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Bravo wants to concentrate on playing and enjoying the game, says Venky Mysore

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2020West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard will continue to lead Trinbago Knight Riders for the upcoming CPL season.Pollard had been named Knight Riders’ replacement captain after regular captain Dwayne Bravo was sidelined from the entire CPL 2019 with an injury. After captaining Knight Riders to the playoffs – they were beaten by eventual champions Barbados Tridents in the second qualifier – Pollard took over as the captain of West Indies’ ODI and T20I sides.ALSO READ: Trinbago v Guyana to kick off 2020 seasonIt was Bravo who had led Knight Riders to back-to-back title victories in 2017 and 2018, but, according to Venky Mysore, the CEO of the team as well as Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Bravo wasn’t keen to lead the side earlier too, and instead wanted to focus on his career as a player.”We are happy that Kieron who is the West Indies captain is our leader at TKR,” Mysore was quoted as saying by . “The champion DJ Bravo has been coming to me year after year and asking me to give someone else the captaincy because he wants to just concentrate on playing and enjoying the game. I always told him not until I am ready and that time has come and he is very happy to play under Pollard.”Pollard and Bravo also share a great relationship and when Bravo announced his decision to come out T20I retirement last December, he talked up Pollard’s captaincy.”They are great friends and they will both come together to give us the best chance at the CPL this year,” Mysore said. “Bravo said he has played under Pollard before and this will be the best thing at this time for all parties. Pollard was kind enough to accept the position to lead the team at the tournament. He said if we wanted him to do it he will and we said that we will be delighted to have him as captain again.”During the draft that was held virtually on June 24, Knight Riders snapped up 48-year old Indian legspinner Pravin Tambe, Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza and local quick Anderson Phillip. Earlier, Knight Riders retained their core from last season and signed New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert, Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed and fast bowler Jayden Seales, who had represented West Indies in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year.Knight Riders will play five-time finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL 2020 opener on August 18. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the entire tournament will be held in Trinidad & Tobago this year, with the final scheduled for September 11 at the Brian Lara Stadium.

Composed 78 from wicketkeeper helps Derbyshire to 197 after Chris Rushworth had struck with the first ball of Durham’s season

ECB Reporters Network05-Apr-2019Durham made full use of helpful conditions to bowl Derbyshire out cheaply despite an impressive half-century from Harvey Hosein as the seamers dominated on the opening day of the Division Two match at Derby. The 22-year-old wicketkeeper made 78 from 172 balls out of 197 with Ben Raine and James Weighell each taking three wickets.Chris Rushworth claimed the first wicket of the County Championship season with the first ball of the match but Derbyshire hit back through Luis Reece to reduce Durham to 41 for 3 at the close.Derbyshire’s decision to bat first was surprising given a grassy pitch and overcast conditions and they were left to regret it as Rushworth struck twice in his opening over. Reece edged to second slip before the third ball knocked out Wayne Madsen’s off stump and Rushworth then saw Tom Lace dropped by wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter in his next over.Raine had Lace caught at second slip and when skipper Billy Godleman edged one that moved late, Derbyshire were in danger of crumbling completely at 36 for 4. But Hosein, who scored a career-best unbeaten 138 against Leeds/Bradford MCCU last week, displayed the technique and temperament required to steer his side towards semi-respectability.Alex Hughes looked ready to dig in and survived for 16 overs until he drove loosely to cover point and Matt Critchley shared a stand of 56 in 18 overs before he was lbw to Gareth Harte.Hosein, who reached 50 from 106 balls, was also supported by Anuj Dal who helped add 50 before he edged Weighell to Poynter but the innings folded quickly after tea.Logan van Beek was bowled by Raine and although Hosein survived his only chance when Poynter dropped him on 73, it did not prove costly. Tony Palladino was yorked first ball by Weighell and when Ravi Rampaul took off for a quick single, Raine’s throw on the run from cover beat Hosein’s despairing dive.When Durham replied, the sun had broken through but batting was still demanding and Harte was close to edging the first ball from Rampaul to Hosein.Derbyshire’s bowlers were getting some swing and Reece made the breakthrough in the 10th over thanks to a stunning catch by Hughes. Harte’s edged drive was brilliantly taken one-handed as Hughes plunged to his right at second slip and Will Smith was lbw to a full length ball in Reece’s next over.The match was back in the balance when van Beek replaced Reece and his second ball hurried Michael Richardson into a miscued pull to midwicket. By now, the light had deteriorated even with the floodlights on and the umpires took the players off with three overs remaining and the match in the balance.

“They went into a negative position to save their wickets and defend the balls. The ball is turning from the rough. I think positive approach is the best way to play on this wicket,” Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella said

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong03-Feb-2018As soon as third umpire Joel Wilson confirmed to the on-field umpires that Mushfiqur Rahim was out, the balance of the first Test became a lot more skewed. Bangladesh will have to fight without their two most experienced batsmen on the fifth day against Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella later said that despite the batting-friendly Chittagong pitch, it is their game to win. He also said Sri Lanka were helped by Bangladesh’s defensive approach. Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur both got out trying to defend, while Imrul Kayes’ was caught at square leg off a soft lap sweep.”We have a pretty good chance to win the Test,” Dickwella said. “It is a pretty good wicket. It is all turning from the rough, and outside the stumps. We are hoping to start the day well. We are bowling in good areas, line and length.”They went into a negative position to save their wickets and defend the balls. I don’t think it is the way to bat on this wicket. The ball is turning from the rough. I think positive approach is the best way to play in this wicket.”Bangladesh spinner Taijul Islam said their approach was to score off the bad balls, but their focus will remain on saving the Test. Taijul bowled 67.3 overs, the most in an innings for a Bangladesh bowler, and conceded 219 runs, the most for a Bangladesh bowler. His returns of 4 for 219 was the most expensive four-for in Tests.”There is a lot to think, and a lot not to think about. We have to save the game. If our batsmen can survive the fifth day, then we can get something out of it. Batsmen would like to score runs off the bad balls. It would have been better had we lost one wicket. Three wickets are too many,” he said.Bangladesh’s predicament in Chittagong was largely down to their spinners’ struggles against Sri Lanka’s batting. Starting the fourth day just nine runs short of Bangladesh’s first-innings total, Sri Lanka piled on the misery by keeping them on the field for 199.3 overs.Sunil Joshi, Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, said that the spinners could have bowled with more consistency and shown more patience.
“I think they could have been better. They could have had more consistency,” Joshi said. “If you don’t get wickets in the first session, you can always get them in the second and third session. You need to be patient. The young Bangladesh spinners need to understand the way they can perform in Test cricket.”It is important for a spinner to understand to bowl a dot ball, where you can bowl one. Consistency is key for Test cricket. These spinners will learn with due time,” he said.

Shoaib Malik struck 63 off 30 balls before taking a wicket to stud Chittagong Vikings’ 78-run win in their BPL 2016-17 clash against Barisal Bulls

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2016
ScorecardShoaib Malik struck a 30-ball 63 and took a wicket to help Chittagong Vikings dominate against Barisal Bulls•BCB

Mohammad Nabi led a solid bowling display by Chittagong Vikings, who bowled out Barisal Bulls for 107 to seal a 78-run win in their 2016-17 Bangladesh Premier League clash in Chittagong. This came after half-centuries from Dwayne Smith and Shoaib Malik powered Chittagong to 185 for 5 after they opted to make first use of the surface.Nabi took out the Barisal openers in the second over of the chase, and when he dismissed Jeevan Mendis in his next over, Barisal were reeling at 12 for 4. It wouldn’t be long before Nabi would be in the thick of things again as he plucked a catch at deep midwicket to send back Mushfiqur Rahim, who had added 25 for the fifth wicket with Rayad Emrit. That Barisal got to 107 was down to Enamul Haque’s unbeaten 42 at No. 8. Enamul walked out with the score 37 for 6 – it would soon become 39 for 7 – and began a brief recovery through a 42-run eighth-wicket stand with Taijul Islam. That would make for scant compensation, however, as Barisal added 26 more for the last two wickets before folding in the 19th over. Enamul was left unbeaten on 42 off 37 balls. He had struck one four and four sixes.Nabi finished with 3 for 16 in three overs and had support all around. Subashis Roy, who opened the bowling, and Taskin Ahmed were both economical and took two wickets each. Malik and Imran Khan, the left-arm medium pacer, took a wicket apiece.When Chittagong batted, they enjoyed a solid start from Tamim Iqbal, the captain, and Smith who put on 43 in 5.4 overs for the first wicket. Tamim struck a run-a-ball 19 before falling to the right-arm medium pace of Kamrul Islam Rabbi. It was then the turn of Anamul Haque to play second fiddle to Smith in a 39-run second-wicket partnership. Malik joined Smith in the 11th over and Chittagong biffed 103 runs in 58 balls during his stay. Smith’s burst was ended by Thisara Perera in the 16th over when he was caught at deep midwicket for a 49-ball 69 that contained six fours and three sixes. But Malik ensured a strong finish for Chittagong as they slammed 55 runs in the last four overs. Malik fell off the final ball of the innings for a 30-ball 63. He pinged nine fours and two sixes.Kamrul took two wickets, as did Perera, although he leaked 37 runs in four overs. Emrit finished with 1 for 41 from his quota of overs.

A round-up of all the Plunket Shield matches that ended on October 18, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Mitchell McClenaghan ended with match figures of 7 for 106•Getty Images

Auckland’s fast bowlers Mitchell McClenaghan and Matthew Quinn picked up seven wickets each, setting the tone for Auckland’s nine-wicket victory against Canterbury. Auckland were also buoyed by half-centuries from Colin de Grandhomme, Brad Cachopa and Martin Guptill, as the team opened their Plunket Shield campaign strongly.Canterbury, after being inserted, failed to string together any meaningful partnership, and were bundled out for 149, as McClenaghan (4 for 38) and Quinn (3 for 34) ran through the line-up in 48.1 overs. Auckland found themselves struggling at 50 for 3 in their reply, but three big stands – 82 for the fourth wicket between de Grandhomme (70) and Rob Nicol, 68 for the fifth between Nicol and Cachopa (61), and 68 for the eighth between Tarun Nethul and Michael Bates – ensured the hosts posted a total of 316 to collect a lead of 167.Canterbury fared better in the second innings, thanks mainly to a 109-run partnership between Leo Carter (79) and Ken McClure (50), but once again, regular strikes from McClenaghan and Quinn prevented the visitors from pulling away with a large score. Canterbury were eventually bowled out for 321, meaning that Auckland needed just 155 for victory, a total the hosts chased down in 37 overs thanks to Guptill’s unbeaten 94-ball 84.
ScorecardA maiden double-century from Central Districts’ 24-year-old batsman Ben Smith was the highlight of their drawn game against Otago in Napier. In a game that saw 1267 runs scored, it was Otago, opting to bat, who made the early running. Buoyed by a 157-run stand between Sam Wells and James Neesham, the hosts compiled 352. Neesham went on to make 131 off 152 balls, while Otago were also lifted by handy half-centuries from Hamish Rutherford (79*) and Wells (62). Doug Bracewell was the pick of Central Districts’ bowlers, collecting 5 for 67.Central Districts lost Greg Hay early in their reply, but Smith battled on for more than eight hours, scoring 244 off 368 balls, with 29 fours and a six. He shared a mammoth 234-run stand for the fourth wicket with George Worker, who made 129. Will Young (62) and Tom Bruce (71) also chipped in with half-centuries, as Central Districts eventually declared on 650 for 8.With a lead of 298, Central Districts had nearly 90 overs to bowl Otago out and seal an innings win, and looked well on course to doing that by removing Rutherford and Ryan Duffy early. However, Neil Broom held firm, scoring a patient 131, and put on a 204-run partnership with Brad Wilson to guide his team to safety. Otago were 265 for 3 when stumps were called.
ScorecardTim Southee and Trent Boult took 12 wickets together as Northern Districts drew with Wellington and walked away with seven points in their season opener.Right-arm seamer Dane Hutchinson also picked up a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, to clean up the Northern Districts tail but by then the first-innings lead had passed 150.Captain Daniel Flynn and Kane Williamson gave Northern Districts a strong base, adding 148. While Williamson became the first of Jeetan Patel’s three victims, Flynn went on to make 102 off 239 balls. Bharat Popli and BJ Watling also scored fifties to steer their side to 429 before Hutchinson became the first Wellington bowler to take a hat-trick since Stephen Hotter in 1997.However, it could not mask the top-order failure in the first innings. Having been inserted, Wellington were reduced to 47 for 5 inside 18 overs with Southee doing the bulk of the damage. However, a rearguard stand of 108 between Tom Blundell and Luke Ronchi helped the visitors recover to 267. Luke Ronchi was the eighth man dismissed for 115 off 112 balls.The batting line-up fared much better in the second innings with each of their batsmen, with the exception of No.9 reaching double-figures. Boult accounted for Stephen Murdoch (93), Blundell (46), and Ronchi (15) but Wellington nudged past 400 before stumps on the fourth day.

Pune Warriors did most of the basics wrong against the much-fancied Chennai Super Kings, but still won by a huge margin

The Report by Sidharth Monga15-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Aaron Finch provided Pune Warriors with an effective start•BCCI

They keep saying you have got to do the basics right, more so in Twenty20. They lie. On Monday night in Chennai, Pune Warriors did most of the basics wrong against the much-fancied Chennai Super Kings, but still won by a huge margin.While batting only two of the seven Warriors batsmen went at a strike-rate of more than 112.5, and one of them faced 18 dots out of 45. They wasted a flying start – their best in all IPLs – with a muddle in the middle, Mitchell Marsh holed out into the deep and didn’t even cross over, Manish Pandey slogged when he should have handed over the strike to Steven Smith, T Suman dropped a sitter that would have reduced Chennai Super Kings to 2 for 2, and they were consistently on the worse side of minor fielding errors.Still, riding on Aaron Finch’s 67 off 45 and Steven Smith’s unbeaten 39 off 16, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s impeccable swing at the top of the defence, Warriors pulled off the upset. Their basics might not have been perfect, but there was enough of the spectacular from the three aforementioned gentlemen.The first ball Finch faced he drilled back past Dirk Nannes for four. He would hit seven more fours in the Powerplay. With a short back lift and a punch packed behind them. Robin Uthappa at the other end, though, fumbled his way to nine off 12 at the end of the Powerplay. The singles didn’t come, Uthappa kept struggling, but Finch kept hitting enough boundaries to take this stand to the best opening for Warriors ever.Then came on R Ashwin’s spin and Chris Morris’ bustle, and Warriors lost their way. In going from 96 for 0 to 128 for 4, they consumed 29 balls and looked set for a below-par total, especially after the 18th over produced just three runs. However, Smith, who wouldn’t even have played but for the Tamil Nadu government’s problem with Sri Lankan cricketers, had other ideas. He went crazy against Nannes and Dwayne Bravo, reverse-flicking the latter for a huge six over third man in the final over. Twenty-eight came off those last two overs, but this was still a strictly fighting total.Under Bhuvneshwar’s swing, the total grew a leg. With his second delivery, he trapped S Anirudha – who replaced Michael Hussey – with an inswinger. He looked like he could get Suresh Raina with each of the remaining deliveries of that wicket-maiden. Catches kept getting dropped, the fielding was not the sharpest, but Bhuvneshwar nipped out Raina soon.Abhishek Nayar’s cutters and Rahul Sharma’s accuracy did the job in the middle overs, and once again Super Kings were left with close to 14 an over to chase through MS Dhoni, Bravo and Albie Morkel. It wasn’t to be this time as the bowlers and fielders held their nerve.

Gloucestershire have drawn up revised development plans for their long-time headquarters at Nevil Road and their chief executive Tom Richardson has warned that they will leave Bristol if they are turned down.

Alex Winter07-Mar-2012Gloucestershire have one last chance to secure their future in Bristol. They have drawn up revised plans for the development of their long-time headquarters at Nevil Road and their chief executive Tom Richardson has warned that if this fails the club will leave the city.The club’s original plans were rejected by Bristol City Council in January. The main objection behind the 6-4 vote against was the height of the apartment block at the Ashley Down end of the ground – the development that will fund the £10 million project.The design has now been reduced by a storey but will maintain 147 apartments – the number necessary to make the apartment block financially viable – by lengthening the building.The club have held positive talks with planning officers and will hold a consultation period with local residents before submitting the revised plans. They still hope to begin developing the ground at the end of this season.”We’re very committed to make our plans work here at Nevil Road,” Richardson told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been at this a long time. We sought to take into account a number of things that were said about why the planning application was turned down and we’re going back to talk to our neighbours and all other stakeholders and take their views on it.”The development of Nevil Road is essential for Gloucestershire’s ambitions to keep international cricket in Bristol. The club hopes plans to raise the capacity to 17,000 and build a new media centre and conferencing facilities will secure a least one ODI per season, a match which brings £1 million to Bristol.But if these revised plans are rejected again, it could mean the end for Gloucestershire in Bristol. The club have already sounded out alternative venues. Tuffley Avenue in Gloucester is one potential new site and a 20,000 international stadium at Filton Airfield has emerged as another option as the county’s new home.Gloucestershire have already been stripped of next year’s ODI against New Zealand and Richardson admitted the club are in the last chance saloon to keep Bristol as an international venue. He said: “I think we’ll run out of time if we fail again and international cricket will be a thing of the past.”

The New Zealanders played a warm-up match at the venue back in August, making them one of the few international sides with experience in Pallekele

Brydon Coverdale in Pallekele07-Mar-2011Nestled in the hills a half-hour drive from Kandy, the Pallekele Stadium is so obscurely placed that even some locals have had trouble locating it. The ground is yet to host a completed innings at international level, after its first Test was washed out, and it has been hidden during the first fortnight of the World Cup. Oddly enough, when New Zealand walk out on Tuesday, they’ll have a slight edge over Pakistan.The New Zealanders played a warm-up match at the venue back in August, making them one of the few international sides with experience in Pallekele. They bowled out Sri Lanka A for 91 and the pace in the pitch surprised them, and when they trained at the ground on Sunday, they were again greeted by a surface with plenty of speed.”We practiced on a strip four or five over [from the match pitch] and it seemed a bit pacier than what you normally expect,” the captain Daniel Vettori said on Monday. “But then the nets are pretty slow and low, so we’re going to have to wing it, really, because there haven’t been too many games here. We played a warm-up game here last year. I think we’re expecting it to be a little bit quicker than most grounds, but it will still probably be a batter-friendly wicket.”New Zealand enter the match in fourth position in Group A, while Pakistan are unbeaten after three games, the only side to have won all their matches so far. New Zealand are fresh from an impressive ten-wicket win against Zimbabwe and they have also beaten Kenya, and easily accounted for Ireland in the practice matches.Hamish Bennett could find more pace in the Pallekele pitch than the others he’s bowled on in the World Cup•Getty Images

However, they suffered a comprehensive defeat to Australia and were beaten by India by 117 runs in a warm-up game, and they know that to have any chance of reaching the meaningful stages of the tournament, they must beat some of the stronger sides. A win over Pakistan would be a fine way to get their World Cup heading in the right direction, but having lost at home to Pakistan this season, they know it will be a tough ask.”There’s always more to be done,” Vettori said. “We know we’ve got a big game against Pakistan tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough game, but hopefully there’s some confidence from the Zimbabwe game. The guys played pretty well there, so if we can bring that same performance to this game, then it’s going to be huge for our tournament.”Pakistan know us exceptionally well as well. It was a pretty tightly fought series, in our conditions. This is more like their conditions so they’re probably going to be an even better team than the one we came across. They’re playing really well, so we have to find a way to beat them rather than anything else. They’re going to be a tough opposition throughout the tournament.”

A round-up of the semi-final matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that took place on March 15

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Maharashtra held their nerve for a three-wicket win with two balls to spare against fancied Tamil Nadu at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground in Indore. The big names for Tamil Nadu were on IPL duty but the opening stand of 54 between Abhinav Mukund (32) and Srikkanth Anirudha (30) augured well after they were put in. Offspinner Ganesh Gaikwad sent back both batsmen but another thirty followed from Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and helped Tamil Nadu post 153. Rangaraj Sutesh’s early strikes rattled Maharashtra’s chase but key contributions from Sangram Atitkar and Gaikwad kept them in the hunt. Even as offspinner Murthy Prabhu picked up 3 for 16, the most important hand was played by Digambar Waghmare. The No. 7 batsman hit 31 off 17 balls, including one four and two sixes, to take them home eventually.With several players representing the Daredevils franchise, Delhi also found the going tough and went down by five wickets against Hyderabad. Choosing to bat, they were given an early lift by opener Farman Ahmed’s quickfire 54. However, there was to be no encore lower down the order and right-arm seamer Vivek Krishna proved to be the biggest beneficiary with 4 for 25, as Delhi finished on 157. A strong opening partnership of 48 looked to have Hyderabad a great platform during the reply. Akshath Reddy’s 30-ball 33 was well matched by Anoop Pai’s 24-ball 31 as Hyderabad made steady progress towards the target. The win was ultimately sealed by Amol Shinde and Hanuma Vihari with an over to spare.

South African allrounder strikes 13 boundaries as The Blaze chase down 276 with 12 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network08-May-2024South Africa all-rounder Nadine de Klerk struck a magnificent unbeaten 106 as The Blaze fought back to beat Western Storm by four wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Trent Bridge.Chasing 276 for victory, the home side looked to be heading for a fifth defeat in six matches when they slipped to 137 for 6 following Natasha Wraith’s impressive career-best 73 in the Storm innings.But 24-year-old De Klerk turned things around in a superb unbroken 139-run partnership with 21-year-old wicketkeeper Ella Claridge (64 not out), whose half-century was her first in women’s regional cricket, as The Blaze won with 12 balls to spare.Earlier, wicketkeeper-batter Wraith had shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 93 with skipper Sophie Luff (37), who had earlier put on 66 for the second wicket with Fran Wilson (34) before useful lower-order runs from Chloe Skelton (29 not out) helped Storm made light of the absence of England duo Heather Knight and Danielle Gibson to total to 275 in 48.1 overs. Blaze captain Kirstie Gordon took 4 for 40 to lift her wickets tally to 11 for the campaign.England opener Tammy Beaumont, not selected for the forthcoming T20 series against Pakistan Women, hit 41, sharing an opening partnership of 52 with Teresa Graves (24), but The Blaze looked likely to suffer again in the absence of England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Scotland internationals Kathryn and Sarah Bryce until De Klerk and Claridge’s heroics won the day.The Blaze had won the toss and Sophie Munro removed Alex Griffiths with the second ball of the match courtesy of an edge to solitary slip Beaumont, but Gordon had to wait until the 14th over to see her decision to bowl first rewarded again, bringing about the breakthrough with her own left-arm spin as Wilson’s sweep flew off a top-edge to short fine leg.Gordon followed up by bowling Smale to leave Storm 70 for 3, after which the Blaze skipper looked to apply the squeeze with spin at both ends.But Wraith and Luff countered by going on the offensive, adding another 50 in just 40 deliveries, Wraith hitting a maximum down the ground off Gordon before knocking leg-spinner Josie Groves out of the attack with three fours in four balls.The fourth-wicket pair plundered more runs against the off-spin of Lucy Higham before Groves, replacing England’s Sarah Glenn in the one change to the Blaze line-up, returned to have Luff caught at long-off thanks to an excellent catch on the run by Munro.Wraith continued unchecked, passing her previous best of 68 when she pulled left-armer Ballinger for her 11th four.She fell in the next over, caught behind off a top edge, and when Gordon then dismissed Katie Jones and Niamh Holland in the space of four deliveries, the home side looked to be wresting back control with Storm 207 for 7.Yet Skelton, who hammered the unfortunate Ballinger for five consecutive fours, led the way as the Storm tail wagged vigorously, the last three wickets adding 68 vital runs, punctuated by a second success each for De Klerk and Munro before Graves ended the innings with her only delivery.In reply, The Blaze were going well until the last over of the opening powerplay, when Smale struck with her first ball as Luff turned to spin for the first time. The left-armer induced the thinnest of tickles as Graves, who had played nicely for her 24, was caught behind on the leg side.From 52 without loss, Blaze stumbled badly. Smale picked up the crucial wicket of Beaumont, whose swing and miss ended with her middle stump out of the ground, before leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington removed Marie Kelly with the help of an excellent catch by Griffiths at gully and had Beth Gammon leg before.Gordon perished for 16, adjudged leg before trying to work Skelton’s off-spin through the on side, and Munro was bowled through the gate by seamer Griffiths.Storm were now well on top with Blaze 137 for 6, but there was no shifting De Klerk, who pounced on almost any delivery that was short or wide, completing her second half-century for the East Midlands side off 62 balls with six boundaries.Having lost five partners before that milestone, she at last found one to stick with her in Claridge, who grew in confidence, her fifth boundary, forcefully driven through the covers off Skelton, bringing up a century partnership for the seventh wicket in 17 overs, with 37 needed from the final six overs.De Klerk brought up her hundred from 112 balls with 12 fours before winning the match with a six, slog-swept off Griffiths.