In the frenzy of a final over that saw three wickets, three runs, and a dismissal on 99, Usman Shinwari defended four runs to steal victory

The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Mar-2019

How the game played out

This was a match Quetta Gladiators appeared to have won so many times you could swear they’d have four points rather than the usual two added to their already burgeoning tally. Instead, in the frenzy of a final over that saw three wickets, three runs, a dismissal on 99 and Usman Shinwari making amends, they would end up with none, a raucous Karachi crowd roaring their side over the line, seemingly flying in the face of reason. Ahmed Shehzad was dismissed one short, and until then seemed destined to be the hero of the day. On a day when Shane Watson fell short, Shehzad guided Quetta to within an inch of the finish line, but where he stumbled, the whole house of cards came crashing down.Karachi had been put in to bat in front of their own fans for the first time in PSL history, and Babar Azam and Colin Munro set up an excellent platform from which Imad Wasim’s side could dominate the game. Babar Azam reached his 99th T20 score above 30, and soon after crossed 50, already the young leader of the batting attack. Ingram was good for a few fireworks in the middle overs, launching Mohammad Nawaz for consecutive sixes to spoil otherwise respectable figures, and the fireworks of Iftikhar Ahmed at the end allowed Karachi to end up with 190, a total that even expert chasers like Quetta would be stretched to overhaul.The chase had seesawed on a number of occasions, with excellent spells from both left-armers Imad Wasim and Umer Khan edging the asking rate up. But with Shehzad, buoyed by a missed stumping chance by an ordinary Ben Dunk, at the crease and in fine fettle, Quetta always gave off the sense they were in command. Umer’s wickets were the only thing reigning them back in, and when Shinwari leaked 22 in his third over, it looked as if Karachi would have to try again to qualify. Then a mad final over followed where Shehzad was brilliantly caught by Colin Ingram at mid-off, and two further wickets fell. The man who had conceded 22 an over ago had somehow defended four to win the game.Ahmed Shehzad steers one towards third man•Pakistan Super League

Turning point

• Quetta looked like they had stalled Karachi’s momentum once they lost their fifth wicket in the 19th over. Karachi had by then accumulated 156, which, on this wicket, meant they would probably end up well below par. But a splendid 18-ball 44 from Iftikhar Ahmed saw the home side plunder 34 runs from their last 11 balls, and a couple of hours later, they needed every single one of them.

Star of the day

The final accolades may belong to Shinwari, but if ever a player deserved an uninterrupted moment in the spotlight the losing side of a contest, it was bashful 19-year old Umer Khan. The uncapped left-arm spinner has, alongside Fawad Ahmed, arguably been the best slow bowler in the entire competition. He was responsible for all of the first four Quetta wickets, three of them credited to his account, the fourth a runout thanks to a flawless throw from him at the boundary. He beat Watson in the flight to get him cheaply, had Rossouw stumped after he saw the batsman charging, and dragged Umar Akmal wide outside off stump to have him hole out. Every miniscule contribution would count in the end.

The big miss

Quetta have historically been hampered by the absence of international stars in their midst once the tournament moves to Pakistan. Last year, after they were knocked out in the playoffs, coach Moin Khan bitterly lamented Shane Watson’s decision not to come to Pakistan. So when, for the first time, the Australian announced he would accompany Quetta back to Karachi, it appeared he may be the difference maker. He got off to a brisk start today, and the signs looked ominous for Karachi. But then, that man Umer struck for the first time of many this evening, coaxing Watson into a loft over cow corner. Watson was reaching for it, and even on these short boundaries, failed to get the elevation required to clear Mohammad Rizwan at the boundary. He had whet the appetite of the Karachi crowd with 19 off 15, but would not be serving the main course for a change.

Where the teams stand

Karachi’s win means the race to the playoffs is over, with Karachi sealing the last qualification spot. Lahore Qalandars join Multan Sultans out of contention.

An attorney-at-law by profession, Rousseau was considered a visionary administrator for bringing in a professional set-up and initiating the corporatisation of the West Indies board

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2019Patrick Rousseau, the former president of Cricket West Indies, died on Tuesday in Jamaica. Rousseau, who hailed from Jamaica, was aged 85 and succumbed to a long illness.An attorney-at-law by profession, Rousseau was at the helm of Caribbean cricket between 1996 and 2001. He was seen as one of the visionary cricket administrators, responsible for providing a professional structure to, in addition to initiating the corporatisation of, the West Indies Cricket Board, as it was called then.A multi-faceted personality, Rousseau, who was awarded with the Order of Jamaica, was instrumental in the West Indies board’s successful bid to host the 2007 World Cup. He also launched the first professional cricket academy in the Caribbean in Grenada. He brought on board Chris Dehring as the board’s marketing head and the pair struck a lucrative broadcast deal with Sky TV that played a role in the development of cricket in the region.Rousseau created the most headlines around the turn of the millennium, as he led the board’s uncompromising stance against the players, who went on strike in 1998 before the South Africa tour. On the tour, West Indies lost the Test series 5-0 followed by another humiliation in the ODI leg which they lost 6-1 and questions were raised about Brian Lara’s captaincy.During transit, en route to South Africa, Lara led a revolt against the board asking for better financial incentives. An agreement was eventually reached and Lara, too, was retained as captain for the home series against Australia in March 1999. Lara was, however, told his performance was being monitored and he would be given performance targets. Malcolm Marshall and Clive Lloyd also lost their positions eventually as coach and manager respectively.In March 2000, Lloyd was replaced by a business executive from St Kitts, Ricky Skerritt who, recently was elected as the CWI president. Incidentally, Skerritt’s tenure would be short-lived, extending to only five series before he was dismissed halfway through his three-year contract in 2001. Rousseau, at the time, had said that his board believed in making changes “till we get the thing working efficiently.”Rudi Webster, who worked as psychologist with various West Indies teams, including Lloyd’s, was a close friend of Rousseau. After Rousseau’s death, Webster recounted the turbulent relations between the West Indies board and Lara’s team.”His great insight into reality was on display after the West Indies’ disastrous tour of South Africa where the players were reluctant to surrender part of their individual interests to build a platform on which the performance of the team and the revival of West Indies cricket could be built,” Webster said. “Back home, Brian Lara’s captaincy and position in the team were under close scrutiny.”Pat told me that neither he nor any of his board members had the skills to manage the situation successfully and asked if I would consider helping Brian during that period of crisis. He knew that Lara would go down in history as one of the world’s greatest batsmen and did not wish to place any roadblocks in the way. His strategy succeeded and Lara and his team performed amazingly well against the Australians here in the West Indies.”In a media statement, Skerritt praised Rousseau for being a “mentor” to many. “Pat was a strong man, always very focussed and determined,” Skerritt said. “He was a sharp legal and business mind, and it was reflected during his time in charge of the organisation between 1996 and 2001. Pat was also the driving force behind the incorporation of the WICB in November 1998 – starting the transformation of the organisation into becoming a more corporate operation – and the permanent relocation of the Corporate Headquarters to Antigua.”In a statement released by the ICC, the governing body’s chief executive, Manu Sawhney, said: “The death of Mr. Rousseau is sad news for the cricket world. His contribution in the game’s management has been widely acknowledged. He led cricket administration in the West Indies very capably and was a respected member of the ICC Board. It was with great sadness that we learnt of his death. On behalf of the ICC, I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to his friends and family and to our colleagues at the CWI.”

Asghar Afghan, who was removed from captaincy earlier this month, was among the 15 players picked

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2019Hamid Hassan, the 31-year-old fast bowler who last played an ODI in June 2016, has been selected among Afghanistan’s 15 players who will go to England for the 2019 World Cup.The squad will be led by Gulbadin Naib, despite criticism from senior players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi following Asghar Afghan’s removal as ODI captain less than two months before the World Cup. Afghan, however, remains a part of the squad.The 15-member squad was selected following a training camp held in Potchefstroom in South Africa that featured 23 players. Ikram Ali Khil, Karim Janat and Sayed Shirzad failed to make it to the 15, but were named as the reserve players.Four players from Afghanistan’s last ODI squad – that played against Ireland – did not make the squad: left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, left-arm fast bowlers Shapoor Zadran and Fareed Ahmad, and top-order batsman Javed Ahmadi.The selection committee said that the squad was selected after considering fitness and performances over the past six months, and that young wicketkeeper Ikram was chosen as back-up for Shahzad given the long duration of the tournament.
“As chief selector, it is my duty to select a competitive team,” Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai said. “However, there were some challenges that we needed to handle. We selected the best squad considering factors such as experience, fitness, team balance, current form and conditions.”Luckily for us, the come-back of senior fast bowler Hamid Hassan is good news. However, we will take into account his form and fitness during upcoming practice matches.”Hassan last played for Afghanistan in July 2016 against Ireland, and his last T20I was in the World T20 in India in 2016. He was picked in the T20I squad again earlier this year for the Zimbabwe series in February, but he didn’t get a game.Ahmadzai said the team’s motive was to play “inspirational cricket” in the World Cup. “It is has been a six-month preparation process for the ICC Cricket World Cup. The mission is to play inspirational cricket in the tournament; I know there are strong teams but we will do our level best to achieve our goals.”Afghanistan’s first game is against Australia on June 1.Afghanistan squad: Gulbadin Naib (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Sam Hain unbeaten on 92 in losing cause as hosts seal match inside three days

David Hopps at Taunton22-May-2019Somerset’s thoughts are firmly on the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s on Saturday, and the prospect of their first limited-overs trophy for 14 years, but once their fate is known attention will turn again to what has become a perennial question: is this the year they can win the County Championship for the first time?In fact, that’s a conservative assessment. Tom Abell, Somerset’s captain, was asked after victory over Warwickshire if they could win the treble. With the first trophy not even gathered in yet, Young Mr Abell treated the assembled media to his most bristly, firm-jawed expression he could muster and pronounced something ultra-responsible about not looking too far ahead. Quite.Warwickshire took some chiselling out on the third morning with Somerset needing a delayed lunch to complete a 49-run victory. The chief obstacle was Sam Hain, who extended his overnight 43 to 92 not out. He registered the only half-century of the match and played with a sobriety while so many others were throwing back tequila slammers.ALSO READ: Dawson, Willey in Warwickshire’s sights as Farbrace looks to lift clubWith Liam Norwell’s seven-for on debut also in mind, Warwickshire’s head coach Jim Troughton reflected: “We had the game’s outstanding batsman and bowler, but still lost the game. But we went toe to toe with Somerset who are the in-form side in the country.” Nevertheless, Somerset remain top, Warwickshire bottom, and they will be grateful that only one county goes down this season to accommodate a divisional restructuring.Not too many conclusions can be drawn from such a fast-on-the-draw encounter on a skittish pitch, but Somerset’s Championship challenge can last deep into the season, especially as an outstanding side has yet to announce itself. Jack Brookes’ return to fitness will supplement their pace bowling stocks and the fact that they have loaned out players with as much ability as Jamie Overton and Dom Bess tells of the quality at their disposal. If they lack anything, it is one more batsmen with an old-fashioned desire to bat long, a Sam Hain in other words.Victory just after one o’clock on the third day gives Somerset ample time to prepare for a Lord’s final that is somewhat devalued by the absence of Hampshire’s England do, but Abell knows that Somerset’s weakest performance over 50 overs was against a below-strength Middlesex side so remains wary of over confidence.Jason Kerr, Somerset’s coach, played down suggestions that a green surface had been prepared with an early finish in mind. He was wise to say nothing to vex the pitch inspectors, and if Somerset pushed things a little, they remained within acceptable limits.”It is not an exact science what the surface is going to do,” Kerr said. “We wanted a little bit more pace in the surface than the match against Surrey. There were only two days between the games and preparation time was limited. I don’t think anybody anticipated the cricket to be as quick or as action packed as it has been.”I encourage the cricketers to adapt themselves but there’s no doubt we need to adapt as well. There is always a fine line. I am still not comfortable at the minute. There are too many soft dismissals. But the way we are operating as a bowling unit is arguably getting us out of a little bit of trouble with the bat.”Warwickshire began the morning on 103 for 6, needing a further 136 to win on a pitch that had assisted the seamers and, to a lesser degree the spinners, throughout the game. Three wickets fell in the first hour: Henry Brookes poking at Liam Gregory’s wide outswinger; Jeetan Patel bowled leg stump by one that came back sharply; and Norwell, Warwickshire’s hero with the ball, caught at the wicket against Tim Groenewald, trying to force off the back foot.An early finish appeared to be on the cards. The Somerset members who had grumbled about free admission (“what do we get in return then?”) were probably looking at the ne’er -do-wells and thinking it was a good thing too.But Hain was dropped on 49 by Davies after getting an inside edge to a ball from Gregory and the resulting single brought up the game’s only half-century, some reward for his technical excellence and determined mindset.Norwell survived a tough caught and bowled chance to Groenewald in the same over before edging a back-foot force to the keeper in the bowler’s next over. With 99 needed from the last pair, there was minimal tension, but Oliver Hannon-Dalby provided wholehearted support.On 84, Hain was given another life when Groenewald misjudged a top-edged hook off Gregory at fine-leg and allowed the ball to drop over his head before bouncing over the rope. With lunch delayed, the last-wicket stand grew to 49 before Hannon-Dalby steered a wide ball from Gregory to Overton (who had an excellent all-round match) at gully. “We were getting a bit twitchy,” Abell admitted. But victory had been logged and it was preparation time for the Lord’s final to begin in earnest.

Century sends message of ominous form as hosts are given reminder of Australian’s qualities in opening warm-up

Melinda Farrell at the Ageas Bowl25-May-2019Steven Smith has dismissed his reception by the Hampshire crowd as “white noise” and “water off a duck’s back” after his century helped Australia to a 12-run victory over England.Both Smith and David Warner were booed loudly by large sections of the crowd when they came out to bat and when they were dismissed, but Smith was also jeered when he reached fifty and then when he completed a sprightly hundred.”I heard a few things as I went out to bat, but it didn’t really get to me,” said Smith, speaking for the first time since his return to the Australian squad. “I’m kind of just trying to keep my head down and move straight ahead and just do my job. Fortunately today I was able to score a few runs for the team and, more importantly, spend some time in the middle before our first game of the World Cup.”While players have been booed on reaching milestones before, it remains a rarity in the game, but Smith is realistic about the likelihood of similar receptions over the course of the summer.”It doesn’t bother me, it’s just doing my job and I know that I’ve got the support of my team-mates up on the balcony and that’s the most important thing. If I can make them proud out in the middle and make Australians proud as much as I can well, that’s my job.”I just blank it out. They call it white noise. When I am out there I pay no attention to the crowd and just move on with playing the game.”While fans were vocal during the match, Smith said he hadn’t received any abuse from the general public since arriving in England.”No, it’s been really good I haven’t copped any which is really nice. I guess everyone is entitled their opinion and how they want to treat people, but it is water off a duck’s back. I’ll just do my own thing and just keep working hard to play hard.”While there was booing when Smith reached his century, there was also applause – none more enthusiastic than from his team-mates standing on the dressing room balcony. Justin Langer indicated after Australia’s arrival in England that there would be special attention to the mental welfare of Smith and Warner and, after the match, Nathan Lyon emphasised the importance of mutual support over what is likely to be a gruelling summer.Steven Smith is congratulated by Nathan Coulter-Nile after reaching hundred•Associated Press

“Obviously you always feel for them but it’s part of the game isn’t it? We were expecting it,” said Lyon.”I don’t think it’s just Steve and David. I think when you’re in a team environment away from home and away from your loved ones and family etcetera, I think the word ‘care’ doesn’t get thrown around enough.”I think if you can actually care about your team-mates and staff members, I think it’s very important. At the end of the day we’re humans. Like, we all want to be loved but it just doesn’t happen like that some days so it’s just all about hanging tough together. We know that the crowds are going to be ruthless over here.”If anything, Smith’s year in exile looks to have had a positive effect on his batting. The familiar fidgety twitching and aggressively unorthodox batting hasn’t changed, but his 116 runs at the Ageus Bowl, following scores of 89 not out, 91 not out and 76 in three previous warm-up matches, suggests he is heading into the World Cup in better ODI form than he was in before the Newlands scandal forced his absence from the game.”I was actually a little bit disappointed with my one-day form probably the last 18 months – take out the last 12 – so it was nice to spend a bit of time out in the middle today and the practice games that we’ve had so far I have felt really good. Everything is going well and I’m looking forward to the first game coming now.””I’m not reading too much into it, they’re just practice games at the moment, hopefully I can keep this form for the real stuff and we’ll make a judgment then. I am feeling good, I’m feeling calm at the crease and hitting the right balls I want to the boundary.”While England had a frustrating day dominated by injury concerns, stand-in captain Jos Buttler saw much to admire in Smith’s innings.”He just looked like the Steve Smith of old, didn’t he?” said Buttler. “He just played well. He played good cricket shots and very in control of his innings.””He looks the same player doesn’t he? He was a class player twelve months ago and he still is so he hasn’t obviously forgotten how to bat in that time, he is one of the world’s best batsmen and he knows his game very well and I think that’s what you saw today.”

Tammy Beaumont’s maiden Ashes hundred goes in vain as Australia take 4-0 lead in points-based Ashes

The Report by Alan Gardner04-Jul-2019Australia took an early grip on this Women’s Ashes contest, completing a difficult chase with ominous efficiency to move 2-0 up in the ODI leg and claim another two points. Tammy Beaumont shone for England with a maiden Ashes hundred but England’s innings listed badly as Delissa Kimmince claimed 5 for 26 and Australia then marched to victory on the back of Ellyse Perry’s half-century and some composed finishing from Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen.It could have been worse for England, who saw Katherine Brunt helped from the field after twisting her ankle celebrating the wicket of Meg Lanning – though she was later able to return and bowl. However, they also might have had cause to question a tight stumping call that went Perry’s way on 4, despite not seeming to have any boot clearly grounded behind the line. Had the decision gone in favour of wicketkeeper Amy Jones, deputising after Sarah Taylor was sidelined by a “niggle”, Australia would have been 22 for 3.Despite losing both openers inside three overs, Australia showed greater collective purpose on a used pitch that was never easy to score on but did not deteriorate significantly. Perry and Rachael Haynes put on 53 for the fourth wicket to ease concerns after Brunt had bowled captain Lanning with a perfectly executed slower ball, before the seventh-wicket pair of Mooney and Jonassen banished any thought of a nervous finish to match the first ODI with a brisk 60-run stand.With Brunt limping off, England’s confidence in their ability to defend a middling target seemed to ebb. Haynes took on the slow bowlers, lofting the only six of the match off Sophie Ecclestone and using her feet well to hit down the ground; Perry was more orthodox, waiting for anything short or overpitched to pounce on as she brought up her 27th ODI half-century.Although Haynes fell to a smart caught-and-bowled by Laura Marsh, and Perry nicked a wide long-hop from Shrusbole, England could not quite force the door down. Ashleigh Gardner played around a cutter from Shrubsole to raise hopes again but Jonassen struck her third and sixth balls for four to signal her intent.England now find themselves 4-0 down in the points-based Ashes, needing to win the series outright. “We’ve done it before, going to have to turn it around very quickly,” Heather Knight, England’s captain, said. “It’s a massive game down in Canterbury [venue for the third ODI].”Tammy Beaumont raises her bat on reaching a century•Getty Images

That they were in this contest at all was largely down to Beaumont, who became the first Englishwoman to score a century in an ODI against Australia since Sarah Taylor in 2009 (and the first by anyone not called Taylor since 1993). Although she said afterwards she “never felt in”, Beaumont managed to go at almost a run a ball while scoring more than half of England’s runs; the only one of her team-mates to come close to matching her fluency was Danni Wyatt, who made 25 off 25 balls.Although England again lost Jones in the second over to Perry, there was no repeat of the top-order collapse that undermined them in the first game. Knight struggled to find scoring opportunities in her 17 off 47, but she shored up one end as Beaumont found her groove during a partnership worth 65.After Knight’s dismissal, trying to hit Gardner over the top, Beaumont raised a half-century from 44 balls. Having used Perry’s pace to get away several early boundaries, she lofted Jonassen down the ground and then took to relying on the paddle sweep against the spinners, scoring a significant proportion of her runs behind square on the leg side as Australia declined to plug the gap.Nat Sciver became the first of Kimmince’s victims, trapped lbw by one that skidded on, and Fran Wilson did not last long but Wyatt showed good purpose in helping put on another useful alliance with Beaumont. They had put England on course for what seemed like a score in the region of 250, but Wyatt was well caught by Alyssa Healy standing up to Megan Schutt and Beaumont fell in the following over, dragging on attempting a reverse-swat through the off side.Two wickets in eight balls allowed Australia to squeeze in the field, with England unable to find the boundary after the 38th over. Kimmince returned to bowl a miserly line at the death, picking up Brunt and Shrusbole in the same over and then two in two balls to finish the innings with her maiden international five-for, as England lost their last four wickets for six runs and with 2.2 overs left unbowled.

Duo hand visitors victory that trims gap to leaders Essex to just two points

Jon Culley at Edgbaston21-Aug-2019In a match of ebbs and flows, the tide was ultimately strongest for Somerset, carrying them home with wickets in hand and the best part of two hours to spare after the promise of the morning ultimately came to nothing for Warwickshire.Chasing 258 to win, Somerset had been 49 for 3 inside the first hour’s play but half-centuries from their two brightest young batsmen, 21-year-old George Bartlett and 20-year-old Tom Banton, enabled them to close out a victory that trims the gap between themselves and leaders Essex to just two points.Yorkshire, famously involved in the three-way tussle with Somerset and Middlesex that went to the last day in 2016, are not yet out of the race and the finale to this season may yet be just as dramatic, not least because Somerset’s last two opponents at Taunton, either side of a visit to Hampshire, are Yorkshire and Essex, the latter in the last week of the season.It has not escaped their captain, Tom Abell, although the task facing him now is to ensure his team adhere to the mantra of taking one match, one session at a time.”That last game is something a lot of people have been talking about and potentially it is a great prospect, but we try not to look too for ahead,” he said.”We have two games before that and each game is massive at this stage of the year. We will take each as it comes and try not to think about anything else, try to focus on what we are doing.”He felt that this match served only to emphasise the point, the win all the more remarkable given that Somerset had to fight hard to avoid being required to follow on in the first innings after Warwickshire had piled up 419.Even after a fine hundred by Steven Davies had given them foundation, it needed gritty partnerships between Dom Bess and each of the Overton brothers to see them past the follow-on point in the face of some testing bowling by the Warwickshire seamers.”Warwickshire are a good side who had us in trouble in this match and that is the nature of this division, which is why you need to be on the money every session of every game you play,” Abell said. “We can’t afford to have sessions like we did on the first day.”But we do talk about that a lot, how we answer it when our backs are to the wall, and it really does give me a lot of satisfaction to see how we were able to come back from that position. It showed great character.”The partnership between Dom Bess and Craig Overton on day two came at a crucial phase of the match. Avoiding the follow-on was massive and then that spell from Jamie Overton yesterday, the kind of spell we know he can deliver that turn games on the end, changed the game.”The session to which he referred was the one in which Overton removed Rob Yates, Michael Burgess and Henry Brookes in the space of 12 deliveries – the catalyst for a Warwickshire collapse from 107 for 4 to 146 all out, requiring Somerset to score what came down to 250 on the final day, with all wickets in hand.On a fourth-day pitch, it was never going to be plain sailing and after losing those three wickets in the morning session, with Davies, James Hildreth and Abell all departed, the early part of the afternoon could have seen the balance tip towards the home side.But Banton and Babar Azam battled through that phase, adding 90 for the fourth wicket, the former displaying maturity and adaptability beyond his years as he has on several occasions this summer. He faced 119 deliveries spread across two and a half hours for his 66, little more than a week after he hit five sixes in a 51-ball Twenty20 hundred.George Garrett, another prodigious talent, bowled impressively again on his Warwickshire debut and the wicket of Babar will join his first-innings dismissal of Bartlett in taking up permanent residence in his memory.Yet Warwickshire’s bowlers as a collective bowled less well than they had at times in the first innings, offering too many opportunities for runs. They remain next to bottom of the table, although it probably matters little given Nottinghamshire’s seemingly irreversible spiral towards relegation.Jeetan Patel found some turn, getting the wicket of Banton via an inside edge onto pad and a super catch by Tim Ambrose diving forward, but could not land the ball on the right spot often enough and Bartlett and Bess were able to turn the chase into a relative stroll by the end.

Roberts is the first CA chief executive to visit Pakistan in more than ten years with Australia slated to tour in 2022

Andrew McGlashan19-Sep-2019Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, remains cautious about the prospect of Australia resuming tours to Pakistan but said “things are heading in the right direction” following a brief visit to the country this week.Australia haven’t played in Pakistan since 1998 (although current Test captain Tim Paine was part of the World XI which travelled for T20Is in 2017) and are not scheduled to visit again until 2022 as per the Future Tours Programme.ESPNcricinfo reported in May that Roberts’ trip – the first by a CA chief executive in more than ten years – was due to take place and he said he was keen to visit the country well ahead of Australia’s next potential tour but reiterated that CA would never take any risks with the safety of their players and staff. Roberts visited Islamabad where he met with the PCB and Ministry of Interior officials to be briefed on the latest security situation.”Things are heading in the right direction, but in saying that we were travelling in armoured cars and escorted by police and felt very safe. Certainly, that level of security is still required,” he told radio.”I hope we do [go back], for the sake of world cricket and Australia’s important relationship with Pakistan. As I said to Pakistan, we share their desire to see international return, [but] we’ll never jeopardise the safety of our people and will continue to take advice from experts on the way.”We’ve got the next couple of years to hopefully plan for a tour in 2022 but we have to set that out carefully rather than rushing into it.”Roberts was accompanied on the trip by CA’s head of integrity and security Sean Carroll and he will now put together a report on the visit with proposals of what has to happen next to give the 2022 tour a chance of taking place in Pakistan.”It’s really good that’s the cricket world is opening its hearts and minds to the role of Pakistan and looking proactively and what it will take to return international cricket,” Roberts said. “There are parts of the country that are unfortunately very unsafe but there are parts where I think a number of countries would contemplate playing in the future when Pakistan are ready.”Pakistan did not host international cricket for six years after the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Zimbabwe were the first country to return in 2015 since when Bangladesh women, a World XI, Sri Lanka and both West Indies’ men and women have made brief trips.The most significant tour since 2009 is due to start later this month when Sri Lanka visit for three ODIs and three T20Is – split between Karachi and Lahore – although a host of their leading names have made themselves unavailable for the trip. CA chairman Earl Eddings is due to attend one of the T20Is in early October.

Sussex build useful position between stoppages as Shannon Gabriel suffers no-ball problem

Richard Hobson at Bristol12-Sep-2019
Gloucestershire achieved their first mission by taking the game into the final day after Sussex threatened to complete a notable success inside three days. Once the floodlights were switched on at around 5.30 it was only a matter of time before umpires Steve O’Shaughnessy and Ben Debenham halted proceedings because of bad light.Thoughts of an extra half hour ended at that point, but Ryan Higgins and Jack Taylor will resume their seventh-wicket stand in the morning with thought of survival first, second and third, target-setting a very distant fourth. Without playing exceptional or exciting cricket, Sussex have taken a grip and tightened it; they can expect to finish this round of games at least one place up, in fifth.After play began an hour behind schedule, they struck 57 more runs in 50 minutes to establish a lead of 170 on first innings. An emerging consensus suggests that while survival on the increasingly slow pitch should be relatively straightforward, playing strokes is problematic. That explains why so many Gloucestershire batmen trudged off in self-reproach through the afternoon.At least in Higgins they have the best No.7 in the country with four 2019 Championship hundreds to his name. “I think we are in a deep hole, but I am going to fight tomorrow with ‘Jacko’ to try to get us out of it,” he said. “We have been behind the eight-ball from the first day, but we have got draws out of nowhere here before.”Of all the county grounds, Bristol most needs the sun to show off its best. The flats at the Ashley Down Road end are cream and chrome with off-white blinds, the bucket seats are rows of grey, as are the floodlight pylons, and the austere building behind them to the right is a mix of grey, brown and fawn stone, like the gravel at the bottom of a fish tank. Thank goodness for the oak trees.As the clouds lifted after lunch it did look more of a picture – albeit not from the Fauvist school – and with any swing telegraphed from the hand, conditions were as good as they have been for batting. James Bracey and Chris Dent repelled the new ball so that Gloucester needed nothing more than patience, concentration and a modicum of good fortune for the afternoon ahead.Instead of frustrating the bowlers they offered too much charity. David Wiese was the first to prosper when Bracey tried to force a ball he could have left and edged behind. He was still chastising himself the other side of the rope. Gareth Roderick was more culpable still in Wiese’s next over with an elegant waft off his legs that was Gower-like in all but its destination, straight to deep square leg.Dent seemed the man for the situation. Compact and well-organised, he averages over fifty for the season and a number of team mates recently took to Twitter to offer him as an England candidate. Prising him from the crease can be as hard as persuading Ken Dodd to leave the stage. He impressed here in his ability to punish the bad ball, completing 1,000 runs for the fourth season on 41.But Miles Hammond top-edged a pull against the slow left-arm of Delray Rawlins and Dent followed three overs later tickling an innocuous ball from George Garton that he followed down the leg side. His 72 is the highest individual score for either side so far. Once again, a batsman wandered off in self-disgust while the converging Sussex players looked as surprised as they were gleeful.Ben Brown was happy to employ some funky fielding positions to account for the low, slow surface. The captain could take much credit when Tom Smith duly clipped Ollie Robinson to short midwicket. Robinson struck again with an lbw decision against Ben Charlesworth, the youngster having been missed twice already off Luke Wells, but Higgins remained dutifully robust.Not for the first time, the depth of the Sussex batting held them in proper stead. Garton, at ten, wants to be considered an all-rounder while last man Robinson has a hundred to his name. “A number of times this season the bottom five have taken the game away from the opposition,” Wiese said. “If you had offered us the close-of-play position at the start of the morning, we’d have taken it.”Sussex might have been surprised that David Payne did not enter the Gloucester attack until nine overs were bowled. Smith, the spinner, rushed through at the Ashley Down Road end and fielders chased boundaries over the rope as though speeding up an over rate of -4 was a priority. Yet Shannon Gabriel ambled through in tandem, continuing to no-ball and struggle for length.He appeared thoroughly disconsolate as he took his sweater and walked off after four overs costing 27 runs, suffering trouble with his left leg. Payne struck in his first over when Will Beer stood on his wicket, but Gloucester needed excellent catches from Charlesworth and Jack Taylor to end the innings and deny Sussex full bonus points. They had little else to cheer.

Board no longer under the charge of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai23-Oct-2019Sourav Ganguly has promised a new start for the BCCI and to do what’s best for Indian cricket. He was speaking in Mumbai soon after assuming charge as BCCI president, marking the formal end to the tenure of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.Wearing his captain’s blazer – he is the first India captain to head the board in 65 years – he pointed to the similarities in the circumstances under which he became captain, in the wake of the match-fixing scandal, to pledge a clean administration. “I’ll do it the way I know, with no compromise on credibility and corruption. That’s the way I led India.”Though his term is only for 10 months, he spoke of the issues piled up in his inbox. “Things need to be brought back in place, reforms need to be done, huge amounts of money need to be paid to state associations.””We don’t know what’s happened in the past three years, we weren’t part of it [BCCI], there were no AGMs or working committee meetings. We’ll take note of everything and do what’s best for Indian cricket.”Ganguly pledged his support to India captain Virat Kohli, calling him “the most important man in Indian cricket”. “He wants to make this team the best in the world… We have to sit with him and see what he wants. We’ll support him in every way.”Ganguly accepted his election result from the board’s electoral officer N Gopalaswami in the presence of the three outgoing CoA members and the state associations’ representatives. Ganguly and the other four office-bearers will now take over the board’s running from the CoA – currently comprising Vinod Rai, Diana Edulji and Lt Gen (retd) Ravi Thodge – which was supervising the board for the past 33 months.ALSO READ – Meet the BCCI’s new office bearers “I’m totally satisfied because we are leaving the BCCI to the governing council and the administration,” Rai said after Ganguly’s formal assumption. “Five former players in the administration could never have been better. The president is one of our most successful captains, he has had five years at the CAB and is now taking over at the BCCI. There is no one better than him to take this position.”We are agnostic about the family [relations of the office bearers] and other things. Our job was to hold the elections as per the constitution and we have done that.””I’m very happy that a former cricketer is taking over as president,” Edulji said at the headquarters before the meeting began. “I’m sure he will take the BCCI to greater heights.”