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The home side finished the Karachi leg of the tournament with a night to forget

Danyal Rasool06-Feb-2022
The PSL is halfway through, and Karachi Kings have one foot out of the tournament. The side that’s hosted the first leg slumped to it’s most spineless defeat in their final home game this season, with Islamabad United walloping Babar Azam’s men by 42 runs. On a pitch that wasn’t quite as free-scoring as most of the others on show so far this season, Islamabad United posted 177, thanks to a number of cameos from the top order.At the time, it seemed as if the Kings might have a chance of running it down, but United, and the Kings’ own self-destructive spirit, had other ideas. A couple of run-outs up top and regular wickets meant the Kings were swiftly out of the contest, before the undisputed player of the tournament Shadab Khan stepped up with the ball to rip the heart out of the middle order. His 4 for 15 added insult to injury, and the Kings finished tamely with 135.For just the second time in 38, United opted to bat first after winning the toss, capitalising on the recent trend of defending scores. While they didn’t quite get off to the whirlwind starts Paul Stirling and Alex Hales have made customary, it was swift enough to keep momentum on their side. Imad Wasim went for 12 in the first over largely at Stirling’s hands, and Chris Jordan’s first over was greeted by the openers with 16. By the time Imad returned to prise Hales out, United had added 66 in 7.3 overs.Stirling fell soon after and, for a while, the bowlers appeared to have a hold over the game. Shadab, though, was playing a delightful little knock, finding regular boundaries to keep the run rate up even as Colin Munro struggled at the other end. A fine running, tumbling catch by Babar – he would sparkle once more in the field with a sensational one-handed grab running back to see the end of Asif Ali – brought an end to Sadab’s knock, but true to brand, United just kept swinging. Another wayward Jordan over at the death and some crunching drives from Azam Khan brought 25 off the final two overs, and that took United to a total that looked slightly above par.The chase began disastrously for the Kings, with a mix-up between Babar and Sharjeel seeing the latter run out in the second over. Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim, Mubasir Ahmed and Waqas Maqsood took turns bowling during the powerplay but each maintained a stranglehold over the Kings’ batters, who managed just 21 in the first five overs. By this time, an off-colour Babar had been cleaned up by Mohammad Wasim, and the asking rate had soared above 10.Imad Wasim, promoted to five, was involved in another bit of calamitous Kings’ running, with Sahibzada Farhan finishing up at the same end as him.By this point, things had deteriorated into a farce for the Kings, and the feeling they wanted to be put out of their misery was inescapable. Shadab was the man for the job, an incisive four-wicket spell putting the home side on the brink of defeat. There was flight that deceived Lewis Gregory, the wrong ‘un that did for Imad and Jordan, and the full flat ball to trap Mohammad Taha in front. It was the Shadab show for a while, with Karachi cast in the role of sidekick.There was mild entertainment for the home crowd when Mohammad Nabi and Umaid Asif cut loose at the death, they way you do when there’s no pressure because all is doomed anyway. Mohammad Wasim was tonked for 20 in an over and Nabi smashed an entertaining unbeaten 28-ball 47 to see off the game, but all that provided was an illusion of competition in a game that contained very little of it.

The Bangladesh A batsmen struck out for the third straight time in England, resulting in a 7-wicket loss to Lancashire at Old Trafford in Manchester

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2013
ScorecardThe Bangladesh A batsmen struck out for the third straight time in England, resulting in a seven-wicket loss to Lancashire at Old Trafford in Manchester. Bangladesh had earlier struggled to chase down modest totals against Hampshire and Yorkshire, and this time, their first attempt to set up a competitive total also fell flat.Bangladesh had earlier won the toss and elected to bat, but the stand-in captain Naeem Islam’s decision backfired immediately, as Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque and Marshall Ayub were all dismissed inside 40 minutes.However, Naeem and Shamsur Rahman revived the innings with a 85-run fourth-wicket stand, the pair striking seven fours and two sixes in total. Offspinner Arron Lilley put an end to the brief recovery by dismissing Shamsur for 51, on his way to figures of 3 for 24.Shamsur’s wicket triggered a collapse, as Bangladesh lost all the remaining six wickets for just 55 runs. Offspinner Steven Croft took three wickets, while medium-pacers Kyle Hogg and Oliver Newby picked up two each, as Bangladesh, struggling against spin, were bundled out for 171.Lancashire had little trouble in their pursuit of 172, with opener Stephen Moore anchoring the innings with a 63-ball 61 that included nine fours. Paul Horton remained unbeaten on 43 to take Lancashire home with 16.5 overs remaining.Bangladesh next take on Nottinghamshire on August 14 in their penultimate tour game in the lead-up to a three-match series against England Lions.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said that his side would look to extend their Champions Trophy form into the tri-nation series against India and West Indies.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2013Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said that his side would look to extend their Champions Trophy form into the tri-nation series against India and West Indies.”We have played some really good cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy, beating England and Australia to reach the semi-final and so the confidence is pretty high,” Mathews told the after the side’s arrival in Kingston, Jamaica. “West Indies and India are two very good teams in the shorter format of the game and I think that we really need to play some really good cricket to win against them.”Sri Lanka lost to India by eight wickets in the semi-final and finished second in their group behind England. India beat England by five runs to win the Champions Trophy, while West Indies finished third in Group B, missing out on a spot in the last four after a tied match against South Africa.Sri Lanka play the first match of the series against West Indies at the Sabina Park on June 28 and Mathews admitted that the hosts would be tough to beat, given their familiarity with home conditions and their strength in limited overs cricket.Mathews also said that the absence of Tillakaratne Dilshan, ruled out due to a calf injury, gives youngsters in the side a chance to perform.

Cricket Australia approved regulatory changes that will allow dual passport holders to play domestic matches in more than one country

Daniel Brettig16-Aug-2013European football had Bosman transfers, English cricket has Kolpak players, and now Australia has passed the Sam Robson rule. At a board meeting on Friday, Cricket Australia approved regulatory changes that will allow dual passport holders to play domestic matches in more than one country.This has effectively freed Robson from having to choose between New South Wales and Middlesex, allowing him to represent both as England and Australia compete for his international loyalties. The player is not thought to have made any written guarantees to England that he will commit his international future to them.It was not only Robson who had a new future opened up for him by the changes, as numerous cricketers who had given up their first-class careers in Australia to play as locals in England are once more eligible to play in the Sheffield Shield, limited overs and Big Bash League competitions.These include the West Australian seam bowler Michael Hogan the NSW batsman Phil Jaques and the Queensland teenager Sam Hain, who joined Warwickshire this year.”The Board has endorsed changes to the definition of an Overseas Player for Australian domestic competitions,” a CA spokesman said. “The changes are designed to allow Australian players who have dual passports to play in more than one domestic competition. CA wants as many quality cricketers playing in its domestic competitions as possible. These changes will allow Australian players with dual passports to play first-class cricket in more than one country.”A number of Australian-qualified cricketers currently playing in ECB competitions in particular are doing so as a local player, meaning if they play in Australia during the summer they need to do so as an overseas player to retain their ECB eligibility. However, CA’s current overseas player definition prevents someone born in Australia, or holding a valid Australian passport, from qualifying to play here as an overseas player.”Changes approved today will ensure state associations and BBL teams will be able recruit Australian players without them having to give up their eligibility to play overseas as a local player. It will remove the burden on these players to choose which domestic competition to play in.”Robson, whose mother hails from Nottingham, previously could not be chosen for New South Wales as a domestic player because although he was born in Australia he played county cricket on a British passport.While the changes have greatly enhanced Australia’s chances of being able to consider Robson in the future, England may also be able to offer him a chance to play first-class matches during the forthcoming southern summer. An outside chance to be named as a reserve opening batsman in the Ashes squad proper, Robson would be a likely choice for the England Lions squad scheduled to shadow the Test touring party over the course of the series.Alternatively, Robson may now head home to Sydney at the conclusion of the English summer and turn out first for the Blues’ Futures League team, and from there earn selection in the NSW Shield XI for the start of the season. In past seasons he has simply played club cricket while ineligible for first-class duty, but given Australia’s current lack of strong batting stock Robson would need only to replicate his consistent scoring for Middlesex to quickly enter international contention.England’s national team has benefitted considerably from the lure of their professional circuit, particularly to South African players who have gone on to qualify for England. The flood of Kolpak players, who are allowed to play county cricket under European Community free labour regulations, has been reduced, however, after a ruling in 2008 enabled the Home Office to introduce a four-year work-permit qualification on players outside the EU.

She is the first cricketer to be sanctioned since the BCCI agreed to come under NADA

Varun Shetty28-Jun-2021Madhya Pradesh women allrounder Anshula Rao has been suspended from cricket for four years, backdated to July 2020, for failing a dope test in March 2020. She is the first cricketer to be sanctioned since the BCCI agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) in 2019.Rao, an under-23 cricketer who hasn’t yet played for MP’s senior team, is understood to have tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone, a performance-enhancing steroid that is “prohibited at all times” for athletes under the world anti-doping code. The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) heard Rao’s appeal last month and is understood to have found no evidence that she had taken the substance unwittingly.Related

• BCCI agrees to come under NADA ambit

• 'NADA has no jurisdiction over BCCI' – Johri

• Pressure on BCCI to comply with National Anti-Doping Agency after Prithvi Shaw's suspension

Rao last played for MP in the women’s U-23 T20 trophy in 2019-20, and had consistently been part of their age-group teams. In her last match for the side, Rao had opened both the bowling and the batting. Rao had then tested positive in March, shortly before the scheduled tournament was cancelled due to the looming Covid-19 pandemic.At the time, Rao had to seek financial assistance for a Sample B analysis to challenge her test results, owing to the costs of sending such a sample overseas during the pandemic. Following that, Rao made her case before the ADDP in May, and was among 23 athletes to be given a sanction order. ESPNcricinfo understands that the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) will help her financially “to an extent” as she serves her ban period.The BCCI had previously resisted coming under the NADA ambit and ran its own anti-doping tests. It was the only exception in the world of cricket – all other countries complied with their national anti-doping agencies, which in turn are affiliated with the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). Among BCCI’s arguments had been that it was not a national federation, and that it had been a signatory to the ICC anti-doping code since 2011, which in turn was based on the WADA code, and therefore additional scrutiny was not necessary.But BCCI was put under pressure by the sports ministry of India in 2019, in a letter sent shortly before BCCI found Prithvi Shaw had tested positive for a banned substance. Among the questions addressed to BCCI in that letter was that of a conflict of interest, given that “BCCI is an interested party and also the appointing authority for the appointment of officers, tribunal members or appellate authority for adjudication.”Following that, BCCI said that it had decided to come under NADA, after assurances from the sports ministry about the concerns it had raised.

Half-centuries from Alex Wakely, James Middlebrook and Steven Crook put Division Two leaders Northamptonshire in control

25-Apr-2013
ScorecardHalf-centuries from Alex Wakely, James Middlebrook and Steven Crook put Division Two leaders Northamptonshire in control on the second day of their Championship match against Gloucestershire at Bristol.Wakely led the way with 88 as the visitors ran up 404 all out in reply to 192, Middlebrook making 62 and Crook 53. Gloucestershire were left with an awkward period to bat before the close and lost skipper Michael Klinger for a single in moving to 34 for 1, still 178 runs behind.Northants began the day on 107 for 3 and Rob Newton soon set about adding to his score of 14, pulling a ball from Alex Gidman over fine leg for six. Newton had moved brightly to 39 when caught at backward-point by Jack Taylor off Benny Howell.Wakely, unbeaten on 23 overnight, looked in good touch as he was joined by Andrew Hall, who was given a life on 18 when dropped by Chris Dent at second slip off David Payne. The pair had added 77 by lunch, which was taken with Northants 226 for 4.Hall was 27 not out at the interval, but could add only a single in the afternoon session before falling leg-before to Will Gidman. Northants fell to 242 for 6 when Wakely departed, also lbw to Gidman, having faced 166 balls and extended his boundary count to 11.When the second new ball became due, not surprisingly, Klinger opted to take it immediately and Payne was the bowler to capitalise as David Murphy was caught by diving wicketkeeper Cameron Herring for 16 and three balls later David Willey had his middle stump uprooted.The Northants lead was just 91, but their tail wagged energetically as Crook joined Middlebrook to produce the most attacking batting of the day. Middlebrook hit eight fours in reaching a 72-ball half-century, while Crook also punished anything loose. By tea they had taken the score to 353 for 8, earning Northants a third and fourth batting point in the process.The final session saw Middlebrook caught behind off Taylor’s offspin without adding to his score but last man Trent Copeland then contributed 27 not out to a stand of 46 with Crook. Will Gidman claimed his fourth wicket when Crook chipped a catch to Dent at midwicket, having helped Northants to maximum batting points.

Hiral Patel heroics with the bat and ball couldn’t save Canada from a four-wicket defeat against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHiral Patel’s heroics with the bat and ball couldn’t save Canada from a four-wicket defeat against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup. Patel struck a doughty 93 on the fourth day, scoring more than half of his side’s second innings total, as the other batsmen fell to Nehemiah Odhiambo’s pace. Canada folded for 175, leaving Kenya a target of 128 for victory.Kenya’s chase was hardly confident; they lost Irfan Karim in the first over and then Patel made inroads with his left-arm spin. It was left to Tanmay Mishra, who followed his first-innings half-century with a calm, unbeaten 38, to steady the Kenya innings and then guide the side to a win.

Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2013Peter Borren has been named captain of Netherlands’ 14-man squad for the ODI against South Africa in Amstelveen on May 31.On May 28, Netherlands’ YB40 squad will travel to Amsterdam for the Canal Bike Race against the South Africans. They will then practice for two days in Amstelveen before the ODI.Squad: Peter Borren (capt), Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Daan van Bunge, Mudassar Bukhari, Tom de Grooth, Tim Gruijters, James Gruijters, Tom Heggelman, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart.

Pakistan will have to consider playing three seamers after the defeat in Bloemfontein

Firdose Moonda14-Mar-2013What seems to be keeping Misbah-ul-Haq from panicking is the faith that Pakistan can only get better after Bloemfontein. Given what he called their overall “mediocrity,” in the first match, even just a more spirited display will prove him right.But to achieve that Pakistan will have to do more than simply up their motivation levels. They will have to get their selection right because that was one of the primary reasons they were shut out of the contest last Sunday.Pakistan went into the match with only two quicks who, as Misbah said, “gave us a very good start in the first eight overs.” Umar Gul and Junaid Khan moved the ball off the seam and beat the bat but after them there was little else.It was not long before Pakistan discovered leaving out a third quick on a South African surface was the equivalent of touring the subcontinent without a spinner: it just does not work. Their slew of spinners were unable to make breakthroughs or keep the run-rate down even though have established themselves as the team’s strength.Misbah-ul-Haq will ponder playing a third seamer•AFP

“South Africa played really well against them on a pitch where it was gripping and turning. Our bowlers did not find the right length,” Misbah said. “Offspinners are our strength and we could not get Colin Ingram out.”As a consequence, even someone as cagey about starting XIs as Misbah was forced to admit his team is considering an obvious change. “We might need another fast bowler after looking at the last game,” he said ahead of the Centurion match. Mohammad Irfan may come into contention on surfaces that will offer bounce or Wahab Riaz could be used.Either way, Pakistan will have to sacrifice either one of their frontline batsmen or one of the two allrounders. Shahid Afridi found his boom-boom in the latter stages of the first match which puts Shoaib Malik in the firing line. Other suggestions would be dropping Younis Khan and even considering finding a way to make room for Umar Akmal in the team.Misbah acknowledged that changes have to be made in the batting but ruled out sweeping personnel swaps. “Just because we lost one match, does not mean we have to make a lot of changes. If we do that players could lose confidence. At the moment, we’ve got a few batsmen who are still waiting for their turn. They are good enough to be in the side but the combinations we are looking at are keeping them out.”Instead, the alteration will come in approach. Pakistan will look to create more run-scoring opportunities and turn around both the strike and their reputation as middle-overs’ stagnates.”We need to be more aggressive, rotate the strike and take a few chances so we can push the fielders a little bit back in the circle. We need to improve that because when we play dot balls in the innings it creates pressure on the batsmen who are playing and the batsmen coming in,” he said. “The batsmen need to show a little more responsibility and we also have to understand the opposition’s line of attack. Most of the time, they are bowling back of a length so we have to be able to play that.Allan Donald has promised South Africa will send down more yorkers so Pakistan will know they have to watch out for that as well. What they should also be wary, according to Misbah, is the moments in which the opposition could take the game away from them because that affected their morale.”Once they got us on the back foot we lost a bit of confidence,” he explained. “The most important thing in one-day cricket is wickets. When we didn’t get wickets, automatically and slowly, it drained us.” That goes back to the opening point. If Pakistan can play with more energy they will better their Bloemfontein showing and repay Misbah’s faith. If they get their selections right as well, then they can have an eye on winning too.

Batsman 46 not out after 88-run stand with Kraigg Brathwaite in pursuit of Hampshire’s big first innings

ECB Reporters Network23-Apr-2021Gloucestershire 114 for 2 (Brathwaite 60, Bracey 46*) trail Hampshire 470 (Alsop 149, Holland 114, Dawson 65, Vince 52) by 356 runsJames Bracey once again underlined his Test credentials in front of England batting coach Marcus Trescothick to help Gloucestershire lay a solid platform in response to Hampshire’s big first-innings total.Bracey and Kraigg Brathwaite put on 88 for the second wicket before the West Indies opener fell late in the day for 60 to leave the visitors on 114 for 2 at the close, having earlier bowled out the hosts for 470.Bracey, who was named as a reserve batsman for England’s tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, was 46 not out against a strong Hampshire attack spearheaded by Mohammad Abbas, Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson, with Tom Lace yet to score.Related

• Ricardo Vasconcelos, Rob Keogh tons see Northamptonshire chase down Glamorgan

• Nick Selman and Billy Root give Glamorgan a chance for victory push

• Middlesex seamers combine for stunning rout as Surrey lose their London pride

• James Bracey shows temperament, talent to hand Gloucestershire victory at Somerset

• Centuries to Ian Holland, Tom Alsop put Hampshire in control

Things looked ominous for Gloucestershire when skipper Chris Dent fell for six to Abbas to a ball that kept low and pinned him on the crease.But Brathwaite and Bracey, watched from the boundary by Trescothick after scoring 118 and 83 in the win over Somerset last week, calmly saw off the new ball.With the pair looking relatively untroubled, Liam Dawson then managed to get a ball to spit off the surface and had Brathwaite caught by Lewis McManus.It led to a tense passage of play but Bracey and Lace survived despite the presence of several fielders around the bat for Dawson’s final three overs.After starting the day on 292 for 3, Hampshire lost nightwatchman Mason Crane early before Tom Alsop fell before lunch for a superbly made 149 – one shy of his highest score. Alsop, who made a century against Leicestershire two weeks ago, struck 19 fours in his 290-ball vigil before being caught down the leg-side by Bracey off Ryan Higgins.Tom Alsop reached 149•Getty Images

James Vince hit a trademark sumptuous cover-drive to the boundary before lunch on his way to a half-century. The Hampshire skipper wasn’t at his fluent best in his innings, but still showed glimpses of class, including successive fours off the bowling of Dan Worrall. However, in a dramatic over, Vince inside-edged the very next delivery to Bracey, with McManus then controversially dismissed to what appeared to be a bump ball, putting Worrall on a hat-trick.The Australian seamer who was the pick of the visiting bowlers, claimed his fourth wicket when Abbott was struck on the pad as the hosts lost 3 for 16 after the restart.Dawson smashed two sixes and five fours on his way to an entertaining 65 before being cleaned up by Higgins, who then bowled Abbas to finish with 4 for 78.