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A round-up of the SuperSport series games

Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2009

SuperSport Series

The Warriors had a forgettable weekend, losing to the Cobras by nine wickets in Paarl to slip to second place in the points table. The Warriors looked far from fighting men – they were tottering at 9 for 4 at one stage – but Arno Jacobs 68 saved their blushes with 68. Only three of the Warriors batsman got to double-figures: Jacobs, Craig Thyssen and Rusty Theron, as they were bowled out for 143. Vernon Philander took 3 for 10 and Francois Plaatjies took 4 for 21.The Cobras response was also punctuated with wickets. The top six batsmen all made respectable starts, with Justin Ontong top scoring with 69. Theron grabbed 4 for 63 and Makhaya Ntini claimed 3 for 51, as the Cobras were bowled out for 240, a lead of 97. The Warriors, however, were again lacklustre in the second innings and were dismissed for 163. Philander picked up 4 for 40, taking his match total to seven wickets. That left the Cobras needing just 47 to win the match, and they did so comfortably, despite Ntini picking up the wicket of Alistair Gray for just 3.Remember the Titans? Well, the franchise from Centurion is becoming impossible to forget, as they surged back to the top of the SuperSport Series table, despite a draw against the Eagles in Bloemfontein. Dean Elgar was once again among the runs. His 110, along with 74 from Ryan Bailey and 68 from Morne van Wyk helped the home side reach 404. Titans captain Pierre Joubert took 6 for 89.The Titans responded to that score with a first-wicket partnership of 118. Jacques Rudolph showed he is still a quality batsman, falling just eight runs short of a double hundred. Heino Kuhn, who partnered Rudolph at the top of the order made 52 while Joubert scored 106. Although the other contributions were meagre, the Titans had an innings lead of 64, after being bowled out for 468. There was a six-wicket haul for an Eagle’s bowler too – Gino Vries took the honours.Rilee Rossouw became the fourth centurion of the match – he notched up 139 in Eagles’ second innings. Imran Tahir took 4 for 112, as the Eagles were bowled out for 345, setting the Titans 410 to win. Time was never going to be on the side of a result and the Titans ended on 79 for one. It was a winning draw for the men from Centurion though, with them bouncing back to the No.1 spot, ahead of the Warriors.In Johannesburg, the Lions were reduced to kittens once again, this time at the hands of the Dolphins. It started promisingly for the home side, as their first innings closed with the Lions on 359. Birthday boy Neil McKenzie made 140 and Stephen Cook chipped in with 63. Pumi Mathsikwe and Friedel de Wet shared six wickets between them, as the Dolphins were bowled out for 353. Imran Khan top scored with 99.But the hosts were hunted down in their second innings. Quinton Friend took 3 for 49 and Johann Louw 3 for 40, as the Lions crumbled to 226 all out. Jonathan Vandiar’s 57, Thami Tsolekile’s unbeaten 47 and Zander de Bruyn’s 45 were the three prongs of resistance. The Dolphins needed 232 to win and Loots Bosman unbeaten 100 saw them home by five wickets.Batsman of the week:There were six centurions to choose from and Bosman’s was the only one in a winning cause. His knock was a sign of great promise, particularly since he is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and would have earned him this week’s award if it was not for Elgar. The 22-year old recorded his fourth century in five matches. He is now just 29 runs behind the competition’s leading scorer, Cook, whose statistics are bolstered by his record-breaking knock. Elgar boasts an average of 82.28 so far this season, and is deservedly batsman of the week.Bowler of the week:Players who win matches are always rewarded, so this week Louw gets the title. He took six wickets for the Dolphins in the match against the Lions, but it was his second innings performance that stood out. He removed the Lions opening pair to reduce them to 20 for 2, and dent their chances of posting a decent second innings score. Louw is also top of the rankings with 24 wickets from six matches at an average of 17.91.

Imad-Malik’s epic stand in vain as Kings go down by two runs in big chase

Danyal Rasool14-Feb-2023By the final delivery, Karachi Kings needed nine to win, but you still wouldn’t believe Peshawar Zalmi had triumphed until it was officially over. Not until a heroic Imad Wasim smashed a six over square leg that confirmed his side would finish two runs short despite an unbeaten 80 from their captain could Zalmi really celebrate. For, despite posting 199 and reducing the Karachi Kings to 46 for 4 and seemingly moving out of sight several times, Zalmi kept letting Karachi back in. There were dropped catches, no-balls and free hits, missed run-outs and a slow over rate that deprived Zalmi of a boundary fielder. A 131-run stand between Imad and Shoaib Malik ensured the Kings took it much deeper than expected, but they had left themselves a shade too much to do, and succumbed to an agonising defeat.For three-fourths of the game, it looked to be a hammering rather than a heartbreaker. Zalmi were inserted and began fluidly, but the early dismissal of their young stars Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub set them back. It would set the stage for the game’s other sensational partnership, one between Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Babar Azam. It saw Zalmi amass 139 in 81 balls, with Kohler-Cadmore taking the role of aggressor-in-chief. At no point was this more evident than the final powerplay over, when the English lofted Imad for three successive sixes in a momentum-shifting over that leaked 23.He blitzed along, but Babar was catching up, too. After a slash against Imad – who conceded 42 in his three overs – brought up Babar’s 50, he took the attack to Andrew Tye, plundering 16 off the 15th over before holding out against Imran Tahir.That this game went so deep was partially down to a resilient fightback with the ball from Kings, who dominated the final five overs with the ball. Zalmi could score just 43 in this period, punctuated by regular wickets, and even Kohler-Cadmore lost his touch slightly. Seemingly nailed on for three figures, he ultimately found the square leg fielder against Ben Cutting in the final over, finishing a breathtaking innings with 92 off 50.Wahab Riaz struck with his second ball, removing Sharjeel Khan for a golden duck, and despite sloppiness early on, the wickets continued to tumble. Jimmy Neesham removed Matthew Wade with his first delivery, with Salman Irshad putting paid to Haider Ali’s brief stay off his first. Qasim Akram also fell to Neesham, and when Malik and Imad linked up, they looked like Kings’ best hope.But what a resistance it was. Early on, they only appeared to inject respectability into the scoreline, but when Shakib Al Hasan was carted for 21 in an over, the chase suddenly felt plausible. What followed at the death wasn’t necessarily high quality, with unforced errors in the field largely keeping Kings alive, but what it lacked in class it made up for in drama. The final three overs each saw a no-ball, two dropped catches and a missed run-out. By now, Malik had fallen and Cutting couldn’t quite find his touch right away, leaving it all down to Imad. He would keep going valiantly until the bitter finish, but in a clash that was as much about Babar vs Imad as it was Zalmi vs Kings, it was the Pakistan captain who tasted the sweet elixir of victory.

Kane Williamson, who is yet to recover from his elbow injury, will sit out the two-match series

Sruthi Ravindranath07-Feb-2022Cam Fletcher and Blair Tickner have earned their maiden Test call-ups, while Colin de Grandhomme and Hamish Rutherford have been recalled for New Zealand’s upcoming first Test against South Africa in Christchurch.”Cam has been excellent across the three formats for Canterbury over the past couple of seasons, producing consistent and often match-winning performances for his team,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “Blair’s been a consistent performer in the Plunket Shield over the past few seasons, and we felt his pace, bounce and aggression covered our bases should we lose a pace bowler to injury.”It’s pleasing to see Colin back in the Test side, having proved such an influential member before his foot injury last season. His form of late shows he’s clearly benefited from simply getting back on the park consistently, and it’s great to have his allround skills and experience to call on. It’s a really exciting time for Hamish to be back in the Blackcaps after a long time away, and I know he’s absolutely buzzing at the opportunity ahead.”New Zealand squad for first Test against South Africa•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Wicketkeeper-batter Fletcher, who has been called up as a cover to Tom Blundell, has been Canterbury’s highest run-scorer in the ongoing Plunket Shield with 344 runs in four games. Meanwhile, Central Stags right-arm quick Tickner, who will provide back-up for the other pace bowlers, has taken 14 wickets in four matches in the current season. This is Fletcher’s first international call-up, while Tickner has appeared for New Zealand in eight T20Is since his debut in 2019.Rutherford has earned a recall to the Test side for the first time in seven years, having played his last match in 2015 – against Sri Lanka in Wellington. He has scored 371 runs in four matches for Otago this season, and was also the second-highest scorer with 588 runs in eight matches last season. The 32-year old has so far played 16 Tests after his debut in 2013, having scored 755 runs with a highest score of 171.Allrounder de Grandhomme had missed much of last season with a foot injury. He had opted out of India Tests last year due to bubble fatigue, and had been subsequently dropped for the Tests against Bangladesh.Hamish Rutherford last played for New Zealand in 2015•Getty Images

Regular captain Kane Williamson, who is yet to recover from his elbow injury, will sit out the two-match series, while Tom Latham will continue as captain in his absence. Trent Boult will miss the first Test as he awaits the birth of his third child, while Ajaz Patel could be added for the second Test depending on the conditions as well as his recovery from a left-calf injury.Stead was hopeful Williamson will be ready for the white-ball series against Netherlands at home in March. Williamson last played in the first Test against India in Kanpur last November, following which the recurrence of the elbow issue ruled him out for at least another two months.”He was desperate to be fit for the series but with the amount of loading required for Test cricket, we had to make the tough call for him to sit it out and focus on returning for the white-ball matches against Netherlands in March,” Stead said. “Kane loves playing for the Blackcaps – and especially in Test cricket – so it was a particularly hard call. However, the priority has to be trying to get the injury right and having him available long term.Related

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“It’s important to remember this squad is just for the first Test so we do have flexibility to make changes as required, with the likes of Trent and Ajaz potentially available for the second. We’re conscious the second Test pitch may differ from the first, so we’re keen to have the option of adding Ajaz if required. He’s targeting a return for the Stags in the Ford Trophy on February 20 to prove his fitness and availability.”According to an NZC release, the 15-member squad “will allow the selectors to better cover their options while mitigating the health-risk associated with bringing players into the team environment at short notice, should there be any injuries.” It also stated that NZC is currently working through the Covid-19 health framework for hosting some fans at the matches at the Hagley Oval.The first Test is scheduled to begin on February 17, with the second one to follow on February 25 at the same ground.

Spinner admits to “overthinking” and says best is yet to come

Andrew Miller27-Jun-2020Given his health ordeals in New Zealand and South Africa this winter, the inclusion of Jack Leach in England’s plans for their return to Test cricket against West Indies next month might initially have come across as something of a risk.This is, after all, a player who admitted fearing for his life when he contracted sepsis in Hamilton in November, and then fell so ill during England’s early weeks in South Africa that he still wonders whether he and his team-mates were early victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, before the global severity was known.”I guess we’ll never know,” Leach told reporters via videolink from England’s camp at the Ageas Bowl. “If you had those symptoms I had in South Africa now, you’d say this is definitely coronavirus. But I feel healthy and fit, and I want to stay that way as much as possible.”But in the current circumstances, with the UK bracing for a second wave of Covid-19 cases following the government’s lifting of lockdown restrictions, the logic of Leach’s inclusion suddenly makes more sense.After all, there can be few places in the country safer than England’s bio-secure training camp at the Ageas Bowl, especially for a man who has suffered since the age of 14 from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition that can require immunosuppressant medication to keep it under control.”It’s definitely more strict here than Bournemouth beach,” said Leach, after a week of soaring temperatures resulted in more than half a million sun-seekers descending on the Dorset coast. “It’s exactly that, a bubble, with social distancing and masks. We’ve been spending lots of time in our rooms but we started training [on Thursday] which was great, getting back out there and keeping our distance.”There’s nothing I can do about what happened in the winter,” he added. “It’s just the way it is, but I’m quite lucky my Crohn’s is under control. There are people who suffer a lot worse than me. I don’t feel sorry for myself, I want to play as much cricket as possible and stay fit and healthy.”The government’s initial advice had been for “extremely clinically vulnerable” people to shield at least until the end of June, a categorisation that had raised some doubts about Leach’s involvement in the series. However, rather than dwell on the nature of his illnesses in New Zealand and South Africa, Leach said that he and his consultants actually took comfort in the full extent of his recovery.”The medication that I’m on puts me a little bit of a higher risk, but actually what I came through in the winter suggests that I can fight things off quite well,” Leach said. “The fact that I am fit, and reasonably healthy apart from that, gives me a good chance as well.ALSO READ: Amar Virdi hoping to jump to front of England spin queue“I’ve been doing everything I need to do to stick by the rules, as has everyone else around me, but I’m not too nervous. I feel safe here in a bio-secure environment.”The ECB last week announced a clean bill of health for both England’s camp at the Ageas Bowl and West Indies’ at Emirates Old Trafford, with a total of 703 Covid tests among players, management, hotel staff and other key workers coming back as negative. And though the squad will continue to train in two groups of 15 for the time being, with little interaction even at mealtimes, those results mark another crucial step towards the return to competitive action.And for Leach, the first step will be to reclaim his role as England’s first-choice spinner. Dom Bess stepped up impressively in South Africa, while the return of Moeen Ali for the first time since last summer’s first Ashes Test at Edgbaston provides another big rival for what tends in England to be a solitary position.”We’ve got five really good spinners,” Leach said, with Matt Parkinson and Amar Virdi also involved in the 30-man squad. “It feels like there’s everything to play for. There’s lots of competition throughout the squad and spin is no different. It’s about us all working together to be at our best. It’s up to the selectors and not up to us who takes that spot, but I’m so glad to see Mo back as well. When he’s at his best, he’s an unbelievable player.”Jack Leach is one of five spinners in England’s 30-man training group•Getty Images

With 34 wickets at 29.02 in his ten Tests to date, Leach has proven to be a steady performer with the ball for England. However, he knows full well which of his feats have truly captured the public’s imagination to date – his twin innings of 92 against Ireland, scored as a nightwatchman opener after England had crumbled to 85 all out in their first innings at Lord’s last year, and of course, his crucial 1 not out in partnership with Ben Stokes in the Headingley thriller last summer.”I’m going to tell people in the pub when I’m older that I opened the batting for England, so I don’t care how I’m remembered,” he said. “I pride myself on my bowling, because that’s why I’ve been picked in the team – I want to be bowling teams out on the last day, and remembered for that – but obviously everyone wants to talk about Headingley, and it’ll be hard for people not to remember that.”I probably overthink at times, and that’s a mental thing that I’ve been working hard on. In my best moments, there hasn’t been a lot going through my mind. I think back to when I was out there with Stokes, and how focused I felt. It was a simple focus on what I was trying to do, and I want to apply that to my bowling as well – find that headspace where I can give my absolute best.””It is a little bit strange, but I guess those moments make you want to stay in the team,” he added. “I’ll be in the team longer if I bowl well, but if I keep getting remembered for batting innings, I’ll take that because I’ll be doing something right if I’m playing a lot.”

Karnataka make it five in five after Vinay Kumar’s heroics, Tamil Nadu and Mumbai go down

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2019Saha rediscovers batting touch
On a comeback trail following rehabilitation for a shoulder injury, Wriddhiman Saha struck a 62-ball 129 for Bengal against Arunachal Pradesh in Cuttack.This was only Saha’s second T20 century; his first was for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2014 final in Bengaluru, which Kolkata Knight Riders won. Saha, who opened the batting, struck 16 fours and four sixes as Bengal posted 234 for six, with Vivek Singh’s 18-ball 49 giving them some lower-order muscle.In reply, Arunachal could manage just 127 for four.Vijay hits form but Tamil Nadu lose
Across in Surat, Himachal Pradesh beat Tamil Nadu by seven wickets, chasing down a paltry 138 for nine with an over to spare.TN failed to produce a batting performance of note, with only M Vijay, playing his second game of the competition, making good runs. Opening the batting, he top-scored with a 58-ball 77, hitting ten fours and a six in his innings. Prashant Chopra made an unbeaten 68 in the chase to see his side through. TN now have two wins and two losses in four matches.Karnataka hang on for win, Mumbai upset
The big boys had anything but easy outings.It needed a cameo from former Karnataka captain R Vinay Kumar to see them over the line against Chhattisgarh. Walking in at No. 7 with Karnataka needing 62 off 30 balls, Vinay smashed an unbeaten 14-ball 34 courtesy four sixes as Karnataka chased down Chhattisgarh’s 171 for three with four balls in hand. The result meant Karnataka are now unbeaten after five matches.ALSO READ: ‘I will do anything to make a comeback’ – Wriddhiman SahaStar-studded Mumbai didn’t have much luck as they slumped to their first loss of the competition, against Railways. Chasing 176, their top three – Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer – were dismissed inside five overs for a combined total of 26 runs. Suryakumar Yadav’s 38 was the highest of the innings that lasted 18.1 overs. Mumbai were bowled out for 118 to lose by 57 runs, with fast bowler Ashish Yadav picking up four wickets. This was Mumbai’s first loss in five matches.Uttar Pradesh top Group E after Rinku special
Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 37-ball 56 from No. 6 proved to be the difference as Uttar Pradesh pipped Services by one run. This helped them top Group E with four wins in five matches, with Maharashtra marginally behind on net run-rate.Rinku’s knock allowed UP to consolidate after opener Samarth Singh did the early running with 70, while Suresh Raina managed just 3 in the team’s total of 138 for five. Services were cruising at 68 for two in the tenth over before a middle-overs stifle. Left-arm spinner Shiva Singh conceded just 20 off his four overs for one wicket. That Services made a late dash was down to Vikas Hathwala’s unbeaten 33, but they eventually fell short.
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Jason Roy hailed the strength of England’s ODI batting after he completed a stunning return to form following a difficult 2017 with a “special” innings at the MCG

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-2018Confidence in the men behind him was crucial in Jason Roy’s fearless approach to an innings that grew into the biggest-ever ODI century by an England batsman, guiding the tourists to the highest successful chase in a match at the MCG.Roy teed off early on against Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, showing a willingness to “chance his arm” in the words of the Australia captain Steven Smith that epitomises the daring of England’s limited overs set-up since they started from scratch in the aftermath of a dire 2015 World Cup campaign.From a half-century that took only 32 balls, Roy settled in alongside Joe Root to surpass Alex Hales’ previous England best of 171, and said he was able to do so because of how firmly England’s batsmen believed in each other. Also important was the resolve of England’s limited-overs players to bring positive vigour to the touring team after the trials of an Ashes series lost 4-0.”I think the main thing is knowing how good each other is,” Roy said. “Knowing our middle order is incredibly special and talented and can win games from anywhere. To have that behind you gives you so much confidence at the top of the order. Knowing each other’s roles is important and everybody knows their own roles. That’s something we’ve built on and got a good foundation now. But it’s one win, four more games to go.”It was an absolute honour to be out there on the MCG and to get a score like that, to win our first game of the series is incredibly special. There’s not many words right now but I’m sure in the next couple of days I’ll have a bit more. It is extremely special, especially after the Test series.”It was obviously quite tough, we knew the boys were going to be a bit down and it was our task to come in and lighten up the mood, bring the positivity and get the boys going. I think we’ve done it and there’s a lot more smiles going on now. It’s a good start to the series but it’s by no means finished, we want to be as ruthless as possible.”Roy’s call-up to England more or less coincided with the change in approach that accompanied the emphasis of Andrew Strauss, Trevor Bayliss and Paul Farbrace on a more proactive brand of limited-overs cricket, aided by the leadership of Eoin Morgan. He was dropped from the side during the Champions Trophy, after his form tailed off during the first half of 2017, but the enforced absences of Ben Stokes and Alex Hales created an opening that he has charged back through in recent months.”It’s been a while coming, I had a very tough year in 2017 … being dropped from the side and then being brought back into it towards the end of the year,” Roy said of his personal turnaround. “It kind of gave me a bit of a kick to recognise where I’m at, where my preparation is and start building up a platform to get ready for internationals. It has turned round incredibly quickly, that’s the nature of this game – especially in one-day and T20 cricket.”I haven’t been doing too many things too differently, I had a long net session yesterday with a couple of the coaches and was playing the ball a lot later but other than that all my routines have been pretty similar since I’ve started. I think cricket tests you and you start questioning yourself and start questioning your preparation and how you’re playing the ball and all this sort of rubbish, and it was just a case of clearing my head.”I’ve got 50 overs to bat and if I bat 50 overs on good pitches in Australia I’m going to get to a good score, and that was my mentality. I didn’t go out there thinking I’m going to go all guns blazing, I went out there and started as I’ve started every other net session since I’ve been in Australia, trying to play the ball late, playing strong shots and all these cliches, but it was just a case of finding the gaps. Some innings you hit them straight to fielders, some innings you don’t.”Roy now owns two of England’s four highest ODI innings, including 162 against Sri Lanka at The Oval in 2016, while Hales’ innings took place against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in the same summer. Robin Smith’s unbeaten 167 against the Australians at Edgbaston in 1993 had long stood as the high water mark, but Roy said 200 was no longer out of the question. “Yeah I hope so,” he said. “I think we’ve got ourselves closer and closer, we’re edging ourselves towards the 200. It’s by no stretch of the imagination impossible for us.”Never in his ODI career had Roy batted for more than 40 overs, and he said he had been able to mentally reset in the aftermath of the moment on 91 when he was given lbw to an Adam Zampa googly. Roy successfully referred it after conferring with Root, and had his ears stung by a liberal offering of unsolicited advice from the Australian fielders.”I kind of turned away because I did feel I might’ve been outside the line,” Roy said. “Then I heard them cheering and saying a few things and I was like ‘you’re kidding me’ and then looked at Rooty and was like ‘come on mate, surely it’s outside the line’ and he’s like ‘yeah outside the line 100%’. Then they started going on about me if I’m actually playing a shot and all this sort of stuff and there was a bit of that, but I think that kind of switched me into another innings, got me motivated to go big and go long.”Though they ended up needing to chase more runs than had ever been successfully run down in a match at the MCG, England were given a collective spring in their step by the early venom shown by Mark Wood, fit again after his latest injury problems. David Warner’s early exit to a vicious rising ball, and several other deliveries that tested the reflexes of Steven Smith and Aaron Finch, showed that the England ODI team were going to go after the hosts.”Yeah too right, a bit of their own medicine was quite nice,” Roy said when asked about whether it had been helpful to see Austrlaia’s batsmen discomforted by speed. “Obviously the boys have copped it a bit over the last month or so and to see Woody coming in and doing that is a huge positive for us and he’s a massive asset I think.”

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been appointed the country’s head coach, succeeding Dav Whatmore, and has been tasked with ensuring qualification for the 2019 World Cup

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-2016Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been appointed the country’s head coach, succeeding Dav Whatmore who was sacked in June. Streak was preferred over former team-mate Andy Blignaut and South Africans Peter Kirsten and Justin Summons, who were all interviewed for the job last Wednesday.Streak has been tasked with ensuring Zimbabwe qualify for the 2019 World Cup, and will be allowed to continue in his role as bowling coach for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL.After the announcement, Streak said: “My promise is I will leave no stone unturned in terms of our endeavour and our quest to improve the team’s performances. I believe that we have the resources here in Zimbabwe to do just that and planning is obviously going to be a major factor.”We do have a lack of cricket but I know Zimbabwe Cricket is addressing that issue at the moment. I feel that with the upcoming series [Tests against Sri Lanka and an ODI tri-series also featuring West Indies] we have some really good cricket coming up, so we can really work towards improving.”Makhaya Ntini, who was interim head coach since Whatmore’s departure and oversaw Zimbabwe’s limited-overs series against India and the two Tests against New Zealand, is expected to stay on as bowling coach while Lance Klusener will continue as batting consultant.Streak has previous experience as a head coach. He was in charge of the Bulawayo-based franchise Matabeleland Tuskers in the 2012-13 season, when they won the Logan Cup. Streak’s extensive experience in Zimbabwe also included a four-year stint as bowling coach between 2009 and 2013, under Alan Butcher. Streak was instrumental in readying Zimbabwe for their Test comeback in 2011 and nurtured some of their best bowling talent including Brian Vitori, Kyle Jarvis, and Chris Mpofu.When Streak’s contract with Zimbabwe was not renewed, he spent two years as bowling coach of Bangladesh, before moving to the IPL. He has remained committed to cricket in Zimbabwe, set up an academy in Bulawayo and also spent time doing television commentary in the country.Streak has less than three weeks to get ready for his first assignment: the two-Test series against Sri Lanka followed by the ODI tri-series which includes West Indies. Zimbabwe’s cricketers have been in training under Ntini’s watch throughout September in preparation for the series and have also played against Pakistan A.Their practice was briefly interrupted when the players embarked on a strike in protest over non-payment of match fees but they reached a resolution with ZC administrators. ZC have also finalised national contracts, although the list has not been made public.

Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the Asia Cup T20 after failing to fully recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the limited-overs series inn Australia last month

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2016Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the Asia Cup T20 after failing to fully recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the limited-overs series in Australia last month. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named as his replacement.Shami sustained the injury at a training session in Australia, and missed two warm-up games before flying back home. While he was originally said to be out for “four to six” weeks, the medical staff have decided to give him more time to recover from the Grade II injury to his left hamstring.Despite the lack of match practice, the selectors had indicated their willingness in waiting for Shami to recover, with Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, saying that he hoped to test his match fitness during the Asia Cup. “We have good time for making a call on Shami. He has been one of our best bowlers. He has recovered, he has started bowling. That’s what I can say at the moment,” Patil had said while picking the squad for the Asia Cup and the World T20.Before the departure for Australia, India captain MS Dhoni had also insisted Shami was part of his plans for the World T20, which for India begins against New Zealand in Nagpur on March 15.Shami’s last international outing was during the World Cup, when he played through injury and pain, after which he underwent surgery and then rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He was then named among the 30 probables for a preparatory camp ahead of the South Africa series in October, but could not regain full fitness for the international matches.Once fit, Shami played four matches for Bengal – two in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December and two in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January.

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on October 10, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Jalaj Saxena was unbeaten on 99, and put up 181 for the first wicket with Aditya Shrivastava•MPCA

Baroda opened their Ranji account with a bonus-point win in Vadodara, as the hosts toppled Railways by an innings and 113 runs inside three days. Baroda were already at a commanding 448 for 6 when the day began, and Hardik Pandya’s 85-ball 64 lifted the team to 500, after which they declared. Railways needed to score at least 334 to make Baroda bat again, but just like in the first innings, the visitors lost early wickets to stumble to 44 for 5. Prashant Awasthi (67) and Karn Sharma (51) put up a brief resistance by stroking fifties and stringing together a 108-run partnership, but no other batsman contributed with a significant knock. Pandya capped off a fine all-round display by picking up 3 for 30 – taking his match tally to eight wickets – as Railways were eventually bundled out for 221. Yusuf Pathan, Bhargav Bhatt and Sagar Mangalorkar ended with two scalps each.
ScorecardThere was little to separate Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in Indore, as Tamil Nadu compiled 596 for 9, only for the hosts to make a solid reply, scoring 181 without the loss of a wicket by stumps. Tamil Nadu, who began at 517 for 7, suffered an early setback as their overnight centurion Malolan Rangarajan was dismissed for 131 five overs into the day. However, the visitors’ tail continued to frustrate MP, as L Vignesh, the No.10 batsman, stroked a brisk 50 to take the team close to the 600-run mark, after which Tamil Nadu declared.MP, though, were unfazed, as the openers Aditya Shrivastava and Jalaj Saxena batted together for 65 overs without any damage. Shrivastava stroked 10 fours for his 73 not out, while Saxena was unbeaten on 99, with 17 fours.
Scorecard A brace of middle-order half-centuries from Murumulla Sriram and D Siva Kumar helped Andhra consolidate their strong start and take a first-innings lead of 113 against Gujarat.Having begun the day on 196 for 1, Andhra lost Srikar Bharat early for 127, but Mohammad Kaif went on to score a half-century and take his team towards earning first-innings lead points. He added 66 for the third wicket with AG Pradeed but then there was a slump during which Andhra lost four wickets for 29 runs.Sriram and Siva Kumar, however, took Andhra past Gujarat’s score of 308 during a seventh-wicket stand of 94. Rush Kalaria had taken a five-for for Gujarat, claiming five of the top six wickets, and his team-mates mopped up the tail – taking the last four Andhra wickets for 27 runs. The hosts were dismissed for 421.Gujarat lost Samit Gohel for 1 in reply, and ended the day on 24, 89 runs behind with nine wickets in hand.Mumbai v Punjab – Punjab fight, but Mumbai inch towards win

A round-up of IPL-related news on May 4, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015Allrounder Corey Anderson, who had flown back to New Zealand after fracturing his finger, has rejoined Mumbai Indians squad in Mumbai. Anderson practised along with the rest of the squad at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, ahead of their key clash against Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.It is understood that Anderson’s finger injury has not yet healed properly. He is still under observation and is unlikely to be considered for Tuesday’s game. With Mumbai’ qualification chances having received a boost with three successive victories over the last week, Anderson was asked to rejoin the squad. He subsequently arrived in Mumbai on Sunday night.In the four matches he played for Mumbai, Anderson scored two fifties. Despite going home earlier, Mumbai had not replaced him with another player in the squad.