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Both teams are coming off a lean trot in T20Is, but the visitors like the format, while the hosts don’t

Mohammad Isam02-Mar-2022

Big picture

Afghanistan will be happy with action shifting to the two-match T20I series that begins in Dhaka on Thursday, but Bangladesh might feel differently; they have started to dread the format in recent times. Bangladesh have lost their last eight T20Is, and although Afghanistan didn’t cover themselves in glory in the T20 World Cup last year, everyone agrees that they love T20s, and they have the personnel for it.This time, Afghanistan have a new-look side after dropping a number of senior cricketers, most notably, Mohammad Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan and Hashmatullah Shahidi. They have made way for, among others, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai and Nijat Masood. Asghar Afghan has also retired, which leaves more responsibility on the shoulders of senior pros Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran.With Naveen-ul-Haq also absent, they will also have a new-look pace attack, with Karim Janat and Omarzai in the mix as the allrounders. Their main strength, as always, will be the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and now they also have Qais Ahmad, who did well in the BPL.Bangladesh have returned to some of their T20 World Cup players, including Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan. While Shakib was out with an injury recently, Litton was dropped after the World Cup, perhaps unfairly. They will still be without Mushfiqur Rahim though, who’s out of at least the first match with a “contusion of the right thumb”. “He will be under observation of the medical team and will be assessed on Friday before a decision is made regarding his availability for the second and final match of the series,” as per a BCB statement.*The selectors have included Munim Shahriar, the big-hitting opener who made a good first impression in this season’s BPL.But getting rid of Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan does seem hasty, given that they were growing into the finishers’ role. That will now go back to Mahmudullah, who would expect Yasir Ali and Afif Hossain to help him out in the last few overs.How Bangladesh shape their pace attack might be interesting too. They may want to look at Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam up front, with Mustafizur Rahman the floater, so to say, to attack Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but that could be at the cost of an extra batter.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLLL (Last five completed matches; most recent first)

Afghanistan LLWLWAfghanistan’s bowling plans will revolve around Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, as well as Mujeeb Ur Rahman•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

The big-hitting Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck his third ODI hundred earlier this week. Gurbaz’s 180.51 strike rate in this season’s PSL adds to Afghanistan’s top-order firepower that already includes Hazratullah Zazai and newcomer Rasooli. Gurbaz prefers to hit the ball down the ground but he has also shown his willingness to launch into pull shots and the square cut.

Team news

Shakib and Litton will slot into the XI, while Shahriar could make his international debut. Mushfiqur Rahim picked up a finger injury during training on Wednesday and will miss the match. Nurul Hasan* was added to the squad overnight and could come in straightaway.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Litton Das, 2 Munim Shahriar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Nurul Hasan (wk), 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Yasir Ali, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanRasooli and Omarzai could make their T20I debuts looking at how Afghanistan have been looking at making changes and giving their team a fresh look.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Darwish Rasooli, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11 Farid Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

It will be interesting to see if the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s curator Gamini Silva avoids laying out a turner, something he is used to doing even for T20s. Chattogram had a grassy pitch that worked against the Afghanistan spinners, so Dhaka could also go that way. Dry weather is forecast.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan have won four of their six T20Is against Bangladesh.
• Mahmudullah is 29 runs away from becoming the first Bangladesh batter to reach 2000 runs in T20Is. Shakib, who holds the record for most wickets in the format, is 106 runs away from 2000 runs.

*

Ben Sawyer has joined the national set-up as full-time pace-bowling coach

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2021Matthew Mott, head coach of the Australia women’s team, has signed a two-year contract extension which means he will remain in charge until after the defence of the T20 World Cup title in 2023.The next two years includes a host of major series and global events for Australia beginning with the visit of India in September before the Ashes early next year. That is followed by the ODI World Cup in New Zealand during February and March then the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham from late July 2022. Currently the next T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in South Africa in February 2023 with another Ashes series to follow in mid-2023.Australia are also currently on a world-record unbeaten run of 24 ODI victories following their 3-0 win over New Zealand in April.”As a team there’s a lot of stuff in front of us to be excited about and I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” Mott said. “Obviously we play India to start off the summer and the Ashes is a massive series for us, but the one-day World Cup in March has been a key driver of the team over the past few years after a disappointing result at the 2017 event in England.”There’s a lot to look forward to over the next few years, including our first Commonwealth Games appearance, so it’s a really exciting time to be involved.”Ben Oliver, Cricket Australia’s head of national teams and high performance, said: “On field his record speaks for itself, with the team claiming two T20 World Cup titles since his appointment in 2015. The team also regained the Ashes just months after his appointment in 2015 and has held into them ever since, as well as setting a new world record for most consecutive ODI wins.”Matthew is a highly respected international coach, with terrific people skills, a track record of getting the best out of his players and a real passion for the game and his role. We believe he’s the best person to take this incredibly successful team to yet another level.”There has also been a new full-time appointment to Mott’s support staff with Ben Sawyer joining as fast-bowling. It is a role he has previously held in a part-time capacity but now Sawyer will leave Cricket New South Wales and Sydney Sixers for a permanent position with the national side. Ryan Harris had been brought on as bowling coach for the tour of New Zealand earlier this year.”We had some incredibly strong candidates apply for the role and it was a tough decision, but Ben thoroughly deserves the opportunity having already had such a positive impact in his previous stint with the side,” Oliver said.”He’s played a key role in developing what is a world-class bowling group and with over a decade of high-level coaching experience, Ben is a great addition who will complement Matthew, Shelley [Nitschke] and the support staff.”Australia are due to return to international action on September 19 with the first of three ODIs against India before a day-night Test at the WACA starting on September 30.

Rassie van der Dussen and Quinton de Kock also chip in with vital half-centuries in big batting effort

Danyal Rasool04-Apr-2021South Africa survived an astonishing onslaught from Fakhar Zaman to secure a series-levelling 17-run win against Pakistan in Johannesburg.Zaman’s 155-ball 193 was heroic, a one-man show in the truest sense of the word because no other Pakistani managed more than 31 in a chase of 342. It is the highest score in a chase in ODI cricket history, and the second highest ever in a losing cause. Zaman also surpassed Herchelle Gibbs’ 175 to record the highest individual score at this venue.After several stutters, South Africa did manage to get over the line, thanks to a commanding batting performance spearheaded by the top order. Captain Temba Bavuma top-scored with 92, while Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller each brought up half-centuries, allowing South Africa to post 341 in the face of a listless bowling effort from the visitors.Pakistan were never really in the chase right until the final 15 overs; once Zaman brought up his first ODI hundred in two years, he would run riot. Despite finishing with the highest score by a Pakistani in ODI cricket in South Africa, it always looked like an unassailable task, and in truth, proved so by some distance in the end.Pakistan have never chased a total of this magnitude in ODI cricket, and a daunting challenge became even tougher when Imam-ul-Haq, one of the protagonists for the side at SuperSport Park, fell in the second over. For a brief while, Pakistan looked to have course-corrected with a 63-run partnership that exuded easy elegance from the bats of both Azam and Zaman. But Pakistan’s bane on Friday, Nortje, would return to haunt them once more, exploiting a vulnerability against the short ball that brought about the seismic wicket of Azam in his first over. Two balls later, he would dismiss Mohammad Rizwan, and just like that, Pakistan’s most in-form batsmen had been taken out of the equation.It was an uncharacteristic innings through the middle from Zaman, as he reined in his belligerent instincts while the middle order crumbled around him. Danish Aziz was no match for Nortje’s short lengths, while Shadab Khan and Asif Ali had little to contribute. Around that time, Zaman decided to go hell for leather once more, bringing up a 70-ball half-century with a colossal six over square leg.That point on, the shackles were off, and even as wickets fell and the asking rate rose, runs off Zaman’s bat came freely. In what seemed like a flash, he had brought up a hundred, and farmed the strike while plundering South Africa’s bowlers, particularly the spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Temba Bavuma persisted with him for an over too many even as Zaman singled him out and at one point struck five sixes in six balls off the spinner, bringing a ballooning asking rate back under control.The central problem at this point for Pakistan was there were three number 11s at the other end, with Shaheen, and then Rauf, unable to turn the strike over reliably enough. Zaman was forced to take on ever increasing responsibility, turning down singles in a contest where every run was priceless. Thirteen runs off the 48th over brought the equation down to 38 off 12, and individual records were tumbling. By now, Zaman had overtaken Herschelle Gibbs’ 175 in that famous chase of 434, 15 years ago, posting the highest individual score at the Wanderers. In the present, a disciplined penultimate over from Andile Phehlukwayo only allowed seven. A direct hit from long off from the first ball of the final over finally put an end to Zaman’s resistance, and South Africa were home and dry at last.Conditions here were quite similar to the one at Centurion two days ago. Azam called correctly again and elected to field on a belter. But this time, there was no sedate start from Aiden Markram, who set the tone with a classy cameo in the first powerplay, his 34-ball 39 ensuring Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain were unable to build much pressure early on. Once he fell, driving on the up off Faheem Ashraf, de Kock took more of a leadership role.Haris Rauf was smashed for a six over fine leg and a boundary in the same over, while neither he nor Bavuma allowed Shadab, whose nosediving form shows little sign of recovering, to settle. Even Afridi, brought back a little earlier than Pakistan might have planned owing to the lack of wickets that fell, suffered punishment in his second spell, with de Kock taking 18 runs off his two overs.There was little incision at the top from Pakistan, and while the rawness of Hasnain means there will be ups and downs, he was especially indifferent on Sunday. While Bavuma and the irrepressible van der Dussen were in full flow, Pakistan looked like they had reverted to going through the motions; discussions between captain and bowler were few and far between, and slot balls and full tosses abounded.Van der Dussen brought up his half-century with a sweep to midwicket, following it up with another six and four off the hapless Hasnain. But with the South African going after just about every ball by this stage, he would hole out in the same over to long on, his 37-ball 60 having pushed what looked like a 300 total past 330. Bavuma was unselfish at the other end, continuing to go for high-risk shots even as a first hundred as captain beckoned, and found deep midwicket just eight short of the milestone.By this time, Pakistan’s sloppiness was infectious, as Ashraf leaked 13 off one ball when a no-ball and the free hit were dispatched for six by David Miller whose 27-ball 50 further damaged the visitors. Rauf did manage to pick up a couple of late wickets that slowed South Africa in the final few overs, but Miller would compensate for it by plundering 19 off Afridi’s final over. In a game that ultimately only ended in a 17-run win, it turned out every one of those late blows would come in handy.

Tim Bresnan took a career-best 8-51 in the match as a thumping win at Scarborough reasserted Yorkshire’s title challenge and left Notts staring relegation in the face

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road26-Aug-2016

ScorecardTim Bresnan took a career-best 8 for 51 in the match•Getty Images

No one is mithering about Yorkshire enforcing the follow-on now. The remnants of those discussions were stilled 40 minutes into this final day of the 130th Scarborough Festival when Chris Read, so often the epitome of Nottinghamshire’s resistance, edged his third ball to Jake Lehmann at fourth slip and plodded off North Marine Road with his team six wickets down and needing to bat out another 86 overs for the draw.Recoveries from such positions prompt the writing of slim pamphlets and the composition of raucous songs. For all that Brendan Taylor and Brett Hutton survived for eighty minutes until lunch there was rarely any indication that Read’s cricketers now have it in them to mount such wondrous revivals. The expressions on the faces of the players outside the away changing room after their eventual 305-run defeat said as much.There was angry impotence verging on the emotional emptiness of the truly beaten. Having reduced Yorkshire to 51 for 6 on the first day, Nottinghamshire’s bowlers had facilitated the home side’s recovery and their batsmen had then lost 20 wickets in 94.4 overs. The last four of these had tumbled in 19 balls after lunch, three of them to Jack Brooks. The first, though, had been taken by Ryan Sidebottom, who had Hutton caught by Andy Hodd for 20. Next over Taylor slapped Brooks to Alex Lees at cover and the slow loop of the ball was almost mournful. It was time to pack the picnic away.

Decision vindicated – Gillespie

• Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire coach: “People had a pop at us for not enforcing the follow-on but we stick by what we believe gives us the best opportunity to win a game of cricket. We’ve been vindicated. To go from 51 for six on the first day to win by 300 runs – this team never ceases to amaze me. It’s important how you respond to the positions we find ourselves in at times, but I couldn’t be any more proud of them. There was a real calmness in the dressing room even when we found ourselves in a spot of bother.”

• Mick Newell, Notts director of cricket: “Survival is going to be very difficult. We’ve won one game all season and we haven’t covered ourselves in glory here. We have to go up to Durham, who aren’t playing great either, and see that as an opportunity to win within four days. If we can do that then hopefully we can claw it back. It’s getting tough. Every week you lose it’s getting harder and harder.”

Ten minutes later there were high fives and high jinks in the home dressing room. Yorkshire will return to Headingley for Sunday’s Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final buoyed by the fizz of victory. They will not be weary as Nottinghamshire’s players may be when they go to Chester-le-Street next week. Instead they will travel down to Southampton for their next four-day game a mere five points behind Middlesex and with the prospect of taking on the current leaders in the last match of the season looking ever more delicious.They will feel vindicated, too. Bloody vindicated, probably. “Are you going to ask me about the follow-on?” said their coach, Jason Gillespie, at the opening of his post-match press conference. “People had a pop at us but it was the right call. We stick by what we believe is the best opportunity to win a game of cricket.”And so they should, of course. As will those who believe that Yorkshire had a good opportunity to complete a two-day win at Scarborough. Had they taken that opportunity, there may have been no need for officials to arrange for Headingley’s Blotter to be transported to North Marine Road early on Friday morning and put to work mopping up the drenched outfield. “I think it did bugger all,” said Gillespie.Yet it still seemed faintly miraculous that cricket could be played on the final morning of this game. On Thursday evening thick mist had coiled itself around the town like a cat, hugging each streetlight and soaking every surface. Then, from around ten o’clock until deep into the early hours, rain fell in pitiless rods on deserted streets, as if passing judgement on something.By 11 o’clock in the morning, though, the air was sea-scented and the ground was fit for play. So fit, perhaps, that according to most timekeepers we began three minutes early and Tom Moores suffered the curious indignity of being caught by Adam Lyth off Tim Bresnan a minute before play was due to begin. Bresnan then had Samit Patel caught behind for five, although the batsman cast a couple of glances back at the umpires before dudgeoning off to the pavilion.Bresnan finished the innings with 5 for 36 in the innings and 8 for 51 in the match. Both are career-best performances and they come from a cricketer who is so often at the heart of his team’s most rambunctious triumphs. Bresnan, at least, will be up for the next challenge whereas Nottinghamshire’s players will most probably face some bleak truths in September. Relegation brings financial consequences and it changes lives. Cricket’s poets need to remember that.

Ashwell Prince has resigned from South Africa’s selection panel to concentrate his efforts on coaching

Firdose Moonda12-Sep-2016Ashwell Prince has resigned from South Africa’s selection panel to concentrate his efforts on coaching. Prince was one of two former internationals, alongside Errol Stewart, on the four-man committee which also includes convener Linda Zondi and former Gauteng player Hussein Manack. There is no indication of when a replacement for Prince will be announced.”I feel I have more to offer as a coach, so that’s what I want to concentrate on,” Prince told ESPNcricinfo. “Being both a coach and a selector was not an option as it is regarded as a conflict of interest.”Prince, a batsman who played 66 Tests, 52 ODIs and a T20I between 2002 and 2011, signed off as a selector before South Africa A’s tour to Australia, where he travelled as the team’s assistant and batting coach. He is considering opportunities at domestic level for the upcoming season and is close to confirming a position. He is also hopeful of completing coaching qualifications, although he missed out on the Level Three course that started last Monday. The course is only run once a year, so Prince may have to wait until 2017 to further his studies.Prince became a national selector in June 2015, a tough period for South African cricket. In that time, the team played 12 Tests and won just two, played 22 ODIs and won 11 and were victorious in 10 of their 15 T20s. Among the positives from the period was the rise of Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and Tabraiz Shamsi.

R Ashwin closes in on top-ranked Pat Cummins among Test bowlers after picking up eight wickets in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2021Ajaz Patel, who became only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to pick up all ten wickets in an innings, against India in Mumbai, has risen to No. 38 following a match haul of 14 for 225. New Zealand still lost the Test by a record 372 runs, and India opener Mayank Agarwal, the Player of the Match for innings of 150 and 62, has jumped 30 positions to No. 11, just one off a career-high tenth spot.For Ajaz, who emulated Jim Laker and Anil Kumble at the Wankhede, it meant a gain of 23 spots; his previous highest was No. 53, and he had started the two-Test series against India, which New Zealand lost 1-0, at 62nd place. He picked up a total of 17 wickets in the series.As for Agarwal, his previous best rankings of No. 10 came back in November 2019, after he had scored 243 against Bangladesh in Indore in what was his eighth Test.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

R Ashwin was named Player of the Series for his tally of 14 wickets in two Tests, to go with 70 runs across three innings. Ashwin, No. 2 on the bowlers’ chart behind Pat Cummins, has now moved within 25 points of the Australian quick, his 883 rating points well clear of third-placed Josh Hazlewood, who has 816 points.Cummins, however, has started the Ashes series with a bang, returning 5 for 38 on the opening day of the first Test in Brisbane as England rolled over for 147. Hazlewood hasn’t done badly either, picking up 2 for 42.4:11

Daniel Vettori: Ajaz Patel haul is greatest individual feat in NZ Test cricket

Ashwin has also moved up one place to No. 2 among allrounders. Jason Holder is top of the tally there, while Ravindra Jadeja has dropped from second to fourth, with Ben Stokes between him and Ashwin. Holder, meanwhile, has also moved up one spot to the 14th place among bowlers at the end of the second Galle Test against Sri Lanka, which the home side won by 164 runs to complete a 2-0 series win.Among the others to gain at the end of the India vs New Zealand series were Shubman Gill, up 21 places to 45th, and Daryl Mitchell, up 26 places to No. 78, on the batters’ table, and Mohammed Siraj, who moved up four spots to 41st in the bowlers’ list.Following the Sri Lanka vs West Indies series, three batters made significant gains: Dhananjaya de Silva, whose 155* was the highlight of Sri Lanka’s win in the first Test, moved up 12 places to No. 21, Kraigg Brathwaite went up ten places to 39th, and Nkrumah Bonner was up 17 places to 42nd.Of the bowlers in action, Sri Lanka spinners Lasith Embuldeniya (up five slots to No. 32) and Ramesh Mendis (up 18 places to 39th) made big gains.

Fixtures against Netherlands and Zimbabwe also confirmed for 2021 summer

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2021South Africa will travel to Ireland for three ODIs and three T20Is in July, as Cricket South Africa look to fill the men’s team’s winter with fixtures following the postponement of a three-Test home series against Australia.This tour is part of the 2018-2023 Future Tours Programme (FTP) with the ODIs forming part of the World Cup Super League. The matches will be played between July 11 and 25 in Malahide and Stormont.This is the first time South Africa are visiting Ireland since 2007 when they played one ODI against Ireland and a three-match ODI series against India in the country. Vernon Philander debuted on that tour. Since then, South Africa have only met Ireland at 50-over World Cups and never in a T20I.

Ireland schedule for summer 2021

Netherlands (away)
ODIs – June 2, 4, and 7 (venues TBC)

South Africa (home)
ODIs – July 11, 13 and 16 (Malahide)
T20Is – July 20 (Malahide), 22 and 25 (Stormont)

Zimbabwe (home)
ODIs – August 6, 8 and 11 (Stormont)
T20Is – August 15, 17 and 20 (Bready)

“The tour marks a significant new chapter in our history as we visit one of the fast-developing cricket nations for a six-match tour,” Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket said. “Ireland have shown themselves to be highly competitive adversaries in recent years, with a growing profile in the world game. It will also offer our players further international action in unfamiliar conditions, so we are looking forward to the contest.”Ireland last played cricket in January, when they travelled to Abu Dhabi for series against the UAE – which was interrupted by several positive cases of Covid-19 in the hosts’ squad – and Afghanistan. Their tour to Zimbabwe, which was due to take place in April, has been indefinitely postponed because of the difficulties in scheduling which sees Zimbabwe play Afghanistan later this month and then host Pakistan.Ireland have also announced dates for Zimbabwe’s six-match tour, which comprises three World Cup Super League ODIs and three T20Is. The 50-over fixtures will be staged in Stormont, with the T20Is at Bready.Cricket Ireland confirmed that talks are ongoing with the ECB and PCB around the possibility of staging a two-match T20I series against Pakistan in England, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo last month. Dates for Ireland’s three-match World Cup Super League series in the Netherlands have also been confirmed for early June.”Given the significant changes to the Future Tours Programme due to the postponement of home series’ from 2020 – and all other countries having to reschedule fixtures over the period 2020-2023 – it has truly been a jigsaw puzzle for world cricket administrators to try to make the pieces fit,” Warren Deutrom, CEO of Cricket Ireland said. “We look forward to the season ahead and thank our touring opponents for working with us on this restructured season.”Ireland is currently still allowing South Africans into the country, although they are required to spend 14-days in quarantine on arrival. It has not been confirmed if the South African team will be subject to the same requirements but with the tour still five months away, it will likely depend on the status of the pandemic. South Africa are also exploring the possibility of rescheduling last year’s postponed two-Test and five T20I visit to the Caribbean as well as travelling to Sri Lanka and India in the winter.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s top order made short work of the 184 target as fifties from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, after Chris Gayle’s 31-ball 49, gave them a nine-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders

The Report by Vishal Dikshit16-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by ball detailsChris Gayle struck form after eight single-digit scores•BCCI

Thirty-two runs, 43 balls, and less than an hour at the crease while batting in a total of eight innings. Those were Chris Gayle’s numbers during his lean run since his hundred in West Indies’ World T20 opener against England exactly two months ago. On a humid night at Eden Gardens, he struck form against his former franchise to help Royal Challengers Bangalore stay alive in their hunt for a playoff spot, with a nine-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders.Royal Challengers’ top order made light work of the 184-run target as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers carried their stellar show from Bangalore to Kolkata, after Gayle’s 31-ball 49.

Kohli, Russell pick up injuries

Virat Kohli and Andre Russell picked up injuries during Royal Challengers’ nine-wicket win in Kolkata. In the 17th over of Knight Riders’ innings, Kohli split his webbing on his left hand when he ran in from deep cover to take a catch offered by Russell. He was off the field for an over before returning. “It’s a big split, my hand is starting to pain now, looks like I’ll get seven or eight stitches. I don’t mind even 10 stitches as long as we keep winning,” he said after the match.
Russell’s injury looked more serious and occurred towards the end of the match. Russell was bowling the 19th over when he tumbled for the third time in his follow through and had to be helped off the field after he injured his knee, according to the TV commentators.

Gayle had trudged to 1 off seven balls before unleashing the big hits. He started with a swipe over mid-on for four in the second over, and treated the short balls thereafter with disdain. The upper cut, the inside-out drive and even the fierce sweep off Sunil Narine, something he’s not always known for, followed as he raced to 35 off 21. Amid the carnage, Kohli exhibited one classical inside-out drive for six that showed the Royal Challengers party was on at both ends, and only 11 people at the packed ground were not dancing to the music.Gayle was trapped lbw by Narine after he struck two more sixes, but that brought together Kohli and de Villiers. They were watchful at times but picked up boundaries regularly. While de Villiers targeted Ankit Rajpoot and Shakib Al Hasan, who was repeatedly swept into the stands at deep square leg, Kohli went after Andre Russell and Piyush Chawla.Kohli, on 32, offered a rare chance off Shakib but Gautam Gambhir put it down at backward point in the 11th over, with Royal Challengers needing 90 off 56. But after two boundary-less overs against Shakib and Chawla, Kohli and de Villiers put their seat belts on. Kohli picked the wrong’uns, de Villiers used the crease against the three spinners, and sixes were struck on demand. Soon the equation read 40 from 24. And even though Gambhir changed his bowlers around, the result remained unaffected.Kohli sauntered to his eighth fifty-plus score of the tournament and de Villiers, the more attacking of the two, registered his 28-ball half-century as the duo ran down the target with eight balls to spare. Their unbeaten stand read 115 runs from 11.1 overs at a scoring rate of 10.29. Along the way, Kohli surpassed Chris Gayle and Michael Hussey’s tally of 733 runs to become the highest run-scorer in an IPL season.Unlike the chase, Knight Riders’ journey to 183 had been a bumpy ride, led first by the top order and then the lower order. Iqbal Abdulla, who replaced Varun Aaron in RCB’s XI, took a one-handed catch to dismiss Robin Uthappa in the third over. Gambhir and Manish Pandey didn’t look perturbed though. While the captain relied more on nudges, Pandey’s big swings towards the midwicket region kept the fielders busy, as Knight Riders passed fifty at the end of the Powerplay.Just when Knight Riders had begun hitting harder, Royal Challengers took three wickets in 10 balls. Gambhir and Pandey fell after making fifties to allow Abdulla and Yuzvendra Chahal to slow the scoring further. Yusuf Pathan, who had made an unbeaten 29-ball 60 in a match-winning effort when the sides last met in Bangalore, was deceived in flight and stumped for 6, while Suryakumar Yadav holed out to long-off. Knight Riders stumbled to 125 for 5.The momentum switched sides again when Russell and Shakib got together. Shakib used leg-side swipes and Russell unfurled commanding swings from deep in the crease to collect boundaries. Even though Shakib raced to 12 off his first four deliveries, he later took singles to give the strike to Russell, who targeted the quicks to score 39 off 19.

Mitchell Santner, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the next game with a finger injury

Deivarayan Muthu08-Jun-2021New Zealand spin-bowling allrounder Mitchell Santner has been sidelined from the Edgbaston Test with a finger injury. His captain Kane Williamson is under an injury cloud, having sustained an elbow niggle ahead of the second Test, which starts on June 10. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said that the team management would take the final call on Williamson on the eve of the match.Trent Boult, their premier seamer, however, has been lined up for a Test return after having linked up with the squad for his first training of the tour at Lord’s on Saturday. Boult also trained with the group at Edgbaston two days out of the second Test.Santner had suffered a cut to his spinning finger during the intra-squad match, in the approach to the tour, and then aggravated his injury by playing the first Test at Lord’s. Santner, who was the only frontline spinner in either team in the opening Test, had gone wicketless in 23 overs, conceding 68 runs. He served up eight full-tosses in that game, including a chest-high beamer, according to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, giving up 16 runs. Stead conceded that the cut to Santner’s left index finger disrupted his rhythm.”People probably would have seen him open up the piece on his finger again; he had quite a bit of blood on his pants,” Stead said of Santner. “That came from the cut he originally had. We thought it had healed okay, but obviously we needed a little bit more time for that to happen and it definitely hampered his ability in the match as well.”New Zealand have two other left-arm fingerspinners in their squad to replace Santner – Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra. Patel, himself, is working his way back into international cricket after a calf injury; he had last played Test cricket in February 2020. Ravindra, the Wellington batting allrounder, meanwhile, is uncapped in international cricket.As for Williamson, this isn’t the first time this year that he’s dealing with an elbow complaint. He had earlier been ruled out of the ODI series against Bangladesh at home and subsequently missed the start of IPL 2021.”His [Williamson’s] elbow is still niggling him a wee bit,” Stead said. “We’ve had some more treatment on that and we just want to make sure it’s the best thing for him, playing in this match versus taking a bit more time to be ready and training the way he needs to train.”Mitchell Santner is nursing a finger injury•Getty Images

Stead, though, welcomed Boult back into the set-up, all but confirming his comeback. After the IPL was suspended, the left-arm seamer opted to return home to spend time with his family in Mount Maunganui rather than head straight to the UK along with the rest of the New Zealand contingent. Before the Lord’s Test, Stead had indicated the turnaround for Edgbaston would be too tight for Boult but updated quarantine protocols have allowed him to train immediately after arriving which has advanced his preparations by a few days.”Trent’s back and available to be selected and it’s likely we’ll play him in this game as well,” he said. “It’s good news for us. Things did change when he got here or from the information we had initially. So, think it’s the best thing for Trent to get out there, get the Dukes ball in his hand and show us what he’s capable of.”With an eye on the forthcoming World Test Championship [WTC] final against India, which begins on June 18 at the Ageas Bowl, Stead reckoned that the rest of the attack could also be rotated. Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson all had solid workouts at Lord’s, bowling 40 or more overs each across both innings, despite the entire third day’s play being wiped out by a persistent drizzle. Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell and Southland’s Jacob Duffy, who is also uncapped, are the potential seam-bowling replacements for the frontline quicks. Stead said that they would lock in their XI on Wednesday.”They [bowlers] have all scrubbed up pretty well, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will play in the next match,” Stead said. “With an eye to the [WTC] final we want to make sure the key bowlers who we think will take part in that game are fresh, raring to go and ready for that first ball of the match versus India.”We’ve got a squad of 20 obviously. So, a lot of guys have played Test cricket before. Matt Henry is here, Daryl Mitchell is here, Doug Bracewell, Ajaz Patel…there’re guys in and around the squad who’ve played for us in the past. So, again, we’re having those discussions with them about what’s best for them given training loads, playing loads and readiness for that match.”

USA head coach Pubudu Dassanayake will take over the team – comprising players from USA, Canada and Bermuda – for the Nagico Super50 in Barbados commencing later this month

Peter Della Penna09-Jan-2017USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has been announced to fulfill the same role for the ICC Americas squad at the WICB Nagico Super50 later this month in Barbados. Dassanayake will be assisted by former Canada fast bowler and current Cricket Canada selector Henry Osinde.Dassanayake took over USA’s coaching duties in September and helped lead the side to a tournament title at the ICC WCL Division Four in Los Angeles this past November. The former Sri Lankan Test wicketkeeper was the most likely candidate to lead the combined ICC Americas side – comprising players from USA, Canada and Bermuda – as his USA coach’s salary is currently being paid for by funding from ICC Americas while the USA Cricket Association remains under suspension for issues regarding its governance.Another factor is that Dassanayake also has a solid familiarity with many of Canada’s players in the ICC Americas squad, having coached Canada from 2007 to 2011 and continues to live with his family in Barrie, Ontario, about an hour north of Toronto. Dassanayake and Osinde take over from Derek Perera and Mike Young, who formed the coaching staff for the ICC Americas squad at last year’s WICB Nagico Super50.ICC Americas staff also announced on Sunday night that USA wicketkeeper-batsman Akeem Dodson has been chosen as the replacement for Steven Taylor in the ICC Americas 15-man squad. Dodson received a call up after Taylor was drafted into Jamaica’s squad for the tournament. The 29-year-old Dodson was a member of last year’s ICC Americas squad at the Nagico Super50, making 16 runs in three innings, but had initially been left out of this year’s 15-man squad when it was first announced in December.”Whilst it will be disappointing to lose a senior player from the Americas squad, it also means another Americas player gets an opportunity at this level,” ICC Americas regional development manager Ben Kavanagh said in a media release announcing the squad change and coaching staff assignments. “Ultimately, the more players who can get an opportunity to play within first-class cricket structures, the stronger the Americas region will be.”The majority of the squad is due to arrive in Barbados on January 21 for four days of training ahead of their first match against Combined Campuses and Colleges on January 26. USA representatives Fahad Babar and Jessy Singh are currently playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka in a development opportunity arranged by Dassanayake and won’t arrive in Barbados until January 23 in order to allow them to continue playing through the seventh round of the Sri Lanka first-class tournament that ends on January 22.