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The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-2022Australia 5 for 355 (Head 152, Warner 106, Stone 4-85) beat England 142 (Roy 33, Zampa 4-31) by 221 runs (DLS method)Life after Aaron Finch is proving a breeze for Australia with new opening pair Travis Head and David Warner piling up twin hundreds in a record-breaking partnership to hammer a listless England in the final ODI at the MCG a secure a series whitewash.The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284, to underpin Australia’s imposing total of 355 for 5 after the innings was reduced to 48 overs due to rain. They broke a host of records including becoming the second duo in ODI history to post two 250-plus runs stands behind India pair Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.Head continued his dominant year in ODI cricket scoring 152 from 130 balls, his second century and third overall, while Warner made 106 from 102 to post his first century for Australia in any format since January 2020, breaking a 68-innings drought. Head’s innings was even more extraordinary given he was fighting gastro, having struggled to take on food and fluids pre-game, and was unable to field.England are booked on a 6am flight out of Melbourne on Wednesday morning and played like they were already waiting for it as they slumped to their largest ODI defeat after winning the toss and electing to field. England’s intensity matched that of one of the smallest ODI crowds ever at the MCG of 10,406, on a miserable cold and wet Tuesday night in November, with the dead rubber resembling an Australian domestic one-day fixture. It was the lowest crowd at an MCG ODI since 1979. Two rain interruptions only dampened the mood further. All of England’s bowlers were collared at more than six runs per over. Olly Stone took four of the five wickets to fall but finished with the extraordinary figures of 4 for 85.Their chase was equally poor in pursuit of a DLS-adjusted target of 364, albeit they had the tougher of the batting conditions as the ball nipped and swung under lights. But it didn’t excuse a lack of intent from the top three and then a slew of poor shots from the middle-order as they folded to be bowled out for 142 in just 31.4 overs. Adam Zampa picked up 4 for 31 as all five Australian bowlers shared the wickets. The final margin of 222 runs surpassed England’s previous biggest loss of 219 runs. Australia could have ended the game sooner if they had not dropped four catches.Like Australia, England found some swing early on with the new balls on an overcast afternoon and Head enjoyed several slices of luck. He twice edged behind, flashing hard outside off stump, as one flew safely through a vacant third slip and the other escaped the grasp of Liam Dawson at second as he jumped high to his right. Head was also given out lbw onfield to Chris Woakes but had it overturned on review as it was pitching outside leg.From there Head found another gear, lashing England’s bowlers to all parts of the MCG on what turned into an excellent batting surface. Not even a brief rain delay could slow his momentum.The early swing subsided, and he feasted on the easy pace of England’s seam attack. He smashed 16 fours and four towering sixes, to reach his century off just 92 balls in the 27th over, celebrating by rocking his bat like a baby in acknowledgment of his recently born baby girl.David Warner had the chance to bring out the trademark leap•Getty Images

Warner was the silent partner for a large part of the partnership. He was on 62 when Head reached his century having barely taken a risk. He breezed to his 19th ODI century, punching a gift of a full toss from Stone wide of mid-off and celebrated with his trademark leap. It looked like a statement innings, moving to second on Australia’s all-time ODI centuries list just a day after he had vented his frustration at Cricket Australia for their handling of a review into his lifetime leadership ban.Australia were 217 for 0 at the second drinks break after 34 overs, having not struck a boundary in the previous five overs. Head and Warner then went into party mode smashing 52 from the next 24 balls as Head raced past 150. But both men holed out in the same Stone over to stall Australia’s momentum a touch. A second rain delay cut two overs off the innings and saw Marcus Stoinis fall attempting a wild swipe first ball after the break. But it allowed Mitch Marsh to come in and smash 30 off 16 balls to finish the innings.England never came close to chasing the adjusted target. Dawid Malan was caught behind cheaply while Jason Roy and James Vince opted to dig in rather than hit out as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins proved extremely challenging under lights. The pressure eventually built as most of England’s batters had one foot on the plane home. Jos Buttler’s wild swipe across the line fourth ball to be caught off a leading edge for just 1, just nine days after holding the T20 World Cup aloft on the same ground, summed up England’s mindset. The game could have ended sooner had Australia’s catching been sharper. Zampa dropped two, including one off his own bowling that cost him three wickets in an over. Steven Smith missed a very difficult diving catch at slip, and substitute fielder Mackenzie Harvey, who was on for most of England’s innings as Head had felt ill after his innings, spilled another challenging chance at deep backward square having held another earlier on.To make matters worse for England, Phil Salt was subbed out of the game with concussion after suffering a head knock and shoulder injury in a fruitless chase and dive to save a boundary. Salt had his left arm in a sling post-match but it is believed to be precautionary. Moeen Ali was subbed into the game having been rested after Buttler returned as captain.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s determined 65 from No. 7 held up Leicestershire for a while

ECB Reporters Network10-Sep-2023A season’s best 5 for 73 by fast bowler Matt Salisbury gave Leicestershire the early advantage against Sussex in a LV= Insurance County Championship match they must win to keep up their chances of promotion from Division Two.Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s determined 65 from No. 7 held up Leicestershire for a while at Hove but the visitors were still happy enough, after putting Sussex in, to bowl them out for 262 and then score 68 for 2 in reply in 21 overs’ batting before the close, with opener Rishi Patel finishing unbeaten on 36 – exactly the score he needed to complete 1,000 championship runs for the season.Sol Budinger fell early for a duck, skying a pull at Ari Karvelas high to midwicket, but Patel continued to impress in what has been a breakthrough season for the 25-year-old former Essex player, who is averaging more than 50, and Leicestershire’s only other wicket to fall was that of Lewis Hill, caught off Tom Haines’ medium pace swingers for 11.On a hard-fought day the 30-year-old Salisbury brushed off a disappointing new ball spell, when 28 runs came from his first four overs, to take the prized wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara on his return to the attack before lunch and then, in the afternoon, also remove James Coles for 44.And there was more to come from him at the start of the final session when Salisbury reacted well to hold Hudson-Prentice’s leading edge off his own bowling before dismissing Henry Crocombe lbw for six and Karvelas brilliantly held by a diving Colin Ackermann at second slip for 18.Leicestershire came into the match in third place in Division Two, 24 points behind Worcestershire but with a game in hand on the county currently in the other promotion position behind near-certain second tier champions Durham.There were four wickets for Leicestershire’s seamers in an entertaining morning’s session, after they initially saw Haines and Tom Clark get Sussex’s first innings off to a flying start.Haines, in particular, scored freely and the pair also scampered a number of quick singles to rotate the strike and frustrate the visiting attack, but after the fifty partnership had arrived in the eighth over it was Chris Wright who made the breakthrough an over later.Clark, pushing forward on 15, was beaten off the pitch and edged low to third slip where Budinger scooped up a good low catch and, in the 10th over, Haines’ 29-ball 39 – featuring eight fours – ended when, after driving Scott Currie’s first and third balls to the straight boundary, he edged another attempted forcing shot waist-high to Budinger.It was 80 for 3 when Tom Alsop was brilliantly caught by a diving Umar Amin at midwicket for 10 from a solid clip off his toes against Tom Scriven’s medium pace, and a good-sized crowd then saw Indian Test star Pujara settle in with some excellent strokes as the runs continued to flow despite Leicestershire’s early successes.And the visitors’ decision to bowl first was fully vindicated when Pujara, on 26, was drawn into an indeterminate push at a fine ball from Salisbury and edged low for Ackermann to fall to his left at second slip and take a sharp low catch.Honours were even in the afternoon session, with Leicestershire taking another three wickets but both Hudson-Prentice and Coles looked comfortable in predominantly cloudy, warm and humid conditions.Oli Carter went for 16, steering a rising leg-cutter from Currie – on loan from Hampshire for the last three fixtures of the summer – to second slip, but Sussex’s total had moved steadily from 135 to 179 before Coles, who hit seven fours, clipped Salisbury to mid wicket.Jack Carson also looked disgusted with himself when he too lifted a full delivery on his pads from Scriven to mid wicket to go for five, but Karvelas hoisted Currie into the pavilion for six and Hudson-Prentice completed his half-century just before the tea interval, at which Sussex were 231 for seven.Hudson-Prentice hit eight fours in his 92-ball effort, spanning almost two and a half hours, but it was Salisbury who had the final word to give Leicestershire the edge going into day two.

He was part of Lahore Qalandars’ squad at the recently concluded PSL

Danyal Rasool02-Mar-2022Australia’s spin-bowling consultant Fawad Ahmed has tested positive for Covid-19 and started his five-day isolation period. A media release from Cricket Australia stated he was experiencing mild symptoms and would leave isolation only after returning two negative results.Fawad, who was born in Pakistan and played three ODIs and two T20Is for Australia, was part of Lahore Qalandars’ squad at the recently concluded Pakistan Super League. He arrived at the Australia team hotel on Monday, where he was due to start his role as the spin-bowling consultant.Fawad was tested immediately upon arrival, and returned a positive result. It is believed he did not interact with anyone from the Australian travelling party before testing positive. ESPNcricinfo understands all of Australia’s squad and touring party underwent Covid tests today, returning negative results.Fawad, who had also tested positive for Covid-19 at the PSL last year, is the second person to be impacted by Covid-19 on this tour. Earlier this week, Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf – also part of Qalandars’ setup – tested positive and was ruled out of the first Test.The first Test begins on Friday in Rawalpindi, which will be the first international match for Australia in Pakistan in 24 years.

Hong Kong field an unchanged side in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-20251:27

Can Bangladesh maintain their aggressive batting approach?

Bangladesh captain Litton Das elected to bowl in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.Litton said he decided to bowl since they were not aware of the pitch conditions at the venue. He confirmed that Bangladesh were playing three seamers, two spinners, and six batters.Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza was happy despite losing the toss because he wanted to bat first anyway. Murtaza said that the batters made some mistakes against Afghanistan and that they wouldn’t want to repeat them. There were no changes to the Hong Kong side, with Murtaza backing the same XI to come good tonight.The pitch report sugges a dry surface with some cracks opening up but remains run friendly. The shorter boundary on one side of the ground could interest the battersOne losing record promises to come to an end tonight. Bangladesh have never won a T20I in Abu Dhabi. Hong Kong are yet to win an Asia Cup match.Bangladesh XI: 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Hong Kong XI: 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshy Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan Khan

Fawad Alam hit 56, and added 85 for the sixth wicket with Faheem Ashraf

Danyal Rasool12-Aug-2021Stumps It is difficult to take issue with a day of Test match cricket when you win the toss, field first and bowl the opposition out within the day for 217, but West Indies will realise they might have easily have had a much firmer grasp on this Test match by now. It was an 85-run partnership between Fawad Alam, who top scored with 56, and Faheem Ashraf – two men who have spent varying periods of time out of this Test side for similarly unsatisfactory reasons – that appeared to have pulled Pakistan back to parity.But a self-destructive run-out with an hour to play allowed West Indies back in, and their quartet of quicks flicked the switch back, romping through the lower order to skittle Pakistan. They might, however, have done their job a bit too well at the end, because it forced the hosts into batting for an awkward four-over period. During that time, Mohammad Abbas prised out Kieran Powell and Nkrumah Bonner for ducks with characteristically glorious seam bowling, leaving West Indies wobbling at 2 for 2 overnight.The first two sessions set up the day for a grand finale, and much of the moving happened in those final two and a half hours. Alam and Ashraf were still getting their feet under the table in a budding little partnership of 23 as they walked out after tea, but a counterattacking knock from the allrounder saw Pakistan hurtle past 150. On a day when the run rate barely tiptoed past 2.25, 52 runs came off the first ten overs in that last session.Ashraf might be at pains to insist he is a bowling allrounder, but he averages over 50 with the bat since his return to the side in December last year. The belligerent pull in front of square and the elegant drive in front of cover were both in full flow, and when West Indies turned to their spinners to give the pacers a break, the runs flowed even more steadily. It appeared Ashraf had helped bail Pakistan out of a tight spot once more, but as the 100-run stand approached, the visitors offered West Indies a gift all wrapped up with a bow on it.Alam and Ashraf set off for an unnecessary single, chancing the arm of Roston Chase, whose shy caught Ashraf short of his crease. The wicket gave West Indies a second wind, and despite a brief cameo from Hasan Ali, the fast bowlers found the quality that had subdued Pakistan for much of the first two sessions, and blew through Alam and the tail. The last three fell without a run being scored after Jayden Seales had Hasan hole out on the onside, while Jason Holder broke through Alam’s defences and had Abbas edge one for a golden duck.Once Pakistan were put in to bat on a morning when showers were forecast, they began stodgily as a potent new ball pairing of Kemar Roach and Seales prowled. Abid Ali and Imran Butt were viewed as the Achilles heel of the visiting side’s batting line-up, and both fell cheaply, leaving the rebuild to Pakistan’s two best batters: Azhar Ali and Babar Azam.Fawad Alam and Faheem Ashraf shared a half-century stand•AFP/Getty Images

Roach and Seales – who now have two wickets each – found prodigious movement with the new ball, which they were careful not to waste. Captain Brathwaite had said yesterday his side had plans against each Pakistan player, and the way they went about dismantling the openers’ techniques suggested he had a point. Both were discomfited by deliveries that kept seaming back in of a length, and when the change-up from Roach targeted Butt’s stumps on the full, he was never in position to play the expansive drive he attempted. He found his off stump uprooted, and it had been coming.Abid had come off the back of an unbeaten double hundred against Zimbabwe, but against sterner opposition previously, his record remains remarkably mediocre. He got off to a streaky start with a thick outside edge that evaded the slips bringing him his first runs, but ever since, scoring opportunities were rarer than a dry day this series. Seales set him up with short deliveries through the over before pitching one up, and the Pakistan opener obliged by nicking it through to Joshua da Silva.Pakistan might have been content to lose just the two openers in the shortened first session, but in an extended second session in hot, humid conditions, West Indies ripped the spine out of the middle order. Their quartet of fast bowlers rose to the occasion, bowling expertly in partnerships – much more so than Pakistan batted in them.Azhar and Azam were removed within five deliveries of each other. Azhar in particular struggled dismally throughout an uncomfortable sojourn out in the middle, surviving no fewer than four reviews before finally nicking off to Holder. The next delivery Azam faced, he found Roach had beaten him on the inside edge, and when West Indies reviewed for a possible feather through to the keeper, Hawkeye supported their claim. All of a sudden, what had been a “nearly” session for Brathwaite’s side was transforming into a dominant one.It wasn’t ill-deserved, either. For the first 45 overs, the hosts stuck with the four pace bowlers, allowing them limited rest in oppressively humid conditions. Not for any extended period, though, was there a discernible let-up in intensity, a dropping of the shoulders or the pernicious creep-in of bad body language. The balls kept landing in the right areas, the pace didn’t fall away and Pakistan continued to be asked questions.Mohammad Rizwan would be the man to answer them, because Rizwan, apparently, does every job Pakistan require nowadays. His first ball was clipped away to midwicket for a boundary, and it soon became evident that that was how the wicketkeeper-batter would play. Seales was pulled away for four the first ball he bowled, and two further boundaries off the same bowler saw the run rate trend upwards.Rizwan fell shortly after, but it was during the Alam-Ashraf partnership, and the manic final hour which saw seven wickets fall that swung the game this way and that before leaving it finely poised overnight.

Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 67 took them at the verge of a first-innings lead with seven wickets still in hand

Shashank Kishore24-Jun-2022Madhya Pradesh 368 for 3 (Dubey 133, Shubham 116, Patidar 67*) trail Mumbai 374 (Sarfaraz 134, Jaiswal 78, Yadav 4-106) by 6 runsTo say Mumbai were given a taste of their own medicine would be an understatement.Yash Dubey and Shubham Sharma batted for nearly two sessions, doing what great Mumbai teams of the past have done to opponents: bat long and grind opponents to dust. Both hit a hundred each in a 222-run stand to put Madhya Pradesh firmly in control of the Ranji Trophy final in Bengaluru.In 1998-99, MP had lost control despite securing a first-innings lead against Karnataka. This time, with two full days remaining and the cream of their batting still very much in control of the first innings, Mumbai must do all the running if they are to remain in the contest.On the evidence of what we have seen of their tiring attack and the track, which is far from the menacing turner it was when the venue last hosted a Test against Sri Lanka three months ago, MP will fancy their chances of securing the title. But they will need just one glance towards their poker-faced still-sitting coach Chandrakant Pandit in the dressing room to get the drift of his simple message: it ain’t over yet.Having begun the third day 251 runs adrift, MP were just six behind, with seven wickets still standing, at stumps. Rajat Patidar, the batter a sparse Friday crowd had been waiting to watch right from the morning session, was not out on 67. Keeping him company was Aditya Shrivastava, the captain, who replaced Dubey in the final session. Dubey scored a gritty 133, his second hundred of the season.Mumbai’s woes were further compounded when they lost Dhawal Kulkarni, who limped off before tea and didn’t return until late in the final session, leaving them a bowler short on what was the hottest afternoon of the final. By the time they dismissed both centurions, Mumbai were more relieved than ecstatic. Sledges and verbal volleys that were a feature right through the day gave way to genuine applause as Dubey fell to Shams Mulani.That Patidar was padded up for 349 minutes was largely thanks to Dubey and Shubham’s massive partnership. Shubham’s 116 was his fourth century of the season and seventh overall. After digging in and displaying immaculate temperament in setting up shop for the long haul, he was caught behind when he pushed at a length ball from Mohit Avasthi that moved away ever so slightly.As Patidar walked out to bat No. 4, the Chinnaswamy crowd welcomed him with the kind of cheer they have reserved for the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Loud cheers were followed by the usual chants of “RCB, RCB” as Patidar began like a bullet train, hitting five boundaries off his first 15 deliveries.Shut out the noise: Yash Dubey celebrates his century•PTI

Two of those left even the bowlers in awe – the first was a punchy on-drive and the second a firm punch that bisected cover and mid-off in a jiffy. Where Dubey seemed intent on stonewalling the attack and knocking the ball around, trying to play copybook cricket even after his hundred, Patidar effortlessly sent the ball to different parts of the field as if his bat was a magic wand.If it was wide, he slashed hard knowing the cordon was hardly packed. If the bowlers went full, he drove them effortlessly with the knowledge that there was hardly any movement to counter.Before Patidar brought out the artist in him, it was Shubham who tantalised early on by opening the day with two gorgeous extra-cover drives off Tushar Deshpande to race towards his half-century. With MP reeling three boundaries in the first two overs of the day, Mumbai shifted from an attacking field to an in-out one. Dubey, overnight on 44, brought up his half-century off 139 deliveries; Shubham got there soon after, off just 74.It wasn’t until Dubey got past a half-century did he really begin to drive on the up. One boundary from Shubham through extra cover brought the century stand but in trying to take the attack to the bowlers, he briefly lost concentration. It needed a reprieve from Armaan Jaffer at short cover-point to bring him back on track.Dubey was an epitome of concentration for most parts of his knock. He didn’t flinch, not even when he copped a blow on the grille off Kulkarni. If he was shaken by the blow, he didn’t show it. Mumbai tried their hand at mind games, and Dubey’s fitting response came after he brought up his hundred. He took his helmet off and shut both his ears as if to suggest he had shut out all the noise, even as his applauding team-mates chuckled.Shubham Sharma and Yash Dubey flattened the Mumbai attack•PTI

Mumbai’s bowlers lacked potency for most of the day. Mulani was particularly disappointing. Coming into the game as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 37 scalps, he was either bowling flat or full, and Shubham latched on with a massive six down the ground.Tanush Kotian, the offspinner, showed he was under-bowled on Thursday by immediately creating three lbw opportunities as soon as he came on shortly before lunch. Dubey had a lucky break on 82 when umpire Virender Sharma ruled him not out to a sharp turner from around the stumps with 15 minutes to the interval. Replays showed it was more than worth a shout.Dubey then breezed into the 90s with a four through midwicket and then got to his landmark off 234 deliveries with another four. Mumbai had another opportunity when Shubham, who followed suit in making a century, played an airy drive off Kulkarni’s bowling but a leaping Suved Parkar at gully put it down. MP were 250 for 1 then.Though Mumbai broke the stand soon after, Patidar was up and away immediately to put pressure back on them, even before they could try to get a grip over proceedings.Patidar got to his half-century off 44 balls but should have been out in the next over when he sliced a lofted hit to point. Just as he started to walk off, he was called back as replays confirmed Mulani had overstepped. For the rest of the session, Patidar shut shop, not scoring a single run off the next 26 deliveries and seemingly focused on batting through to stumps.