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A round-up of the second day of the seventh round of Division One in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2011Abbottabad are six wickets away from a comprehensive win against Faisalabad at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi. Having bowled Faisalabad out for 74 on the first day, Abbottabad managed 311 in their first innings and had Faisalabad tottering at 42 for 4 in their second attempt by the end of the second day. Abbottabad started the day on 110 for 3 and lost an early wicket but Rameez Ahmed completed his half-century and shared a 74-run stand with Riaz Kail. Once Rameez was dismissed, Kail carried on and reached 67. The lower order all made handy contributions to push the score beyond 300. Faisalabad came out to bat needing 237 runs just to avoid an innings defeat and were in trouble by stumps. While Ahmed Jamal did the bulk of the damage in their first innings, it was left-arm spinner Mohammad Naeem who struck three times to wreck Faisalabad’s top order this time around.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited‘s seamers put them in a strong position against Habib Bank Limited at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, bowling HBL out for 156, thus securing a 45-run first-innings lead. By the end of the second day ZTBL had reached 119 for 1 in their second innings putting them in prime position to push for a win. HBL had got off to a solid start thanks to Ahmed Shehzad’s 42 but wickets began to tumble shortly into the second day and they slipped from 47 for 0 to 115 for 7. The wickets were shared around between ZTBL’s seamers and apart from Shehzad only two of HBL’s top-order batsmen reached double-figures. There was some resistance from Danish Kaneria, who made 25 not out at No. 10, but HBL conceded the lead. In ZTBL’s second innings Sharjeel Khan moved to 43 not out and Yasir Hameed reached 44 not out by stumps.Islamabad‘s seamers bowled Rawalpindi out for 119 on the second day at the at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad, forcing them to follow on. Rawalpindi slipped to 26 for 3 in their second attempt but a half-century from Adnan Mufti got them to 100 for 3 by stumps. Rawalpindi are still 70 runs away from making Islamabad bat again, though, and the hosts will be eyeing a first win of the season. Islamabad took their overnight score of 226 for 6 to 289 and were then led by Fakhar Hussain, who took three top-order wickets to leave Rawalpindi reeling at 31 for 4. Zohaib Ahmed helped himself to three wickets too while Nasrullah Khan took four as only three Rawalpindi batsmen reached double-figures. Fakhar repeated his efforts in the next innings, again taking three early wickets before Mufit’s resistance kept Rawalpindi afloat.The match between State Bank of Pakistan and National Bank of Pakistan at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad was finely balanced by the end of the second day with State Bank reaching 237 for 6 in response to National Bank’s 282. The match swung through the day, with National Bank taking an early advantage thanks to a couple of strikes from this season’s second-highest wicket-taker, fast bowler Mohammad Talha. State Bank were 61 for 3 before Rameez Raja’s 79 and Rameez Aziz’s unbeaten 51 lifted them to a strong position. They looked to have the advantage as the end of the day neared, with Aziz and Gulraiz Sadaf putting together a 71-run stand. But Gulraiz became seamer Uzair-ul-Haq’s third victim to give National Bank an opening.The low-scoring match between Pakistan International Airlines and Water and Power Development Authority at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad is set for a tense finish as WAPDA finished the second day 161 runs ahead with three wickets remaining. PIA managed to get an eight-run first-innings lead after taking their overnight score of 111 for 5 to 186. Fahad Iqbal added just 12 runs to his overnight score of 50 not out but wicketkeeper Anop Santosh moved to 47 and Najaf Shah contributed 20 at No. 10. Seamer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan bagged his third five-wicket haul of the season to ensure PIA took only a small lead. WAPDA then started their second innings strongly, reaching 74 for 0 thanks to Asif Khan’s 49. Things began to unravel from there and WAPDA were soon 109 for 6. Contributions from Nawaz Sardar and Naved kept them in the game and they will now be aiming to set PIA a target of over 200, which could prove difficult on a pitch where batsmen have struggled.Karachi Blues made a strong comeback against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot and finished the second day 38 runs ahead with all ten wickets remaining. Sialkot dominated the first day and started the second on 98 for 0 in response to Karachi’s first-innings total of 166. Karachi’s fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Tanvir Ahmed got them back into the game, taking four wickets each to make sure Sialkot lost 10 wickets for 133 runs and were bowled out for 249. Overnight batsman Mohammad Yasin took his score to 81 and Mohammad Ayub scored 67 to take Sialkot to 217 for 4. A collapse followed in which four of the last six batsmen were dismissed for ducks and Sialkot were restricted to a lead of 83. That was quickly wiped out by Karachi’s openers who put together an unbeaten stand of 121 at 4.93 runs an over. Shahzaib Hasan had reached 72 not out off 76 balls by the end of the day while Asad Baig moved to 42 not out.

AB de Villiers broke records and Pakistani spirits as South Africa took control on the second day at the Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin21-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
AB de Villiers was at ease during his double-ton•Associated Press

AB de Villiers broke records and Pakistani spirits as South Africa took control on the second day at the Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. de Villiers compiled a monumental unvanquished 278, the highest individual score by a South African to help his side declare on 584 for 9. Pakistani resistance was by turns futile and worthwhile; debutante Tanvir Ahmed bagged a six-for by the close and an important unbroken 57-run stand between Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar allowed them to return to fight another day.The story and direction of the Test so far was set by de Villiers. Initially his was a muted, inevitable progression; a continuation of the stealthy way in which he went along on the first day. At no point did he choose to cut loose and it was really a matter of choice, for at no point in the day did he look insecure.A verbal dance with a luckless Umar Gul on the virtues or otherwise of walking – Pakistan thought de Villiers was out twice yesterday – was his highlight of the morning’s first hour. He did break out 80 minutes in to the morning in one over against a tiring Ahmed, a delicious drive sandwiched by a pull and punch through midwicket; the last brought up 150.The damage to Pakistan didn’t seem apparent at first: 74 runs and two wickets in the morning, in fact, was even-stevens. But as the day wore on, de Villiers killed Pakistan gradually, orchestrating a succession of useful lower-order stands. He put on 73 with Mark Boucher, 42 with Johan Botha and, irritatingly for Pakistan, 59 with Dale Steyn.Through them all were regular reminders of the simplicity of de Villiers’ strokeplay, such as an easy glide through gully of Mohammad Sami. To bring up the double as tea approached, he first pulled Gul in front of square before guiding him through gully for another boundary.Steyn’s post-lunch cameo was where the fun really began. There were flick-pulls, drives hit as hard as concrete as well as a magnificent dance-down six over long-on. Paul Harris added a handy 35 but a grand humiliation was served up in an unbeaten 107-run partnership unbeaten with Morne Morkel. The stand broke the South African 10th wicket partnership record that had stood since 1929, when Tuppy Owen-Smith and Sandy Bell put on 103 at Headingley against England.A flurry of boundaries as matters came to an end amply demonstrated de Villiers’ complete and total superiority, as well as that of his side’s. In the second session he scored an even 100. Two overs after tea, as he deftly took a single to midwicket, Graeme Smith stood tallest and loudest in the dressing room applauding as de Villiers went past his captain as holder of the highest individual Test score for South Africa.By then Pakistan were dead men walking. de Villiers had drained them thoroughly and every tailend boundary was simply another prick on a numbed spirit. They had actually begun well, with Gul and Ahmed particularly tight. The latter struck first, a sharp, late inswinger surprising Boucher. The Flintoff-esque celebration was impressive and understandable. Another wicket later ensured the second-best figures on debut for a Pakistani, though by then the fizz had gone.Even Sami bowled an outstanding spell pre-lunch, full of whizzing outswingers. One such caught the edge but two truths of Sami’s career remained unchallenged: one, he has no luck and two, catching is not an Akmal family strength.All things considered they didn’t end badly either. Mohammad Hafeez went in the very first over, but Umar and Ali were firm in a session in which they probably weren’t tested as they should’ve been. The latter looked particularly good, defending and driving with equal assurance. The proper ascent up the mountain will begin tomorrow.

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has warned Kevin Pietersen he faces a hostile reception when the first Test begins at Centurion on Wednesday

Cricinfo staff13-Dec-2009Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has warned Kevin Pietersen he faces a hostile reception when the first Test begins at Centurion on Wednesday.Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg and played first-class cricket for Natal in 1997 before moving to England after voicing his displeasure at the racial quota system in place in South Africa. He was given a tough time from the home crowds when he toured South Africa with England’s one-day side in 2004-05 but responded sensationally, smashing 454 runs in six innings.He is yet to play a Test in the country of his birth and while Smith insisted there was no hostility between Pietersen and the South African players, the South African public will not have forgotten the criticisms Pietersen made about their country’s cricket system.”He obviously gets a hostile reception from South African fans because he’s made a lot of remarks about the country that I don’t think he’s ever apologised for, Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek. It’s hard for people just to wash away those things and I think that’s why people still give him a hard time.”It creates a little bit of tension towards him. Our job is to play the game. From my perspective there’s certainly no tension going into the game.”It’s up to the players to get on with it. You want the game of cricket to be remembered for some fantastic cricket. That’s how I want cricket to be viewed by the fans and by the media.”We’ve all moved on and got on with our lives. He [Pietersen] has really performed well in his international career. There’s a cricket respect there.”Smith also maintained there was no tension between himself and Andrew Strauss, the England captain, despite their confrontation in the Champions Trophy match between the sides at Centurion earlier this year. Smith requested a runner towards the end of his 141 when he was struck down by cramp but Strauss refused, insisting that because cramp is a fitness problem and not an injury, it didn’t merit a runner.”There’s always going to be differences of opinion between two captains of opposite nations, but there’s very much a mutual respect. I’ve always said Andrew comes across as an intelligent guy, obviously captaincy is bringing out a different side to him. He’s performed well and he seems to be managing the side well. There’s no bad blood whatsoever.”

His obligations as Derbyshire head coach will keep him away from Guyana, the venue of the tournament

Mohammad Isam29-Jun-2025Mickey Arthur will next month oversee Rangpur Riders’ Global Super League title defence even though he won’t be present in Guyana, the venue of the tournament. Arthur will be 7500km away in Derbyshire, from where he will do the job remotely, according to Rangpur’s team director Shanian Taneem.Arthur had a similar arrangement with Pakistan where he oversaw strategies remotely during his stint as team director while he also fulfilled his responsibilities as head coach of Derbyshire in 2023.Rangpur will return as defending champions in the GSL’s second season, which begins on July 10. The other teams in the tournament are Dubai Capitals, Central Stags, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Hobart Hurricanes.Related

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Arthur was Rangpur’s head coach when they won the GSL’s inaugural edition last year. Since he will be concurrently coaching Derbyshire in Division Two of the County Championship, he will not be physically present at the GSL this time around.”As the English County Championship is ongoing and Mickey is coaching Derbyshire County Cricket Club, he is unavailable at the moment,” Shanian said during a jersey unveiling ceremony in Dhaka. “Therefore, we are appointing Greg Smith as our head coach. He is someone Mickey fully trusts. Mickey will stay connected with the players and continue to offer his input. Greg will lead the team under Mickey’s guidance.”Mickey Arthur was our head coach during the previous Global Super League and the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. We have strong confidence in his abilities. While forming our squad, we remained in constant touch with him and discussed which players would perform well on Guyana’s pitches.”Rangpur will be led by Nurul Hasan, who has been their captain since 2023. They have also retained Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Harmeet Singh from their 2024 squad. Their overseas contingent includes West Indies batter Kyle Mayers, South Africa wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, Pakistan allrounder Iftikhar Ahmed and Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran.They have not picked Shakib Al Hasan, however, even though the tournament is taking place in the West Indies. Shakib, a former Awami League MP, has not traveled to Bangladesh since the fall of the Awami League government last year. He now resides in the USA.”Shakib Al Hasan is still one of the most valuable players not only in Bangladesh but in any franchise league of the world,” Shanian said. “It is not that we did not want him in the squad, but we know the situation of the country at this moment. Shakib still can feature in the starting eleven of any franchise team. But keeping the current situation in mind, we were not able to take him in the squad.”Rangpur will start the tournament against the Guayana Amazon Warriors in the evening match on July 10, the opening day.Rangpur Riders squad: Nurul Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mahidul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Mohammad Saif, Abu Hider, Rakilbul Hasan, Yasir Ali, Kyle Mayers, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ibrahim Zadran, Akif Javed, Iftikar Ahmed, Harmeet Singh, Khawaja Nafay.

Former South Africa captain hopes to finish his Test career in Cape Town, his “favourite stadium in the world”

Firdose Moonda22-Dec-2023Dean Elgar, South Africa’s former Test captain and stalwart opening batter, will play his last international series against India this summer. Elgar, 36, announced his decision to retire from international cricket after the New Year’s match, which is scheduled to start on January 3 in Cape Town.If in the playing XI for both Tests against India, Elgar will finish on 86 Tests in a career that has spanned 12 years. “Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate! Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams,” he said in a statement. “It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.”The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favourite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.”With 5146 runs, Elgar is South Africa’s eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket – only eight have gone past 5000 runs – and 352 runs behind Mark Boucher, who is seventh on the list.ESPNcricinfo understands that Elgar was informed that he was not part of red-ball coach Shukri Conrad’s long-term plans. He has been linked with Essex as an overseas player for the 2024 season.Elgar’s decision means he will be unavailable for South Africa’s two-Test series in New Zealand, where they will be forced to send a makeshift side because several frontline players will be involved in the SA20 league. Elgar does not have an SA20 deal and would have been the most experienced player in the squad, and potentially even asked to captain in Temba Bavuma’s absence. Instead, Titans’ batter Neil Brand is expected to lead South Africa and partner Tony de Zorzi at the top of the order. Brand and de Zorzi opened the batting together for South Africa A against West Indies A in a recent three-match series.Asked ten days ago whether Elgar was considering ending his international career, CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe told ESPNcricinfo that “nothing has come to my table”, but would be meeting with players and their agents “over the next couple of weeks”. Nkwe has held several discussions in the interim and paid tribute to Elgar’s contributions over the years.”Dean Elgar represents a rare brand of cricketer in an age where everything is about innovation and power-hitting. He is a real old-school cricketer that can dig in, absorb and fight. I have no doubt the game will dearly miss him,” Nkwe said. “He has always given everything for his country and never showed any fear, no matter the opposition. He was always there to take on the challenge, leading as captain when the country needed him most.”Dean Elgar led South Africa in 17 Tests, winning nine of them•AFP/Getty Images

Elgar made his debut in Perth on South Africa’s tour of Australia in 2012, when they were ranked No. 1 in the world, and became the 38th player to record a pair on debut – a list that stands at 45 now – but scored a century in his third match and went on to record 13 hundreds, against all Test opposition other than Pakistan and Zimbabwe. His favourite opponents were Sri Lanka, against whom he scored a match-winning hundred in Galle in 2014, followed by two more centuries in 2017 and 2021.Elgar stood in as captain for Faf du Plessis, who was on paternity leave, for the first Test of South Africa’s 2017 tour of England and again for two Tests against Pakistan in 2019, and was named permanent captain of the Test side in mid-2021. He led South Africa to series wins in the West Indies and against India at home, and drew a series against New Zealand in early 2022, which saw them top the World Test Championship (WTC) table at the time. But away losses to England and Australia in 2022-23 meant South Africa missed out on the WTC final earlier this year. Elgar was replaced as captain when there was a reshuffle of the coaching staff in February but continued to play under Bavuma.It is understood that Elgar was unhappy with the decision to be stood down but accepted a new central contract at the end of March. With South Africa only due to play two Test series in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle, Elgar felt his Test career would be limited by the schedule and sources have confirmed he wanted to finish on a high at home.

Hosts need another seven wickets on final day as they chase promotion

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel claimed his first five-wicket haul for new county Glamorgan to help them close in on victory at home to Derbyshire.The Welsh County need another seven wickets on the final day to maintain the pressure on Middlesex in the race for the second promotion spot in Division Two.It took two sessions for them to take the remaining five wickets of the Derbyshire first innings, Anuj Dal top scoring with 92, Patel taking two catches to add to his five wickets.Not quite up to the Test record-equalling 10 wickets he managed with ball in hand for New Zealand in India, but still a massive contribution for his new county as they enforced the follow on. Derbyshire finished the day on 123 for 3.Glamorgan captain David Lloyd had talked about needing patience on this penultimate day and that was certainly the case through a wicketless morning session.Harry Came and Dal kept the scoreboard moving in reasonable comfort, without ever being able to relax on a wicket which was still offering something to the bowlers – albeit without pace.Glamorgan had to wait until after 1.20 before taking their first wicket, a smart catch by Patel low to his left off the bowling of Timm van der Gugten to ensure Came went for a well-made 64 in a partnership of 145.Alex Thomson fell cheaply to the bowling of Patel before van der Gugten claimed the crucial wicket of Dal, eight short of what would have been a well-deserved century.The all rounder was probably the pick of the Derbyshire bowling as well as their top scorer, taking his total runs scored from No. seven in the batting line-up to more than 900 this season.Derbyshire continued to show stubborn resistance as Patel took the rest of the wickets to claim 5 for 68, well supported by van der Gugten who took 3 for 37.Glamorgan had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on, Derbyshire trailing by 297, but more importantly leaving four sessions to take the 10 wickets needed for victory.Australian Michael Hogan led Glamorgan onto the field after tea for his last innings at the home of Glamorgan cricket after a decade with the club.First-innings half-centurion Luis Reece fell caught behind off James Harris, but captain Billy Godleman led the way following his first-innings duck.Brooke Guest was undone by a beauty from van der Gugten which jagged back between bat and pad to hit the top of off.Godleman had a bit of luck when he was dropped by Lloyd at slip for 38, but it did not cost Glamorgan’s skipper too dear as his opposite number fell for 40, lbw to van der Gugten, when close to his season’s top score of 43. Wayne Madsen and Leus du Plooy saw out the rest of the day.

Stunning innings from young allrounder makes light work of Somerset’s target

David Hopps11-Jun-2021Surrey 188 for 3 (S Curran 72*, Evans 65) beat Somerset 187 for 6 (Abell 69, Hildreth 31)Surrey are strutting – and how. On the back of their immense performance against Middlesex in the London derby, they withstood a six-hour journey to the West Country to dispense with Somerset in equally bullying fashion. Somerset’s 187 for 6 felt a little inadequate, but Surrey wolfed it down, and spat it out, by seven wickets with four overs to spare. Awesome stuff.Surrey had made 223 for 7 at Lord’s, the highest score in 72 domestic T20 matches on the ground, and their mood had not shifted. Will Jacks, who had made the fastest T20 half-century in 11 years at Lord’s, fell cheaply to Josh Davey, but Jason Roy pummelled the Powerplay and then Laurie Evans and Sam Curran produced a stand of 104 in 52 balls for the third wicket that made light of the chase.Evans’ power-hitting is well known, and he looked in prime form against wayward bowling, but Curran’s not so much. He has five T20 half-centuries and many predict that batting will ultimately become the dominant part of his all-round status. But his unbeaten 72 from 36 balls, with six sixes and five fours represented a career-best and, perhaps, a new level.Some of the sixes, to be frank, needed hitting, especially the two from legspinner Max Waller which set him on his way, but by the time he hauled Ben Green over midwicket, with victory nearing, there was a venom in his strokeplay that showed the gulf between the sides. Once the hundred was raised in the eighth over, it was just a matter of time.Somerset, with Jack Leach and Craig Overton on England duty, look a little thin on options. Their home matches are coming thick and fast – they face Kent at Taunton on Tuesday – and although they have only lost their first two in a 14-match league, they need a reversal of fortunes and fast.Two evenings earlier, on the same ground, Somerset had posted 185 for 7 against Essex and been beaten by three wickets with seven balls to spare. At the interval, the balance felt identical – with the added pessimism that Surrey’s batters had gone stratospheric in their defeat of Middlesex.Watch Somerset regularly and, for all their talent, one of the recurring themes is their captain, Tom Abell, resolutely trying to put things right. There are many excellent professionals in county cricket, but very few who give the impression they are so committed to the cause with every breath of their being.Related

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The outcome of that determination was 69 off 44 balls. Abell has had to work to become a T20 cricketer and, apart from his trademark scoop, which he executed perfectly against Tom Curran to reach his fifty, his game is based on intelligent shot selection.Somerset had a decent Powerplay – 63 for 2 – and, after Tom Banton had left early, reaching at a wide one from Sam Curran to fall at short third man, much of that was down to Will Smeed, who stepped in for the injured Roelof van der Merwe at No. 3, and struck 23 from 13 balls. If van der Merwe was missed, it was with the ball.Smeed is a product of King’s College, Taunton, the alma mater of such luminaries as Jos Buttler, Banton and James Hildreth and, if Somerset’s production line seems, shall we say, somewhat niche, there is no denying its quality. As for Smeed, he was impressive from the outset. In his first two balls, he probably just wanted to get a bat on ball, but found to his delight that he had smoothed Matt Dunn to the cover boundary and stolen a neat single off the next. He was unfortunate to pick out Roy at backward point.Once James Hildreth fell lbw to Gareth Batty (one of a handful of players to have figured in all 18 seasons of the Blast) Somerset faltered. Surrey’s victory owed as much to the post-Powerplay spin squeeze applied by Batty and the slow left-armer Dan Moriarty. By the time Eddie Byrom fell to Tom Curran, cutting, Somerset’s conservatism against some well-drilled overs had become costly. With Marchant de Lange a place too high at No. 8, it was understandable why: without the Overtons (Craig with England, Jamie with Surrey), Somerset are struggling for balance.An 18-run over against Tom Curran, with Abell to the fore, helped to give Somerset a vaguely competitive total, but when Abell fell with 15 balls remaining, mistiming a big leg-side hit against Dunn’s off-cutter, the writing was on the wall.

BCCI president says India have no choice if Test cricket needs to attract crowds

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Oct-2019India are getting closer to playing day-night Test cricket. According to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, Indian captain Virat Kohli has told him he is “agreeable” to day-night Tests although there is no definitive date as to when it would happen.Ganguly said India had no choice and playing day-night Tests was the “way forward” if Test cricket needed to attract crowds. That is what he told Kohli during their meeting in Mumbai on Thursday at the BCCI headquarters. It was the first meeting between Ganguly and Kohli after the former captain took charge as BCCI president on October 23.”We all are thinking about this. We will do something about this,” Ganguly said on Friday at the Eden Gardens at an event organised by Cricket Association of Bengal to felicitate him on him taking charge at BCCI. “I am a big believer in day-night Tests. Kohli is agreeable to it. I see a lot of reports in newspapers that he is not, but that is not true. The game needs to go forward and that is the way forward. People should finish work and come to watch champions play. I don’t know when that will happen, but it will.”India, No.1 on the ICC’s Test rankings, and Bangladesh are the only teams (outside of newly promoted Ireland and Afghanistan) to never have played a pink ball Test cricket since Australia and New Zealand featured in the first one in 2016.Now, with the World Test Championship under way, the onus is on the host board to organise day-night Tests, but the BCCI had expressed its reluctance, mainly because India wanted to protect its points and Indian players had not played enough first-class cricket under lights.Sourav Ganguly holding his first press conference after being appointed the BCCI president•AFP

Ganguly has been pushing for India to play with the pink ball even when he was head of the BCCI’s technical committee. In the past, he had recommended that the BCCI continue to invest in playing Duleep Trophy under lights, an experiment first used in 2016. This season the board had initially planned for the Duleep final to be a day-night affair only to change its mind at the last minute.When day-night Tests were launched, the ICC had said that it was a way to let fans come back to the ground after work and have a nice time. The first one in Adelaide was packed on all three days.Earlier this week Kohli had suggested BCCI could limit Test cricket to five of the big venues in India, saying one of the advantages of doing that would be attracting large crowds. His comments came after the final two Tests of the South Africa series were played to sparse crowds in Pune and Ranchi. Ganguly thinks day-night Tests could be a good option to sort that problem too.”Cricket needs a change,” he said. “Who had thought that T20 cricket will be such a rage when it was first played? Even we (senior players) were asked to rest when the format was first played. See lifestyles have changed. No one can afford to bunk schools or offices these days to watch cricket. They need to be brought to the ground after day’s work.”India’s upcoming Test calendar includes a two-match series against Bangladesh in November and a three-match series in New Zealand next February and March

Victoria finished higher than New South Wales on the table by a net run rate difference of 0.02 and thus progressed to face Western Australia

Alex Malcolm04-Oct-2018Victoria have progressed to the semi-finals of the JLT Cup after persistent rain in Sydney washed out the qualifying final against New South Wales at Drummoyne Oval.Victoria finished higher than New South Wales on the table by a net run rate difference of 0.02 and thus progress to face Western Australia in Sunday’s semi-final at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.Experienced Victorian batsman Cameron White faces a race to be fit for the semi-final after suffering a low-grade groin strain that would have kept him out of the clash with the Blues had rain not ruined proceedings.The wash-out has also delayed the return of Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood from a back injury. Hazlewood played one game in New South Wales Premier cricket for his grade club St George a fortnight ago where he bowled eight overs in a 50-over match. He was held out of Monday’s JLT Cup clash against Queensland with the aim of playing in the qualifying final against Victoria.New South Wales do not play again until the four-day Sheffield Shield competition begins on October 16.