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Sri Lanka struggled to get breakthroughs with the ball and endured a collapse of 4 for 8 in their chase

Shashank Kishore16-Sep-20252:13

Maharoof: Sri Lanka played with a ‘fear of failure’ mentality

Two weeks ago, Sri Lanka were stretched into a decider by a spirited Zimbabwe side. On Monday, they nearly stumbled against Asia Cup’s lowest-ranked team, Hong Kong, but eventually pulled through, courtesy Pathum Nissanka’s 68 in their chase of 150.What ought to have been a cruise – Sri Lanka needed 32 off 30 with eight wickets in hand – turned into a mini-collapse. Nissanka was run-out at the start of the 16th over while chancing a second that didn’t seem on, and Kusal Perera fell off the very next delivery when he was lbw attempting a slog sweep.Six balls later, it was the captain’s turn to be dismissed as Charith Asalanka sliced a fullish delivery to short third. And when Kamindu Mendis slogged one straight to deep midwicket, attempting a release shot, Sri Lanka had lost 4 for 8, needing another 23 off 17 balls.Related

• Nissanka helps Sri Lanka edge sloppy Hong Kong in a thriller

“In that moment, I think our heart was in our mouths,” Asalanka said. “There are a few areas I am really disappointed about. First three overs when we were bowling and then the 16th over, we lost a couple of wickets and then lost my wicket.”In the shorter format, these things can happen but it cannot keep happening consistently. We have to analyse it and improve ourselves.”It wasn’t just the middle-order batting Asalanka was critical about. He wasn’t happy with the way they started with the new ball, with Hong Kong racing to 38 without loss in four overs, after Anshy Rath and Zeeshan Ali took on the new-ball bowlers.In the sixth over, Sri Lanka missed a DRS appeal for lbw with replays confirming all three reds, reprieving the experienced Babar Hayat. After his dismissal, Rath and Nizakat Khan put on 61 to shore up Hong Kong to 149 for 4.”We felt confident of chasing it because the pitch was looking good,” Asalanka said. “Credit goes to them (Hong Kong), they batted really well and we bowled badly in the first three overs.Wanindu Hasaranga’s nine-ball 20 not out saw Sri Lanka through•Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

“This is not the way we wanted to play. When we are playing these sides, there is always pressure. But we are professionals and as professionals, we have to do much better than this.”It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Sri Lanka. Nissanka rallied their chase with a patient innings, his second straight half-century. The ball wasn’t coming on, and Hong Kong’s seasoned spinners – Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza – had Sri Lanka in a stranglehold.Yet, at no point did Nissanka look like a batter desperate for a release shot, fully knowing the target was always within touching distance. He brought up a half-century off 35 balls, and it wasn’t until the asking rate jumped past eight an over, with eight overs left that Nissanka decided to shift gears.And when he did so, it was exhilarating to see him beat two deep fielders on the leg side with precision with two pull shots off two different deliveries – first off a slower bouncer that needed him to hold his shape, and the next off a hard-length delivery dug into the pitch.”Over the last two years, I’ve worked on my strike rates,” Nissanka said at the post-match press conference. “I started off as a red-ball batter, but I’ve worked on becoming consistent across all formats. The coach [Sanath Jayasuriya] has always given me the confidence to play my game, that really is a boost.”After starting the tournament with two wins, Sri Lanka will automatically progress to the Super Fours if Afghanistan beat Bangladesh on Tuesday. A Bangladesh win will leave the two spots to be decided on Thursday, when Sri Lanka play Afghanistan. That said, it’s Bangladesh who have all the catching up to do on the net run rate front.

Just 21 wickets in four days at Trent Bridge as spinners struggle to exploit hybrid pitch

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 25-Jun-2025Pocketing 12 points for a draw was enough to keep Nottinghamshire top of the Rothesay County Championship table with eight of 14 matches played, although they now find defending champions Surrey breathing down their necks after the match against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge ended in stalemate.Nottinghamshire led Division One by 10 points going into this round but Surrey’s victory over Worcestershire at New Road has closed the gap to two ahead of next week’s second batch of fixtures with the Kookaburra ball, when Surrey meet Durham at the Kia Oval and Nottinghamshire travel to Somerset.Matthew Revis supplemented Finlay Bean’s superb double-hundred for with an unbeaten 93 but with Yorkshire’s first innings stretching to lunch on day four before Nottinghamshire could bowl them out for 510 on a generally benign pitch, the chances of a positive outcome were almost non-existent.Part-time off-spinner Freddie McCann finished with a career-best three for 53 before Nottinghamshire, who had made 487 in their first innings, reached 148 for one in their second innings, opener Ben Slater passing fifty for the sixth consecutive innings – four of them against Yorkshire – in making an unbeaten 74. The players shook hands on a draw at ten to five.All-rounder Liam Patterson-White, who was three for 129 from 52 overs of left-arm spin overnight, could not add to his wickets tally in Yorkshire’s first innings, but the additional 10 overs in his final analysis of three for 146 puts him 10th in Nottinghamshire’s table of bowling marathons.Not since 1929, when off-spinner Sam Staples sent down 408 deliveries – also against Yorkshire – to claim fourth spot in that list, has any bowler exceeded Patterson-White’s 372 bowled in a single first-class innings for the county.Farhan Ahmed, the 17-year-old off-spinner, bowled 50 overs for his one for 126, although it is not the first time he has hit that milestone despite this being only his 13th match. In the draw against Surrey here last year – also played with the Kookaburra ball – when he broke all manner of records in taking his career-best seven for 140 on his Championship debut, he was in his 51st over when he took his final wicket.With little help for the seam bowlers in using the Kookaburra ball, Nottinghamshire had hoped that a used, hybrid pitch in the prevailing dry conditions might provide significant assistance to the spinners. Yet though two thirds of the Yorkshire innings was against spin, there was never enough turn to unsettle the more capable batters hugely.McCann found some turn, bowling George Hill (30) and Jack White – the former via an inside edge – and having Dom Bess (26) stumped, but by then the Yorkshire innings was beginning to peter out. Will O’Rourke departed in a somewhat farcical run-out.Yorkshire’s left-armer, Dan Moriarty, bowled Haseeb Hameed, but Nottinghamshire were otherwise untroubled through the 48 overs that remained in the match – even when Yorkshire skipper Jonny Bairstow, having handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Bean for the final session, brought himself on to bowl in what turned out to be the last over of the match.His over of what appeared to be off-spin was only his second in professional cricket, the other – also wicketless – having been against Durham in 2014.

Afghanistan captain says act wasn’t in the spirit of the game, but they did it because they were looking to win

Sreshth Shah in Benoni31-Jan-2020Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad ran out Pakistan opener Mohammad Huraira at the non-striker’s end in the fourth Super League quarter-final at the Under-19 World Cup, whipping the bails off in his delivery stride with the opener having left his crease.On-field umpire Sam Nogajski referred the matter to Roly Black, the third umpire, and replays confirmed Huraira was out of his crease when Ahmad broke the stumps. Huraira, who was making his Youth ODI debut, was run out for a 76-ball 64. His wicket left Pakistan 127 for 4, but they were still comfortably placed, needing a further 63 runs to win in 134 balls. Afghanistan had earlier been bowled out for 189. Pakistan eventually won by six wickets in 41.1 overs.Afghanistan captain Farhan Zakhil, however, felt after the match that the act was not “in the spirit of the game”.”At that time, we realised let’s do something different to build pressure on Pakistan,” Zakhil told ESPNcricinfo. “To be honest, it was not in the spirit of the game.”But we wanted to win. It was a very important game for us. The people of Afghanistan wanted us to beat Pakistan. But it’s within the rules – and out is out. You have to stay within the crease. If you want to reduce the pitch length to 16 or 18 yards, then you’re creating a problem for us.”If you want to make runs and rotate the strike, you must respect the opposition, which is why we went ahead. If we were winning, we probably wouldn’t have done it.”Huraira accepted that he shouldn’t have left his crease, though he wasn’t happy with the dismissal. “It was my first game in the World Cup, so a bit of a bitter experience,” Huraira said. “But I should’ve been in the crease, and I’ll learn from the mistake. I’ll ensure it isn’t repeated again.”This is not the first time such a dismissal has been effected in an Under-19 World Cup, with West Indies’ Keemo Paul having run out Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava in similar fashion in the 2016 edition in Bangladesh, giving West Indies a thrilling win by two runs.ALSO READ: ‘I was right, but won’t repeat it due to backlash’According to the MCC’s Law 41.16, which was revised in 2017, “if the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out.” The non-striker would be run out “whether or not the ball is subsequently delivered”.Opinion remains divided on whether this particular form of dismissal, colloquially called a “mankad” – after former India allrounder Vinoo Mankad, who effected the first recorded instance of it in 1947 in a Test against Australia – is in the spirit of the game or not. But is worth noting that the MCC has stated that the bowler is under no compulsion to warn the batsman, and that this form of dismissal is not against the spirit of cricket.The most recent high-profile case of a batsman being run out at the non-striker’s end took place in IPL 2019, when R Ashwin ran out Jos Buttler when Kings XI Punjab were taking on Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Royals, who were 108 for 1 and needed only 63 off 44 balls to win, collapsed after the Buttler run out to lose the match by 14 runs.

It is understood that spectators only need to wear masks when moving around inside the ground

George Dobell26-May-2021Up to 18,000 spectators will be able to attend every day of the Edgbaston Test between England and New Zealand after the match was deemed a pilot event by the UK government.It was feared that the Test, which starts on June 10, would see spectator numbers limited to 25% of ground capacity because of Covid-19 restrictions. But, in what may feel like a major step towards a return to normal, Warwickshire announced on Wednesday that 70% capacity will be admitted.Spectators will be contacted imminently and asked to sign a consent form and take a lateral flow test. It is understood that they only need to wear masks when moving around inside the ground.The first three days of the match have effectively been sold out for many weeks. Tickets for day four will go back on sale. Around 10,000 have been sold at present.ESPNcricinfo revealed in April that Warwickshire, with the backing of council leaders and the local mayor, had written to the government requesting that the game be utilised as a “validation event”. At the time, though, the club hardly dared hope for more than 50% attendances.Although there is relatively little financial upside to the news – Warwickshire were insured for lost revenue and are going to need to spend heavily to ensure the correct protocols are followed – it will come as a significant morale boost for players and spectators, and for a region that has suffered financially in recent months.With England having played their entire 2020 home summer behind closed doors, the game will be the first home match since 2019 that England have played in front of something approaching normal conditions.”This is great news,” Becky Fairlie-Clarke, of the Cricket Supporters’ Association, told ESPNcricinfo. “People have been through a lot over the last year and more. The chance to return to cricket with friends and family will feel like a giant step back towards normality. It really does give us a hope that we are getting through this. I think the entire game will feel like a celebration.”There will be no such boost for Lord’s. The first Test of the series, which starts there on June 2, will be played in front of crowds of 25% capacity, or about 7,500 a day. “We too have been communicating with the ECB and government with a view to staging a pilot for some time,” an MCC statement said.”However, with decisions only just being made following the first round of the government’s Events Research Programme, we simply ran out of time with the New Zealand Test match starting next Wednesday. This timeframe has been compounded by the additional complexities of delivering our new Compton and Edrich Stands this season, the biggest redevelopment in the history of Lord’s.”Although timing is one issue, Warwickshire’s ability to demonstrate the closeness of their relationship with local government and provide details of their willingness to work together across the travel and hospitality sectors to make the event work are also understood to be relevant. As such, the news is something of a triumph for the club’s new chief executive, Stuart Cain, and the city’s mayor, Andy Street.The decision to allow larger crowds at Edgbaston follows successful trials at a range of other events. There were around 20,000 spectators at the FA Cup final and around 1000 at the World Snooker Championship final – which was an indoor event – and many more at various gigs and concerts adding up to a total of 58,000. In all, the government reported 15 positive Covid-19 cases from those involved.May 26, 0930 BST – This story was updated following confirmation from Warwickshire

Opening partnership add 243, as hosts crumble to 156 all out in reply

ECB Reporters Network29-Jul-2021Worcestershire 338 for 7 (Haynes 153, D’Oliveira 123) beat Essex 156 (Wheater 77, Cook 42, D’Oliveira 3-8) by 182 runsJack Haynes and Brett D’Oliveira notched their maiden Royal London Cup centuries during a record first-wicket partnership as Worcestershire Rapids demolished Essex Eagles.Haynes was flawless in his maiden professional ton of 153 while his opening partner’s 123 made him the third generation of D’Oliveira to reached three figures for Worcestershire in the format.Their stand of 243, a best for the first wicket for the county, laid the foundations of a mammoth total of 338 for 7.Essex collapsed to 17 for four in reply, and despite Adam Wheater’s 77, were bowled out for 156 and lost by 182 runs – their highest ever defeat.The Rapids maintained their 100 per cent record in the tournament while the Eagles lost for the first time.Having been put in by Essex, D’Oliveira and Haynes strutted against a depleted home bowling line-up – with Sam Cook at the Hundred and Jamie Porter injuring his side during the victory over Middlesex.D’Oliveira won the race to a half-century, smashing his 54th ball into the Tom Pearce Stand at wide long-on, before Haynes followed in 57 deliveries – for Haynes it was his third fifty in as many innings in the competition.D’Oliveira also reached his hundred first, off 95 balls, but Haynes was quicker, in 91 balls, as both passed the milestone for the first time in professional white-ball cricket.The incredible stand ended on 243, a best for Worcestershire of any stand against Essex, when D’Oliveira picked out wide long-on.That started a wicket tumble as Rapids lost seven wickets for 68 runs in 69 balls.Joe Leach was lbw to Aron Nijjar, Tom Fell was caught on the square leg boundary, Jake Libby was brilliantly run out by Simon Harmer and Ed Barnard was caught behind attempting a reverse sweep.Haynes continued to accelerate, bunting over the long-off boundary and a sweet strike straight down the ground for two sixes – the latter off Shane Snater, who returned Essex’s third most expensive List A bowling figures with his one for 83.The only chance he offered was a diving effort to Jack Plom at backward point on 151 before he was finally stumped off Harmer for 153 off 128 balls.Gareth Roderick scooped to fine leg but Joshua Dell’s 27 off 24 helped Rapids back up to a total befitting the opening stand.Essex’s top-order collapse was even more emphatic as they slumped to 17 for four in the first six overs of the reply.Will Buttleman was yorked fourth ball by Charlie Morris before Joe Leach has Tom Westley bowled, Michael Pepper feathering behind and Ryan ten Doeschate leg before to an in-ducker.Wheater was dropped on 16 and 23 both by Dell at cover during a 70-run stand with Alastair Cook before Ed Barnard took two wickets in two balls – Cook clothing to mid off for 42 and Harmer caught behind – to keep the win predictor firmly pointing towards the visitors.Wheater accelerated after Cook’s dismissal but eventually holed out to long-on, Nijjar holed out to long-on, Snater chipped to midwicket and Plom was stumped – the last three wickets falling to that man D’Oliveira (three for eight).

Ireland’s spin-bowing coach says tighter lines and fuller lengths can help their spinners fare better in the second Test

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Apr-2023In the first Test, Ireland’s spinners managed three wickets in 85.3 overs. By comparison, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed 15 wickets in 85.4 overs.This was the biggest difference between the sides, and it is this chasm that Ireland’s spin-bowling coach Nathan Hauritz is charged with closing, ahead of the second Test. Being more consistent with tighter lines and fuller lengths was one route to improvement, Hauritz said. But so was winning the toss and bowling in friendlier conditions, on a worn track.”About 75% of their deliveries were getting us play off the front foot,” Hauritz said. “Admittedly the wicket was turning a bit more day two and day three when they were bowling. But if you’re not going to make them play off the front foot – the wicket’s too slow – they could sweep, or use their feet. We’ve addressed that. What matters is how they overcome it when the pressure’s on.”It’s Andy Balbirnie’s first time captaining against two of the best Test-playing countries. It’s not just a simple matter of putting the ball in the right spot. You’ve got to know when to take advantage of the momentum, and know when to wind back. We’re trying to be as proactive as we can. That’s challenging when you’re bowling first on day one and the ball’s not moving off the straight. The bowling needs to be more consistent. That’s a challenge coming from North County at minus two/ minus four degrees.Related

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• Karunaratne wants to step down as captain after Ireland Tests

“What I will say is though if we get the opportunity to bat first and put a score on the board, I back our spinners to create a lot of problems. But bowling first in these conditions is the hardest thing you can ever do as a spinner. And the wicket was incredibly flat. It was about trying to hang in. We have been here (in South Asia) six or seven weeks, so we should be pretty well acclimatised. But in Sri Lanka it sucks it out of you – you need to hang in there and outlast them.”Part of Ireland’s challenge, which Sri Lanka’s players also acknowledged at the end of the first Test, was to move away from limited-overs style field settings with the spinners in operation. Hauritz reflected on how well Sri Lanka had done that in the first Test.”If you’re putting 10 out of 10 balls in one spot, and one spins and one doesn’t, it becomes very challenging to face,” he said. “Over here, you don’t need to do anything fancy. It’s very boring work. You’re able to create that pressure with the fields, and the heat, and everything gets on top of you.”As soon as a batting group you start to get on top, they, as a bowling group, change the fields. You see someone like Lorcan Tucker – as soon as he starts to sweep they put men out. They don’t change the way they bowl. They just keep doing the same thing and they make you change.”I have no doubt that being exposed to these conditions will help our spinners, but it’ll also help our batters play spin, moving forward.”

The Bangladesh allrounder got there in his 54th Test, one fewer than Ian Botham, while also becoming the first bowler from his country to get 200 Test wickets

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2018Shakib Al Hasan became the first Bangladesh bowler to take 200 Test wickets. He is also the fastest to complete the double of 3000 runs and 200 wickets, having completed the feat in his 54th Test, one fewer than Ian Botham, the previous quickest to the landmark, had taken.

Quickest to 3000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests

Shakib-54
Botham-55
Cairns-58
Flintoff-69
Kapil-73

Shakib, who had come into this match with 196 scalps, removed Kieran Powell in the second innings for his 200th wicket. He had taken three wickets in the first innings.On the same day and against the same opposition six years ago – November 24, 2012 – Shakib had picked up his 100th Test wicket, becoming the second Bangladesh bowler after Mohammad Rafique to reach the milestone. Rafique had done it in March 2008, in his last Test.Shakib has 18 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls in his career so far, with his best match figures coming against Zimbabwe in Khulna in 2014, when he had match figures of 10 for 124. He had also made a first-innings 137 in that game. His second 10-for, against Australia last year, came in a game in which he had made a gutsy 84 in the first innings.His best bowling figures in an innings was the 7 for 36 he had taken against New Zealand in Chittagong in 2008, the day after then coach Jamie Siddons had said Shakib was the bowling leader after Rafique’s retirement.

The former India captain says there are “better options than Raina”, and wants Dhoni to bat more aggressively

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2018The Indian team management may be grappling with questions over their ideal No. 4 in ODIs, but Sourav Ganguly has picked “KL Rahul, eyes closed.” The former India captain felt playing Rahul in that position that would ease the pressure on MS Dhoni, who he pointed out was “struggling” and needed to start “hitting” at No. 6.Virat Kohli the India captain, admitted that an unsettled middle order was one of the concerns for the side as they prepare for next year’s World Cup. Ganguly believed the team management “isn’t looking after their best batsmen properly” and isn’t sending out the right message with the constant chopping and changing.”Your top four have to be the best players; you have to persist with them. Go and speak to KL Rahul and say I’ll give you 15 games, just go and play,” Ganguly told . “India need a No. 4. MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik are very good at five, six and seven. But a top class player has to be at four.”Ganguly was making a case for that batsman being Ajinkya Rahane or Rahul, who was left out of the series-deciding final ODI in Headingley. Rahul, who started the tour with a scintillating century in the Manchester T20I, managed only 9 not out and 0 in the first two ODIs.”Two of your best batsmen aren’t being looked after properly,” Ganguly said. “I’m not saying it’s deliberate, maybe it’s a mistake, maybe you look at it differently from the other side. From this side, I feel those two have to play at four, else it’s too much of pressure on Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. In South Africa, you won, Kohli got three hundreds in six games. If Kohli doesn’t get a hundred, you will find it difficult to win matches.”Getty Images

When Ganguly was asked why India didn’t have a settled look a year on from the World Cup, he said: “Because they don’t give enough opportunities. KL Rahul got a magnificent hundred in Manchester. In the other two T20Is, he was out to one brilliant catch in Bristol. He was not out in Nottingham, missed out at Lord’s and then he’s dropped. You won’t be able to produce players like that.”According to Ganguly, the No. 4 debate isn’t the only worry for India. He also felt a “struggling MS Dhoni” needed to be told to play more aggressively, while they need to move on from Suresh Raina, who had returned to ODI cricket after nearly three years. Raina top-scored with 46 in India’s loss in the Lord’s ODI, but had little else to show for in the remaining two matches, looking completely out of depth, both against spin and the short ball.”I think there are better players around, with all due respect he’s [Raina] played for long periods of time, got runs in ODIs, but not much overseas. But you need to move on,” Ganguly said. “If Dhoni’s got to play, he has to get into positions where he has to keep hitting. If he has 24-25 overs to play, you’ve got to build an innings and he’s struggling at the moment.”He may turn it around, you don’t know what’s in store for great players – he’s been a great player for India in the shorter formats – but at the present moment he’s not been turning it around and it’s been that way for a year, year-and-a-half or probably more. So they need a good player at four and five, and then if they think MS Dhoni is the way forward, him at six and Pandya at seven.”

Negotiations ongoing to have him play in the Big Bash League – which overlaps with the UAE league – for the first time since 2013

Alex Malcolm04-Aug-2022David Warner is unlikely to play in the UAE’s inaugural International League T20 (ILT20) in January, and looks set to remain in Australia with negotiations ongoing to have him play in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the first time since 2013.Warner, who is contracted to Cricket Australia but doesn’t hold a BBL deal, is set to be available to play franchise cricket in January 2023 after the three-match ODI series with South Africa was cancelled and there was significant interest for him to play in the UAE, particularly given his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals own the Dubai Capitals franchise as well.Related

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But ESPNcricinfo understands that a potential deal to sign Warner to the ILT20 is almost certainly off and Warner’s manager James Erskine confirmed to the that they were in negotiations with CA and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) to have Warner play in the BBL.CA has found itself in a bind over the prospect of Australian contracted players, who are not contracted in the BBL, potentially being offered US$ 450,000 to play in the UAE.The last Test of a three-match series between Australia and South Africa concludes in Sydney on January 8, 2023, with Australia’s next international commitment not until mid-February when they are due to tour India for a four-Test series. This means that Warner, Steven Smith, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, among other Test players, will be available to play franchise cricket in that period. CA had hoped that all would play in the BBL given it runs from December 13 to February 4, while the ILT20 is scheduled to run from January 6 to February 12.The CA-contracted players are not obligated to play in the BBL under their contracts and Warner and Starc haven’t played since 2013 and 2014 respectively, while Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood also don’t have BBL contracts. Starc has already confirmed he won’t make himself available in order to rest while Warner is the only one publicly linked to the UAE so far, although Cummins and Hazlewood have been sought-after recruits in the IPL in recent years and would attract a lot of interest.Australia’s high-profile T20 players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa, Aaron Finch and Tim David all have BBL deals. The big restriction for the players’ potential earnings in the BBL is the AUD$ 1.9 million (US$ 1.32 million approx.) salary cap with top contracts in the BBL for Australian players maxing out at roughly AUD$ 190,000 (US$ 132,000 approx.). There are significant marketing bonuses available on top of that but the total a player can earn in the BBL is still dwarfed by the top contract in the UAE for a shorter tournament.Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and David Warner have rarely featured in the BBL•Getty Images

There has been disquiet among the players about the BBL’s decision to offer AUD$ 340,000 (US$ 236,000 approx.) to top overseas players who have been nominated in the draft. A significant portion of that contract will be topped up by CA outside of the club’s salary cap. There is further disillusionment at the fact that a number of those overseas players are likely to only be available for the December portion of the BBL and will then head to the UAE to play the full ILT20 in January for nearly twice the money.It is written into CA, Australian domestic and BBL contracts that players need “written approval” in the form of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to play in overseas leagues but it is understood that a restraint of trade argument could be mounted under Australian common law should a player wish to go down that route. That contract clause has warded off players from making any decisive moves to the UAE this year but the ILT20 has given Warner the ability to bargain with CA and command a similar sized and structured BBL contract to what the “platinum” overseas players will get this season.There has been speculation that Chris Lynn would also require an NOC despite not being contracted to a BBL club due to an ICC player-release regulation stipulating players still need NOCs for two years after holding a contract in Australia. But ESPNcricinfo understands that it would be unenforceable as an unreasonable restraint of trade under Australian law. Shane Watson, the current ACA president, previously played in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2019-20 without an NOC having retired from the BBL earlier in the year. It is unlikely, however, that Lynn could play in both the BBL and the ILT20.Ricky Ponting and Usman Khawaja forecasted these issues last month highlighting the potential earnings gap between the BBL and the South Africa and UAE T20 leagues for both Australian and overseas players.All of this is taking place as CA and the ACA prepare to start negotiations in the coming months on a new long-term MoU for the players to come into effect in 2023. One of CA’s major broadcast partners Channel Seven has also filed a Federal Court action against CA to terminate their current deal that expires in 2024 over perceived quality breaches in regards to the BBL specifically.

Pakistan batter smashes 41 off 13 balls to give Sixers a late scare

Tristan Lavalette22-Dec-2022
Sydney Sixers survived a late onslaught from Asif Ali to thwart Hobart Hurricanes on a slow SCG surface and register their first victory of this BBL season.Rain delayed the start by an hour and reduced the match to 14 overs per side. There were some eyebrows raised when Sixers captain Moises Henriques elected to bat but it proved a masterstroke.Defending 138, Sixers’ bowlers relished returning to their favoured SCG as they stymied Hurricanes, who were never really in the hunt until Asif’s astonishing 41 off 13 balls almost snatched a remarkable late victory.Asif nearly conjures a miracle
Hurricanes were dead and buried, needing 45 off 10 deliveries until Asif had other ideas. He proceeded to smash 22 runs off Hayden Kerr’s next four deliveries, with the last being a six off a full toss around waist height that should have been called a no-ball.Needing 23 off the final over, Hurricanes’ chances increased considerably when quick Naveen-ul-Haq bowled a wide on the first delivery and then he was smashed for a boundary by a red-hot Asif.Sixers’ players looked ashen-faced as their stunned fans sensed a massive meltdown. But Asif holed out on the next delivery to finally snuff out Hurricanes’ chances.O’Keefe relishes slow surface
Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe turned 38 earlier in the month, but he hasn’t lost his ability to frustrate batters. On an increasingly slow surface, O’Keefe proved a vital inclusion, having been omitted against Scorchers at the pace-friendly Optus Stadium.With canny bowling, O’Keefe put the brakes on Hurricanes’ high-octane top-order batters. He snared the key wicket of Ben McDermott in the fourth over and then returned in the eighth over at a crucial juncture.Hurricanes’ run rate had lifted to 12 an over as captain Matthew Wade eyed putting the foot down. But he was unable to break the shackles from O’Keefe, who bowled nine dot balls in his first 11 deliveries.A frustrated Wade holed out in the next over to spinner Todd Murphy and then kicked his bat as he trudged off in disgust.Mixed bag for Sixers’ batting line-up
Sixers were keen to make amends after sloppy batting displays in losses to Strikers and Scorchers.After a topsy-turvy batting effort against Hurricanes, Sixers still have not had a batter score a half-century this season although they reached a competitive total due to strong bookends.Openers Josh Philippe and Kurtis Patterson finally fired with a 68-run opening partnership to get Sixers off to a flier. Patterson, who holds a Test average of 144 from two matches, was a revelation last season as an aggressive opener for champions Scorchers.After returning home to Sydney, Patterson made his first impact this season with a 25-ball 38 to lay a strong platform with Philippe. But their good work was undone after a collapse of 5 for 16 before Kerr hit an invaluable 32 from 20 balls at the death.Kerr, who made 42 against Scorchers, continues to make a compelling case to move up the order.Shadab makes amends after dropping a sitter
Hurricanes were thrashed early with Wade using five different bowlers in as many overs in a desperate bid for a breakthrough.Their early woes were symbolised when spinner Shadab Khan dropped the simplest of return catches in the fifth over to reprieve Philippe.The wet ball may have given him an excuse for fumbling the skier but Shadab was keen to make amends.Shadab did exactly that when he came back in the eighth over and removed Philippe with a slow and wide delivery that was hit straight to long-off. It was gutsy bowling from Shadab, who was suddenly on a roll when he dismissed Henriques first ball with a spectacular diving return catch.It was reminiscent of his brilliant caught and bowled dismissal of Scorchers allrounder Aaron Hardie earlier in the week.Shadab’s efforts sparked a Sixers collapse with left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley, whose unorthodox bowling action has turned heads, continuing his breakout season with the wickets of Jordan Silk and Dan Christian.