All posts by n8rngtd.top

Klaasen, Miller, Maharaj and Rabada all had a hand in helping them win by four runs

Firdose Moonda10-Jun-20242:25

Should cricket revisit the leg-bye rule on a referral?

South Africa survived an almighty scare to to maintain a 100% win-record at the T20 World Cup 2024, and in New York, where they chose to bat first in their final fixture at Eisenhower Park. On a used wicket, Aiden Markram decided to put a total on the board, and it almost looked like a mistake. South Africa were 23 for 4, but a record 79-run fifth-wicket stand between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller took them to 113, which they scrapped hard to defend.Bangladesh’s start was not ideal. They were 50 for 4 after ten overs, but Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah put on 44 for the fifth wicket and got them back on track. They almost also got them over the line and will look back on one incident which could have forced a Super Over. In the 17th over, Mahmudullah missed a flick off Ottneil Baartman, which hit his front pad and deflected to the boundary for what looked like four leg byes. But he was given out off that ball, which made it dead at the point of impact, and reviewed the decision. Ball-tracking showed Mahmudullah was not out, but because he had been given out, the four runs did not count, as outlined by the ICC’s protocols on DRS (3.7.1) in the playing conditions for T20Is.In the end. Bangladesh fell short by four runs. That, and their inability to capitalise on Keshav Maharaj bowling the final over for the first time in T20Is and sending down three full tosses, cost them the game.Maharaj was tasked with the final over after Markram bowled the seamers out earlier. It seemed a miscalculation, but he got two wickets as Bangladesh sought to clear the boundary though neither Jaker Ali nor Mahmudullah could. Mahmudullah was out on the penultimate ball – off a full toss – to a well-timed running catch by Markram from long-on, which all but ended Bangladesh’s hopes.0:59

Morkel: South Africa held their nerve defending a low total

South Africa leave the USA with three wins from three matches, and will move to St. Vincent to play Nepal in their last group match. They are in pole position to qualify for the Super 8s. Bangladesh also head to the West Indies, and will play Netherlands and Nepal, with the Super 8s still in sight.

Top-three troubles

For all the talk about the power of their batting line-up, South Africa’s top three have underperformed thus far, albeit on tough batting surfaces. Collectively, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram have scored 61 runs in nine trips to the crease at an average of 6.77. Of teams that have played at least two matches at the tournament, only Uganda and PNG average lower.The biggest concern will be Hendricks, whose scores of 4, 3 and 0 are the lowest of the trio, and whose methods of dismissal appear to show a technical deficiency. Twice in two games, Hendricks has been stuck in his crease and then played down the wrong line. He’ll be looking over his shoulder knowing fellow opener Ryan Rickelton is waiting on the bench, and could get an opportunity in the next match.Things got even worse when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed for a duck in the fifth over. South Africa have only lost their first four wickets by end of the fifth over on five occasions in men’s T20Is, and two of them came in this competition. Happily for them, they had Klaasen and Miller on hand to shore up the mid-section of the innings.

Three overs: 13 runs

After Tanzim Hasan (3 for 18) set the tone with wickets upfront, Taskin Ahmed took charge of the latter stages, helped by Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. Between them, the trio gave away just 13 runs in the last three overs of South Africa’s innings, and removed both danger batters Klaasen and Miller in a clutch display of death bowling. Klaasen was dismissed halfway through the 18th over, when he slogged across the line but was early on his shot, and the low bounce took the ball onto leg stump. Taskin only conceded three singles off the rest of that over to finish with 2 for 19 from his four overs.It may have been a gamble to use legspinner Rishad for the penultimate over, especially when his previous three cost 28 runs, but he knocked Miller out with a topspinner second ball, and Maharaj could not get him away. Rishad’s final over cost just four. Then came the Fizz, who took the ball away from Maharaj for four consecutive dots before a fifth went wide and was called as such. The batters scored three runs off the last two balls and were frustrated by their inability to score any boundaries in the last three overs.1:24

Morkel: Miller and Klaasen showed maturity against spinners

Happy Birthday David Miller

On his 35th birthday, Miller was given a gift when he edged the first ball Mahmudullah bowled. But Litton Das, who was standing up to the stumps, was unable to react quickly enough to take the catch. Miller was on 13 at the time and went on to more than double his score and finish on 29. But that wasn’t the end of the presents for him. He was stationed at extra cover when Maharaj was brought on to bowl the first over after the powerplay, and Litton, not content with what he had already given Miller, slapped the ball straight to him. Miller made no mistake, and Bangladesh were 29 for 2 in the seventh over.

Three overs: 15 runs

Bangladesh had to get 20 runs off the last 18 balls, and after putting on the squeeze in that period would have expected it to be difficult but perhaps not difficult. Kagiso Rabada bowled the 18th over, despite not being his best at the tournament so far. He only half-appealed when Hridoy missed an attempted clip to the leg side but was rewarded with a wicket first up. Rabada went on to concede only one more run in an over of hard lengths.Then Baartman stepped up for the 19th, and stuck to a slightly fuller length which neither Mahmudullah nor Jaker could get away. He conceded seven runs. The test was when Maharaj, who has never done this job before, was left with the final six balls. He started with a wide. His second legal ball was a low full toss that Mahmudullah hit hard down the ground, but the slow outfield stopped it from getting to the rope. Jaker tried to send the next one over the rope but couldn’t clear long-on, and then Rishad managed a leg bye.But the last two balls were both full tosses that should have been dispatched over the rope. However, Mahmdullah’s effort found Markram, while Taskin could only hit the final ball to cover to give South Africa a nervy anti-choke win.

Klaasen thankful for the break Sunrisers got – they last played on May 8 – saying they will go into the playoffs mentally fresh

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2024Heinrich Klaasen will go into the IPL 2024 playoffs feeling like he is back at his best, having worked his way through a slight drop off in form. He hit 42 off 26 against Punjab Kings on Sunday evening in Hyderabad to help his team chase down 215 with relative ease, hitting a couple of shots along the way that “put a smile” on his face.”I haven’t hit it nicely over this period of time,” Klaasen said after the game. “So I went back into the nets to try and figure it out, [and] got something that helped. And I finally hit one or two today that put a smile on my face.”Klaasen had hit 253 runs in his first six innings this season, at an average of 63.25 and a strike rate of 199.21. But his next six knocks, including this one against PBKS in Hyderabad, brought him 128 runs at an average of 25.60 and a strike rate of 158.02. This run included a 2 off four balls against Mumbai Indians, and a 20 off 21 balls against Chennai Super Kings, both in SRH losses.Related

• SRH ride on another Abhishek blitz to finish second in league-stage standings

Asked what he felt had been going wrong for him when his form fell away, Klaasen said: “I haven’t looked at the ball at all. And I was moving way too much. And then I found something. I challenged myself in the nets against the other guys, [like] the spinners. And all of a sudden, everything just clicked again.”So I just went back to the basics of standing dead still, watching the ball, and just reacting. And finally it came [off], so I’m very pleased.”What would have helped Klaasen in this regard was the long break SRH got – partly by design, partly due to the weather. Before today, they had last played against Lucknow Super Giants at home on May 8, before having a match against Gujarat Titans – also at home – washed out without a toss on May 16. Klaasen admitted that was a blessing in disguise.”It couldn’t have come at a better time for us, to be honest,” he said. “It has been a long couple of months. The schedule, I reckon that timing was the best for us. End of the IPL, into the playoffs, will be nice and fresh mentally, and obviously [then] into the [T20] World Cup. So that break was, I reckon, sent from above.”Klaasen and Co had to wait to know which playoff they will feature in, though. The win against PBKS put them second on the points table, one point ahead of Rajasthan Royals in third. Royals played table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders in the final league game of the season, later in the evening.”Yeah, we’ll definitely be awake and supporting KKR tonight,” Klaasen said with a smile. The smile would have remained as news of that game being washed out came through, confirming SRH’s top-two finish.

Ben Duckett will have the operation on the ring finger of his left hand next Monday with the recovery time estimated to be 12 weeks, which also rules him out of the North-South series

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2018Ben Duckett will miss the start of the English domestic season after it was decided he would undergo surgery on a finger injury sustained at the end of the 2017 summer.Duckett will have the operation on the ring finger of his left hand next Monday, with the recovery time estimated to be 12 weeks, after he carried the injury over the last few months.The surgery means that Duckett has also been ruled out of the North v South one-day series in Barbados in late March.It has been a difficult few months for Duckett, who played four Tests for England in late 2016 against Bangladesh and India, after he was caught up in controversy in Australia for throwing a drink over James Anderson in a Perth nightclub when the England Lions squad was alongside the main Ashes party.Duckett was not sent home at the time of the incident – which came just a few weeks after the Jonny Bairstow headbutt affair at the same club – but was suspended and given a written warning at the time then omitted from the Lions squad which is currently touring West Indies.Duckett’s absence will stretch the Northamptonshire squad at the start of their County Championship campaign. A 12-week timescale takes Duckett’s likely absence into May but his return could coincide with the start of the Royal London Cup.He will be replaced in the North’s squad by Adam Hose, the Warwickshire batsman, who impressed during Birmingham Bears’ run to the NatWest T20 Blast final.A change has also been required for the South after England allrounder Liam Dawson signed for the Pakistan Super League as a replacement for Shakib Al Hasan, with Ollie Pope, the Surrey batsman, taking his place.Dawson, who is currently with England’s T20 squad for the tri-series in Australia and New Zealand, had also been set to play in the one-day leg of the Lions series against West Indies A. The selectors have yet to decide whether to replace him for that portion of the tour.

Test vice-captain ready for pivotal role on India tour after recovering from shoulder injury

Cameron Ponsonby09-Dec-2023Ollie Pope says he is ready to captain England against India if Ben Stokes’ knee prevents him from playing in the first Test.Stokes underwent surgery on his troublesome left knee immediately after the World Cup where he played as a specialist batter. The hope is that he will be fit to take part against India in the first Test, starting on January 25 in Hyderabad, in a full capacity, but Pope has said it would be “silly” of him not to prepare for the scenario where the reins are handed over to him.”I think naturally when you are vice-captain there is always a risk that the captain can go down,” Pope said ahead of the deciding ODI of England’s tour of the Caribbean. “Of course that is something that I can think about if it needs to happen but the feedback I have had from the physios [regarding Stokes] since the surgery has been really positive. Stokesy is doing good but it would be silly for me not to prepare.”Related

• Uncapped Pope, Turner and Tongue in England white-ball squads for Caribbean tour

• Stokes begins rehab after knee surgery

• Five things England can learn in the Caribbean

Pope has been a non-playing member of the ODI squad after getting his first call-up to an England white-ball team and is continuing his own rehab following the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the Ashes.Describing the experience of watching the final three matches of the series against Australia go ahead without him as “painful”, Pope is nevertheless now back to more-or-less 100% full fitness.”It was awesome to watch and I couldn’t leave my sofa some days,” Pope said of the Ashes, which ended 2-2. “It was frustrating not playing but the guys put on a real good show and I felt I was living it with them a little bit from my sofa with my shoulder in a sling”[But] I’m good. The shoulder has been good. It’s a stable joint and it can still be sore when I’m throwing, but that’s something I’m going to have to put up with for a while.”During training in Antigua, Pope threw almost exclusively underarm, but has since started to throw overarm at times, saying that it’s simply a case of saving the majority of his throws for game time. It is the third time that Pope has dislocated his shoulder, after suffering the same injury on his left side in 2019 and 2020, but he said that despite the injury occurring whilst he was diving in the field on all three occasions, he remains confident in his ability to throw himself around.”Not [when] diving,” Pope said of whether the injury remains in the back of his mind. “Because I’ve had the same surgery on my left side. I trust the operation and what has happened to my shoulder. I have had two on my left, the first was a smaller one which didn’t go to plan, but in terms of diving around, no. I know I have a stable joint now and that is the good thing in my mind.”This is the fourth week in a row that Pope has been away from home, after he joined up with the white-ball squad in the Caribbean after being part of the England Lions red-ball training camp in Abu Dhabi.”It is a lot better preparation for India than it would be back in the indoor school at The Oval or in the gym the whole time,” he said.”Each batter has probably started thinking about their gameplan whether that is defence or attack. We are going to go about it in a positive way. The pitches in India can be really flat as well so you never know it could be 600 par score in the first innings or it could be 200 par score. Each batter has clarity in their mind and we have been speaking with Trescothick since summer about honing defence.”It is the first time that Pope has had to split red- and white-ball thought processes having had five years in the England set-up exclusively as a Test cricketer. Having played just three List A matches in the last four years, Pope’s inclusion in the one-day squad was a surprise if not a shocking one, with England long having earmarked the right-hander as a multi-format player.”I think anywhere three, four, five,” Pope said of where he expects to fit into the XI when the time for a debut comes. “I feel like I can play spin quite nicely and rotate quite nicely. I think I have to just keep developing the boundary options.”I knew I had a chance and I feel like my game is well suited to 50-over cricket. I just had a bit of bad luck in 50-over cricket over the last couple of years. I feel I have a lot to offer, but now I want to go and show it.”

Cricket South Africa is understood to be mulling filling the Boxing-Day slot with a one-off Test against a different opponent

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Aug-2017Not only will India not feature in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa later this year, but even the New Year’s Test in Newlands is in danger of being pushed back. The Boxing Day Test is usually the highlight of South Africa’s international season while the iconic venue in Cape Town usually hosts the second Test of the South African summer from January 2.However, it is understood that India will only land in South Africa in the last week of 2017 and will want to acclimatise for at least a week before starting the tour comprising four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.According to a BCCI official, India cannot reach South Africa for the Boxing Day Test which starts on December 26 only because their home series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to finish on December 24. “We can’t make it make it in time. The Sri Lanka tour ends on December 24. After that we need to give the boys a few days’ rest,” the board official told ESPNcricinfo. “The South Africa tour is a big one, so they need to play two warm-up games, so it will take at least 10 days [before the first Test].The BCCI has already alerted Cricket South Africa on the scheduling difficulties, which both boards expect to sort out by next week. ESPNcricinfo understands CSA has accepted the fact that India will miss the Boxing Day Test, and, hence, have started looking for other options to stage a one-off Test. Pakistan and Afghanistan are reportedly the two possible options, but nothing concrete has emerged yet on that front.Tony Irish, the head of the South African Players Association, said that if the Newlands Test failed to start on January 2 or 3, it would be a “major blow” for CSA only because the match coincides with the holiday season. “I had been aware of the fact that they were unlikely to be there for Boxing Day, but for them not to be here for the New Year’s Day is a major blow to CSA and the fans,” Irish said. “To lose Boxing Day is a big thing, but to lose both of them would be massive hit for the fans.”Irish felt India could play a solitary two- or three-day game ahead of the first Test to facilitate things. But the BCCI official said that the Indian players could not be pushed.There are other repercussions of the India tour starting late. As soon India depart, South Africa are scheduled to host Australia for a four-Test series before the players arrived in India for the IPL. If CSA do manage to find an opponent for the Boxing Day Test, that would mean nine Tests crammed inside a two-month period.Irish felt such an “extremely gruelling” Test schedule combined with the limited-overs matches against India would exacerbate the workload on players. “If the India Test matches start much after January 2 or 3, there will be a lot of concern about the players’ workload,” Irish said. “You really compound the workload issue.” Irish has raised this concern with CSA, which has noted it.

Mahmudullah’s 98 went in vain as Bangladesh were unable to defend 244 in Sharjah

Himanshu Agrawal11-Nov-2024Before Monday evening, Rahmanullah Gurbaz averaged 16.73 in 20 innings in run chases in ODIs. But against Bangladesh in Sharjah, he hit 101 – his second century while batting second – with 42 of those runs coming in sixes alone. That took Afghanistan to victory in their pursuit of 245, and gave them their third successive series win.It was also the first instance of a score getting successfully chased in this series, after totals of 235 and 252 were defended in the previous two games.But it didn’t come all that smoothly for Afghanistan. When Gurbaz was caught off Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 39th over, and Gulbadin Naib departed in the 41st, Bangladesh sniffed a comeback. Afghanistan were another 57 runs away from victory, with 58 balls and five wickets remaining. However, Azmatullah Omarzai, who had fallen without scoring in both matches this series, got an unbeaten 70 off 77 deliveries to calmly lead Afghanistan to a five-wicket win in the company of Mohammad Nabi, who smashed a quick 34*.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Omarzai clubbed five sixes, the last of which went over long-on to seal the win for his side. The victory was set up by Gurbaz’s eighth ODI hundred, and his fourth-wicket partnership of 100 with Omarzai, after Afghanistan were 84 for 3 in the 21st over. Such had been Gurbaz’s dominance that he had already reached his half-century by that point. All four of his sixes until then had been flung over the leg side, although he did have his share of luck.When on 24, Gurbaz was dropped by substitute fielder Rishad Hossain at point, and on 48, Towhid Hridoy’s throw from mid-off went wide of the stumps at the non-striker’s end despite Gurbaz having given up after a mix-up with Hashmatullah Shahidi.Gurbaz kept himself busy by ticking the singles and finding the boundary, and when on 56, Jaker Ali missed stumping him out off Mehidy, when one turned down the leg side – although Jaker might have been blinded by Gurbaz skipping down the pitch. Those bits of fortune taken into account, the ball seemed to fly off Gurbaz’s bat, with the most impressive shot being a hard and flat six over deep backward square leg off Mustafizur Rahman.Gurbaz and Omarzai ensured the chase remained in Afghanistan’s control for much of the innings. The century came up for Gurbaz in the 38th over, by the end of which, Afghanistan required only another 63 runs off the remaining 72 balls. That was when Afghanistan lost Gurbaz and Naib back-to-back, but Omarzai brought up his half-century just after that, following up a haul of 4 for 37 with the ball to earn himself the Player-of-the-Match award.Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah put on a huge stand to lift Bangladesh•ACB

Afghanistan had started the game erratically, dropping Tanzid Hasan twice and giving away extras with the ball. But bowling his second over – and the ninth of the innings – Omarzai had Soumya Sarkar chopping on for 24 at just better than a run a ball to break a 53-run opening stand.That seemed to flick a switch. Nabi, bowling the tenth over, had Tanzid slicing to cover point for 19 off a slow and dipping ball; Mehidy, in the 11th, sent Zakir Hasan back after calling for a run, only to result in Zakir’s dismissal on 4; and Rashid Khan, in the 15th, had Hridoy caught at slip for 7. Bangladesh lost 4 for 19 in a period of six overs, when Mehidy, who scored a patient 66, and Mahmudullah, who got a run-a-ball 98, joined hands to add 145 runs for the fifth wicket.But they took their time to settle, as they managed to add only 49 runs off the first 74 balls of their partnership. Three boundaries came during that period, with two off the outside edge of Mehidy’s bat.While Mehidy struggled to get even the singles or find the gap, Mahmudullah looked a lot steadier. With Afghanistan keeping a lid on Bangladesh, Mahmudullah hit the first six of the innings when he deposited Nabi over midwicket to end the 35th over. Those hits remained sporadic as Nabi even bowled a maiden over in the 39th.The last ten overs, however, brought Bangladesh 78 runs. It all started when Mahmudullah ended Nabi’s spell ended with another six. In the next over, the 42nd, Mahmudullah carved AM Ghazanfar for four through extra cover. He started the 44th with another boundary – this time over Ghazanfar’s head – before nailing a sweep off Rashid to propel Bangladesh forward.Seeing that, Mehidy had a change of heart too. With five overs left, he lapped and reverse scooped Omarzai for consecutive boundaries, although perished in the same over when he skied one to extra cover. With Bangladesh at 217 and only 24 balls left, it was down to Mahmudullah to provide the finishing touches; and the double dose of fortune he enjoyed in the 47th over was just what Bangladesh needed for a competitive total.Mahmudullah was given out lbw off Rashid to start the over, but used DRS to overturn the decision. Two legal balls later, he drove back hard at Rashid, who dropped a difficult catch, his hands stung by the blow. Mahmudullah ended with another six over midwicket – this one off Farooqi. He was on 97 with one ball remaining. Omarzai swung one into off, which Mahmudullah could only clip behind square to be run-out while attempting a second.

They trounced Gladiators by 79 runs but both teams still have a shot at winning the PSL title

Associated Press13-Mar-2024Legspinner Usama Mir and fast bowler David Willey shared six wickets and routed Quetta Gladiators for 106 as table-toppers Multan Sultans completed their regular season with a 79-run win in the Pakistan Super League on Tuesday.Sultans led the points table with seven wins and will take on No. 2 Peshawar Zalmi (12 points) in the Qualifier on Thursday with the winner advancing to the final.It was a wake-up call for the revamped Gladiators, who will be playing their first PSL playoffs after four years. They will meet Islamabad United in the Eliminator on Thursday.Half-centuries by captain Mohammad Rizwan (69) and Johnson Charles (53) of West Indies propelled Sultans to 185 for 4 after they were put in to bat.Gladiators’ chase got derailed in the third over when Jason Roy’s run of poor form continued as Willey (3-22) had him trapped leg before wicket and Saud Shakeel (14) got run-out.Willey then knocked back captain Rilee Rossouw’s leg stump with an impeccable yorker inside the powerplay and Laurie Evans spooned a dolly to midwicket.Mir (3-22), the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, then removed the Gladiators’ top-scorer Omair Yousuf (37) before he quickly ran through the tailenders to give Sultans and emphatic victory with more than four overs to spare.Earlier, Rizwan smashed his fourth half-century this season and Charles upped the ante in the death overs with his 29-ball knock before Iftikhar Ahmed provided an ideal finish with a quickfire 20 off eight balls.

East Zone completed an innings win over North Zone in the final round of matches to win the trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2023Khaled Ahmed was the standout performer for East Zone, as he completed an 11-wicket match haul to take East to victory in Sylhet. The 11 wickets made it a chart-topping 18 wickets for Khaled in just two games in the BCL, well ahead of second-placed Abu Hider of Central Zone, who returned 12 wickets in three games.After East won the toss and opted to field, Rejaur Rahman Raja and Khaled returned identical figures of 4 for 40 in the first North innings to bowl them out for 108, with Abdullah Al Mamun’s 26 the best individual effort for North. East’s reply was led by Mominul Haque, who scored 117 in just under four hours, and Parvez Hossain Emon, whose 90 came in 200 balls in over four hours of batting. Shahadat Hossain also chipped in with a quick 56.Behind by 244 runs, North needed a stronger batting display, but after a steady start from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Sabbir Hossain, which took them to 43 by the eighth over, it started to go downhill. Abu Jayed picked up the first wicket, of Joy, and it was over to Khaled after that to run through the batting with returns of 7 for 50. Rejaur took his match tally to six with the wickets of Pritom Kumar and North captain Akbar Ali.East, who had earlier beaten Central by seven wickets after drawing their opener against South Zone, finished on 20 points, double that of second-placed Central.A dramatic batting collapse in their second innings cost South a chance to make a match of it against Central, who needed to chase just 16 runs in the fourth innings after South only managed 49, having conceded a 34-run first-innings lead.Asked to bat, South put up 214, with good hands from Moin Khan (75) and Fazle Mahmud (46), as Shohidul Islam, Hider and Shuvagata Hom all got among the wickets.Central’s batting effort wasn’t much better, but good enough to get them a lead, as they scored 248. Naeem Islam led the way with a 181-ball 89, while Mahidul Islam Ankon scored 66.But there was almost no resistance from South in their second innings. Opener Prantik Nawrose Nabil batted ten balls before going off, and the procession was on. Hider picked up four, Shohidul three, and Salauddin Sakil two. Mohammad Naim then proceeded to knock off the required runs in just one over.

No further play possible as heavy rains curtail contest in series finale

Valkerie Baynes17-Nov-2024Match abandoned England leave West Indies with a 3-1 T20I series victory after the final match of their Caribbean tour was washed out.Play was abandoned after just five overs in the fifth and final T20I with Evin Lewis and Shai Hope steering the hosts to 44 without loss before a heavy storm set in at Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia.It wasn’t quite the start West Indies’ opening pair had staged less than 24 hours earlier, when they raced to 56 for nought in the first five overs and 136 for 0 in nine, on their way to chasing down a record 219 in Saturday’s dead rubber. But it wasn’t far off, with Lewis striking two sixes and three fours on his way to 29 not out before the rain arrived.Lewis had just pulled a John Turner delivery for a thunderous six over deep midwicket and sent the next ball in the air wide of mid-on for four before he was rapped on the helmet by a steepling bouncer attempting another pull on the last ball of the over – and ultimately the match.The rain arrived just as he was about to undergo on-field concussion checks, but he walked off smiling with the rest of the players.With Hope unbeaten on 14 off 10 balls, it was an abrupt end to what had loomed as another entertaining encounter to end the series after the same pitch had yielded 32 sixes on Saturday.On that occasion, West Indies had won the toss for the only time in this series, but they made a strong start in the face of Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first on Sunday.Turner, who was playing just his second T20I after making his debut in the fourth game of this series, conceded 22 runs from his two overs while Jofra Archer, replacing Saqib Mahmood for this match, went for 16 off 2. Jamie Overton, who didn’t bowl despite taking the field on Saturday, conceded five runs off his solitary over on Sunday.Player of the Series Mahmood was comfortably the leading wicket-taker for the series with nine at an average of 10.55 and an economy rate of 6.33 with a best of 4 for 43 in the 1st T20I, eight of his wickets coming in the powerplay. Next best was West Indies’ left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein with five.”The one thing I noticed being here previously is the crosswinds at most grounds,” Mahmood told the post-match presentation. “I felt that if I wanted to take the new ball, I’d have to work on my away-swinger a little bit just because Reece Topley and Jofra [Archer] would want the new ball from the other end to swing the ball back in. That’s something I worked on. To perform and show that in a game was nice.”Phil Salt was the leading run-scorer with 162 including 103 not out in the first game and 55 in the fourth. Jacob Bethell, his 21-year-old team-mate, also impressed with 127 runs for once out, and at a superior strike rate of 173.97. The England duo were split by West Indies captain Rovman Powell on 153 runs.

On-loan legspinner shines as Durham chip away on rain-shortened day

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2023Gloucestershire 280 for 6 (Dent 85, Hammond 52, Parkinson 3-45) vs DurhamMatt Parkinson claimed three wickets to halt Gloucestershire’s progress on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Durham at Seat Unique Riverside.Chris Dent impressed at the top of the order with a resolute knock of 85, while Miles Hammond offered a change of pace with a blistering fifty to steer the visitors to 170 for 2 before Parkinson led the Durham fightback.The legspinner removed Hammond, Grant Roelofson and James Bracey and Matthew Potts added the scalp of Dent to reduce Gloucestershire to 280 for 6 before rain brought a premature end to day one.Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat under the sun at Seat Unique Riverside. Potts and Ben Raine were on their mettle with the Kookaburra ball from the off against the visitors’ opening partnership of Dent and Ben Charlesworth, beating the bat on several occasions without reward in the first half hour. Potts’ persistence earned him the breakthrough with the wicket of Charlesworth, who clipped a tame drive straight to Parkinson at mid-on.The morning session belonged to Gloucestershire as Dent showed his class at the crease to fend off dangerous spells from Durham’s potent attack, featuring new signing Migael Pretorius. Dent and Ollie Price put on 66 and looked primed to take the visitors into lunch one down, but a lapse in Price’s concentration handed Pretorius his first Durham wicket.Dent had to wait until after the interval to score the single required to bring up his second fifty of the season, and his knock continued to provide a valuable foundation for the Gloucestershire innings. Whereas Dent was reserved in his approach, Hammond took the attack to the Durham bowlers after lunch. The right-hander launched back-to-back sixes into the leg-side boundary against Parkinson as he raced to fifty from 43 balls.But, Parkinson would halt his charge for 52 as Scott Borthwick claimed a brilliant catch over his head at cover, which changed the momentum of the session. Dent had frustrated Potts in the morning session and their duel continued into the afternoon before the England seamer produced a beauty to find his outside edge for an impressive 85.Roelofsen and Bracey pressed Gloucestershire to their first batting point, although both were then bowled by Parkinson to open up the tail for the home side. Zafar Gohar and Josh Shaw were left to rebuild the innings before rain ended the day with the visitors 20 runs shy of a second batting bonus point.