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Shanaka on chat with Dhawan: “We get advice from our former players too, but this was a chance to hear from a current player with a lot of experience”

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jul-2021Among the themes of India’s tour of Sri Lanka was the chumminess of the two sides even in difficult bio-bubble situations. Hardik Pandya went viral in Sri Lanka when he was seen singing their national anthem. He had also given fellow seam-bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne – who describes Pandya as a role model – one of his bats. At another point in the series, India coach Rahul Dravid was seen having a brief conversation with Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.And finally, ahead of the third T20I, Shikhar Dhawan was addressing a whole bunch of Sri Lanka players as they huddled in the outfield. After his team had sewn up the series against a depleted India side, Shanaka revealed a little of what he had hoped to get out of the interaction with Dhawan.”Shikhar is a player who has played [for] 10 years, and has a lot of experience,” Shanaka said. “What he has to say about making game plans, and situation handling is something that’s important for all of us to hear – for me as a captain, and the rest of the team.Related

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“He’s someone who’s mastered even his breathing pattern. I thought if we could speak with a player like him, our players would get some sort of knowledge about how to raise our game. We get advice from our former players too, but this was a chance to hear from a current player with a lot of experience. I’m grateful to him for that chance.”But Shanaka mentioned that the conversation with Dravid earlier on in the series was more general.”I talked with Dravid about how the India players approach their innings,” he said. “They are really positive from the moment they get into the ground, and I asked him a lot of the questions we also asked Shikhar.”Sri Lanka were ultimately able to win the T20I series 2-1, thanks in no small part to legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who claimed seven wickets and maintained an economy rate of 5.58 across his 12 overs in the series. During the course of the past week, he also became the second-ranked T20I bowler in the world.”He’s a player who has matured really quickly,” Shanaka said of Hasaranga. “I don’t think No. 2 is enough for him, he’s someone who should be at No. 1. I think he’ll get there quickly.”

He came in at 162 for 5 and ensured a first-innings lead despite Delhi having piled on 452

Deivarayan Muthu19-Feb-20223:27

Shahrukh Khan: ‘The four-year wait to make it to the Ranji team really made me mentally strong’

After causing a stir at the IPL mega auction last weekend on the back of his white-ball heroics, Tamil Nadu’s M Shahrukh Khan made another splash this weekend, clattering an 89-ball century in the Ranji Trophy game against Delhi. The 26-year-old nearly converted his maiden first-class hundred into a double-century as Tamil Nadu overhauled Delhi’s 452 in Guwahati.By the time Shahrukh was trapped lbw by Nitish Rana’s part-time offspin in the post-tea session on day three, Tamil Nadu were into the lead. Left-arm fingerspinner Vikas Mishra, however, cleaned up the tail swiftly and bowled out Tamil Nadu for 494 at the stroke of stumps, limiting their lead to 42.That Tamil Nadu would snatch the first-innings advantage appeared unlikely when Shahrukh joined former captain B Indrajith at 162 for 5. The current captain Vijay Shankar had just offered a bat-pad catch to silly-point for five. R Sai Kishore, the nightwatchman, and M Kaushik Gandhi, the opener, had already fallen in the morning as Delhi dominated the early exchanges.Sai Kishore (11) had been caught short by a direct hit from Lalit Yadav while Gandhi (55) nicked off a quick dart from Mishra. Shahrukh then immediately changed the mood and tempo of the game with a barrage of boundaries.He had started off in a skittish fashion, flapping a weak pull in front of mid-on, but stayed true to his usual attacking instincts and went about bending the Delhi attack out of shape. Shahrukh was particularly brutal on left-arm seamer Kuldip Yadav, taking him for 50 off a mere 20 balls. All up, he walloped 20 fours and 10 sixes.That Sharukh is particularly strong against pace is fairly well-established in Indian domestic circles. Recently in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy, Prasidh Krishna, too, felt the power of Shahrukh. On Saturday, while his big-hitting against pace would have been the more headline-grabbing passage of play, it was his patience and technique against spin that highlighted his growth as an all-format domestic batter.He was either forward to smother Mishra’s turning balls or right back – when the bowler dragged the length back – to cut him or pull him away. In all, he made 29 off 48 balls against Mishra. Over the last two years, Tamil Nadu’s assistant coach R Prasanna has had a variety of local spinners bowling at Shahrukh at the nets and all that training was put to good use against Delhi.On his Ranji debut in 2018, Shahrukh had set up Tamil Nadu’s victory with a first-innings 92 not out on an atypical Chepauk track that aided seamers. He has played just four-class matches since, before this Ranji season, but there are already signs that Shahrukh could be a match-winner in red-ball cricket as well.Related

• Shahrukh Khan: 'Even if I only play five balls, there's a process to it'

• Yash Dhull hits 113 on first-class debut to lead Delhi charge

• Bihar's Sakibul Gani enters record books after hitting triple ton on debut

“Touch wood, things are going well for me in white-ball cricket for Tamil Nadu. I feel that people brand quickly that he is a white-ball player only, but I want to do well and hit the next level in all formats,” Shahrukh had told ESPNcricinfo in the lead-up to this Ranji season.”I want to get big runs in Ranji Trophy. I might also bat down the order in red-ball cricket and I want to handle those situations better, with Prasanna as the example. He has bailed out Tamil Nadu from so many situations in swinging conditions. The margin for error in red-ball cricket is a lot lesser and I enjoy that challenge.”Shahrukh walked the talk, striking up rapid century stands with Indrajith and then N Jagadeesan. Shahrukh had brought up the century stand with Indrajith in grand style with a rasping cut over backward point off Kuldip – a genuine candidate for the shot of the day. Indrajith was more aggressive and proactive against spin, often disrupting lengths and lines by jumping out of the crease.Indrajith reached his hundred off 126 balls when he glided Kuldip to the third-man boundary in the 71st over, which yielded 22 runs. Seven overs later, though, Rana pinned him lbw with an offbreak that shot low. There would be no stopping Shahrukh however, as he zipped into the nineties with a brace of sixes.After getting to a century of his own, with a single to long leg, he seemingly pointed to his white jersey and soaked in the applause from the Tamil Nadu camp. Shahrukh then needed just 24 balls to go from 100 to 150.After a slow start, Jagadeesan, too, hit a higher gear, launching Mishra for sixes over long-off and long-on in the 92nd over. At one point, Delhi spread out the field, deploying fielders at deep midwicket, deep backward square leg and long-on, but Shahrukh kept peppering that arc or clearing those outfielders.Rana and Mishra made some late strikes for Delhi, but this was Shahrukh’s weekend once again.

Seamer says aggressive gameplans can give her a second wind at back end of career

Valkerie Baynes02-Dec-2022Kate Cross says England Women are ready to embrace a more aggressive approach under the guidance of new head coach Jon Lewis.Upon linking up with his charges at their training base in Loughborough last week, Lewis revealed he wanted them to play less safe and “walk towards the danger” just as he had seen the England Men’s sides do across formats in his previous role as their elite pace bowling coach.It’s an approach that may come naturally to the younger members of the squad, with the likes of Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong and Lauren Bell all fearlessly grabbing the international opportunities given to them over the summer during the final months of Lisa Keightley’s three-year tenure as head coach.And while Kate Cross, the 31-year-old seamer, believes it will require a “mindset shift” for the team as a whole, she’s all in.”If you’re not willing to move with the times, then you’re going to get stuck behind anyway,” Cross said from Antigua, where the ODI squad is preparing for the first of three matches against West Indies on Sunday.”I’m not daft, I know that people are going to work out how to face me and how to attack me and that’s ultimately going to put pressure on me. So if I can get ahead of that curve now, then that’s pretty handy for me as a player.”How it looks for me might look very different to how it looks for Freya Kemp or Katherine Brunt. That’s where I think Lewy is going to come in and be really clear with our roles in the team, and what that looks like and what is needed from us.”From a bowling point of view, we’ve got such a big unit now and a really exciting unit, that it will be more how we approach the game as a unit, because it’ll be up to the five or six bowlers that are out there to try and bowl teams out. It’s going to be interesting, but I’m really looking forward to it.”Related

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• Lauren Winfield-Hill earns recall as England Women name Caribbean squads

• Jon Lewis' to-do list: Manage comebacks, nurture youngsters and see England Women soar

• Jon Lewis: 'You don't coach gender, you coach people'

• Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight back in West Indies squad for ODIs against England

Cross is an admirer of how England Men’s red- and white-ball teams have executed the positive ethos promoted by their respective head coaches, Brendon McCullum and Matthew Mott, reacting on her Instagram stories to an ECB post about the Test team’s feats on the opening day in Pakistan, saying: “Changing the game, this team”. And she said the concept wasn’t completely alien to the Women’s group, who had talked about adopting a similar approach under Keightley and captain Heather Knight over the summer.”Personally for me, it’s a really nice time for this to come in,” she added. “It’s getting that second wind in your career. You don’t want to be the old senior pro that is stuck in their ways and just does what they always do. It feels like a really nice time for me personally as well, to be getting that messaging.”The thing that I’ve noticed with the youngsters is just the lack of fear that they have when they play. That’s probably an element of coming in and making debuts in the Hundred and playing in front of big crowds, and having the opportunity to impress people. Sometimes I think players from my generation could have been doing that, but it was a bit behind the scenes, you weren’t on TV, it wasn’t even live-streamed back then.”Those youngsters are just used to that environment. For me, what is exciting is they don’t really care who’s bowling at them or who they’re bowling at, they just go and do their thing. That’s the making of a really exciting team.”The ODIs in Antigua will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, in which England are yet to get off the mark following their 3-0 defeat by India in September.Cross is not part of the T20I squad staying on – with Brunt, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sarah Glenn and Wong joining them – for five matches from December 11. She will return home along with Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards and Tammy Beaumont after the third ODI in a week’s time but for now she is relishing being back in the Caribbean, where she made her international debut in 2013 and where she came as a youngster herself to watch the men play on the 2004 Test tour.”I remember coming out here as a young kid watching [Steve] Harmison and [Matthew] Hoggard bowling on pitches like this and making West Indian players look silly,” she said. “I also did see Brian Lara get 400, so maybe I shouldn’t say that. But I’m a huge cricket fan, I’ve been lucky to come out here and watch England men play, so it’s great to be back here… it’s a special place for me.”

Coach Andrew McDonald also stands by the decision: “Ashton was suited to these conditions and we needed to make room”

Matt Roller23-Jun-20243:23

Moody: These were ideal conditions to trouble Australia

Australia’s captain and coach defended the “tough decision” to leave Mitchell Starc out for their defeat to Afghanistan, which has left them reliant on other results ahead of their final Super Eight fixture against India in St Lucia on Monday.On a slow, turning pitch in St Vincent, Australia opted to play only two frontline seamers – Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – and brought Ashton Agar into the side in Starc’s place, as a second specialist spinner alongside Adam Zampa. Agar bowled tidily, taking 0 for 17 in his four overs, but Afghanistan’s 118-run opening stand brought Starc’s absence as a new-ball strike bowler into focus.”It’s always a tough decision to leave Mitch Starc out of a team,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach said. “But from the way that the game unfolded, Ashton was suited to these conditions and we needed to make room. We knew we were going to need more than eight overs of spin on that surface and it’s probably something we’ve been planning and preparing for once we knew we were at this venue.Related

• Naib orchestrates Afghanistan's historic win over Australia

• Marsh confident Australia will be 'up and about' for India challenge after Afghanistan loss

“It’s always a difficult decision. You never know whether you’re right or wrong, but I thought Ashton bowled incredibly well today, used his skill, some good arm-balls, found some purchase early and he made it tricky to navigate through those first few overs. We got two [overs] out [of him] in the powerplay which then set up the bowling for that end with him and Zamps operating. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take those early wickets.”Mitchell Marsh, Australia’s captain, said Starc had been “unlucky” to miss out but added: “We’ve said right from the start of the tournament that we’ve got 15 guys here, and we’ll pick a team that we think can win us the game in those certain conditions, and everything pointed towards Ash… The reality is, when you’ve got this much talent, someone’s always unlucky to miss out.”Despite Agar’s two tight powerplay overs, Afghanistan made a steady start to their innings, scoring 40 for 0 in the first six. It stood in contrast to Australia’s own start, losing Travis Head, David Warner and Marsh himself to be 33 for 3 after six. But Marsh insisted: “I don’t think the game was won or lost in the powerplay tonight.”Ashton Agar bowled tight but couldn’t get early wickets•ICC/Getty Images

McDonald said that there was no point trying to work out what might have happened if Starc had been selected against Afghanistan, and said that conditions in St Vincent had been as Australia expected. They had long earmarked the game as a potential scare given the strength of Afghanistan’s spin attack and the nature of the pitch at the Arnos Vale Ground.”When you’re hopping around the islands, the conditions change dramatically, and we got what we expected,” McDonald said. “I was comfortable with that decision and now we’ve got to turn our focus to India: a totally different line-up on a totally different surface, and we’ve got to make good decisions at the selection table.”That’s part of the art of navigating through a World Cup, to get those decisions right – and you can’t play the same game twice. You can’t put Mitchell Starc in there, or Nathan Ellis, and work out what the game would have looked like. We went to Ash and backed him in, and we’ve got full trust in whoever we call on in that 15 to get a job done and we’ve got a task ahead.”

Rollicking chase sealed with 77 balls to spare as tourists ring changes in build-up to series

Matt Roller12-Jul-2022Was this a case of mistaken identity? As England’s full-strength 50-over side capitulated to a ten-wicket defeat in south London, bowled out for 110 by India, their second-string counterparts blitzed their way to a target of 319 in just 37.1 overs against South Africa in Taunton.Somerset had made 265 for 5, the highest total in the history of English domestic T20, at this ground on Saturday night and the short boundaries are notoriously inviting. On another excellent batting pitch at their home ground, Will Smeed and Tom Banton added 113 for the first wicket in 13.4 overs – more than the ODI side had managed in 25.2 – to remove any kind of scoring pressure from the chase.Smeed eventually fell for 90 off 56 balls in what was his first senior 50-over innings, hitting seven fours and six sixes against the same South Africa attack that will be used in next week’s ODI series against England. Ben Duckett and Stephen Eskinazi added 127 for the fourth wicket in 15 overs; Duckett fell with two to win, but Eskinazi hit the winning runs by crashing Marco Jansen through point, bringing up his half-century in the process. The margin of defeat was six wickets, but with as many as 77 balls remaining, this was a genuine thrashing.South Africa were not overly concerned. “It was good for the batters to spend some time in the middle and get used to the conditions,” Janneman Malan, who top-scored with 103, said. “We always saw today as a warm-up: time in the middle for the boys, time on our feet. Their guys were prepared well for today and they played well but we saw this as a proper warm-up game and it’ll be a competitive game in two days’ time.”Keshav Maharaj, standing in as captain for the 50-over leg of this tour with Temba Bavuma absent through injury, juggled his bowlers and the tourists used 16 players with either bat or ball; Quinton de Kock, who was rested as a precaution due to a bruised finger, was the only squad member who did not play some part. Thursday’s second tour match, which has List A status, will be a better test of their standing heading into the England series.But this was still a significant result, one which reasserted the extent of England’s depth in limited-overs cricket – even if the cream of the crop were enduring a rare off-day simultaneously. Like Manchester City, Barcelona and Ajax’s football academies, England have encouraged their developmental sides to play in the same manner as the first team, as evidenced by the team that reached the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year, and the Lions’ romp had all the hallmarks of the first team’s style. “They fell into the brand that England want to play perfectly,” Malan said. “They obviously have their structures and their blueprint. It looks like they bought into it.”Related

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• Boucher on Bazball: 'It's probably the way that red-ball cricket is going'

• Taunton tussle awaits as South Africa take on Lions in tour opener

South Africa started cautiously, working their way to 39 for 1 after the powerplay after Kyle Verreynne had slashed Sam Cook to point. Malan and Reeza Hendricks took a liking to George Scrimshaw’s extra pace, adding 80 for the second wicket, but England’s slower bowlers dragged things back: Benny Howell, making his Lions debut at 34, restricted the scoring with his unique brand of “fast spin” and Jake Lintott, the left-arm wristspinner, had Hendricks caught behind, edging a googly through to Banton.Malan continued to accumulate, reaching a 112-ball hundred, but was one of three men to fall to Rehan Ahmed, the 17-year-old legspinner, as South Africa looked to take him down. He finished his six overs with figures of 3 for 54 as Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller attacked, but David Payne nailed his yorkers at the death, taking four late wickets to restrict South Africa to 318.Smeed and Banton, Somerset’s opening pair, were both beaten outside off stump early on but soon found their range, adding 78 inside the 10-over powerplay and taking on Anrich Nortje’s express pace. Banton reached his half-century off 43 balls and whacked his next for six off Maharaj, but then fell looking to repeat the trick as he top-edged to short third.Smeed, the 20-year-old batter, will not make his List A debut until Thursday and last played a 50-over game in club cricket, but looked like a natural after getting himself set. He generated remarkable power off the back foot against South Africa’s spinners, clubbing Maharaj for two sixes in the space of four balls before hitting a back-to-back pair off Tabraiz Shamsi to fly into the 70s.He was in no mood to slow down, reaching 90 with a hoick over midwicket off Andile Phehlukwayo, but was bowled a ball later, looking to swing him across the line once more. His innings, off 56 balls, reinforced his status as one of England’s brightest young talents; a full international debut is a matter of when, not if.Sam Hain came and went for a 17-ball 20 at No. 3 but Duckett and Eskinazi did not let up. Duckett breezed along, scooping and dinking South Africa’s seamers and accumulating at will against spin, while Eskinazi – overlooked by all eight teams in the Hundred – brought up a 36-ball half-century when he hit Jansen for the winning runs, crashing him through point. If England need reinforcements for the second ODI at Lord’s on Thursday, they will not have to look far.

“The team culture has improved in the last two years under the senior players. We have to continue on that.”

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2022Bangladesh’s new T20I captain Nurul Hasan wants his side to play “fearless cricket” in Zimbabwe in the three-match series next week. In his first press conference as captain, Nurul offered a glimpse into his thinking as he fended off tough questions about a struggling team and his own performance in the format.BCB named Nurul captain for only their next three T20I games, replacing Mahmudullah who had been in charge since 2019. But it is a major concern that Bangladesh have won only one of their last 13 T20Is, and have stagnated in the format. It is widely believed that Nurul is a stopgap option before Shakib Al Hasan, who has been rested from the Zimbabwe tour, takes over for the Asia Cup next month.Related

• Fractured finger puts Bangladesh captain Nurul Hasan out of remainder of Zimbabwe tour

• Nurul might only be a stop-gap arrangement

• Nurul replaces Mahmudullah as T20I captain

But Nurul is to be taken seriously. He is known for his shy demeanor off the field and his aggression on it. For a cricketer who only returned to the T20I setup in Bangladesh’s most recent series, it is a big ask to lead a side that has so much expectation riding on it. He said that the characteristic of not being too excitable will be handy for him as captain.”It is important to play fearless cricket,” Nurul said. “It creates more opportunity. We want to stick to our process too but we can’t plan too far ahead. Captaincy is definitely a matter of pride but I am thinking more about the challenge ahead. At every level I have led teams, I tried to [get the players to] play as a team. I want to continue that team-first culture.”I have very little expectation and excitement in my life. I don’t worry too much about results or the past. These things don’t really matter to me. I have been successfully doing this for a long time.”Nurul said he would take the best bits of what he has learned from the previous leaders, but believes that captains differ vastly. “I have learned a lot playing under [Mahmudullah] Riyad ,” he said. “I have learned from all our captains, all of whom are quite different. I want to work by taking something from each of those experiences.”The team culture has improved in the last two years under the senior players. We have to continue on that. You can’t mention the contribution of our senior cricketers in one or two words. They have brought Bangladesh cricket to a level, so now our job is to take it forward.”Nurul’s T20I record with the bat is modest – 271 runs at an average of 12.90 and a strike rate of 111.98, with a top score of 30 not out from 29 innings – but he felt those numbers didn’t reflect the extent of his contributions.”The type of batting I do, it creates more impact than what my score often suggests.” he said. “I might score 15-20 runs but it has a direct consequence for the team. I will try to continue in that vein.”Meanwhile, the man widely tipped to take over from Nurul after the Zimbabwe tour endorsed the new captain. “I think he is a worthy captain,” Shakib said. “BCB also feels he can contribute to Bangladesh’s future, which is why they made him the captain. I wish him well. I hope he can overcome the challenge in Zimbabwe.”

In the other matches in this round, Sylhet Division, Barishal Division and Chattogram Division notched up victories

Mohammad Isam30-Oct-2023Their fast-bowling trio helped Sylhet Division to an innings-and-26-run victory over Rangpur Division in the NCL Tier-1 match over the weekend. The result also helped Dhaka Division keep their lead in the points table despite their game against Dhaka Metropolis in Cox’s Bazar ending in a draw, with cyclone Hanum on the south-eastern coast allowing very little cricket to be played.Batting first in Khulna, Sylhet reached 415, only the third 400-plus score in their first-class history. Shamsur Rahman, playing for his fourth NCL side, struck 15 fours and two sixes in his knock of 160 off 252 balls. He added 180 runs for the fifth wicket with Tawhidul Islam, who made 62. For Rangpur, quick bowler Asadullah Galib took 5 for 107, his second five-for this season.Sylhet’s quick bowlers Khaled Ahmed, Abu Jayed and Rejaur Rahman Raja grabbed all ten wickets as Rangpur were bowled out for 159 in reply. Khaled took 5 for 50, while Jayed picked up four wickets and Raja took the other one.The trio then shared six more wickets in the second innings, with Jayed taking three to get to 300 first-class wickets. Jayed became the third Bangladeshi fast bowler to reach the milestone, following Mohammad Sharif (374) and Forhad Reza (312), as Rangpur were bowled out for 230 in the second innings after being asked to follow on.Barishal Division opened their account this season with a seven-wicket win against Khulna Division, who, despite the loss, remained on top of the Tier-2 points table.Ruyel Miah took four wickets and Kamrul Islam three as Khulna were bowled out for 142 in the first innings in Bogra. Moin Khan’s 76 then gave Barishal a 79-run lead after they had slumped to 121 for 8. No. 8 Moin added 98 runs for the ninth wicket with Kamrul, who added 30 to the total.Soumya Sarkar, who took four wickets in the Barishal innings, then remained not out on 96 with ten fours and three sixes as Khulna were bowled out for 225 in the second innings. Kamrul took four wickets for Barishal, who then needed 43.2 overs to knock off the 147 runs in the fourth innings. Moinul Islam made an unbeaten 71 to help them along.Chattogram Division picked up their second win after they beat Rajshahi Division by nine wickets in Sylhet. Sabbir Hossain’s quick maiden first-class century gave Rajshahi the perfect start. But his 123 off 122 balls, that contained seven sixes and 13 fours, couldn’t translate into a big score for his side. Rajshahi were bowled out for 309, with Shykat Ali taking five wickets.Chattogram replied with 437, with fifties from Parvez Hossain Emon, Mominul Haque, Shamim Hossain and Irfan Shukkur. Taijul Islam took his 29th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, having bowled 44.4 overs in this innings.Quick bowler Ifran Hossain’s five-for, however, dealt Rajshahi a heavy blow, as they were all out for 182. Nayeem Hasan took four wickets to add to his three in the first innings. Chattogram then needed just ten overs to knock off the required 57 runs in the fourth innings.

On a pitch where none of his team-mates crossed 20, Prabhsimran scored a 65-ball 103 to secure two crucial points for Kings

Alagappan Muthu13-May-20232:09

Muzumdar: Prabhsimran has come through the grind of U-19 and U-23 cricket

A special century from Prabhsimran Singh knocked Delhi Capitals out of IPL 2023 and pushed Punjab Kings up to sixth place, well within reach of a playoff spot.In demanding batting conditions, the Punjab opener, who had begun the season with a highest IPL score of 16, found ways not just to survive but to keep scoring quick runs in a way nobody else managed to. It felt like a coming-of-age innings.

How it started

When there is pace in the pitch, it’s easy to hit through the line and keep scoring runs steadily. When it is not there, it’s hard to even get the ball off the square. So you get your runs in fits and spurts.Kings suffered 22 balls for no runs in the powerplay, but hit seven others for 32 runs (5×4 and 2×6).A lot of this work was the result of Prabhsimran’s enterprise. His role in the team is to do whatever is necessary to maximise the field restrictions. And he performed admirably, switch-hitting spin for sixes and moving around all over the batting crease, just to throw the bowlers off their plans.But then his role changed. From being the guy who could not place any price on his wicket, he became the guy who simply could not get out. So he settled in. Got used to the pitch. And by around the 11th over or so, he was finding ways to hold his shape and exert complete control over his shots.Prabhsimran was 53 off 44. Then he was dropped on 68. Then he was 102 off 61.Prabhsimran Singh soaks in the applause as he walks back after his ton•BCCI

That’s 49 in 17 balls. On a pitch where none of his team-mates crossed 20, and only two others managed to score at better than run-a-ball. This was a spectacular display of perseverance, even if he did have a tiny bit of help.In conditions where the ball isn’t coming onto the bat, all you have to do is take pace off, hit a hard length and, most importantly, target the stumps. Do not let the batter free his arms.Prabhsimran though was basically invited to free his arms. According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, a majority of the balls he faced (33) were either outside off stump or worse, wide outside off stump. And he took 60 runs from them including seven fours and three sixes.Capitals should have known better. The chance they created – the catch that Rilee Roussouw dropped – was the result of a mis-hit to a ball that arrived in line with this body. They didn’t learn. And they were punished.

How it ended

Capitals had a great start to the chase. They came out knowing 168 was a tricky target, and that they had to knock off a significant portion of it within the powerplay. David Warner helped them accomplish that goal, taking them to 65 for 0 in six overs. He cruised to a 23-ball fifty, scoring 42 of those runs in boundaries. But the thing is, Capitals only faced six balls of spin in that period.It didn’t make sense why Kings would have let any of that happen on a pitch where the ball was both stopping on the batters and turning more than a fair bit.Eventually, Shikhar Dhawan turned to spin and the game changed.Cornered by Harpreet Brar (4 for 30) and Rahul Chahar (2 for 16), Capitals lost three wickets for two runs between the ninth and the 11th overs. ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster quantified this swing in momentum – in a mere eight balls, Kings went from a lowly 20% chance of winning this game to 78% favourites.By the end, Capitals needed seven players to combine just to reach the total they allowed one batter to get. These were not the conditions to give away a century.

A round-up of the first day’s play of the second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2009The first day’s play of three games – between Goa and Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, and Jharkhand and Vidarbha – was washed out without a ball being bowled.

Group A

Scorecard

A Wilkin Mota-inspired Tripura gained the upper hand against Rajasthan in Agartala. Mota grabbed a career-best 6 for 22 to help Tripura skittle out the opposition for 102; only three Rajasthan batsmen reached double-digits. Mota again stood out in the reply, making an unbeaten 38 to steer his team to 73 for 3 at stumps.

Group B

Scorecard
Only 30 overs were possible on the opening day of the fixture between Madhya Pradesh and Kerala in Indore. MP scored at a brisk pace, with Naman Ojha and Hrishikesh Kanitkar scoring half-centuries. Both were unbeaten after adding 120 for the second wicket, as MP finished the rain-affected day on 134 for 1.

The tourists are keen to play a specialist spinner in the New Year Test against Australia, with Sajid and Nawaz the other options

Danyal Rasool01-Jan-2024There is cautious hope in the Pakistan camp that legspinner Abrar Ahmed may be fit in time for the third Test in Sydney. Abrar, who was ruled out of the first two Test matches with a right leg injury, bowled for a significant period in the nets during Pakistan’s training session on Monday without obvious discomfort.While that represents reason for optimism, the nature of Abrar’s injury means it does not guarantee his participation in the third Test. While he was initially ruled out after complaining of “discomfort in his right leg” during Pakistan’s tour game against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, Abrar’s history of injury issues makes any degree of certainty elusive.ESPNcricinfo understands part of the issue afflicting Abrar involves a pinched nerve in his right leg and a weakness in his muscles, and he was given injections as part of his treatment. But Pakistan will wait to see how he pulls up overnight after today’s training session, and if significant pain or discomfort arises over the next 12 hours or so, it will determine his ability to start in the final Test.Related

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Since he was initially ruled out of the first Test, the PCB only issued a vague update about his fitness status when ruling him out of the second. They declared that his “symptoms have significantly improved” but that he was not “100% asymptomatic”. There are also understood to be concerns about his ability to manage the workload required of a leading spinner in a Test match, and Pakistan understand the risk of selecting him, given the potential any injury flareup effectively reduces them down to ten players.Pakistan are also aware of the risk of any injury to Abrar in a T20 World Cup year. He is part of Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, and the PCB views him as a valuable white-ball asset in addition to a key Test spinner.Abrar, 25, has played only six Tests since making his debut against England last December. But 11 wickets in his first Test, and 38 so far, clubbed with the paucity of Pakistan’s spin-bowling stocks have made him an important player. While much of his early cricketing days were blighted by lengthy, persistent injuries, there were signs he was putting that behind him, though his current injury scare could set back some of the gains he has made.Pakistan have also called up Sajid Khan and Mohammad Nawaz as cover, though neither have played a Test match this series so far. Both also bowled during Pakistan’s training session on Monday.Pakistan are understood to be keen to play a specialist spinner in the third Test, having gone with an all-seam attack in each of the previous two. Agha Salman was used as the spinner in those games, and while his discipline and economy rate have impressed Pakistan, the absence of a wicket-taking spinner has been felt. Nathan Lyon has nine wickets in the first two Tests, while Salman has managed one.The third Test starts on January 3, with Pakistan looking to avoid what would be a sixth successive clean sweep in Australia.