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The arrival of the Australians – Stoinis and Coulter-Nile for Royal Challengers and Turner for Royals – should give both the sides extra options

The Preview by Sreshth Shah01-Apr-2019

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For Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the only way is up. Now, with both sides having lost three in three, the IPL faces the prospect of having one side winless well into the second week.Royals have been in winning positions in each of their three games, but have lost the plot when they have looked like seizing the advantage.Take their first match when, for the most part, Royals were behind the eight-ball against Kings XI Punjab. Then, when the game seemed to be in Royals’ grasp, a batting collapse led to Kings XI stealing a win. In Hyderabad, not many gave Royals a chance against the fiery Sunrisers bowling attack. But they posted nearly 200 on a difficult batting track, only to lose the match with an over to spare.

Form guide (most recent match first)

Royals: Lost to Super Kings by eight runs, lost to Sunrisers by five wickets, lost to Kings XI by 14 runs
RCB: Lost to Sunrisers by 118 runs, lost to Mumbai by six runs, lost to Super Kings by seven wickets

On Sunday, the Royals’ template was pretty much the same. Chennai Super Kings entered the match as favourites, but were promptly reduced to 28 for 3. It looked like Royals would keep Super Kings down to a manageable total, but then MS Dhoni blew them away. Then, later in the chase, Ben Stokes’ dismissal turned the game against them with Royals needing only a dozen off the final over.On the other side, Royal Challengers have been beaten soundly in two of their three games. As always, relying heavily on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers has not paid off, and the side’s been all out twice already. Their pace-bowling unit, and bits-and-pieces allrounders, have not instilled fear in any side. This is where the arrival of a few Australians from the UAE will help.Both captains have faced the heat. Kohli has been criticised for not being able to get the campaign on the road and missing the mark with his XIs, and Ajinkya Rahane for under-bowling spin in sluggish Chennai.

In the news

There are no injury concerns for either side, and both teams will be boosted by the arrival of the Australian contingent from the UAE. Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile will link up with Royal Challengers, while Royals now have Ashton Turner available.

Likely XIs

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Rahul Tripathi, 5 Steven Smith, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 K Gowtham, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Varun AaronRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Marcus Stoinis, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Prayas Ray Burman, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammad Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Strategy punt

• Royal Challengers should look to slot in Coulter-Nile straightaway. In IPL 2017, his bowling average of 15.20 was behind only those of Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Moreover, he could solve RCB’s death-over woes, as he has an average of 14.40 in this period, with a ball-per-wicket ratio of 11.30.
• There’s also a case to open the batting with Stoinis. In BBL 2018-19, Stoinis crunched four half-centuries from the opener’s spot, averaging 62.40 in ten games. Since 2018, Stoinis has averaged nearly 50 as an opener, compared to averages of 5.30 as No. 3, 21.10 as No. 4 and 23.40 as No. 5. Stoinis’ addition will also bolster their bowling, adding a sixth option to an attack that does need some variety.
• Royals should bowl K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal to Kohli and de Villiers. Since IPL 2018, de Villiers falls to offbreak once every five deliveries and is dismissed by a legspinner’s googly once every 6.50 balls. For Kohli, too, both bowlers could pose problems. Since IPL 2018, his strike rate to the googly is only 85.7, and his strike rate against offspin (75.0) is even poorer.

Stats that matter

Bryan Bloy, the curator at Centurion, described the intensity of his job as being higher than in any of his previous positions

Firdose Moonda in Centurion12-Jan-2018Bryan Bloy is looking at his first Test pitch. You might think that’s why he is nervous.The SuperSport strip is “a bit browner” than Faf du Plessis thought it would be, and considering the South African captain has ordered spicy surfaces – and that this is his home ground, and also that he was frank in saying what he saw didn’t exactly meet his expectations – it would make sense if Bloy was a little worried.But it’s not what the eye can see that has raised Bloy’s nervousness. Instead, it’s all the interest in him and the way he goes about his job, something that Bloy has done under the radar since he started in September 2016.Bloy is less than 18 months into the position as curator at SuperSport Park and this is his first Test pitch. It’s only his fourth international strip after two one-day matches and a T20, all of which were packed with runs. He’s been tasked with producing the opposite now, a bowler-friendly surface, and there are many eyes watching him. Bloy has never had this much attention lavished on him before and it’s understandable that he isn’t enjoying it, especially since he doesn’t think he will deliver anything vastly different from the Centurion pitches of the past.”We don’t try to change things around too much,” Bloy told ESPNcricinfo. “On the Highveld, conditions allow for bouncy wickets. That’s our strength at SuperSport Park and we try to play to our strength. This is the Highveld and these are the kinds of wickets we prepare.”Bloy’s predecessor Hilbert Smit spent years saying the same thing. The basic premise of an upcountry pitch is that it will have pace, bounce and good carry. The rest depends on how much grass is left on it, which will determine the amount of seam movement. At Newlands last week, Evan Flint tried to get as much live grass he could and also had mid-match rain which resulted in a surface with more movement than usual, especially in the Cape.The SuperSport Park pitch also has a lot of grass on it, but not green grass, partly because extreme heat in the build-up burnt it off. “You need a little bit of grass to assist the ball but when its 37 degrees in the build-up, everything is tricky,” Bloy said. “We don’t have a lot of live grass, but there is a lot of grass.”That means movement off the seam will not be as “extreme,” in the words of Aiden Markram, who also plays his domestic cricket in Centurion, as it was at Newlands. That, probably, is something batsmen on both sides want to hear. Du Plessis’ concern is that the brown grass will continue to burn off as the match goes on, by exposure of the surface to the blazing sun which could cause deterioration. If that happens, the pitch could take turn, but it would be unusual. “Generally Centurion doesn’t spin that much, but there is a thick layer of brown grass on it, which is not something we’re used to seeing,” du Plessis said. “So it’s an unknown. Hopefully it doesn’t turn. To get the conditions that we would like, the ball must spin as little as possible.”The SuperSport Park during a T20 a year ago•AFP

Bloy confirmed there will be some wear on the pitch but not enough to turn around corners and already spoke to du Plessis on what to expect. “I met Faf yesterday when they arrived for training. The guys arrived and had a look at the pitch and we discussed what we think it’s going to do. They kind of know what to expect,” Bloy said. “It’s going to be a good SuperSport Park track. On day one, the pitch plays a little slowish. Not slow, but slowish. And then it quickens and gets better. Day two and three will be better to bat on. It will quicken up. And then with the forecast, it should deteriorate a bit on day four and five. Upfront, it shouldn’t be easy and then it should flatten out and then deteriorate.”Whatever happens towards the latter part of the match, bounce will be a factor throughout and India know it. “It looks likely a really lively pitch – exactly what we expected it to be and we actually wanted it to be that way, so that both teams are into the contest provided they play some good cricket,” India captain Virat Kohli said. “This pitch will again test us to play our best cricket and that is something that we are looking forward to.”Kohli has again told his batsmen to be prepared for the rising ball. “One must not get surprised by the bounce here,” he said. “We have to maintain composure when you get sudden change of bounce which you experience in South Africa. There are other pitches around the world as well but here the bounce can be steep. It can be quite steep from length also. Those are things you mentally need to tune yourself to, get over and mentally adjust to, accept that this is going to be a major part of batting in South Africa.”Kohli and Co will be hearted by Bloy’s pre-match prediction that even though it may be tough for batting, he anticipates a match that will go into four days. “I expect it to go longer than three days. I hope it goes four days,” Bloy said. “You can never tell. You prepare the wicket and then its up to the players.”From Saturday, Bloy hopes that the attention will shift to the players and that he can sneak out of the spotlight and away from the stress. He described the intensity of this job as being higher than in any of his previous positions, none of which have involved an international sporting venue.After studying turf and grass management with a previous curator at SuperSport Park, Rudolph du Preez, Bloy started off doing golf course maintenance. From 2010, he worked at a university managing their all sports grounds – a grand total of 25. At SuperSport Park, he only has one field to worry about but it’s more than enough. “It might have been easier there (at the university). I had been there for a long time so I had things dialed in. There is a lot of focus here and a lot of hype about Test-match cricket,” Bloy said.And it’s only the beginning.

A round-up of the action from day 4 of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2016Railways won their first match of the season by seven wickets, as they reached the 113-run target set by Baroda early on the final day in Nagpur.Railways started the day on 90 for 2 and added the required 23 runs in just 20 balls, with the loss of a wicket. Opener Shivakant Shukla was unbeaten on 56, his 16th first-class fifty, as Railways collected six points and leapfrogged out of last place, where Baroda replaced them.Debutant Aditya Dhumal picked up five wickets as Mumbai beat Uttar Pradesh by 121 runs in Mysore to remain on top of Group A.UP started the day on 43 for 1, needing 232 more to win. Overnight batsmen Shivam Chaudhary (50) and Samarth Singh (42) added a further 42 to their second-wicket partnership, taking it to 81, before Dhumal dismissed both of them with his left-arm spin, to reduce UP from 87 for 1 to 105 for 3. Dhumal then combined with Vishal Dabholkar (4-43), Mumbai’s other left-arm spinner, and the pair struck regularly as they shared the last nine wickets between them to bowl UP out for 173. Dhumal’s 5 for 53 gave seven wickets on his first-class debut.Suryakumar Yadav was declared Player of the Match for his knocks of 99 and 90 in the match.K Vignesh was named Man of the Match for Tamil Nadu as they took three points from their draw against Bengal in Rajkot.Vignesh followed up his 4 for 70 in the first innings with an unbeaten 34 at No.10, that led the 44-run stand for the last wicket with T Natarajan (12) which had taken TN past Bengal’s 337. The stand ended early on the final day, as Natarajan fell to medium-pacer Sayan Ghosh (5-123), who completed his first five-wicket haul.Shreevats Goswami (61) and Aamir Gani (45) put on 87 for the sixth wicket, after TN entertained the hopes of an outright victory when they reduced Bengal to 66 for 5 in the 31st over. The partnership played out a valuable 23.3 overs before Gani was dimissed, and Goswami’s seventh-wicket stand with Ashok Dinda (28) frustrated TN for a further 13.4 overs, as Bengal managed to hold on and force a draw.Harpreet Singh’s second century of the season helped Madhya Pradesh survive an early scare in their chase, and draw their game against Gujarat in Nagathone. Gujarat picked up three points from the game.Hapreet Singh came in at 36 for 4 in the 17th over, after MP were set 375 to chase in 57 overs. Rush Kalaria was the wrecker-in-chief, adding three wickets to go with his four-for in the first innings. But Harpreet joined hands with Naman Ojha (52) and was the dominant one in their partnership of 113, that could only be broken in the 52nd over. Ojha’s 52 took 135 deliveries, in contrast to Harpreet’s unbeaten 103 that came off 129 and featured 17 fours and a six. MP lost no further wickets and play ended when they were on 176 for 5.Earlier, Gujarat added 96 runs in 22 overs to their overnight score of 228 for 2, as they pushed for a declaration. Both overnight batsmen brought up centuries, although Samit Gohel (104) fell in the third over of the day, while Parthiv Patel (139*) remained unbeaten.

Shane Warne has paid a visit to Pakistan’s training session in Sharjah to have a one-on-one session with legspinner Yasir Shah

Umar Farooq in Sharjah29-Oct-2015Shane Warne has paid a visit to Pakistan’s training session in Sharjah to have a one-on-one session with legspinner Yasir Shah. After their one-and-a-half hour session, Yasir said it had fulfilled a childhood wish to bowl with the legendary Australian.This was the first organised meeting between the two, with Warne in the UAE to promote a golf tournament. Warne was also keen to get some practice before his All Stars T20 matches in the USA. Pakistan’s team management were reluctant to let Warne take part in a team training session but allowed him and Yasir to spend some time on one of the pitches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.Yasir’s excitement was clear and he said he was happy to meet his hero. “I had a wish from my childhood that I could bowl with him and play with him,” Yasir said. “I was excited to have him here for me. I am very happy to hear the kind of feedback he gave me, and he spoke highly about me.”He didn’t teach me everything but gave me very useful tips about certain things, and didn’t find any problem in my bowling action. He emphasised that Test cricket is played with patience and I don’t need to rush and waste energy, just keep myself calm.”When asked if he could get confused with having too many coaches around him, he said: “I don’t think I can get lost focus as I am working a lot with Mushy . His [Warne] tips are very useful, which I am going to try in the long run, but during the series I won’t make any changes.”Yasir was perhaps a little star struck as Pakistan arrived for their training session at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with his team-mates calling [look how excited Yasir is today] at the news of Warne coming to nets.Warne had been due to arrive at 10am but eventually turned up just after 11am. The team security manager was overhead saying [he came] as Yasir hurried towards the dressing room, where Pakistan’s team manager, Intikhab Alam, introduced the two legspinners.”Look I have always been a fan of Shah since the first time I saw him a while ago,” Warne said afterward. “He’s probably the best legspinner in the world. The way he bowls and the way the ball comes out of his hand its fantastic. I think he is more of a natural talent than me. If he gets his pace right and doesn’t try to bowl quick and keeps patience… He has got a beautiful leg break.””He is a wonderful bowler now, although he hasn’t played a lot Test – but he has played a lot of first-class cricket. He is a world-class spinner. Test match cricket is what all we love and spinners can excel in this format.”Yasir climbed to No. 2 in the world rankings for Test bowlers after taking eight wickets against England in Dubai. Overall, he has picked up 69 wickets in 11 Test matches at an average of 24.55.Warne was the player Yasir idolised and grew up watching him. The pair met in Adelaide during the World Cup earlier this year but on that occasion only spent a few minutes together, and Warne said he would be happy to share more of his expertise with Yasir in the UAE, given the opportunity.”Probably I am a bit biased for legspinners, but I love seeing spin bowling and I am very passionate about it,” Warne said. “I have always liked to help as many spin bowlers as I possibly can, whether it’s Kaneria, who I have helped little bit, or Graeme Swann, Kumble, Saqlain, Mushy, Dan Vettori – all of the spinners have got a club, so we always try to help each other. We are bit different, think differently than most people. It was a fantastic opportunity to work with Yasir; we worked on a couple of things.”I am not big on working on technical things because you have your natural gift and what is natural to you, so there’s no point working on technical things, especially in the middle of a Test series. Off-season’s when you have time work on that. He is a wonderful bowler, beautiful, so we just worked on who he has having troubles with in the England side, some tactics and plans, how he can be little bit better.”Yasir was mainly assisted by Mushtaq Ahmed, Pakistan’s spin bowling coach, to cover the language barrier. It was Warne who did most of the talking, with Shah was rarely speaking, though he questioned about getting spin and drift.”He wants a bit more drift and bounce, bowling round the wicket and over the wicket,” Warne said. “I hope by the end of the series he will be bowling beautifully and a huge smile on his face. We couldn’t communicate that well but when he was smiling afterwards I knew what he got was pretty good. It was nice hour or so and that was good fun.”

Nepal have leapfrogged USA to earn a place in the World Cup Qualifiers after a dramatic day at the World Cricket League Division 3

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2013Nepal have leapfrogged USA to earn a place in the World Cup Qualifiers after a dramatic day at the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in Bermuda.It was a plausible, but unlikely, scenario at the start of the day with Nepal needing to thrash Italy then hope that Bermuda overcame USA. In the end, that is exactly what happened.Nepal raced to victory with a massive 211 deliveries to spare which gave their net run-rate the surge required to keep their hopes alive. Tight bowling had restricted Italy to 127 for 9 and then Nepal’s openers – Subash Khakurel and Pradeep Airee – added 87 in 12 overs to speed them on their way before captain Paras Khadka provided the finishing touches with 22 off eight deliveries.Still, however, Nepal needed a favour from Bermuda who, by now, had no chance of progressing. Ultimately, Bermuda cruised home with more than five overs to spare, but it will have been an agonising few hours for Nepal. The hosts impressively knocked off 221 led by Chris Douglas, who made 89 off 75 balls.Nepal will now join Uganda, who had already qualified top of the group, at next year’s World Cup Qualifiers to compete for a chance to play at the main event in Australia and New Zealand in early 2015.Speaking after the match, Khadka said it was hard work more than luck helped his side into the World Cup Qualifiers. “Pressure is always there, after having lost both our first two games. We had to step it up,” he said. “Hats off to the boys for having played so well and for their determination. We had to wait for the results of the other matches, and then it happened for us. They say that when you work hard, things and luck work for you. That’s what we believe in and it worked for us.”The action is not done yet in Division 3 though, with Nepal facing Uganda in the final on Sunday. Khadka said his side would put the negatives results of the past week out of their minds when they play that game: “We’ll think positive and forget what happened. It was good that we were playing as a team today. The momentum is back and we just need to continue the momentum. Like I’ve said before, if we play to our potential, the results will be pretty good.”

Andy Flower, England’s coach, was aware of Michael Yardy’s battle with depression almost six months before the allrounder withdrew from the latter stages of last year’s World Cup

David Hopps11-Apr-2012Andy Flower, England’s coach, was aware of Michael Yardy’s battle with depression almost six months before the allrounder withdrew from the latter stages of last year’s World Cup and to all intents and purposes ended his international career.Yardy has revealed in the 2012 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is published on Thursday, when he told Flower about his problems. “He was unbelievably supportive,” Yardy said. “It was a huge relief just to tell him.”Flower respected Yardy’s confidentiality and put him in touch with Brett Morrissey, a behavioural therapist and sports psychologist based at Warwickshire Hospital, who has also advised the IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils.Yardy’s depression first had a direct impact upon his career when he pulled out of England’s last one-day international against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl in September 2010. At the end of a fractious series, with revelations about Pakistani spot-fixing in full swing, and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt claiming it was all “a conspiracy” against Pakistan, nobody outside the England set-up bothered to consider why Yardy’s Sussex team-mate Luke Wright had been preferred.”Deep down I knew I was in a bad place,” Yardy said. “I was very tense and living on a very short fuse – both with myself and others … I always had high expectations but things were getting out of hand. I could never please myself, was constantly striving for more and setting unrealistic goals, which just increased the pressure I was putting on myself because of the self-doubt.”I have always liked my own space, but now the very act of being around other people became an effort. My mind was saying: ‘They don’t like you anyway. Why would they? You’re a loser.’ Everyone has negative thoughts but I was letting mine rule my life.”Yardy went to the World Cup looking forward to his second experience of cricket in India, after the 2006 Champions Trophy *. But his erratic bowling form was apparent in what was to prove his last ODI. In the group stage against South Africa, he was England’s most expensive bowler – a ploy to give him the new ball almost backfiring – in a tie they sneaked on their way to reaching the quarter-finals.”At night I would lie for hours battling with my mind,” he revealed. “It became a vicious circle: I was missing my family, I was performing badly and my self-belief was low. The harder I tried, the more I kept hitting a brick wall.”When we arrived in Sri Lanka for our quarter-final, I was struggling. I was out of the team and remember operating at a training session in a daze. Our spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, a great friend and former Sussex team-mate, insisted I needed to think about my health. At this stage I knew I needed to go home.”Edited by Alan Gardner 10.30 GMT, April 11: It was earlier mentioned that Yardy was making his first trip to India in 2011. It has been corrected

A round-up of the fourth round of games

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2011UAE extended their unbeaten run to four matches in the World Cricket League Division 2, completing an impressive eight-wicket win chasing just 87 against Uganda at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. The win ensures UAE a place in the tournament’s final on April 15.Choosing to bat, Uganda were not able to get any partnerships going; the best in the innings was a paltry 15 runs. Left-arm spinner Shadeep Silva struck early – as he has done through the tournament – removing opener Akbar Baig to trigger Uganda’s collapse. The spinners continued to trouble the Uganda batsmen, with offspinner Mohammad Tauqir picking up two wickets in a five-over spell, and the side’s second left-arm spinner, Ahmed Raza, running through the middle order with figures of 4 for 17 in 7.1 overs.UAE were steady in their chase, knocking off the runs in just 17.2 overs. Opener Amjad Ali anchored the innings, finishing with 40 not out. Raza was Man of the Match for his four wickets, and said the fact the wicket had been played on a lot helped him. “This is the fourth time this wickets been played on and today it definitely helped me as a spinner,” he said. “It’s a good wicket and I felt I needed to prove myself today after a comparatively poor performance yesterday against Hong Kong.”I don’t think the conditions really helped Uganda, and we felt coming into this game that we had the upper hand as we beat them in the warm-up fixture we played before the event started. We’d really like to face Namibia in the final and beat them; it would be a great way to end the tournament.”

Raza is likely to get his wish as Namibia moved on to six points, after they got the tournaments’ highest total and beat Bermuda by 86 runs at the other ground of the Global Academy. With their impressive net run-rate, Nambia are out of reach of the other sides. Against Bermuda, they racked up 297 after electing to bat, with Ewald Steenkamp, Sarel Burger and Craig Williams all getting half-centuries. Steenkamp got 87 at the top of the order, and along with Burger, who got 59, gave the team a steady start. But the two had taken their time getting their runs and it needed Williams to play a whirlwind innings of 74 from 35 balls to get Namibia to a big total. Williams’ knock ensured Nambia scored at 10 runs an over in their last 14 overs. He hit seven sixes in his innings and knocked the wind out of Bermuda.The target always looked too stiff for Bermuda, and the loss of three early wickets didn’t help. Dion Stovell tried keeping them abreast of the required-rate with his 73 off 67 balls, and Lionel Cann got 53, but Bermuda were bowled out in 42.3 overs for 211. Left-arm spinner Louis van der Westhuizen was the most successful of Namibia’s bowlers, taking 4 for 14.The loss means Bermuda have no chance of making the final, but they can still stay in the division by staying in the top four. Their coach David Moore was impressed with the attitude of the batsmen but felt they needed to last longer. “In terms of batting we set off like a house on fire with Stovell and Cann, but those boys should really be getting centuries,” he said. “Our bowling was disappointing, it began very well but we just lost it.”Papa New Guinea’s seamers Hitolo Areni and Rarva Dikana took seven wickets between them to help their side successfully defend 217 against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. PNG picked up wickets at regular intervals, and only five of Hong Kong’s batsmen got into double figures. Nizakat Khan got 55, and Najeeb Amar and Hussain Butt got thirties, but the rest of Hong Kong’s batting crumbled and they fell 43 runs short. PNG’s total was built on the back of Christopher Kent’s 59 and Mahuru Dai’s 43.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 64 and Sulieman Benn’s three-wicket haul were the highlights of West Indies’ 18-run victory in the second Twenty20 international at the Sabina Park

Cricinfo staff18-Apr-2010Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s fluent 64 took West Indies to a match-winning score of 171•Getty Images

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s 64 and Sulieman Benn’s three-wicket haul were the highlights of West Indies’ 18-run victory in the second Twenty20 at the Sabina Park. The win gives the hosts a 2-0 lead with one match to play.Asked to bat by the visitors, West Indies motored along to 171 for 7, on the back of a 72-run stand off 49 balls between Chanderpaul and Wavell Hinds. Chanderpaul’s 64 came off 47 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes while Hinds struck three fours and two sixes in his 29-ball blitz.West Indies were set for a strong finish by the two left-handers, but the middle order could not drive home the advantage. Alex Cusack grabbed 3 for 19 in three overs as five wickets fell for 26 runs.Ireland’s chase got off to a frenetic start thanks to Paul Stirling who stroked 33 from 19 balls with four fours and a six, and captain William Porterfield who made 17. Niall O’Brien who came in next kept up the scoring rate with a 44-ball 62, inclusive of six fours and two sixes. Ireland looked set for a possible upset, when Chanderpaul ran out Stirling to set the visitors back.Benn then intervened to ensure there would be no surprise, with a stifling spell of 3 for 32. Cusack crawled to 15 off 22 boundary-less balls as the chase lost momentum and eventually floundered. Benn was supported well by his spinning colleagues Nikita Miller and Narsingh Deonarine, who turned in 1 for 37 in seven overs between them.With 24 required of the final over, the game was close to over when Benn almost grabbed a hat-trick, but it was not to be. The third Twenty20 fixture is on Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

O LANCE! NA COPA apresenta os raios-X dos jogadores convocados por Tite para o Mundial da Rússia. O personagem desta vez é o zagueiro Thiago Silva, que disputa vaga com Marquinhos e Miranda

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo anunciou, na tarde deste domingo, as contratações do zagueiro Yago e do volante Marcelo. Eles chegam por empréstimo até o fim do ano junto a Corinthians e Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), respectivamente. A dupla será apresentada antes do treino desta segunda-feira, no Estádio Nilton Santos.

O acerto do Glorioso com os dois foi feito na semana recém-encerrada. Eles foram inscritos na última sexta-feira, mas não relacionados para o clássico deste sábado, contra o Flamengo.

Inicialmente contratado para o lado esquerdo do miolo de zaga, Yago também pode atuar no lado direito. Vai disputar posição com Carli, Igor Rabello, Kanu, Helerson e Marcelo, que passa a se chamar, pela chegada de um xará, Marcelo Benevenuto. Sobrenome incluído a pedido dele próprio.

O volante Marcelo ocupa lacuna aberta após a saída de Airton, que não renovou e foi para o Fluminense. Para o setor, o Alvinegro conta com Rodrigo Lindoso, Bochecha, Dudu Cearense, Matheus Fernandes e João Paulo.

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