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A round-up of the Central Zone games from the first round of the Inter-State T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2017Half-century stands for the first two wickets, Naman Ojha leading them both, helped Madhya Pradesh hold off Railways for a last-over victory at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.MP’s chase of 156 began with a 61-run opening stand between Ojha and and 22-year-old debutant MS Raghav (32 off 16, with seven fours). Ojha then put on 50 for the second wicket with Harpreet Singh (26) and it seemed like MP would cruise. Railways, however, hit back with four wickets for 24 runs, including Ojha’s for 54, to set up a tense finale. It took a timely cameo from Sohraab Dhaliwal at No. 7 (16* off 9) to take MP over the line with one ball and five wickets to spare.That left Mahesh Rawat on the losing side after he had cracked a 38-ball 63 with nine fours and a six. His innings was built on the foundation provided by a 53-run stand for the second wicket between Ashish Singh (32 off 23) and Faiz Ahmed (40 off 42). Despite their batting order banding together, though, Railways couldn’t put up a strong enough score.File photo – Sarfaraz Khan hit an unbeaten 31-ball 52 as UP defeated Chhattisgarh by eight wickets•BCCI

Chattisgarh made a bright start to their first T20 match, with a century stand for the second wicket, but it did not suffice as they ended up losing to Uttar Pradesh. After electing to bat, Chhattisgarh captain Mohammad Kaif was dismissed for a second-ball duck. Abhimanyu Chauhan (56 off 54) and Amandeep Khare (72 off 50) then put on 113 for the second wicket to lift them to 157 for 5. Medium-pacer Amit Mishra took 2 for 27 for UP. In their chase, UP got off to a solid start and were 70 for 2 in the tenth over when Sarfaraz Khan (52* off 31) joined Akshdeep Nath (58* off 45) to put on an unbroken 92 off 59 balls that took UP to an eight-wicket win.

Dale Steyn is in doubt for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town, after he was ruled out of bowling for the remainder of the ongoing Durban Test with a shoulder strain

Firdose Moonda in Durban29-Dec-2015Dale Steyn is in doubt for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town, after he was ruled out of bowling for the remainder of the ongoing Durban Test with a shoulder strain. A scan during the third day’s play, when Steyn had to leave the field twice, was “inconclusive”. It showed no tear to the muscles, tendons or ligaments around his right shoulder, but Steyn is still experiencing discomfort and remains “touch and go” for the second Test.Steyn returned from seven weeks of recovery after he sustained a groin strain in the first Test against India in Mohali. In Durban, he bowled 25.1 overs in England’s first innings – a workload large enough to cause another, unrelated injury. He experienced pain in his right shoulder on the first day of the match but resumed bowling on the second morning. It was only on the third afternoon that he was forced off after bowling 3.2 overs in the second innings and clutching his shoulder in pain. He was not taken for a scan immediately. Instead, with a view to not being penalised for being off the field if he could bowl, Steyn stayed on the park and then delivered three more balls only to leave again in the 21st over.At that point, he was taken for the scan but on his return, he was back on the field again. He threw underarm and with his left arm for the rest of the day. He was due to test his fitness on the fourth morning to see if he could take any further part in the match but, after experiencing more discomfort, was ruled out of action for the rest of the match. With only two days between the Boxing Day and Cape Town Tests, Steyn will be in a race against time to determine whether he can play the second Test.More than the selection conundrum, South Africa will be concerned over Dale Steyn’s second injury in successive series•AFP

If Steyn is unable to play in Cape Town, 20-year-old tearaway Kagiso Rabada will fill in as the third paceman and Morne Morkel will be tasked with leading an attack that will also include Kyle Abbott. South Africa will probably also look for cover in the form of some of their franchise players, which could put Hardus Viljoen in line for a maiden call-up. The Lions quick took ten wickets in a first-class match last week and has already taken six in this week’s fixture. Marchant de Lange and Chris Morris are other options South Africa will consider.What will concern the management more than the selection conundrum is that this is Steyn’s ninth injury in the last two-and-half-years, and second in successive series. Already, questions have been raised about his long-term future after suggestions in an Afrikaans newspaper that he may retire from the longest format.Workloads have been a central theme in South Africa over the last few days. The same publication made stronger claims that AB de Villiers is considering calling it a day because of a cluttered schedule and general unhappiness with the current set-up.

Preview of the match between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur

The Preview by Sidharth Monga30-Apr-2013

Match facts

May 1, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Jacques Kallis hasn’t been fluent with the bat this season•BCCI

Big Picture

Teams usually go into the IPL targeting one win more than half the matches they play, and then take it from there. Nine has been the magic number all captains have been talking about. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils have played nine games each, and are six and seven wins away from that magic number.The phrase captains quote most is about doing things right and letting results take care of themselves. Knight Riders and Daredevils haven’t quite been able to do that so far. Knight Riders have relied on spin, but their local batsmen have let them down. Daredevils have the big names in both the batting and bowling department, but they haven’t fired as much as they would have liked.They don’t have much time left, and need to start winning consistently to keep the league interesting. The halfway point is way too early for teams to be ruled out of the playoff stakes.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils WLWLL (most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders LWLLL

In the spotlight

What has Twenty20 reduced Jacques Kallis to? In the last match, bogged down by his tournament strike rate of 106, with others failing to make up around him, he premeditated a ramp, and ended up playing from well wide of off with eyes nearly closed to get dismissed. He looks stylish when he bats, he is a classy batsman without doubt, but he shouldn’t have to resort to such ugly shots.Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Morne Morkel usually take the three overseas slots for Daredevils, but they haven’t been able to sort out their fourth foreign player. They have tried Andre Russell, Johan Botha, Jeevan Mendis, Ben Rohrer and Roelof van der Merwe without any success. Will they go a step ahead and play with eight Indian players?

Stats and Trivia

• Gautam Gambhir is the second highest run-getter in all IPLs, behind Suresh Raina, but he has hit the most fours: 280.
• In nine matches, Daredevils’ wicketkeepers put together have registered four dismissals, the worst per-match rate in the league.

Quotes

“Hi guys, continue your support, KKR flight has hit slightly rough weather….am sure we’ll soon take control. Need your wishes”

Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are among the countries Pakistan are considering as options to host their limited-overs series against Australia

Umar Farooq20-May-2012Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are among the countries Pakistan are considering as options to host their limited-overs series against Australia in August. The series was set to be held in Sri Lanka, but SLC pulled out last week due to a clash in the series schedule with the first season of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). The PCB said that a final decision on the venue will be taken within a week.”It was indeed a setback to our plans when Sri Lanka pulled out,” Intikhab Alam, PCB director international cricket, told reporters in Lahore. “But they have their own reasons and we have no problem with it however and have been searching for alternatives. Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe are the options we have marked. A decision will be taken within next one week.”In March this year, the SLC had agreed in principle to host the series. At that time, there had been no decision on the SLPL. The proposed first season of the league had been cancelled last year and it was only earlier this month that a new deal was signed by the Sri Lanka board to hold the SLPL this August.Pakistan and Australia are due to play five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals against each other. The original plan was to play just one Twenty20, but with the World T20 immediately after the series, the countries’ boards have agreed to play two extra matches.Pakistan have had to play their home series in neutral venues since the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009. While the United Arab Emirates has been Pakistan’s usual “home” venue since then, the venue was ruled out due to the extreme heat and the month of Ramzan.Pakistan’s last home series against Australia was played in England, in the summer of 2010, after which they have hosted all their home series, including one against Sri Lanka and England, in the UAE.Malaysia last hosted an international series in 2006, when India, Australia and West Indies played a tri-series in Kuala Lumpur.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named in a group of 15 players who will participate in a two-day practice game ahead of West Indies’ Test series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2011Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named in a group of 15 players who will play a two-day practice game at the Demerara Cricket Ground in Georgetown on May 8 and 9, ahead of West Indies’ Test series against Pakistan.Chanderpaul has been involved in a war of words with the WICB and the team management over the past week, but has still been invited to play the game. He is likely to make the squad for the first Test at Providence from May 16.Chanderpaul’s involvement in this practice game, though, means he will not be able to play the match between Guyana and the Pakistanis, which will take place on the same dates at Bourda. Having been dropped for the one-day series, Chanderpaul had said in an interview with local radio station that he was keen to play against Pakistan before the Test series in order to have a look at their bowling.Also among the fifteen players called up for the practice game are fast bowler Fidel Edwards and uncapped 18-year-old batsman Kraigg Brathwaite. Edwards has not played for West Indies since 2009, when he suffered a long-term injury. Brathwaite has had an impressive few months of first-class cricket, which was followed by his unbeaten 168 for West Indies Under-19s against Australia U-19s last month.Fifteen players: Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith.

Munish Arora has said the outcome of the ICC enquiry into the incidents that marred the finish of the World Cricket League Division Five game between Nepal and USA in Kirtipur was as a major setback to cricket in his country

Tony Munro19-May-2010Munish Arora, the Singapore captain, has said the outcome of the ICC enquiry into the incidents that marred the finish of the World Cricket League Division Five game between Nepal and USA in Kirtipur was a major setback to cricket in his country. The Singapore Cricket Association had claimed the crowd disturbance and the consequent revised target formulated by the technical committee had resulted in a back-door entry for Nepal into Division Four at Singapore’s expense.The inquiry, conducted by top ICC officials Dave Richardson, David Becker and Ravi Sawani, ruled against SCA’s claims earlier this month. “The damage has been done enough for cricket in Singapore,” Arora told Cricinfo. “The Singapore team is badly hurt by the decision. The way the team performed in Division Five, there was no doubt we could possibly advance further in ICC tournaments but the decision has really put our cricket back by a few years.”The match was disrupted in the closing stages by the unruly home crowd, with USA set for a facile win that would have brought Nepal below Singapore in the league standings. As it transpired, the 45-minute delay caused by the crowd disturbance meant the target was revised significantly enough to lift Nepal’s net run-rate above Singapore’s by a slender margin, giving the home side a fortuitous entry into Division Four.The ICC, in its enquiry report, made recommendations that the proposed mandatory safety standards being introduced by the ICC security task force considers including sanctions against the home board when the home crowd interrupts a match, particularly when it benefits the home team. The investigation covered all aspects of the controversy including the net run-rate calculations, the reactions of the match officials and the nature of the security-related issues which arose during the match.The Cricket Association of Nepal has already accepted a directive to not host further international cricket at the venue until remedial measures were carried out, including the reconstruction of the boundary wall that was damaged by stone-throwers looking for projectiles to hurl into the ground.

Sri Lanka penalised for distractions in the field as hefty century proves just enough

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2024England 360 for 7 (McCann 174, Thain 66, Kalupahana 5-81) beat Sri Lanka 330 (Perera 64, Weerasinghe 57, Benkenstein 4-77) by 30 runsA superb innings of 174 by Nottinghamshire’s Freddie McCann put England Men U19s on course for a stirring 30-run victory against Sri Lanka at Hove to level the three-match ODI series at 1-1. In the first match, at Chelmsford on Friday, Sri Lanka won by 65 runs.After a measured start, the left-handed McCann cut loose in the second half of his innings to present Sri Lanka with a formidable total. And when Pulindu Perera and Gayana Weerasinghe put Sri Lanka well ahead of the asking rate, with a second wicket partnership worth 110 in just 14 overs, it was McCann who ended the alliance with a diving outfield catch to dismiss Weerasinghe (57) off the impressive bowling of Farhan Ahmed – younger brother of England’s leg-spinning prodigy Rehan Ahmed.Sri Lanka made a much more positive start to their innings – they were 53 runs ahead of England’s score at the halfway stage of their innings – but their scoring rate declined as they lost wickets regularly as they attempted to take on England’s disciplined attack. Four overs after the dismissal of Weerasinghe, Perera was lbw to Warwickshire’s Tazeem Ali for 64 off 59 balls, with eight fours and a six, and Sri Lanka were unable to find another batsmen capable of dominating the England bowlers. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 330 in 49.2 overs, with Luc Benkenstein, son of South Africa’s Dale, taking four wickets.The England innings had been based around a partnership of 127 in 24 overs between McCann and Noah Thain in which the Sri Lankan fielders were driven to distraction – quite literally. In the course of the partnership, with the fielders becoming increasingly vociferous, the umpires Jack Shantry and Nigel Llong spoke with the captain, Dinura Kalupahana, and told him that they had awarded England five penalty runs for distracting behaviour.England had made a steady start and had scored 36 when Keshana Fonseka was caught in the slips off the last ball of the 6th over, the first bowled by Kalupahana. The 50 came up in the eighth and at the halfway stage England were 120 for one – they would score 240 from the second 25 overs.While they were together, Essex’s Thain was even more impressively commanding than McCann. He swept Paveen Maneesha to long leg for four to reach his fifty from 60 deliveries and when he was out, pulling Kalupahana to backwared square-leg, he had scored 66 from 76 balls, with eight fours and a six.McCann, who had reached his century from 97 balls, with 15 fours, now accelerated away, so his final figures were 174 off 139, with 22 fours and three sixes. There were cameos from Charlie Allison (46 off 43) and Dom Kelly, who hit four fours and two sixes in an 11-ball 32 not out. But Rocky Flintoff – the son of former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff – who came in near the end, was bowled leg stump for just three off five. Kalupahana was the most successful Sri Lankan bowler with five for 81 from his ten overs.

Cartwright’s lone hand could not give WA substantial lead on rain-curtailed day

Tristan Lavalette16-Mar-2023Victoria were on the cusp of sealing a spot in the Sheffield Shield final, but rain and bad light halted their push for victory on day three against Western Australia at the WACA.Chasing a target of just 61 runs, having bowled out WA for 236, Victoria’s second innings did not start due to bad light prompting stumps.The final two sessions were heavily impacted by persistent drizzle to frustrate Victoria, who with a win can secure a place in the final starting on March 23. But they remain firmly in the box seat with sunny conditions expected in Perth on Friday.Related

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A determined Victoria once again outplayed WA, who have been lacklustre throughout in essentially a dead rubber for them with a home final already secured.WA were 8 for 210 when play resumed with one hour left in an extended day’s play. But they lost their last two wickets quickly before the gloomy conditions intervened.In his Shield return, Scott Boland has been spectacular with four wickets in both innings and showed little rust despite not having played since the first Test against India in Nagpur last month.Starting day three at 88 for 3, still trailing by 88 runs, nightwatcher Corey Rocchiccioli fell early to a relentless Boland who had dismissed openers Sam Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft during two menacing bursts late on day two.WA were on the ropes, but Hilton Cartwright provided resistance in an absorbing battle with Boland. He picked off rare loose deliveries to ensure the scoreboard ticked over and absorbed probing bowling, including getting hit in the groin by a sharp delivery from Boland.But Cartwright was playing a lone hand as allrounder Aaron Hardie’s crucial wicket fell just before lunch for a painstaking 13. WA’s slim hopes were left to Cartwright and Ashton Turner, playing his first Shield match since October 2020.Turner had batted well alongside Cartwright in WA’s best partnership in their subpar first innings of 122, but he needed to perform a major rescue job akin to his continual feats as skipper for BBL champions Perth Scorchers.Fergus O’Neill took 3 for 52 in the second innings•Getty Images

In a far cry from his belligerent batting in the BBL, Turner wisely dug in as Boland unleashed a probing spell after lunch. Turner played second fiddle to a determined Cartwright eyeing his first ton of the Shield season.They added 41 runs to put WA on the brink of getting a lead before Turner was caught behind off quick Fergus O’Neill, who in his next over claimed the big wicket of Cartwright for 82.It was disappointment for former Test allrounder Cartwright, hoping for a ton after unluckily missing out on WA’s 50-over Marsh Cup triumph last week.Cartwright has made seven half-centuries during a solid Shield season and has been clearly WA’s best performer in this match having also taken three wickets on day two.Victoria could sniff wrapping up victory quickly but rain – a rarity in Perth this time of year – halted their charge multiple times as the match dragged into a final day.

Apart from the four suspension points that resulted in the sanction, five demerit points have also been added to his record

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2022Netherlands fast bowler Vivian Kingma has been banned by the ICC for four ODIs/T20Is for ball-tampering. The incident took place during the third ODI against Afghanistan, which Netherlands lost by 75 runs, in Doha on Tuesday.The incident occurred in the 31st over of the match – part of the Men’s Super League – when he “changed the condition of the ball by scratching it with his nails,” an ICC release said. He finished with figures of 1 for 50 from his 10 overs.Kingma was found to have breached article 2.14 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “changing the condition of the ball in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC Standard Test Match, ODI and T20I Playing Conditions.”The ICC release said that Kingma – for whom it was the first offence in a 24-month period – had admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by the expert panel and that there was no need for a formal hearing. Apart from the four suspension points that resulted in the sanction, five demerit points have also been added to the disciplinary record of the fast bowler.”As each suspension point equates to a ban from one ODI or T20I, whatever comes first for the player or player support personnel, Kingma will miss the next four matches that his team plays in either format,” the ICC said in a statement.Kingma, 27, first played for Netherlands in an ODI against Canada at Mount Maunganui in 2014. He then made his T20I debut in 2016 against Scotland. Overall, Kingam has taken 12 wickets in 10 ODIs and eight wickets in nine T20Is.

The pace bowler has a chance for a debut against New Zealand next month, the latest step on an impressive rise

Andrew McGlashan21-Aug-2020The hours on the road and the gamble of following her dream when there was no guarantee of it becoming reality have earned Maitlan Brown the biggest reward.A 23-year-old pace bowler, Brown, who plays for the Australian Capital Territory and the Melbourne Renegades, is the one uncapped player in Australia’s 18-player squad for the home series against New Zealand next month and continues her rise in the game four years after she slipped out of the New South Wales system.Then, through the help of a friend, ACT spinner Angela Reakes, she earned an opportunity in Canberra, but it was only as an unpaid rookie. In her first season with the team, she would drive seven hours from her home in Wingham, a small town on the New South Wales mid-north coast, to Australia’s capital for training and matches.She went on to play five out of six matches for the ACT Meteors in the 2016-17 season while also having a regular role with the Renegades in the WBBL and it was enough to earn her a place in a CA development squad to tour Sri Lanka.Since then she has progressed to the Australia A set-up and last season took 16 wickets for the Renegades in their semi-final WBBL campaign. Still, she struggled to take it all in when the call came through from selector Shawn Flegler”I couldn’t comprehend what was happening,” she said. “I asked him the question, ‘Are you serious?’ and he was trying to tell me all the info, ‘this is when we’re going away, this is what’s going on’.”And I said, ‘look, Flegs, please tell me you’re sending this in an email because I’m speechless right now and I can’t really think’ and he said ‘yeah no worries’.”I got off the phone and I screamed out and my boyfriend came over and I told him the news and we had a really nice moment where we just hugged and burst out in tears. I thought he was laughing at first but he was actually bawling his eyes out. It was really nice and so overwhelming. I’m just so bloody excited and I can’t wait to get up there.”And the sacrifices of a few years ago are all worth it. “It’s pretty crazy looking back how far I’ve come and I was at a stage where I was struggling to find a place but the ACT have given me such a great opportunity; I’m grateful for that.”I was always really passionate about pursuing cricket and it was always a bit of a risk heading down to the ACT because at the time they didn’t have any more contracts to give away, so I was self-funding, but I was happy I took that leap of faith and I was presented with some great opportunities that have led me to where I am today.”Australia captain Meg Lanning, who was on the same virtual media conference, couldn’t stop herself grinning as Brown’s joy and enthusiasm was evident.Maitlan Brown in action for Australia A•Getty Images

“She deserves her spot in the squad. She’s been very good at the domestic level for a number of years now,” Lanning said. “She has very good skills with bat and ball, with the ball some very good change-up options, can bowl any time in an innings which is a great thing to have. From that perspective, a great addition. She brings some really good energy, good personality, so looking forward to welcoming her.”Being based in the ACT, Brown has had more freedom during Covid-19 than some of her team-mates and has worked on becoming more tactically aware with bowling coach Mick Delaney – although it’s one other aspect of pace bowling she has most enjoyed developing. “He’s a bit of an agro fast bowler, so it was pretty cool to get some tips from that perspective,” she said.The postponement of next year’s Women’s ODI World Cup until 2022 has been a significant blow to the game, but for players such as Brown who are looking to push their case, it could benefit them.”I guess it does work in my favour, I feel like I’ve almost conquered the hardest part which was pushing into the squad,” she said. “Definitely helps me with it being pushed back, hope I can prove myself and push even further. It does suck having to wait a little longer but it could be a silver lining.”Like more than 86,000 in the ground and millions on TV, Brown watched the T20 World Cup at the MCG on March 8. But for her it wasn’t just about savouring an occasion.”If I’m honest, I had so much FOMO that I cried myself to sleep because I just saw the girls up on stage with Katy Perry and I thought I want to be a part of that so badly. It’s awesome to know that, minus Katy Perry, I’m a part of such a brilliant squad with world-class players and it’s a brilliant honour.”And, of course, there is another Perry who she will be able to spend plenty of time with. “I have and still do look up to Pez which is a little embarrassing now as she’s a team-mate.”