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RCB are coming off a morale-boosting win against Sunrisers, but they still have a lot to do if they’re to make the playoffs

Sruthi Ravindranath27-Apr-2024

Match details

Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Ahmedabad, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT)

Big Picture

Gujarat Titans’ season so far has been a mixed bag. In the last game, against Delhi Capitals, their tactics were questionable: Sandeep Warrier, their best bowler of the day, ended up bowling just three overs, while left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, coming off 4 for 33 against Punjab Kings, was introduced as late as the 19th over where he was taken for 22 runs.On Sunday, they will return to their home base and will also hope to get their tactics right, just like they did in their previous afternoon game at the venue. In that match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, having assessed that the conditions slowed down considerably once the ball got softer, GT brought in legspinner Rashid Khan and left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmed, and then Mohit Sharma – who bowled 13 cutters out of 24 balls on the day – between overs 7 to 14. Three big wickets fell and only 53 runs were conceded during that phase.RCB, who have just one left-hand batter in their top seven, can expect a trial by spin. Apart from Rashid and Noor, GT also have the option to introduce Sai Kishore in the powerplay to provide the squeeze upfront against Virat Kohli, who has struck at just 123.57 against spinners as opposed to 161.62 against fast bowlers.Related

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• 'Massive relief' for du Plessis after RCB finally end losing streak

• Patidar, Green, spinners thump SRH to end six-match losing streak

• It's too many runs, somebody make it stop

But in Rajat Patidar, RCB have a batter who has not only been in fine form, but has also struck at 225 against spinners this season. RCB are also coming off a confidence-boosting win against Sunrisers, where their spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh made a significant impact.GT will also be looking to improve their powerplay game with the bat: their run rate in the phase is just 8.1, the second-lowest among all teams this season. The slow starts from the top three of Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan has put the middle order – which has several big-hitters – under pressure to make up.

Form Guide

Gujarat Titans LWLWL
Royal Challengers Bangalore WLLLL

Team news and impact player strategy

Gujarat TitansGT brought Sai Sudharsan in for Sandeep Warrier as the Impact Player in the last match; if they bat first, they are likely to do the opposite. Azmatullah Omarzai has not had great returns with the bat or ball in six matches so far, and with enough bowling options in their side, will they look to slot Kane Williamson in at No. 4?Gujarat Titans XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha, 3 Sai Sudharsan 4. Azmatullah Omarzai/ Kane Williamson, 5 David Miller, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 R Sai Kishore, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 Sandeep Warrier.Royal Challengers BengaluruRCB swapped in left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh as the Impact Player for Rajat Patidar in the second half of the game against SRH, and the move paid dividends. Swapnil removed Aiden Markram and the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen in a double-wicket over and gave RCB the upper hand. The visitors are unlikely to change their line-up barring any injury concern.RCB XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Will Jacks, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Dinesh Karthik, (wk) 7 Mahipal Lomror, 8 Karn Sharma, 9 Swapnil Singh, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Yash DayalRashid Khan has a great record in T20s against RCB’s key batters•BCCI

In the spotlight

Shubman Gill has not been his consistent best this season: he’s coming into this game with scores of 6, 35 and 8. His slow starts have also hurt GT’s run rate in the powerplay. But with GT returning to their home base, which also happens to be one of Gill’s most favourite places to score, will he be able to get his side off to a strong start? He has an average of over 64, scoring 833 runs in just 16 games, in the IPL at this venue.Virat Kohli scored a 43-ball 51 against SRH, his third half-century of the season, but it was an innings of two halves. Having raced away to 23 in his first 11 balls, he took 32 deliveries to score the next 28 runs, struggling against left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed as well as the left-arm seam pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Natarajan who bowled an assortment of slower balls. In this year’s IPL, Kohli has struck at 155 with 35 boundaries in the powerplay, but only strikes at 123 in the middle overs hitting just 13 boundaries. GT will look to exploit this by introducing spin early against Kohli, who has a strike rate of under 140 against each of Rashid, Sai Kishore and Noor.

Pitch and conditions

Players will be bracing for a hot afternoon with a peak of 40C.In the last outing at the venue, GT suffered a massive defeat, folding for 89, which Delhi Capitals then chased down within nine overs.In the previous afternoon game in Ahmedabad, GT bowlers combined to restrict SRH to 162 for 8, which the hosts then chased down with five balls remaining.

Stats that matter

• Rashid has a great record against RCB’s three key batters in T20s. He has dismissed Kohli twice in eight meetings, while Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik have fallen to him three times in nine and eight meetings respectively.
• RCB have conceded over 60 in the powerplay in six of their nine games this IPL so far.
• While Saha has fallen to Mohammed Siraj three times in six meetings, Gill has a strike rate of 159 against the RCB pacer

Quotes

“I love to play fast bowling as well. I’m a top-order batsman, so I love [playing] both fast bowling and spinners. We have played a lot of domestic cricket on turning surfaces, so I think I have the ability to handle the spinners.”

Somerset chief executive keen for resumption but not without safeguarding measures

George Dobell14-Jun-2020Somerset’s chief executive has rejected the portrayal of his club as reluctant to return to action, insisting that “no county wants to play cricket this year more”. Gordon Hollins, who started his job at Taunton earlier this year, said he is keen to see the team playing again but will not be rushed into it before appropriate safeguarding – both health and financial – is complete.While county cricket looks highly likely to return at the start of August, the formats to be played remain unclear. The Professional Game Group (PGG), which effectively runs the domestic game, has proposed playing a regional-based first-class competition at first, with a T20 Blast season to follow a few weeks later.But some teams feel the logistical and financial challenges of playing four-day cricket could make the 50-over game a more pragmatic solution. In particular, there are concerns about the availability and safety of the hotels and restaurants that would be required by their players for overnight stays. One county also appears reluctant to play 50-over cricket.ALSO READ: Setback over first-class restart may expose county fault linesKey to counties committing to taking their staff off furlough (16 of the 18 are currently furloughed) will be a confirmation of funding from the ECB. To date, the ECB has provided all the funding that would have been expected from them until the end of July. The ECB board met on Friday with an expectation of further funding confirmation expected in the coming days. Until that announcement comes, however, some counties are reluctant to commit themselves to costs they could struggle to afford. Gloucestershire are also understood to be taking a cautious approach to a return.But while they may be unwilling to confirm plans at this stage, it does not mean they should be perceived as unwilling to play, according to Hollins. Somerset, like several other clubs, are expected to take their players off furlough at the start of July with a view to an August resumption.”No county wants to play cricket this year more than Somerset,” Hollins said. “We have a duty to act responsibly and ensure the wellbeing of all those involved, while being confident that decisions made now support the short and long-term interests of the club.”Some good work is being done by all county clubs and the ECB on the structure of this season and we are fully committed to supporting that work and finding an optimal solution for all counties to ensure that cricket successfully navigates its way through this unprecedented crisis.”Hollins’ comments may pour balm on what was becoming an increasingly fractious disagreement. With some clubs desperate to play to satisfy sponsors, members and players, others are much more cautious, which has caused great frustration. A recent chief executives meeting became unusually heated, with those expressing reluctance – and Northants are probably the most reluctant – told they had accepted ECB money, government money (in the form of the furlough agreement) and, in many cases, membership money. As a consequence, it was suggested their role as cricket clubs was to return to action if deemed appropriate by the relevant health authorities.In reply, it is understood those clubs expressed more preference towards playing 50-over cricket and required further assurances over both health and financial arrangements.As a result, there has been talk of the bulk of the clubs moving on without the small number of reluctant ones and playing a competition that excludes them. This could be achieved by a two-thirds majority vote.There has also, for the first time in many years, been talk of a couple of clubs being permanently excluded in a move that would see the number of first-class teams cut. As one chief executive is understood to have put it in the meeting, “If you don’t play us this year, we may not want to play you next year.”While the chances of a formal first-class competition may have diminished somewhat, several clubs are insisting they will play first-class games come what may – possibly on a friendly basis or in standalone competitions.Those counties also retain hopes of welcoming in spectators. With pub beer gardens (and hotels) likely to re-open on July 4 and most cricket spectators forced to watch outside anyway, several counties hope they could arrange some socially distanced arrangements to recoup at least some ticket revenue from the start of August. They also remain hopeful that, in September, they may be able to welcome larger crowds for Blast games.Somerset’s position among the more cautious counties is something of a surprise. But it may be relevant the club parted ways with their previous chief executive midway through last season after it became apparent their financial position was not as healthy as had previously been thought. A combination of ground redevelopment costs (not least new floodlights) and a high salary base for the players has created a tough environment for a new chief executive dealing with a pandemic. Other clubs are already circling round their out of contract players.It should be noted that neither the drive to resume county cricket or the threat to move on without some counties is coming from the ECB executive. Instead, it is the PGG, which includes Surrey’s Richard Gould, Durham’s Tim Bostock and Sussex’s Rob Andrew, who have proposed the fixture list and are attempting to assure clubs of the importance of returning to action.

Chetan Sharma had been reappointed to the role only in January

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2023Chetan Sharma has resigned from his post as India’s chairman of selectors after being caught in an undercover TV sting operation. His resignation was accepted by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, according to an ANI report.On February 14, an Indian TV news channel released video footage of Sharma talking about various matters relating to the national team, including alleged issues between Virat Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, and Jasprit Bumrah’s injury. It appears that Sharma did not know he was being filmed clandestinely at the time.”Yes, Chetan has tendered his resignation to BCCI secretary Jay Shah and his resignation has been accepted. His position had become untenable after the sting operation,” a senior BCCI source told PTI. “He resigned voluntarily and wasn’t asked to resign.”Sharma was reinstated as chief selector only in January, after the BCCI had removed the entire selection panel in November following India’s semi-final defeat from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, and invited fresh applications. Sharma continued to function in his role until the new panel was appointed, with him once again as chairman.His exit leaves India’s selection panel comprising Salil Ankola, SS Das, Subroto Banerjee and S Sharath, with the BCCI yet to appoint a new chairman.Sharma, 57, played 23 Test matches and 65 ODIs for India between 1984 and 1994.

William Porterfield part of ODI squad to add experience, following Kevin O’Brien’s retirement

Matt Roller30-Jun-2021Ireland will welcome Curtis Campher back into their squad for next month’s World Cup Super League series against South Africa following ankle surgery, and have handed a maiden international call-up to middle-order batter William McClintock for the T20I series that follows.Ireland have opted to stick with the majority of the squad that slipped to a 2-1 series defeat in Netherlands last month, a result which has further damaged their prospects of automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup, but Campher returns following an injury sustained on Ireland Wolves duty earlier in the summer.Related

• South Africa look for Super League points against Ireland

• Andy Balbirnie – 'If Ireland don't qualify for the World Cup, we've got no excuses'

• Ireland hand full-time contracts to Curtis Campher, Josh Little, David Delany

• Ireland allrounder Curtis Campher to undergo ankle surgery

• Kevin O'Brien, Ireland's hero of Bangalore, retires from ODI cricket

Campher replaces Kevin O’Brien, who recently announced his ODI retirement, in the squad, while 21-year-old left-arm spinner Graham Kennedy was preferred to the legspinner Ben White in the only other change from the group that toured the Netherlands. Gareth Delany, the legspinning allrounder, remains injured.William Porterfield, the senior top-order batter, is also retained in the squad despite managing only five runs in two innings in the Netherlands, extending a lean run for him in the format. Andrew White, the chair of selectors, said: “With the recent ODI retirement of Kevin O’Brien, the value of having the experience of William Porterfield in the set-up is as crucial as ever, and his recent form at inter-provincial level has demonstrated that he is still hungry to succeed.”The World Cup Super League series against South Africa represents our first such fixtures on home soil, and while a tough challenge awaits, we are confident the squad we have selected provides Graham Ford [head coach] and Andrew Balbirnie [captain] with plenty of options.”The T20I series will be Ireland’s first since March 2020, following various cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and there are three uncapped players in McClintock, White and the wicketkeeper-batter Neil Rock who could be in line for debuts.McClintock, the North-West Warriors batter, is third on the run charts in the ongoing Interpro T20 competition, and was described as filling a “power-hitting mould” by White.”Since William’s involvement in the Under-19s World Cup in 2015 – at which he hit two half-centuries – we have known about his potential,” White said. “This year we have seen evidence of that potential – not just as a power-hitter, but he has played a number of intelligent innings and been one of the key reasons the North West Warriors have been successful this season.”Ben White and Neil Rock also make the T20I squad on merit. Ben has impressed many observers, particularly over the last 12 months, bowling with consistency, accuracy and – most importantly – he has been taking wickets regularly. Pebbles [Rock] has been in and around selectors thoughts for a while, and offers a great back-up keeping option and skilful lower-order batting in this format.”Regarding the T20I squad, we’re looking at the series as a chance to expose a wider pool of players to the international arena and look at combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup in October.”ODI squad: Andy Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Graham Kennedy, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.T20I squad: Andy Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, William McClintock, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.Fixtures: ODI series: 1st ODI – July 11, 2nd ODI – July 13, 3rd ODI – July 16 (all Malahide), T20I series: 1st T20I – July 19 (Malahide), 2nd T20I – July 22, 3rd T20I – July 24 (both Stormont)

Rahul, LSG’s captain, was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament as well as the WTC final after picking up a thigh injury

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2023Lucknow Super Giants have drafted in Karun Nair as a replacement for KL Rahul for the remainder of IPL 2023. Nair comes on board for INR 50 lakh.Rahul, the LSG captain, was ruled out of the IPL as well as India’s World Test Championship final against Australia in early June after picking up a thigh injury while fielding in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on May 1.Nair has scored 1496 runs in 76 IPL games over the years, turning out for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and RCB. LSG will be the third franchise he will play for in three seasons.Nair is among the more experienced India players who went unsold at the auction, having not played any form of professional cricket during the 2022-23 season after being dropped from the Karnataka squad altogether. He was earlier in consideration to be drafted into the RCB squad as a replacement for David Willey, but they eventually picked Kedar Jadhav.Nair and Rahul have been longtime colleagues in the Karnataka side in India’s domestic circuit.”Absolutely gutted,” Rahul wrote in an Instagram post on Friday morning as he announced that he would be out of action for the coming few months.”My focus will be on my rehabilitation and recovery in the coming weeks,” Rahul’s post said. “It’s a tough call to make, but I know it’s the right one to ensure a full recovery.”Rahul tore a tendon in his right thigh while chasing a ball in the second over of their match against RCB. He had to be helped off the field at that point, and did not return until a chase of 127 got tense. He walked out to bat at No. 11 in the hope of winning the game. But he was unable to run between the wickets, which resulted in the No. 9 Amit Mishra facing the last over. LSG eventually lost by 18 runs.”As the team captain, it pains me deeply not to be able to be there during this crucial period,” Rahul wrote. “But, I’m confident that the boys will rise to the occasion and give their best performance as always.”LSG are currently in second place on the IPL points table, with five wins from ten games. Their push for a second straight playoff appearance will now be spearheaded by Krunal Pandya, who takes over the captaincy on an interim basis. He has already led the team in one game, against Chennai Super Kings, although it was washed out.This is the second major injury Rahul’s had in two years following a sports hernia in 2022 for which he needed surgery.”The last few days have been really hard, but I’m determined to come out on top,” his post said. “Injuries are never easy, but I’ll give it my all as always. Thank you for all the support and good wishes.”Rahul’s career has had a rough time in recent times. India took away his vice-captaincy and dropped him from their Test XI after the first two Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches in February 2023. And he hasn’t played a T20I for them in almost a year. It’s only in 50-overs cricket that he commands a spot in the team, where he also doubles up as their wicketkeeper. All of this was reflected in his moving down from Grade A to B when the BCCI handed out central contracts two months ago.

ESPNcricinfo’s experts, and Sunrisers’ marauder-in-chief himself, both agreed Jasprit Bumrah should have been bowled much earlier given Sunrisers’ explosive opening

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-20243:16

Moody baffled by Mumbai’s use of Bumrah

Were Mumbai Indians tripped up by their focus on holding Jasprit Bumrah back for Heinrich Klaasen? After bowling the fourth over of the innings, Bumrah did not deliver another ball till the 13th over, by which time No. 5 Klaasen was batting on eight off three balls and Sunrisers Hyderabad were already well on their way to a record-breaking score. With almost no pressure, the experienced pair of Klaasen and Aiden Markram saw Bumrah off before lifting Sunrisers to 277 for 3, the highest score in IPL history.On ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut analysis show, former Australia allrounder and Sunrisers head coach Tom Moody said it was “extraordinary” that Mumbai did not course correct earlier. After plundering 81 runs in the powerplay, Sunrisers had raced to 148 for 2 in ten overs and 177 for 3 in 12 before Bumrah returned for his three remaining overs.”When you’ve got the best bowler in the world in this format – if not all formats – and for him to only bowl one over in the first ten overs… to bowl his second over in the 13rd over is extraordinary,” Moody said, analysing the innings alongside former India opener Wasim Jaffer and New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan. “By then, the game’s gone, the game’s totally gone.”I totally get if they want to use a couple of swing bowling options in the first or second over, I understand that. But Jasprit Bumrah has to bowl two overs in the powerplay purely because of what he brings to the table. One of the priorities in powerplay cricket is wickets and he is your best wicket-taker, and he always will be your best wicket-taker. And for him and Mumbai to be starved of that opportunity to try and stem the flow of this onslaught is crazy. It just doesn’t seem right.”Related

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By the time Bumrah arrived for his second spell, Sunrisers’ left-hand duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had already set the platform for a massive total with fifties in 18 and 16 balls respectively. Their domination of all Mumbai bowlers, bar Bumrah, had led to four 20+ run overs inside the first ten overs of their innings. Still Mumbai held Bumrah back, the damage the big-hitting Klaasen could inflict clearly on their minds.”That’s the issue,” Moody said. “They would have been planning around a number of challenges for today’s match but the biggest challenge around the batting side would’ve been ‘how do we keep Klaasen quiet?'”And they had it stuck in their head that they’ve got to make sure they’ve got overs in the bank from Bumrah when Klaasen comes to the crease. But you have to be flexible with your plans. Every chance that Klaasen may not have batted today the way Sunrisers were going at the top.”2:25

Should Hardik have reassessed his plans?

McClenaghan felt bowling Bumrah up front to negate Head could have proven just as good a strategy as Bumrah vs Klaasen. “Even with match-ups and knowing your biggest threats, you know Travis Head, and you know how Travis Head is going to play. Jasprit Bumrah moving the ball away from Travis Head was a very, very good match-up,” McClenaghan said.Besides, could Mumbai not have adapted their plans midway, especially with strategic time-outs to reassess?”That was the issue. At six overs [first time-out], they were 81,” Moody said. “[As a coach, at the time] you are having a conversation with your captain and key seniors, and you need to say ‘we need wickets. Who is our wicket-taker?’ You go ‘No. 1 Jasprit Bumrah, No. 2 someone else.'”[For the] next two overs minimum, those two bowlers [should’ve bowled] and the priority should’ve been wickets. ‘[As coach you say] forget about runs, let’s just take wickets. Let’s set the fields, let’s bowl the lines, let’s bowl the different paces and the right lengths to get back into the contest.'”Klaasen, who spoke to the broadcasters after his unbeaten 34-ball 80, said Mumbai “missed a trick” in the powerplay by using Bumrah for only one over and credited the Sunrisers top order for the platform he had. He also confirmed that the runs up top helped him face Bumrah without any pressure.”They didn’t bowl their best bowler in the powerplay… that was our plan,” Klaasen said while collecting the orange cap. “They missed a trick up front. We’ve got incredible strikers up front in our batting line-up. They just set the tempo so our work was basically done.”

Hosts overcome brief wobble in run chase at The Oval after bowlers keep Rockets grounded

ECB Reporters Network21-Aug-2023Oval Invincibles skipper Sam Billings steered his side into their first Men’s Hundred final with a display of ruthless hitting to overcome current champions Trent Rockets by five wickets.Billings, who had endured a lean tournament with the bat – averaging 12.5 in his previous seven innings – rediscovered form just in time to rubber-stamp top spot in the table and an automatic place in Sunday’s final.He struck 76 not out from 40 balls as the Invincibles chased down their opponents’ total of 148 for 7 at the Kia Oval, overcoming a brief wobble after three wickets had fallen in three deliveries to share a partnership of 73 from 40 with Will Jacks.Billings completed the win with a six off Ish Sodhi to leave the Rockets’ hopes of defending their crown hanging by a thread.The Rockets opted to bat after winning the toss but none of their top-order batters managed to build on useful starts.Alex Hales was first to go, holing out to deep third and Joe Root – having reverse-ramped Spencer Johnson for six – was undone by a ball that skidded through to hit the top of middle and off.Sam Hain’s bustling knock of 16 from 10 came to an end when he slapped a return catch to Adam Zampa and, when fellow leg-spinner Nathan Sowter had Tom Kohler-Cadmore caught in the deep, the visitors were 54 for 4.Colin Munro took on both spinners, dispatching them over the top for sixes and rebuilt the Rockets’ innings in tandem with Lewis Gregory, who capitalised on being dropped at point by Tom Curran to share in a partnership of 70 from 46.Zampa eventually broke the stand, tempting Munro with a slower ball that he skied to mid-off and Tom Curran made amends for his earlier fumble during the next set as Gregory top-edged a paddle to Billings.A late flurry of boundaries by Daniel Sams, with 19 from nine, boosted the Rockets in the death overs but their total looked unlikely to seriously trouble the home side, particularly after Jason Roy made early inroads with 19 from 13.Yet Roy’s wicket was the first of three to fall in as many deliveries, including two to Sams as Sodhi took a stunning one-handed catch at full stretch to dismiss Tawanda Muyeye and Sam Curran was castled by the next.However, Jacks – who had only faced two of the first 20 balls – steadied the ship by drilling Luke Wood over cover for two sixes and Billings then seized control, hammering Sodhi twice into the upper tier at the Vauxhall End.Billings picked out the gaps expertly, pulling Matt Carter for successive fours, but the stand ended when Jacks chopped on to Sam Cook and Jimmy Neesham’s departure followed with 48 still required.But Tom Curran kept his captain company with an unbeaten 18 and Billings finished the job in style, with eight balls unused.

The player in question has not represented Pakistan in international cricket

Umar Farooq15-Oct-2020A player, featuring in the ongoing National T20 Cup has reported a “corrupt approach” during the tournament to PCB’s anti-corruption unit. The PCB – after their investigation – has engaged the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) to probe further. ESPNcricinfo understands that the player in question has not represented Pakistan in international cricket.According to a PCB statement, an unnamed player reported an approach from a suspected bookmaker during the tournament in Rawalpindi. “I have spoken with the player to compliment and thank him for following the PCB Anti-Corruption Code and reporting the approach to the anti-corruption officer,” the PCB Anti-Corruption and Security director Lt Col (Retd) Asif Mahmood said. “Following the report, the PCB Anti-Corruption Unit carried out its own probe and unearthed some sensitive information, which has been forwarded to the FIA, which has the required expertise, resources, capabilities, and powers to investigate such matters.”As we cannot jeopardise an ongoing investigation, it will be inappropriate for us to share any specifics of the approach. However, the PCB as a responsible member of the International Cricket Council will continue to keep the game’s administrative body abreast of the progress in investigations as part of our information-sharing approach.”Before the event, PCB had carried out mandatory anti-corruption lectures reminding players of their responsibility, and guided players thoroughly about the code. This has been a regular exercise at domestic and international series since 2010 when the PCB was forced to revise its code of conduct for players with special emphasis on anti-corruption. The PCB has also made it mandatory for players to have their agents approved by the board. The PCB had also implemented education programmes for cricketers to create awareness about match-fixing and set up an Integrity Committee to look into issues of corruption and doping.After the 2010 spot-fixing saga the PCB has mandated a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption in cricket. Last year, the PCB under Ehsan Mani offered a draft to the federal government on how to curb the illegal betting in the country and urged the government of Pakistan on providing legislation to criminalise corruption in sports.”We are all aware that the game is at risk due to a small number of corrupters who try to entice cricketers for their personal gains and benefit,” the PCB said.. “But there is also no doubt that we can collectively defeat these people if the players strictly abide by the anti-corruption protocols and continue to report approaches to the anti-corruption officers.”

The squad has come together this week for the first time since their ODI World Cup win

Andrew McGlashan06-Jun-2022The Australia women’s squad will start mapping out their next World Cup campaign this week in Brisbane as they come together for the first since they lifted the ODI silverware in New Zealand and now under interim head coach Shelley Nitschke.There has been significant change in the coaching staff since the ODI World Cup final with Matthew Mott having left for the England men’s white-ball job and confirmation on Monday that Ben Sawyer, who was an assistant coach, has jumped across the Tasman to lead the New Zealand women’s set-up.Jude Coleman and Dan Marsh will join Nitschke as assistant coaches for the upcoming tours of Ireland and the Commonwealth Games after the pair took charge of Australia A’s successful series against England A that ran concurrently with the Ashes earlier this year.Although there won’t be a new full-time head coach appointed until later in the year Nitschke will likely remain the favourite. With the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham followed by the T20 World Cup in South Africa next February there are big targets to aim for.The challenge for Australia is to stay top of the tree while continuing to push themselves and though there are not expected to be major changes Nitschke will “put my spin on things” over the next couple of months.”I do have some ideas after watching us, obviously [we are] coming off a strong ODI phase and we are now moving into a heavy T20 phase leading up to a World Cup,” she said. “Part of the camp we are on this week is talking about that sort of thing, having a bit of a reset and looking at how we want to play our T20 cricket.”There’s going to be some really good discussions over the next couple of days around that and from that we’ll start to look at ways we can potentially stay in that No. 1 position knowing that other teams are coming for us but we need to keep evolving.”The gathering in Brisbane this week will be largely focused on conditioning and the first meetings since the World Cup before the players come together again at the end of June for what will be a more skills-focused preparation ahead of leaving for Ireland in mid-July. It is at that second camp that Coleman and Marsh will join up with the squad and Nitschke sees fresh voices as a good opportunity.”They work well together and think their skill sets are really complementary,” she said. “It will be nice and refreshing for the spin bowlers who have been working with me for the last four years to get a different take on things from Marshy and Jude similarly.”Nitschke has recently signed a two-year extension as head coach of Perth Scorchers in the WBBL but said that how the role plays out in the future should the full-time Australia job come her way will be something to consider at a later date.”There’s a fair bit to play out before we come to any discussions around that. If it all works for this next season then that would be fantastic to still be involved with the Scorchers. We’ll just have to wait and see on that one.”

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

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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.