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Dan Christian will return for Nottinghamshire in the 2017 NatWest Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2016Dan Christian, who averaged 41 with an explosive strike rate of 159.51 as Notts Outlaws won nine matches in a row in last year’s NatWest T20 Blast, has signed on for 2017. Christian captained Notts to Finals Day, where they lost to eventual winners Northamptonshire.Christian, 33, will fill the first of two overseas player positions throughout the revamped competition, which will take place predominantly in a more condensed format in July and August.Among the former Australia international’s three T20 half-centuries last summer was a 16-ball cameo against Leicestershire Foxes that equalled Alex Hales’ record for the Outlaws’ fastest fifty in T20 cricket.”Dan is an explosive player who hits the ball miles and played really well for us last year,” Nottinghamshire head coach, Peter Moores, said. “He’s also been around the T20 scene and around cricket for a long time. He brings all that experience to us, as well as a real calmness under pressure.”Christian’s white-ball record includes 34 appearances for his country, a decade of experience in Australia’s Big Bash competitions, campaigns with Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, and county spells with Hampshire, Gloucestershire and Middlesex. His T20 career spans 174 appearances, 2549 runs at a batting index of 154.05 and 130 wickets at 29.92 apiece.In the Big Bash last season, he struck one of the biggest sixes ever seen at the Gabba, playing for Hobart Hurricanes against Brisbane Heat, when he deposited a ball 117m on to the stand roof.”Anybody who has met Dan will know he’s a brilliant team man,” Moores said. “He’s a great character to have around and that competitive nature that you find in a lot of Australians is certainly in him. He gives everything and expects the same from his team-mates. He likes to get on the front foot, to be aggressive and to play attacking cricket, which is exactly what we want in that form of the game.”

Tawanda Muyeye’s T20 career-best knock goes in vain as Kent suffer seven-wicket defeat

ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2023For the second successive match it was Glamorgan’s leading run-scorers in T20 cricket, Colin Ingram and Chris Cooke, who secured an impressive victory, this time over Kent, in the Vitality Blast.The Glamorgan stalwarts shared a stand worth 109 after Eddie Byrom had set a strong platform as the home side chased down a target of 190 to win by seven wickets with 18 balls remaining.Kent’s innings had a strong start thanks to a career-best score from Tawanda Muyeye and a powerful finish thanks to their lower order but a stutter in the middle overs prevented them from setting a truly competitive total.This win was Glamorgan’s third from four matches while Kent now have two wins and two losses.Kent were put in to bat and it looked as if Glamorgan had made the wrong call as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Muyeye raced along inside the powerplay. It was Muyeye who was the main aggressor as 63 runs were scored off the first six overs with Jamie McIlroy and Zain-ul-Hassan struggling to keep the Kent openers under control.It was the introduction of Australian leg-spinner Peter Hatzoglou that brought Glamorgan back into the game. Hatzoglou made the first breakthrough with his sixth ball of the game when he bowled Bell-Drummond for 19 as the Kent opener attempted a slog sweep.Joe Denly attempted to keep the momentum going as he smoked a massive six over the midwicket boundary to get himself off the mark. That attempt to inject some impetus didn’t last long with Denly’s dismissal the first of three in the space of just 10 runs as Hatzoglou and Prem Sisodiya did a good job of pinning down the Kent middle order to bring themselves back into the game. When Muyeye was dismissed for 62 his team were 103 for 4 after 11 overs with two new batters at the crease.Jordan Cox, Jack Leaning and George Linde did a fantastic job of covering up the cracks caused by that cluster of wickets as they all made meaningful contributions and Kent reached 189 for 6 off their 20 overs. The Cox innings was the most eventful, especially when he offered two catching chances to Kiran Carlson off two successive deliveries, neither of which were claimed by the Glamorgan captain.Glamorgan had a similarly quick start to their innings, with Byrom scoring 43 out of a 51 opening stand with Sam Northeast. Byrom smashed 20 runs from Wes Agar’s first over, and despite the bowler hitting his helmet he managed to guide the ball immediately after the blow over third man for six.Grant Stewart was given similarly brutal treatment and had conceded 19 runs from his first five balls before he had Byrom caught by Cox at mid-on.The one Kent bowler who kept things under control in the powerplay was Michael Hogan who was back in Cardiff for the first time since his departure from Glamorgan over the winter. Welsh cricket supporters were given a reminder of what they lost when Hogan made the decision to finish his career at Kent when his two powerplay overs brought just seven runs and the wicket of Northeast.A truly remarkable catch by Agar at fine leg ended Carlson’s innings but that brought together Cooke and Ingram who got themselves set before taking the game away from Kent in a stand that was professionally managed, with both batters happy to take boundaries when they were offered and singles when the ball was not there to be hit.It was a no-ball from Agar that took Glamorgan to their victory target as Kent failed to find any answers to the Cooke-Ingram partnership.

Ireland international shares third-wicket stand of 186 with Fran Wilson, 48 hours after joining new team

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Orla Prendergast scored a magnificent century on debut to propel Western Storm to a convincing six-wicket Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy victory over Thunder at Sophia Gardens.Having joined the staff only 48 hours previously, the Irish international made the best possible first impression, posting a career-best 115 and sharing in a mammoth third-wicket stand of 186 with Fran Wilson, who finished unbeaten on 74 from 100 balls.Prendergast’s superb innings comprised 115 balls and included 11 fours and a six as Storm chased down a victory target of 215 with 51 balls to spare. The pick of Thunder’s bowlers, Mahika Gaur claimed 3 for 39 from her allotted overs.Opener Emma Lamb top-scored with 74 and Deandra Dottin contributed a hard-hitting 41 after Thunder had won the toss and elected to bat.But Storm’s bowlers stuck to their task, Chloe Skelton accounting for Lamb and Dottin in an incisive return of 3 for 36, while Dani Gibson and Lauren Filer claimed two wickets apiece. Thunder’s middle and lower order came up short and they were bowled out for an inadequate 214 in 44.4 overs.Heavily defeated by reigning champions Northern Diamonds at Headingley in their opening fixture, Storm summoned the perfect response, but Thunder are still seeking their first win.Eager to stake a claim for a place in the England team for this summer’s upcoming Ashes series against Australia, Thunder opener Lamb was determined to make a good impression at a venue in which she posted a notable half-century in a T20 match against Storm two seasons ago.But the early going was predictably tough against the new ball pair of Gibson and Filer, who made the England international play and miss on several occasions. Fellow opener Naomi Dattani never looked comfortable and was beaten by movement off the seam, caught at the wicket off Gibson, while former Storm player Fi Morris was comprehensively bowled by a superbly-executed in-swinging yorker from Filer as Thunder slipped to 19 for 2 inside six overs.Unfazed by what was happening at the other end, the meticulous Lamb continued to cut and drive with confidence, collecting seven boundaries on her way to a chanceless 50 from 59 balls. She was afforded valuable support from her captain, Eleanor Threlkeld happily playing second fiddle in an innings of 27 which helped steady the ship. These two added 72 in 13.5 overs for the third wicket to put the visitors in credit, and Storm breathed a collective sigh of relief when Threlkeld inadvertently fluffed her lines, caught and bowled by slow left armer Sophia Smale in the act of driving.Any respite afforded the home team proved short-lived as former West Indies international Dottin picked up the cudgels in progressive partnership with Lamb, the fourth-wicket pair staging a quickfire alliance of 69 in 61 balls, in the process putting a young Storm side under intense pressure.Dottin seized the initiative when harvesting a quartet of boundaries in one over from Filer, this a prelude to launching off spinner Claire Nicholas over long-on for the first maximum of the innings and then cover driving the Wales international for four later in the same over.Desperate to effect a breakthrough and stem the flow of runs, skipper Gibson called upon Skelton’s off breaks with immediate results. The 22-year-old Gloucestershire bowler struck twice in the space of nine deliveries to claim the key wickets of Lamb and Dottin and altogether alter the complexion of the game.Lamb had plundered 74 from 85 balls with eight fours and no doubt had three figures in her sights when she miss-timed a pull shot straight to Wilson at deep mid-wicket, while the aggressive Dottin, having raised 41 from 40 balls and struck seven fours and a six, holed out to Gibson at deep long-on.Sitting pretty at 160 for 3 in the 29th over, Thunder went into freefall thereafter, their last seven wickets falling inside 14 overs for the addition of just 54 runs.Encouraged by their double breakthrough, resilient Storm turned the screw, Filer accounting for Liberty Heap and Nat Wraith adroitly stumping Tara Norris off the bowling of the excellent Gibson. Thunder were by now dependent upon Danielle Collins, but she was bowled by Skelton for 23, after which Alex Griffiths knocked back Gaur’s off stump and then completed a run out to dismiss Alex Hartley and terminate the innings with 5.2 overs unused.Defending a modest total, Thunder required the reassurance of early wickets. Sure enough, Gaur obliged in a new-ball burst of 2 for 8 in five overs, the tall left-arm seamer pinning Griffiths lbw for one and then persuading Emma Corney to edge behind for two as Storm stuttered to 11 for 2, their new-look opening partnership failing to fire for a second successive match.Having only recently arrived from Ireland and still getting to know her new team-mates, Prendergast found herself between a rock and a hard place, charged with the task of rebuilding under extreme pressure in unfamiliar surroundings. She could not have wished for a better partner than Wilson, the former England international bringing all of her vast experience to bear on a tricky situation.Especially impressive in the circumstances, Prendergast played an innings full of calculated risk, punishing anything short of a length to score ostensibly in boundaries while the fielding restrictions were in place and then demonstrating a willingness to take the aerial route when confronted by spin. Warming to her task, the 20-year-old went to 50 in the grand manner, hoisting Morris over square leg for six, attaining that landmark via 49 balls with seven fours.Prepared to play a supporting role and aware of the additional responsibility placed upon her by the injury-enforced absence of Sophie Luff, Wilson batted with a degree of caution, compiling steadily rather than succumbing to any urge to take unwarranted risks. Her 50 comprised 71 balls and included a modest two fours, at which point the unbroken third-wicket stand was already worth 144.Threlkeld tried a final roll of the dice, recalling Gaur, but the young Emirates bowler was not nearly as effective with a soft ball, and Prendergast and Wilson began to relax as the required rate dropped to below four an over.Nevertheless, Prendergast maintained her concentration and poise to register three figures for the first time in senior women’s cricket, turning Hartley down to deep fine leg and running three to bring home supporters to their feet in appreciation. Her second 50 spanned 49 balls in an even-paced innings. By the time she was out, bowled by Dattani in the 38th over, Storm were almost home and dry.

England’s U19 Women’s captain can play a vital role in turning competition battlers around

Valkerie Baynes21-Apr-2023Bowled out for just 99, England Women’s Under-19s clawed their way back into their bout with Australia for a place in the T20 World Cup final. Now, with their opponents 96 for 9 in reply, they needed the clutch moment to go their way, and it did, thanks to captain Grace Scrivens. She floated up a full delivery from around the stumps, beat Maggie Clark’s attempted flick and struck the pad dead in front for the final wicket and victory to England by three runs with eight balls to spare.It was the sort of pressure moment Scrivens revels in and an experience she hopes will help her Sunrisers team as they seek their first win in the history of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy when they open their 2023 campaign against two-time champions Southern Vipers on Saturday.Without overstating the importance of pre-season form, the signs are positive. Sunrisers won all three matches they played on their winter trip to Desert Springs in Spain, comprising 50-overs fixtures against South East Stars and Northern Diamonds and a T20 with Stars. Then, in 50-over friendlies back on home soil last week, they beat The Blaze and Stars with Scrivens scoring twin centuries. Having faced 110 balls for her 106 against The Blaze, she contributed 101 of her side’s 168 against Stars in a match where none of her team-mates reached double-figures.That’s not to suggest Sunrisers are shaping up as a one-woman team. Just as in that World Cup match immediately before England finished as runners-up to India, there were other valuable contributions. Against The Blaze, Amara Carr scored an unbeaten half-century, while Mady Villiers took 3 for 38 having also claimed 3 for 21 off just two overs against Stars. But Scrivens is emerging as a vital cog in the Sunrisers’ set-up, as she was for her country at the World Cup, where she was named Player of the Tournament for her 293 runs and nine wickets.An opening batter and off-spinner, Scrivens has been with Sunrisers since the beginning. In 2020, aged just 16, she scored 137 runs in six RHFT matches at an average of 22.83 with a strike rate of 58.54 and took three wickets. After small improvements to those figures the following season, Scrivens ended 2022 as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 13 at 14.69 and an economy rate of 3.23 and third-highest run-scorer with 297 at 49.50 and a strike rate of 77.54.”I’ve learned so much about playing overseas, so much about leading a team,” Scrivens tells ESPNcricinfo. “My cricket is only going to improve for that experience. It was the never-give-up attitude. That semi-final was one that I’ve never experienced before and the ups and downs of that really shows that you can never really be out of a cricket match. I can take that into the Sunrisers, that fight to the end.”The way we’ve been playing in Desert Springs has been really positive, winning three from three against two really strong teams in Diamonds and Stars, we can take confidence from in that. I don’t think we were far away the last few seasons, it was just that learning how to win and getting over the line.”Sheer relief: Grace Scrivens celebrates England’s semi-final victory over Australia with team-mate Lizzie Scott•ICC via Getty Images

Danni Warren, Sunrisers Regional Director of Women’s Cricket, says there is a sense of belief now permeating the group and she credits Andy Tennant, the former Scotland international who took over as head coach in the off-season, with giving the team “clarity”.”Winning three games on a preseason tour probably meant more to us than it might have done to another team, just from where we’ve been,” Warren says. “To win one breeds a bit of belief, to win two breeds a bit of confidence, to back it up again just shows you that from any position you’re able to get yourself into a game and to be competitive. It’s hopefully given us something to really build our season on.”We haven’t really looked at it as turning it around… it’s more unlocking what their potential is. Andy Tennant has come in as head coach. He’s been able to give the clarity that the girls wanted in how we want to play as a team and how we want to play as individuals. That’s, in a way, just helped people to find that freedom and that belief, let go of some of the baggage that we’ve taken from previous years.”She believes Scrivens has a big role to play too as vice-captain alongside Villers to skipper Kelly Castle, especially off the back of her experience leading the U19s.Related

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“It’s one of those where you burst on the scene to the public and we’re sitting there knowing how much work she’s put into getting there over the last few years,” Warren says of Scrivens. “She’s still only 19. She’s opened the batting for three years at this level and that’s not an easy thing to do. She’s bowled in difficult situations and again never shirked responsibility.”She’s been the kind of person that wants to be in the battle and we knew that all being well she’d be able to go out there and show what she can do. Obviously we now want to be part of helping her take that to the next level and go on and perform for Sunrisers over the summer and hopefully that takes her to even further accolades as and when the time is right.”Scrivens’ performances over the English winter can only have enhanced her positioning for a senior call-up at some stage, but it’s not her primary goal heading into this weekend. “It’s hard to look that far ahead,” she says. “I need to work hard and play well in the games for Sunrisers coming up. If that happens, that happens, it’s not something I’m really focusing on.”Scrivens is also looking forward to learning from Dane van Niekerk, the former South Africa captain who retired from international cricket after failing a fitness test for her home T20 World Cup in February and joined Sunrisers in a signing Warren describes as a “no brainer” from the team’s perspective. She is available for Sunrisers until the end of July, when she will link up with Oval Invincibles for the Hundred.”That’s a really exciting signing and she’s obviously an unbelievable leader,” Scrivens says. “She’s been so successful in international cricket so I want to be around her and learn as much as I can from her. I hope she comes in and just takes the game on and plays in that attacking way that she does, because that’d be really exciting for us.”

There were some tension that boiled over during the fourth innings between Cartwright and Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald

Tristan Lavalette23-Oct-2024By the time Hilton Cartwright fronted the media post match, he looked understandably exhausted after a whirlwind few days capped by guiding Western Australia to victory over Tasmania in a tempestuous Sheffield Shield clash.Cartwright had expected to get through the match with his wife Tameka only 37 weeks pregnant. But just as he arrived at the WACA ground before day two, Tameka called him and said she would need to be induced due to complications.They worked out a plan and agreed that she would be induced at around 3.30pm, so that Cartwright could dash from the ground at the tea break. He gave the heads up to WA coach Adam Voges, who was “extremely supportive”.Related

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“I was going to be leaving at tea, regardless of whether I was in, out or we were still bowling,” Cartwright told reporters after the match.As it turned out, No. 3 Cartwright was at the crease and in sublime touch having helped lift WA out of trouble in their first innings before retiring on 52 not out at tea.”My mind was probably a bit elsewhere,” he said. “The only thing I was really thinking about was getting through to tea to give myself an opportunity and the team an opportunity for me to bat later, or for someone to bat later after me.”After Tameka gave birth to their second child early on Tuesday, Cartwright managed just one hour of sleep before fronting up for day three of the match. He was able to resume his innings at the fall of a wicket after Tasmania had agreed as per the rules.Cartwright gave the thumbs up to Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk on his way to the crease, but was understandably scratchy and managed only a further 13 runs before holing out.Having mostly survived the day through adrenaline and caffeine, Cartwright finally crashed later at the hospital and had some desperately needed sleep.There appeared to be some tense scenes between Hilton Cartwright and Tasmania•Getty Images

With a little bit more energy, Cartwright played a starring role on the final day and scored a vital 39 not out from 50 balls to combine with Josh Inglis as WA overcame a top-order collapse to run down the 83-run target with six wickets in hand.But tensions boiled over on-field with Cartwright and Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald engaged in a war of words. They had a long exchange while shaking hands just after the match.”It was just clearing some air that I think might have got a bit misjudged while we were out there and we were able to clear what happened over the last couple of days,” Cartwright said.Tasmania quick Kieran Elliott said “that’s the game, we made our call”.”Without being entirely across what was discussed, if he was out, great result for us. He is obviously a class player,” he said. “For him to come back and get a few more away before we eventually got him in that first innings was important for them.”WA skipper Sam Whiteman believed the laws over retiring batters should be re-evaluated.”It’s a pretty unique situation and I think probably the laws of the game need to change a little bit to take the decision off the captains,” he said.”That will be discussed in the post-match, but at the end of the day the right decision was made and credit to Tassie for letting Hilts come back out and bat. That’s the right decision for the game of cricket.”

Upul Tharanga has been coming in at No. 7 against England after brief appearances at No. 8 and No. 9 in Ireland. It seems an odd job for a 31-year-old who has played as an opener in 156 of his 185 ODIs to date

Alan Gardner at The Oval28-Jun-2016When Upul Tharanga first toured England a decade ago, he opened the batting with such devastating élan that he amassed 347 runs at 69.40 in Sri Lanka’s 5-0 whitewash. Five years later, he scored an unbeaten century against the same opponents to complete a ruthless 10-wicket victory in the World Cup quarter-final.This time around, however, rather than furrowing his brow to face down the new ball, Tharanga has been asked to do a job down the order, coming in at No. 7 against England after brief appearances at No. 8 and No. 9 in Ireland. It seems an odd job for a 31-year-old who has played as an opener in 156 of his 185 ODIs to date but it is one that Tharanga says he is happy to do.”I’ve done it before, for 10-15 games, in Australia and Sri Lanka. So it is not something new to me,” he said before the fourth match of the series, at The Kia Oval. “Most of my career I have batted as a top-order batsman but it is good, I am enjoying it. It is up to the management, what they need from me. At the moment, they need me to bat in the middle order, so I’m happy to help the team. Lots of players are new players, so we have to give them experience and advice also.”With Sri Lanka still looking to rebuild their one-day side after the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene last year, it seems that Tharanga has been identified as the man to provide some nous in the latter part of the innings. A flowing, if inconsistent, strokeplayer, he has had to try and learn a few new tricks in order to fill the brief, and innings of 53 not out off 49 balls and 40 off 33 at Edgbaston and Bristol respectively have hinted at promise without quite banishing the suspicion he might be better utilised.The half-century was his first significant score for Sri Lanka since making 174 not out (opening the batting) against India in Kingston almost three years ago. The selectors lost patience with him again soon after, with nine more appearances accruing haphazardly across 2014 and 2015, and Tharanga now appears willing to fulfil whatever role is required of him in order to continue a career that has reaped 13 ODI hundreds – more than any Englishman.”If I bat from the 30th over, I think I can play my normal game. If I go in for the last few overs, obviously I have to change my game. In the nets I’m trying different things,” he said.”As a cricketer, I always want to play for my country. In the last few years, I am in and out of the team. So I am happy to be here. The last domestic season, I did well, so that’s why I got the opportunity – even batting six-seven. So I’m happy to do something for my country.”Tharanga’s success in the first-class Premier League tournament, in which he scored 803 runs at 61.76, came while batting in the top order, as did his impressive performances more recently in the Dhaka Premier League. But with Tillakaratne Dilshan absent from the tour of England, Sri Lanka have preferred Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka as openers, followed by another international greenhorn in Kusal Mendis at No. 3.Tharanga’s advice for how Sri Lanka could put England under greater pressure in the final two ODIs was for someone higher up to go on to a match-defining score – though it was delivered sincerely, without any sense of implied criticism. Sri Lanka have yet to beat England across three Tests and three ODIs but could still turn around and win the series. “As a batting unit, we need to concentrate, put on big partnerships and big scores,” he said.”I came for the one-day tournament and, as a team, I think we are in really good shape. Even though we lost the game, I think our batsmen are doing really well – we only need a big score. The last few games, everyone got 40, 50. That’s why we are getting 250-260. As a batting unit we need someone in the top four to get a big score. If we can get that we can get 300. The bowlers are going a good job, the wickets are good for batting. We someone to get a big score.”

Mominul’s 84 the lone bright spot for Bangladesh after hosts chose to bat at the toss

Hemant Brar22-Dec-20222:34

Jaffer: In the end, choosing Unadkat over Kuldeep proved justified

Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin picked up four wickets each to put India on top despite Mominul Haque’s 84 on return. Batting first in the second Test in Mirpur, Bangladesh were 213 for 5 at one stage after tea but lost their last five wickets inside the next 14 runs to be all out for 227.Each of Bangladesh’s top seven batters reached 15 but apart from Mominul, no one could cross 26. Whenever a partnership seemed to be brewing, they lost a wicket. Five of the first six wickets featured a stand of 39 or more but the highest of them was only 48.India were left with 14 overs to face in the evening. The play went into the extra half hour but bad light allowed only eight of those to be bowled. In that short passage, KL Rahul looked circumspect against Taskin Ahmed and Shakib Al Hasan, and finished the day on 3 not out off 30 balls. Shubman Gill was keeping him company, his unbeaten 14 off 20 comprising a six and a four.In the morning, India went in with three seamers and two spinners on a grassy pitch, replacing Kuldeep Yadav, the Player of the Match in the last game, with Jaydev Unadkat. This was Unadkat’s first Test in 12 years and only his second overall. Between his two appearances India played 118 Tests, the second-most missed games for any Test cricketer.Umesh and Mohammed Siraj found movement with the new ball but neither really pitched it up to fully exploit the conditions. That resulted in a lot of plays-and-misses but the Bangladesh openers, Zakir Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto, survived their spells.Bowling first change, Unadkat, the slowest of the Indian seamers, didn’t find as much movement but his higher release point fetched him extra bounce. Soon, he was bowling with four slips, a gully and a short leg, and hitting batters on the gloves regularly.With Bangladesh on 39, Zakir decided to cut a short-of-length delivery from Unadkat, only to be done in by the extra bounce. The ball hit him on the glove and lobbed to fourth slip, giving Unadkat his maiden wicket in Test cricket.3:01

Jaffer on Shakib dismissal: If you are captain, you have to lead from the front

In the next over, Ashwin trapped Shanto lbw. The batter, playing for the turn, shouldered arms to a length ball that went with the arm from around the wicket and struck him on the pad. He was given out lbw on the field, and a review returned an umpire’s call verdict with ball-tracking showing the ball tickling off stump.Coming in at No. 4, Shakib took the aerial route against Ashwin even before he had reached double digits. He first hit Ashwin inside-out over extra cover before dancing down the track later in the work to deposit him beyond deep-midwicket boundary.Mominul and Shakib enjoyed slices of luck too. Mominul’s cut against Ashwin flew between the wicketkeeper and slip, and then in the last over before lunch, Rishabh Pant missed a difficult leg-side stumping when Shakib charged at Ashwin and the ball sneaked through his legs.The reprieve, though, didn’t prove costly as Umesh sent Shakib back on the first ball after the break. The Bangladesh captain tried to loft him over mid-off but didn’t get the timing right and ended up offering the simplest of chances.Mominul and Mushfiqur, starting slowly before hitting six fours in the space of ten balls, stitched together 48 for the fourth wicket before Unadkat broke the stand. Bowling around the wicket, he once again found the extra bounce, the ball taking the outside edge of Mushfiqur’s bat before settling into Pant’s gloves.Litton Das started positively, punching Siraj for four and following it with a pulled six on the next ball. He quickly moved to 25 but failed to keep a flick off Ashwin down and was taken at short midwicket.Mominul, meanwhile, kept pressing on and ramped two more fours off Unadkat to bring up his half-century. He and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ensured Bangladesh didn’t lose another wicket before tea despite some close calls.The pair added 41 for the sixth wicket but post tea, Mehidy felt unwell. The physio came out to check in on him, and the batter decided to continue. Umesh, though, removed him soon after, Mehidy trying to cut a ball that was too close to him and nicking it behind.Mehidy’s wicket triggered the collapse. In his next over, Umesh got one to reverse in to trap Nurul Hasan lbw. The on-field umpire deemed it not out but India got the decision changed on review. Taskin didn’t last long either, slicing one to Siraj at point who held onto the chance after a bit of juggling. Earlier, Siraj had put down Shanto off Umesh on the first ball of the second over of the day.All this while, Mominul was firm at one end. But he found himself in two minds against an Ashwin carrom ball. He looked to drive at it first before shouldering arms. It was too late as the ball brushed his gloves and Pant latched onto it. Ashwin wrapped up the innings two balls later when Khaled Ahmed hit a full toss straight to Unadkat at deep midwicket.

Sikandar Raza takes over as St Lucia Kings captain, with Colin Munro roped in to replace du Plessis

Deivarayan Muthu28-Aug-2023St Lucia Kings captain Faf du Plessis has been sidelined from the rest of CPL 2023 with a long-standing tennis-elbow injury, for which he will now undergo surgery. Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza, who made his debut for Kings only earlier this month, will take over as the captain of the side. Kings have also roped in Colin Munro, the highest run-getter among overseas players in CPL history, as du Plessis’ replacement.After powering Kings past Trinbago Knight Riders in Basseterre on Saturday, du Plessis said he would undergo surgery after reaching South Africa. And on Kings’ Instagram channel, he suggested that he could be out of action for about three months.”Happy with the result, but obviously sad [that] I’m leaving at a crucial stage in the tournament when you feel like the team can start doing some really good things in the tournament,” du Plessis told Ian Bishop at the post-match presentation. “For me, the challenge with the elbow is I’ve played with it (tennis elbow) for almost two years; I’ve had eight cortisone injections into my elbow.Related

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“So I’m at a stage where the cortisone is not good for my body anymore; so that’s why the operation is always the last resort. I didn’t want to do it, but [have] time off now. I’ve got to basically go from here to get off the plane into the hospital to get the surgery done.”Du Plessis admitted that the tennis elbow had limited his power-hitting in his most recent game against Knight Riders, but he still found a way to pump the ball over the top in the powerplay. He was responsible for 40 of the 48 runs Kings had made in the first six overs. Du Plessis extended his tally to 57 off 36 balls before Andre Russell had him holing out.”[During] the last while I did feel a little bit of loss of power – all because of the pain, which sometimes pulls the power back,” du Plessis said. “So you just have to play a game where you feel like maybe hitting at 80% power, and [on] fields like this [which are] a little bit smaller, you can just time the ball. But yeah, really happy with the innings today.”I think we needed that in the powerplay, especially in my experience playing here and against these guys [TKR] – they’re a very strong powerplay attack. Akeal Hosein always does well; he gets one or two wickets upfront, and then they bowled really well. The fact that we could counterpunch that and get 50 after six [overs] was a great way to play off the front foot.”Sikandar Raza has led in T20 franchise cricket only once•Zim Afro T10

Du Plessis’ injury-enforced absence is a significant blow to Kings. He was their second-highest run-getter last season – behind Johnson Charles – and fourth-highest overall, with 332 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 169. Overall, his leadership has been central to Kings’ progress over the past two years.Raza has only had one stint as captain in recognised franchise T20 cricket – with Dambulla Aura in the LPL last year, when Dasun Shanaka was injured, but du Plessis backed Raza and the rest of Kings’ leadership group to build on their early success this season. They’re currently on top of the table, with six points in five games.”Always for me, it’s about pulling people in for the journey, and try and ask questions. And I feel that’s the best way, according to me, to run things,” du Plessis said. “You use the resources that you have. Roston Chase has been great. For me on the field, [it’s] just speaking to him about local players and asking questions. Johnson Charles is a great cricket brain. He’s not a guy who says a lot, but [is] a great thinker.Tom Curran comes in for TKR as a temporary replacement for Noor Ahmad•Getty Images

“Raza is someone who has played a lot of T20 and T10 cricket. So very much an experienced brain there; so it’s great to have those guys on the field and ask questions. Obviously, it’s a change, and probably you could say a big change because it’s someone stepping into the shoes for the first time with the St Lucia Kings. But luckily, we’ve got someone like Sammy there who will make sure for the first one or two games there will be some direction from his side. And then trust the guy on the field with the resources that he has at his disposal.”Du Plessis will turn 40 next July, but he could be in the fray to return to the South Africa side with the 2024 T20 World Cup in mind.

Tom Curran and Tim David to join TKR

England allrounder Tom Curran, who carried Oval Invincibles to the Men’s Hundred title on Sunday, will link up with Trinbago Knight Riders as a temporary replacement for left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, who has been picked in Afghanistan’s ODI side for the Asia Cup, which clashes with the CPL.Australia’s Tim David will also join TKR as a replacement for Rilee Rossouw, who is no longer available for the CPL. However, David himself will not be around for Knight Riders’ first six league matches, so Ireland wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker has been brought in as a temporary replacement. David will reunite with Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard, who was his batting coach at Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023.

Suriname have withdrawn from the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey, following an investigation conducted by the ICC regarding the eligibility of some players

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2016Suriname have withdrawn from the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey, following an investigation conducted by the ICC regarding the eligibility of some players. The team had originally qualified for the tournament after winning the WCL Division 6, held in England last September.The investigation uncovered failures in the Surinaamse Cricket Bond’s (SCB) processes relating to player residency documentation for the purposes of compliance with the ICC’s Player Eligibility Regulations. Vanuatu, who lost in the semi-finals of the WCL Division 6 in 2015, have been invited to take Suriname’s place in Division 5.Once disciplinary charges were initiated against the SCB, the board cooperated fully with the ICC’s investigations and carried out a thorough internal review. The SCB also agreed to forfeit the $25000 grant it received to participate in the WCL Division 5.”We were obviously disappointed by the shortcomings in the SCB’s procedures that were revealed by our investigation,” Tim Anderson, the ICC’s head of global development, said.”There is inevitably an element of self-certification when it comes to determining compliance with the Player Eligibility Regulations, and for this reason the wider cricketing community needs to be able to place the utmost trust in the accuracy of information submitted by other ICC members.”We are, however, heartened by the action the SCB have taken in confronting the issues raised and look forward to working closely with them to ensure they can resume their participation in ICC competitions in 2017.”Last year, in July, Suriname were also forced to pull out of the ICC Americas Under-19 Championship after failing to secure transit visas.

Legspinner ready to unleash tweaks made after opting out of ODI World Cup

Valkerie Baynes22-Jul-2022As hard as it was “fan-girling” from home as England reached the World Cup final, legspinner Sarah Glenn believes she is set to reap the rewards of her difficult decision to opt out of the tournament.Evidence was there already as she played her first match for England since the Ashes in January, bowling South Africa opener Anneke Bosch as the hosts sealed a six-wicket victory with five overs to spare in their first of three T20Is at Chelmsford on Monday.Glenn finished with figures of 1 for 18 from three overs, while left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone took two behind veteran seamer Katherine Brunt’s T20I career-best 4 for 15 which contained South Africa to a paltry 111 for 9.”I was very nervous actually,” Glenn said of the moments before captain Heather Knight threw her the ball in the seventh over. She struck with her seventh ball. “When I saw Heather, she was like, ‘okay, next over’ and it was like okay, deep breath. Once I got through my first over I was fine and I just really soaked up the atmosphere.”Related

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Glenn went wicketless and conceded 39 runs from three overs in the only T20I completed during the rain-affected Ashes which Australia won by nine wickets. She opted out of going to New Zealand for the ODI World Cup, where she would have been a travelling reserve rather than part of the squad proper, as the toll of bubble life and other Covid-prevention rules the squad were forced to follow amid a surge in cases in the UK around Christmas time mounted.”I think it was what I needed,” Glenn said. “It was a really tough decision and it was quite hard seeing the girls but I was just fan-girling from home. It just made me really clear and I did a lot of training sessions by myself, just figuring out things with a clear head and that just helped so much. It has made me have so much more clarity coming into this summer.”There were a few things I wanted to make changes with in my bowling. I did a few drills and I found with a shorter run-up, I felt a bit more stable and more rhythmic so that has allowed me to work on my variations like googly, yorker, pace-off, things like that. With all of that, I practised it in pre-season so I knew I had it in the locker and I could just keep it simple for the summer.”Sarah Glenn in her delivery stride•Getty Images

Glenn took six wickets in four matches at the T20 World Cup in early 2020 at 11.33 with an economy rate of 4.25 and including a career-best 3 for 15 in England’s group-stage victory over Pakistan.She impressed against West Indies in September of that year and toured New Zealand in early 2021 before home series against India and New Zealand last year, and is still the No. 2 bowler in the ICC’s T20I rankings behind Ecclestone.”I forget that sometimes,” Glenn said. “Soph is much more experienced, so I always follow her steps. I am always asking her questions, being a little bit of a coaches’ pet, but she has helped me a lot and guided me in my international career so hopefully she can keep teaching me over the years.”Obviously the dream is to be number one but when I got to number two I wasn’t even thinking about it and that is when the danger is, when you keep thinking about it. So we just try to keep it simple, try to perform our best every game and if we’re number one or two, it is a bonus.”The pair could form a formidable combination at the Commonwealth Games, starting in Birmingham next week, where England will open their campaign against Sri Lanka on July 30.The England T20 squad are hugely enthusiastic about being part of a multi-sport showcase for the first time, and on home soil. The event appeal massively to Glenn as a former junior hockey international who grew up watching her hockey idols at events like the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.”It is honestly amazing,” she said. “When we went to the kit-out day, how everything was brought back all the memories and made me a bit emotional, actually, because it is so good to feel you are just one team from multiple teams. It brought back really good memories for me so I am excited to have that kind of experience again.”