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Colin Graves, whose uncompromising approach to leadership was made abundantly clear this week when he told Ajmal Shahzad that his Yorkshire career was over, is strengthening his day-to-day involvement with Yorkshire.

David Hopps04-May-2012Colin Graves, whose uncompromising approach to leadership was made abundantly clear this week when he told Ajmal Shahzad that his Yorkshire career was over, is strengthening his day-to-day involvement with Yorkshire.Graves will take up the role of executive chairman, an amalgamation of his existing role as chairman and the vacant chief executive post which will now not be advertised as planned. A county that takes pride in its preference for straight talking will now get a lot more of it.Yorkshire’s financial survival has been largely dependent upon the generosity of Graves, who sold the last of his shares in Costcutter in November last year, a business he grew from scratch in 1986 into a national chain of supermarkets.He was offered the role of non-executive chairman at Costcutter, but has opted instead to become more hands on at Headingley. A more driven and demanding management style is now inevitable and Yorkshire, mired in debt and short off on-field success, needs as much energy and focus as it can get.Graves has been a board director at Yorkshire since 2002 when, as a member of the so-called Gang of Four, he assumed control of the club’s finances, which were in a dire position. Since then the ground has been upgraded, although in the case of the new pavilion controversially, and international cricket has been secured in a long-term deal.He will now work in a full-time capacity at Headingley in a salaried position and also retains his position on the ECB management board..Graves said: “I’m excited about taking on the joint role of chief executive and chairman at the Club. I’ve resigned as chairman of Costcutter and sold my shares and it was time to leave that business and look for pastures new. I’ve been more involved over the last few months and really enjoyed it.”There are ups and downs, as in any business, but we’ve now got a solid base and platform with international cricket at Headingley under our staging agreement with the ECB until 2019. Consequently we’ve got a robust business model to take forward, but there are some areas we can improve in and I’m looking forward to working hard to steer the club forward.”Under Graves, Yorkshire are unlikely to indulge in too much soft focus and his uncompromising management style will be depicted in some quarters as a throwback. But strong, day-to-day leadership in Yorkshire cricket has often been lacking as the county has repeatedly failed to punch its worth and will benefit from a clear sense of where the real authority lies.

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, and the PCB have reached a resolution over their differences, and the former has decided not to resign from his post

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2011Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, and the PCB have reached a resolution over their differences, and the former has decided not to resign from his post. Mohsin met with board chairman Ijaz Butt in Lahore on Thursday and said “now there’s no issue at all.”Mohsin had earlier said he would step down on Wednesday if some of his player choices were not included in the 15-member Test squad for the series against the West Indies, which starts in Guyana on May 12.But after the board contacted him, he cancelled a press conference where he was expected to speak on the subject. In a statement on Wednesday the board first said that any such conference would be a violation of the code of conduct governing selectors, and then issued a statement that said Mohsin had been summoned to a meeting with the chairman on Thursday.Neither Mohsin nor Butt took any questions after the meeting, with the chairman reading from a written statement saying that the matter had been resolved.”Mohsin and I had a fruitful meeting today and we discussed a number of matters. We also discussed some of the issues that are appearing in the media for last couple of days. Without going into the details of the matters discussed, I am pleased to inform that there are currently no unresolved issues between PCB and Mohsin Hasan Khan.”No details were given of who the disputed players were, though ESPNcricinfo understands Adnan Akmal’s exclusion was one issue. Though it is thought Mohsin had issues with another selector, some local reports suggested it may have been with Butt, the final authority on selections, or even the on-tour selection committee.The statement hinted that the problems may have been over the full ambit of the selection committee. “We have today discussed the importance of bringing in clarity in the role and functions of the national selection committee and I have advised Mohsin that the selection committee has independence of taking selection decisions.”To clarify our stance on some speculations that have appeared in a section of media, after having Mohsin’s point of view, PCB has decided that no further action in this matter is required.”

Lancashire did not make any attempt to chase down 336 from 85 overs on the
final day of their County Championship Division One match against Essex,
instead settling for a draw at Old Trafford

27-May-2010

ScorecardLancashire did not make any attempt to chase down 336 from 85 overs on the
final day of their County Championship Division One match against Essex,
instead settling for a draw at Old Trafford.The home side had been offered the target by Mark Pettini when he declared
Essex’s second innings on 212 for 5 after Ryan ten Doeschate and Matthew
Walker both completed half-centuries during the morning session.It was soon obvious from the way opening batsman Luke Sutton set about his
innings that the Red Rose were happy with six points. Sutton finished with a painstaking 26 off 155 balls, his innings spanning just over three hours.Despite opening bowlers David Masters and Maurice Chambers bowling tight
spells, Essex struggled to take wickets as they searched for victory on a dead
track. Chris Wright had both Paul Horton and Steven Croft caught behind by James
Foster within three balls in the 66th over but it was too little, too late.Horton top scored for Lancashire with 64 off 179 balls and his side had reached
177 for 5 from 83.4 overs when the players shook hands on the draw. Essex, who travel to face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Saturday, took eight points from the fixture.Masters had given the visitors an early glimmer when he had Stephen Moore
caught behind by Foster for five in the ninth over of Lancashire’s chase. Sutton and Horton then shared a second-wicket partnership of 93 in 40 overs which effectively killed the contest.Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was expected to be a major threat with the
ball but he only took one wicket for 49 runs from 33 overs. Ten Doeschate claimed Essex’s second wicket in the latter stages of the afternoon when Sutton edged behind to Foster.Lancashire’s reluctance to even attempt to chase down the runs was somewhat
surprising, given their coach Peter Moores had said after day three: “The way
the points are structured this year encourages sides to be aggressive with 16
for a win.”Ashwell Prince hit three fours and a six in a brisk 29 before he was caught at
short leg by Billy Godleman off Kaneria and Wright’s double strike meant Essex
had taken three wickets in 10 balls.But Mark Chilton and Glen Chapple batted through to close for Lancashire, who
face Yorkshire at Headingley on Saturday. Simon Kerrigan had earlier claimed the only wicket to fall in Essex’s second innings when Ten Doeschate holed out to Croft at long off for 56 off 57 balls – his second half-century of the match. Essex added 57 runs from 9.4 overs with Walker finishing unbeaten on 53 off 108 balls.

Four centuries were scored in the game, and it came down to the last ball, where Pooja Vastrakar sealed the deal and gave India the series win

Srinidhi Ramanujam19-Jun-2024Four centuries, a first in women’s ODIs. A total of 646 runs. The spectators in Bengaluru were treated to as entertaining a game of 50-over cricket as they could have imagined, and the result went their way too: India clinched a last-ball win over South Africa to secure the series 2-0 with a match in hand.It came down to Pooja Vastrakar’s final over where she had to defend 10 runs after India had posted 325 for 3. After conceding five off the first two balls, both full tosses, her next two deliveries fetched her two wickets with Laura Wolvaardt, one of four century-makers in the game, stranded at the non-striker’s end. The equation became five off the final delivery, and Wolvaardt, finally on strike, was beaten by Vastrakar’s back-of-the-hand slower delivery.Related

• Despite defeat, Kapp focuses on learnings with ODI World Cup in India next year

• Wolvaardt, Vastrakar and a six-ball emotional rollercoaster like no other

• Stats – Mandhana, Harmanpreet, Wolvaardt, Kapp combine to break ODI records

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, India scored their third-highest ODI total with Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur smashing 136 and 103 not out respectively. While it looked out of reach after South Africa were reduced to 67 for 3 in the chase, Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp’s 184-run partnership took the game deep.Not long ago, South Africa were at the receiving end of the highest successful ODI run-chase of 302 by Sri Lanka. On Wednesday, they came close to breaking that record but fell short of it.

SA start brilliantly with the ball

The way South Africa started with the ball, one would have expected India to stop at around 230-240.The second ODI was played on a different strip to the series opener, with a patch of grass and visible cracks on it. The new-ball pair of Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klaas extracted everything they could from it, exerting pressure on Shafali Verma and Mandhana with a lot of movement. A bit of variable bounce also meant runs were hard to get initially. Mandhana, in fact, got off the mark after 18 deliveries.As for Shafali, she showed glimpses of patience in her 38-ball innings but it was short-lived. After smashing a four straight down the ground off left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, she tried to go across the line next ball and holed out to Klaas at mid-on.After 15 overs, India had huffed and puffed to 47 for 1, hitting just five fours. In this period, they had faced 72 dot balls.Harmanpreet Kaur celebrates after scoring a blistering century•BCCI

The game-changing partnership

Along with D Hemalatha, the No. 3, Mandhana stitched a steady 62 runs off 68 balls. Hemalatha fell for a 41-ball 24, and it was only after Harmanpreet walked out that runs started flowing.The pitch had also eased out by then, and Harmanpreet and Mandhana put on a huge partnership – 171 runs off 136 balls. Their centuries not only helped India overcome their sedate start but also batted South Africa into a corner (though not out of the game, as it emerged).Mandhana oozed class and Harmanpreet showed what power and deft touch can do.Mandhana picked up pace, getting herself from 31 off the first 48 balls to her seventh ODI hundred in 103 balls, and went on to add 36 more. When the bowlers varied their lines, she moved around the crease and either slashed it to deep point or pulled to the square-leg area. Along the way, Mandhana also became the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in women’s ODIs.Harmanpreet didn’t have to start slow, unlike her deputy. After racing to a run-a-ball 24, she got quicker as her innings progressed. Unlike Mandhana, who scored on both sides of the wicket, Harmanpreet scored predominantly on the leg side. A total of 70 of her runs came on that side, with four of her nine fours and two out of three sixes hit in the midwicket region.Meike de Ridder, who played in place of South Africa’s first-choice wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta after she suffered a mild concussion on the eve of the match, missed a stumping chance when Harmanpreet was on 88, off the second delivery off the final over. It gave Harmanpreet a chance to complete her sixth ODI century, the first in almost two years, and she smoked 4, 6 and 4 to get to three figures.South Africa ran out of steam, with Wolvaardt even bringing on legspinning-allrounder Sune Luus – who was bowling in ODIs after a gap of two years – into the attack. However, they couldn’t contain India, who scored 118 runs in the last ten overs.At the other end, Richa Ghosh, batting at No. 5, plundered a 13-ball unbeaten 25, comprising three fours and a six, and was key in the unbroken 54-run stand with Harmanpreet.Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt almost won the game for South Africa•Getty Images

Kapp and Wolvaardt fight back

Kapp and Wolvaardt, the senior pros, were resolute and unwavering in their focus.This being South Africa’s second-last series in the 2022-25 Women’s Championship cycle, they need a couple of wins out of six to ensure automatic qualification for the World Cup next year in India. They had already lost the opening game, and needed points here. They play England next at home.South Africa didn’t get off to an ideal start, losing three wickets for 67 inside 15 overs. However, unlike on Sunday, the pitch was helping the batters during the chase with the Indian spinners not getting enough grip and turn under lights. That helped Wolvaardt and Kapp settle in and then go big in the last 15 or so overs.Initially, they kept the scoreboard ticking over, putting away the loose deliveries and taking singles off good ones. That clarity and patience saw both the set batters converting their starts and getting to half-centuries.Kapp, playing as a pure batter with her workload being managed following a back injury, thrived under pressure and hit 11 fours and three sixes in her 94-ball 114. Wolvaardt, who became the first South Africa batter to score 4000 runs in women’s ODIs on the night, took calculated risks and paced her innings well to stay till the end. Her knock had 12 fours and three sixes.With 148 runs needed from the last 15 overs, the pair accelerated. Even after Kapp was dismissed in the 43rd, courtesy a superb catch from Vastrakar at long-off, Wolvaardt kept going hard, striking the ball effortlessly.Nadine de Klerk’s cameo of 28 also helped South Africa get closer. Till, in the end, they fell just short.

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha wants his players to bat like they do in the BPL

Mohammad Isam08-Mar-2023On the eve of the first T20 international against England, several Bangladesh batters were gathered around one of the centre wickets at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. There was laughter, shouting, and balls flying in different directions. The acoustics of the Chattogram venue lets you hear what is being said in the middle from the sidelines, and it became apparent the players were taking part in a game where the batter had to keep hitting sixes to continue batting.As Shakib Al Hasan hit one towards the long-on boundary at the media centre end, the rest of the group comprising Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy and Rony Talukdar burst into laughter and rushed towards their captain. They were saying that Shakib had failed to clear the boundary and so had to let the next batter have a go. Shakib was having none of it, waving them back and smiling sheepishly. You can’t really win against Shakib on a cricket field, can you?That fun exercise was part of Bangladesh’s larger endeavour to become a more proactive and big-hitting T20 unit. They haven’t succeeded yet, but with the next T20 World Cup a little more than a year away, they have the time to do it. Their new coach Chandika Hathurusingha joined in the action in the middle for a while to observe what was happening, and said later that he wants the players to bring what they do in the BPL to the international stage.”I am very open to see what we can do,” Hathurusingha said. “I expect players to do the same thing that got them selected. So go and show in the international level against the world champions, for them to understand where they are at, and for us to understand whether we are better than them in our conditions or they are better than us. Good opportunity for us to see our skillset in T20s.”Towhid Hridoy and Rony Talukdar were among those who impressed Hathurusingha in the nets, but he wants to see what they do in match situations.”I have seen Rony before. I remember he played one game against South Africa. I can’t remember if he got injured or some other people started doing well,” Hathurusingha said. “I am actually very interested to see what he can do.”Hathurusingha, who re-joined Bangladesh as head coach last month after a six-year gap, , said he had observed an overall improvement in the team, despite losing the ODI series to England 2-1.”It is a good start. I was impressed with certain areas. The fast bowlers did well in not so helpful conditions. Their discipline and understanding of the game, especially Taskin and Ebadot, stood out. I was happy with the fielding effort. I think we out-fielded England. I have observed a few things that we can get better at in batting.”We have to be the best fielding side in Asia. We can’t compare with others, but we know where we need to get to. Young legs on the field definitely helps fielding. They are faster, energetic. Hridoy is one of the really exciting fielders.”Still, T20 cricket is mostly about runs, and Bangladesh are still a long way from being a legit big-hitting side. Hathurusingha believes a lot depends on physical power – an area Bangladesh have traditionally struggled with – but batters can develop a good swing and base to improve their hitting ability.”Power is a big factor,” Hathurusingha said. “But you need to have good mechanism like good swing, good base. You can get little better but if you have power, it gives you a head start more than others.”Bangladesh play England in the first T20I in Chattogram on Thursday, followed by two game in Mirpur on March 12 and 14.

All of Australia’s away tours in the current WTC cycle are in the subcontinent

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-2022Nathan Lyon is excited about the prospect of forming a spin partnership with Mitchell Swepson, but the weather forecast and recent history at the SCG may count against it happening this week against England in the fourth Ashes Test.With the Ashes secured and England providing weak opposition there is a school of thought that the upcoming Test is a prime opportunity to blood Swepson, the Queensland legspinner, ahead of Australia’s overseas campaigns in Pakistan and Sri Lanka later in the year.The emergence of Cameron Green as a viable option for a third quick, having had a major impact with the ball this series, would allow Australia to field a balanced attack. But showers are forecast throughout the contest while the SCG has not been a happy hunting ground for spinners of late.Lyon bagged a 10-wicket match haul against New Zealand in 2019-2020 but averages 40.94 on the ground while over the last decade spinners have averaged 48.17 – the third highest of all Australia’s men’s Test venues.However, Swepson is as ready as he’ll ever be for his chance at Test cricket. With all three of Australia’s World Test Championship away series in the current cycle on the subcontinent, he could have a big say in how the side builds on their Ashes success.”I think Swepo has been Queensland’s best player for a number of years,” Lyon said. “Obviously I’m a big fan of spin bowlers so probably watch him a lot closer than what I watch Marnus [Labuschagne] or Uzzie [Khawaja]. He’s been around our group for a long period of time now and when he gets his opportunity, no doubt he will take it and run.”I’m excited about our relationship, our friendship is fantastic already, but really excited about the opportunity to bowl in tandem with Swepo whenever that may come, whether that’s here in a couple of days or in Hobart or in Pakistan.””I love bowling in partnership with spinners for sure. I’ve done it a lot in subcontinent conditions so if the opportunity does come to play two spinners I know we’ll really enjoy building that partnership. We’ve been doing it in the nets but it’s a lot different.”Usman Khawaja is likely to replace Travis Head in Sydney•Getty Images

Lyon did not believe a dodgy forecast (not entirely unusual for a Sydney Test) had to spell the end of Swepson’s hopes although it strengthens the likelihood that Australia will retain their usual balance. Josh Hazlewood is expected to train fully on Monday as he continues his recovery from the side strain he picked up in Brisbane and it could yet be that Scott Boland does not retain his place despite the 6 for 7 he claimed in Melbourne.”It seems to be every time we put stumps in the ground here it brings the rain which is unfortunate,” Lyon said. “Does it become a bit challenging for spinners? Yeah, it can if the ball gets wet, but we are pretty lucky these days with the quality of the groundskeepers who make the surface pretty dry and the ground drains pretty quickly.”Swepson will only be selected if he is genuinely part of Australia’s best attack to win the match with World Test Championship points available and the hunger to take the series with a whitewash to extend England’s barren streak in Australia that dates back to 2010-11.”There’s no more dead rubbers – and I’ve never considered them when you wear a baggy green – firstly because there’s the World Test Championship and we want to go 5-0 up,” Lyon said. “If the conditions suit then we pick the best team to win that Test to make sure we keep moving forward. The Ashes for me is the pinnacle but I’d love to be part of a Test Championship final to state our case for the No. 1 team in the world.”Australia’s squad will be bolstered on Monday by Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis who were driving up from Melbourne on Sunday – to avoid the risk of a commercial flight – having been added to as cover following Travis Head’s positive Covid-19 result which has ruled him out. Usman Khawaja is expected to come into the XI.Marcus Harris is also driving himself to Sydney having not joined the team’s charter flight as an extra precaution after he dined with Head. Nic Maddinson will remain in Melbourne for now but continues to be a stand-by player. All Australian squad members, staff and families returned negative results in the latest round of testing.This will again be the traditional Pink Test at the SCG which has become a central part of the Australian cricket calendar to raise funds for the Jane McGrath foundation. But Glenn McGrath will be unable to take part in the lead-up activities and at least the first two days having tested positive for Covid-19. It is hoped he may be able to attend by day three on January 7 which is the official Jane McGrath Day.

Overnight rain pushed the start back to 4.15pm, eating away any chance of England pushing for victory

The Report by Matt Roller25-Aug-2020James Anderson became the first seamer to take 600 Test wickets as England’s third and final Test against Pakistan petered out into a rain-affected draw at the Ageas Bowl.Anderson had Pakistan’s captain and first-innings centurion Azhar Ali caught by Joe Root at slip in his third over of the final day after overnight rain and standing water had pushed back the start until 4.15pm. He was the second-fastest man to the landmark, six balls behind Muttiah Muralitharan, and the first Englishman.Despite Anderson’s early breakthrough, England never looked likely to bowl Pakistan out as they followed on on a flat pitch that offered little for bowlers throughout the Test match, particularly with the old ball. Root had Asad Shafiq caught at bat-pad three balls before the second new ball was due, but four overs later he had bumped fists with Azhar.After heavy overnight rain across the UK, it had initially looked unlikely that there would be any play at all on the final day. The Ageas Bowl ground staff faced a long clean-up operation, with a vast amount of standing water on the covers and several problem areas in the outfield. Following several inspections, the umpires decided that the ground would fit for play from 4.15pm, with up to 42 overs possible.All eyes were immediately on Anderson, who shared the bowling with Jofra Archer from the outset, as Azhar and Babar Azam successfully negotiated his first two overs with several fielders catching in front of the wicket and Joe Root positioning himself as the solitary slip.James Anderson celebrates taking his 600th Test wicket•Getty Images

The moment arrived at 4.37pm, from the second ball of Anderson’s third over. The ball pitched slightly short of a length in the off-stump channel, nipping away with a hint of extra bounce as it took the shoulder of Azhar’s bat. England’s slip catching has caused them problems throughout the summer, but this chance could hardly have been simpler for Root, who clung on to take Anderson to the 600 mark.He immediately burst into a broad grin, high-fiving substitute fielder James Bracey, embracing Root, shaking hands with Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad and then being congratulated in turn by each of his team-mates. He acknowledged the handful of backroom and venue staff in the ground by holding the ball aloft to them, beaming from ear to ear.That left England with seven wickets to get, and despite Anderson nipping one past Asad Shafiq’s outside edge, he was soon taken out of the attack. Babar and Shafiq ticked over towards the new ball, with Dom Bess and Root operating in tandem, while Dom Sibley’s part-time legspin was given a first outing in Test cricket.Babar raced towards fifty with a flurry of boundaries off Bess, reaching his second half-century of an underwhelming series by nudging Root through the leg side with the new ball almost due, but Shafiq fell the very next ball, prodding him to Bracey under the lid at short leg.Anderson took the new ball and found sharp movement in his first over, but not long after Root decided that he had seen enough and the captains bumped fists for the draw at 6.05pm.That meant a 1-0 England win – their first series victory against Pakistan since 2010 – with Anderson taking the headlines. Both of the Ageas Bowl Tests in this series were marred by inclement weather, but this one will undoubtedly be remembered – for Zak Crawley’s epic 267 as well as Anderson’s milestone.

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.

Shimron Hetmyer played the perfect partner, allowing UAE no respite once Gayle departed to complete a blistering century of his own

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2018After losing to Afghanistan and surviving a scare against UAE in the warm-ups, West Indies launched their World Cup Qualifiers proper in style, amassing 357 for 4 against UAE in Harare. Chris Gayle led the way with a six-laden assault, finishing with 123 off 91 balls, while Shimron Hetmyer struck a maiden ODI hundred in his third match. Gayle’s innings contained 11 sixes and seven fours.The carnage started when he smashed seamer Mohammed Naveed for three successive boundaries in the seventh over and followed it with two fours off offspinner Rohan Mustafa in the next over. In all, Gayle hit 35 runs off 25 balls from Mustafa, including three sixes. Evin Lewis added 31 in an 88-run opening stand before being pinned lbw by left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza in the 17th over.IDI/Getty Images

Gayle then combined with Hetmyer to wreck UAE’s bowling attack. They plundered 103 runs at a run-rate of just over nine to set their side up for a tall score. After bringing up his first fifty off 47 balls, Gayle vaulted to his second off only 32 balls. He then celebrated the milestone with a hat-trick of sixes against Mustafa.Soon after, legspinner Imran Haider had Gayle holing out, but Hetmyer continued to drive the innings. He hit 14 fours and four sixes before being dismissed in the 48th over. He was assisted by useful contributions from Shai Hope (35, before retiring hurt because of a sore knee) and captain Jason Holder (12 not out). West Indies, however, will be worried about Marlon Samuels’ form: he laboured to 15 off 34 balls. In the warm-up match against the same opposition, he had managed only 15 off 32 balls.Five out of six UAE bowlers conceded more than six runs an over. Naveed gave away 53 runs in nine overs but could not find a wicket.UAE did not go down without a fight in their reply. Rameez Shahzad scored a second ODI century, at over a run a ball, batting through after coming in in the 13th over. Shaiman Anwar hit a quick half-century, and another rapid cameo came down the order from Adnan Mufti. Still they hardly threatened the target, eventually falling 61 short of it. Jason Holder, meanwhile, picked up a second ODI five-for, taking five of the six wickets to fall in the chase.

Faf du Plessis struck a match-winning 117, and pulled off a superb catch for South Africa as they beat Sri Lanka by 121 runs in Durban

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2017There’s a secret behind Faf du Plessis’ success in snatching balls one-handed out of the sky to send batsmen on their way and after his second one against Sri Lanka, he was willing to share it.”Someone once told me that if you fear getting hit on the finger or if you fear what happens when you fall, that’s when you are going to get hurt because you go into it 50-50. But if you go into balls-to-the-wall, if I can say that, then you are going to be okay,” du Plessis said in Durban, where he enabled South Africa to pick up their first wicket by running to his left from cover, leaping in the air and pulling off a one-handed catch in effortless fashion.Du Plessis had put in a similarly stunning effort in the slips to dismiss Angelo Matthews in the Test at the Wanderers. The Sri Lanka captain flashed hard at a ball that looked destined to clear the cordon but du Plessis timed his leap perfectly and his right hand did the rest. He rated the Test catch a little higher, because of the force with which the ball was hit.”The Test one will be hard to beat. The ball was traveling very quickly and it was a lot higher than this one was today,” du Plessis said. “Today, my legs were just too tired, I couldn’t jump up off the ground so I had to save it with my hand. It will take a lot to beat that catch I took at Wanderers.”In the ODI, which South Africa won by 121 runs, du Plessis’ time in the field came after he spent two hours and 44 minutes in the middle, crafting a Man-of-the-Match worthy century and sharing in a 117-run stand with David Miller. Du Plessis’ innings included 53 singles, six twos and two threes, which meant a lot of running between the wickets in high humidity.He expected to feel the effects of his exertion in the lead-up to the third ODI on Saturday but does not anticipate having to miss it. “I feel when you get older your body gets more sore after a game after you’ve done it so the next two days will be a write off for me and then we’ll come back for the next game and I will do it again.”‘Two brilliant catches that you very seldom see get taken and then an outstanding run out, real Jonty-style. That killed us’ – Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford on South Africa’s fielding•AFP

Du Plessis is not the only one who can pull off those kinds of moves in this South African team. “We are very lucky. If you look at the guys in the ring – they are all brilliant fielders. There’s not any fielder there that’s a bowler. It’s all quality fielders, who field at point or cover for the different franchises,” he said. “We’ve got the right personnel and with that you can obviously make sure you train hard and then you can change games with them. New Zealand have been a great example of that for many years and we are right up with them now.”The Durban match provided ample proof of that statement. AB de Villiers took a catch running backwards to dismiss Upul Tharanga and a direct hit from JP Duminy at backward point did Asela Gunaratne. Sri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford had to concede that apart from being out-batted and out-bowled, his side were also out-fielded.”I am not too sure there’s any other side in world cricket that can field as brilliantly as they do. If there is, hopefully we don’t have to play against them. Their fielding is electric,” Ford said. “They have got some amazing athletes in that fielding group. South Africa are very lucky that Jonty Rhodes set such a great example years ago. These kids, when they were young, all they wanted to be was be like Jonty. So from a very young age, really worked on their fielding and enjoyed their fielding and it shows. They must have saved plenty of runs and then two brilliant catches that you very seldom see get taken and then an outstanding run out, real Jonty-style. That killed us.”More so, because Sri Lanka put down what could have been a match-defining catch. South Africa were 118 for 4 and du Plessis on 63 when he edged left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan to slip but Dhananjaya de Silva could not hold on. They also grassed two more chances. Hashim Amla was dropped on 6 by the bowler Suranga Lakmal, although he barely had any time to react and and David Miller, the other centurion, was reprieved on 67, when a very thick edge eluded Dinesh Chandimal standing up to the stumps.Overall, Ford was not too unhappy with what he saw from his players. “It was one of the best ground fielding performances I have seen some Sri Lanka for quite a while. The commitment, the energy, the effort in the field, in fairly tough conditions was amazing,” he said. “We so easily could have had a different day. We had a chance to have them 120 for 5 with two bowling all-rounders to come after that. The game could have been very different if we’d managed to take that chance.”