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ESPNcricinfo previews the Group A match between England and Sri Lanka at The Oval

The Preview by Alex Winter12-Jun-2013Match FactsJune 13, 2013, The Oval
Start time 1pm (1200 GMT)Ravi Bopara has put in two usual performances since returning to the England ODI side•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureEngland were too rigid, too slow and too one-dimensional at Edgbaston – probably why they thumped Australia by 48 runs. The familiar concerns over England’s shortcomings were rolled out at lunch on Saturday, only to be wheeled away at the close. England have a knack for getting it right on the night, particularly in ODIs at home, and should they get the job done against Sri Lanka, they will be in the semi-finals.The scaremongering will emerge again over England’s batting – how will they survive Lasith Malinga’s toe-crushers? How will they find a way to score from Rangana Herath, who put England in a spin last March? They’ve never seen Sachithra Senanayake before. Their blasters with the bat are no good against slow bowling. You can see it is quite easy to descend into debilitating nervousness about the England line up.But England have their plans, England know their game and, more often than not, have been able to put in a performance with the bat. Anyone who left for the bar at Edgbaston after 40 overs of the first innings on Saturday would have been after a stiff measure to numb the pain of the previous 20 overs. By the interval, a response to England’s total of 269 would have included pleasant surprise and bewilderment at how they got there after their middle order was so quickly shot down.England found a way. Ravi Bopara played a great hand and his performances at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston were just what he was picked for: a handy few late-order runs and a tricky spell of slippery overs. Bopara balances England quite nicely and looking at the wickets from the opening Champions Trophy matches, pace off the ball is a good weapon.Sri Lanka needed more of it against New Zealand. Angelo Mathews admitted his selection was wrong in Cardiff. A second spinner would have forced New Zealand into doing more than drop-and-run and use the pace of the quicker men to nudge their way to the target. More of a threat then Tillakaratne Dilshan was needed. It was a bizarre oversight; especially considering New Zealand played two spinners.They were left relying on Malinga and even his best ideally needs more than 139 to work with. Sri Lanka’s dealing with the new balls – which haven’t done as much as might have been expected – and more pertinently, reverse swing, could decide the match.Form guide (Completed, competitive matches only, most recent first)
England WWLLW
Sri Lanka LLWLWWatch out forEoin Morgan hasn’t been firing on all cylinders since returning from the IPL but there have been some positive signs, the brightest of those his 49 in 40 balls at Trent Bridge. England’s tactics with the bat heavily rely on late-innings hitting and Morgan, along with Jos Buttler, is responsible for extricating England from their foundation-laying and is essential if they are to post a large total.Surrounded by flashy players, a more considered approach will be needed to overcome England’s bowling attack. Enter Mahela Jayawardene, very experienced and successful in England with three centuries and an average of 42.00 in 24 ODIs. His form has not been flash of late, but he has the ability to counter the reverse-swing that Sri Lanka will have to master later in the innings.Team newsEngland have Graeme Swann fit and available again after the back spasm that kept him out at Edgbaston. But James Tredwell never lets his country down which creates an interesting situation. Tim Bresnan’s wife is more than a week overdue with the couple’s first baby; the potential remains for Bresnan to be whisked up the M1.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonSri Lanka appear unlikely to play two spinners but could recall Nuwan Kulasekara in place of Shaminda Eranga who, in the circumstances, proved expensive in Cardiff. Senanayake may also replace Rangana Herath.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Lahiru Thirimanne, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Lasith MalingaPitch and conditionsThere will be a new wicket at The Oval which will suit England if it returns to the pace and bounce on show for the Pakistan-West Indies game. After a couple of rainy days, the weather forecast is also set fair.Stats and trivia England just edge the head-to-head record from the 20 ODIs played against Sri Lanka at home. England have won 11 and lost 9. The sides have met three times at The Oval, England winning twice – in 1988 and 2011 – and losing in 2006 England have won both previous Champions Trophy ties against Sri Lanka, both by comfortable margins. A six-wicket win at Johannesburg in 2009 followed a 49-run win at the Rose Bowl in 2004.Quotes”The first two games against New Zealand seem to be out of the way. We seem to have recovered a bit of form and confidence now.”

Fifties from captain Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar helped Pakistan Women to a 157-run victory over Ireland Women in Dublin

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFifties from captain Bismah Maroof and Nida Dar helped Pakistan Women to a 157-run victory over Ireland Women in Dublin. After electing to bat, Pakistan’s openers laid a solid platform with a 47-run stand. However, three wickets fell in the space of 22 runs to push Pakistan on the back foot, with opening fast bowler Amy Kenealy picking up two of the three scalps. Maroof and Dar then combined to put on a 181-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which put Pakistan in control. Despite a few more wickets falling towards the end, Pakistan were able to reach a healthy 280 for 7, with Kenealy and Kim Garth each picking up three wickets.Ireland’s chase started inauspiciously, with Javeria Rauf snaring Clare Shillington for 6. Despite some small partnerships, none of the Ireland batsmen were able to put up an imposing score, and they crumbled through the middle overs thanks to a disciplined bowling effort from Pakistan. Only two batsmen, twins Isobel and Cecelia Joyce, were able to pass 20. Sadia Yousuf’s three wickets towards the end only hastened the inevitable as Ireland collapsed to 123.The second and last ODI of the series will be played on Friday. Pakistan had won the one-off Twenty20 earlier this week.

Pakistan Under-19 defeated England Under-19 by 180 runs in Leicester

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013
ScorecardA dominating batting display from Pakistan Under-19, capped off by an unbeaten century from Kamran Ghulam, helped them thump England Under-19 by 180 runs in Leicester and register their fourth straight win in the tournament. Sami Aslam and Hasan Raza scored half-centuries to take Pakistan to 369 for 7 after 50 overs.England, who have won only one of their four matches, were never really in the chase, and a 46-ball 65 from Ryan Higgins did little to change their fortunes, as the hosts fell well short of the target in the end.Pakistan, who have already qualified for the final on August 19, were in firm control throughout the match and got off to a bright start after electing to bat. Aslam put up a 57-run first-wicket stand with Hussain Talat, before adding another 52 with Rafay Ahmed. Aslam eventually departed for 57 after striking nine fours, but Raza kept the runs flowing with a 69-ball 71 that included nine fours and a six.Saud Shakeel played the ideal foil to Raza, as the pair added 77 for the fourth wicket, to leave Pakistan poised for a big score at 213 for 4 at the 35-over mark. Medium-pacer Will Rhodes struck in quick intervals to dismiss the pair, but Ghulam, coming in at No.6, smashed nine fours and seven sixes as he posted a 56-ball 102 to prop up Pakistan to an ultimately unassailable total. England didn’t help their cause by giving away 27 extras, including 10 no-balls.Faced with a tall chase, England lost wickets at regular intervals and apart from Higgins and Rhodes, none of the other batsmen could make more than 21, as the hosts were bowled out for 189 in 35 overs. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar was the pick of the bowlers and finished with 3 for 44 in his 10 overs.England will next take on Bangladesh in Worcester on Thursday.

Pakistan cricketers are welcome to play in the 2013-14 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, but have to provide no-objection certificates (NOC) from the PCB

Mohammad Isam09-Sep-2013Pakistan cricketers are welcome to play in the 2012-13 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, but have to provide no-objection certificates (NOC) from the PCB, said a BCB official on Monday. On the eve of the tournament, this was one of two major concerns as the organisers, Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), also kept an eye on the weather.”We do not have any embargoes on players from any country,” CCDM chairman Jalal Yunus said. “We have repeatedly said that a player has to get the NOC from his cricket board. The process is for our clubs to contact the player, who will get the clearance from his board and if needed, we will help him with the visa with a letter.”From what we have heard from the media, they (PCB) want us to write to them. We haven’t done that with any cricket board. We have followed the usual practice with Sri Lanka Cricket, who have provided NOCs to their players for this league. We will continue to follow the usual practice.”The clubs have sourced players from Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but have so far failed to sign those from Pakistan and India.Apart from player recruitment, the CCDM is also worried about the weather as it has been raining in most parts of Bangladesh. Bogra, Rajshahi and parts of Dhaka district are the main venues in the first two rounds of matches, and all three areas have experienced lots of rain in the past week. Rain was expected in September, and the CCDM has kept a reserve day following each day’s play.Defending champions Victoria Sporting Club will play their opening match against Kala Bagan Cricket Academy without any foreign players, rare for a Dhaka club. They will rely heavily on Bangladesh players Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque, Robiul Islam and fringe players like Soumya Sarkar, Monir Hossain, Mohammad Sharif and Shaker Ahmed.Last season, Victoria enjoyed an exorbitant budget through the businessman Lutfar Rahman who has now moved on to become the chairman of Gazi Tank. Apart from Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, their Pakistan recruits Kamran Sajid and Ahmed Shehzad contributed heavily. Shoaib Malik too played three matches while the left-arm spinner from India, Iqbal Abdulla, was effective in his four matches.This year will be different for the four-time champions who admitted that they had to spend cautiously. Gazi Tank have confirmed the services of the former New Zealand allrounder Scott Styris and the Sri Lankan Kaushalya Weeraratne, and boast local stars like Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hossain and Aftab Ahmed.But history will favour Abahani, who have won the tournament a record 17 times. Their stronghold began in the inaugural season in 1974-75 when they defeated little-known Shantinagar to win the title. They have also claimed three hat-tricks (1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87; 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95; 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09). They last won the DPL in the 2010-11 season.This season the Dhanmondi-based club have focused on youth, much to the frustration of their fans. Liton Kumar Das, Alauddin Babu and Taposh Ghosh, three uncapped but promising players were their first picks in the player-by-choice programme last month. They have only picked Shahriar Nafees and Nazimuddin as experienced players, while also bringing in Tharanga Paranavitana, Janaka Gunaratne and the 40-year-old Indika de Saram from Sri Lanka, seemingly to offset the heavy presence of youngsters in the side.

India’s Supreme Court deferred its decision on a plea against BCCI president N Srinivasan on Monday and said that it will decide on Srinivasan’s position in the board on October 7

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2013India’s Supreme Court has deferred till October 7 its decision on a petition against BCCI president N Srinivasan that sought to restrain him from taking charge of BCCI.In arguments on Monday, the BCCI contended that Srinivasan should be allowed to discharge all duties except for IPL affairs, to which Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) counsel Harish Salve objected. The IPL, he argued, cannot be differentiated from the BCCI. The court then asked both parties to come up with a common solution to conduct the investigation into the IPL teams and owners’ alleged involvement into the IPL corruption scandal.”We will welcome an independent probe commission appointed by the Supreme Court but if the BCCI tries to distance itself from the IPL, then it will be difficult to form consensus about the structure of the commission,” the petitioner Aditya Verma, the CAB secretary, said.PTI reported that the BCCI’s counsel suggested that the probe committee to investigate the IPL corruption scandal could be headed either by the former BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley or by lawyer Vinay Dutta. Salve didn’t agree with the suggestion, but said he would consider it.”Let us apply our mind as to how the probe has to be done because there has been a rot and we have to see whether the rot is limited to IPL or how long the rot runs deep and has any bearing on BCCI,” Salve said. The court also asked Srinivasan not to be in a “hurry” and allow the CAB to mull over his suggestion for the constitution of the panel.Last week, the CAB filed a plea asking the Supreme Court to restrain Srinivasan from contesting the BCCI elections. On September 27, a court ruling permitted Srinivasan to attend the board’s annual general meeting and contest for the president’s post, which he won unopposed on Sunday. However, the ruling said that if elected, Srinivasan could not take charge of the board pending the Court announced its verdict on a special leave petition filed by Cricket Association Bihar – against an earlier order of the Bombay High Court – related to the constitution of BCCI’s independent IPL probe committee.The matter dates back to a plea that the Cricket Association of Bihar filed in June, raising charges of conflict of interest in the formation of the two-member inquiry panel set up to inquire allegations of corruption in the IPL. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.

Due to heavy rains, the Odisha Cricket Association has notified BCCI officials that they will not be able to host the three-day tour match between West Indies and Uttar Pradesh on October 31

Amol Karhadkar25-Oct-2013Incessant rains are likely to deal a double-blow to cricket fans in Cuttack: the fifth ODI between India and Australia is set to be washed out, and now the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) is likely to lose out on hosting West Indies’ three-day tour game, starting from October 31.It is understood that OCA secretary Asirbad Behera and president Ranjib Biswal have already communicated their association’s inability to host West Indies’ match against Uttar Pradesh to the BCCI officials, ahead of the two-Test series beginning in Kolkata on November 6. While accepting the OCA’s request since “the outfield won’t be ready in time for the game”, the BCCI has zeroed in on Mumbai as the venue for the warm-up tie.Though the Mumbai Cricket Association hasn’t been formally informed about the change in venue, the decision will be finalised during the BCCI working committee meeting in Chennai on Saturday. Both the MCA vice-presidents Ravi Savant and Vijay Patil will attend the working committee meet, with Savant showing up as the BCCI vice-president, while Patil as the MCA representative.Despite the Wankhede Stadium being unable to stage the game less than two weeks prior to the start of the Test match, three more venues in Mumbai can stage the warm-up match. It would be interesting to see if the match is allotted to Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium or the Dr DY Patil Sports Stadium on the outskirts of the city, with MCA’s facility at Bandra-Kurla Complex also being in contention. CCI was promised an allotment of matches by BCCI president N Srinivasan during the AGM in September, while Patil, the architect of DY Patil stadium, has been pushing for hosting more games in Navi Mumbai.

Darren Lehmann has rejected suggestions of talks with England to set boundaries for acceptable sledging during the Ashes series

Daniel Brettig26-Nov-2013Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has rejected suggestions of talks with England to set boundaries for acceptable sledging during the Ashes series. His comments arrived the day after his counterpart Andy Flower said he would seriously consider a meeting in the aftermath of a heated Brisbane Test and Jonathan Trott’s withdrawal from the tour.While insisting it had nothing to do with Trott’s departure due to a stress-related illness, England were unhappy about Australian batsman David Warner’s public description of Trott’s dismissals as “pretty weak”.Flower stressed the importance of “playing the game of cricket on the pitch” at the same time he expressed hope that Trott’s exit would not become grist for the Ashes banter mill that chugged away incessantly at the Gabba.”I’ll have a think about it,” Flower said at the press conference where Trott’s departure was announced when asked if talks with Lehmann were necessary. “I think both sides must concentrate on playing the game of cricket on the pitch. In a competitive way but finding the right balance.”I don’t think Trott should be raised on the pitch. We’re there to play cricket. A balance has got to be found on the pitch between competitiveness and not overstepping the line.”But Lehmann was not prepared to entertain thoughts of a meeting, saying that while he wished Trott well in his recovery, Flower’s team had offered plenty to say to his players in Brisbane and also during the earlier Ashes encounter in England. Australia’s players feel their aggressive attitude in the first Test had contributed to their victory and Lehmann seemed in no mood to dilute it.”From my point of view, Andy looks after his side and I look after my side, that’s what you do in the game of cricket. I played cricket with Andy at South Australia, I talk to him all the time, but at the end of the day, he’s in control of the England cricket team and we’ve got to try and get the Ashes back,” Lehmann said on the Adelaide radio station 5AA. “Trott has gone home and we hope he gets well soon. We do care about that but we’re still going to play really hard cricket.”Warner avoided a sanction by both the ICC and Cricket Australia for his comments but has been counselled about his words by Lehmann and team management. He withdrew from a scheduled radio commitment in Sydney on Tuesday and his media appearances are expected to be minimal for the rest of the series.The tourists were far less perturbed about Michael Clarke’s threatening on-field words to conclude a confrontation between James Anderson and George Bailey in the final minutes of the first Test, even though their inadvertent broadcast by Channel Nine drew an ICC fine for Australia’s captain.”I was happy that ‘Bails’ gave him a bit back, that’s part and parcel of the game. They’re all grown men out there, they will work it out,” Lehmann said. “I just know we copped a lot in England and we didn’t shy away from that. That’s what happens when you go away, so I don’t see what the difference is from England to here. We’re on the other end of it, that’s just the way it goes. Both teams play hard and as long as it stays on the field I’m happy with that.”James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, has meanwhile offered his own message of support to Trott. “All the staff, management and players at Cricket Australia wish Jonathan Trott well,” he said. “We hope to see him fit and healthy and back on the cricket field soon.”

Michael Clarke has been named Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year, two of the most prestigious awards annually announced by the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2013The winners

Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) – Michael Clarke (Australia)

Test Cricketer of the Year – Michael Clarke (Australia)

Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Cheteshwar Pujara (India)

Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year – Kevin O’Brien (Ireland)

Twenty20 International Performance of the Year – Umar Gul (Pakistan)

T20I Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Sarah Taylor (England)

Spirit of Cricket Award – Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Umpire of the Year (winning the David Shepherd Trophy) – Richard Kettleborough

Michael Clarke has been named Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year, two of the most prestigious awards annually announced by the ICC. Clarke’s wins come despite Australia having a wretched time during a 12-month spell till August, the period over which performances are considered for the awards.The honours were announced on the first day of Clarke’s 100th Test, against England in Perth.They come largely on the basis of his prolific run in Tests, amassing 1559 runs in the voting period, more than 300 better than the next highest, Alastair Cook. His five Test centuries included two double-hundreds and a 187 against England. Over the past year, Australia lost several senior players to retirement, and Clarke needed to guide an inexperienced side besides battling chronic back trouble.Hashim Amla and James Anderson had been in the running for both prizes. The only other man to be nominated for two main awards and lose was MS Dhoni, who was in the race for Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year.Previous winners of the Cricketer of the Year award include Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff and Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting (2006 and 2007), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Mitchell Johnson (2009), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Jonathan Trott (2011) and Kumar Sangakkara (2011).This year, Sangakkara was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year – the one major award that he missed out in 2012. He was the leading run-getter in the format, with 956 runs at 63.73 including a career-best 169 against South Africa.India’s Cheteshwar Pujara took the Emerging Cricketer prize. He has only played two ODIs, but he was among five batsmen to score over 1000 Test runs during the voting period, averaging 82.53 with four hundreds in 10 Tests. Though Pujara made his debut back in 2010, he was eligible for the Emerging Player award as he had played less than five Tests at the start of the voting period, and is less than 26 years old.Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien won the Associate and Affiliate award, recognised for his all-round performances in helping Ireland qualify for the 2015 World Cup.The Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year was New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who topped the charts with 681 runs at 75.66 with two hundreds and five half-centuries in 11 innings. She was also the top run-getter in the women’s World Cup in Mumbai early this year. England’s Sarah Taylor took home the T20 award.The other T20 prize went to Pakistan’s Umar Gul, for his spell of 5 for 6 against South Africa in Centurion.The Umpire of the Year award went to England’s Richard Kettleborough, just two years after being promoted to the Elite Panel, and four years after his international debut.Mahela Jayawardene won the Spirit of Cricket award for walking after being caught behind on 91 at a crucial juncture of the Galle Test against New Zealand.

Australia Women were left 61 runs short of their 185-run target as England Women took the five wickets they required for victory for the addition of just 24 runs, thereby sealing only their fifth Test win in Australia

Raf Nicholson at the WACA13-Jan-2014
ScorecardKatherine Brunt took two second-innings wickets•Getty ImagesAustralia Women were left 61 runs short of their 185-run target as England Women took the five wickets they required for victory for the addition of just 24 runs, thereby sealing only their fifth Test win in Australia.Anya Shrubsole, strangely not brought into the attack until the eighth over of the morning, struck in only her second over to remove the key wicket of Ellyse Perry, caught at square leg for 31 hitting out at a ball she could so easily have left. Perry had hung around for 54 balls, but without her at the crease, victory for the hosts looked increasingly unlikely.Shrubsole, following her successful performance in the first innings, was once again the most dangerous England bowler today, as she bowled in tandem with Jenny Gunn on a pitch with inch-wide cracks and the two routed Australia’s tail. Shrubsole followed up the wicket of Perry in her very next over, removing Erin Osborne for a four-ball duck after she chipped one straight to Danielle Wyatt (substituting for the injured Arran Brindle) at extra-cover. Gunn, brought into the attack to stem the flow of runs after a wayward few overs from Katherine Brunt and Kathryn Cross, was the next to strike, trapping Sarah Coyte lbw for 7. Australia were left at 106 for 8, on the verge of defeat.Three overs later, Shrubsole struck again, removing Rene Farrell for a five-ball duck, with a fuller ball that went straight through and bowled her. That left Australia with the inexperienced Holly Ferling at the crease and Sarah Elliott attempting to retain the strike. The England fielders successfully put Elliott under pressure throughout her innings; she had a lucky escape on 17, just making her ground running to the striker’s end after a direct hit from Wyatt.Soon after, Brunt was brought back on to bowl and in her second over finished the job for England, bowling Elliott off an inside edge to the leg stump. Elliott was out for 29 and Australia were bundled out for 123.Resuming this morning on 57 for 5, the day had started well for the Australians, as Brunt and Cross, opening the bowling, struggled to find the right length. Brunt’s first over went for 11, including two fuller balls which were driven to the boundary by Perry. She was lucky, in fact, not to be called up for another waist-high full toss, and was removed from the attack after just one over. With the first three overs going for 24 runs, it was an ominous start for England, until Shrubsole put England into a winning position.Thanks to the new format, the Ashes are not in England’s hands just yet, with three ODIs and three T20s still to play. All the same, England are now 6-0 up on points, and it will take a monumental effort from Australia if they are to come back and win this series.

Wellington opened a four-point lead at the top of the table after beating Northern Districts by 21 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2014
ScorecardWellington opened a four-point lead at the top of the table after beating Northern Districts by 21 runs.Wellington made the most of some poor fielding by Northern Districts to post a score of 145 for 6 after most of their top order had fallen cheaply. Trent Boult, Scott Kuggeleijn and Jono Boult struck early on to leave Wellington reeling at 36 for 3 in the sixth over. A 90-run fourth-wicket partnership between Stephen Murdoch and James Franklin rescued Wellington. Murdoch had three dropped chances and made the most of them to score a 46-ball 57 with five fours and a six. Franklin also struck three sixes in his knock of 46 from 35 balls.Northern Districts found themselves in a position similar to Wellington’s early in their innings and were struggling at 39 for 4 in the seventh over. A 54-run stand between Scott Styris and Daryl Mitchell helped Northern Districts recover slightly, but after Styris was out for 29, the side lost their next four wickets for seven runs within two overs. Pacer Graham Napier took 3 for 18 in his four overs, while Brent Arnel chipped in with two wickets.