Category Uncategorized

Offspinning allrounder Bilal Asif took five wickets to set up a seven-wicket win for Pakistan over Zimbabwe in the series decider in Harare

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare05-Oct-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:26

Bilal Asif’s five-for rocks Zimbabwe

Pakistan cruised to a 2-1 series victory over Zimbabwe with a seven-wicket win in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club. Offspinning allrounder Bilal Asif was the chief architect in the demolition of Zimbabwe’s batting line-up by Pakistan’s spinners, taking 5 for 25 as the hosts were bowled out for just 161. Bilal’s wickets prompted an extraordinary collapse with Zimbabwe losing 10 for 72 to ruin what had been a solid start from their openers. The only downside for Pakistan is that they remain in ninth place in the ICC ODI rankings as a result of the loss on Saturday.Operating from the City End of the ground, Bilal bowled his ten overs on the trot after being brought on in the 13th over by stand-in captain Sarfraz Ahmed – regular leader Azhar Ali sitting this match out with an infected foot. Openers Chamu Chibhabha and Richmond Mutumbami initially seemed to play the offspinner without much alarm, but when Chibhabha popped a simple return catch to the bowler, Zimbabwe’s spectacular implosion was set in motion.Sean Williams shuffled down the track to loft Bilal to wide long-on, but then seemed in two minds as he lunged forward at a flighted delivery and ended up chipping another tame catch to the bowler. Bilal took his second in the over by bowling a noncommittal Elton Chigumbura via the inside edge, and from then on Zimbabwe offered virtually nothing in the way of resistance.Sikandar Raza shuffled right across to the off side as he set himself to sweep, but exposed his stumps in the process and was bowled. When Tino Mutombodzi backed away and missed a cut off when the ball kept a touch low, Bilal had his fifth and Zimbabwe were 127 for 6 in the 31st over.There had been a completely different complexion to their innings in the midst of Chibhabha and Mutumbami’s opening stand. Chibhabha played with characteristic conviction off the front foot and took much of the early strike. He was into the 20s before Mutumbami had even faced his third delivery, and looked set for a 15th ODI fifty before falling to Bilal.His wicket broke an 89-run opening stand, and he was soon followed back to the pavilion by Brian Chari, who was lbw to Imad Wasim playing back when he should have been forward. Darting the ball in from round the wicket, Imad helped himself to two more wickets and in total Zimbabwe lost 9 for 65 to 18.5 overs of spin.Their collapse completely overshadowed a brave innings from Mutumbami. He was attacking from the outset and weathered a fearsome blow to the head from Mohammad Irfan, the ball knocking his helmet off his head, to register a career-best 67 before Irfan won their battle by having him caught behind. After his knock on the head, and a stinging blow to his wrist off Wahab Riaz, Mutumbami did not take the field in the second innings, with Chari filling in as wicketkeeper.The malaise in Zimbabwe’s performance today continued during Pakistan’s chase, which started before the lunch break due to the brevity of the hosts’ innings. John Nyumbu put Bilal down at slip in the second over, and he took advantage of the let-off with a quickfire 38 on either side of the interval as Pakistan cruised past 50.Bilal was eventually well caught by a diving Mutumbodzi at long-on. Mohammad Hafeez didn’t last long and Pakistan were 104 for 3 when Ahmed Shehzad was stumped for a 61-ball 32, but Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq faced minimal resistance in knocking off the remaining runs during their unbroken 58-run stand.

Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan believes India can lend more influence and funds to help assist his team

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2013Kabir Khan, the Afghanistan coach, has called for the BCCI to provide more support to Afghanistan cricket, highlighting England’s support for their neighbouring Associate nations.”If you look at England they go out of their way to support the associate cricket nations in their region, which include Holland, Ireland and Scotland,” Kabir told PTI. “They allow their players to play in their county and league system, while giving them valuable assistance through various coaching programmes.”In comparison, South Asia has four Test-playing nations – Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – [yet despite this] we don’t get the same kind of support, except for Pakistan. India has the influence and money to do a lot for Afghanistan cricket if they wanted. But so far we are still waiting.”There’s a lot of passion for cricket in Afghanistan, and there are good players, but we suffer mainly because we don’t have a domestic cricket structure. We don’t get enough matches in this region.”The Afghanistan team is currently in Lahore for a month-long conditional camp which also includes a series of matches against Pakistan A and several regional sides. The team trained at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, where they were granted access to all facilities and coaches at hand.Afghanistan will play Scotland next month to play in the ICC league series for a four-day match, two ODIs and a T20 in preparation of next year’s World T20. Khan has already set his sights on the 2015 World Cup, which is to be jointly-held by Australia and New Zealand.”Right now we are focusing on improving our fitness and fielding skills,” Kabir said. “We want to play in the next ODI World Cup and make our presence felt.”

Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has questioned England’s status as the No. 1 side in the world Test rankings after their defeat inside three days against Pakistan in Dubai

Umar Farooq20-Jan-2012Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, has questioned England’s status as the No. 1 side in the world Test rankings after their defeat inside three days against Pakistan in Dubai.Miandad, one of England’s most redoubtable opponents in his playing days, always relishes a chance to revive battles of old and he did so again when he suggested England’s rise to the top of the rankings owed much to home advantage and took little account of their perennial weakness in Asia.”I don’t believe much in rankings because it doesn’t give a clear picture of the team’s overall performance in the world,” Miandad said. “England is mainly the top side without playing in Asia and you must give credit to Pakistan that they have been playing with no home advantage and still they are winning. England are now the No. 1 team because they had the home advantage and never lost in their backyard.”Miandad, who made 260 against England at The Oval in 1987 as Pakistan piled up 708, freely admitted that victories against them had a special piquancy.”I always feel an extra sense of satisfaction when Pakistan beat England or Australia – it always carries a special importance,” he said. “Practically everything clicked against England. A circle that includes every aspect of the game rotated smoothly. Batsman scored runs; bowlers did accordingly to the expectations.””We experienced a very bad time in 2010 and because of that our cricket was suffered a lot. Our victories always were overshadowed by the controversies. But the victory against England was a special one.”More criticism of England’s performance came from Abdul Qadir, a former Pakistan legspinner and selector. He expressed surprise that England had lost in such an “unprofessional manner”.”I was never expecting that England could go that low, to be packed up in just three days,” Qadir said. “The most pathetic things I observed about the England batting was that on the first day, when fast-bowlers were supposed to take wickets they were exposed by spinners and later on in the second innings, when the spinners were supposed to dominate they fell into the hands of fast bowlers.”This is a buzzer for the English think tank, about their strategy. It’s like they didn’t do their homework and that fact was exposed cheaply. I always deemed England a very professional side but the way they played [casts] doubts [on] my views about them.”Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s former fast bowler and coach, said that the spot-fixing scandal had made the players stronger and was a driving force behind their consistency over the last 18 months.”I’m really proud of the way they’ve responded to all the criticism and scepticism that they had to deal with after the spot-fixing scandal,” he said. “The players were determined to show everyone what Pakistan cricket is all about after the scandal. They realised that the only way to respond to the crisis was to perform well and let the results speak for themselves.”

The West Indies Cricket Board has moved to strengthen the roots of the game in the region with a historic US$360,000 grant programme

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2011The West Indies Cricket Board has moved to strengthen the roots of the game in the region with a historic US$360,000 grant programme which is aimed at supporting club cricket across the Caribbean.The Grassroots Cricket Support Facility will make available US$90,000 to clubs in four periods between March 2011 and December 2012. Clubs and local cricket organisations can apply to the WICB for a grant of up to US$5,000 each. The grants will be issued to clubs to aid in one of three areas, namely: infrastructure development, strengthening training programmes and procurement of gear and equipment.”This is one of the most important initiatives the WICB will undertake to help strengthen cricket at the grassroots level,” said WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire. “We are focussing on the clubs throughout the region who have expressed how difficult it is to organize and sustain cricket and we are lending a hand in a tangible way. West Indies cricket needs club cricket to be strong and we need to assist and give meaningful support.”Veteran cricket administrator and writer Tony Becca has been prominent in lamenting for years that club cricket is in dire need of a shoulder to lean on and this programme is one way in which we believe we can help to build and strengthen West Indies cricket from the ground up.”We want to have partnerships with clubs all across the region because these are where West Indies players come from and we have to not only recognise that but demonstrate to the clubs that the WICB is serious about assisting them as they execute their programmes and activities which benefit all of West Indies cricket.”

A round-up of the fourth round of games from the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 tournament in Zimbabwe

John Ward15-Feb-2010Mashonaland Eagles inflicted the first defeat of the tournament on the Namibia Vipers, by five wickets, in a final-over thriller at the Harare Sports Club. Their main hero was the former national player, Doug Marillier, whose superb 74 blazed the trail that led to victory.Vipers began unimpressive after Eagles won the toss and fielded. Raymond van Schoor was dropped from a hard chance to slip off the first ball of the match, and in the second over Gerhard Rudolph (1) drove a simple catch into the covers. By the seventh over they were 24 for 3, looking a fraction of the team that overwhelmed Rocks in their first match.Here, however, the improvement began. Norbert Manyande, the former Zimbabwean, joined Dwaine Pretorius and the pair rescued the side through good running and judicious big hitting. Manyande reached his 50 off 39 balls and next ball holed out at long-on. Pretorius quickly followed, caught in the deep for 34, but Tobie Verwey clubbed a couple of boundaries to carry the total to 142 for six.Eagles also made an indifferent start, losing two wickets for 22 before Greg Lamb joined the opener Doug Marillier. They combined well to lift the score to 60 for 2 after 10 overs, before Lamb skied a catch to depart for 19. Marillier upped the rate with a mixture of orthodox and unconventional strokes. On 41 he swept a six over square leg, and reached his 50 with another effortless six over long leg. The 100 came up in the 15th over, not yet quite up with the required rate, but with wickets in hand.With Eagles looking comfortable Elton Chigumbura was run out in a terrible mix-up for 15, and then Marillier quickly followed, trapped in front by Tony Palladino for a magnificent 74 (60 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes). It set up a tense finish with 15 needed from the final 12 balls. Forster Mutizwa and Regis Chakabva ran superbly to leave five required off the final over. The first ball was a full toss and Mutizwa pulled it superbly for four, and followed it with a single the next ball to take his team home.Meanwhile, in a sterling contest that brought 379 runs, Mountaineers held on by the skin of their teeth to beat Southern Rocks by a single run. Their heroes were Hamilton Masakadza, who scored 102, and Tatenda Taibu, while Rocks produced superb batting from Chamu Chibhabha and Steve Tikolo.Mountaineers banked on getting the best from a tiring track by batting first after winning the toss. After Bernard Mlambo was yorked attempting a wild swish at Blessing Mahwire for 6, it was one-way traffic as Masakadza and Taibu massacred the hapless Rocks bowling.They were on the charge immediately, Masakadza unfurling two crisp strikes for six over long-on and long leg. The 50 came up after six overs and the 100 in 13 – after which they decided to step up the pace. Masakadza gave a hard chance to long-on when he had 80, but in the final over he reached 100 with a straight six and an edged four in successive balls from Anthony Ireland. Masakadza ended with 102 off only 56 balls, including six fours and six sixes. Taibu had done his part, with his unbeaten 71 containing five fours and a six and the second-wicket partnership adding 179.With Rocks facing an imposing total the Mountaineers’ bowlers were a little too confident and Chamu Chibhabha at least was going down, if he must, with all guns blazing. 39 runs came off the first three overs, mostly to Chibhabha, but with seven wides also helping total. The 50 came up in the sixth over for one wicket, making victory still a theoretical possibility. Chibhabha enjoyed a narrow escape, a hard chance on the leg boundary on 48, but reached 50 off 35 balls. Steve Tikolo joined in with some fine strokes, and the 100 came up in the 12th over.With 48 needed off the last five overs, an incredible Rocks victory seemed very possible. But Prosper Utseya struck the vital blow by bowling Chibhabha for 70. This proved the turning point, arresting the momentum at a crucial time. Tikolo was still there and by the last over 15 was needed to win. Tikolo cut the first ball for four, but was then run out in another mix-up. Nine was needed off the last two balls and new man Ian Harvey could only manage only a single off the penultimate ball. In a final act of defiance Alester Maregwede hit the last ball for six but it was not quite enough.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the move was planned in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government

Shashank Kishore14-Sep-2025No handshakes were exchanged before or after India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday as tensions between the two countries spilled out onto the field in Dubai.Suryakumar Yadav, the winning captain, said India had decided before the match – in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government – that they would not shake hands with the opposition, a move that left Pakistan visibly disapppointed. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan coach, said the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.Related

• PCB to take 'final decision' on Asia Cup withdrawal by Wednesday

• Hesson: We were a bit frenzied at the start with the bat and then got squeezed

• How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan in middle overs

• Suryakumar: Spinners come well prepared so things move 'on autopilot'

• Asia Cup: India-Pakistan set to go ahead after Indian government clarifies stance

That led to their captain Salman Agha not appearing for the post-match TV interview, as is a broadcast norm. Pakistan’s displeasure over these events has extended as far as match referee Andy Pycroft.Hours after the match ended, the PCB said in a statement that Pakistan’s team manager had registered a “formal protest” against him, because he had “requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss”.This was the first meeting between the two sides since India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and uncertainty had surrounded the match in the intervening months, with several calls for India to boycott it.Clarity only emerged when the Indian government came out with its official policy for sporting engagements with Pakistan, greenlighting meetings in multilateral events while refusing to engage in bilateral contests. All that remained to be seen was how the match would play out against this backdrop.”Our government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” Suryakumar said at his post-match press conference. “Rest, we took a call [about not shaking hands]. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”The match was played against the backdrop of heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan•Associated Press

Asked if their refusal to shake hands was against sporting spirit, Suryakumar said: “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve [said] it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”Hesson expressed “disappointment” at India’s stance.”We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” he said. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.”That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”Hesson said Agha’s absence from the presentation ceremony was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands. The PCB statement confirmed this, terming India’s actions to be “against sportsmanship”.”Manager Naveed Akram Cheema has registered a formal protest against the match referee’s behaviour,” the PCB statement said. “Match referee requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss.”Pycroft’s response to Pakistan’s statement is awaited.

“Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge”

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2024When Najmul Hossain Shanto reached his century in Chattogram, Mushfiqur Rahim charged towards him with a big smile on his face, and arms raised. This was Shanto’s second century as Bangladesh captain, coming shortly after the BCB declared him as their main man across formats.Shanto is an agent of change at a pivotal time in Bangladesh cricket. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe backs him and by the looks of it, so do the senior cricketers currently in the team.Shanto added 69 runs for the fourth wicket with Mahmudullah and 165 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Mushfiqur, who said that Shanto steps up as a batter with added responsibility.Related

• Can Najmul Hossain Shanto pilot a successful World Cup campaign for Bangladesh?

• Tanzim seizes spotlight as latest star of Bangladesh's pace revolution

• Liyanage: 'We never expected there to be so much dew'

• Shanto, Mushfiqur and bowlers headline Bangladesh's comfortable win

• Silverwood welcomes 'great rivalry' with Bangladesh: 'We need good competition'

“Shanto thoroughly deserved the century,” Mushfiqur said. “He was excellent. It was a one-man show tonight. I think leadership brings out the best in some individuals. Shanto is definitely one of them. He really enjoys the captaincy. Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge. I knew that he would score runs at the highest level.”Atmosphere is very important. We don’t worry about the outcome. We try to keep our processes intact. We don’t expect all seven batters to get centuries every day but as long as he sticks to his strengths and practice routines, it was just a matter of time.”Mushfiqur said that Shanto has grown as a batter as he now makes the best use of good starts. He was impressed by how Shanto managed to play after reaching the century. “He batted very well today. He plays more fluently. He can be more dominating. He used to get 50s or 60s after getting a good start but now he is playing long innings.”The way he took a single to mid-on so easily just after getting that hundred, it showed that he was so calm and thoughtful towards the team. We kept telling each other that we should keep getting the next 20 or 30 runs, so that they don’t get a sniff in vital moments.”Mushfiqur also credited Mahmudullah for his run-a-ball 37 that set the tone for Bangladesh’s chase after they lost three early wickets.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We had a good partnership but the real work was done by (Mahmudullah) Riyad bhai and Shanto. The ball was new so they could swing the ball. The dew hadn’t taken full effect. We lost early wickets too. Shanto and Riyad bhai ensured we were always ahead of the required run rate because of their partnership. They made life easy for me.”It is called experience. After that big over, he struck Hasaranga down the ground for a six. When you put the opposition’s best bowler under pressure, they have a lot to think. They allow singles rather than going for wickets, which allows the partnership to go big. Experience is really a big thing. Shanto struggled at the start but this is a partnership game. First credit for this win must go to Riyad , for showing the intent,” he said.Mushfiqur himself played an important hand, particularly in the way he handled Sri Lanka’s main bowler, Wanindu Hasaranga. He took 29 runs off 25 balls off the legspinner, who has not yet got this batter out in eight innings in all formats.”When you play a bowler for a long time, you feel confident against him. The opposite also happens. I have been able to pick him. Hasaranga is a really good bowler, so I want to ensure he doesn’t have much impact on the game. The more I play against him, I feel more comfortable.”When you face a wrist spinner, he will bowl you a flipper, googly, legspin and top spin. You can’t always pick it from the hand. Sweep is a good option to have. You have to sweep against the good ball. If you can execute it well, it puts pressure back on the bowler.”

Chamari Athapaththu dominated for Renegades but her 75 wasn’t enough

AAP03-Nov-2022Hobart Hurricanes legspinner Maisy Gibson returned career-best figures in a four-wicket win over the Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL.Gibson put in a supreme display with the ball to help restrict the Renegades to a modest 5 for 133 batting first at Blundstone Arena.In the run chase, Hurricanes allrounder Heather Graham (39* off 26 balls) put her foot on the accelerator at the right time to ensure her side cruised to victory with 11 balls to spare.The turning point in the chase was the 27 runs Hurricanes made in the power surge, which they took in the 13th and 14th overs.Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani (29) made her highest score this season before she was bowled by a superb skidding delivery from Renegades captain Sophie Molineux.Renegades slumped to their sixth consecutive defeat and are in last position in the ladder, while Hurricanes are in fifth spot but have a game in hand over the top four sides.Opener Chamari Athapaththu was the star of the Renegades innings with an unbeaten 75 from 59 deliveries. The Sri Lanka captain was on a different level to the rest of the batters, with her straight hitting clinical and power-packed.Renegades got off to a fast start with the bat, with opener Hayley Matthews (26 off 23) the prime mover.Gibson took two wickets in her first over, including Josephine Dooley with an athletic caught and bowled in her outstretched left hand. She was in the groove and another over where she snared two wickets made sure the Renegades never got away.The fielding of the hosts was supreme, with Ruth Johnston diving full stretch to take a one-handed diving catch with her left to dismiss Molineux.

Hard-fought seven-wicket win allows visitors to leapfrog into September’s top flight

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2021Hampshire 486 for 7 dec (Gubbins 137*, Weatherley 78, Holland 74) and 56 for 3 beat Gloucestershire 229 (Phillips 47, de Grandhomme 4-31) and 310 (Lace 118*) by seven wickets Hampshire qualified for Division One of the LV= Insurance Championship with a seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire on the final day at Cheltenham.They were made to work hard as Tom Lace’s 118 led 126-overs of second-innings resistance but Gloucestershire were eventually bowled out for 310 and the target of only 54 was dealt with after tea.It ended Gloucestershire’s dreams of a maiden Championship title as they missed out on a top two finish in Group Two despite winning five matches – only Yorkshire won as many.But three heavy defeats from their final four games – taking a total of just six points from those losses – have cost them.They were well behind here after a weak first innings but, in a repeat of the return fixture back in May, made a good fist of trying to bat through the final day to save the game, with the draw good enough to stay above Hampshire.Hopes rose of another great escape as Lace made his first century for Gloucestershire but he became just the fifth first-class victim of Joe Weatherley’s career and no-one else could match his longevity.The day began, like day two, with an immediate reward for Hampshire as Glenn Phillips was trapped lbw by Colin de Grandhomme fifth ball of the day. Phillips thought he’d hit it. Replays were inconclusive.Ryan Higgins and Jack Taylor formed useful stands with Lace but Higgins drove loosely at Keith Barker and edged to slip three overs before lunch and Taylor played around Kyle Abbott and lost his off stump.Lace remained. He pulled de Grandhomme to reach a 114-ball fifty before Barker was flicked through square leg and then steered to third man to raise a century in 214 balls with 12 fours and two sixes – a pair of top-edged pulls off Abbott and Wheal.But his fine effort ended in agonising fashion as he shouldered arms to Weatherley’s very part-time off-spin and was plumb lbw. He and the rest of the county hung their heads.Ollie and Tom Price hung around for 22 overs before another groaning dismissal as Ollie pulled a Mason Crane long-hop into short leg’s back and the rebound popped up for leg slip. Matt Taylor was then lbw to Wheal shouldering arms before Dan Worrall drove to point.

Bengal have named fast bowler Ishan Porel in their squad for their match against Odisha

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2020India batsman Manish Pandey will join Karnataka’s squad for their Ranji Trophy quarter-final fixture against Jammu & Kashmir which starts from February 20, while KL Rahul will rest during the round. Both Pandey and Rahul have been with the Indian limited-overs sides since they helped Karnataka clinch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in December. Neither has played in a Ranji Trophy match this season as a result.Pandey captained Karnataka to both the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali titles this season, and is the designated captain in the longer format as well. But Karun Nair has been leading in his absence and will continue to do so against J&K.Rahul, who has been in top form in limited-overs cricket, starting from the Vijay Hazare Trophy in October last year, has recently sealed a place in the Indian middle order in ODIs as well as at the top of the order in T20Is. He has featured in all of India’s last 11 matches across formats, and done so as a wicketkeeper on each occasion, having filled in midway through a match for Rishabh Pant in the first ODI against Australia in January. That is eleven matches in just under a month with the additional duties of keeping wickets.Elsewhere, Bengal have named fast bowler Ishan Porel in their 15 for their quarter-final against Odisha. Porel was on tour in New Zealand with the India A squad, alongside Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, but did not feature in their last match, in which Easwaran did.