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One of the teams will travel back to Pakistan to play New Zealand in the second semi-final

Danyal Rasool01-Mar-2025The scheduling of the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in two different countries has meant both teams that have qualified from Group B – Australia and South Africa* – will travel to the UAE this weekend.An ICC official said the decision had been taken to allow the side that plays the semi-final in Dubai on March 4 the maximum time to prepare for that contest. However, it does guarantee one side will find themselves in the sub-optimal position of leaving Pakistan for Dubai, only to have to return to Pakistan soon after. While the Lahore semi-final is one day later on March 5, the way in which this tournament has been scheduled means that one team will travel and train at a venue they do not need to be at for a day.Australia shifted to Dubai on Saturday, having qualified after their game against Afghanistan was abandoned in Lahore on Friday. South Africa, who sealed qualification on Saturday evening with a thumping win over England, will depart Karachi for Dubai at noon on Sunday.The actual match-ups and venues of the two semi-finals will only be confirmed after India and New Zealand play the final group game of this tournament on Sunday. India will play in Dubai regardless of their group position, which means the two teams of group B will find out where they play their semi-final only after India have played New Zealand.Related

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Such a scenario was all but inevitable given the necessity of India playing their games outside Pakistan, despite the country officially being the sole host of the tournament. The PCB spent several months trying to get India to visit Pakistan, at one stage proposing hosting all their games in Lahore. However, the BCCI said the Indian government did not grant the team permission to play cricket in Lahore. There is significant political tension between the two countries.The uncertainty concerning venues will extend right to the final as well. If India win their semi-final, the final will take place in Dubai. However, should they lose the semi-final, it will take place at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.*

The three wickets Rashid Khan took in the chase took him to No. 1 on the wicket-taker’s list in men’s T20Is

Danyal Rasool01-Sep-2025Afghanistan survived a brief scare from Muhammad Waseem to ultimately secure a comfortable 38-run victory, their first of the competition, on Monday. As so often, it was Rashid Khan who led the way for them, his 3 for 21 derailing the UAE at a critical juncture midway through their innings just when they looked to have made a fist of chasing 189. He also became the highest wicket-taker in men’s T20Is in the process.That target was set thanks to half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, whose 84-run partnership put their side on course after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. UAE turned in a better bowling performance than they did against Pakistan, with their seam bowlers keeping Afghanistan quiet for the most part through the powerplay and then in phases during the middle overs, but paid the price for losing their discipline at the death. A priceless cameo from Karim Janat in the penultimate over meant 22 runs were added, and helped Afghanistan finish above par.UAE rely so often on Waseem for a realistic shot, and that’s exactly what he provided as he flew out of the blocks. They suffered none of the early difficulties Afghanistan had at the start as they stayed ahead of the asking rate thanks largely to their captain. But it always had the feel of a solo effort, and when he was dismissed, no one could replicate that scoring rate, and Afghanistan had enough on the scoreboard, and with the ball, to make the win look cushier than it once looked.

Early jitters

The pressure was squarely on Afghanistan at the start, having lost the toss and beginning the day at the bottom of the table. That pressure was compounded after Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Rohid got through three tight overs that allowed just 16, before Rohid drew an edge from a struggling Gurbaz to send him on his way. Atal and Ibrahim saw through a further couple of overs with the first five overs of the powerplay decisively going the home side’s way.

Afghanistan turn it around

But UAE introduced seam bowler Saghir Khan for the final over of the powerplay, and the pair saw an opportunity. A slot ball first up was whipped over midwicket, and Saghir’s lengths didn’t improve as the over went on. Afghanistan plundered 18 from it, and it set the partnership on its way.Atal picked his moments through the remainder of the partnership, finding a four or a six just about every over, with Ibrahim cashing in when Dhruv Parashar sent down an errant over. It wasn’t until the Afghanistan 100 was brought up that UAE finally broke the partnership, but with eight overs to go, Afghanistan had the platform they needed to launch.Ibrahim Zadran made 63 in 40 balls•Emirates Cricket Board

Dash at the death

And launch they did. Throughout much of the innings, UAE had held on to Afghanistan’s coattails, making sure they never pulled too far ahead. That faded in the final four overs, though, as the wheels came off for the hosts and Afghanistan’s lower-middle order plundered 49 off the following three overs.Azmatullah Omarzai – whose cameo was pivotal to his side’s acceleration – triggered the gear change with a six over the on side, with Ibrahim matching him later in the over. Omarzai would go after Saghir too, but it was Janat’s takedown of Rohid – who had given away just 12 in his first three and taken two wickets – that took the game out of the UAE’s hands. Two sixes and two fours saw Rohid bleed 22, and though Siddique would follow with a sensational final over, the damage by now had been done.

Rashid triggers implosion

Talismanic captain Waseem had put UAE on course with another excellent display that combined power with timing and judiciousness, keeping up with the asking rate without appearing to take too many risks. There were imperious signs that belligerence would continue unabated when he piledrove Rashid for a straight six over the sight screen in his second over; by the end of the ninth over, they required just over nine with eight wickets still in hand.All of that changed in four deliveries. Waseem miscued one off Sharafudin Ashraf and was gone for a 37-ball 67, leaving Asif Khan to try and repeat the heroics that came in vain against Pakistan.The first ball he faced off Rashid, though, Asif misread the turn, and found his off stump rattled. UAE’s two main attacking threats gone and the asking rate climbing, Rashid sliced through the batting, polishing off Ethan D’Souza and Parashar to finish his spell. By now, the asking rate had climbed to nearly 16, and only an unbeaten half-century from Rahul Chopra, achieved with a six off the game’s final ball, reduced Afghanistan’s margin of victory.

From 77 for 2, Zimbabwe collapsed to 108 all out in their chase

Danyal Rasool01-Dec-2024Pakistan saw off a brief scare from Zimbabwe to seal a 57-run win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series in Bulawayo. A late, unbroken stand of 65 in 34 balls between Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan following a bit-part batting effort helped them surge to 165 with 34 runs in the final two overs. Even that appeared like it might not be enough when Sikandar Raza and Tadiwanashe Marumani got the hosts off to a flier, with the hosts sitting pretty at 75 for 2 in eight overs.But the fall of that partnership triggered an immediate implosion as Sufiyan Muqeem and Haris Rauf ripped through the Zimbabwe line-up. They lost their last eight wickets for 31 runs as Pakistan wrapped up a win that looked more comfortable on the scorecard than it was for three quarters of the contest.

Pakistan start brightly

The visitors included Saim Ayub in the T20I squad just before the start of the series, and the in-form left-hander was instrumental in getting them up and running. Omair Yousaf took on Blessing Muzarabani in the second over but was fortunate to be out there, having been dropped in the first over. Zimbabwe’s catching was an issue for much of the innings; in the following over, Usman Khan was put down first ball he faced. Ayub picked up the next ball over point for a glorious six, while Usman helped himself to 11 in the over that followed. By the end of the fifth over, Pakistan had romped to 49, and on a belter of a batting surface, 200 did not seem unrealistic.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The spin squeeze

Sikandar Raza’s consistency is almost boring by this point, but he was at his all-round best on Sunday. Bringing himself on when Pakistan were soaring at the end of the powerplay, he sent down four near-perfect overs, landing barely a ball in the wrong place. Thirteen of his 24 deliveries were dot balls as he allowed just 14 runs during his spell. It was during this time that Pakistan slowed almost to a grinding halt, going 63 deliveries without a boundary.At the other end, Ryan Burl and Wellington Masakadza held the fort down as wickets fell at regular intervals; between the end of the 6th over and the start of the 19th, Pakistan could only score 79 runs in 13 overs. It will invariably leave Pakistan with questions to ask of their middle order that seemed unable to cope with the pressure or keep up the scoring rate, with captain Salman Ali Agha struggling most of all.

The scare

An onslaught in the final two overs got Pakistan to 165, but Zimbabwe came out of the traps brimming with belief they could chase this down. Undeterred by the early loss of Brian Bennett and Dion Myers, Marumani and Raza took Pakistan on, and took them down, in the powerplay. Marumani plundered 20 off Jehandad Khan’s second over, while three successive fours by Raza off Abrar Ahmed got Zimbabwe to 50 in the fifth over, quicker than Pakistan had managed during their brisk start.But Zimbabwe’s Achilles’ heel has been the lower middle order, and so it proved once more. As soon as a careless run-out put paid to Marumani’s innings, the rot set in once more. Raza was isolated at the non-striker’s end as Pakistan helped themselves to wickets. Rauf had Ryan Burl slap one to mid-off while Muqeem dismissed Clive Madande, and it soon became obvious any effort at victory would have to be a one-man show.But a lovely change of pace from Jehandad Khan and a sharp catch at point from Ayub drew the curtains on Raza’s enterprising knock, and the game was over as a contest. Muqeem struck twice in the following over, while Abrar polished off the win with the final wicket; Zimbabwe had lost their last eight in 43 balls.

The Australia captain makes his international comeback against Pakistan on Monday but most of the talk remains about what comes later

Alex Malcolm03-Nov-2024Captain Pat Cummins has downplayed the so-called “bat off” for the final spot in Australia’s Test team but has noted that it does provide a “final piece of information” and help the player chosen prepare for the first Test given the public scrutiny around the contests against India A.Cummins spoke at the MCG on Sunday ahead of the first ODI of the summer against Pakistan, which will be his first international appearance since the T20 World Cup in June after he missed the tour of the UK in September.But while the three-match series does carry some importance given it is Australia’s last ODI series before the Champions Trophy in February, bar a one-off game in Sri Lanka, the fight for the final batting spot in the Test side remains the major talking point.Related

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Four players, Marcus Harris, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas and Cameron Bancroft have emerged as the main contenders for the vacant spot at the top of the order and have been on show in the Australia A game against India A in Mackay.McSweeney has been the standout performer of the four, finishing unbeaten on 88 in Australia A’s victory, and is almost certainly set to be part of the Test squad given two batters will need to be selected in an extended 13 to ensure there is a batting concussion substitute with the team in Perth. Harris got starts in both innings without kicking on while Konstas and Bancroft missed out twice each.Cummins said he had kept an eye on the scores from Mackay and emphasised the quartet would likely get another chance to impress in the second four-day game at the MCG starting on Thursday. But he added the Australia A games are not the be-all and end-all as far as selection for the first Test is concerned.”I think it’s like a final bit of information,” Cummins said. “It’s never as clean cut as a bat off. Some of these guys have only played a few games of Shield cricket, and then you’ve got other guys who have played over a decade.”That last couple of weeks, is it really important? It’s got some importance, but it’s not going to guide the 100% of the decision. So it’s that final bit of decision.”In some regards, it’s a lot of pressure on those last two games, which, whether you like it or not, it’s probably what you’re going to get in Test cricket anyway. So I suppose, again, whoever does get picked, they’ve experienced as much pressure as they might get in a Test debut anyway. So it means they are pretty well placed.”Cummins was not concerned about having to leave the decision quite late given Australia’s current selection panel and leadership group has preferred to give players more certainty in the recent past.”I don’t think it’s a new problem,” Cummins said. “The good thing is, if it’s say that one batting role that we’re looking at, whoever’s picked, they’re going to come off the back of plenty of runs at the start of the year, you’d think, and they’ll be well positioned. The reality is you try and make a debut as comfortable for someone as you can. But it’s a Test debut. Whoever it is, they’re going to be feeling nerves. So, yeah, it’s not like they’re going to wake up one morning and kind of be told they’re playing. They’ll certainly know at least a week or so out I’d imagine.”Cummins was asked whether it was possible that Marnus Labuschagne could open the batting to allow McSweeney to possibly debut at No. 3 given that is where he bats in first-class cricket for South Australia.”You could do,” Cummins said. “Again, maybe once we kind of start discussing who’s in the side, then you start looking at the batting order.”Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] and I have said it quite a bit, we think the place where you bat isn’t that important. You try and work out how the batting order as a whole is going to function best. And I don’t think anyone should be super protective around a certain spot.”Pat Cummins hasn’t played for Australia since the T20 World Cup•Getty Images

Cummins did note there had been plenty of jokes flying around at training in the last two days about positions in the batting order given how vocal Labuschagne and Steven Smith had been about the latter’s move away from opening in Test cricket.Meanwhile, Cummins said he was feeling physically as fresh as he had in a long-time after skipping the T20I and ODI tour of the UK in order to undergo a significant training block in Sydney to get ready for the summer. He also explained his decision to not play a Shield game prior to the first Test.”The one that I would have had to play back here in Melbourne, I probably would have had to start bowling about an extra two or three weeks earlier,” he said. “So we kind of made the decision to have an extra two weeks of building up in the gym and prioritizing that. I feel like I’ve done it for a fair while now, and so I feel like the ODIs will give me a good lead in and obviously the two weeks before the first Test, we’ll make sure we do loads of red-ball and centre wickets to try and replicate it.”Cummins said he was unsure if he will play all three ODIs against Pakistan. He confirmed he would play the first two but it appears likely he will miss the final game in Perth in order to avoid a cross-country return flight, a week before having to make the same trip for the Perth Test.If he does miss the Perth match it will mean Australia will have to find a captain, with ODI vice-captain Mitchell Marsh missing the series while on paternity leave.Smith and Josh Hazlewood have both led the ODI side previously but there is a possibility both could also be rested from the Perth trip for the same reasons as Cummins.Australia’s new T20I captain is set be announced this week with Josh Inglis and Matt Short the two most likely candidates for the job. It is possible the man who gets the nod could also captain the ODI side in Perth.

Gus Atkinson joins Jofra Archer, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton as alternative seam-bowling options in England’s 16-man squad

Matt Roller06-Jul-20254:11

Stokes: We weren’t able to deliver our skills when needed

England will consider making changes to their bowling attack after a gruelling workload in their 336-run defeat to India, and have added Gus Atkinson to the squad for Thursday’s third Test at Lord’s after time out following a hamstring injury.England’s three frontline seamers – Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes – have all bowled between 77 and 82 overs in the first two Tests of the series. Atkinson joins Jofra Archer, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton as the alternative seam-bowling options in the 16-man squad for Lord’s, and the tight turnaround between Tests could prompt changes.”It’s no secret that we have spent some time in the field and bowled some overs in the first two games, and we’ll have to see how everyone pulls up over the next two days,” Ben Stokes said. “With it being a quick turnaround, there probably will be a decision we have to make given how everyone does pull up after this game.”Related

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Archer has not played a Test match since February 2021, but bowled regularly during intervals at Edgbaston this week, and Brendon McCullum hinted he will make his comeback next week. “We’ll let this one settle, and when we get to [Lord’s] we’ll have a good think about it,” McCullum told the BBC’s .Asked about Archer’s availability, McCullum said, “He’s fit and ready to go. Obviously the other boys have had two Test matches on the spin now, so you’d anticipate you would make a change at some stage with the line-up, and Jofra is one we’ll look at.”Stokes added, “Everyone’s in consideration for the game at Lord’s.”England’s margin of defeat – 336 runs – was their third-heaviest since Stokes took over as captain on a full-time basis, but he insisted that it will not affect them moving forwards. “We’ve obviously had some unbelievable wins and some bad defeats,” he said. “I feel I’m quite good – and the team is – at staying level throughout those ups and downs.”That is so important in a series where we knew coming in that it wasn’t going to be easy… We have to wipe this one under the carpet as quickly as we can, because Lord’s day one will be coming around pretty quickly. We will have one or two days to get the bodies right and recover, and all of a sudden, we will be out there flipping the coin.”He also played down the significance of England’s inability to take 20 wickets at Edgbaston. “You do have to appreciate how well India played with the bat,” Stokes said. “[They were] obviously pretty favourable conditions if someone got in; two of our lads showed that this week… You are allowed to let your opposition play well, and they definitely did that.”

England squad for Lord’s Test against India

Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

Nathan McSweeney, who was opening the batting, fell before the close of play

AAP21-Jul-2025Australia A’s batters faced a searching test to save their two-game series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin after the visitors built a formidable first innings total, thanks mostly to a century from Pavan Rathnayake.Resuming on day two of the second four-day match at 263 for 4, Sri Lanka A fully punished rival captain Jason Sangha’s decision to send them in, powering on to make 486 for 6 declared.In reply, the hosts were 76 for 1 at stumps at the Marrara Cricket Ground on Monday, with Jake Weatherald on 45 and Kurtis Patterson 19, and with a mountain still to climb to win the series after the first match was drawn.Australia A’s former Test opener Nathan McSweeney couldn’t replicate his fine 94 from the first match, falling for 12 when bowled between bat and pad by offspinner Nishan Peiris.Rathnayake resumed on 43, and made the most of an ideal batting strip in reaching 122 off 223 balls – his side’s second century following Nuwanidu Fernando’s 102 on day one.Sonal Dinusha, resuming on 5, also joined the run-fest in moving to 88 off 191 deliveries, as he and Rathnayake added 170 for the fifth wicket in 53 overs.Their stand ended when left-arm spinner Zanden Jeh lured Rathnayake into a rash clip to short midwicket where he was well caught low down by Oliver Peake.Dinusha and Sohan de Livera continued to punish the bowlers, adding 40 runs in 14 overs before Dinusha mishit a lofted pull and was caught at mid-on by Patterson.That gave a third wicket to unknown 22-year-old Zeh who was the pick of the eight bowlers used despite never having played top level state cricket. The Queenslander was chosen from left-field for game one as Australian officials continue their search for quality left-arm spinners.De Livera was the fifth batter to make a half-century or more, finishing 50 not out when the declaration came.McSweeney hit two fours in his 20 balls before being bowled between bat and pad. Weatherald and Patterson guided the home side to stumps adding 44 without further loss.

It will be the first women’s T20 tournament to be held in Bangladesh; could kick off at the end of the ongoing BPL

Mohammad Isam17-Jan-2025The BCB will be launching a maiden Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL); it is likely to be held soon after the ongoing men’s competition ends on February 7. According to Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BCB director, it will be a three-team competition, with each team playing the others twice for a total of six league games followed by the final.”The board has been thinking about the various ways that we can take women’s cricket forward,” Fahim said. “Whether we can do a T20 competition for women was in our thoughts. We have decided today that we will do the Women’s BPL.”Fahim said the BCB is in talks with some of the men’s BPL franchises regarding ownership of the women’s teams, and that a couple of owners have shown interest.”We have already spoken to a few BPL franchises, who have shown interest [in owning women’s teams],” he said. “We want to see how a women’s tournament has an effect on our T20 cricket. We are hopeful that it will help our women’s game progress.”Fahim said that only allow one overseas player will be allowed in the playing XI, with the squads having a maximum of 15 players each.”We won’t take many overseas players due to the financial constraints,” he said. “Four overseas players puts financial pressure on the teams; perhaps they don’t want to take that pressure. We want to give more opportunities to our domestic cricketers. We want to add competitiveness.”It will be the first women’s T20 tournament to be held in Bangladesh. Women cricketers in the country play the one-day league in Dhaka, and the BCB recently launched a women’s three-day competition.

Paul Collingwood has played down England’s growing injury list ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009Paul Collingwood has played down England’s growing injury list ahead of the first Twenty20 international on Friday following the side’s four-wicket defeat against South Africa A in Bloemfontein.England went into the match without their three frontline quicks with James Anderson (knee), Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graham Onions (back) all on the sidelines. With Andrew Strauss not considered for the Twenty20 team it left Collingwood only 11 fit players and towards the end of the game Graeme Swann also left the field with a tight thigh.However, Swann’s problem was said to be minor and the medical staff were not overly concerned, while Anderson and Onions are expected to be in contention to face South Africa at the Wanderers. Broad, though, is struggling to recover in time for the Twenty20 matches and is unlikely to be risked before the one-day series begins at the end of next week.”I think he [Broad] is going to be doubtful. I mean it’s pretty much going to take a miracle if he’s going to be fit for the Twenty20s,” Collingwood told reporters. “He has been very sore on the shoulder there, but he’s progressing well, so hopefully he’ll be available for the first one-dayer.”Jimmy’s just a little bit stiff in the right knee, but again he should be fit for Friday and Graham Onions will come back into the reckoning as well. [Swann] came off with a stiff side, but he’s spoken to the medical staff and they don’t seem to be too concerned.”After a promising opening to the tour, with two convincing warm-up victories against the Eagles and Warriors, this is a more familiar feel to England’s overseas expeditions with defeat against a second-string side and a list of injury worries. At the same time South Africa were hitting their stride against Zimbabwe, but Collingwood has his fingers crossed that the team have got their bad performance out of the way.”I’m hoping tonight is just a blip. We’ve done a lot of good stuff so far on this tour,” he said. “Obviously Twenty20 cricket’s a different format of the game – you’re a bit more rushed out in the middle. We’ll obviously come out of this, we’ll learn from it, we’ll discuss it before Friday and hopefully put on a better performance.”I never like losing, but I think sometimes it is going to be a little bit of a reality check as well. Tonight we got one of the disciplines wrong. That’s the area we’ve got to bounce back from and do better on Friday.”

New Zealand fight back with bat and ball for eight-run win in series opener

Madushka Balasuriya28-Dec-2024It was a heist for the ages in Mount Maunganui as New Zealand secured an eight-run win in the first T20I, and with it took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. But more importantly it was a lesson in fight from the hosts, one the visitors would do well to take note of.For much of the game it had looked Sri Lanka’s to lose. The first instance was when New Zealand were reeling on 65 for 5 midway through their innings, and the second when Sri Lanka were cruising after a 121-run opening stand needing just 52 off 40 deliveries.On both occasions New Zealand fought back, and hard – initially through a 105-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell to post a competitive 172 for 8, and then finally through a late strangle that saw Sri Lanka lose eight wickets for 38 runs after being in total control of proceedings.Jacob Duffy was at the heart of the collapse with a three-wicket 14th over, as he set the wheels in motion for a sterling New Zealand comeback – which also earned him the player of the match award. Sri Lanka though will be at a loss for words in attempting to explain how they let this game slip.A collapse for the agesSri Lanka thought they had done enough – and by all accounts they had. A 121-run opening stand in chase of 173 would in most cases have been more than enough. After all, when Kusal Mendis fell for a brisk 46, Sri Lanka needed only another 52 runs off 40 deliveries with nine wickets in hand.Sure, three balls later that equation changed to 52 needed with seven wickets in hand, after Duffy had made sure Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis followed Kusal to the dressing room. But, surely not?Nerves were eased a bit as Charith Asalanka joined Pathum Nissanka in the middle to chip away. But when he fell with 28 still required off 16, more doubts crept in. And then when Matt Henry removed Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the span of a few deliveries, all doubt was removed. Sri Lanka needed 19 off 8, but only Wanindu Hasaranga could be counted on to strike the boundaries needed.Hasaranga being run out without facing a ball in the final over summed up Sri Lanka’s disastrous end to the game.Binura leads Sri Lanka’s early chargeMitchell Santner had been concerned about about a “green tinge” on the surface having been put in to bat, and after the first ten overs his concerns seemed warranted as New Zealand had stumbled to 65 for 5.Pathum Nissanka’s 90 from 60 balls seemed to have put Sri Lanka firmly in control•Getty Images

Binura Fernando, playing his first T20I in nine months, proved the most effective of Sri Lanka’s three seamers despite never clocking more than 130kph. He showed admirable control and found consistent movement in the air despite bowling mostly on a good length or slightly further back; the wickets of Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra were just rewards, and he might have had another had Charith Asalanka not spilled Mark Chapman at mid-off.Binura’s opening burst of three overs went for just 12 runs, before a Hasaranga double-strike in the 10th over really rammed home Sri Lanka’s early dominance.Mitchell and Bracewell counter brutallyIf the first half of the innings belonged to Sri Lanka, the second was well and truly New Zealand’s. After a couple of overs treading water, Bracewell signalled his intent to shift gears with a pair of boundaries off Maheesh Theekshana in the 14th, before unloading on an off-colour Matheesha Pathirana an over later – a flicked six into the grass banks and a monster loft over wide long-off the highlights in a 22-run over.Bracewell’s power was on total display from then on as Hasaranga and Binura were also both taken for maximums over the next few overs. And there would be no respite for Sri Lanka at the other end either, as Mitchell struck in lockstep with his partner, the pair even bringing up their respective fifties off consecutive deliveries.In total, 107 runs were struck between overs 10-20, with 85 of those coming off the six-over period from 13-19. Only an excellent final over from Theekshana, where three wickets fell for just three runs ensured New Zealand were kept below 180.Pathirana’s off dayFour overs for 60 runs and a solitary wicket marked a bad day at the office for Pathirana, but it’s the three no-balls (and subsequent free hits) that will no doubt have Sri Lanka’s coaching staff pulling their hair out. That one of those accounted for the wicket of Mitchell, when he was on eight, will be particularly grating.Pathirana also struggled with identifying an effective length, constantly bowling fuller than ideal – surprising considering the success Binura had had by hitting the deck harder, not to mention the success Pathirana himself has had with similar lengths in the past.

India A declared at 380 for 3 in the final session, setting up a massive target of 488

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2024Tilak Varma and Pratham Singh scored centuries each to stretch India A’s lead and further put them in a strong position against India D on Saturday. From the overnight score of 115 for 1, when they had a lead of 222 runs, India A posted 380 for 3 on the third day before declaring in the final session to set up a target of 488. India D were 62 for 1 at stumps and were 426 runs behind India A.Resuming from 59, Pratham brought up his second first-class hundred off 149 deliveries and stitched a 104-run stand with Tilak for the second wicket. Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar dismissed Pratham for 122 in the 60th over. But Tilak played the long innings and put India A in control. Only one wicket fell in the morning session as India A piled on 145 runs to take lunch at 260 for 2.However, India D struck immediately after lunch as Riyan Parag fell to Saurabh for 20. India D’s bowlers were then made to toil as Shashwat Rawat joined Tilak. The left-handed duo shared an unbroken stand of 116 runs for the fourth wicket. In the second session, Tilak converted his half-century. He hit a total of nine fours in his 193-ball stay, out of which six were scored between the cover and the long-off region.Rawat ticked along briskly, notching up seven fours to remain unbeaten on 64 off 88 balls before India D declared in the final session. In contrast to Tilak, Rawat targeted the leg side, hitting three fours towards long-on and one through midwicket.In the fourth innings, Khaleel Ahmed struck in his second over to opener Atharva Taide for a duck. However, that did not slow India D down as Ricky Bhui, at No.3, scored an unbeaten 44 off 52 at stumps. Bhui slammed eight fours and a six while his partner Yash Dubey was unbeaten on 15 off 60. The pair added 61 runs for the unbroken second-wicket partnership.