All posts by n8rngtd.top

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.

Trott hopes to have the full complement of players to choose from when Afghanistan play Test cricket, which isn’t always the case

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Feb-2024If Afghanistan got to play more Test cricket, you’d see them rise as quickly in that format as they have in the others. This was the line of thinking their coach Jonathan Trott presented after their first Test against Sri Lanka, which Afghanistan lost by ten wickets but dominated portions of.In any case, Afghanistan have won three of their first eight Tests, which, going by how other sides have performed in their first few years of Test cricket, is an outstanding start to their journey. In the Test at the SSC, Afghanistan had dominated day three almost entirely, with Ibrahim Zadran hitting a maiden Test century while forging big partnerships with Noor Ali Zadran and Rahmat Shah.They fell away rapidly on day four, but had had nine wickets in hand overnight, and were only 43 runs from establishing a lead.Related

• Jayasuriya, Asitha and batters lead Sri Lanka to comfortable win

“This is our eighth Test as a nation, and this year Sri Lanka play ten Tests,” Trott said after the match. “At the moment, you see in the T20 and ODI formats, the more we get to play the better, and the bigger pool of talent we can select from. But for us to come here and go neck and neck with Sri Lanka, and yesterday dominate the day, shows promising signs for the future.”But, as Trott pointed out, Afghanistan didn’t have their full complement of players to choose from for Tests, with the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz currently playing the ILT20 in the UAE. They were also without Rashid Khan, their star spinner, as he recovers from a back surgery.”There are a lot of other players we can call upon to play Test cricket, but they’re all still playing the leagues,” Trott said. “I think Sri Lanka faces the same issues. So do all cricketing the nations. It’s about when those Tests are played and the availability of players, and if the players feel like the balance between leagues and playing for the national side is.”It’s a double-edged sword, but I would like to have a full batch of players to be able to select from. Hopefully for Ireland [whom Afghanistan play in a one-off Test beginning February 28], we can get that right.”Cricketers have a short window in their careers, and they’re trying to set themselves up and trying to find the right balance in terms of nation and league. The more money there is in Test cricket the more attractive it’s going to be for younger players. That’s my one fear, that younger players aren’t going to see it as a route to playing. Test cricket is so unique. It’s such a shame if that isn’t protected and nurtured as much as possible.”On the Test itself, Trott poured substantial praise on Ibrahim, whose 114 was the centrepiece of an Afghanistan second innings that prevented them from being completely blown away in this match. This was the fourth Test hundred from an Afghanistan batter, and the first from one of their younger batters – Ibrahim is 22.”Yesterday, he spent the whole day in the field,” Trott said of Ibrahim. “He fielded in the morning on the third day of a Test with humidity and the temperature close to 40 degrees. But then also the mental strength it takes as well – getting nought in the first innings, and then being able to field for 100-plus overs, and then being able to spend the amount of time he did at the crease is credit to him as a youngster.”It’s a good example for the rest of the players of Afghanistan – the standards of Test cricket, and the fitness you need to call upon. The way that he trains is second to none, and he’s a great ambassador for the game, and the country.”

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.

England white-ball captain has not featured since T20 World Cup due to calf injury

Matt Roller25-Aug-2024Jos Buttler is targeting Lancashire’s T20 Blast quarter-final at Sussex for his comeback from the calf injury which ruled him out of the Hundred.Buttler, who has not played since the T20 World Cup, has been backed to continue as England’s white-ball captain by managing director Rob Key after Matthew Mott lost his job as head coach. He will work alongside interim coach Marcus Trescothick – his former Somerset team-mate – during September’s T20I and ODI series against Australia.After sustaining a calf injury while preparing for the Hundred, Buttler has returned to training and has been working with England physio Craig de Weymarn in Bristol. “Another good session in the bank,” he wrote on Instagram this week, adding in another post: “Picking up injuries as a professional sportsman is always frustrating and I was gutted to miss the Hundred this year.”

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.

Ramesh Mendis’ five-for could not prevent Pakistan from racking up 461 after struggling at 101 for 5

Madushka Balasuriya18-Jul-2023
Pakistan’s first five wickets cost 101, and their next five amassed 360. Of that Saud Shakeel accumulated 208. He would end the innings unbeaten, having frustrated, pummelled and ground down Sri Lanka, and in the process put Pakistan in total control at the end of the third day’s play in Galle. The visitors would eventually be bowled out for 461, having batted on for 121.2 overs – no mean feat in Galle – with Ramesh Mendis picking up the fifth five-wicket haul of his career.Sri Lanka’s batters saw out 20 minutes of play at the end, without loss; though the real business will start tomorrow, when an already fractured wicket will likely break down even further. But as for today, it belonged to Shakeel through and through. In fact, such was his dominance that after a point Sri Lanka simply stopped trying to get him out, with much of the afternoon and post-tea sessions resembling a glorified net session as Sri Lanka allowed him to freely turn over the strike to the tailender at the other end, who offered valiant support.Shakeel’s innings could be broken down into two parts: before and after Agha Salman. Sri Lanka felt the pinch while Agha was at the crease, as the pair rattled along at nearly five runs an over; with their partnership of 177 scooting at 4.96 per over.Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman put together 177 runs for the sixth wicket•AFP/Getty Images

During this period, Shakeel was completely in his element, working singles with ease, never searching for the boundary but graciously accepting any when the opportunities came around. In Agha, he had a like-minded partner at the other end, one who was equally adept at rotating strike and finding the ropes.Together they tormented Sri Lanka’s bowlers, especially their primary weapon, Prabath Jayasuriya, who racked up 145 runs in his 35 overs – well above his Test career economy rate of 2.93. While Agha utilised the sweep to great effect, Shakeel used his feet, either coming down the track or using the depths of the crease. Neither batter allowed Jayasuriya to settle into the lines and lengths that have devastated other visiting batters. The left-right combo aided them further in wearing down the Lankan bowlers.But when Agha fell, going for an ill-fated charge against Mendis only to find himself well out his crease and stumped, Shakeel began to show the other side of his game, one characterised by resilience and solidity that Sri Lanka just could not find a way past. He strung together partnerships of 52, 16, 94, and 21 for the final four wickets.But that’s not to say there weren’t chances – two came by, in fact. The first was when Shakeel was on 93, as he sought to work a length ball from Ramesh, around the corner. But the fielder at backward short leg, who didn’t have to move, spilt a low grab. The ball not sticking in the hand indicated that it was Shakeel’s day after all.Naseem Shah and Saud Shakeel hung in for a 94-run stand•AFP/Getty Images

The second was Angelo Mathews grassing a dolly at deep midwicket. If the first was a genuine mistake coaxed out of the batter, this was Shakeel at his most carefree, looking to up the scoring rate with a big slog sweep. He was on 139, with Naseem Shah for company, their partnership worth just 13 at the time. Shakeel would spend a couple of hours, shielding Naseem from the strike and inching Pakistan’s lead forward. Of the pair’s 94-run stand, Naseem scored just six runs.During that period, it seemed Shakeel and Pakistan would bat for as long as they wished, as the Lankan bowlers wilted in the face of the batters’ endurance. Naseem had an lbw call overturned and was beaten once or twice on the outside edge, but aside from that he was sturdy in defence. Shakeel would bat out the first four deliveries of an over, time and again before turning over the strike on the fifth delivery – no field placement was good enough to contain him.It was only once Naseem fell, castled by one that was tossed up and dipping from Mendis, that Sri Lanka felt the end was nigh. There were a few lusty blows from the last man Abrar Ahmed – and Shakeel, too, joined in to reach his double ton with a carve through point. Abrar would eventually hole out to Mathews, who completed a good catch running the boundary at long leg.But by then the pitch had started spitting and Sri Lanka were 149 in the red – at Galle that can be a death sentence. Sri Lanka’s batters will know they have an uphill task ahead of them tomorrow if they’re to save this Test, let alone win it.

Board to continue process of opening up tournament to private investment

Matt Roller10-May-2024The privatisation of the Hundred has moved a step closer after the ECB achieved broad agreement with the 18 first-class counties and MCC over its proposed “direction of travel”.The English game has met regularly across the past nine months to discuss the future of the tournament. ECB chief executive Richard Gould said last month that there was “strong consensus” that the eight teams – which are currently owned by the board – should be opened up to private investment.This would be achieved by creating eight new companies and gifting 51% of the shares in them to the relevant host county: Surrey, for example, would be majority shareholders in Oval Invincibles. The remaining 49% of shares would be sold centrally by the ECB to interested parties.The board asked the counties to agree upon a “direction of travel” by Friday. ESPNcricinfo understands that while there is still some wrangling over how the proceeds from the sale of the ECB’s shares should be split, the counties have given their non-binding approval for the sale process to continue.The 11 non-host counties expressed their concerns to Gould earlier this week and are seeking independent financial advice. “The non-host county position is that, as in any financial arrangement of this type – and you’re talking hundreds of millions of pounds – that we would have our own proper, impartial advice and that’s what we’re now seeking,” Jon Filby, Sussex’s chair, told the BBC this week.But many of them are struggling financially and have business models which depend heavily on central funding from the ECB. A recent study in the Cricketer magazine found that five counties have required emergency financial help from the ECB in the last two years. Gloucestershire posted £1.2m losses last year, Middlesex are under special measures after breaching ECB financial regulations, while Worcestershire’s head of finance said in their last annual report: “Financial sustainability remains a paramount concern”.The Telegraph reported that in the latest model, money raised from selling the ECB’s stake would see 10% given to the recreational game and the rest shared by the counties. The first £275 million would be shared 19 ways – between the 18 counties and MCC. The next £150m would be shared between the 11 non-hosts, and any further proceeds shared 19 ways again.One county chief executive told ESPNcricinfo that the non-hosts – of which his club are one – are generally supportive of a deal but believe its details must be right for all parties to avoid entrenching the divide between richer and poorer counties.The host counties will decide how much of their 51% stake in the teams they wish to keep – if any – and the remainder will be sold centrally by the ECB as part of the sales process. Lancashire and Surrey have both held recent consultations with members to keep them engaged with the latest developments.The ECB has appointed Raine Group, the New York-based investment bank, to manage the sale process, which it hopes to complete later this year after using the 2024 edition as a shop window for the Hundred. IPL franchises have been sounded out, while Gould has also reported interest from investors in the US and from the UK.Additional reporting by Andrew Miller

Frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed has been released to play for the Shaheens

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2024Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the first Test in Rawalpindi next week without a specialist spinner, after Abrar Ahmed was released from the Test squad to join the Shaheens squad.It means Pakistan will field an all-pace attack, with the return of Naseem Shah to the Test side after a year out bolstering an attack that also includes Shaheen Shah Afridi.Khurram Shehzad and Mir Hamza, who both impressed at times during Pakistan’s last Test assignment in Australia, and Mohammad Ali are the other fast bowlers in the squad. Aamer Jamal, though, is unlikely to be available for the first Test. Jamal was the standout performer in Australia, taking 18 wickets and scoring valuable runs. But he’s been suffering from a lower back complaint since earlier this summer, one which affected and ultimately curtailed his county stint with Warwickshire.Abrar, who missed the Australia Tests with an injury, has been released alongside Kamran Ghulam, in the interests of both playing cricket rather than sitting on the bench. Ghulam will captain the Shaheens side against Bangladesh A in a four-day game, which begins in Islamabad on August 20, one day before the Test series.Related

• Shan Masood: 'We want to give Saim Ayub a fair chance'

• Aamer Jamal's back issues rule him out of Bangladesh Test series

• Bangladesh look to shut out the noise and find rhythm in Rawalpindi

• Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi

• Pakistan to play Karachi Test against Bangladesh without spectators

Abrar’s absence means Pakistan will be without a frontline spinner for only the second time in a home Test – including their UAE Tests – since September 1995 (though they did play a couple of Tests in the early 2000s with Shahid Afridi as their sole spinner). The only other time they played an all-pace attack was also at Rawalpindi, in December 2019, in what was their first Test in Pakistan in 10 years. That was part of a strategic shift under the new leadership of Azhar Ali, who, with Yasir Shah’s form dipping drastically, wanted to rely more on pace. It didn’t last long as Yasir returned and, in subsequent seasons, pitches were prepared to assist spin.Abrar Ahmed will play for Pakistan Shaheens against Bangladesh A next week•Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

The move to release Abrar doesn’t mark a broader change in philosophy as much as it acknowledges what Pakistan hope the surface in Rawalpindi will be – one with pace and bounce. If so, that will be a significant change from recent Test surfaces at the venue: lifeless and full of runs.It is also a nod towards the relative lack of resources in Pakistan’s spin cupboard, with neither Sajid Khan nor Noman Ali really having nailed down a spot in the Test side over the last few seasons. The first Test will be the fourth instance of Pakistan not picking a spinner in their playing XI in their last 32 Tests. By contrast, only twice in 201 Tests before that did they not play a specialist spinner.It will leave Salman Ali Agha to shoulder the spin load for this Test, though increasingly that is a responsibility he has looked well-equipped for. In his last six Tests, since the start of 2023, he has bowled on average 12 overs per innings, including twice bowling 20 or more overs in Australia. He’s also made a habit of picking up useful wickets in that time, something that has not gone unnoticed.Asked on the last week whether Pakistan were short of spinning options, Test coach Jason Gillespie said: “You can look into whatever you want. But to start, I think we’ve got two special spinners. Salman Ali Agha is good enough to be classified as a specialist spinner. From what I’ve seen, he has a lot of potential with his offspin. Abrar (Ahmed), obviously, is a fine young bowler in the early stages of his career.”So, I think we’ve covered a lot of bases. We have a lot of seam-bowling options and spin-bowling options. Our batting is varied as well. I believe we have all bases covered, and it’s a very exciting time for the Pakistan Test side.”Both Abrar and Ghulam will rejoin the Test squad after the conclusion of the Shaheens four-day game and will be available for selection for the second Test in Karachi.