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Blessed with a God-given talent bequeathed to only the chosen
few, Brian Lara became the finest batsman of his time, and one of
the finest of all time

Tony Cozier22-Feb-2013Blessed with a God-given talent bequeathed to only the chosen
few, Brian Lara became the finest batsman of his time, and one of
the finest of all time.He created individual scores higher than anyone has ever reached
in either Test or first-class cricket and fashioned innings of
such dazzling brilliance they brought applause from even the
most cynical of wizened old players.He earned fortune and fame, was accorded his nation’s highest
honour, and was elevated to the most exalted post available to
any West Indian cricketer, the captaincy of the Test team.Such is the stuff of which the wildest dreams are made but, for
Lara, they were repeatedly transformed into the reality of
dreadful nightmares.Now 31, he should be at the height of the exceptional powers that
were first manifested when he was a boy in short pants at Fatima
College in Port-of-Spain, in his native Trinidad.Instead, he has been overpowered by the enormous pressures to
which every international celebrity is subjected. They have
drained him of the enthusiasm and the yearning without which not
even the greatest artists can perform. Now he cannot even bring
himself to hold the bat that he had wielded with such devastating
effect.Lara had the world at his feet when, within six weeks of each
other in 1994, he set the new standards of 375 in a Test against
England in Antigua and 501 not out for English county,
Warwickshire, against Durham. It was an incredible double and
brought gifts and adulation from his grateful countrymen and fat
contracts from eager sponsors.A friend warned him at the time that his headaches had just
begun. He soon came to realise what he meant. Within a year, it
had all become too much.On the West Indies tour of England in 1995, Lara complained to
manager Wes Hall that ‘cricket is ruining my life’, announced his
retirement and left the team. Only sympahetic persuasion from
then president of the West Indies Board, Captain Peter Short,
influenced him to return, but things would never be the same.Time and again, the mercurial temperament of a genius has been
since exposed with upsetting consequences.He withdrew from the tour of Australia in 1995-96 two days before
the team was scheduled to leave. When he returned from the
subsequent World Cup in India and Pakistan, he was censured by
the board for his biting criticism of the team management that
was picked up by the tape recorder of a snooping reporter and for
an open spat with team trainer Dennis Waight. In the Caribbean,
he was fined, not for the first time, for turning up a day late
prior to a Test against Sri Lanka.Not only did he seem to be self-destructing. He was also causing
chaos within West Indies cricket itself.When the board overruled the selectors’ recommendation that they
replace Courtney Walsh with him as captain for the 1997 tour of
Pakistan, the Trinidad and Tobago Board charged there was ‘a
calculated plot’ against ‘its captain, its national hero and its
world-class performer’ and that it was ‘sowing the seeds of
destruction’.Jamaicans, on the other hand, accused Lara of deliberately
undermining Walsh as all three Tests were lost in Pakistan.For all his unpredictability, two things remained constant about
Lara. He was a very special player and he had an understanding of
the game that made him the obvious, if not only, choice for the
captaincy, a post for which he had been prepared since he led the
West Indies team to the first Youth World Cup in Australia.Inevitably, if belatedly, Lara was installed in his predetermined role as captain against England in 1998, replacing the
admirable Walsh, and proceeded to lead the West Indies to a
double triumph, 3-1 in the Tests and 4-1 in the One-Day
Internationals.His boyhood dream, it appeared, had finally come true.In less than a year, it had again turned sour. On the way to a
tour of South Africa as eagerly anticipated as much for its
social and political significance as for its cricket, the players
chose London’s Heathrow Airport as the venue for an unexpected
strike to air their grievances against the board.Lara, and his vice-captain Carl Hooper, were immediately
dismissed, only to be reinstated after a settlement was reached.
What followed was the shame of a 5-0 whitewash in the Tests and a
6-1 thrashing in the One-Day Internationals.Lara returned home with his captaincy in jeopardy and his public
status as low as it had ever been. Had there been a clear
alternative, there is little doubt he would have been sacked.As it was, he was retained, yet castigated, by the board for his
‘weakness in leadership’, told he had to make ‘significant
improvements in his leadership skills’ and placed on probation as
captain for two Tests.What happened next beggared belief and revealed a strength of
character in Lara not previously obvious.When the West Indies were bowled out for their all-time low 51 to
lose the first Test to the dominant Australians by 314 runs,
there was justifiable reason to fear the absolute worse. Instead,
the crisis seemed to light a fire in Lara’s belly.He had not scored a hundred for 13 Tests. Now he successively
reeled off three of his most magnificent. His 213 in Jamaica and
153 not out in Barbados inspired remarkable victories.If his even 100 in Antigua could not prevent Australia from
levelling the series and retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy, at
least he had almost single-handledly restored West Indian pride
and self-esteem and his own reputation and credibility as
leader.Once more, the euphoria was short-lived. Exit from the first
round of the World Cup followed immediately and a succession of
limp performances in later short-game tournaments in Toronto and
Sharjah presaged a new crisis in the life of Lara and of West
Indies cricket.It came in December and January on the tour of New Zealand where
both Tests and all five One-Day Internationals were surrendered
to unified, committed but hardly intimidating opponents.It was the last straw.

A round-up of matches from the sixth match-day of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2012Group ADawlat Zadran’s five-wicket haul helped Afghanistan demolish Hong Kong by nine wickets in Sharjah and confirm their place in the knockout rounds. Zadran took 5 for 14, and along with Izatullah Dawlatzai, who took 2 for 19, dismantled Hong Kong’s batting line-up with only two batsmen getting into double figures. Irfan Ahmed scored 54 off 52 balls to provide some respectability to the total as Hong Kong finished on 103. Afghanistan’s opener Karim Sadiq did not waste any time as he hit 20 runs off the first over during the chase. After Sadiq’s dismissal for 22, Javed Ahmadi’s 38 and Mohammad Shahzad’s 43 prevented any further damage and finished the game in the 12th over.In another low-scoring game, Netherlands beat Nepal by six wickets in Dubai, also sealing a berth in the knockouts. Nepal, who were put in to bat, had no answers to Netherlands’ bowling as they were reduced to 25 for 5 after 11 overs. Michael Swart took 2 for 13 and Mudassar Bukhari took 1 for 9 to stifle Nepal. That was followed by similar spells by other bowlers as only one boundary was hit in the first 17 overs. Some frantic shots by Gyanendra Malla, who scored 32, and Basanta Regmi took Nepal to 85. While chasing, Netherlands lost four wickets, three of them to Regmi, but maintained a healthy scoring-rate to win the game inside 14 overs.”I think Nepal has played some reasonable cricket in this competition, so we weren’t taking them lightly,” Netherlands captain Peter Borren said. “We bowled pretty well and they were always going to struggle to defend 86. It is going to be really difficult for us. The format of the tournament means, having lost to Afghanistan, if you are first in your group you have a huge advantage here.”Janeiro Tucker’s hat-trick of sixes in the last over helped Bermuda steal a win against Papua New Guinea by five wickets in Dubai. Sixteen runs were required off the last six balls, but Tucker only needed three, the last six bringing up his half-century as well. The chase was setup by Dion Stovell’s 31 off 24 balls and David Hemp’s 30. However, when Rarva Dikana, who had given away 18 runs in his previous three overs, was given the ball in the last over, PNG looked favourites. But Tucker’s last-minute violence earned Bermuda their first win in the tournament. Earlier, PNG had set Bermuda a competitive target of 156, courtesy a 31-ball 49 from Vani Morea. At one stage, PNG were tottering at 105 for 5 after 16.2 overs. But, 46 runs came off the last three to give PNG bowlers a defendable score. A victory for PNG would have given them an outside chance of making it to the knockouts, but this result means that both teams have failed to make it to the next stage.”My personal performance was really outstanding today,” Tucker said. “I haven’t really had a good last four or five games, but today all came together.”Hitting that last ball was amazing. That was always my intention to try to get us to victory in the last over. I guess our strategy for the last couple of games will be pretty much the same as today. We got a victory so I guess we’ve done something right.”Ruvindu Gunasekera scored a 65-ball 95 in Canada‘s 55-run win over bottom-placed Denmark in Abu Dhabi. With the heavy win, Canada are in a strong position to become the third team from the group to qualify for the next stage. Opting to bat first, the team was bolstered by a 109-run second wicket partnership between Gunasekera and Hiral Patel to post 178. In response, Denmark’s Rizwan Mahmood hit 65 and Freddie Klokker scored 40 in a third-wicket partnership worth 84 runs. But Canada bowlers, led by Henry Osinde’s 2 for 16 kept the scoring rate under control as Denmark finished on 123. Canada play Nepal in their last league game and barring a heavy defeat, they should finish third in the table.Group BTwenty20 is a tough format to be consistent in but Namibia have made victory a habit, winning their sixth game in row to stay on top of Group B. Despite being restricted to 120 for 7, Namibia beat Oman by 36 runs in Sharjah. Their total was set up by the captain, Sarel Burger, who made 53 off 44 balls. The defence was headed by Christi Viljoen, who took 4 for 8 in 3.4 overs, and Burger, who claimed 3 for 14 to cap a terrific all-round performance. Oman were dismissed for 84 in 18.4 overs.A half-century by Richie Berrington helped Scotland ease to a seven-wicket win against Italy in Dubai. Italy were restricted to 136, thanks to a combined bowling effort. The Italy top order failed to convert their starts, with Gareth Berg top-scoring with 29. Majid Haq, the offspinner, finished with the best figures: 2 for 16 off four overs. Scotland lost Calum MacLeod early, but the stand of 76 between Berrington and Preston Mommsen put them on course for victory. Berrington’s 67 contained six fours and three sixes. Scotland are currently third in Group B, and a win in their final group game, against United States of America, will guarantee them a place in the next round.”The boys played very well today and bounced back after yesterday’s game against Ireland. It takes a lot of character to come back and win today,” Berrington said. “So, we’re just focusing right now on every game and taking each game as it comes.”It was very nice to spend a bit of time in the middle today and bat through most of the innings. I would have liked to have seen it through to the end, but the boys managed to put a few away.”United States of America slid to their fifth defeat in six games after they were demolished by nine wickets by Kenya in Abu Dhabi. The USA scorecard was littered with single-digit scores, with only their captain, Sushil Nadkarni, passing double figures. Nadkarni made 41 as opener and when he departed, USA were 73 for 6 in the 14th over. Ragheb Aga and and Nelson Odhiambo took three wickets each to dismiss USA in 18.2 overs. Kenya reached the target in ten overs, with Duncan Allan and Alex Obanda scoring 34 each. They will need to beat Uganda in their final group game, and hope other results go their way, to qualify for the next phase.Ireland trounced Uganda by 82 runs in Dubai to put them in the playoff stages of the World Cup qualifiers. Read the full report here.

Scotland’s development programme has been named the best in Europe at the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2010

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2011Scotland’s development programme has been named the best in Europe at the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2010. Scotland won the ‘Best Overall Cricket Development Programme’ award for significant achievements in all aspects of the game – in junior cricket, women’s cricket, in new strategies and the creation of new pathways.”This award is a tremendous endorsement of what we have been striving to achieve over the past few years,” said Steve Paige, Head of Community Development for Cricket Scotland. “It also recognises the important value of the contributions volunteers play in developing cricket at grassroots level.”Last year, we saw some fantastic achievements within our community programmes: 468 schools competed in our schools cups. We had 56 primary schools festivals. We educated more than 300 teachers in introductory programmes and 110 umpires attended introductory courses, with 58 taking Level 1 exams. We delivered courses to 134 physical education students and now we have over 450 active UKCC coaches.”And our development team around the country have been doing a splendid job in growing the game and ensuring we have sustainable structures in the clubs, so they can support all the children and adults that want to play the game.””These very well deserved awards are in recognition of the great work which is ongoing in our Associate and Affiliate member countries; all involved should be very proud of themselves,” added ICC Regional Development Manager Richard Holdsworth.The Pepsi ICC Development Programme Annual Awards promote excellence in cricket development and recognise exceptional performance and service to the game in the ICC’s 95 Associate and Affiliate Member countries. Nominations were received from national bodies, clubs, associations, teams, schools and individuals. The European regional winners will now be put forward for the Global Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards.

Rubel Hossain led a spirited charge by the Bangladesh attack that Had New Zealand in trouble before Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill rescued them to 258 for 5 on the first day in Hamilton

The Bulletin by Andrew Fernando14-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMartin Guptill stood tall, even as his batting mates failed, and carried New Zealand’s hopes in Hamilton, along with Brendon McCullum•Getty Images

An unbroken 100-run partnership between Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum helped New Zealand stage a comeback on the first day in the one off Test at Seddon Park. The pair combined with the home side struggling at 158 for 5, but batted with assurance till stumps to rescue them from a dodgy position.New Zealand were pushed to a corner by the Bangladesh seamers who made good use of a green, seaming wicket after a rain-delayed start. Shafiul Islam bowled an immaculate line and length throughout his first spell, beating the bats of both New Zealand openers repeatedly before getting one to seam slightly away from Tim McIntosh who edged to Imrul Kayes at second slip.Rubel Hossain then took over, bowling at a lively pace and finding consistency in the afternoon session to trouble the New Zealand top order with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries. He was the pick of the visiting bowlers, ending with 3 for 86. After accounting for opener BJ Watling, Rubel added the scalps of debutant Peter Ingram and Ross Taylor, who both promised a lot in their aggressive knocks.Ingram’s announced his arrival, following McIntosh’s departure, with a flurry of powerfully hit boundaries through the off side while Watling struggled to an unconvincing 13 at the other end. Ingram eventually holed out to mid on, attempting to pull Rubel from wide outside off stump, ending a 47-ball innings that included an enormous straight six off Shakib Al Hasan.In the afternoon session, Taylor continued to bat as aggressively as he has done throughout the tour, dealing in boundaries through point and mid wicket, but was again unable deliver a big innings that would have given his side the advantage. A fuller Rubel delivery was to be his demise, as he edged behind leaving the team total on 126 for 4.Daniel Vettori, batting at six in the absence of Jesse Ryder and Grant Elliott, was unable to make an impression, getting to 10 before dancing past a Shakib Al Hasan delivery that clipped the top of the off stump. His dismissal left the hosts teetering at 158 for 5, and in desperate need of rescue mission.Martin Guptill led the recovery, continuing his sparkling form from the ODIs to end unbeaten on 80 at stumps. After being dropped on 4 by Shafiul, attempting to complete a sharp return chance, Guptill batted impeccably, keeping out a menacing Bangladesh attack, and driving handsomely down the ground and through the covers on a regular basis to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The pull shot was also used to good effect towards the end of the day, as the Bangladesh seamers’ short deliveries became less effective as the bounce got steadily lower.New Zealand’s highest partnership of the day between Guptill and Brendon McCullum, who ended on an unbeaten 58 from just 71 deliveries, revived their hopes of a sizeable first innings total. The unbroken century stand, a New Zealand record against Bangladesh for the sixth wicket, looked set to resuscitate the innings before bad light stopped play. Bangladesh will be pleased with the way they have competed, but will need to make early breakthroughs tomorrow to stand any chance of pulling off an unexpected victory.

Surenkumar makes fighting fifty in rain-affected run-chase at Edgbaston Community Ground

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Essex secured some belated joy from their disappointing Metro Bank Women’s One-Day Cup campaign with a 31-run (DLS) victory over Warwickshire at the Edgbaston Community Sports Ground.Put in, the visitors totalled 235 for seven from 32 overs either side of a long rainstorm which arrived in the 13th over. Jo Gardner top-scored with 47 (34 balls) while Bears captain Georgia Davis took four for 35.Facing a revised DLS target of 232 from 32 overs, Warwickshire mustered only 204 for eight in murky light despite an accomplished maiden half-century from 18-year-old Amu Surenkumar (56, 54). Her team-mates were unpicked by an attack led by Abtaha Maqsood (three for 34) and Esmae MacGregor (three for 38) as Essex recorded only their second win in 12 50-over games this season.On a gloomy morning at Portland Road, Essex got off to a flier as opening batters Ariana Dowse (36, 44) and Grace Scrivens added 67 from 61 balls before falling in successive overs just before the rain. Scrivens chipped Phoebe Brett to mid off before Dowse nicked a waft at Davis to wicketkeeper Nat Wraith.After a lengthy interruption, Essex resumed with only 32 overs now at their disposal and again lost wickets in consecutive overs. Sophia Smale lifted Hannah Baker to long off and Fiona Miller missed a sweep and was lbw to Davis.Jodi Grewcock (39, 34) and Gardner restored some momentum with a stand of 69 in 49 balls before Davis hit Grewcock’s middle stump through an attempted cut. Six balls later, Warwickshire’s captain was at long off to take a catch sent up by Gardner off Surenkumar who repaid her skipper in the next over by catching Eva Gray at long off to supply Davis’ fourth wicket.Essex needed some late impetus and Sophie Munro (36, 19) and Amara Carr (17, 12) provided it with a punchy unbroken stand of 55 from the last 29 balls.Warwickshire’s reply began briskly with a stand of 40 in six overs between Meg Austin and Bethan Ellis but they both fell, bowled and lbw respectively, to lovely, flighted deliveries by Maqsood. Munro quickly followed up with the big wicket of Davina Perrin who chopped to backward point.Surenkumar and Abbey Freeborn added 52 in 50 balls before the latter walked across her stumps to sweep MacGregor who hit the exposed timber. Much depended on Surenkumar who hit a six and five fours on her way to a run-a-ball half-century but when she swung Maqsood to deep mid-wicket, Warwickshire’s lower order needed to find 73 from 44 balls. The departure of Issy Wong, who lifted Munro to long leg, left Essex to ease home to a rare victory.

“The game is moving forward and so fast these days from the batters, so when you are not on top of your game [as a bowler], it’s hard,” says RCB captain

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-20242:28

Why did RCB open the bowling with Will Jacks?

After losing their fifth game in a row, this time out-hit at the Chinnaswamy as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s smashed a record 287 for 3, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis admitted that such results could take a mental toll.Even though RCB scored an impressive 262 for 7 in response, the runs conceded in the first innings were simply too many to overhaul, and he put it down to a lack of confidence in the bowling group. RCB came into this match having leaked 199 in 15.3 overs against Mumbai Indians in their last outing but started the match with only five bowlers, with Mohammed Siraj on the bench.”It’s tough, we tried quite a few things, a few different things, and they weren’t quite working,” du Plessis said after the match. “So it’s a sign of confidence in the other group. When your confidence is low, there’s nowhere to hide in the game.Related

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“The game is moving forward and so fast these days from the batters, so when you are not on top of your game [as a bowler], it’s hard. Obviously, with five bowlers, it’s tough on a wicket like that. We are going to keep trying different things.”Du Plessis said taking a break to reset might be the best thing for his side before their next game on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders. As it stands, RCB have very slim qualification chances; even if they win each of their remaining seven games, it may not be enough.”One thing really important is you need to go away and freshen your mind, it’s such a mental game,” he said. “Sometimes when we have a couple of back-to-back defeats, it feels like your mind is going to explode.”It’s important to stay away from it and make sure that we do get back to the next challenge – which is obviously a little bit of an uphill task for us at the moment – but when we do get back to the contest, we show full commitment 100%.”Faf du Plessis made 62•BCCI

‘Proud to see the boys fought tonight’

After being stunned into silence by Sunrisers’ assault, the home fans at the Chinnaswamy did get to enjoy their own side putting up the season’s fourth-highest score of 262.It was set up by du Plessis’ 28-ball 62, Virat Kohli’s 20-ball 42 and a 35-ball 83 from Dinesh Karthik, who together took RCB to a score only one short of the franchise’s highest IPL score of 263 for 5 from IPL 2013. Du Plessis said he was most pleased with how the team did not “fall like a deck of cards” in the chase.”Great effort from the team to get closer to the target,” he said. “Similarly from the batting perspective, we need to work on a few areas. There were some errors we need to address as a batting unit, there was a little bit of dip after the powerplay, [that] is something we want to work on. Need to make sure the run rate doesn’t go down and we keep going because the game has evolved and changed with the scores the teams are putting now.”But really proud to see the boys fought tonight and put up their hand and never gave up. In a big chase like this, you often see teams falling like a deck of cards. Great to see the fight tonight. But from a bowling perspective, 30-40 runs too much.”

The 21-year-old swing bowler has revelled in West Indies with one eye on T20 World Cup

Valkerie Baynes13-Dec-2022Lauren Bell stands to embody the fearless style of play England Women are aiming to carry into next year’s T20 World Cup and beyond.Bell, the 21-year-old right-arm swing bowler, will mark six months since her international debut just after Christmas as part of a group of youngsters awarded an opportunity over the English summer by former head coach Lisa Keightley.The thing that has stood out about Bell, 20-year-old quick Issy Wong and teenage allrounders Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp since taking the step up is their apparent refusal to be intimidated by the opposition.It’s an approach new head coach Jon Lewis has doubled down on, calling for his entire England squad to stop playing safe. Lewis is also big on encouraging players to trust in the skills and talent that got them into the elite set-up as opposed to constantly telling them what to do, and Bell seems to be embracing that faith.”It’s been great to have new coaches in around the squad and John has come in and really drove us to be inspiring and entertaining for anyone who’s watching women’s cricket,” she said from Barbados on Tuesday, a day after arriving from Antigua for the remaining four fixtures in a five-match T20I series with West Indies. “It’s a really good way to view the game and it’s moving in the right direction.”The West Indies has been a good tour so far. The confidence I have from the coaches, the backing of the coaches, and the backing of Heather [Knight], the captain, it’s just put me in a really good place. I feel like I know my role in this team and I know where I where I stand. Being really valued and part of the team has played a big role in that.”Related

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• Freya Kemp ruled out of West Indies tour due to back injury

Bell made her debut in the drawn Test against South Africa in Taunton, where she took two first-innings wickets and bowled an economical if wicketless 14 overs in the visitors’ second innings.Going into last Tuesday’s second ODI against West Indies, she had three wickets from four matches in the format before claiming a devastating 4 for 33 as England crushed the hosts by 142 runs. Then, on Sunday, in just her third T20I, she claimed 3 for 26 to set up an eight-wicket victory which leaves the home side staring down the prospect of another England clean sweep after the ODIs finished 3-0.West Indies’ batting has been poor, while Bell has revelled in the conditions producing some wonderful swinging deliveries that have left them flummoxed. And while she will come up against tougher opposition, Bell has her sights set on earning place in the squad for February’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.”That’s a big focus for us,” Bell said. “I think the next four T20s are a good chance to really put a stamp to the rest of the world about where we are with our cricket and how good a T20 squad we can be.”It will also be a good chance to play some the girls who have maybe not played so much T20 cricket and see what our different options are against different players.”Bell got her chance in T20Is when veteran seamer Katherine Brunt was rested for India’s tour of England in September – she played two of their three matches for no return. Having shared new-ball duties with the experienced Kate Cross during the ODIs in Antigua, Bell finally had the chance to open the bowling with Brunt in the first T20I.”That’s actually the first time I’ve played with Katherine in my career so that was pretty special,” Bell said. “Not many people can say they’ve done that so that was really good.”Having her around, having Crossy around in the ODIs, I think I can just learn so much. They’re really open just helping me with anything. It was a good experience.”Being on the big stage is not alien to Bell, which is another notable thing in favour of England’s youngsters. She was the second-highest wicket-taker in this year’s Women’s Hundred behind Southern Brave team-mate and Australia legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington and sixth on the list in 2021, the inaugural season of the competition, which has been credited with giving young players valuable experience against top-level opponents in front of big crowds.With Kemp and Capsey returning home from the Caribbean early due to back and collarbone injuries respectively, it is down to Bell and Wong – who was not part of the ODI squad and is yet to feature in the T20I series – to fly the flag for England’s newest crop. If they can play with what is becoming a collective trademark of freedom, it should be a breeze.

“If I think of competing with others, it puts pressure on me,” he said

Mohammad Isam23-Jul-2021Bangladesh allrounder Soumya Sarkar said he has to better prepare himself mentally in order to become a more consistent batter. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his half-century along with bowling figures of 1 for 18 in two overs against Zimbabwe in the first T20I in Harare, where the visitors won by eight wickets.Sarkar made 50 off 45 balls with four fours and two towering sixes. He said that he made a nervous start when he was nearly run-out in the first over, but a six off Luke Jongwe in the fifth over relaxed him.”I was playing my first international match after four months so I felt a bit shaky at the start,” Sarkar said. “When some of my first shots were going to hand, I told myself to take a bit of time. A four or a six would open things up for me, I thought. When I got a preferred ball and struck the six, I got my confidence back.”This was only Sarkar’s second fifty this year. He was given a chance in one Test against West Indies and the ODI series against New Zealand, without much success. Sarkar’s inconsistency resulted in him being constantly shuffled in and out of the team as well as up and down the batting order.”When I was out of the team, I practiced with purpose, particularly during the DPL T20s. I will continue to focus on certain areas of my game. I have to be more mentally fit to be more consistent.”My biggest competition is with myself. If I think of competing with others, it puts pressure on me. I want to do well myself, and get back my place in the team,” Sarkar said.Sarkar was later dismissed in a needless manner. After completing the run to reach his fifty, he ran himself out when a back-handed flick by Regis Chakabva caught him short of the crease trying a second run off the same delivery.”I felt that we could have finished the game two overs earlier if I wasn’t run out in that manner,” he said. “It was disappointing to get out. I thought that I was playing their left-arm spinner well, so I would have charged him further if I was around.”Sarkar said that Mohammad Naim’s three fours in the fourth over gave them the momentum required to chase down 153, which Bangladesh achieved with more than one over remaining.”I was supposed to bat at No 3, but the coach told me at the innings break that I would be opening in Liton’s place. I had to prepare myself mentally, and speak to the new partner and bat according to the conditions.”When we were going slow at the start, I told Naim that one big over will bring the flow in our favour. When he struck those three fours in the fourth over, things changed quickly,” he said.

The player has challenged the length of the sanction, maintaining that it was unprecedented

Umar Farooq19-May-2020Umar Akmal has filed an official appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him by the PCB, challenging the length of the sanction and hoping to get it reduced. Akmal was expelled from all representative cricket after he he failed to report details of corrupt approaches made to him ahead of this year’s PSL.The PCB confirmed the receipt of Akmal’s appeal and will form a panel of independent adjudicators to hear the case. According to the PCB’s code, the panel will not conduct a (fresh) hearing, but instead limit itself to “a consideration of whether the decision being appealed was erroneous.”Akmal was charged by the PCB on two counts of breaching its anti-corruption code, and while each charge carries a three-year ban, they are being run concurrently.It is understood that Akmal maintained in his appeal that the three-year ban was unprecedented, and that other players committing similar offences had been let off with lesser punishments – Mohammad Irfan was banned for six months (reduced from one year for cooperating with the PCB’s investigation in 2017, while Mohammad Nawaz picked up a two-month ban soon afterwards. In a recent example from outside Pakistan, Shakib Al Hasan – among the senior-most players in Bangladesh cricket – was banned for two years with one year of that sentence suspended.In the Akmal case, the judge observed that the player had failed to give any plausible explanation for not reporting the matter to the PCB’s vigilance and anti-corruption departments and was in breach of article 2.4.4, and he would be deemed to be engaged in corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code of the PCB. It was also recorded that Akmal didn’t show any remorse and hadn’t cooperated with investigating authorities.In other previous cases, players got lesser punishments as a result of admitting to their mistakes and agreeing to the imposed sanctions.

The duo combined to pick up 7 for 37 before Liam Livingstone took Karachi Kings to victory in the final over, courtesy the only six of the match

The Report by Danyal Rasool04-Mar-2019

Usman Shinwari celebrates a wicket•PSL

How the game played outIn what has been a fairly evenly contested PSL tournament, there was one team that stood out, if that is the best way to put it: Multan Sultans. They stood out as being not quite at the same level as the others, and on a day they needed a big performance to stay alive, they put in one that merely drove the point further home. Becoming just the second team in PSL history to fail to hit a six across a completed innings, they limped to 118 for 7, never able to get the innings on track for anything close to a par score.That one fast bowler and one spinner from Karachi Kings registered their best bowling figures of the season didn’t help Sultans’ cause either. Usman Shinwari and Umer Khan’s combined figures read 8-0-37-7.As is the case with several low-scoring games, this one became a bit of a nervy scrap towards the end, particularly after Mohammad Abbas bowled a spotless double-wicket maiden to dislodge Colin Ingram and Iftikhar Ahmed. Until then, the chase had been a stroll, Liam Livingstone and Ingram’s 46-run partnership for the third wicket getting Kings close. But with new life breathed into Sultans, Shoaib Malik’s men conjured up the discipline they had lacked in the field for much of the tournament and made Kings’ life as difficult as possible. Kings themselves didn’t help their cause, almost forgetting about strike rotation in a frenzy to get the job done.Sultans won that passage of play, even taking the match to the final over, but the lacklustre display up to that point had done too much damage to afford them a final stay of execution in the tournament. Livingstone brought up his fifty, and the Kings victory, with a six over deep midwicket with four balls to go, ensuring the one game Sultans play in Pakistan will have little tournament relevance for them.Turning pointWith Sultans 75 for 3 and Malik accompanying Hammad Azam in the 14th over, they had some semblance of a platform to make up for the lost time. But Umer ensured there would be no such launchpad for the batsmen, removing Malik and Dan Christian in the same over.Star of the dayShinwari wasn’t going to play the match until Mohammad Amir was forced out after his mother was taken ill. But such is the depth Pakistan enjoy in the fast-bowling department that Shinwari put in a display that made one wonder why he wasn’t the first name on the team sheet. Cranking up the pace, bowling almost every ball close to 145kph, he wrecked the Sultans top order, knocking back the stumps of Umar Siddiq and Johnson Charles. He wasn’t done, though, and returned to take two more wickets with the final two balls of his spell at the death, this time spelling the end for Hammad Azam and Mohammad Irfan. His 4 for 15 meant he made a strong case for a place in the first-choice XI, no matter who is available for the remainder of the tournament.The big missThe PSL has had its share of low-scoring games, but this was a particularly odd one in one respect. Sultans’ innings was just the second in the history of the PSL without a single six over 20 overs. But amazingly enough, Kings – who had until now been the only team to suffer that fate – failed to clear the ropes right until the final delivery of the match when Livingstone lifted legspinner Mohammad Irfan over deep midwicket for the only six of the match. The crowd may have seen a thriller, but they came within a whisker of sitting through that rarest of T20s: the one without a six.Where the teams standSultans became the first team to be eliminated, having managed just two wins from nine games. Kings bolstered their chances of qualification for the playoffs, having split their eight matches right down the middle, placing them fourth above Lahore Qalandars and Sultans.