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The team will be announced on Thursday but ESPNcricinfo understands that Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh are unlikely to be fit in time

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2011India will play its first ODI series at home after winning the World Cup in April when it takes on England next month in five ODIs starting in Hyderabad. Yet, rather than the series being a welcome return home for the current world champions, the squad is likely to look very different from the one that won the title as injury problems that stalked the team on its tour of England show no signs of abating. The team will be announced on Thursday but ESPNcricinfo understands that Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh are unlikely to be fit in time, while Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel are also set to miss out.Tendulkar continues to struggle with his toe injury and his absence raises the question of how much more ODI cricket he will play, especially considering that outside of the World Cup, he has played only two ODIs this year.Rohit’s broken finger that ruled him out of the Champions League Twenty20 should also keep him out against England, while the ligament damage to Yuvraj’s finger is not healing fast enough. Meanwhile Ishant’s ankle is still ginger and he’s unlikely to be risked for the series. Ishant has said the ankle needs surgery but he is holding off until after the tour of Australia. Keeping him out of the series could be a precautionary measure to have him ready later in the year. Munaf injured his ankle during the ODIs against England and missed the Champions League.On the plus side, Gautam Gambhir has recovered from his concussion and is playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Champions League. With so many players out, Ajinkya Rahane, who impressed in England, should keep his place. It could also open the door for Yusuf Pathan to make a return to the side after he was not selected for the tour of England.Given that Zaheer Khan is already missing, the big question is the composition of India’s pace attack. Do the selectors fall back on Ashish Nehra, who has declared himself fit (no one from the board has spoken to him though) and has been bowling at full tilt in the nets over the last six weeks? Or do they plump for a completely new line-up fashioned around Praveen Kumar, with the likes of Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar in the reckoning? The choices the selectors make will indicate how they plan to restock India’s bowling resources and whether they are thinking about the future.The identity of the spinners is also open to question, though to lesser degree. Harbhajan Singh is fit again and is the conventional, safe choice, but the pair of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha could be worth a gamble. Ashwin played in the 0-3 series loss to England and the selectors might want to see how effective he is in helpful conditions.India won the World Cup in April in grand style but have struggled somewhat since. They won the first three ODIs on the West Indies tour but lost the two dead rubbers, before going down 0-3 to England, though they did manage a tie in the fourth game of that series.

Hampshire vastly improved their chances of remaining in the top flight of the LV= County Championship by extending their lead over Kent to 294 with four wickets intact going into the final day of this clash against their fellow strugglers

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2010
ScorecardHampshire vastly improved their chances of remaining in the top flight of the LV= County Championship by extending their lead over Kent to 294 with four wickets intact going into the final day of this clash against their fellow strugglers.Half-centuries from Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson helped the visitors to reach 272 for 6 when rain interrupted and stopped play just after 4.20pm. Match umpires Rob Bailey and Nigel Cowley inspected just after five o’clock and called the game off for the day.Resuming on their overnight score of 16 without loss, Hampshire’s openers Carberry and Adams showed great resolve throughout much of the opening session to churn out a first-wicket stand worth 92 in 47 overs. Though it made for dour fare for a small St Lawrence crowd the partnership may yet prove crucial in terms of Hampshire’s survival in division one.Adams lit up proceedings, albeit temporarily, by clubbing a brace of sixes off the bowling of England off-spinner James Tredwell on his way to a 138-ball 50, but soon after the left-hander missed a slog sweep against Malinga Bandara to go leg before.Australian Phillip Hughes did his utmost to accelerate the scoring rate with three boundaries in a cameo 38 until he also fell lbw to a Tredwell arm ball that appeared to shoot on to the left-hander’s front pad.As Kent’s weakened attack continued to toil, Dawson also caught the eye in reaching 50 from 71 balls. In search of inspiration Kent took the second new ball and that reaped immediate dividends when to the very next delivery, Dawson nudged an away-swinger to first slip against Kent’s golden arm seamer Darren Stevens.Sean Ervine feathered the next ball to slip where Tredwell initially juggled the chance only to catch it at the second attempt and send Ervine packing for a golden duck. As the storm clouds gathered, Stevens took his tally to three for 37 by having Michael Bates caught behind off an expansive drive by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.With a 300-plus lead comfortably within their grasp Hampshire would now appear firm favourites to secure a last-day victory which would likely condemn Kent to life in division two.

The Queensland quick wasn’t expected to be in the Perth Test squad but could be needed during the series

Alex Malcolm07-Nov-2024Australia’s Test bowling depth has taken a blow with back-up seamer Michael Neser ruled out of the remainder of the Australia A game at the MCG with a hamstring injury after claiming four wickets on the opening day to rip through India A’s top order.Neser was bowling his 13th over, having already taken 4 for 27 with some stunning swing and seam bowling in the morning session, when he pulled up sharply following his second delivery of the over. He immediately began limping off the ground in a clear sign that he knew exactly what the issue was.A Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed shortly after that Neser had injured his left hamstring and would not bowl again in the game. He will go for scans to assess the extent of the damage.Related

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• Rahul and McSweeney miss out as bowlers dominate at the MCG

It is understood Neser had experienced some soreness in the same left hamstring after the last Sheffield Shield game he played on October 23 when he bowled 48.5 overs for Queensland against South Australia. That soreness saw him ruled out of the domestic One-Day Cup game against South Australia two days later.He returned to training without any issues after a short break and was fine in the lead-up to this game. But the fast bowlers have had issues with the outfield at the MCG this season as it has been top dressed with sand following the Australian Football League season.Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc suffered cramps in both the Shield and ODI games he has played here over the past two weeks and complained about how heavy the outfield was to run on. Australia and New South Wales team-mate Sean Abbott also noted how heavy his legs felt after the Shield game.Neser had also come into the summer off an injury in the winter. He suffered a calf injury while playing in England and was on bowling restrictions in the pre-season right up until the first Shield game of the summer in Perth.He was unlikely to be in Australia’s Test squad for the first Test in Perth against India with Scott Boland set to be the sole back-up quick in what is expected to be a 13-man group. But there was an expectation that Neser could be needed at some point during the series. There is a nine-day break between the first two Tests but Australia are wary that there is only a three-day gap between the second and third Test in Adelaide and Brisbane. There is a seven-day break between the third and fourth Test and then another three-day break between the fourth and fifth Test.Abbott and Nathan McAndrew would be among the contenders if Australia needed another fast bowler for a Test match beyond Boland.There is some positive news from Western Australia with Jhye Richardson getting through a WA Second XI game last week and bowling 25 overs in the match for the first time in 12 months. He might be able to make a Shield return before the BBL break but it would be a big ask for him to be ready for a Test match given his long build back off a raft of injury issues.Lance Morris has also not played a red-ball game this season coming off stress fractures in the winter and a quad strain. But he is in line to play an ODI on Sunday when Australia’s big three are rested. He was also a chance to play a Shield game before the BBL provided he could build his loads up adequately.

Nadine de Klerk claims three wickets as Adams’ 95* goes in vain for Vipers

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2023Marie Kelly and Sarah Bryce’s fifties maintained The Blaze’s unbeaten start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and gained revenge on Southern Vipers for their Charlotte Edwards Cup final defeat.Openers Kelly and Bryce – 61 and 52 – put on 115 as The Blaze chased down 259 with 10 balls to spare.Georgia Adams had narrowly missed out on her second Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy century with a high-quality unbeaten 95 on Vipers’ first voyage to the Isle of Wight.The Blaze have now won six and had two no-results to sit comfortably at the top of the table, while Vipers have now lost four of their eight matches to put their progression in jeopardy.Vipers were stuck in and made slow progress on a pitch that never rewarded shot-making due to its tennis-ball bounce – something that would be reflected in a scorecard full of starts.Kirstie Gordon’s introduction proved the catalyst to move the game forward. Her first three overs went for 30, but also picked up Ella McCaughan lbw on the reverse sweep and Maia Bouchier hoicking a long hop to deep square after a tantalising 40.She would also pick up in-form Emily Windsor top edging to short fine to eventually end up with three for 54.The Vipers boasted three partnerships in the fifties with the latest seeing Adams begin to find her feet at the crease with Georgia Elwiss.Adams reached her second fifty of the campaign with a languid straight drive in 73 balls and embarked on attempting to reach three figures.She was up against Nadine de Klerk who was making her way through her partners, Elwiss smashed one to cover, Freya Kemp was bounced out three balls later and Linsey Smith steered to point. The South African returned three for 48. Kathryn Bryce also picked up Maitlan Brown.But Adams was running out of time. Despite sixes off Sophie Munro and Ballinger she needed 14 off the final over to reach 100 but fell five runs short.Rain during the interval quickened up the pitch and initially made batting productively slightly easier.Kelly and Bryce really played that change to their advantage with a wonderful partnership that saw runs flow consistently ahead of the required rate – making sure any more heavy rain wouldn’t hurt them at the picturesque Newclose Cricket Ground.Kelly found gaps all around the field, while Bryce dominated square on either side of the wicket and very rarely looked at the V.Bryce reached fifty first in 57 balls, Kelly followed in the following ball in 63 deliveries – both their second half-centuries of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season.The 115 the pair put together was The Blaze’s highest opening before Adams found Bryce’s outside edge and Kelly holed out off promising young off-spinner Ava Lee.Kathryn Bryce continued the wobble by top edging to square leg, but Georgie Boyce and Michaela Kirk mopped things up with a 42-run stand.But Boyce kept Vipers interested when she plinked to long on with 47 still needed, with Kirk bowled and Teresa Graves lbw in successive balls to Smith with 31 required.Munro and de Klerk held their nerves under pressure to avenge the loss at New Road last month and win by four wickets.

Bangladesh coach demands more from misfiring batting line-up

Mohammad Isam19-Jun-2022A seventh defeat in 10 Tests has left Bangladesh scrambling for answers. The primary issue is their batting. They are not putting up big enough totals and the reason for that, according to the coach Russell Domingo, is lack of confidence. They lost six wickets by lunch on the first morning of the Antigua Test, handing West Indies an advantage they would run with for the rest of the game.Najmul Hossain Shanto, who bats at No. 3, has scored just a single half-century in the last 17 innings. The next man in, Mominul Haque, hasn’t reached double-figures in his last nine innings. With key players like that totally out of form, it has been a real struggle for Bangladesh.”[Our] batting wasn’t good, there were too many soft dismissals,” Domingo said of their performance in Antigua. “Too many poor decisions with the batting. We’ve got to get more than 103 and 245 in the first and second innings. The bottom line is, too many soft dismissals. Batters are low on confidence. Some of our big players – Mominul and Shanto – are low on confidence. Confidence is a big thing in the game and at the moment, they just don’t have the confidence in their game.”Related

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With the second Test match of the tour starting in just five days’ time, Domingo said his team had no choice but to pick themselves off the mat and find a way to go again.”It is tough but batters have to get through these slumps in form. There’s not much technical changes to make between now and the next Test. You have to be mentally tough, by putting all the noise, criticism outside their head, and focus on the cricket ball. The best players can do that. We know they are good players. They have made runs before. But they have to get that confidence back.”Shakib Al Hasan and Nurul Hasan gave Bangladesh a little bit of hope with a 123-run stand for the seventh wicket in the second innings. They got together at 109 for 6, when the team was still in danger of losing by an innings, and fought hard enough to secure a lead of 83 runs.”They just needed to get a partnership going,” Domingo said. “They batted really well. They played low-risk cricket. They showed some of the top-order guys what they needed to do. They put together a really good partnership. Pity that the second new ball got both of them out. Sixties are not going to win us Tests. The bottom line is that we need hundreds.”Domingo had encouraging words for the bowlers, but expects the likes of Khaled Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman to show a bit more consistency.”They have bowled fantastically in both innings. Keeping them to 265 in the first innings, I am very proud of the bowlers in these last couple of days. [Khaled] still has a lot of improving to do despite getting three [early] wickets [in the second innings]. He has to improve his consistency. Sometimes he will bowl well and not pick up wickets. That’s the nature of the game. He has bowled nicely, picked up a few good wickets.”While Khaled had that strong spell on the third evening, Mustafizur was steady, at best, and accurate without really threatening to take wickets. He is playing his first Test in 16 months following a media outcry that forced the BCB to bring him back into the red-ball fold.Domingo said that they must ensure Mustafizur’s workload is managed given his importance in the white-ball formats. “He has bowled nicely but you want a little bit more. His pace can come up, but his control was good. He needs to be managed carefully. He has played a lot of cricket, and he still has to play a lot of cricket. We can’t bowl him into the ground. He is an important white-ball bowler for us.”

Zalmi were also the only team to retain only five players, while every other team selected the maximum quota of eight

Umar Farooq09-Jan-2021Peshawar Zalmi have released Hasan Ali, their premier fast bowler – seemingly at his own request – to end a five-year-long relationship, and have retained only five players from their previous roster despite having the option to retain a maximum of eight. The other five PSL franchises have retained their full compliment. The teams will now go head to head at the draft, in Lahore on Sunday, to complete their squads.Karachi Kings, the defending champions, have retained their core pool of local players including Mohammad Amir and Babar Azam, but made a trade with Islamabad United to exchange Alex Hales and get Colin Ingram. The trade has also cost Islamabad their first pick in the first round of the diamond category to Karachi.Related

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Peshawar have retained Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik in the platinum category – which requires a maximum of two local or two overseas players. Hasan’s release, however, was the major development, as he had been with the franchise from the first season and is the second-highest wicket-taker in PSL history. He was retained by Peshawar last year in the highest category despite uncertainty surrounding his injury, and had subsequently undergone a seven-week rehabilitation. Although he featured last season, Hasan wasn’t at his best, picking up eight wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 8.59.Hasan was later dropped from the PCB’s list of central contracts and began the season with an injury cloud and out of national reckoning. But he then took over Central Punjab’s captaincy, turned his own fortunes around and lifted the team from the bottom of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy table at that stage to four wins in five games. Hasan picked up 43 wickets himself at an average of 20.06 and hit a blistering century in the final, against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which ended in a thrilling tie.”He was absolutely our first choice and we had no doubt about retaining him,” Peshawar head coach Mohammad Akram told ESPNcricinfo. “The kid [Hasan] started with us and we even picked him up at times when he was injured. Even this year he was the first name on top, but he was convinced that he needs move on.”So now we have to start afresh and start rebuilding all over again. It’s been five years and we have done well playing three finals and winning one, but now it’s time to reassess our options as there have been player availability issues. So retaining only five players means we are better off going into the draft.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lahore Qalandars, runners-up last season, have managed to form their “ideal core” after five seasons. They struggled with injuries and player unavailability in the first few seasons, and languished at the bottom of the table more often than not.”It is a difficult process. For the last five seasons, we weren’t able to make a core of players, with injuries and unavailability of players,” Sameen Rana, co-owner of the franchise, told ESPNcricinfo. “But eventually we got what we had hoped for. This year it was an easy retention and we had no doubt about anyone. Each and every player was an automatic selection and are the ones who played a vital role in making into the final last season. I am extremely proud of them and these are the best players we can possibly have.”There was uncertainty around Fakhar Zaman, but we never wanted to let him go. We always wanted him at the top but it was impossible to slot him in the platinum category with Shaheen [Shah Afridi] and [Mohammad] Hafeez being the two locals, with room for just one overseas player. So it was a tough choice, but eventually we found an opportunity to retain him [Zaman] in the diamond category plus as a brand ambassador. He is a wonderful player and is part of our core.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Multan Sultans have retained Shahid Afridi and Rilee Rossouw in the platinum category while legspinner Imran Tahir was picked up in the diamond category with a mentor role. Quetta Gladiators continued their alliance with Sarfaraz Ahmed, retaining him in the platinum category while keeping two slots open in the highest category. Shane Watson – who has retired from the game – was released, while Umar Akmal who was suspended last season, remains banned and was released as a result.PSL 2021 is scheduled to start on February 20 in Karachi with the opening game between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. This year’s edition, with 34 matches, would be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and Karachi’s National Stadium in a bid to manage affairs effectively around the Covid-19 pandemic. The final is slotted for Lahore on March 22.

ICC make a change for Old Trafford with Kumar Dharmasena to stand on-field alongside Marais Erasmas instead of Ruchira Palliyaguruge

Alex Malcolm02-Sep-2019In a late change, the ICC has tweaked the duties of the officials for the fourth Ashes Test, swapping the Sri Lankan pair of Kumar Dharmasena and Ruchira Palliyaguruge around. This means Dharmasena will partner South African Marais Erasmus in the middle at Old Trafford, as well as in the final Test at The Oval, while Palliyaguruge, originally listed as one of the on-field umpires, will be the TV umpire for the final two Tests of the series.As per the original appointments, Dharmasena, who had paired with Erasmus in the eventful men’s World Cup final at Lord’s in July, was scheduled to be the TV umpire for the Old Trafford Test.ESPNcricnfo understands that Palliyaguruge, who is on the ICC’s International Panel, was always scheduled to be the TV umpire for the final Test of the Ashes, starting September 16. But his duties at Old Trafford were changed because the ICC wanted two Elite Panel umpires officiating on the field in the final two Tests of the marquee series, which is locked 1-1.Although the ICC did not make the reasons behind the changes public, it isn’t a secret that the standard of umpiring in the first three Tests has been iffy, with Joel Wilson, Chris Gaffaney and Aleem Dar all making a number of errors.Australia’s equally poor reviewing was also exposed when Wilson incorrectly judged Ben Stokes not out in an lbw decision off Nathan Lyon during the penultimate over of the Headingley Test.Incidentally, Trinidadian Wilson was one of the two umpires (along with England’s Michael Gough) elevated by the ICC in July to the Elite Panel after the annual review done by a panel comprising Geoff Allardice (ICC general manager – cricket), the match referees’ pairing of Ranjan Madugalle and David Boon, and Sanjay Manjrekar (commentator, former India batsman).Dharmasena and Erasmus, too, were in the spotlight during the men’s World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord’s when England were incorrectly awarded six runs instead of five in an overthrow incident in the final over of the match. England went on to win the final.Dharmasena subsequently admitted the error but said he would never regret the decision. He was also involved in an incident with Jason Roy in the semi-final between England and Australia when he incorrectly gave Roy out caught behind.

They turned out at the Ageas Bowl to celebrate their Royal London Cup heroes and instead suffered one of Hampshire’s most flaccid T20 displays for years

ECB Reporters Network and ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2018
ScorecardHampshire suffered a Lord’s hangover as they were skittled for 105 as Glamorgan got their Vitality Blast campaign off to a one-sided victory.James Vince’s side lifted the Royal London One-Day Cup last week but suffered a humiliating 63-run defeat, collapsing to 34 for 7 at one stage in front of a higher crowd than they normally draw of just over 6,000 fans.The nature of the defeat was a shock for a county that has been one of the strongest in the country in the shorter formats for many years and the fact that they had finally drawn the sort of crowd they deserve to the Ageas Bowl only to falter at the wrong time must have added to their frustration.Andrew Salter led the Welsh side’s bowling attack taking three for 34 – with Graham Wagg also taking two wickets in Glamorgan’s biggest ever format win, by 63 runs.Hampshire’s coach, Craig White, made no attempt to disguise his embarrasssment. “It was bitterly disappointing,” he said. “It is a massive wake up call after Saturday. Hopefully this is our blip and every team has one shocker along the way.”There are some strong teams out there and this makes us realise that everyone is coming for us. We are the team to beat. It was a massive crowd down and they were expecting something after Saturday.”Colin Ingram, Glamorgan’s captain, was buoyed by the result. “Salter has opened the bowling for us in the past and he is a big character and likes the challenge,” he said. “Fair play to him as the first ball went out the ground and then to get two wickets in the same over was a great comeback.”We said before the competition we wanted to use it to chance momentum in the group and you can already see the smiles in the group. I feel this is a huge turning point in our season.”Vince had won the toss under stunning sunny skies and elected to bowl before being set an around par 169 to win on a good wicket.Colin Munro made an immediate impression to the Ageas Bowl crowd as he slapped Salter back over his head for a first ball maximum.
But the off-spinner replied by having the destructive New Zealander caught behind and then struck a swinging Rilee Rossouw plumb in front as the collapse started.Tim van der Gugten then produced an outrageous caught and bowled to dismiss skipper Vince, the fast bowler plucking the return with his right hand.

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Sam Northeast followed, pulling straight up into the air, leaving the hosts 12 for four, and then Tom Alsop swept to square-leg.Lewis McManus and Liam Dawson identically fell pulling to deep-square leg in the same Graham Wagg over.All-rounders Kyle Abbott and Gareth Berg added 54 for the eighth wicket, and avoided the ignominy of Hampshire’s lowest T20 total but it was futile as the latter was lbw to Craig Meschede.Abbott and Chris Wood were both stumped as Glamorgan eased home with more than three overs to spare.Glamorgan’s innings had started slowly, the first three overs only managing 12 runs, but accelerated throughout to what appeared to be a competitive total.Afghan Mujeeb Ur Rahman has taken over from veteran Shahid Afridi as Hampshire’s overseas mystery spinner, and took little time to cause mayhem with his versatile directions of turn.The 17-year-old showed his box of tricks with a wicket maiden, as he bowled Australian Usman Khawaja with his third delivery.Ur Rahman was hit for 19 in his second over, as Colin Ingram tonked him for a trio of boundaries, and eventually posted promising figures of one for 34 on debut.Shaun Marsh picked out Rilee Rossouw on the mid-wicket boundary as Dawson continued his brilliant white-ball form.Ingram and Aneurin Donald were both dropped, the former a caught and bowled chance off Abbott, while the latter was put down by Northeast on the point boundary.And the duo both took their second chances with big hitting contributions to the total with scores of 35 and 26.Ingram eventually departed when he scooped Dawson, who was the pick of the bowlers with analysis of two for 24, to Ur Rahman at short fine leg before Donald picked out Alsop at long on.Chris Cooke was lbw to Abbott and Wagg toed a catch to Vince at cover but David Lloyd ended the innings with a flourish with a pair of massive sixes down the ground as he reached an unbeaten 38 from 26 balls.

The spectators basking in glorious sunshine at the St. Helens ground in Swansea were treated to a feast of runs – 697 in all – and two exhilarating centuries by Colin Ingram and Darren Stevens

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2017
ScorecardDarren Stevens’ century came off 48 balls but Kent couldn’t quite hunt down a huge target•Getty Images

The spectators basking in glorious sunshine at the St. Helens ground in Swansea were treated to a feast of runs – 697 in all – and two exhilarating centuries by Colin Ingram and Darren Stevens.Ingram struck his century from 78 balls, but that was pedestrian compared to Stevens who smashed 147 from only 67 deliveries. While Stevens was at the crease, Kent were favourites, but after his dismissal, Glamorgan’s bowlers stuck to their task to win by 15 runs, with 16 balls remaining.Thirty five sixes were struck in the match which equalled the record for a List A game, set in the game at Trent Bridge between Northants and Nottinghamshire last year.After Glamorgan were asked to bat, their innings was built around Ingram and Will Bragg who put on 212 for the third wicket after they had lost two wickets in three balls. Ingram continued his outstanding form in the competition by scoring his third century – this was a second in successive games. His innings came from 98 balls, which included six fours and eight sixes, and during the eight games, the South African left hander has hit 29 sixes and 31 fours.Bragg, who achieved his career-best, gave his only chance on 88, and was six runs away from his maiden century when he chipped Calum Haggett to cover. The lower middle-order also made worthwhile contributions, with Chris Cooke hitting a rapid 36, and Andrew Salter, who struck Ivan Thomas for three successive sixes in the last over, hitting 29 from nine balls.Kent needed to score at 7.10 runs an over, and they lost Daniel Bell-Drummond in the eighth over, when he bottom-edged Marchant de Lange to the wicketkeeper. Joe Denly and Sam Northeast took the score to 75, before both were dismissed in David Lloyd’s second over.Stevens then started his ferocious attack on the Glamorgan attack, and greeted Ingram by hitting him for 32 in his two overs. He quickly moved to 50 from 28 balls, and it took the 41-year-old Stevens only 20 more balls to reach his 100, which included 10 sixes and six fours.The fourth-wicket pair had put on 131 in just 13 overs, before Sam Billings, who had contributed only 24 to the partnership, was well caught on the long leg boundary.There was no respite from Stevens who, when he struck his 14th six, recorded the most sixes hit by an opposing batsman against Glamorgan in List A games. He was eventually out, caught athletically by de Lange on the midwicket boundary, and left to a standing ovation from the sizeable crowd.The Glamorgan seamers, relieved to see the back of Stevens, then picked up three more wickets, as Alex Blake and Calum Haggett were caught by Cooke behind the wicket, and Matt Coles was run out from a direct hit by Salter.Kent required 57 from the last 10 overs, but Charlie Hartley was bowled by Lloyd, who picked up his fifth wicket, and finished with a career-best 5 for 53, before James Tredwell was run out attempting a run to the wicketkeeper.

India kept their World Twenty20 campaign alive with a remarkable one-run victory against Bangladesh, following a manic final over in Bangalore

The Report by Mohammad Isam23-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:05

Agarkar: Bangladesh tactically good until the last three balls

How did it come to this?After 39.3 overs of a pulsating contest in Bangalore, Bangladesh seemed to have a first ever T20I victory against India in their grasp. Two runs needed off three balls, with Mushfiqur Rahim on strike. The game should have been done and dusted, and India were staring at an early exit in the World Twenty20 in their own backyard.However, Bangladesh proceeded to remarkably offer India a way back into the game, with Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah both being caught in the leg-side boundary off Hardik Pandya. Two needed off one, and suddenly, it was Bangladesh feeling the heat.Pandya ran in for the final delivery, bowled outside Shuvagata Hom’s reach, and MS Dhoni, who had earlier pulled off an outrageous stumping to dismiss the dangerous Sabbir Rahman, ran in 15 yards with one glove and ran out Mustafizur Rahman, who had only just walked into the cauldron.The one-run win keeps India in their hunt for a place in the last four, with a match against Australia coming up. Bangladesh were heartbroken, having done all the hard work, but falling short by a few inches, quite literally.Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled a superb third over after a poor start with the ball, gave away just six frantic singles in the penultimate over, leaving Pandya to defend ten runs, which he did only just.Mushfiqur blasted the second ball for a boundary through the covers after Mahmudullah took a single off the first ball. Mushfiqur then got a second four off his bat handle while attempting a scoop, but he was caught at midwicket off the next ball, with Bangladesh needing two to win off the last two balls. Mahmudullah, who changed ends, fell in similar fashion, betraying his coolness under pressure, but Ravindra Jadeja still had to do extremely well to hold on to the catch.The rest of the Bangladesh innings was just as frantic. Bumrah misfielded off the first ball and conceded a four; Tamim Iqbal, the batsman who hit the shot, had his eye on the ball and bumped into Ashish Nehra. Tamim needed medical attention and in the same over, he was dropped by Nehra off his own bowling.Mohammad Mithun holed out at long-on in the third over before Tamim got another life in the next, this time seeing Bumrah drop a sitter at short fine-leg. Sabbir crashed Ashwin soon after, and Tamim took four boundaries off Bumrah, whose line and lengths went awry. Tamim eventually was stumped for 35 in the eighth over. Sabbir, who added couple of more boundaries, was smartly stumped by Dhoni for 26 off 15 balls.Mashrafe Mortaza promoted himself to No. 5 and started off with a huge six over long-off but the gamble lasted just five balls. There was more madness to come – Shakib was dropped by Ashwin at the deep cover boundary on 8, and he made the most of the reprieve, nailing two sixes on the leg-side. Ashwin had the last laugh, though, getting him caught at slip in his last over. Shakib’s 22 off 15 balls was crucial but so too was his dismissal as he got out at a moment when he was timing the ball very well.Mashrafe seemed to have risen out of his distress over Taskin Ahmed’s suspension by bowling a superb four-over spell in which he did not concede a single four or a six for the first time in his career. His captaincy, to use sweepers on both sides of the wicket from the start and bowling changes, was also spot-on. He was backed wholeheartedly by Shakib’s four strong overs, while Mustafizur and Al-Amin Hossain took two wickets each.India could not get off to a good start after their openers were spooked by Shuvagata Hom’s initial turn. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan had to settle for singles before they struck a six each in the sixth over. Mustafizur had Rohit skying a flick which was caught at midwicket, in the same over. Shakib then trapped Dhawan, who was looking to sweep in the next over, meaning India had two new batsmen having to get settled on a tricky surface.One of those batsmen was Virat Kohli, fresh off a fine match-winning knock against Pakistan. Here, though, he stuttered through his run-a-ball 24, during which Al-Amin dropped a difficult caught- and-bowled chance in the 11th over. Suresh Raina, who top-scored with 30 off 23 balls, broke a boundary drought that lasted five overs, with a couple of sixes off Al-Amin in the same over.Kohli got his first six in the 14th over but Hom kept his nerve by bowling the next one full and on the stumps. Kohli missed, and Bangladesh were back in the game by getting India’s main man and breaking the 50-run third wicket stand.Pandya blasted 15 off seven balls before he was brilliantly caught on the square-leg boundary by a fully diving Soumya Sarkar. Al-Amin also accounted for Raina in the same over, ensuring India’s slog overs did not go to plan. The hosts managed only 34 runs in the last five overs, with the first 19 balls in that sequence going without a boundary.In the Asia Cup final, Dhoni had blasted 20 off the penultimate over to all but seal India’s win. India’s captain was not as explosive with the bat here, but his 13 crucial runs, cunning stumpings and cool run-out with one glove on, made the difference between the two teams.The night will be remembered in Bangalore for a very, very long time.