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The Adelaide Test has been confirmed as the first match of the Australia-India series and is set to begin on December 9, three days earlier than originally scheduled

Brydon Coverdale and Daniel Brettig01-Dec-20141:06

Adelaide to host first Test on December 9

The Adelaide Test has been confirmed as the first match of the Australia-India series and is set to begin on December 9, three days earlier than originally scheduled. The Brisbane Test will be shifted to second in the series and will begin on December 17, and the Sydney Test will be pushed back by three days to allow the players extra recovery time during a condensed, reworked four-Test schedule.The changes were reported by host broadcaster Channel Nine on Monday night and the new dates were then posted in the fixtures section of Cricket Australia’s website. Under the new schedule, the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne will be the only match of the series to retain its original dates. In late evening CA released an advisory, in which the chief executive James Sutherland explained the rationale for the changes.”Nobody should underestimate just what these players are going through right now. These are difficult days and we need to support them in dealing with their grief,” Sutherland said. “It’s very clear that playing a Test right now is just too soon and we are reacting accordingly.”We appreciate the understanding of cricket fans around the country, particularly those in Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney during these highly difficult times. We acknowledge the difficulties this presents within the cricket communities that make these Test matches such terrific occasions.”We are grateful to State Cricket Associations and venues in those cities for their understanding and willingness to accommodate such last-minute changes. A concern with these changes has been creating congestion within the cricket calendar by holding four Test matches in 33 days. We knew that if we started any later than 9 December, that congestion would only get worse.Tributes were paid to Phillip Hughes at club cricket matches all around Australia at the weekend•Getty Images”We looked at possibly holding the Brisbane Test in the new year following Sydney but we felt that would only compromise the tri-series against England and India which is important preparation for our ICC Cricket World Cup campaign. There will be knock-on effects from these decisions which people will obviously want answers to. We will work through them as quickly as we can, but just ask for patience given these unprecedented circumstances.”The Brisbane Test was to begin this Thursday but Cricket Australia announced at the weekend that it would be postponed due to the funeral for Phillip Hughes, which will take place in his hometown of Macksville on Wednesday. That led to complex discussions around the rescheduling of the Gabba Test, with a number of options considered, including cancelling it entirely.Other scenarios, such as the delay of the Gabba and Adelaide Tests by a few days each and the playing of the Brisbane match last, following the New Year’s Test in Sydney, were ruled out. The former option was judged to allow the players too little time following Hughes’ funeral, while the latter would unduly interfere with lead-in time for the triangular ODI series that will precede the World Cup.Instead, it has been decided to compromise by squeezing all four Tests into a 33-day period. The compressed fixture will mean only three days between the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, and four days between Brisbane and Melbourne.ACA chief on fixture changes

Alistair Nicholson, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, said the changes had been made in concert with the wishes of the players and the Hughes family.
“Based on our discussions with the players and with support of health experts, we believed the first Test in Brisbane was still too early for them to return to the field, and that the Adelaide Test presents more time to grieve and mentally prepare,” he said. “Players will look to prepare themselves with the dedication and commitment that is a trademark of our Australian Test cricketers.
“There is no doubt that their return to the field will be enormously challenging, particularly for those who were present on the SCG last week. Asking them to take the field virtually straight after they farewell Phillip at his funeral was just too much. The extra days afforded the players are considered a vital part of their recovery process and we’re pleased that our representations to Cricket Australia were met with a sympathetic ear. We also consulted the Hughes family regarding our preference to delay the return to the international stage, and they were very supportive of the players’ need for more more time. The outpouring of support from the Australian public is truly appreciated by the national team and all Australian Cricketers’ Association members.”

A longer break between the third and fourth Tests in Melbourne and Sydney was therefore included to give the players extra rest time during what will already be a hectic month. In the lead-up to the first Test, which starts on Tuesday next week, India are expected to play a two-day tour match in Adelaide on December 4 and 5.Australia’s players were united in their belief that Adelaide would be the more appropriate start venue for the Test series, and they are believed to be willing to handle the rigours of what will effectively become four back-to-back Tests. Adelaide Oval will also be a fitting venue for Australia’s first match after laying Hughes to rest, given that it was his adopted home ground for the past two summers.”While this wasn’t done by design, it is somewhat fitting that the first Test will take place in Adelaide at Phillip’s adopted home ground where we hope the match can be a seen as a celebration of his life,” Sutherland said. “We are committed to developing a range of tributes that show just how much Phillip was loved by the Australian cricket community.”The five-day delay to the start of the Test series could also have consequences for the squads picked by each team. India’s captain MS Dhoni had been ruled out of the first Test at the Gabba due to an injury to his right thumb and Australia’s captain Michael Clarke seemed certain to miss due to a hamstring injury. However, both men will now have extra recovery time ahead of the new first Test.Clarke, though, has naturally been unable to continue his rehabilitation programme over the past week. He has flown to Macksville ahead of Wednesday’s funeral, while several other New South Wales-based members of the Test squad attended state training in Sydney on Monday, for the first time since Hughes died on Thursday. Brad Haddin and Josh Hazlewood were among the Test squad members who took part in a light training session.Cricket Australia also needed to make a decision on the next round of Sheffield Shield matches, which was to begin this Friday. One of the games, between New South Wales and Queensland, is scheduled to be played at the SCG, where Hughes was struck by a bouncer last Tuesday. Late on Monday night, the Cricket Australia website fixture had those games listed to start four days later, on December 9.Grade cricket in Sydney and Adelaide was cancelled over the weekend but club cricket continued at lower levels, and at suburban grounds all around the country tributes were paid to Hughes.An especially poignant moment occurred in a grade match in Perth, where Ashton Agar was dismissed for 98 while batting for University on Saturday. It was the same score that Agar made on Test debut at Trent Bridge last year, when he batted with Hughes for more than two hours and set a new Test record for a tenth-wicket Test partnership.

Glamorgan will begin next year’s Royal London Cup competition with a two-point deduction after the pitch at Cardiff for Friday’s match against Durham was rated ‘poor’ by the ECB

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2014Glamorgan will begin next year’s Royal London Cup competition with a two-point deduction after the pitch at Cardiff for Friday’s match against Durham was rated ‘poor’ by the ECB. Glamorgan lost the match after being bowled out for 133 chasing Durham’s 185.The ECB’s pitch panel upheld the umpires’ initial assessment that the pitch was below the required standard. Hugh Morris, the Glamorgan chief executive, said the pitch had been newly laid as part of efforts to produce surfaces with greater life in them at the Swalec Stadium.”Whilst we accept the verdict, the Pitch Panel’s review confirmed that there was nothing to indicate in advance that the pitch would behave as it did,” Morris said.”There is no suggestion of an intention to produce a favourable playing surface for the home side. Indeed there was no way our groundstaff could have predicted the resulting outcome.”In 2011, the club began a pitch improvement programme with two new pitches being relaid each winter from 2011 to 2014. This investment was taken after years of umpire reports that the wickets were often low and slow in Cardiff. The feedback we have received from the ECB, umpire reports and visiting teams, both domestic and international, for the newly laid surfaces has been positive, including during last year’s ICC Champions Trophy.”

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal will leave Colombo for Brisbane early on Saturday to have his bowling action tested at an ICC-accredited facility

Umar Farooq22-Aug-20145:19

Samiuddin: Especially worrying if Ajmal’s offbreak under scrutiny

Pakistan offspinner Saeed Ajmal will leave Colombo for Brisbane early on Sunday to have his bowling action tested at the Australia National Cricket Center, a newly ICC-accredited facility. He is set to miss the first of three ODIs against Sri Lanka on August 23, and could be unavailable for the second match as well on August 27.”There is a possibility that he [Ajmal] may join the team on August 26,” a PCB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “Although his test is scheduled for August 25 in the laboratory, it depends on how much time he requires there. If the process is completed in one day then he will take an immediate flight to Sri Lanka to join the team.”Ajmal’s action was reported by the onfield umpires and the match referee after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle earlier this month. ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC report had mentioned that about 30 to 35 deliveries from the match were under the scanner. Ajmal is free to continue bowling until the results of the test are known.This is the second instance of Ajmal being reported for a suspect action. In April 2009, he was reported for bowling the doosra, and was cleared the following month. This time, however, it is not just the doosra that is under scrutiny.The issue of suspect bowling actions had came up during the ICC cricket committee meeting in June, where there was a general consensus among members that the current methods used to detect illegal actions were imperfect. It recommended changes to help match officials get more support from biomechanists in order to identify illegal actions with “more confidence”.In the last couple of months, Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson were reported and subsequently banned from bowling due to illegal bowling actions.

The Sri Lankans continued to do much as they pleased against Northamptonshire.

Andrew McGlashan at Wantage Road06-Jun-2014
ScorecardLahriu Thirimanne moved to a career-best 156 as Sri Lanka built up a huge total•PA PhotosThe Sri Lankans continued to do much as they pleased against Northamptonshire. The home side, who have a dire first-class batting record this season, having only passed 300 once, stumbled to 146 for 5 in reply to 558 which had been compiled at a merry clip of four an over.The period where the visitors had the ball was the most instructive of the day despite not being confronted with the strongest of batting orders. There is, perhaps, one seam bowling place up for the grabs in the Sri Lankan Test side so there were plenty of reasons for eagerness between the three pacemen given a chance here.Nuwan Pradeep, who holds the unflattering Test average of 89.25, bowled with the most eye-catching pace and also found late movement. His delivery to remove Stephen Peters was a beauty, jumping off a length and nipping away to find the outside edge.His opening partner Chanaka Welegedara has been out of the Test scene for 18 months having suffered a series of injuries but struck with his first legal delivery to inflict the unfortunate start of a golden duck on James Kettleborough’s first-class career. Kettleborough’s pedigree is decent, however, having beaten Alastair Cook’s run-scoring record at Bedford School.Dhammika Prasad, who would offer greater batting depth, hustled in for a brace, holding a return catch offered by Kyle Coetzer at the third attempt at the ball after being upper cut for six. A short while earlier, Coetzer had been missed at slip on 12 when Kumar Sangakkara moved late.Prasad then ended Richard Levi’s stand-and-deliver innings when the South African helped a shorter ball to deep square-leg. Levi, who holds the record for fastest T20 international hundred, is only with Northamptonshire on a limited-overs contract and he has not played a first XI game of first-class cricket since February 2013. Although there was a one-day style to his display there was also a correctness and such is the club’s batting woes they could do worse than considering expanding his deal even though Ian Butler is their current four-day option.As Northamptonshire’s run rate, which hit five an over for the first half of the innings, would attest to, consistency was not the high point of Sri Lanka’s bowling. Bringing some thriftiness to the attack is likely to be Nuwan Kulasekara’s role at Lord’s while Rangana Herath’s return will also help, although Dilruwan Perera, the offspinner, had a useful all-round day with a brisk fifty and a tidy 15 overs.The sight of a ‘retired hurt’ next to a batsman with century in Sri Lanka’s innings may alarm their supporters, but they don’t need to worry. Kaushal Silva, unbeaten on 152 overnight, did not resume his innings on the second morning, officially due to a stomach ailment although he was later well enough to field at short leg.The Sri Lankans gave themselves another three hours of batting against a Northamptonshire attack that was barely first-class standard apart from the wholehearted Steven Crook.Lahiru Thirimanne built on his hundred to the tune of a career-best 156, overtaking by one run his previous mark which came with his lone Test hundred – 155 against Bangladesh, in Galle, in March 2013. He has not played Test cricket since that series but is surely assured of a slot at Lord’s next week.He eventually fell sweeping against Matthew Spriegel and Dinesh Chandimal, less certain of taking his place in the Test line-up, went the same way as he lost his middle stump. Although Chandimal struck seven boundaries in his 47 a reminder of his difficulty against the short ball came early in his stay when he was caught in a poor position by the military medium of Kyle Coetzer. Not a great prelude to potentially facing Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett.The remainder of the innings was largely a merry swing for the Sri Lankans. Perera clubbed his way to 59 with the help of four sixes which included two in three balls against the gentle part-time offspin of Rob Keogh. Time in the middle is always valuable, but often it had been a little too easy.

Sri Lanka have called up fast bowler Shaminda Eranga to their squad for two ODIs against Ireland after Thisara Perera failed to get a visa approved in time

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2014Sri Lanka have called up fast bowler Shaminda Eranga to their squad for two ODIs against Ireland after Thisara Perera failed to get a visa approved in time. Thisara is expected to join up with Sri Lanka in England later in the month ahead of a T20 and five ODIs.The Sri Lanka party arrived in Dublin on Saturday but Thisara did not travel with them, after experiencing a delay in getting a UK visa for the main part of the tour. The allrounder, who hit the winning runs in the World T20 final, was part of Kings XI Punjab squad at the IPL in Dubai and was unable to get his passport and documents processed.Eranga is due to leave for Ireland on Sunday. He was not in the T20 squad for England and hasn’t played a limited-overs international since last year but is a key member of Sri Lanka’s Test attack.Sri Lanka have rested five senior players – Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan – for the ODIs against Ireland, which take place on Tuesday and Thursday next week.

Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray, both former senior administrators with Cricket Australia and the ICC, have broken away from their national board’s position by undersigning a formal letter to the ICC and member nations requesting that the “big three” propo

Daniel Brettig26-Jan-2014Malcolm Speed and Malcolm Gray, both former senior administrators with Cricket Australia and the ICC, have broken away from their national board’s position by undersigning a formal letter to the ICC and member nations requesting that the “big three” proposal be immediately withdrawn.The letter, composed by the former ICC president Ehsan Mani in the wake of his damning 13-page assessment of the draft finance and governance proposal that is due to be voted on by the ICC’s executive board this week, is also undersigned by the former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd and former PCB presidents Shahrayar Khan and Lt Gen. (retd) Tauqir Zia and former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury.Ali Bacher, the former managing director of the first South African board after reunification, also came out in support of the argument being made by Mani. In a letter to Alan Isaac, the current president of the ICC, Bacher reminded him of the “animosity” that existed particularly in the Asian subcontinent and the Caribbean, when England and Australia had the veto in the ICC. He said that the working group position paper, if accepted, would “lead to division and strife in world cricket as never seen before.” *But it is the presence of Speed and Gray on the letter that is most significant, for each have remained linked to the workings and decisions of CA in the years since they left formal administrative posts. Speed still retains a close working relationship with the CA chief executive James Sutherland under the banner of the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS). He was also a member of the Argus review panel that charted a new path for the Australian team in 2011.All signatories agreed that the ICC needed to re-examine the conclusions of the 2012 Woolf Report into ICC governance, which recommended, among other things, an improvement in governance standards, the appointment of independent board directors and greater transparency. The text of the letter reads:”We are writing to ask you, the custodians of world cricket: 1. That the Paper by the ICC F&CA Committee should be withdrawn. 2. That the ICC directors and management, its members and other stakeholders are, as a matter of urgency, invited to review and comment on the Governance Report by Lord Woolf and PWC, published in 2012, with a view to implementing its recommendations and improving ICC’s Governance structure, in keeping with contemporary best practice.”Following a long period in senior roles with CA when it was known as the Australian Cricket Board, Gray served as president of the ICC from 2000 to 2003, when he was succeeded by Mani. Speed was the chief executive of the ACB/CA from 1997 until 2001, then served the same role with the ICC from 2001 to 2008. He told ESPNcricinfo that he trusted the motives of the CA chairman Wally Edwards, but held grave doubts about the redistribution model the proposal outlined.”I have no doubt that Wally Edwards has given the matter very close consideration and believes that this is the best outcome for world cricket,” Speed said. “Wally has been in the thick of the debate and I respect his opinion and have no doubt that he is acting in the best interests of the game and Australian cricket.”I cannot see any reason whatsoever why India should receive extra funding from ICC Events at the expense of struggling countries such as Scotland, Ireland, Uganda, Kenya and the other 100 Associate and Affiliate members where every dollar counts. India generates hundreds of millions from domestic and international media and sponsorship rights from matches played against the other Full Member countries.”India already benefits more than any other country from the popularity of the game in India and India’s huge population. It receives this revenue as a result of playing against the other countries. The rationale for ICC Events is to raise funds to support the game across the world. All of the other members need additional funding. Previous Presidents of BCCI were strong supporters of the other countries. Jagmohan Dalmiya as BCCI and ICC President was a pioneer in spreading cricket’s revenues around the cricket world. BCCI needs to reconsider its position.”The letter was accompanied by Mani’s analysis of the proposal, which raised many and varied concerns about the conflicted interests of its authors – the BCCI, CA, and the ECB – and the revenue modelling they are suggesting. Among his reservations was the fact that under the new plan, the game’s developing nations stood to lose an enormous percentage of projected revenue, relative to their current allocation.Mani estimated that under the proposal, Associate and Affiliate Members would lose more than US $312 million in projected revenue, an amount that would instead be redistributed largely to the boards of India, Australia and England.”The biggest gainers are BCCI, ECB and CA. In addition, ICC events for the period 2015-2023 will be held only in India, England and Australia. These Boards will receive hosting fees for the events in addition to the ICC Distributions they propose,” Mani wrote. “A point that also needs to be addressed is; why does BCCI need more money at the expense of other countries? The domestic and international media fees that BCCI receives from playing with other members are massive and underpin BCCI’s financial position. It is the richest cricket board in the world.”If cricket is to grow and develop around the world more investment is required in the Associate & Affiliate countries, not less. The Associate & Affiliate countries represent some of the biggest economies in the world. If cricket could be established properly in the United States of America and China and become an Olympic sport, the ICC could double its revenues in real terms over the next 10-15 years. This requires vision and a less parochial approach.”* – 11.05 GMT, January 26, 2014 – Story updated with quotes from Ali Bacher and Malcolm Speed

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has admitted the team is unlikely to get a second chance to stay in contention for the semi-finals if they lose to West Indies on Friday

Mohammad Isam in Dhaka27-Mar-2014Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has admitted Australia are unlikely to get a second chance to stay in contention for the semi-finals if they lose to West Indies on Friday. Australia lost their opening game to Pakistan, and their opponents on Friday have one win and a defeat. Australia will require an overall improvement in their game to rise above their current fourth spot in Group 2.”Sometimes that can relieve the pressure because you know where you stand now,” Haddin said. “There is no second chance for us. We have got to make sure that we bring our A game and deliver under pressure. We have done that well over the last four months and I see no reason why we can’t continue with that.”West Indies, according to Haddin, are one of the leading T20 teams in the world and pose a major threat. Both teams have five wins each from ten T20 games so far and are also locked at two wins each against one another in World T20s, although West Indies have won their last two encounters against Australia.”West Indies have embraced T20 cricket as well as anyone else in the world,” Haddin said. “They have got their own competition now in the Caribbean and they were the winners of this tournament the last time.”From that point of view they have got a pretty good understanding of how to play this format. I think these wickets are very similar to what they have at home. They have got a pretty good idea of the way they want to play.”One of Australia’s chief concerns is Chris Gayle, who is West Indies’ highest T20 run-scorer against Australia with 246 runs at a strike rate of 161.84 with three fifties. Australia are unlikely to forget the mauling they received at Gayle’s hands in 2009 and 2012. In 2009, he slammed a 50-ball 88 to help West Indies chase down 170 with seven wickets and more than four overs to spare. In the semi-final in 2012, his unbeaten 75 off 41 balls helped West Indies score an imposing 205, after which they dismissed Australia for 131.Gayle has had a quiet tournament so far, scoring 82 runs at a strike rate of 101.23 against India and Bangladesh but Haddin said Australia would breathe easy if they could get the left-handed batsman out early.”I think we have seen over T20 cricket for a long time that Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen along with Shane Watson in this form of the game,” he said. The earlier you get guys like that, the longer you go in terms of winning the game. It’s important that we get him early and it’s no different with any stroke-maker with that sort of power in the batting line-up.”Haddin, however, could not state whether Australia would field Brad Hogg or the 20-year-old legspinner James Muirhead against West Indies. With Gayle the only left-hander in West Indies’ top-order, Australia may be be tempted to give the rookie a go. So far, Amit Mishra, Samuel Badree and Imran Tahir have shown how effective legspin can be in differing conditions in Dhaka and Chittagong.”That could be a good debate for the selectors to have. Probably Hoggy too [has a chance to play] as he can bowl a good wrong-one and he has been lethal for a long time against the right-handers,” Haddin said. “That is something the selectors will have to work out. Young Muirhead has got a very big leggie and he does enjoy bowling to right-handers. It will be interesting to see what they come up with because anyone can play.”I think wrist spinners are dangerous in any format. Conditions have ensured that the real wrist spinners have been very effective in this tournament. They are an asset to have in your team especially in T20 cricket when they turn the ball big and the batsmen are going hard.”The final piece of good news for Australia is that James Faulkner is likely to play which, given the allrounder’s recent form, is a big boost. Haddin feels that Faulkner’s return will give George Bailey a few more options in crucial situations.”James can bat from No 6 down and he can cover all bases as he is pretty reasonable with the bat in this format,” he said. “He is a big asset to us with his bowling with the way he can jam in the yorker and close out the back end of a T20 game. He’s a guy who likes winning and is a huge competitor and the sort of guy you would like in your team.”

West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul will miss the two T20s against New Zealand due to a thumb injury and will return home

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2014West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul will miss the two T20s against New Zealand due to a thumb injury and will return home. Rampaul picked up the injury during a training session before the fourth ODI in Nelson and didn’t play the two remaining ODIs.”Ravi has sustained a fracture and we are looking to allow optimal healing rather than pushing an early return,” said West Indies physiotherapist CJ Clark. “He will return home to allow the fracture time to heal and will commence fitness training in preparation for the Regional Super50 Tournament, starting later this month in Trinidad.”There will be no replacement for Rampaul in the T20 squad, which has now been reduced to 14. He is the latest West Indies player to join the injury list that includes Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard were ruled out before the tour began.The injury prone Rampaul made a return to the ODI squad during the tour of India, following an ankle injury. He didn’t figure in the Test squad in New Zealand but played the ODIs in Auckland and Queenstown.The first T20 gets underway in Auckland on Saturday.

David Nixon, the announcer who was ‘stood down’ by Cricket Australia at lunch on the second day of England’s tour game in Alice Springs, has vehemently denied any suggestion that he made racially insensitive remarks

George Dobell02-Dec-2013David Nixon, the announcer who was ‘stood down’ by Cricket Australia at lunch on the second day of England’s tour game in Alice Springs, has vehemently denied any suggestion that he made racially insensitive remarks.While Nixon admitted his irreverent style was not to everyone’s taste and accepted he greeted Monty Panesar’s introduction into the attack with something of a flourish, he said: “I absolutely refute any allegation that I feigned an Indian accent.””For most of my adult life I have worked with people from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds to help them share their stories,” Nixon, an ABC employee who had volunteered to help at the game, said. “My focus in that work is to help overcome any sensationalist or negative stereotypes that can sometimes filter through the media. That I find myself in the eye of this storm is upsetting in the extreme.”I fail to see how anyone could interpret my introduction of Monty Panesar as racial slurring. I am certainly responsible for what I say, but not what people hear.”I had, however, been rebuked by a Cricket Australia representative on a number of occasions for my irreverence. ‘That’s not how we roll’ the CA staffer said after I’d welcomed patrons to the ground on day two then mentioned that both teams were on the ground were practising their interpretive dance moves. They were stretching pre-match.”Upon arriving back at my post after the lunch break on day two, I was met by a Cricket Australia representative who politely said words to the effect of, ‘We think that your personal style conflicts with ours and so we’ve relieved you for the afternoon.’ There was no mention made of my introduction of Monty Panesar or of a complaint being made. There was and is no evidence to support the allegation whatsoever and I will seek clarification from Cricket Australia on their decision to stand me down.”The ICC has confirmed that they will not be getting involved in the situation.

The inaugural Ramadan T20 cup ended in thrilling circumstances at the National Stadium in Karachi, with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) taking the trophy after a Super Over

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2013
One-over eliminator 7 for 2
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYounis Khan with the trophy•PCBThe inaugural Ramadan T20 cup had a thrilling finish at the National Stadium in Karachi, with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) taking the trophy after a Super Over. Imran Farhat, whose 65 led HBL to 158, did the honours in the Super Over, chasing Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) modest score of 7. PIA did their best to stretch HBL in the final over of the match, with Anwar Ali smashing Ehsan Adil for six off the last ball to tie the scores.HBL had the upper hand going into that final over, with 15 to defend. Anwar pushed the ball to deep cover and was content with a single but his partner Salman Saeed set off for the second run, only to be sent back and end up short of his ground. The next two deliveries only produced singles, adding to PIA’s desperation. The much-needed boundary came off the fourth ball, as Aizaz Cheema sliced a low full toss to third man. He took a single off the fifth to long-off, leaving Anwar no option but to send the final ball out of the ground to level the scores. Adil bowled a full toss and Anwar dispatched it over long-on to give PIA another shot at the trophy.It wasn’t to be, though. After his final-over heroics, Anwar was chosen to bat in the Super Over, ahead the other specialist batsmen. He began well, striking the first ball to the long-off boundary. Shoaib Malik fell off the third ball and PIA couldn’t manage any more boundaries. A run-out then left PIA with an underwhelming 7 to defend. Farhat sealed the game in just three balls, pulling Cheema to the fine leg boundary to give HBL the title after all the drama.Earlier, Farhat’s half-century provided the platform for HBL to build on after they chose to bat. He was involved in stands of 58 and 38 respectively at the top of the order with Asad Baig and Younis Khan respectively before he was caught at deep cover, off Anwar. All three sixes in the HBL innings were scored by Farhat. HBL lost their way after Farhat fell in the 15th over, losing their remaining seven wickets for 32 runs.PIA began their chase poorly, losing their captain Malik for a duck in the first over. Fahad Iqbal gave the innings a push, smashing two fours and a six in the third over, that went for 15. HBL hit back by removing two quickly, leaving the opposition at 34 for 3 in 4.2 overs. Two 40-plus stands, however, revived PIA’s hopes. Faisal Iqbal was involved in both, adding 48 with Sheharyar Ghani and 46 with Sarfraz Ahmed, but despite the resistance, they kept battling with the asking rate, needing 38 off the last three overs. Iqbal was caught behind in the 18th over before Sarfraz was run out the following over, leaving the rest to the lower order. It was HBL’s game to lose and after choking in the final over, they made amends in the Super Over.