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At a noisy Eden Gardens, Knight Riders injected some life into their campaign with a straightforward six-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran26-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jacques Kallis chipped in with two key wickets, and a steadying 37•BCCI

“We know that we are in a desperate situation,” Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir said before the start of the match. With three consecutive defeats coming into this game, the defending champions Knight Riders were in disarray. To add to that, in the lead-up to the game, their allrounder Jacques Kallis – who hadn’t missed a game since joining the franchise in 2011 – was a doubtful starter after twisting his right knee in the previous match. And one of their experienced local batsmen, Manoj Tiwary, had an injury to his right hand.However, at a noisy Eden Gardens, Knight Riders injected some life into their campaign with a straightforward six-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. Not only did Kallis play, he bowled a miserly spell and took the wickets of two key Kings XI batsmen, besides chipping in with a steadying 37 after Knight Riders lost Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan in the second over.Tiwary wasn’t fit to play, but that also worked in Knight Riders’ favour as his replacement, Manvinder Bisla, shrugged off his indifferent form with an unbeaten half-century that confirmed the win. He was assisted by Eoin Morgan, the team’s designated finisher, who came in and played a series of typically flamboyant strokes to hasten the chase and cut out the tension of a final-over finish.There was something of a surprise early on when Adam Gilchrist walked out to the toss – “I managed to sneak in another selection,” he joked, highlighting how close he was to losing his place after a sustained poor run this season. Gilchrist managed to make his highest score of the season, a run-a-ball 27, but it might still not be enough to save his place for the next game.Gilchrist combined with Mandeep Singh to provide Kings XI their best start this year, before Kallis broke the opening partnership with his first delivery, getting Mandeep chipping to midwicket. That set up a trend of Kings XI batsmen getting starts without making a big score – Gilchrist holed out to midwicket soon after, Manan Vohra top scored with 31 before picking out the fielder at sweeper cover, David Hussey perished on 21.Kallis and Sunil Narine choked the runs towards the end of the innings, and Kings XI only managed 20 from the 16th to the 19th over. They finished with a flourish though as Gurkeerat Singh slammed a couple of sixes off L Balaji in the final over to lift the score to 149.That began to look daunting after Mahmood dismissed Gambhir and Pathan off successive deliveries. Kallis and Bisla, though, put the chase on track with a 66-run stand for the third wicket. Kallis was caught behind attempting a dab in the 11th over, and Knight Riders could have been in big trouble if the bails had fallen after a Piyush Chawla delivery hit leg stump with Morgan on 0. The bails didn’t fall, and Morgan unfurled a series of big hits to hand Kings XI their second straight defeat.

A mundane final afternoon had both coaches shrugging their shoulders at the outcome. Steady progress with an inexperienced squad was the
conclusion of both Jimmy Adams and John Bracewell after the opening three weeks of the season.

Alex Winter at Canterbury22-Apr-2012
ScorecardJimmy Adams is pleased that talented youngster Sam Northeast has responded to not being picked•Getty Images

A mundane final afternoon had both coaches shrugging their shoulders at the outcome. Steady progress with an inexperienced squad was the conclusion of both Jimmy Adams and John Bracewell after the opening three weeks of the season.This was the second draw for Kent, flanking a big win at Northampton last week, and Adams, Kent’s head coach, is very content with the start his new county have
made. And why not? He has cobbled together a fresh team – six new players in this side from last season – and they have avoided defeat against one and comprehensively beaten another side that was challenging for promotion last season, and almost beaten highly-fancied Yorkshire on their own turf. These three results are quite a fillip for the new regime.”I’m fairly happy with where we are,” Adams said. “We’re trying to build something that will hopefully last for a long time. You’re seeing
signs that the squad is coming together. Things could have gone terribly wrong with the lead that Gloucester had but I think in the second
innings the boys kept going and it augurs well for the challenges ahead.”Kent were bowled out for 150 in the first innings to concede a lead of 105 but played out the final afternoon with ease. Nothing happened at
all for the bowlers.Kent threatened only twice with the ball the previous day – their wickets on the final morning all coming as Gloucestershire set up their
declaration – and then Gloucestershire similarly were unable to create anything. The wicket was fine to bat on throughout the match but as the
conditions eased – the final day brought the best weather of the game – the swing that caused problems in both first innings evaporated.The two wickets Gloucestershire took were due to errors on the part of the batsman. Scott Newman flashed and edged a Will Gidman length
ball outside off and Ben Harmison holed out to deep midwicket. But Rob Key, so often everything good about
Kent, made an unbeaten 32.It was an easy escape. But Adams is a little concerned with the size of his squad, many of whom have picked up niggles: the backroom staff
are already busy. Kent aren’t blessed with playing resources but two batsman, Sam Northeast and Daniel Bell-Drummond, are two very
talented players to whom Adams will be able to turn.”Sam has had first-class experience and is someone we’re looking to make an impact before the end of the season,” Adams
said of Northeast, who scored 166 against Durham 2nd XI last week. “It’s fantastic that he’s done as well as he has – an immediate reply to
not being in the first eleven which is good, just showing everybody that he’s as ready as he could be. It’s a good sign.”Kent also have 18-year-old Daniel Bell-Drummond, perhaps the most exciting young batsman in the country. He scored 287 runs in five
matches as England reached the semi-final of the Under 19 World Cup.”The main thing is that we have young players who are showing the capacity to perform,” Adams said. “You want young players who want
to perform and have a history of performing consistently and Daniel is showing that at a very tender age. He’s coming to grips with what I
think is a very important part of a young player’s development: consistent performance.”While Kent can at least look to some talent in reserve, Gloucestershire have no such insurance. Their success – this draw followed a win at
Hampshire and a heavy defeat at Essex – will very much depend on keeping their squad fit. David Payne will be out of action for at least
two weeks but his side strain could be more serious.”I’m very concerned about the size of our squad,” John Bracewell, Gloucestershire’s director of cricket, said. “It’s a small squad with young guys who are going to get injured. They are not as resilient as more seasoned pros.”Bracewell said Benny Howell “looks a good cricketer”. Howell made his debut here and scored an impressive 44 on the first day, the most difficult
time to bat. Financial constrains make the possibility of a contract for him, or anyone else, a sticking point but a problem that will have to be
overcome. “The loan market may have to be an option otherwise we’re going to have to play amateurs.”The squad will be boosted by Kane Williamson’s arrival but visa delays mean he might not arrive in time for Gloucestershire’s next match
against Glamorgan. Daniel Flynn was expected to replace Williamson when he leaves for New Zealand’s tour of the West Indies but now
Flynn is also in contention for a place on that tour.

Four blistering sixes from AB de Villiers won the night for Bangalore Royal Challengers

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera09-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers smashed five sixes in his 54 off 40 balls•AFP

Five blistering sixes from AB de Villiers, and his 52-run partnership with Saurabh Tiwary, won the night for Bangalore Royal Challengers.The first came in the ninth over in which Sreesanth leaked 15 runs as Bangalore moved to 80 for 2. It was a full delivery, off a free hit, and de Villiers went down on a bent knee to paddle-scoop it for a stunning six over fine-leg. The next blitz from him came after spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ravindra Jadeja choked up the run flow in the next few overs. With 33 runs required from the last three overs, de Villiers imposed himself against Raiphi Gomez, who was asked to bowl his first over in that pressure situation. The second delivery was smashed over midwicket, the fifth disappeared over long-off and the final delivery was bulldozed over long-on. Game over.It wouldn’t have been an easy decision for Mahela Jayawardene, Kochi’s captain, to turn to Gomez but RP Singh’s poor effort in the 15th over must have forced his hand. With 59 runs needed from the last six overs, RP Singh bowled a poor over. The first delivery was outside leg stump and Saurabh Tiwary shoved it to the fine-leg boundary. The second was a wide, the third was spanked to the straight boundary, and he kept bowling length and went for 15 runs.Bangalore played the waiting game well; they saw out Muralitharan and treated Jadeja with some caution as they knew the seamers could be taken for plenty. It was the same resolve that saw them come back in the game with the ball and restrict Kochi to 161 after Brendon McCullum and VVS Laxman had added 80 runs in the first nine overs.McCullum and Laxman are as different as a Bollywood masala flick and art-house cinema, but they combined superbly to lay a good platform. McCullum was the McCullum the world knows: aggressive, adrenaline-pumping and audacious as ever. He sashayed down the track in the first over to slap a Zaheer Khan delivery over extra cover, but really exploded in the second over against Dirk Nannes. A blasted off drive was followed with a slashed boundary but it was a thunderous pull over the midwicket boundary that really tested the lung power of the home crowd.Laxman has been itching for the IPL to start to prove his worth in the shortest format of the game. There were a few lovely hits: a late cut for four against Tillakaratne Dilshan, lofted on drives on a bent knee and a couple of flicks, but it was a flat-batted thumping six over long-on that really declared his ambition to do well in this tournament. It was a short-of-length delivery from Abhimanyu Mithun, who must have been really shocked to see Laxman back away and flat-bat it over the boundary.However, slowly, and surely, Bangalore began to claw their way back. In the final delivery of the ninth over, Laxman slog-swept Dilshan straight to deep midwicket, and in the 12th over, McCullum fell, top-edging a paddle scoop off Virat Kohli. Suddenly, the slow bowlers began to apply the squeeze. The legspinner Asad Pathan combined well with Kohli to keep Brad Hodge and Mahela Jayawardene in check. Jayawardene tried to break free against Daniel Vettori but was stumped in the 15th over, and Brad Hodge was yorked by Zaheer Khan in the 18th over.It was left to Jadeja, who showed maturity in his shot selection, preferring the straight hits down the ground instead of across-the-line heaves, to push the score along. He did his bit with the ball too but it didn’t prove enough.

A blistering innings of 141 by Jacques Du Toit and a sensational spell of
bowling from seamer Wayne White helped Leicestershire to a 47-run victory over Nottinghamshire

25-Apr-2010

ScorecardA blistering innings of 141 by Jacques Du Toit and a sensational spell of
bowling from seamer Wayne White helped Leicestershire to a 47-run victory over
Nottinghamshire in their opening Clydesdale Bank 40 match of the season at Grace
Road.South Africa-born Du Toit smashed three sixes and 14 fours as the Foxes
totalled 282 for 6, with Will Jefferson also hitting a quick-fire half-century
against his former county. The Outlaws made a whirlwind start to the run-chase with Hashim Amla and Alex Hales putting on 96 in 13 overs, but then White claimed career-best figures of 6 for 29 – including three wickets in four balls – as the visitors crashed to
235 all out in 37 overs.But it was the brilliant knock from Du Toit that laid the platform for the
victory after the home side had been put in to bat. Jefferson and Du Toit shared an opening stand of 98 in 15 overs, although both players profited from dropped catches, Du Toit being put down by Andre Adams at slip and Jefferson spilled by Samit Patel at mid off.The pair made the most of their escapes, though. Jefferson raced to 50 off 34 balls, pummelling 11 boundaries on the way. He was finally bowled by Graeme White going for another big hit. But Nottinghamshire were unable to put the shackles on Du Toit. Having reached 50 off 61 balls, he put his foot on the accelerator as the ball flew to all parts.He hit two sixes an over off Steven Mullaney and another off Darren Pattinson,
reaching his century off 97 balls. He was given good support by Paul Nixon and was finally sixth out for 141 off 122 balls having hit 14 fours and three sixes, slicing a catch to cover off Paul Franks.Hales (46) and Amla (53) gave the Outlaws an excellent start but once they had
both been dismissed wickets fell regularly. White was in tremendous form, snaring Mullaney, Patel and Franks in quick succession and then dismissing Andre Adams as Nottinghamshire folded with three overs still remaining.Patel made a defiant 59 and Mullaney 41 off 22 balls but it was not enough to
deny the home side.

Four of the six provincial teams will have new coaches for the 2021-22 domestic season

Umar Farooq20-Aug-2021In a major shake-up in Pakistan’s domestic cricket, the PCB has juggled four head coaches ahead of the 2021-22 season. Abdul Razzaq, whose Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side won trophies in all three formats last season, will now coach Central Punjab.In turn, Shahid Anwar will move from Central Punjab to Southern Punjab, and Abdur Rehman from Southern Punjab – where he spent two seasons – to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The former WAPDA batter Rafatullah Mohmand will be Rehman’s assistant.Ijaz Ahmed Jnr, who was sacked last season despite winning the 2019-20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with Central Punjab, will now take over at Northern, who had been without a head coach since Mohammad Wasim became the men’s national team’s chief selector.Basit Ali and Faisal Iqbal are the only two head coaches who will remain with their old teams, Sindh and Balochistan respectively, for the new season.There has been a drastic tweak of coaching appointments in the Second XI circuit as well.The change is meant to aid the development of Pakistani coaches, allowing them to work in diverse environments and conditions, though the flip side could be that the rotation might have an adverse impact on player development. Razzaq, for example, will not be able to build on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa squad that won three trophies last season, and will instead have to start afresh with an entirely new set of players.”This will not only help us in boosting our pool of Pakistan coaching candidates, but also develop strong self-reliant players by learning from multiple coaches who are ready to take on different challenges from the early stages of their careers,” said Grant Bradburn, the PCB’s head of high-performance coaching. “In Pakistan, we get very few opportunities for our coaches to experience different assignments and learning opportunities. Particularly, in Covid-19 times, it has been difficult to provide outside learning experiences for our leading coaches.”Therefore, we are openly creating a variety of challenges for our coaches to grow. This gives the background to some of the changes and rotations you will see we have made this season. All of our domestic coaches and city coaches are supported and challenged with two clear tasks – put your team into contention to win, and develop players. Our job is also to challenge and develop our coaches and we do this in a number of ways: 360-degree reviews, individual coach profile, coach learning groups, in-season workshops, coaching courses, one-on-one mentoring, and international camp/tour assignments.”Grant Bradburn, the PCB’s head of high-performance coaching, says the shake-up will enable coaches to ‘experience different assignments and learning opportunities’•Peter Della Penna

The coaches for all six associations have been appointed by the high-performance unit, ranging from youth (U-13 to U-19) to the senior level. The National T20 Cup set to begin on September 25, kicking off a 266-match domestic season.This is the third season in a row with the same domestic structure, which was put in place by the Ehsan Mani-led board that dismantled the earlier mix of departmental and regional cricket and adopted a provincial-team model at the insistence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is the PCB’s patron. The new model is solely controlled and regulated by the PCB even though each of the six associations has an independent board.The change in domestic structure sparked a country-wide outrage with the new system costing several players, especially those employed by departmental teams, their livelihoods. Eventually, the PCB created jobs for the veteran cricketers at the association level, inviting them to take up positions in various fields such as coaching, administration and umpiring. The new appointment saw dozens of retired players making their way into the coaching profession. Notable names from the circuit, including Shoaib Khan, Humayun Farhat, Aamir Sajjad, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Bin Nasir, Mansoor Amjad have been given roles in various team managements as assistant coaches. Other than the national setup, the PCB has also appointed coaches for the 93 city cricket associations.”Our primary objective is to develop coaches who are capable of providing the support for our players and teams to be the best in the world,” said Bradburn. “Ideally, we would prefer our national coaches of the future to come from a strong pool of Pakistan coaches who have proven coach performance at the highest level. Together we have set some ambitious goals over the next five years to be in the top three in all formats. We are working hard with our coaches and players to clarify that pathway, what is needed in every aspect of achieving those ambitions.”

Dominant display with ball ensures that first-innings 144 for 6 is ample for 2-0 series lead

Danyal Rasool17-May-2024A disciplined, clinical performance with the ball and in the field saw England ease to a 65-run win in Northampton, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead over Pakistan. As in the first T20I, Sarah Glenn spearheaded her side with two wickets to follow up her four-wicket haul last Saturday, chopping through Pakistan’s middle order to cut the visitors, who fell apart with the bat once more, adrift.Several bowlers chipped in, with Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, Alice Capsey and Sophie Ecclestone – who became the leading WT20I wicket-taker for England with her three, all among the wickets. It came during another tame batting performance from Pakistan, whose flashes of talent were unable to plug the holes their lack of consistency left exposed. The pursuit of 145 never really got off the ground, and before long, Nida Dar’s side folded feebly for 79.Pakistan had much to be hopeful about after the first innings. They dragged England back after a bright powerplay from the hosts, taking wickets at regular overs to stymie English momentum at every turn. It wasn’t quite as helpful a wicket to bat on as the one at Edgbaston, and England ensured most batters made contributions; five of the top seven scored between 15 and 31. A late cameo from Dani Gibson took England to 144, and while it seemed a vulnerable target at the time, England’s excellence in the second innings demonstrated it was anything but.Bouchier, Capsey begin brightlyIn an ultimately low-scoring game, England’s bellicose approach right from the outset provided them a buffer that would ultimately come in handy. Waheeda Akhtar was too straight with the first ball, and Maia Bouchier punished her with a flick for four, setting the powerplay tempo early. Another slap past point in the same over went for four, and Sadia Malik’s width was punished with a drive through the covers.Maia Bouchier got England’s innings off to a confident start•Getty Images

Capsey, meanwhile began stodgily, managing just two off the first nine. However, she cut loose in an onslaught against Waheeda in the fifth over, plundering five boundaries to make up for lost time. By the end of the fifth over, England had raced along to 43 for one; it would take Pakistan until the eighth over and the loss of three extra wickets before they breached that number. By that time, the game was all but secure for the hosts.The squeezeIf Pakistan could have strung together their powerplay bowling performance in Birmingham with their middle-overs showing today, the series may well have been level. Pakistan enjoyed relative control during the eight overs that followed the powerplay in the first innings, keeping England on a leash with their parsimony with the ball and in the field. Nida, Nashra Sandhu and Diana Baig whizzed through their overs, tying Bouchier down before a stunning bit of fielding caught her out of her crease and ran her out. Dar’s variety in the air was instrumental in deceiving an onrushing Capsey as the brakes were applied across a 48-ball spell that saw just 42 scored and set Pakistan up nicely for the deathThe implosionThere’s little point in breaking Pakistan’s innings down into phases. Much of it was a phantasmagoria of an absence of intent, frenetic shot selection and self-imploding running between the wickets, all of which England were much too impressive not to punish. Bell received the payoff for a tight couple of overs with two wickets in the third, Gull Feroza and Sadaf Shamas smacking a couple straight to fielders as the pressure told. A handful of boundaries from Muneeba Ali in the second half of the powerplay was as good as it got for the Pakistan batters, but that 30-run partnership was followed by another clump of wickets that killed Pakistan off.All of England’s bowlers understood Pakistan’s dilemma perfectly. They lack power hitters, and that means racking up dot deliveries can amp up the pressure in no time. That plan was executed to perfection, with a series of dot deliveries almost invariably followed up by high-risk shots that did not pay off. The last six wickets fell for just 19 on a scorecard that did not truly reflect Pakistan’s competitiveness in the first innings, though the gulf in quality between the two sides means the 2-0 scoreline is well deserved.

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.

New Zealand, at no stage, showed any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.

Shashank Kishore21-Nov-20212:12

How important is this series win for Rohit and Dravid?

India won the toss, opted to bat to challenge themselves against dewy conditions later, and ended up defending quite comfortably. They also ticked a fair few boxes along the way.Their back-up opener Ishan Kishan came good. Their lower order contributed vital runs that gave them at least 20 extra to defend. Venkatesh Iyer delivered three frugal overs as a sixth-bowling option. Axar Patel showed why he’s an aggressive left-arm spin option. Comeback man Yuzvendra Chahal overcame a forgettable start by finishing strongly with the big wicket of Martin Guptill. Harshal Patel continued to take giant strides with his bag of slower variations in T20 cricket. Rishabh Pant displayed terrific agility and athleticism behind the stumps.

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India swept the series 3-0, New Zealand at no stage showing any semblance of a fight. Not even when Guptill shellacked a breezy half-century.The Mumbai Indians showPlayers who generally plot and plan together were up against each other. Rohit Sharma and Kishan, coming in for the rested KL Rahul, as openers. Trent Boult and Adam Milne as new-ball bowlers. And it was India who set the tone for dominance early on as the top two got them off the blocks briskly, with a pair of fours each in the first few overs.Rohit’s trademark pull and Kishan’s Jayasuriya-esque whip off his pads made an appearance. It was clear that India were mindful of heavy dew and wanted to set the tempo and sustain it through the innings. Lockie Ferguson, coming in for stand-in captain Tim Southee, struggled for rhythm – landing full tosses and short balls aplenty to concede 30 off his first 12 balls as India raced to 69 for 0 in six overs.Santner puts the brakes onMitchell Santner brought himself on before dew took effect and trapped Kishan two balls later when he beat the batter with the skid off the pitch to have him caught for 29. In walked Suryakumar Yadav, another true-blue Mumbai Indian, but he didn’t last long either, driving one uppishly to cover to give Santner a second wicket in the over. One quiet Ish Sodhi set later, Santner had a third when he made Pant miscue a slog sweep to mid-on. New Zealand had landed a counter-punch. India went without any boundaries between overs 6 and 10. The slowdown was well and truly on.Rohit Sharma goes aerial•Getty Images

The Iyers get going, before Harshal-Chahar finish stronglyRohit fell for a 28-ball 55, after toe-ending a drive back to Sodhi, but Venkatesh and Shreyas set about the rebuild by milking the singles. From overs 11.3 to 13.4 when Venkatesh broke the shackles by muscling a slog sweep over deep midwicket, the pair played out a lone dot ball.Venkatesh showed excellent footwork in getting to the pitch of the ball and hitting towards the short straight boundaries, while Shreyas picked off a bulk of his runs through cuts and dabs behind square. The pair had added 36 before they fell in the space of three deliveries.Venkatesh went first for 20 when he dragged a Trent Boult knuckleball to deep midwicket. Shreyas fell trying to clear long-on with Daryl Mitchell covering good ground and sliding to complete the catch. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged India to get 172.That they got much 12 more was courtesy their batting depth. Harshal, who opens for his state side Haryana in T20s, and Deepak Chahar contributed 39 between them to force a strong finish. It included India getting 19 off the final over bowled by Ferguson, who went for 45 off his four overs.Axar’s triple rocks New ZealandA huge machine-mop took off as much dew as it could in the break, but it was only going to be a matter of time before it’d set in again to make it difficult for the spinners to grip the ball.Perhaps mindful of this, Rohit introduced Axar in the third over, and the move worked as he struck twice to stun the visitors upfront. Mitchell picked out extra cover and Mark Chapman ran down the pitch, only to be beaten by sharp turn on the inside edge to see Pant pull off a terrific stumping.Chahal came on from the other end and came in for some tap from the marauding Guptill, who batted with ferocity. Tossing the ball into his hitting arc, Chahal kept getting pinged between long-on and deep midwicket, but Axar at the other end wasn’t quite so obliging. Glenn Phillips became the left-armer’s third victim when he was bowled attempting a reverse sweep off a full delivery. At that stage, New Zealand were tottering at 30 for 3 in five overs.Iyer, Harshal carry forward momentumWith the top order blown away, and only Guptill standing in their way, Rohit took the opportunity to get a few overs out of Venkatesh and the medium pacer used his height and clever variation of lengths to keep batters honest. Harshal was equally hard to hit with his bouquet of slower balls tying New Zealand down.Chahal then returned after two expensive overs with a change in plan. After he went middle and leg only to be swung away, he corrected his line and tried to get batters hit against the turn, and it immediately worked as Guptill holed out to long-on after a quick fire half-century. At 70 for 4 in the 11th over, it was one-way traffic. Batter after batter came out swinging and missing and slipping and sliding as a hungry Indian bowling unit closed out the game clinically.

A major concern is the quarantine period overseas players will be required to undergo upon arrival in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Aug-2020Sri Lanka Cricket remains optimistic the Lankan Premier League (LPL) can begin on August 28, although government health approvals are yet to come through less than three weeks out from the scheduled start.SLC has now found an organiser for the tournament, however, signing a five-year deal with the Dubai-based Innovative Production Group (IPG), a company that has previously been involved in Pakistan Super League production and broadcasts. As per the terms of the deal, it is now down to IPG to find franchisees for the five proposed LPL teams, as well as secure sponsors, and conduct an LPL draft. According to officials 70 overseas players have expressed a strong interest in playing.The major concern, however, is the quarantine period overseas players will be required to undergo upon arrival in Sri Lanka. Teams are not due to be finalised until next week, which means players are unlikely to arrive more than 10 days out from the scheduled start. At present, new arrivals on the island are expected to spend at least seven days in quarantine (they have the option of doing so at specially designated luxury hotels), which means players would have only a few days’ preparation with their teams, at most.”We are ready to start on the 28th, but there are some areas where we will have to be in line with the health authorities,” SLC vice-president Ravin Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “By the 13th they will give us the guidelines as to what to do with the players. We had a couple of meetings with the health authorities, who have come up with health guidelines for tourists. They’d have to be in quarantine for seven days, but then their movements are restricted. We are trying to see whether foreign players can be excepted. We are not the experts, so we will wait for their guidance.”Also posing a significant challenge is the scarcity of international flights into Colombo. Right now, tourism has ground to a halt, and repatriation flights account for the majority of arrivals.”The other concern is some of the players coming from Australia, South Africa and England,” Wickramaratne said. “I think in England airports are operational, but other countries – their airports are closed. That’s what we will have to look into, whether we get those players to a central point and then charter them here. But we are still waiting for IPG to inform us who are the players, and where they are coming from.”While government approval is being awaited, talks are understood to be ongoing between IPG and potential franchisees. IPG hopes to have awarded franchise rights by the end of the week, with the company apparently holding discussions with franchise owners from established leagues such as the IPL and PSL.According to Wickramaratne, all franchisees who come on board will also be vetted by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit before the tournament can take place. In 2012, SLC had hosted a franchise-based T20 tournament that was dogged by corruption allegations, with Lasith Malinga even reporting a suspicious approach from a figure aligned with his then franchise.Although originally SLC had announced that the tournament would be played in its four day-night venues, Wickramaratne has confirmed that the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is currently out of commission due to ongoing renovation work. The tournament will instead only be played in Hambantota, Pallekele and Dambulla, which means Sri Lanka’s most populous city will not see any of the action.

Karnataka and Jharkhand made it two in two , while Maharashtra had little trouble putting it past Bengal

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2019Deshpande, Iyer sparkle as Mumbai beat DelhiThe two best scorers for Delhi in their game against Mumbai were Dhruv Shorey and Lalit Yadav, both with 33. But those 66 runs took up 55 balls, meaning Delhi could only put up a modest 144 for 7, which Mumbai had little difficulty topping with eight wickets and a whole over in hand in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League match in Indore.Medium pacer Tushar Deshpande was the best of the Mumbai bowlers on show on the day, as he nipped out Unmukt Chand and Nitish Rana off consecutive balls in the tenth over of the Delhi innings and then sent back Lalit Yadav and Subodh Bhati at the death.Prithvi Shaw fell cheaply at the start, but with a not-too-imposing target facing them, Jay Bista and Shreyas Iyer got their eyes in and chipped away at the target without too many worries. Bista fell after scoring 39 from 33 balls, but Iyer, the captain, saw the chase through with an unbeaten 53, while Suryakumar Yadav hit 42 not out in 26 balls in an unbroken 76-run stand for the third wicket.It was Delhi’s second defeat in as many games in the Super League stage after they put up a poor batting performance to go down by nine wickets against Vidarbha in their opening fixture.Second win in a row for all-round KarnatakaThis one could have gotten tricky for Karnataka, as Uttar Pradesh crossed 90 for the loss of just one wicket by the 13th over of their chase of 150, but the superior experience and class of Manish Pandey’s men saved the day for them.Batting first, Karnataka put up 149 for 6, with Rohan Kadam (35) and Mayank Agarwal (33) the biggest contributors even as three other batsmen crossed 20.M Prasidh Krishna then sent back Samarth Singh to leave UP at 31 for 1 in the fifth over before Akshdeep Nath and Upendra Yadav, the captain and wicketkeeper respectively, fought back to push Karnataka on the back foot.They added 60 runs together before Nath fell, and the chase went off the rails completely after that. Wickets fell in a rush, medium pacer V Koushik picking up three of them, as there was almost no resistance from the UP batsmen. They stopped at 139 for 8, losers by ten runs when they could have gotten on the points board in their first game itself with a little more fight.Muthuswamy, Tripathi lead Maharashtra to victoryWriddhiman Saha was dismissed for a duck for the second game in a row as Bengal put up only 138 for 7 in their 20 overs. Maharashtra cantered to victory in just 17.1 overs with seven wickets in the bag in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League Group A game in Indore.Domnic Muthuswami, the right-arm medium pacer celebrating his 38th birthday, was the one to cause most damage to the Bengal batting line-up, sending back Shreevats Goswami and Abhimanyu Easwaran with only three runs on the board – it was 3 for 3 when Easwaran was dismissed, Saha having fallen first to Samad Fallah.Muthuswami ended with 3 for 15 from his four overs after striking late in the Bengal innings again, but there was a fightback led by Manoj Tiwary, the captain, and Shahbaz Ahmed, the No. 7 batsman. After they came together with the scoreboard reading 25 for 5, Tiwary and Shahbaz collaborated for 55 runs before Tiwary fell for 41. Shahbaz went on to hit a breezy 44-ball 60.It looked like a below-par target, and Rahul Tripathi made it appear even smaller with an unbeaten 46-ball 60 from the top of the order. Ruturaj Gaekwad was the early aggressor in the chase, hitting 20 of the 25 runs for the first wicket, and Tripathi then put together 59 runs for the second wicket with Rohit Motwani (36) to put the game beyond Bengal.Jharkhand beat Railways by five wicketsFifties from Virat Singh and Anand Singh helped Jharkhand beat Railways by five wickets and with an over to spare, as they took the top spot in Group A of the Super League phase.Jharkhand had been able to restrict Railways to 135 for 8 after putting them in. Medium-pacer Rahul Shukla, who is the second-highest wicket taker in the tournament with 16 wickets in seven games, took 2 for 19 in four overs, with support from offspinner Utkarsh Singh who took 1 for 14 in his three. Railways had only one substantial individual performance with the bat, opener Pratham Singh’s 41, which came off 39 balls.For Jharkhand, Anand dominated an opening stand of 47 with Ishan Kishan who made an 18-ball 16, before reaching his fifty as he put on 51 for the second wicket with Virat. Railways pulled things back in the middle overs, with Jharkhand falling from 98 for 1 to 110 for 4 in less than three overs, but Virat steered them home in the 19th over, bringing up the win and his fifty with 10 off the last two balls.