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ESPNcricinfo previews the first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit10-Nov-2011

Match Facts

Pakistan v Sri Lanka, November 11, Dubai
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)Will they be smiling together again?•AFP

Big Picture

The leadership of a national side has probably never changed hands between characters as contrasting as Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq. When impassive replaces expressive, when calm replaces frenetic, chaos is a likely outcome. It could have happened only in Pakistan, and only Pakistan could have moved on as if nothing had happened. It helped that when Misbah was appointed limited-overs captain, he had been in charge of the Test side for some time. It helped that Pakistan had low-profile series against Ireland and Zimbabwe that eased him into the role. What also helped, probably the most, was that Afridi went into one of his retirements so that the heat generated by his removal did not singe the team.Afridi is back now. Sri Lanka are no Ireland or Zimbabwe. Don’t go by the listless unit that turned up for the Test series. They are World Cup finalists and a proud limited-overs side. This five-match series will be a dual test for Misbah the leader. His approach in Tests has been to let things happen while retaining control and pushing matters only when absolutely needed, a bit like his batting style. How will he handle a mercurial, and immensely popular, former captain and key ODI bowler? How will he control the flow against world-class opposition in a format short on time?What Misbah has inherited from Afridi is a solid group that retained its sanity amid all the drama unfolding off the field over the past 15 months. It is a side that made the semi-final of the World Cup 2011 and has won its previous four bilateral ODI series. Misbah has the side to continue his captaincy run of being unbeaten in a series. What he makes of the additional baggage will determine whether that run continues against an opposition that has stalled in ODIs of late.Sri Lanka have regressed in Tests but the impact of losing Muttiah Muralitharan has been softer in the shorter format. They have recently lost 2-3 to both England away and Australia at home. While the absence of Muralitharan continues to hurt them in Tests, the batting has crumbled too often of late, with their three losses against Australia coming after the batsmen managed 191, 208 and 132.The Test series loss to Pakistan has brought a stern outburst from the chairman of selectors, Duleep Mendis, who said that the repeated batting failures had something to do with the mental approach. “Something is not right there and it is the coaches who have to address it,” he said. Geoff Marsh has barely settled into the job of head coach. How soon can he rectify the batting, which will have to come good to set up games on the flat pitches in the UAE. Even a 3-2 series win will not be enough for Sri Lanka to hold on to the No. 2 ICC one-day ranking. To add another shade of interest, both sides will be playing under the new rules for the first time.

Form guide (completed games, most recent first)

Pakistan: WWWWW
Sri Lanka: WLWLL

In the spotlight

This is Shahid Afridi‘s format. This was Afridi’s team. With his dozen-a-minute expressions and frenzied hand-waving on the field, he had successfully managed to hold together a team that many expected to fall apart. And then, the leadership was rudely yanked from under his feet after a series win in the West Indies, sending him into bitterness and temporary retirement. He has said that he has no problems playing under Misbah, having “played under a lot of captains, like around 11 or 12.” But he is no ordinary player; he is the dethroned captain and was the heartbeat of his side during the World Cup. To say that his performance – and his interaction with Misbah – will be watched, is to state the obvious.Sri Lanka would not have missed Muralitharan so much had Lasith Malinga been available all the time. He isn’t, but whenever he is, they become a different side, capable of stunning turnarounds. Malinga was nearly unplayable during the recent Champions League T20, and played a major role in both their wins against Australia. Pakistan have played him much better though. He averages 47.66 against them against a career average of 25.03. The last time he played them, he took five wickets. Pakistan will be on guard against the yorkers. Will they be able to avoid them?

Team news

Pakistan have gone for Sarfraz Ahmed as the wicketkeeper in place of Adnan Akmal. Sarfraz’s last game for Pakistan was in February 2010 but his domestic batting performances have led to his inclusion. The keeping is another issue, but Pakistan are certainly missing Kamran Akmal the batsman. What will Sarfraz make of this opportunity? Also returning is allrounder Abdul Razzaq whose last match was the World Cup 2011 semi-final against India.Pakistan: (possible) 1 Imran Farhat 2 Mohammad Hafeez 3 Younis Khan 4 Asad Shafiq/Umar Akmal 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.) 6 Abdul Razzaq 7 Shahid Afridi 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk) 9 Umar Gul 10 Saeed Ajmal 11 Junaid KhanSri Lanka will be happy to go back to their prolific ODI opening combination of Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan after the indifferent starts during the Tests. Promising wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal played the first three ODIs against Australia as a specialist batsman before being dropped. He is back in the squad now but will Sangakkara continue to don the keeping gloves?Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt) 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk) 4 Dinesh Chandimal 5 Mahela Jayawardene 6 Angelo Mathews 7 Thisara Perera / Kosala Kulasekara 8 Jeevan Mendis 9 Suraj Randiv 10 Lasith Malinga 11 Suranga Lakmal / Dilhara Fernando

Stats & Trivia

• Sri Lanka have beaten Pakistan in their previous two bilateral ODI series, both in 2009
• Misbah-ul-Haq averaged 51.69 in 21 games under Shahid Afridi. He averages 94.50 in his short stint of six matches so far

Quotes

“It is time for our younger players to stand up and be counted and become those great players, Kumar [Sangakkara] had a fantastic series but we really need to get a couple of our younger players to really stand up and play well for us and to be the next Sangakkara or Jayawardene.”

“Sri Lanka have got an edge on us in the fielding department, we really have to work hard on that, especially in the shorter forms.”
Pakistan interim coach

A round-up of the first week of matches in the MTN40

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010The Dolphins set the tone for a South African weekend that was dominated by Natal-based sides when they beat the Cobras by 37 runs in Durban. Things started badly for the Dolphins. Loots Bosman, fresh from his trip to the UAE, was out for a duck in the second over. Then, the procession of half centuries began. Cameron Delport (52 off 44 balls), Imraan Khan (53 off 66 balls), Ravi Bopara (80 off 82 balls) and Glen Addicott (70 off 41 balls) helped the Dolphins to a healthy 281 for 6. Bopara shared in a 60-run partnership with Imraan and a 126-run stand with Addicott to earn the Man-of-the-Match award. Monde Zondeki was the most economical bowler for the Cobras, taking 1 for 27 in five overs.In reply the Cobras started strongly. Herschelle Gibbs (40 off 32 balls) and Andrew Puttick (47) put on 69 for the first wicket in 11.3 overs. Gibbs was bowled by Quinton Friend (2-48) and Stiaan van Zyl (20 off 29 balls) joined Puttick at the wicket. Imran Tahir (2-32) was one of the two Dolphins’ substitutes and showed his class as a limited-overs bowler. After he removed van Zyl, the Cobras middle order couldn’t get it together. Justin Kemp scored 37 off 41 balls, but the support he required from Justin Ontong (27 off 25 balls) and Richard Levi (11 off 8 balls) was lacking. The Cobras ended on 244 for 9, handing the Dolphins a respectable win.In Potchefstroom, the Lions beat the Knights by three wickets. The Lions opted to field and had immediate reward. Ethan O’ Reilly (2-33), who Alviro Petersen describes as having “a heart bigger than his body”, plucked two early wickets. Morne van Wyk (0) was bowled with the first ball of the match and Reeza Hendricks was caught behind. Rilee Rossouw rode to the Knights rescue. He scored 102 off 103 balls, with 12 fours and one six, to form the mainstay of the Knights’ innings. Small contributions from Deal Elgar (30 off 39 balls) and Adrian McLaren (29 off 31 balls) helped the visitors to 259 for 8. Paul Harris (2-43) made clear his intention to challenge for a place in the national one-day side with an economical return.The Lions relied on batting contributions all-round to chase down the total. Petersen (49 off 38 balls) and Richard Cameron (52 off 51 balls) rallied to put them in a commanding position after Stephen Cook departed early. Zander de Bruyn (52 off 52 balls) also chipped in with a half-century. Robbie Frylinck (23* off 11 balls) was with Werner Coetsee at the end as the Lions won off the penultimate ball of the match.The Knights will be disappointed with their bowling performance, giving away 20 wides. Dillon du Preez (0-41) will be particularly aggrieved. Despite not bowling a wide, he went for a more than ten runs an over.The Warriors and Titans also contested a thrilling encounter, in which the defending champions beat their northern rivals by four wickets. Makhaya Ntini (1-33) struck early to remove Blake Snijman and Basheer Walters (1-34) had Gulam Bodi out for 5 as the Titans found themselves 22 for 2 in the sixth over.Jacques Rudolph (85 off 95 balls) withstood the storm of wickets and was helped by late bursts from his lower order. Roelof van der Merwe (36* off 32 balls) and David Wiese (39* off 26 balls) propelled the Titans to 212 for 7. None of the Warriors bowlers got more than one wicket.Davy Jacobs led the Warriors reply. His 58 runs came off just 42 balls and laid the foundation for his team. Mario Olivier (2-24) got the Titans back into the game when he removed Jacobs and Arno Jacobs in consecutive overs. Ashwell Prince (45 off 63 balls) and Justin Kreusch (36 off 59 balls) were made to work hard to put the Warriors back in the driving seat. Kelly Smuts (22* off 21 balls) and Lyall Meyer led the Warriors to victory with two balls to spare.Batsman of the week: For the first century of this season’s MTN40 and helping dig his team out of a hole, Rilee Rossouw earns this week’s prize.

A summary of the fourth round of matches in New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition

Cricinfo staff23-Dec-2009Graham Napier produced the kind of innings which made him a bankable limited-overs name last summer, clubbing an unbeaten 73 from just 29 balls to get Central Districts home by three wickets over Northern Districts in Palmerston North. Napier walked to the middle in the 42nd over with CD’s score at 219 for 7, chasing 301 for victory, and larruped five sixes in an astonishing innings to take them home with 15 deliveries to spare at Fitzherbert Park.Napier’s whirlwind knock turned the match around amazingly. His half-century needed 20 balls – second in New Zealand’s domestic one-day half-century after Peter McGlashan did it in 19 balls against Auckland in 2007-08 – and he put on an unbeaten 87 in 38 balls with George Worker (27 not out).ND had a solid total to defend after teenager Kane Williamson made a career-best unbeaten 107. His second 50-over hundred encompassed 106 balls and featured seven fours and three sixes. Aiding ND were the opener Anton Devcich (54) and McGlashan (53). Williamson then turned his arm over for figures of 3 for 48, which included snapping a 57-run stand for the third wicket between Tim Weston and Peter Ingram. Williamson added Ingram (59) by beating him in flight and winning a leg-before appeal and then got rid of Jacob Oram for 35, but Napier’s assault turned the tide.At Colin Maiden Park, Auckland beat Wellington by 81 runs. Key to this win were the internationals Daryl Tuffey and Ravi Bopara as Auckland, after posting 230, dismissed the opposition for 149.Bopara continued his impressive run of form with 43 and wrapped up the Wellington tail to finish with figures of 3 for 34 off seven overs. Tuffey claimed 3 for 12 off eight overs, which included getting rid of the openers Matthew Bell and Cameron Merchant. From 61 for 5, Wellington were boosted temporarily by Stewart Rhodes (36) and Luke Woodcock (34) in the middle order, but the house collapsed in the 42nd over. Michael Bates and Roneel Hira chimed in with two wickets each.Auckland’s total was set up by Andrew de Boorder (57), Reece Young (41) and Bopara’s 68-ball effort. The match also witnessed the return of Lou Vincent, but he made just six opening the batting for Auckland. Of the Wellington bowlers, Jeetan Patel and Andy McKay were the most successful, taking three wickets each.

Danish Malewar also scored 73 to go with his 153 in the first innings

Shashank Kishore01-Mar-2025Vidarbha 379 and 249 for 4 (Nair 132*, Malewar 73) lead Kerala 342 (Baby 98, Sarwate 79, Nalkande 3-52, Rekhade 3-65, Dubey 3-88) by 286 runsIf fate had played out differently two seasons ago, Karun Nair would have been playing for Kerala after he first reached out to them when he was dumped unceremoniously by Karnataka. They couldn’t commit at the time and Nair, having sat at home for an entire season, couldn’t wait to grab his next opportunity. That’s when Vidarbha came calling.Two seasons on, Nair is at the forefront of Vidarbha’s charge to a third Ranji Trophy title, having batted all day to construct an unbeaten 132, his 23rd first-class century and fourth of the season. It helped stretch Vidarbha’s lead to 286 at stumps on the fourth day, and they still have six wickets remaining. If Nair does lift the trophy, it’ll be his third – his first two were with Karnataka in his first two seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15.Nair shouldn’t batted this long, but luck shone on him. On 31, in the very first session on the third day, indecision against young seamer Eden Apple Tom had him playing at one that reared up awkwardly to lob off the glove to first slip where Akshay Chandran put down a dolly. Having already lost two early wickets, Vidarbha would have been 55 for 3. Instead, Kerala saw Nair and Danish Malewar, the 21-year-old batter in his maiden season, torment them again, as if to complete the business they had left unfinished in the first innings when a mix-up between the two led to Nair’s run out for 86.Malewar and Nair put on 182 for the third wicket – Malewar making 73 to go with his 153 in the first innings – to defuse any tension there might have been in the Vidarbha camp after they lost Parth Rekhade and Dhruv Shorey inside the first three overs. Rekhade was bowled through the gate by Jalaj Saxena’s in-drift, and Shorey was out to Mohammed Azharuddeen’s brilliance as he dived full stretch to pluck a healthy edge in front of first slip to give MD Nidheesh an early wicket.Kerala could have had a third very quickly, but Malewar was aided by luck when DRS deemed a not-out lbw decision off Saxena to be umpire’s call. It was the start of a frustrating few hours for Kerala, where they dropped a sitter of a big-match player, two of their frontline seamers – Nidheesh and Nedumankuzhy Basil – received warnings twice for running on to the danger area of the pitch, and then saw two healthy nicks off Saxena, their most prolific and in-form spinner, go through the vacant slip cordon when the need of the hour was to attack, not defend. All these factors combined to give Vidarbha the push they needed.Danish Malewar scored 73 in the second innings after 153 in the first•PTI

In the seventh over of the day, Malewar survived again, this time overturning an lbw call on DRS after being given out to Nidheesh, with replays showing the ball swung in late and would have missed leg stump. Things were happening quickly, and Kerala should have remained on the offensive. They didn’t and paid the price.Nair was good enough to pick gaps through the covers as Kerala left the off side open to have him drive against the turn. His ability to mix that up by playing a superb reverse sweep all along the ground made him a tough prospect to bowl to. Malewar’s temperament stood out as he absorbed the pressure from Saxena and played largely within himself until he got to his half-century and then stepped out to play a glorious drive over mid-off.As the partnership grew, Kerala resorted to a leg-stump line briefly to try to unsettle the batters. But given Vidarbha were sitting pretty with a lead, realisation dawned for Kerala that they needed to be a little more on the offensive, by which time the pair had already put on 100 runs.Nair survived on 65 when a leading edge off Saxena didn’t carry to the bowler, and he responded by offsetting any pressure by playing the reverse sweep. En route, he went past the 800-run mark for the season and charged into the 80s by hitting Aditya Sarwate for two back-to-back sixes – one over long-on and one over long-off. As he brought up his century, Nair dropped his bat, removed his gloves and showed nine fingers towards the dressing room to signal his nine hundreds across the season, before taking guard and continuing to blunt the bowling.It needed Chandran’s left-arm, part-time spin to break the mammoth stand when Malewar jabbed at one that flicked the glove and lobbed to Sachin Baby at slip. Then Yash Rathod came out and battled serenely with Nair, and at one point in the final session, overtook Madhya Pradesh batter Shubham Sharma’s tally of 943 to lead the run charts for the season.Then a sharp turner from Sarwate spun back in to trap him lbw, a decision that Kerala got overturned in their favour through the DRS. But moments like those were few and far amid a largely frustrating day for Kerala, whose hopes of a maiden title seem all but gone, with them needing a miracle to make a match of this on the final day.

Bezuidenhout, Kerr and Devine slam half-centuries too as Pakistan, despite Ameen’s century, fall 131 runs short

Sruthi Ravindranath12-Dec-2023A powerful batting display from New Zealand’s top four set up a big win for them in the first ODI against Pakistan in Queenstown, as they went 1-0 up in the three-match series. Pakistan went down by 131 runs chasing a big target of 366.The result aside, Pakistan were also dealt a double blow with fast bowler Diana Baig ruled out of the series with a training injury, and captain Nida Dar taken off the field during the game after she was struck in the face while bowling. In Pakistan’s chase, Sidra Ameen made 105 but did not find much support from the other end as Pakistan went down by 131 runs chasing a big target of 366.After being put in, New Zealand openers Suzie Bates and Bernadine Bezuidenhout got off to a steady start, putting up 51 runs in the powerplay. They then started accelerating and scored boundaries regularly to take New Zealand’s total past 100 without any blemishes. Bezuidenhout brought up her half-century off 50 balls in the 18th over, while Bates got to her fifty off 57 balls in the 22nd over. A run out ended Bezuidenhout’s stay a the crease, as she departed for a run-a-ball 86, her career-best in ODIs, as Pakistan broke a 165-run stand.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Amelia Kerr joined Bates and the duo made sure the momentum did not slip away as they continued to pile on the runs. Together they took New Zealand past 200, with Bates bringing up her century off a boundary in the 38th over. She was, however, dismissed in the next over by Umm-e-Hani for 108.Shortly after, in the 44th over, Dar, who was bowling her seventh over of the match, was struck on the face by the ball when Devine was on strike. She received medical attention on the field before being taken off, putting her participation in the second and third games of the series in doubt.Captain Sophie Devine and Amelia then took charge of the proceedings as the duo started building towards a strong total. Devine shifted gears in the 47th over – until then not a single six was scored in New Zealand innings – as she hit Fatima Sana for two sixes off the last ball of the over. In the next over, she took apart Omaima Sohail, plundering four sixes off her bowling in a 27-run over. In the process, she also brought up her half-century off 29 balls.Nida Dar was ruled out of the game after being hit in the face with the ball while bowling•Getty Images

Amelia departed for a 69-ball 83, as she consolidated her position as the top run-getter in ODIs this year. This was her fourth 50-plus score of the year and she’s made 460 runs in seven innings in 2023. Devine was out for a 36-ball 70 in the penultimate ball of the innings, as the hosts made 365 for 4 which is the highest total in women’s ODIs in New Zealand. It was also the first time in women’s ODIs that all of the top four batters of a side scored 70 runs or above.In reply, Pakistan, too, got off to a solid start, with Ameen and Muneeba Ali bringing up their 50-run opening stand in the ninth over. Ameen posted her half-century off 51 balls in the 14th over, but Devine got the breakthrough in the 19th over, sending Muneeba back for 44. Fran Jonas then removed Sadaf Shamas, Dar’s replacement for the game, for 10.The New Zealand bowlers slowed Pakistan down significantly after that, rarely conceding boundaries as the required run-rate shot up. Ameen lost three more partners before she got to her century, her fourth in the format. She was eventually run-out for 105, with Pakistan at that point needing 154 runs from 36 balls.In the middle, Pakistan lost six wickets for 41 runs, and in the end could only make 234 as Kerr took the last wicket with one ball remaining in the innings to finish with figures of 3 for 44.”The way we went about with the bat was really pleasing and it’s something as a group we’ve talked about how we want to play 50-over cricket,” Bates said after the match. “And Sophie in at [No.] 4 is reasonably new and we’ve not quite nailed it but I thought at Bernie [Bezuidenhout] at the top was order was quite outstanding. That partnership set up the match and then Melie [Amelia Kerr] and Sophie came and played. To give us 365, quite impressive on what was really a good wicket. But to get that score, everyone played the conditions well.”Devine has been pushed to the No. 4 position in recent times, having previously played as an opener in the ODI side. After making 70 off 36 balls, she also impressed with the ball, getting a crucial wicket to break the opening stand and giving away just 19 runs in her five overs.”Melie was going at such a quick rate too and Sophie made it look really easy the way she cleared the rope. That’s why we have her at [No.] 4, she’s one of the most destructive players in world cricket and she can clear the rope easily. It’s great to get that finish we’ve been searching for a long time. She was outstanding, and she really changed the game not just with the bat but with the ball as well.”

Chasing 191, West Indies’ batting struggled against the spin of Ashwin, Jadeja and Bishnoi

S Sudarshanan29-Jul-2022In the first international game at the Brian Lara Stadium, India’s move to play three spinners – as opposed to West Indies’ one – reaped rich dividends as Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi combined to pick up five wickets, helping the visitors to a 68-run win in the first T20I of the five-match series.In T20s before Friday at this ground, spinners had an economy rate of 6.31, which is the fourth-lowest at any venue in the West Indies, and they had averaged 20.91 – the fourth-lowest at any Caribbean venue where spinners have bowled in more than ten innings.Related

• Karthik strengthens his case for finisher's spot at 2022 T20 World Cup

• Hetmyer returns for T20Is vs India, New Zealand

• Samson replaces Rahul in India's T20I squad for West Indies series

India managed to post 190 for 6 on a seemingly slowish surface, thanks to captain Rohit Sharma’s half century and Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 41 off just 19 balls at the finish, before West Indies’ batting was entangled in the web of spin.Another partner for Rohit
After India were put in to bat, Rohit walked out with a new partner, Suryakumar Yadav, the seventh opener for India in T20Is this year. Suryakumar got going quickly with a four off Obed McCoy in the first over and then another off Jason Holder in the next. His trademark wristy flick for six over fine leg also made an appearance against debutant Alzarri Joseph.Akeal Hosein’s introduction, however, stalled Suryakumar’s progress. He was dropped off the first ball from the spinner before a top edge off the next ball evaded the bowler running back. Hosein had the last laugh in his next over when Suryakumar’s attempted whip resulted in a thick leading edge to short third.Change in pace leads to change of momentum
India had raced to 44 inside five overs but Suryakumar’s wicket slowed them down. Despite finding a couple of boundaries early on, Rohit struggled to get the ball away. With the odd ball gripping the surface, Hosein and McCoy thrived, the latter dismissing Shreyas Iyer for a four-ball duck.Rohit and Rishabh Pant then added 43 off 25 balls before West Indies struck again, dismissing Pant and Hardik Pandya – who ramped Joseph straight to deep third for his maiden T20I wicket – in quick succession to leave India 102 for 4 with over eight overs remaining.Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin added an unbeaten 52-run stand to take India to 190•Associated Press

The perfect finish

In the interim Rohit got to his 27th half-century in T20Is off 35 balls. Just when he had begun accelerating, he slapped Holder straight to sweeper cover. At 131 for 5 in 15 overs on a track that was slowing down, India looked on course to finish at around 170.But Karthik once again aced the finisher’s role to move India well past that score. He used the crease well to put the bowlers off their lines and lengths, and, in the company of Ashwin, took a toll on Holder and McCoy to help India amass 36 off the last two overs.Spin to win
In their pursuit of 191, Kyle Mayers got West Indies off to a rapid start, helping them score 11 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over and as many off the first two legal balls of the next over, bowled by Arshdeep Singh. However, Arshdeep deceived Mayers with an off-pace short ball immediately afterwards, and India’s bowlers had landed their first blow.Holder, sent in at No. 3, couldn’t see off Ravindra Jadeja’s spin, while Ashwin sent back the left-hand batters Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer. Ravi Bishnoi then dismissed Rovman Powell and Odean Smith in successive overs to pretty much seal the game.

“Both cricket boards will now look for a new window for the tour when the situation improves” – PCB

Mohammad Isam10-Apr-2021Pakistan Under-19 team’s tour of Bangladesh has been called off due to a surge of Covid-19 cases in the country, the PCB has confirmed.Bangladesh recorded 6854 cases of the virus on Friday, including 74 deaths. Following the spike in infections, the government had announced a strict week-long lockdown starting from April 14.”After the Bangladesh government announced a nationwide lockdown at the beginning of the month, the departure of the team was rescheduled for Saturday April 17,” the PCB said in a statement. “However, since the Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh has not improved, the lockdown has been further extended by the Bangladesh Government, causing an indefinite postponement of Pakistan U19’s tour.”Both cricket boards will now look for a new window for the tour when the situation improves in Bangladesh, details of which will be shared in due course.”The tour was initially delayed by four days but now the PCB has said that they will look at another window.The teams were scheduled to play a four-day match as well as five youth ODIs, which would have been the first Under-19 international series since the 2020 World Cup. Bangladesh, the defending champions, have now missed two Under-19 series, against Afghanistan and Pakistan.Bangladesh’s first-class competition has already been postponed after two rounds, and the 2019-20 Dhaka Premier League, originally set to resume from May 6, is looking unlikely with an extended lockdown looming in the country.

Allrounder set to open the batting for the Melbourne Stars again this season

Alex Malcolm16-Dec-2019Allrounder Marcus Stoinis is committed to opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League again this season, despite the fact that the middle order appears his best avenue back into the Australian T20 side.Stoinis was left out of Australia’s T20 squad in the two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in October and November. The selectors opted not to pick a seam-bowling allrounder in the squad, using Ashton Agar at No.7 as a spin-bowling allrounder.The return of David Warner also changed the dynamic in the top order. Stoinis had opened the batting in Australia’s previous two T20 internationals in India in February after an outstanding BBL last season, when he opened for the Stars and made 533 runs at 53.30 with a strike rate of 130.63, including four half-centuries.The combination of Warner and Aaron Finch looks a lock for Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup.But Stoinis is set to open again for the Stars alongside Nic Maddinson after the pair faced the new ball in the Stars’ first practice match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.He said doing what’s best for the Stars is his first priority.”I can’t see myself changing too much from there just because you want to do right by your franchise,” Stoinis said. “We want to win games and I want to do what’s best for the team and then you just go from there I guess.”Stoinis said the reasons why he was omitted from the T20 squad had been communicated to him clearly by chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. He hasn’t had a discussion with either Hohns or coach Justin Langer about his place in the pecking order for the T20 World Cup next year but is confident he can play any role required.”No, I haven’t spoken to them about it,” Stoinis said. “I’m sure I’ll get a call from JL [Langer] or someone to speak about that side of things maybe. But for me, look, I’ve batted (Nos.) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, I’ve bowled in the powerplay, I’ve bowled at the death, I’ve bowled in the middle, I’ve fielded in the slips, I’ve fielded on the boundary, I’ve fielded at cover. Something I pride myself on is being adaptable. I’ve played a lot of cricket in multiple positions so I should be okay.”It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Stoinis could get a call about the Test side given the injury to Josh Hazlewood in Perth against New Zealand. Australia played an allrounder in the last Ashes Test at The Oval and Langer floated the idea of playing five bowlers on Boxing Day if the surface was flat.Stoinis was called up to the Test squad during his stunning run of form in the BBL last year but was eventually named 12th man for the Canberra Test against Sri Lanka.His Sheffield Shield form has been very consistent this season but is missing some big scores. He’s made four half-centuries in nine innings completed innings (the 10th was abandoned at the MCG due to a dangerous pitch) with a highest score of 79 when he was run out against South Australia. He also has 12 wickets at 27.25 having taken wickets in all five games that he bowled in.”Test cricket is still my goal,” Stoinis said. “That’s where I want to play. I’ve played a lot of Shield cricket this year, the most I’ve played for 3-4 seasons and it’s good to remember how to block the ball and spend some time in the middle.”For now, he’s fully focussed on the Stars. The disappointment of last year’s final is a distant memory with a new coach and some new signings. Stoinis said the transition of former Stars captain David Hussey into the head coaching job has been seamless.”I think the key thing for Huss is he hasn’t brought too much new stuff,” Stoinis said. “He was around the group for so long as a player, he was captain, he knows Glenn [Maxwell] so well, he knows what makes the boys tick. He hasn’t tried to rattle the cage or anything like that, he’s just tried to create a stable environment, super relaxed, take any pressure off the players and let us perform.”ALSO READ: How the Melbourne Stars stack up for BBL 2019-20The Stars lost their opening practice match after an assault from Renegades pair Sam Harper and Shaun Marsh on a flat pitch at the Junction. But Dale Steyn’s arrival on Tuesday night from South Africa, along with the addition of Nathan Coulter-Nile brings a fresh new dynamic to the attack that already features two high-class legspinners in Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane.”It’s a big change for us I reckon,” Stoinis said. “We’ve got some real ball speed, [Daniel] Worrall is fresh as well so he bowls nice and quick. And that will complement our spinners as well. I think with the big square boundaries at the MCG and our good spinners and good quicks, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

Officials expect the three-member panel, which finished proceedings on Wednesday, to deliver a verdict with an impact that goes beyond cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin04-Oct-2018The ICC panel hearing a dispute between the PCB and BCCI could potentially deliver a “landmark” judgment with reverberations for all intersections between sports and politics.A three-person dispute panel, set up to arbitrate the PCB’s claims for monetary compensation for two bilateral tours the BCCI didn’t honour, finished proceedings in Dubai on Wednesday.There is no indication when the panel, headed by Michael Beloff QC and including legal heavyweights Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett, will return a verdict though it is not unusual in such cases for it to take anywhere between four and six weeks.Lawyers from both sides presented their cases over three days that began in what was described as a “tense” and “formal” atmosphere and which remained “intense” throughout. A couple of officials likened it to the tension of an India-Pakistan limited-overs encounter.The dispute centers around an agreement the two boards signed in 2014 to play six series over eight years between 2015 and 2023. That agreement was the price the BCCI paid for the PCB’s approval of the Big Three governance changes; those changes were first voted in before being reversed.The PCB is claiming compensation of USD 63 million for two series it was supposed to host in November 2014 and December 2015 as per the agreement, but which eventually did not take place.The primary reason for the BCCI’s refusal to tour is political. Ties between the two countries have been strained since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and BCCI officials have made it clear that the decision to tour ultimately hinges on the Indian Prime Minister’s office.To that end, the appearance of the most high-profile witness at the arbitration, Salman Khurshid, India’s foreign minister at the time the agreement was signed.Officials and witnesses are under strict instructions to not talk publicly about the proceedings but Khurshid explained to the panel that it was “beyond the control” of cricket boards to organise a bilateral series in the troublesome prism of India-Pakistan relations.”I gave my expert evidence to the ICC panel and explained how the Indian government reacts to situations where security of people are under threat,” Khurshid told the . “Fortunately, when I was minister we didn’t have to deal with such (crisis) issues but irrespective of governments, I could express how one would react to fulfilling obligations that’s beyond the control of cricket boards.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The BCCI also argued that the agreement was a letter of intent that would only become a binding agreement once government permission had been granted. The PCB’s counter was that under English law it suffices as an agreement.Khurshid was one of five witnesses the BCCI called up. Among the others were Sanjay Patel, the board secretary and signatory to the agreement, Sundar Raman, a key figure in the ICC revamp, and Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI administrative head who was a conduit between the board and government.Also appearing was Shashank Manohar, the ICC chairman who was BCCI president in 2015 when one of the series was scheduled (Manohar, in fact, had shown an inclination to play the series subject to government approval). His appearance as a BCCI witness while ICC chairman raised eyebrows – the PCB was unhappy with his role as a mediator in one of the good-faith meetings the boards had before this panel was set up. Conspicuous by their absence, however, were N Srinivasan, the BCCI president at the time of the agreement, and the then secretary Anurag Thakur. None of the witnesses were current BCCI officials.The PCB, in contrast, called upon just Najam Sethi, their board chairman at the time, and Subhan Ahmed, the chief operating officer. At least to PCB eyes that witness count is illustrative of the two approaches to the case: the PCB simplifying and focusing on what it believes matters most – the agreement letter – and the BCCI going beyond that and into the circumstances in which it was created and under which it could operate.Only two outcomes are now possible – that the PCB wins its claim or it doesn’t. The panel cannot force the lost series to be rescheduled. But as much as the money, both boards – and the ICC – will be relieved to receive some long overdue clarity on cricket’s most compelling but presently moribund rivalry.The pair are not going to meet in Test cricket’s new showpiece event, the two-year Test Championship starting next year. They are not scheduled to meet in the following two-year cycle either, or in the concurrent ODI league. That confines the rivalry to ICC limited-overs events and other multilateral tournaments such as the Asia Cup for the foreseeable future.Written closing arguments now have to be submitted to the panel within a week, into which new arguments could be introduced based on the evidence presented over the last three days.Officials expect the decision to have an impact beyond cricket. The issues at play – of government involvement, of the sport being used as a tool for diplomacy but also being held hostage to politics – resonates in several other sports. Any decision here – reached by a heavyweight panel with accomplished legal minds – could be used hereon as a precedent in other sports where geopolitics cannot help but get entangled.

It took until the final session of the fourth day, but this absorbing Test took a decisive swing as England’s prolific lower order carried the lead away from West Indies

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt took until the final session of the fourth day, but this absorbing Test took a decisive swing as England’s prolific lower order carried the lead away from West Indies. Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes sped to a 117-run stand for the eighth wicket, to build on the work of Joe Root, Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes to tire out a three-man pace attack. Such was England’s surge that they were able to declare to leave a target of 322.Stokes and Malan, with contrasting half-centuries, had pushed England ahead with a stand of 91 but three wickets in 22 balls for Roston Chase opened the door. When Jonny Bairstow dragged on an ugly-looking reverse sweep, the lead was 158. By the time Moeen found long-on, just 23 overs later, it was approaching 300. And still there was no stopping England. Woakes eased to a 99-ball fifty and in a sign of the collective effort, England’s total was their highest without a century.On only four occasions have England overturned a bigger deficit than 169. One of them, famously, came at Headingley in 1981 when, incidentally, the stand that turned the match was worth 117 between Ian Botham and Graham Dilley. The partnership between Moeen and Woakes won’t go down in cricket folklore in quite the same way, but victory for England would be a remarkable turnaround even if the romantics (and those not associated with the England team) would probably have preferred the remarkable story of a West Indies victory.Moeen Ali’s thrilling counterattack put England into control at Headingley•Getty Images

Their openers negotiated six overs before the close, but to chase down this target would be the most extraordinary twist of the lot. Only Bradman’s Invincibles have chased a bigger target on this ground, although perhaps England’s own pursuit of 315 against Australia in 2001, scored almost entirely on the final day against a fine attack, offers a glimmer of hope. There were signs, however, in a testing last over of spin and bite that Moeen will be able to have a big say with ball after his batting heroics.Having been on top, or at worst even, for much of the first three days West Indies couldn’t sustain themselves long enough to make the final decisive inroads into England’s batting. When they emerged after tea the lead was still under 200, but a filthy over from Kraigg Brathwaite (whose action was reported after the first Test) set the tone for a period of play in which control was completely lost against Moeen at his counter-attacking best.When it needed one more big push from Shannon Gabriel, he hit the wall. He and Kemar Roach, who also wasted the second new ball, had bowled for most of the first hour amid West Indies’ early push for wickets, and when he returned after tea, Gabriel’s first two overs went for 28.The list of self-inflicted problems also grew. Devendra Bishoo, who had bowled just two of the first 70 overs in the innings, had Moeen caught behind off a no-ball on 32. It was an excruciatingly close call from S Ravi, with no recourse to check, in a match where plenty of no-balls have been missed but there was no reason for Bishoo to be so close to the line. Earlier in the day, Malan was dropped at slip on 29, one over after Root had departed, caught at the second attempt by Shai Hope in the gully. It could have been a crucial double breakthrough, but instead it was a reminder of Root’s own let-off, 62 runs earlier on the third day, when Shai’s brother, Kyle, had been the culprit.Malan’s innings was the least eye-catching of the day – he added 40 off 121 balls to his overnight score – and his tendency to drive away from the body should have brought his downfall, but Kieran Powell was put off at first slip when Shane Dowrich dived across him. Had it been taken, England would have been five down with a lead of 44. But he played an important part in forging England’s position and in a batting line-up that doesn’t lack for stroke-makers, the ability to soak up deliveries is valuable. The innings has probably booked him an Ashes tour.He was never fluent, needing 162 balls for his fifty, but he featured a stand of 118 with Root before the 91 with Stokes, who followed up his first-innings century with a 92-ball fifty. It was the second time Stokes had scored a century and a fifty in the same Test, the other being against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2015 when England also managed overturn a significant deficit. He was especially fluent after lunch, adding to the list of the blistering drives which have studded his performance across this match, as he took advantage of a tiring Gabriel with four boundaries in 11 balls.However, the shot that brought his dismissal should not escape some criticism, particularly as England’s lead had yet to get out of sight. Credit is due to the bowler, Chase, who got the ball to grip a touch out of the rough but picking out a man on the fence first ball after a break is not a good look.There was less blame attached to Malan’s dismissal. Earlier in the over, Chase had got a ball to jump from the rough and almost lob to point – something that will interest Moeen with ball in hand – and he was caught on the crease when a delivery straightened to take off stump. Bairstow was quickly out of the blocks with four boundaries, but then tried to reverse sweep Chase out of the rough and dragged on. England were far from safe, yet by the end of the day they were the only side with a realistic chance of victory.