India wicketkeeper undergoes plastic surgery as well, to manage injuries suffered during Friday’s car crash

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2022The results of India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s MRI of the brain and spine are normal. He has also undergone plastic surgery to manage his facial injuries, lacerated wounds and abrasions suffered in a serious car accident near Roorkee, Uttarakhand, on Friday morning.Related

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• Rishabh Pant suffers multiple injuries in serious car crash

MRI scans of his ankle and knee have been postponed till tomorrow because of pain and swelling.The doctors at Max Hospital in Dehradun have also given him “above knee splintage … for suspected right knee ligament injury, and suspected right ankle ligament injury”. The medical bulletin released by the hospital on Friday evening also said Pant is “stable, conscious and oriented”.The bulletin noted that “prima facie, he had sustained multiple abrasions on right-hand forearm and leg, and lacerated wounds over forehead and near eyebrow, and multiple graze abrasions on the back”.The accident took place in the early hours on Friday, when Pant was driving to Roorkee. His car, which was severely damaged in the accident, is reported to have hit the divider on the road and subsequently caught fire. Pant was initially taken to a local hospital – Saksham Hospital Multispecialty and Trauma Centre – where he was treated for impact injuries before being moved to Max Hospital in Dehradun. He had reached the hospital at 6am.Pant, 25, was not part of the India squads for the T20I and ODI home series against Sri Lanka beginning on January 3. He was due to head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning before the Test series against Australia in February.He most recently played a match-winning innings of 93 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur, which helped India clinch the series 2-0.

Pakistan’s first-class cricket is set to return to a model featuring both regions and departments

Umar Farooq24-Jan-2023The Pakistan Cricket Board has invited the country’s private and government departments besides three military institutes to be part of the domestic circuit. The PCB has initiated a restructuring of domestic cricket, and a return to the 16-team hybrid first-class model featuring both regions and departments.The PCB has already abolished the previous six-team model after the completion of the 2022-23 season in the first week of January.”The Pakistan Cricket Board has formally written to 27 leading departments, seeking their interest in participating in the PCB Domestic Cricket Season 2023-24, which will start in August,” the PCB confirmed through a press release. “In the letters, the PCB has not only invited the departments to confirm their participation in the upcoming season at their earliest convenience [which] can help them prepare the season’s calendar but has also encouraged them to set up strong cricket sides, assuring them maximum coverage and publicity through the traditional and new media.”Related

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• Kieron Pollard, Haris Sohail, Ben Cutting among picks at PSL replacement draft

• Umar Gul: We need departmental cricket back in Pakistan

• 'There's been famine for the last four years' – Najam Sethi out to revive domestic cricket in Pakistan

In the new structure, eight regional teams and eight department teams will play in the premier first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Every season, the regional and department teams finishing bottom get relegated and two toppers (one region and one department) from the Grade 2 tournament will be promoted. Although the 2023-24 season effectively starts in August, the Pakistan government had given the new head of the PCB, Najam Sethi, 120 days (starting from December 21, 2022) to reset the set-up and go back to the 2014 constitution.Racing against time, the PCB management committee is making every effort to return to the previous model, reviving the 97 districts that make up the 16 regions. There are around 3200 clubs already functioning across the country and are the major feeders of players into the regional system.The Pakistan government recently removed Ramiz Raja and his Board by revoking the 2019 constitution the PCB was operating under and brought back Najam Sethi to head the management committee, giving it full executive powers to work on reviving the constitution of 2014. Aside from the changes in the board and its structure, that constitution will also bring back department sides into the domestic circuit – they had been removed in 2019 after former Pakistan captain Imran Khan became the Prime Minister of the country (the PM automatically becomes the PCB’s patron).Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq were among prominent voices calling for department cricket to be reinstated•Getty Images

Even though the PCB has reached out to the departments, it’s not clear if the departments are willing to revive their teams in the current economic climate. There might not be much appetite for such organisations to hire a squad of cricketers. A number of department sides had shut down their sporting operations even before Imran’s changes, with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and United Bank Limited (UBL) among the prominent ones to do so.PM Shahbaz Sharif, the PCB’s current patron-in-chief, had already issued a directive in October last year to all 18 government departments/institutes to restore the governance of their sports structure in Pakistan and restart the financing of sports departments. The pick-up on that has been slow – ESPNcricinfo understands that Ramiz Raja as chairman had written to private banks to ask about reviving their teams but they had shown little interest. Various government departments are dependent on government budgets and haven’t allocated a budget since the PM’s notification.Several government departments that function autonomously – such as State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Sui National Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), Sui Southern Gas (SSG), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) – can easily allocate funds though it’s unclear if they see it as a priority. The PCB’s letter is an attempt to know their intentions. It is understood that not all 27 departments will be willing to return but the PCB requires at least 16 in the system under its proposed domestic structure. PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars are among the private teams willing to launch a team in the Grade 2 set-up to complement their player hunt program.According to the 2014 constitution, the Board of Governors (BoG) will have ten members including four regional representatives (the top four teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy), four representatives of service organisations (the top four department teams) and two members to be nominated according to the patron’s discretion. To form a Board the PCB also needs to have an active domestic circuit.The abolition of departments in 2019 led to resentment in the cricketing community of Pakistan. A group of former board members and cricketers including Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Gul have been urging the government to revert to the previous domestic structure that included departmental teams such as Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), SNGPL and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The model introduced on the insistence of Imran led to a large number of players losing their livelihoods from their employment with departments.

Club to face CDC hearings next week charged with bringing game into disrepute

Matt Roller23-Feb-2023Yorkshire have pleaded guilty to a charge of destroying or losing data and documents relating to allegations of racism made against the club.The ECB confirmed this week that Yorkshire had admitted four charges “including a failure to address systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language over a prolonged period and a failure to take adequate action in respect of allegations of racist and/or discriminatory behaviour”.The reported on Wednesday that the specific admissions included a guilty plea to a charge that evidence relating to allegations of racist abuse, made by Azeem Rafiq, had been destroyed.The club confirmed the report on Thursday morning ahead of next week’s Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) hearings, where a panel will hear disciplinary proceedings brought by the ECB against Yorkshire and seven ex-players.”It has been reported in a number of news outlets that, in relation to the Cricket Discipline Commission inquiry, the club has admitted a charge of deletion of data and documents,” Yorkshire wrote to members on Thursday.Related

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“The CDC proceedings are ongoing and, as such, we are limited as to what we can say at this time. However, we are writing to reassure members reading these reports to let them know that no personal data relating to members of the club was compromised.”Yorkshire said that following Lord Kamlesh Patel’s appointment as chair, “it was discovered that emails and documents, both held electronically by the club and in paper copy, had been irretrievably deleted from both servers and laptops and otherwise destroyed.”After a thorough independent investigation it was established that the deletion and destruction of documents date from a time period prior to the appointment of Lord Patel and relate to the allegations of racism and the club’s response to those allegations. The club is not prepared to conjecture publicly as to why this occurred, who was responsible or the motivation for doing so.”The club said that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the ECB were “informed of the position”. The ICO took no action, while the ECB brought a charge “on the basis that the conduct (deletion/destruction) may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket and/or which may bring the ECB and/or the game of cricket into disrepute”.Yorkshire added: “The club has admitted this charge, as there was no viable defence in these circumstances. We wished to let members know the position at the earliest opportunity we were able to and to allay concerns about the integrity of members’ data, which the club believes is secure.”The CDC hearings take place from March 1-9 in London. Gary Ballance has admitted liability in response to a charge of using “racially discriminatory language” while Tim Bresnan, John Blain, Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah have all withdrawn from the proceedings.Michael Vaughan is the only remaining defendant.

Wanindu Hasaranga’s availability key as RCB seek to bounce back after defeat against Knight Riders

Alagappan Muthu09-Apr-20234:47

Shastri: Wood should be a handful in Bengaluru

Big picture: The thing with RCB…

Virat Kohli chose a good moment – their homecoming – to highlight that Royal Challengers Bangalore are part of IPL royalty. He said, outside of Chennai Super Kings (11) and Mumbai Indians (9), they are the team that has made it to the playoffs the most times (8).But the wider IPL fraternity – and indeed some of Royal Challengers’ fans – won’t find any solace in that because of the ways in which the team’s fortunes swing. They began this season by tapping Mumbai on the head and tossing them off to the side, but then they went to Kolkata and basically enabled a blasterclass from a No. 7 batter. They bowled length in the death with mid-off up. What was Shardul Thakur to do? Not score 68 off 29 balls which turned 89 for 5 to 204 for 7?Related

• Topley out of IPL 2023 with shoulder injury, Parnell named replacement

• Amit Mishra, 40 and looking it, brings Lucknow the warm and fuzzy

• Krunal: 'I am in a good headspace, I have much more clarity'

These reverses, which happen as a result of mostly avoidable mistakes, make the Royal Challengers a bit of a frustrating team to follow, let alone plan for, which is what Lucknow Super Giants have to do.KL Rahul will be coming home to Bengaluru for the first time in four IPLs – and only the third time ever as an opposition player. He’s yet to win a match as a visitor to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and in some ways, the chances of that happening may be tied to how well he manages his overseas resources, especially now that Quinton de Kock is available and Kyle Mayers is undroppable(ish).Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli shared a big stand in RCB’s opening game•BCCI

Team news: Will de Kock and Hasaranga play?

Prior to the start of IPL 2023, Super Giants would’ve been fairly confident of their overseas combination. De Kock for firepower at the top. Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis for firepower at the death, and Mark Wood for firepower with the ball. But now that Mayers has casually thumped 139 runs in three innings at a higher strike rate (187.83) than any of the top 15 scorers in the tournament so far, there is a decision to be made. Avesh Khan is carrying an injury, and Wood missed the last game with flu.Royal Challengers were expecting Wanindu Hasaranga to arrive on April 10 – which is match day – following the conclusion of a white-ball series in New Zealand, where he picked up figures of 11-0-93-2 in three T20Is. If he is ready to start, he might even be able to lessen the burden on their death bowers because his wickets in the middle overs could mean the seamers may be left dealing with lesser batters at the end of the innings. Josh Hazlewood faces a longer stretch on the sidelines, with the Australia quick likely to be available for the April 17 game against Super Kings. Wayne Parnell has replaced the injured Reece Topley.

Toss and Impact Player Strategy

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers are yet to bat first in IPL 2023, and should this be when it happens, they might consider bringing in Suyash Prabhudessai and swapping him out for Mohammed Siraj later in the game.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Suyash Prabhudessai, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Shahbaz Ahmed, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga/Michael Bracewell, 8 David Willey, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Akash DeepProbable bowl-first XI: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Glenn Maxwell, 4 Shahbaz Ahmed, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Wanindu Hasaranga/Michael Bracewell, 7 David Willey, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed SirajCan KL Rahul make his homecoming sweeter?•BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants
Ayush Badoni appears to have become a specialist Impact Player for Super Giants. He went out for K Gowtham in the first, came in for Avesh in the second, and went out for Amit Mishra in the third. The sequence is likely to continue.Probable bat-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Quinton de Kock (wk), 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Nicholas Pooran, 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Romario Shepherd/Mark Wood, 9 Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Jaydev UnadkatProbable bowl-first XI: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Quinton de Kock (wk), 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Nicholas Pooran, 7 Amit Mishra, 8 Romario Shepherd/Mark Wood, 9 Yash Thakur, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Jaydev Unadkat

Stats that matter: RCB death bowlers under pressure

• Since IPL 2022, Royal Challengers have the worst economy rate (11) in the final five overs of the innings. This is primarily because the options they turn to at this stage of the game have not been able to execute their skills well enough. Siraj’s economy rate of 13.4 is the worst among everyone who has bowled at least ten overs in the death since the last IPL. Even Harshal Patel, who will become the quickest Indian bowler to 100 IPL wickets if he picks up one more over the next two innings, has struggled with this task. He has conceded ten runs an over or more in seven of his last 10 T20s.
• If he has recovered from his illness, Super Giants may want to keep Wood away from the new ball because Kohli has hit 46 against the England quick in just 19 balls in all T20 cricket. They have plenty of other favourable match-ups, though. Krunal Pandya (79 off 80 balls, one dismissal), Jaydev Unadkat (52 off 46) and Ravi Bishnoi (23 off 23 balls). Avesh has done the best against Kohli (5 runs off ten balls and two dismissals), but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play on Monday.
• Glenn Maxwell vs Amit Mishra will be fun. The Australian has smashed 66 runs in 35 balls in all T20s, but in the process, the Indian has picked up his wicket five times. Maxwell has also been susceptible to left-arm spin in the IPL: his average of 22.9 is the second-lowest for anyone who has faced at least 200 balls of this kind of bowling. Someone should pass Krunal the note.
• There has been a noticeable shift in Faf du Plessis’ batting in the powerplay this season. His strike rate of 158 from two matches is significantly higher than the 105 he managed all through 2022, when he was also dismissed in this phase of play seven times in 16 innings.

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings IPL score in Bengaluru since 2018 is 183. In the same period, statistics suggest spinners have had a better time keeping the runs down here than the quicks (economy rate 8.1 vs 9.8). It remains the most sixer-friendly ground in the IPL, averaging 18 per match over the last five seasons.

Hardik Pandya is expected to be available for Titans, while Kings will be tempted to field both Rabada and Livingstone

Sidharth Monga12-Apr-20236:30

Will Punjab stick with Ellis and bench Rabada?

Big picture: Gujarat Titans look to bounce back

Rinku Singh did to Gujarat Titans an extreme version of what they did to teams last year. In fact, their next opponents, Punjab Kings, last year had every reason to believe they had done enough when they got Hardik Pandya first ball of the last over with 18 still to get, but Rahul Tewatia won Titans the match with two sixes off the last two balls.When Titans come up against Kings in Mohali on Thursday, they will have to quickly bounce back from the five-sixes finish from Rinku, which lost them what seemed an unlosable game. Kings, coming off a loss themselves, will try to cash in on any residual effect of the defeat Titans suffered.On the line in this match is a ticket into the early top three. Both teams have won two games each in their first three matches. Titans have looked the more formidable side, but Kings will look to use their home advantage to the fullest.

Team news: Liam Livingstone is here

After a long wait, Liam Livingstone is finally in Mohali and training at the nets. If he plays, this will be his first formal cricket match since he jarred his knee on Test debut in Pakistan in December. He should take Matt Short’s place in the XI. There might be temptation to play Kagiso Rabada, but Nathan Ellis has not done badly at all. If they bat first, Kings could think of bringing one of them in as Impact Player.Hardik Pandya was unwell and missed the last match, but should be available for this encounter.3:34

Dhawan and the difficulty of being an anchor batter in T20s

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings
In the last match, Kings started without Sikandar Raza to see if they could squeeze in Rabada during the second innings. A collapse with the bat meant Raza had to be substituted in. Now, though, Livingstone’s arrival could make Kings go with a more conventional side.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Sam Curran, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep SinghProbable field-first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Liam Livingstone, 5 Sam Curran, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Rishi Dhawan, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep Singh2:08

Moody: Vijay Shankar repaid Titans’ faith in him with an extraordinary performance

Gujarat Titans
Hardik should replace Abhinav Manohar in the bat-first XI while it remains to be seen if they show faith in Yash Dayal or give him a break after that fateful last over to Rinku. It is not a bad time to introduce the impressive left-arm spinner, R Sai Kishore. Their Impact Player scene seems sorted: Sai Sudharsan starts if they bat first, Josh Little if they field.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 David Miller, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 R Sai KishoreProbable field-first XI: 1 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Josh Little, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 R Sai Kishore

Stats that matter

• Livingstone has scored 119 runs off 69 balls against Rashid Khan: an average of 30 and a strike rate of 173.
• Mohammed Shami has never dismissed Shikhar Dhawan, who strikes at 149 against him.
• At 70.5%, the Kings top three have made the second-biggest contribution to their team’s total this IPL, behind only Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Pakistan seamer will provide fast-bowling cover with Naveen-ul-Haq still involved at the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2023Leicestershire have signed Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah on a short-term deal for the start of the Vitality Blast.Naseem will act as cover for Afghanistan overseas Naveen-ul-Haq, who is currently involved in the IPL play-offs with Lucknow Super Giants. Naseem was due to arrive in England on Tuesday and be available for Leicestershire’s Blast opener against Lancashire on Thursday.”Having Naveen in the IPL play-offs meant we had to make a quick call and we are extremely excited to have secured someone of Naseem’s calibre,” Leicestershire Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said.”He’s proven to be a world-class performer in T20 cricket, and we look forward to seeing him in a Leicestershire shirt shortly.”Leicestershire start their campaign with back-to-back games, away to Lancashire and then at home to Warwickshire, followed by a trip to Worcestershire on Monday. Should Lucknow reach Sunday’s IPL final, then it is likely Naveen would miss all three fixtures.Naseem featured for Gloucestershire in the Blast last season, taking five wickets in three games. He was also signed by Welsh Fire to play in the Hundred, but withdrew due to international commitments.Naseem said: “I’m very excited to be joining the Foxes for the start of the Vitality Blast. I can’t wait to meet my team-mates and help win games for Leicestershire.”

Dom Bess joins on loan as visitors are made to toil on hot day at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2023Tom Westley and Dan Lawrence, England past and present, combined for an imperious double-century stand that put Essex firmly in control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Warwickshire.Lawrence, allowed to play by England on the proviso he is ready to scuttle down to Lord’s if required, when he will be replaced in the Essex line-up by nominated substitute Nick Browne, gave full range to his shots in an immaculate 152, his second century of the season.The third-wicket pair put on 227 in 59 overs of elegant stroke-play until Westley dragged Ed Barnard to short midwicket. His 193-ball 114 took his season’s tally to 739 runs, by far the most of any player in Division One.Matt Critchley upped the tempo with 47 from 43 balls in a 70-run stand with Lawrence, who finally departed after five and a half hours, 225 balls and 15 fours, a second victim for Warwickshire loanee Dom Bess. By the close, Essex had amassed 391 for sevenWestley had won the toss on a green-tinged Chelmsford wicket used previously for a one-day international between Bangladesh and Ireland, and consigned Warwickshire to a sweaty day under floppy sunhats in the field.The captain found himself at the wicket at the end of the first over after Feroze Khushi – replacing Browne at the top of the order – dabbed at a ball from Chris Rushworth and nicked behind.Lawrence joined Westley five overs later to resurrect Essex from 20 for two after Alastair Cook was tucked up by Hassan Ali and also went caught behind.Warwickshire had lost spinner Danny Briggs when he limped out of the Blast last week with a hamstring injury and acted quickly by bringing in Bess on loan from Yorkshire.Westley took a liking to the one-time England spinner and cracked two fours through the covers before bouncing down the wicket and striking him over midwicket for another boundary. Bess toiled in the sun and ended the first day of his Warwickshire spell with figures of 32-1-143-2.Westley passed fifty for the sixth time in the Championship this season when he drove his 72nd ball to mid-on for a single. It was marginally quicker – by two balls – than Lawrence’s third score beyond fifty this year.The partnership was worth 99 at lunch and clicked on to three figures from 150 balls straight after. By tea, another 128 runs were added in 34 overs.In between, Lawrence was showing what Essex will miss when he moves to Surrey at the end of the season. There was a glorious off-drive to the fence off Hassan Ali and then an effortless straight-drive off the Pakistan bowler.Warwickshire had also brought in the 30-year-old wrist spinner Jake Lintott at the expense of Olly Hannon-Dalby for only his second first-class appearance. Westley took a liking to him, too. Indeed, his 17th boundary, driven through the covers, took him to his century from 154 balls.Lawrence’s ton also came from 154 balls when he flicked Will Rhodes through midwicket for his 11th four.After Westley’s four-hour stay ended to the first ball after tea, Critchley took up the cudgels, punishing Barnard for his audacity in removing the captain with three boundaries in an over.A six straight back over Bess’s head by Critchley brought up the fifty partnership in just 10 overs. But the ball after he had deposited Lintott over midwicket for a second maximum, he presented the spinner with his first red-ball wicket by slashing a skyer to backward point. He later added Simon Harmer, caught behind, to return figures of 2 for 56In between, Bess took a debut wicket when he had Paul Walter chipping to short mid-on, but was then reverse-swept for the four that brought up Lawrence’s 150. However, Bess claimed Lawrence’s scalp when he flicked a catch off his legs

Joe Weatherley’s 63 from 39 gives Hampshire a chance before Simon Harmer seals shortened chase

Alan Gardner15-Jul-2023Essex squeezed past defending champions Hampshire to reach the Vitality T20 Blast final via a rain-affected chase at Edgbaston. Simon Harmer, who hit the winning runs when Essex lifted the title in 2019, again applied the this time around as he drilled Nathan Ellis into the stands at long-on to complete a five-wicket victory.Having restricted Hampshire to 170 for 7 from 20 overs, Essex were then handed a revised target of 115 from 12 overs, following an extended delay for rain shortly after the start of their innings. Although Hampshire made quick inroads after the resumption to reduce Essex to 50 for 4 after 6.2, the arrival of Australia allrounder Daniel Sams brought a vital injection of power as he and Matt Critchley added 45 in 22 balls.Sams could not finish the job, well held on the boundary by Ross Whiteley, but despite Liam Dawson only conceding seven off the penultimate over to leave 13 needed from the last, Ellis – the hero in Hampshire’s dramatic victory a year ago – was hit for two sixes in three balls to end hopes of a defence.Hampshire’s innings had been a stop-start affair, held together by Joe Weatherley’s 63 off 39 balls. Spinners Critchley and Harmer picked up combined figures of 3 for 55 from their eight overs but a spirited finish from Weatherley and Benny Howell helped get Hampshire up to a par score.The rain delay took eight overs out of the Essex innings and seemed to tip the balance back towards the chasing side, with the requirement now 96 off 55 and the ball skidding around on a greasy outfield. They threatened to squander the advantage by losing 3 for 3 in the space of six ball, but Sams smashed three sixes in an innings of 29 from 17 to put them back on course for only a second Blast final appearance.Essex come out on top of DLS equation
Essex have based much of their approach to this year’s Blast on attacking come what may, so losing a wicket from the third ball of the innings would have been priced in. Adam Rossington’s flip off the hip went fine but Weatherley’s good day continued as he raced around the rope for a tumbling catch. But Essex’s start was scratchy as the clouds began to roll in, with Dan Lawrence dropped off a steepler by Dawson shortly before a heavy downpour took the players off for an hour with the score 19 for 1.The revised target left Essex needing to go at just above ten an over, and that had come down to 68 off 40 when James Fuller struck twice in the space of three balls: Michael Pepper caught at deep third off a wild hack and Lawrence edging a pull to the keeper. When Paul Walter was palpably lbw to John Turner in the next over, Essex were four down with the required rate climbing.”With wickets in hand and a smaller total, you would back yourself to get there,” Harmer said. “But in saying that when you lose wickets it’s tough to start again. You got to have your foot on the accelerator from ball one. So the way that guys like Critch and Dan Sams played, coming in there and striking from ball one was huge for us in the context of that chase.”Weatherley, meanwhile, described Hampshire as “bitterly disappointed” with the outcome. “With Duckworth-Lewis, it only takes is a couple of guys to hit a couple of sixes,” he said. “We still took wickets, if we hadn’t have done it would have looked a lot easier. It certainly feels unfair when they’ve got nine wickets in hand to get ten an over.”Hampshire start well, then stutter
Aaron Beard’s only over, the first of the Hampshire innings, went for 14 as both Ben McDermott and James Vince opened their accounts by whipping leg-side deliveries to the fence. McDermott then picked off Sams’ first two balls, the second via a domineering stride down the pitch before launching over long-off. An edged four wide of the keeper and two more off Sam Cook – one scooped over the head of short fine leg – took McDermott to 29 off 11 but he fell to his next delivery, pulling Cook straight to deep square leg.Hampshire at that point were 39 for 1 after three overs but Vince departed in the next over, chipping Shane Snater to mid-off, and Essex got a hold on the scoring to make it 55 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. The spinners then kept Hampshire in check, with Tom Prest, Dawson and Fuller all falling for middling scores and only five boundaries coming between the seventh and 16th overs.Weatherley, Howell add finishing touch
With wickets falling regularly, Weatherley had to take a circumspect approach, although he did hit one sweetly struck six down the ground off Harmer. Whiteley’s miscue off Walter left Hampshire 130 for 6 after 17, but the arrival of Howell added much-needed impetus at the death, as the seventh-wicket pair mirrored McDermott’s opening burst by lashing another 40 runs to the total. A wide full toss from Sams saw Weatherley bring up his fifty from from 34 balls, and the Hampshire No. 4 then spoiled an otherwise-decent penultimate over from Cook by going deep in his crease to slog-sweep a slower ball for six.Howell then helped plunder 14 off Sams’ closer, including a towering six over long-on the ball after being dropped by Snater, and although he was dismissed off the final delivery his 22 off 11 had given Hampshire something to bowl at. Thanks to the rain, however, and Sams late blows, it would not be quite enough.

The pair scored centuries to set up a match-winning total of 334

Abhimanyu Bose03-Sep-20231:21

Jaffer: ‘Kind of a complete game for Bangladesh’

Bangladesh bounced back from their defeat against Sri Lanka with a much-improved batting display to thump Afghanistan and secure a spot in the Super Fours of Asia Cup 2023.Centuries from the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto and makeshift opener Mehidy Hasan Miraz helped Bangladesh post an imposing 334 for 5 before Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam helped bowl Afghanistan out for 245.Shanto followed up his fighting 89 against Sri Lanka with a brisk second ODI century, while Mehidy posted his highest score in the format before retiring hurt due to cramps in his left arm.Mehidy, opening the batting for the first time in ODIs since the 2018 Asia Cup final, took his time to get in and it was Mohammad Naim who dominated the powerplay.Naim took the attack to the bowlers from the first over, slapping Fazalhaq Farooqi’s second delivery through point for the first boundary of the match.Bangladesh were ticking along at around a run a ball for the powerplay and almost completed it without taking any damage but for a terrific googly from Mujeeb Ur Rahman that turned past Naim’s outside edge to crash into his off stump.Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the game away from Afghanistan•AFP via Getty Images

Surprisingly, it was Towhid Hridoy who came out at No. 3 ahead of Shanto, but Shanto did not have to wait long to get in the action as Hridoy was out second ball, edging Gulbadin Naib to first slip.Shanto took six deliveries to get off the mark, with a boundary through the leg side, and then found his rhythm, hitting Naib for back-to-back fours. Mehidy and Shanto proceeded to wear Afghanistan down with a 194-run partnership off 190 deliveries before Mehidy retired hurt.Afghanistan’s star spinner, Rashid Khan, hurt himself while fielding and was introduced only in the 17th over. He started with a maiden but bowled only four overs in his first spell and was reintroduced for a second spell in the 32nd over.Bangladesh had injury concerns of their own, with Mehidy struggling throughout the innings and Shanto also pulling up while completing a run, but both batters fought on in the Lahore heat. Mehidy reached his half-century in the 24th over; Shanto pulled Farooqi for a six in the 31st to get to his.Mehidy got to his century off 115 deliveries, scampering for a single after miscuing a pull off Naib. When Rashid came back for his third spell in the 42nd over, Shanto pulled him for two boundaries in a 12-run over. In the next, Mehidy went inside out to hit Mujeeb for a six over extra cover before physios had to come out to treat him for cramps. Mehidy left the field but Shanto, who had scored 89 against Sri Lanka, reached a 101-ball century in the same over.Rashid Khan went wicketless in his 10 overs•Associated Press

Shanto was run out for 104, having slipped while attempting a single after reverse-sweeping Mujeeb.Bangladesh carried the momentum into their defence of 335, with Shoriful Islam trapping Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw with the fourth delivery of the second over. Shoriful could have had Gurbaz two balls earlier when rapped him on the pads with an inswinger but Bangladesh chose not to review the on-field not-out decision. It did not prove costly.Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah then put on a 78-run stand off 97 deliveries, but Rahmat taking 57 deliveries for his 33 meant the asking rate was rising with every over. Rahmat eventually fell to a slower one from Taskin that stayed low.Ibrahim tried to keep Afghanistan in the hunt with a 74-ball 75 but edged Hasan Mahmud and Mushfiqur Rahim took a brilliant one-handed catch diving to his right.Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran picked up the tempo, adding 62 off 52 deliveries for the fourth wicket before Najibullah missed a swipe across the line and was bowled by Mehidy.Shoriful then had Shahidi caught at deep third before knocking Gulbadin Naib’s stumps for his third wicket. Taskin finished with four, claiming the wickets of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid and Mujeeb at the back end.

Veteran recovers from horror drop at short third to take 4 for 21 with his knuckleballs

ECB Reporters Network18-Aug-2023Ravi Bopara went form villain to hero as London Spirit beat Northern Superchargers by 13 runs at Lord’s to keep alive their hopes of a place in the knockout stages.The veteran allrounder dropped a sitter of a catch early in Superchargers’ attempted chase of 161 but atoned – and then some – with ball in hand. He finished his spell with 4 for 21, including the prize wicket of Harry Brook for 44 from 24 balls – the youngster having played like a man scorned following his omission from England’s provisional World Cup squad earlier this week.Earlier, Adam Rossington made his second half-century in as many games, sharing a stand of 66 in 32 balls for the third wicket with Matthew Wade (42) as the home side posted 160 for 6. Adil Rashid took 2 for 18 and Reece Topley 2 for 20 for the visitors.Zak Crawley struck three fours before becoming Topley’s 11th victim of the tournament, caught at mid-on by David Wiese. The England man stood his ground but a check by the third umpire sent him on his way.Dan Lawrence didn’t stay long, bowled by Rashid attempting a reverse-sweep, but Rossington picked up where he’d left off against Oval Invincibles on Tuesday, unleashing a flurry of boundaries including a six into the Mound Stand off Wiese.The Essex wicketkeeper followed up with successive sixes off South African Wayne Parnell, the first a towering blow into the pavilion seats as his 50 came up in 25 balls. Rossington’s pyrotechnics inspired Wade, who sent one from Matthew Potts over the ropes in taking 18 from one set.Rossington though lost the strike and with it his rhythm and soon mishit Rashid into the hands of mid-wicket. Wade followed when Parnell trapped him in front and with that Spirit lost momentum, only a late six from Daryl Mitchell (34 from 19) taking them to 160.Under darkening skies, Lyth began by belting Dan Worrall into the stands but he should have been out for 8 when skying Jordan Thompson to Bopara at short third, only for the Sussex man to spill the regulation chance. To compound the error, Matthew Short sent the next ball into the crowd. Lyth then celebrated his reprieve with a second six off Worrall.Spirit’s ragged fielding gave Lyth a second life on 25, Nathan Ellis the culprit, but his luck ran out when he sent one from Liam Dawson into the hands of Thompson.Bopara though bowled a stunning opening set, first having Short caught in the deep before knocking Tom Banton’s off stump out of its groove. Unsurprisingly the allrounder was kept on for another set and promptly had Saif Zaib caught at short fine leg.All eyes were now on Brook who lofted one from Bopara into the crowd before crashing Thompson for three fours in a set. Critchley was treated with equal disdain, but Bopara returned to have Brook caught on the rope by Mitchell.Hose continued to swing valiantly, but when he fell to Ellis’s stunning diving catch, 24 from the final six proved too many as Ellis closed out the game, bowling 15 of the final 20 deliveries with a wet ball.