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KSCA is looking at alternative venues, including its own facility in Alur as well as the Wadeyar Ground in Mysuru

Shashank Kishore01-Aug-2025The Bengaluru police is yet to give clearance to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to host the Maharaja T20, the state’s franchise-based T20 competition, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tournament is scheduled from August 11 to 27.The non-clearance by police is primarily due to the ongoing investigation into the June 4 stampede around the Chinnaswamy premises during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations. An independent state police crime branch investigation into the incident, which resulted in 11 deaths and over 50 injuries, is ongoing.Anticipating potential hurdles, the KSCA had announced on July 11 that the Maharaja T20 would be played behind closed doors. The association is now looking at alternative venues, including its own facility in Alur on the outskirts of Bengaluru, as well as the Wadeyar Ground in Mysuru. While Alur has excellent drainage and infrastructure, the absence of floodlights and spectator seating is an issue, especially for broadcasters and franchises.Related

• Venkatesh Prasad: 'Want to bring cricket back to Chinnaswamy'

• Karnataka government holds RCB accountable for stampede

• Deaths, injuries to fans mar RCB's homecoming

• Probe deems Chinnaswamy 'unsafe' for large events

As things stand, Alur is set to host the group matches of the six-day women’s competition – the Maharani T20 – from August 4. The KSCA was considering the idea of hosting the women’s final at the Chinnaswamy, but that seems unlikely with police approvals yet to come.While the KSCA grapples with the possibility of a late venue switch, the franchises have voiced frustration and concern about the financial losses they now face. They have already made hotel bookings for players and staff on the understanding that the entire tournament would be held in central Bengaluru (Chinnaswamy).The issue puts the KSCA in a tough spot. Bengaluru is also the venue for the opening game of the women’s ODI World Cup, as well as one semi-final and possibly the final. India play Sri Lanka in the tournament opener on September 30. The Chinnaswamy is also set to host two warm-up games ahead of the competition.Last week, a one-man committee appointed by the Karnataka government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that are “better suited” to handle significant crowds.India’s domestic season-opening Duleep Trophy will be played entirely at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The board had earlier considered hosting the final at the Chinnaswamy, but those plans were cancelled owing to preparations at the venue for the women’s World Cup.

The allrounder took another stunning catch on the third day at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2023Virat Kohli, AdelaideNow Cummins has the Kohli wicket I think all the wickets at the other end have unsettled Kohli, and made him decide he has to take on the bowling. Fullish in a wide-ish channel outside off, and Kohli does something he didn’t do at all in the first innings, attempt a cover drive against such a ball. Slices it to gully, where Green seems to have taken a clean catch low to his left, but they’re checking anyway. Soft signal is out. He caught it a few inches above the turf, but the issue is whether it slipped momentarily from his grasp on his way down. There seems to be a bit of a juggle, but it’s hard to tell, given he’s landing in an area of shadow, so it stays with the soft signalRishabh Pant, GabbaTaken, super catch! Green in the gully. Short outside off, Pant leans back and tries to send this over the slips. It went very quickly but Green adds another good grab to his listPathum Nissanka, GalleScreamer in the gully from Green! Starc strikes! Back of a length, rising outside off across Nissanka, he tried to drive off the back foot with a vertical bat away from his body, as he did in the first Test, he got a thick edge which flew high to Green’s left and the 200cm giant with an unrivalled wingspan reached up with two hands and plucked it in his left at full stretch diving away like a goalkeeper. Sensational catch. No other Australian fielder could have caught thatJermaine Blackwood, AdelaideThree in the over for Boland as Green takes a stunner at gully! Green is swarmed by his team-mates after he essentially dove low into the air, picked the ball up low and picked up Usman Khawaja who ran in. Absolute joy in the Australian camp. Blackwood was squared up by the length ball on leg. Tried to nudge it through mid-on or midwicket, was indecisive due to the moving ball. Got a leading edge that went low. Excellent catch duly taken.Sarel Erwee, Brisbane, 1st inningsBrilliant gully catch by the big buckets of Cameron Green! Full again, tempting the drive outside off, it seams away a touch, he drives very hard at it and slices a thick edge low to Green’s left in the gully and he pouches it diving to his left. That flew quickly. He is so good there.Sarel Erwee, Brisbane, 2nd inningsPlucked in the gully by Green! Brilliant catch above his head. Short of a length, Erwee shapes to play, it decks across and climbs, he can’t get the bat out of the way and it flies off a thick edge quickly to Green and he jumps up at full stretch to pluck it with two hands. That would have cleared every other gully fielder in the world just about.Ajinkya Rahane, The OvalThey have dropped easy ones, but Green has now pulled off a ripper at gully. This is short of a length, has some width, the field is up, Rahane has a punch at it, gets a thick edge, and Green dives to his right, sticks the big mitt out, and catches it clean as a whistle. The ball is past the line of his body when he takes it. You beauty. End of a terrific knock, but that century on Test comeback is not to be Shubman Gill, The OvalGreen takes another screamer! Left hand this time! Gill stands his ground. The umpires send it upstairs. The third umpire is checking for a fair catch. This was a good length and it bounced a touch extra, Gill jabbed at it with hard hands. The edge flew low to Green’s left, he flings his huge left hand out and plucks it clean, but then his hand brushes the ground as he falls to the ground. The question for the third umpire is did he have full control over the ball. It looked fine. He had his fingers under it between the ball and turf. Out is the decision.Ben Duckett, EdgbastonGot him, what an incredible gully fielder Cameron Green is! Length ball in the corridor, straightens on Duckett, and he offers a bit of a loose response, hanging his bat out, looking for a lazy off-side push. Thick edge, and Green dives low to his left to grab it. Just as in the case of his second-innings catch of Shubman Gill last week, the umpires send it upstairs, but this time it’s very clear that Green has wrapped his fingers nicely around the ball by the time his hand hits the turf

From falling out with the head coach to becoming his new boss, the 39-year old has made a triumphant return

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2022From falling out with the head coach to becoming his new boss, Enoch Nkwe has completed a triumphant return to South African cricket. The 39-year old who resigned as assistant coach in 2021 in part due to differences with Mark Boucher has now been appointed Director of Cricket by CSA.Nkwe beat former South Africa spinner and current Warriors coach Robin Peterson to the job. He succeeds Graeme Smith whose tenure ended in March 2022.Once a promising batter for Gauteng who began his first-class career with a century on debut, Nkwe’s time on the field was cut short at age of 26 thanks to a finger injury. But as that door closed, another opened. In 2018, during his very first season as head coach, Nkwe claimed three domestic titles – two with the Lions and one with the Jozi Stars.That catapulted him to higher honours and, on the back of being named Coach of the Season in 2019, he took over as interim team director with South Africa remodelling the way they ran the game by borrowing from successful football teams. Nkwe even invoked his love of Pep Guardiola when he was first appointed.Nkwe’s tenure as interim director lasted five months between August and December 2019. He was then appointed assistant coach to Boucher, but in the lead-up to the 2021 T20 World Cup, he left the post citing disillusionment with the job and differences of opinion with Boucher, but the issues were not related to race.Nkwe’s demotion was a part of the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings, where CSA was said to be institutionally racist. He was stood down by then Director of Cricket Smith in favour of his former team-mate Boucher, but in arbitration it was found that Smith had acted on sound cricketing logic given Boucher’s 14 years of experience as a player in the top flight. Nkwe had never played international cricket for South Africa but he did have something Boucher didn’t at the time – a level four coaching certificate. That, though, was never a pre-requisite for the job. Gary Kirsten once served as South Africa coach without such certification.CSA has also brought in Mtunzi Jonas, who used to be a general manager with financial services company Absa Group, as their new Chief Commercial Officer. Tjaart van der Walt is their new Chief Financial Officer and Wanele Mngomezulu, who was part of the Jozi Stars’ set up in 2018, as Chief Marketing Officer.”The appointment of these executives is intended to strengthen CSA’s resolve and anchoring the administration with the best expertise on offer,” CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said. “I am delighted that CSA has attracted this calibre of talent, which will change the fortunes of the organisation into the future. It is against this background that I congratulate the appointees for making it through the stringent recruitment process, which merited their appointments. They have indeed demonstrated their desire to serve this beautiful game in the different portfolio’s by bringing their capabilities to bear.”The Director of Cricket will assume duty on July 1 while the other three will join on August 1.

The disagreement arose over a project to refurbish Newlands and led to CSA suspending WPCA board

Firdose Moonda26-Nov-2019Cricket South Africa has lost its arbitration case against the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA), with costs. That means the WPCA board, which was suspended by CSA in September over concerns relating to their governance and financial affairs, will need to be reinstated. On Wednesday morning, CSA confirmed it will not be challenging the decision.On September 22, CSA disbanded the WPCA board and installed veteran administrator Andre Odendaal in its place. CSA and the WPCA had disagreements over a construction project at Newlands Cricket Ground. CSA provided WPCA with a loan of R81 million (US$5,5 million) to complete the building work, which will house a college, offices and several other facilities but then expressed concerns over the progress of the project. CSA also hinted that spectator safety could be compromised during the New Year’s Test and suggested the fixture would be moved but then confirmed Newlands will host England from January 3.Three weeks after the board was suspended, the WPCA launched an urgent application for CSA’s decision to be overturned. The WPCA argued that CSA had “no right or entitlement,” to step-in and should have held a hearing before suspending the board. CSA and the WPCA went to mediation to attempt to resolve the issue but failed and then proceeded to arbitration, which was won by WPCA.CSA is also facing a second legal battle, against the South African Cricketers’ Association, who have taken the board to court over a proposed restructure to the domestic system. CSA wants to implement a 12-team provincial competition from the 2020-21 season which would wipe out the existing six-team franchise structure and create one domestic tier (South Africa currently has two).

Qalandars crashed to PSL’s second-lowest total batting first. From there on, the final result was never in doubt

The Report by Danyal Rasool17-Feb-20192:08

Saqlain: ‘Hasan Ali has got his mojo back’

How the game played out
Hasan Ali ripped through Lahore Qalandars’ much-vaunted top order, while fellow quick Wahab Riaz tore through the tail to dismiss the PSL’s most beleaguered franchise for 78, setting up a straightforward win for Peshawar Zalmi. The total was the second lowest in the PSL’s history. Lahore were also responsible for the lowest score – 59 – with that too coming against Peshawar in 2017.In response, Umar Amin eased any nerves Peshawar might have had after Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf removed the openers in the first two overs. Timing the ball sweetly, six fours in the space of two overs all but killed off the Lahore fightback, and for the few runs that remained, both sides were merely going through the motions. Just to please the crowd, Kieron Pollard finished the game with a monstrous six.Turning point

The game’s never truly done while AB de Villiers is at the crease, so what did Hasan Ali do? He knocked back de Villiers’ stumps, of course. Having already taken two wickets in his second over, he pulled his line back as de Villiers charged him, comprehensively beating the inside edge. Not content with three wickets, he removed Brendan Taylor two balls later in almost identical fashion Lahore were 39 for four.PSL

Star of the day

You’ll hear much about Hasan Ali and Wahab, and deservedly so, but just for aesthetics sake, why not give Amin a mention. He made his Test debut in the same match as Azhar Ali, but their fortunes have diverged significantly since. Never really celebrated as a T20 gem, he played an innings that had the effectiveness of modern T20 hitters and the elegance to get MCC members. Rarely swiping against the line or hitting the ball in the air, he scythed through Lahore’s field with consistent results, bringing up his half-century in 34 balls and scoring 61 of Peshawar’s 81. The overwhelming majority came in boundaries, the innings comprising 10 fours and a six. The cake had already been baked, but the icing Umer applied was a marvel in itself.The big miss

The entire Lahore side?Less harshly, though, let’s go for some sibling rivalry on this one. Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal seem to compete with each other for the biggest honours when the PSL comes around. So after his brother had smashed a scintillating 28-ball 44 to help Quetta to victory, Kamran was expected to make short work of the low total Peshawar had to chase.Instead, he found himself worked over by a bowler less than half his age. Shaheen Afridi bowled two wides down legside searching for the yorker. The third ball clattered into Kamran’s pads but was clearly missing leg. He got it perfectly right fourth time, though, the yorker comprehensively beating the opener. It smashed into his pads – it would have been lbw anyway – before going on to take the off stump and send Kamran back for a duck.Where the teams stand

With Peshawar’s win, all six teams are up and running in the PSL. They have one win in two, while Lahore, like Islamabad, have one in three.

After a stellar List-A season, Tiwary was left out of six possible supplementary squads named by BCCI for upcoming tournaments. He doesn’t understand why

Sreshth Shah25-Jul-2018Manoj Tiwary, the India and Bengal batsman, feels like he’s stuck in limbo. In a conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Tiwary expressed his disappointment at not being selected in any of the six squads named by the BCCI last week for three upcoming competitions: the four-dayers against South Africa A, the three-team Duleep Trophy, and the quadrangular series involving Australia A and South Africa A, where India will send two teams.”I was hoping to be picked in the India A squads,” Tiwary said. “When somebody performs to his highest, then he should be rewarded. And I had an outstanding 50-over tournament last season, creating a record that no one else has had in Indian cricket history.”In the 2017-18 domestic season, Tiwary scored 507 runs at 126.70, the highest-ever List-A average in a single domestic season in India (minimum 400 runs). He also averaged more than 100 in both the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy, a feat no other batsman has achieved in a season. These distinctions were revealed in a conversation between Tiwary and a statistician he had reached out to on Twitter on Monday evening.

When asked whether a shift in focus on younger cricketers could be the reason for his omission, Tiwary quoted MS Dhoni’s example and said that a lack of communication from the selectors had left him with no clarity on his future.”Everybody in the world knows, age is just a number,” Tiwary said. “At the age of 32 to get cornered for age – that should not be the reason. Everybody heard MS Dhoni’s response to the average age of the Chennai franchise in the IPL. He looked at a player and assessed whether he was quick in the field, whether he has ball sense and if he has agility. That’s how players should be looked at. And as far as fitness is concerned, I’m always up there. I don’t know what more I have to do, there is no clarity from the selectors. And I would love to hear from them. If I can get to know what the parameters are, then obviously I will plan accordingly.”Even I have a dream to play for India, and the only way forward is step by step. I’ve never got an opportunity to play under Rahul [Dravid] , the India A coach, so I wanted an opportunity, to be honest. It’s difficult to make it to the senior team right now, but every time India A plays, it’s important because it allows players the opportunity to go to the next level. But I would really love to hear from the people who are overlooking me. I can’t recollect the last time the selectors spoke to me.”If IPL is the main cause behind the selection, then I had an outstanding 2017. I won the most number of FBB awards [for most stylish player] with Gautam Gambhir, and I was one of the top performers in my team. So that’s why I say I don’t know what metric is being used for selection. That’s why I want to hear from the selectors.”Tiwary, Bengal’s captain for the past season, also said that an intention to win games may have led to lower first-class scores from him, because he had always placed the team above his personal big numbers.”I’ve realised that what you do for the team’s cause, it doesn’t get recognised,” Tiwary said. “People just want to see the numbers on the scoresheet, but forget to notice what sort of pitch we played on or what the game’s result was.”In last season’s Duleep Trophy, I scored 35 on a rank turner in Lucknow, and I was not out, but the umpire gave me out. He apologised later, but when I look back at the wickets I’ve thrown for the team’s cause – knowing that people will look at these numbers at the end of the game – I don’t feel bad, because for me victory has always been first and personal numbers have come later. I used to think they [selectors] looked at how much a player contributes to a team’s success, but seeing the squad selections, it does not seem that way.”Manoj Tiwary in his bowling stride•BCCI

Tiwary last played for India in 2015, when a second-string side toured Zimbabwe for an ODI series, scoring 34 runs in three ODIs. Before that, Tiwary was given a short run in the India squad during the 2011-12 season, when he made his highest score of 104* against West Indies in Chennai, before being dropped soon after. Looking back, Tiwary said those moments stung, and are rather reminiscent of the situation he faced seven years on.”Although I have matured as a cricketer, as an individual, those experiences have stuck with me,” Tiwary said, “After scoring a hundred for India, I was out of the playing XI for 14 games. That’s also understandable because it’s the India team. But you do get frustrated. I’m human too.”It was a team decision and I accept it, but I cannot forget that. I cannot recollect anyone scoring a 100 and getting dropped. I was one of them. So when you get ignored after a good season of cricket once again, all those past memories come back to your mind. And you cannot control the thoughts in your mind. It comes back to you even if you want to push it away.”As a cricketer, we work so hard pre-season for what? To win championships, to be recognised and rewarded, and you know how tough it is to perform at an average of over 100 in both List-A formats, it’s not possible every year. I will try my best to replicate that, but it’s very difficult.”On what the future holds for Tiwary, he said that he has no plans to hang his boots anytime soon. League-cricket commitments keep him occupied when the Indian domestic season is closed, and in his own words, Tiwary is “still very hungry” to make it to the senior side.”I am still optimistic to make it to the India A squads. I am quick on the field, I can read the game well and I have the belief in me to make it to the teams. I also want to go strong like Ambati [Rayudu] and Suresh [Raina]. I know how to make it to the team, all I need is an opportunity. I want to make it to the India A team, but not at the expense of another injured player. I want to make it on my own ability.”The only thing I can do is continuing to play. I am currently playing club cricket in Kolkata, because of which I skipped my stint in Dhaka Premier League this season. Provided I get an opportunity next year, I will again to go Dhaka. I will keep playing until I can push for a senior-team recall. See, the only thing I can do is keep playing. But Dhaka traffic brings the city to a standstill, and I hate traffic,” he said with a laugh.

Rajshahi Kings kept their qualification hopes alive with a crushing win over Chittagong Vikings, rising to fifth position on the table

The Report by Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQazi Onik took a four-wicket haul on debut•Raton Gomes

Rajshahi Kings kept their qualification hopes alive with a crushing win over Chittagong Vikings at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. While Rajshahi rose to fifth position with the win, Chittagong’s defeat knocked them out of the 2017-18 BPL.Qazi Onik enjoyed a stunning debut, taking four wickets as Rajshahi defended 157 for 6 after electing to bat first. Chittagong were bowled out for 124 in 19.2, becoming the first team to exit the tournament.Onik, the left-arm pacer, took the key wickets of Anamul Haque and Stiaan van Zyl, before adding Sunzamul Islam and Tanbir Hayder to complete impressive figures of 4 for 17 in 3.2 overs.When Rajshahi batted, they recovered from 86 for 4 with the help of Darren Sammy, who top-scored with 40 off 25 balls, muscling two fours and three sixes.Chittagong apply early chokeMominul Haque fell in the second over of the match, slicing Taskin Ahmed for a catch at third-man. Zakir Hasan and Luke Wright then went on a boundary-barrage, which included four fours in six balls, until Luis Reece took out Zakir for 17.Mushfiqur Rahim got cracking with a four off his first ball but Rajshahi were again hit when Wright was caught sharply at deep midwicket by Sikandar Raza, who kept himself inside the field as he moved back to take an overhead catch. All the while, Mushfiqur was in fine form, striking Sunzamul Islam for a six and two fours in the 11th over.Nayeem Hasan, one of four BPL debutants this match, then outsmarted Mushfiqur, bowling slower through the air and getting him to hole out to long-on. Mushfiqur made 31 off 22 balls and Rajshahi were reduced to 86 for 4 in the 12th over.Sammy turns the heat on ChittagongSammy was at his imperious best in the slog overs. He struck three sixes – two of them off Reece and one against Taskin – in the last five overs. He added 69 runs for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, who made for a study in contrast with his run-a-ball 30. Rayad Emrit, Taskin and Reece bowled very well in the slog overs, never letting Rajshahi to get away with anything significant. Still, with the help of Sammy’s timely boundaries, Rajshahi punched 56 runs in the last six overs: a recovery that proved more than good enough in the end.Balance shiftsRajshahi and Chittagong went back and forth in the early exchanges during the chase. In a frantic first over, when Mushfiqur Rahim injured a finger, Mohammad Sami weeded out the big-hitting Luke Ronchi, who swiped across a length ball and offered a catch to Mehidy Hasan at the deep square-leg boundary.Anamul and Soumya Sarkar then led a quick turnaround with a 38-run second wicket stand off 28 balls. By the end of the fifth over, Chittagong had raised their fifty and were well on course to chasing the total down.Mustafizur Rahman then found a way past the partnership in the last over of the Powerplay, when he duped Soumya with a slower ball that was skewed to mid-off. Anamul followed Soumya into the dugout two overs later, top-edging a pull to the keeper and giving Onik his maiden BPL wicket.Fielding brilliance brings back Rajshahi Sikandar Raza and van Zyl kept the score ticking, but their partnership of 32 took 30 deliveries and the required rate climbed. The Pakistan legspinner Mir removed Raza, who swung at a full toss and was very well-caught at deep square-leg by the substitute Naeem Islam jnr.Luis Reece fell to his own undoing, attempting an improbable second run and being caught short of his crease. Naeem was back in the mix in the next over, when he reached over his head to catch van Zyl’s pull at the deep midwicket boundary and flicked the ball over to Mir as the momentum carried him over the ropes.Another moment of brilliance on the field, this time from Mehidy, who took a brilliant catch running to his left from long-on, sent back Rayad Emrit in the 17th over. With that, Chittagong had lost four wickets for 24 runs.Rajshahi did not let their intensity drop despite having pulled themselves ahead. They were sharp on the field right until the end, when wicketkeeper Zakir Hasan’s direct hit effected a run out of Taskin and sealed the game. Chittagong lost their last seven wicket wickets in 6.4 overs, for the addition of just 32 runs.

Will Porterfield and James Franklin blasted Gloucestershire to victory as Rotterdam rain reduced their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash with Holland to a 10-over thrash

27-Aug-2010
ScorecardWill Porterfield and James Franklin blasted Gloucestershire to victory as Rotterdam rain reduced their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash with Holland to a 10-over thrash.Batting first after losing the toss, the Gladiators racked up an imposing 122 for 3 on the back of 46 from 26 balls by Porterfield and Franklin’s unbeaten 45 from 20.Jon Lewis put an early end to any hopes Holland had of chasing down the target, removing opener Mudassar Bukhari for a four-ball duck on his way to figures of three for three from his two overs.Wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi top-scored with 20 not out and Eric Szwarczynski (12 from six balls) and Bas Zuiderent (11 from seven) added some impetus, but the Dutch could only limp to 68 for 6, losing by 54 runs.

DC, Giants and MI are in the race to make it to the final directly

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Mar-2025Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) title defence started with a record 202-run chase against Gujarat Giants followed by a comfortable eight-wicket win against Delhi Capitals (DC). But losing all four matches at their home ground in Bengaluru has left them on the brink of crashing out in the league stage.RCB, who have only four points after six matches, can reach a maximum of eight points by winning their last two games against UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians (MI). Giants and MI are already placed on eight points, while DC are out of RCB’s reach with ten. Despite being well behind, RCB’s fate is still in their own hands. So far, DC have sealed a place in playoffs while UP Warriorz are out of the race.

Must-win scenario for RCB

RCB’s chances in the WPL 2025 playoffs will end as early as Saturday if they go down against Warriorz. But if they win on Saturday, they will closely follow the game between MI and Giants to know whose net run rate (NRR) they must go past to qualify for the playoffs. Giants currently have a better NRR than MI, and an added advantage for RCB is that their last match will be against MI only.Related

• Alana King is sticking to her big guns, come Tests or T20

• The rise and roar of Kashvee Gautam

• Mooney confident Gujarat Giants can challenge for WPL playoffs

• RCB in must-win territory against out-of-contention Warriorz

RCB are nearly 60 runs behind MI’s NRR but will need to beat them by only 20 runs if they can win against UPW by ten runs and MI lose to Giants by the same margin. However, going past Giants will be more challenging for RCB – their collective margin of wins against UPW and MI needs to be around 62 runs if Giants lose to MI by only ten runs.

Are Delhi Capitals through to the final?

DC ended their league phase as the table-toppers with five wins, but their direct qualification to the final for the third straight season will have to wait as both MI and Giants can move ahead of them. MI can finish on the top if they win both matches, while Giants can go past DC if they can beat MI by a decent margin.Giants must win by 17 runs or 12 balls (for a first-innings total of 180) against MI to go ahead of DC’s NRR. On the other hand, MI are about 30 runs behind DC, which means if they lose one of their two matches by ten runs, they should have won the other by around 40 runs.

Middlesex bowlers put through the mill again but Nathan Fernandes shines with bat in reply

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2024Emilio Gay and James Sales both set new landmarks as Northamptonshire continued to dominate on day two of their Vitality County Championship clash with Middlesex at Wantage Road.First-day centurion Gay forged on to post 261 – the highest-ever individual Championship score for the county against Middlesex – while Sales, brought back into the side for this game, made his maiden first-class hundred with his father David and mum Abigail in attendance to mark the moment. The pair set a new fifth-wicket record against the Seaxes of 181 before the hosts declared on 552 for 6.For Middlesex, who conceded 620 in the first innings against Glamorgan last week, it was another case of much leather chasing, Toby-Roland-Jones their only bowler to take more than one wicket (2 for 81).There was still time in the evening session for two young debutants to make an impression, Raphael Weatherall capturing his maiden first-class wicket, while Middlesex teenager Nathan Fernandes reached an impressive half-century before stumps were drawn with the visitors 128 for 1, still 424 in arrears.As they did on the opening day, Middlesex made an early breakthrough, Roland-Jones trapping Rob Keogh, the batter risking censure by taking his time to drag himself away from the crease, shaking his head as he went, a point noted by the two umpires. However, as on day one, the wicket proved a false dawn for Middlesex as Gay and Sales embarked on their record stand.Gay timed the ball exquisitely, straight driving first Ethan Bamber, then Roland-Jones to the fence as he eclipsed Stephen Peters’ record score against Middlesex at Wantage Road, 183 set in 2010.It wasn’t long before he flicked a loose one from Tom Helm to the fine leg fence to reach his first double-hundred and take Peters’ record of the highest-ever score against Middlesex of 199 made in that same summer 14 years ago.Josh De Caires would give him a reprieve almost immediately afterwards, failing to hold onto a tough caught and bowled opportunity. In De Caires’ defence he probably saved four not to mention himself being decapitated by the blow.Sales meanwhile got underway with a four through midwicket and later took heavy toll of a De Caires over, clubbing one just beyond the grasp of mid-on before driving a better shot straight in the same over on his way to 50 from 109 balls. The hundred stand was raised by lunch as Middlesex rattled through 22 overs in the second hour’s play to rectify a previously negative over rate.Gay was granted a second life soon after the resumption when Bamber failed to hold an even tougher caught-and-bowled close to the ground and celebrated the reprieve by hoisting De Caires back over his head for the day’s first six on route to 250.The record fifth wicket stand against Middlesex of 131 between David Capel and Nigel Felton set at Lord’s in 1989 was soon eclipsed and it was a surprise when Gay’s innings was ended via a run-out.Saif Zaib sparkled briefly, striking one six out of the ground, before all eyes fell on Sales. Already having surpassed his career-best, the 21-year-old right-hander banished any thoughts of the nervous 90s with a huge six of his own before a scampered single took him to the century to a great reception from an albeit sparse crowd.The declaration came soon afterwards and while Middlesex openers Mark Stoneman and Fernandes survived a testing 35 minutes before tea, Weatherall’s golden moment came soon afterwards. The youngster, who played in the England U19 Test on this ground last September took just eight balls to find the edge of Stoneman’s bat, the tickle carrying comfortably through to McManus.That one stuck for McManus but he grassed another when Fernandes was on 24, so denying Weatherall a second victim from his opening burst.The left-hander made the most of the reprieve, to reach a 50 including seven fours, while Max Holden survived a drop at short leg on 35 to be 40 not out at the close.