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Hard-hitting fifty from Cameron Delport sets up Essex before spinners strangle chase

David Hopps21-Sep-2019Simon Harmer hadn’t had a particularly rewarding Blast season. Unstoppable in the Championship, he had generally become a mere mortal over 20 overs. Then Derbyshire, in their first T20 Finals Day, had to contend with him on a turning Edgbaston pitch and the story changed as his destructive display pointed Essex towards a comprehensive victory and added another satisfying memory to an outstanding summer.Harmer has been Essex’s Championship showstopper: his 78 wickets at 18.12 are the prime reason why they have a title showdown with Somerset at Taunton next week. As Essex’s captain in the Blast, however, he had mustered 10 wickets all season and disappeared for nine an over. He was just another player hoping that Edgbaston might look favourably upon him.All that changed in a second semi-final in which Derbyshire succumbed meekly on a turning surface, falling 34 runs short of Essex’s challenging 160 for 5. They didn’t play spin particularly well, and a couple of their dismissals could fairly be described as naïve, but when it comes to facing Harmer they are not alone in that charge.Harmer finished with 4 for 19, his tranquillity never threatened, and he had quite an ally, too, in Aron Nijjar, a 24-year-old left-arm spinner from Romford, who had the onerous task of replacing the modish Australian leggie Adam Zampa on Finals Day in only his second Twenty20 match, conceded 14 runs in his first four balls, but lived to tell a glorious tale as Essex won a T20 semi-final at the fifth attempt.Harmer and Nijjar took three wickets apiece in the space of 58 balls, five of them hitting the stumps. When the sixth batsman to perish, Alex Hughes, was lured down the pitch by Nijjar and stumped, so fell Derbyshire’s top-scorer, on 23. There was another wicket for a spinner, too, when Dan Lawrence bowled Fynn Hudson-Prentice.Harmer’s first ball jolted Derbyshire, their captain, Billy Godleman, the second batsmen to fall as he turned one sharply to hit the left-hander’s off stump. He repeated the dose in his third over against Leus du Plooy, another left-hander, another delivery that turned big. Next ball, Anuj Dal, determined to use his feet, ran at one and was bowled through the gate. His last wicket was Daryn Smit, who tried to reverse sweep him past two fielders at backward point, the most befuddled shot of all.”I’m used to seeing the ball disappear so it’s nice to bowl on something that suits me,” Harmer said. Essex started their Blast campaign in the South Group so badly that they have essentially been playing knockout cricket for six matches, knowing that one more defeat would be fatal, and the knowledge has improved them.Nijjar will attract less attention, but his contribution was, in a way, all the more remarkable because he had not bowled a single delivery in Essex 1st XI cricket all season. His last game of note was a 2nd XI match against Hampshire at Southampton in the first week of August. When Wayne Madsen sniffed vulnerability and struck him for 4-6-4 in his first four balls, things looked ominous; for him to then bowl Madsen round his legs, trying to sweep, was a crucial response.Derbyshire were the last of the 18 counties to reach Finals Day and for all but the most committed follower of county cricket they could hardly have been more of an unknown quantity. Names did not as much trip off the tongue as go clean out of the mind. Obscurity, for a few hours at least, was in vogue. A side that reached the final stages by toppling Lancashire at Old Trafford were clearly capable of being better than the sum of their parts, and they will be deflated by their display.Essex took command with an opening stand of 78 in 8.1 overs, Cameron Delport the dominant factor. His 55 from 31 balls gave him 408 runs for the tournament and the highest strike rate, at 172.15, of any of the 13 batsmen who had passed that 400-run mark. He might have fallen early, a leg-side swing against Logan van Beek falling safely when he was only 6, but his strokeplay became increasingly daunting until he deposited Hughes to long-off.Once Delport had been silenced, Derbyshire shook themselves down and gradually got back into the match on a grippy surface that suited their medium-paced mix. Lawrence, who has grown into the T20 format this season by adopting a more aggressive approach, made little impact as he carved Hughes’ knuckle ball to third man; Ryan ten Doeschate, lbw to Luis Reece’s offcutter, also missed out.Tom Westley, Delport’s opening partner, played the other innings of substance, 39 from 34 balls, although he, too, had fortune on his side, on 13, when van Beek failed to throw him out from mid-on. Westley’s departure to Reece at deep backward square leg preceded a problematic finish for Essex as they failed to find the boundary for 37 deliveries, from Ravi Bopara’s third-man dab off Reece to Adam Wheater’s square drive four balls from the end when Ravi Rampaul narrowly missed his yorker.Bopara has crabbed all season about batting as a finisher at No. 6, and who found himself up at five for Finals Day. His scoring rate in the closing overs has been spectacular, justifying his place in the order, but it was a more restrained Bopara (28 from 23 balls when a ramp shot went awry) who guided then to 160 for 5. It was easily enough.

Double-header men’s and women’s T20Is will be the main attraction as New Zealand men are set to play five Tests, 11 ODIs and four T20Is from December to March

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2018New Zealand are set to play hosts to Asian teams Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh during their 2018-19 home season from December to March. The India tour will be particularly significant given both the men’s and women’s teams will feature in three T20I double-headers in early February after they complete their respective ODI series.

New Zealand home summer

Versus Sri Lanka:
1st Test: December 15-19, Wellington
2nd Test: December 26-30, Christchurch
1st ODI: January 3, Mount Maunganui
2nd ODI: January 5, Mount Maunganui
3rd ODI: January 8, Nelson
Only T20: January 11, Auckland
Versus India:
1st ODI: January 23, Napier
2nd ODI: January 26, Mount Maunganui
3rd ODI: January 28, Mount Maunganui
4th ODI: January 31, Hamilton
5th ODI: February 3, Wellington
1st T20: February 6, Wellington
2nd T20: February 8, Auckland
3rd T20: February 10, Hamilton
Versus Bangladesh:
1st ODI: February 13, Napier
2nd ODI: February 16, Christchurch
3rd ODI: February 20, Dunedin
1st Test: February 28-March 4, Hamilton
2nd Test: March 8-12, Wellington
3rd Test: March 16-20, Christchurch

While the men’s teams of India and New Zealand will feature in a five-match ODI series – starting January 23 – that will serve as preparation for the 2019 World Cup, the women’s teams will square off in three ICC Women’s Championship fixtures that helps to identify seven direct qualifiers (excluding the hosts) for the 2021 Women’s World Cup to be held in New Zealand. All six women’s matches will be televised live for the first time in New Zealand history.In a move to align with viewer-friendly timings in India, NZC pushed back the start of all games, barring the second T20I in Auckland on February 8, by one hour as per their agreement with India’s host broadcaster Star Sports. There are restrictions on the number of events that can be held at night at Eden Park because of its proximity to residential areas.While the first and third T20Is will begin at 8pm local time, the Auckland game will start an hour earlier. “NZC would’ve liked to have scheduled more India matches at Eden Park in Auckland but was unable to do so because of restrictions at the venue,” NZC’s chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said. All five ODIs between the men’s teams will start at 3pm local time.New Zealand’s international summer will start with two Tests against Sri Lanka, starting December 15 in Wellington, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Christchurch, before they play three ODIs and a lone T20 in January. Once India’s tour of New Zealand ends with the last T20 on February 10, the hosts will take on Bangladesh for three ODIs, followed by a three-Test series – the first ever between the two sides. This will also be Bangladesh’s first three-Test series since hosting Zimbabwe in 2014. The three Tests will be played in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.”NZC had hoped to schedule the opening Bangladesh Test at Seddon Park as a Day-Night fixture but could not obtain agreement from the Bangladesh Cricket Board and was forced to revert to the traditional hours-of-play,” an NZC release said.Meanwhile, India will also field an A team that will feature in three four-day fixtures across Mount Maunganui, Hamilton and Whangarei, and three 50-over fixtures, all at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui during the same period.This series is in line with NZC’s increased investment in the ‘A Programme’ as announced in the new NZC-NZCPA (New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association) master agreement earlier in July. The BCCI has in recent times increased the exposure for their A teams through tours to run alongside the senior team’s tour, like in England this summer.

Ryan Pringle’s refusal to walk angered Sussex as Durham fought their way up to a respectable total thanks to a 110-run stand for the sixth wicket

Tim Wigmore at Hove21-May-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Ryan Pringle was given not out after a catch claimed at fine leg by David Wiese•Getty Images

Just before half past four on a somnolent afternoon, the sun was blazing down at Hove, the seagulls were cawing, and spectators could be spied lounging in their deckchairs contentedly indulging in a nap. Even some of those watching the cricket seemed almost as preoccupied with the final day of the Premier League as the game being played out in front of them, in which Paul Coughlin and Ryan Pringle were unobtrusively rebuilding Durham’s innings.All of this changed when Pringle received a delivery from Chris Jordan on his legs. He shaped to flick it, and made good contact; perhaps too good, for the ball sped in the air towards fine leg. Running in, David Wiese dived and looked to have taken an excellent clean catch, with both his hands cupped safely underneath the ball. All of Sussex’s players were convinced as much – but not the umpires who, after conferring, decided that the ball had bounced before being taken by Wiese.”If you get hit on the leg you’re not going to walk off for an lbw. It’s the umpires’ decision at the end of the day,” Pringle said, with the sense of a man aware of times when the cricket establishment has treated Durham less kindly. “I wasn’t trying to influence the umpires’ decision – which maybe a couple of their players thought I had done – by insinuating he hadn’t caught it by standing my ground.”Pringle, then, remained unmoved, and calmly took his place at the non-striker’s end, having taken a single. As he did so Sussex’s fielders were palpably disgruntled; some in the crowd bellowed “cheat” at the batsman, and those near Wiese applauded him as vigorously – more so, out of their sense of injustice – as if his action had led to a wicket.When, two overs later, a short ball from Jordan elicited a top edge from Pringle and a wicketkeeper’s catch that no one could dispute, he was met with stony silence by the crowd – and “a few verbals” from Sussex’s fielders – as he walked off for 60.”You are disappointed. You’re in the heat of the contest and it was a very important wicket. It does influence the game,” Mark Davis, Sussex’s head coach, said although he understood Pringle’s stance. “I don’t think it was the batter’s fault at all.”If Sussex’s players thought rather less of Pringle than they had at the start of the day, Durham probably thought rather more of him and Coughlin, who added 110 for the sixth wicket. Neither played with any great elan, but they batted with purpose, grit and common sense to haul Durham out of a precarious position, belying mediocre first-class averages in the mid-20s. Coughlin excelled driving the ball through the covers; Pringle, his mid-afternoon escape apart, was particularly effective off his legs.How Durham needed their resolve. At 72 for 1, they had reason to applaud themselves on a fine morning’s work, notwithstanding Keaton Jennings losing his offstump to Jofra Archer’s extra pace. All of this was undone in 21 frenetic balls. The becalmed Cameron Steel clipped Vernon Philander to square leg – the South African’s first wicket for his fifth county. Philander then snared Stephen Cook, who had played with poise and driven pleasingly through the off side, lbw.When Archer, gallivanting up the hill with great oomph, accounted for Paul Collingwood lbw with the final ball of the session, Sussex took lunch in a state of buoyancy. After Graham Clark took a tentative half-stride forward to Danny Briggs’ first ball and missed, Durham had slipped to 129 for 5 soon after, a position in no way befitting the batting conditions.If Coughlin and Pringle ensured that Durham hauled themselves up to a respectable score, Archer ensured that it still felt under par. In ten deliveries with the second new ball, he eviscerated what remained of Durham’s batting: Coughlin slashed to third man; Graham Onions, who had almost been yorked, flashed an away-swinger behind; Chris Rushworth did the same.Therefore Archer, who bowled with unstinting venom even if his radar was a touch inconsistent, had his second five-fer in two Championship games at Hove this season. Ever sprightly, he leapt up the stairs while the crowd saluted his sterling day’s work. His captain could feel vindicated for inserting Durham – even if the brutish delivery with which Onions dismissed Harry Finch first ball spoke of Sussex’s challenge ahead.But Luke Wright would also have ended the day ruing the slapdash fielding that saw Sussex drop four catches. Pringle was reprieved on 22, a tricky chance to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess off Danny Briggs; Coughlin had 44 when Archer, appearing to misjudge the ball, spilled a catch on the fine leg boundary.Perhaps most frustrating were the two chances Chris Nash spilled at second slip, both routine by the standards of the position. On both occasions, Jordan elicited the outside edge – from Cook, on 30, and Stuart Poynter, on 4 – and must have wished that he could field in the slips to his own bowling.He might also have felt overdue a little fortune. Jordan was returning from seven weeks at the IPL, where he only faced one ball, and bowled six, in his entire stint for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Umpire Nadir Shah suffered a blow on his forehead during the Dhaka Premier League match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Kalabagan Cricket Academy in Fatullah on Tuesday

Mohammad Isam10-May-2016Umpire Nadir Shah suffered a blow on his forehead during the Dhaka Premier League match between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Kalabagan Cricket Academy in Fatullah on Tuesday.In the sixth over of Mohammedan’s innings, Shah was the square-leg umpire when Ezaz Ahmed played a sweep off the offspinner Mahmudul Hasan. The powerful shot ricocheted off the hand of Taposh Ghosh, who was fielding at square leg, and onto Shah’s forehead. He immediately went down, and was tended to by a physio. He was taken off immediately and was replaced by reserve umpire Shyful Islam.A couple of hours later, after he returned to Dhaka, Shah said he felt dizzy and would see a doctor soon.”I was off the field for the rest of the game,” Shah said. “I am back at home now and will be going to the doctor soon. There’s a bump in my forehead and I feel dizzy. The physio put ice on the injured spot and gave me a pain-killer at the ground.”Shah is umpiring in domestic cricket for the first time since he was banned in 2013.

Greg Smith finished with a career-best 177 as Essex clinched maximum batting points for the first time this season and took a firm grip at Bristol.

29-Aug-2013
ScorecardGraham Napier removed four Gloucestershire wickets•Getty Images

Greg Smith finished with a career-best 177 as Essex clinched maximum batting points for the first time this season and took a firm grip at Bristol.After rain had washed out 25 overs, the visitors extended their first innings total from an overnight 333 for 7 to exactly 400, Smith being last man out having batted for nearly seven hours, facing 303 balls and hitting 21 fours and a six.Gloucestershire slipped to 41 for 3 in reply before a century stand between Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall. But Graham Napier and Reece Topley ensured the hosts were reduced to 211 for 9 by the close, requiring a further 40 to avoid following-on.Rain delayed the start until 1.25pm and then interrupted play after just 10 balls, but the clouds got higher and a resumption was made at 1.50pm. Monty Panesar hit a breezy 22 to add 42 with Smith, who went past his previous best first-class score of 165 not out, made for Derbyshire against Glamorgan at Derby in 2010.After Panesar had top-edged a catch to fine leg off David Payne, Tymal Mills ensured Essex of a fifth batting point with 17, including three fours, before falling to the left-arm spin of Tom Smith, who was finally bowled by Craig Miles to end the innings. But Gloucestershire skipper Michael Klinger’s fear that his bowlers had under-performed proved well founded.Chris Dent, Klinger and Gareth Roderick all fell in the first 11 overs of the home side’s reply, Napier taking two of the wickets and Topley one. Gidman became the first Gloucestershire player to pass 1,000 first-class runs for the season shortly after reaching a half-century off 72 balls, but both he and Marshall had to ride their luck in adding 101 in 24 overs.Their partnership ended on 142 when Gidman had his middle stump uprooted by Ryan ten Doeschate, having hit 11 fours. Benny Howell was then run out for 11 by Topley’s sharp throw from midwicket after calling Marshall for a quick single.Marshall was dropped twice in the slips by Owais Shah and Gautam Gambhir on 44 and reached his half-century off 86 balls, with eight fours, before getting a sharp delivery from Topley and edging a catch to wicketkeeper James Foster. Smith followed, edging to Shah at first slip off Napier, and Gloucestershire were 172 for 7, still 79 runs away from avoiding the follow-on.Four runs later Will Gidman was caught behind off a lifting delivery from Topley and Payne was yorked by Napier for a duck before a flurry of boundaries from Craig Miles brought the home side a welcome batting point.

In a spell that stretched from the end of day two to the post lunch session on day three in Jamaica, Deonarine put on a show of accurate off spin that claimed four top-order New Zealand batsmen

Subash Jayaraman in Jamaica05-Aug-2012All the pre-series talk was about the off spinner from Trinidad who was going to run circles around the New Zealand batsmen; no one could have predicted that it would be Narsingh Deonarine who would be dealing the decisive blows. In a spell that stretched from the end of day two to the post lunch session on day three in Jamaica, Deonarine put on a show of accurate off spin, controlling the loop, keeping the New Zealand batsmen pinned to the crease and, importantly, claiming four top-order batsmen with it.It was not really a surprise that Darren Sammy leaned on Deonarine to bowl unchanged in a 17-over spell. After all, he was the third-highest wicket-taker for West Indies in the home series against Australia earlier this year. For someone considered a part-time spinner, generally brought on to give to the frontline bowlers a break, that isn’t too shabby.When Sammy threw the ball to Deonarine, towards the close of play on day two, with only three overs to go, no one could have expected the kind of indelible mark he would leave on the match. Guptill and BJ Watling had seen through the tough early period and had pushed New Zealand’s lead to 106. Seven deliveries later, with no runs conceded and both openers gone lbw, West Indies were back on top.The batsmen could be faulted for playing on the back foot, and deep within the crease, but credit must be given to Deonarine for pushing them back and beating the attempted onside strokes with the turn he generated on a second day Sabina Park pitch. “Looking at the New Zealand batsmen, variation was the key. I think we have outfoxed them with flight, slower [through] the air and the quicker ball as well,” Deonarine said. “They keep hanging out on the back foot. We just worked them out, and the slower we bowl, harder it is for them to play.”Looking at the numbers from this Test, it is safe to say Deonarine has out-bowled his fellow Trinidad spinner, Sunil Narine. With fast bowlers expected to do most of the damage on this pitch, it was a pleasant surprise for West Indies that Deonarine took six of 20 wickets. He technically may not be the “lead spinner” in the side, but he thinks like one: “Whenever the skipper gives me the ball, I want to do my best. [I look to] just take wickets, whenever I get my chance.”Deonarine was called upon by his captain even in the first innings, just as a threatening stand between Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill was taking shape. Then, he enticed a false stroke from Williamson just before tea on day one, but could not hold on to the hard return chance offered. He made amends when he lured Williamson into swishing at a wide delivery that was pouched by Sammy at first slip. He topped off the effort with the wicket of Kruger van Wyk, pushing him into indecision with his delicate control of flight and length. In the second innings, again, he had Williamson wafting outside off, and Brendon McCullum, off a simple bat-pad catch, to round off his match-haul of six.Many may have thought he was just filling the role of a backup spinner but he pointed out that he is “accustomed to bowling 30 or 40 overs [for Guyana in first-class cricket]”, and it’s nothing new to him, bowling long spells like he did on Saturday.Now, he is quite confident about the West Indies knocking off the remaining 71 runs to win the Test series 2-0. The bedrock of West Indies batting, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was out in the middle at stumps, but if required (and weather permitting), Deonarine would be ready to do the job too. Would he have had a nervous night then? The expectedly confident reply: “No, not at all.”

South Africa Under-19s looked on course to take a 2-1 lead against England Under-19s in the seven-match youth ODI series, before rain forced a no-result at Arundel

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2011
ScorecardSouth Africa Under-19s looked on course to take a 2-1 lead against England Under-19s in the seven-match youth ODI series, before rain forced a no-result at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground.Choosing to bowl, South Africa restricted the hosts to 198. While several of the England line-up got starts, none were able to build a big innings, the top-score being wicket-keeper Ben Foakes 48. The South Africa bowlers shared the wickets around, left-arm spinner Lesiba Ngoepe producing the best figures – 2 for 34 in a tight spell. South Africa’s openers got the chase off to a spirited start, adding 81 in 71 balls before Sam Wood struck with his first over. The rain came down soon after, with South Africa needing 113 off 37 overs with nine wickets in hand.The fourth game is scheduled for Saturday at the same venue.

Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania have announced their squads to compete in the World Cricket League Division 4 in Bologna

Cricinfo staff01-Aug-2010Nepal, USA, Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania have announced their squads to compete in the World Cricket League Division 4 in Bologna, Italy as the teams continue along the path that may ultimately lead to a place at the World Cup in 2015. The top two sides at Division 4 tournament, which will be played from August 14 to 21, will move a step closer with promotion to the WCL Division 3 to be staged in Hong Kong in January 2011.”We have good knowledge of Nepal who we played against in February and also Cayman Islands and Argentina whom we have regularly played, including as recently as May in ICC Americas Division 1 and we beat them on both occasions,” said USA captain Steve Massiah.
“The other two teams we don’t know so well, but I’m confident we’re prepared and ready to continue moving up the World Cricket League ladder.””We’re looking forward to the tournament,” commented Cayman Islands’ coach Theo Cuffy. “It will be the first time to Europe for a number of our team and it’s going to be a tough tournament with strong teams, but we’re confident we can do well.”This will be the first global ICC event to be hosted in Italy. Matches will be played at three venues in the Bologna area – Pianoro, Medicina and Bologna.Ian Gould, a member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires, will be one of nine umpires officiating at the event, which will be overseen by match referee David Jukes. Gould follows in the footsteps of fellow Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel who officiated in Singapore at WCL Div. 6 in 2009.Argentina: Esteban MacDermott (capt), Grant Dugmore, Agustin Casime, Alejandro Ferguson, Pablo Ferguson, Donald Forrester, Tomas Francis, Carlos Gibson, Diego Lord, Lucas Paterlini, Matias Paterlini, Pablo Ryan, Gary Savage, Martin Siri.Cayman Islands: Saheed Mohamed (capt), Pearson Best, Ryan Bovell, Kervin Ebanks, Paul Chin, Marlon Byran, Ricardo Roach, Jaylon Linton, Abali Hoilett, Conroy Wright, Alassandra Morris, Kevin Bazil, Ramon Sealy, Ronald Ebanks.Italy: Alessandro Bonora (capt), Roshendra Abewickrama, Din Alaud, Dilan Arsakulasuriya, Damien Crowley, Gayashan Munasinghe, Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Damian Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Nicholas Northcote, Hayden dell’Agnello, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso, Stanly Kankanamge.Nepal: Paras Kadka (capt), Gyanendra Malla, Shakti Gauchan, Sharad Vesawkar, Mahesh Kumar Chhetri, Anil Kumar Mandal, Amrit Battarai, Basant Regmi, Binod Kumar Das, Sanjam Regmi, Rahul Kumar Vishwakarma, Mahaboob Alam, Manjeet Shrestha, Pradeep Airee.Tanzania: Hamzi Abdallah (capt), Abhik Patwa, Hasnain Damji, Khalil Rehemtulla, Seif Khalifa, Riziki Kiseto, Kassim Nassoro, Issa Kikasi, Enjo Kiongozi, Shaheed Danani, Rashidi Amiri, Benson Mwita, Harsh Ramaiya, Ally Kimote.USA: Steve Massiah (capt), Muhammad Asad Ghous, Steven Taylor, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Adrian Gordon, Lennox Cush, Khawaja Usman Shuja, Kevin Darlington, Nasir Javed.

Afghanistan lost their last six wickets for only 21 runs, crumbling swiftly on a slow and used Sharjah surface

Himanshu Agrawal09-Nov-2024First, Afghanistan’s spin quartet ended with combined figures of 38-0-144-7. Bangladesh’s trio replied with 21.3-2-72-5. But where Afghanistan’s quicks bowled 12 overs for 108 runs without a single wicket, Bangladesh’s fast bowlers were more incisive with four wickets in 22 overs, which went for only 111. That was the difference in the end as Afghanistan fell 68 short in their pursuit of 253 and Bangladesh levelled the three-match series with one game to play.Bangladesh’s win was set up by captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 76. When Shanto fell on his 119th ball in the 41st over of the first innings, his innings appeared to be too slow. But the value of his runs was visible when the Afghanistan batters struggled to get going, justifying that batting wasn’t easy on a slow and used Sharjah surface. Six of Afghanistan’s top eight scored at least 14, but only one could go on to score a half-century. Rahmat Shah’s 76-ball 52 remained the highest.Afghanistan’s chase of 253 began in sedate fashion. The Bangladesh quicks started with tight lines and lengths with the new ball swinging, but their first two breakthroughs were down to some fantastic catches. Soumya Sarkar anticipated a ball rushing onto him at wide slip to have Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught off Taskin Ahmed, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz – at square leg – leapt and plucked one to send Sediqullah Atal back off Nasum Ahmed’s first ball.Atal departed for 39, ending a 52-run second-wicket partnership with Rahmat, but his dismissal started a sequence where Nasum and Mahmudullah kept a check on Afghanistan, conceding only 19 runs across the next seven overs.Mehidy took over captaincy duties after Shanto had to leave the field with a hand injury, and brought himself back to bowl in the 24th over. One over past the halfway mark, Afghanistan’s required rate had crossed six runs an over, and the slide began in the 29th.Mustafizur Rahman had Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi caught at fine leg for a 40-ball 17 and then Nasum bowled Azmatullah Omarzai for his second duck of the series with a beautiful ball which turned away to hit off stump.Three balls later, Rahmat paid the price for a mix-up with Gulbadin Naib, who pushed one to cover and called. With Naib watching the fielder, Rahmat was halfway down the pitch, and ultimately both ended up running towards Jaker Ali, the debutant wicketkeeper. Jaker, playing in place of the injured Mushfiqur Rahim, threw the ball to Nasum at the other end and Rahmat was well short.Thus, Afghanistan lost three wickets in the space of six deliveries, and although Naib swung his bat around for an entertaining 26, and added 44 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, his dismissal left the rest with too much to do. They lost their last five wickets for only 21 runs and folded for 184 in 43.4 overs.That batting performance made Shanto’s half-century and Jaker’s death-overs batting cameo look even better. Bangladesh had lost Tanzid Hasan early in the afternoon, but Shanto and Soumya accelerated. Despite a Shanto slowdown after the powerplay, Bangladesh made 82 in 14 overs.However, it took a further 23 overs to get another 82 for Bangladesh, despite losing only two more wickets in that period. All four of Afghanistan’s spinners – Rashid, Nabi, Nangeyalia Kharote and AM Ghazanfar – operated during that phase, and conceded just two fours and a six.Rashid broke the 71-run second-wicket partnership between Shanto and Soumya when he trapped the latter lbw. Soumya, on 35, didn’t review despite a consultation, and later saw the replays show the ball had pitched outside the line.In all, Shanto took 75 balls to get to his half-century, which he completed halfway into the 28th over. Both Mehidy and Shanto struggled to put the Afghanistan spinners away, and had to rely on their running between the wickets amid a plethora of dots. In the 32nd over, Shanto was given out lbw on 55 off Ghazanfar, but he reviewed and overturned the decision.But Rashid broke the 53-run stand when he cleaned Mehidy up with a googly next over. With 12 overs to go and Bangladesh on 174, Bangladesh were on course for a strong finish but with Shanto slow but Kharote struck three times in the next three overs to dent their cause. Towhid Hridoy, Shanto and Mahmudullah all departed in quick succession.But Jaker and Nasum ensured Bangladesh would post a competitive score. The last six overs were taken for 60 runs, as Nasum started the fun with a slog sweep for six off Kharote. When Afghanistan switched to pace in the 47th over, Jaker bashed Fazalhaq Farooqi for back-to-back sixes, with one landing over the roof beyond deep midwicket. Nasum hit 25 at just better than a run a ball, while Jaker put the finishing touch. The debutant ensured Bangladesh crossed 250.

Left-armer rips through visitors as they concede 171-run first-innings deficit

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2023Keith Barker blew Somerset away with his first LV=Insurance County Championship five-wicket haul of the season as Hampshire took control on day two at the Ageas Bowl. Left-arm seamer Barker had only taken 14 wickets in his opening eight red-ball appearances of 2023 but after a fine Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign, roared back with 5 for 32 to see off Somerset for 137.Andy Umeed scored 43, to follow up Jack Brooks’ first five-wicket haul of the season, but the visitors’ hopes of victory took a hefty blow. Despite a 171-run lead, Hampshire batted again and reached 45 without loss in 23 watchful evening overs to extend their lead to 216.After Sean Dickson had been brilliantly caught at third slip by James Vince off Barker in the third over, Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell bedded in for over an hour either side of lunch. The pair put on 51, but Abell lbw to Barker sparked a collapse from 51 for 1 to 67 for 5, from which they wouldn’t fully recover.Barker has endured an underwhelming Championship campaign, due in part to missing matches after he fractured both his hands while batting in the early stages. His 10 wickets in six One-Day Cup matches have warmed him up for the season’s final month.The former Warwickshire quick took a heavy-handed Lammonby’s outside edge before pinning Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Division One’s leading run scorer, heading into the round, James Rew prodded to short leg off Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory played on to Mohammad Abbas, Ben Green edged Abbott behind and Neil Wagner was bowledUmeed – fresh from 613 One-Day Cup runs – had been in survival mode but once the eighth wicket fell started to unleash. He reached 43 before he missed a big swing and was stumped to give Dawson 3 for 61. Barker had the final word by having Shoaib Bashir lbw before celebrating his five wickets with his trademark one-arm raised celebrappeal.Somerset gave up a 171-run first-innings deficit but James Vince elected against enforcing the follow-on. Toby Albert and Fletcha Middleton bedded in, heeding century-maker Dawson’s advice to bat long to score runs. It made for a lifeless final 23 overs of the day – during which Wagner attempted a short-pitched onslaught on a pitch not suited to such a tactic, Hampshire closing on 45 without loss.Earlier, Brooks bolstered his impressive Ageas Bowl record to 21 wickets at an average of 16.85 in four matches with two morning wickets – as Hampshire added 26 to their overnight score to be bowled out for 308. Barker was caught off his inside edge before Dawson was pinned by Brooks to end his 115-run stay. Kyle Abbott swatted back-to-back boundaries to gather a second batting bonus point but chipped to cover.Brooks returned 5 for 56 – his third five-wicket haul on the ground – and first in four Championship appearances this season.