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Both teams have not been in great form in the format in recent times

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Jul-2025

Big picture: Two teams in choppy T20I form

So far on tour [two Tests and three ODIs], Bangladesh have one win from five matches. This, they will feel, is not an apt reflection of how competitive they have been in Sri Lanka. They were running the back end of the first Test in Galle, were more competitive than Sri Lanka’s margins of victory suggested in the ODIs, and have had some promising players make significant contributions.The problem for Bangladesh is that T20I is the format they have been in the worst form. They have lost 11 of their last 15 T20Is. Even against Sri Lanka, who have not been especially good themselves in T20Is recently, they have lost four matches to the two won since 2020.Related

• Shanaka, Karunaratne, Wellalage back in SL squad for T20Is against Bangladesh

• Kusal 124 forms the centrepiece of Sri Lanka's series victory

• Litton Das hopeful of coming out of batting slump

There is added incentive here. Next year, part of the T20 World Cup will be played in Sri Lanka. The schedule for that tournament is yet to be released, but this could potentially be an important opportunity for Bangladesh’s younger players to become accustomed to these surfaces and grounds.Sri Lanka are in the midst of their most serious attempt at regeneration since their great T20 team of the early 2010s waned. It is difficult to know what to expect. They have both Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka in form. But as a team, they are yet to string together consistent T20 performances, losing eight of their last 13 matches. In the T20 World Cup last year, their defeat to Bangladesh effectively put them out of the tournament.They have momentum on this tour, though, and with there only being one free day between the end of the ODI series and the start of the T20Is, Sri Lanka will hope their momentum carries them through.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WLLLW
Bangladesh: LLLLLLitton Das needs to find form with the bat•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Litton Das and Sri Lanka allrounders

There is currently a captaincy spot up for grabs for Bangladesh, with Najmul Hossain Shanto having stepped down as captain after the second Test. Litton Das could potentially be their next leader in the longest format, though he is not the frontrunner right now (you’d think that would be Mehidy Hasan Miraz). But for that to become a serious possibility, he would have to lead Bangladesh well in the format he currently captain of – T20Is. And he would probably need to contribute runs to their victories as well. Although he was dropped from the one-day team after making a duck in the first match, he had hit 90 in the Galle Test.While in ODIs, Sri Lanka are trying to develop a seam-bowling allrounder with an eye on the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, in T20Is, it seems like Sri Lanka are more intent on trialling Chamika Karunaratne and Dasun Shanaka for that role. On tracks that take big spin, Dunith Wellalage can turn the ball at speed, and also has outstanding control. But Sri Lanka want some big-hitting capability in their XI, and Wellalage doesn’t quite have the power game at present.Taskin Ahmed is expected to start for Bangladesh•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

Khaled Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud are out of the T20I squad, so Bangladesh have to make two changes in the bowling department. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are likely to play ahead of Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin. They also have choices in the spin department, though that would depend on how they perceive the Pallekele pitch.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanSri Lanka’s main question will be the make-up of their attack. They’ll likely want two frontline quicks – Matheesha Pathirana the likeliest to play, but Binura Fernando and Nuwan Thushara also in with a good chance. On the spin-bowling front, Jeffrey Vandersay will likely replace the injured Wanindu Hasaranga.The other question is allrounders. Wellalage, Dasun Shanaka, and Karunaratne are all in a fight for a spot.Sri Lanka (probable XI): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Dunith Wellalage/Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Jeffrey Vandersay, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Nuwan Thushara, 11 Matheesha Pathirana

Pitch and conditions

Pallekele can often be a high-scoring ground, particularly if there is a little rain around and the ball becomes difficult for the bowlers to grip. There are showers floating around the hills surrounding Pallekele frequently, but this is generally not one of the wetter parts of the year.

Stats and trivia

• In four T20Is so far, Wellalage has taken six wickets and maintained an economy of less than six. But his batting is less impressive in this format – he has a strike rate of 106 in T20s.
  
• Litton Das is yet to hit a fifty as captain. After ten innings at the helm, he has hit 158 runs at a strike rate of 120.
  
• Sri Lanka last played Bangladesh at this venue in this format in March 2013. Sri Lanka won that game.

  Quotes

  “Sri Lanka were better, and that’s why they won the ODIs. In T20s, if you play good cricket on the day, you will win. They have a lot of experience playing here, and overall, their bowling is strong with several mystery bowlers.”
  “The important thing is managing players. We have to give the players who come into the scene a decent run and keep them in good form for the World Cup. We hope the LPL will take place before the World Cup and that’s a big thing for us.”

A total of 277 players (83 overseas) will vie for a maximum of 73 slots (23 overseas) in the auction in Delhi on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2025Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players among the eight listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are the others in the marquee set.Among the players in the marquee set, only Renuka (INR 40 lakh) and Wolvaardt (INR 30 lakh) have listed their base price lower than the maximum of INR 50 lakh.A total of 277 players have registered for the WPL 2026 auction for a maximum of 73 available slots. A total of 83 overseas players will vie for the 23 slots available for them in the auction that will be held on November 27 in Delhi.Three players in the marquee sets – Deepti, Ecclestone and Healy – have played for UP Warriorz (UPW), who have four right to match (RTM) options available. UPW retained just one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat.Related

• Jess Jonassen pulls out of WPL auction

• WPL 2026 auction – what teams need, what they can do about it

• Wolvaardt, Healy, Ecclestone – Which WPL team needs which superstar

• WPL: Mandhana, Sciver-Brunt, Gardner retained for INR 3.5 crore

Tahlia McGrath, who played for UPW, and Sophie Molineux, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are not part of the 23 players from Australia. That aside, there are 22 players from England, 13 from New Zealand and 11 from South Africa in the auction pool. Chamari Athapaththu, batter Harshitha Samarawickrama and left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera are the three from Sri Lanka. Athapaththu was part of UPW last season. Three players from Bangladesh – Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan – have listed themselves at INR 30 lakh.India batter Harleen Deol, who played for Gujarat Giants (GG) for the first three seasons, has listed her base price in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh and in the capped allrounders’ list. Her GG team-mate, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield also has a base price of INR 50 lakh. But since GG have retained two overseas players, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, they cannot exercise their RTM for Litchfield.Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine are part of the marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction•ICC/Getty Images

Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry and N Shree Charani are among those in the set of capped allrounders. In that set all players except Deol have a base price of INR 30 lakh.Assam’s Uma Chetry, who was the back-up wicketkeeper in India’s World Cup-winning squad, and allrounder Kranti Gaud, who has represented UPW, both have listed themselves in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh. Australia legspinner Alana King (INR 40 lakh), India’s Asha Sobhana and Priya Mishra (both INR 30 lakh) as well as Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh), who was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first three seasons, are all part of the first set of spinners, which is the sixth set.Left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong is the only Thailand player listed, while Tara Norris, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2023 and is the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the competition, is the only player from USA.UAE captain Esha Oza and wicketkeeper Theertha Satish round-off the four players from Associate teams. No players from Ireland or Scotland are in the list; Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce was part of DC last season.UPW and GG will enter the auction for WPL 2026 with the highest purse – INR 14.50 crore and INR 9 crore respectively – followed by RCB (INR 6.15 crore), MI (INR 5.75 crore) and DC (5.70 crore). MI and DC, who retained five players each, will not have any RTM option available.

Jackson Bird took 7 for 46 as NSW took a 30-run first-innings lead with eight wickets in hand day one

AAP14-Nov-2024Jackson Bird has turned back the clock, claiming seven wickets as he ripped through South Australia, paving the way for New South Wales to secure a 30-run first-innings lead by stumps on day one of their Sheffield Shield match.Bird finished with figures of 7 for 46 at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval on Thursday, nagging away outside the off stump of South Australia’s batters as they were all out for 110.NSW went to stumps at 140 for 2, Nic Maddinson leading the way with 69 from 163 balls before being bowled by Lloyd Pope just before the close of play.Fellow opener Sam Konstas also looked solid for his 28, before falling lbw to Harry Conway, in his first game since missing out on Australian Test selection.But while Konstas is seen as the future of Australian cricket, Bird offered a nod to its past. The seamer will turn 38 next month, but he was at his consistent best on the opening day in Adelaide.Five batters fell edging him to the slips, while Conor McInerney also inside-edged a ball in the opening over to Konstas at short leg off the veteran.Bird’s return marked his first five-wicket haul in the Shield since March 2021, when he bagged 7 for 18 against the Blues while playing for Tasmania.”I felt reasonably good out there today,” Bird said. “But in between the wickets I got I didn’t feel like I bowled well in patches. It’s funny how cricket works.”It’s obviously nice to get some wickets, but it’s just one day. We’ve got to come back tomorrow and try and get a big lead and put some runs on the board.”Only Jake Lehmann (25), Henry Hunt (30) and Harry Nielsen (20) offered any real resistance for undefeated South Australia.But after the hosts were all out in 41.3 overs, the winless Blues looked far more composed at the crease. Konstas punched one boundary off the back foot outside off stump, and had one of the shots of the day when he drove Conway back down the ground for four.He hit four boundaries in his 28, before he was again out to a ball that nipped back into him slightly off a good length. Maddinson absorbed plenty of time at the crease before tea, and then took charge in the final session.He played two drives with flourish off Nathan McAndrew as he took 14 from one of the seamer’s overs, before smashing Conway through cover to bring up his 50.But it was a Pope ball that drifted, dripped and spun back between the left-hander’s bat and pad that bowled him, in a rare bright spot for South Australia.

“It’s really tough,” Cummins says about losing Josh Hazlewood for the rest of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches

Andrew McGlashan18-Dec-20240:55

Cummins on Hazlewood: ‘Story of the last few summers’

Australia have insisted that Travis Head will be fit to take his place in the Boxing Day Test against India after he experienced some discomfort with a tight quad on the final day in Brisbane.Head appeared slightly restricted towards the backend of his second innings and did not take the field for India’s brief chase before rain halted the match for the final time. There was initial speculation that it was a groin problem, but that was emphatically denied by a Cricket Australia spokesperson”Trav, he’ll be fine, it’s a bit of a tight quad, he’ll be fine for Melbourne,” captain Pat Cummins said after the match.Related

• India and Australia take a moment to recalibrate as Gabba stalemate leaves everything up for grabs

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At the post-match presentation, Head said, “It’s been a big couple of weeks. But I’ll be fine.”Australia had already lost one key player during the Gabba Test, with Josh Hazlewood picking up a calf strain during warm-ups on the third day. Cummins confirmed Hazlewood would miss the remainder of the series. Scott Boland is expected to return at the MCG.Hazlewood’s latest injury came in his comeback match from the side strain that kept him out of the second Test in Adelaide and means, after a setback-free run from mid-2023 where he played ten consecutive Tests, he will miss more matches than he plays this season.”It’s really tough,” Cummins said. “It’s been the story, outside of last summer, of the last few summers. The extra layer to that [is] he’s probably one of the most disciplined, professional sportspeople you could meet [with] the way he trains and prepares. When he’s at home he’s in the gym every second day or every day, doing whatever it takes to try and minimise injuries. Think that’s an extra kind of blow, knowing how much he’s put into his body in the last few years to try and play as many Tests as he can.”It’s one of those [injuries] you can’t really predict, but we value him. Unfortunately, he’ll miss this series. I don’t know exactly when he’ll be right to go again but even in the little snippets we’ve seen this series it shows how much we rate him and how much of an impact he can have.”Travis Head hit his second century of the series in Brisbane, but ended the Test with “a tight quad”•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

However, Head, Australia’s most in-form batter, would have been an even bigger hole to fill so his positive prognosis is vital for the home side. He has made back-to-back destructive centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane, the first setting up victory and the second putting Australia in a dominant position.Cummins confirmed that there had been consideration to opening with Head on the final day after Australia had secured a lead of 185, following a defiant last-wicket stand between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep which removed the option of the follow on.However, ultimately the decision was to stick with openers Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney in what became a strange second innings, where Mitchell Marsh was promoted to No. 4, in which they were 33 for 5 in 11 overs making it a little unclear what the objective was until Cummins flayed 22 off ten deliveries.”[We were] always trying to set up the game,” Cummins said. “[A] day-five wicket, it always felt like there were plenty of wickets on offer so just trying to get a bit of a total then try and then have enough overs to take those ten wickets. The number in your head always keeps changing as the weather does.”With Hazlewood limited to just six overs in the first innings, a significant bowling load fell on the shoulders of Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who sent down 46 of the 78.5 overs India faced in their first innings. Cummins acknowledged it had been tough work on the fourth day but that the regular rain breaks had meant they had not felt overburdened.Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc took on most of Australia’s bowling load in Josh Hazlewood’s absence•AFP/Getty Images

“We are feeling really good,” Cummins said of himself and Starc. “It was hot yesterday but we’d had about seven days off bowling after Adelaide so we were fresh, ready to go, and if anything the rain breaks helped us get little breaks yesterday.”Marsh, who effectively became Australia’s third seamer, only sent down two overs (having bowled just four in Adelaide) but Cummins said he would have been used more extensively if a fuller run chase had played out. Before the match, Marsh had reiterated he was able to bowl as much as the captain needed him following doubts over his fitness after Perth where he had pulled up sore following 17 overs in the opening Test.”We went in thinking we’d need a lot more from Mitchy Marsh but felt like we got enough breaks so he wasn’t needed as much,” Cummins said. “Also [had] a bit of an eye to the second innings so when we had a fresh new ball, it would have landed on Mitchy a lot to try and take those ten wickets. I suspect we’ll call on Mitch and some stage in the next couple of Tests to get us a breakthrough or two.”Australia’s selectors will meet over the next 24 hours and the squad is due to come back together in Melbourne on Monday ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Kalea Moore restrict home side despite unbeaten fifty for Kathryn Bryce

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jul-2025Surrey clinched their place at Finals Day in the inaugural Vitality Blast women’s competition by defending a meagre 132 for nine against The Blaze at Trent Bridge, restricting the home side to 122 for 5 to secure a 10-run victory.They pulled it off despite a bizarre start to The Blaze’s pursuit of their 133-run target in which Alice Monaghan had to be removed from the Surrey attack for bowling two full tosses above waist height and 27 were conceded in the opening two overs.Yet a brilliant comeback by Surrey’s slower bowlers meant that The Blaze – the only side to beat Surrey after winning at the Kia Oval earlier in the season – fell short despite Kathryn Bryce’s unbeaten 53 off 55 balls, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay taking 2 for 14 and Kalea Moore 2 for 17.Despite five dropped catches, The Blaze restricted Surrey to 132 for 9 from 20 overs, England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn finishing with 3 for 20 and Australia all-rounder Heather Graham 2 for 20, Surrey unable to build on 27 from 23 balls from Alice Davidson-Richards with Grace Harris their next-highest scorer on 26 from 19.Surrey’s experiment with Davidson-Richards at the top of the order paid off as she struck five fours in the powerplay, helping the visitors to 39 without loss from six after winning the toss, but when she went down the pitch to Kirstie Gordon in the seventh she was caught at long-on.Bryony Smith was caught at deep midwicket for 18 but The Blaze were unusually sloppy in the field, with Kira Chathli dropped three times before she was into double figures and Harris also put down on 4.The third-wicket pair added 39 from 29 balls before Harris top-edged a slog-sweep off Glenn, whose next over proved calamitous for Surrey as Emma Jones was bowled making room to cut, Chathli caught at mid-off and Monaghan run out.From 91 for 2, Surrey were 98 for 6, and though Phoebe Franklin picked up three boundaries, she was leg-before stepping across to Graham, who then bowled Moore for 2. Cassidy McCarthy dismissed Alexa Stonehouse and though another dropped catch off the last ball of the innings handed MacDonald-Gay two runs, 133 looked a target well within the home side’s compass.Surrey’s fortunes did not improve with the ball, giving The Blaze innings a 12-ball opening over. Started by Monaghan – ordered out of the attack after two full tosses over waist height in her first four deliveries, one of which was a wide – it was ended by Davidson-Richards, who conceded three wides of her own but had a catch put down when Kelly survived a chance on 4.After Stonehouse went for three boundaries, Blaze were 27 without loss from two overs, yet Surrey responded well by conceding only 14 more in the powerplay, picking up a wicket when Marie Kelly hit Moore’s off-spin straight to cover.The squeeze continued and after Georgia Elwiss had picked out Monaghan in the deep on the leg side, Blaze were behind the required rate at 59 for 2 from 10, needing another 74. The Bryce sisters eked out 43 at a run a ball before Sarah failed to clear wide long-on for 21, leaving 40 needed from the last five overs, but Moore conceded only two from the next.The 17th over was the first since the second of the innings in which Surrey had conceded more than eight but after Graham found long-on to go for 3, the Blaze needed 22 from 12 balls. Ella Claridge tried but failed to clear deep midwicket off MacDonald-Gay, after which Franklin had no trouble defending 19 off the last over to see out an extraordinary victory.

Fast bowler hopes to prove fitness in good time for first Test at Perth in November

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Aug-2025England fast bowler Mark Wood is set to make his competitive return to action for Durham in the County Championship next month as he steps up his rehabilitation from knee surgery ahead of this winter’s Ashes.Wood has been out of action for the last six months following an operation to his left knee to repair medial ligament damage that was exacerbated during the Champions Trophy. Though a success, the initial recovery time of four months proved to be optimistic, with Wood missing the entirety of England’s Test series against India, having initially earmarked the fifth Test at the Kia Oval for a return. The 35-year-old had been with the squad during that series but suffered a minor setback while training at Lord’s ahead of the third Test, which required fluid to be drained from his left knee, delaying his return. He was then pencilled in to feature in England’s white-ball fixtures in September, against South Africa and Ireland, but was subsequently left out of those squads.Related

• Woakes ruled out of Oval Test and is doubt for Ashes after shoulder injury

• Wood targeting fifth India Test for potential comeback

• Mark Wood ruled out for four months after knee surgery

Durham are currently battling relegation, sitting ninth in Division One after promotion last season. Their destiny remains in their hands with the last three rounds against other teams fighting the drop, against Essex (September 8), Worcestershire (September 15) who are adrift at the bottom, and Yorkshire (September 24).Wood’s availability is an undoubted boost for the county, but his participation in their run-in will be limited. It is unlikely he will turn out for the Essex fixture but is on course to face Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street. Any appearance against Yorkshire will depend on how his left knee holds up after what will be his first red-ball match since the first Test against Sri Lanka last August. His previous appearance for Durham came in the County Championship back in May 2021.”I’m hoping to play for Durham as there are a couple of games in September – so I’ll try and play one or two of those,” Wood told the Stick to Cricket podcast.Wood and Ben Stokes discuss tactics•Ben Radford/AllSport UK Ltd

“The injury is alright. It was fifty-fifty whether I was going to make the India Test but I was bowling at Lord’s and then, the next day, my knee swelled up again so I had it drained and since then it’s just been about taking things easy looking ahead to the winter.”England are keen not to push Wood too hard. Despite his long injury history, he remains one of the fastest bowlers in the world. He was the best visiting bowler on show for the previous 2021-22 Ashes campaign, taking 17 wickets at 26.64. In the 2023 home summer, he dropped in for the last three Tests against Australia and bagged 14 dismissals at 20.21. England were 2-0 down upon his arrival and went on to square the series.It was Wood who has pushed for game time before the season ends, a plea he made to England head coach Brendon McCullum, having grown weary of the monotony of bowling in nets.”I’ve been well looked after and very cautious, that’s the way that it’s been. I value it as they’ve (the ECB) got this end-game where they want me to get to Australia.”But I said to Baz McCullum, I can’t just bowl to a net for four months, I’ll go insane. There’s a bowling camp in Loughborough in a tent – getting acclimatised there ready for Perth – then I’ll go over to Perth early with a couple of bowlers. We’ll arrive about a week early to prepare and get acclimatised.”Wood’s mooted return is a boost to England’s pace bowling stocks ahead of the Ashes, which are as close to full capacity as they have been this summer.Jofra Archer’s reappearance in Test cricket against India ended a three-year absence, which has subsequently been built upon for Southern Brave in The Hundred. Olly Stone, who was sidelined after his own knee surgery, turned out twice for London Spirit. Josh Tongue has been the standout bowler of the competition, with 14 dismissals.Brydon Carse was rested for this season’s edition, while Gus Atkinson made a single appearance for Oval Invincibles before playing for Surrey in the One Day Cup on Tuesday. The emergence of Sonny Baker also adds an extra quick to the Ashes mix.Chris Woakes remains a doubt with the dislocated left shoulder he sustained in the fifth India Test. The allrounder has opted against surgery for a regimented rehabilitation programme which gives him the best chance of making the tour, which begins at Perth’s Optus Stadium on November 21.

He smacks an unbeaten 62 off just 28 balls to help Hurricanes hunt down 187

AAP05-Jan-2025A brutal unbeaten 62 from 28 balls from Tim David helped Hobart Hurricanes to a fourth straight win and the second-highest run-chase of the BBL 2024-25.David hit six sixes and three fours as Hurricanes chased down Adelaide Strikers’ 186 for 5 with eight deliveries to spare and five wickets in hand at the Bellerive Oval. He hit 40 runs during the power surge in the 14th and 15th overs when the game was on the line.Strikers’ Jamie Overton took most of the punishment and finished with 0 for 54 from three overs after also suffering heavy treatment from opener Mitchell Owen.Owen scored 37 from 16 deliveries, which included three sixes in a row off Overton – one landing on the roof of the members’ stand.David came to the crease at 101 for 4 in the 11th over after Strikers spinners Lloyd Pope and Cameron Boyce (2-23) slowed Hurricanes’ chase. David took some time to get going before notching his fastest BBL half-century.”I’m stoked. It was my turn to put my hand up when they needed me,” David said. “I was like two off eight. I was hitting it pretty badly, but thankfully it changed. We knew the pitch was good … just good cricket shots, hit the ball out of the middle of the bat.”Hurricanes, who are gunning for a maiden title, rose to third on the ladder while Strikers remain second last.It is the first time Hurricanes have won four in a row since 2019 and comes after an impressive 50-run victory over the ladder-leading Sydney Sixers.”We’re building towards a finals crack this year, we’re only halfway through, but we’re in a good spot so far,” David said. “Everyone has contributed so far in our batting order and that’s a great place to be.”Earlier, Chris Lynn top scored for the Strikers with 49 from 27 balls after he was struck on the helmet by a 140kmph bouncer from Riley Meredith in the first over.Lynn, who hit five fours and three sixes, was out in the ninth over, caught in the deep off Waqar Salamkheil trying to clear the rope, leaving the visitors 75 for 3.Skipper Alex Ross steadied the ship with Ollie Pope, before Overton inflicted damage late with an unbeaten 27 from 18.Meredith was the pick of the Hurricanes’ bowlers with 1 for 26 from four overs, including the scalp of Pope in the 16th over.

A round-up of the second day’s action from the fifth round of matches from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009

Group A

A collective bowling effort, led by Fahad Masood’s four-wicket haul, helped Habib Bank gain a 90-run first innings lead against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Marghzar Cricket Ground.
Resuming on 232 for 6, Habib Bank lost their last four wickets for 25 runs, as Kashif Daud finished with a haul of 6 for 94. ZTBL stumbled to 58 for 4 in their reply and failed to put together big partnerships to match Habib Bank’s total, the highest being 51 for the sixth wicket. Shahid Yousuf top scored with 49 before he was dismissed by Masood, who finished with 4 for 32. Habib Bank extended their lead to 122 at stumps but lost their openers.Opener Naeemuddin missed his century by seven runs but helped set up a first-innings lead of 87 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Rawalpindi.
Azhar Shafiq supported Naeemuddin with 45 but Misbah-ul-Haq, trying to work his way back into the Pakistan team, failed to make an impact scoring 12. He was dismissed by Jaffer Nazir, the right-arm seamer, who took 4 for 41. SNGPL had their last-wicket pair at the crease at stumps and will look to push the lead past the psychological barrier of 100.It was always going to be tough for Lahore Shalimar to come back after being bundled out for 114, but Mohammad Naved toiled manfully for 40 overs for a five-wicket haul against Pakistan Customs at Muridke.
Naved, the right-arm seamer, took 5 for 87 but it didn’t stop Customs from gaining a lead of 181, with one wicket in hand at stumps. Customs added 101 for the fourth wicket – led by Asad Baig’s 56 – lost their way a bit before Tahir Mughal and Mohammad Iftikhar scored forties to frustrate Lahore and stretch the lead.It was a day of domination for National Bank of Pakistan as Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin scored centuries to make Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) toil in Faisalabad
. Amin and Jamshed added a massive 236 for the opening wicket and set the platform to mount an imposing first-innings lead with eight wickets still in hand. Jamshed made 108 with 13 fours before he was dismissed by Rizwan Ahmed. Amir was unbeaten on 139, with 16 fours and a six, to extend the lead to 92 at stumps.Five-wicket hauls by Sarfraz Ahmed, the left-arm seamer, and Azharullah helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) fight back on the second day at the Gaddafi Stadium
but it couldn’t prevent Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from gaining a first-innings lead of 55. Azharullah rocked the top order, including the wicket of in-form opener Khurram Manzoor, while Sarfraz chipped away at the middle order. Sarfraz even claimed the wicket of his namesake for 46, the top scorer of the innings. PIA were bowled out for 193 before the WAPDA openers made a refreshing start to their second innings, adding 65 till stumps with an overall lead of 10 going into the third day.

Group B

Ashar Zaidi and Naeem Anjum put in strong batting performances to prop Islamabad to 485 against Faisalabad at the Diamond Club Ground.
The pair were involved in a stand of 83 for the sixth wicket before Zaidi fell to Tauqeer Hussain for 129. Anjum continued to resist with a patient 88 off 223 balls and was supported by the lower order before he was bowled by Zulqarnain, who took four wickets. Faisalabad lost their opener Zeeshan Asif for 9 but they ended the day on a safe 63 for 1.Naved Yasin made an unbeaten 107 for Multan but Karachi Blues held the upper hand on the second day at the National Stadium.
The lower order resisted to push Karachi to 377 and Multan in reply were still way short of that score, ending on 220 for 8. Multan failed to close out Karachi when they resumed their overnight score of 291 for 8. Forties by Atif Maqbool and Azam Hussain pushed the score past 350. Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner, finished with 4 for 73. Multan were struggling at 20 for 3 when Tanvir Ahmed ran through the top order and that’s when Yasin stepped in to repair the damage. Kashif Naved added 71 with him for the fifth wicket but Mqabool and Hussain combined to strike and pull things back for Karachi. Multan ended the day faced with an imposing deficit of 157.Fifties by Shahid Qambrani and Mir Ali propped Hyderabad to 377 against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.
The overnight pair added 80 for the fifth wicket, the highest stand of the innings. Waqas Ahmed was the top wicket-taker with 4 for 117 off 32 overs. Kashif Siddiq led Lahore’s reply with an unbeaten 70.Riaz Afridi’s six-for sent Rawalpindi crashing to 81 at the National Ground
leading to a follow on against Peshawar. Afridi took 6 for 31 while Imran Khan and Nauman Habib chipped in with two wickets each to sink Peshawar, who lost their last five wickets for 18 runs. Faced with a deficit of 182, Rawalpindi out in a much better effort in their second innings, ending on 198 for 3. Usman Saeed led the way with 79 while Zahid Mansoor remained unbeaten on 57. They ended the day with a slender lead of 16 with seven wickets in hand.Kamran Younis’ unbeaten 147 gave Sialkot the upper hand against Quetta at the Jinnah Stadium.
Arun Lal’s three wickets helped Quetta gain the early advantage when they had Sialkot struggling at 104 for 5. But Ahmed Butt joined Younis and the pair added 175, remaining unbeaten till stumps. Butt scored seven boundaries in his 76 while Younis hit 20 fours. Sialkot ended the day with a lead of 66.

West Indies put up a fight with Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle scoring half-centuries but it wasn’t enough

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2025South Africa’s men had their day at Lord’s and it might well have roused the women’s team because they came back from 0-1 down in the ODI series against West Indies with a power-packed performance. There were contributions all the way down the batting order to put up 309 for 9, led by Sune Luus’ enchanting 76 off just 65 balls. Nondumiso Shangase produced a career-best 55 having been trusted with the No. 3 position for only the second time ever. And Annerie Dercksen was around to provide the flourish at the end, even though wickets were falling, as South Africa picked off 106 runs in the last 10 overs.West Indies, in reply, built their innings around fifties from Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle but their challenge wilted in the face of some miserly spin bowling from Nonkululeko Mlaba, who brought up her best figures in ODI cricket with 4 for 33. Her dismissal of Matthews came at a crucial time with West Indies keeping up with the required rate at 107 for 2 in the 20th over largely thanks to their captain’s fluency. She made 56 off just 58 balls with nine fours.Cambelle kept fighting – 53 off 58 even though she hit just five boundaries – and West Indies arrived into the last 10 overs of the game with 221 runs on the board – 18 more than South Africa at the same time and only 89 away from victory with five wickets in hand. Mlaba and the eternally gifted Marizanne Kapp took a game that was in the balance and broke it with three wickets in 11 balls. Campbelle was gone. The West Indies’ lower order had been opened up and the game petered out to its only conclusion.Scoreboard pressure played a big part in all that. Having been put in, South Africa found the going a little tough with even their free-flowing captain Laura Wolvaardt only able to score 28 off 47 balls. But the openers’ willingness to weather that period – Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits stayed together for 15.1 overs – ensured the rest of the line-up had better conditions to bat in. It showed in how only one of the remaining top seven batters had a strike rate below run a ball. Luus was the major driving force for the innings, scoring her first ODI fifty in the last 20 innings, a sequence that goes back to September 2023. Her partnership with Shangase lit the torch paper – 85 off 69 – and that fire spread. Dercksen came in and kept up the tempo, adding 40 off 23 balls with Luus before Luus fell. But that was just a reason to go harder and Dercksen and Chloe Trying put on 57 off 34 for the seventh wicket.Tuesday’s ODI now becomes a decider before the two teams get together for a three-match T20I series.

South Africa were struggling at 66 for 6 in a small chase before Stubbs and Coetzee turned the game around

Firdose Moonda10-Nov-20243:33

Takeaways – Varun, Stubbs, Coetzee show how good they can be

Tristan Stubbs’ coming-of-age season continued as he batted South Africa to a series-levelling win over India at St George’s Park. Stubbs rescued South Africa from 66 for 6 and shared in a 42-run stand off 20 balls with Gerald Coetzee to end India’s winning streak in T20Is, which extended back 11 matches. In the last month, Stubbs has scored his first Test and ODI centuries and though his 47* in Gqeberha will not go down as a milestone, it was an innings of maturity that turned things around for a struggling South African side.Since reaching the T20 World Cup final in June, South Africa had played six matches before today and won only one. They appeared to lack a certain structure to their game, which showed glimpses of returning when they put together a complete performance in the field and kept India to 124. The fast bowlers set the tone upfront before the spinners put on a squeeze and all but Keshav Maharaj were among the wickets. Importantly, they removed India’s top three early, and for a combined total of eight runs, and their middle-order had to play catch up. A 37-run stand between Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh for the seventh wicket was the only time India’s scoring rate went above six an over.Given the target, South Africa may have thought the win would come easily but they were made to work for it. Varun Chakravarthy’s first international five-for left them reeling while captain Aiden Markam’s poor form remains a concern. It has been 26 innings since he last scored a T20I half-century. South Africa were kept quiet by India’s spinners and as wickets fell, the required run-rate climbed to the point where they needed 40 off the last five overs. Stubbs held his nerve, Coetzee showed his batting prowess and South Africa got home with an over to spare.Gerald Coetzee – the batter Coetzee was put on a 12-week conditioning break to work on his bowling, but it seems as though he’s paid as much attention to his batting. After an 11-ball 23 at Kingsmead, with the game all but lost, Coetzee came in with everything at stake at St George’s Park. South Africa were 86 for 7 and needed 39 runs in 26 balls. He was off the mark with a single and that was all the sighting he needed. He dispatched the next ball he faced, a full delivery from Arshdeep Singh, over long-off to relieve the pressure. Stubbs ended the 17th over with a stunning drive through the covers which left South Africa needing 25 runs from 18 balls. Coetzee got that down to 17 off 16 balls with back-to-back boundaries off Avesh Khan, who erred in length. South Africa scored 12 runs off the 18th over and needed 13 off the last 12 balls to level the series.Varun confounds South Africa South Africa insist they have made progress in their batting against spin but then someone like Varun comes along and it doesn’t seem that way. He followed up a career-best in Durban with another in Gqeberha and made India’s modest total appear much bigger than it was. His second ball was a slow googly that Markram, struggling for form, did not pick. Markram slogged, missed and was bowled. The same delivery did Reeza Hendricks in in the next over. Hendricks had just hit Varun for four and was foxed by the wrong ‘un as he played for turn away and was bowled. Then, he changed ends and was equally dangerous from the other side. In his third over, Marco Jansen had no idea what to do against the googly but it was the final over where Varun all but ended South Africa’s hopes. Heinrich Klaasen tried to take him on and could only find long-off and with his next ball, Varun bowled David Miller to claim his five-for.Varun Chakravarthy removed Marco Jansen for 7 on his way to a five-for•AFP/Getty Images

South Africa’s sensational bowling start Cricket has its way of humbling humans and it did to Sanju Samson, who was bowled off the third ball of the innings for a duck, after back-to-back hundreds in his last two matches. The delivery was impressive as Jansen got the ball to seam and then swing but Samson moved too early to give himself room and may have been in a better place to keep it out if he had remained in line. Jansen’s first over was scoreless and South Africa had set the tone. Four balls later, Coetzee and umpire Lubabalo Gcume thought Abhishek Sharma gloved him down the leg side but an immediate review proved otherwise. Coetzee had the last laugh when Abhishek top-edged him to Jansen at short fine. But the moment of the powerplay came when Andile Simelane, who was wicketless on debut in Durban, seared in a yorker to Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to get his first international wicket. Suryakumar tried to flick it away but was beaten for pace and hit on the pad and did not even bother to review. India were 15 for 3 after four overs and recovered to 34 for 3 after the powerplay. David Miller’s wonder catch Tilak Varma smashed Markram towards cover. The ball rocketed towards Miller who moved to his right, reached overhead and plucked it out of the Gqeberha. Tilak stood open-mouthed and stared at Miller in disbelief. At the stands, the spectators’ eyes were the size of saucers. The commentators struggled to get the words out.’Oh, my, word’, was the overall sentiment as India slumped to 45 for 4. South Africa stayed sharp in the field and legspinner Nqaba Peter reacted quickly when Hardik drove the ball to him at the end of his second over. Peter got a touch as the ball deflected onto the non-striker’s stumps and Axar Patel was run out. Hardik hits out Hardik scored 19 runs off the first 29 balls he faced and only found the boundary off the 28th as South Africa dried up India’s run-scoring opportunities. The middle overs were heavy going as India scored 24 runs in five overs and went 35 deliveries without scoring a boundary. Finally, in the 18th over, Hardik found his touch. Jansen was brought back on after his first two overs cost only five runs and Hardik immediately punched them through the covers for four. Two balls later, he got under a wider delivery and hit it over extra cover for six and then closed out the over with a ramp shot off a short ball for India’s most profitable over.