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When Bhuvneshwar Kumar arrived at the crease, Akila Dananjaya had India in his web – seven wickets having fallen in the space of seven overs. But the one thing Bhuvneshwar had was time. India were still 100 runs short of the target, with only the tailenders to follow. But thanks in part to a rapid opening stand, 151 deliveries remained in the innings.The run rate was of little concern. What mattered was conserving his wicket, and gaining the measure of the pitch and the bowling. That is exactly how his batting partner MS Dhoni advised Bhuvneshwar to play.”When I went in to bat, MS told me to play my natural game like I play in Test cricket,” Bhuvneshwar said. “Don’t take any pressure as we had a lot of overs at that time and we knew if we played them out, we would chase it easily. So when I went in, there wasn’t any pressure really because I knew there is nothing to lose in this situation as we were already seven down. I was just thinking that I can play and that I have to support MS as much as I can. That’s what I tried to do.”Perhaps Dhoni’s mind went back to India’s Test in Nottingham in 2014 or the one in Chennai in 2013, which were the only other occasions in which Bhuvneshwar was part of a century stand in international cricket.At Pallekele, Bhuvneshwar took 41 balls to move to 10 – at one stage seeing out 17 successive dot balls as he played himself in. The closer India got to their target, the more aggressive he became. He struck two fours off Dananjaya’s penultimate over, and even slog-swept Milinda Siriwardana for six as the team closed in. In the end, he surpassed even Dhoni’s score to register his first ODI half-century – 53 not out off 80 balls.”I never thought in my dreams that I would score fifty in one-dayers,” Bhuvneshwar said. “Not just fifty, but a match-winning knock because one-day is a kind of format which doesn’t suit my batting. I am not the kind of batsman who can hit big sixes. But that kind of situation was perfect for me because it was totally a Test match situation.”In any case, though the situation suited Bhuvneshwar’s solid defensive technique, he still had to decrypt Dananjaya, who had fooled far more accomplished batsmen with his googly and his legbreak.”I had a plan against him,” Bhuvneshwar said. “Basically, he is an offspinner but he was also bowling leg-spinners and googlies, so it was a surprise for us. When I went in, I just wanted to play him as someone who bowls googlies, which he was bringing in to me. And whatever was going away from me, I wasn’t really worried about that. Whatever wickets he took that was on the googly, the incoming delivery, so my plan was to counter his incoming deliveries. Initially, it was a bit difficult to read him from the hand, but later on, when I played him for 10-15 balls, I could read his variations from the hand.”

ScorecardLuke Fletcher was struck on the head while delivering his first ball of the night•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire seam bowler Luke Fletcher was struck on the head in a horrific incident at Edgbaston, with the NatWest T20 Blast match against Birmingham Bears suspended for half-an-hour while he received treatment.The fast-bowler was taken to hospital in an ambulance after he suffered the injury in the fourth over of Birmingham’s reply to Nottinghamshire’s 158 for six. Play eventually resumed with Birmingham stealing a six-wicket victory with a single on the final ball when Notts missed a run-out chance – although concern over Fletcher oversahadowed the chase.Fletcher’s first ball of the night, at the start of the fourth over with the score 30 for 0, was driven ferociously straight back by Sam Hain and struck him on the head in his follow-through.The umpire signalled instantly for medical assistance, and it was clear from the reaction of the players that they felt the incident was potentially very serious. Fletcher was concussed, but he did not lose consciousness and he was able to walk from the field aided by a physio with a towel over his head.He was attended to by paramedics in the dressing-room, and was taken to a Nottingham hospital for further examination. His team-mate, Jake Ball, later tweeted a picture of Fletcher, wearing an oxygen mask but with his thumbs up, adding: “Horrible injury to @fletcherluke but looks like he’s doing well off to hospital #legend” One of the most popular players in county cricket, Fletcher was given the warmest of ovations from the 9,000 crowd and, typically, waved in acknowledgement. But with the players visibly concerned, the decision was taken to temporarily halt the game.He later tweeted from hospital that it was time for some paracetamol.Notts Outlaws head coach Peter Moores said after the match: “Luke has obviously got concussion but the reports we’re hearing back are that they think he’s going to be fine and hopefully he will go home either tonight or tomorrow morning. It sounds good news at the moment and we’re looking forward to catching up with him when he’s back and hopefully OK.”Warwickshire were very understanding and, more importantly, efficient. They had a doctor on site straight away and the paramedics here. Credit too to James Pipe, our physio, he is meticulous in all trauma-related stuff as is Warwickshire’s physio, and they worked together straight away.”It’s nice to see that at any sporting venue, that everything is in place should something like that happen.”The increased threat to bowlers and umpires during a Twenty20 age in which power hitting has become the norm has led to some umpires considering protective headgear to guard against injury.After half an hour, it was agreed to resume and the Notts players were warmly applauded back on to the field. They fought brilliantly to defend their below-par total and almost succeeded before ultimately dropping their second game in 24 hours to begin this year’s campaign, but most thoughts were with Fletcher who lifted spirits with his thumbs-up signal to a camera from the back of the ambulance.Put in, Notts had been troubled by the spin of Jeetan Patel (4-0-22-4) but recovered from 28 for three to total 158 thanks principally to Samit Patel’s classy 55 and Steven Mullaney’s 46.The Bears’ ploy to open the bowling with Patel paid off as he took three wickets in his first 11 balls; Michael Lumb brilliantly caught by William Porterfield at mid-wicket, and Alex Hales and Rikki Wessels, pouched at cow corner by Hain.Patel then underpinned a recovery, adding 51 in 45 balls with Dan Christian (20, 27 balls) and 68 in 39 balls with Mullaney.Birmingham started strongly as Ian Bell and Hain took 30 from three overs before the game was halted in light of Fletcher’s injury. After the resumption, Hain soon sliced Harry Gurney to point and Porterfield ran himself out before Bell (47, 38 balls, five fours) lifted a reverse-sweep at Patel to Lumb at short third man.Birmingham required 40 from the last five overs and Grant Elliott and Rikki Clarke took 15 off the first of them. Elliott’s 38 (22 balls, four fours, one six) saw his side to the brink of a victory but Notts dug deep.Five runs from the last over, bowled by Christian, came down to one from the last ball, from which Colin De Grandhomme and Clarke scrambled the relevant single. But Notts should have claimed a tie as a relay from extra cover was fumbled by Michael Lumb standing over the non-striker’s stumps.

ScorecardBen Duckett was back to his best [file picture]•Getty Images

Ben Duckett made a sparkling century for Northamptonshire and Dieter Klein took six wickets for Leicestershire on the opening day of the pink-ball Specsavers County Championship match at Wantage Road. Northants took the spoils, who, having made 261, reduced their visitors to 61 for 4 by the close.Duckett’s 89-ball century put Northants in a strong position, only for them to collapse from 211 for 3 – including four wickets for one run – as Klein took 6 for 80. But late wickets under the floodlights saw Northants regain the upper hand.Ben Sanderson and Rory Kleinveldt induced edges behind the wicket from both Leicestershire openers before Richard Gleeson, playing his first Championship match of the season, pinned Mark Cosgrove lbw and Azharullah bowled nightwatchman Rob Sayer second ball.It was still a very good one. It began with an extraordinary innings from Duckett, with the advantage of being one of only two players in the game to have previously played against the pink ball.And after he fell for 112, Northants were still in excellent shape through Max Holden’s third Championship half-century and a fifty stand with Rob Keogh. But a superb yorker from Klein took out Keogh’s off stump and it sparked a remarkable collapse.First Chesney Hughes was given out caught at slip having hooked at a bumper he clearly thought had not come off his glove. Then Josh Cobb pushed a ball towards mid-off, set off for a sharp single and was run out by Clint McKay’s direct hit. And when Kleinveldt pushed outside off stump and edged Klein to wicketkeeper Lewis Hill, Northants’ strong position had been sacrificed.Sanderson also edged a hook to be caught at the wicket but Azharullah helped Holden bring up a second batting point. Holden was eventually last man out for a measured 92.Northants were well set for far more after Duckett made a century in the opening session of the match. He has struggled for form so far this season having made just two half-centuries in the Championship but here was back to his best with an breezy ton that featured 20 boundaries.He initially feasted on some loose Leicestershire bowling on a wicket that appeared easy-paced and prompted the introduction of spin in just the 14th over of the day. An early Duckett drive spooned past extra-cover but he soon found his timing and drove Klein delightfully down the ground, cut McKay past point and lifted Sayer over long-on in reaching fifty in just 41 balls. He then twice paddle swept Neil Dexter to the fine leg boundary in going to a first century of the season.But he added only 12 more to his tea time score before sweeping Sayer off a top edge that was splendidly caught by McKay at short fine leg tumbling back. It ended a stand of 136 for the third wicket with Holden and a stand that recovered the innings from a difficult start after Klein had removed both Rob Newton and Alex Wakely lbw.

Players from Pakistan, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were among those who went under the hammer in the highest-profile auction yet for Afghanistan’s domestic T20 league, the Shpageeza Cricket League, in Kabul on Thursday. Among the big international picks were Babar Azam, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Tamim Iqbal and Hamilton Masakadza, who will turn out for six franchises in the fifth edition of the tournament in July. The most-expensive buy was Afghanistan allrounder Gulbadin Naib, who was bought by Boost Defenders for USD 108,000.The other five teams include Band-e-Amir Dragons, Mis Ainak Knights, Kabul Eagles, Speenghar Tigers and Amo Sharks. All the franchises are owned by leading Afghan business groups.Pakistan pacers Sohail Tanvir and Rumman Raees were not far behind the most expensive buy, signed up by Band-e-Amir Dragons and Boost Defenders respectively for USD 105,000 approx. Other notable buys included Bangladesh’s Imrul Kayes and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams. Salman Butt, who featured in the tournament last year, remained unsold this time.”All matches will be held in Kabul, between July 18 and July 28,” Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) CEO Shafiq Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. “The ICC has sanctioned this event, and is sending its own match referee to oversee the tournament. In addition, we will have one on-field umpire from the ICC panel.”The league will be broadcast on television in Afghanistan, and Stanikzai said the board is in talks to have it reach a wider audience. “It will be broadcast locally on one channel,” he said. “The production company is Indian, but we are thinking of getting it on air in India and Pakistan as well. We are currently in negotiations, we haven’t finalised the deal yet.”Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan and allrounder Mohammad Nabi, who had earned contracts with the IPL this year and impressed in the league, boosted Afghanistan’s cricketing profile around the world. With Afghanistan now set to showcase its own T20 tournament, they hope it will announce their arrival on the big stage. “This tournament will be a mega-hit and will take Afghanistan cricket to new heights,” ACB chairman Atif Mashal said. “This tournament will prove that we are the new cricketing force in the world.”The ACB tweeted the full squads for all the franchises after the auction, and they are as follows:Band-e-Amir Dragons, full squad•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Kabul Eagles, full squad•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Mis Ainak Knights, full squad•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Speenghar Tigers, full squad•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Boost Defenders•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Amo Sharks•Afghanistan Cricket Board

At Eden Gardens for their match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, captain Suresh Raina told his team that it was time for Gujarat Lions to ‘restart’, with his side floundering at eighth place on the table. He did exactly that, leading the way with a 46-ball 84 which gave his side a four-wicket victory and helped him become India’s leading T20 run-getter.In the previous match between the two teams earlier this season, Chris Lynn’s systematic decimation of Lions’ attack meant that Knight Riders had chased down 184 with ten wickets in hand and more than five overs to spare. Raina believed his team had played well in that game too, and wanted them to feed off the positive morale in the camp.”Right from the moment I won the toss, I was getting a lot of positive vibes. I knew we had done well against them [KKR] in the previous game though the match got over in just 14 overs [14.5] when Chris Lynn hit us to all parts of the ground,” Raina told . “That loss hurt the team and me. I addressed the team and told them this is the game where we restart and go all guns blazing. The team was high on morale when we walked out on the field and the result is there to be seen. I have been getting good support from Brad Hodge and Mohammad Kaif who have been spreading a lot of positive vibes in the team. It was a great team effort.”Lions’ chase of 188 on Friday was hardly an easy one. Despite an aggressive start from openers Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum, the team was struggling at 122 for 5 in the 13th over, and went into the last seven overs needing 64. Raina negotiated the opposition’s most effective bowlers – Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav – over the next few overs, eking out a boundary in every over. Once Sunil Narine’s four overs were seen off, Raina went after Nathan Coulter-Nile, hammering the Australian fast bowler for two fours and a six in a 16-run over that brought the equation down to 17 runs off 18 balls.Raina said that nearly a decade of watching and batting with MS Dhoni, in the India dressing room and at Chennai Super Kings, had helped him pick up lessons on keeping the required rate in check.”I love batting in pressure situations and it is a challenge I relish,” he said. “I have batted with him [Dhoni] for almost ten years now and always admired how he would finish games for the side. I have learnt how to cut down on asking rates from 9 per over to a 7 per over from him. The middle overs in a T20 game is very important and you need to take calculated risks. It is something that I did tonight and have learnt over the years. I was hitting the ball really well and looked to be positive throughout my innings though wickets were falling at the other end.”When you are a captain, you are there to win a game and set examples for your side. It is something that I have learnt from Dhoni while playing with him for India and Chennai Super Kings.”

Misbah-ul-Haq has decided to continue as Pakistan’s Test captain, a decision that has been accepted by PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who also named Sarfraz Ahmed as the vice-captain in Tests. Misbah’s decision to lead in the West Indies put to end questions over his retirement, which have made news over the last few months, at least for the next two months as Pakistan will play three Tests in the Caribbean in April and May.After returning from Australia, Misbah had said he would take a call on his future after seeing how he would fare in the PSL. During the league, he told ESPNcricinfo that he was “most likely” to go to the West Indies, where they are yet to win a Test series. And once his team Islamabad United was knocked out of the tournament, he said he would meet Shaharyar upon his arrival in Pakistan and inform the chairman about his decision.”Misbah-ul-Haq has conveyed to the Chairman [of] PCB his desire to continue as captain of the Pakistan Test team,” the PCB said in a statement. “Accordingly, the Chairman has approved his appointment for the upcoming West Indies Test series. The Chairman has also approved appointment of Sarfraz Ahmed as vice-captain of the Pakistan Test team.”Misbah, who will turn 43 in May, has been under immense scrutiny having led the team to five successive Test defeats, although it was under him that Pakistan were ranked No. 1 last year. A dip in his batting form and his age added to the drama that reached its peak after the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year when Misbah admitted to being unsure about his future as a cricketer.ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB wants to eventually appoint a single captain for all formats, but such a decision will have to wait until Misbah takes a call on his future. The decision to appoint Sarfraz as vice-captain in Tests came after Azhar Ali stepped down from ODI captaincy and later relinquished his Test vice-captaincy as well. The role was vacant since then. Sarfraz is already leading Pakistan in the Twenty20 format.Pakistan will start the West Indies tour with four T20s starting March 26, followed by three ODIs in early April and the three Tests starting April 22 in Jamaica. Pakistan’s selection committee is due to announce a limited-overs squad later this week while the Test team will be announced later.

Sri Lanka batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been suspended for two limited-overs matches after a Code of Conduct breach during Sunday’s Twenty20 win over Australia in Geelong. Dickwella will therefore miss Wednesday’s final match in the T20 series at Adelaide Oval, having been found guilty of showing dissent at an umpire’s decision.Umpire Simon Fry gave Dickwella out caught-behind when the batsman tried to scoop a delivery from James Faulkner over the wicketkeeper during the third over of Sri Lanka’s chase. Replays showed the ball had struck Dickwella’s shoulder rather than his bat.The ICC said in a statement that after he was given out, Dickwella “paused to view the replay, kicked the turf and looked at his shoulder for a prolonged period of time.”The punishment for his Code of Conduct breach was a fine of 30% of his match fee and two demerit points, but those demerit points were enough to bring a suspension.During the fourth ODI against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this month, Dickwella had accrued three demerit points following an incident in which he and Kagiso Rabada made contact on the field, and his five demerit points have thus been converted into a suspension for two limited-overs games.Australia’s wicketkeeper, Tim Paine, has also been fined 15% of his match fee over a related Code of Conduct breach, for what the ICC described as using “inappropriate words” after Dickwella was given out.

A century from Knights captain Theunis de Bruyn and a four-for from fast bowler Marchant de Lange led their side to a 100-run win over Cape Cobras in Bloemfontein.De Bruyn anchored the Knights innings after opting to bat, scoring 132 off 117 balls to lead the side to 308 for 6. Having lost the openers in successive overs with 51 on the board, de Bruyn carried the innings forward by stitching partnerships of 85 and 98 with Pite van Biljon and Diego Rosier for the third and fourth wickets respectively. With de Bruyn falling in the 45th over, Knights scored 37 off the last five as Shadley van Schalkwyk took the score past the 300 mark.De Lange then cut through the Cobras top order, leaving them at 47 for 3 in the seventh over and by the 21st, Cobras were all but out of the chase at 102 for 5. Jason Smith and Aviwe Mgijima struck a 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket, with Mgijima taking the score past 200 before he was dismissed for 51, his second List A fifty and the top-score in the Cobras innings.De Lange, who had returns of 3 for 21 in his first spell of six overs, dismissed Mgijima in the 41st over, to finish with 4 for 35 as Cape Cobras were bowled out for 208 in the 42nd over.

Giles Clarke, president of the England and Wales Cricket Board and chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force, has cautioned that bringing international cricket back to Pakistan will be an arduous process requiring “a lot of time and hard work”.Clarke arrived in Lahore on Saturday – his first visit to the country as head of the Pakistan Task Force – on a fact-finding mission to inspect security arrangements that can be put in place for visiting teams. During his visit, Clarke met with senior officials of the Punjab government, including the chief minister and the Home Secretary.Addressing a press conference at the National Cricket Academy at the Gaddafi Stadium, Clarke praised Punjab’s government for “significant investment” in safety and security arrangements for potential touring aides. He was quick to point out, however, that these observations were not to serve as a replacement for expert advice.”I have to receive a proper report from my experts,” Clarke said. “But speaking as a non-expert, I was deeply impressed by the size of the investment, and the passion of everyone I’ve met from the chief minister downwards, the desire and determination to see international cricket return to Lahore was absolutely there. It is a goal of the ICC that every Full Member plays international bilateral cricket in their own country. But for us to do that, we need everyone to be safe and secure.”Clarke referred to a bomb blast in a crowded park in Lahore last March that killed over 70 people. The PCB was in talks with the MCC at the time for the latter to send a cricket team to Lahore, but the terror attack put an end to that.”We don’t want to get it wrong,” Clarke said. “We all know one terrible incident can push things backwards again. What happened here in one of Lahore’s parks did make it impossible for us to send a team here last year. So we’re hoping to move forward, but this isn’t an easy road.”There’s a considerable amount of perception that needs to be changed [around Pakistan being an unsafe country] and information that needs to be shared. But I am most impressed by the efforts of the authorities to make Lahore a safe city.”Clarke, who has been on the Pakistan Task Force since it was set up in the aftermath of the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009, praised Zimbabwe for coming to Pakistan in 2015 to play two T20s and three ODIs, and said it was a “very well organised” tour. “We want to build on that and move forward in a sensible and measured fashion.” Even that tour, however, was the target of an attempted attack.Clarke didn’t comment on a recent statement by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) that “an acceptable level of participant safety and security cannot be expected or guaranteed” in Pakistan, saying he hadn’t discussed that statement with FICA, or read it in full. “I was far more interested in coming here for myself before I opened that conversation,” he said.That statement had come on the back of the PCB announcing that the final of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would take place in Lahore, whether or not international players travelled to Pakistan. Clarke expressed strong support for the PCB’s endeavours to hold the final of “their own domestic competition” in Pakistan. “I completely understand that desire, and will support their efforts to do that.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Himanshu Rana’s 71 off 79 balls was the highest score of the Asia Cup final•PTI

Half-centuries from opener Himanshu Rana and No. 3 Shubman Gill provided India Under-19s with a total of 273, which they were able to defend successfully thanks a middle-overs squeeze by their spinners Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar. In the end, hosts Sri Lanka were beaten by 34 runs.At one point though, that result had seemed unlikely. With the momentum of picking up six wickets in the last 11 overs fuelling them, Sri Lanka went after the target with great vigour. Captain Kamindu Mendis and R Kelly struck fifties each to take the score to 158 for 2 in the 31st over. That brought the equation down to 116 off 118 balls with eight wickets in hand.India needed to re-establish control and their 16-year old captain Abhishek helped with that, dismissing Kelly for 63. He finished with figures of 4 for 37 in 10 overs of left-arm spin and claimed the Man-of-the-Match award. Sri Lanka had to deal with Chahar’s miserly legspin from the other end. With him bowling his full quota, giving away only 22 runs, and picking up three wickets as well, the chase unravelled. Sri Lanka lost three wickets in five overs between the 38th and 43rd, then another three wickets with the score on 225 and were finally bowled out for 239.It signalled the importance of first-innings runs in Colombo, and India were able to put up enough thanks to Rana’s 71 off 79 balls and Gill’s 70 off 92 balls. While their partnership of 88 for the second wicket was on, it seemed like India would get to a total of 300 or more, but seamer Nipun Ransika, who took two wickets in the 47th over, and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who dismissed both the half-centurions, ensured that did not happen. Sri Lanka would later realise that the damage had already been done.