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Fast bowler’s five-for followed by batting grind as Foakes back spasm adds to visitors’ woes

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2024Kyle Abbott became Utilita Bowl’s greatest-ever wicket-taker as Hampshire showed a chink in champions Surrey’s quest for a third straight Vitality County Championship crown.Fast bowler Abbott overtook Dimi Mascarenhas’ 186 scalps at the ground as his predatory post-lunch spell of five for 25 put him on 188 home wickets since initially arriving in 2014.The South African was supplemented by Liam Dawson’s three for 21 as Surrey were rolled for 127 – although with the warning that they recovered from 15 for four to beat Worcestershire last week.To add to Surrey, and potentially England’s, woes, wicket-keeper Ben Foakes didn’t keep wicket due to a back spasm, as Hampshire ground out a glacial 102 for one.A relatively even morning session was headlined by Dawson picking off Surrey’s distinguished top-order, after the visitors had chosen to bat first on a used pitch.The left-arm spinner entered the attack in the 10th over and stuck after just four deliveries, as Dom Sibley returned a simple caught and bowled.After a missed chance to stump Rory Burns, Ollie Pope attempted to pump Dawson over long-on but mistimed to Keith Barker at mid-on to hand the all-rounder his 300th first-class wicket for Hampshire.His 301st came soon after when Burns turned to short leg, before Jamie Smith ended the morning session by having his stumps rearranged by debutant Michael Neser – the Australian coming in for Mohammed Abbas, who has returned home.The interval score of 89 for four slightly flattered the hosts, but when they returned, Abbott got his tail up and demolished the middle and lower order.Abbott became a father for the first time over the winter and also went on a fitness regime that returned him to a similar physique to the one he had as a Test bowler.The primary reason for the latter was to have the same energy and strength at the end of a long session or day with which he had started.It was really Felix Organ who got things rolling, as he snatched a wonderful diving catch at square-leg to dismiss Dan Lawrence. But from then on it was peak Abbott and his skilful bowling.He nipped in to displace Foakes’ middle stump, before another in-ducker found Jordan Clark’s outside edge for a duck. At that point, Abbott had taken three wickets without conceding a run after lunch.Abbott overtook Mascarenhas by getting a ball to lift on Sean Abbott, and then completed his 38th five-wicket haul of his career by cleaning up Gus Atkinson. All five wickets had come in a 34-ball burst.Neser rounded off the innings by pegging back Cam Steel’s off stump to end a Surrey collapse which had seen seven wickets fall for 38 runs. It was their lowest total since the last innings of last season – which came on this ground having secured the title the day before.The grey skies that had partnered Surrey’s innings were replaced by blue ones as Fletcha Middleton and Toby Albert – in for another back spasm victim Ali Orr – built a 51-run stand for the first wicket.The duo took little risk, with dot balls comprising of 85 per cent of their partnership, but were split when Middleton tickled a sweep shot behind to Smith – who had replaced Foakes behind the stumps.For Albert it was a contrast from the 51 off 33 balls and 86 off 31 balls he had scored earlier this week in T20 matches for the Second XI. In his first 100 balls he only scored 19 runs, and ended the day with a barely quicker 34 off 139 – having put on 51 with Nick Gubbins.

Decision reached during England’s final warm-up ahead of series which had been set to start on March 19

Andrew Miller13-Mar-2020England’s Test tour of Sri Lanka has been called off at the request of the ECB, due to the growing threat of the the COVID-19 pandemic, but on the understanding that it will be rescheduled at a later date.The news came while England were playing their final four-day warm-up match, ahead of the two-Test series which had been scheduled to get underway in Galle on March 19. Play continued for a few minutes after the announcement, before the players left the field at 3.40pm local time.The match was duly abandoned with the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI on 150 for 3 in their first innings.”After overnight discussions between our teams in Sri Lanka and the SLC, the decision has been made to postpone the series and bring players and support staff home. Our aim will be to reschedule the series,” said an ECB spokesman.The ECB had been in regular contact with the Sri Lankan and British High Commissions, in addition to Sri Lanka Cricket to address a “highly evolving” situation. SLC are understood to have offered to play the series behind closed doors, but the ECB pushed for a full postponement, making the case that their players would not have been in the right frame of mind for a Test series. The decision was, said the ECB, “beyond cricket”.The spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka is currently less intense than in the UK, with three confirmed patients to date. However, amid the tightening or closing of borders, and the cancellation of international travel, England’s desire to get home to their families, and their concern for elderly relatives, was a key factor in the decision.”Due to the COVID-19 pandemic worsening globally, and after discussions with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have today made the decision to return our players to the UK and postpone the forthcoming Test series between Sri Lanka and England,” the ECB said.”At this time, the physical and mental wellbeing of our players and support teams is paramount. We will now look to bring them home to their families as soon as possible. These are completely unprecedented times, and decisions like this go beyond cricket.”We would like to thank our colleagues at Sri Lanka Cricket for their outstanding support and assistance throughout this situation. We look forward to returning to Sri Lanka in the very near future to fulfil this important Test series.”The postponement will be a financial setback for SLC – England tours are highly prized, not least because some 3000 fans were due to begin flying in this week. However, the hit will not be as severe as might ordinarily have been the case, because this tour falls outside the contract agreed with the host broadcaster, Sony, even though it forms part of the World Test Championship.And given the WTC points at stake, there is an increased incentive for a rescheduling. However, the exact date may not be pinned down for some time, however, largely because so much of the schedule has been thrown into chaos by the pandemic. At this stage, a potential gap in England’s crowded itinerary could come in January 2021, ahead of their five-Test tour of India.England’s next scheduled Test series is against West Indies in June, but that too is in serious doubt, with Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, saying on Wednesday that the anticipated peak of the virus in the UK is “10-14 weeks away, maybe slightly longer”.The first of England’s three Tests against West Indies is scheduled for June 4 at The Oval, a date that is currently 12 weeks away, in the middle of the expected peak period. West Indies’ opening tour match is set for May 22, against England Lions at Taunton.The T20 Blast is scheduled to start on May 28, with the group stage running until July 12.”We are considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures,” Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister said, describing the virus as “the biggest public health crisis in a generation”.MCC v Essex, the Champion County – the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season – had been scheduled to take place in Galle immediately after the Test match, on March 24. However, that has now been cancelled, along with the MCC World Cricket Committee meeting in Colombo, slotted for March 28 and 29.

Both teams come into the clash with two wins in two games

S Sudarshanan08-Mar-20235:27

Matthews punches well above her base price

A Lanning vs Harmanpreet clash in March

After the epic final of the Women’s T20 World Cup in March 2020, Meg Lanning and Harmanpreet Kaur yet again lead opposite teams in a top-of-the-table clash in the WPL.Lanning-led Delhi Capitals are quite on a roll, with the Australian captain herself hitting back-to-back half-centuries at the top of the order. Capitals’ batting line-up is one of envy – power-hitters aplenty – and they have bowlers in Jess Jonassen, Marizanne Kapp and Shikha Pandey who have delivered in one spell or the other.Mumbai Indians have strung together a side filled with allrounders and they are firing in unison. If Harmanpreet’s heroics following Hayley Matthews’ explosive start at the top helped them in the chase in the opener, their bowlers stymied Royal Challengers Bangalore and cruised in the second game, with Matthews starring in an all-round effort.The Mumbai versus Capitals game could well be one of the contenders of the ‘final before the final’ though the WPL has a fair distance to go.

Players to watch

Shortish boundaries combined with flat surfaces could mean that it could be a perfect time for Marizanne Kapp to show her experience mainly with the ball. In the opening contest, she was a tad expensive after her cameo with the bat and if she does play her third successive game, she could be one of the key players to Capitals’ success.Amelia Kerr contributed with bat and ball in the opening contest and was taken for runs against Royal Challengers, though she picked up a couple of wickets to hasten the end. Having had the better of Lanning for some time now in international cricket, that is a player battle to relish.Marizanne Kapp will have to bring all her experience to the fore•BCCI

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals (possible): 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Marizanne Kapp, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Alice Capsey/Laura Harris, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Arundhati Reddy/Titas Sadhu, 9 Shikha Pandey, 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Tara NorrisMumbai Indians (possible): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr/Chloe Tryon, 6 Pooja Vastrakar, 7 Issy Wong, 8 Humaira Kazi, 9, Amanjot Kaur, 10 Jintimani Kalita, 11 Saika Ishaque

Stats and trivia

• Both Capitals and Mumbai have two players each among the top five scorers in the WPL so far
• Mumbai have played three uncapped players while Capitals are yet to play one

Quotes

“Seeing the enjoyment and smile on her face out [from] her playing cricket again, that’s something I am pleased with, as her team-mate in a number of teams. It’s hard to believe Meg Lanning could get better. She was already incredible before her break, but has come [back] with a new lease of life.”
“Being a bit more responsible at the crease is something I had to pull on with the West Indies and that has helped me in my T20 game as a whole. Probably, [I] wasn’t getting the number of runs I would have wanted in the past due to giving away my hand quite a bit. Now that I am being forced with responsibility at the international level, it’s helped me realise how to plan my T20 innings.”

Spending 179 and 159.2 overs on the field has led to them getting to a “breaking point”

Mohammad Isam01-May-2021The Bangladesh team reached a physical and mental “breaking point” on the third afternoon of the second Test in Pallekele, according to coach Russell Domingo. He was referring to the 179 and 159.2 overs they have been in the field over the two Tests against Sri Lanka with three rest days thrown in. Domingo however said that there were some soft dismissals as the visitors were bowled out for 251 – losing 7 for 37 – and ending the day behind by 259 runs.”The guys have spent so much time on the field in the last 4-5 days (over the two Tests),” Domingo said. “They are probably a little bit mentally fatigued after being in the field for 338 overs. It wears you down physically and mentally as a cricketer. It could be one of the reasons. Obviously, there were one or two soft dismissals.”All teams reach a breaking point. Our breaking point came this afternoon when we were batting. It has been a tough day for us. We have to try to be positive. There’s still a lot of cricket to be played. We have to make sure the guys are in a good frame of mind when we bowl tomorrow (Sunday).”Domingo also expects the less-experienced players in the line-up to make bigger contributions. And as part of that process, he wants to identify young players and back them. In return, he expects them to repay the faith to lessen the burden on the likes of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim.”It is a batting unit that we need to support and identify roles for, and make sure get better,” he said. “There are six or seven batters who all need to contribute, and build partnerships. While Tamim has played really well, the focus shouldn’t be just on one particular player. We have some younger players who need to step up and put in big performances. We have to give them opportunities so that they can get to the levels of Tamim and Mushfiq in time to come.”The coach was also of the opinion that Iqbal should continue to bat aggressively upfront. The senior batter has scored four fifties in a row now, having shredded a slightly-conservative template.”In our particular line-up at the moment, we have four or five players who haven’t played ten Tests yet,” he observed. “There’s a lot of inexperience, so we need to encourage someone like Tamim to play positively, and take pressure off the younger players. Some of the younger players are not at east to express themselves, and play with that sort of intent.”Domingo also pointed towards Bangladesh’s previous Test series for inspiration, underlining how West Indies scaled their 395-run target in the fourth innings to win the Chattogram Test by three wickets.”We were part of an unbelievable Test match a few months ago, when West Indies chased down 387,” he said. “We know that we are way behind the game at the moment. We are under a lot of pressure. Sri Lanka are dominating at the moment. But if we can pick up early wickets, cause a little bit of jitters in the change room, you never know. Somebody comes out and plays a great innings. So we have to remain positive going into day four.”Did Bangladesh pick the best XI? Domingo certainly thinks so, despite the bowlers toiling away. “It is easy to say after three days of cricket that we picked the wrong team,” he said. “I don’t think we have (picked the wrong team). We have a balanced bowling attack, who we think can take 20 wickets. When we bowled on day one, there wasn’t much spin on offer. Obviously the wicket started to spin now, towards the end of day three. It was tricky for the batsmen.”

He believes Tests will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for longer than is being predicted

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2020Despite the discussion over reducing Test cricket from five days to four, Anil Kumble, former India captain and ICC cricket committee chairman, believes that the longest form of the game will continue to enjoy support in the playing community for lot longer than is being predicted.Kumble was talking about the demands of the T20 age and the shifting of player priorities at an event in Bengaluru to launch former India Test opener and women’s coach WV Raman’s book Talking about leadership on a panel with Raman and TVS executive vice- president P Madhavan, Kumble said he did not believe player priorities had shifted dramatically despite the success of T20 franchise cricket.”I don’t think so. I think everybody wants to play Test cricket, that’s very clear.” The generation of cricketers, Kumble said, “certainly want five-day cricket and that’s something very obvious… there is some challenge in keeping everyone focused and pushed towards playing domestic competition specially Ranji Trophy.” He commended players returning to first-class cricket to find their feet in the game again, a practice he said needed to be encouraged.A marked change in Indian cricket today he said was the palpable separation of the teams between formats, with very few being dead certainties across formats. In India, only captain Virat Kohli and in the recent past, opener Rohit Sharma and bowlers Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah have belonged to that list.”Very few players are common to formats and it’s getting lesser and lesser,” Kumble said. “But I don’t think there is any dearth of people wanting to play the longer format. I think everybody wants to, they realise that’s the biggest challenge and I’m sure that’s going to be the case for a long time.”Kumble’s advice to the Gen Z cricketer was simple: to be aware that they cannot let their guard down at any time. “You just need to be at it. There are a lot more opportunities for you to come back so that’s the one thing that is an advantage. To not look for anyone else to chart their careers out for them.”One thing I would tell any youngster is don’t look at somebody… Selectors are there to actually drop you, not pick you. Because you pick yourself. At the end of it, your performances count and then you certainly pick yourself. The selector or whoever is picking you is there to drop you not really to pick you… that I think one must be aware of.”Asked to name the single quality they look for in youngsters to judge whether they were in for the long haul, Raman said apart from talent itself, “a good indication is the pace at which a young player improves. Everything else is secondary.” To Kumble it was, “I’d like to look at how he bounces back after failure. How he comes back from a bad game, how he comes out of it.”Kumble accepted that the demand on the modern player in India was both in terms of tougher competition and more intense scrutiny. “One failure and heavens come down on you, that’s the part you need to be mature about handling. But you currently also have more opportunities to come back and show case your talent – in IPL or Ranji Trophy or any other format. It’s understanding what roles you play.” As for distractions Kumble said, while each era had its own share, dealing with it was the job of the player.”Yes there is social media now, but even when we were playing you had everyone else who was an expert- of what I should be bowling and how I should be bowling and when I should be bowling, and per se on whether India should bat first or bowl first or which bowlers should bowl at what time, those comments were always there.”Despite the 24X7 visibility of social media he said, the player’s response needed to be identical across generations, “Every generation just has to make sure that you stay away from all that and focus on all that you need to do, on that particular day and what your goal needs to be.”As for the heightened criticism from social media, Raman said players needed to adapt a “convenient memory.” The players’ job was “to try and be better than can, next time around. You don’t sulk or get absolutely overjoyed. It’s a case of having a convenient memory. Don’t moan keep going, that’s what happens in sport.”

He had retired from international cricket in December 2020, but his return means he will be unavailable for Derbyshire at the start of the county season

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2024Mohammad Amir has made himself available for selection to Pakistan for the upcoming T20 World Cup that starts on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies. Amir’s last match for Pakistan was a T20I against England in 2020, and he retired from international cricket in December that year, saying he felt mentally tortured.”I still dream to play for Pakistan!” Amir, 31, said in a post on social media. “Life brings us to the points where at times we have to reconsider our decisions. There have been a few positive discussions between myself and the PCB where they respectfully made me feel that I was needed and can still play for Pakistan, and after discussing with family and well wishers I declare that I am available to be considered for upcoming T20 WC.”I want do this for my country as it comes before my personal decisions. Donning the green jersey and serving my country has always been, and will continue to be, my greatest aspiration.”Amir most recently played the 2024 PSL, where he finished with 10 wickets in nine games with an economy of 8.41 for Quetta Gladiators. Amir’s announcement comes a day after allrounder Imad Wasim reversed his retirement and also made himself available for selection for the T20 World Cup.While Amir had an unremarkable PSL campaign, his performances in the CPL in recent seasons stand him in promising stead for a World Cup that will largely be held in the West Indies. He has taken 43 wickets at an average of 14.39 and an economy rate of just 6.50. With Shaheen not at full tilt since his injury return, Naseem only recently back from a lengthy layoff and Haris Rauf currently injured, Pakistan’s pace bowling stocks are depleted, potentially giving Amir the opportunity to elbow his way in.The decision also has ramifications for his county Derbyshire, whom he will not be linking up with when the season starts on April 5.New Zealand visit Pakistan for five T20Is from April 18-27, and Amir’s decision to make himself available for international cricket means he will be in Pakistan during this period. In a post on social media, he thanked the county, as well as head coach Mickey Arthur, for “being understanding”.

South East Stars struggle to post 148 but heavy rain then raises spectre of bowl out

Valkerie Baynes21-Sep-2023A bizarre day ended with early season pace-setters Blaze overturning a three-game losing streak at the perfect moment to defeat South East Stars and secure a place in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final.Originally set 149 to win after they had bowled Stars out for 148 in 43.5 overs, persistent heavy rain throughout the day led to a revised target of 52 runs from 10 overs being confirmed half an hour before the cut-off for the fixture to constitute a match and to avoid the second protagonist of Sunday’s finale against Southern Vipers in Northampton being decided by a bowl out. At that time, Blaze were 15 for 1 from 3.2 overs, leaving them 37 runs to get off 40 balls.Stars’ Beckenham ground – chosen as host despite Blaze finishing second in the table because Trent Bridge is preparing to stage Saturday’s ODI between England and Ireland and the other two options, Derby and Leicester, are in the midst of home County Championship fixtures – was bathed in glorious autumnal sunshine when play began.But soon the heavy grey clouds that have so challenged the wisdom of playing cricket in England mid-September over the past week or so descended and interrupted play, albeit briefly. At least the Blaze fan decked out in orange and black – one among about 30 spectators at the ground in total – who launched into a heartfelt chorus of “Feeling Hot Hot Hot” when Marie Kelly pinned Aylish Cranstone lbw to reduce Stars to 77 for 7 in the 20th over seemed oblivious to the impending gloom, as were her team.Or perhaps they were acutely aware of the weather forecast, such was their initial hurry to get this match done with Kelly, Kirstie Gordon, Lucy Higham and Kathryn Bryce taking two wickets apiece to bowl their opponents out well inside their 50-over allocation, despite a plucky 33-run stand for the ninth wicket between Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Chloe Hill giving Stars’ innings some substance.Kira Chathli had fallen to the second ball of the match, bowled by Grace Ballinger, and Stars were 40 for 2 when Gordon bowled Bryony Smith, bringing Alice Capsey to the crease. But her stay was short-lived when Josie Groves struck with her third ball, Capsey dragging on to fall for just 5.Alice Davidson-Richards, called into England’s ODI squad which played Sri Lanka off the back of her century against Blaze at this very ground 11 days ago, dispatched Groves straight down the ground for six but soon had her middle stump uprooted by Gordon. Then Alexa Stonehouse picked out Kelly at deep midwicket off Higham and Stars were in deep trouble.Kelly took a sharp return catch, launching herself forward to her right in her follow-through, to remove the threat of Stars’ leading run-scorer Paige Scholfield cheaply and, sure enough, a heavy downpour arrived on the stroke of midday and play was suspended for about 15 minutes.It was only another quarter of an hour before Bethan Miles was adjudged lbw to Kathryn Bryce, leaving it to MacDonald-Gay, the 19-year-old No. 10, to top score for Stars with 26, including a lovely straight-driven four off Kathryn Bryce shortly before she was stumped by Sarah Bryce sashaying down the pitch to Higham in the 44th over.When Lizelle Lee was run out in the second over of the reply, her hesitation on being called through for a single by Kelly giving Davidson-Richards ample time to fire the ball in to wicketkeeper Chatli, Blaze’s prospects of a quick run chase took a hit and they were destroyed by a second wave of showers arriving at 2pm and persisting on and off even through baking sunshine at times.The irony of that as the absurd prospect of a bowl out to decide who would do battle for the season’s title loomed brought a huge sense of relief when the sun prevailed over yet another shower at around 5pm and the players began preparing like they were possessed, the match allowed to enter a tense final stanza, thanks in no small part to the groundstaff who worked tirelessly throughout the day.Stonehouse had Kelly caught behind with the third legitimate delivery after the re-start, much to the delight of the few Stars supporters who had hung around for three-and-a-half action-less hours. But Sarah Bryce and Georgie Boyce marshalled their pursuit at around a run a ball and when Bryce swung Davidson-Richards through the leg side for four, the pressure eased. She sealed victory with a six straight down the ground off Smith and eight balls to spare.Sarah Bryce admitted a bowl out “would’ve been a very strange way, I think, for the game to be decided”.”I guess you’ve got to get results somehow or decide who’s going through but it would be a strange way to finish,” she said. “It was a strange day really. Pleased with our bowling performance to put us in such a good position, then the rain hanging around for a bit longer than we would’ve liked and then putting a little bit of doubt in the thought of a bowl off was a little bit nerve wracking for us all but we were absolutely delighted that we were able to get out there and finish the game of cricket and obviously delighted to come away with the win.”Blaze won their first six completed matches of the tournament, including against Vipers, who switched that result by a massive 126 runs in their final group-stage game last week. Vipers also defeated Blaze in the final of the Charlotte Edwards Cup in June.”They’re a good team,” Bryce said. “We’ve got a rematch of the T20 final, but we’ve also beaten them in the 50-over, in the first group game, so we know that we’ve got that belief behind us. Just really excited to be back at a final where anything can happen and hopefully we can come away with the right result.”One thing that one of our players actually said that I think was really valuable was the fact that we were in the eliminator allowed us the opportunity to hopefully go into a final off the back of the win. That can be a really positive way to look at it. We’ve not had the best three games that we would’ve liked, but we know that we have it in the tank – we’ve shown that at the beginning of the season and I think hopefully we can take the momentum from this game into the final.”

Litton Das’ assured half-century ensured the hosts were never really under pressure in a small chase

Mohammad Isam11-Jul-2023
Shoriful Islam’s career-best figures of 4 for 21 fired Bangladesh to a seven-wicket consolation win in the third ODI in Chattogram. Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam were the support act, taking two wickets each, while Shakib Al Hasan was at his miserly best, taking 1 for 13 from his ten overs to keep Afghanistan to 126 – their lowest total against Bangladesh.Bangladesh completed the chase in 23.3 overs, with a clinical approach that was missing in the first two ODIs. The bowling attack bounced back after conceding 331 for 9 in the previous game. Shakib’s thrifty spell was a key feature of this, and only the third completed ODI spell for Bangladesh where 13 or fewer runs were conceded – tellingly, Shakib has been the bowler on all three occasions.Only Azmatullah Omarzai’s maiden ODI fifty kept the visitors from stumbling to an even smaller score. He made 56 off 71 balls at No. 7, an innings that showed up the rest of the Afghanistan batting line-up for being rather lethargic against Bangladesh’s accurate bowling.Their rot began in the third over when Ibrahim Zadran, one of the centurions from the previous game, edged a Shoriful delivery that was going away from him. Rahmat Shah followed him later in the over when he edged another delivery that was angling away, but was slightly shorter in length. Rahmat’s duck took his tally for the series to just ten.Taskin got into the act next, when he removed the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made 145 in the previous game, for six. Gurbaz swung his bat at a bouncer, Mushfiqur intercepting that edge with a fine leaping catch over his head. When Shoriful had Mohammad Nabi trapped lbw in the ninth over, it was only the third time Bangladesh had taken the first four wickets with 15 or fewer runs on the board.Shakib struck next, when he came around the wicket to Najibullah Zadran, trapping him lbw as the left-hander missed a sweep shot. Hashmatullah Shahidi was bolwed by Taijul on the attempted reverse-sweep and by then Afghanistan were reeling at 53 for 6 and going nowhere with close to half their innings completed.Shoriful completed his four-wicket haul when debutant Abdul Rahman pulled one to Taijul at fine leg. Incidentally, he has taken his three four-fours all in the month of July – in 2021 against Zimbabwe, in 2022 against West Indies, and now in 2023 against Afghanistan.Omarzai looked like the only batter capable of mounting a recovery for the visitors. His 56 off 71 balls included a four and three sixes. He added 36 runs for the ninth wicket with Mujeeb Ur Rahman, over 9.4 overs. He was the last batter out, miscuing a slog off Taskin, with Mohammad Naim taking a good catch in the deep.With the bat, Naim did himself no favours, falling for an eight-ball duck. The swinging and seaming Fazalhaq Farooqi delivery he fell to was headed way outside the off stump but dragged back on to the stumps by Naim’s attempted cut. It was similar to how he chopped on in the second ODI, although that was a shorter delivery.Farooqi then removed Najmul Hossain Shanto with a ball that took his off stump – Shanto had made a bit of room to drive, but missed. The two were involved in a bit of back-and-forth earlier in the innings, so the send-off was quite loud.Shakib and Litton calmed things with a 61-run partnership for the third wicket. Shakib struck five fours in his run-a-ball 39, while Litton played a mostly supporting role at the other end. After Shakib departed, he got the job done, completing the chase with Towhid Hridoy who finished unbeaten on 23.

Obed McCoy will fly in for short stint after IPL knockout stages

Matt Roller27-May-2022Recruitment in county cricket has never been tougher, as evidenced by Sussex’s decision to sign a fifth overseas player for their T20 Blast campaign in Obed McCoy.The pandemic’s effect on the Future Tours Programme has seen countless postponed tours rearranged at short notice, leaving counties in the dark as to who will be available when. Some players have also faced visa issues due to a Home Office backlog.Counties can register up to three overseas players simultaneously but only field two in a single playing XI and Sussex had initially planned to split their slots for the Blast between Mohammad Rizwan and Rashid Khan.But it became apparent on the day Rizwan’s signing was confirmed that things would not be that straightforward, with Pakistan announcing new dates for their ODI series against West Indies right in the middle of the Blast’s schedule.Related

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• Archer ruled out for summer after suffering back stress fracture

• Tim Seifert signs for Sussex's Blast campaign in wicketkeeper merry-go-round

Sussex initially signed Josh Philippe as a partial replacement but his availability was then limited by an Australia A tour to Sri Lanka. That prompted the recruitment of Tim Seifert as a third keeper-batter for a short stint in the middle of the season.But Rashid’s involvement in the IPL knockout stages – his Gujarat Titans side are in Sunday’s final – and an Afghanistan tour to Zimbabwe means he will only play the final six group games. That means McCoy, the West Indies fast bowler, will join for around four games as a replacement – albeit hardly a like-for-like one.Sussex have remained upbeat publicly with a club statement declaring they were “delighted” to announce McCoy’s arrival. However, the preparation of an infographic outlining which of their five recruits will be available for which match underlines the sense of chaos – not least with an asterisk reminding supporters that their plans were subject to change.”Obed will be a fantastic addition to our team,” James Kirtley, their T20 head coach, said. “He is an up-and-coming world class T20 cricketer. Fresh off a very successful IPL, he can bowl with pace and has great skills at the death.”Sussex started the season with a defeat at home to Glamorgan on Thursday night in front of a crowd of just 2,209 at Hove, suggesting the involvement of big-name overseas players has done little to help ticket sales. They travel to Bristol on Friday night to play Gloucestershire.

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

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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.