Afridi took 5-21 while Imam-ul-Haq made 88 to give Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan their third win each

Danyal Rasool05-Oct-2020Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Sindh by 8 wickets
Shaheen Afridi’s second five-wicket haul of the tournament inspired Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to their third win in four matches, beating Sindh by eight wickets. Afridi removed the top three and returned at the death to pick up another two wickets to restrict Sindh to 184, despite a 111-run partnership between opener Sharjeel Khan, who smashed 90 off just 56 balls, and Ahsan Ali, who contributed with 42.Before Afridi returned for his second spell, Sindh sat pretty at 165 for three with three overs still to go, well on target to achieve 200, which has become the de facto par score for the tournament. By the time the innings was finished, however, Afridi had figures of 5-21, and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side had fallen well short of that mark. It was something of a lone hand from Afridi, with seasoned hands Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez going at 11 and 14 per over respectively.There was no fuss about the way KP went about the chase. Fakhar Zaman’s 41-ball 61 was an effective riposte to Sharjeel’s knock at the top, with the left-hander shaking off the early loss of opening partner Mohammad Rizwan. Four fours and as many sixes from Hafeez in a knock that saw him plunder 72 off 42 effectively continued his bright start to the competition, while an unbeaten 21-ball 40 from Iftikhar Ahmed took the game beyond the finish line.None of Sindh’s bowlers were able to make much of an impression. Anwar Ali did take both wickets, but it couldn’t stop him from conceding 40 in his four, with Mir Hamza and Mohammad Asghar’s 7 overs combining for 79. It condemned Sindh to their third loss in four games, which means they sit only above Southern Punjab in the table, who have lost all four matches.Balochistan beat Central Punjab by 3 runs
In the evening game, Balochistan defended 168 in a thrilling contest thanks to Umar Gul and Yasir Shah sharing seven Central Punjab wickets between them. Thirty-six year-old Umar Gul rolled back the years to take four wickets, crucially dismissing Kamran Akmal, who, with 25 off 15, was threatening to play the sort of match-winning knock he has delivered so often at this level. The centurion in the first game, 20-year old Abdullah Shafiq, followed up with another impressive half-century before Gul cleaned up his stumps to bring Balochistan back into the game. From the other end, Yasir kept making regular inroads, removing Abid Ali, Rizwan Hussain and captain Saad Nasim before Umaid Asif held his nerve in the final over, restricting Central Punjab to 165.Having elected to bat first, Baochistan didn’t quite capitalise in the way they might have planned, though Imam-ul-Haq’s hot form continued, the opener scoring a 55-ball 80. But he didn’t have much company alongside him once Awais Zia and Haris Sohail fell; no other batsman so much as managed double-figures. Central Punjab’s bowlers might have felt they had done enough to win the game, opening bowlers Qasim Akram and Sohaibullah only conceding 58 in their eight overs, while Ehsan Adil and Zafar Gohar took five wickets between them. Failure to get rid of Imam, however, proved crucial, with Balochistan putting up just enough on the board to fetch them their third win in four.

Sunrisers bossed the game for 36 overs, and then they let it slip away

Alagappan Muthu11-Oct-20205:09

Moody: Tewatia’s confidence a big reason for his success

Out. Of. Nowhere. The Rajasthan Royals are making a habit of winning un-winnable games this IPL. Rahul Tewatia was their hero in shiny pink armour last time and he was at it again, with two daring reverse sweeps off Rashid Khan. The Sunrisers Hyderabad legspinner is among the most inscrutable bowlers in the world, but he was smacked for 4, 4, 4 in the 18th over which completely changed everything.This time there was help. Riyan Parag is only 18-years old. He had already teased the IPL world with his talent last season and he thought it was time for a refresher once more. He was dropped on 12. He didn’t even have a single boundary to his name then. But by the end of it all, when he tossed his helmet off and began dancing on the pitch, he had two fours, two sixes and 42 match-winning runs at a strike rate of 161.5.The awkward startSunrisers were 26 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. They hit only two boundaries. That’s a new low in IPL 2020. But they didn’t panic. David Warner wouldn’t let them.Bit by bit, he became accustomed to a finicky, two-paced pitch. He realised he couldn’t go searching for runs; that he would just have to make the most of the bowlers’ mistakes. That change in mindset was crucial. It took the pressure off him. It kept his mind sharp. It added to his urgency in running between the wickets. And the moment there was a half-volley, or a wide short ball, it helped him whack them for sixes. With Warner in charge, Sunrisers amassed 48 runs in the five overs from seven to 11.The awesome finishThe Royals could see the problem Warner posed and so they brought Jofra Archer back in the 15th over and he cuh-lean bowled the Sunrisers captain for 48. Their head-to-head tonight: eight balls, three runs and the wicket.Manish Pandey joined David Warner for a 73-run stand•BCCI

Sunrisers could have lost their way at that point, but they still had a set batsman to fall back on. Manish Pandey, who figured if the ball wouldn’t come onto his bat, his bat would just go charging after the ball. All five of his boundaries were the result of his charging down the pitch as he finished with 54 off 44 balls and helped push the total up to 158.The awesome startBen Stokes got into the XI on the back of one day’s training after his quarantine with the Royals and that rustiness showed. He was whisked off the attack after only one over and, having opened the batting, he went to pull a ball that wasn’t short enough for it and was bowled for 5.Steven Smith found another way to undermine himself, this time not trusting his partner’s call for a second run and was run-out for 5. It was his fourth single-digit score in five innings this IPL. When Jos Buttler, who looked in ominous form, fell three balls later, the Royals were 26 for 3 in the fifth over and their chase looked in trouble.The super awesome fantasticular finishThe Royals were 105 for 5 after 16 overs. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster rated their chances of winning at 7%. This wasn’t so much a come-from-behind victory as it was a %$#@ smash-and-grab.Riyan Parag does a celebratory jig after taking the Royals home with a six•BCCI

And the confusion among the Sunrisers was palpable. Garg simply over-ran a skier in the 15th over. T Natarajan, who nailed his yorkers against Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, began missing them here. Khan could have had Tewatia stumped but the zing bails would not budge. They would simply light up, almost as if to taunt the bowler. Yep, ball hit the stumps, but it ain’t a wicket.In the midst of this mayhem, Parag and Tewatia ransacked 85 runs in 47 balls to put a 50-foot exclamation point on a five-wicket win.

Hafeez’s unbeaten 74 off 46 balls guides Lahore Qalandars into the second Eliminator

Deivarayan Muthu14-Nov-2020
How the game played out
Featuring in their first playoff game, the Lahore Qalandars hunted down 171 and knocked out former champions Peshawar Zalmi in Karachi. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) resumed on Saturday after a pandemic-induced break of eight months, but it was business as usual for the Qalandars as they notched up their sixth victory in their last eight matches. Ben Dunk, who had led the batting earlier this year, holed out for 20 off 19 balls, but Mohammad Hafeez stepped up, his 34-ball half-century putting Qalandars in the second Eliminator.The Qalandars were also helped in their quest by Zalmi’s attack that didn’t have a specialist spinner. The Zalmi seamers tried to hit the pitch, and while it worked for the them in the powerplay, the ball skidded onto the bat later in dewy conditions.When Samit Patel holed out for 20, the game was evenly poised, with the Qalandars needing 41 off four overs. But Hafeez, who turned 40 last month, reminded the world of his power and calmness, finishing it off with an unbeaten 74 off 46 balls.After being inserted, the Zalmi rode on thirties from their new recruit Faf du Plessis (31), his brother-in-law Hardus Viljoen (37), and Shoaib Malik (39), but it wasn’t enough in the end. Shaheen Afridi swung the ball, Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain provided extra pace, while David Wiese smartly bowled cutters into the pitch for the Qalandars.Star(s) of the day
Who else? The Qalandars didn’t need Hafeez with the ball, but they desperately needed him to take charge of the middle order after Lancashire quick Saqib Mahmood blasted out the top three within five overs. Hafeez used the pace of the Zalmi’s bowlers to his advantage, regularly tapping them behind the wicket. 22 of his 74 runs came in the third-man region. Then, even after Dunk and Patel were dismissed, Hafeez didn’t panic and saw off his former side.Afridi also did his bit, first yorking Haider Ali for a duck and then returning at the death to fool Carlos Brathwaite with a slower cutter.Turning point
The 18th over of the chase, bowled by Mahmood. Hafeez sized up the first ball, which was in his slot, and crunched it over extra-cover. Three balls later, he backed away and mowed a short delivery over wide long-on for six. When Mahmood went full again, Hafeez carved him over point for another four to cap a 16-run over. Those blows narrowed the equation to 20 off 12 balls. Hafeez and Wiese needed only six balls to secure victory.The big miss
Hafeez was on 12 when he threw his bat at a wide delivery from left-arm seamer Rahat Ali in the eighth over. Seemingly there was a noise as the ball passed the bat, but none of the Zalmi players appealed, with UltraEdge later detecting a spike. Hafeez got another reprieve when he was 33 in the 13th over. After he top-edged a pull, Ali ran around, got into an awkward side-on position and dropped the catch.Where the teams stand
Zalmi will go home while Qalandars will face the Multan Sultans on Sunday for a crack at Karachi Kings in the final. With previous winners Zalmi, Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators all eliminated, the PSL will have a new champion in 2020.

16 players sign terms, taking number of professionals in England and Wales to 58

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-202041 female players have signed full-time domestic contracts as part of the ECB’s new regional set-up, taking the total number of professional women’s cricketers in England and Wales to 58.The ECB had initially planned to award domestic contracts to 40 players in time for the 2020 season, but the process was significantly impeded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, 25 players signed regional retainer deals in June, all of whom have now moved onto full-time contracts.A further 16 players have now signed contracts, including the former England seamer Jenny Gunn who played an instrumental role in the Northern Diamonds’ run to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final this year. Other notable names who will now play professionally include Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier (Southern Vipers) and Georgia Hennessy (Western Storm).ALSO READ: Jenny Gunn’s accidental comeback – ‘I’m definitely not the next Enid Bakewell’Alongside the 17 centrally-contracted England players, there are now 58 professional women’s cricketers across England and Wales.Seven of the eight regional hubs have awarded five contracts, while Western Storm and Glamorgan have provided funding for a sixth between them.Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director of women’s cricket, said that the move to full-time domestic contracts was “the most significant step forward for the women’s game in recent years”.”In terms of the health of women’s cricket in England and Wales, we cannot overestimate the importance of these 41 players having the opportunity to train and work on their skills full-time, with access to high quality coaching and facilities across the eight regions,” Connor said.”Today’s news is not only wonderful for the players themselves, it represents a step change for our whole domestic game and for young girls who will now be able to see more opportunity and aspiration in front of them.”When you add in the profile opportunity of the Hundred next year, the landscape looks even more exciting. After a challenging year in the wake of the pandemic, I’m really pleased with the progress we’ve made in 2020, just one year after launching our action plan to transform women’s and girls’ cricket.”We’re delighted that these 41 young women are able to call themselves full-time professional cricketers and we wish them every success.”Contracted domestic women’s players:Northern Diamonds: Hollie Armitage, Beth Langston, Linsey Smith, Phoebe Graham, Jenny Gunn
Thunder: Georgia Boyce, Alex Hartley, Emma Lamb, Ellie Threlkeld, Hannah Jones
Central Sparks: Evelyn Jones, Marie Kelly, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott, Gwenan Davies
Lightning: Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Bethan Ellis, Lucy Higham, Abbey Freeborn
Western Storm: Dani Gibson, Sophie Luff, Fi Morris, Georgia Hennessy, Nath Wraith, Alex Griffiths
Southern Vipers: Georgia Adams, Tara Norris, Paige Scholfield, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier
South East Stars: Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Tash Farrant, Bryony Smith, Aylish Cranstone
Sunrisers: Naomi Dattani, Cordelia Griffith, Amara Carr, Jo Gardner, Kelly Castle

Kane Williamson has left the team to be with his family for the birth of his child

Alagappan Muthu10-Dec-2020

Big picture

These must be giddy times in the Williamson family. It won’t be long before they have a brand new member, the only one capable of distracting their father from picking up a bat and beating the world.New Zealand were expecting to lose Kane Williamson at some point as he prepares for the birth of his child. And though it seemed little baby W would let Dad out to play one more match, things have changed.

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There are potential festivities on field as well. A 2-0 sweep over West Indies will put New Zealand in contention for the World Test Championship final.* This team wants to be at Lord’s in 2021. They’ve already said it will be “great” if that happens, which is Kiwi code for we want it real bad and we’re going to do all we can to get it.So don’t be surprised if the pitch is scary green again. Wellington is normally one of the higher scoring grounds in the country but it won’t start out like that, especially after West Indies advertised their vulnerabilities in the most garish ways. Scores like 138 all out, then 27 for 4 following on practically invite do-overs.Tom Latham plays a flick•Associated Press

Jason Holder pointed the finger squarely at his top order batsmen for their woes. His words made it plain that he was sick of having to deal with this problem again. Perhaps he already knew – or had a sense – that West Indies have one of the worst-performing top fours in Test cricket. Over the last five years, only Ireland, who are pretty much brand new to the format, are below them in terms of batting average. How do you win with a handicap like that?

Form guide

New Zealand: WWWLL
West Indies: LLLWW

In the spotlight

In places where fast bowlers get lateral movement at virtually any time of day, a batsman with the skill to attack them becomes invaluable. Darren Bravo has that. But he’s also been prone to soft dismissals. One of them precipitated the second-innings collapse in Hamilton at a time when the pitch was easing out and runs were on offer. An experienced player like that shouldn’t make such mistakes, but since he has, he’ll be hungry to set things right as soon as possible.”Do you play for the Black Caps?” the kid asked. Probably. We didn’t have audio of this lovely conversation that took place on the boundary line in Hamilton. Luke Ronchi would’ve replied no, and pointed to BJ Watling who only then was ambushed for autographs. It’s typical of the man that, even though he was decked from head to toe in cricket gear, needed both help being recognised and a push to embrace his stardom. The wicketkeeper-batsman missed the first Test with a hamstring injury but now that he’s fit again he simply walks back into the XI. He is that good.Joshua Da Silva in action•Getty Images

Team news

Tom Latham will be captain in Williamson’s absence and Will Young will take his spot at No. 3. Meanwhile, the Wellington Test will also mark Neil Wagner 50th appearance in whites for New Zealand.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Will Young, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultWest Indies will also be felicitating one of their key fast bowlers. Shannon Gabriel will be 50 Tests old tomorrow. He’ll be taking over as leader of the attack with Kemar Roach having gone home to deal with the death of his father. Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich is unavailable as well, which gives an opportunity for Joshua da Silva to make his debut.West Indies (possible): 1 John Campbell, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Shamarh Brooks, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Joshua da Silva (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Chemar Holder, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and Conditions

It’s going to be green. New Zealand believe that’s when they play their best cricket although the preference may have more to do with how virtually every opposition that arrives on these shores finds it so hard to score big runs here. In the last five years, away teams, batting first, have been bundled out for 200 or less 13 times. New Zealand have only ever given up the advantage like that thrice.Rain isn’t likely to play much of a role on any of the five days of this Test match.

Stats and trivia

• Latham has been the top-scoring opener of the last three years, averaging 52 at a time when the rest of the field put together has just about managed 30-plus. New Zealand have a gem at the top of their line-up.
• Whatever impressions the West Indies fast bowlers made in Hamilton, they have been this team’s biggest strength in recent times. An average of 24, a strike-rate of 49 and 12 five-fors in three years puts them in the top half of the Test teams and they’ll be backing themselves to rediscover that form in Wellington.

Quotes

“I think it’s a little bit of a reflection of having some good form in recent times. Contributing and getting some performances in. At the same time, it feels a bit unreal because, jeez, the whole world has a lot of quality bowlers better than me that’s down the ranks.”
“If 10 years ago, somebody told me I’d play 50 Test matches for West Indies, I’d wanna know what they were smoking.”
*

Jerome Jayaratne has been appointed team manager, but there is no news yet as to the selection panel’s composition

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-2021Ashantha de Mel has resigned as Sri Lanka’s chief selector following the 2-0 loss to England in the home Test series that concluded on Monday. Sri Lanka had also recently lost 2-0 in South Africa. De Mel said it had always been his plan to resign as selector at the conclusion of this series.He had also stepped down as team manager – a post he had simultaneously held – several days prior. He had held both roles since November 2018.”I was planning to resign from both anyway, so I was waiting for the second Test [against England] to be over,” he told . “With the manager’s role, they needed the next manager to get visas ready for an upcoming tour. So I announced that earlier. I feel now it’s time for me to move on. It’s been two years.”Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that Jerome Jayaratne, who has held various roles within the team, including as interim head coach in 2015 and 2016, will take up the manager’s position. There is no news yet as to who might be part of a fresh selection committee.As chief selector and manager, de Mel had overseen the elevation of Dimuth Karunaratne to the Test and ODI captaincy, but the team has had largely poor results, particularly in Test cricket. They lost nine Tests and won just four during his tenure, suffering three 2-0 whitewashes against Australia (away), South Africa (away) and England (home). But in the first six months of his stint, Sri Lanka also won their first ever Test series in South Africa, in February and March 2019.It is likely that the loss of their last four Tests, and particularly the two at home to England, has hastened the end of de Mel’s tenure. He blamed Sri Lanka’s rushed schedule and inability to prepare for those losses however. Sri Lanka’s squad had left to South Africa two days after the Lankan Premier League had concluded, and because of complications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, had had no practice matches there.They had also returned to Sri Lanka just eight days before the start of the England series, and had managed only one nets session before the first Test began in Galle.”Considering the last two tours, we were not prepared to go and play in South Africa,” de Mel said. “We played the LPL and next day flew off. We had one day’s practice. Who goes and plays at The Wanderers’ without having at least a three- or four-day practice game to get used to the conditions? People have to acclimatise to the high altitude, and then the physical fitness – no one checked for one month.” At least five Sri Lanka players broke down during the South Africa tour.”Even the England series, they are saying our guys can’t play spin. Well where did they have the time to play spin? We had one practice session. England were doing their preparation.”De Mel said that if it had been up to him, he would not sent the team on the tour to South Africa, and used that time to prepare for England instead. Cancelling that tour at the last moment is likely to have caused a major rift between boards, however.Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I series results were not much better over the past two years. Sri Lanka won only one T20 trophy – a series against Pakistan in 2019. And although they outdid expectations at the 2019 ODI World Cup to finish sixth on the table, the only multi-match ODI series they won was against West Indies, whom they beat 3-0 at home in February last year.

Says the BCCI is also looking into having “a mental conditioning coach or a mentor” for the women’s team

Sruthi Ravindranath11-Mar-20214:14

Smriti Mandhana: We want to raise our fielding and fitness standards before World Cup

Smriti Mandhana has stressed on the need for India Women’s team to know and be informed about their schedule, especially ahead of the next year’s World Cup, and has said that the team is “proactively working” with the BCCI on the matter.With their series against England, Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies either cancelled or postponed amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the last one year, there was uncertainty around India Women’s return to international cricket. The home series against South Africa, which began on March 7, ended a 364-day period of no international cricket for the side, which was their longest time off the field since 2008.The squads, as well as the tour itinerary, for five ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa were publicly announced only after the team assembled in Lucknow in late February to go into quarantine. After Kerala Cricket Association informed the BCCI about its inability to host the series, the Karnataka Cricket Association was touted to host the games in Bengaluru, but the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association later said in a release that all eight games would take place at the Ekana Stadium.”It’s very important as a player to know what we’re going to look like for the World Cup,” Mandhana said. “We all are working with the BCCI, they’re really proactive in telling us now what series we will be having for the next one year. I think we’ll have a pretty clear idea in some days. I think as a player, it’s important to know what series you’re going to play next or what the schedule looks like so we can prepare ourselves mentally, physically and even with the skillsets like which bowler you’re going to face in the next two-three months. It gets easy if you know who you’re playing against.”Mandhana said that the team’s focus will be on fielding and fitness for the next one year as they prepare for the 50-over World Cup, scheduled to be played in New Zealand in 2022, admitting that they have been working on it since their runners-up finish at the 2017 ODI World Cup.The South Africa series ended a 364-day period of no international cricket for India Women•BCCI

“We’ve come off a really long break so at the moment we’re going out there and trying to play some good cricket,” she said. “But for sure we know that the World Cup is happening in New Zealand. The bowlers look pretty good in the last month and we want to be consistent with bowling. The only thing we’re working on as a team post the 2017 World Cup is fielding. We keep working on our fitness and fielding and that’s the whole plan for the next one year. I think skills can come and go but the fielding and fitness standards are something we want to keep getting higher. In one year, hopefully, we get to a place where we are fielding and running between the wickets really well.”On Monday, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted that India Women will be playing a Test – their first in six years – against England Women “later this year”. Apart from Shah’s tweet, there has been no official announcement about the Test from either the BCCI or the ECB.Mandhana, who was part of the last two Tests India played – a one-off match against South Africa in Mysore and one against England in Wormsley, both in 2014 – was also not sure when the Test will take place but was excited at the prospect of playing in whites after a long gap.”I’m not sure when the Test match is happening but it has been announced and we all are really excited,” she said. “When we played there last we’ve had really good memories of that Test match. It’s the feeling of putting on whites and going into bat with three slips and a gully, we don’t get to do that much. That feeling as a batter I crave whenever I watch a men’s Test match. It’ll be exciting to go out there after six years and play a Test.”With two other global tournaments scheduled in the women’s calendar in this cycle – the Commonwealth Games in June-July next year followed by the T20 World Cup in 2023 – India are possibly looking at a busy schedule following the year-long hiatus that would also see them spend extended periods in biosecure environments. Mandhana said that talks of having a mental health professional travelling along with the team are ongoing.”At the moment the girls are in very good space because first of all, we’ve come after a long break and everyone’s fresh to go out there and play some good cricket. Definitely, a mental conditioning coach or a mentor could be of use for a lot of girls. I think the BCCI is looking into it and hopefully, we’ll have something going before the World Cup.”

Marnus Labuschagne earlier scored a hundred with these two sides now all-but certain to meet again in the field

Daniel Brettig05-Apr-2021Mitchell Swepson’s fierce spin brought a turgid Sheffield Shield encounter to fresh life on the third evening in Wollongong, as Western Australia’s first innings slide against Tasmania in Perth all but assured the Blues and the Bulls of meeting once again in the competition final.Western Australia had needed to rattle near enough to 450 in 100 overs in order to claim the first innings points they needed to squeeze past New South Wales. But after they got nowhere near this tally, proceedings against Queensland took on something of a perfunctory air as the visitors climbed past the NSW total thanks to a century from Marnus Labuschagne and supporting hands from Usman Khawaja and Jimmy Peirson.Nathan Lyon, twirling his way through no fewer than 48.2 overs, was rewarded with six victims to extend his lead on the wicket-taking aggregates for the Shield this season with 39 wickets in eight games. Lyon’s steadiness and accuracy underlined why he has been a fixture in the Australian Test team for nearly a decade now, but the exciting alternative offered by a quality legspinner was to be showcased when NSW batted again in the final hour.Playing his first Shield game of 2021 after missing several months with a neck injury, Swepson had been somewhat short of his best in the first innings. But granted a generous helping of foot marks to use against the all left-handed NSW top three, he was rapidly into the fray for the eighth over.Based on the length and width of Swepson’s third ball, Daniel Hughes had a right to rock back and think about cutting. However the vicious fizz and turn snapped back at nearly right angles to slice through Hughes’ hurried attempt to defend and rattled the stumps in a manner reminiscent of Shane Warne’s classic to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at the SCG in 1996.A couple of subsequent deliveries to Kurtis Patterson and Matt Gilkes threatened to make a similar impact, missing the stumps by centimetres as they shouldered arms. Patterson needed medical attention at the other end as a Brendan Doggett bouncer struck him under the helmet grille, but was looking sturdy enough when he shaped up again to face Swepson.This time a top spinner or wrong’un from Swepson did not spin back as Patterson expected, going past his bat and prompting a frenzied celebration from Queensland and, eventually, the raising of the umpire’s finger. Patterson looked aghast, seeming to think his bat had brushed his pad, but the wicket was a further reminder of the kinds of scenes a leg spinner can create.Swepson, despite his injury, now has 27 Shield wickets in just four matches this season – only Lyon, Jackson Bird and Scott Boland are ahead of him.

In white-ball cricket, Pakistan have held their own and could enjoy the conditions on offer

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2021In the shadow of their Test record – 0-6 since 2010 and 1-10 since the turn of the century – Pakistan’s competitive white-ball performances in South Africa can often go by unnoticed. Under Misbah-ul-Haq’s captaincy, they were the first subcontinent side to win a bilateral ODI series in the country in 2013-14, and either side of that lost two five-match series only in the deciding game.Since 2010, Pakistan have a 6-7 win-loss ODI record in South Africa and have won three of six T20Is. As they have often come after the main, disheartening course of a Test series, though, those performances have felt consolatory in nature.Related

• Misbah: Beating South Africa 'was like a breath of fresh air'

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But as on that 2013-14 tour, white-ball cricket is the only game in town, and so Pakistan have arrived no doubt with less baggage than on previous visits. Not having to quarantine the way they did on their last tour, to New Zealand, will help lighten the mood as well: at Centurion’s Irene Country Club, where the team is staying in their biosecure bubble, they were able to enjoy some fishing, led by keen angler and batting coach Younis Khan.Misbah is here as coach now, having experienced both the lows of Test losses and highs of white-ball wins in the country. He’s not just hoping to win both the ODI and T20I series, but also to kickstart Pakistan’s ODI Super League and push deep with their preparation for the T20 World Cup.”I think especially with white-ball cricket, the pitches are very good, they’re true pitches, with good bounce and pace and for batters,” he said on Monday. “In white-ball cricket, it is easier to adjust to these conditions and you get good value for shots. Obviously Pakistan has also always had the luxury of good fast bowlers. That is the reason Pakistan has done well here.”In 2013-14, when we were here, we had Junaid [Khan], [Mohammad] Irfan, then we had youngsters like Bilawal Bhatti and a couple of others. That is the reason why Pakistan like playing here. No doubt South Africa are very good, they know their conditions well. But I think these conditions help Pakistan as a whole, the batsmen especially. And obviously, there’s something psychological as well, when a team has done well here before, it helps moving forward as well to perform.”Pakistan start with the first ODI on Friday in Centurion, and all seven games will be played there or at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. Their record at those two grounds isn’t great – they’ve lost eight out of 12 white-ball games there since the start of 2005 – but Misbah feels the true nature of surfaces there will help his batsmen. ‘If I look back when I used to play, these two wickets at Centurion and Wanderers, I really enjoyed batting on them, the bounce and the pace is very true,’ he said.”As a batsman you enjoy that, you get full value for your shots. Previously, in this team, some of the players have played here and performed – Imam [ul-Haq], Babar [Azam], Fakhar [Zaman] was here. These players love that pace and bounce, now [Mohammad] Rizwan is in form, a very good backfoot player. Those previous series and experiences definitely count, they play a role in your confidence as a player and team. When I was playing, suddenly, you just went to a ground where you’ve performed and your confidence level was always different.”Pakistan have already had a couple of days of training, a bonus given how difficult it had been when they toured New Zealand and had to be in strict isolation with no training for 14 days. South Africa had their own issues this season with the mid-tour cancellation of England’s series earlier, and then Australia pulling out of a visit because of concerns over the pandemic in the country. Misbah was confident, however, of no mishaps this time.”Both the boards are working very hard especially to keep this series going,” he said. “Players and all coaching staff are keen to just play and move forward. Obviously some measures been taken keeping in view previous series but we are hopeful that if we just look after protocols, especially the players while practising, and take responsibility, I’m pretty sure series will go on. Already we’ve been to England and New Zealand, completed series there and obviously we’d like to do the same here. We’ll do our best to complete this series.”

Pakistan tighten grip on contest despite Babar Azam’s first golden duck in Tests

Danyal Rasool30-Apr-2021This might not have been the best advert for Test cricket, but it is precisely days like these Fawad Alam has come to relish. With Pakistan needing to press home an advantage following an under-par Zimbabwe first-innings total, the left-hander struck his fourth Test hundred – he has never been out for less than three figures once he reaches 50 – stretching Pakistan’s lead past 175, with four wickets still in hand.Zimbabwe’s hapless bowlers tried to make the best of a bad situation, looking to claw a way out of the pit their batters had dug, and emerged from the day with a fair bit of credit. The run-scoring was never free, and breakthroughs fairly regular. Donald Tiripano was the pick of the bunch with three wickets; the removal of Babar Azam for his first golden duck a particular highlight.At that point, Zimbabwe might have felt a surge of optimism about the direction of this game, but it was perhaps fitting that Alam was the man to extinguish those hopes. No stranger to slow, attritional cricket when it seems no one might be watching, he dug in and began to ensure no bowler would settle. The routine of bowlers going through entire overs – spells, even – without needing to make an effort to be economical began to be undone. He used his feet to manipulate the field, work singles, and punish any loose delivery, especially when the spinners bowled a shorter length. He got off the mark the same way he got to his half-century, with a four off a spinner. The first was a smart cut past backward point, the latter an effortless flick back past the bowler that pierced mid-off and mid-on perfectly.Partners came and went either side of him, as they often tend to, but Fawad, as you’d expect, pushed ahead. Never in danger, never hassled, he moved past the half-century as if it hadn’t happened, more important goals and milestones on his mind. Towards the close of a day even the most ardent Test match enthusiasts might have found hard to remain glued to, he drove Tiripano back down the ground, a misfield gifting him the boundary that brought up this third century in in last four Tests.Related

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The first session was an excruciatingly slow affair, with Pakistan trudging through 16 overs while adding just 13 to the overnight score, their intent conspicuous by its absence. Imran Butt, seven runs away from a half-century overnight, still hadn’t got to that mark. Azhar Ali’s arrival at the crease added some impetus, and towards the close of the session, the visitors finally looked like they were off and away.Zimbabwe began the day with eight maidens in 14 overs, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava giving little away. Abid Ali and Butt appeared keen to take their time settling in, as they had the previous day, but ended up finding themselves in a bit of a bind, unable to up the ante as the overs trickled by. Any thoughts of punishing poor deliveries were put to one side, and when Tendai Chisoro’s left-arm spin was introduced, the batters retreated ever further into their shells. It appeared to have the opposite effect of the one Pakistan might have desired, with Abid losing his fluency, nicking off to first slip with one of the few drives he attempted. Brendan Taylor juggled with the catch but ended up holding on.Following the turgidity of the first session, the events of the second seemed positively slapdash. Pakistan raced along at more than three runs an over while Tiripano got himself on a hat-trick at one point. Butt fell nine runs short of a hundred and Azam lasted just one delivery.Zimbabwe enjoyed the better of the first half hour of the middle session. Azhar was undone by the surprise of extra bounce from Tiripano, with gully pouching a straightforward catch. Much more notably, Azam, in his first away Test as captain, fell to the most transparent of traps. Mid-on was brought up close as Tiripano bowled straight, inducing a drive which went to Roy Kaia, stationed there for that purpose. Zimbabwe had suddenly removed the two most prolific batters in the side.Butt at the other end chipped away more cautiously, eager to get to the three-figure mark he evidently had on his mind all session. It didn’t appear much would stop him, before Ngarave finally shaped one away that took his outside edge. It brought the left-armer his first Test wicket, denying Butt his first Test hundred in the process.The partnership that followed between Mohammad Rizwan and Alam was perhaps the one that conclusively wrenched the game away from Zimbabwe. The wicketkeeper continued his rich vein of form, helping to add 107 before falling five short of a half-century, Muzarabani sending his stumps cartwheeling. Faheem Ashraf missed out, too, but that only gave Hasan Ali the chance to have some fun at the bowlers’ expense. They might have been humoured from time to time, but in truth, Pakistan haven’t really left the home side with a chance.