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Multiple Super Overs to come with a time cap, while short runs will be referred to the third umpire

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2021In a bid to clampdown on slow over rates, the IPL has made it mandatory for bowling teams to deliver their 20 overs within the stipulated 90 minutes (including strategic time-outs) for the 2021 edition. Other significant tweaks to the playing conditions for IPL 2021 include: no soft signal for close catches and obstruction of field, putting in a cap on the time till which multiple Super Overs can be bowled, and the third umpire adjudicating on short runs.Here is an in-depth look at how and why the playing conditions were updated:Slow over rates: finish 20 overs in 90 minutes (including time-outs)
This has been the most common code of conduct breach committed by teams throughout the IPL’s history. Sanctions – including hefty monetary fines and even suspension of the bowling team’s captain for repeated offences – have been found to be ineffective, with matches often going well past midnight in India. Even now, there is no change or increase in sanctions but a shortening of the time 20 overs need to be completed in.In 2019, former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, said one game finished so late it was almost “breakfast time”.Related

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• 'The short run has come back to bite us very hard' – Rahul

• Monetary fines no solution for slow over-rates in IPL – de Villiers

Such delays have led to the host broadcaster taking up the issue with IPL authorities, and that was one of the main reasons for evening matches from IPL 2020 starting half an hour earlier than previous seasons, at 7.30pm IST. That start time will stay in place for evening games in IPL 2021. As an additional measure, the IPL has decided that this season, the 20th over of the innings will be included in the 90 minutes given to an innings, the regular time in which all overs need to be delivered as well as two strategic time-outs totalling five minutes overall. Until the last season, the over-rate clock stopped at the start of the 20th over. That meant teams could not be penalised even if they went well over the limit by taking more time through the final over – as long as it had started on time. However, moving forward, teams will need to wrap up 20 overs within 85 minutes, excluding the strategic time-outs. In an email to franchises about the updated playing conditions, the IPL said the move was meant to “control the match timings”.”The minimum over rate to be achieved in IPL Matches shall be 14.11 overs per hour (ignoring the time taken by time-outs),” the IPL said in the updated playing conditions, which were uploaded on the tournament website on Tuesday. “In uninterrupted matches, this means that the 20th over should finish within 90 minutes (being 85 minutes of playing time plus 5 minutes of time-out) of the start of the innings. For delayed or interrupted matches where an innings is scheduled to be less than 20 overs, the maximum time of 90 minutes shall be reduced by 4 minutes 15 seconds for every over by which the innings is reduced.”IPL raises finger against the soft signal
The soft signal that on-field umpires use has come under recent scrutiny, with Suryakumar Yadav’s sparkling maiden innings for India talked about as much for his brilliant strokeplay as for the manner of dismissal. Yadav was given out caught by Dawid Malan at backward square leg, even as TV replays remained inconclusive about whether Malan’s fingers were under the ball or not. On-field umpire KN Ananthapadmanabhan’s soft signal was ‘out’, and TV umpire Virender Sharma upheld that decision because, as protocols require, there was not enough conclusive evidence to overturn it.Former England captain Mike Atherton called the soft signal a “nonsense”, especially for outfield catches and Virat Kohli said after the game he couldn’t understand why a “not sure” signal was not available to on-field umpires. At the last round of the ICC’s chief executives meeting last week, BCCI secretary Jay Shah asked the ICC Cricket Committee to re-open the discussion on the soft signal.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the interim, the IPL has decided to do away with the soft signal for both catches as well as for obstructing the field dismissals. Now, the umpire at the bowler’s end will consult with the square leg umpire in such situations, before deciding to go to the TV umpire. “The third umpire shall determine whether the batsman has been caught, whether the delivery was a Bump Ball, or if the batsman willfully obstructed the field. In case of a fair catch, the third umpire will use all the technological support available to him/her.”Cap on multiple Super Overs
October 18, 2020 will always be remembered as a unique date in the IPL. It was a double-header Sunday and both matches were decided via the Super Over. First, the Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and then Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and the Mumbai Indians ratcheted up the drama with not just one, but two Super Overs before the Kings XI squeezed home.It was the first time in history – IPL or otherwise – that a game had gone into a second Super Over, and it finished well past midnight.But, while it was exciting and rare as a spectacle, the IPL has now decided to cap the time available after regulation time to one hour to determine the winner of a game. In case a winner cannot be determined within that hour, then both teams will get one point each.”If the teams’ scores are equal after both innings have been completed then a Super Over shall be played,” the IPL said. “If the Super Over is a tie, then unless exceptional circumstances arise subsequent Super Overs shall be played from the actual finish time of the tied match for an hour’s time until there is a winner. The Match Referee will inform the teams as to when the last super over will start. Should it not be possible to play or complete the Super Overs needed to determine a winner, the match shall be tied.”Short run goes to the third umpire
Kings XI had a rollercoaster campaign in IPL 2020, including losing out in the very first Super Over finish of the tournament to the Delhi Capitals. However, in the penultimate over of regulation time, Mayank Agarwal dug out a yorker from Kagiso Rabada towards a vacant mid-on, and then turned back for the second run. His partner Chris Jordan was running to the danger end, and square-leg umpire Nitin Menon ruled that Jordan had not dragged his bat across the line at the wicketkeeper’s end and ruled one run short. TV replays subsequently seemed to suggest from one angle that Jordan had indeed got his bat over the line, and that it might have thus been a legal run. Had that run not been ruled short, the match wouldn’t have ended in a tie, and the Kings XI would have won in regulation time instead of losing in the Super Over.Captain KL Rahul said after his team was knocked out that the short run had come back to “bite them very hard”, since they would have qualified for the playoffs had they had two more points.To avoid such incidents, the IPL has now said that on-field umpires should refer a short run to the the TV umpire, who will be the final authority. “If the short-run is called an automatic check by the third umpire takes place to confirm or overturn.”

The international captain talks about passing on his experience to the youngsters and the potential comeback of Dwayne Bravo

Barny Read23-Nov-2019West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard says it is his will to win that helps drive his franchise cricket career which continues to be littered with success.The 32-year-old allrounder stands on the brink of Abu Dhabi T10 glory after his team Deccan Gladiators made it to Sunday’s final. Pollard is also a multiple IPL champion, has a T20 World Cup winner’s medal on his mantlepiece, is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world.He has taken in franchise tournaments the world over, from his native Caribbean islands to England, Australia, Bangladesh, the UAE and Canada. For Pollard, each stop has been a learning experience and he hopes to feed his gained knowledge back into both West Indian cricket and across the ever-expanding footprint of T20 leagues across the globe.”I think the will to win is what makes you as an individual sometimes successful because you want to pass on the knowledge that you’ve learnt [from] playing international cricket [and] playing franchise cricket on to the players that you have presently and try to educate them. So when you go onto that field, they have that cricketing knowledge to go out and try to execute and be one step ahead of the opposition,” Pollard told ESPNcricinfo.”We play a lot of cricket around the world but it’s about being successful and about winning and that’s my mantra no matter who I play for at that point in time I give my all to win and my will to win is very, very strong.”Pollard proved as much on his latest assignment in the T10, where he helped the Gladiators set up a showdown with the Maratha Arabians for the trophy courtesy of back-to-back victories over the Bangla Tigers and the Qalandars on Saturday night. And for the likes of 22-year-olds Dan Lawrence and Mason Crane, as well as 24-year-old Migael Pretorious in an otherwise experienced-looking Gladiators outfit, Pollard is a great resource to tap into.”With that you can broaden their mindset as to how they go about it because in certain cultures, certain things are embedded in them but when you come out in the wider world it’s not only about that,” Pollard said of his advice for emerging players.”You get a different perspective from different people and that makes you learn and get better as a cricketer. I’ve played all over the world, in different competitions, so I have a fair idea of how to go about it and I’ve been successful as well. So however that conversation goes at that time you share that knowledge of it and what you think. Your opinion might not be right but it might give them a different perspective of how you are thinking about certain aspects.”Once you’re good enough to be here, you’re good enough to go out and perform. All you need to do when you sit in a franchise or in a team where there’s a lot of internationals you try to pick their brains and try to understand different aspects of cricket, different scenarios of what they would have done in certain situations.”Pollard came into the T10 on the back of his first assignment since being named captain of West Indies’ T20I and ODI formats, a tour against Afghanistan that ended in a 2-1 defeat in the former and 3-0 whitewash in the latter.They were his first ODI matches in over three years and now that Pollard is back in the fold, he will do everything in his power, he says, to ensure that when he eventually leaves the international scene, he does so having given back to Caribbean cricket.”The same experiences I’ve learned around the world, the same experiences I can share in the dressing room,” Pollard said.”In our dressing room there are a lot of young guys and they need the experienced guys to try and guide them along and that’s basically my job in terms of trying to guide them, try to set them in the right direction and also trying to lead from the front in terms of performing as well.”I’m pretty excited because I know what the guys can learn from the experienced guys. We have Dwayne Bravo who can come back in potentially, you have Chris Gayle who is still playing T20 cricket around the world and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the T20 arena, in 50-over, in Test cricket, so he can share a lot.”As a staff and management, we look forward to that, trying to build for something in the future. Obviously, we’re not going to be around for too long but whatever I can do in the little space of time to help is going to make me a lot more satisfied than leaving the international side and not being able to help.”

The fast bowler has undergone multiple tests, but doctors are yet to determine the cause of the condition, which is causing bleeding in his lungs every time he bowls

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2018A mystery lung condition has forced John Hastings, the Australia fast bowler, to take an indefinite break from cricket. He has undergone multiple tests, but doctors are yet to determine the cause of the condition, which is causing bleeding in his lungs every time he bowls.Hastings, 32, has played one Test, 29 ODIs and 9 T20Is for Australia. He retired from Test and ODI cricket in October 2017 to focus on his T20 career, and was set to play for the Sydney Sixers in the 2018-19 edition of the Big Bash League, which begins on December 19.”It’s something that, over probably the last three or four months, has been a really difficult period for me,” Hastings told the Australian radio station on Friday. “It’s basically every time I’ve been trying to gear up and get ready to bowl, I’ve been coughing up blood.”What’s happened is basically I won’t be able to bowl this year or probably moving forward unless this sort of situation gets sorted out. It’s just something that they can’t say, ‘look, you’re not going to have a fatal bleed on the field’ or it’s not going to cause long-term damage.”It’s pretty shattering. I’ve come to terms with it now, but over the last four or five months it’s been a very, very tough period. I’ve played this game my whole life and I wanted to keep playing it. I wanted to play tournaments all around the world. That’s one of the reasons I retired early from one-day and four-day cricket.””To see it may be slipping away, it’s pretty tough to take. At this stage, unless something miraculous happens, I won’t be able to bowl.”Hastings said he first experienced the symptoms several years ago, and had “little episodes maybe once a season for a year or two”. In recent months, however, it has “progressively got worse”.”Every time I’m bowling now, it’s happening,” he said. “It’s literally just bowling. It’s not running. I can do boxing weight sessions, rowing, anything like that, but as soon as the pressure [of bowling] at the crease at match intensity, when I step it up, literally I burst blood vessels in my lungs and I walk back to my mark and cough up some blood.”So it’s pretty scary, but they can’t tell for sure it’s not going to cause long-term damage. There’s a lot of grey area surrounding it. It’s not a very nice thing to have happened at the moment.”

Tamim Iqbal and Essex have determinedly played down the reasons for Tamim’s abrupt abandonment of his stint at the county

David Hopps and Mohammad Isam12-Jul-2017Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal and Essex have determinedly played down the reasons for his abruptly abandoning a stint with the county, after allegations emerged that his wife was the victim of a racially-motivated incident in Stratford in east London.ESPNcricinfo understands that a nervous Tamim reported an altercation to Essex Cricket on Monday, the day after his debut in a NatWest Blast match against Kent at Beckenham, and asked that his contract be terminated so the family could return to Bangladesh.Essex immediately agreed to his request, and the county and player chose to play down the incident, with Essex’s chairman John Faragher and chief executive Derek Bowden overseeing a brief statement which requested that Tamim’s privacy be respected.Essex have made no concerted effort to discover the nature of the incident and it is not thought that any official complaint has been lodged with the Metropolitan Police.It is known that Tamim’s family was uneasy about the environment in London even before his arrival in England. Essex put his family up in a luxury apartment in Stratford at his own request – some 35 miles from their Chelmsford headquarters – after agreeing to an eight-match deal.Terrorist attacks on the British mainland, in London and Manchester, have caused a marked increase in racial tension. Last week, through the Freedom of Information legislation, the newspaper also obtained police figures that showed an unparalleled rise in hate crimes of 23% compared to the previous year, in the 11 months after the UK voted to leave the European Union.The arrival of Tamim’s family in the UK coincided with protests at Stratford train station against recent acid attacks and Islamophobia in east London. The anti-racism demonstration came after police confirmed that an acid attack in neighbouring Newham was being treated as a hate crime.There have been conflicting reports, emanating from Bangladesh, about the exact nature of the incident involving Tamim, his wife Ayesha Siddiqa who often wears a hijab, and their one-year-old son – it is variously said to have occurred in a Stratford restaurant or while the family was on the street.Tamim, meanwhile, was keen to keep his agreement with Essex and not make public his reasons for returning home. “I want all my fans and well wishers to know that I cut short my season with Essex to come back home early for personal reasons,” a statement on his official Facebook page read. “Some media reported that we were the target of attempted hate crime. This is really not true.”England is one my favourite places to play cricket and Essex have been entirely gracious even though I had to leave early. I thank all my fans and well wishers for their concern and messages and look forward to going back to England for future matches.”Essex continued to insist that they will not expand on their brief statement which read: “We wish him all the best and it would be appreciated if Tamim’s privacy is respected during this time.”Whatever the cause of Tamim’s hurried departure, it appears that it will remain officially unreported.

Patrick Sandusky, US Olympic Committee’s chief external affairs officer, has said all sports should want to be in the Olympics and that a T20 competition in the Summer Games would fit well into a 17-day Olympic schedule

Peter Della Penna24-Jun-20162:51

US Olympic Committee official talks up cricket at the Olympics

Patrick Sandusky, chief external affairs officer at the US Olympic Committee, has told ESPNcricinfo that “all sports should want to be in the Olympics” and that a T20 competition in the Summer Games would fit well into a 17-day Olympic schedule. Sandusky said that although the decision to accept cricket into the games program is up to the International Olympic Council, he is optimistic an application would have a good chance of being accepted if the ICC decided to submit one.”I see the Olympics as the pinnacle of sport and the greatest sports festival there is but I think cricket needs to [make a decision] on their own time, whatever that is,” Sandusky said. “I don’t know enough about the internal governance of the ICC and how it would relate into bidding for a potential future slot, but I’d certainly think that Twenty20 cricket at least is a very natural fit in terms of numbers/size of teams, number of days a tournament can be played in and could it fit with an Olympic calendar not unlike a Rugby Sevens tournament.”Sandusky related cricket to the impact that an Olympics inclusion has had on rugby’s rise in popularity in USA ahead of Rubgy Sevens’ addition for the upcoming Summer Games in Brazil. He felt cricket’s inclusion could be a similar catalyst for a rise in popularity and competitiveness for the USA national team.”One of the things we have in the United States is we’ve got a lot of people that are really good at hand-eye (coordination), ball, bat and catching,” Sandusky said. “We’ve had success converting American football players into a successful Rugby Sevens team. We now have a Rugby Sevens team going to the Olympics and it’s not inconceivable that they could be a medalist.”Rugby Sevens didn’t exist as a sport ten years ago in the United States. First and foremost, it’s realistic getting the right things in place to get the right people exposed to the sport. I think we have a lot of athletes out there that have the appropriate skill. Obviously they don’t know the sport itself and the strategies around it but much like Rugby Sevens, I think there’s an opportunity there.”Sandusky’s involvement in USA’s cricket affairs began last August when he was appointed to a seven-man advisory committee by the ICC, but initial interest in the sport was piqued when he lived in London from 2001 to 2005 while working as part of the 2012 London Olympic bid effort.”If you look at cricket in the market and the number of people that are interested in cricket and you look at the staggering TV numbers when India plays Pakistan, I think that there’s a huge opportunity for the Olympics,” Sandusky said. “If cricket were in the Olympics, I think it goes to targeting new and different markets than your traditional Olympic markets as well as exposing a market like the United States to cricket as well, or you could pick out a country like Germany that maybe isn’t as well known in cricket but a big sporting nation in the Summer Games.”Traditionally, cricket has kind of found its niche in the Commonwealth countries. I think there’s an opportunity, whether it’s with relocating their [regional] offices to the United States or a push potentially [to have cricket] in with the Olympics, to grow out of those core countries that have been the traditional cricketing powers.”Apart from cricket’s growth, the Olympics could also benefit significantly from the increased market presence and popularity in countries like India.”Countries like India that have such large television markets might be more interested in the Olympic Games,” Sandusky said. “I think the Olympics what it would gain is you’re just hitting new fans with the Olympic brand.”A diehard rugby fan might not be an Olympics fan but since now they’re sport’s in it, they’re now going to be exposed to other sports like fencing, judo, wrestling and I think getting that sort of exposure really is good from the Olympics point of view because you’re bringing in fans from different age groups, different parts of the world and you’re exposing them to new things.”If a kid says maybe he didn’t find a sport he liked and they look on TV and say, ‘Hey what’s that sport of cricket? Maybe I’d like to do that.’ I think that’s what the Olympics brings in a global sense, exposure to showing kids that there’s all these different sports that they can play.”

Gloucestershire pace prospect Craig Miles claimed 5 for 61 as Lancashire were bowled out for 275 on a compelling first day of their Second Division match at Bristol

ECB/PA07-Jun-2015
ScorecardGloucestershire pace prospect Craig Miles claimed 5 for 61 as Lancashire were bowled out for 275 on a compelling first day of their Second Division match at Bristol.The 20-year-old seamer took his wicket tally in the competition this season to 29 and received good support from Matt Taylor after the hosts had won the toss in sunny conditions.Despite solid half-centuries from Karl Brown and Steven Croft, Lancashire were 190 for 7 at one stage before useful late order contributions from Jordan Clark, Tom Bailey and coach Glenn Chapple, who blasted 29 not out from 13 balls to ensure a second batting point.Gloucestershire suffered a blow when wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick had to be taken to hospital for x-rays on a damaged hand. Geraint Jones, the former England keeper, took over the gloves in the afternoon session.By the close the home side had slipped to 15 for 2 from ten overs. Lancashire opted to go into the game without a specialist spinner, preferring to give the evergreen Chapple a first outing of the summer, and by the close must have felt they had edged the day.Miles and Taylor set the tone for a disciplined Gloucestershire bowling effort, both conceding only six runs from six-over spells with the new ball, a period that saw Paul Horton caught at gully off Miles for four.Alviro Petersen helped Brown add 45 before falling lbw for 20, advancing down the pitch to try and clip Taylor through the leg side. Ashwell Prince quickly followed, bowled by Miles for a single. Opener Brown moved to a watchful half-century before he also had his stumps disturbed by Miles, playing off the back foot.Alex Davies was leg before to a full ball from Taylor for 11 and James Faulkner fell to a poor shot for nine, caught behind chasing a wide one from Miles.Croft produced some of the best batting of the day, easing to a half-century off 68 balls, and looking in little trouble until he was pinned lbw on the back foot by Miles with the score on 190.Tea was taken without addition to the total before Clark and Bailey produced a useful eighth-wicket stand of 49. They looked set to take Lancashire through to the new ball until Benny Howell struck twice in the same over. The medium-pacer had Clark caught behind driving and then induced a poor shot from Kyle Jarvis, who miscued a catch to cover and departed for a duck.Out stepped Chapple to face the first over with the second new ball. The 41-year-old took three boundaries off it to dent Miles’ figures and bring up the 250.Bailey was bowled by Taylor to end the innings, having made a valuable contribution, and Gloucestershire were left with a tricky period to negotiate before stumps. They lost both openers, Chris Dent, caught behind off Jarvis for two pushing forward defensively, and Will Tavare lbw to Bailey for four.

Cheteshwar Pujara does not give England much chance of avoiding defeat after India struck late on the second day

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2012Cheteshwar Pujara batted for 513 minutes for his unbeaten 206, which took England’s ordeal in the field to 640 minutes, following which he saw England lose three wickets in a little over an hour. That has given him enough confidence to believe the match might not need to go into the fifth day.”It’s going to be a challenging task for them,” Pujara said when asked if he thought England could come back from here. “The way they were batting it looked like they were a fragile batting line-up for sure.”The three England wickets have made everyone look at the pitch in a different light. “I think there’s quite a lot of rough on the wicket and it’s turning quite big,” Pujara said. “The kind of momentum we got in these 18 overs I think we can bowl them out tomorrow. Obviously we’d like to finish the game before five days.”After the first day Virender Sehwag had said the pitch was easy to bat on if you didn’t play your shots. Pujara had a different take. “There is nothing wrong with the wicket,” he said. “We’ve got three wickets, the ball is turning. We have utilised the conditions better than them.”Even before the series began, Pujara had said he was comfortable against the England bowling. His quiet confidence only restated that belief. “I’d like to mention that it was good that I got out on 87 in the practice game,” Pujara said. “If I had ended up scoring a hundred, I wouldn’t have had the same motivation to score a hundred and then turn it into a double-hundred in this game.”I was comfortable facing all the bowlers. Initially my concern was Graeme Swann because I hadn’t faced him before. But after I faced a couple of overs against him, I felt that I could manage.”The result was his maiden double-century in Tests, but also Pujara’s ninth 150-plus score of the 16 times he has reached 100 in first-class cricket. Nine of those 150-plus scores have come in his last 10 first-class centuries. He sounded proud of that habit.”I’ve done the same thing in domestic cricket,” he said. “I never like to get out. There’s always a price on my wicket. Even after scoring a double-hundred I never wanted to give away my wicket. That’s the reason why I’m able to score big runs.”

A round-up of the action from the second day of the second round of Division Two matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited‘s bowlers backed up the good work done by their batting colleagues to leave Multan in desperate trouble at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Resuming at 372 for 2, the overnight centurions Ali Waqas and Umar Akmal were unable to drive the advantage further. But the lower order, led by the free-flowing Mohammad Awais lifted them to 510 for 8, at which point they decided to declare. Mudassar Ali and Ali Ahmed shared the spoils with four wickets apiece. Multan’s reply ran into trouble steadily as SNGPL made frequent strikes. Asad Ali made the first incision, after which Bilawal Bhatti and Azhar Shafiq struck twice apiece to leave Multan fumbling at 114 for 5.Quetta were in desperate trouble against Karachi Whites after capsizing for 93 at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, conceding a 253-run first-innings lead. Only four batsmen got into double-figures, with captain Taimur Ali top-scoring with 21, as Tabish Khan and Mansur Ahmed ran through the Quetta line-up. They lasted less than 41 overs, as Tabish and Mansur helped themselves to seven of the 10 wickets. Their second innings didn’t start very differently, as Bismillah Khan succumbed to Adeel Malik before stumps. Earlier, half-centuries from Akbar-ur-Rehman and Abdul Jabbar were backed by a resilient lower order as Karachi Whites finished with 346.Usman Salahuddin’s resolute 88 wasn’t enough to give Lahore Ravi the first-innings lead against Peshawar in what was turning into a low-scoring scrap at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Resuming at 113 for 5, Salahuddin was the only batsman to stand up for Lahore Ravi, as Noor-ul-Ahmed (5 for 50) and Waqar Ahmed (4 for 63) scythed through the lower order. Peshawar lost Haroon Ahmed early in their second innings, but Mohammad Fayyaz and Naved Khan steadied the innings. Neither batsman could cash in on the start though, as Peshawar went to stumps at 149 for 4.A strong batting performance on the second day gave Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) firm control of their match against Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. KRL had begun the day on 140 for 1, already leading by 56 in the first innings after routing Lahore for 84. Bazid Khan went on to score a century (103) and Ali Naqvi made 59. KRL eventually declared on 357 for 6, with a lead of 273. Lahore were 13 for 0 at stumps as they battled to avoid an innings defeat.United Bank Limited’s (UBL) lower order contributed significantly to ensure their team achieved a string first-innings total against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. UBL had ended day one on 288 for 6 with Imtad-ul-Haq not out on 27. He went on to remain unbeaten on 102 and Misbah Khan, batting at No. 10, scored 50 off 70 balls as UBL piled up 460 for 8 before declaring. Hyderabad made a steady start, reaching 89 for no loss, before they lost three wickets for 11 runs and were 109 for 3 at stumps.

Kevin Pietersen, the England batsman, has said England will start as “underdogs” in the Ashes in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2010Kevin Pietersen, the England batsman, has said England will start as “underdogs” in the Ashes in Australia but the run of successes since regaining the urn last year has given his team a better chance compared to the last time they were there, when they suffered a 5-0 thrashing. England haven’t won an Ashes series in Australia since 1986-87.”We are definitely underdogs because Australia in Australia are an incredible cricket team,” Pietersen said in Durban. He’s in South Africa to represent the domestic side Dolphins in two first-class games, an experience, he said, should help him regain his form. Pietersen hasn’t scored a century in 26 innings and in a low-scoring series against Pakistan, which England won 3-1, he averaged 23.33 in four Tests.”It was certainly the toughest conditions I have played in during the six summers I have spent playing Test cricket in England,” he said. “There weren’t too many batsmen who averaged 20 or 30 at the top of the order from either side.”I haven’t got as many runs as I could have possibly got in the last couple of months and [in South Africa] there is a chance for me to play on some good wickets and against the Kookaburra ball.”I am out here now to try to put things right, to spend some time in the middle and work a lot harder than I have worked before, so that I am in the best nick possible come the Ashes tour.”The England team recently underwent a bonding exercise at a boot-camp in Bavaria, Germany. “I think we have got a really good squad and it is a squad that has matured a lot. It has become a really tight unit, all the guys get on well and when the going gets tough, as I know it does when you tour Australia, we have a unit that will stand together and pull through,” Pietersen said. “We have just had a camp in Germany and the team spirit and bonding was amazing on what was quite a tough trip mentally and physically.”

The West Indies bowling unit had a productive day out, keeping Bangladesh under pressure across all three sessions

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2024Bangladesh 269 for 9 (Jaker 53, Mominul 50, Alzarri 3-69) trail West Indies 450 for 9 dec (Greaves 115*, Louis 97, Athanaze 90, Mahmud 3-87) by 181 runsWest Indies maintained their control of the Antigua Test with Bangladesh ending the day on 269 for 9 at stumps on the third day. The hosts hold a lead of 181 runs after Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales and allrounder Justin Greaves nearly did enough to enforce a follow-on on Bangladesh. A late resistance helped the visitors avoid it, but they remain well on the back foot after three days of play.Bangladesh looked to bat steadily on a slow surface, but despite starts, couldn’t find one batter to go big like West Indies achieved in their first innings. Jaker Ali and Mominul Haque got out soon after reaching their fifties, while Litton Das fell for 40. Jaker and Taijul Islam added 68 runs for the seventh wicket to get Bangladesh closer to the follow-on mark of 251, which they crossed in the day’s last hour.Bangladesh started the third morning quietly, with Mominul getting a pair of boundaries off Shamar Joseph. Shortly afterwards, Kemar Roach removed Shahadat Hossain for 18, for which he played 71 balls. It was an innings going nowhere before he edged to first slip where Kavem Hodge took a low catch.Mominul and Litton saw to the end of the first session, continuing to bat obdurately. The usually free-flowing Litton started off with an easy square-cut boundary off Alzarri, but then mostly played within himself. Only in the over before the lunch break, Litton freed his arms to get another four, this time cutting Shamar.West Indies however got the breakthrough shortly after the lunch break when Seales trapped Mominul lbw after the left-hander reached his 21st fifty.Stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz then endured a test of bouncers from the West Indies attack, with Alzarri even hitting him on his shoulder. Seales chipped in with his share of bouncers and verbals.Litton also got bogged down, resulting in getting bowled by a slightly short delivery from Shamar that he dragged onto his stumps. Litton made 40 off 76 balls with three fours, but it was a disappointing exit for one of three experienced Bangladesh batters.Mehidy struck a couple of boundaries off Greaves and Shamar later in the second session, but the short ball kept bothering him. After surviving 66 balls, Mehidy finally popped an Alzarri bouncer to short-leg where Mikyle Louis took a comfortable catch.Then came the unlikely revival act by Taijul and Jaker. The pair did take advantage of a tiring West Indies attack while also being disciplined with their choice of shots. They had to scavenge for scoring opportunities but were always looking for the odd boundary. They survived a dropped chance apiece too.Taijul kept using the pace of the West Indians, guiding the ball behind square on the off-side, while Jaker tried to force the issue. Jaker got his four boundaries with the pull shot and the hoick, one of which helped him bring up his fifty. Alzarri separated the pair after they had batted along for 19 overs when he bowled Taijul. Jaker fell to a Seales catch in the deep midwicket boundary, as he tried to clip Greaves for a big one.There was a bit of by-play between Alzarri and Taskin Ahmed towards the end, particularly after the fast bowler hit the Bangladeshi tail-ender on the head. The two exchanged words, but Alzarri couldn’t knock off the tenth Bangladesh wicket against the fading light.West Indies came into the third day on the back of a fine batting performance on the first two days. They continue to have control of proceedings at North Sound going into the penultimate day and will want rain to stay away in pursuit of a result.