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The final session on day three was washed out after Sophie Ecclestone’s four-for gave the hosts a 165-run first-innings lead

Valkerie Baynes18-Jun-2021A second half-century in as many innings from teenager Shafali Verma kept India clinging on during a rain-interrupted third day of their one-off Test against England in Bristol.Early tea was taken when the rain that had threatened throughout to set in eventually did and play was abandoned for the day at 5.30pm local time. India, following on, were 83 for 1 in their second innings, a deficit of 82 runs. Verma remained unbeaten on 55 and Deepti Sharma was not out on 18.Verma, the 17-year-old debutant who had fallen just four runs shy of a century in the first innings, showed impeccable timing in racking up 20 runs – all in boundaries – from just 14 balls to the lunch break. She nailed fours through midwicket and mid-off before two exquisitely effortless drives pierced the covers, and she clipped her fifth neatly off the pads to the leg side. She carried on in a similar vein after the break, threading three more boundaries through the off side.Related

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There was a hint of fallibility as Katherine Brunt beat her big swing when Verma was on 35. Then, having moved to 41 with another jaw-dropping four, stepping forward and raising her back foot as she chipped the ball sweetly back over bowler Kate Cross’ head, Verma edged Cross’ next ball narrowly past Heather Knight, diving low to her left at first slip, for another boundary.Another of India’s five Test debutants, Sharma, who had been unbeaten on 29 in the first innings, was promoted to No. 3 in the second when Smriti Mandhana fell on the stroke of lunch. Sharma played the foil to Verma’s exuberance, having faced 44 balls for a solitary run before rain caused a half-hour interruption to the afternoon session with Verma on 46 and India 57 for 1, a deficit of 108 runs.Sharma upped her scoring rate after the stoppage, driving Cross to the boundary through the covers twice, before Verma brought up her fifty off 63 balls with a single off Cross to mid-on, becoming the first Indian woman and the youngest woman from any country to score twin fifties on Test debut. Across men’s and women’s Tests, only Sachin Tendulkar was younger when he achieved the milestone. Verma managed another four – the 11th of her innings – when she cracked Sophie Ecclestone over mid-off before the rain brought about the tea break.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Play had resumed half an hour late after lunch because of the rain even though it was only the faintest drizzle after England had further dented India’s hopes when Brunt enticed Mandhana, then on 8, into a drive and she edged to Nat Sciver at second slip.Earlier, Ecclestone picked up from where England had left off on the second evening, adding three more wickets to her tally on the third morning as India were bowled out for 231.India resumed on 187 for 5 after a flurry of wickets in the final hour on Thursday brought undone the first-innings opening partnership worth 167 between Verma and Mandhana. Ecclestone, the left-arm spinner, struck with her first ball – the fifth of the day overall – when she had Harmanpreet Kaur out lbw. It took an astute England review to claim the wicket after Kaur was initially given not out by on-field umpire Sue Redfern, with replays showing the ball hitting leg stump.Ecclestone then had Taniya Bhatia out lbw with the first ball of her next over, Bhatia burning a review in the hope of having a fairly cut-and-dried dismissal overturned. By then, India had lost seven wickets for 20 runs in 14.2 overs.But it was perhaps her removal of Sneh Rana that would have brought Ecclestone the greatest satisfaction, such was the quality of the delivery, pitching outside off and turning sharply across to find the edge, Amy Jones taking a juggling catch behind the stumps. It was Ecclestone’s fourth wicket and she ended the innings with 4 for 88 from 26 overs.Brunt then struck at the very first opportunity with the new ball, bowling Pooja Vastrakar with a dream delivery, one that swung out a mile and clipped the top of off stump. And when Anya Shrubsole bowled Jhulan Goswami with an inswinger, the visitors were all out, still 16 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.

Squad to arrive in Manchester on Tuesday ahead of bio-secure Test series

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jun-2020The West Indies squad lead by Jason Holder is all set to embark on a historic Test tour of England, after all the players and support staff cleared the mandatory testing for Covid-19.The squad will leave Antigua on Monday evening local time on a charter flight and touch down in Manchester on Tuesday morning. The players will then enter a bio-secure environment at Emirates Old Trafford and train for the next three weeks, before heading to Southampton on July 3 for the first Test which begins on July 8.Last week West Indies announced a 25-man squad, including 11 reserves, for the three-Test series which will the first time cricket has been played in a bio-secure environment.The tour had been awaiting final approval from the UK government, as well as the national governments in the Caribbean, all of which was granted over the weekend.A further condition had stipulated that any player/support staff member testing positive for Covid-19 would not be permitted to take the flight.”All the players’ and staff test results are confirmed as negative,” Johnny Grave, the Cricket West Indies chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo.Once the CWI had secured confirmation from the selected players about their willingness to tour, the tests were carried out and processed at a laboratory in Miami.The 25 players will be accompanied by an 11-strong contingent of support staff including assistant coach Roddy Estwick, plus Rayon Griffiths and Floyd Reifer, who is filling in as assistant coach (batting). The medical team comprises Dr. Praimanand Singh (team doctor), Donald LaGuerre (mental coach), along with two physios and two massage therapists.Phil Simmons, the head coach who is based in London, will join the squad in Manchester on Tuesday.As per the travel directive of the UK government, West Indies’ squad will need to self-isolate for two weeks, but they will be allowed to train during this period as they are staying at the on-site hotel at Old Trafford.ALSO READ: ‘More determined, more focused’ – Blackwood ready for England tourAccording to Grave, West Indies will start training from Wednesday and will play one three-day and one four-day matches, each of which will be an intra-squad event.The logistics of West Indies’ departure involve two charter flights, fetching players from different countries within the Caribbean and bringing them to Antigua. As per the protocol finalised between the CWI and ECB, the squad along with Simmons will be tested again at Old Trafford.”As soon as they get to Old Trafford they will go to a holding room in the stadium where they will be able to have breakfast and at the same time go in batches to get tested again. And then we should get those test results by Thursday,” Grave said.Grave, who has been at the forefront of the negotiations with the ECB, said the tour would only be considered to be underway once the squad’s test results in England come back as negative.”We will be training from Thursday once we get the UK test results back,” he said. “We’ve got to prepare as we’ve got to defend the Wisden Trophy. We are not going there to fulfil the ECB’s broadcast requirements, we are going there to win.”

Ronchi, and later Samit Patel, ensured this win didn’t just bring two points, but also a statement of real intent from the two-time champions

The Report by Danyal Rasool23-Feb-2019How the game played outHaving gotten over their traditional slow start, Islamabad have begun cranking through the gears. A Luke Ronchi special – 67 off 35 – was more than enough to see off Karachi in a below-par chase of 144, in the process sending out a warning to all the other franchises. One of the most complete, all round performances by any side all season, Islamabad’s bowlers had their foot on Karachi throats from the moment Rumman Raees dismissed Colin Munro – perhaps Karachi’s version of Ronchi – in the first over.There was an element of self-destruction to Karachi’s innings. While they lost wickets to a relentlessly brilliant pace attack, Babar Azam succumbed to a needless runout, taking away Karachi’s last realistic chance of a seriously challenging total. Shadab Khan, captaining in the absence of Mohammad Sami due to a knock, was superb across his spell, conceding just 18 runs off his four overs (the same number Kieron Pollard smashed him for off his last over just yesterday). Before long, they were 74 for six, and it required the firefighting efforts of Ben Dunk and Aamer Yamin to make hay of a rare wayward spell by Islamabad’s bowlers. The pair put together 69 runs in the last 37 balls, ensuring the game would at least be competitive.Karachi needed a glut of early wickets, but following the early runout of Cameron Delport, Ronchi had set about putting a swift end to any hopes Mickey Arthur’s side might have harboured. He, and later Samit Patel, ensured this win didn’t just bring two points, but also a statement of real intent from the two-time champions.Luke Ronchi takes the aerial route on the leg side•PSL

Turning pointWhen Cameron Delport was run out in the first over, it was a sign Karachi may have carried the momentum of the death overs into the second innings, determined to turn this into one of those nasty, low-scoring scraps. But a wayward over from Aamer Yamin that followed conceded 9 runs, and Mohammad Amir was smacked for three fours by Sahibzada Farhan in the third. This was before Ronchi had even got started, and when he did, the end was mercifully swift.Star of the dayThe joy of having Ronchi in your side is he bats in the second innings like he would in the first. Regardless of the target, the former New Zealand and Australia international attacks, literally, from ball one. Smashing Mohammad Amir over long-on off the first ball of the chase put his side in command from the outset. There was to be no let-up, with successive sixes off Usman Shinwari and one off Karachi captain Imad Wasim helping him hurtle to a 22-ball 50. By then, the asking rate was below six, and Ronchi could take a back seat while Samit Patel helped whittle down the runs.The big missColin Munro has the second highest strike rate among active T20I batsmen with 162. Like his New Zealand teammate Ronchi, he opens the batting, and tees off from ball one. He has three T20I hundreds; only Rohit Sharma with four betters that. In theory, he’s supposed to be a younger, fitter, sexier version of Ronchi, and that mini-contest promised to lend a fascinating subplot to this particular fixture. However, much like Glenn McGrath against Sachin Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup final, this was a damp squib. While Ronchi’s heroics saw him win his side the game, Munro holed out at deep fine leg off the first ball he faced. Karachi’s trump card had been played and fluffed, and it was a hole Islamabad never allowed them to dig out of.Where the teams standTwo wins on the trot sees Islamabad leap to second place, with 6 points, while just one win in four means Karachi remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

IPL franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of five of their existing players through a combination of player retention before the 2018 auction and the use of right-to-match cards during the auction

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Dec-20175:15

The IPL auction 2018 – New rules, old game?

IPL franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of five of their existing players through a combination of player retention before the 2018 auction and the use of right-to-match cards during the auction. The salary cap for each team for the 2018 season has been set at INR 80 crore (approximately $12.4 million) by the IPL governing council, which met in Delhi on Tuesday along with the Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators.The dates for the auction are yet to be finalised. One of the governing council’s members, Sourav Ganguly felt it would be best to hold the event after the third Test and final Test between India and South Africa. It is understood that the auction may take place on January 29 or February 3.Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the two franchises returning from a two-year suspension, will be able to retain players from among those who were in their squads in 2015, and from the list of their players who represented Rising Pune Super Giant and Gujarat Lions in 2017. Super Giant and Lions are no longer part of the IPL because they were brought in as temporary replacements while Super Kings and Royals served their suspensions.Of the five players, a franchise can retain a maximum of three through retention in the lead up to the auction, and a maximum of three through right-to-match cards during the auction. If a franchise does not retain any player before the auction it can still retain only three using right-to-match cards. A right-to-match card gives the franchise the ability to buy back its player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise, once the bidding is over.The other restrictions on player retention are: a maximum of three capped Indian players can be retained, and only two overseas players and two uncapped Indian players can be retained. These decisionsA franchise will be allowed to spend only INR 33 crore on retentions ahead of the 2018 IPL auction, leaving it at least INR 47 crore to spend at the auction. If a franchise retains the maximum of three of their players before the auction, it will lose from the salary cap INR 15 crore for the first player, INR 11 crore for the second, and INR 7 crore for the third.If only two players are retained, then the first will cost the franchise INR 12.5 crore from the salary cap, and the second INR 8.5 crore. If only one player is retained, then he will cost the franchise INR 12.5 crore from the salary cap. The IPL has also imposed a salary cap of INR 3 crore for an uncapped player retained before the auction.Considering the player auction will be a big one, the IPL has increased the salary cap significantly. From INR 66 crore in the last two auctions (2016 and 2017), the salary cap will be INR 80 crore in 2018. It will increase further to INR 82 crore in 2019, and to INR 85 crore in 2020. The IPL said the franchises will need to spend at least 75% of the salary cap each season, and that each squad should contain between 18 and 25 players with a limit of eight overseas players per franchise.There was also an upwards revision in the base prices of players at the auction. Previously, uncapped Indian players had base prices of INR 10, 20 and 30 lakhs respectively; now each of those slabs has been increased by INR 10 lakh. The minimum base price for capped Indian players has also increased from INR 30 lakh to INR 50 lakh.

Pakistan sealed the ODI series with another clinical win against West Indies, built on the back of a 169-run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam

The Report by Nikhil Kalro02-Oct-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:04

By the Numbers: Pakistan’s highest ODI total against WI

Pakistan followed up their 3-0 T20I series win by sealing the ODI series with yet another clinical display against West Indies in Sharjah. Pakistan’s 59-run win was set up by their most and least experienced batsmen – Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam – who combined to display the art of batting through the middle overs on a slow surface to lead them to 337 for 5, the third-highest total in Sharjah.Azam struck a chanceless century, his second successive one, and Malik blitzed 90 as the pair strung together 169, Pakistan’s highest stand for the third wicket against West Indies. In reply, West Indies found the chase too steep and could only manage 278 for 7.Openers Azhar Ali and Sharjeel Khan put West Indies under pressure from the outset after Pakistan opted to bat. Sharjeel used his bottom hand to clear the infield regularly, collecting three fours and a six in his 12-ball 24 before West Indies hit back, removing both batsmen in the space of three balls.Thereafter, Azam and Malik stalled West Indies with sound technique and calculated risks. Azam pierced the field while Malik went over it, both equally effective in collecting frequent boundaries and keeping the score moving. Sulieman Benn’s introduction was delayed, but Malik capitalised on the bowler’s modus operandi of flight and loop from around the wicket.Malik struck five sixes off Benn – three in succession in the 27th over – by shimmying down, getting underneath the ball and going over the arc between long-on and midwicket. The period between overs 21 and 35 yielded 107 in conditions not suited to effortless run-scoring.In between, Azam unfurled classy drives through cover and found gaps in the outfield to accumulate runs. After Malik carved one to point, Azam utilised Pakistan’s strong platform. His 126-ball 123 included nine fours and a six, which indicated his ability to maintain a high strike rate through ones and twos. Neither Malik nor Azam offered even a “half-chance” until their dismissals.Towards the latter stages of the innings, West Indies seemed to stall Pakistan’s ease at finding the boundary through clever variations in pace until Sarfraz Ahmed plundered four fours in five balls in the 47th over. Sarfraz struck an unbeaten 60, but it went largely unnoticed behind Azam and Malik’s pyrotechnics.West Indies needed to pull off the highest successful chase in Sharjah to stay alive in the series, but their innings got the same start as the four previous games on this tour: an early wicket. Johnson Charles, looking to clear the off-side infield, toe-ended a catch to cover off Mohammad Amir to start the slide.Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo were left with the task of stabilising the innings in the face of some accurate bowling. Their 89-run second-wicket stand was built on the back of some sweetly-timed boundaries and plenty of singles, but it also took up 118 balls – not quick enough for a steep chase in tough run-scoring conditions.However, West Indies remained in the fight as Bravo took the onus of accelerating by attacking left-arm spinners Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz. He struck three sixes over long-on off overpitched deliveries, two of which cleared the ground.Hasan Ali, though, removed Bravo with an athletic piece of fielding off his own bowling. Bravo nudged a yorker towards short leg and Hasan sprang towards the ball in his follow-through, picked up while sliding, turned around and fired an accurate throw at the non-striker’s end, all in one swift motion.Marlon Samuels was up against a mounting asking rate and a wily bowling side. He stuck around for 52 balls and struck 57, but the enormity of the task in front of West Indies meant that his effort didn’t suffice.Eventually, the asking rate was too steep an ask even for West Indies’ powerful middle order. That they couldn’t capitalise on six dropped chances by Pakistan told the story.