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Quetta Gladiators look to replicate last season's form

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Quetta Gladiators started off strongly last year, losing only two games during their run to the final – but eventually fell short against Islamabad. Can a refurbished side go one better?

Danyal Rasool08-Feb-20170:48

Will Quetta Gladiators fight their way to the top?

Inaugural season results
Quetta Gladiators were the form team of the group stages last year, demonstrating what could be achieved with savvy recruitment as opposed to throwing money at the big names. After six wins in their eight group-stage games, they eked out a thrilling one-run victory against Peshawar to qualify for the final. That was as good as it got, the Gladiators finding themselves outplayed by an Islamabad side which was flying by that stage, ending a dynamic first season somewhat meekly.Team assessmentOf the five franchises in the format last year, Quetta Gladiators had, by far, the lowest profile. However, their 2016 results mean they won’t be flying under anyone’s radar this time around. They are led by Sarfraz Ahmed, who looks like the clear favourite to take over Pakistan’s limited-overs captaincy, and whose chances were certainly done no harm by his ability to make an unassuming Quetta side click last season.Quetta have retained their biggest foreign stars Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright, as well as a large number of local players who exceeded expectations 12 months ago. But a number of new players have been drafted in, including Sri Lankan allrounder Thisara Perera, South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, and Bangladesh’s Mahmudullah Riyad.Exciting English quick Tymal Mills, who can comfortably exceed speeds of 90mph in addition to possessing a devilishly disguised slower ball, has also been brought in. With Umar Gul well past his prime and David Willey replaced by Nathan McCullum, proven fast bowling resources are scant for Quetta, meaning Mills is almost guaranteed a starting berth.Opener Ahmed Shehzad is another concern for the team from Balochistan. When recruited last year, he was one of Pakistan’s most valuable limited-overs players, and ended up being the fourth highest run-scorer of the tournament. But his stock has fallen sharply since. He has lost his place in the national team, having played almost no international cricket since last year’s PSL. Should he struggle this time around, it could put a lot of pressure on the likes of Mohammad Nawaz and Anwar Ali, last year’s brightest local boys, to simply pick up where they left off last February.Ahmed Shehzad was the tournament’s fourth-highest scorer last season with 290 runs at a strike rate of over 140•Chris Whiteoak

Key foreign player
It would be neither informative nor original to say Kevin Pietersen’s performance will be important to Quetta Gladiators’ success this tournament, but his countryman Tymal Mills’ T20 performances have also begun to catch the eye. In the recently concluded Super Smash, a T20 competition in New Zealand, Mills was among the top ten wicket-takers, and, at 6.61 per over, had the best economy rate of anyone who bowled more than 16 overs. After a pair of impressive games for Brisbane Heat during the Big Bash, he was called up by England for the T20 series against India. He mixes express pace with cunning slower deliveries, making him a useful asset at both top and tail of an innings. With the Gladiators looking rather thin in the fast bowling department, Mills could quickly establish himself as leader of the pace attack.Under the radar local lad
Not much is known about 18-year old slow left arm bowler Hasan Khan, and the numbers aren’t particularly impressive. But ask Quetta Gladiators head coach Moin Khan which player fans should watch out for, the response is immediate: Hasan Khan. He’s an Under-19 Pakistan international who Moin thinks has potential to go all the way. On paper, his brand of cricket – left-arm spin bowling – is well suited to the slow wickets of Sharjah and Dubai. Just ask his teammate Mohammad Nawaz.Availability
Carlos Brathwaite and Rovman Powell of the West Indies will miss the tournament, after the WICB made it mandatory for players seeking national selection to play in the Reigional Super 50, the domestic one-day cup. Moeen Ali was initially drafted, but he withdrew to undertake the Umrah pilgrimage, so Mahmudullah Riyad and Thisara Perera have been called up to replace the West Indian duo. International commitments mean Mohammad Nabi misses out, replaced by Rilee Rossouw. In addition, David Willey was dropped in favour of Black Caps allrounder Nathan McCullum.Coaches and Staff
Moin Khan (head coach), Sir Vivian Richards (batting coach/mentor), Abdul Razzaq (bowling coach), Julien Fountain (fielding coach)Quetta Gladiators squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c, wk), Kevin Pietersen, Ahmed Shehzad, Luke Wright, Anwar Ali, Tymal Mills, Umar Gul, Zulfiqar Babar, Mohammad Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw, Mahmudullah, Asad Shafiq, Saad Nasim, Umer Amin, Hassaan Khan, Noor Ali.
Supplementary players: Nathan McCullum, Thisara Perera, Bismillah Khan, Mir Hamza

Maxwell fires to give Australia the series

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In Perth 309 was insufficient, and in Brisbane 308 was inadequate. But for a short while it looked like India’s 295 in Melbourne might have been enough to keep this series alive

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG17-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:54

Agarkar: A very un-Maxwell innings

In Perth 309 was insufficient, and in Brisbane 308 was inadequate. But for a short while it looked like India’s 295 in Melbourne might have been enough to keep this series alive. That was until Glenn Maxwell took it upon himself to bat India out of the match, his 96 steering Australia to a third successive record chase to seal the five-match one-day series with two to play. Though Maxwell fell with one run still required, James Faulkner finished the deal with seven balls to spare.In the past week, Australia have now set new records for successful ODI pursuits at the WACA, the Gabba, and the MCG. No wonder Steven Smith sent India in when he won the toss. A run a ball holds no fears for his team at the moment. This time it was Virat Kohli’s century that set up India’s innings, but their bowlers were again unable to restrain Australia. On a pitch that offered some turn, it was a mistake that they left out R Ashwin.That said, India gave themselves their best chance of the series by having Australia four down inside 30 overs. The heroes from the first two games – Smith and George Bailey – were among those dismissed, along with the openers Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch, and it meant a mountain of work for the allrounders. It turns out Maxwell is quite the mountaineer.A searing throw from Umesh Yadav in the deep ran out Mitchell Marsh with the help of MS Dhoni’s quick hands, and Matthew Wade skied a catch off Ishant Sharma, but James Faulkner was able to help Maxwell put the chase beyond doubt. Australia needed 65 off the last 10 overs with Maxwell and Faulkner at the crease, then 35 off the last seven. Maxwell played some extraordinary shots, including a slap for six over extra cover off Barinder Sran, and was the key man.Maxwell timed the chase well enough to give himself a chance at a hundred, reaching 96 with one run needed. But he skied a catch next ball and left Faulkner to finish the job. Their partnership of 80 was the biggest of Australia’s innings, which was formed of several solid stands, unlike India’s innings that was based around two century partnerships and little else.Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh put on 48 for the opening wicket before Finch was caught behind off Yadav, and Marsh then combined with Smith for 64 to set Australia’s chase on its path. Marsh’s fifty came up from his 53rd ball, but on 62 he edged behind off Ishant Sharma to give India a sniff. Smith (41) had already been taken at slip when Ravindra Jadeja found some turn, and Bailey had been sharply stumped off Jadeja. But as it turned out, Maxwell was the wicket India really needed.India came to this match knowing that a run a ball may not be enough to set Australia – it certainly wasn’t in the first two matches of this series. And Smith was keen not to change a winning formula, sending India in when he won the toss. The early loss of Rohit Sharma, who scored hundreds at both the WACA and the Gabba, perked Australia up, but Kohli played the anchor role this time with 117 off 117 deliveries.Kohli worked hard during his 119-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan and his 109-run stand with Ajinkya Rahane, both of whom made half-centuries. Only 40 of Kohli’s runs came in boundaries, seven fours and two sixes, and he was constantly taking off for singles to rotate the strike and ensure things did not stagnate. His fifty came from 51 deliveries and his century from 105, and when he brought it up he leapt in celebration: it was his first ODI hundred against Australia in Australia.Kohli fell in the 47th over when he drove a John Hastings slower ball straight to cover; Hastings’ variations again proved useful for Australia and he finished with a career-best 4 for 58. Dhoni slapped a quick 23 from nine balls in the dying stages but also fell to Hastings, pulling a 140kph bouncer to deep midwicket. Debutant Gurkeerat Singh was bowled for 8 by a Faulkner slower ball, before Jadeja and Rishi Dhawan steered the innings home.Hastings had also got rid of Rahane for 50 from 55 deliveries, brilliantly caught on the deep midwicket boundary by a combination of Smith and Maxwell. Rahane pulled a short ball and Smith hared around the boundary to make the catch but felt his momentum carrying him over, and threw the ball back inside play for Maxwell to complete the catch. That was one of four wickets in the final six overs; India managed 88 runs in their last 10, fewer than in Perth, more than in Brisbane.The innings had started with Rohit at the crease fresh from two consecutive ODI hundreds, but this time he failed to reach double figures let alone triple. In the fifth over, Rohit drove at a Kane Richardson delivery and edged behind to Wade, to leave India at 1 for 15. But any hopes Australia had of restricting India through top-order wickets were scuppered by Kohli and Shikhar.In both of the previous ODIs, Shikhar had fallen in single figures but here he began to find his touch and was especially powerful through the leg side. A straight drive for four off Hastings in the second over of the match was the nearest Shikhar came to scoring an off-side boundary, but he struck nine fours in all and brought up his fifty from his 76th delivery, one ball after Kohli raised his half-century.But, seemingly aware that India needed to lift their tempo to avoid the kind of stalling that occurred in Perth and Brisbane, Shikhar took it upon himself up the ante. He scooped a boundary over the head of wicketkeeper Wade off Hastings but next ball he again moved into position for a premeditated shot through the on side, and lost his leg stump, bowled for 68 off 91.Shikhar’s idea was right, though, for India had to lift their rate to push beyond 300 this time. Australia proved once again that they are happy to chase a run a ball.

Pat Cummins to make comeback

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Pat Cummins, the Australia fast bowler, will play his first competitive match in nine months for the Northern Ireland Cricket Academy on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2013Pat Cummins, the Australia fast bowler, will play his first competitive match after nine months with a back injury for the Northern Ireland Cricket Academy on Wednesday.Cummins was named as a non-playing member of the Australia A squad who have played four-day matches against Scotland and Ireland in the past two weeks.The squad have travelled to Bristol to face Gloucestershire on Friday but Cummins will remain in Ireland to play for the NICA against MCC at Carrickfergus, just outside Belfast.Forty-eight hours later he will switch colours to play for MCC against Ireland Under-19s, part of their preparations for the Under-19 World Cup qualifier in August.Cummins has not played since October last year when he bowled four overs for 27 to help Sydney Sixers beat Lions in the Champions League final. During the tournament he complained of stiffness and on his return home was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back.Cummins made his international debut aged just 18 on Australia’s tour of South Africa in October 2011. His first, and to date only, Test at the Wanderers included 6 for 79 in the second innings, earning him the match award in a narrow Australian victory.He has also impressed in five ODIs, including playing England at Lord’s last year, and a successful World T20 in Sri Lanka where he claimed six wickets at 32.83 to help Australia to the semi-final.Despite the understandable hype surrounding Cummins, his injury history has compelled Cricket Australia to take a conservative approach with him this time around, and he is unlikely to figure in international calculations for some time yet.

Michael Hussey out of England tour

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Michael Hussey has been allowed to skip Australia’s tour of Ireland and England to be with his family after the premature birth of his child

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2012Michael Hussey has been allowed to skip Australia’s tour of Ireland and England in June and July to be with his family after the premature birth of his child. Cricket Australia said he will be replaced by Queensland batsman Peter Forrest in the 15-man squad.”Due to our baby being born three months early, it is important for the family for me to be here at this time,” Hussey said. “It is always difficult to miss any tour for Australia and I thank CA for their understanding of our family’s situation.”Forrest, who has played 11 ODIs so far, had been named as the stand-by player when the squad was named in May. He will now be part of the touring party that leaves Australia on June 14.The Australians will play Leicestershire in a tour game on June 21 before taking on Ireland in a one-off ODI in Stormont on June 23. After another tour game against Essex, Australia will play England at Lord’s on June 29 in the first of five ODIs.

Tharanga to miss England series

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Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opener, has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the England tour as he prepares to face a disciplinary committee for failing a drugs test during the World Cup.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2011Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opener, has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the England tour as he prepares to face a disciplinary committee for failing a drugs test during the World Cup.Tharanga, 26, tested positive after the semi-final against New Zealand, in Colombo, and Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed he won’t be selected for any representative cricket in the short term.”Since there is an ongoing inquiry to verify this charge, Upul Tharanga will not be making himself available for selection until the conclusion of the inquiry and therefore will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches in England and the Sri Lanka A Team tour of England,” a statement said.Tharanga’s absence means Sri Lanka could be without their two first-choice one-day openers against England with the captain Tillakaratne Dilshan also a doubt having suffered a hairline fracture of his thumb in the second Test at Lord’s. However, Dilshan is still hopeful of being available for the one Twenty20 international and five ODIs.The pair had recent success against England, having guided Sri Lanka to a 10-wicket victory in the World Cup quarter-final when they added an unbeaten 231. Tharanga also enjoyed an impressive one-day series on the 2006 tour of England where he hit two hundreds – 120 at Lord’s and 109 at Headingley in a record 286-run stand with Sanath Jayasuriya – during Sri Lanka’s 5-0 whitewash of the hosts.There are reports in Sri Lanka that Tharanga’s absence could open the door for a surprise return for Jayasuriya who turns 42 in June and played his last ODI in December 2009. “If my services are required, I would be glad as always to give my best,” he told the Sri Lankan .

Bond advises rest and rotation for quicks

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Shane Bond has said there is a danger of Test cricket losing fast bowlers unless boards and team managements rest their quick men periodically

Cricinfo staff11-May-2010New Zealand quick bowler Shane Bond has said there is a danger of losing more fast bowlers from Test cricket unless boards and team managements rest them periodically.”Bowlers are almost going to be like pitchers, where you play a game and sit out the next, because of the amount of cricket played these days,” Bond told Cricinfo. “I worry that fast bowlers are going to withdraw from Test cricket early to play limited-overs cricket.”New Zealand’s often-injured pace spearhead, who retired from Test cricket last year, said Australia were possibly the only team in a position to give their fast bowlers a break. “They win more than they lose. They seem to rotate bowlers even during series and still win. People tend to forget they are resting and rotating and giving guys a week off here and there. A lot of the other teams, because they are struggling to win 50-50, are just playing their best team all the time, and they suffer when there are injuries.Bond turned out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the recent IPL and is now on show in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. He tipped the short format to develop as a showcase for fast bowlers. “You are not risking injury [in Twenty20] like you would when bowling eight- to nine-over spells, which sometimes can be dangerous.”Bond said his laziness as a teenager was to blame for the repeated breakdowns for which he became notorious over an all-too-short Test career. “The thing that hurt me the most was, I was really lazy in my late teens. Because of that, I got a lot of back problems. So I missed a lot of years from 17 to 23. I never had a good base for bowling. I just lacked it.”I went away from cricket, and then I am back and all of a sudden bowling proper fast. I went from a little bit of cricket to international cricket, where I am bowling fast. That catch-up was too much. The difference in intensity at domestic and international levels is massive and people don’t appreciate how big it is.”He ruled out a return to Tests but said younger bowlers could continue in the format as long as they managed their comebacks from injuries wisely. “I still see it now when I play with guys who are injured and they want to be back for a game that is, say, six weeks down the line. You’ve just got to come back when you are fully fit. Too many people – and I have made the mistake in the past – sometimes rush back to make a tour or a series even when they are not a 100% fit. You are better off taking it step by step.”Bond said the decision to quit Tests had been hard for him because he had badly wanted to get to 150 wickets in the format. “When I came back against Pakistan, I felt I had the opportunity once again to achieve those goals, and then, bang, I got injured. It was demoralising.”Test cricket is about getting people out and that’s what I do: I got people out. A lot of goals I wanted to achieve were built around Test cricket, but I am also a realist. I realised every time I played four- or five-day cricket, I broke if I played few games on the bounce. It is just the way I played: I find it difficult to hold back. I just go hard. It hurt me.”

Bangladesh, Netherlands hope for batting boost in Kingstown

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Arnos Vale has not hosted an international game in nearly 10 years, and both teams will hope for better batting conditions after struggling in New York

Mohammad Isam12-Jun-2024

Match details

Bangladesh vs Netherlands
June 13, Kingstown, 10:30am local

Big picture: Winner stays in touching distance of Super 8s

Netherlands will hunt for their first big fish (Full Members side) when they take on Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup’s newest venue in Kingstown, St Vincent. It is a fresh pitch where competitive cricket hasn’t been played for a while now. Both sets of batters, battered and bruised in New York, will look forward to a better experience.Bangladesh endured a hectic travel schedule after their South Africa game in New York, with their chartered flight out delayed by five hours. They arrived early Tuesday morning in their Kingstown hotel, and cancelled training on that day.Coupled with the travel stress, Bangladesh are dealing with heartbreak of a close defeat to South Africa. Their inability to put away Keshav Maharaj’s full-tosses in the final over cost them the game. Bangladesh have had trouble closing off T20I chases over the last eight years, and on Monday, Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali, reputed big hitters, could not find a boundary in the last three overs of their chase.Related

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Their top order batting has also been worrying. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto opened with Tanzid Hasan against South Africa, with Soumya Sarkar left out, but neither opening pair has managed a double-digit stand yet in this tournament. Litton Das showed a bit of form against Sri Lanka but gave it away cheaply against South Africa. Only Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah have shown batting form, while it has mostly been the bowling attack that has kept Bangladesh afloat.Netherlands will have their hands full against Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed with the new ball, before Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain go at them in the middle overs. The pace trio has done well in the death overs too, and among the spin-bowling allrounders Mahmudullah has been mostly economical while Shakib Al Hasan, despite a poor start to the tournament, can never be counted out.Netherlands themselves have bowled brilliantly in the T20 World Cup, beating Nepal in Dallas and pushing South Africa close in New York. Logan van Beek, Bas de Leede and Tim Pringle have bowled well in partnerships alongside Vivian Kingma and Paul van Meekeren.Like Bangladesh, they too have batting problems. Max O’Dowd has made their only half-century so far, while the rest of the batters haven’t taken off, particularly Michael Levitt who was their form player leading up to the T20 World Cup.This could be a tense scrap in Kingstown, with the result coming down to which bowling attack can better dominate on the day.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Netherlands LWLLL

In the spotlight – Logan van Beek and Taskin Ahmed

Taskin Ahmed has performed admirably as the attack leader. He has taken the big wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka in Bangladesh’s two games, while going at just 5.50 per over. It is still early days but if he can keep getting the ball to shape and maintain his overall fitness, Taskin could end as one of the top bowlers of the tournament.Logan van Beek has already bowled arguably the ball of the tournament. His delivery to Reeza Hendricks in New York pitched on middle and off, squared up the batter, and flicked the off bail as van Beek flew into a celebratory run. He has been Netherlands’ best bowler in their two matches so far, picking up five wickets. Accuracy is van Beek’s hallmark, regardless of whether he is bowling with an upright or wobbly seam.All aboard the Logan van Beek flight•ICC/Getty Images

Team news: Bangladesh could look at batting options

Bangladesh are still unsure about their top and lower middle order. Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan are among their batting options if they are looking for another change.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Najmul Hosain Shanto (capt), 3 Litton Das (wk), 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan, 10 Taskin Ahmed 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Barring last-minute injuries, Netherlands are likely to continue with the same XI.Netherlands (probable): 1 Michael Levitt, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Vikramjit Singh, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Tim Pringle, 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Vivian Kingma.

Pitch and conditions

International cricket returns to Arnos Vale after nearly ten years. The ground has never hosted a CPL match either, so it is hard to predict what the conditions might be like. There’s a bit of early-morning rain in the forecast in the region.

Stats and trivia

  • Bangladesh, incidentally, played the last international match at Arnos Vale, a Test-match defeat to West Indies in September 2014. Mahmudullah is the only member of their T20 World Cup squad to have featured in that game. They will also play against Nepal here on June 17, and a three-match T20I series against West Indies later this year.
  • Bangladesh hold an overall 4-3 win record over Netherlands in all formats but they lost their most recent meeting, the 2023 World Cup game in Kolkata.
  • Netherlands made their best start with the ball against a Full Member team in T20Is when they reduced South Africa to 12 for 4 in their last game.
  • Tanzim Hasan has picked up three wickets in the powerplay overs at this World Cup, at an average of 8.33.

Quotes

“We spoke about this ground. I think Shakib was telling me that he made his captaincy debut in this ground. Riyad has a Test five-for.”
“We are in the ground for the first time today. It seems to be in wonderful shape. The wicket is great. I think tomorrow’s match is one that the island has waited a long time for.”

Munro, Azam, Ashraf seal Islamabad United's playoff spot

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Last-over finish leaves Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2023Islamabad United beat Quetta Gladiators by two wickets in a seesawing game to confirm qualification for the last four for the seventh time in eight seasons. Half-centuries from Mohammad Nawaz and Najibullah Zadran helped Gladiators recover from a horror start to post 179. In response, United blazed away in characteristic fashion, even if the resulting fall of wickets brought Gladiators back into the contest. But Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf struck up a valuable partnership, with Ashraf finishing off the game with three balls to spare.United put Gladiators in to bat, and immediately put them on the back foot. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in each of his first two overs to remove Will Smeed and Yasir Khan, while a stunning boundary catch from Mubasir Khan got rid of Sarfaraz Ahmed. Iftikhar Ahmed fell to Ashraf soon after, and Gladiators were reduced to 17 for 4 in the sixth over.Nawaz and Zadran led a recovery effort, putting together a 104-run partnership that lifted their side out of the doldrums. Perhaps learning from Lahore Qalandars, they refused to consolidate after losing early wickets, going after the bowling even as it made the loss of wickets more probable. They were rewarded for that intrepid approach, and within relatively little time, the run rate crept upwards. When Farooqi got rid of Nawaz, he had scored a half-century, and with four overs to go, Gladiators were set up for a big finish.Enter Umar Akmal. Remember him? In a stunning display of pure power hitting, the former Pakistan batter clubbed five sixes in 14 balls to smash an unbeaten 43, meaning Gladiators put on 58 in their final four overs.Mohammad Nawaz’s half-century went in vain•PCB

United went about that chase as you might expect. Even though Naseem Shah trapped Rahmanullah Gurbaz in front off the second ball, Colin Munro dazzled in the powerplay. 18 runs off the second over of the innings – bowled by Odean Smith – made his intentions plain. Naseem was treated with more respect as Munro showed restraint, but when Umaid Asif followed up with the fourth over, 18 more came off it. By the end of the seventh over, a staggering 96 runs had been scored, 63 off which came off Munro’s bat.United wobbled in the passage of play that followed. Shadab Khan holed out to Iftikhar before Nawaz struck next ball to draw the curtain on the Munro show. Umaid cleaned up Mubasir as he heaved at one with little convictions, before Nawaz got one to skid on to Asif Ali to suddenly leave the two-time champions reeling.United still needed 69 from nine overs and had just four wickets left. But just as Faheem and Azam had put on a vital rearguard stand earlier in the week, they rose to the occasion once more. Aware they needed to consolidate – anathema to United’s ostensible philosophy – it wasn’t until his 17th ball that Azam struck his first boundary. Ashraf, too, bided his time as they took the game to the final three overs, of which United needed 31.Azam roared to life at this moment, pummelling Naveen-ul-Haq for a four and a six, before pulling Umaid for six more to bring the asking rate almost run a ball. He fell the next ball and Hasan Ali holed out soon after, leaving Ashraf needing nine in the final over.It took him just three balls as Smith missed his lengths, with the experienced United allrounder hitting three fours to take his side through, and leave Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination.

Michael Hogan set for retirement after Glamorgan testimonial in 2022

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Veteran Australian has taken 589 wickets for his adopted county

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021Michael Hogan, the veteran Australian seamer, will retire from professional cricket at the age of 41 following a testimonial year with Glamorgan in 2022.A late developer who made his first-class debut at 28 but has since taken 589 wickets across formats for Glamorgan, Hogan was the club’s leading wicket-taker in the County Championship in 2021 and took the final wicket in their Royal London Cup final win against Durham in August.His testimonial year was initially due to be staged in 2020 but has twice been postponed due to the impact of Covid. Hogan joined Glamorgan in 2013, playing through a British passport, and Mark Wallace, the club’s director of cricket, suggested he would be a likely inclusion in the county’s all-time XI.Related

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“The Testimonial has been a long time coming for Michael and it’s hugely deserved after years of incredible service at Glamorgan,” Wallace said. “Though we knew this day would eventually come, it is bittersweet because he’s been such a good player for us and is so influential, but he certainly deserves to go out on his own terms.”He’s been fantastic for Glamorgan and would probably take a position in our greatest-ever side and that shows just how good he’s been since arriving from Australia. He’s got a year left with us and knowing Michael he’d like to go out on a high and no doubt there are plenty more wickets left in him before he goes riding off into the sunset.””I am extremely grateful to the club for postponing my Testimonial and allowing me to hold it next year,” Hogan added. “It’s been a difficult couple of years on and off the pitch but winning the Royal London Cup made it all worthwhile.”Wales has felt like home and I’m looking forward to enjoying another successful season at this great club next year before I hang up my boots for good. I’m 40 now and need to spend more time with my young family, while it’s probably the right time for Glamorgan to look to the future and start moving in a different direction.”Glamorgan announced last week that David Lloyd would take over from Chris Cooke as club captain for 2022 and have already strengthened their squad for next season by signing Eddie Byrom, James Harris and Sam Northeast. They will expect to challenge for promotion in the Championship after a promising 2021 season.

Ben Stokes set to arrive in UAE for IPL 2020 with Rajasthan Royals

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Allrounder will arrive early on Sunday and will be in quarantine for six days as per IPL protocols

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2020England allrounder Ben Stokes is finally headed to the IPL from New Zealand, where he has spent the past month-and-a-half with his family. ESPNcricinfo understands Stokes will land in Dubai, where the Royals are based, early on Sunday.As per the IPL’s Covid-19 protocol Stokes will undergo the mandatory six-day quarantine, including clearing three tests, before he can link up with the Royals and be available for selection.On Saturday morning Stokes posted a picture with his parents on Instagram, along with a caption titled ‘goodbyes never get easier’.In August, mid-way into the Pakistan Test series, Stokes flew to New Zealand to be alongside his father Ged, who was detected recently with brain cancer. Stokes was granted compassionate leave by the ECB and missed not just the final two Tests and the limited-overs leg of the Pakistan series, but also the six-match white ball series against Australia.Upon landing in New Zealand, Stokes admitted leaving Pakistan series was the “right thing” he did from the “mental” point of view.The Royals have not yet commented on Stokes joining the squad, but the franchise has maintained the it would not rush the England allround back and give him “as much time as he wishes” before he was ready to play.”It’s a difficult scenario, so we’re giving him as much time as he needs, and connecting with him as best we can,” Royals head coach Andrew McDonald had told ESPNcricinfo days before the IPL started.While in Christchurch, Stokes had been readying for his return to competitive cricket by training with Sydenham Cricket Club, the first cricket club he played at back in New Zealand. “Been great being in Christchurch where it all began,” he said in another Instagram post. “Thanks to Sydenham Cricket for letting me use their facilities to bowl in.”Stokes’ arrival will shore up a slightly shaky middle order that is currently struggling for consistency. With Steven Smith and Jos Buttler opening the batting, the Royals have had to rely on the relative inexperience of Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia in the lower middle order, along with the out-of-form Robin Uthappa.

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