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Derbyshire go down by an innings despite resistance from Harry Came, Wayne Madsen

ECB Reporters Network01-Sep-2024Sussex took a firm grip on the second division of the Vitality Championship when they defeated Derbyshire by an innings and 59 runs, their sixth win of the season. They took a maximum haul of 24 points as they placed more daylight between themselves and their pursuers and with two of their last the games at home they are now clear favourites to win the title.Their undoubted star was offspinner Jack Carson, who followed his innings of 97 with match figures of 11 for 157, the biggest return of his career. His second-innings figures of 6 for 67 was another best. He has taken 20 wickets in his past two games, following his nine in last week’s defeat to Yorkshire at Scarborough.After brave resistance from Harry Came and Wayne Madsen, Derbyshire lost their last eight wickets for 54 runs in just 25 overs. And this match represented a cruel return to normal form following their heavy defeat of GlamorganDerbyshire started the final morning on 141 for 2, still needing 176 runs to make Sussex bat again, with Came 54 not out and Madsen unbeaten on 31.For almost 90 minutes there was an intriguing battle between bat and ball, with Sussex captain John Simpson switching his bowlers thoughtfully, in an attempt to both conserve their energy in the warm sunshine and also to disrupt the immense concentration of Derbyshire’s third-wicket pair. It looked like being Derbyshire’s morning. But then, at 196 for 2, the new ball became available and there was a new match to contemplate.Simpson decided to give the new ball to Fynn Hudson-Prentice and – bowling from his favourite Cromwell Road End – Ollie Robinson. But, after two ineffectual overs from Hudson-Prentice, Simpson replaced him with Jaydev Unadkat, for his first bowl from the Sea End. And Unadkat immediately turned the match towards Sussex with two wicket maidens.With the fourth delivery of his opening over he had Madsen caught by Tom Haines, the more square of the two gullies beside the two slips. Madsen had faced 149 balls and hit ten fours in his 77. He had also batted for five minutes under three hours, to add to the five hours and 12 minutes for his first innings 138.Then, with the second ball of his second over, Unadkat struck again, this time having Derbyshire captain David Lloyd caught low down behind the wicket by Simpson. At lunch Derbyshire were 208 for 4, still 109 runs behind.When Carson replaced Unadkat at 230 for 4 the pressure appeared to be coming off. But in his second over the spinner ended Came’s long vigil when he had the batsman caught at slip by Haines. His 79 had occupied three minutes less than six hours and he had faced 273 balls. And at 251 the same combination accounted for Zak Chappell, with Haines taking his third catch of the innings.Aneurin Donald decided to play his shots, which is the game he knows best. But in Carson’s next over he was caught at backward square leg, as he swept towards the short boundary on the east side of the ground, and Derbyshire looked broken at 252 for 7. Without addition, Jack Morley was caught behind off Carson, his tenth wicket in the match.Four runs later Carson had Daryn Dupavillon caught at bat-pad and finally Anuj Dal, batting heroically with hand and groin injuries, after also being struck on the head, was bowled by Henry Crocombe.

They will face Western Australia in the final in a bid to end their 11-year trophy drought

AAP26-Feb-2023South Australia are just one win away from ending their 11-year trophy drought after a one-sided eight-wicket win over Victoria put them into the domestic One-Day Cup final.They turned around a heavy defeat against Victoria in this week’s Sheffield Shield match to ease to victory with 24 overs to spare in Adelaide on Sunday.The final-round contest between the two second-placed sides had a ticket to the March 8 final on offer, but Victoria’s hopes dipped early on at 6 for 97, and they were eventually bowled out for 136.South Australia cruised to a bonus-point success on the back of a 116-run opening-wicket stand between Henry Hunt (63) and Jake Carder (49).Awaiting them are a Western Australian side looking to repeat last year’s rare feat of winning both state domestic honours.Despite two defeats against Western Australia in this year’s 50-over competition, South Australia’s new skipper Jake Lehmann says the holders are not to be feared.”We are so excited about the opportunity to go over there and take them on,” he said. “Winning against WA in WA is obviously going to be tough, but it is an amazing opportunity.”We want to take our positive way of playing and positive vibes up to them and hopefully we can come up with a first win for South Australia in some 10 years, so there is nothing but excitement in our [dressing] room.”There is no one that is scared or intimidated by WA. They are a good outfit but we just need to play the best we can,” added Lehmann, who only assumed the captaincy before this match after Hunt elected to concentrate on his batting.South Australia’s performance was again marked by a strong bowling display, with six different wicket-takers.Heading the field was Nathan McAndrew, while new face Spencer Johnson impressed again following his recent Shield debut.”Our bowlers didn’t miss all day and credit to them where credit is due,” Lehmann said. “The momentum is there and we just have to keep riding that wave.”It was a surprisingly limp display from a Victoria side that had enjoyed a series of gaping wins in both forms of domestic cricket.Victoria lined up with two debutants in opener Tom Rogers and spinner Tom O’Donnell, son of former limited-overs star Simon O’Donnell.Only James Seymour (51) impressed with the bat for Victoria, while legspinner Ruwantha Kellepotha picked up both South Australia wickets to fall.

Logistical challenges around Covid mean there are “lots of parts to the jigsaw” for England coach

Alan Gardner17-Jan-2022England’s attempts to regain the Women’s Ashes and defend their 50-over World Cup title during the same winter trip to the southern hemisphere have already taken in a series of logistical challenges, with head coach Lisa Keightley admitting that there are “lots of parts of the jigsaw” still to piece together ahead of the T20I leg starting later this week.The schedule for the Ashes was rearranged earlier this month, with the T20Is moved forward in order to accommodate the quarantine requirements for getting into New Zealand for the World Cup, which begins on March 4. That has left England with just eight days of preparation, with patchy weather in Canberra affecting the squad’s ability to train and off-field concerns adding to the list of distractions.England had to leave a support staff member behind when they departed for Adelaide on Monday due to a positive Covid-19 test, and there are fears on both sides about how the virus could affect their respective World Cup campaigns. The England and Australia squads are due to arrive in New Zealand on February 10, just two days after the completion of the Ashes, and under current guidelines they must enter the country as one group before doing 10 days of quarantine.Related

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With three T20Is, a Test match and three ODIs to be played in just two-and-a-half weeks, Keightley said that rest and rotation was likely to be a factor throughout the Ashes.”There’s a lot of parts of the jigsaw this trip,” she said. “Firstly, we’ve got to see how everyone pulls up each game. I think that’s most important. Second, we’ve sometimes got different players for different formats. So there’s some players potentially getting ready for a Test match now, where other players – we’ve got a selection meeting coming up tonight, before the first [T20I], where we’ve got to make some big decisions.”We’ll be thinking about the World Cup throughout this Ashes. And I think Australia will be too. Yes, we will be concerned that we don’t get injuries and we’ve got full squads to select from, so that will be on the forefront of our mind coming into the back end of the Ashes. We know we’ve got a 10-day quarantine where you don’t want a key player to have injuries because they can’t be treated throughout that 10 days. So there’s a lot of things and sometimes we just have to wait and see how it’s all panning out.”Perfect world they’re all fit come the end and we can select our best team for every game. That’s what we’ll be planning to do, but I’m not hiding away that we do think about, gosh, we want our full squad to be available for the World Cup. That’s for sure. Especially when we’re the holders of it and we want to defend the title.”Mental well-being will also be high on the agenda, with the touring party already having effectively isolated within their households for two weeks before departing for Australia, where bio-security restrictions were tightened while England were in transit.”I really do hold my hand up if someone is in that space and we need to think of their mental health, the cricket comes second,” Keightley said. “We’re trying to look after our staff and players the best we can. We treat them all individually and I think what I’ve learned on this journey of Covid is that everyone’s bucket gets full at different times and you can’t pick it. You think one day they’re okay and you can talk to them two days later and they’re not coping so it is a challenge.”It’s a challenge in sporting teams, and being an athlete over the last 18 months. But we do try our best, we’ve got a fantastic medical support staff who do everything they can to make sure we’re all okay. But it is challenging being in coaching this time as there’s so many moving parts.”From a playing perspective, England’s build-up has been far from perfect (when they have been able to get out on to the field). Three intra-squad practice games were held in Canberra over the weekend – a 35-over fixture that was rain-affected, and two T20s – with England being beaten by England A on all three occasions.Heather Knight, England’s captain, had previously described the squad’s preparation as “pretty average”, with players forced to rope in family members for help with practice in the period before flying out, and Keightley echoed the view that there was work to be done.”I wouldn’t say we’ve started that well, to be totally honest,” Keightley said. “We’re trying to get up to speed as best we can.”With Covid you’ve got to be flexible. You’ve got to change and adapt. We’ve learned that over the last couple of years. We’ve got a really big couple of training [sessions] coming up over the next two days that we’ve got to get right. We’ve got to get the players hitting the ball well and bowling in good areas and sharpening up.”I think the [warm-up] T20s, they were trying to go too early. They wanted to click, wanted to get off and going really well in the practice matches, [but] they probably didn’t do the basics first. Then expand, get up and down, hit the ball in the middle and then go and then build from there. They probably went too early, which didn’t play out that well for us, but they know what they need to do.”We’ve got two good trainings prepped over the next couple of days. So I’m confident when we get to that first T20 they’ll be in a better place than what they are now and we’ll do our best to go 2-0 up.”Having originally planned for the one-off Test in Canberra to be the series opener, Keightley said that adapting mentally would be the key to getting off to a good start in the T20Is. England will also hope early success can help “dim the flame” of Australian expectation, after the men completed a thumping 4-0 victory in their version of the Ashes at the weekend.”I know Australia is very excited about winning the Ashes and we’ve got to turn it around and try and dim the flame, so to speak, and get a few wins on the board and put them under pressure, and get into our Ashes as quick as we can.”

It’s so rare that a partnership on its way to 359 needs breaking – for an inexperienced attack, even more so

Danyal Rasool22-Aug-2020If you saw Pakistan’s pace bowlers reduce England to 12 for 3 in five overs earlier this month, and wondered how it was possible that very attack appeared so comprehensively helpless against a 22-year-old and a supposed imposter in Test cricket for the best part of a hundred overs, a stat about Babar Azam might shed some light.Before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down all cricket, Babar was the world’s most in-form Test batsman, and had scored five hundreds and six half-centuries in 10 Tests. The centuries had come in Pakistan and the UAE, as well as Brisbane, with a 97 in Adelaide. That was to say nothing of the demolition Dale Steyn suffered at his hands at Supersport Park in a Test series in 2018-19 where the pitches were, even by South African standards, exceptionally spicy. He smashed 10 boundaries in a 24-ball burst against Steyn, scoring a breezy 79-ball 71. Around him, 15 wickets fell on the first day, and the game was done before tea on the third.While he seems to have found the keys to Test batting, the same player has managed just three hundreds in 36 first-class games in Pakistan. He averages four runs fewer in first-class cricket than Test cricket – where his average is already depressed by a surprisingly slow start to his career. And none of this is unusual.ALSO READ: Anderson closes in on 600 after Crawley, Buttler ice their inningsBatting in domestic cricket in Pakistan is hard. Domestic pitches have been increasingly tweaked to favour fast bowlers, with a year-on-year decrease in average first innings totals in recent times, and a corresponding decrease in the number of spinners featuring in the top wickets charts (not since 2014 have more than two spinners featured among the top 30 wicket-takers).In the 2018-19 Quaid-e-Azam trophy, more than half the teams batting first failed to reach 250. In 2017, four of the XI, including Mohammad Abbas, taking part in this Test were part of a game that didn’t see three figures reached in any of the four innings. Not a single wicket fell to a spinner.There is little about that which suggests bowlers frequently find themselves in situations that require 359-run partnerships to be broken. Two of Pakistan’s trio of fast bowlers lack much experience anyway, and most of what they do have is geared towards running through an opposition quickly. It may explain why they fell away somewhat spectacularly after Jos Buttler and Zak Crawley settled on a somewhat lifeless wicket, but also shed light on their torpidity with a second new ball that looked like it might have been ready to cooperate had someone known what to do with it.Shaheen Shah Afridi in his delivery stride•Getty Images

Pakistan took the new ball immediately yesterday, and conceded 15 runs off the first two deliveries, including three no-balls and four leg byes; with the first new ball, it wasn’t until the 51st over that Pakistan leaked an extra. It was more harbinger than anomaly; Shaheen in particular would struggle throughout the rest of the England innings, bowling full and wide begging to be cover driven, only to over-correct for England to clip him into the onside. Fourteen such balls produced 24 runs, epitomised by conceding three boundaries in an over to Chris Woakes off the same line and length he had plundered for so many in that match-winning – potentially series winning – 84 at Old Trafford.It is unfair, perhaps, to single out Shaheen, whose poor games are impressively widely spaced out for someone of his age, but Pakistan found themselves in a nearly identical situation in Adelaide last year. After an opener called Burns (Joe on that occasion) nicked off early, Australia piled on a 361-run stand, the bowling attack – three of the four part of this game – becoming progressively toothless as the runs accumulated. As here, the batsmen taking the attack to Pakistan caused them to go into their shell bowling and in the field, and Shaheen aside, no bowler managed a single wicket in 127 overs.Naseem didn’t play that Test and was supremely unlucky not to have a wicket to show for the sheer number of times he beat both Buttler and Crawley’s outside edge. That he stuck to that plan is a sign of the speed with which he is demonstrating the sort of patience usually accompanied by several years more experience than he has. It will be one of the more encouraging sights for fast bowling coach Waqar Younis as Naseem looks to transform into a consistently brilliant bowler, and not simply a bowler of brilliant deliveries.It is on days like these, though, that the extreme youth of the two thirds of this bowling attack, begin to show. Naseem’s visible frustration – it appeared at times he was on the verge of tears – is best concealed from an opposition, and though Shaheen might be the anointed leader of the attack, this won’t be the last difficult day he endures as he continues to develop. Abbas arguably got the greatest use out of the second new ball, wicketless though he might have been, but movement once it gets softer, a necessary tool for someone who bowls at that pace, remains elusive.Naseem Shah has a wry smile•Getty Images

The fast-bowling trio may have left no doubt they have the ability to prosper at this level, and have given a decent enough account of themselves over the three Tests, but they only combined for 12 of the 26 English wickets that fell. In England, of all places, that ratio simply isn’t good enough for an attack Pakistan will look to get the most out of for the best part of the next decade. England’s pace attack, for comparison, is responsible for 27 of the 28 wickets that have fallen to bowlers thus far.It’s also worth reflecting on the crucially sensitive role Waqar Younis, in his third stint as head or bowling coach, has been entrusted with. Pakistan continue to produce wonders of fast bowling season upon season, but no pair has managed to match combine quality with longevity since arguably he, alongside Wasim Akram, called it a day. There is no Pakistan fast bowler among the top 26 most prolific pacers since September 2010, when the spot-fixing scandal broke out.Naseem Shah bowls under the watchful eye of Waqar Younis•Getty Images

And while Waqar, who alongside head coach Misbah-ul-Haq was appointed a year ago, has had enough time to get his feet under the table, it is not yet obvious that he’s been able to instil some of the same qualities in his charges as he was so obviously blessed with. Naseem’s gather is reminiscent of Waqar’s, but not yet the reverse swing with the old ball that came so naturally to the coach.There hasn’t been that learning curve Pakistan promised following that wretched Test series in Australia; the impotence of the pacers with the softer ball remains just as poignant. The strategic lapses as recently as Old Trafford were repeated regularly through the day; Woakes wasn’t tied up or pushed back, and Crawley was spoonfed the half-volley for the cover drive far too regularly. There may well be a longer-term plan, but Pakistan aren’t historically renowned for showing patience with either player or coach.Of course, it doesn’t help when it turns out that 22-year-old is really rather good, and the supposed imposter might be the real deal after all.

Medium-pace bowlers Ruaidhri Smith and Adrian Neill as well as left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir and legspinner Chris Greaves, meanwhile, have all been omitted

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2019Offspinner Tom Sole and pace bowler Brad Wheal are in line to make their first appearances for Scotland since the 2018 World Cup Qualifier after being named in a 14-man squad to take on Afghanistan in a two-ODI series, beginning on Wednesday in Edinburgh.The 22-year-old Sole was part of the Northamptonshire line-up that took on the touring Pakistan side in a 50-over match on April 29, scoring 22 at No. 8 and returning figures of 0 for 28 in six overs. He was a key member of the World Cup Qualifying campaign last year, taking career-best figures of 4 for 15 against Hong Kong in just his second ODI.Wheal was similarly instrumental for Scotland in Zimbabwe, taking a career-best 3 for 34 in the controversial five-run loss, on DLS method, to West Indies that eliminated Scotland from a place in England for 2019. However, he hasn’t played for Scotland since due to commitments with Hampshire.The Durham-based pair of Michael Jones and Gavin Main have also been recalled into Scotland’s squad for the pair of matches. Like Wheal and Sole, the 21-year-old batsman Jones has not appeared for Scotland since last year’s World Cup Qualifier.Medium pacer Main has spent a bit longer out of the side, having not appeared in an official match for Scotland since the 2016 T20 World Cup in India when he was in the XI for Scotland’s win over Hong Kong. However, he did play for Scotland in an unofficial 50-over match against Sri Lanka ahead of the 2017 Champions Trophy in which Scotland lost by nine wickets.Four bowlers have been left out from the Scotland side that defeated Oman 2-1 in a three-match 50-over series as well as won the T20I Quadrangular series in February, featuring Oman, Netherlands and Ireland, in Muscat. Medium-pace bowlers Ruaidhri Smith and Adrian Neill as well as left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir and legspinner Chris Greaves have all been omitted.Smith took career-best List A figures of 4 for 7 in a historic rout of Oman in which Scotland bowled them out for 24, in Muscat. But he only bowled three overs in the following match after sustaining a pectoral-muscle strain and has not bowled thus far in 2019 for Glamorgan in the County Championship. Neill, similarly, took 4 for 7 on that occasion against Oman but suffered a lower-back injury later in the tour and is continuing his rehabilitation with the Gloucestershire second XI.Tahir played only one match on tour in Oman and is yet to play any ODIs for Scotland after making his T20I debut last summer, against Pakistan. Greaves is yet to play for Scotland in any format.The two ODIs are Afghanistan’s first visit to Edinburgh since claiming a rain-affected 1-0 series win in the summer of 2016. The fixtures are also Scotland’s first ODIs since defeating England last June at the Grange.On the management side, Wednesday’s series-opener will be the first assignment of new head coach Shane Burger. The Afghanistan series are his first ODIs in charge of Scotland since arriving from South Africa in March, having taken over from interim coach Toby Bailey following Scotland’s tour of Oman.Scotland squad: Kyle Coetzer (capt.), Richie Berrington, Matthew Cross (wk), Alasdair Evans, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Calum MacLeod, Gavin Main, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Tom Sole, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.

David Warner, the former Australia vice-captain, will not challenge the 12-month ban imposed on him by Cricket Australia for his role in the ball-tampering incident in the Cape Town Test earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2018David Warner has accepted the sanctions handed to him by Cricket Australia for the ball-tampering incident in the Cape Town Test. The former vice-captain was banned from all international cricket and Australia domestic matches, for 12 months. He will also never be considered for a leadership position within the team in the future.”I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me,” Warner said on Twitter. “I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.”Warner made his intentions public a day after former captain Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft had also chosen not to challenge the bans imposed on them. All three players had been given the right to take the matter to a hearing and push for leniency. They had until 5 pm local time on Thursday to make their decisions; Warner revealed his with little over an hour left on the clock. As a result, he will only be eligible to play for Australia sometime in April 2019. The 50-over World Cup in England begins on May 30.On Tuesday, the Australian Cricketers’ Association appealed to CA to reduce the sanctions on all three players, suggesting the punishment was disproportionate to the crime. The incident took place on the third day at Newlands when Bancroft was caught on camera rubbing the ball with sandpaper. An investigation by CA’s Head of Integrity, Iain Roy, claimed that Warner had come up with the idea and got Bancroft to tamper with the ball, while Smith was in knowledge of the plan and did not prevent it. A tremendous fallout – with pressure from the Australian public and the government – led to all three players being sent home from South Africa before the fourth and final Test of the series. Tim Paine became the new captain of Australia and Darren Lehmann resigned from his post as head coach.Smith and Bancroft faced the media upon arriving in Sydney and Perth respectively and broke down while expressing deep regrets. Warner held his press conference on March 31, when he said he was resigned to the possibility that he may never play for Australia again.

South Africa batsman Rilee Rossouw has ended his international career by signing a three-year deal to join English county Hampshire as a Kolpak player

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-20173:03

What is a Kolpak deal?

South Africa batsman Rilee Rossouw has ended his international career by signing a three-year deal to join English county Hampshire as a Kolpak player. Rossouw, 27, revealed his decision to leave South Africa on the same day that fast bowler Kyle Abbott also confirmed his decision to join Hampshire as a Kolpak player.South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo said he was “bitterly disappointed” in Rossouw. “We backed him when he made five noughts,” Domingo said. “If that had been a player of colour, everyone would have said transformation. I haven’t spoken to him since Australia but I am very disappointed.” Rossouw had made four ducks in his first six ODI innings.Following Rossouw’s decision, Cricket South Africa said it was in the process of terminating his contract and that he would not be considered “for any future national selection.””It is a disappointing day not just for South African cricket but also for international cricket as these players have given up their opportunity to be seen in action on the international circuit,” CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said. “From CSA’s perspective it is a loss as we invest immeasurable amounts which include premium time, finance, technical, high performance coaching followed by development tours and providing general player welfare over a long period of time.”By way of example, Rilee has spent a lengthy period on the injury list while we spared no expense in providing him with the best medical support.”Both Rilee and Kyle have been given opportunities over the past year to play at the highest level and were firmly in our plans for the future. We have encouraged Rilee and Kyle to reconsider their decisions but both have indicated that they wish to take up Kolpak contracts. Whilst this is a loss for South African cricket we can only wish them well with their overseas careers.

Rossouw’s statement

“Deciding to leave South Africa is something I have thought long and hard about and moving to England will give me and my family the long-term career security that I believe is important at this stage of my life,” Rossouw said in a statement. “I have loved representing the Proteas and will watch from afar with great affection every time they take the field from now on, but I am hugely dedicated to making Hampshire cricket successful on the field.
“I would like to express my thanks to Cricket South Africa for the opportunity to represent my country and also for the Knights for their continued support.
“The move to England and Hampshire Cricket is one that I can’t wait to get underway. I have come close to playing county cricket a couple of times in the past and it is a challenge most cricketers want to take on at some stage in their careers and I am delighted it is at a county with as strong pedigree as Hampshire.”

“We will continue to invest heavily in our local talent and provide opportunities for those individuals who wish to realise their dream of playing for their country; we will not contract players who do not commit to play for South Africa.”Domingo’s anger at Rossouw’s departure was particularly palpable as he revisited the change of events. “I haven’t heard from Rilee since we left Australia to be honest,” he said. “Some of us have tried to get hold of him, and this is the truth, we got an email from him off his iPhone telling us he’s signed Kolpak. He spelt my name wrong for starters. He wrote one L instead of two. That’s where we are. I am bitterly disappointed in him. That’s the bottom truth. He toured Australia as the back-up Test batsman. He was the next batsman in.”Rossouw played 36 ODIs and 15 T20Is for South Africa after making his international debut in August 2014. While he had never quite secured a long-term spot in South Africa’s squads, Rossouw was their highest run-scorer in their most recent limited-overs series: he played all five ODIs against Australia at home in October 2016 and scored 311 runs at an average of 78.He was part of the Test squad that won the series 2-1 in Australia in October and November 2016-17 but did not play a game. He was then left out of the ongoing home Test series against Sri Lanka because of a foot injury.

Darren Bravo’s unbeaten 46 helped West Indians reach 6 for 154 after Cricket Australia XI had reduced them to 5 for 83 on the first day of the tour game in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2015
ScorecardDarren Bravo helped stabilise the innings after early strife•Cricket Australia

Darren Bravo’s unbeaten 46 helped West Indians reach 6 for 154 after Cricket Australia XI had reduced them to 5 for 83 on the first day of the tour game in Brisbane. Only 60 overs were possible, however, due to rain interruptions.West Indians opted to bat and their openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Rajendra Chandrika were cautious at the start, adding 32 by the 16th over. The good work was undone, however when both men fell within six overs to seamer James Bazley.Bravo and Marlon Samuels shared a 31-run partnership for the third wicket, but Samuels’ dismissal was followed by two more quick wickets. Jermaine Blackwood was caught off fast bowler Ryan Lees for 1 and Denesh Ramdin bagged a duck, courtesy medium-pacer Simon Milenko.Bravo kept steady at one end and inched his way to 46 off 135 deliveries with six fours and a six. He shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 32 with Jason Holder and then added an unbeaten 39 runs with Carlos Brathwaite – the highest stand of the innings so far.Apart from Milenko and Bazley, who took two wickets each, Lees and legspinner Cameron Boyce were also among the wickets.

Kenya continued their dominance in the T20 Quadrangular tournament, beating South Africa Emerging Players by five wickets on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2013
ScorecardKenya continued their dominance in the T20 Quadrangular tournament, beating South Africa Emerging Players by five wickets on Sunday. The win puts them at the top of the table with two wins in two games.Kenya, who won the toss, inserted South Africa Emerging Players and backed that decision by dismissing the openers quickly. A 56-run, third-wicket partnership between captain Jean Symes and Yaseen Vallie steadied the innings. Vallie added another 50 runs with David Wiese for the fourth wicket and once Vallie fell for 61, Wiese carried on, guiding the middle order to 174 for 6.Kenya’s top and middle order set up the chase. Opener Tanmay Mishra led the way with a 32-ball 45, before Morris Ouma, Collins Obuya and Rakep Patel struck useful 30s to guide Kenya to a close win, with two balls to spare.

The PCB has ‘welcomed’ the step taken by the BCCI to include a team from Pakistan in Champions League T20 this year

Umar Farooq12-May-2012The PCB has ‘welcomed’ the step taken by the BCCI to include a team from Pakistan in Champions League T20 this year. This could lead to the revival of cricketing ties between the two countries, Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer said.”It is indeed good news for Pakistan, and we welcome India’s positive move,” Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo. “We have been discussing the matter, how to revive our cricketing ties with each other, for many months. This is the significant move in that direction.”For us it isn’t a surprising move, but a much awaited one, as we have been holding discussions over the last two months. They [the BCCI] want to take gradual steps, and once things go successfully in the Champions League we can definitely move forward with our junior and senior teams.”Ahmed’s reaction comes in the wake of the BCCI’s announcement on Saturday that it would inform the tournament’s governing council that it had no objection to the participation of a team from Pakistan.The PCB had been pushing for the inclusion of a side from Pakistan, the only major Test-playing nation to not have had teams in either the qualifiers or the main round of the CLT20 since its inception. Sialkot were invited to the inaugural edition of the tournament towards the end of 2008, but it was put off after the terror attacks in Mumbai in November that year.Those attacks strained political relations between India and Pakistan and, subsequently, the cricketing ties between the BCCI and the PCB. India and Pakistan have severed bilateral ties since, and Pakistan players – with the exception of Azhar Mahmood in the ongoing edition – have not been a part of the IPL.Ahmed said that both cricketing and diplomatic channels were used to ease the tension. “The government has always been very supportive and has been playing its role when it needed,” he said. “I think playing each other is always beneficial for both countries. We have laid out several proposals to revive the cricketing ties and the previous time we met, during the ICC’s [exectuive board] meeting, we had a productive meet up [on the side], where several possibilities were discussed.”The Sialkot Regional Cricket Association (SRCA) is also pleased that their team, which is the domestic Twenty20 champion, is likely to play in the cash-rich league. “We were looking for the opportunity, as we have a team that has the calibre to compete in the Champions League,” Zulfiqar Malik, SRCA President, told ESPNcricinfo. “It [ensuring participation] wasn’t working out, but now things appear to be coming together. I appreciate India’s move, which will ultimately help both countries to build a good relationship.”The Sialkot captain, Shoaib Malik, said this could be a chance for players from Pakistan to showcase their talent. “It is a relief to hear that finally we will get a chance to compete with the best teams in the Champions League,” Malik said. “The ice has finally been broken. It is a good opportunity for us to convince the Indian people about the great talent in Pakistan cricket.”