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The spin duo strangled Rajshahi Kings after Comilla had won the toss, and left their batsmen a meagre target

The Report by Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rashid Khan lets rip with an appeal•AFP

Comilla Victorians crushed Rajshahi Kings by nine wickets after Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan starred with the ball, taking four wickets collectively as Rajshahi lurched to their third loss in four games.Sent to bat, Rajshahi’s innings hardly put up a decent partnership. They succumbed to the deadly Afghan combination – Rashid’s subtle variations and Nabi’s accuracy- as they made only 115 for 7 in 20 overs. Nabi finished with 3 for 15 while Rashid gave away just seven runs in four overs for his wicket.Liton Das gave Comilla a brisk start before Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler finished off the chase with their unbroken 97-run second-wicket stand, taking Cmilla home with 29 balls to spare.The only good partBefore he was stretchered off, Simmons was the only Rajshahi batsman to give Comilla something to think about. Off Nabi, he slammed a straight six before hitting Arafat Sunny for three consecutive fours in the sixth over. But off the next ball, he completed a single while clutching his hamstring and then went down. His 40 came off 23 balls with the solitary six and six fours. With his departure, Rajshahi were effectively 48 for three in the sixth over, having already lost Mominul Haque and Rony Talukdar in the fourth and fifth over respectively.Afghans rule MirpurMominul was Nabi’s first wicket before Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nihaduzzaman also fell to his accurate offspin. Credit for Miraz’s wicket was shared with Marlon Samuels too, who leaped to his right at backward point to hold on to catch.Rashid took the key wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim in the ninth over. Rashid had worked over Mushfiqur for six deliveries before an attempted flick took the top edge, and was easily caught at extra cover. Rashid also had a hand in the removal of Malcolm Waller in the 11th over when the Zimbabwean lost his concentration momentarily during an lbw appeal and took off for a single assuming the ball had gone past the square. Liton quickly whipped off the bails, getting him run-out.Liton goes sweepingFarhad Reza was subjected to four sweeps by Liton before he was bowled off the last ball of an over while attempting a punch over the infield. The first of those sweeps that connected, somewhat, went for a six over the wicketkeeper before the next one went off a glove through the same region. Off the fifth ball Liton connected properly with the sweep against an outswinger and it sailed over the square-leg boundary for a second six in the over. Despite conceding 22 runs in the over, Farhad had the last laugh when he snuck a slower ball in and beat the bat to find middle and leg.Chasing it down unflappablyLike he did with Samuels in Comilla’s last match, Kayes settled down to take his side closer to the chase. This time, Buttler was with him. Buttler made an unbeaten 50 off 39 balls with four boundaries and two sixes while Imrul was not out on 44 off 41 balls, finishing the chase with a pulled six off Malcolm Waller.

England’s tour has been thrown into turmoil by allegations of another off-field incident involving Jonny Bairstow and Cameron Bancroft

George Dobell in Brisbane26-Nov-20171:45

Getting drunk is the best form of team bonding – KP

Andrew Strauss, the England team director, says that allegations that Jonny Bairstow “headbutted” Cameron Bancroft in a bar in Perth last month have been “blown out of all proportion”, as the ECB seeks to draw a line under the latest off-field incident to have rocked their Ashes campaign.The incident is alleged to have occurred in The Avenue bar in Perth almost a month ago after members of the England squad bumped into members of the Western Australia squad by chance during the early weeks of the Ashes campaign.Bairstow is alleged to have made contact with the side of Bancroft’s head and later apologised. Bancroft was not a member of the Australia squad at the time.Speaking to journalists in Brisbane, Strauss insisted that the incident had occurred out of “playfulness”, adding that there was “no malice”, and that it had been “blown out of all proportion”. There will be a de-brief of players and staff after the Brisbane Test, he added.There is no police involvement and no official reports were made by anybody involved, including by a member of the ECB security staff who was present throughout in the bar.England, privately, are adamant that the incident is being deliberately exaggerated to destabilise their squad.An ECB spokesman said: “At close of play in Brisbane today, we were made aware of allegations of an incident in Perth four weeks ago.”There has been no report of any incident from the venue, security or police and there was no injury reported.”Following an initial conversation with Jonny Bairstow tonight we understand the context and will follow up with England players and management after the Brisbane Test.”Bancroft went on to score heavily in first-class cricket following the incident and won a Test debut at the Gabba.Jonny Bairstow in private conversation with England security officer Sam Dickason•Getty Images

Bairstow was one of those fined and warned about his future conduct by the ECB after accepting a charge of “unprofessional conduct” for his behaviour in Bristol the night that Ben Stokes was arrested for his part in a brawl.Neither he nor two other players fined – Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett, who is not in the Ashes party – were with Stokes at the time.The new allegations came to light when Bairstow came out to bat in the second innings of the first Test at the Gabba. While no England player is welcomed to the crease with smiles, Bairstow received a particularly ferocious reception which led to questions being asked as to the motivation.England will suspect that the sledging, picked up by a stump mic, was a deliberate set-up intended to leak the story.England initially refused to comment on the validity of the claims, but the ECB has been keenly aware that the behaviour of the squad would be under fierce scrutiny from the moment they set foot in Australia.It is understood the management only became aware of the allegations during play on the fourth day of the Gabba Test. Strauss was among those who spoke to Bairstow at the close of play.The claims against Bairstow comes as the police investigation continues into Stokes’ actions in Bristol in September.While England’s players decided not to impose an alcohol ban for the Ashes tour, they had agreed their behaviour off the field would be followed closely following the Stokes incident and decided they would not drink in the immediate lead-up to matches.England’s coach, Trevor Bayliss, explained at the time: “The players sat down and had a chat. They are the ones who have come up with this.Cameron Bancroft is giving his Baggy Green at the start of the Gabba Test•Getty Images

“There are no set curfews, they are just sensible rulings. To me, it’s what we should have been sticking to anyway as players or people around a professional set-up.”Not drinking between matches is just sensible. We certainly don’t want to keep players in their rooms because it is a long tour. You have to get out and experience what the country you’re touring has to offer.”It’s about picking the right time to have a couple of drinks, but knowing to stay away from it if you’re preparing for a match.”If there is any truth in the allegations, the consequences could extend well beyond the Ashes tour. If a third England player (after Stokes and Alex Hales) is shown to have been involved in any sort of violent incident while in a social environment, it would raise questions about the culture and management of the England squads.In particular, it would lead to renewed scrutiny about the leeway given to players and their misuse of such a policy. It would also raise further questions about their use of alcohol and, perhaps, ask questions of both Bayliss and Strauss about their failure to control the players.It would not be the first time there had been an incident involving England and Australia players in recent years. Four years ago, the attention was on David Warner who was banned after an early morning stand-off with Root in an infamous night at the Walkabout Bar in Birmingham.

The participation of Ben Stokes in the one-day series against Australia will depend on whether the Crown Prosecution Service reaches a decision on charges

George Dobell06-Dec-2017Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have both have been named in England’s ODI squad for the five-match series against Australia, but it remains possible that neither will play.The pair missed the final two ODIs against West Indies at the end of the English summer after the ECB announced that neither would be considered for selection until the conclusion of a police investigation following an incident outside a club in Bristol.While Hales has been now been told that he will not face charges and has, as a consequence, been cleared for international selection by the ECB, Stokes is still waiting to hear whether he will be charged and remains unavailable for selection. His inclusion in the squad might, therefore, be considered something of a legalistic nicety.While Hales, too, could still face action from the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) – it has currently suspended judgement awaiting the outcome of the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision over whether to charge Stokes – he is, at the present time, available for selection.

England one-day squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran, Mark Wood, Jake Ball.

But, after Jason Roy returned to the ODI side in fine style and Jonny Bairstow all but cemented his place as an opening batsman during the series against West Indies, it has left no obvious place available for Hales’ return. Bairstow scored two centuries in the ODI series against West Indies, while Roy replaced Hales for the final two games and made 84 and 96.”We’ve been playing some good one-day cricket and Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy at the top of the order have played well,” the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, said. “I can’t see any changes there personally. The two openers we had did very well and it would be difficult to go against them.”We could bring Hales back in and drop one of those guys down, but then it would upset someone else. We’ve got to take a decision now and I just think the best way to go is with the two guys who have taken over.”England have named a full-strength squad for the series with Mark Wood returning having not been selected for the series against West Indies. While there was discussion about the value of resting players, the England management have instead decided it is important to establish a settled, successful team ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Players will instead be rested from the tri-series T20 event that follows it, which might create opportunities for the likes of Craig Overton, who has clearly made a good impression in Australia.”History will tell you that the winners of the World Cup have come from the top two ranked teams,” Bayliss said. “We want to play well and get ourselves high up that order as we possibly can.”At the same time, we’re still two years away and there might be some younger players, like Craig Overton for example, who comes into the team and does well.”We’ll keep a check on players such as Joe Root and Moeen Ali in this Test series and the one-dayers. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, they’ll play these five Test matches and the five one-dayers as well and then we’ll look at giving them a break.”Meanwhile Bayliss admitted there had been discussion over how to avoid the “media circus” that has bedevilled the squad since Stokes’ arrest came to light.”I’m sure there will be a lot of scrutiny,” Bayliss said. “We won’t know it actually until it comes along. There’s been a fair bit of scrutiny that’s come along with it in the first five or six weeks of this tour as well. But we’ve got to adjust to that at some stage.”Look, we have discussed what will happen when Ben returns, but whenever he comes back that’s going to be a bit of a circus for sure. Whether it’s any more of a circus than we’ve already seen on this tour is hard to say. If it happens, let’s just get on with it and take it on the chin.”The ECB board will meet within 48-hours of any decision of whether to charge Stokes or not and decide whether he should be considered eligible for selection. The ECB’s CDC will also have to decide if he or Hales warrant any sanction.

Rachin Ravindra’s half-century and four-wicket haul vaulted New Zealand to the top of Group A, thereby setting up a quarter-final against Afghanistan in Christchurch

Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui20-Jan-2018Rachin Ravindra’s half-century and four-wicket haul vaulted New Zealand to the top of Group A, thereby setting up a quarter-final against Afghanistan in Christchurch. South Africa, who fell short by 71 runs to finish the preliminary stage with two wins in three matches, will play Pakistan.New Zealand’s margin of victory after they posted 279 for 8 could have been much bigger if not for Hermann Rolfes, who struck a 124-ball 108 to lift South Africa from the pits of 76 for 4 in the 23rd over. In Jean du Plessis, he found a steady accumulator who was more than happy to remain in the background. During the first 50 runs of their 106-run stand, Rolfes’ share was more than three quarters of it.Hermann Rolfes celebrates his century•ICC/Getty Images

Rolfes was adventurous and the only South Africa batsman to commit himself into strokes against Ravindra’s loopy left-arm spin. Off the fast bowlers, his picking of lengths to play the pull was particularly impressive.Going into the last 10 overs, with South Africa needing close to ten an over, he decided to take it upon himself completely. It resulted in one big shot too many and was pouched at long-off by Dale Phillips. Du Plessis’ dismissal in the 44th over, soon after he made a half-century, with South Africa still needing 81 off 41 effectively killed the chase. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 208 in 46.2 overs.Earlier in the day, Ravindra and his Wellington Under-19 mate Jakob Bhula put together 108 for the opening wicket in 19.5 overs. But at no stage did South Africa feel completely out of it. Bhula, coming off a world record 180 in the previous game, was quite tentative as runs flew off edges and he mistimed drives to third man. After a number of pokes and misses, he kept slicing his off-side strokes behind square. Ravindra, in comparison, was more stylish and free flowing.Once the opening stand was disturbed, Finn Allen, who made a sparkling hundred in New Zealand’s opening win over West Indies, showed urgency right from the outset, hitting a six and four off Jade de Klerk to signal his intention. But a mix-up with Ravindra coupled with a sensational under-arm flick by de Klerk to the striker’s end caught him short.South Africa tightened the noose after Allen’s dismissal. A mix of rash strokes and lack of application resulted in them losing five wickets for 28 in the middle overs to slip to 174 for 6. It needed a record seventh-wicket stand for New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup to lift them close to 250.The orchestrators were Dale Phillips, brother of international batsman Glenn Phillips, and Max Chu. The pair put on 77, thereby surpassing the previous record set by Anton Devcich and Sam McKay against Bangladesh at the 2004 edition, to help New Zealand to 279. Those extra runs gave them some breathing space in the middle overs on the face of a terrific Rolfes century that went in vain.

Lahore Qalandars whimpered to 119 against Quetta Gladiators, who in turn waltzed to their target with nine wickets and six overs to spare

Danyal Rasool24-Feb-2018In a nutshellThis was less a match than an incisive analysis of Lahore Qalandars’ weakness. In an amateur, unthinking batting display, Lahore whimpered to 119 against the Quetta Gladiators, who in turn felt no need to take any risks, and waltzed to the target with nine wickets and six overs to spare.The Qalandars were put in to bat, and Brendon McCullum, opening with Sunil Narine, gave their side the best possible start. Narine smashed Shane Watson for 24 runs in an over as Lahore raced to 45 in the first three overs. McCullum was timing the ball beautifully too, but as soon as Narine fell, Quetta’s bowlers found a way to break in. The first five overs fetched 50, the next 15 fetched 59, and the hollowness of Lahore’s middle order was on full display yet again.Watson was in devastating form, and Asad Shafiq at the other end was the perfect foil to him. Even though the pair took no unnecessary risks – just 41 were scored in the first six – Watson was just warming up. He took Narine for 21 runs in the seventh over, and from thereon Sarfraz Ahmed’s men were coasting. With scoreboard pressure non-existent, Quetta played as they wanted. In the end, the straight drive that sealed the win was a merciful end to a rotten day for Lahore.Where the match was wonLahore were playing a high-risk game. The result hinged on how long they could sustain that intensity. It was crucial for Quetta to strike early, and Narine’s wicket in the fourth over proved vital. Fakhar Zaman couldn’t repeat his heroics from Friday, spooning a return catch to Jofra Archer for one, and a clever review to effect a McCullum lbw saw Lahore lose their top three within 11 balls of each other. With the big three out of the way, Quetta’s stranglehold on the game was virtually invincible.The men that won it
Last year, Lahore nearly defended 59 in a thrilling game they eventually lost by three wickets. A target of 120 could have been tricky, but Shafiq and Watson stomped on Lahore’s hopes. A wicketless Powerplay was followed by the pair finally letting loose, Watson responsible for much of the carnage as he stormed to 50 in just 28 balls. By the time he was dismissed for 66, his side were merely 28 runs away from victory, and the contest was all but over.Nawaz’s record
Mohammad Nawaz would have been perfectly happy with not bowling in the Powerplay overs, but when he did come on, he couldn’t have been much better. Nawaz’s introduction dried up the singles altogether. Bowling a tight, unrelenting line and varying his pace adroitly, Nawaz rendered the the batsmen helpless. In a stunning four-over spell, he accounted for the dangerous McCullum and Cameron Delport, conceding just four runs – the most economical spell ever in the PSL.Moment of the match
Watson is a seasoned T20 professional, and his pride would have taken a dent when Narine took him to task in the third over of Lahore’s innings, walloping him for three fours and two sixes in an over that cost 24 – the most expensive at this year’s PSL so far. Quietly, he began plotting his revenge, and finally pounced in the seventh over of the Gladiators innings. With Narine bowling, Watson hit him for two sixes and two boundaries, and took 21 off his over to give the West Indian a taste of his own medicine.Where they stand
Lahore Qalandars are rock bottom of the table with two losses from two. Quetta have won one and lost the other, and are placed fourth.

The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the 2017-18 list

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018In what could be seen as a sign of continuity looking ahead to the next cycle of the ICC Women’s Championship and the Women’s World T20 to be played in West Indies later this year, Cricket South Africa have offered contracts to 13 of the 14 players from the 2017-18 season.The only new addition is Gauteng’s 21-year old offspinner Raisibe Ntozakhe. Marcia Letsoalo, the 33-year-old fast bowler who last played over a year ago at the World Cup Qualifiers, is the only exclusion from the list. The new contracts will come into effect on May 1 and run up to April 30, 2019.South Africa, who hosted India for a limited-overs series in February, have a busy 14 months coming up. They next host Bangladesh in May before touring England and West Indies for the second and third round of championship matches. The World T20 and a home series against Sri Lanka will follow that.”The esteem in which our women’s team is held following their successful campaign when they reached the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup last year is reflected in their invitation to have a major tour of England including a T20 triangular series against England and New Zealand,” said Corrie van Zyl, CSA’s general manager. “It is important that we build on our recent successes as we prepare for this year’s Women’s World T20.CSA contracts list for 2018-19: Dane van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Masabata Klaas, Andrie Steyn, Mosaline Daniels, Raisibe Ntozakhe

Morne Morkel has waited 12 years for a day like this, a day when he could stand out and revel in the highest high of his career

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town25-Mar-2018Morne Morkel has waited 12 years for a day like this, a day when he could stand out and revel in the highest high of his career.”Today was very, very special. I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. The crowd is always amazing here at Newlands. For me, it is the best venue to play Test cricket. Today is the highlight of my life. If I get asked the question again, what is your most memorable or special moment, the answer will definitely be today,” a beaming, emotional Morkel said afterwards.His first nine-for has come in bittersweet circumstances, not only because it could be his last with his retirement now only a week away. It also came on a day when what was happening off the field cast a Table Mountain-sized shadow over what was happening on it, when the opposition were so suitably distracted that they might as well have forfeited their second innings after the first wicket fell and the crowd was more concerned with booing the Australians than celebrating the South Africans.That started to change when the Newlands faithful realised a result could come on Sunday and they could be witness to it, when Steven Smith, public enemy No.1 after the ball-tampering transgression, threw his hands at the third ball of Morkel’s second spell and steered a catch to Dean Elgar at gully. The jeers – and there were jeers aplenty for the deposed Australian captain – turned to cheers. Morkel pulled on Australia’s loosest thread and then it all unraveled.In 32 balls, Morkel took 5 for 14 and put South Africa in a position from which they cannot lose the series. At one stage he was on a hat-trick, after two fierce, fast deliveries to dismiss Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins and he was the one to end the innings. As he did, Morkel provided one of his most animated celebrations with enthusiastic waving to a crowd he will not see again. He even shed a tear and then quickly pulled himself so he could soak up the moment.”I am just very happy sitting here right now. Everything happened so quickly out there,” he said. “At one stage I thought it was going to be a grind. Keshav got the ball rolling and from there, there was just a buzz in the field, an edge in the field. I’m just happy we could wrap it up.”Morkel has never been one to take the credit, most of the time because it hasn’t been his to take. He spent a career in the shadows of Dale Steyn early on, Vernon Philander through the middle and Kagiso Rabada at the end. He has spent his career being under-rated and maybe even a little insecure because if a conversation had to be had about who needed to be dropped, it often involved him.Now, as it all comes to an end, Morkel is finally getting some recognition and it has come in the finest fashion, from a captain who has known him throughout his career.”Morne has almost been, for the first six, seven or eight years of his career, the guy that has gone unnoticed. He was the work horse. He got his two or three-fors and I think only captains really appreciate the work Morne does,” Faf du Plessis said. “He is not the guy that gets five-fors. Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada of late, they get the five-fors on regular occasions. Morne does the donkey work. He works hard. He runs in all day. He never says, ‘I have bowled enough.’ You tell him it is enough and then still he wants to bowl more and more. That’s a captain’s dream. As a performer, he is going to be missed.”More so, now that he has found such fine form and that there is a crop of youngsters to nurture. “He has been a mother figure in the team, with a big heart. We are going to miss that,” du Plessis said. “Obviously, his bowling we are going to miss. It is size 13 boots that need to be filled. It’s big shoes. We understand his decision. It’s a decision for his future and his family. He knows that the team backs him up 100%. It’s great to see the fans are so behind him. And I reckon he is going to miss days like these a lot.”Is he? Yes, but it will not cause him to reconsider.”It is tough. Especially leaving a quality group of men in the change room. It is going to be sad but I suppose all good things come to an end,” Morkel said.Even one as good as this.

Kolkata Knight Riders were only in control as long as their spinners were bowling, as Sunrisers dominated the rest of the game to consolidate their position at the top of the table

The Report by Varun Shetty14-Apr-20183:54

‘Teams will struggle to figure Sunrisers out’

Sunrisers Hyderabad panicked and flailed in a chase again, but nowhere near as much as they had against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. Their captain Kane Williamson’s half-century, and his 59-run stand with Shakib Al Hasan sealed yet another win that was set up by their bowlers, who had managed to keep Kolkata Knight Riders to 138 for 8 in 20 overs. It was Sunrisers’ first away match of the season and their third victory in three games put them on top of the points tableKnight Riders had a sluggish start to the game after they were put in, and apart from Lynn’s 49 that stretched across a brief rain interruption, they barely had a foot in the game. That was until they realised their three-pronged spin attack was virtually impossible to score off. For much of Sunrisers’ chase, Knight Riders were calling the shots; but with every over of spin bowled, the Williamson-Shakib alliance grew more confident and a calculated acceleration against pace at the right time put to rest the prospect of a collapse-and-recovery style win.Knight Riders tie themselves up with their tacticsKnight Riders made all the team changes that were demanded of them: Vinay Kumar was left out along with Rinku Singh, and the teenage duo of top-order bat Shubman Gill and seamer Shivam Mavi came in.Sunil Narine did not have a good time against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. Robin Uthappa did. So when Uthappa was pushed up to open – for only the second time since the end of the 2016 season – against a vastly superior fast bowling attack, it didn’t seem plausible that Gill and Mavi would end up batting one after the other, at No. 7 and 8.Shakib Al Hasan loops one up•BCCI

As it turned out, Uthappa’s plan to get his eye in from a familiar batting position didn’t work out. Chris Lynn and Nitish Rana brought the momentum with their second-wicket stand of 39, before a red-hot Billy Stanlake cramped Rana on the cut – his most productive shot of the evening – and had him lift one to Manish Pandey’s right at point. The former Knight Riders batsman took the first of two world-class catches with a lunge to his right and a grab on the second attempt as he fell towards the ground.It was at this point that Knight Riders made the mysterious punt of sending Narine at No. 4. Perhaps the decision was informed by the fact that they were going at less than seven per over, but it was a strange one nonetheless – Narine had only batted at No. 4 once before this innings. In the Pakistan Super League.If quick runs were the requirement, they didn’t come. When Narine well for 9, he had consumed 10 balls and hit only one boundary. It had caused a telling change in the batting order.Sunrisers stay true to characterAs expected whenever they go out, Sunrisers had clearly set roles for their bowlers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was allowed to find swing early on, Stanlake was given the license to hit the deck hard, and Kaul was the pacer who would then go full. Perhaps the only way it didn’t go right was that Lynn enjoyed the predominantly back-of-a-length bowling that fed his punches through and over the infield as he backed away. But he was stopped on 49, trying to drive off that very same length against Shakib, who held on smartly to his left off his own bowling. The left-arm spinner had a dot-ball percentage of 44% through his spell and his two wickets forced Dinesh Karthik to drop anchor. Knight Riders tried to replicate their full-attack policy that had worked against Super Kings after they’d lost five wickets cheaply, but there was no coming back tonight. Stanlake got Andre Russell to splice one between point and third man, and Pandey was there once again, this time sprinting backwards before lunging to hold on.For the 10th time in 16 matches since the start of the 2016 season, Sunrisers managed to restrict a team to less than 150 while bowling first. And they did it despite Rashid Khan going for 31 and taking no wickets.A laboured chase
Every time Knight Riders had a seamer on, Sunrisers pummelled them. Every time a spinner came on, the scoring dropped drastically.Wriddhiman Saha had Sunrisers scoring at close to 11 an over halfway through the Powerplay, forcing Karthik to call on Narine, whose loosener down leg side found Saha’s edge.Knight Riders then discovered the magical effect of spin on this pitch. Between overs four and ten, Narine, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav kept Sunrisers down to 30 runs while dismissing Shikhar Dhawan and Pandey. At 62 for 3 in ten overs, Sunrisers desperately needed boundaries. Williamson gave them that with a pull off the toe-end in the 11th over, following it up next ball with a more controlled shot. It seemed like the battle signal; Karthik turned to Russell in the next over and Shakib took his last three balls for 14.The eventual split between bowlers said the story: Knight Riders’ fast bowlers went for 79 runs in seven overs, while their spinners went for 60 in 12.Sunrisers sealed their first win at Eden Gardens with an over to spare, and it was the ninth win for a chasing team this season in ten matches.

Ian Bell completed a memorable return to form with Jonathan Trott again in support as one of county cricket’s best-known double acts proved too much for Glamorgan

Jon Culley at Edgbaston12-Jun-20181:55

Somerset chase down Notts to top Division One

Warwickshire 250 (Bell 106, Trott 57, van der Gugten 4-65) and 294 for 6 (Bell 115*, Trott 67, Salter 4-80) beat Glamorgan 220 (Poysden 5-29) and 323 (Khawaja 125, Cooke 59) by four wickets
ScorecardThe difficult final day Warwickshire might have anticipated turned out to be relatively comfortable as another handsome partnership between the two old stagers, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, set them up for a fourth consecutive victory.Bell, who had gone more than two years without a Championship century until two days ago, completed a second in the match, unbeaten in both. A return to Division One of the Championship at the first attempt already looks highly likely.The season is only a third of the way through but already Warwickshire’s points total, from five matches, is 11 more than they garnered from 14 last year, which says quite a lot about the difference in quality between the divisions. Barring two or three changes, this is the same Warwickshire team that suffered nine defeats in 2017 and finished 60 points behind the rest.There are questions to be answered, clearly, about the structure of the Championship, while Warwickshire will know that they may struggle again at the higher level without more changes. But those are for another day.For the moment, their supporters can at least anticipate a decent summer and hope to enjoy watching Bell and Trott turn back the clock just a few more times. Although Bell has not yet given any hints about retirement – he is contracted for another two seasons after this – Trott is finishing at the end of the current year. There will not be many more days like these.Almost 74 years and 170 Test caps between them is the measure of their experience and they drew on it to good effect here, adding 113 runs in 30 overs for the third wicket to take Warwickshire a good chunk of the way to their target of 294 to win. On a used wicket, Glamorgan felt their spinners might give them a decent chance of winning here for the first time in 30 years but Andrew Salter, the off-spinner who is their senior slow bowler in this game, will not have faced many batsmen more adept than these two against spin, certainly not in tandem.Until Glamorgan turned to David Lloyd’s seam at the pavilion end just after tea and Trott, falling over slightly, was leg before trying to work to leg, it seemed unlikely the partnership would end unless, as in the first innings, one of them ran the other out. Indeed, there were a couple of times it nearly happened.Trott fell for 67 but Bell, for the second time in the match, was going nowhere, completing his second century off 160 balls with 14 boundaries, achieving the feat of two hundreds in the same match for the second time in his career. He did it before against Lancashire at Old Trafford in 2004, which was the last time, in fact, that any Warwickshire batsman has made 100 or more in both innings.In the end, then, Glamorgan missed Michael Hogan and Marchant de Lange, sidelined with hamstring injuries, as much as they thought they might at the start and it will be a relief to have both back to face Derbyshire next week.Wickets in the morning session was always likely to be the determining factor in the outcome and Warwickshire lost only one as Will Rhodes and Dominic Sibley compiled their first hundred stand as an opening partnership. There was a brief hint of a wobble when Sam Hain was bowled by Lloyd second ball and another when Salter, who had dismissed both openers, removed Tim Ambrose and Keith Barker in the space of three balls to claim career-best figures, but Bell remained to hit the winning boundary at around ten past five.

An Old Trafford pitch used for its third T20 match in a week was too much for Northants as their poor start to the Blast continued

ECB Reporters Network08-Jul-2018
ScorecardLancashire Lightning’s spinners bowled well on a pitch being used for its third T20 game in a week to set up their side’s very comfortable eight-wicket defeat of Northants Steelbacks in the Vitality Blast North Group match at Emirates Old Trafford.Liam Livingstone’s outfielders also rediscovered their best form as the visitors were limited to 123 for nine in their 20 overs, a target which Lancashire’s batsmen overhauled with 23 balls to spare, Alex Davies making 64 not out, his second T20 fifty in consecutive innings.Steelbacks now have three defeats in a row and are lodged at the foot of North Group, all of which left their coach, David Ripley, frustrated. “Richard Levi fell to a blinding catch but from then on I thought we were a bit naive,” he said. “We should have plotted our way to 150 or 160 and that would have been competitive. Poor batting set us u to lose that game fairly comfortably.We had two lads caught off long hops and that’s poor execution but we were also too defensively minded. We needed to hit the balls into gaps and run better than we did; we needed a more positive intent. We weren’t smart at the beginning, we weren’t smart in the middle and we missed a big finish at the end.”The initial signs were good for Northants, who reached 62 for one off 5.5 overs with Richard Levi unbeaten on 40. Next ball, however, Jordan Clark clung on to a return catch blasted back at him by the South African and that reverse began a spell in which the visitors lost three wickets for six runs in 11 balls.Josh Cobb and Richard Vasconcelos both fell to fine catches by Arron Lilley and Keaton Jennings respectively and none of the other Steelbacks batsmen could dominate a Lancashire attack monopolised by slow bowlers.Apart from Levi, five batsmen reached double figures but no one made more than Seekkuge Prasanna who managed to garner 17 off 22 balls. All but seven of the 20 overs were bowled by spinners with the best analysis being Matt Parkinson’s two for 14 off four overs.Stephen Parry and Livingstone also bowled their full allocation, returning figures of 2 for 19 and 2 for 29 respectively. Lancashire’s fielders supported the attack admirably, taking nine of the ten chances that were offered.In contrast to the Lightning’s performance against Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday, the catching in the deep was faultless and ensured that the Steelbacks innings never recovered the momentum initially established by Levi 21-ball onslaught.Lancashire’s pursuit of their modest target began badly when Livingstone was caught at the wicket off Prasanna for four but Lilley made a sprightly 23 off 14 balls before being caught by Levi at short third man off Graeme White.The remainder of the innings belonged almost exclusively to Davies and Keaton Jennings who steered their side home with an unbroken partnership of 88 for the third wicket in exactly 12 overs. Davies was in particularly fine form, hitting three successive fours off White and reaching his fifty off 36 balls with half a dozen fours and one six.Jennings is currently in fine form in all formats and supported his partner well by making 28 not out. The victory was Lancashire second in three matches but Northants are rooted to the foot of the table.