The left-arm spin-bowling allrounder is a like-for-like replacement for the suspended Ravindra Jadeja
ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2017
Axar Patel was India A’s second-highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded tri-series in South Africa•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
India have brought in left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Axar Patel for the Pallekele Test, as a replacement for the suspended Ravindra Jadeja. He will be the third spinner in the squad behind offspinner R Ashwin and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.Axar is yet to make his debut in Test cricket, but has played 30 ODIs and seven T20 internationals. He has played 23 first-class matches and taken 79 wickets at 30.37. He has just finished playing the 50-over tri-series in South Africa with India A. He finished the team’s third-highest wicket-taker in the series with seven wickets in four games and an economy rate of 4.11.Jadeja was suspended at the end of the second Test for disciplinary issues; following an incident where he threw the ball at batsman Malinda Pushpakumara “in a dangerous manner” according to the on-field umpires. He was given three demerit points, taking his total to six demerit points inside a 24-month period which triggered a one-Test suspension. Incidentally, he was the Man of the Match in that Test for his his unbeaten 70 off 85 balls and second-innings five-for, following which he moved to No. 1 on the Test allrounder rankings, to go with his No. 1 rating among Test bowlers.The Pallekele Test begins on August 12. India have already won the three-match series, with victories in Galle and at the SSC.Updated India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund
Half-centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan buoyed Bangladesh after Umesh Yadav made light work of the top order
The Report by Deivarayan Muthu11-Feb-2017 Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:02
Kalra: Shakib snatched the momentum away from India
India made light work of the Bangladesh top order before fifties from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz hauled the visitors to 322 for 6 in reply to India’s 687. Bangladesh’s most experienced batsmen, Shakib and Mushfiqur, sparked the resistance with a 107-run partnership off 165 balls. Mushfiqur and the 19-year-old Mehedi, who scored his maiden half-century, then saw off the second new ball and stubbornly played out a wicketless post-tea session.Glaring errors on the first two days had put Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping and captaincy in the spotlight. On the third afternoon, his running was in the spotlight, and he was frequently caught ball-watching early in his innings, but he overcame it to progress to an unbeaten 81.When Shakib danced out and drilled R Ashwin to mid-off in the 50th over, Mushfiqur was late to respond to his partner’s call for a single. Ravindra Jadeja hunted the ball down and speared it to Wriddhiman Saha, who broke the bails. Mushfiqur had brought out a desperate full-length dive, but his bat had popped up in the air momentarily. The shoulder of the bat was seemingly on the line when the bail came off the groove. Chris Gaffney, the TV umpire, ultimately gave Mushfiqur the benefit of the doubt. He was on 18 at that point.Mushfiqur then accumulated with sweeps while Shakib reached his maiden Test half-century against India off 69 balls. The scorecard will tell you Shakib hit 14 boundaries, but it was a chancy innings throughout. He repeatedly drove away from the body against the seamers and often drove out of the footmarks against the spinners. The century stand ended when Shakib skipped out and heedlessly dragged a catch against the spin to mid-on.It was a repeat of his fateful shot against Mitchell Santner on the fifth day in Wellington in January when the Test was on the line. This time he gave Ashwin his 249th wicket in Tests. He was kept waiting for the 250th.Mushfiqur Rahim brought out a variety of sweeps against the spinners•AFP
A sure-footed Mehedi took over from Shakib and ably complemented Mushfiqur’s patience. Mehedi claimed 51 of the unbroken 87-run stand for the seventh wicket after Jadeja had removed Sabbir Rahman ten minutes before tea.Mehedi dared to club Ashwin over midwicket and even picked a carrom ball and drove it exquisitely through cover. He got to his fifty when he late-cut Ashwin for four in the penultimate over of the day. In the last over, Mushfiqur became the fourth Bangladesh player, after Habibul Bashar, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan, to reach 3000 runs in Test cricket.Things weren’t as rosy for Bangladesh in the morning session. Tamim fell in the third over of the day, taking on Umesh’s arm from the deep. A mix-up resulted in both Tamim and Mominul Haque stopping near the middle of the pitch while running a second. Umesh swooped in from long leg, attacked the ball, and fired a throw to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the bowler, who collected and under-armed adroitly onto the stumps.In addition to being uncertain while running between the wickets, Mominul was uncertain outside his off stump. Virat Kohli reinforced the slip cordon and even posted a silly mid-on to apply more pressure. Mominul’s tentative stay ended on 12 when Umesh trapped him in front with reverse-swing.Mahmudullah survived a tight lbw call on 6 off Bhuvneshwar with India’s review of Joel Wilson’s on-field not-out decision returning umpire’s call on leg stump. He managed to regroup to put on 45 with Shakib before Ishant Sharma had him lbw with an inswinger for 28. This time Wilson raised his finger, and Mahmudullah coaxed Shakib and reviewed only for ball-tracking to suggest it would have grazed leg stump.
Middlesex revived their T20 hopes with a 16-run defeat of Kent Spitfires at Richmond as their captain Brendon McCullum provided runs to go with his inspirational qualities to once again fill their season with optimism.McCullum’s captain’s innings of 88 in 51 balls – his first major knock of the season – looked set to be the launchpad for a formidable total but Calum Haggett’s 3-27, and a Matt Coles’ hat-trick, restricted the hosts to 179 for 8. However, Kent started poorly and while half-centuries from Sam Northeast and James Neesham kept them in the hunt the rate climbed steadily. With wickets falling too they fell to their third defeat of the competition.Victory will be a boon, too, for their coach Dan Vettori, one of only two specialist T20 coaches in the competition, after a sluggish start to the season.Steve Finn, Middlesex’s England fast bowler, was bullish about their chances after McCullum had led them to victory. “It was an exceptional innings and great to watch,” he said. “He hit so cleanly. Everyone is happy in the dressing room right now. We have an exceptional top order.”This is the strongest team I have played in since since making the final in 2008. We’ve been found wanting in T20 since so it is important we have put this structure into place, We are still getting to know the coaches and captain anf haven’t fired consistently as a team yet, but we don’t want to peak too early.”Put into bat on a greenish pitch, Middlesex began with alacrity, but also with the benefit of fortune. Matt Coles surprised McCullum when the Kiwi was on six but though the ball popped up temptingly it fell between fielders. McCullum had scored another 11 when he drove the same bowler to Northeast at cover only for his Kent counterpart to drop him. On both occasions, to Coles’ chagrin, the next ball was smacked for four.With McCullum reaching his 50 in the ninth over, and the opening partnership into the 80s, 200-plus beckoned. Even after England call-up Dawid Malan, having pulled Coles for six into the food tents, gloved the next ball to depart for 33 it was 125 for 1 after 13. But James Tredwell (1-22) and Haggett staunched the flow of runs.Frustrated, McCallum played one bold shot too many, bowled trying to ramp, and a clatter of wickets ensued. Morgan followed successive sixes by holing out then Coles took a last-over hat-trick completed by bowling Tim Southee first ball.Southee fared better with ball in hand, having Daniel Bell-Drummond leg before to the opener’s first ball. The in-form Joe Denly, having survived a very sharp chance to McCullum, then edged Finn to leave Kent 2-2. Sam Billings soon followed but Northeast and Neesham, running excellently for a pair only recently acquainted, and finding hitherto unseen gaps in this small outground, added 75 in nine overs. However, boundaries were sporadic and by the time Northeast skied the rate had crept above 11-an-over.Darren Stevens quickly followed but Kent have a long battery of hitters. Blake joined Neesham and it came down to 38 off three overs, then 29 off two, but when that pair perished the game was done.
England Lions captain Keaton Jennings began to put a lean run behind him with 87 in Bristol
ECB Reporters Network22-Apr-2017 ScorecardKeaton Jennings got his season together in Bristol•Getty Images
Keaton Jennings gave the England selectors a timely nudge as Durham enjoyed the upper hand against Gloucestershire on the second day of the Specsavers County Championship Division Two match at Bristol.Although he missed out on a second successive hundred, the left-handed opener top-scored with 87 as Durham, replying to the home side’s first-innings 303, reached the close on 270-4.Gloucestershire’s bowlers staged a mini-revival in the final session, but the visitors trail by 33 runs and, with ? wickets in hand, are still handily-placed to forge a meaningful lead lead and apply pressure on the third day.In need of reassurance in the wake of heavy defeat at the hands of Nottinghamshire, Durham’s top-order batting restored lost pride against a Gloucestershire attack that lacked penetration on an essentially true pitch.Eager to further press his international credentials after registering a hundred on debut for England against India in the fourth Test in Mumbai in December, Jennings took centre stage, sharing in a progressive opening stand of 114 in 32.3 overs with Stephen Cook.South Africa opener Cook appeared supremely secure in raising 50 from 80 balls and a hundred appeared to be his for the taking when he inexplicably lost concentration and, pursuing a delivery outside off stump from Chris Liddle, edged to Cameron Bancroft at first slip.Demonstrating sound temperament and technique, Jennings carried on regardless, ruthlessly exploiting Greame van Buuren’s slow left arm spin and punishing anything short or wide from seam bowlers who lacked consistency.Intent upon earning a place in the England squad for this summer’s Test series against South Africa, the 24-year-old has improved his defensive game, and it came as a surprise when he succumbed 13 runs short of what would have been his second hundred of the season.Last year’s top run-scorer in Championship cricket and the Cricket Writers Club’s player of 2016 was undone by a Liddle delivery that left him and was held by wicketkeeper and former Durham team-mate Phil Mustard via the finest of thin edges. He may have missed out on three figures, but his early-season form will surely not go unnoticed at Lord’s.Losing their momentum thereafter, Durham slipped from the giddy heights of 183-1 to 214-4, Graham Clark and Cameron Steel falling to Craig Miles in quick succession as the home side fought back after tea.Charged with the task of repairing the damage, experienced campaigners Paul Collingwood (28 not out) and Michael Richardson (25 not out) displayed a clear understanding of what was required in staging a restorative unbroken partnership of 57 for the fifth wicket as Gloucestershire’s bowlers sought atonement for their earlier shortcomings by applying belated pressure. Watchful in the extreme, these two safely negotiated 24 overs, eight of them against the new ball, to reach stumps without further mishap.Finally afforded an opportunity after a blank first season on the county staff, former Sussex paceman Liddle adhered to the tenets of line and length without luck, proving the most consistent of Gloucestershire’s front-line bowlers.Durham’s seamers made good use of the new ball to mop up the last three wickets for 38 runs in 15.2 overs after Gloucestershire had resumed their first innings on 265-7.Jack Taylor and David Payne added 36 for the eighth wicket, but once the former edged Rushworth to second slip three runs short of a half century, the innings unraveled rapidly.No sooner had Gloucestershire banked a third batting bonus point, than fellow England bowlers Mark Wood and Graham Onions took care of business, removing Payne and last man Liddle in quick succession
Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny took combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs to choke Chittagong to 139, a total they chased down with 11 balls to spare
The Report by Mohammad Isam14-Nov-2017 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB
Comilla Victorians beat Chittagong Kings by six wickets, in almost the same fashion as their other two wins in the tournament. After restricting their opponent to 139 for 4, Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler almost walked them to the target.The pair added 74 runs for the third wicket before both were dismissed with not left to chase. Imrul top-scored with 45 while Buttler got out for 44 off 31 balls, which included three fours and two sixes.Chittagong, who have now lost three out of four games, lost just four wickets in their innings, but struggled for fluency right through. The Comilla spin trio – Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Arafat Sunny – put the brakes on with combined figures of 2 for 50 from 10 overs.Brisk start, slow finish, againLuke Ronchi provided Chittagong with another brisk start, with 31 off 19 balls. No other batsman score more despite consuming more deliveries. Sarkar used 32 balls for 30 runs, with two fours and a six over midwicket, before he was stumped off Nabi. Dilshan Munaweera made 19 off 25 balls, which had one six, before he was bowled by a beautiful Rashid Khan googly.Sikandar Raza found just one boundary in his 24-ball 20 which ended with a scoop to Al-Amin Hossain at short fine leg. Ronchi’s 19-ball 31 included five fours and a six that was hit over long-on off Nabi. He fell lbw to Mohammad Saifuddin.Imrul steadies another chaseMunaweera removed the returning Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das in seven overs but Imrul Kayes and Jos Buttler took control quickly. Imrul struck Subashis Roy for first six pulled over midwicket before lifting Sikandar over square leg for his second in the tenth over.His third six was his best, swatting Chris Jordan over midwicket off one knee as he struggled with cramps. He made 45 off 36 balls, having also struck two fours. It was his third successive match-winning innings, having remained unbeaten on the two previous occasions.
Former India captain concedes players are invariably “more powerful” than coaches in the modern-day game
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2017
Getty Images
The manner of Anil Kumble’s exit as India coach and how the entire captain-coach saga played out in public view was both “unfortunate” and unfair to the former India captain, according to his former colleague Rahul Dravid. He also conceded that players were invariably more powerful than coaches, and any power-struggle inevitably resulted in the favour of the players.Kumble stepped down immediately after the Champions Trophy in June after his partnership with Kohli became “untenable.” Ahead of that tournament, reports of Kohli telling BCCI about players being uncomfortable with Kumble’s “overbearing” ways surfaced.”At the end of the day, I don’t know the specifics of that particular issue, but it shouldn’t have got played out in the way that it did,” Dravid said at the Bangalore Literature Festival. “I think the whole thing got played out in the media which is very, very unfortunate for Anil and not fair on him at all.”So, what’s the reality of it and what happens behind closed doors is not something I’m privy to, so I can’t comment directly. But it was definitely an unfortunate episode, especially to someone like Anil who has been an absolute legend of the game, someone who has done more to win Test matches for India than anybody I know. And he had a successful year as coach as well. But the fact is that it should never have played out the way that it did, publicly.”That the coaching job came with an inherent risk of a sack wasn’t lost on Dravid. “See, coaches get sacked. The first thing you know when you stop playing and become a coach is that some day you are going to get sacked,” he said. “That’s the reality.”As an India A and Under-19 coach, I know that someday I’m going to get the boot. Some football managers get sacked after two games, so that’s the reality. Players are more powerful than coaches. We know that because we were more powerful than coaches when we played.”When there was a suggestion that players had become too powerful, Dravid said players had little say in their journey to superstardom. “A lot of cricketers come from humble, middle-class backgrounds. At the core of all this, if you remove the hype and hoopla, they are just normal guys who grew up and became heroes,” he said. “They became heroes thanks to people like you [anchors, journalists], television asking for interviews, writing books about them. It’s the game that has made them heroes.”I read that the players have become too big, but who has made them too big? It’s very easy to say that, and also a lot of other people have become rich by players becoming rich. It’s reality now. It’s the fact of the matter. At the end of the day, cricketers are simple people. But everything gets blown out of proportion for them. So they have to deal with things a certain way.”
Tom Westley’s 108 not out, and an equally fine innings of 77 from Nick Browne, took Essex to an emphatic eight-wicket victory against Surrey at Guildford which takes them to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division One table
ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2017 ScorecardTom Westley’s 108 not out, and an equally fine innings of 77 from Nick Browne, took Essex to an emphatic eight-wicket victory against Surrey at Guildford which takes them to the top of the Specsavers County Championship Division One table.Needing 253, from a minimum of 83 overs, after they had bowled Surrey out a second time for 288 earlier in the day, Essex reached 253 for 2 little more than half-an-hour after tea and always looked totally in control despite a wearing last-day pitch.Westley was joined in an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 105 in 27 overs by Dan Lawrence, who finished unbeaten on 32. Essex took 24 points from their third win of the season, with Surrey having to settle for seven.Since gaining promotion last year, Essex have surprised the rest of the first division with their early-season success – but this was a comprehensive win against a team who themselves led Division One until the last round of matches and was achieved despite seamer Matt Quinn suffering a back spasm on day one which has prevented him from bowling since.Essex began their chase well, with a half-century stand posted by Browne and Alastair Cook. But Cook was out on the stroke of lunch for 31 when, having just driven Ravi Rampaul to the cover boundary, he was drawn into another off drive and edged to Scott Borthwick at second slip.Browne was eventually caught at slip from one which turned and bounced, playing back to Gareth Batty’s offspin, but not before he and Westley had added a further 95 for the second wicket. The tall left-hander had faced just 96 balls, hitting 13 fours, and in the latter half of his innings he produced some quality strokes – including an effortless straight drive for four to greet Stuart Meaker’s introduction into the attack and then a dismissive short-armed pull to the boundary off Ravi Rampaul.Batty’s offspin did not trouble the Essex batsmen in the same way that former South Africa Test offspinner Simon Harmer had made Surrey battle for runs in his second-innings return of 4 for 83 from 39 overs.Westley moved to 97 with three successive fours off Scott Borthwick’s legspin, and then completed three figures with a pull for four off Meaker. His hundred came from 162 balls and, overall, he faced 168 balls, hitting 17 fours.In the morning Ben Foakes finished unbeaten on 65, from 149 balls, as Surrey added just 35 runs to their overnight 253 for 7 before the innings ended in a rush of poor shots and crazy running.Meaker drove a half-volley from left arm paceman Neil Wagner to extra cover to go for 14, and two balls later Rampaul clipped the same bowler to backward square leg.Foakes was then left stranded when he drove Wagner down the ground, looking for two, but Lawrence moved quickly to his right at long off to field and return to the bowler and there was never any chance of a second run. Footitt, however, turning blind, set off for the second even though Foakes had clearly decided against it, and Wagner lobbed the ball down the pitch for keeper James Foster to whip off the bails with Footitt helpless in mid-pitch.
Important to focus and not let change in batting positions affect game, says India batsman
Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Alur09-Nov-2017
AFP
Mayank Agarwal’s classy century against Delhi on Thursday may have made him the star on most days. But for the few hundreds that gathered at the KSCA ground in Alur, Manish Pandey was all the rage. The Karnataka batsman was the sole recipient of applause from a clamouring crowd as he walked out to bat. Later, when a few members of the team cooled down with a light football session at the end of day’s play, Pandey was the centre of all attention again. It didn’t seem to matter that a few other heroes, who have also played for India, were in closer vicinity, jogging around by the boundary.This popularity of Pandey isn’t newfound, but it has certainly surged since he’s become a part of India’s limited-overs squad. Coming from the same batch of India Under-19s as Virat Kohli, Pandey hasn’t had the same opportunities or exposure at the senior level. He’s had to bide his time despite consistent scores in domestic cricket. His rise hasn’t been meteoric, but he’s still a popular player.Now, over two years since his international debut, Pandey is still fighting to nail a permanent spot. Constant changes to his batting position haven’t made the process easy. An average of 43 and strike-rate of 95 suggests there’s ability and potential, but it hasn’t always been enough. There’s been competition in the form of Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul, his good friend and Karnataka team-mate. That is perhaps why every opportunity he gets at any level of competitive cricket is a blessing at this stage of his career.Barely a few hours after turning up for India in a T20 international against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram, Pandey hopped onto a flight to Bangalore and drove to Alur, on the outskirts of the city, to join his Karnataka mates ahead of a crucial Ranji Trophy game. The batsmen who preceded him had set it up nicely. The sunshine had eased out whatever moisture there was on the surface, and Delhi’s bowlers were tiring. Pandey walked in and stroked a half-century, the significance of which was magnified by the presence of MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors. After a punchy 74, Pandey acknowledged it was important to not let the bar drop.”It’s a completely different ball game [playing four-day cricket as compared to the limited-overs formats], you know,” he said. “I had more time to settle down and play my shots as the innings progressed. It’ll be important for me to continue batting like this and have fun.”It was quite easy. The plan was to come at No. 4, but with the jet lag and stuff like that, I came in at No. 5. I have been playing a lot of ODI and T20, which obviously starts in the later part of the day. It was good to come back and play Ranji Trophy cricket for Karnataka. It was amazing to see the boys again. The partnership before definitely helped.”Pandey had a rousing start to his one-day career, with a half-century against Zimbabwe in Harare. Three games later, he blitzed a match-winning century against Australia in Sydney. A middling series against New Zealand cost him his place, and it took nearly a year for him to get a chance again, after a highly successful series with the India A team in South Africa.Pandey announced his return with an unbeaten half-century in a crushing 168-run win over Sri Lanka. Since then, he has floated between Nos. 4 and 6, not remaining in the same position for more than three games in a row. It also hasn’t helped that he returned with two single-digit scores in the three innings that he batted at No. 4. With India still in the hunt for a permanent fix to the No. 4 spot, those were costly lapses.Pandey’s game is well-suited to the position as he has the wherewithal to play the big shots as well as build an innings, like he showed in that Sydney hundred against Australia. However, being denied the luxury of settling into a position has made the bid harder.”I didn’t think about international cricket or the memories from before. I only thought about Karnataka cricket and my batting today,” he said. “I was looking forward to play this game. It is a little difficult to adapt, but I think I have done this for a long time. It’s a part of the game where the team wants you to play No. 4 or 5 or 6, and it’ll be important for me to stay focussed and keep waiting for the call-up.”Pandey last played a first-class match in December last year, when Karnataka conceded the quarterfinal of the previous season’s Ranji Trophy to Tamil Nadu inside two days. Given how heavily involved he has been in limited-overs cricket in that time, the pace at which Pandey struck his runs on Thursday perhaps wasn’t entirely surprising. But he denied any conscious effort in tweaking his game.”You don’t look to score a boundary every ball, but I look to score a single every ball, be a little aggressive. Even if it’s a defence, the intention is to be aggressive. Because of a lot of T20 cricket that is happening, cricket has changed in such a way that batsmen want to score runs and score boundaries. In a way, that’s really good for cricket where it’s looking good from the outside. I think we should just focus on getting runs.”
تحدث أوناي إيمري، المدير الفني لفريق أستون فيلا، عن مباراة مانشستر سيتي المرتقبة غدًا، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
ويستضيف ملعب “فيلا بارك” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، 2024/25.
ويخوض مانشستر سيتي تلك المباراة وهو في أسوأ حالاته حيث لم يفز إلا في مباراة واحدة في آخر 11 لقاءً في مختلف المسابقات.
ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز الخامس برصيد 27 نقطة، في حين أن أستون فيلا لديه 25 نقطة في المركز السابع.
وعندما سُئل عن رأيه تجاه المستوى الحالي لـ مانشستر سيتي، قال أوناي إيمري في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي لـ أستون فيلا: “مندهش بعض الشيء، لكن هذه هي كرة القدم، إنه (بيب جوارديولا) الأفضل”.
وأضاف: “نخوض كل مباراة على حدة، إنها أصعب بطولة في العالم، كل فريق يقدم لنا الكثير من المعلومات حول وضعنا وكيفية مواجهتنا لهم”.
اقرأ أيضًا | ضربة جديدة.. جوارديولا يعلن إصابة لاعب مانشستر سيتي وغيابه لمدة شهر
وواصل: “غدًا سنواجه أفضل فريق في السنوات القليلة الماضية في الدوري الإنجليزي، ربما لا يكونون ثابتين بسبب ظروف مختلفة، لكنهم الأفضل ومدربهم هو الأفضل”.
واسترسل: “لقد وصلت إلى هنا منذ عامين وكنت هنا من قبل، كان الأمر صعبًا للغاية دائمًا، أن تكون ثابتًا، كما هم عادةً، هو الأصعب”.
وأوضح: “لقد حققوا نجاحًا على مدار السنوات القليلة الماضية، وكانوا ثابتين في كل شيء، سيقدمون أداءً جيدًا مرة أخرى، لديهم الوقت ليكونوا فائزين مرة أخرى في هذه البطولة”.
واختتم: “سنواجه مانشستر سيتي غدًا والأهم من ذلك هو كيف سنواجههم، كيف سنرد، كيف سنختبرهم، هذا هو أهم شيء بالنسبة لي”.
A round up of the North Zone matches from the Inter State T20 Tournament played on February 2, 2017
ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2017
File photo – Shikhar Dhawan hit 11 fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 47-ball 82•Getty Images
Shikhar Dhawan struck an unbeaten 47-ball 82 to power Delhi to a six-wicket win against Services in Dharamsala. Dhawan hit 11 fours and three sixes as Delhi swept past their target of 132 with 39 balls remaining. Delhi were in a bit of trouble at 43 for 3 before Dhawan and Nitish Rana (22 off 16) calmed them with a fourth-wicket partnership of 74.Having sent Services in, Delhi were firmly in control through most of Services’ innings, striking regularly and reducing them to 96 for 7 in the 17th over. Amit Pachhara, though, ensured Services wouldn’t give in without a fight, scoring an unbeaten 56 off 46 balls, and adding an unbroken 35 for the eighth wicket with Rahul Kanojia. Vikas Tokas (3 for 23) and Manan Sharma (3-0-8-2) were Delhi’s most impressive bowlers.Manan Vohra’s 60 and a 16-ball 34 from Gurkeerat Singh set the foundation of Punjab’s 23-run win over Himachal Pradesh, leading the team to a score of 162 for 7. Punjab’s bowlers, led by Harbhajan Singh (2-25) and seamer Baltej Singh (3-33), then pinned Himachal to 139 for 9, with five wickets falling in the last five overs. Vohra’s 50-run partnership with Anmolpreet Singh helped Punjab recover from a poor start before Gurkeerat added quick runs at the end, hitting four fours and two sixes. Harbhajan then struck in successive overs to dismiss Himachal’s openers after a good start, after which the side stumbled from 114 for 2 in the 15th over to 130 for 9 in the 19th over. Ankush Bains was the top-scorer for Himachal with a 32-ball 57.A manic penultimate over, in which Haryana lost four wickets, saw them fall four runs short of Jammu & Kashmir’s total of 156 in Nadaun. Needing 24 off the last two overs with six wickets in hand, Haryana’s chase began to go awry with the run-out of the well-set Rajat Paliwal. Then, Haryana lost wickets off three consecutive deliveries -Harshal Patel was run-out without facing a ball after which Ram Dayal dismissed Rahul Tewatia and Sanjay Pahal. In the final over, Haryana could only hit 14 runs out of the required 18, with Virender Dahiya hitting a six during his three-ball stay. Earlier, Shubham Khajuria’s 68 (57 balls) lifted J&K to 156 for 3 after they opted to bat. He was well-supported by Ian Dev Singh (27) and Mithun Manhas (31 not out).