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Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and Mpumalanga have been eliminated from Pool B of the CSA domestic T20 competition

Firdose Moonda01-Oct-2021The biggest surprise in Pool B of the Provincial T20 Cup, the CSA’s domestic T20 competition, came from the skies as rain washed out one match entirely and severely reduced another to put a damper on proceedings in usually dry Bloemfontein. The Knights and the Titans, both first-division teams, will proceed to the quarterfinals, with Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and Mpumalanga eliminated.The Knights were the strongest of the four teams and announced themselves with a six-wicket win over the Titans before a convincing win over the Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland side. They would have fancied full points in their finale against Mpumalanga, but the match got abandoned on Thursday afternoon.The Titans, on the other hand, wobbled, but successfully defended 66 in a seven-over affair against Mpumalanga, who lost both matches they played. A plucky Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland side could not match up to the Knights or the Titans but comprehensively beat Mpumalanga.Related

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Runs for Rilee Rossouw
As one of the players who left, leaving a bitter taste in South African cricket’s mouth (remember the time he sent the then national coach Russell Domingo an email when he signed a Kolpak deal, and spelt Russell incorrectly?), Rilee Rossouw is already catching eyes on his return. He scored an unbeaten 73 off 51 balls to anchor the Knights’ chase of 144 against the Titans and then scored 67 off 47 balls to help the Knights post a match-winning 154 for 5 against Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. His two half-centuries put him second on the run-scorers’ charts, behind Zubayr Hamza, and potentially back on the national radar.Delport does the business
Another returnee is Cameron Delport , who played for South Africa before becoming something of a journeyman. Delport has an impressive array of teams to his name including franchises in the PSL, CPL and Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League and has now signed on for Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. He made an instant statement with his 39-ball 72 not out in their successful chase of 113 against Mpumalanga and though it may be too late for him to continue pushing for an international career, he is guaranteed to entertain.Dean dropped?
Test captain Dean Elgar is one of very few nationally contracted players in this competition – those who are not at the IPL are in a camp ahead of the T20 World Cup – but even his appearances were limited. Elgar captained the Titans in their first two matches, where he scored 41 in a losing cause against the Knights and 7 in their victory over Mpumalanga but sat out the must-win third game against Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. Aaron Phangiso led the Titans in Elgar’s absence, while Jandre Pretorius opened the batting in his first appearance for the province and scored 40 runs off 39 balls to help the Titans post a winning target.Matheson’s Mpumalanga won’t take this lying down
Their twin defeats and the fact that they are one of two teams (Limpopo being the other) whose red-ball matches will not count as first-class fixtures, Mpumalanga have a lot of pride and a reputation to make. So little known are they that they were incorrectly called Limpopo by the broadcasters, and their coach Gordon Matheson was quick to point it out at the first chance he got. They may be little-known, but Mpumalanga have a few potential headliners. Wicketkeeper-batter Rubin Hermann was their top-scorer with 32 off 31 balls against Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland, and their captain, pace bowler Luvuyo Nkese, appears a good prospect.

Aaron Finch marks Renegades comeback in style, scoring a 43-ball 68 and sharing in a 130-run stand with Nic Maddinson for the second wicket

Tristan Lavalette22-Dec-2021A red-hot Mitchell Marsh spoilt Aaron Finch’s dazzling Melbourne Renegades return as Perth Scorchers maintained their all-win record in this year’s BBL with a 21-run victory at Marvel Stadium.Marsh continued his purple patch with the bat, scoring a furious 53-ball 86 to power Scorchers to their highest-ever away total – 206 for 5.In his first match since leading Australia to T20 World Cup glory, Finch scored a 43-ball 68 and combined with Nic Maddinson in Renegades’ record second-wicket stand of 130.But Marsh produced more heroics to claim the scalp of Maddinson and Finch departed shortly after as the gallant Scorchers fell short.Marsh and Evans dominate Scorchers bowlers
Scorchers suffered a blow when the in-form Kurtis Patterson, who has been a revelation as an opener, was sidelined with a left quad injury. It meant Scorchers had their fourth different opening combination in a row, with a returning Cameron Bancroft opening with Josh Inglis.Inglis fell in the second over to James Pattinson, but that brought Marsh to the crease and the T20 World Cup hero again put on a show. After surviving an early chance, the former Scorchers skipper put the foot down with a blistering assault on Pattinson, who strayed on to the pads.Kane Richardson was the only Renegades bowler to make an impact•Getty Images

Marsh took a liking to the short boundaries square of the wicket and targeted in-form spinner Zahir Khan for special treatment as he powered to a 30-ball half-century. At the other side, a pumped-up Colin Munro, a centurion against Adelaide Strikers, hit an astonishing first-ball six after charging Will Sutherland, but lost momentum amid Marsh’s whirlwind.Marsh appeared a certainty to score his second BBL ton in three innings but fell to a loose shot in the 16th over to give Renegades hope.But impressive English import Laurie Evans batted superbly at the death, and fittingly ended a dominant Scorchers innings with a last-ball six as the league leaders recorded their second-highest score in franchise history.Fraser-McGurk and Zahir have a rough time
Jake Fraser-McGurk probably has the best catch of the BBL season wrapped up after his stunning one-hander on the boundary against Strikers. But cricket is a great leveller, and so it proved for the youngster, who dropped Marsh on the boundary when on 3. Marsh’s powerful pull shot would have hit Marvel Stadium’s roof had it been shut, but instead it travelled high into the sky making it awkward for Fraser-McGurk, who was distracted by the boundary rope and spilt the catch.Zahir, who has been arguably the best spinner in the BBL, struggled for the first time this season to finish with poor figures of none for 45 off his four overs. Only the experienced Kane Richardson – with his canny use of slower balls – was able to somewhat weather the storm and he was rewarded with the wickets of Marsh and Munro.Aaron Finch and Nic Maddinson put up 130 runs for the second wicket•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Finch returns in style
Renegades needed a strong four-over powerplay and the early dismissal of youngster Mackenzie Harvey – bowled by a gem from Jason Behrendorff – brought together their two main stars. And Finch and Maddinson gave them hope with audacious batting to smash 47 off the powerplay.Finch, who had started his innings with a fluent straight drive, didn’t look rusty after his recovery from a knee injury with consecutive sixes off Tymal Mills in the fourth over lighting a fuse. Finch clearly had not lost his touch and in trademark fashion, he was perfectly still at the crease and swinging baseball style in a vintage performance. He clubbed 20 runs off Andrew Tye during the second power-surge over as Renegades sniffed a stunning heist.But Maddinson, who had a reprieve on 49, fell to Marsh and Renegades’ momentum was halted. The match was effectively over when Finch fell to Ashton Agar in the 16th over, but last-placed Renegades would be buoyed by the return of their ex-skipper.Scorchers attack finally put under pressure
Scorchers’ bowlers have been irresistible this season, with the most runs scored off them before this match just 151 by Brisbane Heat in their season opener. But even such a disciplined attack can look ragged and helpless when Finch and Maddinson are on song.For a while, they had no answers and looked rattled. But, in trademark fashion, they held their nerve and the game turned through a brilliant one-handed catch by wicketkeeper Inglis to dismiss Maddinson.

Barishal, chasing 152 for the trophy, were 107 for 2 in the 13th over before losing their way completely

Mohammad Isam18-Feb-2022How the match played out
The BPL title clash, after some fantastic pendulums swings, came down to three runs from one ball. On strike was Towhid Hridoy, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman 22 yards away from him. Shohidul Islam had the ball in his hand. The quick bowler sent in a wide half-volley, and Hridoy’s powerless drive only reached the covers. They got one run, a second wasn’t possible, and Litton Das broke the stumps at the striker’s end to run Mujeeb out, and Comilla Victorians had scripted a remarkable recovery beat Fortune Barishal, by just one run.Shohidul was the last action hero – Barishal needed just ten off the final over – but it was the brilliant Sunil Narine who made it all possible. At the start of the 18th over, Barishal had already lost a clutch of wickets but were at a healthy-looking 134 for 5, chasing 152 for victory. Narine conceded just two runs and picked up the wicket of Dwayne Bravo. If that was special, so was Narine’s performance with the bat at the start of the match, when he smashed 57 off 23 balls after his captain Imrul Kayes had opted to bat.Despite what Narine achieved on the night, though, Shohidul had work to do. The first two balls went for just three runs, before he bowled a wide, a somewhat contentious one that Comilla reviewed for a nick behind. It was shot down, leaving Barishal with seven to get from three. Hridoy got two of the next, and then had a huge slice of luck as Tanvir Islam dropped a sitter off him at deep midwicket next ball. They took two more, leaving three for the last ball. Then, Shohidul got it right.Barishal will rue messing this one up. They could have closed the game out at various stages of the chase after restricting Comilla to 151 despite Narine’s heroics at the top. Then they got to 107 for 2 in the 13th over courtesy Shykat Ali’s 34-ball 58. But then they lost six wickets for 43 runs in 7.2 overs. Comilla cashed in.Sunil Narine smashed a quick half-century before returning 2 for 15•AFP/Getty Images

Big hits
Shykat became the second uncapped cricketer from Bangladesh to hit a half-century in a BPL final, after Irfan Sukkur had hit a 35-ball 52 for Rajshahi Royals in the 2019-20 final against Khulna Tigers.Shykat’s burst of boundaries – he hit 11 fours and a six – pushed Comilla against the wall, as he easily overshadowed his partner for the second wicket, Chris Gayle. He found the gaps with his nifty wristwork; he struck three fours through the point region, two through the covers, and hit two sweet straight drives. Shykat’s only six came at midwicket, as he hit four fours on the leg side.But after Shykat’s 74-run second-wicket stand with Gayle, Barishal lost the plot completely.Gayle started far too slowly before picking up speed a bit, and both Shakib Al Hasan and Nurul Hasan gave away their wickets well before the pressure had started to build. Najmul Hossain Shanto couldn’t get the big hits going in the last five overs either, and then it all turned pear-shaped for Barishal as Narine, Mustafizur Rahman and Shohidul rose to the occasion.Narine had already played his part, scoring just over a third of Comilla’s runs in just 23 balls. He gave his team a rollicking start with four sixes in the first two overs. He hit straight, over extra-cover and swung leg side against Mujeeb and the left-arm quick Shafiqul Islam. Narine got to his fifty with three fours in a Shakib over, but after hitting Mehedi Hasan Rana for a straight six, he fell to the same bowler down the ground.Much like Barishal did later, Comilla crashed after Narine’s dismissal. Dwayne Bravo’s brilliant pick-and-throw, while being off balance, accounted for Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and Faf du Plessis and Ariful Haque fell to Mujeeb, while Bravo had Imrul caught behind.The difference, however, was that while Barishal couldn’t get going after Shykat was dismissed, Comilla had Moeen Ali (38 in 32) and Abu Hider (19 in 27), who added 54 runs in 8.4 overs for the seventh wicket.Shakib Al Hasan (R) didn’t have a good game, ending up losing his third BPL final•AFP/Getty Images

Big miss
Shakib has now lost his third BPL final as captain – he has been part of two winning sides too – and his performance, 1 for 30 in four overs and a run-a-ball 7 when his team was in a comfortable position, wasn’t enough on the day.Shakib had, in the league phase, become the first cricketer to win Player-of-the-Match awards in five consecutive T20s. Although he didn’t do well in the first qualifier, Barishal got through.But ahead of the final, Shakib left the managed environment of the team’s hotel for an ad shoot. The team had initially said that he had stomach trouble, when asked why Shakib had missed the captains’ photoshoot at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on the eve of the final. Then the truth came out. He even had to undergo a Covid-19 test before being allowed to play the match.If he had done well, it might not have mattered. In the end analysis, it wasn’t the best look.

Shepherd-Hosein ninth-wicket stand leaves hearts in mouths right to the final delivery

Alan Gardner23-Jan-2022England 171 for 8 (Roy 45, Moeen 31, Holder 2-25) beat West Indies 170 for 8 (Shepherd 44*, Hosein 44*, Moeen 3-24) by 1 runEngland climbed off the canvas in Bridgetown and narrowly survived a battering by West Indies’ ninth-wicket pair to level the T20I series with a one-run victory. The home side were 98 for 8 and needing 74 to win from 29 balls, only for Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein’s extraordinary onslaught to leave hearts in mouths right to the final delivery.Asked to bat first after Kieron Pollard again won the toss, England started cautiously – as might befit a team which had been 49 for 7 before barely scraping into three figures the previous afternoon. Jason Roy eventually opened up to lash 45 from 31 balls, while his stand of 61 in 6.2 overs with Moeen Ali gave England a platform. Despite losing 3 for 15 in the space of 13 deliveries, the tourists kept hammering away, Chris Jordan again proving effective on his old stomping ground after being promoted to No. 7.In the chase, West Indies quickly came unstuck. Reece Topley, almost six years after his previous appearance, claimed a wicket with his second legitimate delivery and then effected a superb run-out in his follow through to leave West Indies 7 for 2. Nicholas Pooran and Darren Bravo repaired some of the damage but at 33 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, the required rate was already approaching ten an over.Although a fresh surface offered better value for shot-making, the pressure soon told. Moeen claimed three wickets and Adil Rashid two as England’s spinners kept the screws on during the middle overs, West Indies lurching from 47 for 2 to 65 for 7. The tail wagged vigorously, with Shepherd and Hosein’s late assault serving up a reminder of England’s death-bowling woes, but they had been left with (just) too much catching up to do.Victory finally gave England’s supporters something to savour amid a gruelling winter across formats and continents. It had been almost three months since they beat Sri Lanka in Sharjah at the T20 World Cup, with the seven defeats and a draw from eight subsequent fixtures encompassing a semi-final exit, another Ashes disaster and then Saturday’s nine-wicket hammering.Moeen Ali claimed a T20I career-best 3-24•Getty Images

Shepherd, Hosein put Windies up EnglandPollard spoke at the toss of the importance of consistency for a West Indies side featuring several young players looking to find their feet at international level. But after a tone-setting display in the first T20I, this seemed like a performance of familiar failings – missed chances in the field proving costly, before they nosedived into trouble with the bat.The result looked a foregone conclusion when Fabian Allen picked out square leg at the start of the 16th over, but the folly of West Indies’ top order not looking to take the game deeper was then exposed as Shepherd and Hosein almost snatched a sensational victory from the jaws of miserable defeat. Jordan’s 18th over went for 23, bringing flashbacks to England’s T20 World Cup semi-final loss against New Zealand, before Saqib Mahmood threatened to go to pieces defending 30 from the final over.Hosein hit two fours from three legitimate balls, to go with a couple of wides, and although England were mathematically safe Mahmood could not afford any more extras. He was duly beasted for 6-6-6, as Hosein finished unbeaten on 44 from 16 – doubling his previous best score in T20 cricket – but with his head in his hands. Shepherd had 44 off 28 at the other end, their unbroken 72-run stand setting a T20I record for the ninth wicket.Topley’s taleTopley had not been named in an England T20I XI since their second game at the 2016 World T20 – a tournament at which he bowled 4.1 overs at a cost of 55 runs. Four back stress fractures and endless months in rehab had left him questioning his future in the game, and although he returned to the ODI set-up in 2020 and played twice in India last year, a side strain prevented him from making a case for the World Cup in the UAE (although he was eventually called in as an injury replacement).Given the new ball after replacing Tymal Mills in Barbados, Topley immediately demonstrated the attributes that saw him capped by England as a 21-year-old. His third delivery was a full inswinger that rapped Brandon King on the front pad, dispatching the batter whose calm half-century had seen West Indies home in the first game – a marginal call in the end, though Hawk-Eye upheld umpire Nigel Duguid’s decision.Better was to come in Topley’s second over. Shai Hope dug out another inswinging bolt from on high, and seemingly got enough on it to send the ball back past the bowler. Topley flung his 6ft 7in frame down to half-stop it to his left, but still Hope thought he would able to scramble through – only for the bowler to turn, run and hurl himself full length, scooping the ball one-handed into the stumps with the opener short.”If that’s out, that is unbelievable!” Sam Billings, England’s wicketkeeper, could be heard saying on the stump mic. In fact, it could have been out twice, as replays showed the delivery had brushed Hope’s boot first and would have lbw if reviewed. Topley was denied another wicket when Liam Dawson dropped Pooran, but figures of 1 for 10 from three overs in the powerplay had left West Indies floundering.Shai Hope is run out by Reece Topley•Getty Images

Roy sparks (eventually)England could hardly have made a worse start to their innings this time around, having been 10 for 3 after two overs on Saturday. But after becoming the first of four batters to go boundary-and-then-out in the first T20I, Roy took a more circumspect approach in a bid to give the innings some solid foundations.Tom Banton made the early running, reverse-sweeping to good effect, and although England lost two wickets in the sixth over – Allen holding a sharp return catch off Banton before dislodging James Vince’s off bail – they were in reasonably good shape on 40 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.Roy had unleashed a couple of staccato bursts, reverse-chipping four and blasting Sheldon Cottrell down the ground, but by the halfway stage of the innings he had eked out 17 off 23. In a warm-up game a few days ago, he had creamed a 36-ball hundred; and all of sudden, with the resumption after drinks, he flicked the same switch.Allen had 2 for 26 from three overs at that stage, but saw his first ball carved through point. A dot followed, before Roy unleashed: a slog-sweep into the stands followed by one that disappeared out of the ground over long-on, then fours clubbed through midwicket and point. Although he fell two deliveries later, England had found their spark. From 64 for 2, they crunched 107 from the second ten.

Both teams are missing big players, but India’s strength in depth makes them heavy favourites

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Feb-20222:59

Wasim Jaffer: Expect Sri Lanka spinners to cause India problems

Big picture

Look, let’s be real. It’s been a while since Sri Lanka were on India’s level in limited-overs cricket.In the last T20I series between these teams, Sri Lanka did pull out two victories to claim the trophy in Colombo, but both those wins came after no fewer than seven players of an already weakened India (the Test squad was playing on a different continent) were made unavailable by a Covid-19 outbreak in the squad, and India had to resort to putting net bowlers in their XI.But even with those two wins, India have won 11 of the last 14 completed T20Is between these teams. In India, the stats are even bleaker for Sri Lanka – two wins from ten completed matches, one of which came all the way back in 2009 (three whole lifetimes, in T20 years). For all the buzz about this improving Sri Lanka side, they’ve lost seven of their ten T20Is since the start of the main draw of last year’s T20 World Cup.Related

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Both teams are missing big players. Virat Kohli is rested, as is Rishabh Pant, and now Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav have picked up injuries as well. But because Sri Lanka don’t have as much depth, their big injuries seem more consequential. Wanindu Hasaranga – their best player – has not even made the trip, thanks to Covid. Beyond this, the Player of the Match from their last T20 in Australia – Kusal Mendis – and their most consistent powerplay bowler from the last year – Maheesh Theekshana – are also in serious doubt for this game, having sustained injuries themselves.In their last T20I series, India had comfortably beaten West Indies in all three matches, though in that series, they’d had the likes of Suryakumar, Kohli, and Pant play important innings. If Sri Lanka want to upset their hosts though, they will have to raise their game substantially. The top order, which will be without Mendis, Kusal Perera, and Avishka Fernando (Perera and Fernando are injured) will have to be more effective than it had been in Australia. And minus Hasaranga, and probably Theekshana, the likes of legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama will have to step up as well.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLLLIndia WWWWWMohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Avesh Khan tune up for the T20I series against Sri Lanka•Associated Press

In the spotlight

Legpsinners generally do well against Sri Lanka. As he has a strike rate of 10.8 against them, Yuzvendra Chahal probably knows this. In his most recent T20I against them, Chahal took only one wicket, but then went for just 19 runs in his four overs. He is, however, coming off a modest series against West Indies, where he went at more than eight an over. Sri Lanka’s shaky middle order might be the perfect opposition to bounce back against.In a little over a year at the top level, 23-year-old Pathum Nissanka has not merely established himself, his performances have suggested he is an all-format player for a decade to come. He’s not the first one to trod this path, though. Others have showed similar promise at this stage of their careers, and faltered into middling, modest, and troubled careers. A tour of India is a huge test for a young batter. He at least has the confidence of having topped the run charts in Australia (where he hit 184 T20I runs in five innings) going into this.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is not forecast to interrupt the match, but as winter is still around, the temperature may drop in the evening, and dew may form. In the T20Is it has hosted, the pitch at Lucknow has generally made for middling scores.

Team news

Minus Suryakumar, the likes of Deepak Hooda could get a spot in the XI while Venkatesh Iyer would have to shoulder more responsibility with the bat. Rohit Sharma may bat down at No. 4 to allow Ruturaj Gaikwad to open, as he had done in the most recent match, against West Indies.India (possible): 1 Ishan Kishan, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Venkatesh Iyer, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahDinesh Chandimal will likely return to the XI and take the gloves if Mendis is unavailable. Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama are likely to be the two lead spinners if Theekshana does not play.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Janith Liyanage, 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Dushmantha Chameera, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Binura Fernando, 11 Praveen Jayawickrama

Stats and trivia

• Although Nissanka was Sri Lanka’s most prolific batter in Australia, his strike rate in that series was 116. In his 43-innings T20 career so far, he has struck at 122.
• Chahal’s 15 wickets against Sri Lanka (at an average of 16.06) is his best against any opposition, though he has played England and New Zealand more often.
• The last time India lost to Sri Lanka at home was back in 2016, in Pune.

  Quotes

  “Even though the spinners we might field tomorrow don’t have a lot of experience, players like Jeffrey Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama have a lot of talent.”Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka on the spin options likely available to him on Thursday.