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Who between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will make the occasion their own?

Osman Samiuddin23-Jun-2021

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Given how unlikely it looked at various stages over the last few months, just to be at this stage now, the final of the sixth season of the PSL between the Multan Sultans and the Peshawar Zalmi, is a bit of a triumph.Not only did a resumption of the season look a distant prospect in the days right after it was disrupted, even until the final few days before the resumption there were moments when it was off one minute, on the next. It could have moved to Dubai and Sharjah; there was prolonged confusion over when – and even which – players could get into Abu Dhabi; there was concern over arrivals on different dates from different countries impacting quarantine periods; at one stage, with the prospect of production crews not being allowed from India and South Africa, the whole thing could have been off.There wasn’t a definite start and end date until June 3 when the PCB released a schedule announcing June 9 as the start. Limited player-availability and the fact that this would be played in peak summer in what is, essentially, a hyper-developed desert seemed the least of it. As an exercise in logistics, only the organising of a Pakistani wedding could ever have given organisers headaches like this.So, in the short but already tumultuous history of the PSL, it matters less who wins on Thursday evening than that it is happening at all. Except, of course, this is not how sportsmen think. They don’t much care for the improbability of an occasion happening as much as making that occasion theirs.Related

• Wahab: 'All the pressure has been absorbed'

• Shahnawaz Dahani – the pace bowler with the smile

The Sultans have been the most successful team in this Abu Dhabi leg, winning five of six games. Mohammad Rizwan’s leadership has done nothing to dampen the curiosity of that minority which wonders whether he should be Pakistan captain; a rivalry-that-isn’t with Babar Azam enhanced by the two opening together for Pakistan and being one and two on the run charts this season.And though Rizwan hasn’t been as prolific in this leg as he was in Karachi, he’s been able to fall back on the unlikely resurgence of Sohaib Maqsood, now available in fetching power-hitting colours. Maqsood is third top-scorer this season, but more (ahem!) striking is the strike rate of 152.52, behind only Colin Munro among the top-ten run-scorers.Otherwise, in the field, and everywhere, has been Shahnawaz Dahani, currently the most vibing cricketer on earth. His primary superpower is enough good vibes to end all hate, but handily he’s a quick learner who bowls mean, hard lengths at 140kph-plus.By contrast, the Zalmi are not as well-oiled – no coding system for bowlers here – and their form in Abu Dhabi has wavered more. No one man stands out for them either, though honourable mentions for Sherfane Rutherford and the endurance of Shoaib Malik. The latter is now in his fourth decade of top-level cricket and, given circumstances and history, only a fool would rule out an umpteenth Pakistan comeback.Hazratullah Zazai has turbo-boosted their starts by such a magnitude that they have managed to bring Imam-ul-Haq into the XI instead of Haider Ali. Ordinarily, that would go against T20 thinking, yet here somehow it hasn’t mattered. Neither has it that Mohammad Irfan is now 39. He is ageing, but it’s not like he’s getting shorter so all those challenges for a batter remain.The unmistakable sense is that the whole has worked better than its parts which, if you think about it, is entirely appropriate for a side led by Wahab Riaz. The totality of Riaz, the athleticism, the hitting, the pace, the effort, has always been worth more than any individual attribute. He’s still taking wickets (only Dahani has more this season), still pulling off the occasional stunning catch, and still swinging his bat every bit as hard as a strike rate of 188.57 suggests. For all the new stars the PSL has come to be identified with over six seasons, it is still Riaz who represents something of the beating heart of it.

Form guide

Peshawar Zalmi: W W L W LMultan Sultans: W L W W WMohammad Irfan should be back to full fitness for the final•Pakistan Super League

In the spotlight

As unlikely as Maqsood but lesser noted has been Imran Khan’s impact for the Sultans. He’s rarely been thought of as a bowler for the format – he’d only played one game in the PSL before this season. But, in very Umar Gul ways, he’s become their joint-second highest wicket-taker.How’s this for impact? Jonathan Wells came out of quarantine on June 20, he had a special net session on Tuesday and then turned up for his first game for the Zalmi in the evening. He was overshadowed by Zazai but his unbeaten 55 was every bit as crucial in calming nerves in the chase.

Pitch and conditions

A wild guess: it will be hot.Abu Dhabi’s pitches, on the other hand, have not been so predictable and a bit of everything has been on display during the last fortnight. Some new-ball swing, turn, reverse, 200+ totals, sub-100 totals; unlike the Karachi leg it isn’t so easy to win the toss and chase.

Team news

Mohammad Irfan, whose leg injury sparked a bit of controversy in the win over the Islamabad United, is better and likely to play.Peshawar Zalmi: Hazratullah Zazai, Kamran Akmal (wk), Jonathan Wells, Shoaib Malik, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Amad Butt, Wahab Riaz (capt), Umaid Asif, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Imran.Multan Sultans: Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (capt & wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Roussouw, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Blessing Muzarabani, Imran Khan, Shahnawaz Dahani.

Quotes

“We have played so well and we have played as a team. The best thing from the first leg was that throughout we never blamed anyone for a mistake. This is a team where every individual has a very important role, in the XI or the ones sitting outside. Our morale and momentum is high.”“We looked like a team that would be eliminated, but we really stuck together. People will single certain people out but I’d like to praise the guys as a group. We didn’t quite play as badly in Karachi, and lost a few tight games, but we have executed our plans perfectly here.”

Half-centuries for both openers as well as captain Joe Root underpin solid start to tour

Cameron Ponsonby01-Mar-2022A glimpse of the future? Or another false dawn? At the close of play on day one of England’s warm-up against the CWI President’s XI, the card read 251 for 4. But crucially, next to the names of England’s latest opening pair, runs.Alex Lees, 65 off 214, and Zak Crawley, 62 off 104. A Tale of Two Sixties to lead England into their spring of hope after suffering a winter of despair. There was also a half-century for the captain, Joe Root, as well as decent time in the middle for Dan Lawrence, handed an opportunity at No. 4. Ben Stokes fell cheaply but provided encouragement about his all-round fitness by bowling during the lunch interval.The new opening pair is one for the traditionalists. Two players of sound, orthodox technique, with one batter right-handed and one left. Aesthetically, it’s in stark contrast to what has come before and it will warm the hearts of all those who consider the MCC manual their holy book.Their first outing together produced a century stand. Crawley in particular looked in the type of touch that only he is able to produce. Blessed and cursed with the ability to make the game look easy, he raced ahead of Lees in the morning session to reach his half-century before lunch.”I felt in decent touch,” Crawley said at the close of play. “I was thankful to bat with a left-hander at the top. Sometimes you get a couple of loose ones.”I think it does help [having a left-right combination]. You get a few more balls on your legs or a bit wider if they’ve been bowling at the lefty for a little bit. Leesy puts them under pressure a little bit in slightly different ways to what I do so it works quite well.”If Crawley’s sixty was one reached at a canter, Lees’ came at a leisurely stroll. Both were as in control of their game as the other.”I’ve always rated Alex,” Crawley said. “Always thought he was a really good player. He’s got a great temperament for this level, doesn’t seem like much fazes him. He’s really good to bat with in the middle, really calm and up for quite a chilled atmosphere. I think he’ll do well at this level.”It was a sentiment that rang true on the evidence of the day’s play. Even when Lees was only on one run off his first 36 deliveries he appeared in total control. He was a man very calmly walking up the wrong side of an escalator. Completely comfortable. Just not going anywhere.Lees’ lack of movement on the scoreboard was also extended to his trigger. Or more to the point, his lack of one. Lees’ doesn’t trigger. At all. He is completely still upon delivery aside from his bat gently wafting in the air. It is serenity where England fans have been trained to expect carnage.But that’s not to say that Lees doesn’t have any of his own quirks too. Before each delivery he turns his head to have a long look at his bat to check all is well and aligned before returning his attention to the bowler. What a beautifully normal thing to do. Crack on, Alex.Of course, Rory Burns did exactly the same thing. But instead of turning his head left and looking at his bat, he turned it right and looked at midwicket. For this quirk, and others, Burns was deemed beyond the pale.That’s not to criticise or undermine Lees. He batted very well in his first appearance in an England shirt and deserves praise for it. But a reminder that our praise should be reserved for the result and not the process. If Crawley and Lees turns out to be the answer to England’s opening woes, it will be because of how many runs they score. And not how they get them.

Could England breach 500? With Jos Buttler in world-beating mood, more carnage is on the cards

Alan Gardner18-Jun-2022

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Well, how do you follow that? The logical answer – if logic has anything to do with what happened in Amstelveen on Friday – is that England will aim to top 500. And on the back of a record-breaking display, headlined by Jos Buttler’s berserker 162 off 70 balls, few would bet against them racking up a similar score in the event that they again bat first.There was an element of Stick Cricket about the way Buttler dismantled the Dutch, sixes punched into the trees around the ground as if casually tapping away at a keyboard. If only office work was this fun.Coming off the back of a prolific IPL, and given licence to unleash at No. 4, it was easy to see why he was described by Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, as “the best white-ball cricketer in the world at the moment”.Related

• Phil Salt on fast track behind trailblazer Jason Roy

• Unburdened, unshackled, unbelievable: Buttler channels AB de Villiers

• Eoin Morgan: Jos Buttler is in a 'world of his own'

England’s white-ball revolution is now so deeply seeded within the ranks of the domestic game that the two men who joined Buttler in reaching three figures were both doing so for the first time in ODIs. Dawid Malan has long been involved across formats, of course – and became only the second England men’s player to score hundreds in all three – but Phil Salt was making just his fourth appearance, and did a decent Jonny-Bairstow-impression at the top of the order.Liam Livingstone’s 17-ball fifty, meanwhile, was his first in ODIs, as well as another England record. Those involved in the Test squad – including Bairstow, Joe Root and the captain, Ben Stokes – won’t be worrying about their places in the pecking order yet, but it serves as a reminder of the depth available to England in white-ball cricket. (As did another record total in the Blast later on Friday.)To be fair to Netherlands, aside from a couple of dropped catches that might have stalled England’s rampage, they did not do too much wrong. Although the captain, Pieter Seelaar, may not opt to insert the visitors again. “Getting Jason Roy out was a good moment,” he laughed afterwards, recalling the early dismissal that left England 1 for 1 in the second over. All bar one of the 26 sixes hit (another record) cleared the boundary-riders comfortably.In the face of such an unprecedented chase, Netherlands did well to bat through the overs, bar two balls, and make sure that the margin defeat was not similarly record-breaking.Without some of their best players, who have opted to remain playing in county cricket, there was clearly a gulf in talent. But the core of this Netherlands side – players such as Seelaar, Max O’Dowd, Tom Cooper, Scott Edwards and Logan van Beek – have plenty of experience at bouncing back from adversity. “This will make us better cricketers in the future,” Seelaar added, and the Dutch will be hoping to prove that straight away.Max O’Dowd has become a banker at the top of the order, averaging 45.61 in ODIs•ICC via Getty

Form guide

Netherlands: LLLLL
England: WWWWW

In the spotlight

Despite the carnage visited upon the VRA ground by England’s batters, it was a Netherlands player who landed the KNVB with a repair bill for smashing a window pane to go with the estimated €1,000 hit for lost balls. Max O’Dowd gave a glimpse of his range during a run-a-ball 55, which included some Shane Watson-esque clumping down the ground. The Auckland-born opener has become a banker at the top of the order, averaging 45.61 in ODIs. He is also the only man to have scored a T20I hundred for Netherlands – and might need to tap into that mindset if England are going to be challenged.Centre stage. Name in lights. Place booked in the hall of fame. Jos Buttler will have harder day’s work, but there is no doubting he is currently in his pomp as a white-ball batter. Without sounding like a broken record, there were several he narrowly missed out on – a 47-ball hundred was one slower than his best; getting to 150 in 65 balls was also a single delivery behind AB de Villiers; with 14 sixes, he was three short of the high-water mark in ODIs. But if England continue to deploy him at No. 4, having cottoned on to his brilliance, then there may be further chances to go above and beyond.

Team news

Netherlands seem likely to stick with the spin-heavy strategy, but could bring in either Tim Pringle – the slow left-armer whose dad Chris played for New Zealand – or 19-year-old legspinner Shariz Ahmad. If keeps his spot, it will be an important test of character for Philippe Boissevain, who conceded 108 from his ten overs.Netherlands (possible): 1 Vikramjit Singh, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Musa Ahmed, 4 Tom Cooper, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (wk), 7 Pieter Seelaar (capt), 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Shane Snater, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Philippe Boissevain/Tim Pringle.Brydon Carse might come on if Sam Curran is given rest•Getty Images

Morgan is usually reluctant to rotate for the sake of it, and has previously suggested he will try to play all three games despite recent injury problems. Sam Curran, who bowled nine overs on Friday, is perhaps likeliest to get a rest, with Brydon Carse primed to come in and offer some right-arm variation to the seam-bowling department.England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Brydon Carse/Sam Curran, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

As evidenced by England’s world-record 26 sixes, the Amstelveen boundaries are eminently clearable – although the same pitch will be used as for Friday’s run-fest, which might slow down some of the scoring. An even bigger crowd is expected, but they may also have to contend with some rain interrupting proceedings.

Stats and trivia

• England’s 498 for 4 was a new high in ODIs (you may have heard). They are now responsible for the top three scores in the format. England also became only the second team to have three centurions in an innings after South Africa, who have done so twice.
• Amstelveen has regained the record for the highest ODI total, which it previously held for Sri Lanka’s 443 for 9 against Netherlands in 2006, before England twice eclipsed that score at Trent Bridge.
• During the course of the destruction, Buttler became the tenth Englishman to 4000 ODI runs.
• Roy is set to play his 100th ODI. Cooper needs one more run for 1000 in ODIs.
• Two Netherlands milestones are in sight for Seelaar. His 58th cap will draw him level with Peter Borren for most appearances; and he needs one more wicket to replace Mudassar Bukhari as Netherlands’ leading bowler in ODIs.

Quotes

“You can’t drop the best batsman in the world twice in one over. Phil Salt was [also] dropped on 30 or 40. I’m not going to say it would be a completely different game, but you probably won’t be looking at 498.”
“We don’t take days like this for granted at all. We earned the right to give it a nudge today, that doesn’t mean that on Sunday or Wednesday we’ll not be up against it. We’ve worked incredibly hard to earn days like today.”

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.”

Seamer’s six gives Worcestershire the edge, leading by eight with seven second innings wickets to take

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Worcestershire all-rounder Tom Taylor produced a deadly spell with the ball on his way to career-best figures as Warwickshire were forced to follow on in the Vitality County Championship derby at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Taylor picked up five wickets in six overs this morning as Warwickshire were bowled out for 128 in 42.2 overs in their first innings. The 29-year-old finished with 6 for 28 as he surpassed his best figures of 6 for 47 for Leicestershire against Sussex at Hove in April 2019. His morning analysis was 5 for 6 from five overs and Warwickshire lost six wickets for 16 in 9.2 overs after resuming on 112 for 4.Taylor added one more in Warwickshire’s second innings when they followed on 179 runs in arrears to take his tally to 23 wickets in five Championship games for Worcestershire.The visitors provided sterner opposition the second time around, with captain Alex Davies and Will Rhodes both hitting half-centuries. But Matthew Waite, Ethan Brookes and that man Taylor picked up a wicket apiece to leave Warwickshire still eight runs in arrears.Warwickshire resumed 195 in arrears but were quickly plunged into trouble by Taylor’s dynamic wickets burst. The pace bowler had deserved a greater reward than one wicket for his efforts on the second day but quickly made an impact on the third morning.His second delivery accounted for Hamza Shaikh who pushed forward and was taken by keeper Gareth Roderick away to his right. Michael Burgess fenced at a Taylor delivery and Brookes held onto the chance at second slip.Taylor then struck with the first two deliveries of his third over of the morning to complete his five-for. Danny Briggs was LBW after attempting to work to leg and then Michael Rae was beaten all ends up and bowled. Taylor then had figures for 5 for 27 and had taken four wickets in the space of 13 balls.Oliver Hannon-Dalby was yorked by Taylor to complete his career-best performance, and then Logan van Beek wrapped up the innings as Ed Barnard holed out to club captain Brett D’Oliveira at deep midwicket.D’Oliveira enforced the follow on with van Beek and Matthew Waite sharing the new ball. Waite picked up the wicket in his first over of Rob Yates who was beaten by an in-swinging delivery and plumb LBW.There was still enough in the pitch to encourage the seam bowlers but Alex Davies, who yesterday became the first player to score 1,000 Division One runs this summer, and Will Rhodes provided determined resistance.Young pace bowler Jack Home was on the receiving end of some fine stroke-play from Davies, conceding three successive fours to the Warwickshire captain during a spell costing 41 runs. Davies completed a 73-ball half century with nine fours and a six and also brought up the 100 in the 27th over.The century partnership spanned 162 deliveries and was worth 115 in total when Ethan Brookes accounted for Davies in similar fashion to the first innings. Davies tried to steer the ball square on the offside but it nipped back sharply and he only succeeded in playing onto his stumps for the second time in the gameBrookes delivered an excellent post-lunch spell of 1 for 5 from seven overs, including four maidens, before Rhodes brought up his half-century from 117 balls with seven boundaries.But Taylor came back into the attack after tea and his fourth delivery accounted for Sam Hain, who aimed a blow to the on side and was leg before to a full length ball shortly before the heavens opened.

All the matches will be played in East London before the teams go to the World Cup, starting eight days after the tri-series final

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2022South Africa will host India and West Indies in East London for a triangular T20I series in January-February next year in the build-up to the women’s T20 World Cup 2023, which will be held in South Africa soon after, in February.

Schedule

Jan 19: South Africa vs India
Jan 21: South Africa vs West Indies
Jan 23: India vs West Indies
Jan 25: South Africa vs West Indies
Jan 28: South Africa vs India
Jan 30: India vs West Indies
Feb 2: Final

The three teams will play each other twice in the round-robin stage, before the top two teams play the final on February 2, after which there will be a short gap before the World Cup kicks off on February 10. The World Cup will run till February 26, with the matches played in Cape Town, Gqeberha and Paarl.”These two sides [India and West Indies] are up there with the most talented and entertaining nations in women’s T20 cricket, having featured in two of the last four finals, with the West Indies lifting the trophy in 2016,” Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s director of cricket, said in a statement. “This will give the Momentum Proteas a highly competitive build-up to the ultimate prize of the T20 World Cup.”At the World Cup, South Africa have been placed in Group A alongside favourites Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. India and West Indies are in Group B with England, Ireland and Pakistan.Australia have won five of the seven editions of the World Cup so far, with England and West Indies winning once each. South Africa have never reached the title round, while India got to the final for the first time in the previous edition, in 2020 in Australia, where Australia beat them by 85 runs at the MCG.

Coetzee and Maharaj restricted Afghanistan to 244 after Omarzai waged a lone fight with 97* earlier in the day

Sreshth Shah10-Nov-20231:57

Harmison: Gerald Coetzee’s character and attitude key for winning semi-final

A 62-ball partnership of 65 between Rassie van der Dussen and Andile Phehlukwayo shepherded South Africa to a win against Afghanistan in their last league-stage game of the 2023 ODI World Cup, ensuring they didn’t stutter in a tricky chase before their semi-final against Australia.Phehlukwayo came in as the No. 7 with South Africa needing 63 but with Afghanistan’s spinners then possessing the game’s momentum. Phehlukwayo finished the game with 6, 4, 6 to finish unbeaten on 39 while van der Dussen controlled the chase with his 95-ball 76*.In the afternoon, Gerald Coetzee (4-44) and Keshav Maharaj (2-25) had ensured Afghanistan could only make 244 in 50 overs. In fact, the target could’ve been much less had it not been for Azmatullah Omarzai’s unbeaten 97 that expertly held the crumbling Afghanistan innings together.Related

• Mature Afghanistan leave with immense pride after statement World Cup campaign

• Temba Bavuma hamstring injury gives South Africa cause for concern ahead of semi-final

“We fought right till the last moment”, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said after their defeat, and that summed up their bowling effort too. They came back superbly after South Africa’s openers put on 64 for the first wicket but Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s wicket of Temba Bavuma (23) and Mohammad Nabi’s wicket of Quinton de Kock (41) in quick succession applied pressure on South Africa.Led by Rashid Khan’s penetrative and troubling spell of 2 for 37, Afghanistan also picked off Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller without the trio doing much damage, and when Phehlukwayo – playing his first game of the World Cup – joined van der Dussen, it seemed like Afghanistan were one more wicket away from exposing the lower order. That didn’t happen, and South Africa brushed aside any lingering doubts about their chasing capabilities.For van der Dussen, the Player of the Match, his unbeaten innings of 76 was his fourth fifty-plus score of the World Cup. He walked in at 64 for 1, and clinically rotated the strike early on. In all, he scored 38 runs off singles and four off twos in his 95-ball innings – once every 2.26 deliveries.Rassie van der Dussen attempts a reverse sweep•AFP/Getty Images

That helped him stay on top of the Afghan spinners through the middle overs, and when Noor Ahmad or Mujeeb erred, he punished them to keep South Africa’s score moving. His stability at one end ensured South Africa were never behind in the game even when wickets fell regularly, and he was strong behind square, hitting five of his six fours between deep third and deep backward square leg.Earlier in the day, Afghanistan opted to bat first knowing they needed an improbably 438-run victory to move to fourth on the points table. The opening stand blossomed briefly, but two consecutive wicket-maiden overs bowled by Maharaj and Coetzee sent both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran back before the powerplay ended. Maharaj then prised out Shahidi to reduce Afghanistan to 45 for 3 and went on to produce a miserly spell of 2 for 25 that included 41 dots and no boundaries.Coetzee brought the fire through the middle overs, giving a strong account of himself through the early middle overs when Lungi Ngidi was out with a hamstring issue. He would also get Ibrahim Alikhil and Noor caught behind, and also dismissed Mujeeb with a short ball to finish with 4 for 44. Rabada went wicketless but only conceded 40 in 10 overs while Ngidi’s two wickets kept Afghanistan in check even though he was expensive at the death.Afghanistan’s wrecker-in-chief, especially when it came to Ngidi, was Omarzai, who walked in at 45 for 3, but held fort even as wickets tumbled alongside him. In the company of Rashid and Noor, he dragged Afghanistan from 116 for 6 to 204 for 8 before a late assault took him rapidly towards a century. A tidy Rabada over ensured he would fall three runs short, however his innings of seven fours and three sixes ensured Afghanistan had a score they could possibly defend, even if it wasn’t to be in the end.Afghanistan finish the World Cup with their heads held high, winning four games in nine, and very nearly winning a fifth. This is their best-ever World Cup performance and they have also secured their place in the 2025 Champions Trophy. They are confirmed at least sixth place on the table. South Africa now have a rematch of the 1999 semi-final awaiting them in Kolkata, and if they win there, they’ll be back in Ahmedabad for the final on November 19.

Jonny Bairstow a bystander as Glamorgan seize control at Headingley

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-May-2023If you are going to send a message to your national selectors from the other side of the world, doing so when they are awake can be tough, particularly with 11am starts. Sometimes, though, a player nails their small window.By 12.28pm on Friday at Headingley, Michael Neser did just that with typical precision, completing a maiden hat-trick in first-class cricket. It was early enough to have decent cut-through back home in Australia. Early enough, even with the ten-hour difference, that perhaps an everyman like Australia chief selector George Bailey would have been aimlessly scrolling social media before bed when it dropped into the feeds. He might have still been taking it all in some 15 minutes later when Neser removed Jordan Thompson to claim career-best figures of 7 for 32.The Queensland seamer became only 11th Glamorgan cricketer to take a hat-trick, the ninth to do so in the County Championship and the first since Robert Croft in 2010. And the great thing for a player keen to make as much noise as possible right now is the racket such historical feats tend to make.Related

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Timing is everything, and few will appreciate that more than Neser, the 33-year-old alternate to a pace attack of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. The misfortune of vying for a starting spot among three modern-great quicks manifested itself in a 17-man squad list for the World Test Championship and first two Ashes Tests that did not bear his name.A spell of this ilk with 2023’s Dukes at one of the Ashes venues won’t hurt, and the speed of the exploits was as vital for trending across hemispheres as the match itself. Yorkshire’s last five wickets fell for just 16 runs inside 21 deliveries, with Glamorgan closing day two with a lead of 196 and eight second innings wickets remaining. Even with just 29.3 overs of play on day two, progress has been swift.Dawid Malan was the first of the hat-trick, building into his work before Neser trapped him on the crease from around the wicket. George Hill’s leave was understandable given the original line of the delivery was fifth stump before seaming in to clip the very top of off. The best of the three deliveries confirmed the hat-trick: swinging in absurdly late, gathering pace off the pitch to strike off stump once more – this time hard enough to crack the middle-and-off bail.In real time, you wondered why Dom Bess offered no shot considering Hill’s dismissal the ball before. And yet watching the replay – over and over and over again – you can understand why. Even given the end result, you wouldn’t leave the house if you lived your life worrying about deliveries that far wide.”Pretty stiff ball to face straight up,” Neser said, sympathies with Bess. Having tried to move the ball away from the right-handers, Neser decided to go the other way and found more than he was bargaining for. “Fortunately enough it worked,” he said, in a typically subdued manner.He was more engaging on his Test snub, which Bailey explained isn’t a snub. Given Neser is not part of the first-choice attack, it made sense to keep him playing competitive red-ball cricket instead of travelling around as a glorified net bowler, as Neser was during the 2019 series. The experience of that tour makes this decision a little more palatable, though the annoyance of having to wait a little longer to add to his two Test caps still has not worn off. Frightening from an English perspective, considering his talents and this performance after a winter of 40 Sheffield Shield wickets at 16.67 during Queensland’s 2022-23 campaign.”It’s disappointing not to be part of that squad, but I’ve got to look at the positives,” Neser said. “I’m playing cricket here, and if I do get called up I’ll get ready to go. Having matches under my belt is far more important than bowling overs in the nets and not playing any games. From a squad point of view, it’s probably best I’m playing games and being ready to go if the opportunity arises.”I know personally I like to be playing constantly. Having matches under the belt is probably the most important thing. You can be bowling fit doing that in the nets, but it doesn’t emulate what you do in the game. I feel like I’m in a good place physically and mentally, so we’ll wait and see.”All of this is music to Glamorgan’s ears, particularly with Marnus Labuschagne leaving in two rounds’ time. Replacing his runs will be hard enough, and he is currently in the process of following up 65 out of 245 in the first innings with what the visitors hope will be another vital contribution in the second.Michael Neser has two Test caps to his name•Getty Images

Wickets, though, are the real premium, underlining Neser’s value. His record stands at 72 dismissals at an average of 21.65 midway through his 17th match for the county, and it is no coincidence Glamorgan have only lost two of the previous 16.Even with the weather, a Glamorgan victory – a first of the season – seems the likeliest result. However, the presence of Jonny Bairstow gives a lowly Yorkshire team a sense of danger. Bairstow watched the Neser-induced carnage from the other end, and you could sense a growing sense of responsibility. A shame, then that he brought about the end of the innings: an attempt at keeping strike for the next over led to the run-out of a hobbling Ben Coad. Yorkshire were 106 all out, Bairstow unbeaten – and unsatisfied – on 20.”He looked like he was in good nick, too,” Neser said of Bairstow, who is two days into a competitive return from nine months out. Having kept for 71.5 overs on day one, Bairstow originally tried to hold his batting exclusively for day two, burning through Mickey Edwards and Matty Fisher as nightwatchers before reluctantly batting out the final two overs of the day.An innings of 34 balls can only tell you so much, but his timing is up to speed. We probably knew that from the 97 and 57 struck against Nottinghamshire 2nd XI last week, but a tuck off his hip through square leg, and a straight drive inside mid-off were good signs. He and Malan ticked along nicely, suggesting something substantial from the international duo. But their partnership ended on 31, and such was the flurry of dismissals at the other end that by the time Bairstow regained any meaningful strike, boundary riders were in place. A swipe of Timm van der Gugten to midwicket felt like the start of a retaliation that was quickly shelved by Kiran Carlson’s work at cover, swooping and taking out two stumps with a direct hit.”We’ll see how we go in the second innings,” Neser said regarding Bairstow, though it was unsure if he meant Bairstow’s or Glamorgan’s. Perhaps both. After all, the part Bairstow played in last summer’s chases for England against New Zealand (twice) and India will have Neser and his team-mates on edge in the final innings. Not to mention that Leicestershire chased down a target of 389 on this ground a month ago.Smatterings of rains before the eventual day-closing downpour at 4.30pm were negotiated well by openers David Lloyd and Andrew Salter. The former skewed a thick outside edge to backward point before the latter felt stitched up by an lbw decision granted to Thompson.The absence of Coad, hurt on day one, dulls the incisiveness of this Yorkshire attack, meaning Glamorgan should dictate the final throes of this match even with another poor forecast for Saturday. Whether 2022 Bairstow or a spell such as Neser’s, they require something special to turn this around.

Pakistan pick two debutant quicks for the first Test while the home side will go in with Mitchell Marsh in the XI

Tristan Lavalette13-Dec-20234:32

What do Pakistan need to do to win in Australia?

Big picture: Pakistan usher in new era, Australia switch gears after WC win

For a generation of Australian cricket fans, they’ve only seen Pakistan’s Test team reduced to a punchline on their shores. The statistics are particularly macabre for Pakistan, who have lost 14 straight Tests in Australia dating back over two decades.Apart from the continual plunderings, Pakistan have also suffered several catastrophic defeats – namely Hobart ’99 and Sydney ’10 – that cemented their reputation in Australia as a highly combustible side.Expectations of Pakistan bucking history are low. They arrive for the series-opener in Perth with an unfancied line-up that some Australian cricket fans – those who only follow the sport in December and January – would not know bar a handful of players.Related

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But Pakistan are optimistic as they start a new era under captain Shan Masood, who has replaced Babar Azam. He is hoping to provide a steadying figure for an inexperienced Pakistan once again engulfed in off-field chaos.Masood has led by example with his shift to a more proactive approach at the crease as Pakistan successfully reverted to an aggressive brand during an impressive series win in Sri Lanka in July. Inevitably comparisons have been made to ‘Bazball’ although Pakistan’s commitment to the cause will be tested against an Australia team still basking in last month’s memorable World Cup triumph.A full-strength Australia will field nine players part of the World Cup-winning squad and welcome the return of frontline spinner Nathan Lyon from his calf injury that prematurely ended his Ashes campaign.