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.

“No easy points for anyone,” vows Batty after Essex make the champions work

Alan Gardner07-May-2023There are drawn matches, and there are drawn matches. Stalemate was always the likeliest outcome to this game after only 6.4 overs were possible on day three but Surrey, the LV= Insurance Championship defending champions, were forced to man the barricades deep into the final hour at Chelmsford as Essex pushed for the three wickets they required to secure a statement win.Talk around the circuit this season has been of playing more attacking cricket, in the mould of Ben Stokes’ England team, and Essex did their darnedest to conjure a result by donating all ten wickets in a session-and-a-bit of giddy thrashing. Set 273 in 54 overs, Surrey’s tilt was given impetus by Ollie Pope’s crisp 47 from 57 balls but, after Simon Harmer struck twice in his first three deliveries following a belated introduction, the visitors were forced to retrench.Harmer ended the day with eight men around the bat as Jamie Smith, who finished unbeaten on 39 from 126 balls, showed commendable fortitude to shut the game down. Gareth Batty, Surrey’s head coach, was able to proclaim satisfaction afterwards with a hard-fought draw. “We definitely play every game to win, right up until that last 25 overs we were still playing to win,” he said. “But whilst I can still breathe we are not going to give people easy points.”Matters of succession in the County Championship are usually more Roy family than royal family, and Surrey will know that the candidates are queuing up to mount a hostile takeover this season. Essex had the better of this game, and would surely have won by a convincing margin but for time lost to the weather, while Warwickshire’s dramatic rissoling of Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl means that Rory Burns’ side have company at the top of Division One.(As it happens, there was some Roy family involvement at Chelmsford – Shane Snater, Essex’s Zimbabwe-born Dutch allrounder, is a cousin of Surrey’s Jason Roy, although his dismissal of Pope provided evidence that he is a far more capable operator than ‘s hapless cousin Greg).Needing to score at almost exactly five an over, Surrey were keen to show intent despite losing Dom Sibley to a low catch at second slip from the eighth ball of the innings. Harmer made his first significant intervention with a flying, one-handed grab to dismiss Burns on the brink of tea, but the presence of Pope – whose incendiary 122 from 102 balls propelled a chase of similar magnitude against Hampshire three weeks ago – kept followers of an Essex stripe on guard.Few players were able to transcend a Chelmsford surface that offered something for bowlers throughout – there were only three half-centuries in the match, all in Essex’s first innings – but Pope has a knack for the sublime and more than enough “Bazball” pedigree to have Tom Westley nervously eyeing the required rate. A skip down the pitch to dispatch Doug Bracewell into the scaffolding holding up the temporary sightscreen for next week’s ODIs between Ireland and Bangladesh appeared to herald a cavalry charge, only for England’s No. 3 to miscue Snater to cover a few overs later.At 73 for 3, Surrey needed exactly 200 from 33.5 overs. Will Jacks maintained the front by swatting his third ball for six but then chipped tamely to midwicket. Surrey sent out Shaun Abbott as a last roll of the dice – or throw of the bat – but he greeted Harmer, held back until the 29th over with Essex wary of the short boundary towards the pavilion, by skying the spinner’s first ball to long-on, and when Harmer won a decision against Ben Foakes in the same over, Surrey were 103 for 6 with more than 25 overs left to be bowled.Only one more wicket went down, however, as Cameron Steel – who survived a loud lbw appeal against Harmer first ball and later saw Nick Browne put down a tough chance at short leg – set himself for an hour’s worth of blocking alongside Smith. Steel did eventually miss a full toss from Bracewell but Jordan Clark played sensibly to help ensure Surrey got over the line.The fourth day began with Alastair Cook being dismissed from the second ball of the morning, though the fact he was bowled attempting to drive a Kemar Roach inswinger perhaps told of an adventurous mindset in the home dressing room. Browne and Westley shepherded the innings along, adding 38 in 15 overs before the latter fell to a catch at the wicket – and the arrival of Dan Lawrence changed the tenor of the afternoon.Lawrence’s fifth ball was dispatched out of the ground over long-off, potentially causing trouble for anyone hosting a coronation garden party in Hayes Close, and his intentions were crystal as he thrashed his way to 28 from 24 balls before being bowled behind his legs from the next, exposing his stumps to attempt an extravagant flick. The third wicket had yielded 54 in 10 overs but Essex then seemed to get a little carried away with the bank holiday mood, conspiring to lose 8 for 82 either side of lunch in a flurry of ill-conceived shots.”We talked around having 60-ish overs [to bowl at Surrey],” Essex’s head coach, Anthony McGrath, said. “We wanted to try and dangle a carrot so that they’d go for it, so there were opportunities – because we knew that if you just batted out it was going to be tough to bowl them out. It kind of went where we wanted to but we just ran out of time in the end.”

Sutherland hundred sets up Australia but Ecclestone, Knight, Sciver-Brunt keep hosts in hunt

Valkerie Baynes23-Jun-2023Tammy Beaumont’s unbeaten century put England back in contention after Annabel Sutherland’s own hundred had put Australia on top in the Women’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.It had looked as though Sutherland would own the day with her unbeaten 137, the highest score by a batter at No. 8 or lower in a Women’s Test, having reached the fastest Test hundred by an Australian woman, off 148 balls. Australia’s 473 was the highest first innings in a women’s Test and came despite Sophie Ecclestone’s maiden Test five-wicket haul, a herculean effort which ended in her 47th over when she removed last wicket Darcie Brown.Sutherland also made an early breakthrough as Australia’s first-change bowler, after their new-ball pairing of Brown and Kim Garth had largely struggled for length and rhythm, an uncharacteristic rash of full tosses doing nothing to dent England’s efforts to overhaul their opponents.Beaumont, off the back of an unbeaten double-hundred in last week’s warm-up match, kept the hosts in the hunt with her 100 not out as she became just the second Englishwoman behind captain Heather Knight to score a century in all three formats. That she got there sprinting for a second run after clipping Sutherland towards square leg after spending a day and a half in the field only added to the magic of her innings. Knight contributed 57 to the cause as the pair put on 115 runs for the second wicket and Nat Sciver-Brunt cruised to a brisk 41 not out.While Brown and Garth were struggling to nail their lengths early, Beaumont edged Brown towards second slip where Phoebe Litchfield appeared to get a fingertip to a difficult chance, but otherwise accumulated nicely, punishing any bad balls to the boundary.Sutherland entered the attack in the 10th over and struck with her sixth ball, enticing a drive from Emma Lamb with a fuller ball on off stump which sailed to Jess Jonassen, who swallowed the catch low at second slip. She bowled 13 dot-balls before conceding any runs, Beaumont dispatching a full toss to the boundary through mid-on.Annabel Sutherland acknowledges the applause for her maiden Test hundred•Getty Images

Beaumont moved to her third Test fifty by pulling an Alana King delivery to the fence beyond deep midwicket and, two balls later, she swept her fine for another boundary, her 11th of the innings. Beaumont enjoyed a stroke of luck on 61 when umpire Anna Harris turned down Australia’s hearty appeal for a catch by Litchfield at short leg and the tourists declined to review, with replays showing Beaumont had struck King’s fuller ball onto her boot before it looped directly to Litchfield. Later, on 88, she just managed to evade Jonassen’s dive at slip.Knight unleashed a reverse-sweep for four against Ashleigh Gardner, brought on at the start of the last hour as Australia searched for a wicket, and she pierced the slips with a boundary off Garth to bring up her fourth Test fifty. Gardner finally lifted Australia when she removed Knight by enticing an edge with a fuller, slower delivery and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy did the rest.Earlier, Sutherland and King added 34 runs to Australia’s overnight 328 for 7 and extended their union to 47 before a Lauren Bell inswinger crashed into the top of King’s off stump. Ecclestone had earlier thought she had King out lbw with her third ball of the day but she survived on umpire’s call when England reviewed, with Hawk-Eye showing that the ball was just clipping leg stump.Sutherland expertly marshalled a 95-run partnership with Garth, the former Ireland international making her Test debut for Australia. She brought up Australia’s 400 and moved into the 90s with a punch to the boundary through extra cover off Ecclestone and, next over, she raised her century with a four through deep midwicket off Lauren Filer.Sutherland had entered the game off the back of a century in Australia’s three-day warm-up against England A and here she played with great tempo and poise, the only half-chance she offered came shortly after reaching her ton when she edged a Filer short ball outside off stump, which flew just beyond the grasp of a leaping Knight in the slips.Related

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Australia’s ability to build partnerships was key to their innings with Sutherland also putting on 77 runs for the seventh wicket with Gardner, while Ellyse Perry, who fell on 99, shared a 119-run stand with Tahlia McGrath after adding 48 with Beth Mooney.After Bell’s initial breakthrough, England were frustrated. Down a seam-bowling option with Sciver-Brunt bowling just five overs the previous day because of an apparent knee complaint, debutant Filer couldn’t add to her two wickets of the previous day. It fell to Ecclestone, back into the action after bowling a mammoth 28 overs on the trot on Thursday, to eventually take the remaining wickets.When she beat the inside edge and rapped Garth on the back pad in her 45th over, there was no free-wheeling round the outfield. Instead she slumped, hands on knees as her team-mates ran to pat her on the back. Sutherland dispatched Ecclestone over deep midwicket for six but Ecclestone was able to muster enough sprightliness to snaffle a return catch off Brown to close out the innings and end her heroic toil with an exclamation mark.

Sri Lanka, who were in the driver’s seat with Pakistan 101 for 5 in reply to their 312, will need quick wickets on the third morning to bounce back

Danyal Rasool17-Jul-2023Stumps A see-sawing day ended with Pakistan wresting back the momentum from Sri Lanka thanks to a counter-attacking partnership between Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman. Half-centuries for the two in an unbeaten stand of 120 means Pakistan are now just 91 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 312, and might well have made a deeper dent into that deficit if monsoon rains hadn’t brought the day to a premature close.But it was more the speed of the run-scoring than the accumulation which impressed. Across 38 overs, Pakistan scored at just a tick under five, spearheaded initially by Shan Masood. But Agha and Shakeel, traditionally much more conservative in their approach in international cricket, took the baton and ran with it in a frenetic final hour that saw all of Sri Lanka’s bowlers put to the sword as Pakistan stormed back into the contest.Related

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Finding themselves five wickets down with a deficit greater than 200 and Nauman Ali to come in next, most Pakistan sides would have gone into their shell. But instead of waiting for Prabath Jayasuriya or Ramesh Mendis to invariably find a ball that breached their defences, the pair began to exploit gaps, rotate the strike, use their feet and find the boundary. Shakeel’s drive over Jayasuriya’s head early on was a statement of intent and a couple of slogs over cow corner from Agha forced Sri Lanka’s best bowler out of the attack. Both players brought up fifties, and as the runs continued to flow, Sri Lanka appeared to run out of ideas, turning to Kasun Rajitha’s pace.The middle session had moved the game along more than the entirety of the first day, with Sri Lanka’s spinners demonstrating clear superiority over their counterparts in these conditions. Jayasuriya’s three wickets put Sri Lanka on top even as Pakistan took the attack to the bowlers. Masood’s 30-ball 39 epitomised that approach as Pakistan moved along at 4.71 runs per over, though it did come with the loss of half the side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Abdullah Shafique survived an exceptionally close lbw shout in the first over before Imam-ul-Haq fell playing a rash cover drive in the second, spooning it into backward point’s lap. Masood’s arrival heralded the start of the only passage in that phase where Pakistan were dominant. Picking up from an impressive display in the two-day warm-up game in Hambantota, Masood continued in the same fashion. He was adept at carving the ball through the covers, exploiting gaps and getting the run rate ticking.His approach against the quicks necessitated Sri Lanka turning to Jayasuriya as early as in the ninth over, and Masood showed him enough respect to play out a maiden. Ramesh was not afforded the same regard, Masood saving the shot of the innings so far for him, dancing down the track to clobber him over mid-on for a colossal six to get to 39. The very next delivery, though, had him pinned back on leg stump. The umpire didn’t raise the finger but Sri Lanka reviewed, and Hawkeye flashed up three reds, sending a disbelieving Shan on his way.By now, Jayasuriya had already begun to work his magic, sending Shafique on his way with a hint of extra turn. It would get better for Sri Lanka, when Babar Azam top-edged an arm ball straight up to the keeper, exposing Sarfaraz Ahmed and an inexperienced lower-middle order with Pakistan still 239 runs behind.Mastery against spin is considered one of Sarfaraz’s strengths, but a sweep too many off Jayasuriya found him struck adjacent enough to be given out lbw in the last half-hour before tea. It left the two new men in Pakistan’s middle order, Agha and Shakeel, to hold Sri Lanka’s relentless spinners off.Prabath Jayasuriya gave the afternoon session to Sri Lanka•Associated Press

In the morning, Pakistan bowled Sri Lanka out for 312, but not before Sri Lanka had added a useful 70 runs with the last four wickets.Over the course of a slightly scrappy morning session, Dhananjaya de Silva stood out. Having been unbeaten overnight on 94, he was in no rush to snatch at the three-figure mark, taking about half an hour to get to the mark with a whip towards fine leg. Alongside Ramesh, who was offering doggedness but not many runs, de Silva prioritised survival over quick run-scoring. It was an arrangement Pakistan were content with as the spinners operated on autopilot while they awaited the new ball, and a slash from Ramesh off Abrar Ahmed soon brought the gritty partnership to an end.Babar called up Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for an extended spell with the new ball. Afridi’s pace was up and he found more movement, but it was Naseem who ended up in the wickets, dispatching Jayasuriya with a short delivery the tailender got a feather to. And when de Silva decided it was time to up the ante, he fell as soon as he played an attacking shot, a mistimed drive over backward point caught brilliantly by a scampering Masood. By now, though, he had scored 122, rescuing an innings that badly needed salvaging after the first session yesterday.Sri Lanka’s Nos. 10 and 11 held Pakistan off much longer than anticipated, though, and scored runs while doing it. Rajitha and Vishwa Fernando added 29 runs for that last wicket, ensuring Sri Lanka crossed 300, and perhaps edging the session in their favour.That dominance looked to have been underscored firmly through the afternoon, but Pakistan’s late onslaught means the Test remains finely balanced under Galle’s mercurial skies.

His match-winning partnership with Agar meant Bavuma’s unbeaten 114 went in vain

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2023Australia 225 for 7 (Labuschagne 80*, Agar 48*, Coetzee 2-44, Rabada 2-48) beat South Africa 222 (Bavuma 114*, Hazlewood 3-41, Stoinis 2-20) by three wicketsMarnus Labuschagne responded to being left out of Australia’s World Cup squad and their XI in the first ODI in Bloemfontein as only he can: with a hugely influential performance as a concussion substitute. Much like the impression he made during the 2019 Ashes, when he replaced Steven Smith halfway through the Lord’s Test before going on to top the series run charts, Labuschagne gave the selectors a timely reminder of what he can offer in the 50-overs format.He replaced Cameron Green, who was sconed by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer in the sixth over, and got to the crease with Australia on 72 for 5 in their chase of 223. They slipped to 113 for 7 before Labuschagne and Ashton Agar put on an unbroken 112 in 145 balls, a record for the eighth wicket in Bloemfontein, to seal a comprehensive win.Their efforts trumped Temba Bavuma’s third ODI hundred in six matches this year and successive centuries in Bloemfontein as he stood man alone. Bavuma was dropped on 2 and 88, scored only 30 runs off his first 50 balls, had only one partner who stayed with him for longer than 10 overs – Marco Jansen – and saw South Africa slip to 185 for 9, but dragged them past 220 with an unbeaen 114 off 142 balls. He became just the second South African to carry his bat in an ODI innings after Herschelle Gibbs in Sharjah in March 2000.But his efforts were in vain and also left an unanswered question for the rest of the series and the World Cup that follows. Bavuma suffered from cramp towards the end of his knock, on a not especially hot day in early spring, and was only in the field for a short while during Australia’s chase with T20I captain Aiden Markram making most of the tactical decisions on field.Australia have now won four matches in a row on this tour, and have now also snapped a run of five successive ODI defeats to South Africa.Cameron Green went off with a concussion after being hit by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer•AFP/Getty Images

Thinking caps were needed on a Bloemfontein surface that did not play to its reputation as laden with runs. The surface was slow and had evidence of variable bounce, which evened out as the match grew long.Australia’s chase started just before sunset, when there was still a little something in the surface. But the pitch had nothing to do with David Warner’s dismissal. He tried to crack a wide Marco Jansen ball through point but played on instead and was dismissed for a duck.Rabada started out off-colour and missed his lengths in his first two overs but roared back to take two wickets in two overs and Green out of the match with a concussion. With the first ball of his third over, Rabada managed to find late away swing and Mitchell Marsh’s leading edge as the Australian captain tried to hit him through midwicket. Marsh was caught behind. Two balls later, he fired in a 140kph bouncer that angled in from off stump and hit Green on the left ear flap as he turned his head to the offside. There was swelling behind his ear which was visible immediately and he left the field for treatment. In Rabada’s next over, he offered some fuller deliveries before going back of a length and Josh Inglis inside-edged him onto his stumps.Lungi Ngidi was brought on at the other end and, after a T20I series in which he went wicketless, had Travis Head caught at square leg by Rabada. Australia finished the Powerplay on 69 for 4.Gerald Coetzee was brought on the 12th over to bowl his first international delivery in his hometown and thrilled the locals with a wicket with his first ball. He beat Alex Carey’s flick, made a mess of the stumps, and pulled out a vein-popping celebration. That brought Labuschagne to the crease, with Australia in need of a partnership. Marcus Stoinis did not help him provide one. He was rushed by Coetzee’s pace and his pull shot found Heinrich Klaasen at midwicket.Coetzee’s emotions were only matched by those of Keshav Maharaj, who made his ODI comeback after recovering from a ruptured Achilles sustained in March while celebrating a wicket in a Test against West Indies. His third ball spun past Sean Abbott’s bat onto his off stump and Maharaj pulled out a fist pump but did not set off on a victory run. That was where South Africa’s success stopped.Australia’s scoring rate in those first 16.4 overs, thanks in large part to Head’s 28-ball 33, was seven an over, well above the required 4.46. That meant there was little pressure on Labuschagne and the lower order to score quickly, and they did not have to take many risks. He and Agar punished anything that erred on length but were also happy to go 13 overs without a boundary from the 23rd to the 37th over, as South Africa applied something of a squeeze. They were unable to stop the strike rotation, though, and that’s how Australia wore them down. Labuschagne eventually found four off Rabada and Australia only needed 15 runs in the last 13 overs. They got there with 9.4 overs to spare.Temba Bavuma became the second South African to carry his bat through an ODI innings•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa’s innings was played in exactly the opposite way. They started slowly, with only 25 runs in the Powerplay – the lowest at this venue – and the loss of Quinton de Kock. Bavuma was fortunate to survive after he edged Abbott’s first ball to point but Agar went for the catch with one hand and put it down.Rassie van der Dussen was run out cheaply when he Abbott straight to mid-off and hesitated before deciding on the run while Bavuma was ball-watching. Van der Dussen motored towards the non-striker’s end and by the time he turned back, the ball was on its way to Carey who broke the stumps.Aiden Markram looked more composed and managed two signature cover drives before he top-edged Green miles into the bright blue sky. A sunglass-less Carey judged the catch well. Heinrich Klaasen was bowled by a Stoinis delivery that kept low and David Miller nicked off second ball to open up the lower order with only 100 on the board.Jansen is the only genuine allrounder in South Africa’s World Cup squad and he showed why he deserves that tag. He put on 57 with Bavuma and looked in control until he played a Josh Hazlewood delivery onto his stumps. Coetzee, Maharaj and Rabada fell within 17 runs of each other to leave Bavuma with the No.11, Ngidi, for 6.4 overs. Bavuma farmed the strike and even refused runs and reached his hundred off the 136th ball he faced before adding 14 more to his name. In total, he scored 114 runs of South Africa’s total while the rest of the line-up contributed only 88.

India offspinner available for four games, starting with Essex at Chelmsford

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2023Jayant Yadav, the India offspinner, has joined Middlesex on a short-term deal for the last four LV= Insurance County Championship matches of the season.Yadav, 33, has taken 16 wickets at 29.06 in six Test matches for his country, the most recent of which came against Sri Lanka in March 2022. His best figures, 4 for 49, were against New Zealand in December 2021, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.However, his stand-out performance in Test cricket arguably came on England’s Test tour of 2016-17, where he made his highest score of 104, batting at No.9 in the fourth Test at Delhi and adding 241 with the then-captain, Virat Kohli, in an innings victory.”I am honoured and excited to join the prestigious Middlesex County Cricket Club for the upcoming Championship games and be a part of its rich cricketing history,” Yadav said in a club statement.”I enjoyed my experience of playing county cricket last year,” he added, having played two matches for Warwickshire in their Championship run-in in 2022, “and am eagerly looking forward to the new stint with Middlesex and contributing to the club’s success.”Yadav’s first outing is set to be against Championship challengers Essex at Chelmsford next week, prior to contests against Lancashire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire. In his first-class career to date he has taken 205 wickets, with best bowling figures of 7 for 58 for Haryana in the Ranji Trophy in 2019-20.Middlesex’s Director of Cricket, Alan Coleman, said: “With Pieter Malan returning home to South Africa, we wanted to bolster the squad with another quality signing ahead of four crucial matches that lay ahead of us in September.”We feel that spin will be an important factor in September and the opportunity to sign an international spinner of Jayant’s quality was too good an opportunity to turn down.”He brings us that extra bit of something you get from an international cricketer, experience, quality, know how – all attributes that will prove hugely valuable to us in the coming games.”We can’t wait to have him with us and wish him every success here over the coming month.”

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.

He will be contesting from the Magura-1 constituency, with the polls scheduled for January 7

Mohammad Isam26-Nov-2023Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will contest the country’s 12th parliamentary elections after he received confirmation of his nomination from the ruling Awami League. He will be contesting from the Magura-1 constituency, his home district, with the polls scheduled for January 7.Shakib is currently recovering from a finger injury he sustained during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka on November 6. It is unclear yet when he will return to the field.After the two home Tests against New Zealand from November 28 to December 10, Bangladesh will tour New Zealand from December 11 to 31 for six white-ball matches. Shakib had declared before the World Cup that he wouldn’t continue as the ODI captain but he remains the T20I leader, so whether he will travel to New Zealand in the business end of his first political campaign is a big question. The three T20Is will be played from December 27 to 31 and with the next T20 World Cup in June 2024, teams have already started shifting focus to their T20 plans.Shakib follows Mashrafe Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain who became an MP during the previous elections, from Narail. Mashrafe got the nomination again this year and even though he was involved in community activities in his hometown for many years, Shakib has never really ventured into this sphere of public life.The crossover between cricket and politics is, however, getting thicker in Bangladesh. Apart from Shakib and Mashrafe, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan has been an MP since 2009. He got the nomination once again from his Kishoreganj constituency. The BCB director Shafiul Alam Chowdhury also got nomination for the Moulvibazar seat. Former Bangladesh captain Naimur Rahman, who was an incumbent MP, failed to secure the Manikganj seat for the upcoming elections.Among international cricketers, it is also quite rare for active players to enter politics. Before Shakib and Mashrafe, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya ran for public office in the 2010 general elections.

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

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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

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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.