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Those with state and WBBL contracts stand to earn $151,000 on average next season

AAP02-Apr-2023Cricket is poised to become the first sport in Australia to break the six-figure wage mark for the vast majority of its domestic female athletes, with players on state and WBBL contracts to earn an average of AU$151,000 from next season.Cricket Australia and the players’ union are closing in on finalising the sport’s new pay deal, with a Memorandum of Understanding likely to be announced as soon as early this week.Final details are still being sorted, through a negotiation that has been largely amicable and headed by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and union counterpart Todd Greenberg.Sources from both sides have confirmed talks have been far removed from the dramas of the pay war of 2017, which resulted in an abandoned tour and threats of strikes.The big winners of the deal will be domestic female cricketers. AAP has been told that the lowest-paid players with state and Women’s Big Bash League contracts will earn AU$83,000, with state squad sizes to increase from 14 to 16 across each of the seven WNCL sides.Players will also continue earn match fees for WNCL matches beyond their salary, meaning a significant portion of those on a minimum salary will earn more than AU$100,000 in 2023-24.Ultimately, the deal will take the average salary to AU$123,000 and AU$151,000 after match fees.In comparison, players with a minimum WNCL and WBBL contract last year who received full match payments were paid AU$70,000.The deal will rocket cricket well above other women’s sports, with its nearest competitor being Super Netball where the minimum salary is AU$43,000 with no additional match payments.The AFLW minimum wage sits at close to AU$40,000, while NRLW is AU$30,000 and A-League women’s is AU$25,000.It’s also believed that contract values will significantly increase in the WBBL for overseas and Australia’s centrally contracted stars in a bid to keep the league competitive with England’s Hundred and other franchise tournaments.Organisers are hopeful the pay rise will be able to continue to attract the best overseas talent to Australia, for a tournament that was once unrivalled as the stand out in global women’s cricket.The deal will also mean Australia’s centrally contracted players have the potential to earn close to AU$1 million a season, when factoring in national deals and big-money offers from the WPL.

Worcestershire rolled for 83 as visitors take a grip through Wright, Davey and Ackermann

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2023Leicestershire 173 (Ackermann 52, Leach 3-45, Waite 3-17) and 66 for 2 lead Worcestershire 83 (Wright 5-32, Davey 3-26) by 156 runsVeteran Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright took centre stage on a remarkable opening day to the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Worcestershire at New Road as 22 wickets tumbled.Wright initially played his part with the bat in making a valuable 30 during an eighth wicket partnership of 54 with Colin Ackermann – the best of the innings.Leicestershire were bowled out for a modest looking 173 in 55.5 overs after being put into bat with Matthew Waite and Joe Leach each taking three wickets. But it looked a challenging total after 36-year-old Wright completed his second five-wicket haul of the season.He ended with 5 for 32 from 10 overs and received excellent support from Somerset loanee Josh Davey as Worcestershire were bowled out for 83 – the lowest total of the season in Division Two.It was a severe test all day for batters with a combination of the ball swinging and uneven bounce. Leicestershire openers Rishi Patel and Sol Budinger then cashed in against a tired attack by plundering 64 in 10 overs before both fell in quick succession.Both sides had several injury problems in the bowling department and as a result the Somerset pair of Jack Brooks and Davey joined Worcestershire and Leicestershire respectively on short term loans.Worcestershire club captain, Brett D’Oliveira, opted to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch and his side were initially on the receiving end of some aggressive batting from Budinger. He raced to 30 off 28 balls with six boundaries before he was undone by a delivery by Leach which nipped away and was pouched at first slip.Patel, who has scored three centuries this summer, was fortunate when an attempted pull against Brooks flew over the slips to the third man boundary. But the introduction of Adam Finch, fresh from his maiden five-wicket haul at Cardiff last week, brought his downfall. Patel went for another pull and this time skied a catch to keeper Gareth Roderick running towards short fine leg.Leicestershire captain Lewis Hill needed lengthy treatment after being struck on the left arm by a lifting delivery from Finch. But he became the first of two victims in an over during a probing spell from Waite.The former Yorkshire allrounder obtained plenty of swing and Hill and Peter Handscomb were both undone in the flight and trapped lbw.D’Oliveira then produced a stunning catch in mid air away to his left at backward point to account for Wiaan Mulder after he drove at Leach.It became four wickets for 14 runs when Rehan Ahmed gave Waite a third success when he was snapped up at first slip. Tom Scriven then fell into the leg side trap and lofted Finch straight to Waite at deep square leg.Ackerman completed a 97-ball half century before Wright aimed a blow over midwicket and was lbw to Leach.He was denied a fourth wicket when Ackermann on 51 was dropped at second slip but Gibbon wrapped up the innings with two wickets in three balls. Ackermann added only one more run before he dragged on a delivery from Gibbon who then defeated the defensive push of Will Davis to win an lbw shout.When Worcestershire batted, Azhar Ali was promoted to open alongside Ed Pollock in the continued absence of Jake Libby with a back problem. But the Pakistan star was caught behind in the opening over from Wright to a delivery which nipped away and lifted and it set the tone for the remainder of the innings.Roderick also moved up to No.3 from the middle order and he was lbw to Davey in his first over.Pollock was his usual aggressive self in square driving Wright for four and then flicking Davey off his legs over the square leg boundary. But Wright reduced the home side to 34 for 4 as Jack Haynes and Adam Hose perished in successive balls to first slip before D’Oliveira was caught behind when he pushed forward to Davey.Pollock had scored 30 of the 45 runs on the board when he was snaffled by Ackermann at second slip off Wright. The procession of wickets followed as Waite clipped Davey straight to midwicket and Wright completed his five-for with Finch lbw.Mulder came on for Davey after a spell of 7-1-26-3 and he enjoyed immediate success as Leach carved his shot to cover. Brooks and Ben Gibbon added 33 for the last wicket before Mulder removed the former.Patel and Budinger went in for the second time and raced along at more than six an over before a double breakthrough.Budinger gave Gibbon the charge and perished at deep midwicket and Patel then nicked through to Roderick for Leach’s 21st wicket of the campaign.

Roy and Rinku threw a few punches in pursuit of 236 but couldn’t prevent CSK from topping the table

Shashank Kishore23-Apr-20233:39

Moody: Bowlers flourish under Dhoni’s guidance

For a while, the IPL record for most sixes in an innings (21), which was coincidentally set on this day in 2013, was in danger of being toppled. Chennai Super Kings fell just three short of that mark, but muscled a record first-innings score at Eden Gardens courtesy swashbuckling knocks from Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube and Devon Conway.Kolkata Knight Riders lost two wickets inside the first three overs and merely played catch up for much of their chase. They eventually stumbled to their fourth successive loss. This meant MS Dhoni’s men are now top of the leaderboard with five wins in seven matches, two clear of a logjam that has five teams on eight points apiece.

CSK set the pace

Leading the six-hitting spree was Rahane, who smashed five of them in a 29-ball 71 to take Super Kings through the gears in the middle order, along with Dube.The raw numbers from their partnership read like this: 85 runs, 32 balls, four fours, eight sixes. This came on the back of another stellar knock from Conway, who hit a fourth straight half-century to set the innings up with Ruturaj Gaikwad.Their 73-run opening stand in just 7.3 overs was another fine exhibition of timing, power, wrist work and plenty of muscle. KKR’s bowlers went with length into the pitch up front when they discovered there wasn’t much swing, but it backfired as Conway was superb at picking lengths and hitting them square on both sides.

Suyash’s strike offset by sustained aggression

All the elements that make for compelling viewing when a legspinner is on were at play in Suyash Sharma’s first over – drift from wide of the crease, flight, rip and turn to beat the inside edge. Gaikwad was stunned. But the relief was quickly offset with Conway skipping down to launch Sunil Narine for a massive six down the ground.The 100 was up in the 11th over and CSK seemed bullish. Conway eventually perished when he couldn’t quite get the elevation off Varun Chakravarthy, but Dube got into the act with two massive hits in the same over. The first of those was a 100-metre hit to deep midwicket when Varun attempted a carrom ball into the pitch. Then, when Varun went full, he was tonked down the ground, over the sight screen.Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube put on 85 from just 32 balls•BCCI

Rahane takes the attack to Umesh

In the very next over, the 14th, Rahane made it three sixes in a row for CSK when he played a stunning pick-up shot, using Umesh Yadav’s pace and letting his wrists take over. It was instinct-driven batting out of the top drawer, free of any shackles that might have been holding him back in previous seasons. He seemed to feed off this role clarity. He was an anchor no more; he was instead unlocking his destroyer avatar.The over would fetch another six that would be hoisted over fine leg and one of the most gorgeous extra cover drives you could see – feet to the pitch, leaning into the stroke and lacing the ball through the off side.That was the start of a fascinating passage as Rahane and Dube – another batter who seems empowered to play the game he has long threatened to – had fun and made the bowling attack look pedestrian. Rahane got to his fifty off 24 balls, Dube off 20. The last five overs went for 75 as KKR went into the break a deflated lot.

KKR stumble early

Narine saw his off stump cartwheel in the first over of the chase and N Jagadeesan was out to Ravindra Jadeja’s athleticism in the second. Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana then swung hard and connected from time to time, before Moeen Ali and Jadeja struck in consecutive overs. Venkatesh was out lbw sweeping a full ball, Rana dragging a slog sweep to Gaikwad at deep midwicket.

Roy’s blitzkrieg

Jason Roy came in at this point, and hardly took time to settle in, going 6, 6, 6 off his second, third and fourth balls – all off Moeen. The first two were powerful slogs to the leg side, and when Moeen fired one full in trying to correct his line, he was reverse-swept behind point. Roy was in the mood to mow the ball down and connected more often than he missed to race away to a 19-ball half-century. By then the equation had touched 109 off 36.

Sri Lankan flavour to finish

Roy continued to hit out. After taking Maheesh Theekshana for two fours to begin the 15th though, he was out off the third ball to a full delivery that dipped and slid underneath his powerful swing. Even after all that magic, KKR’s win percentage was less than 1%.Two overs later, when Theekshana’s Sri Lanka team-mate Matheeshan Pathirana sent back Andre Russell, you got the sense that it was game over. And so it was, despite everything Rinku Singh did at the other end to make a half-century of his own.

Ireland have selected a full-strength squad for their Intercontinental Cup fixture with Afghanistan in March, with legspinner Jacob Mulder in line for a first-class debut

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2017Ireland have selected a full-strength squad for their Intercontinental Cup fixture with Afghanistan in March, with legspinner Jacob Mulder in line for a first-class debut. Ed Joyce, Niall O’Brien and Tim Murtagh are also included, having missed the Desert T20 – where Ireland lost to Afghanistan in the final – earlier this month.Ireland are currently top of the Intercontinental Cup table with four wins from four, leading Afghanistan by 19 points. The Intercontinental Cup is expected to provide a pathway into Test cricket, with the winner facing a play-off with the lowest-ranked Test nation in 2018.Ahead of the four-day match, Ireland and Afghanistan will play three T20s and five ODIs; all of the fixtures will take place in Greater Noida, India. Two ODIs have also been arranged against UAE on March 2 and 4 as part of Ireland’s training camp.”It’s great to have such a wealth of experience to choose from,” Ireland’s head coach, John Bracewell, said. “We had a full squad available which hasn’t been the case with injuries in recent times but it’s great to have everyone back with such a busy programme in March.”While we haven’t been at our best in limited-overs cricket in recent times we have a great record in the Intercontinental Cup where we’ve won all our four games taking full points.”The players are all fully focused on winning the competition for a fifth time, especially with the chance of playing Test cricket on offer. Ed Joyce has been in supreme form in the tournament with two double hundreds and he clearly looks like a man on a mission.”Young Jacob Mulder was the stand-out bowler in the T20 and the selectors felt he deserved his opportunity in the longer format. With the conditions in India likely to be spin-friendly his legspin gives us added variety which could be so important.”Boyd Rankin will be rested for the matches in the UAE, but will join up with Ireland during the 10-day training camp to prepare for the Afghanistan games.Australia-born batsman Nick Larkin, who played twice for Ireland in 2014, has however ruled himself out of involvement for the time being.”After a lengthy period of discussion between Cricket Ireland and Nick Larkin, the player has finally clarified that his focus right now is on advancing his career with the NSW Blues in Australia,” Cricket Ireland’s performance director, Richard Holdsworth, said. “He is contracted there until 2018 and is not therefore available for Ireland during that period.”Ireland Intercontinental Cup squad: William Porterfield, John Anderson, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Gary Wilson, Craig YoungIreland ODI squad v UAE: William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig YoungIreland ODI squad v Afghanistan: William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.T20I squad v Afghanistan: William Porterfield, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Jacob Mulder, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Greg Thompson, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

Konstas made 73 not out and Beau Webster made an unbeaten 46 as Australia A chased down 168 with six wickets to spare

Alex Malcolm09-Nov-2024Sam Konstas signalled he is a player for the future, even if he might not be ready for the first Test, making an outstanding unbeaten half-century to guide Australia A home in a tricky run chase at the MCG after Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh Krishna gave India A hope while putting their hand up to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Konstas, batting at No. 4 in this match for the first time in his short career after appearing to be removed from the Test opening calculations, made a composed 73 not out alongside Beau Webster, who made an unbeaten 46, to guide Australia A to a 2-0 series win after slumping to 73 for 4 chasing 168 in the fourth innings.Earlier, Jurel made his second half-century of the match while Prasidh made 29 as India’s tail wagged with contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tanush Kotian ensuring Australia A had a tricky chase after the game threatened to finish early on day three.Prasidh then struck twice in the opening over of the fourth innings with Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft falling for ducks in consecutive deliveries. Nathan McSweeney only made 25 as Australia A slumped to 48 for 3 and 73 for 4 before Konstas and Webster combined for an unbeaten 96-run stand to win the game.Australia’s A chase got off to a disastrous start and Australia’s selectors did not get the final pieces of information they were hoping for from Harris and McSweeney. Harris played a half-committed drive to a very full ball and was given out caught behind off the inside edge. His luck from day two might have evened out as it was not entirely clear whether he hit it. Bancroft’s horror run of form continued when he was hit on the toe by a cracking yorker and given lbw. It was tight to leg but probably hitting. Bancroft has scored 29 runs in eight first-class innings so far this season, including four ducks, with any hopes of a Test recall completely dashed for the time being.McSweeney looked organised in his last bid to convince selectors he is worthy of opening the batting in the Perth Test. He hardly made an error in his 69-ball 25. But he was undone by a cracking delivery from Mukesh Kumar that angled into off and nipped away to catch the edge.Konstas, 19, then showed the composure and the batting craft that has so many astute judges in Australian cricket cooing. He weathered the storm with resolute defence and then began to expand as the ball got softer and Kotian came into the attack. He unfurled a cracking pull shot off Prasidh and then skipped out to Kotian several times to bang him over the top down the ground. He also sat back and punched him through the off side. He didn’t get sucked into playing at balls outside his leg stump when a short leg and leg gully were set for him.He lost Ollie Davies for a brisk 21 when his New South Wales team-mate misjudged the length from Kotian completely and was bowled attempting an ambitious cut shot.Webster settled after a nervy start and hit the ball with trademark power to help ease the pressure of the chase. The pair rattled along, striking 13 boundaries and a six between them. They scored fast enough for the umpires to extend play with an extra half-hour to win the game on the third night. Konstas only gave one life, with substitute Abishek Porel dropping him at deep square with 15 runs to win.Dhruv Jurel made 68 in the second innings•AFP

Earlier in the day, Jurel was once again the fulcrum that held India A’s batting together with another outstanding knock. There have been three 50-plus scores in the match and he has two of them. His 68 was the key to giving the visitors a total to defend in spite of four wickets to Corey Rocchiccioli and three to Webster.Unlike the first innings though, he did need a large stroke of luck. Early in the morning, on 25, he uppercut Scott Boland to deep third absentmindedly with a fielder placed there for that exact shot. Ollie Davies had to run forward and dive but he spilled the difficult chance offered despite getting two hands to it. Had that been held, India A would have been 85 for 6, leading by just 23 and in danger of losing before lunch.Thereafter, the momentum swung in India A’s favour. Jurel and Reddy shared a pivotal 94-run stand to give their side a chance. Jurel’s class shone through again. He pounced on anything short or overpitched and was rock solid in defence. While his team-mates have looked all at sea against the extra bounce at the MCG, Jurel has looked right at home with a game tailormade for Australian conditions.Reddy played his best innings of the tour to-date, striking five fours and a six in a key supporting role. Australia A struggled to penetrate given they were a bowler down after the loss of Michael Neser on day one.But just as Jurel got a stranglehold on the game, he holed out to deep square off Rocchiccioli to open the door to the tail. Three overs later, Reddy fell to Webster for the third time in four innings. It was also the third time he was bounced out, gloving one to the keeper trying to hook to fine leg.That left India A 162 for 7 with a lead of just 100. But the last three wickets added 67 to ensure Australia would have a tricky chase. Kotian and Prasidh frustrated the bowlers with an entertaining and vital 49-run stand. They struck nine fours and a six between them. Kotian posted the fourth-highest score of the match, making 44. Prasidh’s innings was bewildering. He consistently backed away but slapped the ball with power both sides of the wicket in a breezy 29. He eventually fell to a sensational diving catch at deep midwicket by Konstas.Kotian added 28 with Mukesh Kumar who scored just 1 before miscuing one to mid-off. Rocchiccioli wrapped up the innings with his fourth wicket, pinning Mukesh plumb lbw.

Geoffrey Boycott has hit back at suggestions that his involvement on the Yorkshire board could prove disruptive and reiterated concerns about the club’s financial position

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2016
Geoff Boycott has hit back at suggestions that his involvement on the Yorkshire board could prove disruptive and reiterated concerns about the club’s financial position.Boycott is set to stand for re-election to the Yorkshire board at the end of March but the he faces opposition from the current hierarchy, with chairman Steve Denison describing it as potentially “counter-productive”. The club has written to members setting out reasons why they should not vote Boycott on to the board.He has responded by accusing Yorkshire of misrepresenting the situation. He told the that he does not plan to interfere in playing matters – something he has made clear in written correspondence with the club – but wants to address members’ concerns and help manage the high level of debt, which he described as “killing the club”.”The last thing I want is any trouble,” he said. “I’m 75 years of age. I need trouble like I need a hole in the head. I’m only standing because there are vacancies on the board and because I care about the club. That’s all. I want to act for the members and the benefit of the club.”I’m not standing to get involved in the cricket. That point has to be made. Our cricket is going good. There’s no problem with it. They’re making out I’ll get involved in the cricket and upset the apple cart, but I’ve said twice in a letter that’s not my intention.”Even when I was on the board before, I never got involved in the cricket; I never went in the dressing room once. The board are misleading people by suggesting I’m going to get involved in the cricket; the only time I would ever get involved is if I was asked.”Boycott, who was at the centre of divisive rows at the county during his playing days, previously served on the Yorkshire board between 2007 and 2012. He was also elected as club president for 2012 and 2013. Since then, Yorkshire have won back-to-back Championships with a largely homegrown side, reasserting themselves as one of the dominant forces in the domestic game.Despite that success, Yorkshire’s overall debts stand at £22m – a legacy of nearly going bankrupt before the intervention of former chairman Colin Graves. The club announced a £300,000 profit for 2015 but further borrowing is expected to finance the development of Headingley and Boycott called the situation a “recipe for disaster”, warning that it could affect Yorkshire’s future viability.”The cricket is going great, but while we’re basking in the cricket, and the success of the cricket, we’re racking up so much debt that, if we’re not careful, we might not be in existence further down the line, and it’s no good having a good cricket team and the club going down the tube,” Boycott said.”Every Yorkshire member knows that you have to live within your means, and the debt is killing the club. It’s a recipe for disaster. I’ve got my own ideas, but we can’t go on racking up debt and massaging the finances.”Yorkshire is supporting three people – chief executive Mark Arthur, Robin Smith and Sir Gary Verity – as candidates to join the board, which can comprise of up to eight members. Smith, who is standing for re-election, Denison, Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, and Stephen Willis are those currently serving on the board.

England left needing 55 to win when light intervenes after Rehan’s historic day

Matt Roller19-Dec-2022England need another 55 runs to win the third Test in Karachi and inflict Pakistan’s first-ever men’s Test series whitewash on home soil, after Rehan Ahmed became the youngest man to take a five-wicket haul on debut at 18 years and 128 days old.Rehan, who was held back until the fourth hour of the third day by Ben Stokes, titled the game back in England’s favour when he broke a determined fourth-wicket stand between Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel, then ran through the middle and lower order to finish with 5 for 48 in only his fourth first-class appearance.Related

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England were set 167 to win and with a nominal 22 overs left on the third evening, they set about trying to chase the runs before the close. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett thrashed 87 runs in 11.3 overs, Rehan was promoted to No. 3 as a “night-hawk” and Stokes threw his bat towards the square leg umpire trying to heave Nauman Ali for six, but bad light intervened with 55 more runs required.Jack Leach had taken three wickets in the space of six balls in the morning session to remove Pakistan’s top order and after a long wait before returning to the attack, Rehan made a similar impact on the game in a five-over burst before the tea interval.His first wicket was a freebie, Babar pulling a drag-down straight to Ollie Pope at short midwicket after bringing up his second half-century of the match. But his next two came from good balls: the second, a legbreak that gripped and found Mohammad Rizwan’s outside edge; the third, a hard-spun googly that Shakeel top-edged straight to square leg on the sweep.Rehan returned in the evening session to polish off the lower order: Mohammad Wasim hacked him to mid-off, and Salman Ali Agha miscued a sweep to backward square leg. He sank to his knees to perform a , then beamed from ear to ear as he led the team off. His father Naeem, watching from the stands, wiped away tears as he applauded.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

That led to a sprint towards the finish line, which started with Crawley skipping down and whipping the first ball through wide mid-on for four. Duckett exchanged boundaries with his opening partner as Pakistan’s shoulders slumped, and England raced to 58 for 0 after six overs.Babar turned to his seamers, who briefly slowed the scoring, seemingly ensuring that the game would go into a fourth day, but England continued to show their attacking intent. When Crawley was trapped lbw by Abrar Ahmed, Rehan strode out – having batted at No. 8 in the first innings – and flogged his first ball down the ground for four.He lost his off stump shortly after for a shot-a-ball 10 off 8 and despite Stokes’ best efforts alongside Duckett – who quietly racked up a 38-ball half-century, his fourth 50-plus score of the series – England fell just short of the finish line. They are unlikely to hang around on the fourth morning.Earlier, Shan Masood had hit the first two balls of the day for four as Pakistan looked to grow their lead, but after a positive start, lost his leg stump while bottom-edging an attempted reverse-sweep off Leach.Azhar Ali was greeted with handshakes by England’s fielders but his final innings before his retirement from international cricket was all too brief. His fourth ball was full, pitching on leg stump, but turned sharply away from the bat as he looked to whip wristily through midwicket. It crashed into the top of off stump. Azhar trudged off through a guard of honour from his team-mates.At the start of his next over, Leach struck again, trapping Shafique lbw with a ball that skidded on off the pitch. Shakeel survived the hat-trick ball, but Pakistan were effectively 4 for 3. He dug in alongside Babar either side of the lunch break for a stand eventually worth 110 – but Rehan’s introduction half an hour before tea changed the game.

The pair helped take New Zealand to 166, and UAE fell 32 runs short

Ashish Pant20-Aug-2023 • Updated on 22-Aug-2023New Zealand put up a complete show as they roared back in style following the loss on Saturday, to win the third T20I by 32 runs and seal the three-match series 2-1.The win was set up by fifties from Will Young, playing his first game of the series, and Mark Chapman, who continued from where he left in the second game, as the visitors racked up 166 for 5 in their 20 overs. Junaid Siddique was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, picking up 3 for 26.

Siddique handed two demerit points

UAE’s Junaid Siddique was handed two demerit points and fined 25% of his match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct twice. The first incident took place in the fifth over of New Zealand’s innings when Siddique moved close to the dismissed batter, Tim Seifert, and shouted aggressively at him. For this, Siddique was handed an official reprimand and one demerit point.

Then, in the 17th over, Siddique showed dissent by using inappropriate language towards the umpire after an appeal was turned down. For this, he was handed one more demerit point and fined 25% of his match fee.

In reply, UAE’s top half was blown away by some restrictive New Zealand bowling. Basil Hameed and Aayan Afzal Khan added 68 off 57 for the sixth wicket, but it came a bit too late for the hosts as they could only muster 134 for 7.

The coin goes Waseem’s way, again

Muhammad Waseem made it three out of three at the toss and stuck to fielding first as he has all series. The UAE bowlers then backed their captain’s decision by restricting New Zealand to 38 in the powerplay while also removing the openers. Tim Seifert got off the mark with a fierce cut while Chad Bowes also got going with a slash through covers. But Bowes’ joy was short-lived with Muhammad Jawadullah sending him back with a skiddy short-of-a-length ball that he could only top-edge to short third where Zahoor completed the catch on the second attempt.Siddique then removed Seifert, who hacked his pull to the right of Hameed at deep backward square leg, the fielder sprinting low to his right and pulling off a screamer. New Zealand were more proactive in the powerplay but were only going at a run rate of just a tick over six.

Young, Chapman sizzle in the middle overs

While the start followed a similar pattern to the previous game, Young and Chapman ensured they dealt with the middle overs differently this time. Young got off the mark with a finely edged four off his second ball before planting Siddique over the long leg fence. Young did slow down a touch when Seifert fell but three successive fours off Hameed got him going again, and he reached his fifty off 40 balls.Young found an ally in Chapman, with the duo adding 84 off just 60 balls for the third wicket to tilt the scales back in New Zealand’s favour. Chapman was circumspect initially but took 17 runs off a Mohammed Faraazuddin over to get into the flow. The surface seemed to be better for shot-making than the first two games and both batters capitalised on it as New Zealand moved from 55 for 2 after nine overs to 132 for 3 after 16. Chapman reached his fifty off 30 balls with five fours and two sixes as New Zealand looked set for a tall total.Kyle Jamieson is congratulated after picking up a wicket•Emirates Cricket Board

Siddique three halts New Zealand’s charge

Siddique came back in style, having been rested from the second T20I, by picking three key wickets to keep his side in the game. He got rid of Seifert in the powerplay and then removed both Young and Chapman in the space of two overs. Young was foxed by a shortish slower ball that he could only spoon to extra cover while Chapman swished one straight to deep backward square leg.Siddique’s spell halted New Zealand’s momentum at the back end. They could only score 24 runs in the last three overs which included a six off the final ball of the innings from Mitchell Santner.

New Zealand keep mistakes to a minimum

After a maiden over by Tim Southee, Ben Lister was carved away for two successive fours by Waseem. But Lister struck back immediately to catch Waseem’s outside edge. Vriitya Aravind scored a couple of cracking boundaries but he was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson as the hosts reached 40 for 2 after the powerplay.While that was still more than what New Zealand managed in theirs, UAE could not capitalise in the middle overs. Aryansh Sharma was stumped off Santner for 16 before Adithya Ashok claimed his maiden international wicket sending back Asif Khan. Two balls later Ansh Tandon committed a near-impossible run and UAE lost 3 for 9 in 11 balls.At 56 for 5 after 10 overs, the asking rate was always going against UAE. Hameed and Aayan did manage to keep UAE ticking along but the big hits never arrived. There were a few boundaries from time to time but New Zealand bowled with discipline. Lister then picked up two wickets in the 19th over to finish with 3 for 35 as New Zealand sealed a comfortable win.

Shahbaz, Sen called up as replacements; Jadeja’s participation in Test series still unclear

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2022Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja will not be available for the upcoming three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, as he is yet to fully recover from a knee surgery that he underwent in September.Related

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Shahbaz Ahmed, the Bengal allrounder, has been named as Jadeja’s replacement in the ODI squad that begins on December 4 in Mirpur. There’s one other change, with Uttar Pradesh left-arm seamer Yash Dayal ruled out due to a lower back issue. He will be replaced by Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Kuldeep Sen.Both Sen and Shahbaz were supposed to travel to New Zealand for the three-match ODI series beginning in Auckland on Friday. Now, they will miss that series and travel to Bangladesh instead.Shahbaz has been in prolific form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, picking up 11 wickets in six matches at an economy of 4.87 across 51.2 overs. He has also contributed two half-centuries lower down the order with the bat. Sen, meanwhile, is the highest wicket-taker in the competition until the group stages, having picked up 18 wickets in six games, with a best of 5 for 36 against Punjab.Jadeja’s inclusion had been subject to fitness at the time of the squad announcement. If he isn’t ready to line up for the two-Test series that follows, it’s likely Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar could be included in the tour party.Saurabh has been on the fringes of the national team since February last year, following excellent returns since the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. He was more recently part of the India A squad against New Zealand, where he picked up nine wickets in the series to help the hosts to a 1-0 win. Prior to that, he played a key part in UP’s run to the Ranji Trophy semi-final.In all, across 12 Ranji Trophy games from two completed seasons, Saurabh has an impressive tally of 58 wickets. One of Saurabh’s USPs, according to a member of the outgoing selection committee, is his ability to wheel away tirelessly and bowl long spells.Jadeja, 33, had to leave India’s Asia Cup campaign after the group stages to undergo surgery because of a long-standing knee injury. While India head coach Rahul Dravid initially hoped Jadeja might recover in time to play a part in India’s T20 World Cup campaign, he ultimately missed the entire tournament.It was not the first time Jadeja has been troubled by his right knee, as an injury to the same joint had forced him to miss the ODI leg of India’s tour of the West Indies in July. He has since been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Jadeja was eventually named in both the ODI as well as Test squads for the tour of Bangladesh, but will now miss at least the limited-over games, scheduled for December 4, 7 and 10.Updated India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen

Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood scored half-centuries in stiflingly hot conditions as the West Indians moved to 8 for 303 on the first day of their tour game against a Victoria XI in Geelong

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2015
ScorecardKraigg Brathwaite was again in the runs after his 94 in the first Test (file photo)•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood scored half-centuries in stiflingly hot conditions as the West Indians moved to 8 for 303 on the first day of their tour game against a Victoria XI in Geelong. The two-day match is the West Indians’ only scheduled fixture ahead of the Boxing Day Test, which starts at the MCG next Saturday, and due to the BBL commitments of state players, the Victoria XI was made up largely of men without first-class experience.The temperature reached 43.8C at Simonds Stadium in Geelong on Saturday but Brathwaite seemed unfazed by the conditions and picked up where he left off from his second-innings 94 in the first Test in Hobart. He scored 78 from 175 deliveries in the first two sessions before he retired to give the rest of the West Indians a chance, although he was the only batsman who retired as the Victorians found seven wickets through the day.Rajendra Chandrika shouldered arms to the bowling of Jackson Koop and was lbw for 28, which brought Marlon Samuels to the crease in an aggressive mood. Samuels struck seven fours as he moved to 45 from 39 deliveries before he was caught behind off the bowling of fast bowler Jackson Coleman to leave the West Indians at 2 for 115 after they were sent in.Blackwood, who was coming off a pair in Hobart, combined with Brathwaite for a 99-run stand before Brathwaite retired, and Blackwood brought up a half-century of his own to give him some confidence ahead of Boxing Day. Blackwood was lbw for 69 to legspinner Jeremy Hart, who finished with 4 for 93 after running through the lower order in the final session of the day.Hart had Jason Holder for 9, Carlos Brathwaite for 4, and Jerome Taylor for 4, while Shai Hope, the opener who was overlooked for the Hobart Test, came in at No.8 and managed only 1 before he was lbw to Matthew Doric. Denesh Ramdin finished unbeaten on 38 from 73 deliveries.