Category Uncategorized

Mumbai Indians, already in the semi-finals, sent a strong message to their rivals by crushing second-placed Bangalore, whose net run-rate also took a beating

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran17-Apr-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
JP Duminy’s quickfire 42 powered Mumbai to 191•Indian Premier League

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s final league game was delayed by an hour due to a couple of low-intensity blasts outside the stadium. The organisers decided to go ahead with the match, and spectators were ushered into the stands amid heightened security.Once the match began, Mumbai Indians, already in the semi-finals, sent a strong message to their rivals by crushing second-placed Bangalore, whose net run-rate took a beating but remained just high enough to make them favourites for a semi-final spot. Mumbai also brushed aside any criticism about them being overly reliant on orange-cap holder and captain Sachin Tendulkar, whose rare failure didn’t prevent the table-toppers from amassing 191 on a greenish track.Ambati Rayudu has been the best of the ICL returnees this season, and added to his growing reputation with another power-hitting cameo that jumpstarted Mumbai after a dawdling start. Kieron Pollard briefly showed why he was so sought-after during this year’s auction, after which JP Duminy’s clinical finishing silenced the home crowd, as it had when he lashed an unbeaten 99 in the Champions League.Needing to score at nearly 10 an over from the outset, Bangalore were rarely in the chase, plodding to 12 after three overs and losing both openers on 34 in the Powerplay. There was still hope for a deep Bangalore batting line-up, but once Harbhajan Singh removed both Kevin Pietersen and Rahul Dravid in quick succession, the required-rate spiralled above 13. That proved too much even for the home side’s biggest hitters, Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor, both of whom were foxed by slower ones, and Bangalore’s focus shifted to reducing the margin of defeat and keeping their net run-rate from slinking too low.Bangalore’s best phase of the match was the Powerplay after choosing to bowl. Tendulkar walked out with his fourth opening partner in four matches, Ryan McLaren, but the new combination could only squeeze 30 runs in six overs off the home side’s quick bowlers. McLaren made slow progress and Tendulkar wasn’t at his best either, falling just before the end of the Powerplay to a low catch by Ross Taylor at deep square leg.It was in the ninth over that Mumbai switched to top gear. Rayudu launched an onslaught on Pankaj Singh, preferred again to Praveen Kumar, lashing 22 off the over to boost the run-rate to a more Twenty20 level. He benefited from Bangalore’s clumsy catching, when Vinay Kumar palmed an overhead chance over the rope at long-on.A couple of quiet overs followed before Rayudu decided to take on the tournament’s most economical bowler, Kumble. He clubbed consecutive sixes over long-on off the Bangalore captain, and backed that up with a couple of fours against Kallis, before a sharp, short delivery forced him to offer a return catch.Despite that sustained hitting, the crowd wasn’t expecting a target near 200 after the sluggish Mumbai start. But Pollard, who murdered the Delhi Daredevils attack in his previous match, continued in the same vein, slamming three consecutive sixes to round off a forgettable day for Pankaj. Kumble, though, made it a short stay for Pollard by tricking him with a quicker delivery, trapping him lbw.Bangalore thought they had got rid of the danger man but Duminy continued his love affair with the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a controlled cameo. He started by thumping Kevin Pietersen over long-off and then caned Kallis’ length deliveries for 19 runs in the 18th over. A boundary each in final two overs pushed him to 42 off 19, and Mumbai had taken 113 off the final nine overs.

Scrutiny remains on the M Chinnaswamy stadium which is due to host Women’s World Cup games in September-October

Shashank Kishore07-Aug-2025The Maharaja T20 has been moved to Mysuru, after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) failed to obtain clearance from the Bengaluru police to stage their franchise-based T20 competition at the M Chinnaswamy stadium from August 11 to 27.All the franchise owners were notified of the change earlier this week, leaving them with just a few days to finalise logistics. Most teams, barring Mysuru Warriors, have been training at different venues across Bengaluru over the past week.The failure to obtain permission to host games at the Chinnaswamy could potentially be a big blow to the KSCA, given the stadium is slated to host five matches of the Women’s World Cup – including the tournament opener and one semi-final – starting September 30. However, ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC isn’t overly worried just yet about the possibility of moving the games out of Bengaluru.The KSCA has been in the eye of a storm ever since 11 people died and over 50 others were injured around the premises of the Chinnaswamy stadium, during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. The stampede also forced two KSCA office bearers to resign, citing moral responsibility.A stampede ensued at Chinnaswamy stadium during RCB’s victory celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

Late last month, a committee tasked by the state government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that are “better suited” to handle significant crowds.Initially, the Maharaja T20s were supposed to be held behind closed doors in Bengaluru. But once the committee’s ruling came in, getting permission to play at the Chinnaswamy – with or without a crowd – became untenable. The KSCA’s focus now is on making sure things go smoothly in in Mysuru. They have been putting up makeshift stands, preparing pitches, squares, as well as temporary broadcast facilities at the Wadeyar Stadium.The Maharaja T20 is set to feature a number of high-profile Karnataka stars, including Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna, who will feature for Mysuru Warriors following their return from India’s Test series in England.Nair is understood to have injured his finger while batting in the second innings of the fifth Test which ended three days ago, and could sit out the first few matches. Prasidh, who picked up eight wickets in India’s series-levelling win at The Oval, has been prescribed rest. The pacer is expected to join the squad mid-tournament.Some of the other big players in the mix include Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, and Devdutt Padikkal, as well as the younger crop, led by R Smaran, Vijaykumar Vyshak, KV Aneesh and Nikin Jose.Elsewhere, the Maharani T20, KSCA’s women’s competition which began on August 4, will continue to be played in Alur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

But Colin Ingram heads Glamorgan fightback with unbeaten 69 off 110 balls on even day

ECB Reporters Network19-Apr-2024Evergreen Northamptonshire seamer Ben Sanderson led the charge with three wickets as Northamptonshire’s attack made the most of having a new Dukes ball back in their hands on the opening day of this Vitality County Championship clash at Wantage Road.But despite slumping to 27 for 4 after 10.4 overs, Colin Ingram led Glamorgan’s fightback with an unbeaten 69 off 110 balls. He steered the visitors to 203 for 7 at the close, with honours just about even on the first evening.Looking solid in defence, Ingram played some crisp attacking shots, as he rebuilt, first in a partnership of 69 in 18.3 overs with Chris Cooke (28). Despite losing Cooke after tea, the in-form Ingram pushed on, passing a second consecutive half-century of the season to go with a century in his opening game. He found another willing partner in Dan Douthwaite, whose bustling 50 came off just 63 balls in a sixth wicket stand worth 74 off 102 balls.Earlier Northamptonshire won the toss and decided to bowl after overnight heavy rain washed out the morning session. The atmospherics aided movement through the air and off the seam as Northamptonshire’s bowlers stuck rigidly to a controlled, probing line around off-stump.Sanderson, in particular, proved unplayable at times. He was well supported by Australian international Chris Tremain, while England Under-19 Raphy Weatherall also bowled impressively, taking two wickets. It stood in stark contrast to the run fest last weekend against the Kookaburra ball.It was Tremain who struck first when he got a fuller delivery to swing in and then seam away to take the edge of Zain-ul-Hassan’s bat, keeper Lewis McManus taking the catch.Sanderson challenged Billy Root outside off-stump, the batter repeatedly playing and missing before the bowler got one to come back in and trap him leg before wicket.Colin Ingram’s unbeaten 69 was vital for the visitors•Getty Images

Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast (13) drove Sanderson down the ground for four but survived a tight lbw decision against Sanderson, while Tremain beat his bat. His brief innings ended when he flashed needlessly at a Sanderson delivery which lifted slightly, Ricardo Vasconcelos holding onto the edge at third slip.Kiran Carlson drove fluently through extra cover for four off Tremain, but when he got stuck in his crease facing a delivery from Weatherall, he was bowled by a ball which knocked back his off-stump.Cooke lived a charmed life early on against Weatherall, the bowler angling one back in and enticing an edge which fell just short of the slip cordon.Ingram meanwhile got off the mark by squeezing Tremain behind square for four but took on Weatherall when he went round the wicket, punching him away off the back foot for four and then pulling his next delivery high over square leg and out of the ground as Glamorgan reached 50 for four after 17 overs.Cooke drove Luke Procter off the back foot for four, but the Northamptonshire captain maintained a tight line to keep the pressure firmly on the batting side as he rotated his attack.Cooke punched Sanderson away for four to bring up the 50 partnership but the bowler had a strong shout for lbw turned down shortly before the rain returned and the players went off for an early tea.After the resumption, Sanderson finally got his man with his first delivery of the evening session, when Cooke drove loosely away from his body and was well caught by Emilio Gay at second slip.Ingram tucked into a floaty, full delivery from Tremain, driving it to the cover boundary and tucked Procter off his hips to bring up his half-century off 78 balls.Douthwaite saw off Sanderson’s post-tea spell, playing him through the covers for four and took the attacking option. He clipped Procter off his legs through midwicket and drove Weatherall down the pitch, striking seven boundaries in all before he was trapped leg before wicket to give Weatherall a second wicket. Procter then picked up James Harris, also lbw, without scoring to leave Glamorgan 171 for 7.Mason Crane though kept Ingram company until the close, scoring 17 to ensure no more scares for the visiting team.Before play started, the players and officials stood for a minute’s silence in memory of former Northamptonshire captain Raman Subba Row CBE who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 92.

Zakir Hasan gets a maiden call-up after scoring 173 in a four-day game against India A last week

Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2022Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali and Taskin Ahmed have returned to Bangladesh’s squad for the first Test against India starting in Chattogram on December 14, while left-hand batter Zakir Hasan has been given his maiden call-up.Mushfiqur had missed Bangladesh’s previous Test series in West Indies to perform Hajj, while Yasir and Taskin were injured.Zakir, 24, made it to the 17-member side after scoring 173 for Bangladesh A in the first four-day game against India A in Cox’s Bazar last week. His innings helped Bangladesh A draw the game despite being nine down and on the verge of an innings defeat. Zakir, a top-order batter who keeps wickets, was also the highest run-scorer – 442 at 56.25 – in this season’s National Cricket League, Bangladesh’s first-class competition.”Zakir has been on our radar for the last five years,” Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin said. “He was in the High Performance unit for four of those years, and this season he was the highest scorer in first-class cricket. He played a good knock against India A last week. It saved the game. Selector Abdur Razzak, with the Bangladesh A side, witnessed the game and it seems Zakir is prepared for the highest level.”Tamim Iqbal, who missed the ODI series with a groin injury, Mosaddek Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman were the high-profile names missing from the Test squad, which will be led by Shakib Al Hasan. It is understood that Tamim’s recovery could take until December 22, which could put him in doubt for the second Test starting on December 22 in Mirpur.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mushfiqur’s return, however, is a huge boost for Bangladesh, while Yasir comes back to the Test format after a long layoff following the injury he suffered during the tour of South Africa in March and April. The hosts have picked five fast bowlers in their squad, along with the regulation three spinners in Shakib, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam.The real battle, however, will be for top-order spots. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque are out of form, while Najmul Hossain Shanto’s spot is also shaky after scoring just one half-century this year. The middle order looks stable with Mushfiqur, Shakib and Litton taking their usual places.While the series is a crucial one for India from the point of view of their qualification for the World Test Championship, Bangladesh will hope to cause an upset after defeating the visitors in the ODI series. Bangladesh have never won a Test match against India, having lost nine and drawn two out of 11 games.Test squad: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Zakir Hasan, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Anamul Haque

Finch, Kuhn set Kent up before Hooper’s three wickets keep Middlesex to their lowest Blast total

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Elliot Hooper enjoyed a dream debut as Kent routed Middlesex for their lowest ever Vitality Blast score of 80 at Lord’s.The 25-year-old left-armer, one of seven debutants for the visitors because of a Covid-19 outbreak, took 3 for 24 in the 77-run victory – the hosts failing to reach their previous worst tally of 92 made against Surrey at Lord’s eight years ago.Fellow new boys Matthew Quinn, Safyaan Sharif and Marcus O’Riordan were also among the wickets, all this after Harry Finch top scored with 47 and Heino Kuhn made 42 in Kent’s total of 157 for 8, Blake Cullen taking 4 for 33.Another of the Kent new boys George Munsey swept the second ball of the match from Mujeeb Ur Rahman for six but departed later in the first over.Kuhn was then dropped at point by Joe Cracknell from Tom Helm’s first ball and he and skipper Zak Crawley set about the host’s attack.Crawley hit three sixes as 50 came up in the sixth over, but attempting a fourth he was brilliantly caught by Max Holden at deep square – the first of Cullen’s four victims.Kuhn and Finch continued the onslaught, helped by a succession of misfields, adding 65 in 43 balls, meaning the visitors were sitting pretty at 118 for 2 early in the 13th over.However, Kuhn holing out in the deep off the excellent Nathan Sowter sparked a turning point as runs dried up and wickets tumbled.Finch tried to hold things together making hitting six fours, in his 35-ball stay but just 40 runs came from the last eight oversChasing 158 for a rare win, the hosts simply fell to pieces. Sam Robson was yorked by Quinn and when the dangerous Joe Cracknell pulled Harry Podmore straight into the hands of deep square they were 16 for 2. It 20 for 3 when New Zealand international Daryl Mitchell was trapped lbw by Sharif, who returned 2 for 10.Hooper trapped Middlesex debutant Varun Chopra in front before Podmore returned to have John Simpson caught at short mid-on.Holden was caught on the fence to give O’Riordan his first Blast wicket and the procession continued as Hooper scattered Sowter’s stumps.Helm, Hooper’s other victim, and Mujeeb were the only Middlesex players other than Chopra to reach double figures as the hosts were bowled out with 21 balls to spare.

She could require surgery on her hamstring next week

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2020Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry will be out of action for six months while recovering from the high-grade right hamstring injury she suffered during the T20 World Cup that ruled her out of the tournament before the semi-finals.The injury that she picked up during Australia’s must-win match against New Zealand could require a surgery sometime next week. It has now ruled her out of the tour of South Africa later this month, which includes three ODIs, which are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, and three T20Is starting March 22.Perry, who wasn’t replaced after her injury, called the setback a personal “challenge.” But she was glad the team management wanted her to stay with the squad as the team looked to defend their 2018 T20 World Cup title, in the final against India on Sunday.”Closer to six months,” Perry said when asked when she might be returning to play. “That’s something (surgery) that has been discussed and probably in the next week or so.””It’s something you go through over the course of time but from my perspective, I’ve had the most incredible run, been very, very fortunate with injury over a long period of time. First and foremost tomorrow (the final) is the most important thing, what it represents for the group and the sport, but on a personal note, it’s a challenge and looking forward to it in a roundabout way [even if] I wish it wasn’t the case.”Perry also said it will be difficult not being nervous watching the final at the MCG from the sidelines. She wants her team-mates to stay relaxed on the big day.”[At the final, I’ll] probably be trying to keep my nerves at bay,” she said. “Aside from that, I feel incredibly fortunate and really chuffed that Motty (Matthew Mott) and the group wanted to keep me around. So it is really nice to be here and take it all in.”I’m sure everyone is nervous, but in a roundabout way the way our tournament has gone, the challenges we’ve had along the way with really tough matches, early loss, a few injuries, it hasn’t been smooth sailing so tomorrow is a chance to just relax and make the most of it. You certainly want to be successful but in a lot of ways, the girls just deserve to enjoy it and take it all in. We are probably going to play the best cricket doing that.”Stepping foot into the ground today, having the chats has made it really real and it’s one of those opportunities for the squad to absolutely enjoy the occasion and make the most of it. It’s a very special time.”

Scotland steal a march on rivals after Mark Watt ends burgeoning stand in Al Amerat

Peter Della Penna in Al Amerat 15-Feb-20192:22

‘We put the past in the past and came out on top’ – Mark Watt

Scotland 181 for 4 (Coetzer 74, Munsey 50) beat Ireland 180 for 7 (O’Brien 65, Stirling 56) by six wickets

ScorecardPaul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien each notched half-centuries as part of a 115-run opening stand, an Ireland T20I record for any wicket. But left-arm spinner Mark Watt nabbed both sandwiched around No. 3 Andy Balbirnie in a game-changing spell of left-arm spin to restrict Ireland to a well-under par 180 before Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey produced a Scotland T20I record opening stand of 109 in a six-wicket win.After a morning display in which Oman scored 120 off their last 10 overs after being sent in, Ireland appeared destined for 200 or more given the platform that was laid by Stirling and O’Brien. But the innings stuttered after Watt intervened, paired with some sharp catching on the boundary by Michael Leask and Munsey. O’Brien drove to Leask at long-off before Balbirnie skied a sweep to Munsey at deep square leg. Leask made his presence felt again at long-off to nab Stirling as Ireland lost 3 for 15 to slip to 130 for 3.Richie Berrington was an unsung hero on the day, returning 0 for 26 in a spell that built on Watt’s breakthroughs to put the brakes on Ireland’s batting once the top order was removed. Safyaan Sharif was then responsible for two wickets in the 17th, knocking back Lorcan Tucker’s off-stump before running out Simi Singh with an underhand flick in his follow-through on the next ball to make it 138 for 5.Ireland fought back in the final three overs as Alasdair Evans’ short-ball plan failed to the tune of 35 runs conceded off the 18th and 20th. George Dockrell’s cameo of 15 not out off 7 balls propped up the total but Ireland’s lull in the middle of the innings came back to bite them, as did an uncharacteristically poor fielding display.Coetzer was named Man of the Match for his 74 off 38 balls to pace the Scotland chase. But he benefitted greatly from three dropped chances – the first on his second ball when he was yet to score – as well as being caught off a no-ball when Peter Chase overstepped with Coetzer driving to Shane Getkate at long-off on 39.At the other end, there was no doubt about the crispness of Munsey’s knock. He scored Scotland’s first 18 runs across the opening two overs of the chase, driving Singh back down the ground for four and six. He brought up his half-century off 26 balls, two slower than Coetzer, before a false drive against Getkate resulted in an edge behind to Stuart Poynter in the ninth.Coetzer smashed back-to-back sixes over long-on in the same over to bring up his fifty, then followed it with two drives through mid-off against Boyd Rankin in the following over for another pair of boundaries. He took one more off Rankin through mid-off again in the 13th before he was beaten driving on the next ball to fall for 74, the seventh half-century of the day on the pitch.By that stage, the required run-rate had come down to less than a run a ball. Despite Berrington and Matthew Cross both falling for ducks to complete a mini-collapse of 3 for 3, Calum MacLeod and Craig Wallace added an unbeaten 37 together to see Scotland home. MacLeod ended the match with a straight six off Peter Chase to clinch victory with nine balls to spare.For Scotland, it’s their second ever T20I victory over a Full Member following a win over Bangladesh at the Hague in 2012. It also kept them alive for a shot at the T20I Quadrangular Series title. A win over Oman on Sunday would take them to 2-1. Ireland also has a chance to end with the crown if they can beat 2-0 Netherlands on Sunday, which would create a three-way tie to bring the net-run-rate tiebreaker into play.

Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2017The New Zealand pace attack that inflicted an innings defeat on West Indies in the first Test in Wellington will be boosted further by the return of Tim Southee for the second Test in Hamilton. Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker, who did not find a place in the XI in Wellington. Southee is expected to join the squad on Wednesday in Hamilton for the Test starting Saturday.

Squad for secont Test

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner

Worker and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson were released from the squad to play the Ford Trophy – New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition – for the matches scheduled on Wednesday.Ferguson, however, will join the Test squad back in time for the second Test. New Zealand will continue to miss the services of the injured wicketkeeper BJ Watling, but his replacement Tom Blundell scored an unbeaten century on debut to help the hosts build a massive first-innings lead.New Zealand played three quicks in the first Test – Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner – and all contributed with wickets in both innings. While Boult picked four wickets in the match and Henry collected three, Wagner finished with career-best 7 for 39 in the first innings before picking another two in the second innings. They also had the medium-pace services of Colin de Grandhomme and played Mitchell Santner as the specialist spinner.

Coming back from a rest, the 24-year-old fast bowler provided some of Pakistan’s brightest spots in a tightly-fought Sharjah Test against West Indies

Umar Farooq in Sharjah31-Oct-2016Pakistan’s decision to rest Mohammad Amir in Abu Dhabi had been met with mixed reactions. The critics said a break might hamper the 24-year-old fast bowler’s rhythm. But there was also the argument that he was playing international cricket for the first time in five years and had already stacked up 202.3 overs on a long tour of England and 45 more during Pakistan’s first day-night Test in Dubai.Perhaps considering UAE Tests are decided by the batsmen and spinners’ contributions, and with two important series coming up – against New Zealand in November and Australia in December – the Pakistan selectors decided to give Amir some time off. The move seems to have worked.In Sharjah, on the second day of the third Test against West Indies, Amir looked like a man refreshed, picking up two wickets on a slow pitch and also pulling off a spectacular catch to dismiss Darren Bravo. Until that moment, when he ran back from cover, dived after the ball and got hold of it while horizontal with the ground, Amir had not had a single Test catch to his name.

Kraigg Brathwaite on…

What West Indies must do on day three: “We are in a good position. It is key for me and Jason [Holder] to start fresh and build a big partnership, then look to build a really big lead. The aim for me is to really build a big lead. If Jason and I can spend time at the wicket, rotate the strike, hopefully we can get as big a lead as possible.”
On the pitch: “It isn’t spinning sharply at the moment. [But] the pitch is cracking up a bit, and later tomorrow it will probably crack some more and get some spin. If we can go on and get the lead, then build on that, that will be very good for us.”
On his 83-run fifth-wicket stand with Roston Chase, after West Indies were 68 for 4: “Me and Chase went to school together, so we have a good relationship. I said to him to play as straight as possible. Obviously the pitch is low, so it is key we hit straight down the ground, then rotate the strike, and after that we had a good partnership.”

“It was a combined decision between me and the team management to take a rest and that’s fine,” Amir said. “A bowler can be rested from time to time; even Wahab [Riaz] was rested [in Abu Dhabi] and those who replaced us, Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan, did well. We are just developing our combination. I have been playing for a year now and I think fast bowlers should rest whenever there is a chance.”Because you never know, I or Wahab can be injured at any time. It can happen in cricket and you can’t do anything about that. So when you have a strong bench you can rotate the bowlers you have and give the others some chances as well. Our next tours, New Zealand and Australia, are lengthy so all of us need to be match-ready in case you need someone as cover for an unexpected injury.”Since Amir regained the eligibility to play for Pakistan after his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal in 2010, he has claimed 17 Test wickets at an average of 39.41. Those statistics, however, may have to be taken with a pinch of salt considering he had several catches dropped off his bowling in England. While he has not lost any pace, constantly hitting the low- to mid-140s, the swing he was known for is not quite there.”Playing Test cricket after five years is not very easy and I started with a tough England tour. It takes time to regain your rhythm,” Amir said. “But I feel I am getting there and getting my rhythm back gradually. I did face some problems with fitness earlier, which was expected. After five years of being idle, it’s very tough for a fast bowler to immediately be back at his best. It can’t be done overnight, you need to keep on performing. I still have a long career ahead of me and I am working hard to get where I was before skills-wise.”The swing was missing in England but now I have started developing the shape. And I have mostly been playing T20 cricket since coming back, where I bowl with a different arm-action. I was also going wide of the crease earlier but now I have minimised it and worked on my arm-action and its working my way.”Amir was looking forward to doing well in the two Tests in New Zealand – he is part of a 16-man squad that was announced on Monday – and then three more in Australia, including a day-night Test in Brisbane; Pakistan have yet to name a squad for that series.”Going to New Zealand and Australia and performing there, in those conditions, it gives you immense confidence. I have been to both countries earlier and the pitches there help fast bowlers. With the exposure of playing on tracks like these in UAE, you definitely get a lot of confidence to do well there.”Amir was happiest talking about his catch, though, which helped Pakistan get on top of West Indies. “We actually train to develop these kinds of skills with our fielding coach; it is quite a regular thing. That wicket of Bravo was very important as he was the batsman we wanted to get as soon as possible. We created the opportunity and I made the effort to get him out. So it worked well.”Then, with the wickets of Jermaine Blackwood for 23 and Roston Chase for 50, Amir also helped contain West Indies’ fightback as Pakistan ended the second day with a 37-run lead. They still have four more first-innings wickets to take though.

Fast bowler Andrew Fekete had hoped for a Test debut on the tour of Bangladesh this week. But after the cancellation of that trip for security reasons, he instead found himself setting up a comfortable nine-wicket victory for Tasmania in their opening mat

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2015
ScorecardAndrew Fekete picked up 4 for 30•Getty Images

Fast bowler Andrew Fekete had hoped for a Test debut on the tour of Bangladesh this week. But after the cancellation of that trip for security reasons, he instead found himself setting up a comfortable nine-wicket victory for Tasmania in their opening match of the Matador Cup tournament against Queensland in Sydney.Fekete collected 4 for 30 as Queensland were bowled out for 196, and Ben Dunk then posted an unbeaten century as the Tigers cruised past their target in the 36th over. Dunk finished not out on 104 from 101 balls and Dom Michael was on 51 from 64 balls when the winning runs came; Tim Paine was the only man to fall, out for 39 to the legspin of Cameron Boyce.The day began with George Bailey sending the Bulls in, and the second over saw Test squad members facing off against each other. It was Fekete who came out clearly on top when he had Joe Burns caught for a golden duck from the first ball of his first over, and Queensland continued to struggle to be 4 for 21 in the tenth over.Simon Milenko (40) helped steady things somewhat and there were also lower-order runs from James Hopes, who made 34, and Luke Feldman, who struck four sixes in his 33 from 28 balls. Queensland were dismissed in their 49th over, and the Tigers cruised to victory.