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The wicketkeeper put on an astonishing display to lift Victoria from 67 for 5 on a dramatic rain-shortened day

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2023Wicketkeeper Sam Harper dragged Victoria out of early trouble with an extraordinary Sheffield Shield century against South Australia.Forced to bat first after losing the toss on Tuesday, Victoria crumbled to 29 for 4 in tricky, overcast batting conditions at the Adelaide Oval.Related

• Carey and Labuschagne to play Sheffield Shield ahead of Pakistan Tests

• New South Wales hit back as Neil-Smith takes five

• Renshaw negotiates Richardson threat before rain intervenes

But as batting became slightly easier, Harper, who was given a life on 3 when caught at slip off a no-ball, launched an aggressive rearguard assault to help Victoria reach 187 for 5 by stumps.It was Harper’s third first-class century in his 44th game, bringing up the milestone from 64 balls with a huge six over deep midwicket in a knock that included six sixes and was the third-fastest in Sheffield Shield history.His innings included 26 off an over from Nathan McAndrew as he moved from 61 to 87 with three sixes and two fours.The 26-year-old will resume on Wednesday unbeaten on 101 after combining with Campbell Kellaway for a 120-run partnership. Just 43 overs on Tuesday were bowled as rain and a wet outfield delayed play significantly.The most controversial moment of the match, and possibly the season, came when star Victoria batter Peter Handscomb refused to leave the crease after being caught by Redbacks captain Jake Lehmann in the slips.Handscomb edged a ball off Brendan Doggett’s bowling but the 32-year-old seemed uncertain Lehmann had correctly held the catch. After a discussion with the umpires he finally walked off, dismissed for 7.Peter Handscomb disputed the slip catch which dismissed him•Getty Images

Doggett claimed 2 for 45 but it was Wes Agar who did the bulk of the damage by ripping through openers Travis Dean and Test aspirant Marcus Harris to have Victoria reeling at 4 for 2.The teams are ranked third and fourth on the ladder, making it a crunch final match before the Shield pauses for a long break until February during the Big Bash League window.

A round-up of the second day’s action from the sixth round of matches from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2009

Group A

Pakistan International Airlines reached a dominant position in Faisalabad, as they gained a 121-run lead against National Bank of Pakistan. NBP began the day in a precarious position, at 55 for 5. Some resistance from the lower order, chiefly wicketkeeper Amin-ur-Rehman (36) and Wasim Khan (27), took them to 170, giving PIA a nine-run advantage on the first innings. Seamers Anwar Ali and Ali Imran grabbed four wickets each to hand PIA the edge after a disappointing performance with the bat on the opening day. In their second innings, PIA were boosted by an unbeaten 49 from opener Agha Sabir, who steered them to 112 for 2.Habib Bank Limited gained the upper hand on a truncated second day against Sui Southern Gas Corporation in Rawalpindi. Bilal Asad top scored with 45, but Habib Bank kept chipping away with regularity at the opposition, reducing them to 116 for 6 at stumps. Seamer Fahad Masood took 2 for 21, and was supported well by the rest of the bowling line-up.Karachi Whites, led by opener Naved Khan’s unbeaten 108, snatched the advantage against Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. Naved was assisted in a 151-run third-wicket stand by Atif Ali, and the pair helped Karachi reach 233 for 3 at stumps, only 24 adrift of Lahore’s first-innings score. Naved played a patient knock, eating up 253 deliveries, and striking ten fours. Atif, too, took his time but ensured a foundation for a substantial lead was laid.Fourteen wickets fell on the second day of the contest between Pakistan Customs and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Islamabad, making amends for the absence of any action due to rain on the first. SNGPL held a slight advantage at stumps, having bowled out Pakistan Customs for 169 and reaching 77 for 4 in reply. Their bowling effort was a collective one. Medium-pacer Rizwan Akbar grabbed 3 for 44, while three others grabbed two wickets each. Tahir Mughal dented PIA in their response, bagging three wickets but Ali Waqas is going strong with an unbeaten 39.Water and Power Development Authority, boosted by important contributions from almost all their batsmen, amassed 446 for 8 in their first innings against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Gujranwala. Opener Adil Nisar made 104 and was backed up by half-centuries from Aamer Sajjad and Ahmed Said as WAPDA built on the strong platform they had laid on the first day. For ZTBL, Kashif Daud and Mohammad Khalil bagged three wickets each. At stumps, ZTBL were 16 without loss.

Group B

Seventeen wickets fell on a extraordinary day at the Abbottabad Cricket stadium as the home side took first-innings points against Peshawar. Abbottbad began the day on 34 for 3, but were bowled out for 111, courtesy twin five-fors from fast bowlers Nauman Habib and Riaz Afridi. More drama was to follow as left-arm fast man Junaid Khan stole the show for Abbottabad with 6 for 43. Barring opener Haroon Ahmed (46), none of the Peshawar batsmen managed to reach double figures as they folded for 81 in 32.4 overs. The Abbottabad openers brought a calm end to the day, guiding them home to 16 for no loss at stumps.Right-arm fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed ensured table-toppers Karachi Blues took first-innings points against bottom-placed Lahore Ravi at the National Stadium in Karachi. His five-for helped bowl out the opposition for 190, as none of the Lahore batsmen managed a defining innings. With the lead of 107, Karachi were pegged back by Junaid Zia before Asad Shafiq and Asim Kamal guided them safely to stumps at 102 for 4.A well-composed hundred from left-hander Naved Yasin helped Multan extended their domination against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. Resuming on 127 for 1, Multan went past Hyderabad’s first-innings total of 194 with ease. Yasin then put Multan in pole position hitting 10 boundaries during his 192-ball 111. With Rizwan Haider looking in good touch with an unbeaten 47, Multan may fancy an innings win as well.Faisalabad‘s No. 8 batsman Zulqarnain was in terrific form as Quetta failed to capitalise on their overnight advantage in the basement battle in Sargodha. Resuming on 234 for 7, Zulqarnain smashed six fours and two sixes during his 146-ball 77 to strengthen Faisalabad, lifting them to 350. He then provided them with the first breakthrough during Quetta’s reply, sending back opener Shoaib Khan jnr early. Quetta went on to lose two more wickets to finish nervously 64 for 3.The Rawalpindi batsmen found Rauf Akbar’s pace too hot to handle as they managed 218 for 8 against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. After the first day’s play was washed out, Rauf gave Islamabad a flying start after they opted to field. He sent back the openers in quick time before a 92-run partnership for the third wicket between Zahid Mansoor (37) and Adnan Mufti (79) held up the charge. He returned to remove them both to finish with 4 for 78, with a five-for very much on the cards.

Sikandar Raza became the country’s first T20I centurion, reaching the mark in 33 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2024Zimbabwe shattered the record for the highest total in T20 cricket on Wednesday when they ran up 344 for 4 against Gambia in the men’s T20 World Cup Africa sub-regional qualifier tournament. Sikandar Raza spearheaded the effort with a century – Zimbabwe’s first one ever in the format – off just 33 balls. He eventually finished unbeaten on 133, with 15 sixes. His team-mates hit 12 more to set that record as well. Until now, Nepal had been the holders of the highest total (314) and the most sixes hit in an innings (26). Gambia in return were bundled out for 54 as Zimbabwe also posted the biggest-ever win (in terms of runs) in T20s.The Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi witnessed history on Wednesday with Zimbabwe showing great intent right from the first ball they faced. They brought up fifty in 3.2 overs. Tadiwanashe Marumani brought his up quicker, in just 13 balls. The team hundred was up before the powerplay was done and from there on it was an exercise of how far they could send the ball into the stands. There were 57 boundaries in the innings overall – which is also a T20 record – with four Zimbabwe batters contributing fifty-plus scores – another record. Brian Bennett made 50 of 26 and Clive Mandande got to 53 off 17 by hitting the final ball of the innings for six.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Raza, though, was the star of the show. He came into bat at the end of the seventh over, after the fielding restrictions had been relaxed, but it made no difference. He struck the third ball he faced for six and went on a run-scoring spree that made him the owner of the second-fastest century in T20I cricket. His 33-ball effort equalled Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s, for Namibia against Nepal in February 2024.Related

• T20I record holders you have (probably) not heard of

Gambia, which is the smallest country in continental Africa, located to the west, could do very little to stop the run flow. Musa Jorbateh conceded the most runs by a bowler in a T20, his four overs going for 93. He was one of five bowlers to go for over 50 runs or more in their spell. The team is still looking for its first win in the Africa sub-regional qualifier so far, having given walkovers to their opponents Rwanda and Seychelles in the first two games, while Zimbabwe have already picked up four from four.

Mumbai started the tournament with a close loss against Delhi Capitals and will be itching to open their account

Himanshu Agrawal17-Feb-20255:08

Deol, Dottin could pose a threat to Mumbai

Who’s playing

Gujarat Giants (GG) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)
Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, February 18, 2025, 7.30pm IST

What to expect: GG look to break MI jinx

The last time MI and GG met, Harmanpreet Kaur cracked 95 off 48 balls as MI pulled off a heist and booked a playoffs spot last moment. That meant MI have a 4-0 record against GG so far.Related

• Zing-bail glitch prompts WPL rule change: Wicket broken only when bail fully dislodged

• Run-out calls in MI-DC game turn focus on rules around LED stumps

But unlike the previous two seasons, GG have started WPL 2025 on a much stronger note. While it took them five attempts to win their first game in 2024, their first victory this time came in their second match, when they beat UP Warriorz (UPW) comfortably. But ineffective death bowling continues to be a concern for GG. RCB took them for 79 runs off the last 4.3 overs, while UPW smashed 26 runs off the final eight deliveries of their innings. With the bat, GG’s captain Ashleigh Gardner will be looking for more support from the top order, as their top three tallied only 22 runs between them against UPW.Meanwhile, MI started this season with a close loss against Delhi Capitals after three contentious run-out decisions. MI stuttered their way to 164 after Nat-Sciver Brunt (80*) and Harmanpreet (42) had given them a blazing start. Four of MI’s remaining top-seven batters fell for single-figure scores, and MI will hope things change against GG.

Team news and likely XIs

GG have played the same XI in both matches so far after handing out four debuts in the opener against RCB. But Sayali Satghare’s six overs across those two games cost 64 runs, and she struck only once. D Hemalatha, on the other hand, managed scores of only 4 and 0. So GG will hope they are back in form before it gets too late.Can Deandra Dottin help GG get their first win against MI?•BCCI

Gujarat Giants (probable): 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Laura Wolvaardt, 3 D Hemalatha, 4 Ashleigh Gardner (capt), 5 Harleen Deol, 6 Deandra Dottin, 7 Simran Shaikh, 8 Tanuja Kanwar, 9 Sayali Satghare, 10 Priya Mishra, 11 Kashvee GautamMI have played only a solitary game so far this season, and are unlikely to panic despite their batters under-performing. But they will want Saika Ishaque, their second-highest wicket-taker in the WPL, to put behind a disappointing outing against RCB, as she leaked 43 runs in three overs.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 S Sajana, 7 Amanjot Kaur, 8 Sanskriti Gupta, 9 Jintimani Kalita, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Saika Ishaque

Players to watch

Deandra Dottin made her WPL debut only this year, but has already left a mark. She walked out to bat in the 12th over in both matches, and struck at a rapid pace, scoring 25 off 13 while batting first against RCB, and then an unbeaten 33* off 18 in a tricky chase against UPW to ensure GG hunted down 144 with two overs to spare. GG will hope Dottin’s run continues, and helps them break their MI jinx.Harmanpreet Kaur had played a massive role the last time these two teams met•BCCI

Nat-Sciver Brunt may not have scored a lot in the recent Ashes but she showed her class in MI’s opening game. Batting at No.3, her 80 off 59 balls, which included 13 fours, formed the bedrock of MI’s total. That is nearly half of the 172 runs she managed in nine innings last WPL, and her form will be a relief for MI, whose batting otherwise mainly rests on Harmanpreet’s shoulders in the middle order.

Key stats

• Four of the top six wicket-takers in the WPL are from MI: Hayley Matthews (25 wickets), Ishaque (24), Amelia Kerr (24) and Sciver-Brunt (21).
• Only four players have achieved the double of scoring at least 300 runs and taking 20 wickets in the WPL. Three of them are from MI (Sciver-Brunt, Matthews and Kerr), and one from GG (Gardner).

The hosts have confirmed an unchanged XI while Australia, looking to win a series in England for the first time since 2001, are likely to recall Todd Murphy

Andrew McGlashan26-Jul-2023

Big Picture

And so, to the final act. We were on the brink of the ultimate decider which would have been the biggest Test in this country since the corresponding fixture in 2005, and perhaps ever. Sadly, the Manchester weather put paid to that and Australia were able to cling onto the urn as puddles formed on the Old Trafford outfield.It remains to be seen how well England can rouse themselves in a bid to level the series having played almost the perfect match last time out when the weather allowed. From 2-0 down, a drawn series would be a laudable outcome but, regardless of Ben Stokes saying he will never have regrets, there will surely be nagging thoughts of what could have been, particularly at Edgbaston.Related

• Cummins: 'To go home winning the urn will be phenomenal – it's a final thing to tick off'

• Anderson: 'There are no thoughts about retirement'

• England named unchanged XI for Oval Ashes finale

From Australia’s point of view, however, this remains a crucial five days having not won a series in England since 2001. They had it within their grasp at Headingley and, unless the weather intervenes significantly again, only 3-1 will allow them to categorically say they have been the better team. They are back at the scene of where the tour began with the World Test Championship victory over India. A lot has happened since then.But barring the injuries to Nathan Lyon and Ollie Pope, both teams have come through the rigours of the condensed schedule remarkably well to the extent there could be just one change for the final outing – a return for Todd Murphy.Across the two sides, this will likely be the final Ashes outing for a significant number of players. Many of the leading stars of the series are well into their 30s. There have been rumours of retirements on both sides, but it appears there won’t be any definite announcements at a ground that has farewelled many stars.Until the two days of rain in Manchester this had been a series that had lived up to all the hype. It deserves a memorable finish even if the urn is no longer up for grabs.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
England DWLLW
Australia DLWWWSteven Smith has only managed one significant score in the series•Getty Images

In the spotlight: Ben Stokes and Steven Smith

Ben Stokes may not play another Ashes Test. The 2025-26 tour down under is probably touch-and-go given the state of his body. He insists he doesn’t have any regret over decisions he has made during the last six weeks, although asked to pick out one moment he would like to have over again he singled out the dropped catch off Lyon when 37 were still needed at Edgbaston. Having put himself through a 12-over spell at Lord’s he has not bowled in the last two matches. With England not playing Tests again until January, and him having retired from ODIs, there may be a window to consider any longer-term options to try and repair the damage, although the team have found a way to accommodate him as a batter-captain. He has led a revolution in England’s Test cricket but the Ashes has proved agonisingly out of reach.This series has been a far cry from 2019 for Steven Smith. It was going to be a tall order to scale those 774-run heights, but this time he has passed fifty just once in eight innings – his very fine century at Lord’s. At Old Trafford, he fell twice to the pace of Mark Wood and throughout the series England have found ways to combat him better than any other time. But The Oval brings him back to a venue where he has a phenomenal record: an average of 91 and a century in his last outing against India early last month. Can he sign off Ashes cricket in the UK with a standout performance?James Anderson will line up for an unchanged England•Getty Images

Team news: Same again for England; Murphy likely for Australia

England have confirmed an unchanged XI which means another outing for James Anderson despite a series where he has had very limited impact. Chris Woakes has pulled up okay after his quad issue at Old Trafford and Wood will play three Tests in a row.England 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonAustralia will likely bring back offspinner Murphy after he missed out at Old Trafford. There had been question marks over Mitchell Marsh (soreness) and Mitchell Starc (shoulder) but both appear to have recovered. It means Cameron Green looks set to lose his place.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Todd Murphy, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions

Two days out, Pat Cummins thought the surface looked “pretty similar” to the one rolled out for the World Test Championship final against India. “Maybe not quite as firm as the final,” he added. “A little bit of grass. Not heaps. Looks like a pretty good wicket.” Eyes will again be on the weather forecast, although not to the same extent as Old Trafford. There are showers of varying degrees expected on Thursday, Saturday and Monday.

Stats and trivia

• England’s series run-rate of 4.68 is the highest for any team in a series where at least four matches have been played
• Stokes needs one catch to 100 in Tests: he would be just the third player to score 6000 runs, take 100 wickets and told 100 catches after Jacques Kallis and Garry Sobers
• Entering what is likely to be his final Ashes encounter, Anderson has not won an Ashes Test since 2015.
• With Stuart Broad again playing all five Tests in the series, it means he has not missed a home Ashes match since he first played in 2009.

Quotes

“Coming into this series I felt like six [Tests] was going to be really busy. But it’s all been good. Obviously there have been some challenges, some moments when you scratch your head, but I feel in a really good place physically and in terms of the captaincy. I feel like I’m learning new things every game, and it’s been manageable.”

Rohit says changing conditions will be a big challenge for India as they travel to nine different venues for their nine league games

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-20231:58

Kumble: KL Rahul looks like he’s back to his original self

Twelve balls into India’s pursuit of 200, KL Rahul found himself at the crease. He was batting at , and he had just kept wicket through a muggy Chennai afternoon for almost 50 overs. It was all a “bit of a rush”, as he said three hours later, after having batted through the rest of the chase to get India over the line against Australia with six wickets to spare.Asked at the post-match presentation – while he picked up the Player of the Match award – what the conversation was with his batting partner Virat Kohli was when he came out to bat in that precarious position, he offered a smile and said: “Quite honestly, not a lot of conversation. I was just trying to catch my breath as I just had a shower. I thought I would get a good half an hour – [or] an hour’s – break, put the feet up and just rest up. But I was out there in no time, so there was a bit of rush. I was just trying to get my breath back.”On a more serious note, Kohli, he said, reckoned the pair would have to do some Test-match batting for a while to get India back on track on a trying Chepauk pitch, where India’s spinners had dictated terms before Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer – that is, three of India’s top four – bagged ducks to Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.”Virat said there’s big help in the wicket, and [we] just have to play proper shots and play like it’s Test cricket for some time and see where it goes,” Rahul said. “That was mostly the plan, and happy that we could do the job for the team.”Related

• Smith: 'We can learn a bit from this game'

• Rahul, Kohli guide India home after early scare on tricky track

How tough exactly was it to bat on this pitch, then? Tricky, till the dew came in, Rahul said. “There was a bit of help for the fast bowlers with the new ball when we bowled. And later on the spinners came in and they had a lot help from the wicket.”But I think towards the end – in the last 15-20 overs – the dew played a bit of a part for them; while they were bowling, they changed the ball as well. Once that happened, it did come on a little better.”But it was still two-paced, and wasn’t a great wicket to bat on; nor was it too difficult. It wasn’t a flat wicket, nor was it too helpful for the bowlers. I think it was a good cricket wicket, and that’s what you get in the south of India. But a bit excited that we could get the win today.”Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put on 165 runs together•Associated Press

India captain Rohit Sharma, speaking at the post-match presentation, admitted to being nervous himself while India had their unprecedented meltdown to 2 for 3 – it was the first time in men’s ODI cricket that three of their top four were out for ducks, and no team had previously gone on to win an ODI after losing three wickets with as few runs on the board.”You don’t want to start your innings like that when you are chasing that kind of a target,” Rohit said. “But you’ve got to give credit to the Aussies – they bowled pretty well. Some loose shots there as well [from India], but that happens. When you have that kind of a target, you want to get off the mark as quickly as possible; try and score as many as possible in the powerplay.”But hats off to Virat and KL – how they stuck in the middle out there and created that match-winning partnership.”This will be the first and last time India play at Chepauk at the World Cup though, and next up they move to Delhi, where South Africa and Sri Lanka combined to break the record for the most runs aggregated in a World Cup game just last night.The difference in conditions will be stark, and that will be one of India’s big challenges as they travel to 10 different venues for their group games (they will be the only team to not play twice at one venue in the round-robin stage), Rohit said. “That is going to be our biggest challenge as a team moving forward, because we are going to play on different pitches and in different conditions as well. So you might have to change your combination a little bit as well depending on what sort of conditions we play in. But as a team we are prepared to do that. It is something we have been talking about in our group – whoever suits the conditions needs to come and do the job for us.”

He says he feels amazing leading ‘such phenomenal talented players’

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-20241:40

Gill: Coming back from 1-0 down was remarkable

Shubman Gill believes that captaincy brings the “best out of him” because it brings out a side of him where he really enjoys being out on the field.”It is something that I definitely enjoy,” Gill said about captaincy after leading India to a 4-1 T20I series win over Zimbabwe in Harare. “I think it brings out the best in me when I am out there because I look to be involved in the game. It is something that really brings out the side of me which I enjoy being on the field.”With most of the senior players rested, Gill was asked to lead the Indian side for the first time in his career. His stint started on a tough note with India going down in the opening game of the series, but he quickly found his stride as the visitors posted comfortable wins in the next four games.Related

• Onus on India's present to link their past and future in T20s

• No-holds-barred Jaiswal typifies the new and aggressive India

• Samson, Dube, Mukesh star as India complete 4-1 series win

Gill admitted there was pressure but the satisfaction of overcoming that and helping India finish on the right side of the results was “immense”.”There was pressure, I wouldn’t say extra pressure but obviously even when you are playing just as a batsman when you don’t perform there is a certain kind of pressure that comes along with it,” he said. “But I think that’s the fun part of it. You kind of feel so many different emotions. Pressure is one of them. And when you get out of that, the satisfaction that you feel is immense.”India had gone with a relatively inexperienced squad to Zimbabwe with a lot of the players still very new to international cricket. Gill himself was just 14 T20Is old coming into the series but said the chance to lead a young side with “such phenomenal talented players” was amazing.”To be able to lead such phenomenal talented players who I have had the pleasure to play with or against at some stage in age-group cricket or Under-19 or at the India level, it just feels very amazing.”When you have played against or with so many of the players… I think almost with everyone I have played against or with at some age-group level, it definitely makes my job easier because I understand them at a player level and I understand them as a person as well.”So many talented players, so many players coming up and it is really fun to be able to play alongside them when I am at the non-striker’s end,” Gill said.But what went wrong in the first T20I where India chasing 116 were bundled out for 102 in 19.5 overs? Gill said that India “failed to assess the conditions” properly in that game.”I think that is the mistake we did in the first T20, the score wasn’t that big but I think we didn’t assess the conditions as early and we lost too many wickets in the powerplay and then once you are under pressure, then you are always behind in the game,” he said.Gill did not single out one particular captain that he idolises in international cricket but said that Rohit Sharma was someone he really looked up to.”You can take qualities from Rohit or even Mahi (MS Dhoni) , Virat (Kohli) , Hardik (Pandya) , all of them,” he said. “All of them have great qualities. I have played the most under Rohit , so he is someone who I look up to and really enjoy playing under.”