All posts by h716a5.icu

Mitchell Johnson has described how India’s cricketers played into his hands by revving him up at the start of his first innings at the Gabba, an innings of 88 that effectively wrested control of the match from India

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-20143:04

MacGill: Johnson was more engaged thanks to India

Mitchell Johnson has described how India’s cricketers played into his hands by revving him up at the start of his first innings at the Gabba, an innings of 88 that effectively wrested control of the match from India. Johnson was on the receiving end of some chirping when he came to the crease, particularly from Rohit Sharma, but was soon on top after some early boundaries.Johnson had not scored in his previous three Test innings and he walked out with Australia six down and still 161 behind; by the time he departed, his partnership with Steven Smith had almost put Australia in front. Johnson’s batting form also appeared to help him with the ball in India’s second innings, when he collected three wickets during a fiery spell early on the third morning.”The Indian team got me going a bit and I was able to strike a few good ones and get a good partnership with Smithy,” Johnson said. “It got us back in the game and it was able to flow on with my bowling.”I said a few words early and then just let it go after that and just started smiling at Rohit Sharma. He seemed to come in a fair bit, and had a fair bit to say. I don’t think he had the greatest game and I think maybe he was just a bit frustrated.”Johnson arrived at the crease having gone wicketless in India’s first innings and having just had a disappointing net session before the start of the day’s play. But once he got into the rhythm of quick scoring he rattled along to a 37-ball half-century that included eight boundaries, and was not even aware of reaching his fifty until Smith alerted him to it.Mitchell Johnson: “It’s all part of the game but I think it took them off their game.”•Getty Images”It took my mind off the game which was a good thing because I wasn’t focused on the scoreboard,” Johnson said. “I was able to go out there and play my shots. I wanted to play with good intent, I had a bit of a throw down and it wasn’t quite the session I wanted before the start of play.”Then to go out there and cop it from a few of their boys, it just played into our hands,” he said. “I was able to play my game and not worry about anything. I actually didn’t know I had scored 50, I said to Smithy, ‘is that my 50?’ and he said ‘yeah mate’. It was quite embarrassing. It’s all part of the game but I think it took them off their game. They went a bit too far maybe.”At times in past years, Johnson has lacked confidence in his own bowling and might have been susceptible to the occasional word from his opponents. However, he said the same had not applied to his batting; even back in his lowest times on the field, chatter from the fielders has tended to fire him up with the bat.”I’ve always liked a little bit of verbal on the field,” Johnson said. “I think when I’m batting I like to get it because it gets me going. Batting wise I don’t think it would’ve affected me. I’ve always enjoyed that side of it.”It’s probably just been more the bowling side where the confidence has been a bit low at times and I’ve probably let that stuff affect me. But batting wise I’ve always enjoyed that contest. I want them to come hard and take them off their game.”

Clive Lloyd, West Indies’ new selection committee convener, has indicated that youth development will be his primary focus in helping revive West Indies cricket

Renaldo Matadeen11-Aug-2014Clive Lloyd, West Indies’ new selection committee convener, has indicated that youth development will be his primary focus in helping revive West Indies cricket. Lloyd said that in order to ensure West Indies’ ascension in the ICC Test rankings, emphasis must be placed on honing the potential of youngsters at the regional under-19 level, something he felt was undervalued in the past.”We have always had a lot of talent at the under-19 level but we lose a lot of these young cricketers. We need to harness this talent and get them up to standard that is needed,” he said. “We cannot be in the doldrums as we’ve been, for a long time. This [new] change is a structural change and let’s hope the youngsters realise that we are moving into a new era and they can be part of this thinking.”We have got to think a lot more about our cricket and I hope that can be injected in our young players that are coming through because these Under-19 guys, they will be the future of West Indies cricket and if they can inculcate the right sort of things, we would have a very good future.”Lloyd pointed to the High Performance Centre in Barbados as ideal for inculcating the skills youth cricketers needed to progress. According to Lloyd, the facility would be crucial in instilling a mindset adapted to the rigors of Test cricket in the younger players.Lloyd also stressed that West Indies needed to be more formidable and mentally stronger to regain respectability in Tests. West Indies are currently ranked eighth in the ICC Test rankings and have not won a series against a top-eight side since August 2012. The side suffered 2-0 series defeats on their tours to India and New Zealand and recently lost a three-Test series at home to New Zealand.”I know we won a T20 championship, but we need to be more consistent with our play. We need to move up the ladder, specially where the Test matches are concerned,” he said. “We have some good bowlers around the place but our batting has not been up to par. But there are some good cricketers here and it’s just a matter of getting people who want to bat for long periods. As I said before, I want to see players bat ugly. Not every day is going to be one where you can drive it around, you’ve got to be able to battle your way out of situations.”We shouldn’t be bowled out in two sessions in a Test match. We should not be beaten in two-and-a-half days in a Test match. We have to think properly and if you notice, any time there is a close game we get beaten. So our thinking has got to be much better.”Lloyd, who has a two-year contract as convener of the selection panel, welcomed the appointment of Courtney Walsh and Eldine Baptiste as selectors. He revealed that other former players could join the set-up in different roles and hoped the changes would work as a catalyst for improvement. He expressed optimism with the plans suggested by WICB’s director of cricket, Richard Pybus, and said the ideas could help West Indies move upwards.”They are all experienced guys – some have captained, some have managed,” he said. “Some other guys will also come into play, there are a lot of other guys who will be working in different areas of our cricket. So we are bringing in experienced people, guys who are accustomed to winning, guys who are professional and that’s what we need – a professional body not only on the field but off the field and I hope that will be the catalyst that will get us moving again.”

India Cements, the company that owns Chennai Super Kings, has decided to demerge the IPL franchise to a wholly-owned subsidiary

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2014India Cements, the company that owns Chennai Super Kings, has decided to demerge the IPL franchise to a wholly-owned subsidiary. Currently Super Kings is a division in the company, which is headed by sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is India Cements’ vice-chairman and managing director.Converting Super Kings from a division into a 100% subsidiary will not affect who controls the franchise, as India Cements will continue to own it. This would mean that the demerger will not help shield Srinivasan from the conflict-of-interest allegations that have followed him since the inception of the IPL.”Our Company presently owns Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – BCCI-IPL Franchise 20/20 Cricket Tournament Team,” India Cements, a listed company, said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange. “We propose to demerge the said CSK Division to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Company. Accordingly, we have included this proposal for consideration of the Board of Directors of our Company at the ensuing meeting on September 26, 2014.”There are benefits attached to demergers and conglomerates routinely opt for them. Super Kings will not be the first IPL franchise to be a subsidiary of an Indian business conglomerate. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are owned by subsidiaries of Reliance Industries and UB Group respectively.Transferring an asset to a separate legal entity, such as a subsidiary, allows owners increased flexibility in fund-raising. For instance, the Super Kings subsidiary will be able to borrow funds in its own name.There is also increased attractiveness for potential investors. For instance, someone wanting to invest only in Super Kings would earlier have found it difficult as India Cements has multiple businesses in one entity. It will become simpler to sell a stake in Super Kings with the franchise housed in a separate subsidiary. Demergers usually also lead to better managerial focus and operational flexibility.

Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav said he wasn’t surprised to get a call-up for the Bangladesh ODIs after a strong Ranji season and impressive outing in the IPL

Amol Karhadkar28-May-2014Having returned to his hometown, Pune, just a couple of days ago after a personally-satisfying-yet-disastrous IPL campaign from his team’s perspective, Kedar Jadhav was watching X-Men along with a couple of friends on Wednesday afternoon when his phone rang.Jadhav was surprised that the Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke was calling him at a slightly odd hour but wasn’t really surprised to hear what Shirke told him: he had received his maiden call-up to the national squad, for the three-ODI series in Bangladesh to be played next month.”I was thrilled but wasn’t so surprised. Somewhere at the back of my mind I knew that I was in contention in case a couple of regulars are rested,” Jadhav told ESPNcricinfo.” This is something that I have been working hard for all these years. I just hope that I can justify my selection if and when I get an opportunity in the XI.”With Jadhav’s selection, the selectors have, in a way, sent out a signal to all the domestic cricketers that consistent performances may be rewarded, irrespective of a player’s age. A comparatively smaller build gives him the impression of being in his early twenties, but the right-hand batsman is ten months shy of turning 30.Through his decade-long first-class career for Maharashtra, Jadhav has been considered as a limited-overs’ specialist. He has been a regular in the Deodhar Trophy (inter-zonal one-day championship) and the Challenger Trophy for half a decade. However, it took a phenomenal season with the bat in the Ranji Trophy for Jadhav to convince the selectors.During the 2013-14 Ranji season, Jadhav tallied 1223 runs, the fourth-highest in a season in the tournament’s history, to help Maharashtra make their first Ranji final since 1992-93. Following his six centuries in the Ranji season, Jadhav was one of the few bright spots in Delhi Daredevils’ poor IPL campaign.Though he scored only 149 runs in ten innings, his ability to consistently deliver under pressure and finish an innings stood out. With four Daredevils’ matches remaining, a confident Jadhav told the IPL’s official broadcasters in a pre-match interaction that he was hoping to be picked for the Bangladesh tour.”With the IPL having prolonged the domestic season, it is imperative to do well in the IPL. Considering the reach of the tournament, it is imperative to perform in IPL, irrespective of the kind of Ranji or Vijay Hazare (domestic 50-over) season you have. I am glad that I could continue scoring runs even during the IPL, especially when the team needed them the most,” Jadhav said.Notwithstanding Munaf Patel’s call-up to the national side in 2005-06 when the fast bowler was playing for Maharashtra as a professional, Jadhav is the first home-grown Maharashtra player to be selected for India in a decade. Dheeraj Jadhav, the opening batsman, was the last player from the state to be picked for an India squad, before the final Test of the 2004-05 home series against Australia and the tour to Zimbabwe the following year.While Dheeraj didn’t get an India cap, Kedar is hopeful that he will be more fortunate than his namesake.

Samit Patel is in the form of his life and the spin-bowling allrounder spot is up for grabs. But will England take note or will Moeen Ali win the day?

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Jun-2014
ScorecardSamit Patel is in the form of his life – but will England take heed?•Getty ImagesSussex’s healthiest home crowd of the season turned out in high spirits on the day they officially celebrated their 175th birthday, only to find Samit Patel gatecrashing proceedings as once more he produced the sort of innings to demand that his England career was not yet spent.Friendly faces greeted you at the gates, offering directions to seats and foam cushions to make them more alluring. One onsite tent boasted 27 real ales – they were reduced to 24 by 4pm – while another seemed to have smoke emanating from its peak. “Don’t worry, that’s just the barbecue starting up,” reassured the ground announcer, a very evident presence throughout the day.”Good Old Sussex By The Sea” came through the speakers, as the home side took the field upon winning the toss. At tea interval, a parade of vintage cars circled the outfield – a penny for the groundsman’s thoughts – as a cake was cut to mark Sussex’s birthday, as well wishes from children were played on the big screen. It was very much a day for Sussex, by Sussex, brought to you by Disney.There is nothing romantic about Patel’s tale, yet. He does not fit the young prince look that seems to thrive in English cricket. Nor is there any whimsy to his story as a criminally overlooked player in all three formats of the international game. He has not been shy of stating his claim or deriding his status as the perennial outlier. How many more times must he produce an innings till the words and runs lose all meaning?He has good memories of Hove, having scored 157 in the first innings of this fixture in 2013. Just as it was then, his timing and placement was a joy to behold, dictating play with every wristy drive through the off side and late flick behind square. But even as he scored runs with such ease, his chief rival for a place in the first Test, Moeen Ali, made a hundred. And so did Scott Borthwick, a spin-bowling allrounder who was flavour of the month as recently as the Sydney Test in January.The frustration is that any and all of Patel’s success is glossed over by the noise of those who talk of what they perceive as a loose attitude towards the controllables. But here he is, as peerless a shot maker as exists in the domestic game, manipulating fielders, hitting gaps, timing expertly and sapping bowlers of will. Matthew Hobden, on Championship debut, looks to have a good future ahead of him, but he will do well to come across a batsman in better fettle than Patel here today.His hundred was passed with a fine flick to the midwicket boundary for four. As the crowds dissipated, he began to unload, taking Hobden for 16 in an over and later bisecting the men out at deep square and deep fine leg with a controlled whip as James Anyon targeted his ribs.Mick Newell on…

Samit Patel: “He gets talked about and I’m sure he’s a player who will come under discussion in the near future. That’s all he can do and he’s going about his cricket in an excellent way. He’s played some beautiful innings over the last few years. He’s a very talented, natural batsman so I think he’s got a terrific opportunity at the moment. He’s doing all the right things.”
His dual role as Notts director of cricket and national selector: “I know all the good things and I know all the bad things about these players, so it works both ways. My job in terms of that is to recommend the players that I believe are good enough to play for England. If I believe Samit is of that quality then I’ll say so.”

Patel’s brilliance notwithstanding, Sussex were dreadful in the field. Normally such a tight, functional unit, their groundfielding and catching cost them dearly.Phil Jacques, on four, was dropped by Ben Brown at first slip when Steve Magoffin found his edge with the third ball of the day. A tougher chance to Brown again, this time off Patel (32), was also shelled.He did have a catch to his name when Alex Hales edged through to him but there was a strong suggestion from the batsman that the ball did not carry. After looking to both square leg and Brown, Hales dragged himself off, as a pocket of home support barked their disapporoval and Hales responded accordingly.Clearly more at home directly behind the stumps, Brown had given up the gloves for Matt Prior who was looking to prove his achilles and calves were up to the rigours of long-form keeping.He was a tad ring rusty, conceding a handful of avoidable byes and even five penalty runs when he inadvertently guided a leg-side full toss from Hobden, one-handed, onto his helmet, which was nestling a few feet behind him. A sharp but extremely difficult chance off the bowling from via a slash from Jacques shot past him in a flash but it would be harsh to dot that as a missed chance. He clearly needs games and the 96 overs, while a drag, will have helped his preparation ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on June 12.That being said, he should have opposition for that Test spot in Chris Read. While James Foster has been spoken of as a surefire replacement, with Bruce French watching Foster in action last week against Surrey at Chelmsford, Read has long since been on a par with Foster in terms of glovework. Here, he has supported Patel well – their partnership is currently 160 – and looked in fine touch for his 61.Notts’ director of cricket Mick Newell, who is also an England selector, would not be drawn on the specifics of a potential inclusion. But with a meeting set for this week to thrash out the details of that Test squad, Newell did make it clear that the wicketkeeping situation would feature high on the agenda.

A round-up of Ram Slam T20 Challenge matches that took place on January 24

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2014Craig Alexander took 4 for 27 to lead Dolphins to a seven-run victory in Paarl and cut Cobras’ lead in the competition to six points. Dolphins also have two games in hand over Cobras, who were missing Graeme Smith and JP Duminy. After choosing to bat, Dolphins progressed to 82 for 1 in ten overs, with Cameron Delport making 49 off 37 balls. The second half of the innings, however, was not as solid and Dolphins managed only 63 runs in the last ten overs to reach 145 for 8. Sunil Narine took three wickets for Cobras. The chase got off to a poor start with Cobras slipping to 18 for 3, and by the end of the eleventh over they were 46 for 5. Their chances suffered a body blow when Alexander dismissed Hashim Amla for a run-a-ball 26. Cobras got to 138 for 8 only because Justin Kemp scored a 33-ball 56.The match between Lions and Knights at Senwes Park was washed out without a ball being bowled. The result left Lions winless and in last place with five points in seven games, all but ending their reign in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. Knights were fifth, with 14 points after eight games.Warriors and Titans suffered a setback to their campaigns because of a washout at in East London. Warriors, however, were lucky to share points after they had collapsed to 59 for 9 in a game that had been shortened to 12 overs a side. Morne Morkel and Saeed Ajmal took three wickets each for Titans, and only Ashwell Prince and Davy Jacobs made it into double figures. It began to rain in the final over of the first innings, though, and the Titans chase never began. Warriors were third and Titans fourth in the league.

New Zealand Women eased to six-wicket win against Sri Lanka Women in the qualification play-off in Sylhet, to book their place in the 2016 Women’s World Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2014
ScorecardNew Zealand’s win meant they have qualified for the next edition of the Women’s World T20•ICCNew Zealand Women eased to six-wicket win against Sri Lanka Women in the qualification play-off in Sylhet, to book their place in the 2016 Women’s World Twenty20.The teams that finish in the top six at this World T20 automatically qualify for the next edition of the tournament; the four semi-finalists – Australia, South Africa, England and West Indies – are already through, while New Zealand take the fifth spot. India and Pakistan will play for the final berth later in the day. The teams that don’t secure qualification here have to compete in a separate qualifying tournament, to make it to the 2016 showpiece event.New Zealand chased down 132 without too much fuss to seal their spot. The chase was set up by two innings of 40-odd from opener Suzie Bates and No. 5 Rachel Priest, who remained unbeaten. Both batsmen were able to score quickly too, with Bates’ 45 coming off 31 balls, and Priest’s 42 off 32.Sri Lanka’s total of 131 for 7 was set up in similar manner, by knocks off 45 off 35 from Yasoda Mendis and 46 off 44 by Chamari Atapattu. However, New Zealand handled Sri Lanka’s bowlers even better, to register the vital victory.

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman by the Islamabad High Court

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2014Chaos and the PCB

May 8 – Zaka Ashraf becomes the PCB’s first elected chairman

May 28 – The Islamabad High Court bars Ashraf from dispensing his duties, following questions over the legality of his appointment

June 13 – High Court upholds Ashraf’s suspension at a subsequent hearing and orders the PCB to name an interim chairman

June 19 – Key decisions are in the lurch, including an MoU that needs to be signed for Pakistan to tour the West Indies for a limited-over series in July

June 23 – Najam Sethi is named PCB’s interim chairman

July 20 – High Court overrules all major decisions taken by Sethi and orders the Election Commission to conduct fresh elections for the chairman post

July 24 – PCB files appeal against High Court decision

September 28 – The ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) names Amir Tariq Zaman Khan the PCB secretary – a role not defined in the PCB constitution – in compliance with the High Court order

October 15 – Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif dissolves the PCB governing board and forms a five-member interim management committee headed by Sethi

October 21 – Islamabad High Court sets November 2 as the deadline for Election Commission to fill the chairman post

November 4 – High Court says Sethi commission can continue working, stays election process

November 17 – Sethi raises conflict-of-interest questions by interviewing Misbah-ul-Haq on his political show

December 17 – High Court reserves judgment on PCB appeal against July 20 ruling

January 15 – High Court reinstates Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman

Zaka Ashraf has been reinstated as PCB chairman by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), following a long-winded and complicated legal process. This is a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for Ashraf, who had been suspended from the post in May 2013 by the same court, after it ruled he was elected via a “dubious” and “polluted” process.Speaking to the media in Lahore, Ashraf welcomed the High Court ruling.”I respected court orders before and I respect it now, and will continue to work for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan,” he said. “Cricket is a non-political game and it is supported by millions in Pakistan. This legal process has hurt Pakistan cricket badly.”Details of the court order are yet to be released, though. It would seem, however, that Ashraf has been reinstated on the interpretation that the original appeal of Nadeem Suddle (who first contested Ashraf’s election) has been dismissed. This will only be confirmed on Thursday morning, when the full judgment is released.Ashraf was elected chairman in May, under a new constitution, in which the role of the patron of the board – at that point the president of Pakistan – had been changed. Where before the patron simply appointed a chairman for however long a term he chose, under the new constitution, the patron would recommend two candidates for the post, who would then be interviewed by a nomination committee. The nomination would then have to be approved by a restructured board of governors.In Ashraf’s case, the problem with election was at two levels. One, it was done secretively and in a hurry, ahead of the country’s general elections in which the party Ashraf derived his power from – the Pakistan People’s Party – was eventually voted out. Two, the composition of the board of governors was questionable, with no representation on it of the entire province of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and arguably its most dominant in terms of cricket players.Subsequently, Najam Sethi was appointed as interim chairman in June by the prime minister – the new patron of the board – Nawaz Sharif. However, Sethi was not appointed as per the specifications of the IHC, and so in July the court overturned all the major decisions taken by him and restricted his powers to the overseeing of the day-to-day administration of the board. At that point, the court also ordered fresh elections by October 18.However, with it being evident the elections would not take place by the stipulated deadline, the board’s patron, Sharif, dissolved the PCB’s governing board on October 15 and created an interim management committee (IMC), the members of which unanimously chose Sethi as its head. The PCB had been run by the IMC till date.Asked whether the PCB would appeal the judgment, Sethi said it wasn’t up to him to make that decision.”This is a question that you must ask IPC and government of Pakistan,” he said. “I was not, nor am I now, a petitioner or appelant. I was appointed by the PM. He has to decide [the] course of action.”

Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours

Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton21-Dec-2013Ross Taylor rated his hundred at Seddon Park, his third in three consecutive Tests, as the best of that series after he combated the threat of Sunil Narine for five-and-a-half hours to ensure New Zealand remained within touching distance of West Indies’ competitive first-innings total. A couple of hours later it was shaping as a match-winning innings after a dramatic final session.Taylor’s run-fest over the last few weeks has given him 493 runs in the series, second only to Andrew Jones (513 against Sri Lanka in 1990-91) among New Zealand batsmen in a three-match series and he has one potential innings remaining to overtake him. He is also only the second New Zealand batsman to make hundreds in three consecutive Tests after Mark Burgess, whose centuries were spread over a period from 1969 to 1972 against three teams.Among the other significant numbers, he has the second highest number of runs in a calendar year for New Zealand – just seven behind John R Reid’s 871 in 1965 – and is now equal third in their century-makers list with 11 alongside Nathan Astle.Taylor was delighted not to let down a special audience in attendance in Hamilton – his wife and two-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, were watching, having missed his opening-day ton in Wellington.”When I came today I did think about it. A lot of people had mentioned it,” Taylor said. “Jesse [Ryder] told me to get three in a row and Martin Guptill did. That was a nice reminder. My wife wasn’t at Dunedin or Wellington and she was very angry when she got to Wellington that she wasn’t able to see it. It was nice to get a hundred for her, because Mackenzie and Victoria haven’t seen me score a hundred anywhere for a long time.”Today was definitely the hardest one. It’s hard to go past the 200 but today was the most challenging of the three with the Narine factor. And it’d be a lie to say I haven’t been a little bit tired going in. It was nice to still trust the gameplan and still go out and bat.”That gameplan has involved shelving one of the shots that was often seen against the spinners: the slog sweep over midwicket. “As I said after the 200, Test cricket is sometimes not about the shots you play but the shots you put away and that’s definitely been a mindset of mine. Here I am saying that but I’m probably going to try and slog-sweep tomorrow if I get a bat.”Having his daughter in the crowd also helped Taylor during lunch. He’d needed to battle during the morning session as Narine continued to tease from Northern End and he only added 33 in the session. After the break, enjoying the extra hardness of the second new ball which West Indies had delayed taking, he went to his hundred with a sweet cover drive off Tino Best, then opened up against Darren Sammy in an over that cost 20 including two straight sixes – his first of the series. “I don’t know where it came from,” he said. “I was getting a little bit tired before lunch and it was nice to come in and the best thing was probably seeing Mackenzie on the side and having a bit of a laugh.”Peter Fulton had the Almanack out and I was answering the questions and it was nice to just get away from it. Sometimes when you bat for that long you can get a little bit ingrained in it. It was nice to have a little distraction from concentrating out in the middle.”New Zealand will hope that Taylor has to continue to find ways of switching off during long innings.

Ahmed Shehzad, in the company of his captain Mohammad Hafeez, established several records on way to plundering an unbeaten 98 against Zimbabwe

The Report by Abhishek Purohit24-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAhmed Shehzad made the highest Twenty20 score by a Pakistan batsman•AFPAhmed Shehzad established several records on way to plundering Zimbabwe for an unbeaten 98, which sealed a 2-0 sweep of the Twenty20 series for Pakistan. Shehzad bettered his best T20 international innings of 70, achieved in the previous game, to make the highest score in the format by a Pakistan batsman, going past Misbah-ul-Haq’s 87* against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008. Heaving the ball repeatedly over the leg-side boundary to become the first from his country to hit six sixes in a T20 innings, Shehzad added 143 for the second wicket with Mohammad Hafeez, making it the highest T20 partnership by a Pakistan pair. The previous best was 142 for the first wicket between Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt against Bangladesh at Gros Islet in the 2010 World Twenty20.Shehzad’s innings was yet another example of how much damage top-order batsmen can cause in T20s, if they take a bit of time instead of throwing their bats at everything from the first ball. The first five that Shehzad played were all dots, from the offspinner Prosper Utseya. To the sixth, Shehzad charged out and lofted over long-on for six. This ability to come up with the big hit would define Shehzad’s innings. More than a third of the 64 deliveries he faced were dots, and he was on 11 off 18 at one stage, but the heave over midwicket was always around the corner.After Brendan Taylor again decided to chase, it was Nasir Jamshed who got Pakistan going with 23 off 17. He was put down at slip on 7 but soon mishit Shingi Masakadza for mid-off to take a running catch in the sixth over. That was to be it for Zimbabwe for the innings. Barring a couple of leading edges off Hafeez that did not carry, they didn’t really come close to taking another wicket. In Zimbabwe’s defence, whenever Shehzad and Hafeez mishit the ball, it never came close to carrying to the deep fielders.And their fast bowlers never got the yorkers right, sending down length deliveries and full tosses instead, which Pakistan put away with ease.Shehzad favoured the leg side overwhelmingly, 73 of his 98 coming in that region, including 10 of his 12 boundaries. Considering most of them were full-blooded swings across the line, the timing and placement he managed on the shots was commendable.Shehzad needed just 22 deliveries after reaching his fifty to come within two runs of a century. Three of those were dots off Brian Vitori in the 16th over. The other three were swung for boundaries down the ground. He entered the last over on 86 and powered Vitori over long-on first ball. The hundred within sight, a determined but tiring Shehzad laboured back for successive twos next. He wanted two off the fourth ball as well, but Hafeez was in no mood for gifting a run-out chance to Zimbabwe. Sensitive to his opener’s palpable desire, Hafeez pushed a single off the penultimate ball, but for once, Shehzad failed to pick a gap off the final one, trotting a single to deep midwicket.With Shehzad in such flow, Hafeez didn’t have to do much more than turn the strike over for most of the partnership, before finding the boundary a few times at the death. The Pakistan captain would have a much larger role with the ball, after resting first-choice bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Irfan. Anwar Ali was taken for three fours in his first over, and Zimbabwe were keeping up with the asking-rate at 44 for 0 after the first five. Then came the spinners, and Zimbabwe, again, had no answers.Zulfiqar Babar began with a maiden, and Hafeez with a wicket-maiden, as Vusi Sibanda holed out after successive slow starts. In his next over, Hafeez had Taylor gloving an attempted reverse-sweep. Hamilton Masakadza fought to make 41, but Hafeez had him pulling to deep midwicket in the 14th. Babar’s double-strike in the next over sent Zimbabwe plummeting further to 109 for 5. Elton Chigumbura and Malcolm Waller tried, but Shehzad had pulled so far in front that even an inexperienced attack wasn’t really pushed.