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ECB anounces fixed penalty disciplinary system

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced the introduction of a Fixed Penalty disciplinary system for the coming season for registered County players. It supplements, but does not replace, the previous system whereby Counties and/or ECB took discretionary disciplinary action.Breaches of discipline and the Spirit of Cricket are placed into four categories, each with a fixed penalty, ranging from a reprimand through to a scale of demerit points. A player who accumulates the appropriate number of demerit points in any 12-month period will receive an automatic suspension.An ECB Disciplinary Panel may consider taking further action if it considers the offence warrants a tougher penalty than the minimum provided under the fixed penalty procedures. The ECB anticipates, however, that generally the fixed penalty will suffice to meet the seriousness of the offence. Fixed penalties will be generated by umpires reporting a player to the ECB but on the field procedures for the umpires remain unchanged – there are no yellow or red cards.Commenting on the new system, Alan Fordham, (ECB Cricket Operations Manager), said, “While we recognise that on-field behaviour had not seriously declined, this new system is designed to assist umpires and is aimed at being fair and consistent. We welcome it and feel confident that it will maintain the good standard of discipline in our domestic game”.

KKR go top of the table after commanding Narine-led win over LSG

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Sunil Narine crashed 81 off 39 deliveries and Ramandeep Singh got only six balls to face and smashed 25 in those. In addition, Phil Salt, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Shreyas Iyer played aggressive innings. All of which meant that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) surged to 235 for 6 in their 20 overs, which in Lucknow – one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024 – was always going to be incredibly difficult to surpass.The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) innings didn’t really take off. There was a 50-run second-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, but even that went at too slow a pace (they took 33 balls) to cause serious problems for KKR. Once that stand was broken, the innings fell apart quickly, the last nine wickets falling for 67 runs, as the required rate ballooned out of control.Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana took three wickets each. Andre Russell took two. And Ramandeep claimed two catches, the first of which was one of the most spectacular of the season.Sunil Narine brought up his fifty in 27 balls•BCCI

Narine crushes it in the first 12 overs

Salt was the first aggressor, hitting 24 off the first nine balls he faced. But he was soon out for 32 off 14, and from then, it was the Narine show.Narine warmed up with five fours, then started getting the big hits going at the end of the fourth over, bludgeoning a Mohsin Khan short ball over deep square-leg, clubbing Krunal Pandya over deep midwicket not long after, and later thrashing Yash Thakur over the square-leg boundary. In the middle overs, he dealt almost exclusively in sixes, and by the end of his stay, he had walloped seven, to go with six fours. He holed out to long-off attempting another six off LSG’s best bowler Ravi Bishnoi, who was the only one to finish with an economy rate lower than 11.Ramandeep Singh celebrates after taking a back-tracking blinder•BCCI

Ramandeep plays a cameo to remember

LSG had a good period between overs 14 and 18, where they conceded only 45 while taking three wickets. Thanks to Narine, Salt and Raghuvanshi, with whom Narine shared a 79-run partnership, KKR were headed for a mammoth score. But the slight slowdown might have given LSG a foot in the door.Ramandeep pushed the total back into gargantuan territory in spectacular style. He took a two in front of square on the leg side to start with, bashed a six over cow corner second ball, bludgeoned one over long-on fourth ball, ramped a four over short third next, then thumped a full toss over midwicket to finish the innings. To recap, he went 2, 6, 1, 6, 4, 6.As if scoring at a strike rate of more than 400 wasn’t impressive enough, he also pulled off one of the catches of the season to get rid of Arshin Kulkarni. Speeding towards the boundary from point, he kept his eyes on a leading edge that had gone high into the air, and put in a spectacular dive to get his hands on a ball whose trajectory he did not seem like he would intersect. He took another catch at deep point later, to dismiss Rahul, the other LSG opener.Harshit Rana, on return from disciplinary suspension, sent back KL Rahul on his way to a three-for•Associated Press

And then LSG crumble

With a required rate of almost 12 set from the start of the innings, LSG were always going to struggle, given the quality in KKR’s attack. They scored 13 off the fourth over, bowled by Mitchell Starc, but then Narine came in with a four-run fifth over, and by the end of the powerplay, the required rate was up near 13.When LSG tried to hit out, wickets fell rapidly. At no point did they seem to have the measure of this chase. On a slow track, on which KKR’s slower bowlers were effective, Rahul’s wicket set off a collapse.

Asghar Afghan to retire from all formats after T20 World Cup game against Namibia

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Asghar Afghan, the 33-year-old former Afghanistan captain who is a part of his country’s squad at the ongoing T20 World Cup, has announced his decision to retire from all formats of the game at the end of their fixture against Namibia on Sunday. The Afghanistan Cricket Board has accepted it, saying that it “welcomes and respects his decision” and “expresses gratitudes for his services to the country”.Asghar – earlier Asghar Stanikzai – didn’t get a chance to bat in Afghanistan’s 130-run win over Scotland in their first Super 12s match at the T20 World Cup and scored 10 in seven balls in the defeat against Pakistan. That was his 74th appearance in a T20I, in which he has scored 1351 runs at an average of 21.79 and strike rate of 110.37.Having started his international career in 2009 with an ODI against Scotland in Benoni in a World Cup qualifying game, Asghar scored 2424 runs in 114 ODIs at an average of 24.73 and a strike rate of 66.77.He was Afghanistan’s captain in their inaugural Test match, against India in Bengaluru in 2018 and played six Tests, scoring 440 runs at 44.00.

A part of the Afghanistan Under-17 back in 2004, he represented his country at the senior level later that year, in Asian Cricket Council tournaments, and then became a regular part of the national team, playing the World Cricket League lower divisions in 2008-09.Arguably a better captain than a batter, who led his team up the ICC ladder in tricky times, Asghar led Afghanistan in 59 of his 114 ODIs, and 52 of his 74 T20Is. In fact, he holds the record for the most wins as captain in T20Is: Afghanistan won 42 games in the format under him, with nine losses and one tie, while India won 41 under MS Dhoni, to go with 28 losses, one tie and two no-results.His role as a leader, however, has been a bit up and down of late. In May 2019, the Afghanistan board had taken the all-format captaincy away from Asghar and put in place a three-way captaincy formula, with Rahmat Shah (Tests), Gulbadin Naib (ODIs) and Rashid Khan (T20Is) taking charge. But three months later, after the 2019 ODI World Cup, Naib was sacked – as was Rahmat – and replaced by Rashid across formats. Just months later, in December, Asghar was brought back, again across all formats, for one more stint.That stint, though, lasted just 15 months, with the board again opting for a split-captaincy model.

India and New Zealand out to renew recent rivalry

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Big picture

Very quietly, India vs New Zealand has become a classic little rivalry. It fits the biggest stages and produces some heart-stopping moments. Martin Guptill’s throw to run MS Dhoni out. Ross Taylor’s pull to seal the title. Rohit Sharma producing the best batting ever seen in a Super Over. Having bubbled away for a while – especially this year when two of their last three T20Is have ended up as ties – this is where it’s all going to blow up.Related

  • Kohli backs Shami after social media abuse: 'Attacking someone over religion is the most pathetic thing'

  • Milne's 'roller-coaster ride' into the T20 World Cup

  • Boult: 'Hopefully I can mirror what Shaheen did to India the other night'

  • What do Pakistan's wins mean for the rest of Group 2?

Both teams come into this game knowing they haven’t been good enough. However, those early losses will also have provided valuable lessons. Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson will now know what to guard against to ensure the best chance of victory. For India, that’s making sure they don’t lose early wickets. It’s no easy task when Trent Boult is among the opposition, but, surviving the powerplay with minimal losses usually means they are set up to do maximum damage later on.New Zealand’s focus will be on the other end of the innings. The experiments with their batting order – Daryl Mitchell as opener, James Neesham at No. 4 – didn’t take against Pakistan and while that was another sign of their willingness to drop pre-set plans and do what the conditions dictate to win a match – it robbed them of a bit of stability. They did not have a recognised finisher at the crease when the death overs came around and they paid the price for it.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)India: LLLWW
New Zealand: LWLWL

In the spotlight

Hardik Pandya has started bowling in the nets again. And while it was only a 20-minute session, it has the potential to be game-changing for India’s prospects at this World Cup. Having their star allrounder back means they have more options, which in turn allows the captain to ration overs from his best bowlers better. Jasprit Bumrah, for example, can be used exclusively at the death. Varun Chakravarthy can bowl his mystery spin in the powerplay. The entire bowling plan changes if Hardik is in the mix.India and New Zealand have plenty of recent history with each other•AFP

Devon Conway has enjoyed a stellar start to his career. He uprooted his life in South Africa and bet it all on New Zealand and the upshot of that was a world title within his first year of international cricket. He’s now on the hunt for another, and his ability to cope with most kinds of bowling mark him out as a key figure in this batting line-up.

Team news

India tend not to be a team that makes too many changes, but they may yet be tempted to include Shardul Thakur, who has been in electric form ever since the tour of England, in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been off-colour.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit BumrahMartin Guptill did not field in New Zealand’s last game after sustaining a blow to his left toe, but he has turned up well in training and is expected to make the XI. Adam Milne, who is now available for selection, may be a contender to take Tim Southee’s spot in the XINew Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Daryl Mitchell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Devon Conway, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 James Neesham, 7 Tim Seifert (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee/Adam Milne, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

Teams batting second have won 14 of the 18 T20s played in Dubai this year. So don’t be surprised if the captain winning the toss tomorrow immediately opts to bowl.

Stats and trivia

  • Rohit Sharma has been dismissed thrice each by Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner in T20s.
  • Mohammed Shami has dismissed Kane Williamson four times in T20s, giving away 49 runs in 37 balls.
  • Until 2016, New Zealand had never lost a T20I to India. Since then, they’ve lost 8 of 11.

Super League points on the line as SA, SL look to end ODI trophy drought

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Big picture

The tussle for a (perhaps temporary) spot in the automatic qualifying zone on the World Cup Super League table will be decided in the series finale on Tuesday where 10 crucial points and a trophy, are on the line. Both Sri Lanka and South Africa are flirting too close to the line of having to pass through a qualifying tournament to make it to the 2023 World Cup and victory in this match will put either of them into the top five, and their minds at ease for now.Perhaps more pressingly, given that there is still plenty of time and many series (albeit challenging ones for both sides) before the World Cup participants are decided, is the possibility of winning a series for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Neither of these teams have won an ODI series in the last 18 months – Sri Lanka since beating the West Indies at home in February 2020 and South Africa since whitewashing Australia at home in March last year. In the interim, Sri Lanka have lost to the West Indies, Bangladesh, England and India, while South Africa have lost to England and drawn with Ireland. For both teams, winning on Tuesday will be a small step to re-discovering consistency.South Africa have already shown some of that in their batting and put in two good performances on this tour, despite failing to chase 301 in the first match. Their top five have all contributed, allowing them space to accommodate more bowling options lower down. One of them is Keshav Maharaj, who is now operating as stand-in captain and is becoming as important in shorter formats as he is in Tests for South Africa.After an impressive effort in the first match, Sri Lanka’s top-order blow-out in the second match did not give them a chance and they will hope for better in that department. Of greater concern might be the performance of Akila Dananjaya, who has been expensive in both matches and only taken two wickets. With spin still Sri Lanka’s sharpest weapon and South Africa’s biggest weakness, although there are signs of improvements, expect the series to be decided by how many questions the home spinners ask and how confidently the visitors can answer them.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWLLSouth Africa WLWLLCharith Asalanka is the leading run-scorer in the series with 149 runs from two matches•Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

After career-best scores of 72 and 77 in the series so far, if the trend continues for Charith Asalanka’s, he could end up bettering his numbers yet again in what is already a strong start to his international career. Asalanka has played just seven ODIs since making his debut in June and has all the makings of a middle-order mainstay for Sri Lanka. He has impressed with his power-hitting and ability to build partnerships and has taken on both South African seam and spin with confidence. He currently leads the series run-charts, five ahead of Janneman Malan.Having been preferred over Dwaine Pretorius as the first-choice seam-bowling allrounder, Andile Phehlukwayo will want to do more after two middling performances so far. Phehlukwayo was only required to bat in the 46th and 45th over of the first two matches but did not last long and ended with scores of 5 and 4 and will want to show his finishing skills, and while he was expensive in the first match – his five overs cost 37 – he came back well in the second, bowling five overs for 28 runs. Phehlukwayo will want wickets and big runs to finish the series on a high.

Team news

Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s lack of runs in the opening two matches could see a return for Kamindu Mendis or Dinesh Chandimal. There’s also a chance Pulina Tharanga could replace Akila Dananjaya.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa/Kamindu Mendis/Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Pulina Tharanga/Akila Dananjaya, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Praveen Jayawickrama.Using all three allrounders and all three spinners at their disposal worked well for South Africa in the second match and, even though it leaves the batting a little short, they are likely to keep the same structure. Kagiso Rabada suffered an ankle sprain in the second match but news from the team camp is that he is progressing well. He will undergo a fitness test on Tuesday morning to confirm his availability. Should he require more rest, Anrich Nortje will likely slot back in.South Africa (possible): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Reeza Hendricks, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Wiaan Mulder, 7 George Linde, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Keshav Maharaj (capt), 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi.

Pitch and conditions

Like in the previous two matches, there will be assistance for slower bowlers but run-scoring should be plentiful. There are morning showers predicted but the rain should subside by the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

  • The highest total chased in a day-night ODI in Sri Lanka is 288, which the hosts achieved against Pakistan in 2015. A score of 250-plus has been successfully chased nine times, none by teams from outside the subcontinent.
  • Before Tabraiz Shamsi’s 5 for 49 on Saturday, the next best bowling figures by a South African bowler in Sri Lanka was David Terbrugge’s 4 for 20 in July 2000.

Quotes

It’s just a mindset. Even in the first game, they played well although we leaked a bit with the ball. Guys are playing well and contributing to the team. We’d love to play our best game here and come out on top.

Rashid rips through Ireland as Test cricket beckons for Afghanistan

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRashid Khan’s variations were too much for a floundering Ireland middle-order•Getty Images

In the world of the Chinese zodiac, 2017 is the year of the rooster. If the first three months of the Gregorian calendar are anything to go by, this is also shaping up to be the year of Rashid Khan. As if he hasn’t given Afghanistan team-mates and fans enough to crow about – a record IPL bid, series-winning efforts in T20s and ODIs – Rashid kicked off his Intercontinental Cup career with a five-wicket haul against Ireland on Wednesday to keep Afghanistan on course for a crack at Tests in 2018.On a pitch that rendered the Irish fingerspin duo of George Dockrell and Andy McBrine impotent for four and a half sessions, Rashid’s wristspin was a virile antidote to spice up the final three hours of play on day two. The smoothness with which he set up his dismissals might cause even the most confident Don Juan to sit up and take notes for future conquests.Rashid entered the Afghanistan attack in the sixth over with the score 10 for 1, Mohammad Nabi having dismissed William Porterfield leg before to a missed sweep in the third over, and spent four overs in the post-lunch session tangoing mainly with Ed Joyce. Rashid nearly plucked Andy Balbirnie with his first ball in the 14th but a bottom edge went through the legs of Mohammad Shahzad at slip. In the last over before the break, he continuously teased Joyce but couldn’t dislodge him as Ireland went to tea in a relatively strong position at 67 for 1, scoring at better than four an over.After play resumed, left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan was introduced and also began causing problems with his sharp turn and bounce, eventually nabbing Balbirnie for 62 in the 34th over with an inside-edged prod off the pad to Shabir Noori under the helmet at forward short leg. If Rashid has a type that he fancies, it’s certainly lefties and the arrival of Niall O’Brien meant he now had two to toy with.Sure enough, Rashid claimed Joyce in the following over. After defending the first two balls, Rashid sent down a googly that Joyce fanned on as it spun past his drive for four byes. Another attempted drive from the fourth ball resulted in an inside edge just past leg stump. Playing for another googly, Joyce plonked his front foot in forward defense to shield off stump only for a legbreak to strike him in line with middle and an appeal was upheld to send him off for 45.With the googly firmly entrenched in the minds of the entire Ireland dressing room, Gary Wilson entered and lasted a few overs before falling for 4 when he played for the googly and was defeated by the legbreak. Umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen judged that an edge carried to Shahzad – who had taken over from a sloppy Afzar Zazai behind the stumps after the 36th over – rather than the ball clipping Wilson’s trousers.O’Brien, who was nearly bowled first ball by Zahir and survived a drop off the same bowler at forward short leg when he still had yet to score, began the 45th against Rashid by lunging forward four times in a row to googlies that beat the outside edge. Deciding to go onto the back foot to another ball pitching on a good length on the fifth delivery, O’Brien was deceived as Rashid went the other way with a legbreak, trapping him in front of the stumps for 17.In Rashid’s next over, Dockrell fell to the googly while playing for a legbreak, lbw for a duck. It forced Paul Stirling to come out to bat having spent the majority of the Afghanistan innings off the field with a left index finger injury that required a splint and prevented him from opening the Ireland innings. Stirling soon found himself jilted much like Rashid’s first three manipulative trysts: playing for the googly, done in by the legbreak, defending down the wrong line and bowled without scoring.The five notches in Rashid’s belt helped to redirect attention away from an incident that detracted from Afghanistan’s otherwise splendidly dominant performance over the first two days. Just as he had been in Belfast last summer, Nabi was at the centre of controversy in the 21st over for claiming a catch at second slip from Balbirnie off Dawlat Zadran’s bowling which replays clearly showed Nabi had grassed before flinging it into the air in celebration.Balbirnie, on 40 at the time, stood his ground and it took only a few seconds for the umpires to confer before confirming a not out signal. Nabi got into hot water for his actions in the fourth ODI against Ireland in July when photographic evidence showed his entire body was over the rope when attempting to save a boundary struck by Joyce, with the subsequent relay resulting in Joyce being runout. Nabi was reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct as a result. On that occasion, the umpires did not catch Nabi whereas the on-field officials in Greater Noida nipped this incident in the bud.The speed with which Ireland hurtled to 170 for 7 was in stark contrast to Afghanistan’s leisurely stroll to a declaration earlier in the day. Captain Asghar Stanikzai ended with a first-class personal best of 145 after resuming overnight on 110. He gave his wicket away seemingly in an effort to hasten toward a declaration, stumped after charging Dockrell. Rashid replaced him at the crease but also fell quickly after a shimmy down the pitch to Dockrell went awry.Zazai, who had been unbeaten on 11 overnight, took a methodical approach after the two quick wickets and was mostly untroubled in his 154-ball knock. The only blemish on his maiden first-class century came in the 135th over when he edged Peter Chase behind to O’Brien, who took a clean catch diving to his right. Zazai stood his ground on 78 and with the umpires unsure of whether the ball had carried, and without the benefit of access to TV replays, erred on the side of caution.It only took Zazai four more overs to reach three figures. On 93, he stepped down the pitch to loft Chase’s medium pace over mid-off for six, then charged him again next ball and swatted a short delivery through the leg side to bring up his century.As Zazai took his helmet off to celebrate with Dawlat, who teamed with Zazai for Afghanistan’s best-ever ninth wicket stand in the I-Cup with an unbeaten 109-run partnership, Stanikzai waved them in. A few more days like today and Afghanistan may soon be waving goodbye to the Intercontinental Cup and hello to Test cricket.

Boult, Taylor break South Africa's unbeaten run

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoss Taylor was the fourth New Zealand batsman to reach 6000 ODI runs•AFP

South Africa’s lower order threatened another heist, but Trent Boult gave a glimpse of why he went for big money in the IPL by holding his nerve to help New Zealand secure a series-levelling six-run victory in Christchurch. Dwaine Pretorius’ 26-ball fifty almost wrestled the game away from New Zealand until Boult got his yorkers on target in the penultimate over. He then cleaned up Pretorius to make amends for dropping him in the deep on 15.The win should have been much more comfortable for New Zealand when South Africa slipped to 214 for 8, but after Pretorius was shelled he kept finding the boundary. It came down to needing 20 off two overs when Boult, who had earlier claimed the key scalps of Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers but conceded 15 off his ninth over, only went for five runs of his last. Andile Phehlukwayo was unable to locate the boundary early in the last over bowled by Tim Southee – and did not trust Imran Tahir with the strike – as South Africa’s winning streak ended at 12.It meant that Ross Taylor’s record-breaking day did not come in vain. He became New Zealand’s leading ODI century-maker, and the country’s quickest batsman to reach 6000 runs in the process, while adding the innings-defining stand of 123 with Jimmy Neesham.While Boult earned a mega payday 48 hours ago, Taylor was not picked in the auction: his T20 cricket is not valued by country or franchise at the moment. His absence from New Zealand’s side has been a topic of much debate, but in the longer white-ball format he is playing as well as ever. He equalled Nathan Astle’s 16 centuries against Australia, at Hamilton, earlier this month and went one better off the final ball of the innings when he drilled Wayne Parnell through the covers.Taylor added 104 with Kane Williamson, their 11th century stand in ODIs, to set the base for the innings. Then, Neesham struck a timely 45-ball half-century which helped New Zealand add 89 in the final ten overs. The Hagley Oval pitch was slower than usual due to recent poor weather, so while five of the previous nine first-innings totals on the ground had been over 300, this one was more than workable.However with David Miller back after his finger injury and Phehlukwayo at No. 10 (Kagiso Rabada was ruled out with a knee niggle), South Africa’s batting order was even more imposing. But New Zealand kept chipping away. Southee produced an unplayable delivery to trap Hashim Amla lbw and Colin de Grandhomme nipped one back to defeat Faf du Plessis.JP Duminy was sent in at No. 4 ahead of de Villiers – for tactical purposes it was said – but having eased to 34 he was beaten in the flight by Mitchell Santner: a chance for a match-defining innings had slipped away. The same could be said of de Kock, for the second match running, after he had glided to his fifty from 59 balls before heaving Boult deep into the leg side.A hallmark of South Africa’s winning streak has been having someone in the top order take responsibility for an innings but that wasn’t the case in Christchurch. Miller, after his spell on sidelines, couldn’t quite find his timing before edging Ish Sodhi’s googly and de Villiers under-edged a pull against Boult in his first over back in the attack.Trent Boult and Tim Southee sealed the victory by executing their yorkers in the final overs•AFP

When Chris Morris was smartly run out by a back-handed flick from Dean Brownlie and Parnell lbw to Santner, there seemed very little chance for South Africa only for late drama. New Zealand would have struggled to recover if they had let this one slip away.It had not been easy going for them when they were put in. Tom Latham’s tricky run continued, softly clipping a leg-stump delivery from Parnell to square leg. It made his run in ODIs – since the 137 against Bangladesh on this ground – 2, 0, 0, 7, 4 and 22, potentially leaving him vulnerable when Martin Guptill returns from injury.There was caution from Williamson and Taylor at the start of their partnership, but Williamson broke the shackles when he bunted Phehlukwayo over wide mid-on at the end of the 19th over. The next 11 overs brought 73 runs – Williamson reaching his second fifty of the series off 59 deliveries – to leave New Zealand with a strong platform of 155 for 2 after 30 overs.The innings threatened to lose its way when Williamson picked out long-on against Imran Tahir and Neil Broom collected his second failure of the series to leave the onus very much on Taylor.The boundary that took him to fifty off 60 balls also brought up the 6000-run milestone and alongside Neesham, whose position had been coming under scrutiny, they ensured the wobble did not become a collapse. Neesham was the first to take on the bowling inside the final ten overs, which helped take the pressure off Taylor, as he took on Tahir’s last two overs and also played a blistering pull off Morris.Taylor began the final over on 95 but lost the strike off the first ball and only got it back with two deliveries remaining. A meaty swing at the penultimate ball sent it sailing towards long-on where Miller took a fabulous catch but, sliding round the boundary, thought he would touch the rope and flicked the ball back so it became two runs. The final ball of the innings was wide outside off and Taylor thumped it through the covers to wild applause from the sellout crowd. They were cheering again a few hours later.

Renshaw, Starc fifties guide Australia on a turner

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:42

Ugra: Australia will take great satisfaction from their recovery

On a pitch so dry it resembled the surface of Mars to Shane Warne, which looked unlike any Ravi Shastri said he had seen in India, it was a fast bowler who came away with the richest haul. Umesh Yadav’s combination of pace and reverse swing fetched him four wickets as Australia managed 256 for 9 in Pune.A sizeable chunk of that total came off the blade of Matt Renshaw. The 20-year-old playing his first Test away from home made 68 off 156 balls either side of retiring ill with a stomach bug in the first session. Not many of his team-mates can match his composure or his patience. Both those attributes served him well in conditions where sharp spin and startling bounce were the norm instead of the exception.

Umesh’s top figures

  • 4/32 Umesh Yadav’s figures at end of the first day are his second-best in Tests. His only other 4-for in India was 4 for 80 against West Indies in Kolkata in 2011-12.

  • 0 Australia players younger than Matt Renshaw (20 years, 332 days) to have scored 50-plus in India. The previous youngest was Rick Darling (22 years, 154 days) in Kanpur in 1979-80.

  • 3 Number of fifties for Mitchell Starc in his last five Test innings, all at No.8. He averages 53.80 in seven innings against India with three fifties.

  • 5 Number of times Umesh has dismissed David Warner in Tests, in 10 innings – the joint most any batsman has been dismissed by the bowler. Umesh has also dismissed Shaun Marsh on five occasions.

If such was the case on the first day, imagine having to bat last, which India have to if the match goes that long. So putting up a big total in the first innings was vital after Australia won the toss and chose to bat. They might want to get closer to 300, but what they have already is nothing to scoff at, assuming the bowling does well.Mitchell Starc is a clear and present threat, especially with the expectation of variable bounce. He smashed 57 not out off 58 balls himself to make sure when he gets the ball in hand, he has enough of a cushion to go all out. Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe, too, might fancy their chances of exploiting a surface where footmarks were popping up by the 10th over of the opening day.Australia had done excellent work in the morning. Despite the alien conditions, they realised that on a strip prone to turn, the best way to survive is to not chase the ball. Protect middle stump, ensure you are behind the one that holds its line, play late and use soft hands, and when the ball deviates, it will only leave you beaten and red-faced, not red-faced and back in the hut.These virtues helped David Warner and Renshaw last 27.2 overs together. The 82 runs they made were the result of their ability to both tip and run, and thwack and stand back. Case in point was in the 25th over: R Ashwin harassed the outside edge and was smashed to the square leg boundary all in the space of minutes.Often India had to turn to their quickest bowler and Umesh was happy to oblige. His pace has worked against him in the past, making good balls stray down wrong lines and result in boundaries. Now, though, he has improved on his accuracy and by bowling wicket-to-wicket he makes sure the reverse swing he gets is always a threat.Umesh Yadav was menacing with his reverse swing•AFP

Umesh bowled Warner off the inside edge with his second ball of the match for 38 – after the batsman had been bowled off a no-ball on 20. Even as Australia tried to regroup Renshaw raced off the field, retiring ill for 36. Umesh was on a hat-trick in the final session having O’Keefe caught behind, with Wriddhiman Saha leaping several feet in the air, diving full-length to his right and snagging a one-hander for the ages, and then Lyon lbw next ball.Starc’s belligerence, however, reset the balance of the match. The slog sweep was his most profitable shot and he also took care to farm the strike. So effectively was he that Josh Hazlewood made only one run of the 51 that was put on by the tenth wicket.As well as looking for big hits, Australia were diligent in picking up singles whenever they were available and for a long time they were able to dilute the threat of India’s spinners. But, maintaining that level of performance over after over after over is the challenge of playing Test cricket in India. Making it tougher still were Ashwin and Jadeja with their remarkable accuracy. And eventually home advantage began to tell.Two wickets in two overs before tea – Jadeja pinning Peter Handscomb lbw with an arm ball and Ashwin trapping Smith at mid-on – brought India back into the contest. It was the result of a session’s worth of tight bowling enabled by clever captaincy.Virat Kohli had a midwicket and a mid-on for the offspinners against Smith and it seemed every time the batsman came down the track to hit with the turn, he found those men. With runs coming at a premium – 69 in 30 overs after lunch – Smith chose to take those fielders on and chipped the ball in the air. He couldn’t time it properly and found Kohli himself at mid-on. It was a transparent trap and the Australian captain, despite 94 balls of determined and purposeful batting, played right into it. Earlier, Kohli placing himself at leg slip proved equally profitable, as Jayant Yadav tempted Shaun Marsh to sweep at a flatter delivery, a risky ploy considering the extra bounce on offer, and was caught off the back of the bat.Not giving in to dot-ball pressure is hard work in the subcontinent. Renshaw, though, fitness issues notwithstanding, was up to the challenge. When set, he even felt confident enough to charge at Jadeja and loft him for six over long-on. That’s not an easy job considering the left-arm spinner is the ideal man, because of his ability to bowl quick through the air, to exploit a pitch affording rich turn.Minor miracles have followed Australia in the past 24 hours. They managed to be in two places almost at once. They batted remarkably well early on in conditions they historically struggle to deal with. A lower-order rally was probably par for the course.

Prasanna and Dickwella haul Sri Lanka to series victory

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNiroshan Dickwella brought up his maiden T20I fifty to anchor Sri Lanka’s chase•Associated Press

Sri Lanka spoiled AB de Villiers’ comeback by snatching the T20 series from South Africa to claim the first silverware in the country in their history. Niroshan Dickwella’s career-best 68 overshadowed de Villiers’ 63, in his first international outing in six months, as Sri Lanka chased down 170 with one ball remaining but it was Seekkuge Prasanna’s 16-ball 37 which completed the second highest successful chase at Newlands.South Africa were without their newest spearhead, 20-year-old Lungi Ngidi, for most of their time in the field after he bruised his hip, and he could not bowl his final two overs, but had a tardy fielding effort rather than lack of resources to blame for their inability to defend the total. They put down five catches in total and saw several more aerial chances go unclaimed to allow Sri Lanka some leeway in what was a tough task.Still, it took cool heads for Sri Lanka’s batsmen to cross the line, especially after Imran Tahir removed their stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal early on and then removed Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva in the same over. Sri Lanka had to rebuild their innings twice and eventually needed 26 runs off the last two overs. Against the inexperience of Andile Phehlulwayo and debutant Dane Paterson, Prasanna and Asela Gunaratne got there to seal a memorable win.By the time the 19th over began, Prasanna already had 23 off 10 balls – having brought the target down from a daunting 50 off 21 balls – but Gunaratne had yet to score a run and only faced one ball after Kusal Mendis was run-out in the previous over. The pair ran hard off the first and second deliveries before Prasanna advanced on a Phehlukwayo slower ball and sent it over long-on for six. He did not get hold of the next one, losing his bat as he swung, but finished the over with a ramp over the Mangaliso Mosehle’s head to leave Paterson with 11 to defend off the last over.Gunaratne took the pressure off the final passage of play with a scoop over fine leg for four and took quick singles before he swung across the line and top-edged over Mosehle to level scores. In his excitement, Gunaratne thought the match was over and grabbed a stump out of the ground in celebration only to be told he needed one run was still needed. He drove the penultimate ball through the covers and this time could keep the stump.Having threatened through the series, with 43 in Centurion and 22 in Johannesburg, Dickwella went one better and converted his start into his first T20 half-century. He had support from Upul Tharanga, who was playing in his first T20 since the World T20 in 2012, and was aggressive from the get-go. The pair punished width early on and took on the short ball and it took a change of pace to separate them.Tharanga lobbed a catch to mid-on off Wayne Parnell’s first ball, a slower delivery, to give South Africa a breakthrough but it was when stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal was bowled by Tahir’s first delivery that Sri Lanka were under real pressure. Tahir’s over went boundary-less and then a hat-trick of missed chances came off Parnell’s second over, including a return catch, with Dickwella surviving two of those chances. He made South Africa pay.He saw off Tahir and targeted Phehlukwayo at first, before switching gears and lapping Tahir but South Africa’s complications came when they needed a replacement for Ngidi after he injured his hip diving at cover. Jon-Jon Smuts had to fill in but his two overs cost 22 runs as Dickwella reached fifty off 34 balls.With five overs to go, Sri Lanka needed more than ten an over but would have been fairly comfortable with Dickwella well settled. Tahir had an over in hand, though, and appeared to have changed the game. He had Dickwella caught in the deep and de Silva stumped to turn things South Africa’s way but Sri Lanka had more muscle.In the end, South Africa might blame their middle-order problems for not posting a big enough total. They lost 4 for 28 runs in 25 balls between the 14th and 18th over, including de Villiers which may have been the difference.South Africa trialled a new opening partner for Smuts in Reeza Hendricks and it proved a good decision. While Smuts continued to show nothing more than glimpses of the potential that took him to the top of the domestic T20 competition run-charts, Hendricks had the composure for a longer stay and formed one half of the hosts’ major partnership on the nightAfter Smuts was given out lbw, Hendricks was joined by de Villiers and was happy to cede control to the senior man, but not before a third perfectly timed offside drive to the end the PowerPlay strongly.De Villiers initially played within himself before giving making room to drive through point for his first boundary. He did not focus on finding the rope too many more times early on, though, and strike-rotation with a partner who was as speedy as him formed the foundation of their scoring. Every single was cheered loudly, twos and a solitary three were even more appreciated but there was no doubt the crowd was expecting more. When de Villiers danced down the track to meet a Lakshan Sandakan delivery on the full and send it straight back over his head for six, Newlands erupted. Their superstar was back.A scoop off Gunaratne saw de Villiers overtake Hendricks before the latter was stumped. Hendricks will not be happy with his carelessness when he dragged his foot out against Sandakan after the ball spun across him and he failed to push his foot behind the line. Chandimal needed two attempts to complete the stumping and, still, Hendricks did not inch further back.Despite that wicket bringing South Africa’s most dangerous hitter, David Miller, to the crease, Sri Lanka had created an opening to claw their way back. Miller, Farhaan Behardien and de Villiers all departed and South Africa entered the final two overs on 141 for 5 without one of their regular finishers on hand. Nuwan Kulasekara did an exceptional job in his final two overs which only cost 11 and removed de Villiers.Mosehle took the opportunity to show what he could do with a stunning cameo. He plundered three sixes off the first four balls in the last over, which cost Isuru Udana 21, and took South Africa’s total over 160 but it was not enough.

Abbott expected to shelve South Africa for Hampshire deal

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Hampshire believe they are on the verge of securing the services of Kyle Abbott on a long-term deal as a Kolpak registration, despite his recent success at international level with South Africa.Abbott, a member of South Africa’s Test team currently playing Sri Lanka in Cape Town and a key performer in the series victory over Australia, is understood by ESPNcricinfo to have agreed to a three or four-year deal with Hampshire that will realistically end his international career.While Abbott is believed to have agonised over the move for some time – Hampshire remain fearful he could change his mind over a deal agreed some weeks ago having belatedly enjoyed a run in the Test team – he is expected to announce his international retirement later this month. Cricket South Africa are not understood to be aware of the deal.With Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen also having agreed similar deals with Essex and Derbyshire respectively, Abbott’s decision might be interpreted as part of a new wave of Kolpak registrations. The UK’s decision to vote for Brexit threatens to close the loophole that permits such signings in the coming months though it is anticipated that all deals made ahead of that time will be honoured. Hampshire are also understood to be in talks with Rilee Rossouw.As recently as last week, during the first Test against Sri Lanka, Abbott spoke about finally earning a run in the South Africa Test team.”Being out of the side and sitting on the sidelines for so long and now getting the opportunity and doing well, is a great feeling. It’s a long period of hard work that is starting to pay off and now I am getting opportunity at this level to showcase my skills,” he said. “The team is in a great space and so am I, and it’s exciting to see what’s going to come. There’s only around 90 of us or so that have played so I count myself incredibly lucky.”The temptation for a player like Abbott is not hard to understand. Aged 29 and only recently established in the South Africa side – he is currently playing his 11th Test – his decision to embrace a long-term county deal offers something approaching financial security. He can expect to earn more than £100,000 a year from the deal, with insurance cover built into the deal, and should still be free to play in some of the T20 leagues around the world.It may be relevant, too, that Abbott was the man to make way for Vernon Philander in the World Cup semi-final a year ago. Whatever the merits and reasons for that decision, it has left some South African cricketers uncertain of their futures.The news will not be entirely welcome in England, either. The ECB has been trying to crack down on Kolpak loopholes for several years in an attempt to provide more opportunities for home-grown players and is understood to have prevented at least one such signing in recent months. The player involved agreed a deal as an overseas registration instead.But the attraction for Hampshire is obvious. They avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season (having finished in the bottom two of Division One, they won a reprieve when Durham were punished for their financial problems by relegation) with a key problem their lack of potency with the ball.Ryan McLaren, who has subsequently left for Lancashire, was their top wicket-taker in the Championship with 32 at a cost of 38.81. The addition of Abbott, a bowler of pace, skill and persistence, with recent international experience in all three formats of the game, should be quite an asset. He first played for the county in 2014, helping them win promotion by claiming 36 Championship wickets at a cost of 20.33.

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