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Chief executive has year to run on contract but may put family first after pressures in role

George Dobell and Umar Farooq30-Oct-2020Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, has admitted he is undecided about his future in the position beyond his initial term.While there is more than a year to run on Wasim’s original three-year contract – it is due to expire in February 2022 – and talks have begun on a new deal, he has asked for time before committing.PCB chairman Ehsan Mani is understood to have suggested another three-year deal, but Wasim has said he is considering all term options. He will provide an answer in February 2021.Taking on the role at a turbulent time, Wasim has enjoyed some success in improving Pakistan’s status as a venue that is safe and welcoming for touring teams.On his watch, this year’s PSL has been played at home in its entirety for the first time, while Test cricket has also returned to the country. His personal relationship with key figures at other boards is understood to have been instrumental in this progress, with South Africa due to tour in January 2021 and Australia and England due to follow in 2022.Hopes also remain high of a short T20 tour by England to Karachi in January 2021, with a couple of first-class counties – Warwickshire and Leicestershire – exploring the possibility of pre-season tours to the country in the coming years. Zimbabwe are currently in Pakistan playing six limited-overs games.ALSO READ: Azhar Ali set to lose Pakistan Test captaincyBut there has also been controversy. There have, for example, been radical changes to the domestic structure – changes foisted upon the administration by the Prime Minister and board patron, Imran Khan – which has reduced the number of teams and resulted in the unemployment of a considerable number of players and coaches.The cull has proven unpopular with players who have, in many cases, seen reductions in their earnings. Recently, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali met with the Prime Minister to ask for a change, a request that was summarily dismissed.That, as well as a few other board decisions – coupled with a transitionary period in terms of results off the field – has led to some very vocal criticism, focused on Wasim. Plenty of it has revolved around him being an “outsider” with no knowledge of Pakistan culture, as well as his salary.Wasim was born in the UK – he became the first UK-born Muslim of Pakistan origin to play county cricket – to a father who had been born in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.While Wasim describes himself as “relaxed” about such criticism from a personal perspective, he is sensitive to the impact it has had on his family. In particular, he was concerned by the derogatory comments about him that his children have had to hear, partly as a result of which his family have moved back to the their home in Birmingham.”It’s been an eye-opening experience,” Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. “The encouraging thing is that the overwhelming majority of people have been very supportive and understand what we are trying to achieve and that there had to be change.”But there has been a vocal minority that have made life more difficult than it needed to be. Clearly, I have to make a decision that is right for Pakistan cricket but also my family. But it does feel as if we’ve made great progress and I would like to see the job through.”With a year remaining on my contract, the chairman has spoken with me and begun a discussion offering me an extension up to three years. I haven’t decided yet about anything. This is a big decision, I don’t have a straight answer to this. I have to think through and have to speak to my family about it.”I am thoroughly enjoying my job and have achieved a lot,” he added. “There is a five-year strategic plan and Mani saab wants me to execute it. There is a lot of work we have started that needs to be executed. We are about to start working on our 2023 FTP cycle and that will be a major task going forward. We are also going to bid for ICC events so there is an exciting time ahead and I want to consider an extension, but I am not sure about how many years.”The situation is complicated by uncertainty over the future of Mani. The PCB chairman’s tenure is due to end in September 2021 and though he could be appointed for another term, it isn’t certain that he wants to, although he has not confirmed this.There’s been talk of Wasim Akram, who remains close to Imran Khan, as one potential option – Akram is a member of the board’s cricket committee but is also generally busy with a number of broadcast and commercial commitments. With chief executive and chairman required to work together closely, the identify of Mani’s replacement – if one is required – may colour Wasim Khan’s decision.

Thrilling 13-run victory breaks Worcestershire’s hearts as County Championship showcases its true glories

Paul Edwards24-Jul-2019
They will be waltzing in Montpellier Gardens tonight. Even the public reading of will have to be postponed. There may even be a knees-up at the Bowls Club and raucous chanting in the Pittville Pump Room. Until the 2019 Cheltenham Festival this classiest of English towns was, with the exception of its racecourse, not comfortable with mayhem Then Gareth Roderick’s six took care of Leicestershire last week and this evening David Payne’s bouncer to Adam Finch, Worcestershire’s last man, was deflected via edge or glove to second slip where the substitute fielder, George Hankins, scooped up the catch.Gloucestershire had won by 13 runs. At once Payne set off a manic lap of honour in which he was pursued by team-mates including James Bracey, the substitute wicketkeeper, who had taken four fine catches during the day. Also sprinting like a madman escaping the asylum was Ryan Higgins whose four wickets had brought his total in the match to seven in addition to his 112 runs. And there was Ethan Bamber, who was loaned to Gloucestershire for the festival and, given his thespian connections, knows a fine stage when he sees it. Two weeks repertory in Cheltenham probably suited him fine. Bamber’s dismissal of Ben Cox, caught by Higgins at mid-on for 42, began a collapse which saw Worcestershire lose their last six wickets for 61 runs and finish three good hits short of their target, which was 246.But Payne and his mates were not alone. On the balcony of this great old pavilion, the coaches hugged and down below in the stands and bars supporters who really should have known better did little dances of delight. No doubt their health insurance will cover any mishaps. One player, though, remained motionless on his haunches for some time. Joe Leach, the Worcestershire captain, knows this result all but ends his team’s chances of promotion. So there was stillness and movement. There was silence and noise. And to think that nine hours earlier the biggest event taking place on the College Ground was the watering of the hanging baskets.Ah yes, the early morning. Let us rewind to the time before Gloucestershire had collected the 23 points which takes them up to joint-second in Division Two with Glamorgan. In the first 45 minutes of the day’s play Gloucestershire’s last two wickets had added a further 35 runs in 12 overs, five of which were sent down by the legspinner, Brett D’Oliveira in preference to Leach, his team’s best bowler. Who, one asked, would Bamber have preferred to face? The decision seemed barely explicable at the time, and those runs, which seemed important then, were to look absolutely priceless seven or so hours later.Anyway, Worcestershire needed 246 and one of the most vital innings in their season had the worst possible start when Daryl Mitchell nicked David Payne’s first ball to Bracey. But Chris Dent, whose captaincy was masterly on this final day, had to rotate his attack carefully because Matt Taylor’s side strain prevented him bowling. Perhaps realising this, Riki Wessels carried the attack to Gloucestershire, driving both new-ball bowlers for fours and clouting Payne over long on for six with a shot borrowed from short-form cricket. When Higgins came on, Wessels moved into overdrive, taking 17 runs off his first two overs and forcing Dent to bowl Tom Smith from the Chapel End just before lunch. A calming over, we thought – perhaps Dent did, too – but Wessels’ attempt to cut the left-arm spinner’s third delivery only nicked the ball to Bracey. Having made 42 off 44 balls Wessels ambled off to have lunch, perhaps reflecting, unduly harshly, that he had brought his downfall on himself.The afternoon’s cricket contrived to be both tense and, in its way, rather tranquil. Higgins returned to his usual tight-fisted ways, conceding eight runs in seven overs and claiming the wickets of Ed Barnard and Ross Whiteley. That left Worcestershire on 100 for 4 but further decline was resisted by the gentle class of Ferguson and the obduracy of Cox during the twenty overs until tea. Ferguson cut both spinners and seamers alike when possible and reached his fifty after three hours’ concentration a few balls before the break.Ferguson, you see, does not do flash. Even in T20 cricket his shots have a trace of orthodox classicism about them. So imagine, if you will, the gentle grace with which he batted this afternoon at Cheltenham and the concern it aroused among home supporters sitting under the giant red and white gazebos which Gloucestershire had considerately erected for supporters seeking to avoid the heat. A silence settled on the ground and remained there for many overs. This was one of those days when the detailed plans of the coaches are bound tightly to the simple hopes of supporters.Worcestershire took tea on 146 for 4 and one imagines that a few in the crowd enjoyed patum peperium. Cox and Ferguson added a further 36 runs after the resumption only for Bamber to make the breakthrough. Three overs later, Benny Howell took the vital wicket of Ferguson when a rather tired cut-cum-force off the back foot edged a catch to Bracey. Ten minutes later, D’Oliveira had gone too, caught by Hankins at slip off the underappreciated Howell. Worcestershire were 198 for 7. Can it be, asked the spectators, and tried to keep a tight grip on their wits.Leach and Wayne Parnell added 31 runs and the balance of the game shifted. Worcestershire supporters, whose presence so enriched this game, began to nurture their own hopes. Then Higgins trimmed Parnell’s off bail and knocked back Dillon Pennington’s middle stump, all in the space of three balls. Finch came in and three overs later Payne rain in to bowl to him. Half an hour later there was a curious spike in sales of sal volatile in the Cheltenham chemists’ shops.Glamorgan and Gloucestershire now lead a group of six counties covered by 20 points. They will effectively be fighting over two promotion places when the Championship returns next month. Any readers with a clear idea of which of these fine teams will win promotion in September are encouraged to write in.But none of that bothered Dent’s players as they went over to the marquee and drank a well-earned beer or two. They returned over the outfield they have adorned so nobly this fortnight and must now prepare for T20 games. But they will remember the matches against Leicestershire and Worcestershire for as long as they play cricket. Indeed, days like this are why they play the game.And there was even a reminder that Cheltenham College is, after all, a school when a page torn from an exercise book drifted onto the pavilion balcony. It read as follows: “Senior School Punishment Ledger: Note to Graves (C) Upper Sixth: Write out 200 times: The County Championship is the greatest glory in English domestic cricket. We do not need The Hundred.”The paper blew away before anybody could grab it. But maybe everyone had seen enough.

Ireland were made to follow on in Malahide, Mohammad Abbas and Shadab Khan sharing seven wickets, before reaching 64 without loss second time around

The Report by Alan Gardner13-May-20185:07

#PoliteEnquiries: Is Abbas the new Asif?

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThere had been pleasantries aplenty, as well as much good will for Ireland as they joined Test cricket’s exclusive club. Now came the hard reality. Responding to Pakistan’s declaration shortly before lunch on the third day, Ireland stuttered and stumbled to 7 for 4, the dream of their Test debut threatening to become a nightmare.From there, they arguably recovered pretty well, but a first-innings score of 130 was still penurious enough for Pakistan to enforce the follow on for the first time in 16 years and seven opportunities. Having waited until the age of 39 to make his Test debut, Ed Joyce might not have minded the chance to bat again. He received a marginal lbw call to be first man out in Ireland’s initial effort but played with greater freedom second time around in an unbroken opening stand.

‘Drugged up’ Wilson plays through pain

Gary Wilson batted with the aid of a painkilling injection after suffering a possible broken arm in the nets before play on the third day of Ireland’s maiden Test. Wilson did not field during the morning and instead went to hospital for an X-ray.
Then, with Ireland in trouble in their first innings, he came out at at 61 for 7 and helped add another 69 runs for the last three wickets.
“I went for an X-ray and there might be a little crack in it. It’s unconfirmed at the minute,” he said afterwards. “It was pretty sore. The adrenalin kicked in and I didn’t want to miss the chance to bat in a Test match. They just drugged me up and I got out there.”
Despite being bowled out 180 runs behind, Wilson said the second-innings response was encouraging for Ireland. “We can take a huge amount of confidence. Whenever you’re asked to follow on and you go 60 for none at the close, that shows big balls.”

Joyce and his partner William Porterfield benefited from dropped catches, Mohammad Amir the bowler on both occasions. Joyce was reprieved on 0, from Amir’s third ball, when Sarfraz Ahmed could only get half a glove on a low edge, while Porterfield had 2 to his name when a much simpler chance popped out of Azhar Ali’s grasp at third slip.Amir promptly left the field at the end of that over, seemingly in some discomfort rather than out of pique. He then pulled up after bowling two balls of a fourth over – having sent down 10 in the first innings – shortly before the close, leaving Pakistan with a couple of unforeseen issues to contemplate overnight.Pakistan’s total of 310 for 9 declared covered up more than it revealed. Faheem Ashraf took his maiden Test innings to within sight of a century but was dropped three times along the way, hinting at Irish frustration. Following the loss of the first day to rain, and the subsequent lowering of the follow-on target to 150, Sarfraz Ahmed then spied an opportunity to see how the Pakistan bowlers could exploit a seaming, albeit slow-ish, surface.The answer was emphatic, as the Mohammads Abbas and Amir removed Ireland’s top three in the space of 37 balls before lunch. It took a sturdy knock of 40 from Kevin O’Brien and an even gutsier display from Gary Wilson, batting at No. 9 after suffering a blow to his right elbow before the start of play, to lift Ireland from ignominy and, eventually, to three figures in their first Test innings.While Ireland had unquestionably done a decent job with the new ball on Saturday, Pakistan’s opening pair tore in with added subcontinental sizzle. Abbas was fortunate that Richard Illingworth raised his finger after pitching the ball just outside leg before hitting Joyce on the pads, but there was no issue about the decisions to send back Andy Balbirnie and Niall O’Brien. With Porterfield losing his off stump to Amir, Irish eyes were wincing.Paul Stirling was the first to take up his cudgel in response, although his attempt to smear Ashraf back down the ground in the bowler’s first over in Tests was ill-conceived. He added 29 with Kevin O’Brien, who took the score on to 61 – still 100 from avoiding the follow on – in the company of Stuart Thompson, before Shadab Khan’s legspin accounted for two in an over.Ed Joyce helped Ireland make a solid start to their second innings•AFP

It was 73 for 8 when Kevin O’Brien slapped the returning Amir to cover but Wilson, grimacing throughout but refusing to give his wicket away, was then joined by the willing Boyd Rankin as the ninth-wicket pair compiled the highest stand of the innings. Abbas returned to claim his fourth and Shadab finished things off but Wilson’s unbeaten 33 was symbolic of Irish resolve – a foundation which Joyce and Porterfield built on doughtily during the evening sunshine.Pakistan had resumed their innings in a more comfortable position than looked likely after being reduced to 159 for 6, but Ireland did not take long to break through with the second new ball – though Shadab was perhaps unlucky to be given out lbw to a delivery from Tim Murtagh that looked to be missing leg stump.Ireland then saw a third chance to dismiss Ashraf go begging: Andy McBrine, on as a substitute for Wilson and fielding in the slips, could not hold a thick edge when the allrounder had 72. He helped push Pakistan past 300 but there was to be no debut hundred as an excellent ball from Thompson, kicking and curving across the left-hander, took Ashraf on the glove and gave Niall O’Brien a chance he could not put down.Sarfraz called his men in soon after, denying Murtagh the chance of his five-for. The Malahide Test has not wanted for milestones but Ireland’s batsmen must produce something significant if they are to deprive Pakistan of the thing that matters most: victory.

A round-up of the Group D matches from the Vijay Hazare Trophy played on March 1, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017Four-fors from Varun Aaron (4-20) and medium-pacer Rahul Shukla (4-32) helped Jharkhand defend a total of 125 to beat Saurashtra by 42 runs at Eden Gardens. Saurashtra’s chase lasted only 25.1 overs with all ten wickets falling to pace. Aaron prised out key wickets in the middle order, before Shukla and left-arm seamer Jaskaran Singh cleaned up the tail.Like Saurashtra, Jharkhand, too, lost all their wickets to pace. Kushang Patel carved up the top order, first getting the early wicket of opener Anand Singh and then breaking a 43-run, second-wicket stand to trigger a Jharkhand slump in which they lost nine wickets for 64. Kushang, who was on a hat-trick in the 10th over, finished with 4 for 39, while Shaurya Sanandia cleaned up the lower order for career-best returns of 5 for 47. Jharkhand were propped up by a 40-ball 53 from Ishan Kishan and MS Dhoni’s 24-ball 23.Ashutosh Singh’s 98-ball 65 was in vain as Chhattisgarh suffered a four-run defeat against Hyderabad in Kolkata. Ashutosh’s wicket off the first ball of the final over left Chhattisgarh needing eight runs from five balls, of which they could only manage three. His half-century, however, had helped them rally after they were struggling at 78 for 5 in the 20th over. Ravi Kiran, Chama Milind and Mehdi Hassan and Mohammad Siraj took two wickets each for Hyderabad.Bavanaka Sandeep’s unbeaten 70 off 99 balls was the top score in Hyderabad’s innings as they were bowled out for 197 despite starts from the top order. Three run-outs and a slump in the middle overs – they lost four wickets for eight runs between the 25th and 28th overs – limited Hyderabad’s total.Jammu & Kashmir suffered a 24-run defeat against Services. Chasing 215, J&K were bowled out for 190, having lost their middle order during a four-wicket slide for only 20 runs between the 21st and 27th overs. Puneet Bisht and Ram Dayal resisted for J&K but once Bisht was dismissed for 45, J&K collapsed quickly and were out in the 46th over. Ahmed Bandy top-scored for them with 59 off 65 balls, having contributed heavily at the start. Left-arm spinner Vipin Singh took 3 for 41.Services, too, crumbled in the middle overs, after their top order, particularly Nakul Verma (68) and Shamsher Yadav (52), had done the hard work of establishing a platform with a 99-run partnership for the third wicket. They lost five wickets for only one run between the 37th and 40th overs, collapsing from 164 for 2 to 169 for 7, before eventually being bowled out for 214. Parvez Rasool took 3 for 36 while Mohammed Mudhasir and Manzoor Dar took two wickets each.

Pakistan Under-19s notched up their first win of the tri-nation tournament with a convincing 109-run victory against Australia Under-19s in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2016
ScorecardPakistan Under-19s notched up their first win of the tri-nation tournament with a convincing 109-run victory against Australia Under-19s in Dubai, as they kept their hopes for a spot in the finals alive. After choosing to bat, Pakistan first posted a total of 311 and then bowled Australia out for 202 in 40.4 overs.Pakistan’s openers – Zeeshan Malik (19) and captain Gauhar Hafeez (36) – put on 63 in 52 balls before both fell in quick succession. Mohammad Umar and Saif Badar both struck fifties, and combined for a 88-run fourth-wicket stand to set up a strong platform. Hasan Khan and Hasan Mohsin provided the acceleration towards the end with brisk cameos, pushing the team over the 300-run mark. Liam Hatcher followed up his five-for in the previous game with four wickets and offspinner Arjun Nair picked up three.Nair got the chase off to a solid start, but wickets fell regularly around him. He compiled a 89-ball 106, an innings that featured 13 fours and three sixes, but no other batsman scored more than 30. Shadab Khan and Arsal Sheikh claimed four wickets apiece to rip through the middle and lower order as Australia were eventually bowled out in the 41st over.

Surrey bounced back from defeat in their opening Friends Life t20 match as some
sensational death bowling from Jade Dernbach helped them to beat Sussex by 10
runs at Hove.

28-Jun-2013
ScorecardJade Dernbach produced a super spell•Getty Images

Surrey bounced back from defeat in their opening Friends Life t20 match as some
sensational death bowling from Jade Dernbach helped them to beat Sussex by 10
runs at Hove.Jason Roy made 42 from 33 balls as Surrey were restricted to 157 for 6 thanks
to some fine bowling by Dwayne Smith, with 2 for 11, and Chris Liddle, 2 for 19.Sussex looked on course for victory with Rory Hamilton-Brown (34), Scott Styris
(35) and Mike Yardy (44) guiding them to 139 for 5 with two overs remaining. But Sussex then collapsed under pressure to finish on 147 for 7, with Azhar
Mahmood conceding just four runs from the penultimate over and Dernbach the same
from a brilliant last over to finish with 3 for 15.Roy got Surrey’s innings off to a decent start but their scoring rate dipped as
Vikram Solanki (20) and Steven Davies (17) failed to find the boundaries. Roy
hit a six and three fours as he tried to up the tempo but then edged behind
swiping at a ball from Chris Liddle.Things got worse for Surrey two balls later when Liddle added the wicket of
Glenn Maxwell for just 6 to leave the visitors on 88 for 4 in the 13th
over. Smith kept things tight and added the wicket of Zafar Ansari (13) to the
earlier scalp of Solanki as he finished with figures of 2 for 11 from three
overs.Only a late onslaught from Mahmood (23 off 13 balls) and Gary Wilson (31 off
20) got Surrey up past the 150 mark, with 40 coming off the final three overs.
Chris Jordan was on the receiving end with his final two overs going for 32 to
finish with expensive figures of 2 for 48.Despite a poor finish Sussex will have been happy to restrict Surrey to under
160 but they lost Chris Nash (12) in only the second over of their reply. Dernbach then got rid of England team-mate Luke Wright and fellow big-hitter
Smith in his first over to put Sussex under pressure.Hamilton-Brown responded by hitting Gareth Batty for a six and two fours in his
opening over as he raced to 34 from 24 balls before being bowled by Zander de
Bruyn.The experienced duo of Yardy and Styris guided Sussex to within 21 runs of
victory with a 56-run partnership of contrasting styles. Yardy played the anchor role while Styris smashed three huge sixes in his 35 off 19 balls before holing out off the bowling of Zander de Bruyn in the 18th over. That seemed to derail Sussex completely and Mahmood and Dernbach ensured Surrey
a comfortable win.

Several international players, including Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Nikita Miller and Nelon Pascal, have been picked in the 13-man West Indies A squad for the one-day series against India A

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2012The West Indies selectors have picked several players with international experience in the 13-man A squad for the three-match one-day series against India A in Grenada. Batsmen Adrian Barath, Kirk Edwards and Assad Fudadin, all of whom played for West Indies in the recent Test series in England, have been selected, and so has left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.Miller, who last played for West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, was preferred over Sulieman Benn, who was Man of the Match in the first of the two Twenty20s against India A last week. Fast bowler Nelon Pascal, another international, was also drafted in.Veerasammy Permaul, who led West Indies A in the Tests against India A, returned to the squad to take over the captaincy from Kieran Powell, who did the duty during the Twenty20s.Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich was called up as a replacement for Devon Thomas, who was ruled out with a knee injury.West Indies A won the three-match unofficial Test series against India A 2-1, while the Twenty20s were tied 1-1. The first one-dayer will be played on June 27.West Indies A squad: Veerasammy Permaul (capt), Adrian Barath, Nkrumah Bonner, Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich (wk), Kirk Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Jason Holder, Delorn Johnson, Nikita Miller, Jason Mohammed, Nelon Pascal, Kieran Powell.

ESPNCricinfo previews the game between Punjab and Delhi

The Preview by Sriram Veera22-Apr-2011

Match facts

Saturday, April 23, Delhi
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will there be any miraculous turnaround for Irfan Pathan?•AFP

Big picture

‘Juice it up baby!’ is the new mantra for the battle-weary Delhi Daredevils, sitting glumly at the bottom of the cesspool. “We have prepared a green wicket unique to Twenty20 cricket. Never before will a Twenty20 be played on such a track with so much grass on it,” the Feroz Shah Kotla curator said. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Delhi is well and truly in the red zone. The light at the end of the tunnel is green. Or so they hope. It makes sense, though. They brought seven seamers (seven!) in the auction and have been slowly killing them on a dull sluggish track. So why not try out a green track and see what happens? Right at the end of the Delhi daredevils’ official team anthem video, there is this scene where Virender Sehwag gives the thumbs down to his team-mates’ efforts and shows them how to bat . It’s now time to start getting it right on the field.Meanwhile the story of Punjab is showing signs of being a blockbuster just as their Bollywood-inspired official site hoped it would. The site features Adam Gilchrist in a mega close-up, as the hero, and has the names of rest of the ‘supporting cast’. Gilchrist was their only star before the campaign but slowly new names are claiming their ticket to fame. Yet, if you check the batting and bowling records of the tournament, only two Punjab players check into the top ten. That once unknown Indian Paul-who? is right at the top of the batting chart and Praveen Kumar is at the No. 9 on the wicket-takers’ list. Punjab’s rise has been as a unit; someone or other has seized the big moments in a game and delivered. Will they continue to surprise or will there be a twist in the tale?

Team talk

The green, green grass means Delhi will pack its team with seamers though one will have to wait and see if the curator delivers on his promise of a devilish pitch. Will Punjab consider playing David Hussey or stick to the winning combination from the last game?Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Irfan Pathan’s past dogs him like a shadow. The questions from the fans are plenty: Oh where is that inswing? Oh where is that pace? What is this gentle dibbly-dobbly stuff? Will we ever get to see the old Irfan? The expectations of him are always huge and the young man has struggled to shoulder that burden. The bowling has been listless, the batting hasn’t come on and in many ways, he has reflected Delhi’s sad reality. Will there be a miraculous turnaround or will he just slither away into anonymity?Dinesh Karthik has had a quiet tournament so far as the top order has been doing the job. In the previous IPL editions, he was a strong performer for Delhi in the middle order and if the law of averages catches up with the top order, Karthik is well-equipped to step up to the plate. He has the shots and while he hasn’t always shown maturity in shot selection, he has the tenacity and the skill to do well on tough pitches.

Prime numbers

• Piyush Chawla has five ducks in all the editions of the IPL and is just one duck behind the record-holder, Shane Warne. His team-mate Praveen Kumar too is in the race, with four ducks.
• Shaun Marsh and Adam Gilchrist have nine IPL fifties though Jacques Kallis is at the top of the table with 13.

The chatter

“Three [wins] in a row after a poor start. It has been a bit of a stop-start tournament, seems like the tournament is just beginning. Paul backed himself, and Shaun was brilliant.”
“Sehwag brings a lot to the table. You learn a lot when you discuss batting with him. When he is around, there is a sense of positively around. He can encourage people when the chips are down.”

Dwayne Smith has performed for Sussex but can’t secure a place with West Indies

Cricinfo staff02-Jun-2010In the midst of a career that started with Barbados almost a decade ago, lead to selection for West Indies, and on to stints with Sussex, Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, and New South Wales it would seem that Dwayne Smith is a player in demand in the game’s shortest format.At 27, playing international cricket should be at the top of his priorities, but since his last appearance for West Indies in the tense, two-run loss to Zimbabwe in Guyana, Smith’s services have apparently not been required, and it is unclear when he may get a chance to boost his stalled international career.Asked by reporters what his standing with West Indies currently is, Smith could only reply: “If I knew I could tell you. I’m in the same position as you are. I’m still available but they’re not picking me. I haven’t heard anything yet so I’m still waiting to see what happens.”In the meantime, Smith has settled in at Sussex. So much so, in fact, that when his Kolpak status expired at the end of the 2009 season, he was signed as an overseas player for the county for 2010.”Here in England, for me, at Sussex, I love it here, especially when we play at home,” he said. “I have the crowd behind me, and the competition you have is probably at the same level [as the IPL], so it’s still good.”Although Sussex won their opening match of the Friends Provident t20, Smith failed in the game, falling to Murali Kartik for a first-ball duck and conceding 13 runs in his solitary over. But his contribution was vital to Sussex’s success in the format last year, and for the moment West Indies’ loss continues to be the county’s gain.

Adam Rossington gives Essex chase a chance but hosts fall short

ECB Reporters Network14-Jul-2024Will Jacks hammered five sixes in a scintillating 86 to consolidate Surrey’s place at the head of the Vitality Blast South Group and guarantee a home match in the quarter-finals.Jacks hit five sixes in his 46-ball knock and put on 63 in five overs in a stand with Jordan Clark that constituted a record for the sixth wicket against Essex. That rescued Surrey after they suffered a mid-innings collapse before the reset that helped them post 189 for 9 and eventually prevail by 13 runs.Surrey had struggled against the Essex spin pair of Matt Critchley, who took 2 for 22, and Simon Harmer, whose 3 for 44 was a season’s best. Paul Walter chipped in with two late wickets to finish with 2 for 26 to take his tally to 15.Adam Rossington tried manfully to take Essex to a third win in four days, and qualification for the knockout stages, but he fell for a 49-ball 78 with five sixes and with it went home hopes. Essex now need at least a point from Friday’s final match at Hampshire to reach the quarter-finals.Chasing 190 to win, Essex lost Dean Elgar in the third over as he slapped Clark to cover point, but that was before Rossington and Michael Pepper got moving. Sam Curran was lofted for sixes by both batsmen in one over to square leg as they put on fifty inside five overs.When he reached 12, Pepper, a centurion at Hove 24 hours earlier, passed 500 runs in this season’s Blast. But he had added just 15 more when he skied Cameron Steel to short extra cover. Steel struck again five balls later when he bowled Charlie Allison with one that kept low.Steel had piled pressure on Essex by conceding just seven runs in his first two overs before Rossington smashed him for six over long-on shortly after he reached a 33-ball fifty.Clark got lucky with a full-toss that Walter hit vertically into orbit, giving Rory Burns time to run round and take the catch in front of the stumps. And Critchley followed quickly when he lifted Chris Jordan to deep midwicket.However, with Jordan and Curran both conceding single-figure overs, the required run-rate rose towards 15 with 47 runs needed from the last three overs. And that became an impossible target when Rossington fell to the third ball of the 18th over, flailing Curran to the mid-off boundary.Surrey, put in on a used wicket, moved along serenely initially, reaching the end of the powerplay at 62 for the loss of Dom Sibley, lbw to Shane Snater to one that kept low. However, the stuffing was knocked out of their stride when Critchley and Harmer shared three wickets in eight balls and stemmed the mid-innings runs.Laurie Evans was first to go, bowled by one that turned appreciably from Critchley before Harmer accounted for Burns and Curran in consecutive balls. Burns was beaten by on the outside of his bat to dislodge his stumps and Curran misjudged his first ball and was lbw.Jamie Overton was typically belligerent, hitting a six off Luc Benkenstein over midwicket and smashing another past the bowler for four. But he then picked out Eathan Bosch on the long-off boundary to give Critchley a second wicket.All the time Jacks was quietly accumulating. He had already swept Harmer for a huge six, launched Snater for another, and reached his half-century from 28 balls with a straight maximum off the Essex captain.Jacks hammered Harmer for two more sixes off successive balls but departed to the next ball trying for a third, caught on the boundary at cow corner. But his sixth-wicket stand with Clark got Surrey back on track.Jacks’s departure signalled another clatter of wickets as Clark, Jordan and Tom Lawes all fell to catches in the deep.