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South Australia’s captain gave them hope of a draw after Victoria’s monumental opening stand

Andrew McGlashan01-Nov-2020For the second match running, captain Travis Head led South Australia’s quest to salvage a draw after the record-breaking feats of Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski where the Victoria openers added a record Sheffield Shield partnership of 486.Pucovski might have managed a triple hundred, but instead was unbeaten on a career-best 255 – his second double century at the age of just 22 – when Peter Handscomb declared the moment Nic Maddinson fell to the first ball after lunch.Having chased leather for 139 overs, South Australia were soon 2 for 10 as Scott Boland struck twice in his second over with the new ball and a three-day finish look a possibility, but Head set about restoring some Redbacks pride with his second century in consecutive innings. There is no shortage of in-form Australian batsmen.As he did against Tasmania, where he made an unbeaten 171, Head took a positive approach and though he slowed up close to three figures the mark still came from a healthy 155 deliveries.The ball after, Henry Hunt brought up his half-century as he provided a solid foil for Head and absorbed 207 deliveries during a partnership that stood at 162 by stumps. Having enjoyed a bit of early life in the surface on the opening day, Victoria’s young pacemen found it much harder work while there was not much on offer for the spinners.Having spent such a long, dispiriting, innings in the field it was a commendable show of character from Head and Hunt to repel the bowlers for the rest of the day even on a surface now friendly for batting.Victoria will still hope to press for victory, but at the start of the day it was all about the record books. Their opening pair resumed on 0 for 418 with Pucovski on 199 and he reached double off the first ball of the day as he and Harris moved briskly up the charts.Harris was dropped at slip by Callum Ferguson with the score on 436 and it was his cover drive which took the stand to 465, surpassing the Mark Waugh-Steve Waugh landmark which was made against Western Australia at the WACA in 1990-91.As attention turned to the all-time first-class partnership lists and a 500-stand loomed, South Australia finally ended the stand when Harris gloved a short ball from Wes Agar to the keeper. After 123 overs with the pads on, Handscomb finally walked in at No. 3.

Broadcaster seeks to capitalise on ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to spread the sport to wider UK audience

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2019The World Cup final on July 14 could become the first men’s international fixture to be televised on free-to-air TV in the UK since the 2005 Ashes, after Sky Sports reneged on its previous stance and announced that it would be lowering its paywall in the event of England making it through next week’s semi-final at Edgbaston.England’s victory over New Zealand at Chester-le-Street last week guaranteed Eoin Morgan’s men a place in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1992, when they beat South Africa at Sydney but went on to lose in the final against Pakistan at Melbourne.England have not contested a final on home soil since 1979, when they lost to West Indies at Lord’s, and Sky’s executives have recognised the historic opportunity that this contest could represent, to spread the sport to as broad an audience as possible.Sky UK and Ireland Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen said: “We are proud to be the broadcaster for a home Cricket World Cup – one of the world’s biggest and most exciting sporting events.”Our aim has always been to celebrate what could be a ‘once in a generation’ moment of a home team in a big final on home soil. So, if England reach the final, we will make the match available to everyone so the whole country can be part of a rare and special big sporting moment.”Sky’s decision comes after their coverage of the tournament had been overshadowed in the UK by the women’s football World Cup, which has been broadcast throughout by the BBC. England’s semi-final against the USA on Tuesday drew 11.7 million viewers, the BBC’s biggest television audience of the year. England’s World Cup cricket fixtures, by contrast, have drawn an average of 450,000.The contrast was addressed earlier this week by the England fast bowler, Liam Plunkett, who was asked on BBC 5 Live whether he would support calls for the final to be made more accessible to the English public.”I’m not sure they’re going to do it, but it would great for everybody to be able to watch that,” Plunkett said. “Playing for England, you’re the pride of the country and you want people to be able to access that and watch that. I’m not sure it’s going to happen but for the guys, you want as many people to watch it as possible.”It’s always nice to be on a bigger platform,” Plunkett added. “Hopefully people tune in to watch that game. It would obviously be great to have as many people watching as possible, we feel like we’ve built something special here as a team. It would be nice to go all the way and to have big numbers watching that final if we get through and win, that would be huge.”A proportion of free-to-air cricket access was already set to be reinstated from next year onwards, with the advent of the ECB’s new 100-ball competition, after Sky agreed to cede some of its exclusivity to the BBC as part of a new £1.1billion rights deal from 2020-2024.Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive who brokered the deal, recently described Sky as “cricket’s best friend” – the broadcaster has been involved in cricket since 1990 and has been the exclusive partner for home internationals since 2006 – and Plunkett later tweeted to clarify his remarks.”Sky Cricket are an incredible partner for the game and have been for the past 20+ years,” he wrote. “I was asked a question & I never said that it should be on FTA. My words have been twisted & the headline is misleading. The whole country is behind us. Keep believing.”There are no details yet as to where the match would be broadcast if England did make it through. The BBC and Channel 4, the last two free-to-air channels to broadcast international cricket, would be options, although Sky might also consider making the match available via YouTube, which was the approach taken by BT Sport for the all-English Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur last month.

The allrounder will play for Renegades for the next three seasons, having signed a multi-year deal at the age of 35

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-20180:56

Dan Christian signs with Melbourne Renegades

Allrounder Dan Christian will play for Renegades for the next three Big Bash League seasons, having signed a multi-year deal with the Melbourne team at the age of 35. Christian was part of the Hobart Hurricanes side that made the BBL final in 2017-18.However, another allrounder James Faulkner has joined the Hurricanes, after spending seven seasons with the other Melbourne team, the Stars, according to a  report. The signing is meant to make up for Christian’s departure and is expected to be announced on Tuesday.”By signing Dan we know we’ve got a T20 player who has proven his ability around the world over a long period of time,” Renegades coach Andrew McDonald said. “He has the ability to change the game with his big hitting in the middle order. He also brings useful variations with the ball and plenty of experience bowling at the death, so having that option gives the team added flexibility.”Christian is presently playing in the IPL, for Delhi Daredevils coached by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, but he has been picked for only four out of 12 games. His batting form has been poor – 26 runs off 33 balls – and he has four wickets in 11.5 overs at an economy rate of 8.53.In the 2017-18 BBL, however, Christian was more productive in home conditions for Hobert Hurricanes. He scored 216 runs at a strike rate of 153 and average of 27, and took 11 wickets in 33 overs at an economy rate of 8.87.

A round-up of the final day’s matches in the 2016-17 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Inter Zonal competition

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2017
ScorecardVirat Singh delivered East Zone the title with his unbeaten 58•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Virat Singh and Ishank Jaggi zoomed to half-centuries as East Zone chased down 150 in just 13.4 overs against West Zone to clinch an eight-wicket win and the 2016-17 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Inter Zonal title. East Zone ended their tournament with a spotless record, winning all four of their matches to finish with 16 points, four ahead of second-placed Central Zone.The duo’s efforts came after right-arm pacer Pritam Das snared 2 for 25 to restrict West Zone to 149 for 5 after they were asked to bat at the Wankhede Stadium.Jaggi walked out with East Zone having made a blistering start to the chase through an opening stand of 61 in just 5.2 overs. Shardul Thakur ended the burst when he had Karthik caught behind for a 14-ball 24. Virat and Jaggi then slammed 80 runs off just 44 balls to shut the doors on a West Zone fightback. Jaggi took over as the dominant partner, scoring 56 of them himself, off 30 balls and with the help of three fours and six sixes.Thakur returned to take out Jaggi in the 13th over, but East Zone were only nine short of the target. They required only six more balls to close out the game, with captain Manoj Tiwary hitting two quick boundaries, while Virat stayed not out on 58 off 34 balls, having struck five fours and three sixes.Thakur took two wickets, but was expensive, giving away 31 runs in three overs, as were all of West Zone’s six remaining bowlers, who ended wicketless.When West Zone batted, Sheldon Jackson tried to hold the innings together with a half-century, but West Zone lost frequent wickets and made slow progress. Deppak Hooda helped Jackson add 40 for the third wicket to lift them from 36 for 2, but their stand came at only a run a ball. When Jackson fell at the start of the 15th over, caught off the left-arm spin of Pragyan Ojha, West Zone only had 92 on the board. That they got to 149 was down to Rujul Bhatt, who struck an unbeaten 36 off 20 balls.East Zone’s bowlers shared the wickets around, with Pritam Das returning 2 for 25, while Suryakant Pradhan, Sayan Ghosh and Ojha took a wicket apiece.
ScorecardFile photo – Harpreet Singh’s 92 made the difference for Central Zone in a tense chase•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the second match of the day, Central Zone scraped through by two wickets in a high-scoring clash against South Zone.After being inserted, South Zone rode on solid contributions from their middle order to post 181 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Harpreet Singh led Central Zone’s reply with a career-best 92 off 51 balls that included 10 fours and four sixes.After Vishnu Vinod set the tone for South Zone’s innings with a 15-ball 31 at the top, the trio of Dinesh Karthik (35), captain Vijay Shankar (40) and Pavan Deshpande (33 not out) formed the bulwark of the innings. Their efforts ensured South Zone finished with a strong total in spite of late strikes.Ankit Rajpoot, Aniket Choudhary and Karn Sharma took two wickets each, although Rajpoot was the most economical, giving away just 28 in four overs.Central Zone lost Naman Ojha in the second ball of the chase, before Harpreet and Amandeep Khare steadied them with a 67-run second-wicket stand. Following Khare’s dismissal for 39, the onus fell on Harpreet as none of the other batsmen made an impression. Harpreet nearly saw the team through, and though he fell at the start of the final over, Amit Mishra and Rajpoot fought nerves to knock off the remaining four runs.South Zone used six bowlers, all of whom were among the wickets, but Rahil Shah and Swaroop Kumar impressed the most with returns of 2 for 20 and 1 for 20 respectively.

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura was heartened by his team-mates’ approach while training in Khulna, after the disappointment of their series loss to Afghanistan earlier this month

Mohammad Isam14-Jan-2016Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura has said he is heartened by his team-mates’ approach while training in Khulna, as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of their series loss to Afghanistan earlier this month. He also welcomed the return of “big” players like Hamilton Masakadza, Brian Vitori and Vusi Sibanda to the T20 squad.Masakadza missed the series against Bangladesh in November last year but played against Afghanistan in the UAE, where he scored a century and two fifties across the ODIs and T20s. Both Vitori and Sibanda last played a T20 for Zimbabwe in May 2015.”Obviously it is tough [to lose to a team against whom we are expected to win]. It is disappointing, too,” he said on the eve of the first T20 against Bangladesh in Khulna. “There’s always pressure from you guys but obviously we have to make sure as professional cricketers we show good courage and bounce back. In the past two days of practice, guys have shown seriousness in their training. I am sure everyone will be looking forward to the game tomorrow.”It [return of players] is big. They are experienced, played here before. Good to have their contribution in this tour. Hamilton is showing good signs since coming back. The other guys, like Vitori, will be looking to try to raise his game to stay in the team. Sibanda is also there. They are hungry to stay in the team. It is a good combination of guys with different motivations. It will be good for the team.”Chigumbura said he may bat higher up the order to give himself more chances to bat freely. He played at No 4 five times in 2015, including once against Bangladesh, but batted down the order against Afghanistan. He also stressed on a better batting performance if Zimbabwe are to do well in the four-match T20 series.”I would love to come up top and have more time in the crease,” Chigumbura said. “In the last series, I came in a bit early in the ODIs, so you might see me up the order so I get more time to play my natural game.”We had a bad series in UAE. This is a big series for us to make sure we bounce back from the UAE. We have to make sure we play good cricket, especially with the bat. We were disappointing with our batting in the last series.”Chigumbura also said the side would continue experimenting with the line-up to find combinations that will work at the upcoming World T20.”We need to try different combinations, which we think will work at the World T20,” he said. “So at the moment we have 16 guys here instead of 15. In the next four games you won’t be shocked to see different guys batting in different batting positions.”Maybe one guy playing first two games and resting the other two. It is going to be mainly for preparation for the World T20. At the same time we have to play good cricket.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second semi-final between India and Sri Lanka

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran19-Jun-2013

Match Facts

Thursday, June 20
Start time 1030 (0930 GMT)Ravindra Jadeja is having a sensational year•Associated Press

The Big Picture

Even as Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty were doing their darnedest to drive Australia to a sensational victory over Sri Lanka at The Oval, there were plenty of non-Australians cheering them on, just so that the cricket world will be spared yet another India-Sri Lanka ODI. In the last five years, the two sides have met a mind numbing 44 times in ODIs, and will face off again in a tri-series in the Caribbean starting next week. The teams are so familiar with each other and their strategies that MS Dhoni said: “You can also cut the extra 15 minutes of time in a team meeting and keep it simple.”At least unlike a majority of those previous encounters, Thursday’s clash is a high-stakes, high-profile game. Even that could be ruined, though, as the weather forecast is dire. Sri Lanka, whose cricket season at home is regularly blighted by rain, are the only team to have been fortunate to get three full group matches, but that run looks set to come to an end with plenty of showers expected in Cardiff.What’s worse for Sri Lanka is that, in case of a washout, India will go through on account of being winners of Group B. The Champions Trophy is marketed as a “short, sharp” tournament, but not having a reserve day for the knockout matches is stretching that concept a bit too far. The only other times these teams have met in the Champions Trophy was also in a big game, the final in 2002, which was washed out despite the reserve day.A week ago, midway through the league stage, Sri Lanka seemed headed for the exit as Ravi Bopara’s burst in the final over lifted England to 293. Sri Lanka, however, hunted down that total before reeling off an impressive victory over Australia to progress to the semi-finals, a stage they regularly reach in global tournaments. Despite that, they have precious little silverware to show so far, something the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara will be desperate to change.To achieve that, they have to get past the form team of the tournament. There had been a bit of trepidation over how a revamped India would cope with the loss of vastly experienced players like Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. Their absence hasn’t been felt yet, as India’s new opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have been prolific, and Ravindra Jadeja’s miraculous season continues. A team traditionally filled with slow-coaches has now been transformed to one the normally cautious Dhoni calls “the best fielding side in the world”. In the crunch matches, though, will the inexperience show?

Form guide

(Most recent first, last five completed matches)
India WWWLW
Sri Lanka WWLLW

Watch out for…

Two of Sri Lanka’s batting giants, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, have already played match-winning innings in this tournament. The third, Tillakaratne Dilshan, hasn’t hit the same heights, though he has contributed with the ball, and took an athletic caught-and-bowled that confirmed Sri Lanka’s qualification. Dilshan has top scored in Sri Lanka’s two longest ODI tournaments in recent years, the World Cup and the CB series in 2011-12. Sri Lanka will be looking to him to lift his game when it counts once again.R Ashwin has firmly established himself as India’s lead spinner, and has grown so much in confidence that he even attempted a conventional legspinner in the Pakistan match. India’s bowling has yet to be strenuously tested in this tournament, and with a callow pace attack that is yet to prove itself under serious pressure, Ashwin’s role assumes even more importance.

Team news

India are unlikely to make any changes to the line-up that has served them so well in the league phase.India (probable) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh YadavSri Lanka are also likely to retain the same XI. The one change they might consider is bringing in Thisara Perera for Shaminda Eranga.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Lahiru Thirimanne, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Shaminda Eranga/Thisara Perera

Pitch and conditions

Pitches in Cardiff have been of contrasting nature. More than 600 runs were scored in the opening match, and the next was a low-scoring thriller between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in which 19 wickets went down for 277 runs. The semi-final will be played on a fresh surface that hasn’t yet been used in the tournament.More than the pitch, though, the weather will be key – light to heavy rain is expected through the day, which will lead to a curtailed match or, at worst, a washout.

Stats and trivia

• In the last five years, India and Sri Lanka have played 54 matches against each other across formats, the most by any two teams in a five-year span
• Among active players, no batsman has more runs against one team than Kumar Sangakkara has against India – 2435.
• Of Rohit Sharma’s eight ducks, five have come against Sri Lanka.

Quotes

“There’s no room for revenge in sport, but yes, if we can beat the Indians, I think it’ll be a great achievement for the whole team because, you know, there are thoughts about the World Cup final, and the recent history against them is not very good for Sri Lanka.”

“We are used to [Lasith] Malinga. We play him so many times in IPL. He reverses the ball and remains dangerous.”

Ben Cutting, the Queensland fast bowler, has become the third paceman to withdraw from Australia A’s tour of England due to injury

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2012Ben Cutting, the Queensland fast bowler, has become the third paceman to withdraw from Australia A’s tour of England due to injury, flying home following the conclusion of the tourists’ opening match against Derbyshire.Cutting, 25, had not been selected in the XI for the match, and was diagnosed with a back problem that necessitated his return home.In departing early from the tour, Cutting joined Pat Cummins and James Pattinson as fast bowlers unable to gain valuable experience in English climes on the tour due to injury.Cummins did not make the start of the tour, picking up a side strain during the preceding ODI tour by the senior team and heading home to Sydney.Pattinson played in the final two matches of that series before complaining of an abdominal strain and being sent home as Australia A prepared for their tour with a training camp in Southampton.Alister McDermott and Nathan Coulter-Nile were called into the squad in place of Cummins and Pattinson, and Cutting’s injury has enhanced their chances of taking part in the next match of the tour, against Durham from Wednesday.

Karnataka’s annual state-level Twenty20 tournament, the Karnataka Premier League, has hit a roadblock

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2011Karnataka’s annual state-level Twenty20 tournament, the Karnataka Premier League, has hit a roadblock. According to reports, six of the eight franchises have asked for this year’s event – scheduled to be held from September 1 to 15 – to be postponed and have also complained about lack of assistance from the host Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) during previous editions.The franchises told the KSCA in a letter that rains could mar the tournament in September and there was hardly any time for doing promotional activities. The owners also expressed concerns over losing key Karnataka players as the KPL clashes with the BCCI’s corporate limited-overs tournament. They have requested that the tournament be held in February 2012.In another letter, the owners along with the title sponsors have said that the KSCA has not done enough to promote the tournament, especially during its second edition. The tournament was launched in 2009 under the SN Wadiyar-Brijesh Patel-led administration.Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath, who is the secretary of the Anil Kumble-led KSCA administration which took over in November last year, said the matter would be resolved shortly. “We thought that September would be ideal and had also finalised July 27 as the player-auction date,” Srinath told the . “The owners have now sought a change in dates and we will look into it but we have to look at the BCCI calendar too and at the moment we are not sure about the international games we will get.”If there is a suitable window later we can have the tournament then. Even if Bangalore is not in a position to host some of the games, we will take the tournament to the rural centres. These are all operational issues and I am sure we can find a way and work around it.”

At least two boards are said to have given assurances to David Morgan, the outgoing ICC president in the last week, that they would support Howard only to change their minds eventually

Osman Samiuddin01-Jul-2010Support for John Howard’s appointment to the vice-presidency of the ICC fell away “significantly” in the last week with at least a couple of the boards, which eventually opposed the move, changing their stance in that time. What brought about the change, however, is not yet clear.Howard’s appointment was rejected on Wednesday by six of the ICC’s ten Full Members, thought to consist of the subcontinent boards of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as South Africa and the West Indies. Zimbabwe is said to have provided the most vocal opposition privately and led the movement and, though they didn’t sign the letter that brought matters to such a head, they are believed to have played a prominent part in the decision.At least two boards are said to have given assurances to David Morgan, the outgoing ICC president in the last week, that they would support Howard only to change their minds eventually. “There had been a significant shift downwards in the level of support – that is a shift of support away from John Howard in the last week,” Morgan told Cricinfo, though he didn’t identify where the support fell away, or why it did.Ehsan Mani, the former ICC head who remains close to senior figures within the ICC, said the PCB and BCB – who had said they would seek government advice over the issue – had assured Morgan recently of their support, but backed down. “Both Bangladesh and Pakistan had assured David Morgan recently that they would support John Howard and I find it strange that they eventually opposed the move,” Mani told Cricinfo. “Were their arms twisted over the course of the last week? What made them change their stance?”None of the opposing members or the ICC has spoken publicly about the objections and under ICC rules they are not required to. Sri Lanka’s concern arose from Howard being a figure from outside cricket’s administrative fraternity. Others such as Zimbabwe and South Africa are believed to have based their disapproval on Howard’s past political leanings, particularly with the government of the former.The anger within the Australia and New Zealand boards, however, stems from not being given any concrete objections privately either. “There’s been no clear indication of what objections there were and that is disappointing in many ways to Australia and New Zealand,” said Morgan, who stepped down from his post on Thursday.”They went through a rigorous process to choose between two excellent candidates and I am disappointed that I was unable to push that nomination through. The new president [Sharad Pawar] and I had supported the nomination [the ICC press release of the time had expressed support to the rather than the nomination] but unfortunately I was unable to see it through,” Morgan said.The issue doesn’t show signs of being resolved any time soon. CA, it is understood, will continue backing Howard, though the ICC again urged the two boards to reconsider their nomination by August 31. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, refused to be drawn into speculating what would happen if Howard’s name was put up again. “I think that’s speculative and we must wait for August 31 and see what comes forward,” he said at a press conference in Singapore.Morgan believes one casualty of this conflict may be the system of putting forward a candidate for the post, which has already been through a number of guises since the mid 1990s. Currently nominations are put forward by a pair of regionally-aligned countries on a rotational basis: Howard was Australia and New Zealand’s choice. Pakistan and Bangladesh are next in line to put forward a nomination; one candidate will emerge from India and Sri Lanka; England and West Indies, and South Africa and Zimbabwe are the remaining regional pairings. In the past more general systems have been used, as well as variants of a regional policy.”The rotational system was used for the first time this time,” Morgan said. “There is a commitment to retain it but I have my doubts that it will stand.”There are broader concerns from yesterday’s development, in particular the apparent realigning of loyalties along lines that were thought to have mattered less in the last decade, those of race. The power of the Asian bloc was said to have weakened as the BCCI and CA drew closer in recent years to benefit from a profitable and exciting rivalry.But CA chairman Jack Clarke said yesterday that his board would be “cautious” in their dealings with the BCCI in future. “I think the lessons to be learnt for CA would be big ones after this incident,” Mani said. “Australia threw all their eggs into one basket over the last few years and it’s come back to bite them because they lost support from other boards while pursuing the BCCI.”But I think it is important for cricket to do some serious soul-searching and for the administration to draw a line somewhere about how one board can effectively have so much strength to be able to run the entire game. There needs to be a counter-balance.”

Smith, Maxwell and Head lead the charge for Washington, who lost just one game in MLC 2024

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2024Steven Smith led Washington Freedom to the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 title as they romped to an overwhelming 96-run victory against San Francisco Unicorns in Dallas. Smith and Australia team-mate Glenn Maxwell dominated with the bat then Unicorns’ chase disintegrated with Marco Jansen claiming both openers among his three wickets.The result cemented Freedom’s standing as the team of the season having secured five wins in the group stage before progressing direct to the final with victory over Unicorns in the Qualifier. This contest turned their way through a stand of 83 off 39 balls between Smith and Maxwell as Freedom added 121 in the second half of their innings.Smith, who was overlooked for Australia’s T20 World Cup squad earlier this year, overcame a sluggish start in the powerplay to make 88 off 52 balls including six sixes. Having been 10 off 12 balls in the sixth over he sped to a 34-ball fifty and ended the season as the joint second-leading run-scorer, alongside Travis Head, with 336 at a strike-rate of 148.67.Head, who has struck at over 170 during the tournament, fell early to Pat Cummins when he edged to slip, where Finn Allen held on at the second attempt, having been given a life in the opening over. But Andries Gous gave Freedom’s innings impetus as Smith found his feet although when Haris Rauf removed Rachin Ravindra after the midway mark, it was an even contest at 86 for 3.Glenn Maxwell found form towards the end of the tournament•MLC

Then Smith and Maxwell, the latter having found form in the closing stages of the tournament, took charge included 28 coming off the 13th over from Juanoy Drysdale. Smith produced an outrageous scoop for six off Rauf and was in sight of a century when he got a top edge off Cummins.It appears likely that Smith’s T20I career is over following his World Cup omission and absence from the squad to face Scotland and England in September as the selectors look to the future, but it has been a profitable few weeks for him in the US.Though Maxwell also fell in the next over, superbly caught by Josh Inglis, Freedom were still able to cross 200.Unicorns’ chase never got off the ground. Jake Fraser-McGurk’s low-key tournament ended when he edged into the stumps against Jansen to leave him with 81 runs at 11.57 then both Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Allen also fell inside the powerplay to leave a daunting task. Sherfane Rutherford was superbly caught at deep backward square by Ian Holland the ball after being dropped and the rest of the batting fell away amid a huge asking rate.Freedom’s victory gave Ricky Ponting a title as coach a couple of weeks after leaving his role with Delhi Capitals.