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Chris Gayle has said that the way he had been treated by the WICB had left him with little choice but to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2011Chris Gayle has said the way he had been treated by the West Indies board (WICB) had left him with little choice but to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 IPL and miss the home series against Pakistan. A day after the WICB said it was disappointed at how Gayle had handled the IPL issue, the batsman has hit back, claiming the board had not checked on his rehabilitation from injury after the World Cup, and that he had been “stunned” to learn from the media of his omission from the squads for the Twenty20 and the first two ODIs against Pakistan.In a hard-hitting interview with KLAS Sports, a radio station in Jamaica, Gayle also poured scorn on the role of the West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson, dismissing him as a “user”, and blaming him for wrecking the confidence of his fellow veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan during the World Cup. “The coach messed up the man mentally,” he said. “The players were not in the right frame of mind. Sarwan was batting without a free mind. Players told me they lost confidence. A player speaks his mind in team meetings openly… The player said his piece… After that, he never play another World Cup match. But me talk with my mouth and me talk with my bat.””A group of players were selected for a training camp in Barbados, and I never got a call, nobody spoke to me, and I decided to leave it alone,” Gayle said. “I continued my training programme, and I came to find out via the media that a Twenty20 squad was announced, and a one-day international squad was announced, and I was stunned when I saw a big headline in the newspapers, ‘Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul dropped’.”Gayle said no one from the WICB had contacted him before the squads had been named. “The only communication I have had with anyone connected with the WICB was when I sent a text message to (team physio) CJ Clark, and gave him an update about how I was doing,” he said. “I told him I was feeling good, the progress I was making; I was running, I was in the gym, and working. His only response was that he would send a fitness programme, which I did not receive until the IPL offer had presented itself.””I wanted to get back on track as quickly as possible. I wanted to play and represent West Indies. This was my ultimate goal, since I did not have a contract, but I was forced into this decision because teams were picked, I was not informed about what was happening, and I did not know what the future would hold. The matches could be played, and other players do well, and I could still be sitting on the sidelines, so I had no other choice.”I have served West Indies for many years, but I was disrespected a lot, and I have been playing under a lot of pressure. I can’t sleep properly. I need to get this off my chest. I want everybody to print what I said, I want to clear the air and I want them to ease up. WICB… back up offa my back.”Gayle’s explanation, however, was at odds with what the WICB said in a release soon after it granted him the no-objection certificate, clearing his participation in the IPL. The board claimed it had been in communication with Gayle.”At the conclusion of the cricket World Cup, Gayle underwent a medical examination in the UK,” the WICB said. “Following Gayle’s consultation with a UK doctor it was determined that he would require at least two to three weeks of rest before returning to training.”The WICB medical personnel had been communicating with Gayle on the status and management of his injury since his return to Jamaica following the Cricket World Cup, this included arrangements for his rehabilitative programme. Gayle was undergoing rehabilitative work with an appointed physiotherapist and had already attended ten sessions. The next phase was to include sport-specific training along with a running programme.”After the resumption of training the WICB team management would have organised a fitness test to assess Gayle’s fitness and decisions would have then been taken about his selection to the West Indies team to face Pakistan. It is clear that there was no way that Gayle could have been considered for selection for the first two ODIs given the facts outlined above.”The WICB said it was surprised to learn that Gayle had been making arrangements to play cricket in India when it was under the clear impression that he was undergoing rehabilitation work and about to resume training. “In discussing his application for an NOC, the WICB has repeatedly informed Gayle that he is expected to resume training after which he would be required to undergo a fitness test and once passed fit, he will be considered for selection for the remainder of the Pakistan series.”

Zimbabwe cricket is taking small but important steps back to normalcy, and their participation in a major global event is an important part of that process

Liam Brickhill01-May-2010

Overview

Zimbabwe will rely on their spinners to bog the opposition in helpful conditions•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Zimbabwe cricket is taking small but important steps back to normalcy, with several former players opting to return to a revamped domestic competition under a board that is keen to present itself as amiable and open to progress. Their participation in a major global event is an important part of that process, especially after they were forced to miss the last edition of the tournament in England last year.There were positive signs on their tour of the region six weeks ago, although the team unravelled against a resurgent West Indies as the series wore on. With the national coaching position in limbo at the time, Zimbabwe suffered through unimaginative team selections and their lack of batting depth was also exposed on occasion, as when they sank to 104 all out in the third ODI with the series in the balance.New coach Alan Butcher will be hoping to make a difference to their fortunes and instill a positive attitude as quickly as possible, but Zimbabwe are sure to struggle against New Zealand and Sri Lanka’s experienced campaigners.However, as Butcher recently remarked, one inspired performance can be enough to turn a game in this format. With their victories over Australia at the 2007 tournament and in the warm-ups for this competition, and against West Indies last month, a shock win cannot be ruled out.

Twenty20 pedigree

Zimbabwe are relative novices in the format, having played just eight internationals in four years. They did not take part in the last World Twenty20 tournament in England, and will have to draw on the experience gained in their domestic Twenty20 competition and familiarity with West Indian conditions as they hope to spring a surprise. They will be buoyed by the fact that they are playing both of their group games at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, where they beat West Indies in the first match of their recent ODI series and pushed them in the second.

Strengths and weaknesses

Given the likelihood of a slow, low wicket, Zimbabwe’s game plan will revolve around their spin-bowling department. Ray Price took the new ball in several games on their tour of the West Indies in March, and may very well do so again in this tournament, while with Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Greg Lamb and Timycen Maruma in their stable, Zimbabwe have plenty of spin-bowling depth. Their batting line-up, on the other hand, is notoriously brittle and will no doubt struggle against their opponents’ experienced attacks.

Key men

Zimbabwean wickets tend to fall in heaps, and so while Hamilton Masakadza’s contributions at the top of the order will be important, quick runs from Elton Chigumbura at the tail end of the innings will be vital to paper over the cracks in the middle order. He was Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer in the West Indies in March, and, as the most experienced seamer in a spin-heavy attack, he also picked up six wickets at a touch over 24 in the series.

X-factor

Andy Blignaut has trod an unconventional path in his cricket career, but amid the controversies, disputes with the administration and a brief dabble in male modelling, there have been telling performances with bat and ball. Tailor-made for Twenty20 cricket, Blignaut announced his comeback with a match-winning unbeaten 63 against the Mountaineers in Zimbabwe’s domestic competition and could form an explosive pairing with the hard-hitting Chigumbura in the lower order.

Vital stats

Their fifties propelled Bangladesh to 191 for 2 after which Malaysia were kept to just 77 for 8

Hemant Brar24-Jul-2024Bangladesh qualified for the semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 after beating Malaysia by 114 runs in what turned out to be a complete mismatch.Batting first, Bangladesh posted 191 for 2, their second-highest total in T20Is. Murshida Khatun scored a career-best 80 off 59 balls and captain Nigar Sultana an unbeaten 62 off 37.In response, Malaysia could muster only 77 for 8. They ended their campaign without a win but one hopes they would be richer for the experience. To be competitive at this level, they need to improve in all three departments: batting, bowling and fielding.

Dilara, Murshida punish sloppy Malaysia

Malaysia captain Winifred Duraisingam opened the bowling and started with a wide. Dilara Akter mistimed the next ball towards mid-on but instead of going for the catch, the fielder was happy to stop the ball on the bounce. Those two deliveries were a harbinger of what was to come next. Against the left-right opening pair of Dilara and Murshida, the Malaysia bowlers erred on both sides of the wicket and lacked the backing of their fielders.Dilara Akter played an attacking innings at the top of the order•Asian Cricket Council

Still, Bangladesh could score only 25 in the first four overs. On the first ball of the fifth, Aina Najwa dropped Murshida when the batter was on 13 off 15 balls. Adding insult to injury, Dilara smashed the last three balls of the over for 6, 4 and 4. Murshida got into the act with a boundary off Ainna Hamizah Hashim in the next over as Bangladesh finished the powerplay on 51 for no loss.The 65-run opening stand, in 7.4 overs, finally came to an end when Dilara hit Mahirah Izzati Ismail towards square leg where Aisya Eleesa dived forward to take an excellent catch in a rare show of brilliance by a Malaysia fielder. Dilara made 33 off just 20 balls.

Murshida, Nigar fifties power Bangladesh

Murshida was on 28 off 26 balls at that point. But after Dilara fell, she picked up the pace. With back-to-back boundaries off Ismail, she moved to 53 off 45 balls – her second half-century in as many games. With a slog-swept six off Elsa Hunter in the 17th over, she took Bangladesh past 150.Murshida and Nigar added 89 off 56 balls for the second wicket before Murshida fell to Hunter with substitute fielder Dhanusri Muhunan taking a sharp catch at extra cover.Elsa Hunter was a cut above the rest for Malaysia•Asian Cricket Council

But Muhunan’s effort was an aberration. Malaysia dropped two more catches after that: in the penultimate over, Najwa put down Rumana Ahmed at square leg and in the 20th, Nur Aishah did the same for Nigar at deep midwicket. Nigar brought up her fifty, off 34 balls, immediately after that and wrapped up the innings with a six off the final ball.

Hunter the only bright spot for Malaysia

It was no surprise that Malaysia fell well short of their target. In the absence of Marufa Akter, who was rested, Jahanara Alam took the new ball for Bangladesh and struck straightaway. With her second delivery, she had Hashim edging behind to Dilara for a regulation catch.Nineteen-year-old Hunter was the only Malaysia batter who looked equipped to handle Bangladesh’s bowling. Technically as sound as anyone in world cricket, Hunter hit four boundaries in her 20 off 23 balls. But she fell in the sixth over, giving a return catch to left-arm spinner Nahida Akter while trying to work the ball on the leg side. Earlier, Hunter was also the best bowler for her side, picking up 1 for 27 from four overs with her offspin.Malaysia did not lose another wicket till the tenth over but the scoring rate remained around four. It dipped even further in the second half of the innings. Apart from Hunter, Ismail, with 15 off 25 balls, was the only one to reach the double digits.

Uncapped batters Lasith Croospulle and Sahan Arachchige have made the cut for the ODI and T20I series

Madushka Balasuriya17-Mar-2023Angelo Mathews returns to Sri Lanka’s white-ball set up after more than two years, while Kusal Perera is set to play for the first time in over a year. Both players were part of the ODI and T20I squads Sri Lanka Cricket have selected for the upcoming series in New Zealand.The squads also included uncapped batters Lasith Croospulle and Sahan Arachchige. Batter Nuwanidu Fernando is in line for a T20I debut, while seamer Matheesha Pathirana is looking for his maiden ODI cap.Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Ashen Bandara, Nuwan Thushara and Jeffrey Vandersay missed out from the squad that toured India in January.Mathews and Perera’s inclusions follow an abysmal ODI tour of India earlier this year, following which there were calls to pick more seniors in a World Cup year.Perera’s recall comes despite him not having played much following 16 months of recovery from a shoulder injury. Even though Sri Lanka might consider him as a potential option for the ODI World Cup in India in October and November, he is only part of the T20 squad at present to manage his workload.Mathews has not turned out for the white-ball sides since Sri Lanka toured the West Indies in March 2021. His most recent limited-overs experience came in two games for Sri Lanka A against England Lions in which he scored a fifty, and the Lanka Premier League, where he struck 201 runs at an average of 40.20 for the Colombo Stars. While he has improved his fitness over the past year, he is not seen as a consistently reliable seam-bowling option.

Who are the new faces?

Croospulle, who opens the batting, struck two centuries against England Lions, as well as a fifty in a List-A game against them.Arachchige also had an impressive outing against the Lions, scoring important cameos from the lower order while also picking up wickets with his offbreaks. Nuwanidu too impressed against Lions, striking two 50-plus scores, while he also recorded a fifty against India to round off a solid run of form that started with the LPL. Croospulle and Nuwanidu are part of the T20I squad, while Arachchige will play in the ODIs.Among most high-profile exclusion is that of Avishka, who had recently returned to the national setup for the India tour on the back of an impressive LPL, where he finished as the tournament’s top scorer. He also made 67 and 150 in the recent NSL 4-day tournament. However, a poor showing in India combined with sub-par outings against Lions – not to mention stiff competition for top-order places – means that the selectors were left with little choice but to omit him.Rajapaksa’s omission is less vexing, with the batter in recent months a shadow of the player that was voted Player of the Match in the 2022 Asia Cup final.

How the rest of the squads shape up

The rest of Sri Lanka’s squad looks relatively settled. Both sides will be captained by Dasun Shanaka, with the likes of Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Chamika Karunaratne making up a bulk of the batting in both white-ball teams.Karunaratne, who also bowls seam, is part of a pace unit that includes Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara, Pramod Madushan and Pathirana – all of whom have been named in both squads. Dushmantha Chameera had initially been earmarked to play, but the selectors are managing his game time due to his history of injury issues.”The bowler will not be able to tour, as he is still undergoing his structured return-to-play program, a part of his rehabilitation program, following his left ankle surgery,” SLC said. Madushan has taken his place in the T20I side, while Pathirana replaces him in the ODI squad.Thushara, though, might count himself a unlucky, having not played a game against India despite a solid LPL. Sri Lanka are spoilt for choice in the seam-bowling department, and in Pathirana they already have another slinger who offers a bit more pace.There are no surprises among the spinners with Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana joined by the young allrounder Dunith Wellalage. Vandersay misses out by virtue of Sri Lanka not needing an extra spin option in New Zealand.Sri Lanka will play three ODIs and three T20Is against New Zealand, with the ODI leg starting on March 25 in Auckland. The T20Is will begin on April 2.T20 squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Janith Perera, Lasith Croospulle, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nuwanidu Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Matheesha Pathirana, Pramod Madushan.ODI squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya De Silva, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Matheesha Pathirana.

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.

Three other teams – Royals, Kings XI and Knight Riders – have already reached Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2020With the IPL finally due to start from September 19, the Delhi Capitals side assembled in Mumbai on Thursday before the squad departs for the UAE. And, according to a PTI report, three other teams – Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders – have already reached Dubai as the T20 tournament continues to gather steam.The Capitals players arrived in batches, keeping in mind the safety protocols against Covid-19. Led by their captain Shreyas Iyer, the others who landed were Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.Despite being away from the game for more than five months, Rahane – who is a part of the Capitals for the first time – wanted to ensure the side was “very positive” after the time out.”There is no doubt that it will be a challenging trip for everyone involved,” he said. “But like everyone else, I’ve spent these last few months focusing on my physical and mental health, and taking care of my family. So the time I’ve managed to spend with them has put me in a positive frame of mind. However, this IPL will be a very different experience for all of us, and we need to make sure that we are all very positive when we hit the ground running. The key is to take one step at a time.”Young opening batsman Shaw, who hit 99 in a tied game against the Kolkata Knight Riders last season, was looking forward to gelling with his team-mates and utilising the training sessions available in the UAE.”We know people have a lot of expectations from us, but our focus will be on making the most of the training sessions we get in the UAE, and re-creating that fantastic team environment which made us so successful last year,” he said. “We also have the chance to gel with the new players and then set our sights on the IPL season.”The Kings XI, KKR and Royals players, who were already tested multiple times before departure, will now undergo a six-day isolation period with testing on day 1, 3 and 6. If they clear all the tests, they will be eligible to enter the tournament’s bio-bubble and start training.Subsequently, the players and support staff will be tested every fifth day of the tournament

Kolkata Knight Riders keep their IPL alive thanks to an all-round performance from their biggest match-winner

The Report by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-20192:47

Can just appreciate Russell’s contributions: de Kock

Dominant performances from opener Shubman Gill and No. 3 Andre Russell helped Kolkata Knight Riders halt their six-game losing streak in marvelous fashion against Mumbai Indians as they won their 100th IPL game.The duo combined 12 sixes and 12 fours to help Knight Riders post the season’s highest team score, with assistance from Chris Lynn’s 29-ball 54.Mumbai’s pace-bowling pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga went wicketless for 92 runs in eight overs, and even their most economical bowler, Krunal Pandya, conceded nine runs per over, as Knight Riders accelerated steadily to get 75 in their last five overs.Mumbai were pegged back early in their chase of 233 with the dismissals of Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma inside four overs. After the chase’s ninth over, they had already lost four wickets, and the required run-rate was 15.72.Hardik’s 17-ball fifty was the quickest of IPL 2019, but with no other batsman making a significant contribution, the required rate of 16 an over was too much. Mumbai succumbed to their first defeat to Knight Riders since May 2015. On most other days, Hardik’s 34-ball 91 would go down as a match-winning innings, but on this occasion, it only helped Mumbai avoid what could’ve been a massive defeat.3:53

Murali Kartik: It was a good decision to send Russell at No.3

Sublime Gill maximises chance at the topUntil Sunday’s game, six of Knight Riders’ losses came batting first. So when they were asked to bat first again by Rohit Sharma, history wasn’t on their side.But Gill opened the batting – for the second game in a row – and struck two fours and a six in a 14-run first over. With Chris Lynn playing tentatively for his first seven balls, Gill farmed the strike against Krunal and Malinga in the opening overs. When Krunal came back for his second over, Lynn found his range and struck two fours off him, and another off Bumrah in the fifth. By the end of the Powerplay he had struck 23 in a fifty-run stand with Gill.Gill then took the backseat, and the middle overs began with 39 runs between overs six and nine. In that period, Lynn struck four fours and two sixes to bring up his half-century in just 27 balls. With Lynn falling to Rahul Chahar’s legspin in the tenth over, Gill took over and brought up a half-century of his own – and the team’s hundred – in the 11th over.Russell walked in at No. 3 and Gill gave his partner some breathing space by continuing to find the occasional boundary. A six off Chahar in the 12th over took Gill to 58 off 35 deliveries and another one in the 14th helped them gain momentum after a quiet 13th. When Lasith Malinga came to bowl the 16th, he was welcomed by Gill with a drilled four past his left, and two balls later, a flick off his toes for four as he continued to grow in confidence.When he struck Hardik for a checked-loft, it seemed like the ball would soar over wide long-on for his fifth six of the innings. Instead, it found Evin Lewis running backwards to take a difficult catch. With the score at 158 for 2 and 28 balls to go in the innings, Gill walked back to a standing ovation.Russell walks the talkAfter publicising his desire to bat up the order, Russell came in around the tenth over and rode a bit of luck before switching dramatically to a near-chanceless knock. When still on 1, Russell had pulled towards deep square leg, but Lewis – slow to react – couldn’t wrap his fingers around the ball. After that, Russell provided no such opportunities.He teed off in the 14th over, drilling back-to-back sixes off Chahar to move from six off 12 deliveries to 18 off 14. After that, he combined with Gill to attack Mumbai’s bowlers from both ends. At Gill’s departure, Russell was only on 24.With eight wickets to go, though, Russell let his instincts take over. Mumbai’s pacers attempted to go either wide, or short and wide, and Russell played effortless ramp-cuts over point to win that battle. With No. 4 Dinesh Karthik also hitting two boundaries in his first four balls, Russell collected three sixes off Hardik’s 18th to move on to 49, and two balls later, ran across for his fourth half-century of the season with 10 deliveries to go in the innings.But the back-end is where a set Rusell poses the most danger. He struck a six and a four off Bumrah’s final over to take 15 runs off the 19th, and then dug into Malinga’s 20th over, hitting two sixes and two fours – including a drilled flat six over extra cover – to finish on an unbeaten 40-ball 80. The last-ball six took Knight Riders past the previous-highest season score of 231 by Sunrisers Hyderabad.Hardik gives Knight Riders a scareMumbai lost four wickets inside ten overs but Hardik wasn’t giving up. Walking in at No. 6, Hardik struck six sixes off his first 14 deliveries. He then struck his first four, a cut off Gurney, off his 15th delivery to reach 46, and two balls later reached his fifty with a six over square leg.From the other end, Pollard found the occasional boundary to keep Mumbai’s score ticking, but it was Hardik who was giving a glimmer of hope to the Mumbai fans. The partnership – at a run-rate of more than 13 – ended in the 14th over when Pollard was caught at square leg off Narine.With six overs to go, Mumbai needed a further 100 runs to win. Hardik and Krunal creamed 20 off Chawla’s 16th over to bring the equation to 73 off four overs, which came down to 59 off three when he took on Narine.But Hardik fell trying to flat-bat the last ball of the 18th. His 34-ball 91 – including nine sixes and six fours – was his highest T20 score. Mumbai added only 13 after his dismissal in a game where 29 sixes were hit – the sixth-most in an IPL match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost 9 for 75, before the last-wicket pair of Hooda and Stanlake held their nerve to keep Mumbai Indians winless

The Report by Shashank Kishore12-Apr-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:00

Did Ben Cutting pick the right ball to bowl?

Mumbai Indians wove magic yet again at the venue of their unprecedented third IPL triumph to come back from the dead, but were still pipped at the finish line by Deepak Hooda, the man whom Sunrisers Hyderabad doled out INR 3.6 crore (USD 562,000 approx) for at the auction.His unbeaten 32 included a sensational final-over six off a wide yorker off Ben Cutting that reduced the equation to five off five balls. A wide and three singles reduced it to one needed off the final delivery. Billy Stanlake, the No. 11, nervously examined the closed-in field, contemplated his options and then hoicked the slower delivery to the midwicket fence to script a one-wicket win and send a strong crowd of 30,000 into delirium.Dhawan wicket triggers collapse A slap to the extra-cover boundary off his first delivery set the tone for yet another dominating knock. Without scoreboard pressure early in the chase, Shikhar Dhawan simply trusted his instincts and hit everything through the line to bludgeon his way towards a second successive half-century. The first one, against Rajasthan Royals, came off 33 deliveries. He was set to shade that by muscling his way to 45 off 27 balls, before falling off his 28th when he top-edged a sweep to Jasprit Bumrah at fine leg. This triggered a sensational collapse.Markande and Mustafizur take it down to the wireAt 20, Mayank Markande’s confidence to execute his variations has been impressive. He foxed Wriddhiman Saha with a shortish googly that beat the inside edge to hit the pad, with an lbw appeal given out on review. Dhawan holed out to fine leg and Manish Pandey’s ugly hoick resulted in a leading edge taken by Rohit at short mid-off. There were nerves in the Sunrisers camp now, and Shakib had them biting off their fingernails when he chopped on. They had sensationally slipped from 73 for 1 to 107 for 5.This was still very much Sunrisers’ game, but there were more twists to come. Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda brought them to within 12 runs of victory, before Bumrah delivered two vital strikes. Yusuf mistimed a skiddy bouncer to Kieron Pollard at midwicket and Rashid Khan was snuffed out by a full delivery that took the edge to the keeper.Mustafizur Rahman then delivered a stellar penultimate over, taking two wickets and conceding just one to leave Hooda a herculean task. Mustafizur’s modus operandi was simple: varying his length to cutters. Sandeep Sharma’s attempted scoop resulted in a catch to short fine, while Siddarth Kaul chipped one back as Mustafizur held on to a superb reflex-action catch. Now, with 11 needed off one over, Hooda exhibited tremendous calm to see the game through.Sunrisers’ awesome bowling line-upIn Sandeep, Sunrisers had Bhuvneshwar’s like-for-like replacement. Handed a debut for Sunrisers after being picked up for INR 3 crore (USD 468,000 approx) at the auction, he didn’t let them down.In his very first over, he got the ball to dart back in and then straighten to beat Rohit. This would be a recurring theme for the evening as he troubled the batsmen with his zip off the pitch. His reward were the wickets of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav, the lone batsman to show any sort of fight for Mumbai in the middle overs, and Pradeep Sangwan, at the death.In Kaul, Sandeep’s state-mate at Punjab, Sunrisers have an equally effective bowler. He may not set the speed guns crackling, but is capable of hurrying the batsmen with his skid. His knuckleball to dismiss a dangerous-looking Evin Lewis, who had smashed three fours and two sixes in his 17-ball 29 as an opener, set the tone for Sunrisers’ domination. The pair finished with combined figures of 4 for 54 between them off eight overs.Rashid Khan’s chokeIf the seamers were not stifling enough, Mumbai Indians were slowly choked by Rashid Khan, who bowled 18 dot balls, the most by a spinner in the IPL, to finish with figures of 4-0-13-1. This meant Mumbai were devoid of any sort of momentum through the innings, with the highest partnership being the 38-run stand for the sixth wicket between Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav.Rashid, as usual, varied his googlies and fast legbreaks with subtle changes in length on a surface where there was true bounce to keep Mumbai quiet. Losing a wicket every time they looked for a release resulted in the batsmen having to buckle down and delay their slog. This played right into Rashid’s hands. When it got to a stage where the batsmen had no choice but to slog, Rashid got his only wicket of the night as a charging Ben Cutting misread a googly and was bowled in the 18th over.Too many shots hurt MumbaiSure the format demands belligerence, but Mumbai hovered between uber-aggressive and reckless. Ishan Kishan’s dismissal, slicing an attempted heave to third man in the sixth over, demonstrated this. In the very first over, Rohit too was guilty of trying to slog the ball, but was lucky to be reprieved by Hooda, who put down a catch running backwards from midwicket. Fortunately, this didn’t cost Hyderabad much as he eventually failed to keep a flick down and was caught at square leg by Shakib Al Hasan.Krunal Pandya, promoted to No. 5, chipped a simple catch to cover while Pollard set himself up for the end overs but ended up checking his shot to be caught at deep cover for a 23-ball 28 with 5.1 overs to play. Mumbai were 110 for 5 then, possibly looking at 160. That wasn’t to be. With their bowling attack, 147 may have still been enough on another night.

Even as the ICC meetings proceed in Dubai, there remains doubt over who will represent the Indian board at the Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) meeting and the ICC Board meeting given the administrative flux at the BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Feb-2017Almost exactly a year ago – on February 19, 2016 – the BCCI held a special general body meeting (SGM) in Mumbai. The meeting was chaired by then BCCI president Shashank Manohar and in attendance were board secretary Anurag Thakur, former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar, and other senior BCCI and state association offiicials. The most important point on the agenda was the amount of revenue the BCCI would earn from the ICC’s commercial and broadcast rights deal for the 2015-2023 cycle.In the Big Three model, the BCCI was set to earn about $571.25 million if the ICC secured a rights deal worth $2.5 billion. The BCCI, Cricket Australia and ECB, constructors of this model, worked out the BCCI’s share to be 20.3%, the highest of all members, in recognition of the BCCI’s financial clout. The ECB and CA would also be due a bigger share than the others.Manohar, who took over as BCCI president in November 2015, also replaced N Srinivasan as ICC chairman (the BCCI representative would be ICC chairman for the first two years under the Big-Three governance structure revamp). And almost his first pronouncement as ICC chief was to criticise the Big-Three model, especially the financial inequality of its revenue distribution. He was said to have spoken of a 6% cut in the BCCI’s share, according to a Bangladesh cricket official.With Manohar as the chair, the ICC set up a five-man working group to review the Big-Three governance structure and recommend a new model after consultation with all Full Members and the major Associates.According to an official who was present at that SGM last February, the BCCI members agreed that the percentage of the BCCI’s share could be scaled down to 16-17%. Manohar and Thakur were authorised by the BCCI to negotiate this at ICC meetings. “But it was clearly decided that they would report back to the BCCI before any final decision was taken,” the official said.A year on, with the ICC’s working group’s report ready and containing recommendations for a new financial model and governance structures, leave alone the final decision – the BCCI currently does not even know who exactly will represent it at the important Finance & Commercial Affairs (F&CA) meeting on Friday and the ICC Board meeting on Saturday.On Monday, the Supreme Court of India had appointed a four-member committee of administrators to run the BCCI till fresh elections can take place, having already removed Thakur as BCCI president and Ajay Shirke as the board secretary on January 2.On the same day the court also approved two BCCI office bearers, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhury to accompany Vikram Limaye, who sits on the court-appointed committee of adminstrators, to attend the ICC meetings, which began in Dubai today.On Tuesday, however, confusion began as the committee of administrators, in its first meeting, tasked Rahul Johri, the board CEO, with attending the ICC’s Chief Executive Committee’s (CEC) meeting and Limaye to do likewise at the F&CA and Board meetings. This was communicated by the BCCI to the ICC.The following day, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association – Srinivasan’s home base – went to court to intervene against the choice of representatives made by the committee of administrators. The court said the three men it had approved to travel to Dubai on Monday enjoyed “equal status” and should travel to Dubai.On Thursday, as the two-day CEC meetings began, Choudhury attended as the BCCI representative. Johri travelled to Dubai, but it is understood he was not in the meeting, as only one person can represent a member board.There is no clarity yet on who will represent the BCCI at the F&CA and Board meetings. The ICC constitution states that a Full Member may send one representative, not three. But an observer from the member board is allowed to sit in on the meeting, although he can have no say in the meeting itself. Ultimately, how many attend from the BCCI will be decided by senior ICC management, including Manohar.The committee of administrators believes Limaye will attend and that if the ICC insists on just one or at best, two, out of the court-approved three, then Limaye will have the authority to decide on who attends the meetings.Despite having been forced out of office in 2015 as BCCI president and then as TNCA president, Srinivasan continues to cast a shadow over the BCCI. On Tuesday, it has emerged, Choudhury forwarded the minutes of the first meeting of committee of administrators to him.That meeting was attended by Vinod Rai (chairman) along with Limaye and former India women’s captain Diana Edulji. Johri and Chaudhry were present and briefed the panel on various matters including the ICC meetings.Chaudhry sent the minutes to Choudhury, who then forwarded them to the TNCA treasurer. It is understood both the Lodha Committee and the committee of administrators are aware of this. Srinivasan, through his supporters within the BCCI, has been an objector to Manohar’s Big-Three rollback measures. Chaudhry is said to be the solitary voice who opposed Manohar during last February’s SGM, arguing that the BCCI would suffer a massive loss from a repeal of the Big-Three model.Regardless of who participates in the F&CA and Board meetings, the committee of administrators has made it clear no decision can be taken by the representative(s). “It is an unusual situation and we are waiting to hear back from ICC how many can attend,” one of the committee of administrators told ESPNcricinfo. He would only say that the main aim of the representative(s) will be to “appropriately” deal with the matters.

The BCCI has deferred a decision on possible sanctions on offspinner Ajit Chandila and Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah

Arun Venugopal24-Dec-2015The BCCI has deferred a decision on possible sanctions on offspinner Ajit Chandila and Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah until January 5.

BCCI issues notice to umpire Rauf

The BCCI’s disciplinary committee has issued a notice to former Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf, asking him to respond to the charges leveled against him in the IPL spot-fixing case.
Rauf’s name had been included in the chargesheet as a “wanted accused”, after he had left India during the IPL even as the Mumbai Police wanted to question him in person.
Rauf, though, has always maintained his innocence, calling for proof regarding the allegations of corruption against him.

Chandila was found guilty of alleged spot-fixing charges, along with fellow Rajasthan Royals bowlers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Amit Singh, by a BCCI probe in September 2013. Hiken, on the other hand, was suspended by the board in July with immediate effect after he was found guilty of making an illegal approach to a player ahead of IPL 2015.Chandila, along with Chavan and Sreesanth, were also charged by the Delhi Police under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, but were subsequently discharged by a trial court in July. In November, the Delhi High Court served notices to the trio after the Delhi Police challenged the trial court’s ruling.After the disciplinary committee meeting in Mumbai, Chandila said he was questioned by the members of the committee – BCCI president Shashank Manohar, Niranjan Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia (on video conference) and the board’s Anti-Corruption Unit head Ravi Sawani.”The acquittal by the trial court was a big turning point for me,” Chandila said. “The questions were the same as the ones Delhi Police asked me. This is a new committee and I had to give them answers. I gave them the same answers I gave the court.”I have been waiting to be heard by the new committee. I have full faith in the new BCCI committee and God that justice will be done to me. I’m confident this committee will give me a fair trial. I have answered all their questions. Let’s see what happens next.”While bans were imposed on Sreesanth, Chavan and Amit, Chandila’s case remained pending as Sawani did not have the opportunity to question him before the submission of his report.There was a further delay as after Sawani eventually questioned Chandila in October 2013, the latter sought additional time to respond to charges leveled against him. Chandila was eventually given time until March 12, 2014.While the BCCI did not name the first-class cricketer who was approached, it is learnt that Hiken approached a Mumbai team-mate ahead of IPL 2015. The anti-corruption unit inquiry found that Hiken had made an “exploratory approach”Hiken’s lawyer Som Sinha told ESPNcricinfo their next course of action would depend on when Hiken is heard next. “We have to follow the procedure. Once the procedure is over we will see. They have given him some papers. I’ll be meeting him tomorrow