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Shahzaib Hasan’s aggressive half century and a blistering 13-ball 42 from Shahid Afridi helped Pakistan thrash a weakened Northamptonshire by six wickets with 27 balls to spare

Nagraj Gollapudi at Northampton03-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Shahzaib Hasan’s aggressive half century and a blistering 13-ball 42 from Shahid Afridi helped Pakistan thrash a weakened Northamptonshire by six wickets with 27 balls to spare. At the halfway mark the visitors had moved cautiously to 57 for 1 but Afridi, returning from injury, bulldozed the opposition in his short stay at the crease to put Pakistan in the right frame of mind ahead of next week’s twin Twenty20 internationals against Australia at Edgbaston.Pakistan launched their chase at a-run-a-ball with both Hasan and Kamran Akmal taking advantage of any loose deliveries. Hasan slashed Jack Brooks over point to open the chase and a couple of overs later pulled the same bowler for six. Kamran, restless at the wicket, hit two strong cover drives against David Lucas to erase a scratchy start. But he soon faltered, offering a simple catch against a slow, looping full toss from left-armer David Willey.At the other end Hasan continued the attack, picking up two boundaries behind square leg in Elton Chigumbura’s first over. But the Zimbabwe allrounder bounced back with some tight lines and lengths which slowed Pakistan’s progress and both Hasan and Fawad Alam suddenly found it difficult to pick the gaps.Alam had replaced Salman Butt, who had been rested, and looked apprehensive on the front foot. Frustration soon set in and he offered an easy catch to Chigumbura at point trying to cut James Middlebrook, the offspinner. The run rate had dipped considerably as Pakistan added just 16 runs in the four overs after the Powerplay.But any hopes Northants entertained were smashed to smithereens by Afridi. He swung his bat at almost everything and three boundries resulted from thick edges off Middlebrook. In the same over the Pakistan captain had lofted the offspinner over the long-on boundary for his first six.The turning point arrived in the following over from Brooks. Against the first ball, a short delivery on the off side, Afridi moved back and smartly tapped the ball between point and gully to pick up an easy boundary. Next came a punched straight drive past the ropes, and this was followed by a huge slog only for the leading edge to race past thirdman for a third successive boundary. A handsome pull then flew over square leg for his second six. Hasan made it the most expensive over of the match (23 runs) with a lofted square drive for another four.From 57 for 1 after 10 overs Pakistan had rushed to 121 in the next four overs. Afridi duly retired, soon followed by Hasan who was caught in the deep but Pakistan finished on a high note.In the absence of senior players such as Andrew Hall, Chaminda Vaas, Nicky Boje and wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien Northants were always going to find it difficult to challenge the 2009 World Twenty20 champions. Fighting half-centuries from Alex Wakely and Chigumbura kept them in the contest but 133 was never going to be a big hurdle for Pakistan.

Anderson coaching absence played down by management after hard graft at Multan

Matt Roller07-Oct-2024England’s final-session fightback on the first day of back-to-back Tests in Multan was “a hell of an effort” which owed to their “high-end toil”. That was according to Jeetan Patel, one of their assistant coaches, who said that England were “pretty happy” with their position as Pakistan reached 328 for 4 at the close of play.Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood added 253 for the second wicket after Saim Ayub’s cheap dismissal, and Pakistan had reached 261 for 1 early in the final session. But after the set batters – who both made hundreds – fell softly to Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach, Chris Woakes had Babar Azam lbw late in the day to give England a foothold on a flat surface.”I couldn’t commend them any more,” Patel said. “I think the toil they put in today was high-end: the way they tried different things to take wickets, the different fields they had, the way they fielded. To take those three wickets tonight was testament to the work they’d done in the first two sessions. We’re pretty happy with how it’s ended up, with them four down.”England were made to work for their wickets, including through a 253-run stand between Masood and Shafique•Getty Images

There was no shade from the sun at any stage in the day, and Patel praised England’s efforts in the field. “The guys were fizzing all day,” he said. “Back in the day, it would have got a lot of people down. But we talk about the positive moments … The guys went out in that third session knowing what they had to do, but also with enough energy to be able to effect it.”I’m just really proud of [them] going through that. It’s pretty hot out there. It was pretty docile at times. We probably expected [the ball] to do a little bit more this morning. It didn’t, but that’s okay. We’ll figure it out, find out if it does the same tomorrow or not. But it was a pretty strong day for the lads.”Patel suggested that a strong start to Tuesday’s play would leave England on top. “We always talk about putting two [wickets] on it: how does the game change?” he said. “Now you’ve got a nightwatchman in, so maybe we could put three on it… 350 for 7? We’ll just see what happens when we bat because we don’t really know.”Related

• Shan Masood's statement of intent sets out Pakistan's stall for the series

• Anderson's golfing absence highlights inexperience of England seamers

• Masood, Shafique hundreds see Pakistan take control

• Shakeel: Pakistan planning to use England's aggressive game plan against them

• Chris Woakes faces his overseas demons as England place faith in attack leader

With James Anderson missing the start of the tour to participate in a pro-am golf tournament in Scotland, Patel found himself working with England’s fast bowlers in training ahead of the first Test. Anderson is due to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday, after Brendon McCullum played down the disruption of his absence on Sunday.”Two months ago, you guys were saying that he didn’t deserve to be a coach just yet,” McCullum told Sky Sports. “Now, it’s like, ‘We’re missing him’ – and I think that’s a great affirmation of how good an impact Jimmy Anderson has made in a short period of time. He’s got [WhatsApp] groups set up with the bowlers and is always feeding information through Jeetan Patel.”We live in a world where you can still communicate without being face-to-face… I don’t have any qualms whatsoever. I’m absolutely delighted for him that he gets the opportunity to do something he loves doing and when he gets here, he’ll be right in the thick of it as he has done as bowling coach since he came in.”

T20 talent developing longer-format skills as South Africa A score success in Sri Lanka

Firdose Moonda09-Jun-2023Learning to construct a 50-over innings was Tristan Stubbs’ chief takeaway from South Africa A’s series victory over Sri Lanka A, which was completed with a five-wicket win in Kandy. Stubbs was South Africa A’s highest run-scorer, and the only one to record two half-centuries, and hopes the experience will put him in good stead to add to his one ODI cap.”It’s closer to first-class cricket where you’ve got to bat time,” Stubbs told ESPNcricinfo shortly after scoring a match-winning 58 not out. “I haven’t played a lot of 50-over cricket but in this format, you absorb pressure and then apply pressure. T20 cricket you have to make a play almost every ball but in 50-over cricket and first-class cricket you can just bat time and that’s what I have really enjoyed doing.”Since starting his career three years ago, Stubbs has played 55 T20s, more than double his 21 List A matches, to go with 10 first-class games. His reputation as a big-hitter has seen him picked for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred, and Mumbai Indians at the IPL, although he has only played four matches, two in each of the last two seasons. He went straight from the IPL to Sri Lanka, keen to get game time after last turning out more than a month ago, on May 6.”It [the IPL] was an awesome tournament to be a part of, whether you are playing or not. And Mumbai made the semi-finals so I got to experience a semi-final with 100,000 people which was pretty cool,” he said. “But I hadn’t played in a couple of months
so getting some game time now is good. It’s been cool to spend some time in the middle and bat again.”Especially in unfamiliar conditions. This was Stubbs’ first visit to Sri Lanka and though he has been to India three times, he found that the surfaces were different and asked more questions of his game. “It doesn’t bounce as much [as home] and the ball turns a bit more but the conditions have changed between each game,” he said. “The pitch we played on today got more and more dry and it was turning a lot more. But in the second game the ball was seaming around a lot. It’s a nice challenge.”In both matches, Stubbs scored half-centuries, first taking South Africa A from 20 for 4 to 153 for 8, albeit in a losing cause, and then ensuring they recovered from 27 for 2 in the fifth over to successfully chase 173. In both cases, Stubbs saw an opportunity to work on pacing his innings and getting the balance between attack and defence right. “We were in trouble early on. In the second game, it tested my defence of seam and today it was spinning,” he said. “And you learn it’s all right to block a good ball in the longer game. It’s not ideal, but sometimes it’s required.”With his development of a more all-round game in subcontinental batting conditions, does Stubbs hope he is making a case for consideration for this year’s World Cup? “I am trying not to think about it,” he said. “I am just trying to take every game as it comes and just enjoy playing. Today, I could help the team get over the line. We have a pretty strong side so that always helps.”South Africa A will now play unofficial Tests under the tutelage of national Test coach Shukri Conrad to complete their winter program.

The deal is initially only for the ODI leg of Bangladesh’s tour of South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2022Albie Morkel has joined the Bangladesh men’s national team as the power-hitting coach for the ODI leg of their tour of South Africa. On Tuesday, Morkel linked up with the Bangladesh touring party at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, where they are playing an intra-squad practice match.The BCB had expressed the desire to add a power-hitting coach to the support staff line-up soon after Bangladesh’s poor performance at the T20 World Cup last year.”He [Morkel] will be with the ODI team for a week or so. He will help the batters,” Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman, said. “We will see how it goes, and then decide what happens afterwards.”This is the second turn as a coach for 40-year-old Morkel, who played one Test, 58 ODIs and 50 T20Is for South Africa between 2004 and 2015, after playing the role of assistant coach for the Namibia men’s national team soon after retiring from the game in January 2019.BCB has been in the process of revamping the coaching staff of the senior men’s team. Currently, Khaled Mahmud is the team director while Russell Domingo is the head coach. Batting coach Jamie Siddons is working with the specialist Test batters in a separate camp in Cape Town, while Domingo and the rest – including Allan Donald, the new fast-bowling coach, and Morkel – are in Johannesburg with the ODI squad. Apart from them, spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath and fielding coach Shane McDermott are also with the squad.Bangladesh will play three ODIs against South Africa, as part of the ODI Super League, on March 18, 20 and 23. They will also play two World Test Championship matches from March 31.

Left-arm wristspinner’s stint could be affected by Afghanistan’s ODIs against Ireland in January

Alex Malcolm18-Nov-2020Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan and West Indies bowling allrounder Keemo Paul are set to play in the upcoming BBL after signing with the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes respectively, while a Covid-19 outbreak in South Australia has affected the Adelaide Strikers’ preparation.Zahir had played in last season’s BBL for the Brisbane Heat but is set to join the Stars as their third overseas signing after they lost Haris Rauf to international duty.The Stars signed Zahir in the hope he could play the entire season, but the availability of Afghanistan’s players for the BBL – including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – has been thrown into doubt with the scheduling of Afghanistan’s three-match ODI series against Ireland in the UAE in January.The Stars’ coach David Hussey said Zahir would complement their spin stocks despite already having a left-arm wristspinner in Clint Hinchliffe.”We’re looking forward to having Zahir on board for this season,” Hussey said. “His left arm wristspin will give us a variety of options. Together with Adam Zampa, Tom O’Connell, Clint Hinchliffe and the support of our skipper Glenn Maxwell, we’re pleased with the group of spinners we’ll have available over the course of the season.”Paul won’t have the same availability issues as Zahir, given he is already in New Zealand and like Nicholas Pooran, will not have to quarantine on arrival in Australia due to a travel arrangement between the two countries.Paul has been signed by the Hurricanes on the urging of former Hurricanes and Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who has coached Paul for the last two seasons at the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Paul did not play a game in the recent IPL as the Capitals reached the final, but he did meet with the Hurricanes’ coach Adam Griffith while in the UAE, as Griffith was working as the bowling coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.Keemo Paul launches one into the night sky•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

“I am really excited to be joining Hobart for the upcoming BBL, and I am very grateful for the opportunity,” Paul said.”I have always been a big BBL fan and an avid watcher of the tournament, and I cannot wait to join up with the Hurricanes group. I have spoken to Ricky here at the IPL about Hobart and Tasmania, and he has spoken really positively about the team and the competition. I also caught up with Griff after our [IPL] game recently, and it was great to hear more about the very exciting squad this year.”Griffith was excited about Paul’s inclusion into the squad as the third overseas signing, alongside Dawid Malan and Will Jacks. Colin Ingram is locked in as Malan’s early-season replacement while the Englishman plays the T20I series in South Africa, which ends on December 2. Malan will also need to complete 14 days of quarantine after arriving in Australia.”Keemo is another exciting young player in the early stages of his international career,” Griffith said. “A bowling allrounder with very good skills, Keemo uses different types of slower balls and loves bowling at the death. He’s also a hard-hitting batsman that can clear the fence, adding more power to our lower-middle order to finish off an innings.”ALSO SEE – What is the thinking behind the BBL’s new rules? Trent Woodhill tells usThe BBL remains on track to begin on December 10 with games being played in hubs in Tasmania, ACT and Queensland prior to Christmas.There are games scheduled to be played in Adelaide between Christmas and new year too. However, a recent Covid-19 outbreak in Adelaide’s northern suburbs has created a number of headaches for Cricket Australia with the Strikers being forced to leave South Australia at short notice on Tuesday. Those who played in the last round of the Sheffield Shield in Adelaide also remain in quarantine in other states.There has been no change to the BBL schedule yet and no confirmation of any of the venues for the games in January in February. However, curators at the Marvel Stadium and the MCG in Melbourne have been told to prepare their drop-in pitches for BBL matches in January.The MCG held a small-scale practice run for hosting socially distanced spectators on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Boxing Day Test against India and the BBL fixtures being held there in December and January.

Parkinson claims 6-23 as Maxwell bounces back from World Cup exit with 4-41 to bowl Sussex out for 127

Paul Edwards13-Jul-2019People long in thrall to cricket sometimes watch two games. The first is the one before them; the second comprises moments from past matches, fragments of idolatry, to borrow the title of David Foot’s wonderful book. As the Sussex openers began their side’s innings this high-clouded morning at Old Trafford there was every reason for Lancashire supporters to succumb to illusion. Before them, Phil Salt was cracking boundaries through midwicket off Richard Gleeson and Graham Onions; yet in a heartbeat it was a warm Sunday afternoon in the late 1960s and Lancashire were winning one of those new-fangled 40-over games, their efforts directed by this diminutive bloke who didn’t bowl and only batted around seven in the order.Jack Bond died on Thursday evening. He was mourned by every Lancashire player under whom he had played and his passing was marked by a minute’s silence before our cricket got under way at Old Trafford. Less than an hour and a half hour later Sussex would collapse to Lancashire’s spinners, losing five wickets for 11 runs before lunch, all ten for fifty and being bowled out for 127 forty minutes after lunch. Matt Parkinson, a leg-spinner of great ability and remarkable potential, took a career-best 6 for 23 and Glenn Maxwell, as if assuaging World Cup woe, 4 for 41. Yet the members who stood to applaud Parkinson had also stood in perfect quiet over three-and-a-half earlier in the red-bricked pavilion when they might have been remembering two other slow bowlers, Jack Simmons and David Hughes, throttling the life out of batting orders on distant afternoons from dreamy childhood summers. “Lancasheer, la la-la laaa, Lancasheer, la la-la laaa.”Parkinson has more natural ability than either Simmons or Hughes. Presented with a used pitch offering only a little turn, he puzzled most of Sussex’s batsmen and dismissed half a dozen half of them. The googly which David Wiese let hit his pad was a highlight and the efficiency with which Parkinson removed Sussex’s tail was Rashidesque. That said, Sussex hardly helped themselves. Too many balls requiring commitment, either on the front or back foot were met with indecision. Varun Chopra, having made 32, played for turn but didn’t get to the pitch and the ball went straight on. By then Salt had fallen to Maxwell for 40 when sweeping the off-spinner straight to Josh Bohannon at deep square leg. Sussex were 77 without loss the moment before that wicket fell. They were bowled out less than 30 overs later. Their players must be tired of hearing their coach, Jason Gillespie, use the word “unacceptable” but the solution is in their hands.Dane Vilas needed to do little more than bring on Parkinson and Maxwell and keep them on. Bond would still have enjoyed watching it all, partly because he was the proudest of Lancastrians and partly because he probably reckoned skippers should have a few easy days to make up for those when they have to think non-stop for six hours and make literally thousands of decisions.Bond knew what the hard years and tough days were like. He had learned his cricket in the 1950s when at least one Lancashire captain was effortlessly malevolent and the committee were reminiscent of barons administering Henry II’s feudal estates. The offer of the captaincy, when it came in February 1968, was less than effusive. “We’ve just had a committee meeting and they want you to take the captaincy on a caretaker basis while they look for somebody else,” the new skipper was told by the secretary, Jack Wood.Ben Brown is as loyal to Sussex as Bond was to Lancashire and he might have appreciated some advice this afternoon. A first innings of 127 poses its own problems but things got worse for Sussex when Luke Wells dropped Alex Davies at third slip on 4 and Chris Jordan was forced to limp off with a leg injury after eight overs. The rest of this Saturday saw Lancashire build a position from which they should win the matchHome supporters watched it all and luxuriated in their side’s complete dominance. The flags, all of them flying at half-mast, unfurled themselves in the brisk breeze. We played with the thought that these spectators might be recalling other Saturdays of greater glory, early Septembers at Lord’s, for example, when Bond led Lancashire to three successive Gillette Cups. He skippered a side filled with players of international class but he was the man who held everything together and who reminded any potential Billy Bigbollocks that no cricketer could win a game by himself. His Lancashire teams won five trophies in four yearsBond was a great captain because he had been shown how not to do it and because he was a good, generous man who understood men in all weathers. A devout Methodist, he always preached the value of community and pitched his team on the side of the supporters and against the hierarchy. “We had an unbelievable never-say-die attitude and it was born of dissatisfaction,” recalled David Lloyd. “Jack got us together and it was almost us against them but the ‘them’ were the committee. We were such a tight unit and we all had the red rose on our blazer and, crikey, did that mean something.”The six martlets mean just as much to players like Luke Wells, Ben Brown and Will Beer. Sussex are in a desperate run of form at the moment and they will do well to wrench themselves out if it sufficiently to win promotion. Lancashire’s openers, displaying proper professional ruthlessness, displayed no pity at all. Davies’ two thumping drives off Abi Sakande took Lancashire into a lead on first innings but next over Sussex received blessed relief for their woes when he was caught behind for 72 when trying to cut a short ball from Delray Rawlins. But a Wagner opera could not have set the tone of this day more strongly and Keaton Jennings collected his fifty just before the closeBond was a small man but, as Neil Fairbrother pointed out, he was a giant of Lancashire cricket. His players loved him but they might not have put it those terms. Then again, they didn’t need to. The current Lancashire team, none of whom were near to being born when Bond last played, also stood this morning. They know the former skipper, partly because his words are on the dressing room wall: “The future of this great club is in your hands.”But maybe the most touching sight was that of David Lloyd, standing silent with his memories. And crikey, that meant something.

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.”

Remarkable control from the Australian bowlers resulted in massive pressure being built up which led to a steady supply of wickets as India folded for 189 on the first day

The Report by Alagappan Muthu04-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:15

‘Surprised by the Bengaluru pitch’

First there was control, then panic and eventually wickets. Most of them went to Nathan Lyon, whose 8 for 50 was the best ever haul by a visiting bowler in India. He personified Australia’s ability to adapt to unfavourable conditions – which included a lost toss – and by the end of the day they had ransacked 10 wickets for 189 runs, put up a score of 40 for 0 themselves and did their chances of retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy no harm whatsoever.Most teams coming to the subcontinent will be aware they have to invest heavily in maintaining tight lines and lengths for pressure is as good as any help they might receive off the pitch to pick up wickets. The batsman starts to feel trapped, doubts begin to fester, he searches for release and…India know this template well. Yet they lost Cheteshwar Pujara on the stroke of lunch. Virat Kohli gave his wicket away – and then a review as well – by padding up to a straight ball. Were it not for KL Rahul’s 90 on his home ground in Bengaluru, they would have been in far worse shape. And that is saying something considering they were bundled out for under 200 for the third time in as many innings.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were in prime form with the new ball. Six of the first 12 overs on Saturday were maidens, the result of their getting just enough movement in the air and off the pitch. Lyon was precise with his line and smart with his length. He got the ball to turn and bounce sharply on some occasions and on others he made it drift and go straight on. His biggest strike, though, was simply down to a set up.Kohli was new to the crease and only a few seconds ago had a good length ball jumped past his inside edge and hit his thigh pad. Something told the Indian captain he could trust the bounce here, that if he was playing on the back foot, the ball was unlikely to threaten his stumps. That made picking length very, very important. Lyon flattened his trajectory, Kohli left the ball, suckered into believing it was short, it thudded into his pad in front of middle stump and umpire Nigel Llong put his finger up. While the error in judgment can be forgiven, the gamble with DRS was less so for it was driven not by logic but hope, and even a little bit of fear at losing the best batsman in the team giving Australia the kind of momentum they would love.Watching all this from the other end was Rahul. His innings spanned 205 balls – the next best was a mere 66 – was a battle all through. He was struck on the glove as Starc peppered him with bouncers. He was often unsure against Hazlewood’s two-way movement. He could have been caught on 30 but even Peter Handscomb, whose agility is already becoming legend, was unable to hold on to a rather difficult chance low to his left at silly mid-off.Nathan Lyon’s 8 for 50 was the best figures by a visiting bowler in India•Associated Press

Rahul had the mettle to work past his troubles, to not buckle to pressure and go looking for that boundary that makes him feel better for but an instant. He had had enough of that in Pune. Normally a free-flowing batsman – evidenced by his striking the first ball of the match to the point boundary – he understood the importance of a big score and buckled down to get it. With time at the crease, his defensive game grew tighter but most of all, he was able to absorb all the pressure Australia piled up on him.The same could not be said of his team-mates. Ajinkya Rahane hurtled down the pitch against Lyon only for the straighter ball to beat his outside edge. He was so far past the crease that Matthew Wade even had time to recover from a fumble and pull off the stumping. The 17 runs he made marked the ninth time out of 10 innings that he has fallen for a score under 30. Karun Nair, who was brought in to lengthen the batting line-up, playing for the first time since his 303 not out in December, committed the same mistake against O’Keefe and this time the ball turned sharply to leave him stumped too.Against the vagaries of the M Chinnaswamy strip – hosting a Test for the first time since large-scale renovations of the outfield – and the discipline of the Australian bowlers, it was difficult not to imagine India as those kids waiting for Mum and Dad to slack off so they can raid the sweets in the pantry. But by the end of the day, with no hope of their craving being satisfied, they could only fold their hands over their chest and go “this sucks”.By tea, Australia’s GOAT had gutted India’s middle order and sent back their big three. The first of his wickets was a major turning point. He had a set Pujara caught at short leg off what became the very last ball before lunch and a 61-run second wicket partnership was broken.Against a bowler in such rhythm, the lower order folded quickly. R Ashwin was undone by a spitting cobra. Wriddhiman Saha edged one that didn’t turn as much as he thought. Ravindra Jadeja inside edged a catch off the pad to slip – which was only confirmed when Smith made fine use of the review available to him. Even there, Australia were thumping India. And it all tied in to Lyon’s skill. A newfound skill.In the early part of his career, he couldn’t figure out how to bowl on turners. He would either be too slow and too full and get driven a lot, or too quick and too short leading to outcomes a lot worse. Here all of his wickets came off the 5 to 6m mark. For a batsman, that meant even if he came forward, he couldn’t reach the pitch of the ball. To then make connection, he has to push his hands out in front and that compromises his balance. Playing back is a risk too because Lyon’s overspin generates awkward bounce.Against that, the extra batsman was of little use. M Vijay, however, was not among of the XI having injured his left shoulder in the 333-run defeat in Pune and in his place came Tamil Nadu team-mate Abhinav Mukund. The 27-year old was representing India for the first time in over five years and his team was using their eighth opening pair in the last 12 months. He got an eight-ball duck, the partnership yielded only 11 runs, the position is clearly cursed, it time to call Scooby Doo yet?

Mohammad Amir claimed 5 for 67 across his first two ODIs in five years, and was described as the “pick of Pakistan’s bowlers” by Martin Guptill, but Waqar Younis believes he is still some distance from his best

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Auckland31-Jan-2016

Guptill hails Santner’s ‘all-round skills’

Martin Guptill endorsed Mitchell Santner as a player for the future, after Santner sealed the match and the series with an unbeaten 10 off 7 balls in the third ODI. New Zealand needed six runs to win off the final over with Santner on strike. He drilled Wahab Riaz for four through the covers first ball, then hit another boundary off the fourth ball to win the match.
“I think Mitchell was pretty stoked,” Guptill said. “That first ball was a good shot. Then after a couple of swings and misses he was getting a bit frustrated. Once he started standing still he was able to hit the ball and get the win. He’s still young. He’s still learning. It’s good signs for the future.”
Santner’s fielding has also been excellent during the home series. He has contributed with the ball as well, breaking the 134-run stand between Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam on Sunday.
“He does look very relaxed,” Guptill said. “Some would say he’s a bit of a drifter. He’s got very good all-round skills. It can only be good for him playing as much as he is and learning. He’s going to be a very good cricketer for us in the future.”

Mohammad Amir claimed 5 for 67 across his first two ODIs in five years, and was described as the “pick of Pakistan’s bowlers” by Martin Guptill, but Waqar Younis believes he is still some distance from his best.Amir’s efforts in the T20 series had been modest. A promising start in Auckland petered out to two wicketless performances in Hamilton and Wellington. But he was arguably the bowler of the brief ODI series, from either team. Trent Boult took one more wicket than Amir, but conceded runs at 5.55 an over to Amir’s 3.9.The ODI at Eden Park saw Amir claim a wicket with his first delivery – his bouncer too quick for Brendon McCullum, who mis-hit the ball to fine leg. Amir has been breaching 140kph throughout the tour, and has also occasionally swung and seamed the ball. Movement in the air was a feature of his first spell on Sunday.”I still feel Amir’s not at his best at the moment,” Waqar said. “I always knew that it’s going to take some time. But he’s getting there. He’s started swinging the ball back at right-handers, which I think is key for the left-arm fast bowlers. And he’s getting his pace back.”Amir’s first spell at Eden Park was particularly impressive, as he claimed figures of 1 for 15 from five Powerplay overs, while the New Zealand batsmen reaped 37 for 0 from the five overs delivered from the other end. He raised two lbw appeals in that time, and also beat the edges of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. Those two batsmen would go on to score more than 80 apiece, and have also been in excellent form throughout the home season.”Amir didn’t give us too many bad balls,” Guptill said of that first spell. “He got the ball swinging, which he hasn’t done all series. It was a bit tougher today, and he bowled very well. He was definitely the pick of the Pakistani bowlers. He’s proving what a world-class bowler he still is.”Amir’s comeback tour has drawn a mixed range of reactions from spectators and fellow players. There was rankling within the Pakistan side before the tour, but after the team arrived in Auckland, Wahab Riaz said he was glad to have Amir in the side. ODI captain Azhar Ali also later said he and Amir had “moved on” and resolved their differences.Elsewhere, there had been warm applause for Amir in his comeback T20 match at Eden Park, but was also made fun of by some fans, and a ground announcer who played a cash-register sound effect during one of his spells. This was ostensibly a dig at Amir’s history with spot-fixing.”There’s still a lot of pressure for Amir, playing international cricket,” Waqar said. “We’re trying to ease him into it – not expecting blasts from him. As long as he gets to his peak, when the time is right, hopefully he’ll deliver the goods for Pakistan.”

Graeme Smith, South Africa’s injured Test captain, is aiming for a return to action in the team’s next Test series, against Pakistan in October

Firdose Moonda14-Jul-2013Graeme Smith, South Africa’s injured Test captain, is aiming for a return to action in the team’s next Test series, against Pakistan in October. Smith suffered a recurrence of an ankle injury that has plagued him throughout his career in May and was ruled out of cricket for at least five months.At the time, Smith was playing for Surrey and had to return home for surgery. He missed the Champions Trophy and will sit out of the upcoming limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka in order to make a full recovery. As matters stand, that looks set to be earlier than initial estimates with the trip to the UAE a definite possibility for Smith to make his return.Smith has made “steady progress” according to South Africa’s team manager and doctor Mohammed Moosajee and the management team are “aiming to have him for the Pakistan series”. His cast came off two-and-half-weeks ago and he has been walking on crutches since the last week of June. He is expected to use them until the first week in August, when he should be able to walk on his own.Smith’s wife, Morgan, is due to give birth to the couple’s second child this week. She wrote on a blog for magazine that Smith has “just started rehab on his ankle so he is going to be mobile again pretty soon, which will be perfect timing for when the new baby arrives”.Although Smith is not captain in the shorter formats, his absence has been noticeable. South Africa have struggled to find a suitable partner for Hashim Amla in the 50-overs format and will head to Sri Lanka with that as one of their major concerns.Their options are between Smith’s Test opening partner Alviro Petersen, who was drafted into the Champions Trophy squad but did not play a game, and young wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. Colin Ingram, who filled the role during the Champions Trophy, is not expected to continue in it.While South Africa would value Smith’s presence in the one-day team, it is far more important to them to have him for Test matches. Not only has he been the leader of the Test side for a decade but he led them to No. 1 in the world last year and has spoken about his ambitions to keep them there.South Africa have not played a Test since defeating Pakistan 3-0 in a series at home in March and will make a return to the format after eight months in October. They play two Tests in the UAE, which will be new coach Russell Domingo’s first longer-format assignment and Smith’s presence would be a huge boost.Moosajee confirmed the support staff are working toward that. “He has three months to go and we will have to take a call closer to the time but we are hopeful he will be able to play in that series,” he said. “He is doing well so far and we will continue to monitor him.”