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Hosts flounder in pursuit of 164 to finish 88 short – the largest margin of victory in the history of The Hundred

ECB Media17-Aug-2025London Spirit 164 for 6 (Chathli 69, Harris 34, Arlott 3-25) beat Birmingham Phoenix 76 (Lamb 23, Gray 2-13, Dean 2-16) by 88 runsA cracking partnership of 47 from just 21 balls between Spirit’s breakout opener Kira Chathli and the megastar Grace Harris took the game away from Phoenix, who floundered badly in pursuit of 164, losing three wickets inside the first 33 balls to eventually finish 88 short – the largest margin of victory in the history of The Hundred.The result propels Spirit to joint-top of the table with a slightly superior run rate to Southern Brave, and leaves the Phoenix down and virtually out, on just four points from five matches.The hosts will be disappointed with their campaign. Just a single tournament half-century, to Emma Lamb, and little to show for the efforts of their Australian pair, the great Ellyse Perry and the national team’s new star opener, Georgia Voll.Both made single-figure scores here as Phoenix stuttered up top against some disciplined new-ball bowling from Spirit’s left-arm spinner Bex Tyson and the rejuvenated Issy Wong, who yet again burnished her credentials as one of the best young seamers in the English game.Reigning champions Spirit, under Charlie Dean, who bowled beautifully to pick up two wickets including that of England team-mate Amy Jones, are again building at just the right time.Chathli in particular has been a revelation. Her 35-ball 69, containing 13 fours, is her most impressive knock to date in the tournament, while Harris is the heartbeat of their middle order, a woman in the form of her life who’s now plundered 199 tournament runs this term at a ferocious strike rate of 180. Her knock today may have occupied just 15 balls, but she still planted four of them over the rope.They needed it too, after losing Georgia Redmayne and Cordelia Griffith in the powerplay and then Charli Knott soon after, the impressive Phoenix seamer Em Arlott picking up three more wickets to draw level, on 10, with Lauren Bell as the most prolific wicket-taker of the tournament so far.Chathli, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “In The Hundred that’s definitely my best performance to date. They bowled really well up top – as did our bowlers as well – but the key is to give yourself a few balls, and after that it got a little easier.”We just focus on what do really well as a team, which is to play positive cricket and there’s no doubt in my mind that every member of our team backs each other to deliver their skill.”

Shardul Thakur throws spotlight on crammed Ranji Trophy schedule after hitting game-changing ton against Tamil Nadu in semi-final

Shashank Kishore03-Mar-2024India allrounder Shardul Thakur has called for longer breaks between Ranji Trophy games to facilitate better recovery and preparation for players, keeping in mind the lengthy nature of the competition. Mumbai, for example, would’ve played 10 first-class games in under 10 weeks should they reach the final.Shardul termed the current schedule – where teams have had just three days between games – as “difficult” with schedules getting “tighter and tighter.””If boys keep playing like this for two more seasons, there will be a lot of injuries across the country,” he said after hitting a maiden first-class century to rescue Mumbai from 106 for 6, as they went on to open up a 207-run lead with one wicket remaining.”Next year, they [the BCCI] have to re-look at it, and give more [of a] break. When I remember playing Ranji Trophy back in the day, good seven to eight years back, [the] first three games used to have [a] three-day break, and then it was [a] four-day break, and knockouts were played [with] five-day breaks.”With the IPL window only getting bigger, the BCCI has had to force-fit all senior men’s competitions over a smaller window than usual. This has led to several prominent first-class cricketers lamenting privately about the relevance of tournaments such as the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, the zonal first-class and one-day competitions, which open the domestic season.Injuries aside, teams have also had to grapple with travel fatigue because of this short window. Gujarat, for example, had their flight to New Delhi cancelled the following day after their home fixture against Karnataka in Ahmedabad.Then on the second day, their onward flight to Delhi was delayed, and when they finally arrived in the capital, they were stranded in the airport overnight. It meant driving amid heavy fog to Chandigarh on the third morning which left them with no net sessions prior to the game, which was eventually fogged out.”Now this year, we have seen that all the games have been played [with a] three-day gap. It is extremely tough on domestic players to expect them to play ten games in a row with just three-day gap if [a] team makes it to the finals.”Also, when nine teams were in the group [in the old format], one team would get a break in [the] round-robin system. Now with only eight teams being in one group, everyone plays each other, so that [extra] break has gone now.”Thakur cited Mumbai’s example, while explaining how it was particularly gruelling on fast bowlers. “Yeah, 100% because Mohit [Avasthi] also had an injury in the sixth game.” Avasthi was rested by Mumbai from the league stage contest against Chhattisgarh, believed to have developed a hamstring-related issue.”He played five games in a row. He had a huge workload because Tushar [Deshpande] was also selected for India A,” Thakur said. “He was not available. Dhawal [Kulkarni] was playing alternate games looking at his age and workload. Royston [Dias] is fairly new.”He [Mohit] operated a lot in those first five games, and then he had an injury so he had to miss a game. I think that is because there is not enough spacing between the games.”Tamil Nadu captain and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who has led his side into Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time in seven years while also crossing the 50-wicket mark this season, agreed with Thakur.”A few players feel the same thing,” Sai Kishore said. “Fast bowlers are extra tired because you travel on one day. For me, I don’t train much because of the three-day thing. I bowl directly match-to-match, so the load on my body is fine. I don’t strain myself in training pre-match. I am managing myself that way, but it should be harder for the fast bowlers.”

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Chetan Sharma and his panel had not received any communication from the board on the development

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Nov-20227:03

Newsroom: ‘Selectors alone are not to blame for India’s T20 World Cup exit’

In an unprecedented development, the BCCI has sacked the entire senior men’s selection committee led by former India fast bowler Chetan Sharma. The board sent out a media release on Friday evening stating it was inviting fresh applications for the positions of the five national selectors, setting November 28 as the deadline for applications.This is the first major decision taken by the BCCI administration headed by the former India allrounder Roger Binny, who was elected unopposed as board president in October.Related

• Chetan Sharma resigns as India's chairman of selectors after TV sting operation

• Malhotra, Paranjape and Naik make up the BCCI's new Cricket Advisory Committee

• Lots of contenders but little opportunity as India ring in the changes

• Mongia, Maninder, Ratra, Das apply for India selector post

• Selecting the selectors: a key job in Indian cricket, but who'd want to take it up?

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the four national selectors – Sunil Joshi, Harvinder Singh, Debasis Mohanty and Sharma – who are currently watching the ongoing the Vijay Hazare Trophy games at various venues around India – had not received any communication from BCCI on the development.Although no specific details were provided in the media statement – there was no mention of the selection panel being reconstituted – the BCCI probably took the step as part of its early review of India’s performances at successive T20 World Cups – exiting at the group stage in 2021 and losing in the semi-finals in 2022.Since late 2021, the Sharma-led selection panel was reduced to four members after Abey Kuruvilla, the former Mumbai and India fast bowler, completed the maximum tenure of five years. While Kuruvilla moved on to the role of BCCI general manager (cricket development), the board did not appoint his replacement on the selection panel.It was in October, mid-way into the 2022 T20 World Cup, that the selectors announced India squads for the limited-overs series in New Zealand, which is now ongoing, and also the Bangladesh tour in December. It raised eyebrows since it was an unusual move for selectors to announce squads for two separate tours at the same time.Barring Mohanty, who is on the verge of finishing his term (he was also a national junior selector), the remaining three selectors had only served half – two years – of their four-year tenures.Technically, Sharma and the other selectors can reapply for the posts. The qualification criteria for applicants is that they must have played at least seven Tests or 30 first-class matches, or 10 ODI and 20 first-class matches; they should have retired from the game at least five years ago; and they cannot have already served for five years as a member of any of the BCCI’s cricket committees.The BCCI also listed the major job duties and responsibilities for the selection panel as follows:

• Select the best possible team in a fair and transparent manner.
• Plan and prepare a strong bench strength for the senior men’s national team.
• Attend team meetings as and when required.
• Travel to watch domestic and international matches.
• Prepare and provide evaluation reports of the respective team performances to the apex council of BCCI on a quarterly basis.
• Address the media on team selection as and when instructed by BCCI.
• Appoint captain for the team in each format.
• Adhere to the rules and regulation of BCCI.

Tournament’s director says two other franchises have been lined up to replace them this season

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Jun-2021Two franchisees have had their contracts terminated ahead of the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), but the tournament’s director says two other franchises have been lined up to replace them.*The IPG group, who organises the tournament for SLC, has said it has dropped the Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking sides for breach of contract. Ravin Wickramaratne, the SLC vice-president in charge of the LPL, told ESPNcricinfo that this will not change the board’s plans for the tournament, however. It is currently slated to run from July 30 to August 22.Related

• LPL terminates 2020 champion franchise Jaffna Stallions

• LPL to be held from December 4 to 23

• LPL 2021 to go ahead as planned in July-August

In the first edition of the five-team tournament, the Dambulla Viiking, who had made the semi-finals after finishing second on the table in the league stage, were owned by Sachiin Joshi and Viiking Ventures, while the Colombo Kings, also a semi-finalist, were owned by Murfad Mustafa and Faza group.”Those two franchises (Kings and Viiking) have [been] terminated, but I’ve received other potential franchisees, whose details have been sent to the ICC for them to check,” Wickramaratne said. The ICC vets franchise owners as part of their anti-corruption procedure. “I can’t reveal who the owners of those teams are yet, but the other three team owners (of Galle Gladiators, Kandy Tuskers , and Jaffna Stallions) are still there.”Wickramaratne also confirmed that the 2021 edition will have five teams, though there were rumblings of a sixth team entering the fray.As with the first edition, the entire tournament is scheduled to be played at Sooriyawewa (Hambantota) to make a biosecure bubble easier to maintain.*This story originally stated that the teams had pulled out, but the tournament’s organisers say it is they who have let go of the teams.

In a chat with Pommie Mbangwa, he also weighed in on Kohli vs Smith and Kohli vs Tendulkar

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2020AB de Villiers has opened up on his friendship with Virat Kohli, who he says is “much deeper than just a cricket player”. Speaking to Pommie Mbangwa, the former Zimbabwe fast bowler who’s now a commentator, de Villiers said his conversations with Kohli – a long-time team-mate at Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL – reach far beyond cricket.”Obviously when it comes to the IPL in India, it’s been more than friendship,” de Villiers said, when asked who his best friends in cricket are. “Virat obviously – not only during the IPL, we chat throughout the year, which means it’s different than just the IPL or cricketing friendship.”From a South Africa point of view, I’ve stayed in touch with Morne Morkel, Faf [du Plessis] and Dale [Steyn]. Dale and I have come a long way together as well, I mean we’ve known each other since we were school kids and in primary school. JP [Duminy] as well. There’s no real best friend when it comes to cricket, you just hang out a bit more with one or two.”De Villiers revealed that he has deep conversations not just with Kohli but with his wife, the Bollywood star Anushka Sharma, as well.”He’s much deeper than just a cricket player […] I think most people realise after a while that there’s more to life than just cricket,” de Villiers said. “I think we all fall into that bubble initially. But Virat’s always been a thinker, he experiments [with] a lot of things, he loves trying new things out – gym wise, what he puts in his mouth. He thinks a lot about life after life – what’s to come, the different religions, we talk about everything.”We go pretty deep and his missus as well, Anushka, we have very deep conversations, which is fantastic. We talk about children and family. We’re waiting for that first little Kohli to come. It’s a good friendship and we always find a way to talk about cricket as well, but 90% of the time we talk about other stuff. It’s refreshing and in the middle of a very intense IPL tournament.”Asked who the better batsman is between Kohli and Steven Smith, de Villiers sidestepped the question smartly, and compared the two to a pair of tennis legends.”It’s a difficult one, but Virat is definitely the more natural ball-striker, there’s no doubt about that,” de Villiers said. “In tennis terms, I’d say he’s more like a [Roger] Federer whereas Smith is like a [Rafael] Nadal. Smith is mentally very strong and figures out a way of scoring runs – he doesn’t look natural, but he ends up writing records and doing amazing things at the crease. I think mentally, Smith is one of the best I have ever seen. Virat has also scored runs all over the world and won games under pressure.”And asked to compare Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, his predecessor as India’s superstar best batsman, de Villiers gave the younger man the edge in one department – chasing targets.”Sachin is a role model for both of us – the way he stood out in his era, the things he achieved and with the grace he did all that is a great example for everyone,” de Villiers said. “And I think Virat will also say that he set the standards for us to follow.”But personally, in a chase, I’d say Virat is the best I’ve seen in my life. Sachin was amazing in all formats and all situations, but Virat comes out on top while chasing.”

Success in familiar conditions is all very well, but World Test Championship hopes may rest on spin attack

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Durban14-Feb-2019South Africa are ranked No. 2 in Tests, have the most fearsome phalanx of quicks on the planet, a serviceable top order, and are, in general, an outstanding fielding side. Despite a regular loss of wickets late on day two at Kingsmead, they have imposed themselves on Sri Lanka, and have achieved a strong position in the match.This is roughly how this Test was supposed to go, so no real surprises, right? Except maybe a minor one. South Africa’s dominance has been achieved without significant bowling intervention from left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. On his home ground – the most spin-friendly Test venue in the country – Maharaj’s bowling has largely been irrelevant in the first innings. Compare this to the last time Kingsmead hosted a game. Maharaj bowled 33.4 first-innings overs, and took 5 for 123.It’s no big deal in the context of South Africa’s home summer, because it was performing quicks that have kept Maharaj out of the Test XI for two matches against Pakistan, and performing quicks who trussed Sri Lanka up for 191 between them and effectively made Maharaj surplus to requirements.But that is only in the context of the home summer, in which South Africa have been desperate to remind everyone just how good they are, following that 2-0 away thrashing in Sri Lanka.There is, perhaps, also an unsaid undertone of retribution in this particular series. “Yah, you can beat us in your dustbowls, but check us back in our own patch. We’ll show you what we’re really all about over there.” In fact, while South Africa had been in Sri Lanka last year, Faf du Plessis had spoken of reciprocating Sri Lanka’s “streetsmart” tactics, when South Asian teams next toured them.So instead of a regular Kingsmead surface – the kind on which Maharaj might have been needed for more than three overs in the first innings – what South Africa had requested was pace, bounce, and if possible, movement. What they got was a surface on which even Sri Lanka’s vastly under-strength seam attack could dismiss them for 235. A track on which 19 wickets have fallen to fast bowling on the first two days, with reverse swing never having to come into the reckoning.This, into an important year for South Africa, on the Test front. They have a three-Test series in India coming up in October, where Maharaj will clearly be required. Have South Africa done enough to develop their promising young spinner, given they have requested uniformly fast-and-bouncy tracks over the last few months? Probably not.That India series will also be South Africa’s first taste of the World Test Championship – a four-year league that rewards away victories. Though it may be a surprise to some, Maharaj has actually been South Africa’s best bowler away from home since 2016 (against the top nine teams), sporting an average of 26.3. It is not just in Asia that he stands to be a force – the more he plays, the better chance there is he will trouble batsmen in England and Australia as well.If there was a need for a cautionary tale – a reminder that of the danger that lays in ordering uniform tracks – South Africa need only look at their present opposition. Sri Lanka have largely refused to field more than one frontline seam bowler at home since roughly mid-2016, because they believed rank turners to be their surest route to victory. That strategy has not been altogether unfruitful. In 2016 they whitewashed Australia – a team they almost never beat – and then last year, they of course pummelled South Africa as well.But look at them now. They are in the middle of a sequence of terrible away series, having lost three of four Tests on the road. Overall their team is in more disarray than ever. Made-to-order pitches are great for short-term results, but it has also prevented Sri Lanka from developing the promising young quicks in their own ranks. Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara had starred in a Test win in Barbados in June last year, then didn’t play a Test again until December, when the next away tour came around. Unsurprisingly, they were both rusty in those New Zealand Tests, and had added no new skills to their bowling during the layoff.If this sounds like nitpicking, that is because it probably is. South Africa are an excellent team. They will almost certainly be among the contenders for that World Test Championship crown. But they are, presently, in the grip of some serious pace worship – a philosophy that is not without its rewards. But in the long term, giving their spinner as much Test exposure as possible, may prove more rewarding.

Moeen is the only man from the Test team defeated in Adelaide to play in the two-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI at Richardson Park this weekend

George Dobell07-Dec-2017Moeen Ali has been named captain of the England XI that will play a two-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI at Richardson Park in Perth this weekend.Moeen is the only man from the Test team defeated in Adelaide to play in the game. While the England camp insist he has recovered from a cut finger that compromised his effectiveness in Brisbane, they feel he failed to gain sufficient bowling ahead of the Test series due to a side strain that limited his involvement in the warm-up matches. Partially as a result, he has been comprehensively out-bowled by Nathan Lyon in the series to date. Moeen has taken two wickets at a cost of 98 apiece from 63 overs; Lyon has taken 11 at a cost of 22.72 from 109.1 overs.The variation in performance between Moeen and Lyon has been one of the key differences in the series to date. While Australia have been able to rest and rotate their seamers to maintain an attacking edge to their game (Lyon has conceded just 2.29 runs per over and taken a wicket every 59.50 balls), Moeen has failed to pose much threat (he has taken a wicket every 189 deliveries) or control the run-rate as much as England would have liked (he is conceding 3.11 runs per over). England hope he will gain some rhythm and confidence form the two-day match with both the coach, Trevor Bayliss, and the captain, Joe Root, suggesting he will retain his place for the Perth Test.Moeen will be joined in the side by the five members of the England squad who did not feature in Adelaide (Gary Ballance, Ben Foakes, Mason Crane, Jake Ball and Tom Curran) while six members of the England Lions squad (Ben Duckett, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood), who are now based in Perth at a training camp, have also been included to make-up the rest of the team. Foakes will keep wicket.Perhaps the most intriguing of those inclusions from the Lions is Wood. If he is able to prove his fitness and bowl at his full pace, he could be added to the squad and could yet play a part in the Ashes. Leach, the left-arm spinner, is also included alongside other spinners Crane and Moeen.England 12-man squad: Moeen Ali (capt), Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wk), Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood.

Bangladesh have dropped Taijul Islam and brought in pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain in their 14-man squad for the first two ODIs against England, which will be held in Mirpur on October 7 and 9

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-2016Bangladesh have dropped Taijul Islam and brought in pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain in their 14-man squad for the first two ODIs against England, which will be held in Mirpur on October 7 and 9.Left-arm spinner Taijul bowled decently in the first two ODIs against Afghanistan last week, but he took only one wicket in his 20 overs. He brought control to the Bangladesh attack but was not as penetrating. He was replaced by left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain, in the third ODI, who took three wickets.Al-Amin’s return was slightly predictable after he was not included against Afghanistan despite doing well for Bangladesh earlier this year. Chief selector Minhajul Abedin had said at the time that his fielding was an issue.But with Rubel Hossain being dropped before the third ODI against Afghanistan, there was always the need for a pace bowler who had variation to partner Mashrafe Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed.Squad for first two ODIs: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt)., Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Mosharraf Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed

Allrounder Ian Holland is the only uncapped member of Victoria’s 14-man squad to contest the Matador Cup next month

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2015Allrounder Ian Holland is the only uncapped member of Victoria’s 14-man squad to contest the Matador Cup next month.Holland has been named for a potential state debut after a strong club season last summer in which he came the first person to win the Jack Ryder Medal as the best player in the competition and the John Scholes medal as best player in the final. A batsman and medium-pace bowler, Holland first came to notice in 2012 as the winner of the reality television show.”He is a player that can fill a lot of roles for us,” Victoria’s new coach David Saker said of Holland. “He can bat, bowl and is really strong in the field.”Matthew Wade will captain the Bushrangers and Cameron White will enter the campaign aiming to become the first player to win three consecutive Player of the Tournament awards. In the past two domestic one-day competitions, White has scored 721 runs at 65.54.Victoria squad Matthew Wade (capt), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Ian Holland, Jon Holland, Clint McKay, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron White.

A round up of the Faysal Bank One-Day Cup matches on March 9, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013

Group A

File photo: Aizaz Cheema’s five-wicket haul gave Peshawar Panthers an 80-run win over Lahore Lions•AFP

A maiden century by Mansoor Amjad took Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket win – and thereby top of the points table – over Multan Tigers in Ghari Khuda Baksh.Multan’s innings of 234 revolved around Sohaib Maqsood’s 91. The rest of the batting, though, couldn’t last long enough to provide him much-needed support. Wickets fell regularly after a second-wicket stand of 96. From 122 for 2, they would be reduced to being bowled out in the last over. All six of the oppositions’ bowlers were among the wickets.In reply, Sialkot struggled at 27 for 3, with offspinner Aamer Yamin taking two of those wickets. But Amjad and opener Yasir Aziz staged a recover with 102 for the fourth wicket, before the later was dismissed for 66. Amjad found able support through Adeel Malik (44), which helped them get home in the 46th over.An all-round show from Bahawalpur Stags took them to a convincing six-wicket win over Quetta Bears in Karachi. The foundation for the win was laid by seamer Mohammad Mudassar and spinner Faisal Elahi, who shared seven wickets between them to bowl the Bears out for 144, and an aggressive career-best knock of 93 by opener Imranullah Aslam.Quetta were behind in the game from the outset, as they were 6 for 3. Although a recovery stand of 49 between Taimur Ali and Abid Ali followed, the lower order couldn’t follow it up with any resistance.They picked up an early wicket in Bahawalpur’s chase, but that proved to be a false dawn, as Imranullah punished the bowlers in his 88-ball knock with ten fours and four sixes, effectively taking the game away.A responsible 71 by Sami Aslam was backed up by a decent middle-order batting performance asLahore Eagles defeated Hyderabad Hawks by four wickets in Hyderabad. This was the Hawks’ first loss in the tournament, and the Eagles’ first win.They had a shaky start to their chase of 238, with two wickets falling early, but Jahangir Mirza, who scored 54, stuck with Aslam to put on a 111-run stand. Later, the captain and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal also chipped in with a half-century, to help his side get home with two overs to spare.Hyderabad, with a 132-run stand for the third wicket between Taj Wasan and Rizwan Ahmed, got to a commanding 173 for 2 at one stage in their innings. But the next eight wickets fell for 64 runs, as the middle and lower order crumbled. Wasan finished on 69, while Rizwan finished on 73. Adnan Rasool was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 28.

Group B

Karachi Zebras won their rain-affected encounter with Faisalabad Wolves in Rawalpinidi by 1 run through D/L method, and moved to top spot in Group B.Karachi were put into bat, and started solidly to get to 105 for 2. The innings lost momentum thereafter, as Faisalabad struck regularly. Contributions from Tariq Haroon (37) and Anwar Ali (37) helped push the total to 215, as they were dismissed in 46 overs.Faisalabad, in reply, were in trouble at 18 for 3. They lost two more in quick succession to be reduced to 60 for 5. Zeeshan Butt’s unbeaten 67, along with Imran Khalid’s 42, did their best to steer the ship, as they put on a 97-run stand for the seventh wicket. However, once rain intervened, Faisalabad were 1 run short of the D/L comparative score.Islamabad Leopards won their rain-affected game against Abbottabad Falcons by 20 runs through D/L method, in Islamabad.Islamabad chose to bat, with opener Raheel Majeed scoring 47. A brace of wickets left Umair Khan batting with the rest of the tail as Islamabad struggled to string substantial partnerships. Khan’s unbeaten 91, supported by small contributions from other batsmen, and 31 extras, pushed their score to 275 for 9. Kamran Ghulam was the pick of the bowlers with a career-best 3 for 29.Abbottabad started strongly with a 102-run stand between Ghulam and Sajjad Ali. However, with the fall of regular wickets, they fell behind in the chase, which was revived by a 51-run stand for the seventh wicket. A late rally from Yasir Shah, with an unbeaten 66, tried to keep them abreast of the required run-rate. But once rain intervened they were found short by 20 runs on D/L.Peshawar Panthers comprehensively beat Lahore Lions by 80 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, to move up to second spot on the points table.Peshawar, after electing to bat, lost Israrullah for 4. Nawaz Ahmed and wicketkeeper Mohammed Rizwan combined for 118 runs for the second wicket to stage a recovery. Nawaz finished with 93, with further contributions from Rizwan (55), Iftikhar Ahmed (81) and Gauhar Ali (26). Aizaz Cheema took wickets both up front and towards the end of the innings, as Panthers finished with 294 for 7 in their fifty overs. Cheema had best figures of 5 for 61.Lahore Lions didn’t start assuredly well, as they lost opener Imran Butt for 10. They could not string together meaningful partnerships, as the top and middle-order struggled to keep pace with the soaring required run-rate. The innings was kept in check through the bowling of spinner Mohammad Adnan, who picked up 5 for 46, and Zohaib Khan, who picked up 3 for 33. Despite a late order hit-out from Asif Raza (30) and Agha Salman (42), Lahore folded for 214 in the 48th over.