September 5, 2018 issue

Cricket

England v India: Hosts win fourth Test by 60 runs to wrap up series
Moeen Ali has Virat Kohli caught at short-leg

England sealed a series victory over India with a 60-run win on a gripping fourth day of the fourth Test in Southampton.
Set 245, India looked beaten when they were reduced to 22-3 on an uneven pitch.
Captain Virat Kohli could have been given out lbw to off-spinner Moeen Ali on nine, but survived to share a painstaking stand of 101 with Ajinkya Rahane.
Even after Kohli was caught at short leg off Moeen for 58, Rahane dragged the runs required down below 100.
However, Rahane and Rishabh Pant fell in successive Moeen overs, beginning a demise during which India lost four wickets for 13 runs as they were eventually dismissed for 184.
Man of the match Moeen, on his return to the side, ended with 4-71 to complete match figures of 9-134 to go with 40 runs in England's first innings.
The victory extends a run which has seen England lose only one home series since 2012.
They take a 3-1 lead to the fifth and final Test, which begins on Friday at The Oval.
Resuming on 260-8 on the fourth day, England's first innings was wrapped up for the addition of only 11 runs and the game appeared to be set for a swift conclusion when Stuart Broad and James Anderson's stump-to-stump line ran through the India top three.
India could have been as good as beaten by lunch. Third umpire Joel Wilson adjudged Kohli to have hit the ball, when contact looked to be bat on pad, to save him from being lbw to Moeen and Rahane also successfully overturned being leg before to Sam Curran on 12.
The reprieved pair battled through the afternoon, playing and missing, nudging the ball square of the wicket and running hard. Their 100 partnership contained only five fours.
Just as India were getting on top, Moeen struck. The delivery after a chance went in and out of Alastair Cook's hands at short leg, Kohli gloved on to pad and, this time, a review could not save him.
England were again in danger when the careful Rahane was joined by Pant, who hit 18 from 12 deliveries - an innings in complete contrast to his first innings 29-ball duck.
However, the outstanding Moeen, on the ground where he ran through India four years ago, had Pant held at deep point and ripped an off-break to pin Rahane in front for 51.
England's surge for the line was held up by the last-wicket pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah, Ashwin dropped at point by Anderson before falling leg before to Curran next ball.
To beat the world number one side with a match to spare is a fantastic outcome for England and one that did not look likely after a run of poor results or when the hot weather seemed set to produce subcontinental-style pitches.
However, the margin of victory does not tell the full story. England have emerged victorious in a fluctuating series that was ultimately played out in conditions that have suited them.
They could have been beaten in both Southampton and the first Test at Edgbaston, while they were thrashed in the third Test at Trent Bridge.
Their eventual success has been built on middle- and lower-order runs from Jos Buttler, Curran and Chris Woakes, backed up by a dependable bowling attack that has exploited the assistance offered throughout.
But questions remain over a top order that continues to fail. England have used four different batsmen at number four over the course of the series, while there is doubt over the futures of openers Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings.
They also seem to be no nearer to knowing the identity of their premier spin bowler, a concern with tours of Sri Lanka and West Indies scheduled for the winter.
India's spot at the top of the world rankings will not be altered by this series defeat, but they will be left to rue squandered opportunities to record their first series win in England since 2007. At Edgbaston, they had England 87-7 in the second innings, only for the momentum to be reversed by Curran.
In Southampton, they let England reach 246 from 86-6 in their first innings and only mustered a first-innings lead of 27 despite being 142-2 at one stage.
Although their turnaround to win at Trent Bridge after being hammered at Lord's was admirable and their pace bowlers have consistently been excellent, India failed to fully capitalise on England's weaknesses.
India can point to an injury that hindered off-spinner Ashwin in Southampton, but too few of the tourists have followed the example of Kohli.
The brilliant skipper has 544 runs, twice as many as any other player in the series and the most by a visiting batsman to England since 2006, but will still end up on the losing side.
England captain Joe Root on BBC Test Match Special: "There have been ups and downs throughout the series but the strength of characters of this group gets us through the most and we showed that for huge amounts of this game. I couldn't be more proud of the team.
"One of our strengths has been the middle and lower order and it's the reason we've won this series, along with our performances with the ball."
India captain Virat Kohli: "Apart form Lord's, I don't think we've been completely outplayed in the series. It's been fun - both sides have gone at each other with intensity.
"We won't fold in the final game. We will go with the same intensity."

 
CPL 2018 – Points Table
As at Sept 4, 2018
Teams Abbreviations:
Trinbago Knight Riders TKR
Guyana Amazon Warriors GAW
Jamaica Tallawahs JT
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots SKNP
St Lucia Stars SLS
Barbados Tridents BT

 
CPL Remaining matches
27th Match, (N) at Port of Spain, Sep 5/18
Trinbago Knight Riders v GAW
28th Match, (N) at Port of Spain, Sep 7/18
Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Tridents
29th Match, (N) at Providence, Sep 8/18
Guyana Amazon Warriors v Jamaica Tallawahs
30th Match, (N) at Providence, Sep 9/18
GAW v Trinbago Knight Riders
Qualifier 1, (N) at Providence, Sep 11/18
TBA v TBA
Eliminator, (N) at Providence, Sep 12/18
TBA v TBA
Qualifier 2, (N) at Tarouba, Sep 14/18
TBA v TBA
Final, (D/N) at Tarouba, Sep 16/18
TBA v TBA
 
Cook to retire from int'l cricket
at series end

England great Alastair Cook announced on Monday he would retire from international cricket after the end of the ongoing home series against India, the batsman saying the time was right as he had “nothing left in the tank”.
The 33-year-old Essex left-hander is England's all-time leading Test runscorer with 12,254 runs at 44.88 including 32 hundreds, while his run of 158 consecutive Test appearances is a world record.
But the former England captain, who has played in 160 Tests in total, has struggled for runs recently and averages a meagre 18.92 from nine Tests this year.
“After much thought and deliberation over the last few months I have decided to announce my retirement from international cricket at the end of this Test series against India,” said Cook in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.
“Although it is a sad day, I can do so with a big smile on my face knowing I have given everything and there is nothing left in the tank,” he added.
“I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined and feel very privileged to have played for such a long time alongside some of the greats of the English game.
“The thought of not sharing the dressing room, again, with some of my teammates was the hardest part of my decision, but I know the timing is right.”
England took an unassailable 3-1 lead in their five-match series against India with a 60-run win in the fourth Test at Southampton on Sunday.
The England selectors have yet to announce their squad for the fifth Test at The Oval, which starts on Friday.
But it would be a major surprise if Cook was not allowed one last Test appearance prior to his international retirement.

 
Afghanistan beat Ireland to win ODI series in Belfast
Afghanistan celebrate taking an Ireland wicket in the final ODI at
Stormont on Friday
Third one-day international, Stormont
Ireland 124 (36.1 overs): Wilson 23; Rashid 3-18, Alam 2-22
Afghanistan 127-2 (23.5 ovs): Janat 57, Shahidi 34*; Rankin 1-30. Afghanistan won by eight wickets.
Afghanistan cruised to an eight-wicket win over Ireland to clinch a 2-1 victory in the ODI series at Stormont.
Ireland were 34-1 before three wickets fell for five runs to spark a collapse and Gary Wilson (23) top-scored as the hosts were dismissed for just 124.
Rashid Khan took 3-18 in a sun-kissed Belfast and opener Ihsanullah Janat hit an unbeaten 57 as the tourists cruised to 127-2 with over 26 overs to spare.
Afghanistan won the opener before the Irish levelled the series last Wednesday. Friday's decider was expected to be a tight encounter but it became a one-sided affair as Ireland struggled once again with the bat.
The three quick wickets of captain William Porterfield, who elected to bat first, Niall O'Brien and Andrew Balbirnie saw the Irish slip to 39-4.
Kevin O'Brien (16) and Wilson put on a 32-run partnership before the wickets began to tumble again and a total of 124 was always going be tough to defend.
Spinner Rashid was ably backed up by Aftab Alam (2-22), Mohammed Nabi (2-26) and Gulbadin Naib (2-34).
The early dismissal of captain Mohammad Shahzad by Boyd Rankin left the Afghans at 3-1 to give Ireland a glimmer of hope.
Janat and Rahmat Shah Zurmatai (33) added 50 before Tim Murtagh (1-39) took the second and final wicket of the innings.
Hashmatullah Shahidi (34*) and Janat, who smacked two sixes, steered Afghanistan to an impressive win to follow up their 2-0 victory in last week's T20 series at Bready.
 
Three uncapped players named in Afghan squad for Asia Cup
Afghanistan, the rising Asian side, may come in the upcoming Asia Cup with a lethal surprise package to shock opponents as the team has named three uncapped players in an otherwise familiar-looking squad of 17 for the continental event.
Sayed Sherzad, Munir Ahmad and Wafadar are the three players in the squad to have never played ODI cricket before. Of them, Wafadar and Sherzad have played Test cricket and T20 International cricket, respectively, but Ahmad is yet to represent Afghanistan.
Wafadar, the 18-year-old fast bowler who impressed in Afghanistan’s maiden Test match earlier this year against India, and Sherzad, a 23-year-old left-arm pacer who has played three T20 Internationals, have been called up to bolster the pace attack.
Afghanistan’s strength will, expectedly, remain their spinners. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman are all in the squad.
Ahmad, 22, has a good batting average across formats in domestic cricket, 49.86 in first-class matches and 48.42 in List ‘A’ games and he also doubles up as a back-up wicket-keeper for Mohammad Shahzad if needed.
Dawlat Zadran is the only omission from the side that won the ODI series in Ireland recently. Zadran did not feature in the playing XI in any of the three ODIs on the tour, where Afghanistan won the ODIs 2-1 to go with their 2-0 win in the T20 Internationals.
Afghanistan begins their Asia Cup campaign with a match against Sri Lanka on Sept 17.
Squad: Asghar Afghan (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Ihsanullah Janat, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Hashmat Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Aftab Alam, Samiullah Shinwari, Munir Ahmad Kakar (wicket-keeper), Sayed Ahmad Sherzad, Sharafudin Ashraf, Wafadar.
 
Schedule for England's 2019 tour of the Caribbean

England will play three Test matches, five ODIs and three IT20s against West Indies next year after confirmation of the Caribbean tour schedule.
The Test squad will arrive in Barbados on Friday 11 January and will play three Tests in Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia, with the first Test starting at Kensington Oval on 23 January.
The Test series will be followed by five ODIs commencing in Barbados on Wednesday 20 February.
Eoin Morgan’s side will visit Grenada and St Lucia during the series and will conclude the tour with three IT20s in St Lucia and St Kitts, starting on Tuesday 5 March at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.

England's schedule for the 2019 tour of the Caribbean
Friday January 11 – England arrive, Barbados
Tests
Tuesday 15 January - Friday 18 January: Tour match – The Three Ws Oval, Barbados
Wednesday 23 January - Sunday 27 January: 1st Test – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Thursday 31 January - Monday 4 February: 2nd Test – Sir Vivian Richard Stadium, Antigua
Saturday 9 February - Wednesday 13 February: 3rd Test – Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
ODIs
Sun 17 Feb: 50-over Tour match – The Three Ws Oval, Barbados
Wednesday 20 February: 1st ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Friday 22 February: 2nd ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Monday 25 Feb: 3rd ODI – National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
Wed 27 Feb: 4th ODI – National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
Saturday 2 March: 5th ODI – Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
IT20s
Tuesday 5 March: 1st IT20 – Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
Friday 8 March: 2nd IT20 – Warner Park, St Kitts
Sunday 10 March: 3rd IT20 – Warner Park, St Kitts

 
Pakistan's series v Australia and New Zealand - schedule

Pakistan last week Tuesday announced the itinerary for their upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand to be played in the United Arab Emirates over the next three months.
Pakistan start the season with this month's Asia Cup in the UAE from September 15. They will then host Australia for two Tests and three Twenty20 internationals in the emirates from October 7-28.
This will be Australia's first Test series since the infamous ball-tampering row during the Cape Town match against South Africa in March.
That scandal ended in a one-year ban from international cricket for the then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner. Opener Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month ban.
Following the Australia series, Pakistan will host New Zealand in the UAE for three T20 internationals, three one-day internationals and three Tests from October 31 to December 7.

Itinerary: Pakistan vs Australia
September 29-October 2: Australia vs Pakistan 'A' in Dubai
October 7-11: First Test in Dubai
October 16-20: Second Test in Abu Dhabi
October 24: First Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi
October 26: Second Twenty20 international in Dubai
October 28: Third Twenty20 international in Dubai

Pakistan vs New Zealand
October 31: First Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi
November 2: Second Twenty20 international in Dubai
November 4: Third Twenty20 international in Dubai
November 7: First One-day international in Abu Dhabi
November 9: Second One-day international in Dubai
November 11: Third One-day international in Dubai
November 16-20: First Test in Abu Dhabi
November 24-28 Second Test in Dubai
December 3-7: Third Test in Abu Dhabi

 
Patriots clinch last playoff spot as Tridents eliminated
Chris Gayle
BASSETERRE, St Kitts – Rain, coupled by dashing knocks from Rassie van der Dussen and captain Chris Gayle, powered St Kitts and Nevis to a seven-wicket victory over Jamaica Tallawahs here Sunday night, and into the playoffs of the Caribbean Premier League.
Despite being ahead on run rate, Patriots were facing a tall order of overhauling 207 when the rains intervened in the seventh over at Warner Park, with the score on 65 for one. When the match resumed, the hosts were handed a revised target of 118 from a further 27 balls and van der Dussen (45 not out), Gayle (41) and then Mahmudullah, with an unbeaten 28 from 11 balls, easily put them over the line with five balls remaining.
The victory put Patriots on nine points, securing the last playoff spot and joining reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Tallawahs in the final four.
Patriots’ success meant that Barbados Tridents, who failed to win any of their home matches which wrapped up on Sunday in Bridgetown, missed out on the playoffs for the third year running along with St Lucia Stars. Earlier, West Indies star Rovman Powell extended his run of good form with a top score of 84 – his second half-century in three outings – as Tallawahs rallied to an imposing 206 for six off their 20 overs.
Opener Glenn Phillips chipped in with 40 while South African David Miller struck 32 as the visitors gathered 66 runs from the final 30 deliveries of the innings.
Sent in, Tallawahs were 42 for two in the seventh over before Powell anchored two stands to get them up to their final score. First, he put on 39 for the third wicket with Phillips who faced 29 balls and struck six fours and a six, before adding a further 79 for the fourth wicket with Miller, who counted two fours and a six in a 20-ball knock.
All told, Powell faced 40 balls and belted 11 fours and four sixes before he was bowled in the penultimate over by seamer Ben Cutting (2-29).
In reply, Patriots lost opener Evin Lewis cheaply for a first-ball ‘duck, bowled off the inside edge by speedster Oshane Thomas in the second over.
However, South African van der Dussen and Gayle combined in a 53-run second wicket stand off 35 balls, which put Patriots on course for their target.
Van der Dussen struck four fours and two sixes off 24 balls while the left-handed Gayle also faced 24 balls and crunched six fours and a couple of sixes.
Unbeaten on 35 at the rain break, Gayle smashed his second six on resumption before holing out to deep point off fellow Jamaican, left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa then bowled a terrific next over which cost just four runs, leaving Patriots on 75 for three in the eighth and facing a required run rate of nearly 14-1/2.
Bangladeshi Mahmudullah arrived to transform the innings, however, bludgeoning two sixes and two fours in the ninth over from Thomas which gushed 27 runs, and left no doubt over the result.
 
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