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The second-string side will play two four-day matches in total, apart from three one-day matches against Pakistan A

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2024Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque will play for Bangladesh A in their first four-day match in Pakistan next month. The second-string side will play two four-day matches in total, apart from three one-day matches against Pakistan A. The games will run concurrently with the Bangladesh senior men’s Test tour of Pakistan, which begins on August 21.The entire series will be played in Islamabad, with the first four-dayer to be held from August 10. Apart from Mushfiqur and Mominul, the selectors have also picked Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Nayeem Hasan and Hasan Mahmud for the first game. Mushfiqur missed Bangladesh’s previous Test series against Sri Lanka due to a broken thumb, while Mominul, Joy, Zakir and Mahmud played in that series. Nayeem is also a Test specialist.These six players will be replaced for the second game from August 17. Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali, Towhid Hridoy and Mohammad Saifuddin take their places.Shahadat Hossain, Mahidul Islam and Mosaddek Hossain are three other batters who have been picked for both four-day matches, meaning that they are unlikely to be in the Test side against Pakistan. Among the bowlers, left-arm spinners Hasan Murad and Tanvir Islam, and fast bowlers Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja and Ruyel Miah will play both games.This will be the first time that a Bangladesh A side will play first-class matches since the 2003-04 season, when they participated in the PCB Patron’s Trophy. Bangladesh A will depart for Islamabad on August 6.Bangladesh A team for first four-day game: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shahadat Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahidul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Ruyel MiahBangladesh A team for second four-day game: Anamul Haque, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Shahadat Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Jaker Ali, Towhid Hridoy, Mahidul Islam, Hasan Murad, Tanvir Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Ruyel MiahBangladesh A team for one-day series: Anamul Haque, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar, Towhid Hridoy, Mahidul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanvir Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Ruyel MiahTour scheduleAugust 10-13: First four-day matchAugust 17-20: Second four-day matchAugust 23, 25 and 27: Three one-day matches

The opener has been a powerhouse T20 player and the second-highest run-scorer in the BBL

Andrew McGlashan04-Jan-2024Aaron Finch will bring his illustrious T20 career to a close after announcing his retirement from the BBL at the end of the current season with Melbourne Renegades.Although Thursday’s announcement only relates to the BBL, it’s understood that Finch is unlikely to play in any mainstream leagues overseas but may continue to take part in legends tournaments. Finch had recently indicated in an interview with Channel 7 that this would likely be his final BBL season.”There’ve been some real lows but great highs [too], and I’ve loved every bit of the journey”, Finch said. “No moment can compare to winning the BBL title. That, for me, was very special, and something I’ll remember. I’m really proud to have played at one club for the entirety of my career. The Renegades have been a huge part of my life, and I’m so grateful for everything they’ve given me.”To everyone who’s been part of the journey with me – our members, fans, supporters, my team-mates and all who have had a part to play at the club at all levels – thank you.”Finch is not currently part of Renegades’ XI, having previously played on December 23, but the club may give him a farewell outing against Melbourne Stars on January 13 at the Marvel Stadium. Renegades are unlikely to be in contention for a finals spot.He currently stands as the seventh-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, with 11,458 runs at 33.70 and a strike rate of 138.21. His highest score of 172 came for Australia against Zimbabwe in 2018.In the BBL, he is the second-highest run-scorer behind Chris Lynn.Finch had announced his international retirement in February 2023, having quit ODIs late in 2022. He captained Australia to the 2021 T20 World Cup title.David Saker, head coach of Renegades, has known Finch through much of his cricket journey.”Finchy has been an outstanding servant and leader with the Renegades; it’s such a rare feat in the Big Bash to spend your career at the one club,” Saker said. “Everything that’s been successful with the Renegades, Finchy has had everything to do with it.”I first coached Finchy when he captained Victoria’s Under-19s, and I’ve seen him develop as a leader and person. He’s a unique type of leader – very tactically aware – while he bases a lot of his decisions on gut feel, and that’s a courageous thing to do out in the field.”Renegades general manager James Rosengarten lauded Finch on his BBL career.”It’s almost impossible to quantify what Finchy has done for the Melbourne Renegades as a club and brand, and for the BBL as a competition,” he said. “He brought fans through the gates and led this club through highs and lows – all with the trademark grit and determination that we know him for.”

Rahul Dravid’s former team-mates, part of the Cricket Advisory Committee, will decide on whether or not to extent his contract as coach of India’s Under-19 and ‘A’ teams in the next “two or three days”

Arun Venugopal17-Jun-2017The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) consisting of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman is likely to make a decision on whether or not to extend Rahul Dravid’s contract as the coach of India’s Under-19 and ‘A’ teams in the next few days. According to a BCCI official, there will be no need to invite fresh applications for the job if the CAC decides to renew Dravid’s two-year contract that ended in March.This is different to the protocol BCCI has followed in appointing a head coach of the senior team, where interested and qualified candidates were invited to apply even as Anil Kumble, the incumbent, was handed a direct entry. The different approach in Dravid’s case, the official said, is because his contract had an extension clause.”Dravid has a clause in the contract which facilitates extension by mutual consent,” the official told ESPNcricinfo. “If Rahul doesn’t want to renew his contract, then you have to pick someone else. But, if the CAC likes to retain him and if he is also willing, then you don’t have to call outside applications. But, that’s [going to be] a CAC decision.”The official felt the CAC would be predisposed to extending Dravid’s contract in a “day or two” given his good track record. Under Dravid, the India Under-19 team made the final of the junior World Cup last year and won a series against England recently. Dravid has also tasted considerable success with the India A team.”It is not that hard for CAC to take a decision on Dravid,” the official said. “Given his performance and his stature, I don’t think the CAC will have any problem with Rahul continuing as coach. So you don’t have to interview any other candidate.”The negotiations of the contractual terms might take a bit longer. I don’t know whether the BCCI has formulated the contract: how much he gets paid, I don’t think all that has been finalised.”Under the BCCI’s current arrangement, coaches and support staff of India’s senior and junior teams are given a ten-month contract that runs till the end of March. They are also free to sign a two-month deal in the IPL. However, according to the official, Dravid’s terms of reference – should he receive a new contract – would have to conform to the recommendations of the Lodha Committee.”It will mean that he won’t be able to coach both the national team and mentor the Delhi Daredevils franchise,” the official said. “He won’t get a 10-month contract. It will be a minimum two-year contract of 12 months each, but it will be a continuous one with no break.”Last week, Dravid had asserted that he wasn’t in a conflict of interest under the prevailing regulations, and called for greater clarity in the event of change in rules. He was recently invited by the BCCI to a meeting of the junior selection committee to pick the India Under-19 side to tour England. But Dravid declined because he didn’t have a coaching contract. The official, however, defended the board’s decision to invite him.”There is nothing that prevents him from being invited because he is not going to make the decision. He will only be asked to give his input,” he said. “Look, at the end of the day, he’s a senior member associated with a junior team. It has to be looked at holistically and not in isolation.”He has done a good job and I am pretty sure the CAC has no reason for them to say he shouldn’t be extended. So, in those circumstances, why not invite him when the team is being picked?”

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that dew played a role in reducing the effectiveness of his bowling attack during the day-night Test in Dubai

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-20163:06

‘A special win in our 400th Test’ – Misbah

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that dew played a role in reducing the effectiveness of his bowling attack during the day-night Test in Dubai because the dampness affected the pink ball’s ability to spin and reverse swing. He also said the pitch did not deteriorate as it usually does at the venue because the dew.The day-night fixture was Pakistan’s tenth Test in Dubai, where they have won six matches and drawn and lost two each. The 56-run victory against West Indies, who were dismissed with 12 overs remaining in their chase of 346, was Pakistan’s narrowest at the venue.The pattern of the game, which was only the second day-night Test, was in contrast to the first such fixture in Adelaide, where Australia beat New Zealand inside three days in a match dominated by bowlers. In contrast, Pakistan made 579 and 123 in Dubai, while West Indies made 357 and 289.”A bit of dew in the evening session was affecting the ball. With the sogginess, the ball was getting softer so different factors contributed and helped the batsmen score runs,” Misbah said after the Test. “Spinners and fast bowlers will get more help and reverse swing will also be there in the dry weather. But in the evening the pink ball was getting wet and the seam was swelling and it got softer.”The pitch was on the slower side, I don’t know why, but otherwise the Dubai pitch normally starts deteriorating after two days. But since the dew was helping the pitch bind again and it wasn’t breaking up at the same rate it used to. But in the end it was a good Test match, both teams played really well, and it’s good for the Test cricket.”West Indies began the final day needing 251 runs with eight wickets in hand. They lost Marlon Samuels off the first ball but Darren Bravo held the chase together. Misbah said he had nervous moments until Bravo was eventually dismissed for 116 in the final session, and rued his team’s fourth-day collapse for 123 that had let West Indies into the game.”It was tough for the team and for the captain,” Misbah said. “Certainly you were ahead of them for almost three and a half days but in one session you had given the advantage to the opposition. Maybe had we batted for another 15 overs, with 400 runs on board we could have got them out early.Misbah praised Bravo for his resilience. He batted 406 minutes in the fourth innings to take the game deep and Misbah was appreciative of how the West Indian batsman had played legspin.”The way he handled Yasir Shah, that was really something special. He [Yasir] was turning the ball from roughs but he [Bravo] showed good defence and attacked him at times,” Misbah said. “That was the main reason he neutralised Yasir for quite a long time but still Yasir managed to take wickets. Every passing ball was putting pressure but thankfully we managed to win the game. You should give credit to the opposition, they played really well and it was a good game in the end.”

Sussex produced their best bowling performance of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast but are out of the competition after rain robbed them of victory against Glamorgan at Hove

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2016
ScorecardGeorge Garton (centre) impressed with four wickets in county colours•Getty Images

Sussex produced their best bowling performance of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast but are out of the competition after rain robbed them of victory against Glamorgan at Hove.Having dismissed Glamorgan for 101 in 13.2 overs, Sussex were 30 for 1 when the rain, which had reduced the contest to 14 overs a side, returned after four overs of their reply.The teams got back out for one more ball before it started to rain again and they were unable to return to bowl the five more deliveries which would have constituted a game. Umpires Peter Hartley and Steve Gale abandoned the game at 9.50pm with both sides taking one point each.As it was Essex’s win over Middlesex at Lord’s knocked Sussex out of contention for the knockout stages anyway.Chris Nash drove to cover in the second over of the reply but Sussex were ahead on Duckworth/Lewis when the rain returned.They will rue the fact that they might have had time to face the five more balls needed to constitute a match had they not had to bowl five extra deliveries because of no-balls in the Glamorgan innings.Star of the show for Sussex was 19-year-old left-armer George Garton who bowled superbly to take career-best figures of 4 for 16. Glamorgan only got as many as they did thanks to 26 extras and a last-wicket stand of 24 between Michael Hogan and Shaun Tait.A crowd of 6,500 were rewarded for their patience when the game started at 7.30pm as the Sussex quick bowlers relished a pitch with bounce and carry while too many Glamorgan batsmen gave their wickets away with loose shots.Garton came on in the fifth over with Glamorgan already in trouble. Tymal Mills first over consisted of ten deliveries and included seven no-balls and a wide but he finished it by inducing Mark Wallace to drive his slower delivery to extra cover and give Matt Machan the first of five catches, a new county record in the competition.Colin Ingram fell in identical fashion in Mills’ next over and David Lloyd was caught at cover having been squared up by Jofra Archer.Garton has Aneurin Donald brilliantly caught by Machan running around the deep mid-wicket boundary and in his next over Garton held an easy return catch when Graham Wagg mis-timed a pull. The 19-year-old then claimed two wickets in his final over as Andrew Salter was bowled heaving across the line and Timm van der Gugten caught at short fine leg.Skipper Jacques Rudolph joined the procession when he mis-timed a pull off leg-spinner Will Beer. At 62 for 8 Glamorgan were in a sorry state but their last two wickets did manage to add 39 runs before Chris Jordan had Craig Meschede and Tait both caught at mid-off by safe hands Machan.

Gulam Bodi, the left-hand batsman who played two ODIs and a T20I for South Africa, has been charged under CSA’s anti-corruption code for “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series.”

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2016Gulam Bodi, the left-hand batsman who played two ODIs and a T20I for South Africa, has been charged under CSA’s anti-corruption code for “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series.” Bodi has been suspended from all cricket activity, and is currently co-operating with Anti-Corruption officials.In a statement, CSA explained their current position. “Following our investigations and due process, we have reached a point where we can confirm that Mr Bodi is the intermediary who was charged by CSA in early December 2015 under the CSA Anti-Corruption Code,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, said.Once CSA’s investigation is complete, they could take their findings to the police, who can lay further charges. “We are aware that there is an investigation going on but we have not received anything,” Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, the spokesperson for the directorate for priority crime investigations, told ESPNcricinfo.If the police joins the investigation, the case will be handled by the Hawks, a specialised unit which works on organised crime and corruption. South Africa has legislation to deal with crimes such as match-fixing. As per the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Law, corruption in sport is dealt with under the so-called Hansie-clause. The penalties include a fine and imprisonment, with a maximum punishment of a life sentence if the case is heard in a High Court.Bodi last played franchise cricket in January 2015 and was not in the Lions’ squad for the Ram Slam competition. He was an occasional commentator on domestic cricket on pay-channel .CSA had issued a statement on November 6, warning players to “be alert” after they received information that an international syndicate was attempting to “corrupt domestic cricket.” At that time, CSA’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit launched an investigation assisted by the ICC, which CSA said “could involve the South African Police Services.”By December, CSA suspended Bodi, though they did not name him, and charged him on two counts. The first involved match-fixing, and the second involved failing or refusing to co-operate with an investigation carried out by the designated anti-corruption officials.When contacted by on Wednesday, Bodi simply said: “Absolutely no comment”. He was unreachable for comment on Thursday. A legal case is also being prepared against several other players for failing to report corrupt activity.

Bangladesh will host the Asia Cup in February 2016 and it will include T20 contests for the first time

Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2015At a meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, it was decided the Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh for the third consecutive time. The five-nation regional tournament featuring the hosts, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and an Associate, will begin on February 24 and the final will be held on March 6. With the World T20 scheduled to begin five days later, the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup will be the first that includes Twenty20 contests as well.”Pakistan raised the point that Bangladesh should host next year’s Asia Cup and everyone agreed,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka on Wednesday. “Four Test nations will get direct entry while one Associate nation will come through the qualifying tournament. We also discussed whether there can be more cricket at the Under-19 level between the Asian countries.”Afghanistan, Oman, Hong Kong and UAE, who will play host, will compete in the qualifying tournament to be held at the end of November. The previous two editions of the Asia Cup were held in Dhaka in 2012 and 2014. This will be the fifth time the tournament is being held in Bangladesh, having previously hosted in 1988 and 2000 too.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth Natwest ODI between England and Australia in Cardiff

The Preview by Alex Winter13-Sep-2013

Match facts

September 14, Cardiff
Start time 10.15 (0915 GMT)Steven Finn is still searching for form to prove he is a superstar in the making•PA Photos

Big Picture

This series has been reduced to a three-match contest following the abandonment at Edgbaston, so England now face, in Eoin Morgan’s words, a “semi-final and a final” in the remaining two matches if they are to win this series.Winning is the stated aim for England despite their experimental squad and, given the shortened nature of the series, winning is perhaps all they can expect to take from it because there is now little opportunity to have a look at the players they called up. Michael Carberry won’t want to be judged on just three innings and Morgan said he will retain his place as opener for the rest of this series. Likewise, England would like Steven Finn to get some more game time to gauge where his bowling is ahead of the winter Ashes tour; Finn perhaps feels that he needs a solid performance to nail down a place as backup bowler in the Test squad.Jamie Overton and Chris Jordan will now probably get one chance at best to announce their arrival in international cricket and none of the batsmen now need a rest so the opportunity for Luke Wright to return is slim.What cricket there has been in this series, Australia have played by far the best of it and they will be eager to get back on the park again and continue their progress. They have been motivated, sharp in all departments and desperately keen to take something away from what has been a tough tour. The form of George Bailey at Old Trafford suggested Michael Clarke might find some support and Mitchell Johnson has been back to his terrifying best, suggesting he could become a fine bowler in all forms of the game again.

Form guide

England LWLWW (Completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWLLW

Watch out for

Steven Finn can’t make up his mind whether he’s a high class international bowler or not. He has all the attributes to do so but there has been a sense of him being dragged from pillar to post by England and Middlesex. A change of run up and back again; in and out of the Test side; none of it can have helped Finn’s confidence but if he can rediscover the form that tore through New Zealand in the ODI series back in February, we could be talking about Finn as England’s next superstar again.Aaron Finch showed what a blistering player he can be in the Twenty20 at the Ageas Bowl. He followed that up with a battering of Scotland and is primed to show he can produce regularly in ODIs. He endured a lean series against West Indies in February but is now clearly striking the ball at his best.

Team news

England are a pretty stubborn bunch when it comes to selection and just because they were rolled over once does not mean the make-up of their side needs to change, despite widespread opinion that they are a bowler light. It might take one more failure before they get the message, so expect an unchanged XI.England (possible) 1 Michael Carberry, 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Joe Root, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Ben Stokes, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Steven FinnAustralia are also likely to stick with the same side that handed down a thumping to England at Old Trafford.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Adam Voges, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Fawad Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

We have a decent forecast again so hopefully this match will be uninterrupted. But the pitch in Cardiff is unpredictable. During the Champions Trophy, a run-fest ensued between South Africa and India before the bowlers took charge when New Zealand played Sri Lanka. Scores in the Yorkshire Bank 40 have also been a mixed bag.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have to go back to 2001 for their only win in an ODI at Cardiff; a seven-wicket triumph over Pakistan in the NatWest series
• England have pitched up six times to Cardiff for an ODI but on only three occasions have they completed the match
• Of those three matches, England have won them all, including beating Australia by four wickets in 2010
• George Bailey is 30 runs short of 1000 in ODIs

Quotes

“It’s always nice to be around the environment, and if you do the right things you can put your name in the ring.”
“It’s pretty catchy. I didn’t like it when I first came over. I didn’t expect it. Now, it doesn’t bother me. It’s all part of the game, I know what to expect over here now.”

Shane Watson’s hundred, the first of IPL 2013, might have gone in vain as Chennai Super Kings chased down Rajasthan Royals’ target of 186, but the Australian allrounder was relieved to be back among the runs and bowling once again

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2013Shane Watson’s hundred, the first of IPL 2013, might have gone in vain as Chennai Super Kings chased down Rajasthan Royals’ target of 186, but the Australian allrounder was relieved to be back among the runs and bowling once again.”It’s nice to finally score some runs. I felt that I have been hitting the ball really well,” he told the IPL site after the game. “In T20 you need a little luck as well to get your innings going. Unfortunately we weren’t able to finish well.”I’m very excited to get back to bowling. It’s certainly something that I’ve missed in the last three months. It will probably take me another two games to fully find my feet and bowl exactly how I want to.”Watson’s bowling return is neatly timed, coming only two days before Australia’s selectors are expected to announce their Test squad for the Ashes series in England this summer. Although he has recently relinquished the vice captaincy, he remains a strong contender to make the squad.He bowled for the first time this year in Royals’ previous game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, following a series of injuries, the most recent of which was a calf issue. In the match against Super Kings, the final over of the game was his second.Watson said he is almost close to full bowling fitness, but not quite there just yet. “I’m getting closer to being 100%. A couple of more training sessions and games, and my body will be absolutely ready to handle the rigours of bowling. It is holding up well generally but now it’s just the matter of it getting used to bowling again.”On the whole I feel as good as I ever have. I’ve put in a lot of hard work during this period and hopefully, will reap the rewards for the coming 10 months or so. I was half-capacity without my bowling. It feels great to be bowling once again.”Though they could not pull off the win, Royals did well to get to 185 in Chennai, he said: “I think 185 is a lot of runs on any ground. At the beginning of the match our mindset was probably 160-170 and we ended up with an above-par score. We batted really well as a unit.”Speaking about Watson’s innings off 101 off 61 balls, Chennai spinner R Ashwin said the great start he gave Royals forced Super Kings to shuffle their bowling options, resulting in him coming on within the Powerplay: “This year I have bowled quite a few death overs as I have come into the attack pretty late. I have bowled a lot of 13th, 15th and 17th overs this season. We have a couple of overseas seamers and an Indian seamer, which gives the captain many options to exploit in the Powerplay,” Ashwin said. “[Today though] Watson was going great guns and the captain probably wanted to shut down [Royals’ scoring] and look to get a breakthrough. Shane Watson made sure that I had to come early into the attack.”

A wrap of the third day of the ninth round of Ranji Trophy matches in Group B

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2012
ScorecardFile photo: Abhimanyu Mithun took 6 for 36 in the first innings, but was wicketless in the second•AFP

On a crazy day’s play, Maharashtra lost their nine remaining first-innings wickets for 41 to be bowled out for 99, but in their follow-on, rattled off 315 for 2 in 74 overs. That earlier collapse, during which Abhimanyu Mithun took six wickets and Stuart Binny four, gave Karnataka a lifeline, and they now need to win with a bonus point to progress to the quarter-finals.Maharashtra began the day at 58 for 1, moved on to 68, and then all hell break lose. No one barring the openers reached double figures, and the whole innings lasted just 29.1 overs. The highest partnership during this period was 10, which came immediately after three wickets fell at the score of 80.Karnataka enforced the follow-on, but Mithun and Binny bowled only a few overs in the initial stages of the second innings. The Maharashtra openers were rampant and added 156 in 31.2 overs. Sangram Atitkar fell short of what would have been a fourth century, but Harshad Khadiwale went on to score 136 and fell half an hour before stumps. There was no panic, though, as Ankit Bawne and Rohit Motwani saw them through to stumps without further damage.Karnataka have no option but to win this match. If they win with a bonus point, they make it to the quarters; if they win without a bonus point, they will hope Delhi don’t win their match against Vidarbha.
ScorecardThe other side from Maharashtra, Vidarbha, endured a similar collapse as Maharashtra but towards the end of their first innings, against Delhi. They went from 220 for 5 to 257 all out, which allowed Delhi to enforce a follow-on. If Karnataka win their match, Delhi will need an outright win to progress, so the follow-on was desperately needed. If Karnataka don’t win in Pune, Delhi are already through.Progress through the first half of the day remained slow as Delhi kept pegging away, but failed to get wickets in a cluster. Then Hemang Badani and Sairaj Bahutule added 71 for the sixth wicket to take the thought of a follow-on further away, but Delhi came charging back. Pradeep Sangwan got Bahutule, and Narwal dismissed Badani and Amol Jungade.Vidarbha, who were placed third at the start of this match, will now be ousted, because even in the best-case scenario they can end joint-third along with Delhi, in which case their poor run quotient will push them out.
ScorecardUttar Pradesh beat Odisha inside seven sessions to end on the top of Group B, thus ensuring a meeting with a Group C team in the quarter-final. Odisha, who had to take the gamble of producing a green pitch against the best attack in the country, fell short by 23 runs, and were knocked out.The day began with Odisha needing 92 runs with four wickets in hand, but it took UP only 17.2 overs to run through the rest. Imtiaz Ahmed completed his first 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Govind Podder resisted with a 36 – the second-highest score in the match, but UP were too good for Odisha.A wicket fell every four-and-a-half overs in this match. The highest score – 37 – came from UP batsmen Umang Sharma and Akshdeep Nath. This match was good news for other aspirants from Group B – Karnataka, Baroda, Vidarbha and Delhi – who now have one team fewer fighting for those last two slots.
ScorecardIn the rain-affected, inconsequential match in Chennai, Tamil Nadu continued to have a long bat without declaration on their minds. Dinesh Karthik, who is not captaining the side in this match, fell 13 short of a double-century. When they did finally declare, they had left Haryana no chance to compete with their first-innings total.