Pathirana returns to Colombo Strikers with LPL record US$120,000 price tag

Kusal Perera was the most high-profile local player to not attract a bid

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2024Matheesha Pathirana has become the most expensive Lanka Premier League (LPL) player ever, commanding a US$120,000 price tag as he ended up with his old team, Colombo Strikers, for the 2024 edition of the tournament.The other big winner of the day was seamer Isuru Udana, who was bought by the new Galle Marvels franchise for $100,000, despite his base price being $30,000 and Marvels being the only franchise that bid for him. The auctioneer checked three times whether he had heard the bid from Marvels correctly. He had. They wanted to pay that much for Udana, who has not played for Sri Lanka since 2021.Dasun Shanaka also commanded a serious price tag, going to B-Love Kandy for $85,000. In his case, though, Jaffna Kings had been in a bidding war with B-Love.Related

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Among the fresh overseas signings, Afghanistan allrounder Karim Janat attracted the biggest bid, going for $80,000 to Dambulla Thunders, a franchise under new ownership this year. Rilee Rossouw was another headliner, joining Kings for $60,000.Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz – a wicketkeeper batter – and Hazratullah Zazai – a top-order batter – also got bids worth $50,000, going to Strikers and Thunders respectively. Spin-bowling allrounder Fabian Allen went to Kings for $32,000, and seam-bowling allrounder Dwaine Pretorius was bought by Marvels for $30,000.In general, it wasn’t a profitable auction for many overseas players. The likes of Lungi Ngidi, David Wiese, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Shoaib Malik, and Mushfiqur Rahim went unsold.Local spin-bowling allrounders like Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage did okay, though, going for $50,000 to Kings and Strikers respectively. Kusal Perera was the most high-profile local player to not attract a bid, with even former Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne getting a gig for $10,000 with B-Love Kandy.This version of the LPL has two new sets of owners. Thunders have replaced last year’s owners Dambulla Aura, while Marvels have taken over from Galle Gladiators.Kings, Strikers, and B-Love Kandy are the surviving franchises from last year. Kings are the only owners that have been around since 2022 or before.B-Love Kandy
Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, Andre
Fletcher, Kyle Mayers, Ashen Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dasun Shanaka, Ramesh Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Mohammed Hasnain, Chamath Gomez, Pawan Rathnayake, Chaturanga de Silva, Kavindu Pathirathne, Lakshan Sandakan, Sammu Ashan, Azam Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammed Ali, Kasun RajithaColombo Strikers
Chamika Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nipun Dhananjaya, Shadab
Khan, Glenn Phillips, Chamika Gunasekara, Dunith Wellalage, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Taskin Ahmed, Angelo Perera, Shevon Daniel, Garuka Sanketh, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Shehan Fernando, Kavin Bandara, Isitha Wijesundara, Muhammed Waseem, Allah GhazanfarGalle Marvels
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella, Maheesh Theekshana, Tim Seifert, Alex Hales, Janith Liyanage, Dwaine Pretorius, Sahan Arachchige, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Sean Williams, Zahoor Khan, Malsha Tharupathi, Isuru Udana, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sadeesha Rajapaksa, Mohommed Shiraz, Kavindu Nadeeshan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Chamindu Wijesinghe, Jeffrey Vandersay, Yuri KoththigodaDambulla Thunders
Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Dushan Hemantha, Praveen Jayawickrama, Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran, Lahiru Udara, Akila Dananjaya, Danushka Gunathilaka, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Ranesh Silva, Sohan de Livera, Hazratullah Zazai, Karim Janat, Asela Gunaratne, Lahiru Madushanka, Rusanda Gamage, Mithun Jayawickrama, Ayana Siriwardhana, Sonal Dinusha, Haider Ali, Santhush GunathilakaJaffna Kings
Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Azmatullah
Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Rilee Roussow, Fabian Allen, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pramod Madushan, Jason Behrendorff, Asitha Fernando, Vishad Randika, Lahiru Samarakoon, Wanuja Sahan, Eshan Malinga, Alex Ross, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Murvin Abinash, Arul Pragasam, Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka, Theesan Vithushan, Nisala Tharaka

"Mahmudullah is my T20I captain" – Russell Domingo

He also said that Bangladesh can afford to play with a maximum of 16-17 players for the next couple of series’

Mohammad Isam19-Jan-2020Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo has said that he wants Mahmudullah to lead Bangladesh in T20Is this year. Mahmudullah was handed the captaincy hastily, minutes after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC last October. Mahmudullah led Bangladesh well in his first assignment, a tightly contested T20I series in India and reprises the role for the three-match T20I series in Pakistan which begins on Friday.Domingo, in a recent interview to ESPNcricinfo, said that he did not want to try too many players ahead of the T20 World Cup in October, and now he has put his weight behind Mahmudullah to be the one to lead Bangladesh in the tournament.”I am hoping he leads us in the World Cup T20,” Domingo said. “He has my full support. I thought he did a great job in India. I have enjoyed working with him. I think he is a good professional. He has respect of the change room. He is a world-class player. He is my captain.”[Continuity with the players] depends on how they do. If a player is out of his depth, we can’t keep going with him. If a player has potential to develop, you have to run with those players. After this series, we have to keep our squad as small as possible. I think we can play with a maximum of 16 or 17 players in the next couple of series.”Domingo said that some batsmen may have to bat out of position as they are trying to figure out the middle-order in Mushfiqur Rahim’s absence. They have picked five openers – Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar – but he has said that the likes of Soumya and Liton may end up batting elsewhere for the sake of the team’s balance.”Guy like Soumya, who batted No 3 in India, may end up batting at No 6 in Pakistan. [Mahmudullah] Riyad may bat at No 5. Afif might come up to No 3 or 4.”The best players can play under any conditions, in any positions. If you bat [Eoin] Morgan at No 3 or 6, he is successful. If you bat KW [Kane Williamson] at No 3 or 5, he will find a way to do that role. It is a great opportunity for the young players to find new strings to their game.”I am excited by it. If a guy like Liton has to bat at No 4 for a game or two, that’s fine. If [Mohammad] Mithun has to bat at No 3, that’s okay. If Afif has to go from No 6 to opening, he has to learn to do those things,” he said.Domingo said they are yet to discuss whether Tamim will play the anchor role, similar to the one he played for Dhaka Platoon in the BPL, or play a more aggressive game. “It is my first tour with Tamim. I have to understand him a bit more. I know he had a role with his BPL team, and it is something that we need to discuss with our team.”At the moment, no decision is made. I will think about it. Depends on who he opens with. If he is playing with a dasher, he can play that role. If he is opening with someone inexperienced, he may have to play positively. The discussions will take place in the next couple of days,” he said.It will also be the first international tour for Hasan Mahmud, the 20-year old pacer who enjoyed some success in this season’s BPL. Domingo said that he has seen a bit of Mahmud, and players like him can stake a claim for a place in the T20 World Cup squad, which is not yet finalised.”It will be the first time I will be working with Hasan Mahmud. I have seen some of his performances in the matches and nets with Emerging Team. It is a young group of players. It shows the depth within our system. Hopefully some of these players can make a big play to get into the World Cup squad. It is not finalised yet,” he said.

Somerset emerge from paywall and showers as South Group's top dogs

Kent are the first county to charge for their T20 stream and it was a persuasive option on a cold early-summer evening

David Hopps30-May-2023Somerset 154 (Lammonby 34, Agar 3-18, Hogan 3-33) beat Kent 112 (Green 3-19) by 13 runs via DLS methodSomerset’s 154 had always resembled a defendable score on a seaming pitch and, as squally showers increasingly played havoc on a cold Canterbury night, they held their nerve impressively in the field to claim their fourth successive win and maintain their position at the top of South Group.Ben Green had spent some of the Kent innings off the field injured on a mucky night when Somerset badly wanted a full bank of seamers, but crucially he returned in the nick of time to complete an impressive all-round bowling performance.With the final recalculation leaving Kent needing a further 54 from 4.1 overs, Green returned 3 for 19 in two overs, the highlight a cleverly-disguised yorker to bowl George Linde. Matt Henry helped him to another, keeping his feet well enough on a well-oiled outfield to throw the ball up at long-off as he crossed the rope and completed the catch.

Kent had never really threatened as Somerset’s experienced seamers jousted for the delivery of the night. Henry’s break-back to bowl Joe Denly came close but it was probably shaded by Peter Siddle’s away-seamer to strike Daniel Bell-Drummond’s off stump. Sam Billings shaped better than most until he made room against Lewis Gregory and his off stump also went flying.Kent threw free t-shirts into the crowd during the match, but winter coats would have been a more appropriate offering on a showery and chilly night. Online coverage was a persuasive option – it would have set you back £5.99, though. Kent don’t have a reputation as one of county cricket’s natural innovators, but they have become the first club to risk what will surely be an inevitable outcome: they are charging for their in-house coverage of the Vitality Blast.If county cricket’s tie-up with BBC radio commentary has been a symbiotic relationship that has helped to promote the county game like never before, financial imperatives will surely mean that, in T20, Kent’s experiment will soon be adopted by others. They are a curious outlier as, according to , their coverage was the third least-watched among the counties in 2022, although those figures were not helped by a disappointing season in which they finished bottom of South Group.As the quality of in-house coverage has improved, so have the costs and if free coverage of Championship cricket remains a highly persuasive loss-leader that it would be foolish to abandon, then T20 is a different animal. For a modest outlay, it was possible to receive professional coverage, fronted by an experienced broadcaster and former captain, Dave Fulton, who had the know-how to keep home favouritism to acceptable levels. Away supporters can watch Kent’s coverage without calling for the sick bag.That was certainly true for Somerset supporters as they saw another victory unfold. Shane Burger, Somerset’s assistant coach, emphasised the importance of his side’s doughty attitude in the field. “There was never a moan, there was always a mindset of trying to get out there and play cricket. I think many a team would try to get off the field rather than play. People were slipping over and the ball was wet but full credit to the guys. It just shows what you can do if you have the right mindset.”That toughness took a while to reveal itself. Somerset’s three musketeers were all dismissed for 40 within 4.3 overs. Tom Banton, Will Smeed and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (who has currently won central-casting approval over Tom Lammonby, who now bats at No. 5) rarely assess conditions – that tends to be left to others down the order – and they quickly perished.Banton, whose reputation has taken a battering in the past two years, has had a good start to the season, but his attempt to hit Michael Hogan inside-out, up the slope, came to grief. Kohler-Cadmore’s talent reel included 20 off one over from Joe Denly until he failed with a blow down the ground. Denly’s two overs cost 29 and hindsight suggested an introductory over should have been enough on such a night.

Smeed’s failure warrants more than a passing mention. His decision last November to opt for a solely white-ball future, at only 21, signalled changing times and everything suggests that he has a natural affinity for the shorter game, but things have not gone according to plan. He went unsold in the IPL auction and, since his unbeaten 101 for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred in August, he has mustered only a couple of 30s in 14 T20 matches, more if you count appearances in Abu Dhabi and for Somerset’s 2nd XI.Smeed fell fourth ball for nought, the first ball after a rain break, when Wes Agar beat him on the drive, swinging one through the gate to hit middle stump. It was his fourth failure and, although somebody will suffer before too long, when you take such a momentous decision, such a lean run must weigh more heavily.Agar’s stay at Kent has been extended for a further two months as cover for Kane Richardson and George Linde, and he gained an immediate opportunity after Richardson withdrew because of an unspecified illness. Another quick bowler, India’s Arshdeep Singh, is also scheduled to play red-ball cricket in June and July.His T20 experience is sound enough: although not capped by Australia, he is a Big Bash winner with Adelaide Strikers and his career-best 4 for 6 came in the notable BBL match in December when Strikers dismissed Sydney Thunder were dismissed for just 15 runs. His 3 for 18 will do for a start.

That Somerset reached 154 was due primarily to Lammonby’s restrained 34 from 31. He fell to his first adventurous moment. The “five overs left” bell rang in his head; he shuffled outside off stump for a pre-meditated scoop and Grant Stewart followed him shrewdly to force a catch at the wicket.An over of strong-arming against Hogan by Roelof van der Merwe helped Somerset to a competitive score, a sequence in which Jordan Cox once again encouraged the belief that he is an T20 outfielder to rival anybody in the world. If the day comes when he takes the gloves, in some ways it will be a bit of a shame. In narrowly failing to pull off a brilliant relay catch with Denly, and again flinging himself to the ground later in the over, he turned a six and a four into a couple of twos. On many a night, those six runs would have been crucial. Not this night.

India to host South Africa for multi-format women's tour in June-July

South Africa will play three ODIs, one Test and three T20Is in Bengaluru and Chennai

Shashank Kishore and Nagraj Gollapudi03-May-2024India is set to host South Africa for a multi-format women’s tour in June-July. ESPNcricinfo has learnt Bengaluru will host the white-ball leg, beginning with three ODIs from June 16, while Chennai will host the one-off Test starting June 28.The three T20Is will be played after the Test, with a view to ensure continuity in formats ahead of the T20 World Cup that is set to be held in Bangladesh in September-October. The ODIs will be played on June 16, 19 and 23, the T20Is on July 5, 7 and 9.The six white-ball games were part of the ICC’s women’s FTP. Both series, along with a visit from New Zealand, were supposed to be played between July and September last year but had to be postponed due to the men’s ODI World Cup and logistics.The one-off Test wasn’t part of the FTP. It was a late addition, as part of CSA and the BCCI’s recent push to promote women’s Tests.This will be the third Test India will play in seven months, having played against England and Australia in December. Those two Tests came on the back of a significant development aimed at taking the “first step towards tackling discrimination” with the BCCI announcing equal match fees for centrally contracted male and female cricketers.Meanwhile, South Africa, who broke their eight-year hiatus from the format when they played in England in June 2022, last played a four-day game in February in Perth, where they lost to Australia by an innings and 284 runs.The tour is also a significant step in the BCCI’s aim to take women’s cricket to newer centres. For the past few years, the BCCI has preferred to host teams across multiple venues in Mumbai citing logistical reasons. They broke away from that norm with the WPL earlier this year, with games held in Bengaluru and Delhi.The three ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, which will give direct qualifications to the top four teams, apart from the hosts, for the 2025 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India. South Africa are currently second on that table.

Marsh and Maxwell star in Australia's consolation win

Australia’s top four all made fifties to lift the team to 352, and despite half-centuries from Kohli and Rohit, India fell well short in the chase

Ashish Pant27-Sep-20231:00

Have Iyer and Suryakumar settled some nerves for India?

Attacking fifties from the top four, backed up by Glenn Maxwell’s frugal four-for on return helped Australia avoid a clean sweep as they got the better of India by 66 runs in the third and final ODI in Rajkot. India still took the series 2-1 having won the opening two games convincingly.Both sides made a host of changes – Australia five and India six – from the second ODI. Batting first on what looked like a placid Rajkot surface, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and David Warner all scored fifties to propel Australia to 352 for 7.Related

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In reply, Rohit Sharma bashed a 57-ball 81 while Virat Kohli scored a more sedate fifty, but the lower middle order failed to get going as India were bowled out for 286 in 49.4 overs.Australia, playing a near full-strength side, took charged up from the get-go. They raced to 90 for 1, with India conceding 11 fours and five sixes in the first ten overs. And it was Jasprit Bumrah they targeted, who had a game of two halves. He conceded 0 for 51 off his first five overs and 3 for 30 off his last five but seemed off the boil with his lengths overall.Marsh creamed the first ball he received from the fast bowler through covers before pummeling him for two fours and six in his second over. Warner took 16 runs off Mohammed Siraj’s second over before thumping Prasidh Krishna was for 19 off his first as Australia galloped to 50 in 6.1 overs.Warner soon notched up a half-century of his own, his third of the series, off 32 balls but failed to carry on. Trying to be a bit too adventurous, Warner pre-meditated a scoop to a Prasidh length ball on the stumps but could only get a bit of a glove and a top edge through to the wicketkeeper.Smith, coming on the back of a duck, was in his elements right away. He started off with a typical across-the-line wristy clip before dishing out a stunning cover drive against Prasidh.David Warner and Mitchell Marsh show some glove-love after giving Australia a rollicking start•BCCI

Spin was introduced in the tenth over but did not make much of a difference with both Marsh and Smith collecting boundaries at regular intervals. Marsh brought up his fifty off 45 balls before the heat started to take its toll even as Australia breached the 150-mark in the 22nd over.Bumrah’s second spell also proved expensive with Marsh laying into him. He hoicked the quick over deep backward square leg before crashing him for three successive fours. Smith and Marsh added 137 off 119 balls for the second wicket and when Australia screamed past 200 in 26.2 overs, 400 was on the cards.But India managed to pull things back well. Marsh, absolutely knackered by the heat, patted a Kuldeep wrong’un to cover to fall for 96. Soon after, Siraj pinned Smith right in front with a length ball that skidded through and missed his attempted flick. Bumrah returned to deceive Alex Carey with a slower offcutter and then rattled Maxwell’s off pole with a pinpoint yorker. And, when Cameron Green holed out to long-on, Australia had lost four wickets for 57 in 11 overs between the 32nd and 43rd.Labuschagne, however, kept his composure to keep Australia going. He smashed 72 off 58 balls with nine fours as Australia crossed 350 in the final over. Despite the tall score, India did manage to pull things back in the last part, conceding 122 runs in the last 20 overs and just 66 off the last ten.Rohit had a new opening partner in Washington Sundar and India’s chase got off to a flying start largely due to Rohit. The duo added 74 for the opening wicket in 65 balls, with Rohit’s contribution being 55 off 35.The pull worked the magic for the India captain on the day with the shot earning him 35 runs off just ten balls. Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were all dispatched to various locations over the on-side boundaries while the extra cover fence was also peppered more than once.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli added 70 for the second wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Rohit raced to his fifty off 31 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes. Ironically, it was a mistimed pull that got him to the landmark. Green purchased some extra bounce outside off with Rohit managing a top edge on a pull that ballooned straight up. But Starc running back from short third, failed to latch on to a tough catch.Washington was dismissed for a 30-ball 18 with Labuschagne taking a wonderful catch at wide long-off. Kohli then joined forces with Rohit and the duo added 70 off 61 balls to keep the chase on track.A stunning piece of reflex catch, however, sent Rohit back and Australia applied the choke thereafter. Rohit absolutely slapped a quickish length ball by backing away towards the bowler, who tried to take evasive action but also held out his right hand with the ball sticking.Post Rohit’s dismissal in the 21st over, Australia conceded just two fours and a six in the next ten overs. Kohli reached his 65th half-century in the format, but became Maxwell’s third victim when he top-edged a short-of-a-length ball to Smith at midwicket.Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul failed to find the boundaries as the required rate continued to creep up. Rahul was sent back by Starc while Suryakumar Yadav failed to repeat his second ODI heroics. And when Iyer was castled by Maxwell, the end was nigh.Ravindra Jadeja managed to get some batting practice enroute a 36-ball 35 before Green ended proceedings by taking out Siraj off the penultimate ball of the game. For Australia, each of the six bowlers picked up a wicket.

Gareth Delany, Aaron Lilley secure Leicestershire the spoils in basement battle

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.

James Bracey holds firm to steer Gloucestershire to victory

Glamorgan unable to capitalise on dominant opening stand between Lloyd and Northeast

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2022 Gloucestershire 159 for 5 (Bracey 63) beat Glamorgan 158 for 8 (Lloyd 68) by five wicketsGloucestershire claimed the third win of their Vitality Blast campaign with a five-wicket victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff thanks to an impressive performance with both bat and ball.Glamorgan got off to a strong start in their batting innings with an opening stand between David Lloyd and Sam Northeast taking them to 90 without loss. From there Gloucestershire came back into the game as Glamorgan made 69 for eight from the last 10 overs of their innings to set a target of 159 to win.James Bracey batted brilliantly to make 63 from 49 balls with support from Glenn Phillips and Miles Hammond to break the back of the chase.Gloucestershire looked to be cruising to the win before three wickets in the space of six balls meant they limped over the line in the end.Having been put into bat the partnership between Lloyd and Northeast put the home side in control of the early stages of the match. Lloyd was the main threat, making 68 from 43 balls, his best score in T20 cricket since 2016.It was the wily Benny Howell who made the breakthrough for Gloucestershire, claiming the wickets of both openers in the space of 15 runs. Those wickets were the first of the eight to fall in the second half of the Glamorgan innings as the visitors wrestled their way back into the game. Howell’s variations and Tom Smith’s left-arm spin choked the Glamorgan middle order as wickets fell with regularity.Once the openers were gone no Glamorgan batter passed 20 with the next highest partnership being just 17 runs. Having been expensive in his first two overs David Payne came back well in the death overs, claiming the wickets of James Weighell and the dangerous Dan Douthwaite.Gloucestershire got off to a similarly impressive start to their innings, reaching 54 without loss at the end of the Powerplay. The introduction of Douthwaite for the seventh over than brought the first wicket with Miles Hammond getting caught on the boundary by Eddie Byrom.A partnership between Bracey and Phillips continued Gloucestershire’s progress towards victory with Bracey reaching fifty off 40 balls. Phillips was happy to play the supporting role while he got himself set but he to started to find the boundary with relative ease before he was well caught at long on by Michael Hogan off the bowling of Douthwaite.With Michael Neser missing due to a positive Covid test, the Glamorgan attack lacked penetration with a damp ball as a result of two brief rain delays not helping them regain control of the Gloucestershire innings. The cluster of wickets right at the death gave Glamorgan some hope but with just eight runs needed from 14 balls Gloucestershire wrapped up with in in the 19th over of their chase.

Cheteshwar Pujara back in India squad for Edgbaston Test

Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2022Cheteshwar Pujara, who had been recently dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka, has returned to the squad for the rescheduled fifth Test against England, which will be played in Edgbaston from July 1-5.Ravindra Jadeja, whose IPL season ended abruptly with a rib injury, is also part of the 17-man touring party.Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who were all rested for the home T20I series against South Africa next month, will be in Test action in Birmingham.Related

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However, Ajinkya Rahane will be out of action after sustaining a hamstring injury during his spell with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Along with Pujara, Rahane was also previously dropped for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.From the squad that took on Sri Lanka in the Test series, openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal were left out. Agarwal could instead turn out for his state Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy knockouts, which start from June 6 in Bengaluru.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pujara has worked his way back into the side after piling up 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex – including four centuries – at a stunning average of 120. Only Durham’s Sean Dickson and Derbyshire’s Shan Masood have scored more runs than Pujara in the County Championship Division Two, with both batters having played an extra game.Pujara’s 203 at Hove in April came against a Durham attack that included seamer Matthew Potts who was recently called up to England’s Test squad for their home series against New Zealand.Pujara was also among the runs in the Ranji Trophy, scoring two half-centuries in five innings for Saurashtra.Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, who is uncapped in Test cricket, are part of the seam attack that will be led by Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. At 6′ 2″, Krishna was originally picked as a reserve bowler for the England Test series last year. He has since made rapid strides across formats.Krishna was the highest wicket-taker for Karnataka in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, collecting 15 wickets in two games at an excellent average of 11.60, and then impressed with his hit-the-deck bustle for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL.Jadeja aside, R Ashwin was the only frontline spin option in the squad. Andhra’s KS Bharat was picked as the second wicketkeeper behind Rishabh Pant.India’s Test specialists are likely to leave for England on June 15. The Birmingham Test was pushed back following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp last year. India, who currently lead the series 2-1, will look to seal their first Test series win in the country since 2007.Head coach Rahul Dravid is set to join the tour party after the conclusion of India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa on June 19 in Bengaluru. There will be a clash of dates between India’s T20 warm-up games in England – against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire – and the Edgbaston Test, so there is a possibility of VVS Laxman filling in for Dravid during those T20s.

Samit Patel blows, Wahab Riaz four-for guide Rockets to top spot

Welsh Fire beaten for third game running after losing key moments against experienced visitors

ECB Reporters' Network06-Aug-2021A quickfire 46 from Samit Patel and a superb spell of death bowling from Wahab Riaz took Trent Rockets to the top of the Hundred table as they brushed aside the Welsh Fire in Cardiff.Fire had looked set for a very big total after a 72-run stand between Glenn Phillips and Leus du Plooy, but Wahab brought Rockets back into the game at the death.The early dismissal of D’Arcy Short and a cluster of wickets in the middle of Rockets’ innings had given the Fire hope of defending the 140-run target but Patel’s intelligent innings took the Rockets to a straightforward win. Victory takes Rockets to eight points, two points clear of the chasing pack with three group matches still to play.Fire lost two early wickets with Tom Banton and Ian Cockbain both falling inside the Powerplay. Phillips and Ben Duckett looked to rebuild after the loss of both openers, taking the fire to 53 before Duckett was the third wicket to fall when he skied a catch off Steven Mullaney to Riaz.That brought together du Plooy and Phillips who put on the biggest stand of the match. Phillips brought up his first half-century of the competition from just 34 balls. Unfortunately for the home team he could not go on from there, falling to the very next ball.With Phillips and du Plooy well set Fire were eyeing up a total 150 or more. That became 139 for 8 at the end of their 100 balls thanks to a superb final 10 from Wahab Riaz in which he conceded just 11 runs and claimed three wickets.Rockets looked to build a solid platform at the start of their innings, reaching 31 for 1 at the end of their Powerplay. Qais Ahmad removed Dawid Malan and Alex Hales while Mullaney fell to David Payne, giving Fire a chance of defending the total. But Patel and Lewis Gregory put on an undefeated stand of 69 from just 33 balls to take their side to victory.Gregory was bowed by Payne with 25 still needed but a no-ball was picked up by the third umpire and the Rockets pair quickly finished the job in Matt Milnes’ next set.Patel’s innings included five sixes, including a big shot over the bowler’s head to win the game. Rockets won by six wickets with 10 balls to spare and they are very well placed to claim one of the three spots in the latter stages of the tournament.