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Seven no-balls from Southern Punjab highlighted the ill-discipline in a bowling attack that never seriously threatened to defend 174

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2021
An ill-disciplined bowling performance from Southern Punjab saw Balochistan take full advantage, romping home by eight wickets to condemn Sohaib Maqsood’s side to their fifth straight defeat.Southern Punjab got off to the worst possible start, losing three wickets in the first four overs while managing little over a run a ball in that period. A quickfire half-century from Maqsood steadied the innings somewhat, but Umaid Asif and Junaid Khan continued to plug away, removing Hassan Khan and Khushdil Shah, among others, just when they began to look dangerous. Cameos from those two, however, and 25 off 12 from Aamer Yamin at the death helped take Southern Punjab to 174, something that appeared unlikely after the start SP had endured.However, it needed a bowling performance to match if SP were to hold Balochistan off for their first win, and they expressly didn’t get that. Among general sloppiness, there were seven no-balls – five from Dilbar Hussain in two overs that went for 35, and unlike SP’s struggles, Balochistan flew to 57 inside four overs. Abdul Bangalzai and Abdullah Shafique put on 84 for the first wicket, and, in effect, broke the back of the chase there and then. Bangalzai went on to score a half-century, while an unbeaten 35-ball 47 from Haris Sohail ensured SP were frozen out altogether. In the end, Balochistan’s ruthless batting display got them home with eight balls and eight wickets to spare, leaving SP staring elimination in the face.

Emirates Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl to host Test, T20I and ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2020England have confirmed Emirates Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl as the venues for fixtures against Ireland and Pakistan this summer. Ireland will visit later this month for three ODIs, while Pakistan have already arrived in the country ahead of Test and T20I series.The ECB has been working to salvage as much of its home international programme as possible after the Covid-19 shutdown, and said that discussions remained ongoing about the possibility of Australia touring, and a proposed women’s tri-series featuring England, India and South Africa.Ireland had been due to play their series, part of the World Cup Super League, in September but agreed to move the games forward, with all three ODIs to be held behind closed doors in Southampton from July 30 to August 4.The first Test against Pakistan will begin a day later in Manchester, with the teams then moving down to Southampton for the second and third matches at the Ageas Bowl, starting on August 13 and 21. They will return to Manchester for T20Is at Emirates Old Trafford on August 28, 30 and September 1.”Confirmation of these matches against Ireland and Pakistan is another important step for our game as we begin to safely stage international cricket again, but also to minimise the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had, and will continue to have, on cricket at all levels,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said.”It has taken significant effort and expertise to allow us to reach a position where cricket is now ready and able to return to the field of play from the elite level to recreational cricket.”We owe a significant debt of gratitude to the players, staff and administrators of the Cricket West Indies, Cricket Ireland, and the Pakistan Cricket Board for their willingness and co-operation to get international cricket back up and running and allow these matches to be staged.”Sports fans across the world will benefit as international cricket returns to our screens while it will also provide much-needed financial aid at all levels of cricket in England and Wales as we aim to withstand the challenges in front of us.”It must be reiterated that there is still much work for the ECB and the cricket network to do as we try to plot a path through this pandemic. Chief amongst our priorities is to build on our commitment to support and grow women’s cricket and at the elite level discussions continue to progress to determine the best and safest way to host a tri-series against India and South Africa.”We also continue to explore options for our England men to play white-ball series against Australia this summer and hope to have news on those series soon.”The majority of Pakistan’s 29-man squad flew to the UK in late June, despite disruption caused by a number of positive Covid-19 tests. Ten players did not take the initial flight, but all but one have now returned the two negative tests required to participate in the tour.Like West Indies and Pakistan, Ireland’s players are expected to given an ‘opt out’ by the selectors in case any have concerns about Covid-19 in the UK.

England star out of contract at Lancashire at end of season, having left Somerset at the end of 2013

George Dobell14-Apr-2019Jos Buttler is considering a move back to Somerset, the club he supported as a boy and where he developed as a young player.Buttler, who is out of contract at Lancashire at the end of this season, left Somerset at the end of the 2013 season – after he had played
international cricket – as his opportunities to keep wicket were blocked by the presence of Craig Kieswetter.Now, however, with his place in the England side established in all formats of the game, he is understood to be tempted by a move back down south. He retains several close friends in the Somerset side – not least Jack Leach, who has never made any secret of his desire to persuade Buttler back to Taunton – and has family in the area.Buttler has also retained a long-term relationship with Cooper Associates – Somerset’s principal sponsors whose main office is just across the road from the ground – with some at the club very confident the deal will be confirmed before the end of the season.While Somerset supporters shouldn’t expect to see too much of Buttler – he has played 16 first-class games (12 as keeper), 35 T20s and four
List A games for Lancashire in five seasons – there would be delight among them if a local favourite could be brought back into the fold.It might also prove relevant ahead of the launch of The Hundred in 2020. While England players are expected to be available for few games
– perhaps three or four, at best – Buttler, as one of the best short-form players in the world, would have to be considered a major drawcard to the Cardiff-based side which will also represent the teams of Somerset and Gloucestershire.

India have never lost a Test in Johannesburg, and they have never been whitewashed in South Africa. Both those records are under threat as the hosts push for 3-0 with a green pitch and overcast conditions to aid them

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg23-Jan-20185:36

Cullinan: South Africa will win 3-0

Big Picture

“A lot of big names have played for 20 years, they have come here many times, and they have never done it. But this team has done that. This team is used to doing things that a lot of other teams haven’t done, and that too overseas.”This is a slightly abridged version of a quote from India coach Ravi Shastri in Sri Lanka last year. He was talking about India winning the three-Test series 3-0.There is a real threat that it could be adapted for use in the current climate. Many weak Indian teams have come to South Africa since the first tour in 1992-93, and none has been whitewashed. This “strong” team, with so many options that the team management has admitted to the inevitability of highly debatable, even controversial, selections, now needs something special to avoid a whitewash. If there is any consolation, they are making this attempt at a venue that should inspire them: the Wanderers is where they won a World T20 final and also brought up their first Test win in this country. India have played four Tests at this venue, and have never lost.The series is gone, but neither side is seeing this as a dead rubber. Not only is it a matter of pride for India to avoid a whitewash, it is also about bragging rights in a world where it is the mark of a good side to lose less poorly away from home. South Africa, still smarting from the ambush in India in 2015-16, which ended their nine-year run of never losing a series away from home, are in no danger of treating this as a dead rubber either.The hosts not only want to avenge their defeat in India with an identical scoreline, but also want to close in on the No. 1 ranking, which will be only a few decimal points away from them should they win on the green Wanderers pitch. The weather has been overcast in the lead-up to the Test, and there has been more than a bit of rain forecast, so this should be a difficult Test for batting, in conditions where both sides could choose to go without a spinner.India see the green pitch as an opportunity. It brings their seam bowlers into the game, and if their batsman can do something special – which they have been waiting for since the start of the series – they feel they can come close to winning a Test.

Form guide

South Africa WWWWW (last five completed games most recent first)
India LLDWDAFP

In the spotlight

One way to look at this series is to say the batting of AB de Villiers has been the difference between the two sides. He has dragged South Africa out of crisis on two occasions, and has contributed 35 and 20 on the other two. He has also been superb in the slips and wherever he has been posted in the outfield. India will be tempted to imagine what it feels like to get him out of the way, but to do that in reality they will need to work harder.The only man certain to play for India, and hence in the spotlight, is Virat Kohli. He scored a superlative 153 in the last Test, but that wasn’t enough to prevent his first series loss as captain. Between the Tests, questions have been raised about his leadership. Kohli needs to replicate some of that batting form, and also to select properly and motivate his side out of this mire. The test of his captaincy is only just beginning.

Team news

There has been talk that South Africa might go without a spinner – as they have done in their two previous Tests at the Wanderers – and beef up their batting, but the injury to Temba Bavuma might have changed the equation a little bit. If Keshav Maharaj is indeed left out, it could open the door for batsman Theunis de Bruyn or allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo. Chris Morris is away on paternity leave. Aiden Markram, who was off the field for parts of the Centurion Test with a left quad strain, is fit and will open.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Theunis de Bruyn/Andile Phehlukwayo/Keshav Maharaj, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lungi NgidiIndications are that Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar seem set to make their way back into the side, but at whose expense? The men under threat are Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin (because of the pitch) and one out of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. Don’t count against an all-seam attack. Parthiv Patel, ordinary with the big gloves in Centurion, could lose out to Dinesh Karthik, who doesn’t have too much long-format match practice behind him: he only played four first-class matches in the 2017-18 domestic season, and only kept wicket in two of them .India (probable): 1 and 2 Two out of M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 3, 5 and 6 three out of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, 7 Parthiv Patel/Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 to 11 four out of R Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at Wanderers is unmistakably green. The head groudsman Bethuel Buthulezi might be tempted to not shave any of the 6mm grass because there is rain expected on every day of the Test. The sun has beaten down in the lead-up to the Test to create some cracks, but it has also helped the groundstaff roll the pitch nice and hard. Faf du Plessis said his side didn’t ask for anything over the top but a track with pace and bounce. Kohli expected the pitch to do more than the one at Newlands for the first Test. There are some cracks on offer, but it is possible overhead conditions will play an equally important role in this Test.

Stats and Trivia

• Hashim Amla is one catch short of becoming the fourth South African to 100 catches as a fielder, joining Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. Amla will be the slowest to the mark.
• Contrary to reputation, the Wanderers has historically not been a graveyard for spinners. Among venues that have hosted at least 20 Tests, spinners have worse averages in 15 grounds than their 35.76 at the Wanderers. Those 15 grounds include Lahore, Port of Spain and Adelaide.
• Apart from Virat Kohli’s 153 in the first innings in Centurion, India’s specialist batsmen haven’t scored a single fifty in this series. The top six batsmen have averaged 20.45 – their third-worst in any series of two or more Tests. If Kohli’s 153 is discounted, the average of the 23 innings played by the top six drops to 14.08.
• Rohit Sharma’s difference of 60.09 between home and away averages is the worst for India batsmen who have scored a minimum of 500 runs each home and away

Quotes

“They’ve played some good cricket here. The last Test match we played against India here was a fantastic Test match. Their bowing is good. They’ve come this time around with a very good seam attack and if you have that you will be able to compete. We have got a fantastic seam attack as well so it will be the battle between those two. The pressure is in making sure we keep their batsmen under pressure. It’s been a pretty quiet series for most of them and if we can keep doing that, we will change that stat.”
“As a team we are looking to correct all the mistakes that have happened, Wanderers has been a special venue for us, hopefully we can play the same kind of cricket.”

Anil Kumble has said India have put the events of Rajkot behind them, and expect to be back to their best in the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam

Alagappan Muthu in Visakhapatnam15-Nov-2016In Rajkot, England’s spinners took more wickets and conceded fewer runs than India’s. That too on a pitch that did not take too much turn until the final day. Visakhapatnam appears likely to provide a lot more assistance to the slow bowlers and there was a notion that home advantage may backfire on the home team. India coach Anil Kumble did not share this notion.”The fact that they took more wickets than India’s spinners in Rajkot doesn’t mean that a spin-friendly pitch here will be a disadvantage for us,” he said on Tuesday.Last week at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Ground, R Ashwin had to settle for only three wickets in 69.3 overs and Amit Mishra conceded upwards of four runs per over in both innings. Both, however, had to bowl their first-innings overs when the pitch was at its flattest. It had a curiously slow rate of deterioration as well, prompting Ashwin to change his bowling action in the second innings in an attempt to make balls rip off the deck.But those memories, as well as those of their fourth-innings wobble, when they lost six wickets in 52.3 overs while batting to save the Test, seem to be firmly in the past for India, at least according to Kumble.”I don’t like to read too much into that batting that happened in those 70 overs,” he said. “If you look at that, probably if [Cheteshwar] Pujara had taken the DRS, probably it would have been 170 for 1 and probably people would have focussed more on the pitch.”Bolstering that belief were the positives Kumble had seen over the five days in Rajkot. Pujara and M Vijay struck battling hundreds and Ashwin compensated for his lack of wickets with two important knocks in the lower middle order. The first of them ensured England’s first-innings lead was kept to 49 and limited the time they could give their bowlers in the final innings.”It was a performance where I thought it was a good batting surface and there were six centuries – two from us and four from the English batsmen,” Kumble said. “It was a good Test match but unfortunately we couldn’t get a result.”Kumble also made special mention of India’s fast bowlers who were able to find reverse-swing when it looked like none of England’s could.”Both [Mohammed] Shami and Umesh [Yadav] bowled exceptionally well on that surface. They got it to reverse as well and they troubled all the English batsmen.”I think all our fast bowlers have been doing well and we will continue to try and see how we can ensure we put together a plan to pick up 20 wickets,”An area that India know they need to improve, though, is their catching. They dropped three chances in the first half-hour in Rajkot, which contributed to their having to chase the game for the rest of its duration.”It’s just that the one area where we certainly probably let ourselves down was our catching and this team really prides itself in its fielding and its catching,” Kumble said. “That’s something that we are obviously aware of, going into this Test match.”

Shahadat Hossain was sent back to jail after completing a three-day remand in Dhaka on Tuesday

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2015Bangladesh fast bowler Shahadat Hossain was sent back to jail after completing a three-day remand in Dhaka on Tuesday. Dhaka Metropolitan magistrate Kazi Kamrul Islam denied him bail after the probe officer Shafiqur Rahman, the officer-in-charge (investigation) of Mirpur model police station, appealed for the cricketer’s confinement during investigation of a case filed against him for allegedly torturing a housemaid.He was arrested on October 5 after he surrendered before a Dhaka court and had sought bail. His wife was arrested the day before from her father’s house.On September 6, the case had been filed against the couple under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The 11-year old girl was found by a journalist in Mirpur and was taken to the police station where the case was filed, and she was sent to the Dhaka Medical College for treatment.

A round-up of matches of the Campus Cricket World Final 2012-13 played on April 5

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2013A late charge from the University of Moratuwa middle order was not enough to haul in the tall total set by DAV Chandigarh, who have booked a place in the Campus Cricket final, with a 16-run win in the first semi-final. Chandigarh made 210 for 4, batting first at the Premadasa Stadium, thanks to an impressive start and an explosive finish. Wicketkeeper batsman Gaurav Tandon made 53 from 33 deliveries after arriving at the crease in the third over, and put on 81 runs in 48 balls alongside opener Jaskaran Singh, who made 47 from 32 balls.Once both batsmen had departed, Chandigarh were well on the way to a large total, and heavy hitting from Gurinder Singh, who struck five sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 60 from 25 balls, ensured his side crossed 200. His unbeaten fifth wicket partnership with Simran Singh was worth 86 runs from 42 deliveries. Of the Moratuwa bowlers, only Sahan Perera emerged from the onslaught with respectable figures, having taken 2 for 29 from his four overs.Early wickets of Chandigarh’s opening batsmen then nearly scuppered the chase inside the Powerplay, as Moratuwa sunk to 26 for 4 in the fifth over, and then 53 for 5 in the eighth. However, a valiant sixth wicket stand between Randika Perera and Rumesh Madhushanka, who put on a tournament-high 141 together, revived Moratuwa’s hopes. Randika made 72 not out, from 47 balls and Madhushanka hit 69 from 39, bludgeoning five sixes and six fours. Despite their heroics, Chandigarh had got too far ahead in the game by the time their resistance began, and Moratuwa only made 194 from their 20 overs.Karachi University then confirmed themselves as the other finalists, as they brushed aside Great Britiain Combined University Team by 76 runs, in the second semi-final. Batting first, a half-century to opener Faraz Ali helped set a strong foundation for Karachi, before Nabeel Khalid and Shahzaib Khan made useful contributions from the lower-middle order, to help Karachi score 154 all out in 20 overs. Simon Watkins was the best of Great Britain Combined’s bowlers, taking 4 for 27 from his four overs.In response, Great Britain Combined lost opener Harry Bush on the first ball of the innings, and it hardly got better from there. Chris Wakefield and Luke Blackaby began a recovery, but could not sustain their innings long enough to make a difference, and after their demise, the remainder of the batting order succumbed quickly. Shahzaib Khan and Mirza Jamil took three wickets apiece, to help dismiss the opposition for 78, in 15 overs.

A round-up of the third day of the fourth round of Pentangular Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2012The contest between Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPP) finally began after two rained-out days at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. After KPP were inserted, Yasir Hameed scored a fluent 150, while Adnan Raees hit an unbeaten fifty to help KPP along to 265 for 4 at stumps, with one day to play. Baluchistan’s Ahmed Raza did most of the damage, picking up three wickets with his left-arm spin.At the Sind v Federal Areas match at the Rawalpindi Stadium, it was another wet day with no play possible.

The ‘Baby’ Blues have struck again, this time cruising past the Queensland Bulls by 17 runs at the Gabba – the final scoreline flattering the hosts who were never really in the contest during the second innings

The Bulletin by Andrew Fuss24-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSean Abbott pulled off an outstanding catch in addition to taking three wickets as the Blues’ teenagers shone in the field•Getty Images

The ‘Baby’ Blues have struck again, this time cruising past the Queensland Bulls by 17 runs at the Gabba – the final scoreline flattering the hosts who were never really in the contest during the second innings.On a pitch on which 160 looked like it would be a par score, the New South Wales Blues won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. The visitors, however, battled to find the boundary and found themselves reeling at 5 for 72 in the 13th over, having broken the record for the lowest number of runs scored in the Powerplay during the season – 1 for 30.Moises Henriques (34 off 27 balls) and Man-of-the-Match Ben Rohrer (47 off 25) then joined forces for a handy 44-run partnership to give the Blues some hope of a respectable total.It was Rohrer – the only batsman to look comfortable on an, at times, two-paced pitch – who did the most damage, helping his side take 38 off the final three overs to reach 7 for 140.The Bulls’ big hope in the run chase – the dynamic Chris Simpson – started terribly, connecting with the ball just once (a top-edged six over third man) in the first ten deliveries he faced, including seven missed pull shots.Captain Stuart Clark (1 for 13) and teenager Patrick Cummins (3 for 24) were superb, bowling the visitors into a commanding position before another teenager, Sean Abbott (3 for 15), finished the hosts off with some good stump to stump bowling to tear through the middle order.Cummins, 17, looks to be a future Australia paceman and was unlucky not to have more economical figures; most of the runs off his bowling coming from edges through the slips.In a sign of just how poorly the Bulls did with the bat, it was No. 10 Nathan Rimmington who top scored for them, blasting his way to 24 off just 11 balls in the final overs.Queensland will play their second game in two days when they host Western Australia in what has now become a knockout match, before they travel south to face New South Wales again on Saturday.