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The pair’s 162-run stand gave New Zealand a solid platform from which they can think of batting just once in the Test

The Report by Shashank Kishore16-Dec-2018One of Sri Lanka’s two Test wins in New Zealand has come at the Basin Reserve. At the end of the second day’s play, it looks increasingly possible that they are unlikely to reprise that stunning win from 2006, after Kane Williamson and Tom Latham deflated them on a batting day as New Zealand nudged ahead by 29, with eight wickets in hand.In that Test, Sri Lanka had Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga to call upon after posting close to the 282 they managed here. On Sunday, barring Lahiru Kumara’s bristling pace and bounce, there was little bite in the bowling. This meant a party for large parts of a three-hour passage in the afternoon for Williamson, who put together 162 with Latham at more than four runs per over.

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If New Zealand were to be a little critical of their efforts, they would rue gifting both wickets to Sri Lanka. Jeet Raval’s wait for a maiden Test century continues as he was out to an ill-advised pull to a delivery that just didn’t come on, and took the toe-end off a Kumara short ball, as he played early, to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.Williamson missed his 20th Test century by just nine runs shortly after tea when he swept an innocuous Dhananjaya de Silva delivery to backward square leg. But Latham carried on, in his own industrious way, overcoming pockets of struggle and a hint of luck early in his innings, to bring up his seventh Test century, thereby breaking a three-figure deadlock that eluded him for 11 Tests since his marathon 177 in Wellington against Bangladesh in January last year.If these two efforts weren’t enough, Ross Taylor came in to replace Williamson and helped himself to a buffet spread against a tired attack to eke out a half-century, surpassing Brendon McCullum along the way to become New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer in Test history. Like Latham, Taylor too was a recipient of Sri Lanka’s generosity when Dhananjaya put down a wild slash at first slip on 23 off Lakmal. With the fields largely spread out on the face of Dinesh Chandimal’s defensive captaincy, this was a perfect recipe to build a lead. This meant New Zealand were in a position where they could entertain thoughts of batting just once in this Test.It seemed as if Williamson was on pause-play mode, continuing from where he left off in Abu Dhabi 10 days ago, where he made a remarkable Test century against Yasir Shah and company on a crumbly surface. In comparison, Sri Lanka’s attack was much milder here, with the three-man pace pack struggling to sustain any kind of pressure, first with the new ball and then later in the day even as there was a hint of reverse swing. Dilruwan Perera, a force on dry subcontinent turners, also went wicketless.Where New Zealand employed spin for just three overs, Chandimal bowled Dilruwan and Dhanajaya for a combined 21 overs, for the cost of 89 runs and Williamson’s wicket, much against the run of play. But while he was at the crease, he profited from punchy strokes on the up, his first three scoring shots coming off boundaries as he quickly matched Latham, who had taken 74 balls to make just three runs more.The first of those boundaries was off a genuine outside edge that raced past second slip. It would be the only streaky boundary from Williamson’s bat. The second and third were trademark back-foot punches that pierced the off-side ring. At the end of the first session, it was amply clear which side felt the heat, as Williamson raced past his 29th Test fifty with the promise of much more.All along, Latham kept soldiering along at a steady pace without actually being noticed at the other end. That he managed to stave off Suranga Lakmal’s late inswing from around the stumps was largely due to his tight technique and the shelving of loose drives. He survived early in the innings too, because of poor field placement. Jabbing at a late inswinger from Lakmal, the ball popped off a thick inside edge to where a short leg would’ve been.Sri Lanka’s frustration increased when they lost a review in the third over after lunch, the 26th of the innings, when they referred an lbw appeal against Latham off Lakmal. The ball would’ve smashed into the stumps, but for the line – it pitched outside leg. From there on, there was hardly any noise or intensity created by the bowlers, who largely went through the motions.After a brief spell in the morning session, Mathews wasn’t given a bowl for the remainder of the day when it seemed as if Sri Lanka could do with his relentless plugging away around the off stump. It’s also possible this could’ve been part of his workload management, given this was the first time he was bowling in a Test since January 2017 because of a spate of injuries. With more pace on the ball courtesy Kumara and the erratic Kasun Rajitha, Williamson treated the Sunday crowd to an array of dazzling off-side play.This stand was built upon a solid foundation laid by the openers – Raval and Latham putting on 59, nine more than their highest stand in six innings on the UAE tour against Pakistan.Earlier in the day, Dickwella played a trademark scoop to begin proceedings, but Sri Lanka added just seven to their overnight 275 for 9 before last man Kumara was dismissed. He was superbly caught at leg slip by Colin de Grandhomme, off a thick inside edge that flew in between the batsman’s legs. Dickwella was stranded on 80, three short of his highest Test score, as Tim Southee finished with 6 for 68 – his eighth five-for in Tests. This was also his maiden five-for at the Basin Reserve.

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.

Essex will require three runs with only one wicket in hand to avoid the follow on after reaching stumps on day three in Canterbury on 289 for 9

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2016
ScorecardDan Lawrence made 88 but Essex were still short of the follow-on target at the close•PA Photos

Essex will require three runs with only one wicket in hand to avoid the follow on after reaching stumps on day three in Canterbury on 289 for 9. Responding to Kent’s 441 all out, Essex lost wickets at regular intervals in this Specsavers Championship top-of-the-table clash, but a last-wicket stand worth 22 between David Masters and Matt Dixon has at least given the visitors a chance to avoid batting again on the final day of the campaign.Batting for the first time by 11.35am on day three, Essex lost two wickets in the short 15-over spell through to lunch as Kent maintained their grip on events despite a plucky knock from No. 4 Dan Lawrence, who rode his luck to score 88 having edged through the cordon when on 5 only to see Will Gidman down a chance at third slip on the same score.The visitors and second division champions elect, lost Varun Chopra, lbw for 25 to Kent’s man-of-the-moment, Darren Stevens, then Tom Westley, caught at square leg by Sean Dickson off the bowling of Mitch Claydon in the over before the interval.Kent maintained a check on the run rate in the afternoon session and also collected a further three wickets in the process as Nick Browne, Ravi Bopara and Adam Wheater all trooped back to the pavilion. Browne edged the 12th ball after the resumption to Sam Billings off Claydon then Bopara, digging down late on a full ball from Hardus Viljoen, also nicked through to the Kent keeper. Just before tea Wheater’s miscued pull against Matt Coles flew to deep square leg where Dickson took a comfortable catch.Viljoen continued to shine after tea by having Kishen Velani and Will Rhodes both caught at second slip by James Tredwell off successive overs.With 27 needed to avoid the follow-on and just 12 short of his fourth Championship hundred of the summer, Lawrence inexplicably holed out to long-on against the offspin of Tredwell. Masters, in his farewell appearance for Essex, was given a guard of honour by the Kent side as he walked to the middle, but Tredwell soon struck again by ripping an arm ball though Paul Walter’s defensive gate to peg back the left-hander’s off stump to leave Essex nine down.At the start of the day Kent had secured the second division runners-up spot upon reaching 400. Resuming on their overnight score of 387 for 7, the hosts motored past 400 with a fearsome back-foot cut by Coles that registered a fifth batting bonus point to clinch the ECB’s prize money cheque of almost £57,000 for finishing second behind Essex.In trying to repeat the stroke in the next over Coles nicked to Wheater to depart for 32 and give Masters, the former Kent seamer, his first wicket in the match. Masters struck again with a lifter that Viljoen could only glove to third slip then Stevens, on 136 and just four short of equalling his season’s best, clipped to deep backward square to give Dixon figures of 5 for 124.

Netherlands will take on fellow 2015 ICC World T20 Qualifier co-champions Scotland in the headline matchup of round two in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2015Netherlands will take on 2015 ICC World T20 Qualifier co-champions Scotland in the headline matchup of round two in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship. Scotland will travel to The Hague for the four-day Intercontinental Cup match scheduled for September 8-11 at Sportpark Westvliet. Netherlands last played there in 2012 when they defeated Bangladesh by one wicket in a Twenty20 international.The two sides will then play a pair of 50-over WCL Championship fixtures at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen. Both sides are currently joint leaders after round one of the WCL Championship after Netherlands swept Papua New Guinea in June and Scotland claimed two rain-affected matches over Nepal in Ayr last month.Ireland will travel to Namibia in a top-of-the-table clash in the I-Cup from October 24 to 27 in Windhoek. Ireland claimed full points with an innings victory over UAE in Malahide in June to kick off round one while Namibia did the same, defeating Hong Kong by 114 runs in May. Namibia then host Kenya in two WCL Championship matches in Windhoek on October 30 and November 1.Hong Kong travel to UAE in the second week of November with both teams seeking their first win of the I-Cup. The four-day game will take place at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai from November 11-14 and will be followed by WCL Championship matches on November 16 and 18.The second round of the I-Cup will wrap up with Afghanistan hosting PNG in Sharjah from November 21-24. PNG will be looking to bounce back after their dreams of reaching the 2016 World Twenty20 in India were dashed by Afghanistan in Malahide last month.PNG are then scheduled to take on Nepal in a pair of WCL Championship fixtures on November 28 and 30, with both teams seeking their first wins in the competition. However, the venue for those games has not yet been decided. An ICC release stated that the matches are currently slated to be held in Kathmandu, though that is subject to a security and infrastructure assessment and clearance following a series of earthquakes that struck near Kathmandu in April and May.According to a source, the games may be shifted to the UAE. From a logistics standpoint, it would not require additional travel for PNG, who will already be there for the four-day match against Afghanistan, and the ICC GCA would be available to serve as a neutral venue. The ICC recently had to shift the 2015 U-19 World Cup Qualifier out of Nepal due to infrastructure damage from the earthquakes and it was announced earlier this month that the tournament will now be hosted this October in Malaysia.

Gladstone Dainty has cited insufficient investment to cover initial operational costs and a lack of turf wicket venues in key markets for another delay to the proposed domestic Twenty20 league

Peter Della Penna04-Feb-2013USA Cricket Association president Gladstone Dainty has cited insufficient investment to cover initial operational costs and a lack of turf wicket venues in key markets for another delay to the proposed domestic Twenty20 league. ESPNcricinfo reported last week that Cricket Holdings America LLC, the partnership headed by USACA and New Zealand Cricket to stage a Twenty20 league in the USA, has pushed back the starting date for the league from 2013 to 2014.According to Dainty, who is also the chairman of CHA LLC, the organisers did not want to rush the start of the league with partial funding. They hope for enough revenue to make up the balance so that incidences of players not getting paid in time – as in last summer’s T20 All-Star exhibition match in Toronto and reportedly, in the Bangladesh Premier League last year – can be avoided.”The bottom line is that we did not get all the money to have a quality league,” Dainty told ESPNcricinfo. “We got enough money. We can go start a league but you’ve heard the stories. Players not getting paid, vendors not getting paid. In America, that could be trouble. We don’t want to get involved because we’re not a Full-Member country and we’re really not trying for people to say, ‘Well this is a Mickey Mouse league.'”Besides operational costs, the other key issue revolves around the type of facilities available. While CHA LLC chief executive Neil Maxwell told ESPNcricinfo last year that the proposed league would be played on artificial pitches in order to take advantage of bigger metropolitan markets, Dainty has said that it would be harmful to the league’s image if games were not played on turf.”As long as the ICC says it’s turf wickets, I’ll vigorously defend that position,” Dainty said. “If the ICC changes to artificial wickets, then I’ll change but I don’t think we should be going and starting a league with artificial wickets, at least not in America. I don’t think that our cricketing pedigree is as such that we should be initiating those changes.”Currently the only ICC ODI approved turf wicket venue in the USA is in Florida. Dainty says that more funds should be raised for installing turf wickets in the New York metropolitan area, rather than use any artificial wicket venues that currently exist in the city, for the league to be successful and seize the sizable expatriate fan base there.”You need these wickets to have a quality league. As far as I can see, most of the games are going to be played close to each other, maybe New York-New Jersey, New York- Washington D.C., depending on whether we can get wickets rather than spreading ourselves all over the country. I don’t think we should compromise quality of play and turf wickets, I don’t think you can have the best quality without turf wickets.”Even though the league is expected to be the key driver of revenue to USACA from licensing fees through the CHA LLC agreement, revenue can also be generated from staging other events. Dainty says he is confident there will be as many as three series arranged this year in the USA which may include Full Members or “international club teams”, hinting that IPL franchises may be sought to tour in the same way that European soccer teams have often played exhibition fixtures around the USA outside of their own domestic seasons.The concept of having IPL teams tour the USA was first broached in 2010 when former USACA chief executive Don Lockerbie met with former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi. Although CHA continues to target New York as the base market, Las Vegas has been identified as an ideal destination to host a one-off series. A new cricket stadium would need to be constructed in Las Vegas if such a series were to take place.”I feel confident that that’s one of the places [Las Vegas] we’re gonna have cricket this summer,” Dainty said. “This summer we’re hopeful to maybe have one or two events in Vegas. Vegas is hot in terms of putting a facility together. We have a couple of strong groups putting packages together to have cricket in Vegas, a couple of strong groups that the CHA LLC supports.”If any series are organised for this summer, they would be the first genuine CHA LLC revenue-generating events since the partnership was formed in December 2010. The pair of Twenty20s held in Florida last summer between the West Indies and New Zealand were organised by the West Indies Cricket Board after CHA LLC, which holds the rights to stage Full-Member matches in the USA, sold those rights for the series to the WICB for $1.”It was more important to have the games and to make it work than to make money, so technically it’s a loss but that’s the way we had to do business. It’s the game first and building the game. Everybody’s treating this as maybe the next El Dorado. The streets are just paved with gold and once you find the city you’re rich. Well, we’re planning to build a city.”

David Warner’s 180 powered Australia to a strong lead before their bowlers set about routing India a second time on day two of the third Test at the WACA ground

The Report by Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMitchell Starc dismissed Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar in the second innings to send India hurtling towards defeat•Getty Images

David Warner’s 180 powered Australia to a strong lead before their bowlers set about routing India a second time on day two of the third Test at the WACA ground. Australia were cut down for 369 after an opening stand of 214 between Warner and Ed Cowan, but any gains made by India’s bowlers were frittered away by their batsmen, who limped to 4 for 88. They were still 120 runs short of making Australia bat again, and a handful of wickets away from surrendering the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.It was the left-armer Mitchell Starc’s turn to be the visitors’ chief tormentor, swinging the ball at high pace while also gaining some steepling bounce. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also struck to maintain their summer jaunt through the visitors’ batting, while Ryan Harris beat the bat often.Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were India’s last faint hope, but it seemed a forlorn one given how the ball continued to swing, seam and bounce. The failures of the other top-order batsmen opened the question of whether or not Rohit Sharma will debut in Adelaide.Starc defeated Gautam Gambhir with a ball that pranced at the batsman and looped to gully off the bat handle, and then pinned Sachin Tendulkar lbw with in-swing. Tendulkar was unhappy about the decision, shaking his head as he walked off then reacting with dismay to replays that showed the ball clipping leg stump. Virender Sehwag was undone by a Siddle delivery that lifted and left him, while VVS Laxman made another duck on a wretched tour, edging Hilfenhaus’ outswinger into the cordon.For all of India’s woes, their bowlers had again found a trace of brittleness in the hosts’ batting. Australia lost all 10 wickets for 155 from the time Cowan was the first man out, underlining the value of Warner’s innings, among the most brazen played by a Test opener, and his partnership of contrast with the more restrained Cowan. However it reflected poorly on the batsmen that Siddle’s 30 was the next best score.Yadav claimed five wickets for the first time in Tests, striking three times in a hostile morning spell, then Ishant, Zaheer Khan and Vinay Kumar chimed in across the afternoon to limit the hosts’ lead to 208.Resuming at 0 for 149, Cowan and Warner played in more or less the same vein as the previous evening. If Warner reined in his game at all, it was only in a nod to better bowling from the visitors. He was still inclined to swing for the fences every now and then, and crashed another straight drive over Ishant’s head for his fourth six.The first chance of the innings arrived at 193, Warner touching a well-pitched delivery from Zaheer only for it to be dropped by Kohli at first slip. Cowan accumulated soundly at the other end, reaching his second half-century of the series and rotating the strike intelligently. It was he who raised the 200 stand, pulling Yadav to the square-leg boundary to take Australia’s openers past that mark for the first time since Simon Katich and Phil Jaques did it against West Indies in 2008.Thoughts had turned to the possibility of a Cowan century when Yadav moved around the wicket and produced a delivery that moved back a shade to burst between the opener’s bat and pad and disturb the stumps. Cowan was crestfallen to have left the middle, but the following passage would show that batting was not as easy as it had seemed.Warner was struck a painful blow on the elbow, requiring the physio’s attention for the second time in his innings, and Marsh fell cheaply for the fourth time in as many innings this series. He played at a delivery that left him and snicked to Laxman at second slip. Ponting managed one back-foot cover drive before he too was undone by Yadav, who found just enough swing and seam from the off to flatten the former captain’s middle stump.The merry progress of Warner continued in a stand of 48 with his captain Michael Clarke, before the opener finally miscued a loft to offer an outfield catch. Much as Warner cussed, the end of the innings reflected the crazy brave manner of its construction.Clarke received a fine delivery from Zaheer, angled in then moving subtly away, and a similar ball also accounted for Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper’s duck raising further questions about his place in the side. Michael Hussey battled for fluency and was oddly subservient to the cleaner hitting of Siddle in another brief stand, before Vinay collected his first wicket when Hussey cut to gully.Siddle’s fluent stay was ended when Yadav beat the outside edge to flick off stump, Harris perished for 9 when he lobbed a pull shot to square leg, and Hilfenhaus could not contain himself against Sehwag’s off spin. But bad as Australia’s batsmen had done once Warner departed, India would do worse.

Left-arm pace bowler Junaid Khan has said he is not overawed at the prospect of making his international debut on the World Cup stage

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2011Left-arm pace bowler Junaid Khan, who replaced the injured fast bowler Sohail Tanvir in Pakistan’s World Cup squad, has said he is not overawed at the prospect of making his international debut on such a big stage.”I’ll treat it as just another game of cricket,” Junaid told . “I’ve represented my country at junior levels and Pakistan A, so I know what the responsibility of playing for your country is like. I don’t think I’ll have any nerves and I’m confident I can handle the situation.”Junaid was selected on the basis of his consistent showing on Pakistan’s domestic circuit. In 35 first-class games, he has picked up 167 wickets at an average of just above 21. He was also the second-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan A in the unofficial ODI series during their recent tour of West Indies where he picked up five wickets in three games.”I’ve been working so hard over the last couple of seasons and I feel that I have consistently improved as a bowler, “Junaid said. “I’ve also been working hard on my batting and I feel that my call-up for the World Cup is warranted as I have done consistently well at all levels for Pakistan.”There have been several high-voltage clashes between India and Pakistan in previous World Cups and Junaid said he was looking forward to another such encounter. “Just getting a chance to play in the World Cup is a dream come true for me,” he told . “But if we get to play against India in the World Cup, it would be a blast to bowl at [Sachin] Tendulkar and get him out. It is an ambition for me.”

A round-up of matches from the second day of the RBS one-day competition

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2010

Group A

A fine unbeaten ton from opener Ali Asad helped Karachi Dolphins successfully chase down 253 against Peshawar Panthers at the National Stadium. Haroon Ahmed struck an adventurous 61 off 73 balls and was supported by Azam Jan’s 56, but the Panthers were pegged back by their inability to kick on. Faraz Ahmed’s medium-pace compounded their problems with a tight spell of 4 for 48. Chasing 253 for the win, Asad’s innings ensured that the Dolphins were never in trouble. Fahadullah Khan struck a busy 66 to ensure that he had the necessary support and the target was overhauled in 44 overs.Multan Tigers’ bowlers wrapped up Quetta Bears for 190 and set the tone for a fluent win at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi. Abdur Rauf started the slide by striking twice early to set the Bears back. Shoaib Khan jnr and Taimur Ali resisted briefly before the spinners – Zulfiqar Babar, Faisal Ali and Mohammad Hafeez (1) – got into the act. Taimur Khan’s 52 was the only saving grace as the spin trio picked seven wickets to asphyxiate the innings. The Tigers were troubled by Shoiab’s medium pace and lost six wickets in their chase, but a target of 191 was never going to pose major problems.

Group B

Mohammad Idrees’ 91-ball 104 propelled Khan Research Laboratories to a comfortable 88-run win over Lahore Eagles at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Despite losing Saeed Anwar for 0 in the first over, and two more before the score reached 60, Idrees ensured that the innings did not slow down. He was assisted by a sedate 59 from Bazid Khan who helped raise 119 runs for the fifth wicket. The innings closed at 263, after Emmad Ali and Mohammad Saeed picked three wickets apiece. The Eagles’ chase was derailed by a spate of wickets that saw the score plummet from 78 for 2 to 89 for 7. They eventually finished at 175, well short of the target.National Bank trumped Habib Bank by three wickets in a last-ball thriller at the Gaddaffi Stadium in Lahore. Chasing a reduced target of 256 in 46 overs, Nasir Jamshed and the middle order overcame a torrid start where two top-order wickets fell for ducks. Shahid Nazir bowled well to finish with 3 for 48, but it was not enough as Mansoor Amjad took his side home. Earlier, a fine hundred from Hassan Raza and a strong support role from Younis Khan propelled HBL to 271 in 50 overs. Raza struck ten fours in his run-a-ball innings, but it proved insufficient to force a win.In another nailbiter at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground, Karachi Zebras pulled off a one-run win over Sui Southern Gas Corporation. Ashraf Ali, whose 71 had taken SSGC to the brink of victory, was run out off the final delivery of the match to hand the Zebras four points. At 195 for 8, still needing 51, SSGC looked well out of the game, but Ashraf forged two solid partnerships with Sohail Khan and Dilawar Khan, neither of whom had any batting expertise to keep SSGC fighting. They were helped by a generous Zebras bowling, which conceded 39 etxras including 25 wides. Zebras had been put in to bat earlier in the day, and were struggling at 91 for 5 before Wajihuddin and Babar Rehman made half-centuries to drive them to a useful 245.

Group C

Fine spells from spinners Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain formed the cornerstone for Islamabad Leopards’ four-wicket win over Abbottabad Rhinos at the Diamond Club Ground. The Leopards chose to field first and tormented the Rhinos from the very first over when Ghulam Mohammad departed for no score. Javedullah’s run-out set them further back before the spinners took over. Both finished with identical figures of 4 for 24, as the innings floundered after Mir Azam’s belligerent 39. Irfan Talib anchored the chase with a calm 65 to take his side home, though six wickets fell in the process.Shehzad Malik’s 72 was the highlight in Sialkot Stallions’ successful chase of 187 against Rawalpindi Rams at the Jinnah Stadium. Asked to bat first, the Rams never got going and lost wickets too often in a shoddy performance. Only two batsmen – Usman Saeed and Adnan Mufti – reached 40, but neither could push on to a substantial score, as they folded in the 44th over for 187. At 51 for 4, the Stallions’ chase seemed to be going down the same road before Shehzad and Adeel Malik put their heads down to strike the only half-centuries of the day. Adeel perished for 55, but Shehzad ensured that he saw the job through, to give his side four points.Faisalabad Wolves made short work of Lahore Lions, trouncing them by 74 runs in Sargodha. Batting first, the Wolves racked up 274, thanks to Zeeshan Asif’s 74-ball 80. He was supported by Mohammad Shahid, who made 56 in 63 balls. Junaid Zia and Asif Ashfaq picked up three wickets each, as the Wolves were bowled out in the final over. The Lions were never in the hunt and folded up for 200 in the penultimate over. Rana Adnan hit 65 and Yasir Ajmal contributed 46, but the big chase required a more substantial anchor. Aqeel Ahmed picked 3 for 21 to put paid to ensure that the chase never picked momentum.

Group D

Despite a career-best 133 from Rameez Raja, Water and Power Development Authority sneaked a one-run victory over Pakistan Customs at the Bahawal Stadium. Chasing 257, Customs lost their top three for 19, but Raja combined with Rameez Aziz for a 113-run stand that evened the match. After another couple of quick blows, he was involved in a steadying 66-run partnership with wicketkeeper Hanif Malik. Customs seemed to have sealed the match reaching 254 for 7, but contrived to lose their final three wickets for one run, with Imranullah Aslam striking twice in the final over of the match. Earlier, half-centuries from Rafatullah Mohmand, Bilal Khilji and Jahangir Mirza proved the backbone of WAPDA’s batting effort after they won the toss.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited opened their campaign with a convincing 53-run victory over Pakistan International Airlines at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Half-centuries from opener Naeemuddin and No. 3 Raza Ali Dar powered SNGPL after they were put in. There was a lower-order collapse towards the end of the innings – five wickets going down for 18 runs – but SNGPL managed to put up a competitive 245. PIA opener Khurram Manzoor’s 89 was the cornerstone of the chase but with Fahad Iqbal being the only other batsman making it past 15, they were bowled out for 192. Dar was the most successful of the SNGPL bowlers, striking four times in five overs to finish off PIA’s challenge.

New Zealand remain on top after taking a 158-run lead

Hemant Brar31-Jul-2025The Zimbabwe bowlers put in a more disciplined performance on the second day of the first Test in Bulawayo, but Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 80 ensured New Zealand kept their advantage intact.New Zealand started the day on 92 for no loss and marched to 158 for 1 before losing five wickets for 42 runs. But Mitchell, with the help of the lower order, steered them to 307, ensuring a lead of 158. New Zealand then removed the Zimbabwe openers before stumps, still 127 ahead.In the morning, Blessing Muzarabani gave Zimbabwe a dream start, removing Will Young with the first ball of the day. It was a short delivery and Young fended it towards Nick Welch, who was slightly deeper than usual at short leg and completed the catch with a dive. Welch was not sure if he had taken it cleanly, but the TV umpire found no issues with it.Devon Conway was fluent at the other end. With Muzarabani and Tanaka Chivanga operating from around the wicket, he used the cover drive to good effect and picked up three boundaries with it in three successive overs. Muzarabani switched to over the wicket to deny Conway but by then he was into the last over of his spell.Henry Nicholls, playing his first Test since December 2023, came in at No. 3 and looked a little uncertain. The Zimbabwe seamers found his outside edge a couple of times but they did not carry to the slip cordon. Nicholls grew in confidence as he spent time in the middle. When Newman Nyamhuri missed his line or length, he pounced on it, taking 22 runs off just 24 balls from the left-arm seamer. During this, he also completed 3000 Test runs.Blessing Muzarabani celebrates Michael Bracewell’s dismissal•Zimbabwe Cricket

Conway and Nicholls took New Zealand into the lead before Muzarabani returned to end the 66-run stand for the second wicket. Seeing Nicholls back away, Muzarabani followed him. Two balls earlier, Nicholls had hit a boundary using the same ploy. But this time, he was cramped and ended up hitting the ball straight to Brian Bennett at gully.That triggered a collapse in which New Zealand lost five wickets for 42 runs.Rachin Ravindra was the next to fall, edging Sikandar Raza to slip, where Craig Ervine completed an otherwise regulation catch on the second attempt.After lunch, Chivanga got the reward for his hard work. His extra bounce had Conway, on 88, miscuing an uppercut to Bennett, who took his second catch at gully. In his next over, Chivanga used the short ball to get rid of Tom Blundell, who pulled one into the lap of deep square leg.Muzarabani, too, used the short ball to have Michael Bracewell top-edging a pull. For a moment, it looked like wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga had misjudged it but he put in a full-stretch dive in the end to complete the catch near fine leg. That left New Zealand at 200 for 6.Mitchell and Mitchell Santner added 33 for the seventh wicket to lend the innings some stability before Santner chipped one back to legspinner Vincent Masekesa. After that, Mitchell took the lead. In the company of Nathan Smith, he brought up his fifty and added 61 for the eighth wicket. Smith played his part by scoring 22 and resisting for 79 balls, of which he took two on the body. He had to eventually retire hurt.With Matt Henry falling soon after and Smith not coming back, Mitchell was forced to take risks. He moved across his stumps to scoop Nyamhuri but missed and lost his middle stump. By then, though, New Zealand had regained their advantage. They extended it when Henry had Ben Curran hooking one to fine leg and Will O’Rourke had Bennett edging one to the wicketkeeper before stumps.

After coming in to replace the injured Chris Lynn he plundered 80 off 32 balls

AAP11-Jan-2024Jake Weatherald has come from the clouds, hitting 80 from 32 balls to keep Adelaide Strikers’ Big Bash League final hopes alive and end the top-four quest of Hobart Hurricanes.Weatherald, in at No. 3 for the injured Chris Lynn, was unbeaten as Strikers chased down 168 with 25 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand.He whacked nine boundaries and five sixes at Blundstone Arena on Thursday night as he reached double figures for the first time in four games this season.Related

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Weatherald treated Paddy Dooley with contempt, launching the spinner for three fours and four sixes including a maximum to finish the game. Dooley finished with figures of 0 for 53 from 2.5 overs.The result lifted Strikers from fifth to fourth on the ladder with nine points – one ahead of Melbourne Stars. Hurricanes remain sixth, three points adrift of the top four with one game to play.Weatherald rated the knock as better than his match-winning century in the 2017-18 BBL final – also against the Hurricanes.”It is probably the best I’ve batted,” he told Fox Cricket. “I was sitting there thinking I wasn’t going to play again this year.”I got a call at 12 o’clock at night saying ‘you’re playing’ and I thought … ‘Nothing to lose, may as well go out and swing hard’. It has probably been a couple of years brewing. I’ve been working really hard on my T20 cricket.”Strikers will be sweating on the fitness of Lynn for their final regular-season game against Sydney Thunder on Sunday. Lynn, who pulled out with a hamstring twinge, told the broadcasters he was a slim chance of lining up against the Thunder.The 33-year-old won’t be available to play in the finals as he will depart to play in the ILT20 competition.Strikers skipper Matt Short set up the run chase with a 25-ball 39 before Weatherald shared a 108-run partnership with Adam Hose.Earlier, spinner Cameron Boyce had been at his miserly best, taking 2 for 17 from four overs after Strikers opted to field first.It was the second time Boyce had tormented Hurricanes in three days, having taken 3 for 13 in a player-of-the-match performance in Tuesday’s win.Mac Wright top-scored for Hurricanes with 37 from 27 balls before he was undone by Boyce in the 13th over to a line-ball stumping call from the third umpire.Tim David, who has struggled for runs, hit a 10-ball 22 to give Hurricanes a boost late in the innings. They welcomed back Matthew Wade from back issues but he only managed 14 from 12 deliveries. Hurricanes were slow out of the blocks, struggling to 68 for 2 after 10 overs.