran Khan removing Shahzaib Hasan for a duck. Khalid Latif (23) and Khurram Manzoor (41), though, worked past the early blow and kept runs flowing. Imran Khan Jnr broke the 52-run partnership in his first over when he had Latif caught and bowled. Three overs later, Manzoor was run out. Imran Khan Jnr then broke Karachi further with the wickets of Asad Shafiq and Anwar Ali and finished as the tournament’s joint highest wicket-taker – 16 from seven matches at an average of 12.12.Sarfraz Ahmed, who had pushed himself down the order, provided some late impetus with an unbeaten 47 off 26 balls. He scored three consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over as Karachi tallied 29 runs in the last 12 balls. But it wasn’t enough.

Abhinav Mukund, who batted 297 minutes to anchor India A’s second innings with a 163-ball 59, believes a lead of 150 would make for a difficult fourth-innings chase for Australia A on a slow pitch with variable bounce

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai31-Jul-2015Abhinav Mukund, who batted 297 minutes to anchor India A’s second innings with a 163-ball 59, believes a lead of 150 would make for a difficult fourth-innings chase for Australia A on a slow pitch with variable bounce.”These two [B Aprajith and Shreyas Gopal] are really good batsmen. Both of them have good first-class scores. Hopefully, these two bat for a while tomorrow morning,” Abhinav said. “If we get anything about 150, it is going to be a tough chase. Trust me.”Abhinav, who was caught behind in the first innings attempting a flashy cut off the back foot, said he had made a conscious decision to step forward, get close to the pitch, and attack the ball.”I think in the first innings I misjudged the ball that was probably fuller and I went back for it,” Abhinav said. “Could have played from forward and there was a conscious effort for me to play forward [in the second innings] and not backward. There was plan to smother the ball in front.”Abhinav, who lobbed a simple catch to short leg off Ashton Agar after tea, conceded that he had been undone by the extra bounce. Three balls later, Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for 49 as India A slipped from a promising position.”I thought I was quite well set and did not expect the ball to bounce as much. I thought Ashton Agar got more bounce than Steve O’Keefe. It was a little harder to play. I usually tend to sweep the ball a bit more but because of the bounce I was not able to do that. I was just looking to rotate the strike.”

Ireland will attempt to secure qualification for their third consecutive World Cup by beating Netherlands in two ICC WCL Championship fixtures

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2013Ireland will attempt to secure qualification for their third consecutive World Cup by beating Netherlands in two ICC WCL Championship fixtures over the next three days and their captain, William Porterfield, has emphasised how important the achievement would be in the continuing development of Irish cricket.The top two teams in the WCL Championship will qualify automatically for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Ireland currently head the table, two points ahead of Scotland with two games in hand and three clear of Netherlands, who are themselves eyeing a direct route to the tournament.The two fixtures will take place in Amstelveen, with Ireland unbeaten in their last six ODIs against Netherlands. Both matches will be streamed live on the ICC website.”These matches mean everything for both sides as both of us must win,” Porterfield said. “The Dutch have got to win to keep things in their hands while we know that two wins will get us to Australia and New Zealand.”Cricket Ireland has set out a strategic plan to be playing Test cricket by 2020 and that involves a lot of hard yards. One of the boxes we have got to tick is winning events like this. Doing that is very important for Irish cricket as it will give us the profile to help bring more people to the game and that will hopefully bring in funding that will keep the game growing.”Ed Joyce spoke to ESPNcricinfo earlier in the week about the difficulties Ireland continue to face in securing matches against the Full Member nations. Exposure during global ICC tournaments – they have been at the last four, including World Twenty20s – has been vital, with memorable victories over Pakistan and England at the last two World Cups.Cricket Ireland has been very transparent in its aims to develop the game, setting out a blueprint to achieve Test status by 2020. For Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, it is all about “being first through the gate” and he said that failure to win the WCL Championship would be “a backward step”. Qualification would help Ireland’s forward planning in the next 18 months, as well as bring a $1 million preparation grant from the ICC.Should Ireland lose either or both of the two games against Netherlands, they will have to beat Scotland when the two teams meet in the final round of matches in September. The six countries who do not warrant automatic World Cup spots will take part in a qualifying event in New Zealand next year for two remaining places.”It would be an advantage to go through now, or even in September rather than through the Qualifier because it gives [coach] Phil Simmons a chance to identify his squad as far out from 2015 as possible,” Deutrom said. “We can set up Full Member opponents and get planning in place from 18 months out rather than 12 months out and it is all part of the way we are thinking.”We do not just want to qualify though. We do not just want to do that and think ‘we’ve qualified, now let’s sit back and rest on our laurels’. We want to do it as winners of the World Cricket League Championship, as to do that would be matching our expectations and those of our government backers, our sponsors and our fans.”Everyone has invested in us and continues to do so, and so, for us, it is all about being first through the gate and cementing our place as the top Associate, something we have been for the last four or five years. Anything less would be regarded as a disappointment and a backward step.”Netherlands have competed in four World Cups, including the last three, and will be aiming to record their first victory over Ireland in 50-over cricket since 2006. Their captain, Peter Borren, played in that game and knows that another victory would take them above Scotland and substantially improve their chances of finishing in the top two.”We have got four games left, two of them against Ireland and two against Canada, and if we win three of them then that should be enough,” he said.”For any country, the World Cup is the ultimate stage and for Associate teams like us it is our chance to get exposure and to compete with the big boys. For Dutch cricket it is huge because in order to expand the game we have got to be on the global stage as often as possible.”

Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Apr-2012Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.Strauss was the major talking point from an England point of view heading into the Colombo Test. While the team was winning, as they have done for much of the last three years, the fact Strauss was not contributing hugely with the bat was generally overlooked. He has scored one Test hundred in 48 innings although showed the fighting qualities he has always had with his 61 on the second day in Colombo.Swann, who took 4 for 75 to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 275, insisted Strauss had not been affected by the debate while adding the dressing room has barely given it another thought.”He hasn’t shown any signs,” he said. “We only realise he’s under scrutiny because some of us can read. I see it as a bit of a witch hunt and I think it is unjustified, but you wouldn’t tell from way he carries himself. He’s very laid-back and phlegmatic. He’s the best captain in world cricket and a world-class opening batsman. He’ll get nothing but support from me.”Barring his first two Tests against India in 2008, during Kevin Pietersen’s brief time in charge and the two games Alastair Cook captained in Bangladesh, Swann has played his entire Test career under Strauss. He believes there is still a huge amount of credit available to him for his time at the helm which has included two Ashes series victories and the climb to No. 1 in the world.”When anyone’s in a position like Straussy and when things aren’t going well like they have been then pressure builds up,” he said. “My view is that he should be afforded leeway because of what he’s done over the last two or three years.”I don’t think there’s any man as capable of leading a team in world cricket. He’s not in horrible nick, he’s getting good starts and it’s just one of those things all players go through. His barren spell is a lot better than other people’s has been and he’ll bounce back and be scoring hundreds before you know it.”

“He makes things much easier than what it is,” Shubman Gill says about Rohit Sharma’s century in the Cuttack ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2025

Rohit Sharma celebrated his century in a subdued way•Associated Press

Rohit Sharma hasn’t been in great form in Test cricket. But in ODIs, a format India haven’t played a lot of over the past year, he remains one of the best in the business. A seven-ball 2 in the first ODI against England might have raised fears ahead of the Champions Trophy, but the 90-ball 119 in the second on Sunday in Cuttack should soothe some nerves. He might not say it in so many words, but Rohit did admit after the game that he “really enjoyed being out there, scoring some runs for the team.” Not something he has done a lot of late.”I really broke it down into pieces about how I wanted to bat,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation after collecting his Player-of-the-Match award. “It’s a 50-over format, a little longer than T20 format and a little shorter than Test cricket obviously – a lot shorter than Test cricket – but obviously you still need to break it down and assess what you need to do at regular intervals and that is what I kept doing. It was important for a batter who gets set, needs to bat as deep as possible and that was my focus.”Rohit’s lack of runs in international cricket has been talked about a lot. In the last 12 months, he averages 23.70 in Test cricket, and that comes down to 10.93 since September 2024. On Sunday, though, he was in his element, playing the sort of innings that has made him a giant in the format.Related

• India seal series as Rohit roars back into form with 32nd ODI ton

“Looking at the pitch, when you play on black soil, [the ball] tends to skid on a bit, so it’s important that you show the full face of the bat when you’re batting initially,” he said about his approach. “Once I got into my innings, I understood what they were trying to do: bowling into our body and trying to not give any room, keeping it on the stumps.”And that’s where I prepared my plan as well, what I wanted to do with those kind of deliveries, trying to access the gaps which were there. It’s about understanding what you want to do as a batter and… obviously got very good support from [Shubman] Gill to start with and then Shreyas [Iyer] as well.”With Gill, his opening partner, Rohit added 136 in just under 17 overs, eating into a large chunk of India’s 305-run target, which they eventually got to in the 45th over to win the three-game series with a match in hand.Gill, who Rohit called “a very, very classy player” who “doesn’t seem to get overawed” by the situation, was effusive in his praise for his captain.”He makes things much easier than what it is,” Gill, who scored 60 in 52 balls – his second half-century in the series – said. “The way that he took on the bowlers… we have seen that over the past couple of years, how he’s been batting in the ODIs, and the way he dominated the fast bowlers today was just a treat to watch from the non-striker’s end.”It’s good portents for India ahead of the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19. Their captain, who has been struggling for runs in Tests – he has retired from T20Is – is as good as he always was in ODIs. That’s one piece of the jigsaw that’s firmly in place.

Young batter impresses former captain after composed debut at No.3 in Christchurch

Andrew Miller05-Dec-2024Alastair Cook, England’s former Test captain, believes Jacob Bethell’s temperament can make up for his lack of red-ball experience, after he came through a challenging maiden Test in Christchurch with his reputation enhanced.Bethell was thrust in at No.3 for the first Test against New Zealand, after a hand injury prevented Jordan Cox from making his own Test debut, with Ollie Pope moving down to No. 6 as a makeshift wicketkeeper.Bethell responded with scores of 10 and 50 not out in England’s eight-wicket win, despite having played just 20 previous first-class matches in his professional career, and never having made a century in any senior format.Cook, like Bethell, was also 21 when he made a century on Test debut against India in March 2006, and went on to miss just one subsequent match through illness while compiling a then-record tally of 161 appearances.However, by the time of his call-up, Cook had completed a breakthrough home season in 2005, featuring five County Championship hundreds and a memorable double-century against the touring Australians. And speaking on the eve of the second Test in Wellington, for which he will provide studio analysis for TNT Sports, he warned against expecting too much, too soon from Bethell.”There’s a long way to go, but it’s been an encouraging start,” Cook said. “He’s probably a year or two years behind as a player, in terms of knowing his red-ball game. But all of us who’ve watched cricket and played cricket, have seen something about him.”It’s hard to always pinpoint what it is about certain players that makes you think they’ve got a really good chance of making it to the next level. But I saw Jonny Bairstow bat as a youngster for Yorkshire, and I saw Jos Butler bat for Somerset … it’s not easy to put into words, because it isn’t about words. It’s about something you see.”For some, it’s the time they have at the crease, for some it’s how cleanly they hit the ball. But Bethell’s a seriously talented player, and he’s looked at home in international cricket straightaway. He’s plays the situation in front of him, and he’s not overawed by what is going on.”Related

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That was apparent even in the adversity of England’s first innings at Christchurch. Bethell arrived in overcast, swinging conditions, after Zak Crawley had been dismissed for a duck, and ground his way to 10 from 34 balls before receiving a brute of a delivery from Nathan Smith, in the final over before the lunch break.”I was impressed,” Cook said. “Particularly the way that he gutsed it out in the first innings. His strike-rate in red-ball cricket is actually under 50, so it’s clear he likes to build an innings [even though] his array of shots is why he got picked for the white-ball team. There’s a huge amount of growth to be had there, without a doubt, even though he’s nowhere near the finished article.”Cook himself had been sceptical about Bethell’s selection when addressing his call-up in the build-up to the first Test, but admitted that the manner in which he had handled such doubts was further proof of his potential.”When he got called up, there was some question why [you’d pick] a guy averaging 25 with no hundreds, and that does bring some pressure onto you as a player. To handle that like he’s done, it’s as if he’s doing all the other stuff first, rather than score the actual volume of runs that might have been required [for selection] in the more traditional way.”A lot of Test cricket is played in the mind,” Cook added. “You do need a decent technique, but the power of the mind can overcome a hell of a lot. I don’t want to get carried away, but he’s obviously made of the right stuff, and you are trusting the judgment of people in that leadership group who have played Test cricket, and wouldn’t have taken this risk without thinking that he could cope.”Bethell’s calm arrival now increases the scrutiny on Ollie Pope, especially with Jamie Smith due to reclaim the wicketkeeper’s duties when he returns from paternity leave in the new year. But Cook acknowledged that Pope’s glovework in the first Test had been faultless, while his calm 77 from No.6 turned out to be a vital contribution to England’s eventual victory.”I was pleasantly surprised at how well he kept in that game,” he said. “I don’t think you should ever get to a case where you’ve got a fourth-choice county keeper [doing the job for England], but, actually, maybe I’ve misjudged that situation. He hasn’t really made many mistakes, if any, in his four Test matches as keeper.”So, does that start to be a a viable option down the line as well? Two weeks ago, the XI that played last week wouldn’t have been on anyone’s list of teams, but things change very quickly in sport, because it is a results-driven business. Pope just looks more suited batting at five and six, while Bethell, in that first innings, had more chance of getting through that swinging, nipping ball.”Watch every ball of the New Zealand vs England second Test, live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 9.30pm on Thursday, December 5

Neesham instrumental in recovery from top-order implosion

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2024All-rounder Lewis Goldsworthy hit a career-best 67 as Leicestershire Foxes maintained their push to win a place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast with a five-wicket victory over East Midlands rivals Notts Outlaws at the Uptonsteel County Ground.New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham backed up Goldsworthy’s performance with 44 from 22 balls as the Foxes won with an over to spare – despite having been six for three at the start of their chase – condemning the Outlaws to an eighth defeat in what has been comfortably their worst season in the current Blast format.With seven of the nine North Group counties chasing four qualifying places in a tight finish to the group season, the Foxes have 14 points but may still have to defeat group leaders Birmingham Bears in their final fixture at Edgbaston next Friday if they are to go through.Ben Martindale, the 21-year-old left-hander, made 44 from 42 balls – his best in a fledgling T20 career – and skipper Joe Clarke 39 from 23 as the Outlaws made 160 for six, a mid-innings collapse rescued to a degree at the death by Liam Patterson-White (28 from 16) and Lyndon James (22 from 11), Scott Currie taking two for 35 for the Foxes.But it was a score that proved not enough despite Olly Stone taking two for 22 from his four overs, Rehan Ahmed chipping in with 34 from 38.Having opted to bat first, the Outlaws would have been pleased to be 49 without loss from six given their recent form. After taking only 10 runs from the first 16 deliveries, Clarke and Martindale plundered seven boundaries from the next 20.Clarke lifted a Rehan full toss over the short boundary on The Meet side of the ground for his second six, quickly adding two more fours, but the partnership was broken on 68 as he fell to a catch on the cover boundary.After a tentative start, Martindale grew in confidence, reverse pulling six off Goldsworthy but Notts were checked again in the 11th when Jack Haynes was caught at deep midwicket in a wicket-maiden by Josh Hull.Martindale briefly broke free from a Foxes squeeze as he slogged Currie over the midwicket rope but an attempted repeat was brilliantly caught by Louis Kimber, keeping the ball in the air as he crossed the boundary and stepping back to take it inside.Matt Montgomery and Tom Moores fell cheaply as the Outlaws slipped to 115 for five in the 17th but Liam Patterson-White, who hit back-to-back sixes off Hull before being caught off Currie off the penultimate ball, joined Lyndon James (22 not out off 11) in adding 45 from 20 balls to give the innings substance.Indeed, 160 looked a decent total as the Foxes made a calamitous start, losing Sol Budinger, pulling to deep backward square, and Peter Handscomb, miscueing to extra cover, and Rishi Patel, bowled off an inside edge, to be six for three from 14 balls.It could have been much worse for the home side, with two difficult slip chances and one comparatively comfortable return catch put down, Patterson-White giving Rehan a life on 21 in the third instance. As it was, by the halfway point, with no further losses, the Foxes needed 100 runs to win.Rehan was caught at mid-off off James after the fourth wicket pair had added 76 but Goldsworthy, on loan from Somerset, chose the right moment to make his biggest contribution so far, hitting two sixes and six fours in a fine innings before holing out to deep midwicket off Patterson-White.He added 54 with Neesham for the seventh wicket, leaving 25 more to get with his departure, the New Zealand all-rounder going most of the way to finishing the job with three sixes and two fours before Louis Kimber drove Fazalhaq Farooqi for the winning boundary.

Newcomers Brits and Mlaba are among the 15 to get a deal for the 2022-23 season

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2022Mignon du Preez was left out of the 15 women who were awarded central contracts for the 2022-23 season by Cricket South Africa on Monday. The 32-year old former captain played a crucial role in taking her team to the semi-finals of the 2022 Women’s World Cup, but has since retired from Test-match and ODI cricket and remains available only for T20s. Also missing is Nadine de Klerk, who was part of the contracted 15 in 2021-22.The space they left behind was filled up by top-order batter Tazmin Brits and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s chief executive officer, heaped praise on the two newcomers for their “dedication and work on and off the field” over the last 12 months.”After a remarkable year for the Momentum Proteas that saw the team climb to and maintain second spot in the ODI world rankings, it is with immense pleasure to announce next season’s squad of contracted players as they embark on their next challenge in world cricket.”Just like the previous 12 months, the next year brings forth a hugely-anticipated calendar of international cricket for the Proteas Women and we strongly believe in the set-up in place at the top of our women’s game to continue breaking boundaries and make their mark in the game,” he said.”On behalf of CSA, congratulations to Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba on their newly-awarded contracts. Their dedication and work on and off the field has not gone unnoticed and these contracts are a reward for their contributions.The upcoming season will begin with South Africa Women touring Ireland for three T20Is and three ODIs from June 3 before a multi-format tour of England between June 25 and July 27. Then there are the Commonwealth Games T20s in August followed by the T20 World Cup in February 2023, with South Africa hosting the global event for the first time. CSA will play host to the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup next year too.Women’s contracts: Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Dané van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt.

Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Jan-2020Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to terminate Chandika Hathurusingha’s contract as head coach, while Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following months of deadlock.Although SLC had suspended Hathurusingha as far back as August last year, they had continued to pay him for several months, while lawyers traded letters and the board sent Hathurusingha a list of alleged failings as head coach. The charges levelled by SLC include failure to adequately prepare the Sri Lanka side for various assignments, and failure to maintain good relationships with players.The board has finally resolved to terminate Hathurusingha’s contract, but the possibility that they will have to pay Hathurusingha a substantial amount for early termination remains. His contract was due to run until December this year.”At the last executive committee meeting, on Friday, it was decided that the contract would be terminated,” board CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “I can’t say by memory when we stopped the payments to [Hathurusingha], but I believe it was somewhere around October last year.”The board’s decision came after CAS, a global sporting body that aims to settle disputes related to sports via arbitration, sent them a letter listing Hathurusingha’s demands. De Silva confirmed that SLC is bound to the CAS process, and the board is now understood to be required to respond. This is likely because Hathurusingha’s contract with the board had stipulated that CAS could become involved if something like an early termination did eventuate. CAS will facilitate arbitration, and will effectively function as the intermediary between the parties for as long as this process lasts.Hathurusingha’s demands, conveyed to SLC by CAS, are understood to include not only loss of income from the early termination, but also compensation for damages to his reputation. He had remained in Sri Lanka through the early months of his legal tussle with SLC, but had returned home to Australia after the board’s payments ceased.Hathurusingha is the third head coach in the last five years whose tenure with Sri Lanka was ended before the contracted term was served. Marvan Atapattu and Graham Ford were both elbowed out of the position in 2015 and 2017 respectively.In 2013, SLC had also had to pay Geoff Marsh a substantial settlement after the board had terminated his contract early in 2012.

Other major stars in the Supernovas and Trailblazers XIs include Ellyse Perry, Suzie Bates, Alyssa Healy, Danielle Wyatt and Megan Schutt

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2018Australia captain Meg Lanning, superstar allrounder Ellyse Perry and India ODI captain Mithali Raj are set to be part of the IPL Supernovas team in the Women’s T20 exhibition match in Mumbai. They will face an IPL Trailblazers side that includes Jhulan Goswami, the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs, the prolific New Zealand opener Suzie Bates and the England offspinner Danielle Hazell among other big names.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In all, the two squads of 13 announced by the BCCI on Thursday include five Australia players, three from New Zealand and two from England, apart from 16 major Indian stars including Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who will captain the Supernovas and Trailblazers respectively.The match will be played ahead of the first IPL Qualifier on May 22 at the Wankhede Stadium. The match will begin at 2pm IST and will be telecast across the world, unlike India women’s most-recent assignment – the ODI series against England – which was limited to a livestream on the BCCI website.