Category Uncategorized

Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 49, coupled with Usman Khan’s two wickets propelled Pakistan towards a series win against Scotland, thumping the hosts by 84 runs in the second T20I

The Report by Danyal Rasool13-Jun-2018Leask 3-31) beat Scotland 82 (MacLeod 25, Faheem 3-5) by 84 runsAnother T20I masterclass from Pakistan veteran Shoaib Malik propelled Pakistan towards a series win against Scotland, thumping the hosts by 84 runs in the second T20I at the Grange. Under overcast conditions with a light drizzle threatening to interrupt the game for most of the match, Shoaib exploded – much like the first game – in the last few overs, smashing five sixes as he blitzed 49 off 22 to help Pakistan surge to 166.Unlike Tuesday, Scotland were never quite in the hunt for this one, losing George Munsey off the third ball, and never quite managing any momentum that might suggest a real contest could be on the cards. They were untidy with their running, rushed with their strokeplay and generally uncomfortable in the face of a sensational Pakistan in the field. It was a much improved bowling performance from the visitors, spearheaded by Usman Khan, who came in for Mohammad Amir, and registered figures of 2-0-4-2. Scotland began to fall away rather dramatically towards the end, with no less than three players run out as Kyle Coetzer’s men were bundled out for 82.There was some drama before the start, with Cricket Scotland officials and the television production team locked in an argument over using a fresh pitch for this game. The TV crew were concerned their cameras couldn’t be in line with the bowler at one end of the pitch, the result being a slightly askew broadcast angle from the Pavilion End. It’s the sort of drama people associate, sometimes patronisingly, with cricket on the Associate landscape.But Scotland wouldn’t have wanted the haphazardness to extend to their on-field performance. Pakistan got off to a flying start again, though Scotland were unfortunate not to have Fakhar Zaman out in the first over. Chris Sole extracted both an outside and an inside edge in the first six deliveries, the former put down in the slips, the latter narrowly missing the stumps. Both went for four. Sole had bowled an excellent first over, and conceded 12 runs.Shehzad and Zaman put on 60 for the first wicket, but Scotland, just as they had done in the first game, struck back in the middle overs. The runs were restricted right up until the last two overs, with batsmen unable to kick on from starts in the face of tight, disciplined bowling from Scotland’s bowlers, particularly Mark Watt and Michael Leask.Peter Della Penna

But Shoaib Malik came to Pakistan’s rescue once more, with a whirlwind last two overs, scoring 32 of Pakistan’s 34 runs as they turned a slightly below-par score into an imposing one of 166. He was put down at the end of the 19th over on the long-off boundary, a simple catch that Leask failed to hold on to. Just as Tuesday, the drops cost Scotland dear in the field as Shoaib went on to score 14 in the final over, leaving Scotland to ponder how to improve their fielding against a quality opposition like the one they faced today.The pitch looked no worse than the one used on Tuesday, where 200 seemed about par. But the change of pitch today meant the long-on/ midwicket boundary from one side of the ground was 10 meters larger, and shots that would have comfortably carried over the ropes on Tuesday were being caught inside the boundary on the field, including a spectacular tag-team catch and relay effort from Dylan Budge and Watt to claim Sarfraz at deep square leg. That restricted Pakistan to the relatively modest 166, and made it arguably a more searching chase than the previous one might have been.However, at no stage of the Scottish innings did their batsmen begin to establish any sort of relationship with the boundary rope. Pakistan circled around them in the infield, and the pitch looked a fair bit faster when the Pakistan bowlers were operating on it. Usman isn’t a regular starter for Pakistan, but when in form, almost always seems to make a match-winning difference. He hurried on to the batsmen, and as the rain began to get slightly heavier, the Scottish mood began to match the Edinburgh weather. They could do little more than shuffle around for ones and twos and get the odd boundary, but it was never nearly enough to challenge the ever-rising asking rate.It was unfortunate to see the home side losing their heads towards the end, with a couple of unnecessary run-outs easing Pakistan’s way to an inevitable win they didn’t need any help with. Calum MacLeod was the man at the other end for all three of Scotland’s run-outs, but you’d be hard-pressed to blame him for any of them, what with the Pakistan fielders prowling, looking to save every run as the asking rate bounded out of sight. Faheem Ashraf came back to polish off the last two wickets, giving his figures a shiny new look by the end, having taken three wickets for five runs.By the end, Pakistan’s dominance was so absolute, it was easy to forget the strides Scotland have made over the past few years. It would be harsh to focus on the manner of the defeat, and more prudent to reflect on the professionalism with which Pakistan have moved on from a Test series against England to a T20I series in Edinburgh, never letting their focus waver, and fielding a full-strength team when several others might have chosen to rest players. It was apt respect to pay to a side that has very much earned it over the last week.

Faf du Plessis said New Zealand were unfortunate that the final day’s play was washed out, denying them a chance to level the Test series

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton29-Mar-20171:23

Moonda: An intriguing series decided by one hour

When the first drops of rain began falling in the early hours of Wednesday morning, it woke Kane Williamson up.”I was hoping it might stop or it might come a little bit early and fine up,” he said.Faf du Plessis did not say whether he was disturbed or not but if he was, it would have been a pleasant interruption. He knew it was probably the only thing that could save South Africa from defeat.”Everyone would say New Zealand can count themselves very unlucky. The rain has come at a terrible time for them,” du Plessis said. “They dominated this Test match and deserved to have a crack at us today. It’s a real fair assessment to say we’ve been saved by the rain.”The rest of the South African squad would probably also have settled into their sleep a little easier. Although they had high hopes on du Plessis, who had told JP Duminy that he was “going to block for two days,” they knew their resistance would likely end with him too. Quinton de Kock was the only recognised batsmen left and, talented as he is, few expected him to have the restraint to bat out the day.”You can’t expect Quinny to do exactly the same because he will possibly get out doing something like that but he will put pressure on the opposition by scoring like that,” du Plessis said. “If New Zealand had got a wicket early doors it would have been tough for us to get through that.”New Zealand were thinking the same thing. Having had South Africa’s line-up on the ropes in the last two matches, they were finally ready to deliver the knockout punch, despite being without their two premier bowlers. Tim Southee and Trent Boult both sat out injured and, with Ross Taylor also sidelined, New Zealand’s fight over the last four days went down as “one of our best performances of the home summer,” according to Williamson.”The guys picked up the roles they were given with a number of players out and ran with it. There was a great buzz amongst the group, although fairly inexperienced and young, the guys really took it on and had a good time and enjoyed themselves,” Williamson said. “It’s not easy to do at times in Test cricket, against one of the best nations and the contributions from all the boys throughout this match were fantastic.”What could have been has been the theme of the series – the fifth day of the first Test in Dunedin also washed out – and du Plessis wished there could have been another match. “This series has been series of what-ifs,” he said. “You feel like even after this match, there could have been more, because the teams are playing some competitive cricket and for most of the series its been 50-50.”Ultimately it was one hour in Wellington, which Williamson described as a “bad day, but a game-defining day,” that distinguished the victors from the vanquished. A single hour that du Plessis admitted was “similar to what we had yesterday,” when South Africa lost 5 for 46 in Hamilton.There was no play on the final day in Hamilton, just like Dunedin•AFP

For South Africa to have won so narrowly was not ideal, even though it allowed them to accomplish their goal of getting to No.2 on the Test rankings, from No.7 nine months ago. “We didn’t play great cricket but we still won,” du Plessis said. “We had a roadmap of how we can get there and visualised getting there, and we are here today. Although I am disappointed with this Test, it doesn’t take away the unbelievable achievements we’ve had this season.”The form of their top six is a concern, which left them playing with their “backs against the wall most of the time,” as du Plessis put it. They would like to channel more of the opposition captain Williamson.”New Zealand played some good cricket, especially Kane,” du Plessis said. “I would like to congratulate him on a good series. Two hundreds out of three games is extraordinary.”New Zealand also learnt from South Africa. They wanted to be able to take small opportunities and turn them into big results so that they can set the agenda instead of having to fight against it.”You give a team like South Africa an inch and they run with it. That was perhaps a little frustrating but a good learning curve,” Williamson said. “We have the belief and what it takes. It would be nice to not have to bounce back. We do want to be more consistent in that area.”Both teams could be proud of the show they put on in a series played in good spirits despite the weather. Shortly after du Plessis and Williamson passed each other in the corridor and made arrangements for post-series drinks, the drizzle drifted away. For a few minutes, there was sunshine over Seddon Park. Oh, what could have been

Lancashire have signed Neil Wagner as their overseas player for the majority of their 2016 first-class season

George Dobell15-Jan-2016Lancashire have signed Neil Wagner as their overseas player for the majority of their 2016 first-class season.Wagner, the New Zealand left-arm seamer, will be available from the start of the County Championship season and will feature primarily in that competition. He will be available until at least the end of July and could be available for the entire season if not required for New Zealand’s tour of South Africa.He has currently taken 67 wickets from his 18 Tests. He has previously had a brief spell in county cricket with Northamptonshire – he came into a struggling side in 2014 and took only 10 first-class wickets in five matches at a cost of 72.80 apiece – and has also played club cricket in the region for Ormskirk in 2008. He claimed five wickets in an over while playing for Otago against Wellington in April 2011.His aggression, stamina and commitment should render him a useful addition to a Lancashire side that was promoted back to Division One at the end of last year. With the top division almost certain to shrink to eight teams (from nine) at the end of 2016, Lancashire will have little opportunity to consolidate.”We are delighted to have brought in Neil Wagner to strengthen our bowling attack,” Lancashire coach, Ashley Giles, said. “Neil is a world class bowler with a tremendous pedigree and having him available for such an extended period will give our Division One campaign a real boost.””I am extremely excited to play for such a great club,” Wagner said. “I have always admired Lancashire, ever since playing in the Liverpool Lancashire league for Ormskirk in 2008.”

Durham completed their Friends Life t20 programme with a fourth successive win when they beat Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street

28-Jul-2013
ScorecardDurham completed their Friends Life t20 programme with a fourth successive win when they beat Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street. The Dynamos must now wait to discover whether they have qualified for the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams.Durham were penalised 0.25 points for a salary-cap breach last season, leaving them third in the division on 11.75. They now need either defeat for Glamorgan or a no-result between Warwickshire and Somerset in the Midlands/West/Wales Group, or both Essex and Middlesex to lose in the South Group, to see them through as one of the two best third-placed teams.After being put in, Gordon Muchall’s T20 best of 66 not out took Durham to 187 for 3 and earned him the man of the match award. Derbyshire were all out for 150 with seven balls unused. There were three sixes in Muchall’s 26-ball half-century and his stand of 79 in just under seven overs with Scott Borthwick virtually put the game beyond Derbyshire.They looked like making a fight of it as they sped to 42 in the first four overs of their reply, but the challenge faded after Chesney Hughes went down the pitch and was stumped for 34 in Gareth Breese’s first over. Hughes hit seven fours in his 22-ball knock, but the only other significant contribution came from Dan Redfern.He made 43 off 34 balls before falling to a stunning diving catch at long-off by Ben Stokes, who also showed his athleticism with a sharp piece of fielding off his own bowling to run out Alex Hughes.Phil Mustard, playing his 100th T20 game for Durham, contributed 24 from 21 balls to an opening stand of 54 with acting captain Mark Stoneman, who went on to make 47. His exit brought in Muchall at 83 for 2 in the 11th over and two overs later he drove two successive balls from Wes Durston over long-on for six then also cleared the rope off Redfern.Stokes, the competition’s leading six-hitter with 18, was unable to add to his tally. He made 10 not out after going in when Borthwick fell for 31 in the 18th over.

Half-centuries from Gordon Muchall and Will Smith helped Durham to victory over Somerset, despite Alex Barrow’s late hitting

13-May-2012
ScorecardDurham avenged last season’s CB40 semi-final defeat at Taunton with a 14-run win against injury-hit Somerset at Chester-le-Street. It looked like being a stroll for Durham, but former England Under-19 batsman Alex Barrow marked his debut in the competition by playing some audacious strokes to score 72.Somerset needed 76 in 9.3 overs when Barrow was joined on 147 for 8 by George Dockrell, but they had reduced the target down to 18 off eight balls when Barrow skied a catch on the leg side. In the final over Dockrell was caught at long-off and Somerset were all out for 208.Graham Onions was pulled out of Durham’s team following his inclusion in England’s 13-man squad for the first Test against the West Indies and his replacement, Jamie Harrison, took two wickets in his first seven balls. The 21-year-old left-arm seamer marked his debut by having Craig Kieswetter and Peter Trego lbw on the front foot.Chasing Durham’s 222 for 9, Somerset rallied from 24 for 3 through a stand of 57 between Arul Suppiah and Craig Meschede, which was ended by Liam Plunkett’s first ball of the season. It was short and wide but Suppiah cracked it fiercely to Will Smith, who leapt to take the catch above his head at backward point.After working on his action over the winter in an attempt to restore his accuracy, Plunkett has been playing in the second XI. In his second over Craig Meschede also chased a wide one and sliced to Gareth Breese at deep gully and Plunkett went on to finish with 4 for 33.Jamie Overton took 4 for 42 for Somerset, although he did bowl four of his side’s 10 wides. His last two victims were caught at long-on by his twin, Craig.Craig Meschede dismissed Paul Collingwood, who had pulled two sixes over a short boundary on his way to 13 when he went down the pitch in the ninth over and skied to deep mid-on. Durham recovered from 43 for 3 through Gordon Muchall and Will Smith putting on 124 in 24 overs.Muchall dominated, scoring 75 off 87 balls with six fours and a six, while Smith struggled to find his timing and survived two sharp chances in scoring 18 off the first 41 balls he faced. But he showed the value of patience as things suddenly clicked and he hit two sixes in accelerating to 55 off 66 balls.

Jonny Bairstow converted his maiden first-class century into a superb double hundred as Yorkshire took control of their County Championship clash with leaders Nottinghamshire

05-May-2011
ScorecardJonathan Bairstow wasn’t content with just a single hundred so made it a double•Getty Images

Jonny Bairstow converted his maiden first-class century into a superb double hundred as Yorkshire took control of their County Championship clash with leaders Nottinghamshire.The 21-year-old England Lions batsman, who had previously passed fifty 17 times without reaching three figures in 34 first-class matches, hit five sixes and 24 fours in his 292-ball innings before he was bowled for 205. He was assisted by former Nottinghamshire seamer Ryan Sidebottom, who hit an unbeaten 45, while Paul Franks picked up four wickets.Bairstow’s dismissal prompted Yorkshire to declare on an intimidating 534 for 9, but they could only bowl 8.2 overs at Nottinghamshire openers Mark Wagh and Neil Edwards before bad light ended play an hour early, with the hosts 491 behind on 43 without loss.After Yorkshire had batted through the first day in glorious sunshine and with the traditionally seamer-friendly Trent Bridge wicket offering little assistance to the Nottinghamshire attack, the arrival of cloud cover at the start of the day prompted an early clatter of wickets.Having begun the day on 291 for 3, the visitors lost four wickets for 40 runs, with Joe Root nibbling at an away-swinger from Franks to be caught behind by wicketkeeper Chris Read five short of a maiden first-class hundred. Gerard Brophy was bowled by Luke Fletcher in the next over and Franks found some bounce in the pitch to account for Adil Rashid and Richard Pyrah soon after.But with the hosts missing leading wicket-taker Andre Adams, unable to bowl due to an elbow problem, Bairstow proved an immovable presence and passed three figures nervelessly, accelerating as batting conditions eased during the day.Ajmal Shahzad made 18 before a rush of blood saw the England paceman attempt to hit Samit Patel’s left-arm spin for six, only to slice in the air to mid-off. That brought Sidebottom to the crease and he helped Bairstow add 151 in 39 overs for the ninth wicket, breaking a club record against Nottinghamshire that had stood since 1899.Bairstow went from 100 to 150 in only 49 balls as he unveiled a powerful slog-sweep to put a dent in Patel’s bowling figures, including a six that helped him pass 200. He was then yorked by medium-pacer Steven Mullaney off the next ball he faced, making room to hit through the off-side.Although Nottinghamshire survived a testing mini-spell from Shahzad and Sidebottom unscathed, they still require another 342 to avoid the follow-on.

Zimbabwe have taken major steps towards regaining their position in the cricketing hierarchy

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2010Zimbabwe have taken major steps towards regaining their position in the cricketing hierarchy, of challengers capable of toppling the best sides on their day, and Brendan Taylor who has been at the forefront of the turnaround, has reaffirmed his loyalty to the Zimbabwean cause.”Zimbabwe is my home and it is good place to be in right now,” Taylor told . “I want to support Zimbabwe cricket as much as I can. We’re training hard and trying to give our best to play against Australia, India and Sri Lanka. Hopefully by next year, we will get our Test status back and things here will be normal soon.”We feel the first class structure in Zimbabwe is heading in the right direction. It’s run professionally and we just hope it continues the same way. We have got five teams at the moment and we’re trying to give exposure to the youngsters,” he said.Zimbabwe’s trough in world cricket coincided with the political upheaval in the country which drove several of their leading players away. Taylor was one of the few white cricketers who stuck with the team through the tough phase and spearheaded a few upsets during his time.”Beating Australia (in the first World Twenty20) was a very special moment. They were the world champions at that stage. The last-ball six against Bangladesh in 2006 which gave us series win. It was the closest game I’ve ever played in,” he said.Taylor top-scored in each of Zimbabwe’s three victories in the ongoing tri-series, getting a century and two fifties in the process. He almost single-handedly derailed India’s campaign – an outcome even he is surprised by. “I love Indian cricketers and follow them closely. The present side is slightly out of form. We’re surprised that they have left their main players out. But the current side has some quality cricketers. I’m really surprised that they are out of the tournament.”India and Sri Lanka may have sent depleted sides for the series, and while Taylor admits it made his side compete better, it would have been a good learning experience for Zimbabwe to face full-strength opposition. “That’s [strength of the other teams] not in our hands but I feel a lot happy that India have not fielded their best team. They would have made our task much harder.”At the same time, I would have liked them to be here. It would have been a good experience for us. I have immense respect for players like Yuvraj, Dhoni and Sachin. But we enjoyed playing against the current team. We learnt a lot,” he said.With his recent exploits, Taylor has his sights set on impressing the IPL talent scouts, and if things go his way, he may follow Tatenda Taibu to the lucrative Twenty20 league. “Certainly, every cricketer’s dream is to be a part of the IPL. I know there are two new teams from this year and I have my aspirations to play in the IPL. A few more good performances and I know I can get an IPL contract. It’s my aim to be part of such a well-established tournament,” Taylor said.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull who moved from West Bromwich Albion to Wolves in 1986, admits he can’t see Chris Wilder taking the job at the Hawthorns if they decide to not stick with Sam Allardyce next season.

Wilder parted ways with Sheffield United through mutual consent last week after guiding them to a ninth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, before The Daily Star reported that the Baggies could look to bring him to The Hawthorns as a replacement for Allardyce.

The former Blades player took over when they were in League One and in three seasons they had made it to the top flight despite operating on a relatively small budget. However, both parties saw it fit for Wilder to leave his boyhood club.

Speaking on whether Chris Wilder could make an immediate return back into management at West Brom and what might be holding him back from doing so, Bull told FFC:

“Chris Wilder probably could but I think it would be the same situation as at Sheffield United because they’ve got no resources and no money. Would the chairman back him? I don’t think so.

“I think Chris Wilder has been in management now so he probably wants to have a six-month rest and charge his batteries up.

“He’ll want to get the zest back in him and then Chris Wilder will be out there again soon.”

Sheffield United were pushing for a place in Europe last season before the season was paused for Covid-19 and they haven’t been able to cope playing without any fans.

The Blades have won just seven league games since football returned last June, with three of them coming at the end of last season.

Some Sunderland fans were far from happy with the performance of Josh Scowen despite their 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

The Black Cats are currently enjoying a strong run as they attempt to earn promotion to the Championship. They are currently third in the League One table and are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in the division (Sky Sports). They are just three points off the top of the table with two games in hand, too (BBC).

Aiden O’Brien scored the only goal of the game to secure another three points for the Wearside outfit, but many Sunderland fans were not best pleased with Scowen. He completed only 41% of his passes and lost possession a huge 24 times in the middle of the park – the second-most of any Black Cats player (SofaScore). Quite frankly, he must do better if Lee Johnson’s men are to continue their promotion charge.

These supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the 27-year-old’s “dreadful” display at the Memorial Stadium.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Scowen

“really poor, NO service coming in for Wyke, is Winesta playing today? Scowen, Gooch and Power have been dreadful and has O’Nien finally be found out as a back up CB.”

Credit: @gazk_mackem

“Never in doubt, love an ugly win. However Scowen is starting to infuriate me!”

Credit: @CLQ_W1LKS

“What do Gooch and Scowen bring to the team . Both are performing poorly in my opinion.”

Credit: @safctim

“How does Scowen even make it on there, awful”

Credit: @RyanC2408

“Scowen may press well but he doesn’t retain the ball well off and gives away needless free kicks , 6 at best.”

Credit: @Keiith_C_1971

“Get Scowen off now eeeeey”

Credit: @tomdawson97

In other news, many Sunderland fans are delighted with this injury update.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Wolves goalkeeper Andreas Sondergaard has revealed that Ruben Neves has impressed him the most since his move to Molineux.

The 20-year-old has been training and recovering with the first team this season to gain valuable experience and learn what’s required to play at that level.

Wolves have so much quality in their squad and have top quality players in each position, often more than one in each area of the pitch.

Sondergaard walked into a highly talented squad three years ago and was taken away by the talent on show during both training sessions and matches.

With internationals all over the pitch at Wolves, it is a tough choice to select one who has impressed him the most, but when asked by Football FanCast, Andreas Sondergaard replied:

“I’d probably say Ruben Neves. I knew before I came in that he was a good player.

“It’s always different, like watching them on the telly and then starting to train with them.

“I wasn’t really surprised but, yeah he was a really good player. He is a really good player.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“Definitely one of those where I was thinking, ‘oh, yeah, he will go really far with his talent’.”

The Danish shot-stopper is constantly surrounded by world-class talent at Wolves, however, Neves is a footballer who can make things look effortless on the pitch.

At such a young age, Sondergaard can certainly use Neves as a role model when it comes to settling into a new country and making your mark on the first-team.