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Anil Kumble the former India captain, is at the centre of a controversy over possible conflict-of-interest issues relating to his various roles in cricket administration

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2011Anil Kumble, the former India captain, is at the centre of a controversy over possible conflict-of-interest issues relating to his various roles in cricket administration.Kumble is currently president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, head of the National Cricket Academy and is also mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore; he also co-owns a talent management firm called Tenvic that has on its books several young players including R Vinay Kumar and S Aravind, both part of the India squad for the forthcoming series against England.It is the last role that has raised eyebrows. Tenvic – named after Kumble’s ten-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999 – looks after the commercial interests of the players, his partner Vasanth Bharadwaj told the magazine. “It doesn’t make any sense for someone to do the mentoring and someone else to do the commercial handling,” he is quoted as saying. That is being seen as an area of conflicted interests, given the potential for Kumble to influence selection in both Karnataka and Royal Challengers sides, and given his role at the NCA, the nursery of Indian cricket.Kumble did not respond when contacted by ESPNcricinfo but explained his position to , who first ran the story. “I do not see any conflict of interest here. I am very clear in my mind about this. The important thing is to focus on what you are trying to achieve, and I am trying to do that.”Asked whether it was important to be seen to be above board, he said: “I focus on what has to be done, not on what people might be thinking. The positions with the KSCA and NCA are honorary jobs, and I have to look after myself. At this stage of my career, I have to do that. Otherwise, you would have to become like Gandhi and give up everything.”However, his explanations have not washed with several of his peers. Bishan Singh Bedi, another former spinner and India captain, told Outlook: “I can’t believe it, I don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to sully the image I have of him.”A similar controversy broke out earlier this year, during India’s tour of England, when Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, who were part of the ESPN-Star Sports commentary team, were seen in public perception as compromised given that they are also BCCI employees.A more serious case of conflict of interest is currently being heard by the Supreme Court: it is former president AC Muthiah’s petition that the current incumbent, N Srinivasan, cannot both be a BCCI official and the owner of an IPL franchise (his company owns Chennai Super Kings). The Supreme Court had allowed Srinivasan’s elevation to the president’s position to go ahead last month but said its decision was subject to the outcome of the larger petition.In September 2008, shortly after the first IPL season, the BCCI had amended clause 6.2.4 of the regulations for players, team officials, umpires and administrators. Before the amendment the clause read: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the board.” After the change, it read: “No administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI, excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”

A round-up of the action from the fourth day of the ICC Women’s Cricket Challenge where West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan all recorded victories

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010
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Isobel Joyce’s 63 steered Ireland to a comfortable victory•International Cricket Council

South Africa brushed aside West Indies in a top-of-the-table clash involving the two unbeaten teams in the tournament. It was a team effort that clinched the victory and not outstanding individual contributions – opener Shandre Fritz’s 43 was the highest score of the match, and the wickets were shared around, with three of South Africa’s bowlers picking two each.West Indies chose to bat and lost Juliana Nero in the third over. The bigger blow was when in-form opener Stafanie Taylor fell lbw for 20 in the 14th over. West Indies also lost their captain, Merissa Aguilleira, and 19-year-old Deandra Dottin in the next over to slip to 62 for 4. Stacy-Ann King made a patient 38 to push West Indies to something of a respective total before they were bowled out for the first time in the tournament.South Africa were rarely in trouble during the chase, with Fritz and captain Cri-zelda Brits adding 62 for the second wicket. Even though both were dismissed within two overs of each other, twenties from Mignon du Preez and Marizanne Kapp took South Africa to their fourth straight victory.
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Shashikala Siriwardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, turned in an all-round performance that lifted them to victory over Pakistan, and help them stay in the hunt for third place. Siriwardene top-scored with an unbeaten 67 after Sri Lanka were put in to bat, and then spun out three batsmen with her offspinners to consign Pakistan to their second defeat of the tournament.A 73-run second-wicket stand between opener Chamari Polgampola and Suwini de Alwis gave Sri Lanka a platform before Siriwardene, coming in at No. 4, took charge in the second half of the innings. Sri Lanka were also helped by the 25 wides that Pakistan sent down and by a quickfire 27 from Dilani Manodara towards the end of the innings.Pakistan’s chase got off to a good start and No. 3 Nain Abdi’s half-century pushed them to a promising 147 for 2 by the 32nd over. Sri Lanka tried nine bowlers in search of wickets, which came in a flurry once the third-wicket partnership was broken. Their final eight wickets went down for 42 runs, and three middle-order run-outs helped Sri Lanka ease to a win.
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Ireland crushed Netherlands in the battle between two teams who were yet to post their first wins of the tournament. Half-centuries from the Joyce twins, Isobel and Cecelia, steered Ireland to a victory with more than 21 overs to spare, after the Ireland bowlers had restricted Netherlands to a moderate total.Netherlands chose to bat and much of their total was through three batsmen – Marijn Nijman (43), captain Helmien Rambaldo (30) and Annemarie Tanke (39), with 25 wides from Ireland being the next highest contributor. Netherlands’ innings fell apart against Ireland’s slow bowlers – legspinner Ciara Metcalfe and offspinner Eimear Richardson took three wickets each.Faced with the small target of 173, Ireland lost opener Clare Shillingon for a duck in the first over. Then the Joyce sisters added 150 for the second wicket at quicker than a run a ball to make the match a one-sided affair.

Hosts build on 204-run first-innings lead through fifties from Young and Williamson

Alan Gardner14-Dec-2024Seddon Park may not be one of the more intimidating arenas in world cricket – even more so when there is a stuffed camel wearing a skipper’s cap stood at one end. But it has been a stronghold for New Zealand’s Test side and they won all the major skirmishes on day two against England, as they looked to bring an end to a run of four consecutive home defeats.It began with a ticklish last-wicket stand between Mitchell Santner and Will O’Rourke, which kept England in the field through the first hour of the day while they attempted to wrap up the innings. Come the close, Kane Williamson was walking off unbeaten having notched his 12th 50-plus score in Hamilton, as the hosts made solid progress in pushing on towards an impregnable position.In between, Santner and O’Rourke combined once again to rip the guts out of the England innings – that after Matt Henry had dispatched the head. O’Rourke produced a searing spell of unsettling bounce, sharp movement and 145kph/90mph pace, eliminating Nos. 3, 4 and 5 on the England card – including the top two batters in the world, according to the ICC’s rankings – in the space of eight deliveries. Santner broke the recovery stand between Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes in his first over, before Henry returned to dock the tail as England completed a grisly collapse of 8 for 66.The only member of New Zealand’s four-man attack who did not find himself in the wickets was Tim Southee, the “Sexy Camel” whose impending retirement explains the dromedary mascot. He will likely get another chance to go out on a high note, although his side’s unexpected dominance did imperil the chances of Southee reaching another landmark. With 100 Test sixes in his sights, surely someone in the New Zealand think tank will ensure he goes in to bat at some point on Monday.As England’s hopes of a 3-0 series sweep dwindled during the evening session, Young and Williamson adding 89 for the second wicket after Tom Latham had been induced into chopping on by Gus Atkinson, it appeared as if the Bazball reboot had hit another bump in the road. While they had fought their way out of difficult first-innings positions in Christchurch and Wellington to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, here they fell in a heap to concede a 204-run deficit.This time there was no blazing Harry Brook knock to bail them out. Perhaps he had used up all his luck when scoring match-turning hundreds in each of the first two Tests – but when he departed first ball in the 16th over, New Zealand surely felt the game swing decisively their way.O’Rourke was the catalyst. The 6ft 4in quick had bowled impressively without significant rewards in the series but, on the ground where he claimed a nine-wicket haul on debut earlier this year, produced a brilliant spell after lunch that left England 82 for 5 and reeling.He initially worked Jacob Bethell over with a back-of-a-length attack; when the ball was then pitched up, Bethell’s hard-handed drive flew to backward point. Brook fell to the in-ducker, perhaps a touch unlucky as he defended down into the ground, only for the ball to bounce up and flick off the leg bail. The result was the first golden duck of his career, and the first time that he had been dismissed by a New Zealand bowler for less than 50.Will Young and Tom Latham settle into New Zealand’s second innings•Getty Images

In O’Rourke’s following over, once again the combination of bounce and movement back in did for Joe Root, as his late cut flew straight to Young at backward point.A sprightly recovery stand of 52 in 13 overs between Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes followed, only for Santner to remove both within the space of three deliveries. Pope had counterpunched effectively for the third Test in a row, only to prop forward limply and divert an edge to slip. In Santner’s next over, Stokes fell lbw when missing a slog-sweep.The procession continued, as Henry returned to the attack and induced a tame lob to mid-on from Atkinson. Brydon Carse squeezed a return catch back to Santner and when Matt Potts was caught throwing the bat at Henry, England had lost their last five wickets in five overs for the addition of nine runs. A total of 143 all out was England’s lowest in the first innings since their first outing under Brendon McCullum in June 2022.Henry’s opening spell had seen him maintain his hold over Zak Crawley, dismissing him for the fifth time in as many innings. England made a fast start in reply to 347, reaching 32 for 0 in fours overs as Southee was once again dealt with unceremoniously – and Crawley even succeeded in scoring his first runs of the series off Henry.But it was brief respite. From the third ball Henry bowled to him, Crawley could only manage a leading edge that was scooped up one-handed in the bowler’s follow-through. Crawley hung around for the third umpire to check but replays quickly confirmed fingers under the ball, bringing his record to five runs and five dismissals from 22 balls faced off Henry in the series. In the same over, Henry sent back Duckett with a ball that seamed in to hit his back leg in front of middle stump.That mini-session was the antithesis of what had gone before, as Santner and O’Rourke frustrated England while adding 32 runs to the overnight score in 15 largely untroubled overs. With the field spread for Santner, the pair were happy to tick along – the most excitement arguably coming via O’Rourke’s inside edge to fine leg that brought him his first boundary in 19 innings as an international cricketer.O’Rourke had been given out caught behind off Atkinson in the seventh over of the day, only for Ahsan Raza to have to overturn his decision when technology proved the ball had flicked the trouser leg. Potts eventually ended a cat-and-mouse contest with the first ball after drinks, but the tone for the day was set.

Derbyshire slide from position of strength before openers cement hosts’ advantage

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2023Wayne Madsen narrowly missed out on a century in his 200th first-class appearance for Derbyshire as Yorkshire seized control of the LV= Insurance County Championship match on day two at Scarborough.Madsen, 39, impressed with a very watchable 93 off 140 balls in Derbyshire’s 247 all out as they replied to a first-innings 297. Opener Mitch Wagstaff also posted 52 – his maiden fifty in only his seventh first-team fixture. But Madsen was one of seven afternoon wickets to fall as his side slipped from significant health at 173 for 3 to concede a lead of 50.Seamers Matthew Fisher and Jordan Thompson both claimed three wickets apiece for Yorkshire, who later added to that lead with 179 for 2 from 38 second-innings overs. Openers Fin Bean and Adam Lyth shared 100 inside 21 overs, their sixth successive Championship stand above 50. Bean top-scored with 64 before being run out backing up.While Thompson’s 3 for 48 from 20.1 overs ensured he finished with the pick of the home figures, starting with a wicket in the day’s opening over, Fisher was excellent during the afternoon. He put the skids under Derbyshire on a pitch lacking pace in a fiery five-over spell yielding two wickets.He bowled both Matt Lamb and Anuj Dal, beating them for pace with deliveries which kept low. Lamb’s off stump went cartwheeling as the score fell to 193 for 6.Winding back to the start of the day, which Derbyshire started on 47 for 1, Thompson had Brooke Guest caught behind in the opening over.Wagstaff, 20-years-old, started day two on 32 and reached his fifty off 99 balls. This is only his second first-class fixture. The otherwise composed left-hander was then the second morning wicket to fall when ruffled by a Fisher short ball which he miscued to square-leg, leaving the score at 103 for 3.Derbyshire then pressed ahead with a 70-run stand either side of lunch between Madsen and captain Leus du Plooy, who made 30.Madsen had reached his fifty off 67 balls before lunch, including a six over long-on against Ben Coad – and he looked extremely fluent early in his landmark appearance for Derbyshire.Madsen, who hit three successive fours in one Fisher over, has had an interesting history with Yorkshire, a county who were previously keen on his signature.In 2013, he won the inaugural Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Elite Award in recognition for walking of his own accord in a Championship match between these two counties at Chesterfield that season. Steve Patterson’s appeal for caught behind was turned down, but Madsen walked. He went on to score 141 in the second innings of a defeat. Yorkshire’s interest in signing him was around the same time.Last year, Madsen made his 400th all-format appearance for Derbyshire in a Vitality Blast game at Headingley. In this year’s same fixture, he narrowly missed out on posting a world record sixth successive T20 half-century.With him and du Plooy settled after lunch, Derbyshire looked well set for a first-innings lead. However, the course of the fixture was about to change. Thompson, who thought he had du Plooy caught behind on 20, removed him caught at first slip on 30, leaving the score at 173 for 3 in the 51st over.Then came Fisher’s aforementioned twin strikes before Matthew Revis bowled Alex Thomson. And when Madsen edged another seamer George Hill into the gully seven short of three figures, Derbyshire were 209 for 8 in the 68th over.Zak Chappell and Sam Conners meatily struck some useful lower order runs – 20 and 15 respectively – before falling caught off Revis and Thompson respectively.Bean and Lyth, who made 43, then further rubber-stamped Yorkshire’s excellent day with a dominant evening alliance. They looked in little trouble, though Lyth was caught at slip looking to attack offspinner Thomson, who then deflected a James Wharton drive on to the non-striker’s stumps to run Bean out.Wharton and captain Shan Masood – 29 and 41 – then shared an unbroken half-century partnership through to close.Yorkshire are on track for their second win of 2023. Their first was against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in June.

Fast bowler experiences ‘sharp pain’ in lower back during wicketless outing at Trent Bridge

Osman Samiuddin13-Jun-2022Kyle Jamieson will not take the field on day four, as New Zealand look to eke out a first-innings lead against England in the second LV= Insurance Test at Trent Bridge.Jamieson walked off midway through his 17th over of the innings late on day three after he experienced, what was described by team management, as a “sharp pain” in his lower left back. He will now undergo an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury.Even with Jamieson, New Zealand had struggled to contain England’s run-rate through the day, the hosts scoring 383 runs. Jamieson struggled to make an impact, conceding four runs per over in a wicketless spell, the most expensive he’s been across an innings since his debut over two years ago.In that time he has become an essential component of New Zealand’s attack, missing only one of the 17 Tests New Zealand have played since his debut (he was rotated out to manage workloads in their Test win against England at Edgbaston last year). Sixteen Tests into his career, he’s still averaging under 20. Last week, after he took six wickets at Lord’s in New Zealand’s five-wicket defeat, he rose to No.3 in the ICC men’s Test bowling rankings.Jamieson hasn’t had any major injury concerns since his debut, though he did pull up during a County Championship game for Surrey last summer.There is a week’s gap between the end of this Test and the start of the third at Headingley. New Zealand have Neil Wagner in the squad as well who has – to the surprise of some – not yet featured in the series.New Zealand are already missing the services of captain Kane Williamson, who had to pull out on the eve of this Test after he tested positive for Covid-19.

Daniel Worrall and David Grant took four-wickets each but South Australia came up agonisingly short

Andrew McGlashan28-Feb-2021Western Australia’s No. 11 Liam O’Connor, who has yet to score a first-class run, survived the final over of a pulsating final day to secure a draw against South Australia.O’Connor came to the crease with 23 balls of the match remaining after Daniel Worrall had struck in consecutive overs to remove Hilton Cartwright, who had battled a back injury to make 25 off 122, when he jabbed to short leg, and then had Liam Guthrie caught behind.Cameron Gannon, who had formed a 16-over stand with Cartwright when South Australia were pushing for victory in the final session, tried to farm the strike but struck the last ball of the penultimate over too well and collected a boundary.However, O’Connor was able to negotiate six balls from Chadd Sayers although there was added agony for South Australia when the last delivery of the match lobbed in the air into the off side but didn’t reach any of the close catchers swarming the batsmen.South Australia’s pace attack, led by the four-wicket hauls for Worrall and David Grant, put in a huge effort to try and secure the Redbacks’ first victory of the season after they had declared shortly before lunch to leave a target of 332 in 75 overs.Western Australia were never in a position to threaten the chase and the visitors sensed their chance when Grant, playing his first Sheffield Shield match in more than three years, had Cameron Bancroft caught at point and trapped Cameron Green lbw two balls later. Six overs later he added Josh Inglis and when Aaron Hardie edged Sayers, Western Australia were 5 for 88 with 45 overs still remaining.Cartwright, batting at No. 7 after being off the field on the third day with a back problem, accompanied Shaun Marsh for 14 overs but Grant then made his next big impact when he found the edge of Marsh’s bat, meaning the bowlers were exposed.Matt Kelly played a poor stroke, splicing a pull off Worrall, to leave them seven down with 22 overs remaining before Cartwright and Gannon brought safety within sight deep into the final hour, but there was more drama to come.

Some of India’s Test regulars trained with the SG pink balls at NCA in preparation for the Kolkata Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-20194:02

Rahane on first tryst with pink ball and sessions under Dravid

Playing late, and close to the body, is the key to counter the pink ball – that’s the early learning India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is taking back with him after training against the pink ball for the first time over the past few days.Rahane was part of a small bunch of players from the Indian Test squad, who practised with the pink ball at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in the lead up to the Bangladesh Test series, which includes a day-night Test, the first for either team, in Kolkata from November 22.Not many top-drawer Indian players have actually played competitive cricket with the pink ball, which Rahane said was a “different ball game” from the red ball. “We had two good practice sessions, actually three or four but two in pink ball, one during the day and one under lights,” Rahane said at a press conference in the lead up to the first Test in Indore. “It was actually exciting. It was the first time I played with pink ball, and definitely it’s a different ball game as compared to red ball.”ALSO READ: SG pink ball to be used for maiden day-night Test in IndiaAlong with Rahane, the others who were present at NCA were Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara among the batsmen, and Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. The training sessions took place under the stewardship of NCA director of cricket, Rahul Dravid.”Our focus during the practice session was to look into the swing and seam, and also play close to our body,” Rahane said. “What we found out after the practice session that the pink ball does a lot (more) than the red ball. We have to play slightly late and close to your body. We had word with Rahul also as he was there. We had a very good practice session. Right now the focus is on the first Test match, the red SG ball.”The Kolkata Test will also be the first time SG pink balls will be used at the highest level, making it a trial for the balls as well. Incidentally, the BCCI had preferred the Kookaburra in the Duleep Trophy, which has been played under lights in the last three seasons. Irrespective of the make, it will take some adjusting for the players to do, but Rahane was confident it wouldn’t be a problem.”The lateral movement is big, actually a lot than the red ball,” he said. “Adjustment-wise, I’m sure everyone will adjust very quickly. We are used to playing different formats – after T20s we play Tests. It’s just the mindset, technical skills will play a role. Mentally if you can adjust to the pink ball, then it’ll be good.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in September, more than one prominent Indian domestic player had given the thumbs-down to the pink ball, with Faiz Fazal saying, “There was nothing for bowlers (with the pink ball).”Suresh Raina tosses the pink ball to Ashok Dinda during the 2016-17 Duleep Trophy•AFP

With barely any experience of playing with the pink ball, Rahane did not want to get drawn into comparing the SG and the Kookaburra. But he said the SG pink helped the spinners get more revolutions on the ball. “We played against spinners in Bangalore, and they were getting good revs on the ball. Yes, the shine is completely different to the red ball, but it’s very hard to compare with SG ball and the Kookaburra ball.”I’ve never played with the pink ball. And what I’ve heard from other people is that the Kookaburra ball is actually really easy for the batsmen. But what we saw in Bangalore and played in Bangalore is that the SG ball was doing a bit for the fast bowlers. For spinners, it is difficult but it is very hard for me to say right now about Kookaburra and SG ball.”Unlike Rahane, Pujara has encountered the pink ball in the past, at the 2016 Duleep Trophy, when he topped the scorers’ chart with 453 runs from three innings, hitting two centuries including an unbeaten 256 not out.”I have played with the pink ball, in the Duleep Trophy, and the experience was a good one. The day-night Test will be a five-day game, those were four-day games, this will be a Test-match scenario, so it will be exciting,” he told bcci.tv.He did, however, concede that some of the other batsmen did have problems picking the ball, especially in the latter stages of the days and when facing wristspinners.”During the day, there will be no visibility issues with the pink ball. In my experience, the twilight period and the period under lights are more difficult. Those sessions will be crucial,” he said. “My experience as a batsman was a good one. Even as a team we did well. But some of the other players I had spoken to said that especially when facing a wristspinner, their wrong’uns were difficult to pick. When Kuldeep (Yadav) was bowling, it was difficult to pick his wrong’un.”India and Bangladesh, as well as Afghanistan and Ireland, are the only teams to not have played a pink-ball Test yet, and their maiden foray in the new direction came about when Sourav Ganguly, soon after taking charge as the BCCI president, proposed the plan calling it a “huge step forward”, and the BCB, after discussing the matter with the players, gave it the go-ahead.

Matt Henry’s career-best helped Kent pile up 561 before Derbyshire’s top order provided a solid base in reply

Jon Culley30-Aug-2018
ScorecardHaving been limited to just 11 days of first-class cricket on this ground all summer, Derbyshire members will be grateful for this pitch on one level, even if the chances of a home win are fairly remote. At least, barring a collapse that would be spectacular even by Derbyshire standards, there is a better than even chance of cricket at the weekend.What’s more, there are worse places to be on a sunny September Saturday than on this ground. It has been a much maligned venue over the years, in common with its neighbour down the road in Leicester, but while there is no pretending it is the Tunbridge Wells of the East Midlands, the air of musty decline that used to hang around the place is a thing of the past.Kent are enjoying being here for sure. For the first time this season, they picked up a full complement of batting bonus points, which may yet be invaluable as they seek to close the gap on the top two in what remains of the season.From 365 for 6 overnight, they batted on until all out for 561, adding almost 200 runs at more than five an over. They passed the 400 mark in the 103rd over, only a few deliveries into a partnership between Matt Henry and Grant Stewart that added 119 for the eighth wicket in 20 overs.Henry, whose return to the Kent side has been anticipated largely for his bowling, which yielded 49 wickets in six Championship matches in his first stint with the county earlier in the season, revealed that he can be a pretty useful asset with the bat when everything falls into place. Swinging his arms enthusiastically at anything there to be hit, turning only his fifth first-class fifty into a career-best 81.There were four sixes to rouse spectators, one of which, off Matt Critchley’s legspin, sailed high over the pavilion at deep midwicket, to be followed immediately by another, slightly squarer, into the adjoining car park. He looked good for a maiden hundred, even after Stewart’s departure for a somewhat more measured and rather attractive 85, left him with only one more partner, until another attempt to threaten the pavilion glass off Tony Palladino instead flew off a thick edge to cover.The willing workhorse Palladino dismissed Adam Riley to end the innings with two wickets in two balls and complete the 15th five-for of his first-class career. Remarkably, five of these have been against Kent, including his career-best 7 for 53 on this ground in August 2012. Only this one, though, had cost him more than 100 runs.It left Derbyshire needing to score 412 merely to avoid the follow-on, a total they have reached only once this season. Kent’s ambition was to bat only once and it still might be realised but Derbyshire are at least in a position from which it ought not to.The unblooded Middlesex youngster, Tom Lace, whose arrival on loan as a replacement for Nottinghamshire-bound Ben Slater had some regulars chuntering about home-grown players not being given a chance, more than justified his selection with an eye-catching first-class debut.The 20-year-old, a natural opener with a sound, classical technique – highly thought of by his home county, where he has played since he was 10 – was off the mark to his first ball from Henry and settled any nerves with a nice cut for four in Harry Podmore’s opening over at the other end. He picked up half a dozen more boundaries, mainly off-drives or flicks off the legs, before Ivan Thomas nipped one back to have him leg before for a very promising 40.Thomas consistently asked the most questions among the Kent bowlers, claiming the only other Derbyshire wicket to fall by bowling Billy Godleman for 71. Henry bowled quite full, looking for swing, and left himself open to be driven as a consequence. There was enough in the pitch late in the day for Riley to bowl unchanged for the last hour, joined by Denly’s legspin at the end, but Wayne Madsen and Alex Hughes have so far emerged unscathed.

After India’s spin attack overwhelmed the West Indies batsmen with flight and guile, Smriti Mandhana made short work of the 184-run chase with a 108-ball 106

The Report by Annesha Ghosh29-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSmriti Mandhana hit 13 fours and two sixes in her unbeaten 108-ball 106•Getty Images

After India’s spin attack overwhelmed the West Indies batsmen with flight and guile, Smriti Mandhana made short work of the 184-run chase with an unbeaten 108-ball 106. Her innings negated the stutter caused by the two early wickets lost in response to the pressure West Indies’ bowlers created with their fast, short-pitched bowling.Mandhana carried on from where she left off against England, bettering her 72-ball 90 with a second ODI century and a first in the World Cup. She hit 13 fours and two sixes, punishing anything short. With Mithali Raj, she steered the larger part of the chase, adding 108 runs for the third wicket, before Raj, four short of her eighth consecutive fifty, holed out to mid-off.Raj’s decision to bowl first failed to find much validation from her two frontline medium-pacers, Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, who shared the new ball between them for the first six overs. Even though Felicia Walters looked unsure while negotiating Goswami’s off-stump line, Hayley Matthews took the attack to both opening bowlers, hitting them for a combined six fours in 27 balls.On a moist pitch with a tinge of green, Raj turned to her spin spearhead, Ekta Bisht, in the seventh over. The left-arm orthodox bowler struck with her first ball, forcing an edge off Walters with generous flight outside off stump. The nick was adroitly pouched by Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper, who effected three more dismissals in the game – all of them being stumpings.West Indies’ loss of their first wicket occured one ball after Harmanpreet Kaur – who already sported a heavily strapped right palm – went off the field having dislocated the ring finger of her left hand while diving at mid-off. Despite having to make up for Harmanpreet’s absence from the attack by bringing on Mona Meshram, who had last bowled in an ODI in 2013, India kept a tight leash on the scoring. Having taken 12.4 overs to add 40 for the second wicket with Stafanie Taylor, Matthews popped back a return catch to the offspinner Deepti Sharma.Taylor was run out seven balls later, and Deandra Dottin, the scorer of a 38-ball hundred in T20Is, crawled to 7 off 47 balls before holing out to long-on, to complete a wretched batting day for the two stars playing their 100th ODI.India, meanwhile, had Harmanpreet back on the field after being tended to by the physio, and she was introduced into the attack immediately. She snaffled Kyshona Knight in the 35th over to leave West Indies 91 for 6. Against the collective discipline of India’s spinners, led by Bisht and the legspinner Poonam Yadav, West Indies’ second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth-wicket partnerships together added only 62 off 169 balls.The reintroduction of pace, in the form of Goswami, in the 36th over, gave West Indies some respite. A slew of fielding errors further released the pressure the spinners had piled on. Bisht dropped two straightforward chances, letting off Anisa Mohammed on 0 and Afy Fletcher on 12, before the two went on to add 37 unbroken runs for the ninth wicket. Fletcher’s 36 not out and Shanel Daley’s 33 eventually lifted West Indies to 183.Shamilia Connell began West Indies’ defence by peppering Punam Raut with a flurry of short deliveries, and she gloved the fifth ball of the innings – a well-directed bouncer – to keeper Merissa Aguilleira, failing to connect cleanly with a hook. Deepti Sharma then kept to 6 off her first 22 balls, and was bowled trying to slog Taylor’s offspin in the eighth over as she succumbed to the pressure of the mounting dots.Mandhana and Raj, however, ensured there would be no more flutters in India’s chase.Having motored into the nineties, Mandhana suffered a few nerves: an awkward lofted drive on 93 was followed by a poorly executed pull next ball which lobbed in the air and flew straight to deep midwicket, only for Knight to put her down. A few words between overs from her batting partner Meshram appeared to calm Mandhana down, and she duly reached her hundred off her 105th ball, doing so in the same manner that had brought up her fifty against England: making room and lofting the ball over cover for four.Two balls later, an edge wide of short third man completed India’s victory.

Scotland’s first ODI at home in more than two years ended in frustrating fashion, with the first ODI of the two-match series against Afghanistan finishing with a no result

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh04-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRahmat Shah and Najibullah Zadran added a record 157 for the fifth wicket, for Afghanistan•AFP

Scotland’s first ODI at home in more than two years ended in frustrating fashion, with the first game of the two-match series against Afghanistan finishing in a no result. Yet the partisan Afghanistan crowd got their money’s worth – and a steal it was for the £10 charged at the gate – before play was abandoned with Afghanistan at 283 for 4 in 47.2 overs, courtesy Rahmat Shah’s maiden ODI ton and a career-best 89 not out from Najibullah Zadran.The visitors kicked off their seven-match European ODI tour in menacing fashion, Rahmat and Najibullah producing a record fifth-wicket partnership for Afghanistan in ODIs. They added an unbroken 157 – the fourth best for any wicket in ODIs for Afghanistan – after coming together at 126 for 4 in the 31st over.While Rahmat ended the day ahead of Najibullah in the runs column, the 23-year-old left-hander evoked a more emotional response from the vocal Afghanistan supporters in the crowd, with chants of “Na-jib! Na-Jib! Na-Jib!” growing louder after each six.Rahmat was on 40 before Najibullah faced his first ball, and the frenetic rollercoaster ride began three balls into the 32nd over, when an edged drive off Alasdair Evans barely eluded the reach of wicketkeeper Matthew Cross for the first of Najibullah’s nine fours. His second boundary in the following over, a Brad Wheal half-tracker creamed over midwicket, was a portent of what was to come.After Rahmat brought up his fifty off 88 balls with back-to-back pulled fours, Rahmat turned the steering wheel to Najibullah, who flashed two more boundaries, before rain stopped play for the first time with the score at 180 for 4 in 39 overs. A 100-minute break ensued with lunch taken early to ensure no overs were deducted.Upon resumption, Rahmat briefly became the aggressor with four more boundaries before Najibullah took over. He targeted Evans midway through the 42nd and a booming drive over mid-off was the first of five sixes. A single off Wheal in the 43rd brought up his fifty in 35 balls before he smashed two sixes off debutant Ruaidhri Smith over mid-off in the 44th over. Najib then shifted his focus to the midwicket fence in the 46th, hammering a free-hit from Safyaan Sharif into the practice nets before Evans was heaved over the same region to end the 47th.Amid the fireworks supplied by Najibullah, Rahmat inconspicuously made his way to 99 for the start of the 48th and a single took him to three figures in 123 balls.Najibullah was on 87 off 52 balls and with 17 balls remaining in the innings, he looked set to break the Afghanistan record for the fastest ODI century, jointly held by Karim Sadiq against Netherlands and Mohammad Shahzad against Scotland in 72 balls.Rain, however, had returned to impact proceedings, the free-hit in the prior over came after Sharif – struggling to grip the damp ball – bowled a beamer that cleared Najibullah’s head by two feet and was desperately knocked down by a leaping Cross to prevent five extras. After Najibullah pushed for two on the second ball of the 48th, the umpires took the players off for good.Scotland had made a reasonable start, after inserting Afghanistan, with Wheal producing extra bounce to clip the shoulder of Noor Ali Zadran’s bat as Cross snapped up the chance in the third over to make it 7 for 1. Shahzad survived a strong lbw shout from Evans in the following over, while on 6, and then feasted on the fast bowler for three boundaries in a see-saw eighth over. Evans, however, hit back with a full ball to have Shahzad lbw for 26.Rahmat joined Javed Ahmadi for an assured 53-run stand that was broken when Ahmadi couldn’t keep a Sharif yorker out. Captain Asghar Stanikzai made 20 before Wheal beat him for pace with a short ball and had him fluttering a pull to Con de Lange at mid-on. Wheal got carried away with the short-ball strategy against Rahmat and Najibullah, and paid the price with inflated figures of 2 for 51 in nine overs. It was Evans, though, who struggled the most to find a consistent length and was left nursing the most expensive figures of the day – 1 for 73.The two sides return to the Grange on Wednesday, with more promising weather on the horizon, for the second and final match of the series. Afghanistan then depart for Belfast, where they will take on Ireland in a five-match ODI series.