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“If he had batted through the powerplay, we would probably have scored 190”

Danyal Rasool22-Sep-20251:45

Was Fakhar Zaman out or not out?

Pakistan have made their dissatisfaction over Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal against India in the sides’ Super Four game in the Asia Cup known to the match officials. Following the game, in the captain’s customary report to match referee Andy Pycroft and the Umpires and Referees manager, Pakistan shone a spotlight on the TV umpire’s decision to declare Fakhar caught by the wicketkeeper off a slower delivery from Hardik Pandya. Sanju Samson dived forward to complete a catch, one that was only confirmed after the on-field umpires sent the decision to the TV umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge.In the post match press conference, on Sunday night Pakistan captain Salman Agha also took slight issue with Fakhar’s dismissal, saying it “did look like it bounced ahead of the keeper”. Fakhar, promoted up the order to open the batting, got Pakistan off to a brisk start, scoring three boundaries in his first eight balls and speeding to 15.Hardik had rolled his fingers over the ninth delivery, and the deviation drew an outside edge from Fakhar. But with little pace on the ball, Sanju Samson had to reach forward to get his gloves underneath the ball. Feeling satisfied he had done so, India went up in appeal. The TV umpire had a couple of looks at the replay before deciding the catch was cleanly taken, and that the ball had bounced in the gloves rather than just in front.Related

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Post-match, Agha guardedly disagreed. “Umpires can make mistakes,” he said. “But it did look like it bounced ahead of the keeper to me. I might be wrong. The way [Fakhar] was batting, if he had batted through the powerplay, we would probably have scored 190. But those are calls for umpires to make. To me, it looked like it bounced before the keeper. I might be mistaken, but so might be the umpire.”At the time, the dismissal did little to halt Pakistan’s momentum. While Saim Ayub couldn’t score at the same rate, Sahibzada Farhan at the other end sped along to a 34-ball half-century as Pakistan darted to 55 in the powerplay and 91 in the first ten, both Pakistani records against India.”The batting was a lot better today, and that’s a positive,” Agha said. “The way our start was, we could have scored 15 more. But when the ball goes soft after ten overs, it’s not as easy to bat. But we didn’t bowl as well in the powerplay and got punished. But our start should have ensured we scored 180.”Ultimately, Pakistan finished with 171 after India’s bowlers came back strongly following the drinks break. The subsequent seven overs produced just one boundary and 38 runs, the lowest for any side in that phase all tournament. India made short work in pursuit, reaching 100 without loss in the ninth over, and ultimately coasting to a six-wicket win. During that time, Mohammad Nawaz put down a sharp chance Shubman Gill provided, while Farhan palmed one off Abishek over the rope for six.”Bowling or batting, we look to play the perfect game,” Agha said. “To win, you have to excel in all three facets of the game. We didn’t field well or start well with the ball. We have to forget this game because we have one the day after tomorrow. We’re looking forward to delivering a better performance there.”

India captain says the fast bowler “had a swelling in his knee”, which put him back in his recovery and bid to return to action

Ashish Pant15-Oct-20241:41

Will Shami be fit in time for the Australia Test series?

India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that senior quick Mohammed Shami’s return to the international fold might get further delayed after he suffered another “recent setback”. Shami, who underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon in February this year, has now developed a swelling on his knee which has “put him back a little bit in his recovery”, according to Rohit.”Right now, it is pretty difficult for us to make a call on whether he will be fit for this series or the Australia series,” Rohit said on the eve of India’s first Test against New Zealand, in Bengaluru. “He recently had a setback – he had a swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual.”He was in the process of getting fit – getting close to 100% – and he had a swelling in his knee. That put him back a little bit in his recovery, so he had to start again fresh.”Related

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Shami’s previous game for India came in the final of the World Cup last November. He was India’s highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70 and strike rate of 12.20 at the tournament. He played through pain during the World Cup, taking injections to treat his ankle.Shami then underwent surgery in London earlier this year and would have been in contention for the five-match Australia series which starts next month, but the latest blow has set him back further. While Shami is at the NCA working with the physios as things stand, Rohit also said India didn’t want to risk taking him to Australia when he isn’t fully fit.”Right now, he is at NCA – he is working with the physios, [and] the doctors at NCA,” Rohit said. “We are keeping our fingers crossed. We want him to be fit; we want him to be 100%. More than anything else, we don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us.”Having not played international cricket for nearly a year, Rohit also suggested that it would be tough for Shami to get right back into the thick of things.”He has not played any cricket for over a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best,” Rohit said. “It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover, and be 100% fit.”The physios, the trainers, [and] the doctors have set a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he plays international cricket. We will see where he is at after this New Zealand series, and then take a call at what stage of Australia [series] he will be fit for us.”India have eight Tests left in the current WTC cycle. They play a three-match series against New Zealand after which they will travel to Australia for five Tests starting November 22.

The allrounder could come into contention for the semi-final in Dubai where India have played all their games

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-20252:06

Should India stick with four spinners for the semi-final?

Cooper Connolly has been called into Australia’s Champions Trophy squad after Matt Short was ruled out through injury as they prepare for what could be a trial by spin in their semi-final against India.Short picked up a quad injury against Afghanistan and would not have had time to recover for the knockout matches.Connolly, the 21-year-old left-hand batter and left-arm spinner, has been a traveling reserve with the squad so will be available immediately. He has played just three ODIs but could come straight into selection consideration given Australia have lost Short’s offspin.Related

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If the selectors opt for a like-for-like switch of opening batters then Jake Fraser-McGurk is the spare batter while if they wanted another specialist spin bowler they could consider rejigging the balance of the attack and including Tanveer Sangha.Fraser-McGurk, who himself was a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, has struggled in his seven ODIs to date with 98 runs at 14.00, looking vulnerable when the new ball moves, but the selectors still see him as a player who can take on the powerplay.If Fraser-McGurk isn’t the route taken by the selectors it will require someone from the middle order moving up to the top to fill Short’s role, potentially the in-form Josh Inglis.Australia learnt their opponents for the semi-final will be India in Dubai on Tuesday when New Zealand were beaten in the final group game.Both Group B sides who qualified – Australia and South Africa – traveled to Dubai so that the team who faced India would have time to prepare. South Africa will now head straight back to Lahore for their semi-final against New Zealand.”We’ve obviously had a bit of a hectic schedule, playing a couple of games in Pakistan, back and forth in between cities, but I think with the nature of this tournament,” legspinner Adam Zampa said.In the selection frame: Cooper Connolly could feature against India•Getty Images

Zampa shapes as a pivotal figure for Australia in the semi-final at a ground that has aided the spinners. Against New Zealand, India used 37.3 overs of spin with Varun Chakravarthy taking 5 for 42 although there had also been some early assistance for the quicks as Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson troubled India’s top order.Australia were troubled by Sri Lanka’s spinners in their two ODIs in Colombo prior to the Champions Trophy.”It changes a little bit,” Zampa said of the conditions between Pakistan and Dubai. “Potentially slower lower wickets, so there might be an opportunity to create a few more chances, we’ll see.”Zampa added he felt there was room for improvement in his own bowling after returns of 2 for 64 against England and 2 for 48 against Afghanistan.”Personally, I don’t think I’m bowling quite at my best, but I like to think the beauty about me is when I’m not quite at my best and not feeling that great out there is my ability to still contribute and take those big wickets,” he said.”I’m obviously working on some stuff at the moment to hopefully get back to my best, but as I said, the ability to still do a job for the team and get those big wickets is still there, which to me is really important.”The last time Australia faced India in an ODI was the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup. If they win this time they will return to Lahore for the final otherwise it will be staged in Dubai.

Club found to be in breach of ECB Directive 3.3 during period from 2001 to 2010

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2024Essex County Cricket Club has been charged by the Cricket Regulator – the sport’s new independent disciplinary body – after a series of historical allegations of racist abuse were last year upheld by an independent report.In December, a 38-page report compiled by Katherine Newton KC found that, in a period from the mid-1990s to 2013, Essex’s club culture had been one in which ethnic, racial and religious comments were regarded as “banter”.The report centred on the testimony of three former players – not named in its pages but known to be Jahid Ahmed, Maurice Chambers and Zoheb Sharif, one of whom was nicknamed “Bomber” due to his South Asian heritage, and another taunted with bananas for being Black.In a separate incident that prompted the commissioning of the report, the former club chair, John Faragher, was alleged to have used the racist phrase “n****r in the woodpile” during a board meeting in 2017, with Essex accepting a fine of £50,000 from the ECB in May 2022 after admitting two charges relating to that meeting.The club has now been charged with a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 during the years 2001 to 2010, for “conduct, acts or omissions which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute”.In a statement, the Cricket Regulator said Essex had failed to address the “systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language and/or conduct at Essex” in that period, adding that an independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission would hear the case in due course.In response, Essex CCC acknowledged the scope of the breach and the club’s willingness to accept the CDC’s findings.”The club has fully cooperated with the Cricket Regulator and will continue to do so throughout the process, and intends to participate willingly with the Cricket Discipline Commission,” a statement read. “There will be no further comment from the club at this time.The Cricket Regulator came into being in December 2023, after that summer’s damning report published by Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which detailed structural inequalities across race, gender and class in cricket in England and Wales.In a key recommendation, the ECB’s previous dual roles as promoter and regulator of the game were found to be “irreconcilable”, in light of the board’s handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations of institutional racism at Yorkshire.

Pakistan’s spinners were the difference between the two sides as they derailed the West Indies chase of 179

Danyal Rasool01-Aug-2025In a game which wasn’t as close as the final scorecard would suggest, Pakistan’s spinners were the difference between the two sides as they derailed the West Indies chase of 179 in the middle overs to ease to a 14-run victory in the first T20I in Lauderhill.That target was put up thanks to a brisk half-century from Saim Ayub up top and contributions through the order. West Indies’ bowling had the discipline to never truly let the batters cut loose on a surface that rewarded pace off the ball, but the flow of runs remained steady, if not explosive. Pakistan backloading some of their power hitters would come in handy when Jason Holder trapped Ayub in front for 57; cameos from Hasan Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf, as well as a six off the only ball Mohammad Haris faced helped Pakistan fetch 58 off their last 31 balls.West Indies knew it was chaseable and batted like it up front. But there was an uneasy fragility to that line-up in the face of a multitude of Pakistan spinners, as well as a standout bowling performance from Shaheen Shah Afridi, the standout Pakistan seamer on the day. It left the hosts with too few overs to target as the asking rate climbed, and too few wickets to play with as Mohammad Nawaz, Sufiyan Muqeem and Ayub wreaked havoc.WI last 19 T20Is•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Holder reminded his side how easy big hitting can sometimes be with a blistering late attack as he helped himself to an unbeaten 30 off 12 with four sixes. It ensured West Indies finished strongly with 38 runs in the final two overs, but of all the things it threatened to do, changing the outcome at that stage wasn’t one of them.

Ayub sets himself apart

Asked to bat first, each of Pakistan’s top-order batters chipped in, but the runs never came at the dynamic strike rate Pakistan have repeatedly promised they would. Sahibzada Farhan was trapped in front early by Shamar Joseph, who would also account for Fakhar Zaman after a stodgy 24-ball 28. Five of the top six saw their innings conclude with strike rates between 110 and 133.33. And this would have been a problem, but for Ayub.For the first 25 balls of his innings, he found himself ambling along at the same pace as his team-mates. However, Ayub burst into life with a boundary off the final ball of the ninth over, and for a tiny, match-turning window, the fog lifted for him. Romario Shepherd was smashed for four in the following over, before two sixes in a 20-run Jediah Blades over flew Ayub past 50. His last 28 runs came in 13 balls, and by this time, Pakistan’s run rate was well above nine.That, when thrown the ball for a couple of overs, picking up a wicket in each was merely the icing on the cake.Saim Ayub scored a quick half-century•Associated Press

The platform, and its dismantling

For all of Pakistan’s late surge, a chase of 179 wasn’t near insurmountable, and West Indies would set about demonstrating that in a mature powerplay that balanced intent with calculated risk-taking. The hosts showed deference to Afridi, content to see off his two powerplay overs for five runs, but pounced on the others. Pakistan tried to sneak in a cheeky second over of the innings from Nawaz, only to watch it go for 11, while Johnson Charles took another ten off Haris Rauf’s first.But even without wickets falling, Pakistan began to rein West Indies in. Before the powerplay had ended, Rauf sneaked in an over for just seven, and as the field spread out, West Indies’ scoring ability nosedived in the face of some superbly accurate lines from Nawaz and Muqeem. The eight overs following the end of the powerplay produced just 37 runs and yielded four wickets, gutting West Indies before the final launch.

Nawaz’s triple strike guts the hosts

West Indies had begun to fall behind the asking rate following the powerplay, and that pressure brought a glut of wickets in dramatic fashion in Nawaz’s final over. Accurate without being menacing, until then, Nawaz provided Pakistan their first breakthrough by breaking West Indies’ 72-run opening stand when debutant Jewel Andrew holed out to long-off. Johnson Charles appeared to have cleared cow corner two balls later with an on-side heave, only for a brilliant effort on the boundary from Shaheen Afridi to parry it back and save his side four runs.Things got better for Pakistan when Charles top-edged the very next ball to the wicketkeeper, before West Indies slid further into the mire as Gudakesh Motie biffed one to deep midwicket. Nawaz, once famously termed a “match-winner” by Babar Azam, had indeed lived up to Babar’s estimation on this occasion.

Phil Salt top-scored with an opening 44 off 35 balls in Lancashire’s 178 for 6 before Wood’s hand in hosts’ defence

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Jul-2025Lancashire Lightning 178 for 6 (Salt 44, Chappell 3-23) beat Derbyshire Falcons 136-6 (Madsen 53, Wood 3-25) by 42 runsEngland limited-overs pacer Luke Wood struck twice with the first two balls of Lancashire’s defence of a 179-target as they beat struggling Derbyshire by 42 runs at Emirates Old Trafford to put one foot in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals.Wood’s international team-mate Phil Salt top-scored with an opening 44 off 35 balls in Lancashire’s 178 for 6.He was supported by valuable contributions from England white-ball captain Jos Buttler with 23, Liam Livingstone’s 35 off 23 and Australian Ashton Turner’s late 31 not out, setting Lightning up for their seventh win in nine North Group matches.Their elevation to top spot in the table was then all but confirmed from the moment left-armer Wood ousted Caleb Jewell and Martin Andersson at the start of the Falcons’ reply, which stuttered to 136 for 6 despite Wayne Madsen’s entertaining 53 off 40 balls. Wood finished with an excellent 3 for 25.This was bottom side Derbyshire’s seventh defeat in nine games.Unfortunately, Livingstone suffered a suspected hamstring injury and needed to use captain Keaton Jennings as a runner from 23 onwards.Earlier, Livingstone became the 12th Englishman to reach 7,000 career runs in T20 cricket. Two others in that dozen include Buttler and Salt.Lightning raced out of the blocks and were in a position to potentially swamp the Falcons at 124 for 2 after 13 overs.Salt and Livingstone had just taken a six apiece off Pat Brown’s seam, and they shared 68 in seven overs for the third wicket from 65 for 2 early in the eighth over when Buttler departed caught and bowled off Samit Patel’s left-arm spin.Opener Jennings, who hit 22, had taken four fours off Ben Aitchison’s seam in the second over of the match having been inserted.Derbyshire limited the damage impressively during the final seven overs, which saw pacer Zak Chappell remove both Salt and Livingstone caught at deep cover en-route to an excellent 4 for 23.Lancashire started this fixture, at 3pm, having only returned home at 3.45am from their winning trip to Northampton last night following issues on the M1.But there was no sign of rust.In fact, with four wickets falling in succession at the end of the Northamptonshire innings last night, including a Saqib Mahmood hat-trick, Lancashire had struck six times in six balls combining that with Wood’s double strike early here.Wood had opener Jewell caught at first slip and then bowled Andersson with a sumptuous in-swinging yorker.The first-ball wicket even won a lucky couple in the crowd a Dubai holiday as part of Lancashire’s Fly Emirates sponsorship.Wood later had opener Aneurin Donald caught at short fine-leg trying to ramp – 28 for 3 after five overs.Wood also helped the leg-spin of Luke Wells remove Brooke Guest with a smart catch at long-on.Madsen reached 50 off 36 balls with back-to-back swept sixes off Wells, but he sliced a full toss to cover as one of two 14th-over wickets for Australian off-spinner Chris Green as the score fell to 86 for 6.Chappell finished with a belligerent 34 not out to cap a handy personal performance which went unrewarded.