Category Uncategorized

Quetta Gladiators dominated Karachi Kings to win by six wickets in what was arguably the most lopsided match of PSL 2017

The Report by Danyal Rasool23-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellIt was a game between the top side and the bottom, and boy did it show. Quetta Gladiators thrashed Karachi by six wickets in what was the most one-sided match in the PSL so far, making Sarfraz Ahmed’s squad the first to qualify for the knockout stages.The game was won on the back of a splendid bowling display by the Gladiators as they squeezed the opposition in the middle overs, the pace bowlers flummoxing the batsmen with controlled pace variations and teasing slower bouncers. Karachi had got off to a fast start, reaching 46 for 0 in five overs through their new opening pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Babar Azam.But in the middle 10-over stretch from the sixth through the 15th, Karachi managed a mere 52 runs. Chris Gayle’s ongoing struggles were a feature of the Karachi innings. He scratched around and attempted to dispatch the odd ball out of Dubai in a laboured 34-ball 29 that took all the air out of his side’s innings.Quetta, in contrast, were assured right from the start of their chase, with Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq scoring a solid 49 from the Powerplay. After that, Shehzad ripped into the bowling, taking the young Usama Mir to task in his first over. Shehzad smashed him for two fours and two sixes in a costly 22-run eighth over and the hundred partnership eventually came up in 11 overs.An enraged Mickey Arthur called for a strategic timeout after the tenth over, chastising his side in full public view. It had a short-term effect as Quetta stuttered to lose three wickets in the 13th over but the damage had been done early and, in truth, the win was a comfortable one.Where the match was wonAfter the first five overs of the Karachi innings, with Sangakkara looking in fine touch and his side at 46 for 0, a solid platform appeared to have been set. But the middle overs saw Quetta’s bowlers strangle the opposition.The spinners bowled a tight line and the fast bowlers dipped into their bag of tricks to leave the opposition – Gayle in particular – flapping at thin air. Anwar Ali and Tymal Mills deceived Kieron Pollard and Gayle a number of times with slower short balls, depriving the West Indian power hitters of the pace they can so lethally use to their own advantage. The stand between the pair, on paper arguably the most menacing duo in T20 cricket, turned out to be a frankly benign one.The men that won itQuetta’s innings had a touch of the clinical right from the start. Shehzad and Shafiq preferred to hit along the ground early on, knowing they did not have to take too many risks in a chase of 155. Shafiq, not often celebrated for his strike rate, was the more destructive of the pair during the Powerplay, scoring 29 off 19. Their 105-run stand meant Quetta even had the luxury to bear a brief collapse, including a diamond duck from Kevin Pietersen, yet still seal a comfortable two points.The easiest of dropsThat stand might not have been so lethal had Pollard, almost as famous for his spectacular boundary catches as he is for monstrous ball striking, taken an easy catch that Shafiq had spooned up to short extra cover in the sixth over. Mohammad Amir had forced a leading edge, but Pollard was slow to react. Even so, he overran the ball when he dove forward in an attempt to catch it, the ball hitting the top of his palms before slipping out. To the Kings’ massive frustration, Shafiq then hit the next two balls for four, twisting the knife into an already wounded Karachi.The moment of the matchOne might have wondered how Karachi coach Arthur would have felt watching his side at the end of a hammering like the one they were experiencing in this match, with inconsistent bowling, poor fielding and a sensational opening stand by Quetta combining to humiliate them. Well, one only needed wait till the end of the tenth over to find out.Arthur called for the timeout and demonstrably tore into his side with the cameras rolling as Sohail Khan appeared to bear the brunt of the South African’s rant. Sir Alex Ferguson would have been proud of that hairdryer. It worked, too, with three wickets coming off Sohail’s subsequent over, including a direct hit from backward point by Imad Wasim to run out Pietersen before he had faced a ball. However, Karachi’s rude awakening had come far too late.Where they standThe result reinforces the status quo, with Karachi extending their lead at the top of the table to three points. Karachi remain last on four points, and now need to win both remaining games to have a chance of qualifying.

New Zealand threatened Pakistan’s 171 for 8, but the many strands of the visitors’ varied attack came together to truss up the hosts, 17 runs short of their target

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe dangerous Martin Guptill was run out for 2•Getty Images

New Zealand threatened Pakistan’s total of 171 for 8 through fifties to Colin Munro and Kane Williamson, but the many strands of Pakistan’s varied attack came together to truss up the hosts, 17 runs short of their target. The pace trio of Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul and Mohammad Amir created chances, while the spin of Imad Wasim, and Shahid Afridi provided economy. Mohammad Hafeez had earlier provided the base for Pakistan’s innings, with 61 from 47 balls from the top of the order.Wahab was left to defend 20 runs from the final over, with Williamson on strike. He had the batsman caught at deep square leg first ball to effectively seal the match, before taking the final wicket of the innings off the last ball. New Zealand’s chase had begun slowly before being invigorated by Munro. They gave up most ground during the middle overs, when four middle-order wickets were lost for 18 runs.Amir’s part in his international return was relatively low-key, but full of frustration. He had Williamson dropped off his bowling in the fourth over, then had another straightforward catch spilled towards the end of the match. He eventually took the wicket of Matt Henry in the penultimate over to finish with figures of 1 for 31 from four overs. Wahab claimed three scalps, Gul and Afridi took two wickets apiece, while Wasim returned 1 for 18 from his full quota.Williamson had made a stuttering start to his innings, as Pakistan introduced spin as early as the second over – most likely to upset Martin Guptill’s rhythm in the early overs. Williamson was on two from six balls when he ran Guptill out in the second over, and then continued to progress slowly. He was 10 from 20 balls at one stage, and his first boundary came off the 36th ball he faced – as late as the 12th over.In between Colin Munro had blasted 56 off 27 balls and got out. He sent six balls over the rope – memorably uppercutting Gul over third man in a fifth over that yielded 23 runs – as he reeled in New Zealand’s required rate. His departure heralded a middle-order collapse. Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi, Grant Elliott and Mitchell Santner all fell in single figures.Williamson attempted to resurrect the innings from 109 for 6 after 15 overs, but continued to lose partners just as he discovered fluency. He struck smart, square boundaries to keep his side alive, but was eventually out for 70 off 60 balls.Perhaps wary of being fatally seduced by the size of the Eden Park boundaries, Hafeez saw out the first over, scoreless, then moved to five off ten balls before he became more ambitious. A lap-scoop off Trent Boult and a slap over the covers next ball moved him into a higher gear, before he plundered 18 runs off Corey Anderson’s first international over in six months, hitting three fours and a six on the off side.That over helped lift Pakistan to 62 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay. Hafeez progressed at a more even pace when the field relaxed and New Zealand applied their spinners in tandem. Debutant legbreak bowler Todd Astle was the more expensive of the pair, as Hafeez and Shoib Malik lifted him over the rope in a three-over spell that cost 28. Having had Soahib Maqsood stumped first ball, then also taking the wicket of Malik, Santner didn’t give away a boundary in his four overs, which conceded just 14.Hafeez mined the gaps in the outfield to near fifty, which he reached off 36 balls. He freed his arms again when pace returned to the attack, sending Boult over the covers again, then swatting a Milne bouncer to the wide long-on fence, but holed out at deep square leg off Milne’s next ball.Shahid Afridi burned typically brightly for a typically brief period of time. He rocked the 16th over – bowled by Matt Henry – cracking two sixes and two fours in a span of four balls, but was out soon after. Having dropped a catch off Umar Akmal earlier, Kane Williamson held on to the chance from Afridi, leaving the batsman with 23 from 8 balls.Having been 147 off 5 after 17 overs, Pakistan might have hoped for total in excess of 180, but good death bowling from Adam Milne and Henry in the two final overs thwarted those ambitions. Imad Wasim contributed a valuable 18 from 9 balls.

Michael Clarke believes his team have regained respect and credibility as contenders for the Ashes urn over the course of a wondrous, winding match at Trent Bridge

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge14-Jul-2013Australia’s crestfallen captain Michael Clarke believes his team have regained respect and credibility as contenders for the Ashes urn over the course of a wondrous, winding match at Trent Bridge, even if it concluded with the searing pain of a fifth consecutive Test defeat for the tourists.Clarke and the rest of the team were clearly hurt by a loss that arrived in cruel circumstances 12 minutes after lunch on the final day. Having added 65 with the last man James Pattinson to take the tourists to within 15 runs of victory, Brad Haddin was given out on a decision referral after the thinnest of edges behind from the bowling of the Man of the Match, James Anderson.But Clarke insisted his men had proved they were going to give England an awful fright, defying the expectations of many before the series began, and also going some way towards redeeming themselves after the humiliations of the India tour earlier this year.”I think we’ve probably proved to a few people that we’re here to compete,” Clarke said. “I said it on day one and I’m not surprised at how close we got. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t get over the line and I said last night that I still thought we could win the Test match.”So we as a team are disappointed we haven’t won this first Test but I hope we’ve earned a bit of respect by the way we’ve played. That’s what’s important. Our team is going to give our all every single time we take the field. We’re here to win this series.”We know it’s going to be tough and we’ve just experienced that over five days but for the people that have written us off or did write us off before a ball was bowled, I think we might have changed a few of their minds.”The wicket of Haddin brought back memories of the similarly epic Edgbaston Test of 2005, which resulted in a two-run win for England after Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz put on 59 for the last wicket.Back then, Clarke was a precocious young batsman in a team of greats. Now he must find a way of ensuring the trauma of the Nottingham defeat does not envelop a team far less experienced or confident than the side of eight years ago ahead of a second Test at Lord’s that is a mere four days away.”I can’t remember ’05. Well, I can but I just don’t want to,” Clarke said. “I was a lot younger then so it’s hard to compare. It probably does hurt you more when you are captain because I guess you’re a little bit older and I care so much about the guys that I’m surrounded by.”Not that I didn’t care back then but I was the youngster watching and learning where now I’m trying to help get the guys up on a daily basis and make sure that even when they’re down that they’re not too down.”He also had words of praise for the teenage debutant Ashton Agar, whose 98 at No. 11 in the first innings brought the Test alive. “He has played really well,” Clarke said. “He is an amazing talent, no doubt about it. He is a great kid with a very smart mind – he is older than his age will tell you. He is enjoying being around the team and I think you are going to see a lot more of him.”The final act of the match, with its delayed resolution and reliance on technology, was symbolic of how the DRS had cast a considerable shadow over the contest. But it also illustrated how England used the system more effectively than their counterparts.Alastair Cook still had two referrals up his sleeve when he decided to review the Haddin decision, while on day three Clarke had burned his own before the umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot a clear edge from Stuart Broad to slip. Clarke acknowledged he had to show better judgment in the future.”That is the way the system is. If I had used my reviews better then I have an opportunity to use it when there is a howler like that,” Clarke said. “We’ve still got two umpires on the field. They are the most important people out on the ground and they make their decisions. I have been brought up to live with the decision of those guys.”The advantage you have now, especially as a batsman, is that if you think you didn’t hit the ball, you have the chance to refer it. Sometimes you find out you did hit it, like in my case, other times you find out you were right. That’s how the games is and you learn to live with it.”How Clarke and Australia learn to live with their defeat at Trent Bridge will be known at Lord’s on Thursday morning.

Former Derbyshire all-rounder Wayne White condemned his ex-team mates to a fifth Friends Life t20 defeat as Leicestershire won a thrilling North Group match by four wickets off the last ball at Derby.

30-Jun-2012
ScorecardFormer Derbyshire all-rounder Wayne White condemned his ex-team mates to a fifth Friends Life t20 defeat as Leicestershire won a thrilling North Group match by four wickets off the last ball at Derby.White hit the final ball from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to the fine leg boundary to clinch victory and overhaul Derbyshire’s 171 for 3 which was built around Wes Durston, who batted through the innings for an unbeaten 55 from 50 balls.Leicestershire looked out of it needing 37 from the last three overs but after 23 came from the penultimate over from Alex Hughes, White and Robert Taylor saw their side home. It was a jolt for Derbyshire who had amassed their biggest total in this season’s competition.Leicestershire sped off from the outset as Josh Cobb and Abdul Razzaq took 66 from the first five overs. Cobb pulled Jon Clare for six in an over that cost 20 and Razzaq drove Hughes for three fours before he carved the spinner into the hands of cover.Cobb hoisted Durston for another six but Rana beat him with a slower ball that he chipped to midwicket and after 10 overs, the Foxes needed another 82 with a lot resting on the West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan. With the pressure building, he was run out by a direct hit for 22.The game appeared to be in Derbyshire’s grasp but when Chesney Hughes dropped White at short fine leg off the fourth ball of the last over, White made them pay by clipping Rana for four to clinch a dramatic victory.

Pakistan A completed a clean sweep of the three-match limited overs series against Afghanistan, with a hard-fought four-wicket win in Faisalabad

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2011
ScorecardKarim Sadiq’s unbeaten 42 off 26 balls, which propelled Afghanistan to 274, went in vain•AFP

Pakistan A completed a clean sweep of the three-match limited overs series against Afghanistan, with a hard-fought four-wicket win in Faisalabad.Afghanistan got off to a reasonable start after choosing to bat, with opener Noor Ali Zadran holding up one end with a steady half-century. Pakistan A’s bowlers managed wickets at regular intervals, though, and had the visitors in trouble at 187 for 6 in the 42nd over. The lower order came good, with Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq and Samiullah Shenwari scoring 87 off the last 53 deliveries of the innings to carry their side to 274. Legspinner Yasir Shah was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets in a miserly spell.Pakistan A’s chase began in similar fashion to the Afghanistan innings, with a number of top order cameos taking the side to 120 for 3. Opener Sharjeel Khan’s 44 came off 31 balls, making sure Pakistan A were well placed after 20 overs. But Afghanistan pulled things back with two wickets off four balls, reducing the hosts to 120 for 5 in the 22nd. The lower-middle order offered tough resistance after that, slowly rebuilding the chase. A patient 63-run stand between Sarfraz Ahmed and Sohail Tanvir was followed by a quick fire, unbeaten 95-run partnership between Sarfraz and Saad Nasim, which carried their side home with 11 balls to spare.

West Indies have dropped opening batsman Travis Dowlin and replaced him with Barbados opener Dale Richards in the squad for the third Test against South Africa

Cricinfo staff23-Jun-2010West Indies have dropped opening batsman Travis Dowlin and replaced him with Barbados opener Dale Richards in the squad for the third Test against South Africa at the Kensington Oval from June 26 to 30. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was also not in the list of 13 because of a side strain. He has returned to Trinidad to continue rehabilitation.The selectors retained Dowlin for the second Test after the opener had failed in the first – he scored only 4 and 1 in West Indies’ 163-run defeat. Dowlin did not impress in the high-scoring draw in St. Kitts either and fell for 10 in West Indies’ only innings of 546.His replacement, Richards, played two Tests for West Indies against Bangladesh in 2009, while most of the regular players were on strike, and scored 108 runs in four innings.West Indies trail 0-1 in the three-Test series against South Africa. They lost the Twenty20 series 0-2 and were blanked 0-5 in the one-dayers.Squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Dwayne Bravo (vc), Dale Richards, Brendan Nash, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Shane Shillingford, Nelon Pascal, Kemar Roach.

A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to southern Florida, including to Broward County, where the matches are scheduled

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2024The weather may have a big part to play at the T20 World Cup 2024 over the coming days in Florida, where three Group A matches are scheduled over the next three days. A tropical disturbance has brought a rare flash flood emergency to much of southern Florida, including in Broward County where the venue for the matches – in Lauderhill – is located.The first World Cup match at the venue – Nepal vs Sri Lanka – was washed out, and three more fixtures – USA vs Ireland, Canada vs India and Ireland vs Pakistan – could also be affected, with the forecast suggesting heavy rain all through.According to the US National Weather Service (NWS), a “flood watch” remains in effect for all of southern Florida through Friday evening. The matches are set to be played at 10.30am local time.”Heavy to excessive rainfall over southern Florida may continue to bring areas of flash and urban flooding, with locally considerable urban flooding possible, at times into this weekend,” the NWS posted on X.