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A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Gold League 2014-15 matches that ended on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2014Islamabad Leopards’ strong batting performance led by a century from Faizan Riaz and and fifties from Ali Sarfraz and Mohammad Irfan set the foundation for their comprehensive nine-wicket win over Peshawar Panthers.Leopards built on Riaz’s 114 to score 402, before their bowlers restricted Panthers to 251. Following on, left-arm spinner Imad Wasim’s 6 for 47 ensured Panthers were kept to 201. That left Leopards with a target of 51 for a win and they achieved it in 7.5 overs.The batting-dominated match between National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Limited, which had 10 fifty-plus scores, including two centuries, ended in a draw in Islamabad.National Bank amassed 451 in their first innings, building on Umar Waheed’s 120 and fifties from Mohammad Nawaz (98), Usman Qadir (52) and Raza Hasan (57) respectively.In reply, Ali Asad’s 176 led United Bank to a position of strength but a late collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for 48 runs to fold for 310.National Bank’s brief second innings was fired by Kamran Akmal’s 88 and their declaration of 168 for 4 set United Bank a target of 310. Although United Bank lost a couple of early wickets, fifties from Umair Khan and Riaz Kail helped them seal a draw.Strong batting performances and a six-for from pacer Abdur Rauf helped Port Qasim Authority dominate in their drawn game against Water and Power Development Authority.Daniyal Ahsan’s maiden first-class hundred lifted Port Qasim to 379 after they had crumbled to 93 for 6 in the first innings. He had support from Mohammad Sami (75) and Azam Hussain (49).Rauf’s 6 for 52 then helped Port Qasim restrict WAPDA to 278, despite a century from Aamer Sajjad. Port Qasim’s second innings saw fifties from Khalid Latif (95) and Umar Amin (50) as they were dismissed for 303.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited held on to their top position in the table despite a draw against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited.Khurram Shehzad’s 109 had led SNGPL to 306 before their bowlers skittled ZTBL out for 138, setting up a 168-run lead. Another strong effort with the bat, led by fifties from Adnan Akmal (75), Ali Waqas (50*) and Shehzad (52*) helped them extend their lead to 422 runs.ZTBL then batted out the entire fourth day to secure a draw, finishing at 296 for 6, with half-centuries from Shoaib Malik (69) and Shahid Yousuf (77).

Jos Buttler starred with 58 not out off 26 balls as Lancashire mauled champions Northamptonshire by 53 runs at Old Trafford to continue their excellent start to this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast.

Press Association20-Jun-2014
ScorecardJos Buttler kept Lancashire in peak form (file picture)•Getty ImagesJos Buttler starred with 58 not out off 26 balls as Lancashire mauled champions Northamptonshire by 53 runs at Old Trafford to continue their excellent start to this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast.The explosive England limited-overs wicketkeeper-batsman led his side to an imposing 187 for 3 with a record equalling 22-ball fifty for Lightning in this format before the Steelbacks floundered in reply.Two wickets, including the run out of Richard Levi, went down to successive deliveries from Junaid Khan in the second over of the chase as they slipped to 3 for 2 before being bowled out for 134 with seven balls to spare.Pakistan left-arm quick Junaid finished with 3 for 16 from three overs. Matt Spriegel’s 16-ball 32 was mere consolation.Lancashire, joint North Division leaders with Worcestershire, have now won six of their first eight matches and are closing in on a quarter-final place.After in-form opener Tom Smith had skied David Willey to mid-off in the second over of the match following Paul Horton’s decision to bat, Ashwell Prince and Karl Brown shared 90 in 10.3 overs for the second wicket.Opener Prince hit 43 and Brown 46 – both men favoured backing away to leg and carving over the off side – before falling to successive James Middlebrook deliveries at the start of the 13th over, leaving the score at 99 for 3.But Buttler shared an unbroken 88 in 7.4 overs for the fourth wicket with Steven Croft, who finished with 29 not out off 20 balls in his 95th consecutive Twenty20 match, equalling the English record set by former Leicestershire wicketkeeper Paul Nixon.Buttler smashed three fours and as many sixes, two of them over long-on off slow left-armer Graeme White in the 16th over, before reverse sweeping Olly Stone to third man for four in the 19th.The loss of Levi, run out by a direct hit from Prince in the covers, and Willey, bowled by Khan, put the skids under the Steelbacks, who did not post a boundary until the sixth over.The visitors reached halfway at 55 for 3 following the departure of David Sales – caught at long on – against off-spinner Arron Lilley in the ninth and their target of 135 off 60 balls looked all but impossible.That proved to be the case as regular wickets tumbled, with Kabir Ali having White caught at mid-off to end the Steelbacks’ misery.

After the debacle in the second ODI in Grenada where they were shot out for 70, Bangladesh will look to avoid yet another series defeat in the final ODI

The Preview by Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2014Match factsMonday, August 25, 2014
Start time 1430 local (1830 GMT)Sunil Narine has been terrorising the Bangladesh batsmen•WICB Media/Randy Brooks Big pictureWest Indies were in frenzy towards the end of the second ODI, having sunk Bangladesh from a seemingly stable position to a sudden rout. They had bowled them out for less than 70 once before, but the high a team gets after engineering a collapse must rank alongside a bowler getting a hat-trick or a batsman scoring more than 30 runs in an over.It is not just Sunil Narine’s variety that has made West Indies’ bowling attack look threatening. Jason Holder and Kemar Roach have alternated between roles as new-ball enforcers and holding bowlers. They haven’t used too much pace but bounce has been ever-present, alongside change of pace.West Indies would now want a similar performance from the batsmen who performed more than adequately in the last two games, but looked rusty for long periods. Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo have fifties under their belt but captain Dwayne Bravo has stressed he wants them to make full use of a good start. Kirk Edwards and Lendl Simmons have struggled, but Denesh Ramdin and Kieron Pollard have compensated with their good form lower in the order.West Indies’ strength lies in their big-hitting allrounders and, with the addition of Andre Russell for the third match, they will look to bolster the middle and lower order at the relatively small Warner Park. Pollard on song could be brutal on the Bangladesh bowlers who have so far held their own in the first two games.The visiting team’s bowlers have fought harder than their batsmen in the series. On a small ground, the bowlers will have a tougher time, compounding the problems of a struggling battling line-up that hit a new low in the second ODI.So far only Anamul Haque and Tamim Iqbal have given hope of scoring a few runs. The plan to use Imrul Kayes and Shamsur Rahman at Nos. 3 and 4 may now be shelved while Mushfiqur Rahim is also due for some runs. Nasir Hossain has looked uncomfortable at the crease and Mahmudullah’s bowling may help him get another chance despite failures with the bat.The situation can only lead one to think West Indies will have a cakewalk on Monday. However, Bangladesh have some of the most emotional supporters in the world, who would be expecting a response of some sort from the team after the Grenada debacle.Form guideWest Indies WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLLIn the spotlightSunil Narine has been nothing short of a terror for the Bangladesh batsmen. His three-wicket burst turned the second ODI on its head while his tight, late spells in the first game ensured a below-par total. Expect more of the same from him.Anamul Haque had a wry smile after he was given out caught behind in the second ODI. He wouldn’t have realised how the rest of the innings would pan out, but his first ODI exploits will be desperately sought as Bangladesh look to bounce back at Warner Park.Team newsWest Indies have added Andre Russell to their third ODI squad, and given his excellent form in the CPL, he could be picked in the playing XI at the expense of one of the bowlers.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Dwayne Bravo (captain), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Jason Holder/Andre Russell, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.Shamsur Rahman and Nasir Hossain have had poor games and could make way for Mithun Ali and Mominul Haque. Mahmudullah is likely to survive the chop despite a first-ball duck on Friday, thanks to an encouraging bowling performance. Sohag Gazi has been reported for a suspect action but it will not affect his selection for the ODI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Shamsur Rahman/Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Nasir Hossain/Mithun Ali, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Al-Amin Hossain.Pitch and conditionsThe last international match was played here more than two years ago, but both teams will be aware that Warner Park is batting-friendly and has short boundaries. There have been five 300-plus scores at this ground.Stats and trivia West Indies have only whitewashed their opposition in a bilateral ODI series at home two times in the last 22 years – once against Zimbabwe in 2013 and once against Bangladesh in 2004. Prior to 2004, the last time West Indies were undefeated in bilateral series was against South Africa in 1992 when they won 3-0. Bangladesh won their last ODI at Warner Park in Basseterre, in 2009, beating West Indies by three wickets.Quotes”I think winning the first two games was great but we have to take the last game seriously. We have to try to win a series without losing a game, take the last game like it is the first game.”

“West Indies have a different bowling attack than ours, with much variety. If I talk about Narine, he is a different type of bowler. Still, if our batsmen had shown a bit more confidence, then we could have chased the total [on Friday].”

Leicestershire’s season has begun at Canterbury, in front of one of county cricket’s more charitable crowds, and after three days they would all agreeably concede that they have begun rather well

David Hopps in Canterbury22-Apr-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Darren Stevens was the only Kent batsman to display a sense of urgency•Getty ImagesLeicestershire’s season has begun at Canterbury, in front of one of county cricket’s more charitable crowds, and after three days they would all agreeably concede that they have begun rather well. But they know what the cricket world will be thinking: small squad, financially stretched, bottom of Division Two last season, consigned to a similar fate this time around.They were the last of the 18 counties to take to the field – for those not aware of the circumstances, it was almost as if they had been forgotten about – and they have had to make do without their captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and promising young buck Shiv Thakor.But they have begun in spritely fashion. The first day was washed out, the second day they batted zealously, after which Leicestershire’s Twitter feed proclaimed there was “great spirit in the camp” and that spirit quotient remained high as they followed that up by forcing Kent to declare 64 behind.The running fox on Leicestershire’s club badge could hardly be more appropriate because there are some who would harry them to extinction, overly sensitive towards their small spectator base, and seemingly oblivious to their constant success in producing young players of excellent quality. That such a small squad will be stretched seems certain, but they have so far had slightly the better of the game.That Kent declaration was a blessing. Conversation – the conversation this correspondent was having anyway – had just turned to how counties no longer know how to play three-day cricket when they pulled the plug.In the eight overs remaining, Doug Bollinger removed Matthew Boyce and Anthony Ireland in successive balls while Leicestershire stretched their lead to 103. Poor old Ireland: a maiden Championship fifty at No. 10 followed by a first-baller as a nightwatchman, lbw propping forward, perspective returned.”It could be a little bit tingly tomorrow,” said the PA announcer at the close. That is quite a promise. There are some spectators at Canterbury who have forgotten what tingly feels like.Kent’s declaration was welcome but a county more versed in three-day cricket (as this essentially game is after the first day was washed out) might have reached, say, 250 an hour or so earlier, still close enough to win from behind but maximising the time available for Leicestershire to set a longer chase if needs be.Three-day cricket demands risk and emergency reassessments if things go wrong. Instead, Kent only got above three runs an over in the latter part of the day and overall scored at 3.25 runs per over, slower than Leicestershire’s 3.43.Much of that time was utilised by Daniel Bell-Drummond, whose 58 took 134 balls – useful perhaps to get a promising player into early season form. Brendon Nash was not much quicker in a third-wicket stand of 94 but the fact is that were it not for Darren Stevens’ ebullient 48 against his former county this match might have headed off into the sidings.Stevens’ buccaneering style is eminently watchable. He struck eight fours and a six in his 48 until he hit the offspin of Jigar Naik flat to long-on. Naik can anticipate a heavier workload after the retirement of Claude Henderson and he kept Kent in check for much of the day. It is to be hoped his efforts result in a keen contest on the final day. There is no purpose in Leicestershire playing safe. Nobody will afford them any more respect if they do. They might as well give it a go.

Mumbai Indians sunk to their fourth straight loss to remain rooted to the bottom of the table

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran27-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
6:42

Butcher: Mumbai have too many old players for T20

Mumbai Indians have John Wright as their head coach, Anil Kumble as their team mentor, Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach, Sachin Tendulkar as an ‘icon’ and Robin Singh as assistant coach. Ricky Ponting was added to that list of illustrious names today, joining as an advisor. The expansion of the brains trust didn’t result in a change in fortunes, as Mumbai went down for their fourth defeat in a row after their batting misfired yet again.Delhi Daredevils may not have any superstar in their bowling ranks, but they combined to stifle Mumbai on a slow surface in Sharjah. Mumbai scores so far in this tournament have been 122 for 7, 115 for 9 and 141 for 7. To that sorry list, they added 125 for 6 today, again giving their bowlers too little to work with.Things didn’t go according to plan right from the start for Mumbai. The plan to push Rohit Sharma to the top of the order in place of the struggling Michael Hussey didn’t work as Rohit was run-out by a Mohammed Shami direct hit in the second over. The ploy to have allrounder Corey Anderson at No. 3 seemed to be working a touch better as he hit two muscular boundaries, before finding man in the deep. Aditya Tare had already done the same.M Vijay’s 40 guided the chase•BCCIAmbati Rayudu, an influential member for Mumbai in recent seasons, couldn’t make an impact this time, poking around for a 21-ball 14. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Mumbai batting has been the absent form of the ultra-consistent Michael Hussey, who had another forgettable outing before being undone by a slower yorker from Jaydev Unadkat. Perhaps the time has come to drop Hussey.CM Gautam played sweeps and reverse-sweeps to make an enterprising 18-ball 22 and Kieron Pollard overcame a slow start to unleash a couple of monster sixes and lift Mumbai’s run-rate above six.Daredevils’ spinners have been one of their weaknesses this season, but Shahbaz Nadeem and JP Duminy proved hard to get away on the sluggish pitch where the ball didn’t come on to the bat. The lack of pace worked for medium-pacer Laxmi Shukla as well, and he troubled Pollard in particular.Daredevils have a formidable top five, and the target of 126 was never going to be a problem unless there were plenty of early wickets. The openers, Quinton de Kock and M Vijay, provided a steady start with Vijay going on to top score with 40. Hussey took a stunner at point to dismiss de Kock, Lasith Malinga got rid of the in-form JP Duminy, and though there were a few anxious moments for Daredevils, Mumbai never really looked like posing a serious challenge. It gave Daredevils their second win in five matches so far.

Mahesh Rawat and Arindam Ghosh’s unbroken 191-run stand for the sixth wicket helped Railways recover from a slow start, and make 233 for 5 heading into the third day

The Report by Rachna Shetty in Kolkata09-Jan-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Mahesh Rawat’s unbeaten 105 helped Railways recover from a poor start•FotocorpMahesh Rawat and Arindam Ghosh shared an unbroken 191 for the sixth wicket to help Railways make a strong comeback after the side were reeling at 42 for 5 on the second day of their quarter-final clash against Bengal at Eden Gardens. Rawat finished unbeaten on 105, while Arindam Ghosh was batting on 78 not out, as Railways reached 233 for 5 at the close of play.After dismissing Bengal for 317 in the morning session, the Railways innings moved in fits and starts, with a wicket usually following close on the heels of a productive over. It happened to Railways’ opener Amit Paunikar, who struck three fours off Bengal pacer Sourav Sarkar, before a ball from Ashok Dinda sneaked past his defenses to knock over the off stump. It happened once again when Nitin Bhille smacked two fours off Sarkar before Shivakant Shukla, his partner at the other end, was trapped leg before in Shib Paul’s first over of the innings.But the manner in which the first five overs after lunch progressed would have made Bengal and the raucous fans at Eden Gardens confident of a win. Jonathan Rongsen was out for a 15-ball duck when Abhimanyu Easwaran held on to an edge at third slip off Paul. In the next over, Dinda induced an edge from Bhille, and followed that up with the wicket of Karn Sharma. Suddenly, Railways were tottering at 42 for 5.However Rawat counterattacked by hitting Dinda for six successive fours in two overs before settling down to play an innings of consummate ease. In spite of his aggression, Rawat’s innings was chanceless and the ease with which he struck boundaries negated any feelings of dominance that Bengal had.At the other end, Ghosh’s tight technique and calm approach was the perfect foil for Rawat’s attack. While Rawat found batting against Paul a tad tougher than against Dinda, Ghosh played the seamers and spinners with equanimity and an ease that comes with the familiarity of having playing alongside his opponents for many seasons.Ghosh and Rawat have been involved in two hundred-plus stands this season, and they continued in the same vein on Thursday, frustrating Bengal with their version of the good cop, bad cop routine. Rawat reached his sixth fifty of the season with a six over midwicket off Lahiri from 48 balls, and in the third session, Ghosh opened up to execute a few copybook drives around the ground. Ghosh then made the most of a dropped chance by Abhimanyu Easwaran at second slip to bring up his fifty, his glee evident with a joyful leap in the air.Rawat’s century, his third of this season and the ninth of his first-class career, followed soon after as the batsman swept through the 90s with a brace of fours. He reached the landmark with a hard-run single to mid-on, from 117 balls with 17 fours and a six.Bengal captain Laxmi Shukla was effusive in his praise for the two batsmen, but also outlined his focus for the third morning.”Rawat and Arindam batted very well,” Shukla said. “Our attack, Dinda, Sarkar and Maco bowled very well, but the batsmen didn’t give us chance. I think we can make a strong comeback. The wicket is still slow. It is a good pitch but the early morning moisture on the wicket will be important for us.”On the second morning, the moisture in the pitch also brought an early reward for Railways as Ranjitkumar Mali bowled Dinda for 17. The Railways pacers found help early on but Wriddhiman Saha’s stoic innings, and a useful 14 from Paul helped the side reach 317. Saha was bowled by Upadhyay for 87 off 165 balls, with 11 fours and a six.Still, it was a total Bengal would have taken given they were 233 for 8 on the first evening, and if the hosts strike early on, the 84 runs added by the last two wickets may yet prove to be crucial.

With the World T20 less than two weeks away, there is a possibility that Australia and South Africa may not get much practice in the shortest format

The Preview by Firdose Moonda11-Mar-2014Match factsMarch 12, 2014, Kingsmead, DurbanStart time 1800 (1600GMT)Big Picture There is less than two weeks to go before both these sides play their first match at the World T20, and they are facing the possibility of going into the tournament without much practice in the shortest format. The first match of the series was washed out and the forecast does not look promising for the next two.That will leave both Australia and South Africa short of match-time ahead of a tournament neither have won, something which will concern South Africa more. Given the expectation thrust on them to bring home an ICC trophy, South Africa are doing all they can to refine their squad to ensure success. They need the time to have a trial run and experiment with some of the newer combinations they may have.Australia may have less reasons to worry, having come off three T20I wins. They would want to have the time to find room for the players they have recalled and to have another opportunity to dent their old foe ahead of a major tournament.Form guide
(completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWL
Australia WWWLL Watch out for Albie Morkel will make a long awaited return to the South African XI after being out in the cold since the end of the 2012 World T20. Albie had a strong domestic season after taking an extended break from the game to rejuvenate himself and seems to have found a new lease on his cricketing life. He will be expected to finish the innings fast and contribute as a fourth seamer. Albie is thought to be South Africa’s trump card as they aim for an ICC trophy.After three centuries in the Test matches David Warner may have thought his South African trip could not get any better. But he has since proposed to Candice Falzon and revealed that they were expecting their first child. Warner will hope the good times keep rolling in. With his usual aggressive, carefree style of batting, he has bullied South Africa’s bowlers all summer and, if the weather allows him to, he will want to do it again, albeit in a different format.Team news Dale Steyn was spotted strolling on the Sea Point promenade in Cape Town on Monday, confirming his unavailability until the final match. South Africa are yet to play a match with their new combinations which include Albie Morkel and Beuran Hendricks. The team will want to field both of them before heading to Bangladesh.South Africa: (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 and 9 Wayne Parnell/Kyle Abbott/Beuran Hendricks, 10 Morne Morkel 10, 11 Imran TahirBrad Hogg may have to wait a little longer before becoming the oldest man to represent Australia since Clarrie Grimmett, because of a hamstring strain. James Faulkner is still being monitored as he makes his return.Australia: (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shane Watson, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Cameron White/Brad Hodge, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 James MuirheadConditionsRain has been sweeping across South Africa and Durban has not been spared. Although Wednesday morning is forecast to be clear, wet weather and strong winds are expected to arrive by the afternoon and continue into the evening, which could mean a curtailed affair. Despite the threat of a wet blanket, over 17,00 tickets have been sold for the match as the Durban public gear up for the last international of the summer.Stats and Trivia Warner and Shane Watson have each raised their bats to 10 half-centuries in T20 cricket, Australia’s most number of fifties in the format. Contrastingly, South Africa have no players with 10 fifties, but JP Duminy (6) and AB de Villiers (4) have 10 between them.The last time Kingsmead was scheduled to host a T20, last March, it was abandoned because of rain. South Africa were due to play Pakistan on that occasion.Quotes “They want me to finish the games with David Miller, AB and JP. The four of us will be looking to bat overs from 10 to 20.””In the T20 format, as a bowler, you’ve only got 24 balls so you’ve got to make sure that you execute perfectly. I like the challenge of opening the bowling. When you’ve only got two fielders out, it’s always tough to bowl when the batsmen are looking to hit you over the top.”

Mohammad Hafeez said the Pakistan side achieved their objective of blooding young talent in the two-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Dec-20130:00

Middle-order collapse killed chase – Hafeez

Sharjeel Khan earned praise from his captain for his 25-ball 50•Getty ImagesMohammad Hafeez said the Pakistan side achieved their primary objective of blooding young talent in the two-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, despite having lost the second match by 24 runs.Pakistan played four young cricketers with fewer than 10 matches’ experience, in both matches, and although only opener Sharjeel Khan made a significant contribution, Hafeez said the series had helped shed light on the state of Pakistan’s resources, as they look ahead to the World Twenty20 in March. Pakistan have no more official Twenty20s scheduled before the world event.”We really got what we wanted to out of the series. It’s a positive sign that the youngsters are coming in and doing good for Pakistan. We wanted to see where the youngsters are standing so we can make the right combination for the mega-event. It will be easier for the selectors.”We wanted to inject some of the youngsters and wanted to see them. I think we got the best out of Sharjeel Khan and Bilawal Bhatti. We tried Usman Khan because we didn’t have Umar Gul – he’s trying really hard to get back into international cricket – and we’re also missing Mohammad Irfan, who is unfit.”Seam bowlers Bhatti and Usman had been wayward in the second match,conceding runs at 16 and 13 runs an over respectively, as Sri Lanka’s batsmen exploited their inexperience. Hafeez affirmed his belief in their ability, however, and lauded Sharjeel’s 25-ball fifty in his third international match.”Bilawal Bhatti and Usman Khan are youngsters – we should not forget that. But still we believe they are good bowlers and they will learn from this. They just came into international team, and it’s not easy.”Really happy as a captain to see the good performance from the youngster Sharjeel Khan, and also Sohail Tanvir chipped in. Shahid Afridi is also playing well, so those are the positives in the series.”Hafeez also said Pakistan might have posed a more daunting threat to 211 for 3, had his team not lost four wickets to spin for four runs, in the 10th and 11th overs.”We leaked some runs as a bowling unit. We were thinking to chase 160-170 on this track, but they played very well. If you have to chase you have to play very well and I think we were very much on the plan, but the four wickets in eight balls in the middle order really made a difference.”Pakistan continued to lose wickets and rarely approached the required run-rate during the chase, but Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal said his team had had nervous moments during Tanvir’s brave 63-run ninth wicket stand with Saeed Ajmal. With Ajmal’s help, Tanvir blasted Pakistan to within 29 runs of victory with two overs remaining, but Lasith Malinga’s 19th over snuffed out the resistance.”I was a little bit scared when Tanvir was batting really well at the end, because as a bowler you couldn’t grip the ball at the end because of the dew – particularly for Malinga,” Chandimal said. “But in the end he came in and dismissed Tanvir. Everyone is in good form now, so we are looking forward to the ODI series.”

Tim Bresnan struck an unbeaten half-century for the England Performance Programme on the first day of their match against Queensland 2nd XI in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Tim Bresnan could return to contention for England in Adelaide•Getty ImagesTim Bresnan struck an unbeaten half-century for the England Performance Programme on the first day of their match against Queensland 2nd XI in Brisbane. Bresnan could be in line to return for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide if he can prove his fitness after a stress fracture in his back.England will hope Bresnan has further success with the ball, after he scored 57 not out batting at No. 9. The three-day match is his first competitive appearance since the fourth Test against Australia in August, after which Bresnan missed the rest of the season through injury.The Test squad have headed to Alice Springs for their match against a CA Chairman’s XI on Friday and Saturday but Bresnan remained in Brisbane with the EPP for the game at Allan Border Field.The EPP posted 376 for 9, after being put in to bat, with Middlesex batsman Sam Robson scoring a century in the country of his birth. Robson, whose future had been subject of much conjecture until he committed himself to a prospective England career by joining this tour, retired out for 102.Moeen Ali made 83 in the middle order and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler 54. The EPP have fielded 13 players in the match but only batted with 11.

After staging possibly one of the greatest ODI comebacks, that helped Pakistan thrash West Indies by 126 runs, Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi said his goal going into the game was to give back to the team and not just ‘survive’.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2013In his last 10 matches before the ODI against West Indies in Guyana, Shahid Afridi had scored 142 runs at an average of 17.75 and had taken just three wickets. It was a run of failure that had forced his ouster from the Pakistan team for the Champions Trophy. But after staging possibly one of the greatest ODI comebacks, that helped Pakistan thrash West Indies by 126 runs in the first ODI in Guyana, Afridi said his goal going into the game was to give back to the team and not just ‘survive’.”I try hard and I back myself and I want to thank people back home,” Afridi said. “It is not time for me to just survive in the team, but to give a lot to the team. It was not easy to survive so I tried to stay positive.”On a pitch where batsmen from both sides struggled to score runs, Afridi’s 76 came off 55 balls and his 120-run partnership with Misbah-ul-Haq rescued Pakistan from a dangerous 47 for 5.”Whenever I got the ball in my zone I went for it,” Afridi said. “I knew Misbah was at the other end. I knew he would stay till the end, it gave me the confidence to go after it.”Afridi, who finished with seven wickets for 12 runs, making it one of the best all-round performances in ODI cricket, was thrilled with his bowling: “Oh wow, wow, wow, wow what a pitch it was for me to bowl on. I just kept it simple, and it worked.”Calling the track ‘one of the more difficult pitches’ he had played on, Misbah said he targeted a score of 200, as he believed it would challenge the West Indies batting.Comeback king

Afridi’s performances in matches in which he’s made a return to ODIs (after missing out on one or more series) have been excellent. In eight such matches he averages 46.85 with the bat from seven innings, including four half-centuries. His bowling outshines his batting in these matches: he has taken 23 wickets, including two five-fors, at an average of 10.30 and a strike rate of 15.3. His impact in these matches is reflected in the number of Man-of-the-Match awards he’s won in these eight games – four.

“It was a much-needed performance,” Misbah said. “Especially the way Shahid Afridi played. It is one of the more difficult pitches I have played on. It was seaming, it was stopping, it was really difficult to middle the ball. I thought if we could reach 200, we could fight. And Shahid helped me. On a pitch that it was difficult to middle the balls Shahid was hitting fours and sixes. Jason Holder bowled well. The fielding was wonderful. Everybody was charged up. Every bowler bowled well.”West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo called it “a game to forget”. Bravo praised his bowlers, specially Jason Holder, for their early spells, which reduced Pakistan to 47 for 5, but said a player like Afridi could simply change the momentum of the game. Bravo also stressed that his batsmen would need to regain their confidence quickly if West Indies had to draw level with Pakistan by winning the second ODI on Tuesday.”It’s hard to pinpoint where we went wrong. As a batting unit, we let ourselves down,” Bravo said. “Coming after the last two disappointing games in Trinidad, we came here to Guyana, we had a good practice session. I think the batters lacked confidence and as a batting group, the team lacked runs. They have a very good bowling attack, so credit to the Pakistan team. They got to a good total after 47 for 5. Afridi changed the momentum, but he played his part with the ball, also. We should give credit to them, they outplayed us. It’s something we have to definitely look at again.”While admitting that the team played badly, Bravo ruled out any changes to the side, saying it wouldn’t help West Indies.”That XI was our best XI and we believe in the team,” Bravo said. “We have to back the players who did it for us, but yeah, making changes after one game is not going to help. We have to give players the opportunity to continue to get back that form and we know how dangerous our key players can be once they get back into form. Changes will not sort the problem, it is a more mental situation, so once you get over that, we’re going to be fine.”In spite of a poor day in the field, Bravo said his bowlers had improved from their last two games against India and Sri Lanka in the tri-series. “One of our biggest improvements from the last two games in Trinidad was the last 10 overs,” Bravo said. “They only scored around 50 runs in the last 10 overs, while in the games in Trinidad, the teams scored over 100 runs in the last 10 overs.”