England’s women struck an early psychological blow ahead of Sunday’s tri-series final at Chelmsford, by easing to an seven-wicket victory

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-20182:13

Knight delighted with impressive England win ahead of final

England 130 for 3 (Taylor 51, Sciver 38*) beat New Zealand 129 (Devine 52, Shrubsole 3-16) by seven wickets
ScorecardEngland’s women struck an early psychological blow ahead of Sunday’s tri-series final at Chelmsford, by easing to an seven-wicket victory over their fellow finalists, New Zealand, in a low-key dress rehearsal at Bristol.Much like the England-Belgium World Cup fixture taking place at the same time as this match, there was rather less at stake than might have been anticipated beforehand, thanks to New Zealand’s earlier dispatching of South Africa, a result that confirmed the identity of the finalists.And in a further parallel with Kaliningrad, both sides rang the changes with a view to broadening the squad’s experience, but it was a familiar set of names who put the seal on England’s win.Anya Shrubsole starred with the ball, grabbing the key early wicket of Suzie Bates for a duck, en route to figures of 3 for 16. But Sarah Taylor and Nat Sciver broke the back of a sub-par target of 130 with a third-wicket stand of 81, before Heather Knight joined Sciver to wrap up the match with 4.1 overs to spare.Taylor, who dropped an early catch off the pacey left-armer Katie George, resumed normal service with yet another leg-side stumping, this time off Sciver, before easing to a 35-ball half-century, with seven fours. She had scarcely a moment of alarm until she herself was stumped off a fine googly from Amelia Kerr, a crafty piece of bowling that earned the teenager an appreciative clap from the outgoing batsman.New Zealand’s only real hope had come early in the chase when Jess Watkin struck twice in her first seven balls to extract both openers, Danni Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont, to similar inside-out drives to mid-off.But ultimately New Zealand paid the price for a lop-sided innings in which Sophie Devine, the opener, was also the last out, for a battling 52 from 45 balls. Beyond her, however, only Amy Satterthwaite offered much long-term resistance with 37 from 26, but she was trapped by a full-length inswinger to become a richly deserved maiden wicket for George.Thereafter England’s spinners, Sophie Ecclestone and Danni Hazell, ripped through the lower order. Ecclestone suffered a scare in the field as she twisted her ankle after throwing the ball in from the outfield, but she returned to the fray after a brief break for treatment.

CSA officals’ meetings with the Global T20 owners in Dubai and Mumbai haven’t produced concrete results, with the owners saying their statuses have still not been clarified

Firdose Moonda13-Aug-2018Cricket South Africa’s board will be asked to reconsider its equity deal with SuperSport for a new T20 league after meetings between officials and T20 Global League franchise owners last week. The owners collectively reserved their rights to teams and want the 49% share SuperSport currently holds to be handed over to them. The four CSA representatives who met with the owners – CEO Thabang Moroe, acting COO Naasei Appiah and board members Louis von Zeuner and Iqbal Khan – told owners they will revert to them in 10 days, after consulting with the board.This follows four days of heated meetings in Dubai and Mumbai in which CSA was asked to clarify the owners’ statuses, something one owner told ESPNcricinfo CSA failed to do. “They did not have any answers for us,” Hiren Bhanu, owner of the Pretoria Mavericks said. “But they did tell us that the deal with SuperSport is not finalised, has not been signed and no terms are agreed.”Bhanu intends to seek an interdict against CSA to stop any new league from going ahead, while other owners are also considering legal action. In June, three other owners – the Durban Qalandars, the Bloemfontein City Blazers and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars – said they would take CSA to court but haven’t followed up on that threat yet. The owners do not merely want CSA to return their deposits of USD 250,000 and for CSA to cover expenses they incurred in setting up the league, some of which amount to millions of dollars, but are demanding a stake in the league, even though CSA has changed the competition’s format and ownership model.Later on Monday evening, Kausar Rana Resources, the owners of the Qalandars franchise, sent out a statement claiming that they had neither asked for nor received any refund of their deposit.”We wish to reiterate and clarify our position that KRR has not requested, at any stage, for our deposit to be refunded. Since no request was made by us for the refund, none was received,” the statement said, quoting Qalandars CEO Sameen Rana. “As a primary stakeholder and owner of a franchise that has made a huge investment in the South African league, we are totally committed towards participating in CSA’s T20 event.”(I)n view of this commitment, our deposit is still with CSA and we expect them to respect and acknowledge all our rights, but should CSA renege on the signed agreements, then we will reserve all our rights.”Qalandars met with the CSA delegation in Dubai and we, once again, impressed upon them our position in the most clearest of terms. We are unequivocal that in any future event, our rights must be respected and that Qalandars must be a participating team in the T20 league.”In June, nine months after the postponement of the inaugural edition of the GLT20, CSA announced it had entered into a deal with private broadcaster SuperSport for a new T20 league, to replace the GLT20. SuperSport also holds the broadcast rights for all cricket played in South Africa and all South Africa’s series abroad. The owners of the GLT20 teams have separately said they regarded CSA’s actions with SuperSport as going behind the owners’ backs to sell a property which the owners already have a claim on.The only detail of that new league was revealed at the end of last month when Moroe announced the board had approved a six-team format, two fewer than the original GLT20, and that venues would have to bid for a team. The original GLT20 owners were not part of the new league, though CSA obliquely mentioned they may consider their involvement at a later stage.That explanation has never placated the owners , who consider themselves to have a stake in a T20 league – of any name – played in South Africa, which is what they are willing to fight CSA over. Seven of the eight owners – all except the Cape Town Knight Riders who excused themselves from the meetings last week – want first option to buy into a new league, given their involvement in the previous one.A ninth party, Osman Osman, the minority-shareholder owner of the Mavericks, has brought separate legal action against CSA demanding an explanation of why it offered him R 400,000 (USD 28,128) as a “gesture of goodwill”. Effectively, Osman Osman wants to force CSA into a position from which it will have to disclose its legal obligations to all owners involved in the botched GLT20.When asked for comment, a CSA spokesperson said the organisation would not make any media statements until the CEO meets with the board. “Unfortunately there will be no comment from CSA regarding these matters as the Chief Executive has not met with the board. Once he has, CSA will assess what the feedback is from them and communicate through our media channels.”GMT 1740 The story was updated to include the Durban Qalandars statement.

While looking to shore up his bowling and find a place in Australia’s squad for their upcoming tour of the UAE, he also wants to work on his batting skills and be able to slot in anywhere in the order

Sruthi Ravindranath25-Aug-2018Ashton Agar wants to be as good as he can at everything. He wants to be adaptable, to be able to pad up at any time for his side, and be the floater who can go bang from the first ball.Agar introduced himself to the world in 2013 as a 19-year-old left-arm spinner who smacked a 98 on Test debut, while batting at No. 11, on an Ashes tour. His career didn’t quite take off from there as expected. He has played only 26 international games so far, and has only become a limited-overs regular in recent times.Agar found a place in the ODI side that toured England in June, as one of two main spinners along with Nathan Lyon. While the series was catastrophic for an Australia side that was well below full strength, Agar was one of the few players who came out of it with something to smile about. While the rest of the batting order floundered, Agar, at No. 7, was Australia’s second-highest scorer in the first two ODIs, slamming quick forties in both games. And in a series where England made the highest ODI total of all time, he was one of only three Australian bowlers to concede less than six runs an over.On Saturday, in the match against South Africa A in Bengaluru, Agar walked in with five balls left in the innings, with Australia A 304 for 5. He faced just four balls, and hit one four and two sixes to finish on 17 not out. Later, he was instrumental in repelling a spirited South Africa A chase, taking 1 for 36 in his ten overs.In his side’s defeat to India A on Thursday, Agar top-scored with a 40-ball 34 after coming in at 76 for 5. He went after Mohammed Siraj, who had been the Australians’ chief tormentor, hitting five fours off him.”I think it’s important for me to come in and go from ball one like today,” Agar said after the win against South Africa A. “I love batting just as much as I love bowling, and I’m trying to be as good as I can in everything.”In the final of the Trans-Tasman T20I tri-series against New Zealand earlier this year, Australia pushed Agar up to No. 3, but the promotion did not work as planned, and he was out stumped for 2. He was brought up to No. 5 in the fourth ODI against England in the ill-fated series in June, and he made a 15-ball 19 in the midst of another middle-order collapse.”When I was with Middlesex [playing the Vitality Blast] last month, I was working in the nets on six-hitting, and to come in and try and finish an innings,” Agar said, when asked if he sees himself capable of batting anywhere in the order. “For me it’s really important for my batting to be adaptable so I can be used in any situation.”Agar made a Test comeback after four years in the two Tests in Bangladesh last year as a second frontline spinner behind Nathan Lyon. He picked up seven wickets at an average of 23.14, but perhaps the highlight of his tour was his unbeaten 41 in the first Test, which helped Australia claw back from 124 for 7 to an eventual first-innings total of 217.With Australia’s full tour of the UAE, to play Pakistan, approaching, Agar is back in the reckoning as a spin option – as an allrounder with a decent amount of experience, both with the Test side and Australia A, in Asia.”Personally, it’s a big series for me to try and push my case to go to the UAE. To be honest, I haven’t thought much about UAE,” Agar said. “It’s worked nicely for me that way the last couple of years. I think just to bowl well in these conditions and try and formulate some good plans against good players of spin will be important if I do get picked.”

The two familiar Somerset figures who batted for the bulk of the day at Trent Bridge had plenty on their mind

David Hopps at Trent Bridge24-Sep-2018
ScorecardThe two familiar Somerset figures who batted for the bulk of the day at Trent Bridge had plenty on their mind. James Hildreth’s spritely hundred was a response to England rejection whereas Marcus Trescothick has once again felt the love and loyalty from his beloved Somerset and is musing on whether this time it should go unrequited.The West Country has become used to an England side without Hildreth; with every year his chances of winning recognition lessen. He might only be two years older than Joe Denly, summoned for the tour of Sri Lanka at 32, and he might have a superior first-class average, but it is opening batsmen – or theoretical opening batsmen – that England need.But a Somerset side without Trescothick? The apple orchards would drop their produce in sorrow, Wells Cathedral’s 14th century clock would run backwards in the hope of reversing time and hikers would sit at the top of Glastonbury Tor and feel that the walk back down was more than they could be bothered with. Surely, as long as another contract is on offer, it is unthinkable?Trescothick, now 42, does have a one-year contract on the table, issued as automatically as a space in the car park, but reports that he has signed it have been premature. With the end of the season will come his decision and all of Somerset hopes for “yes”. But a pair in his last match against Surrey at Taunton, inflicted by the latest county to end Somerset’s dreams of a first Championship title, was hardly designed to sharpen his appetite.An assured half-century on a benign pitch against a Nottinghamshire side fading to the finishing line will have provided some reassurance that he has more to give. It promised to give Somerset much the better of the opening day, but Harry Gurney hit back well with 5 for 66 (Hildreth, Lewis Gregory and Steve Davies all mopped up after tea) as Notts chased the five bonus points that, even allowing for Lancashire heroics in Southampton, would ensure them of Division One survival.Trescothick surpassed Harold Gimblett’s record of most Somerset first-class centuries last season, but has still to pass his runs. His team ethic runs too deep, though, to stay on if he feels the next generation can do better.A demanding season has yielded only one Championship century, against Lancashire, and even then it came with a broken foot as he approached the landmark. He did well to battle back from that, and looked unruffled enough in making 71 from 141 balls, all his 11 boundaries stroked through the off side, but he was visibly frustrated by his dismissal in mid-afternoon as his balance was awry and an inviting drive offered up by Gurney, at the start of a new spell, flew to extra cover where Ben Duckett held a low catch to his right.Hildreth, dropped at slip by Steven Mullaney off the offspinner Matt Carter on 30, passed 1000 first-class runs this year on 48 and stayed on to make 137 from 203 balls, stronger through the off side, and nimble enough on his feet to pick off Carter – who is slower than most spinners on the county circuit – pretty much as he pleased. A square cut against Luke Fletcher brought up another hundred that will lie at the bottom of the ECB In Tray. Gurney finally silenced an innings of burgeoning ambition from around the wicket as he pushed loosely at one outside off stump. He probably felt he had earned such liberties by then.It was a strange Trent Bridge day: little sign of movement off the pitch or in the air and an offspinner wheeling away by lunch. Carter had played more of his Championship matches on the ground of his opponents (three) than he had in Nottingham (this was his first), but he did have one wicket to mark this strange phenomenon – Tom Abell pushing forward to be caught at first slip.There was a Nottinghamshire connection for Somerset’s opener, Tom Banton, who was playing his second Championship match. His innings soon ended when he fell lbw to Luke Wood, but that a gentle thud on the pad on a sedate pitch was a gentler way to go than that experienced by his father, Colin Banton, in the last of his seven first-class matches for Nottinghamshire in his only season in 1995, as Allan Donald struck him on the forearm during a particularly fiery spell on a Trent Bridge green top and he retired hurt before he had scored.

Imalka Mendis and Anushka Sanjeewani have been left out from the squad that played India last month

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2018Sri Lanka have named a largely unchanged side to the one that lost at home to India last month. They made just two changes to the 15-member squad for November’s Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean.Oshadi Ranasinghe and Inoshi Fernando, who were out of the initial squad to face India only to be included midway through the series, have been retained. Ranasinghe picked up four wickets across the final two games in that series and scored a brisk 22 in the final T20I, while offspinner Fernando picked up three wickets in the same game.Imalka Mendis, who was named in the squad to face India but failed to play a game, made way, as did batsman Anushka Sanjeewani. The team will be led by Chamari Atapattu, whose century in the final ODI against India had given Sri Lanka their first win over their neighbours in over five years.Sri Lanka begin their campaign with warm-up games against New Zealand and Ireland on November 5 and 8 respectively, before facing England on November 10 in their tournament opener.Full squad: Chamari Atapattu (Captain), Yasoda Mendis, Shashikala Siriwardene, Eshani Lokusuriyage, Hasini Perera, Ama Kanchana, Rebeca Vandort, Dilani Manodara, Nilakshi De Silva, Sripali Weerakkody, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Inoshi Fernando. Standby list: Imalka Mendis, Anushka Sanjeewani, Nipuni Hansika, Harshitha Madavi, Inoka Ranaweera

Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel has been added to the New Zealand ODI squad along with George Worker and Lockie Ferguson

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2018Corey Anderson has been ruled out of the one-day series against Pakistan while legspinner Todd Astle is doubtful as injuries trouble New Zealand in the UAE.Anderson is heading home with a heel problem which kept him out of the final T20I and Astle has picked up a knee “irritation” and is certainly out of the first ODI, with his participation in the rest of the series in doubt. Astle is also part of the Test squad for the three-match series.Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who made his T20I debut in Abu Dhabi, has been added to the one-day squad to cover for Astle. Batsman George Worker and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson have also been added to the group to fill the vacant spots left when the squad was originally selected.

New Zealand ODI squad

Kane Williamson, Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, George Worker

“Todd’s made good progress over the past couple of days and with his involvement in both the ODI and Test squads; we’re keen to give him every chance to be right,” said New Zealand coach Gary Stead. “It does present another opportunity for Ajaz. He’s impressed us during the UAE tour so far and we have full confidence he can do a job for this team in the 50-over format.”For Anderson there will be frustration that his return to the ODI set-up for the first time since the 2017 Champions Trophy has been aborted. He has endured a lengthy recovery from back problems and recently announced he would be focusing purely on white-ball cricket ahead of the World Cup. He had started to increase his bowling workloads during the New Zealand A series in the UAE last month but wasn’t used with the ball in the T20Is.His next chance for an ODI return will now be the series against Sri Lanka which starts on January 3.Trent Boult and Matt Henry also come into the squad for the one-day series having not been part of the T20Is meaning New Zealand have a strong selection of pace bowlers.Worker, who made his ODI debut in 2015 but has only played seven matches, will be vying for the berth at the top of order created by Martin Guptill’s absence.

He finished with 3 for 74; he got through 15 overs in the day at full tilt, exceeding his average number of overs per innings in the Ranji Trophy

Ankur Dhawan at the Wankhede Stadium14-Dec-2018With the jury still out on India’s decision to field an all-pace attack in Perth, one man who could have arguably helped the balance of the side hit his straps from the get-go upon returning from a back injury suffered during the Asia Cup. While the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium for the Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Baroda was never likely to bear any serious resemblance to the one in Perth, it had a deceptive tinge of green, only revealing its true colours a little later.Perhaps hoodwinked by that early impression, Baroda captain Kedar Devdhar opted to bowl, handing Hardik Pandya the new ball – only the eighth such instance for Pandya in the Ranji Trophy – and giving him a field more attacking than the one India had to kick off the second session in Perth: two slips, a gully and even a short leg, as compared to India’s two slips and a gully for Umesh Yadav after lunch.Prior to his return for the clash against Mumbai, Pandya was clear about his goals; testing himself through the course of four days in order to be considered for the third and the fourth Test was priority. While first impressions, as Devdhar found out with the Wankhede pitch, cannot always be trusted, Pandya showed no discernible discomfort. In fact, whatever little assistance the surface offered, Pandya extracted it expertly in his first two spells, justifying at least the decision to be given the new ball.Pandya struck twice for Baroda within the first hour, and could have had another 40 minutes before lunch had a diving Yusuf Pathan clung onto a chance to his right at second slip in the 22nd over. Preceding that, Pandya made the ball wobble off the seam both ways to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of openers Aditya Tare and debutant Vikrant Auti.Off just his second delivery, he teased Tare’s outside edge, squaring him up with one that jagged away belatedly. In the same over, he induced an outside edge from the left-handed Auti that went between second slip and gully. The final ball of the first over shaped back in nicely but was let through uncertainly by Auti. It was not too dissimilar to the ball that eventually accounted for the debutant, as he shouldered arms to one that cut back off the seam and reared disconcertingly off a length to kiss the top glove on the way to the keeper. The difficulty in negotiating it was perhaps compounded by the fact that Pandya had delivered it from wide of the crease, an angle from a right-armer that usually pushes the ball wide off the left-handers’ off stump.Soon after, he pinned Tare lbw with a full inducker, as the batsman erred in playing across the line. His figures when he finished the first spell of six overs read 2 for 21, a fair reflection of how well he had bowled. His second spell was no less incisive as he cranked it up, testing not just Shreyas Iyer and Siddhesh Lad but also his back. First over back into the attack, he had Lad fending at one awkwardly, that took the shoulder of the bat and lobbed over the slips. At that stage, Iyer and Lad – the beneficiary of the dropped chance – who went on to get fine centuries had started tearing into the Baroda attack, except Pandya still had them poking and prodding tentatively, evidenced by another delivery in the same over that squared Iyer up, just before Lad’s costly let-off.Pandya returned for two more spells, a short two-over burst post lunch, and his fourth with the second new ball, in which he had Shivam Dube bowled through the gate with an inswinger. Although a bit of inconsistency had crept into his bowling by then, shown by a high economy rate of nearly five runs per over, he could not be faulted for the intensity with which he ran in all day. He finished with 3 for 74 his reward, however, was more intangible in nature: in that he got through 15 overs in the day at full tilt, exceeding his average number of overs per innings in the Ranji Trophy.

Ishant had missed out on two wickets in Adelaide because he had over-stepped, but the no-balls not called on the field have also attracted scrutiny

Sidharth Monga in Perth13-Dec-20180:44

Ishant will be obsessed about not bowling a no-ball again – Kohli

The role of the host broadcaster has come into sharp focus in the aftermath of the Adelaide Test. Ishant Sharma is now a marked man, and he spent a major part of the nets session a day before the Perth Test trying to get his rhythm right when bowling from well behind the popping crease.In the final innings in Adelaide, Ishant got close to getting two wickets off no-balls. One of them was given on the field, but Ishant was found to have overstepped on the DRS review. Later, during the final day, the umpire called a rare no-ball on the field when it looked like Ishant had trapped Nathan Lyon plumb in front. However, it was the no-balls that were missed that has put the scanner on Ishant. On air, Ricky Ponting pointed out four no-balls missed in one particular over.Between the Tests, has accessed footage that claims Ishant overstepped 16 times in the first innings alone. The report doesn’t mention corresponding figures for any other bowler, from India or Australia. Ishant, though, was the only bowler called for overstepping in the Adelaide Test, five times in all, on replay or not. During a particularly intense nets session two days before the Adelaide Test, it was observed neither side was too strict on policing no-balls in the nets.The end result is Ishant working on his run-up to make sure he doesn’t overstep. Experts feel it can’t be easy to do that in one training session, but that is something that just has to be done. And it didn’t take the discovery of uncalled no-balls for Ishant to think seriously about the problem. Even when India won the first Test, captain Virat Kohli said Ishant was the only one not celebrating.
ALSO READ: Kohli reveals how the no-balls ‘pissed off’ Ishant
“We were all celebrating but he was really really angry with himself and we asked him why and he said, ‘I cannot afford to bowl a no-ball being a senior guy and having played so much cricket’,” Kohli said after the Adelaide Test. “That could have been the difference at a more important stage in the series. Guys take ownership of those things but they can commit mistakes. As long as the attitude is right, we look to correct those mistakes. So this incident that has happened, I am sure Ishant is going to be obsessed about not doing it again.”Ishant spent time with B Arun, the bowling coach, standing as the umpire trying to maintain the same rhythm, energy and intensity with a new run-up. He bowled in a net without a batsman and at a single stump. Every time he landed well behind the popping crease. Arun kept a close eye on how well he was bowling. He seemed happy with what he saw, and the stint ended with Ishant high-fiving Arun.”He himself was very keen to rectify it, so I don’t think it was something that needed to be spoken about again and again,” an impressed Kohli said on the eve of the Perth Test. “He is a responsible cricketer, and he has been around for so long and he understands what needs to be corrected as all of us do in the team. So there is no need to repeat it again. He knows the problem, and he is keen to rectify it in this game.”The pressure will be on for both the on-field umpires and Ishant, but if he has successfully rectified the problem it might save both the trouble.Meanwhile, Australia captain Tim Paine was glad the issue had been raised. “It’s not something that we can control,” Paine said. “Having said that, I am glad that it has been brought up and it has certainly been spoken about. I don’t think it is a great look for the game when things like that are happening. You put your trust in the people who are in those jobs to control it and hopefully they police it really well in this game.”I spoke to them [the umpires] during one of the days really quickly because I was watching the telecast in the change-room, just to get an idea of whether they were communicating to the umpires in the middle which they said they were. What I do know is that it is not an easy job. They are standing two or three metres away and the guys are running in fast and it all happens so quickly. So I think as long as we are aware of it and we are looking at solutions that can help that process, then I am all for it but I hope this Test match it is used a little better.”

Melbourne Renegades completed a defence of 152 to defeat the Sydney Thunder – one of their nearest rivals on the competition table – by 12 runs in Sydney

The Report by Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2019Melbourne Renegades solidified their place in the Big Bash League top four with a stout defence of 152 to defeat the Sydney Thunder – one of their nearest rivals on the competition table – by 12 runs in a defensive affair at the Sydney Showground Stadium.The visiting captain, Aaron Finch, made a vital half-century, not only for the Renegades but his own peace of mind after a difficult summer, and with assistance from Cameron White was able to lift the Melbourne side to a defensible total on a somewhat sluggish pitch.In the chase, Callum Ferguson appeared to have given the Thunder a strong chance to chase down their target, but his dismissal amid an admirably tight spell by Cameron Boyce – who had been unsuccessfully promoted to open with Finch – left the young batsman Jason Sangha unable to summon the big hits required to finish off the job.Finch begins finding himselfOver a summer in which he graduated into, then flunked out of, the Australian Test team, Finch has seemed to get increasingly frazzled by the array of formats and tasks confronting him, to the point that his role as the national limited-overs captain in a World Cup year has become in danger of being affected. At the conclusion of the ODI series against India, the Australian coach Justin Langer expressed hope that Finch would regain some equilibrium via the BBL.A halting stay worth only 14 in the Melbourne Derby was not exactly promising, but against the Thunder Finch was able to get himself going in the sort of manner he will hope to make a habit of over the next six months or more. Though the Renegades started off with the experimental presence of Cameron Boyce at the top of the order alongside Finch, the captain was able to build into an innings of confidence and some heavy hitting that reaped four sixes while not giving a chance until he fell to Sandhu. It’s a long way from the World Cup final, but it’s a start.Sams, Sandhu keep Renegades in checkAt 3 for 116 in the 16th over, the Renegades had successfully absorbed the loss of early wickets and also a parsimonious spell by Fawad Ahmed to appear set for a late ransacking of runs. However, Sandhu’s fooling of Finch with a slower ball was to set the scene for a twist in the innings, as Sandhu and Sams put the clamps on by claiming regular wickets.White’s innings of 40, featuring 14 cuffed from one over from Chris Jordan, ensured the Renegades did not lose all momentum, but three wickets apiece for Sandhu and Sams had the Thunder looking confident at the innings break.Ferguson sets things upDuring a long career that might have featured more international cricket but for a terribly timed knee injury in 2009, Ferguson has proven himself to be an expert at the sorts of modulated, balanced innings critical to white-ball success. Coming in at the fall of Anton Devcich in the very first over, pouched at third man, Ferguson shrugged off the loss of the powerful Shane Watson shortly after to appear to set up the Thunder for a fruitful chase.His stand with Jason Sangha relied upon Ferguson finding the boundary with some regularity, and when Sangha advanced to dispatch Boyce inside-out over cover in the 13th over, the partnership appeared set to enter another gear. That, though, was to reckon without Boyce.Boyce holds the Renegades centreDiscarded by Tasmania and unwanted by Queensland after the Bulls chose to move on to the younger Mitchell Swepson, Boyce has proven an excellent acquisition by the Renegades as a willing wristspinner who has found an artful balance between defence and attack. His spell to the Thunder rather summed this up, as he conceded only a single boundary in four overs.At the same time he was able to coax Ferguson into a blow that fell fractionally short of the long-on boundary and into the hands of a jumping Dan Christian, leaving Sangha to fight an ultimately losing battle with his own timing and boundary-scoring as the Renegades squeaked their way to victory.

With the 2019 World Cup being a no-go zone, the focus for Associate countries has shifted to T20 cricket, with an eye on the ultimate aim of qualifying for the T20 World Cup

Peter Della Penna12-Feb-2019The T20 World Cup Global Qualifier may be eight months away, but three sides who will be at that event are getting away from the European winter with an eye towards ramping up their preparation in their quest to secure a spot at next year’s main event in Australia.The 2019 World Cup becoming a no-go zone for Associates has resulted in a shift in focus to the T20 World Cup, which at least has kept the door ajar for emerging nations to have a crack at Full Member countries on the widest platform possible.Here’s a primer on each side ahead of the T20I Quadrangular series that begins on Wednesday at the Oman Cricket Academy.Scotland (ICC T20I ranking – 11th)Coming off their victory in the T20I tri-series held in Netherlands last June combined with their status as the highest ranked side in Oman, Scotland are arguably the favourites on paper. However, they also arrive having the longest layoff, with their last official match taking place on June 20 against Netherlands in the tri-series finale. In the interim, they’ve been building up to this series with a one-week winter training camp in La Manga, Spain.George Munsey’s tri-series tally of 204 runs at 51 concluded with 71 off 34 balls in that encounter, the highest T20I score by an Associate player in 2018, in what was also Scotland’s highest ever T20I total of 221 for 4. Calum MacLeod, who scored 140* off 96 balls in an ODI win against England earlier that month, faced exactly one ball in that romp over the Netherlands, highlighting the depth in firepower. Matthew Cross and Richie Berrington also passed 50 in that record score against the Dutch in a bulky batting line-up led by captain Kyle Coetzer.On the bowling side, Safyaan Sharif has made incredible strides over the last three years to arguably become the leader of the attack. Young left-arm spinner Hamza Tahir’s emergence will help lessen the pressure on the left-right spin combo of Mark Watt and Michael Leask in favourable slow-bowling conditions in Oman.Fred Klaassen gets high-fived by captain Pieter Seelaar after taking a key wicket•Peter Della Penna

Netherlands (ICC T20I ranking – 13th)The Dutch have a beefed up squad compared to the group that finished second on home soil to Scotland, as Ryan ten Doeschate enters the side fresh off a successful stint in the Bangladesh Premier League with Rajshahi Kings. Yet even without ten Doeschate last home summer, Netherlands managed to beat Ireland twice in the tri-series thanks to superb all-round contributions from captain Pieter Seelaar and some fiery starts by Tobias Visee and Max O’Dowd.Like Scotland, it’s a sign of increased depth giving the selectors a good headache they haven’t had in a long time as Wesley Barresi now has the option of playing as a specialist batsman with Scott Edwards taking over the gloves, while Visee and O’Dowd give options to consider at the top of the order alongside Stephan Myburgh.On the bowling front, left-arm medium pacer Fred Klaassen’s excellent ODI series against Nepal in August means he may be hard to leave out in spite of the established group of fast bowlers led by Paul van Meekeren, Timm van der Gugten and Shane Snater. Roelof van der Merwe and Seelaar form a potent left-arm spinning combo, making it hard to find a weakness in an increasingly strong side.Oman (ICC T20I ranking – 17th)The tournament hosts have played T20Is sparingly since securing status at Malahide during the 2015 T20 World Cup Qualifier. But when they have, they’ve made plenty of noise. It was at that tournament that they beat Afghanistan by 40 runs. They showed it was hardly a fluke when they beat Ireland the following March in front of a global audience during the opening round of the T20 World Cup at Dharamsala.With the exception of an agonising loss to UAE at WCL Division Two in Namibia last February that effectively eliminated them from moving forward to the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, Oman have hardly taken a step back since that seminal win over Ireland. In 50-over cricket, they are coming off an undefeated run on home soil this past November to win WCL Division Three while the country showcased their depth in T20 cricket this past weekend by virtue of two victories by an Omani Development XI over the touring Ireland side.While they don’t have the depth of other teams, Bilal Khan is one of the most menacing pace bowlers on the Associate circuit and can swing it both ways at 140 kph. Along with the awkward bounce posed by 6’5″ Kaleemullah, Oman’s new-ball attack poses enough problems to keep opponents off balance.Ireland (ICC T20I ranking – 18th)Gary Wilson’s medically-mandated absence has thrust Paul Stirling into the role of stand-in captain on tour as Ireland aim to end a five-match winless streak in T20Is including a tie to Scotland and a pair of series losses at home to India and Afghanistan. After years of opening alongside William Porterfield, the team management tried Kevin O’Brien at the top of the order with Stirling in the pair of losses to the Omani Development side. Though the result was disastrous in the first match, the duo produced 100 runs between them in the second match to demonstrate that it’s an experiment worth persisting with.The tour is shaping up as an opportunity, with 22-year-old Lorcan Tucker one of the young talents to emerge. He scored a century and a fifty in five one-day innings during the recent Ireland Wolves tour of Sri Lanka to create competition for the wicketkeeper spot with Stuart Poynter. Wolves captain Harry Tector was the only other Ireland player to score a century in the one-day series and at just 19 is coming along at just the right time in a side that is desperate to fill the runs that have been lost through the retirements of players such as Ed Joyce, Niall O’Brien and John Mooney.On the bowling side, Boyd Rankin provides veteran leadership in the pace unit. Joshua Little, the 19-year-old left-arm fast bowler, was one of the few to come out with his reputation enhanced following the pair of warm-up losses to the Omanis by taking three wickets at an excellent economy rate of 4.86. Under spinning conditions in Oman, it would not be surprising to see Ireland field a trio with George Dockrell, Andy McBrine and allrounder Simi Singh, whose performances were a silver lining in the tri-series defeats last summer.