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South Africa women are currently ranked sixth in the ICC Team Rankings but they put their underperformance down to not having their best players available for all of those matches, either through injury or suspension

Firdose Moonda17-Feb-2017The South African management is eyeing a semi-final finish or better for their women’s team, who qualified for the World Cup with victory over Sri Lanka on Friday. South Africa missed out on automatic entry into the tournament after finishing outside the top four in the ICC Women’s Championship but secured their spots through the qualifier, with a game to play, and are getting stronger as the showpiece event looms.”We have the players to be in the top four. It is just about being consistent as a team and as individual players,” Vincent Barnes, CSA High Performance Manager, who works with the men’s, women’s, A side and age-group teams told ESPNcricinfo. “If you look at teams like Australia or England, they have three or four match-winners in their side and those players will perform in three or four out of every five games. We need to develop that as well.”South Africa are currently ranked sixth in the ICC Team Rankings and lost recent series against New Zealand and Australia, which did not allow them to proceed straight to the World Cup. But they put their underperformance down to not having their best players available for all of those matches, either through injury or suspension. Pace spearhead Shabnim Ismail and wicket-keeper batsman Trisha Chetty were left out for disciplinary breaches – for which they underwent counseling – while Ayabonga Khaka and Laura Wolvaardt missed parts of the two series with niggles. Having all four back has made a big difference. “We’ve been able to put our best squad out there and we can see how well they have combined,” Barnes said.While Ismail and Chetty are experienced players whose quality is well-known, Khaka and Wolvaardt have made particularly crucial impressions now – Khaka for her aggressive bowling and 17-year-old Wolvaardt, who is the head girl at her school, for her composure opening the batting. But there have also been strategic changes to the way South Africa play. Lizelle Lee and Sune Luus have been moved up the order and Mignon du Preez handed the captaincy over to Dane van Niekerk, which has allowed both of them to blossom.”Captaincy is still new to Dane but she is extremely knowledgable about the game. Dane is very focused, very hard on herself,” Barnes said. “And it has allowed Mignon to concentrate on her batting because we always thought she could offer a bit more.”Since October, when du Preez effectively stood down, she has scored four half-centuries in 20 ODI innings. In the same time period, van Niekerk’s has soared – she has been batting an average of 49.90 as captain, compared to 32.75 overall and has contributed with the ball. Doubtless, van Niekerk’s experience at the Women’s BBL has also had some effect on her performances and Barnes hopes more South African players will get opportunities in overseas leagues. “We want them to experience competitive environments because it really does wonders for them.”As women’s cricket continues to grow and offer players more commercial opportunities, Cricket South Africa are doing what they can to keep up. Two years ago, they upped their contracts for female cricketers from six to 14 players and they have also moved women’s cricket to the high performance division. That means the players have specialised camps at one of the world’s best facilities at the University of Pretoria and there is also a women’s academy intake who are trained there. The aim is to ensure there is a steady pipeline of quality women’s players, who can join and ultimately take over from the current crop.”What happens is that when the women graduate to international cricket, there is a big step up from domestic game, that gap is widening all the time. At the high performance centre, our job is to close that gap,” Barnes said. “It’s similar to the structure of international teams – you have a strong top eight and then the rest.”That top eight will compete at the World Cup, for which South Africa have one more series in preparation. They will host India, Ireland and Zimbabwe for a quadrangular rubber in Potchefstroom in May before traveling to the UK 10 days before the World Cup starts.

New ODI and T20I captain Sarfraz Ahmed has said Pakistan’s senior players need to “step up” as they continue their bid to confirm their place in the 2019 World Cup

Umar Farooq17-Mar-2017Limited-overs captain Sarfraz Ahmed expects Pakistan’s senior players to step up in the West Indies in their bid for direct qualification to the 2019 World Cup. He emphasised the importance of senior fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz taking wickets to make a difference on the upcoming tour, which starts with four T20I games from March 26.”In the T20 format we might have a relatively young bowling side but in ODIs we have three senior bowlers – Amir, Wahab and Junaid Khan. We have spoken to them and reminded them that they are seniors, have played ample cricket, and now have to step up,” Sarfraz said at the conclusion of a week-long conditioning camp in Lahore. “We are working on fielding but with our bowling department we need to take wickets with new ball and in middle overs. We have worked very hard in the camp and now I am hopeful that they will make a difference in the West Indies and help Pakistan win with their bowling.”Sarfraz’s own career has been marred with inconsistency since his debut in 2007. It wasn’t until 2014 that he turned it around, after Adnan Akmal was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series in the UAE. He scored 48 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, and has since become an integral part of the national side in all formats, recently replacing Azhar Ali to become ODI captain.Under Azhar’s leadership, Pakistan slipped to ninth position – a record low – in the ODI rankings. They have since risen one place but they barely scraped into this year’s Champions Trophy. Pakistan won only five of the ten bilateral series under Azhar: two against Zimbabwe, and one each against Ireland, Sri Lanka and West Indies. In all, Pakistan lost 18 games and won 12.”I understand that over the last two years Pakistan’s performance in ODI cricket hasn’t been good,” Sarfraz said. “We have been trying really hard to minimize our mistakes. There were some flaws, especially in the fielding department, and we have been working hard to iron them out. We were scoring 280 to 290 but then dropping catches in the field, and this was hurting our chances. We are aware how important World Cup qualification is, so our focus is on winning the series and strengthening our position.”Under Azhar Ali, Pakistan lost 18 ODIs while winning only 12•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Pakistan selectors recently named five uncapped cricketers for the limited-overs series, but also called up two senior players who had been out of favour. Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal were named in both the T20 and ODI squads after impressive domestic runs.”I feel the role of our senior players, especially [Mohammad] Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Amir and Wahab is very important,” Sarfraz said. “There are junior players with us and both Kamran and Ahmed [Shehzad] are making their comeback, so I expect our senior players, including myself, to lead from the front. We have been scoring 280 or so but we need to get totals above 300. Besides, our fast bowlers need to take wickets to give us the best possible chance.”Sarfraz dismissed suggestions that Kamran Akmal’s return threatened his own spot in the team•AFP

The recent corruption allegations that surfaced in the PSL made opener Sharjeel Khan, along with Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan, and Khalid Latif unavailable for selection. “It’s a bad thing in many ways and it disappoints you,” Sarfraz said. “Because some players are set in the team, and with their ouster the combination of the team gets upset. Sharjeel was not only settled in but was exactly the sort of player we needed to open the batting. He was the kind of batsman who played cricket in line with modern-day requirements. His absence will be felt but whoever comes in as a replacement will also be an outstanding player, and they can give their best to take Pakistan forward.”These young players that we brought in are very talented and they have been selected after consistent domestic performances. They have been outstanding and this is the reason they got a chance. It’s good that they are getting the opportunity at a time when cricket isn’t being played in the country. It’s also a good sign that they are getting a chance and hopefully these boys can convert their domestic form in international cricket.”Sarfraz denied that the added responsibility of being a wicketkeeper-batsman as well as captain put him under extra pressure. He also dismissed suggestions that having Kamran Akmal back in the side threatened his own place. “I am not feeling any pressure, it’s a good thing that Kami came in after performing well. Earlier [Mohammad] Rizwan was around with me so there is no pressure at all. Kami has been performing in domestic cricket, and we expect him to contribute here too, which will help Pakistan.”

Sussex handed Worcestershire their first Specsavers County Championship defeat of the season after wrapping up an innings victory at Hove

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2017
ScorecardSussex handed Worcestershire their first Specsavers County Championship defeat of the season after wrapping up an innings victory at Hove.The Sussex seam attack took advantage of a pitch offering plenty of uneven bounce on the final day to dismiss Worcestershire for 260 50 minutes after lunch and complete their second win of the season by an innings and seven runs.Sussex looked like winning a lot earlier after taking two wickets in the first five overs after Worcestershire resumed on 124 for 4, still needing 143 runs to make their hosts bat again.Vernon Philander produced a brute of a ball that climbed and left Ben Cox which the batsman touched to second slip.

‘We can match anyone’ – Nash

“Worcestershire are a good side but I think when we get it together we are a match for anyone in this division,” said Sussex’s captain Chris Nash after their victory.
“It was a really good team performance. We know that if we can get runs on the board we have a bowling attack who are going to make life hard for any side.
“We just need to find that consistency now. We’ve won two games and if we can win a couple more before the T20 starts we’ll be in a good position. There is still a lot of Championship cricket to be played.”

Worcestershire had added just four runs to their overnight score when they lost their sixth wicket as Jofra Archer, generating good pace from the Sea End, nipped one back onto nightwatchman Josh Tongue’s off stump.Worcestershire were 128 for 6 at that stage but seventh-wicket pair Ross Whiteley and Ed Barnard frustrated Sussex for the rest of the morning session as they added 79 in 25 overs.Whiteley was twice reprieved by Sussex skipper Chris Nash at second slip, first off Philander and then Archer, and both batsmen were struck on the body by short-of-a-length deliveries which rose sharply.With rain forecast, Worcestershire began the afternoon session confident of saving the game but in the first over after the resumption Stiaan van Zyl drew Barnard forward and a thin edge was taken by wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.Whiteley went to 50, from 102 balls with eight fours, but after adding three more runs his brave resistance ended when David Wiese, armed with the new ball, cut one back off the seam to find the edge.Philander cleverly held one back and Joe Leach drove to mid-on and the South African secured victory when he had Jack Shantry held at second slip.Sussex take 23 points and Worcestershire 4 and it was a much-needed win for the hosts as they look to claw back the early advantage established by Nottinghamshire and Kent at the top of the second division.Chris Nash’s term as Sussex captain began with victory [file picture]•Getty Images

In another rain-hit game at the Champions Trophy, England got the better of Australia and knocked them out of the tournament

The Report by Daniel Brettig10-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:40

Tait: Australia let the game slip away

As per a chorus in the Eric Hollies Stand cribbed from Three Lions and directed at Aaron Finch, Australia are going home. That they are doing so has less to do with damp English weather than the verve of the home side, personified by the pace of Mark Wood, the guile of Adil Rashid, the leadership of Eoin Morgan and the raw power of Ben Stokes.This was a meeting between a confident, aggressive England favoured to lift the Champions Trophy and an out-of-season Australia playing their first completed match of the trip. With the bat and then the ball, Steven Smith’s side hinted at their full capability, but were unable to follow through as Morgan’s men proved much the more resilient team when challenged. Having themselves knocked out New Zealand, a delighted Bangladesh are into the semi-finals.England did not lose their way when Finch and Smith set a commendable platform for Australia, and held their nerve once again when Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc nipped the new ball about with venom to pick up three early wickets. By contrast Australia’s innings featured a pair of collapses, then an inability to wrestle momentum back once Morgan and Stokes found their range after a brief rain delay.Morgan’s intent was made plain with a pair of boundaries from Starc in the first over on resumption, and Stokes was soon following suit with a succession of meaty blows that suggested a wonderfully uncluttered mind. For most of their stand, Smith seemed to be hoping either batsman would simply make a mistake as he had; England were in no mood to be so charitable – neither in terms of this tournament, nor the fact an Ashes series sits six months away. They were consequently well ahead of the runs required by the time the showers returned to end proceedings early.1:35

ESPNcricinfo Match Report – Stokes combines forces with Wood and Rashid to eliminate Australia

The frailties of Smith’s side seemed as much to do with a lack of sharpness as a deficit in quality, though Moises Henriques’ selection at No. 4 seemed odd when considering a limited-overs batsman as formidable as Morgan occupies the equivalent berth for England. Finch and Smith appeared capable of big innings but both lost their wickets to miscues, before the middle and lower order could make nothing of Rashid’s legbreaks and googlies.Travis Head played busily and well, but was left stranded as Rashid and Wood orchestrated the loss of 5 for 15 from the relatively lofty Australian position of 239 for 4 in the 43rd over. Of the batsmen, only David Warner could say he was legitimately beaten by fine delivery, while Glenn Maxwell fell victim to an excellent catch by Jason Roy, juggling the ball while stepping over the midwicket boundary to retain his balance.Warner and Finch had begun in strong fashion, hammering numerous short balls to the boundary on a pitch that was dry and brimful of runs. Wood’s well-pitched delivery running across Warner found an outside edge to break the stand at 40, before Finch and Smith purred along at a run a ball without seeming in trouble.A century beckoned for Finch, in his most fluent ODI contribution for quite some time, but a mistimed drive at Stokes was skied to a grateful Morgan. Smith, too, looked good for three figures, but after Henriques flattered to deceive in a brief stay that ended when he tugged Rashid to mid-on, the captain was too early into a drive when Wood returned to the bowling crease and chipped a tame catch to mid-off.Head and Maxwell combined for another useful stand, and appeared ready to launch when Maxwell swatted Wood just within the reach of Roy’s outstretched hands and then nimble feet to claim a fair catch. Rashid then found Matthew Wade and the bowlers susceptible to his guile, the flurry of wickets bringing a raucous crowd to their feet.The resultant collapse left 300 out of reach, but the No. 11 Hazlewood was at least able to keep Head company in the closing overs to add 23 precious runs. Head’s innings showed tremendous composure, and also suggested he may be due for further promotion up the batting order.Very little swing has been discernible during the competition, but Starc found the merest hint of curve to pin an out of sorts Roy lbw in the first over of England’s reply. Hazlewood’s initial rhythm was excellent, and neither Alex Hales nor Joe Root could be overly blamed for edging a pair of swift, bouncing and seaming deliveries.If the innings had a pivotal moment, it probably arrived a couple of overs before Root’s exit, when Matthew Wade failed to hang onto a chance gloved down the leg side by Morgan. That reprieve led to Morgan and Stokes playing with unbridled freedom after the rain delay, pinging boundaries and sixes in the fashion England supporters have become familiar with since Trevor Bayliss was charged with bringing the team’s ODI approach into the 21st century.England romped well ahead of the par score in the event of any further showers, while an increasingly desperate Smith tried Head, Henriques and Maxwell in addition to his pace bowlers and Adam Zampa. The stand was worth 159 in 26.1 overs and the target well within sight by the time a running mix-up and Zampa direct hit did for Morgan on 87.Jos Buttler offered one final moment of hope for Australia when he cut Starc in the air towards backward point, but Maxwell lost the ball in the crowd – at 24,277, an ODI record for Edgbaston – and Stokes went on to an exceptional hundred that ensured England were 40 runs ahead of the par score when the rain returned.Australia are left with plenty of questions, from whether the pyrotechnics of Chris Lynn and Marcus Stoinis should have been tried to the matter of how much the current pay dispute clouded the players’ minds. Whatever the answers, one thing is certain: Smith’s team will have to lift several notches for the Ashes, as England evidently have.

Matt Critchley delivered another impressive application for all-rounder status when he marked his first county championship match of the season with a century in the division two match against Durham at Chesterfield

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2017
ScorecardMatt Critchley struck his second first-class hundred•Getty Images

Matt Critchley delivered another impressive application for all-rounder status when he marked his first county championship match of the season with a century in the division two match against Durham at Chesterfield.The 20-year-old, who became Derbyshire’s youngest centurion when he scored an unbeaten 137 against Northants at Derby two years ago, made 102 from 148 balls out of 332 for 9.Wayne Madsen made 54, his highest score against Durham, and skipper Billy Godleman was not out 79 while 18-year-old seamer Matthew Potts took three wickets in his third first-class appearance.Durham’s day might have been different if they had bowled more consistently and had caught Madsen on one when he edged Chris Rushworth to third slip in the ninth over.Rushworth had already trapped Luis Reece lbw with one that kept low and Madsen’s wicket would have given them a chance of exposing a batting order weakened by the absence of Shiv Thakor and Gary Wilson with minor injuries.

Critchley puts spin on it

Matt Critchley, who hopes to follow his century with some successful legspin, said: “There’s enough in the pitch and we saw a few balls at the end that spun so if you bowl consistently in the right place there’s enough to take 20 wickets in the game.
“With it being a club ground it tends to deteriorate and spin a bit more and with Imran Tahir), Hamidullah Qadri and myself we should be well equipped to take 20 wickets. We saw a few balls misbehave at the end so if we can get up to 350 that would be good.”

Madsen, who needed lengthy treatment after he was struck on the left elbow by Paul Coughlin, freshly named as Durham’s NatWest Blast captain. Madsen batted for another 34 overs to establish a platform which Critchley and Godleman exploited with a fifth wicket stand of 99.Critchley’s timing and placement was impressive although Durham were guilty of giving him too much width as 18 fours in his hundred suggest. A frustrating day for the visitors was compounded when the umpires reprieved Godleman on 10 after Graham Clark claimed a low catch at gully off Rushworth.Godleman had dropped down to six in the order after feeling unwell and was in danger of being stranded short of his half century when four wickets fell for only 25 runs after tea following Critchley’s exit when he played across a ball from Potts.But the former Middlesex seamer Gurjit Sandhu emerged from an uncertain start to play soundly on his Derbyshire debut to help Godleman steer his side to a third batting point and easily passed his previous highest first-class score of eight in an unbroken last wicket stand of 66 to make it the hosts day.Paul Coughlin will lead Durham in the NatWest Blast•Getty Images

R Ashwin is eager to learn quickly about English conditions ahead of India’s tour next summer – and he may have to if his Worcestershire stint is curtailed after two matches

George Dobell at New Road29-Aug-2017R Ashwin took three wickets on debut [file picture]•AFP

He probably wasn’t the off-spinning all-rounder they had come to see, but Jack Taylor produced the key contribution to defy Worcestershire at New Road.The day was meant to be about R Ashwin. The pitch had been prepared for him – this is the third time it has been used this season – and, by the time he was introduced into the attack, just before lunch on the second day, the stage was set for a key contribution.It was not quite to be. Nicely though he bowled and often as he troubled the batsmen – initially at least – Ashwin was forced to work hard to make an impact. The pitch, though dry, offered him very little – he described it as “extremely slow” with an expression that made it clear that was no compliment – and, even when the edge was taken, the fielders struggled to cling on to some tough chances. There was no lack of effort and no lack of variations, but there really wasn’t much help for him here.Maybe Worcestershire missed a trick with their selection. Had they included one of their left-arm seamers – either Jack Shantry or George Scrimshaw – their footmarks may have created a bit more rough with which Ashwin could work. As if was, they selected Pat Brown, a right-arm seamer, and he did not bowl a ball in the innings.With gentle rain falling on and off throughout the day – “I signed-up for the cold,” Ashwin smiled – holding the unfamiliar Duke’s ball was demanding and only one of his 27.5 overs was a maiden. And, if his first wicket, that of Gareth Roderick caught and bowled by one that was tossed up a little slower, would have pleased him, the wicket of Craig Miles came when the batsman clipped a full-toss to mid-wicket. Kieran Noema-Barnett might consider himself a little unfortunate to be adjudged leg before, too.But Ashwin is here to learn. He is here not for any financial reward – there is little county cricket can offer him in that regard these days – but because he wants to improve himself. He wants to learn to bowl in unfamiliar conditions (he has played only two Tests in England) and with unfamiliar balls. He wants to return next year and play a key role in helping India defeat England in a Test series. It speaks volumes for his character that, despite being placed No. 3 in the Test bowling rankings, he is prepared to go to such lengths to improve.”It’s not just about next year,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s always been a dream to play county cricket. I grew-up watching it on TV in India and it has always meant a lot. Spinners have come before and told me it is a must-do experience. I was being rested from a series [against Sri Lanka], so I thought I might as well come here to get experience.”But yes, next year was in the back of my mind and the back of the mind of the team management back home. With the pace with which the international cricket calendar is set-up, you don’t have a long time to prepare. That might even cost you a Test match. So these experiences can be banked upon and, if you can learn faster – which I pride myself upon – the results can come a bit faster.”The conditions shouldn’t have been especially tough. But for all the use this surface has had – one four-day match between the England and India U19 sides and one T20 match – it hardly appears to have deteriorated. At this stage, it appears more to have died though it remains possible it will deteriorate over the next couple of days. Ashwin could yet win Worcestershire this match in the second innings and, by doing say, help them take a decent stride towards promotion.Either way, he was sanguine about the missed chances – none of which were easy – and, was able to see the bigger picture both in terms of his own development and his team’s position in the game.”They put down a few catches,” Ashwin shrugged. “But catches go down. It is part of the game. They are fielding close in to me for the first time so I would not blame them.”I wanted to work on exploiting the rough, on using angles and on using a greasy ball. My bowling figures aren’t so important; it’s about making a difference for the team and challenging myself to bowl in tough conditions.”How long he is here remains to be seen. There remains a possibility he will be recalled to play in the limited-overs games against Australia which could reduce his involvement to as little as two Championship matches: this one and the one next week at Trent Bridge. Worcestershire, desperate to push on and achieve promotion, dearly want him to stay until the end of the season and play four matches in total.”I could be called to play in the Australia series,” Ashwin admitted. “But I have indicated to Bumpy [Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire direct of cricket] that I will be available for all four games. As of now, there are no communication channels open but they will be shortly so I’ll probably get a clearer idea after the Sri Lanka series.”When Ashwin took his first wicket, it seemed Worcestershire might cruise to victory. Gloucestershire were 93 for five at the time and the follow-on mark – 214 – looked distant. Ed Barnard, who finished with career-best first-class figures, had helped dismantle the top-order with a fine spell that peaked with the wicket of Cameron Bancroft, who lost his off stump to a beauty that was angled in, pitched and held its own. While not especially quick – he probably bowls in the high 70s in terms of miles per hour; not unlike a young Chris Woakes – Barnard maintains an immaculate line and length and gains just enough seam movement to trouble batsmen.But then came Taylor. While his overall first-class record may be modest – he came into this match averaging just 31.88 – his record against Worcestershire is outstanding. He has now scored four centuries against them in four successive Championship matches and averages 85.33 against them in first-class cricket. For a man who has scored only six first-class centuries in total, it is a remarkable statistic. He’s made a couple of centuries against them in second XI cricket, too. Only Wally Hammond (with six) and Charles Dacre (with five), of Gloucestershire players, have scored more first-class centuries against Worcestershire.While he survived one strong leg before shout in the 80s – George Rhodes, who bowled his own off-spin very nicely, was the unfortunate bowler – this was a deserved century. He picked Ashwin’s variations – especially the delivery that leaves the right-hander – used the crease intelligently to nudge and nurdle and put away the bad ball without fuss. While the first innings deficit was still substantial – 105 – it is not impossible he could have an even greater impact on the game with his off-spin in the fourth innings. He has, at least, kept his side in the game. Nobody else managed more than 33.Earlier Worcestershire lost their final three first-innings wickets for just three runs as Liam Norwell, who dislocated his finger on Monday and had it re-set at hospital, finished with four wickets.But in the grand scheme of things, perhaps the most significant aspect of the day was Ashwin soaking up the experience. While some will bemoan the fact that he has been given an opportunity to gain such knowledge – and it is true, he may well punish England with it next year – the smart English players will be watching and learning everything he does. It can only help them to test themselves against him and watch how he operates. It is especially telling that Moeen Ali nominally at least, a teammate for a few weeks, has already been on the phone offering his help and arranging a meeting.From a spectator’s perspective, it is simply a delight to see a terrific cricketer at close-quarters in the county game. Worcestershire are not the only ones who are lucky to have him.

The fast bowler conceded that he had even contemplated giving up the longest format and turning into a T20 specialist following multiple injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2017Australia fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile feared that he would not return to international cricket after being ruled out of the last home summer due to a back injury. Coulter-Nile has struggled with injuries over the past two years. In September 2015, a recurring hamstring injury forced him out of the ODI series in England. He was later in the frame to make a Test debut in the home series against West Indies in the same year but dislocated his shoulder while playing for the Perth Scorchers during the Big Bash League. A lower back issue then forced him out of the Sri Lanka tour in 2016 and put him on a lengthy rehabilitation period.Coulter-Nile returned to action in the IPL earlier this year and claimed 15 wickets in eight matches for Kolkata Knight Riders but his international future remained uncertain after he was cut from the national contracts list. Injuries to Mitchell Starc and then Josh Hazlewood meant Coulter-Nile was back in Australia’s limited-overs side for the India tour. He took the new ball in the first ODI in Chennai and claimed three wickets in an incisive opening burst.”There were definitely periods where I wondered if I was ever going to play for Australia again,” Coulter-Nile told after taking 3 for 44 in the series opener. “I was always confident I could play for WA (Western Australia) and get through a domestic season. That’s a lot easier than the rigours and travel of playing for Australia. But it’s yet to be seen if I can get through an Aussie tour yet.”I thought long and hard about [giving up first-class cricket] and I ended up trying to give it another crack. After talking to JL (Justin Langer) and a few blokes, I think it’d just be mad to give up the dream at 29.”Coulter-Nile, who was playing his first ODI since the tri-series final in the Caribbean in June 2016, hit hard lengths with the new ball and pushed India’s top-order batsmen back. He then made the incisions with full balls outside off.Coulter-Nile had contemplated giving up the longest format and turning into a T20 gun for hire last month, but he now says that playing for Australia is still the “dream”.”I think it’s the dream of every kid playing in Australia,” he said. “It’s not about earning money in the IPL, it’s about playing Test cricket and representing your country on the big stage.”Coulter-Nile is into his fifth year in international cricket, having played 17 ODIs and as many T20Is, but is yet to make his Test debut. He was in line for a Boxing Day debut in 2015, but a dislocated shoulder – sustained during the BBL – sidelined him.With Starc, Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson being the first-choice quicks, where does Coulter-Nile see himself in the pecking order?”I’m up near with them, but I’m not up with them,” he said. “But it’s the nature of cricket that those blokes aren’t fit all the time … which is why I’ve got the chance here. I’ve just got to be fit at the right time to get a break, I guess. My goals this year are to purely play well for WA. I’m confident I can get through for WA and just get my body into some sort of shape to play for Australia consistently.”

The board directors will hold a meeting on Wednesday, in which they will confirm Hassan as president after Naimur Rahman, Alamgir Khan and Syed Ashfaqul Islam won elections of their segments

Mohammad Isam31-Oct-2017Nazmul Hassan is set to serve a second term as BCB president after no other candidates emerged for the post. The board directors will hold a meeting on Wednesday, in which they will confirm Hassan as the president after Naimur Rahman, Alamgir Khan and Syed Ashfaqul Islam won elections of their segments on Tuesday.”We will be sitting for our president’s election tomorrow,” Hassan said. “Every board director wants me as the president. I am the only candidate for presidency, so if there aren’t any more nominations, I will be become the president again.”With 22 out of the 25 directors’ posts already taken without any contest, polls were mandatory only for two places in the Dhaka region and one in Barisal. Naimur (Manikganj) and Ashfaqul (Kishoreganj) got 13 votes each against two other councillors Tanvir Ahmed Titu (Narayanganj) and Shahinul Islam Bhuiyan (Narsingdi).Naimur was the BCB’s cricket operations chairman for two years before he was replaced by Akram Khan after a fall-out with Chandika Hathurusingha.Alamgir, a veteran organiser in Barisal, beat MA Awwal Chowdhury by five votes to two. Chowdhury was a BCB director between 2013 and 2017, serving as the chairman of the women’s wing. Alamgir and Ashfaqul are first-time BCB directors.

Soumya Sarkar said one of the senior batsmen should have held anchor at the crease in the last 10 overs to boost Bangladesh’s chances of their first win on the tour

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-2017Bangladesh needed one of their No. 3 – 6 – Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman or Mahmudullah – to bat through the last ten overs in their chase of 196 against South Africa in the 1st T20I. That, according to batsman Soumya Sarkar, would have given the side the anchor they needed in their steep pursuit. As it happened, however, the four batsmen contributed only 48 runs and South Africa won quite comfortably by 20 runs in the end, leaving Bangladesh winless on the tour so far.”If someone from No. 3 to 6 could have played a big innings in the last 10 overs, it would have helped us,” Sarkar said. “Then we would have had a set batsman at the crease in the last 10 overs, making things easier for us. They made nearly 200 runs but we also made 175. If one batsman did well in the middle overs, we could have won the game easily. But this [performance] will give us confidence that we can also score 200 runs.”Sarkar had his first good outing on the tour on Thursday, with a boundary-studded 31-ball 47 that gave Bangladesh’s chase a powerful start. He shared brief, but brisk, partnerships with Imrul Kayes, Shakib and Mushfiqur, but once Sarkar fell in the tenth over, Bangladesh’s batting gave way too quickly. They slipped to 101 for 5 from 92 for 2, before Sabbir, Mehidy Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin provided some big hits to finish on 175 for 9.Sarkar, who had scores of 9, 3 and 8 in his previous matches on the tour, defended Bangladesh’s selection for this match. The visitors picked four pace bowlers and two frontline spinners, and went with one batsman short in the game.”If you want to talk about negative things, there are a lot of things to talk about,” he said. “If the bowlers did well and we played one less, you would have said we should have picked one extra bowler. Now that the batsmen couldn’t do the job, you are saying we needed one more batsman.”There’s no end to these things; you think that we had one batsman less, but our captain and team management thought this was the best way to go about things,” he said.Sarkar, however, admitted that Bangladesh have to overcome their weakness of playing too many dot balls, something the bowlers are unable to enforce on the opposition.”Dot balls are a big problem in T20s. We have to reduce that in the next game. Even when we bowled or fielded, we should have saved more runs or not given away the no-ball that went for four. They would have scored 20 runs fewer. Chasing 170-odd would have been a different story,” said Sarkar.

Akshay Wakhare’s ten-for spun Vidarbha to victory over Services while Himachal Pradesh held Bengal to a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2017Offspinner Akshay Wakhare’s second five-wicket haul of the match skittled Services for 99 and sewed up Vidarbha‘s 192-run win – their second of the season – in Nagpur. Vidarbha are now second on the Group D points table, which is led by Punjab.Resuming on 111 for 2, Vidarbha extended their second-innings score to 223 for 6 before declaring the innings. Akshay Karnewar’s career-best 48 not out off 28 balls and Wakhare’s unbeaten 17 off 16 balls helped Vidarbha set Services 292.Wakhare then starred with the ball, taking out opener Navneet Singh and captain Nakul Verma inside the first ten overs. He then sliced through the middle order to hasten the collapse. Legspinner Karn Sharma chipped in with three wickets to finish with a match haul of five wickets. Rahul Singh (33), Vikas Yadav (30) and Amit Pachhara (10) were the only Services batsmen to reach double figures in their second innings, which lasted only 28.1 overs.Seamers Sandeep Sharma and Barinder Sran bagged seven wickets between them to dismiss Chhattisgarh for 297 and wrap up Punjab‘s second win of the season, in Raipur.Chhattisgarh added 126 runs to their overnight score of 171 for 4 before being bowled out in 102.4 overs. Ashutosh Singh led the hosts’ resistance with 119 off 222 balls – his second century in two matches – but he received little support from the middle order. Vishal Kushwah (45) and Sumit Ruikar (36) added a counterattacking 74-run stand for the eighth wicket. Anmolpreet Singh scooped the Man-of-the-Match award for his career-best 267.Chasing 141, Bengal scored 65 for 4 in 15 overs, and settled for a draw with Himachal Pradesh in Kolkata. The hosts, though, walked away with three points by virtue of their first-innings advantage.After being bowled out for 206 in their first innings and handing Bengal a first-innings lead of 213, Himachal Pradesh put up stiffer resistance in their second dig. Resuming on 207 for 2 on the final day, Himachal Pradesh lost Nikhil Gangta and Paras Dogra early, but opener Priyanshu Khanduri moved to 95, before Ashok Dinda had him caught behind in the 84th over. Rishi Dhawan then rallied the lower order with an unbeaten 51 off 90 balls, including seven fours, and hauled the score to 353.Saha was promoted to the top in the fourth innings and had a crack at the target, hitting an unbeaten 34 off 42 balls. But wickets falling at the other end did not help Bengal.