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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named six Test players in the Bangladesh A squad for the Shafi Darashah Invitational tournament in India

Mohammad Isam15-Jul-2012The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named six Test players in the Bangladesh A squad for the Shafi Darashah Invitational tournament in India. The tournament is a four-day competition hosted by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which will feature local first-class teams and will run from July 27 to August 14 in Bangalore and Mysore.

Bangladesh A 15-man squad

Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mithun Ali, Shamsur Rahman, Raqibul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Farhad Hossain, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr, Sohag Gazi, Shahadat Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Dolar Mahmud, Kazi Kamrul Islam

However, the BCB didn’t announce a captain for the team and it was learned that the decision would be made in “a day or two”.The six Test players in the squad include Shahriar Nafees, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Enamul Haque jnr and Shahadat Hossain. Shuvagata Hom, who has played a handful of ODIs, was also picked.Shamsur Rahman, Mithun Ali and Farhad Hossain, who all scored more than 500 runs in the National Cricket League 2011-12, are in the 15-man squad, while the bowlers include offspinner Sohag Gazi, and seamers Alauddin Babu, Dolar Mahmud and Kazi Kamrul Islam – the latter two aggregated more than 25 wickets in the NCL.Saqlain Sajib, Rajshahi’s 23-year-old left-arm spinner who was one of only three bowlers who took 50 wickets in the NCL, did not find a place in the 15.Robiul Islam, Nasiruddin Faruque, Arafat Sunny and Al-Amin Hossain were named standbys.Bangladesh A will fly out for the tournament on July 23. They are placed in group A, along with the KSCA XI, KSCA Colts and the Baroda Cricket Association XI (BCA), and will play the BCA XI in their opening game from July 27. The other group includes the KSCA President’s XI, Mumbai Cricket Association XI, Rajasthan Cricket Association President’s XI and Hydrabad Cricket Asscoaition XI.

Peter Trego took four wickets on Marcus Trescothick’s return to the Somerset side, as Lancashire’s batsmen struggled again

Myles Hodgson at Aigburth01-Aug-2012
ScorecardPeter Trego made full use of the conditions to claim four wickets on day one•Getty Images

It seems to have escaped many people’s attention that, despite the loss of Marcus Trescothick for most of the season through injury, Somerset have remained one of the Division One title contenders. So it was fitting on his return that they continued that impressive form on a rain-hit opening day against Lancashire.As captain, leading batsman and outstanding slip fielder, Somerset have struggled to replace Trescothick while he has been sidelined for the last three months with ankle ligament damage, yet they have remained consistent enough to be well placed behind the leaders, Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire.During a day with enough rain around to dampen even the most enthusiastic of county cricketers, it became apparent why they have been so consistent, expertly exploiting bowler-friendly conditions to make major inroads into Lancashire’s batting line-up in the 52.2 overs possible.Perhaps inspired by Trescothick’s first Championship outing since April, his comeback was overshadowed by an outstanding display from Peter Trego, their combative allrounder, who took his wicket tally to 38 by claiming 4 for 34. Bowling exclusively from the River End and benefitting from a stiff breeze that aided swing bowling for most of the day, Trego continued Lancashire’s desperate form in the defence of their title.Trego bowled six successive maidens from the start of the day and it was 41 balls before Lancashire were even able to score a run off his bowling. Bowling wicket to wicket and allowing the conditions to do the work, he had already dismissed openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore by the time Trescothick allowed him a rest shortly before lunch with figures of 10-7-12-2.By the time he returned for his second spell in the evening session – rain washed out most of the afternoon – he was required to break up a stubborn 79-run stand between Karl Brown and Ashwell Prince that threatened to turn the day in Lancashire’s favour. Brown had battled for over two hours for his 39 when he drove loosely at Trego off the front foot and lost his off-stump, which precipitated a late collapse of three wickets for 15 runs in only 34 balls.Steven Croft followed five overs later, edging Alfonso Thomas low to second slip to give Trescothick his second catch of the day, before Trego halted Prince’s defiance with the first ball of the next over when he was adjudged to have edged behind.Only four more overs were possible before rain curtailed play for the final time and Lancashire, whose batting unit have only passed 300 four times in the previous 11 completed Championship matches, look unlikely to improve on that dismal record. It should certainly be an interesting Championship debut for Andrea Agathangelou, a South-African born batsman with a Cypriot passport, who will resume tomorrow morning unbeaten on 0.Lancashire, as they have to be wavering just above the relegation zone, remain optimistic and Brown believes the swing generated by Trego should also help their own attack. “Trego got a bit of swing, and if that movement continues it will really help our bowlers because Glen Chapple and Kyle Hogg swing the ball more than most bowlers,” he said.”Hopefully we can make the most of the conditions as well. He tries to do different things when he’s bowling, he tries to get you out in different ways and he’s quite clever the way he goes about it. I enjoyed the battle out there, getting stuck in, it was good fun. We are in a tough position in the league and we are going to have to fight our way out of it.”

West Indies, Pakistan and Australia players’ availability in doubt

Matt Roller17-May-2021A number of overseas players are expected to withdraw from the inaugural season of the Hundred due to clashes in the international calendar and complications regarding international travel caused by Covid restrictions.West Indies, Pakistan and Australia players with contracts to appear in the men’s competition will have their availability limited if they are involved in the two T20I series due to take place in the Caribbean in July and August, while two Australia players – Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen – have already withdrawn from the women’s tournament due to quarantine requirements.Cricket West Indies announced its men’s fixtures for the 2021 home season last week, with the end of the T20I series against Australia overlapping with the start of the Hundred. Seven of the nine Australians contracted to play in the men’s competition were named in an enlarged 23-man squad on Monday – Chris Lynn and Nathan Coulter-Nile were the exceptions.Those seven include marquee names in Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner, and while it is possible that they could still play the majority of the eight-game group stage subject to quarantine periods, Cricket Australia remain in talks with the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding a possible tour which would present a further clash.Related

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Four West Indians are also under contract: Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard are both key parts of the T20I set-up, while Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are likely to come back into the picture ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. Their series against Pakistan starts on July 27, three days after the Australia T20Is finish, with the fifth and final match scheduled for August 3 in Guyana – which is on the UK’s travel red list, adding to the complications – though it is understood they remain keen to be a part of the tournament if possible.Pakistan stay in the Caribbean for two Tests on August 12 and August 20, which will effectively rule Shaheen Shah Afridi out of his deal with Birmingham Phoenix. Shadab Khan, the other Pakistan player involved, may be available for the second half of the tournament with Manchester Originals if he is overlooked for the Test squad again.The ECB remain confident that the Hundred will feature some of the best overseas players in the world but are realistic about the fact that some players will withdraw in the coming weeks and months. The new 100-ball tournament’s inaugural season was postponed last year due to operational challenges, and is now due to start on July 21. “The realities of Covid mean there remain practicalities that are difficult for some overseas players to overcome,” a spokesperson said.Jonassen was replaced by compatriot Georgia Wareham in the Welsh Fire squad last month, while Haynes’ withdrawal from her Oval Invincibles contract was revealed by London’s last week. They are the only two confirmed withdrawals as yet, but the fact that salaries are significantly lower in the women’s competition (£3,600-£15,000) than in the men’s (£24,000-£100,000) reduces the incentives for players to travel to the UK specifically for the tournament. As such, it is possible that further Indian players will sign deals and stay on following the conclusion of their tour to England on July 15 – six days before the start of the Hundred.Jess Jonassen and Rachael Haynes have both pulled out of the Hundred•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In the men’s competition, there is a broad pool of nearly 250 overseas players registered as replacements. Several of them, including Dan Christian, Glenn Phillips, Lockie Ferguson and Carlos Brathwaite, will already be in the UK to play in the T20 Blast for their respective counties, and as such may be attractive options, either to fill in for a handful of games or to play the full season in the event of withdrawals.Meanwhile, Manchester Originals can begin to negotiate with county cricketers who were not signed in February’s re-draft following Harry Gurney’s retirement. Gurney was an £80,000 signing in the draft and his withdrawal from the competition means that there is a free slot up for grabs at that price bracket for any domestic player without a contract.The ECB are hopeful that England’s centrally contracted red-ball players will be available for up to three group-stage games at the start of the tournament before the start of the men’s Test series against India, and potentially the eliminator and the final. Ashley Giles, the managing director of England men’s cricket, said last week: “We’ve got a lot of cricket coming up so it’s a difficult juggling act but I know the players are also looking forward to that tournament and would love to be involved at some stage if they can.”England men’s players on all-format central contracts will earn £40,000 for their involvement in up to three matches, and those on red-ball deals will earn £28,000. All centrally-contracted players will then earn £4,608 per match for any additional fixtures. Players with white-ball contracts are due to be available throughout the Hundred, and are paid directly through the draft mechanism.

A bludgeoned half-century from new boy Richard Levi and career-best bowling figures from Max Waller saw Somerset to a 63-run victory over Warwickshire

13-Jun-2012
ScorecardA bludgeoned half-century from new boy Richard Levi and career-best bowling figures from leg-spinner Max Waller saw Somerset to a 63-run Friends Life t20 victory over Warwickshire at Taunton.Levi hit 69 off just 34 deliveries, while Waller’s four wickets cost just 16 runs as last season’s beaten finalists started this season’s competition with a win.Somerset, put into bat in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 were given a good start by Craig Kieswetter, who hit a swift 20 – including two sixes – before he was caught at short fine leg by Chris Wright off Chris Woakes.The same bowler struck again in the fifth over when Peter Trego pulled a short delivery to Darren Maddy at deep midwicket. Jos Buttler brought the 50 up with an inside edge to the fine leg boundary off Woakes’ final over.Offspinner Jeetan Patel was brought into the attack for the 10th over and with his second delivery tempted Buttler on 16 to give a catch to Woakes at deep backward point. At the halfway point the hosts were 80 for 3, with Levi on 34.However, in the next over the opener heaved a full toss from Steffan Piolet over midwicket for six – and he repeated the feat off the last ball. In the next over Levi reached his half-century with a boundary to square leg off Patel, which also brought up the Somerset 100.New batsman Albie Morkel hit his first six two balls later when he drove Patel over long-on – and the South African pair took 19 off the 13th over, bowled by Keith Barker. Maddy came on for the 15th and Levi despatched the first ball over long on for six, however four deliveries later Levi’s eye-catching knock was over when he was caught at deep long-on by Woakes.Levi contributes six fours and four sixes and his fourth-wicket partnership with Morkel produced 67 runs from 33 balls. Morkel was run out for 38 off the third ball of the penultimate over by a direct throw from Patel – and three balls later Nick Compton was superbly caught by Chris Wright running back from short fine-leg to collect a top-edged scoop.Chasing a victory target of 192, Laurie Evans and Varun Chopra had taken the total onto 40 in the sixth over when Thomas bowled Evans for 17. Trego accepted a sharp chance to catch William Porterfield at extra cover off Waller, who struck with his next delivery when Maddy was leg before wicket.Chopra went down the wicket to George Dockrell in the next over and was smartly stumped by Kieswetter for 37, before Waller picked up his third wicket when he bowled Rikki Clarke for six with the total on 72.Steve Kirby returned at the Old Pavilion and with the last ball of the 12th over bowled Barker for 3. Waller struck again with the third ball of his final over when Woakes was caught at short midwicket by Thomas, leaving the Bears teetering on 80 for 7.Thomas returned at the River End for the 18th over and immediately claimed his third scalp when Johnson was caught at short midwicket by Trego, then three balls later Patel followed when he was caught by Waller at short cover. Fittingly, Levi ended the Bears innings on 128 when he caught Wright at long-on.

A blistering stand of 75 between Moises Henriques and Steve Smith was the difference, as Sydney Sixers’ 185 was enough to keep out Chennai Super Kings

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran14-Oct-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s 46 laid the foundation for a strong total•Associated Press

A blistering stand of 75 between Moises Henriques and Steve Smith towards the end of the innings was the difference, as Sydney Sixers’ 185 was enough to keep out Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring contest at the Wanderers. Henriques made telling blows on the field as well, as his three middle-order wickets derailed Super Kings’ chase just as the asking rate started reducing. Suresh Raina threatened with an attacking half-century, but the lack of support at the other end hurt Super Kings’ chances.Shane Watson gave the Sixers a rousing start after they were put in to bat, and Chennai’s spinners hit back with wickets, but none of the bowlers were spared once the Smith-Henriques pair came together.Watson was harsh on anything short, and he made R Ashwin and Jadeja pay by cracking sixes over the on side. Only a run-out could have ended Watson’s stay and he fell in that manner four short of a fifty. He attempted a risky second run but wasn’t quick enough for Ben Hilfenhaus’ fiery throw from deep cover, which hit the stumps on the half volley.The spinners pulled things back for Chennai after Watson’s departure. R Ashwin struck twice in an over, removing Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson as they tried to push the scoring. It wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the Sixers, though, as it brought Smith and Henriques together. The pair began by bashing two boundaries down the ground off the part-time leg spin of Faf du Plessis and from that point on, an above-par score looked possible. The bowlers hemorrhaged 61 off the last four overs, which included eight fours and three sixes. Bollinger and Hilfenhaus, who were held back for the final overs, came in for some stick as the pair of Smith and Hilfenhaus muscled boundaries and played some cheeky ramp shots to exploit the infield.Super Kings got off to a circumspect start, limping to 7 for 1 after three overs. Du Plessis gave the chase a push with a flurry of boundaries through the off side, charging the fast bowlers to unsettle their rhythm, in particular Pat Cummins. Cummins had the last laugh, though, when du Plessis advanced down the track to launch a straight six but couldn’t clear long-on.Sixers captain Brad Haddin risked introducing his spinners when Suresh Raina walked in. Raina targeted his favourite cow-corner region against the left-arm spin of Steve O’Keefe and was also alert to put away the length offerings from the seamers. The bowlers didn’t exploit Raina’s weakness against the short ball and with every Raina boundary, the game was Sixers’ to lose.Like they had done with the bat, the Henriques-Smith pairing proved decisive, this time in the field. Raina aimed for the long-on boundary off Henriques’ medium pace, but Smith took a well-judged catch at the edge of the rope. Henriques struck two balls later with MS Dhoni’s wicket and that had all but sealed the game for Sixers, with 44 needed off the last three overs.

Vince becomes second Multan Sultans player to withdraw; Joe Denly lined up as replacement

George Dobell09-Nov-2020James Vince’s involvement in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is in doubt after he tested positive for Covid-19.Vince, a member of England’s World Cup-winning squad, was set to play for Multan Sultans in the PSL playoffs on November 14.ESPNcricinfo understands he is asymptomatic and will imminently undergo a second test. But he is legally obliged to self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the positive test.Vince has also signed for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL), but, with the start date just over a month away, he should still be able to take part.ALSO READ: Mahmudullah to miss PSL playoffs after testing positive for Covid-19It is the second significant blow to Multan’s title hopes in as many days, following the withdrawal of Mahmudullah, the Bangladesh allrounder, on Sunday, also due to a positive Covid test. Vince scored 155 runs in five innings before the tournament was cut short by the pandemic earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchise are hoping to sign a replacement for Vince, with Joe Denly the likely candidate.It is unclear at this stage who Vince may have been in contact with in recent days but they, too, would need to self-isolate for 14 days from that meeting.

Rohit will replace Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order, while Saini comes in for the injured Umesh Yadav

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2021India have handed Navdeep Saini a Test debut and brought Rohit Sharma back as opener and vice-captain for the Sydney Test starting Thursday. Saini replaced the injured Umesh Yadav, and Rohit took the place of Mayank Agarwal. There were no other changes to the XI that won the MCG Test and levelled the series 1-1.Rohit last played a Test for India in November 2019, in a season where he made the transition from the middle order to the top. His last Test away from home was the Boxing Day game in Melbourne in 2018 following which he left the tour early for the birth of his child. Later next year, he came back as an opener, scoring three quick hundreds in five home Tests before injuries ruled him out of the Test series in New Zealand and the first two matches of the ongoing series.With regular captain Virat Kohli missing, the Indian selectors named Rohit as the vice-captain of the team, replacing Cheteshwar Pujara. R Ashwin was the other experienced member in the side who might have had claims to the post.”We all are really excited to have him back,” captain Ajinkya Rahane said of Rohit. “His experience at the highest level matters a lot. He is batting really well in the nets. He has had seven nets sessions. He came to Melbourne, and started his practice straightaway after the Test got over. He has been batting really well. The last couple of series he has batted as an opener, so you will definitely see Rohit at the top [of the order].”The man Rohit replaced, Agarwal, debuted at a time of crisis, in the Boxing Day Test of 2018-19. He averages 47.85 in a 13-Test career, but his last few scores – in Australia and new Zealand – have been 34, 58, 7, 3, 17, 9, 0, 5. He has averaged 7.75 in this series.That India would have to hand out a debut to another fast bowler was apparent the moment it was ascertained Umesh Yadav wouldn’t be available for the last two Tests after hobbling off in the second innings of the MCG Test. The 28-year-old debutant Saini has played 46 first-class games for 128 wickets at an average of 28.46. He plays domestic cricket for Delhi, but 14 of his 46 matches have been played for India A, for whom he has taken 34 wickets at 34.35.India XI for Sydney Test: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 5 Hanuma Vihari, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed coach of the Dolphins franchise and will begin working with the team on July 16, on a two-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2012Lance Klusener, the former South Africa allrounder, has been appointed coach of the Dolphins franchise. He will begin working with the team on July 16, on a two-year contract.Klusener, 40, had worked with the Dolphins on an interim basis after Graham Ford resigned earlier this year. He said he was pleased to be working with his old franchise. “Being a former Dolphin, I am very proud of my team and want to be part of the process of rebuilding the team to its rightful place as South Africa’s No. 1 franchise.”Klusener has level 3 coaching certification from Cricket South Africa, and has worked at the country’s high performance centre and with IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. The shortlist of candidates for the job was brought down to two names, Klusener and former Cobras coach Shukri Conrad, before Klusener was chosen. Reportedly, while the panel selecting the coach was split initially over Klusener’s appointment, he was the Dolphins players’ clear first choice for the job all through.The Dolphins have not come close to challenging for a trophy for the last four seasons, since qualifying for what would have been the inaugural Champions League T20 in 2008 – the tournament was cancelled due to the terror attacks in Mumbai in November that year. They had won only one game in ten this season in first-class cricket, finishing bottom of the table in the SuperSport Series, and did not make the knockouts in the domestic one-day tournament.Fa-eez Jaffar, the chairman KwaZulu-Natal Cricket, said Klusener’s main task would be to reintroduce a winning culture into the franchise set-up. “Lance has been a Dolphins man all his life. It will be good to see him working with and bringing out the best in our senior players, and guiding and mentoring our young emerging players.”One of his first tasks would be to reintroduce the culture of winning and playing with passion and pride wearing the Dolphins badge. This has been missing for some time. Players must want to play for the Dolphins.”

Pollard’s heroics helped Mumbai Indians hammer 89 runs off the last five overs of the chase to tie the game

Saurabh Somani28-Sep-2020Royal Challengers Bangalore 201 for 3 (de Villiers 55*, Padikkal 54, Boult 2-34) tied with Mumbai Indians 201 for 5 (Kishan 99, Pollard 60*, Udana 2-45)
Super over
A day after IPL 2020 delivered an incredible thriller with the highest ever successful chase, the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bangalore went one better, with the highest ever tied score in an IPL game. Mumbai were behind all through their chase of 202, needing 90 off the last five overs. They were still behind when Kieron Pollard reiterated his T20 G.O.A.T. status by smacking around Adam Zampa and Yuzvendra Chahal for an imagination-defying 49 runs in two overs during his unbeaten 60 off 24 balls. They were still behind when Ishan Kishan – back in the XI due to a Saurabh Tiwary niggle – was out for 99 to make it five needed off the last ball. Pollard hit a four, of course he did, to bring the match to a Super Over.As comebacks go, there was still one left in the match though, and Navdeep Saini delivered a standout Super Over to keep Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma to just 7 for 1. Jasprit Bumrah, who had gone for 42 runs in four wicketless overs during regular play, then turned up with some excellent Super Over bowling of his own, though his gamble to bounce AB de Villiers with fine leg up went for a top-edged four. With scores level, Virat Kohli used his wrists to put the final ball away and ensure Mumbai’s story of comebacks ended on the last ball of the Super Over.Ten days into the IPL, the Royal Challengers have two wins in three games – a start they haven’t been used to of late.Before Mumbai mounted their incredible fight back, the Royal Challengers seemed to be coasting to victory, powered to 201 for 3 on the back of half-centuries from openers Aaron Finch (52 off 35) and Devdutt Padikkal (54 off 40), both of which were overshadowed by a barnstorming de Villiers 55 not out off 24. For almost three quarters of the chase after that, a revamped bowling attack stuck to its plans as Mumbai struggled.Pollard’s arrival and Kishan’s fine knock unravelled those plans, but not to the finish.Finch starts, Padikkal steers, de Villiers finishesFinch has not been in the best form so far in the IPL, but he didn’t let that change his game-plan, going hard at the top. He survived a couple of chancy hits, but then began connecting well, giving the Royal Challengers the kind of start from which they could launch. Kohli, however, looked off-colour and struggled to even get the singles. Padikkal, the other opener, played second fiddle to Finch in the opening stand, but opened out more once Finch and Kohli fell. What really boosted the Royal Challengers though, was de Villiers’ arrival. Without even looking like he was taking extravagant chances, de Villiers had purred to 20 off 12, when Bumrah came on for his final spell. He was promptly dispatched for 18 runs in one over and 17 in the next, with de Villiers scoring 27 of those. At the other end, Shivam Dube blasted three sixes and a four in his ten-ball stay as the Royal Challengers surged past 200.Washington Sundar stifles MumbaiThe Royal Challengers had brought in Isuru Udana and Adam Zampa for this game to beef up their bowling attack, with Dale Steyn and Umesh Yadav dropped. They then gave Washington Sundar three overs in the powerplay, a move that paid spectacular dividends. Not only did Sundar get Rohit Sharma in the game’s second over, he ended his first spell giving up a mere seven runs in three overs. None of Mumbai’s vaunted top order could attack him, denied room to free their arms or width to play the ball square on either side. Sundar – no stranger to bowling in the powerplay – was not the only one to stick to his plans. The long square boundaries allowed the Royal Challengers to bowl lines that asked the Mumbai batsmen to clear those, with fielders positioned in the deep. Sharma, Quinton de Kock and Hardik Pandya were all caught at deep midwicket off the spinners, as Mumbai sank deeper.Ishan Kishan arrives, Pollard unleashedAll the while,Kishan had been timing the ball well and kept ticking over. While he can hit the ball big, in Mumbai’s line-up it might have been expected of the others to do the big-hitting. But with the rest of the top order falling and the asking rate climbing, Kishan also began to go for the big shots. In Pollard, he had a partner at the other end who could hit them like few can. Pollard faced only 10 balls in the first 4.4 overs that the two were together, but Kishan took the other 18 for 31 runs.When Pollard faced up to Zampa at the start of the 17th over, Mumbai needed an unrealistic 80 runs in 24 balls. But Pollard then ripped apart Zampa and Chahal – both in their final overs – for a 27-run over followed by a 22-run over, and suddenly the impossible seemed merely the improbable. Along the way they were helped by three drops – two off Pollard and one off Kishan – of which one was straightforward.In the circumstances, Saini’s final over – the 19th of the innings – was an excellent effort with just 12 runs conceded, giving Udana 19 to defend. Kishan was on strike for four of the six balls, but sent two of them over the boundary, the first via a tough spilled chance and the second sailing over and taking him to 99. Mumbai could have had victory next ball, but Kishan’s slog-sweep was finally held in the deep, just a yard inside the boundary. The final ball was short and sat up, Pollard connected with a mighty swipe and got the power, but not the elevation as it bounced once before clearing the rope, to signal a tie.The Super OverSaini bowled a terrific over. He was going for the yorkers, and nailed a couple but the ones he didn’t ended up as low full tosses that weren’t easy to hit either. Hardik Pandya couldn’t time it, and even Pollard was beaten once before whipping another low full toss to deep midwicket. Only three balls were scored off from the bat, with one bye on the final ball, and Bumrah faced up to de Villiers once again to defend a low total. He almost did it, and de Villiers was even given out caught behind off a third-ball bouncer that was overturned on review, but with fine leg up, Bumrah’s gamble of bluffing de Villiers with another short one didn’t work. De Villiers wasn’t fully in control of his pull shot but he got enough on it to roll into the boundary. Bumrah went back to fuller lengths – a perfect yorker and a low full toss – for the last two balls, but with just two to get, he couldn’t stop de Villiers and Kohli.ALSO SEE: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore live score, September 28 2020

England seamer happy to get one over brother in high-scoring contest against CSK

Andrew Miller23-Sep-2020Tom Curran reckons that the opening night of the IPL in Sharjah offered a sign of things to come for bowling attacks in this year’s competition, after the Rajasthan Royals out-muscled the Chennai Super Kings in a bat-dominated contest that featured a record-equalling 33 sixes across the two innings.Curran himself was subjected to six of those, including three in a row in the final over of the match, as MS Dhoni belatedly turned on the afterburners with the contest already out of his side’s reach.But, Curran said, given the combination of Sharjah’s short boundaries and the onset of dew in the latter stages of the CSK chase, he was happy to have taken his licks and emerged on the winning side – especially given that his brother Sam was in the opposition ranks.”It’s going to be tough work throughout the tournament, bowling at Sharjah,” Curran said. “It’s obviously small, but when the dew came in the second innings, it became really, really hard.”The ball got really, really wet and with the combination of the humidity and how much you end up sweating there, there’s going to be some entertaining high-scoring games. And the toss is going to be crucial as well.”Curran’s second foray in the IPL comes after an initial stint as a late replacement for KKR in 2018, in which he picked up six wickets in five matches, but at an economy rate of nearly two a ball.This time around, however, his burgeoning reputation as a death bowler – for Surrey and Sydney Sixers as well as England – persuaded the Royals to shell out INR 1 crore (USD140,000 approx) at last year’s auction. And while his skills weren’t exactly tested on Tuesday night, given that he was defending 38 in the final over of the match, the experience was valuable nonetheless, given that the Royals’ next match, against the King’s XI Punjab, takes place at the same venue on Sunday night.”It was frustrating to go for those sixes but, at the same time, with a wet ball like that, the main thing was to not bowl a no-ball and make sure we win the game,” Curran said. “If I start trying to nail my yorkers and the ball slips out, and I bowl a flat one that goes for six, it just brings them back into the game.”The pressure isn’t off but it kind of is, if you know what I mean,” he added. “It’s nice that we’d won the game but, as a bowler, to run up there at one of the most destructive batters in the world, it’s not the nicest situation. It’s one of those things really. It’s about adapting on the night really, and trying to get the job done for the team, which is what we did as an attack very nicely last night.”Tom Curran poses in his Rajasthan Royals colours•Getty Images

As a bowler who relies on sleight of hand more than outright pace, however, Curran recognises that he won’t be able to shelve his variations indefinitely in such conditions.”As the tournament goes on, it’ll be about practising with a wet ball and just trying to make the best out of a bad situation,” he said. “Concentrate on the next ball and try and limit those big, big overs because there’s going to be boundaries, there’s going to be a lot of sixes. It’s about limiting those, I guess.”If his evening’s work with the ball wasn’t quite as he might have planned, then Curran did at least enjoy a degree of one-upmanship against his brother, whom he withstood in an innings of 10 not out that, with Jofra Archer letting rip at the other end with four consecutive sixes, helped to lift the Royals to an insurmountable total of 216 for 7.Sam Curran did land some telling blows on the Royals, if not his brother, claiming 3 for 33 with the ball before cracking 17 from six balls after being promoted up the CSK order. “He came out with one intention. And one message, to swing pretty hard,” Tom said. “So unless he got 80-odd, I don’t think I would have bowled to him.”I wouldn’t say there was any chirping, but there was a bit of banter going into the game, so it was nice that we got a win there,” he added. “But it was a strange feeling, a different type of concentration really, seeing him running up, there were a lot more things on my mind than usual for those first couple, which was strange.”ALSO READ: ‘I worked on range hitting during the break – Sanju SamsonTom’s main scoring shot against Sam was an outside-edged yorker that flew through third man for four, but while he was happy not to have got out to his younger brother, he did rue a missed opportunity to put a more definitive stamp on their mini-battle.”I’d have liked to put him into the stands for a couple, to be honest! The last ball I faced, he tried to bounce me actually, which was surprising because he had square leg up. I wish I’d stood still because I reckon that was my chance to put him into the stands. But he was getting his yorkers in, so I tried to put him off and walk down the wicket.”It was good fun. We definitely had a laugh about it afterwards but, like I said, I’d have liked to have put him into the stands. He had a really good game, but we had a win. It’s nice to get a win and hopefully we get another little battle in a couple of weeks when we play them again.”Watch the Rajasthan Royals take on the King’s XI Punjab on Sky Sports, Sunday, September 27, at 3pm BST