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While Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez played protagonists in South Africa’s first win in the three-match series, captain Dane van Niekerk’s cameo and India’s sloppy fielding aided the hosts’ seven-wicket triumph

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2018Mignon du Preez hits through the leg side•ICC/Getty Images

India’s quest for a maiden bilateral series whitewash against South Africa was thwarted by the hosts with a resounding seven-wicket win in Potchefstroom. Laura Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez, who both struck half-centuries, played protagonists in South Africa’s first win in the three-match series, aided by a brisk 41-run cameo from captain Dane van Niekerk and India’s sloppiness in the end overs of their 240-run defence.Needing 63 off the last nine overs, and the fourth-wicket stand between du Preez and Niekerk worth only nine runs, Shikha Pandey dropped a Niekerk force at mid-off off the first ball of the 42nd over. Four balls later, legspinner Poonam Yadav gave herself a chance of picking up her second wicket and India a shot at sending back du Preez, only to be squandered by wicketkeeper Sushma Verma in the form of a missed stumping. When Poonam came back in the 44th to bowl her ninth over, she dropped a return catch off van Niekerk, who subsequently unleashed a flurry of drives and sweeps – some while falling on her knee – and peppered the square-leg boundary for quick runs. She totaled five fours in her unbeaten 30-ball innings, while routinely capitalising on overthrows from India in the back-end of the chase.Van Niekerk’s ingenuity amounted to a 72-run stand with du Preez, who anchored the chase with an unbeaten 111-ball 90 that steered a 118-run third-wicket partnership with 18-year-old Wolvaardt. Coming into the game on the back of scores 9 and 21 in the previous two ODIs, Wolvaardt weathered the early loss of opening partner Lizelle Lee, and put on 41 runs with Andrie Steyn (30 off 53) en route to her 88-ball 59. In doing so, Wolvaardt became the youngest South African to notch up 1000 runs in ODI cricket. After Ekta Bisht removed Wolvaardt, du Preez kept the chase on track with plucky singles, including the one that sealed the chase with four balls to spare.Out of the three changes made to India’s winning combination from the previous two matches, debutant Pooja Vastrakar, the teenage medium-pacer who came in for Jhulan Goswami, and Bisht, who replaced fellow left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, leaked 77 runs between them for a solitary wicket in their combined 18 overs. The other change – in the batting department – Mona Meshram, who came in for Punam Raut, pinched 11 in her 22-ball labour during an India innings that blew hot and cold in their 240-run effort.While Smriti Mandhana, the Player of the Series, followed her 135 and 84 with a duck, captain Mithali Raj fell for a 24-ball 4 as both found themselves in the middle of a blistering opening burst from Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail, who topped and tailed her 9-1-30-4 with the wickets of Mandhana and tailender Bisht. Deepti Sharma, however, validated Raj’s decision to promote her to the opening role with a 112-ball 79. After van Niekerk brought Harmanpreet Kaur’s 35-ball 25 to an end, Deepti steadied India’s innings with an 83-run stand with Veda Krishnamurthy, becoming the youngest Indian to get to the 1000-run mark in women’s ODIs.Krishnamurthy, meanwhile, added urgency to the innings with a quick-paced second straight fifty, before a run-a-ball 17 from Verma and 31-run blitz from Pandey hoisted India to 240 as the hosts bowled them out off the last ball of the innings, concluded by part-time bowler Chloe Tryon who took two wickets in her 10 overs.

Kane Williamson took charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad a day after David Warner stepped down, and was later banned from playing IPL 2018

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Mar-20180:37

Quickinfo: Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson took charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad a day after David Warner was banned from playing IPL 2018 in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal troubling Australian cricket. In accepting the role, Williamson made a point to mention he was “standing in as captain for this season.”On Wednesday, Cricket Australia had slapped one-year bans on Warner, and Steven Smith, for their role in using a foreign substance to change the nature of the ball to generate reverse swing. Soon after that news broke, the BCCI announced that both players would not be allowed to take part in the IPL season. Warner and Smith had already relinquished captaincy of Sunrisers and Rajasthan Royals respectively.Although there were other contenders, like Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sunrisers on Thursday chose to appoint Williamson as the interim captain. They had originally bought him in 2015 and regained his services at this year’s auction for USD 468,000. Bhuvneshwar has been appointed vice-captain of the team.BCCI

The franchise’s decision to pick Williamson is likely to raise a few eyebrows. In his previous three seasons with the Sunrisers, Williamson played only 15 matches with a modest record: 411 runs at a strike rate of 129.24 with three half centuries. Also, during a T20I tri-series between New Zealand, England and Australia, former fast bowler Simon Doull was concerned over Williamson’s role in the shortest format, suggesting he should give up T20Is in an effort to manage his workload better.Williamson responded to those comments on the field – scoring a match-winning 72 off 46 balls – and off the field insisting he wanted to play all forms of cricket.

The Mumbai Indians head coach said he can’t get too emotional about the team’s performance, and wanted time to reflect on it before deciding on a future course of action

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-20181:27

We played thinking there’d be demons – Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene was careful to avoid knee-jerk reactions after Mumbai Indians sank to their lowest-ever IPL total, but the head coach was stern, nevertheless, in asking his players to take more responsibility. Having lost four out of five matches, Mumbai needed to start doing what they do best – rack up the wins after a bad start – at the earliest. Instead, they put up their worst batting performance of the season, at a venue where they had never previously lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.”We have put ourselves in this situation, there is no one else to blame,” Jayawardene said. “Some of the matches we lost, I thought we played good cricket, they could have gone either way. (But) today was very disappointing. We just probably played the wicket thinking there is going to be demons out there. We just had to knock it around. We did not take any responsibility, so that part was quite disappointing. The dew came in as we expected, after 10 overs. No one took responsibility; that is quite sad.”Just how badly Mumbai struggled was best illustrated by Hardik Pandya’s pained stay at the crease. Burdened by a mounting asking rate on a slow pitch, Pandya’s situation was worsened by the loss of wickets at the other end, which eventually required him to bat with the tail. It resulted in a maiden for Rashid Khan in the 17th over, with Pandya either refusing the single or failing to find gaps. Then, in the 18th over, Siddarth Kaul offered up similar lengths to Pandya three times in a row. Pandya swiped across the line on each occasion, missing twice and getting a leading edge to third man the third time around.”That is how we have worked with him (Hardik) from beginning of this season and pre-season as well,” Jayawardene said. “We knew that there will be people bowling with different level because we analyse other opposition, we do anaylse our guys, and we give them information.”Every year you can’t bat the same way. If people don’t evolve and improve, there is no progress. Young guys like Hardik will learn that and need to work harder; the talent alone will not get you, leading the game and thinking about the game, that’s the part they need to keep learning, and especially with international good bowlers coming and doing various things, you have to evolve. Otherwise, you won’t be able to be consistent.”Pandya may have been inconsistent with the bat, but he has come good as a bowler on a few occasions. Kieron Pollard’s case is worse. He hasn’t contributed with the ball this season. In fact, since the 2016 IPL, Pollard has totaled 7.5 overs. With the bat, he rarely comes out with more than five or six overs remaining. This season, Pollard has cobbled together 63 runs off 57 balls at 110.52 – a poor strike-rate for someone who usually bats in the death overs.”He is struggling a little bit, but we trusted with the system,” Jayawardene said. “You need to trust your players, you can’t chop and change just because you don’t fire. You have to go with that structure, and yes, eventually as a coach, I will have to make some calls, which I have to think about. It is too early for me; I need 24 hours to think about what happened today and not be emotional about it.”

Sarfaraz Ahmed confirms his wish to stay on as captain in all three formats despite World Cup exit

Danyal Rasool07-Jul-20192:27

As a team we put up a great fight – Sarfaraz

The ball is now firmly in the PCB’s court after Sarfaraz Ahmed declared he wished to continue as captain of Pakistan in all three formats. Speaking shortly after landing in Karachi following Pakistan’s exit from the 2019 World Cup, Sarfaraz said the job had been given to him by the PCB, and any decision to replace him must come through the same channel.Sarfaraz had earlier in the year hinted he would take a decision on the Test captaincy following the World Cup, but now appears content to continue in the role unless asked to step aside. The PCB officially only makes appointments on a series-by-series basis, with managing director Wasim Khan set to head a cricket committee review of the last two years before making any recommendations on the future.”It’s not that I’m saying I refuse to resign. All I’m saying is the decision rests with the PCB, the same way as the decision to appoint me captain was taken by them,” Sarfaraz said. “I’m sure they’ll take the decision that’s best for Pakistan.”ALSO READ: Babar Azam up to No. 3 in ODI batting rankingsPakistan began their World Cup campaign disastrously following a thumping defeat to West Indies, the consequences of which stretched far beyond the loss of two points. It meant Pakistan were always catching up in terms of net run rate against their rivals in the race for the semi-final slots, a problem exacerbated by a heavy defeat against India that left them hanging by a thread.While they did stage a comeback following that game, winning their final four, they could only tie with New Zealand on 11 points, with the latter’s significantly superior net run rate meaning Pakistan fell just short. Speaking of the tournament in general, Sarfaraz found heart from the way Pakistan had responded to adversity, particularly after intense criticism, both professional and personal, following the loss to India.”We couldn’t do well against the West Indies in our tournament opener, but gained momentum by beating England, the home team and the favourites,” Sarfaraz said. “Because of the delay in our next match due to a washout against Sri Lanka, we had lost that momentum and it reflected in our performances against Australia and India.’This was my team and I had full authority over it’ – Sarfaraz Ahmed•PCB

“There’s always criticism when you play poorly, and we did play poorly initially. A lot of things happened after the India game that hurt the players deeply. We were distressed by that defeat like every fan. It was really difficult for us to cope with the things that happened in the next seven days. Some of the former players, who were commentating, were present there and provided us support and backing. I called up a meeting comprising just the 15 players in the squad and discussed what mistakes we might be making. The team responded really well, and everyone gave their honest opinions, and we bounced back and won the final four games.”Footage of Sarfaraz Ahmed walking around a shopping mall with his young son in his lap being repeatedly abused by a fan went viral on social media, with Sarfaraz’s decision not to react winning him much support among the general fanbase. It led to much criticism of the tone of the censure the players had received following the game against India, with a general softening in the days that followed, eased inevitably by the uptick in both form and results.”It wasn’t only me who was subjected to slurs by fans,” Sarfaraz revealed. “Many other players were also targeted in malls and other public places. Some things that happened did not get attention, but we reported all incidents to the management.”Anyhow, it is unfortunate that we couldn’t qualify due to NRR. But I am happy with every player. Everyone, regardless of their seniority or experience, contributed. I am also thankful to the coaching staff. They are normally behind the scenes and don’t get credit. But I am thankful to them and especially to Mickey Arthur who kept things together in that difficult time.”There were reports of malcontent in the first half of the campaign, with rumours of disagreements between the players and the management that had to be mediated by chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, who, it had not escaped notice, was there with the team for much of the campaign. Sarfaraz, however, dismissed reports of infighting, and said there was no disagreement about squad selection, with coach Mickey Arthur, Inzamam and Sarfaraz himself all satisfied with the make-up of the final 15.”The whole squad was mine. The team for the first five matches was made by me, Inzi bhai, and Mickey. When you lose, a lot of things that should stay in the dressing room get leaked. The players that we needed, they were present. Except for Wahab Riaz, all the players had been playing in the recent years. This was my team and I had full authority over it.”Amir was never out of the team. People say that we selected him again, but we wanted Amir to play in England before he got chicken pox and couldn’t play in the bilateral series. We called on Wahab because we had realised we’d need an express pacer.”The performances overall have been good. The most junior bowler [Shaheen Afridi] picked up 16 wickets. Babar Azam playing his first World Cup batted brilliantly and scored a century and half-centuries. As a team, we put up a great fight. It is unfortunate we couldn’t qualify.”

The India allrounder has ambitions of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-20259:02

Chopra on Iyer vice-captain, Axar over Jadeja and more

Ravindra Jadeja has said that he isn’t surprised by his non-selection for India’s upcoming ODI series in Australia and that the communication from the team management has been smooth. Jadeja, who will turn 37 this December, had retired from T20Is after winning the World Cup last year, but has ambitions of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup.”[Selection] is not in my hands. I want to play, for sure,” Jadeja said at his press conference after the second day’s play against West Indies in the Delhi Test. “[At the] end of the day, team management, selectors, coach and captain have their thoughts and they will have their reasons for not selecting me for this series. They have talked to me, it was not a surprise for me after the squad was announced.Related

• Kohli and Rohit selected in India's ODI squad for Australia

“It is a good thing that they communicated the reason behind my omission. I am happy about that. But whenever I get a chance next, I will try and do what I have done all these years. If I get a chance in the World Cup and there are many ODIs before and if I do well there, it will be a good thing for Indian cricket. Winning a World Cup is everyone’s dream. We had narrowly missed out the last time, the next time we will try and make up for it.2:56

Jadeja: ‘I don’t think about captaincy and vice-captaincy anymore’

Jadeja’s omission was among five changes from the ODI squad that had won the Champions Trophy in the UAE in March. After announcing the squads, Ajit Agarkar, India’s chief selector, however, suggested that Jadeja is still part of their future plans in ODI cricket.”With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places,” Agarkar said at the time. “Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE].”At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washy [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don’t think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”Jadeja has played 204 ODIs so far, taking 231 wickets to go with 2806 runs. In his most recent ODI assignment, the Champions Trophy, he came away with five wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 4.35.India will play three ODIs in Australia on October 19, 23 and 25, followed by five T20Is between October 29 and November 8.

Fast bowler has had a “massive impact” after just one Test, says England captain

Andrew Miller at Lord's18-Aug-2019Joe Root, the England captain, believes that Jofra Archer’s addition to the bowling attack has “potentially” changed the course of the Ashes, after another sustained and dramatic display of hostile fast bowling almost inspired England to a remarkable final-day Test victory at Lord’s.Less than 24 hours after unleashing a shattering bouncer to Steven Smith in Australia’s first innings, Archer almost repeated the dose with his second delivery to Smith’s concussion replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, which struck the newly included batsman flush on the visor at more than 91mph.And Root, who had been one of the many England batsman in the firing line when Mitchell Johnson ignited the 2013-14 Ashes with his haul of 37 wickets in the 5-0 whitewash, feels that Archer’s pace and fear factor could have a similar effect, especially with the third Test at Headingley set to begin in just four days’ time.ALSO READ: Miller: Archer evokes Lomu on ‘frightening’ debut“He’s come in and made a massive impact,” Root said. “He’s added a different dynamic to our bowling group and given Australia something different to think about. It’s pleasing to see someone come in on Test debut, shake up things and live up to the hype – even some of the hype he put on himself. It makes for a very interesting last three games.”He makes things happen with such a unique action and natural pace, which is always in the game on any surface. That with the skill of the others, makes for a tasty combo. One thing it will do is make them think about how they’re going to have to come back. He is going to come at them, and it’s always nice when you’re stood at slip and not batting against him.”He’s very different to other options that we’ve had previously in this team, and on a different surface, which might nibble and swing a little bit more to add that into a quartet, it’s a really big bonus for the team. You always feel like you’ve got something different to turn to.”Jofra Archer struck in his second over•Getty Images

Though England remain 1-0 down in the series, Archer’s impact wasn’t the only positive to emerge from the Lord’s Test. Ben Stokes managed to translate his serene batting in the World Cup into his seventh Test century, but first since the Bristol incident in September 2017, and even Jos Buttler, without going on to make a significant score, looked more at ease against the red ball in making 31 in a key stand of 90 that set up England’s victory push.”Things can change very quickly in sport. At the start of the week we wanted a big response and we have definitely done that,” Root said. “It felt like we put them under huge pressure. It shows how much we’re in this series.”Stokes, who was named Man of the Match for his unbeaten 115, added of Archer: “I am not sure there will be a better debut in terms of announcing yourself.”The spell [to Smith on day four] was incredible to watch,” he told Test Match Special. “We were laughing he was going to be top of the rankings after one Test. We are very lucky he is in our team. He gives you an extra dimension.”However, Australia’s captain, Tim Paine, attempted to play down Archer’s impact, pointing out that, despite being on Test debut, he was hardly an unknown quantity on the international and franchise circuit.”We’ve seen him for a few years now [in T20 cricket] and we know the package he brings with his pace,” Paine said. “That’s something every team wants to have. It’s up to us to make some plans and get better [against him]. It’s not all doom and gloom.”

Our rolling report from the first women’s ODI between England and South Africa at New Road

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2018Welcome to our rolling report from England women’s first ODI against South Africa at Worcester. We will bring you colour, pictures, statistics and intermittent updates from New Road, as England’s World Cup winners begin their home season. For live score updates, click here for our match card.

Opener shared a 209-run stand with Australia A skipper Jason Sangha who also made an unbeaten 121

AAP22-Jul-2025Darwin-born Jake Weatherald sealed a happy homecoming and put his name in the conversation surrounding Australia’s opening batter conundrum for the Ashes with an imperious century for Australia A against Sri Lanka A.Starting day three of the second four-day game on 45, Tasmania’s Weatherald powered to 183 in a magnificent 275-ball innings punctuated by 16 fours and two sixes.Australia A captain Jason Sangha made an unbeaten 121, his third first-class century in his last five innings dating back to the end of the Sheffield Shield season. The pair’s 209-run third-wicket stand, after Kurtis Patterson made 59 in a 134-run second-wicket stand with Weatherald, took Australia A from 76 for 1 on resumption to a strong 379 for 3 by stumps on Tuesday, in reply to Sri Lanka A’s 485 for 6 declared.With the Darwin pitch ideal for batting, the chance of a result looks slim, with the series poised to end 0-0 after game one finished in a stalemate.Most discussion out of the match, then, may centre on Weatherald after the 30-year-old made hay on the Marrara Cricket Ground pitch to score his 13th first-class century.Coming after his 54 in his only innings in game one, the knock was a timely reminder to national selectors as they weigh top-order options for this summer’s home Ashes after a bleak tour of the West Indies for openers. Usman Khawaja has averaged 15.37 in his last eight Test innings and will turn 39 during the Ashes. The 19-year-old Sam Konstas fared even worse when recalled to partner Khawaja in the recent 3-0 Test series romp in the Caribbean, averaging 8.33 and looking well short of the finished article. Nathan McSweeney – dropped after averaging 14.40 through his first three Tests last summer against India – made 94 for Australia A last week to push his case for a possible recall, but failed on Monday in the second match, making 12.Jason Sangha brought up a century from No. 4•Cricket Australia

Into calculations for a top-of-the-order Test debut in the Ashes comes Weatherald, who opened for Australia A and raised his century on Tuesday off 146 deliveries, scoring in virtually every part of the ground.The left-hand batter is coming off the finest summer of his career, in which he topped the Sheffield Shield competition with 905 runs.His three Shield centuries – as with his effort on Tuesday – showed his capacity to push on to make a big hundred, scoring 186 against Queensland, 155 against Victoria, and 145 against New South Wales.On Tuesday, he and Patterson progressed their second-wicket partnership to 134 before Patterson was caught at point for 59 reaching for a wide delivery from paceman Asanka Manoj.Weatherald and Sangha piled on 209 for the third wicket before Weatherald was bowled by offspinner Nuwanidu Fernando.

Khurram Shahzad has not fully recovered from the side injury he picked up during the Bangladesh series

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2024Pakistan have retained Shan Masood as their captain for the first match of their three-Test series against England, which begins in Multan on October 7. Aamer Jamal has found a place in their 15-member squad following his return from a back issue, while Khurram Shahzad, who took a six-wicket haul in the second Test against Bangladesh, misses out having failed to fully recover from an injury to his left side.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who didn’t feature in the Bangladesh series, returns to the side as a second frontline spin option alongside Abrar Ahmed.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There was some scrutiny around Masood’s position in the aftermath of the 2-0 home Test series defeat to Bangladesh earlier this month, but he retains the role for now, with Pakistan looking to overturn a run of poor results in the longest format. They have lost each of their last five Test matches, all with Masood in charge, and they are on a 10-match winless streak in home Tests.One piece of positive news for Pakistan is the return of the fast-bowling allrounder Jamal, their most impressive performer on their 2023-24 tour of Australia. Jamal has been dealing with lower-back issues over recent months, and didn’t take part in the series against Bangladesh. He has since returned to 50-overs action in the Champions Cup.This is counterbalanced, however, by the absence of Shahzad. He picked up the side injury during the second Test against Bangladesh, and was expected to be fit in time for the England series when a fracture was ruled out, but he hasn’t yet staged a complete recovery.Top-order batter Kamran Ghulam and fast bowler Mohammad Ali, who were part of the squad for the Bangladesh series, have been left out. A PCB release said both “remain firmly in the selectors’ plans. However, due to the selection policy’s emphasis on consistency and continuity, and the belief that 15 players are sufficient for a Test, they have been advised and encouraged to continue representing their teams in the Champions One-Day Cup and the President’s Cup, starting on 3 October, to ensure they stay match-ready through competitive cricket.”The players selected in the Test squad have been withdrawn from the Champions Cup playoffs to enable them to rest before the start of the England series. The squad will assemble in Multan on September 30, with their pre-series training camp starting on October 1.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England

Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi.

The Strikers’ slim playoff chances take further beating while the Sixers moved to the top of the ladder

Tristan Lavalette15-Jan-2025Steven Smith produced another blistering BBL innings before Hayden Kerr and Sean Abbott kept their cool at the death as Sydney Sixers completed a nerve-jangling chase that has almost ended Adelaide Strikers’ slim finals prospects.Chasing 183 at the Adelaide Oval, Smith’s red-hot form continued with a rapid half-century but his dismissal sparked a collapse. Sixers slumped to 92 for 5, but they rallied through their batting depth.They still needed 16 off the last seven deliveries before Kerr smashed a tossed up delivery from legspinner Lloyd Pope over the rope. He then hit quick Henry Thornton for a boundary off the second ball of the final over before Abbott hit the winning run off the penultimate delivery.Sixers moved to the top of the ladder, while Strikers need a miracle to progress into the finals.

Smith dominates early, Kerr steps up late

All eyes were on Smith after his blistering ton against Perth Scorchers in his BBL return. With three centuries in his last seven BBL matches, he clearly enjoys letting his hair down for Sixers, who he captained to the title in the competition’s first season.Smith’s unbelievable BBL record continued with 52 off 31 balls and he started with a third ball six after launching quick Brendan Doggett over the legside. He smashed four sixes with the loud whack coming off the bat music to the ears of the Sixers.Smith’s best shot might have been a back-foot smoke off Thornton that sped to the boundary like a tracer bullet. He scored 34 of the 47 runs in the powerplay before shifting gears with the field spread around.But Smith’s dismissal to Jamie Overton just before drinks triggered a collapse with Jordan Silk falling later in the 10th over lbw after an unsuccessful review. Skipper Moises Henriques, who had called for the review, then was adjudged lbw to spinner Lloyd Pope, but he was livid with the decision having inside edged onto his pads.Sixers slumped to 92 for 5 before Ben Dwarshuis and Lachlan Shaw produced a brisk half-century partnership. They were unable to see Sixers home but Kerr stepped against Strikers, once again, having memorably lifted them home in the Challenger final of BBL 11.His six off Pope – who was brought on in a gamble by skipper Matthew Short – was perhaps the game-changing moment.
Overton finishes season on a highStrikers’ season appeared in ruins under an avalanche from Smith, who reached his half-century off just 27 balls. But Overton had other ideas in his last BBL match before linking up with his England teammates for the white-ball tour of India,He entered the attack just before drinks and produced a thick edge off Smith that flew to short third. Overton then trapped Silk lbw later in a game-changing over.Strikers were not able to get over the line, but Overton can be well pleased with his season. The firebrand has become a fan favourite for Strikers but a villain for opposition supporters to be of the characters of this BBL season.Lloyd Pope celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Chohan unleashed, Shaw sparkles in field

Sixers, in trademark style, were a well oiled machine in the first 10 overs after electing to bowl. Henriques brilliantly rang the changes as he rotated his four quicks during the powerplay.He then threw the ball to offspinner Todd Murphy, who claimed D’Arcy Short and Alex Carey in – curiously – his only over of the innings.Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner, finally made his BBL debut after being a surprise selection in the draft. He varied his speeds nicely and finished with 0-30 from 4 overs.Sixers weren’t quite as slick after drinks, with their quicks unable to execute. For the second straight game, Abbott struggled badly at the death to cap a forgettable performance.But 22-year-old Shaw did provide some cheer in the field. In just his fourth BBL game, Shaw produced an outstanding piece of fielding on the legside rope where he acrobatically flicked the ball back into play to prevent a boundary.Shaw, who is normally a wicketkeeper, produced another spectacular effort in the outfield after a diving catch – having misjudged initially – amid very windy conditions to dismiss Alex Ross.

Strikers recover well after top-order collapse

In Strikers’ last match, they flayed Brisbane Heat and racked up the second highest score in BBL history. Matthew Short starred with a belligerent century, but he was confronted by a surface that wasn’t as rock hard and he walked to the crease without opening partner Chris Lynn, who suffered a hamstring injury in that match.Short looked to continue where he left off with a boundary straight down the ground off Jack Edwards, who earlier in the day was named the new Australia A captain.But Short could not replicate the shot, merely hitting Edwards straight up in the air in the first of three reckless dismissals.Carey missed out on the run glut against Heat and he appeared keen to make up for it with three early boundaries. But Carey fell tamely after the powerplay, picking out deep midwicket two balls after D’Arcy Short was clean bowled by Murphy having failed to execute a reverse sweep.It was left to Ross and Ollie Pope, who made their move after taking the power surge in the 12th over.Ross nailed several drives through the offside, but Pope was more fluent and reached his half-century off 35 balls before Overton provided a late flurry in the death overs.Harry Manenti hit a six in his debut to complete an impressive Strikers recovery. Manenti, who has represented Italy in international cricket, was presented his cap by his brother Ben – a Sixers squad member.