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Bangladesh fiddled with their batting order while winning the opening match of the T20 series and are likely to keep experimenting with the World T20 in mind

The Preview by Mohammad Isam16-Jan-2016

Match facts

January 17, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)Sabbir Rahman grabbed his opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the first T20I, scoring a swift 46•AFP

Big picture

Both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe view this series as a chance to experiment ahead of the World T20, but neither side could fiddle too much during the first T20, which Bangladesh won in a manner that reflected the growing quality gap between the sides.Mashrafe Mortaza was happy to see Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah vacate higher batting spots and use their experience well to steer Bangladesh to a win, but said he would have liked to use Shuvagata Hom’s offspin at some stage. Shuvagata also failed with the bat at No 4. It wasn’t new for the experienced batsmen to be doing their job, but seeing them adapt to new roles was pleasing for Bangladesh’s captain.Zimbabwe’s experienced duo of Hamilton Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda starting superbly with the bat but the likes of Elton Chigumbura, Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller were unable to capitalise on the 101-run opening stand. Zimbabwe will also be unhappy with their fielding effort, with Sibanda dropping Sabbir Rahman at a crucial stage. Masakadza said he was happy with the bowling attack’s display despite missing Tinashe Panyangara’s control at the top.There are likely to be changes in both sides in the second T20, even if it doesn’t mean personnel changes as much as batsmen and bowlers assuming new roles. But no matter what the team managements are trying, the first T20 was proof that both sets of players weren’t forgetting two fundamental roles while playing T20 cricket: providing entertainment and enjoying themselves. It came down to the last eight balls in the first game, and if the second T20 goes down to the wire it won’t be a huge surprise.

Form guide

Bangladesh (Last five matches, most recent first): WLWLL
Zimbabwe: LLLWL

In the spotlight

Sabbir Rahman would have liked to stay at the crease till the end of Bangladesh’s successful chase in the first game, but his 46 was heartening given how he grasped the chance to bat at No 3.Vusi Sibanda played second fiddle to Hamilton Masakadza’s brutal 79. He should have also made a fifty but got too greedy against Shakib Al Hasan, falling for 46.

Team news

The potential inclusion of Arafat Sunny could be one possible change for Bangladesh if they look to try out more combinations.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mahmudullah, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Shuvagata Hom, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin HossainZimbabwe may rethink their bowling attack with either of Neville Madziva, Tendai Chisoro or Taurai Muzarabani getting a chance to play.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Sean Williams, 4 Peter Moor (wk), 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Malcolm Waller, 7 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 8 Brian Vitori, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Luke Jongwe, 11 Graeme Cremer

Pitch and conditions

There was considerable dew in the second innings of the first T20, and that could make it harder for the spinners in the second half once again. The pitches on the main square are similar in look, and batsmen should continue to enjoy conditions in the second game.

Stats and trivia

• In the first match, Mushfiqur Rahim played as a specialist batsman for the first time in his T20I career.
• Hamilton Masakadza’s 79 equalled his and Zimbabwe’s highest individual score in T20Is.

Quotes

“I think it was more of positives from the way we started our batting and at some stages our spinners bowled well as well. So there were few positives to take out of the game.”
“I think winning the first game of the year was quite useful. This series is very important ahead of the Asia Cup. We want to win all four games.”

England Test captain hits 64 then takes two wickets in dominant performance

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2020Joe Root’s commanding 64 off 40 balls followed by two wickets with his offbreaks helped Yorkshire end their Vitality Blast hoodoo against Derbyshire with a thumping 99-run win at Emerald Headingley.England’s Test captain hit two leg-side sixes and seven fours as the Vikings posted 220 for 5 before easily defending it to end a run of six straight North Group defeats against the Falcons.Derbyshire, last season’s semi-finalists, had done the double over the White Rose county in each of the last three summers, but they rarely looked like extending their dominance as they crumbled to 19 for 4 in the fifth over of their reply and later finished on 121 for 9.ALSO READ: Root ‘realistic’ about 2021 T20 WC chancesNew ball quick Matthew Fisher’s 3 for 21 from four overs were the pick of the Yorkshire figures.Root, who also claimed two for seven from two overs, and Adam Lyth underpinned Yorkshire’s eighth score of 220 or more in T20 history.The second-wicket pair shared 84 inside nine overs to advance from 32 for one in the third after Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who fell for 16, had won the toss and elected to bat.Lyth, 61 off 36 balls, and Root hit five sixes between them, all leg-side, before Will Fraine matched that total on his own in a blistering 44 not out off 16 balls at the death. Fraine hit his sixes on both sides of an excellent Headingley pitch.Luis Reece took two wickets in the penultimate over with full tosses. But, largely, the Falcons bowlers – there were seven used to Yorkshire’s eight in the second half of the game – struggling for line and length proved to their detriment.Lyth made the early running for the hosts before Root serenely caught him up and posted his fifth career T20 fifty for Yorkshire, four of which have come in his last six innings dating back to 2015. Root struck the ball crisply, with the odd reverse-sweep and late cut to third man thrown in for good measure.He offered a sharp chance to Derby skipper Billy Godleman at cover on 43 off Matt Critchley’s legspin, though looked in little trouble besides in a clash between two sides who had their opening North Group fixture rained off on Thursday evening.Both Lyth and Root eventually fell caught at deep midwicket sweeping at debutant legspinner Mattie McKiernan. When Root departed early in the 16th over, Yorkshire were 160 for 3, with Fraine then taking on the lead role as he set about an early career best score.The former Nottinghamshire man took advantage of some loose bowling and smeared the the lion’s share of 22 off Fynn Hudson-Prentice in the last over of the innings.Derby were then in the mire early in their chase – 19 for four in the fifth over – two wickets apiece for new ball quick Matthew Fisher and Root’s offspin.Key men Reece, Wayne Madsen, Godleman and Leus du Plooy all departed without impacting the chase, with Root getting Godleman lbw and du Plooy caught at cover in the fifth over – his second. From there, it was game over.Legspinner Josh Poysden strengthened that theory by also striking twice – in his first appearance since last July having suffered and recovered from a fractured skull – as the score slipped to 70 for 6 after 13 overs.Critchley’s measured 26 was nothing more than a consolatory effort, and it was ended by Harry Brook’s medium pacers. Fisher and George Hill claimed further wickets.”The platform was set so well from Adam Lyth and Joe Root, and the pitch was really good,” said Fraine. “It came off for me today. I had a good game plan, and luckily they missed their yorkers and I managed to get a few away.”Rooty’s a joke – he’s a ridiculous cricketer. He was exceptional today. He was hitting balls halfway up the stumps off the back foot for four, and it was just like: ‘How can you do that?'”I would for sure have him in that [England T20] squad. I think he’s such an underrated T20 player. He has a bag of tricks with his bowling: offies, leggies, he can do anything with the ball. He’s very handy there, he’s handy in the field, and he showed today his calmness with the bat. You don’t need to bottom-hand slog it. He was hitting the ball as hard as anyone and looked so good doing it.”

Left-arm spinner picked up 179 wickets in a 48-match first-class career in the 1970s and 80s

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2020Ismail ‘Baboo’ Ebrahim, one of the most iconic South African spinners of the 1970s and 1980s, whose career coincided with his country’s ban from international cricket because of apartheid, has died in Durban at the age of 73.Ebrahim started his first-class career in the 1971-72 season, and played 48 matches at that level before retiring in 1984-85, mostly for Natal, picking up 179 wickets with his left-arm spin at an average of 21.33, with eight five-fors in an innings and two match ten-fors.A Cricket South Africa statement mourning Ebrahim’s passing mentioned the “only opportunity” he had to play on the international stage, playing “for a SA Invitation XI against the International Wanderers at Kingsmead in 1976”. “At the age of 29 he was in his prime and took a match-winning 6/66 in the second innings, his victims including international captains, Greg Chappell of Australia and Mike Denness of England,” the statement said. “It was a clear indication of what he could have achieved on grounds around the world at the highest level had he been given the opportunity. He was a master of flight and spin and had a good arm ball to back it up.ALSO READ: Baboo’s story“His ability to perform at this level had become apparent much earlier when he went to watch the Australians at practice before their Test match against South Africa in 1970. He persuaded the Australians to let him bowl to them and made an immediate impression, bowling experienced Test batsman Ian Redpath and impressing the likes of Ian Chappell and Ashley Mallett, the latter being Australia’s leading spinner of the 1970s.”He had one season for Radcliffe in the Lancashire Central League when he took 62 wickets at 14.62 apiece.””Baboo Ebrahim was one of the countless number of outstanding cricketers who was denied the opportunity to display his talents to the world and live his cricketing dreams,” CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul said.

Ben Cox has signed a new four-year contract committing him to Worcestershire until the end of the 2020 season

George Dobell03-Jul-2016Ben Cox has signed a new four-year contract committing him to Worcestershire until the end of the 2020 season.Cox, aged just 24 but already a veteran of seven seasons in the professional game, has developed into an outstanding wicketkeeper over the last few years. He was also the county’s second highest run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship in the 2015 season and is averaging above 40 in this year’s competition.Cox, like most of the Worcestershire side, has developed through the club’s system and joins nine of his first team colleagues in signing a long-term deal that demonstrates obvious commitment from both parties. His current contract was due to expire at the end of this season and he was beginning to attract admiring glances from other counties.”We are delighted Ben has signed the new contract,” Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said. “He is such a club man and team man. He is a Worcestershire man through and through. To have somebody of his loyalty towards the club, and passion for the club, to reward him with a long contract is exactly what we are all about.”He is a terrific cricketer now, as consistent a wicket-keeper in county cricket that I have seen and to do that at a young age is incredibly good. But also he has match-winning experience and ability with the bat in the different formats.

”It is very tricky going into bat towards the end of an innings in one-day cricket and he does it superbly and often is there at the finish and winning games of cricket.”The only complication for Worcestershire comes in attempting to fulfil the ambitions of Cox and Joe Clarke. Clarke, a 20-year-old batsman of rare potential, also has wicketkeeping aspirations – he kept for England Under-19 and also, at times, for Worcestershire in pre-season – and may feel his opportunities are now blocked by the confirmed presence of Cox.While Clarke, currently not in Cox’s class as a keeper, is also secured on a long-term deal until the end of 2018, if he does decide to pursue opportunities elsewhere, he would have no shortage of takers. He was with the England squad during the final ODI against Sri Lanka as a reserve fielder.”I’m just delighted to sign the length of contract I have at Worcestershire,” Cox said. “I want to play my cricket here and for the club to back that up and show they have faith in me for the next four years is tremendous.”I’m a Worcester boy through and through. I’ve been here since I was nine years old and never thought of leaving. To sign for another four years is brilliant.”I see this squad of players winning silverware at some point whether it be this year, the next couple of years or three or four years down the line. We’ve got the players to win trophies.”

The last time Afghanistan came to Zimbabwe, in 2014, a four-match one-day series was shared 2-2, and indications are that this series could shape up in a similar manner

The Preview by Liam Brickhill19-Oct-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, 20 October
Start time 9.30am local (0730 GMT)Elton Chigumbura averages 20.97 from 12 innings since his last ODI century, against India in July•Associated Press

The Big Picture

The last time Afghanistan came to Zimbabwe, in 2014, a four-match one-day series was shared 2-2, and indications are that this series could shape up in a similar manner. Afghanistan gave a far better account of themselves in their 58-run victory in the second match, which should give them a renewed sense of belief.Despite the defeat, the morale in Zimbabwe’s squad is still good and there are no panic stations yet. Just a handful of fringe players turned up for an optional net session on Monday as many of the Zimbabweans chose to recharge their batteries, which is fine so long as that translates to energy and enthusiasm on the field. Afghanistan, meanwhile, are buzzing after their win, and Zimbabwe need to match their passion with an aggressive, dominant style of their own.In these sorts of situations, teams often turn to their captain to lead the way. But the problem for Zimbabwe is that their captain is struggling with his own form. Elton Chigumbura is no longer really an allrounder, having bowled just once in his last ten international outings. Of greater concern is his batting, given he has scored just 221 runs at an average of 20.09 in in 12 innings since his unbeaten century against India in July.That is not so far below his career average that it suggests a complete bottoming out of his form, but more worrying is his strike rate. Apart from one innings against Pakistan, Chigumbura has not been middling the ball; he had a strike rate of 59.34 in the third ODI against Ireland, and failed to score a single boundary in his 54-ball 25 against Afghanistan on Sunday. It was an innings that was somewhat dictated by circumstance, and one sensed that Chigumbura failed to execute a Dhoni-style late assault. The sooner Chigumbura gets his strut and swagger back, the better for him and his team.International football at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo on Sunday clashed directly with the cricket, resulting in a lower than normal turnout for a weekend match in this cricket-starved city, and mid-week games are never that well attended, so Zimbabwe are going to have to raise themselves without massive support from the stands.

Form Guide (Last five completed matches, most recent first)

Zimbabwe LWLWW
Afghanistan WLLLL

In the spotlight

Luke Jongwe is one of Zimbabwe’s brightest young finds. Though he had an off day with the ball on Sunday, he has achieved his best returns for Zimbabwe with both bat and ball in this series, taking 3 for 16 in the first game and attempting a fightback with his exuberant 33-ball 46 in the second. As Chigumbura’s role with the ball fades, Zimbabwe are on the look-out for an allrounder and Jongwe appears the most likely candidate.Before Mohammad Nabi’s maiden effort on Sunday, no other Afghanistan batsman had hit an ODI hundred this year. That is partly due to the paucity of their international engagements, but it is also indicative of the way their batsmen tend to play, slipping naturally into a mode of all-out attack. Nabi is no different, and his six towering sixes on Sunday are a testament to that, but his innings also showed what a galvanising effect one long innings can have on the rest of the team. He has set an example for the rest of the top order to follow.

Team news

Sean Williams spent the Sunday lunch break receiving throwdowns from batting coach Andrew Waller, under the supervision of Dav Whatmore, and on Monday morning, he passed a fitness test. It seems natural that Williams will slot right back into Zimbabwe’s XI to strengthen the batting. But what is less clear is who will miss out when he comes back. Tendai Chisoro has not done much wrong in the two games he has played, so it may be offspinner John Nyumbu who makes way.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Tino Mutombodzi, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Tendai Chisoro, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Tinashe Panyangara.After their sterling performance in the second game, Afghanistan’s XI sure ain’t broke, so there’s no real reason to fix it. The form of middle-order batsman Nawroz Mangal on this tour will, however, soon become a concern.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Noor Ali Zadran, 2 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3 Mohammad Nabi, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Nawroz Mangal, 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Amir Hamza, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Aftab Alam.

Pitch and conditions

Tuesday is expected to be hot and sunny, though there may be some cloud cover. The fresh pitch in use for the third match should retain its typical Queens Sports Club character, and the best time for batting will be between late-morning and mid-afternoon, with a hint of early movement for the seamers and a touch more grip for the spinners in the afternoon. There was also definite reverse swing for Afghanistan late on Sunday afternoon. Generally, though, it should be a good strip to bat on.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan’s victory batting first bucks the trend at Queens Sports Club. In 63 ODIs at the venue, 37 have been won by the side fielding first, with only 23 won by the side batting first. There has also been a tie, while two games ended as a no-result.
• Aftab Alam has the best record at the venue for an Afghanistan bowler. He has picked up seven wickets at 20.42 and has an economy rate of 4.66 in the four matches he has played here.
• Elton Chigumbura needs 90 more runs to become the sixth Zimbabwean to score 4000 or more runs in ODIs.

Quotes

“I thank my coach and captain for giving me a chance at No. 3. It was a good decision for me and for my team.”
revels in the batting promotion that lead to his first hundred in ODIs.”When I got to the wicket I said to Elton ‘I’m just going to hang around a bit and see how it goes from there.'”
What apparently said to his captain before clubbing seven fours and a six in his blazing knock.

Another command performance from England’s talisman will be lost amid Newlands’ scorecard details

George Dobell at Newlands07-Jan-2020We live in an age when analysts believe almost everything can be measured. Win-rates, strike-rates, heart-rates, economy-rates… you name it, someone can put a figure on it.And there’s no doubt such statistics can provide insight and illumination. But not everything that counts can be counted.So it is with Ben Stokes. He finished the Cape Town Test with the unremarkable figures of 3 for 69 with the ball and 119 runs between his two innings with the bat. Decent, for sure. But unremarkable.But anyone who was lucky enough to be at Newlands in recent days – and on Tuesday, in particular – will know they saw a special performance by a special cricketer at the peak of his powers. And they will know, too, that figures don’t just mislead: they lie and cheat and try to sell you double-glazing.The point is this: Stokes was magnificent in Cape Town. With bat and ball and in the field, he produced performances that contributed heavily to England’s first win at this ground since 1957. And while our sport can sometimes seem unhealthily preoccupied with personal statistics, it should never be forgotten that this is a team game. So while some players – quite a lot of players, really – always have an eye on their average or personal milestones, Stokes is interested only in the team dynamic and the result.Consider his second innings here. Stokes thrashed a half-century in 34 balls. That means Ian Botham is the only man to have hit one in fewer deliveries for England (albeit with the caveat that the number of deliveries was not always counted). More importantly, it meant England were able to build on Dom Sibley’s foundations and set up a position whereby they could declare. Bearing in mind that they achieved this victory with just 50 balls left in the match and Stokes’ input seems more important than ever.You can’t play that sort of innings if you are worried about your average. You can’t think of reverse-sweeping seamers and spinners alike if you have any thought in your head other than accelerating your side’s innings. You don’t get caught at long-on if you are eking out the runs required to bring up a century.He was no less impressive with the ball. You could make a strong case to argue that Stokes is, at this stage, one of the best swing bowlers available to England. Just consider his performance at Trent Bridge in 2015 when, with James Anderson absent, it fell to him to fulfil the role of swing bowler. He responded by moving the ball in and out at pace for figures of 6 for 36.Equally, you could make a case to argue that he is England’s most hostile bowler. True, he has never quite generated the pace of Mark Wood in St Lucia or Jofra Archer at Lord’s. But, day in, day out, when those two are either injured or struggling to find their mojo, it is Stokes who responds to his captain’s call to ensure the batsmen aren’t too comfortable at the crease. Take his performance in Colombo in 2018, when he complemented the spinners by bowling long, fast spells (all four of his wickets in that match came from short balls) that ignored the risk of leaking runs. Not all bowlers are prepared to embrace that equation.Ben Stokes drives over the on-side•AFP

In the second innings here, Stokes did not come on until the 40th over. By then, the pitch had died and the ball offered nothing. He was England’s seventh-choice bowler. And yet he bowled as fast as anyone in the match (regularly over 90mph) and somehow found some life – and not a peaceful life, but a hellish, hate-filled life full of searing pace and rearing bouncers – to discomfort everyone who faced him.It will be his final spell, the spell that clinched the match, which draws attention. But his spell on the fourth evening – seven overs of wonderfully hostile bowling which brought no personal reward – really stood out. At a time when the batsmen had started to look ominously settled, he offered threat and peril. And who can measure whether his unsettling spell led, in part at least, to Zubayr Hamza’s tentative prod at Anderson shortly afterwards?And then there’s that final spell. The stats tell us it can be measured in terms of its three wickets for the cost of one run in 28 balls. What they don’t tell us is that, by then, Anderson was broken, Stuart Broad and Sam Curran were looking impotent and that the spinners were required at the other end. They don’t tell us, either, that Stokes had decided that he wasn’t going to relinquish the ball until the job was done. That, when the pressure was at its greatest, he was the man who wanted to be in the thick of the action.This was a spell that brought back memories of that Leeds game. In that match, Stokes had second-innings figures of 24.2-7-56-3. Which again look decent but unremarkable. Until you realise it was achieved in a single spell split only by stumps on one night and four balls from Archer before he suffered an attack of cramp.There was a revealing moment in that match. In the fourth innings, he reached his century with 37 runs still needed for victory. “I didn’t really care,” he said afterwards. “Personal milestones mean nothing.” And you believed him. Because he didn’t celebrate at the time or give it all away immediately afterwards. He had his eyes set only on the win. Only after that was achieved did he celebrate.ALSO READ: ‘Stokes is a golden nugget’ – Joe RootThe great disadvantage Stokes has as a bowler is that he does not have himself as a catcher in the slips. Here, in the first innings, he claimed a record five catches; no England player (other than a keeper) has held as many in an innings; no player from any country (other than a keeper) has held more. Truly, Stokes could catch Moriarty, Blofeld and Lord Lucan.Nobody should be surprised by any of this. When the World Cup was slipping away, it was Stokes who delivered. When the series against Australia was all but lost at Leeds, it was Stokes who delivered. And when Root had nowhere to turn in Cape Town, it was Stokes he trusted and Stokes who delivered. There are, basically, two types of cricket lovers: those who appreciate what a fine player Stokes is. And idiots. It speaks volumes for the worthlessness of the ICC rankings that he is placed third in their Test allrounder rankings.As Stokes was the first to point out after the match, the most pleasing aspect of this performance, from an England perspective, was that the whole team contributed. Yes, some players – Dom Sibley and Anderson – registered personal milestones which will jump out from scorecards when people review them in a hundred years. And yes, shortly after that, the inputs of Ollie Pope, with his first-innings half-century, Root, with his second-innings runs, may gain a nod of appreciation.But then there’s the likes of Zak Crawley, who held a couple of vital catches, Broad, who moved Anderson to leg slip and trapped Rassie van der Dussen there with his next delivery, Joe Denly, who claimed the two left-handers, Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock, with his legspin aimed into the foot-holes, Dom Bess, who allowed England’s bowlers to rotate and recover in the first innings and Curran, who took a couple of key wickets from nowhere. There were countless other cameos, too. All contributed.But most of all there was Ben Stokes. And what the analysts won’t be able to measure is the way he makes the man next to him want to perform better; the way he makes the man next to him retain belief when logic suggests it should be waning; the way he inspires and leads and keeps going when others are wearied and broken.Forget the stats. You can’t measure love or loyalty or most of the things that really matter. It’s more that their veracity becomes apparent to us at times of need. Ben Stokes is a great team player. There’s no higher praise than that.

South Africa captain admits he is “highly irritated” by his repeated soft dismissals in the Australia series

Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2023Dean Elgar insists he has the “hunger and the drive” to continue as South Africa’s Test captain after a second, successive series defeat and despite his own poor form.Since taking over the captaincy mid-2021, Elgar has not scored a hundred and averages 28.40, with no scores over 36 in his last 10 innings. While he admitted he needs some time off, Elgar has committed to leading South Africa in their final assignment of this World Test Championship – a two-Test series against West Indies in February-March – and beyond.”We’ve got two [Tests] and then potentially a lot of time off for myself for some gully cricket. Then the pressure is off a little bit. But, I enjoy the pressure. If [I was] scoring runs now, it would have been a lot easier to say yes [I want to continue] but obviously you’ve got to go into it and ask yourself those questions and I have. I still have the hunger and drive, no doubt,” Elgar said, after South Africa saved the Sydney Test.Related

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In the post-match television interviews, Elgar was a little more bullish and said he believed he would “be back” among the runs after a disappointing 2022. Later, in the press conference, Elgar conceded that he was unhappy with the ways in which he has been dismissed in this series: strangled down leg three times in six visits to the crease.”I can accept once, maybe twice, but the third time is something that highly irritates me,” he said. “And it’s something different for me. Generally you have a way of going out and bowlers target that. This is obviously something new and 10 years into a Test career, it’s foreign territory for me. It’s something to potentially reflect on and you can either say it’s s*** luck or not. I’m going to have an open mind around it and have a look. It’s just a bit frustrating that I could never get going through the series and when I did get going I managed to run myself out, which is also a massive no-no in Test cricket. All round, it’s extremely frustrating. I have actually been batting well, my build-up has been good. There’s been times where I have batted worse and I’ve actually got the performances, which is the ironic thing about this game.”But he will not be dissecting his technique just yet. With no SA20 contract to his name, Elgar intends to put his feet up through January and is targeting the second-half of the domestic four-day competition, which starts on February 12, to make a comeback. “I am taking as much time off as I want. That’s what I need at the moment,” he said. “There’s been a few conversations with me and the batting coaches to potentially do extra work but for now, I just want to get on a plane, and go home, chill out a bit, have a braai and maybe go to the bush and play some golf. Those are the small things that South Africans are deprived of when you go on a tour. I am just going to go home and clutch out a bit.”He will be joined on the sidelines by his vice-captain Temba Bavuma, who also does not have an SA20 gig, and middle-order batter Khaya Zondo while the rest of the Test squad will be part of the new T20 tournament. Both groups of players will have an opportunity to lick their wounds after what Elgar described as a chastening tour that has left some scars.”We’re hurt and embarrassed,” he said. “Those things work hand in hand at the moment.”However, South Africa’s batting effort on the final day of the series, where they scored 255 in their first innings – their highest in nine innings – and were 106 for 2 when the stumps were called has given Elgar some hope that things are not quite as bad as they seem.”Maybe I feel a little less [hurt and embarrassed] now,” he said. “After the second game those two words would have been a lot stronger but after showing a hell of a lot of fight and some really positive signs in this game, it is sitting a lot better with me. Maybe I have had a week to get over the hurt and embarrassment and maybe that’s why it’s a little bit easier to speak about now.”Still, South Africa cannot get away from the fact that they were totally outplayed across the series. Interim coach Malibongwe Maketa described it as losing “to a better team, more skilled and more experienced,” and called for South Africa to reassess. That includes everything from the composition of the top six to Maketa’s position, which will be filled permanently in the next few weeks.There’s a strong feeling that South Africa may be forced to do a complete clean-out and reorganise their red-ball structure. At home, there is the sense an overhaul is in the air, and Elgar seems to know it’s coming, especially on the back of this tour. While he wants to be part of South Africa’s Test future, for now, he just wants to process what’s happened.”I think you just have to be honest. Emotion is also part of our DNA. We are also human beings and we are allowed to show that,” he said. “We are an immensely proud nation and we play to win. When things don’t go your way, those kinds of things flow through your veins.”

Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed says they were not able to apply themselves and click at the right time

Umar Farooq10-Oct-2019Misbah-ul-Haq has been welcomed into his dual position of head coach and chief selector with a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series at the hands of a second-string Sri Lanka side. That has left Misbah and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed “clueless” with “lots of questions to answer”.Pakistan have been No.1 in T20Is for nearly two years now and losing this series at home, where they don’t play too often, will hurt them further. Both Misbah and Sarfaraz answered questions at the post-match press conference about what went wrong since Mickey Arthur left.”It’s an example for us the way they have beaten us in every department,” Misbah said. “They won the games in almost one-sided fashion leaving us in tatters and with lots of questions to answer. We played very poor cricket and definitely it’s my responsibility but I am still thinking what really happened because these are the same set of players that have been playing for long and made the team No. 1.”When asked if the loss was because of a strategy change in the dressing room since Arthur left, Misbah said: “I haven’t done anything in the last 10 days that could have deterred anything. If you want to put responsibility on me you can but in this brief time since I took charge how big a difference could I created with my coaching. The strategy was simple: to cash in on the Powerplay and later go all out in the last five overs. These are the same players who took Pakistan on top [in the T20I rankings] but in this series they were not able to execute things well with the bat, ball and while fielding.”These reasons may not comprehend properly how a top-ranked side can slide so quickly against a Sri Lankan team without their top players. But when Misbah was asked again, he got sarcastic.”Maybe I did something? Probably I made our right-hand batsmen switch to left-handed batting or maybe made our right-handers bowl with the left arm or vice-versa? In terms of strategy, nothing really has changed but I am thinking what went wrong.”Sarfaraz came to the rescue of his coach and brushed aside any change of strategy or thought process in the T20 format.”Everything is the same [in our planning] but the difference was our performance on the ground,” Sarfaraz said. “We were not able to apply ourselves, we didn’t click at the right time, we were not able to clinch the key moments. We shouldn’t have let them cross the 150-mark but we did, we did not capitalise in the middle overs, we dropped catches…so all this played a part.”Whether it’s the last management or this, our message [to the players] was clear and almost the same. It’s then the responsibility of the captain and players to deliver at the ground. But we didn’t perform. There are good and bad days for almost everyone but we have to learn quickly from this. We have to regroup and stand together again and it will be good if we get our momentum back as soon as possible.”Pakistan have had a prolific run in the last two years in T20Is, winning 21 of their 29 matches with a win-loss ratio of 2.6, the best among teams that have played at least 15 matches in this period. Babar Azam, the No. 1-ranked batsman in T20Is, has played a crucial role in Pakistan’s form in these 24 months by scoring 858 runs in 22 innings with a stellar average of 47.66 and strike rate of nearly 127.But his lack of form, combined with Fakhar Zaman’s, while opening in this series dented Pakistan’s chances of getting off to dominating starts as Babar scored 27, 3 and 13 in their opening stands of 0, 9 and 13.In the third T20I on Wednesday night, Fakhar was bowled on the first ball of their 148 chase before Babar and Haris Sohail steered the innings but they managed only 35 runs together in the Powerplay. Babar was later caught behind for a 32-ball 27 and Sohail brought up half-century off 46 balls but their asking rate kept climbing, leaving much of the work for the lower order. Pakistan were left to score 54 runs off 29 balls when Sohail fell for 52 and they eventually fell short by 13 runs.”It’s not that they (the top-order batsmen) were being selfish, they were unable to adapt to the slowness of the pitch,” Misbah explained. “They were trying to hit but weren’t able to which led to more dot balls and frustration. Babar wasn’t able to time the ball in all three innings.”It’s unfair to say that both (Babar and Harris) were playing for themselves. Their position in the team is not uncertain and nobody is challenging their positions at the moment. It was Sri Lanka’s good bowling which never allowed our batsmen to adapt properly. A big factor has been the impact of their wristspinner (Wanindu Hasaranga). We didn’t pick his googly whereas they played our spinner nicely and batted well.”

He put down the 4-1 series result to the way the Indian side put the hosts ‘under a lot of pressure’ in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-20194:55

Neesham, Santner dismissals ‘on the unfortunate side’ – Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson put the 4-1 series result down to the way India’s bowlers bowled throughout the series and the way the visitors put the hosts “under a lot of pressure”. Speaking after losing the fifth ODI by 35 runs in Wellington, where New Zealand were unable to chase down 253, Williamson conceded there was “a little bit of a theme throughout the series” in the way India would recover and put the pressure back on the hosts.”I mentioned earlier that the game is about pressure and if you can, as an outfit, you want to put the opposition under as much pressure as you can to challenge decision-making, and when you do that, you tend to pick up wickets and that puts you in a fairly strong position,” Williamson said. “I think throughout this series India were far better at that than us and as a bowling unit they were superb – their accuracy from a seaming and spin perspective did put us under that sort of pressure in which we saw improvements throughout the series but it certainly was something that we didn’t start the series well with. We weren’t able to soak that up and try and turn up and put it back on them.”To be honest, over these five games, we’ve been put under pressure a lot and it obviously challenges decision-making which although we’re on the wrong side of the results 4-1, which India fully deserve.”New Zealand’s bowling unit relied heavily on their swing spearhead Trent Boult, who collected 12 wickets, but no team-mate of his picked up more than four in the series. India, in comparison, had all their frontline bowlers chipping in with Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal taking nine each, Kuldeep Yadav eight, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar seven. They also stifled the New Zealand batsmen, with none of the above conceding more than 5.50 runs per over. Overall, the New Zealand bowlers picked up 27 wickets in the series and India had 40 to their name.In the fifth ODI, India were in trouble at the start yet again, at 18 for 4, but recovered on the back of Ambati Rayudu’s 90 and scores of 45 each from Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya, which helped them post a challenging total. Williamson said they were “confident” of chasing the score but India managed to pick up wickets at key moments.Colin Munro tosses his bat up after chopping on•Getty Images

“I think it was probably a par-ish total on that surface,” the captain said. “It (the pitch) was a little bit variable and probably a little bit two-paced as well. We knew that the Indian bowling attack would maximise what they might be able to get out of it, as they’ve done in the series. So we knew it’d be a challenge but saying that when it is 250, there isn’t the scoreboard pressure, so if we’re able to get partnerships then we could take the game deep and we were confident and been able to chase it down.”But I guess there’s a little bit of a theme throughout the series although there were some improving signs today, we just wanted to take them a little bit further. And they were able to pick up wickets at key moments which made life a little bit difficult in that chase. I thought the first half from the bowlers was outstanding and in the last two games they’ve really stepped up which is pretty nice.”India’s recovery on Sunday was made easier by their decision to play an extra batting option in Vijay Shankar by resting spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Shankar batted at No. 6 ahead of allrounder Jadhav and consolidated with Rayudu by putting on 98 runs for the fifth wicket with a patient 45 off 64 balls. India’s decision to add depth in the batting also allowed them to play Pandya at No. 8 – he hammered 45 off 22 balls – and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No. 9.”It would have been nice to pick up another couple of wickets [after 18 for 4], we obviously spent a lot of resources at the top with seven and six [overs] from our front two seamers,” Williamson said. “Knowing that they had an extra batter we had to make a few changes and because they’ve not been coming that hard at us it was difficult to blast them out but we thought if we could squeeze for a period of time we would maybe create a couple of errors.Colin de Grandhomme walks back after being trapped in front•Getty Images

“We saw some chances, maybe the odd mistake which is nice if it goes your way, but for the large part they were able to soak up that pressure and take the game to a stage where then they could knock some hard runs. [Pandya’s] was a fantastic innings of 40 off 20 which put them at that par, perhaps even a fraction higher, at the halfway stage.”Williamson quickly dismissed suggestions of any kind of complacency after New Zealand had dismissed MS Dhoni for 1 and had India four down inside the first ten overs.”Not, not at all,” Williamson said, when asked if his team grew complacent. “We’ve seen throughout the series how good India are and you do need to be playing good cricket for a long time, not just a few dismissals. MS is a big wicket but as we’ve seen today there are a number of other guys that are outstanding world-class players. We’ve seen throughout the series. So there was none of that.”Williamson also admitted he made a “mistake” when asked about the dismissal of Ross Taylor, who was trapped lbw by Pandya for 1 in the 11th over. The ball had struck Taylor above the knee roll and the batsman decided not to review it after having a chat with Williamson at the other end. Ball-tracking later suggested the ball would have bounced over the stumps.”Yeah, I heard about that. We obviously had a conversation and Ross has been batting absolutely beautifully so it’s actually hard when you realise you make a mistake through our communication but unfortunately it’s one of those things and you do need to move on.”Yeah, he walked past me and asked, ‘what do you reckon, and maybe it’s too high, and maybe it’s umpire’s call,’ and unfortunately it’s one of those things that we move on [from].”After the upcoming T20I series against India starting February 6, New Zealand will host Bangladesh for their last three ODIs before the World Cup in England. Williamson was non-committal about how far they were from finalising a squad of 15 before the world tournament.”We had a number of guys involved from a larger squad perspective which was great,” he said. “There’s still some cricket to come and that will be helpful but time will tell as to finalising that squad but it’s not so much about that as it’s about the cricket that we want to play right here right now.”The idea is that as a squad you want to be able to have guys in the situations and have these experiences so over a bigger picture we’ll all be better for it and that’ll be the best part that came out of this series, it was a very tough series.”

Shabnim Ismail rocked West Indies’ top order, but South Africa lost their last nine wickets for 28 runs and were bundled out for 76

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu15-Nov-2018
With a howling gale whistling behind her, Shabnim Ismail, one of the fastest bowlers in women’s cricket, blew away West Indies’ top order, but South Africa lost 9 for 28 in pursuit of 108 to be dismissed for 76. The 31-run win took the defending champions to the top of the Group A points table and a step closer to the semi-finals.West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, one of Ismail’s three wickets, overcome a neck injury and claimed a career-best 4 for 12 to tear up South Africa’s middle and lower order. She was backed up by electric fielding, highlighted by Deandra Dottin’s direct-hit to run out Dane van Niekerk for 1. Dottin swooped in from point, collected the ball, threw down the stumps – all in one swift motion – to have Darren Sammy grooving in the stands at a ground that has been named after him. The night ended in similar revelry, with the West Indies women jiving with a packed crowd in Gros Islet.Stafanie Taylor overcame injury to bag career-best figures in T20Is•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

South Africa had a strong chance to secure their first win over West Indies in the World T20 after limiting the hosts to 107 for 7. They were still the favourites when opener Lizelle Lee and No. 3 Marizanne Kapp put on a 31-run stand after weathering incisive new-ball bursts from Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell.A spectacular collapse, though, was then set in motion, when Dottin had Lee holing out to sweeper cover, where Britney Cooper pulled off an outstanding catch in the 11th over. In the next over, Dottin capitalised on a mix-up between van Niekerk and her life partner Kapp, and caught the South Africa captain well short. Taylor’s loopy offspin and two further run-outs hastened the end for South Africa. From 48 for 1, they crashed to 76 all out, which left van Niekerk short of words at the post-match presentation.In the early exchanges, it was Ismail, who had silenced the West Indies top order and the crowd. She struck with her fourth ball, having Hayley Matthews nicking off to slip via a deflection off the wicketkeeper. She then hit the deck with her next ball and removed Taylor for a golden duck. Then, when she had Dottin popping a catch to extra cover in her next over, West Indies were 22 for 3 in four overs.Moseline Daniels snuck through the weak defences of Shemaine Campbelle in her first over to reduce West Indies to 29 for 4, but Natasha McLean and Kycia Knight staged a recovery with a 45-run partnership, the highest in the match. McLean was quite fluent through the off side, caressing Masabata Klass for fours through covers and mid-off. Knight switched gears only after McLean holed out in the 15th over, hoisting Daniels for a four and a six in the 18th.Knight herself holed out in the next over, but tigerish bowling and fielding from West Indies made their total of 107 for 7 look a whole lot bigger.