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England need just one victory from their Women’s Championship ODIs in Sri Lanka to secure their place in next year’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2016Anya Shrubsole has been ruled out of England’s tour of Sri Lanka with the neck injury that forced her to return early from the West Indies. Sophie Ecclestone, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner, is unavailable due to school commitments.There is a recall for batsman Fran Wilson after she recovered from a broken finger, and she will be aiming to play her first ODI since 2010, while one further player will be added to the squad following a training camp in Abu Dhabi from November 1-7. Ecclestone will join the training camp before returning to the UK.

England squad for Sri Lanka tour

Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt (plus one to be added)
Additional players for training camp Georgia Adams, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Hennessy, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Bryony Smith.

Tash Farrant, the left-arm seamer, was not considered for the tour with England deciding she was better served continuing her spell with Western Australia in the Women’s National Cricket League.England require just one victory from the latter three matches of the four-game series, which are part of the Women’s Championship, to confirm their qualification for next year’s World Cup following the 3-2 series victory in West Indies.”I’m really happy with the character and fight that the team showed to win the recent series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, and we now look ahead to the fresh challenge of taking on Sri Lanka in their own conditions, with the ambition of finishing the busiest ever year for the England women’s team on a high,” Mark Robinson, the England coach, said.”The involvement of some of our younger players in the training camp in the UAE presents a fantastic opportunity for their development, and gives us an excellent chance to continue to develop the depth of the talent pool underneath the England women’s squad.”Fran Wilson gives us another option with the bat, is a strong, athletic fielder, and had an impressive domestic summer. It is disappointing that Anya Shrubsole is still side-lined through injury, but in Beth Langston we have an exciting fresh face, who is ready to be unleashed on the international game.”

Three wickets apiece restrict Phoenix to sub-par 119 for 8 in low-scoring encounter

Matthew Luddington16-Aug-2023Southern Brave 120 for 6 (Garton 28) beat Birmingham Phoenix 119 for 8 (Mills 3-20, Rehan 3-22) by four wickets
Rehan Ahmed celebrated his England T20I call-up with a spell of three for 22 as Southern Brave cruised to a four-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix.Teenage leg-spinner Rehan, who is the youngest male cricketer to play all three formats for England, bamboozled Phoenix through the middle sets, while the left-arm quick Tymal Mills starred at the death with three for 20 to restrict the visitors to an under-par 119 for eight.George Garton top-scored with 28 as Southern Brave got ahead of the rate early and reached their target with six balls to spare.Brave climb to second in the table to boost their chances of reaching the playoffs whilst Phoenix remain bottom with progression looking unlikely.Phoenix captain Moeen Ali elected to bat first and Will Smeed started fast, striking three boundaries off Garton and Craig Overton’s opening end. Moeen’s fellow Ashes star Ben Duckett soon joined the fun striking boundaries with a cut, flick and a ramp.Smeed crashed two glorious drives through the off side for four, and had a life when he was put down by Tim David in the deep, but his luck ran out when he was beaten by the extra pace of Mills and top-edged a pull to Leus du Plooy to leave the Phoenix 40 for one after the powerplay.Brave captain James Vince turned to spin and was vindicated as Rehan trapped Jamie Smith lbw before bowling Duckett around his legs with a disguised googly.Off-spinner Colin Ackermann picked up the prize scalp of Moeen with a jaffa as both spinners dominated, bowling back-to-back 10-ball sets.Rehan picked up his third wicket after Dan Mousley overbalanced to a leg-side delivery and was smartly stumped by Devon Conway.Livingstone was dropped in the deep and threatened to make Brave pay when he dispatched Rehan and Mills for sixes, however he soon edged behind off Mills.In the final end Benny Howell fell to a Jordan slower ball and Chris Woakes holed out to long-off as Mills picked up his third wicket and Phoenix could only muster 119 for eight.Finn Allen set about making light work of the target, striking Woakes over extra-cover, before launching fellow New Zealander Adam Milne for a six over long-on, and hitting Woakes for consecutive boundaries over his head.Allen fell soon after when he could only glove an attempted ramp off Kane Richardson to Smith.Vince worked a Richardson in-swinger behind square for four off his first delivery, before assertively pulling Woakes to the boundary. However, the Brave’s captain was bowled after advancing down the pitch to an Ali delivery that spun between bat and pad.Devon Conway was run out after a mix up, however a quickfire partnership of 44 between Garton and Du Plooy put the Brave firmly in control.Garton fell after looping a catch to point, David holed out to cow corner and Du Plooy was trapped lbw without addition across six dot-balls, before Brave stumbled over the line for a vital victory.

The 33-year-old was part of the Sri Lankan side that won the T20 World Cup in 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2023Sri Lanka batter Lahiru Thirimanne has announced his retirement from international cricket after a 13-year career.”As a player I have given my best, I have tried my best, I have respected the game and I have done my duty honestly and ethically to my motherland,” Thirimanne posted on Facebook on Saturday.”It was a difficult decision to make, but I cannot mention here the many unexpected reasons that influenced me to take this decision willingly or unwillingly. I take this opportunity to thank the SLC members, my coaches, teammates, physios, trainers and analysts for their support and encouragement.”Thirimanne, 33, played 44 Tests, 127 ODIs and 26 T20Is after making his international debut in 2010. He was part of three T20 World Cup campaigns, including Sri Lanka’s win in 2014, and played two ODI World Cups. He also led Sri Lanka in five ODIs.”Absolute honor to have the opportunity to represent the country,” he posted on Instagram. “Thanks a lot for the 13 years of amazing memories and well wishes thru out my journey (sic). See you on the other side.”His last international match was the Test against India in Bengaluru in March 2022. The last of his three Test centuries came against Bangladesh in 2021 when his 140 helped Sri Lanka win the match in Pallekele. He was especially impressive in ODIs in 2015 when he scored 861 runs in 25 games with one century and six half-centuries.Thirimanne played first-class cricket in the most recent season in Sri Lanka, but has lived in Australia for much of the past two years. He has not been consistently available for Test selection, and has since been replaced at the top of the order by the likes of Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka.

Ireland’s highest score in five meetings against Australia was not enough to even mildly challenge the top-ranked ODI side, who eased to victory with 19.5 overs to spare in a chase of 199

The Report by Firdose Moonda27-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Adam Zampa’s spell of 3 for 37 saw him become the leading ODI wicket-taker of the year•AFP

Ireland’s highest score in five meetings against Australia was not enough to even mildly challenge the top-ranked ODI side, who eased to victory with 19.5 overs to spare in a chase of 199. What will sting Ireland most is that they could have done much better. They squandered the chance to post a competitive total with a mid-innings collapse that took them from 121 for 2 to 146 for 6, and lost their last eight wickets for 77 runs. None of their batsmen touched 40 while the three batsmen Australia needed all scored more than that. Two of them, Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith, went on to score half-centuries to underline the difference.Adam Zampa was the pick of the Australian attack and spun webs around Ireland’s batsmen with his variations. Overall, though, the bowlers may have wanted a slightly better showing. Their seamers, particularly Mitchell Marsh, lacked venom, especially in the first half of the Ireland innings. It was only when the ball started reversing slightly later on that they regained control.Ireland started strongly after William Porterfield and Paul Stirling settled in against debutant Daniel Worrall and John Hastings. Stirling was particularly severe on Worrall and took three boundaries off his fifth over, the most eye-catching one being a straight hit back over the bowler’s head that almost went for six.The opening pair looked good for a half-century stand, but Stirling hit Scott Boland straight to the cover fielder to give Australia their first success. Porterfield could have been out in the next over when Marsh found a bottom-edge that was dying on Matthew Wade, who could not get forward in time. Porterfield was on 19 at the time and only added five more runs before missing a pull off a Zampa flipper that hit him low on the pad.Ireland’s best period came despite the several chances that John Anderson offered while batting. They made Marsh question his lengths and the bowler’s frustration only increased when he got Anderson to reach for one and edge to second slip, where there was no fielder to take the catch. Marsh was denied Anderson’s wicket again when he pulled to Boland at fine leg, but the catch was not cleanly taken. Anderson also survived an edge off John Hastings that fell short of Wade and amid all that, swept well and kept Ireland’s score ticking.Anderson’s luck ran out when he was given out lbw off Boland in the 24th over and Australia surged back in the next over. Gary Wilson was caught behind and, off the next ball, Sean Terry was caught unawares and was run out, leaving Ireland in free fall. Terry’s dismissal was Ireland’s most casual as he wandered out of his crease while Worrall was appealing for an lbw chance. Smith, at slip, spotted that and threw the ball onto the stumps to find Terry short of his ground. Ireland had lost three wickets for two runs at that stage, but still had Kevin O’Brien on hand. He did not have enough support, however, and eventually fell to a Zampa wrong ‘un, leaving Ireland in danger of falling short of 200 or not batting out the fifty overs.Australia’s response began rapidly. David Warner and Khawaja put on 54 in the first six overs as they took advantage of width offered by Peter Chase and Barry McCarthy, who should have had Khawaja out in the fourth over. Chase, running in from long leg, spilled the chance off a top-edge and Ireland were made to pay.Australia did not attack Tim Murtagh as much and he picked up the only wicket of the innings. Warner popped a cutter back to him and Murtagh took the catch above his head but did not celebrate the scalp. Khawaja and Smith put on 126 for the second wicket and were otherwise untroubled in their pursuit of runs.Smith took on George Dockrell and Khawaja’s fifty came off the left-arm spinner with a cut to the deep-point boundary. Smith brought up his half-century with a single off McCarthy.Ireland will leave South Africa disappointed. Although few expected them to win either of the two matches, the team failed to last a full innings against South Africa and Australia, fielded poorly and lacked clear plans with the ball.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches on June 20, 2016

Mohammad Isam20-Jun-2016Abahani Limited took another step towards the Dhaka Premier League title, beating Legends of Rupganj by 60 runs at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar.After being put in, Abahani’s batsmen made solid contributions to lift them to 290 for 8 in 50 overs. Rupganj were bowled out for 230 in 44.4 overs, with Mosaddek Hossain, the offspinner, taking 5 for 43.Both teams are now level on points – 20 each – but Abahani are on top on account of more wins.Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das, the Abahani openers, added 76 runs for the first wicket before left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had Tamim caught at long-on in the 17th over. Then Liton, having made 51 off 69 balls, was caught at short midwicket as Rupganj fought back to reduce Abahani to 112 for 4 in the 28th over.Shakib Al Hasan and Mosaddek Hossain regained the advantage with a 140-run fifth-wicket stand. Shakib, who made 66 off 57 balls, was severe on everything short. The best of his six fours and two sixes came via cuts and pulls. Mosaddek preferred the cover drive and chips over midwicket. He made 73 off only 55 balls, with eight fours and two straight sixes. Both batsmen fell in the space of nine balls between the 45th and 46th overs which prevented Abahani from making 300.Taijul finished with 3 for 45. Asif Ahmed claimed 3 for 57 in nine overs and Alauddin Babu took 2 for 35. Jahurul Islam took four catches, the most by an outfielder in a DPL List-A match, joining Tushar Imran, Hasibul Hossain, Raqibul Hasan and Naeem Islam.The Rupganj chase began horribly. They lost their top three in 8.3 overs. Jahurul and Junaid Siddique were bowled by Shakib and Mosaddek respectively when the batsmen tried to slog across the line. Soumya Sarkar’s stumps sustained damage as well after he was beaten by Taskin Ahmed’s pace.A 59-run fourth wicket stand fanned hopes of a recovery but Nahidul Islam was stumped off Shakib for 36 and his partner Mohammad Mithun was caught at long-on for 55.Asif Ahmed hammered 70 off 54 balls with five sixes and three fours, but with no one else contributing Abahani’s total was never under threat. Asif was the last man out, but he seemed to suggest he wasn’t ready for the Taskin full toss that bowled him in the 44th over.Mosaddek was adjudged Player of the Match for the third time in the DPL having taken a five-for to go with his half-century.In Fatullah, Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club beat Victoria Sporting Club by 91 runs. Despite that, both teams are out of contention for the titlePrime Doleshwar amassed 333 for 5 in their 50 overs thanks to a 96-ball 100 from opener Raqibul Hasan. Victoria were in and excellent position to chase the target down with the openers Abdul Mazid (50) and Jubair Ahmed (56) and their No. 3 Mominul Haque (61) making fifties each. But they collapsed from 201 for 3 to 242 all out. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam took 3 for 44, while Al-Amin Hossain and Rahatul Ferdous took two each to secure the victory.Prime Doleshwar were able to post a strong total despite losing an early wicket – Imtiaz Hossain was dismissed for 8 in the first over – thanks to Raqibul and the partnerships he led – 70 runs for the second wicket with Rony Talukdar, then 124 for the third wicket with Sachin Baby, who made 64 off 92 balls. Raqibul raised his first hundred of the season off 94 balls, but was dismissed soon after.With 14 overs left and a foundation of 202 for 3 to work with, Nasir Hossain plundered an unbeaten 74 off 42 balls to push the score well beyond Victoria’s reach.In Mirpur, Ariful Haque’s unbeaten century sealed a thrilling one-wicket win for Mohammedan Sporting Club against Prime Bank Cricket Club.Fast bowler Rubel Hossain, who had his national contract reinstated yesterday, was given the final over with six runs to defend. Mohammedan took singles off the first two balls, but lost three wickets in the next three due to run-outs. The last of those came about in unsavoury fashion.Off the penultimate ball, an appeal was made for lbw that was turned down by the umpire, even as Ariful and Subhasis Roy tried to take two. Prime Bank appealed for a run out on both ends, but the batsmen were ruled not out, prompting the Prime Bank players to go off the field for 15 minutes as protest. They were persuaded to return by the match referee, and Subhashis was declared run out.Ariful took strike for the final ball on 99. With two runs required, he struck a four through third man to seal the win.Prime Bank’s total of 244 had seemed more than enough when Ariful had come to the crease at 76 for 4. But he didn’t give up. He added 61 runs for the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim (50), added 59 more for the seventh wicket with the Faisal Hossain and finally shepherded the team across the line amid intense pressure.In a game of small margins, Prime back would rue the disappointing returns in the latter overs of their batting innings. Sabbir Rahman’s 77 off 66 balls and opener Unmukt Chand’s 40 off 62 balls had helped them to 196 for 5 in the 41st over, but it ended with Shuvagata Hom’s wicket, and thereafter, Prime Bank lost their way and were bowled out before facing their full quota. Shahidul Islam, Faisal, Enamul Haque jnr and Naeem Islam took two wickets each; Habibur Rahman and Roy took a wicket apiece.

Doug Bollinger helped deliver New South Wales a place in the Matador Cup finals as they secured an eight-wicket win over Western Australia at North Sydney Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016
ScorecardDoug Bollinger picked up 3 for 26•Getty Images

Doug Bollinger helped deliver New South Wales a place in the Matador Cup finals as they secured an eight-wicket win over Western Australia at North Sydney Oval. Set 208 for victory, the Blues made an outstanding start to their chase through a 172-run opening stand between Daniel Hughes and Ed Cowan, and from there the result was never in doubt.The win meant New South Wales leapt into the top three and will play against Victoria in the elimination final for the chance to take on Queensland in the tournament decider. The day began well for the Blues when Josh Hazlewood struck in the first over of the match and Trent Copeland in the second, before Adam Voges (62) provided a steadying influence for the Warriors.Michael Klinger (46) and Cameron Bancroft (56) helped made valuable contributions but Bollinger then ran through the lower middle order to finish with 3 for 26 from his eight overs as Western Australia were bowled out for 207 in the 44th over.In the chase, Ashton Turner picked up the only two wickets that fell, but by then the damage had already been done by Cowan and Hughes. Cowan departed for 66 and Hughes was lbw for 96, falling short of what would have been a second consecutive century after his 122 against Victoria on Sunday.

John Turner’s maiden five-for followed by nerveless Toby Albert finale

ECB Reporters Network14-Aug-2022John Turner’s maiden professional five-wicket haul and Toby Albert’s nerveless unbeaten 65 maintained Hampshire’s 100 per cent Royal London Cup record in a nail-biting victory over Lancashire.South African-born Turner’s five for 25 led an impeccable fast bowling display from Hampshire, with Jack Campbell and Scott Currie removing the rest.In form batter Rob Jones crashed 84 in a 119 partnership with Steven Croft, to take his competition average to 239, as Lancashire scored 183.Liam Hurt’s brutally quick three for 25 made sure Hampshire couldn’t ease to victory but 20-year-old Albert, on the back of a match-winning 84 against Derbyshire, managed to get his side over the line with 10 balls to spare.Related

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Hampshire’s eight-wicket victory keeps them top of Group B with a perfect record, with Lancashire now three points adrift with three wins, a washout and this defeat – both will expect to make the knockout stage.On a blistering quick wicket, having been asked to bowl by Keaton Jennings, Campbell and Turner had Lancashire seven for 3 inside five overs.
Turner’s first delivery of the match set the tone, with Ben Brown taking the ball at shoulder height a couple of steps in from the 30-yard circle. Jennings couldn’t resist attempting to cut at one though on his return from Lions duty, but the extra bounce found his edge.Luke Wells impatiently skied Campbell and Josh Bohannon was caught behind to a ball which gloriously shaped in.Lancashire still hadn’t scored off a run off the bat at this stage, but Jones pushed and ran to cover before unfurling a square drive to begin a very profitable, and needed fourth-wicket partnership.Jones has been in fine form in the competition with scores of 70 and 85, both without being dismissed. Here he was effortless in reaching a 60-ball fifty, often using the bounce to his advantage.The pair had recovered the situation before Lancashire collapsed again, with the last seven wickets falling for 57 runs. Croft was yorked by Campbell to end the county’s record fourth-wicket stand against Hampshire before George Balderson clothed Turner to midwicket.Currie then opened the floodgates with a triple wicket maiden, taking three wickets in four balls. Jones fell for the first time in this season’s cup when he cut to point, Tom Bailey edged behind first ball before Will Williams defended his first ball but was pinned second. George Lavelle and Liam Hurt were both caught trying to attack Turner to give him his five.Hampshire plodded rather than attacked the target. Ben Brown, promoted to open, was lbw to a Bailey delivery which seamed in, Tom Prest dragged a wide Hurt ball onto his stumps having been bogged down, and Nick Gubbins fell into a perfectly placed short extra cover trap off Balderson.Hurt’s searing pace had Aneurin Donald chopping down and Fletcha Middleton caught behind with a frighteningly quick delivery from his long run-up and low action. Felix Organ also hit onto his own stumps off Bailey and Scott Currie swung two boundaries before he was pinned by Luke Wells.Sixteen-year-old debutant Dom Kelly belied his inexperience with 17 in a 38-run stand with Albert but cut to point with 18 still needed. But Albert reached back-to-back fifties in 64 balls and ticked off the remaining runs with Turner to the backdrop of a raucous crowd, with the winning runs a lofted on-drive for four.

Zimbabwe opener Tino Mawoyo, who has recovered from injury, has called for more grit from the batsmen, ahead of the side’s second Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo05-Aug-2016While New Zealand took three days off and spent a night at a game farm – former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak’s game farm no less – Zimbabwe trained for three days and held a team dinner at what can safely be called Bulawayo’s best eatery.In the serene surrounds of 26 on Park – a restaurant converted from a family home on a massive plot in which a garden forms a green moat around a gabled mansion – they openly and honestly thrashed out their issues ahead of the second Test against New Zealand in Bulawayo.Between bites of thick-cut steaks, Zimbabwe, “spoke about where we feel we fell short in the last game and what we need to do to improve,” Tino Mawoyo, their opening batsman, said. “There were some encouraging things said to the up-and-coming youngsters from the senior guys, some good words from the coach to gee us up before the next game. Those kinds of things are important – doing things together a team.”As a Test team, Zimbabwe rarely even play together, and their lack of familiarity of the format, and each other, shows. Primarily, the top order’s inability to provide a platform has placed extra pressure on the rest of the line-up and it is the first thing Zimbabwe want to fix.”The guys have had a good look at how they got out and also had a good chance to look at New Zealand’s bowlers,” Mawoyo said. “There’s a little bit more grit needed, a little bit more application and being able to say to yourself, ‘let me go out there, suss out conditions and give myself a chance’.Easier said than done, especially against a New Zealand pace pack that attacks through movement and length. While Tim Southee and Trent Boult swing the ball, Neil Wagner brings a barrage of short balls, which test Zimbabwe’s technique. As Prince Masvaure suggested after the first day’s play in the first Test, the more Zimbabwe told themselves not to succumb to Wagner, the more they did, but Mawoyo explained they have worked on a better mental approach.”As the psychologists say, if you don’t want to do something, don’t say don’t. Find a better way of saying it which is probably, look to get under the ball. As we saw the captain in the second innings, and a little bit of Donald Tiripano earlier, they took it on the body,” Mawoyo said. “Saying don’t is something negative and the mind gravitates towards it naturally, but those chats have happened. Guys have done a little bit more work with the shorts ball in the nets. I think that’s something we will address a lot better in the second Test.”Mawoyo will have to walk that talk first. He has recovered from a thumb injury to take his place at the top of the order, and despite a week on the sidelines, believes he is ready. “I back my ability,” he said, a rare statement of self-belief from a Zimbabwe batsman, but one Mawoyo is justified in. His unbeaten 79 for Zimbabwe A in a draw against South Africa A last month is fresh in his mind and he hopes to take that determination into this Test.If he is able to, it will also be an act of leadership in a Zimbabwe team riddled with inexperience. Hamilton Masakadza’s injury-forced withdrawal has left Mawoyo as the most experienced batsman in the line-up, alongside Craig Ervine, with both having eight caps each to their name. Only captain Graeme Cremer, who has played 12 Tests, is more experienced.After handing out three new caps in the first Test, Zimbabwe could end up with another rookie in the second. PJ Moor, who scored a century and a fifty in two Logan Cup appearances last season, is likely to come into the starting XI and could even take the gloves from Regis Chakabva. Moor has shown promise for several years, including during a stint at South Africa’s University of Pretoria Academy, where he was in 2010. “It was obvious that he was going to play at a high level,” Pierre de Bruyn, who coached at the academy, told ESPNcricinfo. “He embraced every challenge in the academy year which is a very intense program, and what stood out was his work ethic, combined with very strong values.”Moor’s talent, like Masvaure’s, can only bloom in nurturing circumstances, and with so few fixtures in the Zimbabwe calendar, planning that way ahead may be too optimistic. That may be why Mawoyo offered nothing more than realistic expectations ahead of the second Test.”If we show improvement, we’ve done well. We’ve spoken about the top order probably not doing as well as they should have, the bowlers not striking as well as often as we would have liked them to,” he said. “Realistically, to come out and say we’re going to win the next Test would not be honest. If we can go out there and improve on the things we have spoken out, we are going forward.”

The other Knight Riders struggled on a slow pitch and an excellent innings went in vain

Sreshth Shah16-Apr-20232:54

Moody: ‘Mumbai Indians will have to outbat oppositions to win consistently’

On a special day for the Mumbai Indians franchise, their home fans were treated to a commanding victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, with contributions from Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla and Hrithik Shokeen.The all-round effort from the Mumbai team overshadowed Venkatesh Iyer’s 51-ball 104 that had single-handedly lifted the Knight Riders to 185. Iyer broke Knight Riders’ jinx of no IPL centuries since Brendon McCullum’s 158* from 15 years ago, but the other batters were not fluent.That meant Knight Riders finished below par and Kishan’s powerplay dominance (58 off 25) made it even worse for them. Suryakumar, the stand-in captain, then showed glimpses of his best (43 off 25) with solid contributions from Tilak Varma and Tim David to polish off the win.There was also a debut for Arjun Tendulkar, the son of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He bowled two new-ball overs that showed promise for the future.

Venkatesh ends KKR’s century curse

Sometimes intent matters more than timing. Or so it seemed in Venkatesh’s case. Walking in after N Jagadeesan fell for a duck early, he hit Tendulkar and Cameron Green for sixes to race away to 19 in 8 balls.He often charged out of hise crase, using his reach to convert length balls into fuller deliveries, and even if he wasn’t timing it, he was clearing the boundaries. He also survived some inside-edges that whizzed past the stumps for four, including the ball that got him to fifty in 23 deliveries.Sometimes Venkatesh looked a million dollars. Like when he pulled both Riley Meredith and debutant Duan Jansen – Marco’s twin – for sixes in the 11th and 12th overs. At other times, Venkatesh rode his luck with his footwork getting him in awkward positions.Another six off Meredith in the 14th over took Venkatesh to 94, but he wouldn’t reach his century till his 17th, with Mumbai’s bowlers squeezing him and Shardul Thakur with three tight overs. When he got there, he presented a wide grin and acknowledged the crowd.He couldn’t stay till the end though. In the 18th over, an attempted reverse scoop off Meredith resulted in an easy catch on 104 for short third.

Chawla leads Mumbai’s bowling effort

Suryakumar chose to bowl at the toss. Tendulkar took the new ball and got it to swing early. He bowled six dots and finished 0-17 in two overs. Green kept tight lines and Shokeen’s offbreaks to two left-handers kept one end quiet.Trying to increase his strike-rate, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was caught at short third off Chawla. Then things got heated when Nitish Rana was dismissed by his state team-mate Shokeen. Shoekeen went on to remove Shardul Thakur, slog sweeping to the deep and Rinku Singh couldn’t repeat his recent heroics either, making only 18.It was Venkatesh’s hitting – a total outlier in the Knight Riders innings – that had kept them on course for a 200+ score, but Shokeen, Chawla and Jansen bowled three tidy overs between 15 and 17 to take some momentum out from the batting innings. Russell faced only 11 balls after walking in at No. 7 and hit 21 unbeaten runs to set Mumbai 186 to win.

Ishan’s burst and Rohit’s ‘Impact’

Rohit, who didn’t start the game due to a ‘stomach bug’, walked in as opener after Mumbai activated their Impact Player. He was very nearly caught-and-bowled by Umesh Yadav off his first ball. For most of the powerplay, he was spectator to Kishan’s thrashing of Knight Riders’ bowlers before falling for 20.Kishan punished Shardul for 4, 4, 6 through the off side in the second over. He then showed his leg-side play with a four and six off Umesh in the third. When Narine came in to bowl the chase’s fourth over, he was hit for 22 with Kishan going 6, dot, 6, 4 through slogs. He got his fifty in 21 balls.Kishan then smashed Varun Chakravarthy for six to move to 58, but when he tried to repeat it, he was bowled.But the openers had done their job. According to ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster, Mumbai were 30% favourites to win the game at the start of the chase. By the time Kishan and Rohit were gone, Mumbai were 87 for 2 in 7.3 overs – now 70% favourites.

Tilak, SKY bring it home

The blazing start gave both batters the liberty to start cautiously but the big hits came out soon enough, with Suryakumar punishing wide deliveries with cuts for four and Tilak slog sweeping Narine at the start of his second spell for six over square leg.Otherwise, they were cautious against spin through the middle overs with Rana being forced to use his best bowlers early. When Lockie Ferguson took the ball, Suryakumar brought out some vintage shots, picking up a full ball for six over fine leg and repeating it next ball over midwicket. Tilak and Suryakumar then picked off Russell for 17 in one over.Their partnership of 60 in 6.2 overs deflated Knight Riders, and after they were dismissed, David made a dash for the finish. His 24 in 13 balls sealed the deal with 14 balls to spare and gave Mumbai a net-run rate boost.

****

Nitish, Shokeen fined after altercation

Nitish Rana and Hrithik Shokeen, who are team-mates for Delhi at state level, were both fined for breaching the IPL’s Code of Conduct after exchanging words following the former’s dismissal. Nitish charged down the pitch to Shokeen, lofting him to long-on, and Shokeen appeared to give him a send-off after substitute fielder Ramandeep Singh took the catch.Nitish responded angrily and was escorted away from Shokeen by Suryakumar and Chawla. Nitish was fined 25% of his match fee under Article 2.21 of the Code of Conduct, which covers “all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute”.Shokeen was fined 10% of his match fee under Article 2.5, which covers the use of “language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal”.Suryakumar was also fined INR 12 lakh (USD 14,000 approx.) for Mumbai’s slow over-rate.

Somerset won a thrilling T20 Blast game for the second time at Taunton this season and in doing so sent Surrey tumbling to their second defeat of the campaign

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2016
ScorecardJohann Myburgh played the match-winning hand•Getty Images

Somerset won a thrilling T20 Blast game for the second time at Taunton this season and in doing so sent Surrey tumbling to their second defeat of the campaign.Although Chris Gayle provided one or two fireworks during his 13-ball cameo at the top end of the innings, it was Johann Myburgh and Roelof van der Merwe who led the way as Somerset overhauled Surrey’s 186 for 4 with four balls to spare.Having won the toss, Surrey lost their first wicket in the fifth over when Jason Roy, who was dropped on 10 by Jamie Overton off the bowling of brother Craig, was caught by van der Merwe off Craig Overton for 28.Somerset’s fielding was certainly not up to scratch and both Kumar Sangakkara and Dominic Sibley benefitted before the former well caught by Gayle, at extra cover, off Yasir Arafat for 37 off 19 balls. The Sri Lankan struck seven boundaries in his short stay at the crease and was understandably miffed when Gayle stuck out a hand and held on to a smart catch.In the very next over, Rory Burns departed for a single, caught by Craig Overton at deep midwicket at 96 for 3. At that stage, Surrey needed a partnership of real substance. Thanks to Sibley and Dwayne Bravo they got it.The pair added 69 off 42 balls with Bravo helping himself to 15 before van der Merwe held on to a wonderful catch on the deep midwicket boundary.Sibley continued to lead the way for Surrey and though Somerset bowled well at the death, the 20-year-old bolstered the visitors’ total to 186 for 4 with an unbeaten 74 off 55 balls. The youngster, who hurt his back in trying to hit Jamie Overton out of the ground, struck six fours and three sixes.Somerset’s reply was only eight balls old when captain Jim Allenby top edged a Ravi Rampaul delivery to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, at 10 for 1.Normal order was restored, for the Somerset supporters, off the final three balls of Rampaul’s first over. Gayle, looking to improve on the 49 he scored against Essex at the ground seven days previous, struck all three deliveries for six.
Another six, off Tom Curran, followed before the West Indian star was caught by countryman Bravo on the square leg boundary for 31 at 37 for 2. Bravo was celebrating again three balls later when Peter Trego gloved a short ball to Foakes, for 2, at 39 for 3.With two of the big hitters having departed, it was left to Myburgh and Gregory to pick up the pieces. Myburgh, who batted so well against Gloucestershire in the Royal London Cup last Sunday, struck successive sixes off Tom Curran to help Somerset to 57 for 3 after five overs.Myburgh, who continued to punish anything over-pitched, took his side to 100 in the 10th over, but lost fourth wicket partner Gregory at 102, caught by Foakes off Sam Curran for 21.The disappointment was only temporary as Myburgh brought up his 50 off 28 balls in the 12th over and laid the platform for Somerset’s second victory of the season.Myburgh and van der Merwe put on an unbeaten 87 for the fifth wicket with the former finishing 86 not out and van der Merwe unbeaten on 39.