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An 11-member independent panel including existing Hall of Famers, former players and journalists voted for the inductees

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2025Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Mohammad and Saeed Anwar have been inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Hall of Fame. They join ten others in the Hall of Fame, which was launched by the PCB in 2021.”On behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board, I extend heartfelt congratulations to these four cricketing legends on their well-deserved inductions into the PCB Hall of Fame,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement. “This honour represents a tribute to their outstanding contributions to Pakistan cricket and to the global game”Mushtaq Mohammad is regarded as one of Pakistan’s finest captains, known for his astute leadership and inspiring style. Inzamam-ul-Haq’s immense talent and match-winning ability have left an indelible mark on the sport. Misbah-ul-Haq took charge of the Pakistan team during challenging times, guiding it to the pinnacle of Test rankings and achieving a historic series win in the Caribbean. Saeed Anwar, with his natural grace and classical technique, redefined the role of an opener and thrived against some of the world’s best bowlers under all conditions.Inzamam, who helped Pakistan win the 1992 ODI World Cup, played 120 Tests, 378 ODIs and a lone T20I. He scored 8830 Test runs and 11,739 runs in ODIs. His 329 against New Zealand in 2002 is the second-highest Test score by a Pakistan batter, eight short of the record held by Hanif Mohammad.”I owe immense gratitude to my fellow cricketers, dedicated support staff and my family, without whom this journey would not have been possible,” Inzamam said. “Representing Pakistan during an era with such high-caliber players was a privilege and their influence played a vital role in my growth and development as a batter.”Inzamam’s induction into the Hall of Fame means the internal conflict of interest inquiry initiated by the PCB administration of Zaka Ashraf against him in 2023 when he was chief selector is over with no consequences against him.Anwar amassed 4052 runs in 55 Tests and 8824 runs in 247 ODIs. His 194 against India in 1997 was the highest ODI score at the time.”It’s humbling to join the ranks of my childhood heroes and team-mates with whom I shared and celebrated some of the most defining moments of Pakistan cricket,” Anwar said. “As an opening batter, I was privileged to play in an era graced by some of the most talented and accomplished cricketers who represented Pakistan. I cherished every moment of laying the foundation for our team, taking on the world’s best bowlers, and partnering with match-winners to bring joy to our fans.”Misbah is among Pakistan’s most successful Test captains. He took over the captaincy after the spot-fixing scandal in 2010 and led Pakistan to the No. 1 ranking in 2016.”Representing Pakistan was an absolute privilege, captaining the team was a profound honour and this recognition by the Pakistan Cricket Board serves as the perfect crowning achievement of my journey,” Misbah said.Mushtaq made his Test debut at the age of 15 in 1959 and remained the youngest debutant in Test cricket until 1996. He scored his first Test hundred at the age of 17 and went on to play 57 Tests and ten ODIs. He memorably led Pakistan to their first Test win in Australia.”To be honored and recognised 45 years after playing my last match for Pakistan is truly humbling,” Mushtaq said. “Joining a small group of some of the finest cricketers, including my legendary brother Hanif, is even more gratifying.”The inductees were voted in by an 11-member independent panel that included existing Hall of Famers Wasim Akram Zaheer Abbas, former Pakistan players Azhar Ali, Bismah Maroof and Nain Abidi, and six cricket journalists and analysts.

Fitness and flexibility key factors Australia looking to finalise in three-ODI series against India

Andrew McGlashan21-Sep-2023Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell won’t feature in the ODI series opener against India in Mohali which acts as the final lead-in to the World Cup, but captain Pat Cummins was hopeful they would feature later in the three-match series.They are part of a group of senior players – Cummins included – who are returning from injuries that kept them out of the South Africa series. Starc has been recovering from a groin injury sustained in the Ashes while Maxwell, who was already due to have paternity leave, left South Africa early with ankle soreness and will only join the squad on Friday.Cummins, who has recovered from a wrist injury, hopes to play all three matches while Steven Smith will also return after dealing with a wrist problem after the Ashes.Related

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“We want to strike the balance between getting used to these conditions, hopefully winning some games, but we also don’t want to get to that first game [of the World Cup] and already be cooked,” Cummins said. “No doubt we’ll be trying a few different combinations, a few different players will get a chance but ideally we’d like to structure up pretty closely to how we’ll play in the World Cup.”So batters batting in similar positions, … and as a captain I want to get used to how you use your bowlers over here, it might be a bit different to say South Africa or Australia. Does the second spinner play a part? Hopefully we get some answers over the next few games.”There remains some uncertainty over the workload Maxwell can sustain in ODI cricket and he recently said that he would need to be smart about how he approached his game ahead of the World Cup following his badly-broken leg last year. He provides vital balance to Australia’s side, potentially acting as the second spinner in some conditions, a role that could become even more important after Travis Head’s injury, apart from his explosive batting.Building towards the World Cup, Australia have focused heavily on having a deep batting order, and it is a balance Cummins said would continue, although there could be an extra specialist bowler occasionally.Marcus Stoinis has been used as a new-ball bowler while Cameron Green will be part of the top order. Sean Abbott, who split his webbing in Johannesburg, is another pace-bowling all-round option. Aaron Hardie is also available as cover for Abbott and Nathan Ellis.”You need five bowlers, so the more allrounders you have you can really bolster your batting,” Cummins said. “It gives us flexibility to pick four genuine bowlers or maybe three bowlers and bat an allrounder at No. 8. Hopefully Maxi comes back later in the series, but the other three guys have been bowling fantastically.”From Australia’s preliminary World Cup squad, Ashton Agar is not available for this series having returned home for the birth of his child.

“Any experience is going to be welcome, and she’s fit in really easily,” says Ben Sawyer of the senior allrounder

Vishal Dikshit04-Jul-2022Lea Tahuhu has been through what she calls a “rollercoaster” in the last couple of months, but a late call-up to the New Zealand squad for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) has changed things.Soon after finishing the World Cup as New Zealand’s joint-highest wicket-taker, she was left out of the central contracts’ list. Tahuhu is 31, but unlike older players such as Amy Satterthwaite and Frances Mackay, who were also left out, her omission was significant given her World Cup performance, where she battled a hamstring niggle.Barely two weeks later, Tahuhu was also left out of the CWG squad.Related

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• CWG: Carson, Gaze earn maiden New Zealand call-ups

But there was a glimmer of hope. Tahuhu was picked by Manchester Originals in the Hundred and New Zealand’s coach, Ben Sawyer, also told her that if a “spot came up” in the CWG squad, they would call her up. And such was Tahuhu’s luck that fellow quick Jess Kerr was ruled out with an injury, and Lauren Down withdrew to “prioritise her well-being”. Tahuhu got the phone call last week, and she was back in New Zealand’s squad.”It’s an honour anytime to be able to put on the black shirt and it was my ambition to fight my way back in and to be given that opportunity now… it’s really exciting,” Tahuhu said on Monday. “Other people’s misfortune has given me this opportunity earlier than anyone would have expected, and I certainly feel a lot for the girls missing out on any tour and not being able to play for your country.”There’s no denying that it was a tough situation a few weeks ago but I’m looking to put that behind me now and I’ve been given an opportunity to play again and I’m just really excited to get going with the girls in a week or so.”Certainly, been a bit of a rollercoaster. Disappointed to miss out in the first place and I guess that dream of playing in the Commonwealth Games was gone, so to be reinstated over the last few days has certainly given another high. I’m really excited to be able to head over there.”Though she wasn’t part of the original plans, Tahuhu could yet play a big role at the CWG.”It’s just about the balance of the side. We got four injuries to the contracts list, three of which were bowlers,” Sawyer said. “We needed to cover that bowling, especially the pace bowling and with Lauren [out] as well, an allrounder was probably the best answer in that and Lea is obviously proven at that.”Any experience is going to be welcome, and she’s fit in really easily today. It was weird sort of saying, ‘welcome back’, but she’s been great around the group, even just the couple of hours we’ve had here, so she’s going to play a big part for us.”For me she’s a competitor and I can say that about a lot of the girls in the group so that’s what I was attracted to initially in the job. They’re very competitive and Lea typifies that. I’m really happy to have her in the squad and am looking forward to [see] what she can do.”

The visitors plan to return on Monday before a stricter lockdown is imposed in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam11-Apr-2021South Africa Emerging Women’s tour of Bangladesh has been cut short by one game after the visitors decided to leave the country on April 12 before a stricter lockdown is enforced from April 14, which was their scheduled departure date. The South African team will not play their last scheduled game on April 13.”The last match will not be held due to the lockdown,” Shafiul Alam Nadel, the BCB women’s wing chairman, said. “They are hoping to leave Bangladesh by tomorrow (April 12). There won’t be any flights due to the lockdown, which is why they are leaving before their last match. The decision has been taken after discussion between BCB and CSA.”The visitors have so far played four one-day matches against the hosts and lost all of them. Efforts are now being made to put them on a flight by April 12 so that they avoid getting stranded in Bangladesh.Related

• South Africa Emerging Women's players return negative tests, to fly back from Dhaka on Tuesday

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The country’s civil aviation authority announced earlier on Sunday that international flights would be stopped for a week April 14 onwards.The South Africa women’s team arrived in Bangladesh on March 29 to play five matches in Sylhet. The first four matches were conducted as planned despite the Bangladesh government having announced a lockdown on April 3 effective from April 5, with the BCB keeping both teams under a strict biobubble environment. No crowd was allowed at the matches.This is the second tour related to Bangladesh cricket to be marred by the April 14 lockdown announcement. The Pakistan Under-19’s tour of Bangladesh was called off on Saturday, which included one four-day game and five Youth ODIs in Sylhet and Dhaka. Last week, the BCB had also postponed the National Cricket League, Bangladesh’s domestic first-class competition.The surge of Covid-19 cases over the last four weeks has resulted in the current lockdown and a stricter one from next week. According to the Directorate General of Health Services, 78 people died on Sunday – the highest in a day so far – which is one more than Saturday’s figure, itself a record number. There were also 5819 Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday in Bangladesh.

He will want a strong start to the season against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to ensure there’s no chance of history repeating

Daniel Brettig26-Oct-2019Anyone of the view that Steve Smith is entitled to automatically return to Australia’s captaincy the moment his Newlands leadership ban elapses at the end of March, would do well to remember the curious circumstances in which Aaron Finch was relieved of the T20 post.Three years ago, Finch had led the Australia T20 team to wins over Pakistan and South Africa but a losing series against India – despite scores of 44 and 74 – saw him not only replaced as captain by Smith for the 2016 T20 World Cup in India but also dropped from the side.While Smith was at that stage Australia’s undisputed best batsman and captain in the other two formats, the sequence of events took a while for Finch to recover from, particularly as he found himself fighting unfamiliar emotions when recalled at the back end of an ICC event where the Australians would ultimately lose again to India and be knocked out in the quarter-finals. That match stands as the most recent T20 Smith has played, with Finch since being able to reassert his leadership of Australia in both white-ball formats, albeit with diminishing batting returns.ALSO READ: Langer’s bid to turn Australia into a T20 fortressSince a personally successful T20 triangular series in Zimbabwe last July, Finch has cobbled a mere 75 runs at 7.50 in 10 T20I innings, a sequence coinciding with his abortive trial in Test cricket and also a slim run of ODI scores that saw numerous calls for him to relinquish the 50-over captaincy. However, the selectors kept faith and were rewarded by runs and sound leadership during the World Cup in England, guiding Australia to a semi-final berth that had looked highly unlikely a few months before. Finch knows he needs runs.”I don’t think you’re ever assured,” Finch said of keeping the captaincy until next year’s T20 World Cup on home soil. “In the end it comes down to you doing your main job first and that’s for me making runs. If I can look after that I’m sure everything else will take care of itself, but it’s honestly nothing I’ve thought about.”Instead, Finch has been committed to establishing continuity for Australia’s T20 team, and also the development of a brand of cricket that will take something from the coach Justin Langer’s wildly successful spell mentoring the Perth Scorchers, and also Finch’s own time as captain of the Melbourne Renegades, who defeated the Melbourne Stars in a thrilling BBL final at the tail end of last summer.Aaron Finch’s form has become a problem for Australia ahead of the World Cup•Getty Images

“You want to be aggressive no doubt, we want wickets in the powerplay and we want runs in the powerplay,” Finch said. “A lot of games that is the most crucial part, but then again the last four overs are really important. Having the best death bowlers in the world, and if we’re not there at the moment, getting guys as close to the best in the world as what we can possibly have, having guys attack it in the powerplay, taking the game on, making a real play and putting pressure back on the opposition.”By having similar squads for 12 months will give each player a lot of confidence in each other to be able to do that role and make sure there’s 100% faith and everyone’s bought into the game plan.”The long term thinking in Australia’s selection has been underlined by the presence of Ashton Turner, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery and thus will be somewhat restricted in where he can field. However, he is a better chance to be throwing and also bowling at 100% in a year’s time than Chris Lynn, who was omitted from the squad and has now carried a chronic shoulder problem for several years.”He’s not bowling yet, he’s batting no problem at all,” Finch said of Turner. “His throwing’s a little bit more limited to inside the ring, so that’s something that’s going to have to be monitored. I think there’s been a couple of setbacks along the way with his rehab over the last couple of months. But if required he can throw well enough to get a run out or be really effective in the ring.”I think the fact we’ve got guys who have had surgeries, there’s going to be injuries and niggles along the way, which will be managed, but fielding is a huge focus for us, so come October next year hopefully everyone is fully fit to throw at 100%, anywhere they’re required in the ground.”An area in which Australia will need to find a greater level of proficiency is death bowling, something the vice-captain Pat Cummins has pinpointed as his most critical skill to develop and hone over the next 12 months. “The biggest difference between Test bowling and T20 bowling is just the death bowling side of it as a quick bowler,” Cummins said. “Try to nail some yorkers and some slower balls.For Finch, the contrast between the likes of Cummins and Mitchell Starc – world class performers but often rested from T20 duty – and the more extensively T20 tested Kane Richardson or Sean Abbott, who has replaced the injured Andrew Tye, will make for some intriguing selections. “Starcy’s proven himself in both the shorter formats of the game that he’s as good as anyone in the world,” Finch said. “Probably Bumrah’s the benchmark in terms of death bowling in the world, but Starcy’s very close to him, and it’s about getting guys enough experience at international level, but also having the skills to do it.”I think we’re really lucky we’ve got Kane Richardson who did a great job for us in the one dayers, through India, Dubai and then when he had his opportunity in the World Cup. AJ’s a quality bowler and it’s unfortunate we’re not going to have him most likely for these two series. It’s about guys around the country as well, putting a lot of pressure on the players that are in the squad at the moment to put their hand up and make themselves known through one-day performances and Big Bash.”When you get the opportunity to nail those death overs it’s so important that you’re putting pressure on.”

England might be drought-stricken yellow but the Trent Bridge pitch was green and Surrey loved it

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge22-Jul-20182:03

Clark’s stunning Roses hat-trick stuns Yorkshire

Surrey 223 for 1 (Burns 97*, Stoneman 93) lead Nottinghamshire 210 (Morkel 4-60) by 13 runs

ScorecardYour front lawn may be the colour of straw but the well-watered cricket fields of England remain a luxuriant green, even down to the pitch for the clash of first and second in the Championship.It was perhaps not what you would expect to see in the third week of July in a summer as scorching as this one but from Nottinghamshire’s standpoint there was logic behind their instructions to the groundsman. No team had accrued more bowling points in the first eight matches of the season and with Stuart Broad and Jake Ball available it was clear where they considered their best chance of winning lay.There were two or three flies in the ointment, however; bluebottle-sized ones, in fact. First of all, Steve Birks’s verdant strip is as close to the boundary on the Bridgford Road side of the ground as any of Trent Bridge’s Championship pitches, so close that a judiciously placed nudge brings four.Second, this Surrey side contains the two most prolific batsmen in the top division so far in Rory Burns and Ollie Pope.

We didn’t bowl well enough – Moores

Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, put the emphasis on the overhead conditions, as well as the green pitch. He said: “”It wasn’t easy to bat on, up front with the overcast conditions. Losing a wicket from the second ball was tough, especially when it’s your captain – but to be fair to Fraine and Libby I thought we got ourselves in and would be disappointed when they got out at the end of Morkel’s spell.
“Morkel got the ball to seam and if we could have got through that then we might have had a chance. Batting-wise we’ll be disappointed, the pitch seamed but people did get in on it.
“We had a flurry at the end and came off with 210 and hoped it would stay overcast and we could get the ball to do a bit but we didn’t bowl well enough by quite a long way.”

And third, with the kind of early cloud cover that has not been seen for several weeks, there was never much likelihood that Surrey would not bowl first, which meant that a Nottinghamshire batting line-up short on experience would be exposed to Jade Dernbach, Sam Curran, Morne Morkel and Rikki Clarke in the most testing atmospheric conditions, while Broad, back in action after recovering from a sore ankle, could only preen his new haircut in the dressing room. As calculated risks go, this one seemed to have a decent chance of backfiring spectacularly.And so it did. Steven Mullaney, the Nottinghamshire captain, was out to the second ball of the day, edging Dernbach into the wicketkeeper’s gloves, and even a solitary batting point would have eluded his side but for an unlikely partnership for the 10th wicket that saw Jake Ball smash Morkel over cover for six and Harry Gurney, a number eleven in cricket’s best traditions, carve out an inventive unbeaten 29, the second biggest score of his career.Surrey had 42 overs to negotiate themselves but by the time they began the clouds were clearing and the menace the Surrey quartet had been able to generate eluded Broad and company. The excellent Burns, now past 850 runs for the season, needs three more for a third century. Mark Stoneman, at last looking more like the player who scored almost 1,500 runs last summer, emerged from his troubles with a fine 86, taking him past 10,000 in his career. Unless something very different happens on day two, Surrey can already anticipate a handsome lead.Morne Morkel in action for Surrey•Getty Images

The first five Nottinghamshire wickets fell before lunch, the other five before tea as the ball jagged around. At times it was a struggle even to lay bat on ball, let alone take advantage of the short route to the fence. Of the first six wickets, three were caught at gully, one at slip and one by the wicketkeeper; the other was to an inswinger from Curran that trapped Samit Patel on the back foot.Surrey’s catching, for the most part, was outstanding. Rikki Clarke, apart from bowling superbly, took one over his head at slip that required an exceptional leap even for a man of his 6ft 4ins; Ryan Patel, on briefly as substitute fielder at gully with Pope needing attention after catching Will Fraine a couple of balls earlier, held a blinder, diving to his right, to dismiss Jake Libby, as Morkel claimed two of his four wickets in three deliveries. Fraine, the former Durham MCCU batsman, acquitted himself pretty well in the circumstances, thrown in for his Championship debut with Chris Nash still sidelined and Ross Taylor’s stint here finished.Some 22 points separated these sides at the start of play. Right now the gap feels wider than that and Surrey might well be about to put themselves out of reach.

Essex’s Tom Westley will make his Test debut at No.3 in the third Test against South Africa at The Kia Oval next week, after being named as a direct replacement for Gary Ballance in a 13-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-20170:50

Quick facts: Tom Westley’s first-class exploits

Essex’s Tom Westley will make his Test debut at No.3 in the third Test against South Africa at The Kia Oval next week, after being named as a direct replacement for Gary Ballance in a 13-man squad.Westley, whose name has often been mentioned in dispatches in recent seasons, has enjoyed a timely prolific run with three centuries in his last six first-class innings, the most recent being an unbeaten 106 for England Lions against the South Africans.That hundred continued a notable record of making runs against touring sides: last season he scored 108 against the Sri Lankans to follow a 99 against the same opposition in 2011, while in 2015 he scored 144 against an Australia attack including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon.”I’m desperate to play for England, it would an absolute honour,” Westley told The Independent, prior to his call-up. “I’ve felt good the last few years at Essex. My first-class record has been very good. I’ve scored runs for the Lions and scored runs against the touring first-class teams – I’ve been in a good space for a number of years. So if there’s ever a time to play it would be now.Tom Westley has been in prolific form for Essex and England Lions•Getty Images

“I’d like to think facing international attacks brings the best out of me,” he added. “Getting the hundred against Australia and backing it up against Sri Lanka and then South Africa, I’d like to think it’s not just a fluke.”Whether I raise my game or whether my game is just suited to that I don’t know until I’m exposed to it at Test level. But I can just take a lot of confidence from the fact I’ve scored those runs against some good bowlers and good attacks. It puts me in quite a good place.”Westley has been named alongside another new name in the Test squad in Middlesex’s Dawid Malan, who could yet feature if England decide to included an extra batsman, probably at the expense of the spinner Liam Dawson, when they confirm their starting line-up next week.Malan made his England debut last month in the deciding T20 against South Africa in Cardiff, where he impressed with 78 off 44 balls. He has been a consistent performer with Middlesex in red-ball cricket, averaging 42.50 in the Specsavers County Championship this season with a highest score of 115.The notable omission from the squad is Surrey’s Mark Stoneman, who had been considered the frontrunner to replace Ballance following the diagnosis of a broken left index finger, sustained while batting in the second innings at Trent Bridge last week.Stoneman, who moved to Surrey from Durham over the winter, has been averaging 58.53 from eight Championship matches, including three centuries with a high score of 197. At 30, he has had time to groove a well-rounded game, but perhaps tellingly, the England coach Trevor Bayliss has never yet seen him bat in the flesh.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England could feature as many as three debutants at The Oval, which will be hosting its 100th Test, if they opt to give a maiden cap to the Middlesex seamer, Toby Roland-Jones, who has been retained in the squad after going unused in the first two Tests of the summer. He may be considered an option ahead of Durham’s Mark Wood, who sustained a bruised heel in a sub-par performance at Trent Bridge.England will report to The Oval on Tuesday, where they will train in the afternoon, having taken a few days off in the wake of their crushing 340-run defeat in the second Test.

KL Rahul batted through a chase of 169 and struck a century on debut, the first by an Indian batsman in ODI history, to lead a nine-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare

The Report by Alagappan Muthu11-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:40

By the Numbers – Rahul, a centurion on debut

Second-string or not, an Indian team made up of three debutants beat a close-to-full-strength Zimbabwe comprehensively in Harare. KL Rahul introduced himself to ODIs with 100 not out off 115 balls at the top of the order; an ideal scenario for a team chasing only 169 and looking to expand their talent pool.It was the first time in history that an Indian batsman had struck a century on debut and he reached the landmark with a towering six over long-on when there were only two runs to get in the 43rd over. But until the lure of three figures, Rahul’s primary objective had been to occupy the crease for as long as possible and very few of the Zimbabwe bowlers seemed able to persuade him otherwise.As can be expected in seamer-friendly conditions, he had to get through a few anxious moments at the start of the innings. Most of them, though, were centered around whether or not a quick single was available after opening the face of his bat towards point. The key there was that he was looking for runs and that mentality often allows a batsman to settle quicker at the crease. The feet begin to move both ways. Gaps can be exploited better. And boundary balls can be capitalised on more often than not.Rahul finished with seven fours and a six and his strike-rate of 86.95 was comfortably the best for any batsman who had played more than one ball on the day. A resounding endorsement for India’s future and vindication for the selectors who chose a very new-look squad for the tour. Of the other debutants, Karun Nair fell for 7 and legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 1 for 27 in 10 overs.Inexperience being a weakness is among the few opinions that unite captains, cricket experts and the general public. But it isn’t like a player on debut is a readymade liability. That depends on the amount of pressure the opposition puts on him. Strangling his runs, or upsetting his bowling rhythm, and generally giving him a little more to think about than the basics. Take India’s bowling attack – Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah and Barinder Sran had 12 ODIs under their belt. They were outstanding on Saturday, but when Zimbabwe had to wait until No. 6 to find their top-scorer and their strongest partnership contributed only 38 runs, it is arguable that they also had it easy.India’s batsmen were also not put under pressure, with the required rate to win a 50-over match at about three an over. Tendai Chatara and Taurai Muzarabani were rather short with the new ball. A measure of how unthreatening that made them was the part-time medium pacer Chamu Chibhabha pitched it up and therefore made it swing it both ways to finish with 8-1-14-0. He beat Ambati Rayudu thrice in one over, but Zimbabwe could not maintain the intensity and Rayudu helped himself to a half-century simply by deciding to not get out. He needed 120 balls to make 62.All 16 members of the Indian squad have played the IPL. An overwhelming majority were involved in the 2016 edition, which captain MS Dhoni pointed to as one of the mitigating factors. He was leading an inexperienced side, but they were match-ready. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, were reliant on a two-week camp prior to the start of the series to dust off the rust. Their last domestic match of the year was in March.Having been put in, their batsmen did not move their feet quickly enough, which wasn’t ideal at 9 am. When it is that early in the day, especially in the Harare winter, the new ball tends to jag around.Sran, the left-arm quick, was eyeing a wicket off the first ball he bowled on Saturday. An inswinger, full of length and given every opportunity to move through the air, had Chibhabha falling over while he tried to flick it through midwicket. Umpire Russell Tiffin turned that lbw appeal down, but could not deny Sran later in the over when he pinned the other opener Peter Moor in front of the stumps.Bumrah posed a different threat. His powerful arm action and a tendency to hit the deck contributed to extra bounce, even off a good length. Besides that, as his dismissal of Chibhabha proved, the angle and pace he generates into the right-hander often puts the stumps at risk. He finished with 4 for 28 off 10 overs.As such, Zimbabwe’s decision to save wickets rather than scour for runs had merit. They consumed 46 dot balls in the Powerplay. But biding time in limited-overs cricket makes sense only if the batsmen to follow can execute their shots.Vusi Sibanda nicked a short and wide delivery from Bumrah in the 20th over. Craig Ervine picked out deep midwicket when he was presented with a long hop from left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the 24th. Even Sikandar Raza, one of only two batsmen to face more than 50 deliveries, ushered a ball that was there for the drive back onto his stumps.Zimbabwe limed past 100 and got to 168 through Elton Chigumbura’s 41 off 65 balls. His progress – and the final four wickets lingering on for nearly 15 overs – indicated the pitch had eased out in the afternoon and had Zimbabwe channeled better intent, they might have lived up to their interim coach Makhaya Ntini’s threat of putting second-string teams “under the carpet” a little better.

Lancashire retain an outside chance of a third successive victory at Wantage Road, after they took two Northamptonshire wickets before the close on the third day of their Championship match

Press Association05-May-2015
ScorecardPeter Siddle survived to make 89 as Lancashire took a valuable first-innings lead•Getty Images

Lancashire retain an outside chance of a third successive victory at Wantage Road, after they took two Northamptonshire wickets before the close on the third day of their Championship match. The Division Two leaders lead by nine runs, with the home side 42 for 2 in the second innings after Lancashire were dismissed for 436.Overnight rain saw play start two hours later than scheduled, with Lancashire resuming on 216 for 4. A swirling and unremitting gale necessitated the removal of the bails for virtually the whole day’s play; such was its power that, at one stage, the umpires had to make sure the uncovered stumps stayed in the ground.Rory Kleinveldt – who wore a beanie hat underneath his cap for extra warmth in the field – drew the short straw of bowling into the wind. But the powerful South African extracted bounce when Alex Davies chipped the catch to midwicket, after adding just four to his overnight score.Jordan Clark negotiated four balls before edging Kleinveldt behind to Adam Rossington without scoring and, after the first 15 minutes of play, Lancashire were 221 for 6 and still 164 behind.But Ashwell Prince, who was 104 not out overnight, found support from Peter Siddle, who batted sensibly while he and the 37-year-old added exactly 100 for the seventh wicket. The Australian, who had been ill 24 hours earlier, looked the picture of health at the crease, punishing anything loose from the Northamptonshire attack.Prince was also reassuring, with his off-side drives a constant source of anguish for the home seam attack, one such stroke off Steven Crook bringing up his 150 off 268 balls. Crook then induced Prince to pop up to substitute David Murphy and Alex Wakely’s side could be forgiven for relief after enduring Prince’s career-best 257 not out in last year’s innings defeat at Old Trafford.Siddle returns home after Lancashire’s next Championship game against Gloucestershire but he delivered for his employers here, reaching his 50 off 95 balls. But before visions of only a second first-class century became reality, he was lbw to Kleinveldt for 89, the fifth wicket for the South African and his first five-wicket haul in Northamptonshire colours.Trailing by 51, Northamptonshire were hampered with Richard Levi not batting due to a dislocated finger. Replacement opener Rob Newton lasted just one delivery, caught at midwicket off Kyle Jarvis. Wakely’s indeterminate waft outside off stump added more pressure when he edged Siddle for a catch behind to leave Northants wobbling on 13 for 2.Despite a brief pause for bad light, Stephen Peters and Rob Keogh saw the home side to close for no further loss. But Siddle believes his side can claim victory, despite the pitch remaining true.”It’s not too bad out there, one end is a lot worse than the other to bowl at, so it’s going to be hard work,” he said. “We’ve just got to be patient. The wicket’s not offering up much so we can just bowl in good areas and see what happens.”I didn’t expect to be out batting so soon today, but Ashwell Prince is a class player. He showed that again today. It was good fun. It was a bit windy and cold so I didn’t want to bowl. So I thought if I batted longer, it would reduce my overs.Northants Head Coach David Ripley is hopeful his side can see the final day out for the draw. “That was an important little partnership there between Stephen and Rob,” he said. “It was a difficult session where Lancashire could come and give it everything and it was important that they got through those overs unscathed. We’ve still got to have a good first hour, hour and a half to hopefully get us the draw.”

Yorkshire were presented with a homely welcome for their opening game of the Champions League T20 qualifier as they won the toss and chose to bowl first against Uva

The Report by Alex Winter09-Oct-2012Yorkshire 151 for 5 (Miller 39*, Rashid 36*) beat Uva 150 for 7 (Kandamby 29) by five wickets
ScorecardAdil Rashid made his best Twenty20 score as he guided Yorkshire’s chase•Getty Images

Yorkshire were presented with a homely welcome for their opening game of the Champions League T20 qualifier against Uva, the Sri Lankan champions. Cloudy skies, following rain earlier in the day, and a green pitch were as close to Headingley as they could have wished for in an overseas tournament.But it was Yorkshire’s South African overseas player, David Miller, who got them over the line in a chase that should have been more straightforward than it proved as Yorkshire stumbled against the spin of Dilshan Munaweera. Miller returned from a nasty blow to the face from Umar Gul to win the game with a blast of 17 runs in six balls to get Yorkshire home when 18 were needed from 10 balls.Munaweera bowled the second over outside the Powerplay, which yielded 57 runs. Phil Jaques, who played 11 Test for Australia but now plays English cricket under a British passport, had smashed 32 in 21 balls but backing away to drive Munaweera’s third ball down the ground, chipped a catch back to the bowler. Gary Ballance, who enjoyed his best season in 2012, was then bowled first ball backing to leg.Adil Rashid survived the hat-trick and held the innings together with his best Twenty20 score. It would have been a pleasing knock for Rashid who endured a difficult domestic season, being dropped from the County Championship team for the first time in his career.For a while it was Rashid or nothing for Yorkshire. Miller received a quick bouncer from Umar Gul that crashed into his face and forced him from the field with a bloodied nose. It was a delivery that demonstrated the pace of the wicket. It left Rashid and Dan Hodgson, the wicketkeeper who had previously played six list A matches for Yorkshire, to take up the chase. Hodgson could only work a run-a-ball supporting innings and it was Rashid that had to find the boundaries with 48 required from 30 balls.He lifted Jacob Oram, who went for 42 in four overs, for six before adding two fours off Gul to leave 18 from 12 with Hodgson on strike and Munaweera bowling the penultimate over. A dot ball forced Hodgson to charge the bowler. He missed, was stumped, and provided the opening Miller needed to add to his run-a-ball 22.First ball, he reached out to a full delivery and cracked it over point, almost for six. The next ball did carry over the ropes, taken from outside off over long on, before a third boundary – four past extra cover – left only three needed from the last over. Too few even for Gul to defend.The win was relief for Yorkshire who should have cruised home on a hard, fast wicket after restricting Uva to a below-par total. As a result of the green wicket and cloud cover, Andrew Gale decided to bowl first but Yorkshire were far from their best in the field or with the ball.Striking through the line appeared to be the best way to play with the ball coming onto the bat nicely but only two batsman utilised that advantage and both innings were too brief to help build a commanding total. Munaweera, one of three Uva players fresh from the World T20, opened the batting content to use his feet to the seamers and hit over the off side. He lifted Steven Patterson for six in his first over but after another three fours, tried to play the same lofted drive without moving his feet and found a diving David Miller at cover.The failure to trust the surface enabled spin to play a larger part than it should have. Azeem Rafiq in particular was economical, conceding 25 in his four overs, as the batsman resorted to nudging and deflecting. There was a lack of clean hitting with Andrew McDonald and Jacob Oram both failing.Shivnarine Chanderpaul is not big hitter but used his touch game to be the mainstay of the innings: shuffling, angling, flicking, sweeping, all a little ungainly but reliably effective for 27 at above a run-a-ball. He and McDonald added 38 in 31 balls but neither led the innings and Uva ended up 20 runs short.The should have made more against an attack that was at times wayward, seven wides were sent down, and often too short, particularly the seamers early on: Uva scored 41 in the first five overs. The pick of the bowlers was Moin Ashraf who found his line better than Ryan Sidebottom or Steven Patterson. But his figures were greyed by Thilina Kandamby finding his range in his final over, the 19th of the innings which went for 14. It was late progress that pushed Uva’s total to a useful score.The total was aided by several lapses in the field that Yorkshire could have lived to regret – a lift down the ground from McDonald landed between fielders, Patterson also spilled a caught and bowled chance and fumbled a ball over the third man rope after a long chase. But despite their shortcomings, Yorkshire held together for an opening win.