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In a move to grow interest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI is set to act on a proposal to convert India’s domestic T20 championship to an inter-zonal competition

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016In a move to grow interest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI is set to act on a proposal to convert India’s domestic T20 championship to an inter-zonal competition.The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is currently an inter-state tournament wherein the top two teams from four groups progress to to the second round, where sides are divided into two groups. The winners of their respective groups make the final.The revised structure would have the state teams divided zonally, and the best performers from a zone make up the zonal team to contest against other such sides. In addition to the five main zones – North, South, East, West and Central – a sixth team, comprising the best young players from all zones, will be selected to participate.BCCI president Anurag Thakur confirmed the development. “We discussed the issue at length during our fixtures committee Meeting. The endeavour is to make domestic cricket more engaging and viable,” Thakur told PTI. “With 1882 playing days, the BCCI has shown how serious we are about our domestic structure.”We have decided to have Ranji Trophy at neutral venue, Duleep Trophy with pink ball and now we are trying to make Mushtaq Ali more competitive by bringing in a zonal structure. The aim is to improve the quality of domestic cricket. We are trying to finalise details and senior officials will be putting a process in place.”The BCCI tours and fixtures committee had also previously recommended playing day-night games with the pink ball in the Duleep Trophy, the zonal first-class tournament, and playing at neutral venues in the Ranji Trophy, the country’s premier first-class competition.

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has given his support to Ricky Ponting’s suggestion of banning thick, lightweight bats from Test cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-20163:35

Sri Lanka will be different proposition at home – Hazlewood

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has given his support to Ricky Ponting’s suggestion of banning thick, lightweight bats from Test cricket.At a recent Australian Cricket Society function, Ponting expressed his concern at the imbalance between bat and ball in the longer form of the game, and argued in favour of greater regulation of bat size.The laws of cricket only limit the length and width of a bat, not its depth or weight, and Ponting said bats with extremely thick edges should be heavy and therefore harder to wield. He said the matter would be discussed at next week’s meeting of the MCC World Cricket Committee, and Hazlewood said he would have no problem with banning thick, light bats.”I’m all for it,” Hazlewood told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. “Some of those cricket bats going around the dressing sheds at the moment are unbelievably big. Obviously David Warner, and Usman Khawaja has got a few big ones as well. I’m all for it.”I think it’s just the weight, as Punter has mentioned. You think it’s going to be so heavy, this big bat, but it picks up as light as any of the other bats. It’s just ridiculous.”However, Ponting said any change in regulations should apply only to the long form of the game, and batsmen should still be able to use the thick, lightweight bats in one-day and Twenty20 cricket.”I think he’s made a good point about just in Test matches,” Hazlewood said. “One-day cricket [is] a little bit different, I think the crowds come to see the fours and sixes and big hits. But in Test cricket, definitely I think he’s made a pretty good point.”Hazlewood has been enjoying a rare few days at home in Sydney this week after returning from Australia’s victorious ODI tri-series campaign in the West Indies. He flies out this weekend for Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka, which begins with a three-Test series, their first in the country since 2011.Opening batsman Joe Burns, second spinner Steve O’Keefe, wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and fast bowler Jackson Bird have already flown to Asia to begin preparing for the series at a training camp in India. Only three members of Australia’s Test squad – Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh and Khawaja – have played a Test in Sri Lanka.”I think a couple of wickets are going to be quite tough, quite hard work for the quicks, Colombo especially doesn’t offer too much for the quicks,” Hazlewood said. “But I think up in Kandy it could suit us and we could get a little bit of seam.”The spinners are going to be the key to take the majority of the wickets if conditions do suit spin. But I think the quicks, if we can get some reverse swing, I think we could really take wickets towards the end when that ball does start to reverse.”

A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2016A five-wicket win for Surrey in a rain-affected game against Middlesex at Lord’s completed the quarter-final line-up of the Royal London Cup. Surrey, last year’s beaten finalists, sneaked above their London rivals into fourth place in the South Group, securing a last-eight trip to face North Group winners Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Royal London Cup QFs

• Somerset v Worcestershire, Taunton, August 17, 11am

• Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston, August 17, 11am

• Kent v Yorkshire, Canterbury, August 18, 2pm

• Northamptonshire v Surrey, Wantage Road, August 18, 1.30pm

Confirmation that Somerset would top the South Group, setting up a quarter-final with Worcestershire at Taunton, came with the abandonment of Essex’s game at Gloucestershire earlier in the day.Essex were then left waiting on results elsewhere to see if they would go through; Kent’s victory at Sussex moved them up to second but Hampshire narrowly failed to beat Somerset, sending Essex to play Warwickshire in the last eight and turning the match at Lord’s into a straight knockout.Kent will host Yorkshire in their quarter-final. Yorkshire had gone into the final round of North Group games on Monday hoping to secure a home fixture but a heavy defeat to Warwickshire at Headingley saw them slip to third.The first two quarter-finals, at Taunton and Edgbaston, will be day games played on August 17; the games at Wantage Road and Canterbury will start in the afternoon on August 18. The semi-final draw sees the winner of Warwickshire v Essex playing either Somerset or Worcestershire, while Kent or Yorkshire will go on to face one of Northants or Surrey, with the ties taking place on August 28-29.

Graeme White and Rob Keogh shared all 20 wickets as Northamptonshire wrapped up a mammoth 318-run win over Glamorgan on the third afternoon at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network02-Sep-2016
ScorecardGraeme White picked up his maiden five-wicket haul as Glamorgan tumbled to defeat (file photo)•PA Photos

Graeme White and Rob Keogh shared all 20 wickets as Northamptonshire wrapped up a mammoth 318-run win over Glamorgan on the third afternoon at Wantage Road. The margin of victory was a record for Northants over Glamorgan.After setting the visitors a mighty 451 to win, Keogh and White got to work again. Keogh took 9 for 52 in the first innings but it was White who claimed a career-best second time around with 6 for 44 – his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Keogh played his part too with four more wickets to finish with 13 for 125, the best match figures for Northamptonshire for 40 years.The pair saw Northants to just their second win of the season – the first coming against Glamorgan at Swansea at the start of August. The visitors left with only three points, beaten for the sixth time – the most defeats in the division.Having been swept out for just 124 in 42.5 overs on the second morning, Glamorgan’s second-innings effort at least extended into the afternoon but still contained little resistance against a turning pitch and the skill of White and Keogh.White began Glamorgan’s second slide when Jacques Rudolph tried to reverse sweep in the eighth over of the morning and was bowled for 11. Makeshift opener Owen Morgan followed lbw for 22, David Lloyd overbalanced and was stumped for 16 and when Will Bragg was lbw to Keogh for the second time in the match, Glamorgan were already staring down a heavy defeat at 69 for 4.It appeared only a matter of time before Northants would clean up the lower order. Anuerin Donald swept at a White delivery that didn’t turn as hoped for and Graham Wagg skied a cut to point. The best ball of the day was saved for Mark Wallace, who was beaten by a classic left-armer’s delivery and lost his middle-and-off stumps.White had six-for but it was fitting that Keogh finished Glamorgan off after his wonderful performance on the second morning. Tim van der Gugten was sharply held at leg slip by Rob Newton before a smart offspinner took out Michael Hogan to wrap up the win.”We’ve found a bit of form at the wrong end of the season but it’s nice to be playing well,” Northamptonshire’s coach, David Ripley, said. “We had some great individual performances and the second day’s play was sensational.”As a team we felt up for it and there was desire here – you can rev people up but it’s about personal responsibility – and now we want to finish the season strongly.”

Jason Roy is little more than a year into ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2016Jason Roy is little more than a year into his ODI career but he will be the senior opener as England take on Bangladesh this month. In the absence of Alex Hales, who pulled out of the tour over fears about security, Roy will take to the field alongside a new partner, beginning with England’s first warm-up match in Fatullah on Tuesday.Roy has opened with Hales in 27 of his 29 innings, building an impressive record together since the 2015 World Cup. The hugely impressive but uncapped Ben Duckett has been tipped to take Hales’ place, although England appear to be considering a return to the top of the order for Moeen Ali.”Whoever comes in deserves a go,” Roy said. “They are going to get a huge opportunity to state their mark on international cricket. Whether it’s Duckett or Moeen, I’ve been batting with a few of the guys, I don’t know yet – I just get on with it. We get on that well we don’t need to worry.”Joining up with the boys now, been away for a couple of weeks, it’s straight back in. We have great team cohesion. I won’t think of myself as the senior partner – we are all equal, just crack on and maybe try help whoever it is out. If it is the new man Duckett, he might be nervous, but he deserves to be here.”Moeen has only opened once in ODIs since the World Cup, when Hales hurt his back in the field against Sri Lanka at The Oval earlier this year. If he is asked to open, that could leave Duckett competing with James Vince for a spot at No. 3.Roy is among a handful of batsmen to have scored 1000-plus ODI runs at a 100-plus strike rate and he said that he will try to bat the way he has so far in his short career, in which he has found early success. He said he considers himself far from being the finished product as an international batsman and is focused on developing himself as a consistent match-winner.”I still have lots of work to do, loads more runs, a few more hundreds,” Roy said. “I don’t really settle for mediocrity. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I want to improve and win more games for England but I’m pretty happy with where my game is. I’ve matured playing in big games.”I probably won’t change my approach mentally, but maybe a couple of things technically. Really it’s all very similar, trying to get the team off to a good start – the first 15-20 balls are going to be huge, getting myself in. Like I said, we have just had one real net session today so we will assess how the game goes tomorrow and go from there.”Roy said that the hot and humid conditions in Bangladesh – the temperature was around 33C in Mirpur on Monday, with 75% humidity – will need some time to get acclimatised, but he hopes to be prepared for the first ODI on Friday. Roy suffered a dizzy spell in a game against Pakistan in August and will know the importance of taking on fluids.”You don’t really think about it too much,” he said. “You’ve just got to get on with your job. It can be draining but that’s what training days and practice matches are for, so that when we come to Friday we are ready.”You don’t realise how much you are sweating and the next minute you can feel a bit weird. Concentration will be key, just keeping yourself ticking over and batting for as long as possible.”

The Barmy Army, a group of travelling England fans, has said it will not be following the team on tour in Bangladesh owing to prevailing security concerns

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2016The Barmy Army, a group of travelling England fans, has said it will not be following the team on tour in Bangladesh owing to prevailing security concerns. A statement on the group’s website said that while the BCB had taken an interest in improving security for fans, the “measures do not yet go far enough to persuade us to go against FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) advice.”The development came two days after England ODI captain Eoin Morgan and opening batsman Alex Hales said they would not be travelling to Bangladesh either, despite the ECB saying the tour would go ahead, following an assessment of the security measures in place.”Behind the scenes we have been liaising with the ECB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and have now received advice from the latter,” the Barmy Army said. “We have been supplied with a list of hotels in Dhaka and Chittagong that will receive protection from the Bangladesh Police and been told that England supporters will be afforded their own segregated area within the stadium.”However on the issue of escorts to and from stadiums (where due to local traffic conditions supporters will be most vulnerable to attack), we have been supplied with the contact details of a private security company, the implication being that any extra security will have be at supporter’s own expense. Whilst we are grateful that the BCB are taking an interest, we feel these measures do not yet go far enough to persuade us to go against FCO advice.”It is a matter of great regret that we feel unable to endorse travel to Bangladesh. Those of us lucky enough to have visited this country on previous tours have lasting and fond memories of a warm welcome, friendly locals and wonderful food. Perhaps the greatest pleasure being able to mix freely with the general population, particularly in and around the stadiums. We were also able to wander and explore the teeming cities of Dhaka and Chittagong without fear. FCO advice specifically warns against such activities.”The concerns over security for England’s tour of Bangladesh began after Dhaka, the nation’s capital, suffered a terrorist attack in July that left many dead. Australia had also cancelled their tour to the country at the end of last year and had pulled out of the Under-19 World Cup this year due to security concerns.

Two teams will progress to Division Three, two will be relegated to Division Five, and it will all happen amid the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles28-Oct-20161:43

‘Oman is the team for us to beat’ – Dassanayake

Six teams have come to Los Angeles pursuing a spot in the the 2019 World Cup and hoping the City of Angels can spare a few to be on their side.The next step on the road to England, the World Cricket League Division Four begins on Saturday at Woodley Park in the northwest suburb of Van Nuys. The two teams to finish on top get move on to Division Three. Then there is Division Two, which in turn leads to a qualifying tournament in 2018 in Bangladesh.USA would be pleased to have the home advantage in a WCL tournament, and that is not just because they had missed out on it, twice, due to administrative issues. Since the start of the 2009 cycle, in WCL events at which promotion and relegation are at stake 14 out of 19 hosting teams have finished in the top two slots and moved on to the next level.The other five teams – Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey and Oman – will provide strong competition over the course of the next week. Those who finish in the bottom two, however, will be relegated to Division Five.

USA (fifth at 2014 WCL Division Three)

Fahad Babar has been the backbone of the USA batting line-up•Peter Della Penna

The American squad is almost unrecognisable from the group that was relegated in Malaysia two years ago. Captain Steve Massiah, leading wicket-taker Usman Shuja and batsmen Aditya Thyagarajan and Sushil Nadkarni have departed the national scene and a wave of fresh faces has emerged.Allrounder Timroy Allen played for the 2016 CPL champions Jamaica Tallawahs. A destructive presence at the top of the order, Steven Taylor has also taken leadership of USA. His partner Fahad Babar forms the backbone of the batting line-up. Babar was USA’s leading scorer at 2014 WCL Division Three, and has struck four fifties in nine one-day games, including two against Canada in October’s Auty Cup. Akeem Dodson has been in solid form in the middle-order and Alex Amsterdam making a century in a warm-up match on Tuesday has bolstered the team’s batting strength.USA may have the most potent pace attack in the tournament, but legspinning allrounder Timil Patel is their biggest threat. The Los Angeles-based player picked up 10 wickets at the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland last summer and should be a handful on his own turf.

Bermuda (sixth at 2014 WCL Division Three)

The 21-year old Bermuda batsman Tre Manders has a lot riding on him•ICC/Getty

Since making their maiden World Cup appearance in 2007, Bermuda have fallen on hard times. They were beaten 3-0 by an under-strength Canada developmental squad in Hamilton last weekend. Among the defeats was a disappointing effort of 34 all out.Finding players has been an issue. Dean Minors, the 46-year old who hasn’t played for Bermuda in five years, is their first-choice keeper. Their replacement for vice-captain Terryn Fray, who had broken his finger during that series loss to Canada, was 41-year old Janeiro Tucker.In his prime, Tucker was a match-winner and was Bermuda’s leading run-getter at the 2005 ICC Trophy. But a Bermuda Cricket press release said he has arrived in Los Angels after postponing surgery this week on his right shoulder. Their confidence heading into the tournament is low and the odds are heavily in favor of Bermuda being relegated come November 5.David Hemp, often Bermuda’s batting mainstay, has left to take up a coaching role in Australia. The 21-year old Tre Manders has picked up some of the slack, scoring 73 in the final game of the Canada series. Delray Rawlins is another player to watch out for. The left-arm spinner plays for Sussex in the English county circuit. Bermuda will also look to fast-bowling allrounder Kamau Leverock to lend them balance.

Denmark (third at 2014 WCL Division Four)

Amjad Khan, who played one Test for England, is part of Denmark’s squad•Getty Images

They have had a rocky start to their American tour, having lost a pair of warm-up games in Houston: one by 23 runs to Jersey and the other by three wickets to a Houston club side.Denmark’s squad includes Amjad Khan, the former England fast bowler. He may not possess the searing pace he once did, but may still be a threat in early-morning conditions at Woodley Park. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Freddie Klokker and captain Michael Pedersen lend structure to their batting.Denmark are short of power-hitters which could become a disadvantage. They play only one of their games on a ground that has large boundaries – Wong Cricket Field – and might struggle to match the tempo of the other teams when playing at the smaller fields at Severn and Wright.Denmark may not look like a contender for promotion, but they have beaten USA in five straight one-day matches and should they extend the streak on day four of the round-robin stages it could help them snag a top-two finish.

Italy (fourth in 2014 WCL Division Four)

Carl Sandri has been with Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League•ICC/Getty

After playing in two straight World T20 Qualifiers, Italy were jumped by Jersey in 2015, a sign that their fortunes were changing. Peter Petricola, who has been a pillar with bat and ball since his debut in 2008, has not made himself available for this tournament. Neither have the equally dependable Andy Northcote and Vince Pennazza, putting a major dent into Italy’s hopes.The absence of the seniors was felt on Wednesday when Italy lost by 38 runs to a Southern California XI. Captain Damian Crowley made 77 out of a total of 173, having to compensate for six single-digit scores from his team-mates. He was the team’s leading batsman at the last Division Four with 200 runs in six games.Carl Sandri, formerly of Sydney Thunder, could prove to be an impact player for Italy. Though he is primarily used as an offspinner, Sandri has a reputation as an explosive hitter in the middle order. The small boundaries at Wright and Severn in particular could help Sandri and Italy pose a greater challenge.<p class="news-sub"Jersey (Winners of 2016 WCL Division Five)

Captain Peter Gough (right) would want to make sure his team doesn’t miss Ben Stevens (left) too much•Peter Della Penna

After beating Oman in the final of Division Five in May, Jersey are one of the more confident sides heading into the tournament. They earned a spot in Division Four for the third time, though in each prior instance they have promptly been relegated. An up-an-coming squad is hoping to reverse that trend.Opener and captain Peter Gough provides stability to the batting, with a battery of allrounders, notably Nat Watkins and Anthony Hawkins-Kay, to follow him. They will miss Ben Stevens though, who had been their top-scorer in Division Five and in whose absence they were bowled out for 130 by Houston Club side. Harrison Carlyon, who is only 15 years old, has been chosen as his replacement and could become the youngest player to represent Jersey.Batsman Jonty Jenner failed to cross fifty despite getting plenty of starts in Division Five but he comes to Los Angeles on the back of a 116 for Sussex second XI in a three-day match in August.Jersey’s bowling attack is spearheaded by seamer Ben Kynman, who took 15 wickets in Division Five and garnered interest from Kent last summer.

Oman (2nd place at 2016 WCL Division Five)

Amir Ali is back after a hand injury•Associated Press

Though they stunned Ireland in the 2016 World T20, Oman have been woeful in 50-over cricket over the last three years.They took their first steps to turning their fortunes around in Jersey, finishing second in Division Five, but the batting remains an area of concern. Outside of allrounder Zeeshan Maqsood, who was the tournament’s leading batsman with 350 runs, only one other player crossed 100 runs, a fact that had worried coach Duleep Mendis.The return of Amir Ali, their match-winner at the World T20, could help ease some of the concern. He had missed Division Five with a broken hand but has since recovered. Another key addition is Arun Poulose, a former Kerala opening batsman who recently qualified to play for Oman having spent four years in the country. He top-scored with 47 in Oman’s last match, beating UAE by 72 runs.On the bowling front, Munis Ansari will be key in the final overs while Rajeshkumar Ranpura should enjoy using the new ball in Woodley’s swing-friendly conditions in the morning. Their left-arm spin arsenal is missing a key component though. Allrounder Aamir Kaleem was injured during a training camp ahead of the tournament, leaving captain Ajay Lalcheta to pick up the slack.

The ICC has begun reviewing, of its own volition, footage of Faf du Plessis shining the ball with saliva, with what appears to be a sweet in his mouth at the same time, to check for a breach of its Code of Conduct

Firdose Moonda17-Nov-20161:46

Moonda: Du Plessis incident won’t take shine off win

Faf du Plessis will find out by Sunday if he will face a charge for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct after South Africa’s stand-in captain was shown on camera shining the ball with what appeared to be a sweet in his mouth. ICC CEO David Richardson is expected to take a call over the incident, which took place during the recent Hobart Test.The footage emerged on Wednesday, the day after the conclusion of the match, which South Africa won by an innings and 80 runs to take the series. It was not reported by match officials within the stipulated 18 hours after the game. Instead, the ICC was alerted of the incident through media queries and is now reviewing it of its own volition. It has until Sunday, a stipulated five days after it began reviewing the footage, to make its decision.”The ICC has been alerted to the footage and is currently reviewing the incident from the perspective of it being a possible breach of the ICC Code of Conduct,” an ICC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo.Although Cricket South Africa has not made an official comment on the matter, it is understood the board is confident du Plessis was acting within the laws of the game. Cricket Australia has also not commented, neither has it registered an official complaint.This is not the first time du Plessis has come under scrutiny. In 2013, five penalty runs were awarded to Pakistan, the ball changed and du Plessis fined 50% of his match fee for rubbing the ball close to the zipper of his trouser pocket during a Test in Dubai. Du Plessis pleaded guilty to the charge and match referee David Boon said he was satisfied that du Plessis’ actions were “not part of a deliberate and/or prolonged attempt to unfairly manipulate the condition of the ball”.Faf du Plessis was previously fined in 2013 for ball-tampering in a Test against Pakistan•Getty Images

It is also not the first time South Africa have faced allegations of tampering with the ball, by either opposition or officials. In March 2014, David Warner accused AB de Villiers of scuffing up the ball with his gloves, for which Warner was fined 15% of his match fee. After the Perth Test, Josh Hazlewood said he saw South Africa throwing the ball onto the pitch in order to try and accelerate the deterioration of one side in order to generate reverse-swing. Ahead of the Hobart Test, du Plessis maintained the ball had reversed the same for both teams and said the issue had been “blown out of proportion”. Neither incident was taken up further.Previously, in July 2014, Vernon Philander was fined 75% of his match fee after footage of him digging into the ball with his nail was made available to Jeff Crowe, the match referee in Sri Lanka. Philander accepted his penalty without contest.South Africa were originally scheduled to play a two-day pink-ball practice match over the weekend in Melbourne. Instead, that game has been altered to a one-day match on Saturday, giving them extra time off after their series win and ahead of the final Test, which starts in Adelaide from November 24.

Titans claimed a second successive T20 title and denied Warriors a first trophy in seven seasons by defending 156

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2016
ScorecardDavid Wiese’s late blows proved the difference•Associated Press

Titans claimed a second successive T20 title and denied Warriors a first trophy in seven seasons by defending 156, despite losing their captain Albie Morkel to a hamstring injury in their first over in the field. Lungi Ngidi and Junior Dala both conceded under seven runs an over but the hero was Malusi Siboto who defended 12 off the final over to secure a tense win.A penultimate over that was boundary-less and cost Dala just six runs set the tone for Siboto’s heroics but they were not without drama. He sent down a slower ball first delivery, then a dot ball, and then only three singles to all but guarantee Titans the win. However, with what should have been the final ball, Siboto bowled a leg-side wide to leave open the prospect of a Super Over deciding the tournament. But he finished on target to leave Warriors wondering how they had left it to their seventh-wicket pair of Lesiba Ngoepe and Sisanda Magala needing to score 31 off 22 balls.The enormity of the occasion – Warriors last played in a final in the 2010-11 season – seemed to overwhelm them but they showed glimpses of breaking their drought. They pulled Titans back from 105 for 3 to restrict them to a below-par score at altitude but none of their senior batsmen could anchor the chase.Warriors reply began tentatively when Clyde Fortuin hit the ball straight to Aiden Markram at backward point but Titans’ joy soon turned to worry. Morkel grabbed at his hamstring in pain as the wicket fell and could not complete the over.David Wiese took over the captaincy and bowled the next over from Morkel’s end, with equal success. He had the leading run-scorer in the competition, Jon-Jon Smuts, caught behind and Warriors were in early trouble. Their malaise could have deepened when Ngidi appealed for a catch against Colin Ingram, who had yet to score, but umpire Allahudien Paleker turned him down. Ingram only faced another eight deliveries before Ngidi had the last laugh and Titans took the Powerplay honours with Warriors on 44 for 3.Colin Ackermann and Christiaan Jonker got them back on track with a clinical attack on the Titans change bowlers. They were particularly severe on left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, whose first over cost 14, but he could have had both their wickets. After Ackermann hit Shamsi over the grass embankment for six, he skied another strike but Siboto put it down and conceded a run. Off the next ball, Jonker tried to flick and was caught by Junior Dala to put Titans back in it.Ackermann shared in a 30-run fifth-wicket stand with Qaasim Adams, who is on loan from Titans and gave it to his old team with a feisty 17 off 16 balls. Before he could do any more damage, though, Shamsi removed him lbw with the last ball of his spell. The tale twisted even more when Ackermann holed out to Ngidi and all but ended Warriors’ challenge.That would have come as relief to Titans, who should have scored more after their strong start. They put on 35 in the first four overs, which included two overs from Kyle Abbott who was selected ahead of the competition’s second-highest wicket-taker Andrew Birch, despite Birch’s 5 for 16 against the same opposition at the same ground in the group stage.Warriors fought back when Basheeru Walters made the first breakthrough and two further blows left Titans 73 for 3 in the 10th over. Despite needing some firepower Titans did not send in their star batsman Farhaan Behardien immediately and tasked Heino Kuhn with partnering Morkel in the middle. Kuhn was run out in the 14th over, which sparked a mini-collapse. They lost three for 21, including Behardien, who was unable to provide a replay of his 14-ball fifty from the weekend, and Morkel, also run-out.At 126 for 6, with 16 balls remaining, Titans were in danger of finishing well below par but Wiese took them to respectability. He plundered 16 runs in a 19-run final over that took Titans over 150 and, in the end, it proved enough.

Sri Lanka Cricket have announced that Angelo Mathews will not be touring Australia for the T20 series due to a hamstring injury sustained on the South Africa tour

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-20170:48

Quick Facts – Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews’ hamstring injury will keep him out of the forthcoming T20 series in Australia, Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed. A stand-in captain is expected to be named on Tuesday, when the selectors decide on the squad.Mathews has been in Sri Lanka since he sustained the injury during his match-winning innings in the second T20 against South Africa. Dinesh Chandimal took the reins in the final T20 of that series, before Upul Tharanga assumed interim leadership of the ODI side.Sri Lanka’s selectors now face a minor dilemma about who should take over the side in Mathews’ stead, as both Chandimal and Tharanga do not necessarily make the T20 XI on present form. Chandimal made scores of 6 not out, 22 and 5 in the three T20s against South Africa, and Tharanga only played the last of those matches, hitting 20 off 11 balls. Barring the tour game in December, neither batsman has hit a fifty in any format in the ongoing tour.”The selection meeting on Tuesday will decide the squad and the captain who will lead in the three matches,” a board statement said. “The team will arrive in Canberra on Monday the 13th.”Sri Lanka are expected to play a practice T20 in Canberra on February 15, before flying to Melbourne on 17th for the first of three T20Is.