Ian Bell’s highest first-class score for more than a year has kept Warwickshire’s heads above water in their Championship match against Surrey

George Dobell at Edgbaston23-Apr-2017
ScorecardIan Bell dug deep in what could turn out to be a significant innings•Getty Images

Ian Bell’s highest first-class score for more than a year has kept Warwickshire’s heads above water in their Championship match against Surrey.When Bell came to the wicket in Warwickshire’s second innings, they were already two down and still 60 behind. For a side bowled out for 91 by the same opponents a couple of weeks ago – and one bowled out for 115 by Yorkshire last week – the signs were ominous.But Bell, playing beautifully straight, negated an admirably disciplined attack and a pitch offering just a little variable bounce to ensure his side go into the final day with hopes of a morale-boosting draw very much alive.Such is Bell’s innate class that, in a professional career stretching the best part of two decades, he has rarely looked out of form. But, over the last couple of years, the runs have not flowed as they have previously and not since April 13, 2016 – the first Championship match of last season – has he made a century or reached a score as high as this.But, as he guided anything short to the third man boundary or anything over-pitched through the covers, it was hard to see any diminution of his powers. That cover drive belongs in the Louvre.The difference here, compared to recent Bell innings, was the discipline. Whereas he has, of late, looked a little over eager to search for the scoring opportunity, here he was prepared to wait for it. So, many balls were left outside off stump and, offered the chance to pull for a boundary, he often settled for rolling his wrists over the ball and settling for the single.There may be other differences. There were times in 2016 when Bell had so much on his plate – issues with discontented colleagues, potential recruitment and the disappointment as the decline of his own Test career – that he perhaps went into games with a mind clouded and burdened.This season, with a head coach and director of cricket keen to alleviate some of those responsibilities, he may have more time to focus on his own game. It is too early to suggest he has turned a corner – it is one innings, after all – but the manner with which he dealt with low bounce and high suggested the technique and the temperament remain a substantial asset to his club.He was given steadfast support by Ian Westwood. While William Porterfield edged a good one that left him and Jonathan Trott fell for his third duck in six Championship innings this season courtesy of one that reared and took the shoulder of his bat, Westwood refused to be drawn at deliveries outside off stump and added a half-century to his first innings century. While Tom Curran eventually snared him with one he might have left, it seems safe to assume he has already done enough to convince Warwickshire to give him a new contract at the end of this season.Warwickshire are in the market for new players, though. They are not nearly as cash-strapped as some might suppose – there is debt, yes, but it is to a benevolent partner and they are on the brink of the best run of major matches in their history – and, if the right players come along, they will pursue them vigorously.This was, as Bell said afterwards, their “best performance of our season without a shadow of doubt.” With Surrey resuming with the opportunity to build a match-defining lead, Warwickshire’s bowlers knew they had to strike early and often.Kumar Sangakkara went early – though not before he had reached his century – poking at a good one that left him, and with Ben Foakes guiding a pull shot to long-leg, Dominic Sibley misreading a lovely slower-ball and Sam Curran (who may find himself reported by the umpires for dissent following his dismissal) missing a straight one, Surrey lost their last seven wickets for a modest 131 runs. It left Warwickshire facing a deficit of 105 and the sense that things could have been much worse.Surrey bowled impressively in Warwickshire’s second innings. Despite losing Mark Footitt to a leg injury – he came back onto the field but is thought unlikely to bowl on the final day – the threat offered by Jade Dernbach and the Currans was unrelenting. Dernbach bowled one especially impressive spell, gaining movement in the air and off the pitch and only being negated by Bell’s excellence.The wicket of Ateeq Javid – nervously playing-on – in the dying moments ensured Surrey go into the final day in a strong position, but they will be just a little nervous of the prospect of chasing on a fourth-day pitch starting to go up and down. Bell still has a substantial amount of work ahead of him, but this was a heartening day for him and his team.

The Bangladesh allrounder blamed overeager shot selection against part-time spin as the reason for his team’s defeat in the Champions Trophy semi-finall

George Dobell at Edgbaston16-Jun-2017Bangladesh were “nowhere near their best,” said Shakib Al Hasan, as they succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the Champions Trophy semi-final at Edgbaston.They were progressing well at 154 for 2 with Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal well set with more than 20 overs left. But the introduction of Kedar Jadhav’s part-time offspin created “panic” in the batsmen who, in Shakib’s words, “played some silly shots” to be knocked over for 264.Shakib dismissed the idea that inexperience was to blame, pointing out that the players Jadhav dismissed were among the most seasoned in the Bangladesh side.”The way we performed today was very disappointing,” Shakib said. “We were in a good position to get 320 or 330. The batsmen were looking good to make individual hundreds and get us to 320.”But India bowled a few dot balls. And because it was a part-time bowler, the batsmen tried to score more runs and in doing that, they lost wickets. Losing two wickets to an occasional bowler obviously didn’t help. And from there on they kept on bowling in good areas and that put us under a lot of pressure.”We have played enough games to know these things happen. We are all experienced people. Bowlers bowl good balls and sometimes you can’t score runs. It doesn’t mean you panic and play big shots and get out. We played some silly shots. And on this wicket, a score of 260 or 270 is not even par.”In that situation, it was important for them to bat another five or 10 overs, like the way I did with Mahmudullah against New Zealand. If they could have batted until the 40th over, both would have scored their hundreds and we might have made 330 or 340.”That was the game-changing period. It is disappointing. Playing in a semi-final is a big thing for us but we were nowhere near our best.”Shakib wasn’t overly impressed with Bangladesh’s performance in the field, either. While he accepted the batsman had made life “very hard” for the bowlers with an inadequate total, he was disappointed by their response.”We have a solid bowling line-up,” he said. “But there isn’t much help for the bowlers on these wickets unless you are a super quality bowler. Most of our bowlers need a little bit of help from the wicket, but we haven’t been getting any. I haven’t taken any wickets in the tournament.”With our total and that wicket, we knew it was very hard for our bowlers. But still I think we were nowhere near our best in our bowling and fielding.”Shakib insisted there were no divisions in the squad, though, and suggested that the team would learn from the experience.”It’s a group,” he said. “It’s nothing individual. We play as a team, we win as a team and we lose as a team.”Now we have time to regroup and come back strongly. We’ve come a long way and from here we can only go forward. We will have a good break and think how we can move forward.”

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches that took place on May 27, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2017Left-arm spinners Manan Sharma (4 for 21) and Saqlain Sajib (3 for 24) combined to dismantle Mohammedan Sporting Club for 100 and set up Abahani Limited’s five-wicket win at the BKSP-3 Ground in Savar. The performance vaulted Abahani to the top of the Dhaka Premier League points table; they are ahead of Gazi Group Cricketers and Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club, also on 20 points each, by virtue of a superior net run rate.Coming into the game on the back of successive 300-plus scores, Mohammedan crumbled in 33.4 overs with only one of their batsmen notching up a score in excess of 20. If Sajib scythed through the top-order, Manan wiped out the lower order in equally quick time.Liton Das then razed Mohammedan with a 22-ball half-century that came with the help of four fours and five sixes, as Abahani raced away in an opening stand of 61 that took just 5.1 overs. With 10 runs needed, Abahani slipped up against the duo of Jubair Hossain and Shamsur Rahman, losing three wickets for the addition of one run. But opener Shadman Islam held firm with an unbeaten 24, and in the company of Shuvagata Hom, took Abahani across the line in 15.3 overs. Shamsur and Jubair ended with two wickets each.Gazi Group Cricketers put behind three successive defeats to crush Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 177 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Batting first, Gazi Group ran up 350 for 5, built around Nasir Hossain’s belligerent century. Left-arm pacer Abu Hider then kept the good work going with his career-best List A returns of 6 for 35 as Dhanmondi Club sank to 173 all out in 38.1 overs.Gazi Group suffered an early setback when Anamul Haque was dismissed in the second over for 1. Mominul Haque then blasted a 61-ball 66 and added 74 for the second wicket in the company of Munim Shahriar (35 off 33). The association ended with the latter’s dismissal in the 14th over, which brought out Nasir, who was returning from Ireland where he was involved with the Bangladesh national team in a triangular series.Nasir zoomed to 134 off 113 balls, his fifth List A century, with the help of seven fours and six sixes. He shared a fifth-wicket stand of 147 with Gurkeerat Singh Mann (74 off 60), off just 129 balls, to flatten Dhanmondi Club. Gurkeerat was sent back at the start of the 45th over, but Gazi biffed 66 runs off 35 balls after his dismissal. Nasir continued with his big-hitting ways until he had to retire hurt in the penultimate over with a bout of cramps.In their reply, Dhanmondi Club lost wickets upfront and were reeling at 96 for 6 before the halfway stage. Ziaur Rahman tried to mount a fightback with 46 off 29 balls, but it was snuffed out by Hider who then went on to pick two more wickets in the same over; Dhanmondi were bowled out shortly thereafter.At the BKSP-4 Ground in Savar, Marshall Ayub and Shahriar Nafees strung together a match-winning partnership for the second time in two chases as Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club chased down 242 against Prime Bank Cricket Club with six wickets in hand. That, after Prime Bank put up 241 for 8 on the back of half-centuries from Abhimanyu Easwaran (71) and their captain Asif Ahmed (62 not out).Ayub and Nafees got together with Prime Doleshwar at 58 for 2 in the 12th over of the chase. They took the score to an even 200, adding 142 for the third wicket – their second 100-plus stand in the competition. Marshall was the first of the two to fall, having top-scored with 84 off 89 balls, including ten fours and a six. Nafees was a lot more sedate, his 78 taking 129 balls. He fell with Prime Doleshwar requiring another 24, where after Rajat Bhatia and Farhad Reza sealed the chase.Bhatia also played a key role with the ball, limiting Prime Back with his 3 for 50 in 10 overs. Prime Bank, 120 for 5 at one point, were lifted by a 73-run sixth-wicket stand between Abhimanyu and Asif. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny supported Bhatia well, taking 2 for 40 in 10 overs.

Reactions from the England players and team management after their triumph over India in a nail-biting World Cup final at Lord’s

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2017Anya Shrubsole“I’m a little bit lost for words, if I’m honest. Just an unbelievable game. It looked for a minute like we were out of it, but one of the great things about this team is we never give up. Alex Hartley got that vital wicket of Harmanpreet (Kaur) and we never looked back from there.”It’s more that you don’t want the game to be ruined by rain. It was just an amazing game from start to finish, and I think it’s a very fitting final for what’s been a brilliant World Cup. It’s a World Cup final, there’s a huge amount of pressure, so much pressure on new batters coming in. We never let the run rate get away from us, even though we weren’t getting wickets, so we knew if we got a couple, we’d be right in the game. It’s a dream, and a dream you never think is going to come true. Here, watching my dad play in the club national knockouts, so to be back 16 years later as a World Cup winner is just amazing.”Heather Knight“I can’t stop smiling, to be honest. So proud of that group of girls, they have been outstanding. We’ve made it hard for ourselves this tournament, but I couldn’t care less. We won those really tight games, which is something we wanted to work on over the last 18 months. Back in Delhi feels like a long time ago, but it was the making of this team. All we’ve done in the last 18 months is to deal with situations like that. Anya Shrubsole, what a hero. What a day.”Credit to India, they had a brilliant tournament and played really well. Punam (Raut) was batting outstandingly and they got some partnerships together. I thought if we hung in there and let the rate stay around five or six that we’d always be in the game. The girls really held their nerve. We took our catches at the end, apart from that little one by Jenny Gunn which was slightly stressful, but the main thing is we got over the line and have got the trophy. Just want to thank the crowd, the support has been fantastic throughout the tournament. Hopefully after our success, we can grow the game in this country. There has never been a better time for girls to play.”Tammy Beaumont“Robbo (Mark Robinson, the coach) had to remind me that I’ve been doing well. So many of the girls stood up. It’s been a great team performance. Myself and Lauren got off to a good start, but we thought we threw it away. But our batting order has been superb. Jenny Gunn and Katherine Brunt were excellent. Full credit to Raut and Kaur, they put on an exceptional partnership. In my head, it was never in doubt, we knew one wicket could change things. It was back in April that we all came here to the Lord’s tour. Lot of hard work went into it, all for just this moment.”Sarah Taylor“Probably couldn’t have been a better comeback, I’m just so proud of the girls. It’s been a roller coaster year for me, but to be part of this team has been simply incredible. For me, it was a case of being healthy, just get back training and see how I go. I was just lucky to be here for the World Cup. India played exceptionally well and we’ve been there, so we know it hurts. But I guess you have to rebuild, come back stronger, and this will make them better cricketers and better people. Good luck to them in the future. Heather Knight’s such a calm character, there was no pressure on us at all. She just lets us play our game. She’s been an incredible character for us and an incredible person.”Alex Hartley“I can’t believe it. This is what we’ve been working for. The girls were absolutely fantastic. It’s a dream come true for all of us. I’ve never stepped onto Lord’s before in a game, absolutely fantastic that we managed to pull it off. At that moment, you can’t really think of that (that a World Cup is at stake), you get too nervous. For me, it’s just another cricket game, but at the back of the mind, it was the World Cup. Anya Shrubsole, what a hero.”Laura Marsh“Think I bowled okay, but Anya was just outstanding at the end, to take all those wickets under pressure was fantastic. I think in a World Cup final, every run is really important. We always knew we’re right in the game. We just stuck in there, it was brilliant.”Fran Wilson“We knew we’d be able to pull through. We’ve done it before; we knew we could do it again. Credit to Anya, she was amazing. Everyone was amazing. I can’t tell you what was going through my head. I guess just past experiences, knowing that 20,000 people are behind you and also the 11 girls on the pitch and the support staff, all willing you on, and that’s always going to keep you calm. It was amazing, an incredible experience. I can’t imagine life after the World Cup.”Jenny Gunn“It’s brilliant to be here at Home of Cricket, Lord’s, home support, in front of family and friends, is just amazing. This is one of the best teams I’ve played with.”England coach Mark Robinson“India played really well, but I’m so proud of the girls. We knew we were 30 light, but we knew we were always in the game. The wicket has been used before, early in the year, so slow bowlers were always going to be hard to get away. So it was a fighting score. This team has a lot of heart, lot of courage. We just needed that break every now and then, and once we had that break, we were right in this game. The game’s really grown, has been incredibly backed by the ICC, it has been marketed, the media has got behind it. And what an atmosphere today. I really enjoyed it. I was desperate for us to win, but it’s such a great occasion, and I just enjoyed every minute of it. The girls have been really well-behaved this trip, I don’t suppose they will be tonight.”

Defending champions Southern Vipers bowled struggling Lancashire out for 87 in a six-wicket win at Liverpool to qualify for next week’s Finals Day with a group game to spare

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2017Defending champions Southern Vipers bowled struggling Lancashire out for 87 in a six-wicket win at Liverpool to qualify for next week’s Finals Day with a group game to spare.The Vipers consigned the Thunder to their fourth straight defeat with an impressive, but not perfect, performance built on success with the ball.Spin proved crucial as the Vipers took their first four wickets for just seven runs in 17 balls, although they dropped a couple of catches and later slipped to 41 for 4in reply.The hosts, who elected to bat, failed to recover from losing key batsmen Sarah Taylor and Amy Satterthwaite in the space of five balls to the off-spin of Hayley Matthews and left-armer Lynsey Smith as the score fell to 9 for 3 in the fourth over.Taylor was brilliantly caught one-handed for one by West Indian Matthews off her own bowling. Either side of the two international dismissals, Smith bowled Emma Lamb and Eve Jones to return 3 for 16.Former Thunder batsman Danni Wyatt then held the Vipers chase together with a composed unbeaten 29-ball 46 following the loss of star player Suzie Bates.New Zealander Bates still managed to stay in the thick of the action. She had Sophie Ecclestone caught at mid-on with her first ball as Lancashire fell to 57 for 8 and also took two catches.She is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 227, the leading catcher with six and the second leading wicket-taker with seven.Lancashire at least gained some respectability through captain Danni Hazell, who hit three sixes in 37, and Kate Cross with 19. They shared 21 for the ninth wicket to avoid the competition’s lowest score across two seasons – 64.Spin continued to prosper in the Vipers chase as left-arm spinner Ecclestone struck twice in her first over, the second of the innings, as the score fell to 7 for 2.She had Matthews caught at mid-off and bowled Georgia Adams before Jess Jonassen had Bates caught at mid-off and Hazell bowled Mignon du Preez.From there, Wyatt was helped along by fifth-wicket partner Arran Brindle, who hit 19 not out. They shared an unbroken 47 and won with 5.1 overs remaining.Vipers host Yorkshire Diamonds at Arundel in their final group game on Saturday afternoon, and a win could still hand them a direct passage into the final with them three points behind Surrey. Lancashire travel to Bristol to face Western Storm.

Luke Ronchi was destroyer-in-chief in the chase, smashing 70 off 33 to hasten Guyana Amazon Warriors’ victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna07-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRashid Khan claimed the first hat-trick in CPL history•Getty Images

In a rematch of the 2016 CPL final, Guyana Amazon Warriors exacted revenge behind Rashid Khan’s hat-trick and Luke Ronchi’s cold-blooded 70 off 33 balls to knock out the defending champion Jamaica Tallawahs at Brian Lara Stadium. Tallawahs were on the back foot throughout Amazon Warriors’ chase of 169 courtesy a splendid second-wicket stand of 67 in 5.1 overs between Ronchi and Chadwick Walton, before victory was sealed by a six from Assad Fudadin with 13 balls to spare.Opening questionFor the second night in a row, the decision to open the batting with a player who hadn’t played through the tournament produced underwhelming results. On Tuesday night, it was William Perkins with Trinbago Knight Riders and on Wednesday night, it was Kennar Lewis with Tallawahs.The Tallawahs management decided to drop Glenn Phillips despite four 30-plus scores in seven innings in the competition. Captain Kumar Sangakkara said at the post-match presentation that the reason to include Lewis was because the Tallawahs “had gone soft in the Powerplay”. Lewis managed 15 before he was bounced out by Rayad Emrit, caught at deep square leg in the fifth over.The riddle in the middleSangakkara and Andre McCarthy, a consistent performer for the Tallawahs this season, were pushed down two spots. Rather than giving their two leading scorers the most time to bat, their delayed entry may have cost the side 20-plus runs, particularly since Sangakkara finished unbeaten on 57 off 38 balls.Steven Jacobs benefited most. The offspinner pinched two early wickets in the seventh over, snapping up Lendl Simmons at cover for 34 and then had Mahmudullah four balls later as his sloppy swat to the leg side found Veerasammy Permaul at midwicket to make it 59 for 3.Rashid’s googly hat-trickOn Wednesday night, Rashid created CPL history with the tournament’s first ever hat-trick.First was McCarthy, beaten driving by a googly to begin the 15th over. Jonathan Foo lunged at another googly next ball and was beaten easily as the ball knocked into leg stump.Rovman Powell’s dismissal was the worst stroke of the three, teased into chasing a flighted delivery well outside off that spun back sharply to hit off stump. At 116 for 7, Tallawahs were left with a struggle to get to a defendable total on a night where heavy dew made gripping the ball increasingly difficult as the night wore on.Ronchi the ravagerThe Amazon Warriors’ playoffs chances were hit when captain Martin Guptill left the tournament due to a family emergency. But the Warriors have seemingly been galvanized with the arrival of his replacement Ronchi, who has scored more runs in three matches (149) than Guptill did in the first seven (142).A harbinger of the savage display to come arrived on his third ball when he effortlessly lofted Mahmudullah back over his head for six. After the Powerplay, Ronchi feasted on poor angles offered by the Tallawahs bowlers, as he used nothing but wrist to whip Rovman Powell for a pair of sixes off the first two balls of the seventh over. Kesrick Williams wilted under pressure too. Ronchi soon brought up the second-fastest fifty of CPL 2017, off 20 balls.Ronchi finished with 70 off 33 balls, setting up Thursday night’s showdown with Trinbago Knight Riders for a chance to return to the CPL final for the fourth time in five seasons.

A devastating new-ball spell from Pakistan’s latest left-arm sensation sent Sri Lanka spiralling to 103 all out and the ignominy of their third 5-0 ODI whitewash of the year

The Report by Danyal Rasool23-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated Press

In a year in which Sri Lanka have continued to sink further into the depths of ODI ineptitude, they surely hit rock bottom today. In a performance that put an exclamation mark on their run of 12 straight ODI losses, they illustrated why they have struggled so badly in the format.They couldn’t bat, dismissed for 103 in 26 overs. They couldn’t bowl all that well, taking only one wicket as Pakistan cruised home with over 30 overs to spare. It is another whitewash for Sri Lanka, the third they have suffered this year alone. South Africa and India were the other
tormentors.The prospect of a damning defeat was writ large over the contest after the very first over, in which Usman Khan took the first two wickets of a
staggering opening spell. He had come to prominence with a scintillating performance in a domestic T20 final in 2013, but after today, that
domestic admiration can turn to international acclaim. It tends to happen once you complete a five-for in 3.3 overs.Maybe there’s a peculiar curse Sharjah has cast on Sri Lanka – they’ve been bowled out below 100 four times at this ground. It could have been five; they were 85 for 9 at one point, before Dushmantha Chameera and Vishwa
Fernando put together an 18-run partnership and rescued their side from that ignominy.For the third straight game, Upul Tharanga won the toss and chose to bat. But Sri Lanka’s luck has remained confined to the toss this tour. One over into the innings, it was clear that wasn’t going to change today.The dismissals themselves were something to behold; it was Pakistani fast bowling at its most exhilarating. Sadeera Samarawickmara failed to adjust to the moving ball and inside-edged onto his middle stump. Dinesh Chandimal was utterly helpless against one that swung away, edging to Sarfraz Ahmed.In Usman’s second over, Tharanga – just like the previous game – was unable to prevent one from sneaking in between his bat and pad. Niroshan Dickwella fell lbw to another prodigious inswinger. Siriwardana tamely scooped to cover point, and in under 7 overs Sri Lanka were 20 for 5.Thoroughly dispirited and broken all series, Sri Lanka had dug themselves into a hole in the first half hour of the game, and were already reduced to respectability restoration. Then Thirimanne edged Hasan Ali to the wicketkeeper and Seekkuge Prasanna ran himself out in a horribly amateur way, failing to ground his bat in a bid to avoid a throw in his direction. Pakistan didn’t need that sort of charity, but it was welcome.Thisara Perera struck a few boundaries en route to 25, the top score for his side. But in an innings where wickets were the currency of choice, that sort of resistance was merely pennies on the dollar. Hasan and Shadab Khan cleaned up the tail, and Pakistan were left with 104 to get to sweep the series.There was no drama to be had, with Sri Lanka coming out looking like a boxer for whom the knockout punch would be a blissful release. The second innings was a case of two teams going through the motions. But while Fakhar Zaman fell short of a half-century, reasons for joy were in short supply for the visitors. Pakistan looked almost embarrassed to complete the whitewash, so wide was the chasm between the two sides.However, the major discomfort all belongs to the visitors, who will be left pondering how on earth to salvage some pride in the upcoming T20
series.

Hong Kong were bowled out twice under 150 runs within the first two days of the four-day Intercontinental Cup match

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

Centuries from Javed Ahmadi and Asghar Stanikzai coupled with Rashid Khan’s seven-wicket match-haul consigned Hong Kong to an innings-defeat inside two days in the Intercontinental Cup match in Mong Kok. The hosts, having won the toss, couldn’t make more than 150 in either innings, handing table-leaders Afghanistan their fifth win in six games and a full 20 points.Hong Kong’s struggle with the bat was evinced in all batsmen barring Anshuman Rath, who scored a half-century in either innings. For Afghanistan, fast bowler Dawlat Zadran began the rout in the seventh over of the match, sniping out opener Matt Stiller for six. Thereafter, Rashid ran through the line-up, abetting Zadran’s figures of 3 for 15 off nine overs, with a third first-class five-for. That the highest partnership – in the game – for the home team was only worth 41 runs for the third wicket – between captain Babar Hayat (39) and Nizakat Khan (16) was further testimony to their inability to gather any momentum through either innings.Having skittled Hong Kong out for 142, Afghanistan stitched together three mammoth partnerships on the back of five of their six batsmen scoring fifty-plus. Afghanistan, who had finished on 270 for 2 at stumps on day one, plundered another 195 runs in 41 overs for the loss of three wickets, before declaring. Ahmadi, who collected more than half his runs in boundaries – 16 fours and two sixes – anchored the opening stand of 124 with Ihsanullah (63), before adding 78 for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah, who took 126 for his 57. Coming in at No.4, captain Stanikzai put on 161 for the third wicket with Rahmat, en route to his 129-ball 125. Stanikzai followed it up with a ram-raid of a partnership with Mohammad Nabi that fetched their side 98 runs at a scoring rate of 7.63.Debutant Kyle Christie, who had earlier ran Ahmadi out, became the fourth bowler in the Hong Kong attack to pick up a wicket in the match with Nabi’s dismissal in the 88th. By then, however, Afghanistan had put on 465 for 5, with Nabi finishing on 63 off 44 balls.With a first-innings lead of 323 to fall back on, Afghanistan’s charge with the ball was led again by the Rashid-Zadran combine who took out the top four before Zahir Khan steamrolled the lower order, picking four wickets for 16 runs. Rashid, Zadran and Nabi bagged two wickets apiece as Hong Kong failed to last 40 overs.

The captain made his fourth century of the season while the legspinner wreaked havoc over the UAE batting line-up

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi30-Nov-2017
ScorecardAsghar Stanikzai holds up four fingers after scoring his fourth century of the current Intercontinental Cup competition•Peter Della Penna

Asghar Stanikzai’s fourth first-class century of the season – fifth overall – was backed up by a typically incisive spell (15-6-24-3) from Rashid Khan as Afghanistan took major steps forward in their Intercontinental Cup match against UAE in Abu Dhabi.The hosts were lively at the start of proceedings with Mohammad Naveed finding seam movement to have Nasir Jamal caught behind off the fourth ball of the day. But with Afghanistan 324 for 4 and Stanikzai looking quite assured, all thoughts of a quick finish to the innings vanished.Stanikzai had moved to 89 near the end of the first hour of play when he decided enough was enough and targeted Amjad Javed, heaving the medium pacer over midwicket for six, then charging down the pitch to smash him back over his head and finally securing a single through the covers to bring him his century off 122 balls.Mohammad Nabi was equally aggressive early on but cooled off midway through his innings. His effort to dispel the pressure that was building resulted in his being out caught at long-off and Ahmed Raza picking up his second wicket. He would go on complete his fifth five-for in 20 I-Cup matches.New batsman Afsar Zazai struggled to get UAE’s spinners away as the run-rate continued to slow down heading into the lunch break. Five balls after play resumed, Stanikzai fell to Raza with a soft flick floating gently back to the bowler.With Zazai stuck in a rut at the other end, Rashid (40 off 42) brought renewed purpose to the innings as he bashed the first delivery he faced from Raza for four through the covers. While Rahmat Shah and Stanikzai regularly used their feet to score against the spinners, Rashid profited heavily from the sweep, connecting three times for boundaries behind square. It took a drinks break to trigger a lapse in his concentration as an attempted slog against Rohan Mustafa ended up a simple catch for the wicketkeeper.Raza continued to burrow through the Afghanistan tail to finish with 5 for 148 in 53 overs. Zazai hung around long enough for team management to give him an opportunity to make a half-century before declaring the innings closed on 510 for 9 at tea.Dawlat Zadran showed his class with the new ball, consistently troubling UAE’s openers with his pace if not movement. While he was applying pressure at one end, Yamin Ahmadzai struck the first blow, coming around the wicket to trap Mustafa with a delivery angled in. Chirag Suri, the 22-year-old who gained acclaim for being picked up at last year’s IPL auction, looked uncomfortable against Dawlat early, ducking into a bouncer which ricocheted off his gloves to the fine leg boundary. Dawlat continued pushing Suri back before bowling him with a fuller delivery to leave the score at 25 for 2.With both openers gone, Rashid was brought on in the 12th over to widen the breach. It only took him 10 balls to do so, trapping Rameez Shahzad lbw with a flipper. In the 26th, he set up Muhammad Usman by floating one up to be paddle swept before coming back with a quicker ball that beat the batsman defending down the wrong line.Rashid enjoyed a lovely slice of good fortune a short while later when Adnan Mufti was caught at leg slip in peculiar circumstances. The left-hander was trying to cut the ball but ended up bottom edging it onto the wicketkeeper’s boot and into Ihsanullah’s waiting hands. Though there was no third umpire for the game – despite it being televised – Ahsan Raza’s on-field call was confirmed correct by replays that followed.The several hundred Afghanistan fans in the stadium roared louder with each Rashid wicket. When stumps was called, he returned the affection by coming over to the gated fence to take selfies. After five minutes, security decided he was on the verge of creating an unmanageable scene and asked him to finish up. Unfortunately, UAE’s batting line-up has no respite.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) and its players are set for a showdown in the coming months as discussions over their MOU, which expires at the end of April, begin

Firdose Moonda28-Dec-2017Cricket South Africa (CSA) and its players are set for a showdown in the coming months as discussions over their MOU, which expires at the end of April, begin. The agreement is renegotiated every four years and has included a revenue-sharing model for the last 12 years, but CSA wants to relook at player contracts and could alter them radically.”We need to change how we contract our players. The game of cricket has evolved, the economy has evolved, but our way of doing things hasn’t really changed. That’s something I have realised isn’t really working for Cricket South Africa,” Thabang Moroe, CSA’s acting CEO said. “One of the ways we are looking to contract our Proteas is maybe by awarding Test contracts like the ECB does, and allow everybody else to be paid on pay-per-play. Ultimately all white-ball cricketers make their money playing in these (T20) leagues outside of their local programmes. By contracting Test players you have the opportunity to look after your premium players, players you would like to keep for long in the game.”When asked whether the revenue-sharing model would be re-examined, Moroe hinted that CSA’s board could consider it. “That is for the board and its members to debate. I just have a view on how a company should be run from the management point of view and how a company needs to engage with a trade union. Obviously I will be presenting my views to the board and the board will make its decision. If the board feels that’s the way they want to go, so be it. Ultimately the people that make money for cricket is Cricket South Africa, it’s not a union.”The trade union Moroe referred to is the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), which is yet to be informed about any possible changes to player contracts. SACA will act on the players’ behalf during the MOU discussions and though it always expect tough talks, this time it is worried about the direction CSA may be taking. “We have these negotiations every four years and it is always a hard negotiation because it is very detailed. But the noises we are hearing from CSA are concerning and goes against the spirit of how things have worked in the past,” Tony Irish, SACA CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “I would be astounded if CSA takes a confrontational approach to the talks. They should look at what happened in Australia.”Earlier this year, Cricket Australia and its players were involved in a lengthy stand-off over player contracts precisely because CA was going to scrap the revenue-share model. There were talks of a player strike and an Australia A tour to South Africa was cancelled. While Irish is asking CSA to keep the Australian situation, which was ultimately resolved when a compromise was reached that included sharing of revenue, in mind, Moroe was fairly bullish about the organisation’s stance.”We would be (wary of what happened in Australia) but ultimately CSA needs to run cricket and the trade union needs to protect their players’ rights,” Moroe said. “If CSA is trampling on peoples’ rights, the union must step in. If CSA decides to take a different direction in growing cricket, there is no room for a union there because we are not trampling on peoples’ rights, we are protecting the sport that we have been put in charge to administer.”Another aspect of the contract negotiations will include an examination of a clause which, for the last 14 years, has allowed nationally contracted players to nominate which domestic team they would like to represent. Though this has usually worked out without complications, especially since the centrally-contracted players seldom appear for their franchise teams, this season an obvious problem occurred when all internationals were available for the Ram Slam, the domestic T20 competition that was moved forward when the T20 Global League was postponed.Titans, the team that dominated the tournament and won, were loaded with South African superstars, so many that they could not fit them all into their playing XI. Big names like Dean Elgar, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rotated, which CSA felt diminished the value of the tournament.  To avoid such a situation in future, CSA is considering making changes to the contracts that will distribute the internationals more widely across franchises.”We could look to implement a draft system,” Moroe said. “We realise the importance of having the Proteas spread throughout the franchises. We were very happy with how the Ram Slam was executed, but as Cricket South Africa we feel that it could have been that much better if we had all Proteas playing at the same time in different teams.”If CSA is to take this step, it may do so without consulting SACA at all. “As far as we are concerned, the players’ association should represent players’ needs. They are a trade union ultimately; we are the employers. So as much as we would like to engage with the players’ union, we can’t do it with everything we want to execute,” Moroe said. “If our players don’t want to be drafted into different teams they will come to us first and talk to us. Failing those talks between employer and employee, they can go to their union, and then their union can come back representing a certain viewpoint. This is not about stopping the growth of cricket and how cricket can be administered in this country, so we might not even consult with SACA to be honest with you.”Irish explained that SACA would have to be involved in the debate because, “any changes to the contracting system will form part of the MOU and negotiations with SACA.” He even said that players could be open to the idea, despite several suggesting they are against it.”We will have to see it works. We don’t know what CSA’s proposal is at this stage. For almost 14 years, national players have been allowed to nominate which franchise they want to play for. We all know what happened with Titans in the Ram Slam but that was for one event. If CSA have a T20 league, then they may do a draft, as they did with the T20 Global League,” Irish said. “We will have to consider it once we know what CSA have in mind.”The problem is that CSA may not be as accommodating to SACA as Irish would like. “I come from a corporate environment. I don’t recall a union consulting me on how they want to change the business. I just got an email saying this is how we want to change direction, and this is what it means for you. My manager would call a meeting with me to say that this is how our department executes that strategy. I don’t remember a union being involved in how our company executes its strategy or the direction in which it must go. It only happens in cricket.”Irish warned that trying to change things could prove futile in the current climate. “Players have alternatives. Boards need to be able to keep their players and to keep them playing international cricket,” he said.CSA already knows that, having lost many recently capped internationals to the Kolpak system but remains adamant that its relationship with players and SACA needs to be “redefined”. The contract talks will take place this summer, when South Africa also host India and Australia and this situation could prove a distraction.