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Weatherald thinks he is ready for a Test call-up if it comes after posting 183 for Australia A while Peake, 18, impressed with his maturity making 92 against Sri Lanka A

Alex Malcolm24-Jul-2025Veteran Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald thinks he’s ready to go if a Test call-up comes his way for the Ashes later this year while excitement is building around eighteen-year-old Victoria batter Oliver Peake after another impressive showing in his maiden red-ball appearance for Australia A.The pair starred for Australia A alongside skipper Jason Sangha as the home side racked up 558 for 4 declared in a batting dominated draw in the second four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.Their performances will come with the obvious caveat that runs were very easy to make at Marrara Cricket Ground with Sangha posting a career-best unbeaten 202 while Weatherald also made 183 and Peake posted 92 in just his second first-class game as only ten wickets fell across four full days of cricket. Sri Lanka A batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake also scored centuries while four other half-centuries were scored in the game.Related

• Former Australia coach Tim Nielsen takes charge of Australia Under-19s

• Bailey declares Weatherald 'in the mix' for Ashes

• Konstas, Peake, McSweeney named in Australia A squad for India tour

• Weatherald pushes Ashes case with 183 for Australia A

• Jason Sangha pushes Test credentials with unbeaten double

Weatherald believes he is ready to play Test cricket if called upon by the selectors for the Ashes series later this year after continuing his outstanding form across the last 12 months. Having been the leading runscorer in the Shield last year with 905 runs at an average of 50.33 with three massive centuries, he added 54 and 183 in his two innings for Australia A in this series.”If you keep making runs, of course you’re going to get noticed more – and I’ve done that,” Weatherald said on Tuesday in Darwin after his innings of 183. “Obviously there’s some great candidates there as well, and they’ve earned their right to be there.”So to be amongst them is a pretty proud moment.”But I’m batting well, and I think I’m ready to go if it comes to that moment.”Weatherald, 30, has long been one of the most talented ball-strikers in Australian domestic cricket but this is the first time he has averaged more than 41 over a 12-month stretch in his decade-long career. He said his cumulative experience is the reason for his consistent run.”Just age, getting used to what I’m doing, understanding my game, understanding what I need to do to make runs and bat [for] long periods of time,” Weatherald said.”And just being confident I can do it in any conditions, just believing that I’ve got the right method and sticking to it throughout my innings and not being taken away by the wicket or the situation.”Just being able to lock in and do my thing.”Sangha, 25, was impressed by Weatherald’s preparation and mindset after playing with him for the first time in this series.”He just looks so clear when he’s batting,” Sangha said after the match on Wednesday. “He’s obviously been a strong player and a very talented player for a long time.”He’s well renowned as a guy who really pounces on width and picks up length quite early, and it just looks like he’s made his strengths even stronger, and he’s able to rectify maybe some areas in his game that maybe would have cost him a few more dismissals.”He’s been great to share the change room with and talk about what he’s been doing the last 12 months, and how he’s been going about it. And I think for young guys like an Ollie Peake and even myself, who are always striving for that consistency, to see how diligent he is with his routines, how diligent he is with his preparation.”He just seems like he’s in a really clear space and knows his game so well, and it’s been a pleasure to watch him go about his business this week.”Oliver Peake made his mark in the 50-over and four-day games for Australia A•Getty Images

Meanwhile, there is some excitement building around Peake given he was playing just his second first-class match after making 52 on debut for Victoria in March. He also made 55 not out off 38 balls on List A debut for Australia A in the first 50-over match of Sri Lanka A’s tour in Darwin.Sangha, who himself has experienced the challenge of transitioning from being an Under-19 prodigy to becoming a consistent first-class player, marveled at how well Peake handled himself.”He played really well,” Sangha said after the match. “He’s got so much maturity for a young player, and even just talking to him out in the middle about his plans and how he was approaching his innings, he’s such an exciting talent, and he’s got a really good head on his shoulders.”I think even just off the field, just the way he sort of carries himself, credit to him.”I look back when I was 18, and I was probably nowhere near as emotionally intelligent or mature as he is.”It’s a really, really cool thing to see, and he’s obviously got some really good support around him, and such a down to earth, humble kid.”Peake’s selection for Australia A alongside a group of batters who had earned their call-up through outstanding Shield performances last summer is proof of how highly he is rated by Australia’s selectors. Peake was also taken on the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka as a development player to train with the Test squad.He looms as a likely tourist on Australia A’s tour of India later this year as Australia looks to give some younger players experience in spinning conditions with an eye towards the 2027 Test tour.

Em Arlott and Emma Lamb awarded skills contracts for the first time

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2025Linsey Smith has earned her maiden full central contract with England Women, seven years after making her international debut, while Em Arlott and Emma Lamb have been awarded skills contracts for the first time.On the list of 17 full contracts for 2025-26 announced by the ECB, a total of 10 players received one-year deals with a further seven entering the second year of their current two-year terms.Joining Smith on one-year deals are Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn and Freya Kemp.Entering their second year of existing contracts are Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge.Related

• Linsey Smith: 'I wanted to change the story of England's 50-over cricket'

• Kate Cross questions future after losing England contract

• Headless chickens come home to roost in England's terminal batting failure

There were no surprises on the list with Kate Cross, England’s long-serving seam bowler, left out, having revealed in September that she was told her contract would not be renewed after an international career spanning nearly 12 years.In commenting on Cross’s omission on Wednesday, Clare Connor, managing director of England Women, said “the door to selection is never closed on any domestic cricketer” although Cross is yet to make any announcement on her overall playing future.Smith played nine T20Is up to the middle of 2019 before spending nearly five years on the outer before her recall for England’s tour of New Zealand in March 2024. She took a five-wicket haul on ODI debut against West Indies in May.Arlott made her international debut at the age of 27 during that home series against West Indies.Lamb, meanwhile, made her first appearance for England in a sole T20I against New Zealand in 2021 before establishing herself more firmly the following year. She represented her country just twice in 2023 and underwent back surgery last year before returning to favour under new head coach Charlotte Edwards.She and Arlott join Ryana Macdonald-Gay and Issy Wong on skills contracts, a rebrand of the development contracts traditionally given to players that the management feel can play a pivotal role for England in the future. Macdonald-Gay and Wong were both on development contracts for 2024-25.Connor said the contracts reflected “our confidence in this group of players” as Engalnd turns its focus to emulating India’s recent 50-over World Cup victory on home soil at next year’s Women’s T20 World Cup, with the final to be staged at Lord’s on July 5.”Linsey Smith, Emma Lamb and Em Arlott have all made important contributions for England across the last year and these contracts are both a reward for what they have achieved and an opportunity to develop their skills further,” Connor said.”Kate Cross misses out on a central contract after years of extraordinary service to England Women’s cricket. The door to selection is never closed on any domestic cricketer. Consistency in scoring runs and taking wickets in county cricket will always put players in a strong position to be picked in England squads.”We’re all excited about what 2025-26 brings. Witnessing India win the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in their own country in front of their own fans is a powerful reminder of the impact that winning major events on home soil can have.”

Rohit heard telling chief selector Agarkar that his team-mates had expressed concerns over some of the guidelines, including the travel restrictions on families

S Sudarshanan18-Jan-20252:42

Rohit: Hardly any time for India regulars to play domestic cricket

India captain Rohit Sharma has said that it is important for players to have enough rest and stay fresh for international engagements, even as he agreed that the BCCI was right in making it mandatory for members of the national team to play domestic cricket. The guideline on domestic cricket participation was one of ten to emerge from the BCCI this week, after a review meeting – that Rohit was part of – to go over India’s recent poor run in Test cricket. Rohit was also heard to say during a press interaction in Mumbai that his team-mates had expressed some concerns over some of the guidelines, including the restrictions on families travelling with the players.Rohit was speaking at a press conference where India’s Champions Trophy squad was announced. But his comments about his team-mates’ concerns, as well as wanting to discuss them with the BCCI secretary Devjit Saikia, were directed to Ajit Agarkar, the chair of the men’s selection committee, ahead of the formal start of the press conference. Later, when asked by reporters about the need to issue such guidelines, Agarkar said they were not a “diktat” or “punishment”.Rohit, who is the first current player to talk about the guidelines, told the press conference that while he understood the BCCI’s call, there had not been much opportunity for India players to play domestic cricket of late, and none of them were taking their spots in the team for granted. “[In the] last six-seven years, if you go back and see our calendar, there hasn’t been a time where we were sitting at home for 45 days and there is cricket going on,” Rohit said. “You do get that time when you finish the IPL and if there’s nothing happening right after that. But if you see our domestic season, it starts in October – maybe September – and it gets over by February-March. And that is the time India plays a lot of [international] cricket as well. So, guys who are not playing certain formats and have time, and then there is domestic cricket happening, then they will play.Related

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• Bumrah, Jaiswal and Kuldeep picked in India's Champions Trophy squad

“But the last six-seven years – I can at least tell about what has happened with me since I’ve started playing Test cricket regularly, which is from 2019 – you hardly have any time. When you play so much international cricket through the year, you need some time off as well as a cricketer just to refresh, get your mind right, just to be ready for the upcoming season. But we have addressed it now and nobody takes it for granted or anything like that.”Rohit, who last played a domestic first-class game in September 2016, will be playing Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy match, against Jammu & Kashmir, next week. Among India’s Test regulars, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant are also set to play in the next round of games.Agarkar conceded that it is difficult for players who play all formats to take part in domestic cricket but insisted that such guidelines are place to strengthen the Indian domestic system. “We’ll probably talk about it endlessly if we keep going on but I think everyone should [play domestic cricket] when available,” he said. “Sometimes, to be fair to a lot of the players, it’s difficult if you’re playing all three formats, you don’t get as much time… You’ll probably find most of the guys playing this round of Ranji Trophy. There’s been a little bit of [down] time.”And those who are available and fit, obviously, you expect people to play. I don’t think it is a diktat. It’s one of the things that BCCI has obviously put forward. As selectors, we expect people, when they’re available, to play because that can only strengthen our domestic structure. Not just for their form or their fitness and playing cricket, but it can only strengthen our domestic structure.”In its guidelines, the BCCI reiterated that not being available for domestic cricket could cost players their place in international cricket as well as impact their central contracts. The sanctions, it laid out, could also include barring them from participating in the IPL.Agarkar said while this was not “school”, certain rules still needed to be followed. “When the time permits, we expect everyone to play,” he said. “Various things you see over the last few months where you can improve as a team, where you can get a bit closer as a team. It’s not a school. It’s not a punishment.”You have some rules in place and when you’re playing for the national team you just follow those rules. Again, these are mature individuals. They are superstars in their own right in international sport. But at the end of the day, you’re eventually representing your country. There are certain things that you just inherently follow as every team does.”A lot of them have been in place. Maybe we’ve spoken about it now and it’s been put out, but a lot of them have been in place in any case. You keep on refining it as you go along. Eventually what suits the team, you want to try and do.”Although Rohit spoke about the mandatory participation in domestic cricket guideline, when asked about his take on the “new policy” for players, he replied: “Who told you about this? Has it come officially?”

Samson’s exclusion comes after KCA decided to include players from the camp

Shashank Kishore18-Dec-2024Sanju Samson has been left out of Kerala’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning December 21. The move comes on the back of an internal decision to include only those players who participated in a preparatory camp in the lead-up to the tournament.Samson had led Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25, where they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the knockouts, winning four out of their six matches. Samson, who had originally been named in the 30-member probable list, now finds himself out of the 19-member long list.ESPNcricinfo understands Samson had written to the association stating his unavailability for the camp, but the KCA has decided to stick to its original decision. With senior batter Sachin Baby also unavailable due to injury he picked up during SMAT, batter Salman Nizar has been named captain for the 50-over competition.Related

• Vijay Hazare Trophy: Agarawal, Tilak, Nair go big as tournament crosses halfway mark

• Shami named in Bengal's Vijay Hazare Trophy squad

• Prithvi Shaw dropped from Mumbai squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy

Samson, fresh off two T20I centuries on the tour of South Africa, played in five of Kerala’s six games at SMAT, scoring 135 runs including one half-century.Kerala squad: Salman Nizar (capt), Rohan Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), Anand Krishnan, Krishna Prasad, Jalaj Saxena, Aditya Sarwate, Sijomon Joseph, Basil Thampi, Basil NP, Nidheesh MD, Eden Apple Tom, Sharafuddeen, Akhil Scaria, Vishweshwar Suresh, Vaishak Chandran, Ajnas M (wk)

Karnataka ‘move on’ from Manish Pandey

Meanwhile, there’s churn elsewhere with Karnataka seemingly having “moved on” – as per KSCA selection committee chair J Abhiram – from a number of senior players in a bid to reset. Among those not considered is senior batter Manish Pandey.The KSCA believes Pandey’s exit at this point is purely on form and the possibility of a comeback seems “tough.” Pandey managed just 117 runs in five innings as Karnataka failed to make the SMAT knockouts; they finished fourth in the eight-team pool, losing out to Baroda and Saurashtra.The last of Karnataka’s white-ball trophies – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018-19 and 2019-20 – came under Manish Pandey’s captaincy•MPCA

The association has also gone to the extent of saying Pandey, who was vice-captain to Mayank Agarwal for the first half of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, won’t be considered for the back end of the competition that will resume in January. Pandey managed a solitary half-century in six innings, with Karnataka needing a miracle to qualify for the knockouts.”We as an association have realised that we need to move on from the players of old and bring in new blood,” Abhiram said. “We cannot live in past glory.”If Pandey has indeed played his last game, it marks the end of a glorious career in which he was part of two Ranji Trophy-winning squads [2013-14 and 2014-15], apart from winning a number of white-ball championships. Interestingly, Karnataka won their most-recent silverware under his leadership – the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy back-to-back in 2018-19 and 2019-20.Pandey has 7973 runs in 118 first-class matches at an average of 50.78, with 25 centuries. Overall, he also has over 13,000 runs across the white-ball formats. He played the most-recent of his 68 white-ball games for India in 2021. Last month, he was re-signed by reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2025 season.Pandey’s ouster from Karnataka comes hot on the heels of a number of high-profile exits. K Gowtham, the allrounder, hasn’t been considered across formats since the end of the 2022-23 season despite compelling performances in club cricket as well as the state-run Maharaja T20 Trophy.R Samarth, the opener, has moved to Uttarakhand to play across formats, something he wasn’t able to at Karnataka with the selectors considering him as a red-ball specialist. Shreyas Gopal, the legspinner, left for Kerala for a season but has since returned to the Karnataka fold.It appears now that senior players, including captain Agarwal, will be under close scrutiny from the selection committee should they continue to flounder. “When we won the double-treble, it was a young Karnataka team,” Abhiram said. “We’re banking on youth once again to get us there.”Karnataka squad: Mayank Agarwal (capt), Shreyas Gopal (vice-capt), S Nikin Jose, KV Aneesh, R Smaran, KL Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Raj, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vasuki Koushik, Vidyadhar Patil, Kishan Bedare, Abhilash Shetty, Manoj Bhandage, Pravin Dubey, Luvnith Sisodia

Renuka, Wareham and Bisht bowled out Capitals for 141 before Mandhana and Wyatt-Hodge made short work of the target

Vishal Dikshit17-Feb-20255:16

Experts laud Mandhana, Renuka in RCB’s dominant win

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made short work of a full-strength Delhi Capitals by keeping their batting line-up to 141 and then chasing the total down with ease to continue the trend of the chasing side winning, for the fourth game in a row. Even though RCB were without the trio of Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana, which brought them glory in last year’s final against DC, the trio of Renuka Singh, Ekta Bisht and Georgia Wareham combined to bundle out DC to a below-par total.In reply, RCB openers Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on their second century stand, having earlier done so for Southern Brave in the Hundred in 2021. Mandhana scored her fastest WPL half-century, off 27 balls, and Wyatt-Hodge peppered the off side with six fours out of her seven during her 42 off 33. By the time she fell in the 11th over, RCB needed only 35 off 55 and they cruised over the line in the 17th over.

Rodrigues leads DC in the powerplay, Lanning scratchy again

Renuka landed DC the first big blow when Shafali Verma struck her first ball for the simplest of catches to mid-off for a golden duck. With Meg Lanning looking scratchy at the other end, just like she did against Shabnim Ismail two days ago, it was Jemimah Rodrigues who led DC in the powerplay. Rodrigues herself didn’t start too well – she survived a review on zero and took six balls to get off the mark – but she launched into the RCB attack at first sight of spin, gloriously lofting Ekta Bisht over the covers for a six. DC were also helped by plenty of byes and extras in the powerplay which Rodrigues combined with another six and two fours off VJ Joshitha in the sixth over to give DC their second 50-plus powerplay in as many games.Jemimah Rodrigues struck a quick 22-ball 34•BCCI

DC crumble again after the powerplay

RCB, however, made inroads through the introduction of Georgia Wareham in the seventh over. Once Rodrigues missed a reverse sweep to be stumped in a flash by Richa Ghosh for 34 off 22, DC lost Lanning as well in the next over when the captain miscued Kim Garth to Ellyse Perry at deep-backward square leg. Annabel Sutherland soon launched Bisht for a big six on the leg side to show that DC weren’t going to be bogged down by the double blow but her attacking approach handed a catch straight to cover in Renuka’s second spell. New batter Jess Jonassen miscued Bisht to midwicket five balls later and DC had suddenly slipped from 60 for 1 to 87 for 5.It could have been 95 for 6 had Kanika Ahuja not put down Marizanne Kapp at short fine leg and even 103 for 6 if the mix-up between Kapp and Sarah Bryce had not been followed by a fumble, also by Ahuja, but it did become 105 for 6 when Kapp holed out to long-off off a 69.2kph delivery from Bisht. Bryce chipped in with another useful cameo with a 23 off 19 that saw RCB past 125 but they needed a lot more to make a match out of this. Wareham handed them a double blow in the 18th over and Garth wrapped things up in the last over to finish with 2 for 19, while Renuka bagged 3 for 23 and Wareham 3 for 25.Renuka Singh picked up 3 for 23•BCCI

Mandhana, Wyatt-Hodge cruise through

Even with Kapp and Jonassen back in the XI after recovering from sickness, DC hardly posed any challenges for the RCB top order. Mandhana cashed in on the wayward lines from Kapp in the first over and turned the tide of her record against offspinners (she’s been out to them 10 times in the WPL) when she swept Minnu Mani for two fours in the third over. Wyatt-Hodge pierced the gaps square on the off side, especially against Shikha Pandey, for four fours in the powerplay.At 57 for 0 in the powerplay, RCB’s asking rate was just over six an over. Even bowling changes didn’t work for DC. Both Jonassen and Annabel Sutherland were carted for fours by both batters in their first overs, and when the reliable Rodrigues dropped Wyatt-Hodge on 34 after Mandhana had collected back-to-back boundaries, the game was all but over.Mandhana dispatched Kapp for six over midwicket and continued to attack Jonassen with lofted strokes on the off side to take her for 27 runs off 14 on the night. Even though both openers fell towards the end, Ellyse Perry and Ghosh ensured there were no jitters to seal the eight-wicket win and top the table.

Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Jawadullah are the others to have come into the side for the T20Is against Afghanistan and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2025Muhammad Waseem will lead UAE at the upcoming triangular T20I series against Afghanistan and Pakistan at home in Sharjah from August 29 to September 7, which will be followed by the men’s T20 Asia Cup from September 9, also in the UAE.The squad of 15 – up from the 14 that played in UAE’s last engagement, the Pearl of Africa Cup in Entebbe, Uganda, where they lost the final to the hosts – has four new faces: Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Jawadullah. Out from the Pearl of Africa squad are Akif Raja, Matiullah Khan and Zuhaib Zubair.Kaushik is a 28-year-old left-hand middle-order batter who bowls part-time left-arm spin, and hasn’t made his international debut yet, while the other three have all played for UAE in the past.

UAE tri-series fixtures

Aug 29 – Afg vs Pak
Aug 30 – UAE vs Pak
Sep 1 – UAE vs Afg
Sep 2 – Afg vs Pak
Sep 4 – UAE vs Pak
Sep 5 – UAE vs Afg
Sep 7 – Final

Siddique, the 32-year-old medium pacer, has played 59 ODIs and 71 T20Is, picking up 76 and 96 wickets in the two formats respectively, and has also turned out in the ILT20 and Global T20 Canada among other leagues. Left-arm quick Jawadullah, 26, has played 12 ODIs (11 wickets) and 33 T20Is (54 wickets) and Farooq, the 32-year-old legspin-bowling allrounder, has picked up nine wickets in eight T20Is to go with two wicketless outings in ODIs.The rest of the squad wears a familiar look, with the experience of Waseem, Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma and Rahul Chopra complemented by the likes of Muhammad Zohaib, UAE’s best batter at the Pearl of Africa Cup, and Saghir Khan.UAE, coached by former India opening batter Lalchand Rajput, will play their first match of the tri-series against Pakistan on August 30, followed by games against Afghanistan (September 1), Pakistan (September 4) and Afghanistan (September 5). The final is slotted for September 7, just two days before the opening game of the Asia Cup, where UAE are grouped with India, Oman and Pakistan. The squad for that tournament will be announced soon.

UAE squad for T20I tri-series

Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Saghir Khan.

It was Knight Riders’ second win in three games this season, and lifted them to third place on the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025It was one of those moments. Tim David, one of the best when it comes to smashing a lot of runs in not many balls, seemed to miss with a big swing against an over-pitched Mohammad Amir delivery. The Trinbago Knight Riders boys heard an edge. Nicholas Pooran reviewed. Replays showed a gap between bat and ball, but Snicko showed a spike.David had to go. That left St Lucia Kings at 113 for 4 in 14-and-a-half overs, their finisher gone in a chase of 184. Despite the best efforts from the remaining batters, they fell 18 short in their CPL 2025 game in Gros Islet.It would, however, be unfair to say Knight Riders weren’t deserving winners. Having won one and lost one that they might have won in their season so far, they came into this game determined to notch up another two points, none of them more than Kieron Pollard, who had fluffed his lines so badly in the previous game.Kieron Pollard smashed 65 off just 29 balls•CPL T20 via Getty Images

After they were sent in, Knight Riders got an excellent start courtesy their form batter, Colin Munro, despite Alex Hales’s struggles. Hales was the first to go after scoring 10 in eight balls, but Munro made sure the opening wicket was worth 47 runs in 4.1 overs, and Knight Riders ended the powerplay with 58 on the board.Munro scored 43 in 30 balls, and Pooran chipped in with 34 in 30 balls, but it was really down to Pollard’s statement innings – 65 in 29 balls – that pushed Knight Riders to what eventually proved to be a winning total.Pollard walked out at 78 for 3 in the 11th over, hammered six sixes and four fours, with David Wiese, the opposition captain, picked for special treatment – 24 runs, including three sixes in a row in the 17th over the highlight. Though Pollard fell in the 19th, in a one-run over from Oshane Thomas against the run of play, he had done enough to give Knight Riders the advantage.Johnson Charles and Tim Seifert put together 74 for the first wicket•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Kings weren’t to be outdone just yet. Tim Seifert, with 35 in 24 balls, and Johnson Charles, with 47 in 37 balls, gave the chase a rollicking start. They scored 60 in the powerplay and motored along to 74 before Seifert fell in the ninth over.They needed someone to keep the momentum going, but Roston Chase wasn’t the man for the job on the day. David might have been but couldn’t be. In the end, the onus was on the lower-middle order to do the heavy lifting.Delano Potgieter and Ackeem Auguste did play handy cameos, but Kings needed someone to bat on and finish the game. They did not come close to the finish line by the time Russell had delivered the final over.The win lifted Knight Riders to third place, with four points from three games, the same as second-placed Guyana Amazon Warriors and fourth-placed St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, while Kings were at fifth.

There was late drama at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, as Naeem Islam defied all odds to steer Bangladesh to a narrow one-wicket win

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Naeem Islam’s heroics overshadowed what had been a virtuoso batting effort in the morning from Brendan Taylor•Associated Press

The dead rubber provided what this series has sorely lacked – a close finish. Naeem Islam was the hero for Bangladesh, conjuring a one-wicket victory with an unbeaten 73 in which he exploited the Powerplays perfectly. Naeem’s heroics overshadowed what had been a virtuoso batting effort in the morning from Brendan Taylor, whose unbeaten 118, with very little support form the rest, was the difference between a familiar Zimbabwean batting failure and a defendable total.Naeem had last man and uber-rabbit Nazmul Hossain for company, with Bangladesh still needing 35 for victory. The many singles that he turned down to remain on strike had the crowd getting restive, but Naeem had them chanting his name in joy with three consecutive sixes off Chamu Chibhabha in the 48th over to give the final twist to a topsy-turvy match. Those three deliveries turned Chibhabha from hero to zero, after he had put Zimbabwe in charge with a double-wicket maiden in the 43rd over.Bangladesh had lost wickets at key junctures of their chase. The openers failed (Tamim Iqbal retired hurt early with a hand injury, and only returned at No. 10) and Mohammad
Ashraful was run out by a brilliant bit of fielding from Stuart Matsikenyeri, who latched onto the ball quickly at short midwicket and threw down the stumps. Raqibul Hasan was extremely scratchy, and lucky to survive after plenty of swings and misses against Chris Mpofu, who was getting the ball to swing away from the right-hander. Matsikenyeri also did his bit with the ball, taking two key wickets – of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.The coach Jamie Siddons had talked about how the past few victorious months have taught Bangladesh how to win, and they showed that by refusing to give up in the face of several setbacks. One example of that was when their most dependable batsman, Shakib, was dismissed leaving Bangladesh stuttering at 105 for 5. The home team fought back though with a mature partnership between Naeem and Mahmudullah, the pair adding 69 patient runs with both batsmen abandoning the flashy shots that has cost Bangladesh dear on so many occasions.There would have been no need for the nail-biting and tensions had Taylor been dismissed cheaply in the morning. His maiden international century had bailed Zimbabwe’s fragile batting from yet another embarrassing display, but it all amounted to nothing. Bangladesh’s spinners proved too crafty for most of the visitors’ batsmen again, and Zimbabwe were reduced to 113 for 7 in the 29th over. However, Zimbabwe’s lower order showed more spine than most of their specialist batsmen, and supported Taylor well to lift the total beyond 200.Bangladesh again stuck to their policy of filling the side with spinners, and it again paid off as the slow bowlers took all nine wickets to fall. Abdur Razzak has regularly picked up wickets with the new ball, and today was no different as he left Zimbabwe at 18 for 2 in the eighth over.Elton Chigumbura dominated a stabilising 62-run stand with Taylor, smashing six fours in a run-a-ball 38 before being foxed by a quicker one from offspinner Mahmudullah. Things got worse for Zimbabwe two deliveries later when another quicker one fooled Malcolm Waller.
Taylor could only watch in frustration as three more wickets went down quickly. Later, Shakib bagged two wickets in three balls, of Forster Mutizwa and Chamu Chibhabha, in the 29th over.Taylor had quietly moved along to 65, with only 22 runs in boundaries, but steadily pushed Zimbabwe to 181 for 8 by the end of 45 overs with the help of Ray Price. He launched an assault in the final over, ransacking 19 runs to dent Mahmudullah’s figures.

Debutant sets tone with brisk knock as hosts set in touch with the pack in North Group

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jun-2025Worcestershire 156 for 4 (Brookes 51) beat Durham 155 for 6 (Rhodes 58*) by six wicketsWorcestershire Rapids had youngsters Isaac Mohammed and Ethan Brookes to thank as their brilliant cameos saw them to a comprehensive six-wicket win over Durham.Durham set a target of 156, with only Will Rhodes, 58 not out, able to cash in against a well-drilled Rapids attack.The reply sizzled from the outset, with 17-year-old Mohammed blasting 32 from just 15 balls, as his cameo put the Rapids in a good position after the powerplay.Coming in at 89 for 3, Brookes stole the show with a blistering 51, in an innings that included eight boundaries, to see his side to victory with two overs to spare.After being asked to bat first in idyllic conditions, the Durham innings stuttered during the powerplay as both Graham Clark and Ollie Robinson departed without, as their side were restricted to 37 for 2.Skipper Alex Lees looked good for his 28 but failed to kick on when he clipped a Brookes delivery straight to the hands of Ben Dwarshuis in the deep, as the visitors reached the halfway point of their innings 65 for 3.Jacob Duffy opened proceedings with a searing yorker, before the impressive Dwarshuis (1 for 28) had Ollie Robinson caught for one.Colin Ackermann struck a couple of lusty blows in his 21-run cameo but failed to capitalise on his start when he fell in underwhelming fashion, chipping the ball straight to debutant Mohammed at backward point.The Rapids’ impressive bowling performance continued to stifle the Durham run rate, as Matthew Waite (2 for 20) picked up the key wicket of Jimmy Neesham, for just five, as Rhodes continued his salvo at the other end.The cohesive display in the field and with the ball saw the Rapids on top heading into the final stages of the innings, before a 41-run partnership between Rhodes and Ben Raine was ended when Waite removed Raine in the 19th over.Dwarshuis, returned to finish the innings, as Rhodes brought up his counter-attacking half-century, as he carried his bat for a well-made 58 off 33 balls, as Durham were restricted to 155 for 6.It was debutant Isaac Mohammed, who took centre stage in the early stages of the reply, as his exhilarating knock got the Rapids off to a flying start.His 32 off just 15 balls included six boundaries, but the entertainment was brought to a close when the veteran Neesham, beat his defences with an accurate yorker.Kashif Ali joined Jake Libby, as the pair continued the fast start, with Ali helping himself to four successive boundaries in the final over of the powerplay, as the home side reached 63 for 1.The pair added 48 for the second-wicket, before the visitors struck twice in two overs, when Raine trapped Ali lbw for 25, and Callum Parkinson had Libby caught for 21, with the Rapids needing 67 to win off the remaining seven overs.Brookes then put his foot on the accelerator, taking the returning Potts for 21 off his second over, blasting three sixes in the process as he took his side to within touching distance of a memorable victory.Brookes couldn’t quite see his side home, as he fell for a brilliant 51 from just 24 balls, but with just two required for victory, a comfortable six-wicket win was wrapped up in the 18th over.

Haryana fast bowler bagged 10 for 49 against Kerala, and became the sixth Indian to achieve the feat in first-class cricket

Shashank Kishore15-Nov-2024Haryana fast bowler Anshul Kamboj became only the third cricketer to take all ten wickets in an innings in the Ranji Trophy. He achieved this feat when he dismissed Kerala’s Shoun Roger at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli, to finish with figures of 30.1-9-49-10 in the first innings.Two other bowlers had taken all ten wickets in an innings in the Ranji Trophy previously: Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee in 1956-57 and Rajasthan’s Pradeep Sunderam in 1985-86. Overall, Kamboj is the sixth Indian to achieve this feat in first-class cricket after legspinners Subhash Gupte and Anil Kumble, and Odisha seamer Debasis Mohanty. While there have been 90 instances of bowlers taking all ten wickets in an innings in first-class cricket, Kumble along with England’s Jim Laker and New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel are the only ones to do it in a Test match.