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Victoria retained control against the Sheffield Shield leaders but it could be tough to force a result at the SCG

Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-2020Wil Parker, the 17-year-old debutant legspinner, claimed two big scalps to keep Victoria on top against New South Wales at the SCG after Seb Gotch had scored his maiden first-class century.Victoria declared on 7 fo 431 shortly before lunch moments after Gotch had brought up three figures. The New South Wales openers departed after a half-century opening stand but Kurtis Patterson, playing his first Shield match since October, and Moises Henriques both looked in fine form as they added 102 deep into the final.Then Parker, who had bowled nicely in his first spell, returned to manufacture back-to-back breakthroughs. His maiden first-class wicket came when he slid a delivery across Patterson as he came down the pitch, the ball grazing the edge before Gotch completed the stumping. In his next over he then benefited from some significant fortune when Henriques bottom-edged a pull into his leg which ballooned to slip.Daniel Solway and captain Peter Nevill saw out the rest of the day but New South Wales have a lengthy tail so there was considerable work to do.Gotch and Travis Dean had resumed with Victoria well placed on 5 for 318 and carried their stand to 150 in 50 overs with Dean making his highest first-class score in 21 innings after retiring hurt yesterday following the blow in the box from Trent Copeland.Dean eventually fell when he top-edged a sweep off Steve O’Keefe while Gotch continued to carefully accumulate towards his hundred having twice fallen shortly previously in his career. The century arrived from 241 balls with a single off Liam Hatcher.Armed with a new Duke ball, Victoria’s seamers found early movement – Gotch had a difficult time behind the stumps – but it took a while to break through as Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin settled in. Scott Boland claimed the first breakthrough when he trapped Larkin lbw then Will Sutherland, who began with four consecutive maidens either side of a brief rain delay, produced an excellent delivery to beat Hughes’ inside edge.Patterson, recovered from the quad strain which has disrupted his season, was soon into his stride has he played elegantly off front and back foot while Henriques continued the form he showed before the Big Bash. However, just when they were taking the competition leaders into a position of parity, Parker popped up to produce a moment he’ll remember.

Towhid Hridoy earned a maiden call-up by scoring over 400 runs in the BPL

Mohammad Isam16-Feb-2023Tamim Iqbal has returned to the Bangladesh ODI side to lead in the first two matches against England next month. Tamim had missed the ODI series against India in December because of a groin injury, with Liton Das leading the side to a 2-1 win.There were three inclusions in the side. Towhid Hridoy earned a maiden call-up while Taijul Islam returned to the side. Hridoy scored more than 400 runs in the BPL, which prompted his call-up, while Taijul is a like-for-like replacement for Nasum Ahmed, who was among the five players dropped.The others to be dropped were Yasir Ali, Anamul Haque, Nurul Hasan and Shoriful Islam.Anamul, who returned to the ODI side after four years against Zimbabwe in mid-2022, made only 33 runs in three innings against India. Yasir played just one game and scored 25. Nurul, meanwhile, didn’t play a single game in the India series.Among those who returned to the side, Tamim played most of the BPL matches for Khulna Tigers, but he missed the last few games to stay fit for the England games. Taijul played only three ODIs last year, taking a five-wicket haul against West Indies.”Towhid Hridoy has been doing well in the BPL,” chief selector Minhajul Abedin said. “He was in our pool of potential players, and was part of the HP [High Performance] and Bangladesh A sides. Yasir remains in our thinking, as we plan to take another player in the squad. Nasum is being considered for another format, while we dropped Nurul and Shoriful due to form.”The three-match ODI series will start on March 1 in Dhaka and will be part of the ODI Super League. Those will be followed by as many T20Is from March 9 to 14.Bangladesh squad for England ODIs: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Taijul Islam, Towhid Hridoy

Five-match series set to be first internationals staged in Europe in November

Matt Roller22-Oct-2020Ireland and Scotland women will return to international cricket in November after a 14-month break, with a five-match series in Spain comprising two 50-over matches and three T20Is.Neither side has played a full international fixture since the T20 World Cup qualifier in September 2019, with both teams missing out the main event earlier this year.The fixtures will be held at La Manga, a resort in Murcia that has become a regular host for county clubs on pre-season tours as well as European Cricket League games. It is believed that they will be the first international fixtures to be staged in Europe in November.Players on both sides have been involved in some cricket this summer: Ireland held an eight-match Super 50 Series, and while Scotland’s regional series was cut short by the imposition of tighter Covid-19 restrictions, their ‘A’ team also played six fixtures against English sides.Ireland go into the series missing four players in Lara Maritz, Una Raymond-Hoey, Eimear Richardson – all awarded retainer deals this week – and the centrally contracted Mary Waldron, all of whom are in Australia.In their absence, there are maiden call-ups for Zara Craig, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter and Jane Maguire.”We’re delighted to finally see some international action return,” said Ed Joyce, Ireland’s head coach. “Our last matches were at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Scotland last year, so this series is very welcome for all involved.”The absence of a few of our senior players, while unfortunate, has opened up an opportunity for several young players to come in and get a taste of international touring life. I have no doubt they’ll benefit immensely from the experience, which may be crucial as we move into what will likely be a big 12 months for Irish women’s cricket.”Steven Knox, Scotland’s head coach, said: “The squad are both delighted and excited that they will be playing an international series in Spain against Ireland this November.”It will give the players a great opportunity to show that all the hard work they’ve done in training over the past ten months, and in the A team games that were played in August and September, will hopefully pay off against a team that are ranked above us in T20I cricket.”Scotland’s key players will be the Bryce sisters, Sarah and Kathryn, both of whom will go into the series on the back of impressive seasons in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, where they finished as Lightning’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker respectively.Meanwhile, both nations’ men’s teams could return to action in December in the UAE. The reported last week that a four-nation T20 tournament involving the hosts, Ireland and Scotland and one other side is due to be held before the end of the year. It is understood that discussions are still ongoing, but it is hoped the series will be ratified soon.Ireland squad: Laura Delany (capt), Zara Craig, Rachel Delaney, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Celeste Raack, Rebecca StokellScotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Sarah Bryce, Priyanaz Chatterji, Ikra Farooq, Katherine Fraser, Becky Glen, Samantha Haggo, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Katherine Mills, Charis Scott, Ellen Watson

The city’s air quality has fallen to hazardous levels post-Diwali, calling to question the BCCI’s scheduling of fixtures

Sidharth Monga in Delhi01-Nov-2019Two days before the Delhi T20I between India and Bangladesh, the air quality in Delhi has plummeted to hazardous levels, and led to a public-health emergency. Schools have been shut, construction work stalled, and athletic activity advised against, but the two teams trained out in the middle and continued to shrug off the threat of playing in such poor air quality.This match is the first international fixture in India after Diwali, which raises severe questions over BCCI’s planning because it is well documented that the weeks immediately after Diwali are some of the most hazardous on public health. The BCCI has had first-hand experience with Ranji Trophy matches cancelled and a Test match interrupted in the past.The schedule was announced as early as June 2019. Match allocation in the BCCI works on rotation basis, but exchanging matches is not unheard of. However, the current BCCI office bearers took charge only last week, until when the board had been under the charge of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators, who had been entrusted with ensuring the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s reforms and overseeing the running of the board while that happened. So direct responsibility for this scheduling is hard to pin down.Questions asked of CEO Rahul Johri, who was the chief executive even when the current BCCI was not in charge, went unanswered. New secretary Jay Shah didn’t respond either, but new president Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday that it was not possible to change the venue at such a short notice.The two camps, who are at possibly the biggest risk because they are undertaking strenuous athletic activity, tried to play the issue down. While the Bangladesh players privately complained of burning eyes, sore throats and their struggle to sleep, their coach Russell Domingo said they were not going to moan about it. In what might come across as an insensitive statement, he even said it is not like anybody has died on the field.”It’s not something you’d want, but there is nothing you can do about it,” Domingo said. “It is what it is. We have to make sure that we prepare as well as possible and deal with it as well as possible. Thus far, for sure have some scratchy eyes and some sore throat now and then, but it’s been okay. Nobody’s been sick or dying or anything like that. We’ve been okay with it.”Domingo, who was one of the members of the Bangladesh camp who wore a mask during training, was thankful the team was playing just a T20I and not a Test match or ODI. “Obviously you don’t want to be in it for six or seven hours,” Domingo said. “Three hours we’re playing and three hours practice sessions. It’s probably as long as you would want to be in it at the moment.”Domingo also said conditions back home might have helped the players ready themselves for this game. “There’s a bit of pollution in Bangladesh as well so it’s not a massive shock to the system as maybe some other countries can experience. The players have dealt with it really well – ‘It’s a bit smoky but let’s get on with it and practise.’ They haven’t made too much of an issue out of it. Coaches haven’t either. And we just have to go about our business as well normally would.”Bangladesh spin consultant Daniel Vettori wears an anti-pollution mask at training•PTI

India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour compared it with playing in extreme weather conditions. Rathour himself played a lot of cricket in north Indian winters, so he was asked how much worse the pollution has become over time. “I don’t think you even notice it,” Rathour said. “Playing cricket, you play sometimes in very hot weather… 45-46 degrees [Celsius]. Sometimes you play in extreme cold. Once you are in a game, I don’t think you notice these things. It’s when you are sitting out…”When told of the emergency conditions and the public-health advisory against athletic activity, Rathour said: “I understand that but we are here to play a game and can’t really do much about it. We are here to play and we will play.”That’s what the local hosting body, the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) said too. “As you must be aware that BCCI has said that it’s too late to change the venue at the last moment,” Rajat Sharma, the DDCA president, told ESPNcricinfo. “DDCA, however, is taking all possible measures in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A meeting was held by the representatives of DDCA with various other departments such as DPCC, Traffic Police, SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation), PWD (Public Works Department) and others chaired by member secretary CPCB. The situation was reviewed and departments were advised to take certain measures to help reducing the pollution around Arun Jaitley Stadium.”DDCA was advised to wash the trees inside the stadium so that the dust doesn’t flow. DDCA was also asked to survey the area of about two kilometres around the stadium and if any polluting items such as construction material, burning garbage etc. is found it is to be reported to CPCB. They will ensure immediate action.”With the AQI (air quality index) reaching 471 on the afternoon two days before the match, these measures are not likely to make any significant impact on the air quality.

The domestic veteran has found a new gear, drawing from the belief that he now belongs at the highest level of the game

Sreshth Shah in Nagpur15-Feb-2019What two international tours can do to a young man’s confidence, eh?In August 2018, Hanuma Vihari was still knocking on the doors of the national team, piling on the runs for India A against South Africa A in the outskirts of Bengaluru. Part of a line-up that included Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal, there were few people at the ground who even knew how Vihari looked like, let alone know his credentials.That’s when stats-hungry folks realised his first-class average (59.45) was better than Virat Kohli’s. Heck, it was the best in the world. And on the back of a glorious 2017-18 domestic season – where he scored 1056 first-class runs, with four hundreds and an average of 96 – Vihari was called up for the last two Tests in England. Since then, he has played nearly all of India’s away Tests.It meant that a big dog of domestic cricket – Vihari had scored a double ton in each of the last five Ranji Trophy seasons – had to give the 2018-19 tournament a miss. It correlated with his side Andhra finishing with only one outright win in eight matches.Now that he’s back home again, Vihari picked up where he left off, striking two hundreds for Rest of India in the Irani Cup tie against Vidarbha in Nagpur.Hanuma Vihari has three centuries in three Irani Cup innings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He was the only RoI batsman to score a century on day one. But that isn’t surprising. He’s often been a savior of sorts in long-form cricket. What surprising, was that despite having more ‘famous’ partners in the form of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer at the other end, it was Vihari’s strokes to the boundary that earned the loudest applause. He is no longer someone who Indian cricket fans had to search on ‘Google Images’ to put a face to a name.That was also evident when Vihari spoke to ESPNcricinfo after the fourth day’s play in Nagpur. The last time we had chatted, nearly six months ago, Vihari came across as quiet and soft-spoken. There were signs of a man still trying to figure who he is. But having been part of the Indian Test side in England and Australia, his voice, this time around, had a sense of conviction in it.”Being with the Test team increased my confidence levels,” Vihari said. “Once you know you belong to the highest levels you have the confidence of dominating domestic cricket in a way.”It was apparent in the way Vihari took on the Vidarbha bowlers late on the fourth evening while trying to push for a declaration. After tea, having already amassed 153 runs in the second innings (to top off his first-innings 114), he freed his arms to batter the ball to all parts. He hit two sixes – one nearly smashed the press-box window – and a four to add 27 runs off his last 18 balls. It was a fitting end to a first-class and international season during which his life completely changed. It also showed how seriously he takes every match, irrespective of the opposition and the number of people watching.”Domestic cricket has always been my grassroots,” Vihari said. “I’ve always known that I can score runs consistently in domestic cricket. But, yes, I don’t take my domestic cricket lightly. I play with the same intensity as international cricket.”Playing with the Indian Test side has taught me that you have to be decisive with your footwork. Especially with your defence. If you have confidence in your defence, then you can play shots accordingly. You can select which shot you want to play according to the ball. But first of all, you need to trust your defence.”Our second innings was tough for batting, because the wicket was so challenging. But one thing I picked up early was that you have to be busy and have that positive intent. That is the secret to success I guess.”His match tally of 294 runs has single-handedly given RoI the stats of favourites as the game moves into day five. Still, having set the Ranji Champions a target of 280, Vihari isn’t quite ready to relax.”I think it’s going to be hard work for us tomorrow, but we can definitely win this game. First, we have to bowl really well and take all our chances, but despite the [95-run] lead that Vidarbha got in the first innings, I am happy me, Rahane and Shreyas have been able to make a match out of this.”After tea, Shreyas and I were playing for the overs. The captain told us at the tea-break that we wanted Vidarbha to bat 12-15 overs today. But we got the last fifty runs very quickly, and we declared slightly earlier than expected. We got the crucial wicket of [Vidarbha captain Faiz] Fazal early, and hopefully we can get nine more tomorrow.”

Three wickets on England debut helps restrict Bangladesh to 77, as batsmen overcome wobble to launch campaign

Andrew Miller12-Nov-2018England 64 for 3 (Jones 28*, Sciver 23) beat Bangladesh 76 for 9 (Ayasha 39, Gordon 3-16) by seven wickets (DLS method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland’s women overcame a top-order wobble, and another dramatic flurry of St Lucian rain late in their run-chase, to get their World T20 campaign up and running with a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh at Gros Islet.They were set a sub-par 77 after a hit-and-miss performance from Bangladesh, but England took their time to calibrate the appropriate response in tricky, tacky conditions, as Danni Wyatt was pinned lbw for a first-ball duck before Tammy Beaumont toe-ended a cut to point for 2.England’s situation could have been even more dicey at 16 for 3 in the fourth over had Amy Jones been caught by the wicketkeeper, Shamina Sultana, who instead suffered a nasty faceplant after diving at full tilt to intercept a top-edge to point.But, as Sultana was taken from the field nursing a bloody nose, England found a more measured gear to break the back of their run-chase. Jones settled in to anchor the innings in a 38-run stand for the third wicket with Nat Sciver, who made 23, and finished on 28 not out from 24 balls. England were 55 for 3 when the rain caused a lengthy late delay, and ended up reaching a revised target of 64 in just three balls after the resumption, thanks to a brace of boundaries and a winning single from the captain, Heather Knight.It was a slightly scrappy performance from England, the reigning 50-over World Champions, but having been deprived of any meaningful practice in the build-up to this game, and even resorting to improvised net sessions under the grandstand, they were ready to accept any victory going.Only 24 hours earlier, the ICC had seriously been considering relocating this group to Antigua to avoid further washouts, but in the event the start of play was delayed by just 15 minutes after a heroic mopping-up effort from the groundstaff.Knight won the toss and chose to bowl first, with the boundary ropes brought in to the minimum legal requirement of 55 metres as part of the authorities’ bid to get this leg of their tournament up and running.Natalie Sciver sweeps through the leg side•Getty Images

And Knight’s decision was quickly vindicated as Bangladesh were reduced to 5 for 2 in their first five overs. Anya Shrubsole found some wicked late inswing to bowl Sultana for an eight-ball duck, before Sciver – slipping into the new-ball role vacated by the injured Katherine Brunt – found Fargana Hoque’s outside edge to give Jones an early catch, diving to her right.But, having stacked their side with three left-arm spinners – including two of the three debutants in Linsey Smith and Kirstie Gordon – England quickly chose to take pace off the ball, and Bangladesh responded with a block-or-slog response through the endeavours of Ayasha Rahman who, quite remarkably, would be the only Bangladesh batsman to make a single run in the first nine overs of the innings.A mow for six over backward square leg off Shrubsole was followed by a violent slog through the line as Gordon’s fourth ball as an England cricketer was deposited back over her head. However, Ayasha’s blood appeared to be pumping a touch too much when she sold her partner a massive dummy – leaving Nigar Sultana run out for the third duck of the innings – and she even appeared to strain her hamstring in the process of aborting a quick single into the covers.Undeterred, Ayasha continued to plant her front foot in a batting-by-numbers fashion, swiping Ecclestone for a third six over midwicket before hauling Gordon for four through square leg to move to 39 out of Bangladesh’s 12-over total of 42. But four balls later, she chanced her arm once too often to pick out Wyatt at cow corner and Gordon, the former Scotland international, was off the mark for her new country.Gordon added two more scalps in her final over, including a maiden catch at long-off for England’s third new girl, Sophia Dunkley, to finish with an impressive 3 for 16 in four overs. Bangladesh kept battling to the bitter end, with Jahanara Alam smashing Sophie Eccleston for the fourth six of the innings, but their total of 76 for 9 never seemed like being enough, even allowing for the conditions, and for England’s rusty response.