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Stunning all-round performance against Ireland at home has lifted Hayley Matthews in all three tables

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023Suzie Bates has moved up three spots to No. 5 in the women’s T20I batting rankings following scores of 44 and 52 in the first two games in Sri Lanka, while Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr have both closed in on Ashleigh Gardner at the top of the allrounders’ table.Chamari Athapaththu batted New Zealand out of the ODI series that preceded the T20Is, totalling 248 runs while being dismissed just once in three innings to give her side a 2-1 win, but New Zealand hit back in the T20Is, winning the first two to pocket the series. Their star performers in the two T20Is were Bates and Kerr with the bat and Lea Tahuhu with the ball, and that reflected in the ICC rankings.Bates went up to 677 rating points, behind Tahlia McGrath (784), Beth Mooney (777), Smriti Mandhana (728) and team-mate Sophie Devine (683), and another good performance could take her higher before she leaves Sri Lanka.

Full rankings tables

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Kerr has scored 34 and 33 not out in Sri Lanka so far and the two wickets she picked up in the two games took her closer to the top of the allrounders’ chart, placing her at No. 3.The standout all-round performance of the week came from Matthews, the West Indies captain, who scored 135 runs and picked up eight wickets, including a hat-trick in the final game, to script a 3-0 sweep of Ireland at home. She is at No. 2 among allrounders, up two spots to No. 17 among batters, and up three spots to seventh among bowlers.Tahuhu also moved up within the top ten among bowlers, her four-for in the second T20I against Sri Lanka lifting her two places to sixth.On to Bangladesh vs India, where Harmanpreet Kaur was the Player of the Match with her 35-ball 54 not out to lead India to a comfortable win in the first T20I. That took her up four places to joint tenth.At the end of the T20I leg of the Ashes, which got over on July 8 with England winning 2-1 and bouncing right back in the contest after conceding the one-off Test, Mooney, who scored 115 runs, closed in on McGrath at the top of the batters’ table, just seven points separating the two.

Managing director of England men’s cricket believes added responsibility will help all-rounder’s rise

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2019Ashley Giles believes Ben Stokes’ reinstatement as England vice-captain ahead of the Ashes is the logical next step in his development as a Test allrounder.In announcing their 14-man squad for the first Test against Australia starting at Edgbaston August 1, the ECB also revealed chairman Colin Graves had approved Stokes’ re-appointment on the recommendation of Ashley Giles and chief executive Tom Harrison.Stokes had been stripped of the role during investigations into the fight outside a Bristol night club in 2017, over which he was ultimately found not guilty of affray. Stokes subsequently faced an ECB disciplinary hearing, which resulted in him being fined and banned for eight international matches in December 2018, a punishment that he had already served in missing five months of cricket, including the 2017-18 Ashes.Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, said Stokes was highly respected within the team environment.”He is a natural leader and has a great understanding of the game,” Giles said. “He will offer tremendous support to Joe Root as part of the senior playing group.”Over the past 18 months, he has come a long way and has shown a great degree of maturity on and off the field.”I have no doubts that the added responsibility will also help him to continue his rise as a world class all-rounder in the Test arena.”Stokes will take over the vice-captaincy from Jos Buttler.Stokes scored in the 70s and 80s four times in his last five innings at the World Cup and was Player of the Match in the final at Lord’s after guiding England’s run-chase with an unbeaten 84 from 98 balls, as well as adding a crucial 8 from 3 in the decisive Super Over.Jofra Archer, who is in line to make his Test debut after also being named in England’s Ashes squad, credited Stokes with offering some calming words when he was chosen to bowl to New Zealand in their Super Over, with Stokes having been through a similar experience – although with a different outcome – when charged with bowling the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup final against West Indies in Kolkata.”If we had lost today, I don’t know what I would have done tomorrow,” Archer said at the time. “But Ben Stokes told me even before the over: ‘Win or lose, today does not define you. Everyone believes in you.’ He came to talk to me because of Kolkata. He probably went through the same emotions but was on the losing side.”

An attempt to deny Barbados the chance to collect more bonus points fell flat in a dramatic and controversial finish to the match

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2019A bizarre declaration from Leeward Islands to lose a match in an apparent attempt to deny their opposition Barbados the chance to build enough bonus points to overtake them in the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament, has backfired with Barbados securing second place.Whatever calculations took place from Leeward Islands, who were captained by Rahkeem Cornwall, did not work as the result was enough to put Barbados into second place by just 0.2 points with 17.4 points and end with 134.2, which proved to be just enough to overtake Leeward Islands, who collected 2.8 points from the match and ended with 134.After Guyana had been confirmed as champions the previous day following Leeward Islands’ collapse for 90 in the first innings against Barbados, courtesy a career-best 5 for 29 from Keon Harding, it became a battle between the two for second place.Barbados built a first-innings lead of 101 when they declared early on the second day at 191 with two wickets still in hand, after Alazarri Joseph took 4 for 28, before Leeward Islands moved to 83 for 2, still 18 behind, when they declared about 40 minutes after lunch and conceded the match.

Stand-in captain Suranga Lakmal is “trusting” that the team’s batting will come good as Sri Lanka look to level the series in Pallekele

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele13-Nov-2018Sri Lanka have asked for a turning pitch – a proper one this time – and they will go in with three spinners and a lone quick again, but for the hosts to level the series, the batsmen still have to pull their weight.So said Suranga Lakmal, who has captained three Tests and won all three, thanks largely to his attack. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have dismissed oppositions for scores such as 93, 73, 123 and 124. One or two batsmen – Dimuth Karunaratne in particular – have scored heavily on one or two of those occasions. But as a group, Sri Lanka’s top order has fallen short of excellence.”Unfortunately over the recent past we haven’t got what we expected from the batsmen,” Lakmal said. “But we can change that in this match. No one goes to the middle trying to make a low score. I’m trusting that a lot of things will change in this Test.”What I’d say as a captain or vice-captain is that we need to bat positively. That’s one thing we can do. If you get a good ball, any batsman can get out. Think about that and go to the middle with the intention of scoring runs. Have positive body language. That’s what I expect from our players.”One batsman who can generally be relied upon for a positive approach, although not always for runs, is Kusal Mendis. While much has been made of Mendis’ poor ODI form over the past few months, his Test output has been modest as well – he has failed to cross fifty in eight innings now. Lakmal hoped Mendis would be among those leading the batting turnaround.”Any player, bowler or batsman, fails in cricket – in that time it’s the players who are mentally strong who come out of it quickly,” Lakmal said. “In the last match Kusal scored a few runs [19 and 45], and he’s pretty good psychologically. I’m sure he’ll make a difference in this match. He backs his game plan, and I’m trusting that he’ll produce a good innings here.”On the bowling front there may never have been room in this XI for 21-year-old quick Lahiru Kumara, but that doesn’t mean the curfew-breaking antics that saw him dumped from the squad prior to the series has not caused disappointment within the side. Kumara was among those who bowled well under Lakmal in Barbados, where Sri Lanka’s bowlers helped overturn a 50-run first innings deficit. With any luck, Lakmal said, Kumara will make a comeback, and play a role in such team performances again.”There’s something called discipline in the team,” he said. “You could be a senior, or someone who is not very experienced, but if the team suffers even a little because of your indiscipline, then we have to take action. That’s what we’ve done here.”That’s not to say Lahiru Kumara will keep making that mistake, nor are we saying he’s out of the team forever. We’ve sent him a message, and hopefully he will learn from that. This can happen to any player – senior or junior. If they break the rules, we’ll take that action.”

White, who has been in the role since February 2012, said it “feels like the right time to step aside”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2023New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has announced his decision to step down from the role in August.White, who took over the position in February 2012, is just the fourth chief executive after Chris Doig, Martin Snedden and Justin Vaughan to lead NZC since the adoption of the Hood Report recommendations in 1995.”NZC is in a secure financial position with a solid balance sheet and long-term commercial agreements in place,” he said in a statement. “The BLACKCAPS are strong; women’s cricket is healthy, our high performance programme is producing excellence, and the community game is stable. It feels like the right time to step aside.”During White’s tenure, the New Zealand men’s team won the inaugural World Test Championship and reached the final of the World Cup three times (one T20 and two 50-over World Cups). Under him, New Zealand also took a big step towards pay equality, announcing that their women cricketers will earn the same match fees as the men under a new five-year deal in 2022.”David’s legacy has been immense,” Snedden, now serving as NZC board chair, said. “Our high performance systems have never been stronger, our cricket network has a level of financial security and stability never before experienced, and the future for women and girls has never been brighter.”David’s commercial acumen has driven revenue, enabling increased investment across the organisation. His administrative skills have unearthed unique, bespoke solutions for our high-performance programmes and infrastructure – no better illustrated than in the all-weather, turf-based training facilities now located throughout the country.”White, a former Test cricketer, had also served as chief executive of Auckland Rugby and, before that chief executive of Wellington Rugby before taking up the NZC role.”Under David, cricket in New Zealand has become far more inclusive, especially in regard to women and girls, our tangata whenua, and our Pasifika communities,” Snedden added.”When you think of how he navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, preserving the integrity of the community, domestic and international game, and his strong influence at ICC level, it makes you realise just how lucky we’ve been to have him at the helm.”

New Zealand booked their place in Sunday’s tri-series final, and brought England along with them in the process

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-20181:12

I’m just trying to keep up with Suzie Bates – Devine

New Zealand 151 for 2 (Devine 68*, Bates 62) beat South Africa 148 for 6 (Tryon 35) by eight wickets

ScorecardNew Zealand booked their place in Sunday’s tri-series final, and brought England along with them in the process, as they eased to an eight-wicket victory over a lacklustre South Africa in the first of their T20 double-headers at Bristol.It was a must-win encounter for South Africa, who had always been up against it after a pair of record-breaking beatings in the opening round of tri-series fixtures in Taunton. And despite winning the toss and batting first, they struggled to make headway in a stodgy innings of 148 for 6, enlivened only in the latter stages by a breezy 15-ball 35 from Chloe Tryon.It was no sort of score to challenge New Zealand’s hard-hitting top-order, and Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine make sure there would be no recourse in an opening stand of 130 in 13.2 overs.Bates brought up her fifty from 39 balls and Devine from 31, and neither really needed to extend themselves in the process. There were a pair of late consolation wickets as Bates snicked a drive through to Lizelle Lee behind the stumps for 62 before Katey Martin was bowled by Zintle Mali for 10. But two more fours in as many balls from Devine, including a lofted flog over the covers, sealed the contest with 4.4 overs to spare.In the absence of Shabnim Ismail, who withdrew with injury before the toss, South Africa’s bowlers were lacking in its usual depth. With the bat, they had started with cautious intent, adding 40 for the first wicket before Lizelle Lee fell on the pull to square leg, whereupon Sune Luus was run out at the non-striker’s end without addition.Amelia Kerr, the talk of the women’s game after her record-smashing exploits in Ireland, added two wickets in two overs to account for South Africa’s middle order. And though Tryon tried her best, the result was hardly in doubt.

Brisbane Heat will also be missing Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw for the Challenger final at the SCG

Tristan Lavalette31-Jan-2023Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers have been left pondering the sizeable batting holes of their departed Test players ahead of Thursday’s clash at the SCG with a grand final spot up for grabs.Heat captain Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, along with Sixers opener Steven Smith, will be unavailable for the ‘Challenger’ final due to being part of Australia’s Test tour of India.The Heat trio sparked a resurgence with the team winning six of their last seven matches after being mired for much of the season near the bottom of the ladder.They each made important contributions in finals victories on the road against Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Renegades to have Heat positioned for an unlikely tilt at a second BBL title.Related

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But without three of their top four, Heat’s batting depth will be tested as they recalled Nathan McSweeney, Max Bryant and Sam Heazlett to curb an expected fired-up Sixers attack, who were clobbered by Scorchers batters Ashton Turner and Cameron Bancroft in the qualifying final.McSweeney has only played three matches this season, but notably smashed 84 off 51 balls against Sixers in Heat’s 15-run victory at the Gabba in a high-scoring contest on January 1.Once part of a devastating opening partnership with Chris Lynn, big-hitter Bryant failed to fire from seven matches this season and averaged just 15.71.The 27-year-old Heazlett has not played this season, but the bright finals lights shouldn’t faze him having mustered 48 BBL matches over the past seven seasons.”We have lost some of our Australian players but the guys we are bringing in have played the format before so I don’t have a problem with it,” said Heat coach Wade Seccombe. “They have performed when they came in.”Sixers don’t have as many holes to fill, but nonetheless need to replace Smith, who lit up the BBL with ballistic batting marked by consecutive centuries.Nathan McSweeney will return to Brisbane Heat’s line-up•Getty Images

“We’ve played 10 games without Steve and had a few wins along the way so we’re familiar with this group,” said veteran batter Jordan Silk, who re-signed with Sixers on a three-year deal.Sixers appear to have a ready made replacement in stalwart Daniel Hughes, who has been a reliable batter for Sixers over the years but restricted to just three matches this season.”[Hughes] has trained well, he’s been great around the group all year. He’s probably one of the more unlucky players in the competition to not be playing,” Silk said. “He’s been a reliable performer at the Sixers for a number of years.”There are other options with Kurtis Patterson, who starred as an opener during Perth Scorchers’ title-winning run last season, possibly being considered to move up the order having batted at No. 3 since Smith’s return.While allrounder Hayden Kerr could rekindle his elevation from last season’s corresponding match, where he memorably hit an unbeaten 98 as an opener to lift Sixers past Adelaide Strikers in a last-ball thriller.”[Kerr] is a vital piece for us down in that middle to lower order,” Silk said. “Whether we’d see his value at the top in a game like this, I’m not sure what’ll happen there. He’s almost been probably too good at the role he’s played at six to warrant moving him.”As they eye a seventh grand final appearance, Silk said Sixers would target Heat’s new-look batting line-up.”They have some big holes from a batting sense,” Silk said. “Looking back to the game at the Gabba, where they were without those [Test] batters, [Josh] Brown and McSweeney stepped up. Queensland produce very good cricketers. We will do our research so we can stop them.”The winner plays Perth Scorchers on Saturday at Optus Stadium with a crowd of more than 50,000 expected.

On a typically pacy Perth pitch, the SA bowlers set the game up before their batters completed the job

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-20222:18

Du Plessis: Been impressed with Markram over the last 12 months

South Africa moved to the top of the group 2 points table and boosted their chances of making the semi-finals after recovering from 24 for 3 to successfully chase 134 against India. Aiden Markram and David Miller were the architects of South Africa’s triumph, scoring half-centuries each and sharing a 76-run fourth-wicket stand.On a pacy pitch, South Africa’s quicks set the tone with hard lengths and plenty of speed. They reduced India to 49 for 5 in the ninth over before Suryakumar Yadav held the innings together with his 11th T20I half-century but he lacked support. He shared a 52-run partnership with Dinesh Karthik, who scored only six of those runs. Lungi Ngidi and Wayne Parnell were the main beneficiaries of South Africa’s approach and took seven wickets between them but all the quicks were impressive. Anrich Nortje brought the heat on a chilly evening and clocked over 150kph with regularity while Kagiso Rabada, for a change, played only a supporting role.India’s attack were also impressive as they made use of fuller lengths and found swing. Some of the differences between the two sides lay here. South Africa bowled 50 short or short-of-a-good-length deliveries and took six wickets for 34; India bowled 48 and took one for 53.Related

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In the end, both captains also had to gamble on how they used their spinner. Temba Bavuma can’t catch a break with the bat and failed again but made the right decision to only use Keshav Maharaj for three overs, while giving Markram one. Between them, they conceded 33 runs in four overs. Rohit Sharma bowled R Ashwin out and used him in the 18th over. By then, Markram was out but Miller was still at the crease and South Africa needed 25 runs from 18 balls. Ashwin’s over cost 13 runs and though he dismissed Tristan Stubbs, Miller finished it off for South Africa.This result has big implications for the rest of the group, particularly Pakistan, whose semi-final hopes are hanging by a thread. South Africa’s win means that not only do Pakistan have to beat South Africa on Thursday but also hope either India lose to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe or South Africa are beaten by the Netherlands.2:23

Faf du Plessis: ‘Suryakumar Yadav’s composure stands out, never seen him frantic’

Ngidi’s double-strike in the powerplay

India had a curious start against the swinging ball and took 10 deliveries to get off the mark – the longest in their T20I history – before both openers breached the big boundaries. Rohit Sharma hooked Rabada over fine leg and KL Rahul whipped Parnell over midwicket but neither scored too much more. Ngidi was introduced in the fifth over and made an immediate impact with hard lengths. Rohit mis-hit his first delivery over the covers but it fell safely. Then, he was cramped on the pull, the ball caught the splice of the bat and went straight up, giving Ngidi enough time to saunter across the square and take the catch. And Ngidi was just getting started. At the end of that over, Rahul was foxed by the extra bounce and edged a ball he looked to guide to third man. Markram was perfectly positioned, almost on the edge of the ring, at slip to take the catch. India were 26 for 2 and finished the powerplay on 33 for 2.KG’s catches
Virat Kohli mounted a brief riposte with back-to-back boundaries against Ngidi but when he tried to take on the bouncer, he got it wrong. Kohli sent a pull towards fine leg where Rabada ran around the corner from a deep-square position to take a good running catch, as casually as you like. Like Ngidi, Rabada also went one better. In Ngidi’s next over, Hardik Pandya took his chances against the short ball and pulled to fine leg. He connected well but not well enough and did not get the distance he was looking for. Rabada did and ran from the boundary rope and leapt forward and took a diving catch with both hands, even as both feet left the floor. India were 49 for 5.Reach for the SKY

Suryakumar scored more than half of India’s total runs and more boundaries than any of their other batters combined. Apart from his opening boundary – an edge that flew over first slip off Nortje – he timed and placed his shots well and took on the short ball with a level of discernment. He used his wrists particularly well, targeted Maharaj, which forced Bavuma to turn to Markram for an over, and then dented Ngidi’s figures when he took 11 runs off his final over. Overall, Suryakumar scored 25 runs off the 12 balls he faced from Maharaj. His 68 came at a strike rate of 170, while the rest of India’s line-up contributed 57 runs at a strike rate of 71.25. In the process, Suryakumar became the highest run-scorer in T20Is in 2022, going past Mohammad Rizwan.Aiden Markram and David Miller put up a 76-run stand to settle South Africa’s chase•ICC via Getty Images

Swing for Singh
While South Africa used bounce to make their early incisions, India relied on swing. Arshdeep Singh struck with his first ball, which swung away from Quinton de Kock, who chased it and nicked off. Two balls later, he hit Rilee Rossouw on the back pad. Arshdeep thought the movement was taking the ball wide of leg stump but Rohit disagreed. He reviewed, with ball-tracking showing that it would go on to hit the top of middle and leg. Rossouw was dismissed for his third duck in five innings, all at the hands of Arshdeep. In between that, Rossouw has scored two centuries. In nine deliveries, South Africa were 3 for 2 and things didn’t get much better. Bavuma’s blues continued as he tried to ramp Mohammed Shami over the wicketkeeper but inside-edged to Karthik instead. South Africa ended the powerplay at 24 for 3. Markram makes his move
South Africa limped to the halfway mark in their innings on 40 for 3 and needed to change gears after the drinks break. Markram took on Pandya’s short balls and found the boundary twice in three balls before putting pressure on India fielders by responding to Miller’s call for a quick single. Miller tapped the ball to backward point, Suryakumar swooped in and shied at the striker’s end but missed. Then Markam took on Ashwin, advanced down the pitch and hit a carrom ball for four before heaving it to deep midwicket where Kohli juggled and then dropped the catch. Markam was on 35 at the time. With 25 runs scored off the 11th and 12th over combined, India were forced to bring back a frontline seamer early. Shami’s third over only cost three runs but India squandered a third opportunity for a wicket. Miller fended a delivery and Markram was already two-thirds of the way down, so Miller ran. Rohit had three stumps to aim at, but missed. Ashwin continued and so did Markram, but not before Miller cleared his front leg to hit Ashwin for six over long-off. Markram then sent him over long-on for six more. South Africa scored 45 runs in the four overs after drinks to set themselves up for the win.

“Some balls hit the gloves, others scooted low at shoe-height from the same spot,” a player who was involved in the game told ESPNcricinfo

Shashank Kishore21-Dec-2022The second day of the Ranji Trophy fixture between Railways and Punjab at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi had to be suspended after the surface was deemed “dangerous and unfit for play” by the match officials.As many as 24 wickets had fallen in a little under four sessions of play in just 103 overs; 20 of those went to the seamers. Punjab, who had taken a 12-run first-innings lead after posting 162, were tottering on 18 for 4 in their second innings when play was halted.As the first drinks interval neared on Wednesday, on-field umpires K Madanagopal and Rajeev Godara apprised match referee Youraj Singh of the situation, before both captains – Mandeep Singh (Punjab) and Karn Sharma (Railways) – were spoken to. It was eventually decided that the match would start afresh on Thursday on a new surface, adjacent to the one the game had started on. This means the Elite Group D contest has now effectively been reduced to a two-day fixture. A fresh toss will take place with teams permitted to change their XIs.”They could have repaired the surface and resumed on the third day from where the match was stopped, but the match officials decided to play on a fresh surface,” a Railways team official said. “We were in a fantastic position but will possibly lose out on a chance to win because of this decision.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the ground authorities had wanted to prepare a grassy surface, but early-winter chill and heavy dew had hampered preparations in the lead-up to the game.”The pitch was uneven. Some balls hit the gloves, others scooted low at shoe-height from the same spot,” a player told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a green wicket but the match officials decided it was too uneven and inconsistent for play to continue.”The truncated nature of the contest left both Railways and Punjab with the prospect of going two rounds without an outright result, something that didn’t look like a possibility when play started on Wednesday. Punjab were denied by bad light and had to settle for first-innings honours against Chandigarh in the opening round, while Railways were handed a 194-run loss by Vidarbha despite Karn’s career-best 8 for 38.Surfaces at the Karnail Singh Stadium have come under the scanner in the past too. In 2011, BCCI’s technical committee had put the venue on a watchlist for producing poor pitches.In 2012, it was barred from hosting matches for two years, after the committee had found the local curators to have deliberately left the surface underprepared to help Railways try and force outright results in a bid to progress further in the Ranji Trophy. At the time, Railways had temporarily shifted their home base to Bhubaneswar, before their original home venue was reinstated in 2014.

Defeat for Perth Scorchers makes their push for a semi-final berth all the more difficult, as they suffered their sixth loss in nine matches

The Report by Tristan Lavalette18-Jan-2019Masterful batting at the death by James Faulkner bookended his spectacular opening bowling onslaught to lead Hobart Hurricanes to a nerve-jangling victory over a shell-shocked Perth Scorchers at Perth Stadium.Faulkner claimed three wickets in his first seven deliveries to leave Scorchers reeling at 3 for 7 before the home side recovered to post a seemingly sizeable total of 9 for 177.In an unpredictable contest, Hurricanes looked out of the chase on several occasions and needed 16 runs off the last over against Scorchers ace bowler Andrew Tye.Enter Faulkner, who lived up to his moniker of ‘The Finisher’ as he needed just three deliveries to seal a memorable victory and move top-of-the-ladder Hurricanes a step closer to a finals berth.The stinging defeat leaves BBL powerhouses Scorchers (three wins and six losses) in jeopardy of missing the knockout stages for the first time.Faulkner tears through Scorchers The match was slightly delayed due to the ODI at the MCG going the distance and Scorchers’ innings started with India still needing 14 runs to complete a series triumph.Those who tuned in late missed Faulkner run through Scorchers’ vaunted top-order with a masterclass of swing bowling. Once a mainstay of Australia’s limited-overs teams, the 28-year-old reminded everyone of his talents removing Cameron Bancroft (0) with the third delivery of the match as the in-form opener hit straight to gully.Faulkner struck two balls later when he trapped struggling opener Michael Klinger lbw for a golden duck with a gem of an in-swinger. Klinger, however, could consider himself unlucky after replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps and had also pitched outside leg.A luckless Klinger, the BBL’s all-time leading scorer, fell off the seventh legal delivery of a Ben Dwarshuis over last start against Sydney Sixers and has scored a miserable 115 runs during a wretched campaign.Faulkner’s most important scalp came in his next over with the prized wicket of Ashton Turner for two. With another biting in-swinger, Faulkner deceived Turner who who had smashed 210 runs in his past four innings.Nathan Coulter-Nile celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•Getty Images

Archer’s horror show, Scorchers’ counterattackDespite a horrendous start, Scorchers did not revert to conservatism with Sam Whiteman counterattacking Faulkner impressively by smashing two huge sixes in the fifth over. Whiteman combined well in a 77-run partnership with Hilton Cartwright to get Scorchers back into the match but they were aided by monumental struggles from quick Jofra Archer.The 23-year-old’s spell ended prematurely after bowling two beamers in his first 10 deliveries. He received a warning in his first over after miscuing a slower ball full toss to Whiteman before repeating the dose.Archer had also misfired on his fourth delivery with a short delivery flying way over Whiteman and resulting in a free hit. He conceded 19 runs during his brief bowling spell as his lacklustre campaign continues.Hurricanes, however, recovered by picking up four wickets from overs 12-to-15 as the Scorchers slumped to 7 for 117 before dynamic batting at the death from Tye and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who smacked consecutive sixes off the last two balls, lifted Scorchers to a strong total – a score unimaginable after the first 13 deliveries.Short falls earlyD’Arcy Short, the BBL’s leading run-scorer, has spurred Hurricanes’ sizzling start to the season with his imperious batting setting the tone at the top. There was added spice in the contest with Short playing against some of his Western Australian teammates, who hoped to have inside knowledge in how to stop the rampaging southpaw.There was much resting on Short after Matthew Wade fell in the second over, but he was unable to find his groove against a weakened Scorchers attack minus Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson and Ashton Agar.Short (13) perished attempting a trademark belligerent hoick off Andrew Tye’s second delivery leaving Hurricanes in a hole at 2 for 40.Debutant Caleb Jewell took it upon himself to revive the visitors with a slew of shots marked by sweet timing. Jewell (32 off 20 balls) was feeling confident after smashing an Aaron Hardie delivery for a huge six but fell two balls later in the seventh over as Scorchers took control of the contest.Bailey fights gamely before Faulkner’s heroicsHurricanes’ chances looked dire when Simon Milenko fell at 5 for 96 in the 13th over but George Bailey summoned his wealth of experience to ensure a tense finish. He put the foot down against spinner Usman Qadir in the 14th over with a six and two boundaries as Scorchers’ inexperienced attack started faltering under pressure.Bailey found willing support through Faulkner and inched Hurricanes within 25 runs of the target until the match flipped again when he was caught behind off Tye in the 18th over.Hurricanes appeared to be up against it needing 16 runs off the final over before Faulkner’s finish for the ages. He hit Tye’s first ball for six over fine leg and then smoked a boundary on the next ball to move Hurricanes closer.Faulkner memorably iced the match with a straight six to trigger scenes of jubilation from the Hurricanes players amid stunned silence at Perth Stadium.