A dominating all-round display by Shahzaib Hasan helped Port Qasim Authority thump National Bank of Pakistan by nine wickets in the opening Group B match of the Ramadan Cup in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2013
ScorecardShahzaib Hasan with the Man-of-the-Match award•Pakistan Cricket Board

A dominating all-round display by Shahzaib Hasan helped Port Qasim Authority thump National Bank of Pakistan by nine wickets in the opening Group B match of the Ramadan Cup in Karachi. Shazaib dismissed the dangerous Kamran Akmal as National Bank were looking to accelerate, then smashed four sixes enroute an unbeaten 68 as Port Qasim overhauled the target with 14 balls to spare.Chasing 151, Shazaib and Port Qasim captain Khalid Latif gave the team a quick start, bringing up the fifty in the fifth over of the innings. Latif was dismissed after an opening stand of 60, but Shahzaib continued to attack, while Khurram Manzoor stayed solid at the other end. The two put up a 94-run stand in 11.4 overs, with Shahzaib doing bulk of the scoring. National Bank’s Raza Hasan and Usman Qadir were economical in their spells, but the other bowlers were not able to put any pressure on the batsmen.Earlier, Akmal, the National Bank captain, had revived the team with a 37-ball 47 after the openers had fallen cheaply. National Bank had elected to bat, but were immediately on the back foot losing their openers in the first four overs. But apart from the 79 Akmal, together with Aqeel Anjum, put up for the third wicket, their were no notable contributions.

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.

The PCB has expressed concern over allegations of fixing raised in the media with regard to the recently concluded West Indies-Pakistan ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2013The PCB has expressed concern over allegations of fixing raised in the media with regard to the recently concluded West Indies-Pakistan ODI series. A Pakistan board official told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday that the PCB is in touch with the ICC about the matter as it falls under the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit’s purview.The , which raised the allegations, reported that the series was set to be investigated over claims of wrongdoing. Pakistan had won the five-match series in the Caribbean, which concluded on July 24, by a 3-1 margin. The third game of the series was a tie.”The PCB is obviously extremely concerned at the recent allegations of fixing reported in the media with regard to recently concluded ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies,” the official said. “The PCB maintains zero tolerance towards corruption in the game but investigations in this matter falls within the purview of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. The PCB is in contact with the ICC on this issue and understands that the ICC will be issuing a media release soon.”The PCB, at the moment, is examining all legal aspects but for the time being will not be making any further comments”.The Twenty20-leg of the tour is currently underway. Pakistan won the first of two T20s on Saturday, and the second and final game will be played later on Sunday in St Vincent.

Beuran Hendricks’ maiden first-class ten-wicket haul helped South Africa A seal a comfortable 121-run win in the second unofficial Test against India A in Pretoria and square the two match series

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2013 by 121 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Beuran Hendricks (left) collected his first ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty Images

Beuran Hendricks’ maiden first-class ten-wicket haul helped South Africa A seal a comfortable 121-run win in the second unofficial Test against India A in Pretoria and square the two-match series. Hendricks ran through India’s top order to leave them in tatters at 18 for 5 by the 10th over. The target of 307 appeared beyond the horizon for India at that stage, though Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha hit half-centuries to give the visitors an outside chance.It was Hendricks’ match all through, however. He had picked up five wickets in the first innings and had removed M Vijay in his first over of the second innings on day three, and there was no let-off for India’s batsmen on the last day. Hendricks struck on his seventh ball of the day to dismiss Shahbaz Nadeem, the nightwatchman, and followed it up with the wicket of Dinesh Karthik two balls later. Ambati Rayudu became Hendricks’ ninth victim when he edged one to the wicketkeeper next over. That India lost their best batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara, to a run-out off the first ball of the day meant that the visitors had all but squandered the chase.Rahane and Saha redeemed the situation to some extent for India with a strong sixth-wicket stand of 160. The mammoth partnership was, however, bookended by two collapses, as none of the other batsmen were able to get into double-digit scores. The two batsmen took different approaches when they came together; Rahane did the bulk of the scoring, while Saha held on to his end. He was on 14 off 57 balls when Rahane reached his half-century off 67 deliveries. But Saha soon found relative fluency, driving two deliveries off a Simon Harmer over to the boundary. The partnership was about grind though – they reached the hundred off their partnership off 180 deliveries.It was Hendricks again who got past the defences of Rahane to trigger the second collapse as the last five wickets fell for eight runs. Harmer, who had picked up four wickets in the first innings, added three more to his tally towards the end.

Victoria Sporting Club, Prime Bank Cricket Club and Gazi Tank Cricketers all recorded big wins in the Dhaka Premier League

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2013Prime Doleshwar came crashing down after four big wins, when Victoria Sporting Club handed them a nine-wicket defeat in the Dhaka Premier League.After deciding to bat first at the BKSP-3 ground, Doleshwar were bowled out for just 85 runs in 26 overs. Victoria’s Sri Lankan pace bowler Shalika Karunanayake and seamer Soumya Sarkar took three wickets each, while Sajedul Islam and captain Nasir Hossain picked up one each.Doleshwar were always going to be in trouble when Tillakaratne Sampath, Mominul Haque and Roshen Silva all failed in this game.Anamul Haque and Karunanayake then added 81 runs for the second wicket to take Victoria to an easy win, completed in 14.3 overs. Victoria join Doleshwar in the top of the table with four wins from six matches.Abahani however remain in tenth position, after suffering their fifth defeat. This time, Prime Bank Cricket Club crushed them by 120 runs at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium.Prime Bank batted first after winning the toss, and despite losing an early wicket, they began brightly. Saikat Ali (59) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (69) added 82 for the second wicket, before Lahiru Thirimanne struck a breezy half-century.Abahani lost wickets regularly in their chase, never quite finding a rhythm. They missed the in-form Mosaddek Hossain in the middle-order. He has left for West Indies with the Bangladesh Under-19s squad, having been the joint highest-scorer in the league with 320 runs.Prime Bank captain Enamul Haque jnr picked up four wickets while offspinner Fariduddin Masud took three.There was a heavy defeat for Mohammedan Sporting Club too, who went down by 103 runs to Gazi Tank Cricketers. It was their third loss in a row, after having won the first three games.They inserted Gazi Tank at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra, and had the early momentum. But Mahmudullah and Raqibul Hasan struck fifties to lift Gazi Tank from 95 for four. The pair added 94 runs for the fifth wicket, with Mahmudullah warming up nicely for the upcoming Test series with 68 off 78 balls. Raqibul was the top-scorer, making 75 off 65 balls with six fours and a couple of sixes.Ejaz Ahmed and Upul Tharanga kept Mohammedan in the hunt for a while. Opener Ejaz smashed three sixes in his 43-ball 42, but Tharanga saw wickets tumble at the other end. He made 56 off 72 balls, but by the time he was dismissed, Gazi Tank had the ascendancy.Ashar Zaidi, the 32-year-old left-arm spinner, took three wickets in seven overs while Mahmudullah picked up two.

Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, will not be playing in the second Test against Pakistan due to a side strain. Abul Hasan will be his like-for-like replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2015Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, will not be playing in the second Test against Pakistan due to a side strain. Abul Hasan will be his like-for-like replacement.Rubel looked to be in some discomfort while bowling during the fourth day of the Khulna Test. A scan confirmed he has a Grade 1 left-side strain.”It takes about three to four weeks to recover from such injuries. Rubel will begin his rehab in the next couple of days,” said Bangladesh physio Bayjedul Islam.Abul has not played a Test in more than two years though he had played the first ODI against Pakistan in place of the suspended Mashrafe Mortaza. In the interim, he took a four-wicket haul in a first-class match for East Zone.

Andre Fletcher, the West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman, who was fined EC$ 2000 (approx. US$ 740) by a Dominica court for possession of ammunition, has labelled the incident as a “genuine misunderstanding” on his part

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015Andre Fletcher, the West Indies and Windward Islands wicketkeeper-batsman, who was fined EC$ 2000 (approx. US$ 740) by a Dominica court for possession of ammunition, has labelled the incident as a “genuine misunderstanding” on his part.Fletcher, 27, was in Dominica practising with the Windward Islands team and was about to leave the country when he was arrested last month. However, Fletcher said in a statement that while he accepted full responsibility for the incident, he had “no idea” that the package in his possession was actually .22 ammunition instead of .22 pellets for the registered hunting air rifle he owns.”When I obtained the package it was sealed. Having been told that the package contained air rifle pellets, without closely inspecting it further I assumed that the contents were indeed what I was told,” Fletcher said. “Until it was brought to my attention at the airport, I had no inkling that the package contained live ammunition.””I carried the package openly in my hand to and through the airport and subsequently loosely placed it in my carry-on bag as I sought to clear security at the Douglas Charles Airport in Dominica.”During the normal inspection of my luggage, the customs officer in Dominica informed me that the items appeared to be .22 calibre live rounds and not .22 pellets. Upon further investigation of the package, it was indeed found that the contents were live .22 calibre rounds and not .22 pellets for air rifles.”Fletcher has played 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for West Indies, and last represented the team in January. He said that he would not let “the unfortunate incident” compromise his career.”The unfortunate incident which led to my detention in Dominica on May 28 will not deter me from continuing to represent the region or my country once given the opportunity to do so,” he said. “I will never intentionally do anything to cause hurt or embarrassment to my nation, my fans or especially my family.”

Once the first session of the final day was washed out, the draw was inevitable, but India gave a glimpse into the possibilities had this match not lost 248 overs to rain by bowling Bangladesh out for 256 and enforcing a follow-on

The Report by Sidharth Monga14-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:54

Muthu: Good first impression under Kohli

Once the first session of the final day was washed out, the draw was inevitable, but India gave a glimpse into the possibilities had this match not lost 248 overs to rain by bowling Bangladesh out for 256 and enforcing a follow-on. Though he couldn’t help India avoid slipping to fourth in the ICC rankings thanks to this draw, the most impressive player of the match, R Ashwin, registered his first five-wicket haul outside India. Bangladesh will be disappointed their first innings lasted only 65.5 overs on a pitch that India batted comfortably and lost wickets only when their batsmen went out of their way to score quick runs.The final day’s play began with Bangladesh needing 152 to avoid the follow-on with seven wickets in hand. A maximum of 67 overs could have been bowled on the day. Had Bangladesh batted sensibly they would have avoided the drama of having to bat again and hanging in grimly. Confronted with some excellent bowling from Ashwin but little else, Bangladesh failed to do so although theirs was a general air of just having a good time without having to worry about the result because it had been ruled out. In a live Test they might well have shown more application.Shakib Al Hasan fell manufacturing a cut, Imrul Kayes and Mohammad Shahid jumped out of the crease to Harbhajan Singh – all three of the returning offspinners’ victims were batsmen outside their crease – and Soumya Sarkar and others kept swinging away even when not quite in control of the shots. Ashwin, though, was in a different league, relying on his offbreak, getting it to drift and dip, drawing sharp turn and bounce, and brought some excitement into a match dulled by poor scheduling: the first in monsoon June in Bangladesh.Even after Shakib fell early on in the day, the shots kept coming. Some of them came off – Sarkar managed an ungainly 37 – but they brought about wickets. The bright spot for Bangladesh was debutant Litton Das’ 44 off 45, but he too struggled as Ashwin drifted the ball away from him. After having found himself away from the pitch of the ball, Das eventually gloved one bouncing offbreak to backward short leg. Das’ wicket made it 232 for 8, and it was followed by a poor shot from Mohammad Shahid and poor running from Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain.Intent to give it every possible shot, Virat Kohli asked Bangladesh to bat again, but there was never going to be enough time to force a result. Hands were shaken the moment Bangladesh had batted out 15 overs in the second innings and the mandatory overs became due.

Half-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHalf-centuries from captain Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana helped India Women complete a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Zealand Women with 34 balls to spare in the fourth ODI in Bangalore. The teams will go into the fifth ODI on July 8 with the the series tied 2-2.Needing 221 to win, India ensured there were no early jitters, with Thirush Kamini and Mandhana raising 49 runs for the first wicket. After Amy Satterthwaite sent back Kamini, Mandhana joined hands with Raj to add 124 runs in 22.5 overs. Raj, during the course of her unbeaten 81 off 88 balls, her 37th half-century, became the second player after Charlotte Edwards to score 5000 runs in Women’s ODIs.After Mandhana was dismissed by Anna Peterson in the 38th over, Harmanpreet Kaur smashed an unbeaten 25-ball 32, including four fours and two sixes, to bring an early finish to the game.New Zealand, after electing to bat, didn’t enjoy a good start, losing Rachel Priest in the third over. Sattherthwaite and captain Suzie Bates, however, rebuilt the innings with a 65-run stand before Bates perished to Poonam Yadav. Three overs later, the visitors’ momentum was dented further when Satterthwaite, who scored 43 off 55 balls, was bowled by Kaur.But, New Zealand fought back again through Sophie Devine, who scored 89 off 102 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes. She put on 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Maddie Green, and proceeded to rally the middle and lower order around her. Devine was the last batsman out off the penultimate ball of the last over.For India, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Niranjana Nagarajan picked up three wickets each.

In eight previous Tests between these two sides, South Africa have beaten Bangladesh seven times by an innings and once by five wickets inside four days

The Preview by Mohammad Isam in Chittagong20-Jul-2015

Match facts

Tuesday, July 21-25
Start time 0930 local (0330 GMT)1:50

Wet build-up to Chittagong Test

Big picture

In eight previous Tests between these two sides, South Africa have beaten Bangladesh seven times by an innings and once by five wickets inside four days. That record does not inspire confidence in a contest during the upcoming two-Test series, but Bangladesh’s recent limited-overs successes have created a sense of anticipation.After losing the two T20Is and the first ODI, Bangladesh bounced back to win the one-day series against South Africa with commanding victories in the last two games. Though their leadership is different in Tests – the ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza does not play Tests – Mushfiqur Rahim’s side will include several of their short-form successes.Batsman Soumya Sarkar played Bangladesh’s last three Tests – against Pakistan and India – on the back of his limited-overs exploits, and now seamer Mustafizur Rahman is set to have a first taste of Test cricket after an exception start to his ODI career. Mustafizur will be expected to provide a much-needed edge to a lackluster bowling line-up. Rubel Hossain and Mohammad Shahid are the other pace bowlers in contention but Bangladesh are likely to play two at most. Spin will also be key, with Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain forming the attack.South Africa do not have AB de Villiers so they are increasingly dependent on the captain Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy. These three will be expected to hold the batting line-up together, with Dean Elger and Reeza Hendricks at the top. The spinner could either be Simon Harmer or Aaron Phangiso while the pace attack will comprise Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander. Except for Philander, the rest have been in good Test form.Bangladesh will rely on the experience of Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Shakib and hope they combine effectively with the youth of Mominul Haque and Soumya to counter a dangerous bowling attack.

Form guide

Bangladesh DLDWW
South Africa WDWWD

Players to watch

Mominul Haque made two half-centuries in the two Tests against Pakistan and 30 against India. At no. 3, he adds stability to the Test team, but not having played the limited-overs games, he will need to adapt quickly to the South African side to build on his performances.South Africa coach Russell Domingo said he was looking forward to Dean Elgar making an impact in South Africa’s top order. Elgar is a compact player who could be key to how the visitors start against Bangladesh’s spinners. He is coming into this series having made scores of 208*, 122 and 79 among his last seven first-class innings for Titans in March, and 44, 20 and 98 in three innings for Surrey in June.

Team news

Mushfiqur said Litton Das would keep wicket, which means Nasir Hossain will not find a place in Bangladesh’s XI. The hosts will have to choose between a third spinner and a second seamer.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan , 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Soumya Sarkar, 8 Litton Das (wk), 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Jubair Hossain/Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Rubel HossainSouth Africa are likely to open the batting with Reeza Hendricks, and will have to choose between Stiaan van Zyl and Temba Bavuma in the middle order. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is unlikely to feature in the XI, while offspinner Harmer and left-armer Phangiso are competing for one spot.South Africa (possible): 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Stiaan van Zyl, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Simon Harmer/Aaron Phangiso, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel

Pitch and conditions

The straw-coloured surface at the Zahu Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is likely to be batting-friendly to start with before spin comes into play. The lead-up to the Test was wet and although the forecast is improving, rain could play a part.

Stats and trivia

• Among the present players, Hashim Amla has the most runs (292) and Dale Steyn has the most wickets (22) in Tests between Bangladesh and South Africa.
• There is an experience imbalance in Bangladesh’s attack. While Shakib is nearing 150 wickets, the next highest is Taijul Islam with 35.

Quotes

“We have to play to our potential. Imrul, Tamim and Mini are world class as well. Then we have Mushy and Shakib. The battle will be at the start of the game.”