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David Warner, the Australian batsmen, will join Adam Gilchrist at Middlesex for this season’s Twenty20 Cup

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2010David Warner, the Australian batsman, will join Adam Gilchrist at Middlesex for this season’s Twenty20 Cup.Warner, 23, is currently with Delhi Daredevils in the IPL where his explosive batting has been one of the highlights of the tournament. He has made an unbeaten 107 from 69 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders in Delhi and averaged close to 50 during his first six outings in the event.Despite having played only four first-class games he is one of the world’s most sought-after Twenty20 cricketers and was included in Australia’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.He is looking forward to joining Middlesex, who won the tournament in 2008 but disappointed last year. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to play at Lord’s. Hopefully, I can help Middlesex win,” he said.His signing gives the Middlesex line-up a glamorous shine with Warner and Gilchrist being followed by fellow IPL players Owais Shah and Eoin Morgan. No other county can boast such glut of stars and the MCC hope they will attract big crowds to Lord’s for this summer’s competition.

He says Nepal will be on the right side of results if they get more exposure against the best sides in the world

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-20243:06

Morkel: Nepal’s bowling made life difficult for SA

After his team came agonisingly close to a historic win and what would have been their first against a Full-Member side, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel has asked for more exposure against top teams. Nepal were on top of their modest chase of 116 against South Africa until Tabraiz Shamsi returned to claim two wickets in the 18th over, which began with Nepal needing 18 from 18. Anrich Nortje then conceded eight off the 19th and Ottneil Baartman defended seven in the last over, which included the tense situation of Nepal needing two from the last ball, but they couldn’t get even one, which would have taken the game to a Super Over.”I am very proud of the unit, especially the way we bowled and batted, I’m very proud of that,” Paudel said at the presentation. “We were very close but a little far. In crunch moments we did well, but the way we fought was very good. If we get more exposure regularly then next games we will be on the other side [of the result].”Nepal’s stunning performance was scripted by spinners Dipendra Singh Airee and Kushal Bhurtel, who claimed seven wickets between them for just 40 runs in their eight overs. Sandeep Lamichhane, who was playing his first game of the T20 World Cup 2024 after missing the USA leg, bowled four frugal overs for just 18 runs, giving away only one boundary. In all, the Nepal spinners bowled 14 overs for 75 runs.Related

• Shamsi: 'We've been put under pressure every game and stood up to it'

• Heartbreak for Nepal as Shamsi scripts stunning turnaround

When asked if Nepal had expected the spinners to get so much assistance from the pitch, Paudel said: “Yeah, when we saw the wicket yesterday, we thought it would be on the slower side. Eventually when we were bowling I thought the wicket was helping the spinners and then we introduced Bhurtel and we carried on with the spinners.” Bhurtel claimed 4 for 19, which included the big scalps of Aiden Markram and Henrich Klaasen as well as those of Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.South Africa played just the one frontline spinner – Shamsi came into the XI for Keshav Maharaj – and bowled six overs of spin overall, with two from Markram. Shamsi came into the attack after seven overs, by which time Nepal were 34 for no loss. Markram later admitted South Africa should have picked another spinner on a track on which the ball was stopping, turning and bouncing. Markram brought himself on after the 13th over.2:22

Morkel: SA could play two spinners on slower pitches

“We have a good pace attack and you want to back that,” Markram said at the presentation. “I thought if we got the ball in the right areas, there could be something in the wicket and I felt like it was challenging for the batters. Looking back in hindsight, we should have probably picked an extra spinner on this wicket. I didn’t think it’d spin that much. But the pacers kept us in the game and a lot of credit has to go to them tonight.”South Africa’s start wasn’t promising either, after they were put in to bat. They managed just 38 for 1 in the powerplay and struck only two sixes in their innings. Only one batter – Tristan Stubbs – scored at over a run a ball and had it not been for his unbeaten 27 off 18, South Africa might have finished well below 115. While acknowledging the tough conditions, Markram also praised the Nepal bowlers.”I think it’s two things: first and foremost, the way [Nepal] bowled it made it really tough for us throughout the game,” he said. “You have to give them a lot of credit. They put us under a lot of pressure, and it shows the quality they have in their change room. If you mix that with maybe not enough conviction in our plans and a slight lack in intensity, you can get stuck, and that’s what happened tonight. Like I said, there’ll be a lot of learnings and we’d assume Caribbean conditions might be a little similar moving forward so it’s about backing plans that we develop and pretty much be at ease with whatever comes after having solid plans.”South Africa finished on top of Group D with four wins out of four and will be in Group 2 in the Super Eight, along with USA, West Indies and one out of England and Scotland from Group B.

“It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track,” Australia coach says of Nathan Lyon’s eight-for in Indore

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-20232:19

Chappell: Getting India out cheaply in the first innings was key

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald believes the team’s success in the Indore Test shows there is a core group of players who are learning what it takes to win in the subcontinent and can set the side up for greater success in the future.”One hour of chaos” in Delhi, as McDonald termed it, cost Australia the chance of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but having taken the opportunity to refresh and regroup during the long break before the third Test, they secured one of their finest overseas victories as they beat India at their own game on a pitch rated “poor” by the ICC.As a result, Australia have secured their place in the World Test Championship final, during a cycle that has also included Test wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and they now have the chance of levelling the series in Ahmedabad.Related

• Head's learnings: back your plans and stay calm

• Adaptable Australia get their act together in Indore

• India may not mind more turning pitches despite loss

They don’t head back to India for another Test series until 2027 and a number of a senior players are unlikely to return, but they will visit Sri Lanka in 2025 and the likes of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne and Todd Murphy have many subcontinent tours ahead of them.”Usman Khawaja’s performances here are probably tied back to his first experience in the subcontinent, Steve Smith as well,” McDonald said. “Everyone’s journey starts at some point in time on the subcontinent, and I think there’s a core group of players that will come back here more experienced and, in theory, better equipped for the challenges. We’re talking about a series here where we’ve had certain conditions that probably aren’t relatable to any other subcontinent tour over time, so it’s always a different challenge when you do arrive here.”

Australia keep calm after another collapse

Australia did suffer another batting collapse in Indore, losing 6 for 11 on the second day to miss the chance to build an overwhelming lead. But they retained their composure and, led by Nathan Lyon’s eight wickets, kept the pressure on India before making a target of 76 appear simpler than appeared likely.”You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India. I think this game besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect,” McDonald said. “We had a little bit of luck. Marnus getting bowled off a no-ball, how critical was that at that point in time, [and] that allowed a partnership to flourish. We took our opportunities as well. Usman’s flying catch and then Smudge [Smith] winding back the clock with that one at leg slip. You compare that to the Delhi game where Smudge dropped one at first slip and then we dropped one at leg slip in Matthew Renshaw, and they were critical.”We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we’d played pretty good cricket. We came here and doubled down on what we’d set out to achieve at the start of the tour.”So on the back of Delhi, it was ‘how clear are we going to be in what we need to do next’. Is this team good enough? Yes. What do we need to do next? We’d lost 6 for 11, nothing we can do about that. We go out there and Nathan Lyon as the experienced spinner delivers one of his best performances. It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track, no doubt about that.”Alex Carey whips the bails off to send Rohit Sharma back in the first innings•BCCI

Praise for Alex Carey’s wicketkeeping

Amid the headline-grabbing performances of Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann, Khawaja and Head, McDonald picked out Alex Carey for special praise after his display of wicketkeeping on the devilish surface. He only conceded three byes for the match where some deliveries leapt while others scuttled and McDonald viewed his stumping of Rohit Sharma, the first wicket of the Test, as a vital moment.”One part that hasn’t been spoken about enough is Alex Carey’s keeping,” he said. “I think that on day one, that ball to Sharma, that high take, that stumping, if he doesn’t execute that Sharma gets a look at the wicket, he plays differently and the game rolls in a different direction.”I think sometimes we are quick to criticise wicketkeepers. In this instance, I thought that day one was an absolute clinic and gave us control of the game. We saw [KS] Bharat miss a couple of half-chances, or get his leg in the way of balls that could have gone to first slip. So I thought that was a key moment in the game.””I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant”•Getty Images

Pitches make the toss irrelevant

McDonald remained diplomatic about the pitch in Indore, saying that all the players could do was perform on whatever surface they were given, but did say conditions had been “extreme”. However, as in Pune in 2017, it likely helped narrow the gap between the teams.”I think you can see that in the fact that all three games have been won against the toss, teams batting first have lost, and that’s rare,” he said. “It’s usually pretty hard to win against the toss but here we’ve seen three matches go that way. I think the more extreme the conditions, the less the toss is relevant.”Before the third Test, Rohit had floated the notion of India asking for a green pitch in Ahmedabad if they had secured their place in the WTC final. Now they still require a victory to be assured of meeting Australia at The Oval, although if Sri Lanka don’t win against New Zealand in the Test that runs concurrently in Christchurch, the result won’t matter. Regardless, McDonald felt the pressure in the series has now been switched.”I don’t think we know what we’re going to get in Ahmedabad, I don’t think anyone does,” he said with a hint of a smile. “But we’ve definitely put some pressure into that change room. Full credit to the guys. [It’s] great reward for a group that over the past couple of weeks have had their challenges.”

“In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2021Harbhajan Singh has announced his retirement from all formats of the game. In a video message on Twitter, the former India offspinner said that “in many ways, I had already retired”, but because of his commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was forced to delay the announcement.”There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket,” he said. “In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement.”I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire.”Harbhajan last turned out for India in March 2016, in a T20I against UAE in Dhaka in that year’s Asia Cup. Harbhajan, now 41, made his international debut back in March 1998, in a Test match against Australia in Bengaluru, picking up two wickets in an eight-wicket defeat. He went on to play 103 Tests, for a haul of 417 wickets – still the fourth-highest for India – at an average of 32.46, with an innings best of 8 for 84 and a match best of 15 for 217, both recorded in India’s two-wicket win over Australia in the Chennai Test of 2001, which gave them a 2-1 win in an iconic series. In the previous Test in Kolkata, made famous due to VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s batting all day while following-on – Harbhajan had played a major role too in India’s stunning come-from-behind win, bagging 13 wickets in the match.Harbhajan also turned out in 236 ODIs from 1998 to 2015, taking 269 wickets at 33.35 and an economy rate of 4.31. He played 28 T20Is, taking 25 wickets at an average of 25.32 and an economy rate of 6.20. His overall tally of 707 international wickets is the second-highest for India, behind Anil Kumble’s 953.Harbhajan has had great success in the IPL too, taking 150 wickets in 163 matches, fifth on the all-time list. Harbhajan also took 20 wickets in 22 Champions League T20 matches, leading Mumbai Indians to victory in the competition in 2011. Harbhajan’s longest association with a franchise was with Mumbai Indians, who bought him in the 2008 auction and retained him ahead of the mega auctions in 2011 and 2014. Released ahead of the 2018 mega auction, Harbhajan had two years with Chennai Super Kings before finishing up with Knight Riders.”It has been a beautiful journey over 25 years, right from the of Jalandhar to becoming the Turbanator of India,” he said in the statement. “Nothing has been more motivating for me than stepping out on the field while wearing the India jersey.”Like every [Indian] cricketer, even I wished to bid goodbye in an India jersey, but fate had something else in store for me. Irrespective of the side I represented, I have always given my 100% commitment to ensure my team finishes on top – whether it was India, Punjab, Mumbai Indians, CSK [Chennai Super Kings], KKR or the county teams of Surrey and Essex.””My first real happiness was the hat-trick I took in Kolkata”•Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT

Harbhajan had plenty of success across formats, including being part of two World Cup winning teams with India – in 2011 and in 2007 for the inaugural T20 World Cup. His greatest achievement, arguably, remains the performance in the series against Australia in 2001, where he bagged 32 wickets in three Tests, where no other Indian bowler took more than three wickets. Harbhajan’s feat included taking a hat-trick in Kolkata.”If you ask me about my cricket career, my first real happiness was the hat-trick I took in Kolkata, becoming the first Indian bowler to do so in a Test match. I also got 32 wickets in the three Tests in that series, which is still a record,” he said. “Following this, the T20 World Cup win 2007 and the [ODI] World Cup win in 2011 were most important for me. Those were moments that I can neither forget nor express in words as to how big that happiness was for me.”As for the future, Harbhajan said that he has “no idea” what he would do, but indicated that it would be connected to the game.”Cricket was, is and will always be an important part of my life. I have served Indian cricket for years, and will continue to strive to serve them in the future,” he said. “I have no idea about the future, but whatever I am today is because of cricket. I will be immensely happy if I can be of help to Indian cricket in any role in the future.”Now I begin a new chapter in my life, which starts with its own challenges. Believe me, your Turbanator is ready for the examination! Just keep showering your love on me.”

It’s expected that protocols for the tournament in the UAE will be finalised at the meeting on August 2

Vishal Dikshit and Shashank Kishore30-Jul-20207:35

Bal: Hosting IPL a far bigger challenge compared to a bilateral series

The dates and venue for IPL 2020 are out – in the UAE from September 19-November 8 (or 10) – but the context of the Covid-19 pandemic raises a lot of logistical questions, especially among the franchises. It’s expected that the upcoming IPL Governing Council meeting on August 2 will finalise many of these details, which will be part of the tournament’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). ESPNcricinfo spoke to a few franchises and came up with the most pressing questions they will be seeking answers to.Quarantine, testing positive and isolation protocols
One of the key concerns of the franchises ESPNcricinfo spoke to is the rules surrounding quarantine for squads, and the protocol to be followed if one of the squad members tests positive. Given that the onus of keeping squads safe and in their biosecure bubbles is likely to rest with the respective franchises, they want clarity on the steps to follow if someone tests positive during the tournament – will the entire squad have to be tested immediately, will the squad be isolated in the same hotel if other teams are staying there too, will the next match of the said team be cancelled or put on hold till everyone is tested? What if someone tests positive on the day of the match? In short, the impact of a positive test on the player, team and tournament at large.Franchises would also want to know the protocol if someone breaches the squad bubble, like Jofra Archer did after the first Test against West Indies. Archer’s act did not lead to anything more calamitous but the IPL will not be able to afford such breaches.Maintaining the bubbles and arranging Covid-19 tests
The Governing Council is likely to finalise how often squad members will have to undergo Covid-19 testing in the UAE, but will the testing be supervised by the BCCI or will it be the sole responsibility of the franchises?Another big concern for the franchises is around the biosecure bubbles. It’s expected that there will be different bubbles for each squad, match officials, broadcasters, the local authorities and so on. For that, franchises want to know if there will be a cap on their contingent size because some of them are keen to have players’ families travelling with the squads. Whether the Governing Council allows it remains to be seen. Teams are also going to travel between three cities – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – so will the entire bubbles be moved around through the tournament is another question.One franchise is also concerned about the possibility of tourists and travellers staying in the same hotel as the teams. The duration of the teams’ stay in the UAE is likely to stretch to 80 days if they land there by end of August for pre-IPL camps, and maintaining social distancing of their squads for such a long time will be a key responsibility of the franchises.Getting to the UAE and arranging hotels
The first step for the franchises is getting to the UAE. Some franchises have informed the Governing Council that they wish to land there by August 20 or 21 to give players at least three weeks to train for the tournament, having not played, or even trained properly, for months.The responsibility of getting the Indian players together before flying out and then combining them with the overseas players in the UAE will also rest with the franchises, and one of them has already asked its Indian players to self-quarantine at home starting now. The franchises will await further details around this, along with confirmation on whether each team will stay in one city and hotel throughout the IPL, which could be Dubai in many cases given its hotel options, training facilities at the ICC Academy grounds and its geographical location between Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.It is understood that a few franchises have already shortlisted their hotel options – keeping their squad sizes and travelling families in mind – and are awaiting a reply from the Governing Council to make further arrangements. With no in-stadia hotels available like the ones that hosted the recent Tests in England, franchises will finalise their hotel arrangements as soon as the IPL authorities give the go-ahead.Arranging replacement players
Another big concern surrounds the South Africa players potentially pulling out of the IPL, like they did for the CPL. What will be the rules regarding replacement players, whether it be overseas players pulling out or getting injured during the tournament? In the case of the former, picking replacements from the auction pool could lead to a potential clash among the franchises.
For example, Royal Challengers Bangalore have the smallest squad (21) with three South Africans – AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Chris Morris – and the franchise will be desperate to strengthen their squad if these three big names pull out.ALSO READ: Five South Africans to miss CPL after failing to confirm travel arrangementsEach squad has a limit of eight overseas players. In the case of injuries to these players, will they be allowed to fly in replacements from outside? If yes, what kind of testing and quarantine measures will those players have to undergo to enter already existing bubbles? Or will the squad size and overseas players’ limit be increased before the tournament so that franchises can travel with more options?What if England, Australia players have national duty?
Another possible issue for franchises to deal with is that the England-Australia ODIs could end up being in the second week of September. If, as believed, the IPL insists on all squads assembling at the same time, and with the IPL opener set for September 19, it could rule the England and Australia players out of the first few matches – like David Warner said this week – or worse.Arranging for nets and net bowlers
Each franchise always has extra net bowlers at their home grounds in India while the IPL is on. With biosecure bubbles and many other restrictions this time, how will these be arranged for, for such a long tournament in the UAE, for all eight teams? West Indies and England had extra squad players in their bubbles for the recent Test series; will the franchises be allowed to do the same? If yes, do they need to pick net bowlers from a particular pool or can they pick anyone and include them in their bubble after having them tested?Secondly, with only three venues for eight teams, franchises would want clear and detailed plans on their training schedules as teams won’t be allowed to train simultaneously at the same venue because of social distancing. Since franchises are expected to arrange for their own travel and buses, they will have to chalk out such plans early so that players’ preparation is not compromised with.Interaction with people from outside the bubble
IPL players will be expected to board buses nearly every day for training and matches, and be in proximity to numerous hotel staff, caterers, security officials etc. What will be done to maximise the squads’ safety, keeping in mind the possibility of players’ families also travelling, the large size of the squads, and the long duration of the tournament? Will the bus drivers and hotel employees also be part of some bubble or does the Governing Council have a workaround for this?

Colin Munro’s blazing half-century and Tim Southee’s last over to defend 15 runs helped New Zealand seal the T20I series 2-1

The Report by Hemant Brar10-Feb-20194:04

The Tickner and Kuggeleijn hand in NZ’s triumph

Colin Munro’s blazing half-century and Tim Southee’s last over to defend 15 runs helped New Zealand seal the T20I series 2-1 with a four-run victory in the decider at Seddon Park. The defeat also meant India faced their first series loss on their long tour of Southern Hemisphere.Chasing 213, India needed a steep 68 off 28 at one stage with only four wickets in hand. Lusty and regular blows from Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya, with a six each off Daryl Mitchell and debutant Blair Tickner off successive overs made the equation 48 from 18. Krunal then smashed Southee for a six and two fours off successive balls that meant India needed 30 from 12. The duo went on to hit a six each in the penultimate over by Scott Kuggeleijn to bring the equation down to 16 required off the final over.Karthik took two off the first ball but then consumed a dot ball and even refused Krunal strike after hitting the ball to long-on. With 14 needed off four balls and the pressure mounting on Karthik, he only managed a single on the next ball. Southee’s lengths conceded only a single to Krunal too, and a six from Karthik on the last ball was not enough for India.After being put in, Munro’s 40-ball 72 and Tim Seifert’s 43 off 25 set the platform for a daunting total. While India dismissed Munro and Kane Williamson in back-to-back overs, New Zealand had by then motored to 150 in 14.4 overs. Colin de Grandhomme ensured the hosts didn’t lose the momentum with a stroke-filled 16-ball 30, with Mitchell and Ross Taylor applying the finishing touches.

Kane Williamson on…

Colin Munro’s 72: Obviously, Colin is one of those guys that goes out and plays with that freedom and looks to take the game away and we’ve seen that, I suppose, for a long time in the shortest format and I suppose everybody’s going out trying to do their bit and play their role and I thought both our opening batsmen have been outstanding
Tim Seifert’s Man of the Series performance: We’ve always seen Tim as having a huge amount of talent. Obviously we’ve seen it in the domestic T20 competition. So to get the opportunity to come in and open the batting and go out with that free license to try and take the game away which is when he is playing at his best and to come off with a couple of really fantastic performances is great for his confidence and really is good for our team collectively.
World Cup implications: We weren’t sitting down, looking at this series as what can we get out of it at the end. It was just about each game as it comes … It is a different format and like I say we’ll look at this series as an isolated series and a very good one at that.

India lost Shikhar Dhawan in the first over itself, but Rohit Sharma and Vijay Shankar put the chase on track by adding 75 off 46 balls for the second wicket. Vijay played some sublime shots, including successive sixes off Ish Sodhi, before falling for a 28-ball 43.Rishabh Pant kept the hopes alive for a while, but in the space of 19 balls, India slipped from 121 for 2 to 145 for 6. Karthik and Krunal took India closer but couldn’t take them to victory.The Munro-Seifert showMunro and Seifert provided New Zealand with a blazing start of 80 in just 7.4 overs. Munro showed his intentions from the first ball he faced, by smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar over long-on for a six. Seifert, at the other end, continued his good form and smashed Khaleel Ahmed for two fours and a six in the fourth over.Seeing the onslaught, Rohit brought Krunal into the attack in the sixth over but the Man of the Match of the last game was taken for 20 in his first over, including two sixes and a four, as New Zealand looted 66 from Powerplay.The stand was broken when Seifert was ruled out stumped by Chris Brown, the third umpire, in yet another questionable decision in this series. Kuldeep Yadav drew the batsman forward and beat the outside edge with a tossed up googly. MS Dhoni whipped the bails off and replays showed Seifert might have had some part of his back foot behind the line before the bails came off. However, the third umpire thought differently and didn’t take much time to rule the batsman out.That, however, didn’t impact Munro much. While Kuldeep troubled both him and Williamson with his wrong’uns, runs kept flowing from the other end. Munro hit another six and four off Krunal in the 11th over of the innings to take the side past 100. India weren’t helped by their sloppy fielding either. In one Hardik Pandya over, Khaleel dropped Munro, Vijay fumbled to concede a boundary, and as if to add insult to injury, Munro smashed the next ball for a six. Munro eventually fell to Kuldeep, going for his sixth six of the innings, but by then New Zealand were all set for a massive total.Tim Southee gestures at a fielder•AFP/Getty

Pant blazes awayRohit and Vijay had taken India to 81 for 2 in 8.3 overs but they were still behind the required rate. Pant, who had scored an unbeaten 40 in the last game, carried on from where he had left. The first three legitimate deliveries he faced were tonked for a four and two sixes. Three balls later he smashed Sodhi for another six and walloped to 23 off just six balls, taking India to 108 for 2 at the halfway mark.This took the pressure off Rohit, but with Pant managing just five runs off the next five balls, frustration started creeping in. Eventually, Pant ended up hitting a full toss from Tickner straight to Williamson at midwicket.New Zealand pull it backDespite losing Pant, India would still have backed themselves to chase down 85 from the last seven overs given their long batting line-up. Hardik started off with a first-ball six, and followed it up with a four and six off successive Mitchell deliveries in the next over. However, two balls later, Mitchell got Rohit, who was anchoring the chase. Hardik himself fell in the next over, while Dhoni lasted just four balls for two runs and nicked Mitchell behind the stumps.Karthik and Krunal took the game to the last over but Southee had the final say.

While the stand-in captain praised Sri Lanka for their series turnaround, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said his team could not execute their plans despite doing ‘some homework’ before the final

Mohammad Isam27-Jan-2018Sri Lanka knew Bangladesh would find it hard to chase down 222 runs on the Mirpur pitch, according to their captain Dinesh Chandimal. He described the pitch as a “tough” one, saying his batsmen understood the importance of sticking around till the 50th over quite early and batted accordingly. That confidence helped them blow Bangladesh away in a 79-run win in the tri-series final, a superb comeback after losing so poorly in the first two matches of the tournament.Chandimal said the competitive total went hand-in-hand with Sri Lanka’s growing confidence. “It was a tough wicket,” Chandimal said. “I prayed before the toss, I need to win the toss. It was a dry wicket. Credit goes to Upul [Tharanga] and [Niroshan] Dickwella, they put on a 70-run [71] partnership. That was a turning point. We knew after 20 overs that if we can get 220-230, that’s a winning total for us.”We all knew, as I said, they are really good, especially playing here. But we had a feeling that we have a good total, and that’s a winning total. As I said we have game plans and we always try to play competitive cricket. And the guys played some outstanding cricket all around – with bat, ball and in the fielding also.”It was a sweet turnaround in Mirpur for Chandimal too, who was standing in in place of the injured Angelo Mathews. Around four years ago, he sat out the World T20 final despite being the captain, eventually seeing Lasith Malinga lift the trophy.It was a happy occasion certainly, and walking around the Shere Bangla National Stadium, trophy in hand, must have pleased Chandimal. He however took little credit.”We are over the moon,” he said. “This is all about working hard, especially after you lose the first two games. It is difficult to get back in this kind of tournament. The guys put their heart and soul in the practices and then when they go to the middle they put their heart and soul. They had the plans and they executed well, and credit goes to everyone who played the series.”Sri Lanka’s tactics to bowl short to the Bangladesh batsmen paid dividends as Tamim Iqbal and Sabbir Rahman fell prey to that length once again. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said his team knew their opposition would use this length but couldn’t quite stave it off.”We have known in the last 8-10 days that they were bowling short,” Mashrafe said. “We have also spoken about it. But we cannot develop skills over seven days. One has to be mentally prepared. We talked about handling that length. We had the homework but we couldn’t deliver it.”Mashrafe also lamented the lack of support for Mahmudullah, whose 76 took Bangladesh to 142. “He needed support at the other end,” Mashrafe said. “He was the last man out. He had to play shots. If he got support from the middle order, he could have taken the chase deeper. In the Champions Trophy [win against New Zealand from a similar situation], he rotated the strike with Shakib [Al Hasan]. But playing shots and picking singles, all of it can’t be one batsman’s work.”

Joins another uncapped player, Mohammad Rizwan, in the Pakistan squad for the series beginning from November 17

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-20160:59

Two new faces for Pakistan

Sharjeel Khan, the opening batsman, has earned a maiden call-up to the Pakistan Test squad for the tour of New Zealand.Sharjeel, 27, has been a regular presence for Pakistan at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket in 2016, having scored a bruising 152 off 86 balls against Ireland in August.Sharjeel has 4853 first-class runs at an average of 37.91 with 11 hundreds and 21 fifties. He came into contention for Test cricket after scoring 96 and 82 not out in successive innings in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Pakistan’s 16-man Test squad

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan
In: Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan
Out: Zulfiqar Babar

Another uncapped player was among the 16 that were chosen, middle-order batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who was with the team in England in July 2016, but was left out for the subsequent Tests against West Indies in the UAE.Zulfiqar Babar was dropped. With neither Christchurch nor Hamilton – the venues for the two Tests against New Zealand – known for producing turning pitches, Pakistan were content to partner Yasir Shah with left-arm spinning allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, who made his debut in Pakistan’s first day-night Test earlier this month; his first-class credentials include three centuries and 49 wickets from 31 matches. Zulfiqar, though the better bowler stats-wise, only averages 16 with the bat in first-class cricket.Pakistan have tried six opening combinations since the start of 2015, including playing the final Test of the England tour and the entire West Indies series with only one specialist – Sami Aslam, who has been retained. Azhar Ali was promoted up the order and scored his maiden triple-century from that position in October. But with Sharjeel – who has opened the batting in all but two of his 76 first-class matches – coming into the squad, Azhar could return to his usual No. 3 position.Younis Khan, captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq – touted as one of Pakistan’s most technically proficient batsmen – and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed make for a strong middle order. There is also Babar Azam, who made his Test debut in October following three successive ODI centuries.On the fast bowling front, Pakistan have three left-arm quicks in Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Rahat Ali, to go with right-arm seamers Sohail Khan and Imran Khan.

Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, they will carry three drop-in pitches from their previous home ground

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2015Big Bash League team Sydney Thunder will play their BBL 2015 home games at the recently renovated Spotless Stadium in Sydney, but they will be taking an important part of their previous home ground.The Thunder will carry three drop-in pitches from the ANZ Stadium. The Thunder’s latest signing Shane Watson lauded the decision and said it would provide them a good home advantage.”It’s a great acquisition for the Thunder to make sure we have a bit of a home-town advantage, knowing what the wickets are going to do,” Watson told Cricket Australia.”In previous years the wickets had been a little slow at ANZ, but the last couple of years they have been world class. Being able to take them over to Spotless will make sure the really intimate setting at the stadium is combined with really good wickets that are going to provide a lot of entertainment as well,” Watson added.The average innings score on the centre wicket of the ANZ Stadium was 176, in the two matches played at the venue last season – the highest average for any ground in the BBL. Jaques Kallis and Michael Hussey put on a record 160-run opening stand in last season’s first game against Brisbane Heat.

Steven Finn, excelling in a new role as nightwatchman, struck a maiden Test and first-class fifty to make a huge contribution towards England saving the first Test in Dunedin and saving face in the bargain

The Report by David Hopps09-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSteven Finn reached the first fifty of his first-class career•Associated Press

Steven Finn, excelling in a new role as nightwatchman, struck a maiden first-class fifty to make a huge contribution towards England saving the first Test in Dunedin and saving face in the bargain. As Finn walked back to the dressing room with 56 to his name, and perhaps his first experience of pad burn after not far short of five hours at the crease, he was in danger of being rewarded with a full-time appointment to go alongside the gratitude of his team mates.Finn’s marathon resistance stretched until the second over after tea, at which point he succumbed to an ambitious slog-sweep at the left-arm spinner Bruce Martin. Spared Finn’s sudden appreciation of the art of batsmanship, New Zealand might well have triumphed. As their bowlers strove gamely for victory on a docile surface, they will also have rued the rain and bad light which prevented play on the opening day.England lost Nick Compton on a slow final morning, with Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen following in the afternoon. Ian Bell’s senseless run-out of Joe Root, thrown out second ball for nought by a direct hit from cover, kept New Zealand’s interest flickering enough in the final session to take a third new ball, but by then England’s lead was 117 with four wickets and 25 overs remaining. Bell wisely saw the job through until, with the advantage stretched to 128, the match was called off at the final drinks break.Pietersen’s out-of-sorts innings immediately invited conjecture that he might be protecting an injury and, to add to the intrigue, he watched the last rites in front of the dressing room with a large black X on his right knee. To offer such target practice was especially dangerous in New Zealand, who can invent a sport for most things and who even now are probably drawing up the rules for world championship knee archery.Pietersen, Trott and Compton fell to the unflagging left-arm swing of Neil Wagner, who will need every hour of his three days off before the second Test begins in Wellington, but New Zealand never quite got on a roll.Finn could take much credit for that. The wagon wheel, which might one day be framed in his downstairs toilet, showed five boundaries scooting off in the general direction of third man, but he generally made good use of his long reach on a pitch which slumbered to the last. James Anderson, his predecessor, has taken a battering in some of the most threatening situations Test cricket can offer, but Finn got a cushier job and relaxed into it with aplomb. Wagner did test him against the short ball eventually, but only at around 130kph and only when his eye was in.He reached his 50 from 142 balls, angling Wagner through gully, but then decided to take stock, scratched a new guard and did not score for the next hour and a quarter. His next single brought ironic applause from the Barmy Army and a blast from Billy Cooper’s trumpet. It was just as well that he did dig in because Trott fell for 52 in the same over, Wagner taking a good leaping catch in his follow-through from a leading edge, and Pietersen soon followed to an inside edge from a nondescript shot.Perhaps Pietersen was just having one of those days. Just as he is intoxicated by the big occasion, he can run on empty if a game feels flat. If he guested in a club knockabout, there is every chance that somebody would get him out for nought, just as there would be every chance that Finn would get a hundred.Finn escaped a couple of tough chances; in the first over of the day edging very low towards Dean Brownlie at third slip and later, on 37, sending an edge between the slips off Kane Williamson. The middle of the bat often proved elusive, especially when compared to the timing shown by Trott, but his stay was testament to the work England’s bowlers put in their batting.England began the day still 59 runs behind and a couple of early wickets, with the second new ball still new, would have opened the door for New Zealand. However, it took them more than an hour to make the breakthrough which came when Wagner swung one back into Compton’s pads who, for a moment, considered the review before deciding, wisely as replays showed, that it would have been a waste.Compton’s seven-hour innings – 117 from 310 balls – was a study in concentration and determination. He was given a warm ovation as he walked off, his father Richard leading the applause from the crowd, and was safe in knowledge that his Test berth is now secure.Trott’s half-century was effortless, a punchy straight drive off Martin emphasising that there would be no last-day encouragement for the spinner, who instead continued to toil on a dead surface.England made only 53 from 28 overs between lunch and tea and Finn was responsible for 14 of them. But the overs were ticking down and for England, that was all that mattered.