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Netherlands overcame a maiden century by Hong Kong’s Anshy Rath and a 197-run WCL Championship-record partnership between Rath and Babar Hayat to secure a tense five-run win at Tin Kwong Road

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnshuman Rath’s maiden List A ton, which included 13 fours and two sixes, was in vain•Panda Man

With victory in sight of what would have been the highest successful chase in WCL Championship history, Hong Kong stumbled in the last six overs as Netherlands pulled off a tense five-run win at Mong Kok to take sole possession of first place on the WCL Championship table.Hong Kong were 285 for 3 at the start of the 45th over chasing a target of 331 with Anshy Rath on 134 and Nizakat Khan on 22 but both men were caught on the boundary off the bowling of left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon to give Netherlands hope. Rippon was eventually named Man of the Match for his game-changing spell of 4 for 67 after having been out for a duck, shouldering arms to an inswinger to open the match.In spite of the double blow, Ehsan Khan again established control for Hong Kong by striking two fours and a six to bring the equation to 23 off 21 balls. However, momentum swung again when Ehsan was given out leg before to Roelof van der Merwe for the sixth wicket, though replays indicated the ball had come off Ehsan’s glove rather than his pad.Hong Kong still had two recognized batsmen in Waqas Khan and allrounder Aizaz Khan at the crease to begin the 48th over with 20 needed off 18 balls but Paul van Meekeren had both men caught on the boundary in the space of four balls. Waqas top-edged a flick to a ball that would have been called a leg-side wide had it been left alone but he was instead caught at deep square leg, while Aizaz was bounced out pulling to deep midwicket. Hong Kong coach Simon Cook admitted afterwards that his side succumbed due to “very poor thinking under pressure.”Ehsan Nawaz was bowled by Ahsan Malik in the 49th and Hong Kong began the final over needing ten to win with No. 10 Nadeem Ahmed and No. 11 Tanveer Ahmed at the crease. Nadeem curiously turned down singles off the first three legal balls of the over but van Meekeren then bowled two wides to keep Hong Kong afloat. Nadeem finally opted to take a single off the fourth ball and another single by Tanveer put him back on strike, but with a six needed off the final ball to win, all he could do was splice the ball to long-off to end the game.Rath and captain Babar Hayat had put Hong Kong on the path for what seemed to be a record-setting chase with a record-breaking partnership earlier in the innings. The pair came together at 53 for 2 in the ninth after Jamie Atkinson was stumped down the leg side off Rippon. They then proceeded to add 197 for the third wicket, a record List A partnership for Hong Kong and a record partnership for any wicket in the WCL Championship. It broke the previous mark of 191 set by Namibia’s Sarel Burger and Craig Williams against Scotland in 2011. Both men had their share of good fortune with Rath spilled on 3 in the slips off Peter Borren in the third over while Hayat was spilled on 64 at short midwicket off Rippon in the 32nd.Rath’s batting was impressive throughout and he brought up his maiden century for Hong Kong off 93 balls after having fallen agonizingly short of a hundred in both innings of the Intercontinental Cup encounter between the two sides that preceded this match. The stand ended when Hayat was stumped down the leg side by Wesley Barresi standing up to Borren’s medium pace for 83. Crucially, a wide was not signaled for Atkinson’s nor Hayat’s dismissal, something which may have impacted the Hong Kong approach at the end if the two runs had been credited to their total.Netherlands total of 330 for 7 after opting to bat was underpinned by half-centuries from Stephan Myburgh, van der Merwe and Pieter Seelaar. Myburgh overcame the loss of Rippon in the second over to blast 88 from 98 balls, including nine fours and five sixes, before he was caught off Nadeem Ahmed in the 30th over to end a 71-run stand with van der Merwe.At 183 for 4, Borren and van der Merwe then added a rapid 60 for the fifth wicket as Borren fired 40 off 37 balls and van der Merwe 62 off 54 including four sixes. Borren fell in the 38th and van der Merwe in the 44th to disrupt a Netherlands surge. Seelaar ended unbeaten on 50 off 43 balls, having run consecutive twos to end the innings.Hong Kong’s death bowling was brilliant though – they conceded just one six and two fours in their final six overs – to hold Netherlands to what Borren admitted after the match was an under-par total on a ground with short boundaries. Thanks to the late intervention by Rippon and van Meekeren, it wound up being just enough.

Hasan Mohsin starred with bat and ball as Pakistan Under-19s defended 212 to beat Sri Lanka Under-19s by 23 runs and finish top of Group B

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2016Hasan Mohsin starred with bat and ball as Pakistan Under-19s defended 212 to beat Sri Lanka Under-19s by 23 runs and finish top of Group B. Pakistan will take on West Indies in the quarter-finals while Sri Lanka will meet England.Sent in to bat, Pakistan made slow progress at first, and their run rate was still below four an over when Wanidu Hasaranga dismissed Salman Fayyaz (33) in the 41st over to end his 61-run stand with Mohsin. Wickets fell steadily at the other end, with none of bottom five getting into double figures, but Mohsin ensured he dragged Pakistan to a competitive total, and was ninth out for a run-a-ball 86 with eight fours and a six. Pakistan were bowled out for 212 in the 49th over.Opening the bowling with his gentle seam-up, Mohsin then gave Pakistan two early breakthroughs, dismissing both Sri Lankan openers. Sri Lanka slipped to 63 for 4 when the in-form pair of Charith Asalanka and Shammu Ashan got out to soft dismissals against the spinners, but Kamindu Mendis and Vishad Randika got the chase back on track with an 84-run stand for the fifth wicket. Just when Sri Lanka seemed to be cruising home, though, Mendis holed out to long-on for 68 (104b, 5×4), and Hasaranga and Randika (46 off 71) followed him soon after. Damitha Silva kept Sri Lanka in the hunt for a while with an unbeaten 21, but the lower order fell away around him, with legspinner Shadab Khan picking up the last two wickets to finish with figures of 3 for 31.

Adnan Raees’ 42-ball 47 proved to be the difference as State Bank of Pakistan defeated Union Bank Limited by nine runs in a low-scoring match in the Ramadan T20 Cup in Karachi.

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2013
ScorecardAdnan Raees was named the Man-of-the-Match•PCB

Adnan Raees’ 42-ball 47 proved to be the difference as State Bank of Pakistan defeated Union Bank Limited by nine runs in a low-scoring Ramadan T20 Cup match.SBP, who chose to bat first, got off to a bright start, as opener Rameez Raja hit four fours during his 17-ball 23 to take the team to 30 for no loss after three overs.But medium-pacers Akhtar Ayub and Mohammad Irshad swung the momentum in United Bank’s favour, taking five wickets between them and leaving SBP struggling at 50 for 5 after 7.5 overs.Raees, batting at No.5, then stabilised the innings with a knock that included four fours. He shared a crucial eighth-wicket partnership of 34 runs withHasan Mahmood to take SBP to 123 for 9 in their 20 overs.Irshad was the most succesful bowler for United Bank, picking three wickets for 31.United Bank got off to a stuttering start, losing openers Asif Ali and Adnan Baig to successive deliveries off legspinner Kashif Siddiq and fast bowler Mohammad Ali in the third and fourth over.Saad Sukhail and Ali Asad added 38 runs for the fourth wicket, but tight bowling from SBP, particularly from Ali and Rizwan Haider, slowed down United Bank’s run-chase. Mahmood picked up two wickets towards the end of the innings, as United Bank mustered 114 for 5, falling short of the target by nine runs.Raees was named as the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 47Despite the loss, United Bank remain second on the points table with 4 points. State B of P are third due to an inferior net run rate.

Surrey’s last-ball defeat at Essex at least allowed the healing process to begin in their first match since the death of Tom Maynard.

Alan Gardner at Chelmsford22-Jun-2012
ScorecardFor Surrey this match against Essex allowed the healing process to begin. Touched by tragedy once again with the death of Tom Maynard in an accident on the London underground, their young squad put the events of Monday behind them and fought every inch of the way before they lost to the last ball of the game. The result did not matter: at a time of dislocating sadness, the cricket was comfortingly familiar.Surrey’s game against Hampshire on Wednesday had been postponed to allow the club to come to terms with their loss. This was their first outing without the popular Maynard, a player who was expected to follow in his father Matthew’s footsteps, as an England international and as a product of Glamorgan, a reminder of the ECB’s silent W.Chris Adams, Surrey’s cricket manager, had said that his team needed to get back into the routine of playing after the numbing news of Maynard’s death. The 23-year-old batsman was found dead on the tracks near Wimbledon Park tube station on Monday, robbing Surrey of a young star, the Maynard family of a son. Speaking after the match, Adams praised the response of his players on a raw night.”It’s been a desperately difficult week for them,” he said. “I don’t think any of us expected to not be highly emotional today. It was a lovely gesture by Essex to start the day off with the wreath, which meant that the two lads walking out to bat were visibly upset and so were the people in the dugout.”I can be proud of the lads, they have shown amazing character through the week – I think just turning up today was enough for me. They did it and got through it and we nearly won a game. This is a very difficult place to come and win anyway, under any circumstance, but after a week like that to get so close gives me great heart.”We came back in yesterday to The Oval, and we all expected that to be quite difficult. It was the first time back in the changing rooms, first time the lads will have seen Tom’s locker and there were some very, very sombre and quiet moments.”I think the best counselling that they will have in the whole process is tonight, is getting out there, back in the arena and doing what they do best, which is playing cricket. There will be a lot of proud people, supporters, a family back in Wales – I know, as soon as the game was over I had a text from Matthew to say so.”We’ll move on, and our cause for the rest of the season is defined: whatever we do, it will be to make sure that Tom Maynard is looking down, very proud of what he stood for, the team stands for and how we want to play our cricket.”Chris Tremlett, the England fast bowler, making his first appearance of the season for Surrey’s first XI, took 3 for 19 off his four overs but James Franklin’s 63 from 51 balls and some late hitting from Tim Phillips were decisive as Essex secured a dramatic victory. In scoring 26 off the final 11 deliveries Essex triumphed by a fine margin for the third successive evening, in exhilarating fashion. It was, if nothing more, a fleeting, enthralling distraction from real life.A minute’s silence preceded the start, with the teams lined up on the outfield wearing black armbands. Several Surrey players were visibly affected by the emotion of the occasion and Jason Roy, who walked off with a consoling arm around his shoulder, had to immediately don his helmet and return to the middle to open the batting.He hit the first ball he faced straight back down the ground for four, following it up with several further boundaries in a highly charged 36 off 20 balls before holing out to deep midwicket. On being dismissed, he looked to the heavens before dragging himself from the pitch on heavy legs. Twenty20 is often a game of frivolity but Roy’s reaction spoke of weightier matters on his mind.Rory Hamilton-Brown, the Surrey captain and Maynard’s flatmate, had been given compassionate leave – though he was present for the minute’s silence – with Gareth Batty leading the side. There was an added poignancy to the commonplace sight of the players in a huddle on the outfield, missing as it was Surrey’s No. 55, as well as Hamilton-Brown and the England international Jade Dernbach, a close friend of Maynard’s. “It’s been the most difficult week of my career certainly,” Batty said at the toss. “It’s bringing the club together. Our thoughts are with his mother and father down in Wales.”The loss of a team-mate in such circumstances is, mercifully, not something that many players will have to deal with in their careers. Stuart Meaker, the Surrey fast bowler, had tweeted after being called into the England squad for the third ODI against West Indies that he and Dernbach had “been given a chance to play this Friday for the memory of Tommy Maynard. I hope we can do him proud.” Rain at Headingley denied Meaker and Dernbach such an opportunity but Meaker made the 200-mile journey to Chelmsford in time to feature in this fixture.He celebrated with a pump of both arms after bowling James Foster with his third ball and for while, as Essex struggled against the pace of Meaker and Tremlett, slipping from 93 for 3 to 119 for 7 in 28 balls, it looked as if Surrey might secure the win they almost visibly strained for. It wasn’t quite to be. But, on this occasion, there was something more important to play for.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in Bangalore

The Preview by Nikita Bastian21-May-2011

Match facts

Sunday, May 22, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Will Bangalore risk playing Daniel Vettori with his dodgy knee ahead of the play-offs?•AFP

Big Picture

The IPL has had its share of low-key games, and the top four teams are already decided, but the final day of the round-robin stage will decide who takes on whom in the play-offs. Chennai Super Kings square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first of two metropolitan battles, and the equation is simple: win the game and go to the top of the table. Defeat, on the other hand, will impact the teams differently.If Bangalore lose, they will most likely finish third in the league, and lose the luxury of a second chance at making the final, which the loser of the play-off between No. 1 and 2 will enjoy. Chennai, though, could finish in the top two even if they lose to Bangalore, on the basis of their strong net run-rate.Chennai and Bangalore are the IPL’s form teams at present with four wins in their last five matches. Both teams, however, still have something to prove in this high-stakes game. Bangalore were humbled by an Adam Gilchrist blitz in their previous match and have almost been a one-man show, ten men playing support roles to lead actor Chris Gayle. Chennai have not been the best travellers this season, losing four of six away games.There is one other factor to consider in this race to the No. 1 spot – the weather. Rain has washed out one game in Bangalore and shortened another, and there are light showers forecast for Sunday. A washed-out match will keep Chennai on top, but leave Bangalore’s final standing dependent on the outcome of the Kolkata-Mumbai tie.

Form guide (most recent first)

Chennai Super Kings: WWWLW (first in points table)
Royal Challengers Bangalore: LWWWW (second in points table)

Team talk

Chennai have had an unchanged XI in their previous three games, with Dwayne Bravo pushing out offspinner Suraj Randiv since his arrival from the Caribbean. If they decide to play only one spinner on the batsman-friendly Bangalore pitch, Shadab Jakati could sit out, making way for Joginder Sharma.Bangalore’s captain Daniel Vettori is back in India after going to New Zealand to have his injured knee examined. Vettori had some light practice in the nets on Friday and is likely to play against Chennai, unless the management decides not to risk him before the play-offs. If Vettori plays, Johan van der Wath will sit out. Bangalore tried Luke Pomersbach and Saurabh Tiwary in the opener’s slot left vacant by Tillakaratne Dilshan, but neither have come off. Expect a bit of shuffling at the top. Zaheer Khan, who was rested against Kings XI Punjab, should return.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.

In the spotlight

Dwayne Bravo could be a vital cog for Chennai, especially with Albie Morkel not quite living up to his billing in this season. Apart from his batting down the order, Bravo’s slower bouncers could come in handy, provided he gets his lines right, unlike in his spell against Kochi Tuskers Kerala on Wednesday.With Bangalore’s top three, Gayle, Dilshan and Virat Kohli, firing most of the time, AB de Villiers has not had much to do. He has a couple of half-centuries – his season’s top score being 65 in a losing cause against Chennai the previous time these teams met – but he’s yet to produce a game-changing knock. Will this be the match? Also, fitness permitting, he might be asked to resume wicketkeeping duties, after makeshift keeper Arun Karthik struggled in the game against Punjab.

Prime numbers

• Bangalore’s bowlers feature three times in the list of this season’s most expensive spells. Zaheer is second on the list, for conceding 53 runs in four overs against Kolkata at Eden Gardens. van der Wath appears two times. There is no Chennai bowler on the list.
• Gayle, whose 38 off 12 balls against Kolkata came at a strike rate of 316.66, tops IPL 2011’s best strike-rates in an innings. He appears two more times in the list, while MS Dhoni, at No. 11 for his 41 off 19 balls at 215.78 against Rajasthan Royals, is the highest-ranked Chennai player.
  

  The chatter

  “The confidence of a bowler in the wicketkeeper is important. If a bowler is worried about the ‘keeper’s skills, that will restrict the former’s options, particularly the variations.”
  .”The swift manner in which he [Dhoni] reads the game is to be appreciated. Besides his abilities in captaincy, it helps in his batting as well.”
  .

20-Jun-2010

ScorecardDerbyshire allrounder Garry Park took three wickets as the visitors claimed an unlikely nine-run Friends Provident t20 win over Northamptonshire. Nicky Boje took 3 for 20 and Zimbabwe international Elton Chigumbura claimed 1 for 8 in four overs as Derbyshire posted what looked a mediocre 109 for nine with Lee Goddard top-scoring with 22. Despite a pedestrian 37 off 46 balls by Alex Wakely, Northants fell 10 runs short of their modest target with Steffan Jones and Tim Groenewald taking two wickets each.Derbyshire won the toss and chose to bat first, but they lost Wes Durston (three) in the second over when he was trapped lbw by former Sri Lanka seamer Chaminda Vaas. South Africa international Loots Bosman made the same score before departing after scooping Jack Brooks to Chigumbura at mid-off.Steelbacks skipper Andrew Hall then bowled Chesney Hughes for 12 to leave the Falcons teetering on 23 for 3. Chigumbura, who was making his home debut, then caught and bowled Derbyshire captain Robin Peterson (14) before Boje trapped John Sadler (five) leg before.The visitors continued to toil, with Jonathan Clare’s six over long-on in the 14th over their first boundary in seven overs before he went for 14 when he smashed Boje to Hall at extra cover.
Boje then claimed his third wicket by pinning Park (20) lbw before Hall sent Jones’s offstump cartwheeling, without troubling the scorers.Groenewald made four before launching Hall to Rob White at deep midwicket, with Derbyshire only getting past a hundred in their final over.Chasing 110, Northants lost White (four) in the third over when he sliced Groenewald to Sadler, who took and easy catch at third man, as their chase got off to a sluggish start. Vaas – opening the batting – then hammered 18 off a Groenewald over to get them back on track on his way to 28 before he blasted Peterson to Groenewald at deep midwicket.Boje went for four by knocking Jones to Clare at extra cover before he claimed his second wicket by forcing Chigumbura to edge to wicketkeeper Goddard for two. It was slow going for the hosts afterwards and they lost Wakely when he hammered Park to Clare at deep extra cover.Bosman took David Willey (three) in the same position off Park and the same bowler made wicketkeeper David Murphy edge to Goddard before Groenewald bowled James Middlebrook (one) in the final over.

West Indies’ top-three batters controlled the chase of 142, easily securing the win despite the margin showing them earning victory with one ball left

Madushka Balasuriya28-Jun-2024The West Indian top three of Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle ensured a triumphant end to a challenging tour of Sri Lanka, as they anchored a six-wicket win in the third and final T20I in Hambantota to complete a come-from-behind 2-1 series win.Campbelle remained unbeaten at the end on a 30-ball 41 as West Indies chased down a target of 142 with just one ball to spare. The margin of victory however belies the control the visitors exuded in the chase.Taylor and Mathews put on a 60-run opening stand in just 48 deliveries, after which Matthews paired up with Campbelle for a 44-ball 51-run stand. When Matthews fell, trapped leg before attempting to swipe one from Kawya Kavindi across the line, the West Indies were on 111 for 2.With the requirement at roughly run-a-ball, Campbelle navigated the remainder of the chase expertly. The late wickets of Chedean Nation and Aaliyah Alleyne in the 18th and 19th overs conjured some late drama – both dismissed trying to hit out – but some smart running in the final over when just six runs were required ensured there were no further blips.Earlier, having put Sri Lanka in to bat, West Indies got off to the ideal start dismissing Vishmi Gunaratne off just the second ball of the innings, the aggressive 18-year-old top-edging an attempted pull of Chinelle Henry.Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama however responded well to the early setback with a partnership of 55 off 54, before Samarawickrama chipped one back to Afy Fletcher. This was followed by a 25-ball stand of 34 between Athapaththu and Kavisha Dilhari, but then Athapaththu would also fall, caught excellently in the deep by Shamilia Connell – making up for her drop of the same batter a short while earlier.Athapaththu’s wicket in the 14th over and Dilhari’s (26 off 22) in the 16th – caught brilliantly by a leaping Henry at mid-off – fell at inopportune moments for the hosts, just as they might have been looking to accelerate.Some late blows from Ama Kanchana and Nilakshi de Silva pushed the total to 141, but Player of the Series Matthews and co eventually made light work of what could have been a tricky chase.

Jack Carson unstoppable in final session as visitors run risk of being reduced to a Pulp

Alan Gardner21-Apr-2023Yorkshire 216 for 7 (Bean 49, Carson 3-34) trail Sussex 361 (Alsop 95, Carter 64, Coad 5-54) by 145 runsIn the commentary box during the afternoon session on day two of this match in Hove, discussion turned to popular music. Matthew Revis, an unused member of the Yorkshire squad taking a turn on the livestream, was asked about his preferences, and he put forward Pulp as his favourite band – an appropriate choice, you might think, given their Sheffield roots.Then again Revis, who grew up nearer to Bradford, may not set much store by where Jarvis Cocker and the gang come from, given he confessed to only really liking “one or two of their songs”. Few would argue, though, that “Common People” and “Disco 2000” – both released in the decade before 21-year-old Revis was born – aren’t a couple of proper bangers, and it might be heartening for some to hear that things held dear by previous generations still have the capacity to captivate the youth of today.Can you see where this is going yet?Others will perhaps argue that Championship cricket sells itself pretty well in the circumstances and by the end of the day it was Sussex who were channelling Britpop exuberance as late wickets put them well on top. For much of Friday, the words of another Sheffield troubadour, Alex Turner, seemed to sum up the occasion: “Now it’s getting dark, and the sky looks sticky, more like black treacle than tar.” Drizzle rather than treacle cut more than an hour out of the morning session and ominous-looking clouds continued to scud through for much of the afternoon.In fact, various weather apps and websites declared that it was actually still raining as the players took the field shortly after midday, but any passing squalls thereafter skirted the ground and, with the floodlights blazing into the evening, 82.3 overs of play were possible.Despite the distractions, Sussex produced another fine ensemble effort, though a patchy forecast for the weekend could yet prevent them from throwing shapes. Ottis Gibson braved the elements to watch from behind the bowler’s arm at the Sea End as Yorkshire made a solid start to their reply, reaching 52 for 0 and 136 for 2 – but with Jack Carson taking three wickets, to go with lower-order runs and a spectacular catch, they finished the day seven-down and facing a scrap to avoid starting the season with a second defeat in three.If anyone in Sussex’s young squad can provide the rock’n’roll stylings it is arguably Ollie Robinson, who was making his first outing of the season after being rested on ECB instruction in the opening round. Robinson declared confidently during pre-season that England would “stick one on” Australia during the Ashes later this summer, and looked primed to be the frontman here as the hosts attempted to capitalise on the nibbly conditions after posting a useful first-innings score of 361.He should have had a wicket in his first over, when Finlay Bean tickled an edge straight into the midriff of Ali Orr at leg slip – only for the chance to go down. Bean survived in similar fashion in Robinson’s next, though Orr could be forgiven for only getting a hand to the ball as he threw himself to his right. Robinson has learned to channel his frustrations but the younger version may have wanted to respond by hurling a TV set out of a hotel window.In his second spell, Robinson suffered the indignity of being taken for three successive fours by Dawid Malan, and figures of 9-2-41-0 suggested he was still some way from being at concert pitch. But there was still time during a lengthy evening session for Robinson to return and nip one through the defences of George Hill, bringing a little strut to proceedings – and Sussex’s mood became more buoyant still as Henry Crocombe added another late wicket thanks to Dom Bess’ impetuous hook, before a low-bouncing delivery from Carson accounted for Shai Hope.The initial breakthrough had been provided by Nathan McAndrew, who trapped Adam Lyth in front with the opener looking to leave; Saud Shakeel, the Pakistan batter making his debut, also fell without playing a shot shortly after tea as Crocombe brought a fine delivery back to hit the top of off. Bean, who could have been caught for a third time by Orr when flapping at a Crocombe bouncer on 31, was eventually dismissed one shy of his fifty when Carson found his outside edge and the offspinner had a second when Malan chopped on.Sussex might have built a more impregnable position for themselves but for a lower-order collapse of 4 for 25 against the second new ball. Ben Coad made up for an indifferent showing first time around but striking with his first delivery, ending a valuable sixth-wicket stand between Oli Carter and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, and he knocked over two more in quick succession to improve Yorkshire’s mood.Matthew Fisher was certainly less than gruntled at being repeatedly coshed through the covers by McAndrew, but he had the final word when inducing a tickle through to the keeper. Coad then had Carter taken at second slip for a nuggety, three-hour 64, before removing Robinson via another catch in the cordon later in the same over. However, Carson and Crocombe clawed back some ground with a sensibly compiled 57-run stand that was eventually ended by Coad – whose figures of 7.3-3-16-4 on day two earned him the tenth five-for of his first-class career.

“The last two games, we probably haven’t competed as much as we would have liked”

Matt Roller08-Feb-2022Heather Knight has admitted that England were “mentally fatigued” and struggled for motivation in the final two ODIs against Australia with the Ashes’ fate already decided.England were bowled out for 129 and 163 in the second and third ODIs, losing with 88 and 82 balls to spare respectively. They were heavily beaten in the only T20I that was played in full – though posted a competitive 169 for 4 – and were narrowly beaten in the first ODI, with a dramatic, drawn Test match sandwiched in between.Australia retained the Ashes with their victory in the first ODI and England have struggled to strike a balance between playing their best XI and managing their squad with an eye on next month’s World Cup in New Zealand. Kate Cross (wrist) and Katherine Brunt (side) missed the third game, with Emma Lamb brought in for an ODI debut.Related

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“The last two games, we probably haven’t competed as much as we would have liked,” Knight said. “We’ve been a little bit fatigued and not quite us as a side, to be honest.”It’s been a really good series, particularly the start of the Test match and a few really tight games where we went toe-to-toe with Australia but couldn’t quite win those big moments and be ruthless in finishing off games. We put ourselves in opportunities to win matches but weren’t quite able to get it over the line.”[It was an] unbelievable Test match to be involved in – absolutely brilliant. I was proud of the girls how they went about it, but I think mentally it probably took a little bit out of us. It’s the same for both teams and Australia were able to turn it around for those ODIs.”But yeah, I do think the last two games we’ve probably been a bit mentally fatigued – [we’ve had] a couple of injuries kicking around and a few people we’ve had to test a little bit with our eyes on the World Cup. That’s played a part too.”England’s opening World Cup fixture is also against Australia – in Hamilton on March 5 – and their winless run against them in ODIs now extends to six games after consecutive 3-0 defeats in the 50-over leg of Ashes series.Knight insisted that her team had “not become a bad side” and that the opportunity to regain physical and mental freshness before the start of that tournament meant the Ashes result would have little bearing on the World Cup opener.”I don’t think the last two games matter too much,” she said. “Mentally, we found it hard to stay up with the Ashes already gone. Obviously that was our aim. But I believe we can beat Australia on our day, if we get our batting and bowling together, be a little bit more ruthless – but 100 percent believe we’ve got the players to compete in that first game, and it’s a one-off game. It shouldn’t really matter too much.”[This series] was very different to 2019 I think. Our belief and mentality has been totally different. I think we’ve gone toe-to-toe and tried to go at Australia, which I think is a good strategy against them. But we haven’t been able to be quite ruthless [enough] in those big moments and they’re the sort of team that don’t give you too many chances, so when you’re on top you have to nail it down.”We haven’t become a bad side after this Ashes. We have to reassess and go again. [We’ll be] ready for the World Cup and hopefully gain some mental freshness and freshen up physically as well.”

“CSK is CSK is because of the relationship between the owners and the captain”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2020Gautam Gambhir believes that despite the Chennai Super Kings enduring its poorest season in IPL history this time in the UAE, the franchise will retain MS Dhoni as their captain in 2021 because of the “fabulous relationship” they share.”You’re putting me in a fix. Now that’s a tough question. It up to the franchise. What he has done for the franchise and how the franchise actually deals with MS and treats MS is a fabulous relationship,” Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo in response to a question on the leadership of the Super Kings after a season where they could well end up finishing bottom of the table. “And that is how every franchise should deal with their captain, who has delivered for them.”Dhoni’s future as player and as captain have come under severe scrutiny after the Super Kings became the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs’ race this IPL despite starting with a victory over defending champions the Mumbai Indians. They have since lost eight games and won just three more. And Dhoni is among several senior batsmen who have struggled to find form.Gambhir felt that the relationship Dhoni and the Super Kings have developed since the inaugural season (2008), when he was bought by the franchise and appointed captain, was a unique one. And the “mutual respect” they shared, Gambhir pointed out, was the reason the Super Kings have been one of the most successful teams in the IPL – three titles (only behind the Mumbai Indians’ four) in addition to winning the Champions League T20 twice.”MS has won them three [IPL] trophies, couple of Champions Leagues, he has made them one of the top successful sides in the IPL after Mumbai Indians,” Gambhir said. “So CSK saying they are going to continue with MS – it is just the relationship, it is just the mutual respect. That’s why MS has been so loyal (to the Super Kings). That’s why MS has given everything: heart and soul, his sweat, sleepless nights – I’m sure he must have had sleepless nights while he has continued captaining CSK.”I know people talk about that you should not be emotional, but then there is a connect. You’ve got to appreciate what the captain or a player has done for your franchise, how much hard work he has put in, because it is not easy being the captain of any franchise and that also for a such a long period of time.”The Super Kings management has said that Dhoni would be retained at the next mega auction, which is likely to be pushed to 2022 with the 2021 IPL scheduled to begin next April. There is a likelihood of a mini auction taking place, but Gambhir was confident that Dhoni’s position was not in doubt for 2021.”He deserves that much of appreciation from the owners,” Gambhir said. “I keep saying that why CSK is CSK is because of the relationship between the owners and the captain. They have given all the freedom to MS, and MS has received all the mutual respect from the owners as well.”So I would not be surprised if they continue with MS and MS plays till the time he wants to play. And then next year he still continues to be the captain and have a much different squad than what he has this time around.”