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A round-up of the Plunket Shield matches that ended on December 14, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2014Canterbury captain Peter Fulton’s unbeaten double-hundred in the second innings set up his team’s 102-run win against Central Districts in Christchurch. However, it was Central Districts who made the early running in the match, as Canterbury, having been inserted, were bowled out for 269 in the first innings.Fulton was the team’s top-scorer with 76, but no other batsman could raise a fifty, as a six-wicket haul from Doug Bracewell (6 for 41) meant Canterbury were dismissed in 84.1 overs. Will Young (82) and Kieran Noema-Barnett (69) then led Central Districts’ reply with half-centuries of their own, powering the team to 305 and earning a crucial 36-run lead.Canterbury lost their opener Greg Dawson early in the second essay, but Fulton, coming in at No.3, batted for more than eight hours to make 209 not out. His knock included 20 fours and five sixes, and guided the team to 412 for 7, after which they declared.This meant that Central Districts needed 377 for victory, but seven of their batsmen fell for single-digit scores, as they were bundled out for 274. Jamie How made 82 and Kruger van Wyk contributed 74, but both batsmen were hard-pressed to find partners who stayed long enough at the other end to really trouble Canterbury. Logan van Week was the pick of the bowlers, collecting 4 for 53, while Todd Astle and Andrew Ellis chipped in with two scalps each.Otago nearly completed a stunning chase in the fourth innings, but Northern Districts held on for a 27-run win in Dunedin. Set a daunting 502 for victory, Hamish Rutherford gave Otago an ideal platform by scoring 74, before Michael Bracewell stroked his way to a sixth first-class ton – a 236-ball 147.The Northern Districts bowlers, though, fought back with wickets at key intervals, and reduced their opponents to 372 for 9. However, Mark Craig and Jacob Duffy batted for the next 25 overs to defy Northern Districts. The pair’s 102-run partnership, powered for the large part by Craig’s 104, took Otago to within 27 runs of a famous win, but Scott Kuggeleijn bowled Craig in the 137th over, sealing Northern Districts’ second win of the season.Northern Districts had earlier made a bright start, posting 380 in their first innings thanks to half-centuries from Daniel Flynn (68), Brad Wilson (61) and Ish Sodhi (82*). They followed that up by bowling Otago out for 189, with Rutherford (78) posting a notable score. Sodhi followed up his first-innings fifty with a fine bowling performance, picking up 5 for 27 to rattle the team’s middle and lower order.With a massive 191-run lead in hand, Northern Districts scored 310 for 4 in their second innings before declaring. Their innings was built around a 127-run partnership between Brad Wilson (82) and Joe Carter, who drilled 16 fours and two sixes during his 125.Six-wicket match hauls from Michael Bates and Matthew Quinn helped Auckland beat Wellington by six wickets at Basin Reserve, despite a shortened second day where only 29 overs of play was possible.After being inserted, Wellington were shot out for 199 in 60 overs, with no batsman scoring a much-needed fifty. Apart from Brady Barnett who was trapped lbw, all the other nine wickets came as a result of a catch from one of the three Cachopa brothers – Carl, Brad and Craig. Auckland did not fare much better themselves in their reply, and lost wickets at regular intervals. However, handy knocks at the top of the order from Carl, Craig and Colin Munro helped the team to 205 for 9, to secure a six-run lead.In order to force a result, Auckland declared and consolidated their advantage with another strong bowling performance. Bates (4 for 47) and Carl (3 for 20) wrecked Wellington’s line-up in the second innings, restricting them to just 133, setting Auckland 128 for a win. The visitors overhauled that paltry total in 36.1 overs, thanks to a 59 from Munro.

Rajasthan captain Pankaj Singh has hailed his team’s first ever victory against Punjab in the Ranji Trophy as a “big achievement”, following their eight-wicket win in Jaipur

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jan-2015Rajasthan had played Punjab six times in the Ranji Trophy before this round. Punjab won thrice, with the rest of the matches ending in draws. On Thursday, Rajasthan secured their first ever victory against Punjab, a comfortable nine-wicket win. It was Rajasthan’s first victory of the season, coming in their fifth match. More importantly, the victory erased all fears of relegation for the team.It is then no surprise to hear Pankaj Singh, the Rajasthan captain, hail the victory as a special one. “This is a big, big victory for Rajasthan. In my career I have never seen Rajasthan beat Punjab. So it is a big achievement,” Pankaj told ESPNcricinfo. “This also brightens our chances of qualifying for the knockouts now if we continue to play this kind of positive cricket.”It was a must-win match for Rajasthan, who had suffered an innings defeat against Delhi at home while securing draws in the remaining three matches against Gujarat, Saurashtra and Vidarbha. They had conceded the lead against Gujarat and Vidarbha, and were on just five points going into the Punjab game.Rajasthan have won the Ranji Trophy twice, in successive seasons. Punjab won it once, back in the 1992-93 season. Yet, going into the match, Punjab were the favourites: they had more experience, better stroke players and then there was Yuvraj Singh, a proven match-winner who was coming into the game with three centuries from his last three matches.The big question, after being asked to bat, was whether Rajsthan could raise a big score. Although the senior trio of Vineet Saxena, Robin Bist and Ashok Menaria had hit a century apiece, they had not been consistent. The team management decided to make some changes and brought in Pranay Sharma and Puneet Yadav, two batsmen who had not played first-class cricket for a while. Pranay last played in 2010, while Yadav last played two years ago. Still, both men provided the impetus, as Pranay ended up making 140 while Yadav missed a century by 10 runs. Rajasthan raised 433.”Our batting was not going well. We were collapsing easily,” Pankaj said. “The moment we scored 400-plus runs we know that we were going to get a first-innings lead at least or create problems for the opposition. We are going to have an edge because our bowling department is good.”Pankaj admitted Yuvraj was the catalyst, and getting his wicket would make the difference. He got Yuvraj in the first innings for just three runs. That proved to be a turning point. “Getting Yuvraj Singh out was very important for us. We knew that if he stood there even for a little time it would not be possible to stop him,” he said.What also helped was that Rajasthan asked for a ball change as early as the seventh over. The changed ball was slightly older, and not hard. It began to reverse immediately and further facilitated Pankaj’s plans, who went around the wicket against Yuvraj.”That time the ball was reversing. My plan was to keep bowling away, away from him and then pitch it a little bit up to tempt him go for the drive. I had also intentionally removed the cover fielder as part of that plan. And it worked as he edged.”With victory on mind, Pankaj straightaway asked Punjab, who were bowled out for 274, to follow-on. He immediately removed the opening pair of Jiwanjot Singh and Amitoze Singh. At the other end, Aniket Choudhary, the left-arm fast bowler, got the better of Punjab skipper Mandeep Singh. “We once again regained the momentum,” Pankaj said.Yuvraj was turning out to be the dangerman Rajasthan feared as he stroked his way to 35. But going for a pull to a short delivery against Chahar, Yuvraj mistimed and was caught in the slips. Rajasthan knew they had to take the decisive step now. “Yuvraj was the biggest danger. We did not want them to score lot of runs. Their tail batted for long but we had limited time to get the target.”Rajasthan had 36 overs to get 89 runs. They achieved it in 25.4 overs, losing only Pranay.This is the second time this season a weaker team has upset an established favourite. Jammu & Kashmir’s shock defeat of Mumbai at the Wankhede stadium in December was clearly a massive achievement considering Parvez Rasool’s team had entered the tournament having barely recovered from the ravaging floods that had disrupted life in the valley last August.The challenge for Rajasthan was equally daunting, albeit of a different kind. With the BCCI refusing to recognise Lalit Modi being elected as the Rajasthan Cricket Association president, Rajasthan’s participation in the domestic tournaments was in jeopardy. Players sat nervously on the edge, staring at uncertain futures. But a last-minute solution stitched together by the Rajasthan High Court resuscitated them barely weeks before the season started.”When we started this season, after all that happened and with so much difficulty we were able to enter the domestic season, we felt we should at least try and qualify for the knockouts,” Pankaj, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for his seven-wicket haul, said.”But the way we did not perform in the first four matches and the way Punjab was performing well, the way Yuvraj was scoring runs, our aim was to make sure we at least get some points from the match. That pressure was there. We did not want to wait till the match to see if we were going to be relegated. The fear has now gone totally.”Still, the fact that Rajasthan are playing in the tournament is a victory in itself. Pankaj, who is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 24 wickets, agreed.”I know that after a lot of issues we had a chance to play. We did not perform well in the one-dayers at the start of the season. There were also no professional players anymore this time for the Ranji season. But now things are settled. The simple thing is we have to perform. The thing that we have got the opportunity to play is a big thing in itself.”

New Zealand allrounder James Franklin has signed a two-year deal with Middlesex, a move that will end his international career

George Dobell06-Feb-2015New Zealand allrounder James Franklin has signed a two-year deal with Middlesex, a move that will end his international career.Franklin, a veteran of 179 international appearances for New Zealand, will – subject to clearance from the ECB – qualify as a non-overseas player courtesy of Irish ancestry. Both parties have the option to extend the deal by another year if mutually agreed.Franklin, who will continue to captain Wellington until the end of the 2014-15 season, last represented New Zealand in a Test just over two years ago. While he has not played an ODI since June 2013, he was part of New Zealand’s 30 probables for the World Cup squad. He is expected to relocate to London permanently with his family and acknowledged the decision will end his international career.He will effectively replace Gareth Berg, the allrounder whose retirement through injury last year left a gaping hole in the Middlesex team.”Whilst I’m very honoured to be joining Middlesex for the next few years, I want to first take my cap off to Wellington, for whom I’ve had a hugely enjoyable and memorable career in New Zealand,” Franklin said. “It’s been an absolute privilege to play for Wellington for over 15 years.”Although this decision closes the chapter on playing for New Zealand again I know I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have spent over a decade being involved playing international cricket, and have had some of my greatest memories and experiences in cricket playing with the Silver Fern on my cap.”The news will not delight everyone. Middlesex do not have the most impressive record of producing home-grown players and the recruitment of another experienced international from another country – especially one whose bowling has been restricted by injury recently – will be interpreted, by some, as another misuse of funds. The fact that Middlesex’s director of cricket, Angus Fraser, is also an England selector, will only infuriate further.Fraser would counter that, by increasing the quality of county cricket and by bringing in a role-model professional from whom younger players can learn, he is improving the standard of the game and minimising the gap between the domestic and international games. More pertinently, he is improving Middlesex’s chances of winning a trophy.”I’m delighted to have secured James’ services,” Fraser said. “At the end of the 2014 season we sat down to analyse our shortcomings and felt that we needed to add quality, consistency and nous to our squad. James will provide this. He is fit, strong and motivated. He has a lot to offer and continues to perform to a high level wherever he plays.”The loss of Gareth Berg through injury in 2014 was a hugely important factor as the season progressed. His absence prevented us from fielding a balanced side and his overs were missed. Despite James not having bowled with great frequency over the winter for Wellington, due to a side strain, we are confident that come April, his fitness levels will enable him to more than fill that role, offering both experience and variety as a left arm-seamer.”Middlesex, who endured a prolonged struggle to avoid relegation in 2014 and did not enjoy much joy in limited-overs cricket, also recently announced the return of Nick Compton to Lord’s.

Lalit Modi’s controversial second stint as the Rajasthan Cricket Association president dealt a severe blow as the opposition faction passed a no-confidence motion against him and his key aides, as per the Rajasthan High Court

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2015Lalit Modi’s controversial second stint as the Rajasthan Cricket Association president dealt a severe blow as the opposition faction passed a no-confidence motion against him and his key aides, as per the Rajasthan High Court. It means the RCA elections will have to be conducted again. The Modi group claimed his supporters were forcefully prevented from reaching the venue of the meeting which had to decide on the motion, and they would appeal to the court on Tuesday.While setting aside last year’s no-confidence motion Amin Pathan and his colleagues had passed, the high court in February had given a month’s period to the Pathan lobby for a fresh no-confidence motion.Accordingly, the opposing faction had called for the motion on Monday. Since only 18 members – all of them Pathan supporters – were present at the scheduled time of 11am, the resolution was passed without a hitch.While Pathan remained unavailable for a comment, Mehmood Abdi, a key Modi aide, claimed sabotage by the Pathan lobby. In a statement Abdi claimed that members of the Modi faction were attacked by a mob on their way and prevented from reaching the venue at the scheduled time.”This is the mockery not only of the High Court order but a black day for every democratic institution. Somewhat like the lone student in a class coming first in the exam,” Abdi said. “Against this blatant use of brutal force in the broad daylight by hoodlums and depriving the legitimate members of their right to vote by the chairman of the RSSC [Rajasthan State Sports Council], we have moved the Rajasthan High Court and the matter is coming up tomorrow.”

Former Auckland cricketer Hamish Barton has resigned from his post as head coach of New Zealand Women

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2015Former Auckland cricketer Hamish Barton has resigned from his post as head coach of New Zealand Women.Barton, who was also the High Performance Manager for Netball Northern Zone, cited heavy time demands of both roles including international travel with the cricket team, for his decision.Barton, who had been an assistant coach of the side in 2012, was New Zealand Cricket’s coach development manager between 2009 to 2013, and had also played for and coached the Argentina team between 2005 and 2009. He took over as New Zealand Women’s coach from Warren Lees in July 2014.His tenure started with an away loss to West Indies, but he recently led the side to a series win against England in the ICC Women’s Championship One Day international Series.Lindsay Crocker, the head of cricket operations for NZC, said that while he was disappointed, he understood Barton’s position.”Having been involved in the women’s game for a number of years, Hamish brought a lot of knowledge to the group and we’re sorry to lose that,” Crocker said. “Hamish has given a lot to the team, but dual roles are difficult to maintain. We wish him all the best for the future. We will now start to work through the appointment process for Hamish’s replacement.”Barton played 17 first-class matches for Auckland, Canterbury and the New Zealand Academy scoring 572 runs and taking 16 wickets. In 21 List-A games, he scored 253 runs and seven wickets.

Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi is hoping for a “happy ending” to his international career, and is targeting the World Twenty20 trophy next year in India

PTI30-Apr-2015Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi is hoping for a “happy ending” to his international career, and is targeting the World Twenty20 trophy next year in India. In December last year, Afridi announced that he would retire from ODIs after the 2015 World Cup, but said he would quit international cricket altogether only after the 2016 World T20.”I want to not only play but also captain the Pakistan team to the T20 World Cup title,” he said. “Who does not want a happy ending to his career? I am looking at that in the T20 format. I never thought I would be at this level and play cricket for Pakistan team. I have made up my mind, but before that I want to also groom a future captain and vice-captain for this format with the board’s support.”Afridi, 35, has appeared in 78 T20Is, besides 27 Tests and 398 ODIs. He announced his retirement from Test cricket during Pakistan’s tour to England in 2010 after captaining the side in just the first Test at Lords. He bowed out of ODIs following Pakistan’s quarter-final defeat to Australia in the World Cup in March.

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling coach Allan Donald has said the team is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Australian World Cup hero Mitchell Starc

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Apr-2015Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling coach Allan Donald has said the team is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Australian World Cup hero Mitchell Starc. After mixed returns from two matches, Donald believes Starc, who was the highest wicket-taker as well as the Player of the Tournament, can be the X-factor that Royal Challengers desperately are looking for to bolster their pace pack. Starc, who is recovering from a minor niggle, is expected to join the squad in the next few days.”It is huge. If Starcy was in any IPL team right now he would be severely missed. Starcy has an effect on the team,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo. Donald agreed there was a lot of room for improvement based on the assessment from the first two matches where Royal Challengers won against Kolkata Knight Riders, but then lost at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad.”Against Knight Riders we weren’t too bad. The thing that frustrates coaches is when people don’t stick to bowling plans. But we stuck to our bowling plans really well in Kolkata. In the second game weren’t good enough. One could argue the fact that bowlers were struggling to land properly because the creases were very wet. But that shouldn’t’ be an excuse,” Donald said.According to Donald, Royal Challengers were put on the back foot immediately by David Warner’s fiery start against Sunrisers and were never able to come back.”Sunrisers got off to a blistering start which we did not want. It was all that an easy wicket. It was tacky. We spoke beforehand that we are going to have to hit the lengths really hard. We did the completely opposite. We bowled full. We got driven. They were 60-odd for no loss in no time.”Donald believed that when things go fast and the batsman is dominating, the bowler needs to slow things down during the walk back to his mark, something referred to in bowlers-speak as the 15-second chill.”A lot of things go through your mind when you just been hit for two sixes. A lot of emotions creep in. That is why we tell the leaders of the group, Darren Sammy and AB de Villiers, to go and speak to the bowler. There is the 15-second chill where the bowler walks back to the mark and during this period a lot of gremlins sit on your shoulder and dictate to you ‘bowl this, bowl that.'”It is in this frame of mind, Donald believes, the bowler “clearly” has no plan. He says this based on personal experience.Such a scenario did play out on Monday against Sunrisers in the Powerplay. Warner and Shikhar Dhawan ran roughshod over the Royal Challengers’ trio of Sean Abott, Harshal Patel and Varun Aaron. After two overs, Sunrisers were 36 for 0. Aaron then delivered a tight third over, giving away just five runs including a boundary. It was followed by an even tighter over by Abu Nechim Ahmed, who gave just two runs.But instead of tightening the leash, Aaron got distracted by the wetness of the crease as he was repeatedly cleaning the sole of his boots with the bail. First ball of the next over, Warner stuck a powerful loft over the bowler’s head for a four. Next ball, Aaron dug in short and Warner just swiveled quickly to pull it over midwicket for another our. Agitated, Aaron repeated the shorter delivery and Warner cut it over thirdman for a six. Aaron just smiled helplessly.Crucial in this period, Donald pointed out, was for the senior players to put an arm around the bowler and calm him down. “Rather than leaving the bowler on his own we often ask senior guys to talk to him. AB does brilliantly. He runs in from wherever he is fielding to check with the bowler what is his plan. You know that the next two balls to finish the over is crucial. And how you get out of the over is even more crucial.”When there are 40,000 people in the stadium, and the ideas are rushing through your head about what to do, that is when the experienced hands like AB, Sammy or Starcy play a huge role.”Donald wants the experienced heads to cool his bowlers down: “AB does it brilliantly. He runs in from wherever he is fielding to check with the bowler what is his plan”•BCCIThe presence of Starc at the other end, Donald said, would add confidence to the likes of Aaron and the Indian domestic quicks Harshal and Nechim.”I know what it is like bowling in partnerships with Shaun Pollock and when he wasn’t there how it affected the balance of the team simply in terms of the X-factor from the both ends. Starc also brings the best out Varun Aaron. I know that for a fact. They bowl well together. They bowl hard in the middle overs as a partnership.”Donald describes every ball in T20 cricket as an event, and hence he tirelessly stresses that bowlers need to recover quickly after any assault. “We know how quickly the game turns in terms of momentum and even two balls can have a big say in the outcome of the game.”Bowling coaches’ job over the seasons have become difficult as batsmen like de Villiers and Glenn Maxell have taken the size of grounds out of the equation. Donald says it is not easy to bowl five yorkers every over, and that only a Lasith Malinga can do it.According to Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach Shane Bond, a much safer delivery at times can be the length delivery. “We encourage that the yorker that really gets the danger batsman out of strike and think about the next delivery to the other guy,” he said. “And that is why bowlers get emotional and say whatever happens will happen. And that is not good enough: you have got to think 24 balls very clearly.”The unique facet about Royal Challengers’ bowling line-up is three of their strike bowlers – Starc, Aaron and Adam Milne – can bowl consistently at 150kph. Then there is Sean Abott who can bowl 140-plus. So there is no dearth of pace. However, Donald conceded that it was risky business to go for extreme pace.Still, he will not discourage his fast men from limiting themselves. “Pace is a big factor. If it goes wrong, the ball goes to the fence. But, having said that, these guys take you wickets,” Donald said.”You can’t tell these guys how to be very tight in the channel and be conservative. These guys need to be given the licence to take you wickets and win you games and they are going to go for a few. And this why they are strike bowlers.”

Captain Ian Cockbain hit his best T20 score of 91 to guide Gloucestershire to a seven-wicket victory over Middlesex in the opening NatWest Blast game at Bristol.

ECB/PA15-May-2015
ScorecardNick Compton struck 78 off 53 deliveries but it was not enough for Middlesex•PA PhotosCaptain Ian Cockbain hit his best T20 score of 91 to guide Gloucestershire to a seven-wicket victory over Middlesex in the opening NatWest Blast game at Bristol.Cockbain smacked five sixes and nine fours in an exciting 49-ball innings, sharing a second-wicket stand of 98 in 9.3 overs with Hamish Marshall as the hosts reached a target of 176 to win with an over to spare.Earlier, Nick Compton had also made a career-best T20 score of 78, off 53 balls, with nine fours to help Middlesex post 175 for 3. Paul Stirling contributed 39 and Adam Voges 31 not out, while Benny Howell was the most economical Gloucestershire bowler.It looked unlikely to be enough on a true pitch. Despite increasingly poor light and intermittent rain, Marshall gave the home side a flying start, timing the ball sweetly from the start to reach his half-century off 33 balls, with five fours and two sixes.After the early loss of Chris Dent, Cockbain joined Marshall and the outcome never looked in much doubt. The pair matched each other shot for shot in taking the score from 15 to 113 before Marshall was caught behind off Steven Finn, who returned 2 for 29 from his four overs.Peter Handscomb fell cheaply to James Harris, but, having reached a 30-ball half-century, Cockbain continued to bat with confidence and panache to see the job through, finishing the match with his fifth six. His previous best score in the competition was 84 against Sussex at Hove last season.The Middlesex total had been based on an opening stand of 65 in 6.3 overs between Compton and Stirling, who began watchfully and blossomed as the Powerplay progressed.Insights

Gloucestershire batted well to chase down 175 with six balls to spare but Middlesex’s bowling, which conceded more than 175 five times last season–only Derbyshire, Essex and Glamorgan did so more–is notably weak.

Stirling hit the first four off the last ball of the third over, but the next two from Matt Taylor and David Payne saw both concede three boundaries.The innings was really starting to flow when Stirling, having faced 24 balls and hit 6 fours, was bowled having a swing at Taylor, whose brother Jack was introduced into the attack straight after the breakthrough.The offspinner began steadily and after ten overs Middlesex were relatively becalmed on 79 for 2 as he claimed the wicket of Joe Burns, caught at long-off for only 5, having survived a stumping chance to Geraint Jones.Compton moved to his half-century off 36 balls, with four fours, in the 14th over. While he and Adam Voges picked off ones and twos, the innings lacked an explosive contribution.In the 17th over Compton passed his previous best T20 score of 74, made for Somerset against Essex at Taunton back in 2010. But he perished soon afterwards, leg before to James Fuller.It was left to James Franklin to hit the only two sixes of the innings, a glorious straight shot off David Payne and a loft over fine leg off Fuller, while Voges hit just two fours in his 27-ball contribution.

Captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz put in an all-round performance to guide Bangladesh U19s to a 29-run win over South Africa U19s in the second Youth ODI at Kingsmead in Durban

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile Photo – Mehedi Hasan Miraz backed up his 50-ball 57 with 3 for 33 with the ball•WICBBangladesh Under-19s captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz backed up his 50-ball 57 with bowling returns of 3 for 33 to propel his side to a 29-run win over South Africa Under-19s in the second Youth ODI at Kingsmead in Durban.After being inserted by the hosts in a rain-curtailed match, Bangladesh could manage just 18 runs for the opening stand before right-arm seamer Brandon Glover claimed Pinak Gosh for 9. Glover was drafted in as a replacement for the side’s captain Tony de Zorzi, who was ruled out after failing a fitness test before the game. The visitors were reduced to 49 for 3 by the 14th over after which a 32-run fourth-wicket stand between Saif Hassan and Mehedi took them past 80.However, it was the attacking 80-run fifth-wicket partnership between Mehedi and Zakir Hasan that eventually helped Bangladesh finish on 157 for 5 in 30 overs. Miraz, who had reached his fifty off 46 deliveries, was dismissed in the 29th over but Zakir struck a couple of fours in the closing overs to take the side past 150.Rifat Pradhan and Saleh Ahmed had the home team on 22 for 3 inside eight overs. Bangladesh struck regular blows never allowing South Africa into the game, and the home team was soon reeling at 73 for 7 in the 22nd over. A 46-run eighth-wicket stand between Aaqil Ebrahim and Sean Whitehead took South Africa to 119 before Ebrahim was dismissed by Mehedi Hasan for 39.Offspinner Mosabbek Hossain ended with figures of 3 for 19 as the hosts finished on 128 for 9. The win gave Bangladesh a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series.Expressing concerns about the team’s batting captain Kyle Verreynne said, “It was a tough loss, I think we started out well with the bowling but let it slip in the end, giving them more than what we were hoping for.”Chasing 157, we always thought we were in with a shout, but unfortunately we started off slowly with the bat and that put us on the back foot. We were still in with a chance with Aaqil (Ebrahim) hitting the ball nicely, but we didn’t have enough batsmen to help him go all the way.” he added.

The ICC has commenced sale of tickets on its website for the World T20 in India, with less than two weeks for the event to begin

Arun Venugopal24-Feb-2016The ICC has begun the sale of tickets for the World T20 in India on its website, with less than two weeks for the event to begin. The first phase of the sale, which went live at 12 pm IST on February 24, made tickets available for matches in Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata and Mohali, but excluded those featuring India, the semi-finals and the final of the men’s and women’s events. The second phase of the sale – for matches in Mumbai, Delhi and Nagpur – will begin at 12pm IST on February 26.Tickets for seven “highly sought after” matches – four India games, the semi-finals and the final – will be sold online through a lottery system, where buyers need to indicate their preferred match after registering themselves. They will then be moved to a draw where the winners will be chosen through an automated process following which they will receive a payment link to complete the booking. The window to register for the lottery will be open only for seven days from February 25. Only two tickets can be purchased per person for India matches, the semi-finals and the final, while for other games a maximum of six tickets per person is allowed.The BCCI appointed as the ticketing agency for the event, and said the entire ticketing process was “monitored and audited by a reputed auditing agency.”A member of the organising committee told ESPNcricinfo that the schedule for the sale of tickets over-the-counter for all matches – including India’s and the knockouts – would be announced by the respective hosting centres. He said the lottery system was to streamline the high demand for tickets.”We had to do lottery system, otherwise when a traditional ticket counter opens up, some 20,000 people queue up,” the official said. “The first 10,000 get tickets and then there is a lathi charge. We have to move away from that culture.”If you put tickets online on first-come-first-serve basis, there will be some 10,000 people who click at 12. After 12:05 pm, the entire system becomes redundant. The traffic for these high-priority games is huge, so everyone must get a fair opportunity.”When ESPNcricinfo accessed the website at 12:01 pm there was a queue of 5907 and it took our staffer 12 minutes to reach the top of the queue. After she selected her match of choice there was another queue of 931 where the waiting time was about two minutes. The whole transaction was completed in 15 minutes.While ticket sales for previous World T20s had commenced three to six months ahead of the event, the current edition has had a number of delays. The ICC had earlier refused to be drawn into any criticism of the ticketing process, stating it would be “inappropriate” to make comparisons. The organising committee member attributed the delay to a combination of factors, including the uncertainty over the status of Delhi as a venue.”The schedule was launched only on December 19 (sic December 11), and only after that our work starts,” he said. “We have to start pricing separately for women’s games, men’s games, the semi-finals and final. Once the ticketing agency is finalised you will have to do backend mapping. Delhi has obviously been a contributing factor for the delay. Till 10 days ago I didn’t know if I had to push those games to some other venue.”The official said other hosting nations in the past had been able to put tickets up for sale early because of the ICC announcing the fixtures “well in advance.” He also pointed to the logistical issues of hosting matches at eight venues – previous editions of the World T20 had only three venues. “As much as it looks like a T20 format, look at the complexity of the whole tournament. This is the first time we are doing women’s and men’s matches together, and we have double-headers,” he said. However, the last three editions of the World T20 had men’s and women’s games together.While such delays hurt the travelling fan the most, the official said ticket sales were almost entirely driven by local public. “Look at this way, India as a destination … it has always been local sale which chews up into the entire volume than people coming from outside,” he said. “That’s not a reason [for the delay], but it’s a comfort in some way.”