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Lanka Premier League organisers have said they are “in the final stages of confirming the new ownership” of the Dambulla franchise, a day after Dambulla Thunders co-owner Tamim Rahman was arrested.As a result of the arrest, under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, the Thunders franchise was terminated by Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG group (which runs the tournament), on Wednesday. Although the scheduled start of the next LPL is a little over five weeks away, IPG has announced that the tournament will go ahead with its “full schedule and roster of matches, featuring five teams.”Since its inception in 2020, the LPL has been a five-team competition. On Tuesday, SLC hosted the player auction for this year, with Dambulla Thunders filling out their roster. If new owners take over, they will likely inherit that roster, with the other teams having also filled out their player lists.Through the course of its history, the LPL has struggled to hold on to its franchise owners. In fact, Dambulla’s next owner would be the fifth owner of that franchise in five years, with previous teams having been called Dambulla Aura, Dambulla Giants and Dambulla Viiking.”IPG has always upheld the highest standards of propriety and integrity as the Event Rights Partner of the Lanka Premier League,” IPG said in the same statement. “Our dedication to maintaining these standards remains unwavering. We assure all players, fans, and stakeholders that the league’s integrity and the spirit of cricket will be preserved throughout the tournament.”The tournament is scheduled to run from July 1 to July 21. Matches will be played in Pallekele, Dambulla, and Colombo.

The BCCI is looking at VVS Laxman as its favoured candidate to head the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, following Rahul Dravid’s elevation as head coach of the national men’s team.Related

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ESPNcricinfo understands that Laxman, who is currently in the UAE working as a commentator and analyst for the T20 World Cup for the host broadcaster, is awaiting clarity on his role and other details from the board before deciding on the move.Dravid resigned from his position as the NCA director last month following a two-year term, in which he put in place processes for injury management, player rehabilitation, coaching programmes and preparing roadmaps for age-group and women’s cricket.The NCA head will have to be based in Bengaluru. The academy is headquartered in the city – presently at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises – and the BCCI has begun construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility on the outskirts of the city, the approvals for which were obtained late last year. If Laxman does take over, it will mean moving base from Hyderabad, his hometown.Laxman is currently mentor of IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad, apart from being a commentator and cricket analyst. Till earlier this year, Laxman also served as batting consultant to the Cricket Association of Bengal. He held the position for six years, after being brought on by Sourav Ganguly – his former India team-mate and captain, and the then Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary – for the association’s ambitious Vision 2020 project that aimed at making Bengal a force in domestic cricket again.If Laxman does take up the NCA role, he would have to give up all of those positions to avoid any conflict-of-interest issues – a former player/official is barred from holding more than one position within the BCCI framework simultaneously.The National Cricket Academy has for long been housed at the M Chinnasway Stadium premises, but is expected to have a new home soon•Alfred Raton Gomes

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Dravid would succeed Ravi Shastri as the head coach of the men’s team after the ongoing T20 World Cup in the UAE. Dravid’s two-year term will begin with the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting November 17.Dravid’s appointment – made official by the cricket advisory committee comprising Sulakshana Naik and RP Singh – was always on the cards after he sent in a formal application for the position. This was after Ganguly, now the BCCI president, convinced his former colleague to do so.”Rahul’s effort at the NCA has nurtured several young cricketing talents who have gone on to represent the country at the international stage,” Ganguly said at the time. “I am hopeful that his new stint will take Indian cricket to new heights. Rahul has had an illustrious playing career and is one of the greats of the game. He has also served Indian cricket as Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) with distinction.”Dravid had taken charge as director of the NCA following four years as coach of India A and India Under-19. Under him, India reached two Under-19 World Cup finals, losing one (to West Indies in 2016) and winning one (against Australia in 2018).

Australia were given a mighty scare by a spirited Indian team before nerves and inexperience came in the way of a famous win. From the depths of 78 for 8 batting first, India found a way to take the game deep with Australia needing 24 off 16. Then in the space of six deliveries, they conceded four boundaries, with Tahlia McGrath, dropped on 5, remaining unbeaten on 42 to give Australia an unassailable 9-5 lead in the multi-format series. The series, though, has been much-tighter than that scoreline would suggest.Vlaeminck leaves her mark
Medium pacer Tayla Vlaeminck left a mark with both her speed and strikes. Touching close to 120kph consistently, her blows in first two overs stunned India. First, she had Smriti Mandhana chipping one to midwicket and then Shafali Verma heaving across the line to mid-on. She could have had a third in her third over had Ashleigh Gardner hung on to a tough chance. But Jemimah Rodrigues couldn’t capitalise on the reprieve, managing to add just one more before holing out to Hannah Darlington at mid-on. At 24 for 3 in the sixth over, India needed solidity.Harmanpreet shines amid a collapse
Harmanpreet Kaur found the boundaries almost immediately. She used Vlaeminck’s pace to flick her for back-to-back fours and then threw Ellyse Perry off her lengths by picking her for two more fours to signal signs of a counterattack. But in trying to play one big shot too many, Harmanpreet yorked herself against Georgia Wareham’s legspin to stall India’s recovery. She made 28. Then India handed two run outs on a platter, saw Richa Ghosh out bowled after a wild heave and then had a ripper of an off break from Gardner that spun viciously to crash into Shikha Pandey’s stumps. India had collapsed from 50 for 3 to 78 for 8.Vastrakar’s cameo
Strong bottom hand, powerful wrists and some muscle – Pooja Vastrakar used a fine cocktail of all these to pepper the boundaries at regular intervals with partners running out. She launched Nicola Carey straight over her head for a six, and then drove on the up nonchalantly over cover as a follow-up. Then with three balls to play out in the 19th, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, with a highest score of 5*, held her side of the bargain. This allowed Vastrakar to go after rookie Darlington, who was clubbed for 16 off the final over as India finished strongly on 118 for 9, having regained some momentum.Australia rocked early
Alyssa Healy was victim to a Shikha Pandey magic delivery that cleaned her up two balls into the innings. The ball swerved in a long way and then deviated a bit more after pitching to beat her inside edge and crash into the stumps. An advancing Beth Mooney, at the other end, was kept honest with some terrific outswing, surviving a peach that she nearly nicked. With Renuka Thakur, bowling for the first time in T20Is, also deadly accurate, Australia needed a release.Lanning, Perry fall to spin
In trying to do precisely this, Meg Lanning, who survived a series of miscues over the infield, fell to Gayakwad’s guile as she was stumped after being drawn out by the flight. In the next over, India had a slice of luck when Gardner smashed a Harmanpreet long hop to Gayakwad at point. Australia were 38 for 3 in the eighth over, with Perry having to revive the innings. But that didn’t materialise as she was brilliantly caught by Harmanpreet at extra cover to give Deepti Sharma her first wicket.McGrath’s costly reprieve
Fifty-five for five. India’s spinners choking Australia for runs, the asking rate touching seven. And Australia showing signs of cracking. Then Vastrakar drew a thick edge as McGrath slashed at a short ball. Part-time wicketkeeper Ghosh was moving down leg when she had to change directions; not even a full stretch could help her hang on. From agony, Ghosh was soon ecstatic as a full Gayakwad ball beat Carey’s defence to ricochet off her onto the stumps for a streaky stumping. But McGrath wasn’t giving up, picking the odd boundaries to take it down to 25 off the last three. Then India cracked as Wareham crashed two boundaries in a 11-run Pandey over.With 14 to defend, India went to Thakur, and her inexperience showed as McGrath clubbed her for back-to-back boundaries off the first two balls. The first a full toss hit over mid-off, the second a slower leg-cutter carved between cover and mid-off. Those four boundaries in the space of six deliveries swung the game decisively in Australia’s favour, McGrath seeing home the tense chase.

A powerful attack on St Lucia Kings’ new-ball spinners by opening batter Kennar Lewis resulted in the second-fastest half-century of the 2021 CPL and laid the platform for an imposing total that was well out of reach to chase in a 55-run for Jamaica Tallawahs.Lewis brought up his fifty off 21 balls with a single off David Wiese in the seventh over after having wreaked havoc earlier on Jeavor Royal, Samit Patel and Roston Chase in the first four overs of play.Lewis justified Rovman Powell’s decision to bat first as he bullied Royal’s left-arm spin in the opening over, slicing two fours over the off side before heaving a six over midwicket in the first four balls. After opening partner Kirk McKenzie struck Alzarri Joseph for three boundaries in the second over, Lewis got back to work on Patel in the third, punishing a leg-stump line for two fours and two sixes to start the over. After McKenzie fell to Chase in the fourth, Lewis stole momentum back just as fast by ending the over with another slog sweep over the leg side rope.Lewis eventually fell to a slower ball from Kadeem Alleyne flicked to deep midwicket for a catch by Royal, but at 91 for 2 in the eighth over, Tallawahs were off to a flying start and continued to maintain a double-digit run rate the rest of the way. Imad Wasim gave Tallawahs one more final boost in the 20th over, clubbing a hat-trick of sixes off Alleyne to push them past the 200 barrier.Three of Kings’ top four – Andre Fletcher, Mark Deyal and Chase – blasted rapid cameos and at 104 for 2 in the ninth over put their side in a superb position to overhaul the target of 212. But Carlos Brathwaite struck with back-to-back deliveries, getting Deyal with a slower bouncer pulled tamely to deep square leg before Chase fell next ball to a bouncer at full pace gloved down the leg side to Lewis.Kings could not recover from the twin setbacks as Imad left-arm spin and a pair of sharp run outs dented Kings further before they were eventually bowled out for 156 with 11 balls left unused.

Having spent two months in the UK, India are “definitely better prepared” for the five-Test series in England, but Virat Kohli believes the visitors cannot cross the line if they don’t find a way to execute their plans in “situations which are not easy”. More than winning the Pataudi Trophy, a feat India last achieved under the leadership of Rahul Dravid in 2007, Kohli said the challenge for his team was to win in “situations which are not ours”.This is Kohli’s fourth tour of England and second as captain. In 2011 he came in as a replacement for Yuvraj Singh during the series, but did not play any Test. In 2014, James Anderson made him feel like the loneliest guy in the world. Four years later, Kohli returned as the best batter across both teams and the only one to make an aggregate of 500-plus runs. India, though, lost the series 4-1 having started on equal footing alongside England.Three years after that, Kohli’s India have been rated as firm favorites by all and sundry against an England side without Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes. In a chat with the Indian media on Monday, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar even said India had the potential to win 4-0 if the conditions were dry in August and September.Related

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Kohli, though, was not interested in looking too far ahead. Asked on Tuesday what it would mean to win the Test series in England, he remained impassive.”It is a very relative question,” Kohli said. “I have never really played for any kind of landmark or milestones in my career. Every game in international cricket has been an opportunity for me to test myself and my character and how mentally strong I am and how much skill level I have to be able to sustain at this level for a long period of time. And things are going to be no different this series as well – we are going to play with the same passion, same commitment, same belief that we play every series with.”(The question of) a few series matter more than others – I don’t really believe in these things because then you are really picking and choosing what you want to do. That is not being honest with the game. For us it is all about wanting difficult cricket, wanting tough cricket, and wanting to win in conditions which are not ours. That is the only challenge that I see.”India have been in the country since June 2, arriving early to play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand. They had a three-week break after the final, post which they played a warm-up match in Durham. The time spent has also meant better acclimatisation to the English weather.”We are definitely much better prepared than we have been in the past,” Kohli said. “The situation allowed us to get acclimatised to the weather firstly because it can change quite drastically and quite quickly. At the same time playing under different changes in conditions in terms of weather – whether it is overcast, or it is sunny, how the pitches behave, how the ball travels, how much it swings in the air. All those kinds of things are definitely going to add to our experience which already the team possesses a lot of, having played in England in the past.”It all boils down to execution in crunch moments and that purely comes from belief and how badly you want to be in situations which are not easy. As long as we are looking to embrace that we will find answers to all the questions thrown at us. Otherwise you cannot play at this level for a long period if you are not literally wanting to be in situations which are absolutely opposite to what your comfort zone is.”One of the reasons behind the 2018 series loss was how India lost the key moments to England. Kohli admitted it was an area of concern.”As a team we looked to improve. We haven’t done well and that is one aspect of the game we need to get better, which is understanding when things are not going your way, how to control damage. That’s what Test cricket is all about: you have to go through situations and then eventually capitalise when things turn your way as well. Because you are not going to have all sessions turn your way. When things do not favour you as a team, that’s an area we want to keep improving at and the Test matches that we have done that well we have ended up winning. It all boils down to execution in those difficult moments.”

Coming into a crucial game against Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad made a few tactical calls that would have likely invited criticism had they lost. The real eyebrow-raiser was the omission of Kane Williamson in favour of Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi. After all, Williamson has played an important part in building on the platform laid by the openers, batting deep to take the pressure off a relatively fragile lower-middle order. He has scored 232 runs in six innings, including two fifties, at a strike-rate of 162.23 – he has scored more quickly than Warner, Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh.The rationale behind retaining Moises Henriques as the first-choice allrounder might have been questioned as well. While Henriques has three fifties and has done well with the bat, he has done little with the ball, so why play him ahead of Williamson, the better batsman? However at the end of the game, which Sunrisers won by seven wickets with 10 balls to spare, VVS Laxman, the team’s mentor, could smile, a man comfortable in the knowledge that the merit of his plans was reflected in their clinical execution.First Nabi proved his backers right. Playing only his second match in nearly a month, he was handed the ball in the Powerplay, bowled Lendl Simmons off his fourth delivery, and went on to complete his four overs on the trot, conceding only 13. Laxman said Nabi’s inclusion was to counteract Mumbai’s left-hand heavy top-three which includes the in-form Parthiv Patel and Nitish Rana. The absence of rust in Nabi, Laxman said, showed the constant state of preparedness in the Sunrisers camp.”We have players on the bench who can straightaway come into the playing XI and perform,” Laxman said. “Nabi is someone very good not only after the Powerplay, but also in the Powerplay. That was the rationale behind getting Nabi in. To come and straightaway be in excellent rhythm and also execute the strategy which we had for the opposition batsmen was really good to see. Those first two-three overs set the tone for the match.”On a sluggish surface where a chase of 139 could have been tricky, Shikhar Dhawan batted with restraint to finish with an unbeaten 62 off 46. His 91-run partnership with Henriques, who scored 44 off 35, closed the doors on Mumbai. Despite Henriques conceding 15 runs in the only over he bowled, Laxman talked up his utility as a bowler even as he empathised with Williamson.VVS Laxman said Mohammad Nabi’s success showed the match-readiness of the Sunrisers bench•BCCI

“We have to also understand that he came into bowl in the 14th over. As an opposition batting line-up, they will be looking to target the fifth and sixth bowlers,” Laxman said. “But, I thought he bowled really well last match. We should be very happy with the way Moises has contributed to the Sunrisers franchise, not only with his batting and bowling but he is a leader within the group. Even on the field, his inputs are very good, and he definitely helps Warner by giving various suggestions.”It is very frustrating I am sure for someone like Kane Williamson, because he is in outstanding form. But when you have only four overseas players to play with, you have to work out what is the best combination to go out on that particular day, against that particular opposition, keeping the conditions in mind.”He also lauded Yuvraj, who made 9 off 11 balls, for gritting it out despite having hurt his hand. Yuvraj also reportedly nursed a calf niggle and was seen wearing a brace on his left leg. With Sunrisers close to securing a playoff spot and the Champions Trophy looming, there is bound to be concerns over Yuvraj’s fitness. Laxman, however, felt the injury wasn’t very serious.”He should be okay. Just that the hand got jammed into the ground while he was fielding. So there is some contusion, but luckily we are next playing a match after four days, so there is enough time for him to recover. But credit to him to go out there in spite of the pain, taking the responsibility that I will go out and bat and try to win the match.”Another noticeable aspect of Sunrisers’ performance was the energy demonstrated on the field, with animated discussions between the captain and the bowler ahead of almost every over. At times, the tactical talk spilled over from beyond the boundary as well. On one occasion, coach Tom Moody appeared to be shouting out instructions from the dugout to swap the fielders at cover and short-third man. Promptly, Vijay Shankar, at third man, exchanged places with Siddarth Kaul at cover.”I think it’s quite common. Davey is in crucial [fielding] positions, he’s at long-off or long-on. Sometimes it is very clear from the dugout, who is a better fielder in a certain position,” Laxman said. “If a captain misses out, then the instruction is sent to players saying it is better to swap [fielders]. That happens quite frequently.”You’ve also seen that Tom will… Whenever Davey is in front of the dugout, discussing various options [happens]. Just know what Davey is thinking about. T20 cricket is so quick, sometimes some outside help may be useful for the captain. This isn’t the first time it is happening, and it won’t be the last.”

ScorecardSam Robson and Stevie Eskinazi both scored half-centuries before getting out in their 80s as Middlesex opened their Specsavers County Championship title defence against Hampshire.The pair added 105 for the second wicket with both reaching their milestone with unassuming yet not run shy stays at the crease.But Hampshire, who bowled with a man light for the majority of the day after Fidel Edwards went off injured, battled hard in the evening session to even up the contest – after turning 220 for 2 into 290 for 6 at the close.James Franklin decided to have a toss and duly won it and elected to bat – the Middlesex captain looking down not up with overcast skies overshadowed by a decidedly flat looking pitch.There were cheers from supporters around the ground as a steward unfurled and raised a “Middlesex County Champions 2017” flag above the away dressing room.Robson has a knack of scoring early season runs – with his first three scores of last season 231, 106, and 99 disproving the general thought of April suiting the swing bowlers.He began this knock in style clipping Edwards through midwicket to the boundary with the first delivery before following up with two further fours soon after.But the fast paced opening was dulled as Gareth Berg and Kyle Abbott tidied up – with Edwards forced to sit out the rest of the day after his 21st over hamstring injury, after previously pulling out of a delivery in the run-up.Robson lost his opening partner Gubbins to a corking ball from Edwards when the fast bowler found some late movement to take the edge before second slip Rilee Rossouw pulled off a stunning low catch.Robson was dropped by Rossouw on 40 which saw the South African miss the rest of the day with a hand injury. He continued to cut and clip off his legs in text book style reaching his fifty in 82 deliveries.After a century stand with Eskinazi, Robson finally departed for 84 when he nicked Berg to Jimmy Adams, standing at second slip in place of Rossouw.Dawid Malan accompanied Eskinazi, who reached his third first-class fifty in 102 balls, with the former smashing two sixes.The evening found Hampshire finally turn a reasonably one-sided day around with four wickets falling in the session. Firstly, Malan guided the impressive Brad Wheal to Sean Ervine at first slip, before the Zimbabwean bowled Eskinazi for 82 three overs later – the ball clipping the very top of off-stump.Adam Voges, who suffered a head injury at the Ageas Bowl last year, scored 24 quickly before he chopped Kyle Abbott onto his own stumps. John Simpson struggled by scoring just nine in 58 balls before he carelessly drove Wheal to substitute fielder Mason Crane at point.

ScorecardNick Gubbins has been overshadowed of late•Getty Images

Nick Gubbins hit an unbeaten half-century to steer England Lions to the brink of victory in their warm-up game in Sri Lanka A before they were foiled by a spectacular storm.Not that the Sri Lanka President’s XI could be entirely written off. Gubbins was on 52 from 80 balls, and the Lions were on 171 for 6, still needing another 28 to win, when an alarming flash of lightning sent the players scurrying from the field.Thunder had been rumbling around Moratuwa, in the southern suburbs of Colombo, for a while, and within minutes it was raining heavily. But the result was never the priority for the Lions in this game, as they aimed to make the most of their only match practice before the first of the two four-day games against Sri Lanka A starts in Kandy on Friday. In that respect, Gubbins and coach Andy Flower declared it a major success.

No comeback joy for Leach

Getty Images

Jack Leach got through his first match back since remodelling his action with mixed results.
Leach, whose illegal action was spotted at the national academy in Loughborough, so preventing his consideration as a replacement on England’s Test tour of India, completed the three-day match against a Sri lanka President’s XI in Moratuwa without any major malfunctions.
Success was hard to come by, however. Leach took one late-order wicket in the first innings and then conceded 68 runs without success in 14 overs before a late storm prevented a positive result.

The game was played with pink Kookaburra balls, as the first four-dayer in Kandy will be, before the teams revert to red balls for the second match in Dambulla.”It was good for me to spend some time out there, and if you look through the game I think all of our batsmen and bowlers have got something out of it,” said Gubbins, who had a sterling season for Middlesex in 2016 but whose development has been overshadowed by the Test honours bestowed in recent months on fellow openers Keaton Jennings, who is skippering the Lions, and Haseeb Hameed.Two of Gubbins’ Middlesex team-mates, Ollie Rayner and Tom Helm, impressed with the ball as the Lions worked steadily through the six wickets that remained in the Board President’s XI second innings at the start of the final day.Rayner took the only two wickets of the morning session in a single over, both courtesy of Joe Clarke. Clarke was again wicketkeeping with the Lions taking no chances with Ben Foakes’s back problem, although the Surrey man is still hoping to take the gloves for the first unofficial Test.Clarke took a sharp catch then claimed a tidy stumping, and ended the match with seven victims after being doubtful himself before the match because of a wrist problem.Sam Curran then made an important double breakthrough after lunch, and Helm claimed the wicket a probing spell deserved when Hameed took a good catch running back from midwicket.Hameed then dominated an opening stand of 51 inside 12 overs with Keaton Jennings, making 39 from 45 balls including seven boundaries until he fell lbw to the left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara.Jennings had only contributed seven to that partnership, but the Lions captain accelerated after tea, crunching a six over midwicket and scoring three of his seven fours with the reverse sweep that famously brought him a century on Test debut in Mumbai before Christmas. He retired a single short of 50 to give the other batsmen some time in the middle in a pressure situation – and it was Gubbins who made the most of that opportunity, hitting two sixes and earning praise from Flower for his skill against the spinners.”It’s my first time in the subcontinent – the camp in Dubai before Christmas was the closest I’d been previously,” Gubbins reflected, while in his post-innings ice bath. “So it’s a new experience, and I definitely learned lessons from the first innings, when I got out quite cheaply.”That’s been the aim of the winter: experiencing some new conditions and making myself a better player. I was pleased with the way I batted in the second innings of our game against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi, and to come here and put into practice is really pleasing for me.”The Lions leave Colombo for Kandy on Wednesday morning, to face a Sri Lanka A team led by Dhananjaya de Silva, who made an impressive debut in Test cricket against Australia late last year.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:05

Highlights – Mohammad Sami defends four in final over

In a nutshellIt doesn’t matter if you were watching this or not, no one knows how this happened. How a team that needed 17 from 19 balls with nine wickets in hand, a team that required seven from two overs with only three wickets down, somehow contrived to muck up a T20 chase and lose by one run. Especially since that team was Quetta Gladiators.This was every inch as routine a chase as Quetta managed 24 hours earlier. It had the colossal partnership, this time a 133-run monster between Kevin Pietersen and the in-form Ahmed Shehzad, and the inevitability of the asking rate decreasing over by over. It even had the opposition coach calling for an early timeout and losing his rag at the expense of his team.But in inexplicable fashion, Quetta got to within a metre of the finish line, and stayed there, almost as if they were caught in quicksand. Or maybe they just wanted to give last-over bowler Mohammad Sami the best birthday gift of his life on the day he turned 36. In any case, the defending champions seized the moment as the table toppers froze like a deer in headlights to eke out the unlikeliest of wins and secure a playoff spot.Islamabad’s innings had been defined by an inability to take off even though the platform had been set by Hussain Talat, so highly regarded by everyone at the franchise yet only playing his first match. He provided the impetus after Dwayne Smith’s first over dismissal, and was particularly punishing on another emerging player, Hasan Khan. Talat dominated the Islamabad innings early on – off the 74 runs made while he was at the crease, Talat was responsible for 56. They were, incredulously, in a winning cause.Where the match was wonIt wasn’t, simply put. It was lost in a haze of confusion and panic that swept right across the Quetta team. It began with an ordinary decision to give Pietersen out lbw to break the century stand, and with seven required off 12 balls, the strange call to send in Anwar Ali instead of a regular batsman backfired.Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami hit their lengths regularly, Raees consistently going for yorker length and more or less pulling it off each delivery. The first ball from Sami was poor, but Anwar Ali failed to put it away. Bedlam ensued, and Islamabad were that bit more composed at the end. Even so, they never should have won this funny old game, but somehow, they did.The men that won itRaees and Sami deserve all the credit they will get for pulling a rabbit out of the hat, but one unsung hero was Islamabad’s veteran allrounder Shane Watson. As Islamabad’s innings struggled to move through the gears towards the end, and with Misbah-ul-Haq struggling badly for timing and Brad Haddin for form, it looked like they might have to settle for a total near 150.However, Watson provided a measure of competitiveness with forceful power hitting in the final over, with Anwar conceding 18. It saw Islamabad surge to 165, and as was evident less than two hours later, they needed every one of those.Strength in numbersThe second-wicket stand between Pietersen and Shehzad was the highest of this year’s edition of the PSL and second-highest in the two-year history of the competition. It saw the Gladiators make a 133 runs in 86 balls, and during that time, Pietersen also became the most prolific six-hitter in the PSL this year, with three more strikes clearing the rope to take him to 11 in six innings.The moment of the matchThe most perfect illustration of how panic had fogged the minds of Quetta’s batsmen in those final overs at the crease was displayed on the very last ball of this remarkable contest. With Quetta needing three to win and two to tie, their leading scorer Rilee Rossouw was on strike. Sami bowled a fast low full toss on leg stump, and the South African couldn’t get under it, mistiming it instead straight to Misbah at midwicket.Rossouw ran the first one, but seemed to give up right there, resigned to defeat. What he hadn’t noticed was Misbah’s throw to the bowler had been fumbled, and Thisara Perera at the other end was charging down the wicket to attempt a second run. Rossouw looked at Perera and bizarrely sent him back. It was a surreal moment to end the most fantastical of contests.Where they standThe only positive for Quetta is they’re still top of the table, and destined for the playoffs. Islamabad’s one-run win means they are guaranteed to join the Gladiators there, and for now occupy second place.

ScorecardHimanshu Rana followed up his century in the first ODI with a 66-ball 58•PTI

A strong batting effort, led by fifties from Harvik Desai and Himanshu Rana, helped India Under-19s level the five-match series with a rout of England Under-19s in the second ODI at the Brabourne Stadium. After India posted 287, their bowlers combined to bowl England out for 158.Rana, coming off a century in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium, showed exemplary defensive technique to weather an accurate opening spell from Matthew Fisher. After Fisher had Prithvi Shaw bowled, Shubman Gill and Rana played some delightful strokes in an 82-run second-wicket stand, particularly square of the wicket on both sides, as England’s bowlers persisted with the shortish length that had earned them success in the opening game.Given the slow nature of the pitch and England’s failure to adjust their lengths, Rana faced no trouble in pulling off the front foot. It seemed, however, that most of India’s batsmen too struggled to adapt to the difference in pace from the series opener. On 24, Gill slapped a cut to point and Rana, shortly after hitting his fourth consecutive fifty-plus score, popped a catch to short midwicket, both batsmen through their shots too early. Priyam Garg, one of six inclusions in India’s XI from the previous game, was strangled down the leg side off Fisher. At that point, India had slipped from 102 for 1 to 108 for 4.Wicketkeeper Desai began India’s rebuild by just picking off what was on offer: England’s spinners weren’t consistent in lines and lengths, and their fielding was shoddy. Along with handy contributions from the middle order, he carried India past 200. Desai struck 10 fours in his 75 before he found cover with a drive he was too early into, giving Fisher his fourth wicket.Cameos from Kamlesh Nagarkoti (36 off 32 balls) and Shiva Singh, who struck two reverse-slaps over short third man and a flicked six over fine leg in his 12-ball 23, helped India post 287. England dropped two catches and conceded nearly 90 runs in the final 10 overs.In their reply, England were rocked early by India’s opening bowlers. Seamer Shivam Mavi, in particular, beat the outside edge repeatedly with nippy outswingers. Opener Max Holden was caught down the leg side. George Bartlett was caught behind, and Harry Brook, who looked solid during his 26, chopped on, another victim of a slow surface.Euan Woods and Ollie Pope led England’s recovery with a staunch fourth-wicket partnership that kept India’s spinners at bay. Both batsmen looked fluent before being dismissed in clumsy fashion: Pope was run-out at the striker’s end, calling for a run to square leg that was never on and Woods chipping a catch to mid-off. Not long after, Tom Banton misread the length from left-arm spinner Anukul Roy, and was bowled attempting to cut a slider. England’s fate, by then, was all but sealed at 101 for 6 in the 24th over.Delray Rawlins, England’s match-winner in the previous game, was fluent from the outset. He was the only batsmen from both teams to persist with cross-batted strokes off the spinners, employing the sweep and reverse-sweep to fruition. He forced India’s spinners, who troubled the rest of the batting line-up, to over-compensate. He profited while waiting on the back foot too, rocking back and muscling sixes straight down the ground. No other batsman in this series has come close to matching his power. He was lbw for 46, off the bowling of Ishan Porel, but the ball may have pitched outside leg.Roy picked up three wickets, while Mavi and Porel chipped in with two each to round off a much-improved performance from India.