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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.

Preview of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ranchi

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya11-May-2013Match factsMay 12, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Moises Henriques has lived up to his reputation•BCCIBig PictureIt is likely that Chennai Super Kings will find more support in Ranchi than Kolkata Knight Riders. The last time the JSCA International Stadium Complex hosted a game, the hometown boy MS Dhoni hit the winning runs in an ODI against England in front of a packed house in a city where his popularity possibly rivals Sourav Ganguly’s in Kolkata. Dhoni’s IPL team, however, won’t be playing in Ranchi this year. Instead, the Ranchi crowd, on paper, should be backing a side on a ventilator this season; it won’t be a surprise if they end up supporting Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team with greater star power and in the running for a spot in the play-offs, or perhaps they will end up backing both.Knight Riders won comfortably against Pune Warriors in their previous game, and Royal Challengers beat Delhi Daredevils narrowly. A win for Royal Challengers will take their tally to nine and them to No.2, though having played one game more than the rest in the top four.Form guideKolkata Knight Riders: WLWLL
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WLWLL
Players to watchMoises Henriques was bought for US$300,000 by Royal Challengers, and he’s repaid them with impressive all-round performances this season. Each time Royal Challengers have posted a score in their last few games, Henriques has played an important role in the death overs with cameos. He has also picked up seven wickets at 22.28.Ryan ten Doeschate had an impact in his first IPL game this season, prompting questions over why Knight Riders hadn’t picked him earlier. Though he doesn’t rate his own bowling very highly, he remains among the more experienced Twenty20 players, having played in more than 10 countries, and is good enough to qualify as a specialist T20 batsman.Stats and trivia Sunil Narine has an excellent economy-rate in T20 cricket, but one batsman who’s dominated him is Suresh Raina, scoring 47 off 23 balls. Michael Hussey has scored the most runs off him, 54, but that’s come off 61 deliveries. Virat Kohli became the 11th batsman to score 99 in a T20 innings. Raina is the other Indian on the list. There’s also Salman Butt, who made an unbeaten 99 for Lahore Lions against Quetta Bears in 2008. Quotes”At the moment, the competition is pretty open. We still have a fair chance of reaching the play-offs. For me what matters is the remaining three games and we face RCB on Sunday, which is a must-win game for us. Hopefully, we can try and deliver.”
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Twenty-two players made their Youth Test debuts, as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh played out a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2013
Scorecard
AK Tyronne took seven wickets for 142 runs in his marathon bowling spell of 46.2 overs•BCBThere are certainly no baby steps even in the world of Under-19 cricket. Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh kicked off a new cycle in this age-group with a high-scoring draw. All 22 players who played this match made Youth Test debuts. There were three centuries, a seven-wicket haul and a five-wicket haul.Minod Bhanuka took Sri Lanka from 4 for 193 in the middle session of the first day, to a solid score of 422 on the second. He made an attacking 114 with 12 boundaries and four sixes. Earlier, Sandun Weerakkody scored 59. Bangladesh’s legspinner Jubair Hossain took five wickets, including those of Bhanuka and Weerakkody.The home side fell 25 runs short in their first-innings response, though there were centuries from Mehedy Hasan and captain Mosaddek Hossain. The pair put on 166 runs for the fourth wicket before Mehedy fell for 105. Mosaddek batted longer, taking more than five hours to score 107 runs. AK Tyronne took seven wickets for 142 runs in his marathon bowling spell of 46.2 overs.Jubair added a further three wickets in the Sri Lanka second innings as they attempted to bat the home side out of the game. They declared on 207 for 8, setting Bangladesh an improbable 233 runs to win in the final session. Tyronne took two further wickets, as they made 71 for three before play ended.The second and final four-day game begins in Sylhet from April 16. They also play two one-day matches in the eastern city.

Twenty20 cricket is where teams like New Zealand hope to compete when they come up against a side with the reputation and form of South Africa, and assistant coach Bob Carter said they go into the T20s with optimism

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2012Adapting to foreign conditions is the test all touring teams want to pass on the road. South Africa have become masters of that art, having not lost a series away from home since 2006. New Zealand, with wins in Hobart and Colombo in the last year, are still learning.The shortest format may be the ideal place to do that. With conditions only playing a small role and margins between teams much smaller, Twenty20 cricket is where teams like New Zealand hope to compete when they come up against a side with the reputation and form of South Africa.”We can go into the T20 series with a great deal of optimism” Bob Carter, the New Zealand assistant coach, said. “We’re very much up for it. The boys have gone into their training really well, with lots of energy, and we’re really looking forward to the challenge of playing in South Africa. Who wouldn’t? It’s a good place to tour and there are exciting times here with cricket.”The sport has captured the attention of the public after the South African Test team rose to No.1 on the Test rankings in August with victory in England and stayed there when they beat Australia in their own backyard. Since scaling those heights, South Africa have not played in front of their home fans, who are eager to watch their team in action again.But they will have to cheer on a new-look side. South Africa’s T20 squad contains four uncapped players and a new captain as they attempt to revolutionise things ahead of the next ICC tournament.It’s with that in mind that New Zealand go into the series. Allrounder James Franklin does not think there is “too much to fear” even though his team is the clear underdog. “We have to pick our ranking up and the only way we can do that is by winning,” he said.New Zealand too have five uncapped players in their squad, some of whom will get a run in the practice match on Tuesday against South Africa A. For them, having these fresh faces around is “exciting”, as Franklin and Carter put it. “Theirs is youthful exuberance, they’ve got no baggage and they just want to get stuck in and see where they fit in terms of the team and international cricket,” Franklin said. “You’ve got to run a little bit faster and try and keep up with them. But hopefully it will rub of both ways. They rub off on me in terms of me trying to keep up and from me, if they want, a little bit of guidance.”These young players bring a fresh energy to the squad, which had been weighed down by internal strife, including the withdrawal of Ross Taylor, before the tour. “Their enthusiasm, their joy at being picked for New Zealand and the way they have gone about their business has been really good,” Carter said. “They have really flung themselves at training and it’s good to have them on board.”Carter also had a word of warning for the team about their opposition. “[Even with the newcomers] South Africa have still got a very fine side with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and others,” he said. “That will be a really good test for us and a really good challenge. Every South African side is a good one.”

Tamim Iqbal and Steven Smith have been re-signed by the IPL franchise, Pune Warriors, after both were released in November 2012

Mohammad Isam and Vishal Dikshit02-Feb-2013Tamim Iqbal and Steven Smith have been re-signed by the IPL franchise, Pune Warriors, after both were released in November 2012.Tamim and Smith, both went unsold in the 2012 IPL auction but were signed later as injury replacements, because of which they had to be released by Warriors in November. Since injury replacements have the option of being re-signed by the franchise, they will now be a part of Warriors’ squad in 2013 too.This will be the second IPL tournament for Tamim, but he hopes to get more game time after not making it to the playing XI in even a single game last season.”I signed the contract before I went to play in New Zealand [in early December],” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “It is a one-year contract because there is the players’ auction coming up next year.”Tamim had originally been signed up for Warriors in March last year, but wasn’t picked for any of the matches though he was available for all but two of the games. At that time he had called his first foray with the IPL an educational experience but this time, Tamim said, it will be all about scoring runs.”I am more determined to perform this year,” he said. “Last time when I had returned home, people didn’t ask me how I was. They asked me why I didn’t get a game.”This time I think I will have more opportunity to play because the franchise has released a lot of players. All I want to do now is make runs in the IPL, it will enhance my reputation in Twenty20s.”Tamim played in the Sri Lanka Premier League for Wayamba Wolves where he averaged 38 in six games. He also played in New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament for Wellington, scoring at a similar average in six games. In the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, he has scored two half-centuries for Duronto Rajshahi.Smith on the other hand, played 15 matches for Warriors last season and scored 362 runs at an average of 40.22 but hardly bowled in those matches.He was a part of Sydney Sixers’ victorious campaign in the Champions League T20 in in South Africa, where he scored 95 runs in four innings. In the Big Bash League in Australia, Smith had a better outing with 169 runs from six innings.

Derbyshire are hoping to continue strengthening their squad with the signing of Billy Godleman

George Dobell27-Sep-2012Derbyshire are hoping to continue strengthening their squad with the signing of Billy Godleman, the 23-year-old opening batsman who was released by Essex towards the end of the 2012 season. Godleman made his first-class debut for Middlesex as a 16-year-old – the second youngest man to make his first-class debut for the club – and represented England at every level from Under-15s to Under-19s.Having joined Essex for the 2010 season, he averaged in the mid-20s in 2010 and 2011 and despite scoring a century in Essex’ opening Division Two game in 2012 he lost his first-team place in the latter half of the summer and was told his contract would not be renewed.Derbyshire, who won promotion to Division One for the 2013 season, also announced the signing of wicketkeeper Richard Johnson from Warwickshire earlier this week. Their aim is for Godleman to open the batting and hope he can mirror the success of other players – such as Chris Wright, Stephen Peters, Varun Chopra and Derbyshire seamer Tony Palladino – whose fortunes improved significantly once they left Essex.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he was fortunate to have lost the toss to bowl first as the dew in Abu Dhabi in Pakistan’s innings helped them chase 249

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2012Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he was fortunate to have lost the toss to bowl first as the dew in Abu Dhabi in Pakistan’s innings helped them chase 249. The Australian bowlers found it hard to grip the ball as the opener Nasir Jamshed led with 97 in a series-levelling victory in the three-match series.”It was a good toss to lose because both the teams were not sure what may happen. The day before the match there wasn’t much dew and also in Sharjah it wasn’t that bad, but today dew really played a major factor,” Misbah said.Australia recovered from 87 for 4 to score 248, courtesy Michael Hussey’s 61 and contributions from other middle-order batsmen, but the total proved inadequate as Pakistan reached the target with more than six overs to spare. Misbah said the batsmen were given instructions to bat through the innings, as he knew runs would be scored quickly as long as the likes of Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez stuck at the crease.”Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed are [naturally] aggressive batsmen. If they stay at the crease they will score runs quickly. [Jamshed], especially, played many shots and [had a] wonderful balance. The key for us [was that] he batted through and he made this chase easy.”[In] chasing a big total there is bound to be pressure, especially against a good [Australian] side. We got a good start and that added to the confidence and made our task easy. [Importantly] dew helped.”The target, however, may have been a lot more had Pakistan’s spinners not pegged Australia back for brief periods. The spinners, led by Saeed Ajmal, have been successful against Australia on the slow UAE tracks, with 12 out of 15 Australian wickets in the two games falling to them. Misbah said he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of playing an extra spinner in the third ODI in Sharjah, though the decision would depend on the pitch.”[Playing a fourth spinner] depends on what sort of wicket we get [in Sharjah]. One more thing we have to keep in mind is that we may have to bowl second again, so it might be a problem for the spinners [because of the dew factor]. We have to look into everything.”Misbah praised the fight the side showed in the first ODI, as the spinners made it difficult for Australia to chase 198, which gave the side the belief to beat them in the next game.”The way we fought despite having only a total of 198, we were nearing a win at one stage. It was this performance that gave us the courage to come into this game and all of us believed we could win it.”Australians are the No.1 side in the world, so we have to play really well in the next game. They will come hard at us and we have to get ready for the next game.”He said he wasn’t certain, however, whether Shahid Afridi, who missed the second ODI due to injury, would be ready for the next game on Monday.

A round-up of the action from the One-Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2012Group B

Quetta Bears went top of Group B after their third consecutive victory, this time beating Karachi Zebras in a low-scoring match at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi. Quetta only managed to reach 195 for 9 and looked set to lose when Karachi were 122 for 4 in the chase. A collapse followed, with Karachi losing six wickets for 40 runs to be bowled out for 162 in 45.2 overs. Akbar-ur-Rehman scored 69 but seven of Karachi’s batsmen were dismissed for single-digit scores, consigning them to a loss.Naved Yasin’s 92 helped Multan Tigers win their first match of the One Day National Cup, against Hyderabad Hawks at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad. Yasin’s innings built on a solid start from Multan’s openers and helped them reach 270 for 6 in their 50 overs. Hyderabad’s chase was rocked by early strikes from Akbar Ali, who finished with impressive figures of 3 for 37 from 10 overs. Ghulam Yasin scored 66 but not enough other batsmen contributed and Hyderabad were bowled out for 224 in 45.5 overs.Group A

Khan Research Laboratories and United Bank Limited shared the points after their match at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi had to be abandoned due to rain 18 overs into the chase. KRL won the toss and Ali Naqvi got them off to a decent start, despite the loss of two early wickets, with his 57. The KRL innings was interrupted by rain after 19 overs, and the match was reduced to 40 overs a side. That interruption was followed by a KRL collapse, and they were bowled out for 159. United Bank’s innings was interrupted too, after six overs, and they were given a revised target of 135 runs to win off 29 overs, but another rain delay after 18 overs led to the match being called off.The match between Peshawar Panthers and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, scheduled for March 4, has been postponed and will be played on March 5.

Alan Gardner30-Apr-2012Ben Stokes, the Durham allrounder, is to undergo a scan on a back injury that currently prevents him from bowling. Stokes, who was named in the England Lions squad to take on West Indies next month, suffered discomfort during Durham’s drawn Championship match against Middlesex at Lord’s but is hoping it will not prove to be a significant problem as he seeks to press his case for an international recall.Stokes appeared in five ODIs and two T20 internationals for England last year, though he struggled to make an impact and subsequently underwent surgery on a finger injury that prevented him from playing cricket over the winter. Although he was called up on the strength of his batting alone, Stokes has put extra work into his bowling and already has 11 first-class wickets at 16.72 from three matches this season, albeit five came in the rout of Durham’s university students. The 20-year-old would not have bowled against Surrey last week – and in the end he did not get a chance to bat either, as The Oval suffered its first complete abandonment since 2007 due to persistent heavy rainfall.”It’s not quite ready for bowling at the moment,” Stokes said. “We’re just taking a few precautions with that. I’ve got a scan coming up so hopefully that will tell us more. If it stops me from bowling that is going to be a setback. I had a couple of stress reactions in my back when I was younger but this doesn’t feel similar so hopefully it’s not that bad.”I always work on both bowling and batting, as hard as each other. At the moment, there’s a lot of work going into my bowling because there’s a lot of improvement needed. So if this back injury does prevent me from bowling it will be give a chance to work on batting.”Already marked out as one of the most talented young players on the circuit, Stokes has a chance to make a statement with the bat, at least, when the Lions take on West Indies in less than two weeks’ time. He has not set any targets for the season, other than making runs and taking wickets, but with the make-up of England’s top order far from certain, Stokes could potentially play himself into Andy Flower’s plans with a big innings.If he remains on the Test fringes – with Ravi Bopara expected to bat at No. 6 against West Indies and Nick Compton stockpiling hard-won early season runs – Stokes has realistic hopes of a return to England’s limited-overs sides. “It’s fantastic to be involved again with the Lions, especially after a frustrating winter,” Stokes said. “Hopefully I can put in a good performance on the pitch when it comes to the game.”For the second week running, Durham were frustrated by the London weather, with not a ball bowled against Surrey. Indoor nets and watching the IPL on TV were as close as the players got to cricket as both clubs lost ground on Division One leaders, Warwickshire. Durham’s next match is at Edgbaston, beginning on Thursday, with Stokes seeking to build on a modest return of 90 runs from four Championship innings so far this season ahead of the Lions fixture.”It is tough sitting and watching the rain come down, especially at the start of the season because every team wants to get off to a good start and it’s pretty disappointing that the weather’s holding us back,” Stokes said. “Batting out in the middle is a lot different to batting in the nets. It is a bit frustrating not getting any game time but you’ve got to find a way to get in as much practice as you can.”

Melbourne Stars have earned a spot in the semi-finals, knocking Brisbane Heat out of fourth place with a comfortable six-wicket win over Adelaide Strikers at the MCG

The Report by Andrew Fuss19-Jan-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
David Hussey got Melbourne Stars’ chase back on track after the loss of three early wickets•Getty ImagesMelbourne Stars have earned a spot in the semi-finals, knocking Brisbane Heat out of fourth place with a comfortable six-wicket win over Adelaide Strikers at the MCG.The Stars’ pace attack did most of the damage on a tacky MCG deck with Man of the Match Clint McKay leading the way, taking 3 for 17 off his four overs, including the key wickets of opening pair Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger.The Strikers failed to live up to their moniker, struggling to strike the ball cleanly throughout the innings, managing just four boundaries and one six. Callum Ferguson’s 41 off just 29 balls was the only resistance for the visitors as they were bundled out for 125, the last six wickets falling for just 25 runs.The hosts got off to a shaky start in reply, losing Rob Quiney to a brilliant bit of fielding from Nathan Lyon off his own bowling, taking the ball cleanly and flicking the ball back at the stumps to catch Quiney short of his ground.And when New Zealand import James Franklin and former Victoria spinner Bryce McGain struck in consecutive overs, the Strikers were in with a chance – the Stars stumbling to 3 for 38 off seven overs.Out of form Stars captain Cameron White – who had made just 13 runs in his previous six innings – strode to the crease with the game on the line and finally found the middle of the bat, working his way to 28 before hauling out on the boundary with just 24 runs to get.Despite some tight bowling from Striker’s spin pair Nathan Lyon (20 runs off 3.5 overs) and Aaron O’Brien (12 runs off his four overs), David Hussey (41 off 36 balls) guided the hosts to victory with seven balls to spare.The Stars’ win means they will travel to Perth to play the Scorchers on Saturday, while the Hurricanes will host the Sixers on Sunday.