After Sri Lanka demolition, Afghanistan start as favourites against misfiring Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2022

Big picture

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh is the low-key rivalry of the Asia Cup, and it seems even more so coming on the heels of a smashing India-Pakistan contest over the weekend.There are clear favourites – and underdogs – for this one, too. Bangladesh have seen their T20I fortunes dip significantly in recent times. Afghanistan, after losing a T20I series earlier this month, in Ireland, got their act together against Sri Lanka in their first match of the Asia Cup. It was also their second-largest win in terms of balls remaining – 59.Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq made full use of the new ball after Mohammad Nabi put Sri Lanka in to bat. They were reduced to 5 for 3 in the second over itself. Afghanistan allowed only a brief resistance before Sri Lanka collapsed once again. Then it was the turn of Afghanistan’s destructive opening pair of Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to complete the job. They struck 13 boundaries between them, including four sixes from Gurbaz in his 18-ball 40. A couple of wickets fell, but Afghanistan gave a good glimpse of their attacking flair. And familiarity with the conditions help – they have played plenty of short-format matches in the UAE.Related

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Attacking flair, and an aggressive attitude – Bangladesh’s T20I game is missing both.They come into the Asia Cup on a low, having lost both white-ball series in Zimbabwe earlier this month. They gave away strong positions in both the T20I losses as they went down 2-1.But Bangladesh were without Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim in Zimbabwe, so their return, coupled with that of Mohammad Saifuddin, could boost them.Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Naim are also back in the side, but that’s mainly due to injuries to Litton Das and Nurul Hasan, two batters who have shown a bit of T20I form of late. Sabbir’s return came after he trained with the Bangladesh Tigers squad, while Naim struck a century in the one-day series against West Indies A earlier this month.Perhaps being underdogs will help Bangladesh against high-flying Afghanistan.

Form guide

Afghanistan WLWWL
Bangladesh LWLLL

In the spotlight

Fazalhaq Farooqi was one of Afghanistan’s heroes in the match against Sri Lanka. His opening burst blew away the top order, and he finished with 3 for 11, the sort of spell Bangladesh are familiar with from earlier this year – Farooqi was fast, accurate and effective in the ODI and T20I series in Chattogram and Dhaka. His confidence must be soaring after the Sri Lanka demolition job.Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s best bet against Afghanistan, or anyone else, for that matter. Returning as the T20I captain after nearly three years, Shakib has a lot on his plate but he is known as someone who invariably manages to bring the best out of himself when under pressure. His four overs will bring back an attacking option for Bangladesh, while his free stroke play will help the misfiring top order.4:45

Shahriar Nafees: Confident that Bangladesh’s new guys will support the middle order

Team news

Afghanistan have little reason to change the playing XI, and, bar injuries, should be unchanged.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Karim Janat, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiBangladesh have a few more options than when they went to Zimbabwe with a limited squad. Shakib, Mushfiqur and Saifuddin should all get in, and will add balance to their line-up.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Mohammad Naim, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 4 Afif Hossain, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mahedi Hasan, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Despite the small dimensions, Sharjah has a surprisingly low batting average – 143 – for sides batting first in T20Is in the last 12 months. The weather will be quite hot even though it’s a 6pm [local time] start.

Stats and trivia

• Shakib will become the third Bangladesh cricketer to play 100 T20Is, after Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur.
• Spinners have a better average, economy rate and strike rate than quick bowlers at the Sharjah ground in the last 12 months.
• Afghanistan have a 5-3 edge over Bangladesh in T20Is, although their last bilateral series ended 1-1.

England batter says less-packed schedule would allow time for players to improve games

Matt Roller29-Sep-2022Dawid Malan has become the first England player to publicly declare his support for the proposals outlined in Andrew Strauss’ High Performance Review, suggesting that “less cricket at a higher intensity” would have a number of benefits for English cricket.Strauss’ review proposed a 15% reduction in the total volume of men’s domestic cricket played in England and Wales, which would be achieved by cutting the number of games in the County Championship and the T20 Blast. Any changes would require 12 out of 18 counties to vote for them and would be implemented in time for the 2024 season.The proposals have gone down badly among county members and several chairs have already suggested that they will vote them down, but players have pushed – via the Professional Cricketers’ Association, their trade union – for a reduction in the number of games in the domestic schedule.Related

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England players have kept a low profile since the review’s publication but Malan, speaking at Lahore’s Pearl Continental Hotel during England’s T20I series in Pakistan, said that its proposals would avoid marginalising four-day cricket and were a step towards recognising that cricket has become a “12-month-a-year game”.”It’s about creating a schedule that keeps players wanting to play all formats,” he said, “instead of going, ‘well, I’m playing three tournaments in the winter, and there’s the Hundred, and there’s the Blast, so something needs to give.’ If you can create something that’s going to encourage people to keep playing all formats of the game, that’s going to be the winner for English cricket moving forward.”Malan said that the relentless nature of the existing schedule risks making county cricketers feel as though they are “going through the motions” rather than improving as players. “[We need] a structure and schedule where you can actually prepare properly for games and actually work on your game,” he said.”If you’re a player that is trying to get better at your game, there’s no time to work on your game and you’re burning yourself out. With less cricket at a higher intensity and the ability to actually train and prepare for those games, I think your bowlers will be fitter, they will be able to bowl quicker for longer periods, it will be more challenging for batters and you can actually improve your game.”Malan has played in the majority of T20 franchise leagues and said that the growing number of tournaments staged in the English winter – with South Africa’s SA20 and the UAE’s ILT20 the latest to launch – means that the domestic schedule needs to adapt accordingly.”Look at young players like Will Jacks who has come in and done so well in the Hundred and the T20 Blast,” he said. “He’s getting a lot of opportunities this winter. I know he’s got Test ambitions but if he starts doing really well and gets into the England white-ball stuff regularly and he’s playing around the world in the winter in three or four tournaments, by the time it comes to April, if he doesn’t get picked up in the IPL then he is probably knackered after playing three or four [Championship] games.”Something has to give for players like that. It has to make it appealing for players, to still want to play four-day cricket, scheduling-wise, so there is a bit of time between games for them to rest, recover and work on their games. You don’t want to lose a lot of cricket but you don’t want to get to the stage where people are saying ‘it’s too much, and I’d rather play XYZ.'”He cited the fact that England have only ever spent 12 months as the No. 1-ranked Test team by the ICC. “We can’t argue that the county system is working if we’ve only been No. 1 in the world for X amount of time,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s not working but if you’re looking from a pure stats point of view, you’d say it isn’t producing as well as you’d like.”We’ve produced some world-class cricketers but it’s how the English system can produce cricketers that are going to be playing cricket similar to Test cricket and testing them in all conditions, so that when they do make the step up, you’re not having to learn on the job.”Malan also revealed that he is in the process of agreeing a new contract with Yorkshire (his existing deal expires at the end of 2023) and that he does not intend to give up red-ball cricket in the near future. “There will come a time,” he said, “but I still enjoy four-day cricket. I still have a massive drive for that.”I’d still love to play Test cricket. Whether that’s done or not, it’s not up to me. I think it’s pretty much done, but we’ll find out and see how that works out. I still want to win trophies and have some goals that I want to achieve in terms of amount of runs and hundreds.”

An innings clock will be introduced for the BBL, while the Power Surge is set to come into the WBBL for the first time

Alex Malcolm29-Sep-2022The BBL and WBBL will finally have a Decision Review System in place for the coming season, while the Bash Boost point and X-Factor have been scrapped with the Power Surge set to come into the WBBL for the first time.Cricket Australia announced a raft of changes to the BBL and WBBL competitions on Thursday with an innings clock also to be introduced for the BBL only. The teams will need to bowl their 20 overs inside 79 minutes, minus some allowances, or else incur a penalty of only having four fielders outside the circle for the remainder of the innings.The BBL had long hoped to have DRS in the competition to bring it in line with the major T20 leagues around the world. But an attempt to introduce it last season was scuppered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with constant state border closures and scheduling changes preventing the necessary ball-tracking technology from being installed at the various venues around Australia.Under the DRS rules, the teams will be given one unsuccessful review per innings and 15 seconds to review any decision. Reviews will be retained for a decision that remains ‘Umpire’s call’.Related

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DRS will be in place for every BBL match this coming season but only in 24 of the 59 WBBL matches because of the broadcast arrangement. Only 24 WBBL matches will be produced by the host broadcaster Channel Seven with the rest of the matches being streamed online and simulcast on Foxtel. The streamed matches will not have the necessary technology available and will be played without DRS. CA released a statement saying “the league will continue to strive towards greater DRS coverage for future WBBL seasons” with the hope that the next broadcast deal, likely to be in effect in 2024-25 will mean that all WBBL matches will be televised and have DRS.WBBL has never had a Power Surge before with Tahlia McGrath likely to be a major beneficiary•Getty Images

The WBBL will feature the Power Surge for the first time in the competition’s history, with the traditional six-over powerplay to be reduced to four overs with a two-over surge introduced. The surge will be called by the batting team in the final ten overs of the innings with just two fielders outside the circle for those two overs. The surge has been a popular introduction to the BBL in recent seasons and CA has decided to add the innovation to the WBBL despite it not being part of international cricket.The Bash Boost and the X-Factor were not as popular innovations and CA has decided to scrap both after listening to feedback from teams and fans.Teams will now return to naming a standard playing XI, with only substitute fielders and concussion substitutes available as per normal, while competition points will revert to two for a win, one for a tie or no result and zero for a loss.Big Bash Leagues General Manager Alistair Dobson was pleased that DRS could finally be introduced to the BBL and WBBL.”The league is delighted to introduce DRS to every BBL game and the 24 simulcast Weber WBBL games, in line with the very best cricket competitions in the world,” Dobson said. “Implementing DRS has been a challenging task for the BBL, which is the most logistically complex T20 league in the world. That, plus the impact of the pandemic on travel and movement, has meant the technology has not been possible to introduce until this season.”Additionally, the league is pleased with the outcomes of the wider Playing Conditions review process, with the introduction of the Power Surge to WBBL and the BBL innings clock both major wins for fans.”We retain a clear desire to innovate and drive our leagues forward but are also willing to review decisions that have not realised the intended positive impact, such as the Bash Boost point and X-Factor substitution.”The WBBL gets underway on October 13 while the BBL will commence on December 13.

Stafanie Taylor is yet to recover from the injury she sustained during the series against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2022Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight are back in West Indies’ squad for the three-match Women’s ODI series against England in Antigua from December 4 to 9.While West Indies will welcome the return of these two experienced keeper-batters from injury, they will be without allrounder Stafanie Taylor, who is yet to recover fully from the injury she suffered during the third ODI against New Zealand in September.Related

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The selectors have also picked the uncapped left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz, who had taken part in a ten-day training camp with the West Indies players during the New Zealand series while not being part of the official squad.Shamilia Connell, Kyshona Knight, Natasha McLean and the uncapped fast bowler Jannillea Glasgow have been left out after being part of the squad against New Zealand, with the playing group downsized from 17 members to 14.The series is an important one for both West Indies and England, who are looking to bounce back after defeats in their respective opening bouts of the 2022-25 ICC Women’s Championship. While West Indies suffered a 2-1 loss to New Zealand, England were blanked 3-0 by India, with both defeats coming in home series.West Indies are currently in fifth place on the Women’s Championship table, and England are seventh among the eight teams who have played so far. Australia and Bangladesh are yet to begin their campaigns.The top five teams at the end of the 2022-25 cycle will qualify automatically for the 2025 ODI World Cup in India.”This series against England comes on the heels of the New Zealand tour to the West Indies and continues our important preparation for the upcoming tri-series against India and South Africa and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to follow,” lead selector Ann Browne-John said. “It gives the players a great opportunity to develop and push for final selection for the tri-series and World Cup.”West Indies ODI squad: Hayley Matthews (capt), Shakera Selman (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight (wk), Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Rashada Williams

Shamilia Connell and Shakera Selman also come back after injuries to bolster the pace attack

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2022Allrounder Stafanie Taylor and middle-order batter Britney Cooper have returned to West Indies’ squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series against South Africa and India. Shamilia Connell and Shakera Selman have also come back after injuries to bolster the pace attack, with West Indies naming 16 players for the tournament, which will act as their final preparation before the T20 World Cup.Taylor has been out of action since retiring hurt in the second ODI against New Zealand in September, and thus being ruled out of the entire five-match T20I series that followed. Cooper, on the other hand, last played for West Indies during the home series against South Africa in September 2021.”Our batting in the most recent series was less than par against a very good England bowling attack. We believe that with the return of some experienced batters, they will the able to support captain Hayley Matthews at the top of the order,” lead selector Ann Browne-John said of the squad.Related

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“The team had commendable performances [during the four ODIs] in South Africa in early 2022, and we know that the entire team will be drawing on that experience as they take on the home team and India in this tri-Series and then potentially again at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup also in South Africa.”Meanwhile, Connell had been left out of the side for three ODIs against England after going wicketless in two of the ODIs and a T20I against New Zealand. Although as per Browne-John, Connell was “expected to be ready to be considered for selection later in the series” after missing out on the first two of the five T20Is against England, she didn’t play any part in the remaining three matches either.Selman too had been ruled out of those T20Is after suffering an injury during the ODIs that preceded.West Indies’ squad otherwise wears a largely-familiar look, backed by the experience of captain Hayley Matthews, Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation, among the relatively newer faces like Cherry Ann Fraser.The tri-series in South Africa begins on January 21, with two round-robin matches followed by the final on February 2. All games will be played at Buffalo Park in East London. The T20 World Cup then commences on February 10, with the final squads for the tournament to be submitted by February 2.Squad: Hayley Matthews​ (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Chedean Nation, Cherry Ann Fraser, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams

Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and defending champions Gujarat Titans will be among the bidders

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jan-2023At least eight of the 10 men’s IPL franchises will be bidding to own teams in the Women’s IPL. The BCCI is set to announce the winning cities along with the franchises when it opens the sealed bids on January 25.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and defending IPL champions Gujarat Titans will be submitting bids. The two remaining IPL franchises – Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants – did not confirm whether they had bought the tender document and whether they would enter the bidding for the five-team Women’s IPL, which is scheduled to be launched in March.Related

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The IPL teams are not the only entities to have bought the tender document, which the BCCI put on sale from January 3. Interested bidders have until January 13 to submit questions, with January 23 the deadline to submit the technical bids for evaluation, which the BCCI will conduct along with the Mumbai-based law firm Argus Partners.The BCCI has listed 10 Indian cities and the venues in the tender, which allows a single party to bid for more than one city. There is no base price set, and bids will be accepted for a 10-year period (2023-32).Among the eligibility criteria listed in the tender document, the BCCI has said the audited net worth of the bidder must be at least INR 1000 crore as of March 31, 2022. Consortiums or joint-ventures companies, the BCCI has said, are not eligible.How will the bids be evaluated?
The BCCI has included a key clause in the selection of the winning bid, saying it would not be “obliged to accept highest monetary offer”. This is similar to the clause the ICC had laid down when it sold media rights for women’s global events for the 2023-27 period last year. The BCCI has stated it will look at the vision bidders have towards enhancing the profile and accelerating the growth of women’s cricket in India.Listing the objectives it desired in a potential successful bidder, the BCCI said: “establishing a stable, successful, financially secure, long-term Franchise to participate in the League; ensuring the widest coverage and the widest possible audience for the League; assisting in the development of the game of women’s cricket in India at all levels; maximizing and enhancing exposure, wherever possible, for each of the official sponsors of the League; increasing and enhancing exposure for women’s cricket in India both within India and the rest of the world.”The BCCI has earmarked March as the window for the WIPL in the tender. While the BCCI has not formally announced the dates for the inaugural season, it is expected to start around March 5 and finish around March 23.

The batter feels the attack-first mantra he has now instilled in his Test-match batting puts him in a better position defensively

Andrew McGlashan25-Feb-2023Travis Head had “robust” conversations with Australia’s selectors after he was surprisingly dropped for the opening Test in India but believes he has shown he can find success in challenging conditions amid a hasty switch to opening the batting.Head was left out in Nagpur despite a prolific home summer based on his poor returns in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year. He admitted that having worked hard to adapt his game ahead of the tour, he was shocked by the decision but swiftly returned to the side in Delhi albeit the reasoning was curiously linked as much to his bowling as batting.”The conversations were robust, I guess, and everyone has different opinions,” Head said. “But I respect the coaching staff and selectors. I have a really strong relationship with them so think that’s what made the conversations the way they went because there’s respect both ways and we are able to voice our opinions.Related

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“It’s something I didn’t expect coming here, but sometimes that happens and thought I was able to go through that week and prepare myself for another chance… Now it’s making the most of that.”Head made 12 in the first innings in Delhi before edging Mohammed Shami to slip and then produced a sparkling 43 when he opened in place of the concussed David Warner. It was an innings that had put Australia ahead in the game, only for things to come crashing down on the third morning after Head edged R Ashwin.Head’s outstanding form at home – where he has averaged 73.50 over the last two seasons – has come with a blistering approach which has seen him strike at 91.20. He struggled to replicate that in the subcontinent last year, going at 48.40 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but was encouraged by the way he was able to counter Ashwin in Delhi where he scored at better than a run-a-ball against him during the second evening flurry.”I was pleased with the way I was going forward and back, watching length, and a few things I’ve worked on,” Head said of his innings. “It was a small sample piece but over here small sample pieces can be a little bit of gold to hopefully push forward for the next two Tests.”Felt like the way I played the other day was a step forward in that direction. Would have loved to have done it in the previous series, but that’s development, that’s understanding, that’s watching other teams go about it and other players and trying to learn on the go with not much experience in the subcontinent.”Head feels the attack-first mantra that is now instilled in his Test-match batting also puts him in a better position defensively and it was not being able to commit to that philosophy that brought his downfall on earlier tours.”[In] Sri Lanka, especially, when it was more spin-friendly than Pakistan, I found myself sitting on the crease a little bit and probably looking more to defend and waiting to attack, whereas here I’ve come with the approach that I want to attack first and defend second,” he said. “When I do that, and I’ve found it in Australia, my feet move better and I’m in better positions.”With Warner having been ruled out of the final two Tests, Head is all but certain to continue to open the batting in Indore next week. While Warner was defiant about his own future when he returned to Australia, it is far from guaranteed he will have the opportunity to resume his Test career in the World Test Championship final – should Australia qualify – and the Ashes.Whether Head is a viable long-term option remains to be seen – he appears inked in as the ODI opener heading towards the 2023 World Cup – but having been jolted by his omission in the first Test, he is more determined than ever to make himself valuable in any role.”Honestly, after missing out in the first Test, I would bat anywhere the team needed me to get a game. I’ve always said that. I didn’t come here expecting to open the batting last innings but whether it’s opening or No. 5, I’ve got to find a way in both of them if needed for the team.”Australia had a final training session in Delhi on Saturday before flying to Indore, which was hurriedly handed the third Test in place of Dharamsala. Mitchell Starc is expected to return to replace absent captain Pat Cummins who has remained in Australia with his seriously ill mother while Cameron Green will also be back from injury.

Decision follows the independent review, conducted after West Indies’ early exit from the T20 World Cup last year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2023Following the independent review after West Indies’ first-round exit from the men’s T20 World Cup last year, CWI has decided to go the England route and appoint separate red- and white-ball coaches for the senior men’s team. The review, CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams said, “included a closer look at the roles of the current head coach position”.”We believe it is now necessary to split the role and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats,” Adams said in a statement. “The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides enough time for one individual to adequately plan, prepare and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed.”The recruitment process for both head coaches is expected to commence shortly, CWI said, adding that the red-ball coach would also be in charge of the West Indies ‘A’ team.Related

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Adams explained that the decision to have two separate head coaches was made based on the recommendation by the review group – comprising Patrick Thompson Jr (chair), Brian Lara and Mickey Arthur – that it would help improve preparation for all the teams.”Separating the roles will also provide the head coaches with more time to oversee players’ ongoing development away from tours directly, and through increased engagement and planning with suitable high-performance programmes and coaches,” Adams said.

No full-time coach since Phil Simmons left

Phil Simmons was the last full-time head coach of the West Indies men’s team, and he announced his decision to resign after what he called was the team’s “unfathomable” performance at the World Cup, though he stayed on to oversee West Indies’ Test tour of Australia soon after.In their opening match of the World Cup, West Indies were bowled out for just 118 chasing 161 against Scotland before managing to defend 153 for 7 against Zimbabwe, but Ireland easily overhauled their 146 for 5 to move into the next round.Then in Australia, they lost both Test matches, and after beating Zimbabwe away 1-0 in a two-Test series, they have gone down 2-0 in South Africa. They haven’t played white-ball internationals since the World Cup. Nicholas Pooran, their white-ball captain at the World Cup, has also since stepped down. Shai Hope and Rovman Powell have been named captains for ODIs and T20Is respectively, while Andre Coley has served as the interim head coach.

New Zealand were 164 for 5 in 18.5 overs thanks to Chapman’s unbeaten 71, before the weather intervened

Danyal Rasool20-Apr-2023Match abandoned A hailstorm in April, of all things, resulted in the fourth T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand being abandoned towards the tailend of the first innings. Mark Chapman’s unbeaten 42-ball 71 had spearheaded New Zealand’s innings after an early triple-strike from Imad Wasim put the visitors on the backfoot. The recovery had seen them post their highest total of the series with seven balls still to go, as New Zealand were 164 for 5 when the weather intervened.It was quite the intervention, too. Moments after Haris Rauf deceived Rachin Ravindra in the flight in the penultimate over to send him on his way, light drizzle began to condense on the Rawalpindi grass. The next batter would never be able to get in though, with the rain intensifying almost instantly. As the players scurried off the ground, spectators rushed for cover and groundstaff hurried onto the pitch, hailstones the size of ping-pong balls were peppering Rawalpindi, the groundstaff taking protection underneath the very covers they had hastened to bring out. With the ground bedecked in white, it was almost instantly obvious no further play would be possible.That means, somewhat remarkably, that this depleted New Zealand side stretch this five-match T20I series to the final game on Monday, where a victory would level the series. That did not appear likely when the visitors suffered two thumping defeats to start off the series, but the Pindi crowd is guaranteed a live decider when the teams reconvene on the other side of the Eid break.Pakistan had opted to field first on a surface that, in New Zealand captain Tom Latham’s words “looked a belter”, at a venue that saw stratospherically high scores in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League. But Latham’s side found themselves on the backfoot early on when Imad Wasim rocked them with three quick wickets. Latham miscued one to the boundary to be the first to fall before Will Young and Daryl Mitchell were both deceived by the pace and flight, and cleaned up soon before Imad was done with his spell. He’d bowl out straightaway, his four overs leaking just 19 runs and placing Pakistan firmly on top.That began to change when Chad Bowes hit his stride, taking on the dominant role in a fourth-wicket stand with Chapman that began to shift momentum back. Shadab came in for particular punishment in his third over, and a six off him brought up a 32-ball 50 for the opener before Shaheen Afridi returned to break through.But Chapman, the best batter for the visitors this series, had begun to crank through the gears, and was purring now. Successive boundaries off Haris Rauf helped him hit his stride before he took Zaman Khan to the cleaners, plundering 18 off his over. He’d brought up a half-century by now, and sparing no Pakistan bowler. Shaheen was carved through the offside for four, before Rauf was pummelled over deep midwicket just before the rains hit.It would all be forgotten as nature had its say, but Chapman’s form remains relevant to New Zealand’s chances of snatching an unlikely series draw.

Veteran fast bowler steps down ahead of this summer’s Ashes after decorated career

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2023Katherine Sciver-Brunt, the most prolific bowler in English women’s cricket, has announced her international retirement after a 19-year career.Sciver-Brunt, who made her England debut in 2004, played the last of her 267 international matches against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Newlands in February.In all, she claimed a total of 335 wickets across formats for England, comprising 170 in ODIs and 114 in T20Is – both record hauls for the country – and a further 51 in 14 Test appearances, the most by any bowler this century.In the course of her career, Sciver-Brunt won three World Cups – including a Player-of-the-Match performance in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2009 – and four Ashes series.Her announcement means that, having retired from Test cricket last summer, she will now play no part in this summer’s Ashes, which runs concurrently with the men’s series in June and July.Sciver-Brunt said: “Well here I am, 19 years later, at the end of my international journey. I thought I’d never be able to reach this decision but I have and it’s been the hardest one of my life.”I never had any dreams or aspirations to do what I’ve done, I only ever wished to make my family proud of me. And what I’ve achieved has gone way beyond that.”I have so much to be thankful for, cricket has given me a purpose, a sense of belonging, security, many golden memories and best friends that will last a lifetime. Of the trophies and titles I could have wished to achieve, I have reached them all, but my greatest achievement is the happiness that I have found in [wife] Nat.”It has been a huge honour representing England for so long and I’d like to thank all of the England cricket family past and present for making my time a special one. The supporters – you are awesome, without you we wouldn’t be able to do what it is that we love and the atmosphere you guys create is irreplaceable.”The biggest thanks I have though goes to my family, they are my biggest fans and greatest support without which I wouldn’t have made this journey at all.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Clare Connor, the ECB’s deputy CEO and England Women’s Managing Director – who was also Sciver-Brunt’s first England captain – said: “Katherine has done so much for the game of cricket and for women’s cricket in particular. She has been an unbelievable role-model, giving us everything she has for nearly 20 years.”When cricketers retire, we rightly celebrate their skill, their runs and wickets, their records and accolades. But what Katherine has given the game of cricket extends far beyond those things. Her most powerful impact has been through her human qualities – through her passion to take our sport forward, her care for her teammates, her desire to always come back better and stronger despite significant injury setbacks.”Through the time she has spent with fans, signing autographs, having her photograph taken with so many girls and boys who have been inspired by her. Many of those children will have watched Katherine play over the years and will have been inspired to start playing themselves. That’s an incredibly powerful legacy of which she should be so proud.”Katherine began her career in a completely different era from the one we are in now and we owe her a debt of gratitude for the part she has played in progressing our game, raising standards and bringing a new audience to women’s cricket.”She is quite simply a legend of our sport and I’d like to extend my thanks and the thanks of everyone at the ECB and across the game to her. We wish her all the best as she steps away from a remarkable international cricket career.”Sciver-Brunt had already announced her retirement from regional cricket, but she will continue to play in the Hundred.