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The 18-year old Rangpur opener Abdullah Al Mamun struck his maiden double-century, against Sylhet

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-2022Cyclone Sitrang wreaked havoc as it travelled along the southern tip of Bangladesh, leaving most of the country, and the National Cricket League, rain-soaked. Three out of the four matches were drawn after the first two days, October 24 and 25, were rained off, with only Barishal Division beating Dhaka Metropolis by four wickets in mostly dry Rajshahi.The lowest number of overs was played in the drawn game between Dhaka Division and Chattogram Division at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra. The matches between Sylhet Division and Rangpur Division and Rajshahi Division and Khulna Division, both played in the Sylhet International Stadium premises, were drawn too.Best batters
The 18-year old Rangpur opener Abdullah Al Mamun struck his maiden double-century, which was also his first century in first-class cricket, against Sylhet. He was unbeaten on 210 with 16 fours and 13 sixes. He batted for more than nine hours, to help his side get a 400-plus score in the shortened game. When Sylhet replied, Towfiq Khan blasted 92 off 62 balls with eight sixes and as many fours.Khulna’s Amit Majumder and Dhaka Metro’s Marshall Ayub struck the other two hundreds in this round. Amit made 101 off 196 balls with nine fours and a six, while Marshall struck ten fours in his century against Barishal.Best bowlers
The fast bowlers were quite successful during this round. Left-arm quick Abu Hider took his fifth five-wicket haul but it was in Dhaka Metro’s losing cause against Barishal. Abu Jayed had figures of 4-71 against Rangpur, while Kamrul Islam Rabbi took seven wickets in Barishal’s win over Dhaka Metro. Barishal were also aided by left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam’s 5-35.Best match
In the only match where play was possible for at least three days, Dhaka Metro were bowled out for 255. Marshall’s century propped them up but he got little support at the other end. Hider’s five-wicket haul ensured Dhaka Metro led by 90 runs after Barishal were bowled out for 165.But Dhaka Metro squandered their advantage when they were bowled out for 124 in the second innings, with Tanvir taking the five-for and Rabbi taking four more wickets.Rafsan Al Mahmud’s 71 set up the fourth innings chase before Salman Hossain and Kamrul got them home with the unbroken 17-run seventh-wicket stand.Points to ponder
Sylhet are well settled at the top of the Tier-1 points table, while Chattogram are languishing at the bottom with just two points. In Tier-2, Barishal are strong favourites now for promotion to Tier-1, while Khulna remain at the bottom.Players to watch
Many of the top first-class cricketers were out due to the BCB XI’s tour of Tamil Nadu, India, so it was left to stalwarts Marshall and Kamrul to pick up the slack. They did so manfully, while the rest of the players had to wait in the dressing rooms to see off the cyclonic weather.

County Championship untouched, ECB introducing Blast-Charlotte Edwards Cup double-headers

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2022The 2023 programme of domestic cricket in England will feature an expanded Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and regular T20 double-headers involving men’s and women’s teams in the Vitality Blast and Charlotte Edwards Cup.With discussions about the future of the county schedule ongoing, there will be no changes to the LV= Insurance Championship, which will begin on April 6 next year for a block of seven weeks. Five rounds of the men’s first-class competition will be played during June and July, before the start of the Hundred in August – as revealed by ESPNcricinfo – and the 50-over One-Day Cup.Related

• The Hundred to be played in four-week window in August 2023

• Six-team Championship Division One and Blast reduction among recommendations of High-Performance Review

Amid efforts to balance four men’s competitions in an Ashes summer, there will be a round of Championship games before the first Test against Australia, starting at Edgbaston on June 16.While Andrew Strauss’ high-performance review had called for a six-team top division above two conferences, to be implemented from 2024, the ECB’s fixture release confirmed that next summer will see the continuation of promotion and relegation for two teams.Despite widespread agreement that the 2022 schedule suited few of the interested parties, 2023 will look largely the same.The Vitality Blast will begin with a men’s double-header at Edgbaston on May 20, as Birmingham host Yorkshire and Derbyshire take on Lancashire. The counties will each play 14 games, with Finals Day also at Edgbaston and the tournament once again concluding in mid-summer on July 15.An expanded Charlotte Edwards Cup, with the eight regional teams playing each other in seven games – home or away – starts on May 18. Finals Day will be held at New Road on June 10 and, in a sign of increased synergy between the men’s and women’s games following the success of the Hundred, there will be 20 Blast-CEC double-headers held across 17 venues.The 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint competition will begin on April 22 and sees a doubling of fixtures, the eight teams playing home and away for a total of 14 games.As in previous years, men’s teams will warm up for the One-Day Cup – which will no longer be sponsored by Royal London after the insurer ended its eight-year association* – with fixtures against the National Counties. Outgrounds will be a feature of the fixture list before the final at Trent Bridge on September 16.County Championship Division One fixtures 2023County Championship Division Two fixtures 2023*1330 GMT – This story was updated to reflect the end of Royal London’s sponsorship

England allrounder stars against West Indies as she eases back into international set-up

Valkerie Baynes05-Dec-2022Nat Sciver doesn’t want to reach “boiling point” again.Sciver produced a Player-of-the-Match performance on her comeback from a three-month break to care for her mental health and wellbeing, as England defeated West Indies by a whopping 142 runs in their first of three ODIs in Antigua, and announced that she felt happy and comfortable again.That wasn’t the case when she stepped away from the game in early September, missing two home white-ball series against India. She cited emotional fatigue that had built over the previous nine months, which included an away Ashes series and 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, as well as England hosting South Africa and the Commonwealth Games.”It’s a tricky one because obviously, as an athlete representing your country, you don’t want to miss out on anything,” Sciver said. “You never want to say no to something. You don’t want to miss a training session. You don’t want to miss a trip.”Between tours, we have periods where you can have time off and things like that, but there’s always a bit of cricket in the back of your mind, knowing that you’re going to be back in three weeks, four weeks, whatever it is. You need to get back to be in a fairly okay physical state and ready to be training again.”But I think I just got into a place where I didn’t utilise these days, weeks, because I didn’t have the motivation to do things away from cricket. I just had poured all of my energy into that and wasn’t able to spare anything. I guess that’s why it all got to a bit of a boiling point for me. That’s why it’s so important to take the time when you can get away from cricket when you can, to create a bit more longevity in your sport.”Having taken the decision to step back, Sciver hopes that she won’t have to again. Longer term, she expects England Women’s talent pool to deepen which, in turn, will mean more players being able to tour. It’s not an unrealistic prospect, given that England handed international debuts this summer to teenagers Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp, as well as seamers Issy Wong and Lauren Bell, aged 20 and 21 respectively, all of whom have made instant marks on the side.And while Sciver’s ability to say that she needed a break is a positive thing, in the shorter term she has developed a plan she hopes will prevent that need from arising again.Related

• Nat Sciver resumes England Women's vice-captaincy

• Maia Bouchier, Alice Davidson-Richards added to England T20I squad

• Sciver pulls out of India series to 'focus on mental health and wellbeing'

• Jon Lewis: 'You don't coach gender, you coach people'

• Sciver, Wyatt and Dean give England a 1-0 lead

“I had a chance to think about that whilst I was off and put it into practice whilst we’ve been training at home,” she said. “For me it was about getting regular contact with someone, either our team psychologist or just the medical staff that have been around our group for a long time, who are part of our wellbeing tea, and catching up with them and making sure I’m voicing things.”Because my character is so sort of steady and there’s not huge highs and lows about me, it can be quite difficult to, I guess, read when I’m not doing so well. But I guess that’s something that I’ve been working on for a while and we’ll continue to do that. I guess it’s about recognising, or trying to recognise, when something’s not right and making sure I get to that early.”Then just being able to do things away from cricket. Obviously I won’t have loads of time in a row to do things away from cricket but making sure I’m ticking things off, a little thing every day, and making time for myself as well.”So far, so good, but we’ll see how it goes. I don’t want to get to a place where I have to take time off again, so I’m doing everything I can.”During her time away, Sciver “didn’t pick up a bat at all, or a ball other than for the dog”. You wouldn’t necessarily know it after she slotted back into her match-winning ways as England set their opponents a big target of 308 in Antigua. The only sad note of the performance was the broken collarbone suffered by Capsey while fielding which ended the tour for one of England’s most exciting prospects.And while she has stood down from the vice-captaincy for the West Indies tour, which continues with ODIs on Tuesday and Friday before five T20Is, Sciver remains part of the team’s off-field leadership group, with captain Heather Knight, acting deputy Amy Jones and senior spinner Sophie Ecclestone.With the T20 World Cup coming up in South Africa in February, Sciver admitted it was hard to know when would be the right time to return to a leadership role in an official capacity.”Playing my first game I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel or react,” Sciver said. “I want to use this trip to get back to enjoying my cricket and being able to express myself on the pitch, as I have done in the past. Having that leadership title was something that I was keen not to be part of, and just try to focus on myself for this trip.”

Fast bowler has been out of action since injuring his back at Trent Bridge in June last year

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2023Fast-bowling allrounder Kyle Jamieson makes a comeback to New Zealand’s squad for the two-Test series against England at home in February. It is the first time Jamieson has been selected since he injured his back on the tour of England in June last year.Jamieson returned to New Zealand’s domestic cricket circuit only in January this year, and at the time of his selection in the Test squad, he had played two matches each in the Ford Trophy and Super Smash for Auckland.Related

• Kyle Jamieson 'feeling mentally and physically fresh' after time out injured

• Jamieson sent for back scan, ruled out of remainder of innings

• Gavin Larsen hopes Boult will play ODI World Cup

“Kyle is a very determined character with a strong desire to play international cricket for New Zealand,” head coach Gary Stead said. “Since he was forced from the field in Nottingham he’s been very clear that he wants to get his body right to return.”He’s reported good progress since his return to professional cricket with Auckland and he will get the opportunity to play some long-form cricket as part of the New Zealand XI squad to face England in their warm-up match next week at Seddon Park.”Legspinner Ish Sodhi also kept his place in the 14-man squad after impressive returns in the two-match series in Pakistan in December-January, which was his first Test series since 2018. Sodhi took 13 wickets in the two matches, and also scored a half-century.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Ish really impressed us with his approach with bat and ball,” Stead said. “He’s worked very hard on both in recent years and it was great to see that on the international Test stage.”Offspinning-allrounder Michael Bracewell is the second spin option in the squad, while left-armer Ajaz Patel and batter Glenn Phillips were the omissions from the group that travelled to Pakistan. Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell and fast bowler Matt Henry are expected to recover from injuries sustained in Pakistan by the time the squad assembles in Tauranga on February 12.The first Test against England from February 16 to 20 will be a day-night contest at the Bay Oval, after which the teams will travel to Wellington for the second Test at the Basin Reserve from February 24-28.The series will be Tim Southee’s first as full-time Test captain on home soil. He took over from Kane Williamson just before the tour of Pakistan. Trent Boult, who had given up his central contract, was not selected, though New Zealand’s selection manager Gavin Larsen hoped the left-arm quick would play the ODI World Cup in India in October-November.

Pakistan fought hard with ball but Mohammad Nabi steered the chase with an unbeaten 38

Danyal Rasool24-Mar-2023Eleven years on from when these two sides first played each other, Afghanistan secured the win they have arguably wanted more than any other, sweeping Pakistan aside by six wickets in the first T20I in Sharjah. In a clinical performance, where the hosts were the better side from start to finish, they sealed the win in style. The returning Mohammad Nabi was the hero with the bat, a walloped six over mid-off off Ihsanullah capping a brilliant performance with both bat and ball.Pakistan had chosen to bat first after winning the toss, but Afghanistan immediately established their dominance, keeping the young Pakistan batting order on a leash. On a surface where batting was exceptionally challenging, Pakistan crumbled in the face of a disciplined Afghanistan bowling, frittering away wickets at regular intervals, struggling to transfer any pressure onto the hosts. No Pakistan batter managed to reach 20 as the innings limped along, the 92 for 9 that Pakistan ended with their fifth-lowest T20I total.Afghanistan’s chase made obvious the challenges of batting on this surface, and Pakistan’s pace bowlers made hay with the ball. Ihsanullah was particularly exceptional on debut, taking two wickets in his first three balls as Afghanistan lost three quick wickets, and a resurgent Pakistan threatened to run through their line-up. But in a game where experience mattered more than flamboyance, Nabi came out to calm Afghan nerves, his unbeaten run-a-ball 38 and an assured partnership with Najibullah Zadran shutting the door in Pakistan’s faces.

Afghanistan rein in Pakistan’s top order

Pakistan’s openers, Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris, were flying high after a brilliant PSL campaign, but any thoughts of taking the attack to Afghanistan’s bowlers were soon dispelled. On a surface unlike any they faced in the PSL, Haris and Ayub struggled to get bat on ball. Early prodigious swing from Fazalhaq Farooqi set the tone, and as the bowlers preyed on the young openers’ frustrations, they were soon rewarded. Haris tried to hoick a short ball in front of square on the leg side, only to slash it in the air over point, with Azmatullah Omarzai running back and taking the catch over his shoulder.In the following over, Omarzai trapped Abdullah Shafique lbw, and before the powerplay was over, Ayub fell, too. He was attempting a no-look lap over fine leg, his rendition of that shot was one of the moments of the PSL. On a surface where the ball didn’t quite come onto the bat the same way, he only deflected it onto his stumps.Abdullah Shafique took an excellent catch to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Spin takes over

After being reduced to 39 for 3, there was no respite for Pakistan’s batters. Rashid Khan stepped up to the bowling crease as soon as the powerplay ended. It took him one ball to remove the one Pakistan batter who had demonstrated any sort of competence, utterly deceiving Tayyab Tahir in the flight, ending a breezy nine-ball 16. On a surface where the ball appeared to be stopping in the pitch, Azam Khan was similarly clueless, lobbing Mujeeb Ur Rahman to short midwicket for a two-ball duck.There were only six balls of pace between the seventh and the 17th over, and in those 11 overs, Pakistan went from shaky to shell-shocked. Reduced to 80 for 8 by this time, there was to be no coming back.

Ihsanullah’s mini-revival

Ihsanullah shouldn’t have had the pressure of defending such a low total in his first international game, but he more than gave it a go. His first international ball grew big on Ibrahim Zadran, rushing the batter with an extra yard of pace, forcing him to splice one up into the air. It was more of the same two balls later as Gulbadin Naib perished in the same way, and a revived Pakistan suddenly smelled blood.Naseem Shah struck to get rid of the biggest dangerman Rahmanullah Gurbaz the following over, thanks to a sensational grab at short midwicket from Shafique. The wheels had almost come off the Afghanistan innings when a miserly Imad Wasim cleaned up Karim Jannat with a dart into middle stump. At this point, it appeared Pakistan would subject Afghanistan to yet another heartache.

The Nabi-Najibullah partnership

It has been apparent for some time that Nabi’s star has been on the wane, but having been recalled to the side, there was scarcely a better man for Afghanistan to have in the middle. A man whose career has straddled pretty much Afghanistan cricket’s entire history, his wizened, grey experience was the perfect antidote to the nerves and paranoia that would have surrounded his side. Content to see off Imad, he took the emotions out of the contest as he whittled the target down with Najibullah. Aware the required rate was never going to be a problem, the dot balls didn’t pile on the pressure, and the occasional boundary only increased Pakistan’s desperation.In that search for wickets, Shadab was forced to turn to Ihsanullah and Naseem a couple of overs early, and Nabi sensed his opportunity. Aware the wicket wasn’t quite offering the fast bowlers as much anymore, he smacked Naseem for a pair of fours at the end of the 17th over to bring the target down into the single figures. It was only fitting that a majestic six over mid-off made the win official, a princely shot from a man feted as Afghan cricketing royalty.

A hamstring injury recurrence has already put him out of Western Australia’s Marsh Cup final against South Australia

Alex Malcolm and Tristan Lavalette06-Mar-2023Jhye Richardson has been ruled out of Australia’s ODI tour of India, and his IPL stint with Mumbai Indians is also unlikely, after he suffered a hamstring injury recurrence in his first grade game back since the initial injury occurred during the BBL.Richardson had not played any cricket since straining his hamstring on January 4. The injury was initially diagnosed as minor, and it was hoped he would return for the BBL finals, but it took him two full months to return to play. He missed Perth Scorchers’ BBL title run and has not played any Marsh Cup or Sheffield Shield cricket since. But he was selected in Australia’s 16-man ODI squad for the three-match series in India that starts on March 17 in Mumbai.Nathan Ellis, who has played three ODIs, has been called up as Richardson’s replacement.Richardson made his return to competitive cricket on Saturday in Perth playing for his club side Fremantle against Wanneroo in a 50-over fixture, where it was hoped he would make his domestic return in the Marsh Cup final before departing for India.Related

• Steven Smith to captain Australia in ODI series against India

• Cummins will miss final Test too, Smith to lead Australia in Ahmedabad

• Jhye Richardson out of BBL for two-three weeks

However, he managed only four overs for Fremantle, where he did take 3 for 5, before leaving the field and heading for a scan. He later went to the WACA ground to consult with the WA medical staff.Richardson has had a rotten run with soft-tissue injuries over the past two seasons independent of the major shoulder injury he suffered in 2019. He took a maiden Test five-wicket haul against England in Adelaide in December 2021, his first Test since injuring his right shoulder, but a nagging heel injury ruled him out of the next Test and he has not played Test cricket since.He played in the T20I and ODI series on the tour of Sri Lanka in June of 2022 but then had an interrupted pre-season for WA ahead of the domestic summer starting in October with a number of soft tissue concerns limiting him to just two Sheffield Shield games and one Marsh Cup game prior to the BBL.

RCB have had a good run of late but don’t have a great record at home; Mumbai would hope to take the next step in their rebuilding process

Hemant Brar01-Apr-20233:23

How can Mumbai Indians make the best use of Cameron Green?

Big picture – Mumbai Indians’ bowling looks thin

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s quest for their maiden IPL title is still on but they have been pretty consistent of late, making the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. This run has also coincided with them not playing at their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium – theirs is one of the poorest home records for an IPL team. This season, they play six of their first eight games in Bengaluru, which could dictate how their campaign goes.Virat Kohli’s return to form in international cricket is a big plus for them, but they need Dinesh Karthik to repeat his heroics from last year too.Mumbai Indians, their opponents, are the most successful IPL team with five titles but they have been in a rebuilding phase since the 2022 mega auction. They finished at the bottom of the points table last season, with four wins and ten losses. This time, they have fortified their batting by signing Cameron Green. However, their dream of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer bowling in tandem will have to wait another season to become reality.Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma will be keen to make an impact with the bat. The last time he averaged over 30 in an IPL season was in 2016.

Team news – big names missing

Royal Challengers will be without Wanindu Hasaranga, Rajat Patidar and Josh Hazlewood. Hasaranga is in New Zealand for the T20I series; Patidar is at the NCA, recovering from his heel injury; Hazlewood is in Australia for rehab of Achilles tendonitis. Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers’ director of cricket, said on Friday that Hazlewood would “join the group on April 13 and will continue his last bit of rehab in India”.Mumbai Indians are without Jhye Richardson and, of course, Bumrah. Both are out of the tournament. Mumbai have signed Sandeep Warrier as Bumrah’s replacement, though.

Toss and Impact Player strategy

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers don’t have many exciting options on the bench to make full use of the Impact Player rule. In fact, they can go with the same XI irrespective of whether they are batting or bowling first.Probable XI: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Mahipal Lomror, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Michael Bracewell, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Reece Topley, 11 Mohammed SirajIf they are batting first and need an extra batter at any stage, Suyash Prabhudessai can come in as Impact Player. Else they can bring in Siddarth Kaul or Karn Sharma in the second innings. If they are bowling first, Prabhudessai could come in during the chase.Jofra Archer will be making his debut for Mumbai Indians•Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians
Mumbai are not placed any better in terms of Impact Player options. Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya is probably their best option, and could replace Tilak Varma when they are bowling.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Tim David, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Ramandeep Singh, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Hrithik Shokeen, 10 Sandeep Warrier, 11 Jason BehrendorffIf they are bowling first, Kartikeya starts; Varma replaces him in the second innings.Probable bowl-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tim David, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Ramandeep Singh, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Sandeep Warrier, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Kumar Kartikeya

Stats that matter – tie Kohli up with spin

• During the recent T20I series against New Zealand, Ishan Kishan found it difficult to get going against Michael Bracewell, falling to him twice in 13 balls for just seven runs.
• Harshal Patel has dismissed Rohit three times in 23 balls while conceding only 27 runs.
• Since the start of 2022, Kohli’s T20 strike rate against spin is 119.75. Against pace, it’s 137.35.

Pitch and conditions – Home disadvantage

Over the years, M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been a nightmare for bowlers. Don’t expect anything different this time either. And while it might be the home venue for Royal Challengers, they have 42 wins and 40 losses here. On the other hand, Mumbai have ten wins and three losses at this venue.

Quotes

“Mumbai Indians have got a good record here. But that’s all in the past. There’re new characters within the teams. So you can sort of take that from a confidence perspective and try to infiltrate that into the players. But the bottom line is you don’t win the game of cricket on paper.”

“He will continue to fight this disease in a similar vein to that which his opponents faced during his revered days on the cricket field,” his family says

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2023Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s most celebrated allrounder and a former captain, is undergoing treatment for cancer.”Heath has cancer and is undergoing treatment under one of the most respected oncologists in South Africa,” his family said in a statement. “He remains in good spirits and will continue to fight this disease in a similar vein to that which his opponents faced during his revered days on the cricket field.”The family hopes that you understand and respect their wish for this to remain a private family matter, and thank you for your prayers and good wishes. There will be no further official statements regarding his health at this time. Any news that becomes public should be regarded as rumour.”Related

• Archive: The many silences of Heath Streak

Streak, now 49, was a major figure in Zimbabwe cricket through the best part of the 1990s and early 2000s, when they enjoyed their most successful run in international cricket. He represented Zimbabwe in 65 Tests and 189 ODIs between 1993 and 2005, finishing with 1990 runs and 216 wickets in Tests, and 2943 runs and 239 wickets in ODIs.He resigned as Zimbabwe’s captain in 2004 after a clash with the board and retired from international cricket at the age of 31 in 2005.Streak is still the only Zimbabwe bowler with more than 100 Test wickets and over 200 ODI wickets. He captained Zimbabwe in the 2000s, during a difficult period when a number of players withdrew from the national side as relations between the board and team hit rock bottom.In 2021, he was banned for eight years after being charged with – and admitting to – five breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code, including accepting payment, in Bitcoin, from a potential corruptor. However, he later said he was not involved in any attempts to fix matches, but he admitted to disclosing inside information pertaining to international games.After his career as a player ended, Streak took up coaching roles with various teams. He served as bowling coach of Bangladesh, Kolkata Knight Riders and Somerset, in addition to having multiple stints in Zimbabwe cricket.

The fast bowler picked up her second four-for in T20Is before the opening batter hit her 26th half-century in the format

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2023A four-wicket haul from Lea Tahuhu and a steady half-century from Suzie Bates helped New Zealand wrap up the T20I series against Sri Lanka with an eight-wicket win in the second match in Colombo on Monday. After restricting Sri Lanka to 118, New Zealand got to their target in 18.4 overs, completing a comeback after a 2-1 loss in the ODI series.Bates combined with Bernadine Bezuidenhout to add 48 for the opening wicket. She was the steady partner in their partnership but attacked in the 59-run second-wicket alliance with Amelia Kerr. In the process, Bates scored her 26th half-century in T20Is. She used her feet to the spinners to put them off and was innovative in her strokeplay – using the scoop and paddle to good effect.Inoka Ranaweera managed to see the back of Bates when she had her holing out to long-on for 52 off 53 balls, but Kerr and Sophie Devine finished the job without fuss.Earlier, after being put in, Sri Lanka were jolted early when captain Chamari Athapaththu was run-out in the third over. She turned an Eden Carson delivery towards the left of the non-striker, Vishmi Gunaratne, and set off for a non-existent run.Tahuhu then struck twice in her opening over – she first had Gunaratne chopping on when attempting a drive before trapping Kavisha Dilhari lbw two balls later.After a brief rain stoppage, Sri Lanka were revived by a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership between Harshitha Samarawickrama – who played a crisp cover drive off her first ball to get going – and Hasini Perera, who top-scored with 33. But the two fell in relatively quick succession to deny Sri Lanka the momentum they needed.Anushka Sanjeewani and Nilakshi de Silva propelled Sri Lanka past 100, with the two taking 13 off a Leigh Kasperek over, but the total was never going to be enough.

Leicestershire recover from slow start but still slip to first defeat of Metro Bank Cup

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2023Josh Hull, Leicestershire’s beanpole teenage left-arm quick, bagged the first four-wicket haul of his senior career but it was not enough to prevent a first defeat for the Foxes in this year’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup, with Nottinghamshire Outlaws prevailing by four wickets at Grace Road.Chasing a revised target of 206 after rain reduced the contest to 44 overs per side, the visitors crossed the line with 12 balls to spare after Lyndon James had top-scored with 82, backed up by Matt Montgomery’s 35 and wicketkeeper Dane Schadendorf’s punchy 29 not out. Hull finished with 4 for 43 from his nine overs.Earlier, Wiaan Mulder’s unbeaten 84, his third half-century in as many matches in the competition so far, led a Foxes recovery from 78 for 6 to 214 for 9 after former Yorkshire seamer Tom Loten, with a career-best 3 for 26, and Brett Hutton (3 for 42) had threatened to make it a shortened day.After winning their opening Group A matches so emphatically, Leicestershire found the going much tougher against their East Midlands neighbours, whose seam attack carried on where they had left off in dismissing Essex for 69 at Chelmsford last week.The Foxes slipped from 27 without loss after five overs to 41 for 3 in the ninth, Rishi Patel chipping to cover off Hutton, who also drew Sol Budinger into nicking a ball outside off stump. Loten then uprooted skipper Lewis Hill’s off stump with his first delivery.Hutton, who took 7 for 26 here in this fixture last season, picked up a third wicket with a ball that squeezed between bat and front pad to trap Colin Ackermann leg-before, leaving the Foxes 52 for 4.Although there was clearly some help for the bowlers under an overcast sky, Peter Handscomb settled himself with three early boundaries and with two half-centuries to his name already in the competition looked in the form to lead a rebuilding job. Yet just as rain began to fall, the Australian was run out at the non-striker’s end when Dane Paterson deflected a Mulder drive into the stumps.Two brief stoppages followed, in between which Louis Kimber, who had smashed 89 off 62 balls as the Foxes pulled off a record run-chase to beat Surrey at The Oval, perished for a six-ball duck, paying for lack of footwork as he was leg before to Loten.The fightback, instead, was led by Mulder, with assistance from a lower order in which Tom Scriven’s 25 helped the seventh wicket add 62 before Roman Walker, Chris Wright and Hull stuck around long enough for Mulder to inflict some punishing blows, clearing the rope off Calvin Harrison, Hutton and Liam Patterson-White, who also conceded six to Walker.File photo: Lyndon James anchored the chase•Getty Images

Loten’s third wicket came when Scriven drove him in the air to mid-off, Walker was caught at long-off trying to attack Harrison’s legspin and Paterson had Wright well caught at extra cover by Haseeb Hameed.Needing to score at slightly more than four-and-a-half an over, the Outlaws lost opener Ben Slater in the second over when he was bowled off an inside edge but were comfortably placed at 60 for one after 12 when the introduction of Hull dealt them a double setback.The 6ft 7ins left-armer, still only 18, angled one in to bowl the left-handed Ben Martindale between bat and pad, ending a second-wicket stand of 51 with James. Two overs later, he dismissed the right-handed Hameed with a full length delivery, the ball cannoning into middle stump as the Outlaws skipper played across its line.James, who had looked assured enough to that point, completed a seven-four half-century from 60 balls but was dropped on 51 – a chance to keeper Handscomb down the leg side as Mulder took over from Hull at the Bennett End, the bowler having been unlucky a couple of balls earlier when Montgomery edged just out of Handscomb’s reach on the off side.Unfazed, James found the boundary twice on the leg side in Mulder’s next over to leave Nottinghamshire needing 90 from 18 overs, which looked well within their compass with seven wickets in hand, only to be thrown back into the balance when James aimed a big swing at Wright and was caught behind, throwing his wicket away somewhat, more so when Montgomery was undone by some extra bounce from Hull and was comfortably taken by Handscomb.But then back-to-back sixes, one swatted away by new man Schadendorf off Mulder, the next an uppercut by Liam Patterson-White to a short ball by Hull, lifted the pressure off the Outlaws, who lost the latter when he was bowled making room to cut Hull. But Schadendorf hit two boundaries each off Scriven and then Hull in the next two overs to effectively finish the job.