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Both teams took one point each and that meant Rajasthan Royals still have a chance of making the playoffs

The Report by Mohammad Isam30-Apr-2019Rain had the final say guiding a fast-paced five-over game into an anti-climactic no-result. And because of that, Royal Challengers Bangalore were the first team to be eliminated in IPL 2019.Rajasthan Royals had opted to chase, well before the downpour began, and they were 22 runs off their target with 10 balls still left to play when another spell of rain lashed the M Chinnaswamy stadium, putting an end to the game.Both teams took one point each and that meant Royals still have a chance of making the playoffs; good news for Shreyas Gopal at least, considering he took a hat-trick and all. The batsmen he dismissed, by the way, were Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis. That’s 40,832 international runs.Kohli tees offThe first ball, delivered at 148kph by Varun Aaron, was crashed over the long-off boundary. Next ball, Kohli’s attempted slap over cover took the outside edge for another six. Twenty-three runs came off that first over and everyone was jolted awake after sitting around doing nothing for three hours. Kohli began the second over with a straight six off Gopal, and it looked as if the home crowd would get to enjoy a Kohli special.Gopal to the rescueBut Gopal, who was already the danger man for RCB having bowled so well against them in his previous two outings, turned it around beautifully.He first had Kohli caught at long-on for 25 off 7 balls, then he tricked AB de Villiers into mis-hitting one to cover and to press home the advantage, he removed Marcus Stoinis as well, caught at mid-off, to complete his first hat-trick in the IPL.Royals keep it tightRCB had raced to 50 in 3.2 overs but some excellent running around the outfield, cool heads under high catches and cunning changes of pace from the Royals bowlers ensured there were only 12 runs in the next 10 balls.Riyan Parag had Gurkeerat Singh caught at deep midwicket in the third over before Parthiv Patel was caught at short fine leg off Jaydev Unadkat in the following over. Oshane Thomas finished off with two wickets in the last over.Samson falls before rainSanju Samson and Livingstone gave the Royals a rousing start with 22 runs in the first two overs. Samson also hit Kulwant Khejroliya for 18 runs in the third over and it left the Royals needing 23 off 12 balls. Samson fell in the fourth over, but no sooner had he left the field that the rain returned and nullified what was turning out to be a fun game of cricket.

Will Bangladesh change their plans for who the finisher will be and what is their best bowling combination to face South Africa?

Mohammad Isam28-May-2019Will they break the grand plan for Mosaddek?The first big question that will be posed in front of captain Mashrafe Mortaza, coach Steve Rhodes, chief selector Minhajul Abedin and BCB president Nazmul Hassan, ahead of their game against South Africa is whether they should break their long-term plan to bat Sabbir Rahman at No. 7 in order to accommodate Mosaddek Hossain.The plan was so ingrained in their thinking that the BCB reduced Sabbir’s ban for abusing a fan on Facebook to ensure he played the three ODIs against New Zealand back in February. But even though he struck his maiden ODI hundred during that series, Sabbir’s form of late hasn’t been as encouraging.And then came Mosaddek’s blinder against West Indies in the tri-series final, especially his sudden six-surge during a chase. Bangladesh have been searching for years for at least one lower-order batsman to be able to do something similar. Sabbir was their marked man for this role but now Mosaddek’s case looks stronger.PLAY: Who will win the World Cup? Take part in Cricket Picks and have your sayRubel or Saifuddin, or both?Mohammad Saifuddin’s all-round abilities give him the edge over Rubel Hossain, who has, however, the experience of playing two previous World Cups and being a match-winner on occasion. It is not quite a secret that Mashrafe has considerable faith in him and has said often that he prefers Rubel in the death overs.Saifuddin hasn’t had enough performances to warrant the same unflinching faith but the general habit in Bangladesh cricket is to risk a youngster on a big occasion.Given the conditions, they could also play both Rubel and Saifuddin, if they feel picking Mehidy Hasan would make it one spinner too many. But Mehidy’s accuracy with the ball, and his batting, could make him a starter.Does Liton’s fifties give him an outside chance?Suddenly, Liton Das has also thrown himself in the mix, especially after his fifties against India in the practice match and against Ireland two weeks ago. It is unlikely that they would break the Tamim Iqbal-Soumya Sarkar opening combination, and Liton has largely been picked as their back-up. However, in the two chances he has been given so far he has looked in good touch.In the event of the team management seriously considering including Liton. they would have to reshuffle the batting order again. It would mean Shakib Al Hasan being sent to No. 5 after he has established himself at No. 3 since the start of 2018. And it would also mean Mohammad Mithun, who was the only notable performer in the ODI series against New Zealand back in February, sitting out.Who will take the new ball?Bangladesh haven’t done too well with the new ball this year. Mashrafe has been the only constant during the first Powerplay, with Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman at times giving him company. Rubel is said to be more comfortable bowling in the middle and death overs, while Saifuddin is still developing. They tried Abu Jayed for a couple of games but he is only going to play if the conditions are conducive to swing. Mashrafe and Mustafizur therefore seem to be the most likely pairing but if that isn’t working, Mashrafe has also not been shy to bring Shakib and Mehidy into the attack early.

Bowler was sent home in June for breaching ICC code; now, team manager suspended over cover-up of the same incident

Nagraj Gollapudi and Jarrod Kimber06-Jul-2019It has emerged that Aftab Alam, the Afghanistan fast bowler, was sent back home from the World Cup following allegations of serious misbehaviour with a female guest at the Southampton hotel the team was staying in.At the time, the ICC had said that Alam was being sent back under “exceptional circumstances”, but the Afghanistan Cricket Board later confirmed that it was for a “breach of ICC’s disciplinary code of conduct”. That, ESPNcricinfo understands, wasn’t the only occasion when Alam ran into trouble during the tournament – he was removed by the security from a hospitality suite during the India-Pakistan game in Manchester too.While pulling up Alam, the ACB also suspended team manager Naved Sayem, while asking the board’s disciplinary committee to conduct a probe into the Alam hotel incident and submit its report within a week. Alam was suspended as soon as the ACB decided to remove him from the World Cup squad – made official on June 27.ALSO READ: Afghanistan have hit a bump on their happy roadThe latest development came at the ACB’s annual general meeting, held in Kabul, today. “The disciplinary committee has already been assigned to carry out the investigation in the Alam incident and asked to submit the report in a week,” Atif Mashal, an ACB board member, told ESPNcricinfo.Mashal said Sayem was found guilty of not reporting the incident “properly”. “He was found to hide things from the ACB. That is why it was decided to suspend him and investigate. As for the player (Alam), we will formalise the sanction against him once the disciplinary committee submits its report.”It is understood that the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) has concluded its investigation on Alam, finding him guilty of inappropriate behaviour, and has sent its report to the ACB to take action against the player.Alam’s last game in the World Cup was on June 22, against India, when Afghanistan fell short in their chase of India’s 224 for 8 by 11 runs. He took a wicket and was then bowled for a duck. Incidentally, the team hotel where the alleged incident took place is inside Hampshire Bowl, where the Afghanistan squad was staying for their group matches against India and Bangladesh.It is believed that the ACU got the Afghanistan squad to assemble at the team hotel in Southampton on June 23 morning, but Alam wasn’t present. He wasn’t in his room either, and it emerged that he was with a relative in London. Alam is understood to have returned later in the day, but Phil Simmons, Afghanistan’s head coach, suspended him for two matches for not being present at the ACU meeting. Alam was told he could not even participate in the practice sessions for those games.In the earlier game between India and Pakistan at Old Trafford, Alam turned up at the game unannounced and requested VIP access for himself and his friends. Using his player’s accreditation pass, he made his way to one of the hospitality rooms and then refused to leave. When security was summoned, his friends left but Alam stayed. Eventually, however, security was called and he was removed.Action against senior ACB officials too
In an unconnected development, two senior ACB officials – acting chief executive Asadullah Khan and Dawlat Ahmadzai, former chief selector – who were found guilty of separate offences, are also going to be investigated by a panel comprising three board members, Mashal confirmed, saying that a “serious” decision had been taken on that front too.Asadullah has been charged with breaching the ACB constitution and policies on various decisions he took after taking charge recently. Ahmadzai was pulled up for taking controversial decisions in squad selection for the World Cup. Ahmadzai, who was shifted to the junior selection panel midway into the World Cup, took controversial decision to replace Ashgar Afghan as the ODI captain with Gulbadin Naib, while also removing Afghan from the leadership of the Test and T20I teams.”A three-member committee comprising board members will conduct the investigation for the various breaches (by Asadullah and Ahmadzai),” Mashal said.

Everything you need to know about the India Test opener’s doping violation

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Jul-2019 in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code. The suspension is backdated from the day of the collection of the urine sample – February 22 this year – and will expire on November 15.How did it start?
On February 22 this year, Shaw gave his urine sample as part of the BCCI’s anti-doping rules (ADR) on the day of Mumbai’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Punjab in Indore. The sample was collected by IDTM, an independent service provider, contracted by the BCCI. The sample was then sent to the WADA-accredited laboratory in New Delhi, where was detected.After an independent review, the board confirmed the finding and provisionally suspended Shaw on July 16. According to the final report prepared by Dr Abhijit Salvi, BCCI’s anti-doping manager, two days later Shaw “waived his right” to have his B sample tested and accepted the charge.ALSO READ: Prithvi Shaw suspended until November 15 for doping violationHow was the banned substance found in the urine sample?In his reply to the BCCI, Shaw said he had taken an “over-the-counter cough syrup” which happened to contain . Shaw also explained what led to him taking the cough syrup: having returned home from Australia with an ankle injury, he was anxious to get back on the field. He wanted to return to action in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, which preceded the IPL. However, once he reached Indore, Shaw suffered a “common cough and cold”.
According to Salvi’s report , Shaw consulted his father, who “suggested that he visit a pharmacy to obtain a remedy for his symptoms”. The pharmacist recommended the cough syrup in question, saying it “would provide immediate relief”.In his submission to the BCCI, Shaw said he did not “recall” the brand name of the cough syrup and didn’t keep the bottle or the packaging. He used the medicine for “couple of days” before he played Mumbai’s first match of the tournament on February 21, the day before the sample was taken by IDTM. In the form that was attached to the sample, to a question on whether he had taken any medication in the preceding week, Shaw wrote that he had taken “antibiotics”.Did the BCCI accept Shaw’s explanation?The BCCI accepted Shaw’s reasoning that “it did not dawn upon him” that the cough syrup would contain a prohibited substance. “Irrespective of what Mr Shaw should have been thinking in respect of his use of medication, the BCCI accepts his assertion that he took the cough syrup merely to alleviate his symptoms, and not with the intent to enhance (or with the effect of enhancing) his sports performance,” Salvi said in his report.Prithvi Shaw ramps one for six•BCCI

What are the consequences of using a banned substance?As per WADA rules, is classified as a “specified substance” and carries a two-year ban as a “starting point”. But under WADA rules, if it is established that the athlete had not been “negligent” and had consumed a medicine that contained a prohibited substance for “no significant fault” of his, the ban could be reduced on a sliding scale of 24 to zero months.How did BCCI decide the length of the ban?According to Salvi, he had to figure which of the three categories of “fault” he could slot Shaw’s “inadvertent” action in: light (range of 0-8 months), normal (8-16 months) and considerable (16-24 months). This could only be decided after Salvi had established why and to what extent Shaw “departed from duty” of exercising “utmost caution” before he used the cough syrup.Prima facie, Salvi mentioned in his report, that Shaw failed to fulfil the obligation of ensuring the cough syrup did not contain any prohibited substance. However, Salvi then pointed out that there were a few factors that favoured Shaw. Firstly, the player did not take the substance to enhance his performance and it was used for “therapeutic” reasons only. He also did not indulge in self-medication and relied on a medical professional’s advice. Salvi also understood Shaw’s anxiety of getting his “career back on track” after the injury in Australia, which might have prompted him to “overlook” the responsibility before taking an over-the-counter medicine.Coupled with Shaw’s age, 19, his limited anti-doping education and lack of experience, Salvi decided to classify Shaw under the normal category of fault and handed out an eight-month suspension.Why is it backdated?Under its anti-doping rules, the BCCI can utilise its discretion to adjust the sanction. Keeping in mind the fact that Shaw had not contested the charge at any point, the BCCI decided to backdate the ban from the date the urine sample was collected – February 22. However, the rules also dictate that Shaw needed to serve half the period of the ban, which is four months. The start date for that was set to July 16, when he was provisionally suspended. Consequently, Shaw is eligible to return to action from November 16 this year.

The ACB has said the wicketkeeper did not adhere to a policy that requires players to seek the board’s permission before travelling out of the country

Umar Farooq10-Aug-2019The Afghanistan Cricket Board has suspended Mohammad Shahzad for an indefinite period due to a breach of the board’s code of conduct.According to an ACB release, Shahzad did not adhere to a policy that requires players to seek the board’s permission before travelling out of the country.In addition, the ACB said Shahzad had been summoned to meet the board’s disciplinary committee on July 20 and 25, “in relation to a disciplinary matter during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019”, and had failed to show up. The disciplinary committee, the release stated, would meet after the Eid holiday to decide on further sanctions.ESPNcricinfo understands that Shahzad is based in Peshawar, Pakistan, and was recently seen practising there. Last year, the ACB had fined Shahzad and asked him to relocate to Afghanistan permanently or risk having his contract terminated.Shahzad spent his early years in a refugee camp in Peshawar, but his parents are originally from Nangarhar, Afghanistan. Like many of his Afghanistan team-mates, Shahzad grew up near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; he also got married in Peshawar. A significant number of Afghans, once refugees, now reside in Pakistan, mainly in Peshawar, registered in the country as temporary residents.The suspension is the latest development in a testing phase in Shahzad’s career. In June, he was sent home early from the World Cup in England and Wales, ostensibly with a knee injury, but the wicketkeeper-batsman insisted he was fit and claimed he had been unfairly left out.

Less than a year ago the allrounder was Player of the Match in the T20 World Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2019A return to Antigua has rekindled fond memories for Australia allrounder Ash Gardner, but for team success rather than personal glory.Just under a year ago, Australia claimed the T20 World Cup title by beating England in the final with Gardner named Player of the Match for her standout all-round contribution of 3 for 22 followed by an unbeaten 33 off 26 balls.Gardner and the Australians are now back on the island to begin their limited-overs tour of West Indies with the first ODI on Thursday. That match will be played at the Coolidge ground before the final two ODIs are staged at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, the scene of Australia’s triumph last year.”When I think about West Indies I just think about the World Cup and the team performance, it’s nice having those memories personally but the team comes first,” Gardner said. “It’s nice coming back here to a place where we’ve had really good success and hopefully we can create some more really good memories.”Australia have not had a huge amount of time to prepare for the series, which involved a 36-hour journey to the Caribbean for most of the squad plus a 14-hour time difference. They have not had any official warm-up matches, instead using two inter-squad matches two days ago as their first hit out since the end of the Ashes series in England in late July.”It’s been quite difficult coming from Australia, trying to get back into the swing of things, but it’s been really nice to be back,” Gardner said. “We didn’t realise the first game was so close but we are all really keen and ready to go, trained hard coming off a really successful Ashes.”There will be some changes to Australia’s batting line-up from the Ashes with Nicole Bolton, who opened in the Ashes ODIs, not making this trip. Rachael Haynes is one option to take her place at the top of the order alongside Alyssa Healy, but it could also mean more chances for Gardner up the order having not batted higher than No. 7 in her 24 matches.”I’d love to if I got the opportunity, that’s what those [warm-up] games were all about, giving people an opportunity to bat in different positions to what they normally do,” she said. “If I got the opportunity to bat as high as possible I know I’d try to take it with both hands.”These ODIs – which are followed by three T20Is – are part of the Women’s Championship. Australia (22 points) are currently second behind England (24) but have played six games fewer, having won 11 of their 12 matches, while West Indies (11) are second bottom. The top four teams automatically qualify for the 2021 World Cup.

“I’m just annoyed the game is dead,” Victoria captain Handscomb said, as the game descended to a farce on lifeless Junction Oval pitch

Alex Malcolm at Junction Oval12-Oct-2019South Australia duo Tom Cooper and Alex Carey made barnstorming centuries against some very generous Victorian bowling as the game descended into a farcical stalemate on a concrete-like pitch at the Junction Oval.The match almost seemed like it had turned into a village game following Carey’s dismissal early in the last session when it became clear South Australia would not declare to try and set up a result. Victoria skipper Peter Handscomb brought both himself and Marcus Harris into the attack to bowl a mix of dubious offspin and medium pace unchanged for most of last session until James Pattinson came on to bowl offspin. Handscomb exchanged words regularly with Cooper as the game ground to a halt late in the day. The Redbacks reverted to conventional batting against the declaration-style bowling as both sides became frustrated at the inability to create a result on a surface that has yielded 1143 runs for just 11 wickets.”We were trying to get a game going,” Handscomb said after the day’s play. “We thought 350 off 80 overs was going to be a fair target to chase and they weren’t having it. That was it we couldn’t come to an agreement on a pretty flat wicket.””I’m just annoyed the game is dead. I’ve got to put my bowlers back out there for time on feet for a pointless game. We as we could have been competing for something tomorrow.”It appears the two teams were about 50 runs apart on what was a reasonable target. Cooper was unsure what took place behind the scenes and spent most of the last session as a conduit between Handscomb and the Redbacks hierarchy.”I guess I was caught in the middle of it as the messenger,” Cooper said. “They obviously couldn’t come to a compromise. Unfortunately that’s how it panned out. Going into the day we were under a lot of pressure to keep ourselves in it and not fold under the pressure of a massive first innings total.’The Redbacks were under pressure just after lunch on day three having crawled to 4 for 185 in the 76th over after Travis Head fell to Glenn Maxwell for 51 off 184 balls, his slowest half-century in first-class cricket.Carey immediately showed his intent trying to reverse-sweep Maxwell. Victoria took the second new ball but both Carey and Cooper started finding the boundary with increasing regularity. Handscomb turned back to spin from both ends but kept the field up.Carey and Cooper made 172 runs in 28.5 overs before tea. Cooper hit Jon Holland twice into the windows of the second storey of the pavilion. Carey slog-swept and reverse-swept with impunity as there were no men out deep on either side of the field. Holland switched ends to bowl down breeze and Cooper hit him for three more sixes, including one to bring up his 13th first-class century.Having been 439 runs behind at lunch, South Australia went to tea only 259 runs behind. It had been a deliberate ploy from Victoria to try and accelerate the game to possibly set up a fourth-innings chase on a surface that simply won’t break up in the cool conditions. But the partnership moved much quicker than Victoria expected and they reset at tea.Carey reached his third Shield century just after tea off 99 balls. He has two hundred and two fifties in his last five first-class innings but they have come in a span of 11 months, as he had spent majority of that time playing limited-overs cricket.He finally fell driving in the air straight to cover off Chris Tremain. The partnership yielded 207 runs in just 35.5 overs. Tom Andrews made his third first-class half-century, and undoubtedly his easiest given he faced Handscomb and Harris throughout. Cooper cruised to 188 not out and Andrews reached his highest Shield score of 75 not out. South Australia finished the day only 89 runs behind.Victoria also had two sub fielders throughout the day. Nic Maddinson was hit on the middle finger on his left hand while fielding at short leg when Cooper whipped a low full toss straight from Pattinson at him as he ducked for safety. He left the field in the middle session and didn’t return. Aaron Finch did not field at all after hurting his back while batting on day two. Victoria medical staff are confident it is nothing more than spasms and he did not field as a precaution.Earlier in the first session, Henry Hunt fell for 75 on debut. He advanced at Holland but was beaten in flight by a beautiful piece of bowling and was stumped by a mile.

Half-centuries for Denly, Pope and Buttler lift England away from trouble

George Dobell in Whangarei16-Nov-20191:11

Buttler, Pope, Denly fifties shore up England

Joe Denly proved his form and fitness for next week’s first Test against New Zealand with an increasingly assured half-century in Whangarei.Denly damaged his ankle ligaments ahead of the T20I series just over two weeks ago. Tripping on a boundary rope as he attempted to take a catch in training, the early prognosis was that he would be struggling to recover in time for the Test series.But he not only demonstrated his fitness here, he showed the tempo and technique that England require from their No. 3. And while there were moments when he looked hurried – he was a little fortunate to survive one delivery from the admirably hostile Kyle Jamieson that reared on him and produced a fence that flew between slips and gully – he was, for the most part, admirably compact. On the drive and pull, he is as elegant as anyone in this team.”When I first did it I was probably thinking my tour was over,” Denly said afterwards. “It was pretty nasty. I was lucky not to do some really serious damage and it was always touch and go to get ready for this game. There was a bit of doubt.”But it’s settled down nicely. Whether it’s the running between the wickets or playing all the shots, it feels fine. There’s no discomfort. It’s just a case of monitoring it and making sure it doesn’t swell up overnight.”Joe Denly made an encouraging comeback from injury

Denly’s intervention helped ensure it was, in the end, a pretty decent day for England. Having set themselves the challenge of batting for a full three sessions – if that sounds like a modest aspiration, it’s worth remembering that this is a side which has been bowled out for under 100 three times this year – they did so for the loss of eight wickets (and seven on the day) gaining time at the crease and acclimatising to the slower pace of life in this format of the game.It wasn’t entirely comfortable. The first hour or so saw New Zealand’s fast bowlers extract life from the pitch that was absent for all but Jofra Archer when England had the ball and, had Ollie Pope been dismissed on 7, nibbling outside off stump, they would have been 126 for 6 and in some trouble.As it was, however, Scott Kuggeleijn (playing, with England’s blessing, as a far from like-for-like concussion replacement for Hamish Rutherford who had been struck by an Archer bouncer the previous day), had over-stepped and Pope was reprieved. He and Denly subsequently added 90 in 20.4 overs for England’s sixth wicket.Pope’s contribution was, perhaps, just as important as Denly’s. Despite his excellent record – he goes into the Test series averaging 59.52 in first-class cricket – Pope still has the reputation as something of a dasher. So it was encouraging to see him leave the ball shrewdly here, while still picking up runs from deflections off his hip and steers into the covers as much as from putting away the loose ball.”Chris Silverwood has said he doesn’t care how long it takes, he just wants big runs from us,” Denly said. “That’s what we’ve spoken about as a group: scoring big runs in the first innings, especially.”Earlier England had struggled against an admirable new-ball attack. Dom Sibley, struck on the helmet by a well-directed short ball from the impressive Jamieson, was then lured into an uncharacteristic drive outside off stump before Joe Root and Ben Stokes departed within a couple of minutes of one another.Root could, perhaps, count himself unfortunate: replays suggested there may have been an inside edge on the delivery that was adjudged to have trapped him leg before. Stokes edged to the cordon as he attempted to leave one that bounced on him more than he anticipated.Ollie Pope leans into a drive

As the evening wore on, there were runs for Jos Buttler, too. The most dramatic phase of his innings came towards the close as England looked to set-up a declaration; at one stage, his successive scoring strokes were 4, 4, 4, 2, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 4. Impressive as it was – few hit the ball as cleanly as Buttler in full flow – it was the manner in which he built his innings before that point that was most assuring for England.Buttler is, in some ways, fortunate to make this tour. While Jonny Bairstow was dropped having averaged 23.77 in the Ashes, Buttler was retained having averaged 24.70. But the England management reasoned that Buttler went into that series suffering more than most from the emotionally draining World Cup experience and that, having benefitted from a rest, he would rediscover his best form.On this early evidence, that would appear to have been sound judgement. Buttler has sometimes looked solid and sometimes dazzled in his Test career to date, but has rarely put the two together in a way that suggested he had found a method that maximised his undoubted abilities. He has, at this point, scored only one first-class century since June 2014 and five in total.But while Denly, pulling straight to midwicket, and Pope, slogging to mid-off, squandered their chances of a century, Buttler got his head down and showed he had been listening to the orders of his new coach. He looked not just a fine strokemaker, but a fine batsman.

It’s the last weekend of the regular season in the WBBL with the final push for a spot in the knockouts

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2019Sydney Sixers v Adelaide StrikersSarah Coyte’s three-for and Tahlia McGrath’s 2 for 19 and a 35-ball 30 amplified Sydney Sixers‘ chances of missing out on a place in the WBBL semi-finals for the first time in history of the tournament as the Adelaide Strikers chased the paltry target of 94 down with 29 balls to spare.In the injury-enforced absence of regular captain Ellyse Perry, Alyssa Healy opted to bat in the first of the two must-win weekend fixtures against the Strikers. But it didn’t pay off at Hurstville Oval as Healy and No. 3 Ashleigh Gardner fell inside three overs to Megan Schutt, who finished with 2 for 12.The Sixers never recovered from the early wobble as Coyte and McGrath dented the middle and lower-middle order with regular strikes, Coyte returning an outstanding 3 for 9 – with a maiden – off her full allocation. Marizanne Kapp top-scored with 20 while Dane van Niekerk made 19, but their efforts could only help the Sixers to 93 for 9.Strikers opener Suzie Bates’ dismissal in the first over, courtesy Kapp, raised hopes of a fightback. However, a 72-run stand between McGrath and Sophie Devine – the latter making 46 not-out on her way to becoming the first overseas player to 2000 WBBL runs – steered Strikers to their tenth win of the season – and the top of the table – in only 15.1 overs.Melbourne Stars v Melbourne RenegadesJess Duffin continued to carry the Melbourne Renegades on her shoulders as they pushed for a place in the semi-finals with a superbly-paced chase against the Melbourne Stars to win by six wickets with a ball to spare. Duffin struck 76 off 57 balls after coming in at 2 for 11 in the second over, initially steadying the innings with Tammy Beaumont before adding 81 in 10 overs with Courtney Webb (30). Georgia Wareham then played a vital cameo in a tense finish with eight need off the last over. The Stars had fallen away after a tremendous opening stand of 118 in 13 overs between Elyse Villani (45) and Lizelle Lee (70). That pair departed in the space of three deliveries and the Stars could only add 44 in the remainder of the innings, 20 of those coming off the last over.Perth Scorchers v Hobart HurricanesErin Fazackerley’s first half-century of the season set up Hobart Hurricanes‘ emphatic six-wicket win over the Perth Scorchers. Hurricanes’ successful chase of 108 gave them only their fourth win of the tournament, but pegged back the third-placed Scorchers on their path to consolidating their position in the top two, heading into the final day of the league stage.The Hurricanes attack bowled the Scorchers out for a meagre 107 after opting to field at the Lilac Hill Park. Tayla Vlaeminck accounted for openers Amy Jones and Meg Lanning with two outstanding inswingers inside the Powerplay. Medium-pacers Belinda Vakarewa and Nicola Carey and wristspinner Maisy Gibson then combined to take five wickets between them, bowling the opposition out off the last ball of the 20th over.Opening the innings for the Hurricanes, 21-year-old Fazackerley anchored the chase, hitting five fours and two sixes in a 48-ball 58 – the second half-century in her WBBL career. Although medium-pacer Taneale Peschel’s double-wicket second over – she was on a hat-trick when Fran Wilson was on strike – caused a scare early in the chase, captain Corine Hall and South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon – the latter hitting a six for the winning runs – ensured the Hurricanes overhauled the chase in 15.4 overs, six balls after Fazackerley fell.The final set of league games will be played on Sunday, with the Sixers and the Melbourne Renegades vying for the fourth and final berth in the knockouts. The Strikers, Scorchers, and Brisbane Heat are already through.

Buttler says England must learn from New Zealand’s approach to first Test

George Dobell in Mount Maunganui24-Nov-2019Jos Buttler believes England must learn from New Zealand’s approach in the first Test in Mount Manganui.While England were kept in the field for more than 200 overs as New Zealand amassed more than 600 runs, Buttler felt it was England’s batsmen who had most to learn from New Zealand’s disciplined approach to the game. England were dismissed for 353 in their first innings; a score that looks ever more below par the longer the match progresses.”If we’re really critical, it’s the first-innings runs with the bat [which have cost us],” Buttler said. “New Zealand played a very patient game with the bat. They showed the value of that patient game of batting on flat wickets and setting your sights very high. BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner really set their stall out and batted for a long time. They put a lot of overs into our legs and built that score.”We have to learn to be able to do that. You look at the top sides around the world on flat wickets and they get very, very big scores and bat for a very, very long time.”That’s a big learning point for us. With the bat, just when you think you’re getting to a place where you need to be, there’s a lot more hard work to come to build those big scores.”You can’t fault the bowlers’ efforts. I thought the effort of everyone was outstanding.”Also read: Watling knock raises questions on England’s gameWhile Buttler accepted England had struggled to adapt from the “fast-forward cricket” played in England in recent times, he rejected the suggestion the Kookaburra ball should be adopted in Championship cricket. Instead he insisted the Dukes ball, which generally provides bowlers with more assistance, created more entertaining cricket but suggested the pitches in county cricket should be improved.”Test cricket with a Dukes ball in England is fantastic,” he said. “It’s very watchable. It’s a good contest between bat and ball. I think most people talk about introducing a Dukes to the rest of the world as opposed to the other way around.”The product we have with Test cricket in England is up there with the best product in the world so I wouldn’t want to tamper with that very much.”One thing potentially we can do in England is play on better batting wickets. The Dukes ball still offers the bowlers enough, especially in England if you get the overhead conditions. But we could look at playing county cricket on better batting wickets.”But we have played a lot of Test cricket in different conditions over the past year where it’s been fast-forward cricket. We have to be adaptable. There’s some education for all of us as batters.”What had looked a docile pitch when New Zealand batted suddenly looked full of danger when England began their second innings. But Butter suggested that was a reflection of the match situation and the pressure England were under as much as it was anything to do with the pitch. And, he said, it was another area England had to learn from New Zealand.”We have to learn about scoreboard pressure as well,” he said. “If you have got those runs on the board, if you have put miles into the legs of batsmen who have to field for 200 overs, it puts those guys under a lot of pressure when they come out to bat 10 minutes later.”Scoreboard pressure is massive. If we had made 450-500-plus in the first innings, it would have been a completely different outlook for the team batting second.”Buttler also defended Jofra Archer from any criticism, providing a reminder that he is only five Tests into his career.”I think you all forget Jofra is very new to international cricket,” he said. “It’s his first overseas tour and the first time he’s bowled with a Kookaburra ball. He is a very special talent but he is only five games into his Test career. You can’t ask too much of him too soon.”He’s a very special talent and we’ve got to look after him. He’s a fantastic guy and has a great attitude as well. He’ll learn from this and he’s a great attribute to us.”