Maybe Ngidi's injury was a blessing in disguise – Boucher

Highlighting the importance of workload management, Lungi Ngidi’s franchise coach said he would not like to see his seamer rushed back to the international stage

Firdose Moonda26-Oct-2017Lungi Ngidi’s nine-for for Titans on return from a back injury that sidelined him for four months is as much as cause for celebration as it should be a cautionary tale, highlighting the importance of managing the young quick. Ngidi’s franchise coach, Mark Boucher, told ESPNcricinfo he would not like to see his seamer rushed back to the international stage for at least “a few months”, and hopes his workload is monitored closely as he develops.Ngidi, 21, enjoyed a rapid rise last summer, in which he debuted in List A and first-class cricket and followed it up with an international debut earlier this year. With an ability to clock speeds of 140kph, he had massive expectations placed on him. Boucher believes the workload escalated too quickly and ultimately forced Ngidi out of action.”Lungi came from the Tuks’ team where he was bowling maybe 10 overs a day, and then went to provincial cricket, bowling maybe 15 overs a day, and then franchise cricket, where he had to bowl around 20 overs a day and all of that happened in the space of one season when he also made his international debut and got picked for the South Africa A side to tour England. By the time he went over, he was tired; he had a long season and maybe the selection should have been looked at,” Boucher said. “He needed a proper off-season to rest and recover so maybe his injury was a blessing in disguise.”After playing in three List A matches for South Africa A in the UK, he was forced to return home before the first-class fixtures and was diagnosed with a stress fracture. He was unable to play for South Africa in a triangular 50-overs competition against India A and Afghanistan A, nor could he take part in the four-day matches against India A . Moreover, he could not play in the first four franchise matches of the summer either.Instead, he had to work on his recovery, conditioning and overall well-being and that is where Boucher feels he has made significant strides. “We sat down with him and had a chat about the kind of player he wants to become, the work he needs to do on his bowling and even things like the kind of food he puts into his body, and he really committed to the things we decided,” Boucher said.Two weeks ago, Ngidi played a three-day game for the provincial side Northerns, and on Monday, he returned for the Titans with spectacular results. He took the new ball and delivered an opening spell of five overs, in which he took 4 for 24 and then returned to take two more wickets with the older ball later in the day. Ngidi’s first innings figures of 6 for 37 ensured the Lions were bowled out for 180 and set Titans up for a nine-wicket victory.Though he was bowling on a lively pitch, even the opposition was in awe of Ngidi’s performance. “He was by far the quickest bowler on display,” Geoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach, said. “And he found really good areas.”While observers were impressed with Ngidi’s pace and leaner physique, Boucher was happier to see that Ngidi could operate with the same intensity at the end of the game as he did at the start. “Now you will probably find that after 17 or 18 overs in the legs, he is still running in hard, bowling quickly and causing problems for the batsmen,” Boucher said.All that will come as good news to a South African camp beset with bowling injuries, with six quicks – Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell and Duanne Olivier – all recently sidelined. Boucher, however, does not want to see Ngidi rushed back as a quick-fix. “We understand that there is a lot of anticipation around Lungi and getting him ready but I don’t think it should be rushed,” he said.For now, that call has been heeded. Ngidi did not recover in time to play the T20s against Bangladesh and with the national team out of action until Boxing Day, his most pressing assignment will be the franchise T20 competition which starts on November 10. Then, South Africa play four Tests (one against Zimbabwe, three against India), before limited-overs fixtures begin in February, for which Ngidi may be considered.By then, all the above mentioned bowlers should be back in action, with Boucher expecting Steyn to turn out for Titans in the franchise T20 tournament from the get-go and Morkel and Morris to join them half-way through. Philander has already returned for the Cobras in the ongoing round of first-class fixtures.However, with a busy season ahead – eight Tests, six ODIs and three T20s on top of a franchise competition that all national players are expected to be available for – bowlers’ workloads will continue to be a topic of discussion. South Africa’s franchise coaches will meet with national coach Ottis Gibson and CSA’s medical committee in Johannesburg on Friday to discuss matters relating to fitness, form and player management.

Uttar Pradesh nudge ahead after Ishant strikes

Akshdeep Nath and Rinku Singh rearguard help Uttar Pradesh stretch lead to 246 in see-saw day; Raina fails

Varun Shetty in New Delhi03-Nov-2017
ScorecardPTI

Akshdeep Nath followed up his fifty in the first innings with a century to rescue Uttar Pradesh after they had slipped and lost three wickets with only two on the board, after they pocketed a lead against Delhi. He was joined by left-hander Rinku Singh on 21 for 4 as the pair added 108 for the fifth wicket to swell UP’s lead to 246 with three wickets intact on a bizarre day at Palam grounds, where play ended after a man breached the security gates and drove on to the pitch.Delhi had begun the day on 228 for 6 in response to UP’s 291. Dhruv Shorey batting overnight on 65 did the bulk of the scoring on the morning, after Pulkit Narang was dismissed in the first over of the day. He made 33 of the 41 runs Delhi got and remained unbeaten on 98 as Imtiaz Ahmed cleaned out the tail. The medium-pacer finished with three wickets, while left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, who had snapped three wickets yesterday, added one more to his tally.Ishant Sharma, the Delhi captain, then ripped through UP’s top order. He rattled opener Shivam Chaudhary’s stumps off the first ball of the innings. In his next over, he had first-innings top-scorer Mohammad Saif caught in the slips. Suresh Raina came in at No. 5 when Navdeep Saini dismissed Albas Shaukat in the following over. He started off aggressively but couldn’t sustain it for longer than 17 deliveries, edging behind off Ishant.Nath started watchfully in the second innings, preferring to play straight on a track that offered bounce through the day. But as the fifth-wicket pair approached tea, they opened up. Rinku Singh, who got a second innings century in his previous match, struck a breezy 64 off 80, getting his fifty before Nath. He then failed to control a cut against a rising ball.Like in the first innings, Nath took a liking to the spinners. He directed Delhi’s fields against him with compulsive use of sweeps and reverse sweeps. There were at least three appeals of lbw against him as he employed those shots, including when was on 99, but at no point did he show signs of not being in control.With Upendra Yadav, Nath put on 86. But while he was successful in staving off – and attacking – Kulwant Khejroliya’s short ball strategy, Upendra couldn’t keep a hook down in the last hour of play. Nath was unbeaten at the end of the day after swelling UP’s lead.

Bangladesh to host first tri-series since 2010

The tri-series, involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will be followed by two Tests and two T20Is between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2017Bangladesh will host a tri-nation ODI series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, beginning on January 15. It will be the first tri-nation series hosted by Bangladesh since January 2010.

SL tour of Bangladesh fixtures

Tests:
1st Test: January 31-February 4, Chittagong
2nd Test: February 8-12, Dhaka
T20Is:
1st T20I: February 15, Dhaka
2nd T20I: February 18, Sylhet

A Zimbabwe XI will take on BCB XI in a one-day warm-up match on January 13 at the BKSP 4 Ground. Bangladesh will then take on Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener in Dhaka where all seven day-night matches, including the final on January 27, will be held. Each side will face each other twice during the league stage before the final.Sri Lanka had won the previous tri-series involving the same teams in Bangladesh in January 2009.After the tri-series, Bangladesh will host Sri Lanka for two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka respectively. The first Test will be played from January 31 to February 4 and the second match from February 8 to 12.Sri Lanka’s tour will end with two T20Is – the first on February 15 in Dhaka and the second on February 18 in Sylhet.

We're 'very smart' on tough pitches – Hesson

“We often want to play with a bit of flair and be aggressive with everything we do with the bat and sometimes conditions don’t allow that. We’re playing some smart cricket, particularly on a variety of surfaces,” said New Zealand’s coach

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2018New Zealand’s versatility, consistency and discipline have made them “very smart” on surfaces that haven’t allowed them to play with their typical flair and aggression, according to coach Mike Hesson. On a slow pitch in Dunedin, New Zealand’s batsmen scratched their way through the middle overs and finished with 257, but bowled Pakistan out for 74 to claim the series with a 183-run win.”We were very smart on surfaces that perhaps haven’t allowed us to play how we’ve wanted to play,” Hesson said. “We often want to play with a bit of flair and be aggressive with everything we do with the bat and sometimes conditions don’t allow that. We’re improving and I think we’re playing some smart cricket, particularly on a variety of surfaces, so that’s very pleasing.”I think perhaps in the past we might have just kept going and reflected on it at the end of the day. But especially in the game the other day, I thought Kane [Williamson] and Martin [Guptill] were exceptional in how they assessed the conditions.”Trent Boult and Tim Southee broke the third ODI open with a terrific spell of swing bowling, leaving Pakistan at 9 for 3 after 10 overs. Hesson said that was the best first 10-overs period he has ever seen.”Last game was pretty close to perfect on a tricky surface. I think the first 10 overs, that’s the best I’ve ever seen. In terms of when you have to bowl into the wind, Tim’s five overs into a howling gale, he never missed the strings, kept hitting the top of the bat, he was exceptional and obviously Trent was relentless from the other end.”New Zealand have now won 10 straight games across formats. How good are they currently? “That’s up for others to judge,” Hesson said. “In the last five years, every side has travelled here. And our record at home is pretty good. We’re very clear how we operate pre-game, one of the keys is we’re very consistent about how we operate, whether we’ve come off a win or a string of losses.”We don’t get too overawed, if we lose a few games, and if we’re on a roll, we don’t drop our guard. We’re relatively new in terms of the kind of roles we’ve given our players. Colin [Munro] is very new at the top of the order, Tom [Latham] and Henry [Nicholls] are very new to that middle-order role. From a bowling point of view, Lockie [Ferguson] is new, we’re playing two spinners, we’re trying a few things this summer and it helps that we’re developing some depth.”

Erasmus' resilient fifty hauls Namibia to thrilling win

Nepal scrape to four-wicket win after felling UAE for 114; Canada pick up third straight win after Gunasekera’s gritty half-century

The Report by Peter Della Penna11-Feb-2018Gerhard Erasmus’ resilient half-century resurrected a faltering Namibia chase, lifting them from 65 for 7 to a thrilling two-wicket win in their pursuit of 166 against Oman at the Wanderers Sports Club.Oman seemed well on course to victory as Bilal Khan cut through Namibia’s batting order with his maiden List A five-for. But Erasmus and JJ Smit survived the left-armer’s spell of swing bowling, and constructed a 92-run eighth-wicket stand to pump life back into Namibia’s hopes of promotion into the World Cup Qualifier.Oman had been under pressure when they batted as well, falling to 10 for 3 in the fifth over after being sent in in seam-friendly conditions. As he did a day earlier, when Namibia bowled out Kenya for 83, captain Sarel Burger had a minimum of two slips in place for nearly the entire innings.Jatinder Singh ground out a top-score of 29 off 71 balls – one of five 20-plus scores in the innings – to settle Oman’s early nerves, before a late flurry from the lower order hauled them to a modest total.Oman’s fielding was sloppy early on – and it cost them later as well – as several chances went down, allowing Namibia to reach 44 for 1. Lohan Louwrens had been driving Namibia’s chase early, but should have been out for 23 when he was spilled over the third man rope off Bilal for six. Bilal persisted with a short-ball plan until Louwrens was cramped for room and fended a catch behind to end the 12th over. Bilal struck for the second time in the 14th, beating JP Kotze for pace to send his off stump cartwheeling back.Erasmus entered after Nico Davin fell lbw to offspinner Jay Odedra in the 15th over, with the score on 61 for 4, but could only watch helplessly from the non-striker’s end as Bilal took three more wickets in the space of five balls in the 16th over. Craig Williams flashed an edge through to wicketkeeper-captain Sultan Ahmed, Jan Frylinck was beaten for pace to be trapped leg before, and Sarel Burger edged a drive low to first slip.With storm clouds hovering overhead, Namibia were well behind on Duckworth-Lewis, but Erasmus and Smit calmly blocked out the rest of Bilal’s initial eight-over spell. The pitch slowed down as the innings wore on, offering little to Oman’s spinners as Erasmus resurrected the chase with ones and twos. As the target whittled down to less than 50 in the 39th over, Sultan tossed the ball to Aqib Ilyas for his part-time legspin, but Erasmus swept him for four as the 300 fans in attendance sensed a home victory.A crunching pull from Erasmus off Fayyaz Butt in the 47th over brought up his fifty off 95 balls, and brought the equation down to 12 off 21 balls. Kaleemullah conceded just two in the 48th over, before Smit finally buckled in the 49th, pulling Butt to mid-on and leaving Erasmus to get nine off 10 balls with the tail.Three singles put Erasmus on strike with six to get off the final over. Pacer Mohammad Nadeem was tasked with defending it, bowling with the wind at his back. Erasmus then premeditated a scoop to clear fine leg inside the circle, but he didn’t get the desired elevation. The fielder reached up for the chance, but the ball burst through his hands, and had enough momentum to go for four. Another single to fine leg leveled the scores, before No. 10 Bernard Scholtz slapped a single through cover for the winning run.Sompal Kami’s 4 for 30 helped decimate UAE for 114 as Nepal scraped to a four-wicket win in a weather-affected match at United Cricket Field. Following a two-and-a-half-hour delayed start due to a wet outfield from overnight rain, Nepal won a crucial toss with play reduced to 34 overs a side and sent UAE in on a pitch that has heavily favored early seam movement throughout the tournament.Sunday was no different as UAE were behind the eight-ball throughout the match following Sompal’s opening spell. The short but whippy fast bowler struck with the third ball of the match, bowling Ashfaq Ahmed for a golden duck. Two more strikes by Sompal and Karan KC had UAE 25 for 3 in the eighth over before teenage legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane and captain Paras Khadka tore through the middle order to take 3 for 30 and 2 for 20 respectively. Sompal then returned to finish off the tail as UAE were bowled out in 31 overs.Nepal, who had struggled to chase Namibia’s 138 on day one before creeping over the line by one wicket, needed a half-century from Khadka after another top-order collapse saw them slip to 20 for 3 in the seventh over. Khadka counterattacked with five sixes in his 51 off 48 balls. Sompal then helped out with the bat too, smashing a six off his third ball before ending the match with a three to finish unbeaten on 10 off five balls.Opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera overcame a thumb injury to produce a gritty 83 off 99 balls and set up Canada‘s third straight win of Division Two with a 59-run victory over Kenya at Affies Park.Canada had been coasting early at 58 for 1 after being sent in with Gunasekera leading the way on 38 off 28 balls when he received a blow to the left thumb from medium-pacer Nelson Odhiambo that caused his fingernail to nearly come off. After leaving the field for treatment, he returned at 90 for 3 in the 23rd over and proceeded to anchor the rest of the innings, lasting until the third ball of the 49th over before he was eighth out to a rare hit-wicket dismissal trying to swat Nehemiah Odhiambo.Gunasekera’s innings ensured Canada had plenty to defend against a brittle Kenya batting line-up, who crossed 100 for the first time in three attempts at Division Two but still fell well short of the target. Captain Rakep Patel kept hope alive for a comeback with his 32 off 76 balls, but he was run out attempting to steal a single to short third man off Nikhil Dutta’s offspin; he couldn’t beat Navneet Dhaliwal’s relay to Hamza Tariq behind the stumps, and Kenya were 123 for 8. Dhaliwal also took 3 for 15 in eight overs of part-time medium pace to hasten victory.

Starc, Hazlewood swing Australia to 118-run win

Starc misses out on hat-trick but South Africa’s resistance lasts 22 balls on the fifth and final day at Durban

The Report by Brydon Coverdale05-Mar-20182:47

Holding: Markram will get better and better

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMitchell Starc missed out on a hat-trick but Australia had little trouble in wrapping up a 118-run win on the fifth morning in Durban, where they took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Bad light had halted Australia’s march to victory on the fourth evening with just one wicket required, so it was possible that it could have taken just a single ball to end the game on day five. In the end, it took 22 deliveries.Josh Hazlewood confirmed the result by trapping Quinton de Kock lbw for 83 in the fourth over of the day, as South Africa were dismissed for 298. Morne Morkel finished not out on 3. Starc had been denied the chance to bowl for a hat-trick late on day four after he bowled Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada with what became his last two balls of the day, as the umpires declared that the light was sufficient only for spin bowling. He instead bowled for his hat-trick with the first ball of the fifth day and rapped de Kock on the pads, but the ball was sliding down leg.The result gives Australia a good start as they aim to maintain their remarkable record of having not lost a Test series in South Africa since readmission. The teams now move on to Port Elizabeth for the second Test, which begins on Friday.

In-form Pakistan heavy favourites against inexperienced West Indies

As Karachi gears up for its first international match in nine years, the mood around the game is not so much about the revival of big cricket in Pakistan as much as its normalisation

The Preview by Umar Farooq in Karachi31-Mar-2018

Big Picture

The series between the top-ranked team playing at home and a West Indian team without its key players doesn’t have much by way of intrigue in it. Since the PSL final, the hype, the excitement, clamour for tickets, mayhem on the streets, overwhelming security and crazy marketing campaigns have all been toned down. It’s not about the revival of international cricket so much as its normalisation now.Pakistan have the upper hand, what with the West Indies featuring an inexperienced, depleted side. The series may end up being a one-sided affair after Cricket West Indies had to scramble to assemble a squad of 13 players ready to visit Pakistan. Many automatic selections including Chris Gayle, Jason Holder and Evin Lewis along with the T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite pulled out. The series will see West Indies vice-captain Jason Mohammed step up to lead the side in the absence of regular captain Brathwaite in the three-match series.Although Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur somewhat patronisingly termed West Indies a “dangerous” side that had “nothing to lose”, the biggest challenge for the visitors is to keep the series competitive. They have to recover from the jetlag, having to turn up to play just hours after landing in Karachi from the Caribbean. Pakistan, on the other hand, have been in the city for several days, and been training well ahead of the three back-to-back-to-back games.Pakistan’s 15-man squad has plenty of young, in-form players raring to go in the international games. The batting is centred around Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam, while the bowling is led by Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali, with a new sensation in the 17-year-old fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi likely to make his debut.Pakistan are presently atop the world T20I rankings and the three-match series will give them the opportunity to widen the gap between themselves and Australia at No. 2. A 3-0 victory will see Pakistan consolidate their position, while in the unlikely event of them suffering a 3-0 reverse, they will slip to fourth.

Form guide

Pakistan WWLWWWest Indies LLWWW

In the spotlight

Given his indifferent form in the PSL, Ahmed Shehzad‘s selection for the home series raised a lot of eyebrows. The opening batsman had a poor PSL season with the bat, scoring 173 runs at 19.22 with a strike rate of 85.22, but selectors have decided to stick with him given his decent T20I form. A propensity to play out far too many dot balls for the modern game often sees him come under fierce criticism, but he is the second-highest run-getter for Pakistan in T20Is since the start of 2017, behind only Babar Azam, with 367 at 33.36. He will look to improve his numbers further against West Indies’ short-of-big-names side.There is no denying West Indies’ inexperience, but it is the one side you wouldn’t bet against in this format. One man Pakistan wouldn’t want to write off in particular is Marlon Samuels. Twice a World T20 winner – not to mention Man of the Match in both finals he’s played, Samuels will be the major driving force for the Caribbean side, and is expected to provide much-needed support for captain Jason Mohammed. When West Indies visited Pakistan last 12 years ago, a memorable unbeaten 100 from Samuels in Multan saw West Indies rout Pakistan. Shoaib Malik – the only Pakistan survivor from that game – will be sure not to let his side underestimate him.

Team news

Pakistan will open with Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, and not play Ahmed Shehzad most likely. Hussain Talat is set to make his debut at No. 3 and Asif Ali will likely get his international cap too, but Shaheen Afridi will have to wait.Pakistan (likely XI): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Hussain Talat, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Faheem Ashraf, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Mohammad NawazIt’s difficult to predict West Indies’ combination, but there is no news of injury. With two uncapped players of their own, the first game could see several players from each side taking their first steps in international cricket.West Indies (likely XI): 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Chadwick Walton, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Jason Mohammed (capt), 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Keemo Paul, 8 Rayad Emrit, 9 Veerasammy Permaul, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Kesrick Williams

Pitch and conditions

The temperature in Karachi has risen drastically since the PSL final last week, touching 40 degrees Celsius, but the sea breeze in the evening should make the weather more pleasant. The pitch is expected to be hard with the sun baking it all day, and a run-fest could be on the cards.

Stats and trivia

  • Pakistan have a 6-1 win-loss record at home in seven T20Is. Their only defeat was to World XI last year.
  • Since the start of 2017, Pakistan have been the best T20I side in terms of results, with a 10-3 win-loss record.
  • In the last 15 months, Babar Azam has been Pakistan’s highest run-getter (461 at 41.90) and Shadab Khan their highest wicket-taker (19 at 16.15).

Quotes

“This series provides opportunities for new players to stake their claim for a regular place in the team, plus gain vital experience in different conditions. We expect the series to be highly competitive.”

Stanlake dumps Yorkshire to chase Australia Test dream

Ricky Ponting has suggested that Billy Stanlake can become one of the great Test bowlers and it appears new Australia coach Justin Langer is of the same mind

David Hopps16-May-2018Australian fast bowler Billy Stanlake has been withdrawn from his deal with Yorkshire for the Vitality T20 Blast as he switches his focus to proving that he has a future at Test level.The late change of heart, determined by Cricket Australia and Stanlake’s representatives following Justin Langer’s appointment as head coach, leaves Yorkshire high and dry only a month before the start of the T20 season.It will only heighten the feeling within county cricket that with the game in such flux, and the cricket calendar so crowded, agreements with overseas players can no longer be relied upon.Stanlake, who is centrally contracted by Cricket Australia, sustained a fractured finger playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and only began bowling in the nets again last Friday.But fitness was not an issue for the abandonment of his Yorkshire deal. He has been named in Australia’s squad for five ODIs and one T20 in England from June 13-27, which represents Langer’s first assignment.Langer, it appears, also believes that Stanlake has potential in the red-ball format and the player is also eager to prove his worth in the longer form of the game.Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, certainly thinks so, suggesting in February that he “could be one of the all-time great fast bowlers.”So far his injury record has precluded him from making much of an impact – he has managed only two first-class games, the last of them in November 2015, afflicted by serious back injuries and, more uncommonly, an infected toe which came close to amputation.He will now concentrate on a full pre-season with the Queensland Bulls, with an eye on potential Sheffield Shield involvement later in the year.Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, was in disconsolate mood when he said: “Cricket Australia got in touch on Friday and have decided on a different strategy for Billy Stanlake.”Now the new Australia coach is in place, they want him to play some different cricket to T20 during the period he was due to be with us. Consequently, they’ve pulled him out of our deal, which is obviously very disappointing for us. We’re not the only county, it would appear, who has been affected by this.”We’ll assess the situation as to whether we go for a replacement or not. We may choose to stick with our own players.”Stanlake was set to play a minimum of 12 matches for Yorkshire, missing the opening two because of Australia commitments but then due to play right through to final group match against Nottinghamshire at Headingley on August 17.

Surrey go out but Jacks brings consolation

Will Jacks shone once more and Connor Brown just missed out on his first List A century as Glamorgan fell to defeat at Kia Oval

ECB Reporters Network06-Jun-2018
ScorecardA crowd of almost 5,000 at the Kia Oval were given another glimpse of Will Jacks’ immense potential as the 19-year-old struck a brilliant 80 from 57 balls as Surrey eased to a five-wicket Royal London One-Day cup victory against the South Group’s bottom side Glamorgan.Sadly for Surrey, however, their fourth win of the competition did not earn them a quarter-final berth because Essex Eagles beat Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford to go through to the knockout stage alongside Kent and top-of-the-group Hampshire.Like Jacks, it was also a bittersweet day for another youngster, 21-year-old Glamorgan batsman Connor Brown, who earlier hit a six and nine fours to reach 98 from 136 balls in just his third List A appearance before being caught in the last over.But Glamorgan’s 50-over total of 266 for 8 was never going to be enough after Jacks and Jason Roy plundered 77 in only 8.3 overs for the second wicket to take full advantage of the initial ten-over Powerplay following the early dismissal of an out-of-form Mark Stoneman.Jacks, who also scored 121 against Gloucestershire earlier in the competition, reached his fifty from a mere 30 balls and pulled Timm van der Gugten powerfully for successive sixes in the eighth over of Surrey’s reply. With Roy also swinging Carey over deep square leg for six, it was only when off spinner Andrew Salter was introduced that Surrey’s cavalier progress was slowed.Salter bowled Roy for 23 with his second ball, when brought on for the tenth over, to leave Surrey 84 for 2, and then he also ended Jacks’ sparkling knock when the tall opener yorked himself as he advanced to drive. Jacks had hit 12 fours, besides those two huge sixes of Van der Gugten.From 125 for 3, it was left to Surrey captain Rory Burns and the classy Ben Foakes to steady Surrey with a fourth wicket stand of 79 in 14 overs.Both got out when victory was all but assured, Burns for a 69-ball 68, caught at long on off David Lloyd’s off breaks, and Foakes held at mid wicket off Carey for 30.Ollie Pope and Sam Curran, in an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 51, completed the win with 9.2 overs to spare.Rikki Clarke, with a deserved 3 for 49, was the most successful bowler in a disciplined Surrey attack in which Morne Morkel looked a class apart while taking 2 for 39 from his ten overs. Tom Curran had a rare off day as he was taken for 80 from his ten-over allocation.Glamorgan lost their first two wickets without a run on the board, as openers Nick Selman and Aneurin Donald fell to Morkel and Sam Curran respectively to the third and tenth balls of the match.Glamorgan’s recovery was launched by Brown and Colin Ingram, the captain, who put on 85 in 18 overs for the third wicket but Ingram then aimed a reverse sweep at off spinner Batty – perhaps an error of judgement on the left-hander’s part at that stage of the innings – and was lbw for 44.Ingram had faced 59 balls, hitting sixes off both Batty and Tom Curran, but his dismissal was quickly followed by that of Lloyd, who was caught at long leg in the 25th over when Morkel returned for a quick second burst.Brown was fortunate to squeeze a searing Sam Curran yorker off the toe of his bat just past Foakes for four to go to his half-century but he and his fellow youngster, the 20-year-old Kiran Carlson, added 65 to give Glamorgan the chance to post some sort of defendable total.Carlson was leg-before to the accurate Clarke for 33 but Brown, accelerating, pulled Sam Curran for six and then swatted Morkel over mid off for four to go into the 80s.Graham Wagg proved to be just the man Glamorgan needed to join Brown, swinging three legside sixes in a violent 18-ball 35 before he skied Clarke to extra cover.Brown, needing just two for his first List A hundred, selflessly swung the second ball of the final over, bowled by Clarke, to deep midwicket.

Pushpakumara, Jayasuriya hand Bangladesh A innings defeat

The left-arm spinner grabbed six wickets in the second innings after Jayasuriya’s hundred, as Sri Lanka A clinched the three-match series 1-0

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2018Malinda Pushpakumara’s six-wicket haul blew away Bangladesh A by an innings and 38 runs within three days in Sylhet. Sri Lanka A finished 1-0 winners in the three-match series after the first two matches were drawn.Left-arm spinner Pushpakumara finished with nine wickets but it was his second-innings haul that wrecked Bangladesh, who were bowled out for 107 on the third morning. They started the day on 57 for 1, trailing by 88 runs, but lost Mizanur Rahman in the second over of the day. Soumya Sarkar too fell soon after, stumped for 28, leaving the side 61 for 3. The other batsmen didn’t offer much resistance as Bangladesh lost their last eight wickets for 49 runs.Shehan Jayasuriya was the Man of the Match for his 142 off 155 balls, which had 15 fours and four sixes in Sri Lanka’s first-innings 312. Bangladesh had been bowled out for 167 on the first day.Jayasuriya also took five wickets in the game with his off-breaks.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus