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The last time India played at this venue, they pulled off one of the greatest wins in Test cricket

Alagappan Muthu13-Dec-20241:52

How can India bounce back in Brisbane?

Big picture: A banger for the holiday season

We’re back where we started with the series level and two teams with both promise and flaws squaring off again on fabled turf. The cricket has been compelling, at times unpredictable. There’s even been a little heat between the players. The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy is veering dangerously close to classic territory. Imagine if it’s 2-2 going into Sydney.Some of the bowling that’s been on show – Harshit Rana taking out Travis Head’s off stump in Perth, Pat Cummins returning the favour against Rohit Sharma in Adelaide, Jasprit Bumrah every single time he runs in – has been dreamy. So the Gabba can’t be blamed for making eyes at them. One day out, the pitch still retains a tinge of green.A first-innings average of 18.65 runs per wicket – a figure so rare it’s only been bettered once in the last 10 years, and that was in a one-off Test between England and Ireland – reflects not just the class of both teams’ bowling attacks, but a little bit about the conditions and the frailty of the batting as well.Australia are blooding in a new opener and their two most reliable run-scorers aren’t operating at the levels they’re used to. India will be able to sympathise because like Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (who could be returning as opener) have been more down than up. The last three are in their mid to late 30s, so their form comes with added scrutiny, on top of the surprise that these high-profile players are yet to really influence this high-profile series. (Kohli has a century but the match-winning innings there came from Yashasvi Jaiswal)Related

• Gill toasts old Gabba memories as he prepares to make new ones

• Can Smith break out of his slump?

• McSweeney hopes to 'throw a few more punches' at Bumrah

• Rohit is used to leaving a mark, but not like this

• Past and present weigh on India, and Australia

Of course it isn’t a surprise that there are surprises when these two teams go at each other. In 2017, Australia took the lead and India hit back. Ditto in 2021. In 2018 and 2023, India took the lead and Australia hit back. This tells you there isn’t a lot separating these sides. Australia’s win in Indore last year and India’s in Perth two weeks ago bucked expectation and there are bound to be more thrills and spills as these two ring in the holiday season.

Form guide

Australia: WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: LWLLL

In the spotlight

Steven Smith has 19 runs in two Tests. His last hundred was 24 innings ago. But there was a 91 not out in there, at the Gabba, which he put forward as proof that his opening the batting for Australia was not really the worst idea. Back at No. 4, due to popular demand, he has had a little trouble starting his innings, trouble that he used to avoid, like getting lbw.Rishabh Pant continues to do Rishabh Pant things. In Adelaide, with India three down in the 15th over, he charged out of the crease and flayed Scott Boland over cover. He was also seen at Rundle mall, putting his shopping on hold to play peek-a-boo with a little kid. Now he’s at the scene of his greatest triumph as a cricketer after his greatest triumph as a person.6:02

Cummins on Gabba: Not a ‘fortress’, just another venue for us

Team news: Will Rohit move back up the order?

India might be pondering changes, particularly around the make-up of their top order. Does Rohit come back up to open again? Is he feeling like his old self again? There were positive signs in the nets on Thursday, where almost all the batters, Kohli and Shubman Gill especially, were upping their back-foot game.Akash Deep was India’s third fast bowler during the home season and he made way in Perth for a better batter. The team does not consider their depth to be a big concern anymore so Harshit Rana might find his way back on the bench. Washington Sundar might be pushing R Ashwin for a place in the XI as well.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt)/ KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul/Rohit Sharma (capt), 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar/R Ashwin, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit BumrahAustralia’s first-choice pace attack will reassemble at the Gabba with Josh Hazelwood rejoining Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Nathan McSweeney, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Pitch and conditions: Some wet weather around

Australia have lost two of their last four Tests here, after losing nothing in 32 years. There was a pattern to those two defeats though. Both took place at the end of the season, in January. In between, there was a Test against South Africa in December 2022, which ended in two days and was a party for the fast bowlers. And also one against England in December 2021 that ended in a nine-wicket win for Australia. Early-season cricket here is fast-bowler friendly, a likelihood further increased by rain forecast through the course of the Test.”[Yesterday it] looked like a good wicket, like it has the last few years,” Cummins said. “Bit of sun baking on it the last couple of days, don’t think it’s as green and leafy as it was against South Africa.”

Stats and trivia

• Jasprit Bumrah is averaging 11.25 runs per wicket this series. The next best for India is Mohammed Siraj with 19.77 but then the gulf widens.
• Travis Head is averaging 80 and striking at 94 in this series. The next best for Australia is Alex Carey with 24 and 59.5. There’s a bit of catching up to do there for the hosts.
• Pat Cummins has an outstanding record at the Gabba: in seven Tests he has taken 40 wickets at 18.22
• India could have just four players from the famous 2020-21 victory at the Gabba: Rohit, Gill, Pant and Siraj. It could be five if Washington plays.

Quotes

“Worked out in the Adelaide Test. It’s always in the back of your mind as a Plan B, or if it’s looking really uncomfortable or likely to take wickets maybe it becomes a Plan A to some of the batters. I’m sure we’ll give it a shot at some point this Test.”
“The mood of the team is very good. We had a team dinner yesterday, we had a lot of fun in the team dinner. I think it is very important to know that we didn’t play well in the Test match in Adelaide, but still the series is one-all. We have a series of three matches, and if we win this match, then in Melbourne and Sydney, I think we will have an upper hand there.”

Returning Azhar Ali’s 74 made light work of Sussex’s 191

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2023Worcestershire Rapids are through to the knockout stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup after completing a comprehensive eight-wicket success over Sussex Sharks at New Road.The Rapids ensured a top-three spot with a sixth win in eight group games after dismissing the Sharks in 45.5 overs and then knocking off their 191 target in just 26.4 overs to give their net run rate a massive lift.They maintained a grip with the ball after Dillon Pennington and Matthew Waite picked up a trio of scalps in the initial powerplay with spinner Josh Baker’s three wickets taking his tally to 15 in the competition.Danial Ibrahim’s List A best score of 51 provided the most resistance but the Sharks total was well below par after they chose to bat.Gareth Roderick and Azhar Ali then ensured there would be few alarms for the Rapids after laying the foundations during an opening stand of 82. Azhar, 74, and Kashif Ali, with a 26 ball half-century, then added a further 93 in 8.3 overs.Worcestershire will have to wait until the conclusion of the group on Tuesday to determine where they exactly finish and whether they have a home or away tie to look forward to.Worcestershire made two changes from the side which triumphed against Derbyshire at the Incora County Ground on Friday with Azhar and Logan van Beek replacing Ed Pollock and Pat Brown. Sussex handed debuts to a pair of 19-year-olds in batter Zak Lion-Cachet and off spinner Bertie Foreman.Sharks captain Tom Haines opted to bat first and his side quickly ran into trouble on the same wicket as which Worcestershire had been reduced to 25-5 in the powerplay against Warwickshire last Sunday.Waite made the first breakthrough when Harrison Ward was lbw to ball of full length which swung back into his pads. Pennington shared the new ball and he struck in successive overs. Tom Alsop played down the wrong line to a ball which nipped away and was pouched at second slip by Baker.The same combination then accounted for Haines after he drove at Pennington. Sussex reached 42-3 by the end of the initial powerplay and James Coles and Liam Cachet led a partial recovery during a partnership of 42. But Worcestershire captain Jake Libby broke the stand with a superb piece of fielding.Coles played Logan van Beek to mid-wicket and set off for a single but he was run out by Libby’s direct hit at the non-striker’s end with only one stump to aim at. Baker came into the attack and quickly cemented Worcestershire’s position of strength.Lion-Cachet (34) showed plenty of promise on his debut before making room to cut and being bowled via the bottom edge. Charlie Tear then stepped back and chipped a straightforward catch to Rob Jones at extra cover.Foreman (35) also created a favourable impression on his debut in adding 66 in 14.1 overs with Ibrahim. He eventually became Baker’s third victim when attempting a switch hit and being bowled behind his legs.Ibrahim completed his half-century from 85 balls with five fours before the innings was wrapped up. Van Beek had Ibrahim taken at deep square leg and the Netherlands international struck again when Sean Hunt could only find the hands of mid off. A second run out of the innings polished off proceedings when Brad Currie failed to beat Rob Jones direct hit from backward point attempting a quick single.Azhar and Roderick were initially watchful in seeing off the new ball attack of Currie and Hunt but gradually started to accelerate. A cover drive for four by Roderick at Atkins expense brought up the 50 in the 13th over.The stand was broken when Roderick holed out to long on off Foreman but Azhar completed a 61 ball half-century with six fours to sustain the momentum. Kashif Ali, who had smashed 88 off 36 balls against Derbyshire on Friday, continued in the same big-hitting vein.He struck three maximums off Coles on his way to a — fifty and, with Azhar stepping up a gear, 93 were added in just 8.4 overs. Azhar left the field to a standing ovation after he finally holed out to long on off Ibrahim, and then Kashif completed the victory with his fifth six, off Atkins.

South Africa over-powered in final match of multi-format series as Capsey, Kemp impress

Valkerie Baynes25-Jul-2022A half-century to Tazmin Brits was no match for a stellar effort with bat and ball from Sophie Ecclestone and another successful youth policy roll-out as England won the final T20I of South Africa’s tour by 38 runs in Derby.England handed an international debut to 17-year-old left-arm seamer Freya Kemp, and she took her maiden wicket when she had South Africa opener Anneke Bosch stumped by Amy Jones for 17. She followed that with the wicket of Brits, caught by Ecclestone for 59 as South Africa fell short in their attempt to overhaul a lofty target of 177.Ecclestone, an old hand for England at the age of just 23, then took two wickets, that of the dangerous Laura Wolvaardt, and then Chloe Tryon with the last ball of the match. But it was her 12-ball 33 not out that pushed England to 176 for 6 after an exciting 25 off just 17, including four fours in a row by Alice Capsey, another 17-year-old playing just her second international match. The victory allowed England to finish off the multi-format series 14-2, South Africa’s only points coming from the drawn Test in June.Cap that!Allrounder Capsey didn’t have a chance to bat on her international debut as England cruised to a six-wicket victory in the second T20I in Worcester, although she did take a wicket with her second ball when she had Lara Goodall caught by Nat Sciver to break a century opening stand.That changed on this occasion, however, following the early loss of Sophia Dunkley, who cut left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba straight to Wolvaardt at point on the first ball of the match. That brought Capsey to the crease in the No. 3 spot vacated by Bryony Smith when Kemp and right-arm quick Issy Wong came into the side, with Freya Davies also making way.Capsey struck the fifth ball she faced – from Masabata Klaas – through long-on for four and she unfurled three more in succession, clearing backward point, piercing the covers and lifting one over backward square. Capsey then turned Ayabonga Khaka to the rope through fine leg to move to 21 off 10 balls and after three overs England were 34 for 1. Mlaba returned to the attack with immediate effect, however, removing Capsey with her seventh delivery, caught by Tryon at mid-off.Alice Capsey produced a sparky maiden innings at No.3•Getty Images

Mlaba makes things happenMlaba, in the side after frontline quick Shabnim Ismail succumbed to a back problem, could have had another but Sciver, on four at the time, overturned her lbw dismissal with replays showing the ball sliding narrowly down the leg side. At the end of the powerplay, England were 53 for 2 and Danni Wyatt bumped that up with a six down the ground off Delmi Tucker, which Anneke Bosch did well to almost reach running round from long-on but failed to get a hand on as it dropped over the rope.But when Mlaba returned in the 11th over, there was no mistaking her dismissal of Sciver, bowled by one that deceived her through the air and clattered into the base of the stumps. When Tryon bowled Wyatt for 30 with another full delivery next ball, England were 86 for 4 and South Africa were regaining a measure of control.Ecclestone cuts looseEngland steadied through Amy Jones’ 28 off 18 balls but after she holed out to Brits at deep square leg off Klaas in the 18th over, Ecclestone picked a four off Khaka through wide long-on in the next as a precursor to what was to come.Ecclestone proceeded to smash 26 off the final over of the innings, bowled by Klaas, beginning with back-to-back fours before sending the fourth ball over the rope at deep midwicket. She then punched the next ball through the covers for four before sending the last ball a long way over the fence beyond the rope at deep backward square.Nonkululenko Mlaba struck twice in her first seven balls•Getty Images

Commonwealth Games ahoyWith women’s cricket set to make a Commonwealth Games debut later this week, both sides will have been looking for takeaways to Birmingham. For England in this series it’s no doubt been getting an encouraging look at their newcomers. Then there was Katherine Brunt, taking a career-best 4 for 15 at the age of 37 in the opening match at Chelmsford to prove she’s well and truly up for the tournament and Ecclestone showing off her ever-present class.England’s experimentation in the batting order has paid off, particularly in the absence of captain Heather Knight, missing with a hip injury for the last two games. Their depth was impressive too on Monday night, not least from Ecclestone at the death.For South Africa it has been a different story after struggling to get going since the Test, then losing Lizelle Lee to a shock retirement, then Kapp and most recently Ismail, who went wicketless in the first two games. Tryon, standing in for unwell captain Sune Luus, successfully mixed up her bowling to have England in trouble early.Brits – who only joined the squad with Kapp’s departure and earned a call-up to the team when Luus fell ill – was excellent in scoring at better than a run-a-ball. But South Africa still look to be a long way short of where their semi-final appearance at the ODI World Cup suggested they might be by now.

The side will instead demonstrate their commitment to the eradication of gender-based violence

Annesha Ghosh17-Jan-2021The South Africa women’s team is unlikely to take a knee or do anything else in terms of a gesture in support of the global movement against racial intolerance when they take on Pakistan for six limited-overs matches in Durban from Wednesday. They will, however, be expressing their protest against gender-based violence.When asked if there have been discussions within the team about showing solidarity towards the fight against racial injustice in the upcoming home series, their first international assignment since March last year, senior batter and former captain Mignon du Preez instead focused on what the team is planning to do.”Something that we’re definitely going to talk about in this series is gender-based violence. I think that’s also something that’s close to our hearts and is a big issue in South Africa,” du Preez told ESPNcricinfo. “We, actually, will have a ‘Black Day’, where we will be playing in black, standing together.Related

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“For us that’s going to be the focus this time around. There’s been a lot of talk around other racial issues, and we know it’s a big issue around the globe. But, for us, this is one that really touches home, and we’re going to focus on that during this series.”In the WBBL in October-November, where eight South Africans, including du Preez, made up the largest single-nation overseas contingent and were spread across seven of the eight squads, all teams performed the Indigenous Barefoot Circle ceremony to “reaffirm their commitment to reconciliation and taking a stand against racism”. Several teams even took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.As far as international cricket goes, the South Africa men’s team had made a belated decision to adopt the “raised fist” gesture ahead of the start of their two-Test series against Sri Lanka on December 26, in protest against racial injustice. On December 21, the interim CSA board chairman Judge Zak Yacoob wrote to director of cricket Graeme Smith and men’s national head coach Mark Boucher noting individuals’ right to freedom of expression, but stating that he felt South Africans should show “the world that all of us are together in opposing racism at every turn”.This came as a reaction to the team not taking a knee – or making any other gesture – on its return to international cricket, against England on November 27, the first time they played together since March. They did, however, wear black armbands to mourn the lives lost in the Covid-19 pandemic.When South Africa staged its first live cricket match following the resumption of the sport after the pandemic-induced break – the 3TC on July 18 – the country’s elite male cricketers showed a united face against racism by taking a knee at Centurion’s SuperSport Park.As for the campaign against gender-based violence, originally launched in February last year, Cricket South Africa had at the time said in a statement that the “focus point” of the drive would be South Africa’s ODI match at Kingsmead against Australia that was scheduled for March 22. However, the Covid-19 pandemic-enforced cancellation of the tour put paid to those plans.

Development follows a warning from the prime minister’s office of a possible attack on the team

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Sep-2019Sri Lanka’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan has been thrown into doubt after Sri Lanka’s government is said to have received news of a “possible terrorist threat on the Sri Lanka team”.The team was scheduled to leave for the tour in less than two weeks, but the tour now hinges on a “reassessment of the security situation in Pakistan”. One security assessment – described as “meticulous” by an SLC official – had already been conducted, with the board formerly convinced that the tour was safe. But this new information about a specific threat on the team has sparked fresh fears.”Sri Lanka Cricket today sought the assistance of the Sri Lankan government to conduct a ‘reassessment’ of the security situation in Pakistan ahead of the national team’s planned tour to Pakistan,” a board release said.”The decision was taken following a warning SLC received from the Prime Minister’s office, sent via the Ministry of Telecommunication, Foreign Employment and Sports.”The warning highlights that the Prime Minister’s Office has received reliable information of a possible terrorist threat on the Sri Lankan team, while touring Pakistan.”The new information had been received on Tuesday evening by SLC, who had named their ODI at T20 squads for the tour late in the afternoon. With 10 frontline players already having refused to tour Pakistan, this new perceived threat may create apprehension among even the players who have agreed to travel.Cricket in Pakistan came to a halt in 2009, after the Sri Lanka team was attacked by gunmen on the way to the ground in Lahore.The first match of the tour was set to be played on September 27 in Karachi.

Rumana Ahmed and Fargana Hoque add 72 to keep Bangladesh in the hunt before Shabnim Ismail knocks them over to close out the game

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2018
Scorecard
Shabnim Ismail is congratulated on the wicket of Hayley Matthews•Getty Images

Seamer Shabnim Ismail’s three-for and opener Lizelle Lee’s 38-ball 46 helped South Africa beat Bangladesh by 17 runs and go 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series.Having elected to bat at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, South Africa openers Lee and Laura Wolvaardt put together 77 by the 10th over. Wolvaardt’s wicket, however, sent them sliding as spinners Rumana Ahmed and Khadija Tul Kubra ran through the top order to pick up four wickets in the space of 20 deliveries.Sune Luus steered them to safety, making an unbeaten 28 off just 23 balls from No. 7 to lift them from 86 for 5 in the 13th over to 127 for 6 at the end of 20 overs.Bangladesh slipped to 14 for 2 in the fifth over, and from there on, South Africa didn’t look back. Ahmed and Fargana Hoque put together 72 off just 68 balls for the third wicket to keep Bangladesh in the hunt, before Ismail returned to rattle the middle order. She had Rumana caught by Mignon du Preez for 36 and then sent Nigar Sultana back for a first-ball duck to stifle them.Bangladesh needed 32 off two overs, but tight overs from Kapp and Ismail closed out the game.

Dinesh Karthik’s 77 off 107 anchored Tamil Nadu’s chase after left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore’s four-wicket haul had helped restrict Baroda to 219 in the first semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
File photo – Dinesh Karthik scored 77 off 107 to anchor Tamil Nadu’s chase in the first semi-final•BCCI

Fifties from Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar took Tamil Nadu to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with a six-wicket victory against Baroda. The TN spinners had helped restrict Baroda to 219 before Shankar finished the chase with 15 balls remaining.Baroda had put on a solid start after electing to bat, with Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode putting on 92 for the opening stand. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore broke that stand by getting Devdhar before Washington Sundar (2 for 20) and Rahil Shah (2 for 36) made double-strikes in the 27th and 33rd overs respectively to reduce Baroda to 138 for 5. Captain Irfan Pathan (27) and wicketkeeper Pinal Shah (36) put on 44 for the sixth wicket to steady the innings before Sai Kishore had Pathan caught. A 30-run stand for the seventh wicket took Baroda to 212 before they folded for 219. Sai Kishore finished with 4 for 59 to take his career tally to six wickets after only two List A games.TN openers Kaushik Gandhi and Ganga Sridhar Raju were dismissed by medium-pacer Atit Sheth (3 for 36) off consecutive overs with only 35 on the board. The early wickets were negated by two consecutive fifty partnerships – 60 for the third wicket between B Aparajith (28) and Karthik, followed by 88 between Karthik and Shankar, who remained unbeaten on 53. Karthik, who was named Player of the Match, struck four fours during his 107-ball 77 before he came down the track but missed and was bowled off Sheth. By that point, TN needed 37 to win and they got them without further loss.Bengal or Jharkhand, who play the second semi-final on March 17, will face TN in the final on March 19 in Delhi.

India Women’s captain Mithali Raj chose to focus on the positives, despite the side’s early exit from the World T20

Shashank Kishore in Mohali27-Mar-2016The World Twenty20 was built up beautifully for India Women to create a splash. A record T20I series win in Australia and a creditable showing in the ODIs that followed raised hopes of an improved show at their own party. India hadn’t qualified for the semi-finals since 2010, but were primed to break the deadlock this time around. It looked like the team had finally managed to reduce the burden on Mithali Raj’s shoulders.A whitewash of Sri Lanka Women at home in February ensured the engine was revving up at the right time. Talks of a women’s IPL were gathering steam. Contracts meant they were no longer semi-professionals who turned up at more camps than matches. Evolution of a core group of players around Raj pointed to a giant party waiting to take off. Like at a Formula One race, they overcame numerous challenges and change in strategies to qualify on pole position. But an engine freeze as the three lights went off resulted in their campaign going up in smoke in a manner not many had seen coming.Barring their tournament opener against Bangladesh, where they muscled 163 – their highest-ever T20I score – they registered scores of 96, 90 and 111. Pitches weren’t tailor made for batsmen to simply hit through the line, but the manner in which a young batting line-up, that appeared to have turned a corner in Australia, caved in was a matter of concern.Against Pakistan and England, the spinners kept India alive by using the conditions as an ally. On Sunday, while conditions helped them – although not to the extent it did in Dharamsala – the bowlers were guilty of slipping into a run-containing mode once the early damage was done. While they didn’t easily give away boundaries, Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin rotated the strike tactfully in a 77-run stand off just 71 balls to expose India’s fielding.There were misfields, fumbles, throws that went wide. All that amounted to India conceding at least 15 more than they should have. Even the comeback towards the death – they picked up five wickets for 11 runs off the last 14 balls – couldn’t mask their fielding lapses, despite Anuja Patil’s catch, running in from long-on and then dishing in a full-length dive to dismiss Taylor.Although dejected, Raj chose to focus on the positives. “With this performance, we aren’t on par with them, but the girls have done very well,” she said. “It’s a matter of pulling off one game that will give them a lot of confidence, like we did in Australia. When it comes to World Cup, there will always be pressure. The girls need to accept that and work around it. Even in the 2013 World Cup, in a very important match we somewhere lost the grip of it.”She was forthright in her assessment of where the team stood, but was the first to put her hand up and say she had let the team down when it mattered most. “Though I was among runs, I didn’t quite score when the team really looked up to me,” she reflected on the scores of 16, 20 and 0 in her last three games. “This has not been the best of the tournaments for me, but in the T20 format, you can’t always be very consistent. Ups and downs are a part of the format. In the last three games, the batting unit was not coordinated.Mithali Raj: “We had those players who scored those 20s and 30s but we haven’t got somebody who could take the team along.”•IDI/Getty Images

“We had those players who scored those 20s and 30s but we haven’t got somebody who could take the team along. Even those who hit form in a particular day could not carry the team along. That’s something we need to work on. Though we could not make it to the semis, I am proud of the way the girls have fought in the last three games and got the team back into the game. There is always slip-up in the game, but with this experience of having handled pressure, the girls will be able to do better in the coming tournaments.”Over the course of the tournament, Raj has been repeatedly asked about the surfaces dished out for the tournament. On a couple of occasions, she even reasoned that the women’s game needed a 150 v 150 contest, and not 100 v 90 as has been the case this time around. On Sunday, questions about the pitch resurfaced again, but this time around Raj wasn’t in the mood to use that as an excuse to mask their lacklustre batting.Instead, she said the team would be better off training to become fitter, and that the difference against West Indies Women was in the agility of both sides. “In big events, it is very important to be consistent in the departments where you are doing well,” she said. “As a fielding unit, we were inconsistent. When we thought we were squeezing them for runs, we let down ourselves with slip-ups through boundaries. Fitness is something we need to work on, especially in our fielding and running between the wickets.”Jhulan Goswami’s run-out with India needing 12 off nine balls highlighted what Raj was trying to say. Having slogged the ball to wide long-on, Goswami stuttered while turning for a second run, even as the throw was fired towards the wicketkeeper’s end. Two seconds of indecision resulted in a terrible mix-up that left Goswami and India high and dry. While it’s impossible to say what could have been had Goswami hared back for the second, that it was a huge moment in the match was an understatement.”As far as planning strategies go, the girls have to work really hard on their fitness and running between the wickets. At crucial times, it is important to know how to have composed mind. In that run out, had Jhulan stood her end, we probably would have lost Shikha, but Jhulan was in good flow. That is the biggest difference between good sides and very good sides. We haven’t been able to do that.”The end of India’s tournament leaves them with little to look forward to over the next two months. The absence of an FTP has somewhat been covered up by the need to play the other seven Full Members in a series of at least three ODIs to identify four direct qualifiers for the 2017 Women’s World Cup.With six wins in 15 matches, India are currently placed fifth, with games against Pakistan, West Indies to come. “We are looking forward for the one-day World Cup and again the work starts from the beginning,” Raj said. The girls will take a lot of positives from this series and try to implement them in the upcoming games heading into that tournament.”

Dubai-based TV channel Ten Sports and Pakistani sports channel Geo Super bagged the television rights for Pakistan’s upcoming series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, in the UAE, respectively

Umar Farooq06-Sep-2013Dubai-based TV channel Ten Sports and Pakistani sports channel Geo Super bagged the television rights for Pakistan’s upcoming series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, in the UAE, respectively. The values of the deals have been kept confidential by the PCB, but the board said they are “higher” than the previous contract. Both the broadcasters will cover the production cost as well as that of the technology used for the DRS on their own.”The PCB will not be announcing the rights-fee amounts finalised for these tours,” a PCB spokesman said. “The offers, however, are significantly higher than the values that PCB had received for these series under the previous media rights contract.”Ten claimed a series of two Tests, five ODIs and two T20s, while Geo will be televising three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s along with the one-off T20 between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s previous five-year deal with Ten concluded in July, with the PCB contemplating series-by-series deals while the caretaker board set-up, led by Najam Sethi, is in charge; the interim setup of the PCB affected the chances of securing a long-term deal, with Sethi’s powers limited and reduced to a day-to-day basis.Geo, apart from the international series, holds the TV rights for domestic cricket in Pakistan until October this year. The channel, which televised the feed of 2011 World Cup matches, is said to have run into financial difficulties with previous broadcast deals to show world events. The PCB, in order to counter financial defaulting, has asked the broadcaster for a full bank guarantee before the series.The deal with Geo is understood to be questionable, with Sethi involved in a case of conflict of interest as he is a key employee of Geo TV Network. He is Pakistan’s senior-most journalist and an anchor of Geo News’ popular political programme . The PCB however defended the process, saying it was fully transparent.”Two bidders participated in the bidding process,” the spokesman said. “The financial bids of both were evaluated in accordance with the terms of the invitation to tender. As a result of this process, the offer from Ten Sports for South Africa series, being the highest, and the offer of Geo for the Sri Lanka series, also being the highest, was recommended by the bids committee to the board of governors of the PCB for approval. This approval has since been received [and] the media rights for the two tours have accordingly been awarded, and this transparent tender process has been concluded.”The bidding process was conducted by former ICC President Ehsan Mani, who apart from being the advisor was the bids committee head, along with another independent member, retired justice Shabbar Raza Rizvi.The broadcasting deal is one of the major sources of income for the PCB. The previous TV deal, worth approximately USD 140 million suffered a hefty loss of USD 80 million following the cancelation of two bilateral series against India. While the PCB refused to reveal the value of the short-term deals, ESPNcricinfo understands the value of two series would negatively affect the long-term deal next year.

Rory Hamilton-Brown returned from a month’s compassionate leave as Surrey won a tight game against Nottinghamshire

Jeremy Culley at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2012
ScorecardRory Hamilton-Brown made his return for Surrey after a month on compassionate leave•Getty Images

It is unlikely those connected with Surrey will remember this season for anything positive but this was their most decisive step yet in recovering from the death of Tom Maynard.Their victory at Trent Bridge on a turning pitch was doubly special, firstly as it enabled them to leapfrog hosts Nottinghamshire and go top of their Clydesdale Bank 40 group. But, more importantly, it marked the return of their captain Rory Hamilton-Brown to the team after a month on compassionate leave following the death of his flatmate and close friend.On the field, Surrey owed a lot to Matthew Spriegel, whose controlled spell of 2 for 21 in eight overs and innings of 47 in testing conditions set up his team’s victory.The surface, so conducive to slow bowling neither Surrey quick Stuart Meaker or Notts’ Jake Ball bowled a single ball, appeared difficult to bat on but the hosts’ meagre score of 149 only briefly looked competitive before late hitting from Spriegel and Gareth Batty handed Surrey victory with 23 balls to spare.Hamilton-Brown did not assume the captaincy on his return but his colleagues made a superb start after stand-in skipper Batty won the toss and opted to open the bowling with two spinners. Spriegel and Murali Kartik both achieved considerable turn and the former made early inroads, getting Michael Lumb to chop on in the fifth over and Riki Wessels to pick out Jason Roy at midwicket.The pressure exerted by Spriegel benefitted Dernbach. The England bowler served up some filthy early fare, which Alex Hales flayed away square of the wicket, but then snared two cheap wickets.Samit Patel top-edged an attempted hook and Hales carved a short, wide ball to Zander de Bruyn at point to leave Notts floundering on 52 for 4. They were perhaps too eager to break free from the stranglehold achieved by Surrey’s four spin bowlers, but Adam Voges and Chris Read showed no such impatience.They added 67 in 17 overs for the fifth wicket but their good work was undone when both fell in quick succession. Voges nicked a superb delivery from Kartik to slip before Read picked out Spriegel in the deep to hand Zafar Ansari a wicket.Notts then collapsed, Batty claiming two deserved wickets and Dernbach bowling Luke Fletcher – returning after a three-month absence – with a slower ball after Graeme White had been run out.If a script appeared to have already been written, Harry Gurney swiftly tore it up. Hamilton-Brown, opening for Surrey, nicked off in the left-arm seamer’s first over for 2. Gurney, who like James Taylor joined Nottinghamshire from Leicestershire in the winter, then ousted Roy first ball with a vicious delivery that the Surrey No. 3 fended to White at point.Gurney was unlucky not to claim a third victim in the tenth over, Hales granting Gary Wilson a reprieve by shelling a tough slip chance.Surrey were recovering steadily but suffered a setback when opener Steve Davies skied one to Voges when he looked set on 35. Wilson then charged White, who was spinning the ball a long way, and was stumped to ensure Hales’ error was not too costly.Pressure was building on Surrey but Spriegel provided welcome relief by heaving a four and six to the vacant midwicket boundary off successive Steven Mullaney deliveries. His partner de Bruyn remained bogged down and tamely clipped a half-volley from Mullaney to Voges. Surrey’s chase began to look challenging but Spriegel took the initiative and twice smashed White over the top before being caught on the square-leg boundary.After that wicket White inexplicably overstepped and Ansari hit the free-hit for four. Batty then hit Patel for two boundaries – one a maximum – before Ansari won it with a six off White.