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“At the moment our main thrust is safeguarding the payers and staff – because without them we have nothing”

Umar Farooq15-Apr-2020The PCB, in a bid to deal with a possible funds’ crunch because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has decided not to spend on the infrastructure at its stadia and save in the region of Rs 5 billion ($29,943,185 approx.), which could be used to safeguard the interests and well-being of its cricketers and staff members. A plan is being chalked out to prepare for the worst-case scenario, in case cricket operations are hit for the next two years.”Our No. 1 priority is to protect the players and staff,” Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, said in a podcast on Tuesday. “Realistically, we won’t make any plans that aren’t attainable, but our message is clear with assurances that we will protect you as much as [we] can. We will safeguard the interest of the cricketers. There will be a cost impact, but there won’t be any unusual cuts. As far as contracts are concerned, they are performance-based, and selectors have to take a call; but we are not cutting down any domestic and international contract. In fact, if our initiative becomes a success and in next couple of years when cricket resumes, I feel we have to pay our players more.”Pakistan’s professional cricketers are already among the lowest-paid in world cricket, as Mani acknowledged, but he intends to bring the pay at par with international standards. “Just compare to the rest of the world, take an example of England – a player playing all three formats earns $1 million and our slab comparatively is very low,” he said. “We might not be able to bring our players to the range in the foreseeable future, but we need to make sure that our cricketers are paid competitively in the industry. They are our elite sportsmen, they deserve to be paid more than what they are presently being paid.”It will take time and I am not going to make false promises but this is one of the priorities to make Pakistan cricket stronger and for that, we have to make it financially viable for the people who come into the game. We are working towards that but at the moment our main thrust is safeguarding the payers and staff – because without them we have nothing.”Cricket in Pakistan, similar to other parts of the world, has come to a standstill since the pandemic led to large parts of the world locking down. The PCB headquarters is closed as the operational staff are working from their homes, while cricketers have been given guidelines on how to keep fit while in isolation. There is a very real fear of finances being hit, and the PCB admitted that it will start getting worse after a year or so.ALSO READ: PCB chairman Ehsan Mani warns of financial fallout if Covid-19 disrupts T20 World Cup“We have to redefine our priorities,” Mani said. “Pakistan is the only board in the world which runs stadiums and people think that this isn’t a big deal. The infrastructure, its maintenance, and keeping it upgraded with time – so this is a lot. We had neglected stadiums in the last nine-ten years when [international] cricket wasn’t happening and we spent up to 3 billion [$17,965,911 approx.] on the Karachi and Rawalpindi stadiums. We are not going to do this anymore. We now have to reassess where and how to invest. Our biggest problem going ahead is to protect players and for the sake of it, we have to discard many things, put few of our plans on back burner and move ahead until there is no clarity.”Technically, in next two years we are supposed to spend around Rs 4 to 5 billion [$23,954,548 to $29,943,185 approx.] on our stadiums which we won’t be doing. By not spending this money on infrastructure, we can run our cricket easily without external pressures. But if it goes on for more than the time we expect, then it is going to impact badly and it will be a collateral damage. We are in a way fortunate that our home season was coming to an end. In the short-term impact, we had our last few of the PSL games postponed, the final leg of Bangladesh series and one domestic tournament [affected].”Medium-term impact we might have on our tours to Europe [Ireland, Netherlands and England] and preparation for the tour might become an issue if it goes on like this. It also depends on a larger degree what are the circumstances in the host countries and if these series are disrupted, our players will [be] going to suffer with a lack of cricket. They will also will have a huge financial impact and rescheduling the series fitting in the FTP will become a big challenge. If cricket in Pakistan doesn’t start until March next year, then it’s a medium-term challenge we are going to face.”Going forward to the end of next year is going to be even a bigger challenge… because England and Australia are slotted to come and if they do not… there are a lot of threats for Pakistan. Managing the tours and their finances, taking care of our main stakeholders – players, staff – protecting their jobs and their well-being is foremost. So for the preparation ahead to deal with the challenges, I have told my finance department to prepare for the worst and hope for the best because preparation is in our control but events are not.”The idea of playing to empty stands hasn’t appealed to Pakistan as Mani said that it’s not just the empty seats, there were other elements that couldn’t be ignored. “Teams still have to travel in planes, and one risk starts there. Second: staying at hotels, taking local transport, so only empty stadium isn’t the answer. All the logistic arrangements involved are also to be looked in [as to] how this is manageable.”

Pakistan dropped more catches than they took, apart from leaking well over 50 extras

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-202169.2 – Williamson dropped on 82

Naseem Shah to Williamson, FOUR, dropped in the slips! Pokes at an away-going delivery, extra bounce, he’s looking to punch on the up but gets a thick outside edge that goes between the two slip fielders. Oh, dear. Masood and Haris the men there.73.6 – Williamson dropped on 107
Faheem Ashraf to Williamson, no run, Shan Masood has put down another one at gully! Width, Williamson cuts but this flies off the edge because of extra bounce, Masood a tad late moving to his left, got his hands to it but couldn’t hold on.Related

• Dropped catches 'really affected our chances in NZ' – Misbah-ul-Haq

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• The records Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls broke

80.5 – Nicholls dropped on 86
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Nicholls, no run, dropped by the keeper! This combination worked when the bowler overstepped. It doesn’t when it’s a legal delivery. And a good one too. Afridi’s ability to get seam movement is really special. So is his accuracy at high pace. He draws Nicholls into a lazy drive. Thick edge. Simple take for the keeper moving to his left. And yet… Nicholls threw his head back, certain he was gone. Umpire Chris Brown had even raised his finger up. And poor Afridi just sank to his knees, wondering why good luck hates him.91.5 – Nicholls on dropped 92

Mohammad Abbas to Nicholls, no run, has that been put down at gully? Yes, Azhar Ali this time. Nicholls looks to flay this behind point but the length is much fuller, gets a thick edge and the regulation chance goes down. Oh dear. Another life for Nicholls.107.6 – Nicholls dropped on 133
Naseem Shah to Nicholls, no run, ooooh, he tried so hard. He really really tried so hard. Poor Naseem Shah. He manages to see a plan through to completion. Bouncing Nicholls over and over and waiting to see if his patience runs out. It does here as he backs away and baseballs it down the ground. Shah leaps up and sticks out his left hand, it doesn’t stick, but pops straight back up in the air. So he looks to pick up the rebound, diving further to his left, but it doesn’t land in his hands once more. So unfortunate.123.1 – Williamson dropped on 177
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Williamson, 1 run, dropped by Azhar at gully. It goes quickly to him. He needs to dive to his right. His hands are stinging from the pain and they’re already wrapped up in tape. All that make it a challenge, but it really should have been taken. Williamson could have been out first ball after the break as he went for that patented dab to third man.154.2 – Jamieson dropped on 10
Naseem Shah to Jamieson, 1 bye, put down by Rizwan down leg. Have to call it straightforward. Went for another hook, got some glove, a big deflection too. Rizwan just a tad late to move to his left.154.6 – Mitchell dropped on 79
Naseem Shah to Mitchell, 2 runs, What is happening? Now Gohar has put down one at deep midwicket. He misjudged the ball, ran in and then had to turn back. Mitchell didn’t get hold of the pull, in the end Gohar put in a goalkeeper-like dive but couldn’t hang on. Naseem is disappointed and why not. He’s had a shocker of a Test, and now nothing to show for in the wickets column.20.4 – Latham dropped and caught on 33
Shaheen Shah Afridi to Latham, OUT, taken on the rebound! Second slip dropped it! First slip takes it! Pakistan have two in two! Only this team can pull off things like this. Afridi who has looked toothless with the new ball comes back and delivers a beauty. The exact kind of ball left-handers hate. Angling into him, and then holding the line to take the edge. Latham pushes hard at it, which is why it goes to Masood at second slip, who is having a horrible match and it could have gotten worse as he shells the ball coming so quickly at him, but Sohail’s freakish reflexes bail him out as he gets down low and grabs the rebound.

Josh Hazlewood is out of the fifth Ashes Test and the coach Darren Lehmann has been moved to explain why

Daniel Brettig19-Aug-2015Josh Hazlewood is out of the fifth Investec Test and for the seventh time on this and the previous West Indies tour Peter Siddle’s claims appear likely to be ignored by the selectors, opening the way for Pat Cummins to resume his Test career.The coach Darren Lehmann has been moved to explain why Hazlewood will not be playing, but a cloud remains over how the most experienced seam bowler in the tour party has not been used even once on this trip, even as England have prepared a succession of green, seaming surfaces ideally suited to Siddle’s skills.Siddle was understood to be utterly bereft about his omission for the Trent Bridge Test, and confided to his former captain Ricky Ponting that he felt his last chance to play for Australia had gone. The pitch for the Oval Test looks likely to provide similar levels of assistance to the bowlers, but with the Ashes gone it is likely that Cummins will be chosen alongside Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc.The captain Michael Clarke said that Siddle remained in contention to play, and that at the age of 30 he should not be discarded as an Australian pace bowler. “Sidds is still working extremely hard and continues to get better,” Clarke said. “He’s played a few of the practice games and probably hasn’t got as many wickets as he would’ve liked.”But he’s certainly in contention for this Test match. He might’ve had a niggle after the tour game so the medical staff have tried to look after that. He bowled fine yesterday, I faced him in the nets and he bowled really well. Sidds is only 30 so I think he’s got plenty of time left in him, and he’s been a big part of the Australian Test team over a period of time.”Siddle has not played a Test since the first match of last summer in Adelaide when he bowled poorly while battling illness. Hazlewood has been preferred in each match since then, and Siddle was not awarded a Cricket Australia contract despite being chosen for this tour. The pitches in England seemed to create the ideal scenario for his inclusion as a consistent seam and swing bowler of much experience.Hazlewood, meanwhile, has struggled to maintain consistency, and Lehmann and the selection chairman Rod Marsh were seen in lengthy conversation with him in Northamptonshire. Lehmann said it had been decided that the least experienced member of the bowling attack needed rest before niggles became larger issues.”Josh has played six Tests since the West Indies tour and the last nine Tests for Australia, as well as playing an important part in the World Cup,” Lehmann said. “He has managed to get through this period without any major injury which is pleasing, though currently he does have some niggling problems that we would like to manage. As such, he was not considered for selection for the 5th Test.”On his return to Australia his niggles will be investigated further and he will work with our coaches, and our medical and fitness staff to have him prepared for the next series he is selected to play in.”Lehmann’s clarification leaves Cummins very much in line to play, resuming his Test career nearly four years after he made a memorable debut against South Africa in Johannesburg, taking the Man-of-the-Match award in a narrow victory on a helpful pitch for bowlers. According to Clarke, The Oval looks to be another such surface.”It still looks pretty green from the boundary so I imagine it will look even greener up close,” Clarke said. “It’s going to be another really tough Test match for the batters, but we just have to find a way to fight our backsides off, whether it goes two days or three days I’d just like us to be on the right side of that two or three days.”Mitchell Marsh has also firmed to return to the side ahead of his brother Shaun, after the latter was seen in deep conversation with Rod Marsh during Australia’s final training session.

The allrounder smacked 56 off 46 to steer a thrilling chase in a rain-shortened match in the Vijay Hazare semi-final

Sreshth Shah in Bengaluru23-Oct-2019In a match shortened to 40-overs a side, Tamil Nadu beat Gujarat by five wickets in a nervy encounter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 semi-final, to set up a title clash against Karnataka.Chasing 178 for victory, Tamil Nadu were 96 for 5 but Shahrukh Khan’s 56* off 46 balls saw them pull through with an over to spare, enthralling the handful of neutral fans who turned up at the Just Cricket Academy Ground on the outskirts of Bengaluru.Both teams had star-studded line-ups. R Ashwin, fresh off India’s Test series win over South Africa, flew in on Tuesday to join the Tamil Nadu squad for the semi-final. He had M Vijay, Washington Sundar, Abhinav Mukund and captain Dinesh Karthik in his side. Gujarat, too, had their share of India cap-holders, with Axar Patel and Piyush Chawla being led by Parthiv Patel. Gujarat needed a win, while Tamil Nadu needed anything but a defeat. A no-result would have put Tamil Nadu into the final, with the tournament rules stating that head to head results would be the tie-breaker if both sides had an equal number of wins coming into a knockout match, and Tamil Nadu had beaten Gujarat when both teams faced each other in the league stages in Group C.Unsurprisingly then, Karthik chose to field first on winning the toss, with one eye on the grey clouds in the distance.The clouds remained all day, but the rain didn’t arrive, as the match began at 10.30am, an hour and a half after the scheduled start.Priyank Panchal and Parthiv, the Gujarat openers, have been their two most dependable top-order batsmen over the last few years. Their solid opening partnerships had led Gujarat to nine wins in ten matches in the tournament thus far. Before the game, the only time both Gujarat openers failed was in the defeat against Tamil Nadu. So when they both fell inside the fifth over to Ashwin and Washington respectively, it seemed that Tamil Nadu had taken an early stranglehold on the match. A brief partnership of 45 between No. 3 Bhargav Merai (20) and No. 4 Dhruv Raval (40) then followed, which helped Gujarat negate the early damage done by the Tamil Nadu spinners, but a middle-order collapse once again handed Tamil Nadu the advantage.M Mohammed was the wrecker-in-chief during the middle overs. After Merai fell to T Natarajan, Mohammed struck off his first delivery to dismiss Raval when he edged a drive to the slip cordon. In the same spell, Manpreet Juneja (12) and Karan Patel (4) fell victim to Mohammed’s nippy deliveries. By the time Karan was out in the 21st over, Gujarat were tottering at 102 for 6.The handful of spectators kept switching their support from one team to the other, almost as if one moment they wanted nothing more than to see a heavyweight clash between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the final, but the next they realised they’d much rather see a proper contest right now than sometime in the future and began screaming for Axar Patel to push Gujarat towards a respectable total.In Chawla’s company, Axar added 23 for the seventh wicket. The eighth-wicket stand with Roosh Kalaria lasted only six balls, but in No. 10 Chintan Gaja, Axar found someone with whom he could bat out the full 40 overs. Together they made 26 runs but Axar perished for 37 trying to clear the long-on boundary. Gujarat’s tenth-wicket partnership still had 3.2 overs to bat, and with Gaja leading the way, they added 18 more to finish on 177 for 9.Tamil Nadu’s chase began poorly, with Vijay chopping Gaja onto his stumps for 3. Axar and Kalaria bowled a tight spell with the new ball, allowing Tamil Nadu to score only 25 runs in the first eight overs. Axar then struck as No. 3 B Aparajith guided an attempted cut into Parthiv’s gloves to rock Tamil Nadu further, but just like the Gujarat innings, a rescue effort from the third-wicket partnership followed. Abhinav had survived the tricky period with the new ball, and he opened up in No. 4 Karthik’s company. The experienced duo motored along in a 45-run third-wicket stand to bring the game into the balance, as Abhinav held up one end and Karthik took on the boundary riders. But the wickets of both set batsmen, on either side of Vijay Shankar’s dismissal, gave Gujarat the look-in they needed. With 15 overs to go on a surface that was two-paced all day, Tamil Nadu, with two new batsmen at the crease, needed 81 to qualify for the final.By now, Tamil Nadu had slipped behind the VJD par and some nervous moments followed as the skies turned dark once again. But there was no inclement weather. Instead, there was a storm from Shahrukh’s bat.With his partner Washington nudging the ball around for singles (twos were difficult because of the ground’s dimensions), Shahrukh took on the other Gujarat bowlers, first slapping Kalaria to point for four before depositing Chawla’s googly over long-on. That brought the crowd – by now, prepared for a Tamil Nadu defeat – back to life, with the batting team needing 27 off 24 balls. Over the next two overs, Shahrukh guided Axar to the third-man boundary and followed it with a flat-batted six off Kalaria over long-off to bring the equation to 11 off the final two overs.In the penultimate over, Washington thumped a four off the first ball, after which Shahrukh drilled a full toss over long-off to seal Tamil Nadu’s win. Such was the fervour during the final stages of the chase that Shahrukh didn’t even acknowledge his half-century till the end of the game.The result means that Tamil Nadu have reached a domestic final for the first time since 2016/2017.

Dane Vilas’ century enabled Lancashire’s victory against Durham in their final group game but neither side qualified for the final stages of the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network16-May-2017
ScorecardDane Vilas’ hundred could not assauge Lancashire’s disappointment•Getty Images

South African Dane Vilas’s second century of the series allowed Lancashire to win their final Royal London Cup group game by 28 runs against Durham at Chester-le-Street.But neither side made progress. Durham could have gone ahead of Nottinghamshire into third place, but the one point the Outlaws gained from the washout at Northampton ended Lancashire’s hopes.Paul Collingwood’s three wickets saw Lancashire stumble to 126 for 4 after a good start, but Vilas’s onslaught helped them to gather 135 runs from the last 15 overs, compared with 76 off the previous 15.The second 50 in his 83-ball century came off 26 balls and his fifth-wicket stand of 118 in 16 overs with Steven Croft proved crucial.Excellent bowling from left-arm spinner George Harding, as well as Collingwood, put the brakes on Lancashire after they were put in and got off to a flier.Paul Coughlin, otherwise expensive, made the breakthrough on 59 after Karl Brown clubbed him for six and four in the tenth over then miscued to mid-off.Haseeb Hameed and Liam Livingstone both fell to Collingwood. Extra bounce surprised Hameed, who steered to a wide slip, and after settling in sensibly Livingstone went for a big hit and skied to deep mid-on.Opener Alex Davies played strongly off the back foot in reaching 50 off 54 balls but then lobbed a slower ball from Collingwood to mid-wicket.Vilas and Croft progressed quietly for ten overs before the floodgates opened in the 37th, bowled by Coughlin.
Vilas scooped him over the wicketkeeper for four as 14 came off the over and the return of Chris Rushworth was greeted by two pulls for four either side of a straight driven six.Croft departed for 41, bowled when trying to sweep Harding, but Ryan McLaren helped to maintain the momentum until he sliced James Weighell to deep cover in the 49th over.Weighell’s next ball, a slow full toss, bowled Vilas for 108, providing some solace after the bowler began the over with none for 67. Like Coughlin, he dropped short too often.Lancashire did not make the same mistake. The accuracy of Kyle Jarvis was rewarded when he knocked back Keaton Jennings’ off stump then Stephen Cook edged James Anderson to slip.Graham Clark contributed 32 to a stand of 57 in ten overs with Michael Richardson before picking up Danny Lamb to deep square leg, where Brown back-pedalled to hold a one-handed catch high to his right.On 35, Richardson had to send for a runner and shortly afterwards Collingwood was slow to respond after playing the ball to short third man. He was run out for 20, and Richardson went for broke, taking 16 off an over from Anderson before inside-edging Stephen Parry into his stumps for 58.There were brief flurries from all the middle order and the last-wicket pair added 44. But Durham never looked likely to get close.

Leicestershire secure first win of Vitality Blast to leave Durham rock-bottom

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2020Leicestershire 177 for 6 (Delany 68, Lilley 50) beat Durham 147 for 8 by 30 runsLeicestershire chalked up their first win in this year’s Vitality Blast, half-centuries from Gareth Delany and Arron Lilley helping them on their way to a comfortable 30-run victory over a Durham side which has now lost all three matches played.With this year’s Vitality Blast being a ten-game competition – Leicestershire’s first two games, against Derbyshire and Lancashire, were rained off, while Durham lost to Lancashire and Nottinghamshire – there was already something of a ‘must-win’ feel about the match.Batting first after winning the toss, Leicestershire quickly lost Harry Dearden, caught at cover after skying an attempted drive at Paul Coughlin, but Ireland international Delany, regularly clearing his front leg and targeting the off-side, hit the ball cleanly from the start.He was fortunate not to be stumped when he advanced down the wicket to left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, wicket-keeper Stuart Poynter failing to gather the ball cleanly, but otherwise gave no chances in going to his half-century off 35 balls, including six fours and two sixes. He had made 68, from 45 deliveries, before Trevaskis finally got his man, top-edging a straightforward catch to Scott Steel short fine leg in the 13th over.The momentum was maintained by Lilley, and in some style. The Lancastrian also had a moment of fortune, on 17, when Rimmington at mid-off was unable to hold a hard-hit drive off the bowling off Brydon Carse, but hit two sixes and five fours in going to his 50 off 33 balls as the Foxes posted a challenging 177 for 6.Needing nine runs an over, Durham struggled from the start. Leicestershire’s seamers judged the wicket well, taking the pace off the ball, and the spinners, led by left-armer Callum Parkinson, maintained the pressure. The key wicket was that of Alex Lees, and while the big left-hander could consider himself unlucky when having made 36 he pulled a delivery from Will Davis straight into the hands of George Rhodes at deep square leg, the pressure was already beginning to tell.Parkinson, Leicestershire’s top wicket-taker in last season’s T20 Blast, picked up three wickets, the last a brilliant caught and bowled to dismiss Carse, and having impressed with the bat, Delany also demonstrated his all-round abilities with some useful leg-spin.

This is the second time the offspinner has been reported in ten months, so if he fails his assessment, he stands to be suspended for a year

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Aug-2019Sri Lanka offspinner Akila Dananjaya has been reported for a suspect action for the second time in ten months, and will now have to undergo a biomechanics assessment in the next 12 days. If he fails this assessment, Dananjaya stands to be suspended for a year – the ICC’s automatic penalty for bowlers who have twice failed an assessment inside a two-year period.Also reported for a suspect action following the Galle Test was Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain who delivered three overs of offspin on the final day of the match, which Sri Lanka won by six wickets. He had also previously failed a biomechanics assessment, but this was back in 2014. As such, a failed assessment for him will not result in a 12-month suspension from bowling and, in any case, he is little more than a part-time bowler.Dananjaya had undergone remedial work since his initial suspension, announced in December 2018, and had had his action cleared early this year. He had been less effective in ODIs in the early months following his return, which led to him missing out on a place in Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad. The Galle Test was his first since the suspension, and he impressed in the first innings, taking 5 for 80. If a year-long suspension eventuates now, it would not only be a serious blow to Dananjaya’s career, it will also unsettle Sri Lanka’s spin attack. The next six Tests on Sri Lanka’s schedule are all due to be played in Asia.Of the three variations Dananjaya bowls, it is believed to be his stock ball – the offbreak – that has most frequently raised the umpires’ suspicions.Sri Lanka’s second Test against New Zealand begins on Thursday. Both Dananjaya and Williamson will be allowed to bowl in that game, as it falls within the 14-day window granted to bowlers who have had their actions reported.

A Zimbabwe Cricket spokesperson confirmed that the fast bowler had suffered a Grade 2 tear on his left quadriceps muscle, after he had pulled up while running in to bowl on the second morning

Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2018Zimbabwe were dealt a major blow in the Mirpur Test against Bangladesh, after fast bowler Tendai Chatara was stretched off with a suspected Grade 2 tear on his left quadriceps muscle. The injury occurred in the 100th over of the Bangladesh first innings. Chatara pulled up while running in to deliver the over’s third ball, and after some initial checks by the physiotherapist, he was carried away from the ground.A Zimbabwe Cricket spokesperson confirmed the extent of the injury afterwards, but said that there may be more updates on Chatara’s condition as the day progressed.Chatara had been in good form prior to the injury, having taken 1 for 34 in 22.2 overs, with 12 maidens. He had also played a critical role in Zimbabwe’s famous victory in the Sylhet Test, where his three-wicket burst in the first innings opened up Bangladesh’s batting line-up, which eventually collapsed twice in the game.

De Silva’s term is for two years, and he officially begins on August 15

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2018Harsha de Silva has been appointed Sri Lanka women’s head coach, reprising the role he had performed between 2010 and 2013. De Silva’s term is for two years, and he officially begins on August 15, several weeks before India women’s forthcoming tour of the island. The other major assignment on the horizon is the World T20 in the West Indies, scheduled for November this year.A domestic right-arm seamer in his playing days, de Silva holds a Level 3 coaching qualification, and had been the women’s head coach at the Valley District Cricket Club in Brisbane. De Silva replaced Hemantha Devapriya in the position, after Devapriya resigned five months before the end of his stipulated contract, in June.Among de Silva’s long-term concerns will be to shake Sri Lanka out of an ODI rut that has now stretched for several years. Sri Lanka have lost 12 of the last 13 matches they have played – a sequence that stretches back to last year’s World Cup. Their T20 form is marginally better, but not by much. They had defeated Bangladesh in the recent Asia Cup – a tournament which Bangladesh went on to win – but have won only three of their last 11 T20 internationals.SLC has, however, recently begun to invest in women’s domestic cricket, and will hope that de Silva can help translate those investments into results at the top level.

HotSpot showed a mark as the ball passed the bat, but there was no spike on Snicko and as a result the batsman was ruled lbw

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2019A contentious DRS decision during the second T20I between New Zealand and India led to a controversial dismissal and sparked confusion over the entire process.Daryl Mitchell was given out lbw off Krunal Pandya despite HotSpot showing a clear mark as the ball passed the inside edge. And the replay of the entire incident shown on the stadium screen prompted open-mouthed surprise on both the batsman’s face and that of New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who was at the non-striker’s end.Krunal was bowling the final ball of the sixth over, a skidder that went on with the arm and past Mitchell’s flick to hit him on the pads. The on-field decision from umpire Chris Brown was out but it was challenged almost immediately. The replays handed to the third umpire offered two differing perspectives. Snicko did not show a spike as the ball went past the bat, but HotSpot revealed a clear white mark on the inside edge. Ball-tracking also showed a deviation as ball passed bat.Left to make the final call, TV umpire Shaun Haig upheld the original decision once the ball was shown to be on track to hitting the stumps.Simon Doull, who was on commentary at the time, called it “absolutely ridiculous” and Mitchell, in fact, seemed to walk up to India captain Rohit Sharma, who was then seen speaking to the umpires.India pacer Khaleel Ahmed said after the game that the India players accepted the umpire’s decision on face value.”We were just waiting for the umpire’s call, because we can’t do anything in that decision,” Khaleel said at the press conference. “So we were just waiting for that decision. Whatever the umpire said, we accepted it.”New Zealand chief selector Gavin Larsen said: “From a personal perspective I thought the video evidence was quite damning, so I’ll leave it at that. If it was a mistake then that’s the way things go. In a very general sense, though, I’m not uncomfortable with the way DRS is operating and more often than not the guy in the box is getting it right and the communication between the third umpire and the guys on the field is very good.”The ICC rules indicate a fielding captain can withdraw an appeal if he gets the permission to do so from the umpire who made the decision, and the next ball of the game hasn’t been delivered yet.A similar incident took place in the Big Bash League earlier this season when Brisbane Heat’s James Pattinson was given run-out despite replays showing his bat had been grounded and well past the crease. The opposition captain, Adelaide Strikers’ Colin Ingram, however, decided to call the batsman back on that occasion.