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Mushfiqur Rahim kept the game competitive, scoring an unbeaten 98 to rescue Bangladesh after they had slipped to 117 for 6

The Report by Mohammad Isam28-Jul-2019Sri Lanka made an auspicious start to life after the 2019 World Cup, clinching the ODI series against Bangladesh with one game to spare. They won the second ODI by seven wickets after their bowlers put together a great team effort. Their batsmen saw off tricky periods in their chase, but mostly dominated the visitors who posted 238 for 8 after deciding to bat first. It is Sri Lanka’s first series win at home in three-and-a-half years, and it came via a combination of young and experienced players.Avishka Fernando’s stunning 82 came off 75 balls, including nine fours and two sixes, and he gave Sri Lanka the perfect start in their chase. He added 71 for the first wicket with Dimuth Karunaratne and 58 for the second with Kusal Perera, before Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis steered Sri Lanka home with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 96.Avishka jumped to life in the sixth over when he cracked Shafiul Islam for three fours in a row, punching him off the backfoot twice before pulling one high through square-leg. He struck Mustafizur Rahman for two more fours in the eighth over, before pulling him in his next over for his first six.Karunaratne’s dismissal in the 12th over hardly slowed down Avishka, who slog-swept his second six and struck two more fours. He was dropped on 77, albeit with Mosaddek Hossain making the best of a tough catch running in from deep cover. Avishka, however, fell in the next over, miscuing a Mustafizur cutter, having put Sri Lanka in a strong position.There was a slight wobble in the 25th over when Kusal Perera, having made 30, was caught at cover off Mustafizur, but Mendis and Mathews ensured a smooth ending to the chase. They played out four overs without forcing the issue, but the introduction of a part-timer, Sabbir Rahman, released the pressure, with a boundary coming off his second ball and shifting the momentum towards Sri Lanka. Mathews and Mendis soon picked up fours off Shafiul, Soumya and Mustafizur, and steadily took Sri Lanka to the target in 44.4 overs. Mathews finished unbeaten on 52 off 57 balls with seven fours while Mendis was not out on 41 off 74 balls with four fours.Mushfiqur Rahim shapes to play the ball•Associated Press

They may have had to chase far less had Mushfiqur Rahim not rescued Bangladesh from the depths of 116 for 7. Mushfiqur and Mehidy Hasan changed the course of the innings with an 84-run partnership for the seventh wicket, Mehidy playing the aggressor with six fours in his 43.Mushfiqur’s plan, meanwhile, was to bat deep, and it worked out well as he remained unbeaten on 98. He didn’t go too hard at the bowling until a 16-run penultimate over, when he hit two fours and a six off Isuru Udana. His approach was dictated by the wickets Bangladesh had lost, and a sluggish R Premadasa Stadium pitch that offered turn for the spinners.Akila Dananjaya, in his first match back for Sri Lanka, made full use of the pitch, finishing with 2 for 39. Nuwan Pradeep and Isuru Udana also took two wickets each but the home side started to flag after the 35th over, and enabled the Mushfiqur-Mehidy partnership to flourish.But in their first match after Lasith Malinga’s exit, Lahiru Kumara and Nuwan Pradeep stepped up really well. Albeit through a tame full-toss, Sri Lanka’s first wicket came when Soumya Sarkar was trapped lbw. Tamim was bowled for the sixth game in a row, dragging Udana on to his stumps in the ninth over.Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah fell to Dananjaya, who made the ball rip from outside off stump plenty of times in his first spell. It was also in his over that Sabbir Rahman was run out after a mix-up with Mushfiqur. Mosaddek Hossain fell to a Udana bouncer, leaving Bangladesh six down in the 33rd over.Mushfiqur’s fight managed to make it a more interesting game but ultimately Bangladesh were at least 30 runs short.

A month after being picked by Trinbago Knight Riders at the CPL draft, the South Africa quick is set to make his IPL debut

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2018Fast bowler Junior Dala has replaced his injured South Africa team-mate Chris Morris at Delhi Daredevils for the rest of IPL 2018. Morris, who was the only overseas player to be retained by Daredevils, for INR 7.1 crore (USD 1 million approx.), has been sidelined with a back injury.Dala had set a base price of INR 20 lakh (USD 30,000 approx.) but found no takers in the auction in January. Daredevils have now bought him at that price, and this will be his first IPL stint.Dala made his T20I debut against India in February this year. He impressed with his unique action – he takes off on his right foot in his pre-delivery stride and lands on the right foot again – and skiddy pace. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the three-match T20I series at home against India, claiming seven wickets at an economy rate of 9.16.Dala adds depth to a pace attack that includes Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Dan Christian, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Sayan Ghosh and Liam Plunkett, who had replaced the injured Kagiso Rabada.Last month, Dala was picked by Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League draft. In all, Dala has played 52 T20s, taking 49 wickets at an economy rate of 8.21.

The batsman, who also contributed with his medium-pace bowling, last played an international match for West Indies in March 2015 at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket. Smith, 33, who is playing for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, confirmed the decision before the start of the second qualifying final against Karachi Kings in Sharjah. His last West Indies appearance came at the 2015 World Cup.Smith made his international debut on West Indies’ tour of South Africa 2003-04, beginning with the New Year’s Test in Cape Town in January 2004, after Marlon Samuels flew home with a knee injury. He made an impression straightaway, scoring a century on debut – a run-a-ball unbeaten 105, his only international century – in the second innings of the game, to help West Indies draw the match and end their streak of seven successive Test losses in South Africa. The team, however, did lose the series 3-1. Smith played only nine more Tests, scoring a total of 320 runs in the format. His last Test appearance for West Indies was in March 2006, against New Zealand in Napier.Smith had a far more substantial run in the limited-overs sides, where he also made useful contributions with his medium-pace, although his batting returns remained modest. Having begun in the lower order, Smith was promoted to the top order, including as an opener, after 2014 and did better there. Six of his eight ODI fifties came when he batted in the top three, and his average of 25.27 was better than his overall career average of 18.57. Overall, he played 105 ODIs scoring 1560 runs at a strike rate of 92.69. He also took 61 wickets in ODIs, with a career-best of 5 for 45 and three four-fors.Smith was part of two World Cup squads for West Indies in 2007 and in 2015, where his final appearance came against UAE in Napier. Following West Indies’ early exit from the 2007 World Cup, Smith spent close to three years out of the ODI and T20I squads before making his return in 2010.He was part of three World T20 squads – in 2007, 2012 and 2014. While he played only one match during West Indies’ title run in the 2012 World T20, he was picked in the next edition as the side’s designated opener and scored 125 runs in five matches. In 33 T20 internationals, he scored 582 runs at 18.18 with a strike rate of 122.78, although he only made three fifties.Smith has been a popular cricketer on the T20 circuit, over the last few years, turning out to play for franchises in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, as well as the NatWest Blast in England.

Yuvraj Singh, whose cameo helped India beat Sri Lanka and seal their spot in the Asia Cup final, has said that his ‘flow’ is back

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2016Allrounder Yuvraj Singh showed glimpses of improved batting form during his cameo against Sri Lanka, which helped seal India’s spot in the final of the Asia Cup. The second ball he faced was slashed over backward point for four, and then Yuvraj unleashed signature flicks and lofts on his way to 35 off 18 balls. He struck three fours and as many sixes before he was dismissed with India only 18 runs away from the target.”Today was one of those days where I felt my flow was back,” Yuvraj told . “I needed a bit of a flow out there to feel good. I felt that my game is back. I have been trying to get as much batting time as possible and I believe I have been picking up slowly.”Yuvraj had targetted left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, smashing him for 13 runs off three balls, including two sixes in the arc between long-on and deep midwicket.”I was assessing which bowlers I am going to attack and which bowlers I won’t,” Yuvraj said. “I told myself that if a left-arm spinner is bowling, then I am going to go and attack straight away. Any left-hand batsman who can hit sixes will go after left-arm spin … Tonight I just wanted to be positive and hit the ball straight away and deliver for the team.”Yuvraj has managed only 64 runs in three Asia Cup matches at a strike rate of 96, but has batted 125 minutes on considerably green pitches. In India’s previous match against Pakistan, Yuvraj faced a proper short-ball attack from Mohammad Irfan. The fast bowler had Yuvraj ducking and swaying, and even sent a 146 kph bouncer past the batsman’s nose. Yuvraj survived the threatening spell, though, and added 68 with Virat Kohli to stabilise a chase of 84. He was unbeaten on 14 off 32 balls as India won by five wickets with 27 deliveries to spare.”Last game, it was a different situation where we needed to take a spell out and get a partnership going,” Yuvraj said. “I took my time out there where I could leave a lot of balls and get a partnership going along with Virat Kohli. It was a small total so I could take a lot of time.”Yuvraj also complimented Kohli, who has four 50-plus scores in the last six matches and averages 103.66 in T20Is in 2016. “I feel he has been in the form of his life for the last five to six years,” Yuvraj said. “He has been very consistent and he knows his role really well. He is batting beautifully and I hope he continues to do that.”Having spent time in the middle and found his hitting range, Yuvraj hoped to win games for India in the upcoming World T20. “I want to get better every game,” he said. “Hopefully, I can continue this good run ahead. I believe it is my responsibility to go and change the game for the team. Hopefully, I can do it more than once.”

Australia suffered a potentially significant blow to their chances of victory at Chester-le-Street when Shane Watson left the field injured on Sunday

Brydon Coverdale at Old Trafford11-Aug-2013Australia suffered a potentially significant blow to their chances of victory at Chester-le-Street when Shane Watson left the field injured on Sunday. Watson pulled up sore after the third ball of his seventh over of England’s second innings and walked off with pain in his right hip/groin area. Cricket Australia said he would be assessed on Sunday evening “to see how it settles”.In the immediate term, the injury hampers Australia’s hopes in this Test as, due to ICC regulations, Watson will not be able to have a runner when he bats in Australia’s chase. Watson scored 68 in the first innings and apart from the centurion Chris Rogers was the batsman who appeared to best handle the swinging and seaming conditions.In the longer term, it is a concern given Australia’s apparent desire to turn Watson into more of a bowling allrounder. He began the series opening the batting but a lack of runs at the top of the order, combined with his impressive economy and control at the bowling crease, encouraged the Australians to move him down to No. 6 for this game.Ryan Harris said: “It’s obviously not a good sign when anyone gets injured but I don’t know it’s as bad as first thought. When I left the rooms they were talking about him batting but they’ll assess it tonight and see how he pulls up in the morning. You never want anyone limping off, especially someone like Shane Watson who’s a pretty big player in your team.”Watson has bowled 80.3 overs in this Ashes campaign, easily the second most he has sent down in a Test series, after the 115.4 he delivered in India in 2008. Watson’s bowling has been a constant source of injury concerns throughout his career, to the point that he embarked on the tour of India earlier this year as a batsman only, in an attempt to avoid further problems. But his miserable batting form – he has not scored a Test hundred since 2010 – meant that Watson needed to be bowling for Australia to gain enough value from his inclusion in the side and he has played an important bowling role in England.Watson’s most recent bowling injury occurred during the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka at the MCG last year, when he hurt his left calf, the same muscle that caused him problems earlier in the season and ruled him out of the first two Tests against South Africa. He had also missed the whole of the previous Australian Test summer due to calf and hamstring injuries.His injury in Melbourne came after he sent down 47.4 overs in the previous match at Hobart, the most he had ever delivered in a Test, and his heavy workload and subsequent injury on this Ashes tour will again force Australia to consider how to use him in future.If Watson is ruled out of the next Test at The Oval, Australia will also need to consider whether to replace him with a bowler and move Brad Haddin up to No. 6, or with a batsman. James Faulkner, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Starc are the extra bowlers in Australia’s squad who could come into contention and each offers an all-round option as well.

T20 is the way to grow women’s cricket and ensure it remains commercially viable, Clare Connor, the chairwoman of the ICC’s women’s cricket committee, has said

Siddhartha Talya30-Jul-2012T20 cricket is the way for women’s cricket to grow and remain commercially viable, Clare Connor, the chairwoman of the ICC’s women’s cricket committee, has said. She said playing T20 tournaments simultaneously with the men, as with the World Twenty20, gives women’s cricket an ideal platform to attract greater viewership.There hasn’t been a women’s Test played since early 2011, and fitting in all three formats, Connor said, would be difficult until women’s cricket became fully professional – which, she believes, it is not ready for yet.”The reality is that since the T20 format came into being in international cricket in 2004, there has barely been any Test cricket,” Connor told ESPNcricinfo in an interview. “That’s because the T20 format gives us that platform. It’s a shorter format, it’s more likely to grow the game from a participation perspective and also from a commercial perspective. It gives us probably more opportunity to get on television, and I think that is the way the women’s game is headed. That’s the reality and we have got to embrace that, and we are, with more and more double headers.”Men’s and women’s World T20s have been played simultaneously since 2009, the first time a women’s event was held on a global scale in the format. Connor said the decline of Tests in women’s cricket “polarises opinion” but T20 offers them the best chance to increase visibility.”The reality is: if we don’t play Test cricket, if Australia and New Zealand, for instance, are no longer going to play Test cricket, in the period of time needed to play a Test match, they could play three T20 games. They can get them on television and they can play alongside the men, and that’s a huge opportunity.”England and Australia introduced player contracts for women cricketers in 2008, offering some flexibility to players who still juggle playing cricket at the highest level with alternative careers. Pakistan and West Indies have also brought in a contract system, but Connor felt it was too soon to make contracts mandatory for all countries.”So long as there is a really healthy bilateral FTP in place and so long as the ICC sees that the performance standards in the women’s game are going up, I don’t think it’s up to the ICC necessarily to legislate on whether the women’s players should be fully contracted or fully professional. In an ideal world, yes, we would see that, but I don’t think we are probably ready for it yet, and I don’t think there are enough countries ready to fully professionalise the women’s game for there to be enough women’s cricket to be played that is commercially viable, if you like.”Last year, the WICB increased the number of contracted women cricketers to eight. “There is the evidence there to show that some form of contracts is really useful and can be beneficial,” Connor said. “One of the best cases of how that’s helped improve standards has been the West Indies, who in the last four years have really shot up the rankings and are a force to be reckoned with.”One of the aspirations of the ICC women’s cricket committee, Connor said, was to get all ODI members to include women’s cricket in their broadcast rights negotiations. The committee, for its part, has been trying to promote more bilateral cricket in the women’s game and reduce over-dependence on ICC events for the women’s game. In the last six months, Connor said, there has been an attempt to “increase the number of the minimum standard regulations, the number of games – bilateral cricket – that must be played in the ODI and T20 format”.”That’s something we’ve been constantly looking to address – really encourage as much bilateral cricket as possible, so that players have the opportunity to play in all different sorts of environments and all different sorts of opposition.”Read and listen to the full interview here

Left-arm spinner George Dockrell will lead hosts Ireland in the 10-team ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier to be played from July 28 to August 9. The top six sides will qualify for the 2012 ICC U19 World Cup in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2011Left-arm spinner George Dockrell will lead hosts Ireland in the 10-team ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier to be played from July 28 to August 9. This will be the last edition as the ICC has decided to scrap the tournament, saying that the money saved on staging costs will be used to develop cricket in the Associate and Affiliate nations.The top six sides out of Ireland, Afghanistan, Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, USA and Vanuatu will qualify for the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup to be held in Australia. The 10 Full Members automatically qualify.Dockrell, who turns 19 later this month, is considered to be one of the most promising talents and has already played 22 ODIs for Ireland. He also has a contract with English county side Somerset.The full squads are as follows:Afghanistan: Shir M. Shirzi (captain), M Jawed Ahmadi, Mohammad Y. Ahmadzai, Nasir J. Ahmadzai, Younas K. Ahmadzai, Aftab Alam, Abdur R Mangal, Abdul R.K. Naseri, Mohibullah Paak, Rahmatullah Sahaq, Hashmatullah Shaidi, Sayed A. Shirzad, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar K. ZazaiCanada: Kevasan Juvarajan (captain), Tristan Ali, Maninder Aulakh, Suddepta Aurka, Gurkaran Dhilon, Nikhil Dutta, Kyle Edghill, Nitish Kumar, Trevor Manoosingh, Rayankhan Pathan, Sarren Ramsany, Jobanjot Singh Sidhu, Akass Shah, Akhlas UmarIreland: George Dockrell (captain), George Adair, Richard Berry, Scott Campbell, Adam Coughlan, Shane Getake, Niall Hodgins, Ryan Hunter, Hugh MacDonnell, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, Sam Shannon, Jason van der MarweKenya: Kennedy Ochieng (captain), Duncan Allan, Harrison Angila, Jignesh Hirani, Irfan Karim, Martin Ndandason, Joseph Ochieng, Rushabhvardhan Patel, Emmanuel Ringera, Raj Savala, Raj Shikotra, Vinit Shikotra, Siddhant Taneja, Rahul VishramNamibia: Stephen Baard (captain), Justin Baard, Luke Bolton, Christopher Coombe, Jason Davidson, Andre Engelbrecht, Gerhard Erasmus, Shalako Groenewald, Zhivago Groenewald, Gert Lotter, Tangeni Lungameni, Pelham Myburgh, Wian van vuuren, Johan WesselsNepal: Prithu Baskota (captain), Pradeep Airee, Naresh B. Budhaayer, Bhuban Karki, Krishna Karki, Avinash Karn, Subash P. Khakurel, Nischal Pandey, Shubhendi Pandey, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Sagar Pun, Fajlur Rahman, Rupesh K. Shrivastav, Rahul K. VishwakarmaPNG: Christopher Kent (captain), Charles Amini, Dogodo Bau, Sese Bau, Nigel Boge, Albert Geita, Raymond Haoda, Gia Kelly, Raturima Maha, Alei Nao, Vagi Oala, Lega Siaka, Toua Tom, Norman VanuaScotland: Patrick Saddler (captain), Frederick Coleman, Matthew Cross, Henry Edwards, Peter Legget, Anjandeep Luthra, Thomas McBride, Scott McElnea, Ross McLean, Samuel Page, Peter Ross, Kyle Smith, Stanley Shillington, Aman BailwalUSA: Gregory Sewdial (captain), Salman Ahmad, Shayan Abdul Ghani, Abhijit Joshi, Cameron Mirza, Prashanth Nair, Mital Patel, Amarnauth Persaud, Gurpreet Sandhu, Hammad Shahid, Jodhbir Singh, Trevor Singh, Pranay Suri, Steven TaylorVanuatu: Patrick Matautaava (captain), Ravin Arutambean, Kaluwin Bangalini, Callum Blake, Jelany Chilia, Worford Kalworai, Kendy Kenneth, Nalin Nipiko, Jamal Ngwango, Joshua Rasu, Shem Sala, Jaxies Samuel, Apolinaire Stephen, Ronald Tari

In a tournament that has witnessed two high-intensity one-dayers, all three matches featuring Bangladesh have been frustratingly one-sided

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla21-Jun-2010In a tournament that has witnessed two high-intensity one-dayers, all three matches featuring Bangladesh have been frustratingly one-sided. After going down by six wickets to India (116 balls remaining), to Sri Lanka by 126 runs, they were blown away by Shahid Afridi’s hurricane century and lost by 139 runs.The Bangladesh bowling has been toothless all tournament, managing only 15 wickets in three matches. Mashrafe Mortaza, their most successful fast bowler, has been a shadow of himself, and the supporting quicks have also been unable to check the runs. That has meant that when Bangladesh’s spinners, the strongest suit of their bowling, come into the attack, the opposition is already away to a cracking start.”Our bowling stocks are pretty depleted at the moment, with Mashrafe coming back from injury,” Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, said. “[Chasing] 385, 315 and India would have made 350 probably in the first game. I’m pointing my finger straight at the bowling attack for putting too much pressure on our batting.”After being caned for 385 by Afridi and Co, Bangladesh’s batsmen shut shop almost as soon as their top batsman Tamim Iqbal was dismissed in the eighth over. “It was an impossible target for us at the moment, we still lost five-six wickets getting to 245,” Siddons said. “I’m not going to let anyone criticize the team for our approach. If Tamim had made 150, we could have chased 350-380, that was our plan, he went out there to be aggressive, if he had his day like Afridi, anything’s possible but Imrul [Kayes] and Junaid [Siddique] had no chance of making 385 off their bat, no chance.”Siddons was largely satisfied with the batting effort though the side finished a long way short of the target. “We probably should have got 270 today, that should win most games for teams with a decent bowling attack,” he said. “It is ridiculous to say ‘why didn’t you go out slogging’, we couldn’t have done that without getting all out for another score of 140.”The trouble for Bangladesh is the players that they have invested in, and given plenty of opportunities to, were off-colour all tournament. “Shakib [Al Hasan]’s definitely way out of form, Mahmudullah faced seven deliveries, didn’t see the ball he reckons, didn’t score off seven balls,” Siddons said. “Mushfiqur [Rahim] failed three times in a row, so it was left to Tamim and Imrul for the whole tournament, it’s disappointing, I hope they click pretty soon, we have done a lot of work on them.”The shallow talent pool in Bangladesh is also a cause for concern. “The 15 guys that we have carried for most of the year are the pool for the World Cup,” he said. “Trust me there are no Sachin Tendulkars, no Virender Sehwag, no Dilshans we are leaving behind.”The team now has a week off before they head to England for the one-day leg of their tour. Unless the middle-order revives itself and the fast bowling proves more potent in the more helpful conditions in England, another drubbing awaits.

Lancashire were already relegated but showed fight with the ball on final day of season

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2024Worcestershire sealed their highest position in the Vitality County Championship since it was split into two divisions in 2000 after drawing with relegated Lancashire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.They secured sixth spot in Division One after recovering for the second time in the game from a precarious position with the bat thanks to the efforts of Matthew Waite, Adam Hose and Logan Van Beek.It enabled them to surpass their previous best performance of finishing seventh in Division One in 2011.Worcestershire have defied the pre-season predictions of being favourites to make an instant return to Division Two after last summer’s promotion campaign.A run of three successive wins against Durham, Kent and Essex effectively made sure of top-flight cricket in 2025.It was a fitting way for long-serving all-rounder Joe Leach to end his career after being Worcestershire’s leader of the attack for the past decade and a haul of 467 first-class wickets for the County.He received a standing ovation when he came out to bat for the second time in the game and signed off with 30 not outWorcestershire can be proud of their efforts after the well-documented challenges on and off the field that have confronted them during the past 12 months.They have shown a tremendous team spirit and an abundance in skill but also their determination in adversity when recovering from challenging positions in games.Worcestershire triumphed away to Durham after being bowled out for 112 in the first innings and then recovered from 10 for 4 on the first morning to defeat Essex at Chelmsford.Relegated Lancashire’s fate had been sealed on Saturday after their failure to secure a single batting bonus point for the ninth time in 14 games this season.But there was the encouraging sign of a return to form of pace bowler Tom Bailey.He had picked up just 16 wickets in his first 10 Championship appearances of the summer but was back to his best against Somerset and Worcestershire with a haul of 11 scalps.West Indian paceman Anderson Phillip also impressed during his short spell at the club and ended this game with nine wickets.Phillip struck with his first ball of the day as Jake Libby played too early at the delivery and offered a gentle return catch.Phillip struck again when Kashif Ali, Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the Championship this summer, went for a flashing drive and edged through to keeper Matty Hurst.Gareth Roderick completed 2,000 first class runs for Worcestershire when he reached nine but added only five more before he was run out.Rob Jones turned Phillip towards cover and he and Roderick set off for a single but the keeper-batter was unable to make his ground before Will Williams direct hit at the non-striker’s end.Jones (17) was lbw after aiming to drive Tom Bailey and Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira lost his middle stump to the same player.Ethan Brookes was lbw to a delivery angled in by Williams at 78 for 6.But for the second time in the game Waite led a counter-attack, this time in partnership with Adam Hose.He pulled Phillip for six and a similar shot off the same bowler brought another boundary.Hose provided excellent support, mixing solid defence with a series of fine strokes, on driving George Balderson and straight driving Williams to the ropes.Waite raced onto 37 from 27 balls before he aimed another pull at Phillips but this time picked out Harry Singh at deep square leg.The seventh wicket pair added 55 in just nine overs.Hose’s determined knock of 41 off 109 balls came to an end when he was lbw to give Bailey his third wicket.Van Beek advanced to 44 before he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Phillip but then Leach had time to end with a flourish in making 30 not out before bad light halted play at 3,30pm with 41 overs remaining.

He’s taken a step closer to realising his dream, a year after Rohit predicted he would be an all-format player for India “pretty soon”

Himanshu Agrawal06-Jul-2023In May 2022, Rohit Sharma had forecasted that Mumbai Indians’ Tilak Varma would be an India player very soon. “Having such a calm head is never easy, and in my opinion, I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon,” Rohit had said. “He’s got the technique, and he’s got the temperament, which is the most important thing when you play at the highest level.”Just over a year later, Varma has moved a step closer to the India cap. The 20-year-old was named as part of India’s young-looking squad for the upcoming five T20Is against West Indies, something he wasn’t yet dreaming about.”I was not thinking about the national side,” Varma, who is representing South Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru, said after the second day’s play against North Zone. “My mom and dad were crying on video call yesterday; they were very emotional. My childhood friend called me [saying] you have got selected. That was the time – around 8 o’clock [pm] – that I knew I was selected.”Related

• Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma earn maiden call up to India T20I squad

• Rohit: Tilak Varma will be an all-format player for India pretty soon

Other than his captain Rohit, Mumbai’s set-up also includes former India batter Sachin Tendulkar, who even dined at Varma’s place during the IPL. And Varma, on his part, didn’t let go of the opportunity to get some advice out of the two experienced players.”I have heard a lot from Rohit and Sachin sir, and also from Virat [Kohli] . They always tell that when you are in good form, your subconscious mind is in the right place,” Varma said. “They also tell me to play close to the body… they always tell that [preparing] off the field is very important.”Varma smashed 343 runs in this year’s IPL, where he struck at 164. Only two Indian batters, Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane, had a better strike rate for those to have hit at least 300 runs this season, even as Varma’s debut IPL season in 2022 fetched him 397 runs. He already dreams about delivering in a World Cup, even if he wasn’t thinking about an India call-up just yet.”I visualise every night how I can bat: if in a World Cup match, we are four or five down for 40 or 50, from there on, how can I take the team forward? It helps in making it easy for me,” Varma said.With the next T20 World Cup less than a year away, Varma’s technique and temperament, as highlighted by Rohit, might as well see him doing that there and then. Only time will tell if he can translate his success in IPL to international cricket.