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Australian left-arm seamer set for fourth stint at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2019James Faulkner, the Australian left-arm seamer, will return to Lancashire for his fourth stint at the club for next year’s T20 Blast.Faulkner first appeared for the county in 2015, and has been one of their overseas players in the Blast since 2018. This season, he took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.88 as Lancashire topped the North Group, but were beaten by eventual winners Essex in the quarter-finals.”I am thrilled to be returning to Emirates Old Trafford for next season’s Vitality Blast,” Faulkner said. “It feels like a home away from home for me and I cannot wait to get started again in May.”We were unlucky not to progress past the quarter-finals last year and we are all determined to put that right in 2020. We will be going all out to repeat the success of 2015, which remains one of the proudest memories in my cricketing career.”Emirates Old Trafford is an amazing place to play cricket and I can’t wait to reunite with the squad next summer. I’m determined to win the Vitality Blast trophy back for the Club.”Paul Allott, the club’s director of cricket, said: “James is a fantastic, well-rounded cricketer of significant experience and we are delighted to welcome him back to Emirates Old Trafford for a fourth season in 2020.”He is the very definition of an all-rounder. He can bowl in any situation, which he has done successfully for us at both the beginning and back end of an innings, and is still a powerful batsman, not to mention his outstanding ability in the field too.”His enthusiasm in representing the Red Rose is evident and he has established himself as a key figure in our T20 side. He is a proven winner and a great role model to the younger players.”

The 38-year-old allrounder has informed the selectors that he wants to focus on his limited-overs career

Umar Farooq04-Dec-2018Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez, 38, will retire from Test cricket after the ongoing third game against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, having informed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq that he wants to focus on his limited-overs career.”Today, I want to announce my retirement from the Test-match format so that I can focus my energies on playing for Pakistan in the white-ball formats,” Hafeez said after the second day’s play. “I am eyeing to represent Pakistan in the ICC World Cup next year. I feel honoured that I represented the country in 55 Test matches, including the opportunity of captaining the team. I feel satisfied that I performed to the best of my abilities in my 15 year-long Test career.”I wish the Test team the very best for their upcoming assignments starting with the tour to South Africa, the team management especially the coach and captain have worked very hard in forming an exciting core of players that can serve for long.”PCB chairman Ehsan Mani paid tribute to Hafeez, saying his contribution in Test cricket “will be remembered for a long time”.”Hafeez gave some memorable and matching-winning performances for Pakistan in the Test match format,” Mani said. “He lent great balance to the XI with his bowling abilities.”One of the longest-serving international cricketers left in the game, Hafeez made his debut in both Test and ODI cricket in 2003. He marked his international debut with a half-century in a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Sharjah that April, in Pakistan’s first ODI since their disappointing showing at the 2003 World Cup.In all he made 10 Test hundreds in his 15-year career, all of them coming in Asian conditions, including a best of 224 against Bangladesh in Khulna in 2015. His highest score elsewhere was a hard-fought 95 against England at The Oval in 2006, that would surely have set his team up for victory but for the subsequent forfeiture of the match due to a ball-tampering furore.Hafeez announced his decision after he had managed only 39 runs in four innings and went wicketless against New Zealand. Having been dismissed by Trent Boult for a duck on Tuesday, he could have one final chance to add to his 3644 Test runs, should Pakistan return to bat in their second innings.Hafeez’s international career appeared to be winding down after he was downgraded in Pakistan’s central contract list in August this year, and he even contemplated retirement. But his wife Nazia, along with the former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, talked him out of it.After a late call-up to the Pakistan Test squad for their two-Test series against Australia in October, Hafeez marked his return with a hundred in a double-century opening stand with Imam-ul-Haq. Their 205-run partnership in the first Test in Dubai was was only the 10th double-century opening stand made against Australia in Test cricket. However, in seven innings since his 126 in Dubai, he has not passed 20.

Worcestershire have given themselves an excellent chance of securing promotion after a third successive County Championship victory

George Dobell at New Road15-Sep-2017Worcestershire have given themselves an excellent chance of securing promotion after a third successive County Championship victory.It may have taken them longer than anticipated – entry to New Road was free on Friday with a possibility that matters could be settled within an hour, but play ultimately stretched until around 3.20pm – but the result takes Worcestershire top of the table with only a couple of weeks of the season remaining.The result from Cardiff means promotion is not assured as Northants have a game in hand. But the worst case scenario means Worcestershire will require a maximum of 11 points from their final match against Durham. As their captain, Joe Leach, put it: “It’s in our own hands.”With Northants needing to defeat Nottinghamshire next week to sustain their own promotion hopes, it is entirely possible Worcestershire’s promotion will be guaranteed before their next match begins. If so, it would be their fifth promotion in 11 years under director of cricket Steve Rhodes and the first time in the history of two divisions they will have found themselves in the division above Warwickshire.It is a scenario that seemed unlikely only a few weeks ago. After the fall-out of the Tom Kohler-Cadmore affair and a gruesome T20 campaign – no team won fewer or lost more games – it seemed their Championship form was falling away. They won just one (and lost three) out of six Championship games in the middle of the season.But a brief break and the acquisition of Ravi Ashwin has given them renewed life. While Ashwin’s figures are relatively modest – he has claimed 13 wickets at an average of 33.46 in his three games to date – his presence has lifted the side. He is clearly relaxed in the environment – he is enjoying walking around the city without being recognised – and has inspired some of his young team-mates to this revival. Ashwin was the only man in this side not to have graduated through the Worcestershire system.They are a couple of exceptional young players in this Worcestershire side. In 19-year-old Josh Tongue (who has 45 first-class wickets this season) they have one of the outstanding fast bowling prospects in the country – it is a long, long time since such a bowler came through the system here – while in 21-year-old Joe Clarke (who has 850 first-class runs this summer) they have one of the outstanding young batsmen. Both are set to be included in performance squads this winter.”To be top of the league with predominantly home grown talent, we are very proud of that fact,” Rhodes said afterwards. “To pick up maximum points with 10 Academy players makes you feel very proud.”The new-ball spell on Thursday, when Leicestershire were reduced to 10 for 4, was a pivotal moment in the game.”They did not have life completely their own way on the final day. Leicestershire’s eighth-wicket pair, coming together with the lead only 22, put on 103 in 23 overs as Worcestershire’s ploy of testing them with the short ball backfired. Zak Chappell, in particular, produced some nice pulls as he recorded the second half-century of his career – the first, an innings of 96, was made on his first-class debut – with Lewis Hill adding measured support.They played Ashwin well, too. Chappell brought up his 50 from 63 balls with a straight six back over the off-spinner’s head and, as the lead grew beyond 100 and rain necessitated a couple of brief interruptions, Worcestershire nerves began to grow.Finally, the short ball worked, though. Chappell and Doeter Klein pulled long-hops to midwicket before Lewis, left only with the No. 11, slog-swept to the square-leg boundary where Brett D’Oliveira held on to a well-judged catch. Leicestershire had lost their last three wickets for the addition of just six runs and Worcestershire required just 132 to win.The pursuit was not entirely straightforward – D’Oliveira missed an attempted scoop, Daryl Mitchell played on and Tom Fell, with a top score of 39 in all formats this season, looks as if he needs a holiday – but the pitch remained true and Leicestershire, without a win this season, lacked the belief to turn the screw as some sides might have done.It was, though, a day that offered some encouragement for Leicestershire, too. In 21-year-old Chappell they have one of the most outstanding prospects in the county game: an allrounder capable of bowling fast. He is raw, certainly – he is prone to fall away as he bowls and he doesn’t seem to gain much lateral movement – but he has the potential to be fine player.And in Callum Parkinson, who followed his eight wickets in the first innings – the best haul by a Leicestershire bowler since Devon Malcolm took 8 for 63 against Surrey in 2001 – with two more in the second to claim a first 10-for, they have one of the best young, left-arm spinners. Mark Cosgrove, the Leicestershire captain, went as far as describing him as “the best spinner in the game.” While that might be wishful thinking, he is one of the players that provides hope of better times ahead for long-suffering Leicestershire supporters.”Everyone’s attention was on Ashwin, but Parky outshone him quite easily,” Cosgrove said. “He’s got a massive future in front of him and hopefully we can get the pitch to turn at Grace Road.”They could do worse than learn from Worcestershire. While some clubs look for their cheque book when they require a player, Worcestershire look to their youth teams. The England management and selectors talk of Rhodes as the most helpful and committed of all county coaches, one of the few who never questions why a player might be called into a Lions squad or rested from a key match. He, and the likes of the academy coach Elliot Wilson are producing players who could serve their club and country with distinction. For that, the entire English game should be grateful. Promotion seems a just reward.

The worm turns again. There is some wonderful Test cricket being played at the moment and the Edgbaston Test could bubble up into a humdinger after Alastair Cook and Alex Hales wiped out Pakistan’s lead with an unbroken stand of 117

The Report by Andrew McGlashan05-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlastair Cook continued his fine form with another half-century•Getty Images

The worm turns again. There is some wonderful Test cricket being played at the moment and the Edgbaston Test could bubble up into a humdinger after Alastair Cook and Alex Hales wiped out Pakistan’s lead with an unbroken stand of 117 on a day that England showed commendable resilience.Cook closed on 61, during which he become England’s leading run-scorer across all formats – overtaking Kevin Pietersen – although of more immediate relevance was the assurance with which he played, reaching fifty off 67 balls. Hales was less fluent, but showed the determination he had against Sri Lanka earlier in the season and brought up his fifty from 116 balls off the final delivery of the day. The century stand was this pair’s first in Test cricket, in their 18th innings together, and England’s first since Cook and Moeen Ali in Abu Dhabi last October.Pakistan’s eventual advantage of 103 was good, but perhaps short of what they would have hoped for late on Thursday before Azhar Ali edged the final delivery of the day. In total, their last eight wickets fell for 143, with the last five managing just 42 as the flimsy lower order was exposed once Misbah-ul-Haq’s diligent half-century was ended.England’s seamers bowled well (Moeen was only entrusted with two overs in the day) although James Anderson was ordered out of the attack after encroaching on the danger area for a third time – the second time in the year he had been removed having also transgressed in Johannesburg. But by then Pakistan were eight down and England were able to soak up his absence. Chris Woakes continued to impress to finish with three wickets while England earned another scalp through their fielding when Yasir Shah was run out.Unlike the opening day, England’s openers were able to start in sunshine and the surface remained placid. The Pakistan seamers fed Cook with too much width early on and the fifty stand came up in the 15th over, with Cook contributing 36 of them. The pace did not slow, aided by Hales also finding his groove after some hard work, notably when he flicked Yasir over the leg side. There was little help for Yasir, although he did spin one to bring an lbw appeal against Hales which went to review but had pitched outside leg.It was Hales who took England into the lead with a textbook back-foot punch off Sohail Khan who struggled to replicate his first-innings performance. Mohammad Amir was the pick of the quicks, but Misbah will need a telling contribution from Yasir on the fourth day. When the players walked off, with nine overs unbowled due to various delays, there was a very different feel to the match than a few hours earlier.A key element to this match could yet be the control England managed to exert with the ball, meaning that even when wickets were not falling the innings did not run away from them. The third morning, which began with Pakistan 40 adrift, started in a similar manner to the previous day with them willing to soak up the pressure: Anderson’s opening five-over spell cost just four runs and while Pakistan had plenty of wickets in hand they were content, but their approach did mean the lengthy tail remained a get-out for England if they could break through.Younis Khan was slightly less jumpy than in the first two Tests but could not escape his rut, providing England their first wicket of the day when he glanced Woakes down the leg side – a similar dismissal to the first innings at Old Trafford off Ben Stokes.Misbah continued to leave and defend against some tight bowling, only occasionally breaking free when he drove Stuart Broad for consecutive boundaries, in a manner very similar to how he has played throughout this cluster of England Tests in the last eight months. By lunch, the runs had started to come more freely.Asad Shafiq started brightly at Lord’s but has been slightly less productive since and could not break the shackles in an 18-ball stay before losing his off stump when Broad made a delivery nip back which he was late on. At that point, Pakistan were yet to take the lead and England sniffed a chance to keep the Test even.Not for the first time, Sarfraz Ahmed’s appearance brought energy to the innings, both in his punchy strokeplay and eagerness to keep the strike rotating. Misbah’s early caution was also rewarded as he moved from 7 off 39 balls to a half-century off 93, although one of his boundaries came when an edge flashed past Joe Root who was stood at a very close third slip.His dismissal had a dose of bad fortune about it, although Anderson was unlikely to see it that way, when he defended at a ball which then came off pad and boot into the stumps. It gave England an opening at the lower order and brought a period where the umpires were in the thick of the action.A superb piece of fielding from Woakes at deep square beat Yasir attempt to come back for a second, Jonny Bairstow doing well to gather the throw and break the stumps with his elbow – a dismissal which led to a thumbing of the Laws: it was perfectly legal, a run out can be completed by hand to arm providing the ball is under control.Amir’s wicket also needed the intervention of the TV umpire when Woakes rightly thought the lbw shout had struck pad first, while Sohail was lbw walking across his stumps at Broad. By then Anderson had been removed from the attack by Joel Wilson, following further feedback from the third umpire, and his over was completed by Steven Finn who was destined to end wicketless again when Cook added to England’s list of dropped catches by shelling Rahat Ali at slip. It was the last moment that did not go right for them.

Cricket has made its first-ever appearance at ESPN’s annual awards, the ESPYS, after an acrobatic catch by West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo at the IPL was nominated as a ‘Best Play’

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2015Help Dwayne Bravo win cricket’s first ESPY by voting hereCricket has made its first-ever appearance at ESPN’s annual awards, the ESPYS, after an acrobatic catch by West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo at the IPL was nominated as a ‘Best Play’.Bravo was recognised for a leaping, one-handed take on the boundary to dismiss Shane Watson in Chennai, a feat that also earned him the IPL’s ‘catch of the season’ award. He sprinted to his left from long-on to get in line with what seemed a certain six from Watson, before jumping and arching back to pluck the ball over his head, and then kept his balance to avoid the rope.”I admit I am still shocked on many levels,” Bravo said. “Firstly, I am shocked and happy that cricket is being recognised by the American market, and on their biggest and most prestigious night in sport. Secondly, I am in a category with athletes that I look up to and admire, titans of their sports, and I am humbled.”Bravo is also the first ESPYS nominee from Trinidad & Tobago. “I am proud to represent my country and value every opportunity to showcase the talent that exists here,” he said. “Of course I would love to win, so I take this opportunity to ask my fans around the world to vote, not just for me but for our beloved cricket.”Bravo’s effort was among a shortlist of 16 plays from a variety of sports. Other nominees include Lionel Messi’s mesmerising goal against Athletic Bilbao in May, plays from NFL, NBA, lacrosse and more. The winner will be determined by a public vote, and the contest follows a bracket format. Bravo’s immediate challenger is a last-minute Hail Mary pass in a college-football game.The ESPYS, which were first awarded in 1993, is an annual event to commemorate the past year in sports, recognising both sport-specific achievements, such as Best NBA Player, and best-in-sport winners, such as Best Team or Best Female Athlete, that pit nominees from different sports against each other. There is no specific category for cricket, and Bravo’s nomination is the first time the game has featured at the ESPYS. The 2015 ESPYs will be awarded on July 15.Help Dwayne Bravo win cricket’s first ESPY by voting here

Saurashtra’s trio of spinners, Kamlesh Makvana, Vishal Joshi and debutant Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, earned their team a first-innings lead of 107 against Madhya Pradesh

Abhishek Purohit in Rajkot30-Dec-2012
ScorecardBefore this game started, Saurashtra’s only chance of achieving the outright win that would take them to the quarter-finals was believed to be their spin attack, considered to be better than Madhya Pradesh’s. Despite the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Nayan Doshi, the trio of Kamlesh Makvana, Vishal Joshi and debutant Dharmendrasinh Jadeja showed why that belief was right, earning a first-innings lead of 107. MP’s dismal batting means they too will now have to push for an improbable victory, when a first-innings lead would have sufficed.As was the case on day one, the new ball was productive, with Jaydev Unadkat taking three wickets, including those of Devendra Bundela and Jalaj Saxena in inspired, extended spells of 6-3-7-2 and 6-3-13-1 on either side of lunch. Unadkat had earlier made 20 of the 30 runs he and Makvana added for the last wicket, and carried that confidence into his bowling.The difference between the two sides, however, was the quality of spinners, and the way they were played. There wasn’t a lot of turn from the dry Khandheri pitch, contrary to what was being expected by both sides before the start of the match. Still, Saurashtra’s spinners created chances, half-chances and plenty of excitement among the close-in fielders regularly. While MP’s spinners had been content with cutting down the runs, allowing the opposition to recover from 94 for 5, Saurashtra’s bowled a fuller length, drew the batsmen forward, put in more effort and flight in their deliveries, and generated more bounce. Also, while Saurashtra’s batsmen were prepared to grind it out and wait for runs, MP’s batsmen kept going for their strokes despite the situation demanding some caution.The initial incisions were made by Unadkat. Bowling flat out, he got the sort of lift and zip that had eluded Ishwar Pandey and Anand Rajan in the morning. Saxena did not help MP’s cause by flailing and getting beaten a couple of times outside off. Despite his partner Naman Ojha walking over for a word, Saxena proceeded to play the hook, on the hop, to an Unadkat bouncer, only to be caught at square leg. Rameez Khan played a sharp length delivery from the crease, and lost his off stump, which took such a blow it had to be replaced.Then came the most crucial part of the innings as MP’s best batsmen, Bundela and Ojha, fought. Unadkat reared a short delivery up at Bundela’s throat first ball, which the MP captain defended. The next ball was pitched up, produced an edge, but fell short of the cordon. Bundela responded with a clip to the deep-midwicket boundary.Ojha, a free-flowing batsman, took on spin soon after it was introduced in the 13th over, as he stepped out to lift left-arm spinner Jadeja over mid-on and mid-off. As lunch approached and Ojha continued leaving his crease and lofting the ball, Saurashtra already had a sweeper cover, long-off and long-on for him.Unadkat was at it again soon after lunch though. In the second over after the break, he zipped one across Bundela, which the batsmen could only edge on its way to the keeper. MP were now 57 for 3 and soon slipped to 73 for 4 when Ojha dragged a sweep into the keeper’s gloves down the leg side off Joshi.This was when the difference in the spin attack started to show. The tall Jadeja, the second-highest wicket-taker in the Under-25 CK Nayudu Trophy, put in a lot of work on the ball with an action that had him pivoting on the front foot like the classical spinners of old. He was accurate too, and after some time, had Satyam Choudhary and Udit Birla edging for an alert Shitanshu Kotak at slip to take his 101st and 102nd first-class catches. MP continued to sink, with Harpreet Singh slashing Makvana to second slip, a very sharp chance held nonchalantly by Rahul Dave. Similar chances had gone down in the Saurashtra innings.Unlike the Saurashtra lower order, the MP tail showed absolutely no fight. Anand Rajan drove at a flighted Joshi delivery and was bowled, Ishar Pandey slogged his first ball to midwicket, and Ajay Rajput his second to extra cover.Once again, when they needed to fire in a crunch game, MP came up short. They had batted poorly in the first innings of their quarter-final against Mumbai in the previous season and, this year, had also lost a thriller to them in the previous round.MP did send back Sheldon Jackson in the third over of Saurashtra’s second innings, but Pandey’s length ball barely got above the ankles. MP, who have to bat last, wouldn’t have liked that.

A typically blistering half-century by Chris Gayle went in vain for Sydney Thunder as they fell short by six runs to Melbourne Renegades at Stadium Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2011
ScorecardA typically blistering half-century by Chris Gayle went in vain for Sydney Thunder as they fell short by six runs to Melbourne Renegades at Stadium Australia. The Renegades posted a middling total of 140, but a three-wicket haul by Shahid Afridi and some good death bowling stopped Thunder on their tracks.The Renegades promised a bigger score after their openers, Aaron Finch and Brad Hodge, added 82. Luke Doran, the left-arm spinner, claimed both wickets in three balls. The quick strikes put the skids on the scoring rate. Shahid Afridi managed one four in his 16 before he was dismissed by Luke Butterworth in the 18th over.Debutant Tim Cruickshank and Gayle got off to a sound start chasing 141, adding 59 in close to eight overs. Cruickshank perished for 15 when he tried to loft Afridi over long-on. Gayle carried on attacking, hitting five sixes and three fours en route to 75. However, he didn’t have the support he would have liked as wickets kept falling at the other end. The Renegades pulled it back thanks to the discipline shown by their bowlers, Dirk Nannes (0-10) and Afridi (3-21). When Gayle fell in the penultimate over, caught at midwicket, the Renegades had all but sealed their first win against Thunder.

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has said the plan was to bowl around the wicket to Chris Gayle and use the bouncer as a surprise delivery

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo25-Nov-2010Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has said the plan was to bowl around the wicket to Chris Gayle and use the bouncer as a surprise delivery rather than allowing him to expect it. The ploy worked when the West Indies triple-century maker from the first test was dismissed for 30 on the third day of the second test on Thursday.”That short ball was an excellent delivery; great line and length. That whole over the one before as soon as [Suranga] Lakmal went around the wicket he troubled Gayle from ball one. Taking out Gayle was a huge blow to the West Indies and it really put us on top.”After getting the big wicket of Gayle, Sri Lanka were stymied by Darren Bravo and Brendan Nash, who put together a partnership of 83 before part-time spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan swung the scales in Sri Lanka’s favour again by snapping them both up within three balls shortly before bad light ended play.”That was a fantastic effort,” Sangakkara said. “Dilshan’s got that magic touch when he comes on he manages to do something. Two wickets at a very crucial time – one guy was on 80. Now we got the opportunity to come back tomorrow and really put the pressure on.”Sangakkara, who was out for 150, said the pitch was not an easy one to bat on, so it was very satisfying to adapt to it and score runs. “We expected the wicket to do a bit. The only problem with it was it didn’t do a huge amount. It did enough but it was also very slow. The value for shots you get was not there in the first one-and-a-half to two sessions.”It was really a struggle for the batsmen because the loose balls also it was hard to put them away. At the end of the day that’s what makes Test cricket so interesting. It never comes easy for you. You get wickets that are really flat and also wickets like this that makes you work hard.”He said it was careless of him to get out when he did, and his dismissal together with that of Prasanna [Jayawardene] cost Sri Lanka the chance to get to 400. “That kind of put us on the back foot,” Sangakkara said. “It’s nice to get a big hundred but it would have been nice to have gone on and set us up for a bigger total. All in all there is quite a lot of time left in this match, and hopefully if we bowl well in the first session we can set it up.”Getting a result in this Test will, of course, depend on the weather, which has affected the Test over the first three days. “We’ll have to see how the conditions are tomorrow. If the weather is really good we might think of batting again. It all depends on the time factor. It’s nice to get them in twice, but we also need to make sure that we don’t have to score many if we are batting fourth on this track.”

Kamran Akmal’s poor showing with the gloves for Pakistan during the second Test in Sydney has prompted the selectors to rush promising wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed to Australia

Cricinfo staff06-Jan-2010Kamran Akmal’s poor showing behind the stumps for Pakistan during the second Test in Sydney has prompted the selectors to rush promising wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed to Australia ahead of the third Test in Hobart. A strongly-worded release from the PCB said Sarfraz “will be participating in third Test” although it didn’t say whether Akmal, who is the team’s vice-captain, would play as a specialist batsman or not.”[The] Pakistan Cricket Board shows its utmost concern over the poor performance of Pakistan Cricket Team in second Test match played in Sydney,” the PCB release said. “Chairman Selection Committee was invited today for a meeting with Chairman of PCB to evaluate the situation. As an urgent action, it was agreed to send wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed to Australia before the 3rd Test to reinforce the wicketkeeping department. The tour selection committee has been informed accordingly. An overall review of the performance of the team shall be carried out by the board after completion of the Australian Tour.”Akmal had a torrid time behind the stumps on day three of the second Test, dropping Michael Hussey three times off Danish Kaneria and missing a run-out chance earlier in the day. He also dropped Peter Siddle off Mohammad Sami on the fourth morning. Hussey went on to score an unbeaten 134 and helped stretched Australia’s lead from 80 – at the end of the third day – to 175. Pakistan were the favourites to win on the fourth day but collapsed to 139 and lost the match, by 36 runs, and the series.”The call up has come as a pleasant surprise and if I get a chance to play I will do my best for my country”, PTI quoted Sarfraz as saying before flying out of Karachi.Sarfraz had toured New Zealand recently as an understudy to Akmal but was sent back home before the team headed to Australia, because the selectors wanted to trim the squad. Sarfraz, who has played eight ODIs for Pakistan, had replaced Akmal for the 2008 Asia Cup. Akmal has since been the first choice wicketkeeper and was even publicly backed by his captain Mohammad Yousuf during the Sydney Test because of his abilities as a batsman.

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.