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Half centuries from Josh Philippe and Cameron Bancroft helped Western Australia to a tense, three-wicket win over Victoria

AAP22-Oct-2022A whirlwind innings from Josh Philippe has set up Western Australia’s win over Victoria and allowed the holders to leapfrog Tasmania into top spot on the Marsh Cup table.In a tense finale at the Junction Oval on Saturday, WA reached 247 for 7 to pass Victoria’s 244 for 6 with just four balls to spare in a match shortened to 36 overs each following morning rain in Melbourne.Philippe set the victory platform at the top of the order with a whirlwind 81 that featured five towering sixes. By the time Philippe was out, WA had advanced to 114 from just 12.3 overs.Philippe displayed a wide variety of shots in his 50-ball innings, including three massive sixes in a single Jono Merlo over. That over added 27 runs, with the medium pacer’s two overs costing 40 runs.The ever-reliable Scott Boland was, almost inevitably, the bowler to put the shackles on Philippe, forcing the opener to spoon a mishit pull shot and offer a simple catch at midwicket. Philippe had scored a century against the Victoria in their last Marsh Cup meeting four weeks ago.Fellow dangerman D’Arcy Short soon followed his opening partner back to the pavilion with 33 off as many balls, but the damage had been done. The steadying hand of Cameron Bancroft helped steer WA home with the former Test opener hitting the winning runs to end unbeaten on 78.WA needed six from the final six deliveries after Will Sutherland delivered a superb penultimate over which yielded a wicket and just one run.Earlier, makeshift opener Matthew Short cracked a rapid-fire 75 as Victoria set their opponents a challenging target after being sent into bat. Promoted from the middle-order, Short justified the move by leading the home side with a 59-ball knock that included two sixes.Short, though, had little support from teammates and a host of batters were unable to build an innings after making a start. Test aspirant Marcus Harris came in at No.3 and posted 24, while opener Mackenzie Harvey contributed 28.Andrew Tye made the most of the conditions to knock over three frontline opponents including Harris and in-form Victorian skipper Peter Handscomb who looked dangerous before his 26-ball innings ended on 30.

Josh Little’s hat-trick was Ireland’s biggest consolation as they slipped to a 35-run defeat in their last match of the tournament

Himanshu Agrawal04-Nov-2022Kane Williamson returned to form at just the right time, cracking 61 off 35 balls, as New Zealand became the first team to make it to the T20 World Cup semi-final. Although they crossed the line comfortably against Ireland, their status as one of the final four only became clear during the course of the second game at the Adelaide Oval on Friday. New Zealand’s 35-run win lifted their net run rate to 2.113 and make them favourites to top Group 1.Ireland had their moments in the game – they limited their opponents to only 12 runs off the last two overs courtesy a hat-trick from Josh Little, and openers Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling put on 68 off the first eight overs of their chase of 186 – but their challenge fizzled away against a skillful bowling attack.New Zealand’s effort with the ball was led by spin twins Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, whose accurate changes of pace teased and foxed the Ireland batters in the middle overs. But much before that, Williamson had responded to his critics, finishing with a strike rate of 174.28 despite a typically quiet start.Conway gets stuck, Allen races away
Devon Conway struggled to get going on a pitch that seemed to be on the slower side. At the halfway stage of the innings, he had managed only 19 off 28 balls, which included 14 dots. Nothing he tried – making room, driving down the ground, lofting over the infield, and even nudging the ball around – seemed to click.But his opening partner Finn Allen seemed to be batting on another pitch. Having scored six runs off his first eight balls, he pounced but the moment Ireland introduced spin, tucking into Gareth Delany in the fourth over. He hit three boundaries off the legspinner, going over mid-off, drilling a drive down the ground, and lofting over cover.He hit Little for another four in the next over before hitting a six and a four back-to-back off Mark Adair in the final over of the powerplay. And just when it seemed he would take the game away from Ireland, he fell for 32 off 18, driving the next ball at a catchable height to mid-off.Williamson hits back in crucial match
The innings began in typical Williamson fashion: he got to 15 off as many balls, with one boundary. But things started to change from the 11th over, when he attacked Fionn Hand, going over the bowler’s head for four and then swinging a pull over the fine leg boundary.Williamson got brief support from Glenn Phillips, whose cameo of 17 from nine balls helped build on the momentum, but the New Zealand captain took it upon himself to ensure his side ended with a competitive total. In a throwback to last year’s T20 World Cup final where he had lifted New Zealand after a slow start, he reached his fifty like he had in Dubai, with a slog-sweep for six.From 30 off 23 balls, he raised his tempo to reach his fifty off 32 balls – again, the same number of balls as in the 2021 final. The 18th over saw Williamson slog-sweep Barry McCarthy for six, hack him for four over short third, and again swing him over deep midwicket for six, before he became the first of three back-to-back wickets to fall to Little in the penultimate over.Josh Little took the second hat-trick of this T20 World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

Little’s big show
Left-arm seamer Little continued to be the bright spark in a largely disappointing campaign for Ireland’s bowlers. New Zealand were 174 for 3 with 11 balls remaining, and threatened to push past 200 when Little bagged his hat-trick, the second of this tournament after Karthik Meiyappan’s effort for UAE against Sri Lanka in the first round.Little banged one short at Williamson, who pulled only to find fine leg. Next ball, Little got a bit of luck going his way when a length ball kept a touch low to beat James Neesham’s attempted leg-side swing and trap him in front. With nothing to lose, Neesham reviewed, but it was out of hope rather than belief that the lbw decision could be reversed. The hat-trick came when Little angled one into Santner, who missed a flick and reviewed the ensuing lbw decision, only for replays to confirm that the ball was on course to crash into middle stump.Little ended the tournament with 11 wickets, and became only the second bowler from Ireland to bag a hat-trick in T20Is after Curtis Campher’s four off four balls against Netherlands at last year’s T20 World Cup.Santner, Sodhi turn the screws
Stirling and Balbirnie got Ireland off to a stable start. The powerplay brought only 39 runs, but the gears began to shift when Williamson introduced spin. Stirling helped himself to a four and a a six in the seventh over, Santner’s first, before Balbirnie clubbed Sodhi for two sixes in the eighth; those two overs brought Ireland 29 runs.But Santner changed tack in the ninth over, slowing the ball down in the air, and Balbirnie chopped on first ball. Sodhi then cleaned Stirling up with a googly to start the tenth over, before Harry Tector spooned a catch to point off a loopy and slow Santner ball in the 11th.From the ninth over on, Santner and Sodhi combined to bowl five overs and concede just 26 runs, while nabbing three wickets. That passage of play derailed Ireland, who kept losing regular wickets to finish on 150 for 9.

South Australia were 3 for 82 chasing 272 runs for victory against NSW when bad light and rain ended the match

AAP03-Nov-2022Rain and bad light have robbed NSW of the chance to push for victory in their Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia in Wollongong.NSW declared their second innings at 8 for 193 shortly after lunch on the final day, setting the Redbacks a victory target of 272 off 69 overs.Eight overs were lost due to a rain delay in the middle session, and bad light forced players off shortly after tea with just 30.5 overs bowled in the innings.The Redbacks were 3 for 82 having just lost Daniel Drew for 22 when the players were forced off. Travis Head was unbeaten on 12 at the time, but another burst of rain while the players were off for the bad light meant the match was declared a draw.The result ensured NSW stay on the bottom of the Shield ladder, with SA also winless and just one rung above them.”We played really well,” NSW wicketkeeper Baxter Holt told Kayo after the match. “We were really good in patches. KP [Kurtis Patterson] with a hundred, Daniel Hughes with 91 [in the first innings].”All the batters chipped in. And to see the bowlers take 10 wickets in the first innings is something really special on a wicket like that.”Unfortunately the weather and bad light took us off the field.”We did everything we possibly could to get us in a position [to win], and unfortunately the weather held us back.”The Blues started day four at 3 for 35 – a lead of 113 – and they were looking relatively comfortable at 4 for 103 before suffering a double blow.Brendan Doggett removed Sean Abbott for a quickfire 18, before Wes Agar snared the crucial scalp of Jason Sangha as NSW staggered to 6 for 107.But Holt and Ben Dwarshuis steadied the ship with a 69-run stand, giving the Blues a handy lead before they declared with 69 overs remaining in the match.SA needed to score at 3.9 runs an over to pull off victory, but they lacked intent from the outset and it soon became a case of mere survival.Jake Weatherald was the first to fall when he was bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon, and the Redbacks were 2 for 50 when Henry Hunt was trapped lbw by Chris Tremain.Drew was the final batter to be dismissed, with the players called off due to bad light immediately after his departure.

Alyssa Healy will miss the ODIs with a calf injury; Kim Garth and Phoebe Litchfield both included

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2022Meg Lanning will return to captain Australia in the ODI series against Pakistan next month following her extended break from the game and appears likely to be available for the T20 World Cup in February.However, Alyssa Healy, who took over the captaincy for the recent tour of India, will miss the series following the calf strain she picked up in Mumbai. Beth Mooney will take the keeping gloves.Lanning stepped away following the Commonwealth Games in August for personal reasons, missing the WBBL and the five T20Is in India.Shortly after the squad announcement, Lanning posted on Instagram about her experiences of the last five months.”Sometimes you just have to hit pause, step back and take a breather,” she wrote. “That’s certainly what I needed. The past 6 months have taught me a lot. I’ve learnt so much about myself and who and what is important to me.”I’ve always played my cards pretty close to my chest. This experience has given me a greater appreciation of how opening up and talking to the people that care about you really can make the tough times feel easier. It’s ok to ask for help and admit that you don’t have everything under control.”Having enjoyed some time and space, I feel refreshed and ready to play the game that I love in teams that I love. It’s such an exciting time for the game and I can’t wait to be part of it!” Shawn Flegler, the national selector, said: “Meg brings so much to the side both on and off the field, and it’s pleasing to welcome her back at such an important time with the T20 World Cup just over a month away. While we welcome Meg back, Alyssa won’t have recovered from her calf injury in time, so that presents an opportunity for Beth to take the gloves in her absence.Jess Jonassen has been included but will need to prove her fitness having picking up a hamstring injury in India.Kim Garth and Phoebe Litchfield have been retained from the T20I squad but Heather Graham, who took a hat-trick in the final match, Grace Harris and Amanda-Jade Wellington have been left out.Tahlia McGrath, who captained the final T20I in India after Healy’s injury, will continue as vice-captain.Australia will have a new-look opening pair with Healy and the retired Rachael Haynes absent from the side that played the ODI World Cup final against England in April.The three ODIs against Pakistan will take place on January 16, 18 and 21 with the first two matches at Allan Border Field in Brisbane and the last at North Sydney Oval. They are followed by three T20Is on January 24, 26 and 29 before the teams head to South Africa for the World Cup.Australia squad for Pakistan ODIs Meg Lanning (capt), Tahlia McGrath, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen (subject to fitness), Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

Jason Roy’s resurgent century had threatened to cancel out Rassie van der Dussen’s ton

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Jan-2023Just when the ODI format was back to being maligned for its lack of entertainment, South Africa and England showed there was plenty of life in 50-over cricket with a belter in Bloemfontein. An undulating encounter was eventually taken by the Proteas, who rallied in the second half of the first of this three-match series to triumph by 27 runs.Having posted 298 for 7 batting first, they found themselves almost out of the game when England’s openers put on 146 for the first wicket in 19.2 overs. Jason Roy’s 113 looked to have cancelled out Rassie van der Dussen’s 111 earlier in the piece. But Sisanda Magala’s 3 for 46 reeled the visitors back before speed demon Anrich Nortje’s 4 for 62 knocked them down to claim a famous victory.Nortje could have had a maiden five-wicket haul had he not overstepped when Adil Rashid flapped a short ball to first slip. Nevertheless, victory puts South Africa that little bit closer to this year’s 50-over World Cup, with one out of five must-wins to confirm their place in the competition sealed in emphatic fashion.Roy’s hundred in pursuit of a target of 299 had nourishing qualities beyond what looked to be a certain result in his team’s favour. The Surrey opener’s form had been waning, across a lean spell in both limited-overs codes, which led to an axing on the eve of England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign.Coming into this series and his 111th ODI, the previous 14 white-ball innings for his country had produced an average of 16.9. Mixed in with averages of 8.50 for Oval Invincibles and 12.50 for Paarl Royals in The Hundred and SA20 respectively, the conversation had shifted from poor form to wondering if the 32-year-old was a spent force.Therefore you could understand the outpouring of emotion – part relief, part fury – when he swivel-pulled Nortje for four to move to three figures, becoming only the fourth to register 11 one-day hundreds. The 14 boundaries up to then – three of them sixes – reflected a return to the form that made him such a key part of England’s white-ball revolution leading into the 2019 World Cup success.Jason Roy lets out a roar after reaching a 79-ball hundred•Getty Images

Alas, it was from Roy’s demise that things began to turn back the way of the Proteas. England required 104 from 20.5 overs, with skipper Jos Buttler set at the crease. But when he fell to a sharp leg cutter for 36 and David Willey was caught off a top edge – both to Nortje – the game had flipped. Sam Curran was nicked off by Kagiso Rabada before Nortje returned to remove Jofra Archer for his final wicket.It was left to Tabraiz Shamsi to complete the victory with a caught-and-bowled two deliveries into his sixth over. That in itself typified the turnaround – the left-arm wrist spinner had been destroyed for 55 in his first five.South Africa’s 298 for 7 looked a par score at the time, and just about proved as much. A second century against England for van der Dussen, supplemented by 53 from David Miller seemed to have them well set at the halfway stage. Yet the innings had a whiff of failing to launch at points.An opening stand of 61 between Quinton de Kock and skipper Temba Bavuma, who had won the toss, contributed to a Powerplay of 75 for 1 – higher than England’s 56 in the first 10 overs of their chase. They were then 171 for 3 in the 31st over with Heinrich Klassen looking to make hay, only to fall leg-before to Adil Rashid.Even with the twin spin threats of Rashid and Moeen Ali applying the brakes with pace off the ball, van der Dussen and Miller found themselves with license to swing in the final throes. However, after Archer’s ninth over, the 47th overall, was carted for 20, only 18 were managed from as many deliveries to the end, thanks to some exemplary death bowling from Curran who accounted for both established batters.Any jeopardy as far as the result was concerned had almost halved by the time Malan skied a delivery off seamer Magala, playing just his fourth ODI and first since January 2022. England’s openers had already picked off 146 in the 20th over, with 153 remaining from 30.3 when No. 3 Ben Duckett arrived to the crease in his first appearance in the format since November 2016.Tension ramped up once Duckett was caught behind for 3 – Nortje’s first – and Harry Brook bagged a duck on ODI debut for Magala’s second. All in, the top-order collapse was 3 for 6 across 12 balls.Sisanda Magala dented England’s progress with key wickets•Getty Images

By that stage, Roy had 85 from 64: what tentativeness there was at the start of his knock, with skews and the odd reach, had been replaced by towering heaves and crisp drives. Liberated by the comfort brought by a first half-century in eight innings since his unbeaten 101 against Netherlands last June, he continued to assert himself.It should have been a match-winning knock, but South Africa’s bowlers rallied superbly, particularly Magala who had the unenviable task of starting his spell in the 18th over, during the height of the opening carnage. Along with his accuracy which produced an economy rate of 5.11, his slippery bouncer proved incisive for his return.By contrast, it was a chastening return for Archer after 678 days out of the international fray. England’s 2019 Super Over hero conceded 81 from his 10 overs, but did at least pick up a dismissal when Wayne Parnell struck him to backward point.Archer’s participation after two years of battling stress fractures of the elbow and back was a boost in itself. That England threw away victory is far more of a concern for Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott to consider.

The India fast bowler, who is yet to recover completely from the back injury, has been confronted with the option of undergoing surgery

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Feb-2023India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss IPL 2023 after being given the option of undergoing a back surgery. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bumrah is yet to completely recover from the back injury which had ruled him out of the T20 World Cup last year, and that he could also possibly miss the World Test Championship final (if India qualify), which starts on June 7 at The Oval.The BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru is treating Bumrah’s case on an urgent basis. It is understood that the staff suggested the surgery option to him following recurring niggles in his lower back which surfaced originally in the form of a stress reaction last August.A final decision on the next step is expected to be taken soon by the BCCI in coordination with the NCA and Bumrah, keeping in mind the ODI World Cup is scheduled in October-November in India.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It has been a frustrating wait for Bumrah, who has attempted to make a comeback more than once since suffering a back injury last August which had ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Initially, the injury had not seemed too serious as Bumrah was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad on September 12. To mark his fitness, Bumrah even played in the last two T20Is of the Australia series on September 23 and 25.However, three days later, Bumrah did not show up for the first T20I against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram. It was later learned that he had been taken for scans which revealed a stress-related injury. The next day Bumrah was rushed to NCA where further scans confirmed the injury was serious, and he was subsequently ruled out of the T20 World Cup.Related

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Bumrah resumed his rehab in November and started to bowl by mid-December. His progress seemed positive when the selectors belatedly added him for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka more than a week after the Indian squad was picked originally.While Bumrah had performed the match simulation exercises at NCA, he felt discomfort while performing higher workloads during a fitness drill in Mumbai in early January. Scans revealed a fresh niggle had developed, which eventually ruled him out of the Australia Tests. The Indian team management as well as the NCA want Bumrah to return only when he is absolutely fit to perform at his peak, with captain Rohit Sharma also warning India against rushing him back into action.

The seamer picked up 5 for 15 and the opener smashed 76* off just 28 balls

Sruthi Ravindranath11-Mar-20236:07

Kappital performance by Delhi in WPL

With the new ball in hand, and her wife Dane van Niekerk – who hinted at retirement from international cricket earlier in the day – watching from the stands, Marizanne Kapp delivered her best T20 performance as Delhi Capitals wrapped up a ten-wicket win against Gujarat Giants at the DY Patil Sports Academy.
Giants could muster just 105 for 9 off their 20 overs as they struggled against tight bowling from Capitals, with Kim Garth’s 32 off 37 balls their highest individual score of the day.They then helplessly watched Shafali Verma put up a show, as she smashed ten fours and five sixes on her way to the second-fastest fifty in the WPL, as Capitals completed their chase in just 7.1 overs. That also resulted in Capitals’ net run rate zooming from 0.956 to 2.338, as they strengthened their position at No. 2 on the points table.

The perfect farewell gift courtesy Kapp

A few hours before the game, Kapp had (kind of) broken the news about van Niekerk’s retirement. Last month, she had spoken about how it had been “difficult” for her when van Niekerk was snubbed for the T20 World Cup. “End of an era,” Kapp tweeted on Saturday, along with pictures of van Niekerk and herself with their South African team-mates.Up until this game, Kapp had collected figures of 0 for 36, 1 for 29, and 0 for 25 in her first three games of the WPL. In a tournament that has been dominated by batters and seen four totals in excess of 200, Kapp had actually fared better than most other bowlers. But Kapp sets high standards for herself – her captain Meg Lanning too acknowledged the same at the press conference later – and felt she had “let the team down”.”I just wanted to perform so badly for my team, it’s not been going too well in the previous three games. I felt like I missed my line and length a lot and today it worked,” Kapp told the host broadcaster after the match.And she turned it around in some style. She bowled four overs in a row, choosing discipline to pick up her maiden five-wicket haul in T20s. The 5 for 15, in a way, also seemed like the perfect farewell gift for van Niekerk.On a pitch that offered a bit of seam movement, Kapp stuck to the right lengths, bowling straighter and attacking the stumps, having three of the batters bowled and two pinned in front.Kapp’s carnage started with the second ball of the match, when she bowled the perfect yorker to hit S Meghana’s off stump. In her next over, she welcomed her compatriot Laura Wolvaardt to the tournament with a ball that shaped back in off the seam to beat the inside edge and crash into the stumps. Right on target again.Next ball, she pinged Ash Gardner on the pads with another nip-backer. And just like that, she left Giants in a disarray at 9 for 3.Shafali Verma hit a 19-ball fifty•BCCI

“She [Kapp] bowled her stock ball and her natural length, which was able to get a little bit out of the wicket,” Lanning said. “It was a bit of a new ball wicket from what I saw – and to see her do so well was great. She’s been a bit down throughout the tournament. I don’t think she’s actually bowled that badly but it’s the nature of the game… she actually worked really hard, [she is] very hard on herself.”And just when Harleen Deol was getting comfortable, Kapp hit her back leg with an offcutter. The appeal for lbw was overturned but a confident review gave Kapp her fourth wicket, and Capitals their fifth, in the powerplay. And then came wicket No. 5 as she bowled Sushma Verma through the gate with a length delivery that nipped back in.The cameras cut to a proud van Niekerk cheering for her wife. “Feels like I’m the one retiring,” Kapp told the host broadcaster at the end of an emotional day. I’m just happy she [van Niekerk] is in a better place mentally.”

Shafali does Shafali things, yet again

Just four runs had come off the first over of the chase. A low-scoring thriller to come? No way Shafali was going to let that happen.Her first big hit was a typical dancing-down-the-track six over long-off. She slapped four more boundaries in the next six balls, before taking on Ashleigh Gardner for two fours and a six. Lanning joined the party as well and hit two more fours off Gardner to close out a 23-run over. In the fifth over, Shafali got to her fifty, off just 19 balls, her fastest in T20s.The effortless hitting continued as the Capitals raced to 87 for no loss in the powerplay. It didn’t take much longer – with three fours and a six being hit in the next seven balls – to finish the game.”Shafali took the wicket out of the equation,” Lanning said. “She backed herself, played to her strengths, stayed nice and still and hit straight. On these wickets if you do that, you’re going to be pretty successful. I loved standing at the other end, watching her do her thing. It was a lot of fun out there. Hopefully, she can continue on and be confident from this innings.”

England seamer skittles lower order as hosts extend lead in Division Two

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Matthew Potts skittled Derbyshire’s lower order with a five-wicket haul to allow Durham to claim a dominant victory by an innings and seven runs in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash at Seat Unique Riverside.Derbyshire halted Durham’s push for victory in the morning session of day three as Matthew Lamb and Luis Reece put on 149 for the sixth wicket. Lamb fell agonisingly short of a century when he was pinned lbw by Ben Raine for 99.The wicket opened the floodgates for Durham and Potts as the England seamer tore through the lower order to secure the four remaining wickets, ending with figures of 5 for 65 and allowing the hosts to claim maximum points from the fixture. As a result, Durham extended their lead at the top of Division Two, while Derbyshire sit bottom.After losing 15 wickets on day two, Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy insisted his side needed to show fight, and Lamb and Reece defied the Durham attack with a solid approach in the morning session. Lamb cleared the rope twice amid short bowling from the hosts as he worked his way towards his half-century for the ninth time in his first-class career.Durham could not halt the run rate and the Derybshire batters whittled down the deficit to 69 at the lunch break. Lamb was positioned 13 runs shy of his century before lunch, but quickly added two further boundaries to put himself on the brink of a deserved hundred. However, Lamb was denied three figures as Raine pinned the right-hander lbw and sparked the collapse in Derbyshire’s rearguard.One wicket became two when Zak Chappell got himself in an almighty tangle attempting to play a short ball from Potts and somehow deflected the ball onto his stumps. Potts’ aggression with the short ball tormented the Derbyshire lower order as Mark Watt took several blows to the body before he eventually fended the ball to Graham Clark.The Potts-Clark combination was at work again as Sam Conners fell for a first-ball duck to allow Durham to close in on victory. Reece reached fifty for the second time in the game, but was again left stranded as Potts ensured that his home side would not have to bat again, castling Ben Aitchison to secure his seventh five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Durham’s late batting stutter is costly after Ollie Robinson’s half-century

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2023Alex Hales scored an unbeaten 65 to guide Nottinghamshire Outlaws back to winning ways in the Vitality Blast, defeating Durham by five wickets at Seat Unique Riverside.The England opener was in dominant form for the Outlaws bouncing back from a duck against the Lancashire Lightning in his last outing. Hales was aggressive at the start of his knock to put his team ahead of the rate before playing the anchor role, allowing team-mates Tom Moores and Shaheen Afridi to blast Notts over the line with four balls to spare.Earlier in the day, Ollie Robinson scored his second T20 fifty in two days to top score for the hosts in their innings of 168. But, Durham were made to rue a costly end to their innings after scoring only nine from their final two overs, which played a significant role in their first defeat in the competition this season.After losing the toss, Durham’s Graham Clark looked to build on his century in their opener match and found his range in the third over, clattering Afridi for a six and boundary into the leg-side from successive deliveries before just lifting an off-drive over the head Matthew Carter at mid-off to hand the home side impetus.Conor McKerr halted Clark’s onslaught for 29 as the opener picked out Mullaney. But, Michael Jones kept Durham’s strong start alive after surviving an edge past Tom Moores from his first ball. The Scotland international scored five boundaries in a quick-fire 26 from 12 balls, but Mullaney produced a gem to bowl Jones and then prised out Alex Lees for 13.Durham required a response to stem the tide. Turner and Robinson produced a vital stand under pressure worth 57 for the fourth wicket. The two players complemented each other well with the guile of Robinson and the power of Turner providing the foundation of the Durham innings.Turner attempted to push the run rate on but presented Mullaney with his third wicket when Hales took a good low catch at long-off. Robinson pressed on and continued to defy the Nottinghamshire attack, dispatching Afridi for two boundaries to record his second Blast fifty on the bounce following his career-best effort against Yorkshire.Afridi had his revenge to bowl Robinson before he and McKerr bottled up the home side in the final two overs, which cost just nine runs, to restrict Durham to a total of 168 from their 20 overs.Joe Clarke began the Outlaws’ reply with a blistering start, scoring three boundaries and a six. But, Liam Trevaskis displayed great reactions to palm up a powerful drive to remove the opener caught and bowled. Hales answered back for the visitors, smashing 25 off one over from De Leede, including two towering sixes into the leg-side.Ben Raine and Nathan Sowter made inroads into the Nottinghamshire line-up, but Lyndon James offered a useful cameo to take the pressure on Hales to keep the visitors ahead of the required rate before he fell for 20 to Turner.Amid the fall of wickets, Hales altered his approach from aggressor to game manager, reaching his half-century from 33 balls for the 72nd time in T20 cricket. His innings allowed Moores to find his range against Trevaskis, smashing 16 off the 14th over to edge Notts closer to their victory target.Moores became Raine’s second victim of the game for 32, but there was to be no late drama as Afridi smashed two sixes off De Leede and then Trevaskis in the final over to secure the win for the visitors.

Bangladesh were never really in the chase and limped along to 189

Mohammad Isam08-Jul-2023Afghanistan lorded over Bangladesh in a 142-run win in the second match in Chattogram, completing their first bilateral ODI series win against this side. Rahmanullah Gurbaz blazed 145 while Ibrahim Zadran glided to 100 as they added a record opening stand of 256 runs in a powerful start.The home side were no match for the visitors’ formidable 331-9, stopped at 189 for 9 in 43.2 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi ensured Bangladesh’s chase never took off, taking three wickets each while and Rashid Khan picked up two wickets. It is Afghanistan’s biggest win against Bangladesh in ODIs.Gurbaz and Zadran also put on Afghanistan’s highest ODI partnership for any wicket, beating the 218 put on by Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad for the second wicket against Scotland in 2010. Bangladesh’s bowlers did mount a fightback in the last 14 overs of the Afghanistan innings, taking nine wickets for 75 runs. But it was never enough after the big opening stand.Gurbaz and Zadran teed off from the word go, hitting eight boundaries in the first Powerplay. This included Gurbaz’s first sixes, off Mustafizur Rahman, a straight six over the bowler’s head, and a powerful pull, both in the eighth over. Zadran survived a tough chance in the following over when Towhid Hridoy couldn’t latch on to a tough chance running in from long-off.Another spate of eight boundaries in the next ten overs followed, as the power hitting got even more spectacular. Gurbaz hoisted Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz for three sixes during this phase. Their 100-run partnership came up in the 15th over; it was the first opening century stand against Bangladesh since the 2019 World Cup.Rashid Khan castled Towhid Hridoy with a wrong’un•AFP/Getty Images

Gurbaz pressed ahead with the big-hitting as he raced to his fourth ODI century. He got it with a single off Shakib, having already struck six of his eight sixes, and eight boundaries in the run-a-ball century. It was a long celebration from the Afghanistan wicketkeeper as he soaked up the applause of an enthralled stadium.Zadran got struck with his first six around the same time, as the pair ramped up the pressure on the Bangladesh bowlers. From the 31st over till Gurbaz got out, the pair added 69 runs in the next six overs. Gurbaz cracked Mustafizur for a four and a six, before blazing four boundaries in an Ebadot Hossain over. Gurbaz’s last six came off Najmul Hossain Shanto, before he fell to Shakib in the 37th over.The first wicket triggered Afghanistan into a batting collapse as the subsequent batters only tried big hits. Rahmat Shah, despite surviving an easy run out when Mushfiqur crashed into the stumps before completing the run-out, pulled one to Mustafizur Rahman at fine-leg, off Ebadot.Mehidy Hasan Miraz got captain Hashmatullah Shahidi bowled for two in the following over, before he removed Najibullah Zadran caught at long-on in the 44th over. Ibrahim Zadran got out shortly after reaching his century, caught top edging a pull off Mustafizur Rahman. Shakib had Rashid Khan stumped for six, before the tail caved, unable to support Mohammad Nabi who was stranded on an unbeaten 25 off 15 balls.Mustafizur, Mehidy and Shakib pulled things back really well, conceding just 41 runs in nine overs out of the last 14 overs. They also picked two wickets each. Hasan Mahmud also took two wickets while Ebadot picked up one scalp.Bangladesh’s batters hardly made any headway in that late momentum grab by their bowlers. Fazalhaq Farooqi removed both openers Litton Das and Mohammad Naim in the first nine overs. The left-arm quick cramped Litton in the fifth over, as the Bangladesh captain top edged a pull shot to Nabi at short midwicket. Naim played on to his stumps against a Farooqi short ball.In between these two wickets, Mujeeb bowled the delivery of the ODI series; the 100kph delivery zeroing on middle-stump before sharply moving to hit Shanto’s off-stump.A brief resistance followed but Rashid ended Bangladesh’s hopes with two beautiful googlies. The first was a peach that nipped through Towhid Hridoy’s forward prod. He misread the hand, ending up bowled for 16. Afif got a googly first ball, edging it to Nabi at slip.In between these two wickets, Nabi accounted for Shakib’s wicket in the 18th over. The allrounder missed an arm ball that swung into him, having made 25 off 29 balls.Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy added 87 runs for the seventh wicket, but once they were separated in the 37th over, the Bangladesh tail caved in quickly. Mushfiqur was the last wicket to fall, when he pulled a catch to give Farooqi his third wicket, and Afghanistan the series.