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United Arab Emirates kept their unbeaten record on their tour to Canada intact, defeating the hosts by 72 runs in the first Twenty20 in Toronto

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2013
ScorecardUnited Arab Emirates kept their unbeaten record on their tour to Canada intact, defeating the hosts by 72 runs in the first Twenty20 in Toronto.Choosing to bat, UAE piled up 157 for 7, a total built around opener Mohammad Azam’s 51-ball 70. Azam and Abdul Shakoor gave UAE a strong start, sharing a stand of 42. However, regular wickets in the latter half of the innings weakened UAE’s chances of posting a bigger score. Swapnil Patil and Shaiman Anwar, who had been in good form coming into the match, fell for 11 and 13. UAE had another setback when Azam and Amjad Javed were out in consecutive deliveries to pacer Harvir Baidwan in the 17th over. Azam’s 70 included nine fours and one six. Nasir Aziz and Ahmed Raza hit some quick runs towards the end to take the score past 150.In reply, openers Rizwan Cheema and Ruvindu Gunasekera gave Canada a start of 34 in 6.3 overs but the innings simply wilted after Cheema fell for 20. Gunasekera tried to keep the innings together, but watched helplessly as Hiral Patel, Usman Limbada, Raza-ur-Rehman and debutant Damodar Daesrath went for single-figure scores. Gunasekera soon fell for 33 to make it 69 for 6 and Canada managed just 16 more before folding for 85. Shadeep Silva missed a hat-trick in the 16th over to end with 2 for 15. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza was the most successful bowler for UAE, finishing for 3 for 11 off 3.2 overs.

The BCCI has begun its investigation of the corruption charges against five players, with Shalabh Srivastava deposing before its inquiry commission

Nagraj Gollapudi16-May-2012The BCCI has begun its investigation of the corruption charges against five players, with Shalabh Srivastava deposing before its inquiry commission in New Delhi.The hearing was conducted by Ravi Sawani, head of the new anti-corruption wing announced by the BCCI on Saturday. Sawani, whose last job was heading the ICC’s ACSU, has been given 15 days to carry out his investigation and report to the BCCI.Srivastava, part of the Kings XI Punjab squad before his suspension on Tuesday, was allegedly caught on tape negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball; India TV, which carried out the sting, ran the audio of the tape and showed footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match. Srivastava has since denied any such incident.No official comment was made on the hearing, which was held at the Maurya Sheraton hotel. It is believed that while Srivastava attended in person, and was seen at the hotel for more than an hour, the rest were contacted over the phone.Sawani – who forms the one-man committee – will give the players time to present their defence both in person and in writing. It is also understood that at this stage there will be no legal personnel involved on either side.This will be Sawani’s first test, less than a week after his appointment to the job and before he has had time to either become acquainted with workings of the board or assemble a team.The other players suspended by the BCCI are Mohnish Mishra, T P Sudhindra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali. Mishra remained in Pune, where he has been suspended by his IPL team Pune Warriors. However, a Warriors official said he was being given “the benefit of doubt” until his case was completely heard.Another franchise, Kings XI Punjab – which has two players, Srivastava and Yadav, implicated in the sting – issued a media release, stating that it would support the investigation and abide by any decision eventually taken by the BCCI if any player was found guilty. The statement echoed comments made to reporters by the team captain David Hussey.Meanwhile, India’s sports minister Ajay Maken said the BCCI’s probe should go deeper than just the five players. “I have already said, and I am emphasising again that BCCI should go into the root cause of the problem,” he said. “Suspension of five players is not enough. BCCI has to come out with a long-term solution to sort out this mess.”He also suggested that the BCCI should de-link itself from the IPL, citing the example of football’s English Premier League. “IPL should be at a arm’s distance from BCCI. It should not be under BCCI. IPL and BCCI should be away from each other so that there is no overlapping of interests,” he said. “If you look at English Premier League and other leagues world over, they always have distance from their parent sports federations.”

“This is what West Indies cricket is about,” Darren Sammy, the team’s captain, said after a morale-boosting win over Pakistan in the first Test in Providence

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2011″This is what West Indies cricket is about,” Darren Sammy, the team’s captain, said after a morale-boosting win over Pakistan in the first Test in Providence. There was much talk off the field in the lead-up to this Test: there was criticism about Sammy’s form, the absence of key players from the squad for the series, differences between senior players and the board, but West Indies emerged victors in a low-scoring encounter to put those issues on the back-burner. They also ended up depriving Pakistan of an opportunity to win a Test series in the West Indies for the first time.”We as a team needed this performance,” Sammy, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bowl out Pakistan for 178, said. “Lately, things hadn’t been going well but I had the belief, this team had the belief.”Sammy failed with the bat, but finished the game with seven wickets. Two other performances stood out for West Indies, that of Devendra Bishoo in his debut Test and Ravi Rampaul, who had taken only four wickets in five Tests prior to the match, but took seven in the game, including crucial strikes early in both innings. “Rampaul looks fit, and has worked really hard with Ottis Gibson [the West Indies coach]. It was a tough decision to pick between him and Fidel Edwards,” Sammy said.The batsmen, said Sammy, did well to hang in there on a tough pitch in both innings. “It was a difficult pitch. We found ourselves not playing the spin too well. But I commend the guys for the effort, they batted out time and put in a total which in the end was enough to get the victory.”We saw how the wicket played on the first day and it was good to see West Indies battling, batting out the whole day.”West Indies’ team manager, Richie Richardson, added: “I thought Pakistan had the better part of the pitch but it was great to see the way our players applied themselves and went out there and played their hearts out. The bowlers stuck to the task and did a fantastic job. We also saw some resolute batting when it was required.”What we are trying to build is a team. We are working on the total team concept, where players will have the confidence to go out and perform and know they have a role to play.”Pakistan were 80 for 3 overnight, chasing 219, but lost Asad Shafiq early on the fourth day. Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, and Umar Akmal put together a half-century stand but there wasn’t much support from the lower order against a spirited West Indies performance. Misbah acknowledged the better team had won.”To lose this Test is disappointing, they played better cricket and bowled disciplined lines,” he said. Misbah praised Saeed Ajmal for his maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests – Ajmal finished with 11 – but rued missed opportunities and allowing the last-wicket pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devendra Bishoo to extend the lead to 218 in the second innings.”We dropped so many catches and gave away so many runs to the lower order. We were a little disappointing from the batting point of view also,” Misbah said. “We fought well yesterday [Saturday] to recover after losing early wickets, but most of our guys got out to good balls.”The second Test gets underway at St Kitts on May 20.

Australia’s selectors have forgiven Michael Clarke for his poor form in Twenty20, naming him to captain Australia against Pakistan in England in July

Cricinfo staff24-May-2010Australia’s selectors have forgiven Michael Clarke for his poor form in Twenty20, naming him to captain Australia against Pakistan in England in July. Clarke will lead the side for the two Twenty20s in Birmingham on July 5 and 6 despite his struggles with the bat in the shortest format, where his strike-rate of 101 is well below par.Clarke was praised for his attacking captaincy at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, where he guided Australia to the final, but he needs to lift his scoring rate to justify his position as a batsman. He has been given virtually the same squad, with the only change being the omission of Tim Paine due to the reduced need for a backup wicketkeeper.”We don’t have any doubt that he [Clarke] has a definite role to play in Twenty20 cricket, which predominantly is a little bit different to some,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “We’ll be looking for him to bat through an innings when we need it. He didn’t quite do that over there but we weren’t concerned about it.”The positive side was I think his captaincy was extraordinary and our tactics in Twenty20 cricket were far in advance of where they’ve been. Our field was I thought the best in the tournament so there were lots of positives. Obviously we lost the final so that was devastating but the other side of it is that we won six on the trot and if we’d won seven on the trot it would have been a record that maybe wouldn’t have been broken in Twenty20 cricket.”In the 50-over arena, Shaun Marsh has been chosen to make his comeback to international cricket after missing the tour of New Zealand in February with a back injury. Marsh has replaced Adam Voges in the ODI squad for the one-off game against Ireland in Dublin that kicks off the tour of June 17 and the five one-day internationals against England that follow.However, the squad to take on Pakistan in two Tests from mid-July won’t be named until several contenders have fronted up for Australia A late next month. The absence of Phillip Hughes due to a shoulder injury means Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger and the Australia A captain George Bailey will be jostling for the role of backup Test batsman when they face Sri Lanka A in Brisbane.That series will also give Ben Hilfenhaus a chance to continue his steady return from knee tendonitis. Hilfenhaus has been chosen in the four-day Australia A squad and is hopeful of proving himself fit for the Tests against Pakistan, having not played for his country since the first Test of the home summer back in November.”Ben Hilfenhaus is making good progress with his knee tendon injury,” the physio Alex Kountouris said. “As part of his rehabilitation he has commenced bowling and has spent some time at the Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence during the past week. So far he has coped well and if his progress continues with an increasing bowling workload over the coming weeks, he’ll take his place for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in preparation for possible selection in the Test squad.”Peter Siddle is recovering well from a lower back stress fracture sustained during the Australian summer. However it was felt that there was too big a risk for his to return for the tour of England and Ireland, particularly with the important 12 months coming up. Peter remains on target to return to the playing field at the start of the Australian domestic summer. Brett Lee is recovering from the elbow muscle injury that he picked before the ICC World Twenty20 and is yet to commence bowling.”The Australia A squad also features Mitchell Marsh, the brother of Shaun and captain of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad this year. He will be joined by another player with cricketing blood, James Pattinson, the Victoria fast bowler whose brother Darren played a Test for England in 2008.ODI squad Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Doug Bollinger.Twenty20 squad Shane Watson, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.Australia A four-day squad Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger, George Bailey (capt), Peter Forrest, Andrew McDonald, Tim Paine, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Hilfenhaus, Josh Hazlewood, Peter George, Mitchell Starc.Australia A one-day squad Tim Paine, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, George Bailey (capt), Travis Birt, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Mitchell Marsh, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, James Pattinson, Jake Haberfield, Josh Hazlewood.

The renovation work could impact the Test against England in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2024The PCB is confident that Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the National Stadium in Karachi will be ready in time to host the Champions Trophy next year, though ongoing work could continue to impact their bilateral commitments this season, including the Test against England in Karachi.The board has already moved the second Test against Bangladesh, originally scheduled in Karachi, to Rawalpindi. Speaking to reporters on Monday in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, acknowledged that “matches [during the season] may move back and forth but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy”.England play their second of the three Tests in Karachi, from October 15-19. In announcing the switch of Bangladesh’s Test to Rawalpindi on Sunday, the PCB did not exactly nail down Karachi as a venue for England.Related

• Gaddafi redevelopment picks up pace as Champions Trophy nears

• Pakistan women miss out on daily allowances at training camp

• Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi

“At this stage, we will not like to speculate on the hosting of the second Test in Karachi from 15-19 October and will continue to work closely with the architects and construction experts on the safe and secure hosting of the match, while keeping the England and Wales Cricket Board updated,” the statement said.The fluidity of the situation is evident in how the switch in venues for Bangladesh occurred. Two days after posting ticket prices online, the PCB announced the Karachi Test would be played behind closed doors with no spectators. Then on Sunday they announced they were moving it to Rawalpindi, because they wanted to ensure the renovation work went on uninterrupted and that hosting a game while such major work was being undertaken could have an impact on the game.Naqvi confirmed on Monday the reasons for the move. “Our calculation was that we could do matches without crowds, but various security institutions and the police said that even if there are people working inside, you shouldn’t host a match.”That talk with journalists has led to some reports that Naqvi implied a change in venues or dates for the Champions Trophy from the draft schedule the PCB has submitted to the ICC. In a statement on Tuesday the PCB emphatically denied that was the case.”During the media talk, which is available on the PCB’s official YouTube channel, the PCB chair clearly stated that the redevelopment and redesign of the three designated stadia would be completed on schedule, ensuring readiness to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB chair also mentioned that while some domestic matches may need to be shifted to facilitate uninterrupted construction work, this in no way pertains to the ICC Champions Trophy, which remains a priority for the PCB as a premier eight-team international event.”During that media talk, Naqvi did point to the pressing need for this renovation work. “Our stadiums and those abroad, there is a massive difference,” he said. “In no way were our stadiums international-standard stadiums. None of our stadiums could qualify internationally. Not the seats, not bathrooms, and a view that looks like you are watching from 500 metres away. If I want to stay in a 1980 model then great, but the world has gone far ahead.”Naqvi pointed out that while both stadiums in Lahore and Karachi are eventually undergoing total upgrades, partial renovation between now and early next year will mean they are ready in time for the Champions Trophy.”Right now we have five months,” he said. “In that time, definitely the two enclosures on either side [in the Gaddafi stadium] and the main building [will be ready], that is the focus for now.”The stadiums will be totally upgraded. Not just this but we plan to have a new stadium in Islamabad, in Abbottabad, we want to work on that as well. A few stadiums that we don’t operate – we’ve written to the local authorities that either you upgrade it or hand it to us so we can host domestic and even international cricket there. These stadiums will be 100% upgraded but in the next five months, the target we have, we hope to complete that.”The New York stadium [for the T20 World Cup] was completed in the last 10-15 days. We will be ready well before that timeline.”

Jemimah Rodrigues will be her deputy, as Capitals’ campaign kicks off on March 5 at the Brabourne Stadium

Vishal Dikshit02-Mar-2023Australia captain Meg Lanning is set to lead the Delhi Capitals franchise in the inaugural edition of Women’s Premier League (WPL) that starts on March 4 in Mumbai. Lanning has won a record four T20 World Cups as captain for Australia, including the most recent one in South Africa last month having beaten the hosts in the final.Lanning, 30, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday for the WPL. She has played 132 T20Is, scoring 3405 runs with two centuries and 15 half-centuries at an average of 36.61 and strike rate of 116.37. She has led Australia in 100 T20Is, the most by any women’s player to captain a side in the format.Jemimah Rodrigues will be the vice-captain of Capitals, who begin their WPL campaign on March 5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium.Lanning said of her appointment: “It’s a very proud moment for me, firstly to be involved with Delhi Capitals and then to lead them. It’s about enjoying yourself, getting the best out of yourself.”WPL is a massive moment for the sport, it’s the logical next step and makes a lot of sense. Cricket in India is people’s lives and the fact that WPL is up and running, and to be involved in something like this, is amazing. It’s only going to grow in the coming years.”Lanning is the third Australia player to lead a WPL side, after Beth Mooney was named Gujarat Giants’ captain and Alyssa Healy for UP Warriorz. Mumbai Indians will be led by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Royal Challengers by Smriti Mandhana.

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.

“I think potentially not having it (reviews) affects the spectacle of the game,” says Heather Knight

Matt Roller20-Sep-2020The Decision Review System (DRS) will be available in a women’s bilateral series in England for the first time during West Indies’ tour, with the five-match T20I series starting Monday.The technology was available throughout the last two T20 World Cups, and in the ten televised games in the 50-over World Cup in 2017, but has only occasionally been used outside of them in women’s cricket. New Zealand used the technology in their series against India at the start of 2019 and against South Africa in early 2020, with India captain Mithali Raj critical of the “irregular” use of the system in the women’s game and calling for its permanent introduction.Last summer, both teams in the women’s Ashes called for DRS to be introduced in bilateral internationals after England batter Fran Wilson was incorrectly given out lbw in the first ODI, with replays showing that the ball had hit her glove rather than her pad.ALSO READ: How can women’s cricket learn to use DRS better?“You always want the best as players, and DRS is the best,” Heather Knight, England’s captain, said. “I’d imagine the reason, as usual in women’s cricket, is money, as to why we don’t have it.”I think potentially not having it affects the spectacle of the game. Sometimes decisions go your way and it’s obviously the same for both sides but in an ideal world we would have DRS.”Matthew Mott, the Australia coach, said, “I must admit I think if you’ve got the technology there and you’ve got enough cameras, it should come in. It certainly makes sense for me to have it if we can.”Under the ICC’s playing conditions, the use of DRS in women’s internationals is at the discretion of the participating boards, as is the case in men’s internationals.England’s series against West Indies begins on Monday, with all five T20Is being played behind closed doors at Derby. Both sides will have two reviews available per innings, in all five matches.1140, September 21 – This story was updated to reflect the use of technology in New Zealand’s home series

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates and analysis of Afghanistan v Australia at the World Cup

Deivarayan Muthu01-Jun-2019

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:49

‘Wasim Jaffer’s hunger to play cricket is exceptional’

Wasim Jaffer couldn’t get to his third first-class triple century, but Vidarbha continued to grind Rest of India on a truncated third day In Nagpur.In the 28 overs that were possible, Vidarbha added 104 for the loss of Jaffer and Akshay Wadkar, the wicketkeeper, on a flat VCA stadium deck at Jamtha in Nagpur. When early stumps were drawn because of bad light, Vidarbha had progressed to 702 for 5, with Apoorv Wankhade one short of his second first-class hundred. Aditya Sarwate, the offspinner, was unbeaten on 4.Siddarth Kaul provided an early breakthrough immediately after play began following a two-hour delay due to rain. He produced a fine delivery that swung in late to beat the inside edge and castle Jaffer. He sent down 36 overs for two wickets in all. The spinners – R Ashwin, Shahbaz Nadeem and Jayant Yadav- picked up one wicket each across 136 overs.Wankhede, who resumed on 44, played freely but rode luck when left-arm spinner Nadeem dropped him off his own bowling. He continued to pile on the runs from there on and come within touching distance of a century when bad light forced an early end to proceedings.With just two full days remaining, the prospects of the game being decided on the first innings looks the most likely.