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New Zealand’s coach Mike Hesson has said his side’s 2-0 sweep of the Test series in Zimbabwe is important as they look to establish themselves as a top team

Firdose Moonda11-Aug-2016New Zealand have taken major steps on the ladder to being considered a top Test team by winning another series in foreign conditions. Their 2-0 sweep in Zimbabwe meant they have only lost two of their last seven away series, which includes a victory in West Indies and a draw in the UAE. This result, coach Mike Hesson explained, is important as they look to improve.”We know we will only be judged a decent team once we start to do well away from home,” Hesson said after their series win in Bulawayo. “We won in West Indies and Sri Lanka, and we are getting better. We were challenged here in Zimbabwe with both bat and ball and India are going to challenge us in a few months’ time.”Hesson called different unknown surfaces “a great leveler” and Kane Williamson used the same term when he discussed how touring teams need to take on both the opposition and their conditions.”Any time you tour away from home, the conditions are so diverse that the challenge is not just playing a different nation, it’s having to make big adjustments to your game and your approach as a team,” Williamson said. “Those are challenges that are unique to the international game and something every side finds difficult. It’s a leveler as well because everyone is most used to their home conditions. So when you go away you have to adapt as quickly as you can and it’s not an easy thing.”So how are New Zealand working on being able to adjust their game to match up to changing conditions? “We’ve got enough experience in the group that players can talk about it,” Hesson said. “When we train, we train with a purpose. We’ve got a group of players that share ideas and learn from each other.”Of New Zealand’s current squad, four had played in the Bulawayo Test they won by 34 runs five years ago. It’s no surprise then that Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill and BJ Watling were among the top five run-scorers in 2016. They knew the pitch did not allow for quick runs and that they would have to show patience, a word they used with nauseating frequency in the lead-up, to build a total.The approach paid off. New Zealand posted two scored in excess of 500 and only rushed things in the second innings of the second Test when they needed to set Zimbabwe a total.The man who accelerated was Taylor, whose eye was in better than anyone else’s. “He is in an excellent space. A very calm space and technically, he is playing nicely,” Hesson said. “He is training very well and is just making good decision after good decision.”The best decision, though, was made by Neil Wagner. He banged in short ball after short ball on a surface that was not supposed to give him bounce and he stunned Zimbabwe’s inexperienced line-up in the first Test. Later, he showed he could work an old ball and find reverse swing, something that will be crucial in the subcontinent.In doing so, Wagner also kept New Zealand’s only seam-bowling allrounder Doug Bracewell out of the side. “Doug is competing with Neil Wagner. With Neil’s ability to reverse the ball, that’s a role we wanted. We thought Neil was the right one to go with and he had a very good first Test, so he got a second,” Hesson explained.Bracewell, though, will likely come into contention in South Africa, where pitches would be a bit more lively. Test cricket has never been played at either Kingsmead or SuperSport Park in August before, so New Zealand will have to adapt again. Bracewell, Matt Henry and offspinner Mark Craig could come into contention as New Zealand attempt to win a first-ever Test series in South Africa to continue their form on the road.

Shankar Basu on how Kohli kept fit during lockdown, and RCB’s training in the UAE heat

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2020Shankar Basu, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s strength and conditioning coach, feels Virat Kohli has come back from the pandemic-enforced break in cricket “in much better shape”. Basu, who has worked with the Indian team as well, outlined in an interview with PTI how Kohli kept fit during lockdown, how RCB’s return to training has been going, and how players’ workload will be managed in the special current circumstances. Here are excerpts of his interview with PTI.On Kohli’s lockdown fitness routine: “He is at his best weight at the moment”
“He [Kohli] has come back in much better shape. He is at his best weight at the moment and his movement patterns are pretty much in sync with his best self in the past.”He has taken this break as an opportunity to work on all the pointers which needed attention from a physical point.”He had the time to be very specific with his meal plans and running intervals at home. He did not have much of a choice during the lockdown and he invested on a treadmill and worked on his endurance which is otherwise not possible during a packed calendar.”He did shuttle running in his apartment, which had a little space. With all these constraints, the attitude stood out more than the workout.”His customised strength work to compliment that was his mantra during the lockout. So a combination of running and strength work and he kept it simple by just following this to the T.”On being in touch with the RCB team during lockdown: “Everybody had a customised programme”
“We were not sure about anything then [during the lockdown]. We just ensured that everybody had a customised programme based on what equipment they had at their respective homes, and, kudos to the boys, they approached it diligently.”On RCB’s return to training, in the UAE’s demanding weather conditions, after the long layoff: “No fool-proof algorithm; a sensible approach is what we are taking”

“Since most of them have arrived in decent shape physically, it’s only a matter of time [before] they are match ready.”With regards to assessing a player’s fitness, most of the workouts are a test in itself. As a coach, we have to be prudent that they tick the right boxes and drills, which can be an assessment.”The coaching director [Mike Hesson] and the head coach [Simon Katich] and the entire support group are aware of a long layoff and ergo the planning with regards to the length of practice times, humidity, temperature and recovery is something we have worked as a team.”There is no fool-proof algorithm for it but a sensible approach is what we are treading on.”On dealing with workloads – especially for the pacers – in the UAE’s demanding conditions: “Hydration and diet important”
“Our bowling coach [Adam Griffith] has come with a specific plan [for the fast bowlers] pertaining to loads in the first two weeks and that will be used as a blueprint [for workload management going forward].”Complementing the skills and choosing the right exercises to get the balance will provide the much-needed impetus for every bowler.”The modern cricketers are very mindful of their meal plans. Hydration, balanced amount of protein, carbs, and good fat will do the trick. And to combat the heat – again, we have our wellness and load-monitoring system, which will be put to good use.”

Livingstone heroics went in vain as Sixers cement hold on top spot

Alex Malcolm16-Jan-2021Josh Philippe may well have secured a trip to New Zealand with Australia’s T20 side after producing yet another dazzling display with the bat to entrench Sydney Sixers in top spot on the BBL table with a comfortable win over Perth Scorchers.Philippe, the tournament’s leading runscorer, made light work of what could have been a tricky chase of 164 showcasing his full array of skills in an innings of 84 from 52 balls. He shared a 106-run stand with James Vince who scored an equally classy 52 from just 35 as the Sixers cruised to victory by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.The Scorchers only have themselves to blame after inviting the Sixers back into the game. At the ten-over mark of the first innings, they were for 1 for 103 having won the toss and batted first. Liam Livingstone lit up Manuka Oval with some phenomenal striking, launching six balls into the stands in a blistering 38-ball 67. But they boldly took the Power Surge in the 11th over and Livingstone holed out first ball to spark a stunning collapse. They lost 6 for 60 in the last 10 overs with Dan Christian, Carlos Brathwaite, and Jake Ball strangling the Scorchers middle order taking two wickets each.The Sixers moved nine points clear on top of the BBL table, while the Scorchers remain in third thanks to the Bash Boost point.Living dangerouslyLivingstone was dropped first ball in the last game against the Hobart Hurricanes and made them pay with a half-century. He was dropped fifth ball off Steve O’Keefe and made the Sixers pay a heavy price. It was a straightforward chance at mid-off which Daniel Hughes made a mess of.The Scorchers scored just nine runs off the first two overs before Livingstone teed off. Jackson Bird’s line and length was treated with disdain as he clubbed two fours a six in one over. O’Keefe then suffered the ignominy of conceding the most runs in an over in this BBL season. Livingstone plundered 26 off the bat, including three sixes, two of which were struck one-handed down the ground, while O’Keefe delivered a wide as well. The Scorchers took 53 off the powerplay and kept rolling.Livingstone brought up his half-century in the seventh over off just 29 balls with his fifth six. Even the loss of Jason Roy didn’t slow him down as he cleared the rope for a sixth time. The Scorchers were 1 for 103 after 10 overs but incredibly, Dan Christian bowled the eighth and 10th over and conceded just 10 runs while picking up Roy.Liam Livingstone launches into one of his sixes•Getty Images

Power FailureThe Scorchers took the Power Surge immediately and it triggered a collapse as they lost 4 for 18 in four overs. Livingstone later blamed himself after chipping the first ball from Jake Ball to mid-off, and Ashton Turner holed out later in the over. They managed to score just 9 runs from the Surge with Ball and Christian tying them down with some excellent yorkers and slower balls. Colin Munro watched his teammates come and go and struggled for fluency against some clever bowling and fell to Carlos Brathwaite for 34 off 32. The Scorchers scored just 60 off the last 10 overs and lost six wickets.Philippe firesPhilippe continued his outstanding form on a day when Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch suggested he was being looked at closely for national duties. He got off the mark with a streaky outside edge past slip but was flawless thereafter, feasting on Andrew Tye in the third over taxing three overpitched deliveries in a row. The chase stalled a touch when Philippe and Vince didn’t score a boundary for four overs after Justin Avendano fell to Jason Behrendorff in the midst of a tidy spell from the left-armer. But Tye returned and Philippe pumped him through midwicket to bring up a very comfortable half-century off 31 balls.He then stepped on the accelerator and Vince went with him. The pair struck six fours and two sixes in 30 balls without taking the Power Surge. They called for the Surge in the 16th over and brought up a century stand and Vince’s half-century in the same over. They couldn’t finish the game off themselves. Philippe was hit in the helmet trying to pull a slower ball bouncer off Jhye Richardson and lost his middle stump next ball trying to paddle scoop fine. Vince played all around a leg break from Fawad Ahmed in the next over but Hughes and Christian scored the last 16 runs without error.

Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera and Lakshan Sandakan not part of 17-man squad

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2021Pathum Nissanka has earned a maiden call-up for the two Tests against West Indies for which fit-again Dimuth Karunaratne will lead Sri Lanka’s 17-man squad. Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera and Lakshan Sandakan were missing from the squad which included allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva, who had missed the two Tests against England in January with a thigh injury.Nissanka, the 22-year-old top-order batsman, has already impressed in the ongoing T20Is in the West Indies with scores of 39 off 34 and 37 off 23. He has also been a consistent performer in first-class cricket, maintaining an average of 67.54 across the 59 long-format innings he has played so far. In those innings, he has hit 13 hundreds and 13 fifties. Middle-order batsman Roshen Silva has also impressed in domestic cricket, but has not played a Test in over two years.Karunaratne missed the England Tests with a finger fracture he suffered on the tour of South Africa during his century at the Wanderers, but will now return to lead both the ODI and Test sides.On the fast-bowling front, Sri Lanka are missing Lahiru Kumara, who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two weeks, but have the likes of Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando available. Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya will likely be Sri Lanka’s primary spinner following his good performances against England at home. Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga is also available, in addition to the offspin of de Silva. Ramesh Mendis – if he plays – offers another offspin option.Sri Lanka lost their last four Tests – two away to South Africa, and two at home to England – but were seriously hampered by injuries through those series. Several important players are missing from this Test squad as well, but the return of captain Karunaratne will be especially heartening. De Silva’s return is also significant, particularly as he adds balance to the Test XI with his offspin.Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Dasun Shanaka, Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Roshen Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Embuldeniya

Deandra Dottin is also back in Stafanie Taylor-led squad set to travel to Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2020A fit-again Deandra Dottin has returned to West Indies’ 15-member squad, led by Stafanie Taylor, for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.Dottin had been out of cricket for eight months, recovering from a right shoulder injury that required corrective surgery and months of rehabilitation.Lee-Ann Kirby, meanwhile, returned to the West Indies squad after more than 12 years. The 32-year old allrounder from Trinidad and Tobago played the last of her two T20Is in July 2008.Kirby and batter Aaliyah Alleyne are the most inexperienced members of the squad. Alleyne made her debut during the home series against India last November, featuring in all three matches that West Indies lost.The semi-finalists from 2018 are looking to reclaim the title they won in 2016, when they beat Australia in a thrilling final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.The star of that game Hayley Matthews is one of three frontline allrounders – the other two being Taylor and Dottin. Anisa Mohammed, the experienced offspinner, will spearhead the spin attack.The pace department will be led by Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell, both of whom are returning from injuries, along with newcomer Cherry-Ann Fraser.”Lee Ann Kirby returns to the team after an extended absence but she has shown herself to be a prolific scorer,” chief selector Ann Browne-John said in a release.”In addition the introduction of the young fast bowler Cherry Ann Fraser is ideal for the Australian pitches which are generally fast with some bounce. The team has the experience and talent to excel at the World Cup.”West Indies, who last played international cricket in November, will play Pakistan in three warm-up matches in Brisbane ahead of the T20 World Cup.They begin their campaign on February 22 against first-timers Thailand in Perth, ahead of matches against Pakistan (Canberra) and England (Sydney) on February 26 and March 1 respectively. Their final group fixture will be on March 3 against South Africa in Sydney.Squad: Stafanie Taylor, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman

“Unfortunately, quite a few of us got out with kind of cross-batted shots which might not be our preferred method”

Alex Malcolm19-Feb-20233:35

Chappell on the sweep shots: Australia panicked and did something not natural

Australia captain Pat Cummins has admitted his batting group overplayed their hand in the second innings in Delhi as they took their proactive mindset to the extreme in an extraordinary batting collapse that cost them the second Test in less than a session.Australia were 65 for 1 in the first over of the third day with a lead of 66 before losing 9 for 48 in 110 balls to be bowled out for just 113 well before lunch on the third day.Related

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India cruised to victory with just four wickets down to take a 2-0 series lead in the series. The stunning collapse comes just a week after they were bowled out for 91 in the third innings in Nagpur to lose that match by an innings and 132 runs.Cummins had asked his batters to be brave and proactive in the immediate aftermath of the Nagpur defeat but admitted his team may have gone too far the other way in Delhi, with six of the dismissals coming via attempted sweeps or reverse-sweeps in a frantic 90-minute period against Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin who claimed all 10 wickets between them for the innings.”Nagpur maybe [we] underplayed it, we probably overplayed it here at times in the second innings,” Cummins said. “You’ve got to find a way to try and put pressure back on the bowlers. They’re really, really good bowlers, especially in these conditions. Probably just at times maybe just overplayed it.”I thought they bowled really well. It’s not easy out there. But perhaps some guys went away from their methods.”Each batter has their own way to go about it. I don’t think there’s any one size fits all rule. Unfortunately, quite a few of us got out with kind of cross-batted shots which might not be our preferred method.”Cheteshwar Pujara, who guided India home in his 100th Test match, noted on that he had put the sweep shot away on the Delhi surface having fallen trying to sweep in Nagpur.”If you look at this pitch, it’s not an ideal shot to play because there’s no bounce,” Pujara said.Steven Smith was out lbw after missing a sweep•Getty Images

“I think it’s the initial phase when you are just walking into bat, you find it a little difficult, you need to get used to the pace of the pitch, some balls spun, some balls are going straight on. So you just need to figure out the way to tackle that. But once you play about 30-40 balls, then it’s a good pitch to bat on. And then once the ball gets older, I think we have seen that throughout the game when the ball is hard it’s slightly difficult. Once the ball gets softer, it gets easier to bat on.”Cummins admitted his team had let a golden opportunity slip to get back into the series having had India 139 for 7 on day two, leading by 124 in the first innings thanks to Nathan Lyon’s superb five-wicket haul, only to lose before tea the following day in an extraordinary turn of events.”I’d say just more disappointment, knowing that over here these opportunities don’t come up all the time,” Cummins said. “Especially being relatively in front of the game, feeling like that game was there for the taking.”

Will Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood be fit for Indore?

Australia chose to train in the immediate aftermath of the Nagpur loss last week holding an optional centre-wicket practice on what would have been day five at the VCA Stadium. They are unlikely to follow suit in Delhi. But they have nine days to fill between the loss and the start of the third Test in Indore.Cummins revealed there will be a lot of soul-searching for Australia’s batters in particular. But there may also be some changes made to the squad.”We’ve got a bit of time. We’ll have a good think. Have a look at different things,” Cummins said. “I think over the next day or two we’ll look at any changes in the squad as well. Mitchell Swepson has gone home, he’s a chance of coming back. Hopefully Cam Green is available, [Josh] Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc, we’ll manage that.”We’ll assess it over the next couple of days. [We’ve] probably got enough time to have a bit of a break, a bit of a refresh, and still plenty of time to roll up the sleeves before the next one.”Green, Starc and Hazlewood are all expected to be fully fit for Indore while Swepson should be available to return to India after flying home for the birth of his first child.But there are still some concerns over David Warner after he was subbed out of the game with a concussion following a blow to the head in the first innings. He has also suffered a hairline fracture in his left elbow from another blow in the same innings.”Davey is still a bit sore and sorry,” Cummins said. “So we’ll manage and see how he goes over the next few days. He came to the ground today for a fair while which is good. But we’ll kind of assess him over the next little bit.”Todd Murphy bowled with some side soreness in the fourth innings but managed to deliver 6.4 overs and collect the wicket of Virat Kohli.

Kumar Sangakkara has called on his spinners to raise their game in the final Test in Mumbai

Sa'adi Thawfeeq27-Nov-2009It hasn’t been a great tour for Muttiah Muralitharan so far•AFP

Sri Lanka came into the series intending to secure their maiden Test victory on Indian soil but were left with a lot of soul searching to do after they were thrashed by an innings-and-144-runs in the second Test in Kanpur.Though India ran up 642, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara defended the selection of three spinners. “If we had won the toss and batted first on the wicket and got a decent amount of runs on the board our spinners would have been quite a threat on this track,” he said. “It would have been very hard to score runs off them as well. The chances that we did create were not taken by us, allowing the Indian batsmen to get away on a really flat track. 400 runs on the first day was a little too much.”The main concern for Sri Lanka was the inability of the world’s leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan to provide the breakthroughs for his team as he had done till the recent past. Murali went for over hundred runs for the second time in two Tests; so far in the series his returns are five wickets for 396 runs, average 79.20. “It does become a concern when your star strike bowler is not really picking up the wickets you know he can, but he is still the best bowler that’s played the game,” Sangakkara said. “You still have to have faith in him and trust him and back him 100% to do the job because he is going to do it at one point, hopefully in the next Test.”The Kanpur defeat was the largest in terms of runs to India but Sangakkara remained optimistic that he had the bowlers to win in Mumbai. “We have the potential to pick 20 wickets with the bowlers that we have,” he said. “Potential is one thing really doing the job is another. We would like a bit more penetration with the spin.”With our fast bowlers we always created opportunities, the disappointing thing is we haven’t really taken those chances twice in the first over in two Test matches, especially this one on a track that was one of the flattest we’ve played on.”We’ve still got a lot to achieve in Mumbai. We can still equal the series and finish one-all. That’s a great motivation for us. Disappointed with today’s defeat, but that’s the way cricket goes. If you don’t play well enough you lose and you’ve got to accept that responsibility but still move on. You have no one else to blame. You got to look at the 16 players in the dressing room and say that we were just not good enough. We were outplayed by India who were a better team in this Test match.”It was a good toss to win for Dhoni the first day the wicket was going to be the flattest and it got slower and slower as the game progressed. If we probably had kept India down to about 450 in the first innings it would have been a chance for us to come back, but 600 runs on we were always chasing. Bad batting in our first innings put us into trouble.”

On October 16, a week before the elections, the BCCI would release the final list of candidates along with the positions they would be contesting

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Oct-2019Former India captains Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly along with former India batsman Brijesh Patel are among the biggest names put forward to contest the BCCI elections scheduled for October 23.They were part of an electoral draft roll made public on Friday which also included Jay Shah (Gujarat Cricket Association secretary and son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah), Arun Dhumal (president Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur), Rajeev Shukla (former IPL chairman), Rajat Sharma (Delhi Districts Cricket Association president) and Jaydev Shah (Saurashtra Cricket Association president and son former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah)Friday was the last date for all the state associations to wrap up their polls and send in the names of a representative that would attend the BCCI’s annual general meeting, which happens alongside the elections.This list of 38 representatives would now be vetted by the BCCI’s electoral officer N Gopalswami before releasing a final electoral list on October 10. The state associations would then have to send in names from that final electoral list of representatives to contest various positions at the BCCI elections. On October 16, a week before the elections, the BCCI would release the final list of candidates along with the positions they would be contesting.The board would be looking to fill five office bearer posts (president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer), one seat on the Apex Council and two positions on the IPL Governing Council.Although Ganguly, who was re-elected president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, has been to a BCCI AGM previously, he has never contested the elections. It remains to be seen whether he would put his hat in the ring considering the BCCI’s new constitution, framed as per the RM Lodha Committee reforms, dictates that he would have to accept a cooling off period of three years after he completes six years as office bearer. That is only 10 months away.Azharuddin, meanwhile, would be attending the board’s AGM for the first time. But the new president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association would be surrounded by people who were close to him during his playing career, including Patel and Shukla, a veteran administrator and former IPL chairman.Both Shukla and Patel did not take part in elections at their respective state associations – Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka – but have still been pitched as representatives. Questions would be raised about their eligibility considering both Shukla and Patel have already served several years as office bearers at their state associations.Eligibility is bound to become a key factor in the coming weeks keeping in mind the rules drawn by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was appointed as the supervisory authority of the BCCI by the Supreme Court on January 30, 2017.The CoA has made it clear that in order to participate in the BCCI AGM and nominate a representative for the elections, state associations’ constitutions would need to be compliant with that of the board’s. If not, they would not be allowed to cast their vote nor would their respresentative be allowed to contest for a position in the elections. Gopalswami has reiterated that point in the communication he has sent in the last two weeks.Not everyone agrees with this though. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), the bastion of former BCCI president N Srinivasan, has challenged the CoA directive and told Gopalswami that as far as it was concerned, it was compliant and would be the attending the AGM and contesting the elections.

The Pakistan captain tweeted a picture of himself shaking hands with the South Africa allrounder before the third ODI in Centurion

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2019Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, has apologised again, this time personally to Andile Phehlukwayo – the player his racially-charged taunt in Durban had seemingly been directed at.On Friday, Sarfraz tweeted a picture of himself shaking hands with Phehlukwayo, with this caption: “This morning I apologised to Andile Phehlukwayo and he was gracious enough to accept my apology and I hope the people of South Africa also accept my apology.”
Sarfraz’s taunt came during the second ODI in Durban on Tuesday. He issued a general apology via Twitter the day after the incident, saying his comments were “not directed towards anyone in particular”.South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said in response that his team had forgiven Sarfraz. “We forgive him because he said sorry,” du Plessis said after South Africa’s training session on Thursday. “He has apologised and taken responsibility for it. It is out of our hands and ICC will have to deal with it now.”Sarfraz was caught on the broadcast stump mics making what seemed to be a racist comment towards Phehlukwayo during the course of South Africa’s chase at Kingsmead.Sarfraz was caught saying, in Urdu: Translated literally that is: “Hey black guy, where’s your mother sitting today? What [prayer] have you got her to say for you today?”The ICC has received a report from match referee Ranjan Madugalle and is currently considering the matter. Because of the nature of the incident, legal officials have been involved and very little has emerged about what, if any, action will be taken.

While Oman held on in a nervy finish against Denmark, Kenya bounced back from a lopsided loss to USA with a six-wicket win over Uganda

Peter Della Penna in Muscat13-Nov-20181:26

Our batsmen shouldn’t be repeating mistakes – Duleep Mendis

Oman held on in a nervy finish behind Jatinder Singh’s 73 to maintain their unbeaten run with a three-wicket win over Denmark.In a game which had sloppy fielding from both sides, Denmark paid dearest for dropping Jatinder twice – on 5 and 19 – as he went on to anchor Oman’s chase of Denmark’s 154.It arguably should have been a much smaller target and a less taxing chase but the hosts were guilty of a number of drops that allowed Denmark off the hook after being under pressure following their decision to bat first. An edge by Zameer Khan to second slip off Kaleemullah was followed by a full inswinger by Bilal that trapped Hamid Shah to leave Denmark 9 for 2 in the third over.Freddie Klokker’s decision to take on Mehran Khan for a third run after chasing down a drive from mid-on resulted in a direct hit run-out leaving Denmark 36 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay. It could have been 36 for 4, but Saif Ahmad was spilled by Khawar Ali at slip off the very next ball by Jay Odedra. Khawar had injured his right shoulder a short time earlier diving to stop a boundary and left the field immediately after the drop, eventually leaving the ground with his arm in a sling for further evaluation.Oman had reduced Denmark to 59 for 5 and maintained pressure that resulted in another chance when Bilal returned for a second spell and bounced Anique Uddin on 17, resulting in an uncontrolled hook to deep fine leg that was spilled by Sufyan Mehmood. The two misses resulted in 55 extra runs as the pair built up a 64-run partnership that came to an end in dubious circumstances when Uddin was given out lbw for 31 to Odedra on a ball which video showed was sliding down leg.Denmark wound up losing their last five wickets for 31 runs after Bilal returned to hasten a finish with two more wickets as they were bowled out in 41.4 overs. It meant Oman had to bat 25 minutes before lunch and they reached 20 for 1 in eight overs by the interval.Khawar had been due to come in at three but with his shoulder wrapped in ice, Oman’s middle order struggled without him. Denmark opened with spin from both ends and did not bowl an over of medium pace until the 25th before reverting to spin the rest of the way. It almost worked as Nicolaj Laegsgaard, Bashir Shah and Saif worked their way through Oman’s order.Jatinder was on 59 at 128 for 5 when he called for a suicidal run to midwicket that Fayyaz Butt turned down. Both batsmen wound up at the non-striker’s end but Fayyaz alertly left his crease before Hamid’s throw reached Abdul Hashmi behind the stumps, allowing Jatinder to continue. Khawar entered at No. 8 and contributed an unbeaten 9, helping Oman get across the line after Jatinder fell with 10 needed to win.1:36

‘It was Important to get a victory over Uganda’ – Karim

Kenya bounced back from a lopsided loss to USA with a six-wicket win over Uganda. Uganda were committed to playing Irfan Afridi but received news less than an hour before the toss during warm-ups that he had been suspended with immediate effect from bowling in international cricket. It forced Uganda to make him the third change to the XI from their last game as Frank Nsubuga, Brian Masaba and Kenneth Waiswa all saw their first action of the tournament.After choosing to bat first, Uganda struggled to make 177 for 9. Captain Roger Mukasa’s lean run at the tournament continued as he chopped on to Lucas Oluoch for 11. Fellow opener Arnold Otwani, who had crossed 50 in Uganda’s first two matches in Oman, edged Emmanuel Bundi behind for six runs. Ronak Patel was then smartly stumped by Irfan Karim off a leg side wide standing up to Sachin Bhudia’s medium pace to make it 33 for 3 in the 13th over.Dinesh Nakrani and Masaba built a 66-run stand to hold Kenya’s bowling unit at bay but pressure from Shem Ngoche finally resulted in a wicket for Narendra Patel, who dismissed Masaba for 21. Nakrani fell to Bhudia immediately after reaching his 50 while Ngoche’s stifling spell of 2 for 13 ensured Uganda would not get past 200.Kenya were likewise under pressure early in their reply when Nsubuga struck twice with the new ball bowling offspin to leave Kenya 33 for 3 at the end of their Powerplay. Riazat Ali Shah trapped Rakep Patel in the first over after drinks to make it 71 for 4 and Uganda had a golden chance to put Kenya under more pressure in Riazat’s next over when Nelson Odhiambo edged him to slip but Ronak spilled the chance.Karim and Odhiambo never looked back in a 107-run partnership, as they both scored half-centuries, clinching victory with 25 balls to spare.