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Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz and Abbas Afridi are the newcomers to the side led by Salman Agha

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2025Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, to be played between July 20 and 24.The squad has been trimmed by one from the time Pakistan played their last T20I series – also against Bangladesh – but at home in May-June, when Pakistan won 3-0.Shadab has recently undergone surgery on his right shoulder and is currently recovering. Rauf, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury at the MLC, which has ruled him out of San Francisco Unicorns’ playoff matches. Apart from them, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah have been left out. Hasan, who was the top wicket-taker when Bangladesh toured Pakistan earlier, has been allowed to continue playing in England while selectors try out other options. Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi – also absent – are being considered for ODIs by Pakistan for the moment.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The replacements don’t bring a lot of experience with them. Ahmed Daniyal, the medium pacer, and Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, are uncapped in international cricket, while left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem is just ten T20Is old. Top-order batter Hasan Nawaz made his international debut earlier this year and has played just eight T20Is, although he also did have a stellar PSL season. Abbas Afridi, the medium pacer, is relatively more experienced, having played 21 T20Is since making his debut early last year.Some of them were among the better performers at the PSL earlier this year. Abbas Afridi was the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 wickets from 11 innings for Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza picked up nine wickets from just four games for Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz, meanwhile, was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 399 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators, going at a strike rate of 162.19.This is the second T20I series Pakistan will be playing under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, with the next T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.The squad for the white-ball series against West Indies, to be played in Lauderhill (T20Is) and Tarouba (ODIs) in early August, “will be announced in due course,” the PCB said in a statement. The board’s COO Summer Syed said they were in negotiations with Cricket West Indies to turn the ODIs of that tour into more T20Is, given there is a T20 World Cup next year.

Pakistan squad for T20I series against Bangladesh

Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Bumrah took charge of India in his absence

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20241:35

Manjrekar: Rohit had an answer to all of Stokes’ plans

India captain Rohit Sharma, suffering a stiff back, did not take the field at the start of the third day of the the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. The designated vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, took charge of the team.Rohit has enjoyed rich returns over the back end of the series, scoring centuries in two of the last three Tests. He was instrumental in establishing India’s advantage in Dharamsala, bringing up his 12th Test century and his 10th at home. With all five of the top-order making fifty-plus scores, the hosts were able to take a lead of 259 as the game moved forward.Related

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Rohit had partnerships of 104 and 171 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill respectively as India took hold of the game despite losing the toss. Jaiswal made 57, his fifth score of 50 or more in this series – two of which he converted into double-centuries. Gill went on to score his second century of the series.India have faced a spate of injuries over the course of the series. Mohammed Shami (ankle injury) and Virat Kohli (birth of his second child) have not been involved at all. KL Rahul has missed all but the first Test, recovering from a quadricep tendon injury. Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t available for the second Test with a hamstring injury. R Ashwin had to leave the team in Rajkot briefly to attend to a family emergency. Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi. And Rajat Patidar has been nursing a sore ankle. All of India’s first-choice players have the IPL coming up, on March 22 through to May, which then leads into the T20 World Cup in June.India are leading the series against England 3-1, bouncing back from a defeat in Hyderabad to win three on the trot.

A total of 140 cricketers have signed up for the season, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller and Alex Hales

Aadam Patel22-Nov-2022The sixth season of the Abu Dhabi T10 begins on Wednesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium with New York Strikers, led by Kieron Pollard, taking on Bangla Tigers, who will be captained by Shakib Al Hasan.Wednesday’s double-header will also see the reigning champions Deccan Gladiators clashing with Team Abu Dhabi. The two sides will be led by Nicholas Pooran and Chris Lynn respectively,Mushtaq Ahmed will once again be in charge of a Gladiators team with the likes of Andre Russell, David Wiese and Tabraiz Shamsi. The Gladiators came on top of the group standings last year, winning seven out of their ten games before beating Delhi Bulls in the Qualifier and then again in the final.The Bulls, coached by Andy Flower, will begin their campaign in a triple-header on Thursday and are captained by Dwayne Bravo who will be hoping to go one better after falling short after fellow West Indian Russell smashed 90* off 32 balls in last year’s final.Two new franchises have joined for this year’s edition from USA with the launch of the Strikers and Morrisville Samp Army increasing the amount of teams to eight.Moeen Ali will lead the Morrisville franchise once he joins up in the UAE after winning the T20 World Cup with England in Australia, while Lance Klusener is head coach. The Strikers will be coached by Carl Crowe and will also benefit from having Yuvraj Singh as a mentor.He isn’t the only Indian name set to feature, with the likes of Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth all signed up for the competition.The tournament will feature some of cricket’s most well-known names with 140 cricketers signed up, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Wanindu Hasaranga and Alex Hales.Each team will face each other once, with 33 games scheduled over the next 12 days in Abu Dhabi. The top two sides will advance to a Qualifier with the winner progressing to the final on Sunday, December 4. The winner of the eliminator between third and fourth place will face the loser of the Qualifier in a virtual sem-final, with the winner of that game advancing to the final.A T10 league for Sri Lanka has also been announced with the Lanka T10 League schedule to take place in June next year.

Mendis, Hasaranga and Chameera show spirit but lack support in five-wicket loss

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Jun-2021England 189 for 5 (Root 79*, Chameera 3-50) beat Sri Lanka 185 (Perera 73, Hasaranga 54, Woakes 4-18) by five wicketsIt’s not as if this profoundly depleted Sri Lanka side did not have their moments.During the 99-run fourth-wicket stand between Kusal Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga, a creditable total seemed possible. When the seamers, led by Dushmantha Chameera, claimed four England wickets for 26 runs, leaving the opposition 80 for 4 (it would have been 80 for 5 if Perera had held on to dismiss Moeen Ali first ball, off Chameera), there was the slim possibility of making the run-chase difficult for England.But because the remainder of the game went roughly as expected, England’s victory was straightforward, ultimately. Sri Lanka lost 3 for 45 at the top of their innings, then their last seven for 40, making an eventual 185 that was miles form being sufficient.England’s new-ball bowlers had set the match up – Chris Woakes particularly disciplined and skilful as he claimed 4 for 18 from his 10 overs. Then Jonny Bairstow blasted a 21-ball 43, and Joe Root nurdled his way to the game’s top score of 79 not out, Moeen keeping him company through most of it. England had bowled Sri Lanka out inside 43 overs. They surpassed their score inside 35 overs, with five wickets to spare.A comfortable England victory had anyway been expected following the T20Is, which they had easily won, but the gulf between the sides had widened further when it became clear that no fewer than six of Sri Lanka’s original touring squad were unavailable for this game. Bio-bubble-popping trio Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis were already in Sri Lanka before this match began, having been flown back in economy class for their sins. Avishka Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva, meanwhile, were out through injury, and Oshada Fernando was unavailable due to illness.Related

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• Avishka ruled out of ODIs due to quadriceps tear

This left the visitors with little choice but to field a slew of inexperienced players. Three – allrounders Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya Lakshan, plus left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama – were on ODI debut. Three others – Binura Fernando, Ramesh Mendis and Chamika Karunaratne – had played only one ODI. On top of which Pathum Nissanka was playing his seventh match. In fact, across their XI, Sri Lanka only had 195 caps – 105 of them belonging to captain Perera. Eoin Morgan was playing his 244th game.Woakes and David Willey ensured that England began the match as expected, extracting seam and swing in the first Powerplay, though Woakes in particular would probably have troubled even much better opposition. He rarely strayed from the channel, finding movement both in the air and off the surface, and nicked off Nissanka in the fifth over. Four overs later he bowled the delivery of the innings when he angled a ball in from over the wicket, then moved it away off the seam to take the edge of Dasun Shanaka. At the other end, Willey had had debutant Asalanka caught at slip for a duck.Chris Woakes claimed four wickets in a superb display•Getty Images

After Perera and Hasaranga had each struck fifties, it was these two bowlers who came back into the attack to rip through the middle order. Woakes bounced Hasaranga out for 54, before nicking Lakshan off soon afterwards. Perera had been Sri Lanka’s most settled and confident player, but perhaps sensing a collapse from his team-mates, holed out to deep square leg off the bowling of Willey, for 73 off 81. That Perera could produce these kinds of innings was known, but Hasaranga’s half-century was encouraging – he had come in at No. 5 and had to battle through some excellent seam bowling before finding his feet against the spinners.In reply, Bairstow was brutal in the early overs, bashing six fours and a six in his 21-ball stay to propel England at greater than 10 runs an over in the early overs of their innings. But when he chopped Binura Fernando on to his stumps, England had lost both openers in quick succession – Liam Livingstone having spooned Karunaratne to mid-on the previous over.Joe Root celebrates a half-century in his 150th ODI•AFP/Getty Images

Then, Chameera – the best of Sri Lanka’s bowlers – had Eoin Morgan caught behind, and Sam Billings flashed one aerially to backward point. His next ball should have accounted for Moeen too, but Perera was standing too far to the leg-side, and was late moving towards his left. He spilled that chance, and England rebuilt.Root’s innings was measured. There was little pressure from the required rate, so he chose to collect safe singles and twos into the outfield, relying heavily on a dab to third man against the quicks. In fact, in the whole of Root and Moeen’s 91-run stand, only three boundaries were struck. Although Moeen did seem bogged down at times, ultimately striking at less than 50, Root was untroubled by the lack of boundaries. He guided England home in the company of Sam Curran.

England’s 46-run victory over West Indies takes them a step closer to the title decider

The Report by Valkerie Baynes01-Mar-2020England took another step towards the title decider by booking their place in the semi-finals with a convincing victory over West Indies in Sydney. Before her side left for the tournament, England’s new Australian coach, Lisa Keightley, had stated that she expected her charges to be in the final and, while their wobble against an impressive South Africa in their opening match raised concerns that objective might be under threat, their latest performance confirmed it remains the basis of their expectations.Natalie Sciver set the tone with another half-century to lead England to a competitive total on a pitch where, earlier in the day, South Africa had managed 136 for 6 in advancing to the knockout stages with victory over Pakistan. Sophie Ecclestone finished the job with an emphatic 3 for 7 off 3.1 overs. The bowlers were undermined by some sloppy fielding from England, but a spate of troubling injuries for West Indies helped to put the result beyond doubt.England bowler Kate Cross was taken to hospital after hurting her ankle during the warm-up. While Cross has not played so far in the tournament and was not due to face West Indies, any enforced absence would rob England of an option at the business end of their campaign. But it was a groin injury to West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, that led to her being stretchered from the field after retiring hurt on 15, that put a serious dent in her side’s prospects of taking the fight to England. Taylor played no further part in the game as England moved to the top of Group B with a superior net run rate to South Africa, who also have six points with a game in hand. Their opponents will be decided in the final round of matches, with India already through, and Australia and New Zealand primed for a winner-takes-all clash on Sunday.Stunning SciverSciver’s rich vein of form continued, her third fifty in four innings at this World Cup had match-winning potential all over it. Sciver made 57 off 56 balls on a slow pitch, following innings of 50 in a losing cause against South Africa, an unbeaten 59 against Thailand and 36 against Pakistan.Sciver’s command of the innings became ever more important when England’s other in-form batsman, Heather Knight, was run out through what looked like a lack of urgency on the part of the England captain. She ambled through for a single and was found short of her ground as Shakera Selman fired the ball in from short midwicket. Like Knight before her, Sciver fell slightly tamely with an over of the innings to come, spooning a catch to Hayley Matthews at midwicket, but her touch is undeniable.Top-order shuffleEngland’s top order has been a talking point so far in this tournament, with Tammy Beaumont being pushed down the order – ostensibly due to her superior skills at the death – in favour of an opening partnership of Danni Wyatt and Amy Jones. The jury remains out after Beaumont was moved back up to the top after Jones had struggled with scores of 23, 0 and 2. Beaumont was out for a second-ball duck, playing round a full Selman delivery which pinned her plumb in front of the stumps.But if that part of the switch didn’t pay off, then Jones’ free-flowing cameo at No.6 against West Indies certainly did. She scored an unbeaten 23 off 13 balls, including three fours, to provide England with some vital late momentum as they claimed 36 runs in the final three overs. While Beaumont and Jones have opened together in ODIs in recent times, that effort, along with Wyatt’s solid 29 off 27 balls at No.1, looks to have cemented their respective roles for the final matches.Taylor troubleWhen Taylor was stretchered off with an apparent groin injury, the wind seemed to go out of West Indies’ sails. Taylor struck a Sciver delivery towards cover and set off but could barely manage to hobble through and collapsed to the ground clutching at her upper thigh in obvious agony. The same motorised stretcher that had driven Cross from the ground before the match was called upon again and Taylor retired hurt.It was not the only worrying injury for West Indies, with Britney Cooper rolling her ankle as she ran between the wickets and battling with discomfort for the rest of her innings, which by necessity consisted of her taking aim at the boundary rather than seeking singles. She was out attempting a big shot off Ecclestone only to find herself stumped.Spin twins… triplets?Ecclestone was in the thick of the action, dismissing Deandra Dottin with just her sixth ball, in the third over of West Indies’ chase. Ecclestone tempted Dottin into a pull that wasn’t there to be had, and Sciver took a low catch at short midwicket. Ecclestone also took the last wicket, pegging back Anisa Mohammed’s off stump to seal the win and claim her 50th wicket in T20Is. That a proven performer like Ecclestone was delivering wickets was no surprise, nor was it that Sarah Glenn, a legspining revelation for England in the past few months, was also instrumental. Glenn finished with 2 for 16 from her four overs, giving her six wickets for the tournament so far at an average of 11.33 and following her her 3 for 15 in the previous match against Pakistan.On a pitch that was conducive to spin, England opted for a third specialist in the area, Mady Villiers. Making her World Cup debut and playing just her fourth T20 international, offspinner Villiers opened with a wicket maiden when she took a sharp return catch with just her fourth ball to dismiss Shemaine Campbelle, all the while avoiding a near collision with non-striker Chedean Nation.

Watson struck this BBL’s maiden hundred, McCullum registered his first BBL duck but the match came to a premature end under bizarre circumstances

The Report by Ankur Dhawan17-Jan-2019
No result
Sydney Thunder had not beaten Brisbane Heat in their last four matches, the Heat were yet to win at home this season, and the BBL had been parched for an individual hundred. Curiously, the one least likely to change did, as Shane Watson blasted his third T20 hundred in the last 12 months to catapult his team to 186, before Chris Jordan and Gurninder Sandhu snuffed fight out of the chase with the early wickets of Brendon McCullum, out for a maiden BBL duck, and Chris Lynn. However, a bizarre floodlight failure that occurred at the end of the third over of the Heat chase led to the match being called off and the points shared, much to the chagrin of the visitors who looked set to register their fifth win of the season.Hundred just a number for ageless WatsonUnlike the hundred in the IPL final where he took time to find his groove, here, Watson started in top gear. It started with two sixes off Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who erred in length and Watson rocked back and pulled him flat over deep midwicket, a shot that proved a loyal ally throughout his innings. Next ball, Mujeeb erred in line, drifting down leg, with the fine-leg up, Watson just helped him over, with a surprising amount of power behind the stroke.Watson had recently spoken about working on a few things as his BBL got off to a lukewarm start, clarified by coach Shane Bond as the position of his head and hands, and the work put in was on view as Watson struck the ball cleanly from a stable base, without once leaving his crease. The spinners Mujeeb and Mitchell Swepson suffered as he took 47 off the duo of 26 balls, and all his six sixes came off the pair. It was Mujeeb who eventually had him caught at long-off immediately after reaching a 61-ball century but he’d caused enough carnage by then.Costly missWatson was still 67 runs away from being this BBL’s first centurion when he was put down off the dubutant Jack Prestwidge’s bowling. It was a slower ball, both short and wide, but Watson’s flashing blade did not get all of it and he ended up spooning it to the right of cover point, without much timing. The diving fielder got both hands to it and for a moment it looked like he’d taken it but as is customary with such catches, it popped out of his hands when the elbows made contact with the ground.Devcich steps up in Buttler’s absenceJos Buttler had been Thunder’s best batsman this season but Anton Devcich has proved to be an able replacement. His inclusion has coincided with Watson finding form and the duo have laid a solid foundation for their side in the two matches that they have opened. Against Adelaide Strikers they added 37 in 21 balls, with Devcich playing lead in the partnership. The roles switched this match but the result was equally effective as they added 58 from 40 with Devcich contributing a 24-ball 26.

After a poor ODI series with the bat, can Australia change the narrative in a format that gives the batsmen licence to attack non-stop?

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu06-Oct-20172:35

Agarkar: Opportunity for India to climb up T20I rankings

Big picture

Over three weeks of practice, travel, matches and press conferences – where they have had fewer places to hide than on the field, making them the most exhausting exercise of all – Australia arrive in Ranchi with … a clean slate. The T20I series stands 0-0, and the format is such that one player having a good day can change everything. Or enough things. Given his luck, Steven Smith would probably have settled for waking up on the right side of the bed. But no. His shoulder is injured and he has to fly back home.India, meanwhile, have … well, let’s put it this way, their Man of the Series in the ODIs was both caught and run-out off the same ball and yet welcomed back to the crease to resume batting. The change in format is unlikely to adversely affect them, though they may want to revisit their methods. Building an innings gradually, taking as little risk as possible, took them to the semi-final of a home World T20 but no further. Brute force is the way to go, as West Indies have often shown.Following that template could be the best way forward for Australia too, although whether they are in the mindset to do so is a different matter. In assessing a spate of collapses, former opener Justin Langer said the players aren’t looking forward to being in the middle and upon landing in Ranchi, the acting head coach David Saker admitted “a lot of them are playing a little bit scared”.The visitors’ frankness – nearly everyone that has spoken publicly has put their hands up and admitted fault – is admirable. But they would desperately want to sit in that chair or stand up to a mic and get asked slightly more pleasant questions.

Form guide

India: WLWWL
Australia: WLLWWConditions were bleak in Ranchi on the eve of the India-Australia T20I•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the spotlight

This year, Daniel Christian has two T20 titles, and a runners-up medal. He was adept at clearing the boundary as soon as he stepped out to bat and a few tweaks made to his bowling ahead of the 2016-17 Big Bash League also helped him regain some of his lost pace. Whether all that will help him cut it in international cricket again – he hasn’t played a T20I since April 2014 – remains to be seen.”The only thing that is not happy that I am still playing is my body,” said Ashish Nehra. Now if he is able to get into the XI with his 38-year-old-held-together-by-duct-tape frame, when India have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as seam-bowling options, we will have proof that age really ain’t nothin but a number. Or that the team management simply wants to rest their frontliners.

Team news

India might want to retain their first-choice XI, because the six-day break between the ODI and T20Is might have helped refresh them a bit, but KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Ashish Nehra will be pushing for spots.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Manish Pandey/KL Rahul, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Ashish Nehra/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahWith Smith unavailable, David Warner takes over as captain of Australia and Marcus Stoinis is likely to play his first T20I in two years. There is a chance for as many as four new players in the XI who do not bear the scars of the ODI series loss. Allrounder Moises Henriques (if Glenn Maxwell remains out of favour), left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff, allrounder Dan Christian and Tim Paine, the only specialist wicketkeeper.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Travis Head, 4 Moises Henriques/Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Dan Christian, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Jason Behrendorff

Pitch and conditions

Heavy rain around the vicinity of the stadium in Ranchi meant the pitch spent some time under covers. More of the same is forecast on match-day afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• The average first-innings score over the last five T20s at the JSCA stadium is 161
• Australia have played only three T20Is in 2017 – all against Sri Lanka at the start of the year, while the first team was in India preparing for a Test series
• The last time India lost a T20I to Australia was in the 2012 World T20.

Quotes

“It’s always great fun playing alongside him. He has got plenty of experience to share and is very helpful. As a youngster, I keep asking him questions and seek his advice. The team atmosphere also becomes very good with his presence, so it’s very nice to see him back”
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Mark Footitt finished with seven wickets as Surrey waltzed to a 10-wicket win against fast-fading Lancashire at Kia Oval

ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2016
ScorecardMark Footitt finished with seven wickets for Surrey•PA Photos

Ten months into his Surrey career and having suffered early-season niggles and lapses in confidence, left-arm seamer Mark Footitt finally announced his arrival at the Kia Oval with a career-best haul of seven for 62 to wrap up Surrey’s 10-wicket win over Lancashire.Footitt mopped up Lancashire’s two remaining wickets within 40 minutes of the fourth and final day to set up his side’s fourth win of the Specsavers County Championship campaign.Home openers Rory Burns (28*) and Dominic Sibley (11*) duly knocked off the 38 runs required within 9.1 overs to secure the comfortable and deserved victory with more than two sessions of the game to spare.By hitting the winning boundary with a reverse sweep Burns also marked his 26th birthday by scoring his 1,000th championship run of the season.Victorious Surrey skipper Gareth Batty said: “We started the game on the front foot and finished the game on the front with the boys knocking the runs off today.I thought it was a pretty complete performance.”The pitch had been slightly damp the day before the game so it was actually a good toss to lose. It didn’t do a lot but the ball carried a fraction more from the green areas with it being slightly damp.”No matter what the conditions though you’ve still got to bowl well to take 20 wickets and I thought the boys bowled magnificently. The Curran brothers held the game in a couple of beautiful spells, Sam ended up with the wickets but they bowled magnificently in a partnership. We’re starting to play as a team where individuals know their roles which is very exciting.”In praise of Footitt’s match-winning return, Batty said: “He bowled brilliantly. People forget he has moved club’s and moving to a big club like Surrey can be hard. He’s bowling on different surfaces too and he’s adapted quite magnificently here. He deserved is even for having bowled well plenty of times already this season without having much luck.”Earlier, Surrey’s attack required only 15 deliveries of the final day to dislodge Lancashire’s ninth man in the shape of Nathan Buck. Prodding off the back foot at another testing delivery from Footitt, the right-hander followed and nicked to second slip where birthday boy Burns took a comfortable catch.Lancashire’s last pairing of Simon Kerrigan and Kyle Jarvis extended their side’s narrow overall lead to 37 before Footitt, the former Derbyshire stalwart, had Kyle Jarvis caught on the drive at mid-off to wrap up the Lancashire innings for 230.While Footitt secured his career-best from the Pavilion End, Batty reeled off 27 overs at the Vauxhall End to finish with excellent figures of two for 67, having virtually locked down the run-scoring from one end.Lancashire travelled home with 4pts while Surrey boosted their late title challenge with a haul of 23 having secured their third win in four championship starts.

Quite how England respond to their Lord’s thrashing remains to be seen, but for Michael Clarke there was no screaming and shouting after Australia’s opening defeat in Cardiff as he instead trusted his players to answer their own questions

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2015Quite how England respond to their Lord’s thrashing remains to be seen, but for Michael Clarke there was no screaming and shouting after Australia’s opening defeat in Cardiff as he instead trusted his players to answer their own questions: he could not have hoped for a more emphatic outcome.When Josh Hazlewood bowled James Anderson well before the Lord’s clock had struck 5pm on Sunday afternoon, Australia completed an overwhelming 405-run victory to level the Investec Ashes at 1-1. Given the way Australia themselves were out-performed in Cardiff it was a remarkable turnaround – not just a victory but an evisceration.”We didn’t talk too much about Cardiff, once we left that changing room our focus was turning up here and making sure we played some of our best cricket,” Clarke told . “We knew we didn’t play our best, but today the boys up there can look themselves in the mirror and know they played some pretty good cricket”Couldn’t have asked for a better performance from every single player, the way the boys batted – Smith, Rogers, Davey Warner – and the intent through the second innings was outstanding then the execution from the bowlers.”Australia made two changes for this Test. They were forced to hand Peter Nevill a debut after Brad Haddin withdrew for personal reasons and the gloveman responded with seven catches and a jaunty maiden innings. The selectors also decided to ditch Shane Watson for Mitchell Marsh and the allrounder claimed three top-order wickets to help the frontline bowlers dismantle England.”Marshy played really well, his intent shows how much of a team player he is,” Clarke said. “He got two crucial wickets in the first innings, didn’t get a long bowl in the second dig but did a great job as well. Credit to the selectors for going with their gut, it was hard on Watto who has been a fantastic player for us but that’s the advantage we’ve got with the squad.”The eye-catching bowling on the fourth day came from Mitchell Johnson who rattled England with his pace – reviving memories of what happened in Australia – but Clarke devolved questions about any reopening of scars.”That’s probably a question for Mitchell Johnson or the England batsmen. He’s such a great athlete that he can bowl long spells or I can ask him to bowl short spells – it’s about assessing the wicket and the game. Credit to the rest of the attack, too, because the way they operated allowed Mitch to do that.”

A round-up of the QEA Trophy matches that ended on January 16

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2013Group 1Quetta routed Peshawar by an innings and 171 runs inside three days at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.After being sent into bat, Quetta posted a formidable first-innings score, with Ali Asad making an unbeaten 210 and the captain Taimur Ali scoring 120. It was Ali Asad’s highest first-class score, and Taimur’s third hundred in 53 matches. Quetta declared on 483 for 8 on the second day.Peshawar ended that day on 70 for 4 in their first innings and collapsed to 117 all out in 41.3 overs on the third. Naved Khan was the only batsman to make more than 20 as Gohar Faiz took career best figures of 5 for 39 for Quetta. Peshawar had been 51 for 1 at one stage so they lost nine wickets for 66 runs.They fared only marginally better in the follow-on. Arun Lal took 5 for 69 for Quetta as they dismissed Peshawar for 195 in 41.2 overs. Gauhar Ali scored a run a ball 59 but with little support from his team-mates Peshawar slid surely towards a huge defeat.An unbeaten century from Majid Jahangir led Sialkot to a nine-wicket victory against Islamabad on the fourth day in Lahore. Chasing a target of 209, Jahangir made 112 and Faisal Khan scored an unbeaten 68 to help Sialkot get to victory in the 48th over.Sialkot’s fourth innings score of 212 for 1 was markedly different from the other three batting efforts. After choosing to bowl, Sialkot had taken the upper hand by dismissing Islamabad for 193 in 71.3 overs. Islamabad were struggling at 123 for 6 before Imad Wasim’s unbeaten 70 helped them add 70 more. Nayyer Abbas took 4 for 27 for Sialkot.Sialkot’s advantage was quickly neutralised, though, when Islamabad had them tottering at 75 for 7, with Nasrullah Khan and Iftikhar Anjum cutting through the top order. A brace of half-centuries from Abbas and Bilal Butt – a partnership of 103 for the eighth wicket – lifted them to 202. Iftikhar finished with 5 for 62.In their second innings, Islamabad lost a wicket before the deficit of 9 was erased, and two more when the lead was only 3. They then had a partnership of 89 for the fourth wicket and prospects were looking good. They slumped thereafter, though, losing wickets frequently to be dismissed in 76 overs for 217. Faizan Riaz and Wasim scored 51 and 50, while Ali Khan took 3 for 42.A target of 209 should have been challenging, considering the trend of the previous three innings, but Sialkot gunned for the loss of only one wicket.Multan earned three points for taking the first-innings lead in their drawn match against Lahore Ravi in Lahore.Multan made a poor start to their first innings after they were sent in to bat, and were struggling at 20 for 3. They were steadied by Shoaib Maqsood and their captain Naved Yasin, who added 176 for the fourth wicket. Maqsood scored 109, while Yasin made 80. They lost wickets in pairs thereafter, though, and were dismissed for 309 early on the second day. Adnan Rasool took 5 for 91 for Lahore Ravi.Lahore Ravi were coasting towards a first-innings lead, having reached 173 for 1 because of opener Irfan Haider’s half-century. They then lost two wickets on the same score and later on slipped from 220 for 3 to 248 all out. Rahat Ali took 5 for 44 and Zulfiqar Babar took 3 for 99 for Multan.Multan were more solid in their second innings, with the openers Usman Liaqat and Zeeshan Ashraf scoring half-centuries and the rest of the top order getting starts. They progressed to 252 for 5 – Ali Manzoor took four of those wickets for Lahore Ravi – before declaring 313 runs ahead.Lahore Ravi lost two early wickets in the chase but Ikhlaq Butt made 105 and Saadullah Gauri scored 62 to ensure there would be no outright defeat. They finished on 219 for 5 as the game was drawn.Group 2Mohtashim Ali and Fawad Alam scored centuries to help Karachi Whites earn first-innings points from a drawn match against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium.Hyderabad had won the toss and decided to bat at home. They lost an early wicket but were steadied by opener Sharjeel Khan’s 64. Rizwan Ahmed made 105 at No. 4 but unfortunately for the hosts those were the only two innings of substance. Atif Maqbool took 5 for 97 for Karachi Whites to help them dismiss Hyderabad for 309.Karachi Whites had taken the lead, thanks to Mohtashim (121) and Alam, before they slipped from 312 for 4 to 322 for 7. Mohammad Sami scored 77 off 99 balls though and Alam remained unbeaten on 153 as Karachi Whites eventually declared on 496 for 8.Hyderabad slipped to 69 for 3 in their second innings before Rizwan Ahmed scored his second century of the match to prop them up. They ended on 277 for 6, with Maqbool and Faraz Ahmed taking three wickets each for Karachi Whites.Rawalpindi overcame a significant first-innings deficit to pull off a thrilling chase by two wickets against Faisalabad at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium.Faisalabad, after getting sent in to bat, had been dismissed for 226 in the first innings. Moazzam Hayat made 52, Mohammad Salman scored an unbeaten 70, and Zeeshan Butt scored 45, but there was not much else from the others. Sadaf Hussain took 4 for 63 for Rawalpindi.In their reply, Rawalpindi were shot out for 132 in 40.1 overs. They were floundering at 73 for 7 before Umar Waheed made 39 and Mohammad Nawaz 22. Waqas Maqsood took 4 for 62 for Faisalabad, while Nasir Akram and Hasan Mahmood took three each.Rawalpindi then returned the favour, dismissing Faisalabad for 130 in their second innings. Sadaf Hussain claimed 4 for 17 in 5.3 overs and Nasir Malik took 3 for 55. Faisalabad would not have got past 100 if not for Mohammad Salam’s 42. They were 66 for 8 at one stage and he was the only batsman to make more than 20. Because of their first-inninsg lead of 94, Faisalabad were ahead by 224.Rawalpindi’s chase began poorly: they were 46 for 4. Umar Waheed, the No. 3 batsman, was steady at his end and he found a partner in Adnan Mufti. They added 90 runs for the fifth wicket before Mufti was dismissed. Waheed then dominated a sixth wicket stand of 56 with Zahid Mansoor that took Rawalpindi to 192. Though wickets fell at one end, Waheed remained firm at the other and he was unbeaten on 99, with the No. 10, Nasir Malik for company when the winning runs were scored.