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Fletcher made a career-best 103, sharing solid partnerships with the lower order

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2018Cam Fletcher’s second first-class century, and fifties from Doug Bracewell and Kyle Jamieson, put New Zealand A ahead on the third day of the third unofficial Test against India A, counterbalancing offspinner K Gowtham’s six-for in Whangarei.Fletcher made a career-best 103, sharing solid partnerships with the lower order as New Zealand A were dismissed for 398, with a first innings lead of 75.Resuming the day at 121 for 3, they lost Rachin Ravindra to Gowtham and Tim Seifert – who finished with 86 – to Rajneesh Gurbani, following which Bracewell joined Fletcher at the crease.Bracewell, whose five-for helped clean up India’s tail in the first innings, struck nine fours on his way to his 17th first-class half-century. After Bracewell’s dismissal, Fletcher stitched together a 100-run stand with Jamieson, who brought up his maiden first-class fifty before falling to Gowtham.Gowtham also went on to snare the final three wickets of the innings while finishing with figures of 6 for 139, his sixth first-class five-for.India A went to stumps on 38 for 1, having lost Abhimanyu Easwaran to Bracewell in the seventh over.

The election commission will announce the date for the president’s election after the October 31 election results are announced

Mohammad Isam12-Oct-2017The BCB has announced it will hold its elections on October 31 at its headquarters in Dhaka. The election commission will announce the date for the president’s election after the October 31 election results are announced as the newly-elected directors will vote a president into power.But so far, none of the current board directors or councillors nor anyone from outside the BCB has said he or she is a presidential candidate while Nazmul Hassan, the incumbent president, has said on a number of occasions that he is reluctant to continue as the BCB chief, instead preferring to stay as director.Before the 2013 polls, the Bangladesh government used to select a BCB president. It will be the sixth BCB elections overall having earlier been held in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013. Hassan and most of the board directors were elected unopposed in the last election. Their official term ends on October 17 but they will remain in charge until the new elections are held.Like the last elections, 23 directors will be elected through votes from 172 councillors of various entities from around the country. These include all the divisional and district sports associations, the Dhaka clubs, former cricketers, governmental institutions and education boards. The National Sports Council, the sports regulatory body in Bangladesh, can select two directors. It has been reduced from the three they could choose in the last elections.It was only after the country’s courts gave BCB the legal clarity about its constitution that the elections could be announced. The BPL’s fifth edition will begin four days later in Sylhet, on November 4.The final list of voters will be published on October 17; nomination papers will be available from October 20 and the final list of nominations will be published on October 29. The election results will be announced on November 1.

The case against Scott Kuggeleijn, relating to a rape charge, will have to be re-tried after the jury hearing the case at the Hamilton District Court couldn’t reach a verdict

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016The case against Scott Kuggeleijn, relating to a rape charge, will have to be re-tried after the jury hearing the case at the Hamilton District Court couldn’t reach a verdict. A hung jury was declared today, and the matter will be next called up in the court on September 8, the reported.The charge of rape relates to an incident that occurred on May 17, 2015.Kuggeleijn, 24, an allrounder, plays for Northern Districts in New Zealand’s domestic circuit and is the son of former New Zealand Test cricketer Chris Kuggeleijn. He was named Northern Districts’ Player of the Year and Bowler of the Year at the association’s annual awards for 2014-15 season. In the 2015-16 season, Kuggeleijn finished third on the first-class Plunket Shield’s wickets chart overall with 38 wickets at 25.81.Northern Districts acknowledged the outcome of the trial in a statement. Chief executive Peter Roach said: “We fully respect the integrity of the court process. As such, we will refrain from commenting until the case has been concluded.”

Luke Wright smashed an amazing century to guide Sussex to an astonishing three-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Gloucestershire at Bristol as 34 came off the penultimate over begun – but not finished – by James Fuller

ECB/PA26-Jun-2015Sussex 188 for 7 (Wright 111*) beat Gloucestershire 185 for 4 (Klinger 61, Marshall 37) by 3 wickets
ScorecardLuke Wright once again starred on England’s T20 stage•Getty Images

Luke Wright smashed an amazing century to guide Sussex to an astonishing three-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Gloucestershire at Bristol as he once again underlined his status as one of domestic cricket’s finest T20 stars.With just two overs remaining, the visitors still required 43 to overtake Gloucestershire’s 185 for 4. But the 19th over, bowled – initially at least – by James Fuller saw the game turned on its head as 34 runs were added.Wright hit four sixes off it, the last after Fuller had been ordered out of the attack for two no-balled full tosses and Craig Miles was forced to bowl the final delivery.That left only nine needed from the final over, sent down by off-spinner Jack Taylor, and two more Wright boundaries sealed a sensational victory with a ball to spare.

Insights

Gloucestershire are proving to be a strong and well-rounded team this season and they should continue to challenge for a quarter-final place despite this defeat. However, they arguably lost this match, and may lose similar matches in the future, because they lack an international quality, standout player, be that with bat or ball, but especially ball. Of their starting XI, only Hamish Marshall and Geraint Jones have played international cricket, and neither have done so for almost a decade. The likes of James Fuller can’t be relied upon to close out matches.

Wright finished unbeaten on 111, having played virtually a lone hand with the bat for his side. He had cracked 7 fours and 8 sixes in facing just 56 deliveries.”I’m especially delighted being skipper this season,” Wright said. “When I took that role on I always thought the best way I could lead was with performances like that. I changed my bat for a bit of luck, they started to miss their lengths and I finally managed to get a few out of the middle.”With ten overs left I felt we had too much to do because they were bowling so well. But in the end the kept putting the ball in my area and it was a very special night for me. We chased down 220 in 19 overs in a remarkable game against Essex last year, but in terms of the game’s importance against a side close to us in the table, this was even more special.”Gloucestershire’s captain Michael Klinger said: “It was a crushing defeat for us in the circumstances, but all the credit must go to Luke Wright for a fantastic innings. James Fuller had a plan for bowling to him in the penultimate over and simply couldn’t execute it.”Earlier, Klinger had taken his NatWest T20 Blast run tally for the season to 518 in just seven innings as Gloucestershire posted what looked a winning score only for Klinger, outstanding all season, to be denied once again.After a delayed start until 6pm, the Australian shared an opening stand of 88 in 10.4 overs with Hamish Marshall (37) after winning the toss.Marshall, returning after a calf injury, lost nothing in comparison with his captain, scoring his runs off 27 balls, with 4 fours and a six, before being caught at mid-on attempting to pull a ball from Tymal Mills.Ian Cockbain, also enjoying an excellent run in the competition, then joined Klinger, who reached a 41-ball half-century, with 4 fours and a six.The pair added 42 in four overs, taking unusually heavy toll on Michael Yardy, whose three overs cost 41, before Klinger skied a catch to wicketkeeper Craig Cachopa attempting a big hit off Chris Liddle. Cockbain hit three sixes in moving to 30 off 16 balls. And after he was bowled off an inside edge by Mills, Benny Howell and Geraint Jones ensured Gloucestershire of a competitive total.The Sussex response got off to a poor start when Chris Nash, having hit the first ball of the innings for four, fell lbw to James Fuller two deliveries later.It was 13 for two when Matt Machan got a leading edge to Klinger at cover in Fuller’s next over and 51 for three when Craig Cachopa fell for 18, caught at long-off to give left-arm spinner Tom Smith his 17th wicket in South Group matches.Despite Wright’s best efforts, Sussex were only 67 for three at the halfway stage of their innings. And when George Bailey smacked a Benny Howell full toss straight to Marshall at deep mid-wicket their chance looked to have gone. When Smith struck again to have Harry Finch stumped the asking rate was already above 13 an over.Two Wright sixes saw 21 come off the 17th over from Kieran Noema-Barnett, but Taylor conceded only five off the next and Gloucestershire seemed as good as home. Wright had other ideas as a woeful over from Fuller changed the course of the match

A half-century from Ricky Ponting and a hat-trick from Xavier Doherty helped the Hobart Hurricanes to a comfortable 30-run win over the Sydney Thunder

Alex Malcolm23-Dec-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRicky Ponting backed up his half-century with a wicket off the one over he bowled•Getty Images

A half-century from Ricky Ponting and a hat-trick from spinner Xavier Doherty helped the Hobart Hurricanes to a comfortable 30-run win over the Sydney Thunder.It was so comfortably, in fact, that Ponting was afforded an over of offspin late in the run chase, and he even claimed the wicket of Scott Coyte, but it was his return to form with the bat that was both eye-catching and significant to his team’s cause.Ponting showed glimpses in his previous innings against the Renegades and again took his time settling after Hobart was sent in on a good Bellerive surface. Ponting and Tim Paine rolled along at only a run-a-ball through the first seven overs. There were crisp strokes mixed with a lot of dot balls, as Ponting lofted Coyte majestically over the cover fence in the fifth over and Paine smeared Azhar Mahmood into the midwicket stands in the next over. Between times they found the fielders more often than the gaps.But debutant Simon Keen’s introduction triggered Ponting to shift gears. He nearly cleared the cover rope for a second time before backing away a cracking a bullet-like square-drive backward of point for consecutive boundaries. Ponting then took to Mahmood with a well-struck straight drive for four, a neatly placed flick to the fine-leg rope, and a brutal front foot pull that was hit frightfully hard over the midwicket fence to bring up his fifty.Chris Gayle eventually knocked him over but applauded him for a wonderful hand. That sparked a mini-collapse for the Hurricanes. Paine, Travis Birt, and Aiden Blizzard all fell in quick succession to 20-year-old legspinner Adam Zampa who bowled impressively. But the experience of Owais Shah and George Bailey came to the fore, showing the depth of the Hurricanes line-up. They clubbed 54 from the last 26 balls of the innings to raise the total to 4 for 177.The Thunder’s chase started brightly on the back of the powerful pairing of Gayle and Mark Cosgrove. But when they fell in consecutive overs before the total reached 36, the Thunder’s lack of depth was severely exposed. The required rate rose significantly with each passing over as Chris Rogers and Mahmood struggled to find the boundary. Both men fell for ineffective scores of 24 and 23 respectively, before Doherty delivered the knockout blows in the 17th over. His hat-trick was born more of desperate batting than classic spin bowling. But he did beat both Keen and Ryan Carters in flight before trapping Cameron Borgas lbw sweeping, although the ball looked to be spinning well wide of off stump.Bailey had a sense theatre and gave Ponting an over to please a fervent home crowd. Coyte holed out to deep midwicket to wild cheers. They thought their home-grown hero had two when Paine, and the square-leg umpire, believed Zampa was stumped, but he was recalled when replays showed part of his backfoot was grounded behind the line.The Thunder remain winless after four matches, while the Hurricanes rise to fourth in the standings and keep themselves in the hunt for a semi-final berth.

Ed Cowan has reiterated Australia’s calls for a uniform approach to the Decision Review System on a day when he and Michael Hussey fell to decisions that would have been overturned had they been reviewed

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG26-Dec-2011Ed Cowan has reiterated Australia’s calls for a uniform approach to the Decision Review System on a day when he and Michael Hussey fell to decisions that would have been overturned had they been reviewed. As a Test debutant at the age of 29, Cowan has spent longer than most men watching the game from the outside, and he believes the ICC should take the lead on the DRS.Cowan’s call came after Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, had said before the match that he wanted consistency from the DRS, which the ICC mandated in Tests and ODIs earlier this year only to reverse the decision three months later. The BCCI’s opposition to review technology meant that under the new rules, in which both boards must agree for the DRS to be used, the system was always going to be absent from this series.Hussey was especially unfortunate to be given out first ball when umpire Marais Erasmus adjudged him caught behind, and replays showed Zaheer Khan’s bouncer had clearly come off Hussey’s sleeve. Later, Ian Gould gave Cowan out caught behind off R Ashwin, although Hot Spot showed no contact, and the batsman appeared to be surprised at the decision.When asked if he hit the ball, Cowan said, “I was disappointed to get out, it was a bit of a lazy shot … You saw the replays, you saw my reaction, you can join the dots I guess. With the DRS, I’m an interesting perspective because I’ve been a consumer of the game for so long; this is day one on the job for me.”So as someone who loves his cricket and has watched a lot of cricket, I just don’t understand why it can’t be handed down by the ICC to be uniform in all games. And that’s me speaking as an outsider, not as someone who has been in the bubble for a long time. It is an interesting one, we’ll see how it pans out, I’m sure it’ll even itself out over the course of the series.”Michael Hussey lasted one ball without the DRS•AFP

Ricky Ponting, speaking to ABC radio, also called for uniformity. “I thought it was compulsory in every series we are going to play, but apparently not. As players you want uniformity around the world and consistency in the technology and things that you are using in the game. And it’s just this one series against India that keeps poping up where we are not using the system. As players that’s what we are after”Those two dismissals, which took Australia from 4 for 205 to 6 for 214, gave India the advantage in the final session, although resistance from Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle later eased concerns for the hosts. Cowan said the loss of Hussey for a golden duck straight after the departure of Michael Clarke was pivotal in the day’s play.”It was a massive moment in the game, a huge moment,” he said. “We’d just had a 100-run partnership [between Cowan and Ricky Ponting], wrestled back the momentum, almost a 50-run partnership [Cowan and Clarke]. We felt we were half an hour away from really nailing them, grinding them into the dust. We get through that Zaheer spell unscathed and it is a completely different complexion to the day’s play.”It’s not an issue of DRS. It doesn’t matter what cricket you play in, umpiring decisions always change momentum in the game. It doesn’t matter whether it is an MCG Test match or me playing club cricket, that’s the game – we all accept that. Today momentum went against us because of it, two of your top six, but that’s the game and we’ll take the good with the bad.”This series is the first time Australia have played Tests without the DRS since their last battle with India, away from home late last year. And while the decisions went against Australia today, Cowan said their final position was a good result at the end of a day on which batsmen had to knuckle down.”I thought it was a really great day’s cricket,” Cowan said. “The bat had its moments, the ball had its moments, a good cricket wicket. If you bent your back and put it in a good spot you got something out of it. There was turn, there was bounce, but if you were good enough to play your shots, you could score runs. So it was great to see a good cricket wicket on day one. They bowled really well in patches. I thought we batted really well in patches and I think we’ve got our noses ahead.”That position came largely thanks to Cowan’s level-headed innings of 68 on debut, an effort that showed the value of developing his technique on a difficult, green Hobart pitch over the past few seasons. He faced the first ball of the Test and while wickets fell at the other end, he stayed calm, a result of what he described as a lack of jitters.”I was strangely not nervous, I can’t explain why,” Cowan said. “I was a little anxious when we won the toss and batted, but no more than we would’ve been if I was playing state cricket for Tasmania at Bellerive.”Those nerves of wanting to contribute for the team upfront, it is my job to set the game up. I should’ve been a lot more nervous. I had to keep pinching myself to think, ‘mate you should be more nervous here, more anxious’, but being relaxed really helped me through it and it felt like another bat-on-ball contest.”

In an unprecedented move, the West Indies Cricket board (WICB) has awarded central retainer contracts to six of its women cricketers for the period October 2010 to September 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2010In an unprecedented move, the West Indies Cricket board (WICB) has awarded central retainer contracts to six of its women cricketers for the period October 2010 to September 2011.”The board of directors took a decision that the WICB must commit to ensuring that our women players have a level of personal security which will assist as they continue their climb to the top of world cricket,” said Ernest Hilaire, WICB CEO. “This is an exciting period of revitalisation of women’s cricket and we see the awarding of central retainer contracts to these six outstanding players as another positive step in the development of West Indies women’s cricket.”Allrounder Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, who was the first woman to score an international Twenty20 hundred, have been awarded Grade A contracts. West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira, offspinner Anisa Mohammed, and allrounders Stacy-Ann King and Shanel Daley have been awarded Grade B contracts.”The granting of these six retainer contracts represents a start and we are hoping to expand the programme in coming years. This is a tangible commitment to the players that the WICB is very serious about women’s cricket and its development in the region,” added Hilaire. “We have re-activated the women’s cricket programme in a serious way and we have been working steadily to ensure that our women’s team play more cricket on international tours.”The players have repaid the investment of the WICB thus far by showing that they are determined and committed to realising their goal of making the West Indies women’s team the best in the world,” Hilaire said.West Indies have enjoyed a successful run in recent times – they won the inaugural ICC Women’s Challenge Twenty20 tournament and finished runners-up in the 50-over format in South Africa in October. Their next campaign is a tour of India in January where they play five ODIs and three Twenty20s.Speaking on Wednesday Aguilleira, Dottin and Taylor expressed their excitement at the contracts. “It was a great birthday gift for me,” said Aguillera, who is captain of the national side and received the news of her central retainer on her 25th birthday. “When I got the news I was on my way to training and I was very happy. I went to the training field thinking I now have to dig deeper and deliver even more for the team.”I can now dedicate even more time to training and there is less stress about financial worries,” she added. “This is a major step forward for women’s cricket in the West Indies and a major investment in the development of the young females across the Caribbean. It is also a major step forward for women’s cricket on the world stage.””It is great to see the WICB is looking out for the girls,” added the 19 year-old Dottin, who is a multi-talented sportswoman, having represented Barbados at cricket, football and athletics. “We work so hard and we are pleased with this show of support. On behalf of everyone I would like to say thanks for looking out for us. I promise we will continue to do West Indies proud.””This is a major step and I’m really excited,” agreed Taylor, who is in the top 10 batters and top five allrounders in women’s ODIs and was nominated for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award earlier this year. “Before I didn’t have a job, I was going to school, so this is my first profession, as a cricketer. The work has now started.”I have to work doubly hard as I did before and look to bring greater reward to West Indies cricket. A lot will be expected of us as players on and off the field and I have to lead by example. As players we have been working hard and now we have to double up and lift West Indies cricket closer to the top.”

Alex Brown previews the first Test match of 2010

The Preview by Alex Brown02-Jan-2010

Match facts

January 3-7, 2010
Start time 10.30am (23.30 GMT)

Big picture

Danish Kaneria is set to return, and his record has surprised the opposing captain•Getty Images

Pakistan’s plans for a positive start to 2010 were dealt a withering blow with the news Mohammad Aamer, by far his team’s best bowler in Melbourne, has been ruled out of the Sydney Test with a groin injury. Following a disastrous 2009 campaign, during which they were cast as cricketing nomads after being stripped of host venue status, Pakistan’s hopes for a resurgent year have encountered trouble at the first hurdle with the loss of their most penetrative bowler.The SCG was the site of Pakistan’s last victory over Australia 15 years ago, and the expected reintroductions of Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul into the attack should provide them with added pep. But the likelihood of three bowling changes from the Boxing Day Test will do little for team stability, although that is hardly a new concept to a Pakistani team well accustomed to tumult.Australia, meanwhile, produced one of their finest all-round displays in the post-Warne/McGrath era in Melbourne and will be looking for a repeat performance. The evolution of Shane Watson and Simon Katich as a potent opening combination, the maturation of Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger in their respective old- and new-ball roles and the rise of Nathan Hauritz auger well for a new decade and the varied
challenges it will bring.The hosts’ primary concern surrounds the fitness of Katich, who is nursing an elbow injury. Phillip Hughes was on Saturday called into the squad as cover, however Katich’s notoriously high pain threshold has him favoured to resume his place alongside Watson at the top of the order.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia – WWDWL
Pakistan – LDWLD

Watch out for…

Mitchell Johnson found his groove as a first-change specialist towards the end of a tumultuous 2009 campaign. His pace, bounce and reverse swing with the old ball at the MCG proved harassing for Pakistan’s batsmen, and served as the perfect foil for fast bowling counterparts Bollinger and Peter Siddle. The recognition may have gone the way of Hauritz following his maiden five-wicket haul, but Johnson’s match figures of 6 for 82 from 40 overs were the most prolific and economical of the Australian attack.Danish Kaneria proved his workman-like qualities with his first visit to the SCG, claiming 7 for 188 from 49.3 challenging overs in the first innings against a rampant Australian batting line-up. Now recovered from the finger injury that ruled him out of the Melbourne Test, Kaneria is set to join forces with Ajmal in a twin-spin attack on Australia’s most famous
turning surface. The younger contingent of Australia’s modern day batting line-up have had little exposure to quality legspin, possibly providing Kaneria with an early advantage.Ricky Ponting was surprised by Kaneria’s record when he checked it out last week. “He’s a very good bowler but I saw his record come up against some of the great spinners of the last 10 years and it stacks up very well against the best of them,” he said. “His record is actually better than Abdul Qadir and everyone knows how highly regarded he was. We have played him here before and he has bowled well.”

Team news

Katich’s elbow problem was deemed serious enough for Hughes to be hauled in from state duty, with a decision to be made shortly before the coin toss. Ponting (elbow) and Hauritz (groin) are carrying niggles, however the fact selectors opted against naming shadow players indicates those two will play. Marcus North appears the only member of the starting XI under pressure with three single-figure dismissals this summer to balance out two half-centuries. The final two Tests against Pakistan will provide a strong
indicator as to whether he will be retained for this year’s Ashes series.Australia: (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Doug Bollinger.The loss of Aamer just days after he became the youngest fast bowler in Test history to claim a five-wicket haul has forced the selectors into yet another change to the bowling line-up. Gul had already been expected to replace the out-of-sorts Abdur Rauf, and a fit-again Kaneria tipped to replace Saeed Ajmal. It now appears Mohammad Sami will slot in for Aamer, potentially leaving Mohammad Asif as the only surviving member of the Pakistan bowling attack from last week’s Boxing Day Test.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Faisal Iqbal, 4 Mohammad Yousuf (capt), 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Danish Kaneria

Pitch and conditions

The SCG pitch has worn many faces this year – from the slow, low track of the NSW-Tasmania Sheffield Shield game to the hard, seaming deck of the NSW-Victoria one-dayer. Tom Parker, the SCG curator, is hoping for something in between, but believes recent rain in Sydney will provide the fast bowlers with assistance. Indeed, the pitch had a distinct green tinge two days
before the coin toss, save for a bare patch two-thirds of the way down the strip. Just whether that will prove helpful for the spinners remains to be seen. Further rain on Saturday added to the groundstaff’s worries.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s 170-run victory at the MCG was their tenth consecutive Test win against Pakistan. Pakistan’s last success over Australia in the Test arena came at the SCG in 1995, albeit in the final match of a series the hosts had already won.
• Pakistan closed out a difficult 2009 campaign with a Test record of one win, four losses and four draws. Australia’s record for the corresponding period was seven wins, three losses and three draws; a marked improvement on their 5-5-4 record from the previous year.
• Katich and Watson have amassed 856 runs for the first wicket in just seven Tests as Australia’s opening combination, including three century and as many half-century stands. Their partnership average of 71.33 trails only Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe among opening partnerships with ten or more innings together.

Quotes

“We know what to expect from them, we know they have some very talented players. Last week we had their measure, up to us to make sure we start well again.”
“We’re feeling good. There is no disappointment at all. I told the team, ‘OK we lost but it doesn’t matter. Don’t let it get you down, learn from the mistakes you made’. There is still a lot of cricket to look forward to.”

Short, Shepherd, and Rauf starred as Orcas slipped to their fifth straight loss

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025San Francisco Unicorns became the first team to advance to the playoffs of the MLC 2025, beating Seattle Orcas by 32 runs in Dallas on Wednesday night. They remain unbeaten in this competition, having won all six matches so far and also strengthened their position at the top of the points table. Orcas suffered their fifth straight defeat this season and continue to sit at the bottom.Captain Matthew Short and Romario Shepherd’s all-round heroics along with Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul were the highlights for Unicorns on a day when they had to win mini-battles.Asked to bat first, Unicorns lost Finn Allen in the second over. But Jake Fraser-McGurk and Short put on a 68-run second-wicket stand that not only steadied the innings but also provided them momentum. McGurk fell for a well-made 21-ball 34 in the eighth over to left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and this triggered a collapse as Unicorns slipped from 86 for 1 to 103 for 6. Short, who smashed seven fours and two sixes in his 29-ball stay, departed for 52 when Harmeet dismissed him and Hassan Khan in the same over.Shepherd then blasted four sixes and four fours in his 56 off 31 balls, lifting Unicorns to a competitive 176 for 8. Gerald Coetzee also chipped in with 3 for 34, including key middle-order wickets. However, this late onslaught proved more than enough with the Orcas once again denied a maiden win despite a bright start to the chase.Orcas picked up 29 runs in the first two overs, thanks to Shayan Jahangir, who looked impressive throughout his knock. He played a range of eye-catching shots to score 40 off just 22 balls. However, Shepherd provided the breakthrough by dismissing Jahangir in the seventh over.In the following over, Short struck twice, removing both David Warner and Kyle Mayers. Orcas never recovered from these early setbacks and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Shimron Hetmyer and Sujit Nayak attempted to rebuild the innings, but only briefly. Rauf, who had earlier dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, wrapped up the innings by removing Coetzee and Hetmyer in the 16th over and Cameron Gannon in the 18th, finishing with figures of 4 for 32.

After 15 wickets fell on day one, the teams were not able to take the field in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam07-Dec-20231:27

Explainer: Mushfiqur Rahim’s obstructing the field dismissal

Rain prevented any play from happening on the second day of the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Mirpur. The day was abandoned at 1:55pm local time.The rain had begun early on Thursday morning and continued through the day. The umpires inspected the conditions a few times, with the last one at 1.00 pm, after which the rain intensified and forced the abandonment.However, given the pace at which the Test progressed on day one, there is still plenty of time for a result. Bangladesh were bowled out for 172 on the first day with New Zealand’s spinners picking up eight of the ten wickets. Tim Southee took one, while Mushfiqur Rahim became the first Bangladesh batter to be given out for obstructing the field. His dismissal would have been a bigger talking point for the hosts had their spinners not reduced New Zealand to 55 for 5 when bad light ended play.Bangladesh are still 117 runs ahead in the first innings, and are pushing for their maiden Test series victory against New Zealand, after winning the first match by 150 runs.Play is scheduled to start at 9.15 am local time on day three in Mirpur, with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled.