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Afghan spinners Rashid and Noor share five wickets to seal Gujarat Titans’ 55-run win

Vishal Dikshit25-Apr-2023Batting fireworks from Gujarat Titans in the death overs and five wickets shared by Afghan spinners Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad gave the hosts their second win in a row as they steamrolled Mumbai Indians for their second straight loss on a hot and humid evening in Ahmedabad. After defending the big score of 207 for 6 comfortably, Titans jumped to second place with 10 points, the same as table-toppers Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai’s death bowling came in the spotlight again with Jofra Archer sitting out with an illness, Arjun Tendulkar not bowling in that phase, and their quicks leaking 70 runs in the last four overs, after conceding 65 in the same phase against Punjab Kings in their last game.After Shubman Gill’s fifty and a boundary-laden partnership of 71 off just 35 balls between Abhinav Manohar and David Miller for the fifth wicket, Mumbai’s batting firepower fizzled against Afghanistan’s spin duo as only one of their top six crossed 25 and they fell short by 55 runs after being reduced to 59 for 5 in the 11th over.

Gill lays the platform

Tendulkar kept it tight with his inswing early on that had Wriddhiman Saha caught down leg and along with Jason Behrendorff, he kept Titans to 33 for 1 after five overs. Gill then started his onslaught by milking Cameron Green for 17 in the last over of the powerplay, with a powerful pull, a scythe through off and a stunning lofted straight drive for six to power the run rate past eight.Mumbai brought on Piyush Chawla immediately and Hardik Pandya holed out to long-off immediately for 13. But that didn’t deter Gill’s tempo. He drilled Chawla through the covers for four and smashed Kumar Kartikeya to the leg side next over to reach a 30-ball fifty and lead Titans to 84 for 2 at the halfway mark.David Miller was in a marauding mood at the death•BCCI

The take off from Manohar and Miller (and Tewatia)

Gill and Vijay Shankar holed out to long-on against the spinners in successive overs, and at 103 for 4 after 13 overs, the innings could have tilted either ways.Manohar bravely took on a miserly Chawla and tilted the pendulum in Titans’ favour in such a way that Mumbai never recovered. With the field spread out, Chawla started the 15th over with two full deliveries and Manohar blasted both to the cover boundary. On the fifth ball, Manohar charged down and smoked a straight six which made it a 17-run over, the same runs Chawla had conceded in his first three.There was no stopping Manohar and Miller after that. The duo hammered three batches of back-to-back sixes in the last three overs – with the help of Rahul Tewatia – and gave Mumbai’s bowling lots to think about before their next game. Manohar used his brute force to slam Green for the first of those batches in the 18th over, Miller did it with his golf swings to end Meredith’s last over, which also saw Manohar hole out to long-off for 42 off 21.Tewatia swept his first ball for six before slamming two more off Behrendorff’s slower ones in the last over on the leg side to finish on 20 off 5, and Miller’s dismissal for 46 off 22 on the penultimate ball was hardly a consolation for Mumbai because by then Titans had crossed 200.

Shami’s masterclass

The WTC final is still month and a half away, but Mohammed Shami was so accurate with his pace and swing early on that Mumbai and India captain Rohit Sharma might have something to smile about. Maybe not. Shami fired in one quick delivery after another outside Ishan Kishan’s off stump and made him look like a deer caught in the headlights, which meant Mumbai never took off in the chase. Kishan poked, jabbed and prodded at many such Shami deliveries to score eight off his 13 balls and crawled to 10 off 17 at the end of the powerplay.From the other end, Hardik fired in deliveries around 140-145kmh with outswing and took Rohit’s return catch off a leading edge for just 2, before also beating Green’s swings many a times in the powerplay that saw Mumbai struggling on 29 for 1.Nehal Wadhera impressed with his hard-hitting late in the order•AFP/Getty Images

The Rashid and Noor strangle

Titans unleashed the Afghan spinners together after the powerplay and Rashid struck immediately. He first had Kishan caught off a heave on the leg side to end a painful stay of 13 off 21, and three balls later trapped the Impact Player Tilak Varma for 2 with the help of a review. Green had by now collected two sixes and slammed a third off Noor in the ninth over even though the asking rate crossed 14.Noor then landed a double blow himself by rattling Green’s stumps in the 11th over and also had the big-hitting Tim David caught off a full toss for a two-ball duck. At 59 for 5 after 11, Mumbai hardly any chance of bouncing back.Apart from a cameo from Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai will be thrilled about unearthing another young batter, the 22-year-old Nehal Wadhera from Punjab. Wadhera manipulated the field to find gaps, hit big sixes down the ground and on the leg side, and impressed with his temperament under pressure even if the chase was virtually over when he batted. He and Suryakumar took down Noor for 15 runs in the 13th over and Wadhera finished with 40 off 21 studded with three sixes and as many fours even as Mumbai stumbled in another big chase.

Sunrisers still searching for first win of T20 season

ECB Reporters Network31-May-2023Dani Gibson struck a blistering 62 off just 46 balls as Western Storm chased down 150 to beat Sunrisers by seven wickets and record their second win in this year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup.Storm lost two early wickets, but vice-captain Gibson blazed seven fours and a six to keep Storm well ahead of the run rate throughout a 115-run partnership in 13 overs with former England batter Fran Wilson, who finished unbeaten on 58.Although Gibson fell with Storm still needing 19 to win, Wilson and skipper Sophie Luff saw their side home with 10 balls to spare.Sunrisers had posted their highest total in this year’s tournament thanks to an eventful 37 not out from Jo Gardner. Gardner who was dropped off consecutive deliveries (on 17 and 20) struck four boundaries in a sixth wicket partnership of 48 with Amara Carr to rescue Sunrisers after a mini mid-innings collapse when three wickets fell for 16 runs, two of them to Chloe Skelton.It arrested Sunrisers’ progress after Lissy Macleod and Cordelia Griffith had also put on a 48-run stand to give the Sunrisers a strong platform of 84 for 2 at the halfway stage.Fran Wilson gets down to sweep•Getty Images

Earlier Luff opted to bowl first to make the most of overcast conditions and her decision was immediately vindicated. Despite Mady Villiers taking two boundaries off Claire Nicholas’ first over, the England spinner was bowled off an inside edge attempting a late cut.Veteran South African international Dané van Niekerk played positively, striking two boundaries down the ground and taking three consecutive boundaries off Lauren Filer before she was caught behind off the same bowler, attempting an upper cut.Irish international Orla Prendergast bowled a tight consistent opening spell, but her figures took a dent when she conceded five wides and Macleod cut her square for four as Sunrisers finished the powerplay strongly on 48 for 2.Macleod drove Sophia Smale through the covers for four and took consecutive boundaries off Filer, hitting her off her hip over fine leg and edging her down to third.Griffith largely played a supporting role. She took a step down the wicket to hit Skelton over mid-off for four but fell to the same bowler when she was sharply stumped by Nat Wraith. Macleod’s innings then ended when after stroking Gibson through the covers, she struck the next delivery straight to point.Grace Scrivens perished when the ball flew off her inside edge to Luff at midwicket off Skelton while Carr stuck around to supported Gardner in a sixth wicket stand in 6.3 overs before she fell to a stunning one-handed catch by Gibson off her own bowling.When Storm batted, Villiers struck in the first over, her drag-down pulled straight to mid-on by Wraith. Prendergast was then run out via a fortunate rebound off Scrivens’ palm as she fielded the ball in her follow-through but from that point, at 16 for 2, Storm did not look in any trouble with the experienced Wilson combining with Gibson in a match-winning stand.Gibson went on the attack against the leg spin of Abtaha Maqsood and hit seamer Kelly Castle for consecutive boundaries including one high over deepmidwicket to take Storm to 82 for 2 after 10 overs, just two runs short of Sunrisers at that stage.Gibson struck a huge six over deepmidwicket off Gardner to reach her half century off 33 balls, before taking another four off her next delivery.Wilson meanwhile cut and pulled Scrivens for consecutive boundaries and pulled and reverse swept Abtaha Maqsood for two more before driving Eva Gray through cover to bring up her half-century off 36 balls.Gibson eventually fell caught in the deep off Castle but by then the winning line was almost in sight.

Former chair’s comments condemned by ECB as club awaits sanctions

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2023Colin Graves, Yorkshire’s former chair, insists that he never witnessed any instances of racism during his time at the helm, and has instead doubled down on the suggestion raised within the club’s initial report into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations back in 2021, that regrettable words may have been used within the context of dressing-room “banter”.His assertion brought a swift response from Yorkshire’s independent board, who insisted that the club was “not for sale” and that they had needed to change a culture that had allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to take place.Graves served as Yorkshire chair between 2012 and 2015, a spell that coincided with Rafiq’s initial period at the club. And his comments come after Yorkshire admitted to four amended charges relating to their handling of Rafiq’s allegations of racism and bullying, with sanctions expected to be handed down on June 27.”When I was chairman of the club, when some of these allegations were made, I can tell you now, nothing was brought up within the club,” Graves told Sky Sports News.”And I ran the club on an open-door basis as chairman, players could come and see me if they had issues and they did so on a regular basis … nothing was ever brought up on the table about any racism allegations whatsoever.”I think there have been odd occasions where words have been said that people may regret afterwards,” he added. “I don’t think it was done on a racist, savage basis. I think there was a lot of – I know people don’t like the word banter – but I think there could have been a lot of banter in there about it, and I know people don’t like that.”Graves’ comments drew swift condemnation from the ECB, for whom he served as chair between 2015 and 2020.”We are disappointed to see the comments made by Colin Graves on the historical racist issues at Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” the ECB said in a statement.”We must never again hear of accounts like Azeem Rafiq’s, where racist slurs are used as part of normalised everyday language.”These events, along with many issues experienced by Azeem and others during their time at Yorkshire have been upheld more than once, including during proceedings overseen by the Cricket Discipline Committee.”We vehemently disagree that this is ‘just banter’ and believe that any debate in that regard should stop immediately. Racism isn’t banter.”In a wide-ranging interview, Graves also addressed Yorkshire’s financial situation, following his decision to withdraw from the running to return as Lord Kamlesh Patel’s successor as chair.In 2002, Graves bailed the club out with a multimillion-pound loan, of which some £14.9 million is still owed to the Graves Family Trust. The club is due to repay £500,000 in October, with the rest due for repayment next year, and Graves had offered to help restructure that debt in return for a second stint as chair.Last week, however, he withdrew his candidacy after criticising the length of time the board had taken to nominate a successor to Lord Patel, who stepped down in March.”As far as I know [Yorkshire] are going to run out of liquid cash in September time,” Graves said. “If [a buyer or investor] doesn’t [come in], presumably the only way forward for them is to go into administration.”And when that happens – and I hope it doesn’t happen – if they go into administration, then the administrator will have to talk to the trustees of the trust, because the trust has got first legal charge over the ground.”In response, Yorkshire’s board insisted that the club was conducting “many positive conversations” around investment – including, it is believed, with the former owner of Newcastle United, Mike Ashley, and the Saudi Arabia national investment fund.A board statement said: “The financial security of Yorkshire County Cricket Club is our number one priority and we are continuing many positive conversations around investment from various sources. Our guiding principle is that Yorkshire will remain a members’ co-operative, as it has been for 160 years. The club is not for sale and we have turned down several offers to buy the club outright.”We reiterate that at no point did Colin Graves make a clearly defined, tangible offer that the board was able to consider formally, unlike other interested parties involved in the refinance process. His proposals include securing an extension on repayment of loans from the Graves Trusts, which he also says he has no control over, and working with a number of investors to get the club back on an even keel. This is not a refinancing solution that we can stand behind or would pass any financial rigour.”Furthermore, Colin’s stipulation that he would require full control of the board and executive in the event of returning to the club as chair runs contrary to best practice governance requirements set out in the County Governance Code which were agreed by all counties in 2019.”We note Colin’s position that he was not aware of, or witness to, any racism at Yorkshire and that there existed only “banter”. As a Board, we maintain that we needed to accept and take responsibility for the cultural issues which allowed racist and discriminatory behaviour to go unchallenged, and we have accepted four amended charges from the Cricket Discipline Commission.”We remain entirely focused on securing the short- and long-term future of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and making it a welcoming club for everyone”.The ECB added: “Yorkshire is of huge importance to cricket in England and Wales with a deep history and an ability to inspire and connect all cricket fans. They are currently working hard to resolve their financial and cultural challenges and the club, and its new management, have our full support.”

T20 working group also discusses uniform 10% release fee for boards hosting franchise leagues

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jun-2023An ICC working group has recommended that no more than four overseas players, including those retired from international cricket, should feature in playing XIs in T20 franchise leagues. It has also recommended that playing XIs include a minimum of four local players, and that boards be paid a 10% release fee for allowing their players to take part in overseas T20 leagues.The recommendations are aimed at fighting the player drain that several Full Member countries face due to the exponential growth of T20 leagues.Related

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• Roy agrees termination of ECB contract to play in MLC

• NZC agrees to release Boult from central contract

These recommendations, which were first reported in (UK) on Tuesday, will be further examined at the ICC’s chief executives committee (CEC) meeting during the global body’s annual conference, which is scheduled to take place in July in Durban. First approval must come from the CEC before it is presented to the ICC Board to ratify.Once approved, the recommendations will apply uniformly across all T20 leagues. Currently, only the International League T20 (9), Major League Cricket (6) and CPL (5) allow more than four overseas players in the playing XI.The working group met during the World Test Championship final in London last week. During discussions, some members argued that domestic leagues should be geared towards the development of – and opportunities for – homegrown players. And in case the local player pool is shallow, as is the case with the UAE-based ILT20, where a minimum of two local players is mandatory, then some local players’ spots could be filled by players from Associate teams.A counter view was that franchises and broadcasters invest money in leagues like the ILT20 and MLC and that they are ultimately a commercial venture, which requires putting out an optimum product – with the best players involved. In the last year, owners of IPL franchises have invested in overseas leagues including all six teams in SA20, three in ILT20 and four in MLC which will launch its inaugural season on July 13. In addition, Avram Glazer, co-owner of Manchster United, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella have bought teams in ILT20 and MLC respectively.Multiple IPL team owners, including Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shah Rukh Khan, own teams in other leagues as well•PTI

With the money on offer rivalling retainer fees paid by most boards outside of the Big Three (Australia, England and India), some working group members pointed out that, with several leagues running parallel and without a hard cap on overseas players, several boards could be in danger of an exodus, with players releasing themselves from central contracts or retiring early. Trent Boult and Jason Roy are two high-profile examples of that.Boult opted out of a New Zealand central contract last year in search of a better work-life balance through franchise cricket: he plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and MI Emirates, which is run by Mumbai Indians’ owners, in ILT20; and in July will be seen in the inaugural edition of MLC, the first major T20 league in the USA. Roy recently terminated his incremental England contract to feature in MLC – on Tuesday, Los Angeles Knight Riders announced Roy as one of their direct signings.

‘Unfair competitive advantage’

There was also an opinion in the the working group that emerging leagues like ILT20, Global T20 Canada (relaunching this July) and MLC had an “unfair competitive advantage” by luring top players from Full Member boards and turning those tournaments into a “poor man’s World Cup.” These emerging leagues, unlike those run by Full Member boards, did not need to invest in infrastructure and talent pathways including age-group cricket, first-class cricket and A team cricket, instead simply hiring players for leagues and handing them back.In 2018, Cricket West Indies’ CEO Johnny Grave prepared a paper on the growing influence of T20 Leagues wherein he warned that cricket would be in “jeopardy” unless the ICC and the Full Members found ways to keep international cricket top-priority.In 2019, the ICC CEC discussed setting a cap of five overseas players per XI in T20 leagues, though members rejected the option. But some of those objectors have reignited the debate. At the ICC annual conference in Birmingham in 2022, the PCB, along with several other Full Members, raised strong concerns over the nine overseas player slots in ILT20 XIs.After last year’s AGM, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice told ESPNcricinfo that there had been no “hard cap” on overseas players in XIs when the global body had cleared the ILT20.Trent Boult opted out of an NZC central contract to be able to feature in more T20 leagues•Associated Press

Recently, Wasim Khan, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, said ways would need to be found for international cricket and T20 leagues to “co-exist”. Khan sits on the ICC’s working group, which also includes Arun Dhumal (IPL chairman and BCCI representative on ICC’s CEC), Johnny Grave (Cricket West Indies CEO), Nick Hockley (Cricket Australia CEO) and Mubashir Usmani (Emirates Cricket Board secretary). In the London round of meetings, England and Wales Cricket Board CEO Richard Gould and outgoing New Zealand Cricket CEO David White attended as invitees.

10% solidarity fee

The working group also looked at a potential stipulation that will force boards hosting T20 leagues to pay a 10% release fee to players’ home boards every season.The IPL has been paying release fees since its inception – the BCCI pays boards a minimum 10% release fee per player. Other leagues, too, have negotiated similar amounts in bilateral agreements with fellow boards, in order to obtain no-objection player certificates.In the 2018 paper, the CWI had recommended a 30% release fee to obtain NoCs but the working group believed 10% was a realistic figure. Such a release fee (the group calls it a solidarity fee) would need to be arranged by the host board conducting the T20 league. Associate boards, howeveer, could find this difficult considering the limited funding they get from the ICC.Passing the onus to the franchise, at least one working group member said, wouldn’t be easy, since no such clause might exist in current contracts. The other solution, the group suggested, would involve deducting it from the player’s fee.The discussion will now be picked up by the CEC at the July meeting. While the status quo is likely to continue for now, the working group is clear on one aspect: leagues that have already received ICC clearance, such as the ILT20 and MLC, could be given an allowance to fill in the remainder of overseas slots with retired or Associate players, but any leagues sanctioned in the future will need to satisfy the new regulation as and when they are greenlit.

Fast bowler struggles with shoulder and leg problems but assistant coach Vettori confident of fitness

Andrew McGlashan20-Jul-2023Australia are confident that Mitchell Starc will be fit to bowl on the third day at Old Trafford despite landing heavily on his left shoulder and being unable to throw the ball on his brief return to the field.Starc suffered the blow when he dived at mid-on in the 65th over to intercept an on drive from Harry Brook. Briefly it looked nasty as he stayed down but he was able to walk off with the physio and doctor after initially attempting to stay on the ground.Starc returned at the end of the following over, with the hope of being able to bowl late in the final session, but after chasing a ball towards the boundary three deliveries later he did not feel comfortable in throwing and left the field again.After play he was receiving ice treatment and there were no immediate plans to send him for a scan with a further assessment to take place on Friday morning. Earlier in the day, he had also appeared to have discomfort in his left leg having felt it a couple of times while bowling and again, more significantly, after a dive on the boundary, but that was not considered a concern.”I think the leg is good, no issues there,” Daniel Vettori, Australia’s assistant coach, said. “The shoulder, we saw what happened in the field, he’s currently got some ice on it and we’re pretty confident it will be right tomorrow.”He’s one of those guys who doesn’t like to spend too long off the park. But he got straight into a hot spot and three balls in a row came to him in the field and he didn’t quite feel comfortable throwing it. I haven’t actually spoken to him but that’s what it looked [like]. We’re all pretty confident he can bounce back tomorrow.”Starc, who has enjoyed a successful series after missing the opening Test at Edgbaston, made the first breakthrough for Australia when he found Ben Duckett’s outside edge and added a second when Moeen Ali was well caught at midwicket by Usman Khawaja.Related

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The final two Tests of the series are back-to-back which would put time pressure on anyone who did pick up an injury in this match. Scott Boland, who has played twice in the series, and Michael Neser are the reserve quicks.The more immediate concern for Australia is whether they can retain the Ashes before reaching The Oval having endured a chastening day at the hands of Zak Crawley and Joe Root. A poor forecast for the weekend might be their biggest ally, but Vettori insisted it wasn’t at the forefront of their minds.”It all leads to batting exceptionally well in the third innings, that’s what will set up the rest of the game as well as how well we bowl tomorrow,” he said. “We won’t have a chance to have a say on the result unless we do the next day well. England are in control, but if we can come in and get those final wickets for as few runs [as possible], then it sets up for that final innings and the weather may play a part in that.”From England’s point of view, Crawley was not privy to any discussions between Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum but thought that they would look for as big of a lead as possible rather than an early declaration on the third day.”I’m not sure, anything could happen with Stokesy,” he said, “but while there are two very good players at the crease Jonny [Bairstow] still to come, and good tail-end batters, I think the gameplan would be to bat once. Maybe if we lose a couple of wickets early that might change but I’d have thought it would be to get a big lead. We are expecting them to bat well.”

The allrounder was struck by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer shortly after arriving at the crease

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2023Cameron Green was substituted out of Australia’s opening ODI against South Africa in Bloemfontein with a concussion after he was hit by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer in the sixth over of the chase. Marnus Labuschagne took his place in the line-up and, as he did at Lord’s in 2019, produced a vital innings which took his team to victory.Green had only just arrived at the crease after Rabada removed Mitchell Marsh with the first ball of his third over and defended the first delivery he faced. That ball was full but Rabada immediately went for change in length, charged in and delivered a 140kph-plus ball which angled in from off stump. Green did not have much time to react but turned his head to the offside and was hit on the left ear flap.He took his helmet off to reveal a drop of blood behind the ear and swelling in the area, which was visible within seconds. He received an on-field concussion check from the Australia phyiso then left the field to receive further treatment. Australia were 38 for 2 at the time.A short while later the concussion replacement was confirmed and Labuschagne walked to the crease at the fall of Alex Carey’s wicket which left Australia are 72 for 5.A Cricket Australia spokesperson said that Green was “being monitored by medical staff.”It was the second time Labuschange has been a concussion sub in international cricket after replacing Steven Smith during the 2019 Ashes Test at Lord’s in what would be a defining moment of his career.Labuschagne was not an original part of this ODI squad but was called in when Smith was ruled out with a wrist injury

The legspinner claimed career-best figures against West Indies in Melbourne

AAP12-Oct-2023Australia captain Alyssa Healy has backed Alana King to play a significant role in the upcoming tour of India after the legspinner’s sparkling return to the national team.Having been left out of the T20I series and opening one-dayer against the West Indies, King took career-best figures in the latter form, claiming 3 for 16 from five overs on Thursday.The 27-year-old put Australia in a strong position, with the tourists reduced to 107 for 8, but the fixture at Melbourne’s Junction Oval was abandoned because of bad weather.Related

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The outcome left Australia clinging to a 1-0 lead in the three-match series ahead of Saturday’s decider at the same venue.King was called in as a replacement for injured quick Darcie Brown, and will look to build on her performance ahead of the India tour.”It’s hard [for batters] because she challenges both edges of the bat,” Healy said. “You’re kind of playing for that big, ripping legspinner because she puts so much work on the ball, but the natural variation of one skidding on actually makes her more effective.”She gets a lot of batters lbw, especially in Big Bash cricket, so she’s a proper handful for us. Pink ball, white ball, red ball – it doesn’t really matter.”She’s going to be a great asset to our side, so hopefully she can maintain that and keep sticking her hand up for selection.”King spent a month in Perth working hard on controlling her length after returning home from the Hundred in August and is reaping the benefits.”Her speed through the air at the moment and her control with her spin and her length has been impressive right throughout the week,” Healy said. “It was actually really easy throwing her the ball as the first spinning option knowing that she was going to get the job done.”I’m pumped to see her back out here for Australia, and the passion and the energy that she brings is great for our group. It was nice to see her get rewarded.”Healy lauded Australia’s patience with the ball on Thursday on what looked like a good batting wicket.Plans to restrict Hayley Matthews paid off when the West Indies captain and star batter was bowled by Kim Garth for 20 off 20 balls.Matthews will again be crucial to the tourists’ hopes of causing an upset to deny Australia another series win.”We want to win games of cricket and win series, and that won’t change heading into Saturday,” Healy said.  “We’re looking to come out here and be as clinical as what we have in the last two games.”

Pakistan were kept to 100 in their chase of 121 with Nahida and Rabeya picking up two wickets apiece

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2023
For the second game in a row, Bangladesh’s spinners put on a show in Chattogram to overpower Pakistan and register a historic women’s T20I series win with a game to spare. They shared five of the seven wickets to fall with Nahida Akter – fresh off her record-breaking five-for – and Rabeya Khan picking up two each to restrict Pakistan to 100 in their chase of 121.After being inserted, Bangladesh were off to a positive start through their openers Murshida Khatun and Shamima Sultana, who added 34 in 4.3 overs before the latter was trapped lbw by Diana Baig. Shamima had hit two fours and a six in her 13-ball 18. Murshida and Sobhana Mostary then continued the attack before the latter was run-out.That saw Bangladesh slip from 54 for 1 to 71 for 4, the slide including the wicket of captain Nigar Sultana. However, Shorna Akter, all of 16 years old but coming with the experience of having played in the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup last year, scored 27 off 22 balls with a four and a six to help Bangladesh to get to 120. She rotated strike well and gave her bowlers a target to defend.In reply, Pakistan – despite losing Natalia Pervaiz in the first over – were steady, thanks largely to former captain Bismah Maroof. While she batted slowly, she kept them in the hunt with Pakistan getting to 40 for 2 in the ninth over. But they collapsed thereon, falling to 94 for 7 on a slowish surface.It was a phase where Nahida, Rabeya and Fahima Khatun called the shots, and that all added up to Pakistan eventually falling well short of their target.

The defending champions began in emphatic style after the foundations had been laid by a strong opening stand

AAP21-Oct-2023Adelaide Strikes made a sensational record-breaking start to their WBBL title defence, dismissing the Melbourne Stars for just 29 on their way to a crushing 148-run win at Karen Rolton Oval.Put in to bat, Strikers smashed their way to 177 for, with openers Katie Mack and Laura Woolvardt blasting 135 off 14.1 overs.Stars, who won their opening game on Thursday, were dismissed in just 9.3 overs to comfortable set a new record for the lowest total in the competition.No Stars batter made double figures with Sophia Dunkley top-scoring with 9.Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Zimbabwe legspinner Anesu Mushangwe ripped through the batting line-up to leave the visitors reeling at 18 for 8 in the seventh over. Captain Tahlia McGrath picked up the last two wickets to complete the embarrassingly one-sided game.The previous biggest winning margin was Sydney Sixers’ 103-run victory over the Hobart Hurricanes.”We started unreal with the bat with Katie and Laura and then with the ball as well with Mushy [Mushangwe] and Shooter [Schutt], so very happy,” McGrath told Fox Sports.”A perfect start but it’s a long tournament it’s a really tough tournament, so we’re going to have to be at our best for the next six weeks.”Strikers’ openers feasted on some poor bowling, notching at least one boundary in each of the first nine overs.Mack took 11 off the first Kim Garth over, slashing a couple of boundaries backward of point and scored 49 of her team’s first 55 runs. She struck 10 fours in her first 50, consistently smashing back of a length deliveries to the legside boundary.Left-arm finger spinner Sophie Day temporarily dragged her team back into the match. She had Woolvardt caught at long on and three balls later Mack was stumped by Nicole Faltum.Day also had Bridget Patterson caught, but McGrath produced some powerful hitting in the closing overs.Stars’ reply was catastrophic with the visitors playing a series of loose shots and providing Strikers with catching practice.Captain Meg Lanning fell to Schutt in the second over for 1, and Mushangwe removed England stars Dunkley and Alice Capsey in the third and the innings never recovered.

Part one of our BBL previews looks at Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades

Andrew McGlashan, Alex Malcolm and Tristan Lavalette05-Dec-2023
Squads as of December 5 and subject to change

Brisbane Heat

Captain Usman Khawaja
Coach Wade Seccombe
Fixtures Click hereSquad Usman Khawaja, Xavier Bartlett, Sam Billings, Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Paul Walter, Jack WildermuthHow the draft wentThere had been pre-draft talk of Heat having to choose between batters Colin Munro and Sam Billings. But Heat didn’t have to use their retention pick on either. They took Munro with their platinum pick at seven and Billings with pick 15. Hurricanes could have taken Billings at pick 11 but went for batter Sam Hain, who Heat let go. Tall bowling allrounder Paul Walter, a reliable performer for Essex who has yet to crack international cricket, was a surprise pick with their third selection.How they stack upIf not for incredible late hitting from Nick Hobson and Cooper Connolly, Heat would have been entering the season as the title holders. Instead they’ll be driven by that painful defeat at Optus Stadium with last season’s nucleus remaining intact. Heat were long known as a mercurial team, but found consistency late last season when they stormed into the decider despite a grueling finals run.They’ll hope to take the momentum into this season and Heat boast a strong attack that should be available for most of the season. Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson was a revelation last season and has tasted international cricket in recent months. He’ll work alongside veteran Michael Neser, who remains on the fringes of Test cricket. Spinners Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson have both played Test cricket in recent years, but will be competing against each other when Heat opt for just one specialist spinner.Heat’s batting has plenty of firepower, but availability could be an issue for several of their batters.Player to watchNathan McSweeney, 24, has had a strong season so far in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup for South Australia. He has yet to play international cricket, but his rising standing among Australia’s hierarchy is underlined by McSweeney captaining the Prime Minister’s XI team against Pakistan.He had limited opportunities in the BBL until last season when McSweeney grabbed a hold of No. 3 and smashed 84 off 51 balls against Sydney Sixers at the Gabba. He was classy in the final against Scorchers with a top score of 41 from 37 balls with the promise of more to come this season. McSweeney is also a useful offspinner and capable of chipping in with handy overs if Heat elect to play only one of Kuhnemann or Swepson.Availability issuesHeat’s push for a strong start to the season will be challenging without Prime Minister’s XI players Neser, McSweeney, Matthew Renshaw and Jimmy Peirson for their first two matches against Melbourne Stars and Adelaide Strikers.Those absences have been somewhat offset by the availability of captain Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, who are then likely to miss much of the season due to Test commitments. Neser and Renshaw could also figure in Test calculations during the summer. Munro and Billings will play in nine regular season games before flying off to the UAE’s ILT20 competition, but Walter will be available throughout.Matthew Short was player of the season in 2022-23•Getty Images

Adelaide Strikers

Captain TBC
Coach Jason Gillespie
Fixtures Click hereSquad Wes Agar, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Adam Hose, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Ben Manenti, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton, David Payne, D’Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake WeatheraldHow the draft wentStrikers as expected used the No. 1 pick to retain talisman Rashid Khan, who has subsequently pulled out of the BBL due to a back injury. Rashid was only going to be available until January 5 and has been replaced by English left-arm quick David Payne, who was part of Scorchers’ triumph last season and will be available for Strikers’ entire campaign.With their second pick Strikers selected one-Test England player Jamie Overton on the back of his explosive batting in the middle-order for Manchester Originals in the Hundred. Adam Hose returns after being selected at pick 26 and will provide a solid option in the middle-order.How they stack upHaving almost made the final of BBL 11, it was then a step back for Strikers after a late season spiral saw them lose their last five games. Unsurprisingly they’ve made some changes although the biggest was forced due to Rashid’s injury and Strikers will look notably different without him.The pressure will be on spinners Ben Manenti and Cameron Boyce, but Strikers are well stocked with pacemen after the additions of James Bazley and Brendan Doggett, who has bowled with fire for South Australia in the Shield. Strikers over the years have at times felt like they’ve lacked firepower with the bat, but Matthew Short and Chris Lynn were devastating in combination at times last season. Overton will add big-hitting ability in the middle-order, while D’Arcy Short is hoping to recapture the form that once made him one of the BBL’s most explosive players after shifting from Hobart Hurricanes.Player to watchMatt Short was the shining light amid a disappointing Strikers season and finished as the player of the tournament after continual blistering batting during the powerplay. Short, 28, has started the Australian domestic season brilliantly and made his international T20I and ODI debuts recently. Had Travis Head not been available for the World Cup, Short would likely have been drafted into Australia’s squad. Short is very much a modern cricketer who can do a little bit of everything. He’s a superb catcher and a skilful offspin bowler, who has often opened the bowling for Strikers.Availability issuesHead and wicketkeeper Alex Carey are set to be mostly unavailable due to Test duties. Overton, Hose and Payne will be available for the whole season.Nathan Ellis will captain the Hurricanes for the first time•Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes

Captain Nathan Ellis
Coach Jeff Vaughan
Fixtures Click hereSquad Corey Anderson, Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Liam Guthrie, Sam Hain, Peter Hatzoglou, Sam Heazlett, Caleb Jewell, Chris Jordan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Mac WrightHow the draft wentHurricanes were very strategic with their picks to fill the holes in their line-up. They also avoided some of the availability problems that other clubs gambled on. Hurricanes had pick 3 in the draft and took the opportunity to force Sydney Sixers into using a retention pick on Tom Curran. Sixers did retain Curran and that left Chris Jordan, another Sixers retention pick, available and Hurricanes were very happy to get him. Jordan was also left out of England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean which delighted Hurricanes further.They then went after Sam Hain, who was a retention pick for Brisbane Heat, and were able to get Hain as Heat opted not to take him as they chose to retain Sam Billings, who was still available in the draft. Hain adds some middle-order depth given they have a lot of local top-order talent. Hurricanes pulled a surprise with their final pick taking former New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson following his impressive showing in the inaugural MLC this year. It gives Hurricanes another powerful left-handed finisher to team up with Tim David and a left-arm seam option.How they stack upHurricanes squad shapes up very well. They have a lot of batting depth with David, Ben McDermott, Caleb Jewell and Matthew Wade forming the backbone of the top six but the addition of Sam Heazlett, as well as the overseas duo of Hain and Anderson, means they have a pretty powerful and versatile group of batters to choose from.The attack is nicely balanced, led by new captain Nathan Ellis. He has the veteran Englishman Jordan to bank on to bowl the tough overs as well as the out-and-out pace of Riley Meredith and Billy Stanlake. Hurricanes can also play two local spinners having added Peter Hatzoglou alongside Paddy Dooley. Ellis has a lot of experience around him but it will still be a big challenge for him as a full-time bowling captain. Although the blueprint has been set by Australia ODI captain Pat Cummins. Hurricanes made the captaincy change after a disappointing season last year where they missed the finals on net run-rate.Player to watchWhen Hurricanes head of strategy Ricky Ponting read out Corey Anderson‘s name at the BBL draft there were a lot of raised eyebrows in the room. Anderson, 32, had virtually disappeared from top-level cricket since last playing for New Zealand in 2018 and had not played a top-level T20 tournament since the 2020 CPL. But he reemerged at the MLC this year playing for the San Francisco Unicorns, a team with a heavy connection to Australia as it was run by Cricket Victoria’s administration and coached by former Australia allrounder Shane Watson. Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis also played in the team.Anderson’s performances were eye-catching, including 91 not out off 52 balls against an MI New York attack featuring Trent Boult and Kagiso Rabada. Wade clearly liked what he saw and passed on the information to Ponting and the Hurricanes management and Anderson is now a Hurricane and set to form a formidable finishing combination alongside Wade and David should Hurricanes choose to use them in those roles. He will also provide a handy bowling option. He could be an amazing find for the Hurricanes if he continues the form he showed at the MLC.Availability issuesHurricanes are likely to have a very settled squad. They have no Australian Test players in their squad and their three overseas are set to be available for the entire home and away portion but the only downside will be that none are available for finals if Hurricanes get there.Quinton de Kock is set to play in his first BBL for Renegades•ICC via Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades

Captain Nic Maddinson
Coach David Saker
Fixtures Click hereSquad Nic Maddinson, Joe Clarke, Quinton de Kock, Harry Dixon, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mackenzie Harvey, Ruwantha Kellapotha, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Fergus O’Neill, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jon Wells, Adam ZampaHow the draft wentRenegades had an excellent draft adding two world-class players with their first two picks although their availability will be limited. They were able to snare Quinton de Kock at pick No. 4. That raised a few eyebrows given the South African looked look he would have very limited availability, but Renegades had done their homework and were aware he was set to retire from ODI cricket after the World Cup, meaning he is likely to be available for six games prior to the SA20.Renegades then retained Mujeeb Ur Rahman without needing to use the retention pick, and he is set to form a formidable spin partnership with new recruit Adam Zampa. They opted not to take a third overseas on draft night, and later added Englishman Joe Clarke as a top order bat who can keep when de Kock is absent.How they stack upFormer Renegades BBL title winner Dan Christian famously quipped, “Old blokes win stuff”, and the Renegades will be hoping that dictum rings true again for a club that has only won one title in BBL history. They have doubled down on the veteran squad that made the Knockout last year adding Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon to a list that already features three over 35s in Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Jon Wells. Zampa’s inclusion is a masterstroke, as he and Mujeeb will be a formidable pairing and they will give Renegades a lot of flexibility with their attack.The batting has a lot of talent on paper but how they will gel will be a big question mark. Jake Fraser-McGurk has made an electric start to the Australian domestic season and looms as a key man given Finch, Marsh and Wells are no longer 12-month a year professionals. Maddinson is still recovering from his ACL injury but is fit to play after making a return in club cricket. There will be a heavy reliance on de Kock and Clarke to provide consistent output while Will Sutherland should get the chance show his ever-improving finishing ability.Player to watchJake Fraser-McGurk broke AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest List A century earlier this summer thrashing a 29-ball hundred for his new state team South Australia. He followed that up with a maiden first-class century in the Sheffield Shield. He is still a long way from the finished product, but he is starting to deliver on the promise he has shown for many years. The BBL looms as a chance to make his name as one of the most dynamic young batters in Australia. He should be given a licence in the top three given the experience around him.Availability issuesDe Kock is currently at the Abu Dhabi T10 and could miss the opening two games on December 8 and 10 but is expected to be available for Renegades’ next six games before he departs for the SA20. Mujeeb looks set to play in the Renegades’ first seven matches but Afghanistan have a three-match T20I series in India starting on January 11 that will likely rule him out of the last three. Clarke is set to be available for the whole tournament. Lyon was keen to play in the season opener but was withdrawn by CA will be unlikely for the remainder of the tournament due to Test duty.