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Allrounder and former captain Najeeb Amar has been recalled to the Hong Kong squad for the forthcoming World Twenty20 in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2014Former captain Najeeb Amar has been recalled to the Hong Kong squad for the forthcoming World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. Ehsan Nawaz, the 18-year-old fast bowler, has also been named in the 15-member squad.Najeeb, who made his debut for Hong Kong in 2004, last played for the side in October 2011. The allrounder, who bowls left-arm spin, has played four ODIs and 10 List A games but is yet to feature in a T20 game.Hong Kong, who were recently awarded ODI status, will be led in the World T20 by Jamie Atkinson. The squad will train in Sri Lanka and Dubai before heading to Bangladesh on March 9.Hong Kong are slotted in Group A of the tournament, where they will have to compete with Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan to progress to the next round. If they enter the next stage, they will face India, Pakistan, Australia and West Indies in Group 2.Hong Kong are scheduled to play warm-up fixtures with Zimbabwe and Netherlands before their first game against Nepal on March 16.Hong Kong squad for World T20: Jamie Atkinson (capt), Waqas Barkat (vice-capt), Mark Chapman, Irfan Ahmed, Nadeem Ahmed, Haseeb Amjad, Tanwir Afzal, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Najeeb Amar, Munir Dar, Ehsan Nawaz, Roy Lamsam, Kinchit Shah

Chris Rogers has said that despite his place in the team being under threat, he played a bit better when under pressure

Daniel Brettig25-Feb-2014Three times, in three series, on three continents, Chris Rogers has walked out to bat thinking it might be the last time he played for Australia. On each occasion, he has played with the freedom that can otherwise elude him, exhibiting the fine balance of functional and fluent cricket that epitomises his best work, and walked off with a score to ensure it would not be the last time.An admirable century in Port Elizabeth arrived with Shane Watson looming as an inclusion for Cape Town. Beyond this series, Cricket Australia’s list of central contracts will be named. Rogers’ place for now and the next 12 months hinged on an innings played in vexing and unfamiliar conditions against the world’s best attack. At 36, having begun his Test career well after he had given up hope of having one, Rogers is only ever two or three innings away from the edge. When he can actually see the precipice, it seems to help.”I’m not stupid. I knew full well that I was under pressure,” Rogers said. “You can’t perform the way I had for Australia, particularly when we’re doing well. Because there’s other guys who want to get into the side. I knew I was under pressure and that Shane was a good chance to play in the last game. In some respects I stopped worrying. I thought ‘whatever happens, happens’. And I think if anything I’d been worrying about it too much. It was almost a bit of relief to just go out there, not worry about it and just play the situation of the game.”This was always going to be a big tour for the side and for me personally. I’ve been trying hard. I probably hit more balls in the nets [before a game] than I ever have. Maybe I’ve been trying too hard, and that’s one of the traps you can get into. Not doing the simple things that you’ve always done. So I probably just thought it’s time to stop worrying and just play, and maybe that helped a little bit in this innings.”But there must be a less stressful way of batting your best than waiting until the last possible moment to produce it?”I guess I’m probably one of the players who performs a bit better when there’s extra pressure for some reason and it’s helped,” he said. “But it’s not a healthy thing, it’s quite stressful and it’d be nice if I could be a little more consistent and take the pressure off. But that’s the way it goes. It’s been a tough journey facing good attacks every Test match. There’s always going to be a lot of pressure and the bowlers are making it difficult, so I just have to try to get better.”The first time Rogers thought it might be his last Test match was at Old Trafford, following a horrid match at Lord’s when he missed a village green full toss from Graeme Swann in the first innings and was bowled shouldering arms to him in the second. Wracked by irritation and shame about performing so badly on the ground home ground of his county Middlesex, Rogers wanted the world to know before he disappeared that he could actually play. A sparkling 84 was the result.A similar scenario raised its head in the second and third Tests during the home Ashes. Rogers cobbled 72 in Adelaide though not striking the ball well, but found his rhythm in Perth after lengthy batting sessions with his former state teammate Justin Langer. A first innings run out at the WACA Ground provided a hiccup, but another half-century in the second innings shored up his place in the Ashes-winning team, and he shone with hundreds over the holiday swing through Melbourne and Sydney.That brought Rogers to South Africa, where he again wrestled with his technique and mentality. No-one was more put out by the loss of the tour match in Potchefstroom to rain, particularly when he edged a well-pitched ball from Ryan Harris a few minutes into intra-squad practice at the Wanderers. “If you’re out, you’re out” had been the coach Darren Lehmann’s instruction, so Rogers went, and walked out to bat at Centurion not entirely sure he was ready.Three slim scores later and he was left to make runs against Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander on a Port Elizabeth pitch keeping low and aiding reverse swing. It was the kind of challenge to extract the best from Rogers’ game, which is all subtle adjustments and calculations about his best means of survival. Unlike a few of his teammates he does not decide on his stroke until late, a canny method against the moving ball.”You have to read the situation, and play to your limitations as well,” he said. “Once it starts reversing, committing to big drives is probably out of the question. It almost becomes like French cricket, just trying to defend as hard as you can. In some respects it might have helped my innings.”I can’t hit the ball as well as Davey and a lot of the other guys can, so there’s other things I have to do better. Probably using my head and working out how my innings needs to be played, they’re probably some of the things I’ve learned and can use now.”Initially, Rogers and David Warner prospered, to the extent that a distant fourth innings target looked briefly attainable. Michael Clarke may have declared in the aftermath that it would only have seemed so to “people who don’t know the game”, but for a few overs Rogers was also a believer.”You can get flat wickets like that in Adelaide, or certainly when the best time to bat is against the new ball,” he said. “It’s good to be positive then and you don’t often say that as an opener, so you try to make the most of your opportunities.”We had an unbelievable start and Davey was batting was so well, and I thought his lbw was probably clipping and if he didn’t get out there we still had a real good chance to win. That was why I went for that challenge but it was amazing how it changed.”It was funny. When we were flying and the ball was doing not much I thought ‘You know, this is not completely out of reach here’. I thought it was going to be a big challenge, and a couple of wickets always changes the complexion of the game, but I though we were half a chance. And then it started just doing plenty. Then it was a completely different game.”

“Once it starts reversing, committing to big drives is probably out of the question. It almost becomes like French cricket, just trying to defend as hard as you can.”Chris Rogers on dealing with reverse swing

The second act of Rogers’ innings followed Warner’s dismissal, as Alex Doolan, Shaun Marsh, Michael Clarke, Steve Smith and Brad Haddin all perished to the reversing ball. Their exits dictated the course of the match, leaving Rogers bailing water furiously from Australia’s sinking ship. “What was really disappointing is going from thinking there was a small sniff of winning to, in the space of half an hour or whatever it was, just hanging on for dear life,” he said. “That was exceptionally disappointing. All credit to them, they bowled so well, but that was tough to take.”Tougher still was the closing drama, as Rogers held out with the tail in hope that forecast rain on the final day might be enough to scrounge a draw. Graeme Smith had also seen the weather maps, creating a drama out of an otherwise foregone conclusion. Amid some dispute from Australia, he claimed an extra 30 minutes’ play to seek a result, while fading light came into calculations also. Rogers was to be run out trying to get Peter Siddle off strike, and explained his own rearguard thinking.”I knew the light was becoming an issue so I knew that Steyn and Morkel couldn’t bowl but I thought Philander would still be allowed to bowl and therefore he was the challenge,” Rogers said. “I thought if I could get down to the other end there were two overs from Philander to go and I was happy for Sidds to face the part time spin the other way.”To be honest I thought [sub-fielder Alviro] Petersen had been asleep for a bit of the day but he picked it up all of a sudden threw it sidearm and threw the stumps down, I didn’t expect that.”It didn’t matter in the end. The game-within-a-game on the penultimate day lost its meaning when the scheduled fifth morning brought overcast skies but no apocalyptic thunderstorms. South Africa had plenty of time to scoop those last two wickets had they needed it. Rogers, though, can take solace from an innings that drew the praise of not only Clarke but also Steyn and Smith, who each ran to shake his hand as he walked off the ground. His place is safe once more.

A breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England’s first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever chase

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England’s first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever T20 run chase as they hunted down 190 to overcome Sri Lanka and keep alive a realistic chance of progressing in the tournament.It was an astonishing turnaround after a shambolic fielding display which included four dropped catches and a missed run-out to allow Sri Lanka to reach an imposing 189 including a stand of 145 between Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. England found themselves 0 for 2 after the first over of their chase before a brilliantly calculated assault by Hales and Eoin Morgan who added 152 in 15.2 overs for the third wicket.Hales, who was dropped on 55 at deep square-leg by Jayawardene as fielding woes afflicted both teams, closed out the match with three sixes in six balls after Nuwan Kulasekara, who began with a double-wicket maiden, returned to remove Morgan and Jos Buttler in the 17th over to bring Sri Lanka back into the match but they could not stop Hales’ onslaught.The brief role played by Ravi Bopara should not be overlooked either, as he deflected two boundaries to third man in Lasith Malinga’s final over to ensure England had some breathing space. Crucially, Malinga went wicketless – and conceded nearly eight an over – while Ajantha Mendis was dispatched for 52 which included 25 off his final over to swing the chase firmly England’s way.Before this match Hales jointly held the record for England’s highest T20 innings – 99 shared with Luke Wright – and this time was not to be denied three figures as he cracked a fourth six, over cover, during his final dip to reach a hundred off 60 balls. “It was one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen,” a delighted, relieved, and slightly hoarse Stuart Broad said.An overseas season of regular misery for England appeared to be having another chapter added to it when Michael Lumb missed his first-over heave at Kulasekara and Moeen Ali edged to second slip first ball, but Hales and Morgan kept their composure which is not something that has been said much of this team in recent months.After nine overs England were well behind the required rate on 56 for 2, but Morgan then went after Angelo Mathews and Mendis, struggling with a wet ball and not holding any fear. 29 came in the next two overs to kick-start the chase. In the space of six overs, which brought 86 runs, an asking rate that had reached 12.18 came down to far less imposing 9.60.Morgan’s half-century came after a run of 10 T20I innings where he had a top score of 34 and he struck the ball crisply, especially a reverse sweep and a lofted drive over cover off Mendis. Hales’ last 54 runs came from just 20 balls and such was the way England targeted Mendis, Mathews and Thisara Perera (off whose bowling Jayawardene spilled Hales) they could afford to take a more cautious approach off Malinga’s final two overs.England’s memorable chase meant that a moment of controversy early in the match did not hold as much significance come the end. Facing his first ball, Jayawardene was squared up by Jade Dernbach and the outside edge flew towards Lumb at point who dived forward to claim the chance in a rare example of international-standard fielding. But Jayawardene, as is his right, stood his ground and that immediately threw open the prospect of what happened next.After rocking and rolling the replays for a considerable time the third umpire, Steve Davis, decided there was enough doubt over whether the ball had carried. There was disbelief from England; Dernbach almost lost his cool although Broad, already a touch light in the pocket after the New Zealand match, just about managed to bite his lip.What could (and, by all logical views, should) have been 4 for 2 then descended into chaos for England. All their practice with wet balls was certainly not a case of making perfect. Jayawardene was given three lives – a catch on 19, a run out on 42 and another catch on 80 – while the out-of-form Dilshan was shelled on 21 during a half-century that equalled his slowest in T20. To cap the innings, Thisara Perera was put down in the last over by Bopara at wide long-on who, surprisingly, was not given a bowl.But while he had fortune, Jayawardene also played another calculated and deft T20 innings. His fifty came off 32 balls and his next 37 runs took 18 balls to leave him within sight of a second century before he missed a straight ball from Chris Jordan. At the midway mark few expected him to be on the losing side.

A round-up of the Pro50 Championship games that took place on April 22, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2014Mountaineers needed a win in their final group game to ensure their place in the Pro50 Championship 2013-14 final, and they put on a clinical show to swipe aside Mid West Rhinos and set up the title clash with Southern Rocks on April 30. Rhinos chose to bat, and Mountaineers’ bowlers all contributed to restrict them to 180. The only resistance came from Tarisai Musakanda, who scored 71 off 99. Mountaineers’ top order were then solid in reply, with Tino Mawoyo and Hamilton Masakadza scoring fifties. Left-arm spinner Bradley Wadlan was the only Rhinos’ bowler to make any inroads, taking all three wickets that fell, but that hardly jolted Mountaineers – they eased home with almost 10 overs to spare.Mashonaland Eagles would have taken the other final spot had they beaten Matabeleland Tuskers, but they were edged out by eight runs. Tuskers chose to bat and were kept in check by regular strikes from Eagles. A half-century from captain Godwill Mamhiyo helped them push past 200. They finished on 202 for 8. This proved to be enough as their opening bowlers Tawanda Mupariwa and Steve Chimhamhiwa were both incisive and tidy, claiming six between them. Sikandar Raza provided some resistance with a rapid 65, but when he was out – the ninth wicket to fall – Eagles were still a way away from the target. A few anxious moments followed for Tuskers, even while hope sparked for Eagles, as Nos. 10 and 11 put together a dogged stand of 35. They had plenty of time, however, they couldn’t quite finish the job, the final wicket falling with the score on 194 with more than four overs to spare.

Ben Foakes chalked up the highest score of his career as Essex took control against Gloucestershire at the County Ground

Press Association29-Apr-2014
ScorecardBen Foakes extended his third first-class hundred to the best score of his career•Getty ImagesBen Foakes chalked up the highest score of his career as Essex took control against Gloucestershire at the County Ground.Bad weather had blighted the first two days of play in the Division Two clash in Bristol and another hour was lost on Tuesday morning. The hosts resumed on 104 for 6 but added just 30 more runs for their remaining wickets, and a 218-run partnership between Foakes and James Foster helped Essex to 305 for 8 at the close.David Masters took his fifth wicket in the fourth over of the day to snare Ian Saxelby for a single, and Gary McCarter’s scalp made it six for the innings for the Essex paceman. All the Gloucestershire wickets were shared between Masters and Graham Napier, who also took two on Tuesday, including the final one of Chris Dent.Opener Dent had stayed firm while all others fell around him and was eventually out for 61, caught by Alistair Cook. The England captain scored centuries in both his first two county matches of the season but lasted just five balls this time before being caught by McCarter off the bowling of Matt Taylor for 4.Cook was followed back to the pavilion by Tom Westley, who gave injury-hit bowler Saxelby his first Championship wicket since August 2012. And Essex looked in danger of not even passing Gloucestershire’s meagre total when they slipped to 71 for 5.The visitors lost three wickets in close succession having been 59 for 2, with Ravi Bopara, Greg Smith and Jaik Mickleburgh all falling. That brought Foakes and captain Foster together, and it took Gloucestershire 44.2 overs to break the partnership. Foster was within nine runs of a century himself when he edged Saxelby behind.Napier and Masters went before the close, too, but Foakes stayed resolute, taking his score to 132 not out, surpassing his previous best of 120. With a lead of 171 runs, Essex also opened up the possibility of going for victory on the final day of play on Wednesday.

Delhi and Districts Cricket Association Secretary Sunil Dev was today named manager of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming tour of England starting June 26

PTI08-Jun-2014Delhi and Districts Cricket Association secretary Sunil Dev was named manager of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming tour of England starting June 26.Dev has been the team’s manager on two previous tours. He was the manager when the team toured South Africa in 1996-97 before taking the responsibility once again during the triumphant 2007 World T20 campaign in the same country.India’s tour of England will start with a couple of two-day warm-up games from June 26 before the team takes on the host side in a five-match Test series. The series is scheduled from July 9 to August 19.This will be followed by a five-match ODI series from August 25 to September 5. The two teams will then face off in a Twenty20 match on September 7.

New Zealand’s Test openers for most of the past year, Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, have both been axed from the central contract list for 2014-15

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2014New Zealand’s Test openers for most of the past year, Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, have both been axed from the central contract list for 2014-15. Fast bowler Doug Bracewell, allrounder Grant Elliott, spinner Bruce Martin and batsman Dean Brownlie have also lost their contracts, with New Zealand’s selectors making six changes to the 20-man group.Spinners Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi earned deals, along with fast bowlers Matt Henry and Adam Milne, as well as wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi and, not surprisingly, the allrounder Jimmy Neesham, who has made two centuries from his first four Tests. New Zealand’s general manager of national selection, Bruce Edgar, said the newer players had all earned their places on the list.”We’ve had a very strong summer followed by the Test series victory in the West Indies where a number of younger players put their hands up for consideration,” Edgar said. “Two of those integral to the series win in the West Indies were spinners Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig. While we accept that Mark and Ish are by no means the finished product, they are promising bowlers that we want to invest time in.””Adam and Matt are two exciting young bowlers that if we manage well have got a big future in all forms of the game. Jimmy and Luke are both consistent members of our shorter-form teams and they’ve recently been selected in our Test squad as well.”The presence of only one specialist Test opener, Tom Latham, was an indication that uncertainty remains as to who will take those positions over the coming year. Rutherford was cut after making 322 runs at 21.46 over the past year, while Fulton struggled just as much and managed only 270 runs at 19.28.”There’ll be plenty of opportunities for the openers and others with domestic contracts to put their hand up on both the New Zealand A tour to England later this month and throughout the season in the domestic competitions,” Edgar said.A set criteria is used to rank players across all three forms of the game, with Test cricket receiving twice the weighting of ODI and T20 cricket. The players with the 20 highest aggregate scores are then offered contracts.Daniel Vettori was not included in the contract list after turning down a deal last year due to his ongoing injury problems. Vettori has not played for New Zealand since June last year, but there are hopes that he will be able to take part in the World Cup next year.”He’s working pretty hard,” Edgar said. “I hear he’s pretty fit. It’s just a matter of form and we would look seriously at him if we know he’s available.”Bracewell and Jesse Ryder, both with a history of disciplinary issues, had run into trouble again this February for staying out late at an Auckland bar on the eve of the first Test against India. Edgar said that Bracewell, who had also suffered a broken foot at that time, was “doing everything right as far as we are concerned at the moment.”Ryder had been considered for selection earlier this year, Edgar said. “At the time, we decided that his preparation wasn’t up to the standard that we required. To this stage, it’s still the same. It doesn’t discount him from selection at some future point.”While Bracewell has not played since January, Ryder is currently doing duty for Essex in county cricket, where he has scored 317 runs for the season at an average of 31.70.Contract list Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

Zimbabwe allrounder Elton Chigumbura has been appointed ODI and T20 captain while Brendan Taylor will retain the leadership in the Tests, as part of Zimbabwe Cricket’s decision to split the captaincy across formats

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2014Zimbabwe allrounder Elton Chigumbura has been appointed ODI and T20 captain while Brendan Taylor will retain the leadership in the Tests, as part of Zimbabwe Cricket’s decision to split the captaincy across formats. At the board meeting on Thursday, ZC also announced changes to the coaching structure, appointing Stephen Mangongo as head coach.Andy Waller, who had been coaching the side, will take on a new role as National Director of Coaching, responsible for the development of cricket from the grassroots and grooming of coaches. Mangongo was Waller’s assistant with the national side and had deputised under Alan Butcher as well.The changes to the captaincy and coaching structure was expected, keeping with the recommendations by ZC’s cricket committee earlier this month.Chigumbura had earlier led Zimbabwe in 24 limited-overs games from May 2010 – after Prosper Utseya’s resignation – to March 2011. But when his own form fell away, Taylor was handed the captaincy across all three formats in June 2011, when Zimbabwe returned to Test cricket. Taylor also had the additional responsibility of keeping wicket and being the team’s premier batsman but the latest decision should relieve him of some of the burden.Mangango had stood in as head coach on previous occasions, including a series against Bangladesh. Mangongo, who is known as a tough task master, had an altercation with a young player last year. Mangongo will be in charge for the forthcoming home series against South Africa and the tri-series involving Australia and South Africa.Waller had only been in the job for 12 months, beginning with the home ODIs against India last July, though he was officially appointed in May 2013.

Angus Robson recorded a maiden first-class century but bottom-placed Leicestershire failed to make the best of his 115 as promotion-chasing Hampshire fought back on the opening day of their Division Two tussle

Press Association31-Aug-2014
ScorecardAngus Robson (right) made his maiden Championship hundred•AFPAngus Robson recorded a maiden first-class century but bottom-placed Leicestershire failed to make the best of his 115 as promotion-chasing Hampshire fought back on the opening day of their LV= Championship Division Two tussle.After captain Josh Cobb decided to bat first at the Ageas Bowl, Leicestershire reached 301 for 9 from 97 overs at the close, a respectable score on a wicket taking turn but one which could have been more substantial.From 249 for 4, built around important stands that 22-year-old Robson shared for the third and fourth wickets with Cobb and Niall O’Brien, Leicestershire lost five wickets in the last session.The collapse looked to hand the initiative back to the second-placed home side who are bidding for their sixth championship win of the season and promotion.Cobb must have wondered if he had made the right choice as Greg Smith departed in the sixth over and Ned Eckersley in the 10th, both to Matt Coles.And when Dan Redfern was taken smartly in the slips by Sean Ervine off Chris Wood, Leicestershire were on a precarious 58 for 3.But then Cobb joined Robson, and in 44 overs Leicestershire’s fourth-wicket pair put together the best partnership of the innings, worth 116 precious runs as Hampshire failed to exploit their first-session superiority.Cobb hit eight fours in his 52 before left-arm spinner Danny Briggs found a way through his defences with the team score on 174.There was little respite for Hampshire though as O’Brien joined Robson in another important stand, this time adding 75 for the fifth wicket.Spinner Liam Dawson precipitated the late Leicestershire slump when O’Brien edged him to Ervine at slip for 44, and from a position of authority the visiting team fell away after tea, at one point losing 5 wickets for 28 in 13 overs.Rob Taylor was stumped by Adam Wheater in Dawson’s next over, before Robson’s vigil, spread over five hours and 17 minutes, came to an end when James Tomlinson at last found the edge.Robson, whose previous best score was 92, hit 17 fours and faced 265 balls but the shame from Leicestershire’s viewpoint was that his team were unable to sustain the progress he had made over the 88 overs he had spent at the crease.Jigar Naik became Coles’ third victim, pinned leg before, and Tomlinson accepted a return catch from Alex Wyatt to leave Leicestershire on 277 for 9.It was a situation improved only by an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 24 between Charlie Shreck and Atif Sheikh, making his Leicestershire first-class debut.Coles finished as the most successful bowler in terms of wickets, although his 3 for 106 came off only 19 overs, while spinners Dawson and Briggs took three of the wickets, Briggs a picture of accuracy in conceding only 19 runs from 16 overs.Robson – brother of England batsman Sam – said of his landmark innings: “It was a great day for me. I am thrilled to get my first century. Hampshire bowled well all day and they made us work for our runs. We had to rein in ourselves in terms of shot selection. There were periods when I was stuck for runs so patience was the key. When I got into the nineties I tried to relax. It was good to have Niall out there keeping me calm.”Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams said: “It was a shared day. If we can knock over the last pair early tomorrow we would have the edge. Five wickets after tea was perfect for us and took away the advantage they had at 249 for 4. If we had taken one or two chances we might have limited them to 250.”

Erin Osborne’s career-best 47 not out and a two-wicket haul helped Australia Women march to a 4-0 series win over Pakistan Women

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2014
ScorecardDelissa Kimmince propped up the Australia innings with an innings of 42•Getty ImagesA career-best 47 not out from Erin Osborne and her 41-run partnership with Delissa Kimmince led Australia Women to a score of 9 for 220 before their bowlers dismissed Pakistan Women for 183 to seal a 4-0 series win.Nicole Bolton and Alyssa Healy had given Australia a good start after Meg Lanning won the toss and opted to bat. The pair added 52 for the first wicket but Sana Mir dismissed both of them in successive overs and Lanning’s wicket, in the 18th over, left Australia wobbling at 3 for 66.Alex Blackwell and Jess Jonassen also failed to build a substantial partnership and were dismissed by the 34th over, falling to fast bowlers Qanita Jalil and Maham Tariq. The sixth-wicket partnership between Kimmince and Osborne revived the momentum of the innings and helped Australia draw closer to 200. The pair managed a healthy run-rate of 5.46 during the partnership, given that neither batsman scored a boundary during their respective innings. After Kimmince fell for 42 off 53 balls, Osborne continued shepherding the lower order, eventually finishing on an unbeaten 47 off 51 balls.Megan Schutt, who returned to the side after missing the third ODI, gave Australia an early breakthrough, dismissing Pakistan opener Marina Iqbal for 3 in the fourth over.Her wicket brought Bismah Maroof and Javeria Khan together at the crease and the pair, Pakistan’s most successful batsmen in this series, stitched together a solid 79-run stand. Javeria also scored her first fifty of the series, hitting six fours in her 84-ball 54. Osborne provided the wickets for Australia, as her off spin claimed both Maroof and Javeria in the space of six runs to leave Pakistan shaky at 3 for 95. The rest of the Australian bowling choked off the runs and kept chipping away at the wickets, before Pakistan’s innings ended in last over.