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The Bangladesh coach delivered some tough words during the tea interval on the third day in Mirpur and the players responded with an astonishing display

Mohammad Isam31-Oct-2016Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said that at tea time during on third day of the Mirpur Test there was apprehension that another winning position was slipping from their grasp after England had moved to 100 without loss chasing 273.Hathurusingha, who has been influential in Bangladesh’s rise in the last two years, praised the role of the players who stood up to his challenge to turn the situation around, particularly the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan. Tamim, Mushfiqur Rahim’s deputy, took an active role in setting fields while Shakib and Mehedi shared the ten wickets that fell in the third session, handing Bangladesh their maiden Test win over England.”The best thing I can tell you is that the big players stood up,” Hathurusingha told ESPNcricinfo. “I was disappointed and upset that we are nearly wasting another opportunity which we had in our hands. I had a chat with the boys. I challenged them to stand up. I told them that this opportunity will never come again. I am glad that a few people stood up and decided to do something different.”Bangladesh had previous frozen when near to a winning position on a number of occasions during England’s tour this year – particularly the first one-day international and at key moments of the opening Test – but Hathurusingha said that the team will become more successful if they keep getting out of difficult situations in matches.”This group is still learning. They have a long way to go. Otherwise we would have had more success. I hope that after this win, they will have better memories if they get into such winning positions in the future, to do on their own. They can find the ways on their own in the middle. There’s a lot of idea sharing and making sure we create the environment that they get challenged.”Hathurusingha, who has now overseen four Test wins for Bangladesh, said that he is more interested in getting the job done rather than pleasing those around him. He said that the players and the BCB were supportive of him.”I got lot of support from the players, who are open for ideas, and the board members which is all you want. You don’t need everyone to like you. In that way, you’re pleasing people. The more people criticise you, it means you are challenging what is happening. Results on top of that, give you a positive sign.”

Saeed Ajmal is facing disciplinary action after launching a scathing assessment of the ICC’s attitude towards illegal bowling actions

George Dobell05-Nov-2015Saeed Ajmal is facing disciplinary action after launching a scathing assessment of the ICC’s attitude towards illegal bowling actions.Ajmal, the Pakistan spinner, was forced to re-model his bowling action after testing in September 2014 suggested he exceeded the legal limits by some distance.While he was cleared to return to the professional game in February, his new action appears to provide him with little of the devil his bowling had previously. He has not played international cricket since April and missed his country’s 2-0 series victory over England in the UAE, opponents against whom he claimed 24 wickets at 14.70 on their previous visit in 2012.Now Ajmal has accused the ICC of double-standards, claiming that off-spinners have been unfairly targeted in the purge of illegal bowling actions and suggesting that the players of some countries – notably Pakistan – are more likely to be reported than those from some others. In particular, he delivered an unflattering – and perhaps slanderous – assessment of Harbhajan Singh’s bowling action.The PCB quickly responded by issuing Ajmal with a show notice, while it is possible that legal action could also follow from Harbhajan, whose success in remodelling his bowling action having twice been reported was recently hailed as “fantastic” by ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson.”Why just target the off-spinners?”Ajmal asked in interviews with Zainab Abbas on Dunya News and with Geo Super. “Why not the left-arm spinners, legspinners or fast bowlers?”I can tell you that I have been through this bowling assessment process so many times and have watched and studied this issue so closely that I can vouch that if tests were carried out, there would be many other bowlers whose bowling actions would exceed the 15 degrees extension limit.”I don’t want to take names but there are still bowlers, including fast bowlers, who are violating the new rules but no one is looking at them.”If they put Harbhajan Singh through a proper bowling assessment test now, I can safely tell you he will exceed the 15 degrees limit.”Richardson, speaking at a launch event for the World Cup about 12 months ago, said of Harbhajan: “now there is no question mark about the way he bowls”.Ajmal also questioned the timing of the reports, hinting that he felt it was motivated by a desire to destabilise the Pakistan team.”Just before the World Cup they ruled me and Hafeez out,” he said.”I find it strange that Bilal Asif plays his first two ODIs and doesn’t take many wickets, so no one reports his action. As soon as he takes five wickets, his action is reported by the umpires. They find fault with just two deliveries. I find this a joke.An ICC spokesman, however, insisted that bowlers of all types and of all nationalities were treated equally.”We have a robust and transparent process to test bowlers,” the spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “It is consistent to all countries and all types of bowlers. Indeed, a fast bowler has been reported and players from various nations have been reported.”We have five ICC accredited testing centres around the world in which members of ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists conduct tests using the ICC Standard Analysis Protocols. These protocols are the same for anyone who undergoes assessment of his bowling action. As a result, following assessments, some bowlers have been cleared to continue bowling; some have needed to re-model their actions.””Furthermore, a player can within seven days after receiving the independent assessment report seek a review of any procedural aspect of his case, but no player has done so.”

Preview of the 18th game of IPL 2013 between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab

The Preview by Rachna Shetty13-Apr-2013

Match facts

Sunday, April 14, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)The fast-paced Jaipur wicket should suit Kings XI Punjab’s host of seamers•BCCI

Big Picture

With fitness concerns to key players and a controversy dredged up from the past, Rajasthan Royals have a lot on their plate as they take on Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. Both teams were beaten convincingly in their last game and while they may seem evenly matched, Kings XI hold a slender advantage over Royals.If their dismal bowling against Pune Warriors is anything to go by, Royals missed Rahul Shukla and Shaun Tait and, on a home track that had pace and carry in its first game, the absence will be more acute. James Faulkner bowled well against Warriors but it is Sreesanth’s inconsistency that will worry Royals. Moreover, the fast-paced wicket in Jaipur will favour the Kings XI bowlers, with their line-up of Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris, Azhar Mahmood and Parvinder Awana. They stifled Warriors in the first game and on a responsive pitch, with their varying styles, can be an effective attack.Their collapse in the last game aside, Royals have a relatively settled look to their batting line-up. Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge and Stuart Binny have been among the runs, making up for the absence of a big-hitter. Their most significant weaknesses are the opening combination – in three games, their highest opening stand is 22, between Rahane and Kusal Perera – and the tendency to lose wickets in clusters towards the end, as was evident against Warriors. With two important bowlers missing from their ranks and Shane Watson injured – though Owais Shah said on the eve of the game that they should have a fully-fit squad to pick from come match day* – they will need to post a substantial total to challenge the Kings XI batsmen Adam Gilchrist, David Hussey, Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra.

Players to watch

With of string of scores in the 30s, Ajinkya Rahane seems to have found his groove in IPL 2013. He’s been losing his wicket after getting a start and against an opposition that has a challenging pace attack, the Royals will bank on Rahane to play a big innings.In spite of a career riddled with injuries, there are few who doubt Ryan Harris‘s skill or commitment to the game. He took 19 wickets in three first-class matches for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield this year and with a pace that skids on to the batsman, he can be a handful for the Royals’ batsman.

Stats and trivia

• Praveen Kumar shares the record for the most number of maiden overs bowled in the IPL (9)
• Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals have beaten by 10 wickets twice in the IPL.
• Siddarth Trivedi is the most successful bowler for Rajasthan Royals against Kings XI Punjab with nine wickets in seven matches.

Quotes

“Shane Watson was not fit in the last match but at the moment, as far as we have been told, everyone is fit to play. And the coaches and captain will pick [the XI] from a fit squad.”
“We have a lot of youngsters and will take time to settle down in the tournament.”
*06.30GMT, April 14: The preview has been updated after pre-match press conference quotes arrived

Test cricket is the format that catches New Zealand at their weakest, according to coach John Wright

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton13-Mar-2012Test cricket is the format that catches New Zealand at their weakest, according to coach John Wright. While they have been lauded for their craftiness in the limited-overs forms of the game, the complex strategies of a five-day battle is still an area in which they are developing.”Test match cricket is at a particular tempo that’s quite different from the Twenty20 and the 50-over stuff. We need to adjust to that and understand when to attack and when to defend, with both bat and ball,” Wright said.Mindset is often underlined as the difference between good teams and great ones, and Wright spoke of two of the greatest when he looked for an example of getting the balance right. “South Africa and Australia have a pretty good understanding of how to take positions,” he said. “They [South Africa] will come back harder, they’ve said so and we believe them. But we took some confidence out of that last match and if we could sneak one here it would be a great achievement.”Words like sneak and scrap have become associated with New Zealand cricket over the years, and they are ones New Zealand hope to replace with words like consistency. Almost every New Zealand player who has addressed the media on this tour has said that a few marquee wins, such as the one they achieved in Hobart last November, are not enough. Instead, they have to able to stack up such performances before they can be considered as being part of the top-tier.To begin achieving that, Wright said, New Zealand have to be able to challenge teams like South Africa more often. “I think it’s really important how we compete and how we’re seen to compete. Winning or losing is part of the game but a lot of the battle is in how you fight.”According to Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opener, New Zealand have competed in phases so far, rather than as a sustained effort. “They are a workmanlike team but for them to do well they have to combine well as a unit,” Petersen said. “They’ve done it in patches, they haven’t done it throughout the game.”One such example was Chris Martin’s four-ball burst on the first day of the Dunedin Test, in which he took three wickets. Soon after, the New Zealand attack appeared to relax and let some of the South Africa middle and lower-order batsmen, such as Vernon Philander, score runs that should have been prevented.Wright was also concerned about the way New Zealand let South Africa off the hook in the second innings. After having them at effectively 12 for 2, New Zealand allowed Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis to get big hundreds. “We had a situation where they were two down with two big players at the wicket and they got through that hour,” Wright said. “If we can get them into that area again, where they’re under pressure and we can take some wickets, who knows?”Creation and maintenance of pressure is one of Wright’s key goals for the series because it is the only way he can see New Zealand challenging a South African side that have no apparent weaknesses. “I look at South Africa and I see a very good cricket team, but I’ve always felt and we’ve always felt that very good cricket teams can be beaten,” he said. “There is an opportunity to put them under pressure and then, once you get them to that situation, see how they respond because that’s where you win and lose games.”South Africa have become better at handling pressure than they have been in the past. They were able to recover from a first day that they ended at 191 for 7 in Dunedin, and were in a commanding position by the fourth day of the match. “We started slowly off the blocks and when you start slow you are a bit concerned, but we found our way nicely,” Petersen said. “The first day of the series wasn’t ideal for us but we got on and we assessed the conditions and we played beautifully after that.”With the threat of South Africa improving as the series goes on, Wright said New Zealand are under no illusions of how difficult the task ahead of them is. “We know we’ve got to play good cricket to beat them and that won’t change; and we know that we’re probably going to be a better Test team further down the road. We’ve still got things to learn, we’ve still got youngsters there. Hopefully the senior players are going to set the example and we’ll be a little bit stronger, but that doesn’t mean to say we can’t beat South Africa in our own backyard if we do things correctly in the next Test, or the one after that.”Edited by Dustin Silgardo

The game against Pakistan will give Ricky Ponting an indication of where his men sit

Brydon Coverdale in Colombo18-Mar-2011A delayed flight, a midnight arrival at their hotel in Colombo and one afternoon training session on Friday might seem like a rushed preparation for Australia’s match against Pakistan on Saturday. In fact, their build-up has been anything but hurried. Ricky Ponting’s men have spent more than a month travelling around India and Sri Lanka, but in between rounds of golf and elephant rides, they’ve hardly got out of second gear on the field.So far, they haven’t needed to, and they enter Saturday’s game unbeaten and with first place in Group A there for the taking. Wins over Zimbabwe and a lacklustre New Zealand were followed a fortnight later by victories against Kenya and Canada. At times their opponents have surprised them with fireworks but overall it has been a slow burn, dampened by the wash-out against Sri Lanka, which was poised to be their first major challenge.Meanwhile, Pakistan have spent a month in Sri Lanka, stumbling once when Ross Taylor took a liking to the short boundaries in Pallekele, but otherwise steering themselves through to the quarter-finals with relative comfort, including a win over the home team. All that this match will determine is who Pakistan and Australia face in their first knockout game, and whether they play it in Colombo, Dhaka or Ahmedabad. But it will also give Ponting an indication of where his men sit.”We really do start to feel that the tournament is kicking off now,” Ponting said. “We’ve had our games along the way and the other big game we had in our pool matches was the game against Sri Lanka, which was washed out, unfortunately. We’ve been really excited about playing this game against Pakistan for quite a while.”During those longer breaks, we’ve trained exceptionally hard and trained very, very well. We just haven’t had the continuity we would have liked with our games. But we got a couple of good results in Bangalore last week. At this stage we’re the only undefeated team in the tournament, which is nice for us, but I think we’ll get a better feel tomorrow at the end of the game for just where we’re at and how well we’re placed in this World Cup.”The Australians will fancy their attack against Pakistan, who have been bowled out for 184 by Canada and 192 by New Zealand in their past three games. But the big challenge will be overcoming a Pakistan bowling group led by Umar Gul, with his swinging yorkers, and the captain Shahid Afridi, who is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.The last time the teams met in an ODI, Afridi stuck the ball in his mouth. This time, he’ll be looking for bite off the pitch and at the Premadasa, where even Steven Smith was turning the ball sharply before the rain came against Sri Lanka, Afridi could be a handful.”He has been the standout bowler, wickets-wise, in the tournament so far,” Ponting said. “He tends to control the middle of their bowling innings particularly well. He doesn’t go for a lot of runs, either, which is probably the main reason he’s taken the amount of wickets that he has. He builds up pressure, and if he builds up pressure from his end you can guarantee that the guy at the other end is more likely to strike and take wickets as well. That was one of the big things we spoke about this morning, making sure we play him well.”They’ve got a number of match-winning players in their team. If you look through their better-performed player through the tournament so far, you’d look at Afridi and Gul as the two guys who have been their standout players. We know we’re going to have to play those guys well tomorrow if we want to win the game. They’re a dangerous side. They proved that last time they played Sri Lanka here at this venue, how good a side they can be.”Pakistan were also the last team to beat Australia in a World Cup match, at Headingley in 1999, and Ponting’s men have now extended their streak to 34 games without a loss. Making it 35 will be their toughest challenge so far in this tournament, but after a month in second gear, they’ll be pleased to finally put the foot down.

Poonam Raut, the India women’s team left-arm spinner, has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action, during the second Twenty20 match against England in Mumbai

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010Poonam Raut, the India women’s team left-arm spinner, has been reported for a suspected illegal bowling action. She was reported by on-field umpires Ulhas Gandhe and S Ravi, after India’s second Twenty20 match against England, which was played on Saturday in Mumbai.Raut had returned figures of 3 for 12 in four overs during India’s victory in that match, her first wickets in Twenty20s. She has been part of the Indian team for a year now, making her debut in the one-day World Cup in Australia last March.Raut’s bowling action will now be scrutinised further under the ICC process relating to women’s Tests, ODIs and T20Is. She will be required to submit to an independent analysis of her action by a member of the ICC panel of human movement specialists, appointed in consultation with the BCCI. This analysis must take place within 21 days from the report being received by the BCCI, and the report of the analysis should be filed with the ICC within 2 weeks of the analysis.If Raut is found to have bowled with an illegal action during the independent analysis then she will be suspended from bowling until she undertakes remedial action and reassessment. India’s next international engagement is the World Twenty20 which begins in May.

The visitors have a cushion of 522 runs to pick up the eight wickets they need on the final day of the Guwahati Test

Sidharth Monga25-Nov-20252:10

Philander: ‘South Africa playing mind games with India’

South Africa ensured their first series win in India in 25 years by building on their lead for nearly five hours. While the declaration, setting India more than they have ever been set at home, seemed a touch conservative, the visitors went to stumps needing eight wickets on the final day to take away all 12 WTC points from this Test and consign India to their second whitewash at home in 12 months after 12 years of spotless series record.As it often happens in such match situations, the same pitch that South Africa batted on, looking untroubled for 70.3 overs, began to look unplayable in the 15.5 India got to play. Marco Jansen didn’t even bother with swing and seam, and began to bounce Yashasvi Jaiswal before getting him out on the cut shot. Simon Harmer, who has out-bowled the home spinners, continued his dream series with a dream offbreak to bowl KL Rahul through the gate, and came desperately close to getting B Sai Sudharsan out lbw.The day began with curiosity around how much South Africa valued the 12 full points from this match vis-a-vis ensuring they give India no chance to threaten their series lead. Turns out they were in no mood for adventure. Especially as the ball started to turn more consistently in the first session of the fourth day than it had done at any point before. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar got long spells in. Jadeja got Ryan Rickelton caught at extra cover, but then India did what they have struggled to do all Test: get wickets on defensive shots. Jadeja beat Aiden Markram’s outside edge and hit the off stump, Washington got one to bite at Temba Bavuma’s glove and settle in the hands of backward short leg.As three wickets fell for 18 runs, South Africa remained slightly cautious. Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi, though, managed to keep the threat of spin out with their sweeps and reverse sweeps. After Rishabh Pant missed a stumping off Stubbs, the No. 3 batter limited his options to just the sweeps whenever he wanted to force the pace.3:49

Can India’s youngsters grind out a draw?

Stubbs and de Zorzi added 101 for the fourth wicket, 41 of those in sweeps and reverse sweeps. Like Stubbs in the first innings, de Zorzi fell one short of a fifty, beaten on the sweep for a change. It was mid-afternoon and South Africa led by 466, but they still continued to bat at normal pace.Related

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Only after the lunch break did Stubbs get a move-on to try to complete a Test hundred, but even this charge was not frenetic. The team management gave him all the time as he scored 32 from the last 19 balls he faced, taking the lead past the 542 that Australia attained in Nagpur in 2004. He slog-swept Jadeja to go from 88 to 94, but Jadeja slowed the ball down to beat a repeat attempt. Stubbs still was the highest run-getter in the series (163), and would need a big effort from someone in the final innings to be eclipsed.That effort wasn’t coming from the openers. India have done this to many a visiting side – just when everybody thought they had been too conservative with the declaration, the pitch would magically change its nature and wickets would start falling.Something similar happened when Jansen ran in and started bowling short. In the first over itself, he had Jaiswal fending uncomfortably. One didn’t pop up, the other landed just short of second slip. While Jaiswal managed to ramp him once, he fell to his favourite cut shot again. Since Jaiswal’s debut, nobody has scored more Test runs with the cut off fast bowlers than his 291, but no one has got out as often as his seven times. Nobody has played as many false shots as he has on the cut to the fast bowler: 68. He averages 41.57 on the cut against fast bowlers, but has fallen to this shot four times in his last eight innings.3:19

Saba Karim: Spinners need long spell to set up batters

Rahul was more traditional in the route he took to fight for a draw. He scored just 6 off 30 balls, but the 30th was a bewitching dipping, drifting delivery, which had him playing well away from where he thought it would originally pitch. In panic, he turned his drive into a flick, but it wasn’t enough to plug the gap created between his body and his bat. Harmer was again level with Jansen for most wickets in the series: 12.Harmer came extremely close to taking the lead when he appealed for lbw against Sai Sudharsan. In all likelihood, the on-field call for not-out was down to an inside edge, but the replay showed the ball had hit the pad first. However, the ball tracking returned an umpire’s call on impact, saving Sudharsan to fight another day.India somehow survived the rest of the day but it looked like a wicket could fall anytime. South Africa now have six hours to take eight wickets because the light has consistently dipped by 4pm, not allowing any extra play.

Sussex now just 151 ahead as Middlesex make use of their turn on a flat Lord’s pitch

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2024Sam Robson and Ryan Higgins continued their fine form with centuries as Middlesex’s run-fest of a game with visitors Sussex continued on day three at Lord’s.Robson underpinned the hosts response to Sussex’s mammoth 554 for 9 with 136, the 35th first-class hundred of his career, while Higgins added the flair his third century of the campaign – an effort of 106 in Middlesex’s total of 403 for 6.Sussex, for whom Jack Carson returned figures of 3 for 89 will rue dropping Robson twice on 51 and 129, while Higgins was also given a life on 67 – England seamer Ollie Robinson the unlucky bowler on each occasion.Given Robson’s heroics it’s important to reflect he may have departed the scene in the opening over of the day. Responding to a call from partner Holden for an injudicious single, the right-hander running to the striker’s end would have been gone for all money given a direct hit. It set the tone for some sketchy running by the opener who suffered at least two other close calls.Robson’s driving however, whether square or through the covers was exquisite, one such stroke taking him to his half-century. The landmark came amid a testing morning burst from Robinson, Robson surviving a confident lbw shout from one which was just going over the top before Clark grassed the first of the two chances offered a slip, a tough one, but an expensive miss nonetheless.At the other end, Max Holden, a man revitalised this season moved to 50 with a minimum of fuss, helped by five boundaries, allowing the pair to steer the hosts to lunch at 140 for 1.Holden however, as on a few occasions this year fell soon after a resumption when the ball after dancing down the pitch to strike Jack Carson back over his head for four, he flashed at a wide one from the spinner to be caught at slip for 61.Leus Du Plooy’s contribution was brisk but brief, the acting captain paddling an innocuous ball wide of leg stump from Jaden Seales straight down the throat of long leg.Robson, though, found another ally in the form of all-rounder Higgins, who came out as ever bristling aggression, reverse sweeping Carson for four before playing the shot in the more orthodox fashion for the first six of the innings into the Grandstand.Robson meanwhile crunched his 14th four through cover to raise his hundred as the stand realised 79 by tea. The opener was given a second life shortly after the restart, Clark again the culprit at slip, Robinson again the unlucky bowler. Clark beat the ground in frustration, but the second top at least didn’t prove costly as Robson fell to the new ball, chipping a tired shot straight to mid-wicket.Higgins continued to be aggressive while Robinson continued to curse his luck. The seamer first found the inside edge of the Zimbabwean’s bat only for the ball to trickle onto the stumps without dislodging the bails, before Higgins flashed hard at a wide one on 67 to be reprieved again as James Coles failed to cling on at third slip.That scare survived, and with the luckless Robinson finally retreating into the outfield, Higgins forged on, striking Coles for successive boundaries to reach his hundred, before dancing down the pitch to Carson and missing the ball to be stumped by John Simpson.Tom Helm, promoted to seven, fell only two balls later in identical fashion to cause a few nerves, but 20-year-old Nathan Fernandes underlined his promise with a composed unbeaten 50 to leave the hosts just two short of the follow-on figure of 405 at stumps.

David Payne, Lance Morris and Peter Hatzoglou took three wickets apiece in a thrashing

Tristan Lavalette20-Jan-2023League leaders Perth Scorchers routed Adelaide Strikers to strengthen their BBL title favouritism with a seven-wicket thrashing.After electing to bat at Adelaide Oval, Strikers’ formidable batting order eyed a strong total but were thwarted by a typically disciplined Scorchers attack.David Payne, Lance Morris and Peter Hatzoglou snared three wickets apiece to underline Scorchers’ reservoir of bowling options as Strikers were dismissed within 17 overs.Related

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Scorchers mowed down the small victory target in the 12th over to claim the Jason Gillespie Trophy.They can wrap up top spot with a victory over Melbourne Renegades in their regular season finale at home on Sunday, while Strikers are in a logjam for a playoff spot.

Payne underlines Scorchers’ pace riches

Scorchers rested veteran left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff but they boast a decent replacement in Englishman Payne, who claimed the vital wickets of openers Matt Short and Travis Head to finish with 3 for 20 from three overs.Left-armer Payne, who last year made his England debut in an ODI against Netherlands, bowled in-form Short with a gem of a delivery through the gate to start Strikers’ rot.After being hit for two boundaries by a dismissive Head, who used his feet supremely, Payne hit back and had him caught at deep forward square leg.Having impressed against Thunder and Sixers in his BBL debut season, Payne swung the ball menacingly and returned in the backend to dismiss Adam Hose who was the only Strikers batter to offer resistance.His emergence has added to Scorchers’ embarrassment of pace riches with star quick Jhye Richardson set to return from a hamstring injury in time for the playoffs.David Payne made key early inroads•Getty Images

Strikers’ plan backfired

Strikers’ well-worn plan fell apart in a reckless batting display. They had beefed up their batting with the inclusion of Harry Nielsen and hoped several strategies would disrupt Scorchers’ all-conquering attack.Having lost Short in the opening over, Strikers used middle-order batter Thomas Kelly at No.3 – as they had planned if a wicket fell in the first two overs.They hoped Kelly could be something of a pinch-hitter while allowing Alex Carey – an excellent player against spin – to drop down the order in a bid to curb Scorchers’ spinners Hatzoglou and Ashton Agar, who generally bowl in tandem after the powerplay.But Kelly’s promotion didn’t work as he failed to collar Agar in the second over before falling to Morris having made just nine off 13 balls.Coming to the crease earlier than expected, Carey fell to Hatzoglou for just one as Strikers slumped to 4 for 22 and they never recovered.

Hardie’s confidence is soaring

Scorchers players have been ribbing Nick Hobson about not being needed to bat. He might be the butt of more jokes after not batting for the fifth time in their last six matches.Hobson started the season at No. 3 but has fallen down the order and mostly not been required recently with his replacement Aaron Hardie relishing his promotion.Emerging allrounder Hardie has become something of an expert in chasing highlighted by a career best 90 not out against Hobart Hurricanes last start.After Scorchers lost a couple of early wickets, Hardie ensured there would be no nerves for them with another display of power hitting to club 43 off 30 balls. He fell with victory in sight but moved just three runs behind Short as the BBL’s leading run scorer.

Opener was high on Arthur’s wish list in new role as club’s head of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2021Shan Masood will join Derbyshire as an overseas player after being recruited by former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur for the 2022 county season.Left-handed opener Masood played under Arthur during the latter’s three-year tenure as Pakistan head coach from 2016-19 and was a key target for Arthur upon being appointed as Derbyshire head of cricket last month following a stint as Sri Lanka head coach which started in early 2020.”Playing county cricket in England is something I’ve always wanted to do, so when Mickey approached me to join Derbyshire, I jumped at the chance,” the 32-year-old Masood said. “He’s perhaps been the greatest influence in my career and I’m looking forward to working with him again at Derbyshire.Related

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“It’s an exciting time for the club and hopefully I can contribute at the top of the order and use my experience to help the younger players in their development.”Masood has made 25 Test appearances for Pakistan, scoring four centuries – including 156 against England at Emirates Old Trafford in 2020 – and has six Test fifties to his name. Despite an impressive record in List A matches in Pakistan, Masood has played only five ODIs.In T20s, he captained the Multan Sultans side which topped the PSL table before being knocked out during the play-off stages in 2020 and was part of the team which won the 2021 PSL title last June.Masood first played in England early in his career, scoring a Stamford School-record 1,237 runs at an average of 103 in 2009, and he played three first-class matches for Durham University.He will be available for all formats throughout Derbyshire’s 2022 campaign, starting with their first LV= County Championship fixture in April.Ryan Duckett, Derbyshire’s chief executive, said: “Shan is an immensely talented batter and was a key target for head of cricket, Mickey Arthur, in his plans to develop the Derbyshire squad.”He knows Mickey’s standards and what is expected both in training and out in the middle and I’m looking forward to seeing what his experience brings to Derbyshire.”