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Yorkshire breeze to eight wicket win after Worcestershire dismissed in 16 overs

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2024Left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty made life easy for Yorkshire’s star-studded batting line-up with a career best 4 for 25 as the Vikings brushed Worcestershire aside by eight wickets at Headingley to make a flying start to their Vitality Blast campaign.Moriarty, making his Yorkshire T20 debut, put the skids under the Rapids with all four wickets during the first half of an innings which saw them bowled out for 101 in 15.4 overs. Ethan Brookes, one of only two visiting batters to reach double figures, top-scored with a middle order 42 off 32 balls.It was little surprise when a Yorkshire top five, including current internationals Donavan Ferreira, Dawid Malan, Shan Masood and Joe Root, made light work of the meagre target. Ex-England Test opener Adam Lyth top-scored with 55 not out off 33 balls, the win sealed inside 12 overs. Root finished unbeaten on 13.Moriarty came to Yorkshire over the winter in search of more game time. Last season, he only made one T20 appearance for Surrey – their quarter-final win at Lancashire. His only wicket was England white-ball captain Jos Buttler.This evening, he struck twice with the new ball and returned just outside of the powerplay to add two more to ensure Yorkshire secured their first win of 2024 in all cricket, doing it in front of an 8,231 crowd.Having been asked to bowl, the Vikings made a dream start as the Rapids slipped to 15 for 3 in the first 20 balls, including the loss of captain Brett D’Oliveira bowled trying to scoop seamer Dom Leech after four balls.Moriarty had ex-Viking Matthew Waite stumped in the next over and debutant Josh Cobb caught at deep midwicket in the fourth.Leech also struck twice in the powerplay – Adam Hose was caught at midwicket – and Worcestershire were in serious trouble at 21 for four in the fifth over.Things didn’t get any easier for the 2018 champions. Moriarty returned to get Tom Taylor caught behind, leaving the Rapids 33 for 5 in the seventh. Now it was just about batting 20 overs on a pitch showing signs of turn, but Worcestershire failed to do it.Yorkshire’s seam bowling stocks have been depleted by injury, so they opted to pack their side with spinners. Moriarty, Dom Bess twice and Jafer Chohan all struck.Moriarty struck again in the ninth over, bowling Nathan Smith – 49 for six – to claim his fourth wicket. All-rounder Brookes did at least settle things down for the Rapids with his 42 filled with sweeps, reverse sweeps and ramps. He shared 43 for the seventh wicket with Gareth Roderick, who chipped in with 25.But both men were caught at cover off Bess’s off-spin in the 14th over, Worcestershire now 95 for 8. Leg-spinner Chohan then had Hayden Walsh Junior caught at long-on and Ed Pollock was run out to wrap up the innings.Unfortunately for Worcestershire, their task from there was forlorn. Lyth and Malan shared 43 inside five overs for the first wicket. And by the time the latter fell caught at short third for 25 off Adam Finch’s seam, it was nothing more than a consolatory strike.Cobb had Masood caught at long-on shortly afterwards, before Lyth and Root eased their side home with few dramas. Lyth reached his fifty off 31 balls and hit the winning runs.

Pakistan captain refuses to blame injuries and pitches for side’s barren run

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2023The thrill of securing a draw in the dark may provide its own endorphin rush, but Babar Azam was lucid enough to see the bigger picture. The Pakistan captain has acknowledged his side had not met expectations during the home Test season, which came to a close with a 0-0 draw in this second Test.”The Test season hasn’t gone according to expectations,” Babar said at the post-match press conference. “It’s not an excuse but some of our players were unfit which disturbed our combination. Of course there’s talk about the pitches, but conditions are different at every venue. We give our input on pitches, but you get the pitches you get, and after that you have to execute your plans. You can’t just complain about losing a match because of pitches. We prepared them according to our plans, but results didn’t go our way.”After a 3-0 defeat to England last month, Pakistan found themselves on the back foot for large parts of both Test matches against New Zealand. On the final day of each match, the home side was happier to shake on a draw. In the first Test, New Zealand needed 77 runs with nine wickets in hand when light intervened, whereas today, the visitors needed just one wicket when the umpires whipped off the bails. Extend it further back to the series against Australia, and Pakistan have now gone eight Test matches at home without victory in a run that extends back two years.Related

• What's happened to Babar Azam's Test batting?

• For Sarfaraz, the job's not done yet, redemption is still just out of reach

• Fantastic Sarfaraz ton not enough as bad light has final say in Karachi thriller

• Sarfaraz rates sensational Karachi century as his best

It might easily have been three successive home series defeats when Sarfaraz Ahmed was squeezed down leg side in the 87th over. It brought out Pakistan’s No. 11 Abrar Ahmed to survive a nerve-shredding final 15 minutes alongside Naseem Shah, with the pair seeing out 21 balls before it became too dark.”It’s difficult to play the new ball when the fielders are up but Naseem and Abrar held their nerve at the death,” Babar said. “The way Saifi [Sarfaraz] came back and got us out of a hole was amazing, because his partnership with [Saud] Shakeel brought us back into the match. He’s come back after four years and had a dream comeback, after waiting all those years. It was his belief that kept him going.”At the start of that session, though, it was tantalisingly poised. Sarfaraz and Saud Shakeel had added 99 for the sixth-wicket stand. New Zealand’s fast bowlers appeared to have run out of ideas, but the scoring rate for the stand stood at just under 2.25, which meant Pakistan still required 140 runs in a final session where all four results seemed possible.Babar said Pakistan were eyeing up the win at that point. “We’d planned to go after it at tea, and you have to take risks for that. At the time, we needed 4.5 [an over], for which you need to take chances, which can lead to dismissals. If we’d got out, you’d be asking very different questions. When New Zealand saw we were going for it, they opened the field up. We still took chances but then it becomes a slightly different situation.Sarfaraz, who had crossed three figures by this point, was now accompanied by Agha Salman; his strike rate was higher than any other Pakistan batter at that point. He had struck four boundaries and New Zealand were beginning to look a touch ragged in the field, a couple of misfields and the odd set of byes whittling down the target even further. However, once Matt Henry got the old ball to swing back in and beat a wild swing from Salman, the outlook changed once more.”Agha got out and then the tail came in; after that we wanted to take the game deep,” Babar said. “Saifi was in there so he was better at assessing where the game could go. When a wicket falls, building a new partnership is difficult. After our set batters got out, we knew the tail was coming, and we’ve lost our last few wickets quickly in the past.”In the end, though, pragmatism won even though Pakistan were desperate not to end the home season winless. Babar admitted the way forward from here could take time, he pointed out this Test side was “very good” until very recently, when injuries derailed them at the start of this season.It prompted him to emphasise the value of fitness in an age of relentless cricket. “We’re trying to learn from our mistakes,” Babar said. “Everyone has their own opinions but we have to focus on our performance. Forming a team takes time. Our Test side was very good, but suddenly there were a few injuries, which disturbed our players and altered the form of our side. We’ve tried to do our best but it just hasn’t worked out. We’ll look at whether to have Test specialist players in future. There’s so much cricket if you want to play all three formats you’ll have to be ultra-fit.”

Wicketkeeper Jess McFadyen and seamer Claudia Green called up for tour of three T20Is and five ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2021Allrounder Amelia Kerr has opted out of New Zealand Women’s tour of England for three T20Is and five ODIs in September, citing the need to prioritise her mental health and well-being. Kerr, who has played 41 ODIs and 41 T20Is, said she hadn’t taken the decision lightly, but that it was best for her at the current time.

Schedule:

Sep 1: 1st T20I, Chelmsford
Sep 4: 2nd T20I, Hove
Sep 9: 3rd T20I, Taunton
Sep 16: 1st ODI, Bristol
Sep 19: 2nd ODI, Worcester
Sep 21: 3rd ODI, Leicester
Sep 23: 4th ODI, Derby
Sep 26: 5th ODI, Canterbury

The New Zealand selectors called up the uncapped duo of Jess McFadyen (wicketkeeper) and Claudia Green (seamer) in a 16-member squad that will be captained by Sophie Devine. The tour starts with the first T20I on September 1, and concludes with the fifth ODI on September 26.”I love representing New Zealand and playing for the White Ferns,” Kerr said in an NZC release. “However, after plenty of consultation with my support network, putting my mental health and well-being first is my number one priority. I’ve not taken this decision lightly – I feel this is best for me at the current time.”Devine and coach Bob Carter both lent their support to Kerr’s decision.”We’re obviously going to miss Melie in England,” Devine said. “As a cricketer she offers plenty in all three aspects of the game and is great fun to have around off the park. Every individual knows how tough the environment is at the moment with Covid-19; time away from family, living in a bio-bubble or quarantine periods.”We’re really fortunate we have great support around us from both New Zealand Cricket and the CPA. It’s important we talk openly about it because it can get tough and we need to ensure our players, teammates and friends are looked after. We’re all wrapping around Melie and know she’ll make a comeback when she’s ready.”Carter said Kerr had shown “a lot of courage” in making her decision.”Player welfare is paramount, particularly in today’s environment,” Carter said. “It’s important to respect the needs of the athletes. Amelia has shown a lot of courage in making this decision and I look forward to her return to the White Ferns when the time is right.”The new entrants, Green and McFadyen, come on the back of good performances. Green caught the selectors’ eyes when she took 5 for 56 for a New Zealand XI against England in a Queenstown warm-up fixture. McFadyen, who received her maiden contract for the 2021-22 season after impressive domestic form for Wellington Blaze, will be the back-up wicketkeeper to Katey Martin.”This is a really exciting time for both Jess and Claudia,” Carter said. “Both have impressed at domestic cricket and thoroughly deserve their chance at the next level.”Jess has an outstanding work ethic and we want cricketers who are determined and willing to work hard. If she gets her chance over in England I know she’ll be ready. Claudia showed what she can do against England last summer for the New Zealand XI against a quality English batting lineup. She swings the ball and can cause trouble at the top of an innings. This tour represents a chance to work on her game and experience new conditions, and I know she’ll be pushing hard for a spot in the eleven.”The team will depart for the UK on August 13.Squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Amy Satterthwaite (vice-capt), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Claudia Green, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Jess Kerr, Katey Martin (wk), Leigh Kasperek, Rosemary Mair, Jess McFadyen (wk), Thamsyn Newton, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

Somerset 114 runs ahead with nine second-innings wickets standing as bowlers thrive at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2020Somerset’s reputation as the “cider boys” precedes them but it took more than flagon of farmhouse special to explain the opening day at Wantage Road where 21 wickets fell and the visitors wound up leading by 114.Having won the toss on a searingly hot day, Somerset were 114 for 9, then rallied to 166 before Northants, steady at 46 for 1, collapsed to only 67. The visitors then closed then 15 for 1 in their second innings with Tom Lammonby out twice in the day.In a way it was rather typical of Somerset whose previous few seasons have featured vulnerable batting but relentless bowling.With few runs on the board, their response to Ben Curran’s six early boundaries was emphatic. It was led by Craig Overton, whose 11 overs claimed 4 for 12 with six maidens. Northants’ middle order simply could not score against any of the four-man attack nor resist a series of excellent deliveries.Emilio Gay failed to leave Craig Overton in time and edged behind before Jack Brooks’ direct hit from midwicket ran out Ricardo Vasconcelos and Curran felt at one from Josh Davey that held its line and was taken at third slip.Davey then sent one jagging back at Rob Keogh who was lbw offering no stroke and Brooks’ movement away from the righter hander pinned Charlie Thurston on the boot.There was no let up. Bounce from first Craig then Jamie Overton had Adam Rossington and Gareth Berg caught behind the wicket and a Davey inswinger beat Procter’s inside edge to win another lbw. Davey finished with 3 for 23.Until then, they day had begun to provide an answer to a burning question about Ben Sanderson. Only two bowlers have taken more County Championship wickets than Sanderson since 2016 but the men ahead of him have claimed the majority of theirs in Division One, leaving one wondering how Sanderson might fare against seemingly superior batsmen. He provided an early indication as he took 5 for 28.Somerset might not present the most solid order in the country – only two sides in Division One earned fewer batting points last season and Glamorgan had them 149 for 8 in the first innings last week – but this is still a line-up that almost won the Championship. Therefore Sanderson’s 13th first-class five-wicket haul takes on greater significance.He began with a nip-backer that took Lammonby’s off stump as he shouldered arms and removed another left-hander in the over before lunch as Steve Davies drove loosely to be bowled.After the break, he called Rossington to stand up for James Hildreth. The plan worked within two balls as Hildreth feathered a length delivery. Craig Overton, having struck three boundaries, then nicked one that held its line to fourth slip and Jamie Overton looped a full ball to mid-off from a leading edge as he looked to work to leg.Sanderson had a fresh new-ball partner in Brandon Glover. There are few for whom lockdown was a blessing but Glover is perhaps one of them. The enforced delay to his Northants debut allowed him extended recovery time from the ankle injury with which he arrived in the UK. Fully fit and with hunger to impress no doubt having grown, he enjoyed an excellent first outing for his new team, taking 2 for 49.It took Glover nine balls to strike but he had Eddie Byrom to thank for his maiden Northants wicket as the left-hander slashed at a wide length ball, feet cemented in his pre-delivery stance, and edged to Rossington. He second, nine balls later, was not exactly by design either as Tom Abell was strangled down the leg side.They were about to be embarrassed at 114 for 9 before Brooks, back at the club where he started his career, three times carved boundaries over the slips in a merry 36. And by day’s end it was cheers all round for the West Countrymen, who held a commanding position.

An impressive bowling performance on an oppressively hot day meant New Zealand didn’t have enough runs to play with on a good batting surface

Daniel Brettig at Junction Oval03-Mar-2019Australia shrugged off New Zealand and enervating heat to complete a 3-0 sweep of the Rose Bowl ODI series with a consummate team display in front of 1725 spectators at Junction Oval on Sunday.The legspinner Georgia Wareham’s two wickets in consecutive balls to break a strong opening stand by the visitors and slow the run rate was a pivotal moment on a day where the captain Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy and Ellyse Perry all contributed useful runs to a comfortable chase.They were able to cruise home with 2.1 overs to spare due to an even and committed bowling display in the harshest of the day’s 36C heat, before afternoon clouds and a brief rain break provided some respite for players on both sides.Apart from Wareham, Ashleigh Gardner, Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen and Perry all put in parsimonious spells, meaning that Lauren Cheatle’s relatively expensive four overs for 23 were not particularly damaging to the Australian cause.By contrast, New Zealand were left to ponder numerous ill-timed dismissals, not least the run out of the captain Amy Satterthwaite just as she appeared set to take control of the final overs and lift the tourists to a tally beyond the 250 mark.Satterthwaite had won the toss and batted first in her team’s effort to avoid a 3-0 series margin, having won the Governor General’s match at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney on Thursday. New Zealand’s early progress was serene, as Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine put on 70 at close to five per over.However, the introduction of Wareham, a burgeoning force as a wristspinner following her selection in last year’s T20 World Cup winning squad in the Caribbean, brought the wickets that left Satterthwaite’s team playing catch-up for the rest of the day.Bates tugged the last ball of the 17th over to Perry at midwicket for the first wicket of the day, and from the first ball of Wareham’s next over Lauren Down was flummoxed by a leg break that held up off the pitch and induced a leading edge. Perry, sprinting in from her midwicket position, dived forward to complete a stunning catch.Wickets followed regularly thereafter, leaving Satterthwaite and her team hoping for early breakthroughs in defending a target that looked well below the sort of level required by a flat pitch and fast outfield at the Junction.Instead, the Australians put together a pursuit that was impressive in its consistency and partnerships, even if no member of the top five progressed beyond Perry’s unbeaten 54. Haynes and Healy ensured the run rate would never be an issue by rattling to 84 for the first wicket, and after Healy’s exit Perry and Lanning put together a steadying 62.When Lanning was taken by Satterthwaite at mid-off, Beth Mooney joined Perry to hunt down up the remainder of the target, bringing the Australian international season to an end and also allowing Healy to be presented with the ICC trophy as the world’s best T20 performer of 2018 – yet another garland in a summer of plenty.

The two bowlers claimed five wickets between them to derail Dhaka Dynamites’ chase of 168

The Report by Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Excellent end-overs bowling from Dwayne Bravo and Mohammad Saifuddin ensured Comilla Victorians jumped back to the top of the table with a 12-run win over Dhaka Dynamites in the last match of the season in Chittagong.Saifuddin, who had conceded more than 30 runs in an over twice in the last four weeks, held this nerve this time to defend 20 off the final over.Earlier in the evening, Comilla enjoyed a rapid start but Kevon Cooper’s strikes limited them to 167 for 6. Cameos from Kieron Pollard, Mosaddek Hossain, and Jahurul Islam brought Dhaka close but not close enough.The opening salvo
Tamim Iqbal led the way for Comilla again, taking regular trips down the pitch to hit the new ball over the top. He was particularly severe on Abu Hider, taking 16 runs in seven balls. Tamim added 60 for the opening stand with Liton Das before falling 13 short of his third successive fifty in the league.Liton kept the scorecard ticking as well, before he was stumped off Shakib Al Hasan in the 12th over. He had made 34 off 30 balls with three fours.The slowdown
Imrul Kayes struck two fours – both off Mosaddek Hossain in the 11th over – and followed it with a six off Sunil Narine. However, just as he looked to move into a higher gear, he fell for 26, caught at long-on, as he tried to loft Cooper. Marlon Samuels then tried to lift the run-rate, hitting two straight sixes and five fours, but it wasn’t enough.Cooper removed both Samuels and Jos Buttler off successive balls in the 19th over to peg back Comilla.Denly’s one-man show
Evin Lewis fell in the second over of the chase for six – his third single-digit score in this season’s BPL. In the absence of Shahid Afridi, Dhaka were in danger of slowing down in the Powerplay, but Denly provided the thrust. He struck Mahedi for a six in the first over before finding two fours in the fifth over off Hasan Ali. Denly then struck Al-Amin Hossain for fours through cover and straight down the ground but Bravo derailed the chase by dismissing both Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine in the next over.Things got worse for Dhaka when Saifuddin bowled a charging Denly in the 13th over to leave them at 83 for 5.Bravo v Pollard
With the required run-rate soaring, Pollard slammed Al-Amin over his head for a six, leaving his side needing 60 off the last five overs. But Bravo conceded only eight runs in the 16th over and then Pollard and Mosaddek had a horrible mix-up in the following over, resulting in Mosaddek getting stranded in the middle of the pitch.Then Bravo got Pollard to swing one off the hip, but the substitute fielder Solomon Mire took the catch at deep square leg.The Cooper-Bravo collision
Cooper and Bravo collided near the middle of the pitch in the 18th over with Bravo collapsing and Cooper unable to reach the non-striker’s end and getting run out. Tamim, the Comilla captain, immediately asked Cooper to continue batting, to which he initially said no. Tamim asked him again but Cooper denied him a second time.When he stood by the edge of the boundary, the Dhaka coach Khaled Mahmud instructed Cooper to continue, after which he came back to bat. Tamim didn’t have a problem, and told the same to the on-field umpires.Late scare for Comilla
Cooper came back and slammed the last ball of the over for a six over extra cover. In the next over, Jahurul scooped, pulled and square drove Hasan Ali for three fours in a row to bring down the equation to 22 off nine balls. Hasan then gave just one run off the remaining three balls to set things up for Saifuddin to seal victory.

Former England batsman given three-month contract following 15-day stint as coaching consultant during UAE’s 2-1 series victory against Oman in October

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2016Former England batsman Owais Shah has been given a three-month contract as UAE’s interim head coach. The contract follows his 15-day stint as coaching consultant during UAE’s 2-1 series victory against Oman last month, where he is said to have struck a rapport with the players.David East, CEO of the Emirates Cricket Board, said, “We are very pleased to confirm that Owais will continue working with Emirates Cricket as Interim Head Coach for a three-month period. In a short time, Owais has developed a strong rapport with the players and Emirates Cricket support staff, and we expect to see gains, both in development and on the scoreboard, from his involvement as we enter a very busy playing schedule.”The Emirates Cricket Board will look for a full-time replacement for Aaqib Javed who resigned from the post in April this year, ending a three-year stint. Shah, who has business interests outside of cricket, is not seen as a long-term prospect. He came into contention after assisting Paul Franks – another temporary coach – as a batting consultant earlier this year during a UK tour.UAE do not have any international games scheduled during Shah’s contract period, but may face Pakistan A and England Lions.

David Warner, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile will return to the Australian team fold at a Test team training camp in Hurstville after being absent from the squad for the postponed trip to Bangladesh

Daniel Brettig12-Oct-2015David Warner, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile will return to the Australian team fold at a Test team training camp in Hurstville, to Sydney’s south, after being absent from the touring party for the postponed trip to Bangladesh.Vice-captain Warner and the trio of fast men will join 15 others for two days of centre-wicket training and a range of other drills, devised to keep players of national interest in decent trim ahead of a looming Test assignment against New Zealand in November. James Faulkner has also been included in the group after he missed the ODIs in England as the penalty for a drink-driving offence incurred while playing for Lancashire during the northern summer.”Spending some time in England with the moving ball over there in foreign conditions, hopefully can hold my game in good shape,” Faulkner said. “I definitely learned a hell of a lot over there in those conditions. It’s probably a bit different over here, there’s not as much swing, or reverse swing, so we’ll see how we go. I’ll prepare like I normally do and try to get runs and wickets like every other player.”Johnson and Hazlewood had been scratched quite early from plans for Bangladesh as the national selectors and fitness staff had decided they needed something like a full pre-season ahead of the home summer, rather than being tided over from the Ashes to take part in Bangladesh.They were joined on the sidelines by Warner and Coulter-Nile when the duo suffered injuries during Australia’s successful ODI series in England that followed defeat in the Ashes.The selectors and the captain Steven Smith have flagged that the selection for the first match against New Zealand at the Gabba – which starts from November 5 – is likely to result in a team some distance removed from the squad chosen for the subcontinent. However all members of the Bangladesh tour party have been included in the training group.”Different conditions, you’re not going to have two spinners at the Gabba,” the selector Mark Waugh said after the tour was postponed. “So, there are some guys who were picked on that tour who are going to be shuffled down the order a little bit, but you can’t do anything about it.”At least their names are there … they got picked on an Australian tour so they can take comfort from the fact that they’re definitely in the reckoning. The real thing is it’s going to be a different eleven for the first Test in Brisbane to what would have been picked in Bangladesh.”These players include Cameron Bancroft and Joe Burns, thought to be vying for the opening spot vacated by the retired Chris Rogers, plus Andrew Fekete, Steve O’Keefe and Usman Khawaja.Red-ball camp squad: Steve Smith, David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges

Pune Warriors’ IPL 2013 home matches will be held at the stadium at Gahunje on the outskirts of the city it has been confirmed, despite the ongoing dispute between the Sahara Group and the Maharashtra Cricket Association

Amol Karhadkar15-Mar-2013Pune Warriors’ IPL 2013 home matches will be held at the stadium at Gahunje on the outskirts of the city it has been confirmed, despite the ongoing dispute between the Sahara Group – which owns the Warriors franchise – and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) over the title rights of the stadium. The BCCI working committee was informed at a meeting in Mumbai on Friday that the Warriors’ owners and the MCA have agreed to put their legal tussle on hold for the duration of the IPL’s sixth edition, to be played from April 3 to May 26.”Both the parties have agreed to move a joint application to the court saying the blacked out name [of the stadium] be reinstated only from the first till the last day of the IPL. If the dispute isn’t resolved in that window, status quo will be reinstated,” a BCCI insider said. “So the stadium is set to be recognised as the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium during the IPL”.In January, the MCA had terminated its agreement with the Sahara Group regarding the title rights of the stadium for alleged non-payment. Once the MCA covered the name of the stadium with a black cloth, Sahara moved the Bombay High Court alleging unlawful breach of agreement. Since then, there was uncertainty over where Warriors would play their home games.IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla initiated the truce last week, by getting Abhijit Sarkar, director of Sahara Adventure Sports Ltd, and Ajay Shirke, president of the MCA, to discuss the issue. That meeting culminated in both the parties agreeing to commit to a workable arrangement two days ago.The BCCI working committee was also informed that the dispute between the Hyderabad Cricket Association and Visaka Group over in-stadia advertisements at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium had been “amicably” resolved. “Everyone is glad that all the riddles regarding IPL venues are over. Now we are looking forward to the tournament to get underway with a glittering opening ceremony,” the BCCI insider said.At the meeting, the working committee also discussed how the notice from the income tax department regarding an outstanding bill of Rs 2,300 crore (approx USD433m) should be dealt with. Treasurer Ajay Shirke, who was handed the responsibility of coming up with suggestions during the last working committee meeting, on February 4 in Chennai, presented “three options” to the working committee. “It was left to the president [N Srinivasan] and the secretary [Sanjay Jagdale] to finalise the future course of action,” the insider said.

Australia Women retained the Rose Bowl after racing to a nine-wicket win in a low-scorer at Sydney’s Blacktown Park Olympic Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2012
ScorecardAustralia Women retained the Rose Bowl after racing to a nine-wicket win in a low-scorer at Sydney’s Blacktown Park Olympic Oval. Julie Hunter and Ellyse Perry set up the win by taking three wickets apiece to send New Zealand sinking to 125. Leah Poulton and Alex Blackwell then hit brisk fifties to get the job done in just 16.4 overs.It was a virtual final after the first two matches were abandoned. New Zealand failed to counter the swing of Hunter and Perry, struggling to put together solid partnerships after losing the top order early. The sixth-wicket stand of 31 between Liz Perry and Katie Perkins was the highest. Perkins top-scored with 33 off 71 balls.New Zealand had just one success with the ball when Lea Tahuhu dismissed Rachael Haynes for 8. Poulton then smashed 61 off just 53 balls, with nine fours, while Blackwell managed a 40-ball 50. Their 104-run stand came at more than eight an over.