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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.

Bangladesh team director feels that the players shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose the formats as they wish

Mohammad Isam07-May-2022Khaled Mahmud, the Bangladesh team director, feels Mustafizur Rahman should not have been allowed to pick and choose the formats he wished to play, as it has led to a fast-bowling vacuum in the Test side. Mustafizur is currently playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, having taken eight wickets in as many matches this season.Ahead of this year’s IPL, the BCB gave Mustafizur the clearance to play in the tournament even when Bangladesh were playing Tests in South Africa.It wasn’t a topic of particular interest at the time because Bangladesh had already won the ODI series, and they still had Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam around. While there has been debate about who decides on the format, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan has been saying since mid-2021 that the centrally contracted Bangladesh players will be allowed to pick and choose their formats, regardless of their experience.It started as a verbal promise last year, and the players have since signed the 2022 contracts by providing their choice of format in some cases. Mustafizur was given the IPL No Objection Certificate (NOC) this season after the Bangladesh selectors didn’t pick him in the squads for the South Africa and Sri Lanka Tests. Mustafizur has not played a Test since February last year, having taken just four wickets in the last four years.”(BCB president Nazmul Hassan) Papon said that the players can discuss which format they want to play but this was only applicable to the senior players, not all players,” Mahmud said in a press briefing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.”Would it be okay if (Mahmudul Hasan) Joy said that he doesn’t want to play Tests? How old is Mustafiz? How long has he been playing for? He is not Shakib, Tamim, Mashrafe or Mushfiq. These players have provided service for many years. I don’t know why Mustafiz doesn’t want to play Tests. The board should decide which format a player plays.”Shakib and Tamim are 34-35 years old. They deserve breaks. But Litton Das doesn’t need breaks. When he becomes Shakib or Tamim, I will say that he deserves rest. Mustafiz must play Tests. It is his peak time. I am not saying he should play all the Tests but he should definitely be available for six to eight matches per year. I used to hear that he doesn’t want to play due to bio-bubbles, but now things have changed so that can’t be an excuse anymore. If Taskin and Shoriful can play (Tests), he should too.”Capitals are currently just outside the top four with four games remaining in the league stage, so Mustafizur will be available for them till May 21 at the very least. There’s still no movement from the BCB or the selectors to bring him into the Test side, but Mahmud said that with Taskin Ahmed already out of the Sri Lanka series due to a shoulder injury and Shoriful Islam’s availability still subject to a fitness test, the home side are missing out on their best bowler, regardless of the format.”With Taskin injured, one of our main bowlers is out. Shoriful could be injured any time soon. Both Taskin and Shoriful are injury-prone bowlers. In that case we need Mustafiz who, when you consider his experience, skills, technique and tactics, is Bangladesh’s best fast bowler. Mustafiz would have provided balance to the side.”There’s a lot of cricket in the three formats so everyone needs time off. Taskin and Shoriful also deserve rest. When we have enough bowlers, we probably won’t need Mustafiz in this format but till then he should provide support. He is dangerous in white-ball cricket but I also know that he can be a handful with the red ball too.”Mahmud came down strongly on Mustafizur’s commitment towards red-ball cricket and Bangladesh, but also felt that someone should have gotten in touch with him to clarify the situation.”He might get two or four crores in the IPL, but isn’t cricket bigger than the money? Isn’t the country bigger than money? We never played for money. Now a cricketer needs the BCB’s help when he is dying. (Mustafizur) won’t need the BCB (in that situation). They can themselves help others (financially). Why won’t I want to play for Bangladesh?”Cricket board means Mustafiz, and Mustafiz means the cricket board. They are both in the same place. There’s no distance. Maybe nobody spoke to him.”

Chasing 152, Hurricanes were bowled out for 114 to register a second successive loss

AAP26-Nov-2025South African Marizanne Kapp has again showed how big a loss she will be to the Melbourne Stars once she leaves the WBBL for international duties. Kapp starred in the field as the Stars easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 37 runs on Thursday at Junction Oval.Their third-straight win left the Stars second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s massive home derby against the third-placed Melbourne Renegades.While teammate Amy Jones was Player of the Match, Kapp bowled Lizelle Lee with the first delivery of the Hurricanes innings. She removed fellow opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the third over and took an outstanding catch to remove No.4 Nicola Carey.But Saturday’s match will be the last for Kapp before she returns to the South African team.”Obviously Kappy is going to be a massive loss – it seems like she’s playing her best cricket, now that she’s leaving us, which is a bit frustrating,” teammate Kim Garth said. “But I feel like we do have the depth to cover it.”Garth added they were worried about what damage Lee could do.”I was pretty relieved – she was hitting them pretty well,” Garth said. “We did a lot of planning for her and when Kappy comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice.”After starting the season with five-straight wins, Hurricanes have lost their last two and are in danger of ceding top spot to either Melbourne team.Renegades will host Perth on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Stars, who are only one point behind Hurricanes.After Hurricanes won the toss on Wednesday at Junction Oval, Jones and Danielle Gibson gave momentum to Stars’ stalled innings and the home side reached 151 for 6 from their 20 overs. Hurricanes were bundled out for 114 with 22 deliveries left.Jones top-scored with 59 from 40 balls, featuring six fours and a six. Jones and Gibson came together at 91 for 4 in the 14th over – not yet a crisis, but Hurricanes would have felt they had the momentum.Instead, Gibson belted 39 from 27 deliveries, with five fours and a six, as they put on a quickfire 44 for the fifth wicket. Carey took 2-29 from her four overs.After Hurricanes slumped to 59 for 6, captain Elyse Villani and Hayley Silver-Holmes gave them a glimmer of hope with their 40-run stand for the seventh wicket.Then Sophie Day bowled Silver-Holmes for 18 from 14 deliveries and Sutherland bowled Villani for 38 off 21 balls to kill off the late rally.Kapp took 2 for 29 from her four overs, while Sutherland also snared two and Day cleaned up the tail on the way to 4 for 17 from three overs.

After playing just five Tests in the last two and a half years, he could play six in the next two months

Daya Sagar06-Sep-2024Imagine being a frontline spinner from a country that is known to produce world-class fast bowlers. Imagine then touring a tough place like India and grabbing a historic all-ten in only your 11th Test. Now imagine still not becoming a frontline spinner for your team and getting to feature in only five of the next 19 Tests your team goes on to play. That’s the life of left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel.The saving grace is that whenever New Zealand have toured Asia since his ten-for, Ajaz has played in all four Tests. Ajaz is aware of team combination and conditions, but isn’t it still a bit disappointing to hardly get to play in other countries?”If you ask all New Zealand spinners, it is difficult,” Ajaz said, three days before the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida. “Sometimes, you don’t get as many opportunities at home because of our home conditions. But it breeds more hunger when you do come to conditions like this, and you know conditions that are spin-friendly and you’re quite hungry to get out there and put your best foot forward.Related

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“But it’s really important that you do prepare accordingly and prepare well. So it’s just about going into these games and really enjoying the conditions and making the most of it.”We are in a professional environment and, for us, it’s really important to just go out there and continue to work on our game and keep improving. After the ten wickets, you’re a little bit disappointed to not get as many opportunities but at the same time it’s still about growing your game and it’s an opportunity to develop and grow. Since my ten wickets, I have somewhat remodelled my run-up. So it’s always about improving and making sure that you are ready whenever that next opportunity comes and put your hand up.”After playing just five Tests in the last two and a half years, Ajaz could now go on to play six in just two months. After the Afghanistan Test, New Zealand will fly to Sri Lanka for two Tests and then return to India for three more. Form and fitness permitting, it could be a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Ajaz because once they leave India in November, their next trip to Asia for Tests, according to the Future Tours Programme, is in February 2027.”It always depends on conditions and on form and you making sure you play well,” Ajaz said of the possibility of playing all six Tests. “So you don’t take it lightly. But it is a great opportunity as a spinner with so many games in Asia. So it’s something that I’m looking forward to and pretty excited about.”Another opportunity Ajaz has is to pick the brains of former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who will be New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach till the Sri Lanka series.”If you look at me and you look at Rangana, we are pretty similar in terms of our build and body types,” Ajaz said. “While developing and growing my spin, I watched him with a lot of admiration. So really, really special to have him here, and for me, it’s a great opportunity to spend some time with him and understand how he crafted spin bowling. He was obviously very, very successful and a phenomenal bowler, so it’s a great opportunity for me personally to learn from him.”

West Indies toil during unbroken 193-run second-wicket stand but rain cuts further time from the game

Valkerie Baynes11-Mar-2022Joe Root looked genuinely impressed by what he was seeing. As Zak Crawley drove Kemar Roach down the ground for a boundary – not exactly sweetly struck but with the momentum of his considerable levers behind it – the England captain met him in the middle of the pitch for a couple of fist-bumps and approving nods, chattering away in encouragement and eliciting a broad grin from his young charge.Given that it was boundary number eight of 16 and counting for Crawley, who was compiling the second Test century of his career, the exchange may not have been unusual but in the circumstances, it stood out.After a dirty day three when Root more commonly wore a look of anguish as his attack failed to capitalise on prior opportunity, not to mention a tumultuous start to the year, England turned the tables on West Indies with an unbroken second-wicket stand in Antigua worth 193, a century and fifty so far to its protagonists and a 153-run lead heading into the final day.Related

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The hosts failed to make further inroads after Roach removed debutant opener Alex Lees, lbw in single figures for the second time in the match, to put the tourists at 24 for 1, still 40 runs in arrears.On a pitch that had admittedly offered nothing for the bowlers all match, the West Indies bowlers leaked runs, Veerasammy Permaul particularly expensive in conceding 51 off his 10 overs.Fellow left-arm spinner Jack Leach, meanwhile, had been one of the brighter lights for England, bowling 20 maidens – almost half his overs – as he took 2 for 79, including West Indies’ last wicket with the third ball of the day as the hosts took a 64-run first-innings lead.Quick Jayden Seales was the man dismissed, and he did not enjoy much more success with the ball, 12 wicketless overs costing 51 runs.But Roach, who was getting considerable swing with the new ball on the fourth morning, set Lees up with a series of deliveries that moved away from the left-hander before banging one in full and straight to beat the inside edge and slam into the front pad. Lees reviewed, perhaps in hope after seeing Crawley successfully overturn an lbw decision from umpire Gregory Brathwaite in the first over, only to have it confirmed that the ball was crashing into leg stump.Crawley was yet to score when he was reprieved the first time, with Hawk-Eye showing the ball was missing leg stump by some way. He had moved to 18 when West Indies burned a review shortly after Lees’ dismissal, Crawley adjudged not out to a Roach inswinger that hit him high on the back leg outside off stump.He had to wait out a 10-minute rain delay and Alzarri Joseph maidens either side of it on 49 before he regained the strike from Root and flipped Roach off his hip for a single to bring up his fifty off 100 balls. Crawley peeled off his next fifty from 81 balls as he and Root hit full flow and West Indies floundered for ideas despite trying seven different bowling options.Joe Root celebrates his half-century•Gareth Copley/AFP via Getty Images

Caught behind off Seales for just 8 in the first innings, Crawley tightened up his defence but played expansively where it was warranted, pulling the short ball with authority, cutting anything wide and finding the boundary with the sweep and drive also.Root raised his half-century late in the afternoon session with a four off Permaul through third, and Crawley survived a hearty shout by West Indies, thinking he’d been caught at slip off the spinner, but for replays to show he had edged the ball into the pitch before it bobbed up to the fielder.Having scored 267 against Pakistan at Southampton in August 2020, his eighth Test, Crawley had made 12 single-figure scores – including two ducks – in 21 innings since.Called back into the side for the first time since the English summer for the last three Ashes Tests when England initially dropped Rory Burns and then Haseeb Hameed, Crawley scored a second-innings 77 in Sydney and survived the post-series clear-out, which also saw Lees called up to accompany him at the top of the order.Just like 19 months before, Crawley again lived up to the potential that put him there as he and Root gave England something to smile about before the intermittent rain that had punctuated play briefly a few times set in.

Governing body to be placed in special measures after 448 racist incidents are revealed

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2022Cricket Scotland is to be placed into special measures at least until October 2023, and could stand to lose public funding worth £460,000 a year from , following the publication of a damning report into institutional racism within the sport.A total of 448 examples of institutional racism were revealed in the Changing the Boundaries report, carried out by consultancy firm , while Cricket Scotland failed in 29 out of 31 tests used to measure the scale of the problem – and barely met the required standard in the remaining two.On Sunday, in anticipation of the report’s findings, the board of Cricket Scotland resigned en masse, with an apology to those affected by institutional racism, notably Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh, the two former players whose allegations of victimisation had set the review in motion, but also with an acknowledgement that the scale of the problem was beyond the scope of the sport’s existing governance.Plan4Sport’s investigation took in the testimony of nearly 1000 participants across all areas of Scottish cricket, and outlined 68 individual concerns that have been referred for further investigation, including 31 allegations of racism against 15 different people, two clubs and one regional association.Some of these have also been referred to Police Scotland as hate crimes, including one incident that has already resulted in a court appearance.The allegations outlined include racial abuse, inappropriate language, favouritism to white children from public-school backgrounds and a lack of transparency in selection for non-white players.A survey conducted during the investigation found that 62 percent of respondents had experienced, seen or received reports of racism or other forms of discrimination.The report also found that the lack of diversity within Scottish cricket meant there was no consistent process for handling racist incidents, and that people who did raise issues tended to be “sidelined or ignored”. This was the fate that Haq encountered after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup, after which he never added to his then-national record of 54 ODI appearances.Louise Tideswell, MD of Plan4Sport and Stewart Harris, CEO of Sportscotland at the launch of a report into racism in Scottish cricket•Getty Images

Cricket Scotland’s interim CEO, Gordon Arthur, described the report’s findings as a “watershed” moment for the sport, and issued a “heartfelt apology to all those who have been the victims of racism and discrimination in Scottish cricket”.”The racism and discrimination that has taken place in the sport that we all love should never have been allowed to happen, or to go unchallenged for so long,” Arthur said. “We recognise the impact this will have had on individuals and their families. We hope the report provides them with some reassurance that their voices have been heard, and we are sorry this did not happen sooner.”This report is a watershed moment for cricket in Scotland and taking its recommendations forward is the top priority. It’s clear that significant cultural change must happen and it must happen quickly. The immediate priority must be to get the independent referral process agreed and implemented so the investigations into the referrals can start.”Louise Tideswell, the managing director of Plan4Sport, praised the bravery of those who had come forward with their stories, and condemned Cricket Scotland’s leadership for failing to recognise the problems and thereby “enabling a culture of racially aggravated micro-aggressions to develop”.”I also want to add that whilst the governance and leadership practices of the organisation have been institutionally racist, the same should not be said for cricket in Scotland. There are many outstanding clubs and individuals delivering local programmes which truly engage with diverse communities.”Stewart Harris, the chief executive of Sportscotland, described the findings as “deeply concerning and in some cases shocking”, and added that they should serve as a “wake-up call for all of Scottish sport”.”Racism is a societal problem and it is no longer good enough to simply be non-racist, Scottish sport must now be actively anti-racist,” Harris said. “We will keep all options on the table as we hold Cricket Scotland to account on all of the recommendations contained within this report.”One of the key recommendations of the report is that future recruitment to the board should involve no more than a 60-40 gender ratio either way, including a minimum of 25 percent of members should come from minority ethnic backgrounds.In addition, an urgent review is to be held into the governance of Western District Cricket Union – one of Scotland’s five regional associations – which will be placed in special measures by Cricket Scotland, and suspended from overseeing disciplinary measures in the competitions under its auspices.

Morris and Queenslander Michael Neser added to the squad for the second Test against West Indies in Adelaide as cover with doubts remaining over Pat Cummins

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2022Lance Morris, the Western Australia pace bowler who is rated the quickest bowler in Australia, has been called up into the squad alongside Queensland seamer Michael Neser as bowling reinforcement for the second Test against West Indies in Adelaide.Morris, 24, has had an outstanding Sheffield Shield season where he is the leading wicket-taker with 27 and 18.40. He almost bowled WA to a remarkable victory at the Gabba on Sunday.Dubbed ‘The Wild Thing’ – in a nod to former tearaway Shaun Tait – after bursting onto the scene five years ago during a tour game against England at the WACA, where he notably bowled a wayward short delivery first up to Joe Root, Morris has developed a reputation for testing the speed radar.”I’m an attacking and intimidating bowler,” Morris told ESPNcricinfo earlier in the season. “I can get to the early 150s [kph]. I’m just settling into my body now. They say around 26 is when you basically mature as a bowler. I’ve got still room to get faster.”Related

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Australia have called up reinforcements after captain Pat Cummins was unable to bowl in the second innings in Perth due to a quad injury although he did return to the field. He is confident of being fit for the day-night Test but with a packed schedule the selectors are unlikely to take risks.”Was he at risk out there doing what he was doing? No,” head coach Andrew McDonald said. “He was able to manage the tempo in which he ran. We felt as though him being out there was helping us so that we were in control of the game.”We can we can leave it right up to the to the toss if we want [to see if he will play]. He’s our captain, we’re going to give him every chance to get out there, and…even the way he marshalled the troops out there was impressive.”Whether Morris cracks into the XI remains to be seen with Scott Boland, who averages 9.55 in Tests, already there as the reserve quick. He has not played since his stunning Ashes performance last season.But Morris could add a point-of-difference to the attack and the selectors may consider it is worth seeing what he can do at the next level.”I think that’s probably No.1 [quickest] I’ve faced in my Shield career,” Kurtis Patterson, the New South Wales captain, said earlier this season. “He was fast and it was No.1 in terms of absolutely consistent pace.”Morris also gave the Indians a working over during a T20 World Cup match in Perth earlier in the summer.”The more I bowl, the more I feel like I’m really grasping what being a fast bowler is all about,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep getting better and continue to bowl fast because it’s a lot of fun.”McDonald is wary of the workload on the quick bowlers with five Tests against West Indies and South Africa in less than six weeks.”Bowling last and a short turn-around, put stress and strain on your bowling stock,” he said. “We know we’ve got other guys that are there ready and available. See how our guys pull up and then move from there.”At the moment as it sits they’ve pulled up well, both Josh and Mitch. Patty’s obviously the major concern, and we erred on the side of caution with him.”Neser played his one and only Test match to-date in last year’s Adelaide day-night Test when Cummins was ruled out with Covid.Squad David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Lance Morris, Marcus Harris

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.

Sussex allrounder retires after 20-year playing career that peaked with World T20 title in 2010

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2022Luke Wright, the former England and Sussex allrounder, has been named as the new England Men’s selector.The role, which covers many of the duties previously carried out by the former national selector, Ed Smith, will see Wright sharing responsibility for the selection of England’s red- and white-ball teams, alongside the coaches and captains of the respective squads, as well as England Men’s managing director Rob Key, performance director Mo Bobat and player ID lead David Court.He will also give his input into the selection of England’s Lions and Young Lions squads, and – much like Smith’s former head scout James Taylor – will be responsible for being across all domestic cricket in the summer, including talent identification. His input will be factored into decisions on ECB central contracts, and he will also work with the ECB science and medicine team on player availability and programming.”It’s a huge honour and privilege to take on this role, one that I am incredibly excited about,” Wright said. “With the Ashes and ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup next year, I can’t wait to get started and try to contribute after what has been a fantastic year for England men’s cricket.”In order to focus on his new role, Wright, 37, has also called time on his 20-year professional career, one that encompassed County Championship wins with Sussex in 2006 and 2007, as well as a key role in the England team that won the World T20 title in 2010, beating Australia in the final in Barbados.He played in over 400 matches for Sussex across all formats, and bows out as the highest scorer in T20 Blast history with 5026 runs for Sussex, including the Twenty20 Cup in 2009, and consecutive Pro40 titles in 2008 and 2009.”A huge thank you to Sussex for the most incredible 19 seasons at the club,” Wright added. “I am very proud of what I achieved individually and as a team during my time. I gave my everything and I hope that showed on the pitch. I will always be a Sussex fan.”All told, Wright played 101 times for England in white-ball cricket – 50 ODIs and 51 T20Is. He made his debut in England’s maiden World T20 fixture, against Zimbabwe in Cape Town in 2007, and featured in each of the first four such global tournaments, with a highest score of 99 not out against Afghanistan in Colombo in 2012.His hard-hitting batting and energetic seam bowling could have made him a contender to fill Andrew Flintoff’s shoes as a Test allrounder, but despite a handy record in first-class cricket – 7622 runs at 38.11 and 120 wickets at 40.51, with a career-best 226 not out against Worcestershire in 2015 – his priority was always the white-ball game.As one of the first county cricketers to commit to the globe-trotting T20 franchise circuit, Wright has played a total of 344 T20 fixtures – the fourth-most among English players – with stints in the Pakistan Super League, Australia’s Big Bash, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Abu Dhabi T10, among others.Related

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• Auckland rope in Luke Wright as performance and talent coach

And it is this status as one of the pioneers of England’s new approach to white-ball cricket that has earned Wright the chance to help shape the identity of the future national squads.His appointment is the latest left-field appointment from Key, whose choice of Brendon McCullum as Test coach – in spite of his lack of explicit red-ball experience – was rewarded with six Test wins out of seven last summer, while Matthew Mott’s recruitment from the Australia Women set-up reaped rich rewards last week with victory in the World T20 final against Pakistan in Melbourne.”Off the back of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup win and a successful summer for our men’s Test team, I’m delighted that Luke will be joining as England Selector,” Key said. “With his significant experience of playing in England and overseas as well as his in-depth knowledge of county cricket, he will be an important voice in squad selection while also helping to identify the next generation of England stars.”It’s an exciting time for England men’s cricket, but with the Ashes and the ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup next year there is a lot of hard work ahead if we are to build upon what has been an exciting year.”Wright has spent the past two winters in New Zealand, coaching Auckland and playing a role in the national squad’s limited-overs set-up, and will finish his time there before starting his selector role at the end of March, in time for the start of the English season.

Punjab Kings posted 214 on the back of a solid fifty from Prabhsimran, but SRH hunted it down with five balls to spare

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-May-2024
Prabhsimran Singh and Atharva Taide put on 97 for the first wicket off 55 balls, Rilee Rossouw hit 49 at a strike rate above 200, and Jitesh Sharma provided the closing fireworks, with 32 not out off 15. They set Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 215 to win.And still it wasn’t enough for Punjab Kings (PBKS). Not nearly enough to halt the batting juggernaut that SRH have been in IPL 2024. They lost their best batter Travis Head first ball, but raced through the powerplay thanks to Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi, who hit 66 off 28 and 33 off 18 respectively, propelling the team to 84 for 2 at the end of their first six overs.From then, the scoring didn’t really slow until the target was within sight. Heinrich Klaasen led SRH to the brink of victory with 42 off 26. The winning runs were hit with five balls to spare.Dare we say something about the bowlers? Only SRH’s T Natarajan escaped with decent figures, taking 2 for 33.SRH now move into second on the points table. That they would finish their and play the Qualifier 1 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was confirmed after Rajasthan Royals’ last league match against KKR in Guwahati was washed out.1:55

Should Rahul Tripathi play the playoffs for SRH?

Abhishek lights up Hyderabad one last time in IPL 2024

In what was their last home game this season, Abhishek gave the SRH faithful a show to remember a batting-powered season by. He smashed his first two sixes over fine leg, when bowlers delivered short-of-a-length balls into the body, and went on to hit six sixes in all, in addition to five fours. Most of these relied on excellent timing, but there was luck there too – one of the sixes came off the outside edge.He sped past 50 off 21 balls, but this was only his third-fastest half-century this season – he had hit fifties off 16 and 19 balls in the weeks gone by.Abhishek’s 72-run partnership with Tripathi, which came off 29 balls, was the foundation of SRH’s chase. Even after they were parted, the required rate seemed tame.

Klaasen plays a measured innings

As good as Abhishek’s fireworks were, SRH still needed 86 off the last 59 balls after he was out, and Klaasen delivered one of his more chilled-out innings. He still hit sixes when it felt good, of course, the most spectacular being the back-foot six down the ground off the bowling of Harpreet Brar, who had just delivered a standard length ball outside off stump.But as wickets fell around him, it needed someone to take responsibility and massage the chase home. Klaasen was bowled by Brar with SRH needing seven to win off 11 balls. But he had got them close enough.3:03

‘Punjab should hold on to their Indian players’

Prabhsimran and Taide’s opening mayhem

PBKS had reason to hope they would get a closing win for this season, though, and finish outside the bottom two, mainly because of the start they had in the game. Prabhsimran was outstanding on the leg side, hitting all his four sixes there in his 71 off 45. Taide made 46 off 27.

A match-defining four overs

There was something of a slowdown after Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, the young legspinner from Jaffna, took Prabhsimran’s wicket in the 15th over. Although Jitesh finished strong, perhaps overs 15 to 18 (both inclusive) was when PBKS lost their way. They had been 151 for 1 at the start of that passage, looking poised to push 250. By the end of the 18th over, they were 186 for 5.