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Bangladesh haven’t had a great run in ODIs lately but Shanto believes they are title contenders

Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2025Bangladesh haven’t had a great run in ODIs lately. In addition, they have little to no prep heading into the Champions Trophy 2025. But captain Najmul Hossain Shanto strongly believes Bangladesh are title contenders.”We are going to the Champions Trophy to become champions,” Shanto said. “All eight teams deserve to be champions in this tournament. They are all quality teams. I believe our team has the ability. No one will feel extra pressure. Everyone genuinely wants (to become champions), and believes in their capabilities. We don’t know what Allah has written in our fate. We are working hard and doing our best. I believe we can achieve our goal.”Since 2023, Bangladesh have lost 24 out of the 41 matches they’ve played, which includes series losses against Afghanistan and West Indies. Shanto, too, has not been in great form, as he is coming off an injury and a string of low scores in the Bangladesh Premier League [BPL]. He also hasn’t played international cricket since November after he missed the West Indies tour due to a hamstring injury. Bangladesh last played ODIs at the start of December in 2024, which they lost 3-0.Related

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Bangladesh will also be without senior allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, although his absence was along expected lines. He has been suspended from bowling in top-flight cricket due to an illegal action and recently failed a second independent assessment of his action. When asked whether Bangladesh would miss Shakib’s presence, Shanto said that the team does not linger on hopes of a miraculous Shakib comeback, adding that it was “irrelevant” to discuss the subject before the tournament.”Of course, we will miss him but I don’t know why this question is being asked,” Shanto said. “Everyone already knows the answer, and many players have said it before. Of course, we will miss Shakib . It would have been great if he were here. This question has been answered many times. I don’t think it’s relevant to talk about this before a tournament.”So who will take over Shakib’s role in the team? “Whoever gets the responsibility will have to play Shakib’s role,” Shanto said.There are a few more big names – like Litton Das and Tamim Iqbal – missing from the Bangladesh squad, but Shanto insisted that he was happy with his team. “I am very happy and confident with the 15 players in the squad,” he said. “Anyone who plays has the ability to win a match single-handedly.”Shanto also called for Bangladesh to asses the conditions quickly and raise their game by chasing and defending 320-plus totals. Bangladesh are set to play their first match against India in Dubai before facing New Zealand and Pakistan in Rawalpindi.”I expect the pitches in Pakistan to be 300-plus wickets. If we bat first, we need to put up such scores. Even while defending, we will need to defend such scores. In Dubai, conditions vary at different times. Still, I think scores will be around 260-280. It’s tough to predict exact numbers, but historically, that’s how it has been. We will analyse how many runs are needed on a given day or how many we need to restrict the opposition to.”Shanto also hopes his bowling attack, particularly the pacers, continue to give their best, and believes Bangladesh have a “balanced team”.”Not too long ago, we didn’t have quality pace bowlers, but now we have a strong pace bowling unit,” he said. “We didn’t have wristspinners before, but now we do. Overall, we have a balanced team. If everyone fulfills their responsibilities properly, we can defeat any team at any time.”

India scored 357 for 8 and then their fast bowlers routed Sri Lanka for 55 in 19.4 overs

Deivarayan Muthu02-Nov-20232:20

What sets this Indian pace unit apart from the rest?

Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah razed Sri Lanka for 55 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, sealing India’s seventh successive win of the World Cup and their spot in the semi-finals.India’s fast-bowling trio was so sensational with the new ball that the scores of Sri Lanka’s top five read like a line of binary code: 0, 0, 1, 0, 1. When Shami also had Nos. 7 and 8 for ducks with the score on 29, Sri Lanka were in serious danger of folding for the lowest total in ODI cricket. They were eventually bundled out in 19.4 overs as India completed the fourth-biggest win in the format, and Shami’s 5 for 18 made him India’s highest wicket-taker in World Cups. It was the third time that India had dismissed Sri Lanka for less than 100 in ODIs in 2023, and their second 300-plus-run victory against them this year.Related

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The very first ball from Bumrah was a portent for the carnage that was to follow. He went wide of the crease, got a full ball to angle in and then swing away late to thump Pathum Nissanka’s back pad. Siraj also struck with his first ball, pinning Dimuth Karunaratne lbw. Four balls later, with a reinforced cordon, Siraj had the in-form Sadeera Samarawickrama caught at third slip.But it was the dismissal of captain Kusal Mendis that stood out. Coaches often instruct bowlers to hit that bail-trimming length – too short to drive nor short enough to pull or cut. Siraj not only hit that bail-trimming length to beat Mendis’ outside edge, he also broke the bails. At 3 for 4, with just one of those runs off the bat, Sri Lanka’s batting line-up was also broken.Angelo Mathews and the lower order tried to fix it, but all they could do was to drag Sri Lanka to 55 – five runs more than what they had managed in the Asia Cup final at the Premadasa in September earlier this year.The performance of India’s fast bowlers overshadowed that of their batters and Dilshan Madushanka’s maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket.2:05

Hayden: We shouldn’t take this period of Kohli’s career for granted

Madushanka had hushed the Wankhede with his second ball – a Mustafizur Rahman-esque cutter that sent Rohit Sharma’s off stump cartwheeling. Four of Madushanka’s five wickets were down to his ability to roll his fingers across the ball. But the rest of Sri Lanka’s attack continued to leak runs, as has been the case throughout this tournament.Virat Kohli threatened to join Sachin Tendulkar at the top of this list with 49 ODI hundreds at a venue where a statue of Tendulkar was unveiled on the eve of this game. The Wankhede waited expectantly, but Madushanka had other ideas, dismissing Kohli 12 short of the landmark. Sri Lanka could have cut Kohli’s innings short on 10 had Dushmantha Chameera hung on to a return catch in the sixth over.Shubman Gill was also reprieved in the powerplay when Charith Asalanka dropped him on 8 at cover-point. Gill then combined with Kohli to punish Sri Lanka with a 189-run partnership on a hot afternoon.1:10

Kumble: Madushanka showing maturity at a young age

Kohli got cracking with his trademark cover-drives while Gill often stepped out of his crease to manufacture scoring opportunities. Then, when Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers shortened their lengths to Gill, he put them away with his rasping short-arm pulls. Legspin-bowling allrounder Dushan Hemantha, who is essentially a like-for-like replacement for the injured Wanindu Hasaranga, couldn’t stem the flow of runs either.When Kohli and Gill matched each other shot for shot and moved close to three figures, India’s fans were probably entertaining thoughts of double-hundreds from both batters. But Madushanka returned to the attack and didn’t even let the batters reach triple figures. The left-arm seamer then showed that he’s no one-trick pony. He bounced Suryakumar Yadav out with an on-pace bouncer.Shreyas Iyer then hit full throttle, but he, too, fell agonisingly short of a hundred. He latched on to anything that was remotely full and sent it disappearing from his sight. When Kasun Rajitha pitched one in the slot outside off, Iyer launched it over long-on for a 106-metre six – the biggest in the tournament so far. Iyer brought up his half-century off 36 balls and later lined up even Sri Lanka’s best bowlers on the day – Madushanka and Chameera. Iyer took Madushanka for 18 off nine balls before holing out.Iyer’s assault was central to India racking up 93 off their last ten overs. Ravindra Jadeja also did his bit with the bat in those slog overs, but he was barely needed with the ball on a night that belonged to India’s quicks.

Family drama unfolded in the Edrich Stand as Verreynne prepared to bat on the second day

Firdose Moonda22-Aug-2022Kyle Verreynne batted in the Lord’s Test shortly after his grandfather fell seriously ill in the stands.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Verreynne’s grandfather was struggling to breathe in the Edrich Stand and was stretchered out of the ground before being admitted to an ICU ward. He remains in hospital.Verreynne was listed on South Africa’s team sheet at No. 6 but was held back when his grandfather began having trouble and was helped by medical staff at the ground.That was shortly before Sarel Erwee was dismissed. When Erwee was bounced out by Ben Stokes, South Africa’s team management opted to send Marco Jansen in instead and inform Verreynne of the situation and he batted next.Verreynne provided Stuart Broad’s 100th wicket at Lord’s when he edged behind to Ben Foakes for 11 after spending just over half an hour at the crease. South Africa went on to win the match by an innings and 12 runs.Verreyne will remain with the South Africa squad ahead of the second Test, beginning in Manchester on Thursday.

Competing in events of “national interest” will be one of the criteria used to judge eligibility

Reuters and ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2021New Zealand’s cricketers could be eligible for early Covid-19 vaccines after the government laid out its priority list with competing in events of “national significance” among the criteria.The process will begin on March 31, so it will come too late for the players heading to the IPL but is likely to include those in the squad to tour England from late May.Chris Hipkins, the minister responsible for New Zealand’s response to the global health crisis, said people would be eligible to jump the queue for the vaccine on compassionate grounds or to compete in major global events.The latter category would include Olympians, Paralympians and the cricketers, who will be travelling to the UK to play India in the final of the World Test Championship in June along with two other Tests against England.”The key yardstick here is people travelling in an official capacity and ensuring their participation is in our national interest,” Hipkins told reporters in Wellington. “They will have to make an application and it will depend on what sort of events they are participating in, to whether they fit the national interest criteria.”But certainly, your expectation is that the Olympians would be eligible under the national interest criteria and a national sports team participating in a significant event would also meet those criteria.”There was some controversy earlier this month when Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the Director-General of Health attended the final T20I between New Zealand and Australia in Wellington, where he spoke with NZC officials and spent time in the dressing room after the match.David White, the NZC chief executive, raised the issue of vaccines for players before upcoming travel and Bloomfield said he would take the conversation back to the government for consideration but both parties insisted there was no direct lobbying.However, Bloomfield later donated the value of the tickets to a Wellington charity. “It is important that I avoid any potential for perception of a conflict of interest or personal benefit,” he said.New Zealand has been one of the most successful countries at containing the virus and started the second round of its vaccine rollout for border and quarantine workers last week.International matches throughout the season have mostly been played in front of crowds except for a set of games in Wellington earlier this month involving Australia and the England women’s team when the alert level around the country was raised.

In an open letter to the club, ten Doeschate says he ‘can’t wait to join the troops, focus on my batting’ this year

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2020Ryan ten Doeschate has stepped down as captain of reigning county champions Essex after four seasons at the helm, with Tom Westley taking over the role.In an open letter to the club he led to three Championship titles in four campaigns – once in Division two and twice in the top flight – the 39-year-old ten Doeschate said the captaincy had been “the biggest privilege”.”Now is the right time for someone new to take charge,” ten Doeschate said in the letter, published on the club’s website on Tuesday. “I’d like to thank all our Members and supporters in general who have followed the team over the last four years. I hope we’ve provided much entertainment and that you’ve shared in our pride of representing the club.”Ten Doeschate, who continued to represent Netherlands at T20 level through last year, will continue to play for Essex after signing a one-year contract extension in October following his side’s tense draw in a rain-affected final match of the 2019 season against nearest rivals Somerset which sealed them the Division One title.Ten Doeschate thanked current Essex coach Anthony McGrath and England head coach Chris Silverwood, with whom he took Essex back into the top tier of the Championship by winning Division Two in their first season as skipper and coach respectively, in 2016. Ten doeschate and Silverwood also led Essex to the Division One title in 2017 before McGrath assumed the club’s head coaching role.”I would like to pay tribute to an incredible bunch of players who have given everything to the team over the last four years and to whom I will always be indebted for allowing me to live out my cricket dream,” ten Doeschate added. “I can’t wait to join the troops, focus on my batting, and to give the new captain all of my support in continuing to try to get the best out of our great club.”McGrath described ten Doeschate as “a phenomenal” club captain.”It’s important to remember that Ryan isn’t stepping away from Essex, he’s still very much part of this club and I’m sure he will continue to have a positive presence both on and off the field,” McGrath said.Ten Doeschate captained the side for 58 first-class matches, winning 33 and losing just eight. Having led the club across formats from 2016 to 2018, he relinquished the T20 captaincy to Simon Harmer last year. Ten doeschate has represented the club 477 times in all formats, scoring 27 hundreds and taking more than 300 wickets in the process.Harmer will remain as Eagles captain for the Vitality Blast, while the 30-year-old Westley steps up from the position of vice-captain for the Championship and Royal London Cup.”It’s a real honour for me to be named club captain and it’s a challenge that I’m really looking forward to,” said Westley, who joined the club at the age of 13 and has has made 152 first-class, 80 List A and 74 T20 appearances since making his debut in 2006. “I can’t really put into words how much this means to me. I’ve spent my whole career with Essex so it’s a really proud moment for me and my family.”Ryan has done an outstanding job and deserves every bit of praise he gets. He’s been a fantastic captain, a close friend and an excellent leader who I’ve learnt a lot from. We’ve been so successful as a club under his guidance, and my main goal as captain is to continue the great work he’s done, carry on winning games of cricket and ultimately bring more trophies to this great club.”

Australia’s Test skipper made just 16 as Tasmania collapsed to 185 all out against South Australia at the Bellerive Oval

Alex Malcolm27-Nov-2018A four-wicket haul to in-form swing bowler Daniel Worrall put South Australia in a strong position at stumps on day one of their Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Worrall bagged 4 for 42 following his 10-wicket haul against Western Australia in Adelaide last week to help dismiss the home side for 185 late on day one.The Redbacks were more than happy to make first use of a very green pitch at Bellerive with skipper Travis Head electing to bowl first after winning the toss.Some overhead cloud cover only added to the favourable bowling conditions, and Worrall thrived. He had this season’s second-highest run-scorer Alex Doolan caught behind in the seventh over with a delivery that angled in from the wide of the crease before shaping away to catch the edge. He then pinned Jordan Silk in front with a late inswinger in the 13th over.Ben McDermott and Jake Doran fought hard for 23 overs in the trying conditions adding 43 before McDermott was given out lbw to Nick Winter for 24. McDermott, Doran and George Bailey all reached 20 but none passed 30 as the ball continued to nip and swing all afternoon.New Tasmania skipper Matthew Wade again propped up the lower order, top-scoring with 43. But he too fell caught behind the wicket just as Doran, Bailey and Tim Paine had done before him. Worrall bowled Gabe Bell to wrap up the innings with his fourth wicket.South Australia openers Jake Weatherald and Conor McInerney survived two overs before stumps but neither got off the mark.

One last hundred from Daryl Mitchelll and five wickets for R Ashwin secured Worcestershire victory and the Division Two title on the final day of the season at New Road

Paul Edwards at New Road28-Sep-2017Hunched of shoulder and a trifle bandy of gait, Daryl Mitchell works the ball square of the wicket in the manner beloved of a thousand county openers. Every April across the decades members have turned up at cricket grounds across England hoping to see batsmen like Mitchell play the innings that win or save games. Formats change and modernities obtrude but cricketers like Mitchell disguise the gentle lies of time. They also win championships.This simple truth was confirmed at 4.20pm on a gorgeous September afternoon at New Road when Graham Onions drove R Ashwin to Joe Clarke at short cover. That dismissal gave Ashwin his fifth victim of the innings; it also completed Worcestershire’s ninth victory of a season which ended with champagne, a trophy and all the endearing dance-about daftness that comes with them. For the fifth time in 12 seasons Worcestershire are to test themselves against the cracks of Division One and the finest bowlers in the land will try to best one of the canniest openers on the circuit.In May, when the world sang with the ambition of spring, Mitchell went to Derby having scored 31 runs in four first-class innings. He then made 120. And on the final day of this season, under beguiling June-blue skies, Mitchell cover-drove Liam Trevaskis for three runs to reach his seventh century in this year’s Championship. His unbeaten 123 set up Worcestershire’s declaration and thereby their push for victory on a last afternoon which had already been garlanded by the certainty of promotion. .And thus the joy of the triumphal moment was mixed with the bittersweet sadness that lies on all cricket grounds in September. “Der Sommer war sehr groß / Leg deinen Schatten auf die Sonnenuhren” wrote Rilke, who was actually something of a Kolpak poet. “The huge summer has gone by / Now overlap the sundials with your shadows.”This last day passed more or less as Worcestershire intended. Mitchell reached his hundred off 134 balls and delighted the crowd when he cut a boundary between the two backward points Paul Collingwood had carefully positioned. The declaration was applied when George Rhodes notched his second fifty of the season and it left Durham to score 369 in 76 overs, a proposition they were never permitted to entertain.As if to reassure spectators that they were ready to play at a higher level, the Worcestershire seamers put on a fine show. Joe Leach pinned Cameron Steel on the back foot with the sixth ball of the innings and then ended Jack Burnham’s season when Durham’s No. 3 played no shot at a ball which came back off the seam. “Joe Leach, Joe Leach, Joe Leach, Joe Leeeeaaaach” sang a group of Worcestershire supporters and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” will never sound the same.It was an afternoon of last things and farewells, and when cricket has no time for such things, we might as well fold up the tents and head for the hills. Each of his team mates hugged Onions when Durham left the field as a team for the last time; Keaton Jennings’ final innings for the county to which he owes so much ended on 20 when he played carefully forward to Ashwin but edged to Mitchell at first slip; and when Steve Gale came down the steps after tea to stand in his last session as a first-class umpire, both teams formed a guard of honour. The Worcestershire crowd also applauded Collingwood at almost every opportunity and Mitchell merely when he went to field at third man.None of these fond moments weakened Durham’s resolve to save the game and it is this readiness to resist that will help sustain them over the next few years. Collingwood and Graham Clark put on 88 for the fourth wicket and both hit Ashwin for six. But both were also leg before on the back foot to Ed Barnard, whose cricket has been one of the young joys of Worcestershire’s summer.Clark had made his second fifty of the match and seems likely to be one of those players upon whom Durham must build a new side. But none of his colleagues could match his intransigence on an afternoon dominated by Leach’s bowlers and by the warmth of a large crowd bubbling with good humour and success. Ryan Pringle skied Ashwin to Rhodes at square leg just before tea and Leach yorked Michael Richardson just after the resumption. Ashwin took care of Trevaskis and Chris Rushworth with successive balls and the late high jinks of a last-wicket stand simply allowed the ECB’s presentation party to ready the banners and bells.And so ended a game which has seen all seasons but spring and a cricket season enriched by men like Mitchell and Leach. Before long the spectators who had applauded the cricketers were planning to meet over the winter and saying their farewells in the meantime. “As the thin glow of summer’s death / Will turn the leaves to red / May the wind blow like a lover’s breath / Still warm as gingerbread” sings the matchless Nancy Kerr, and if our farewells were not as eloquent they were no less heartfelt. But some of those spectators will not return to New Road until chestnut empires recolonise the sky above this ground.Now evening: from the pavilion can be heard celebrations which will reach deep into the night; the tower of the cathedral is etched against a silver-blue background; through the trees boys can be seen training for a rugby match; in the distance a last spectator is leaving. Now overlap the sundials with your shadows.

George Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2016
ScorecardGeorge Bailey lifted Middlesex with a rapid half-century•Getty Images

George Bailey fired a career-best Twenty20 score of 76 to boost Middlesex’s hopes of a home NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final, as they thrashed bottom-placed Hampshire by 43 runs.Overseas star Bailey was brilliantly partnered by John Simpson in a perfectly paced fourth wicket stand of 114. Ryan Higgins then took 5 for 13 – having only taken his maiden T20 wicket on Thursday evening – to make sure Hampshire’s chase never got going and give Middlesex back-to-back wins in the competition.Middlesex, after winning the toss and batting, were guided to 182 thanks in the main to a well-paced partnership between Bailey and Simpson.Dawid Malan, on the back of a record, unbeaten 185 for England Lions, was caught and bowled by Ryan McLaren. England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan fell soon after with Liam Dawson taking the catch at mid-on, before Paul Stirling was bowled by Brad Wheal to end the Powerplay 40 for 3.But that kick-started the mammoth stand between Bailey and Simpson, who never looked in trouble, never appeared to need to play the big shots.Former Australia T20 captain Bailey, following a match-winning 55 in the London derby on Thursday night, was the first to reach fifty, from 38 balls. Wicketkeeper Simpson quickly followed to the milestone in a slightly quicker 32 deliveries, helped by a trio of maximums.The partnership stretched from the seventh over to the 19th, when Simpson picked out Joe Weatherley on the midwicket rope. James Franklin and former Hampshire man Bailey, who passed his previous best Twenty20 score of 71, both departed before the close – Middlesex scoring 181 for 6.In a reply which never got going, Adam Wheater struggled to time the ball and his tortured spell was ended when he skied one to Malan, Tom Alsop copied his fellow opener’s style four balls later.Hampshire captain Sean Ervine and England international Dawson ticked along with a promising 40 stand in five overs. But the hosts were stunted again when Dawson chipped to Lions teammate Malan at short extra cover before Shahid Afridi teed up to James Fuller at deep square leg.Ervine was progressing nicely with a rapid 36 before Higgins’ slower ball pegged his middle stump back. Morgan managed to keep himself inside the boundary to hold on to Weatherley’s slog and the steady flow of wickets continued next ball when McLaren reverse swept to Bailey, off Higgins.Lewis McManus nicked off, Brad Taylor mistimed to short third man and Wheal was castled, with Hampshire losing their final five wickets in just 25 balls.

A natural progression, business expansion, brand synergy and an attractive fan presence are the main reasons that convinced owners of Kolkata Knight Riders to buy total ownership of the Trinidad & Tobago franchise in the Caribbean Premier League

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jun-20154:59

‘CPL has all the ingredients for success’ – Mysore

A natural progression, business expansion, brand synergy and an attractive fan presence are the main reasons the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders bought total ownership of the Trinidad & Tobago franchise in the Caribbean Premier League. The deal raised curiosity because it was the first time an IPL franchise had invested in an overseas league.The majority shareholders of Knight Riders are Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri, who own 55% of the franchise, with the remainder held by the Sea Island group, a family-owned trust of Jay Mehta, husband of Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla.According to Venky Mysore, the chief executive of Knight Riders, T&T Red Steel was the best place to invest from the perspective of crowds, sponsorship opportunities, the rich cricketing tradition in the region, and the talent base. “Forty percent of the population in Trinidad & Tobago is of Indian origin. There is a very strong connect of those people to Bollywood,” Mysore said. “And they are all extremely big Shah Rukh fans. And Trinidad is among the most advanced economies in the Caribbean.”Mysore said his vision had always been to expand the Knight Riders brand and go beyond the IPL in terms of earning revenues. One of the ways was to globalise and the CPL opportunity came at the right time. Peter Russell, the CPL’s chief operating officer, traveled to India during this IPL to meet Mysore and place the deal on the table.In 2013, Mysore had rejected a proposal from the CPL because the “timing” was wrong. “There were people involved at that stage with the league [CPL] with whom we did not vibe well so we let it pass.”So what convinced him the second time? “There has to be a strategic fit, firstly. Secondly, you have to figure out if it is a viable business. If the answer is yes, you take it forward,” Mysore said, adding he had rejected similar proposals from various organisers of franchise-based tournaments in other sports who had approached him to leverage the value and reach of the Knights Riders’ brand.The day the T&T deal was made public, the news made the front page of most of the newspapers in the country. Few days later, Mysore was in a meeting with Shah Rukh when he received the call from Trinidad. It was Gerald Hadeed, who holds the twin portfolios of communications and tourism in the T&T government.Hadeed extended support to Mysore and said he and his country were looking forward to seeing Shah Rukh soon. Hadeed was subsequently elated when Shah Rukh personally accepted the invitation over the call and said he would try to come for a couple of matches this CPL. According to Mysore, Shah Rukh is “extremely kicked” about the CPL deal.Mysore, who is in the Caribbean for the season launch, is already thinking of making some plans: changing the franchise name from T&T Red Steel to T&T Knight Riders, as well as changing the kit to purple and gold. “We will be very careful in making sure when we go out there we are not imposing ourselves. We know the business. But our aim would be to let us learn the environment first and how to manage it and what are the sensitivities there.”Mysore is not only looking at this as a business expansion into an overseas market but also as an expansion of the fan base to the Indian origin fans from the Caribbean to the strong Indian diaspora in North America, which falls in the same timezone.Mysore is aware that the CPL is working hard towards increasing the Indian presence and viewership. “If we are able to impact that and influence that we will do that. Our role is to go in and say let us partner. Let us figure out how we can bring in the best practices of what we have done into an environment which is very exciting.”Mysore pointed out that apart from the look and feel – logo, name, uniform – it will be the cricket that will attract further business. “If you are able to make an impact, Indian brands will get interested in that property, especially brands that are interested in that market place. Another ancillary excitement for me is that this league is in the best position to tap into the US market. They are in the same time zone.”It is also a case of synergising and leveraging the various brands Shah Rukh & co own. “We are in the entertainment space. So how do we disseminate entertainment? You have to be aware of the different platforms on which this entertainment is being disseminated and consumed.”That is where the synergies come in. We are going to be in Kolkata. We are going to be playing in the Caribbean. We are going to be say playing in the US. At the same time if we are launching a movie. Now Shah Rukh is huge in international market and by far the bigger than any star in India. So this [CPL] gives us a platform to market as well in many ways when you think about the business.”

Services stunned UP, beating them by five wickets, to enter the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2012-13

The Report by Abhishek Purohit in Indore08-Jan-2013
ScorecardServices captain Soumik Chatterjee won the match batting bravely with an injured leg•Dainik Dabang Dunia

Soumik Chatterjee, the Services captain, unable to walk with a badly injured left knee, dragged himself out at 54 for 5 in a chase of 113. He went on to pull the rampaging Uttar Pradesh fast bowlers for fours and sixes. He hopped on one good leg from one end of the pitch to the other for several singles. Fittingly, he stepped out to loft Ali Murtaza over mid-on to end the match. Uttar Pradesh, the best side of the Ranji league stage, had been beaten by the promoted toppers from a humble Group C before tea on the third afternoon of the five-day quarter-final.While Chatterjee’s brave effort made him the star of the chase, fast bowler Suraj Yadav, with a career-best haul of 7 for 71 in UP’s second innings, and Rajat Paliwal, with a century in Services’ first innings and an unbeaten 32 in the chase, were the chief architects of the win.For UP, they will look back to the moment early this morning when their last specialist batsman Arish Alam, backing up at the non-striker’s end, was caught short of the crease by an Eklavya Dwivedi drive that burst out through the bowler Yadav’s hands. Alam and Dwivedi had batted without bother till then, and had already added 33 for the day in just under seven overs.Alam had just reached his 50, and his fall took most of the fight out of UP. Dwivedi was trapped leg-before next over by Nishan Singh. Piyush Chawla flailed a pitched-up delivery straight to first slip, exactly the same way he had fallen in the first innings. During his short stay, he had already been caught in the same manner, off a Yadav no-ball.Strongly-built fast bowler Imtiaz Ahmed fought back, like he had in the first innings, with calm hitting that would have done a specialist batsman proud. Even as Services posted eight men on the boundary, Imtiaz nonchalantly swung four sixes over them.He also started to protect the No. 11 Sudeep Tyagi, but Yadav needed just the one delivery in the 78th over to flatten Tyagi’s off stump.Services needed just 113, but Ankit Rajpoot, the young UP fast bowler, was to make it really hard for them. After Nakul Verma started brightly with a few fours, Rajpoot started striking. Soon after lunch, Services slumped from 29 for 0 in the eighth over to 54 for 5 in the 14th.Verma was caught at gully after a slash was fended away by one of the slips, Avishek Sinha was bowled trying to work it to leg, Soumya Swain hit it low to gully, Yashpal Singh went lbw first ball pushing forward, and Anshul Gupta lost his off stump on the defensive push.Services, full of spirit and bravado but lacking in big-match experience, were still 59 short. In walked Chatterjee, and slowly, the game swung again Services’ way. He would wait a bit till he was certain he could make it across for a single, and then drag, limp and hop his way along. He would push his fit right leg forward, cover the line of the delivery, and defend it if it was on the stumps, or let it go by holding the bat inside the line.Paliwal, solid at the other end, steered Imtiaz over the cordon for four to ease some of the pressure. Chatterjee summoned enough strength to pull Rajpoot over square leg for four on one leg. He bettered it by pulling Tyagi for six, and Paliwal slog-swept Chawla in his only over for six over deep midwicket. The hundred or so spectators cheered every Services run, as did their dressing room. About an hour after he had slowly made his way to the middle, Chatterjee was holding his arms out to his rushing team-mates. UP had been unbeaten through the league stage, and it had taken something special from an injured captain to bring them down.