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Sri Lanka Cricket has outlined an ambitious plan to increase the number of match-day tickets sold to 100,000 per Test series, over the next four years

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Jul-2016Sri Lanka Cricket has outlined an ambitious plan to increase the number of match-day tickets sold to 100,000 per Test series, over the next four years. SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said presently a three-Test series would draw an aggregate of fewer than 40,000 spectators, but the board aims to identify spectator-friendly Test venues and then improve facilities within those grounds to attract a larger audience.Improvements to bathroom facilities and an increase in the number of big screens and televisions will be among the ground upgrades. SLC also announced a move towards online ticket sales, for which Indian company BookMyShow has been contracted. SLC said online ticket sales will begin during the Australia tour, but traditional ticket outlets will also be operational.”When spectators go to a match, they want to be guaranteed their seat, and for it to be as easy a process as possible,” Sumathipala said. “We also want to make sure the spectators are entertained during their time at the ground.”The Galle Cricket stadium, which is located close to the centre of town, ordinarily draws a substantial Test-match crowd, while the Asgiriya Stadium had also been a well-patronised venue during its years of operation. Sumathipala said this suggested that venues within the city limits, where spectators may arrive and leave as their day allows, will be prioritised as Test venues. Asgiriya has not hosted a Test since 2007, but Sumathipala said SLC would look into upgrading facilities there with a view to resuming international cricket at the venue.”At the moment, Galle is a successful venue, and SSC is successful, but I don’t think venues like Dambulla or the Premadasa Stadium are as successful,” Sumathipala said. “The reason is, when people come in a bus, train or three-wheeler, and they see someone is getting close to a fifty or a hundred, they want to come into the ground and see that.”There’s a culture of people participating in a Test match whenever there is some excitement. We prefer to have the Test venues built up in a different way from the limited-overs venues. It has to be done in a scientific way. There also have to be facilities for women and children.”

On days such as these are Yorkshire’s Championship credentials rubber-stamped. With Ryan Sidebottom turning in one of his habitually irresistible spells of swing and stamina Warwickshire’s batsmen were routed

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston06-Jul-2015Yorkshire 213 and 125 for 1 (Rhodes 53*) lead Warwickshire 69 (Sidebottom 6-34, Brooks 3-14) by 269 runs
ScorecardJack Brooks’ 3 for 14 helped tear Warwickshire apart•Getty Images

On days such as these are Yorkshire’s Championship credentials rubber-stamped. With Ryan Sidebottom turning in one of his habitually irresistible spells of swing and stamina, and threatening briefly to claim all ten wickets in the innings, Warwickshire’s batsmen were routed in the gloaming at Edgbaston.Bowled out for 69, their lowest first-class total for 29 years and their lowest at Edgbaston since 1982, they avoided the follow-on by the skin of their tenth wicket – no mean feat when you have already reduced your opponents to 213 in their first innings – then watched Yorkshire’s batsmen plough off into the distance in a less dramatically one-sided evening session.By the close of a day in which Edgbaston’s bespoke “e”-shaped floodlights had been a near-constant companion, Will Rhodes had calmly notched up his maiden Championship half-century with Jack Leaning alongside him on 28. At 125 for 1, the lead was already an imposing 259 with nine wickets standing, and with two days remaining, there is plenty time for Yorkshire to turn the screw further, even with a dour forecast in prospect.Yorkshire’s day began with a sniff of an opening, courtesy of Sidebottom’s two-wicket burst on Sunday night, but plenty of work still required to restore parity after a slipshod display with the bat in which Jonny Bairstow’s century had shown up the shortcomings of the rest of the order.After a rain-wrecked morning session had been reduced to nine balls, the mere fact that play was possible after lunch came as something of a surprise. Either way, Warwickshire’s batsmen did not appear remotely ready to repel the threat posed by the oldest swinger in town.”Taking a few early wickets last night helped the confidence,” said Sidebottom. “I suppose it happens like that, you get in a bit of rhythm, you put it in the right area with a little bit of seam and swing, you get the edge, got a few bowleds, it was really nice.”In the team meeting this morning, Dizzy [Jason Gillespie] actually put in onto me to say a few words and I said we’ve got to bowl full and straight, so I had to do what I’d said!”Sidebottom required nine deliveries in the afternoon session to send shockwaves through Warwickshire’s innings. Having been standing at the far end on Sunday evening when Varun Chopra shouldered arms to Sidebottom’s first ball of the innings, Ian Westwood might have realised the folly of leaving the good-length deliveries. Instead he too had his stumps flattened by a wicked late curler, and at 29 for 3, Warwickshire’s innings swung out of control.Laurie Evans needed ten balls to get off the mark and was then cut down by his 11th, another Sidebottom special that curled around his half-formed defences to flatten his off stump, as Warwickshire contrived to lose their next five wickets for no runs in the space of 30 balls.Sam Hain bagged a nine-ball duck as he handed Sidebottom his fifth wicket of the innings, courtesy of a smart take by Jack Leaning at third slip, whereupon, two balls later, Peter McKay was pinned so palpably lbw that Sidebottom didn’t bother turning to the umpire to appeal as he charged off in celebration. At that stage, Sidebottom had claimed all six wickets in the innings but before he could start a new over, Warwickshire lost their seventh, and their third in four balls, when Jonathan Trott, their only remaining hope, was outstandingly plucked by Leaning, scooped at full stretch in the slips to give Jack Brooks his first scalp of the day.Jeetan Patel registered the fifth duck of the innings when he fenced limply outside off to be caught behind in Brooks’ next over, and Boyd Rankin the sixth, though not before he had raised ironic cheers in the crowd for scoring Warwickshire’s first run in six-and-a-half overs, a deflection off the helmet that required a break for some running repairs.At 37 for 9, the ludicrous prospect of the follow-on now loomed into view – Yorkshire’s bowlers could hardly have been fresher, with Sidebottom and Brooks running on adrenaline and the change seamers, Tim Bresnan and Steve Patterson, yet to be called upon, and Andrew Gale signalled Yorkshire’s desire to stick their opponents back in with one of the more improbable 37-for-9 fields you’ll ever witness – two slips and four men out on the boundary.But Rikki Clarke found the gumption to resist. He flicked Sidebottom over square leg for six and added three more fours en route to 28 from 42 balls which, at that stage, was the joint-second-highest score of the match. His resistance was ended when Patterson bowled him through the gate, leaving Oliver Hannon-Dalby unbeaten on 5.Yorkshire’s second innings was a model of uncomplicated restraint. The conditions remained trying but the fizz was understandably absent from their attack. Rhodes capitalised with 53 not out from 125 balls, an innings of understated class that showed why, at 20 years old, he is a batsman whose progress is being so closely monitored.With Leaning no less resolute, the only man to fall was Alex Lees, who was smartly taken at first slip by Chopra to end an opening stand of 58. But Warwickshire’s problems were compounded soon afterwards when McKay, the wicketkeeper who had been conspicuous by his failure to go for that catch, had to leave the field with a suspected broken finger. His role was temporarily filled by Andy Umeed, a 19-year-old batsman whose maiden first-class match came for Scotland against Afghanistan at Stirling last month.

South Africa’s Thami Tsolekile has talked down his non-selection in the Test team, following Makhaya Ntini’s comment about race playing a role in him being consistently overlooked for the wicketkeepers’ role

Firdose Moonda18-Nov-2012Thami Tsolekile has talked down his non-selection in the Test team after being nationally contracted in February. His statements come after former Test bowler Makhaya Ntini implied race played a role in Tsolekile being consistently overlooked for the wicketkeepers’ role despite the retirement of Mark Boucher.Tsolekile was identified as Mark Boucher’s successor even before his injury-enforced retirement in July, but has not played a match because AB de Villiers was tasked with the keepers’ role. While Tsolekile’s omission has been put down to strategy, with South Africa using Boucher’s absence to lengthen their batting line-up, two weeks ago Ntini presented another argument.He said Tsolekile “would have been playing if he was white” and questioned why there is only one black African player in the Test squad, 20 years after South African cricket was unified. But Tsolekile said Ntini may have been reacting out of hurt.”Having played most of my cricket in the township and, with Makhaya, also growing up in the township, obviously he was an icon,” Tsolikile said. “He has done very well over the years. What he said was quite disturbing and I wouldn’t know why he said that.”He was speaking on behalf of himself. Maybe he has got his own reasons for why he said that. The fact is that he is talking from a point [of view] where he wishes to and would love to see more African players playing for the Proteas. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what he meant.”Ntini was the only black African to consistently represent South Africa at international level after readmission in 1991. He is one of only seven black Africans to play for the country in any format. Five of those have played Test cricket but under Gary Kirsten no black African has worn the whites. Since Ntini’s retirement in November 2010 the only black player to take the field has been Lonwabo Tsotsobe – he played just five Test matches but rose to the top of the ODI rankings in the last year.Tsolekile was believed to be the next black African Test player but has yet to make his comeback. Instead of delving into the race politics, though, Tsolekile was softer in his approach: “I feel good that I have been recognised and I’ve spoken to the selectors. I’m happy because I know exactly where I stand. I had a long chat with Gary in England and again in Australia, and I think he made it clear where I stand and I am happy with that.”He did not elaborate on where that is but he believes that he will, eventually, play a Test. “It might take three weeks, three months or a year for me to play another Test match. I don’t know,” he said.De Villiers has shown no signs of giving up the gloves, despite the effects on his back and his batting. He said his body is coping with the extra burden even though he suffers from chronic and recurring back pain, and he feels on the verge of a big score though he has not managed a single half-century since taking over from Boucher.”I got a lot of value out of both my innings [in Brisbane]. I was in in both innings. I felt like I could score a hundred in both innings and I had the energy to do so. It’s a little unfair to look at the stats. I’ve only had seven or eight innings as a wicketkeeper and there’s still a lot to come. It’s got nothing to do with wicketkeeping, or energy levels, or mental fatigue or anything of that sort. I just haven’t been able to push through.”With Duminy being ruled out of the series with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, Tsolekile – who played three Test matches in 2004 and was quickly replaced after appearing out of his depth – may yet get his chance on the Australia tour. He said that whenever it comes “it will feel like I am making my debut”.

Cricket South Africa have not been able to secure a sponsor for the Twenty20 series against Australia and have given the exclusive title rights to a charity organisation instead

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011Cricket South Africa have not been able to secure a sponsor for the Twenty20 series against Australia and have given the exclusive title rights to a charity organisation instead. In the aftermath of the yet-to-be-resolved bonus scandal, corporates have veered away from associating themselves with the body, and only Castle Lager have remained as backers of the Test and ODI teams. As a result, the T20 team, all international events and two of the three domestic competitions are without sponsors.Two of CSA’s long-time sponsors, Standard Bank and the mobile communications company MTN opted out of their sponsorship agreements with cricket during the off-season. Standard Bank said the move was in line with their cancelling of all sports sponsorships, while MTN declined to give a reason for their withdrawal. Since then, the bonus scandal has dragged into its second year and CSA have been unable to bring any new company on board.Instead, CSA has given the Make a Difference (MAD) foundation the title rights for the series free of charge, and will allow the foundation to promote itself at both matches, as a way of giving back to the community. The organisation seeks to give academically talented but disadvantaged children an opportunity to get a good education, something CSA sees as closely aligned to its own development goals. “An important focus for CSA has always been in the mentoring and development of young players to become the very best cricketers in the world. And MAD shares a similar vision,” Majola said.South Africa’s ODI and T20 captain, AB de Villiers, who is not playing in the series because of a finger injury is an ambassador for MAD, after being introduced to the organisation through former rugby hero Francois Pienaar.Richard Glover, CSA’s commercial manager, said that many companies had expressed interest in sponsoring various cricket properties but have asked to hold off until a “line had been drawn under the bonus scandal”. As the season drew close, with only Castle Lager continuing their relationship, Glover remained confident that CSA would secure sponsors before the season started. On September 20, he told ESPNcricinfo that a “sponsor will definitely be announced for the T20 series” against Australia.However, the CSA’s infighting has continued, and no sponsor has been unveiled. Reliable sources have confirmed that four companies have been asked to put their negotiations with CSA on hold until their issues have been resolved. That could happen as soon as this Saturday, when president Mtutuzeli Nyoka faces a second vote of no confidence.Five of the eleven provincial unions – Gauteng, Free State, Boland, Easterns and Eastern Province – have confirmed that they will support the motion against Nyoka. Northerns has said they will vote against it, but it is understood that at least one other union is in favour of the motion, and Nyoka is set to be removed from office.That should end the ongoing battle between him and chief executive Gerald Majola which started when 4.7 million Rand ($671,428) was paid in bonuses after South Africa hosted the 2009 IPL and the Champions Trophy. The payments were not processed through CSA’s remunerations committee (Remco) and Nyoka asked for an external audit to be carried out to investigate them.CSA held an internal audit, which cleared Majola and voted Nyoka out of office unlawfully three months later. Nyoka challenged them in court and, when he was reinstated, also won the right to have CSA’s financials examined. KPMG, who conducted the inquiry, recommended that CSA seek legal advice after finding that Majola may have breached the Companies’ Act on four occasions, and opinion was sought from Advocate Azhar Bham. Majola was severely reprimanded at the AGM in August and CSA vowed to improve their corporate governance methods but denied Nyoka’s request for copies of the audit report and legal advice.They have since met Nyoka and his lawyer to show him both documents, but have also claimed that he has breached media protocol and is no longer fit to be their President. If he is removed on Saturday, CSA’s 15-month-long saga will come to an end, albeit unsatisfactorily for some, the day before the second T20 against Australia. That leaves too short a time frame to rubber-stamp the sponsorship.There is, as yet, no indication of when CSA will announce sponsors for the ODI series against Australia or the domestic one-day and twenty-over competitions. SuperSport have continued to back the first-class competition in accordance with their television rights deal.

Round-up of the third day of the fifth round of Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2010Water and Power Development Authority have gone clear of Habib Bank Limited at the top of the table after an innings and 82-run victory over Karachi Blues at the National Stadium in Karachi. WAPDA had won their prior two matches in just two days, and needed just 38.1 overs on day three, this time, to bowl Karachi out for 189 in their second innings. WAPDA captain Naved-ul-Hasan took 4 for 54 to take his match-haul to eight wickets, while seamer Umaid Asif finished with figures of 3 for 62 in the second innings. WAPDA had shown their intentions of winning the match early after declaring on Tuesday, 271 runs ahead. Karachi started the day on 19 for 1, and lost wickets consistently, their tail finally capitulating as the final four wickets fell for nine runs. Karachi opener Rameez Raja managed to hold up one end for a while, scoring 58, but the next highest scorer was extras with 25, as Karachi did little to improve their first innings batting performance, which saw them get 128. Karachi are just three points off the foot of the table.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited suffered a dramatic collapse as they fell to 57 all out, giving Islamabad a 73-run victory at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad seamer Nasrullah Khan took 7 for 31 to finish with ten wickets for the match, and Rauf Akbar chipped in with the other three wickets for Islamabad. SNGPL started the day on top and got Islamabad’s last wicket without too much damage, leaving themselves a target of 130. The match had been a low-scoring affair till the third morning, with neither team having gone past the 200-mark in their first innings. SNGPL lost three early wickets, but a 20-run sixth-wicket stand put them in with a chance at 53 for 5. Nasrullah, though, ripped through the tail as SNGPL’s last five wickets fell for four runs. The win gave Islamabad six points, which takes them up to sixth in the table, just one place behind SNGPL.Multan’s dismal season continued, as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited consigned them to their fifth consecutive defeat, at the Multan Cricket Stadium. ZTBL neded just 28 overs on the third day to complete the nine-wicket win, after having reduced Multan to 149 for 7 on Tuesday. Multan at least forced ZTBL to bat again as debutant Mazhar Bashir scored 71 off 77 balls, to set target of 40. ZTBL seamer Iftikhar Anjum, who has played 62 ODIs for Pakistam, took Multan’s last two wickets to finish with four for the innings and six for the match. ZTBL are now level on points with Habib Bank Limited in second position.The run-fest at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha continued as Faisalabad moved to within 35 runs of National Bank of Pakistan’s first-innings total of 467, with five wickets still in hand. Faisalabad look set to pick up their first points of the season as Asif Hussain’s unbeaten 149 took them within touching distance of a first-innings lead. Faisalabad had responded well to NBP’s big score, reaching 151 for 0 on Tuesday. And, after a couple of wickets fell early on the third day, Hussain held fort, batting through the rest of the day, and adding 90 runs for the fourth wicket with Faisalabad captain Naved Latif. The hosts’ strong reply means that Kamran Akmal’s double-century for NBP in their first innings may go rewardless.Rawalpindi seamers Rizwan Akbar and Nasir Malik set up what should be an upset against Habib Bank Ltd at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Akbar and Malik had shared seven wickets to bowl out HBL for 164 on Tuesday, and repeated the dose on the third day of the match, taking three scalps apiece to reduce HBL to 265 for 8 after the hosts had enforced the follow on. HBL are now just 39 runs ahead, and barring a miraculous recovery by their tail, Rawalpindi should have a fairly easy chase tomorrow. Malik and Akbar followed a similar formula to HBL’s first innings, with Akbar getting the early wickets, and then Malik coming in to dismantle the middle-order. Aftab Alam and Khaqan Raja got half-centuries for HBL, but there was little back-up from the rest.Sialkot got their foot in the door against Pakistan International Airlines, taking four wickets in the last session, after PIA had done well to dismiss the hosts for 274 in their first innings. Sialkot’s opening bowlers, debutant Waqas Ahmed and Prince Abbas, struck early in PIA’s second innings, reducing them to 3 for 2 at one stage. Ahmed struck again, as did fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, to leave PIA at 55 for 4 at stumps. PIA’s first innings total of 388 means they have a 169-run lead, and Faisalabad will need to strike early tomorrow to make sure they don’t have to chase too much. Sialkot had started the third day at the Jinnah Stadium at 142 for 3, and PIA seamer Ali Imran and Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, took four wicket each to get them out for 274.

Brad Hodge has played his last first-class game after a knee injury ruled him out of what was intended to be his finale against New South Wales in Newcastle starting on Friday

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009Brad Hodge has played his last first-class game after a knee injury ruled him out of what was intended to be his finale against New South Wales in Newcastle starting on Friday. Hodge struggled with knee soreness after aggravating an existing problem during Tuesday’s FR Cup match against South Australia.He announced his impending retirement from first-class cricket last month after family commitments won out over the desire to add to his six Test caps. Hodge leaves the first-class arena with 17,084 runs at 48.81 from 223 appearances, with 51 centuries and a top score of 302 not out.However, Hodge is keen to play on for Victoria in Twenty20 and one-day cricket and he has not given up hope of making the Australia squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies next year. The Bushrangers will reassess Hodge’s fitness next week before the one-day against New South Wales in Sydney.Victoria have also lost Darren Pattinson to a calf strain, while his brother James Pattinson is having his workload managed and will miss Friday’s Sheffield Shield match. Jon Holland, Steven Gilmour and the uncapped left-arm fast bowler Will Sheridan have been included in a 12-man squad.New South Wales will again be captained by Moises Henriques, who at 22 last week became the fourth-youngest skipper in the state’s history. The legspinning allrounder Steven Smith will rejoin the side after a quick trip to Perth to act as cover for Nathan Hauritz in Australia’s Test squad.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Lloyd Mash, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Jon Holland, Bryce McGain, Steven Gilmour, Will Sheridan.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, Usman Khawaja, Moises Henriques (capt), David Warner, Ben Rohrer, Daniel Smith (wk), Steven Smith, Grant Lambert, Stephen O’Keefe, Aaron Bird, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.

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

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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.