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Sunrisers’ hopes of semi-final berth are all but over after eight-wicket loss

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2024The Blaze 140 for 2 (K Bryce 57*, S Bryce 54*) beat Sunrisers 137 for 7 (Scrivens 42) by eight wicketsKathryn Bryce continued her prolific Charlotte Edwards Cup form with an unbeaten 57 from 37 balls as The Blaze racked up an eighth straight success, coasting past Sunrisers at Lord’s.Bryce, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, registered her fourth half-century in six games, sharing a third-wicket partnership of exactly 100 with her younger sister Sarah, who struck 54 not out from 35.The Scotland international pair maintained their side’s 100 per cent record in the group stage, steering them to a comfortable victory with 29 deliveries still unused.Earlier, home captain Grace Scrivens top-scored with 42 from 38 as Sunrisers posted 137 for seven, but the result all but mathematically ends their slim hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.Scrivens was soon up and running after Sunrisers had been put in, cracking two boundaries from Grace Ballinger’s opening over – one wrong-footing the fielder thanks to a deflection off the bat of non-striker Mady Villiers.Having swept Sarah Glenn for four, Villiers was lbw attempting to give the spinner’s next ball the same treatment, but Lissy MacLeod maintained her side’s momentum, hitting over the infield to good effect in a brisk 16 from 11.Once MacLeod was bowled, beaten for flight by Gordon (two for 32), Sunrisers became bogged down during the middle overs – even more so after losing Scrivens to Marie Kelly’s direct hit from mid-off.Jo Gardner (22 from 26) and Jodi Grewcock (22 from 18) did their best to rebuild with a partnership of 35 from 31 before Heather Graham (two for 22) reasserted the visitors’ dominance with two wickets in three deliveries.Despite gleaning eight from Graham’s final over, Sunrisers’ total looked short of par – although their hopes gained a significant boost when Grewcock turned the first ball of The Blaze’s reply to send Tammy Beaumont on her way for a duck.The visitors would have been under more pressure if Gardner, running in from mid-on, had held on to Kelly’s miscued drive off Kate Coppack, but the opener capitalised on that let-off to clear the ropes twice in the next over.Kelly’s good fortune soon ran out when she speared Eva Gray to cover, but Sarah Bryce joined forces with her sibling in a measured partnership that ensured The Blaze were always ahead of the asking rate.The elder Bryce dispatched Nicola Hancock’s first two deliveries to the fence and brought up her half-century from 33 deliveries with another boundary, reverse-sweeping Villiers neatly beyond point.Sarah seized the initiative as The Blaze eased towards their target, hammering Gray for two sixes in as many balls and going on to post her first 50 of the tournament before applying the finishing touch with a square-cut boundary off Amu Surenkumar.

India coach says he had “honest words” with the team after the defeat in Melbourne

Alagappan Muthu02-Jan-20251:43

Manjrekar: Transitions always a ‘delicate time’ for teams but unavoidable

India coach Gautam Gambhir was strong in saying he has “everything under control” in the dressing room but admitted he had “honest” conversations with the team after losing the MCG Test to go 2-1 down in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the days between that Melbourne defeat and the New Year’s Test in Sydney, there was a report citing Gambhir had lost patience with the way India had played in Australia.”I don’t think I need to answer to any reports,” Gambhir said on the eve of the fifth Test. “There are some honest words. That’s all I can say. Honesty is extremely important if you want to go on and achieve some great things.”Gambhir was “extremely, extremely confident” though that India could get the win that they need in Sydney to draw the series and retain the trophy. “If someone had said 40-45 days ago that we would be in this situation, that we can come to Sydney and draw this series, it’s a good position to be in. And I don’t think so that anything is out of control.”When you come to a Test like this, it’s not that batting didn’t do well or bowling didn’t do well. If batting and bowling hadn’t done well, we wouldn’t have won a Test match or we wouldn’t have been 2-1 down. We could have been in a worse situation. So, as I said, I don’t think so that anything is worrisome.”We know we’ve got the skill set. We’ve got the individuals. We’ve got everything in that dressing room that can win a Test match here. Not only here, probably go on to do some unbelievable things in the future as well.”Related

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India have a few senior players out of form: Rohit Sharma – Gambhir wouldn’t confirm if he will play on Friday – Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have all had a lean run in Australia.”First of all, all the individuals, all the individuals know which area they have to work in,” Gambhir said. “And it’s not like I’m talking about individuals here. Because ultimately, you win as a team and lose as a team. And when you’re playing for your country, everyone tries to contribute their maximum. So, that’s important.”And it’s not like the debate between a player and a coach should be known to everybody. It should just be between them. You [the outsiders] just see the results. And, fortunately or unfortunately, this sport is known only for the results. But the conversations between the individuals and the dressing room, they should stay there.”In Melbourne, when India were trying to draw the Test match, several of their batters, from Rohit to Kohli to Yashasvi Jaiswal to Pant, played attacking shots to get out. Gambhir, ahead of his first series in charge as India’s Test coach in September last year, had highlighted he wanted to be a part of a team that could adapt to various situations, whether it is scoring 400 in a day or batting time to secure a draw. On Thursday, he was asked whether a batter playing their natural game could be at odds with the match situation.”It’s the team-first ideology that matters,” Gambhir said. “It’s a team sport and you’ve got to play what the team needs you to do. That’s as simple as it can get. People can play the natural game. But still, in a team sport, individuals only contribute. It’s the team [that is important]. If you need to play in a certain way, I think you’ve got to do it.”I don’t want to talk about individuals. I think everyone knows where they are. And as I just mentioned, in a team sport, it’s only the team. You have to expect players to do what the team needs you to do. Whether they go to bad sessions, whether they go to be attacking, because that is all that matters in a team sport for me.”Gambhir reiterated that Indian cricket – despite its ups (a T20 World Cup win last year) and downs (a home series whitewash against New Zealand) – will always be strong.”I think Indian cricket will always be in safe hands till the time you’ve got honest people sitting in that room,” he said. “And honesty is the most important thing for any transition. And it is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in.”Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is the performance. And it starts from all of us. Not only from the players, from the coaches as well.”

Only 15.2 overs possible as attention turns to Lancashire’s progress in Worcester

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2024The first day of a Vitality County Championship meeting at Trent Bridge between two sides still stalked by relegation was played by both with one ear cocked for developments 85 miles west, beside the Severn. Over in Worcester, Lancashire will escape if they can take 15 more points than Nottinghamshire can muster in this match, or 20 more than Warwickshire.With only 15.2 overs possible in all, Warwickshire made the better of what progress there was by the Trent, after a 1.10pm start and a long frustrating wait without cricket shortly after. At the close Nottinhamshire, put in, were 33 for 2.In difficult conditions throughout, the damage might even have been worse and they will have greeted the premature close with much relief. Warwickshire’s two new-ball bowlers, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Ed Barnard shared the spoils, such as they were, on a day tasting truly of autumn.Finding repeated movement off a pitch subject to endless rain over the last week, Warwickshire, winning a good toss, struck in the sixth over when Barnard nipped one back to hit Haseeb Hameed’s off stump.Out for 7, the captain was replaced by Freddie McCann but he had faced only 15 balls before bad light proved the prelude to a heavy shower, with lightning flashing to the south. In 44 minutes’ play up to the stoppage, Nottinghamshire moved shakily to 27 for 1.Off the field, they soon learned that Lancashire had won a late toss in their own game, bowled and claimed both openers in the first four overs. And the pressure, on Notts especially, steadily intensified as Lancashire continued to bag wickets.By the time the umpires could make their second inspection of the afternoon at 3.45pm, Lancashire had already claimed seven in Worcester and were looking set for the full three bowling points when Nottinghamshire resumed 30 minutes later.Alas this proved to be for one ball only, duly left by Ben Slater, before bad light again intervened. Thankfully, brighter conditions allowed a re-start twelve minutes later, four slips being immediately posted for McCann.It was Slater, however, who went to a fine, sharp catch by Will Rhodes at first slip to give Hannon-Dalby his 49th wicket of the summer and leave him as the third most-successful first-division seamer this season. Two balls later, though, the umpires again decreed bad light and rain followed once more at 4.47pm.In these conditions, it is already looking a tall ask for Nottinghamshire to reach 300 and claim two batting points. Should Lancashire take only the three bowling points against Worcestershire but still go on to win it would leave Nottinghamshire having at least to draw to cheat the drop.If Lancashire do only manage 19 points, safety would be assured for Warwickshire. But the forecast is far better for Friday and Saturday and there is a long way yet to travel in both the key games before final fates became clear.

Jayawardene had previously served as Mumbai’s head coach from 2017 to 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-20244:45

‘MI needed someone stable who owners and players trust’

Mumbai Indians have reappointed former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach ahead of IPL 2025. Jayawardene takes over from Mark Boucher, under whom the franchise finished last in IPL 2024.Jayawardene had previously served as Mumbai’s head coach from 2017 to 2022.”My journey within the MI family has always been one of evolution,” Jayawardene said in a statement. “In 2017, the focus was on bringing together a talented group of individuals to play the best cricket ever and we did very well. Now to return, at the same moment in history, where we look ahead at the future and the opportunity to further strengthen the love of MI, build on the vision of the owners, and continue to add to the history of Mumbai Indians, is an exciting challenge I am looking forward to.”Related

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After his first stint as Mumbai’s head coach, Jayawardene had taken up a broader role in 2022 as the franchise’s global head of performance. In that role, he oversaw the coaching and scouting at all the four teams the franchise owners now have – Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20, MI Cape Town in the SA20 and MI New York in the USA’s MLC.Jayawardene is among the most successful coaches in T20 cricket, having led Mumbai alone to three titles during his first tenure.6:35

Bumrah, Suryakumar, Hardik among Moody’s MI retention picks

“We are thrilled to have Mahela back as the head coach of Mumbai Indians,” Akash Ambani, owner of the franchise, said. “With our global teams having found their footing within their ecosystems, the opportunity to bring him back to MI arose. His leadership, knowledge, and passion for the game have always benefited MI.”Under Boucher, Mumbai made the playoffs in IPL 2023, when they lost the second qualifier to Gujarat Titans, but in the next season they finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 games.Jayawardene’s first task in his second stint as head coach will be to finalise Mumbai’s retentions ahead of the deadline on October 31.In addition to coaching in the IPL, Jayawardene has been in charge of teams in the Hundred (Southern Brave) and Bangladesh Premier League (Khulna Titans). Jayawardene has worked with the Sri Lanka team in different capacities, including a recent stint as a consultant coach. During his tenure, Sri Lanka had won the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai.Each franchise will have a purse of INR 120 crore, an increment of INR 20 crore from the last time, to build a squad for IPL 2025.

The board is taking a cautious approach after Stokes tore his hamstring during the tournament

Matt Roller16-Aug-2024Gus Atkinson will miss the final of the men’s Hundred after being made unavailable by the ECB ahead of England’s Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Atkinson took 22 wickets in his debut series against West Indies and was named Player of the Series. He has only featured once for Oval Invincibles this year, returning figures of 0 for 28 in 10 balls against Trent Rockets on Wednesday night, and will not feature in Sunday’s final at Lord’s as he prepares for the Test series.”Gus has been withdrawn, which is quite understandable,” Sam Billings, the Invincibles’ captain, said. “It’s disappointing for him but Saqib Mahmood has been phenomenal for us all tournament and showed his class the other night. He’ll stay in the side.”The Invincibles are also missing Spencer Johnson through injury, but Tom Curran will return after he was rested on Wednesday.The ECB is taking a cautious approach to England players’ availability after Ben Stokes tore his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers, ruling him out for the rest of the summer. Chris Woakes has already been withdrawn from the tournament, though Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett (both Birmingham Phoenix) and Jordan Cox (Invincibles) are available this weekend ahead of the first Test.Related

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“Jordan will be available and I think that’s great for him,” Billings said. “I’ve been in that position before where as a young player, you get withdrawn and miss out on playing time. For anyone to play in a final at Lord’s in the leading domestic competition in the country, in front of a packed house is perfect preparation for international cricket.”Jofra Archer, who is being managed carefully after long spells on the sidelines with back and elbow issues, is expected to be available for both Saturday’s eliminator and Sunday’s final, if Southern Brave qualify. He was made unavailable for two group-stage games to manage his workload, but Brave captain James Vince is not anticipating any restrictions in the knockouts.”I’ve not heard otherwise, so I’m hoping that’s the case,” Vince said. “Obviously we’ve got tomorrow to take care of first, but as I understand it, he is available for both should we make the final. I can’t give you 100% confirmation because I don’t know that myself, to be honest. But there’s not much travel involved and it’s only 20 balls [per match] so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”In the women’s Hundred, Chamari Athapaththu is unavailable for the Invincibles in their eliminator against London Spirit on Saturday, having linked up with Sri Lanka’s squad for their ODI series in Ireland. Laura Harris has returned to the squad as cover, while Megan Schutt has also been with the squad throughout and will come into contention.

South Africa have called up two uncapped players for the two-Test series, seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka

Firdose Moonda18-Dec-2024South Africa have gambled on the fitness of Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder, and included both in the Test squad to play Pakistan over the festive season.Maharaj suffered an 11th-hour groin strain in the warm-ups for the first ODI in Paarl on Tuesday and had to be removed from the team sheet just before the toss. He underwent a scan later on Wednesday which revealed a left adductor strain that took him out of the ODI series. He will return home to Durban “for rehabilitation and will be reassessed ahead of the first Test.Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy is the only other spinner in the squad, which means if Maharaj is unavailable, South Africa may have to cast the net wide for reinforcements.Test coach Shukri Conrad said a decision on any additions to the squad would only be made after the results of the scan are known. “Based on the outcome of that, we’ll do the necessary,” he said. “We’ll see how severe it is, whether it’s only potentially the first Test (he misses) or both Test matches. Once I get the results of the scan, I’ll be in a better position to either replace [or] chat to the other coaches and make up my mind on the back of that.”Given that the first Test takes place at the seamer-friendly SuperSport Park in Centurion, if Maharaj is unavailable for that game, it may not affect South Africa too much. The last time they played there, against India last year, South Africa went in all pace and won.Where they will miss him, is in the brains trust, which suggests he will remain part of the squad. “Kesh is obviously one of the senior players in the side. He is a great sounding board. He’s got a huge amount of experience and he’s such a calming influence in the change room as well,” Conrad said. “And he’s an excellent spinner. Him, KG [Kagiso Rabada] and thankfully we’ve got Marco [Jansen] back – they’re really the triumvirate that will ensure that we get the bulk of the 20 wickets we need to win a Test match.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rabada and Jansen are both currently fit, and part of the ODI squad playing against Pakistan, but South Africa have a quartet of other injured quicks, who could not be considered. Lungi Ngidi (hip), Gerald Coetzee (groin), Nandre Burger (lower back stress fracture) and Lizaad Williams (knee) are all out until next year, which means much hinges on Mulder’s fitness.He broke his right middle finger while batting against Sri Lanka in Durban last month and is in the final phase of his recovery. If he is passed fit for the Boxing Day match, top-order batter Matthew Breetzke will be released from the squad.Mulder will have another scan on Thursday morning to check on his progress, which has been described as being in the final phase of recovery in a Cricket South Africa press release. “He has started hitting balls and doing some work with Kruger [van Wyk, fielding coach] up in Pretoria,” Conrad said. “I’m not going to get ahead of ourselves in terms of where he’s at right now. We’ll see what the scan throws out and then we’ll obviously take it very conservatively. We’re not going to do anything daft and rush him into action if he’s not quite ready yet. But that decision will only be taken pretty much when we get together next week.”As bowling cover, there are two uncapped players in the mix: seam bowlers Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka. Bosch, the son of former international Tertius, has earned his first call-up to an international side. He recently featured for a South African Invitation XI against the England Lions and took 1 for 21 in five overs and has a first-class batting average over 40. “Corbin Bosch adds so much to our attack. On the Highveld, we need a little bit of pace in and Corbin provides that. It [SuperSport Park] is his home ground if he gets to play. And he’s in top form. He’s doing well domestically,” Conrad said. “He had a really good outing against the English Lions last week that I managed to catch a glimpse of. He’s matured nicely from when I last saw him when he was with the [national] academy with me a couple of years ago and he’s turned into a really good cricketer.”Kwena Maphaka is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

Maphaka was called up to the squad that played Sri Lanka as cover when Coetzee was injured but did not play. He is part of the ODI squad currently playing against Pakistan but has yet to debut in the format. Seven other Test players are also in the 50-over playing group: captain Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Jansen, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Rabada and Maharaj. Rabada and Jansen both played the opening game but are unlikely to feature in all three matches as South Africa manage their bowling resources.South Africa will have a three-day turnaround between the end of the ODIs and the start of the Tests, which leaves no time for a warm-up match and only two practice sessions which Conrad is happy with. “Teams prepare differently nowadays. Gone are the days of warm-up matches. Guys that are not involved in the ODI squad, will be playing in Titans versus the Warriors (domestic first-class) game. Whatever our preparation looks like, it’s going to be good enough. And we’re really looking forward to playing at Centurion. It’s a ground that we play particularly well at and the guys know the conditions rather well.”In the last ten years, South Africa have only lost one Test at SuperSport Park, to India in 2021. They need one more win to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and two Tests to try and achieve that. They face Pakistan at SuperSport Park on Boxing Day and then at Newlands for the annual New Year’s Test.

South Africa squad for Tests against Pakistan

Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk)

Says the timing of the announcement – two days before the PSL – was “wholly unnecessary”, and the way it was communicated to the player amounted to “really poor management”

Danyal Rasool03-Mar-2024Lahore Qalandars’ owner Sameen Rana has castigated the PCB for announcing its decision to tear up Haris Rauf’s central contract just two days before the start of the PSL, tagging the board’s handling of the situation as “pathetic”. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Rana said he did not wish to get into whether the decision was correct but its timing severely disrupted his side’s PSL campaign, and the way the information was passed on to the player amounted to “really poor management”.”The timing of that announcement was wholly unnecessary,” Rana told ESPNcricinfo. “There was no Pakistan series coming up, or any emergency situation that necessitated the announcement two days before the PSL. Whatever the logic was, the timing was really bad. It was a huge blow psychologically for him, because his whole life’s main aim is playing for Pakistan.Qalandars were understood to be privately fuming at the time the decision was announced. Shaheen Afridi told ESPNcricinfo on the day of the decision that the PCB would “understand in time” that making the decision just before the PSL started was not correct. But while Qalandars held back from expressing public outrage at the time, now, Rana has not.Related

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“Rauf’s our premier bowler, our highest wicket-taker after Shaheen Afridi. To publicly humiliate him and issue a press release announcing the termination of his central contract, I have never seen this happen anywhere,” Rana said. “I would never treat my employees like that.”The employee at least has the right for you to call, email or message them. None of that happened with Rauf, and it was pathetic. It was really poor management.”The decision came two months after Rauf made himself unavailable for Pakistan’s three Test series in Australia; at the time, chief selector Wahab Riaz had publicly criticised Rauf, saying he had gone back on his word. Wahab said Rauf’s decision would hurt Pakistan, and that his central contract mandated him to be available. Pakistan went on to lose the Australia series 3-0.While disciplinary proceedings against Rauf were not made public, the PCB issued a statement on February 15 that Rauf’s responses in a personal hearing were unsatisfactory, and that the board was terminating his central contract. In addition, it would prevent him from playing any overseas T20 league till June 30 2024.The development put title-defenders Qalandars “on the receiving end”, Rana said. Their 2024 campaign has gone from bad to worse as injury, unavailability, and indifferent performances have seen them rooted to the bottom of the table, winless in their first seven games.Rauf, who was searching for form before the PSL, began poorly, but had his best day against Karachi Kings, taking 1 for 22 in four overs, but even that could not prevent Qalandars from slipping to a final-ball, two-wicket defeat; and Rauf injured himself in that close finish. He dislocated his shoulder while diving to take a catch off the penultimate delivery of the game, and the injury is expected to keep him out of action for about six weeks.”I don’t know what the PCB was thinking; I was on the receiving end. Haris was our premier fast bowler. If someone treats you like that, you can’t pretend it doesn’t affect you,” Rana said. “Especially when it’s your country, something you’re emotional about anyway. And especially Haris, who is a naturally emotional person.”It was an additional responsibility on me and the whole team to keep motivating him, and keeping him in the right frame of mind. He is a very strong boy, but again, a negative thought can creep into your brain. But unfortunately, after he seemed to be returning to form and performed brilliantly, he got injured. Of course we can’t control that.”

A combined bowling effort followed a powerful cameo of 35 off 17 from Shamim Hossain

Mohammad Isam18-Dec-2024Bangladesh defended their modest score of 129 to clinch the T20I series with a 2-0 lead, beating West Indies by 27 runs in the second game at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent. It was Bangladesh’s lowest total winning a game while batting first against West Indies. It was a combined effort from their quicks and spinners who took advantage of a pitch that offered a lot to the bowlers throughout the game.Bangladesh were stretched to their total by Shamim Hossain’s late blast, hitting an unbeaten 35 off 17 balls. The bowlers responded superbly thereafter, with Taskin Ahmed taking three wickets while Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain and Tanzim Hasan all taking two each.Bangladesh’s only concern was Soumya Sarkar suffering a finger injury when he dropped a catch in the slips in the seventh over of the chase. Otherwise, Bangladesh were all over West Indies, having reduced them to 42 for 6 in the ninth over.

Taskin, Mahedi make the early strikes

Taskin Ahmed provided the first breakthrough in the third over when he had Brandon King caught behind for 8, with a beautiful delivery outside off. Four balls later, Taskin had Andre Fletcher caught behind too, for his second consecutive duck in the series. This one was wider but Fletcher got beaten by pace, under-edging to wicketkeeper Litton Das.Mahedi, who took career-best figures of 4 for 13 in the first T20I, then got into the act. He trapped Johnson Charles lbw in the fourth over, as the hosts slipped to 28 for 3. In his next over, Mahedi got Nicholas Pooran caught at slip where Soumya Sarkar didn’t have to move as Pooran’s probe at a length ball took the outer edge went to him softly.

Chase holds fort after Powell but…

Bangladesh might have felt Rovman Powell as a major threat after his exploits in the first match, nearly taking the hosts over the line. Powell, however, fell cheaply this time, when Mehidy Hasan Miraz took a diving catch in front of point, off Hasan Mamhud. When Tanzim Hasan had Romario Shepherd glove to slip off a short ball, West Indies were 42 for 6 and there was almost no coming back from there.Roston Chase was their only remaining specialist batter after that. He batted conservatively until the 16th over when he slammed Mahmud for consecutive sixes. Akeal Hosein gave Chase good support at the other end, also hitting Rishad for a straight six, but the asking rate was still nearly 12 an over in the death overs.The three sixes gave West Indies some hope but Rishad fought back in the same over to remove Chase, who missed a big slog. The young legspinner removed Gudakesh Motie next ball when the left-hand batter holed out to long-off. Alzarri Joseph then handed a return catch to Tanzim in the following over before Hosein clipped a slower delivery from Taskin straight to backward point as Bangladesh started their celebrations.

West Indies boss the powerplayThe assistance for the spinners from the pitch was evident from the start. Hosein removed Litton again early in the Bangladesh innings, this time getting him stumped for 3. Litton’s dismal form continues, while Hosein continued his powerplay dominance. Chase followed up with Tanzid Hasan’s wicket, hitting his off stump with a ripper of a delivery.Mehidy and Soumya got Bangladesh out of that mire, batting sensibly till the ninth over. That’s when Soumya was run out when he responded to a Mehidy call for a single to short third. Mehidy fell in the next over, hitting Joseph to deep square leg, for 26, after striking three fours and a six in his 25-ball stay.

Shamim’s flourish lifts Bangladesh

Motie then got into the Bangladesh middle order, cleaning up both Rishad and Mahedi by the 15th over. Jaker Ali tried to resurrect the innings somewhat, with his 20-ball 21, but when he fell in the 17th over with the score 88 for 7, there were chances that the visitors could be bowled out for under 100.Shamim, however, had the final say in the death overs, hitting a couple of sixes and as many fours. Both his sixes came off the local boy Obed McCoy, hitting him over fine leg and midwicket. He ensured Bangladesh finished on a score just above 120, which was considered to be par for the course given the type of pitch.

The win has lifted Pakistan, who play UAE in their final game, to second spot in the group, while Nepal will have to beat India in their last game to stay in the semi-finals race

Hemant Brar21-Jul-2024Pakistan kept their Women’s Asia Cup campaign alive with a thumping nine-wicket win over Nepal in Dambulla on Sunday evening.Having lost their opening game to India, Pakistan were in a must-win situation and did not let their fans down. Nepal started briskly after being sent in. They had a strong finish as well. But the Pakistan bowlers and fielders – there were three run-outs – caused enough damage in the middle overs to restrict Nepal to 108 for 6. Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali then smashed 105 in just 11.2 overs to kill the game. Feroza was the aggressor, scoring 57 off 35 balls, while Muneeba stayed unbeaten on 46 off 34.The win boosted Pakistan’s net run-rate to 0.409 and lifted them to second position on the points table.

Nepal’s positive start

Samjhana Khadka, fresh from her match-winning half-century against UAE, slapped Fatima Sana over extra cover for four on the fourth ball of the innings. But she was late on the pull next ball, and ended up offering a simple catch to Nashra Sandhu at short midwicket.The wicket did not affect Nepal’s intent. Sita Rana Magar, the other opener, and Kabita Kunwar, the No. 3, also opened their accounts with fours. The pair also hit a boundary each off Omaima Sohail to take the side to 29 for 1 after four overs.Sita Rana Magar played a good hand at the top for Nepal•Asian Cricket Council

Iqbal’s double-strike puts the brakes on

In her first over, left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal had rapped Kunwar on the pads three times in three balls. When Iqbal returned for her second, the fifth of the innings, Kunwar tried to cut her but ended up edging it to the keeper. Nepal captain Indu Barma lasted just two balls; Iqbal beat her for pace with an arm ball that rattled the stumps. Sohail followed up Iqbal’s one-run, two-wicket over with a maiden as Nepal finished the powerplay on 30 for 3.Nepal’s next boundary came in the ninth over when Rubina Chhetry lofted Sandhu down the ground for four. But Chhetry’s run-out in the next over kept Nepal in check. Shortly after that, Magar too was run-out while going for a non-existent second run.

Joshi and Mahato help Nepal finish strongly

After 15 overs, Nepal were 68 for 5, and it looked like they would struggle to reach 100. But Puja Mahato and Kabita Joshi switched gears after that. There was a period during their stand when the pair hit six fours in 18 balls. Mahato was run-out with five balls left in the innings but Joshi batted till the end and even hit Sana for the only six of the innings in the final over. Pakistan’s sloppy fielding also helped Nepal, who scored 40 in the last five overs.Sadia Iqbal rocked Nepal with two wickets in an over in the powerplay•Asian Cricket Council

Feroza, Muneeba ace the chase

If Nepal thought they had posted a decent total, Feroza and Muneeba showed it was anything but. Feroza smashed the first ball of the chase through the covers for four. She hit three more boundaries in the next two overs and moved to 20 off 16 balls. Muneeba had faced just two balls at that stage and was yet to open her account.Muneeba did struggle initially but did not take too long to hit her stride. In the sixth over, she hit Magar for three fours as Pakistan ended the powerplay on 52 for no loss.Even when the field restrictions were relaxed, there was no respite for the Nepal bowlers, who not only erred in their lines and lengths but also lacked the backing of their fielders. There was not a single over during the chase that did not feature a boundary.Feroza alone hit eight fours in the first eight overs, and brought up her maiden T20I fifty off 30 balls. By the time she fell, Pakistan needed just four runs, which Muneeba knocked off with yet another boundary.

The league is also planning to expand from the current six teams to 10 in the coming seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2024Major League Cricket (MLC), the season-old T20 tournament in the USA, has become the second Associate-run franchise competition to acquire List A status from the ICC, following on from the UAE’s ILT20 earlier this year.The status means that MLC will now be recognised as an official T20 league, with tournament playing records now counted as official format statistics. “We are really excited for the news as it’s a recognition of the standard and high quality of players taking part in the tournament,” tournament director Justin Geale told ESPNcricinfo. “By awarding MLC List A status for the upcoming season, it assists to acknowledge the strength and growing stature of the tournament and ultimately will help to enhance the credibility of the sport in the USA on a global scale.”The most important part for me though is it ensures the performances of some of the world’s best players alongside their peers are adequately reflected in their career statistics.”Really thankful to the ICC for taking the time to look at it as cricket in the USA doesn’t always fit into a template. We are an Associate nation and proud of that, one with a unique opportunity in front of us. It’s our hope that on the back of the upcoming World Cup and a successful season we can continue to build a platform for the sport to grow and ultimately succeed in the USA.”The 2024 edition of MLC will start on July 5, a week after the T20 World Cup ends on June 29 in Bridgetown. The T20 World Cup begins, however, in Dallas, USA on June 1, in what is an important season in the game’s continuing efforts to crack the US market.The , which reported on the awarding of List A status on Monday, also revealed MLC’s plans to expand from the current six teams to 10 over the next few years, jumping from 19 games in 2023 to 34 by 2025. Twenty-five games have already been scheduled for this season.”It was always intended to be a 10-team league,” MLC’s chief executive, Vijay Srinivasan, told the . “Studies show that we are a big enough country, with a big enough demographic to support 10 teams, so that’s our plan. We had 19 games in our first season, will have 25 in our second. I think we want to get to 34 next year, and just gradually keep expanding.”Srinivasan said they wanted the league, which clashes with the Hundred in 2024, to start in early June in 2025.”Ultimately for us, our ideal calendar is to start much earlier, in the late spring or early summer,” Srinivasan said. “With the Indian Premier League ending in late May, I think our sweet spot would be to start in early June, which is when we have the school holidays in the US, and go into July. That’s how we would like to establish our window.”An early June start avoids a clash with the Hundred’s July-August window, but it could mean an overlap with the T20 Blast. This scheduling clash became a major talking point in the last English summer when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to play in the MLC and went on to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as that of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who won their third IPL title on Sunday.Last year, MLC ended two days before the start of the Hundred, though this time there will be an overlap of six days between the two leagues, with the MLC ending on July 28 and the Hundred starting on July 23. As a result, as many as half of the overseas players in the Hundred could arrive in the UK late after the MLC ends. Twelve out of the 24 overseas players under contract in the men’s Hundred have already been announced as signings or retentions in MLC and more could follow before the tournament starts.Four of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, KKR, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.The first season ran from July 13 to 31 with 15 group-stage games followed by four playoff matches, and ended with MI New York lifting the trophy under the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran. The second season will be played across the same two grounds which hosted the first season – the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and the Church Street Park Stadium in Morrisville.