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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.

Zimbabwe were bowled out for 196 in the warm-up game in Paarl, with Hamilton Masakadza top-scoring with 79

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2017
Getty Images

Dale Steyn endured a wicket-less return to first-class cricket, returning 0 for 16 from his 12 overs for the CSA Invitation XI against Zimbabwe in the first day Paarl. He did, however, come close twice: Solomon Mire nicked behind in the first over but was adjudged not out and Hamilton Masakadza, who went on to top-score for Zimbabwe with 79, was dropped at point in the fifth over on 1. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 196 on a 13-wicket day.Apart from Masakadza, no other batsman managed to go past 26 against a relatively inexperienced bowling attack. The Zimbabwe bowlers, however, fared much better, with Kyle Jarvis (2 for 15) and Chris Mpofu (1 for 0) picking up three wickets to leave the Invitation XI at 55 for 3 by close of play.For the Invitation XI, medium-pacers Lizaad Williams and Michael Cohen combined for six wickets, while legspinner Shaun von Berg claimed 3 for 64.

Jason Gillespie has stepped down at South Australia and the state needs to decide on their future structure

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Tim Paine would be “very interested” in putting his name forward to be Adelaide Strikers’ head coach if South Australia decide to split the state and BBL coaching roles following Jason Gillespie’s departure.There is a significant overhaul going on at South Australia this off-season with long-time general manager of high performance Tim Nielsen departing along with Gillespie. Luke Williams, who has become a sought-after coach in T20 leagues, has also stepped down as head coach of the women’s state team although will remain in charge of the WBBL side and has signed as an assistant coach in the BBL.Paine was an assistant coach with Strikers in last season’s BBL as they reached the Challenger final and is keen to progress his career but remained realistic about where he would stand.”Would I like to coach the Adelaide Strikers? Of course, I would,” Paine said on . “But at the moment, they have no GM of cricket and a number of other roles that need to be filled before any of that happens.”They need to decide with South Australia and the Strikers, do you go down the same model they’ve just had of one coach, in which case I cannot do it, [but] if they were to split the roles, I would be very interested certainly in having a crack at getting the job.””But I’ve been coaching for about six months and it’s a big job and I’d imagine it would get a lot of experienced coaches interested in that job as well. But I would love to go through the process because, one, it would be a great learning curve for me as a professional coach, to go through some sort of process would be awesome for my development, but like any coach of course you want to coach in the biggest leagues you can get in.”Paine added that it wasn’t the right time in his career to consider a combined state and BBL role as he would not want to move his family out of Tasmania. “If you are looking at a Big Bash job and state job, that is enormous,” he said.Currently, the four states with a single BBL team – South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia – have opted for a unified head coach across the state and BBL set-up. Brisbane Heat, the defending champions, are also in need of a new coach after Wade Seccombe stood down.

Here’s how the KKR players and coaches reacted after their IPL title win

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-20241:25

Moody: Gambhir has created stability and clarity for KKR

Andre Russell: “No words to explain right now. It means so much with all the fans that have been supporting us throughout the season. We are the players who go game after game and make sure that we get the job done. And it’s the first time we’re actually celebrating our victory and I think it’s the right moment. I’m happy that all of us, we are very disciplined and want the same goal. This franchise has done so much for me, with the fitness and everything. This is a big gift from all of us to them, so I’m happy.”Russell to Star Sports: “It’s my first final for KKR and to get three wickets as well, it means a lot to me and all the bowlers did their job. We keep it as simple as possible. In the first couple of overs we realised the wicket was on the slower side and we used the cutters well, we didn’t overuse it as well. We kind of mixed up the pace. I was happy with a 113 chase any day . I just mentioned to him [Mitchell Starc]. I said, ‘hey, big man, you saved the best for last’. And I’m happy with that because he started on the rough side and I kept feeling that he’s still a world-class bowler, he doesn’t take a few bad games to decide the destiny and I’m happy that he bowled that jaffa to that guy [Abhishek Sharma] and then we’re on our way.Related

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“GG [Gautam Gambhir] has not just been a mentor, he’s been a leader in every department for us, and I think that’s what was key to our success. He made sure that every batter and every bowler was playing their part and GG is just an amazing guy to be in any set-up. The support staff always gave us what we wanted, made sure that we were satisfied leaving the nets and everything played a big part leading up to this championship. GG coming back, winning the IPL, amazing support staff, you don’t need anything more than that.”Varun Chakravarthy: “All I can think of right now is the person who’s built this Indian core. Obviously the international players have been doing very well always, but the main guy behind this is Mr Abhishek Nayar.”Varun to Star Sports: “It’s a result of hard work. Credit goes to two main people, Dinesh Karthik and Abhishek Nayar. They are the guys who set the Indian core about five years back and that’s bearing fruits now. You can bowl at any other ground if you’ve bowled at Eden Gardens. It’s such a small ground, smaller than the TNPL grounds.”It went great bowling with Sunil Narine. We spoke a lot. We lost to Punjab Kings earlier in the season. Gautam then told us: ‘This is the loss that’s going to make us win the final’. And that’s what happened now. That Punjab match was the turning point for us. After we gave away 260-plus runs, Shah Rukh Khan [team owner] told me not to expect any magic ball. He said, ‘Just focus on your basics and that’ll bring you magic; don’t run behind the magic’.”Abhishek Nayar, assistant coach: “It means everything. It has taken a very long time. Personally, I started playing IPL in the first season. It’s taken me 16 years before I got my championship, but I’m really happy for the boys. It’s been five-six years. I can’t express how happy I am. Can’t express it, with the big man [Russell] turning up as usual, but it’s the most surreal feeling that I’ve had in a very long time.”1:20

How dominant were KKR this season?

Venkatesh Iyer: “As Varun mentioned, credit has to go to Abhishek Nayar. You know certain things go unnoticed. I’ll make sure that they don’t go because that guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he’s been working for this franchise. And this one is for the fans who turned up in huge numbers year after year, waiting for ten years. We have some superstars in our team still we did not win, but kudos to the fans who came in regularly to cheer and support us, this is for them.”Nitish Rana: “When Gautam Gambhir was signed as our mentor, I had congratulated him on WhatsApp. I wrote a long message to him and he thanked me, but he also said he’ll be the happiest when we’ll lift the trophy at the podium. Today is that day and I’ll remember that message forever.”Bharat Arun, bowling coach: “I think it’s been pretty tough last two years. It was touch and go, we didn’t qualify and there’s been a lot of introspection and we did find out what are the areas we really need to work on. We did exactly that. I think Mitch [Starc] coming into the team boosted the confidence of the other youngsters in the side. Mitch is probably one of the best bowlers in world cricket and he’s been in similar situations many times. I think it’s just about Mitch discovering what his strengths are and how the Indian conditions would suit him. Once he understood that, it’s magic all over.””They [Narine and Varun] have been outstanding. Not often you come across spinners who are experienced. Spinners mature with age and so Sunny [Narine] with his experience and also Varun has been in the IPL for four to five years – both bowling in tandem has worked exceptionally well for us. He [Narine] has brought a totally different dimension to our batting this year. I thought it was Gautam who insisted that Sunny opens and that was a move that really paid off. What Sunny did was outstanding.”

Roshan Ranasinghe was removed from his post by Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Nov-2023The Sri Lanka sports minister who sought to sack the SLC board and install an interim committee has himself been sacked by the country’s president, on Monday. Roshan Ranasinghe’s ouster may ease the lifting of Sri Lanka Cricket’s suspension by the ICC, though it is not a certainty.SLC had beseeched the “top level” of Sri Lankan government to provide guarantees that there would be no further political interference in cricket administration in the country. Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe has not provided such a guarantee thus far, but his sacking of Ranasinghe could be an indication that he wishes the government as a whole to back off. In any case, it was Ranasinghe who most energetically sought the sacking of SLC’s office bearers.Related

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However, Ranasinghe has not only been sacked as sports minister, but has also been removed as minister of youth affairs and minister of irrigation – the other portfolios he held. This was after he had made accusations against the president in parliament, earlier on Monday. There is a chance his sacking was not particularly motivated by SLC’s suspension by the ICC, which had taken place two weeks prior.In any case, the news of Ranasinghe’s ouster will be welcomed by SLC officials, who have feuded with the minister for about 12 months. In the press conferences that SLC held in the past two weeks, board president Shammi Silva delivered personal insults against Ranasinghe, as Ranasinghe had against him elsewhere.Ranasinghe had also repeatedly accused SLC of corruption and mismanagement. The interim committee he had installed – and which was ousted by Sri Lanka’s courts a day later – was headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, and also featured two sons of politicians with no known history of cricket administration.SLC is understood to have asked to be suspended by the ICC in order to put pressure on the sports minister that had temporarily sacked the cricket board. Because of SLC’s suspension, Sri Lanka lost hosting rights of the Under-19 men’s World Cup, which had been scheduled for January and February 2024.

The England batter picked up a ball that had stopped in the crease by his feet

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2024England batter Hamza Shaikh ensured his time at the Under-19 World Cup would not be forgotten when he was given out obstructed the field against Zimbabwe.In the 17th over, Shaikh defended a ball down by his feet and Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Ryan Kamwemba started to come from behind the stumps to collect it. Then, with the ball stationary in the crease, Shaikh bent down to pick it up to pass it back to the fielders, as is often seen from batters.Kamwemba and the bowler, Ryan Simbi, led the appeal and it was sent upstairs by on-field officials Donovan Koch and Masudur Rahman where third umpire Nigel Duguid gave it out.Previously it would have been handled the ball, but that mode of dismissal was combined with obstructed the field in 2017 with MCC saying they were effectively the same thing. The relevant Law, 37.4, reads: “Either batter is out Obstructing the field if, at any time while the ball is in play and, without the consent of a fielder, he/she uses the bat or any part of his/her person to return the ball to any fielder”.Unsurprisingly, there was reaction on social media. “Oh get a grip,” Stuart Broad posted on X. “He’s passing a stationary ball back to the fielder? Doing him a favour! Cant give that out.”Sam Billings retweeted a video of the dismissal, simply adding: “Wow.”Late last year Mushfiqur Rahim was given out obstructed the field in a Test against New Zealand when he punched a delivery away after defending it down into the crease.

Jadeja and Ashwin also scored fifties to take India past 400

Deivarayan Muthu21-Jul-20231:17

Dasgupta: Kohli wants to prove certain things to himself

Virat Kohli made his first away Test century in almost five years, and Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin helped themselves to half-centuries, as India piled up 438 in Port-of-Spain. In reply, West Indies started slowly but solidly, with captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul responsible for the hosts’ first half-century partnership in the series. But Jadeja struck 20 minutes before stumps to have Chanderpaul carving a catch to Ashwin. Brathwaite and debutant Kirk McKenzie, who is playing only his tenth first-class game, then safely negotiated a tricky passage of play, with West Indies still 352 runs behind.Earlier, Kohli looked like converting his hundred into a big one until Alzarri Joseph’s athletic intervention ran him out for 121. Jadeja looked set for a hundred of his own, but Kemar Roach removed him for 61. Both overnight batters fell in a space of six overs, but Ashwin marshalled the tail and pushed India towards 450.Related

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• Jadeja dismissal: right decision made despite DRS 'glitch'

The Queen’s Park Oval pitch – and the outfield – had slowed down even further on day two but that didn’t prevent Kohli from pinging the boundary with his punchy drives. One of those drives, which was crunched behind point off Shannon Gabriel, brought Kohli his 76th hundred in his 500th international match. Three balls later, Jadeja reached his fifty and celebrated it with his signature sword dance.Another Kohli drive, this time off Jason Holder in the 92nd over, was among the contenders for the shot of the match. When Holder served up a half-volley on the stumps, Kohli had originally shaped to flick it away through midwicket, but he ended up half-flicking and half-driving it past mid-off with great authority. There was another drive that he drilled so straight that it knocked out the middle stump at the non-striker’s end.R Ashwin plays a ramp shot on his way to a half-century•AFP/Getty Images

Jadeja was more circumspect, but he combined well with Kohli to steal singles and doubles from right under the noses of the West Indian fielders. However, the 159-run fifth-wicket stand ended when an uncharacteristic moment of hesitation between the wickets resulted in Kohli getting run out. Joseph swooped on the ball from square leg and capitalised on the chance. Soon after, Roach dangled out a wide ball and had Jadeja edging a drive behind.Jadeja was originally given not out by the on-field umpire, but West Indies overturned the decision on review. The replay that came up, however, for the TV umpire was of a different ball. During the tea analysis show, the broadcast commentators clarified that the correct decision was made despite the “glitch”.Kishan, who had spent 19 balls on zero on Test debut in Dominica, started with more attacking intent in Port-of-Spain, advancing at left-arm fingerspinner Jomel Warrican and flaying the ball past him for four. After lunch, Kishan got a life when McKenzie dropped him after mistiming his jump at short midwicket. That error cost West Indies only four runs as Holder had Kishan wafting behind the very next ball for 25.Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul added 71 for the first wicket•AFP/Getty Images

After Ashwin had bedded in with back-to-back drives off Gabriel, West Indies’ quicks peppered him with short balls. But Ashwin used the bounce to his advantage and created scoring opportunities. When Roach kept banging it short – but not short enough – outside off, Ashwin leant back and ramped him over slip for a pair of fours. He then brought up his fifty with a slapped four off a similar short ball from Roach. With No. 11 Mukesh Kumar for company, Ashwin backed away and tried to rustle up more boundaries, but Roach knocked him over with his slower variation. Roach and Warrican finished with three wickets each before West Indies’ openers settled in.Chanderpaul, in particular, had to grind for his runs in the early exchanges. He took 58 balls to score his first boundary and move into double figures. When Ashwin erred down the leg side, Chanderpaul put him away with the sweep. He then countered Mohammed Siraj’s bouncers with the hook.Both Chanderpaul and Brathwaite were happy to leave anything wide of off stump on a track that didn’t offer much assistance to seamers or spinners. Brathwaite had glanced Siraj and whipped Jadeja for fours but wasn’t as assured against Ashwin who got one to drift past his outside edge from over the wicket.It was Jadeja who produced the breakthrough in the 35th over. After bowling 36 balls on the trot to Brathwaite, Jadeja had a crack at Chanderpaul and with his second ball to the left-hander, he drew a thick edge that looped to backward point. McKenzie announced himself in Test cricket with a six down the ground off Ashwin and then caressed Jadeja through extra cover for four to help West Indies end the day in a confident manner.

‘He is not new to us. Yes, he’s bowling quickly, but there’s nothing we’re not accustomed to’ – Floyd Reifer

Andrew Miller10-Jun-2019As if Friday’s fixture in Southampton was not tantalising enough, there will be an extra piquancy in England and West Indies’ World Cup match-up, given the reunion between Jofra Archer and the team for whom he might already have been a mainstay.The Barbados-born Archer, 24, has been one of the stars of the tournament to date, having qualified to play for England in April after the ECB chose late last year to reduce its residency period from seven years to three.And though he is hardly an unknown quantity on account of his exploits in T20 leagues around the world, he’s undoubtedly benefited in some of his early outings from a certain surprise factor – not least his ability to bowl in excess of 90mph from an ambling run-up that scarcely requires him to break sweat.But according to Floyd Reifer, West Indies’ head coach and fellow Bajan, there will be nothing about Archer that can take his players by surprise on Friday – and he should know, having played alongside him in club cricket while he was still a West Indies youth prospect.”To be honest, we knew Jofra for a long time,” said Reifer. “He is from Barbados, where we are from. We knew him from the U15s, U17s, U19s so he is not new to us. Yes, he’s bowling quickly, but there’s nothing that we are not accustomed to. We are looking forward to the challenge. So we will see how it goes on Friday.”Jofra Archer bowled with venom, picking up three key wickets•Getty Images

In a tournament that has already featured some tantalising match-ups, the expectations around Friday’s game have been heightened by the extraordinary feast of attacking batting and fierce quick bowling that lit up the team’s 2-2 series draw in the Caribbean earlier this year.In a see-saw series, England appeared to have struck a decisive blow in posting a hefty 418 for 6 in the fourth match in Grenada, a match in which Jos Buttler cracked a remarkable 150 from 77 balls.But their thunder was stolen in the series decider in St Kitts, where Chris Gayle set a personal seal on a brilliant campaign with 77 from 27 balls, after Oshane Thomas had bombed England out for 113 with figures of 5 for 21. And with a further trial by pace in prospect on Friday, England will doubtless be grateful to have their own spearhead to return the compliment to their opponents.”We are entertainers,” said Reifer. “We are here to entertain so the players come out and entertain us. But yes, we will have a good game. I’m sure Jofra will be chomping at the bit to come at us and we will be ready for him.”Archer’s decision to abandon his aspirations to play for West Indies came after he was overlooked for the Under-19 World Cup in 2014. Instead, he followed the advice of his friend and fellow Bajan-turned-England international, Chris Jordan, and took advantage of his British passport to forge a new career at Sussex. The rest, as they say, is history.Asked if he was disappointed that Archer would be playing against, rather than for, his team on Friday, Reifer laughed and said: “He made his choice.””Jofra is a tremendous talent, we all know that. Like I said, we are looking forward to the game on Friday.”He obviously had the pace [to play international cricket]. He had a few injuries as a young guy. But I’m guessing though he’s fully over those injuries and he is bowling very well for England.”West Indies’ own fast-bowling stocks were depleted for the South Africa game with the absence of Andre Russell, who has been managing a knee problem since the start of the tournament. But Reifer said that his non-selection had merely been a precaution, given the length of the tournament and his importance to the cause.”Yes, Andre will be fit enough for the game on Friday,” he said. “The game against England is a big game for us. We are looking forward to that game. Looking at the weather forecast, it was 90 percent rain today and they had rain over the last couple of days here as well. So it is just a precautionary measure where we are kind of wrapping him in cotton wool.”

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

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“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.”

Whittam oversees a new body which will take over duties from the Cricket Discipline Commission

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2024Richard Whittam KC has been appointed chair of the Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP), a new independent tribunal which will take over from the Cricket Discipline Commission as the body to hear and adjudicate on regulatory breaches in English professional cricket and subsequent sanctions handed out.Whittam’s appointment, made by the ECB board for a four-year term, comes after an open recruitment process. The 64-year-old is a specialist regulatory and criminal barrister with a background in sport.After serving as a deputy high court judge between 2016 and 2022, Whittam was appointed as the Rugby Football Union’s Head of Independent Judiciary last year. He has chaired discipline, safeguarding and appeal panels in rugby union since 2014. Whittam is also a member of the Word Rugby and European Professional Club Rugby Judicial Panels.Whittam will be responsible for presiding over specific disciplinary cases, and appointing the other members of the CDP who possess an appropriate range of skills and diversity. Once they are in place, the panel will begin considering cases, taking over this role from the current CDC, which is chaired by Tim O’Gorman.The CDP’s function will be to consider cases brought before it by the Cricket Regulator, the body responsible for monitoring compliance with and enforcement of adherence to the game’s regulations on behalf of the ECB. Formed in 2023, the Cricket Regulator was a key recommendation from a damning report published by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) in June of that year, detailing structural inequalities across race, gender and class in cricket in England and Wales.The majority of cases brought to the panel will relate to breaches of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations, but will also include other regulations such as the Anti-Corruption code, Player and Match Officials’ Minimum Standards, Cricket Playing Conditions, Bowling Review Regulations, Pitch Regulations and Head Protector Regulations.Speaking on his appointment, Whittam said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this important role. It is vital to the integrity of cricket that the sport’s rules and regulations are upheld. As the first Chair of the CDP I look forward to getting the Panel up and running and ensuring that cases are dealt with promptly, in a fair, thorough and transparent manner.”ECB chair Richard Thompson said: “The independent Cricket Discipline Panel will play an important role in enforcing cricket’s regulations and dealing with any misconduct and regulatory breaches. Richard Whittam KC has an impressive background in law and sports discipline which makes him the ideal person to chair the Panel.”I’d like to pass on my sincere thanks to Tim O’Gorman and all the panel members from the Cricket Discipline Commission for the service they have given the game over many years. They have performed an important duty in enforcing cricket’s regulations, and I’m grateful for their continued service while the new Cricket Discipline Panel members are recruited.”