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“When the right game comes, when the big game comes, if we have to bat first, we should know exactly how we have to go”

Sidharth Monga03-May-20222:54

Aakash Chopra: Gill and Hardik failing together a concern for Titans

When Mayank Agarwal lost the toss – the eighth Punjab Kings had lost in 10, making them the second-unluckiest team in the tournament – he must have felt distraught because they are pretty close to getting into must-win territory. However, seconds later, he was handed what he wanted: an opportunity to chase a total.After a fairly comprehensive defeat, Gujarat Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya confirmed that they didn’t make the decision to bat first based on conditions, but because they wanted to put themselves in difficult situations. On the first occasion they chose to bat first, it was an afternoon game so it was understandable, but when they made the call even in a night game, it was obvious people would wonder why they chose to do so.Related

• Rabada, Dhawan, Livingstone give Kings NRR-boosting win

“I absolutely back our decision to bat first because we need to put ourselves in difficult situations as well where we come out of our comfort zone,” Hardik told Star Sports. “We have been doing pretty well in chasing, but we have always wanted to make sure we put our batters under the pressure when the right game comes, when the big game comes, if we have to bat first, we should know exactly how we have to go.”It is a little curious that Titans have got into this experiment so early in the tournament. They are the table leaders, but they have now won eight games out of 10, which doesn’t always guarantee qualification for the playoffs. Eight wins might eventually be enough to take them there but there is a big premium on finishing in the top two in the IPL.As it turned out, Titans had to bat in difficult conditions, and while the ball moved around initially for them too, once the dew set in, it became significantly easier for Kings to chase down 144.”It was an exercise that we wanted to try,” he said. “We knew the new ball might do something. But to be honest we kept losing wickets, and if you keep losing wickets, no matter how the conditions are, the batters are always going to be under pressure. We didn’t get the kind of rhythm or the start we wanted but it’s okay, this loss was a learning curve. But as I said, we need to be coming out of our comfort zone and try to bat first and put ourselves under that pressure.”B Sai Sudharsan hit 65* in 50 balls•PTI

What will he tell his side in the debriefing?”Even when we were winning, we were always talking about how to get better,” he said. “We definitely have a chat about where things didn’t go our way and focus on things which we can get better at in the next games. We play another game in a couple of days, we don’t have much time. We should regroup and we don’t need to worry about it. Winning and losing is part of the sport and more often than not we have ended up on the winning side.”Titans’ senior batter David Miller, though, felt that the main learning from the match was to decide to chase the next time they win the toss.”Ideally we would have liked to have bowled first,” Miller said in the post-match press conference. “I think [with] the conditions in the evening – there is a lot of dew – [we need to] look to bat second on winning the toss.”We have been pretty clinical in our last nine games. So just try to keep things pretty simple in all facets of the game. That’s what we have done in the last nine games prior to this where there have been close matches and we have managed to close them out. Due to doing the basics pretty well. Putting on great partnerships, running pretty hard between wickets, the bowlers have been executing plans really well.”

With next month’s series postponed, India women continue to be without cricket since March

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2020Cricket Australia has said that the three-match ODI series between Australia women and India women has been postponed to “next season”, dates pending. The series was scheduled for late January.The announcement follows ESPNcricinfo’s report that the BCCI wasn’t keen on going through with the series, which was originally scheduled to be part of the lead-up to the 2021 World Cup in February. The World Cup’s postponement to 2022 is understood to be a factor in this decision, which effectively means that India women will continue to be without cricket since the T20 World Cup final on March 8 this year.Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley hoped the postponed series might be a longer one, with three T20Is added to it.”We are very hopeful of delivering an expanded schedule between the Australian and Indian women’s teams for next season, which would be an outstanding result for fans in both countries,” Hockley said. “We had initially hoped to play India this summer, however the impact of the global pandemic made it necessary to postpone until next season.”It will be wonderful to once again host the Indian women’s team, who were centre stage for that unforgettable ICC T20 World Cup final at the MCG in March, and to do so with an expanded schedule from what was originally planned.”As things stand, India will at best take the field next in February, if a limited-overs assignment against Sri Lanka, presently being discussed between the two boards, does take place – either at home or away.

Senior fast bowler goes from “diminishing cricketer” to significant force once again after perfecting new approach

Alan Gardner17-Sep-2019Stuart Broad has described himself as a “reinvented cricketer with more to offer” after enjoying his most-successful Ashes with the ball. In the absence of the injured James Anderson, Broad led the line superbly for England, with his dominance over David Warner providing a snapshot of his summer renaissance.In all, Broad picked up 23 wickets during the five Tests, two shy of equalling his best series haul (against India in 2011). His proficiency at bowling round-the-wicket to left-handers was a notable feature – helping him to remove Warner seven times in 10 innings – and he also kept his pace high while pursuing a fuller, more attacking length.Having only played in half of England’s winter Tests, in Sri Lanka and West Indies, there had been a sense that Broad was no longer an automatic pick – despite sitting second only to Anderson on England’s wicket-taking list. However, bowling off a shortened run-up, worked on in consultation with Richard Hadlee, and with a focus on making batsmen play more, he has restated his worth.ALSO READ: ‘I’d swap Headingley drama for an Ashes win’ – Stokes“I’ve been very pleased with how it has gone this summer,” he said. “I’ve gone from being talked about as a diminishing cricketer being eased out to a reinvented cricketer with more to offer. At 33 years old that is a good place to be.”All the hard work has been worth it. Fate allowed me to have the time during the winter to work on things. In Sri Lanka I didn’t play too much and I was able to work on a new run up and stuff like my attacking intent, which has paid dividends. I’ve not been as attacking in my areas, and making batsmen play as much as I have for many years.”His method to Warner was the culmination of his early season with Nottinghamshire, where the coach, Peter Moores, and team analyst, Kunal Manek, passed on data about the “leave percentage” of batsmen facing Broad. Resolving that this was too high, he focused on attacking the stumps more – combined with his ability to move the ball away from left-handers, it left Warner caught betwixt and between, falling lbw or bowled four times, and caught behind or in the slips three.”I had an added responsibility to try and get their big players out and that’s why I did a lot of planning on David Warner and how I might get him out before the series started,” he said. “I had to go fuller at him, I had to try and hit his stumps and I had to try and forget about his outside edge.”The edges would come but only if I bowled in the right areas consistently rather than searching for the edge of his bat. I never dreamt that I would have the success against him that I’ve had.”Of course that is just in this series. If we put our numbers together over the course of our careers and how much we have played against each other I think they would be quite even. He has outdone me in many a series, but this time it went my way and I think it perhaps shows that sometimes planning does work.”Before the series, Broad had taken Warner’s wicket five times in 18 Tests; that figure now stands at 12, making the Australia opener the man he has dismissed most often.The numbers for Australia were stark. Warner finished the series with an average of 9.50, with the opening partnership averaging even less at 8.50. Marcus Harris was dismissed three times in six innings by Broad, while Cameron Bancroft also fell to him once before being dropped.”We talk about setting the tone with the new ball and I felt that this has been my best summer for a long time in terms of doing that with the new ball,” Broad said. “I felt a responsibility to lead that first 10 overs and I’ve had great energy running in. I felt like the mindset of trying to hit the stumps has really paid off.”I don’t think we could have dreamt of keeping Australia’s opening pairs quite so quiet throughout the series so we can class that as a good win for us. We do a lot of planning and preparation to go into these series and our new ball bowling has been a success.”Although Broad described himself as “distraught” at England’s failure to win a home Ashes series for the first time since 2001, he suggested that a draw was a fair result and a fitting way to end the summer. He praised Steven Smith for playing “out of his skin” in his first series since returning from a ball-tampering ban – likening his response to that of Ben Stokes, England’s man of the summer, who has used adversity to lift his own game to new levels.Stuart Broad wheels away in celebration after bowling David Warner•Getty Images

“It was really important we got a positive result in this game to make sure that Australia didn’t go home with a win,” he said. “A World Cup win and a drawn series in the Ashes is a memorable summer. I won’t say it is a totally successful summer because we would have really liked to win the series, but if we sit down in a week’s time without the emotion, it is probably the right result.”I think both teams are so similar in the way they go about their business. They had one batsman who has been a 15 out of 10 and we’ve not had that which has been a huge difference.”Of course I’m distraught not to be lifting the urn at the Oval and I can’t remember having a feeling like this before because usually at The Oval we are lifting a trophy. It is certainly the first Ashes series where I’ve not been spraying champagne at the end which is a weird feeling.”It is a fair result. Steve Smith has played out of his skin. It has taken 24 days to finally get him to tuck one round the corner to leg slip. [Chris] Woakes got him with a straight one that was hitting the middle of middle and that was just about the first on he’d missed. Why had he not missed one before? He’s been so good and everything has worked for him.”Stokesy has had a summer where all his hardship has paid him back and Steve Smith the same, all his hardship has paid him back.”

ESPNcricinfo predicts the big questions facing India’s selectors as they sit down to name the Test squad for the England Tests

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jul-2018Is there space for Rohit Sharma in the middle order?
India will want a third middle-order batsman to support Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli. In South Africa, Rohit was given the opportunity to bolster the lower middle-order but he failed. The selectors felt Rohit was “less than satisfactory” in that series, in which he was played in the first two Tests ahead of Rahane. Rohit managed 78 runs in four innings and was dropped in the final Test in Johannesburg. He was also left out of the Afghanistan Test, with India A captain Karun Nair replacing him in the squad.

Likely Test squad

Openers: M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul
Middle order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma/Karun Nair
Allrounder: Hardik Pandya
Wicketkeeper: Dinesh Karthik, Wriddhiman Saha/Parthiv Patel
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja
Fast bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

Rohit recently said that he was not going to lose sleep wondering if he would be picked or not in the longest format, given half his career was over. But he has been in top form in the limited-overs leg of the UK tour, with two centuries and a fifty. And, in the prevailing hot conditions in the UK, the selectors might be tempted to consider Rohit – once again – ahead of Karun Nair, who has got starts for India A but hasn’t scored big. However, the main question Kohli and India coach Shastri would like to figure out is whether Rohit remains a viable long-term option. India are playing four Tests in Australia later this year, and they ought to invest wisely.Will Kuldeep Yadav be the X-factor in the Tests too?
England would have thought they had sorted Kuldeep out after the second T20I, but the left-arm wristspinner proved otherwise, taking nine wickets in the first two matches of the ODI series, including a six-for in his maiden ODI in England. Kohli revealed that he would be tempted to include Kuldeep in the Test squad based on his ODI form.Kuldeep has already played two Tests and has shown the attitude and hunger to duel with the batsmen. If picked, he will ideally be part of a three-pronged spin attack alongside the senior pairing of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.Getty Images

Who will be the reserve wicketkeeper?
Rishabh Pant the batsman has rattled many a bowler in domestic and List A cricket, making a strong and legitimate case for a place in the limited-overs squad. But it is his keeping skills that have remained unconvincing, with experts pointing out that his technique as a wicketkeeper needs work. He has not played a lot of first-class cricket either.Pant is only 20 years old, so he has time to grow and should not be worried. And, despite all this, there are whispers that he could be one of the contenders for the reserve wicketkeeper’s post for the England Tests. With Wriddhiman Saha likely to miss at least part of the five-Test series, Dinesh Karthik is likely to be the first-choice wicketkeeper. If Saha’s thumb injury does not heal in time for him to even be named the reserve keeper, then India will need another back-up for Karthik.In the past decade and a bit more the selectors have turned to Karthik and Parthiv Patel each time MS Dhoni and – later – Saha missed out in Tests. Parthiv did play the last two Tests of the South Africa series this year, but the team management was not happy with his glovework.So will the selectors gamble with a left-field choice in Pant, an unfinished product as far his keeping goes? It is plausible. Pant is currently touring England as part of the India A series, and has 15 dismissals in eight matches including 14 catches and one stumping. India A arrived in England in the early part of June, which means Pant is well adapted to the conditions and the grounds.If he is picked, it will not only be a bold move, but clearly a forward-thinking one too.Should KL Rahul open or bat at No. 3?
India should retain the three openers that featured in the previous two Test series this year – South Africa in January and the one-off match in June against Afghanistan. Although M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul hit form against first-timers Afghanistan, neither of the three men lasted long in South Africa. Still they remain India’s best available options.Rahul also offers the added advantage of coming in at No. 3 as he did in the Afghanistan Test, displacing the incumbent Cheteshwar Pujara to No. 4. With Kohli’s penchant for boldness and intent, Rahul is likely to be part of the first XI, which might add pressure on Pujara to produce his very best.

When the two teams meet on Wednesday, Bangladesh will have a chance to register their first victory over New Zealand at an away or a neutral venue

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2017

Match facts

Wednesday May 17, Dublin
Start time 1045 local time (0945 GMT)Mitchell Santner’s five-for against Ireland was a tale of two spells•AFP

Big picture

Bangladesh have never beaten New Zealand at an away or neutral venue in 15 matches and will be keen to set that record straight, given how the last series between the two teams, in New Zealand, panned out.In all three of those matches, sudden and quick batting slumps from positions of relative stability cost Bangladesh. Some of that fragility was also on display in their opening match of this tri-nation series against Ireland: they lost wickets on either side of a promising stand, before Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah made a recovery. It’s a tendency Bangladesh will have to guard against, particularly if they want to tackle a New Zealand side which, although weakened, fought back well against Ireland.In conditions suited to seam bowling, how Bangladesh cope with New Zealand’s inexperienced but promising pace attack will be key. They will also be wary of New Zealand’s middle order striking form, although both George Worker and Ross Taylor were not quite fluent during their half-centuries against Ireland. New Zealand are likely to continue with Luke Ronchi as opener, giving the batsman freedom to hit out in order to ease the pressure on the middle order.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LWLLL (most recent first, last five completed matches)
New Zealand: WLWLW

In the spotlight

Mahmudullah‘s unbeaten 43 in the rain-interrupted match last week was only the fourth time he’s scored more than 20 in an innings since October 2016. While he has scored a half-century in that period, he has not been consistent. Mahmudullah had a disappointing ODI series in New Zealand, where he scored 4 runs in three innings. However, the solid patch of form from the Dhaka Premier League has extended to this tour, and Bangladesh will be happy that his runs against Ireland came after they were struggling at 70 for 4 in the 15th over. Mahmudullah needs another 79 to become the fifth Bangladesh batsman to score 3000 ODI runs.New Zealand coach Mike Hesson recently said they were not averse to opening the bowling with a spinner even in English conditions during the Champions Trophy, particularly if the track was flat. Mitchell Santner could be a key part of that strategy. Hesson was particularly impressed with how the left-arm spinner bounced back against Ireland: having conceded 43 and taken one wicket in his first spell of seven overs, Santner came back to take four wickets for seven in his second spell, decisively turning the match for New Zealand.

Teams news

Adam Milne is likely to be available for selection, having joined the team last week. He could replace Ish Sodhi if New Zealand opt to boost their pace attack in what are likely to be seaming conditions.New Zealand (probable) 1 Luke Ronchi (wk), 2 Tom Latham (capt), 3 George Worker, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin Munro, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn, 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Seth Rance, 11 Adam Milne/ Ish SodhiMashrafe Mortaza will return from over-rate suspension, at the expense of possibly Rubel Hossain. Apart from that change, Bangladesh may want to persist with the XI they picked for the first match, which was abandoned.Bangladesh:(probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

This will be the first ODI, and the second international game, at Castle Avenue since May 2014, when Sri Lanka took on Ireland in a two-match series. At the time, conditions were green and seaming and it could be the same on Wednesday. The temperature in Dublin is expected to be between 15 and 18 Celsius during the day, with a chance of rain.

Stats

• This will be the first match at Clontarf between two Full Member nations. Bangladesh had played a match there against West Indies in 1999, but had not yet achieved Full Member status
• Sunday’s match against Ireland was only the eighth time that Ronchi opened the batting in an ODI. His score of 37 was also his best at that position.
• Tamim and Shakib Al Hasan have the most runs by Bangladesh batsmen against New Zealand – 442 and 436 respectively.

Quotes

“It’s a challenge for us because we have guys coming back from the IPL. So we will have players we will release back to England and we will give a little bit of time to acclimatise and then assess conditions, because there are still ODIs and we will need to keep picking what we deem to be our best team.”

Michael Carberry’s 35-ball 62 drove the Scorchers to 173 for 5. AJ Tye then defended 15 runs in the last over, giving away four in the last the ball after Darren Sammy had reduced the equation to 6 off 1

The report by Will Macpherson10-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Carberry’s 35-ball 62 propelled the Scorchers to 173 for 5•Getty Images

More than any other team in the BBL, Perth Scorchers just seem to have a bit in reserve. Sam Whiteman, their first-choice wicketkeeper, has missed the entire tournament with injury; both Ashtons, Agar and Turner, have barely needed to bowl; David Willey, who has a 40-ball T20 century, has seldom been required with the bat; Michael Carberry, until now, has been keeping the Scorchers’ bench warm.All four of those aspects combined to secure a thrilling victory over Hobart Hurricanes before a packed house at the Bellerive Oval, as a hobbling Darren Sammy managed only four of the six runs the hosts required from the game’s final ball – bowled by death specialist AJ Tye.For the recalled Carberry, it was his bat, not the pine, that was smoking as his quickfire half-century propelled Scorchers to 173, with some brutal late hitting from Willey completing the job. With Carberry replacing Joel Paris, Scorchers looked a bowler light, but Agar took the key wickets of Kumar Sangakkara – stumped on the second attempt by Whiteman’s understudy, Cameron Bancroft – and Tim Paine, bowled for 57, as Scorchers’ bowlers – consistently remarkable defenders of tight totals – pulled off a strangle to win by a single run.This was all little surprise, given the hallmarks of Scorchers’ successive titles were adaptability and depth; with a place in the last four confirmed, they now know victory over Melbourne Stars at the WACA next Saturday ensures them a home semi-final, a significant step toward a third title.Marcus Harris thrice drove Clive Rose for four in the match’s opening over, but when the same bowler returned four overs later, Harris was fooled by one that was tossed up and, when he groped awkwardly forward, Paine duly stumped him. In the face of a barrage of verbals and chin music from a fired-up Shaun Tait – who had exchanged terse words with Harris – Michael Klinger was the picture of calm, swatting Sam Rainbird for a pair of leg-side fours in an over, and driving Dan Christian through cover. But Klinger was run out after some fine work in the deep by Rainbird and sharp hands from Darren Sammy. Six balls later Adam Voges slog swept Cameron Boyce straight to the man in the deep.After marshaling their victory over Sydney Thunder three days ago, Agar had uttered the standard words of the supportive team-mate for the beleaguered colleague, claiming Carberry was “looking great in the nets.” Agar was not wrong, with Carberry immediately looking in fine form, smashing Ben Dunk’s apologetic offbreak over cover for four. In consecutive overs, he took Christian for three fours, then Boyce for four to bring up his 50 in 30 deliveries.But Tait, who had been luckless in his early overs and touched 150kph, returned to stymie the Scorchers’ progress. Carberry looked to cut him, but was caught behind, before Agar’s leading edge went to cover. Willey’s hard running pinched at least two runs from every ball of Sammy’s last over – which also included a massive six over midwicket – to drag the visitors to 173.Paine looked to anchor the Hurricanes’ chase as Dunk and Sangakkara – who is averaging just 14.42 this season – fell early. Christian was promoted to No. 4 and shared 53 with his captain, before being bowled by Brad Hogg at the start of the third over. Paine nudged and nurdled effectively, reaching his fifty with a pulled six off Jason Behrendorff.But when he missed a sweep off Agar and was bowled, a thrilling finish was set up. As Scorchers’ fielding flagged, Michael Hill hit Hogg for a pair of sixes, and Jonathan Wells ran hard, but it was left to Sammy to complete the heist. He hit Behrendorff over deep midwicket for six to leave 16 required from Tye’s last over. Sammy felt his hamstring twinge during a hard-run two, and hobbled through for two more the ball after. Then another of Tye’s trademark yorkers claimed a dot, but Sammy stepped away and threw his hands at a wider delivery that flew into the stands at cover point.With six required from two, Tye found a yorker that Sammy missed, and Wells was run-out sprinting down the pitch. Finally there was a four, and the Scorchers’ strangle was complete. This, right here, is why they are double champions.

Cheteshwar Pujara has said that exposure to the one-day format at the international level would help him change people’s perception about him being only a longer-format player

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2013Cheteshwar Pujara has said that exposure to the one-day format at the international level would help him change people’s perception about him being only a longer-format player. Pujara is part of India’s squad that is scheduled to play five ODIs in Zimbabwe starting July 24 and is likely to make his ODI debut during the series.”I think I have the basics, now it’s just about shifting the gears at the right time, and that comes with more matches at the international level,” Pujara told the . “My technique is correct. Yeah, maybe at times, you need to learn more shots and you need to play according to the situation, but that comes with experience.”Pujara made a seamless entry into Test cricket after years of piling up runs in first-class cricket, and this time, the selectors have also put their faith on his equally impressive List A record and added him to the ODI squad. In 61 List A matches, Pujara has scored 2735 runs at an average of 56.97. He gave a glimpse of his talent during last year’s Challenger Trophy, smashing 158*, 124* and 79 at a strike rate of 107. During his Test hundreds against Australia earlier this year, he maintained high strike rates too despite taking time to settle in, an approach, Pujara feels, would help in overseas conditions.”With the two new balls, it does make a difference, and you have to be technically correct,” he said. “If you are playing on a flat wicket, then it’s a different story altogether, but when you are playing overseas, you can’t play your shots from the beginning, and you need wickets at the end to accelerate. And with the new rules, you have five fielders inside (the circle), so even acceleration becomes easier once the ball is old. But you need to have wickets in hand.”Pujara will also lead the India A side in South Africa after the Zimbabwe tour and he said that the experience during the tour would be key ahead of India’s Test tour to South Africa later this year.”I have been to South Africa. I have played two Test matches, so I have some experience, but the A tour will be very helpful, for me and a few other players who will be part of the Indian team in November-December,” he said. “It will really help to score some runs and get some experience in these conditions before the main series.”

Lancashire completed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Old Trafford to round off a miserable night of Clydesdale Bank 40 action for the visitors, who were without Eoin Morgan due to travel problems.

16-Jul-2012
ScorecardLancashire completed a comfortable seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Old Trafford to round off a miserable night of Clydesdale Bank 40 action for the visitors, who were without Eoin Morgan due to travel problems.Glen Chapple’s side dragged themselves back into contention in Group A with their fourth win from six matches after restricting Middlesex to 97 for 8 in a match reduced by rain to 16-overs per side. Lancashire were then left to chase a further revised target of 97 off 15.Lancashire’s left-arm spinner Stephen Parry starred with career best figures of 4 for 21 from four overs before Steven Croft and Karl Brown, with 36 not out, anchored the chase with a third-wicket stand of 79 in 10 overs. Croft top-scored with 45 off 34 balls as the hosts moved to joint second with Middlesex on eight points having played one fewer match.Middlesex’s problems began before they had even taken the field because England one-day batsman Morgan failed to make it to Old Trafford in time for the start of the match after his train from London Euston had been cancelled. He had to take an alternative route via York but Ollie Rayner took his place when the toss was made at 4.20pm.The match was reduced from a 40-over match to 32 to 22 to 18 and then 16 due to numerous rain showers. Having been invited to bat first, Middlesex had reached 4 for 0 from two and a half overs when play, having started at 6pm, was halted approximately 15 minutes later. When play finally resumed two hours later, only opener Dawid Malan adapted to the bowler-friendly conditions as he hit a season’s best 48 off 36 balls, including two sixes off Glen Chapple and Ajmal Shahzad.Parry had Joe Denly stumped by Gareth Cross and Paul Stirling caught behind down the leg-side to leave Middlesex 45 for 2 after nine overs. He returned to bowl the last over of the innings, bowling Rayner and having Jon Simpson caught at long-off before Gareth Berg was run out with the last ball as he went for two. Shahzad, Tom Smith and Gary Keedy also struck as only two batsmen reached double figures.Lancashire made a shaky start to their chase by losing Stephen Moore caught at mid-on off Toby Roland-Jones. Smith was then brilliantly caught one-handed at mid-wicket by Berg off the bowling of Steven Crook.But Croft and Brown batted with caution before putting their foot on the accelerator after further rain accounted for the loss of one over. Both hit sixes over long-on – off Middlesex’s Tom Smith and Berg respectively – as the win was secured with 10 balls to spare.

Asif Ali smashed a century on debut to set up a match-winning total for his team against Multan Tigers in the opening game of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2011It was a Faysal Bank Twenty20 debut to remember for Faisalabad Wolves batsman Asif Ali. The 19-year-old Ali smashed a century to set up a match-winning total for his team against Multan Tigers in the opening game of the tournament.Ali, who has worked as a blacksmith and has played only three first-class games, showed no sign of nerves when he came in to bat at No. 3, after Faisalabad lost opener Mohammad Hafeez off the first ball of the match. He put on 125 in 13 overs with Asif Hussain and went on to get his hundred in the company of Pakistan and Faisalabad captain Misbah-ul-Haq, with whom he added 52 runs in five overs. He was dismissed in the 19th over, after making 100 off just 59 balls with nine fours and seven sixes.”Ali played an exceptional innings,” Misbah said. “Such innings are very rare from someone batting on his debut and this is a good sign for us.”Multan captain Abdur Rauf said Ali’s innings was the difference between the two teams. “The youngster took the game away from us as he was unstoppable and it’s great to see someone play such a knock on his debut,” he said.Ali was named Man of the Match and Faisalabad coach Ijaz Ahmed jnr said he looked an exciting prospect for the future, and called for his inclusion in the national side. “He [Ali] is an extraordinary player and the selectors should look at him because I believe he will go on to become a star for Pakistan,” he said.”I’m amazed the way he played. At the same time, I’m astonished at how we failed to spot such a talent in the last two to three years because last time around, he was a part of the squad but wasn’t given a chance.”

Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq is upset about his omission from the team’s forthcoming tour of England, saying his average in all forms of the game is better than most of the touring members

Cricinfo staff24-Jun-2010Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq is upset about his omission from the team’s forthcoming tour of England, saying his average in all forms of the game is better than most of the touring members. Pakistan had announced the squads which will face Australia in two Twenty20 matches and two Tests followed by four Tests and two Twenty20 matches against England. Misbah was left out of both squads.”It is very disappointing,” Misbah told . “You find yourself in the XI and suddenly you are not even in a preliminary squad of 35, it prompts you to burn all your cricket equipment in anger.”Misbah has been in and out of the selectors’ radar in the recent past. A loss of form through 2009 led to him being dropped, initially, for the tours of New Zealand and Australia. However, he was flown in midway through the New Zealand tour to shore up an inexperienced batting order. In the interim, he struck form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Pakistan and that prompted the then captain, Mohammad Yousuf, to push for his recall. He last played for Pakistan in the World Twenty20 in the West Indies and was dropped for the Asia Cup.The Pakistan selectors picked a fairly inexperienced Test squad for England, including new faces like Azhar Ali and Umar Amin. Misbah felt his experience would have been useful.”My Test average is 33, one-day is 39 and Twenty20 is 36, and if you compare it with other players it is better than many, so it makes you think what’s wrong with you,” said Misbah.Misbah was in fine form in the RBS Cup fifty-over tournament in Pakistan, leading the run charts with 490 runs at 163.33 and scoring a century in the final for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.”I am very disappointed because I was dropped last year as well and I came back through performing in domestic events, and then suddenly I found myself dropped again,” Misbah said.Besides Misbah, another experienced batsman Younis Khan, was also left out, due to fitness and disciplinary reasons. Misbah could be in the running for the one-day squad for the five-match series against England, which will be announced later.