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“He understands his game more and taking on more responsibility has become non-negotiable to him”

Shashank Kishore27-Mar-2024Riyan Parag is set to get an extended role at No. 4 at Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. For his team, it’s reward for his work behind the scenes, his impressive domestic form, and the upsides he offers as an “all-round batter”, something he couldn’t put on display while playing as a finisher.Last season, Parag made 78 runs in seven innings. In IPL 2022, he made 183 in 14. In 2021, he made 93 in ten. These are underwhelming numbers. Yet, Royals believe they have seen enough in Parag that points to something special in the offing.”It was a cricketing decision,” Royals’ director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said of Parag’s promotion in the batting order. “We looked at how he has performed over the years. It’s a very difficult thing for someone like Riyan, who has an overall game, just to always only get the toughest parts of the game where he has to come in and up the run rate at the death.Related

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“We all felt that he has a much more important role that he can play for us. And the hard work that he did leading up to the season, all the runs he scored at domestic cricket, all played a part in that decision.”Riyan, and all the players, of course, have to repay that faith. He’s off to a great start. He just has to keep working on making sure he reads the game well and keep trusting what he can do at No. 4. He’s good against pace and again so that important position of four was ideally suited for him.”Parag opened IPL 2024 with a 29-ball 43 against Lucknow Super Giants, putting together a match-turning 93-run stand off 59 balls with Sanju Samson. Parag didn’t try to take down the bowlers from the get-go but played himself in and attacked once set. It’s in line with the role he has played at Assam. It’s a role that has brought him a truckload of runs in the domestic season, especially across the white-ball formats.At the Deodhar Trophy, the inter-zonal 50-over tournament, he was the highest run-getter, highest six-hitter, and third-highest (joint) wicket-taker. Two of his five List A hundreds came in that tournament. He was Player of the Tournament too.His first century there, a 102-ball 131, took his team from 57 for 5 to 337 for 8. His second, a 68-ball 102 not out, decimated West Zone. In the final, his team was tottering at 72 for 4 in a chase of 329 and Parag brought them back with a blistering 65-ball 95.He followed that with another chartbuster at the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. He made 510 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 182.79. This included a sensational run of seven back-to-back half-centuries. He subsequently earned a call-up from the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy to be part of a targeted pool of players.Riyan Parag had a sensational 2023-24 domestic season•PTI

“The biggest thing we’ve seen in Riyan is maturity,” Sangakkara said. “Irrespective of the support we offer players, self-awareness of your game, knowing what is good for you, how your lifestyle is both on and off the field – all of that has changed in Riyan.”He’s still a very, very young cricketer. We shouldn’t forget that. He’s also been hugely in the focus over the years as one of the faces of the franchise, of the younger brigade. He’s also seen the huge jumps that [Yashasvi] Jaiswal and [Dhruv] Jurel have made, and he’s got a hunger there now and an example to follow into the national team.”We know players have a variety of ambitions – IPL is one of them. He understands his game more and taking on more responsibility has become non-negotiable to him.”Since Parag’s IPL debut in 2019, only Rahul Tewatia has played more games than his 55 in the tournament among uncapped Indian players. If Sangakkara’s reading of Parag is accurate, that “uncapped” bit against his name could change.

Select committee chair concerned that club will renege on commitments to diversity and inclusion

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2024The ECB has been warned by MPs to keep a close eye on Yorkshire in the wake of Colin Graves’ re-election as chair, to ensure that the club does not renege on its commitments to diversity and inclusion.Yorkshire were last year fined a total of £400,000 and handed points deductions by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), following their handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations of institutional racism at the club.Graves, who previously served as Yorkshire’s chair between 2012-15, was last year sanctioned by the ECB for dismissing allegations of racist incidents during his tenure as “banter”, but issued a “personal and unreserved” apology to all victims of racism following his return to the post in February.Graves appeared before the DCMS select committee shortly after his reappointment in February, where he was challenged by MPs on his plans for Yorkshire’s refinancing – including an immediate cash injection of £1 million, followed by further investment worth £4 million. His family trust, which is managed by independent trustees, is still owed nearly £15 million by the club.In its Equity in Cricket report, released on Friday, the committee said: “We expect the ECB to closely monitor Yorkshire CCC to their work and ensure that there is no return to the ‘business as usual’ that allowed a culture of discrimination to take root and thrive at the club. We urge the ECB and the cricket regulator to pay particular attention to the future performance of Yorkshire CCC in relation to inequality.”In June 2023, a report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) castigated English cricket on the grounds of class, race and gender, with Richard Thompson, the ECB chair, describing its findings as a “wake-up call” and an opportunity to “reset cricket”. It has been recommended by the committee that the ECB publishes a progress report on the anniversary of the publication, addressing each of its 44 recommendations.Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, the committee’s chair, said: “The ECB has made welcome progress on fixing the problems facing cricket identified so powerfully in the ICEC report. To achieve its ambition for cricket to be the most inclusive sport in the country and truly welcoming to all it must be open on how it is backing up its words with actions.”The start of the county cricket season is always a time for optimism, and we hope that members at Headingley can look forward to a successful future, with a board committed to a member-led club and a continued focus on tackling discrimination. The ECB should keep a close eye on progress to ensure Yorkshire continues going down the road to reform.”The report was released on the same day that the UK government announced a £35 million investment into grassroots and state school cricket, with the aim of enabling 900,000 young people to play cricket over the next five years.Responding to the report, Thompson added: “We welcome the ongoing support and scrutiny from DCMS following the publication of the ICEC Report.”We are keen to forge ahead and continue with the changes we have already been implementing in our ambition to become the most inclusive sport in England and Wales.”

The SRH allrounder said he didn’t know whether his bowling would be needed against RR but he was prepared just in case

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2024Abhishek Sharma said he “didn’t know” whether he would have to bowl for Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals in Chennai but was ready in case the call came. And despite bowling just three overs previously in IPL 2024, Abhishek sent down a match-winning spell of 2 for 24 to put SRH in the IPL final.”To be honest, I didn’t know I will bowl this match but I was very much ready with my bowling because I’ve been working really hard on my bowling,” Abhishek said after the game. “The last two years it’s been really good with my batting so I wanted to work on my bowling with my dad. So special mention to my dad.”Abhishek’s had a blockbuster season with the bat, scoring 482 runs at a strike rate of 207.75 in 15 innings. His 42 sixes are the most this season, and the most for an Indian batter in any IPL season. On Friday night, however, it was his left-arm spin that came to the fore against RR’s middle order. He had Sanju Samson caught at wide long-on with his third ball and bowled Shimron Hetmyer with a carrom ball in his third over to leave RR six down. Abhishek did not concede a boundary in his first three overs.He was the sixth bowler used by SRH in their defence of 175 as the Chennai pitch began to offer lots of turn in the absence of dew. Though he hadn’t bowled much for SRH this season, Abhishek had bowled 20 overs in Punjab’s successful campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season.Related

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“When I saw the starting XI, I knew he’s [Abhishek] going to bowl today,” Varun Aaron said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “He’s a really good bowler. I’ve seen a lot of him in domestic cricket. He’s one of those bowlers who tosses it up a little bit, more than the others. He bowls that carrom ball which comes out from the front of the hand, that was a really good ball. That shows he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and he’s a full-time bowler for Punjab. He’s one of those who likes to bowl and tells the captain, ‘I want to bowl in domestic games, it helps me be in the game more.’ He’s one of those allrounders who look forward to bowling. The other thing is he would have been wanting this chance to bowl for the longest time and he lapped it up really well.”Though he hasn’t bowled much this IPL season, Abhishek is one of only a few Indian batters who can bowl as well in limited-overs cricket, along with the likes of Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag and Nitish Kumar Reddy. That skill-set has been missing in the Indian team for a while – none of the specialist batters in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup can bowl.”He backs himself 100%,” Tom Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “Yes, he doesn’t bowl as much as he needs to bowl in domestic cricket for whatever reasons but for the future of Indian cricket he needs to be bowling because he is a serious package to be reckoned with. [Bats] at the top of the order, someone who can bowl left-arm spin whatever the format, he’s going to be a real asset going forward.”The reason that makes him unique as a spinner is he tosses it up and what he tries to do is get overspin on the ball, so the ball comes down like that (with seam upright and facing the batter, not sideways), Nathan Lyon style, it dips. So he doesn’t bowl side spin, he bowls overspin and he’s got that clever carrom ball he’s been working on which is the one Hetmyer got and was an absolute peach.”

Proceeds from selling stakes in teams to be split between counties and recreational game

Matt Roller30-May-2024The ECB’s leadership believe that private investment will take the Hundred “to the next level” and turn it into the world’s second-biggest franchise league after the IPL. The board has confirmed its financial advisors and legal counsel for the sale process, which it aims to complete by the end of this year ahead of a revamped competition in 2025.Earlier this month, the counties signalled their approval on the ECB’s proposed “direction of travel”. They all stand to benefit financially from the sale of stakes in the eight Hundred teams – who are all owned by the ECB – to private investors, which is likely to include IPL owners and private equity firms.There has been extensive discussions over the proposed model but there is now broad agreement over the mechanism by which the proceeds would be split. Initially, the ECB will hand 51% of the shares in the eight teams to the host counties (MCC in London Spirit’s case) for free. They will then decide whether to keep all, some, or none of their respective stakes.Related

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The ECB will then sell its 49% stake, with 10% given to the recreational game in England and Wales and the rest shared by the counties. The first £275 million would be shared 19 ways (between the 18 first-class counties and MCC). The next £150 million would then be shared between the 11 non-hosts only, and any proceeds beyond £425 million would be shared 19 ways again.Vikram Banerjee, the ECB’s director of business operations, has led the process. He said in an ECB press release – the first public communication by the board on the privatisation of the Hundred – that it would “unlock the future potential” of the Hundred while supporting the rest of the sport financially.”We have identified this moment as the opportunity to take the Hundred to the next level while capitalising on the global interest in the competition to underpin the structure of the whole domestic game,” Banerjee said. “The opportunity to engage new global strategic partners will help us unlock the future potential of the Hundred.”We will be looking to engage the very best in world sport to grow the Hundred into a competition which can benefit the whole of cricket for years to come. With proceeds from any investment going direct to the recreational and the county game, it will support the other parts of cricket which are so cherished by fans and players alike and play an important role in identifying and developing talent.”The ECB said that the Hundred will play “a vital role in the future of our sport” and that counties have been supportive of their plans. “The ambition is to seek partners with the expertise to help take the competition to the next level, while ensuring any investment benefits the whole of the game,” the board said.”The ECB will continue working closely and collaboratively with its members through the process, including finalising how proceeds will be distributed among the first-class counties, MCC and the recreational game.”The Raine Group, which worked on the recent sales processes at Premier League football clubs Chelsea and Manchester United, will be the lead advisor and has been tasked with sourcing partners and negotiating the terms of investment. Deloitte, one of the “big four” accounting firms, will provide strategic advice, while Latham & Watkins and Onside Law will act as legal co-counsel.The Hundred will run from July 23 until August 18 this year, and the ECB hopes to use this season as a shop window for prospective investors. The first six days of the season will clash with Major League Cricket, which could cause as many as half of the men’s overseas players to arrive late.

They replace Jaiswal, Dube and Samson, who will return to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup-winning squad before flying out to Zimbabwe for the last three games

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2024B Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana have been drafted into India’s 15-member squad for the first two (of five) T20Is in Zimbabwe starting later this week. They will replace Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal, all of whom will return to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup-winning squad before flying out to Zimbabwe for the last three games.The victorious T20 World Cup squad was expected to land in India on Monday, but their arrival has been delayed because of Hurricane Beryl, which led to the airport in Barbados being shut down. ESPNcricinfo understands that Samson, Dube and Jaiswal will be part of a felicitation ceremony in India before they travel to Zimbabwe.Rinku Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, who were part of the reserves for the World Cup, are likely to join the squad in Harare directly from the Caribbean. Shubman Gill, who has been named captain of the squad in Zimbabwe, is set to join the squad directly from the USA, where he was on holiday after being released from India’s touring reserves at the end of the group stage.Sai Sudharsan, who made his international debut on the tour of South Africa last December, is currently playing for Surrey in Division 1 of the County Championship and is likely to join the squad in Harare on July 4 after the conclusion of Surrey’s ongoing fixture against Essex. Sai Sudharsan had re-signed with Surrey last month after an impressive maiden stint with the team last year. It’s Sai Sudharsan’s first call-up with the India T20I side.For Jitesh, the call-up is a lifeline of sorts after he fell out of favour with the selectors following a disappointing IPL 2024, where he scored just 187 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 131.69.Rana, for whom this is a maiden India call-up, was part of the victorious Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at IPL 2024. Rana had been at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy till late last month as part of a conditioning camp for rising fast bowlers. He was the joint-second-highest wicket-taker for KKR (19 wickets at an average of 20.15), the same as Andre Russell and only behind Varun Chakravarthy, who had 21.The series kicks off on July 6, followed by matches on July 7, 10, 13 and 14. All matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club.

India’s squad for 1st and 2nd T20Is vs Zimbabwe

Shubman Gill (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana

“We are not ashamed of talking about it – there is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma,” Thorpe’s elder daughter Kitty says

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2024 • Updated on 13-Aug-2024Former England batter Graham Thorpe died after being struck by a train at Esher railway station, Surrey, the opening of an inquest into his death on Tuesday has heard. On Monday, Thorpe’s family had confirmed the 55-year-old took his own life following a battle with depression and anxiety.Speaking on Tuesday at Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking, coroner Simon Wickens said Thorpe had suffered “traumatic injuries” after being struck by a train on the morning of August 4. Wickens offered “sincere condolences” to Thorpe’s family and to “all those touched by his life and career”. A date for Thorpe’s full inquest will be fixed at a later time.The coroner had received a referral regarding the incident from British Transport Police (BTP). On August 5, a spokesperson for BTP issued the following statement: “Officers were called to Esher railway station at 8.26 am on 4 August to reports of a casualty on the tracks. Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”The loss of Thorpe was felt by all throughout the world of cricket, with many former and current players paying their respects to the left-handed batter, who later went into coaching. The Surrey and England man represented his country 182 times, and scored 16 hundreds in 100 Test matches.Thorpe had not worked in cricket since he was removed from his role as one of England’s assistant coaches in the aftermath of their 4-0 defeat in the 2021-22 Ashes. He was due to take over as Afghanistan’s head coach but never did after a previous attempt on his own life in May 2022. At the time, he was described as being “seriously ill” in hospital.Related

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“For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety,” Amanda, Thorpe’s wife, told the . “This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit. Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work.”Graham was renowned as someone who was very mentally strong on the field and he was in good physical health. But mental illness is a real disease and can affect anyone. Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better. He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life.”She described Thorpe as “a free spirit” and said that he had been well enough to attend a dinner at The Oval in late 2022. “He had his own mind and his own way of going about things,” Amanda said. “My favourite memory of him is in Barbados, which he loved, enjoying a rum punch and listening to his favourite reggae after a swim… He was funny and he made us all laugh so much.”Thorpe’s elder daughter, Kitty, said, “We are not ashamed of talking about it. There is nothing to hide and it is not a stigma. We were trying to help him get better before and trying to protect him, which is why we said nothing. This is the time now to share the news, however horrible it is. We’ve wanted to be able to talk and share and we’d now like to raise awareness, too.”He had loved life and he loved us but he just couldn’t see a way out. It was heartbreaking to see how withdrawn he had become. He was not the same person. It was strange to see this person trapped in the body of dad. That’s why we’ve been so happy that the many reflections have been about his life before this illness took over. I’m glad that’s how everyone does remember him, rightly so, as the complete character he was.”

Spinner claims four of five wickets to fall after becoming Nottinghamshire’s youngest first-class debutant

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2024Rory Burns followed his double-hundred against Lancashire last week with 161 as champions-elect Surrey ended day one of their Vitality County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on 339 for 5.But by the close of proceedings at Trent Bridge, the Surrey skipper found himself pushed out of the spotlight by 16-year-old offspinner Farhan Ahmed, who not only claimed the wicket of Burns and two more Test players in Ben Foakes and Will Jacks, but finished a sensational first day in Championship cricket with figures of 4 for 69 from 28 overs.The younger brother of Leicestershire and England prodigy Rehan Ahmed, at the age of 16 years and 189 days, Farhan is the youngest first-class player in Nottinghamshire’s history. Earlier this month, he set another record on his first-class debut as the youngest player to be selected for England Lions when they faced Sri Lanka at Worcester.Nonetheless, with half-centuries from Jacks and Ryan Patel against a depleted and relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire side, the defending champions and runaway Division One leaders are in a good position as they seek to edge closer to a third consecutive title.Wheir options reduced by injuries, a Test call-up for Olly Stone and, in the case of Dane Paterson, paternity leave, the home side also gave a first-class debut to 23-year-old pace bowler Rob Lord.Farhan, whose selection displaced Cris Tinley as the youngest first-class player in the Nottinghamshire record books 177 years since the latter made his debut at 16 years 288 days in 1847, was trusted to enter the attack as early as the seventh over, by which time it was already clear that it was not a pitch for persevering with seamers, especially with the Kookaburra ball.Farhan Ahmed became Nottinghamshire’s youngest first-class debutant (file photo)•Nottinghamshire CCC

Unfazed by being swept for six and four by Burns, Ahmed was unlucky not to claim the Surrey skipper as his maiden Championship wicket before the visitors reached lunch at 88 for 1, having the left-hander perilously close to being caught at slip on 36 and at midwicket on 41.Lord, who has played national counties cricket for Cheshire and signed a short-term contract with Nottinghamshire last month, took the only wicket to fall in the session as Dom Sibley was caught at second slip, the ball glancing off the opener’s bat as he swayed out of the path of a rising delivery.Burns completed his fifty from 104 balls soon after lunch before surviving a confident appeal for leg before by Farhan on 78. It was not the most fluent innings he has played, his hundred coming up off a streaky inside edge off seamer Lyndon James that ran away for his eighth four, but his stand of 175 for the second wicket with Patel put Surrey in a commanding position on 203 for 2 at tea.Patel had been caught behind for 77, a well-deserved maiden Championship wicket for Farhan, who asked questions of the batters consistently and was rewarded when he straightened one enough from round the wicket to find the edge.Patel was a first victim behind the stumps for Nottinghamshire’s latest overseas recruit, the South African Test wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.There was a heavy workload, too, for left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White and, on only his second first-class appearance, a busy day for Freddie McCann, the 19-year-old top-order batter, who also bowls offspin.Burns clubbed McCann for his third six shortly before reaching 150, prompting Nottinghamshire to take the new ball after 84 overs, although it was only two overs old when they turned again to Farhan, who was lofted down the ground by Burns for his fourth maximum but then dismissed Burns and Ben Foakes with consecutive deliveries.A catch at wide mid-on accounted for Burns as the erstwhile England opener attempted to clear the ropes again before Foakes, capped as recently as March this year, prodded outside off-stump and was caught behind.Jacks survived the hat-trick ball but after hitting Farhan for his third six he was caught on the long-off boundary to give the youngster his fourth scalp.

Dismal forecast in Nottingham raises prospect of shared trophy between Somerset and Glamorgan

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Sep-2024Somerset vs Glamorgan – no play possibleThe 2024 Metro Bank Final between Somerset and Glamorgan has been forced into a reserve day after no play was possible on Sunday at Trent Bridge.Heavy rains and thunderstorms across the United Kingdom were felt particularly harshly in the Midlands, meaning not even the toss was possible as the pitch and square remained under covers, with consistent showers preventing any attempt at a clean-up.The teams will return on Monday to attempt a full 50-overs contest, but more inclement weather is expected. In the event of a no-result, Somerset (50-over champions in 2019) and Glamorgan (2021 champions) would share the trophy. Fortunately, there will be enough medals for both teams due to a surplus from last year.Previously, in such circumstances, the winner would have been decided in a bowl-out. However, the ECB removed that option ahead of the 2024 season when introducing reserve days across all men’s and women’s limited-overs finals. Speaking in November, ECB operations manager Alan Fordham had hoped they would not be required: “Every knockout match has a reserve day, but it’s remarkable how little reserve days are actually required,” he said. “Hopefully, I’m not leaving myself a hostage to fortune.”It will be the third occurrence of a reserve day being used for a men’s List A final, and the first use of one in men’s domestic cricket since the Vitality Blast Final in 2020. Last summer’s Charlotte Edwards Cup also had to be completed on the reserve day.Play was eventually abandoned without a ball being bowled at 2.33pm – when the rain was at its worst – as the time needed to dry the ground would have exceeded the 4.02 cut-off point. Had any play been possible, the match would have begun as a 50-overs-a-side affair and spilled over into Monday before any reduction in the playing conditions would have been implemented.For Somerset, the wait for silverware goes on – albeit for another 24 hours – with the One-Day Cup now the only trophy standing in a bid for hat-trick of titles that was derailed last week. Last Saturday’s defeat in the Blast final to Gloucestershire was followed by defeat to Lancashire which handed Surrey their third consecutive County Championship with a round to spare.Glamorgan, meanwhile, could do with something to cheer. They failed to make it out of the South Group in the Blast and are currently second-bottom in Division Two heading into the last round.Both teams brought three coaches’ worth of fans along on Sunday. Around 200 Somerset fans set off from Taunton at 6.10am, while Glamorgan had two buses leaving Cardiff at 6am, and one from Swansea which arrived on Saturday and will remain overnight in the hope that Monday’s forecast is a dud.

Injuries to Healy, Vlaeminck make defending champions’ win bittersweet

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-2024Australia 83 for 1 (Healy 37, Perry 22*, Sadia 1-17) beat Pakistan 82 (Riaz 26, Gardner 4-21, Sutherland 2-15, Wareham 2-16) by nine wicketsAn Australian side struck by two injuries marched to a third massive win over a depleted Pakistan team, who slumped to the lowest total of the tournament so far. The result leaves Pakistan all but out of knockout contention while Australia are now almost certain to qualify into the final four.Pakistan were without their captain Fatima Sana, after the passing of her father, and senior seamer Diana Baig, who has not recovered from the leg injury that saw her leave the field after bowling one ball in their tournament opener, and they missed the pair’s enthusiasm and experience. Only one of their batters, Aliya Riaz, scored more than 20, while there were five scores of single figures, two ducks and no partnerships worth more than 19.All that happened after Australia lost their quickest bowler, Tayla Vlaeminck – who was playing her first T20 World Cup match since 2018 – before she had even bowled a ball. Vlaeminck dislocated her shoulder while tumbling at short third in the first over of the game trying to cut off a boundary, and there’s a cloud over her participation in the remainder of the tournament.Her absence did not stop Australia from making run-scoring difficult for Pakistan. They found the other six bowlers tough to get away, only scored their first boundary of the innings in the ninth over, and hit just four fours in all. Australia had struck that many by the third over of their innings. Alyssa Healy was responsible for five of them and seemed set to take Australia to victory but retired hurt in the 10th over, as she hobbled to complete a second run off Aroob Shah. Healy gingerly headed to the dressing room with a foot injury.Related

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Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner polished off the total in 11 overs, which has taken Australia’s net run-rate up to 2.786, leaving them almost assured of a final-four place. Their last group match is against India in Sharjah on Sunday. Pakistan face New Zealand on Monday.Schutt shoots to the top Megan Schutt had an exceptional first two matches in Sharjah, where she established herself as the most economical bowler of the tournament so far, but was also able to take wickets on a surface that offered very little assistance. She’d have been delighted to get to more helpful conditions in Dubai and started with two testing overs as she shaped the ball away from Muneeba Ali and into Sidra Amin. Schutt was given a third over in the powerplay, where she played with her lengths, and eventually drew Sadaf Shamas into a drive and Healy was convinced Shamas had hit it. She reviewed, successfully, to give Schutt her 144th T20I wicket – which took her to the top of the overall T20I wicket-takers’ list. Schutt overtook one of the players in the opposition, Nida Dar, who had to come to the crease with Shamas’ dismissal. Pakistan were 18 for 2 after five overs and 23 for 2 at the end of six.Alyssa Healy hobbled off with a foot injury•ICC/Getty Images

Awesome Ash GardnerPakistan were starting to rebuild – but only slightly – between the 10th and 16th over courtesy a 19-run stand between Iram Javed and Aliya Riaz though they always looked close to being separated. Gardner should have had Javed stumped on 10 when she came down the track and swung at a length delivery but Healy missed the chance.It didn’t take too long for Gardner to get her own back. In her next over, she tossed one up and Iram could not resist going for a big one. She skied it towards deep mid-wicket where Georgia Wareham was completely unfussed by the ring of fire and took a good catch. Gardner’s final over was the innings’ penultimate and Pakistan had to go in search of runs. Off the second ball, Healy made no mistake when Tuba Hassan came down the track, swung, missed and was stumped. Aroob Shah hit Gardner’s second-last ball to Beth Mooney at mid-wicket and Nashra Sandhu was given out lbw off the last ball which turned past her inside-edge to hit her on the pad. Gardner finished with 4 for 21, her second-best figures in T20Is.Healy, Mooney race awayAustralia started their reply with eight runs off their first 11 balls, none of them boundaries. That was all they needed to see and began to cash in thereafter. Healy drove Dar through the covers to register Australia’s first boundary and the fours kept coming. Beth Mooney hit three off Sadia Iqbal’s opening over, demonstrating her strength through the offside and Healy followed up with two more off Sadaf Shamas. Australia were 36 without loss in the fifth over when Mooney hit Iqbal to Aliya Riaz on the edge of the inner ring at mid-off but the horse had bolted. They won with 54 balls remaining, and their excellent NRR means they’d have to lose by 61 or more runs against India to be displaced from No. 1.

They are the only two names featuring in the final list of contesting candidates at the election on January 12

PTI07-Jan-2025Devjit Saikia and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia will be elected unopposed as BCCI secretary and treasurer, respectively, on January 12, as the only two names featuring in the final list of contesting candidates.The list of contesting candidates was prepared by the BCCI electoral officer and former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Achal Kumar Joti, on Tuesday.The window to file the nominations ended last week while the deadline to withdraw nominations ended at 2pm on Tuesday. Since there were no withdrawals, the electoral officer published the list of contesting candidates at 5pm on Tuesday.The election will be held on the sidelines of the BCCI’s SGM on January 12 and the result, which is now a formality, will be announced on the same day.Saikia has been working as the interim secretary of the BCCI since Jay Shah took over as the ICC chairman on December 1.Bhatia filed the nomination for the treasurer’s post after the post was left vacant by Ashish Shelar, who recently took oath as a cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government.