Colin Ingram’s half-century for Islamabad United in vain

The Report by Sreshth Shah27-Feb-2020Quetta Gladiators pulled off PSL 2020’s highest successful chase on the back of Ben Cutting’s unbeaten 17-ball 42, that helped them chase Islamabad United’s 188-run target in a five-wicket win. Cutting built on the efforts of Jason Roy and Sarfaraz Ahmed to ensure a result that kept Gladiators on top of the tournament points table.When Sarfaraz Ahmed was out at the start of the 16th over, Gladiators needed a further 55 runs in 29 balls, but Cutting’s two fours and four sixes, and a useful contribution from Mohammad Nawaz, sealed the win with two balls to spare.Cutting makes full use of Roy, Sarfaraz inningsAfter losing Shane Watson early in their chase, holing out to deep midwicket, the other Gladiators opener Jason Roy consolidated with a 38-ball 50 to keep the Gladiators’ asking rate within reach.Ahmed Shehzad entertained with two sixes off Shadab Khan but was out for a five-ball cameo of 12, stumped while trying a third big shot. Azam Khan did not last long either, bogged down by the spin of Ahmed Safi Abdullah and Shadab. Roy’s six fours and two sixes, however, took Gladiators past the 100-run mark in the 12th over. He fell right after bringing up his fifty, when he struck Abdullah into the hands of long-off.Sarfaraz, the Gladiators captain, then found the gap intermittently to hit 33 off 20 balls, but when he fell in the 16th over, the required run-rate was more than 11. That’s when Cutting took charge, first collecting 11 off Rumman Raees’ 17th over and then smacking 17 off Faheem Ashraf’s 18th. That brought the equation down to 16 off 12 balls, and Cutting ended the game with two sixes in the 20th over to earn the side third win in four games.United’s poor second-half with the batAfter 14 overs, Islamabad United were cruising. At 140 for 4, Colin Ingram was on 42 while Asif Ali had just walked in. Asif caused some damage with two sixes off Mohammad Nawaz but three wickets in three overs deflated United’s second-half flourish: they scored only 33 runs in the last five overs.The innings had begun with Luke Ronchi crunching 11 runs off the first three deliveries to hand United a flying start but he was bowled by Naseem Shah in the second over. Dawid Malan followed Ronchi back two overs later, but Colin Munro held one end up hitting Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem to all parts. Munro fell inside the Powerplay, but by the time he was out, United were at 56 for 3 and positioned for a sizeable total.United’s No. 5 Ingram picked up from where Munro left off. His leg-side play saw many boundaries hitting the midwicket fence, and he anchored United’s innings thereafter.With six overs to go, they were prepared for a charge that could have taken United past 200, but the dismissals of Asif and Ashraf in quick succession exposed their lower order, forcing Ingram to change his approach. Despite 15 runs off the final over, which helped Ingram reach his 40th T20 fifty, all United could manage was 187. It turned out to be too little on a true batting surface.

Alex Hales struck 52 off 30 after a duck from Babar Azam to down Islamabad United

The Report by Peter Della Penna01-Mar-2020Unbeaten half-centuries by Luke Ronchi and Shadab Khan wound up being in vain for Islamabad United as Alex Hales’ own rapid fifty chasing a target of 184 propelled the Karachi Kings to a five-wicket win with eight balls to spare. Ronchi and Shadab added an unbeaten 106 for the fourth wicket to end Islamabad’s innings, and then maintained early momentum in the Karachi chase when Babar Azam was run out without facing a ball taking on Shadab’s arm at backward point in the first over of the reply.But in a way it backfired for Islamabad because it brought Hales to the crease, who teamed with Sharjeel in a ferocious stand, adding 58 together off just 27 balls to put Karachi in command. Sharjeel was the aggressor, turning on the accelerator in the fifth over against Faheem Ashraf when he clobbered a pair of pulls over backward square leg for sixes in the space of three balls.Sharjeel was eventually given out via DRS on 38 in the sixth over when replays revealed his attempted upper cut to a Rumman Raees slower ball was gloved on the way through to Ronchi diving forward. But again momentum shifted quickly back to Karachi as Cameron Delport picked up the slack from where Sharjeel left off, crunching three sixes in his 38 off 28 balls during a 64-run stand with Hales.The pair got out in back-to-back overs in identical fashion, bashing a six before getting out on the very next ball. But by that stage there was little work left to do. One last brief hiccup came via the run out of Iftikhar Ahmed for 1, but Chadwick Walton and Imad Wasim were largely unfazed during their unbeaten 48-run stand to close out the match. Wasim blasted Ashraf for back-to-back sixes over square leg to start the 19th over to bring the equation down to two off 10 balls. A single to level the scores was followed by a four struck by Walton over cover to clinch victory.Turning pointIslamabad could not contain their excitement in the field when Shadab’s athletic charge from backward point along with a sidearm whip from 12 yards pinged the striker’s stumps with Azam inches short of his ground in the first over of the chase. The run out was partly a consequence of Azam trying to take pressure off Sharjeel by calling for a tight run to get Sharjeel off strike after he had already gone scoreless in his first three deliveries.But rather than get mentally bogged down by the run out even further, Sharjeel responded in extremely positive fashion. His assault on Ashraf in the fifth over flipped momentum firmly back towards Karachi and his innings inspired Delport to follow suit.Star of the dayHales may have been overshadowed by both Sharjeel and Delport in his half-century stands with them, scoring at a slower rate than either. However, he lasted longer at the crease and in the process brought up his maiden PSL half-century. He reached the landmark off 29 balls in style too, driving the spin of Ahmed Safi Abdullah over long-off for six.In addition to his fifty, Hales was also superb in the field. Perhaps his most underrated contribution towards receiving Player-of-the-Match honours was his sliding catch taken after charging forward about 25 yards from long-off to snare the wicket of Rizwan Hussain, who was looking very ominous having already struck two fours and a six in his 22 off 14 balls.The big missShadab was so caught up in a fit of rage aimed at Rizwan that he missed Rizwan running out Iftikhar in the 15th over of the chase. Iftikhar had nudged Shadab behind point for a would-be single that was called for by Walton thinking Rizwan had chosen the wrong end to throw at. Walton had bolted immediately for the run and was almost in the crease by the time Rizwan had released the ball aimed at the non-striker’s stumps, triggering Shadab into furious gesticulations. Meanwhile, Iftikhar had hesitated significantly and was only halfway down the pitch when the throw was on its way, ultimately falling short. As the rest of the Islamabad squad celebrated, Shadab was still smarting.Where the teams standIslamabad blew a chance to pass the Quetta Gladiators and instead remain in third place on five points, ahead of Peshawar Zalmi on net run rate. Karachi closed the gap with Islamabad and Peshawar and are now one point behind both in fifth place on four points.

Earl Eddings says CA has presented different options to the ICC Board

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Jun-2020Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings believes it is “unlikely” and “unrealistic” that the Men’s T20 World Cup will take place in Australia as scheduled this year. The fate of the tournament, scheduled between October 18 and November 15, is being deliberated fiercely by the ICC Board which last week deferred to take the final call.The ICC has continued to remain optimistic despite the growing likelihood of the tournament being postponed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. After the ICC Board meeting convened to discuss contingency planning last week , ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney had said that there was only “one chance” to make the decision and it needed to be the “right one” which he said would be arrived at after consulting all stakeholders, from the broadcaster to the players.Eddings, who sits on the ICC Board, though, felt time was running out. He pointed out that with many of the 16 participating countries still under the grip of the pandemic it was “very, very difficult” to stage the tournament and said that CA had presented different options to the ICC Board for the tournament to be moved.”I sit on the ICC and we’re having meetings as we speak,” Eddings said on Tuesday. “It’s a bit of a moving feast at the moment. I’d say it’s unlikely, while it hasn’t been formally called off this year or postponed, trying to get 16 countries into Australia in the current world where most countries are still going through Covid-19 spiking, I think it’s unrealistic or would be very, very difficult. We’ve put forward a number of different options to the ICC we’re working through at the moment.”This is the second time in the last month Eddings has asked the ICC to consider postponing the T20 World Cup. Last month, he addressed an email to the ICC’s Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee, proposing Australia and India swap hosting the tournament over the next two years. Contents of Eddings’ correspondence to the ICC were reported by the recently.Eddings suggested that Australia host the event in October-November 2021 and India stage the tournament a year later in 2022. Doing that, Eddings said, would financially help all the member countries. If not, Eddings said it would be “detrimental to cricket” in case the “cancellation” of the World Cup in Australia this year was “replaced by award of” the tournament in October-November 2022.Last month Kevin Roberts, who was sacked by CA as chief executive on Monday, had pointed out that there was a “very high risk” of the T20 World Cup taking place in October-November. Roberts, though, had indicated the “implications” of postponing the tournament were not straightforward and the ICC was “juggling a lot of balls” as it was “looking at the windows that are possible over the coming year.”One of those windows, as ESPNcricinfo reported could be moving the Men’s T20 World Cup at the back of the Women’s ODI World Cup which is scheduled in New Zealand for February-March 2021. In case that happens, the women’s tournament would need to be advanced to January in order to fit in the men’s edition. Doing that would help the ICC and CA retain the local organising committee for the Men’s T20 World Cup to continue and smoothen the logistics and costs.Nick Hockley, CEO of the T20 World Cup local organising committee, and appointed as Roberts’ temporary replacement, said CA would be ready for any eventuality including the tournament being postponed. “There’s a huge amount of work going on around [T20 World Cup] contingency planning,” Hockley said on Tuesday. “I think there’s meetings coming up next month at ICC level where some decisions will be made and we’ve got a fantastic local organising committee who are busy preparing for every eventuality and the decision that will come forth.”

Australia booked themselves into the final of the World Cup with a comprehensive 48-run win against Sri Lanka

Charlie Austin14-May-2020Australia booked themselves into the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup with a comprehensive Duckworth Lewis affected 48 run win against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, another clinical performance that will only enhance the aura of invincibility that now surrounds Ricky Ponting’s side.Sri Lanka had their moments, making Australia’s top order struggle on the sluggish St George’s pitch at Port Elizabeth, but Australia once again wriggled free of trouble, posting a respectable 212 for seven after an unbeaten half-century from Andrew Symonds, before grabbing an iron-like grip on the game with the ball.Mid-innings the match may have looked evenly poised, but that was before the main contest of the day: speedster Brett Lee versus Sri Lanka’s pace-shy top order. Lee won the contest in convincing fashion, shrugging off the handicap of a turgid surface to take three wickets as Sri Lanka slumped to 76 for seven.Kumar Sangakkara (39*) and Chaminda Vaas (21*) provided some resistance, adding 47 runs in 13.5 overs for the eighth wicket, before rain forced the players from the field with Sri Lanka on 123 for seven after 38.1 overs, well behind the run rate according to the Duckworth Lewis machinations.No further play was possible, meaning Australia, who now have a record 16 successive World Cup wins under their belt, will face either India or Kenya in the tournament final at Wanderers on Sunday.The Sri Lanka innings had started brightly enough with the inform Marvan Atapattu (14) stroking three boundaries but Lee was cranking steadily up through the gears. The disappointment of a spilled catch at cover pushed him to full throttle and a thunderbolt yorker, clocked at a staggering 160.1 km per hour, rearranged his stumps.Sanath Jayasuriya (17), a shadow of his former self after being roughed up and maimed by Lee at Centurion, was snared by Lee’s new ball partner Glenn McGrath, swivel-pulling lamely into the hands of Symonds at backward square.Lee quickly mopped up Hashan Tillakaratne (3) and Avishka Gunawardene (1), both of whom wafted edges behind, before Andy Bichel sealed Sri Lanka’s fate with the brilliant run out of Aravinda de Silva, the last man capable of carrying Jayasuriya’s side to victory.De Silva, playing his last international game, had already signaled the threat he posed with two boundaries when Kumar Sangakkara nudged to mid-wicket and called for a quick single. Bichel, the bowler, quickly chased down the ball and threw down the stumps with de Silva yards out of his ground.The out-of-form Mahela Jayawardene, included in the side in place of paceman Dilhara Fernando earlier in the day as Sri Lanka packed their side with batting, extended his World Cup aggregate to 21 in seven innings before being caught off pad and glove.When Russel Arnold, Sri Lanka’s last recognised batsman, top edged a sweep to deep back square, having spent 27 balls scratching out his three runs, Sri Lanka dead and buried on 76 for sevenEarlier, after Australia had won an important toss, Symonds, a controversial selection when Australia’s World Cup squad was first announced, produced his second match-winning performance of the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 91 from 118 balls.The zinc-lipped right-hander, who would have been stumped on 33 had Sangakkara not spilled a straightforward take, rescued the Australian innings with a 93 run partnership for the fourth wicket.Australia had made a galloping start, racing to 34 off the first five overs as Pulasthi Gunaratne was smacked for 20 runs in his first two overs.But de Silva, called into the attack in just the sixth over, broke through with his second off-break of the day as Gilchrist edged an attempted sweep onto his pad to offer Sangakkara a simple catch. Had the 29-year-old stood his ground then he would have been reprieved by a doubting Rudi Koertzen but, in an act of rare Australian chivalry, Gilchrist walked.Vaas, who produced another skillful display, then claimed a brace of wickets as Ricky Ponting (2) mistimed a drive to be caught at mid-off and Matthew Hayden (20) clipped a stinging catch to mid-wicket. The left-armer extended his record World Cup tally to 23 when he had Lee Harvey caught at the wicket with a jagging off-cutter.Symonds and Lehmann then steadied the innings, never scoring easily against Sri Lanka’s quartet of slow bowlers, but preventing a Sri Lankan rout and laying a solid enough foundation for their bowlers later in the day.Eventually, Jayasuriya broke through with a well-flighted delivery that Lehmann chopped onto his stumps. The spinner had a chance of claiming a hat-trick when Michael Bevan (0), the hero during Australia’s previous two matches at Port Elizabeth, edged a catch behind.Brad Hogg (8) survived the hat-trick ball but did not last long before being smartly stumped by Sangakkara. After Harvey’s dismissal Australia were 175 for seven but Sri Lanka could not finish them off as Symonds and Bichel added 37 runs in the final 6.1 overs.

Somerset captain posts sixth first-class hundred to leave his side in total command at Taunton

ECB Reporters Network03-Aug-2020 Glamorgan 131 (C Overton 5-38) and 126 for 5 need another 329 runs to beat Somerset 296 (Davies 81, Brooks 72) and 290 for 8 dec (Abell 119, Green 54, Hildreth 45) Tom Abell registered his sixth first-class century as Somerset moved to within sight of victory over Glamorgan on the third day of the Bob Willis Trophy match at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.Unbeaten on 44 overnight, the home skipper batted through the morning session before finally being dismissed for 119, having faced 167 balls and hit 13 fours and 2 sixes.With Ben Green, a concussion replacement for George Bartlett, contributing a solid 54, Somerset were able to declare their second innings on 290 for eight, a lead of 455.At tea, Glamorgan were 29 for 3 in their second innings and facing the possibility of defeat inside three days. But Chris Cooke’s battling half-century frustrated the hosts as the Welsh county closed on 126 for 5, still 329 behind.Only one wicket fell in the morning session after Somerset had set out on 131 for two in their second innings, 296 ahead. It came from the first ball of the day when James Hildreth, on 45, nicked a ball from Michael Hogan through to wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.That brought in Green, involved because Bartlett had been struck on the head by a delivery Marchant de Lange while batting on the opening day.It was only the 22-year-old Devonian’s third first-class appearance and he showed good temperament to grab the unexpected opportunity with both hands.Abell moved to a stylish half-century with a back-foot boundary through point off de Lange, having faced 88 balls and hit seven fours. His partner provided sensible support as both batsmen were tested by a probing spell from Graham Wagg in which the experienced left-arm seamer enjoyed no luck.Green moved steadily past his previous best first class score of 26 and by lunch his partnership with Abell was worth 82, the scoreboard reading 213 for 3.The afternoon session saw Abell bring up only the second of his first-class hundreds to have been scored at Taunton, successive boundaries off Kieran Bull taking him to three figures off 163 balls.He celebrated by dispatching the next two deliveries from the off-spinner for six and then hit another four before being caught at deep mid-wicket off the final ball of an over that cost 24.Green reached his maiden first class fifty off 150 balls, with 4 fours, before becoming the first of several Somerset batsmen to perish in the quest of quick runs before the declaration.Glamorgan had to face 16 overs before tea and Craig Overton was soon carrying on where he had left off in the first innings.He sent back Nick Selman, lbw playing no shot for the second time in the game, and Kiran Carlsson, before brother Jamie caught and bowled Charlie Hemphrey for 20 miscuing a pull shot.Glamorgan looked in disarray at tea. But Cooke and Billy Root then produced a defiant stand of 66 to restore an element of pride.Having looked comfortable, the pair were parted with the score on 95 when Root inexplicably attempted three reverse-sweeps in the opening two overs from left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe.Having failed to connect with the first two and survived a loud lbw shout, he was bowled trying the third, having made 26.Cooke played some fine shots to bring up a 76-ball half-century, which featured 8 fours, and was largely content to stick to the textbook as he reached 67 not out by the close.But Dan Douthwaite fell lbw to a Jamie Overton yorker to end play for the day, leaving his side facing a massive task when play resumes in the morning.

Cricket mourns county stalwart who played 15 Tests and 23 ODIs between 1987 and 1990

Andrew Miller02-Sep-2020David Capel, the former England allrounder and stalwart of Northamptonshire as player, captain and later coach, has died at the age of 57 following a long illness.Capel, who played 270 first-class matches for Northants between 1981 and 1998 as well as 300 List A games, enjoyed an unbroken 32-year association with the club. In 1999, he was appointed the club’s director of excellence in the wake of his retirement, and later succeeded Kepler Wessels as head coach in 2006.In 2018, the same year in which he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, Capel was inducted into the club’s hall of fame – joining such illustrious club names as Frank Tyson, Colin Milburn, Allan Lamb and Bishan Bedi. It was due recognition for a player who, in 1987, became the first Northamptonshire-born cricketer to play for England since George Thompson in 1910.Capel played 15 Tests and 23 ODIs for England in a brief but eventful career, in which time he was saddled – as with several other players of the era – with the burden of stepping into Ian Botham’s shoes as an international allrounder.He did, however, play a part in a success that at the time had eluded even Botham, in England’s astonishing victory over West Indies in the first Test of their 1989-90 tour of the Caribbean – a result that remains one of the most remarkable upsets of all time.Selected as one of four seamers in a new-look England attack under Graham Gooch, Capel claimed 2 for 31 in West Indies’ first-innings 164. He would later be one of England’s not-out batsmen in the final moments of the third Test at Port-of-Spain, where England claim so close to securing a 2-0 series lead, only for rain and some controversial West Indies delaying tactics to deny them their final victory push.While Capel’s eventual Test averages of 15 with the bat and 50 with the ball told their own story, he did have a habit of getting the better of the great Viv Richards, whom he dismissed three times out of his total of 21 scalps.On Test debut against Pakistan at Headingley in 1987, Capel came to the crease with England reeling at 31 for 5, with Imran Khan and Wasim Akram on a roll. He responded with a gutsy half-century, and added a Test-best 98 against the same opponents in Karachi five months later. However, he never again passed 40 in Test cricket.Domestically, however, Capel remained an immense influence at Northants, for whom he scored 10,869 first-class runs and claimed 467 wickets. After joining the county staff as an apprentice in 1980, he made his debut against the touring Sri Lankans at Northampton in 1981 and claimed an illustrious first Championship victim the following summer against Yorkshire when he dismissed Geoffrey Boycott at Middlesborough.In limited-overs cricket Capel scored 6,274 runs and 237 wickets. He was named Man of the Match on five occasions including the NatWest Trophy semi-final against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1987, in which he made 46 not out and claimed 3 for 43 in an 85-run win. He scored 97 off 110 balls against Yorkshire in the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord’s that same year, but finished on the losing side after Yorkshire’s Jim Love blocked the final ball of the match with the scores level, and secured the title on fewest wickets lost. “This is hugely shocking and sad news for the English Cricket family and particularly those connected with Northants CCC,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive. “David was one of the finest allrounders of his era and spent an astonishing 33 years at Wantage Road.”I had the privilege of playing with David, a hugely competitive and determined cricketer who was never beaten – an attitude he took into his battle with his illness. A complex and private man on the surface, a kind and gentle one to those who knew him well. I will miss his friendship.”Following his departure from Northants in 2012, Capel remained actively involved in cricket, taking up a role as assistant coach to England women’s team in 2013. He went on to serve as Bangladesh women’s coach from 2016 to 2018.”Very sad to hear my former team mate passed from a long suffering illness,” wrote Lamb, Capel’s team-mate for Northants and England, on Twitter. “”David Capel all round person and a true gentlemen both on and off the field we are going to miss you buddy . RIP and condolences to your family.”

County’s new blood makes inroads into Derbyshire’s batting at Aigburth

Paul Edwards07-Sep-2020
Liverpool’s pavilion might have been designed to host cricket in the Covidian age. For one thing it is huge. The three-storey pile was one of the largest in England when the ground was opened in 1881 and even now it could be mistaken for a venerable county headquarters. Certainly it was a splendid location for scenes in . During this game Lancashire have been allotted the enormous dressing rooms on the third floor while Derbyshire have the use of the squash changing rooms at ground level plus The Century Pavilion, which is normally used for hospitality, and a small tent on the boundary. The umpires have their own facilities so there is no need for either teams or officials to come into contact beyond the boundary.But after yesterday morning’s play Derbyshire probably appreciated the chance to have time to themselves. A score of 17 for 4 hardly creates the ideal atmosphere for small talk over the melon and couscous. Billy Godleman’s men probably preferred to take tea alone, too, given that by the second interval they had subsided to 71 for 7 against a Lancashire attack four of whose five members had not played any first-class cricket before the Bob Willis Trophy began.Facing a deficit of 138 and with only three wickets in hand, it was easy to see how Lancashire might build a position of Vizigothic dominance by the close. Too easy, perhaps. There has been a healthy helping of Peak District grit about Derbyshire’s cricket this season and this was apparent again in a gloomy and glorious evening session during which Harvey Hosein and Mattie McKiernan added most of the 59 runs in their unbroken eighth-wicket partnership. It may not be enough to save Derbyshire from defeat in this match, much less give them a hope of the victory they need to qualify for the Bob Willis Trophy final. But it was fine cricket and all it needed to make it perfect was the appreciation of supporters who knew good stuff when they saw it.Qualification for the final at Lord’s final must wait for the third or fourth day of this game when the results of the games at Chelmsford and Worcester are known. To judge from various discussions everything seems to depend on a range of factors, which may include the Doppler Effect, the Turkish bank rate, the Brexit withdrawal deal, Jurgen Klopp’s inside-leg measurement, the average temperature in the Atacama Desert, the mating pattern of Mexican spiders, Priti Patel’s IQ and the length of time it takes to cook a cheese soufflé in the Hindu Kush. At some stage we will add the points up and see who’s got the most.None of it troubles Lancashire’s coaches. Their side’s chance of reaching the final has long since disappeared and they are enjoying the sight of a fine crop of young cricketers making the most of their opportunities. And no one did this with greater relish during this heavily clouded Monday on Merseyside than Danny Lamb and George Balderson, both of whom took three wickets.In the second over of Derbyshire innings, Lamb pitched one on off stump and the left-handed Luis Reece edged a catch to George Lavelle, thereby becoming the keeper’s maiden first-class victim. In Lamb’s next over Godleman departed in like fashion except that his snick was taken by Keaton Jennings at first slip. Three balls later Leus du Plooy played across a very full inswinger to give Steve O’Shaughnessy another easy decision. And just before the persistent rain showers prompted a two-hour lunch break Wayne Madsen played outside a straight ball from Balderson and was leg before to one of Lancashire’s most promising cricketers.On the resumption Matt Critchley and Fynn Hudson-Prentice attempted to rescue the innings. It was not a foolish quest; Derbyshire’s short season has contained many wonders. But having helped Hudson-Prentice add 27 for the fifth wicket Critchley fell, and was nearly felled, when he ducked into a full toss from George Burrows and was leg before wicket for 14 when patently playing no shot.Some thought the ball might have been missing off stump but their number did not include Graham Lloyd. And there was no doubt about the slip catches taken by Tom Hartley and Jennings which subsequently removed both Hudson-Prentice and Anuj Dal off the bowling off Balderson. Hartley’s low catch was particularly fine and there is currently scarcely a session that passes without him or Balderson showing something which proclaims their professional pedigree. Lancashire will not win the Bob Willis Trophy but this has been a valuable season for the club. It is good news in these febrile times.

Notts seal place in decider against Surrey

Paul Edwards04-Oct-2020
Given the timings and length of games on what became Finals Half-Day, two teams were bound to be leaving Edgbaston around Sunday evening wondering why they had waited around for a day and a half. In the first semi-final it was Gloucestershire; in the second it was Lancashire after the match between the sides with the most T20 victories in the history of England’s shortest format was ended in the most brutal fashion by Dan Christian, who whacked four consecutive sixes into the Hollies Stand off Liam Livingstone’s eighth over of the innings. The Outlaws skipper thus made good use of the short boundary and capitalised on Dane Vilas’s decision to bowl the off-spinner after a similar choice at Chester-le-Street last summer was the prelude to an onslaught by Ravi Bopara and his Lancashire’s quarter-final defeat to Essex. With four overs to go Notts needed 29 runs. It looked a decent game until then.Croft’s Original SkillsLancashire’s batsmen maintained a steady rate of around eight runs per over throughout their innings. After nine balls they had scored more runs than Gloucestershire had managed in the 20 of their earlier Powerplay and Alex Davies’ two straight-driven boundaries were a declaration of intent by Old Trafford’s batsman of the season in short-form games. But having thus declared, Davies quickly departed, well caught above his head at backward square leg by Steven Mullaney off Samit Patel for 15.Notts Outlaws stuck to their spin attack – four of the first six overs were sent down by twirlers – but Lancashire tucked in when they could and collected singles when they couldn’t.Steven Croft smacked his first ball for four through the covers and his third over long on for six. And after six overs Lightning appeared decently placed on 54 for 1. Livingstone lifted Matt Carter over backward square leg but then perished in the same over and same region, caught by Jake Ball on the boundary for 22.At no point in the first half of the game did Lancashire’s innings lose momentum yet at no point did they really cut loose in the fashion later managed by Notts. Croft’s 22-ball 33 was a noble effort from a loyal cricketer but he perished in the tenth over, caught at deep midwicket by Zak Chappell who was subbing for Chris Nash who had earlier gone off with a leg injury.Imad Wasim was clearly the pick of the Notts attack: he bowled his three overs at a cost of 18 runs while his four colleagues all of whom bowled two overs went for between 16 and 20. Nonetheless, Lancashire’s total of 94 for 4 looked a fair target; they had after all scored 20 runs off the last 17 balls of their innings without hitting a boundary.Christian BrutalityAt no stage of their innings were Nottinghamshire behind the required rate. Ben Duckett’s six over long-on in Tom Hartley’s first over helped and so did Alex Hales’ cut for four off Luke Wood’s second. But the Notts batsmen had hardly started; when Saqib Mahmood came on at the City End Hales upper-cut him into the stands at third man. Duckett departed in the same over, caught by Croft at deep midwicket for 13, but Joe Clarke lifted his second ball from Mahmood for six over long-off and at the end of the Powerplay the Outlaws were 41 for 1. It was a substantial 13-run advantage and it looked even better when they had racked up 49 off four overs.Hales was bowled for 29 by a classic leg-spinner from Matt Parkinson but any impetus or inspiration Lancashire took from that seemed to have been dispelled a few minutes later when Clarke lifted Hartley into the stands. However, Hartley, whose emergence has been one of the successes of Lancashire’s season, responded by having Tom Moores caught at long-on by Vilas for 1 and then by bowling Clarke with a ball of full length for 17. After another tight over from Parkinson, Notts needed 29 runs off 24 balls, at which point Christian eyed the short boundary and saw that an off-spinner was coming on. Parkinson had Christian stumped for his 13-ball 30 only for Imad Wasim to end the game next ball.

Mumbai will look to confirm a top-two spot in the points table

Sruthi Ravindranath30-Oct-20206:59

Should Delhi Capitals bring back Shaw?

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About a couple of weeks into the tournament, these were the two sides that were among the favourites to make the top four. It was all going according to plan for the Delhi Capitals until the game against Kings XI Punjab about 10 days ago. A loss in that game was followed by two more defeats, in the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a result, they had to give up their top position to the Mumbai Indians, who are sitting pretty with 16 points having earned their playoff qualification.The Capitals had a major meltdown in their last match against the Sunrisers. A brilliant Rashid Khan made sure their batting never took off and their go-to wicket-taker Kagiso Rabada had a bad day. He went wicketless for the first time in 25 IPL games and was the most expensive bowler on the day. Another thing ailing the Capitals is their batting, especially the top order. Ajinkya Rahane was brought in place of Prithvi Shaw but that has not effected a substantial turnaround. Shikhar Dhawan’s brilliance won them a couple of games but the rest of the batsmen haven’t been able to get going. A win in this match would give them a spot in the playoffs. But a loss here and in their final group match could possibly eliminate them if other teams in fray finish on 14 points with a better net run rate.Meanwhile, a Rohit Sharma-less Mumbai are doing alright. They arguably have the best batting unit in the tournament: Ishan Kishan is enjoying his best IPL season yet, Quinton de Kock has been ably supported by his partners at the top of the order, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard have helped with superb cameos and Suryakumar Yadav has been consistently brilliant. Plus, if the batting order has a rare day off, they’ve got Jasprit Bumrah, their ultimate weapon of choice, who has been lethal especially in the death overs, where he got 12 of his 20 wickets this season.Mumbai have an excellent net run rate, and after their win against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they’ve also all but sealed a top-two finish. All the pressure is definitely on the demoralised Capitals in this encounter.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 James Pattinson, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw/Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Harshal Patel/Tushar Deshpande, 8 Axar Patel, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Anrich Nortje

Previous meeting

Fifties from Suryakumar Yadav and Quinton de Kock, and a 15-ball 28 from Ishan Kishan, helped Mumbai chase down 162 with two balls remaining.

Strategy Punt

• The Capitals have been using Shimron Hetmyer as a floater this season and he has been quite impressive in his role, striking at nearly 150 and also providing the finishing touches. Given how the Capitals’ batting order has struggled in the last few games, Hetmyer can probably be given the No. 4 spot, which is usually reserved for Rishabh Pant, and use the latter as a floater instead. Hetmyer has done well in the middle overs in T20s this year, averaging 68.8 and striking at 140 in overs 7 to 15 in addition to tackling spinners well.
• The Royal Challengers might have missed a trick in their previous match Mumbai by not bowling Washington Sundar to the left-handed opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Ishan Kishan. The Capitals can take a cue from this and get R Ashwin to bowl from one end and share the new ball duty with Rabada. Ashwin has dismissed Quinton de Kock thrice in four meetings.

Stats that matter

• Ishan Kishan is one among the five players to have a strike rate of 140-plus against pacers and spinners in IPL 2020
• Rishabh Pant needs 11 runs to reach 2000 runs in IPL
• Kieron Pollard needs 27 runs to reach 3000 runs in IPL

The visitors have a golden chance to clinch a 3-0 win without really hampering their preparation for the Tests

Alex Malcolm07-Dec-20206:45

Moody: Hardik Pandya has emerged as a genuine top-order finisher

Big Picture

India have a golden chance to claim a 3-0 series sweep in Australia without really hampering their preparation for the upcoming Test series.Neither Jasprit Bumrah nor Mohammed Shami were required in the series-clinching win on Sunday night with India’s attack doing the job in pegging back Australia after conceding a fast start. T Natarajan was outstanding again with the ball while Shardul Thakur played a role as well in controlling Australia through the middle overs after Matthew Wade’s onslaught.ALSO WATCH: Hardik Pandya tees off for 42 off 22 (India subcontinent only)Both have the chance to embed themselves in India’s T20 set-up while Tuesday could provide an opportunity for India to experiment with their batting line-up with the series won thanks to Hardik Pandya’s heroics.Australia have had their selection hand forced throughout the series due to injury and have no reason to risk any Test players. Australia will be very happy with how the legspin pairing of Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson went on Sunday night, but the pace stocks have been tested with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Kane Richardson all absent.Sean Abbott, Daniel Sams, and Andrew Tye have all showed glimpses of handling the level but also have been exposed at times. All can only benefit from more opportunities albeit without a series on the line.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)
Australia LLWLL

India WWWWW

In the spotlight

D’Arcy Short‘s place in Australia’s broader T20 plans ahead next year’s World Cup may well be under review after his two outings in this series. In fairness to Short he has been on the fringes for some time and was not initially selected in the squad. He only came into consideration when David Warner was injured, but despite remaining a dominant force in the BBL he has failed to translate that form to international cricket. In his last 11 T20 internationals over a two-year period he has scored just 190 runs at 17.27, without a half-century, at an alarming strike-rate of just 95.95. He also hasn’t bowled a ball in this series.ALSO WATCH: T Natarajan gets D’Arcy Short in his first overT Natarajan could make a case to be player of the series on Tuesday if he continues his stunning form. Hardik Pandya thought he should have been Player of the Match in the second T20I at the SCG producing stunning figures of 2 for 20 on a surface where most of the fast bowlers copped a hiding. His left-arm variety, exceptional skills, and ability to execute under pressure could make him a vital part of India’s T20 attack heading into the World Cup.

Team news

Australia coach Justin Langer said captain Aaron Finch was a chance to return for Tuesday’s clash despite missing Sunday’s loss due to a minor glute strain. If Finch does return, Short would be the obvious man to either slide down the order or make way altogether. Steven Smith could also be rested which would open the door for Marcus Stoinis to move up to No.3 and perhaps give Alex Carey another opportunity after he was dropped for Wade in England. The attack may well be unchanged with no need to risk Hazlewood who missed Sunday’s match with back soreness.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch/D’Arcy Short, 2 Matthew Wade, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Moises Henriques, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Sean Abbott, 8 Daniel Sams, 9 Mitchell Swepson, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 AJ TyeIndia have no reason to make a change unless anyone needs a rest before the Test series. There is no need for India to play Shami or Bumrah and both could get an extended break to prepare themselves for their Test workloads.India (possible) 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

The SCG has produced runs, runs, and more runs in this series and it is unlikely that much will change on Tuesday. Conditions will be very mild and possibly cool on Tuesday with a southerly change bringing a strong wind that may affect bowling and batting tactics at certain stages.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have been whitewashed twice in three-match T20I series: once by India and once by Pakistan
• The second T20I was the highest-rating cricket match on Australian subscription television – beating the record set last weekend with the second ODI.

Quotes

“We haven’t probably finished with the ball as well as we wanted over the last couple of games but we are playing good T20 cricket. We have good players, unfortunately, we didn’t have guys like Starc and Hazlewood last night which will hurt any team, but on the flip side it’s a real positive that guys are getting experience at international level.”
Matthew Wade