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The BCCI has invited Cricket South Africa president, Chris Nenzani, for discussions on the proposed bilateral series, whose details are yet to be agreed upon and finalised

Amol Karhadkar08-Oct-2013The BCCI has invited Cricket South Africa president, Chris Nenzani, for discussions on the proposed bilateral series, whose details are yet to be agreed upon and finalised.”I have formally invited Mr Nenzani to come down to India and discuss the nitty-gritty of the series,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said. “The date and venue will be finalised once all formalities are completed.”Patel, however, made it clear that the BCCI had not invited CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat, whose appointment is believed to have led to the breakdown of relations between the two boards. Lorgat and Patel had met on the sidelines of the ICC chief executives’ committee meeting in Dubai last month, but had failed to reach a consensus over itinerary.Though an agreement has been elusive so far, Patel was confident the tour would take place. “We are very positive about the tour and don’t see any reason to take the extreme step.”He elaborated on what the BCCI’s grouse with the schedule announced by CSA was. “All that we are aggrieved about is the fact that we were taken for granted and the itinerary was announced unilaterally. Besides, our priority is the Board’s and our players’ interests. My boys are not machines, they need a break. Who are you (CSA) to tell them they should be on the road for more than three-four months?”

Chris Read’s battling knock hauled Notts over 200 on the second day at The Oval

Jarrod Kimber at The Oval05-Sep-2012
ScorecardChris Read almost single-handedly kept Notts in the match•PA Photos

Chris Read’s an eager well-meaning pixie from a fairytale. He always looks like he cares. In an office, he’d be the guy that said, “That’s funny, but we’ve got a lot of work to do”. If he dated your sister, you’d think he was a nice guy, but until he came over to re-grout your bathroom, you’d never truly value him. He probably does his own taxes, and tips his paperboy. He’s that guy.At The Oval on day one, Read was solid with the gloves, kept the spirits of his bowlers up, made sure runs never flowed and kept Surrey to a score that was easily reachable. On day two, he did everything he could with the bat to keep his side in the match. It wasn’t really about runs, the Notts batsmen all scored at a quicker rate than Surrey had, it’s just that none of them stayed in.Read did. He was a one man Gary Wilson and Zander de Bruyn partnership.This pitch, still sludge-like in nature and with occasional low bounce, is not hard to bat on when the afternoon sun hits it with the old ball being used. Yet only Read, and briefly youngster Sam Wood, looked like they wanted to handle it.Throughout this match Read has played like a captain who refuses to believe they can’t win the Championship. A belief he has had that doesn’t seem as evident on some of the other Notts player’s faces. It’s probably not surprising that Sam Wood, playing in his first full County game, was the other player. Wood was brought as another bowling option on the spin friendly Oval wicket but instead continued his good form that smashed a hundred for the England Under 19 side. At only 19, and with skills with bat and ball, Wood is a very impressive prospect.On the other side, Surrey have looked a bit more desperate, as you would be if you’re that close to County Cricket’s Tatooine, division two. Stuart Meaker was fast, really fast. His ball to Adam Voges would have electrified a crowd at an international match. Voges was beaten by pace, swing and skill. Meaker was putting on a clinic for a while, swinging the ball both ways at pace, but as the new ball faded so did he. At the other end Tim Linley is hardly going to produce the same excitement, but he ended with 5 for 62 through patience, skill and subtle variation. They were the honest, humble and hardworking wickets of a consistent county seamer. They’ll be forgotten by anyone who saw Meaker’s wicket of Voges.Kartik was the pick of the bowlers. Using a new technique, for him, of attacking primarily at the striker’s end, he flighted the ball beautifully, mixed up his pace like a master, spun the ball hard and even occasionally got some brutal bounce. It seemed for most of the afternoon the only way to score off him was accidentally. None of his wickets came from unplayable deliveries; they came from the cloud of doom he floated above the batsman’s eyes. Kartik’s miserly bowling allowed Surrey to just keep chipping away at the largely lifeless Notts line up who ended up on 227, 42 behind Surrey.Even though they faltered with the bat, it was perhaps with the ball in the morning that Notts looked their most anodyne. They allowed the newly capped Meaker and tailender Linley to score another batting point and add 38 runs – the third biggest partnership of the match. It was only ended when a Harry Gurney delivery kept a bit low. Read was trying to fire up his troops, but it was clear all day they weren’t quite right.After trudging off with his fighting 85 not out, Read was given a respectful clap by the Oval faithful. Read rarely entertained, except in the last over, but it was definitely a strong show of character. If you walked into the Oval today, not knowing the back-story of these two teams, it is Surrey you’d think were the team that got close to the title, and Notts the team that would be getting relegated if not for the strong mindedness and guts of their captain.Surrey are leading this match, Chris Read is leading Nottinghamshire.

Derbyshire’s seam attack blew away Gloucestershire’s batting on a windy day at
Derby to put the home side in a strong position in the County Championship
Division Two match at the County Ground

11-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Derbyshire’s seam attack blew away Gloucestershire’s batting on a windy day at
Derby to put the home side in a strong position in the County Championship
Division Two match at the County Ground.They bowled the visitors out for 220 and forced them to follow-on after
all-rounder Will Gidman had taken a career-best six wickets for 92 runs in
Derbyshire’s first innings 413.Derbyshire lost their last six wickets for 84 but Gloucestershire were soon in
trouble and only a last wicket stand of 68 between Richard Coughtrie and David
Payne took them past 200. Jon Clare took three for 19 and Tim Groenewald, Tony Palladino and Mark Turner each bagged two wickets to earn a first innings lead of 193.Luke Sutton put Gloucestershire back in and Clare struck a big blow by having
Hamish Marshall caught behind for three just before the close with the visitors
seven for one, still 186 behind. After the bat had dominated on the first day, Jon Lewis struck with the fourth ball of the morning when Wes Durston got an inside edge onto his stumps without
adding to his 151.Clare hit seven fours in his 34 which came off 23 balls and Turner played some
impressive drives to secure maximum batting points before Gidman completed his
first six-wicket haul. There had been some movement and bounce for the pace bowlers and Derbyshire soon made inroads with Marshall falling for a duck on the stroke of lunch when
he played across the line at Groenewald.Chris Dent drove loosely to be caught behind, Chris Taylor was trapped on the
crease by Turner and when Alex Gidman was lbw to Clare for 20, Gloucestershire
were on the slide at 67 for 4. His younger brother had scored 89 against Derbyshire at Bristol in April but this time he managed only eight before he skied a wild hook to midwicket and
Kane Williamson also fell to a rash stroke after batting 117 minutes for 15.Lewis cut Turner for six but when he was lbw for 23, Gloucestershire were 125
for eight and in danger of being routed – but the last two wickets added 95.Coughtrie showed the application the earlier batting had lacked to score an
unbeaten 54 and Payne showed he is one of the better number 11s by stroking
eight fours in his 38 before he was stumped coming down the pitch to Greg
Smith’s off-spin.It was no surprise when Sutton invited Gloucestershire to bat again and he was
rewarded when Marshall went for the second time in the day to leave Derbyshire
scenting a three-day victory.

Kent captain Rob Key praised the character of Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara after the under fire wrist-spinner bagged season’s best figures of four for 42 to help skittle Hampshire for 204

07-Sep-2010
ScorecardKent captain Rob Key praised the character of Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara after the under fire wrist-spinner bagged season’s best figures of four for 42 to help skittle Hampshire for 204. In a must win game for both these relegation threatened sides, Kent lost opening batsman Sam Northeast for a third ball duck in reply but will go into day two on 15 for 1, trailing by 189.Bravely batting first despite heavy overnight rain in Canterbury and early morning cloud cover, Hampshire’s top-order found the going tough despite the weakened Kent attack. Without seven potential new ball bowlers through injury or departure, Key was forced to turn to military-medium seamer Darren Stevens and rookie paceman Matt Coles to open his attack.The pair, and Stevens in particular, performed wonders in restricting the visitors to barely two runs an over in the opening session. Stevens send down 15 overs unchanged from the Nackington Road End, seven of them maidens, and gave the hosts their first opening after 22.5 overs with the wicket of his former team-mate Michael Carberry who feathered a defensive push to the keeper to make it 37 for 1.With so few pace alternatives, Key turned to spin well before lunch and reaped the rewards when James Tredwell then Bandara bagged early wickets. Tredwell had Australian Phil Hughes (1) caught at slip then Bandara followed suit, having Liam Dawson snaffled to the last ball before lunch when edging an airy drive to give Martin van Jaarsveld one of four slip catches in the innings.Hampshire attempted to up their run-rate after the interval but, just as they looked set to crack on so Kent nipped out another wicket. Simon Cook claimed two in an over soon after the resumption to account for Michael Bates and Sean Ervine then Tredwell accounted for top- scorer Jimmy Adams for a stoic 84.Having faced 222 balls and batted four-and-a-half hours – following his marathon innings against Lancashire last week – Adams edged an attempted sweep onto his boot, only to see the all lob gently into the gloves of Geraint Jones. Bandara, dropped to the Kent second string only a fortnight ago after taking only 10 championship wickets at a princely sum of 604 runs, then ran through the tail and end the Hampshire innings by 4.20pm, much to Key’s delight.”My players have given everything for me this season, they’ve been top drawer and ‘Banda’ is amongst that group,” Key said. “It’s not been easy for him to be left out of the team when he’s perceived as our overseas pro, but he’s understood that there have been times when we just couldn’t go into some games with two spinners.”We have struggled getting out the tail-enders in recent weeks and ‘Banda’ did that brilliantly today, he stepped up to the plate when we needed him most.”

Mitchell Owen put his name up in lights with an astonishing display in the BBL final

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2025A day before the BBL started, Mitch Owen said he wasn’t sure where he’d be batting – or at all – for Hobart Hurricanes this season.After a record-breaking knock to win the competition for his home-town side, Owen, also the top run-scorer for the league, can start to lift his sights higher. The 23-year-old is set to earn life-changing amounts of money in franchise cricket, potentially starting with a replacement deal at the Indian Premier League.Related

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Owen’s manager confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he is available as a replacement player for the IPL, having registered for the auction longlist late last year before failing to make the shortlist. The Pakistan Super League, which virtually runs concurrently with the IPL in April and May, could be another option for him.Owen’s mighty knock of 108 off just 42 balls – the equal-fastest ton in competition history off 39 deliveries – had the sellout crowd chanting his name and won Hobart their first BBL title.”I feel a bit awkward in these situations. I don’t really know how to take it,” Owen said of the adoration. “It’s super special… the most special thing is hearing everyone in the crowd enjoying it. And I’m so grateful, I’m so proud that we could bring this trophy to Tassie.”Owen had played just six matches in the previous two seasons for Hurricanes, for a total of 42 runs. Previously a middle-order hitter, Owen said a decision that he would be batting in the top order came “probably one day, to be honest” out from their tournament opener.Ricky Ponting, Hurricanes’ head of strategy, said he was “amongst that” decision. Declining to elaborate on his role in that move, the Test great happily talked up Owen’s future, saying discussion of him representing Australia in next year’s World Cup was “inevitable”.Mitchell Owen made the equal fastest century in BBL history off 39 balls•Getty Images

“There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” he told AAP of Owen’s heroics in the final. “He’s done it pretty consistently through the tournament… some of his 30s and 40s that he’s got have actually won and set up games for the Hurricanes. And then he ended up getting a hundred in 30-odd balls and the game’s over.”Hurricanes team-mate and 2021 T20 World Cup winner Matthew Wade agreed Owen “would be there or thereabouts” when it came to squad selection for the 2026 tournament.”He can be anything… no stage really worries him too much. It was phenomenal,” Wade told AAP.Owen said he “absolutely” wanted to work towards the squad for the India-Sri Lanka-hosted tournament, which begins in February 2026.However, David Warner suggested such talk was premature. The losing Thunder captain said the Australian team didn’t need a shake-up.”No, no. You’ve got the guys that are there at the moment,” he said. “You can earn your stripes… we can’t be just picking blokes and chopping and changing when the guys that are there have won World Cups.”It will be difficult top order to break into, with Travis Head, Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk and T20 captain Mitch Marsh having claims on those spots.Steven Smith, left out of last year’s underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign, also has to be considered after starring for the Sydney Sixers in the past two seasons when he has played as an opener in between international duties.But Warner was certainly happy to credit Owen with a “phenomenal knock” that meant his side came up short after posting 97 without loss after 10 overs.”We got beat by one player tonight, plain and simple,” he said.0815 GMT – This story was updated to reflect Owen’s availability as an IPL replacement player.

Gill arrived in Ahmedabad a day before the rest of the team and trained in the nets on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-20231:43

‘Indications are that Gill is fit and raring to go’

Shubman Gill is “99% available” for the India vs Pakistan World Cup fixture in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Rohit Sharma said in a press interaction on the eve of the game. Gill arrived in Ahmedabad before the rest of the team, and batted in the nets on Thursday itself in a bid to be ready for the game.If Gill does make the India XI, it will help India get back to their first-choice XI, something they have not been able to do at the World Cup, with Gill going down with a bout of dengue and being forced to miss the games against Australia and Afghanistan, both of which India won.Gill did not travel with the team to Delhi for their second fixture against Afghanistan on Wednesday. He was taken to a hospital in Chennai – where India played their first game, against Australia – for treatment but was subsequently discharged after his health improved.In his absence, Ishan Kishan opened the innings against Australia alongside Rohit. Though India were reduced to 2 for 3 in a chase of 200 – Kishan, Rohit and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed for ducks – they recovered to chase down the target with six wickets in hand and 52 balls to spare. India had the same opening pair against Afghanistan too, and there was a marked improvement in their performance: Rohit scored 131 in 84 balls and Kishan a run-a-ball 47. India won by eight wickets.Gill is the leading run-getter worldwide in ODIs this year with 1230 runs at an average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03. In his last four ODIs, he has hit two centuries and a half-century.

England allrounder says family connections and McCullum influence key factors in decision

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2022Moeen Ali has confirmed his willingness to return to Test cricket for this winter’s tour of Pakistan, and has announced that he is officially “unretired” following a conversation on Sunday morning with England’s new head coach, Brendon McCullum.Moeen called time on his Test career in September, after claiming 195 wickets in 64 Tests, as well as five centuries, telling ESPNcricinfo at the time that he no longer felt able to “get in the zone” in the longest format of the game.However, McCullum’s arrival has indicated a new more attacking mindset to England’s Test cricket, and Moeen – who leaves for the Netherlands this evening ahead of next week’s three-match ODI series – says his hunger for the longer format has been renewed.”When, or if, Baz McCullum wants me, I’ll definitely play in Pakistan,” Moeen told BBC Test Match Special on Saturday, adding that his family heritage in the country made the trip – England’s first since 2005, when his cousin Kabir Ali was part of the white-ball squad – all the more tempting.”I have played Pakistan Super League out there a few years ago but it’s not the same,” Moeen said. “To travel with an England side there having family background from that part of the world will be amazing. It would be a historic event because of England not touring there for so many years.Related

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“I know the support and love you can get out there, they love cricket. It’s really something that’s very appealing for sure.”Moeen had added during his comments on Saturday that McCullum was “very hard to say no to”, and “we’re going to have a chat and see how it pans out”.Following up on the subject during Sunday’s third day at Trent Bridge, Moeen confirmed that that conversation had now taken place.”I spoke to McCullum this morning, and we did discuss Pakistan this winter. The door is always open, and yeah, I suppose I am officially unretired,” he said.”He is a very difficult person to say no to. I find that very, very hard. He is very convincing and to be honest I would love to play under him and Ben Stokes. They are both very aggressive and I think I would suit their cricket a bit more.”At the time I said I was retired I felt like I was done. I felt really tired with cricket.”

They survived a scare from Jordan Silk, who took the game to the final over with his 78 off 49 balls

Peter Della Penna24-Jan-2021A 145-run opening stand between Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short, the highest of this year’s Big Bash League, laid a sturdy foundation for the Hobart Hurricanes in a seven-run win over the Sydney Sixers, keeping the Hurricanes’ hopes alive of reaching the finals stage. Both made half-centuries in what ended as the joint 12th-best stand in BBL history, leading to a total that was too much for the Sixers to overhaul.The Hurricanes were in control with the ball for the majority of their defense as well, as entering the final over, the Sixers needed 28 to win. Riley Meredith bowled two waist-high full tosses for no-balls, the second of which went for six, thus reducing the equation from an improbable 28 off six balls down to 15 off four. But the Sixers’ last hope was snuffed out two balls later when Jordan Silk heaved a length delivery to Short on the rope at deep midwicket for 78.The Hurricanes are in control of their own destiny for a place in the playoffs, needing a win over the last-place Melbourne Renegades in the regular season finale to keep their season going. Whereas despite the loss, the Sixers only need a bonus point from their final match against the Melbourne Stars to secure their place in the top two, guaranteeing them two shots to make the tournament final.Wade and Short go long
The roaring stand had got off to a quiet start as the Hurricanes’ opening pair only managed four runs off the first 11 deliveries of the match. But a strike over mid-on by Short off Ben Dwarshuis got the ball rolling and spurred Wade to attack Carlos Brathwaite for three more boundaries in the third over, working his way across from midwicket to mid-off before capping the sequence slicing over point. Short then punched two more boundaries through the off side against Jake Ball in the fourth over to keep the momentum flowing, as they ended the powerplay at 33 without loss.The spinners fared no better as Short seized on the introduction of Ben Manenti in the fifth, heaving his second ball over midwicket for six before tonking him straight for another after he switched ends for the eighth over. Wade got to his half-century first off 28 balls, flicking a short ball angled down the leg side for a boundary off Ball to start the 11th, as the century stand was brought up with a single two balls later. The pair called for the Power Surge to begin the 12th as Short surged past 50 off 36 balls in the process, smacking a full toss from Dwarshuis back over his head for six during a 19-run over.The partnership finally came to an end three overs later, as Wade’s license for risk-taking with all ten wickets in hand finally brought about his downfall while ramping Sean Abbott to short third man. Abbott claimed Short as well a few overs later with a well-directed yorker. With the set pair finally gone, the Sixers continued to gain confidence through disciplined death bowling from Ball and Dwarshuis, as five wickets fell off the last 12 balls to give a brief lift to the Sixers while heading into the break.Jordan Silk’s 78 off 49 balls went in vain, as Sydney Sixers fell short in the chase•Getty Images

Short nearly goes from hero to villain
The Sixers suffered an unlucky setback early in the chase when Josh Philippe was given out lbw on a delivery which ball-tracking showed was heading past leg stump. James Vince and Daniel Hughes fell soon after to make it 37 for 3, which could have been even worse had Short held onto a straightforward chance at short midwicket for what would have been Scott Boland’s third wicket in the powerplay. The Sixers meandered through the next several overs as the required run rate reached 11, but captain Moises Henriques jolted the Sixers back to life while taking on Short’s left-arm spin. Consecutive sweeps sailed over the leg side for six and four during a 14-run over, but even bigger damage followed.Henriques flicked Meredith over long-on for six, who created a chance next ball as Henriques mistimed a length ball that fluttered gently towards Short at midwicket. For the second time in the innings, Short spilled Henriques on a painfully simple chance only for the former to rub salt into the wound by smashing Meredith behind square for six off the next delivery he faced in what ended as an 18-run over.Sandeep Lamichanne to the rescue
Nepal legspinner Lamichhane had conceded 13 runs off his first two overs and began his third by leaking a boundary to Silk through wide long-on. But by the end of it, he had inflicted severe damage. Henriques looked like he was going to clear the ropes again when Lamichhane sent down a half-tracker on the fourth ball, which he pulled too fine to pick out Ellis at deep backward square. Silk’s inability to cross strike with the ball in the air meant Dan Christian entered and was straightaway exposed by a googly that ripped past his forward prod to put Lamichhane on a hat-trick at 107 for 5.Whereas Wade and Short blitzed the Sixers in the Power Surge, the Sixers stumbled immediately when trying to utilize it for a rebuild, as Brathwaite chipped Ellis to extra cover at the start of the 15th over. Silk lacked the support to be able to meaningfully attack down the stretch even as he passed 50 off 35 balls. He survived a drop on 58 at fine leg in the penultimate over, but a comeback seemed unlikely until Meredith briefly left the door ajar in the final over with the pair of no-balls. However, Short redeemed himself for the earlier pair of drops by denying Silk a six on the midwicket rope, taking the catch that sealed the match.

Andre Russell, Aaron Finch and Tymal Mills were our first three picks in the media mock draft

Matt Roller at Lord's16-Oct-2019ESPNcricinfo threw down the gauntlet for Darren Lehmann in the media mock draft for The Hundred, picking a strong squad including Andre Russell, Aaron Finch and Tymal Mills.Representing the Northern Superchargers, our 15-man pool included several stars of the Vitality Blast, as well as players who have starred on the global T20 circuit, and others who are on England’s radar.Picking third, after Trent Rockets (Vithushan Ehantharajah and Adam Collins) and Southern Brave (Simon Wilde and Elizabeth Ammon), our first-round pick was the 2019 IPL’s MVP Andre Russell, who would slot into our side as the finisher, listed at No. 6.After some surprising first-round picks from elsewhere, including Mohammad Nabi and Kane Williamson, we then added Aaron Finch as our opener and captain.Most teams opted to fill their overseas quota with their first three picks, but we sensed value lower in the draft and ended up selecting Imad Wasim – ranked the second-best T20I bowler in the world by the ICC – as low down as round five.Tymal Mills was therefore our third pick, our first-choice death bowler, and one of two left-arm seamers along with pre-selected local icon David Willey, who could take the new ball along with Imad.Adil Rashid was another pre-selected local icon, while Olly Stone’s pace would complete a strong, varied first-choice attack.Our batting was filled with left-right combinations, with four left-handers (Cameron Delport, Tom Moores, Delray Rawlins and Imad) and three right-handers (Finch, Tom Abell, and Andre Russell) in the top seven.There was bench strength, too, in the shape of Steven Croft, Rikki Clarke and the Blast’s leading wicket-taker Ravi Rampaul, with the looming spectre of Ben Stokes ready to slot into the side when permitted by England.All things considered, our selection panel came out of the draft happy with our afternoon’s work, and optimistic with how our squad will stack up against the one picked by Lehmann on Sunday evening.How the media mock draft of The Hundred played out•ECB/The Hundred

There were plenty of high-profile overseas players that failed to make the cut, including Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga from the six men with a £125,000 reserve price, while Mohammad Amir, Chris Lynn, Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis also missed out, illustrating the point that plenty of big names will go unsold in the real thing.Morne Morkel, Ian Bell, Ryan ten Doeschate and Danny Briggs were among the unsold domestic players, while there was draft-room drama when Manchester Originals (Nick Friend and Huw Turbervill) tried to pick the unheralded Scotland opener George Munsey, only to find he wasn’t in the system.The main take-home was that the 100 seconds teams have to make their picks is a long time: with analysts pouring their time into depth charts and player roles in recent weeks, there shouldn’t be too many sides scrabbling against the clock.The draft was halted for an hour midway through due to technical difficulties, and the chance to test the software had been cited as a reason to hold the mock event; regardless of who gets picked, the ECB will be desperate the gremlins are banished from the system in time for Sunday evening.Our Northern Superchargers squad included a mix of domestic and international talent•ESPNcricinfo Ltd