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Ryan Burl’s career-best ODI score not enough as Zimbabwe fall short of 235-run target

Madushka Balasuriya04-Jul-2023For the second time in two Qualifiers, Zimbabwe have fallen short at the final hurdle, and as a result they won’t be at the 2023 World Cup. They needed to win one of their last two matches, just as in 2018, and they failed to do it, just as in 2018.It’s a fascinating quirk of sport that hindsight can completely colour the view of an event. When Scotland were being strangled by Zimbabwe’s bowlers throughout their innings, barely managing to keep their run rate at above four an over, it looked like Zimbabwe had by far the better of the proceedings.When Scotland somehow clawed together a total of 234, courtesy a burst of 54 runs in the last five overs, it looked like they had got up to a fighting total but not one that would realistically trouble an in-form Zimbabwe batting line-up littered with experience – especially in front of a home crowd that has been electric all tournament.But when Chris Sole’s express pace sent Joylord Gumbie, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams packing inside the first seven overs – the first caught behind, the other two clean bowled – that innings-long strangle began to take on a different sheen, one instead of steely resolve. And when all was said and done it was Zimbabwe that blinked first, falling 31 runs short, as Scotland knocked them out in dramatic fashion.If ever there was a team victory, it was this. Before Sole’s heroics, there were no less than six batters pitching in for 20 runs at least, on a sticky surface in Bulawayo, of which Michael Leask was the pick of the bunch with a 34-ball 48 .Leask aside, only Brandon McMullen (34 off 34) and Mark Watt (21 off 15) scored at even a 70-plus strike rate of the six batters who passed 20. But they ensured that Scotland ticked off the most important box on surfaces like this: they batted through their 50 overs.Then, with the ball, every one of the six bowlers used picked up at least one wicket, driving home the team ethos. Together they weathered a Ryan Burl-led counterattack, which included fifth- and sixth-wicket stands of 54 and 73 with Sikandar Raza and Wesley Madhevere – both partnerships ticking along at nearly a run a ball. The required rate throughout all this was just a touch above four. The pressure was on the Scottish bowlers, but they never lost hope, knowing that a wicket would change the game’s complexion. And so it proved.In an innings filled with wickets falling to good balls, Raza holing out at long-off would go down as an unforced error. It was at this moment that Scotland may have begun to believe.But then Madhevere – a player who hadn’t played an innings of note all tournament – strung together the game’s biggest partnership with Burl, as the pair found the odd boundary and milked the ones and twos. Enter Mark Watt, who had earlier stitched together 21 from 15, and he got one to grip and turn, trapping Madhevere in front to grab his only wicket of the game.This left Burl with just the tail for company. Burl soldiered on to a career best 83 off 84, but it wouldn’t be enough. With 38 needed off the last 11.3 overs, and with only two wickets remaining, he mistimed a slog-sweep to midwicket, having dispatched the previous two deliveries for four and six. In a game with so much on the line, such heartbreaks were inevitable.None more so than for Williams, the standout player of the tournament, with 600 runs at an average of exactly 100. He received a corker from Sole. This was a moment tailor-made for Williams but in life there are things you cannot quite account for – a 149kph thunderbolt nipping back in at your off peg being one of them.On the flip side of heartbreak is euphoria. Scotland had now beaten three Full Member teams in this tournament. Had they lost today, they would not have had the chance to play ODIs for another year at the least.They’ve topped league two on the way to these qualifiers, beaten sides more vaunted than them, and now have to go once more on Thursday against Netherlands. If they do what they need to do, they’ll have a whole lot more cricket to gear up for.

Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers’ Association reach one-year pay agreement for 2022-23

Alex Malcolm12-May-2022Cricket Australia will expand the Women’s National Cricket League to a full home-and-away season under a new 12-month Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Australian Cricketers’ Association.The acrimonious negotiations of 2017 were avoided with CA CEO Nick Hockley and ACA CEO Todd Greenberg working closely together over the last 12 months, including travelling to Pakistan together in March, to deliver a new MoU that sees the 50-over WNCL expanded by four rounds alongside the 14-game WBBL season.Australia’s female domestic players contracted in both the WNCL and WBBL will now earn a base average of AUD$86,000.Australia are the reigning women’s ODI and two-time reigning T20 World Cup champions but there had long been a push for more state cricket.”Our female players are superb role models and as we continue to focus on increasing the participation of women and girls in cricket, a full home and away WNCL season is a logical step,” Hockley said.CA requested that a 12-month MoU be signed in the short-term due to the impacts of Covid, with another agreement needed to be reached for 2023-24 and beyond. The Australian cricket television broadcast rights, the key pillar in CA’s revenue and the players’ share, are to be renegotiated in 2024.”This is an excellent result for Australian cricket and I look forward to working with Todd and the Players’ Association for the next long-term MoU,” Hockley said. “Despite the impacts of Covid, the MoU has delivered an outcome for players that is beyond expectations.”We thank all the players for their enormous efforts in such a demanding time. To think that we managed to play every international game and the vast majority of domestic fixtures last season and enjoyed one of the most successful periods in our history is an extraordinary achievement from all involved.”The revenue share model, which was the cause of the rift when the last MoU was being negotiated, remains in place with the players, both men and women, to receive 27.5% of forecast Australian cricket revenue alongside a performance pool of 2.5%. The players’ retainers and match payments have been increased by 1% across all playing groups. The ACA has agreed to allocate $4 million to CA to assist in managing the ongoing impacts of Covid.Greenberg has been firm on the partnership model between the players and CA remaining in place and was pleased with the outcome.”It has served Australian cricket well in responding to the impacts of Covid, where player payments and benefits self-adjusted as the games’ revenues fluctuated, avoiding the challenging re-negotiations faced by other sports,” he said.

Priyank Panchal, though, has “no preference” among domestic cricketers ESPNcricinfo spoke to

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2020Faiz Fazal, Vidarbha captain: Given it’s a T20 World Cup year and with the IPL auction in the pipeline, I would like to begin with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and then move on to the Ranji Trophy. Beginning with T20s will allow players to get into the thick of things.Parvez Rasool, Jammu & Kashmir captain: For players like me who don’t have an IPL contract, the SMA T20s are a lifeline. Even one big impact performance for your team can boost your chances of being noticed by franchises. So I’d definitely like to start with the Mushtaq Ali T20s and then move on to the Ranji Trophy. The window is very limited, so maybe then [we] can look to have a zonal system this year and then stage the knockouts. I understand the number of matches each team plays will reduce, but having some form of first-class cricket is better than not playing at all.Priyank Panchal, Gujarat captain: I have no preference, and I’ll tell you why. After the previous season, one of my goals was to better my white-ball game. There were a few limitations to my batting in the shorter formats. So once the lockdown was lifted, I worked on a range of shots – like the ramp, scoop, paddle, short-arm jabs to deliveries banged into the pitch [and] my range hitting. The goal was to score consistently in the shorter formats, like I’ve done with the red ball. So if they plan to have the limited-overs options only, it’ll be a chance for me to see how the work during the off-season has helped. If it’s one of the 50-overs or T20 and Ranji Trophy, I’m fine with that too. The main thing is to get back onto the field.Jalaj Saxena, Kerala allrounder: Personally, I’d pick the Ranji Trophy as first priority and then if time permits, look to conduct the Mushtaq Ali T20s. But the dynamics will vary now with the IPL auction. If auctions are there, then SMA T20s will be held first.Abhimanyu Easwaran, Bengal captain: I’d prefer to have two tournaments – at least. For me, Ranji Trophy is really important. Obviously with the auction coming up, it [also] makes sense to have T20s. The more cricket we get, the better.

Afghanistan allrounder will continue to play white-ball cricket, but wants younger players to take over in the longest format

Mohammad Isam06-Sep-2019Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi has informed the Afghanistan Cricket Board of his decision to retire from Test cricket after the ongoing one-off game in Bangladesh.Nazim Zar Abdur Rahim Zai, the team manager, made a statement at the end of the second day’s play in Chattogram saying that Nabi, 34, would continue to play white-ball cricket, but wants younger players to take his place in the longest format.”Though this is very early for Nabi to stop playing Test matches, this being his third Test match, he will resign from Test matches and this is his last Test,” the team manager said. “I hope he plays well. He bowled well today. He told me that newcomers will join Tests, though he will continue in ODI and T20Is for Afghanistan.”Nabi has been one of Afghanistan’s most influential cricketers right from the time they started playing international cricket, or even in the period when they were coming up the ranks to where they are now.He has been a popular pick and a consistent representative for Afghanistan in the worldwide T20 circuit. Including the IPL and the Big Bash League, Nabi has played in most major domestic T20 leagues for several years, apart from also playing almost every game for Afghanistan.Most recently, Nabi had made a strong impression in the Vitality Blast for Kent, taking eight wickets and scoring 147 runs.

The series ended tied at 1-1 after the umpires called off the deciding match at the Sylhet Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2018Rain had the final say in the one-day series between Bangladesh A and Sri Lanka A as the third match met an early end in Sylhet. The series ended tied at 1-1 after the umpires called off the match at 4:20pm after play was stopped at 2:55pm due to heavy rain.Sri Lanka A reached 240 for 9 in 45 overs, with the innings being disrupted once due to a shower. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Ashan Priyanjan struck 75 and 53 respectively, and shared a 130-run second wicket stand. Later, skipper Thisara Perera made a run-a-ball 44 as the home side fought back through Sunzamul Islam’s four-wicket haul.In reply, when the Bangladesh A openers had taken the score to 12 for no loss in the fourth over, heavy rain arrived at the Sylhet Stadium. Perera was named the player-of-the-series.Sri Lanka A had earlier won the three-match unofficial Test series 1-0.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday that the board is confident the tour will take place given the feedback it has received from its government agencies

Mohammad Isam11-May-2017Cricket Australia will send a security team to Bangladesh next week as part of the process to finalise arrangements for the team’s tour in August-September. Nizamuddin Chowdhury, CEO of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has said CA will take a call on going ahead with the tour based on the report of the security team.”Teams like Australia, England and India have certain standard pre-tour activities,” Chowdhury said on May 6. “Going by that, Cricket Australia will send a team in the middle of this month. They will check the security arrangements and assess other opportunities. These are standard practices that always take place. Only after this visit can their board officially give them the green signal to come here.”CA chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday that the board is confident the tour will take place given the feedback it has received from its government agencies.”We’re just working through all the details,” Sutherland said. “I’m very pleased to be at a stage of really fine-tuning the detail – there are still some things that we need to work through just to lock down on security.”Once our hosts have locked in dates and the schedule, then from us it’s all systems go, subject to any security concerns we might have. From all the research we’ve done and the work we’ve done with [the Department of] Foreign Affairs and others through government agencies, we’re confident the tour will take place.”Earlier this month, BCB president Nazmul Hassan had said that his CA counterpart David Peever had personally assured him of Australia’s participation in the two-Test series during last month’s ICC meeting in Dubai.Australia are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on August 18. The tour will begin with a practice match in Chittagong from August 22 to 24, followed by the first Test from August 27 to 31, also in Chittagong, and the second Test from September 4 to 9 in Mirpur.

Virat Kohli soothed the hurt of Hyderabad with his second T20 hundred and an RCB victory they badly needed

Nikhil Kalro in Bangalore07-May-2016Virat Kohli did not have a T20 hundred for 192 games. Anticipation that it was within his grasp built over 13 T20s in 2016, leading into the IPL, when he scored 625 runs at an average of 125. It came in the fifth game of the season, a last-ball sliced boundary off Dwayne Bravo providing his breakthrough innings against Gujarat Lions.Yet, there wasn’t much reason for joy. Royal Challengers Bangalore were languishing one off the bottom with two wins in seven games. They remain in penultimate spot, but on a balmy Saturday evening, as Kohli notched up his second T20 century in a match-winning knock, he had again lifted his team.Kohli played down how much a T20 hundred meant to him. “Not that I was desperate to get one, but last time I felt like it was something I hadn’t achieved,” he said. “But I didn’t have control over my game because we were batting first there.”This 100, I didn’t plan to get a 100, as I said in the last game. I never looked at my score in the scoreboard, all I looked at was how many runs and balls are there… how many runs we need to score, in which over. In that process, if you get a milestone like that it feels sweet. But in an hour, or a couple of hours, when I realise what happened, then it’ll feel far sweeter.”Defeat in the last game to Kolkata Knight Riders had sharpened Kohli’s sense that a victory was especially necessary to provide a lift.”The ultimate target was the victory because of how hurt we were after the last game,” he said. “We needed a victory like this to pull ourselves up again, especially the kind of day we had in the field. It’s very easy to lose your cool, get carry away and get frustrated. You rather take that frustration and be determined to put in that 20 per cent extra.”In this season, 27 out of 36 matches have been won by the chasing side. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s small dimensions make it a particularly favourable chasing ground, but Kohli had lost three tosses at home this season, which resulted in two losses.”We had the chance to chase one down, and I backed myself to go for the target and make sure I’m there in the end and win the game for the team. In Hyderabad, I couldn’t do that, I was very disappointed,” Kohli said.”If you want your team to do a certain thing, you have to go out there first and do it in front of them to convince them that this is the direction you need to go in. I failed to do that In Hyderabad and that hurt me a lot.Virat Kohli now has two T20 hundreds•BCCI

“It’s about understanding what line the bowlers are trying to bowl at you. You need to get into the bowler’s head. You have to back yourself to know if a ball is full enough, you can pierce long-off and covers. Doesn’t matter how much the gap is between them, even if its 20 metres, you need to hit it well enough. All about being absolutely convinced that you can get the result you want. If you are half-hearted, then the ball actually never goes for a boundary.”Kohli was quick to give credit to cameos from KL Rahul and Shane Watson which helped Royal Challengers set the platform they required to achieve the target of 192.”You can’t do it all by yourself. Contributions from KL, Watto gave us the right kind of momentum to us through the middle, even after AB got out. Those things matter a lot. Sometimes we neglect those because one gets a milestone.”

Zimbabwe’s bowlers did a superb job to reduce Pakistan to 172 for 8 before Saeed Ajmal battled to lift the total towards 250

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran03-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tinashe Panyangara took three wickets as Zimbabwe’s bowlers posed plenty of questions to Pakistan•AFP

Even 24 hours before the toss, there had been uncertainty over whether this match would take place as Zimbabwe’s players were again threatening a boycott over delayed payments. The Test started on schedule but Zimbabwe were hamstrung as Sean Williams decided he wouldn’t play till he was paid, and their regular captain Brendan Taylor was away on paternity leave after his son was born late on Monday.Few teams have had such major distractions to deal with, and there had been concerns about whether Zimbabwe’s players would be able to focus on the challenges of Test cricket. The home side’s bowlers, though, responded superbly to reduce Pakistan to 182 for 8, before some of the gloss was taken off by a battling ninth-wicket partnership between Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan.The first hour was near perfect for Zimbabwe. The trio of Tendai Chatara, Tinashe Panyangara and Shingi Masakadza may have little Test experience and only moderate pace, but their accuracy and movement left Pakistan hobbling at 27 for 3 by drinks.Once again, Misbah-ul-Haq walked out with his team having lost early wickets, and began more adventurously than you’d expect from him in the first session of a Test. Along with Azhar Ali, Misbah extricated Pakistan from the hole caused by the top-order’s failure. After lunch, the pitch had settled down a bit, and both Misbah and Azhar reached their half-centuries. The stand had grown to 93, and the pair was looking comfortable in the middle.This was supposed to be the big challenge for Zimbabwe – could their bowlers keep the pressure on when the conditions eased out? They didn’t have to, as Misbah attempted one of those occasional, unpredictable big hits over the leg side and miscued to short midwicket. Prosper Utseya had even more to celebrate soon after, as Asad Shafiq also tried a wild slog and ended up inside-edging it to leg slip for 4.Zimbabwe’s bowlers could take more credit for the wickets in the morning session. The basis of their early success was a steady line and length, constantly questioning the batsmen around off stump and getting the odd delivery to swerve around or bounce awkwardly. They posed enough of a threat to give the stand-in captain, Hamilton Masakadza, the confidence to put three slips in place for much of the first hour. Panyangara and Chatara had the ball snaking both ways, and the batsmen guessing.Mohammad Hafeez had racked up the runs in the recent limited-overs matches, but his Test form has been suspect this year. The South Africa Tests had been a humbling experience for Hafeez, and there weren’t many runs today either as he again poked outside off, handing second slip an easy catch.His opening partner, Khurram Manzoor, had even more at stake as he was playing his first Test in three-and-a-half years. He was cautious early on, not attempting anything flashy, and had seen off 11 overs when a big incutter from Panyangara struck him on the pads. The ball looked like it would sail over the stumps, but the umpire disagreed and Manzoor had to trudge off.Younis Khan began his innings looking for quick singles, and he was dismissed when the ball spun back onto the stumps after an attempted forward defence. Younis had taken a couple of steps down the track after playing the delivery and could only watch the ball roll back towards the base of middle stump.Zimbabwe were cock-a-hoop at that stage, but Misbah and Azhar slowly deflated them over the next couple of hours. The frontline trio kept testing the batsmen but the odd loose ball crept in, which Misbah profited off. He didn’t bat in a manner that has earned him the nickname , but went for his strokes and he was rewarded especially towards the end of the morning session as Elton Chigumbura and Utseya offered some easy runs.Pakistan began in a similarly confident mode after lunch and Zimbabwe’s limited attack seemed set for a struggle. Azhar had a bit of a battle through the forties, taking his time to complete the final steps of his half-century but Pakistan were slowly levelling the game. The responsibility on Azhar grew after the ordinary strokes from Misbah and Shafiq left Pakistan at 132 for 5, and he continued to bat sensibly.Zimbabwe’s bowlers built on the advantage soon after tea, getting three quick wickets, and the innings seemed set for an early finish when Azhar nicked to the slips. Pakistan were still some way away from their previous lowest total against Zimbabwe (231), but Zimbabwe just couldn’t deliver the final blows.Though Ajmal may not have the most orthodox technique, his merry swinging of the bat proved extremely effective late in the day. He signalled how he was going to play with a murderous straight hit over Utseya’s head early in his innings. With Junaid flailing at everything but somehow staying in the middle, the partnership began to swell. Zimbabwe turned to the new ball in search of the breakthrough but that only quickened the run-flow with Ajmal’s hook for six off Chatara among the highlights.The home team’s frustration continued as the pair resisted for more than an hour, and it wasn’t till the final over of the day that Junaid finally edged to the keeper, after countless misses. Ajmal was still unbeaten on 49, and the stand of 67 had lent some respectability to Pakistan’s innings.

Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test side for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week after being included in a 13-man squad

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2012Ravi Bopara is back in the England Test squad for the first match against South Africa at The Oval next week. There are five fast bowlers in the 13-man group, with Graham Onions, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan competing to form the pace trio with James Anderson and Stuart Broad.Bopara’s form in the ODI series against Australia – 182 runs and four useful wickets – confirmed he is primed for a return to the Test side, after a frustrating period during which his opportunities were curtailed by injuries. He was set to make a comeback in Sri Lanka after Eoin Morgan was dropped but picked up a side strain that prevented him from bowling, and so Samit Patel was preferred. Then, at the start of this season, Bopara injured his thigh and was ruled out of the series against West Indies.That opened the door for Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow, who struggled in the three Tests against West Indies, making 38 runs, and has not had a huge amount of batting since. Bairstow returned to Championship action this week and made a first-ball duck against Hampshire.The only other debate is who will be the third fast bowler behind Anderson and Broad. England’s regular new-ball pair was rested for the last Test against West Indies but Anderson and Broad will return to spearhead the attack for the main event of the season.In the first two Tests against West Indies, they were accompanied by Bresnan, who was Man of the Match at Trent Bridge after a destructive spell of reverse swing on the third evening sealed the series for England. He currently has a Test bowling average of 26.09 and a batting average of 40.22 and will be tough to dislodge. Finn, however, made a very strong case for himself with his performances in the Australia ODIs.In four completed matches, Finn took eight wickets at 19.37, including 4 for 37 at Chester-le-Street. He played the final Test against West Indies, when Broad and Anderson were rested, but was out-bowled on that occasion by Onions, who was playing his first Test since January 2010.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Ravi Bopara has worked hard to regain his place in the Test squad following some injury concerns earlier in the season and is the only player included who is yet to play a Test match this summer.”We have played some very good cricket over the last couple of months in all formats to win series against West Indies and Australia and after a month of limited overs cricket, preparations are now underway for what is sure to be a very competitive Test series against South Africa,” Miller said. “We know we will need to play excellent cricket to win this three-match series and the squad will be determined to start with a strong performance this week during the first Investec Test and set the tone for the rest of the series.”On Saturday, the ICC’s annual refresh of the rankings pushed South Africa to third but if they beat England they will replace them at the top of the table. England will retain their spot with a won or drawn series over the three Tests at The Oval, Headingley and Lord’s.Squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Graham Onions.

Derbyshire moved into a match-winning performance at the midway point of their County Championship clash against Glamorgan thanks to Jon Clare’s figures of 5 for 29 and Dan Redfern’s 88 with the bat

28-Jun-2011
ScorecardDerbyshire moved into a match-winning performance at the midway point of their County Championship clash against Glamorgan thanks to Jon Clare’s figures of 5 for 29 and Dan Redfern’s 88 with the bat.Derbyshire made 367 all out in their first innings in Cardiff before the hosts limped to 174 for 8 in reply at the close of the second day of the Division Two match. They were 193 behind, needing a further 44 to avoid the follow-on.Only Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen, with 83 not out, showed any real resistance. In only the second over of the day Redfern brought up his fourth 50 of the summer in 92 balls with five fours before Glamorgan hit back with the new ball.Graham Wagg struck with the fourth delivery, trapping Ross Whiteley lbw. Glamorgan continued to take wickets at regular intervals. Luke Sutton was dismissed when he top-edged a James Harris delivery to wicketkeeper Mark Wallace.Redfern perished for 88 when he played on to Jim Allenby, failing to convert a 12th first-class 50 into his maiden century as Derbyshire reached lunch at 338 for 7. Allenby hit form in the afternoon session as he took the remaining three wickets to claim career-best figures of five for 44 from 20 overs. It was Allenby’s third five-wicket haul of his career and his second for Glamorgan.But batting points proved harder to come by as opener Gareth Rees began Glamorgan’s procession of wickets before tea, falling leg before to Tim Groenewald, who also accounted for Will Bragg in a similar manner.From 36 for two the home side sank further into trouble at 59 for three when Mike Powell was caught behind off Whiteley. Ben Wright followed in the next over when he top-edged a pull to Knight running back at square leg off Clare, who also struck three balls later when Allenby was bowled by a full delivery for a duck. Glamorgan lost three wickets for one run in 10 balls as 59 for two became 60 for 5.Petersen, who reached his 50 from 105 balls, put on 68 with Wallace before the wicketkeeper, Harris and Wagg were all caught behind off Clare in the space of three balls. On 74, Petersen did survive a chance at short leg off Knight, the slow left-armer.