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Seamer remains optimistic about playing a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence

Matt Roller26-Jul-2023Olly Stone has been ruled out of the Hundred with a hamstring injury but remains optimistic about his chances of being fit to play a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence in India in October-November.Stone hoped to feature in England’s Ashes squad this summer but has been limited to a single appearance since May 4 due to a hamstring injury, suffered while playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.He made a comeback in the T20 Blast on June 30, during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, with the intention of playing some part in the fourth or fifth Tests. But he lasted only three balls before walking off the field midway through an over, and has not played since.Stone was signed on a £100,000 contract by London Spirit in March’s draft for the Hundred but has been forced to withdraw from the competition. ESPNcricinfo understands that Dan Worrall, the Australian seamer who qualifies as a local player in English domestic cricket, has been signed as a replacement.Related

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Stone’s injury is not thought to be as serious as the one that ended up ruling him out of the Ashes, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for England’s white-ball series against New Zealand, which starts on August 30. Instead, he may target the three-match ODI series against Ireland from September 20 for a potential return.He has only played eight ODIs and one T20I, but as an out-and-out fast bowler who can regularly reach speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph, Stone is seen as an important part of England’s white-ball plans – particularly in the context of a gruelling World Cup schedule.Meanwhile, a number of New Zealand players are negotiating short-term replacement deals in the Hundred. New Zealand will tour England for four T20Is and four ODIs in August-September and NZC announced last week that Matt Henry, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi are due to be involved in the Hundred immediately the series starts.Neesham is expected to play for Oval Invincibles as a short-term replacement for Heinrich Klaasen when he is playing for South Africa against Australia, while Sodhi is likely to replace Rashid Khan at Trent Rockets during Afghanistan’s fixtures against Pakistan. Santner is expected to join Southern Brave on a short-term basis.Their deals will be confirmed later this week by the ECB. The involvement of five New Zealand men’s players – Finn Allen, Devon Conway (both Southern Brave), Adam Milne (Birmingham Phoenix), Daryl Mitchell (London Spirit) and Glenn Phillips (Welsh Fire) – has already been announced publicly.

“I guess the one person you want in your team when the pressure is on is Ben Stokes”, says assistant coach

Andrew McGlashan31-Oct-20221:21

Collingwood: It’s been a little more difficult than usual for the batters

With England now virtually playing knockout cricket at the T20 World Cup, assistant coach Paul Collingwood has backed Ben Stokes to come the fore after an indifferent start to the tournament as questions linger about his position in the side.Stokes made 2 off 4 balls against Afghanistan in Perth, and then was cleaned up by a wonderful delivery from Ireland’s Fionn Hand at the MCG for 6 off 8 as England fell to a shock defeat which left their tournament on a knife-edge.Related

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Stokes, who was rested from the seven-match series in Pakistan ahead of the World Cup, was unconvincing in the lead-in matches against Australia too, although he hit a quickfire 36 in the warm-up against Pakistan in Brisbane, the scene of their crunch game against New Zealand on Tuesday.Overall, Stokes’ T20I record is comfortably the least impressive of the three formats. In 33 innings, he averages 18.57 with the bat and a strike-rate of 132.02 although he has rarely had a settled position or role in the team, which is one of the reasons he was given certainty by being locked in for the No. 4 job before this tournament.Ben Stokes gears up to bowl at training•Getty Images

“I guess the one person that you want in your team when the pressure is on is Ben Stokes,” Collingwood said. “We all know what he’s capable of, and not just match-winning innings, but match-winning innings under serious amounts of pressure. I know well that if it comes down to the crunch that you want a man like Ben Stokes walking out.”Stokes has been given a new role with the ball in this tournament, opening the attack to try and exploit early swing before returning later in the innings, and has claimed three wickets in the two games. He is also an asset in the field as he showed against Australia in Canberra with a stunning boundary-saving flick back.”Not just what he gives with the bat, [it’s] the options with the ball, and the skill level he brings into the field as well.” Collingwood said. “It’s not always just the runs that he makes, but it’s everything else that he gives. But I’m pretty confident there’s an innings just around the corner, and now we’re coming into the crucial part of the World Cup, and it’s almost a knockout stage for us, it’s must-win games, you always see Ben come to the fore in those situations.”For England to win, however, they need to get on the field and the forecast isn’t overly promising for Brisbane on Tuesday, although there is a chance that the worst of the rain could clear through earlier in the day. That won’t be much consolation for Afghanistan if they get their third washout in a row when they face Sri Lanka in the first game of the day. Shared points would not be curtains for England, but it would leave them needing favours elsewhere.”In World Cups you want to see sides competing against each other, the best sides competing against each other in an equal game,” Collingwood said. “Hopefully tomorrow night the rain stays away and we can manage to do that.”

Birmingham defend 13 from last 10 balls to hand Welsh Fire third consecutive loss

ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2022Brilliant bowling at the death by Kane Richardson and Tom Helm with Welsh Fire needing 13 to win off 10 balls allowed Birmingham Phoenix to snatch a four-run victory from the jaws of defeat at Sophia Gardens.Having only reached 130 in their 100 balls it seemed set up for Fire to notch their first win of the summer in front of a 10,901 crowd. David Miller, with 35 off 30, almost got the Welsh team over the line, but the final push wasn’t good enough.Phoenix now have two wins from three games and look set to challenge to go one better than last year. Aussie quick Richardson was named as the Hero of the Match as he took 2 for 15 in his 20 balls, including 11 dot balls.Fire skipper Josh Cobb was delighted to have won the toss and put the Phoenix into bat. Three days earlier, last season’s runners-up had notched 176 in a revenge win over the reigning champions Southern Brave, with 20-year-old opener Will Smeed hitting the Hundred’s first century.Thoughts of a repeat may have been on his mind, but David Payne had other ideas and sent him back after a mere four balls without scoring. The home pace attack kept a tight rein on the Phoenix batters and they limped to 50 off 50 balls, having lost four wickets.Moeen Ali and Chirs Benjamin steadied the ship with a stand of 22 for the second wicket before two wickets fell in a superb set of five from George Scrimshaw. Moeen was caught behind after striking a boundary and three balls later Liam Livingstone gave his much-prized wicket away trying to ramp the home paceman. That made it 27 for 3 at the end of the powerplay, Phoenix’s lowest in the format.Cobb then threw himself into the attack and managed to tighten the noose. Chris Benjamin was caught on the boundary by Dwaine Pretorius, although claimed the maximum as the South African fell over the boundary, but Cobb bowled him next ball.Phoenix were 37 for 4 after 40 and in need of a partnership. It came from Aussie star Matthew Wade and Miles Hammond, who put on 52 for the fifth wicket. Wade hit Scrimshaw, Pretorius and Adam Zampa for sixes, but then fell to Zampa as he went for a repeat. He scored 38 as the Phoenix slumped to 94 for 6 with 22 balls to go.They reached 130 for 7 in the end, Helm pulling the last ball for what was to prove an invaluable six.Fire, having lost their opening two games, desperately needed to hold their nerve in a moderate run chase. Their two totals this season in those defeats were only 119 and 107.Phoenix didn’t concede a run in the first set of five balls from Richardson and he also removed Joe Clarke. Sam Hain wasn’t going to hang around, ramping a six to get off the mark. He eventually chopped on to a slower ball from Helm having scored 23 off 15 balls to leave Fire 28 for 2.Tom Banton finished off the powerplay with a four and a six to take the home side to 34, but when Ben Duckett was bowled by Ben Howell, Fire were 53 for 3. They reached the 50-ball mark with 59, nine runs ahead of the Phoenix total, and it was anyone’s game.Banton and Miller put on 32 for the fourth wicket, including 11 runs from Imran Tahir’s only set of five. Successive sixes – 90 and then 96 metres – from Miller off Livingstone put Fire back in the driving seat, but Richardson conceded just two from the penultimate set and Helm defended 11 from the last to leave home supporters crestfallen.

The number of women’s centrally-contracted players will rise from 18 to 25, with their salaries increasing by 15%

Danyal Rasool24-Jun-2022Pakistan’s men’s cricketers will have red and white-ball contracts separated in a revamp of the way the PCB central contracts are handed out. PCB chairman Ramiz Raja announced the move was necessary to incentivise and reward the efforts of players in each format. The number of centrally-contracted men’s cricketers will also rise from 20 to 33 when the contracts are next handed out next month. In addition, the number of women’s centrally-contracted players will rise from 18 to 25, with their salaries increasing by 15%.”The thought process behind splitting red and white-ball contracts is to recognise the importance of white-ball cricket in the growth and development of the game,” Ramiz said. “We have four international events in the next 16 months, including two World Cups. This recognition of offering contracts to white-ball specialists will help us to eventually develop two separate squads, which could simultaneously be engaged in white and red-ball cricket. This will also allow us to have a bigger spread of talent to showcase to the world.”The number of women’s central contracts has been increased to 25 from 18. You saw the performance of the women’s side against Sri Lanka, where Tuba [Hassan] became the first ICC Player of the Month. We won a Women’s World Cup match for the first time in 13 years. We executed a talent hunt of the women’s side across the country for the first time.”Related

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There was also an emphasis on shielding Pakistan’s frontline cricketers from fatigue by disincentivising them from playing too many overseas leagues. As a result, Ramiz announced “a substantial pool of funds” that would be made available to compensate them.”To discourage our elite players from signing up for additional off-season events, we have allocated substantial pool of funds. This amount will be used to compensate them for their potential loss in earnings and will also manage their workload and ensure that they remain fully fit, fresh and ready when required on national duty.”Another one of Ramiz’s signature projects, the introduction of drop-in pitches to Pakistan, is yet to see significant progress, but the PCB chairman announced that logistical and financial hurdles had frustrated his efforts, and that things were moving quickly now.”Drop-in pitches are extremely expensive, and transporting them from Australia is problematic,” he explained. “We’ve imported soil from Australia, which is coming in July. An Australian curator is coming here. We all learn lessons, and what I learned was the pitches against Australia were useless. We assumed we’d beat them with spin and reverse swing, which didn’t happen. So I had the pitches on the squares changed immediately.”These announcements were the most salient developments across a press conference after the PCB’s 69th Board of Governors (BoG) meet, where Ramiz re-emphasised his primary aims and intentions as chairman, talking up the need for financial independence, and the importance of on-field results to grow the influence and brand of Pakistan cricket. There were salary and fee increases announced across the board, too, with a 10% increase in match fees across formats. Moreover, non-playing members will earn 70% of the match fee that playing cricketers receive, up from 50% previously.”Since September 2021, the Pakistan men’s cricket team has achieved an impressive 75% success rate across all formats, which is the highest amongst all the Test playing nations. This has contributed in Pakistan improving its rankings, which now stands at fifth in Tests [up by one], third in ODIs [up by three and the highest since January 2017] and third in T20Is [up by one].”With this background, and in line with our philosophy that revolves around acknowledging, appreciating and rewarding high-performing players, I am pleased with the enhancements in the 2022-23 central contracts. I remain committed to looking after our national cricketers who bring joy to the fans and laurels for the country. These players are our pride, and always need to be well looked after and properly valued so that they can continue to flourish in their field of expertise.”

The two wristspinners sit at opposite ends of the age spectrum at 41 and 15 respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2020The Melbourne Renegades have boosted their overseas contingent for the upcoming BBL season with the signings of two wristspinners in Imran Tahir and the Afghanistan left-armer Noor Ahmad. Tahir will only be available post-Christmas, and Ahmad is expected to fill in for him until then.The signings fall on extreme ends of the age spectrum. The South African Tahir, who retired from international cricket following the 2019 World Cup, is 41, while Ahmad is just 15.”Imran Tahir has excelled in the T20 format right across the world and he’ll provide another genuine wicket-taking threat,” Renegades coach Michael Klinger said. “We’ve [also] been tracking Noor Ahmad closely for more than a year now and although he’s in the early stages of his career, he’s an exciting prospect and he has a few tricks that’ll make life difficult for batsmen.”The Renegades still have another overseas spot vacant despite the return of Mohammad Nabi to their ranks, following the recent ruling that allows BBL clubs to field three foreign players in their XI.Tahir, who is currently in the UAE playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, is yet to appear in the BBL despite having played more than 300 T20 games and having become a much-sought-after property in T20 leagues over the years.ALSO READ: AB de Villiers opts out of BBL, Mujeeb Ur Rahman returns to Brisbane Heat“I’ve watched the Big Bash from afar [and] have admired how competitive it is,” he said. “I’m looking forward to joining my new Renegades team-mates and working hard with them to produce a successful season.”Ahmad, meanwhile, made his T20 debut for the Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza League last year, when his side won the title under Nabi. That season, Ahmad was the third-highest wicket-taker for the Knights with eight wickets, and returned an impressive economy rate of 6.48. This season, he took 11 wickets as the Knights ended as runners-up. In 15 T20 games so far, Ahmad has 19 wickets at an average of 21.42 and an economy rate of 7.11.Ahmad was set to play in this year’s Caribbean Premier League after being drafted by the St Lucia Zouks, but was forced to miss the tournament after failing to secure a transit visa through the UK.”The Renegades fans and followers of the Big Bash may not know much about Noor at this stage, but I can tell you [that] he is a very exciting talent who I feel has a big future in the game,” Nabi said of Ahmad.The BBL begins on December 3, with the Renegades playing the Adelaide Strikers in the opening game of the season.

Tamim Iqbal has looked good, but the other batsmen haven’t contributed, says the Bangladesh batting coach

Mohammad Isam26-Jan-2020Bangladesh’s progress in specific areas in the batting haven’t been in evidence in the ongoing T20I series in Lahore, according to batting coach Neil McKenzie. The former South Africa batsman, who opted against touring Pakistan and has been working with the Test specialists in Dhaka instead, said the players must trust the “no fear” mantra that coach Russell Domingo has been trying to drill into them.Bangladesh have already conceded the three-T20I series after losing the first two games. They batted first on both occasions and only managed 141 and 136. They hardly dominated any phase of the games, and failed to build any impetus in the middle overs, which seemed to have improved after McKenzie became the batting coach.”There’s lot of inexperience in the squad at the moment. We knew that was going to be the case before we got there, but still it is disappointing,” McKenzie said. “I think we missed out on a good start the other day (in the first T20I). What’s been disappointing for me has been the intent. We have been working so hard in the last couple of years on rotation of strike, putting the bowler under pressure, where you are standing, making him bowl to where you want him to bowl, but I haven’t seen too much of those in the last T20s.”The intent, looking to be a little bit more hungry, really playing with that ‘no fear’ that Russell and everybody tries to instill in the players. It is human nature. You have a few young guys and some guys who are getting back. There’s a lot of pressure on the guys to perform and stay in the side, which is understandable, but hopefully they all understand that they are getting the backing from all the selectors and coach. They just have to go out there and play.”McKenzie, who has been praised for bringing about a fresh approach to Bangladesh’s batting in limited-overs cricket, said that with so many top-order batsmen in the squad, Bangladesh don’t have the required experience and expertise in the middle order. Shakib Al Hasan is out of the picture, and the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim – who also opted against touring – is certainly a big factor, but with Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar and Afif Hossain all having made runs in the top-order, it might have been difficult for them to adjust to a new batting position.”I think you have to look at the combination of who is playing,” he said. “Russell as a new coach is trying to look at some different combinations. I think at the moment we have too many batsman that bats at one, two and three. If you look around the squad, they are quality players but they are all top-order batters.”It is a different skill to bat at No 4, 5 and 6. You are on nought, and all of a sudden you are facing a quality spinner. It is a different mindset. You have to know your game, try to rotate the strike and then go with your boundary options.”Neil McKenzie has a chat with Liton Das•BCB

McKenzie explained that the players should think selfishly on behalf of the team, so that they finish off games after getting set. “I think there’s an improvement [but] the turnover of players – by which I mean there’s been a lot of players in my tenure here – is still too high for my liking. It just looks like no one is jumping out of the box, we need someone like [Mohammad] Naim. He got a great eighty [81] in India. He struggled the other day but he got a 40-odd, but we need more consistent innings like that from the Bangladesh batsmen.”There’s no doubt that Bangladesh is full of very talented cricketers, but we need a little bit more consistency. I want someone to be selfish in terms of winning games for the side. Not selfish for their own right. Selfish for not giving it away. If I have an 80, why can’t I follow it up with a hundred, 140 or 200?”A little bit more hunger for that consistency. A lot of the time, the guys are happy to play the next game. If you get a 40 or 60. It is the wrong mentality. I want the guys to try to be the best in the world, or be the best Bangladesh batsman. I think that’s what we are trying to instill. We are making progress. But it has been a little bit frustrating.”McKenzie also asked for patience about Tamim Iqbal, who has scored 39 and 65 in the two games, but wasn’t able to lift the scoring rate.”I think you have to cut him a little bit of slack,” McKenzie said. “He has been one of Bangladesh’s best performers through the years. He is coming back from an injury and a few other things, so he is settling in. I think the positive thing for him is his runs under the belt. We all know what he can do, what he is capable of. You saw how he took it in the BPL final last year. I think we all want him to play more innings like that. He is probably one of Bangladesh’s most consistent players.”We know how he can play but it’s also up to him to trust the guys around him. But the guys around him also have to be performing. When you have faith in the team and batting order, you can play a few more shots. I am glad to see him back. It seems he is in a good frame of mind. Hopefully it is the confidence he needs to kick-start and get him going, and turn those sixties into an eighty off 55 balls.”He is an experienced player. He knows what he should be doing and how important he is for Bangladesh. It is a process, but we are looking for a little bit more fearless batting,” he said.

Can an improved Pakistan showing in the fourth game galvanise them sufficiently to stave off another whitewash?

The Preview by Danyal Rasool30-Mar-2019

Big Picture

If the whole series had gone the way the fourth ODI panned out, Pakistan wouldn’t quite have minded, even if the scoreline had been the 4-0 it currently is in favour of Australia. For the first time in the series, the purpose of Pakistan playing their bench strength finally bore fruit with Abid Ali scoring 112 on debut; no one has managed more for Pakistan in their first game. The reserve wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan scored his second hundred in three games, making a strong case for a ticket to England on the strength of his batting alone. Yes, somewhat impossibly, Pakistan ended up seven runs short of a win, but for the first time in the series, coach Mickey Arthur can claim with some credibility there is a bigger picture to be taken into account.

Imad, team fined for slow over-rate

Pakistan were docked ten percent of their match fees for a slow over-rate in the fourth ODI in Dubai. Imad Wasim, standing in as captain for the injured Shoaib Malik, was fined 20 percent as is customary. The ICC announced the match referee Jeff Crowe had imposed the punishment as Pakistan bowled the final over after the time set for the innings had lapsed.
“Imad pleaded guilty to the offence after the end of the match and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing,” the ICC said. Pakistan lost the game by six runs.

Abid Ali’s nerveless hundred sees him rocket up the pecking order, guaranteed to start more than just the final game of the series. A whitewash, however, is no great preparation for anything, and with Pakistan’s ODI record against the teams they face at the World Cup especially abject over the past 15 months, they will be desperate for a victory to close out this series. The chase, though ultimately botched, will give Pakistan confidence they can compete with Australia. But for that, they continue to search for consistency in the top order, with the performances in the fourth ODI very much the exception rather than the rule.Australia can’t put a foot wrong right now. The improbable win in Dubai was their seventh in a row, and, lest we get too caught up in the players Pakistan have benched, take some time to ponder how much further this Australian side can be strengthened. Pat Cummins played just one of four ODIs, with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steven Smith and David Warner all likely inclusions to the World Cup squad. Without all that glamour, they swept aside Pakistan in the first three games, before demonstrating their steel to grind out a hard win in the fourth. This is the highest level at which Australia have played ODI cricket since they won the 2015 World Cup, and they could not have chosen the timing of their purple patch better.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight

It is an undeniable fact Pakistan will leave out from the World Cup squad a number of bowlers other sides would cherish. Two of those most likely competing for one place are Usman Shinwari and Junaid Khan. Shinwari was Pakistan’s best bowler in the third ODI before tailing off in the fourth – somewhat the story of his blossoming career so far. Junaid was more probing in the fourth game than in the third, but the pair needs to show more evidence of consistent quality to earn a place in the most hotly competitive portion of the squad. World Cups define careers, particularly in Pakistan cricket, and should the pair take to the field in the final game, both left-arm pacers will have that extra bit of motivation to push their case. In the short term, that should boost Pakistan’s chances of coming away without a whitewash.Junaid Khan struck in his first over•AFP

The numbers look flashy for most Australians this series, but one whom they arguably short-change has been Nathan Lyon. The offspinner has managed one wicket in each of the four games while going at five an over, except in the second ODI. But those who watched him bowl will be surprised he hasn’t been more successful. The ball has spun for him more than his legspinning counterpart Adam Zampa, and Lyon has looked likely on a number of occasions without the results to show for it. The wickets he’s taken for his side have all been important batsman at crucial moments, but time is running out for him to impress the selectors enough for a World Cup berth.

Team news

Pakistan may persist with the same side that gave Australia their sternest test of the series, depending on whether Shoaib Malik is fit again to take over the reins. In that case, Umar Akmal, who has struggled to make a persuasive case, would miss out.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imam-ul-Haq/Shan Masood, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Shoaib Malik (capt) 5 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 6 Saad Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Usman Shinwari, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Mohammad Hasnain/Mohammad AmirAustralia have kept their tinkering to a minimum particularly when it comes to the batting order. It is unlikely that changes will happen in the final game, though the fast bowlers could see the usual shuffling.Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Peter Handscomb, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Adam Zampa

Pitch and conditions

The Dubai pitch appeared to have something in it for the slow bowlers as well as the batsmen, though is still far too slow to be conducive to the most enjoyable one-day cricket. Weather will not be a factor, however, as the series takes its bow.

Stats and trivia

• Since the start of 2018, Pakistan’s record against teams that play the 2019 World Cup reads four wins, 16 losses. One of those wins came in the final over against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup last year.
• Australia’s win in the fourth ODI was just the fourth time in the format’s history a side had defended a total despite two opposition batsmen scoring centuries.

Paarl Rocks did well to pull back with the ball but their chase never got going

The Report by Liam Brickhill30-Nov-2018Heino Kuhn’s second fifty of the competition and cheap wickets for JT Smuts and Sisanda Magala set up a 48-run victory for Nelson Mandela Bay Giants over Paarl Rocks at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth. Kuhn was the fulcrum around which Giants’ innings turned, with three of the top five also making 20s, and all of the top order keeping their strike rate at a run-a-ball or better before a mini-collapse kept them to 168 for 9.Despite Aiden Markram’s fifty, that proved to be plenty with Smuts leading an excellent performance from Giants’ spinners with 3 for 17. Magala also chipped in with 3 for 17 to clean up the tail as Rocks were bowled out for 120.Rocks burst out of the blocks in their chase, but after Junior Dala rattled Henry Davids’ stumps via the inside edge and Chris Morris deceived Faf du Plessis with a canny slower ball in the Powerplay, the spinners squeezed the middle overs, drying up the boundaries. Markram,
who had launched the innings with three quick boundaries off the seamers, should have been stumped off Aaron Phangiso in the seventh over, but wicketkeeper Rudi Second couldn’t collect cleanly when the batsman was out of his ground.While Markram motored on towards his fifty, Giants chipped away at the other end. Smuts brought himself on in the ninth over and struck with his second delivery to remove Vaughn van Jaarsveld, nipping a 23-run stand in the bud. Smuts conceded just four runs in that first over, but he was even more incisive in his second.Smuts tumbled to his left to hold a catch off his own bowling to get rid of Patrick Kruger, and then struck the decisive blow when Markram holed out to deep midwicket immediately after bringing up a 38-ball fifty. Smuts had 3 for 7, Rocks were rudderless at 79 for 5, and the required rate was over 11.With the required rate continuing to balloon with every dot, the Giants seamers returned to close the chase down at the death. Magala rushed David Wiese to have him caught behind off the glove, and then had Mangaliso Mosehle chipping to mid-off. With Fortuin skying Morris to long-on, Rocks were 115 for 8 and Giants were in sight of a bonus point.For that, they had to keep Rocks to 134 or less, and Tahir made the job a little easier when Dane Paterson top-edged a sweep in the 19th over. With the St George’s Park brass band in full flow, and cheered on by loyal spectators, Magala wrapped up the win with his third wicket, bowling Tshepo Moreki around his legs with a slower ball. The victory solidified Giants’ position on the points table, putting them just a point behind leaders Cape Town Blitz.Rocks were limp with the bat in conditions that the home side, lead by the experienced Smuts, read perfectly. They weren’t at their best in the field either, spilling three chances. Kuhn and Christiaan Jonker were both dropped in the course of their 70-run fourth wicket stand, as was Ben Duckett early on.Giants stormed through the Powerplay at nine an over, despite the loss of Marco Marais and Duckett, but it wasn’t until Kuhn and Jonker came together in the eighth over that they were able to build a partnership of any significant substance.Aided by the lapses in the field, they collected regular boundaries, with Kuhn playing the sweep to particularly good effect against both spin and seam. Both also hit sixes out of the ground, and the fourth umpire had to run out twice with replacement balls. Kuhn brought up the fifty stand in the 14th over by hitting Dane Paterson over the roof of the stands beyond square leg, and Giants had a perfect platform when they reached 140 for 3 in the 15th over with both batsmen well set.The Rocks seamers struck back to seize the initiative, with Wiese and Paterson executing their yorkers to perfection. The last five overs brought six wickets and just 28 runs, and Giants stumbled a little in reaching what seemed a gettable total. But the home bowling attack never let the match out of their grasp, and Giants’ fourth win of the league was their biggest so far, and came with a bonus point.

He will miss the matches against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday and against Rajasthan Royals on April 20

Deivarayan Muthu12-Apr-20182:45

Dasgupta: Raina is the batting fulcrum of CSK

Hours after Chennai Super Kings lost their home advantage for the rest of the 2018 season, they suffered another blow with Suresh Raina being ruled out of the side’s next two matches because of a calf injury. Raina will miss a Super Kings match for the first time in his career when he won’t appear against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Sunday and against Rajasthan Royals in Pune on April 20.Raina had sustained the injury during Super Kings’ successful chase of 203 against Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in nearly three years. Raina needed medical attention on Tuesday after completing a single against Sunil Narine in the 10th over of the chase. He struggled to run between the wickets before eventually holing out for 14 off 12 balls.Raina’s absence further depletes a middle order that is already missing Kedar Jadhav, who had been ruled out of the the tournament with a hamstring injury.However, Faf du Plessis could be available for Sunday’s match as he is recovering from a finger injury and a side strain. M Vijay, who had missed the tournament opener against Mumbai because he was hit in the ribs while training before the match, was available for selection for the match against Knight Riders, according to batting coach Michael Hussey, but was not picked. Raina’s injury could push Vijay to the top and Ambati Rayudu into the middle order.Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey and Kshitiz Sharma and Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan are the uncapped Indian batsmen in the squad. Jadhav’s replacement David Willey “hasn’t joined the squad as his visa process is not complete yet,” a CSK official told ESPNcricinfo. “He will not be available for the Mohali match but could be expected to be available for the Rajasthan match.”Super Kings had also lost New Zealand allrounder Mitchell Santner to injury before the tournament began and have not named a replacement for him yet.

Mistakes in the ticket pricing policy for Pakistan’s home series against the World XI have led to lower-than-expected crowd turnouts at the Gaddafi Stadium in the highest-profile series held in Pakistan since 2009

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2017Mistakes in the ticket pricing policy for Pakistan’s home series against the World XI have led to lower-than-expected crowd turnouts at the Gaddafi Stadium in the highest-profile series held in Pakistan since 2009.Though Gaddafi Stadium has been anywhere between 80-90% full in the two T20s so far, attendances have paled in comparison to the turn-outs for the PSL final in March earlier this year, as well as those for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe two years ago.A number of fans and quarters within the PCB have expressed frustration at the inordinately high pricing of tickets for the three games. The lowest-priced ticket is PKR 500 (approx. $5), but the jump thereafter is significant, to PKR 2500 (approx. $24), then PKR 4000 (approx $38) , PKR 6000 (approx. $57) and PKR 8000 (approx. $76).A significant chunk of tickets has had to be handed out as a result including, for Wednesday’s game, to schools. “We made a mistake in setting such high prices,” Najam Sethi, the PCB chairman, admitted.”We were misled by our experiences of what happened in the PSL when prices were unimportant and people paid the highest prices to come and watch (tickets cost as much as PKR 12000 or, approximately $114). These are three matches and the security is even more than that of PSL. We should’ve kept lower prices. We will learn from this experience and considerably and significantly reduce prices for the future.”Heavy security has not helped either. Fans have to cross through several security barriers and checkpoints before getting into the stadium. That, Sethi said, however, is necessary.”Of course the security was so tight, so tight that many people found it difficult to come, or were dissuaded to come. Some people set out but after an hour on the roads, they went back. But there is very little I can do about that. The Punjab government is relentless in providing top security.”