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Pakistan’s top order gave a better display in their second attempt to chase under lights in Abu Dhabi, but stuttered after a good opening partnership to reach 108 for 3 after 25 overs

The Report by Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2012England 250 for 4 (Cook 102, Bopara 58) beat Pakistan 230 all out (Misbah 47, Finn 4-34) by 20 runs
ScorecardSteven Finn ended with 4 for 34 – the same as his figures in the first ODI – this time cleaning up the Pakistan tail•Getty Images

England’s revival in the one-day format continued as impressive death bowling secured a 20-run victory in Abu Dhabi and a 2-0 series lead to ensure another hundred from Alastair Cook laid the foundations for success. Pakistan made it a much tighter chase than two days ago, but paid the price for not having a batsman convert into something substantial, as Cook had managed for the second innings in a row.The game was England’s when Misbah-ul-Haq was breathtakingly caught by Craig Kieswetter as the wicketkeeper ran back under a spiralling top edge and clung on despite needing to dive full length. The other crucial moment had come two overs earlier – in the 45th – when Shahid Afridi, who was dropped at long-off when Stuart Broad couldn’t hold a tough chance, then took two boundaries off Samit Patel’s last over to threaten a charge. However, he swung and missed at James Anderson who then completed a maiden against the hapless Abdur Rehman.Misbah could only watch on as Rehman was beaten delivery after delivery by England’s quick bowlers to turn the closing stages of the chase from tough to near impossible. He only managed 1 from 12 balls despite being given a free hit by Steven Finn who then responded by hitting the stumps twice in two deliveries; the second ending Rehman’s forlorn stay. Finn cleaned up the final two wickets to replicate his opening-match figures of 4 for 34 in another reputation-enhancing display.Pakistan didn’t help their cause with some gifted wickets. They had played sensibly to see off Finn’s early threat – his first spell was five overs for six – but Mohammed Hafeez chipped Anderson to midwicket from the second ball of the bowling Powerplay. His opening partner, Imran Farhat, was run out when he lost awareness of where the ball had gone following an lbw appeal. Broad swooped from his follow through and hit with an under-arm flick.Patel then underlined how useful he is becoming to England’s one-day team. On a wearing surface he proved difficult to score off (until Afridi’s brief foray) and claimed the key scalp of Younis Khan who missed a paddle sweep. Nine overs later, as Azhar Ali and Misbah were starting to build a partnership, Patel beat Azhar’s attempt to cut with a ball that skidded through.Each time Pakistan threatened England found the breakthrough and Patel’s impact on the match extended to his often-derided fielding when he held a fiercely struck cut from Umar Akmal low down at cover. Akmal wasn’t sure it had carried but, unlike as is often the case, the third umpire was happy the catch was clean.Cook’s role in the field should not be underestimated either. He switched his bowlers around confidently and reacted to situations more swiftly than has previously been seen. The last three days couldn’t really have gone much better for him as he became the first England captain to score back-to-back one-day hundreds.Cook’s timing and placement stood out. Early on he punched Aizaz Cheema off the back foot between mid-off and cover then, when spin was introduced after surprisingly being overlooked for five overs, collected consecutive boundaries off Hafeez with a flick through midwicket and another drive. He survived one chance, on 28, when Akmal dropped an edge off Afridi to highlight the risk of not playing a specialist wicketkeeper. It became very costly.Kevin Pietersen again failed to make a convincing case as an opener before falling to Saeed Ajmal•AFP

A strong slog-sweep took him to 49 and his fifty came from 66 balls. For lengthy periods he was content to keep the scoreboard ticking with nudges and flicks, but would occasionally kick-start the scoring with a small flurry of boundaries as was the case during the batting Powerplay when he dispatched Umar Gul. Having reached his hundred off 118 balls, he couldn’t quite take his innings as deep this time when a leading edge looped back to Afridi.It wasn’t only Cook’s innings that produced similarities to the opening match. Kevin Pietersen was again out-scored in the opening stand which ended on 67 when he was trapped lbw by Saeed Ajmal from around the wicket. He had previously survived a close lbw shout on 23 against Afridi which led to Pakistan using up their one referral. Significantly for England, however, this was the first innings of the tour where they weren’t dominated by Ajmal as he ended with a moderate 1 for 54.Jonathan Trott, who fell first ball to Afridi in the opening match, again didn’t look entirely convincing against the legspinner but settled in alongside Cook in a partnership that always has the potential to spark debate. The stand produced 49 runs in 11 overs until Trott edged a short, wide delivery from Cheema to Akmal.It was then over to Team Essex again. Ravi Bopara took time to play himself in and his innings never became an onslaught even in the closing overs, but the pitch was not conducive to free-flowing scoring. He and Eoin Morgan, who finally spent some time at the crease, ensured no late collapse and the way England batted throughout suggested they had a clear total in mind that they were confident of defending. Their calculations proved astute.

South Africa Under-19 completed a 5-0 spanking of Zimbabwe Under-19 with a 71-run win in the fifth match at Newlands

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011
Scorecard
South Africa Under-19 completed a 5-0 spanking of Zimbabwe Under-19 with a 71-run win in the fifth match at Newlands. Home captain Keaton Jennings opted to bat first after winning the toss, and half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Malcolm Nofal boosted South Africa to 276 for 6. The Zimbabweans were never really in the running, but some gritty batting from Brian Chari and Ryan Burl did at least give them the satisfaction of passing 200 against opponents who have proved stronger in every discipline in the course of the series.Jennings, who was named Man of the Series for his 208 runs and three wickets, had a torrid time negotiating Vuyisile Mapala’s outswing early on but settled in and contributed 26 to a 64-run opening stand. His dismissal barely slowed de Kock down as he soon raced to fifty, and after he ran past one of Liberty Nherera’s offspinners to be bowled for 69 Nofal took up the attack.He had made 78 before he was caught at long-on in the final over, and with support from Shaylin Pillay (40) and a brutal 12-ball 31 from Johan du Preez – who hit the last three balls of the innings for a six and two fours – South Africa reached a total that appeared well out of reach of Zimbabwe.Chari and Matthew Bentley put together a bright 44-run partnership for the second wicket to help their team weather the early loss of Kevin Kasuza, but after Bentley got an edge to an attempted dab down to third man South Africa chipped steadily away at the Zimbabwean line-up. Nofal, who was named Man of the Match, did most of the damage with three quick wickets that ripped the heart out of the middle order.Chari’s defensive knock reached fifty in the 34th over, by which time the asking rate had edged close to nine-an-over. But for a couple of lusty hits from Chari and Burl thereafter, Zimbabwe might not have reached 200 at all and once they were dismissed the innings quickly capitulated.The teams now face up in two Twenty20s, with the first being played at Paarl on Saturday.

Ruhuna, Kandurata, Wayamba and Basnahira South qualified to play in the semi-finals of the Inter-provincial Limited Overs to be played on Friday

Sa'adi Thawfeeq17-Feb-2010Ruhuna, Kandurata, Wayamba and Basnahira South qualified to play in the semi-finals of the Inter-Provincial Limited Overs to be played on Friday (February 19). Ruhuna will take on Basnahira South at Moratuwa while the other semi-final will be a repeat of the final round-robin match between Kandurata and Wayamba. It will be played at the NCC.At the completion of the round-robin league stage, Ruhuna ended on top of the standings after their final game at P Sara Oval against Basnahira South ended in a no-result due to rain. Chasing Basnahira South’s total of 230 for 8, Ruhuna were not happily placed being 61 for 4 after 15 overs when the interruption occurred. Basnahira South and Basnahira North tied with 10 points for fourth spot. But as Basnahira South had won the round-robin league match against their opponent they qualified for fourth place, although Basnahira North had a better net run-rate.It was hard on Basnahira North because they had beaten SLC Combined XI in their final match by three wickets at De Zoysa Stadium and had all but qualified to play in the semi-finals.Kandurata, who had held onto the lead right from the start of the competition eventually ended in second place when they suffered their second defeat. Kandurata was unfortunate to lose on the D/L method by two runs at Pallekele after rattling off an impressive 312-4, during which opener Kaushalya Weeraratne hit a brilliant 143 off 158 balls (16 fours, three sixes) and Chamara Kapugedera an attractive 88. Wayamba scored their runs at a good pace keeping an eye on the weather and when rain stopped play they were 147 for 3 off 25 overs which under the D/L method was two runs ahead of the target. The final is scheduled for Sunday (February 21) at Moratuwa.

Robinson was also impressed by the composure showed by Jacobs in his maiden international game

Firdose Moonda16-Jul-2025Tim Robinson has only done it once (maybe twice if you consider this game) but already, he can tell he won’t be able to get enough of being the player that seals the deal for his team.”It’s a great feeling contributing to a win for your country and it’s an addicting feeling and one that I hope to replicate later on,” Robinson said after his career-best 75 not out contributed to New Zealand’s 21-run win in the Zimbabwe T20I tri-series.Related

• Robinson, Duffy, Henry step up as NZ subdue South Africa

Robinson and debutant Bevon Jacobs shared a sixth-wicket stand of 103 – New Zealand’s second highest in that position – and took the innings from a stuttering 70 for 5 for a competitive 173 for 5. While the Harare Sports Club is known for being fairly flat and conducive to run-scoring, Robinson credited South Africa’s four-seam attack with making things difficult for New Zealand upfront.”The Proteas bowling was exceptional,” he said. “Their lengths and the use of the long side was really impressive and they bowled really well with the newer ball. It was hard to find momentum when we were continuing to lose wickets but as we got on and took it deeper and deeper, we could capitalise.”Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson gave New Zealand late impetus•Zimbabwe Cricket

It was, in fact, against South Africa’s seamers that Robinson and Jacobs found runs. Robinson took 27 runs off 20 balls he faced from Corbin Bosch, including five fours, and 23 off 15 balls from Gerald Coetzee, off whom he hit both sixes, but that was only once they were together for some time and had worked out their run-scoring strategy.”The way we thought about it was that the longer we spent at the crease, the easier runs would come,” Robinson said, “and we couldn’t quite afford to lose many more wickets. We tried to take it as deep as we possibly could and then run hard to the long side.”New Zealand ran 29 singles and six twos to what Robinson referred to as the longer side, compared to South Africa’s 21 singles and three twos, which was ultimately the difference between the two sides. They both hit 13 fours and six sixes but New Zealand’s fielding kept South Africa quieter than they would have liked when they needed to counterattack with quick singles. New Zealand also managed to finish their innings strongly, with 95 runs from the last nine overs and 43 from the final three.The composure shown by Jacobs, in his first match, was a highlight and Robinson was full of praise for his batting partner. “He’s an amazing guy. You look at him and he’s quite the big guy and you think he should hit a big ball and he sure does,” Robinson said. “It was fantastic batting with him. What stood out for me was when he came out he was very calm and looked to really enjoy it. He looked completely comfortable out there and played a really really good knock. He’s going to play a lot of cricket and it’s very exciting watching him bat.”New Zealand will next play hosts Zimbabwe, who lost to South Africa in the series opener on Monday, in two days’ time and expect they will have to change their approach slightly.”Zimbabwe are going to pose a different challenge on Friday and we pride ourselves on trying to adapt as quick as we possibly can,” Robinson said.

Afghanistan have nine wickets left as they seek to wipe out the 42 runs remaining in their deficit

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Feb-2024Afghanistan came surging back into the Test on day three, first polishing off the Sri Lanka tail quickly, before Ibrahim Zadran put up big stands with Noor Ali Zadran and Rahmat Shah, as he completed a valiant maiden Test century.Ibrahim and Shah remained unbeaten at the close, which means Afghanistan have nine wickets left as they seek to wipe out the 42 runs remaining in their deficit, and establish a lead that will test Sri Lanka. The surface had not yet begun to take ripping turn, and remained excellent for batting. But Afghanistan do have two spinners in their attack – albeit very inexperienced – who may be able to exploit what assistance there is.Sri Lanka will rue their missed chances. Ibrahim had been on 39 when he came down the pitch to smash a Prabath Jayasuriya delivery straight back to the bowler, who let it burst through his fingers and on to the boundary for four. The easier of the chances came to Nishan Madushka at short mid on when Ibrahim was on 63. This was again struck hard, but at a catchable height near his head. He got his hands up, but couldn’t quite wrap his fingers around the ball.Related

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Sri Lanka’s bowlers were largely disciplined, even if they could not coax life out of a pitch that had become good for batting. Asitha Fernando was the best of them, delivering some excellent bursts of short-pitched bowling, as well as some outstanding fuller deliveries, one of which yielded the only Afghanistan wicket to fall – that of Noor, for 47.But the day belonged to Ibrahim. He had his outside edge occasionally beaten with the new ball and was scoreless for 14 deliveries, but once he got moving, he kept a steady tempo. His first runs were via a glance to the fine leg boundary, but early in his innings he was mostly strong in the arc between cover and mid off. Between the boundaries, which came principally off full and slightly wide deliveries, there was a substantial diet of singles all around the wicket. Ibrahim took 84 balls to get into his 30s. During his 106-run partnership with Noor, the primary goal seemed to be to bat time.The half-century came off the last over before tea, and in the evening Ibrahim consolidated. He was hitting boundaries through long on and midwicket now. Sri Lanka attempted all sorts of catching men to try and lure a mistake, but aside from that dropped chance on 63, Ibrahim found ways to progress without taking risks. He was mostly only trying to hit fours off the bad deliveries – usually ones that were overpitched. He got to his hundred – the fourth ever for Afghanistan – off the last over of the day.Asitha Fernando removed Noor Ali Zadran•AFP/Getty Images

Noor’s innings, in contrast to Ibrahim’s was troubled, but he nevertheless stuck it out for 136 deliveries and fell only three runs short of what would have been a maiden fifty on debut. He was particularly uncomfortable against Asitha’s burst of bouncers soon after lunch, but he survived it narrowly, and it would only be in the third session that Asitha would get him out, pinging him in front of leg stump with a fast, full delivery. Noor made the majority of his runs behind the wicket – a reflection, partly, of how short Sri Lanka bowled to him.Rahmat, who got to 46 off 98 before stumps, and was part of a 93-run unbeaten partnership with Ibrahim, made all but 11 of his runs on the offside. He was strong down the ground, especially, finding thre of his five boundaries there.Sri Lanka’s attack was upset by a blow to Chamika Gunasekara, who in the morning was hit on the head, seemed to suffer the effects a few overs after he was hit, and was taken off the field and to further tests in hospital. Kasun Rajitha, who replaced him as concussion substitute, was the most expensive of Sri Lanka’s bowlers on Sunday, going at 4.30 across his 10 overs.The others were more disciplined, even if only Asitha seriously threatened to take wickets through much of the day. Jayasuriya will be especially disappointed he has nothing in the wickets column after delivering 32 overs, though nine of those were maidens.Early in the day, Afghanistan had claimed three wickets for 39 to close out Sri Lanka’s first innings at 439. The most important wicket of the morning was the first – that of Sri Lanka’s last recognised batter Sadeera Smarawickrama, who edged Naveed Zadran to gully.The two next wickets were not long in falling. Naveed hit the top of Jayasuriya’s off stump before, next over, Nijat Masood bowled Asitha Fernando first ball, with Asitha having come in after Gunasekara retired hurt.Naveed’s take for the innings was 4 for 83. Masood and Qais Ahmed claimed two wickets apiece.

India crashed to their first defeat in the last 17 chases in T20Is at home

Himanshu Agrawal04-Oct-20221:32

Jaffer: India should have played a full-strength XI and pushed for a 3-0 win

Rilee Rossouw smashed his first T20I century as South Africa put up their fourth-highest total in the format, and India crumbled in their chase of 228. The 49-run reversal was the first defeat in their last 17 chases in T20Is at home.Rossouw cracked 100* – a score he reached off 48 balls – and added 90 free-flowing runs for the second wicket with Quinton de Kock. That partnership came off just eight overs, and included seven fours and six sixes, most of which were hit in the arc between deep midwicket and fine leg. De Kock hit 68 from 43 deliveries, starting off by flicking Mohammed Siraj for four and six in the second over.In their reply, India went hard, too, as they had to looking at the target, despite losing Rohit Sharma for a duck to the second ball of the innings. They lost four wickets after only seven overs, but managed to post 78 with exactly as many fours and sixes as Rossouw and de Kock had. In the end, the target proved far too big.Rilee Rossouw and Quinton de Kock added 90 runs for the second wicket in quick time•Getty Images

Rossouw and de Kock’s redeem themselves
After failing to score a single run in the first two matches of the series, Rossouw started with three dots, before making up rapidly; by the end of the ninth over, he was on 30 off 15 balls, going after each of Siraj, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin.He flicked, pulled, swiped and hoicked at will, with neither the fuller lengths nor the shorter ones bothering him. A lot of luck went Rossouw’s way, too: first, when on 24, he slog-swept Ashwin, only for the ball to pop out of Siraj’s hands and go for six at fine leg.At the other end, de Kock made up for taking his time in the second T20I in Guwahati, where his 69* from 48 balls hurt South Africa in their chase. He raced to his fifty off 33 balls this time, pulling Umesh over fine leg to get to the landmark. The first ten overs raised 96, as the two raced along.The partnership ended when de Kock was run-out at the beginning of the 13th over.India had held back their left-arm spinner Axar Patel until 13 overs with two left-hand batters going gung-ho at the crease, and Rossouw just proved India’s fears right by slogging Axar’s third ball for six to reach his fifty off 27 balls.Rossouw then pulled Harshal Patel in the 15th over, with the ball just going over a leaping Umesh at fine leg. In the next over, he bisected long-on and deep midwicket as Deepak Chahar attempted a yorker. The last three overs fetched 50 runs for South Africa, including Tristan Stubbs’ cameo of 23 and David Miller’s final-over onslaught.Miller crashed three sixes off Chahar, as South Africa hit 24 off the final over. Their total boosted to 227.1:59

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India, thin on batting, fall well short
In the chase, at 4 for 2 after the first ten balls – having lost Rohit and Shreyas Iyer – India promoted Dinesh Karthik, the designated finisher, to No. 4 despite the presence of Suryakumar Yadav [Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had been rested for the game].He declared his intentions first ball by pulling Wayne Parnell for four to deep midwicket. Next over, Rishabh Pant – who had opened alongside Rohit – hit Kagiso Rabada for four. The early boundaries gave India hope, and the full house at the Holkar Stadium something to cheer about after the Indian bowlers had been carted around earlier.With only 25 on the board after four overs, Pant went 4, 6, 4, 6 off Lungi Ngidi, before Stubbs’ brilliant catch at cover-point sent him back for 27 off 14 balls. India were three down after five overs, with another 183 to get at a required run-rate of over 12.That’s when Karthik brought out his full repertoire of strokes, attacking Parnell for 6, 4, 6 in the final over of the powerplay. He then deposited Keshav Maharaj for consecutive sixes next over, but in an attempt to be too creative, he was bowled trying to reverse scoop the spinner.An innings of 46 from 21 deliveries came to an end, and with it India’s hopes too. Their allrounders were slotted in as early as No. 6, with Axar followed by Harshal, Ashwin and Chahar.Harshal, Chahar and Umesh entertained with 17, 31 and 20* respectively, but India folded with nine balls left.

Veteran allrounder contributes 15 sixes and 160 out of 166-run partnership for ninth wicket

David Hopps21-May-2021The oldest swinger in town was at it again in Canterbury, clubbing the ball to all parts, defying age and occasionally defying logic. Darren Stevens played one of the most remarkable attacking innings witnessed in the Championship for many a year as he again underlined his status as one of the most notable servants county cricket has ever known.Stevens’ resounding assault on Glamorgan’s bowling, glorious in its simplicity, brought him 190 from 149 balls. Kent, at one time 128 for 8, made 307 as he walloped 15 sixes and 15 fours. On a day of strong breezes which bent tree branches, removed umpires’ caps and caused advertising boards to take flight, the Stevens whirlwind settled in the middle of the square and caused the most damage of all.At 45 years and 21 days, he became the oldest player to score a first-class century since Chris Balderstone (45 years, 247 days) for Leicestershire in July 1986. (Geoffrey Boycott might remind you that he was a slightly older 45-year-old when he struck two centuries earlier that month, although without Stevens’ shower of sixes.)To put things in perspective, before this round of matches the leading six-hitter in the Championship was Nottinghamshire’s Tom Moores… with seven. To further put things into perspective, Stevens entered this game with six single-figure scores on the bounce. In the past two years he has virtually had to talk his way into squeezing another year’s contract. Kent supporters will hope he again has the gift of the gab in September because they are not yet ready to let go. He is a player who can’t be pinned down, who every so often does wondrous things with bat or ball.How fortunate we feel as we edge gingerly out of this global pandemic, like rabbits out of burrows, to witness cricket so free of guile. How blessed Stevens must feel to still be playing on; he lost his father, who loved watching him play, to a Covid-related illness about a year ago, and lived in a caravan for two weeks on his cousin’s driveway in Leicester so he could talk through the window to his mum, who was self-isolating. Dreadful times, and these are the days that we treasure more strongly as a result.Greedily for the statisticians, the six that mattered most was the one that got away. If only Stevens had made a sweeter connection with a blow down the ground against the legspin of the Australia Test batsman, Marnus Labuschagne, he would have equalled the most sixes in English first-class cricket, jointly held by Graham Napier and Andrew Symonds. As soon as he hit it, he walked away from the crease, pausing momentarily to glance over his shoulder to confirm that Kiran Carlson had held the catch at long-on.

Most sixes in County Championship innings

• 16 – Andrew Symonds, Gloucestershire v Glamorgan, Abergavenny, 1995

• 16 – Graham Napier, Essex v Surrey, Whitgift School, 2011

• 15 – Kevin Pietersen, Surrey v Leicestershire, Kia Oval, 2015

• 15 – Aneurin Donald, Glamorgan v Derbyshire, Colwyn Bay, 2015

• 15 – Darren Stevens, Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, 2021

It was by no means certain that Carlson would hang on because in the latter stages of their browbeating, Glamorgan had been run ragged. Stevens was dropped three times, a tough diving chance for Lloyd in the slips when he was 67, on 136 when Labuschagne failed to hold a waist-high, running catch at deep square, and again one run later, this time Billy Root the offender as he pushed the ball over the ropes at deep midwicket.Kent’s ninth-wicket record – 171 by Mark Ealham and Paul Strang – also narrowly survived, and that serves as a reminder of the redoubtable part played by Miguel Cummins, who likes a bit of a tail-end hit, but who loyally committed himself to abstinence. Of their extraordinary stand of 166 in 28 overs, Stevens made 160, Cummins 1 and extras made up the rest; Stevens’ contribution of 96.38% of the partnership runs was a record for 100-plus stands in first-class cricket. Cummins had made 7, from 61 balls, when he dragged on Labuschagne to end Kent’s innings.Stevens majored in leg-side clunks and consummate lofts down the ground. He used the wind intelligently, lofting when it was in his favour, wary when it was not. The most startling six was something different when he dropped to one knee to hit David Lloyd’s medium pace over extra cover. The least impressive was probably his first, a wind-assisted top-edged pull to fine leg against Michael Hogan.Every Glamorgan bowler suffered from Stevens’ assault, although the Australian pair, Labuschagne and Michael Neser suffered less than most. Neser, bearded and strongly built, had sparked Kent’s collapse from their overnight 70 for 2 with inswingers to pick off Jamie Cox, Jack Leaning and Daniel Bell-Drummond, but Stevens treated him to a leg-side pick-up when he lost his line. Labuschagne, the seventh bowler tried, looked spooked as he began with a full toss that was called a wide, but he settled and briefly made Stevens look a little cumbersome.Timm van der Gugten, who had rendered Kent strokeless for much of the morning session, conceded two sixes and still returned 4 for 34 in 19 overs. Andrew Salter’s offspin was the meekest adversary. Stevens cleared the boundary five times two overs; Salter tried to hide one or two, but there was no hiding place; he might as well have been the infant putting his hands over his eyes and hoping that the big, bad man could not see him.Stevens soaks up the applause for his 36th first-class hundred•Getty Images

This was a heartwarming innings, an innings of abandon, one which for all his cricketing nous ultimately reduced to game to the basics of “bat hits ball.” It was apt that this was the week that crowds returned in limited numbers because few players have gained more affection than Stevens has in Kent, and indeed beyond. And as well as the smattering of spectators who braved the cheerless conditions, many more rushed to the ball-by-ball services and the live stream.When named Stevens as one of their Five Cricketers of the Year in April it brought delight to many on the county circuit, and some nonplussed looks beyond. He was the oldest player to be given the honour since Leicestershire’s Ewart Astill in 1933 and his reputation had been built without a single international cap. He did not need to prove himself a worthy recipient, but he did anyway.Later, to prevent stiffness setting in, he bowled a few overs and took a wicket – that of Labuschagne, for the second time this season. Afterwards, his captain, Sam Billings made a dressing room speech in tribute, and a rousing one it would have been. Glamorgan, who must have imagined themselves in a winning position, were 55 for 2 at the close, 252 behind, regathering their poise.

South Africa coach admits the management are still searching for their best XI in T20

Firdose Moonda21-Feb-2020South Africa players who want to be considered for the T20 World Cup have the chance to stake a claim in the next week, with several spots in need of filling, according to coach Mark Boucher. Despite the disappointment of his team’s biggest T20 defeat in the opening match against Australia, Boucher sought to “take the emotion out of the whole scenario” and look at the bigger picture, with seven months to go before a major tournament.”There are certain places up for grabs and with guys getting opportunities, it’s important that they take them now,” Boucher said. “A month or so before the World Cup we want to have our minds on who we want to take as a 15-man squad but it’s difficult for players to make a name for themselves a month before the tournament. Now is the time that players need to put their hands up and stake a claim for positions and there are still position up for grabs. We don’t quite know what our combinations are going to be and we are waiting for guys to step up.”After their performance on Friday night, which included their lowest T20I score, and Boucher’s criticism of the bowling as “poor”, it would appear that South Africa have plenty of positions to fill but the man in charge did not want to be overly dramatic. “It’s not the end of the world – losing one game of T20 cricket,” Boucher said. “Yes, we are going to have to shape up quite a bit in the next week but there is also a plan going through to the next World Cup.”ALSO READ: Jadeja-inspired Agar felt ‘horrible’ in trainingPart of that plan was trialing Temba Bavuma in the opening role, which was a success against England before he got injured, using Heinrich Klaasen – who was also forced out with a niggle – in the middle order and experimenting with Rassie van der Dussen and Jon-Jon Smuts. All those options paid off during the England series and are likely to do so again.A bigger concern is the inconsistency of the attack, who had the experience of Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada but still conceded heavily. Steyn, Lungi Ngidi, Rabada and Andile Phehlulwayo, who have 107 T20 caps between them, gave away 70 runs in the first six overs and failed to pitch the ball up, something bowling coach Charl Langeveldt discussed in the lead-up to the match. Both Boucher and Langeveldt have spoken about the importance of specialised skills training, but stressed that during a series, South Africa don’t have the time to do that.Boucher made the same point after the Wanderers defeat. “It’s not something we can change overnight. We’ve tried to work on things like yorkers but our lines and length were really bad,” Boucher said. “It’s not like they were running down the wicket and taking us on. We were giving them boundary options.”Rabada, South Africa’s “poster boy”, as acting director of cricket Graeme Smith called him, was the most guilty and had six fours and two sixes scored off him to finish as the most expensive bowler on the night. Boucher put Rabada’s showing down to a lack of game time, presenting an interesting conundrum between getting the balance between overbowling and keeping him fresh. “KG has come back from a long rest so it’s no use making an emotional decision and saying we are going to leave him out for the next game,” Boucher said. “We need guys like him and Anrich [Nortje] to come back but we also needed to rest them and that was the right decision because we want them fresh.”But how long does it take players to find their groove again? The answer might come on Sunday, when South Africa face a must-win situation to stay in the series or face further scrutiny over their progress in what has been a lean summer. As he done since he took over in December, Boucher pleaded for patience, even as he admitted that progress needs to come.”We are working really hard off the field. We understand the areas we need to work on. We’ve got to get back on the horse,” he said. “If we rock up and play 40% cricket we are going to get beaten and beaten badly, like we were today.”

William Somerville’s 4 for 75 helped restrict Pakistan’s lead to 74 but the hosts struck back with two quick wickets before stumps

The Report by Danyal Rasool05-Dec-2018Stumps
William Somerville, who had looked at best inoffensive and at worst simply not good enough for the best part of the day, is at the moment the difference between a dead series and one that could yet go either way. His four wickets ensured Pakistan failed to put up any significant resistance following the Azhar Ali-Asad Shafiq stand, losing their last seven wickets for 62 runs. Some fell in a freaky manner, like Babar Azam dragging it on off his bat and both legs onto the stumps. Others were so comical as to channel memories of Basil Fawlty and Del Boy, notably Yasir Shah, who lost his shoe turning around for a second run, and just couldn’t send his captain back. Yasir never stood a chance of completing the run hopping on one foot, leaving Sarfraz Ahmed hopping mad at the other end. He could make little difference with the tail, as Somerville and Ajaz Patel wrapped up the last three wickets for just two runs. It gave Pakistan a 74-run lead, and if that sounds familiar, it should.Make no mistake, Pakistan are still in the driving seat in this Test match, but just the fact they haven’t already put this out of New Zealand’s hands will be frustrating. The visitors may still be 48 runs behind and already down two wickets, thanks to an impressive start by Shaheen Afridi. To further press home the advantage, Yasir had Tom Latham caught in the deep off his penultimate over of the day, putting himself one away from becoming the fastest to 200 Test wickets. But Pakistan will almost certainly be forced into a fourth-innings chase here, with all the psychological baggage that entails, and from the position they were in half an hour before tea, that will disappoint them.If yesterday’s talk of couples had revolved around Trent Boult and Tim Southee, today was all about Azhar and Shafiq. A 201-run partnership that spanned the bulk of the day between Pakistan’s most dependable batsmen had put the hosts in firm control of the deciding Test in Abu Dhabi, beyond New Zealand’s total. Before lunch Azhar had reached his first Test hundred since Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan’s retirements, while Shafiq got to his shortly before tea.For much of the session, the duo carried on the solid work they had done since the start of the day, but they were challenged by better bowling, particularly in a probing spell by Tim Southee, who kept finding the outside edge of the right-handers without a wicket to show for it. However, the absence of an enforcer like Neil Wagner was telling, with Pakistan always confident of a pressure release from any end Southee or Trent Boult weren’t operating from.It was those two quicks who regained a measure of control with the second new ball after Pakistan had got off to a lightning start. Boult, in particular, gave Shafiq a number of nervy moments, exploiting movement and angle both ways. The seamer was judicious in the use of well-directed short balls too. But Shafiq overcame the habit of giving his wicket away after a good start to ensure Pakistan finished the first session with no wickets lost.For much of the day, Somerville remained one of New Zealand’s most economical bowlers, but manifestly lacked the bite required to take advantage of a pitch that rewarded both Yasir Shah and Bilal Asif on the first two days. The surface offered less turn than it had earlier, but one couldn’t help wonder if Pakistan’s spinners would have found a way to be far more troublesome to the batsmen; it is the one facet of the game where the visitors found themselves clearly outclassed. Even Patel from the other end was largely subdued for much of the day.But it was those same spinners who allowed their side a glimmer of hope just before tea, with Somerville removing Azhar for his first Test wicket, and Patel trapping Shafiq in front, allowing their team a crack at an out-of-form Sarfraz Ahmed and subsequently, the lower order. Azhar was on 134 when he fell in the softest fashion, edging a sweep off an absolutely harmless delivery from Somerville, carrying straight to Patel at short fine leg. It got rid of a pair that had frustrated New Zealand for 72 overs, and at that stage, looked like it had killed off Williamson’s hopes of walking away with a series win.The lower-middle-order collapse, alongside with the capitulation of the tail, exposed Pakistan’s weaknesses that have been festering over the past couple of years, and explained their fragility in the time since they became the world’s best Test side. New Zealand were offered the smallest of windows back into the match after tea, and fittingly enough, it was Somerville, an accountant in a previous life, who ensured the wickets column continued to tick over while maintaining immaculately economical figures. The balance sheet isn’t quite a perfect match yet, but New Zealand have bought some time to ensure amends can be made over the next 48 hours.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith is flying home early from India, leaving David Warner to lead the side in the Twenty20 matches, after failing to shrug off a shoulder niggle

Daniel Brettig07-Oct-20170:42

Steven Smith misses T20Is against India with shoulder niggle

Australia’s captain Steven Smith is flying home early from India, leaving David Warner to lead the side in the Twenty20 internationals, after failing to shrug off a shoulder problem he picked up during the fifth ODI in Nagpur.Smith has been unable to bat or throw without discomfort since landing on his right shoulder during that match, forcing the selectors to call in Marcus Stoinis as his replacement for the three T20 fixtures.”Smith landed awkwardly on his right shoulder whilst diving in the field during the fifth ODI against India last Sunday,” team doctor Richard Saw said. “Following the match he complained of shoulder soreness, which has not settled and is restricting his ability to bat and throw.”Subsequently he has had an MRI scan which has excluded serious injury, but we believe the best course of action is for him to not continue to aggravate his shoulder and allow it to recover. He will have further investigation upon his return to Australia but we remain confident he will be available for the start of the Sheffield Shield season.”Since a dominant Test tour of India earlier this year, Smith’s return of runs has reduced significantly, and he has not made a century since that series. After the ODI series concluded, Smith noted that he had not always been as comfortable at the batting crease as he is used to, searching for his best grip on the bat, among other things.”To be honest, I wasn’t feeling great at the start of the series, I wasn’t holding the bat the way I liked to and I was having a few issues there that I was working on,” Smith said in Nagpur after India completed a 4-1 series win. “But I think I’ve slowly found a nice tempo which I’m after. I would have loved to score a lot more runs.”I’ve got myself in on a few occasions and not gone on to get the big runs that I previously have been. From that aspect, as the leader of the team, it’s been disappointing. But I guess sometimes that’s cricket. You have those periods where you’re not playing or getting the scores you really like.”