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The Renegades used their two biggest strengths – their bowling and their experience – to pick up a win against Brisbane Heat and go top of the table

The Report by Tim Wigmore23-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The Melbourne Renegades have a dreadful record in the Big Bash, with just one semi-final appearance in six seasons. Yet they are the first team in the 2017-18 season to win two games, and, brimming with options with bat and ball, have the feel of a side well-primed to challenge for the title this year. This was a triumph for the nous of Brad Hogg, Dwayne Bravo, Cameron White and Tom Cooper, who all produced exemplary performances, while Jake Widermuth’s three wickets showed the Under-30s could contribute too.The night after one teenage legspinner called Khan won a Big Bash game, another teenage legspinner called Khan briefly threatened to do the same. Shadab, who took the new ball, actually recorded better figures than Rashid – 2 for 17 from his four overs, compared to Rashid’s 2 for 22 – but received nothing like the same support.What happened to the Bash Brothers?
The irrepressible duo of Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum are one of the main drawcards of the Big Bash League. Not on Saturday night, though. This was meant to be the night when Lynn – player of the tournaments in the last two editions of the BBL – returned after a shoulder injury for his first game in seven months. Instead, Lynn was omitted as a precaution – a decision made easier by Brisbane’s opening victory and the expansion of the group stage this year. That left McCullum left to try and provide double the pyrotechnics. He thumped Cooper – unusually bowling the second over, rather than the first – through midwicket for four, and was then clean bowled attempting a reprise, just his second ever dismissal against offspin in the BBL. All that hype, and only five runs from the two Bash Brothers.The squeeze
When Wildermuth, enjoying the best night of his T20 career, snared two other wickets in the Powerplay, Brisbane Heat were floundering at 3 for 28 off 5.2 overs. They needed to consolidate, but they also needed to improve their lame run rate. For much of the alliance between Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Ross, the Renegades seemed almost as happy as the Heat. While the Heat had stopped collapsing, the two added only 39 in 6.3 overs, at exactly a-run-a-ball, and, as they manoeuvred spin as if it were the middle overs of a 1990s ODI. Only Ben Cutting, briefly, shook the Heat out of their torpor.The maestro
Dwayne Bravo took five wickets in the Renegades’ opening game, thereby becoming the first man ever to 400 wickets in T20 cricket. Here he had to be content with two – both in the final over, when another slow ball almost yielded a hat-trick. But as the Heat attempted to salvage a working total, Bravo conceded just 12 across the 18th and 20th overs. He was simply too precise and too smart – again.McCullum’s gambit
In T20, conservative tactics have seldom defended a score as underwhelming as Brisbane’s 8 for 132. Just as well, then, that McCullum is their captain. He made a between-innings decision to entrust Shadab with the new ball, and was not dissuaded when a misfield by Sam Heazlett allowed a four through midwicket in the opening over. In his second over, Shadab’s quicker ball snared Aaron Finch, who is markedly less effective against spin than pace.Given a third straight over, a delivery that skidded on upended Marcus Harris’s middle stump to provoke a little trepidation among the home supporters. But Shadab only had one over left, which McCullum used in the 11th over, in desperate pursuit of a wicket. The trouble was, the asking rate was so untaxing that Cooper and White had no need to take any risks. Shadab’s final delivery was a googly which Cooper just jammed his bat on in time. He had bowled wonderfully in taking 2 for 17, but it would not be enough.Experience wins the day
The Melbourne Renegades are easy to mock for their age – they have seven over-30s and two players, Hodge and Hogg, into their 40s. Yet T20 has proved the format most conducive to veterans. White and Cooper used all their game sense as they navigated the Renegades towards their target without discernible risk. And then victory arrived with a certain swagger: Hodge pulled a six third ball off the 19th over, before, two balls later, Cooper thumped a six of his own, to seal his half-century and the win.

David Warner credited a change in approach to ODIs – constructing an innings and even slowing down – for his supremacy in the format since 2015

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2016
David Warner and Australia picked a good time to return to their strongest format since Darren Lehmann became coach. Under Lehmann, Australia have won 25 ODIs at home and lost only four, picking up the 2015 World Cup and being unbeaten in the other five series’ they have hosted.It is in Warner that Australia have found their most prolific century-maker this year, six hundreds in a format that he once regarded as his weakest. Intriguingly given Lehmann’s high-tempo approach to the game, Warner said in the aftermath of his Man-of-the-Match winning hundred to defeat New Zealand at Manuka Oval that composure and even slowing down a little had been key to his success.”First and foremost it’s been the format I struggled at early in my career,” Warner said. “The last 18-24 months I’ve really worked hard to try to construct my innings and build an innings, and not play too many big shots early in my innings. If the ball’s there I’m still going to go after it, but that’s just what I put it down to, trying to construct an innings and relay that Test match attitude into the one-dayers.”You do get a few more balls in your area in the one-day stuff where you can actually play through the line, and there’s probably not as much movement off the wicket as well especially when you play on grounds like Manuka. It was an absolute belter to play on.”The “belter’ was handed to Warner and the rest of the home side by the New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who wagered on some early assistance for his swing bowlers. However, Australia were always going to bat first, not only because of how the Canberra pitch would behave in the afternoon but also how it was expected to later on – making it easier for the bowlers to place their opponents under pressure.David Warner raced to his sixth ODI hundred of the year in Canberra•Getty Images

“Their best attribute is probably swinging the ball with the new rock and I think they tried to make the most of that,” Warner said. “We knew batting here first is always a plus and we knew we had to try to keep wickets in hand for the last 10 overs.”We’ve seen that with the away teams that have come here, they’ve got into great positions but really not been able to finish off the games, it just gets too far ahead. You can still finish off well, but I think when opposition teams come here they see that big gap in the run rate go up and try to up the ante too early later.”The victory gave Australia a trio of wins, including the dead rubber Test match against South Africa in Adelaide. Warner reckoned the change in momentum had been driven in the first instance by personnel changes, which in turn provided senior members of the team with greater impetus to push forward.”It’s one of those things where if you get some fresh faces in and around, your energy gets up and going, and I can’t really put my finger on it,” Warner said. “I just think the boys took it hard, it really hurt us down in Hobart. Losing that series, we saw it really does hurt. I think it was the kick up the backside that we needed to get us back up and going.”We don’t want to lose too many series’ at home especially, but the guys have worked out a way out to come back. If it was a bit of [lost] form from people. The senior players have to keep stepping up, if we do that then the other guys will follow us.”

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on October 23, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Haryana’s seamers played a containing role, allowing the spinners to trigger Karnataka’s collapse in Mysore

Haryana took control of their fixture against Karnataka in Mysore after the defending champions were bowled out for 221 to concede a 110-run lead. Rahul Dewan and Nitin Saini then saw off nine overs late in the day as Haryana ended the day at 27 without loss, ahead by 137, to take pole position, one from where they can entertain thoughts of forcing their first outright win of the season.KL Rahul top-scored with 63 to steady Karnataka after the early loss of Robin Uthappa, but his run-out soon after lunch triggered a slide. Jayant Yadav, who struck his second first-class century on Thursday, broke Karnataka’s back in the middle. He had the vital strikes of the well-set R Samarth (30) and Karun Nair (28), before part-time offspinner Rahul Dagar ran through the tail by picking up three wickets in an over as Karnataka’s innings came to a grinding halt in 75.4 overs.CM Gautam, the vice-captain, tried to resurrect the innings but regular loss of wickets at the other end prevented Karnataka’s late quest towards parity. Vinay Kumar, the captain, resisted for 65 deliveries and made 34 during the course of a 67-run stand for the seventh wicket, the highest of Karnataka’s innings. Earlier in the day, HS Sharath, who picked up a hat-trick on Thursday, picked up his first five-wicket haul of the season, finish with figures of 5 for 48.
ScorecardA lower-order collapse undid all the good work done by Sudip Chatterjee (116) and Wriddhiman Saha (72) as Bengal collapsed from 286 for 4 to 357 all out at Feroz Shah Kotla. Delhi then overcame a top-order wobble before Nitish Rana (30*) and Milind Kumar (20*) repaired the early damage, with the unbroken third-wicket stand of 54 taking them to 100 for 3 at stumps.Bengal looked set for a bigger score than they eventually finished with as they lost both set batsmen – Chatterjee (116) and Saha (72) – in the first half hour to hand Delhi the advantage. But Ashok Dinda dismissed Gautam Gambhir early to give Bengal an opening. Pragyan Ojha then got into the act to dismiss the in-form Unmukt Chand. Before long, Delhi were in trouble at 56 for 3, and in dire need of a partnership, which Rana and Milind came up with.
ScorecardAnother lackluster batting performance from Vidarbha resulted in them conceding a 52-run lead to current table toppers Assam in Nagpur. As many as 12 wickets fell in the day, with spin accounting for 10 of them. Swarupam Purkayastha, the highest wicket-taker last season among the slow bowlers, led Assam’s dominance with four scalps.Vidarbha briefly challenged Assam when Wasim Jaffer (40) and Ganesh Satish (67) kept the bowlers at bay, but a lower-order implosion resulted in Vidarbha losing their last six wickets for 53 runs. Assam then lost the openers in their second dig to end the day at 36 for 2, the overall lead standing at 88 with two full days to play.Rajasthan v Maharashtra – Maharashtra’s slide tightens contest for first-innings points

Another rapid start for Sri Lanka was halted, then aborted, by persistent rain in Hambantota, which arrived at 2:52pm and did not cease until officials were forced to call off the match at 6:44pm

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Hambantota25-Mar-2013

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
It kept raining for almost four hours in Hambantota, ensuring the game was called off•AFP

Another rapid start for Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Janith Perera was halted, then aborted, by persistent rain in Hambantota, which arrived at 2:52pm and did not cease until officials were forced to call off the match at 6:44pm. Sri Lanka were 33 without loss after five overs when the covers were called on, with Perera on 18 from 21 balls and Dilshan on 10 from 9 deliveries.Sri Lanka’s openers did not quite match the breakneck pace of Saturday evening’s opening stand, but were brutal on errors in length, which the Bangladesh seam bowlers provided regularly. Dilshan leant back to crash his first ball through cover-point, when Rubel Hossain dug it in short, before Perera blasted two more short deliveries to the leg-side boundary in the next two overs. Dilshan was dropped on 9, by a diving Mushfiqur Rahim, who failed to cling to an under-edge lying low to the left, but there was hardly any time for the mistake to cost Bangladesh, as the rains arrived at the end of that over.The hosts now head to Pallekele for the final ODI with a 1-0 lead. Southwest monsoon rains have arrived early in much of the country however, and a wet finish could well be in store for the series.

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.