Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner, too, praised Yuvraj Singh, saying if Yuvraj repeated his effort “five or six times” then the defending champions could go a very long way in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2017Yuvraj Singh has said that his return to India’s limited-overs sides has helped him express himself more “freely”, after he struck a match-winning 62 off 27 for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening game of IPL 2017 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.”I enjoyed my batting tonight. My batting has been up and down over the couple of years, but I am feeling really good at the moment,” Yuvraj told . “The comeback into the Indian team has really helped me. I am more free in my mind and I am not worrying anymore about making a comeback. I am just going to play according to the situation and express myself.”Yuvraj was recalled to India’s ODI and T20I sides for the home series against England in January, having previously played for the side in the 2016 World T20. Picked on his form in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, he went on to score 210 runs in the three-match ODI series, including a 127-ball 150 in the second ODI in Cuttack. He scored his fastest IPL fifty on Wednesday, reaching the landmark in 23 balls.Sunrisers captain David Warner said Yuvraj was given the No. 4 slot so that he could get his eye in before getting in the big hits.”Look, it’s superb to see him play the way he did. That’s the Yuvi I used to watch on TV,” Warner said. “Superb stroke-play, hitting it clean, and, you know what, he backed himself. And that’s the way we want him to keep playing. He’s batting at [No.] 4 for a reason and that’s to get himself in and play that way. If he can do that another five or six times for us this year, we are going to go a long way to the finals.”Yuvraj said the game-changing moment was Ben Cutting’s darting throw from fine-leg to run out a set Kedar Jadhav at a crucial stage in Royal Challengers’ chase of 208. Shane Watson, standing in as captain of Royal Challengers, also agreed that Jadhav’s run-out turned the game in Sunrisers’ favour, ending a promising 56-run partnership for the third wicket. Watson also pointed to the side’s sloppy fielding, particularly a dropped catch when Yuvraj was on 26, as a factor in their loss.Yuvraj Singh’s 27-ball 62 was his fastest fifty in ten seasons of IPL•BCCI

“That run-out of Kedar was the turning point, really,” Watson said. “We were neck and neck with Sunrisers and then we lost a couple of wickets especially through the middle period. He is batting beautifully at the moment, so Ben Cutting’s amazing piece of work changed the game. Especially with someone like Yuvi, if he is able to get some momentum, with the dropped catches, he hits the ball so sweet. If you drop someone of his caliber, he can hurt you like he did tonight.”There’s no doubt that <Yuzi [Yuzvendra Chahal] bowled beautifully. More than anything, Sunrisers took the game on in certain parts. A little bit of sloppy fielding, some good batting [from Sunrisers] and some not great execution at times meant they could get away. Unfortunately I didn’t execute what I wanted to do against Ashish Nehra’s left-arm pace. We certainly didn’t click as a bowling unit, and that comes down partly to me. I take full blame for that. Still a big learning curve for me to know how to take to them [bowlers], what fields to set and we will certainly be a lot better from what happened tonight.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between West Indies and Pakistan in Jamaica

The Preview by Danyal Rasool20-Apr-2017

Match facts

April 21, 2017
Start time 10am local (1500 GMT)1:27

‘We’ve asked for pitches with some life in them’ – Holder

Big picture

West Indies appear to be a popular side to plan a swansong against. Less than four years on from the two-Test series they played in India – more famous for being Sachin Tendulkar’s last series than anything else – Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have decided they, too, will bid farewell to international cricket once the upcoming three Tests against Jason Holder’s men are concluded.As such, the focus is largely on the visiting side, and the statistical minutiae of what the pair might be able to do over these three games. When will Younis complete 10,000 Test runs? Will Misbah finally reverse a trend that has seen Pakistan lose six Test matches in a row, a run that began against these very opponents in Sharjah last year? Will Pakistan finally win their maiden Test series in the Caribbean? Heck, will Younis stick to his retirement decision this time?There isn’t any such context or grand meaning to the West Indies angle. At best, they can build on a somewhat encouraging performance during the ODIs, and their younger players can polish their credentials in the longest format of the game. A series win would mark their seemingly umpteenth turnaround, a word that apparently so frustrates West Indies cricket fans Fazeer Mohammed said it had been banned right across the Caribbean.However, what has quietly gone unnoticed while everyone vies for the most melancholic tribute to Misbah and Younis is that a decidedly second-string West Indies side dominated Pakistan during a three-day tour match. The retiring duo combined for 15 runs, while Pakistan’s spin king Yasir Shah registered figures of 53-3-189-3 across both innings. The West Indies President’s XI took a lead of 227 runs and came away with a fair degree more credibility than the international opposition.

Form guide

West Indies WLLDL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight

Kieran Powell looked like one of West Indies’ brightest prospects when, at 22, he scored two hundreds in a Test against Bangladesh, helping his team to victory. However, he followed that with 16 innings without a half-century, and was dropped from the Test side in June 2014. He looks set to return to the fold for the first Test after a strong showing in the tour game, scoring 58 and an unbeaten 84, and could be a real asset for the hosts at the top of the order if he has managed to regain some of the form he found early on in his career.41.60. That is what Mohammad Amir has averaged in Test cricket since his return from his five-year ban in 2016. The format that Amir called his “real comeback” back in July last year has not been as kind to him as it was to the teenage boy whose first dalliances with Tests were both mesmeric and exhilarating. Ever since his return, the format has rejected his overtures, even as it has become apparent he is trying very hard (and fielders dropping simple catches doesn’t help). Some have begun calling for him to be dumped but for the moment, he is stringing along, feeling he has to fulfil his potential, as well as live up to the romanticised memories people carry of him ripping shreds off Australia and England’s batting line-ups seven years ago.

Team news

West Indies have recalled Powell for the first Test, while newcomers Shimron Hetmyer and Vishaul Singh could make their debuts in a reshaped top order on the back of strong performances during the tour game. Shannon Gabriel, who struggled with a hamstring injury towards the end of the ODI series, is fit.West Indies (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmyer/Shai Hope, 4 Vishaul Singh, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Shannon GabrielHasan Ali will miss the first Test with a groin injury, although he is understood to be recovering well, and expected to play a part later on in the series. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar could potentially make his debut, which would see him become the first player from Balochistan – Pakistan’s largest province by area – play Test cricket for his country.Pakistan (probable) 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Yasir Shah

Pitch and conditions

Rain is expected across all five days of the Test. The Sabina Park surface has been relaid of late to enable it to become harder and faster, but the pitch has been slower over the last two decades or so.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have not played a Test since their victory against the same opponents in Sharjah last November; Pakistan have played five, in New Zealand and Australia.
• Younis Khan needs 23 runs to become the first Pakistan player to score 10,000 Test runs. He is comfortably ahead of the second highest: Javed Miandad with 8832.
• Sabina Park may be the premier cricket ground in Jamaica, but it isn’t the largest. The multi-purpose Trelawny Stadium, which was established in 2006 and hosted the tour game earlier this week, seats up to 25,000 people, while Sabina Park’s capacity is 20,000.

Quotes

“It’s interesting, obviously quite a bit of moisture there in the surface. There’s a bit of grass cover there as well so I think there should be something in maybe the first hour of play for the faster bowlers.”

The fast-bowling allrounder has said he was “deeply embarrassed” about the incident

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2017New Zealand fast-bowling allrounder Doug Bracewell has pleaded guilty in the Hastings District Council for a case of drink driving. Bracewell said he was “deeply embarrassed” about the incident.Bracewell was stopped while driving in Hastings on March 18 and recorded breath-alcohol reading of 783 micrograms per litre of breath while the legal limit is 250mcg.”I made a massive mistake by driving that evening and apologise unreservedly for my actions,” Bracewell said on Thursday. “This was no-one’s fault but my own; I take full responsibility, and I’m deeply embarrassed to have let down so many people – be they family, friends, or cricket lovers.”Bracewell will be sentenced under the provisions for offenders who have two or more previous drink-drive convictions. New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said the board had not yet decided on imposing a penalty on Bracewell since the judicial proceedings had not completed yet.”As such it would it be premature to comment on that particular matter,” White said.”As an organisation, we’re committed to promoting safe and responsible behaviours on our roads and take a very dim view of drink-driving.”Driving responsibly and considerately is a key part of creating safer communities, and, as Doug has said himself, he should have known better.”

Mark Cosgrove has a new contract that will keep him at leicestershire until 2019 and he also has another century

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2017
ScorecardMark Cosgrove will stay at Leicestershire until the end of 2019•Getty Images

Mark Cosgrove’s unbeaten century helped leave Leicestershire in a healthy position following the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship against Sussex, for whom Jofra Archer shone with the ball.It was confirmed before play that Cosgrove had signed a one-year contract extension with Leicestershire, tying him to the Foxes until the end of 2019, and
the Australian celebrated with a masterful 122 not out at Grace Road.That was the 32-year-old’s second century in successive matches and allowed the Leicestershire captain to guide his side to 322 for seven at stumps.Opener Paul Horton (71) and number nine Zak Chappell, who contributed 40 to an unbroken 51-run stand with Cosgrove, also impressed as Sussex paceman Archer threatened to run through the hosts.The 22-year-old, playing only his 12th first-class match, bowled with intelligent accuracy as well as hostility on an essentially good pitch to finish
with five for 61 from 25 overs of unremitting effort.Without his contribution, Sussex’s acting captain Chris Nash may have been left to rue his decision to exercise the away team’s right to bowl first.The morning had seen Leicestershire openers Horton and Harry Dearden bat through a rain-interrupted session during which only 17 overs were possible
without being parted.Once the shower clouds had cleared, however, Archer struck twice in a spell of eight consecutive overs from the Bennett End, during which he conceded only 11 runs.He dismissed Dearden with a quick, rising delivery which seamed away from the left-hander, Chris Jordan holding a smart catch to his left at first slip, and
produced a similar ball which took the shoulder of Colin Ackermann’s bat to give Stiaan van Zyl a simple catch at third slip.Cosgrove then had to fight hard to preserve his wicket, and was fortunate to survive after being squared up on a number of occasions, but once Archer came out of the attack, the Australian played with fluency and freedom, hitting eight boundaries in reaching his 50 off just 70 balls.At the other end, the experienced Horton dug in, taking 126 balls to reach his own half-century, but was bowled driving loosely at an Archer delivery that
seamed back to hit the top of off-stump.Ned Eckersley was caught at mid-on trying to hit spinner Danny Briggs out of the attack, and both Mark Pettini and Tom Wells looked to be beaten by pace as they were trapped lbw by Archer.Cosgrove stood firm, however, reaching his century off 144 balls, and with Archer finally tiring, Chappell’s late contribution saw the Foxes through to a
third batting bonus point.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has signed for Yorkshire as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast

George Dobell15-Jul-2017Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed has signed for Yorkshire as an overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast.Sarfraz, captain of the Champions Trophy winning side a few weeks ago, replaces Australian Peter Handscomb, who is scheduled to attend a training camp ahead of Australia’s tour of Bangladesh although that series could yet get caught up in the ongoing pay dispute.Sarfraz, who has recently been appointed as Pakistan’s Test captain, is expected to feature in five T20 Blast matches and has confirmed he is happy to keep wicket as required. His signing is subject to him gaining a work permit.Yorkshire are currently second in the North Group of the Blast. They have won one, lost one, tied one and seen one match abandoned.

The board wants them to fulfill national and domestic commitments ahead of a full series against Sri Lanka in September

Umar Farooq12-Aug-2017The Pakistan Cricket Board has abruptly revoked No-Objection Certificates given to 13 players currently in England and the West Indies and has asked them to return home to fulfill national and domestic commitments.The board had originally given as many as 10 players, including seven centrally contracted cricketers, permission to play the entire Caribbean Premier League – which began on August 4 and runs until September 9. Three cricketers without central contracts – Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Sami – have also been asked to return after they were selected by Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Lahore Whites for the National T20 Cup. While there is no contractual compulsion on them to do so, it is expected that they will.

Pakistan players called back

From the CPL: Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Babar Azam, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal
From England: Sarfraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Amir

The same notices went out to Mohammad Amir, who was to stay with Essex until September, Sarfraz Ahmed, who was to play five games for Yorkshire in the Natwest T20 Blast, and Fakhar Zaman, who was set to join Somerset until the end of the season.Essex are currently top of Division One of the Championship, after Amir’s ten-wicket haul helped them to a two-day win over Yorkshire earlier this week. They are understood to be in negotiations with the PCB about when Amir is required to return, but could try to bring back New Zealand quick Neil Wagner, who filled the overseas spot in the first half of the season, as a replacement.”The centrally contracted players were given permission to participate in the CPL and English county season subject to recall if the World XI series took place in mid-September,” the PCB said in a statement. “So they are being recalled owing to the changes in the schedule brought about due to the change in the original plan of the World XI’s tour of Pakistan.”The World XI’s visit – subject to security clearance – was originally scheduled for the last week of September but it has been brought forward into a window between September 10 and 16. This change was made to ensure the series would not clash with a high profile by-election in Lahore on September 17, coming in the wake of the Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification from the post of Prime Minister last month.However, the final call over the World XI matches is expected to be taken by the government. The Law and Order Committee of Punjab has reviewed the PCB’s request to host the series in Lahore and, according to Najam Sethi, the new chairman of the board, both parties are in agreement over dates and are waiting for the approval of the chief minister.Pakistan are also set to travel to the UAE from September 21 for a full series against Sri Lanka. Amid this tight schedule, the PCB announced a National T20 Championship running from August 25 to September 10.”Owing to the late finalisation and rescheduling of the ICC World XI series to be played mid-September, the PCB has been obliged to schedule its National T20 Cup to start near the end of August and finish before the World XI series so that its national team can leave for UAE to play Sri Lanka starting September 24,” the PCB explained. “This has compelled the PCB to call back centrally contracted players in contention for selection for the World XI series next month from their ongoing Caribbean Premier League and English county stints.”The series has been brought forward to mid-September because the Punjab government wants it to be held before the NA120 election on September 17. It can’t be held after September 17 because there is no time to both hold the series and also give coach Mickey Arthur time for training his team before the series against Sri Lanka starts on September 24. The players have been asked to report for a pre-series fitness testing/training camp, as planned by the national team management and the National T20 tournament that starts in Multan on August 25.”The returning players have been asked to report to the National Cricket Academy for fitness and medical tests under Arthur’s supervision on August 22.

The threat of a final-day defeat at Kia Oval, plus signs of a Somerset revival in the west, have put Yorkshire’s top-flight status in jeopardy

Alan Gardner at The Kia Oval14-Sep-20171:31

County Championship Round-up: Yorkshire in strife

Yorkshire were left facing a battle to avoid defeat after three days at The Oval, with their Division One status becoming increasingly imperilled. They were made to follow on for the third time this season after being dismissed for 396 by Surrey, for whom Gareth Batty and Freddie van den Bergh shared six wickets, and reached the close still 139 in arrears.On a surface that has worn slowly but steadily, Surrey’s pair of spinners likely hold the key to victory. Batty soon brought himself on again and, although he could not add to Sam Curran’s initial breakthrough, Yorkshire have a job on their hands if they are to emulate their escape against Hampshire earlier this season, when Gary Ballance’s unbeaten double-hundred secured a draw after following on at the Ageas Bowl.They did at least begin steadily, losing just the wicket of Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the 23 overs remaining of the evening session, as Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees reached stumps unbeaten. With Somerset closing in on victory over Lancashire and Middlesex seeking bonus points from their severely rain-affected fixture at Uxbridge, defeat here would likely leave Yorkshire in the bottom two.Kohler-Cadmore had described the pitch as one he would “love to bat on every week” after play on the second evening and he was quickly given another chance as Yorkshire failed to reach the 443 they required to avert the follow-on. He could only manage 11 this time around before falling lbw and it remains to be seen whether he will keep his place in the side for the visit of bottom club Warwickshire to Headingley next week, with Adam Lyth likely to return and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite set for a debut.For a Yorkshire side that claimed the Championship trophy in 2014 and 2015, before narrowly missing out on three in a row this time last year, this has been a difficult campaign – the first under Andrew Gale as coach. Depleted by England call-ups (they are currently missing Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett and David Willey due to the limited-overs series with West Indies), they must now summon some of the grit Gale was famous for as a player if they are to see out the final day.The morning began with van den Bergh, on his Championship debut, picking up where he left off – his spell from the Pavilion End eventually lasting 32 overs before the arrival of the second new ball allowed him a break. Aged 25, van den Burgh has played nine games of senior cricket going back to 2011, but a muscle injury for Amir Virdi meant he won a chance against Yorkshire. He should expect plenty more opportunities to impress on the final day.Van den Bergh certainly made an impact, as he had a hand in each of the first four wickets to fall. Kohler-Cadmore had spooned a catch to point in the final overs of the second day, after an opening stand of 162, and Marsh also failed to go on, stumped for an identical 78 after being lured forward by the slow left-armer.That was in the sixth over of the day, enough to send the first shiver through Yorkshire supporters. The captain, Ballance, then joined Lees, whose unproductive season has seen him drop down to No. 3, in a stand worth 53 but van den Bergh struck again an hour into the session. Lees had accumulated steadily but on 46 connected with a firm sweep that Ryan Patel, at square leg, dived to snatch up one-handed.The loss of Ballance, who had been averaging 91.89 in the Championship coming into this match, was a more debilitating blow. He set off for an ambitious single having pushed towards cover and then could not get back in time as the bowler hared after it and relayed the throw to Ben Foakes behind the stumps. At 243 for 4, the good ship Yorkshire had struck an ice (van den) Bergh.Although the rest of the innings fell away in slow motion, there was a sense of inevitability about it. Jack Leaning helped add another 59 with Andrew Hodd before edging a Curran delivery with the second new ball to Foakes; Hodd and Tim Bresnan then buckled down for 18 overs to put on 41. But with Yorkshire still 100 from the follow-on target, Batty crowbarred out two more: Bresnan taken at slip, then Azeem Rafiq lbw for a three-ball duck.Hodd went on to a fourth fifty of the season but he could not carry Yorkshire as far as they needed. Stuart Meaker made a mess of Steve Patterson’s stumps and Foakes claimed a fourth victim with an excellent diving grab as Curran found Jack Brooks’ outside edge, before Hodd was last out trying to swing Batty into the stands and only finding cover.

Losing four wickets in four balls could not shake Canada’s confidence as they defeated USA by five wickets thanks to an unbroken 92-run stand between Saad Bin Zafar and Dhanuka Pathirana

Peter Della Penna at King City14-Sep-2017Srimantha Wijeratne was named Man of the Match after top-scoring with 59 in Canada’s chase•Peter Della Penna

USA’s quest to reclaim the Auty Cup for the first time in 26 years will come down to the series deciding third match after Srimantha Wijeratne’s half-century laid the platform for Canada to secure a five-wicket win at Maple Leaf Cricket Club on Wednesday.Wijeratne made 59 off 69 balls and helped Canada race to a Powerplay score of 70 for 0 chasing a target of 203 before USA fought back with a hat-trick from 26-year old left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige. Wijeratne was the first, followed by Navneet Dhaliwal and Rizwan Cheema. The three batsmen fell off the first three balls of the 23rd over, which followed on the heels of Timil Patel dismissing Usman Limbada off the last delivery of the 22nd.USA’s four wickets in four balls however couldn’t shift the balance decisively enough as Saad Bin Zafar and Dhanuka Pathirana ground out an unbroken 92-run stand for the sixth wicket to take the hosts home with seven balls to spare.Kenjige had taken the new ball in the chase, operating with two slips and a silly mid-off. But Wijeratne dismantled that plan by smashing a pair of fours over mid-on followed by two more boundaries through cover in a 16-run second over and Kenjige was quickly removed from the attack. Canada coasted through the rest of the Powerplay scoring at seven an over before seamer Roy Silva slowed things down with a maiden in the 11th and then took out Nitish Kumar for 37 in the 13th. Unperturbed, Wijeratne brought up his half-century off 55 balls, driving Timil through cover for his ninth boundary. He added another 38 for the second wicket with Limbada before the partnership was broken, leading to the most dramatic portion of the match.Kenjige, who began his second spell in the 19th over, struck off the first three balls of the 23rd. Wijeratne defended down the wrong line to an arm ball, Dhaliwal fell prey to the same trap and, having seen the left-arm spinner’s tactics from the team tent, Cheema played well inside the line of a delivery pitching on middle stump. Only this time it spun away to take the off stump. The hat-trick was sealed and Kenjige finished his spell conceding only six runs in his last seven overs, with four maidens.Nosthush Kenjige sprints off after bowling Rizwan Cheema to complete a hat-trick•Peter Della Penna

Canada’s two new batsmen, Zafar and Pathirana, were content to see him off , and then increased their tempo as the pitch flattened out under the afternoon sun.The closest USA came to ending the stand was in the 46th over, when Zafar slashed at Ali Khan and the resulting outside edge raced past the wicketkeeper for consecutive boundaries. Pathirana struck the winning runs with one ball to go in the 49th, a misfield by Camilus Alexander at mid-on letting the ball reach the rope.Pathirana then enacted a bizarre celebration by running straight to Alexander at mid-on, shook his backside at Alexander and finally stood up to gesture at the name on the back of his jersey. While Alexander laughed it off, his team-mates appeared quite rankled during post-game handshakes, including Silva, who played under Pathirana’s captaincy when the two were together at Colts Cricket Club in Sri Lanka’s domestic first-class tournament in 2009.The war of words between Alexander and Pathirana has been ongoing since the ICC WCL Division Three tournament in May. Both men field at slip and have been in each other’s ears at every chance. Their verbal sparring has added extra spice to the USA-Canada rivalry leading into Thursday’s series decider.In the face of such drama, it was nearly forgotten that Timil whacked a career-best 79 off 86 balls – doubling his previous highest score for USA in 50-over cricket – to bail the team out. They were 74 for 5 in 23 overs and then 159 for 8 in the 45th but managed to push their innings until the final ball of their allotment. Kenjige had helped here as well, playing second fiddle in a 43-run ninth-wicket stand.

New South Wales procured themselves a lead of 150, steered by Daniel Hughes’ 101-ball 57, before it was business as usual for Mitchell Starc

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2017Getty Images

After a dual offensive from fast bowler Trent Copeland and opener David Warner on day one, New South Wales batsmen procured themselves a lead of 150 in Adelaide, steered by Daniel Hughes’ 101-ball 57.That NSW added 89 runs to their overnight score of 5 for 153 with the lower-middle order batting around around Hughes; Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc struck 23 and 20 each, before Chadd Sayers struck twice to wrap up the innings and finish with an innings haul of 4 for 82 from his 27 overs.South Australia got off to a solid start in their second innings, with Johnathon Dalton and Jake Weatherald hitting 64 and 71 each. The duo stitched together an opening stand of 137, blunting NSW’s bowlers for 54 overs, before Nathan Lyon got the breakthrough, Weatherald caught by Steven Smith. Starc subsequently imposed himself on the opposition with a double-strike, nipping out Dalton and Travis Head in the following over. Head, the captain, was sent back for a golden duck. Starc struck once more, bowling Jake Lehmann. The collapse, which amounted to the loss of four wickets for eight runs, meant South Australia finished at 4 for 145 at stumps.

Khulna Titans ran down a 161-run target with 10 balls to spare to rise to second position in the 2017-18 BPL, beating Chittagong Vikings by five wickets

The Report by Mohammad Isam17-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBCB

Khulna Titans ran down a 161-run target with 10 balls to spare to rise to second position in the 2017-18 Bangladesh Premier League, beating Chittagong Vikings by five wickets. It was the fourth defeat in six matches for Chittagong, who are quickly slipping out of the reckoning for a spot in the knockouts.Rilee Rossouw razed Chittagong in the early parts of the chase, hammering 49 off 26 balls. Rossouw was part of a middle-overs slide that saw Khulna lose three wickets for 25 runs, before Mahmudullah and Ariful Haque added 70 runs for the fifth wicket. Ariful, who made 34 off 24 balls, fell with 12 runs required, but Carlos Brathwaite tonked a four and a six to level the scores. Mahmudullah then scorched a four through cow corner to hit the winning runs and stay unbeaten on 48 off 35 balls.Earlier, Anamul Haque top-scored for Chittagong with 62 after they were put in to bat. Like Khulna, Chittagong lost ground, moving from 101 for 1 to 107 for 4. Stiaan van Zyl and Najibullah Zadran then shared a 50-run stand for the fifth wicket to lift Chittagong to 160 for 5 in 20 overs.Zadran made 24 off 16 balls, while van Zyl was unbeaten on a 15-ball 23. Abu Jayed was Khulna’s most impressive bowler, finishing with 3 for 26, although he very well could have had five. In a shoddy fielding performance, Khulna dropped six catches, Mahmudullah, the captain, culpable of four of those lapses.Anamul makes his chance countAnamul Haque’s lack of batting opportunities in the tournament ended when he walked out at No. 3 with 19 overs left in the innings. He started out by offsetting the early loss of his captain Luke Ronchi with a 95-run second-wicket stand with Soumya Sarkar. In the process, Anamul raised his first fifty in T20 cricket since November last year. His brace of pulled sixes against Shafiul Islam and a straight one off Carlos Brathwaite especially stood out.Three overs after reaching his fifty, Anamul nicked off to the wicketkeeper, finishing with 62 off 47 balls. His innings was a study in contrast to that of his partner Sarkar, who clawed to 32 off 34 balls, and survived a number of chances before being caught at long-on.Hard handsKhulna’s horrid day on the field began in the first ball of the match, when Rossouw spilt a tough offering from Ronchi. Fortunately for Khulna, the Chittagong captain got out later that same over when he skied a catch to Mahmudullah at mid-on.Then, in the 11th over, Mahmudullah let Sarkar’s reverse-sweep burst right through his fingers at square-leg. Sarkar survived two more chances in the 13th over. Ariful Haque put down an extremely tough chance after being slightly late to get around the ball. Sarkar persisted with the reverse sweep and sent one straight to Mahmudullah three deliveries later only for the captain to shell it again.More lapses followed in the slog overs. Jayed had two chances go down off his bowling in the 18th over. First, Michael Klinger dropped Najibullah Zadran at extra cover, before Mahmudullah couldn’t close his fingers on Stiaan van Zyl’s uppish shot at mid-on despite timing his jump well.The six-heavy initiationPlaying their first match, van Zyl and Zadran created an immediate impact with their big hits. They struck two sixes each in the last four overs, Zadran clearing the cover and long-off boundaries while van Zyl went comfortably over midwicket and long-off. It meant Chittagong managed a decent recovery, collecting 44 runs in their last four overs.Rossouw’s early burstThe first six of the chase took just two balls coming, Rossouw blasting Sikandar Raza over long-on. Khulna started the chase requiring a little more than eight an over, but Rossouw slashed it down to under 7.5 in just four overs. Rossouw was relentless in his assault, regardless of reprieves and wickets at the other end. Michael Klinger fell in the second over, playing against the turn of Sunzamul Islam’s left-arm spin, but Rossouw responded with a brace of fours against Taskin Ahmed in the next over. Ronchi missed a stumping chance when Rossouw, on 30, charged down to Islam; Rossouw’s response was a swept four through square leg and a straight six over the bowler’s head. It took an arm ball from Al-Amin to end his charge, as it skidded on to beat the inside edge and clatter the stumps.Mahmudullah, Ariful settle chaseWhen Nazmul Hossain Shanto fell halfway through the 10th over, beautifully caught by Tanbir Hayder off his own bowling, Khulna were wobbling at 79 for 4. Mahmudullah, however, had just settled in nicely, having crunched a straight six in the previous over, sent down by Al-Amin.With Ariful supporting him ably, Mahmudullah rebuilt Khulna’s innings quickly. Apart from finding timely boundaries, the duo ran the singles hard and kept the score ticking, a rare sight for a Bangladesh pair. With 44 needed off the last five overs, Ariful hit Hayder for back-to-back sixes to bring the equation down to just over a run a ball. That ended up being the turning point as the balance never tilted thereafter. Ariful followed it up by slogging Jordan over midwicket to bring the equation down to 18 off the final three, before Brathwaite hastened their march towards the finish line.