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Michael Lewis pushed Victoria to their first win in Hobart in 25 years despite strong resistance from Michael Bevan

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2005Victoria 162 & 9 for 432 dec beat Tasmania 101 & 366 (Bevan 167*, Wright 111, Lewis 6-84) by 127 runs

Scorecard

Michael Lewis pushed Victoria to their first win at Hobart in 25 years despite strong resistance from Michael Bevan in the Pura Cup match at Bellerive Oval.
Bevan was unbeaten on 167, his first century for his new state, when Lewis picked up the No. 11 Brett Geeves to claim his sixth wicket.Lewis also broke the 215-run partnership, a Tasmanian record for the seventh wicket, between Bevan and Damien Wright, who reached his maiden first-class century after being 99 overnight. The pair joined at 6 for 46, adding respectablity to the second innings, but could not prevent Victoria registering their first six points of the summer.Victoria, the defending champions, last beat Tasmania at Hobart at the TCA ground in 1980-81. “It was a great win and created another bit of history,” the captain Cameron White said. “We are pretty relieved to be in the position we are in now.”

On Saturday he edged to slip five short, and on day three he could only make four runs before falling to Prasidh Krishna

Andrew McGlashan05-Jan-2025For the second time in two days, Steven Smith fell agonisingly short of reaching the 10,000-run landmark.On Saturday he edged to slip five short. Then 24 hours later, with a crowd approaching 40,000 watching on during Jane McGrath Day of the Pink Test in Sydney, Prasidh Krishna made a delivery climb from short of a length as Smith advanced down the pitch and he could only fend it into the gully. He became the second batter after Mahela Jayawardene to fall on 9999 runs.Smith will now have to wait until the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle later this month for his next opportunity to become the 15th batter to join the 10,000 club.Often termed the best since Bradman, Smith will be the fourth Australia batter in the group after Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Ahead of this SCG Test, Border paid tribute to Smith and where he stands among the game’s greats.”Averaging 57 or so is in the top echelon ever, if you take one certain bloke [Bradman] out of it and he’s right up there with the very, very best,” he told newspapers. “As far as Australia’s concerned, we’ve had Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, those sorts of players.”But now Steve [Smith] ranks equally with that group, no problems whatsoever. I’m a huge fan of Tendulkar and Lara, they were phenomenally good cricketers, but Steve is definitely up with that lot, for sure.”It has felt like a run-scoring feat that Smith was destined to achieve – he was the fastest to 8000 Test runs and second fastest to the 9000 mark – although the final climb to the summit has taken longer than expected after a relatively lean 2023-24 season which included a brief spell as opener following David Warner’s retirement. Back-to-back centuries in Brisbane and Melbourne left him on the brink, but now the wait goes that big longer.Smith is likely to captain Australia on the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka where Pat Cummins is expected to miss at least one Test for the birth of his second child.

In the semi-finals, Bangladesh will face India and Afghanistan will be up against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2023Afif Hossain put on an all-round show as Bangladesh beat Malaysia by two runs to confirm their semi-final fixture against India at the Asian Games. Malaysia needed five in the last over with Virandeep Singh batting on 52 off 35, but Afif gave away just two runs to keep the upset at bay.Afif varied the pace in each of the first three balls of the final over to frustrate Virandeep before lobbing one up outside his hitting arc. Virandeep tried to break the shackles but holed out to long-on with Malaysia still needing five. Afif then nailed two yorkers to give away just two runs and end the contest.Chasing 117, Malaysia were reduced to 18 for 3, with Afif striking twice in the fifth over. Virandeep then stitched two key partnerships, adding 34 for the fifth wicket with Vijay Unni and then 40 for the seventh with wicketkeeper-batter Ainool Hafizs, to take his side close. But Malaysia faltered in the last over.Earlier in the day, Afif found himself in the middle with Bangladesh three down inside three overs. He struck a 14-ball 23 with two fours and two sixes and added 38 in just four overs with captain Saif Hassan. Hassan struck a steady half-century – 50 off 52 balls – on a surface that slowed down considerably after the earlier game, between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, in the day.Pavandeep Singh, Virandeep’s elder brother, finished with two wickets for Malaysia but Bangladesh managed to get to 116, which eventually proved to be just enough.

Naib, Qais take Afghanistan into semi-final

File photo – Gulbadin Naib dealt early blows•AFP/Getty Images

Afghanistan knocked an inexperienced Sri Lanka side out of the Asian Games to book a spot in the semi-final in Hangzhou. On a slow-turner, Noor Ali Zadran struck a steady fifty before three-fors from Qais Ahmad and Gulbadin Naib dealt the final blow to Sri Lanka, who had nine debutants.After opting to field, Sri Lanka struck with the seventh ball of the match when Nuwan Thushara cleaned up Sediqullah Atal. Noor and Mohammad Shahzad then added 54 for the second wicket but both batters struggled against left-arm spinner Nimesh Vimukthi and took their time in the middle.After Shahzad fell to seamer Lahiru Samarakoon, Shahidullah struck some lusty blows during his 14-ball 23. But then a collapse ensued that saw Afghanistan slide from 92 for 2 to be bowled out for 116. Thushara, with his slingy action and accurate yorkers, finished with 4 for 17.In reply, Sri Lanka raced off the blocks, with Lasith Croospulle hitting Naib for a four and a six in an 11-run second over. Even though he fell in the next over, Sri Lanka reached 59 for 3 by the end of the ninth over.That’s when Qais came into the attack and turned the game around with a two-wicket over. Ashen Bandara fell to a googly and played on while attempting a drive. Three balls later, wicketkeeper-batter Lahiru Udara was lured into playing a heave across the line to be bowled.Captain Sahan Arachchige showed some resistance with his 22 off 29, and later, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth kept the slim hopes alive when 15 were needed from 12 ball and then nine in the final over. But Karim Janat knocked Thushara over with the first ball of the 20th over to kickstart celebrations in the Afghan camp.

Dunkley, Jones knocks in vain for England as Australia go 6-0 up in series

Valkerie Baynes01-Jul-2023An unbeaten half-century by cool-as-you-like opener Beth Mooney saw Australia to victory with one ball to spare in a thrilling first T20I against England in front of a crowd of 19,527 at Edgbaston.The Australians maintained their reputation for withstanding pressure, embodied by Mooney’s 61 not out off 47 balls in the face of wickets to Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone in the last two overs of the match, to go six points up in their multi-format series and leave England needing to win all five remaining matches if they are to wrest back the Ashes. Annabel Sutherland struck two crucial boundaries and Mooney one, with Australia needing 16 runs off the last two overs. Georgia Wareham managed to hit the first ball she faced for the winning run.Related

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A half-century from Sophia Dunkley and Amy Jones’ quickfire 40 gave England something to defend and they almost pulled off a coup, as Ecclestone, Bell and Sarah Glenn picked up two wickets each. Despite Dunkley’s fifty and an assertive 29 off 22 balls by Heather Knight – the pair putting on a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket – England were in a hole with the bat. Their 36 for 2 after six overs was their lowest T20I powerplay in 12 innings and no other batter reached double figures, after Jones.

Jones lifts England

Dunkley started at a strong tempo, scoring seven of the eight runs which came off the first over of the match, bowled by Megan Schutt – who was back in action after being overlooked for the Test, which Australia won to take a four-point lead into this match. The Australians were left confounded when Danni Wyatt drove at Darcie Brown and missed, the ball hitting off stump which visibly wobbled but the bails didn’t dislodge. But there was no more fortune for Wyatt when she attempted to loft Schutt over extra cover and missed again as the ball gripped off the surface, pinging off stump out of the ground. Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-Brunt fell cheaply, Capsey when her bat bounced up off the pitch when she tried to return to her crease as Brown gathered off her own bowling and threw down the stumps at the striker’s end.Dunkley brought up her fifty off 42 balls but then Tahlia McGrath broke through in her first over with a slower, fuller ball which Knight sent straight to long-on and Jones entered the fray, and rode her luck. On 3, she struck the ball just short of backward point and set off, bowler Jess Jonassen failing to take the throw cleanly for what would have been a run out. Three balls later, Jones overturned an lbw decision when replays showed she had got bat on ball. Jones also survived on 15 when she was dropped by Wareham, running in from deep midwicket. But Jones’ ball-striking was decisive and she capitalised on those errors, lofting Schutt over Wareham’s head for six straight after her let-off, then whacking four off the last ball over the covers to take 18 from the over. Jones sealed her 40 off just 21 balls when she heaved Ashleigh Gardner over deep midwicket for six off the last ball of the innings.Amy Jones’ quickfire 40 lifted England at the death•Getty Images

Two in two times three feat. Schutt, Jonassen and Glenn

Schutt returned to the attack and made a breakthrough for Australia, removing Dunkley who was trying to swing big to the leg side and sent a leading edge to Brown at short third. Schutt was then on a hat-trick, having had Sciver-Brunt caught by Wareham running in from deep midwicket on the last ball of her previous spell. But Danielle Gibson, on her international debut, managed to play the ball late to the off side safely.Jonassen also claimed two wickets in two balls after Gibson edged to McGrath at extra cover to fall for just 1 and Alyssa Healy caught Ecclestone down the leg side, Jonassen ultimately finishing with 3 for 25 to be the pick of Australia’s bowlers.Later, legspinner Glenn gave England a sniff late in Australia’s innings when she had Gardner caught behind by Jones and then bowled the big-hitting Grace Harris for a first-ball duck with a slower one that turned into the batter who edged onto her stumps.

Mooney sees through dramatic chase

Silence descended on the crowd as Glenn sat under a steepling catch to remove Healy for 5 off seamer Bell and they erupted as she held it at backward point. Jones kept herself in the action with the stumping of McGrath, who had been accumulating nicely at 40 off 28 balls, off Ecclestone. In the 13th over, Australia were level with where England had been and needed to score at more than eight runs an over.Gardner skied the ball so high back above bowler Bell’s head she struggled to pick it out on descent and didn’t end up getting close. Next ball, Mooney managed to turn a full ball off her pads past short fine leg to bring up her fifty. But then Glenn removed Gardner and Harris and all of a sudden Australia were under pressure, even more so when Bell rattled Ellyse Perry’s off stump.Sutherland sent Bell to the square-leg boundary to ease the tension and Mooney then hit Bell’s last delivery up and over the covers to the rope, leaving Australia with just five to get off the last over. Sutherland drove Ecclestone’s first ball straight down the ground for four but then skied to Jones with two balls remaining. Wareham, however, stayed calm as she punched towards cover and set off for the run Australia needed.

First Test of the Australian summer kicks off in ousted coach’s backyard, creating potential for tension

Tristan Lavalette26-Nov-2022As the build-up for Australia’s opening Test of the summer threatens to be mired in bloodletting, Mitchell Starc aptly fronted the media just metres from ‘Langer’s Loft’ – once an exclusive bar for members but now an eyesore amid a redevelopment at the WACA.The symbolism was striking with Australia arriving in Perth ahead of the first Test against West Indies on November 30 amid controversy after former coach Justin Langer’s candid interview over his ugly exit earlier in the year.Langer on the podcast attacked anonymous “cowards” who leaked against him and believed some players were not transparent over their feedback.Related

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It led to a rebuke from Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley although Langer has stated since that the players are “like my younger brothers”.There was intrigue over how Starc would handle the expected probing over the saga in the first official press conference ahead of the Optus Stadium Test. And in what might be a sign of a detente, he dead-batted the controversy, claiming he hadn’t listened to the interview.”I have a pretty good relationship with Langer,” Starc told reporters on Saturday. “We exchanged text messages post the [T20] World Cup. I’m pretty comfortable with my relationship with JL.”Starc said the team did not specifically address the issue ahead of their three-hour training session at the WACA’s nets and on the ground’s grassy main wicket.”Was mentioned that there could be some noise around it obviously being in the west and with JL having a commentary spot,” he said. We’re comfortable…spend a lot of time together as a three format group. It’s all preparation for this Test match. Not too much is going to distract us. I’m sure we’ll see [Langer] at the ground and throughout the summer.”The West Australian fans are likely to back their favourite son in the first Test match in Perth since December 2019 due to the state’s strict Covid-19 measures.”Always had great crowds in Perth,” Starc said. “There’s been a lot of talk about not having Test cricket over here for a long time. Hopefully the public can support that. Show us what Test cricket means to them.”Pat Cummins in action during a training session ahead of the Test series against West Indies•Getty Images

While the left-arm quick wasn’t focusing on his pursuit of 300 Test wickets, Starc was excited about the likelihood of a spicy drop-in pitch at Optus Stadium, which tries to replicate the WACA’s famed pace and bounce.Starc has starred in the two Tests at the 60-000-seat ground with 14 wickets against India and New Zealand at a venue he rates as the second-best in the country behind Adelaide Oval, which will host the second Test against West Indies in a day-night contest.”[Adelaide and Perth are] good contests between bat and ball,” said Starc, who has taken 287 Test wickets. “[In Perth] you’re rewarded for good shots and likewise rewarded for good bowling.”The India Test [in 2018] was a very good wicket for three days and as the Test wore on the cracks got bigger…played a lot of tricks in the fourth innings. A very good bat versus ball wicket that presented challenges for both.”Given West Indies’ well-chronicled struggles in Australia, having not won a Test since February 1997 at the WACA, there has been some belief that the home team can ease into the Test summer ahead of a mouth-watering three-match series against South Africa.Starc, however, believed West Indies should not be underestimated, pointing to their stunning home Test triumph over England in March.”Definitely not taking any teams lightly. We know what the West Indies can serve up at their best,” he said as Australia returns to Test cricket since their tour of Sri Lanka in June and July. “It’s a good chance to kick-start our summer of Test cricket and hopefully some exciting cricket will be played.”

For the first time in the tournament, DRS will be used for all matches from the Super Sixes stage onwards

Firdose Moonda23-May-2023West Indies and Sri Lanka have been drawn in separate groups for the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifier, which will take place in Zimbabwe between June 18 and July 9. The ten-team event is made up of two groups of five, with hosts Zimbabwe, West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and USA making up Group A, and Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and UAE in Group B.After initially only confirming the presence of third umpires to monitor run-outs, the ICC has announced that DRS will be in use from the Super Sixes phase of the competition.In the first round of the competition, each side will play the other teams in their group once. The top three from each group will then progress to the Super Sixes stage, where they will only play the sides they did not meet in the group stage. The points won in the group stage against the other qualifiers will carry over to Super Sixes. The two teams with the most points at the end of the Super Sixes stage will compete in the final, though the outcome of that contest is of no immediate consequence, since both finalists will qualify for the World Cup, to be held in India in October and November this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The two finalists will join hosts India, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, defending champions England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa, who qualified automatically through the World Cup Super League.The five bottom-placed teams from the Super League – West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands – along with the top-three teams from the World Cup League 2 – Nepal, Oman and Scotland – and two teams from a qualifier playoff – USA and UAE – will compete in the qualifier.Hosts Zimbabwe will take on Nepal while West Indies will face USA on the opening day at Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club respectively.The competition consists of 34 matches and will be played across four venues in Zimbabwe: Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare, and Queen’s Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo.This is the second time the World Cup qualifier is being played in Zimbabwe, after they also hosted the 2018 edition of the tournament. There, with some fixtures affected by rain, Zimbabwe and Scotland narrowly missed out on qualification to the 2019 World Cup while West Indies and Afghanistan progressed to the tournament. West Indies will now make a second successive appearance at the qualifying tournament, while Sri Lanka appear for the first time. Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE, Netherlands, Scotland and Nepal also feature for the second time.

Both batsmen made unbeaten 80s to put India A on top after Navdeep Saini had blown away England Lions’ lower order in the morning

The Report by Sruthi Ravindranath in Wayanad08-Feb-2019A composed KL Rahul marked his return to form with a measured unbeaten 88 that led India A’s reply to England Lions’ first-innings total of 340. Rahul found an equally sturdy partner in Priyank Panchal, who made an unbeaten 89, the second-wicket pair raising an unbroken 171 to take India to 219 for 1 at stumps on day two.Rahul ended the day looking primed to make his first century since his 149 against England at The Oval in September. Since that innings and a 60 in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan, he had batted 16 times across formats without reaching a half-century.Earlier in the morning, incisive bowling from Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur did not allow the visitors to add more than 37 runs to their overnight score of 303 for 5, with Saini picking three more wickets and finishing with a five-for.Saini removed a set Steven Mullaney in the fifth over of the day. Two more wickets fell in the next four overs, leaving overnight batsman Will Jacks alone in his fight against India A’s disciplined bowling. However, he was left crestfallen when he played back to Shahbaz Nadeem to be pinned in front on 63. Saini came back in the next over to dismiss Zak Chappell, closing out the Lions innings on 340 and wiping out most of the advantage they had gained over the first day’s play.Rahul began cautiously, scoring his first runs off the 12th ball he faced. His opening partner Abhimanyu Easwaran was the more aggressive of the two, and didn’t shy away from attacking the fast bowlers, slapping three boundaries off Jamie Porter and Lewis Gregory early on. At lunch, Rahul was on 2 off 21 balls while Easwaran was on 16 off 27, the latter scoring most of his runs behind square. Rahul then found his groove, unfurling a cover drive off Jamie Porter to score his first boundary.Chappell, mixing his lengths well, tied Easwaran down and eventually sent him back with a yorker that crashed into his off stump. Rahul took control of things from then and went after Porter in particular, hitting him for three back-foot punches through the covers.He brought up a well-crafted fifty with another cover drive off Porter, making the local crowd rise to their feet and cheer for a man back in form. Rahul was comfortable not only against pace, he also used his feet freely against the spin of Daniel Briggs.Having arrived at the crease at 48 for 1, Panchal showed equal resilience and brought up his half-century with a straight drive off Mullaney. Apart from the boundaries they scored, both batsmen also rotated the strike freely. Having scored a lot slower until then, they added 147 after tea, snatching all momentum away from the Lions and putting India A in a dominant position at stumps.

Babar Azam was the star with the bat, hitting 64 off 39 to give Zalmi 183 to work with

Danyal Rasool16-Mar-2023Peshawar Zalmi were the side with the weakest death bowling, Islamabad United the team with the most fearsome power hitting. United were the imperious chasers, while just last week, Zalmi failed to defend 240 against already-eliminated Quetta Gladiators. The data, as Shadab Khan almost didactically likes to point out United operate by, all pointed to a United win, especially when fifties from Alex Hales and Sohaib Maqsood put their side 56 runs away with six overs and nine wickets to go. But, in defence of 183, Zalmi’s bowlers produced a monumental comeback, a masterclass of yorker bowling from Salman Irshad and Aamer Jamal battering down United’s defences. As the yellow storm surged, United were left high and dry, in the end falling comfortably short of the target by 13 runs.United had opted to chase, flying in the face of the partiality Gaddafi Stadium has shown this season to the side batting first; all six matches until tonight had been won by the defenders. But Shadab’s decision looked to be paying dividends when Hales and Maqsood struck up a magnificent second wicket partnership, accumulating 115 runs in 77 balls. Maqsood’s targeting of Azmatullah Omarzai was the catalyst after he smashed two fours and a six in the fourth over, and Alex Hales tore Wahab Riaz apart in the over that followed, plundering 18 of it. By the end of the powerplay, they had put together 67, and were on track.Zalmi continued to appear toothless as the field spread out, and the game looked set to be one of those clinics United put on every now and then. The stand was chanceless, and even Mujeeb ur Rehman found himself copping punishment by his final over as Babar Azam looked to be running out of cards to play.In fact, he, and Zalmi, had been holding out their best for last. Jamal bowled a toe-crushing yorker to burst through Maqsood’s defences. Yorker bowling suddenly became contagious, with Salman Irshad repeating the feat to see off Azam Khan cheaply, before Jamal saved his best for last, a peach that Hales had no answer to.While the toes were being threatened, Islamabad also lost their heads. A run borne of muddled thinking brought about Faheem’s run-out at the non-striker’s end and, all of a sudden, the runscoring trickled to a halt. It didn’t help that Colin Munro chose this moment to have his worst PSL game in ages, unable to find timing on anything before he fell for a limp nine-ball four.United were done by now, needing 24 off the final over. Against such quality, the very notion they might get close was fanciful, with Jamal duly closing out with United 13 runs away.The wheels for the Zalmi win, as Shadab pointed out post-match, had been set in motion in the first ten overs of the game, when Babar and Saim Ayub took the attack to United’s bowlers. The first nine balls saw six boundaries scored as Babar and Saim split them, and the 50 was brought up inside four overs. Shadab lamented the lack of intensity from his side, but with Ayub in sizzling form and Babar toying with the field, it was difficult to see what United could do. When Muhammad Waseem removed Saim, Haseebullah duly took his place, as Babar brought up a 28-ball 50 at the other end.Crucially, he didn’t slow down after the first six overs, and with Mohammad Haris at the other end, there was no respite for United. By 13 overs, Zalmi had soared to 137 before United’s bowlers finally turned things their way. Shadab was expensive, but changed momentum by trapping Babar in front, before Haris’ departure dragged Zalmi back. The final five overs saw just three boundaries scored as United established control, and a Zalmi side who had been on track for over 200 limped to 183.It didn’t look like it might be enough, and all the data suggested it wouldn’t be once Hales and Maqsood sunk their teeth into the chase. But Jamal, and Zalmi found something special in the moments that mattered, conjuring up a stirring finish to rip up all scripts and spreadsheets.

Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning pitch. But he has nothing to say about the out-of-form Marlon Samuels

Daniel Brettig at the SCG03-Jan-2016West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his batting, his doughty 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning Sydney pitch. He has nothing at all to say about, or for, Marlon Samuels.In a telling interlude as Brathwaite spoke about how he has evolved as a batsman on this trip, becoming more proactive to counter Australia’s bowlers rather than simply trying to wait them out, he became decidedly tight-lipped about Samuels, the run-out they were involved in, and the older man’s contribution to the tour.It may well have been a case of if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, for Samuels has endured a wretched tour, notching a meagre 35 runs in five innings – an average of seven for those not paying attention – and earning plenty of criticism for his apparent lack of verve in the field. At the time of the run-out, which was Samuels’ call, West Indies were in a decent position. After it, they subsided to 6 for 207.”I think those things happen in cricket. I’m not sure what to say about that,” Brathwaite said. “It was just a misunderstanding.”Queried further on Samuels’ contribution this tour, Brathwaite clammed up. “There’s not much I can say about that at the moment,” he said. A further question to that effect drew a similar response from the team media manager.What was left to discuss was an innings that impressed many, lacking only the catharsis of reaching three figures after Nathan Lyon finally found a way to confound Brathwaite’s previously sure feet and sound mind. “It is a good challenge,” Brathwaite said of Lyon. “I think he is bowling quite well and I just have to keep believing in my ability. They fielded well today and for me it is about trusting my defence and working towards my plan.”It is a tour where I am learning and I just want to keep going out there and building a foundation for my team and learning in the process. On a first-day pitch that is spinning like that, once we get a score, anything about 300 will put ourselves in a good position.”I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score. Coming from the last game, when the guys showed some improvement, it is key to keep showing that improvement and supporting one another.”As for the pitch, Brathwaite was surprised by how much deviation it offered, but was eager to see how his team might fare on it – and how he might bowl on it. “I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that,” he said. “I heard it can spin here but I didn’t expect that.”So as batters, once we put some runs on the board, we can put some pressure on Australia. It is important when we do bowl that we string those dots together because dots balls can build pressure and that brings wickets. I will be looking forward to [bowling]. We will just have to see what happens.”

Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus score in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji Trophy season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus scores in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad. They will play 41-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, starting March 6.The squad, which was announced shortly after the Ranji final, featured two Saurashtra players – Sheldon Jackson and Jaydev Unadkat. Jackson tallied 538 runs in 10 matches at 57.41, while Unadkat had a breakthrough season after injury, taking 40 wickets at 20.12.The squad also included the top two wicket-takers of the season – Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Assam pacer Krishna Das. Punjab pacer Barinder Sran, who recently made his international debut in Australia, and Vidarbha offspinner Akshay Wakhare were also in the bowling mix.Karun Nair, who scored 500 runs this season compared to last time’s 709, was one of the two Karnataka players in this year’s Irani Cup squad, along with Stuart Binny. Vidarbha’s Faiz Fazal and Jammu and Kashmir’s Ian Dev Singh add more weight to the batting line-up. Andhra’s Srikar Bharat was the other wicketkeeper in the squad apart from Ojha. Assam’s Arun Karthik, who was the third highest run-getter this season behind Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar, and allrounder Jalaj Saxena, who piled up 588 runs and 49 wickets, didn’t find a place in the squad.Rest of India squad: KS Bharat, Faiz Fazal, Karun Nair, Sheldon Jackson, Naman Ojha (captain), Stuart Binny, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Nathu Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Barinder Sran, Krishna Das, Sudip Chatterjee, Ian Dev Singh, Akshay Wakhare.