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Australia’s captain, meanwhile, has looked notably assertive with the bat in net sessions this week, and reckons himself to be hitting the ball far better than at any stage during his prolific Ashes summer

Daniel Brettig in Cape Town21-Mar-2018When Steven Smith confirmed an unchanged team for Australia’s Newlands bout with South Africa, his
matter-of-fact tone belied that this had been a far from straightforward decision. Mitchell Starc had been hampered by a calf problem and Mitchell Marsh by a groin strain, and both had to pass bowling fitness tests in front of the selection chairman Trevor Hohns.Much like the vagaries of the charge, hearing, ban, appeal and exoneration for Kagiso Rabada, this series has been a test for Smith in plenty of ways both expected and unforeseen. He is facing an opponent seemingly well equipped to keep him, to use the term of Faf du Plessis, “quiet”, while his otherwise peerless bowling attack has failed conclusively so far to do likewise for AB de Villiers.All the while the mental strain of a long summer and all the attendant distractions of this series have added up. By Smith’s own admission, he “reads everything” in the press and on social media, and is also feeling fatigued between the ears relative to his headspace during a prolific Ashes series.However there is one point of positivity, drawn perhaps from the experience of watching de Villiers play with such boldness and freedom irrespective of the match situation. Smith has been notably assertive with the bat in net sessions this week, and reckons himself to be hitting the ball far better than at any stage against England – with the possible exception of one evening during the Perth Test, when he raced to 92 before settling in for an epic 239.”I feel really good, my hit today was the best for six months,” Smith said. “It’s probably been the opposite throughout the summer, I didn’t feel I was hitting the ball that well but my mind was in a good place, maybe now my mind is not in as good a space as it was but I feel now I am hitting the ball better. It’s nice to mix and match between the two, but if I get the two in the right place together then hopefully it will mean some big runs.”You play the way you feel and all that out in the middle. I’m feeling good and fresh after week break before training, in a good place. I’ve had a bit of success here without scoring a hundred, scored a few runs here last time, got out to Dean Elgar again which wasn’t very nice. Hopefully I can make a big impact in this game.”In observing de Villiers, Smith has seen a player very much at ease with his game and surroundings. There were the familiar words from Smith about creating an “uncomfortable environment” for the Proteas maestro, something for which he may take inspiration from the way du Plessis and his bowlers have succeeded in corralling him at the crease for Australia.”He’s played beautifully, you want to get those guys out early but its actually been nice to watch and the way he’s developed his innings in the games,” Smith said. “It was nice to get his wicket in the last innings, [but] he looks to have a good game plan, a lot of time, looks comfortable and hopefully we can make him very uncomfortable in this game.”Getty Images

As IPL teammates until recently, Smith and du Plessis know each other well, and it is clear the latter has succeeded in switching his bowlers onto their most alert mode whenever the Australian walks to the middle. “With all good players you want to make sure you make it as tough as possible for them,” du Plessis said, “especially in the first hour or 15 to 20 balls.”They are just a bit better than normal players so if you let them get going, they kickstart their innings quickly. In the previous game I think he was on one off 15 balls, so it’s about making sure you are concentrating when you bowl those first 15 balls at him so he doesn’t get off to that fluent start. I’m sure he’ll be hungry for runs in this game as well.”Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, meanwhile, may not get as much assistance from the Newlands square in roughing up the ball for reverse swing, as it has a far lusher and more watered appearance than those of Kingsmead and St George’s Park. Nathan Lyon has noted that one of Starc’s less trumpeted abilities is to land the ball consistently on one side when bowling, the better to condition the ball for reverse, but that by his groundsman’s estimation it will take time.”It’s going to depend on how rough we can get the rough side by hitting the wicket,” he said. “You can see Starcy is a massive weapon for us when we want to get the ball reversing, the way he releases the ball he can land it on the rough side and rough it up naturally. I dare say it’s still going to play a part, but I don’t think it will play a part as quick as what it probably has in the past two Test matches.”Time, of course, was a factor used brilliantly by South Africa’s top-order pair of Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla in Port Elizabeth, soaking up the best overs of Starc and Hazlewood to buy time for de Villiers to excel. Smith acknowledged that he may have to change things up more frequently this time around in the field.”It depends on what’s happening,” Smith said. “That middle session where those guys batted really well was where the ball started reversing really big and at that time I thought it was the best option to get them out. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, but they scored 42 runs in the session I think and got rewards later on. It certainly depends on what’s happening out in the middle. Nathan’s been very successful against Dean as well, so that could come into play pretty early.”Whether with the bat or the ball, Smith, Starc and Australia may well need to make things happen in Cape Town, as their mental and physical reserves start to dwindle at the end of a long summer.

Karachi Kings dominated the final league game to beat Islamabad United by six wickets, thereby qualifying for the playoffs of the Pakistan Super League

The Report by Nikhil Kalro26-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellKarachi Kings dominated the final league game from the start to finish, completing a six-wicket win over Islamabad United that ensured they qualified for the playoffs. Rain had delayed the start by 90 minutes and considering the variables that rain brings – how the pitch will play with some moisture on it and the unpredictability of the Duckworth-Lewis Method – the toss became crucial. Karachi won it, chose to bowl and never looked back.The only phase which Karachi didn’t control was when the Islamabad openers made a steady start. Dwayne Smith and Ben Duckett added 37, but it took the majority of the Powerplay – 27 balls. Par scores in the tournament have been fluctuating as much as the games, but with not much spin on offer, Islamabad needed more than the 123 they mustered. None of Karachi’s bowlers were exceptional, but neither were they deplorable. Pace variations were used effectively, including a back-of-the-hand googly from seamer Sohail Khan that dismissed Shane Watson.Chris Gayle, dropped from the previous match, lit up Dubai in the chase. He didn’t take long to get going, striking five sixes in eight balls en route to his 17-ball 44. Not only did that blitz get him back in hitting form, it also put Karachi well ahead in the chase. It was a canter thereon. Even though the match went down to the penultimate ball, it wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggested.Where the match was wonA curtailed contest means an increased allocation of resources, but Islamabad were unable to use the depth in their batting line-up in the 15-over game – partly due to their own indecision of a par score but also because of the Karachi bowlers’ execution. Between overs 6 and 10, Islamabad scored just 27 runs and lost two wickets. Legspinner Usama Mir and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim bowled two overs each in that period and allowed just one boundary, using wily changes in length and pace.The men that won itKarachi’s playing XI. The whole team contributed at some stage. Five bowlers bowled their quota of three overs, and none conceded more than 30. The fielding remained tidy through the innings. With the bat, Gayle played the most significant hand, but the target may just have been insurmountable without the rest of the cameos.Moment of the matchKieron Pollard went 6, 6 off the final two balls to keep Karachi alive in the previous game. He almost matched those pyrotechnics in the field in the final league match. He took four catches, the last of which was possibly the moment of Karachi’s campaign. Smith, batting on 49, heaved an Usman Khan delivery towards wide long-on, where Pollard sprinted to his right. Using every bit of his athleticism, he stuck out his long right hand to pluck another grab for the Pollard scrapbook of implausible catches.Where they finishedKarachi was left with 111 to qualify for the playoffs and 124 to win. They ended up achieving both to finish third on the points table. Islamabad had already qualified for the playoffs, and finished fourth, but a win would have put them in first and given them two cracks at reaching the final by virtue of playing in the first qualifying final on February 28. Instead, Karachi and Islamabad will have a rematch in an elimination playoff on March 1. The result also meant that Lahore Qalandars were eliminated from the tournament.

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on January 4, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2016

Highlights of the day

Cheteshwar Pujara blasted his highest score in Twenty20 cricket, as Saurashtra thrashed Jammu & Kashmir by 73 runs in Kochi. Pujara slammed five fours and sixes each during a 55-ball 81, and shared a 70-run partnership with Chirag Jani, who stroked 38 off 19 balls. Their efforts lifted Sauarashtra to 157 for 7. J&K failed to string together a single meaningful stand in their chase, and folded for 84 inside 18 overs, with only two batsmen managing double-digit scores. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 3.1-0-19-3.Gujarat nearly made a mess of a small chase against Hyderabad in Nagpur, but Parthiv Patel’s 70-run blitz ensured the team had enough gas in the tank to register a three-wicket win. Set 132 for victory, Parthiv drilled eight fours and three sixes during a 40-ball 70, and added 99 for the opening wicket with Priyank Kirit Panchal. Parthiv’s dismissal in the 12th over triggered a slide, as Gujarat lost seven wickets for just 30 runs, but held on to complete the chase with three balls to spare.Domestic heavyweights Karnataka suffered their second defeat of the season, going down to Uttar Pradesh by five wickets in Cuttack. Karnataka, opting to bat, compiled a total of 160 for 6, thanks to a 40-ball 45 from Mohammed Talha, and handy lower-order knocks from CM Gautam and Aniruddha Joshi. UP, though, gunned that total down with relative ease, as their top and middle order all got in among the runs. The opener Prashant Gupta top-scored with 48, while Suresh Raina carried forward the momentum by smoking a 15-ball 28 with three sixes.Biplab Samantray’s maiden T20 ton went in vain, as Odisha failed to defend 183 against Maharashtra. Samantray thumped a 59-ball 102, and put up 155 for the third wicket with Govinda Poddar, but important knocks of 44 and 49 from Prayag Bhati and Ankit Bawne respectively helped Maharashtra to a last-ball win.

Other brief scores

The ECB have moved quickly to appoint a new England Women’s coach with Paul Shaw replacing Mark Lane, who stood down after five years in the role on May 13.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2013The ECB have moved quickly to appoint a new England Women’s coach with Paul Shaw replacing Mark Lane, who stood down after five years in the role on May 13.Shaw, who played for Staffordshire Minor Counties, has been promoted internally and takes on more wide-ranging responsibility than Lane with the role of head coach becoming redundant.Shaw becomes the new ECB Women’s and Girls’ high performance manager, with overall responsibility for the performance of the senior England Women’s team. He was previously head of England Women’s performance.”The rationale for the role evolving is to reflect the scope and expansion of the England Women’s programme and the skill set now required to lead that programme, the coaching/support staff and the players,” Clare Connor, ECB head of England Women’s cricket, said. “Paul has already made an excellent contribution and has considerable strengths in a range of areas, most notably in leadership, creating high performance cultures and talent development.”I am wholly confident that Paul has the expertise and dynamism required to ensure that the England Women’s team regains its number one world ranking as we embark on a new World Cup cycle.”The ECB had said they hoped to have a successor to Lane installed for the Women’s Ashes, which begin on August 11, but the appointment of Shaw means a permanent coach can oversee the first series of the summer, two ODIs and two T20s against Pakistan at the start of July.Shaw, 45, was born in Burton-on-Trent and played for his home county from 1992 until 2004 appearing 12 times in the NatWest Trophy that became the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. He scored two half-centuries in those matches, including 55 against Surrey as his side failed to cause an upset by just nine runs.He went into coaching and began at Barnsley CC – home club of England Women’s seamer Katherine Brunt – before working for ICC Europe. He joined the ECB in 2007 as coach education training manager and became England Women’s academy coach in 2008 and head of England Women’s performance in 2010.”Paul was one of the first graduates of the ECB’s highly successful Level 4 coaching programme,” Hugh Morris, ECB managing director – England Cricket, said. “He will now lead a world class programme with increased support from specialist coaches as well as sports science and medicine.”Shaw added: “I am delighted to be taking on this new role and I’m looking forward to the challenge of leading the England Women’s cricket team towards achieving number one status in the world, and working with some outstanding players, coaches and support staff as we head into a busy summer of cricket with games against Pakistan, followed by what promises to be an exciting Ashes Series.”

Delhi Daredevils batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose hundred helped beat his former team Deccan Chargers by five wickets on Thursday, said that he felt “a little sorry” for Chargers

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2012Delhi Daredevils batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose hundred helped beat his former team Deccan Chargers by five wickets on Thursday, said that he felt “a little sorry” for Chargers, who lost their fourth straight match in the tournament. Deccan sold Pietersen to Daredevils in the 2012 transfer window after he missed out on the entire 2011 season due to injury. Pietersen said that the thought of playing against his former team didn’t cross his mind during the match, as he concentrated on his batting.”I feel a little sorry for Deccan, but we came out here as Delhi players and had to get the two points. They played very well, they put us under a lot of pressure and could have won. Luckily we came through but they are a very good team that should have won against Mumbai, and [against Rajasthan Royals] the other night,” Pietersen said.Pietersen said though that there is still time in the tournament for Deccan to improve. “You don’t want to play your best cricket in April, if you have a good May. In my first season [in 2009] I played for Bangalore, and we lost five out of our first six games and went on to play the final in Jo’burg [Johannesburg], so nothing’s lost for Deccan at all,” Pietersen said.Pietersen said his innings against Deccan was his best in the Twenty20 format. “It’s my first hundred in T20 cricket so it’s my favourite. I hit one [six] on the top terrace which was good. It’s amazing, you look at guys that get T20 centuries and you envy them. It’s something that I hadn’t done yet, I’ve got Test centuries, ODI centuries and now a T20 century. Although it’s the IPL and not an international T20, it’s still a special feeling.”Chargers, who’ve struggled in the field this season, made matters worse on Thursday by dropping Pietersen three times [on 6, 68, 84]. Chargers coach Darren Lehmann said that poor fielding cost them the last two matches. “I said it the last time, they’ve cost us matches, they have cost us the last two games. You can’t drop a bloke like Pietersen. To give him some credit it’s one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen so when you drop him on six it costs you the game.””We were in a good position at the 12th, 13th over mark and then we lost our way with a couple of poor shots and poor decision making. We are playing at 90%, if we kick off the other 10% we’ll win each game.” Lehmann said.Daredevils currently top the table with four wins and one loss. The team have been performing well [with both bat and ball] and Pietersen said it was a team effort that helped them beat Deccan. “Irfan was good, Yogi [Yogesh Nagar] was good, unfortunately we ran out Ross Taylor and it put a lot more pressure on me,” Pietersen said.”[Shahbaz] Nadeem was excellent, he took three wickets for nine runs in the Chennai game, went to Mumbai and bowled beautifully with the new ball and again he bowled fantastically today. He’s a clever bowler,” Pietersen said. “People were talking about us not having a spinner for this tournament but we’ve turned out to have a little superstar.”

A ferocious 145 not out from captain Andrew Gale put Yorkshire firmly in
control of their County Championship Division One clash with title-holders
Nottinghamshire at Headingley

21-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
A ferocious 145 not out from captain Andrew Gale put Yorkshire firmly in
control of their County Championship Division One clash with title-holders
Nottinghamshire at Headingley.The visitors have been second-best on all fronts since winning the toss
on the first morning, and had to fight hard to avoid a two-day defeat, eventually closing on
175 for 6 – with 18 runs required to make Yorkshire bat again.Yorkshire began the second day on 213 for 5 with a lead of 70 but things did
not go entirely to plan early on. Gale completed a watchful half-century off 91
balls but Adil Rashid added only a single to his overnight 39 before he played
round a ball from Samit Patel and was bowled.Richard Pyrah had his stumps hit by Luke Fletcher after one kept low but David
Wainwright gave valuable support to Gale as Notts began to feel the handicap of
being without Andre Adams, who did not take the field because of a groin
strain.Just as he was beginning to settle in, Wainwright drove a gentle return catch
to Patel and in the following over Ryan Sidebottom was lbw to Paul Franks
without scoring, leaving Yorkshire on 254 for 9.It looked as if Gale, on 67, would be denied his century, but he managed to
plunder the bowling while last man Oliver Hannon-Dalby offered solid support.
Every ball the number 11 kept out was loudly applauded by the home fans.Consecutive boundaries for Gale advanced him to 101 off 169 balls, with 13
fours, at which stage Hannon-Dalby’s contribution to the 34-run stand was a mere
single. It was Gale’s first century since flogging an unbeaten 158 against the
same opponents at Trent Bridge towards the end of last season.Gale moved into hurricane mode as he planted consecutive balls from Fletcher
high over mid-wicket for six and when lunch came at 334 for 9 he had
contributed 76 from the previous 80 runs. That exceeded the previous best for
Yorkshire’s last wicket against Nottinghamshire at Headingley, 73 between
Wilfred Rhodes and Abe Waddington in 1920.Only two were added after the interval, however, before Hannon-Dalby was caught
at second slip by Adam Voges of Charlie Shreck, Gale receiving a standing
ovation for his unbeaten 145 from 205 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.It did not take long for Nottinghamshire’s top order to hit trouble again,
Franks’ middle stump being struck so hard by Sidebottom that it had to be
changed. Mark Wagh’s off stump was flattened by Pyrah’s 10th delivery and in the
next over Patel bagged a pair when he was bowled by Sidebottom.At 38 for 3, a two-day finish looked on the cards but the visitors’ resolve
was stiffened by a 105-run stand between Alex Hales and Voges, during which the
former completed his second half-century of the match by driving Rashid over
long off for six.The fourth-wicket pair looked assured against both pace and spin but once again
Hales was to move into the 80s without reaching three figures. After making his
way to 83 off 112 balls, with 12 fours and a six, he stood no chance of keeping
out a shooter from Pyrah which hit the base of his off-stump.Pyrah was once more fulfilling a vital role with the ball and he went on to
remove Voges for 42 before being rested with figures of 15-8-19-3, Sidebottom
returning to deepen Nottinghamshire’s gloom by getting Alistair Brown caught
behind.

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has said he is satisfied with his team’s overall performance in the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff19-May-2010Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has said he is satisfied with his team’s overall performance in the World Twenty20 but admitted the shock defeat against Australia in the semis, after having dominated the bulk of the game, hurt them more than a loss in the final, had they qualified, would have done.”I was not expecting that we will perform so good against South Africa and Australia
especially after we dropped too many catches against England and lost narrowly (by one run) to New Zealand,” Afridi told reporters upon arrival in Karachi. “So I think overall I am quite satisfied with the team’s performance and importantly we played as a unit.”Had I won that match (against Australia) and lost the final I would not have been disappointed.”Michael Hussey’s late assault stunned Pakistan, as he smashed 60 off 24 balls, including three sixes and a four in the final over off Saeed Ajmal to seal victory with a ball to spare. “The situation was not looking like we were going to lose,” Afridi said. “We had our two best bowlers bowling the last two overs, but I must say the Australians played very well.”Afridi defended Ajmal, and said his performance at the death against South Africa in Pakistan’s previous game prompted the decision to let him bowl the final over. “It was a big match for Ajmal, he was under pressure,” Afridi said. “(But) he also bowled the 20th over against South Africa and moreover he was also bowling from his favourite end against Australia.”Pakistan play Australia again in England in a ‘home series’ in a couple of months, and Ajmal, then, will have another opportunity of facing off against Hussey. “I hope I will have another go at him when we meet in two months’ time,” Ajmal said.

Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant made short work of a target of 97 to get India off to a winning start at the T20 World Cup 2024

Karthik Krishnaswamy05-Jun-20242:03

Flower on New York pitch – ‘Bordering on dangerous’

New York’s second match as a T20I venue was a lot like its first: low-scoring and brutal. Two days after South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 77 here, India bowled Ireland out for 96. A different strip was used for this game, but the bounce was just as inconsistent, and batting just as difficult, if not outright dangerous.India’s selection was spot-on – they picked four fast bowlers including Hardik Pandya, and two spin-bowling allrounders to lengthen their batting, which meant they left Kuldeep Yadav on the bench. They didn’t need all that batting in the end, as Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant helped them cross the line with 46 balls remaining, but the packed pace attack proved extremely useful. Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik picked up 8 for 81 between them, extracting seam movement and up-and-down bounce right through an Ireland innings that lasted just 16 overs.As good as those performances were, though, this match will be remembered for the conditions. Batters from both teams took body blows – Rohit retired hurt on 52, soon after being struck on the arm – and by the time India wrapped up their win, their thoughts may have gone ahead to June 9 at the same venue, and what kind of pitch they may have to play Pakistan on.

Arshdeep sets the tone

The first two overs gave enough of a clue of how this pitch would behave, with both Arshdeep and Siraj extracting inconsistent bounce. One ball from Arshdeep – seam-up rather than a slower ball or cutter – bounced a second time before reaching wicketkeeper Pant, but most of the inconsistency was up rather than down, with one ball forcing Pant into a leaping, overhead, goalkeeper-style save.

Extra bounce brought India their first wicket, Paul Stirling top-edging a heave across the line at the start of the third over.By the end of that over, Arshdeep had taken out both openers. He was finding ways to mix up his stock inswinger to the right-hander with balls that kept going with the left-armer’s angle across them, and one of these away-slanters bowled Andy Balbirnie, as he stayed leg-side of the ball and tried to steer one down to third.

Ireland collapse

By the end of the powerplay, Ireland were still only two down, but Harry Tector had already been hit on the glove and the thigh pad and was batting on 1 off 10. That became 4 off 15 before a nasty short ball from Bumrah hurried him, and he ended up gloving the attempted pull into his helmet and then to the fielder at short extra-cover.By then they had also lost Lorcan Tucker, bowled trying to drive a nip-backer from Hardik.Hardik Pandya showed some form•Getty Images

India kept getting the length ball to nip around and the short-of-length ball to climb, and Ireland kept losing wickets. Even the introduction of spin didn’t stem the collapse, as Barry McCarthy was caught and bowled by an Axar Patel ball that stuck in the pitch. At 50 for 8, Ireland were in danger of falling short of their lowest T20I total – 68 against West Indies during the 2010 edition of this tournament.They eventually crossed that mark, with Gareth Delany’s risk-taking coming off – where that of his team-mates’ mostly didn’t – in a 14-ball 26 that carried Ireland to 96.

Rohit and Pant finish the job

Rohit and Virat Kohli came out swinging – perhaps they reckoned that the new ball and powerplay field restrictions gave them the best chance of quick runs – and came away with contrasting outcomes.Kohli fell early, caught on the deep-third boundary while charging at Mark Adair and looking to slap him over the covers.

Rohit enjoyed two slices of early luck – Balbirnie put down a tough chance at second slip in the first over, off Adair, and an inside-edge in the second over, off Josh Little, ran away for four past the stumps – and carried on to score his 30th T20I fifty. The pitch remained treacherous, and Rohit’s control percentage hovered in the 40s for most of his innings, before climbing to 51 by the time he retired hurt. But he hit some telling blows too, most notably two trademark pulls off successive balls from Little that brought up his 599th and 600th sixes in international cricket. Before that, he also went past 4000 runs in T20Is.Pant looked more fluent than Rohit, indeed as fluent as anyone could have looked on this pitch, and hit three sixes and two fours while scoring an unbeaten 36 off 26. He took a hit to the elbow and one to the shoulder, and his response to the latter blow summed him up as a cricketer and character: he finished the match off the next ball, reverse-scooping McCarthy for six over the wicketkeeper.

Depending on Mumbai Indians’ result in their last game, a win for Capitals can push them straight into the final

Shashank Kishore21-Mar-2023

Big Picture

UP Warriorz have Sophie Ecclestone to thank for bailing them out of troubled waters for two games in a row now. Wins that seemed tough – first in a low-scorer against Mumbai Indians, and then in a tall chase against Gujarat Giants – have catapulted them into the top three.Even if third-placed Warriorz lose against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday, they are certain to play the Eliminator, thus giving them a shot at the final; but if they beat Capitals, it will force a three-way race for the top spot if Mumbai happen to lose their final match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, Warriorz are so far behind both Mumbai and Capitals on net run rate that it is near impossible to catch up in just one game.That said, they would have probably settled for third if you had asked them last week, which saw them suffer their third loss in four games despite starting the season with a win.Over to their opponents. Capitals have come storming back to steal the top spot that seemed destined to be Mumbai’s when they had raced to five straight wins. But two losses in a row for Mumbai have opened the door ajar. In sending Mumbai on a tailspin by chasing down 110 in just nine overs last night, Capitals are in a position where a win in their final group game could vault them straight into the final provided Mumbai either lose their final match, or win it but don’t cross Capitals on net run rate.But Capitals could finish atop with a loss too, though they wouldn’t want to enter the playoffs devoid of momentum. Capitals further stand to gain if Royal Challengers bring their A game to beat Mumbai.Warriorz would dearly love for their Indian batters to turn up and strike form. Devika Vaidya, Kiran Navgire and Deepti Sharma have all struggled lately, but their lack of runs have been compensated by contributions from Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath.Capitals, though, have no such worries. Meg Lanning is the highest run-getter of the tournament so far, while Shafali Verma’s destructive game that seemed to have deserted her during the T20 World Cup has given them the turbocharge up top; her strike rate of 189 is clearly the best for any batter with at least 200 runs in the tournament. To add to that, Marizanne Kapp has been scoring runs and picking wickets for fun, Alice Capsey has lent batting muscle in the powerplay, and Jemimah Rodrigues has provided a calming influence in the middle order.Then there has been the ever-reliable Jess Jonassen who has been around to play a role similar to what Michael Bevan did for Australia all those years ago – bail the team out of trouble time and again. This is a well-rounded batting unit high on confidence.Arundhati Reddy’s bowling was applauded after the win against Mumbai Indians•BCCI

Players to Watch

With scores of 12, 8 and 1 in her last three innings, Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy has hit a rough patch. But she has the reputation of being a big-match player. As the Eliminator nears, there couldn’t have been a better chance than this to roar back into form and carry the confidence of doing so against a gun bowling attack.Don’t let the raw numbers fool you. She may have just two wickets in five games, but Arundhati Reddy had a rhythm to her bowling that Lanning applauded unprompted after the win against Mumbai. Reddy also appears to have cranked up her pace, and seemed menacing with her nip-backers during her spell of 1 for 10 in three overs in that match.

Possible XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Alice Capsey, 4 Jemimah Rodrigues, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Shikha Pandey, 9 Arundhati Reddy, 10 Radha Yadav, 11 Tara NorrisUP Warriorz: 1 Alyssa Healy (capt, wk), 2 Devika Vaidya, 3 Tahlia McGrath, 4 Kiran Navgire, 5 Grace Harris, 6 Deepti Sharma, 7 Sophie Ecclestone, 8 Simran Shaikh, 9 Anjali Sarvani, 10 Parshavi Chopra, 11 Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Stats and Trivia

• Among teams that have finished in the top three, Capitals’ pace bowler Shikha Pandey’s ten wickets is the most among seamers in the competition.
• Harris’ strike rate of 170.07 is third best in the competition among batters who have made at least 200 runs, with Sophie Devine second with a strike rate of 175.
• Ecclestone’s economy of 6.21 is the best among those who have picked up at least ten wickets this season

Former Zimbabwe captain accepts ban and separately one charge of breaching doping code

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jan-2022Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor has been banned from all cricket for three-and-a-half years by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for failing to report an approach from alleged corruptors without delay. In a release on Friday, the ICC said Taylor has accepted the ban, which starts from January 28. Taylor has also accepted one charge of breaching the doping code – relating to a dope test he failed in his last international game last year. He tested positive for cocaine.The ICC release comes at the end of a week which began with Taylor’s confession on Twitter of the encounter he failed to report. Taylor revealed he had been filmed using cocaine during a meeting in India with an alleged businessmen that the ICC refers to as ‘Mr S’, who then used that video to allegedly blackmail Taylor into an agreement to spot-fix.Taylor, who will turn 36 next week, has also since admitted himself into a rehabilitation clinic.Taylor told the that he had “beaten a few” drugs tests in the past few years before eventually failing one in his final international match in September 2021. “I might have beaten a few tests in the past two-and-a-half years but it got me when I was heading for destruction,” Taylor said.Related

• Brendan Taylor set for ODI comeback in Zimbabwe's series against Sri Lanka

• Brendan Taylor's ban ends, added to second Test squad against NZ

• 'I didn't know how to do life anymore': Brendan Taylor's biggest battle

• How Brendan Taylor got into a fix

• Brendan Taylor says he faces ICC ban for delay in reporting approach

The ICC release said Taylor breached the ACU code on four counts, including failing to disclose not just the approach but also receiving gifts and cash, including hospitality, from the alleged corruptors. One of the approaches to spot-fix, the charge read, was made for Zimbabwe’s tours to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh: “Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of the approach received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code including in relation to Zimbabwe’s then upcoming series against Sri Lanka and/or Bangladesh.”Taylor was also charged with “obstructing or delaying an ACU investigation,” because he first delayed reporting the approach and then deleted messages he had exchanged with Mr S. Though his first contact with Mr S took place “in or around September 2019” according to the ICC’s published details of the case, Taylor didn’t get in touch with the ACU until March 2020.By then, Taylor had flown out to meet Mr S in India in October 2019, a meeting in which he accepted USD$ 15,000 in lieu of future payments for carrying out spot-fixes. He was also gifted a new phone, some local currency to spend, as well as new clothes. Taylor did not carry out any spot-fixing; in fact, he called the ACU to report the approach when Mr S reached out to him again in March 2020 to push him to spot-fix as Zimbabwe were touringBangladesh. Taylor has yet to return the USD$ 15,000The ICC said Taylor “chose to admit the charges” and “agreed” the sanction instead of facing an anti-corruption tribunal hearing. That, as well as his previous disciplinary record and eventual cooperation during the four interviews he had with the ACU were seen as mitigating factors in the eventual punishment he received. The fact that he took payment, which is yet to be returned, and initially agreed to engage in corrupt activity, as well as his seniority as an international cricketer, were seen as aggravating factors in the length of his ban.Doping charge
The anti-doping charge, independent of the anti-corruption charges, “resulted” after Taylor had done the in-competition test on September 8, 2021 during a match between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Taylor tested positive for a stimulant Benzoylecognine, which the ICC said is a “cocaine metabolite” and is specified as a “substance of abuse” under the anti-doping code.”This one-month suspension will run concurrently with the suspension of three-and-a-half years under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code,” the ICC said. “Mr Taylor will be free to resume his involvement in the game on 28 July 2025.”Alex Marshall, the ICC’s ACU head, said it was “disappointing” that Taylor, who played for Zimbabwe for 17 years and attended at least 13 anti-corruption and anti-doping sessions had failed to report the approach in time.”It is disappointing that a player of his experience chose not to fulfil those obligations, however he has accepted all charges, which has been reflected in the sanction,” Marshall said. “I would echo Brendan’s message to other players to report approaches as soon as they happen, so any corrupt activity can be disrupted at the earliest possible opportunity. We wish Brendan well in his rehabilitation.”