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West Indian fans are approaching the Sabina Park Test with optimism because of its reportedly fast pitch

Sriram Veera in Kingston19-Jun-2011There’s hope in the Caribbean air. You can feel it at Sabina Park. You can hear it in the chuckle of Charles Josephs, the curator, and in conversations with ground staff. “This is Jamaica. Not Mumbai. The ball will bounce and get your men,” is its essence. A simple, age-old theory: bounce the Indians and expect them to wilt. Though we’ll have to wait to see how the pitch actually plays, and whether West Indies’ fast bowlers can unsettle India’s batsmen, it can only be a good thing that home fans are approaching the Test with optimism, considering the shenanigans beyond the boundary.There is confidence in the West Indian camp as well. Darren Sammy, the captain, expects the pitch to suit his bowlers, who will be aggressive. Even young Darren Bravo said “a few of the Indians can get intimidated.” Ian Bishop, a former West Indian fast bowler and commentator, isn’t convinced a few Indian players, Suresh Raina for instance, can handle the bounce and pace.”This is the pitch that suits our style,” Sammy said. “We managed to restrict India to 250 and the batters were very comfortable chasing it. The mindset is different, the batsmen are confident that the ball won’t spin like it did in the first three ODIs. Records speak that if you have more firepower, you have a better chance against India.”Darren Sammy says the Sabina Park pitch will suit West Indies better than it will India•Associated Press

Sammy’s presence in the Test side is still a thorny issue, though. Does he upset the balance? Wouldn’t Fidel Edwards or Andre Russell be a better pick? Is Sammy weakening the attack? “My role has been the same since I started playing for West Indies,” Sammy said. “I am a stock bowler. I go out and do it to the best of my ability.” If he can be a consistent performer with the bat, it wouldn’t be so bad. “I am disappointed that my Test batting hasn’t been as consistent as it should be, but I am working hard.”Sammy expects West Indies to restrict India to less than 300. “In the last two games played here, the most recent one was against England, both teams scored around 300 in first innings. The one before was against Australia. We lost by 60 runs. We restricted them to just over 250. If we restrict them [India] to under 300 or so and can get a lead …”West Indies’ batting, though, has been the discipline with the most problems in the recent past. Sammy is confident that Kingston’s conditions will help. “Our batsmen will favour their chances against Indian bowlers knowing the type of wicket we will get,” he said. “Harbhajan is very experienced and Mishra has given us some trouble. You can’t be complacent. This wicket would be suited to our batsmen. I am expecting our batsmen to give a better show.”Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo, who comprise the top order, are light on experience, but Sammy highlighted their quality. “Barath is very promising cricketer. He scored a hundred in his first Test. He is coming back from injury but we all know his mental strength. He has the mental capability to carry on with his starts. Young Darren Bravo came to form in the last ODI and Simmons is in good nick. He knows his game and executes his plans. The top order might be short of experience but they have the game to do it.”

There was barely a moment on the second day in which Glamorgan relinquished their strengthening grip on this match, and by the close of play their lead had stretched to an imposing 367

Liam Brickhill at Lord's20-May-2011
ScorecardThere was barely a moment on the second day in which Glamorgan relinquished their strengthening grip on this match, and by the close of play their lead had stretched to an imposing 367. The feebleness of Middlesex’s batting effort yesterday – taking nothing away from James Harris’s well-earned five-for – was thrown into stark relief by the ease with which Glamorgan’s batsman went about their business on the second day to reach 517 for 8 – their highest total at Lord’s, beating the 505 all out two seasons ago.Gareth Rees and William Bragg swelled their patient stand for the second wicket, begun yesterday afternoon, to 140 before they were parted, after which Ben Wright’s dashing hundred and some resolute batting from the lower order demoralised Middlesex even further.Middlesex appeared to give themselves something to fight for with two quick wickets on either side of lunch, but Glamorgan counter-attacked in fine style through Wright and wicketkeeper Mark Wallace’s rapid 119-run stand for the fifth wicket. Wright, in particular, looked keen and able to take charge, bursting out of the blocks to raise his half-century from just 46 deliveries.After losing his partner for a breezy 46, Wright slowed down in the company of Harris, who nudged and chipped his way to 41 – out of a stand of 60 – before he was bowled swiping at a Jamie Dalrymple offspinner. Wright shrugged off the setback to reach his hundred from the 127th ball he faced, but then top-edged a pull at his 128th to be easily caught by Scott Newman at mid-on.Glamorgan’s lead had already passed 250 by that stage, and there was to be no respite as Robert Croft and Graham Wagg eased their way through a 101-run partnership at better than four an over. Wagg became the fourth batsmen of the innings to pass 50, racing to the mark from 66 deliveries, and had swung his way merrily to an innings worth 63 that included nine fours and a six before he played one shot too many to Dexter, driving straight to mid-off. The dismissal came moments before stumps and Alviro Petersen will now have the pleasure of considering whether or not to declare overnight, his team in total control.Middlesex’s best chance of gaining a foot-hold in this match had come in the morning when, under mostly grey skies, the ball had nipped around once more and both Rees and Bragg were beaten outside off stump in the opening spells of Gareth Berg and Corey Collymore. The edge never came, however, and after 40 minutes, Dexter turned to Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh in the hope of forcing a breakthrough.Bragg, who had been so strong through cover point on Thursday afternoon, showed that he also has a good pull shot, going for the stroke even with two men out at deep square and long leg, and using it to good effect as he put Murtagh away with authority to move into the 80s. He fell against the run of play shortly afterwards to the same bowler, the seamer getting one to move back into his pads down the slope to dismiss him lbw for 87.Murtagh was at least more consistent in line and length than he had been yesterday evening, and bowled much straighter – particularly after the wicket. The wicket breathed new life into an attack about which there is an undeniable sameness and who thus require such moments of inspiration. Murtagh found an extra yard and at the end of an hour-long spell then prised Rees from the crease in similar fashion to the previous dismissal, the Umpire upholding an appeal after the left-hander had been caught on the crease and pinged on the pad in front of middle twenty minutes before lunch.Mike Powell departed to the second ball after the interval, getting a feather on one that left him off the pitch, and, having reduced Glamorgan to 230 for 5, there was still hope for Middlesex to limit the damage. Any such ambitions dissipated steadily over the course of the afternoon, and Middlesex now face a Herculean task if they are to salvage a draw from this game.

Bermuda have been hit by the shock retirement of batsman Chris Douglas after an apparent falling out with the national coach David Moore

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2010Bermuda have been hit by the shock retirement of batsman Chris Douglas after an apparent falling out with the national coach David Moore according to the Royal Gazette newspaper.Douglas, a 21-year-old left hander, reportedly told Moore on Friday that he was leaving the international game and the newspaper suggests there had been signs of a clash between him and the coach for some time.Moore, an Australian who was a former coach of West Indies, had a strong fitness ethic which Douglas doesn’t appear to have accepted as part of the game. Douglas’s departure is a blow for Bermuda who are set to tour Dubai at the end of the year followed by World Cricket League Division 2 in April. The WCL event has grown in importance because the top two teams will take part in the expanded eight-team ICC Intercontinental Cup next year.However, it isn’t the first time Douglas has struggled to adapt to the demands of professional sport. Earlier this year he was left out of Bermuda’s squad to play in the ICC America’s tournament only to appear in club cricket three days later.Douglas showed his potential two years ago when he hit 53 against West Indies in King City during the Scotiabank Series – an attack featuring Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell – having made 69 on his debut against Canada.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge return for their last league game of the season

Vishal Dikshit28-Jan-2025India internationals Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer are going to miss the next round of the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai in the lead up to the England ODI series that follows early next month. While the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will feature in the next round starting January 30, the Mumbai trio had already played the previous round, which Kohli and Rahul didn’t, and Iyer played almost the entire domestic season, that included two white-ball tournaments too. The ODI series against England starts on February 6 in Nagpur, four days after the scheduled end of the last Ranji Trophy round.Rohit and Jaiswal – who also open together in Tests – opened for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) when they returned to domestic cricket for the previous round after the BCCI’s new guidelines mandated playing domestic cricket. The board’s directive had come after India’s consecutive series losses against New Zealand and Australia that cost the team a World Test Championship final berth, especially with India’s batting unit failing to put up substantial scores. Rohit, especially, has been among the poorest of the lot, scoring just 164 runs from his last 15 Test innings to average a dismal 10.93 this season. His fortunes didn’t change when he batted for Mumbai, scoring just 3 and 28 against J&K.Related

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Jaiswal too registered low scores of 4 and 26 although he had a much better Test season, scoring two half-centuries and a century in Australia after four fifties at home.Iyer, on the other hand, has been Mumbai’s top-scorer this Ranji season. He made two centuries to tally 480 runs from seven innings and average 68.57. He also struck two unbeaten centuries in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy recently. He also struck at 188.52 for his 345 runs in the victorious 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Mumbai will also be without allrounder Shivam Dube who joined the India T20I squad soon after Mumbai’s game against J&K ended.The squad for the final league game against Meghalaya sees the return of batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi and allrounders Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge, who was the Player of the Match in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mumbai are likely go to back to the young opening combination of Raghuvanshi and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who has kicked off his maiden domestic season with a stellar record of four centuries and two half-centuries in 18 innings across first-class and List A formats so far.Mumbai are the defending champions and are in a tough spot to make the Ranji knockouts, placed third in the Group A table behind J&K and Baroda. Their last game against Meghalaya is a must win.

Mumbai squad

Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Amogh Bhatkal, Siddhesh Lad, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester D’Souza, Royston Dias, Shreyas Gurav, Atharva Ankolekar

Australia raced to their third-highest total in ODIs, and defended it with ease

Firdose Moonda09-Sep-2023Australia 392 for 8 (Labuschagne 124, Warner 106, Head 64, Inglis 50, Shamsi 4-61) beat South Africa 269 (Klaasen 49, Miller 49, Zampa 4-48) by 123 runs Australia scored their third highest total in ODIs, and second-highest against South Africa, and though their biggest – 434 – was successfully chased 16 years ago, there was no repeat as South Africa slipped to a fifth successive defeat. After being blanked in the T20I series, South Africa now face three consecutive must-win games if they are to win the series.David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne put on 151 for the second wicket and scored their 20th and second ODI centuries respectively; both were significant for different reasons. Warner equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI century record against South Africa – 5 – and went past Tendulkar to sit on top of the pile for most centuries as an opener across the three international formats: 46.Labuschagne’s only three-figure scores in the format have come against his former home country, South Africa. His first, in March 2020, came in Potchefstroom, the international ground closest to his hometown of Klerksdorp. Now, his second, has come in Bloemfontein, the second-closest ground, where he took a picture with Shaun Pollock as a four-year-old. Labuschagne’s runs have also given Australia’s selectors a headache they did not expect to have. They left him out of Australia’s World Cup squad but with the form he is in, may have to rethink their decision ahead of the September 28 deadline.South Africa have more serious concerns. Their first-choice seamers looked both hapless and careless and Anrich Nortje left the field with lower-back spasms after bowling only five overs, though he returned to bat. The spinners had a decent outing – Aiden Markram and Tabraiz Shamsi conceded less than seven an over between them while completing their respective quotas – but the batters were unable to keep pace with a demanding chase.Nathan Ellis was outstanding in maintaining his line on or just outside off stump and finished with 2 for 32 at an economy rate of exactly four an over, while Adam Zampa did the bulk of the damage, bagging 4 for 48. No South African scored a half-century but there were four scores in the 40s and no partnership was bigger than the opening stand of 81.David Warner scored a record 46th international hundred as an opener•AFP/Getty Images

Australia’s intent was obvious from the get-go. They took advantage of the width offered by Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada upfront and brought up 50 inside seven overs. Nortje threatened to pull things back with an opening over that cost three but then completely lost his lengths and conceded 36 runs off his next two overs. Australia racked up their third-highest powerplay in the format, of 102 without loss, with Travis Head the aggressor of the early exchanges. He brought up fifty off 26 balls when he sent Nortje over midwicket for his second six.Tabraiz Shamsi had Head caught by David Miller, running back from mid-on, and then removed Mitchell Marsh first ball on review. The Australian captain missed a reverse-sweep first ball and ball-tracking showed the ball crashing into middle stump.Warner reached 50 off 52 balls and then took only 33 more to get to hundred. It was his second-fastest century in the format and included all his usual back-foot power hits as well as a down-on-one-knee loft over long-on off a Phehlukwayo slower ball, and a massive launch over long-on when Jansen took pace off. The century came with a pull off a Shamsi long-hop and was followed by a signature leaping celebration.At the other end, Labuschagne had one nervy moment when he bottom-edged Andile Phehlukwayo, but de Kock, who was standing up to the stumps, could not hold on to a difficult chance. Labuschagne was severe against spin and showed off exquisite footwork. He took 66 runs off the 45 balls bowled he faced from Markram and Shamsi. He got to 50 off 54 balls and then, like Warner, accelerated. His next 50 runs took just 26 balls. Together, Warner and Labuschagne put on the second highest third-wicket partnership for South Africa against Australia, and it seemed that would not be separated.It took a delivery from Phehlukwayo – who has not played an ODI since October last year and was only drafted into the squads on the morning of the game – that stayed low to beat Warner’s pull and bowl him. Warner left the field with a smile and to a standing ovation.Adam Zampa’s dismissal of Temba Bavuma set South Africa back after a strong start•Gallo Images/Getty Images

With 17.2 overs still to be bowled, Josh Inglis, in his 5th ODI, had a licence to play freely and raced to a 36-ball fifty. He holed out off the very next ball, which allowed South Africa to mount a small fightback. Starting with the Inglis dismissal, they took five wickets in 27 balls, including Labuschagne’s, and gave away only 26 runs, which ensured that Australia were kept to under 400. Shamsi finished with the second four-fer of his ODI career.South Africa’s chase started brightly as Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma put on 81 in the first nine overs, but their time together was not without chances. De Kock was on 24 when a back-of-a-length Ellis delivery hit the stumps but the bail did not fall off, and had yet to add to his score when he miscued Sean Abbott into vacant space. His luck ran out when he drove Ellis down the pitch and the bowler pulled off a stunning reaction catch to dent South Africa in the last over of the powerplay.Bavuma showed good intent but when Zampa was brought on and runs dried up, tried to lap him, missed and was out lbw. In the next over, Aiden Markram hit Zampa down the ground to Abbott and three overs after that Rassie van der Dussen dragged Aaron Hardie onto his stumps. At 119 for 4 in the 18th over, South Africa had already lost too many wickets to mount a serious challenge.Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller looked threatening and shared 58 runs for the fifth wicket but when Klaasen went back to hit a Zampa legbreak and was bowled, the writing was on the wall. Miller was left to marshal what looked a longer-than-usual tail. He was beaten for pace by Ellis and hit on the pad and Australia reviewed successfully. South Africa lost 5 for 28 to crash to their second-biggest defeat to Australia.

Matt Renshaw earlier converted into a century while all the Australia A middle order chipped in

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2023Wes Agar and Spencer Johnson made early inroads for Australia A on the second day in Lincoln before the New Zealand A middle order fought back.The visitors had declared at tea on 370 for 6 which included a hundred from Matt Renshaw alongside half-centuries for Tim Ward and captain Nathan McSweeney.Related

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It did not take long for Agar, who played two ODIs in 2021, to strike with the new ball when he found the outside edge of both openers, Sean Solia and Henry Cooper, during his opening spell.Johnson, the left-arm quick who has had a rapid rise this season after breakout performances for Brisbane Heat and South Australia, was more wayward – he sent down a bouncer that went for five wides in his first over and twice left wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson unable to prevent four byes – but when he returned for a second spell he had Dean Foxcroft caught on the leg side.That left New Zealand A in trouble on 47 for 3, but captain Tom Bruce and Cole McConchie stitched together an unbroken stand of 62 until bad light brought an early close.Mitchell Swepson’s seven-over spell was his first bowl in first-class cricket since early December since when he played the BBL and was then an unused member of the Test squad in India.Australia A had resumed on 155 for 1 and Renshaw converted his 92 into a second consecutive hundred for the A side after the one he made against West Indies in Canberra, playing under the Prime Minister’s XI name.He eventually fell for 112, trapped lbw from round the wicket by Scott Kuggeleijn, and when Ward might have had visions of joining him with a hundred he lost his off stump shouldering arms to Solia.All of the middle order chipped in as Australia A scored at a decent rate during the afternoon – the 60-run stand between Peirson and Campbell Kellaway coming in under 12 overs.

The spin duo took seven wickets between them to dismiss West Indies for 176, and Rohit Sharma’s fifty helped ace the chase in 28 overs

Sidharth Monga06-Feb-20221:19

Chopra: Chahal cast a web around the West Indies batters

Led by the spinners’ seven wickets between them, India cruised to a six-wicket in the series opener that lasted just 71.5 overs on a pitch offering turn and variable pace. This was the first time since January 2019 that India’s spinners took more than five wickets in an ODI, but India will be equally impressed that their fast bowlers too created an impact to help restrict West Indies to 176.The returning Washington Sundar started the damage, Yuzvendra Chahal broke the back of the batting with four wickets, but either side were hostile spells from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The 46 dot balls that India bowled in the powerplay were the highest by them since the 2019 World Cup, thanks largely to Siraj’s opening spell of 5-2-13-1. Krishna took a wicket apiece in his later spells.Related

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India went into their 1000th ODI with a new-look attack. Take out the Sri Lanka tour with a second-string side, and this was the first time India went into an ODI with neither Bhuvneshwar Kumar nor Deepak Chahar in the XI since December 2020. Instead India picked bowlers who hit the deck hard, something England have done to create a point of difference in limited-overs cricket. Outside the spinners cashing on a helpful surface, Siraj and Krishna delivered just what India would have hoped.This wasn’t the only change in approach. Albeit chasing a small target, new captain Rohit Sharma scored 46 runs in the first 10 overs, the highest he has done in ODIs. One of India’s issues in ODIs of late has been that their top order is too conservative, which makes it imperative they bat a majority of the innings otherwise it leaves too much to do for the middle order. With a host of their opening batters missing, it was going to be interesting to see how Ishan Kishan goes in this small window, but it was Rohit who took the initiative early on, giving India such a head start that a hiccup in the middle wasn’t enough to bother them.The day began with Siraj bowling hard lengths at good pace. After a tight start, Shai Hope drove him for successive boundaries in the third over, the only times he had pitched up. The third ball was similar length but delivered with the wobble seam, nipping in upon pitching and taking the inside edge onto the stumps.After three overs of Krishna, Rohit went to Washington, who is quite used to bowling with the field up in T20 cricket. The first ball he bowled to Darren Bravo, the initial line suggested angle into the pads, Bravo accordingly closed the face for a single, but was beaten by turn so big that there was no lbw appeal as the ball would have missed the off stump.Once there was turn in the pitch, Washington’s accuracy was going to be difficult to negotiate for West Indies. Bravo faced the first 13 balls from him, somehow surviving, but the right-hand opener, Brandon King, fell to the first he faced. Closing the face early, he got a leading edge to short midwicket. In the same over, Bravo fell lbw to one that didn’t turn, often the delivery that does the damage on turning pitches.India didn’t turn greedy. They never bowled the spinners in tandem. After Washington’s spell of 6-1-21-2, Chahal came on with even more devastating results. The first ball Nicholas Pooran faced from Chahal he looked to sweep, the ball fell short of his reach and he was trapped in front. Chahal then teased Pollard with a loopy slow delivery first up, drawing a big drive and going through the gate with the wrong’un. He got the inside edge from Holder on the hat-trick ball, but it fell short of short leg.Soon, Chahal bowled the perfect legbreak to take a scratch off the defensive bat of Shamarh Brooks. At the other end, Krishna kept the pressure on with the variable bounce he drew from the middle of the pitch. In the 23rd over, one short ball stayed low to nearly trap Akeal Hosein lbw, but the next one stood up with tennis-ball bounce, taking the edge through to Rishabh Pant.Jason Holder and Fabian Allen, though, rescued the innings somewhat with a 78-run partnership, but Washington came back to draw a return catch from Allen in the 38th over. A final bit of satisfaction for India would be that Krishna came back to take Holder out with that hard length he has been kept in the side to bowl.West Indies didn’t have much to work with, but it was also clear they didn’t bowl with the discipline of Siraj and Krishna. Roach strayed into the pads, Holder overpitched, and Rohit got into his work. Soon he began to manhandle Roach, skipping down, chipping, pulling.It was Alzarri Joseph who stemmed the flow with a nipbacker to trap Rohit lbw for 60 off 51. In the same over, an unusually chancy Virat Kohli top-edged to long leg after hitting two boundaries. Kishan found a deep fielder looking to hit a six, and Rishabh Pant was run out by a Suryakumar Yadav straight drive. Yet, despite losing four wickets for 32 runs, India were in control thanks to that quick start from Rohit.With no asking-rate pressure, Suryakumar and Deepak Hooda saw India through with 22 overs to spare.

Barbadian fast bowler has UK passport and impressed on trial with 2nd XI

George Dobell15-Jun-2021Warwickshire look set to pull off something of a coup in signing Che Simmons, a young fast bowler who has been dubbed the “new Jofra Archer”.Simmons, a 17-year-old seamer, was born and raised in Barbados. But he also holds a UK passport through his father and, having been recommended to Warwickshire’s director of sport, Paul Farbrace, by fellow Barbadian Ottis Gibson, was invited to play a few games for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI as a trialist.Having made an excellent impression, Simmons is expected to be offered a deal which might well include some type of scholarship in order that he can complete his education in the UK. He currently attends Combermere School, which has a rich history of producing top players. As well has current West Indies Test captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, Wes Hall, Clyde Walcott, Frank Worrall and Chris Jordan also attended the school. So did the singer, Rihanna.A fast bowler with a beautiful smooth run-up and action, Simmons has represented Barbados Under-15s and came to prominence by claiming all 10 wickets in an innings while playing for the Franklyn Stephenson Academy. He finished with the remarkable figures of 10 for 16 from 5.3 overs. Only two of the runs he conceded came off the bat.While good news for Warwickshire and, potentially, England, it might be seen as another setback for cricket in the Caribbean. While Archer and Jordan are the most high-profile cricketers to have opted for England ahead of Barbados in recent years, Warwickshire have another young Barbadian in Jacob Bethell on their staff. Some at Warwickshire believe Bethell, a left-arm spinner and batter, is the best young player the club has had since the emergence of Ian Bell.

The SCG and Sydney Showground had been due to host eight BBL matches later in January

Daniel Brettig05-Jan-2021Border closures and logistical complications related to Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak are set to compel Cricket Australia to move a bracket of BBL games out of New South Wales, in a further hurdle for the governing body amid all the issues surrounding the SCG and Gabba Tests.Though the Sydney Test is set to get underway on Thursday with Australia and India playing out the remainder of the series under far stricter bubble conditions than they had previously needed to comply with – in order to satisfy the requirements of the Queensland government to allow the SCG match to preceded the final Test of the series in Brisbane – the BBL’s patchwork of fixtures are another matter.Eight matches are currently scheduled to be played in Sydney from January 13 onwards, four each at the SCG and the Sydney Showgrounds in the western suburbs. However, with indications that borders to NSW are set to remain closed until at least the end of January, CA looks increasingly likely to shift at least some if not all of these matches into a state with borders open to Victoria – South Australia and Adelaide Oval looking the most likely option.Related

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Sydney Thunder, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat are the clubs presently slated to be travelling through Sydney to play in the scheduled matches. Adelaide’s presence in the BBL was set to conclude with a fixture between Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Stars on January 11, two days before the first of the Sydney games.A shift to Adelaide would mean that the Thunder, Sixers, Scorchers Hurricanes and Heat would be able to smoothly transit from their current camps in Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia into SA from January 13 onwards, given open borders currently open between all those states and SA.Another complication for CA is that fact that any games in Sydney would need to be played, and teams accommodated, under the same sort of strict and costly quarantine conditions as those currently required for the Test teams, where an entire hotel is booked out and security staff hired to monitor it.CA is also monitoring circumstances around the selection of Melbourne fixtures meant to round out the regular competition in late January, although these games are believed to be less likely to move than those currently set down for Sydney. CA has always reserved the right to shift fixtures during the BBL in the event of further border and Covid-19 issues, and is also yet to announce where the five finals matches – scheduled to be played between January 29 and February 6 – will be hosted.In a further scheduling change forced by border restrictions, the opening seven matches of the Women’s National Cricket League – which had been due to be played between January 15 and 19 – have been delayed until late February and early March in a bid to enable a full tournament to be played.New South Wales had been due to travel to Adelaide and Canberra for their opening two matches.The WNCL season will now begin on January 25 with South Australia hosting Tasmania at Karen Rolton Oval. The final remains scheduled for March 27 although further changes could be required depending on the various state borders.

In a contest that ebbed and flowed, Islamabad United came up short in the end

The Report by Danyal Rasool20-Feb-2020The tournament might have begun with a decidedly underwhelming opening ceremony, but that isn’t a term you’d use for the opening match. The two most successful sides in the PSL showed a packed Karachi crowd exactly why they were on top, with a game that ebbed and flowed, and was finally settled with a Ben Cutting six over long-off to seal a win for the defending champions. Azam Khan had set up the win with a scintillating 33-ball 59, while Mohammad Hasnain put in a Man-of-the-Match performance, his figures of 4-0-25-4 ensuring Islamabad United wouldn’t even bat their full 20 overs.Islamabad were bowled out for 168, a below-par total given how the first half of their innings unfolded, after Colin Munro’s dismissal off the first ball. The template they execute so successfully was working like a dream, with the overseas picks doing their job expertly. Dawid Malan steered the innings with a half-century that propelled Islamabad to the 100-mark in the 11th over, and he was ably assisted by Luke Ronchi, who played the kind of cameo the PSL is so familiar with. But once Ben Cutting came into the attack and began varying the pace intelligently, Islamabad saw the runs dry up and wickets ensued.Cutting would account for Malan, who saw that he needed to take on even more of the scoring burden, and when the batsman holed out, the wheels fully came off. For the rest of the overs, Islamabad flailed in the face of a bowling attack that had their measure by now, and would wind up their innings five balls short.Islamabad still made a game of it when Muhammad Musa, brilliant at the start, removed Jason Roy in the first over, and they nailed the Powerplay with Shane Watson and Ahmed Shehzad also back in the hut. But Azam’s brilliance wrested the game back in favour of the defending champions. A supporting knock from Mohammad Nawaz took them close enough to the target that they could afford a late wobble and Quetta were also helped by some late generosity from Musa.Turning pointFor all that had gone against Islamabad, they looked the likelier team in the final four overs. The Azam hurricane had been withstood, Nawaz was gone, with with four overs to go, Quetta still needed 37 with their last recognised pair of Cutting and Sohail Khan at the crease. But Musa, so brilliant he didn’t concede a run in his first nine balls and dismissed Roy, ended up undoing most of that good work with a horror 18th over. One in the slot to Ben Cutting went the distance, before he found a ball slipping out of his hands, turning into a beamer that the keeper failed to prevent from reaching the boundary. Sohail Khan would punish the free hit with another six. The first four balls of that over yielded 19 runs, and Islamabad’s challenge would end with a whimper.Star of the dayThere was cynicism about his place in the side because he was the head coach’s son. There was ambiguity about whether he was fit due to his rather rotund frame. The Karachi crowd shouted at him when he walked out to bat, an unflattering reference to someone who is perceived not to have earned their place on merit. But Azam Khan was the reason Quetta opened their title defence with a victory. He looked a shade uncertain when he came on, but it would last all of four deliveries. From the moment he pulled the fifth to midwicket, Azam was on his way to an unstoppable half-century.There was no bowler he didn’t spare, but he took a particular liking to the opposition captain Shadab Khan, whom he carted for a six and two fours in the 15th over to bring Quetta in line with an asking rate that had begun to head northward. He combined easy power with surprisingly nifty running between the wickets alongside Sarfaraz Ahmed, and dissipated the pressure he would have felt at the start of his innings, finding a bit of breathing room.The big missIt hasn’t been a happy start for Shadab as captain. Islamabad would have hoped the added responsibility would see him return to the levels of form witnessed from the legspinner in his first two seasons, but that didn’t happen today. Azam was responsible for much of the pounding Shadab took, smashing him for 31 runs in the 13 balls he faced. Even after Azam had been dismissed and Shadab brought himself on for the final over, things wouldn’t turn in his favour, with Cutting’s six the final ignominy on a forgettable day that saw him leak 46 in 3.3 wicketless overs.Where the teams standQuetta go to the top of the table, becoming the first side to register points at this year’s PSL, while Islamabad United will look for their opening points against Multan Sultans on Saturday.