“My family actually doesn’t get to travel the world and watch me play a lot of international cricket. So to do it in front of them definitely is right up there”

Sidharth Monga23-Jun-20241:15

Has Chris Jordan made himself undroppable?

Perhaps because he has been around for longer, Chris Jordan doesn’t quite get remembered as an England cricketer of Bajan origin as Jofra Archer does. The Kensington Oval was where Jordan first saw a cricket match, incidentally between West Indies and England, and fell in love with the game. He vaguely remembers watching it from the old press box. Perhaps he means the stand and not the actual press box.There is nothing vague about having created a pretty special memory here by taking a hat-trick to end USA’s innings prematurely in a collapse that took out five wickets for no runs, before England eventually won the Super Eight match by ten wickets to seal a semi-final spot. It is naturally special having done it at “home”; those in attendance made it more special for Jordan, because he has never had so many of his family watching him play. It ranks “right up there” with his best days in an England shirt.”Yeah, it’s a good day,” Jordan said. “I think because my family actually doesn’t get to travel the world and watch me play a lot of international cricket. So to do it in front of them definitely is right up there. And then also in a World Cup, in a game to make sure that we can qualify, it’s definitely up there for sure. Ranks high.”Related

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Who all were there then? “Yeah, everyone. The list goes on. My mum, my dad, my sister, brother-in-law, nephew. My nephew’s the one because he called me this morning and said, ‘Make sure you take three wickets today if you’re playing’. And yeah, so I looked up and he’s jumping up, because one day he might be out there trying to do the same thing. So yeah, you end up trying to be a role model and stuff like that. So yeah, it was a nice day.”It was fitting then that the England leadership brought Jordan in for a homecoming, along with Archer. After the defeat to Australia, Jordan missed the Oman game, but was brought back for the rain-shortened crunch match against Namibia. Then he missed games against West Indies and South Africa. It can be challenging for a player to not be sure of a place in the starting XI, but Jordan hasn’t let it affect him.”Not too much of a challenge because I [have] played a lot of cricket now, and I think the communication has been really good from the hierarchy as well,” he said. “I try to control the things that I can control – because even when I’m not playing, I’m trying to be there for guys and help guys with their planning, and make sure that guys are well motivated as well going into the game.”So we don’t really have too much time to even think about being in and out. All I can do is kind of keep training hard and just keep preparing as [though] I’m going to play every game anyway, whichever way the coin falls on the day. So yeah, not too much of a bother for me.”

Fallout from Pakistan’s dismal T20 World Cup campaign claims its first victims

Danyal Rasool09-Jul-2024The fallout from Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign has claimed its first victims, with Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq both sacked as selectors from the national side. Razzaq, who was appointed to the selection committee for both the men’s and women’s side just weeks ago, will no longer serve as a selector for the women’s team, either.As ESPNcricinfo reported last month, Wahab’s job was in danger following Pakistan’s group stage exit from the T20 World Cup. Despite being removed as chief selector earlier this year, and officially appointed as one of seven selectors to a committee that had no chief at all, Wahab was widely viewed as the de facto head of the committee. Internally, Wahab had raised frustrations at this public perception, primarily because it resulted in him bearing the brunt of any criticism for decisions the committee made, and it was a frustration that he also expressed on X after he was sacked.In a statement on Wednesday, the PCB confirmed that “it has notified” the duo that “that their services will no longer be required in the national selection committee setup”.As reported earlier, the nature of the selection committee is also likely to be reconstituted, with a chief selector eventually expected to be reappointed. The numerical strength of the panel is expected to be reduced, making it unlikely that Wahab and Razzaq will be replaced to make up the numbers.Related

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Wahab’s departure is a speedy fall from grace for a man viewed as extremely close to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Wahab had served in his cabinet as caretaker sports minister while Naqvi was appointed caretaker chief minister of Punjab, and followed him to the PCB, where he was initially appointed chief selector. Wahab had also travelled with the Pakistan side to the T20 World Cup as senior team manager, another duty he is likely to be stripped of. Naqvi, for his part, is understood to have been keen to demonstrate no one was immune from adverse consequences.The decision effectively means the PCB has performed another U-turn on the procedure by which players are picked for the Pakistan national side. The seven-member committee was only announced less than four months ago, with Wahab demoted from chief selector, with each of the seven members carrying an equal vote, and Naqvi saying at the time that the committee would “make a majority decision based around debate and argument to reach a satisfactory conclusion”.It also indicates a continuation of the instability that has plagued the selection committee over recent years. The PCB has seen five chief selectors since January 2022, with Wahab, Haroon Rashid (twice), Shahid Afridi and Inzamam-ul-Haq all serving brief stints; Mohammad Wasim and Misbah-ul-Haq also served stints in the preceding period.The remaining five selection committee members are the head coach and captain of the respective formats, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq and Bilal Afzal.

Durham take strong grip on game, piling up 531 for 7 dec on back of third individual ton

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2024A fantastic four-wicket return from the evergreen Neil Wagner and a century from Ashton Turner consolidated Durham’s dominant position in their Vitality County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.Wagner was in a league of his own on day two at the Seat Unique Riverside as the experienced left-armer picked up figures of 4 for 68 on a pitch that has offered little for the bowlers, while Turner finished unbeaten on 114 on his Durham first-class debut.The Australian combined with Bas de Leede for a swashbuckling partnership of 134 from 120 balls in the morning session to take Durham to an imposing total of 531 for seven declared.Wagner ran through the Notts top order, despite a maiden first-class fifty for Freddie McCann, with the visitors losing five wickets for 26 runs in the afternoon session. The Kiwi was well backed up by Callum Parkinson but a defiant fifty from Lyndon James led Notts to 220 for 8 at close, with Durham leading by 311 runs.Durham resumed after an excellent first day on 393 for 5, but nightwatchman Parkinson didn’t last long as England man Olly Stone got him lbw for 4.Turner was then joined by de Leede and the pair guided Durham past 450, picking up maximum batting bonus points for only the second time this season. The pair played some lovely shots with de Leede hitting a glorious straight drive for four and the Dutch international got his fifty from 51 balls, his third in Durham whites.The elegant Turner then reached his century on his first-class debut for the hosts, with the Australian’s hundred coming from 141 balls.The hosts then passed 500, with de Leede and Turner switching to white ball mode as the hosts began to set up a declaration, with the former the aggressor in the pursuit of quick runs. De Leede was then dismissed for 79 off 68 balls after he smashed a Luke Fletcher delivery to long-off and the hosts declared on 531 for 7, with Turner unbeaten on 114.Notts’ reply got off to the worst possible start as Ben Slater was bowled by a Wagner beauty for 2. Skipper Haseeb Hameed and debutant McCann saw the visitors through to lunch. The pair frustrated the hosts after the break as they remained solid in defence and looked to score when they could.Hameed played a glorious cover drive in Daniel Hogg’s first over to continue his side’s progress and McCann looked the part on debut with the former England Under-19s man playing some lovely cover drives.An 81-run second wicket partnership was broken by Wagner, who is also making his first-class bow for the county, as key man Hameed gloved one down the leg side to Ollie Robinson.McCann got his first County Championship fifty from 62 balls, but his innings ended just one ball later when the youngster was caught behind off the bowling of de Leede.Wagner got his third as Clarke pulled a short ball straight to fine leg to leave his side with a mountain to climb. Wagner continued his incredible spell as Matt Montgomery tried and failed to control a hook shot and it went straight to Alex Lees at leg gully.Ben Raine got in on the act as Jack Haynes departed for nine as he chipped one straight to midwicket.James and Calvin Harrison saw the visitors through to tea without further loss and the pair grinded their way through a difficult period after the break.James made sure that he dispatched any loose bowling from the Durham attack and he slapped a Raine delivery to the cover boundary.Parkinson then got Calvin Harrison lbw for 18 to halt the mini fightback from Notts and the spinner could have had another but Turner dropped James on 28. However he didn’t have to wait much longer for his second wicket as he bowled Stone for 18.James got his fifty from 122 balls and remained unbeaten on 50 at close, but Durham will be the happier of the sides heading into day three.

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.

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.

Fast bowler believes England are still in the contest after witnessing fast start to own innings

Andrew Miller08-Oct-2024Brydon Carse was tired but proud by the close of the second day in Multan, after coming through a two-day trial in oppressive heat to claim his maiden Test wickets in the course of Pakistan’s imposing first-innings total of 556.Though he was made to wait until the 19th over of his debut performance, having had a first-day lbw verdict against Shan Masood chalked off on review, Carse was rewarded with the wickets of Naseem Shah and Aamer Jamal in his final two spells, to round off a wholehearted effort in conditions that his team-mates insisted are unlikely to get much tougher as his England career progresses.”It’s been hard work and hard toil over the last two days, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge,” Carse told Sky Sports at the close. “Being out there with this group of lads, it’s been a tough but good two days.”A couple of the guys and Stokesy [Ben Stokes] said to me when we came in after fielding, ‘look, Brydon, it’s not going to get as tough as this [again] over the last two days’. There were times out there when the heat was probably the biggest challenge, and obviously the wicket, but as a group of bowlers, everyone kept on coming back, with the seamers in short bursts. Yeah, it was challenging at times.”Although Pakistan’s total is imposing by any standards, it could have been significantly worse had England not maintained their discipline until the bitter end. It was only in the closing moments of Pakistan’s innings, when Jamie Smith missed a stumping and Gus Atkinson dropped a sitter at midwicket, that the fatigue truly began to tell, but those misses ended up costing England just six runs between them.”I had a conversation with Woaksey and Gus towards the end there,” Carse said. “Both them boys’ legs were proper hanging on. There’ll be ice baths. we’re testing our hydration … I’ve been in the red for most of these two days, even with the constant consumption of water and fluids. But tonight, the lads will refuel and get food down us, and try and get a good night’s sleep, and hopefully have a good batting day tomorrow.”Coming into the contest, with memories of England’s victory at the same venue in 2022, it had been widely assumed that reverse-swing would be the likeliest means for the seamers to challenge on this surface. But the ball steadfastly refused to budge through England’s 149 overs in the field – a fact which surprised Carse.Related

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“The guys were working on the ball out there, but I don’t think it was as abrasive over the square as we probably expected. There was a lot of short-pitched bowling and a lot of changing of fields, which is certainly a role that I have been used in back home in county cricket at certain times. But hopefully in the second innings, we can get that ball reversing quite quickly, then we might be able to set slightly different fields and not be as predictable.”Reflecting on his maiden stint as a Test bowler, Carse admitted he thought his first-day lbw appeal against Masood had been “stone-dead”, despite DRS showing it to have pitched just outside leg. Given Masood had made just 16 of his eventual 151, it was a key moment in Pakistan’s innings, as was Chris Woakes’ disputed boundary catch off Salman Agha, which was eventually given as six, and which Carse later acknowledged was “one of those 50-50 chances that didn’t go our way”.But he and England stuck to their task, and Carse’s moment of catharsis came in the fifth over of his opening burst on the second morning, as Naseem poked a lifter off his hip to Harry Brook at leg slip.”Popey actually said to me after the fourth over: ‘Do you want to go one more?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, definitely’. Because I felt I was close to getting the breakthrough that we needed. And then obviously it came, and it was a special feeling, although probably not the celebrations that you often expect.”With two days gone, England are behind in the game, and may yet have to contend with Ben Duckett’s injury absence after he was struck on the thumb while completing the final catch of Pakistan’s innings. But Carse was adamant there was plenty for his team still to fight for, especially given the flying start that Zak Crawley has provided to their first innings with his run-a-ball 64 not out.”We spoke last night when we had them 340 for four, if you had that sort of score back home in England, you’re probably behind the game quite a bit,” he said. “But coming into today, in that first session, they only got 60 or 70 runs, and we scored 100 there tonight in 20 overs. If we can come tomorrow and bat positively and really put their attack under pressure, let’s see where we’re at by the end of the day, and then there’s still two full days of cricket to go.”

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.”

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.”

RCB, who are playing after a six-day break, will need to win their next two games to stay alive in the competition

Srinidhi Ramanujam07-Mar-2025

Who’s playing

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs UP Warriorz (UPW)
Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 7.30pm IST

What to expect: RCB hope to stay alive

The spotlight is on RCB. Placed fourth, the defending champions will have to win both their remaining games, starting with this contest against bottom-placed UP Warriorz, and then wait for other results to go their way to qualify for the playoffs. Losing even one out of the next two games will put them out of contention. Warriorz, meanwhile, were knocked out by Gujarat Giants on Friday and will look to finish the season on a high.Four straight defeats after two successive wins have left RCB with more questions than answers. The batting has looked overly dependent on Ellyse Perry, with Smriti Mandhana in the middle of a lean patch. The rest of the line-up has been inconsistent. While Renuka Singh, Kim Garth and Georgia Wareham have taken the bulk of responsibility with the ball and have 25 wickets combined, RCB have been found wanting with their fourth and fifth bowling options. Will a six-day break help them bounce back?Warriorz have struggled in all departments, and the constant shuffling of their batting order hasn’t helped. Chinelle Henry, despite being explosive at the death, has not gotten a promotion to address the middle-order woes. Deepti Sharma has also had an underwhelming outing as captain and bowler, picking up five wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.11. Sophie Ecclestone has been the only bowler who has looked threatening.The last time these two sides met, the match witnessed a drama-filled Super Over finish with Warriorz coming on top.Smriti Mandhana has been a disappointment this season•BCCI

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LLL
UP Warriorz LLL

Team news

RCB are likely to go with the experience of Sneh Rana and Ekta Bisht in the spin department.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Smriti Mandhana (capt), 2 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Raghvi Bisht, 5 Richa Ghosh (wk), 6 Kanika Ahuja, 7 Georgia Wareham, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Ekta Bisht, 11 Renuka SinghGouher Sultana played two matches in Lucknow but bowled only one over and went for 16 runs. It remains to be seen whether Warriorz bring back Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who has played only one match so far in this edition.UP Warriorz (probable): 1 Grace Harris, 2 Georgia Voll, 3 Kiran Navgire, 4 Vrinda Dinesh, 5 Deepti Sharma (capt), 6 Shweta Sehrawat, 7 Uma Chetry (wk), 8 Chinelle Henry, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Gouher Sultana/Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11 Kranti GoudSophie Ecclestone has been the key player for UP Warriorz•BCCI

In the spotlight: Ellyse Perry and Sophie Ecclestone

Ellyse Perry has been the in-form batter for RCB this season. She has four-half centuries, the most by a player in this WPL, and has accumulated 295 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 149.74. With Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge struggling for form at the top, the focus will be on Perry. Lucknow has already witnessed three half-centuries in the first two matches, all coming from top-order batters. Perry has to do it again, with RCB’s season on the line.Sophie Ecclestone stunned the Chinnaswamy Stadium with her all-round heroics when RCB hosted Warriorz two weeks ago. She is the only bowler at Warriorz to have bowled her full quota of four overs in all seven matches. That has fetched her six wickets at an economy rate of 6.96.

Key stats

• Warriorz have lost 33 wickets in the middle overs (from 7 to 16), the most by a team in WPL 2025.
• Perry has struck at 143.42 against Warriorz, her highest strike rate against a team in the WPL.
• Henry has the highest strike rate in this WPL – at 211.76.

The washout means Wednesday’s match between England and Afghanistan is a knockout, with the loser certain of exiting the competition

Firdose Moonda25-Feb-2025 – Match abandoned due to rainThe much-anticipated Champions Trophy match between Australia and South Africa in Rawalpindi was washed out without even a toss, forget a ball being bowled, after persistent drizzle. The match was called off at 5.10pm local time, three hours and ten minutes after the scheduled start of play at 2pm and two hours and 22 minutes before the cut-off time for a 20-overs-a-side game, 7.32pm local time. This was due to be the teams’ first meeting at a Champions Trophy.The result means that if Australia and South Africa win their final group matches, against Afghanistan and England respectively, they will progress to the semi-finals. Wednesday’s match between Afghanistan and England is a knockout, with the loser certain of exiting the competition. The winner will have to beat their next opposition to make it through to the final four. As a result, one of the matches between Australia and Afghanistan on Friday and South Africa and England on Saturday could be a virtual quarter-final. Both Afghanistan and England have to win both their matches to qualify for the semi-finals.With no XIs named for this encounter, South Africa kept their cards close to their chest on Heinrich Klaasen’s availability. He missed their opening match against Afghanistan with an elbow injury and now has three more days to recover before the game against England on Saturday.This was due to be the first meeting between Australia and South Africa since the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final, which Australia won, and means that they continue to have the advantage over South Africa in ICC events. In nine matches, Australia have won four, South Africa three, there was a tie at the 1999 World Cup and now, their first washout.