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Dhaka Dynamites, banking on pure power hitting and a sensational trio of spin bowlers, reached the 2017 BPL final with a 95-run win over Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Dhaka Dynamites, banking on pure power hitting and a sensational trio of spin bowlers, reached the 2017 BPL final with a 95-run win over Comilla Victorians in the first qualifier in Mirpur.Evin Lewis gave them the perfect start with the bat, top scoring with 47 before Kieron Pollard and Shahid Afridi powered them to 191 for 7 in 20 overs. Comilla’s bowlers suffered greatly, except for Hasan Ali who took 3 for 16.Comilla’s hopes of chasing their target were extinguished quickly – they were six down inside 10 overs – and were eventually bowled out for 96. Afridi, Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine presented combined figures of 10-2-44-6.Dhaka now await the winner of Sunday’s second qualifier between Comilla and Rangpur Riders.Lewis revs Dhaka up earlyLewis, who survived a close leg-before shout in the first over, started off with three fours in the third over. Lewis hit Mahedi Hasan for two sixes in the sixth over, and a third off Shoaib Malik, all over long off. With Lewis off to a flyer, Dhaka were quicker to get off the blocks in the qualifier.Malik, however, had the last laugh, dismissing Lewis in the ninth over. Lewis had struck six fours and three sixes in his 32-ball effort before he was bowled. Joe Denly and Lewis added 69 runs for the second wicket, thereby building a perfect base for the oncoming big-hitters.Sixes galore from Afridi, PollardWhile Denly manned one end, Pollard and Afridi ripped into the Comilla bowlers from the other. Pollard struck three sixes – straight, over cover and over square leg – in his 18-ball 31. Afridi hacked four sixes in his 19-ball 30, hitting two slog sweeps, a pull and a swipe over long off.Dhaka spinners break Comilla’s backLiton Das drove back to Mosaddek Hossain in the first over of Comilla’s chase to start poorly. Shakib then bowled Jos Buttler for 5 after the Englishman missed a cut after backing away too much. Imrul Kayes was Mosaddek’s second wicket when the ball stayed low to go beneath his bat. And soon after, Abu Hider had Marlon Samuels caught behind and Comilla slipped far too quickly inside the Powerplay.Afridi’s double-wicket maidenIn the 10th over, Afridi struck twice: he dismissed Tamim Iqbal and Dwayne Bravo to reduce Comilla to 55 for 6. They had lost three wickets in a space of ten balls without adding a single run. Tamim made 31 off 28 balls, and was stumped trying to add a second six to his name. Off the over’s fifth ball, Bravo was adjudged lbw for a duck, trapped right in front of middle stump.Comilla surrender meeklyWickets came thick and fast for Dhaka towards the end. Mohammad Saifuddin was run out, caught short of the crease when he tried for a second run with Malik, who himself fell in the 13th over. Narine took a second wicket before Afridi added his third, as Comilla’s surrender was complete with the team all for their lowest BPL score ever.

Three-time champions Leicestershire got their latest NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a flyer by beating Lancashire at Liverpool, chasing down 174 off the last ball

ECB Reporters Network09-Jul-2017
ScorecardJos Buttler was one of two big scalps for Callum Parkinson [file picture]•Associated Press

Three-time champions Leicestershire got their latest NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a flyer by beating Lancashire at Liverpool, chasing down 174 off the last ball.The Foxes have not qualified out of the North Group since their last success in 2011.But they will be more confident of doing so this year having upset Lancashire by three wickets as Colin Ackermann led the way with a measured 62 not out off 41 balls.The South African even hit the last ball of the match for six with two needed.The Lightning, who won their opener at Durham on Friday, posted 173 for 9, having been invited to bat, with Liam Livingstone hitting 48 off 33 balls and Jos Buttler 39 off 21.They shared 72 in 6.1 overs for the fourth wicket, but visiting captain Clint McKay impressed with 3 for 29 as Lancashire struggled in the second half of their innings.Lancashire lost three wickets in the power play, including McKay getting Arron Lilley and Steven Croft in the space of two balls in the fifth to leave the score 40 for three.Pinch-hitter Lilley had hit 30 off 17 balls from number three, but Livingstone and Buttler shared 72 in 6.1 overs for the fourth wicket, both hitting two sixes, to really get things going on a glorious Merseyside day.Buttler hit his third ball over long-on off former Red Rose Academy graduate Callum Parkinson, the left-arm spinning twin of Lancashire’s Matt.Parkinson then got both Buttler and Livingstone, caught at long-off and stumped respectively, to spark the Foxes fightback.All-rounder Danny Lamb pulled Gavin Griffiths for six in the 17th over, but that was the only boundary from midway through the 13th as Lancashire fell from 112 for 3.McKay, an expert when it comes to change of pace, only conceded five off the last over as the Lightning tail failed to regain earlier momentum.The Foxes chase got off to the perfect start as Luke Ronchi lofted the first ball from off-spinner Lilley for a straight six, and he shared 42 inside four overs for the first wicket with Cameron Delport.But the pair fell in the space of three balls at the end of the fourth and start of the fifth. Delport drove Lamb (three for 30) to mid-on for 19 and Ronchi was caught at cover for 17 off left-arm spinner Stephen Parry’s first ball as the score fell to 42 for two.Mark Cosgrove, however, hoisted Parry for six at the start of the ninth over as he and Ackermann settled quickly and put the Lightning back under pressure with a 61-run stand. They helped reach halfway at 99 for two.Not even the loss of Cosgrove for 34 off 21 – caught at wide long-on off Lamb – Ned Eckersley and Lewis Hill could derail the Foxes, who fell to 128 for five in the 15th.With Ackermann still there on 38, they needed 43 off 30 balls. The contest became much closer than expected with some tight bowling at the death, and the visitors made hard work of six needed off the last from Kyle Jarvis.Mat Pilans was run out off the penultimate ball, leaving two needed. But Ackermann hit the last over cover for his second six to clinch a win which had always looked likely throughout the chase.Lancashire’s captain Steven Croft confirmed that overseas all-rounder Ryan McLaren missed the game with a tight hip flexor, while fellow overseas bowler Junaid Khan should arrive from Pakistan in time for Friday’s Roses clash following visa issues.

Derbyshire put up a much better fight in their second innings and Durham were grateful to their part-time bowlers for a couple of breakthroughts

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2017Luis Reece stood firm for Derbyshire•Getty Images

Luis Reece’s second Specsavers County Championship century of the season kept Derbyshire afloat on the third day of their match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.The former Lancashire left-hander batted until the 73rd over to make 106 as the visitors reached 305 for 6 after following on 316 behind.Derbyshire found conditions more favourable under clearer skies than when they were dismissed for 164 in two sessions in the first innings, and they were also able to take advantage of the absence of Paul Coughlin.The allrounder went for a scan on a side injury and with 18-year-old Matthew Potts unable to replicate the rich promise of his first four appearances Durham lacked resources.He did, however, take his first wicket of the match six overs from the close when he swung one in to have Alex Hughes lbw for 39.There was a period in early afternoon when Reece began to play with almost casual elegance, often stroking the ball straight to fielders. But any hint of lack of application proved misleading as he accumulated patiently to reach his century off 215 balls.He got there by pulling Potts behind square for his 12th four, having been struck on the helmet when trying the same shot on 69. That was a rare moment of discomfort at a time when Potts appeared to have been told to bowl short, which suggested Durham were running short of ideas.They might have been encouraged when two balls from Graham Onions shot along the deck in early afternoon, but there was no repeat on the placid surface.Reece finally pulled Keaton Jennings straight to midwicket and there was a wicket for another occasional bowler when Cameron Steel’s legspin accounted for Wayne Madsen with his third ball.Madsen contributed 48 to a third-wicket stand of 106 before being caught behind by Michael Richardson when attempting to sweep.Good running was a feature of an opening stand of 99, in which Ben Slater made an attractive 57, his first half-century of the season. He was yorked by a ball from offspinner Ryan Pringle, which drifted in to hit the off stump.Then for the second successive day Derbyshire lost a wicket two balls before lunch as Billy Godleman shuffled across and inside edged Chris Rushworth via his box on to the leg stump.Only one wicket fell in the second session, followed by three in the evening. Reece’s exit left Hughes and Matt Critchley to face 16 overs of the new ball, but in the sixth Critchley played back to a ball from Onions which moved in sharply to have him lbw.Hughes was beaten several times and lost his early fluency before Potts snared him to expose a tail which Durham should knock over on the final morning.

The South Africa allrounder talks about his major takeaways from his IPL stint with CSK

Firdose Moonda06-Jun-20223:37

Pretorius: Playing in IPL was one of my bucket list items

Dwaine Pretorius has started to believe he can do anything on a cricket field, thanks to MS Dhoni. After a season with the Chennai Super Kings, and four stints with Dhoni at the crease, Pretorius has had first-hand experience of how to combine calm and confidence to pull off a successful chase.”The biggest thing I learnt from him is how calm he is at the crease and how much he tries to take pressure off himself and put it onto the bowler,” Pretorius said, from India, where South Africa will play India in five T20Is starting on Thursday. “He made me realise that at the death, the batter isn’t under more pressure, it’s actually the bowler that is under more pressure.”As a bowler, you can still lose the match if you have to defend 18 off the last three balls and as a batter you can win it. It was a fresh mindset. He doesn’t get too excited. He doesn’t get too down on himself. Anything is always possible and I love that about him. He is very optimistic. He believes he can do anything.”Pretorius and Dhoni’s most memorable partnership came on April 21, against Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium. Chasing 156, CSK needed 50 runs off 26 balls when Pretorius walked out to bat. He was greeted with a searing yorker from Jasprit Bumrah and went on to hit two fours off the next two times Bumrah tried the delivery. By the time Pretorius was dismissed, CSK needed 17 runs off five balls and Dhoni got them home, with a four off the final delivery.Related

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That match stood out for Pretorius as an example of how Dhoni can take matches deep, and even though Pretorius is not South Africa’s usual batting finisher, he’d be willing to do the job if needed. “I am going to try and bring that into my game: the calmness but also that self-belief that from any position, any game can be won.”But it wasn’t all celebratory at CSK this season. The franchise strung together their worst set of results in their IPL history and finished second from bottom on the points table, having gone into the tournament as defending champions. Despite the disappointing outcome, Pretorius said the mood in the camp did not dampen and they’ve chosen to take the long view as they rebuild following a mega-auction.Dwaine Pretorius fronted up to bowl at the death for Chennai Super Kings in his first IPL season•BCCI

“What was nice about the CSK franchise is that it is very experienced. We all understand that cricket doesn’t always go your way,” Pretorius said. “It’s very important to just take the positives out of a bad season and try and build for a stronger future. It’s all about building for the next year or three years and trying to make sure a bad season is not a complete loss.”He called the CSK environment, “performance based,” where players were “given a lot of responsibility to prepare like you want to, come up with the plans that you believe will work and making sure you execute your plans.”While Pretorius didn’t pick up anything particularly new that he could use in the international T20 game, he made a case for one of the innovations of the IPL – the strategic time-out – to become a more prominent part of fixtures.”I enjoy it quite a bit. I know it makes the game a bit longer but it just splits the game into three parts – the one before, the one in the middle and the one after. It gives each team a moment to assess their strategy and what’s the best way to go forward,” he said. “And it’s about getting the coach – that will always have an objective view from the outside’s opinion as well. It makes the game a bit more liquid and it breaks up momentum.”Primarily, Pretorius is batting for the time-out for the same reason he enjoyed watching Dhoni bat: because it gives anyone an opportunity to make a big play. “Even if you might be out of it for the first few overs, you can always come back into the game after the strategic time out. It just breaks the momentum of either the bowling or the batting team,” he said. “It makes it quite interesting.”

Batsman recalled for three T20s against Afghanistan in June

Mohammad Isam20-May-2018The Bangladesh selectors have recalled batsman Mosaddek Hossain to their T20 squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan next month. He last played T20 internationals last year in Sri Lanka, and this is his first senior call-up since being dropped after the first Test against Sri Lanka in February.

Bangladesh T20 squad

Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Ariful Haque, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nazmul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider, Rubel Hossain, Abu Jayed
In: Mosaddek Hossain
Out: Imrul Kayes, Taskin Ahmed, Nurul Hasan

There was no place for batsman Imrul Kayes, pacer Taskin Ahmed and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan from the squad that played their previous international assignment: the Nidahas Trophy in March. Imrul and Nurul didn’t play a match in the tournament in Sri Lanka while Taskin was below par.Batsman Soumya Sarkar, who made just 50 runs in five innings in the Nidahas Trophy, and seamers Abu Jayed – who didn’t get a game in the Nidahas Trophy – and Abu Hider – who didn’t have an impact in the one game he played – have been retained.”We also had a question about Soumya but the captain [Shakib Al Hasan] and coach [Courtney Walsh] thought that it would be better to add him,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin said.Bangladesh play Afghanistan on June 3, 5 and 7 in Dehradun, in what is the teams’ first-ever bilateral T20 match-up.

While speaking of the respect the team has for Anil Kumble’s achievements as a cricketer, has offered little about the events that led to his resignation as head coach

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20171:44

Sanctity of change room is paramount – Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli, while speaking of the respect the team has for Anil Kumble’s achievements as a cricketer, has offered little about the events that led to Kumble’s resignation as head coach on Tuesday, three days before the start of the limited-overs series in the West Indies.”Anil has expressed his views and taken a decision to step out,” Kohli said at a media briefing in Port-of-Spain, where India play the first ODI against West Indies on Friday. “We all respect that decision. It is something that has happened right after the tournament (Champions Trophy).”Even though he was pressed to reveal the differences with Kumble, Kohli maintained that he could not break the culture of not divulging dressing room details in public. “I’ve had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy… We have created a culture over the last three-four years that whatever happens in the change room, we’ve tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout,” he said. “That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I’ve always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well.”While stepping down as head coach Kumble spoke about the reservations Kohli had with him, but Kohli refused to be drawn into the issue. “It’s his opinion, his point of view which I respect,” Kohli said about Kumble, India’s leading wicket taker in Tests and ODIs, going public with the differences between the two. “I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved for the nation. All the years that he has played. There’s no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally.”On being asked whether Kumble’s approach affected the team (negatively), Kohli didn’t give a direct reply. “Like I said, for me what’s most important is to maintain the sanctity of the change room and what happens in the change room is something that’s very sacred and private to all of us, and something that I would not express in details in a public scenario. As I said, his point of view is out there and we respect that decision.”Hours after resigning as India coach, Kumble said he had been informed for the first time on the same day by the BCCI that “the captain had reservations with my style and about my continuing as head coach”. Kumble, whose contract ended with the Champions Trophy but had been given an extension to take the team to the West Indies, termed his working relationship with Kohli ‘untenable’. He announced his resignation while the squad was flying to the Caribbean.Two days before the Champions Trophy had kicked off in England, it emerged in the media that India captain Kohli had told BCCI officials that some players were uncomfortable with the “intimidating” style of Kumble’s man management. As a result, despite India’s success in Kumble’s year in charge, during which the team climbed to No.1 in the Test rankings, the board advertised for fresh interviews for the head coach’s position instead of extending his contract. Incidentally, Kumble did reapply for the job then.

Delhi Daredevils are second from bottom but have a potent pace attack and will hope they can exploit the movement and bounce that is likely to greet them at Kolkata Knight Riders’ fortress

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro27-Apr-2017

Match facts

Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils
Kolkata, April 28, 2017
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)3:30

Agarkar: Mathews for Rabada to beef up Daredevils’ batting

Head-to-head

This season: Kolkata Knight Riders completed a stunning comeback, from 21 for 3, to chase 169 with one ball to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla. With eight runs required off the last three balls, Manish Pandey struck a six, followed by a bunt into the covers to finish the chase.

Form guide

• Kolkata Knight Riders: beat Rising Pune Supergiant by seven wickets, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 82 runs, lost to Gujarat Lions by four wickets

• Delhi Daredevils: lost to Mumbai Indians by 14 runs, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets

Overall: In 19 games between these two teams, Knight Riders have won 11 times. At the Eden Gardens, Knight Riders have won five of six games, their only loss coming in 2012.

In the news

With Knight Riders moving back to the Eden Gardens, Nathan Coulter-Nile is expected to reclaim his spot in the XI, at Darren Bravo’s expense. Knight Riders are likely to persist with the same bowling combination that demolished Royal Challengers Bangalore for 49.Daredevils signed Marlon Samuels as Quinton de Kock’s replacement, but he is expected to join the squad only on April 29. A relaid surface at Eden Gardens, favouring seam more than spin, could mean Daredevils stick with their overseas combination – Corey Anderson, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Pat Cummins – from their loss against Mumbai Indians.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The likely XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Umesh YadavDelhi Daredevils: 1 Aditya Tare, 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Amit Mishra

Strategy punt

Zaheer Khan has the third-worst economy rate in the IPL this season outside the Powerplay (9.91). In the Powerplay, Zaheer has an economy rate of 6.45 this season, the fourth best among all teams and best for Daredevils. Zaheer has also dismissed Gautam Gambhir six times in the IPL. A mixture of slower balls and his wiles could make him effective against Sunil Narine as well. Zaheer could, therefore, bowl three overs within the Powerplay, leaving their overseas seamers to bowl in the end overs.

Stats that matter

• Sunil Narine has dominated Daredevils’ top order in the IPL. In a combined 56 balls against Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Corey Anderson, he has conceded just 49 runs with three dismissals.
• Chris Morris has been Daredevils’ end-overs specialist with both bat and ball. He has scored 319 runs in just 173 balls in the end overs in the IPL, at a strike rate of 184.39 and an average of 53.16.
  With the ball, he has taken 29 wickets in 36 innings at an economy rate of 8.18.
• Narine has scored 89% of his runs this season in boundaries. He has hit 122 runs of his 137 in fours and sixes.
• Rishabh Pant hits a boundary nearly every two dot balls he faces in the IPL. He has hit 44 boundaries – 28 fours and 16 sixes – and has faced 90 dot balls.
• Robin Uthappa has struggled against Daredevils’ bowlers in the IPL. He has been dismissed nine times in the 134 combined balls he has faced from Chris Morris, Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan. He has scored just 139 runs in those 134 deliveries.

Oshada Fernando has been subbed in for the second match running

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2022Sri Lanka have been hit with another Covid-19 case after opener Pathum Nissanka tested positive, taking the number of players since the start of the Australia series to six.”He was found to be positive during an Antigen test conducted on the player yesterday morning, following the player complaining of feeling unwell,” an SLC statement said. “A PCR test carried out later in the day confirmed the result. Nissanaka was immediately isolated in a different hotel upon identification and will undergo Covid-19 protocols.”For the second time in two matches, Oshada Fernando has been brought in as the Covid substitute after he replaced Angelo Mathews, the first player to test positive, during the opening game in Galle.Since then Praveen Jayawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Asitha Fernando and Jeffrey Vandersay have also been positive with the quartet ruled out of the second Test.Mathews was able to take his place in the side for this game having completed his five-day isolation period.With two days of the series remaining, Australia have managed to avoid any Covid cases within their squad. Andrew McDonald, the head coach, arrived late for the tour last month after testing positive before leaving.Sri Lanka have a short turnaround to their next Test with the opening match against Pakistan getting underway in Galle on June 16.

Central Districts overcame a shaky start to beat Canterbury by 27 runs after Ross Taylor struck 80 to remain table toppers

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Ross Taylor cracked five fours and six sixes in his 80 off 50•Getty Images

After a month away from the game to have a benign growth removed from his left eye, Ross Taylor had returned with a bang. He followed up his unbeaten 82 off 41 against Auckland with another match-winning effort of 80 off 50 for Central Districts against Canterbury in the Super Smash 2016-17.Central Districts chose to bat, and suffered big blow early on losing Mahela Jayawardene for 4. They were on shaky ground when they lost captain Will Young an over later to be reduced to 17 for 2, but Taylor walked in and settled things down for them along with opener George Worker. Worker fell to the legspin of Todd Astle one short of a fifty, but not before adding 78 at nine to the over with Taylor to beat Canterbury back. From thereon, Canterbury managed to strike regular blows at one end, but Taylor held his up remarkably well, slamming six sixes in his 50-ball knock that ended in the final over of the innings.Chasing 191, five of Canterbury’s top six got off to starts, but none could kick on. With no one to anchor the innings, the chase was repeatedly dented by wickets and fell away. They were bowled out with five balls to spare, well short of the target, with fast bowler Seth Rance cutting through their middle with four wickets.The win opened up Central Districts’ lead on the points table – they now have six wins and 26 points in nine games, an eight-point lead over No. 2 Northern Districts.