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The broadcaster is threatening to pull out of its deal due to anger at the proposed schedule for the summer

Daniel Brettig11-Sep-2020Refusing to blink in the face of increasingly fevered threats from Channel Seven, Cricket Australia’s leaders will wait to see whether the free-to-air network’s next broadcast rights instalment lands in its bank account on Tuesday before weighing up the true state of its A$1.18 billion deal signed with Seven and Foxtel in 2018.Seven and Foxtel are due to pay about A$50 million on Tuesday ahead of the season, while the former’s commitments to broadcast international cricket in Australia begin with a series between the Australian and New Zealand women’s teams in Brisbane from September 26 – the first top-level cricket in the country since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. Operational planning between the governing body and the broadcaster have continued throughout the dispute over the past month.There were reports that the battle between Seven and CA had reached crisis point on Friday after the free-to-air broadcaster issued a notice to CA on Wednesday that they were in breach of their contract due to the nature of schedule proposed for the upcoming season. This was characterised as the start of a process for Seven to back out of their A$450 million deal entirely, after the debt-ridden network had been asking for a discount to its rights fee for most of the year, citing a range of issues.These have varied from a likely loss of content due to Covid-19, then a complaint that the quality of content would not be high enough, and most recently an accusation that CA had unreasonably delayed the start of Seven’s share of the international season by acceding to India’s request to play white-ball matches – exclusive to Fox Sports – before the start of the Test series broadcast by both networks, rather than after it.In all cases, CA is believed to be comfortable with the legal strength of its contract with Seven, should the dispute escalate to a court battle at the outset of the season.A greater issue would appear to be Seven’s capacity to pay its dues over the remainder of the deal, with its share price diving as a mounting pile of debts creep closer to maturing next year. In a statement on Friday, a CA spokesman said: “Cricket Australia remains in ongoing discussions with the Seven Network about delivering a compelling summer of cricket. CA is committed to fulfilling its contractual obligations to all its partners this season.”CA’s chairman Earl Eddings had on Wednesday discussed the matter with state chairs during the latest meeting of the Australian Cricket Council, where the head of commercial Stephanie Beltrame also updated the group. There is understood to have been a unified view that CA should seek to uphold its contract with Seven.The proposed fixture list now has the international season starting with white-ball cricket against India – which fellow broadcaster Fox Sports has the exclusive rights to – after the players have quarantined following the IPL, followed by four Tests from mid-December. The Afghanistan Test, which is slated for Perth and would be part of Seven’s package, may be under threat due to the Western Australian government’s hard stance on quarantine rules.Last month the Seven CEO James Warburton began the broadcaster’s attack by outlining his frustrations when reporting the network’s underwhelming financial results. “It’s been frustrating with Cricket Australia, that’s for sure,” he said on August 25. “Ultimately, when you look at the season, like the AFL and to an extent the NRL, they need to look at what is possible to deliver, stop talking about international borders being closed, or borders being closed, and start to look at what really is the season we are going to deliver.”You have got the Australian T20 and one-day captain saying one thing, you have got the coach saying another, you have got BBL franchises talking about no international players – or [having more] grade cricketers. We could send the cameras down for free to telecast grade cricket. We have paid a huge price for the rights and we need to understand very quickly what the season is.”Warburton was later to label CA a “train wreck” for the way they have gone about putting the season together. He was particularly scathing about the potential of the BBL losing extra star names due to their needing to be larger international squads because of travel restrictions, although it’s understood that CA are confident that a case against quality can’t be made by the broadcaster. There is also a view that Seven’s stance on the tournament missing a vast number of players has been overstated while there has been talk of allowing extra overseas names to be signed.”On the field, if I bring it back to the BBL, there’s a lot of commentary and speculation around who will and won’t play in the BBL, but one of the best features of the BBL is the surprise and delight element, you never quite know who is going to step up,” Anthony Everard, Cricket Australia’s head of fan engagement and one the original people behind the BBL, told ESPNcricinfo.”Whether that be Jofra Archer a few years ago at the Hurricanes, or in more recent times Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith are in the Australian squad now off the back of their BBL performances. I’m really excited about who is going to seize the opportunity to have their breakout year in the BBL.”

David Balcombe, the Surrey and former Hampshire pace bowler, has retired from professional cricket to take up a full-time role with the Kevin Pietersen foundation

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2016David Balcombe, the Surrey and former Hampshire pace bowler, has retired from professional cricket to take up a full-time role with the Kevin Pietersen Foundation.Balcombe, 31, joined Surrey from Hampshire in 2015. Although he did not make a first-team appearance during the season, Balcombe was preparing for the new summer before making his decision.”To play professional cricket was a dream come true and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute,” Balcombe said. “Hampshire gave me my first opportunity in the professional game and it is the club I will always hold close to my heart.”I have made lifelong friends, experienced some wonderful career moments and it provided me with 10 seasons of immense enjoyment.”Balcombe made his first-class debut for Durham UCCE against Somerset in 2005 – and he made special mention of the role Graeme Fowler, the former head coach at the university, played for his early mentoring role – before his County Championship debut came in 2007 for Hampshire against Kent.Overall, Balcombe took 196 first-class wickets at 32.83 with a career-best 8 for 71 against Gloucestershire in 2012. He enjoyed a productive two-year period which began with a loan spell for Kent in 2011 where he claimed 33 wickets at 17.81 before following that in 2012 with 64 first-class wickets at 26.10 back with Hampshire.”I will forever remain indebted to Kent for the tremendous support I received when I went on loan to them for a short time,” he said. “They helped me immensely with my cricket and also as an individual. Every time I think of the St Lawrence Ground it will be with a huge smile.”As a boy I had always dreamed of playing for Surrey, my home county. When, in 2015, I was given the chance to go back to where I began my cricket career it was too big an opportunity to turn down.”I am very grateful to Surrey for all their support this year and for their help and understanding in my decision to retire.”

Perth Scorchers lost but there net run-rate was enough for a knockout berth

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2020A devastating spell of fast bowling from Shabnim Ismail helped Sydney Thunder secure a WBBL finals spot with a six-wicket victory over last-placed Hobart Hurricanes in the final round of the season.Ismail’s burst of pace in the Powerplay left the Hurricanes reeling at 3 for 4 in the third over. She removed Nicola Carey and Hayley Matthews in the first over after Rachael Haynes had won the toss and sent the Hurricanes in. Carey miscued a pull shot to square leg while Matthews played on trying to defend. Two overs later Chloe Tryon got a leading edge trying to flick off her pads and the sky ball was comfortably taken by Tahlia Wilson.Ismail finished with 3 for 10 from four overs and the Hurricanes never really recovered. Rachel Priest and Sasha Moloney shared a 57-run stand but took 58 balls to do so. Hannah Darlington also claimed three wickets for the Thunder as the Hurricanes finished at 9 for 115 from their 20 overs.The chase wasn’t completely smooth sailing but it was comfortable enough thanks to contributions from Heather Knight (25) and Tammy Beaumont (22). Phoebe Litchfield (24 not out) and Sammy-Jo Johnson came together at 4 for 81 and guided the side home comfortably to ensure the Thunder qualified for the finals while the Hurricanes finished last with just three wins.Alyssa Healy raced to a magnificent century•Getty Images

Alyssa Healy smoked a breathtaking 48-ball century, the fourth-fastest in WBBL history, but it was not enough for the Sydney Sixers to reach the knockouts as they were left with a near-impossible net run-rate deficit to overhaul – a requirement beyond even the powers of Healy.Still, it was a magnificent display for a good crowd at North Sydney Oval who enjoyed the mountain of boundaries that came from both sides after Meg Lanning had earlier put in a cracking display of her own. To qualify for the semi-finals, the Sixers had to chase the target in six overs so that was off the cards from the start. Healy just played her normal game, getting off the mark with a six against Katherine Brunt, and peppering the boundary with regularity as overs rarely dipped below the double-figure mark.The opening stand with Ellyse Perry was worth 150 in 14.1 overs when Perry chipped to midwicket which sparked a wobble as four wickets fell in eight balls including Healy. However, Angela Reakes held her nerve with 21 off 12 balls to complete a brilliant chase.The Stars’ top order had put in a strong display of their own, Lanning and Elyse Villani added 79 for the first wicket even though Villani appeared to be battling a leg injury. There was then significant acceleration between Lanning and Nat Sciver as they added 82 off just 33 balls either side of a brief rain delay which knocked an over off the innings.Jemma Barsby was run out as the Scorchers fluffed the chase•Getty Images

The Scorchers suffered a startling collapse as they wasted another century opening stand between Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney which left them needing to wait for the outcome of Stars verses Sixers to see if they secured a semi-final spot. They held a significant net run-rate advantage so it would take a huge swing in the Sixers’ favour to deny them but the way they couldn’t seal the chase from such a strong position raised questions about the middle order.Devine again struck the ball with power and Mooney moved along effortlessly as the pair broke the back of the chase, following their unbroken 140-run stand the previous day, but from needed 42 off 37 balls things went badly wrong after Devine skied a catch to the keeper. It came down to needing nine off the last over bowled by Sarah Coyte and Jemma Barsby was run out off the first delivery. A boundary from the last ball would have earned a Super Over but it proved beyond Taneale Peschel.It had been a fine innings from Amanda-Jade Wellington which transformed a stuttering Strikers innings and gave the Scorchers a tougher chase than appeared likely. She struck 48 off 25 balls after the top order had played solidly but without taking the game away from the Scorchers. Katie Mack skipped to 32 off 20 balls and Laura Wolvaardt completed her tournament with another compact innings while Sarah Glenn was again impressive with the ball.A career-best haul of 4 for 12 from Georgia Prestwidge helped defending champions Brisbane Heat thump Melbourne Renegades to secure the second spot on the WBBL table ahead of the finals.Defending a DLS-adjusted target of 120 in 17 overs, Prestwidge and Delissa Kimmince sliced through the Renegades top order as they crumbled to be all out for just 76. Kimmince found Lizelle Lee’s outside edge off the first ball of the chase with a superb outswinger.Prestwidge then had both Josephine Dooley and Rebecca Carter caught behind in the third over, extracting some extra bounce from the Drummoyne Oval surface, although Dooley was attempting a ramp stroke. The Renegades slumped to 3 for 7 and never recovered. Only four players reached double figures but no one passed 14 as Prestwidge took four wickets for the first time in her WBBL career while Jess Jonassen and Amelia Kerr claimed two wickets each. It completed an excellent all-round display from Kerr who made 35 not out off 26 balls with the bat to help the Heat post a competitive total having scored at less than a run-a-ball during the powerplay. Lea Tahuhu proved difficult to deal with claiming 2 for 16 from her four overs. But the Renegades season ended with a whimper after their brilliant win over the Sydney Sixers on Saturday night.

Chase and Hetmyer were among four players deemed ineligible for T20I and ODI squads

Matt Roller01-Mar-2021Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase are available for selection in West Indies’ Test series against Sri Lanka this month after meeting the minimum fitness standard required by CWI.Hetymer and Chase were among four players who were deemed unavailable for the T20I and ODI legs of Sri Lanka’s tour, along with fast bowlers Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas.”The policy asks for a minimum standard in certain aspects of fitness testing,” Jimmy Adams, CWI’s director of cricket, said on Saturday. “It’s pretty simple, and it’s something all the players are aware of: failure to get to [the minimum standard] makes them unavailable for selection.”However, Adams confirmed at a press conference on Monday that Chase and Hetmyer had since reached the minimum threshold, and as a result would be available to play in the Test series which starts on March 21.”Two of those four players have since met the minimum standard: Roston Chase and Shimron Hetmyer,” Adams said. “They would be now available for the next selection meeting before the Test matches coming up later in March.”Both players have been included in a provisional 26-man group who will participate in a “best v best” four-day practice match in Antigua from March 8-11, with Chase due to captain one of the sides. Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel have been rested from that fixture, while there is a return to international contention for Kieran Powell, the opening batsman from Nevis.Roger Harper, CWI’s lead selector, said: “The ‘Best v Best’ game is firstly part of our preparation for the Test series against Sri Lanka. It gives the players who performed well in the last West Indies Championship an opportunity to showcase their skills, playing against each other, which we expect to be very competitive and put forward a case for themselves. It is a chance to raise their stock and show what they can do.”West Indies Best v Best squadsSquad A: Kraigg Brathwite (captain), Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Derval Green, Keon Harding, Shimron Hetmyer, Kavem Hodge, Paul Palmer Jr, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieran Powell, Preston McSween, Jayden Seales
Squad B: Roston Chase (captain), Sunil Ambris, Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, John Campbell, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Imran Khan, Marquino Mindley, Shayne Moseley, Raymon Reifer, Nial Smith, Jomel Warrican

Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz left out of an overhauled Pakistan squad

Umar Farooq16-Jan-2020The experienced pair of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez will return to the Pakistan side for the T20I series against Bangladesh next week. Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz have been left out, with pace bowler Muhammad Musa keeping his place in the shortest format, while batsman Ahsan Ali and fast bowler Amad Butt were called up.For the second T20I squad in succession, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq rung in the changes as Pakistan look to break a streak of seven T20Is without a win. Pacer Shaheen Afridi returns to the side for the first time since May, having sat out the T20s against Sri Lanka and Australia as he recovered from about of dengue fever, while Usman Qadir keeps his place and may finally be in line for his debut. Haris Rauf has also been called up after his impressive season in the Big Bash League with the Melbourne Stars.Squad: Babar Azam (capt), Ahsan Ali, Amad Butt, Iftikhar Ahmed Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Khushdil Shah Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Musa, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir”He[Hafeez] is experienced enough and has performed well in past,” said Misbah when asked about the merits of his selection. “At the time when him and Malik were ruled out, we never said that they will never be considered again. Obviously, we were trying out our pool, but we found they were missed. So even if Hafeez hasn’t played much cricket lately, he is experienced and mature enough to contribute for Pakistan.”Hafeez was suspended from bowling in ECB competitions just last week after umpires reported him following a match at Taunton in August, and independent testing revealed he was breaching the 15-degree limit. Hafeez pledged to contest the findings, but as things presently stand, Pakistan will not have his services as a bowler available to them.In the last 12 months, Pakistan have lost 8 out of 9 completed T20s they have played, and a side that was until recently ranked comfortably at the top of the T20I rankings has begun to fall apart. They still hold the number one ranking, but that is more by dint of their remarkable record in the time before this recent string of poor results. Misbah said they needed to continue to experiment until they found a combination that worked for Pakistan.”We have lost two series earlier and it was important for us to think hard about how we can return to winning ways,” said Misbah. “Most of our decisions were taken considering the fact that we have been losing and have to start winning again. So we’ve got our experienced players back and picked our domestic performers. We wanted to persist with Khushdil Shah and Usman Qadir and picked Harris Rauf on his performance in the national T20 Cup and the Big Bash.”We have tried a mix of senior and young players which enable us to retain our winning momentum. Until the World T20, everyone is in consideration. Yes, the situation has been alarming after we lost against Sri Lanka and then in Australia. But we are going to keep experimenting until we don’t get to our best combination. The results I know weren’t up to our expectations but we don’t need to be frightened.”Another surprise was the axing of Mohammad Amir, who has taken more wickets in T20I cricket than any other Pakistan bowler since the start of January 2018. He quit Test cricket to focus on white-ball cricket, and there was dismay at the PCB when that happened, who, among other things, demoted his category A contract to one in category C, the lowest category. On dropping him, Misbah, who had himself expressed unhappiness with players picking and choosing what formats they wanted to play in, said, “We tried to be consistent with young players. Having senior bowlers like Amir and Wahab sit out is tough. The whole idea of dropping them is to include younger bowlers in the playing XI.”The three match T20I series against Bangladesh will start on January 24, with the other two T20Is to be held on January 25 and 27. All three games will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Captain’s unbeaten 66 breaks 15-game winless run as match goes down to the wire

Srinidhi Ramanujam17-Feb-2023Captain Hayley Matthews led West Indies to a drought-breaking six-wicket victory over Ireland in their Women’s T20 World Cup match at Newlands. The result ended West Indies’ 15-match losing streak in T20Is and knocked Ireland out of the tournament with a third straight loss in the competition.

Rashada Williams gets demerit point

Rashada Williams was fined 15% of her match fee and received one demerit point for breaching Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct during an incident in the sixth over of West Indies’ innings, when, according to an ICC statement, she made “deliberate physical contact” with bowler Leah Paul after being run out. Williams accepted the sanction and there was no need for a formal hearing.
Demerit points stay on a player’s record for 24 months. At any point, if a player reaches four or more demerit points, it equates to a ban. This is the only demerit point currently on Williams’ record.

Chasing 138, Matthews hit an unbeaten 66 and took the team home with a ball to spare. Earlier, Orla Prendergast’s 61 gave Ireland their highest total in a T20 World Cup. However, they collapsed at the end to finish on 137 for 9 which wasn’t enough.

Captain’s knock from Matthews

Matthews did the bulk of the scoring after being dropped on 8 and helped West Indies chase down 138 after a shaky start. West Indies lost opener Rashada Williams and Shemaime Campbelle for 46 runs before the halfway mark. Adding to that, they did not have Stafanie Taylor, who was stretchered off the field during West Indies’ previous game against India, and had to miss out this time with a back injury. Chedean Nation was also ruled out with a knee problem.Against that backdrop, Matthews took the responsibility to stay to the end and ensure the job was done. After seeing through the pitch with a run-a-ball 22, she picked up pace and found boundaries regularly off her trademark cut shots off the back foot. With Chinelle Henry at the other end providing a crisp 34, Matthews kept going strong to stitch a crucial 74-run stand off 55 deliveries for the third wicket. En route, Matthews brought up her seventh T20I half-century in 42 balls and slammed eight fours and a six in her 53-ball innings. That Ireland were sloppy in the field also helped West Indies.

Record partnership for Ireland

Ireland dominated the first 15 overs before collapsing in the last five after opting to bat first. Prendergast and Gaby Lewis started briskly to keep the scorecard ticking in their 90-run partnership for the second wicket. After Shamilia Connell struck in the second over to remove Amy Hunter, West Indies struggled to break the partnership. From scoring 5.5 runs an over in the first six, the duo – with the stand dominated by Prendergast – shifted gears to take the run rate to 9.11 from seven to 15 overs.Prendergast started off with a glorious strike over extra cover for four and brought up her third T20I half-century in 40 balls with a slog-sweep over deep midwicket. In her 47-ball stay, she blasted six fours – three of which came through the covers – and one six.It was also the highest partnership for Ireland Women in a T20 World Cup match. Lewis, on the other hand, was happy to play second fiddle, contributing 22 off 24 in the stand.

Ramharack, Fletcher strike late blows

West Indies got back into the game after 15 overs with Karishma Ramharack and Afy Fletcher striking at the death to spark Ireland’s collapse. It began with the key wicket of Lewis (38), who was looking to up the ante after Prendergast’s dismissal, and was trapped lbw by Ramharack. Two deliveries later she bowled Louise Little, who was promoted ahead of captain Laura Delany.Eimear Richardson then punished Henry for two fours but Fletcher came back with a double strike, conceding just one run in the 18th over, to strangle Ireland. In no time, Ireland went from 115 for 2 to 137 for 9, losing six wickets for a mere 22 runs. Connell, who removed Hunter and Prendergast, accounted for Leah Paul in the final over to end with 3 for 24.

Given the amount of rain that has fallen on Durban’s Kingsmead ground in the past week, Andrew Strauss would be forgiven for wishing that the heavens remain open for another day, so that his team can cement their 2-1 series lead

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Given the amount of rain that has fallen on Durban’s Kingsmead ground in the past week, Andrew Strauss would be forgiven for wishing that the heavens remain open for another day, so that his team can cement their 2-1 series lead, and emerge victorious for the first time ever in an ODI series in South Africa. But such is the journey that Strauss and his charges have been on in recent months, such an anticlimactic conclusion would be far from fitting. The team has been accused of many things of late, but being boring is not one of them.For Strauss himself, the Durban contest marks a notable milestone. Weather permitting, it will be his 100th ODI cap, and seeing as he had been jettisoned from the set-up after the 2007 World Cup, and spent a full two years thinking he’d never play in that format again, it is an achievement of some note. “To come back in and be part of this side and feel like we’re going somewhere is quite motivating,” he told reporters at Kingsmead. “I’m really enjoying my one-day cricket.”Enjoyment has been central to England’s mini-revival. Back in September, when a listless and Ashes-sated squad were battered 6-1 in their home series against Australia, it didn’t seem possible to inject any urgency into their performances. But then came a relocation to South Africa for the Champions Trophy, and suddenly the results began to stack up – albeit with the odd hefty set-back, as inflicted by the Aussies once again in the semi-final of that tournament, and by South Africa in their record-breaking run-fest at Newlands last week.But Strauss’s England teams are becoming accustomed to fighting back from adversity – witness their spirited response to being bowled out for 51 in Jamaica in February, or the way they claimed the Ashes despite being routed in two-and-a-half days in the penultimate Test at Headingley in August. According to the captain, such bouncebackability requires a culture of honesty within the squad, and an absence of ego.”Players have probably opened their eyes to the fact we have a long way to go and we’ve all got to be prepared for hard work if we’re going to get somewhere,” said Strauss. “We want an environment where we all push each other very hard – and in order to do that, we need to be honest with each other first and foremost. The environment we’re trying to create is one everyone has kind of accepted.”South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, is not noted for his chumminess with his English opposite numbers – having sparred with Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen in recent times – but even he could not find much of a bone to pick with Strauss, despite the lingering issue of his refused runner during the Champions Trophy.”Andrew is an intelligent guy, with a lot of common sense,” said Strauss. “He’s provided a lot of stability for England and has gone about it the way we have expected. We’ve managed to keep a little hold on him in terms of his batting – he still hasn’t scored a fifty against South Africa in one-day cricket, but he’s the guy we expected him to be.”But, as Smith went on to point out, it doubtless helps England’s rebuilding efforts that the go-to men of recent times – most notably Andrew Flintoff and Pietersen – have been out of the limelight, which has allowed new stars such as Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott to find their feet without being overshadowed. “We don’t want three or four senior players running the show,” said Strauss. “We want everyone feeling comfortable enough to contribute, and also that it’s expected of them to contribute.”In the sport we play, there are always going to be people who are bigger characters than others or have bigger egos,” he added.”But a good environment is able to take that into account and still let people express themselves and get the best out of themselves.”One of those players with a larger-than-average ego is Pietersen, who has struggled to reassert himself since returning to the squad following his Achilles injury, and produced a particularly frenetic six-ball performance at Port Elizabeth on Sunday. And true to form, Smith cranked up the psychological pressure by reminding him of the reasons why he is not the most universally popular cricketer on this tour.”He’s obviously got a history through things that he’s done and said, and people are still getting over those emotions,” said Smith. “The crowds have been quite vocal again towards him. Ultimately, I think it’s just his job to get on with it and deal with that. It happens round the world these days.”

South Group leaders gun down 172 chase with four overs to spare to hit Middlesex’s quarter-final hopes

ECB Reporters Network24-Aug-2019Laurie Evans’ second half-century of the T20 campaign saw Sussex canter to an eight-wicket victory over Middlesex at Uxbridge.Evans plundered three sixes and four fours, reaching his half-century from 25 balls when depositing the winning hit into the crowd, as the visitors chased down a target of 172 with four overs to spare.Sharks’ skipper Luke Wright, who had scored a century against Middlesex at Lord’s in the Royal London Cup back in May, had earlier blasted 48 in 27 balls, while Alex Carey was unbeaten on 41.The victory all but clinched Sussex’s quarter-final place, as they sit three points clear in the standings, and was the fifth time this season they had put one over today’s opposition.Middlesex remain fourth, at least for a few hours, but this is the first time in the competition this season they have lost back-to-back games. Dawid Malan had no hesitation in choosing to bat first and he and Paul Stirling got the hosts off to a strong start.Stirling struck a maximum in the first over as he finally found some form in the format this season.Malan was even more fluent at the other end, striking some sumptuous trademark cover drives as they rattled up a stand of 57 before Stirling skied one to Laurie Evans at cover off Ollie Robinson from the final ball of the powerplay.Sadly, for the hosts, Malan followed soon afterwards, hitting Will Beer’s worst delivery of the day straight down the throat of deep square.Eoin Morgan kept up the momentum, England’s one-day captain clearing the players’ pavilion with one maximum off Danny Briggs.Mohammed Hafeez also applied the long handle on his way to 48, just clearing the ropes with successive sixes off Beer.At 141 for 2 off 15 overs, 200 looked within reach, but Morgan holed out at long-off from the bowling of Reece Topley and from there the innings lost all impetus, as just 30 runs were scraped off the last five overs.A total of 171 looked short of par, especially when Sharks openers Phil Salt and Wright took three boundaries from Tom Helm’s first over.Toby Roland-Jones was greeted with similar disdain, Wright pulling the former England quick for six over cow corner and successive fours as the 50 came up in four overs.Hafeez spurned a tough caught and bowled chance to reprieve Wright on 27 and he celebrated by smashing Nathan Sowter for six over mid-wicket in the following over.It was Stirling who made the breakthrough when Salt lofted him to George Scott in the deep, the allrounder juggling the ball before clinging on.Wright continued to plunder the home attack until he miscued another big hit and was caught and bowled by Steven Finn.His dismissal did little to stop the carnage, Evans and Carey sharing a stand of 81 in just seven overs as they sped to victory.

The 23-year-old Cape Cobras batsman was rewarded for his consistency over the first-class season, and for his form during a tour of India in 2018

Liam Brickhill06-Dec-2018Zubayr Hamza, the 23-year-old Cape Cobras batsman, could make his Test debut against Pakistan on Boxing Day after being named in the 13-man South African squad for the upcoming three-match Test series. If he gains selection in the final XI he will become the 100th
player to represent South Africa in Test cricket since readmission.”Zubayr has been one of the standout cricketers in domestic cricket over the past year and carried that form into the South Africa A tour to India where he averaged over 50 in the four-day series against tough opposition and under tough conditions,” said CSA National Selection Panel convener Linda Zondi.Hamza also enjoyed an outstanding season in the 2017-18 four-day franchise competition, scoring 828 runs at an average of 69 with three centuries.”His selection is part of our vision for the future as we start to feed new players into the system,” Zondi explained. “It is inevitable that some of our senior players will start thinking of retiring in years to come and it is vital that we have a good succession plan in place.”ALSO READ: One step at a time for level-headed HamzaCricket South Africa’s squad for the series also features the return of seamer Duanne Olivier in place of Lungi Ngidi, who injured his knee during a T20I against Australia last month and has been ruled out until the end of February. Olivier was part of the squad for the home Tests against Australia in 2018 and has represented the South Africa in five Test matches.”As unfortunate as Lungi’s injury is we are blessed to have outstanding depth in our fast bowling resources,” Zondi said. “Duanne has impressed on his previous appearances for the Proteas and has had a good franchise season to date with 20 wickets in his five matches at an average of 22.80.While he has been ruled out of Tshwane Spartans’ ongoing Mzansi Super
League campaign with a back injury, batsman Theunis de Bruyn has also been included in the Test squad, and Tladi Bokako, the 25-year-old Cape Cobras and Durban Heat fast bowler, will join him as a non-playing member to gain experience.”Tladi Bokako will work with the squad as a learning experience during the series in a continuation of the initiative we started with Kagiso Rabada and continued with Matthew Breetzke earlier in the season. He has had a good debut season for the Cape Cobras with 21 wickets at 26.33 to date. “We will continue to identify young players with the potential to become future Proteas,” Zondi concluded.South Africa play three Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is against Pakistan starting on December 26.South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma , Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn

Batsman’s 56 from 33 balls was not the most substantial knock in Sri Lanka’s innings, but it was the most eye-catching

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo23-Oct-2018He had gone 24 innings without a fifty, His four most recent innings featured three ducks and a score of 5. But it was the intensity that Kusal Mendis brought to his fielding that tipped the team management off that a good innings might be around the corner. That was the reason why they refused to drop him for the fifth ODI.This was what captain Dinesh Chandimal revealed following Sri Lanka’s 219-run DLS victory over England in Colombo. Sri Lanka could have brought the experienced Upul Tharanga back into the side, after Mendis had registered scores of 0 and 5 in his other two outings of the series – never looking like the kind of player the likes of Kumar Sangakkara had predicted would go on to score 10,000 runs in ODIs and Tests.But suddenly, in this match, a fire reignited in Mendis’ game. His 56 from 33 balls was not the most substantial knock in Sri Lanka’s innings, but it was the most eye-catching. He struck at a run-rate of 170 and hit six sweet sixes, the most attractive of them an imperious lofted off-drive off Tom Curan, in the 38th over.”We looked at Mendis’ fielding, and that was the No. 1 reason we trusted him,” Chandimal said of giving Mendis another opportunity despite the lean run of scores. “His attitude on the field was great. We know that when you have a player like that, he can get into form very quickly. We know how good a batsman he is. Kusal Mendis is our future. He took that responsibility on and played well for the team.”Fielding, in general, has been something Chandimal has emphasised since taking the captaincy from Angelo Mathews, and in this series, Sri Lanka have seemed to raise their game on that front. Where in previous months, including in September’s Asia Cup, Sri Lanka were perhaps the worst fielding side on show in any trophy they happened to be playing for, they arguably out-fielded England through the course of this series. At the very least, Sri Lanka were the more proficient side in Tuesday’s game.”The main thing for us is fielding,” Chandimal said. “If you can keep that energy and good attitude when you are fielding, other things fall into place. That’s what we did as a team.”Much as Sri Lanka would have loved Mendis to hit this kind of form earlier in the series, that he has done so with the Tests on the horizon will be an especial fillip to the hosts, who often look to him for top-order runs on turning tracks. Two other key Test batsmen were also among the runs in this game. Chandimal himself struck 80 off 73 balls – the first occasion since 2016 in which he scored more than fifty at better than a run-a-ball. Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, who opens the innings in ODIs, and bats in the lower middle order in Tests, made the highest score of the series, hitting 95 off 97 deliveries.”We had lost the series when we got here, but we were intent on regaining form ahead of the T20 and Tests,” Chandimal said. “I’m glad three of our Test batsmen made runs today. We’re hopeful we can take that confidence in to those next two series.”