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Stuart Law believes Australia may be surprised at the strength of the Bangladesh team they take on in next month’s Test series in Chittagong and Dhaka

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2015Stuart Law believes Australia may be surprised at the strength of the Bangladesh team they take on in next month’s Test series in Chittagong and Dhaka. Law, the former Australia batsman, has previously served as coach of Bangladesh and Queensland, and he is now back in Bangladesh to help them prepare for next year’s Under-19 World Cup.A new-look Australia will tour Bangladesh next month under captain Steven Smith, with five veterans missing having recently retired: Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Chris Rogers, Ryan Harris and Shane Watson. They will also be without David Warner, who has a thumb injury, and the fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are being rested.Bangladesh should therefore view this as their best chance to rattle Australia, having previously lost all four Tests they have played against them, in 2003 and 2006. However, Bangladesh have lost only two of their past 12 Tests at home, and they are also coming off ODI series wins at home against South Africa, India and Pakistan this year.”If Bangladesh play anywhere near what they have been in recent times, they will give Australia a real fright,” Law said. “People who are expecting Australia to come here and be the big bully and beat Bangladesh out of the stadium, don’t think that’s the case. Bangladesh will be ready for a fight.”Smith will be in charge of a squad featuring two uncapped players, fast bowler Andrew Fekete and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, and a further eight members of the group have played fewer than 10 Tests. Law said that would add to their challenge, as would the conditions in Bangladesh, where the heat and turn of the pitches will test the Australians.”Australia are going through rebuilding,” Law said. “It is a different look team. The amount of experience that has left the team recently is a huge hole to fill.”Understand it will be hot. The ball will turn and another big stepping stone would be to get used to the lifestyle here. They have a lot of hurdles to jump over. Bangladesh has to play good cricket. It will be tight.”The make-up of Australia’s XI remains a mystery but with Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe and Glenn Maxwell in the squad they have plenty of spinning options, as well as the seam-bowling allrounder Mitchell Marsh and four frontline fast men. Writing in his column on Cricket Australia’s website, Smith said there were plenty of options for how to balance the side.”With wickets that are likely to be conducive to spin, there’s a possibility we could play two spinners and two allrounders in the starting XI,” Smith wrote. “Mitch Marsh’s bowling has come a long way on this tour, and we all know what Glenn Maxwell can do with his off-spin and dynamic batting.”Maxi has really impressed me over the course of the one-day series. It looks like all the hard work he’s put in during his stint with Yorkshire has paid off, so it’s great to see him learning and improving and I look forward to see how he goes on spinning wickets in Bangladesh.”

A round-up of the Ford Trophy matches on March 6

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2013
Scorecard
Jamie How hit the first double-century in the history of domestic List A cricket in New Zealand•AFP

Records tumbled in a high-scoring clash between Central Districts and Northern Districts at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Jamie How became the first batsman from New Zealand to smash a double-century in a List A game, blasting 222 in 138 balls, including 27 fours and eight sixes. The effort, the joint-second highest List A individual score – Ali Brown’s 268 leads the list while How shares the second place with Graeme Pollock – was ultimately match-winning, though Northern Districts fought hard in a mammoth chase.How shared a record opening stand of 321 with fellow Stags opener Jeet Raval, who made 115 at better than a run a ball; their stand was the highest for any wicket in List A cricket in New Zealand. The pair set the stage for another record, enabling Central Districts to reach the highest score in List A cricket in New Zealand, 417. The previous highest was 410.Northern Districts gave a tough fight, with as many as five batsmen scoring half-centuries, and kept the contest on despite losing wickets steadily. At 182 for 5 in the 25th over, the challenge had grown significantly more difficult for the Northern Districts, but Brad Wilson and Jono Boult added 91 in just over ten overs. Both fell in the 36th over to make it 274 for 7, and at 293 for 8 it seemed the game was virtually over. But the ninth-wicket pair of Graeme Aldridge and Anurag Verma added 102 in just 58 balls. Both struck half-centuries, took the score to 395 for 8, brought down the equation to 22 needed off 12, but fell in the penultimate over bowled by Bevan Small. Northern Districts were all out for 398, raising the match aggregate to 815, the fourth-highest in List A cricket and the highest in New Zealand List A cricket.How was pleased with his effort. “It was nice to get a hundred, then you kind of keep on going until you expect to get out,” How said. “You get a bit of a feel for it and then if you’re starting to see it well you try and put a bit of pressure on. I got a few lucky ones away then decided to keep on trying to see how far it’d go,” he said, adding that he didn’t think much about his record-breaking knock until late in the innings.
Auckland 356 (Munro 151, De Grandhomme 115, Henry 6-45) beat Canterbury 343 (Cachopa 126, Nicholls 51, Stewart 51, Martin 3-59) by 13 runs
Scorecard
Auckland hung on by 13 runs against Canterbury in another encounter where both teams scored 300-plus. Auckland were struggling at 50 for 4 but Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme smashed centuries to propel their team towards 356. The pair counterattacked with a stand of 229 in just 29.4 overs. Munro hit 151 off 107, an innings that included 11 sixes and 10 fours. Grandhomme’s 115 came off 85 balls, with nine fours and five sixes. For all the punishment bowlers around New Zealand suffered today, seamer Matt Henry was an exception, taking 6 for 45 in 10 overs.Opener Bradley Cachopa led the way for Canterbury in their chase, making 126. There was support from Henry Nicholls and Shanan Stewart, each of whom made 51, but at 274 for 8 in the 42nd over, Canterbury needed a miracle. Numbers 9 and 10, Logan van Beek and Henry made Auckland sweat with a 62-run stand in 44 balls, leaving their side to get 21 from the last nine deliveries. But van Beek fell in the penultimate over and Henry lost No.11 Ryan McCone to a run out in the final over for the game to end with his team 13 short.
Scorecard
Although the game was reduced to 39 overs a side in Invercargill, a score of 300 still remained well within reach. Wellington batted first, made 309 and went on to defend it successfully by 22 runs against Otago. Jesse Ryder, Michael Papps, and Josh Brodies each got half-centuries at the top of the order to set up Wellington’s score. Ryder was especially dominant, making 72 off just 39 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes. For Otago in their chase, there were steady contributions from their top and middle orders, with each of their top seven getting starts, but only two batsmen reached half-centuries. Opener Sam Wells made 57 and captain and wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder made 68 off 40 at No. 7. But wickets fell fairly regularly and Otago struggled to keep up with the required-rate, eventually falling short. Mark Gillespie conceded 71 runs in his eight overs, but picked up five wickets.After four rounds, Northern Districts retain their place at the top of the table with 13 points, Auckland are next with 12. Canterbury are third with 10 points while Wellington and Central Districts are joint fourth with eight. Otago have been winless so far and are at the bottom.

The preview of the Asia Cup final between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Mirpur

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit21-Mar-2012

Match facts

March 22, 2012
Start time 1400 (0800 GMT)Shakib Al Hasan averages 54.50 with the bat and 22.29 with the ball in ODI wins•AFP

Big Picture

Just how momentous is Bangladesh’s passage to the Asia Cup final? Decide for yourself after reading these figures. In nine previous tournaments, Bangladesh had played 29 matches and won two, against Hong Kong and UAE. Out of three games this time, they have won two, against World Cup 2011 finalists India and Sri Lanka, and lost a close match to Pakistan.For Bangladesh’s tireless supporters, starved of success but never lacking in passion, this is like finding an oasis in a desert. A sea of the darker shade of green will be cheering every run that Bangladesh score tomorrow and every Pakistan wicket that falls. Victory won’t be demanded, though; an appearance in the final is already a windfall for the fan.How will the Bangladesh players approach this game, probably the biggest in their careers so far? Apart from blanking New Zealand some time ago at home, this is the first time they have put together consistently solid performances for three games running against world-class opposition. Will the fourth time prove to be too much? Will the pressure of a final, something they have hardly experienced, restrict the freedom with which they bat? Will their bowling and fielding be able to hold together?Whatever be the result, Bangladesh’s surge to the final holds the promise of another close match. They will fight; if they go down, they will still be heroes. If they win, they’ll become part of folklore in the years to come. Either way, a bit of history has already been created.While tomorrow’s contest pales before the fervour an India-Pakistan final would have generated, Pakistan won’t mind running into Bangladesh. They have relied on their bowling, as they often do, for getting them to the final. The one time their batting appeared to have almost won a game for them, they ran into Virat Kohli.Pakistan have underperformed in the Asia Cup, winning it only once compared to the four titles each won by India and Sri Lanka. A second title beckons tomorrow, unless Bangladesh can ride on the passion and momentum and play beyond themselves again.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WWLLL (most recent first)
Pakistan: LWWLL

In the spotlight

Had Shakib Al Hasan been playing for some of the bigger Test sides, he would have been given a lot more respect than he gets at present. He averages 54.50 with the bat and 22.29 with the ball in ODI wins. He carries the expectations of Bangladesh fans lightly and, more often than not, puts in a telling contribution. He was Man of the Match in the hosts’ wins over India and Sri Lanka and would have got the award against Pakistan had the Bangladesh lower order not collapsed around him. The hosts have found Nasir Hossain, but for the moment, as Shakib goes, so do Bangladesh.Umar Gul helped Pakistan avoid defeat against Bangladesh with a three-wicket burst that included the wickets of Nasir and Shakib. One new ball or two, Gul has found reverse swing. When asked how he was getting such movement with a lush green outfield in Mirpur, he pointed to the dry-looking square. Bangladesh were able to survive the threat of Lasith Malinga on Tuesday. Gul will come hard at them tomorrow, especially after going for runs against India.

Team news

Nazmul Hossain took three wickets against Sri Lanka on his comeback in place of the injured Shafiul Islam. Bangladesh could go in with the same side that beat Sri Lanka.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Nazimuddin, 3 Jahurul Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Nazmul Hossain, 11 Shahadat HossainPakistan played five bowlers against India, but Wahab Riaz, included in place of the specialist wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, went for 50 in four overs. Sarfraz is expected to return for the final, freeing Umar Akmal of the additional responsibility of keeping wicket.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have made the Asia Cup final for only the third time. They won their previous final (in Dhaka in 2000) by 39 runs. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have made their first final of a multi-nation tournament since reaching the final of the tri-series at home in 2009
• If Bangladesh go on to win the final, they will become only the second team after Australia (in the 2003 World Cup) to beat India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in a single tournament

Quotes

“I was out of the country and having a holiday when these things were happening. It gave me some rest and mental freshness. I wanted to prove myself in the game after I came back. I worked hard and it’s going alright.”

Abdur Razzak has promised to not take a backward step when he comes up against Chris Gayle in Bangladesh’s crucial game against West Indies on Friday

Sidharth Monga in Mirpur02-Mar-2011Abdur Razzak has promised to not take a backward step when he comes up against Chris Gayle in Bangladesh’s crucial game against West Indies on Friday, a game that could determine both teams’ chances of making it to the knockout stages of the tournament. “It is difficult for a left-arm spinner to bowl to a left-hander,” Razzak said. “But I can’t sit and keep thinking about it. I have to move forward and irrespective of who is batting, whether it’s Gayle or someone else, a good ball is good for all batsmen.”I am absolutely ready to take on Gayle. There is no way you can take a step backwards or you could get pushed over. It does not help if you go on to the back foot.”Although not a star in the Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan mould, Razzak has been a constant in Bangladesh’s success over the years. Twice in this World Cup, he has been called upon to bowl inside the first five overs, and on both occasions he has had some impact. That being the state of affairs, Razzak v Gayle promises to be a key contest.Razzak’s plan against Gayle? “No particular plan. The plan is always the same: maintaining a proper line and length, and using pace variation. I have tried to do well in both matches, but it has not worked yet. Hopefully I will come good against West Indies. Actually you cannot take wickets by force. But I will stick to my job and hopefully the wickets will come. There is no extra pressure.”Razzak is hoping he will get a track that will provide him more turn than the pitches in the first two games. “Hopefully we will get some turn on this pitch,” Razzak said. “We did not get enough in the first two matches. This one looks like it is going to turn, but then you can’t say for sure before you actually play on it.”Razzak sought to not take added pressure of this being a virtual play-off for quarter-finals. Especially considering this is the game that coach Jamie Siddons had pencilled as their third expected victory, to go with Ireland and Netherlands. “Actually every game in the World Cup is big, and it is not that we are just thinking of Ireland and Holland or for that matter West Indies. We are looking forward to all the matches.”One of those expected wins came the hard way, when Bangladesh had to put all their resources together to come back from behind and beat Ireland last Friday. Such wins can stir teams onto larger things, Razzak said. “A win like the way it came against Ireland makes a lot of difference to the team’s morale. It was a pretty tight game. The first six overs were excellent, but then we lost our way in batting. But we came back strongly with the ball and it was very good for the team. Everyone contributed.”

Graham Onions faces an extended period on the sidelines after the back injury which forced him to leave the Bangladesh tour proved to be more serious that first thought

Cricinfo staff23-Mar-2010Graham Onions faces an extended period on the sidelines after the back injury which forced him to leave the Bangladesh tour proved to be more serious that first thought. He now has a battle to be fit for Bangladesh’s return visit with the series starting at the end of May.The ECB had asked Durham to take Onions, who is a centrally contracted player, with them to Abu Dhabi for their floodlit match against MCC but he will now remain in England for further treatment and is unlikely to make the start of Durham’s Championship defence on April 15.”He came back from Bangladesh with a back injury, which they initially thought was a minor complaint,” Geoff Cook, the Durham coach, told the . “X-rays, though, have shown it is a bit more serious and he has gone for another set of scans. He may be out for a month, he may be out for a month or two.””We have not been able to identify the exact cause of the problem,” Cook added. “He had another scan over the weekend and we are waiting for the results. It is disappointing he probably won’t be fit for the start of the season, especially for Graham as he has international aspirations. I am sure it is also a concern for England because they were starting to pull a bowling group together.”Will Smith, the Durham captain, had earlier told Cricinfo he hoped to have Onions available for the start of the season but now it appears he won’t have the luxury of the added firepower during the opening weeks of the summer. Smith, though, believes Onions has a key part to play in England’s bowling attack.”When he did play I don’t think he did a great deal wrong and was unlucky not to play the last Test in South Africa and he has done himself proud this winter,” he said. “The more we see him the better for us, of course, but for Graham’s career I would love to see him playing for England as much as he can.”It has been a difficult few months for Onions after he was surprisingly left out of the final Test against South Africa, at Johannesburg, when the management felt he was fatigued. This was despite him having bowling impressively, but without luck, during the first three Tests and twice surviving the last over at Centurion and Cape Town to secure thrilling draws.With James Anderson rested for the tour of Bangladesh he had been earmarked for a recall, but arrived for the trip with his back problem and when it didn’t improve ahead of the first Test at Chittagong he was sent home.Meanwhile, Onions’ county team-mate Liam Plunkett will leave Bangladesh a day early after experience discomfort in his elbow. He will be assessed back in England and may yet link up with Durham in Abu Dhabi for the MCC match which starts on March 29. Plunkett’s winter has been spent on the sidelines with just one international appearance in the third one-day against Bangladesh.

Getting to his 400th wicket in his 100th Test, with a flurry of records thrown in, makes it a game to remember for Mitchell Starc

Andrew McGlashan15-Jul-2025Mitchell Starc termed the Jamaica Test match as an “uncomfortable” one for him. West Indies’ batters might well have said, “speak for yourself”. Starc was not, of course, referring to when he had the pink ball in hand.Starc’s feelings around the last few days refer to the attention on him for his 100th Test. “Get on with the cricket,” he said ahead of the game. He has often spoken about how he will only reflect on landmarks and achievements when he hangs up the bowling boots. In this match, he added plenty to the list: a triple-wicket opening over, his 400th wicket, and the quickest five-wicket haul in a Test innings.It was as though he was putting together his own highlights package to mark the occasion: inswingers, pads struck, stumps splattered. Only one of his wickets needed the assistance of a fielder. In some ways, it was a bit of a shame Mikyle Louis got his pad in the way of the 400th.Related

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The night before the match, Starc was presented with a couple of signed shirts and a bottle of Jamaican rum to mark his century. But what seemed most special was a video put together with messages from family, friends, former Australia cricketers and players from his AFL team, Greater Western Sydney Giants.”It’s certainly been uncomfortable throughout the week,” he said. “I was happy just to have a win and sing the song. It’s certainly been a special week to play, to wear the baggy green. It’s been one I’ll cherish for a long time.”Such was the speed of Australia’s victory (or West Indies’ disintegration) that supporters were playing on the outfield before it even went dark. While Starc and Scott Boland finished the game in the blink of eye, this was not a collapse under lights. On the first two days of the match, wickets had been hard-earned in the first two sessions. But on the third, the sun hadn’t even started setting when Starc claimed three in his first over.In fact, Australia bowled just nine overs under lights for the game, on the first evening after they made the decision to have a thrash, losing 7 for 68 in the process. They found themselves batting under lights yesterday and were 99 for 6. In the fourth innings, they were preparing to try and hold the game until the lights took hold, hoping 203 runs would be enough to take the game deep if needed.”[It’s] probably a win against the conditions in the fact that we only bowled ten [nine] overs under lights,” Starc said. “I think everyone today with the ball was pretty spot on. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen that quickly. We were talking about almost consolidating the scoreboard until we got closer to that night session.”It wasn’t a plan to drag it out. [But] if things weren’t happening straight away, we knew that things would happen quicker in the night session. [It was like] this is what we want to do at the start, but if it doesn’t happen straight away, let’s just chill out and stop the scoreboard and cash in at night. Didn’t need to.”Starc’s 6 for 9 took him to 20 wickets at 16.45 in this four-Test stretch, which started with the World Test Championship final. For the second time in ten Tests, following his 6 for 48, also with the pink ball against India last season in Adelaide, he has improved his career-best.Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead the trophy celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

“I felt like my rhythm has been pretty good for a while now,” he said. “Even coming into the lead up to Lord’s, I felt like everything was clicking into place. It’s been nice to have that carry on throughout the series. Today, again, just felt like everything was in sync and got some late swing. I think perhaps the breeze might have helped in the fact that I wasn’t under lights.”Starc’s six and Boland’s hat-trick meant that for just the second time in an innings of significance when he was fit, Pat Cummins wasn’t required to bowl. “My favourite part,” he joked.”I think a lot of the chat leading into this week is how resilient you need to be and professional to make it 100 Tests,” Cummins said of Starc. “[But] I think that’s kind of the Starcy I always remember playing alongside. He can tear a game open by himself really in the matter of a couple of overs. It feels like he can do it in any format, any time.”When day-night Tests were introduced, Starc was a strong voice questioning the wisdom of it. He still believes they need to be scheduled carefully, and that Adelaide is an ideal model, but he can see a place for them – 81 wickets 17.08 no doubt helps.”It’s good for my record,” he said with a smile.

Only Healy posed a challenge in Warriorz’s chase but spinners turned the match in RCB’s favour

Valkerie Baynes04-Mar-2024Was it a grimace or a grin that spread across Ellyse Perry’s face with the sound of smashing glass and screaming RCB fans ringing in her ears? A grin, surely, for she had just obliterated the window of a sponsor’s car with her fourth six of a remarkable innings which helped her side to a mammoth total and, ultimately, victory over UP Warriorz.Smriti Mandhana had already roughed up the Warriorz bowlers with her stunning 80 off 50 deliveries, her second half-century in three games, and Perry delivered the decisive blow with a 37-ball 58, the pair sharing a 95-run stand for the second wicket to set Warriorz a lofty victory target of 199.A determined 55 off 38 balls by Alyssa Healy gave Warriorz hope but it wasn’t enough as RCB held on to break a two-game losing streak in their last match at home in Bengaluru before the tournament moves to Delhi, giving Perry and her team plenty to smile about.

Mandhana magic

S Meghana moved up to open ahead of Sophie Devine and raced to 28 off 21 balls with five fours to complement Mandhana’s no-nonsense scoring. By the end of the powerplay, RCB were flying at 57 for 1, Meghana skying Anjali Sarvani to extra cover where Chamari Athapaththu stood waiting under a comfortable catch. Her departure signalled Perry’s arrival as Devine stayed in the dugout, RCB continuing to play with their batting order.Mandhana should have been out for 28 when she lofted Sophie Ecclestone down the ground but Athapaththu looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up after she over-ran what should have been a straightforward catch. She sprinted in from long-off and then had to reach overhead but failed to hold on. Mandhana moved to 48 by advancing down the pitch and punching a Rajeshwari Gayakwad delivery over extra cover for a 75m six and she brought up her half-century off 34 balls swinging Grace Harris away through midwicket for a single. Perry chimed in with a maximum off Harris over wide long-on and Mandhana picked off three boundaries in one Athapaththu over followed by three more off Sarvani – plus one to Perry – leaving UP Warriorz looking bereft.An Ellyse Perry six ended up shattering the window of the sponsor’s car•BCCI

Smashing from Perry

By the time Mandhana holed out to deep midwicket off Deepti Sharma in the 17th over, she and Perry had done serious damage, with RCB cruising at 146 for 2. Gayakwad conceded 21 runs off the 18th over, chiefly through back-to-back sixes to Perry followed by another maximum, slog-swept by Richa Ghosh, who came in at No. 4. Perry raised her fifty off 34 balls charging at Deepti and smashing the ball back over the bowler’s head for four. But it was her heave over wide long-on two balls later off Deepti that was the highlight, leaving the ball to be fished from a mound of glass on the back seat of the promotional car and Warriorz with a mountain to climb. Perry fell in the final over, spooning an Ecclestone delivery to Poonam Khemnar at deep midwicket. Ghosh threaded the final ball of the innings through backward point for four as RCB finished just shy of the 200-mark.

Warriorz come out fighting

After a maiden from Renuka Singh to begin, Warriorz set off in keen pursuit, Healy smashing two sixes off Devine in the second over and Renuka conceding an eye-watering 24 off the next. Devine had Kiran Navgire caught by Georgia Wareham, running back from mid-on in the fifth over, but at the end of the powerplay, Warriorz were just one run behind where RCB had been at the same point in their innings. Healy greeted leg-spinner Wareham’s first ball with a slog sweep for six but she was left stunned when RCB removed Athapaththu on review. A wide-eyed Healy shouted, “no way” when ball-tracking showed the ball pitching in on leg stump and going on to hit middle stump halfway up, contrary to the expected path of a conventional leg-spinner.Harris was relaxed and smiling when she arrived to join Healy at the crease but Devine claimed her second wicket with a slower length ball which Harris looked to scoop, only to find Ghosh, who anticipated her shot and started moving to her left and leapt high in the air to claim an excellent catch. Undeterred, Healy helped herself to three consecutive fours off Wareham’s next over. But then Asha Sobhana, who had taken a five-for as RCB squeaked home by two runs in the first meeting of 2024 between these sides, struck with her third delivery of the match to remove Shweta Sehrawat cheaply. Healy brought up her fifty off 34 balls with four off Asha through midwicket but, no sooner had she nailed a reverse sweep off Sophie Molineux to the boundary than she was out, stumped by Ghosh off the next ball.

Asha does it again

Needing 52 runs off the last four overs, Warriorz weren’t done battling as Deepti and Khemnar offered neat cameos in a 41-run stand for the sixth wicket. Both struck four fours and a six en route to 33 and 31 respectively but, in an attempt to reel in the target, Deepti came down the pitch to Asha and skewed the ball straight up. Asha and Ekta Bisht – the latter making her WPL debut at the age of 38 – both went for the catch and Asha managed to hold on, despite becoming entangled with her team-mate and going to ground. Wareham soon removed Ecclestone but Khemnar wouldn’t give up, ending the over with a four and a six. But, with 29 needed off the last, the task proved too much. Molineux bowled Khemnar with the final ball of the match as she, Asha, Wareham and Devine all finished with two wickets apiece.

Former England legspinner had been in job since late 2020

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2022Sussex have announced that Ian Salisbury, the club’s Championship and 50-over coach, will leave his position at the end of the season. Salisbury had reportedly been placed on gardening leave following a non-cricketing dispute with one of his players.Salisbury was appointed as co-head coach, alongside James Kirtley, in 2020. He inherited a young squad and, despite several players making good progress, Sussex have won just twice in red-ball cricket over the last two seasons – although they did make a run to the semi-finals of this year’s Royal London Cup.”We would like to thank Ian for his contribution to the club over the last couple of years and wish him well for the future in whatever this may hold,” Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, said. “He has helped develop a very promising group of young players and we are looking forward to seeing them develop further in the next few years.”Kirtley admitted the situation with Salisbury, who had not been involved with the first team since mid-August, was “an obvious distraction” during Sussex’s final Championship game of the season, against Glamorgan at Hove, which ended on Thursday in a draw, leaving them second from bottom in Division Two.Salisbury was described as being “not part of the business” earlier this week, with the BBC reporting that the issue centred on his handling of young offspinner Jack Carson.On leaving the club where he played between 1989-1996, Salisbury said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Sussex for last two years and the journey has really helped me after the loss of my wife. However it’s the right thing for myself and daughter to look for a fresh challenge.”I want to thank the backroom staff, ground staff, foundation, office staff, catering and stewards for their support throughout my time at Hove. Whoever takes over from myself will inherit a very talented homegrown squad who if supported from above are ready to fly in the next few years.”

“Whichever opportunity I get to be back at the ground, I will be really eager for that”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2021Mumbai-based left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan has been cleared by the BCCI to resume playing professional cricket after he received a revocation letter from the board that confirmed his ban – originally for life – had been reduced to seven years.In an email accessed by ESPNcricinfo, BCCI interim chief executive Hemang Amin confirmed that Chavan’s ban had effectively ended on September 13, 2020 based on an order received last month. The BCCI ombudsman, the email said, “has restricted the ban imposed on you from life ban to 7 years, with effect from 13 September 2013. In view of the order dated 3 May 2021, the ban imposed on you therefore ended on 13 September, 2020.”Related

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While the ban in principle got over in September 2020, unlike Sreesanth, whose order for a similar term reduction arrived last August, Chavan had to wait till May 3, 2021 to get a copy of the order from the ombudsman. Chavan subsequently requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to apply to the BCCI for a confirmation letter, a requisite for him to return to competitive cricket, which he received on June 15 from Amin.”The ban has been completely over as of September 2020,” Chavan told PTI on Tuesday, soon after the development. “I am open for whatever (comes) my way. I am really looking forward to getting on the ground as soon as possible.”Unfortunately, because of the pandemic (Covid-19) and the rains, the grounds would probably be closed but whichever opportunity I get to be back at the ground, I will be really eager for that.”In 2013, Chavan was given a life ban for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal. Chavan was one of three Rajasthan Royals players, along with Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila, to be chargesheeted by the Delhi Police at the time.Sreesanth had received his order before his ban ended last year, allowing him to participate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year.”I got (a) letter from (the) ombudsman that my ban has been reduced to seven years,” Chavan told PTI earlier this month. “The same as what was given to Sreesanth, but his order came before the end of the ban and mine after the completion of ban. Since I didn’t get that letter, I had to write to MCA requesting them to write to BCCI for that letter.”Chavan, 35, has played 18 first-class matches, 20 List A games and 26 T20s. His last representative match was against the Mumbai Indians in the 2013 IPL season.

The competition, featuring seven matches, will be held in Jaipur like last year

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-2020This year’s four-team Women’s T20 Challenge will be played on the sidelines of the IPL playoffs at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, which had also hosted last year’s competition.The BCCI confirmed via a release on Saturday that the expanded tournament – seven matches as against four last time and just one the year before – would be played “during the IPL Playoff and Finals week”, which will be after the league stage of the competition ends on May 17.ALSO READ: The case for a bigger, better Women’s T20 Challenge next yearThe first edition in 2018, had a one-off game between Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas and Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, while a third team – Velocity, led by Mithali Raj – was added in 2019, where the matches were played in a single round-robin format followed by a final, where Supernovas beat Velocity. They had won the inaugural edition too.Last year, 39 players including several top overseas stars, were divided among the three teams.