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Balbirnie, Tector centuries in vain as Burl, Raza star in chase for Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2023Zimbabwe beat Ireland by three wickets in a thrilling final-ball finish in Harare. Needing four to win off the final ball, Clive Madande swiped Graham Hume for four over midwicket to seal the win at a boisterous Harare Sports Club.Zimbabwe had won the toss with Craig Ervine opting to field first, and Zimbabwe’s bowlers immediately put Ireland under pressure. The visitors struggled in the opening powerplay against Richard Ngarava and Victor Nyauchi, and at that stage, Ireland were 28 for 2.But a 212-run partnership between Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector put Ireland on course for a strong total. Both men got centuries, before Balbirnie was forced to retire hurt on 121 after he top-edged a ball into the grill of his helmet, and was forced off concussed. But cameos at the death from George Dockerell and Lorcan Tucker took Ireland to 288.Ireland kept Zimbabwe reined in during the powerplay as well, and the loss of the openers saw the asking rate rise. But Zimbabwe’s trusted middle order put the home side back on course. Craig Ervine and Gary Balance got runs, before a 76-run partnership between Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl – who scored 59 – brought Zimbabwe back into the game.Rain arrived in the 34th over, at which stage Zimbabwe were two runs behind the DLS target. After more than an hour, the sides got back on the pitch, with Zimbabwe requiring 39 off 22 balls. The loss of Raza immediately after put Ireland in the driving seat, leaving Burl to fight on almost single-handedly.A few lusty blows from the left-hander brought Zimbabwe close, but when he was run out trying to get back on strike, his side still needed 11 off four balls. Brad Evans hit a six off the first ball before being dismissed the next, and in the end, Zimbabwe needed four off the last delivery. An overpitched ball from Hume was smeared to cow corner by Madande as Zimbabwe sealed a scintillating win.

Dahiya played two Tests and 19 ODIs for India between November 2000 and April 2001

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2021Former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya has been appointed Uttar Pradesh’s head coach ahead of the upcoming Indian domestic season, which sees the return of the Ranji Trophy. He takes over from Gyanendra Pandey who has stepped down from the post.”We look forward to a fantastic journey for achieving all our dreams under his proven mentorship,” UPCA posted on Twitter.Dahiya brings with him the experience of coaching Delhi and being part of IPL backrooms in the past. He had worked with the Kolkata Knight Riders as an assistant coach and more recently performed a similar role for Delhi Capitals in the league.Dahiya played two Tests and 19 ODIs for India between November 2000 and April 2001. Dahiya had a more successful domestic career, effecting 159 dismissals in first-class cricket for Delhi. Only Surinder Khanna (171) and Punit Bisht (216) have claimed more victims among Delhi keepers in first-class cricket.UP will open their 2021-22 domestic campaign with a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 fixture against Chandigarh in a Group E clash on November 4.

Head coach hails persistence of pace attack as late wickets put West Indies on top

Matt Roller11-Jul-2020West Indies head coach Phil Simmons hailed his bowling attack’s persistence and patience after five late wickets put his team into the driving seat against England.When Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes combined for a fluent partnership of 98, the bulk of which were made after the tea interval, it had looked as though the game was drifting away from West Indies, who had managed only three wickets in the day. But after Jason Holder removed Stokes for the second time in the match, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel took two wickets apiece in quick spells which seemed to vindicate Holder’s emphasis on discipline and patience throughout the match.”It showed the persistence of the bowlers,” Simmons said. “We’d been fighting all day and Stokes and Zak started to take the bowling apart. But the persistence of Jason [was rewarded] and then Alzarri’s spell was a huge spell too.ALSO READ: Late burst from WI seamers hits England hopes“I’m extremely pleased with the way the bowlers bowled today – both when two batters [Rory Burns and Dom Sibley] batted before lunch and more so when Stokes and Crawley were trying to take it away from us.”The patience we exhibited has been something that we’ve been asking for for a while, and today it showed up. We bore the fruit of that in the evening session. You can’t really say much more – they stuck to their tasks.”In particular, the flurry of wickets before the close seemed to reward Holder’s sparing use of his two strike bowlers earlier in the day.While it would have been tempting to throw Gabriel and Joseph the ball and ask them to target England’s top three with bouncers, Holder instead split the bulk of the workload between the relentless Kemar Roach, himself, and offspinner Roston Chase, choking England’s scoring on a slow pitch.That meant that Joseph had bowled only 11 of the day’s 80 overs when he returned to bowl with the second new ball still offering movement, and the rewards were immediate: his was the fastest spell of the innings, and accounted for both Crawley – caught and bowled in his follow-through – and Buttler, who was bowled through the gate.Gabriel, too, was fresh upon his return after only 12 overs in the day, and twice beat Dom Bess in the off-stump channel in the first over of his spell before knocking out his off pole in his second. Four balls later, he got one to lift from a length which Ollie Pope only managed to chop on, leaving England eight wickets down with a slender lead of 165.Shannon Gabriel successfully appeals for the wicket of Dom Sibley•Getty Images

Simmons said that there had not been a specific plan to leave some energy in the tank moving into the final hour, but hailed Holder’s management of his bowlers throughout the match so far.”It’s just how the captain sees it when he’s out there,” Simmons said. “That’s just the way he rotated his bowlers today, and it worked well for us in the end.”When [Alzarri] is bowling like he bowled this evening here, he’s always going to be a threat to any batting line-up we play against. That’s the thought we are trying to get in his head: that this is the type of spell we want from him and need from him.”Part of Test cricket is about patience, especially when you have wickets like this to play on, and it’s something that we’ve been working on hard – not getting bored at doing the simple things and the basic things for a while to put people under pressure. I’m glad to see it’s working, and guys are thinking about what we’ve been working on.”Simmons gave further praise to Gabriel, who has now taken seven wickets in his first first-class appearance since last September following a long ankle lay-off.”It shows his desire to play for West Indies, coming back from ankle surgery and doing all the hard work he’s done. Even during lockdown in Trinidad, he was finding ways to train to get himself fit for this series. You can only compliment him.”I’m sure that Jason is happy to have him, Roach is happy to have him as an opening partner, and Alzarri is coming up with them. It’s great to see the combination and how they’re working together. That’s the important thing, how they bowl together and it’s showing and it’s improving.”As for the fourth innings, Simmons suggested that the benefit of late wickets was that it meant there would be little in the way of scoring pressure on his batsmen.”We’ve got to get the two wickets, and whatever is put in front of us, we have a day to bat. The confidence from the way we batted and the attitude towards batting in the first innings is going to be a huge plus for us when we bat in the second innings.”Whether we’re chasing 170 or 190, it’s going to be the same attitude that we need to chase it. I have confidence in that.”

Finch addressed the media after their third and final warm-up game against New Zealand in Brisbane, and also praised Steven Smith’s successful return into the Australian set-up

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane10-May-20191:18

Don’t have a fixed opening combination yet – Finch

Australia still have a “lot of questions to answer” before their opening World Cup match, according to captain Aaron Finch, but being able to call on the experience of six previous winners in their 15-man squad could be a key factor as they attempt to defend their title and claim the tournament for the sixth time.The squad completed their Brisbane camp with the third match against a New Zealand XI on Friday, Steven Smith hitting an unbeaten 91 and Glenn Maxwell a flamboyant 70. They then went straight to the airport to fly to Turkey for a visit to Gallipoli, a trip that Steve Waugh’s 2001 Ashes side had undertaken too. From there, they reach London in the middle of next week ahead of their final warm-up period before opening their campaign on June 1 against Afghanistan in Bristol.ALSO READ: Langer ‘slept better’ after Smith’s show of formFinch, one of the six players who were part of the 2015 triumph on home soil, along with Smith, Maxwell, David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, said a World Cup is a “different” experience from the bilateral series that form most of a players’ career.”I think it’s a big advantage, just to know what it takes to win a World Cup and what it takes to manage your way through a campaign which can be difficult,” Finch said. “You have to be at your best at the business end but you can’t afford to let anything slip at the start. Six guys who have been there and done that will give a lot of experience to the others of what to expect, what to feel walking out there because it is different.”When you talk so much about it, when it finally happens it’s a relief to be looking forward. The fact everyone is together and getting on great, the boys are pumped to ramp up the preparations. It really is the time of your life a World Cup so that will be awesome.”Australia are not favourites for the tournament but are in much better shape than they were just a few months ago, having strung together eight wins in a row away against India and Pakistan. However, the final build-up, dominated by the return of Smith and Warner, has filled in all the blanks with the batting order, though bowling combinations are yet to be firmed.They used three different opening partnerships in the three matches in Brisbane as well as other tweaks to the order. It remains likely that Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh are playing off for one position.”I think it’s just about giving everyone an opportunity at the top of the order to get some game time as much as anything,” Finch said. “I think it’s a good opportunity to mix and match and with the three games in the UK we might keep everyone guessing a bit, but the honest answer is, no, we don’t have a definitive answer on what that will look like at the moment. There are a lot of questions still to be answer but we are in a great place to do that.”ALSO READ: How busy are Australia’s cricketers?Finch was the only one to score a half-century opening the innings in the three matches with Warner not quite able to continue his serene progress from the IPL. Smith produced the two most significant innings of the week with his brace of unbeaten knocks.”His [Smith] timing and class was back again,” Finch said. “It was like he hadn’t left. His drives down the ground on a really difficult wicket to time off the front foot was so impressive, just the amount of time he spent in the middle and how he went through the gears was very impressive.”Smith was also active in offering advice to the captains, Finch in the first two matches and Alex Carey in the last one, with the team happy to lean on the experience of their former captain and Warner, the former vice-captain.”They are two of the best players in the world which is valuable to have at your disposal,” Finch said. “The boys have been brilliant. All the work off the field with the team has been great. It’s an interesting time, no doubt, when they are coming back in but still a great opportunity for everyone to learn off them as well. They have so much experience and what they bring to the group is really valuable.”

Jake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 after Cameron White struck his 21st first-class hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2018Getty Images

Jake Weatherald’s 62, coupled with an unbeaten 48 from Alex Ross, bolstered South Australia’s lead to 216 on day three at the Adelaide Oval. Cameron White headlined Victoria’s response with a 149 in a must-win match for them, but debutant left-arm medium-pacer Nick Winter struck with a five-wicket haul to hand South Australia a slim first-innings lead of eight runs.Seb Gotch was bowled on the fourth ball of the day by Daniel Worrall while White built on his overnight score of 68 to score his 21st first-class century, collecting a total of 10 fours and four sixes, before handing a catch to Ross off Joe Mennie. Chris Tremain’s 23 helped Victoria narrow the deficit, before Winter bagged a couple of lower-order wickets to add to his previous day’s three-for. Worrall and Mennie picked two wickets each while Winter ended with 5 for 85.Weatherald got South Australia’s second innings underway with a 16-run first over against Peter Siddle, helping them race to 40 inside five overs. Tremain, however, broke the partnership in the next over, removing Kelvin Smith for 10. Even as Weatherald, who followed his century in the BBL final with a duck in the first innings, motored on to his eighth first-class fifty, strikes from Scott Boland and Jon Holland, and a run-out by Siddle, reduced South Australia to 5 for 134. Ross and Harry Nielsen subsequently steadied the innings with an unbeaten 74-run partnership that hoisted South Australia to 208 without the loss of any more wickets.

Australia made deep inroads into Pakistan’s batting line-up and ended a rain-hit day at the SCG ahead by 267 runs

The Report by Daniel Brettig05-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:45

Kimber: Younis a role model for young Pakistani batsmen

Good things come to those who wait. For the SCG crowd it was a couple of sessions of full-blooded play after waiting more than four hours in the rain. For Younis Khan it was a first century in Australia at the end of a barren tour. For Australia, it was a rush of wickets to give them a firm grip of the Pink Test with two days left.The wickets were as much due to Pakistan’s inattention as Australia’s excellence, with Azhar Ali and the captain Misbah-ul-Haq most due for introspection after falling prey to a run-out and a slog at Nathan Lyon, respectively. Asad Shafiq fell to a sublime catch by Steven Smith when he was already appealing for lbw, while Sarfraz Ahmed was accounted for by the extra bounce of the new ball in Mitchell Starc’s hands.Play was delayed until 2.45pm by light but persistent showers, reducing the minimum overs to be bowled to 54. Younis, though, was unperturbed by the break, continuing in a methodical manner on resumption and working his way towards a century. The milestone made him the only man to have a made a century in all 10 Test-playing nations plus Pakistan’s adopted home in the UAE.He was, however, complicit in the critical run-out of Azhar, who made it as far as 71 before he was undone by the combination of a ball driven fractionally out of the reach of mid-on – whom he had to wait for – and the strong left arm of Starc, who threw adroitly to the substitute gloveman Peter Handscomb; Matthew Wade being off the field and back at the team hotel with illness.There had been some reverse-swing for Starc and Josh Hazlewood when play began, the captain Smith preferring the pace pair to spin for the first 12 overs of the day. In that time Azhar evaded a close lbw shout from Hazlewood when on 59, the ball hitting leg stump but not enough to overrule the on-field call.Azhar Ali’s run-out ended a stubborn 146-run stand•Getty Images

A couple of other shots fell fractionally short of the fielders, and when Lyon was introduced he was able to gain some appreciable turn. However Azhar’s run-out was the only wicket, as Misbah hung on grimly in Younis’ more comfortable company until tea.One of the more intriguing duels in this series has been that between Misbah and Lyon; more or less the inverse of how things panned out in the UAE in 2014. While Misbah has tried to attack Lyon in the old familiar style, balls have been going to hand rather than over the boundary, and so it was again when he swung for the Bill O’Reilly Stand and could only find the substitute fielder Jackson Bird.At the other end Steve O’Keefe bowled neatly, challenging the stumps from wide of the crease, and was going up to appeal against Shafiq when a ball skidded on seemingly past the inside edge. Smith was up too, but somehow composed himself to claim a one-handed catch via Handscomb’s leg, which replays showed was the mode of dismissal due to the the thinnest of deflections from the bat.Sarfraz showed his familiar attacking intent but was unable to get over the new ball, offering another chance well held by Bird. Mohammad Amir showed rather less composure than he had done on previous visits to the middle, swishing Lyon heedlessly to mid-off. When Wahab Riaz was bowled by Lyon’s sharp offbreak in the penultimate over Australia were very much ascendant, in spite of Younis’ best efforts.

A round-up of the matches in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge 2015-16

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Andre Russell helped keep Dolphins to 82 for 9 with figures of 3 for 15•Getty Images

A dominant bowling performance followed by Theunis de Bruyn’s 42 steered Knights to a comfortable eight-wicket win – their second win of the season – over the Dolphins in a low-scoring game in Port Elizabeth. Andre Russell and Malusi Siboto took three wickets apiece, as Dolphins were restricted to 82 for 9 in 20 overs.Dolphins got off to a horror start after choosing to bat, as they were left reeling at 35 for 5 at the end of the 10th over. They failed to recover from that start as wickets fell regularly – including two run-outs – and substantial partnerships were hard to stitch. Dwayne Bravo, who was the only batsman to score more than 15, top-scored with a 24-ball 23, before he was dismissed by Russell in the final over.In the chase, Knights too were off to a dodgy start, losing both openers within the first three overs. De Bruyn then came in and combined with Aubrey Swanepoel to post an unbeaten 75-run partnership which helped Knights reach their target with eight overs to spare, earning them a bonus-point in the process.
ScorecardA strong batting performance from the Titans top order – headlined by Mangaliso Mosehle’s career-best innings – set up a 40-run victory against Warriors in Port Elizabeth. The margin gave Titans a bonus point and have all but secured their place in the tournament final.The Titans openers Quinton de Kock and Henry Davids put on 71 in 9.1 overs after their captain Albie Morkel chose to bat, laying a strong platform. Though they fell in the space of 13 runs, Mosehle gave the innings stability and momentum by making an unbeaten 65 off 36 balls. Warriors used seven bowlers but only two were able to take a wicket each as Titans finished on 167 for 3.The Warriors chase had a poor start – they lost one opener JJ Smuts with the score on 4 in 2.1 overs, and the other opener David White seven balls later with no addition to the total. When Yaseen Vallie was bowled by Junior Dala, reducing the innings to 8 for 3 in 5.1 overs, there was no coming back from that for Warriors. They slipped further to 49 for 5, and then again from 100 for 5 to 127 all out. Chris Morris had figures of 3 for 15, while Morkel finished with 2-1-2-1.

Essex’s head coach Paul Grayson has issued a public apology over what he described as the county’s “shambolic” display in losing to Northamptonshire by an innings

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2013Essex’s head coach Paul Grayson has issued a public apology over what he described as the county’s “shambolic” display in losing to Northamptonshire by an innings in Division Two of the Championship at Northampton last week.Grayson’s admission that Essex’s performance was “totally unacceptable” has brought further problems for the county in a week when the spot-fixing shame surrounding the county again returned to prominence.Danish Kaneria’s appeal against his life ban for spot fixing while playing for Essex is being heard by the ECB in London this week – and a former Essex bowler, Mervyn Westfield, who was jailed after being found guilty of involvement, has only agreed to give evidence to the hearing after he was ordered to do so by the High Court.Grayson, whose six-year tenure has now reached a critical stage, said: “As head coach, I feel that I wish to publicly express my apologies to all members and supporters for the shambolic performance produced by the Essex players that resulted in an innings defeat at Northamptonshire last week.”At one stage on day two with only two first-innings wickets intact, our opponents were still trailing by 12 runs but by the time the final two wickets had been claimed, they had forged a lead of 216 runs. We then generally batted poorly to add to the obvious shortcomings in the bowling department, all resulting in a defeat by a highly embarrassing margin.”I feel that it is right that our members and supporters should be aware that the players have been told in no uncertain terms that their performance, as a team, was totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”I can assure you that changes will be made for the next match that starts on Monday week against Hampshire at Chelmsford.”I feel that it is important to stress to our members and supporters that I, and the coaching staff, will continue to do everything in our powers to bring success to this club but the players have, of course, a major part to play if that desire we hold is to be realised.”The coaching staff have every confidence in the potential of the squad and we will continue to all work together to get our season back on track.”

Andy Flower, the England team director, has said that Stuart Broad’s recurring injury problems are a worry

Andrew McGlashan09-Apr-2012Andy Flower, the England team director, has said that Stuart Broad’s recurring injury problems are a worry. However he is resigned to Broad linking up with the IPL if he recovers from the calf strain that ruled him out of the second Test against Sri Lanka and has admitted the event is a “tricky” subject.It was the latest in a list of injuries for Broad over the last 18 months, starting with the stomach muscle strain that ruled him out of three Ashes Tests in Australia before a rib injury curtailed his World Cup campaign. Towards the end of the English season he then damaged his shoulder and missed the end of the India home series and Twenty20 matches against West Indies, plus the return contest in India during October which meant Graeme Swann was required as a stand-in T20 captain.”It is a concern,” Flower said. “He’s one of the leaders in our attack and our T20 captain as well. But he’ll be working hard to get back in readiness for the West Indies series.”Broad’s workload is one of the highest among the England squad with him playing all three formats but he has a contract with Kings XI Punjab which Flower knows he will need to honour if his calf recovers. If he does join up with the tournament he will return home to play one County Championship match, against Middlesex, before the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s on May 17. He was due to meet the ECB medical staff on Monday to assess his progress.”The IPL is a tricky subject and a tricky time in the cricketing calendar, and I don’t think there’s a perfect answer there,” Flower said. “My priority now is getting the guys ready for the West Indies series.”He’s contracted to his IPL side so if he’s fit he’ll go and play IPL and come back and play that first-class game prior to the West Indies series, as planned. If he’s not fit enough to do that, and calf injuries can take a bit longer than some of the other muscle groups, he won’t go.”Any England centrally contracted player who appears in the IPL – so that also includes Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan – are monitored by the ECB’s medical staff who keep in touch with the franchises to ensure any predefined programmes are adhered to and how any niggles are treated.Playing the IPL would mean no significant rest period for Broad until at least after the World Twenty20 where he will be captain and even then it will be short as the team are due to start a four-Test series in India in November. However, on the flip side the tournament could be a useful chance to expand his game ahead of the World Twenty20 in September where England will defend their title. Broad also missed last year’s IPL due to the rib injury he picked up at the World Cup.

Round-up of the second day’s play in the fifth round of matches of the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2011Fawad Alam scored 174 not out off 176 balls to give Sind the advantage against Federal Areas at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, helping them finish the second day 321 runs ahead with two wickets in hand. Alam’s knock led Sind to a score of 359 for 8 after Federal Areas had managed a 38-run first-innings lead.Sind, who had been bowled out for 202 on the first day, were in trouble early in their innings, finding themselves 16 for 2. When Alam came in, the score was 74 for 3. He hit 12 boundaries and two sixes in his unbeaten innings, and was given company by his captain Khalid Latif, who scored 94 off 103 balls. Sind kept up the first day’s trend of scoring quickly, maintaining a run-rate of 4.78 runs an over. After Latif was out, there was not much support for Alam until the No. 10 Anwar Ali came in and added 138 runs with him. Anwar finished the day unbeaten on 39.Federal Areas had started the day at 216 for 7 with Hammad Azam batting on 60. Azam could only add another 10 to his score, and Federal Areas folded for 240, with Mohammad Sami taking two more wickets on Thursday to finish with 6 for 67 in the innings.

A team batting effort helped Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province go past Punjab’s first-innings score of 354, and finish with a 65-run first innings lead on the second day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. There were no centurions in Khyber’s 419, but half-centuries from Rafatullah Mohmand, Adnan Raees and Akbar Badshah were supported by other contributions, with only three players in the line-up failing to get to double figures. Rafatullah got 59 and shared a 107-run opening partnership with Waqar Orakzai, who scored 43. Raees was the innings’ top scorer with 86 off 101 balls, and Badshah got 72.The tail wagged as well, with Khalid Usman getting 45 at No. 8. Khyber scored at 5.14 runs per over in their innings, which meant Punjab, who added just 14 runs to their overnight score of 340 for 9 in the morning, were already back in to bat by the end of the day. Their openers played out an over to finish 8 for 0.