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Guyana, Leeward Islands and Barbados completed thumping wins in the seventh round of the WICB Regional 4-day tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2017Veerasammy Permaul’s 7 for 48 in the second innings, his 21st five-wicket haul, helped Guyana defeat Trinidad & Tobago by ten wickets and climb to the top of the table at Queen’s Park Oval. Guyana’s win was set up by their bowlers, who first negated T&T’s winning the toss and electing to bat, by bowling them out for 202, and then fifties from no. 7 Raymon Reifer and no. 10 Romario Shepherd helped them take a 128-run lead. That translated to an eventual target of 56, which Guyana bashed through in 13 overs on the fourth morning.Only three T&T batsmen managed to get past 30, as they collapsed from 172 for 4 in the first innings. Reifer took 3 for 48, while Permaul, Shepherd and Devendra Bishoo chipped in with two wickets each.Guyana’s response also saw a collapse. A third-wicket stand of 89 between nightwatchman Bishoo(39) and Assad Fudadin (57) had taken them to 136 for 2 before Marlon Richards (4-57) and Bryan Charles (4-91) struck regularly to reduce them to 201 for 7. But Reifer made 55 as he took them into the lead along with Permaul (24), before Shepherd (53) made his first half-century and guided a 57-run stand for the final wicket with debutant Keemo Paul (27*) to take them to 330.T&T’s second innings began with captain Kyle Hope’s dismissal for a second-ball duck, and barely took off after. A 48-run stand for the second wicket was the only substantial partnership. Once it was broken by Bishoo (2-68) in the 13th over, Permaul started chipping away, taking seven of the remaining eight wickets and pinning the hosts for 183. Isaiah Rajah, who made 41 in the first innings, was once again T&T’s top-scorer with 40 in the second.After a washed out first day, 25 wickets fell on the second and 15 on the third before Leeward Islands completed a 34-run win over Jamaica at Sabina Park. Leeward Islands dismissed Jamaica for 56 after themselves being bowled out for 71, and finished the second day at 31 for 5. They were bowled out for 133 by Jamaica on the third day but only after Jahmar Hamilton struck a crucial 45, assisted by Jeremiah Louis (23). Setting Jamaica a target of 149, Alzarri Joseph took 5 for 43 while Louis took four wickets to bundle the home side out for 114 to take the win.The match started on the second day, and Leeward Islands were skittled out for 71 after Jerome Taylor’s five wickets lit up the morning session. The joy for Jamaica was short lived, though, as four wickets each for Gavin Tonge and Louis saw the hosts dismissed for an even smaller total, giving the visitors a slender 15-run lead. By the time the second day ended, Leeward Islands were five wickets down as the game saw a wicket fall nearly every 4 overs. But Jamaica’s chase started as poorly as their first innings, and the home side fell to 15 for 3, and were soon 67 for 7 before they were all out 62.1 overs into the third day.Roston Chase produced career-best figures of 7 for 22 to help Barbados register a resounding nine-wicket win against Windward Islands at the Kensington Oval. The result meant Barbados overtook Guyana at the top of the points table.After Barbados secured a 31-run first-innings lead, Chase ripped through Windward Islands to bowl them out for just 71 in 25.1 overs. Fast bowler Miguel Cummins claimed the other three wickets to fall. Shane Shillingford, batting at No. 9, top-scored with 16 as only three batsmen reached double figures. Barbados required just four overs to chase down their target of 41.The only session in which Windward Islands dominated was the period before lunch on the first morning. Openers Devon Smith and Tyrone Theophile added a 121-run stand. Kemar Roach dismissed Theophile for 44 in the 35th over and had Taryck Gabriel caught behind off the next ball. Keddy Lesporis (59) and Smith staved off the Barbados bowlers, but a clump of wickets in the final session of the first day meant Windward Islands were bowled out for 293, despite Smith’s 103. Roach and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican picked up four wickets each.Although only one batsman struck a half-century for Barbados – Kevin Stoute with 61 – plenty of contributions pushed Barbados past Windward Islands’ first-innings score. Barbados were bowled out for 324 as Shillingford and Sherman Lewis picked three wickets apiece.

Afghanistan kissed the World T20 goodbye by beating table-toppers West Indies by six runs in a low-scoring thriller

The Report by Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:38

Chappell: Afghanistan showed WI’s weakness against leg spin

Afghanistan kissed the World T20 goodbye by beating table-toppers West Indies by six runs in a low-scoring thriller. Asghar Stanikzai had shown his hand when he said they would use spin to restrict West Indies’ big hitters on the eve of the match. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan backed up their captain’s confidence with figures of 2 for 26 each and kept West Indies to 117 in their chase of 124.West Indies finished as the No. 1 team in Group 1 and will take on either India or Australia in the semi-final, but they will go to Mumbai with a sobering defeat. They became Afghanistan’s second Full Member scalp in the tournament, after Zimbabwe, and the match was another strong reminder that cricket needed to be more inclusive.West Indies required 40 runs from the last five overs, but Rashid had Denesh Ramdin stumped at the end of the 16th to tip the game off balance. Then it was Afghanistan who had to deal with a blow as fast bowler Hamid Hassan was pulled out of the attack. He was deemed to have bowled a second hip-high full toss by the square leg umpire, but Andre Russell, the batsman who had been struck by that ball, was rubbing his body below the waist.Gulbadin Naib finished the over with two dot balls and in the next one, Russell was run out. West Indies needed 25 runs from 12 balls when Carlos Brathwaite thumped Naib for a six over long-off but a ball later, Darren Sammy was caught at deep cover. Brathwaite freed his arms again and found another six over midwicket and wisely nudged the last ball of the 19th over for a single to retain strike. At the time, West Indies needed 10 runs off six balls.Nabi began the final over with two dots before Najibullah Zadran, who got them to a competitive score with his unbeaten 48, ran about 20 yards to his left from deep midwicket to complete a superb diving catch to get rid of Brathwaite, West Indies’ last dangerman. With the equation demanding 10 runs off three balls, Andre Fletcher, who left the field at the start of seventh over with a tweaked hamstring, came out again and could only hobble across for three singles as Afghanistan completed a historic win.West Indies had, however, begun the chase on the right note. Johnson Charles blasted Mohammad Nabi for two massive sixes in the second over. But Evin Lewis, on T20I debut, was tied down and dismissed by Amir Hamza, when the batsman slogged one down Rashid’s throat at deep midwicket.Fletcher struck Hamid and Hamza for fours through cover but Charles, on 22, was beaten by Hamid’s pace and chopped the ball onto his stumps. That’s when West Indies’ troubles began. First Fletcher left the ground with what looked like a hamstring strain and a ball later Rashid removed Samuels with a big-spinning googly.Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo added 41 runs for the fourth wicket, and seemed set to produce the one partnership a chasing team needs in the face of a low total. They took plenty of singles and Bravo crashed the legspinners Samiullah Shenwari and Rashid for a pulled four and six each in the 10th and 13th overs. It was Nabi again who brought Afghanistan back, trapping Bravo lbw in the 14th over, and took them home from there. For a spinner to bowl the last over, with only nine runs to defend, it was a spectacular effort.Things hadn’t looked particularly promising for Afghanistan when they batted. Samuel Badree and West Indies had them at 56 for 5 in the 12th over, but Najibullah persevered. Given a promotion to No. 6, he was unbeaten on 48 off 40 balls with five boundaries that included a six over long-on. His last two fours, in the final over, came via a switch hit and a crash through the covers.Najibullah added 34 runs for the sixth wicket with Nabi, who was unlucky to be caught by Marlon Samuels at mid-off after a rebound from Sammy at cover. That the ball even carried that far indicated how hard Nabi had hit his drive.Such scrapping was made necessary by Badree’s skillful spell. The legspinner, who took 3 for 14 off his four overs, bamboozled Usman Ghani with a googly, kept Mohammad Shahzad quiet and then dismissed him when the release shot – a big hoick down the ground – was taken by mid-off. Shahzad finished as second-highest scorer behind Tamim Iqbal and by the end of the night, he had even more to celebrate.

Younis Khan rated the quality of Zimbabwe’s bowlers so highly that he regards the two-Test series in Harare as ideal preparation for Pakistan’s next challenge against the No.1 ranked Test team

Firdose Moonda in Harare05-Sep-2013Younis Khan rated the quality of Zimbabwe’s bowlers so highly that he regards the two-Test series in Harare as ideal preparation for Pakistan’s next challenge against the No.1 ranked Test team. Pakistan take on South Africa in the UAE after the Zimbabwe leg wraps up and Younis hopes the experience gained here can be put to good use on that assignment.”The Zimbabweans bowled so well, they made it difficult for us, it’s definitely good practice for us when we get back to Dubai,” Younis said. “Also, the wicket is very good so we can really get some time but they are making it tough for us to score runs.”Although Zimbabwe’s attack did not profit as much as they did on the first day, when there was still something in the surface, as they tied Pakistan down to a scoring rate of 2.4. Hamilton Masakadza, the Zimbabwe captain, was pleased with the effort on a pitch that was at its best for batting. “The guys bowled really well, they applied themselves, they stuck at it and that was good to see,” he said.Having had Pakistan at 23 for 3, Zimbabwe may have hoped to limit them even further but Masakadza said Younis, in particular, made that tough. “He put us under pressure because he was not just looking to be there, he was also looking for run-scoring opportunities,” Masakadza said. “We had to set more defensive fields as well.”Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq shared a fourth-wicket stand of 116 to get Pakistan out of trouble but the old hands’ rescue act was not simply a cause for celebration. Their ongoing efforts to steady Pakistan points to an over-reliance on seniors and raises concerns about the next generation. Younis is hopeful they will improve with time.”Test cricket is all about patience and the young guys, sometimes they come from ODIs and Twenty20s so they need to learn,” Younis said. “It’s for the senior players like myself and Misbah and [Mohammad] Hafeez to help them and we are here to do that. The other thing is that we are not playing Test cricket regularly, the last time was almost six months ago. You need to play regularly to learn.”Pakistan’s call for more Test cricket has been made on numerous occasions, especially by Misbah in South Africa in March. Younis has not played international cricket since then and most of the squad has been occupied with one-day competitions. That’s why, according to Younis, the trip to Zimbabwe is so important for them. “This is what we need and we are enjoying playing here,” he said.As much as the experience of it is worthwhile for Pakistan, getting the expected results is also important and Younis is confident they can beat Zimbabwe in the longest format as well as they did in the shorter ones. Asked what he thought was a defendable total, he said, “Anything,” before qualifying that to, “something like 200 or 300. Anything.”Younis believes the pitch will take more turn, “especially towards the end,” but Masakadza remains hopeful it will not be much more. He said the cracks have only opened a touch, with “nothing too frightening at this stage,” and thinks Zimbabwe could chase something “around 250.”Still, he is wary of Saeed Ajmal, after the spinner took seven wickets in the first innings. “We know he is going to be their main threat and the guys have their plans,” Masakadza said. “Some will be looking to use the sweep and others to play as straight as possible. But I’m feeling pretty confident.”

Gloucestershire’s weather-affected Championship Division Two game against Kent at Bristol petered out into a draw

18-Aug-2012
ScorecardGloucestershire’s weather-affected Championship Division Two game against Kent at Bristol petered out into a draw, despite finishing in blazing sunshine.The visitors finished the fourth day on 300 for 9 declared before the hosts opted to declare their own first innings with just one run on the board. It was an unsatisfactory conclusion for both sides, who finished with six points each.With almost three days of the game washed-out by downpours, Kent resumed their first innings on 29 for 1 from the 11.2 overs that had been possible on the second morning. The visitors soon lost Sam Northeast, who had added only one run to his overnight total when he departed for 13, snapped up by Rob Nicol’s brilliant slip catch off left-armer David Payne.New batsman Brendan Nash survived a confident appeal for a catch behind from the first delivery he faced, but went on to share a partnership of 95 for the third wicket with Alex Blake. Nash was four runs short of his half-century when he edged a ball from Liam Norwell to slip, this time presenting Nicol with a straightforward chance to pouch his second catch of the morning.Soon after lunch Kent lost Mike Powell, when Norwell clipped the top of his off stump, and Blake then perished for 73 as he attempted to crash a delivery from Will Gidman through the off side but edged to wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty.Darren Stevens and Geraint Jones pushed Kent past 200 to collect their first bonus point, but Gloucestershire bagged their second when Stevens became the sixth wicket to fall, caught on the boundary by James Fuller off Nicol’s bowling for 45.Simon Cook edged to Ian Cockbain at second slip for 15 to give Gidman his second scalp, and he quickly picked up a third when Mark Davies also edged to slip, but former England keeper Jones made an unbeaten 65 to help steer Kent to their third bonus point.

Yuvraj Singh is expected to travel to London tomorrow to show his injured left hand to a specialist

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge02-Aug-2011Yuvraj Singh is expected to travel to London tomorrow to show his injured left hand to a specialist. Yuvraj was hit on his left hand, trying to defend a short-pitched delivery from Tim Bresnan in the second session of play on Monday. Yuvraj was at the receiving end of quite a few short balls from the pair of Bresnan and Stuart Broad and he never could thwart them convincingly.After India lost the second Test by a demoralising 319 runs yesterday, Yuvraj went to a hospital in neighbouring Derby. Based on the scans a decision was taken to show him to a hand specialist in London. Meanwhile Harbhajan Singh, who was suffering from stomach injury also went to the same hospital on Tuesday morning and is reportedly fit.Yuvraj, who scored a resolute 62 in the first innings in the heavy defeat in the second Test, was never allowed to settle down on Monday as Andrew Strauss set attacking fields to supplement the fiery pace and lengths of his fast bowlers. India were an abysmal 37 for 4 when Yuvraj came to the crease. With only MS Dhoni left among the specialists, India needed stability from the Sachin Tendulkar-Yuvraj combination. The accuracy and the fierceness of the England fast bowlers, however, nipped such aspirations in the bud.Bresnan banged in Yuvraj’s eleventh delivery short of a length, and it climbed fast towards the batsman’s neck but he skipped and tried to tap the ball safely towards the leg side. The ball hit him on the index finger of the left hand and Yuvraj threw the bat away, immediately wincing in pain.A few overs later Strauss placed Alastair Cook in an area that could best be described as silly slip, yards away from Yuvraj’s off stump. Bresnan this time came up with a spitting bouncer which Yuvraj tried fending in an awkward fashion only to loop a catch to Cook.It is unclear if Yuvraj will be back to join the rest of the team in Northampton where the Indians play a two-day tour match starting this Friday. India would be hoping Yuvraj is fit for selection ahead of the third Test that begins at Edgbaston on August 10.

Former captain Gavin Hamilton has been recalled to Scotland’s strong 14-member squad to face Bangladesh in the one-off ODI in Glasgow on July 19

Cricinfo staff15-Jul-2010Former captain Gavin Hamilton has been recalled to Scotland’s strong 14-member squad to face Bangladesh in the one-off ODI in Glasgow on July 19. Hamilton, who stepped down from his post last month, didn’t participate in the ICC World Cricket League Division One in Netherlands recently.Two players who were busy with county commitments, Kyle Coetzer and Josh Davey, have also been included. The squad includes the core group of players from the WCL, where the team won five out of seven games.”We are looking forward to playing another Test-playing nation at home,” head coach Peter Steindl said. “We aim to continue the fighting spirit that we have demonstrated so far this season and look forward to the challenge that Bangladesh will provide us.”The teams last met in Scottish soil during the 1999 World Cup. The ground will also host the one-off match between Netherlands and Bangladesh on July 20.Squad: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Josh Davey, Gordon Goudie, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Moneeb Iqbal, Dougie Lockhart (wk), Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Preston Mommsen, Matthew Parker, Fraser Watts

“I have resigned for the greater interest of cricket,” he told ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Isam19-Aug-2024Jalal Yunus has resigned from his position as a BCB director and the chairman of the cricket operations committee.Jalal’s resignation comes after the National Sports Council, the control authorities of 41 different sports bodies of Bangladesh, asked him to step down.Jalal, a former fast bowler who played professionally in the 1980s, has been a sports organiser since the late 1990s. He has been in the BCB continuously in important roles since 2009, and became the cricket operations head in December 2021.”I have resigned for the greater interest of cricket,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I am all for cricket running properly and correctly. I am alright with their intention to replace me as per the constitution. I don’t want to be a stumbling block for cricket’s progress.”Meanwhile, Ahmed Sajjadul Alam, the other NSC nominated director in the BCB, turned down the board’s request to step down on the same day.”I told them that since they nominated me as the NSC councillor and then I became a director, they have to do it. They can inform me their decision regarding me,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Alam is also a veteran sports organiser, who is currently the BCB’s tournament committee chairman.The NSC’s move follows the new sports adviser, Asif Mahmud, calling for reform in all sports federations in Bangladesh, including the BCB.He has said that he wants to see a politics-free sporting arena. BCB, the custodian of Bangladesh’s most popular sport, was built on political clout particularly in the last 15 years.BCB chief Nazmul Hassan was the country’s sports minister, while there was a member of parliament, a former MP, a former mayor and two cousins of the country’s prime minister in the BCB’s board of directors. Even two of Bangladesh’s top cricketers were members of parliaments.The NSC can now nominate another individual to replace the resigned Jalal as their director in the BCB. Reportedly, Faruque Ahmed, the 58-year-old former Bangladesh captain and two-time chief selector, is likely to be the NSC-nominated director.

Fines also handed out to John Blain, Matthew Hoggard and Rich Pyrah

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2023The ECB’s Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) has announced sanctions in the wake of its hearings into allegations of racism at Yorkshire, with a range of suspensions and fines for the six former players and coaches – Gary Ballance, John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Rich Pyrah – who were found guilty of using racist and/or discriminatory language.The bans will only take effect if the individuals seek to return to playing/coaching within the ECB’s jurisdiction. They each have until Friday, June 9 to appeal the CDC decisions.Gale, the former Yorkshire captain who went on to be head coach between 2016-2021, was fined £6000 and given a four-week suspension from coaching, although he has not been involved with the game since being sacked by the club.Related

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Ballance, who retired last month having recently switched from representing England to Zimbabwe, received a £3000 fine and six-match playing suspension, having admitted to his offence in advance of the hearing. Bresnan and Hoggard, both former England internationals, were fined £4000, with Bresnan also receiving a four-match ban.Both Blain, the former Scotland seamer, and Pyrah, who was Gale’s assistant at Yorkshire, were handed £2500 fines. All six were reprimanded and urged to take an “appropriate racism/discrimination education course identified by the ECB”, at their own expense.All of the sanctions were less severe than those recommended by the ECB earlier this month.The charges were laid in the wake of evidence given by former Yorkshire allrounder Azeem Rafiq, following revelations before a parliamentary select committee in 2021. A seventh player, former England captain Michael Vaughan, was cleared of a similar charge of using racist language.Yorkshire, who admitted four ECB charges ahead of the hearings in March, also face being penalised, with the CDC panel – made up of chair Tim O’Gorman, Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel – set to hear submissions on June 27.

‘I’m confident in that and when the big game comes Finch and Warner will nail it’

Alex Malcolm20-Feb-2022Matthew Wade has no doubt captain Aaron Finch and David Warner will be Australia’s opening combination for their T20 World Cup title defence later this year despite questions surrounding Finch’s form after a lean series against Sri Lanka.Australia lost the final T20I at the MCG but claimed the series 4-1 overall. However, Finch made just 78 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 91.76. In his last 17 T20I innings he has reached fifty just once and has nine single-figure scores with a strike rate of just 111.Related

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But Wade recalled the questions surrounding Warner heading into the last T20 World Cup and in the UAE, which he answered emphatically, and believes Finch will do the same.”It feels like these questions have come before potentially before the last World Cup and after the first couple of games about David,” Wade said. “Everyone had their say about Davey and he got player of the tournament in the World Cup. Finchy is a class player and I’ve heard people questioning where he’s at. He averages 40 and strikes at 140 for a reason.”He’s the captain of our team and the questions are always going to come when you get a little bit older and you don’t do well in one series.”They’re class players for a reason and the best we’ve had in T20 cricket ever, and I don’t expect any change at the top of the order to be honest. So those two will be there in the World Cup. I’m confident in that and when the big game comes they will nail it.”Wade made a brilliant 43 not out off 27 balls to lift Australia to a competitive total after they slumped to 5 for 82. It was just his third innings of the series and just his sixth in his last 12 T20I internationals. But his ability to deliver as Australia’s new finisher in that timeframe has been remarkable, having produced match-shaping hands in four of those six innings.Australia are intent on developing more chemistry between Wade and Marcus Stoinis in the lower-middle order and showed that intent by elevating Ashton Agar to open for two games in the series so that the pair could get more repetitions in the death batting roles.”It was nice to get a hit,” Wade said. “I know the role I’m playing now within this team. I know that opportunities aren’t going to come thick and fast. It was the same in the World Cup. It’s going to be the same in the next few series as well.”The position that I’m going to play dictates that I’ll just go there and take the opportunity that I can.”I feel really confident in what we’re doing down there. I feel backed by the coaching staff and the selectors that there’s going to be a real opportunity down there for myself and Marcus to kind of form that partnership that we’re looking for when the big games come around. Opportunities might not swing my way over the next little bit. But when I get an opportunity I feel confident that the whole team behind me.”Wade was also excited to potentially play a variety of roles in the IPL after he was bought by Gujarat Titans at last week’s auction.”I haven’t spoken to them exactly about what my role will be, but I would assume anywhere from opening down to seven I’m pretty comfortable with,” Wade said. “It doesn’t worry me too much. If middle order comes my way, then it’s another opportunity to get some game time in and play that role.”I know what I can do at the top of the order. I’ve done it for a long period of time now as well. I’m just really, really happy that I got the opportunity. It’s been a long time since I have.”I feel blessed in that I’ve been given the chance to go over there and play IPL again.”

Tom Blundell will take over as wicketkeeper and move down the order

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2020Will Young has been handed his Test debut against West Indies in Hamilton after BJ Watling was ruled out with a hamstring injury.Tom Blundell will take the wicketkeeping gloves and move down the order with Young partnering Tom Latham at the top.

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Young, 28, has been close to a Test debut before and was set to play against Bangladesh in 2019 before the final Test in Christchurch was cancelled following the terror attack in the city.He averages 43.76 in his first-class career with ten centuries, the most recent of which came against West Indies for New Zealand A last week”It’s an exciting opportunity for him at the top of the order and I know he’s just looking forward to getting involved after some near opportunities that didn’t eventuate,” captain Kane Williamson said. “He’s been around the environment for some time without getting his first opportunity so I think that’s also a real positive. Often you come into teams and it’s new, you are trying to get a feel for the group but he’s got that feel, he’s an experienced player, has played a lot of first-class cricket and to a very high standard and he deserves that opportunity.”He’s pretty calm and relaxed and knows that he just wants to go out and contribute as much as he can to the team so that attitude is a great thing to have.”Watling picked up the injury during his last outing in the Ford Trophy and following assessment in Hamilton it was decided there was too much risking including him for a Test.”He has seen it all before,” Williamson said. “He knows his body better than anybody. Obviously, he has got a sore hamstring at the moment, but he’s very confident that he can get back to full fitness quite soon. He himself is aware of the challenges you put your body through over a five-day period, and so it’s very difficult to go into a match at a sort of half-fitness.”He cares about the team more than anybody, so he sees it from that perspective. Through discussion with the management, they found that was the best option. He’s a leader in the group, and he showed that through the conversations we had yesterday.”A decision over the rest of the final XI is yet to be made with one of the key debates whether New Zealand go in with a frontline spin option in Mitchell Santner, who was called up in place of the injured Ajaz Patel, or opt for an all-pace attack.”It’s a little bit tricky,” Williamson said of the make-up of the likely XI. “Naturally that is always a bit of a challenge playing in New Zealand, and looking at the roles that you might believe have larger factors. It’s unique to here more than in other places in the world.”