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Anamul Haque got over his lean patch in the BPL with a sparkling 83, helping Dhaka Gladiators to an 88-run win over Rangpur Riders

The Report by Mohammad Isam05-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnamul Haque ended a run of lean scores with an 83•AFP

Anamul Haque got over his lean patch in the BPL with a sparkling 83, helping Dhaka Gladiators to an 88-run win over Rangpur Riders. After a half-century in the opening game, Anamul hadn’t made a major contribution until today; he went after the Riders’ bowlers to help his side to a BPL record team score.With this win the Gladiators lead the points table through a better run-rate, ahead of second-placed Sylhet Royals, who have also won six games. It was the Riders’ fifth loss in as many games.Anamul struck five sixes and six boundaries in his 46-ball effort, and when he fell in the 19th over, Gladiators had closed in on 200. With Shakib Al Hasan, Anamul added 82 for the third wicket before the whirlwind 77-run fourth-wicket stand with Darren Stevens.In both these partnerships, Shakib and Stevens attacked more than Anamul, though the quieter role suited the youngster. Gladiators were boosted by Tillakaratne Dilshan’s arrival, but the Sri Lankan was left stranded in the middle of the pitch after he was deceived by debutant Murad Khan.Mohammad Ashraful gave a catch to the only man behind him on the leg side, but Anamul, Shakib and Stevens made up for those losses. Shakib made 42 off 24 balls with two sixes and four boundaries, while Stevens hammered three fours and two sixes in his 22-ball 42.The Riders promoted Kevin O’Brien to open the innings but the Ireland allrounder was run out after he had started off promisingly with two sixes, one of which reached the second tier of the grandstand after he had pulled Mashrafe Mortaza in the first over.Junaid Siddique and Nasir Hossain tried to force the pace in the Powerplay overs but both fell cheaply, giving no further leverage to the Riders’ chase. Shakib took three wickets while Mashrafe and Ashraful took two.

Peter Siddle, Australia’s rejuvenated fast man who has taken 11 wickets in this series at an average of 22.18, has said his axing in Sri Lanka turned things around for him

Sidharth Monga at the WACA10-Jan-2012Peter Siddle, Australia’s rejuvenated fast bowler who’s taken 11 wickets in this series at an average of 22.18, has said his being dropped in Sri Lanka turned things around for him. That snub in Sri Lanka last year, he says, made him work harder and come back a better, and more importantly a fitter, bowler.”I’d like to think so [the fittest he has been],” he said. “I’m feeling good. It’s a good change I guess, probably over the last five or six years I’ve been up and down with injury and had some tough times, but I think the disappointment of getting dropped in Sri Lanka sort of did hit a bit of a spot in me, and I knew I had to work on a few things.”Ever since then I’ve been a bit stronger, and bowling well and injury-free. Everything I’m doing at training and in preparation for games is working, so I’ll stick to that and hopefully I can keep going well for my team and we keep winning Test matches.”Last week Siddle picked up his 100th Test wicket, into the fourth year of an up-and-down, in-and-out career. “It’s obviously a big achievement but I don’t want to stop there,” he said. “I want to keep taking wickets and whether that’s a 110 or a 150 or 300, you never know but at the moment I just want to keep playing Test matches, staying on the park and keep performing well for my team.”Whenever I retire down, I’ll look back on it but at the moment it’s all about just keep moving forward each game and hopefully doing enough to keep winning Test matches for Australia.”Sachin Tendulkar – whom he famously described as “Peter Siddle’s first wicket” – has been dismissed by Siddle thrice. Two of those dismissals came when Tendulkar looked good for a century. One of them was on Siddle’s debut, the other two in the first Test of this series. “I think it’s just a plan I’m going with,” Siddle said of bowling to Tendulkar. “I’m being a lot more consistent than I have been in the past.”I’m probably lucky enough I’ve got him two times in Melbourne, but obviously in Sydney a couple of other blokes got him. We’re building the pressure, and whether it’s against Sachin or against [Rahul] Dravid, any of their batters, if I can build the pressure and it happens from the other end, we’re going to get the breakthrough. There’s no big plans in the way we go about it, it’s just about all three or four quicks or five bowlers bowling together in those partnerships to create the wickets.”One of the important men of that partnership, James Pattinson, is now out with a foot injury. That shouldn’t change things too much, Siddle feels. “Rhino [Ryan Harris] is pretty much an exact replacement,” Siddle said. “He’s a little bit smaller than Patto, but yeah 145k outswingers isn’t a bad bloke to come in and replace him. He’s definitely a player that can fill that role perfectly.”Siddle said that even though Harris has not got much first-class cricket under his belt after the injury, he is ready and has been bowling enough overs in the nets “against our batters in a fierce rivalry”.Siddle didn’t commit as to whether Australia will play four fast bowlers on this green pitch. “You never know with the wicket,” he said. “At the moment it does look good, but we’re still a fair few days out. It [four quicks] worked last year for us, but the wicket was pretty green. It was a nice wicket and we were lucky that we batted well enough to give us enough chance with the ball.”Siddle spoke of how tough it can be to face four fast bowlers. “On this ground sometimes, obviously [with] the pace and bounce, if the wicket does suit that it is very tough work,” he said. “It’s hard, you got the quicks coming at you hard and fast non-stop all day, which does build a lot of pressure. I think if we go that way, and we stick to obviously the consistency and patience that we’ve had out in the middle, the way we’ve been building the pressure, I think it can be obviously an exciting time to watch us go about it.”

The Pakistani offspinner, Saeed Ajmal, has joined Worcestershire for the second half of the 2011 season, pending the granting of a No Objection Certificate from the Pakistan Board and work permit approval

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2011The Pakistani offspinner, Saeed Ajmal, has joined Worcestershire for the second half of the 2011 season, pending the granting of a No Objection Certificate from the Pakistan Board and work permit approval.”We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Saeed to the club,” said Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes. “He’s a bowler of international stature and as a spinner with good variation he will be a crucial weapon during the latter part of the season, when the wickets notoriously begin to turn.”Ajmal has taken 33 wickets in nine Tests for Pakistan, with a best of 5 for 82 against England at Edgbaston in July 2010. He was also an integral member of Pakistan’s victorious World Twenty20 campaign in 2009, in which he claimed 12 wickets at 13.58, including a best of 4 for 19 against Ireland.”Worcestershire has a special standing in Pakistan due to its association with Imran Khan, and I am proud to be able to represent the same club as the great Imran,” said Ajmal. “I am confident that with the help of Steve Rhodes and the boys at the club, I will settle in and give my all for the club in search of honours in 2011.”

Two places are up for grabs the ICC World Twenty20 in West Indies when the qualifying tournaments gets underway in UAE on Tuesday.

Andrew McGlashan and Sahil Dutta08-Feb-2010Ireland start another tournament as favourites but aren’t guaranteed to have things all their own way•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Group A

Ireland

As the leading Associate nation, Ireland start the qualifying tournament as clear favourites and such has been their success in recent years that it would class as a shock if they didn’t reach West Indies. At the last World Twenty20 in England they secured a Super Eight berth to follow their similar success at the 50-over World Cup two years previously. However, their production line of impressive players has come at a cost and they are suffering a drain towards county cricket and, ultimately, the England side which is a major hindrance to their future development. They have big plans for the future with an ambitious plan to become a Test nation, but that is a long way away and the Twenty20 arena (coupled with increasing exposure in one-day internationals) as their best route to firmly establishing themselves as the next-best outside the top nations.One to watch Niall O’Brien – the hard-hitting wicketkeeper will open the batting and has the ability to launch the innings in style.

Scotland

As one of the most experienced sides in the tournament Scotland will be hoping they can challenge fellow frontrunners Afghanistan and Ireland for the trophy and secure a third consecutive place at the World Twenty20. After a tough year in 2009 where they missed out on qualification to the 50-over World Cup, they have been in good form in the four-day Intercontinental Cup competition, where they top the table. They can draw on a wealth of experience in the squad and memories of last year’s World Twent20 in England where they smashed 89 in seven overs to give New Zealand a scare in a rain-reduced fixture at The Oval. Led by Gavin Hamilton, who played a Test for England, they have a host of full-time professionals on their books who need to prove to a football-mad nation they are worth every penny.One to watch Kyle Coetzer – He showed his potential when he butchered 33 off 15 balls against New Zealand and followed it up with 42 off 32 balls against South Africa a game later in the World Twenty20 last year. He has developed his game with County Champions Durham and will be key to Scotland’s hopes of posting big totals.Rising star: Mohammad Nabi is a key man for Afghanistan as they aim to continue their rapid development•International Cricket Council

Afghanistan

Afghanistan are the romantics choice for the tournament and, after a sterling rise in international cricket over the last year, start with a strong chance of qualifying for the World Twenty20 which would continue their extraordinary story. Despite being mired in domestic turmoil the country has developed an insatiable taste for cricket and have enjoyed a superb start in the Intercontinental Cup, beating both the Netherlands and defending champions Ireland. They will take on USA on February 11, in an intriguing fixture that will reverberate throughout and beyond the cricketing world. They will start as favourites for that game but are placed in the difficult Group A and will also need to beat one of Scotland or Ireland to keep their dreams of playing in an international tournament alive.One to watch Mohammad Nabi – His allround ability will be key to Afghanistan’s chances. His hard-hitting approach in the middle order usually lifts the total and momentum for his side and his miserly, clever offspin bowling can strangles opposition line-ups.

USA

USA remains one of the great untapped markets for cricket and Twenty20 offers the best route for the game to take hold, but the national team needs to play their part by performing which it hasn’t often done. The ICC clearly see the potential if the game can spread in the USA and fast-tracked the team in the qualifying tournament when on purely cricketing terms they barely deserved to be involved. Their one appearance on the global stage was at the 2004 Champions Trophy when an ageing team was humbled and since them the game has gone backwards in the states largely due to poor administration, but Don Lockerbie, the new chief executive, has bold plans for Twenty20 tournaments, international matches in the States and even professionalism. To be taken seriously, though, they need to qualify for a major tournament and that is unlikely this time.One to watch Lennox Cush – A former first-class cricketer with Guyana, Cush has come to fore in the world of Twenty20 and earned a place in the Stanford Superstar team and is now an important cog with bat and ball for USA.

Group B

Netherlands

The Dutch produced the shock result of 2009 – and one of the biggest upsets of all time – when they beat England in the opening match if the ICC World Twenty20 at Lord’s. When Stuart Broad missed his final-ball run-out chance Netherlands secured the most famous victory in their history. With qualification secured for the 2011 World Cup, success in this tournament would make it a notable double for Netherlands and keep them firmly on the world stage. They probably find themselves in the slightly easier group and have the experience to keep themselves in contention. Following the retirement of Jeroen Smit the side will led by Peter Borren.One to watch Ryan ten Doeschate – Netherlands’ key player in both disciplines he brings with him a wealth of county experience and one of finest Associate cricketers in the world.Netherlands’ victory over England last year gives them confidence as they aim to reach West Indies•Associated Press

Kenya

The previous powerhouse of Associate cricket, Kenya have slipped down the pack in recent years with off-field political issues coupled with a declining team on it. From their peak in 2003 when they reached the semi-final of the World Cup in South Africa, and had a chance to become the second-best side in Africa, it has been a steady decline. They failed to qualify for last year’s World Twenty20 and controversy never seems to far away. However, they remain a talented team and have shown impressive form during the warm-up period with convincing victories against Scotland and Uganda during the recent tournament in Nairobi. The short nature of the qualifying event could suit Kenya as they only have to sustain their skills for a brief period. Expect them to be in the mix.One to watch David Obuya – Kenya aren’t short of shot-makers and Obuya leads the charge at the top. His recent form has been strong with two fifties in the tri-nations tournament and he averages 42.50 in T20 internationals.

Canada

Having secured a spot in the 50-over World Cup with an impressive display in the qualifiers last year, Canada will be hoping to continue their good form in the shortest format, and qualify for a tournament they are yet to compete in. They had a surprise win against tournament favourites Ireland in the Sri Lanka Associates T20 series, when 18-year-old debutant Hiral Patel clubbed an unbeaten 88 off 61 balls to set up victory. The side has a good blend of old heads and youngsters and could spring a surprise in Group B.One to watch Ashish Bagai – Captain and wicketkeeper, Bagai was the player of the tournament in ICC World Cricket League Division One in 2007 and has two one-day international centuries to his name, against Scotland and Ireland.

UAE

Hosts and wildcard entrants United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be praying home advantage and an enthusiasm for the game can help them cause the odd upset or two when things get underway. They have been competitive in the 50-over game, reaching the super-eight stage of the World Cup qualifying tournament. Their most notable appearance in a global event came at the 1996 World Cup, but they also faced Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup.One to watch Saqib Ali – He was named in 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup Team of the Year, and was the only player to score a century for his country at the ACC Trophy Elite event in 2008. With 326 runs, he was also the top run-scorer for the UAE at the Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in 2009 and will be the man UAE’s batting will pivot on.

Durham batter hits final ball over long-on with five required to end Southern Brave’s perfect start

ECB Media13-Aug-2025A last-ball six from Graham Clark saw Northern Superchargers defeat Southern Brave on their home turf in a nail-biting finish.Put into bat, the Brave were soon in all kinds of trouble. Kiwi Jacob Duffy, fresh off the plane from a Test series with Zimbabwe, decimating their power-packed top-order, reducing them to 26 for 3 off 24 balls by dismissing Leus du Plooy, James Vince and Jason Roy.James Coles and the evergreen Laurie Evans rebuilt steadily then violently, putting on 87 in 57 balls to put a defendable total in sight despite spin twins Mitchell Santner and Adil Rashid keeping things in check, the Brave finishing with a middling 139 for 5.Jacob Duffy celebrates an early breakthrough•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Craig Overton replicated the work of Duffy, taking three relatively inexpensive wickets for the Brave, but Zak Crawley sparkled alongside England team-mate Harry Brook, both of whom scored quickfire 20s.When Chris Jordan pulled up with a groin injury, it felt like a game-changing moment but the Brave rallied, Jofra Archer bowling a brilliant penultimate set, going for just one run and taking two wickets to finish with 2 for 15.The Superchargers needed 10 off the last set, bowled by Tymal Mills. Dots off balls three and four left five needed off the last, at which point Graham Clark hit a back-of-the-hand slower ball over the ropes at deep midwicket to send the away fans into a frenzy.Clark, only playing due to a David Miller niggle, said he felt “euphoric” after sealing the points. “I thought I’d messed it up when I left that wide one and then missed a slot ball, but it’s such a good feeling to get over the line,” he said.”Batting in the middle order role is something I’ve never done before. I’ve spent the last few days with [batting coach] Neil McKenzie trying to improve my power-hitting. We thought it was a really good wicket, where you could play proper shots. Santner really took the pressure off: he’s a quality operator, when he fields, bowls or bats; such a calm character, and hits the ball so cleanly.”

Bhatia and Harmanpreet steered Mumbai’s chase after Capsey and Rodrigues helped Delhi set a target of 172

S Sudarshanan23-Feb-2024The opening evening of the second season of the Women’s Premier League ended like it started – in a blockbuster fashion.Defending champions Mumbai Indians won a last-ball thriller by four wickets to kickstart their title defence in Bengaluru. A movie-like ending – after the game swung one way and then the other – was only apt after an opening ceremony headlined by the who’s-who of Bollywood.Chasing a challenging target of 172, Mumbai needed 22 off the last two overs with captain Harmanpreet Kaur set. She hit a six off the last ball of the penultimate over to bring the equation down to 12 off 6. Capitals turned to the part-time off-spin of Alice Capsey with the longer boundary on the leg side. The move nearly worked after she dismissed Pooja Vastrakar and Harmanpreet in the first five balls.Related

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But with five needed off one, Kerala allrounder S Sajana, playing her first WPL match, walloped Capsey over long-on to spark celebrations in the strong crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Only hours ago, Capsey had starred by scoring a 53-ball 75 – aided by a dropped catch by Sajana – but her night ended in disappointment.

Bhatia powers Mumbai’s chase

Mumbai lost Hayley Matthews to the second ball of the chase, when the opener tried to drive Marizanne Kapp and edged behind. Yastika Bhatia got off the mark with a delightful drive past wide mid-off. She then hit Annabel Sutherland for two fours before going after Shikha Pandey in the last over of the powerplay.Bhatia lofted her over mid-off before getting a thick outside edge past the wicketkeeper. She then hit a short delivery over deep midwicket as Mumbai raced to 50 for 1 after six overs.Arundhati Reddy struck with her first ball for Capitals, yorking Nat Sciver-Brunt with an inswinging slower one, but Bhatia powered on. She brought up her fifty off 35 balls and looked set to bat through the chase. But she found Kapp at deep midwicket when she heaved across the line at another slower one from Reddy.

Harmanpreet takes over

Harmanpreet got off the mark with a crisp cover drive first ball. She rotated strike and found boundaries regularly even after Bhatia holed out. The pace of Sutherland and Kapp, as the chase got tighter, helped her. She hit a massive six over long-on to bring up a 32-ball fifty. It seemed like we’d seen it before – she had struck a half-century in a successful chase in the opening game of WPL 2023, too.But Mumbai’s chase seemed to lose steam once she was dismissed, before Sajana did the unthinkable.Shabnim Ismail picked up the first wicket of WPL 2024 by castling Shafali Verma•BCCI

Ismail breathes fire

When Mumbai bought Shabnim Ismail at the auction, there was talk of her being a back-up for Issy Wong. But she not only started WPL 2024 ahead of Wong but also bowled an opening spell that dispelled all notions of her being a back-up. Ismail started with a one-run first over which was backed up by left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque from the other end.Ismail then struck with the first ball of her second over – a 118kph delivery bowling Shafali Verma, who cleared her front leg and looked to mow across the line. Capitals scored only 26 for 1 in the powerplay, with Ismail’s figures reading 3-0-10-1. She then returned at the death, where a dropped catch denied her the wicket of a set Capsey.

C for Capitals, C for Capsey

Meg Lanning and Capsey had rebuilt Capitals’ innings steadily before the shackles were broken in the first over after the powerplay. Capsey danced down to loft Amelia Kerr over extra cover before Lanning did the same to hit over mid-on. Another legspinner, WPL debutant SB Keerthana, was taken for 13 in her only over. When Lanning and Capsey hit a six and a four in Kerr’s next over, Capitals had managed to score 37 in three overs after the field restrictions were lifted. One over after the timeout though, Sciver-Brunt managed to get the better of Lanning.Despite losing the captain, Capsey accelerated, hitting two sixes and a four off Matthews to bring up a half-century off just 36 balls. Along with Jemimah Rodrigues, who combined deft touch and aggression, Capitals managed to find boundaries regularly heading into the death overs. Capsey and Rodrigues added 74 off just 40 balls before Capsey missed a reverse sweep to get trapped lbw off Kerr.Rodrigues also showed her power by regularly peppering the on-side boundary. She deposited an Ismail slower one over long-on before clubbing a slower bouncer from Sciver-Brunt over deep midwicket.A final flourish from Kapp, who hit three fours in the last over, helped Capitals finish on 171. But that was not enough for Mumbai, who maintained their perfect record in chases in the WPL.

Jofra Archer primed to bowl for Lions in three-day tour match in Abu Dhabi

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Nov-2022Ben Stokes will sit out day one of England’s Test three-day warm-up match against England Lions ahead of their tour to Pakistan, with Ollie Pope set to lead in his absence.Stokes is understood to be managing his body, particularly a troublesome left knee, after getting through nine T20Is in the space of a month, culminating with England winning the T20 World Cup in Australia. Following a match-winning 52 not out in the final at the MCG against Pakistan on November 13, he travelled to Dubai for a break before meeting up with the Test squad on Friday.While he has taken part in the training sessions so far (Sunday and Tuesday) he is yet to bowl in since the final, and the decision was made not to rush him back to full throttle, especially with the first Test eight days away. It is uncertain if he will play any part at all in the match, though the unofficial nature of it means he could still make an appearance if, for instance, he fancies some time in the middle against the red ball.Related

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For Pope, the opportunity to captain represents as much a challenge as a show of faith from Stokes, Brendon McCullum and the wider management group. The Surrey batter impressed last summer by demanding and then impressing in the No. 3 position, with 475 runs at an average of 38, with four scores of fifty or more including a first century on home soil.Pope has only captained once in his professional career back in September 2021 in a County Championship match for Surrey against Glamorgan when deputising for Rory Burns – then a centrally-contracted England player – who was being rested by the ECB at the time ahead of that winter’s Ashes. Beyond that, there were matches in charge for the county’s Under-17s and Cranleigh School.England hope that Pope will thrive under the responsibility. At 24, he fits the profile of an up-and-comer who has established his place in the XI but should also grow as a leader in the dressing room. Much of Stokes and McCullum’s mantra centers around players not being afraid to take more ownership of their games and surroundings.This, by proxy, also makes Pope the clearest vice-captain so far under Stokes. The talismanic allrounder has been reticent to name a deputy, but it is understood Stuart Broad was chosen to take the reins last summer if Stokes spent a period of time off the field or was unfit for selection. Broad opted out of the tour to Pakistan ahead of the birth of his first child, and with another viable candidate Jonny Bairstow also missing following his golfing accident, Pope has the chance to state his case for the role.