All posts by n8rngtd.top

The centurion said scoring a blistering 133 gave her a “relief” after her 37-ball 19 in the second ODI of the series, which Australia sweeped 3-0 and saw as “revenge” after the World Cup semi-final loss last year

Annesha Ghosh in Vadodara19-Mar-2018The past three months have brought two firsts for Alyssa Healy, each of which have had an air of deferred inevitability about them: a maiden Women’s Big Bash League ton in January, followed by her first international century. If the WBBL ton – a 66-ball 106 against the Adelaide Strikers – in her 41st appearance in the league was a statement of intent, her 115-ball 133 against India in the third ODI took shape of a roller-coaster ride and ended up imparting a long-awaited degree of validation to her 136-match international career.”Yeah, it was a big feeling of relief, I guess,” Healy said after Austalia’s win on Sunday. “Played a lot of cricket to not have one (century). Pretty excited to sit here with finally a hundred under my belt. And hopefully get a couple more before I pull up stumps. It’s obviously been a long six months for us. I feel lucky I have been hitting the ball well.”It was probably just about adjusting to the conditions a little bit better and the spinners. So, yeah, obviously got off to the flier in the first game and got myself out. [I] did a lot of work to spin in the last few days. To come out today, and play positively was something I’m pretty proud of and hopefully I can take that into the tri-series.”Even though she started off in a scratchy manner, scoring only 13 off her first 22 deliveries, Healy got her eye in and shot her strike rate over 100 by smashing 14 runs off frontline quick Shikha Pandey in the eighth over and went on to score 43 off 34 against her overall, evading two dropped catches on 23 and 125.”I guess the pace was comfortable to me,” Healy said about the fluency she found against Pandey. “I enjoy facing spin, but with pace coming on, I feel quite comfortable with that. It was about attacking that end. I got some balls that I thought I’d like to hit and gave it a good whack. So obviously that pace change-up got us going.”After clobbering two fours and a six in Pandey’s fourth over, Healy left the medium-pacer’s line and India captain Mithali Raj’s field placements in disarray as she cracked four fours off five deliveries off Pandey’s eighth over. First up, she backed away and slashed at a wide one that flew over Harmanpreet at mid-off. With five fielders patrolling the off-side inner ring, Healy then followed it up with a square drive off an offcutter, and slapped the next one through the cover-point region.One ball later, Raj would push the cover fielder back, only to invite Healy to loft over mid-off again for a fourth four. The sixth delivery, a back-of-a-length offcutter, had Deepti Sharma back pedal from extra cover to chase a skier, but gave Healy her third life of the innings and another two runs to her tally.”You need a bit of luck to make runs in cricket,” Healy said of her three chances, including a drop by Mona Meshram at deep square leg in the 20th over. “You can’t go through your career, hitting the ball along the ground and being safe.”For me, it was probably just the luck I needed. I’ve been hitting the ball all summer, so yeah, to come out here and get a bit of luck in this series is really handy. Obviously, it helped me get there today, but unfortunately, Mona Meshram didn’t have such a great game, but I’m sure she’ll bounce back no doubt. She fielded really well, the ground fielding. So hopefully she comes back out in the T20Is”.Alyssa Healy winds up for a big hit•Getty Images

Despite losing opening partner Nicole Bolton in the sixth over and Meg Lanning in the 11th, Healy sustained herself for 40.2 overs without tweaking much of her approach. It is a method, she said, that is rooted in her role, which “isn’t too different” from what her game is best suited to.”Naturally, I will take the game on. For me, it’s about choosing the right time to do that and obviously we lost the couple of wickets early but we’ve got such a great batting line-up that we know we don’t want to take a backward step when that happens. So it’s important that we keep going and keep pushing and keep manipulating the field movement. Yeah, fortunately it came off today. You build big totals by continuing with that momentum and I think we did that well today.”Dwelling upon Australia’s much-vocal intent of posting totals in excess of 300, Healy said it was an aspect much of their pre-tour discussions had been centred on.”It’s a goal for us to consistently hit that mark,” she said. “We did that quite comfortably in the end today. We have got so much power right down our batting order, which is really exciting. For us at the top order, it’s just about setting up the game and then let them do their thing at the bottom. The 3-0 result is something we have spoken about a lot, so yeah, really pleased.”While stating that a deep batting order helped her stay true to her attacking approach, she also said it aided her in turning things around after a vapid performance, as was witnessed in her 37-ball 19 in the second ODI.”Naturally, I’m a fairly aggressive cricketer. For me it’s about playing that way, having that intent all the time. When I dig myself into a hole like I did in the last game, it’s about getting out of that smartly. I’m always probably going to play more aggressively than others but yeah you’re right in saying that we’ve got such a powerful line-up that I could push a bit at the top.”Looking back on the 3-0 scoreline, Healy, with her trademark candour, acknowledged that exacting “revenge” for the knockout defeat in the World Cup semi-final was on top of the visitors’ agenda coming into the series.”Yeah, look, there’s a little bit of revenge there,” she said, “I won’t lie. To come out and beat them 3-0 is really special. They’ve got a really exciting, talented group of players and they showed that at the World Cup. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get over the line in the end, but they pulled our pants down in the semi-final. So for us to come out and play the way we did, play aggressively, put it back on them, I think the group is proud of that.”

The attack occurred around 11pm local time on Friday, as spectators had gathered at the stadium to watch the Ramadan Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2018A series of explosions targeting a cricket match in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, has killed eight people and injured 45 on Friday, according to an AFP report.The attack occurred around 11pm local time on Friday, as spectators had gathered at the stadium to watch the Ramadan Cup, the provincial governor’s office said.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban said it was not responsible.Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack. “The terrorists did not stop killing our people even during the holy month of Ramadan,” a statement from the president’s office said. “By carrying out a terrorist attack in a populated sport stadium, once again they have proved that they are not bound to any creed or religion, and they are the enemy of humanity.”Cricket matches in Afghanistan have been targeted previously as well. In September 2017, an Islamic State attack on a cricket match in Kabul left three dead.The profile of cricket in Afghanistan has increased substantially over the last few years, with their national team playing four World T20s and the 2015 World Cup. They are now set to play their first Test match, against India in June, after receiving Full Member status from the ICC last year.

Lancashire completed a supremely comfortable nine-wicket victory over struggling Leicestershire to rekindle their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages

ECB Reporters Network31-May-2018
ScorecardLancashire completed a supremely comfortable nine wicket victory over struggling Leicestershire to rekindle their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup.Fine bowling from young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, who picked up 4 for 31 from his ten overs, following early breakthroughs by seamers Joe Mennie and Graham Onions, restricted the Foxes to a total that was desperately below par on a good pitch at Oakham School.Lancashire captain Liam Livingstone then smashed seven sixes in racing to 90 off just 56 balls, with Haseeb Hameed hitting a half-century in an unbroken partnership of 133 as the visitors cruised to victory in just 25.5 overs.Bowling first after winning the toss proved a wise decision by Livingstone on a cloudy morning in Rutland, the smallest county in England. There was something in the pitch for the seamers, as Joe Mennie producied an almost unplayable delivery to Cameron Delport which pitched on leg stump and moved away to hit off.Paul Horton, a former Lancashire captain, did not last much longer, Graham Onions finding the outside edge and Livingstone himself taking the catch at second slip.Ned Eckersley and Mark Cosgrove began to rebuild the innings, but their third wicket partnership had reached only 42 when Eckersley attempted to reverse sweep the left-arm spin of Stephen Parry, and top-edged high to Alex Davies coming in off the boundary at backward point.Colin Ackermann struggled from the start against the leg-spin of Parkinson and was quickly bowled by a googly he completely failed to pick, but it was hard to understand what was going through Neil Dexter’s mind when, before getting off the mark, the experienced all-rounder tried to loft Parkinson over mid-off and failed to clear Josh Bohannon.Cosgrove was Leicestershire’s only real hope of positing a competitive score, but the Australian had only just passed 50 when he played and missed at Parkinson, dragged his rear foot and Dane Vilas completed a smart stumping.Tom Wells lofted Parkinson high to Parry at long-on, Javid steered Parry tamely to Livingstone at wide extra cover, and Dieter Klein was palpably leg before to Graham Onions as the Foxes failed to even bat out their 50 overs.Davies and Hameed gave Lancashire a solid start to their reply, and though Davies top-edged a pull at Klein to be caught behind, Livingstone ensured the chase would end very quickly.

Roberts also said that some players were counted twice on the way to reaching CA’s overall census participation figures

Daniel Brettig23-Jul-2019Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has conceded that club cricket is in “gradual decline” and admitted that there is widespread disaffection in the game’s grassroots following numerous signs of anger manifest in reports in the nation’s two major newspaper groups.In May, published a story revealing an old internal document in which Cricket Australia had called for a generational change in the leadership of clubs, spun to suggest that the governing body had “appealed for the dismissal of thousands of long-serving club volunteers”.This week, following the publication of CA’s annual cricket census figures that habitually trumpet an overall increase in participation, the journalist and columnist Malcolm Knox wrote reports suggesting that the governing body vastly over-inflated its figures, making the contention that registered club cricketers number only about 250,000.Roberts, who had declined to be interviewed by Knox before the publication of the story in the on Sunday and instead asked to speak this week after his return home from the UK, conceded a problem area though disputing the precise nature of the figures. He did so in an open letter to all registered club players and volunteers around the country.”Whilst I disagree with the conclusions reached and the figures provided by Malcolm, what came through clearly to me was the sense that some within the cricket community don’t feel they are being heard,” Roberts wrote. “We acknowledge that the number of registered players in traditional club environments has experienced a gradual decline over the past few years, even though total cricket participation continues to grow at a healthy rate.”Cricket clubs, like all club sport, face retention challenges in an increasingly time-poor society. As a volunteer, I also appreciate that leading a cricket club is becoming harder and new volunteers are not always lining up to help the club stalwarts. The commitment to supporting volunteers and making sure the game has a successful and sustainable future is one of Australian cricket’s top priorities under my leadership.”I understand it will take more than a letter from me to make everything better. It’s on me to lead ongoing consultation and action from all of us at Cricket Australia and the State & Territory Cricket Associations who serve their communities. We need to maximise the impact of the millions of dollars we’ve committed to improving community cricket facilities and the 68 new community cricket staff employed by State & Territory Cricket Associations to support clubs and volunteers.”ALSO READ: How many cricketers does Australia really have?Following the announcement of the census results, published a detailed breakdown of CA’s club participation figures, reflecting three consecutive years of decline in club cricket numbers – from 392,812 male and female, senior and junior players in 2016 to 365,076 this year.There has been a renewed focus within CA upon making its own participation numbers more accurate so that funding and resources can be better directed towards problem areas. At the same time, CA’s community cricket chiefs Belinda Clark (currently acting as the head of team performance) and Kieran McMillan have openly acknowledged that more needs to be done to bridge the gap between burgeoning school programs and clubs.”In recent years, we introduced modified junior formats to improve recruitment and retention, started offering free community cricket coaching programs and invested in growing cricket for girls,” Roberts wrote. “These commitments are starting to bear fruit. Providing improved digital support to reduce volunteer workload is another key focus into the future.”Having spent most of my life in cricket clubs as a player, coach, volunteer and parent, I’m passionate about clubs being the heart and soul of their communities. The initiatives I mentioned above are a positive step in the right direction, and we will continue to engage and listen to cricket communities, even if we don’t like what we hear.”Roberts also conceded that some players were counted twice on the way to reaching CA’s overall census participation figures – something he admitted was true even of his own daughter for the fact she plays both club and indoor cricket – but defended the wider methodology used.”When combining school participation programs and registered players, we reach the total participation figure of 1.65 million. Whilst this does include some players more than once, like my daughter who plays club and indoor cricket, it’s simply not true to suggest that total participation is inflated by double-counting most or all registered players,” Roberts said. “We are proud of cricket’s deep connection with local communities and the fact that cricket plays a part in the lives of so many participants across the country.”Like most organisations, we are working to improve our data. Junior clubs will have noticed this with all registrations being managed online this season, a process which makes it much easier for parents and players to register anytime, anywhere. I have had the privilege of meeting many of cricket’s employees, players and volunteers throughout my lifetime of involvement in cricket.”Cricket has helped shape who we are, and in some cases, has seen us become friends for life. Your passion and commitment to the game are key reasons why cricket is such a strong part of our nation’s fabric.”

Home skipper remains unbeaten on 171 after day one run-fest at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Sep-2025Middlesex 394 for 5 (du Plooy 171*, Cracknell 64*, Geddes 60) vs GloucestershireMiddlesex skipper Leus du Plooy’s 24th first-class hundred gave the hosts the upper hand on the first day of the their final County Championship Division Two clash of the season with Gloucestershire at Lord’s.The South African-born left-hander passed the landmark of the third time this season, remaining unbeaten with 171 in an innings sprinkled with 15 fours as Middlesex piled up 394 for 5.Du Plooy shared stands of 127 with Luke Hollman (55), 121 with Ben Geddes (60), and an unbroken 112 with wicketkeeper Joe Cracknell, who had 63 by the close.Ajeet Singh Dale kept the visitors in the contest with 4 for 88, including wickets with successive balls in the afternoon session, while Graeme Van Buuren bowled a frugal spell of spin to return 1 for 35 from 18 overs.Despite the 10:30am start, du Plooy chose to bat on winning the final toss of the campaign and the hosts made a quick start thanks to some wayward offerings from Gloucestershire’s new-ball attack.It was a similarly innocuous delivery from Singh Dale which brought the breakthrough, a leg-stump half-volley which Sam Robson sent straight to square leg. If that was fortuitous, Singh Dale produced a useful fourth stump ball in his next over that Josh De Caires nicked through to wicketkeeper James Bracey.It would be the last success for some time as the bowlers erred in line and length again and du Plooy and Hollman feasted accordingly. Three Hollman fours in one Matt Taylor over raised the 50, while du Plooy was quickly into stride, driving confidently in the mid-off/extra-cover arc. A back foot drive through cover from the skipper was the shot of the morning and he moved to his half-century from 56 balls shortly before lunch.The hundred partnership came up in the first over following the resumption and while Singh-Dale was finding hints of both swing and seam from the Nursery End, the pair carried the score to 161 relatively untroubled. It took a piece of brilliance from Bracey – who claimed a Gloucestershire record 11 victims against Middlesex in the corresponding fixture last season – to break the stand, grabbing a ball that was dying off the inside edge of Hollman’s bat, giving Singh-Dale a third wicket.Higgins followed to his next ball, harshly adjudged lbw to one heading over the top, but Geddes joined his skipper in the middle as and the hosts quickly regained the upper hand.Geddes, impressive in his first season in Middlesex colours, employed the pull shot to great effect, sending one short one from Singh Dale into the Grandstand, before a square drive took du Plooy to a chanceless century.Van Buuren put the breaks on either side of tea and was rewarded with the breakthrough when Geddes was pinned in front. Du Plooy however, had set his heart on a daddy hundred and while the boundaries briefly dried up he glided his way past 150.Cracknell proved a valuable ally, clearing the ropes with a thunderous pull shot and unfurling some pleasing cover drives in becoming the fourth home batter to pass 50 in the late autumn sunshine.Before the start of play there was a poignant minute’s silence in memory of beloved umpire Harold ‘Dickie Bird,’ who passed away on Monday aged 92.

It has been a lean phase for the Indian pacer, but he believes he has rectified his mistakes and is in the right rhythm for the West Indies Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2019Umesh Yadav has dropped some way down the pecking order for India since the 2018-19 tour of Australia, the one-off appearance in a T20I against Australia in Visakhapatnam in February 2019 his only outing in national colours since then. But now, back in the Test set-up in the Caribbean, Umesh is upbeat and looking forward to “take on the challenge” and stay in the fray, remain part of what is a high-worth fast-bowling attack.”We are playing so many Test matches, we need good bench strength. We know we will all get our chances because there’s so much cricket,” he said after the Indians’ tour game against West Indies A in Coolidge in the lead-up to the first Test. Umesh returned 3 for 19 from ten overs in the West Indians’ first innings, Darren Bravo one of his victims. “The competition is good, and it’s good for us. That’s the way we think.ALSO READ – Umesh Yadav interview: ‘I will never look to bowl restrictively. If I have the ball in hand, I’ll go for wickets’“We keep trying to get better, and that helps the team too. It’s very important. If there is healthy competition, it’s exciting. One needs to take on the challenge and focus on the bowling.”In Australia, Umesh played just the one Test, in Perth where he picked up two wickets in a defeat, and was ignored for the rest of the games as India fielded Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in all four Tests and Ishant Sharma in three in a 2-1 series win. Since then, it has been domestic cricket for Vidarbha and in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore and, more recently, an outing for India A against West Indies A in Tarouba.”You need to get the rhythm right and start hitting the right lines and lengths. The idea is to prepare yourself and bowl the way you would in a match,” he said of the games in Tarouba and Coolidge. “After the Australia tour, I played the Ranji Trophy, and then the IPL. Yes, after the IPL, there has been a two-and-a-half-month break, which I used to rest. I thought I’d give myself some time, and work on the mistakes I had made in Australia and get my rhythm back.”For the West Indies Tests – India’s first in the World Test Championship cycle – the squad has a pace attack comprising Bumrah, Shami and Ishant, apart from Umesh, and spin options in R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.Whether Umesh fits into the XI remains to be seen, but as far as he is concerned, his mindset is the way it should be.”A break helps, it’s only after a break that you can get your mindset right,” he said. “Sometimes, if you bowl a lot, little things start going wrong, the lines and lengths go a little wrong. It happens. I went to the academy in Vidarbha and met the coach Subroto Banerjee, and worked with him. He was very positive. That’s what I wanted.”It’s really all about the mindset. Sometimes negative thoughts creep in, and the idea is to take that out. That’s what I did, clear my thoughts.”

The South Africa captain backs both quicks to deliver with the reverse-swinging old ball in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle11-Jul-2018To get your mind around exactly how ridiculous South Africa’s pace gifts are at present, consider this: Dale Steyn, almost certainly the greatest fast bowler of his generation, has the worst average among the frontline quicks in his squad. His 419 wickets have come at 22.32; Vernon Philander averages 21.46, Kagiso Rabada, 21.59, and Lungi Ngidi, 16.42. What makes the presence of these riches more incredible, is that Morne Morkel, one of South Africa’s best ever, retired in their previous series.Now, some of these stats are skewed. Ngidi has only played three Tests, all at home, and his record will probably worsen. Philander’s numbers are substantially skewed by a phenomenal home average of 18.27 – his average in Sri Lanka, from two 2014 Tests, is 76.But while Rabada also has modest figures in Asia, his only previous experience on the continent being his three Tests in India, there is a feeling in the South Africa camp that he is a much improved bowler now. If it is true that Steyn is not at his best following a series of frustrating injuries (coach Ottis Gibson described his bowling as “rusty” following the two-day practice match), here is the bowler that will assume the role of attack leader, South Africa believe. There is pressure on spinner Keshav Maharaj to shine on his first series in this part of the world, but captain Faf du Plessis still has plenty of faith in reverse swing, and in Rabada’s ability to extract it.”Dale has been the spearhead, but I think KG (Rabada) will take over that mantle. He’s got the skill, he’s got the pace and he’s got the control to do well in all conditions around the world,” du Plessis said on the eve of the first Test. “I have seen growth in him since the India tour. I think that’s what’s remarkable about KG, is how quickly he learns. That was his first subcontinent tour and I believe he’ll learn from that – the way he’s improved his control.”With his skills, he’s got the ability now to swing the ball both ways with a reverse-swinging ball, which is a skill that not a lot of bowlers have. And once again, pace against any subcontinent team is something you want try and expose. We’ll have to see to what extent the wicket allows for that. It’s good to see him bowling quick again after his recent injury. He looks hungry to perform in the series.”Not that Steyn is expected to fade away. When South Africa were last in Galle, he had claimed 9 for 99, using reverse swing to devastating effect in both innings, to propel his team to victory. This time around, Steyn’s pace may not be what it was four years ago, but his skill – particularly with the old ball – remain undiminished, du Plessis said. In fact, in a three-man pace attack, it is for those later overs that Steyn may be reserved.”Dale’s X-factor is how he picks up wickets with a reverse-swinging ball. His way of getting wickets with the new ball is getting it to move around a little bit with swing, and a little bit of seam, really consistently. But there’s a period of the game when Dale gets his tail up. He gets one wicket, and is up there with the most dangerous bowlers in the world, because he is so skillful, and he can get the ball to reverse swing at pace. I’m hoping to see Dale bowl really quick again. He hasn’t bowled for a long time, so he’ll be excited to get the opportunity. It’s a good sight to see when he gets the ball reversing, and he’s running in and keeping those legs really really fast.”In almost any other side in the world, a bowler of Ngidi’s potential would command a place in every Test, but signs are, he may have to miss out in Galle. While Steyn, Rabada and perhaps Maharaj are aggressively looking for wickets, du Plessis suggested that it is Philander who will be relied on to provide control from the other end.”With Vern, his control is exceptional,” du Plessis sad. “He won’t offer you much as a batter. Even if there’s not much grass and seam movement, Vern is still a guy that will hold a game for you. And then from the other side, from a captaincy point of view, you can bring a guy and try and get wickets.”

Spinners Smale and Maqsood strangle chase as visitors fall narrowly short

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jul-2025Cordelia Griffith’s bustling knock of 60 from 35 balls laid
the foundations for Essex to end their Vitality Blast campaign on a high by seeing off Durham at Chelmsford.The right-hander shared a second-wicket partnership of 66 from 44 with skipper Grace Scrivens (48 from 39) as the home side posted 164 for 3.Durham looked well-placed to chase that down after an opening stand of 78 from 57 between Suzie Bates, who top-scored with 45 from 39 and Emma Marlow – but the momentum shifted after the pair both departed in quick succession.Spinners Abtaha Maqsood and Sophia Smale, who both returned 2 for 26, squeezed the visitors further and their five-match unbeaten sequence came to an end as they fell nine runs short.With Lauren Winfield-Hill returning to Yorkshire at the end of her loan spell, Maddie Penna moved up to open with Scrivens and their partnership of 63 from 52 provided Essex with a strong start after winning the toss.Having pummelled Katherine Fraser to the fence twice in her knock of 25 from 29, the hard-hitting Australian was then given out leg before, but Griffith took up the baton with relish as she lifted Sophia Turner over long-on for six.Griffith’s positive running between the wickets, allied with aggressive strokeplay, propelled her beyond her partner as she raced to a 26-ball half-century but Scrivens narrowly missed out on that landmark, caught reverse paddling Sophia Turner.Durham finished strongly, with legspinner Katie Levick (1 for 24) removing Griffith and she and Sophia Turner gave away just 13 from the last two overs – six of those from the final ball of the innings, dispatched out of the ground by Jo Gardner.Like the home side, Durham progressed through their batting powerplay without shedding any wickets and Bates’ powerful striking kept the scoreboard ticking along as she thumped Kate Coppack for successive boundaries.Marlow (25 from 23) filled a capable supporting role until her miscued drive off Smale sailed into the hands of extra cover – and Durham lost their other set batter in the next over when Bates holed out off Maqsood.The legspinner also accounted for Hollie Armitage, bowled attempting a reverse sweep, but former Essex player Mady Villiers (28 from 22) and Bess Heath (24 from 18) kept the visitors in contention, adding a quickfire 40.However, the task of scoring 17 from the final over proved beyond Durham, who lost two wickets in three balls to stumpings by Amara Carr as Penna closed the game out.

South Africa lost ten wickets for 61 and were bowled out for 134 in chase of 312

Firdose Moonda20-Sep-2024Afghanistan completed their most high-profile bilateral series win and their first against a team ranked in the ICC’s top five with a 177-run victory over South Africa in Sharjah. After dominating South Africa with the ball two days ago, Afghanistan repeated the dose with the bat on Friday and posted their tenth total of 300 or more to ask South Africa to complete their sixth-highest successful chase. A collapse of 10 for 61 meant South Africa did not even get close and recorded their fifth-biggest defeat by runs. Afghanistan lead the series 2-0 with one match remaining.Birthday-boy Rashid Khan turned 26 and took his fifth career five-for to top off a day of excellence for Afghanistan in all departments. Their celebrations began with Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s seventh ODI century, followed by Rahmat Shah’s 29th ODI half-century and then Azmatullah Omarzai’s fastest fifty in the format. Omarzai reached his half-century off 32 balls, ended unbeaten on 86 off 50 balls and led Afghanistan’s charge of 93 runs in the last ten overs to post a challenging total. While Rashid headlined their bowling, he shared his success with left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who finished with a career-best 4 for 26.Afghanistan asserted themselves from the get-go when they chose to bat which left South Africa to field in the worst of the heat. Officially the temperature was 38 degrees Celsius but the real-feel was in the late 40s and they did not have any real menace. Gurbaz and Riaz Hassan put on 88 for the first wicket before Gurbaz and Shah shared a 101-run second-wicket stand which formed the spine of the Afghan innings.South Africa’s spinners, Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markram were the most effective in keeping Afghanistan quiet and conceded 59 runs in 14 overs between them, but debutant legspinner Nqaba Peter was expensive and Nandre Burger also conceded 68 runs. Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the seamers, particularly at the end of the innings but South Africa lacked wicket-taking ability, which allowed Afghanistan to get away from them with their fourth and fifth wicket stands of 55 off 40 balls and 40 off 23, respectively.Gurbaz got things underway with the first boundary: a massive six over long-off, off an Ngidi length ball. He followed it up with a cover drive for four, and then two pull shots off Burger short balls to race to go from 4 off the first 15 balls he faced to a run-a-ball 24.Fortuin was brought on in the powerplay and kept his end quiet but Burger’s insistence on using the short ball did not serve South Africa well early on. His first spell of five overs cost 32 runs. He was replaced by Peter, whose first over was tight. He gave away a boundary in each of his next two before Markam took over. Markram got the first wicket when he beat Hassan’s inside-edge and hit him on the pad above the knee roll.Rashid Khan appeals for a wicket•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Gurbaz quietened down for a couple of overs but when Wiaan Mulder was brought on in the 21st over, he could not resist a charge down. He hit Mulder over long-on for his second six. What followed was an electric display of shots from both Gurbaz and Rahmat in a stand that seemed to drain South Africa. Rahmat reverse paddled Markam to third and flicked Mulder fine for four, Gurbaz lofted Peter over mid-off, mid-wicket and swept Fortuin to deep backward square to edge towards 90.Then, the nerves kicked in. He spent 18 deliveries in the 90s and seven of those on 99, including a maiden over from Fortuin, as he inched towards his milestone. He got there when he swept Markram behind square leg and his response was as emotive as they come. Gurbaz dropped his bat and then himself to his knees in sajdah, and then composed himself to create a heart-shape with his hands and blow a kiss to the changeroom and a spirited Sharjah crowd. However, in the next over, he swung at a Burger ball, missed and was bowled to end an exceptional knock. This is also the third successive year in which Gurbaz has scored two hundreds. With this knock, Gurbaz has most ODI hundreds for Afghanistan, surpassing Mohammad Shahzad (6).Afghanistan’s 200 was up after 36 overs, and they would have been eyeing a total in excess of 300. Peter made it difficult for them before the last ten overs and picked up his first ODI wicket when he dragged his length back as Rahmat advanced on him, and had Rahmat stumped on 50.Omarzai’s intent in the final period was clear when he hit Mulder over long-off for six two balls into the last 10. He sent Peter in the same area twice, and then hit him over mid-wicket for his fourth six and the shot that brought up his half-century, off 32 balls. Mohammad Nabi was little more than a spectator in the 55-run stand with Omarzai but when he tried to smash an Ngidi slower ball, he skied to Bavuma to depart for 13.That brought Rashid to the crease and he was in immediate trouble, albeit not caused by the bowlers. He hit Ngidi to sweeper cover and ran two but pulled up at the end of the second run with what looked like a hamstring concern. He received treatment on the field, skied the next ball he faced, which Peter couldn’t get to, and then held his hamstring again. Rashid stayed with Omarzai as he took Afghanistan over 300, and any problems he had with his fitness did not show in the field.South Africa’s chase got underway steadily with returning captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi’s opening stand of 73 in 14 overs. But Bavuma’s dismissal and then Rashid’s introduction into the attack sparked an almighty collapse. Bavuma top-edged a pull off an Omarzai short ball and the high catch was well judged by Mohammed Nabi. Bavuma departed before he even had a chance to face Rashid, who was given the ball in the 18th over and caused problems with his first ball which teased Reeza Hendricks’ outside edge. Four balls later, de Zorzi tried to drive Rashid through the covers but edged to Ikram Alikhil.Stunned by spin, South Africa went into their shell and scored only 11 runs in the next four overs as pressure built. When left-arm spinner Kharote was brought on in the 23rd over, Hendricks looked particularly out-of-sorts when he stayed back in his crease to play for turn and was bowled. In the next over, Tristan Stubbs was given out on review when he gloved a sweep off Rashid to Nabi at leg slip. Two balls later, Kyle Verreynne failed to pick the wrong ‘un and was out lbw and Markram was left with the lower-order. Mulder was Rashid’s fourth victim, beaten as he stayed back, and Fortuin was bowled by his counterpart Kharote off one that stayed low. At 112 for 7, there was no way back for South Africa.Rashid’s fifth came when he bowled Markram with a googly. Kharote took wickets either side of that to leave South Africa floored. They lost all ten wickets in the space of 20.3 overs.

Pakistan fast bowler will be available across formats from the end of May

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2025Hasan Ali, the Pakistan fast bowler, has agreed a return to Warwickshire to play all formats for the club in 2025. He is expected to be available from the start of the T20 Blast in May through to the end of September.Hasan, 30, has not played since suffering an elbow injury during his stint at Edgbaston last season, which ruled him out after taking 10 wickets in five Vitality Blast appearances. Surgery followed and he has been undergoing rehab overseen by both Warwickshire and Pakistan’s medical staff.”I said last year that Edgbaston felt like a second home to me…but it’s becoming more like a first home now,” he said. “I love playing for Warwickshire, playing for the Bears fans. And I hope they see by the way I play how much I want to win for this club.Related

• Mick Lewis joins Yorkshire as bowling coach

• Beau Webster to prepare for WTC final with Warwickshire stint

• English players want NOC clarity after signing PSL deals

• James Vince quits first-class cricket to take up PSL deal

“Being awarded my White Bear Cap in 2023 was among the proudest moments in my career and I want to make lots more special memories with the Bears next season.”Last year was unlucky with the injury. I felt I was bowling well and taking plenty of wickets in the Blast. But I’m back bowling 100 percent in training and focused on joining up with Warwickshire next season.”Hasan has taken 27 wickets in nine County Championship appearances for Warwickshire across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as well as 19 in the Blast.His availability was restricted last summer after a surprise late recall to Pakistan’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but Warwickshire’s head coach, Mark Robinson, said they had been in contact with the PCB about securing the player, who is no longer centrally contracted, for an unbroken spell.Robinson said: “His call-up last May came out of the blue and took Hasan away from our County Championship start. We’ve had reassurances this year from the PCB that Hasan will be able to focus on the Bears which is great news.”Obviously the contract comes with the caveat that Hasan continues making good progress on his post-op rehab and arrives to us fully fit.”Hasan is a heart-on-the-sleeve performer who always gives his all to the cause. He’s a proven wicket-taker at the highest level and was flying with us last season before the injury. He brings a real energy to the place, the dressing room and on the pitch and inspires everyone around him with his enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to welcoming him back into the Bears fold.”