Queensland were looking to survive for a draw, but Victoria eventually won a pulsating contest

AAP19-Nov-2023Will Sutherland and Scott Boland combined for eight wickets to lead Victoria to a pulsating 113-run Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland at the MCG.Chasing 272 for victory in 87 overs, Queensland were dismissed for 158 in 81.5 overs late on the final day, with Sutherland (4-32 off 19 overs) and Boland (4-49) proving crucial.Victoria’s second win of the season lifted them into fourth spot, with Queensland now last.”It was a really good team performance, probably one of the best wins I’ve played in,” Sutherland said. “Unbelievable effort from the boys.”Victoria started the day at 156 for 6 in their second innings, and they added 34 in seven overs before declaring at 190 for 9.Matt Renshaw was the first Queenslander to fall when he edged Boland to Sutherland at first slip. Joe Burns should have been dismissed next ball, but Sutherland dropped a tough chance at slip.The dropped catch proved costly – not for how many runs Burns scored, but by how much time he was able to chew up. Burns scored 9 off 55 balls before edging Boland behind, 22 overs after he was first dropped. Sutherland made up for that earlier miss by snaring the scalps of Bryce Street (46 off 134 balls) and Jack Clayton to reduce Queensland to 86 for 4.He wasn’t done yet. The 24-year-old took a catch low and to his left at slip off the bowling of Boland to remove the dangerous Usman Khawaja.Sutherland, who scored a crucial 66 with the bat in Victoria’s second innings, then trapped Jimmy Peirson lbw for 16. He had his fourth wicket when James Bazley edged one behind – with Peter Handscomb’s fumble at second slip snapped up by Will Pucovski.At 146 for 8 with 12.4 overs remaining, it was all about survival for Queensland. They still had two wickets in hand with 33 balls remaining in the match.But their hopes of salvaging a draw were dashed in the blink of an eye when Fergus O’Neill removed Gurinder Sandhu and Mitchell Swepson in consecutive balls, sparking wild celebrations.”It’s never nice to lose a game,” Queensland captain Khawaja said. “We were probably never in the contest to win the game. But credit to Victoria, they played the game really well. I thought they declared at really good times, they allowed the game to move forward. They deserved the win.”

The pair took nine wickets between them to restrict South Africa to their lowest ODI total at home

Sidharth Monga17-Dec-20232:09

Arshdeep: Last night, we were thinking of restricting South Africa under 400

India’s pace attack for the Pink Day ODI came in with seven wickets between them, but took only 13 overs to double that tally and then went past it to bowl South Africa out for 116, their lowest total at home. India chased down the total with ease to hand South Africa only their third defeat in Pink Day ODIs.While Arshdeep Singh took five wickets and Avesh Khan four, Mukesh Kumar was no less incisive as he started with a first over in which Reeza Hendricks couldn’t lay bat on ball.Both sides wanted to bat first because the match was being played on the same strip that hosted the final T20I between the same sides three days ago. On that night, India’s spinners enjoyed plenty of assistance, both sideways as well as up and down.In a day match, though, South Africa turned out to be the unfortunate side to win the toss and have their death wish on a treacherous pitch with both seam and swing readily available to go with uneven bounce.Still nursing the World Cup heartbreak, the losing finalists and the losing semi-finalists came into the match with their frontline fast bowlers resting and preparing for the Test series. South Africa retained their middle-order core, but India’s line-up looked completely raw. Captain KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were the only ones who played the World Cup final.Rahul was in action immediately as Mukesh appealed vehemently first ball. The inswinger seemed to have trapped Hendricks right in front but two sounds misled both umpire and Rahul. It was neither given out nor was the decision reviewed.Mukesh continued to play around with both his edges in the rest of the over, a repeat of the third T20I three days ago when Hendricks couldn’t touch Mohammed Siraj for a whole first over. Arshdeep didn’t move the ball as much as Mukesh did. Hendricks saw a wide one and had a go, and ended up playing it on for an eight-ball duck. Arshdeep then bowled the perfect inswinger to trap Rassie van der Dussen in front for a golden duck.4:40

Manjrekar’s praise for Arshdeep and Avesh

Aiden Markram survived the hat-trick ball and went on to add 39 for the third wicket with Tony de Zorzi, who countered the movement by walking at the bowlers and then responded to the consequent short balls by punching and pulling them for two sixes. Visually he looked at odds with Markram, who struggled to come to terms with the uneven bounce from the pitch.Eventually de Zorzi made a mistake on 28 off 21, pulling a ball not short enough, and the big top edge settled with Rahul. Arshdeep continued the damage with seam movement back in to Heinrich Klaasen, taking his leg bail with the last ball of the tenth over.Usually in ODI cricket, even if the new ball does a lot, the movement seems to die down pretty quickly. Here, though, after an average swing of 1.4 degrees and average seam of 1.2 degrees in the first ten overs, the ball was still doing plenty for Avesh, the first-change bowler. At the start of the 11th, one nipped back in and had Markram playing on when looking for a regulation single to deep third. The next ball was a peach, seaming away like a legcutter, getting Wiaan Mulder lbw.Arshdeep bowled two more overs, but couldn’t get the fifth wicket he was after. Avesh, though, kept striking. In his seven-ball stay, David Miller was given two sucker balls. He resisted the first one, but ended up edging the other. Keshav Maharaj soon chipped one to cover as it got big on him.Mukesh went for a few in his second spell as Andile Phehlukwayo middled a few shots, which gave Arshdeep a second shot at the five-for. In his last over, Arshdeep, who had taken no wickets in his first three ODIs, picked up the fifth, trapping Phehlukwayo lbw on a slog.Avesh got one more over to try to get his own five-for, but Tabraiz Shamsi enjoyed luck with a couple of slogs. Kuldeep Yadav then wrapped the innings up with a wrong’un.Arshdeep said they were themselves caught by surprise at how much the ball did for the seamers, and once they realised that, it was all about bowling a disciplined line and length and letting the pitch do the rest.The conditions weren’t quite as helpful by the time the second innings began at 1pm. It showed in how South Africa pulled their lengths back pretty early. They did manage to get the early wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad, though.In a short innings, Sai Sudharsan found enough time to make an impressive debut. The first ball he received was a half-volley, which he cover-drove for four. Soon he was reprieved as his bat hitting his boot created two noises to mislead both the umpire and the fielding team, who didn’t review it.The class was soon apparent, though, as he drove with ease, used his feet against spin, pulled down every chance he got and brought up his half-century off just 41 balls. Perhaps the on-drive against Tabraiz Shamsi’s turn, after having danced down the pitch, stood out.Iyer, Sudharsan’s partner for 88 runs, contributed to the highlight reel with a lovely cover-drive on the up as Burger looked to tuck him up. He scored 52 off 45 and perished as he looked to end the game in a hurry. India still won with more than 33 overs to spare.

Pakistan inserted the hosts for the third time in a row, and failed to chase the target down on all three occasions

Vishal Dikshit17-Jan-2024A blizzard of sixes off Finn Allen’s bat tumbled records in Dunedin, where his second T20I hundred deflated Pakistan and helped New Zealand pile on 224 for a comfortable 45-run win in the third T20I. For the third game in a row, New Zealand were put in to bat; and for the third time in a row, Pakistan failed to chase down the score by relying on Babar Azam again, this time to lose the series which still has two games to go.New Zealand had been going hard with the bat all series, and Allen took it up a level on Wednesday by smashing 16 of their 18 sixes and recording the highest individual T20I score for the hosts by going past Brendon McCullum’s 123 from the 2012 World Cup. Allen’s 16 sixes are also the joint-highest in a T20I innings, which helped him sprint to a 26-ball fifty and then a 48-ball century.Pakistan also helped Allen by bowling too short even with the new ball, and the opening batter laid into their attack with his belligerent pulls and golf-like swings down the ground.In reply, only Mohammad Rizwan briefly gave Babar some support with his 24 but once he fell in the eighth over, no other Pakistan batter lasted more than 10 balls while Babar was out there. Babar fell for 58 while trying to up the scoring as the asking rate soared and Pakistan fell short again.

Allen demolishes Pakistan again

Allen had been going hard at the top earlier too, and with his highest T20 score, he already has 373 runs from five innings in the format this year. His assault started in the third over when he made the ball disappear beyond the square-leg boundary with consecutive sixes off Shaheen Afridi.Haris Rauf would have thought he would have a good day when he dismissed Devon Conway in the next over that saw just two runs, but his second over – the last of the powerplay – was smashed for 28, with 27 of those coming off Allen’s bat. Whether Rauf pitched it short or on good length, Allen put them away for two fours and three sixes in the over to help New Zealand post 67 in the powerplay.Coming into the XI for this game, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim combined for two boundary-less overs after that, but Allen, who crossed 50 meanwhile, then charged against Nawaz for two sixes in the ninth over. Wasim and Zaman Khan managed to keep Allen quiet with a few yorkers and slower ones to pull the scoring rate under ten briefly, but Allen took off again once Rauf returned.He raced from 72 to 91 in just five deliveries by smashing Rauf for three sixes in an over that went for 23, and went past a hundred with a six and a four over covers off Afridi. All this, and there were seven overs still left in the innings. Even though Tim Seifert, who came in for the injured Kane Williamson, and Daryl Mitchell fell in successive overs, there was no stopping Allen. He belted Nawaz for consecutive sixes in the 15th over, and Wasim too for the same treatment when the fast bowler erred towards the pads.It was finally an accurate length ball from Zaman that lacked pace and stopped the carnage when Allen chopped on, after the previous ball – a full toss – had been smashed into the sight screen. Allen’s 137 off 62 also featured five fours, which were hardly the highlight of the knock. His liking for the leg side was evident no matter where the ball was pitched to him – 13 of his 16 sixes landed on that area, where he smashed 95 (69%) of his total runs.Wickets continued to fall after Allen’s in New Zealand’s attempt to score quick runs. Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips fell in the space of seven balls as Pakistan conceded just 13 runs in the last 12 deliveries to stop New Zealand just short of their first-T20I score of 226.Babar Azam hit his third consecutive fifty of the series•Getty Images

Babar the lone man standing for Pakistan

Babar was left to do the bulk of the scoring without much support from the other end, amid a stiff asking rate to keep up with. The promising Saim Ayub fell to Tim Southee again after miscuing his slower ball, before Babar and Rizwan kept the chase going. Rizwan’s two meaty sixes would have given Pakistan hope as he and Babar put on 39 off 28 for the second wicket to keep them ticking at above eight runs an over, but when Santner fired one wide of the crease after seeing Rizwan charge, Seifert completed the stumping to dent Pakistan.Fakhar could have been dismissed next over too had his leading edge off Ish Sodhi not landed in no-man’s land behind the wicketkeeper, but his luck soon ran out when he miscued Lockie Ferguson to mid-off. That left Pakistan needing 130 from 55 balls.Babar unfurled sublime strokes like he did in his 57 and 66 in the first two games – like some wristy flicks and lofted strokes off Sodhi, even as his handsome pull off Matt Henry was probably his shot of the day. His third fifty in a row was again not enough because Azam Khan holed out to a sharp catch from Phillips at deep midwicket at the end of the 13th over, and seven balls later, Iftikhar Ahmed fell short for a quick run with a lazy attempt after he drove the ball to cover from where Santner fired in a direct hit.Babar unleashed two more fours off Sodhi before falling in the same over, the 16th, and Pakistan’s task of scoring another 91 runs off 25 balls was not going to happen despite some boundaries from Nawaz and Afridi.

Both teams go heavy on data and have had success because of it

Danyal Rasool17-Mar-2024

Big picture: Data-centric teams to duke it out in the final

We find ourselves on the biggest day of the Pakistani cricket calendar again. A league that once glittered with promise has, in truth, little more than flickered this year. Wedged in between other T20 tournaments with superior financial muscle, the PSL has been jostled around, but just about maintains its grip on this little sliver of a window in February and March. The players who come might not be as glamorous, the crowds not as plentiful, but this is a genuine sporting product built out of organic support, with fan bases cultivated over the best part of a decade. And they’re not going anywhere.It’s perhaps surprising this is the first PSL final between Islamabad United and Multan Sultans. This is, in some ways, the PSL’s equivalent to Ajax against Barcelona – a side who blazed a pioneering trail, and another who followed in their wake and ultimately overtook them. United’s progressive, analytical model is the foundation upon which the Sultans built their kingdom, and this is their fourth PSL final since the last time United reached one.This year, for the most part, the pattern repeated itself through the group stages, with Sultans putting clear daylight between themselves and the rest, and securing themselves a final berth at the first opportunity. While United added Mike Hesson to their coaching staff as they looked for a reset following a lean five years that have seen them fail to make a final, there was little sign things had changed in the group stages.Still, Shadab Khan’s side got their act together when it mattered most, winning their last four games on the trot to qualify for the knockout stages and then, crucially, they powered through, defying a losing playoff record in the last five years. That this run included a nervy win over the Sultans to keep themselves alive cannot have hurt.Naseem Shah looks to be back to his best•PCB

Both sides have ironed out their weaknesses through the long group stages so in some ways, this game, like all others, depends on the level of United’s performance, with the gap between their floor and ceiling higher than any other side in the competition. Sultans, on the other hand, have a ruthlessly consistent streak running through them which makes it exceptionally hard to roll them over, though United will be buoyed by their superior final record.If the last two finals were a triumph of heart and soul, this is the year of a reversion to the cerebral. The headline is the data nerds and the numbers gurus have their league back, though, of course, to solely attribute Sultans and United’s success to that is to be dismissive of the work each side has put in between the draft and the final. Sultans boast perhaps the most astute white-ball coach and captain in the land in Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Rizwan, while United have plumped for Hesson, protégé of Dean Jones himself. They’ve made a point of attributing part of their success to engaging Cricviz for a more rigorously analytical approach to the way they understand data, and it’s got them to the cusp of glory.Few can call the final based on how little there is to choose between these two sides at their best. But all can certainly enjoy it.

Form guide

Islamabad United WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Multan Sultans WWLLW

In the spotlight: Naseem Shah and Usama Mir

If Shaheen Shah Afridi took his time working his way back to full steam after a significant injury, Naseem Shah required no easing in period. This PSL was the first competitive action for the fast bowler in six months, and yet his pace, accuracy and composure have all picked up from where they left off. In a tournament where spinners have dominated, most fast bowlers have found success by taking the pace off. But not Naseem. He understands he is most dangerous when he is running in at full pelt. Only four bowlers have taken more wickets than him, and none at a better economy rate. We all know he’s back, but Naseem will want to make doubly sure with a trophy in hand.Usama Mir is a vitrtual shoo-in for Player of the Tournament•PSL

Usama Mir is one big performance away from virtually guaranteeing he finishes with the Player of the Tournament Award. After coming off a difficult time internationally, Mir has been the standout spinner in a tournament where plenty of names might have expected to give him competition. One off-colour performance aside, Sultans have been able to depend on his consistency and quality, keeping the runs in check while making regular inroads. Ten of his 11 games have seen him pick up wickets, and his 23 for the tournament put him five clear of anyone else. That six-wicket haul against Lahore Qalandars may well be the standout, but it’s certainly no aberration for a legspinner at the top of his game this month.

Team news: Hales or Munro for United?

Alex Hales’ lack of form makes him the only real question mark for a United line-up that has won four games on the trot. If Colin Munro has shaken off a leg injury, expect two New Zealanders to open United’s innings.Islamabad United: 1 Alex Hales/Colin Munro, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Agha Salman, 4 Shadab Khan (capt), 5 Imad Wasim, 6 Azam Khan (wk), 7 Haider Ali, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Hunain Shah, 11 Obed McCoySultans have to wrestle with whether to play Khushdil Shah or Tayyab Tahir in a middle order with a slightly elongated tail. Neither was needed significantly in the one game apiece that they started, but fine margins in a final – as Sultans know better than anyone – may make all the difference.Multan Sultans: 1 Yasir Khan, 2 Mohammad Rizwan (capt and wk), 3 Usman Khan, 4 Johnson Charles, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Tayyab Tahir/Khushdil Shah, 7 Chris Jordan, 8 David Willey, 9 Usama Mir, 10 Mohammad Ali, 11 Abbas Afridi

Pitch and conditions

The game starts late as all Ramzan games have. Surfaces have tended to slow down slightly as the night wears on, but not by enough to affect decision-making at the toss. The temperature is rising as spring kicks in, but Monday evening should be cool and pleasant, with no rain expected.

Stats and trivia

• Of the five maiden overs bowled this PSL, Naseem has delivered two of them
• While Sultans have reached three finals to Islamabad United’s two, United have a superior record in the trophy match. They have won each of their two finals, with Sultans triumphing once in three such matches

Cricket’s global union has described the landscape of T20 leagues as the ‘Wild West’ when it comes to player payments

Matt Roller27-Mar-2024The PCB has denied that there has ever been a delay in player payments in the PSL, following a report by cricket’s global players’ union which registered reports of late or non-payment across several major franchise leagues over the last 24 months.On Wednesday morning, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) launched a “leagues hub”, which is designed to be a resource for players, their agents, and players’ associations to help them navigate what they described as the “Wild West” of global franchise leagues.FICA said that one player in four has experienced payment issues in sanctioned leagues and that it has received reports of payment issues in a number of major franchise tournaments. These include the IPL and WPL, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Lanka Premier League, Canada’s Global T20, Major League Cricket and the Abu Dhabi T10, as well as the PSL.Related

• Faulkner leaves PSL after payment row with PCB

Usman Wahla, the PCB’s director of international cricket operations, denied that the PSL has ever paid players late. He told ESPNcricinfo: “There is no – and never has been – any delay in player payments in any of our nine [PSL] seasons… we have written to FICA to rectify this in their document.”The PSL’s contract terms stipulate that players should receive 70% of their fee within seven days of their arrival in Pakistan, and the remaining 30% within 40 days of their final league match.The PCB had previously denied any issue with late payments across the PSL’s history when James Faulkner, the Australian allrounder, pulled out of the final stages of the 2022 season alleging that the board had failed to honour his contract. “In the seven years of the HBL Pakistan Super League, no player has ever complained about the nonfulfillment of the PCB’s contractual obligations,” the PCB said at the time.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Tom Moffat, FICA’s chief executive, said, “The Hub reflects where we have had issues reported to us either directly or via our regular global player and agent survey data.”The feedback we receive from players and agents on both PSL and IPL is generally very positive. The majority of the late and non-payment issues we see are in smaller and start-up leagues.”According to the FICA’s report, players have also faced payment issues in the IPL and the WPL•BCCI

Moffat had earlier said in a press release: “The growth of domestic leagues around the world has been a great thing for cricket and has provided a number of new opportunities for players. However, inconsistencies with the treatment of players have led to the landscape being considered by many as the ‘Wild West’.”FICA continues to advocate for fit for purpose global regulation and increased accountability in the domestic leagues landscape to protect all stakeholders, including players. This should include contract minimum standards and effective pay enforcement mechanisms, for example.”In the meantime we want [to] play our role in supporting players, their associations, and agents, by providing information in the Leagues Hub to assist their decision making. We also welcome engagement from domestic leagues who wish to work directly with players collectively to raise standards and ensure their league aligns with international best practice in an increasingly competitive market.”The BCCI was contacted for comment in response to FICA’s findings that players have faced late or non-payment issues in both of the major franchise leagues which it governs: the IPL and the WPL.

It was another famous Gujarat Titans victory, in front of a home crowd of over eighty thousand

Alagappan Muthu24-Mar-2024
Keep your eyes on Shubman Gill. The captain. With Mumbai Indians on 107 for 2 after 12 overs, chasing 169, he barracked his team to get back in the game. And boy, did they ever.A batting line-up that is the envy of the T20 world came undone even with conditions pretty much in their favour, with two set batters at the crease and dew all over the park. And Titans, who had less than 8% chance of victory, went on to achieve a famous one. Or maybe it isn’t. Because they keep doing this. They keep defying the odds.Here they had their former captain – the one who built them into IPL winners – give them a huge scare. Hardik Pandya went 6 and 4 to start the last over when 19 were required. He looked in the mood. His old coach Ashish Nehra, who spent a vast majority of the chase patrolling the boundary, issuing instructions – seemingly spoon-feeding Spencer Johnson what he had to do in a 19th over that produced two of the five wickets that fell in the last 13 balls – turned away. He couldn’t watch.But he should have. Because Umesh Yadav, who doesn’t really bowl at the death, took full advantage of the two-bouncers-an-over rule and sent one up at Hardik’s right ear, which, even with his power, only went as far as the fielder at long-on. Eighty thousand and eighty one people roared in unison. They sensed it. They sensed that yet another incredible win was theirs.

Pace off, game on

This game turned between overs 13 and 17 in the chase. Because only one of them yielded more than a-run-a-ball.R Sai Kishore, who doesn’t always make the Titans XI but has never come across like he’s been on the outside looking in, produced a very mature performance. He took out Rohit Sharma with some style, slowing his pace right down, pulling his length right back, and having an excellent player of spin so badly reaching for the ball that he fell over in his crease as he played the sweep.Sai Kishore picked up the all-important wicket of Rohit Sharma•BCCI

Rashid Khan took over from there on and created a moment that signalled the shifting of the balance. Mumbai’s best power-hitter, Tim David, was hidden from the strike because he has been averaging 7.6 against legspin since IPL 2022. This was the 17th over and the required rate was still in the eight-and-a-bit range. The batting side had six wickets in hand. They really shouldn’t have been under pressure with an equation like that.But they were and the wickets as a result of that pressure went to Mohit Sharma, who is a wonderful case study because his biggest strength goes against his job description. The fast bowler who is far more dangerous when he bowls his slower ball. That came in very handy on a two-paced pitch. He dismissed David with an offcutter-boucner that rose up to the batter’s helmet and took away all his power.A Titans comeback, which only ever looked fanciful till then, became reality.

The story of the first innings

The Titans innings was a bit staccato. Five of their 20 overs produced five or fewer runs. Four others produced 60 – including 30 back-to-back from the 10th and 11th – and 19 from the 18th over where Luke Wood lost his plans. The field was set for the slower ball, his slower ball went for six, he went for pace, and it was too easy for Rahul Tewatia with third in the circle. A two-paced pitch – which kept low too at times – was creating this kind of game.Gill made a fast start (31 off 22) and Sai Sudharsan (45 off 39) kept away the doubt that fills a batter’s mind when very few of the shots they play go for boundaries. He hit only four and his strike rate was 115 but in between innings he mentioned that the ball was holding up in the pitch and keeping low as well, and that they weren’t too displeased with the total they had got to.

Bumrah magic in vain

Jasprit Bumrah bowled only one of the first six overs and perhaps that’s why they yielded 47 runs. He struck with a glorious yorker thudding into the base of Wriddhiman Saha’s middle stump. This was vintage from perhaps the best cricketer on the planet right now. The most inimitable one anyway.Jasprit Bumrah’s double-wicket 17th over put the brakes on Gujarat Titans’ scoring•BCCI

Bumrah’s dismissal of David Miller contained even more of his genius. He has that awkward action. He has unbelievable pace (for a guy who basically walks for about half his run-up). He has the best yorker in the business. The batter has all this in mind when he takes strike. And is completely unprepared for the slower ball.Miller was done. He was cooked. His body moving one way – because his feet were stuck on the crease, worried about the high-pace ball, maybe the yorker – and his bat moving the other – responding to the utter lack of pace, wandering so far in front of his body – his balance lost to the night. And so too his wicket.Bumrah finished with figures of 4-0-14-3. All of them were one over spells. He was given no opportunity to build rhythm because he can be peak right from the get-go. It was unthinkable at that point that he’d also be needed out there with bat, but you always run the risk of that when you play Titans.

Katie George, Grace Potts star with the ball in 21-run win over Western Storm

ECB Reporters Network22-May-2024Central Sparks 168 for 6 (Freeborn 68) beat Western Storm 147 (Gibson 40, George 4-36, Potts 3-35) by 21 runs Abbey Freeborn scored a swashbuckling half-century to propel Central Sparks to a 21-run Charlotte Edwards Cup victory over Western Storm beneath the floodlights at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton.The 27-year-old opener top-scored with a superb 40-ball 68 and dominated stands of 63 and 57 with Davina Perrin and Eve Jones for the second and third wickets respectively as Sparks posted 168 for 6 after being put in on a sound track.Cast in supporting roles, Perrin contributed a useful 26 and Jones made 38, while Chloe Skelton took 2 for 31 and Amanda-Jade Wellington, the pick of the Storm bowlers, returned figures of 1 for 22 from four overs.Eager to prove a point after missing out on a place in the England ODI squad, Dani Gibson threatened to make a game of it when scoring a quick-fire 40, but former Storm all-rounder Katie George removed her and finished with impressive figures of 4 for 36 as Sparks took wickets at regular intervals to turn the screw. Grace Potts weighed in with 3 for 35 as Storm were dismissed for 147 in 18.3 overs.Victory means Sparks, who take on Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Monday, have now won their opening two matches and top the table, while Storm head to Beckenham and a showdown with South East Stars still seeking their first win.Unperturbed by the loss of Ami Campbell in the first over, Freeborn and the in-form Perrin took full advantage of the fielding restrictions to advance the score to 53-1 at the end of the six-over powerplay as Sparks got off to an excellent start with the bat. Especially severe on anything short or wide, the big-hitting Freeborn cut a half volley from Gibson to the boundary before harvesting back-to-back fours off Sophia Smale’s slow left arm as the visitors wrestled back the initiative.Buoyed by her match-winning 79 not out against Sunrisers three days earlier, Perrin attempted to match Freeborn blow-for-blow, twice driving Alex Griffiths to the boundary and straight-hitting Smale for another eye-catching boundary as the second wicket pair raised a 50 partnership from 31 balls. The stand was worth 63 when off spinner Skelton engineered a breakthrough in the eighth over, inducing Perrin to sky a catch to cover and depart for a 20-ball 26 that included a quartet of fours.With Wellington plying her leg breaks at the other end, Storm took the pace off in a bid to stem the flow of runs during the middle overs, but Sparks were still handily-placed on 77 for 2 at the halfway point. Freeborn went to 50 from 34 balls, reaching that landmark with her seventh four, an aerial off-drive at the expense of Smale as the total moved into three figures in the 13th. She celebrated with another four, this time behind square, before hoisting Smale high over deep mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Storm supporters breathed a collective sigh of relief when Freeborn drove expansively at a ball from Skelton and was held by Sophie Luff at cover with the score on 124 in the 14th. Having proved a willing accomplice in a high-octane alliance of 57 in 6.1 overs, Jones now picked up the cudgels, smiting Skelton for an imposing maximum over deep square and dominating a partnership of 26 in 14 balls for the fourth wicket with Courtney Webb.She had smashed 38 from 26 deliveries and accrued five fours and a six when she was run out by Wellington’s throw from the deep to afford Storm breathing space. The home side then made good their breakthrough, Griffiths and Wellington accounting for Katie George and Emily Arlott in quick succession as Sparks ran out of steam at the death. But they already had more than enough.In urgent need of a good start, Storm kept pace with the required rate thanks to an expansive partnership of 39 for the second wicket between Gibson and Niamh Holland, these two mustering a combined tally of eight boundaries during a powerplay which yielded 58 runs for the loss of Emma Corney.Holland was bowled by former Storm all-rounder George for 15, but Gibson still found the boundary with sufficient regularity to keep the home side on track, the England all-rounder harvesting seven fours in a 21-ball innings of 40.But she was unable to go on and post the meaningful score that the situation required, pursuing a leg-side delivery from George and offering a catch behind, while Nat Wraith went in the next over, directing a leading edge to short mid-wicket as Hannah Baker reduced Storm to 67 for 4 in the eighth. Generating express pace, George then struck a crucial blow, bowling Luff without scoring and further reducing the home to 79 for 5.With Fran Wilson unable to bat owing to a concussion injury, Smale joined Griffiths in the middle with 89 needed from 67 balls. It proved too big an ask, Potts accounting for both in the space of two overs from the River End to render Wellington’s spirited knock of 31 not out inconsequential.

Offspinner impressed at Under-19 World Cup in January, having progressed through academy ranks

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2024Farhan Ahmed, the England Under-19 offspinner and younger brother of Rehan Ahmed, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Nottinghamshire, his first senior contract with the county.Farhan, 16, is the second Academy product to sign permanent terms with the club in recent months, after Freddie McCann joined the playing staff in November, and comes after a run of appearances for the club’s Second XI, in between his academic studies, over the past two seasons.”There is no doubt that this is an exciting time for Farhan and the club,” Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, said. “He is a player with bags of talent and a high ceiling in the game. He’s a grounded individual, though, and he knows the work starts now for him to fulfil that potential in the years ahead.”He’s focused on forging his own path in the game, and he’ll have our full support as he begins to do that.”Like his elder brother Rehan – who was England’s youngest Test debutant, aged 18 years and 126 days, when he played at Karachi in December 2022 – Farhan was just 15 when he featured in England’s Under-19 World Cup campaign in South Africa in January.”I’m obviously very happy and excited to have signed this contract – it is something I’ve been working towards since I started playing cricket,” Farhan said. “For it to be for my home county is a dream come true, too. The history of the club is clear, and to be part of it myself is something I am looking forward to.”I’ve seen other players make that step from the Academy onto the pro staff then play first-team cricket, which gives me confidence that I can do the same in the years ahead.”Equally, I don’t want to look too far ahead. I’ll do my best to take every chance I’m given and keep improving as a player in all aspects, while I hope I can help put Nottinghamshire in winning positions when I get the opportunities.”Farhan joined Nottinghamshore’s academy in 2022, having taken 86 wickets in 57 games for the county’s Under-18s.”Farhan has been with us for seven years now, and his talent has been obvious across that time,” Matt Wood, the Elite Pathway Manager, said. “He is a clever bowler – he’s very mature in that sense – and his trajectory over the last couple of years has been exceptional.”It’ll be another step up for him to play regularly with the senior squad, but his focus and attitude is second to none, and that’ll help him in that transition.”

Blistering half-century seals thriller off final ball as Hammond 66 goes in vain

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2024Hampshire 177 for 5 (Howell 62*, Smith 3-35) beat Gloucestershire 176 for 9 (Hammond 66, Wheal 4-35) by five wicketsBenny Howell’s brutal half-century took down his former Gloucestershire team-mates to keep Hampshire Hawks’ Vitality Blast hopes alive.All-rounder Howell had already taken two wickets as Hampshire fought back to restrict their visitors – who have never won a T20 at Utilita Bowl – to 176.But he then clubbed four sixes and five fours to equal his T20 best of 62 not out to start a south coast party.The Hawks’ five-wicket win put them four points adrift of the qualification places with three matches to play, while fourth-placed Gloucestershire remain two points behind Essex.Miles Hammond and Cameron Bancroft saw off a couple of tricky new ball overs before tucking into their work after Gloucestershire had chosen to bat.Neither flaunted any flair but used timing and a lightning outfield to pick a boundary or two an over – as 49 stress-free runs came in the powerplay.But where Hammond ticked into gear – albeit surviving a couple of drops – Australia Bancroft came a cropper when Howell chopped one through him to end 92-run stand, Gloucestershire’s best opening partnership versus the Hawks.Hammond went past 350 runs in this year’s Blast and a seventh T20 fifty – coming in 36 balls – but the visitors went from looking at setting 200 to an almighty collapse.All told it saw eight wickets fall in 33 balls, with the vast majority of them caught slogging to fulfil the double-hundred prophecy.Scotland international Brad Wheal – now the owner of 50 T20 wickets for Hampshire. was the chief destroyer with four wickets. His figures of four for 35 were only ruined by a late six and four from Ben Charlesworth.Charlesworth was a rare Gloucestershire success in the second half with his 39 off 19 taking them to a par, but under what they had looked set for, 176.In reply, Ben McDermott started strongly by pumping fellow Aussie down the ground for a maximum, but James Vince strangling a pull shot behind off the last ball of the powerplay stemmed the hosts’ momentum.The following six overs went for 27 runs as Tom Smith led a Boa-like tightening on the Hawks.Tom Prest reverse swept to point and McDermott and Toby Albert both thumped to long off as Smith struck in his first three overs with analysis of three for 14.But a switch of ends for his last saw Howell explode with a pair of sixes in a 22-run over to take the equation to 63 off 30 balls, and swung the pendulum.Howell continued his assault against Marchant de Lange with another two huge hits and was also dropped by wicketkeeper James Bracey – his first Hampshire half-century coming in 22 balls.Joe Weatherley had been the onlooker for much of the fifty stand and fell when de Lange parted his stumps.A five-run over from Matt Taylor meant 31 was needed from the last two overs but Howell recharged with James Fuller to make it 14 off the last.It was taken down to four off the last delivery, which Howell scooped to the boundary to celebrate by ripping off his helmet.

Teenage spinner claims ten wickets on Notts debut but contest ends in high-scoring draw

ECB Reporters Network01-Sep-2024Surrey saw their romp towards a third consecutive Division One title lose a little momentum as they were forced to settle for a draw against relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire in the Vitality County Championship at Trent Bridge.On a day when their teenage off-spinner Farhan Ahmed’s 10-wicket match haul claimed a 159-year-old record set by no less a cricketing legend than WG Grace, the home side, who had been set a target of 298 to win from a minimum 48 overs when Surrey declared at 177 for nine in their second innings, were 121 without loss when the sides shook hands on a draw at 5pm, openers Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater having each made half-centuries.The result means that Surrey’s lead of 35 points at the start of this round of matches, after winning seven of their previous eight matches, is cut to 24 thanks to Somerset’s victory over Durham at Taunton. Surrey and Somerset meet at Taunton next week.At the other end of the table, after Warwickshire and Worcestershire both won, the points taken for the draw – a merit worthy achievement after trailing by 120 on first innings – leaves Nottinghamshire 10 points ahead of Lancashire in the battle to avoid being relegated alongside Kent. All sides have three matches to come.Rory Burns made 71 to go with his first-innings 161 with Liam Patterson-White finishing with five for 94 before the declaration came, but the Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner’s achievement was again upstaged by his young team-mate Ahmed, with whom he shared all 53 overs of the Surrey second innings.Already in the record books on his Championship debut as the youngest player to bag five wickets or more in a first-class match in Britain, he achieved another mark of distinction, arguably even more prestigious, when he claimed Jordan Clark as his 10th wicket of the match.This enabled him to replace Grace as the youngest to take 10 or more wickets in a first-class match in Britain – in fact anywhere other than in South Asia.Grace returned the extraordinary match figures of 13 for 84 – on his first-class debut – for Gentlemen of the South against Players of the South at the Oval in June 1865, at the age of 16 years 340 days.With a match analysis of 10 for 247 at the age of 16 years and 192 days, Ahmed lowers the record by 148 days. He bowled a staggering 76.4 overs in the match, which may be a record in itself for a debut appearance.Surrey, who had missed out on a fourth first-innings batting point that seemed theirs for the taking, arguably made another mistake when they declared just shy of an hour after lunch.The timing meant Nottinghamshire would have to score at more than six runs per over to win the contest on a pitch that had yielded at barely three-and-a-half all game, with the Kookaburra ball reportedly hard to get away on a slow surface.Surrey were banking on England off-spinner Will Jacks, who had matched Ahmed by taking seven first-innings wickets, and leg-spinner Cam Steel to exploit the fourth-day pitch but Hameed and Slater were rarely troubled as neither could find a way through.Earlier, Surrey had advanced from 13 for one overnight to 104 for four by lunch, playing in light for that period so gloomy that bowling spin was the only option for Nottinghamshire skipper Hameed.A second-wicket stand worth 57 was broken by Patterson-White, who induced a miscue to short midwicket by Ryan Patel, following up by turning one sharply to bowl Will Jacks three balls later.Patterson-White had Burns dropped at square leg on 39, after which the Surrey captain’s stop-start dithering over a single into the offside off Ahmed saw new partner Ben Foakes run out by Hameed’s throw to keeper Kyle Verreynne.As the tempo increased after lunch, with Surrey now chasing runs for the declaration, Ahmed completed his 10 for the match by bowling Burns and having Clark caught behind in a botched scoop attempt.Patterson-White raised his five for the innings by having Sai Sudharsan caught at deep midwicket and bowling Conor McKerr and Tom Lawes, for his pains getting clubbed for two meaty sixes by Dan Worrall before Burns signalled the declaration.