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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.”

The retired Test batsman Michael Hussey has not yet decided if he will play on for Western Australia next summer

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2013The retired Test batsman Michael Hussey has not yet decided if he will play on for Western Australia next summer. Hussey was not part of the list of contracted players the Warriors announced on Wednesday for the 2013-14 season due to the uncertainty over his future but the coach Justin Langer said the state would give Hussey as much time as he needed to decide on whether to play on.”It’s been a real whirlwind for Mike since he decided to retire from international cricket and he’s basically had no time to reflect on where he’s come from and what he wants to do in the future,” Langer said. “Because of the rules and regulations we’ve had to put our squad together now but certainly we’ll be giving Mike Hussey every bit of time he requires to make a decision on whether he wants to keep playing for the Warriors and the Scorchers.”The fast bowler Michael Hogan and the batsman Travis Birt have gone from last year’s list after retiring from Australian domestic cricket, while the batsman Tom Beaton was also dropped and Matt Dixon was demoted from a full contract to the rookie list. The wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Whiteman has been upgraded from his rookie deal while Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley and John Rogers have gained full contracts.”There haven’t been too many additions. We’re looking to encourage the philosophy that we’ll reward performance not just talent and reputation,” Langer said. “The guys who’ve been upgraded, Whiteman, Rogers, Cartwright and Cockley, deserve it based on their performances last year. That’s the philosophy we’re trying to develop.”Western Australia Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Burt Cockley, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Davis, Ryan Duffield, Marcus Harris, Mitchell Johnson (Cricket Australia contract), Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Marcus North, Nathan Rimmington, John Rogers, Tom Triffitt, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman. Rookies Cameron Bancroft, William Bosisto, Matt Dixon, Simon Mackin, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner.

Nadeem Ghauri, the Pakistan umpire, has been handed a four-year ban by the PCB on charges of corruption alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012. His colleague Anis Siddiqui was banned for three years

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2013Nadeem Ghauri, the Pakistan umpire, has been handed a four-year ban by the PCB after its integrity committee found him guilty of being willing to accept money for favourable umpiring decisions. His colleague Anis Siddiqi was banned for three years.The allegations against the umpires first came up after a television sting operation last year. The PCB set up an inquiry committee soon after and passed on its findings to the board’s integrity committee to determine the punishments.The sting, broadcast by India TV, claimed to have “exposed” several first-class umpires from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were allegedly willing to give decisions favouring players for a fee. In the sting, conducted in July and August 2012, the reporters claimed to belong to a sports management company and promised the umpires officiating assignments in events of all kinds around the world, largely domestic Twenty20 leagues.A PCB release detailed the decisions of the integrity committee which included PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf. It explained why the board was harsher on Ghauri, who has stood in five Tests and 43 ODIs. “Mr. Nadeem Ghauri being a former Test cricketer and also elevated to the elite panel of umpires of ICC and PCB’s International panel (with 13 years standing) straight away agreed to extend undue favours for material gains.”The ruling on Siddiqi was a bit more lenient. “Mr. Anis Siddiqui being only a domestic umpire with lesser experience of only eight years did not straight away fall prey to the undue suggestions made by India TV Sting Operatives and kept on resisting their undue demands repeatedly, but finally conceded to them on their persistence. Keeping in view his limited exposure to International Cricket and Codes of Conduct, his case is of mitigating circumstances.”The PCB studied the raw, unedited footage of the operation from India TV, besides evidence from the ICC and investigated it with the help of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency .The Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka boards announced investigations following the broadcast of the sting operation in October. The Bangladesh umpire Nadir Shah was handed a ten-year ban by the BCB last month. The SLC began its investigation into the matter in October but hasn’t yet announced their findings.The Pakistan board has endorsed the recommendations of the integrity committee. “The PCB has a zero-tolerance policy for corruption or indiscipline,” the chairman Ashraf said. “We are committed on creating awareness amongst our players and officials with regards to the possible pitfalls, and are determined to adopt all vigilance and security parameters, which are in line with the laid out procedures of the ICC. Today’s decision reiterates the commitment of the PCB to keep our great sport free of all corrupt practices.”

Graeme Smith is expected to recover from bad blow on his elbow in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand early next year

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2012Graeme Smith is expected to recover from bad blow on his elbow in time for the two-Test series against New Zealand early next year. Smith was hit in the nets while training for the domestic one-day semi-final on Friday and had to sit out the fixture when his discomfort did not ease.”Initially, we thought he would recover in time but because he was in a lot of pain it wasn’t worth the risk, especially because he has to be ready to play Test cricket in three weeks’ time,” Mohammed Moosajee, South African team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. Smith is unlikely to play in the three-match Twenty20 series, which starts on December 21, as he has not been part of South Africa’s recent T20 squads.The rest of South Africa’s team, except Jacques Kallis who is recovering from a hamstring strain, were all available to play for their franchises, five days after returning from Australia. Six of them – Dale Steyn, Rory Kleinveldt, Robin Peterson, Jacques Rudolph, AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel – were in action.That number could have been as many as eight but Vernon Philander and Faf du Plessis were not selected by their respective teams. Philander missed out to Steyn, Kleinveldt and Cobras’ old hands Johann Louw and Justin Kemp.Du Plessis, though, appeared to have been left out because of fatigue. He played for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League opener against Melbourne Stars on Friday. He scored 14 off 17 balls, took a catch and was involved in a run-out.Steyn was also due to take part in the BBL having signed up to play one match for Brisbane Heat. However, Cricket South Africa withdrew his no-objection certificate because the match clashed with the domestic one-day cup final.Meanwhile, JP Duminy, who ruptured his Achilles’ tendon after the first day’s play of the Brisbane Tests, is progressing well. He is able to walk with a moonboot and crutch and is on track with the physiotherapy required to make a full recovery. He is aiming for a return in the Champions Trophy in June 2013.

Clive Lloyd has said the World Twenty20 winning West Indies team should now aim for the “next level” by targeting the No.1 ranking in ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2012Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, has said the World Twenty20 winning West Indies team should now aim for the “next level” by targeting the No.1 ranking in ODIs. “The win suggests that we can be a good ODI outfit. This is the start, the impetus that we needed to excel in the longer version,” he told .Lloyd, who led West Indies to World Cup wins in 1975 and 1979, said he expected the team to do well in Sri Lanka, as it had explosive batsmen and decent bowlers who are capable of performing the same way in longer formats.”Out of the 15 big hitters in the world, six belong to our team. They are all phenomenal strikers,” he said. “It gives them impetus on the field. They know they can go out there and dominate. That’s what they must do in the longer version too. Apart from Chris Gayle, we have [Marlon] Samuels who’s growing in confidence in both Tests and ODIs. We have a couple of good spinners and decent fast bowlers, basically an attack that can dislodge any opponent. We’re close to being quite a balanced side.”Lloyd added the team needed to identify its players for different formats. “Someone like Kieron Pollard can do the kind of job Andrew Symonds did for Australia. Pollard is explosive and can be a handful down the order. We have enough bowlers to choose from – both pace and spin.”At least we have two spinners who are able to confuse the batters,” Lloyd spoke of Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, both of whom played important roles in Sri Lanka. “In the longer format, we’ll know how good they are. In the one-day game, I don’t think too many people will attack them and be successful.”West Indies’ T20 title was their first major international success since the 2004 Champions Trophy, but Lloyd said the current team appeared stronger than the 2004 winners. “They are gelling together. They seem to be quite happy when they go out there. Nothing seems to faze them. And they’re showing purpose. You have got to give credit to the captain.”Lloyd said he was happy to see Gayle back in the team, as he was a “decent fellow” to work with. “Chris just wanted to be back. He looks a really happy soul. Once he is happy, I’m happy. He creates that force and sort of generates the warmth needed for team spirit. I don’t think he’s giving the establishment any problems. They had one little spat.”

The relationship between the PCB and the BCB is likely to suffer if Bangladesh do not go ahead with the proposed tour to Pakistan in April because of security concerns, ESPNcricinfo has learnt

Umar Farooq19-Mar-2012The relationship between the PCB and the BCB is likely to suffer if Bangladesh do not go ahead with the proposed tour to Pakistan in April because of security concerns, ESPNcricinfo has learnt. An implicit deal had been reached by the two boards, according to which the PCB backed BCB president Mustafa Kamal as the nominee for the ICC vice-presidency and Bangladesh would tour Pakistan in 2012.”Ultimately, its Bangladesh’s loss if they don’t send their team,” Zaka Ashraf told ESPNcricinfo. “We are helping them and want to have a positive relationship not only with Bangladesh, but all the nations. We want to strengthen our relationship. We have been sending our players to feature in their leagues and we expect them to respect our positive approach, after all everything is on reciprocal basis.”The ICC executive board is set to consider Kamal’s nomination as its next vice-president, and president in 2014 after Alan Isaac’s term. And though there have been constant doubts over whether Bangladesh will tour Pakistan, the PCB is optimistic that the drought of international cricket in the country since the terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009 will come to an end.ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCB, despite being satisfied by the proposed security arrangements for the tour to Pakistan, is seeking some support from other countries, but none has been forthcoming. A nine-member delegation, headed by Kamal, had been sent on a two-day visit to Pakistan to observe a demonstration of the security plan for the series, and Kamal had said he was positive about the tour going ahead.The ICC, however, introduced a special dispensation to be made in exceptional circumstances in order to ensure bilateral series take place even if the ruling body determined it unsafe to appoint its officials for such series. It would allow such series to be manned by “non-neutral match officials.”Kamal then put the future of the tour in doubt by saying, “We won’t go if everything doesn’t happen within the standard practice, which is the allocation of match-referees, umpires and all things by the ICC.”While the PCB did not respond to Kamal’s comments, a board official said the BCB was being leaned on by another country. “We are informed of a third-country pressure on BCB,” a PCB official told ESPNcricinfo. “We understand most of the member boards aren’t keen to support our move, but we are very much clear of what would be required to give Bangladesh the confidence to come to Pakistan. And we did exactly what we have to do – we have engaged the government at the superior level to satisfy Bangladesh with the security arrangements.”Since the attacks, Pakistan have played their home bilateral series at offshore venues such as New Zealand, England and the UAE but the PCB saw no commercial advantage in hosting Bangladesh at such venues. The PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, who will be in Dhaka for the end of the Asia Cup, will make a final attempt to allay any doubts Bangladesh might have. The PCB also ruled out the possibility of talks with the BCCI. “There’s no use of asking India any further,” Ashraf said. “Their board doesn’t want to play us and that’s clearly understood.”Edited by George Binoy