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The visitors struck early in the final innings to leave Zimbabwe at 38 for 3 chasing 292 in Bulawayo

Ekanth08-Feb-2025Ireland are well placed to complete a hat-trick of Test wins after setting Zimbabwe a target of 292 and reducing them to 38 for 3 at stumps. Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker struck fifties with contributions all the way down the order helping them take control of the game in Bulawayo.Richard Ngarava, who took three of the last four wickets to fall, finished with a four-four; but it was the part-time spin of Wessly Madhevere that removed Balbirnie and Andy McBrine – Ireland’s top scorers of the second and first innings respectively.Balbinie started the day with Campher and the duo grew their partnership from 37 to 75 with relative ease. There were nicks – like in the first over of the day – that weren’t carrying, the funky fields from Jonathan Campbell weren’t forcing batters into shots, and Blessing Muzarababi’s five-over opening spell was seen off without loss.Campher picked up two boundaries off Trevor Gwandu – a stylish whip and a technically sound straight drive – before the bowler found his length to quieten the batter and then nick him off after drinks.Ireland were 121 for 2 – a great entry point for Harry Tector, who got off a pair and got into his innings cautiously. Balbirnie, meanwhile, coasted along at his own pace to bring up a 106-ball fifty. He nearly dragged one on in the 34th over and weathered an examination by spin to take the lead up to 142 at lunch.The spin of Campbell and Madhevere took hold after the break; first with the former ripping a legbreak to beat Tector’s full-faced block and trap him lbw, then the latter ripping an offbreak to beat Balbirnie’s flick to do the same.Paul Stirling, who was more generous in peppering attack with defence, swept Madhevere over square leg for six and heaved Campbell wide of mid-on for four. He was out caught down leg, trying to pull Muzarabani fine, but was unhappy with the decision.Tucker was off to a quick start too. He swept Campbell for two fours in the 59th over and consolidated after Stirling fell. He stitched handy 39-run and 23-run stands with McBrine and Mark Adair as Zimbabwe kept at it with spin before the second new ball became available.Trevor Gwandu had Curtis Campher caught behind•Zimbabwe Cricket

McBrine was troubled by Madhevere, who beat his outside edge first (71st over) then snagged it for Nick Welch at slip to complete the catch (75th). Adair slogged a six off Madhevere and was comfortable against the old ball but edged two of the five he faced against the new ball, the second of which went to Takudzwanashe Kaitano’s hands at slip. It left Ireland 261 for 7 at tea.Ngarava toyed with Barry McCarthy before knocking him over with a well-executed slower ball. Gwandu got a shortish ball to skid past Craig Young’s defences but that inconsistent bounce might be something that comes back to haunt Zimbabwe soon. Tucker and Matthew Humphreys, the last pair to bat, did run and walk along the danger area of the pitch a couple of times, but they were not pulled up by the umpires.Tucker brought up fifty by pulling Ngarava and then flayed him over extra cover. But when he charged and tried to slap him over the off side two overs later, the top edge took the ball straight to cover. Ireland, who had conceded a seven-run lead, were all out for 298.Zimbabwe came out to bat with an hour left in the day and McCarthy induced an edge from Ben Curran in the sixth over to have the opener caught behind for the second time in the game. A length ball that went away was set up by a few coming in to find the edge.Adair ended Kaitano’s promising start, which included three boundaries, with another set-up. This time with outswingers before slowing up a fullish ball to beat the inside edge and hit the stumps.Humphreys trapped Welch, Zimbabwe’s top scorer in the first innings, lbw with an arm ball that beat his flick. It brought Gwandu for nightwatch duty and he survived 12 balls to stumps. Brian Bennett, in at No. 4, had a close shave in the final over.The highest successful chase in the fourth innings in a Test hosted by Zimbabwe is 192. So, the hosts will need to break that record if they are to win.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice top-scores as visitors recover from 140 for 6 to 278 all out

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2024Wickets came in clusters on the first day of the Vitality County Championship match between Glamorgan and Sussex in Cardiff with the visitors posting 278 in their first innings after a middle-order collapse left them in trouble.Four wickets apiece from James Harris and Mir Hamza were the highlight for Glamorgan but Sussex did well to recover from 140 for 6 thanks to late-order runs from Jack Carson, Ari Karvelas and Jayden Seales.Several Sussex players got starts but none went on to make a big score on a pitch where it seemed difficult to get fully settled, Fynn Hudson-Prentice producing the top-score with 48. In recent years this Cardiff square has flattened out as the match wears on, so those extra runs could prove vital.Glamorgan faced six overs before the close of play and finished on 21 for 1 with Eddie Byrom falling lbw to Karvelas for 12.Glamorgan’s decision to bowl first on a beautifully sunny day in Cardiff was a matter of some debate before the game started, and a quick start from the Sussex opening pair of Tom Clark and Tom Haines only added to those questions. Haines had reached 19 from just 22 balls when he was trapped lbw by Hamza and that slowed things down.Clark was dismissed playing a pull shot that took a top edge and was easily caught by Chris Cooke, the first of a number of wickets that suggested that there was a two-paced nature to this Sophia Gardens surface.A stand of 50 between Tom Alsop and Cheteshwar Pujara steadied things after the loss of both openers but a flurry of wickets after the lunch break justified Glamorgan’s decision at the toss. A brilliant 18-ball spell from Hamza saw him claim three wickets while conceding just four runs as Sussex went from 131 for 3 to 136 for 5.One of those wickets was that of Pujara who was caught behind to a ball that Hamza got to seam away. Despite his sustained success in county cricket, Glamorgan were something of a bogey team for Pujara before this match. He had made just nine runs in four innings, his last outing against them resulting in an 11-ball duck. His average of 2.25 going into this game was the worst of his career against any first-class opposition. The 41 runs he made in this were well put together but he could not go on.Harris claimed his third wicket when he had Danny Lamb caught at third slip by Andy Gorvin to leave the visitors 140 for 6. A 66-run partnership between Carson and Hudson-Prentice took Sussex past 200 but when Harris forced a second drag on to the stumps it saw the end of Hudson-Prentice.Crane took the ninth wicket when he had Carson caught at slip by Colin Ingram for a well-made 39 before a last-wicket stand took Sussex past 250 for their first bonus point. Karvelas and Seales eventually put on 43, but they were aided by Glamorgan fielding. Karvelas was dropped on 18 and 32 and finished undefeated on 39.The final wicket was claimed by Gorvin who was playing in his first game for Glamorgan this season on his 27th birthday. He bowled Seales for 17 as Sussex finished 278 all out.The one Glamorgan wicket to fall before the close was Byrom who was trapped by a lovely ball from Karvelas which swung in to leave him leg before.

Regular captain Shanto continues to miss out due to a groin strain

Mohammad Isam02-Dec-2024Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue to lead Bangladesh in regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s absence in the ODI series against West Indies. Mehidy was named captain for the ongoing two-Test series in the Caribbean, which the hosts are leading 1-0, with Shanto missing out due to groin strain. Shakib Al Hasan, who has not played for Bangladesh since the Tests in India, continues to miss out, with BCB president Faruque Ahmed saying the senior allrounder was not “in a mental state to play for the country”.Middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy also misses out due to a groin injury which he picked up while playing football recently. Mushfiqur Rahim also misses out as he recovers from finger injury, while Mustafizur Rahman has opted out of the series due to personal reasons. Left-handed opener Zakir Hasan, meanwhile, has been dropped. Litton Das, who missed the ODIs against Afghanistan in November, returns to the side, while Parvez Hossain Emon, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Hasan Mahmud and Tanzim Hasan Sakib have also been included.Shakib, who retired from Tests and T20Is in September, missed the ODIs against Afghanistan last month too. He was part of the Abu Dhabi T10 where he played seven matches for Bangla Tigers. He had not traveled to Dhaka to play his farewell Test, against South Africa, in October because of protests against him after being named in an FIR for an alleged murder during the political unrest in the country.BCB president Ahmed said Shakib remained in contention for selection in ODIs, adding that he needed sufficient preparation to get back into the national side.”Right now, he [Shakib] is still in the list,” Ahmed said. “We hope that the issues get solved in the way he wants. Definitely, he still possesses the capability to play for the national team. Playing for a franchise and playing for the country is not the same thing. You need preparation and also you really need to gel with the team. Since he can’t do those things, I don’t think he is in a mental state to play for the country. Because of that, we have left this thing up to him.”The players named for the ODIs will leave Dhaka on Monday to link with the rest of the players in St Kitts to play the three ODIs on December 8, 10 and 12.

Bangladesh ODI squad vs West Indies

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Parvez Hossain, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Afif Hossain, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana.

Surrey enter their third successive Royal London Cup final knowing that they have lost the last two and this time, in Nottinghamshire, face the most formidable opponents yet

David Hopps30-Jun-2017

Match facts

Saturday, July 1, 2017, Lord’s
Start time 11.00 local (10.00 GMT)

Big Picture

Surrey have dominated 50-over cricket in England in the past two seasons and have reached the final of the Royal London Cup for the third successive season. So far, however, silverware has eluded them with successive defeats against Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. Now they face Nottinghamshire, a one-day side of greater reputation than the two teams against whom they have already been vanquished.Surrey looked favourites in 2015 when they dismissed Michael Klinger first ball and a hat-trick from Jade Dernbach, bringing him 6 for 35, cleaned up Gloucestershire’s tail only for their chase to collapse with the dismissal of Kumar Sangakkara and result in a six-run defeat.A year later they were back again, only to collapse to 136 all out against Warwickshire, losing by eight wickets with nearly 20 overs to spare before one of the biggest crowds for a Lord’s final for years.The upshot of that is that Surrey have only won one major trophy since 2003, which does not befit a club of such stature, and potentially Nottinghamshire could provide them with the toughest challenge of all.They have been in dazzling batting form, hitting 429 at Somerset in the play-off and then chasing down 372 in a semi-final defeat of Essex at Chelmsford, a record successful run chase at Chelmsford that represented one of the great limited-over matches in the history of English domestic cricket; the sort of game, in fact, that insists county cricket has a future whatever the challenges that lie ahead.But Notts do have cruelly-timed injury issues in their bowling attack and that plus the unpredictability of their top-order, often exceptional but somewhat inconsistent, might prove to be Surrey’s escape route.A potential duel between Kumar Sangakkara and the Australian quick, James Pattinson, might also be decisive. Sangakkara made 166 when Surrey edged Notts by four runs in a semi-final two years ago and his run-strewn summer has acted as a protective cover over a Surrey batting line-up that lacks depth.Mark Stoneman will be eager to prove his worth, however. An opportunity with England Lions suggested he might be a breaker in the England Test squad, but expectations were that he would not make the final squad, leaving a Lord’s final as a perfect place to work off his tensions.

Form guide

(Last five matches, most recent first)


Surrey:WWWWL
Nottinghamshire: WWWLW

In the spotlight

Chris Read is in his farewell season for Nottinghamshire and few stalwarts of the county scene have been more highly prized in recent years. In the decade since he last played for England, he has taken on the captaincy for the bulk of the time, kept wicket with grace and produced innumerable zestful rescue acts with the bat, especially on tough Trent Bridge surfaces. Greatly admired, he deserves a happy send-off in only his second domestic final in 20 years, whether it is here or later in the season in the NatWest Blast where Notts must also be strong contenders.Another wicketkeeper has also been gaining rave reviews. Ben Foakes, is one of the smoothest operators around, good enough for Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket and not a man given to hyperbole, to rank him as the best glove man in the world. He tops this season’s overall averages in the Royal London Cup with 481 runs at 120.25 (Kumar Sangakkara’s average of 85.5 puts him fourth). England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, has spoken of the need to show loyalty to Jonny Bairstow, but there are those who would use Bairstow as a specialist batsman and get Foakes into the Test XI.Stuart Broad’s fitness will be sclosely scrutinised by all concerned•Getty Images

Team news

Jake Ball is an absentee for Nottinghamshire after suffering a knee strain in a Championship match against Kent which is also expected to rule him out of contention for the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s next week.It is tough luck for Ball, who was also injured on the eve of the final when he suffered back trouble shortly before Nottinghamshire’s win against Glamorgan in 2013. Luke Fletcher, a burly seamer and one of the characters of the circuit, will be a crowd-pleasing deputy.There may be more difficult discussions about the involvement of Stuart Broad. Broad is confident that he has fully recovered from a heel injury and would normally play, but if England get a whiff of risk there may yet be resistance. Cup final or not, it would play second fiddle to the opening Test of the summer. For the success of days like this, it is to be fervently hoped that he plays.Nottinghamshire (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Riki Wessels, 4 Samit Patel, 5 Brendan Taylor, 6 Steven Mullaney, 7 Chris Read (wk), 8 Stuart Broad (or Luke Wood), 9 James Pattinson, 10 Luke Fletcher 11 Harry Gurney.Surrey should have a full squad to choose from which seems to leave them perming two from three from Scott Borthwick, a close-season signing from Durham, Rory Burns and an effervescent newbie, Ollie Pope.The Curran brothers return with reputations enhanced. Tom has just made an assured England debut in the T20I series against South Africa and Sam, playing his third successive final at the tender age of 19, will be anxious to deliver an influential performance to underline himself as a talented and streetwise cricketer.Surrey (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Mark Stoneman, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Scott Borthwick / Rory Burns, 5 Ben Foakes (wk), 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Gareth Batty (capt), 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Jade Dernbach.

Pitch and conditions

The final of the 50-over competition has traditionally taken place at the end of the season, but as the season has expanded it has become later and later and often overly influenced by the toss. It has also been increasingly overshadowed by Finals Day in the NatWest Trophy as T20 cricket has gained prominence.
A switch to midsummer therefore seems a positive move, especially as it connects the final to the group stages, so maintaining the narrative of the event.The weather in London is forecast to be settled, with sunny intervals in the afternoon and highs of 22C. All it needs is a decent surface and Read, for one, expects just that, envisaging decent pace and remarking: “There’s runs in it.”.

Quotes

“It’s just a mental thing. It is a case of everybody understanding that it’s a big occasion but not getting overawed by it.”
“There’s pressure on them perhaps. They’ve choked at the last maybe.”

Glamorgan looked set to win before three dropped catches in last three overs came back to haunt them

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2024Gloucestershire 142 for 8 (J Taylor 70, van der Gugten 2-8) beat Glamorgan 140 for 6 (Northeast 46*, M Taylor 3-21) by two wicketsGloucestershire completed a superb win over Glamorgan with Jack Taylor’s 70 setting up a remarkable comeback from 45 for 5 to secure a two-wicket victory.Glamorgan looked certain to claim the win before three dropped catches in the last three overs came back to haunt them as Josh Shaw hit the last ball for six to take the visitors past their target.Runs for Sam Northeast and an excellent spell from Timm van der Gugten had put Glamorgan into a winning position before Taylor’s 70 from 48 balls set up the victory for Gloucestershire.Gloucestershire looked to be heading for a large defeat before Taylor’s innings allowed them snatch the win from the very last ball.The Glamorgan innings was characterised more by touch than by power with their top three looking to work the ball around in very bowling friendly conditions. Kiran Carlson tried some early innovation and was dismissed as a result. He attempted to scoop a ball from Shaw over the keeper and was caught at backward point by Matt Taylor.With the early wickets of Carlson and Labuschagne, Northeast was happy to soak up the pressure that the Gloucestershire seamers applied, and he was going at under a run a run a ball for much of his innings. Northeast finished on 46 not out from 42 balls, the lowest not out score by an opener in a full 20-over innings in the competition’s history. Colin Ingram looked to be more aggressive and fell when he attempted to on drive down the ground off the bowling of Matt Taylor for 25. When Chris Cooke fell to the next ball Glamorgan were 76 for 4. When Ben Kellaway was caught at deep square leg in the next over off Marchant De Lange that became 81 for 5.Dan Douthwaite and Northeast put on the biggest stand of the Glamorgan innings but that was broken after the pair had added 37. Northeast added 22 in the final overs with van der Gugten to get Glamorgan to 140 for 6 from their 20 overs.The Gloucestershire innings got off to a poor start with the new ball once again causing serious difficulties for the batting side. They were 29 for 3 at the end of the powerplay and really struggling to get going.Van der Gugten bowled four consecutive overs from the Cathedral Road end to finish with figures of 2 for 8 in a spell that included a maiden and just one boundary.The introduction of the very first over of spin in this match brought immediate rewards for Glamorgan when Marnus Labuschagne took a spectacular one-handed catch while diving full length off the bowling of Mason Crane to dismiss Ben Charlesworth as Gloucestershire stumbled to 53 for 5 after 10 overs.Jack Taylor batted brilliantly throughout but benefited from some sloppy fielding after he had passed fifty with both Carlson and McIlroy putting him down off the bowling of Crane.Taylor was run out in the last over to seemingly end Gloucestershire’s hopes but Northeast dropped Shaw off the penultimate ball to give him the chance to win the game with his six off the final delivery.

Packed stadium, lesser known domestic talent stepping up, capped players trying to be relevant – the RCB vs DC clash is tantalizingly poised

Shashank Kishore16-Mar-20243:10

Mandhana recalls being awestruck by Lanning

Big Picture: A celebration of talent

Raging debates about the need for a tournament like the WPL feel all too recent.They said there wasn’t enough talent depth to split into enough teams to form a league and captivate audiences. On Friday evening, 25,000 fans packed into the Arun Jaitley Stadium to witness Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator.On Sunday, the same crowd will turn fanatical in their support for Delhi Capitals, who will have a second shot at WPL glory. Last year, they let nerves get the better of them against Mumbai. Things may turn out differently this time with a stadium full of people cheering them on.Related

• How Minnu Mani overcame adversity to make her mark in the WPL

• 'She's a real fighter' – Nitschke praises Jonassen's response to axing

• New and improved Shafali has brought method to her madness

• Perry: 'We're lucky to play in front of such big and fanatical crowds'

• Innovative Rodrigues makes it count with boundary-laden half-century

Capitals have got here on the back of a dominating run in the group stage. Twice in two seasons now, they’ve made the finals directly by topping the pool. RCB’s journey has been bumpy. Having opened with two wins, they suffered a mid-season slump, before putting it past the defending champions twice to make it here.Not surprisingly, the history of both these sides, in the IPL, has been brought up quite a bit. Capitals and RCB have part of that tournament since 2008 but neither of them have won anything – Capitals have made only one final previously, RCB three. So this much is for sure: one of them will be making space for a first trophy.Both teams have invested heavily in their scouting system. Asha Sobhana’s nerveless final over on Friday night to dethrone Mumbai was a ringing endorsement of this. At 33, it’s possible she would have been a mere footnote in several domestic scorecards if not for an opportunity at the WPL.Capitals have identified a core group of young Indian players to drive them forward. Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav, who hadn’t been in the conversation as far as the Indian team goes, are part of this. Compelling performances here, a byproduct of fierce backing from Meg Lanning and the coaching staff. Now, a national call-up won’t seem so surprising.Shafali Verma’s chats with Lanning about becoming ruthless and consistent and adding new gears to her game are bound to have a ripple effect. Minnu Mani’s smile and Lanning’s embrace after she spun one past Ash Gardner’s defence told you of how a team culture that empowers young players to discover themselves and grow as individuals has already reaped dividends.2:51

Lanning: Mandhana is starting to get the ins and outs captaincy

Shreyanka Patil, a find of WPL 2023, has come on leaps and bounds from there. She fought through a hairline fracture, resisting the idea of rest to prevent aggravating her injury to play Friday’s Eliminator and delivered a clutch performance.Stories of hope, inspiration and glory will once again play out on Sunday evening on the biggest stage of them all. And it will culminate in the WPL having a new winner. It feels fitting.

Form guide

Delhi Capitals: WWLWW (Last five games)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLLW

In the spotlight: Asha Sobhana and Jemimah Rodrigues

Twice this season, Asha Sobhana has helped RCB complete a sensational last-over defence. She defended 10 runs in the opener against UP Warriorz. Against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, she defended 11. That she has been preferred ahead of regulars like Renuka Singh reflects the confidence Smriti Mandhana has in her. At 33, Asha is not a newbie, but her exploits could put her in contention to be in India’s T20 World Cup squad in Bangladesh later this year.After a slow start, Jemimah Rodrigues has hit form towards the business end. She has scored 38*, 58, 17 and 69* in her last four innings. Unlike last year, where she was largely an accumulator, Rodrigues has added a robust power game to help finish off innings. This versatility gives her a massive edge in India’s World Cup plans.5:43

Rodrigues: I’ve learnt from Kohli how to hit sixes while hitting in the gaps

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Alice Capsey, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Jess Jonassen, 6 Marizanne Kapp, 7 Minnu Mani, 8 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Arundhati Reddy, 11 Shikha PandeyRCB: 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Sophie Devine, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Disha Kasat/S Meghana, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Sophie Molineux, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Shreyanka Patil, 9 Renuka Singh, 10 Asha Sobhana, 11 Shradda Pokharkar/Ekta Bisht

Pitch and conditions: Something for the bowlers

A fresh pitch, right in the centre, will be used. Delhi has ensured decent bounce and carry for seamers, while the absence of dew has helped spinners also have a say. Toss hasn’t been as big a factor, with teams happy to bat first, like RCB did in the Eliminator.

Stats and trivia: RCB have never beaten Capitals

• Ellyse Perry’s 6 for 15 in the final league game against Mumbai are the best figures in WPL’s short history.
• Lanning has never been out in single digits in 17 WPL innings. But two of her lowest scores have come against RCB.
• Marizanne Kapp’s economy rate of 6.50 is the best among those who’ve bowled at least 15 overs this season. Out of the five T20 finals she has played since 2021, Kapp was Player of the Match in the Hundred in 2021, WBBL 2021 and Hundred 2022.
• Seven out of ten matches in the Delhi leg of this WPL have been won by the side batting first.
• Shafali’s 17 sixes are the most by a batter so far this season. Mandhana is next best with 10.
• RCB have never beaten Capitals in four attempts so far.
  

  Quotes

  “We were just thinking we’re only two seasons into this, so let’s not take too much stress about what has happened over the last 15 years or correlating with similarities [to the men’s team].”
  
  “It is a nightmare having a 40-meter boundary on one side. That is one thing I haven’t necessarily enjoyed as a captain. There’s so much more power and strength in the game now that people are clearing the ropes pretty easily.”
  

Babar, meanwhile, says he “will continue consulting” Shaheen “for important decisions going forward”

Danyal Rasool31-Mar-2024Newly deposed Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has called it “an honour” to have led the Pakistan national team on the day it was announced he had been replaced by his predecessor Babar Azam. He called it “my duty to back Babar Azam”, stating that both had the same aims.After a public process in which PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi repeatedly declined to back Shaheen, the PCB formally confirmed that the fast bowler’s one-series stint as T20I captain had come to a close, announcing Babar as T20I and ODI captain once more. With relationships within the team inevitably coming under strain, the PCB has put out a press release with Shaheen and Babar sending out statements of support for each other in a bid to put the whole saga behind them.”I will always cherish the memories and the opportunity,” Afridi said. “As a team player, it is my duty to back our captain, Babar Azam. I have played under his captaincy and have nothing but respect for him. I will try to help him on and off the field. We are all one. Our aim is the same, to help Pakistan become the best team in the world.”