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Thami Tsolekile has been identified as the successor to Mark Boucher in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) first decisive move to find a replacement wicketkeeper

Firdose Moonda13-Feb-2012Thami Tsolekile has been identified as the successor to Mark Boucher in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) first decisive move to find a replacement wicketkeeper. Tsolekile was named as one of 22 contracted players for the 2012-13 season, the first time CSA have contracted a second wicketkeeper in 13 years since contracts were first awarded in 1998.”There’s definitely intention there for him to play for South Africa in the longer formats. We’ve showed our hand and said we think he is ready to be a successor,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors told ESPNcricinfo. “But the selection decisions still have to happen and there are no guarantees.”Tsolekile has been playing first-class cricket since 1999 and represented South Africa in three Tests in 2004, when Boucher was dropped after a lean patch. He took six catches but scored only 47 runs and Boucher was soon back at the helm, a position he has occupied for the last 15 years.However, Boucher has suffered a dip in form himself, having last scored a Test century in November 2008 and has faced mounting pressure over his place in the side. He acknowledged that he is considering retirement soon saying that he knows, “everything has to come to an end,” and has forced CSA to intensify their search for a successor.In previous years it has been difficult to isolate one of the franchise ‘keepers as the next best in the country, but the selection committee was forced to do so in the most recent meeting. Contenders included Heino Kuhn, who has played a handful of Twenty20 matches for South Africa, Dane Vilas, who is taking lessons from Boucher at the Cobras and Daryn Smit, who bowls legspin occasionally. But, the selectors have settled on Tsolekile, saying his recent form with the bat and maturity behind the stumps gave him the edge.”He has always impressed at South Africa A level and he scored runs in England and Sri Lanka. The 58 he scored against the Australians in Potchefstroom at the start of the summer was also important,” Hudson said. Tsolekile has averaged over 50 with the bat in two of the last three domestic seasons while his glovework has remained, according to Hudson, “outstanding.”Although he has not been included in the national side for next month’s tour to New Zealand, Hudson said he would be considered for the England series later in the year. It is hoped that Boucher last act, which he has hinted could be on that very tour, will be to play an active role in grooming his successor. “His contribution to the national squad has been immense,” Hudson said. “Maybe it can be part of his farewell to leave a legacy and teach his understudy.”

Full list of CSA contracted players

Graeme Smith (Test captain), AB de Villiers (ODI and T20 captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Thami Tsolekile

Tsolekile has shown that he is willing to learn and had made significant improvements from when he first appeared for South Africa. “I was very surprised to get a national contract but all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off,” he said. “As a cricketer I have matured with age and experience and I am more ready now than when I made my debut and I would love to get another chance.”Tsolekile is one of three newly contracted players, with the other two being Jacques Rudolph and Faf du Plessis. Rudolph was recalled to the South African Test squad at the start of the season for the series against Australia. After seven innings opening the batting without a half-century, Rudolph was moved down the order to No. 6 and said that with his place in slight limbo, did not expect to get a contract.”I was surprised but it’s very nice that they have invested their trust me and I would like to repay that,” he said. “I would like to have performed better because I got a lot of starts but did not capitalise on that. Gary [Kirsten] (the coach) has made it clear that he wants to give players extended runs so it’s nice to know I have his backing.”With Rudolph’s place at No.6 still an experimental one, Ashwell Prince’s contract was renewed despite him being dropped from the Test squad after the second Test against Sri Lanka. “We never want to write people off and the No. 6 position is still open,” Hudson said. “If Ashwell is playing well it can only benefit South Africa. He has been a great servant of the game and is still in our plans.”Those cut from the contracts list include Loots Bosman and Ryan McLaren. Bosman has struggled to find form after undergoing knee reconstruction surgery two seasons ago while McLaren has been left out despite good form. He was the leading allrounder in the recently completed four-day SuperSport Series with 576 runs and 26 wickets.Another name of interest left off the list is young tearaway Marchant de Lange, who is currently on his first full tour with the national side. de Lange has played just one Test and Hudson said he will be a part of South Africa’s future plans. “If you look at it, it took Vernon [Philander] two full series, against Australia and Sri Lanka, before he was offered a contract. We can’t always relate contracts to who we will play going forward because selection decisions still have to be made but Marchant is definitely part of the plans.”

Australia’s World Cup campaign has been dealt a blow even before the squad leaves Australia, with Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz ruled out due to injuries

Brydon Coverdale08-Feb-2011Australia’s World Cup campaign has been dealt a blow even before the squad leaves Australia, with Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz ruled out due to injuries. Callum Ferguson and Jason Krejza will replace the pair in the 15-man squad, which flies out to India on Wednesday to defend the title under Ricky Ponting.And if losing a key middle-order batsman and the first-choice spinner was not bad enough, Australia could not even opt for their second choices in each discipline, with Shaun Marsh and Xavier Doherty not considered due to injuries of their own. It has meant a rapid promotion for the aggressive offspinner Krejza, who made his ODI debut on Sunday, while the inclusion of Ferguson was less of a surprise given his solid performances at international level over the past couple of years.Hussey in particular will be a massive loss, as he is the only Australian in the top ten of the ICC’s one-day batting rankings, and he is a renowned finisher who can rescue the side after top-order trouble. However, the selectors decided they could not risk Hussey, who suffered a serious hamstring injury during the one-day series against England that resulted in surgery, and he conceded he would be unlikely to be fit for the first couple of World Cup matches.Hauritz seemed a more likely candidate to make the cut, after he dislocated his shoulder while fielding during the one-day game in Hobart on January 21 and had surgery in a bid to be fit for the World Cup. He bowled in the nets on Monday and sent down a dozen deliveries at what he called 60 to 70%, but it was not enough to convince the selectors that he was worth the risk in such a big tournament.”The National Selection Panel has determined that the best strategy to ensure a successful campaign is for Australia to enter the tournament with a fully fit squad of fifteen from the first game,” the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said. “We’ve applied to the ICC Technical Committee for Callum Ferguson to replace Mike Hussey in the squad.”Callum has an excellent record in one-day international cricket and played well in the one-day game against England in Sydney recently. We think he’ll play well in sub-continental conditions. We’ve also applied to the ICC Technical Committee for Jason Krejza to replace Nathan Hauritz in the squad. Jason toured India with the Australian Test team in 2008 and understands those conditions. We’re certain he’ll be a key member of our squad.”Krejza picked up 2 for 53 in his debut one-day international on Sunday and, although he dragged the ball short too often and threatened to leak big runs, he will enjoy the prospect of returning to India, where he collected 12 wickets on his Test debut in 2008. He was only called up in Perth due to Doherty’s back problem, which also ruled him out of replacing Hauritz, while Marsh’s hamstring strain meant Ferguson got the nod.However, there was some good news for the Australians, with Ponting and Steven Smith both deemed fit enough to fly to India, while Brad Haddin was also cleared after hurting his knee during the final ODI against England. Smith will share the spin duties with Krejza, while nothing was going to keep Ponting from his fifth World Cup.”Ricky Ponting is going well in his rehabilitation following his finger fracture,” the team physio Alex Kountouris said. “He is batting regularly and is expected to transition into unrestricted training soon after the team arrives in India.”Brad Haddin was struck on the knee whilst batting during the seventh ODI against England. During the batting innings the knee became swollen. We expect this to resolve soon after we arrive in India. Steve Smith is making very good progress from the groin injury he sustained in the sixth ODI against England.”The Australians fly out on Wednesday and play their first of two warm-up matches on Sunday, against India in Bangalore. Their opening match of the tournament proper is against Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on February 21.Squad Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Shaun Tait.

Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, has called for a window for the IPL, saying that missing players due to international matches makes it tougher to build team spirit

Cricinfo staff10-Mar-2010Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, has called for a window for the IPL, saying that missing players due to international matches makes it tougher to build team spirit.Bangalore will be without their most expensive player, Kevin Pietersen, for the first couple of weeks of the IPL. New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, whose big-hitting is one of the side’s strengths, will be busy with the Tests against Australia till the end of March, and Australian allrounder Steven Smith’s selection in the Test squad also deprives Bangalore of his services till early April.”With so much international cricket being played in between the IPL, it becomes difficult for any franchise to gel as a team,” Jennings wrote on the team’s official website. “As a result, it is difficult to target all the players together at the start of the tournament. I think there should be some window for the IPL for all the players to meet and gel as a unit before the start of such an important tournament.”Jennings felt that the coming IPL season will see larger totals being made because players have more experience in Twenty20. “Par score is beginning to grow because of the knowledge of how to play the game,” he said. “I think the par score will be around 155 – 170. But we don’t want to set our targets very high. We want to assess the situation, and be flexible with the targets.”The squad has been practising at the Chinnaswamy Stadium since the beginning of last week, starting with some of the Indian players, with more team members joining since. On Tuesday, Indian medium-pacer Praveen Kumar and South African allrounder Roelof van der Merwe were the latest players to become part of the camp.

Opener completes the task of securing draw after rain wrecked day three

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay01-Aug-2025Kent 445 for 8 (Compton 221, Finch 54*) drew with Leicestershire 471 (Rehan 119, Patel 85) The Rothesay County Championship match between Division Two leaders Leicestershire and Kent at Canterbury ended in a draw, after the hosts reached 445 for eight on day four, trailing by 24 when bad light stopped play.Ben Compton hit a career-best 221 and Harry Finch made 54 not out, while Rehan Ahmed three for 134, but the chances of a positive result were effectively neutered on day three, when a mere 9.5 overs were bowled.Leicestershire remain top of the table, while Kent stay bottom.Conditions were significantly better on Friday morning but as soon as Kent passed the follow-on target of 321 a draw seemed inevitable.The nightwatch, George Garrett, survived 67 balls spread across days two, three and four but he was the first man out when he edged Logan van Beek to Louis Kimber for 10.The first shot of Ben Dawkins’ first-class career was a stylish drive that might have gone for four but for the slope, but he was out for seven, inside-edging Ben Green behind.Compton, 111 not out overnight, reached 150 in the penultimate over of the session when he cut Tom Scriven for four and Kent eased to 307 for four at lunch.Scriven subsequently had Joey Evison caught behind for 38, but an elegant sweep off Rehan saw Compton to 200. He took a single off Patel to pass his previous highest score of 217 and was finally out when he came down the wicket to Rehan and was stumped.Rehan then had Matt Parkinson lbw for two and Kent were 429 for eight at tea, after which Finch cover-drove Rishi Patel to bring up his half-century, but play was suspended at 4.40pm and both sides looked as eager as the umpires to shake hands on the draw.

Each of Namibia’s top eight batters fell for single-digit scores, after Supun Waduge hit an unbeaten 56

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2024A collective effort by Sri Lanka’s bowlers flattened Namibia for 56 in a chase of 134 in Kimberley. Left-arm spinner Vishwa Lahiru and medium-pacer Ruvishan Perera took three each as all of Namibia’s top eight batters fell for single-digit scores.After being put in, Sri Lanka got off to a slow start, losing Pulindu Perera for 3 in the seventh over. Fast bowler Zacheo Van Vuuren then caused a slide, taking the next four wickets to fall, and reducing Sri Lanka to 71 for 5 within the 20th over. But Sri Lanka’s No. 3 Supun Waduge then led the resistance, scoring an unbeaten 56 off 79, although he did not get much support at the other end. Johannes de Villiers took three lower-order wickets as Sri Lanka crumbled to 133 all out.In return, Namibia’s chase never took off. They could barely make any progress as the Sri Lanka bowlers not only struck regularly but also kept them from scoring runs. Namibia lost eight wickets for 25 runs within the 20th over. A rebuild was attempted by Peter-Daniel Blignaut and Hanro Badenhorst, who put up an 18-run partnership, but Perera ended that in the 26th over. Lahiru took the last wicket, as Namibia’s innings came to an end in 27 overs.A four-wicket haul from Isai Thorne, followed by an unbeaten fifty from Jewel Andrew, powered West Indies to their first win of the tournament, against Scotland in Potchefstroom.Batting first, Scotland began steadily, as the openers Jamie Dunk (57) and Adi Hegde (32) put up an 89-run stand. However, once Hegde fell in the 22nd over, Scotland struggled to put together meaningful partnerships, as Thorne rattled the team’s top and middle order on the way to finishing with 4 for 46. Alec Price at No.3 chipped in with 31, but only two other remaining batters managed double-digit scores, as Scotland were restricted to 205 for 9.West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals during the chase, but handy contributions from the captain Stephan Pascal (26), Jordan Johnson (24) and Mavendra Dindyal (29) kept them on track to overhauling the target. They were precariously placed at 111 for 5, but Andrew and Nathan Edward took the team home with an unbroken partnership of 95 runs. Andrew remained unbeaten on 64 off 60 balls, stroking eight fours, and was named Player of the Match.Ahmed Hassan struck twice early to dent Nepal’s sprightly start•Getty Images

Pakistan maintained their perfect start to the Under-19 World Cup, as Azan Awais’ unbeaten 63 powered the team to a five-wicket win against Nepal.Chasing a paltry 198, Pakistan were given an ideal start courtesy their openers Shamyl Hussain (37) and Shahzaib Khan (37), who added 80 in 21.2 overs. A string of quick wickets from Aakash Chand, including two in the same over, had Pakistan in a spot of bother at 104 for 4, but Awais, coming in at No.4, put together crucial partnerships with Ahmad Hassan and Haroon Arshad to take the team over the line inside 48 overs. Awais struck six fours during his 82-ball knock.Earlier, Nepal, opting to bat, had huffed and puffed their way to 197. Bipin Rawal was the team’s top scorer with 39, but he had little by way of support, as the team lost ground at regular intervals. Six different Pakistan bowlers were in amongst the wickets, and Arafat Minhas was the pick of the lot, ending with 3 for 23, while Umaid Shah and Hassan claimed two each.

There was a wobble in the run chase when Lilly Mills but in the end it was a comfortable win

AAP28-Oct-2022Adelaide Strikers recovered from a mini-innings stumble to beat Perth Scorchers by six wickets and exact some revenge for their loss to the Scorchers in last season’s WBBL final.Strikers were cruising at 0 for 51 at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Friday. But young Scorchers spinner Lilly Mills struck with three wickets, including the prized scalp of Strikers captain Tahlia McGrath for a duck, in 11 balls to put Scorchers back in the contest.But a nerveless unbeaten 47 from opener Katie Mack guided Adelaide to an important win with nine balls remaining.Strikers’ fourth victory of the tournament lifts them to second on the ladder, overtaking Scorchers.Mack received solid support from Madeline Penna (32 not out), with the pair putting on an unbeaten 52-run stand for the fifth wicket to close out the match.Earlier, Strikers never allowed Scorchers to build their innings with quick Darcie Brown (2-18) and spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington (2-13) on fire with the ball.Australia star Beth Mooney (34) was the pick of Scorchers’ batters, while Amy Edgar hit an unbeaten 27.Strikers are next in action on Wednesday for a clash with Melbourne Stars, while Scorchers face a short turnaround before their match against Brisbane Heat on Saturday evening.

She praised the performances of India’s debutants in Bristol, especially fellow opener Shafali Verma

Annesha Ghosh18-Jun-20211:37

Smriti Mandhana: Verma’s maturity a positive for India

India batter Smriti Mandhana believes that more opportunities to play Tests can help cultivate a better understanding regarding approaching the closing stages of each session in a day’s play.Mandhana’s views came after stumps on the rain-affected third day of India’s one-off Test against England in Bristol, where she fell for 8 in her second innings on the stroke of lunch, with her side following on after being bowled out for 231.In her first innings, Mandhana made 78 before her wicket became part of a collapse that started late in the final session of the second day, as India slipped from 167 for 0 to 183 for 5 – in all they lost all 10 wickets for 64. On the opening day, England, too, had suffered a collapse after tea losing 4 for 21 before the close.”I think that will just be an excuse to give,” Mandhana said when asked about the trend around a flurry of dismissals coming about towards the end of sessions in the match. “But we can consider for sure that we aren’t used to batting beyond 50 overs that much. But I wouldn’t say I got out because of lack of experience in Test matches because I threw my wicket away in the last session of yesterday.”But, definitely, I think a slight pressure of ending the day being not out, that might play a bit of a part [in the loss of wickets in a heap] and that will come with experience. The more we play Test matches, the more we’ll get used to the conditions – one over before lunch or one over before the day’s end and all those sessions, so we can be more mature about [approaching them] and not take pressure.”Related

• Shafali Verma's follow-on fifty helps India cling on against England's might

• From 167 for 0 to 231 all out: a record collapse for India Women

• Sophie Ecclestone aiming to 'win the battle' with Shafali Verma as England push for victory

Mandhana’s half-century in the first innings was pivotal to India putting on their highest opening stand in the format in response to England’s 396 for 9 declared. Ninety-six runs in that record 167-run opening tally came from 17-year-old debutant Shafali Verma. On the penultimate day of the Test – the standard length of women’s Tests is four days – Verma got India off to a brisk start in their second innings, having fallen 15 shy of their follow-on mark.After Mandhana’s dismissal, Verma pressed on to bring up her fifty off just 63 balls. In doing so, she became the first Indian, and the youngest player from any country, to make half-centuries in both innings on Test debut in women’s cricket.”It’s quite impressive to watch her bat from the other end,” Mandhana said of Verma, who is also her designated opener partner in T20Is. “I think we both are very similar [in our approach] to keep things simple, so we don’t really discuss much about batting in the middle. The way she changed her game and the kind of maturity she showed at this stage of her career, it’s very positive for Indian cricket going forward. Her shots, in T20Is I’ve always watched them from the other end. It’s amazing what she does. I hope she keeps going the way she is.”Smriti Mandhana was left frustrated by her dismissal on the third day•Getty Images

Mandhana, who had played only two Tests before, made her debut in the format at age 17, in the Wormsley Test in August 2014. In the India XI for the Bristol Test, she is one of the six players with prior Test experience. On Friday, she praised the performances of India’s five debutants – Taniya Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, and Verma.”All the debutants have really got onto a good start,” Mandhana said. “In general, everyone was excited to play this Test match, and not just the debutants because we all are playing after a very long time, so I think it is a really special match. But all the debutants have really stepped up – Deepti, Shafali, Pooja and even Taniya with the catch [of opener Lauren Winfield-Hill in the first innings] – everyone has done a lot of contribution.”Mandhana got off the mark in her second innings with a cracking punch off fast bowler Katherine Brunt that went for four through backward point. But her 13-ball stay ended in the fifth over when she edged a wide, fullish delivery from the same bowler to be caught by Natalie Sciver at second slip.”Really disappointed,” she said when asked to review how the day had ended for India, on 83 for 1, forced into early stumps due to rain. “But, of course, before the game stopped, before lunch, I got out, so definitely disappointed.”I would have loved to stay there and come back fresh tomorrow to bat again, but that’s what the day’s cricket is, so we’ll take it. But Shafali and Deepti stitched in a good partnership at the end, so I think at the end we were in a good position.””The conditions changed slightly [on day three],” she said. “It was just windy, but it wasn’t swinging that much that it was not playable or something. It was good conditions to bat on still even if conditions were cloudy or overcast.”We just needed to take a few minutes initially. Of course, I lost my wicket, but I wouldn’t say that it was a very good ball. I think I gave away my wicket because it wasn’t that great a ball.”

The team thumped 115 in the last seven overs to score 209, and Quetta Gladiators fell 37 runs short in reply

The Report by Danyal Rasool03-Mar-2020Well, don’t adjust your device or reach for thicker reading glasses, because what you’re about to read actually did happen.Lahore Qalandars beat – no, walloped – defending champions Quetta Gladiators by 37 runs to storm to their first win of the tournament. It came thanks to a blitzkrieg of big hitting from Ben Dunk and Samit Patel, whose 155-run partnership saw Lahore surge to 209 after what appeared another disastrous start from the bottom-placed team.A stunning 115 runs were added in the final seven overs, including 80 off four overs from the start of the 14th over as the wheels came off the Quetta bowling completely. Powerless in the face of the onslaught, they could only watch as Dunk broke the record for most sixes in a PSL innings, with 10 in his 43-ball 93, while Patel’s 41-ball 70 gave him stellar support from the other end.Lahore bank heavily on Chris Lynn and Fakhar Zaman to get them off to a powerful start, but when that didn’t happen in a subdued Powerplay for the openers, things looked bleak for them. They became gloomier still when the two fell in quick succession, the worries compounded when Mohammad Hafeez was felled first ball by a reflex catch at first lip from Shane Watson. Going at barely above a run a ball in the first ten and little batting to follow Patel and Dunk, the English-Aussie duo took responsibility, and carried the innings through to the final over, the 155 they amassed the second highest partnership in the league’s history.It stunned Quetta, who needed equally incongruous contributions from their key men, but when Jason Roy and Shane Watson fell relatively early, there was no coming back. Wickets fell in regular succession as Lahore simply let Quetta give away their wickets in the face of mounting pressure from the asking rate.Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Anwar Ali all fell that way as the bowlers cashed in, with Salman Irshad bagging career-best T20 figures of 4 for 29. He found more swing than usual with a remodelled action, and was responsible for putting paid for Azam Khan’s innings before it had really begun, as well as Ben Cutting’s resistance which threatened to bring the flickering game back to life briefly.Cutting had been fighting what looked like an insurmountable battle all on his own. All he could do, however, was bring the margin of defeat down. No matter what damage he inflicted, it simply couldn’t compensate for the carnage that Lahore had wreaked in their final overs, and there was simply no recovering from it for Sarfaraz’s men.Those seven oversThe final seven overs in the first innings cost 19, 27, 14, 17, 10, 11 and 17. That, really, is the story of the match. Quetta had a firm grasp of the game at the 13-over mark, having inserted Lahore in to bat. Lynn, Fakhar and Hafeez were gone, and Lahore were 94 for 3, needing a big finish to remain competitive in the second innings. But the floodgates opened when Dunk smashed Anwar Ali for six off the second ball of the 14th, and were blown right off in the madness that followed.Mohammad Nawaz was launched for four sixes off as many deliveries in the following over, and from thereon, it appeared the bowling side had run out of ideas. Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah were put under pressure, conceding 10 and 12 respectively off the first two balls of their overs, and an unstoppable Dunk appeared able to hit sixes at will. Two more would come in the final over, and by the time Patel and Dunk holed out in the final over, Lahore had coasted past 200, and well past what Quetta would be able to hunt down.The lone handIn any normal game, Cutting lower down the order would have done enough to ensure he had taken his side over the line. But chasing 210 with all the usual suspects back in the pavilion, it was left to the Australian allrounder to help his side get over the line. He had managed it against Islamabad United last week, but an asking rate of 55 off five – the requirement that day – was a piece of pie when compared to the Herculean task that faced him today.Soon after he walked out, Quetta required 94 off 36, and while Dunk had Patel for company, number nine Fawad Ahmed doesn’t quite have the Englishman’s batting prowess. This was an impossible task with two batsmen of your choice, but with Cutting forced to farm the strike and score nearly three a ball, it would inevitably be found wanting. That didn’t mean he didn’t provide entertainment along the way, smashing Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Faizan for 27 in two overs as he brought up a half-century in 25 balls. Given it was Lahore at the other end, the feeling the game might not yet be done lingered for longer than it otherwise would have, but when the Australian holed out to cow corner in the 18th over, it was evident even Lahore couldn’t fluff this up.Where the teams standLahore post their first points on the board, though they’re still bottom of the table with two points in four games. Quetta slip one position to third behind Karachi Kings on net run rate, with three wins from six matches.

Their nine-wicket win in a rain-hit clash all but knocked Sydney Thunder out of contention

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu02-Feb-2019Sydney Sixers 1 of 85 (Vince 43*, Hughes 41*) beat Sydney Thunder 6 for 128 (Green 34*, Abbott 2-23, T Curran 2-32) by nine wickets with nine balls to spare (via DLS method)
A cohesive bowling effort, led by seamers Sean Abbott and Tom Curran, secured Sixers’ spot in the semi-finals and all but knocked out the Thunder in the Sydney Smash at a packed SCG. After the bowlers cleverly exploited a two-paced pitch to limit the Thunder to 6 for 128, rain interrupted Sixers’ chase multiple times and the target was ultimately revised to 84 in 12 overs. Sixers’ England recruit James Vince peeled off this third 40-plus score in four innings, in an unbroken 85-run stand with Daniel Hughes, to overcome the rain and steal the Thunder.While the Sixers can enjoy more than a week off before they head to the MCG to face the Melbourne Stars in the last league match this season, the Thunder will have to beat table leaders Hobart Hurricanes in their final league match on next Saturday and hope that the Stars lose their last three games, to sneak into the semi-finals.Hit the deck
Left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis fed Thunder captain Shane Watson with a brace of full balls on the pads, which were nonchalantly picked away over the square-leg boundary. Abbott also fed Watson with a leg-stump full-toss, and watched it disappear to the square-leg boundary. He then shortened his length in the same over and had 19-year-old Jason Sangha ramping a catch to Steve O’Keefe at third man.Curran also hit similar hard lengths – neither driveable nor pullable – and shackled both Watson and Callum Ferguson, restricting the Thunder to 1 for 38 in the Powerplay. Left-arm spinner O’Keefe then got a full ball to grip, turn, and bounce past the outside edge of Watson in a two-run over. Something had to give, and that something was Watson nicking Curran behind for 28 off 24 balls.Spin to win
O’Keefe then combined with teenage legspinner Lloyd Pope and ran rings around the Thunder middle order. Ferguson could have been dismissed on 20, when he weakly slog-swept O’Keefe against the break and skied it into the Sydney sky, but wicketkeeper Josh Phillipe dropped the swirling ball near the square-leg region. Ferguson added only six runs to his tally before O’Keefe dangled one up wide of off stump and had Ferguson holing out to deep midwicket.Sean Abbott celebrates the wicket of D’Arcy Short•Getty Images

New Zealand allrounder Anton Devcich held on, limpet-like, but struggled to find the boundary. Against O’Keefe and Pope, he mustered only 15 off 16 balls. It was Abbott who made the incision when he returned and made Devcich miscue a scoop to short fine leg. At 4 for 90 at the start of the 16th over, Thunder’s innings desperately needed a finishing kick, and Chris Green provided that with a 22-ball 34. No other batsman in the match had a greater strike rate than Green’s 154.54. He struck three fours but it was his six hard-run twos that stood out. Curran later closed out the innings with his crafty variations, including the yorker and the back-of-the-hand slower ball.Vince, Hughes, rain… No Thunder
The Sixers got off to the worst possible start in the chase, Josh Phillipe falling to a hare-brained mix-up off the first ball. Green followed it with four successive dots in the second over to give his side hope. However, Vince dashed them with two monster sixes off legspinner Jonathan Cook and seamer Gurinder Sandhu. Rain then appeared and reappeared as Ferguson hoped that it would break the Sixers’ momentum. No way. While Vince continued to tee off against pace, Hughes attacked Thunder’s gun bowler Fawad Ahmed to coolly finish off the game, with nine wickets and nine balls to spare.

The former Zimbabwe batsman believes that at the very least more talent will remain in, and start coming back to, the country

Danyal Rasool24-Nov-2017The celebratory scenes in Zimbabwe following president Robert Mugabe’s resignation this week will rank among the most iconic moments in the country’s history. And there is hope that the feel-good factor may spill over into the country’s beleaguered cricketing landscape.”Just from a general perspective, there’s a huge sense of euphoria,” former Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “Obviously not everything’s going to go back to how it was [prior to 2003], but it’s a great start.”Flower, who landed in Harare on Friday, had booked his trip to Zimbabwe well before recent political events – an army-forced change of the country’s leadership – plunged the nation in uncertainty.”I’d come just to see friends. It had nothing to do with cricket or anything else,” Flower said. “I was actually going to go to the UK. But the West Indies games (Pakistan’s home series against West Indies) got called off so I decided to come to Zimbabwe a bit early before I went to the UK.”Mugabe, who had been Zimbabwe’s leader since independence in 1980 – first as Prime Minister and then as President – was also Zimbabwe
Cricket’s chief patron. Though Mugabe’s involvement in the affairs of the national cricket team was minimal, the cause of Zimbabwe’s cricketing woes, much like the country’s, could be traced to the political and economic turmoil caused by his regime.Mugabe’s government had begun a controversial land reform plan for the forced redistribution of thousands of farms from white farmers, with
consequences that were at times violent. And during the 2003 World Cup, which Zimbabwe co-hosted, Grant’s brother Andy Flower and bowler
Henry Olonga protested the “death of democracy” in the country by wearing black armbands. Neither ever played for Zimbabwe again. A year later another dispute, this time between several white cricketers and the board, over selection policies led to many first-team players – including Flower – going on strike. Zimbabwe has lurched from one crisis to another ever since.What may the post-Mugabe era hold for Zimbabwe’s cricket? Incidentally, the set-up is perhaps the most stable it has been since 2003. The board’s financial situation appears to be improving under the new head of operations Faisal Hasnain, and Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis, both of whom had left to pursue county careers in England, have returned.”I’ve spoken to a few ex-players and they are not sure what’s going to change,” Flower said. “Faisal [Hasnain]’s head of operations in Zimbabwe
Cricket and I’ve heard he’s doing a very good job. I’m not too sure if there are going to be any changes. Apparently things are going a lot better.”One of the things that could happen is some people might come back here. Maybe some families and younger players who have tried to go overseas, to either SA or England and Australia, they might come back. There might be a bit of talent coming back into the country. If that does happen that can only be a good thing.”When the political crisis began last week, with the army holding Mugabe under house arrest, there was speculation over whether the country was fit to host the World Cup Qualifier in March 2018. But Flower saw no reason for the tournament to be moved.”Not at all. I was at the Harare Sports Club yesterday, and it looked really good,” he said. “Obviously the series that was just played in Bulawayo went well, against the West Indies. I don’t see any reason why the tournament should be affected.”Flower was more concerned about the pressure on Taylor and Jarvis, who had to be offered attractive packages to return from the country circuit in England. With a board as hard up for cash as Zimbabwe’s has been over recent years, missing the 2019 World Cup would be a financial disaster.”Hopefully the home ground advantage will count, but there’s a lot of pressure, especially on the few guys that have come back for big cash,” Flower said. “Zimbabwe are under pressure to win the qualifiers to get through to the World Cup, because if they don’t, they lose all that money for competing in the World Cup. That’s be a huge setback for Zimbabwe Cricket.”But with things looking up of late for Zimbabwe for the first time in years, Flower said the benefits of the political developments over the last week will become apparent in the next few years, rather than the next few months.”If people see and hear there’s a future ahead of them, whether they are farmers or business people or sportsmen, I’m sure there will be some people coming back. That can only help the talent. There’s not a huge player base here anymore in Zimbabwe, so that would definitely benefit the country. If the player base is broadened that will reinvigorate some excitement and create that old structure that’s been needed for quite a while.”