All posts by n8rngtd.top

Captain in the runs again as home side reach 241 for 5 either side of rain

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2023Leicestershire just about had the upper hand on a rain-affected opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship against Glamorgan after skipper Lewis Hill and former captain Colin Ackermann had shared a 100-run partnership.Their third-wicket stand provided the main substance in a total of 241 for 5 as a continuation of the wet spring weather limited play to 66.2 overs.Hill followed his career-best unbeaten 162 against Derbyshire two weeks ago with a second 50-plus score of the season. The in-form Ackermann, after scores of 67, 72 and 114 in his three previous innings this season, added 45 to raise his tally for the season to 298.His fellow Netherlands international Timm van der Gugten, with 4 for 45, was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers, taking two wickets before lunch and another two in the afternoon to keep the home side in check.Winless and bottom of the table last season, Leicestershire are keen to prove their extraordinary victory over Yorkshire in the opening round of the Division Two programme was no fluke. They were frustrated by the weather when they took on Derbyshire at the Uptonsteel County Ground two weeks ago, with two complete days washed out.Conditions were at least dry if cold at the start of this match, and Leicestershire could be pretty pleased with their morning’s work after Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd had won the toss and decided he would field first.As a unit, Loyd’s seam-bowling attack struggled to hit the right lengths on a mottled-looking pitch, with the notable exception of van der Gugten, who took wickets in his first and third overs after coming on at first change at the Bennett End, removing both openers.He struck with his third delivery to see off Sol Budinger, the left-hander, who had gathered 26 runs with typical urgency before van der Gugten came round the wicket to knock out his off stump. Rishi Patel, with whom Budinger put on 43 for the first wicket, soon followed, caught behind off a ball that climbed on him as he tried to force it through the off side.Yet Hill and Ackermann looked increasingly comfortable in guiding Leicestershire to 123 for 2 at lunch, after which Hill hit fours off Michael Neser and Lloyd to raise his boundary tally to eight in an 82-ball half-century.However, no sooner had the third-wicket pair taken their partnership to 100 than both were dismissed in consecutive overs by van der Gugten, whose appeal was upheld to the apparent surprise of the Leicestershire batter as Ackermann was pronounced leg before to a ball that was certainly angling towards the leg side.Finding some movement off the pitch, the Australia-born van der Gugten followed up by having Hill caught behind, the Leicestershire captain feeling he had to defend his stumps against a ball that nipped away to take the edge. From 152 for 2, the home side were 153 for 4 in the blink of an eye and van der Gugten had all four wickets.Peter Handscomb and Wiaan Mulder were not the worst pair to be charged with a rebuilding job but the South African, in need of a score to settle him in to the new campaign, found his luck out again, bowled by a delivery from Michael Neser that he felt he could safely leave only for it to swing in and then dart back sharply off the pitch to hit his off stump.At 168 for 5, Leicestershire could have lost their way but Australian Test wicketkeeper-batter Peter Handscomb was well supported by the ever-improving fledgling England player Rehan Ahmed, the teenage leg-pinning all-rounder, in making sure that did not happen.Either side of a two-hour stoppage for rain, the pair added an unbroken 73 for the sixth wicket, of which Ahmed has made 38, chancing a few youthfully extravagant shots but generally playing in a way that reflects his growing maturity.

The Rajasthan Royals captain engaged the on-field umpires in a prolonged conversation after third umpire Michael Gough had ruled him out

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20243:17

Why the decision to give Samson out was the right one

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been fined 30% of his match fees for breaching the IPL’s code of conduct during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.Samson was found guilty of a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the code of conduct, which relates to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision. He admitted to the offence and accepted the match referee’s sanction.Related

• Kuldeep, Mukesh, openers seal crucial win for Capitals

• Delhi Capitals held Kuldeep back to cause 'problems' for Rajasthan Royals

• Porel makes quiet impact in star-studded Capitals line-up

Samson, who top-scored for RR with 86 off 46 balls, was out in the 16th over of their chase of 222, caught at long-on by Shai Hope off the bowling of Mukesh Kumar. Hope took the catch close to the boundary edge, and briefly stumbled before regaining his footing. Unsure of whether or not his foot touched the boundary cushions, the on-field umpires called on TV umpire Michael Gough, who adjudicated that Hope took the catch cleanly.Samson then engaged on-field umpires KN Ananthapadmanabhan and Ulhas Gandhe in a prolonged conversation before leaving the field.The dismissal was a key moment in the match, with RR’s hopes of overhauling their target resting largely on Samson’s shoulders – they needed 60 off 27 balls before he was dismissed.Out or not out? Shai Hope’s catch of Sanju Samson had the jury divided•BCCI

RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara empathised with the third umpire for having to make a tricky call.”It depends on replays and angles, and sometimes you think the foot’s touched,” he said at his post-match press conference. “But it is a difficult one for the third umpire to judge. The game was at a crucial stage, so that happens in cricket. We have different perspectives on it. At the end of the day, you have to stand by that decision in terms of what the umpires did. If we have any other kind of opinion on it, we will share it with the umpire and sort it out. But irrespective of that dismissal, we still should have probably seen that game home.”Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre hailed Hope for managing to recover his balance to complete the catch.”In IPL some moments are very crucial, and it [Hope’s catch] was a deciding moment in the game,” Amre said. “Sanju was batting so well. We have to give credit to the way Hope judged that catch, he balanced himself [well] with that. Umpires are there, and there is so much technology. Once he is given out by the third umpire, it was more [clear]. We also thought from the dugout that he has [touched the boundary cushions] but it [happens] in the game, and the umpire’s decision is the final decision. It wasn’t an easy catch, it was really travelling. After the game also I spoke [to Hope], he anticipated that very well, but he said the ball came very, very fast.”

He posted on social media that he would be “open” to next year’s tournament in Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2024David Warner has again left the door ajar to appear in next year’s Champions Trophy despite announcing his international retirement over the last 12 months.Warner retired from Test cricket in January when he also announced that last year’s ODI World Cup was his final outing in the 50-over format, but talked of being available for the Champions Trophy if he was needed. Last month his international career ended with Australia’s exit from the T20 World Cup.Related

• David Warner's latest headline grab has underlined Australia's opener problem

• Connolly earns Australia call-up; Fraser-McGurk included for Scotland, England tour

• 'All yours now champion' – Warner endorses Fraser-McGurk for top-order jobs

• Sydney Thunder confident of Warner BBL return

However, in an Instagram post reflecting on his career, Warner made another reference to the Champions Trophy which will be staged in Pakistan next February and March.”I will continue to play franchise cricket for a while, and I am also open to playing for [Australia] in the Champions Trophy if selected,” he posted.It is a highly unlikely scenario given Warner will not be available for any of Australia’s matches in the lead-up to the tournament. They tour England in September for ODIs then face Pakistan in November when Jake Fraser-McGurk, who Warner has endorsed as his successor, will be one of the frontrunners to come in at the top of the order. Back in January, Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins responded to the prospect of Warner making a one-off return for the Champions Trophy.”I think it’s probably time to give some others a crack [in ODIs], but knowing that he’s going to still be playing cricket,” he said. “So it might be more of a kind of break glass in an emergency option. But, you know, David is going to be scoring runs somewhere in the world. So you never quite know that this is [the end].”Warner finished his ODI career with 6932 runs at 45.30 with 22 hundreds, a tally second to only Ricky Ponting.”Chapter closed!! It’s been an unbelievable experience to play at the highest level for such a long period,” Warner began his Instagram post. “Australia was my team. The majority of my career was at the international level. It’s been an honour to be able to do this. 100+ games in all formats is my highlight.”I want to say thanks to everyone out there who has made this possible. My wife and my girls, who sacrificed so much, thank you for all your support. No person will ever know what we’ve been through. For all the cricket fans out there, I truly hope I have entertained you and changed cricket, especially tests, in a way where we scored a bit faster than others. We cannot do what we love without the fans, so thanks.”Warner will be in action in Canada’s GT20 and a T10 tournament in the Cayman Islands over the coming months while Sydney Thunder remain confident of seeing him return for the BBL although he also has a deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 which overlaps and commentary commitments.

India A gather healthy lead after India D are skittled out for 183

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2024Khaleel Ahmed’s India career hasn’t quite taken off, but a decent IPL opened the doors for a white-ball return in Zimbabwe in July for the first time since 2019. Now, Khaleel is working his way back up to a steady diet of first-class cricket.The ongoing Duleep Trophy fixture is only his 14th since his debut in 2017, and with Yash Dayal having leapfrogged him to the Indian Test squad for Bangladesh, Khaleel had another opportunity to impress. On Friday, he built on his five wickets from the opening round to pick up another three first-innings wickets to give India A control.Having added just two runs to their overnight 288 for 8, India A bowled out India C for just 183, with Khaleel turning in a superb spell of swing and seam bowling to finish with 3 for 39.While he just bowled eight overs, he managed to create opportunities and kept batters guessing with his late movement and lift. He dismissed Atharva Taide with a wicked inswinger that he shouldered arms to off the third ball of the innings and then had Shreyas Iyer for a seven-ball duck in his second over.Iyer, seemingly troubled by the away-movement and a short ball that he somehow managed to sway out of, fell as he lobbed a full delivery to mid-on, unable to fully commit to the shot because he had been hanging back in the crease.Khaleel’s third was Zaheer Khan-esque for the angle he managed to create from around the stumps as he bent one back in late to strike Ricky Bhui on the pads. Bhui was overbalanced and was trapped plumb in front.File photo: Devdutt Padikkal scored 92 of India D’s total of 183 all out•PTI

Khaleel’s fire from one end was matched by the intensity of young Uttar Pradesh quick Aaqib Khan. Just 12 first-class games old, Aaqib isn’t express pace but makes up for that with his control and minute deviations off the pitch. In what is possibly his most high-profile first-class appearance so far, Aaqib remained unfazed by the quality of batters up against him.One of his three wickets early in his spell was that of the returning Sanju Samson, whose stay lasted just six deliveries as he miscued a pull to mid-on. Aaqib finished with 3 for 41.For India D, only Devdutt Padikkal was among the runs, a punchy 92 filled with sumptuous cover drives and a solid back foot game, especially off his statemate Prasidh Krishna, who bowled a lot better than his figures of 11-4-30-1 suggest.Prasidh had the last laugh, however, when he had Padikkal with one that decked away sharply to take the edge through to the wicketkeeper. Padikkal’s 92 came off just 124 balls with wickets falling around him. He hit 15 boundaries in his knock.Having taken a 107-run lead, Mayank Agarwal and Pratham Singh tucked into a tired attack to hit half-centuries late in the day, before an innocuous delivery from Iyer had Agarwal tamely lobbing a return catch in the dying moments of play.

Teenage opener agrees first county stint; Migael Pretorius penciled in for Somerset return

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2025Hampshire have signed 18-year-old South African opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius as one of their overseas players for this year’s Vitality Blast. Pretorius has yet to be capped at senior level by South Africa, but finished as the leading run-scorer at the recently completed SA20.A hard-hitting left-hander who can also keep wicket, Pretorius made his T20 debut last year after impressing for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup, and currently averages 27.60 with a strike rate of 147.17 in the format.He caught the eye of Hampshire’s coach, Adi Birrell, when scoring 97 off 51 in his first outing for Paarl Royals, against Sunrisers Eastern Cape at this year’s SA20, with Birrell also in charge at SEC.Related

• Fearless Lhuan-dre Pretorius grabs the spotlight in 'dream come true' innings

• Brown: Hampshire can win Championship despite 'huge' Vince hole

• Abbas swaps Hampshire for Nottinghamshire on six-match deal

“It’s a real honour to play for Hampshire Hawks in this year’s Vitality Blast as my first experience of playing cricket in England,” Pretorius said. “The team is full of exciting names whom I look forward to playing alongside and sharing a dressing room with as we look to lift the trophy.”Hampshire, winners of the Blast in 2022, finished seventh in the South Group last season, missing out on the knockouts for the first time in four years.Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said: “Lhuan-dre impressed with his batting during the recent SA20 and played a number of eye-catching innings against some of the best bowlers in the world. He’s a special talent with a big future, and we are delighted that he is joining us for this year’s Vitality Blast.”

Migael Pretorius back at Somerset

Migael Pretorius made an impact with bat and ball last season•Getty Images

Somerset, meanwhile, have confirmed a return for allrounder Migael Pretorius. The 29-year-old made eight County Championship appearances last year, scoring 338 runs to go with 23 wickets. He is expected to be available for the duration of the 2025 season across all three formats.”I really enjoyed my time at Somerset in 2024 and I’m looking forward to joining up with the team again this summer,” Pretorius said. “There’s a really positive atmosphere around the club and I was impressed by the level of support that the players get at every game, both home and away. The team came so close to winning a trophy last year and hopefully I can help Somerset to get over the line in 2025.”Somerset director of cricket, Andy Hurry, added: “Following his time with us during 2024, Migael knows what it means to represent the club and understands what we are aspiring to achieve here.”He has a proven ability to impact games, and he will add further all-round quality as well as depth to our already impressive seam attack. Understanding how demanding the season is for teams competing across all three competitions, we feel that squad depth will be a vital factor for us.”

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the ODI series but is in the T20I squad

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-20251:19

Chopra: Rohit’s place in the side will now depend on form

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been picked in India’s ODI squad for the series in Australia starting on October 19, marking their international comebacks after last playing in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March. The squad will be led by Shubman Gill, who has replaced Rohit as the ODI captain, with Shreyas Iyer the vice-captain.The selection panel, headed by former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, met on Saturday in Ahmedabad, where India won the first Test of the series against West Indies by an innings and 140 runs.There are five changes to the ODI squad from the 15 that won the Champions Trophy in the UAE in March: Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy are missing, Hardik Pandya is recovering from a quadriceps injury, Rishabh Pant has not yet fully recovered from the broken foot he suffered in England, and Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. They have been replaced by allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was injured for the Champions Trophy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.Related

• Gill inherits the wealth of India's Rohit-Kohli era

• Gill replaces Rohit as India's ODI captain

“With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places,” Agarkar said. “Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE]. At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don’t think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”Bumrah is part of the T20I squad for the five matches in Australia after the ODI series. The only change to the T20I squad that won the Asia Cup last month is Hardik being replaced by Reddy, while Washington has been added, making it a squad of 16.”We have already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that,” Agarkar said about Bumrah. “Wherever you can give him a break, you will, because we all know how important he is, but we have also got to see what is in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he is always available, but we will look after [him]. Not just him, Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who do play Test cricket, who will end up having a lot of bowling to do, so we will try and manage all the seamers, so that we minimise the risk of injuries.”Agarkar indicated that Gill and Rohit were likely to open in the ODIs, which means Jaiswal could miss out on a place in the starting XI. He also said Jurel was picked ahead of Sanju Samson in the ODI squad due to batting position, while KL Rahul is likely to remain the first-choice wicketkeeper.”Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order,” Agarkar said. “I think when he got a 100, I think he batted No. 3, if I am not wrong. Jurel usually bats lower down the order. KL bats there as well. You have seen how good a player Dhruv is. Again, you are looking at spots. I don’t think there is room at the top again. So, we are looking at guys who can fit in those spots. Obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there [middle order] and we are trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So, that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else.”India play three ODIs in Australia on October 19, 23 and 25, followed by five T20Is between October 29 and November 8.

India’s ODI squad for Australia

Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India’s T20I squad for Australia

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

New Hundred role will run concurrently with existing duties at Derbyshire

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, is set to combine his duties at the club with a new role as director of cricket at Northern Superchargers.Derbyshire finished rock-bottom of the County Championship in 2024, with one win in 14 matches in Division Two, and failed to reach the knock-outs in either the T20 Blast or the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.However, Arthur’s managerial experience, which includes a recent stint as Pakistan’s team director, has proven attractive to Superchargers, where he will work alongside the men’s and women’s head coaches, Andrew Flintoff and Lisa Keightley.He will advise the Hundred teams on recruitment and offer support to the head coaches, but Derbyshire insist his role at Superchargers will be “largely hands-off”. He will remain with the county during the Metro Bank One-Day Cup which runs concurrently to the Hundred.”Derbyshire remains my primary focus and I’m committed to achieving our goals of bringing success to the club,” Arthur said. “We encourage all of our players and coaches to develop their skills in new environments and this is another example of that.”As a club, our personnel are in demand and that’s a testament to the work being done behind the scenes, and we are confident results will soon come on-field.”Ryan Duckett, Derbyshire’s chief executive, added: “Mickey remains fully committed to Derbyshire, he lives and breathes the club and we hope that he can use this opportunity to showcase the quality Derbyshire has.”It’s been a positive winter, with Mickey, Wayne [Madsen] and Zak [Chappell] lifting silverware overseas, while Harry Moore and Pat Brown have represented us within the England setup recently.”Our squad has been working hard over the winter, and this will ramp up even further over the next couple of months to give us the best possible chance of success in 2025, with an exciting summer ahead.”

Victoria are three down in their second innings, still 161 away from making WA bat again

Tristan Lavalette06-Oct-2023Stumps Aaron Hardie continued to elevate his standing with a strong all-round performance on day three as Western Australia closed in on victory against Victoria at the WACA.Trailing by 225 runs after the first innings, Victoria’s second innings started poorly when Will Pucovski edged Hardie to slip for a second ball duck.One-time Test opener Pucovski had batted through the first session on day one in his comeback after 12 months away from first-class cricket having fought battles with concussion and mental health. But he had no answer to blossoming allrounder Hardie, who took the new ball after having taken three wickets in Victoria’s first innings.Hardie, whose bowling loads were managed late last season, was unlucky not to add another during a menacing five-over opening burst.Victoria managed to put up some fight late in the day after spending 157 overs toiling in the field. But veteran opener Travis Dean, who top-scored in the first innings with 87, fell to offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli for 22 after sharing a half-century partnership with Campbell Kellaway.Kellaway, who played for Australia A recently, was dropped by Ashton Turner at slip off Rocchiccioli just before stumps, but he was caught behind later in the over for 33 to dent Victoria’s attempts to salvage a draw.In the morning, resuming at 237 for 2, trailing by 19 runs, WA eyed a big lead but opener Cameron Bancroft added just one run to his overnight score of 121. He was trapped lbw by Scott Boland, who struck in his second over after bowling 19 overs without reward on day two.But Hardie and Jayden Goodwin shared an 88-run partnership to frustrate Victoria and strengthen WA’s hold over their Shield opener.Hardie, who recently made his international debut, was in an aggressive mood and hit 48 to liven up a match that had crawled during a sedate day two. With national selector Tony Dodemaide in the terraces, Hardie quickly powered WA into the lead as Victoria’s strong attack toiled in sweltering conditions.Boland and skipper Will Sutherland produced typically lionhearted performances to finish with three wickets apiece, but offspinner Todd Murphy finished with just 1 for 141 off 32 overs.Victoria were unable to make inroads after ending Bancroft’s 319-ball knock, with Hardie and Goodwin batting through to lunch.Left-hand batter Jayden, the son of Murray Goodwin, who played 19 Tests and 71 ODIs for Zimbabwe, was rock solid in defence and picked off the bowling, occasionally showcasing aggression against Murphy.Goodwin played two Shield matches in November 2021, but hadn’t been sighted at this level until now. With WA missing several first-choice players, Goodwin seized his opportunity at No. 4 having replaced the injured Hilton Cartwright.After surviving a tricky period in the shadows late on day two, Goodwin passed his highest first-class score of 22 and his confidence grew alongside Hardie.Shortly after lunch, Goodwin, 21, reached his maiden half-century with a boundary off Sutherland before being reprieved next ball when Boland dropped a sitter at mid-on.The tireless Sutherland was finally rewarded when he dismissed Hardie and Goodwin in quick succession.But Victoria’s mood soured when Turner, who revived his first-class career with a century in last season’s Shield final, smashed 57 off 33 balls, including a straight six which lodged in a seat to stop play.Turner, the Perth Scorchers skipper, produced belligerent shots reminiscent of the BBL to thrill the smattering of fans, many of whom had sat through the dreary proceedings on day two.After the late strikes gave the hosts a stranglehold, WA’s faithful are bracing a season-opening victory.

Silk and Bird overcome Overton and Co on a sluggish pitch in Sydney

Tristan Lavalette22-Dec-2023Sydney Sixers survived a late onslaught from Jamie Overton to edge Adelaide Strikers in a thriller at the SCG amid the furore surrounding suspended allrounder Tom Curran.Chasing a tough 156 on a sluggish surface, Strikers needed 18 runs off the final over but Overton inched them closer with 12 runs off the first three deliveries from seamer Ben Dwarshuis. After a couple of singles, Overton needed a boundary off the final ball but mistimed a low full toss to sweeper cover for only two, leaving the Strikers agonisingly short.The lead-in to the contest had been overshadowed by Curran’s four-match ban for allegedly intimidating an umpire in a pre-match altercation in Sixers’ clash with Hobart Hurricanes on December 11.Without Curran, who had starred against Hobart Hurricanes with a three-wicket haul, and spearhead Sean Abbott, Sixers were superbly led by skipper Moises Henriques and veteran batter Jordan Silk as they clinched their third straight win to start the season.Sixers were sent in to bat in clear conditions with persistent rain in Sydney this week suggesting the surface would be difficult for batting. Openers Josh Philippe and James Vince were undaunted and aided by loose new-ball bowling from left-arm quick David Payne.Related

• Henriques 'struggling to comprehend' Tom Curran's four-match BBL ban

• Tom Curran banned for four BBL games for intimidating umpire

Vince also confidently attacked Matt Short’s offspin and smashed a commanding boundary over wide long off as the pair rattled off 39 runs in the powerplay.But Overton then produced a superb over to dismiss Vince and Philippe and Sixers slid further when Dan Hughes, playing his 100th BBL game, was caught behind off seamer James Bazley.It was left to Silk and Henriques to get Sixers back on track like they have many times over the years. By mostly nudging the ball around and finding the gaps, the pair calmly added 66 runs as they eyed a flurry in the backend.But Henriques never found fluency and his frustrations boiled over when he holed out to Overton in the 15th over. It triggered a collapse for Sixers, who lost three wickets quickly with the burden falling on Silk to nudge them over 150.Silk obliged and smoked a boundary to reach his half-century off 38 balls before finishing the innings in style with a last-ball six over deep midwicket to lift Sixers to the type of total they’ve defended numerously at their SCG fortress.Bowling a good line and length, much like in red-ball cricket, seamer Jackson Bird was rewarded for his consistency by knocking over opener D’Arcy Short in the third over.Bird was counterattacked immediately by No.3 Chris Lynn, who skipped down the crease to whack a belligerent boundary through point. Sixers had only managed to hit one six for their whole innings, but Lynn smashed Dwarshuis twice over the boundary, in the seventh over, to race to 33 off 13 balls.Strikers looked in control until Henriques took matters into his own hands by castling Lynn with a full delivery and having Adam Hose ramp a short ball straight to deep third. Henriques had been reluctant to bowl in recent BBL seasons but led from the front tonight.Sixers were on top with offspinner Todd Murphy bowled Jake Weatherald and Strikers slumping at 91 for 4 in the 12th over. The pressure fell on their skipper Short, who struggled for timing with his trademark muscular hitting mostly absent.Strikers’ required run rate kept increasing, but they hoped to unlock boundaries when they took the power surge in the 17th over. Short raced past his half-century as he smashed consecutive boundaries in the 18th over before being deceived by a slower delivery from quick Jack Edwards.Sixers received a fright from Overton in a tense finish before enjoying a much-needed tonic amid the drama over Curran.

Oman’s Bilal Khan turned out to be Chattogram’s unlikely hero, even as Barishal’s Shoaib Mailk abruptly left the BPL

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2024While table-toppers Khulna followed up two wins from the last week with two more in this one, Chattogram Challengers were in good form too, having now won three matches in a row to sit just below Khulna. Rangpur Riders also bounced back from a defeat at the start of the week with two important wins.Led by Anamul Haque – and with a heavy West Indies contingent – Khulna beat Rangpur by 28 runs before thumping Durdanto Dhaka by ten wickets in a 131-run chase, which they completed with more than five overs to spare. Allrounder Mohammad Nawaz starred for Khulna in both games. While he smashed 55 off 34 balls and took two wickets against Rangpur, he took 3 for 15 against Dhaka. Apart from Nawaz, Khulna have also been boosted by the consistency of Anamul and Evin Lewis.Related

• Shakib diagnosed with eye condition but will continue playing cricket

• Malik leaves Fortune Barishal abruptly after just three games

• Josh Brown signs up with Chattogram Challengers

Chattogram, meanwhile, also won both games this week. While they just inched past Fortune Barishal by ten runs while defending 193, they dominated Sylhet by chasing down 138 with eight wickets and 14 balls in the bank. Finalists last season, that was Sylhet’s fifth loss in a row. Either side of losing to Chattogram, they also suffered heavy defeats to Comilla Victorians and Barishal.The injured Mashrafe Mortaza might have been part of the reason for Sylhet’s poor run, as he played for and captained the side despite not bowling regularly. Mashrafe has since decided to take a break from the tournament to focus on his political work. He had earlier admitted that it was “not ideal” that he was still in the side.The change of venue from Mirpur in the first week to Sylhet in the second might have been a factor in there being a majority of wins for sides batting first – all eight games in Mirpur were won by the chasing side – as dew apparently became less of an issue at the picturesque Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.Babar Azam has two half-centuries in the BPL so far this season•Raton Gomes/BCB

Meanwhile, there was a nagging off-field debate surrounding Barishal’s Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik. In the previous week, Barishal owner Mizanur Rahman wasn’t pleased with Malik bowling as many as three no-balls in an over against Khulna, claiming “that’s where we lost that match”, as Khulna chased down 188 rather comfortably.Soon after, on January 26, Mailk abruptly left the BPL after playing only three games, although as per Mizanur, Malik’s contract ran “till February 14”. That led to rumours about a rift within the team, though Malik later said that it was not the case.

Batter of the week

Rangpur’s Babar Azam struck his second fifty of this season’s BPL when he made 62 off 46 balls in a match-winning effort against Dhaka. He followed it up with a better-than-a-run-a-ball 37 against Comilla, again Rangpur’s highest score in their eight-run win.While Babar doesn’t entirely dominate bowling attacks with a flurry of boundaries, he remains steady while building crucial partnerships. For instance, against Dhaka he added 50 with Nurul Hasan after Rangpur had lost two wickets in the powerplay, before having a union of 55 for the second wicket with Fazle Mahmud against Comilla.

Bowler of the week

Someone in the top six of the all-time ODI bowling averages with a minimum of 50 wickets slipped into the BPL without notice. Bilal Khan hails from Oman – he is one of their stars. And the left-arm quick has been effective for Chattogram too, picking up eight wickets at 18.25 to currently top the bowling charts in the BPL. That included a haul of 3 of 24 against Sylhet, for which he was given the Player-of-the-Match award.