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ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors in Jaipur

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya30-Apr-2011

Match facts

Sunday, May 1, Jaipur
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Robin Uthappa could do with a promotion in the batting order•AFP

Big picture

One of the enduring images of the first week of the IPL was Pune Warriors’ owner Subroto Roy, flanked by beauty queens in the VIP stands, smiling away gleefully at his franchise’s early successes on the field. Five straight defeats later, with his team’s campaign in need of a dramatic turnaround, the smile, presumably, would have been clouded by anxiety.A misfiring batting line-up had been their primary concern but the hammering meted out to Jerome Taylor and Kamran Khan by Royal Challengers Bangalore was another setback. They tweaked their batting order, but failed to push on in a big chase and when Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, their bumper buys, did step up, it was too late. With the tournament already at its halfway stage, and Pune sitting at the bottom of the points table, they would be hoping to keep themselves alive with a win in Jaipur.Rajasthan, in contrast, are on a high after two comprehensive wins that centered around dominating performances with the ball. This included a humbling of early favourites Mumbai Indians, and they’d want to win at least four of their next six games to be certain of progress.

Form guide (most recent first)

Pune: LLLLL (tenth in the points table)

Rajasthan: WWLLL (fourth in the points table)

Team talk

Tim Paine struggled to get going for Pune against Bangalore, and Manish Pandey has had three straight failures. A cursory glance at the averages of Pune’s batsmen will reveal a lack of form, but Pune should consider giving Callum Ferguson a chance. Ashish Nehra hasn’t had a game due to his finger injury, but in his absence Pune could bring back Shrikant Wagh for Kamran Khan.Rajasthan stuck to the same XIs in their previous two games, and are likely to do so for this one as well unless Shane Warne’s swollen knee, an injury he sustained in Rajasthan’s previous game, keeps him out. In that case, Raul Dravid or Ross Taylor may have to take over.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Robin Uthappa batted at No. 5 in Pune’s failed chase in their previous game. He could do with a promotion in the order, as his team, at this stage, is more in need of a surge at the top of the order than an explosive finish.Ross Taylor, known for those explosive finishes, hasn’t been at his best this IPL, with a highest of 35 in seven games. He didn’t get to do much in Rajasthan’s previous two games, with opponents folding for low scores after batting first, and awaits his turn.

Prime numbers

• Yuvraj Singh has struck 13 sixes so far this IPL, the highest by a batsman this season.
• Siddharth Trivedi, despite improved performances in the last two games, still has the dubious distinction of conceding the most runs in an innings this IPL – 59 in four overs against Kings XI Punjab.

The chatter

“We have been lucky here. We know a few things about this ground like the angles to be blocked off and that gives us the extra confidence.”

Zimbabwe Cricket have confirmed that Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand will be touring the country in the course of a busy schedule in 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2011Zimbabwe Cricket have confirmed that Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand will be touring the country in the course of a busy schedule in 2011 that includes both one-day internationals and Test matches, as well as a triangular series including South Africa and an Australian A side.”The Zimbabwe Cricket team is scheduled to have a busy schedule in 2011-2012 season commencing in August,” ZC managing director Ozias Bvute told in Zimbabwe. “Tours have been confirmed with Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand and a triangular series against South Africa and Australian ‘A’ sides.”Bvute admitted frustration at Zimbabwe’s performance at the World Cup, where the team thrashed Canada and Kenya but struggled to be competitive against the top sides. He suggested that more matches against strong teams was the key to Zimbabwe’s development.”There is a lot of disappointment after our inability to progress to the quarter-finals at the World Cup, however, given the schedule of matches lined up over the next four years we feel this should adequately prepare our team for the next World Cup.”Zimbabwe’s home season begins with Bangladesh’s visit between July 1 and July 22. The two teams have been regular opponents in recent years, having played 18 ODIs against each other since January 2009, with Bangladesh winning 13 of those games. Zimbabwe will play a one-off Test match and four ODIs against them before Australia A arrive for a one-day tri-series also involving Zimbabwe and South Africa, and two four-day matches against the host. Match details are yet to be confirmed at this stage, but the tour will run from late June to late July.Pakistan then visit for another Test match, three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches from July 26 to August 19. New Zealand, who sent an A side to Zimbabwe for an unofficial Test series against Zimbabwe A last year, have not yet finalised dates for their tour.Understandably, the squads for visiting international sides are yet to be named, but Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel has announced a provisional 24-man squad which will be trimmed in May.”We have given the provisional squad advanced notice for this tour to allow them sufficient time to prepare for the series pending selection in the final squad,” said National Talent Manager Greg Chappell. “The Australia A program in recent years has played a big role in readying athletes for the rigors of international cricket, with players such as Tim Paine, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White and Mitchell Starc all coming into the Australian set-up at varying times over the last couple of years and having an impact.”This group is a cross section of the best young players in the country. Some of them have already had a taste of international cricket and show signs of being among those that will be the backbone of our teams in the future, while the others have shown enough in domestic cricket to suggest that they are the type of cricketer that we will need to be able to challenge India, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka for supremacy in the next few years.”With the new World Test Championship and the new ODI ranking periods beginning straight after the ICC Cricket World Cup and with tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa later this year and New Zealand and India touring Australia next summer, it will be a great opportunity for these young players to show their skills and put their name forward to be part of this challenging period for Australian cricket,” added Chappell.The last time an Australian representative team visited Zimbabwe was in 2008, when a Centre of Excellence Scholarship team toured Africa.Provisional Australia A squad: George Bailey, Michael Beer, Luke Butterworth, Trent Copeland, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Peter George, Jon Holland, Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nicolas Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Stephen O’Keefe, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

Misbah-ul-Haq quelled a threatening spell of reverse swing early on the third morning, before dictating terms against New Zealand’s seamers who wasted the second new ball, to drive Pakistan to a 20-run lead as the winds subsided for the first time at the

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar17-Jan-2011
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYounis Khan was in fine touch before being undone by a poor umpiring call•Getty Images

Misbah-ul-Haq quelled a threatening spell of reverse swing early on the third morning, before dictating terms against New Zealand’s seamers, to drive Pakistan to a 20-run lead as the wind subsided for the first time at the Basin Reserve. Pakistan’s progress was based on Misbah’s 142-run stand with Younis Khan, during which New Zealand’s attack seemed to have run out of ideas. Younis’ exit for 73 – the seventh umpiring error in the match, without counting missed no-balls – sparked a resurgence from the home side. After tea, they attacked with Daniel Vettori’s turn and Chris Martin’s bounce to skittle out Pakistan’s lower half for the addition of just 52, including Misbah on 99. New Zealand’s openers played out the last five overs of the day without damage to leave the game even at stumps.Before their inspired burst in the final session, New Zealand were surprisingly subdued through the day, barring a lively opening burst from Martin. He began with a swerving bouncer that started well outside off before darting in viciously towards Azhar Ali who had to weave away and drop his wrists. Martin followed that up with a series of reverse-swingers before outwitting Azhar with another sharp lifter that was fended into the slips. Younis and Misbah also began edgily against the movement before easing into business with a series of sparkling drives as the sun came out and Martin began to lose his sting.The ball, deemed to be out of shape, was replaced at the stroke of the first hour and reverse swing immediately became conspicuous by its absence. With the pitch not taking much turn, Misbah handled Vettori’s drift by lunging forward instead of across and defending from inside the line. New Zealand’s main variations had been nullified, and thereafter they were asking to be dominated.Younis cashed in against a flagging attack, punching a short delivery from Tim Southee square and driving one that was too straight through wide long-on for boundaries. Misbah attacked his opposite number in the lead-up to lunch, pulling out a slog sweep and a lofted on-drive as Pakistan moved past 200.Soon after the break, Brent Arnel opened with the second new ball, running in for a friendly over that underlined New Zealand’s lack of intent: it began with a wayward loosener outside off, and included a misdirected bouncer down the leg side. In his second over, Misbah guided Arnel twice through the cordon for boundaries. Martin replaced Arnel and got his inswingers going, but the horse had bolted by then. Younis punched Martin twice down the ground, the first bringing up his half-century and the second, the 100-run stand.Southee put in a solid effort from the other end, and got the odd legcutter to nip away from the right-handers. Despite being beaten on a couple of occasions, Misbah had the presence of mind to play with soft hands, and his obduracy frustrated Southee who got into a verbal duel with him. Misbah responded with two calmly stroked boundaries through the covers to bring up his fifth successive half-century, and his fifth in six innings since taking over as captain.Vettori was running out of ideas, and brought James Franklin on, seemingly with the intention of creating a rough to work with. Franklin promptly got a warning for running on the pitch, but Vettori began to pose some riddles from the other end. He eventually got past Younis, thanks to drift and a poor call from umpire Rod Tucker, caught close-in on the leg side straight off the pad.Younis’ exit prompted Vettori to finally go on the attack, and he looped them into the rough with extra fielders crouching close in. Asad Shafiq edged his fifth ball as it ripped away from middle and leg, taking the outside edge on its way into the slips. Vettori also had Adnan Akmal in strife with well-disguised arm-balls before getting him to top-edge a sweep.Martin stepped up to support his captain, and bullied Abdur Rehman into submission with bounce, with Pakistan still 22 behind. While Umar Gul biffed Pakistan into the lead with a series of middled pulls and slog-sweeps, Misbah chugged along towards a hundred that seemed almost inevitable.He negated Martin’s bounce by staying in the crease, and capitalised when there was width to pick up boundaries through the off side. With Misbah a run away from his third Test ton, Martin landed a couple of balls well outside off before cleverly slanting one back in, to rap him on the move as he shuffled across with an eye on the leg side. The innings ended soon after, Vettori finishing a wicket shy of becoming only the second New Zealander to make a century and pick a five-for in the same match. Both captains had had a say in setting up the game for a virtual second-innings shoot-out with two days left.

A scorching spell from Starc restricted the visitors to 203, but Rauf nearly stole the game away

Alex Malcolm04-Nov-2024It was the full Pakistan experience at the MCG, a ground where they have so much great history. They were hopeless, then thrilling, then hopeless, then thrilling. And then Australia won, without much conviction. But they did what they do thanks to a sizzling spell from Mitchell Starc and yet another nerveless chasing masterclass from the ice-cool captain Pat Cummins in the face of what looked like a match-winning three-wicket haul from Haris Rauf, heroics with bat and ball from Naseem Shah and some crafty captaincy from new skipper Mohammad Rizwan.The 25,831-strong crowd looked sparse in the gargantuan MCG. But it sounded like 100,000, and it felt like it was in Lahore, as Pakistan fans drowned out the locals to help keep their side in the game. But there was only so much they could do, as Pakistan found a way to lose despite being on the brink of one of the great ODI heists.Chasing just 204 after Starc took 3 for 33 from 10 overs, including three maidens, Australia slumped from 139 for 3, after Steven Smith and Josh Inglis were in control, to 155 for 7 on the back of Rauf’s raucous burst. That became 185 for 8 when Sean Abbott was run out, after he had nearly run out Cummins. But skipper held firm, as he had at Edgbaston, Mumbai, Kolkata and Christchurch over the past 18 months.Related

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His 32 not out won’t go down as his most memorable, but it was the equal of any of his best innings in Australian colours. It was vindication too for his decision to have laser eye surgery in the winter to fix his vision, and some extensive batting work in Sydney with Australian batting consultant and well renown coach Trent Woodhill.Australia’s chase began poorly with the new opening duo of Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk both falling inside the first four overs.Fraser-McGurk’s 16 was particularly frantic. But Smith was calm and settled into a stereotypical groove. Any fears on his Test form could well be allayed given how well he handled some excellent fast bowling on a quick pitch.Australia could have been 55 for 3 when Inglis was dropped by Irfan Khan at gully. Naseem got one to rear from a length and catch the edge but Irfan could not hang on flying high to his right.That looked like it might have been the last chance. Barring an edge between the keeper and wide slip trying to glide a ball, Inglis was imperious. Coach Jason Gillespie’s four years coaching against Inglis in Australian domestic cricket had not translated to his four-pronged pace attack avoiding dropping short to the West Australian. It cost them three sixes and two fours.Haris Rauf burst through Australia’s middle order•AFP

After an 85-run stand, Smith made an uncharacteristic error. He slashed a cut off Rauf straight to backward point to be out for 44.Pakistan’s insistence on going short to Inglis paid off when he nailed another pull shot off Shaheen only to see Irfan run a long way to hang on to an outstanding catch in the deep.Rauf, a Melbourne Stars favourite, then had the Pakistan fans in raptures as he cranked up the speed and Australia lost 3 for 0. Labuschagne top edged to deep third, undone by extra bounce. Maxwell nicked the next ball to Rizwan and Australia were 139 for 6.Aaron Hardie and Abbott steadied briefly but it was fleeting. Hardie fell trying to back away and cut a ball from Mohammad Hasnain that hit the top of middle.Enter the skipper for another salvage job. It was unconventional as it always is. He was bombed with short balls. But he keep scoring and kept surviving. Abbott was run out when Cummins pushed for a third. But he was there at the end yet again when the winning runs were scored to break the hearts of all those who don’t bleed green and gold.Earlier, Australia set up the win with the ball. Most of Pakistan’s batters, with the exception of Babar Azam who made a classy 37 off 44, were exposed on a fast and bouncy MCG pitch after being sent in having come straight from the low spinning Test pitches of Multan and Rawalpindi last month. Rizwan top scored with 44 off 71 balls while Naseem made an outstanding 40 off 39 with four sixes from No. 9 to ensure Australia was at least chasing more than 200.Starc and Cummins, fresh and in rhythm ahead of a big summer, put on a show in front of a very pro-Pakistan crowd. Starc’s 140kph thunderbolts accounted for Saim Ayub on debut and Abdullah Shafique.The pair were opening the batting in ODI cricket for the first time after averaging just 8 as a pair in 12 Test innings together. Their international average dropped to 7.61 when Ayub chopped on trying to drive on the up.Shafique looked like he was batting in a Test match. He defended, ducked and weaved on his way to 12 from 26 before failing to get his bat out of the way of a rising delivery from Starc wide of off as he tried to sway inside it.Mitchell Starc removed Pakistan’s openers•Getty Images

Babar and Rizwan settled but never accelerated. Babar looked in fine touch but felt the pinch of the slow-moving scoreboard. He tried to create a scoring option off the back foot to Adam Zampa but picked the wrong length and lost his off stump.Cummins welcomed Kamran Ghulam to Australia with a brute of a delivery. The whites of his eyes popped as Cummins’ 142.7kph bouncer reared at his throat. He got his hands up in time but could only glove it to Inglis.Rizwan’s sluggish rearguard began to pick up steam when he hooked Starc into the stands at fine leg. But he fell to Labuschagne trying to sweep a wide legbreak only to get a top edge onto his helmet that popped up to Inglis.Some late hitting from Naseem, Shaheen Afridi, and Irfan Khan, in the mould of the man who had presented his debut cap in Wasim Akram, lifted Pakistan from a dire position at 117 for 6 to 203.Naseem and Shaheen showed the type of intent that Pakistan’s top order could have used, launching five sixes between them after the entire top seven had contributed one, before Shaheen was castled by Starc for 24 off 19.Naseem feasted on spin, launching Zampa into the stands twice and Maxwell once. But Naseem also launched Sean Abbott over deep midwicket. He holed out to mid-off to end the innings. Had he batted until the end, it might have been enough.

Navgire stars with 69 as Velocity’s score of 174 was enough to secure them a berth in the final

Sreshth Shah26-May-2022 to chase 191, all they had to do was not lose by 32 (or more) runs.Related

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At the halfway stage, a chase of 191 seemed daunting and it appeared that the prudent strategy for Velocity would be to approach the game like a 159 chase. However, Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma smacked 36 in four overs and Kiran Navgire, batting in her first innings of the competition, hammered 69 in 34 balls to show that they were playing like it was 191 that they needed. Eventually, they lost steam and fell 16 runs short, but not before threatening to break the highest total record for most of the chase.A chase to rememberThe chase began with Shafali being joined with a new partner for Velocity’s second game. Bhatia was promoted to open, and together they made use of the field restrictions to lift the run rate to nine in the first four overs. But Bhatia fell for 19 to Salma Khatun’s offspin around the stumps after being bowled while trying to slog.Shafali, who had started aggressively with five fours in her first 14 balls, then fell for 29 for Velocity to lose both set openers in quick succession. But while the 18-year-old was around, she entertained with her cuts and inside-out punch shots through the off side.When Laura Wolvaardt walked in at No. 4, she and No. 3 Navgire were both on 0, and the score read 50 for 2. With two new batters in the middle, Trailblazers’ target of restricting Velocity to inside 158 seemed like a reality again. But the very next ball began a deflating process that would eventually last till the final ball.Kiran Navgire smashed a 25-ball half-century•BCCI

That’s because Navgire, facing her first ball of the competition, and facing the experienced Khatun, started off with a slog-swept six over deep midwicket right away. She then punched the Bangladesh spinner through cover and followed it up with another six over the leg side to start with 17 in her first five balls.The onslaught would continue till the 17th over, with a final tally of five fours and five sixes from Navgire’s bat. The Dhoni fan who hit 54 fours and 35 sixes in her debut T20 season for Nagaland in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy showed why she is considered the new big thing in Indian white-ball cricket by dominating through the middle overs. By the time her two sixes ended the 14th over, Velocity needed only 20 more runs to go past 158, and as the time out was called, the Trailblazers shoulders had dropped.Navgire eventually fell for a 34-ball 69 in the 17th over, but not before she set the record for the fastest fifty (25 balls) in the competition’s history. With two tidy overs from Sophia Dunkley and Renuka Singh pushing the required run rate for the match target of 191 to over 10, Navgire looked to find the boundary for the 11th time, but was out stumped by Dunkley.As she walked back to a standing applause from the dugout and her home state crowd in Pune, Velocity needed only five to reach 159 and with 20 balls to spare, the result that decided the finalists was in the touching distance even though the match target of 191 appeared to get out of reach.Velocity eventually secured finals qualification in the 19th over with debutant Simran Bahadur hitting the ‘qualifying’ runs – a paddle four to fine leg – off Hayley Matthews. That ensured the defending champions would be knocked out, even if they did sign off with a 16-run win.Trailblazers push the limitsKnowing that they had to post a total that was big enough to keep that 32-run buffer for the bowlers, Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers started off aggressively even though the captain herself fell for 1.Sabbhineni Meghana – making her debut for the season – muscled 73 runs in 47 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues clubbed 66 in 44 balls to lead the way in setting the competition’s highest score. The duo got together in the third over, and eventually put on 113 runs together in 73 balls for a second-wicket stand that kept the run-rate hovering around 8.50 through the innings.Meghana, in particular, enjoyed scoring over the bowler’s head to full balls in the opening salvo with the new ball and grew into playing the square shots as the innings progressed. Rodrigues was more innovative, walking across the crease to find the boundaries behind square on either side.Meghana reached her fifty in 32 deliveries but did enjoy some luck in her innings. She was dropped by Sneh Rana and Ayabonga Khaka through her stay, and was eventually out in the 15th over to Kate Cross.Rodrigues, who reached her fifty in 36 balls, then accelerated in Matthews’ company to eventually finish with a strike rate of 150. Matthews and Dunkley then added a brisk 32 in the death overs to set an impressive target. It wasn’t enough though, as Trailblazers paid the price for a big defeat in the opening game.

World Cup-winning captain leads strong Australian contingent after signing Trent Rockets deal

Matt Roller05-Apr-2022Meg Lanning, Australia’s multi-World Cup-winning captain, will make her debut in English domestic cricket this summer after signing for Trent Rockets in the second season of the Hundred.Lanning was one of 11 Australians to pull out of the Hundred’s first season in 2021 due to restrictions on international travel and the competition’s proximity to their home series against India. She had previously withdrawn from a planned stint in the Kia Super League due to injury and is one of the few members of the Australia set-up who has never played domestic cricket in England.This year, she will lead a contingent of 10 members of the squad that went unbeaten the 50-over World Cup as well as an 11th Australian in Sophie Molineux, who missed that tournament through injury.Related

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The women’s Hundred starts on August 11, four days after the final of the T20 tournament at the Commonwealth Games which will be held in its entirety at Edgbaston, and as a result the calibre of overseas players involved is significantly higher than in the tournament’s first season. Wages have also doubled, with Lanning among the players due to earn £31,250 from their involvement.Twelve overseas players were confirmed on Tuesday, adding to the dozen that had previously signed up. The signings announced were: Megan Schutt, Beth Mooney, Amelia Kerr (all London Spirit), Rachael Haynes, Annabel Sutherland (both Welsh Fire), Deandra Dottin, Amy Satterthwaite (both Manchester Originals), Lanning, Mignon du Preez, Alana King (all Trent Rockets), Molineux (Birmingham Phoenix) and Tahlia McGrath (Southern Brave).Several English players have also moved teams for the 2022 edition, headlined by Tammy Beaumont’s decision to leave London Spirit and captain Welsh Fire. She will be joined in Cardiff by Fran Wilson, Alex Hartley, Fi Morris and Sarah Bryce, who have all signed contracts after leaving their previous teams.The women’s squads as they stand•The Hundred

Elsewhere, Lauren Winfield-Hill has left Northern Superchargers in order to keep wicket for defending champions Oval Invincibles (Superchargers retained Alyssa Healy who will take the gloves) while Georgia Adams and Jo Gardner have left Invincibles to join Brave. Jenny Gunn, the veteran seamer who did not play in the inaugural season, has joined Superchargers and Bryony Smith will play for Rockets.Each women’s team will sign an overseas ‘wildcard’ player later in the summer, with a maximum of three overseas players permitted in a single playing XI.

New women’s signings

London Spirit: Beth Mooney (Welsh Fire), Amelia Kerr (Southern Brave), Megan Schutt, Sophie Luff (Welsh Fire)
Welsh Fire: Tammy Beaumont (captain, London Spirit), Rachael Haynes (Oval Invincibles), Annabel Sutherland (Trent Rockets), Fran Wilson (Oval Invincibles), Alex Hartley (Manchester Originals), Fi Morris (Southern Brave), Sarah Bryce (Oval Invincibles)
Manchester Originals: Deandra Dottin (London Spirit), Amy Satterthwaite, Ami Campbell (Northern Superchargers), Phoebe Graham (Northern Superchargers), Grace Potts
Northern Superchargers: Jenny Gunn, Lucy Higham (Trent Rockets)
Oval Invincibles: Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Superchargers), Aylish Cranstone (London Spirit), Emily Windsor (Trent Rockets), Eva Gray (Retained), Kira Chathili
Trent Rockets: Meg Lanning (Welsh Fire), Mignon du Preez (Manchester Originals), Bryony Smith (Welsh Fire), Alana King, Marie Kelly (Birmingham Phoenix), Sophie Munro (London Spirit), Alexa Stonehouse, Georgia Davis (Retained)
Birmingham Phoenix: Sophie Molineux (Trent Rockets), Sterre Kalis (Northern Superchargers)
Southern Brave: Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Adams (Oval Invincibles), Jo Gardner (Oval Invincibles), Freya Kemp (Retained), Ella McCaughan (Retained)

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

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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.

West Indies Test captain will head straight to the BBL after the Test series against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2020West Indies Test captain Jason Holder has signed with BBL champions the Sydney Sixers for a three-game stint following the Test series against New Zealand.The travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand allows Holder to enter Australia without having to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine. Following the two-Test series in New Zealand, he will head straight to Hobart to play in the December 20 clash with the Adelaide Strikers. He will also be available for the December 26 fixture against the Melbourne Stars and the December 29 match with the Melbourne Renegades.Holder, 29, comes in as cover for England bowler Tom Curran who needs to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving from England’s limited-overs tour of South Africa. He joins fellow West Indian Carlos Brathwaite and England batsman James Vince as part of the Sixers’ overseas contingent.”I’m really excited to be coming to the BBL and the Sydney Sixers,” Holder said. “I’ve wanted to for a few years now and this year I have the opportunity to come in and make some appearances and hopefully do a bit for the Sixers.”Holder said he was looking forward to reuniting with Sixers skipper Moises Henriques, having played alongside him in the IPL.”BBL cricket is an interest for me and the Sixers have been successful over the past few years. Moises and I played together at Sunrisers and I really enjoyed that. It will be good to do it again.”

Coach Robin Singh also axed; Simon Helmot will be in charge for CPL 2020

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2020St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have revamped their set-up, letting go of Carlos Brathwaite and Robin Singh who were in charge of the team last season. Instead, they’ve handed over the captaincy to the 39-year old Rayad Emrit and recruited Simon Helmot as their head coach for CPL 2020.West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin, who had helped Trinbago Knight Riders to back-to-back title victories in in 2017 and 2018, has now been traded to St Kitts & Nevis. The franchise retained their prominent West Indies internationals Evin Lewis, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen and Alzarri Joseph. Dominic Drakes, the son of Vasbert Drakes, was also retained.St Kitts & Nevis will be Ramdin’s third franchise in the CPL, having been part of Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the past. Emrit has vast T20 experience, having played 136 matches and picking up 149 wickets at an economy rate of 7.70. Helmot, too, brings rich T20 experience, having been part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL), Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL), and Melbourne Renegades’ backroom staff. “I am very excited to be part of the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for a second season,” Emrit said. “I think that the team that is selected this year is going to be a very exciting one. I am very excited to be named as captain. It’s always an honour and a privilege to lead a franchise. Our new coach, Simon Helmot, knows the CPL and he knows how to win titles. He and I are going to work very hard to get the team to the finals.”Apart from letting go of Ramdin, Knight Riders retained the core of their side. Kieron Pollard, the Bravo brothers, spinners Sunil Narine, Khary Pierre and Akeal Hosein will continue to represent Knight Riders. Narine, however, hasn’t played a single competitive game after sustaining a finger injury in CPL 2019.Despite the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, CPL organisers hope that the tournament can still take place as scheduled in September and avoid a potential clash with the IPL. However, plans are being developed to stage it behind closed doors, without overseas players, or in a “social-distancing stadium” in Barbados if required.

Their best chance could be to target Pakistan’s shaky middle order that is heavily reliant on top-order contributions from Babar and Hafeez

The Preview by Danyal Rasool27-Oct-2018

Big Picture

Australia need to salvage some pride on this UAE tour, and they’ve almost run out of chances. Sunday represents their last chance to do that, and with the visitors guaranteed to return home without any silverware, it is only pride they can fight for. They haven’t really been competitive in the Tests as well as T20Is. The 1-0 defeat in the Tests was , if anything, flattering for Australia, while the apparently narrow margin of the defeat in the second T20I concealed how comfortable Pakistan had been for all but two overs in the entire game. There’s little evidence any of that can change in Dubai on Sunday, but with Pakistan perhaps looking to experiment with their line-up and the pressure off Australia now the series is over, it isn’t unthinkable they could come away with the whitewash avoided.It’s been a slightly strange series for Pakistan, in which they haven’t hit the spectacular heights you’d expect of the No.1 side. The batting has never quite come together, and the two-mid-ranging totals they compiled might have proved significantly harder to defend against a better side than the one they’re playing against now. Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez have been responsible for the bulk of the runs; no other batsman in either T20I scored more than 17 runs. Alternately, it might be a horses-for-courses approach, with Pakistan confident the bowlers can defend any total in excess of 140. This would mean Pakistan haven’t felt the need to take greater risks in search of higher totals.It is unlikely Pakistan will ease up on their intensity, though. There’s barely time between the end of this series and the beginning of the next; Pakistan take on New Zealand in the first T20I three days after this game ends. They will look to maintain the momentum and sustain their winning habits that will be necessary against the tougher challenge New Zealand will likely pose, with a whitewash being the perfect way to go into that leg of the home winter.

Form guide

Australia LLWLW
Pakistan WWWWW

In the spotlight

Pakistan’s middle order may be choc-a-bloc with all-round talent, but at the moment, it looks like a gaping hole as far as the batting order is concerned. The players coming in from No. 4 onwards haven’t provided Pakistan with the reliability a top-class side needs from its batsmen, and so far they have had to rely heavily on Babar and Hafeez Should Australia find a way to snare a couple of quick wickets tomorrow, that misfiring middle order will find itself thrust into a role it hasn’t fulfilled this series so far. It may well be the key battleground in Dubai tomorrow, as well as the best route to victory Australia have.Andrew Tye has been a regular for Australia in this format for the past 18 months or so, missing only one of his side’s 19 T20Is. Highly rated in Australia as a wicket-taker with plenty of variations – like any modern T20 fast bowler – he was perhaps the visitors’ best bowler in the first T20I, conceding just 24 runs while taking three wickets.However, his second T20I , where he went for 40 off four overs, was more representative of his overall international career. With an economy rate of 8.69, Tye is in the top ten for worst economy rates in T20I cricket; only thrice in his 21 matches has he gone for under seven runs per over. It means the batsmen have to chase higher totals, and if there’s one thing we know about this Australian side, the batting lacks confidence. If he can put in a performance closer to the one he enjoyed in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, he will increase Australia’s chances of avoiding a whitewash here.

Team news

Pakistan could experiment, having already sealed the series. But everyone in the squad is more than up to the challenge, and competition for places is fierce. Opener Sahibzada Farhan may be given the chance to add to his solitary international cap, while Waqas Maqsood, included in the squad place of Mohammad Amir, could make his debut.Pakistan (possible): 1 Babar Azam, 2 Fakhar Zaman/Sahibzada Farhan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez , 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Asif Ali, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Shaheen Afridi/Waqas MaqsoodIt’s hard to see Australia making a raft of changes. It is improved performances that will get them results; there’s no X-factor sitting on the bench. Mitchell Starc is unlikely to be risked so soon after injury, given the series is gone. Ashton Agar may come back to the side, with Ben McDermott the likeliest to make way.Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 D’Arcy Short, 3 Chris Lynn, 4 Mitchell Marsh/, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 Billy Stanlake

Pitch and conditions

Conditions are much they same as they were on Friday. Australia will be keen to give batting first a try, though, after their unsuccessful chasing efforts.

Stats and trivia

• If Pakistan win tomorrow, it will be the first time they have whitewashed Australia in a limited-overs series longer than two games
• For Australians with five or more wickets, no one has a better T20I economy rate than Adam Zampa’s 6.05.