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Sarah Taylor is taking an indefinite break from cricket and may miss the summer series against Pakistan that gets underway on June 20

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2016
Sarah Taylor, the England wicketkeeper who is widely considered to be one of the most talented women’s players in the game, is taking an indefinite break from cricket and may miss the summer series against Pakistan that gets underway on June 20.According to the ECB, Taylor, 26, is “taking a break from cricket, having decided to take some personal time away from the game”.She has already missed the first three fixtures of Sussex’s domestic season, and the decision also puts in doubt her participation in the inaugural Kia Women’s Super League, which gets underway at the end of July.An ECB spokesperson told the website CRICKETher that they were continuing to monitor the situation and that the board would “support her, keep in touch and talk with her prior to selection for the Pakistan series and the start of the Kia Super League.”The news comes just days after Charlotte Edwards stood down from her ten-year role as England women’s captain, following pressure from the head coach, Mark Robinson, for a renewed emphasis on youth and fitness in a squad that has stagnated in recent years.The team disappointed at the World T20 in India in March, exiting at the semi-final stage following a limp defeat against Australia, and have not won a major global title since 2009.Taylor’s dismissal in that semi-final at Delhi was heavily criticised at the time, as she finished the tournament with 49 runs at 9.80 in five matches – well short of the standards that have made her one of the most talked-about female players in the game.Taylor’s decision also effectively rules her out of becoming the next England captain, a job that now seems likely to go to Heather Knight.Taylor took a four-month break from cricket in 2010, missing an Ashes tour in the process, but returned to the sport to become the leading wicketkeeper batsman in the world.

Chief selector expects more from the Test side

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2020They may be defending champions but West Indies won’t be “overwhelming favourites” at the men’s T20 World Cup slated to be held in Australia in October-November according to chairman of selectors Roger Harper.In 2016, Darren Sammy’s West Indies became the first team to win two World T20 titles (they’d previously won in 2012). Over the last four years, their fortunes have plummeted; they’re currently ranked No. 10 in the format.”You have to be realistic here,” Harper told Trinidad-based radio station i9555 fm last week. “We are the defending champions, yes, but at the same time we are not the No. 1-ranked team in the world. That in itself says what has transpired since we won the last World Cup.”West Indies have a ray of hope, though, with new captain Kieron Pollard, who recently played in his 500th T20 game, joining hands with Dwayne Bravo – among the seniors to make a comeback – to chart a revival.Pollard took over the ODI and T20I captaincy from Jason Holder and Carlos Brathwaite respectively last September. As part of their plan to bring in experience to mentor youngsters, Bravo was brought out of retirement.”My memory doesn’t tell me exactly where we were ranked that time but the team [in 2016] we put out for that World Cup was filled with a lot of very experienced T20 specialists,” Harper said. “Now we have a little blend of a few experienced T20 players and some of the young guns coming through.”The rankings notwithstanding, Harper felt West Indies still remain a threat at the T20 World Cup, which is in considerable doubt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the ICC and the event organisers remain optimistic, they aren’t in a hurry to make a definitive decision yet.”Don’t get me wrong, I still think we have a good chance of winning the tournament, but I don’t think we would be going into the tournament as overwhelming favourites,” Harper explained. “I think it’s a matter of getting what we think is our best squad, picking our best XI for each game, looking forward to them performing at their best and making smart decisions and winning the critical moments.”In their most-recent tour, just before cricket came to a grinding halt across the globe, West Indies endured mixed results against Sri Lanka. They lost the ODI series 3-0, but bounced back to register thumping wins in the two T20Is. Despite the results evening out, Harper saw some positives, especially in the batting department.”In terms of result, it fluctuated but one thing that has been relatively consistent is the way the team has batted,” he said. “[Of late] we have seen the consistency in batting with the white-ball team, both in 50-over and 20-over games. We identified that bowling at times wasn’t as sharp and as smart as it needed to be.”But with the inclusion of some of the older, wiser heads, we have seen some improvement there as well, especially at the end of the innings. I think generally we have seen some improvement and now it’s just a matter of turning those improvements into consistent, positive results.”Getty Images

Harper feels onus on islands to develop Test talent
Harper also hoped to see West Indies becoming a better Test side, and for that, simply having a “scattering of world class players” wasn’t going to be enough.”[Domestic players] have to start thinking big and raise their standards,” he said. “Our players will have to stop thinking in terms of just trying to make it to the West Indies team and start thinking in terms of developing themselves into world-class players.”We need to have world-class players in the West Indies team. That’s how our cricket and our team will get to the top, if we have a number of world-class players in the team giving us world-class performances on a consistent basis.”If you are just making 30s, and the press is slamming that he deserves a strike… I would like my job to be that I don’t have to pick somebody. If you are making 30, we have a person who is making 31, then I have to decide which one to select.”But if you are averaging in the 60s or 70s, all I have to do is write your name down, you pick yourself. That’s what we have to encourage our players to do: think bigger, aim higher, think of putting in world-class performances and raise their standards to be match-winning world-class players.”What I have found is that at the U-19 level, we can compete with all the teams around the world but then a lot of those players from other teams make a huge jump from U-19 to the Test team and look completely mature and different.”We have to ensure our guys can make that leap as well. A lot of it has to do with their thinking and maturity in terms of cricket. We have to help them along by developing their mental skills and tactical awareness, and help them apply their skills better.”Harper felt it was also the responsibility of the islands to groom their young players instead of doing “buck-passing” to Cricket West Indies (CWI).”My belief is that West Indies stands on the skills of the territories,” he said. “The West Indies team comes from the territories, players will not fall from the sky. We always keep pointing at the West Indies board but I feel the territories have a serious responsibility as well to develop the world-class players. This is what was done in the past.”I think a lot of buck-passing has been done. We are very proud to say when a Brian Lara is breaking all those records that he is from Trinidad but when a player is not doing well, you say what the West Indies cricket board is doing. I think there is some inconsistency and we need to get back what we were doing in the past and take the responsibility of developing quality, world-class players.”

Donovan Miller and Graeme Welch also in the running following departure of Jim Troughton

George Dobell26-Nov-2020Mark Ramprakash has emerged as a strong contender for the role of Warwickshire head coach.ESPNcricinfo understands that Ramprakash, the former England batsman, has been shortlisted for interview. Other shortlisted candidates include – but are not limited to – Donovan Miller and Graeme Welch.After a couple of years as batting coach at Middlesex, Ramprakash enjoyed several years as England’s batting coach. Having turned down an approach from Sri Lanka, he is currently coaching at Harrow School.Miller has an outstanding record as a coach in T20 franchise cricket. As a head or assistant coach, he has overseen victories in the CPL, PSL GT20 (Canada) and Mzansi Super League (South Africa), while he was also part of the England coaching team when they won the World Cup in 2019 and at Essex when they won the County Championship in 2017.Welch, a former Warwickshire player, has earned an excellent reputation as a bowling coach – a role he currently holds at the club – and has had several stints as a consultant with the England squad. He has previously had a short spell as head coach at Derbyshire, whom he also captained in his playing days.David Saker, the former England bowling coach, was an early frontrunner for the job having been sounded out over his interest by Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Paul Farbrace, several months ago. Saker has now told ESPNcricinfo that he “has a job with Sri Lanka [he is bowling coach] so is not really interested” in the Warwickshire role.Ottis Gibson, currently the bowling coach with Bangladesh, also denied to ESPNcricinfo he had been offered an interview though he is thought to remain a strong candidate.Second interviews are scheduled to take place in the week starting December 14 with an appointment expected before Christmas.Warwickshire are seeking a replacement for Jim Troughton who was sacked at the end of a disappointing season. It is understood Warwickshire were obliged to pay Troughton, who has been connected with the club as a player or coach for the best part of 30 years, a six-figure sum in compensation.

Heat take all available points against second-placed Sydney Thunder and move to sixth on the table

Varun Shetty04-Jan-2021Fifties from Joe Burns and Joe Denly helped Brisbane Heat take all available points against second-placed Sydney Thunder and move to sixth on the table after seven games. On a quick, batting-friendly surface, Mujeeb ur Rahman’s wickets and exceptional fielding also played a part in Heat’s win as Thunder struggled to sustain any surges during their batting innings due to the five wickets he was involved in. With a decent start from openers Max Bryant, and the returning Chris Lynn, Heat set up their chase of 175 nicely before sealing the points – they beat Thunders’ 10-over score in 8.1 – to go over Perth Scorchers on the table.In command, a wobble, and then three pointsNathan McAndrew and Adam Milne strangled Bryant and Lynn in the first few overs of Thunders’ defence of 174, but a couple of lapses provided enough room for Lynn to let loose. The opening stand was 37, and neither opener made it out of the powerplay, but they had done their jobs as Heat got 61 in six overs.Burns, coming in at No. 4, took charge from there as Denly took a more patient approach. There was none of the tentativeness in Burns’ innings on Monday that we’ve seen in his recent Test innings – at every point, he looked not only to score, but knew exactly the scoring options to use. In this case, the best options were generally behind the bowler and Burns milked that area with both horizontal-batted swats and check-drives when the bowlers erred full. It kept the momentum from the powerplay as Heat marched towards the target.Denly’s flourish came late, but with strong effect. Two swept sixes and a four against Tanveer Sangha in the 15th over took him to fifty, and brought Heat’s required rate to under run-a-ball. But an attempt to hit out meant he was stumped in the same over, and Lewis Gregory was out next ball pulling straight to deep midwicket.Heat were well ahead of the rate but the wickets brought nerves. To counter them, and in a bid to take legspinner Sangha – who was on a hat-trick – out of the attack, they opted to take the Power Surge after 16 overs. That forced Thunder to bring on their fast bowlers, and Burns and Jimmy Peirson used that time to tick away against the required runs. Burns wasn’t there when the win was brought up at the start of the 20th over, but his fifty had taken them through.Hales and Ferguson keep it smartBefore all of that, Thunder had elected to bat but lost Usman Khawaja off the second ball. The left-hander got a top edge looking to swat Xavier Bartlett over midwicket. Wicketkeeper and captain Peirson was caught in two minds as he and Mujeeb, from short fine leg, converged on it and came dangerously close to a collision. Ultimately, it was the latter who kept his eyes on the ball running backwards to slide and grab to his left as Peirson withdrew at the right moment.That wicket didn’t affect Alex Hales at the other end, however, and the opener continued to display his stellar form this season. Having taken a few overs to get a sighter, Hales unleashed some characteristic shots on the up in the third over against Bartlett. That resulted in two fours and a disdainful six straight over the bowler to inject momentum to their start.Callum Ferguson, at No. 3, was his usual busy self without being too explosive. His game was built around dabbing deliveries into the vast outfields square of the wickets, a tactic that kept the runs ticking. They turned 1 for 0 into 1 for 77 by the ninth over.Mujeeb ur Rahman had a brilliant day in the field with two wickets, two catches, and a run-out•Getty Images

It’s a Mujeeb worldMujeeb came into the game with seven wickets in his last two games, but Hales was willing to take him on. He smoked a pull over deep midwicket in the middle of the ninth over, but Mujeeb came back the next ball with one that got big outside off. Hales, who was on top of the BBL run cheers by this point, could only manage to chop to short third man.In his next over, Mujeeb got Ferguson swiping out to deep midwicket. And just as Sam Billings had gotten going, he affected a sharp run out off his own bowling. Billing, running down the pitch, was beaten in flight and pushed the ball back down the pitch to Mujeeb. He couldn’t turn back quickly enough as Mujeeb sent a throw back on the bounce and caught him short on the dive. Thunder were 5 for 108 in the 14th over at this point. Mujeeb finished the night with two wickets, two catches, and a run-out. Ultimately, that proved to be a big difference.Surges, concussions, and X-factorsAfter taking some time to arrest the freefall, allrounders Daniel Sams and Ben Cutting tore into Thunder with a Power Surge in the 17th over. They made 35 in that period and eventually had four sixes and four fours between them. That ramped Thunder up to 174 at the end of the innings. Sams, though, was struck on the helmet during his cameo and didn’t come out to bowl due to a concussion. He was replaced by Chris Tremain.For Heat, left-arm spinner Mathew Kuhenmann was replaced after one over by an X-factor sub for the second consecutive game. Lynn made his comeback in Kuhnemann’s place.

Ashley Giles says scheduling will be looked at for 2021 with a view to shifting priorities

George Dobell01-Nov-2019A change of heart at the ECB could see the County Championship – rather than the One-Day Cup – played at the same time as the Hundred from 2021.Next summer the domestic one-day competition is scheduled to be played at the same time as the Hundred, meaning England’s best limited-overs players will not be available for 50-over cricket. But Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, has suggested that decision could be reviewed after the 2020 season.While he insisted the 50-over competition would provide an opportunity for “young guys to get exposure” in 2020, he did admit that, ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India, the ECB may look to ensure the domestic competition is of as high a standard as possible and not hit by absences.”It definitely will be 50-over alongside the Hundred next summer, but this will be consistently reviewed,” Giles told in an interview in their November edition. “You could then move your 50-over back to the start of the year.”Fifty-over cricket remains really important. But we have to prioritise slightly differently over the next few years. We have two T20 World Cups ahead of the 2023 50-over World Cup. We’ll still play 50-over.”Can I sit here and say it’s the most important thing when it’s being playing alongside the Hundred – no, I can’t. You’d laugh at me. It’s actually a really good competition for some young guys to get exposure. Then in 2021 we might have a look at the scheduling again.”One option likely to be discussed by the ECB cricket committee now chaired by Andrew Strauss is the possibility of staging Championship games – perhaps offering half the points of matches at other stages of the season when all players are available – during the window designed to accommodate the Hundred. That will not be a universally popular option and may lead to suggestions that the ECB is compromising the integrity of the first-class game and, as a consequence, the development of the Test side.But Giles feels the benefits, not least playing more first-class in the prime weeks of the summer when conditions should encourage spin bowling, are worth further consideration.”People will say the integrity of the Championship would be in question,” Giles said. “But you could view it slightly differently:
play with a points system, and have a healthy mix of senior players who are not in the Hundred, alongside some 19 and 20-years-olds.”You could have four rounds of Championship cricket at the height of summer, on good pitches that might spin. A lot of county members like seeing the young players, at outgrounds. That would be great.”

An outrageous half-century from Faheem Ashraf took Pakistan to a victory that, even by their standards, must rate as one of the most improbable in their history.

George Dobell at Edgbaston27-May-2017Pakistan 342 for 8 (Shoaib 72, Faheem 64*) beat Bangladesh 341 for 9 (Tamim 102, Junaid 4-72) by two wickets

ScorecardShoaib Malik’s 72 kept Pakistan in the game before an astonishing finale•Getty Images

An outrageous half-century from Faheem Ashraf took Pakistan to a victory that, even by their standards, must rate as one of the most improbable in their history.Fahee, playing his first innings in a Pakistan shirt, thrashed 60 in 34 balls to turn this Champions Trophy warm-up match against Bangladesh on its head. Coming in at No. 9, he helped add 93 in 41 balls for the ninth wicket to take his side to an unlikely victory and make an all-but-undeniable claim for selection in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy side.Sadly for Faheem, this match will barely rate a footnote in the record books. With both sides able to utilise substitutes and Edgbaston sporting a remarkably short boundary towards the Pershore Road side of the ground (it measured just 42 metres, or 47 yards) in an effort to ensure the best surfaces were protected for more important matches, the game will not even be regarded as a List A encounter.But let nobody say this innings came in a soft or contrived manner. At various stages, Pakistan had looked doomed to a fourth one-day defeat in succession against Bangladesh – Bangladesh won the last series between the sides, in April 2015, 3-0 – as they subsided to 168 for 5, 227 for 6 and, in the 42nd over, 242 for 7.That meant they required exactly 100 from the final eight-and-a-half overs. But Faheem, who thinks of his seam bowling as his stronger suit, struck four sixes – none of them over the short boundary – and four fours to take his side over the line.He launched the assault by taking 19 off an untidy over from Mehedi Miraz, followed it with 16 off one from Mashrafe Mortaza and, with 13 required from the last, eased his side’s nerves with a vast pull for six from the first ball of the final over over the longest boundary in the ground.While it was his straight hitting that was most impressive – think of Darren Sammy at his best – it was noticeable that, when Bangladesh dropped short in an attempt to push him onto the back foot, he pulled with powerful assurance. It was, by any standards, a wonderfully persuasive performance by a man pushing for an international debut.Perhaps, had Mustafizur Rahman been playing – he was rested – things might have been different. Taskin Ahmed seemed to tire noticeably as the innings progressed and Shakib Al Hasan did not bowl his whole allocation of overs. But such was Faheem’s power that the Bangladesh bowlers’ ploy of making him hit towards the long boundary was negated and even the experience of Mortaza could find no answer for his clean hitting down the ground.Maybe we should suspend judgement on Faheem. This was a warm-up game, after all, without the large crowds or media scrutiny of a tournament match. But if he replicates anything like this in the game against India a week tomorrow – and it is hard to see how he could be left out of a Pakistan side that has been looking for a seam-bowling all-rounder since what seems the dawn of time – a star really will have been born.There was one other major caveat to this performance. The Bangladesh fielding was, at times, really quite appalling. At least five potential catches were dropped – including Faheem in the final over, allowing him to run three – and one important stumping was missed.Coming on the heels of a match against New Zealand where Bangladesh won despite dropping four chances it underlined the impression that their fielding is a major area of concern going into the Champions Trophy. As Imrul Kayes put it afterwards with a lovely hint of understatement: “I think we need a few more fielding sessions… That’s why we lost the match.”The shame of that is that, for a vast chunk of this game, Bangladesh were the better side. With Tamim Iqbal slamming a century, they set a total that we may well come to think of as something around par in a tournament that looks set to be hugely enjoyable for batsman and a complete nightmare for bowlers.After a relatively cautious start (he scored only 8 from his first 17 balls), Tamim thrashed 43 from his next 22 as he made full use of the short boundary and any width offered by Pakistan’s seamers. Imrul added a run-a-ball 61, Mushfiqur Rahim a typically pugnacious 46 and Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain some impetus towards the end of the innings.With Mohammad Amir rested, Pakistan’s attack offered plenty of pace but no obvious control. Junaid Khan was taken for 25 in one over, Mushfiqur struck Imad Wasim for successive sixes and Wahab Riaz, who cannot be assured of his place in the side, was as mercurial as ever. While Hasan Ali, who could be the unfortunate man to make way for Amir’s return now that Faheem has made such a strong case for selection, leg-spinner Shahdab Khan and Faheem offered a little more control, this was a tough target for a Pakistan side who have made 340 in an ODI only once – and that against Zimbabwe – since the 2015 World Cup.And, for much of their innings, it seemed they had no chance of reaching it. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam both perished poking at balls outside off stump before Ahmed Shahzad’s promising innings was ended by a beauty from Shakib Al Hasan that gripped just a little and took his off bail. While Shoaib Malik, who was dropped on 8, and Mohammad Hafeez added 79 in 12.3 overs for the fourth-wicket to provide some hope, when they went and Sarfraz Ahmed soon followed, it seemed their chances departed with them.But Imad, who survived a stumping chance on 39, kept the chase alive before Faheem delivered his knock-out blow in partnership with Hasan.Insisting he was expecting to force his way into the side before the first match of the tournament – he was a non-playing member of the limited-overs team in the Caribbean – Faheem said he produced such innings “a lot” in first-class cricket – though a List A average of 15.52 with one half-century underlined that his shorter-format batting record is modest – and thanked his captain and coach for “their belief in me.””It’s the first innings I’ve played for Pakistan,” he said. “In first-class cricket I’ve played a lot of innings like that, but that’s the first one in one-day cricket. On one side, the boundary was very small. But they were bowling in good areas and we thought we would hit straight down the ground. I have an ability to hit straight.”He sure does. And while few will recall the details of such a warm-up game in a couple of weeks, his promise might mean that a Pakistan side seen as rank outsiders go into the tournament with hopes just a little higher.

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.

Reflecting on Australia’s semi-final defeat, the coach acknowledged that the likes of Maxwell and Stoinis would be disappointed with how their World Cups had gone

Daniel Brettig13-Jul-2019Australia’s coach Justin Langer believes the absence of Usman Khawaja was critical to the team’s failure to put up a defendable total in their World Cup semi-final hiding by England, pinpointing his return to fitness as vital to the Test team’s Ashes chances next month.A hamstring strain in the final qualifying match against South Africa pushed Khawaja out of the line-up at Edgbaston, forcing a batting shuffle that saw Steven Smith at No. 3, Peter Handscomb in from outside the squad at No. 4, and Alex Carey bumped up to five. That rejigged order was soon 14 for 3, a hole from which escape was always going to be difficult.While Smith and Carey did their bit in a restorative century stand to briefly give Australia a foothold, further wickets were to underline the value Khawaja’s top order runs have provided on friendly days for bowling. Langer said Khawaja had been chosen with those very scenarios in mind.”He was a big loss,” Langer said. “We picked him believe it or not specifically for days like today when it was hard, you lose an early wicket, you want that No. 3, your Test No. 3, to score hundreds.”We didn’t have him but that’s all part and parcel. We got beaten by a much better team. A few people were laughing about it but I’ve said from day one England are favourites to win the tournament, they should be. They’re a great cricket team and they were better than us today. We were disappointing but they were better than us. And that’s okay, you want to be winning all the time but we got beaten by a better team.”I think you took Jason Roy out of England’s side and it made a big impact. You take your best players out of any team, whether it’s cricket or AFL or rugby, it’s always hard when you lose your best players. There’s plenty of talent in Australian cricket, no doubt about that. We’re seeing that in the Australia A stuff at the moment, we’re going to play 24 guys in two Australian teams leading up to the Ashes, there’s plenty of talent there, we just didn’t play as well as we should have.”Khawaja’s value as a top-order player in challenging conditions was aptly demonstrated in Langer’s very first Test as coach, a last day fight to grind out a draw with Pakistan in Dubai last year, and he can be expected to be a similar bulwark on Ashes days where the Dukes ball seams and swings. Reflecting on Australia’s semi-final defeat, Langer tried to balance his obvious pain with re-focussing quickly on the Ashes.”It was just a really, really disappointing day for us but it’s been a really good campaign,” he said. “Don’t underestimate the injury to Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh in that first 10 overs against South Africa – we fell 10 runs short of South Africa without one of our premier batsmen, who’s been a really important part of the last six months and this World Cup. And Shaun, he broke his arm two days before so that put a bit of a dampener on our campaign. But overall it’s been really good hasn’t it. We were on top until the last game, fell 10 runs short and then had a really poor game today. So very disappointing.”I’ve had my heart set on July 14 for probably 12 months so we got to July 11, we fell a few days short. So it’s disappointing, we’d have liked to be there in three days’ time, I’d rather be in England’s dressing room now, it’s always more fun winning than losing, but we have to turn to it now.”We’ve known this was going to be an unprecedented time in Australian cricket, a World Cup and then Ashes, so we’ll dust ourselves off, recharge our batteries, probably six or seven guys who’ll be in the Ashes as well need to recharge and then start a whole new campaign. We’ll take some lessons out of this, so it’s another big campaign. The Ashes is huge for Australian cricket and English cricket so we’ll dust ourselves off and be ready.”In naming the efforts of Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey, the captaincy of Aaron Finch and the contributions of a reintegrated Smith and David Warner among the high points of Australia’s Cup, Langer agreed that Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis had cause to analyse underwhelming tournaments. However, he defended Handscomb after a brief and unsuccessful innings in Birmingham.”They’ll both be really disappointed with the whole World Cup won’t they,” Langer said of Maxwell and Stoinis. “They were working really hard, giving it their best shot, but sometimes when your confidence is down a bit and its not something you can just flick a switch and you’re back and firing.Getty Images

“They still contributed – I think they were three and four in the fielding rankings, they’ve had little moments where they’ve had an impact. They’ll be disappointed, there’s a few guys who’ll be a bit disappointed but there’s been a lot more positives than negatives I think.”Pete came in for one game, he came in for a World Cup semi-final. He helped us win an unbelievable series in India, he helped us win five-nil [against Pakistan in UAE], and then was really, really unlucky. Then to have to come into a World Cup having not played any of the games its a really tough ask on him and it would’ve been for any of our players.”As for England’s highly orchestrated four-year drive to the final, in marked contrast to Australia’s more chaotic path, Langer echoed Finch in saying that the work of Trevor Bayliss, Eoin Morgan and company would be closely assessed for any valuable lessons. After all, the cup will no longer be Australia’s to hold.”It’s a good question. The big turnabout in our fortunes over the last six months was we got really clear with what our plan was, the way we’re going to play into this World Cup,” Langer said. “I mentioned in the press conference the other day that David Willey told me, they almost set four years ago, this is the squad we’re going to stick with, they obviously made a few little changes along the way, but you build up for that.”We’ve got lots of other really good competitions and goals to achieve with white ball cricket, T20 cricket there’s a World Cup coming up, and obviously Test cricket. We’re coming from a certain level and we’re making some improvements but we’ve still got plenty of improvements to make.”

The opener was one of only two batsmen to make a significant contribution, alongside David Miller, as the South Africans were bowled out for 173

Liam Brickhill31-Oct-2018South Africa have had two nights to acclimatise and get over any jetlag since arriving in Australia, but opener Aiden Markram admitted they were still a little rusty and, perhaps, a little lacking in intensity after their four-wicket defeat to Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.”We got here two nights ago, so I don’t think it’s too much of an excuse,” Markram said. “We had an optional training session yesterday and guys have had the chance to rest up and find their feet here. The timezone is a little different than ours, but I don’t think it’s the reason behind us not delivering the goods today. We were a touch rusty and maybe not at the right intensity level, so we’ll turn it up a notch going into the first ODI.”Markram and David Miller were the only two South Africans in the top order to have any real impact with the bat, both narrowly missing out on half-centuries. They had staged something of a recovery before Markram picked out deep square leg and Miller lofted to long-on. South Africa had Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada to thank for stretching their total beyond 150.”It’s nice to spend a little bit of time out in the middle,” Markram said. “As a batter, it’s never enough runs. And in that sort of situation of the game, it would have been ideal for me to kick on and drag the partnership on with Dave [Miller]. Not entirely happy about getting out, but looking back at it, happy to have spent a little bit of time out there.”South Africa had been rocked by left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff, who removed Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks in his first over and then had Faf du Plessis caught by George Bailey for just 13. “He swung the ball this afternoon at the start, and he has got a ball that goes across the right-hander which makes it incredibly challenging,” Markram said of Behrendorff, who played two T20Is against India last year but is yet to make his ODI debut. “We’ve known of him for a while. We’ve watched him in the Big Bash and those sorts of tournaments. He keeps doing the right things. He’s a good bowler.”While South Africa struggled with the bat, all of their frontline bowlers struck at least once with the ball and when Imran Tahir held onto a return chance from Sam Heazlett, the match was in the balance at 87 for 5.”It’s always good to see Dale [Steyn] swinging the ball at a good speed,” Markram said. “Positive sign for us. I’ve got no doubt he’ll lead our young attack and make it nice and exciting. With the ball, we were there and we were always asking good questions. And it’s important to be able to do that for 50 overs. On the bowling side, we were decent tonight.”South Africa play their first match against an Australia on Sunday, and will be up against a team who have won just one ODI this year. While the opposition might be in the doldrums, Markram insisted that there was still a sense of excitement and intensity around an international fixture against them.”It’s extremely exciting. An ODI series against Australia will lift the intensity levels, it will lift the excitement levels, and generally, it brings out performances and guys putting their hands up. We’re looking forward to that. I don’t think there’s an easy game in international cricket, and especially not against Australia. We’re going to have to be on it come the first ODI and be at the right intensity level to deliver the goods.”

The dispute is over an agreement signed in April 2014 to play bilateral games – an agreement that has not been honoured and shows no signs of being so

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Sep-2018The backstory first
In 2014 the PCB offered conditional support to the Big Three’s revamp of the ICC. Under the agreement, which the PCB claims is binding, Pakistan were supposed to play six bilateral series as part of the reworked eight-year Future Tours Programme (FTP) cycle between 2015 and 2023. Four of those series would be hosted by Pakistan, comprising 24 matches across three formats; and the six tours would include up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20Is.The two sides have not played a full bilateral tour since Pakistan’s last visit to India in 2007. A year later, in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai, ties became strained. Pakistan did tour India for a limited-overs only series at the end of 2012, though both countries play regularly in ICC events and faced off twice in the recent Asia Cup.They have an agreement you say. So why no play?
According to the PCB, it is only because the BCCI has not been independent enough from its government’s stance of no ties with Pakistan.And the BCCI says what?
They have maintained at every meeting with PCB that it has no authority to allow India to play Pakistan in a bilateral series. That decision lies only with the Indian government. The PCB doesn’t agree, insisting that the BCCI has lacked the will to convince the Indian government. PCB officials argue that if India is allowed to play Pakistan at neutral venues in global tournaments, then why not bilateral series?I’m presuming the ICC has done…
The ICC has maintained a studied neutrality throughout, except in one instance. Last year the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar advised the PCB against taking legal recourse. Manohar is understood to have told the PCB that it would spoil the relations with BCCI “for life” if it pressed legal proceedings against the BCCI.Manohar essentially seconded the BCCI line, saying India could only play Pakistan bilaterally subject to permission from the Indian government. The PCB walked out of that meeting in London, feeling Manohar was “pleading” the BCCI case and not acting in neutral fashion.Which, presumably, left the PCB with no choice but head to the ICC disputes panel?
The PCB felt that the BCCI should not have signed the letter of intent as part of the MoU if it did not have its government’s permission. Having failed to get a positive and concrete response from the BCCI, the PCB finally sent a notice of dispute to the BCCI last May.The PCB has claimed losses of up to USD 70 million from the failure of the BCCI to play two series, in November 2014 and December 2015. The PCB used the prospect of these series to sell its media rights and in their absence, the board claims to have suffered these commercial losses.In addition, the PCB had several good faith meetings as prescribed under the ICC rules. However, those meetings went nowhere, compelling the PCB to adopt this last course of action: the dispute resolution committee. Consequently, the PCB sent a dispute notice to the ICC last November, which will now be heard by an independent committee.Which lucky souls get to hear this case then?
The Disputes Panel is made up of three members: Michael Beloff, chair of the panel, who had previously been part of the ICC tribunal that had banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for their roles in the spot-fixing scandal, along with Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett.Will the decision of the dispute panel will be final?
Yes, the decision, the ICC has pointed out, will be “non-appeallable.”