The banned Pakistan batsman pleaded not guilty after being charged by the UK’s National Crime Agency of conspiring to bribe players in the PSL

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2019Nasir Jamshed, the banned Pakistan batsman, is set to face trial in the UK after being accused of bribing cricketers in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).Jamshed and two UK nationals, Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz, were arrested in February 2017 as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing by the UK’s National Crime Agency.Jamshed, Anwar and Ijaz have been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the PSL to underperform. The offences are said to have taken place between November 2016 and February 2017. Anwar and Ijaz have also been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the Bangladesh Premier League, in late 2016.On Monday, all three defendants entered not guilty pleas at Manchester Crown Court. Their trial is set to take place at the same court, starting December 2. All three were granted unconditional bail and told to attend a pre-trial review hearing on September 6.In August 2018, Jamshed was given a 10-year ban by the PCB after being found guilty of five charges under its anti-corruption code.Five other players also received sanctions from the PCB over corruption charges relating to the 2017 PSL spot-fixing scandal. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were each banned for five years, while Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Irfan and Shahzaib Hasan received shorter suspensions.

BCCI asked to work out fresh and appropriate sanction for the former fast bowler, ‘preferably’ within three months

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Mar-20192:01

‘Life ban lifted feels like a lifeline for me’ – Sreesanth

In what has come as a relief to former India fast bowler Sreesanth, the Supreme Court has “set aside” the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI for his alleged role in the 2013 IPL corruption and spot-fixing scandal. The apex court of the country has asked the BCCI to “reconsider” and “revisit” the length of any fresh ban, “preferably” within three months.Under the BCCI’s new constitution (registered in August 2018), all the duties earlier discharged by the disciplinary committee, made up of BCCI officials, will be performed by the ombudsman going forward. Therefore, Sreesanth’s fate will now be decided by Justice (retd) DK Jain, recently appointed for the job.Welcoming the court judgement, Sreesanth said he was positive about returning to the game. “The Supreme Court has given me a lifeline and it has helped me restore my dignity,” he said after the court delivered the verdict on Friday. “It’s a great opportunity for me to get back on the field.”The case dates back to 2013, when the BCCI disciplinary committee had penalised several players including Sreesanth on the basis of an internal probe conducted by Ravi Sawani, then head of the board’s anti-corruption unit. Along with Sreesanth, then with Rajasthan Royals, two of his team-mates – Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – also received life bans for their alleged role in the spot-fixing scandal.The BCCI action followed the arrest of Sreesanth and the others by Delhi Police for alleged promises made to bookmakers during the 2013 IPL. The charges against Sreesanth pertained to the match against Kings XI Punjab, played on May 9.’It’s a great opportunity for me to get back on the field’ – Sreesanth•PTI

In the Friday judgment, the court was told that in “exchange” for the sum of INR 10 lakh, Sreesanth had “agreed to concede 14 or more runs in the second over” of his spell. And in order to “confirm the fix”, he was “required to place a hand towel in his visible pocket while ensuring there was no such towel during the first over”.That information was extracted from a taped conversation between Jiju Janardhan, Sreesanth’s close friend and team-mate at an Ernakulam club, and alleged bookie Chandresh Patel by Delhi Police on May 6, 2013, three days before the match.Sawani, a former joint director of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, had prepared two reports – a preliminary one (based on the taped conversations mentioned above), and a supplementary one, which was prepared after questioning Sreesanth in person and taking a written undertaking from the player.Based on Sawani’s findings, the BCCI disciplinary panel, comprising then president N Srinivasan along with the two vice-presidents, Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah, held Sreesanth guilty of “match-fixing and non-reporting of offences” under the BCCI’ anti-corruption code.The Supreme Court was hearing the matter because earlier this year, Sreesanth had challenged last August’s order of the division bench of the Kerala High Court, which had negated a judgment issued by the same court asking the board to lift the ban. The two-judge division bench had ruled that the BCCI ban could not be overturned or reduced.Sreesanth’s lawyer Salman Khurshid, a former Indian minister of external affairs, plead his case in the latest instance, and said that the BCCI had not followed the laws of natural justice while determining the sanction, and pointed out that a life ban was “excessive and maximum”. Khurshid argued that Sreesanth should have been penalised with a five-year ban at the most for not reporting the approach made by bookies, an offence under the BCCI’s code of conduct.In its judgement, the court concluded that BCCI had “not violated” any principles of natural justice while determining the sanction. However, the court did point out an anomaly in the BCCI verdict, that the disciplinary committee did not “advert to the aggravating and mitigating factors” as listed under its code.”Without considering the relevant provisions of Anti-Corruption Code, the disciplinary committee has imposed a lifetime ban on the appellant [Sreesanth] which sanction cannot be held to be in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Code itself,” the court said in the 73-page judgement. “When range of ineligibility which is minimum five years, maximum life time ban is provided for, the discretion to which, either minimum or maximum or in between has to be exercised on relevant facts and circumstances.”The court also said that Sreesanth had conducted himself with dignity by not immediately challenging the original ban. Keeping that in mind, the court said the BCCI ought to review its original sanction on the player.”The order dated 13.09.2013 of the disciplinary committee only to the extent of imposing sanction of lifetime ban is set aside. The disciplinary committee of the BCCI may reconsider the quantum of punishment/sanction which may be imposed on the appellant as per Article 6 of the Anti-Corruption Code. The appellant may be given one opportunity to have his say on the question of quantum of punishment/sanction.”

After leaking 27 in his first two overs, the seamer gave away only ten runs in his last two while claiming the wickets of Rahul and Sarfaraz

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai06-Apr-20194:42

Harbhajan and Tahir created pressure on Kings XI – Fleming

Scott Kuggeleijn bashed a hard length and cranked it up to 140kph for Northern Districts in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition. It was his hit-the-deck bustle that prompted Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming to get him on board as the injured Lungi Ngidi’s replacement.On the eve of the game against Kings XI Punjab at Chepauk, Super Kings received another major blow, with their designated death-overs bowler Dwayne Bravo joining Ngidi on the injury list.Three days after arriving in Chennai and after two training sessions, Kuggeleijn was asked to cut off his pace and, instead, make the batsmen manufacture it in the end overs. Kings XI Punjab needed 46 off the last three overs with eight wickets in hand. On IPL debut, Kuggeleijn was tasked with bowling two of those overs in front of a vociferous Saturday crowd. This, after he had repeatedly missed his lengths and leaked 27 runs in his first two overs.Kuggeleijn turned the tables on Kings XI, giving away only ten runs in his last two overs while claiming the crucial wickets of the well-set KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, who had put on 110 off 93 balls for the third wicket.Having been punished for bowling too full in the early exchanges, Kuggeleijn dragged his length back and mixed it up with cutters that gripped on a tired Chepauk pitch. The slower balls tricked both Rahul and Sarfaraz into holing out in the outfield.”[Kuggeleijn] interests me because he had some pace and played international cricket,” Super Kings’ coach Fleming said at the post-match press conference. “The thing we can’t understand without working with him is his temperament. He has been here for only three days and to throw him in a big game in a home ground was a big ask and the first two overs was just that.”It was about being firm on what we wanted: hit the middle of the wicket and bowl your cutters which is what we saw a bit during scouting. We were strong with him during that [strategic] break. It was just very instructional so that to take away any doubt from him and just do that and he did that well. Once he had confidence that it was working, he was able to get into that. He was fractionally full [early on] and that can be nerves and the whole environment. I was a bit worried we were going to be putting him in a situation which was going to be tough and he responded well.Fleming believes that Kuggeleijn’s impressive IPL introduction could help fill in the void created by the injury-enforced absences of Bravo and Ngidi, and David Willey, who has withdrawn from the tournament citing personal reasons. Fleming, however, hinted that Willey could return at the fag end of the season.”[We] just have to back him [Kuggeleijn]. MS [Dhoni] is very supportive,” Fleming said. “It is a culture where if it [the plan] hadn’t worked, we are not scathing. We understand how tough it can be. When we bring someone in we look at what skills they bring and try to get the best out of them. Today was a massive step for him to be part of the group and to win a game. To be part of the last part of the game, to make a big contribution goes a long way in making you feel part of the group.”We are a little bit thin; there’s no doubt about it, so that’s why the introduction of Scott was important just to see how thin we were. We have to work hard; at home we can get away with spinners. The bowlers are trying hard to make sure they can contribute and today they did. Keep that in mind that our spinners were outstanding as well. We know we have holes and we’re just scrapping hard to hide them.”

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.