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The duo’s half-centuries meant Bismah Maroof’s 63 went in vain for Pakistan, leaving the series tied at 1-1

The Report by Liam Brickhill18-May-2019Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp both scored fifties as South Africa chased down Pakistan’s 128 for 5 with one ball to spare in the second Twenty20 International in Pietermaritzburg. Together they added 96 runs for the second wicket to chase down a total that had been built around Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof’s 63 not out. Although Lee fell moments before the match was won, Kapp remained unbeaten after registering her maiden T20I half century, hitting the winning runs.South Africa were well ahead of the asking rate when Kapp joined Lee in the middle in the fifth over, but tight spells from Pakistan’s attack meant that no boundaries were scored between the fifth and 12th overs. A steadily climbing required rate touched 8.55 before
the pair opened up once more and broke the shackles with a flurry of boundaries.Lee was first to her fifty, reaching the mark off the 45th ball she faced in the 17th over. South Africa needed just 12 off the final two overs, but Sana Mir ended her spell with a tight, five-run over to leave Nida Dar with seven to defend. Kapp swatted Dar’s
first ball for four to raise her fifty, and a single off the next ball put Lee back on strike.With two runs still needed and three balls remaining, Lee slogged a full toss out to Iram Javed at deep backward square, but the batting pair crossed while the ball was in the air, leaving Kapp on strike. A fierce straight drive ricocheted off non-striker Chloe Tryon, the ball bouncing into the gap beyond mid off, and a sprinted two brought victory for the hosts.Kapp’s match-winning knock meant that Maroof’s 63 – her second consecutive fifty-plus score – went in vain. She had entered the fray in the seventh over of Pakistan’s innings, after Umaima Sohail and Javeria Rauf had added a steady 36 in their opening stand.Maroof was soon into her groove, ticking into the 30s at better than a run a ball, but her partners at the other end struggled to give her consistent support, with Sohail’s 23 the next best score. Shabnim Ismail gave away a miserly seven runs in her first three overs,
which included a maiden, but elsewhere Maroof found opportunities to score, taking two boundaries off Kapp’s third over and following that up with back-to-back fours off Masabata Klaas.A single off Kapp brought up a 39-ball fifty for Maroof in the 19th over, and she ruined Ismail’s figures a little with two more boundaries to end the innings, but Pakistan’s total was not quite enough to overcome the hosts. After South Africa’s series-levelling win, the teams will meet again at the same venue on Sunday.

In the 1000th IPL game, Mumbai Indians become the first team in the tournament history to chase down a 200-plus total at the Wankhede

Alagappan Muthu30-Apr-2023An IPL game to commemorate the past produced a glimpse of the future instead as Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the most amazing hundred for Rajasthan Royals against his hometown franchise Mumbai Indians. And for 35.4 overs it looked like he would end up on the winning side.But a quirk of T20 cricket is that it can often be decided by the guy who doesn’t spend a lot of time in the middle. Tim David faced only 14 balls but that was still enough to change the course of history. A 200-plus total was chased down for the first time in the IPL at the Wankhede Stadium, and the Australian was at the centre of it all, muscling three back-to-back sixes off three back-to-back full tosses from Jason Holder in the final over.You gotta give it to the IPL. It knows how to throw a 1000th birthday party.

Jaisw-all the way

Over 999 matches, this tournament has become part of daily life in India. The main man from its 1000th might well assume similar status as his career blossoms. Twenty-one-year-old Jaiswal defied a slow pitch to amass 124 off 62 balls with 16 fours and eight sixes. Royals’ next best contribution was 18 off 19.His century became the top score by an uncapped Indian batter in the IPL and the one with the second-highest percentage (90.32) of runs in boundaries in all men’s T20. It was incredible and here’s a list of reasons why.Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 124 off 62 balls•BCCI

The range and quality of his shots. He launched a Jofra Archer short ball clean out of the Wankhede. He reverse-swept Piyush Chawla for a six over point. He scooped Riley Meredith over fine leg. He got to his fifty with a cover drive. And his hundred with a pull shot in front of square all along the ground.Then there was the fact that all of them were cleanly hit on a surface that messed everyone else up. Rohit Sharma, perhaps the poster boy for timing in Indian cricket, was so badly deceived by a knuckle ball that 90% of his body was nowhere near the line of it. This pitch – and Sandeep Sharma – essentially duped him into ushering one onto his stumps.And finally, most of Jaiswal’s carnage happened at a time his team was in danger of losing the advantage. Royals were 72 for 0 in their first seven overs. Then they lost 3 for 31 in four overs. It was becoming painfully clear that the set batter had to both last the entire innings and also take care of the acceleration. That’s a lot of responsibility. Especially given he was facing a once-in-a-generation bowler in Archer.But Jaiswal barely batted an eyelid. He scored 72 of the 109 runs Royals scored in the last nine overs. That’s a two-thirds split.

SKY high

R Ashwin came into this game having bowled 192 balls in this IPL. And he had only given away seven sixes. Suryakumar Yadav launched him for one the moment he walked out to bat. That’s how good he is. He finds a way to render really good bowlers into really average ones.Suryakumar Yadav started aggressively•BCCI

But as awesome as his shots sometimes are – in one over he scooped Jason Holder over the keeper for six and next ball, an attempted yorker from around the wicket, he whipped it straight-bat through midwicket – the thing that is really striking about Suryakumar is how much belief he has and how he is never shaken.Not so long ago, he bagged three first-ball ducks on the trot, and yet he keeps playing the way he has always played. Epic high-risk cricket. And he had Wankhede believing. He had a crowd that roared for Sachin, that roared for Rohit, that roared for Bumrah, that roared for Malinga, roaring for him.And suddenly Royals were worried.

A turning point

Sandeep was ignored by all ten teams at the auction. Royals only got him in when one of their first-choice quicks, Prasidh Krishna, was ruled out with injury.In his second match of the season, he became that rare bowler who can tell his grandkids that he bested MS Dhoni in the final over of a chase. In his seventh match, he took an absolute screamer to dismiss Suryakumar on 55 off 29.Sandeep Sharma was mobbed after a stunning catch to dismiss Suryakumar Yadav•BCCI

Sandeep had to run back 19 metres from short fine leg. All the while looking up over his left shoulder. Even then, the ball seemed to be beating him. He had to dive, propel himself off the ground, and reach out with both hands. It was fingertip stuff. Mumbai needed 61 off 26.

David finishes it off

It was the 18th over. He was just 11 off 6. The asking rate was up in the nosebleeds, at 16.6. And yet David batted as if he was the one on top; like the scoreboard was telling a lie.He hit Boult for a four to close out the 18th over. He welcomed Sandeep in the 19th with a six. Panic-stricken, the bowler conceded a wide and then missed his wide yorker, only by mere inches, but it was still enough for one of the most powerful players in the world to get under the ball and find the boundary.The equation was now down to 17 off the last over and it was to be bowled by someone who is just not suited to the task. Holder is a new-ball weapon. He doesn’t have a good enough yorker to do the job at the death. And to make matters worse, the dew had come in, making it hard to properly grip the ball.Everything was set up for the grandstand finish and David provided it. A man who makes his name by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat went 6, 6, 6 prompting 27,000 people to go into delirium.

The two countries meet for the first time in the shortest format with a global event looming not far off

Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2021

Big Picture

After a first last week – when Ireland beat South Africa in an ODI for the first time – there’s another coming this week. The two teams will face off in the shortest format for the first time. Both are entering the final stages of preparation for the T20 World Cup later this year, with South Africa gearing up for a group that includes England, Australia and West Indies, and Ireland needing to go through a qualifier against Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Namibia.The hosts have the more difficult task, having last played T20I cricket over a year ago, in March, against Afghanistan. Since then, they have had series against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan cancelled but will play at least eight matches (three against South Africa and five against Zimbabwe) in the lead-up to the global event in October.South Africa have fewer matches, just six (three against Ireland and three against Sri Lanka, after a series against India has had to be postponed again because of the IPL) and plenty of questions remain over their strategy. Despite beating West Indies 3-2 earlier this month, they have yet to settle on combinations but aim to use the Ireland matches to solidify their plans. Coach Mark Boucher indicated there is a level of fatigue in the camp, made worse by news of unrest at home, but with just a week left on the road, they have promised to give it their all.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland TLLLW
South Africa WLWWL

In the spotlight

Ireland’s headliner Kevin O’Brien will be back to try and find form as he prepares for the T20 World Cup. O’Brien has played five international matches this year – all ODIs – and managed just 27 runs, with three scores in single-figures and a duck. He has also had a tough time in the Irish inter-provincial T20 tournament, with 47 runs in six matches and a top score of 16. His last international milestone came almost two years ago, a century in a T20I against Hong Kong. It is Ireland’s only hundred in the format and they will want him to summon the spirit of that knock tomorrow.Tabraiz Shamsi has been a strong influence on South Africa’s limited-overs cricket recently•Getty Images

The world’s top-ranked T20I bowler, Tabraiz Shamsi , has been vocal on social media on topics including the challenges of life in bio-bubbles but has also seen the lighter side of having limited contact with others and will want to combine his frankness and good humour to end the tour on a high note. Shamsi was outstanding in the West Indies, where he was South Africa’s joint-leading wicket-taker and maintained the lowest economy rate for any bowler on either side (4.00) and will challenge both the Irish defence and run-scoring ability.

Team news

O’Brien has retired from ODIs but remains available in the shortest format, and is expected to open the batting alongside Paul Stirling. A middle-order of Harry Tector and George Dockrell, who were successful in the ODIs, will precede the power-hitting Shane Getkate and ODI centurion Simi Singh. Ireland are likely to have four seamers at their disposal in Getkate. Barry McCarthy, Josh Little and Craig Young.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling, 2 Kevin O’Brien, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 George Dockrell, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Shane Getkate, 8 Simi Singh, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Josh Little, 11 Craig YoungSouth Africa seem to have settled on Temba Bavuma to partner Quinton de Kock at the top in T20Is with Aiden Markram likely to feature at No.3. David Miller was rested for the final ODI but could make a return in the middle order, which may also include both a seam-bowling (Wiaan Mulder) and spin-bowling (George Linde) allrounder. With bowling a big focus for South Africa, expect them to play their first-choice attack.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Heinrich Klaasen/David Miller, 6 Wiaan Mulder, 7 George Linde, 8 Kagiso Rabada, 9 Anrich Nortje, 10 Lung Ngidi 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch and conditions

The third ODI on Friday showed that big runs are possible in Malahide and we can expect more of the same in the opening T20I which may bolster the ground’s average first-innings score of 152. There have only been three scores over 200 in 13 T20Is played at this ground, all achieved by the teams batting first, and all successfully defended. The highest successful chase at this venue is 182. Monday’s weather is set to be fine and warm, with no rain.

Stats and trivia

• Ireland and South Africa have never met in a T20I
• Andy Balbirnie needs 55 more to become the fifth Irish player to reach 1,000 T20I runs
• South Africa have won two out of their last eight T20I series dating back to March 2019

Quotes

Some of the things is making sure we are confident in our death bowling. We have clear plans, it’s a matter of executing that over a long period of time. And also by the end of the Sri Lankan tour, that we can trust the formula we have been working on over the last couple of months.

Joe Denly and Adil Rashid shared seven wickets as England closed out victory in their final white-ball encounter of the tour

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo27-Oct-20181:39

Social Story: Denly’s back!

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJason Roy – dropped three times – thwacked 69 off 36, Moeen Ali smote 27 off 11 while the lower-middle order rallied, and England lurched in fits and starts to 187 for 8, which would prove 30 too many for Sri Lanka.The target was imposing enough by itself, with only one greater total having been successfully chased at Khettarama. But when Joe Denly, playing in his first England international in almost nine years, removed both Sri Lanka openers with his virtually non-turning legspin, Sri Lanka’s pursuit was seriously imperilled. England’s other legspinner – the main one – Adil Rashid then claimed three wickets through the middle overs to essentially seal victory for his team.Between them, Rashid and Denly accounted for Sri Lanka’s top five, and had them well behind the asking rate. Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera slammed his way to 57 off 31 balls for the remainder of the innings, but his team had lost too much ground to make even that innings meaningful. The hosts limped, eventually, to 157 all out by the end of 20 overs, Denly claiming career-best figures of 4 for 19.England, and Roy in particular, made their intentions felt in the very first over. Running down the pitch to Lasith Malinga, Roy thumped him over long-off for six second ball, before glancing the fourth ball to the fine leg boundary for four. Sri Lanka tried to target Roy with the left-arm spin of Amila Aponso, perhaps working off the theory that he was susceptible to that form of bowling early in his innings. It didn’t work – Roy thrashed two fours off Aponso’s first two balls.The spinner would have more luck at the other end, in his second over, however, dismissing Roy’s opening partner Jos Buttler, and Alex Hales in the space of four balls. That prompted a brief respite from Roy’s onslaught – a period of about four overs when he did not hit a boundary. The big hits would resume soon enough, though.The ninth over, bowled by Lakshan Sandakan, was the most eventful over of the innings, and perhaps the definitive one of the game. Batting at the time on 34 off 25 balls, Roy top edged the second ball, and sent a miscued slog-sweep high to deep midwicket. But the substitute fielder, Sadeera Samarawickrama, spilled the straightforward chance, after which Roy nailed a slog-sweep into the western stand. Fourth ball, another top edge, this one to Dasun Shanaka at long-off. That was also grassed. Last ball, Sandakan should have had Ben Stokes lbw as well, only for the umpire to deny him, and his team-mates to refuse the review.Adil Rashid made important inroads•Getty Images

Roy, who was dropped again in the next over, clobbered 34 runs off 11 balls after his first reprieve. Stokes made 24 off his next 21. Between these two innings and that of Moeen, who struck three sixes and a four off his first 10 balls despite having arrived in the 12th over with four wickets already down, England were powered to their daunting total.Denly, who produced a useful 20 off 17 with the bat as well, might not have been the kind of bowler that worried Sri Lanka before this match, but he nevertheless was the first to push them off course, before Rashid truly toppled them later on. He slipped a ball under Kusal Mendis’ ambitious slog-sweep with the last ball of his first over – Kusal making a return to single-figure limited-overs scores, after hitting a half-century in the last ODI. Niroshan Dickwella, who is perhaps the form batsman of this top order, was out in almost identical fashion in Denly’s next over.Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva threatened to rebuild – even if Sri Lanka were already struggling in terms of run rate – but Rashid’s arrival at the bowling crease the moment the Powerplay ended, swung the match decisively for England. He had Chandimal caught attempting a reverse-slog in his first over, then dismissed Kamindu Mendis and de Silva in the space of three deliveries in his third, conceding only 11 runs – no boundaries – right through his four-over spell.Aside from Thisara’s late fifty, debutant Kamindu’s all-round performance might have been the only real positive for the hosts. Not only did he deliver both left-arm orthodox and right-arm offbreaks for the first time in an international match since 1996 (Sri Lanka’s Hashan Tillakaratne had been the last to do it), his batting was also full of promise. In 14 balls at the crease, he struck three fours and a six, before eventually holing out attempting a slog-sweep. For now, his batting appears his foremost cricketing talent, even if the uniqueness of his bowling will command more headlines.

Coach Russell Domingo says the team is targeting a place in the semi-finals in India next year

Mohammad Isam30-Nov-2022Bangladesh’s qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup has caught Tamim Iqbal by surprise ahead of the three-match home series against India that begins on Sunday. Bangladesh were one of seven teams to secure direct qualification for the World Cup after the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan ended in a no-result in Pallekele.”I was taken by surprise when I saw that we had completed qualification,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “I thought we would need to win one out of the last six games, but because of the other teams’ results, it came early. It gives a bit of breather, but it is not the ultimate goal. We have to finish in the top four if possible.”Bangladesh have won five of their last six ODI series under Tamim’s leadership, with the highlight being their maiden series victory in South Africa in March this year. Tamim’s win percentage of 59.25 is currently the best for a Bangladesh captain in ODIs”I think the way we qualified is a great achievement,” Tamim said. ” I felt that when this qualification thing came up, we took it up very seriously. We knew we had some away series too. We didn’t want to wait till the very end to qualify. Going into the 2023 World Cup, we definitely want to do really well. If we qualify as one of the top three or four teams, it makes sense talking about wanting to play in the semi-finals or finals. If you go in as say the No. 4 team, it means you have done well over 20-23 games. For a team like us, it would give us some confidence.”Related

• Bangladesh in 2022: big milestones, but miles to go in all formats

• Star-studded India must be cautious against Bangladesh in their favourite format

• Bangladesh reaping rewards of Taskin and Litton's changed mindsets in ODIs

• Sriram to coach Bangladesh T20I side; Domingo happy with 'nice focus' on Tests and ODIs

• Bangladesh's fast bowlers: from invisibles to match-winners

Tamim’s partnership with coach Russell Domingo is a significant factor in Bangladesh’s recent success. Domingo had been under pressure after Bangladesh’s twin series defeats in Zimbabwe, following which the BCB brought in S Sriram as a technical consultant – effectively the head coach – for the Asia Cup (in the T20 format) and the T20 World Cup.Tamim, who had retired from T20I cricket earlier this year, has reunited with Domingo and the rest of the squad for key ODI and Test series in the coming months. Despite “some rocky times” earlier, Domingo said he and Tamim were on the same page now.”We have a good understanding,” Domingo said. “We have had some rocky times. Our relationship is good at the moment. We understand each other’s roles. We understand what we want from our team. The next couple of months are important for the 50-over side. We really want to qualify for the semi-finals [of the World Cup]. We have a team capable of doing that.”That’s the sort of language that we are speaking in the last year and a half. We are not just going there to compete, we want to try to win the competition. In those conditions with our players, I think we have a chance. We need to share this belief because belief in Bangladesh cricket is not where it needs to be. There’s going to be some speed bumps, we will lose games, but the end goal is to get to the World Cup semi-final.”Domingo returned to Bangladesh earlier this month after being on a break during the T20 World Cup. He put Bangladesh’s ODI success down to their understanding of roles.”We started well by winning against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home last year,” he said. “We lost in New Zealand but we got close in one game, which gave us confidence. It is a format that the guys are good at playing. They have won big series before, so they are confident in this particular format.”Russell Domingo: “There’s going to be some speed bumps, we will lose games, but the end goal is to get to the World Cup semi-final.”•Gareth Copley-ICC/Getty Images

Bangladesh then beat South Africa 2-1 in an away series, which Domingo considers as one of his best achievements as a coach.”If we had lost in South Africa, we would have been in a different situation today with only six games in hand,” Domingo said. “We would have had to win three or four games against England at home and Ireland, who are a serious team in their home conditions. South Africa was a big challenge at that time. We had never won a game in South Africa in our history. We never even competed there, so the way everyone contributed, especially the bowlers, was a great series win.”Bangladesh also beat West Indies 3-0 and lost 2-1 to Zimbabwe shortly afterwards, but both those series were not part of the ODI Super League. They then turned their focus to T20s ahead of the World Cup in Australia and Tamim is mindful of the lack of ODI game time in the lead-up to the series against India.”The only worrying part is that we haven’t played ODI cricket in the last three-four months,” Tamim said. “We have played a lot of T20s due to the World Cup. These two are very different formats. To get into the ODI mindset is very important. You have to be mentally ready to play against a top side like India.”Domingo isn’t as concerned about the transition from T20Is to ODIs largely because the core of the batting group – Tamim, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim – wasn’t part of the T20 World Cup.”We know who our best 17-18 players are in this format,” Domingo said. “It is time to get it down to 15 for the World Cup. Everyone understands their role. But there’s one or two positions that you are looking for, so this series is good to fill in those spots.Tamim also warned Bangladesh against complacency and said their ultimate goal was to make the knockouts of the ODI World Cup next year.”Teams that have won trophies know exactly what needs to be done on a bigger stage,” Tamim said. “But teams like us who haven’t a trophy, we are confused sometimes how to go about it. We will be playing some really good teams like India and England before the World Cup, which will give us an opportunity to see where we are at.”We can’t relax just because we have qualified. That’s not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to do well in the World Cup, and for that we have to do well in these series. If we are not doing well, we can find out where we have to improve.”

Sussex, who claimed a quarter-final place with three wins in less than a week, have been rewarded with a 500-mile round trip to Chester-le-Street in the quarter-final draw

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2018Sussex, who claimed a quarter-final place with three wins in less than a week, have been rewarded with a 500-mile round trip to Chester-le-Street where they will meet the North Group’s surprise packets, Durham.Quarter-final ties:Kent Spitfires v Lancashire Lightning – Thursday 23 August (7pm)
Durham Jets v Sussex Sharks – Friday 24 August (6.30pm)
Worcestershire Rapids v Gloucestershire – Saturday 25 August (3pm)
Somerset v Nottinghamshire Outlaws – Sunday 26 August (3pm)

The Court order cleared up confusion over the stipulated nine-year terms but the new constitution seems to be at odds with that, causing more ‘people’ to ask for clarification

Sidharth Monga27-Aug-2018The BCCI has registered a new constitution. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) is finally ready to hand back control of the BCCI the day the elections are conducted, and it hopes this is in three months’ time. But the role of the Supreme Court in the matter is not yet over. The most contentious issue the BCCI had with the Lodha reforms, the terms of the office bearer, continues to remain contentious despite the newly registered constitution. The Supreme Court, in its order dated March 24, 2017, seemed to have resolved the confusion around it, but the latest order in August is not as clear.The Lodha Committee had suggested limiting the tenure of office bearers to three terms of three years each, but had not clarified if that meant three terms at the BCCI and three at his or her home state association, or if it meant three terms in all. In the March 2017 order, the Supreme Court clarified that a person will “not be disqualified” to contest for a BCCI post even if he or she had served nine years in a state. This was repeated in the order dated August 9, 2018, which formed the basis of the new BCCI constitution that has now been registered. The constitution, though, seems to have reintroduced the confusion.Vinod Rai, the chairman of the CoA, which is mandated to implement the reforms and practically run the BCCI until such time that a general election is held under the new constitution, confirmed that some “people” have approached the court again, asking for clarification on this particular reform. Rai, however, refused to give his or the BCCI’s interpretation of the order as the issue is now as good as being subjudice.”The order of the honourable Supreme Court is exceedingly clear,” Rai said. “There is no two ways about that. However, since some people have approached the court, I don’t want to give the BCCI interpretation of it. The BCCI doesn’t give interpretation to these legal issues. It is for the states to follow them. But the Supreme Court order is exceedingly clear. I don’t want to talk about it upfront because this issue has been raised in the court. Let it be clarified by the court, if the court deems it necessary to clarify.”The constitution tackles this issue in section 6, under the topic “election and terms of office bearers”. Under 6 (2) and 6 (3), the constitution states that a BCCI office bearer can have three terms of three years each. In 6 (5)(f), it says:”A personal shall be disqualified from being an office bearer… if he or she has been an office bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years or of a state association for a cumulative period of 9 years.”The August 2018 Supreme Court ruling, however, refers to the March 2017 order, which states directly the opposite. The August 2018 ruling says in point 26:”The recommendations of the Lodha Committee, as adopted by this Court, have been clarified in two orders dated 20 January 2017 and 24 March 2017. The clarification by this Court is that when an office bearer who completes nine years in any post in the BCCI is disqualified to become an office bearer of the BCCI again. A similar disqualification attaches to a person who has held any post of an office bearer, in a state association for nine years. For the sake of clarity, what is indicated in the order dated 24 March 2017 reads thus:’21… What has been meant by the clarificatory order is that, if an office bearer has completed nine years in any post in the BCCI, he shall stand disqualified to become an office bearer of the BCCI. Similarly, if a person holds the post of office bearer in any capacity for any state association for nine years, he shall stand disqualified for contesting or holding any post or office of the state association. To avoid any kind of maze, we proceed to state by giving an example. If a person has held the post of office bearer in respect of a state association for a period of nine years, he will not be disqualified to contest for the post of office bearer of the BCCI.'”In point 34, the order goes on to mention the two, state and BCCI terms, separately, but under a different subhead, “Disqualification”, under point 37, the order also goes on to approve the disqualification clause of the new constitution, which also includes the above-mentioned 6 (5)(f).

Kuldeep Yadav’s five-wicket haul dismantled England before KL Rahul registered an unbeaten century as India sauntered home

The Report by Sidharth Monga03-Jul-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTell them in the shires. India have arrived with as worthy challengers to the hosts in every format. In glorious sunshine at Old Trafford in a hot summer in England, Kuldeep Yadav shut down the hitherto marauding England limited-overs batting with tantalisingly slow spin and wrong’uns to register his first five-for in the format, following which KL Rahul broke the back of an easy chase with his second T20I hundred. In the process, both men presented a case for longer stays in England: Kuldeep in Tests, and Rahul in ODIs.England have been breaking records with the bat in the short formats, but India and their varied skills were going to be the real test in the limited-overs leg of the international summer. In front of loud Indian support, Kuldeep turned the game on its head with the wickets of Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in the 14th over; England had looked set for a total in excess of 180 until then. He bookended it with the scalps of the struggling Alex Hales and the excellent Jos Buttler, who scored his seventh fifty-plus score in his last eight innings.KL Rahul cuts emphatically•Getty Images

Buttler, Roy welcome IndiaIn the first five overs, England made a bold statement by going after two of India’s best bowlers in limited-overs formats. On a flat deck, Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 19 in his first two, and Yuzvendra Chahal, introduced in the fourth over because he has dominated the match-up against Jason Roy, was taken for 16 in his first. At 44 for 0, one spinner taken for plenty, India seemed to be in a fight.Umesh keeps England in checkJasprit Bumrah’s injury was a big blow to India, but quietly over the Indian summer Umesh Yadav has emerged as a good limited-overs bowling option. In the fifth over he could have had Buttler on the top edge but removed Roy with a bottom edge next ball. Hales came in, and struggled to get going, which meant Buttler had to play the big shots. Still England looked threatening at 95 for 1 in 11 overs, but worryingly for them Hales had scored only 8 off 15 in a 45-run partnership.Kuldeep checks inThis was the moment, at least for Hales. He needed to break free. India sensed it. They went to their strike bowler’s second over. Kuldeep gave Hales nothing first two balls. With pressure extremely high. Kuldeep chose to tease Hales and tossed up a loopy straight delivery. In premeditated fashion, Hales gave up his stumps, swept, missed it completely, and was bowled.In his next over, Kuldeep delivered the . It began with Morgan slog-sweeping against the turn but ended embarrassingly with England’s two Test batsmen getting stumped when playing the forward-defensive. It wasn’t just that they had failed to pick the wrong’un – which has sort of become the norm in T20 cricket these days – they actually judged the length so badly that they had to drag their back foot in panic to reach the pitch of the ball. From 50 for 0 in the fifth over, England had fallen to 107 for 5 in the 14th.Kuldeep Yadav is delighted upon claiming a five-for•Getty Images

Buttler doesn’t bat throughWith so many wickets falling, and with runs easier to come off the quicks, Buttler could have chosen to play out Kuldeep’s last over, the 18th, but he tried to hit two sixes in the over. He was dropped the first time, but taken when he did an encore. Yet again he had failed to pick a wrong’un. At least he got out in time for the kick-off in England’s World Cup knockout match in Russia.Roy drops RahulEngland did make the ideal start to their defence with the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan in the first over but when Rahul, looking in ominous touch, sliced one to backward point, Roy couldn’t react in time and spilled the offering. India could have been reduced to 26 for 2 in the third over had Roy hung on.Rahul makes everyone payInstead Rahul went on a rampage. Liam Plunkett was clipped and cut for successive fours in the fourth over. Moeen Ali was welcomed with a reverse-swept four and a six over long-on. Adil Rashid was dealt with using an open face, and Plunkett’s comeback ruined with a sequence of six, four, four, six. At that point, India’s required rate was little over four, and Rahul – 85 off 37 – was in line for a quick century. England managed to slow things down but could neither deny him a century nor India a comfortable win in front of loud Indian support.

The bowler revealed his disappointment at Yorkshire’s decision to drop him during the Royal London Cup and will talk to other counties with his deal expiring this year

Melinda Farrell15-Jun-20181:16

England looking for a complete performance – Plunkett

Liam Plunkett has revealed his disappointment at Yorkshire’s decision to drop him during the Royal London Cup, shortly after his return from the IPL, and indicated he is open to moving to another county when his current deal expires. The comments follow on from David Willey’s revelation that Yorkshire threatened to tear up his contract when he signed with the Chennai Super Kings.Plunkett, in the final year of his county contract, made seven IPL appearances for Delhi Daredevils but following his return from India he told he was dropped by Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, for the 50-over fixture against Northamptonshire after he took 1 for 76 from eight overs against Lancashire earlier this month. Speaking ahead of England’s second ODI against Australia in Cardiff, Plunkett said he disagreed with Yorkshire’s assessment that he was “undercooked”.”Yes, I was disappointed,” Plunkett said. “I’d played the previous games and felt I went all right. We won the previous game, so I felt in a good place – but I had one bad performance, and if they want to drop me on that … They said I wasn’t ready, that I looked undercooked.”In what might seem an unusual sequence of events, days after being dropped for a domestic fixture Plunkett was selected in England’s playing XI to face Scotland in the same format. Yorkshire and then-coach Jason Gillespie were given credit for helping Plunkett resurrect his international career after leaving Durham in 2012, but he now appears set to move on.”I just felt I was getting back into it,” Plunkett said. “That was the decision they took … I feel I was coming into a good place and I feel I can help win games for Yorkshire so obviously I was disappointed and I let them know on that.”It’s my last year and I went in for a chat with Martyn Moxon, and obviously as you get a little bit older you maybe think about your base salary coming down and you’re playing for incentives and stuff but I didn’t really get offered anything. They just said we’ll look into it in the next month or so but it gives me a right to speak to other counties and it gives me that option and I’m looking to do that.”Plunkett, along with the rest of the England attack, was hammered by Scotland’s batsmen at The Grange, where he took 2 for 85, but after making changes to his run up he felt his rhythm return at The Oval.”I think in the IPL I came a little bit wider and tried to angle the ball in a little bit and skid it on to the batters,” he said. “But I think my strength is to be on top of the ball, use my bounce and bowl that hard length. I think when I came in I was trying to angle it in a little bit and I was bowling a few wides down the leg side.Liam Plunkett could be leaving Yorkshire when his contract expires•Getty Images

“I played against Lancs and struggled coming off it. So I just looked at a bit of video footage and in the last couple of games – especially the last game – I felt a lot better, I felt my timing came back and my lengths were getting better.”Even if Plunkett bowls well for the rest of the summer, he will relinquish his place in the ODI side for at least two of England’s matches in Sri Lanka in October, when he will marry his partner, Emeleah Erb. The couple set the wedding date before England’s tour dates were finalised.”We planned because originally it was a Test series that was there and I didn’t think I’d be around the Test squad,” Plunkett said. “It’s been eleven years, it’s been long enough so I thought I’d better get married.”We did look at schedules and the best time to do it. There were flights booked from America and a lot of guests coming over and everything was booked, so it was so hard to change it then.”I’m really excited to get married but I am going to miss part of that series. All I can do is try and do well for England this summer and be a part of that team and [make them] think well, he might miss a few games, can we get him for the rest of that Sri Lanka series and keep me in mind going forward.””I’m so excited and can’t wait for the day that I’m not going to change and ruin everything for her.”

The global players’ body said limiting players to two T20 leagues a year could amount to “unlawful restraints of trade”

Umar Farooq10-May-2018Restricting players to two T20 leagues a year, as the PCB has done, could amount to “unlawful restraints of trade”, according to FICA (the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), the global players’ body. And even as the PCB finally sought to explain the rationale behind the policy, the restriction has also raised concerns among a number of player agents, who believe this could hurt the national side’s cause.The PCB’s policy, announced yesterday restricts their centrally-contracted players to playing only two leagues per season including the Pakistan Super League (PSL). On paper, it means in-demand cricketers such as Shadab Khan and Rumman Raees can only play in one league other than the PSL in a year.”Blanket restrictions on players from playing in T20 leagues, which limit their ability to earn a living as professional cricketers, is not the answer to fundamental issues with the structure of the game,” Tony Irish, FICA’s executive chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “Structural change is needed. Although one needs to respect a country’s right to manage workload of its contracted players this isn’t achieved by one blanket restriction applying to all players. As we have seen in other countries this type of arbitrary restriction is more likely to result in players electing not to sign national contracts, or to retire from international cricket.”They are then lost to the international game. Once players are out of contract there is no legal basis to restrict them, even under ICC regulation, and such restrictions are likely to constitute unlawful restraints of trade under the laws of most countries.”Pakistan’s players do not have a players’ association so FICA has no jurisdiction in the matter as such. And recent history between the two organisations is not especially cordial. But, as FICA recognised, apart from Pakistan players not having a united voice, they are among the lowest paid international cricketers (as a survey by showed.)The PCB explained that the policy was a result of an especially busy international season of cricket. “If we look at our calendar year until 2019 World Cup we are going to play 28 ODIs, 14 T20s, 8 Tests and for this we need to manage the workload,” Haroon Rasheed, director cricket operations, said in Karachi. “We all thought that in terms of workload we have to limit our players in foreign leagues because you already have limited resources available in ODI and T20 so God forbid if anyone got out injured for a longer period of time then our World Cup campaign would be affected.”Rasheed acknowledged, however, that the policy would be reviewed on a regular basis. “We have an exception or rule as well for those who only play T20 format,” he added. “To deal with special cases not covered under the rules, i.e for exceptions, a four-member committee will decide to issue NOC for players’ participation in any additional league.”Though the exceptions clause suggests a way out of a blanket restriction – it could effectively mean continuing with a policy of NOCs issued on a case-by-case basis – agents who represent Pakistani players have expressed concern. After their Champions Trophy win and a rise to the top of the T20I rankings, a number of Pakistani players were in demand in most leagues other than the IPL last year. But even then, the PCB suddenly revoked NOCs of 13 Pakistan players participating in the CPL and the English domestic circuit, to participate in the National T20 Cup. That was slotted to take place in August but eventually did not go ahead then, leaving all stakeholders frustrated.”Pakistan players are prominent in T20 leagues around the world and this limit is going to hurt both players and PCB,” one player agent told ESPNcricinfo. “Other countries all have the option of the IPL. I can understand there’s a lot of cricket happening these days and players have a human limit. But a blanket approach of limiting 35 guys is harsh. If there’s no national duty and it’s possible to play three leagues, why would we limit it? Unless our first-class competes with world level, which is not the case.”