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Callum Jackson answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2016
ScorecardAneurin Donald made runs during a dreary final day•Getty Images

Callum Jackson, who was released by Sussex last year because of financial cutbacks, answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation.There was little prospect of a result to the game once 104.1 overs had been lost during the first two days, with both teams content with bonus points, although Glamorgan, despite their 12 points, remain at the bottom of Division 2.Had the weather not intervened, there could have been an interesting final day, with Kent chasing a target on a pitch that favoured the seamers.Callum Jackson•ECB

Glamorgan resumed on 22 for 0 on the final morning, but added only seven runs before Jacques Rudolph again failed, pulling a short delivery from Mitchell Claydon to the fielder stationed on the long leg boundary. Mark Wallace, another senior batsman in need of runs, mixed caution with aggression to add 52 with Will Bragg- before Bragg was bowled by Matt Coles for 22. Wallace went on to score 52 with seven fours, until he touched one to Jackson.Callum Jackson•ECB

Chris Cooke quickly followed, leg before playing across a delivery from Claydon, who then dismissed David Lloyd three balls later with the combined efforts of three fielders; the batsman edged the ball to fourth slip who diverted to third slip and eventually to Tom Latham at second slip who held on to spare his colleagues’ blushes.Aneurin Donald and Graham Wagg then averted a total collapse by adding 80 for the sixth wicket, with Donald, scoring an attractive 67- his third championship fifty of the season- from 68 balls with nine boundaries. Wagg went on to score his second fifty of the game, exceed 500 runs for the third successive season, being particularly severe on James Tredwell’s off spin whom he struck for 22 in one over.He was undefeated on 64, and now needs only 42 more runs to become Glamorgan’s leading run scorer in the championship this season .Both teams shook hands at 4.55pm when Glamorgan declared at 279 for 6- a lead of 348.Rudolph was pleased by his team’s overall performance- especially the two seamers Michael Hogan and Timm Van Der Gugten- and felt that” had we not lost so much time because of the weather, we could have won the game. But we are on an upward curve, and we are not far away from that championship win.”Kent captain Sam Northeast said that “after two weeks of white ball cricket, we found it tough to adjust, and we were not clinical enough after reducing them to 137 for 6 in the first innings but I was happy as they progressed from then on”.

Yuvraj Singh unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to hit an unbeaten 77 off 35 and haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries to spare

The Report by Abhishek Purohit10-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh hunted down the target of 202 with the calm of old•BCCI

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Aakash Chopra: ‘Yuvraj, the perennial comeback man’

In his second comeback after recovering from cancer, a leaner and fitter Yuvraj Singh was called upon to do a job he has done numerous times for India in ODIs – revive a floundering chase, with MS Dhoni for company, and only the lower order to follow. Only, this was a T20 and Yuvraj did not have the luxury of building his innings before accelerating. He duly cut out the building part, and unleashed trademark pick-up sixes and lofted drives to haul in the target of 202 with two deliveries remaining. India were facing an asking-rate of nearly 12 at 100 for 4 in the 12th over, but Yuvraj’s response was so forceful, that all Dhoni needed to do was give him the strike. By the end, the partnership was 102 at exactly two runs a ball, Yuvraj’s 77 off 35 showing his dominance.Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli had all failed to kick on from starts and India’s innings was in danger of going Australia’s way, who had lost too many wickets in maintaining a frenetic pace of scoring, and had run out of steam at the death. Aaron Finch seemed set to carry Australia way over 200 but his exit in the 17th over for 89 off 52 helped India keep the visitors to 201, as only 29 came off the final four. India themselves needed 49 off the final four, but Yuvraj was in such flow that the big shot was always at hand.Yuvraj first took 18 off Clint McKay in the 14th over, and then, when the pressure escalated again, carted James Faulkner for successive sixes in the 17th. The timing on the boundaries was vintage Yuvraj, as was the effortlessness and grace. George Bailey’s preferred field of three men in the ring around point worked to Yuvraj’s advantage, as did the fact that Australia bowled too full to him.Dhoni did his bit, constantly scampering twos and ones as he does in ODI chases, and coming up with the crucial boundary, a typical stretch-and-club to cover, when it came down to six needed off four.Yuvraj’s cool assault meant Finch’s innings, and Australia’s electric start, were in vain. After being put in, Finch and debutant Nic Maddinson had kickstarted the innings with a 56-run partnership inside five overs. It was the manner in which the openers attacked the offspin of R Ashwin that stood out. The highly-rated Maddinson, 21, calmly stepped out to Ashwin’s first delivery and lofted it cleanly over extra cover for four. Finch set about cutting and lofting with intent, and Ashwin’s first over cost India 17.Maddinson made 34 before missing a slog to be bowled. Vinay Kumar got both Shane Watson and George Bailey in the eighth over. Finch, meanwhile, kept battering boundaries, generating immense power and finding gaps consistently. He was swift and brutal on the cut, played the lofted drive repeatedly and when he went to cow corner, it was more timing and placement than slogging.Glenn Maxwell showed Australia were in no mood to relent even momentarily, swinging Ashwin for three sixes in the tenth over as the score zoomed to 114 for 3 at the halfway stage of the innings. Ashwin’s figures read 2-0-41-0, and Dhoni was forced to turn to Virat Kohli’s mediums for a couple of costly overs.Australia stalled after Finch clubbed a high full toss straight to Vinay. The blow split the webbing on the bowler’s left hand, but did not deter him from sending down a couple of tight overs. A last-ball six from Faulkner took the score past 200, but Yuvraj hunted it down with the calm of old.

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again to win on the last ball

The Report by Alan Gardner15-Sep-2012
ScorecardChris Wood was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers as they scrapped their way to a second one-day trophy•PA Photos

Hampshire have proved more than a few times this season that it pays not to write them off and here they did so again, denying County Champions Warwickshire despite Ian Bell’s 81 to steal a heart-stopping victory at Lord’s.With the scores tied, Neil Carter, playing his final match for Warwickshire, failed to collect the required single off the bowling of Kabir Ali to give Hampshire the trophy by virtue of having lost fewer wickets. Following their last-over win against Yorkshire in the Friends Life t20, this must surely have been the most dramatic one-day double in county cricket’s history.Bell had seemingly done enough to take Warwickshire home, passing fifty for the fourth time in a domestic one-day final. But Hampshire are more than the sum of their parts and when Bell picked out Michael Carberry at deep square leg with 27 required they had the crucial wicket. Just as during the 2005 C&G Trophy final, Bell’s half-century against Hampshire was to be in a losing cause.Until then, he had guided the chase in phlegmatic style. Wickets fell around him but although 83 were needed from the final ten overs, and 52 from the last five, Bell exuded a sense of control. Even when he departed, Chris Woakes took up the challenge and, with seven required from the last six balls, Warwickshire appeared to be the favourites. But Ian Blackwell was bowled and despite Carter’s shovelled four off the penultimate delivery, Ali, like Chris Wood in Cardiff three weeks previous, held his nerve, beating the bat before sprinting off to be engulfed by his team-mates in celebration.It was a poignant moment for Ali, born in Birmingham but discarded by Warwickshire at a young age, and came after he had dropped Bell earlier in the innings, a difficult chance at long leg when the batsman had 41.Wood was also magnificent, his concession of just a single and a leg bye from the 35th over, in which he also dismissed Rikki Clarke, a crucial point in the match. His 3 for 39 followed 3 for 26 in the FLt20 final and, having scored his maiden first-class century the day before that, it is fair to say he has had quite a month.This has not been a stellar year for Bell, by his his own high standards, but one-day cricket has been his tonic. Put him in a snooker hall and he would likely chalk up a 147, such has been his affinity for the white ball. A conversion to opener for England’s ODI side brought a century and four fifties and it seemed as if his season would end with a match-winning hundred in a one-day final at Lord’s. It wasn’t to be.Warwickshire, mssing the services of William Porterfield, at the World Twenty20 with Ireland, curiously preferred Darren Maddy as Varun Chopra’s opening partner. Bell had previously guided them to victory in the 2002 B&H Cup final – scoring 65 not out batting at No. 3 – and against Somerset in the CB40 in 2010 – when he scored 107 at No. 4 – but it was to be his 54 in vain seven years ago that provided the precedent.With Hampshire in dark blue and Warwickshire in black, both offset by yellow piping, there was little to tell the sides apart visually. In such a tight finish, even the scorers had trouble – Carter was not stumped off the last ball, as he appeared to have been in the frantic finale. The association was more than kit deep, too: both had won a title already this season; both had won Lord’s finals of recent memory (Hampshire in 2009, Warwickshire in 2010); and both line-ups featured veterans from 2005.Hampshire were led to victory by a Sean Ervine hundred that day and he made his side’s most vibrant contribution with the bat this time around. After the final-day draw that sent last season’s Championship pennant to Lancashire, Warwickshire fans will likely swear off holidays to the New Forest for a while.Even with an attendance of 16,000 and a fair proportion of the white seating left empty, Lord’s still jostled and thrummed with the excitement of a crowd that seemed demob happy, eager to drink from the county cup one last time. Children played kwik cricket on a section of the nursery ground, young men in ties mingled with old men in baseball caps, while the interval entertainment was provided by a troupe of schoolgirls performing a dance routine on the outfield. The atmosphere was lively and expectant and the spectators were treated to a denouement that will resonate long in the memory. The one-day competition needed a final like this.Put in to bat under milky blue skies after Warwickshire won the toss, Carberry and James Vince set about the task with the sort of cold-blooded violence that marked their decisive 129-run opening stand in the semi-final against Sussex. Carter started with a leg-side wide that set the tone and neither he nor Woakes could curb the enthusiasm of Hampshire’s openers.Vince pushed his “Michael Vaughan” buttons early on, strictly come dashing out of the crease a couple of times and threading one exquisite drive between extra-cover and mid-off. Having taken Carter for successive boundaries, however, he pulled the next ball flat to deep square leg. Carberry, meanwhile, left-hooked Woakes for six over deep midwicket during an over that cost 14 but he too departed tamely soon after. From 70 for 2 after 11 overs, Warwickshire steadily obtained a handle on the scoring rate, as spinners Blackwell and Jeetan Patel wheeled away in bright sunshine.A dogged innings from Hampshire’s captain, Jimmy Adams, kept the scoreboard ticking but it was left to Ervine and Simon Katich to haul Hants up towards 250, as they turned on the tap in the final overs. Carter was handled without a trace of sentiment as the fifth-wicket pair put on 69 from 43 balls before Ervine was cramped for room after making a breezy 57.It was becoming difficult to get Carter’s selection, other than on nostalgic grounds, until the final over, when he could not be got at, conceding just four singles. In the end, however, it was Carter’s inability to get anything on the last ball of the day that proved decisive.

James Taylor’s 106 and a buccaneering 26-ball 59 from Jonny Bairstow set up England Lions’ 97-run win over Sri Lanka A at New Road

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2011
Scorecard
James Taylor’s 106 and a buccaneering 26-ball 59 from Jonny Bairstow set up England Lions’ 97-run win over Sri Lanka A at New Road.Having been inserted after losing the toss Taylor, who made 76 and 98 in the four-day fixture against the same opposition last week, ensured his side posted a tough target by anchoring the innings. Joe Root offered bright support initially with a boundary-studded 62 from 66 balls. On a day when his England batting rival Ravi Bopara made 7 against India, Taylor’s century was excellently timed.Though less expansive than Root – and later Bairstow – Taylor was still positive. He struck seven boundaries and a six in all, bringing up his century from 115 balls. His partnership with Bairstow, though, was the biggest entertainment of the day. Coming in with 9.1 overs left in the innings he bashed the ball to all parts.In 26 deliveries he smashed four fours and four sixes getting to his half-century in 22 balls. After he was out with 15 balls left a flurry of wickets followed but the 311 set for victory always looked a difficult task.Sri Lanka A weren’t really up to the chase with only 21-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne, who has had a good tour so far, showing any resistance with the only half-century in the innings until he fell to Scott Borthwick’s first delivery, a leg-break that beat his defences.Steven Finn struck early, castling Dimuth Karunaratne in his second over, but it was Surrey’s Stuart Meaker who took the most wickets with three. Borthwick’s 10 overs of legspin yielded two wickets, and only cost 42 runs, his second scalp a lovely googly to remove Kanishka Alvitigala.”I’m delighted to get my first win as captain under my belt and to get a century after getting so close last week in Scarborough was really pleasing,” Taylor said. “I thought we played well today. We got a decent total and then put them under real pressure from start. It was a solid performance with bat and ball and we’ll be looking to continue that on Sunday.”With only two more games to go, the tourists will have to fight back immediately.

A round-up of action from the Clydesdale Bank 40

08-Aug-2010Sussex’s bid for a third successive 40-over league title gained momentum as they eased to a six-wicket win over Surrey at Guildford. An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 113 in 14.5 overs between skipper Mike Yardy and Andrew Hodd saw Sussex home with 10 balls to spare and took them a point above their rivals and into second place in Clydesdale Bank 40 Group A, although Surrey do have a game in hand.Michael Comber and Adam Wheater, both aged 20, were the Essex heroes as the home side beat Northamptonshire by five wickets in their clash at Southend. They came together with Essex struggling on 100 for 5 in the 22nd over in reply to a total of 215 for 6. But both displayed a cool head on young shoulders to see their side home with nine balls to spare.Jon Lewis smashed 20 off the last over of the game from Tim Murtagh to seal a remarkable three-wicket victory for Gloucestershire over Middlesex . Owais Shah (111) and John Simpson (82) led Middlesex to an imposing 299 for 8 but Gloucestershire were kept in the hunt by Steve Snell (95) and Chris Taylor (85), who plundered 158 in 18 overs for the fifth wicket.Kent recorded their third win of the Clydesdale Bank 40 campaign in emphatic style with an eight-wicket drubbing of Leicestershire with more than 13 overs in hand. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Leicestershire made a stunning start to reach 41 without loss after four overs, only to be dismissed for 148 in 30.1 overs.Tom Smith produced a sparkling all-round performance and Steven Croft weighed in with a career-best 93 not out to help Lancashire seal an eight-wicket victory over Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. Smith followed up figures of three for 49 with a fine half-century as Lancashire registered their fourth win in the tournament by chasing down 212 to win. Croft’s effort from 90 balls hastened Lancashire’s victory charge as they won with 16 balls to spare.Opening batsmen Michael Lumb and Jimmy Adams led Hampshire to a resounding six-wicket win over Durham at the Rose Bowl with 31 balls to spare. Lumb signalled his return to form after a poor first half to the season by making 75, while Adams top-scored with 86. Chasing Durham’s 205 for 8 from their 40 overs, a total which never looked like being enough, Hampshire got home in the 35th over.A century from Jacques Rudolph set Yorkshire on their way to an eight-run victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield to keep them top of Group B in the Clydesdale Bank 40. The South African scored 105, sharing a second-wicket stand of 144 in 22 overs with Adam Lyth, who made 91, as Yorkshire made 276 for 6 from their 40 overs. Chesney Hughes hit 54 and Wayne Madsen 65 from 57 balls but, despite a late charge from Graham Wagg (27) in his first game since late April, the Falcons came up short on 268 for 8.Powerful half-centuries from David Hussey and Chris Read set Nottinghamshire on their way to a comfortable 75-run victory over Scotland . After coming together in the 24th over with the score at 116 for 4, the pair put on 89 for the fifth wicket with Hussey smashing 80 from 67 balls, including two sixes and six fours, before being caught on the midwicket boundary. Read also hit two maximums and six boundaries in his 69 not out from 50 balls as the hosts finished on 260 for 5, having added 115 in the last 10 overs.Somerset limped to their seventh Clydesdale Bank 40 win in seven games by beating the Unicorns by three wickets at Exmouth. Marcus Trescothick’s side shook off the loss of their skipper to a second ball duck to chase down their target of 167 with two overs to spare. A second-wicket stand of 67 in 14 overs between Nick Compton (64) and Craig Kieswetter (30) broke the back of the semi-professional team’s resistance. The result was rarely in doubt after the Unicorns made just 166 for 9.

Bangladesh’s chances of making the semis took a big hit after they faltered with both bat and ball

Srinidhi Ramanujam10-Oct-2024Karishma Ramharack’s four-wicket haul and Hayley Matthews’ quickfire 34 helped West Indies coast to an important eight-wicket victory against Bangladesh, in Sharjah. Having chased down the target of 104 in 12.5 overs, West Indies, with their second win in three matches, moved to top of Group B. Three teams from this group are now in contention for the two semi-final spots with South Africa and England also on four points, but the latter have played only two matches.Bangladesh succumbed to their second straight defeat in three matches and their chances of advancing to the knockouts took a big hit. Batting once again hurt Bangladesh as they lost six wickets for 27 runs after they were sent in to bat.

Ramharack rips through Bangladesh

West Indies used as many as seven bowlers but it was Ramharack who stood out by taking a wicket each in her four overs across different phases of the game. The offspinner struck with her very first delivery when opener Shathi Rani tried to sweep and missed. Shemaine Campbelle took the bails off in a flash to effect a stumping. In her second over, the last one in the powerplay, Dilara Akter moved across to sweep but missed, only to expose her middle stump and be bowled. When Ramharack came out to bowl in the 13th over, she mixed her lines well but kept the ball outside off. She had Sobhana Mostary stumped by making her come down the track to an outside offstump delivery. That ended the 40-run third-wicket stand for Bangladesh.Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Matthews added 52 for the opening wicket•ICC/Getty Images

Just when Nigar Sultana and Ritu Moni were looking to stitch a stand during the death overs, Ramaharack came back and knocked Moni out. Chinelle Henry took an excellent running catch after the batter came down and miscued a lofted shot to deep midwicket. Ramharack finished with 4 for 17.

Sultana’s slowdown

Bangladesh showed positive intent with the bat early on, with the openers charging down as early as the second over to go aerial. Nigar started briskly after the openers fell in the powerplay. She particularly took legspinner Afy Fletcher on and smacked three fours off her second over and moved to 20 off 17 balls. However, once Mostary fell in the 13th over and Fletcher struck twice in the 15th, Nigar, who was on 27 off 27, slowed down despite West Indies’ sloppy fielding. Her next 17 deliveries fetched just 12 runs and eventually, she fell to Matthews in the final over attempting a big heave towards deep midwicket.

Matthews steers WI’s chase

Bangladesh struggled to pitch the ball up and got punished as they erred on the shorter side. It allowed the West Indies batters to rock back and play their shots. Matthews, in particular, pounced on this opportunity in the powerplay and blunted the Bangladesh attack. After being on a run-a-ball seven, Matthews lined up the left-arm spin of Nahida Akter with a punch off the backfoot, piercing the gap between cover and extra cover. Two balls later, Nahida bowled short again and received the same treatment.Legspinner Fahima Khatun, after having given away just four runs off her first over, bowled short on off stump in the fifth over and Matthews stayed back and punched uppishly to find her third boundary on the off side. Marufa Akter overpitched the last ball of the powerplay, which Matthews drove through cover to bring up her sixth boundary. But she was bowled by a nip-backer from the fast bowler in the eighth over for a 22-ball 34. At the end of Marufa’s over though, West Indies needed just 49 off 72 balls which was taken care of by Stafanie Taylor – before she limped off retired hurt – and Deandra Dottin, who smashed an unbeaten 19 off just seven balls.

He has resigned after just four months into his stint citing personal reasons

Danyal Rasool10-Aug-2023Four months after he was appointed head coach of the Pakistan women’s side for the second time, Mark Coles has resigned with immediate effect citing personal reasons. Coles had earlier served as the head coach of the team from 2017 to 2019.The resignation comes at a less-than-ideal team for the women’s side, who take on South Africa in a high-profile series at home that begins on September 1 in Karachi. The sides play three T20Is and three ODIs, with all six games taking place in Karachi. The PCB said a new coach will be announced “in due course” though there is no guarantee a permanent replacement will be in place by the time that series begins.Pakistan have a busy upcoming schedule, playing 15 ODIs and 17 T20Is in the upcoming year. Aside from South Africa, they host the West Indies at home, and travel to Bangladesh, New Zealand and England.It is understood the resignation came as something of a surprise to the PCB, and Coles has not made any public comment on the matter. When he was announced as Pakistan’s head coach alongside Nida Dar as the new captain, he said he was “excited to lead the team in the upcoming events”.”It has been a privilege to work with such a talented group of players and I look forward to the exciting times ahead as we aim to improve our previous performances and achievements,” Coles had said at the time. “We have a lot of potential in the team, and I look forward to helping the players give their best and achieve success on the international stage.”In the end, he would oversee no games during this second stint. He did enjoy a relatively successful time on the pitch when he was first appointed in 2017. Pakistan won nearly half of their ODIs – 7 in 16 – including a famous come-from-behind series win against West Indies. They also won 15 of 32 T20Is before Coles quit because of “family commitments”.The PCB said in a statement that it would “like to extend its gratitude to Mark Coles for his brief stint with the women’s side and wishes him well in his future endeavors.”

Allrounder Shane Getkate and offspinner Simi Singh were omitted from the squad

Deivarayan Muthu15-Jun-2022North-West Warriors’ uncapped duo of Stephen Doheny and Conor Olphert have earned call-ups to the Ireland squad for the two-match T20I series against India, which will kick off their big home season also including visits by New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan.Doheny recently earned a 12-month retainer deal with Ireland while Olphert was handed an educational contract after Luke Georgeson gave up his Ireland deal to chase his New Zealand dream.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Doheny, who bats in the top order and can also keep wicket, has been rewarded for his strong form in the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Trophy. He is the top-scorer in the competition, for North-West Warriors, with 158 runs in four innings at an average of 52.66 and strike rate of 126.40. As for Olphert, he is Warriors’ second-highest wicket-taker, with six strikes in four games at an economy rate of 7.66.Olphert’s elevation to the national side is aimed at building a robust fast-bowling pool for the long haul.”The T20I squad features a familiar core to the squad, but it’s pleasing to see a number of new faces earn their call-ups in Stephen Doheny and Conor Olphert,” Andrew White, chair of men’s selectors, said in a media statement.”Both Warriors’ players have impressed at inter-provincial level this season with consistent performances, while Doheny has also come off the back of a good tour of Namibia with the Ireland Wolves. Olphert has bowled quickly, particularly on good wickets at Comber last month, and his selection gives us an opportunity to look at him as a tactical option given what lies ahead for the rest of the year.”Allrounder Shane Getkate and offspinner Simi Singh were omitted from the squad that participated in the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Al Amerat and helped the side qualify for the main event in Australia later this year.”As always, there are numerous players who could probably consider themselves unlucky not to make these squads but runs and wickets are the currency we look for and the selectors believe we have picked squads that recognise and reward consistent form and performance on the field,” White said.The seam attack will be led by the experienced Barry McCarthy and Josh Little, who recently joined Paul Stirling in becoming a white-ball globetrotter. Little, the left-arm seamer, has had gigs in the T10 league, Lanka Premier League and IPL. His most recent gig was with Chennai Super Kings as a net bowler in IPL 2022, where he trained with the side in Surat before eventually cutting his stint short.Stirling brings with him big-hitting form from the Vitality Blast, where he hit 200 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 181.81 for Birmingham Bears. His tally included a career-best 119 off 51 balls, headlined by a 34-run over off Northamptonshire’s James Sales.In the absence of Simi, Andy McBrine is the only frontline spin-bowling option in the 14-man group. Gareth Delany (legspin), George Dockrell (left-arm fingerspin) and Stirling (offspin) can pitch in, if needed.The two T20s will be held in Malahide on June 26 and 28.

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.

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.