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Kishan slammed a 126-ball 111 on his proper comeback to red-ball cricket since making his Test debut last July

Shashank Kishore12-Sep-2024Ishan Kishan marked his return to first-class cricket with a counterattacking 126-ball 111 that helped India C dominate proceedings on the opening day of the second round of matches in the Duleep Trophy, in Anantapur.Not originally part of the revised squads named by the BCCI on September 10, Kishan was a late inclusion on match-eve. Having made a late dash from Bengaluru, 200 kilometers away, Kishan slotted in for India C, not India D who he was originally set to play for, before picking up a groin injury that forced him to miss the first round of matches last week.Kishan dominated during the course of a 189-run stand for the third wicket with B Indrajith, which formed the bedrock of India C’s batting performance; they ended on 357 for 5 after 79 overs. Indrajith contributed 78, his second half-century in three innings.Kishan, who brought up his seventh first-class century, hit 14 fours and three sixes in all during his knock, which officially marks his comeback to proper red-ball cricket for the first time since his Test debut in the Caribbean in July 2023.Last month, he had led Jharkhand in two games of the pre-season Buchi Babu Invitational in Tamil Nadu – the scores of which aren’t classified under first-class records. There, Kishan had struck a hundred in his very first outing against a Madhya Pradesh XI.Three of the five India C wickets were picked up by seamer Mukesh Kumar, while Navdeep Saini and legspinner Rahul Chahar picked up one apiece.India C, however, will be encouraged by the return of Ruturaj Gaikwad, their captain, who had retired hurt in the very first over after twisting his ankle. Gaikwad, who returned to bat at the fall of Indrajith’s wicket, added 42 more to his score to remain unbeaten on 46 at stumps.B Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar, both seeking to firmly cement themselves as first back-up middle order picks, couldn’t build on strong starts, making 43 and 40 respectively.

Jayden Goodwin and Hilton Cartwright will look to extend their strong partnership for WA, who moved to within 87 of Tasmania’s first-innings total in Hobart

AAP02-Nov-2024Hilton Cartwright was fortunate to survive a seemingly regulation caught-behind decision late on day two as Western Australia seized control of their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.After Sam Fanning (68) laid a stoic early platform, Jayden Goodwin (73 not out) and Cartwright (48n not out) helped lift WA to 220 for 2 at stumps on Saturday, 87 runs short of Tasmania’s 317.WA will look to erase the deficit early on Sunday before aiming to construct a match-winning lead.Inside the last half-hour of play on Saturday, after a tough day of toil for the home side’s bowlers, Mitchell Owen drew a thick edge from Cartwright, who was on 38, which was pouched low but cleanly by wicketkeeper Jake Doran.The umpires got together before confirming, to Tasmania’s shock, that the original not-out decision would stand.Goodwin and Cartwright have combined for an unbeaten 91-run third-wicket stand, accelerating late after two sessions of attritional grind.”We’ve got two guys who are set at the crease, so I think we’re in a strong position,” Fanning said. “If we want to move the game forward, I think it’s in our hands. We’re set nicely.” Tasmania’s lower order spent 17.3 overs poking around for 15 runs, after resuming on 302 for 7, before WA crawled to 23 without loss at lunch in reply. The opening session reaping just 38 runs from 28.3 painstaking overs.Lawrence Neil-Smith made six of 77 balls, while Kieran Elliott’s 77-ball stay ended on 21 thanks to a marvellous one-handed slips catch from Cameron Gannon.Teague Wyllie (22) was the only WA batter to fall before tea, trapped plumb lbw by left-arm orthodox spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.Fanning dominated the 70-run first-wicket union with Wyllie and moved to his highest first-class score before chasing a wide half-volley from Bradley Hope, which he feathered to Doran.”I see a pathway for us to victory – four overs to go before the new ball,” Kuhnemann said. If we can take some wickets early tomorrow and put some pressure on, day three is moving day. I think the bowlers did a decent job, but tomorrow’s a massive day for us.”

PCA concerned by policy aimed at limiting exodus to T20 leagues during English season

Matt Roller29-Nov-2024A major row has broken out in English cricket, with T20 freelancers claiming they have been blindsided by a new ECB policy on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs). Players have requested an emergency meeting next week as they work out the implications of changes that ECB chief executive Richard Gould says are designed to “protect the integrity of our sport”.A group of England’s leading T20 freelancers – players without national contracts who are on white-ball-only deals with their counties – feel the move is designed to restrict their opportunities, with a handful of them said to have reacted furiously to the new policy. They are discussing their options both with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), and among themselves in a WhatsApp group chat.These could include a legal challenge, citing restraints of trade. “The PCA’s legal team is currently completing a thorough check of the implementation of the policy,” Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’ s interim chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “The PCA is continuing to source considered opinions and potential consequences of this policy from players and player representatives.”The PCA was aware of potential changes in how counties and the ECB would approach the granting of NOCs, but Mitchell said there was “clear frustration at the lack of time given for consultation, discussion and debate” before the ECB published the policy on Thursday. He added that players had “strongly expressed their concerns” over elements of the new NOCs policy, including “the inconsistencies [at the way] in which players are likely to be treated.”The ECB’s new policy, which was granted board approval on Wednesday, comes in response to the proliferation of new franchise leagues during the English season. The most significant among these is Major League Cricket (MLC), but English players have also featured in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), T10 competitions in Zimbabwe and the Cayman Islands, and the long-established Caribbean Premier League (CPL).Next year, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has shifted its usual dates and will be held in April-May, clashing with the early months of the County Championship season. The ECB’s move is designed to avoid a significant talent drain away from English domestic competitions, and players with standard all-format county contracts will not be granted NOCs to play in the PSL.Most significantly, the ECB’s new approach will be to deny NOCs for any league that overlaps with the T20 Blast or the Hundred on the basis that granting them could “compromise the predictability, stability and consistency of the ECB competitions.”The move would affect players such as Jason Roy and Alex Hales, who skipped parts of the Blast in 2024 to instead feature in MLC and the LPL respectively. One UK-based player agent told ESPNcricinfo: “The problem is that everything clashes with the Blast, because it’s so bloody long.”Some players feel as though the changes are designed primarily to protect the Hundred during the ongoing sales process, with the tournament’s salaries seen as uncompetitive. The ECB is planning significant wage hikes in the 2026 season once deals to sell stakes in the eight teams to private investors are fully signed off, with smaller increases expected ahead of the 2025 edition.The IPL will retain its outlier status, with the ECB continuing to issue NOCs for English players unless they are centrally contracted and having their workloads managed. Twelve England players were signed in last weekend’s mega-auction, including two — Moeen Ali and Jamie Overton — without any form of ECB contract, while others could yet sign replacement deals.Several players who either went unsold in the auction, such as Adil Rashid and Tymal Mills, or did not register for it, like David Willey and Dawid Malan, could instead play in the PSL, though players are awaiting details over the recruitment process for the 2025 season. These could be determined at an upcoming meeting in early December.The ECB also intends to avoid granting NOCs in situations which it feels could compromise the integrity of overseas leagues, under their new policy. ESPNcricinfo revealed earlier this year widespread concerns around the scenarios emerging during the packed franchise calendar in February, which saw some players standing to earn more money if their teams were eliminated early than if they reached the knockout stages.Players without England contracts must have NOCs signed off by both their primary domestic teams and the ECB. Under the new policy, the ECB will not grant an NOC if it has “any concerns that the [relevant] overseas tournament poses or may pose a risk from a corruption perspective, or may put… the integrity of the game at risk.”Gould said: “There’s never been a better time to be a cricket player, with more opportunities than ever for players to compete in competitions around the globe and be well paid for it. But we need to protect the integrity of our sport and the strength of our competitions in England and Wales as well.”This policy gives clarity to players and professional counties around our approach to issuing No-Objection Certificates. It will enable us to strike the right balance between supporting players who want to take up opportunities to earn and gain experience, while also protecting the integrity of cricket globally, ensuring we don’t undermine our own ECB competitions, and managing the welfare of centrally contracted England players.”There are also concerns that several players will seek to renegotiate their county contracts as an unintended consequence of the new policy. Some players may consider moving from all-format deals to white-ball deals which contain a ‘pay-as-you-play’ red-ball element to them – similar to those signed by Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood at Lancashire.

Rajasthan beat Tamil Nadu by 19 runs in the pre-quarterfinal in Vadodara

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2025Spinner Varun Chakravarthy strengthened his case for selection in India’s ODI squad by taking his second five-wicket haul in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but his performance could not prevent Rajasthan from eliminating Tamil Nadu in the pre-quarterfinal stage of the tournament.While Varun finished as the top wicket-taker with 18 scalps in six matches, the knockout game’s defining performance came from Rajasthan opener Abhijeet Tomar, whose 111 in the first innings set the foundation for a 19-run victory. They will play Vidarbha in the quarterfinal on January 12.Rajasthan were on course for 300-plus after losing the toss, cruising at 182 for 1 in the 32nd over when Varun took three wickets in three overs to trigger a slide. He first bowled Mahipal Lomror for 60 with a wrong’un that drifted in, pitched and squared the left-hander to hit the top of off stump.Having broken the 160-run stand between Tomar and Lomror, Varun then bowled Deepak Hooda with a carrom ball as he attempted a mow towards the leg side. His third wicket was the centurion Tomar, holing out to long-on for 111 off 125 balls. He picked up two more wickets to finish with 5 for 52 in nine overs.Rajasthan lost nine wickets for 83 and were all out for 267 in 47.3 overs. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and seamer Sandeep Warrier picked up two wickets each.Tamil Nadu responded with a rapid opening partnership of 60 in 6.5 overs before Khaleel Ahmed bowled the slower opener Tushar Raheja for 11 of 20 balls. N Jagadeesan raced to a half-century, hitting Aman Shekhawat for six fours in an over that included five wides to cost Rajasthan 29 runs. His dismissal for 65 off 52 balls, however, caused panic in Tamil Nadu’s chase.B Indrajith and Vijay Shankar kept the innings going and at the start of the 36th over, Tamil Nadu needed 83 runs with five wickets in hand. The run-out of S Mohammed Ali for a run-a-ball 34, however, swung the game Rajasthan’s way.Shekhawat, the fast bowler who had Indrajith caught behind, bowled Vijay Shankar for 49, and sealed the game by dismissing Varun for 18 in a close finish. He finished with 3 for 60 as Rajasthan, runners-up of the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy, entered the final eight by bowling Tamil Nadu out for 248 in 47.1 overs.

They’ll meet Hurricanes in title match after restricting Sixers to 151, and chasing the target down in scrappy Challenger

Andrew McGlashan24-Jan-2025David Warner will have the chance to lead Sydney Thunder to their first BBL title in nine years, a season after they finished with the wooden spoon, after his side held their nerve in a scrappy Challenger final derby against Sydney Sixers to win by four wickets, with seven balls to spare.The experience of Sam Billings proved vital in the outcome as he nursed Thunder to their target amid a regular loss of wickets. With another 18 runs needed off the remaining 13 balls, Billings broke the tension with a huge leg-side six off Hayden Kerr.Thunder had been excellent in the field, with only a sixth-wicket stand of 56 from 34 balls between Jordan Silk and Ben Dwarshuis hauling Sixers as far as 151. Although Tom Andrews was their only spinner in the wickets – his brace came in the space of three balls – Thunder’s spinners were otherwise again very effective. The ten overs between Andrews, Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green cost just 66 runs on a surface that offered assistance.In reply, young English legspinner Jafer Chohan was very impressive, but Sixers did not have the volume of spin overs they were able to turn to as Thunder set up a final showdown with Hobart Hurricanes on Monday.

Jason Sangha opens up

Thunder have tried a variety of opening combinations this season, although some of it has been out of their hands due to injury to Cameron Bancroft, and a Test call-up for Sam Konstas. For the Challenger, they opted for Jason Sangha, alongside Warner. Jason Sangha was playing in just his second game of the season, and started with a bang by taking 14 runs off the first over.Warner then scooped his first ball from Kerr for six, and Thunder were off to a flyer. But he bunted a catch to mid-on in the third over. Jason Sangha, meanwhile, had reached 30 off 19 balls at the other end, when he slog-swept Chohan to deep midwicket, as the game really started to tighten up.Matthew Gilkes was run-out, although Jack Edwards thought he had broken the stumps with his hands•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

A zing-bail run-out

When on 3, Thunder’s Matthew Gilkes was given a life as he lofted Ben Manenti’s first ball to long-off, where Lachlan Shaw, who has produced some spectacular fielding in the competition, spilled a regulation catch in front of the Thunder dugout. From there, Gilkes built steadily, including landing a huge six into the Members Stand off Mitch Perry. But Gilkes was then at the centre of a borderline third-umpire decision.Coming back for a second run after playing towards deep third, Gilkes was beaten by a superb throw from Kerr. But Jack Edwards thought he had broken the stumps with his hands. However, after multiple replays, the third umpire Phillip Gillespie ruled that it was the ball that had fully dislodged the bail so Gilkes was ruled out for 26. The stump could be seen moving before the ball made contact, but, crucially, the zing bails had not lit up, so they had not been fully dislodged. Without zing bails, it was unlikely to have been given out.That is when Sixers put the squeeze on. Hugh Weibgen under-edged on to the stumps against Kerr, and Thunder couldn’t find the big over that would likely have killed the game off sooner. Chohan was superb, as he had been in the Qualifier final, and did not concede a boundary until the final delivery of his spell.Thunder held the power surge back until the 18th over, and though George Garton fell swinging across the line, Billings and Nathan McAndrew finished the job with some breathing space.Jordan Silk’s 43 took Sixers to 151•Getty Images

Tanveer’s fortune; Andrews’ double

Amid the loss of Edwards and Kurtis Patterson inside the powerplay, which ended with Sixers just 23 for 2, it was a struggle for the hosts. Josh Philippe, who had been moved down to No. 3 after having not reached double figures in his last five innings, and Moises Henriques, were starting to engineer a platform when Henriques nailed a return catch to Tanveer, who dropped it, but deflected the ball on to the stumps with Philippe out of his ground.Then Andrews, who has had a huge impact on Thunder’s run to the finals, further dented Sixers’ middle order with two wickets in the 13th over. Firstly, Henriques was brilliant caught at cover by Garton, diving full length to his left. Then Shaw picked out Warner on the off side, with the Thunder captain rewarded for aggressive fielding placement. Somewhat surprisingly, that was Andrews’ last over of the innings.

Silk’s forlorn finals

Silk was superb in Hobart on Monday, when he had nearly hauled Sixers over the line with 57. Against Sixers in the Challenger, he had to do another rebuilding job from 76 for 5. He broke the shackles with a sweep for six off Tanveer Sangha, and cleared the rope again in the power surge against Wes Agar.The surge brought 20 runs from the two overs, before Dwarshuis was able to find his range against McAndrew in the 18th over, which cost 19 runs. It gave Sixers something to defend, although it wasn’t quite enough in the end.

Aditya Sarwate took three wickets in the morning session to give Kerala the decisive first-innings advantage

Shashank Kishore21-Feb-2025 • Updated on 20-Mar-2025Sixty-eight years after playing their first match, Kerala secured an entry into their maiden Ranji Trophy final on a dramatic fifth morning against Gujarat in Ahmedabad.Needing to pick up three wickets while having just 28 to defend at the start of the day’s play, left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate rose to the occasion by picking up all the remaining wickets to fall as Kerala bowled Gujarat out for 455 to clinch a two-run first-innings lead. This after they made it to the semi-final on the back of a one-run first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir.Kerala will play Vidarbha in the final, which will be played in Nagpur from February 26.Each of the three wickets had an element of drama attached to it. The prelude to the first wicket of the day, of the well-set Jaymeet Patel, was a dropped catch by Sachin Baby, the Kerala captain, at extra cover with Gujarat needing 23 to draw level. But two balls later, Baby sprung back to life as Sarwate’s slider from around the stumps accounted for Jaymeet who played for the turn when there was none.Having played down the wrong line as he lunged forward, Jaymeet dragged his foot outside the crease as the ball passed his outside edge as Mohammed Azharuddeen effected an excellent stumping. An agonising three-minute wait and multiple replays later, Kerala celebrated as the umpire deemed Jaymeet’s foot to be on the line when the bail was knocked off its groove.