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West Indies captain Jason Holder put their one-run loss against Sri Lanka on Wednesday down to the relative greenness of his squad

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo23-Nov-2016The Queens Sports Club has witnessed a tie, and a one-run defeat, but still no cigar for West Indies. For the second time in two matches, they went into the final over of a chase with a chance to win. But yet again, they fell just short. Captain Jason Holder put their shortcoming against Sri Lanka on Wednesday down to the relative greenness of this squad.”I think it’s inexperience,” Holder said. “There’s obviously situations that we’re not accustomed to being in. We’re still a relatively young side. Everybody’s trying to make their mark. And I think it boils down to inexperience, and having that know-how at the end to get us across the line. We had set up the game nicely, and Evin Lewis played an exceptional knock to put us in the situation that we were in.”Lewis, playing in just his fourth ODI, brought up a maiden fifty in the 12th over, and then reached a 91-ball century, with 12 fours and a six, to leave West Indies well placed at 177 for 3. This was the first time he had opened on the tour, and it seemed to have paid off.”He’s one of those guys that likes the ball coming on, so we just felt that with 330 on the board we needed to get off well in the Powerplay and make use of that first up,” Holder explained. “Him and Johnson Charles did a great job there and put the Sri Lankan bowlers under pressure, capitalising on every bad ball that was bowled.”He wasn’t done there, opening up to smite three more sixes as wickets fell around him, and he reached 148 (second only to Chris Gayle’s 153 not out for the highest ODI score by a West Indian in Zimbabwe), battling cramps in the latter stages of his innings. “He was there out in the field for 50 overs fielding, and then came back to bat through most of the overs,” Holder said. “It was a bit of cramp, and I don’t think it was anything too serious.”Lewis was eventually run-out after a horrible mix-up with his captain. It was the third run-out of the innings, and left West Indies needing 69 off 57. In the company of Carlos Brathwaite, Holder took the game into the last three overs with his side still within touching distance of the asking rate. With 10 needed from the final over, Holder could only manage a single off the first ball to put No. 10 Sulieman Benn on strike. Holder would not see the strike again until the final ball, when three were needed but a pinpoint, 144kph yorker from Nuwan Pradeep secured Sri Lanka’s win.”I was just trying to get on strike, but credit must also be given to the Sri Lankan bowlers,” Holder said. “I thought they hit their yorkers really well, and the ball was also tailing in to the right-hander. Benn did a tremendous job to hit the six that he did, to bring the game back closer, but unfortunately he got out afterwards. The last ball was a very good ball.”The defeat means West Indies face a must-win game against Zimbabwe on Friday if they are to reach the final. They may have to play that game without their opening bowler, after discomfort in his hamstring meant Shannon Gabriel could only bowl five overs today.”We’re managing some niggles, and Shannon wasn’t able to finish his overs today, so we’re waiting to see if he’s good to go for the next game,” Holder said. “We’ll see in the next few days.”

Mohammad Nabi was thrilled that he was part of cricket history after Afghanistan recorded the first instance of an Associate Nation beating a Full Member in a bilateral ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2015Mohammad Nabi claimed his maiden ODI hundred in this series. He was named Man of the Series as well, with 223 runs from five matches. And he seems to have found purpose in the Afghanistan batting order again since being promoted to No. 3. But very little compared to the high of a series victory over a Test-playing nation.”We made history. It’s the first time in 200 years of cricket that we [an Associate team] has beaten a Full Member in a series, I think. I’m very happy with my team’s performance and my performance. After a very long time I have performed very well. It’s very good for me and also for my team.”Newly appointed coach Inzamam-ul-Haq’s decision to promote Nabi up the order not only shook the batsman out of his dismal spell of form, it also afforded Afghanistan a stronger team combination. “There was a big change in the batting order. I was at No. 6 and the coach put me in the top order, at No. 3. Credit goes to the coach Inzamam-ul-Haq for supporting me,” Nabi said. “It improved our top-order batting and that was a big change in the series.”Afghanistan were able to put 245 on the board after being inserted in Bulawayo. They had batted the entire 50 overs and Nabi had been out there for 28 of them to score 53 off 70 balls. Having spent that much time on the pitch, he knew his team had put up a “big target”.”When we batted first, we decided that if we scored 250 it would be difficult to chase on that pitch. That’s why the boys played very well. The openers and then the middle-order batsmen, they played very well.”That the target was so ably defended was thanks to Dawlat Zadran’s spell of 4 for 22 in eight overs, his career best figures in an ODI.”It was my best performance against a Full Member and hopefully in the upcoming matches I can also continue my good bowling. I’m very excited and happy and satisfied with my performance in the series,” Zadran said. “The coach and captain have given me simple plans to follow. ‘With the new ball, you should just go for the dot and if the batsman makes mistakes you will get wicket. So just get us one or two wickets with the new ball.’ And yes, definitely I have the skills to reverse the old ball, so I bowl better with the old ball than the new ball.”The team manager, Shir Agha Hamkar, ensured the achievement’s context was not lost. “You cannot imagine the celebrations back home because they are following each and every ball wherever we play. Even club matches and trial matches, they are following their heroes. Cricket has really brought change in Afghanistan. It’s not just a game, it has turned into [a medium that brings] peace and stability to Afghanistan. It brings more people together. It’s very famous and leading sport in Afghanistan. You cannot imagine the welcome they are preparing for this team.”Looking forward, we are a good team. Just need a couple of more series with Full Members to stay on track because with one or two matches you can never decide who is a good team but a series can give you a clearer idea. We are a good team, and now our goal is to become a Test nation and we are trying all we can.”

A dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2013
ScorecardA dominant bowling display from Sui Gas handed them an eight-wicket victory over Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Cup semi-final in Karachi. HBL were put into bat and lost wickets from the outset, reduced to 22 for 4 in the 10th over. Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi led a temporary revival, until Afridi was ousted on 26. Bilawal Bhatti took the best figures in the innings with 3 for 31, and was ably supported by the other bowlers, who all took at least one wicket. Only Abdur Rehman matched Afridi’s score as HBL were bundled out for 111 in the 36th over.Sui Gas’s openers started well, putting up 70 for the first wicket. Mohammad Hafeez led the way, scoring a timely 62 off 70 balls to ensure he stuck around and rotated the strike accordingly. Fellow opener Taufeeq fell for 23, before Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal helped them romp home in the 24th over with an eight-victory win. They’ll contest the final on April 19.

Australia’s cricketers are satisfied with the new performance-based components of their forthcoming pay deal, Michael Hussey has said

Daniel Brettig07-Apr-2012Australia’s cricketers are satisfied with the new performance-based components of their forthcoming pay deal and expect the MOU to be signed by Cricket Australia and the players’ union within the next two weeks, Michael Hussey has said.While Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association and the players’ chief negotiator, was more guarded in his assessment of talks, Hussey indicated confidence that the potentially tricky bargaining between the players and CA, represented by the team performance manager Pat Howard, would soon be at an end.”I think they’ve agreed on most things, they’re just trying to nut out a couple of issues that are left. I believe by the middle of this month they’re expecting everything to be negotiated and completed and the MOU finished,” Hussey said. “I spoke to Pat Howard during the practice game and he said he and Paul Marsh were really happy with how negotiations were going on both sides.”Ever since the publication of the Argus review into the performance of the national side, the players’ major concern about its findings has surrounded the addition of greater performance weighting to the central contract system. The review was critical of the landscape created by the current system, suggesting Australian cricket had lapsed into a “county cricket mentality” where simply doing enough to earn another annual retainer was enough.”The panel has real concerns, shared by many stakeholders, that the MOU is not fully aligned with the current needs of Australian Cricket,” the review said. “In particular it rewards relative performance among CA-contracted players, but not absolute performance of the team and its players against international peers.The result is that today’s players are being paid substantially more in real terms than their counterparts in the dominant teams of recent times, despite far inferior results. A number of stakeholders have suggested that this is negatively affecting the culture of Australian Cricket, in that players can make a very comfortable living without necessarily achieving excellence.”Both parties quickly agreed that the number of CA contracts should be reduced, and will likely be pared down from 25 to 18. However the issue of performance-based contracts took time to be smoothed over, leaving Marsh and Howard to discuss the matter in great detail after the players responded coolly to CA’s first offer, explained to a general meeting of the team on the day of the Allan Border Medal towards the end of the home summer.”From what I hear I think both sides are going to get what they want out of it,” Hussey said. “I know through the Argus review there was a strong performance-based component of that. How much was I think what the discussion was about. Players are open to the performance-based part of the ACR. That’s fine, it’s just about how much.”That’s where the negotiation was from that particular point. I believe that they’re pretty much there on that particular point. There’s a couple of other issues that are taking more discussion than that particular one. I think the players are comfortable with the way things are going.”Marsh said his talks with Howard had reached a key point, with a meeting to follow later this month at which the MOU had the potential to be resolved. “We have an important meeting in the week after next,” Marsh told ESPNcricinfo. “We have made some good progress but there are still some key issues to resolve. At this stage we can’t predict when or if the issues will be resolved but we believe negotiations are heading in a positive direction.”In February, the CA chief executive James Sutherland pointed out that Australia’s players would have been paid the same amount if they had lost 4-0 at home to India, rather than winning by the same margin as they did. “No one likes change but we’re really confident we’ve got a proposition that’s in the interests of the Australian players and the players who do the work and win the games,” he said. “Players get paid the same amount if we win four-nil against India or we lose four-nil. Does that make sense to all of us?”

With Sri Lankan cricket undergoing a complete change at their helm, new head of selectors Duleep Mendis said there will be new blood in the team as well

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2011With Sri Lankan cricket undergoing a complete change at their helm, new head of selectors Duleep Mendis said there will be new blood in the team as well. Kumar Sangakkara, when quitting the captaincy, said it was because Sri Lanka needed to build a new team for the 2015 World Cup, and Mendis echoed those sentiments, saying the team needed to rebuild.”Rebuilding is going to be the key in the coming months,” Mendis said. “Some things may not work, some tactics may pay off.” Mendis will head a panel that features four past cricketers: Brendon Kuruppu, Don Arunasiri, Ranjith Madurasinghe and Chaminda Mendis.Muttiah Muralitharan, who had led Sri Lanka’s bowling for more than a decade, is retired from all forms of the game, while some of their other key players are past thirty: Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are both 33, while Tillakaratne Dilshan is 34. In addition, Lasith Malinga, though just 27, has had an injury-laden career and said he will not be around for the next World Cup.Mendis said the 2015 World Cup was something Sri Lanka had to build towards from now, and that required looking for players from junior squads.”Right now, the A team is the most important feeder mechanism for the main team. Our job in the months ahead is to scout for talent to replace some of the older players as we face several tours in the coming months.”Our cricket calendar is full in the coming months, but our task is also to build a pool to face the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand.”Sri Lanka will tour England in May, and Australia later in the year. They are also hosts for the World Twenty20 in 2012. Ahead of the England tour, the selectors will have to name a captain and vice-captain. Sangakkara has offered to captain the Test side in England, in order to give the selectors more time to choose a new one, but Mendis said nothing had been decided yet.”We need at least a week to make the announcement,” Mendis said. “I was very surprised with Kumar’s resignaton. Very surprised he wanted to quit captaining the one-day side too.”

Cricinfo lists the Plays of the Day for the match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in Mumbai

Cricinfo staff28-Mar-2010Singh floors Singh
As Harbhajan Singh embarrassed Deccan’s bowlers, Jaskaran Singh suffered nerves and delivered consecutive beamers, the first of which floored the rampaging Harbhajan. Later when Jaskaran ran up to congratulate Harbhajan, the offspinner pointed to his head, indicating that it was a narrow escape. His younger opponent apologised and blamed his sweaty palms for his slippery actions.Tendulkar, you beauty
Teams have understood that Adam Gilchrist doesn’t fancy spin straight up. Smartly, Sachin Tendulkar introduced Harbhajan in the first over as Gilchrist marked his guard. Harbhajan darted the second ball into Gilchrist’s body, cramping him for room as he tried to steer it towards the third man, but a vigilant Tendulkar at first slip bent low to his right to pick the ball inches from the turf. It was a special piece of fielding and even Tendulkar appreciated his own effort as he kissed the ball to celebrate the catch., Mr Haysman!
The best travel advice anyone can give is to get absorbed in the local culture when in a foreign land. Dwayne Bravo is already trying to learn a few Hindi words and you can hear him shouting “” during the warm-up handball games during the Mumbai training sessions. Today when commentator Mike Haysman tried to scream his greetings when Bravo was fielding at long-on, Bravo turned back, and as Haysman, unsuccessfully, tried to shake hands, Bravo smartly said (traditional Indian greeting) with folded hands and bent knees.Malinga has no time for greetings
Tailenders don’t normally expect bouncers first up. Lasith Malinga didn’t believe in the normal etiquette as he greeted RP Singh with a searing bouncer that could’ve turned ugly had he not fended it off. Little wonder that RP glared at Malinga, who refused to apologise. The next ball, RP charged aimlessly, out of anger and missed out completely. Malinga followed with another short delivery, which RP left alone. Having softened his opponent, Malinga went for the kill, bowling a yorker to bend RP’s stumps and seal Mumbai’s victory.

Mumbai Indians needed only 48 runs off six overs with seven wickets in hand, and they fell short

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2024Shubman Gill, in his first game as Gujarat Titans captain, was thrilled by how his bowlers pulled off a heist against Mumbai Indians, led by his former skipper Hardik Pandya. Mumbai Indians needed only 48 runs off the last six overs with seven wickets in hand, and heavy dew hindering the bowlers, but they fell six runs short.”I think the way the boys held up their nerves in the death overs, especially with the dew coming in, the way we bowled was outstanding,” Gill said after the match. “There was a lot of dew. The way our spinners bowled, Rashid [Khan] and Sai [Kishore], they made sure we were in the game always. In the end it was all about putting on the pressure and holding our nerves.”Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore had not been a regular starter for Titans in their first two seasons: only five games in 2022 and none in 2023. Picked for their season opener in 2024, he conceded only 24 runs in four overs despite dew making the ball hard to grip, and also pinned Rohit Sharma lbw for 43 off 29 balls. Rashid didn’t take a wicket but went for only 23 in his four overs and it was towards the end of his spell that Mumbai began to flounder.There was an unusual incident in Rashid’s final over, the 17th of the chase. Tim David, who at No. 6 had been promoted ahead of Hardik Pandya, lofted Rashid towards the deep midwicket boundary. He and Tilak Varma could have run two if they pushed hard, but they settled for a single to bring the left-handed Tilak on strike. Tilak then hit the next ball to deep midwicket but refused the single. Mumbai at this stage needed 38 off 21 balls and the pressure only increased after Rashid conceded only three runs in the 17th over.”Not really,” was Hardik’s response when he was asked if there was a plan to keep David away from Rashid. “I think Tilak felt that was a better idea at that point of time. I completely back him, not an issue, 13 games to go.”Mohit Sharma, who was the second highest wicket-taker last season but had only played three competitive matches since then, followed up by dismissing David in the 18th over to return figures of 2 for 32. “He’s [Mohit] has been a revelation ever since he has come, last year as well the way he bowled, hopefully he will continue his form and give us many good matches like this,” Gill said. “I thought 170 was a good score but we definitely left 10-15 out there but that happens. They were also going well, and they were above par, but it became hard to hit the old ball and the wicket became a bit slow.”Hardik now knows what it’s like to play Titans in Ahmedabad after spending two seasons making their home ground a stronghold. It was Mumbai’s third defeat in three games at the venue. “Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days I think when we see the score is quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs … we lost a little bit of momentum there,” Hardik said. “Feels good to be back, this is a stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere, its quite lively, the crowd was full and they got a good game as well.”

Keightley, replacing Trevor Griffin, has signed a three-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2023Lisa Keightley has signed with WBBL side Sydney Thunder as their head coach for the next three seasons. A highly decorated coach, Keightley takes over from Trevor Griffin, who was the coach when Thunder won the WBBL title in the 2020-21 season, the second time they had won the WBBL.”I know Sydney Thunder has a good history, and it has won two titles [they also won the inaugural edition in 2015-16],” Keightley said in a statement released by Thunder. “There’s also a good group of players who have enjoyed success.”When I say it’s a challenge, it’s in the sense of the team having a couple of seasons where they’d want to be. I’ll be making sure we’re competitive and winning games of cricket. Thunder has a core of players who have played for a number of years and have enjoyed success. I’m hoping it won’t take too much.”Related

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Keightley played nine Tests, 82 ODIs and one T20I for Australia between 1995 and 2005. After retiring as a player, she has coached the Australia national team – the first woman to do so – and the England national team, and has also worked with New South Wales, Western Australia, and Perth Scorchers.The first woman to score an international century at Lord’s, in an ODI against England in 1998, and also the owner of the second-highest individual score by an Australian in an ODI – 156* vs Pakistan in 1997 – is currently in South Africa as the tactical performance coach for Paarl Royals, the domestic T20 team.

Phoebe Litchfield, Hannah Darlington are with Thunder

At Thunder, she would be working with, among others, two of Australia’s brightest young cricketers, Phoebe Litchfield and Hannah Darlington.”Hannah Darlington has had success, as has Phoebe Litchfield,” Keightley said. “Tahlia Wilson has been playing in [the NSW WNCL team] consistently over the years, and she’ll be looking to improve and have an impact.Lisa Keightley played nine Tests, 82 ODIs and one T20I for Australia•Getty Images

“I look at other players and see Sammy-Jo Johnson as a seasoned campaigner who is probably a little disappointed in how she played this year. However, she’s had success in the past, so I can see no reason why that can’t be turned around.”Then you have the likes of Lauren Smith, another player who has played for a number of years and had success throughout the WBBL. It’s a matter of, to me, some overseas players being in and around the quality that we’ve got, and then playing some consistent cricket.”Keightley said her focus was to create a unique brand of cricket while at Thunder.”I’m looking forward to connecting with the players, especially the Sydney-based ones to make sure when we go into that competition it doesn’t feel new,” she said. “I’m looking forward to helping them and discussing their games and where they’d like to be. I want to share my observations of how they’re playing, and maybe, the areas where they can grow, learn and stretch.”I think that would be a good transition to make during the year, rather than coming in two weeks before the WBBL. I think that’s the nice bit of the challenge; knowing when we play in the WBBL that they’re clear about the brand of cricket we want to play.”

Historic appointment begins as former England captain succeeds Kumar Sangakkara

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2021Clare Connor, England Women’s former Ashes-winning captain, has taken office at Lord’s as the first female President of MCC in the club’s 234-year history.Connor, who is also Director of Women’s Cricket at the ECB, was nominated for the role at the club’s AGM back in 2020, but her tenure was delayed by a year due to Covid-19, with her predecessor Kumar Sangakkara staying on for a second term.”I am truly honoured to be MCC President,” Connor said, “and would like to thank Kumar Sangakkara for putting his faith in me to deliver this enormously important role, for the good of the sport I have loved all my life.”I will try to bring my range of experiences from the dressing room and the boardroom to support, influence and work alongside the club’s leadership and committees over the next 12 months. I am really looking forward to being part of the MCC team”.Connor made her England debut in 1995 at the age of 19, and took over the captaincy in 2000, leading England at Lord’s against Australia a year later. An allrounder who bowled left-arm spin, Connor led England women to their first Ashes triumph in 42 years, overseeing a 1-0 series win in 2005.Clare Connor is the first female President in the 234-year history of MCC•MCC

She retired from the game soon after that series, and in 2009 was made an Honorary Life Member of MCC, only a decade after the first female members had been admitted to the club.Her career in administration has included the introduction of central contracts for England women’s players in 2014, and the first tranche of domestic contracts for female cricketers in 2020. England’s World Cup win, in front of a full house at Lord’s in 2017, helped to elevate the profile of the women’s game in the UK, while Connor was also a central figure in this summer’s successful launch of the women’s Hundred.Related

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Aside from her ECB duties, Connor has been chair of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee since 2011, and has served as a director on the board of Sussex Cricket and Sport England.MCC have also confirmed Bruce Carnegie-Brown as the club’s new chairman. He takes over from Gerald Corbett, whose maximum six years in office ended on 30 September 2021.Carnegie-Brown is currently chairman of Lloyd’s of London and vice-chairman of Santander Banking Group, and has been a full member of MCC since 1997.”It is a privilege to be MCC’s next chairman and to increase my involvement with such a special club,” he said. “I look forward to working with the club’s members to ensure that the Home of Cricket continues to provide a world-class venue and warm welcome to players and visitors from around the country and internationally.”

The PCB will announce a 42-person touring team, comprising 28 players and 14 support staff

Danyal Rasool11-Jun-2020Fast bowler Mohammad Amir and batsman Haris Sohail have withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming England tour.Amir, who had retired from Test cricket last year, and was thus only eligible for selection for the three-match T20I series, pulled out so that he could be present for the birth of his second child in August, which is when the T20Is are scheduled to be played.There was a spot of confusion* regarding the exact reason for Sohail’s withdrawal. The PCB had initially said that Sohail had opted out because of “personal reasons”, but later issued a statement confirming that he had, in fact, taken “the option [given by the board to the players] of pulling out of the tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.The Pakistan players and the support staffers are expected to arrive in England several weeks before the start of the first match to be able to train in the country, as well as complete the mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK. That means the side will spend over two months in England. The touring party will form a “bubble” where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour.The three Tests and three T20Is will all be played behind closed doors Additionally, earlier this week, the ICC had approved the use of substitutes if a player showed symptoms of Covid-19 during a Test match. Players’ families will not be allowed to accompany them.The PCB said they would announce a 42-person touring team, with 28 players and 14 support staff to accompany them. Pakistan will be the second side to tour England since the Covid-19 pandemic, with West Indies set to play three Tests in England starting July 8. Three West Indies players – Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo – withdrew from that tour, citing concerns around the coronavirus.