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Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is set to renew his relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board, after being tasked to explore ways to boost the board’s economy

Nagraj Gollapudi and Umar Farooq14-Oct-2016Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is set to renew his relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board, after being tasked alongside David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, to explore ways to boost the board’s economy in the absence of any home international matches.The decision was taken at the quarterly ICC board meeting that concluded in Cape Town on Friday. The board also agreed to look into financial “assistance” for the PCB given that it has now been almost eight years since their cricketers were last able to play a match in front of their home fans.Clarke, who is a member of the powerful Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee, headed up the ICC’s original Pakistan Task Force in 2009, although he was unable to visit the country in that capacity due to the ongoing security concerns.Despite their difficulties, Pakistan’s Test team rose to become the No.1 nation earlier this year following a hugely creditable 2-2 draw in their away series against England. It is understood that Clarke is scheduled to meet PCB officials in a month’s time to chalk out the details of the ICC’s funding exercise.”We reflect the unique contribution of Pakistan to world cricket. There is a huge amount of goodwill at the ICC board table for Pakistan,” Clarke told ESPNcricinfo. “Along with the [ICC] chief executive, I have been charged with looking at how we can assist Pakistan. Some of the economics of life has not been easy for Pakistan because they can’t play home games.”We are looking at the economics of Pakistan cricket, seeing where the ICC can help in recognising the importance of Pakistan to the international cricketing community, and to the cricketing world. They got the Test mace and played a superb series in England this summer. They were magnificent on and off the pitch during the England series.”Describing himself as a “very committed supporter” of Pakistan cricket, Clarke said he had spent seven years trying to figure out ways to develop the game in the country.”We have made a bit of progress today with some of the ideas that came out of the meeting. David Richardson and I are going to see what we can do to help Pakistan cricket economically and what we can do what possibilities are there for anyone to tour Pakistan.”However, the prospect of international cricket making a permanent return to Pakistan remains doubtful. Earlier this year, memories of the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in March 2009 were revived when another terrorist attack ripped through Lahore, killing at least 72 people and injuring 300 others in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, a popular hangout.”As you know, we were a very long way down the road with a concept of having a heavyweight world team tour Pakistan and play against Pakistan,” said Clarke. “Then the atrocity in Lahore absolutely scuppered that.”As a consequence of that attack, the PCB had to terminate a planned World XI versus Pakistanis match, an exercise that had been intended to provide a first step towards a return of full international cricket.”Cricket does not belong in a war zone,” said Clarke. “[But] Cricket does belong in Pakistan. If we are going to bring world cricket back to Pakistan, then we will need the help of the vast number of massively enthusiastic Pakistani cricket followers – which in my view is most of the country. Because it is the bad guys who are stopping us. If you love cricket in Pakistan, you know we can’t have atrocities. It stops people from coming. But if you give up, then the terrorist wins. I am not bloody giving up.”According to Clarke, PCB executive chairman Najam Sethi made a “very powerful plea” which had struck a chord with the ICC board during the Cape Town meeting. Sethi had been representing his board in the absence of Shaharyar Khan, who could not attend due to health reasons.During his address, Sethi focused on the major issues that were denting Pakistan cricket financially. Aside from Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour in May 2015, have played all of their matches since 2009 in the UAE. However, the extra costs incurred by those matches have directly hampered the development of the game back home in Pakistan.In a bid to shore up their domestic infrastructure, the PCB recently began work on 16 regional academies as a part of their developmental plan. Another option under consideration is that ICC should help carry the cost of Pakistan’s bilateral series in the UAE.There is, however, an acceptance from all parties that it will ultimately be down to the players themselves to determine whether they are prepared to tour Pakistan again. As England’s current tour of Bangladesh shows, administrators cannot force players to tour when they are not comfortable with the security.

Keith Mitchell, the chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket governance, has expressed “grave concern” over the comments of West Indies coach Phil Simmons about outside influences in the selection process

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2015Keith Mitchell, the chairman of the CARICOM sub-committee on cricket governance, has expressed “grave concern” over the comments of West Indies coach Phil Simmons about outside influences robbing him of the best possible ODI squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.Mitchell recommended it was time for “Project West Indies cricket”, which would encourage unity, openness and co-operation from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) administrators to ensure Simmons and the selectors were given the autonomy to do their jobs.”The head coach’s comments about the selection of the West Indies one-day team to tour Sri Lanka are highly disturbing,” Mitchell wrote in an open letter to the WICB on Sunday.Earlier this week Simmons had revealed that he and Clive Lloyd, the chairman of selectors, were outvoted 3-2 in the selection meeting on September 23 on the inclusion of allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard. The pair have been out of the ODI side since the series in South Africa this January. At the time Lloyd had said he had spoken to the two players and explained to them that the selection panel wanted to move on and give youngsters more chances.But Simmons said Lloyd and Jason Holder, the West Indies Test and ODI captain, wanted Bravo and Pollard in the squad.”The disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the ODI squad and it’s disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life … [people would use] their position to get people into a squad; or in this case, get people left out of a squad. It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the selection of the ODI team.”According to Mitchell, all the leaders involved – captain, coach, selectors – needed the support of the WICB and no intrusion, if West Indies cricket had to regain its lost glory.”The team is now at an important crossroads, and it will require wisdom and good leadership to chart and follow the right path. It will therefore take the skill, motivation and priorities of the men who lead and the players who follow, to restore the team to world prominence.
To that end, the leadership unit must receive the full and unequivocal support and cooperation of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and the backing of an independent selection panel, that is free of interference, fear, or favour.”Mitchell said one reason his political party was elected to power in Grenada in 2013 was because it placed the interests of the country before any personal agendas. That was part of the manifesto called Project Grenada that Mitchell said had proved successful.”We need a similar “Project West Indies cricket” approach if the team is to be successful. The entire cricketing organization should be fighting battles on the field against opposing teams, and not with each other in boardrooms and offices,” Mitchell said. “I believe that if Simmons is given the right tools to do his job, the liberty to make critical cricket decisions, the autonomy to create learning environments in which young players can grow and prosper, and the freedom to field the best teams, West Indies cricket will flourish.”Mitchell also highlighted that Simmons, in the short time he has been coach – he took over after the World Cup in March – had already managed to sit with national players across the Caribbean and help them understand and buy into his vision.”Already the head coach and his coaching team have taken a great step forward by gaining the trust, respect and loyalty of the West Indies players. These are things that administrators and other West Indies coaches struggled with and failed to achieve during the last fifteen years.”A disgruntled players’ fraternity up in arms against a divided WICB and a revolving door of coaches and captains have been some of the factors responsible for West Indies cricket not only sliding down the rankings table but also losing face and respect in world cricket. Dave Cameron, the WICB president, who was elected for a second term recently, has tried hard to gain the players’ confidence and win over his opponents within the board, but has been severely criticised throughout his tenure. Nothing signified this more clearly than West Indies’ aborted tour of India last October.Bravo, who was the ODI captain on that tour, led the pullout with one ODI, one T20 and three Tests pending, due to a protracted disagreement between the players, the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association over the payment structure specified by the players’ revised contracts. Calling the episode a “monumental disaster”, the BCCI demanded $41.97m as damages from the WICB. Since then Cameron has received a lot of flak with critics, former players and CARICOM officials blaming him for the embarrassment caused to West Indies cricket due to the pullout.Ralph Gonsalaves, the St Vincents and the Grenadines Prime Minister and Mitchell’s associate on the CARICOM committee, accused Cameron of “dishonouring” his word after Bravo and Pollard were first dropped from the ODI squad. Gonsalves said Cameron had assured him at an earlier meeting that none of the India 14 would be “victimised” and the squads for South Africa tour would be picked on merit.Mitchell’s remedy for the WICB is to be more inclusive. “A sports organization needs good management and administration to function at its best, but it cannot win battles on the field without sensible, coordinated and innovative leadership at every level throughout its ranks. The organisation must not be divided unto itself.”Mitchell even quoted Pope Francis, who, in his speech at the United Nations earlier this week, “reminded the world about the dangers of polarisation, anger, hatred, resentment, exclusion and adversarial attitudes, and the benefits of inclusion, kindness, unity, cooperation and common purpose. We sincerely hope that his words were heard and heeded by our cricket administrators.”

Thilan Samaraweera has retired from international cricket after being left out of the Sri Lanka squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Mar-2013
Thilan Samaraweera has retired from international cricket after being left out of the Sri Lanka squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle, which starts on March 8. Samaraweera had sent a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday informing it of his intention and the board has now accepted his decision.”I was shocked with my omission from the squad against Bangladesh,” Samaraweera said, adding he had been told by the selectors that they may need him to play Pakistan later this year.”There was no point in waiting for nine months. I respect the decision of the selectors to go with young players and decided it was the right time for me to retire.”SLC wanted him to play against Bangladesh – perhaps a farewell Test – but Samaraweera declined because he felt the time was right to retire.”I never wanted a farewell match because if you’re not good enough to be in the 15-man squad, there’s nowhere in the world you can play in the first XI,” the 36-year-old Samaraweera said. “I didn’t want to be selfish and deprive a youngster of his place by requesting to play in a farewell Test.”Samaraweera’s decision to retire was brought on as much by a lack of Test matches for Sri Lanka in 2013, as his non-selection for the first Test against Bangladesh. Apart from the two home Tests in March, Sri Lanka only have one away tour to Zimbabwe during the year, which Samaraweera was unlikely to attend in any case, before the year-end tour to Pakistan. A proposed series against South Africa was postponed to 2015.”I may not have retired so early if the Test series against West Indies and South Africa had not been postponed because as a cricketer you’d always want to play against the number one team which is South Africa at the moment.”Samaraweera will leave for England next week to represent county side Worcestershire during the 2013 season. “I will take a decision at the end of the English season whether to retire from first-class cricket,” he said.His international career comes to a close after a woeful tour of Australia, where he made 79 runs in six innings. He reclaimed form in Sri Lanka’s first-class competition since then, hitting 464 runs at 92.8 in four matches. Samaraweera was originally left out of Sri Lanka’s preliminary Test squad for the Bangladesh series, but was later called into that squad when Mahela Jayawardene’s finger injury ruled him out of the series. He could not find a place in the final 16, however.In a letter to media, Samaraweera thanked the coaches, clubs, team-mates and family who had supported him through his career, and laid out the reason for his retirement. “Although I have not lost the power of my passion to make a comeback, my ethics of reasoning does not interest me to do so at this hour where the obvious focus should be to find a balance in the prospects we have for the future,” he said.Samaraweera has played 81 Tests, and scored 5462 runs at 48.76, with 14 hundreds. He was primarily an offspinner at the beginning of his domestic career, but transformed himself into a secure, if dour, middle-order batsman, in order to break into the Sri Lanka side in the time of Muttiah Muralitharan. He also played 53 ODIs, but his conservative style of play never made him a natural fit for the shorter formats, even after he began improving his stroke range later on in his career.Samaraweera’s Test career has had several starts, most notably when he came back from being shot during the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus, after he had made double-hundreds in back-to-back Tests in Pakistan. Samaraweera had surgery to remove the bullet which had travelled 12 inches into his thigh, and underwent months of physical and psychological therapy, before returning to the Test side four months later.He was dropped for more than a year in 2006, and again for one series in 2011, but he returned triumphantly from his second layoff to play his most memorable Test innings – a first innings 102 which enabled Sri Lanka to win their first Test in South Africa, in Durban.Though he had received a central contract from SLC, Sri Lanka’s selectors had expressed a desire to build a youthful Test side in 2013, and was unlikely to play a major role in what little Test cricket Sri Lanka had scheduled.

ESPNcricinfo Previews the second ODI between Pakistan and England in Abu Dhabi

The Preview by David Hopps14-Feb-2012

Match facts

Wednesday, February 15, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)
Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in the first ODI•AFP

Big Picture

Immediately after the opening match attention turned largely to England: they found release from a troubled Test series with victory by 130 runs; Alastair Cook underlined himself once more as a captain eminently capable of adapting to 50-over cricket with an unflustered century compiled at almost a run a ball; and Steve Finn’s fast-bowling development was clear to see as his four new-ball wickets confirmed England’s superiority.But what of Pakistan? Their batting vulnerabilities were masked as their spinners dominated the Test series but they were apparent again as they found Finn’s opening burst impossible to contain. Bowl straight and full at Pakistan’s top order, England have concluded, and you will prosper. If Pakistan take note of Cook’s innings they may be tempted to ask Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq to try to play a similar stabilising role.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan: LWWWW
England: WLLLL

Players to watch

It was easy to see why the Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, was tempted to call for Shoaib Malik to return to the squad. Pakistan need to shore up a long tail and England’s vulnerability against spin has been so apparent that it is tempting to take the view that the more spinners the better. But Shoaib played with little verve in the opening game and on that evidence will be fortunate to survive the series.If you missed Steven Finn’s audition on Monday to be viewed as one of an exciting crop of new fast bowlers then don’t make the mistake again. Finn was the stock answer to the “can you take any positives out of this?” cliché as England were drubbed 5-0 in India in October. Pakistan will not want him to get another opportunity to bowl under the lights as the dew enlivens the pitch.

Team news

Umar Akmal strained his back during the first match which must make him a doubt, especially to keep wicket, a role he fills modestly at best. Umar was once accused of overplaying a back injury to get his brother, Kamran, back behind the stumps. This time another brother, Adnan, could deputise. Shoaib Malik would be vulnerable in a shake-up.England could bring in Tim Bresnan for batting depth and that would put James Anderson’s place under threat. Jade Dernbach might have to wait for his chance until Dubai.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab RiazEngland (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The evidence of the first game points to a simple decision to bat first upon winning the toss, post 250-plus and then rely on new-ball wickets when evening dew freshens an otherwise benign surface.

Stats and trivia

• Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in an ODI on Monday. His 137 beat Pakistan by seven runs.
• England win bucked a losing trend of nine defeats in 10 matches across all formats and an equally demoralising run of 11 defeats in 12 overseas ODIs.
• England have drawn level with Pakistan in fifth position in the ODI rankings. Both teams are on 107 points, three adrift of fourth-placed Sri Lanka.
• Pakistan’s 130 was their lowest ODI score since they were bowled out for 124 against New Zealand in Wellington in January 2011 and New Zealand needed only 17.2 overs to win the match. Pakistan went on to win the series 3-2.

Quotes

“Happy Valentines Day everyone. Me and @StuartBroad8 will be having a romantic dinner tonight.”

“I hope there is no panic. We should not panic because we have not batted badly in the last four or five matches so we need to try our best and put Monday’s performance behind us.”

Michael Hussey has not given up hope of making it to the World Cup after recovering from his hamstring injury, although he’s unlikely to be named as a shock replacement for the injured Doug Bollinger

Brydon Coverdale26-Feb-2011Michael Hussey has not given up hope of making it to the World Cup after recovering from his hamstring injury, although he’s unlikely to be named as a shock replacement for the injured Doug Bollinger. Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting said he was expecting a bowler to take the place of Bollinger, who is heading home due to an ankle problem, although “not necessarily” a fast man.The Victoria seamers, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson, are possible candidates, although the Australians could look to James Hopes as an all-round option, or the spinner Xavier Doherty, who has now recovered from a minor back injury. Whatever the selectors decide, the allrounder John Hastings looms as the likely man to come in for Australia’s next match, against Sri Lanka on March 5.”Doug’s a big loss for us,” Ponting said. “At his best he’s as good a bowler as probably anyone taking part in this tournament, which is backed up by the fact he was in the one-day and Test teams of the year last year. He’s a big loss for us but I’m sure whoever comes in will do a good job if required.”[Hastings] has been particularly good in every training session and a couple of practice games that he played at the start of the tournament. I thought even in Australia the games he played there were particularly good. He’ll be well suited to these conditions.”We had a bit of a chat last night and I’ll have a chat with the selectors and coach and see who the most adequate replacement is. We have a lot of fast bowlers around the country who are on the sidelines so we’ll have a good chat, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t a bowler.”That means Hussey will only get a chance to join the squad if another batsman is injured during the tournament, but at least he is pleased to have been told he is not out of the mix. There had been some confusion about whether an injured player, once withdrawn, could later return to the squad to replace another injured man, and after initially suggesting it was out of the question the ICC has said such a move would be allowed.”Initially I thought that you were in the initial 15 and if you were injured then you were pretty much out for the tournament and you can’t be replaced,” Hussey said on Fox Sports on Friday. “But I had a call from Cricket Australia saying that’s not actually the case. If there was another injury, then, because I’m now fit again, I could be considered as the replacement player. You don’t wish an injury upon anyone, but I guess there is a glimmer of hope now.”Hussey and Shaun Marsh, who has also recovered from a hamstring injury, are likely to play club cricket in Perth this weekend. Both men should return for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland starting at the WACA on Thursday.

Greg Shipperd is trying to keep his eyes on two competitions in different hemispheres as one domestic competition winds down and another takes off

Peter English15-Mar-2010Greg Shipperd is trying to keep his eyes on two competitions in different hemispheres as one domestic competition winds down and another takes off. Shipperd is the coach of the Delhi Daredevils during his normal off-season, but a change in IPL dates means his return to the tournament has been delayed by his Victorian team’s hosting of the Sheffield Shield final from Wednesday.Shipperd will fly to Delhi the day after the decider against Queensland finishes at the MCG, ending a difficult juggle of his demanding roles. “I do, technically,” he told Cricinfo about watching both teams closely. “Late in the night I keep an eye on Delhi, while here my focus is on the Victorian team. That’s the way these days. A lot of people are representing more than one team. It’s a new world, an exciting one.”Delhi made a winning start to the IPL by beating Kings XI Punjab on Saturday and Shipperd’s assistant coaches, including the recently-appointed Eric Simons, have been keeping him updated on all the developments. “Hopefully they can continue their winning start, but anything can happen in Twenty20,” he said.”There have been some really interesting movements from teams at the moment, with Mumbai doing well with ICL players who have come into the unit. Kolkata have also started really well and only need a couple of results to go their way before their belief skyrockets.”A couple of teams have improved and we have improvement in us as well. It’s going to be a terrific competition again.” But first he wants to guide Victoria to back-to-back Sheffield Shield trophies.

Weatherley was accompanied by India batter Tilak Varma as Hampshire chased down 286

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 07-Aug-2025Hampshire 288 for 5 (Weatherley 116*, Varma 54) beat Essex 285 (Allison 80, Neal 2-44) by 5 wicketsJoe Weatherley classily struck his third Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition hundred as Hampshire beat Essex at Utilita Bowl.Weatherley provided the backbone to a well-managed chase of 286 – after Charlie Allison, Tom Westley and Robin Das all posted half-centuries for Essex.Tilak Varma also reached the landmark, but it was Weatherley’s personal best unbeaten 116 – his first century in two years – that made sure Hampshire made it two wins from two, while Essex remain winless.Hampshire stuck Essex into bat and almost immediately struck as Kyle Abbott drew an outside edge out of Matt Critchley.Robin Das and Tom Westley set the innings into place with a 99-run stand in double-quick time, the pair peppering the boundary in their better-than-a-run-a-ball half-centuries.But a middle-over squeeze slowed the run-rate and brought a succession of regular wickets.Left-arm spinner Andrew Neal broke the Das/Westley alliance when Das clipped off-balance to midwicket, before Westley followed when Tilak Varma brilliantly caught him at short fine leg.Luc Benkenstein slashed to short cover, Noah Thain powered to midwicket, and Nick Browne drove to first slip to hand Abbott his second.At 189 for 6 in the 35th over, the visitors were in danger of a seriously under-par score but Allison and Simon Fernandes revved things back into life with a no thrills partnership.Allison has had a stand-out 2025 having scored three centuries in the Rothesay County Championship, and continued that form with an unhurried 80.Fernandes had begun his One-Day Cup campaign with an unbeaten 46, and followed that with 41. But as the pair looked to accelerate Essex suffered their second slump to get bowled out for 285.Both fell in back-to-back deliveries, both caught trying to go big, while Shane Snater was bowled and Jamie Porter was caught behind.The hosts needed to go at under a run-a-ball and they stuck to that mission like a limpet.Ali Orr and Nick Gubbins eased through the new ball until the former fell to the final ball of the powerplay when Charlie Bennett bowled a snorter to get a tickle behind.Gubbins followed his century against Glamorgan with 40 but top-edged a sweep to short fine but Hampshire gained control through Tilak Varma and Weatherley.The pair put on 98 to take a huge bite into the target. Indian Varma was mostly circumspect apart from crisp shots down the ground and an incredible reverse six.He was bowled trying to charge Westley having reached a fifty before Tom Prest gifted Westley his third wicket – he returned three for 39.Weatherley had a strong Vitality Blast before a successful return to the Championship side, and oozed class throughout his innings.He dominated a 47-run partnership with Ben Mayes and then joined with Felix Organ to rush to the winning line.Weatherley reached three figures with a luscious strike through long on as part of three boundaries in a row which took the runs required to single figures. A six in the following over secured the points.

Lahore Qalandars’ Zaman Khan gave away just five runs off the first five balls of the last over, but was unable to close it out

Associated Press10-Mar-2024Shoaib Malik hit a boundary off the last ball to give Karachi Kings a three-wicket victory in a must-win game against two-time champion Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League on Saturday.The win kept alive the Kings’ hopes of a place in the playoffs with eight points from nine games. Qalandars were already eliminated, beating only Quetta Gladiators and losing seven games in the absence of injured spinner Rashid Khan.With three runs needed off the last delivery, Malik (27 not out) drove fast bowler Zaman Khan’s low full toss through point to guide his team to a winning 179 for 7 in a tense finish.Qalandars had posted 177 for 5 on the back of half centuries from Abdullah Shafique (55) and Fakhar Zaman (54) after the Kings captain Shan Masood won the toss and chose to field.Masood’s decision to demote himself to No. 3 after struggling as an opener in his first season as the team’s captain paid off as the pair of James Vince (42) and Tim Seifert (36) provided a confident start of 59.But Qalandars came back strongly when fast bowler Tayyab Abbas (2-23) got the big wicket of Kieron Pollard (3) and Seifert was run out after a major misunderstanding with Malik.Irfan Khan scored a brisk 35 off 16 balls with six boundaries before the Qalandars captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-37) knocked back his middle stump in the penultimate over. Zaman conceded just five runs off his first five balls but Malik stayed calm to seal the game for the Kings off the final delivery.

Shaheen Afridi took four wickets to restrict Bangladesh to 127 in a knockout clash in Adelaide

Alagappan Muthu06-Nov-2022
A team under pressure. A captain refusing to give up. The odds piling up against them. And then one fine day, the stars align.Pakistan cranked up the deja vu in Adelaide on Sunday as they sailed into the T20 World Cup semi-finals. If anyone is still working on time travel, please follow this cricket team. They’ve made it 1992 again.This game wouldn’t even have played out this way if not for Netherlands shocking South Africa. Some people might call that destiny.At the receiving end of this unreal series of events were Bangladesh and Shakib Al Hasan. His wicket turned this game, adjudged lbw on field, and upheld on DRS even though he was absolutely certain he’d nicked the ball.Bangladesh were 70 for 1 after 10 overs. Then they lost their captain and could manage only 127 for 8. Advantage Pakistan.Wasim Akram lite
Shaheen Shah Afridi admitted he’s not 100% at this tournament. Someone should splice that press conference video with the ball he bowled to Mosaddek Hossain. Left-arm. High pace. Around the wicket. Reverse swing. Bowled ‘iiiiimmmmmmm!Growing up, he would have shoved Wasim Akram videos straight into his veins. Now, he’s recreated his idol’s most famous dismissal on the grandest stage with everything on the line. How many people get to do that? How many people are good enough to do that?The good, the bad and the collapse
Najmul Hossain Shanto (54 off 48) was smiling. His leading edge had pretty much bunny-hopped for four over point. That was the first over. Back when Bangladesh had gained a sizeable advantage batting first on a used pitch where shot-making got harder as time went on.Even halfway through, they were sitting pretty. Then it happened.Shadab Khan looped one up over the batter’s eyeline. Shakib accepted the invitation and came charging out of his crease. The legspinner’s dip deceived him. A big hit turned into a scramble to put bat on ball.Shakib thought he did. Umpire Adrian Holdstock on field didn’t. DRS came into play, and everything turned murky. UltraEdge showed a spike, but the third umpire Langton Rusere thought that was bat hitting ground. Only there seemed a fraction of daylight between those two things.The on-field decision was upheld. And Shakib was distraught. He kept standing there, swinging his arms around, wondering what was going on. The Bangladesh captain had to literally be pushed out of the field.That wicket was part of a procession: 6 for 36.Mohammad Haris played a crucial innings of 31 off 18 balls•Associated Press

Another expensive no-ball
The Adelaide pitch wasn’t great for strokeplay. Batters kept trying to hit out but it just wasn’t happening. On the broadcast, a telling stat came up: the strike rate when pace was on was 122, but it was only 28 when pace was off.That kept Bangladesh in it. That’s the reason this game was even alive. Remember, earlier in the day, on this very surface, South Africa came undone against Netherlands’ slower balls to turn this into a quarter-final.Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan put on their first fifty partnership of this T20 World Cup. But Bangladesh fought back.They were an angry team. A team raging against the way the world was working. At one point, when an lbw didn’t go Bangladesh’s way, Shakib grabbed his cap and flung it into the turf. They could easily have been distracted by these things but they kept at it.They pushed this game into the death – and then unravelled.Taskin Ahmed, who could have had a wicket in his first over if not for a bad fumble from the wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan, who has carried his team on his back in these Super 12s, overstepped.The equation was 30 off 28. They had taken a wicket five balls ago. The pressure was piling on Pakistan.Then – much like in that game against India – a team that desperately needed a free-hit got one. And 21-year old Mohammad Haris whacked it for six.Pakistan are into the knockouts now. They even returned the favour to Netherlands, giving them a great chance of finishing fourth in Group 2 which ensures they will play the next T20 World Cup.Now, if India beat Zimbabwe in the last group game on Sunday, Pakistan will travel to Sydney, where once again conditions have been very helpful to slow bowling. Conditions that could favour Babar and his men if they go up against New Zealand in the first semi-final.

Both senior players are expected to be available for the Test series opener against England

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jul-2021India’s Test captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane missed the three-day warm-up against County Select XI in Chester-le-Street because of a stiff back and swelling in the left hamstring respectively.The niggles are unlikely to hamper the availability of the senior pair for the first Test against England, which starts at Trent Bridge from August 4.In Kohli’s absence, Rohit Sharma led the Indians in the warm-up match, which has been classified as a first-class game. BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in the media release that Kohli, who was at the ground, “felt some stiffness in his back late Monday evening” and consequently was prescribed rest by the board’s medical team. However, the Indian team management would be more concerned by Rahane’s fitness, considering the first Test is about two weeks away.According to Shah, Rahane, too, was being “monitored” after he reported “mild swelling around his left upper hamstring” which “has been addressed by an injection.” Shah, however, said that Rahane “is expected to fully recover well in time” for the first Test.Related

• Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav to join India Test squad in England

• Haseeb Hameed hits ton as Indian bowlers get solid workout

• Avesh Khan all but out of England tour

• Stats – R Ashwin records his County Championship best

• Bracey, Hameed in County Select XI to face India

There would be further concerns in the Indian camp after fast bowler Avesh Khan was sent for a scan after hurting his left thumb in the afternoon session. Khan, along with allrounder Washington Sundar, had been allowed by the Indian team management to turn up for the County Select XI after the pair of James Bracey and Zak Chappell were not available for different reasons. Bracey, as reported on Monday, was identified as contact of a Covid-19 positive case and had to be pulled out of the squad while Chappell suffered an injury on Tuesday morning.Khan, who was picked for the tour as a reserve bowler, hurt his thumb after successfully intercepting a punchy straight drive from Hanuma Vihari. Immediately he signaled to the Indian dressing room left the field wincing in pain, alongside the physio, with a strapped thumb.