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Mumbai are in the title-clash for the first time while Himachal would look to extend their good, recent form in the domestic circuit

Shashank Kishore04-Nov-2022

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December 21, 2021 was a landmark day for Himachal Pradesh cricket. They won their first domestic title that day, upstaging star-studded Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.On Saturday, they will have an opportunity to add another chapter to what has been a magical year. At stake is the opportunity to be crowned T20 champions when they take on Mumbai in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.It was only two seasons ago that Mumbai hit the nadir in T20 cricket, finishing last in their group. It sparked a revamp of sorts, with the team bouncing back to win the 50-over competition that followed. Red-ball success took a while, but they began playing like the Mumbai of old when they made the Ranji Trophy final earlier this year.Related

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From the depths of 2020-21 to now, there’s been a massive change in their approach, amid calls for sweeping changes to their selection policies and cricket structure. Some credit should be given to Amol Muzumdar, their former captain, who has transformed a team from the ruins to one that is fighting to be the formidable force they once were.Mumbai’s batting line-up is among the most intimidating going around. Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan are determined to break selection doors down, Shreyas Iyer is hungry to prove he’s no T20 pushover, especially after being ignored for the T20 World Cup, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is fast climbing up the ladders to be among the next-in-line openers.Ajinkya Rahane, the captain, has been told in no uncertain terms he needs to score more runs in domestic cricket to be considered for India again. In that sense, every member of the batting line up has something at stake as far as their future is concerned. Saturday is a great opportunity for them to come together for one massive show of strength to help Mumbai clinch their maiden T20 crown.Himachal Pradesh will be riding on the momentum they’ve built superbly during the course of the season. From having two of their matches washed out to progressing despite knowing every game is a must-win is commendable. Theirs is a team of seasoned campaigners who have slowly built on their experience of playing together as a group for a while now.Prashant Chopra and Ankush Bains are nearly decade-old veterans, as is captain Rishi Dhawan, who continues to pick wickets and score runs season after season. That the next gen is closely being followed by IPL scouts is validation of the talent coming through.Among them are Vaibhav Arora, whose most recent IPL stint was with Punjab Kings after being picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders last year, and has bristling pace. Pankaj Jaswal was scouted by Mumbai Indians as an X-factor player who they believe can be honed to play the role Hardik Pandya did for many years.Their recent success is also a byproduct of improved infrastructure in the hilly state. From having one main ground – the HPCA Stadium in 2013 – they now have 50 turf wickets across eight centres in the state. It’s no coincidence that Himachal have continued to develop across men’s and women’s cricket because of this. The emergence of Renuka Singh as one of India Women’s frontline seamers is as much because of this as fast bowler Arora’s is.On Saturday, the accrual of all these gains could yet be on display when they play a seemingly strong Mumbai. Himachal are the underdogs without an inkling of doubt, but they’re unlikely to be perturbed by tags given to them. After all, many years ago, there weren’t many who would have even given them a chance to get this far to be a rising force in Indian domestic cricket.It’s all set up then for a fascinating contest.

Form guide

Mumbai WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Himachal Pradesh WWWWW

In the spotlight

Prithvi Shaw is the season’s second-highest run-scorer going into the final•PTI

Prithvi Shaw is second on the tournament’s run charts, behind Delhi’s Yash Dhull, but 189 of his 321 runs have come in two innings, against relatively modest attacks (Mizoram and Assam) early in the tournament. Normally reticent, he has been vocal about his disappointment of missing the India bus and the work he’s done in terms of his fitness to warrant selection. After a brief lull, he showed signs of form during the course of a blistering 21-ball 32 that set up Mumbai’s chase in the semi-final against Vidarbha. A big knock in the final in front of the national selectors won’t be a bad way to send out a message.Among the most prolific allrounders in Indian domestic cricket, Rishi Dhawan has gone wicketless in just one of the six games Himachal have played. His 11 wickets have come at an average of 13.72 and economy of 7.19. He bowls in the early 130s, but accuracy and control over his variations, especially a potent cutter, are his USP. All these elements were a key part of his 3 for 25 that derailed Punjab in the semi-final. Can he bowl Himachal to a second title win in a short span?

Team news

With such a short turnaround time, it’s unlikely both teams will make too many tweaks to their winning combination.Himachal (probable XI): 1 Prashant Chopra, 2 Ankush Bains (wk), 3 Abhimanyu Rana, 4 Sumeet Verma, 5 Akash Vasisht, 6 Nikhil Gangta, 7 Pankaj Jaswal, 8 Rishi Dhawan (capt), 9 Ekant Sen, 10 Mayank Dagar, 11 Vaibhav AroraMumbai (probable XI): 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Sarfaraz Khan (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Shams Mulani, 8 Tanush Kotian, 9 Tushar Deshpande, 10 Aman Hakim Khan, 11 Mohit Awasthi

Pitch and conditions

It’s the onset of winter in the far east, where the light dips sharply by 4.30pm. And so much of the game will be played under lights. That means dew will certainly play a part at some stage, impacting at least the team defending a score in the second half of the innings. This makes the toss all the more vital. Purely from a batting perspective, the surfaces have been full of runs. So, expect it to be a high-scoring contest.

Stats and trivia

• Among those who have made at least 300 runs in a single edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Prithvi Shaw’s strike rate of 183.42 in this edition is the second highest. Rishabh Pant struck at 195.71 in 2017-18.
• Himachal Pradesh have won all six completed matches they’ve played so far in the tournament (two of their games were abandoned). If they win the final, they’ll be only the fifth team after Bengal (2010-11), Uttar Pradesh (2015-16), Karnataka (2018-19) and Tamil Nadu (2020-21) to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy without dropping a single game.

Two late wickets allowed South Africa to claw back but they still face the prospect of conceding a significant lead

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2022Stumps Australia have almost edged ahead in the first Test against South Africa after a 15-wicket opening day at the Gabba. On a green pitch, South Africa were bowled out for under 200 in a fifth successive Test, in two sessions. Only two batters scored more than ten runs and there was only one partnership worth more than 15. In response, Australia were shaky at 27 for 3 before a 117-run fourth-wicket stand between Steven Smith and Travis Head put them within sight of the lead. Two late wickets allowed South Africa to claw back but they still face the prospect of conceding a significant lead.The end-of-day scoreboard was a more accurate reflection of the difference between the two sides than the current World Test Championship table. While Australia’s performance, especially in the field, underlined their authority at the top of the table, South Africa’s batting belied their second place and revealed a familiar set of concerns in their line-up. Only Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma have previous Test experience in Australia and neither has scored a century in this cycle of the WTC. Two others, Sarel Erwee and Kyle Verreynne, have hundreds in this edition of the WTC but the overall lack of confidence and application is glaring even against an Australia attack that was not at its best.Australia’s opening bowlers were wayward upfront, often bowling too short and unable to maintain a consistent line, but they still got rewards. Mitchell Starc strangled Elgar down the leg side with a 140kph rib-high delivery before Pat Cummins forced Rassie van der Dussen to play a delivery in the channel and got him to nick off.Scott Boland’s double-strike rocked the South Africa top order•Getty Images

But it was Scott Boland, who really rocked South Africa. He had Erwee caught low down by Cameron Green in the gully and in the same over had Khaya Zondo lbw to a delivery that hit him on the back pad. Zondo reviewed but was out on umpire’s call. South Africa were reduced to 27 for 4 with the last of the specialist batters at the crease.All eyes turned to Bavuma, who has not batted in a competitive game since the T20 World Cup, and Verreynne. The two were frenetic at first and offered two run-out chances but ended up being the ones who lent the innings some respectability. Their 98-run stand was built on Verreynne’s aggression against the short ball and Bavuma’s patience. But that ended when Starc returned for a third spell and Bavuma inside-edged a delivery that moved off the seam on to his stumps. Verreynne had brought up his fifty by then but no-one in the lower order hung around long enough to support him.South Africa went on to lose five wickets for 20 runs in 52 balls, including three to Nathan Lyon. He removed Marco Jansen, who stepped out to hit him over long-on but top-edged to a running Green, Verreynne, who played for turn and edged a straight one behind, and Anrich Nortje, who was done for bounce and lobbed the ball to silly mid-off. In between, Starc picked up his 299th Test wicket when he set Keshav Maharaj up with a bouncer and then had him caught at slip off a full ball.Kagiso Rabada goes up in celebration after dismissing David Warner•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

As has so often been the case in the last two years, South Africa’s bowlers kept them in the contest with statement opening spells. Kagiso Rabada started with a snorter of a short ball to David Warner, who jumped to ride the bounce and was caught one-handed by a leaping Zondo at short leg. Lungi Ngidi struggled for rhythm but Jansen also struck with his first ball and had Marnus Labuschagne stuck in the crease and caught at second slip. In the next over, Nortje’s first, Usman Khawaja was caught on the back foot and edged to Simon Harmer, substituting at third slip.Australia were exactly where South Africa had been and could have sunk into a similar collapse when Nortje thought he had Head for two. He nicked a back-of-a-length ball to second slip, where Elgar was unsure he had picked it up cleanly. A soft signal of not out was confirmed by the third umpire’s office, where replays showed the ball bounced before reaching Elgar.The momentum shifted from that point as Head returned to his natural fast-scoring game and raced to a 48-ball fifty. He was particularly severe on Ngidi and took 14 runs off his fifth over, including a flick over deep square that went for six and brought up his half-century. Smith was more circumspect and regularly practiced his stance at both ends but provided steady support before he was bowled by Nortje with less than five minutes to the close.Boland was sent in as nightwatcher and lasted only four deliveries before he edged Rabada to Verreynne, and the late incisions kept the tension in the contest at the end of a highly entertaining day. A record 29,306 people were at the Gabba, the biggest first-day crowd for a non-Ashes Test at the venue.

Steve Wedderburn and Raneico Smith star in West Indies’ last-over win over Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2024Musheer Khan smashed his second century in three innings and followed it up with figures of 2 for 10 off his 3.1 overs as India registered a thumping 214-run win over New Zealand in the first game of the Super Sixes round of the U-19 World Cup. This was India’s third successive 200-plus run win in the tournament, one which took them a step closer to booking a semi-final spot.Sent in to bat, India, led by Musheer’s 126-ball 131 and Adarsh Singh’s 52, piled up 295 for 8 in their 50 overs. New Zealand were then blown away by Raj Limbani and left-arm spinner Saumy Pandey, who finished with 4 for 19 off his ten overs to bundle them out for 81 in Bloemfontein. This was New Zealand’s third-lowest score in the history of the U-19 World Cup.New Zealand made three changes, leaving out their highest wicket-taker Matt Rowe. Arshin Kulkarni, on the back of a century in the last game, got going with a flick through square leg, but failed to carry on. He rushed down the track to a back-of-a-length Mason Clarke delivery that he looked to flay away but could only manage a top edge that flew to deep third.Musheer, coming in on the back of 118 and 73 in the previous two games, immediately got going. He started with a ramp off Clarke over the keeper’s head before unfurling a cracking cover drive to quickly move to double figures. Adarsh, meanwhile launched a couple of sparkling drives.With the conditions ripe for batting, they rotated the strike at every given interval and found the boundaries regularly. India, whose powerplay scores so far this tournament have been 45 for 2, 38 for 1 and 40 for 0, raced to 61 for 1 against New Zealand. New Zealand’s ground fielding was also not up to mark at least in the first ten overs.Even after the powerplay, New Zealand continued to leak runs with Adarsh taking Oscar Jackson for two fours in an over before reaching his second fifty of the tournament off 56 balls with a clip through square leg for three. The left-hander, however, fell soon after almost against the run of play slicing legspinner Zac Cumming to point to end a run-a-ball 77-run partnership.Saumy Pandey registered figures of 4 for 19•ICC/Getty Images

Captain Uday Saharan then walked in but failed to get the same momentum going, as the surface started taking some turn. New Zealand employed spin for 25 overs straight and Snehith Reddy, Cumming (1-37) and Oliver Tewatiya (1-43) shone through. Even as Musheer kept the innings chugging along, Saharan struggled.The Indian captain could only manage 34 off 57 balls but that did not deter Musheer, who kept going. The 18-year-old raced through the 90s with a reverse sweep and reached his century with a single to deep midwicket. With the hundred, Musheer also became just the second Indian with multiple centuries in a single edition of the U-19 World Cup after Shikhar Dhawan in 2004.Musheer was dropped at deep square leg soon after breaching the three-figure mark, but New Zealand managed to restrict India to an extent with Clarke doing the damage finishing with 4 for 62. Musheer fell in the 48th over getting a top edge that was taken at extra cover. India did score 89 runs in the last ten overs but lost five wickets in the process.If there was any momentum that New Zealand took into their second innings, they lost all of it in Limbani’s first over. In what was a spell of inswinging brilliance, he breached opener Tom Jones’ defences first ball with a nip-backer that left his stumps in a mess. Reddy then shouldered arms first ball and was struck in front, but the umpire adjudged the ball to be going over the stumps. He, however, didn’t last long playing all around a length ball that tailed back in sharply as New Zealand were reduced to 0 for 2 after the first over. That became 13 for 3 when Lachlan Stackpole was cleaned up by Pandey’s arm ball.It was a procession thereon with none of the New Zealand batters picking any of the bowlers. James Nelson was caught lbw by Pandey for 10 while Naman Tiwari took out Tewatiya. Jackson and Cumming resisted for 40 balls before Musheer took out Jackson with a yorker while Pandey added two more wickets to his tally.It was fitting that Musheer ended the game, taking out Ewald Schreuder, as New Zealand were taken down comprehensively.

All-round Ahmad extends Pakistan’s unbeaten run

Ahmad Hassan scored an unbeaten 57 in a tricky chase•ICC/Getty Images

Ahmad Hassan’s all-round performance extended Pakistan’s unbeaten run in the Under-19 World Cup as they beat Ireland by three wickets at the JB Marks Oval.After Pakistan elected to bowl, Ahmad chipped in with 2 for 37 from his eight overs to help bundle out Ireland for a mere 181. But it wasn’t a smooth chase, and Pakistan lost half their side with just 96 runs on the board. Ahmad, though, stayed firm and took his side over the line with an unbeaten 57.Earlier, Ubaid Shah, Naseem Shah’s younger brother, started the damage with his searing pace, leaving Ireland at 7 for 1 in the sixth over. Ahmad, Amir Hassan and Ali Raza made regular strikes after that to make it 39 for 5 in the 19th over. It soon became 63 for 6 before John McNally and Harry Dyer added 65 off 82 balls for the seventh innings. McNally brought up his half-century but despite the resistance from the lower order, Ireland were all out in the 49th over.Pakistan didn’t have a great start either and lost their openers inside the first six overs. Dyer, who had earlier scored an important 31, took care of the middle order, picking up 4 for 31 with his offspin.But Ahmad was unperturbed. Along with Haroon Arshad, he revived the chase by adding 63 off 75 for the sixth wicket. By the time Ireland got rid of Arshad, Pakistan were just 23 away from the target. They lost another wicket after three runs, but Ahmad was a calming presence in the middle. He reached his half-century in 68 balls and then scored the winning run with 6.2 overs to spare.

West Indies trump Sri Lanka in last-over finish

Steve Wedderburn hit three sixes in his 61•ICC/Getty Images

In a thrilling finish in Kimberley, West Indies came out on top as they beat Sri Lanka by three wickets with just three balls to spare.After being sent in, Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals. It started with Nathan Edward dismissing Vishen Halambage in the first over of the game, and having Sineth Jayawardena a little later.Dinura Kalupahana occupied one end and stitched useful partnerships with Supun Waduge and Sharujan Shanmuganathan, but at 136 for 6, Sri Lanka were in danger of being all out under 200.Kalupahana and Malsha Tharupathi ensured that didn’t happen by adding 51 off just 38 balls. Kalupahana lent the stability with his 53 off 83 and Tharupathi provided the impetus by scoring 42 off 38. For West Indies, seamer Raneico Smith was the most successful bowler with figures of 4 for 47.Captain Stephan Pascal and Steve Wedderburn gave West Indies a breezy start of 48 in 8.1 overs before Kalupahana dismissed Pascal. Wedderburn carried on and struck 61 off 71 deliveries, which included five fours and three sixes.West Indies seemed to be cruising at 147 for 2 but Sri Lanka fought back. They picked up four wickets in the next 37 runs. From the last 54 balls, West Indies needed 47 and had two new batters at the crease.But Nathan Sealy first added 22 off 27 with Jewel Andrew and then an unbeaten 26 off as many balls with Tarrique Edward to ensure West Indies didn’t squander their winning position.

Club chairman signals intention to convert ownership model from members club

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2024Colin Graves has given the strongest indication yet that Yorkshire’s traditional member-owned status is no longer viable given their dire financial situation, saying that a process of demutualisation – the conversion of the club to a private structure model, thereby unlocking the potential for outside investment – “appears at this point essential for the club’s future”.Graves, who was re-elected as Yorkshire’s chairman for a second stint in February, helped to save the club from bankruptcy during his original tenure in 2002. As a consequence of that intervention, his family trust – which is managed by independent trustees – is still owed approximately £15 million, or almost three-quarters of the £20million of “long-term borrowing” that he claims is required to keep the club afloat.Now, in a letter circulated to members on Monday, Graves has warned that Yorkshire will be “fighting for its survival” during 2024 unless they take “swift and decisive action”.Related

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According to their latest financial results, the club recorded a trading loss of £2.7 million in 2023, including £1.9 million of “exceptional” expenses, most of which relate to the legal costs and settlements incurred during the racism scandal that had previously caused a raft of high-profile sponsors to sever ties with the club.The picture is all the more concerning for Yorkshire given that they hosted a lucrative Ashes Test in 2023. Their recent accumulated losses now stand at more than £9 million, and that picture is likely to worsen this year given that Headingley has no men’s Test scheduled for 2024, nor in 2027 or 2028, which Graves warned in his letter would amount to “double fallow” years.Despite stating in the run-up to his election as chairman that he had no plans to demutualise the club, Graves subsequently warned that “nothing can be ruled out in the future”.The prospect of private investment within English cricket is already on the table via the ECB’s discussions over the future of the Hundred. Headingley is the host venue for Northern Superchargers, and stands to be awarded a 51% equity share in the team, while Graves’ consortium at Yorkshire includes a number of the tournament’s original architects, including Sanjay Patel, the former tournament director.”As discussed at our AGM in April, the club’s current status as a mutual society continues to prove a blocker to attracting private financing,” Graves wrote in his letter. “A demutualisation – thereby converting the club to a private structure, which unlocks potential private investment – appears at this point essential for the club’s future.”My firm intention is that members’ current rights are protected and that a demutualisation would represent no change to their current interaction with YCCC,” he added. “The club would be better structured to be self-sustaining, still in existence, and to capture maximum value for YCCC from any processes such as the Hundred.”Any move to demutualise the county – a process which has already been undertaken at Hampshire, Northamptonshire and Durham – would need the involvement of at least 50% of Yorkshire’s 6,000 members with voting rights, and a 75% majority therein.

Rohit is now averaging 10.43 across 16 innings in first-class cricket in the 2024-25 season

S Sudarshanan23-Jan-2025Rohit Sharma’s return to the Ranji Trophy was a short-lived one – he lasted 19 balls and scored just three in Mumbai’s Group A fixture against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sharad Pawar Academy in BKC in Mumbai.Rohit, India’s Test and ODI captain who has been going through a terrible run of form, was the focus of a lot of attention in the lead-up to the game as soon as he confirmed his presence in the game with a nod and “I will” at the Champions Trophy squad announcement press conference last week. With a white floppy hat and sunglasses on, Rohit was relaxed before the game, joking with his team-mates as they warmed up with some head volleyball.But he wore a determined look as he walked out to open with his regular India opening partner in Tests, Yashasvi Jaiswal, after Mumbai’s captain Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat. To accommodate Rohit and Jaiswal at the top, Mumbai had to leave out Ayush Mhatre, who, in his debut season, has been one of Mumbai’s star performers: 408 runs from nine innings at an average of 45.33 with two centuries.It was a cool winter morning in Mumbai, a relief after a week that saw temperatures touch the mid-30s. And J&K’s opening bowlers made sure to make use of the early-morning nip.Related

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Auqib Nabi conceded a four early in the opening over but then tightened his lines; Rohit got off the mark with a single through the on side. But he was given a proper work over by Umar Nazir Mir, who bowled two successive maidens to him. Nazir maintained a consistent line outside off and varied his lengths a touch, not allowing Rohit to get going.Rohit managed to drive a Nabi delivery through the covers for a couple in the next over but once again was kept quiet by Nazir, who got his reward on his 17th ball. He bowled a length delivery on the fifth stump, with a hint of movement away from the right-hand batter. Rohit looked to play his trademark pick-up shot over midwicket but only managed to get a leading edge to the off side. Paras Dogra ran a few yards to his left from mid-off to extra cover, called loud and clear, and pouched it to end Rohit’s stay in the middle.The short stay in the middle meant that Rohit’s lean run in red-ball cricket continued. Across five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home last year, he had just one half-century to show – against New Zealand in Bengaluru – with four single-digit scores across ten innings. He also had just one double-digit score in five innings in Australia, where he played in three of the five Test matches. He finished the 2024-25 Test season with a batting average of 10.93.Rohit’s first-class batting average of 10.43 across 16 innings in the 2024-25 season is the second-lowest for any batter since 2006 (for a minimum of 15 innings while batting in the top six). England’s Haseeb Hameed averaged 9.44 across 18 innings in the 2018 season.Before Rohit, Jaiswal fell. Nabi managed to get his line right against the left-hand batter, getting a couple of balls to move away. One of those narrowly missed the outside edge of Jaiswal’s bat – a muted appeal was given not out. On the next ball – the third ball of the third over – Nabi got a length ball to jag back viciously; Jaiswal was caught off-guard, and was beaten on the inside edge and hit on the back leg right in front of middle and leg. He was quite deep in the crease and the umpire took little time in raising the finger. Jaiswal, who was one of India’s most successful batters at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, dragged himself off with 4 against his name.After the close of play Nazir, who took 4 for 41, said Rohit’s wicket was a “prized” one. “A good ball is a good ball against any player, you don’t look at the stature of the player. But Rohit Sharma’s wicket is a big one, I am happy. When you dismiss an international player, it is always a prized wicket. There was some help from the surface, I tried to bowl in right areas. Rohit Sharma is a big name and his wicket was important for us and for me, personally, as well.”Nazir was part of J&K’s line-up when they defeated Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in 2014. He had picked up four wickets in the second innings, which was why he was unfazed by having to bowl at such high-profile batters.”I slept off at 10pm last night and woke up around 7am and was quite relaxed,” Nazir said. “I tried to bowl fuller lengths because of the bounce on the surface. [When Rohit was dismissed] the first thought in my mind… I did not celebrate because I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma. If we manage to win this game, it would be a proud moment for me, and the team, because India’s captain is playing in the opposition.”

Eoin Morgan conceded they made a “few mistakes” with the bat early on

Deivarayan Muthu16-Oct-20201:44

What’s ailing Andre Russell the batsman?

Mumbai Indians have traditionally been slow starters in the IPL, but they’ve hit the ground running this season in the UAE, winning six of their first eight matches so far to lead the points table. Their captain Rohit Sharma, though, has warned the defending champions against complacency and wants them to maintain their “ruthless” approach.”I think it’s important for us to make sure that we stay on the money,” Sharma told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “We can’t get complacent and we know that this tournament can get funny. We’ve already seen games – how the teams have lost – so we can’t take the foot off the pedal at any given point. We have to keep making sure that we’re ruthless on the field and yes the guys are hungry. They’ve not played cricket for six months and they want to come out here and express themselves.”After the Kolkata Knight Riders chose to bat, Mumbai’s bowlers executed their best-laid plans to perfection. A fit-again Nathan Coulter-Nile, who had come in for James Pattinson, took some pasting at the hands of Pat Cummins in the end overs, but he did bounce out Nitish Rana for 5 off six balls. Then, Sharma unleashed Jasprit Bumrah on Andre Russell. When Bumrah bowled a blameless quick short ball on a fourth-stump line, Russell backed away, manufactured more swinging room and lashed him past point for four. Bumrah responded with a sharper bouncer aimed at Russell’s throat, and while the batsman ducked out of the way, he stuck his bat up and lobbed a catch to the keeper. The damage was irreparable although Cummins’ first T20 fifty pushed the Knight Riders to 148 for 5.ALSO READ: Talking Points – Has Jasprit Bumrah got himself a bunny in Andre Russell?Sharma and Quinton de Kock then made light work of the target, plundering 94 for the opening stand off 63 balls. “Clinical with the ball. Clinical with the bat. Overall the performance that we were expecting was there,” Sharma said. “It’s always a challenge when you’ve won four out of four – how you turn up on that particular day. It’s very important and I thought we turned up really well. Right from the start we were on their faces.”While Mumbai have used just 13 players in the squad, Coulter-Nile being the latest inclusion, the Knight Riders have been a team in flux. Ahead of Friday’s game, there was a change at the top, with Dinesh Karthik passing on the captaincy to Eoin Morgan. There were changes in the batting order, as well, with Karthik batting at No. 4 ahead of Morgan, and Rahul Tripathi reuniting with Shubman Gill at the top after Tom Banton was left out in favour of an extra bowling option in offspinner Chris Green.Earlier in the tournament, when he was the captain, Karthik said that the Knight Riders looked to be fluid with their batting line-up. Morgan echoed Karthik’s comments, saying the potential match-ups will dictate their batting order.”Given the strength and depth that we have in the batting line-up and the different skill-levels and skill-sets that we have, we have to be as adaptable as we can going forward,” Morgan said at the post-match press conference. “With different oppositions, we feel there are different match-ups that we feel we can make the most of our batting line-up. Hence, the continued change in the order. “Morgan also conceded that the top-order troubles hurt the Knight Riders and called for improvement on that front. While Tripathi was caught at backward point for 7 off nine balls, his opening partner Gill ate up 10 dots out of the 23 deliveries he faced. He barely showed attacking intent and when he searched for a release, he heaved legspinner Rahul Chahar to long-on for 21. Gill’s go-slow approach has been a long-standing problem this tournament. He has struck at only 112 in the powerplay this season and his overall strike rate of 116.52 isn’t flash either. In fact, it’s the worst among batsmen who have batted a minimum of 200 balls this IPL.”With the bat early on, I think we made a few mistakes,” Morgan said. “I thought Mumbai Indians bowled really well and proved exactly why they’re one of the form teams in the tournament so far. And from hereon [top-order batting is] another area we need to make strides on. We’ve just passed the halfway stage in the tournament and [there’s] no better time to turn things around.”

Eddie Byrom fifty guides hosts to resounding win over Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network13-May-2023Glamorgan 258 (Neser 86, Finch 5-74) and 82 for 0 (Byrom 51*, Lloyd 30*) beat Worcestershire 109 (Roderick 38, Harris 4-18, Neser 4-40) and 227 (Waite 45, van der Gugten 5-48) by 10 wicketsTimm van der Gugten cemented his place as the season’s leading bowler in the LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two with his third five-wicket hall of the campaign as Glamorgan wrapped up victory against Worcestershire on the third day in Cardiff.Glamorgan won by 10 wickets after they finished off the Worcestershire second innings inside the first hour of day three. Set a target of just 79 to win, Glamorgan were seen home by Eddie Byrom, who top scored with 51, and David Lloyd.After the Worcestershire top order had failed for the second time in the match it was left to the tail to set a challenging target, but only 32 runs were added on the third morning before they were bowled out for 227.This win gives Glamorgan their first victory of the season and 20 points to keep them in the hunt for a promotion spot. Worcestershire have now lost two and drawn two since their opening-round victory against Derbyshire.No runs had been added to the overnight score when Glamorgan got their first breakthrough as Matthew Waite was bowled off an inside edge by Jamie McIlroy. Waite is Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer this season and his innings of 45 was the highest score by his team in this match. His wicket left Worcestershire eight wickets down and only 45 runs in front.Van der Gugten completed his five-wicket haul when he had Josh Tongue caught at point by Byrom. Joe Leach scored 24, an innings that included the only six of the match, before he was bowled by a ball that kept low from James Harris. As the last wicket fell Worcestershire were 78 runs in front.The pitch started slow and without much bounce and these features only became more pronounced as the match wore on. Despite this, the Worcestershire bowlers did not have enough runs to defend.Lloyd and Byrom took Glamorgan to 34 without loss at lunch, meaning they needed anther 45 runs to win after the interval. The two carried on as they had started after the break as they saw their side home with an unbroken stand of 82.

Fargana Hoque, who became Bangladesh’s first century-maker in women’s ODIs, admits to panicking in the 90s, but says she drew inspiration from the top men’s batters

Mohammad Isam22-Jul-2023Nigar Sultana is hopeful that the 1-1 scoreline in the ODI series against India will give the Bangladesh women’s team more prominence in their country.”We are quite happy with the overall outcome,” Nigar said after the third and final game ended in a tie in Dhaka. “We would have been really happy had we won the series. I feel we have taken a respectable step forward. Many people [at home] didn’t know who plays in the Bangladesh team. Now people will recognise who is Nahida [Akter], who is [Fargana Hoque] Pinky, who is Marufa [Akter]. I think this itself is an achievement. It was nice of the cricket board to say positive things about us too. They came to see our matches. The crowd supported us. The media is promoting us.”Nigar reserved special praise for Fargana, who became the first Bangladesh woman to score a century in women’s ODIs. “We batted really well. It was a real positive,” Nigar said. “Pinky batted superbly. Held up one end. We couldn’t bat the full 50 overs in the previous game, so that was a target for us today.”Related

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Fargana batted at No. 3 in the first two ODIs, but was sent to open the batting in the final game, something which was communicated to her by head coach Hashan Tillakaratne the night before. She repaid the faith by cracking 107, the first ODI century by a Bangladeshi woman, which also earned her the first Player-of-the-Series award for a woman from her country in ODIs.”I always bat in the top order. I played at No. 3, but yesterday the head coach told me to be mentally prepared to open the innings,” Fargana said. “I went to the wicket with a strong mindset. I could adjust to the swing. I believed in myself. We have four or five batters who are capable of getting big scores. You have to be very skilful when playing against big teams. I believed in my skills, my process.”I wanted to capitalise on my good start. We are getting results slowly, so we will keep following the same process. I liked the fact that I tried to bat long, and it paid off. My batting isn’t free of mistakes, so I want to improve more in the future.”Were there any nerves in the nineties?”I hadn’t scored a hundred at this level, but I saw people making centuries. I saw Mushfiq [Mushfiqur Rahim] score a hundred. I saw [Najmul Hasan] Shanto score two hundreds recently. I looked at how they spent time in the middle,” she said. “I didn’t think of scoring a hundred here but it was about batting every ball on its merit.Fargana Hoque finished with 107 as Bangladesh posted a good total•BCB

“When I reached 96, I panicked a bit. I played out a few deliveries. But I told myself that to be a good batter, I have to bat till the end. My friends were disappointed when I got out on 47 in the last game. I tried to stick to the process, which helped me get the big score.”Nigar said that her team should have bowled better to close down the game much earlier but was happy with how it ended, India going from 160 for 3 – and then 191 for 5 – to 225 all out.”I think we could have won the game had we bowled better,” Nigar said. “It wouldn’t have come this far then. We came back well after a poor powerplay with the ball. I think we overcame some of the mistakes from the second game. We should have closed this series in the second game itself. There’s a lot of lessons from this series that we can use in the future.”There cannot be anything more positive than playing well against a top opponent. We have been boosted by this performance. We are going into a break with good feelings. We tied the game, so we didn’t lose. It gives everyone a boost.”

Ellyse Perry made a half century but Sixers remain bottom of the table

AAP01-Nov-2023Amy Edgar and Alana King spun the Perth Scorchers to a clinical 36-run win over the Sydney Sixers at the WACA Ground.After King’s unbeaten 33 off 14 balls lifted the Scorchers to 166 for 8, Edgar’s career-best 4-19 kept the Sixers to a spluttering 130 for 9Skipper Ellyse Perry was the only Sixers batter to make any impression whatsoever against a stifling performance from the Scorchers’ tweakers, with Edgar being well supported by legspinner King.Related

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“We’re trying to make the WACA our fortress and we’ve done that two games now,” player-of-the-match King said. “Bowling out here it’s not always spinner-friendly, so when it is we’ve got to make the most of it. As a spin unit, we’re really happy with this.”Scorchers (3-2) moved up to third position after notching their seventh victory from their past nine starts against the Sixers (1-4), who remain at the bottom of the points table.Beth Mooney and Chloe Piparo combined for a quickfire 53 for the first wicket for the home side before Amy Jones and captain Sophie Devine stroked neat cameos.Ash Gardner moved to the top of the top of the competition’s wicket-taking leaderboard (10 at 14.70), her crafty spinners and some magnificent outfielding from the visitors sparking a 4 for 24 Scorchers collapse.King came in at No. 8 and blasted the best knock of her WBBL career before impressing with the ball, dismissing Gardner for a first-ball duck and snaring the key scalp of Perry.NZ great Suzie Bates’ poor tournament continued, battling for timing and ultimately out slogging as Sixers never were able to get the asking-rate under control.Bates, Erin Burns, Chloe Tryon and Mathilda Carmichael all fell to the probing Edgar, who proved difficult to get away.Perry struck 10 boundaries in a typically classy knock but when she holed out to opposite number Sophie Devine in the deep, Sixers’ faint hopes went with her.”We played some good patches of cricket but we were a bit untidy with the ball,” Perry said. “And across the whole [batting] innings, none of us quite got going.”

Pakistan secured a spot in the tri-series final against New Zealand; South Africa have now lost six successive ODIs

Firdose Moonda12-Feb-2025Salman Agha’s first ODI century and Mohammad Rizwan’s fourth combined as Pakistan completed their highest successful chase in ODIs and secured a spot in the tri-series final against New Zealand on Saturday. Rizwan and Salman, Pakistan’s captain and vice-captain, shared in a record fourth-wicket stand of 260, the highest-ever against South Africa, and the fourth-highest by any pair while chasing. South Africa have never had a bigger score chased against them.On a pitch perfect for batting, Pakistan’s efforts trumped Temba Bavuma’s highest ODI score since September 2023, Matthew Breetzke becoming the player with the most runs after two matches (233) and Heinrich Klaasen’s fourth successive 80-plus score in the highest-scoring encounter between these two sides.It goes without saying that it was a difficult day for bowlers, and seamers in particular. Pakistan’s quicks conceded 206 runs in 28 overs, of which Mohammad Hasnain’s eight cost 72, and South Africa’s pace attack gave away 223 runs in 27 overs. South Africa have now lost six successive ODIs.Ultimately, South Africa will be more concerned about the loss of Klaasen to a thumb injury than the match. Klaasen left the field in the 32nd over and handed the wicket-keeping gloves to Kyle Verreynne, after a ball that kept low from Corbin Bosch struck him on the right thumb. There was no immediate update on Klaasen’s condition.Pakistan had never conceded more runs in Karachi and only once allowed South Africa to score more against them so their task was tough from the outset. But their chase got underway briskly when Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam put on 56 in the first six overs, and took apart both Lungi Ngidi and Corbin Bosch. Wiaan Mulder was introduced as first-change early, in the seventh over, and struck with his first legitimate ball. He cramped Babar for room as he tried to flick the ball away and struck him on the front pad. Babar reviewed immediately but Ultraedge confirmed there was no bat and the ball was going on to hit the middle stump.Saud Shakeel, brought into the side for this match, kept the pressure on and scored 15 off 16 balls before mistiming a pull off Bosch to Mulder at deep mid-wicket. Pakistan’s powerplay score of 91 for 2 was their third-highest since 2002 and set them up well.South Africa soon edged ahead when, four balls into the 11th over, Fakhar played inside the line of a Mulder ball, got an edge and Klaasen took a diving catch to his left. Rizwan had only faced two balls, and pulled one of them for four, when he was joined by Salman, with a rebuilding job to do.Pakistan scored only one boundary in the next seven overs and the required run-rate climbed over 7.3 but slowly, Pakistan started to find more boundaries. Salman picked on anything full from the spinners and the pair rotated strike well to take Pakistan to 163 for 3 at the halfway stage, still needing 190 runs.Senuran Muthusamy came into the attack at that point and by his third over, Rizwan lined him up and launched him over long-on to bring up the hundred partnership. By then, Rizwan already had fifty and Salman soon brought up his fifty off 51 balls.Matthew Breetzke and Temba Bavuma made 83 and 82, respectively•Associated Press

Though the required run-rate hovered between seven to eight runs an over, neither Salman nor Rizwan panicked and they were supplied with enough boundary balls to keep the score ticking over. South Africa were guilty of offering too much width, failing to adjust their lengths and the occasional piece of ordinary fielding. By the time Pakistan got to their last ten overs, they needed 82 runs. South Africa had scored 110 in the same period, so Pakistan knew what was possible.Both set batters were on the doorstep of the 90s and Rizwan got there first when he launched Mulder over deep mid-wicket, off the 106th ball he faced. In the same over, Salman got to his milestone off a single. His hundred took just 87 balls. Pakistan brought 300 up in the 44th over and needed just 32 runs in the last five overs. Despite Salman falling before the winning runs were scored, Pakistan got there with six balls to spare, leaving South Africa wondering how many they left out there.They started strongly with a powerplay that saw them total 64 for 1 and both Bavuma and Breetzke in good touch. Breetzke, in particular, was soon striking at over 100, and allowed Bavuma to dial it down slightly as he approached his first fifty in 17 innings. He got there with a single off Salman, and then accelerated once again. In general, Bavuma played more riskily than we are used to and went for an expansive drive off left-arm spinner Khusdil Shah but edged past Rizwan. Later that over, he tried to slog Khusdil over square leg but top-edged. Naseem Shah misjudged the catch and put Bavuma down on 60.Pakistan were able to keep South Africa fairly quiet for the next eight overs, and they scored at under five an over but grew frustrated with their inability to break through. Breetzke brought up fifty off 46 balls before Hasnain thought he had him out lbw when he missed a leg-side whip and Rizwan was convinced to review but ball-tracking showed it going down leg.Sensing an opportunity to create something, Rizwan brought Shaheen Shah back on in the 27th over and he tested the batters with pace and personality. There were stare-downs and words. At one point, Afridi moved into Breetzke’s path as he was completing a single and there was contact. Breetzke didn’t back down, got in Shaheen’s face and the pair had to be separated by the umpires and team-mates. In the next over, Bavuma played Hasnain to backward point and raced away for a single before checking with Breetzke, who sent him back. It was too late.Saud Shakeel swooped in and with a one-handed pick up and throw ran Bavuma out and celebrated in his face for good measure. Bavuma was stranded on 82, with a golden chance at a century gone begging, but South Africa still had 21.5 overs to face.Klaasen was sent in at No.4 and faced 14 balls for seven runs before he remembered who he was. He smoked Hasnain for four fours in his sixth over, over mid-on, mid-off, square-leg and deep mid-wicket to bring up 200 and get the innings going again. That over cost 16 runs and the next four for 36 and South Africa were back in sight of a massive score.Breetzke was out to a stunning Salman catch when he tried to smash Khusdil through the covers but Salman, who dived across and reached out with his right hand to pluck the ball close to the ground. Mulder was caught at point in the next over and South Africa entered the final ten overs on 242 for 4 but with Klaasen there, would have been comfortable.He unleashed a 95-metre six five balls into that period, brought up fifty off 38 balls and then completely cut loose. His next 37 runs came off 18 balls and he spared no-one. Afridi was treated particularly severely as Klaasen took him for back to back sixes in an over that cost 20. When he tried to give Naseem the same treatment, Klaasen sent a low full toss to long-on. In the end, Pakistan’s two centuries to South Africa’s none was the difference.