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CA’s head of community cricket knows there are challenges to come due to Covid-19

Daniel Brettig26-Jun-2020Knowing well in advance that several of Australian cricket’s states were going to cut a swathe through their community programs did not make the blows any less galling for Cricket Australia’s head of community cricket Belinda Clark.Of more than 150 jobs lost across the states in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and CA’s own calls for major cuts to state distributions – a request still being fought by New South Wales and Queensland – at least half were drawn from the community cricket field forces set-up through directed funding from head office to each of the states. Nowhere were the cuts deeper than in Victoria, where the community cricket staff of more than 40 is now just 12.At the same time as Clark was dealing with these cuts to an area that remains as CA’s biggest strategic priority for the game’s future, she was also having to deal with the reduced budgets her own department was facing as a result of commitments by the former chief executive Kevin Roberts, backed by the CA board, to make deep internal cuts to the governing body.ALSO READ: What’s in the inbox of interim Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley?Over a long and torturous process that ultimately saw Roberts sacked, Clark was able to claw things back to a point where community cricket’s departmental head count is the same now as it was in March. Nevertheless, the tribulations of the past three months have left their mark on Clark, and made her more adamant than ever that a collaborative approach is urgently needed.”There’s still plenty of money in cricket,” Clark told ESPNcricinfo. “Our job is to find a way of using that as effectively as we can. I have a strong belief that we’ll be better if we do that together in a collaborative way with the community, and we’ll do everything we can to understand what the community’s after, that we stay in touch with what they’re feeling. So as a sport we need to work together.”We’ve still got more people out in the field than we had 10 years ago. So if you try to take a step back and get some perspective, is this ideal, no, did we want to do it, did we want this to happen, no, has everyone been impacted, yes. What we’re now trying to do is make sure that whatever we’re doing is supporting the people that are actually putting the game on week in, week out, which is the community.”As for dealing with the raft of disillusionment that has flowed down from CA itself to the state associations and out among players and community competitions, Clark said that earlier promises still needed to be kept. “Trust is built by delivering on your promise. Our promise to the community is they’re at the forefront of our thinking in everything we’re trying to do.”We’ll do our best to live up to our promise, which is to say we won’t be able to give the community everything they want, we won’t get everything right, but our intention absolutely is to support them through this, because we know that ultimately they’re providing opportunities at a local level for a young kid to start their journey.”In assessing the decidedly chaotic landscape where New South Wales is alone among states in not making cuts to their state-based community cricket programs, Clark said that while solutions needed to be found, individual associations still needed to take responsibility for their own patches. Given the major reduction in resources for community and rural cricket in Victoria in particular, this leaves a particularly knotty problem still to be solved.”We spent some time and effort putting more staff in and making sure they were directed at clubs,” Clark said of the preceding 18 months. “What we found was that the support they were providing was a positive from the clubs and they enjoyed getting a much closer relationship and support from the state association.”So we know what support they’re after, and we know we’ve now got a decrease in the number of field staff, so what we’ve got to do is find solutions in connecting those things. We’ve upped our effort in the customer service centre in order to supplement and still provide some support. But the reliance is still back at each state and territory level as well to make sure they’re doing what they need to do. It’s a really sad situation we’re in, but we need to keep finding solutions to it.”Clark has flagged that while there will be a “small” overall participation increase for Australian cricket over the summer of 2019-20, Covid-19’s impact had been felt. This was true both in its effect on indoor and winter cricket competitions, and also in reducing the amount of time CA and the states had to capitalise on the wave of enthusiasm created by the women’s T20 World Cup and its showpiece final crowd of more than 86,000 at the MCG on March 8.”Into the future I’m optimistic around where we can get to, we will unashamedly focus our attention on getting kids to play because we know we need to provide those great experiences early in order to keep someone in the game,” Clark said. “People don’t turn up and play cricket at 20 having not participated before, so we will focus our attention on helping clubs and associations get kids in.”To blindly walk forward expecting no impact for overall participation, that would be silly. We will be impacted, but I’m optimistic we can keep the number of kids playing. The only way we can do that is to support volunteers. So that’s where our focus will be.”We’re looking forward to bringing back into people’s minds the awesomeness of 86,000 people watching a women’s final, and turn that into young girls picking up a bat and ball. That’s a challenge, because there’s been a vacuum in between the two things. We’re wanting people to remember how great that was, and how great they felt, and make sure we provide opportunities for kids to pick up a bat and a ball from that.”

Since Yuvraj has played in overseas leagues, the BCCI has to clear him to participate in the T20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2020Yuvraj Singh could be back in the Indian domestic circuit early next year, after being named in Punjab’s 30-man list of probables for the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy, to be played in January.Related

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Singh, now 39, had announced his retirement from international – and IPL – cricket in June last year, but was requested by Puneet Bali, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary, last month to come out of retirement and play for Punjab in all formats. As things stand, with Singh having taken part in the Global T20 Canada and the Abu Dhabi T10 tournaments since retirement, his participation for Punjab will have to be cleared by the BCCI, because the board considers players to have officially retired before providing them NOCs for overseas leagues.A final decision is expected after December 20, the deadline date set by BCCI for state associations to finalise the transfers and granting no-objection certificates.Bali confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Yuvraj had been training with the Punjab squad and would perform the role of the mentor-cum-player once BCCI gave the green signal. “No he hasn’t been (named in the squad) because we are just waiting for the nod from the BCCI to come yet,” Bali said. “He has been selected in the camp, but it is subject to approval and confirmation from BCCI.”The BCCI plans to host the national T20 championship from January 10 to January 31, with the venues to be announced in a few days’ time, and the teams would need to assemble at the respective bio-secure hubs across the country by January 2. Sran returns to Punjab fold too
Barinder Sran, the 28-year-old left-arm seamer who played six ODIs and two T20Is in 2016, has also been included in the probables’ list, after having switched to Chandigarh last year.Prior to the start of the last season, Sran finalised his transfer to Chandigarh after being left out of Punjab’s Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over competition) squad. At the time, he had said that he did not want to “waste the entire season” because of the snub, and opted for the switch instead.Punjab have lost a number of key players to other states in recent years. Among them are Manan Vohra, who had moved to Chandigarh like Sran, Jiwanjot Singh (Chhattisgarh) and Taruwar Kohli (Mizoram).Punjab probables: Mandeep Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Salil Arora, Gitansh Khera, Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Singh, Karan Kaila, Rahul Sharma, Krishan Alang, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Ikjot Singh, Naman Dhir, Abhishek Gupta, Himanshu Satyawan, Gurkeerat Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Anmol Malhotra, Aarush Sabharwal, Abhinav Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Mayank arkande, Baltej Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, Gurnoor Singh, Harjas, Abhijit Garg, Kunwar PathakSreesanth finds place in Kerala longlist
Sreesanth has moved a step closer to a return to competitive cricket after being named in Kerala’s 26-strong probables’ list for the Mushtaq Ali trophy, reported.Thirty-seven-year-old Sreesanth, whose BCCI ban for spot-fixing ended earlier this year, had resumed training in June, including with the Kerala Under-23 team and a few senior players at a KCA facility in Ernakulam.Giving Sreesanth company in the list of probables were star players like Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby, Jalaj Saxena, Robin Uthaapa and Basil Thampi.

Mooney, part of Heat’s title-winning sides in the last two seasons, signed a two-year deal with Scorchers

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2020Beth Mooney has left the WBBL title-holders Brisbane Heat to take up a two-year deal with the Perth Scorchers on the other side of the continent, filling the top-order hole left by Australia captain Meg Lanning after she chose to return to the Melbourne Stars.As one half of Australia’s formidable Twenty20 opening combination with Alyssa Healy and the world’s top-ranked T20I batter, Mooney, 26, has been an integral part of the Heat side that took out each of the past two titles, against the Sydney Sixers in 2018-19 and at home against Adelaide Strikers last summer. Having been with Heat through all past five seasons of the tournament, she was the Player of the Final in the last two editions, a feat she took a notch higher by claiming the Player-of-the-Tournament award at the T20 World Cup at home earlier this year.”I’m really happy with my decision to join the Scorchers for the next few seasons. I have heard great things about the people and culture at the WACA and I love the way Perth has gone about their cricket over the years,” Mooney said.”The move to the West is a really exciting opportunity for me to work with Christina Matthews [the WACA CEO] and Shelley [Nitschke, the Scorchers head coach], two very highly regarded women and leaders of our great game, and reunite with Nicole Bolton and Heather Graham who have both been part of the Australian set-up.”I can’t wait to be a part of the team, and continue to learn and evolve as a player. I know that they are building for success and I’m looking forward to being part of that and bringing my knowledge and experience to the side.”ALSO READ: WBBL to feature three-week Sydney hub amid Covid-19 contingenciesNitschke was understandably happy to have secured Mooney’s services, off the back of an outstanding run of scores – 81 not-out, 60, 28 and 78 not-out in the final at the MCG – as Australia surged to win the T20 World Cup on home soil, only a few days before Covid-19 threw the game into chaos.”Beth is one of the best T20 batters in the world at the moment and has experienced great success at both the domestic and international levels,” Nitschcke said. “Her T20 statistics over the past 12 months are phenomenal, but what is really impressive is her ability to deliver on the big stage and under pressure.”That sort of character in the team can be inspirational. Beth also has great cricket awareness and I am sure she’ll be able to pass on some of her knowledge and thoughts on the game to the playing group.”

New Zealand A stay stuck on 276 for 5 with Dane Cleaver and Daryl Mitchell at the crease

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2020Stumps It was all rather damp and disappointing across in Lincoln, where the second day of the second and final four-day game between New Zealand A and India A had no cricket whatsoever. That left New Zealand at their overnight 276 for 5, with Dane Cleaver (46*) and Daryl Mitchell (36*) at the crease.On the first day, Cleaver was again the thorn in India’s side, playing a stubborn knock to make sure honours were even when play ended. After choosing to bat, New Zealand were in danger of finishing at a low score when they were 190 for 5, but Cleaver, fresh off his rearguard 196 in the previous game, dug in to keep the visitors at bay.He received good support from Mitchell, who is back in the A team after the T20Is for the senior team against India. Mitchell ended the day with 36 against his name, and the two have so far added 86 for the sixth wicket.The New Zealand top order – with the exception of Rachin Ravindra, who scored 12 – all got starts, but none of them could really carry on to score a big one. Glenn Phillips scored 65, but Hamish Rutherford stopped at 40, Will Young at 26, and Tim Seifert at 30.Mohammed Siraj got India their first wickets, in back-to-back overs, when he ended the 67-run first-wicket stand with Rutherford’s wicket in the 26th over and then accounted for Ravindra in the 28th. Shahbaz Nadeem had Young stumped not long after, and then, after a 76-run stand between Phillips and Seifert, Avesh Khan got into the act, removing both batsmen soon after one another.Many of the India Test squad are taking part in the game – of them, R Ashwin is the only bowler, and he had a fruitless day, bowling 22 overs without success while conceding 63 runs.The first four-day fixture, played at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, had ended in a draw.

Moeen set to deputise, but captain expected to travel to World Cup as planned on Friday

Matt Roller27-May-2024Jos Buttler is set to miss England’s third T20I against Pakistan on paternity leave.Buttler travelled home to London after captaining England to a 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday, giving them a 1-0 lead in the four-match series after the opening match at Leeds was washed out. He and his wife Louise are expecting their third child imminently.He missed Monday afternoon’s training session in Cardiff and is considered unlikely to feature in Tuesday evening’s match. It is not yet clear whether he will return in time to play in the final match of the series, at The Oval on Thursday night, but at this stage it appears that he will travel to the Caribbean for the T20 World Cup with the rest of the squad on Friday.While the news is disruptive to England in the short term, Buttler’s absence should ensure that he is with the team throughout their World Cup campaign, which begins next Tuesday (June 4) in Barbados against Scotland. He had previously confirmed he would be at the birth regardless, raising the prospect that he could miss a group-stage match.Related

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Moeen Ali is England’s vice-captain, and last week played down the significance of a leadership change. “Obviously if it happens, then it’s a great honour – as it always is,” Moeen said. “I’ll be fine. Nothing will change too much: it’s just taking over from what he’s doing and then when he comes back, he takes over.”Hopefully, the baby comes at the right time where he doesn’t miss too many games. For me, it’s just whatever will happen, will happen. [Deputising] is not really difficult, to be honest with you, because we speak often, me and Jos. We talk about other things, the team, and all that. We’re on the same page anyway.”Buttler underpinned England’s innings at Edgbaston on Saturday, hitting 84 off 51 balls while opening the batting. In his absence, the most likely change to their side would see Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow moving up a spot each and Ben Duckett batting at No. 4, though they could instead add another bowling allrounder to their side in Sam Curran.There is also a case for Duckett to replace Buttler at the top of the order, which would give England’s first-choice batting line-up the chance to bat in their likely roles for the World Cup. Jacks looked in fine touch on Saturday, hitting 37 off 23 balls from No. 3, but admitted on Monday that he is still “learning on the job” having opened for most of his T20 career.”It’s no lie that I’m new to batting at No. 3,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve found is just the uncertainty of not knowing when I’m going in: obviously if I’m opening, it’s 0 for 0 every time, bowling first or second. I know exactly what’s going to happen: I’m facing the swinging ball or, if it’s a spinner opening, I know what the field is going to be.”[Batting at No. 3] is just a different scenario each time, which is more of a mental thing. I know I’ve got the game and the technique. It’s just adjusting to coming in outside the Powerplay, coming in the fifth over: when do I put my foot on the pedal? It’s about figuring out what I need to do at the right time… it’s all about the team, not about yourself.”Mark Wood had a long bowl before Saturday’s match with his knee heavily strapped, and could come into contention in Cardiff if England opt to take a cautious approach to Jofra Archer’s fitness following his international comeback. Despite England being keen to give Tom Hartley his T20I debut before the World Cup, ESPNcricinfo understands he won’t be involved in this contest.In any case, Tuesday night’s match is under threat from the weather, though Jacks suggested that playing a shortened match could serve as useful preparation for the World Cup. “Preparation is not always ideal, but we have to be adaptable and T20 is all about thinking fast on your feet, and assessing the situation as quickly as possible,” he said. “We’ll be ready for anything.”

Nottinghamshire’s winless streak extends by another game after chastening final-over loss

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2020Derbyshire 239 and 365 for 7 (Hudson-Prentice 91*, Godleman 86) beat Nottinghamshire 324 (Hameed 68, Patel 63, Nash 59) and 279 (Patel 80, Hameed 52) by three wicketsFynn Hudson-Prentice showed skill and character under pressure to guide Derbyshire to a remarkable three-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in the Bob Willis Trophy North Group match at Trent Bridge.The all-rounder made a superbly judged unbeaten 91 from 169 balls as Derbyshire chased down a 365 target with one ball to spare to record their highest-ever successful run-chase against a county side.The defeat means Nottinghamshire, who lost fast bowler Joey Evison with a foot injury early on the final day, have not won a first-class game since June 2018.They were favourites to end that barren run when Derbyshire slipped to 234 for 6 but Hudson-Prentice shared half-century stands with Mattie McKiernan and Michael Cohen, on his 22nd birthday, to give a game of changing fortunes one final twist.Both teams went into the final morning with expectations of victory although overcast skies suggested conditions favoured the bowlers. It was gloomy enough for the floodlights to be switched on and Godleman and Madsen had to fight for every run against disciplined pace bowling.Godleman drove Evison to the cover boundary to bring up the century stand just before a short rain delay and when play resumed, the young fast bowler trapped Derbyshire’s captain lbw with a full length ball that he played slightly across.It was his last contribution as he left the field in the same over but despite being a bowler down, Nottinghamshire chipped away and claimed another big wicket before lunch.Leus du Plooy scored a brilliant century in the first innings but this time he moved across his stumps to Steven Mullaney who swung the ball back in to have him lbw for 7.Derbyshire’s hopes now seemingly rested with Madsen who was so intent on survival he scored only 15 runs in the first session and his obdurate innings ended soon after lunch.Madsen had faced 174 balls for 43 but Ball defeated him with a full delivery that caught him in front on the crease and Harvey Hosein had his stumps scattered four overs later.But Critchley reined in his natural attacking instincts and with Hudson-Prentice, dug in to frustrate Notts for 19 overs. The pair added 42 and tea was in sight when Critchley’s concentration wavered as Patel lured him down the pitch and raced away in celebration when Tom Moores whipped off the bails.Notts took the new ball as soon as it became available but the breakthrough did not come with Hudson-Prentice and McKiernan playing calmly as the overs ticked away.Ball came back at the Radcliffe Road End and had Hudson-Prentice dropped on 61 by Mullaney, diving across from second slip but in the same over, he squeezed one through McKiernan’s defence to break a stand that added 65 in 23 overs.But Derbyshire continued to fight with Cohen twice driving Ball to the cover boundary as the target came down to 27 from five overs.Hudson-Prentice pulled the first ball of the next over from Ball for four and then lifted Patel over mid-on to leave Derbyshire needing 13 from three.That came down to five from the final over and Cohen completed a memorable day for him and Derbyshire when he swung the penultimate delivery from Ball to midwicket for the winning runs.

‘Same mindset, less money’ is strategy for 2021 says new incumbent, as game braces for shortfalls

Matt Roller08-Sep-2020The ECB could be left facing “very severe cash constraints and a global game in crisis” if the 2021 season is disrupted significantly by Covid-19, according to new chairman Ian Watmore.Watmore, who took up his position as Colin Graves’ successor last week, said that the game in England and Wales would be able to recover from the impact of Covid on the 2020 season with “a mindset of ‘same ambition, just less money'” but warned that continued disruption next summer would be “much more serious”.Only one competitive fixture has been staged in front of a crowd this season, Surrey’s T20 Blast fixture against Hampshire last week. While the government has maintained that it should be possible for crowds to return in a limited way from October 1, there are concerns that a ‘second wave’ of the virus could mean that fans are unable to attend games until a much later date, particularly not at an occupancy level that would make it profitable.”Provided we can get cricket back to somewhere near normality next season… we have four years to recover one year’s losses, where each of those years has double the income of the recent past,” Watmore wrote in a blog post on the ECB’s website.”What is more concerning is the possibility that our next domestic season is severely disrupted by Covid too – with more cricket cancelled, played behind closed doors, or with very limited crowds. At this point, we will have two years of losses to recover with only three years left of the current funding cycle, coupled with very severe cash constraints, and a global game in crisis.ALSO READ: Cricket comes home as spectators make cautious return to Kia Oval“[The ECB’s] ambition would probably have to be reduced significantly, and many parts of our game could be genuinely at risk of going under financially. We must have a plan for this were it to occur, but the whole game and governments around the world must equally do everything we can to avoid this situation occurring.”Watmore admitted in his first virtual press conference in the role that redundancies at the ECB were “inevitable” and doubled down on that in his blog post, pledging that there would be “an obsessive focus on cash and cashflow, combined with a sharp period of cost reduction and efficiencies across the whole game, starting with the ECB itself” after this summer.”Measures such as judicious loans, advance payments, capital injections and other financial assistance from the ECB could give the game time to recover from its own shortfalls,” he wrote.Watmore also confirmed that the ECB has told counties and stakeholders that it has a guaranteed shortfall of at least £100 million this year, which could be as high as £180m, and that the whole game’s losses would be even higher.Tom Harrison, the chief executive, said at the start of April that an entire summer without cricket would cost the game in England and Wales “well in excess of £300m”, but that figure has been reduced on account of the full schedule of men’s international cricket – 18 games, six in each format – being played.But Watmore also warned that the wider landscape for international cricket is currently “gloomy”, citing the postponement and cancellation of ICC events and “several international boards struggling for revenue”.After the conclusion of next week’s ODI series against Australia, England are not due to play a men’s international until December’s tour to South Africa – a series which is currently doubtful.

Former England international will join Auckland’s support staff after New Zealand’s European tour

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2022Luke Wright, who was recently appointed to New Zealand’s support staff for the forthcoming tours to Ireland, Scotland, and Netherlands, has now got a new gig with Auckland as their performance and talent coach. He will start working with Auckland from September after New Zealand’s tour to Europe.Wright’s wife is an Aucklander and he himself had played for Auckland in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Super Smash tournaments, scoring 188 runs in ten innings and taking two wickets.Related

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“I really enjoyed my time on the pitch with the team but it was the memories of how my family and I were treated that stood out,” Wright said.”My core values as a coach are to build relationships and belief in players. When players have confidence and belief, amazing things can happen. I can’t wait.”Auckland head coach Doug Watson is looking forward to working with Wright.”He will bring fresh ideas to our set-up and has a good understanding of our team culture,” Watson said. “Having someone of the calibre of Luke in our setup will be great for the development of the players and our overall team environment.”Wright was part of the England side that won the T20 World Cup in 2010 in the Caribbean. He scored 90 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 123.28 and though he bowled only one over in the tournament, it was a crucial one, as he took the wicket of Cameron White in the final against Australia.On the coaching front, Wright has had stints with Melbourne Stars (BBL), Rajshahi Kings (BPL) and Southern Vipers women (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy).

“I think we can leave a few more balls outside off stump to make them bowl straighter at us.”

Mohammad Isam10-Jan-2022Bangladesh have to be “decisive” in whatever they do in Christchurch now, according to batting coach Ashwell Prince. The visitors were bowled out for 126, responding to New Zealand’s 521 for 6 declared, a display which didn’t reflect any of their trust in leaving or even playing the swinging ball.The top five all got out in single-figures, a stark contrast to the first eight batters playing at least 50 deliveries in the first Test last week. They went on to bat for 173 overs in Mount Maunganui, as opposed to a mere 41.2 overs on the second day at Hagley Oval.Prince said that Yasir Ali, who reached his maiden Test fifty, top scoring with 55 in this innings, showed that he was confident in what he wanted to do.”Yasir was solid in defence and decisive in attack,” Prince said. “I think it is that type of a pitch. You have to leave the ball with confidence. You have to be decisive playing a defensive or an attacking shot. The keyword is decisive with whatever option you will be taking.”Yasir and Nurul Hasan added 60 runs for the sixth wicket. Nurul struck the ball well during his 41, but their effort fell way short of bailing out Bangladesh from a difficult situation.”At tea time, we identified the pitch was quite good for batting,” Prince said. “There was value for shots off the surface. The outfield was nice. If we could hang in a little bit, we could get a partnership going. The movement happened a bit quicker off the surface today. I was comfortable thinking some of the balls would go past the outside edge. It is normal for these conditions.”Sohan [Nurul] played positively. Came forward nicely at the bowlers. He got his front foot out of the pitch of the ball. He got his weight over the ball. Yasir, only playing his third Test, was unlucky caught down the leg-side at the Mount. He applied himself well in that game, and today as well.”Prince alluded to how New Zealand batted on the first day, led by Tom Latham, who ended up scoring 252.”We learned from the Kiwis that they left a lot more balls outside the off stump. It comes a little bit more naturally for the New Zealand batters. They play on bouncy surfaces. Our guys play a lot more balls. I thought we left really well and played well off the back foot at the Mount.”I thought we could have left a few more balls today. Hopefully tomorrow we can get off to a good start. I think we can leave a few more balls outside off stump to make them bowl straighter at us.”Prince said that they knew New Zealand would hit back after the defeat in the first Test, and that as soon as they did, it became difficult for Bangladesh. He said that it was similar to how Bangladesh ran away with the game having batted big in the first innings in Mount Maunganui.”Of course we are disappointed [with the top five in the first innings]. It was a massive effort last week. We played 173 overs against a quality bowling attack. I think it is fair to say that we expected NZ to come back with a lot more urgency in this game. If you compare the two games, you can see that it is really difficult to fight your way back, even if you are the No. 1 team.”Last week, we managed to get ourselves ahead of the game. In this game so far, they started really well yesterday, continued it this morning. They also started well with the ball. They made it tough for us to get back into the game. We have to live to fight another day.”

Rangpur Riders, the defending champions, fell 32 runs short of the target after Guyana Amazon Warriors had put up a solid 196 for 4

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2025A batting show headlined by three innings that were very different from one another, and a combined bowling effort where all the key men contributed something of note took Guyana Amazon Warriors, the hosts, to the Global Super League title in Providence on Friday night. They vanquished Rangpur Riders, who had won the title in its inaugural season, and a target of 197 might have seemed achievable, but not after a powerplay of 32 for 3.It started with the run-out of Ibrahim Zadran in the second over, followed by Dwaine Pretorius picking up the first of his three wickets – Soumya Sarkar – in the fifth, and Moeen Ali chipping in with the big wicket of Kyle Mayers in the sixth.The fightback came courtesy Saif Hassan and Iftikhar Ahmed, who put together 73 runs for the fourth wicket in 44 balls, but another run-out, this time of Saif, triggered another slide. This time, they went from 102 for 3 to 126 for 8 between the 13th and the 17th overs, and there was no coming back from there.Masterminding the dominance were Pretorius, with the wickets of Azmatullah Omarzai and Iftikhar, who top-scored with 46 from 29 balls, and Imran Tahir, who sent back Nurul Hasan and Khaled Ahmed.