Final-ball four brings visitors level after hosts lose last five wickets for only 17 runs

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2023

Durham and Derbyshire Falcons played out a thrilling tie in their Vitality Blast clash at Seat Unique Riverside as Haider Ali hit the final ball of the innings to the fence to earn his team a share of the spoils.Brydon Carse returned from injury to top score for the home side with a career-best 58 as Durham posted 178 from their 20 overs, although they were to rue a batting collapse, losing their final five wickets for only 17 runs.Derbyshire found their range in response as Luis Reece blasted 58 from 47 balls. But the home side dragged it back to set up a tense finale as Wayne Parnell claimed three wickets. Haider Ali held his nerve from the final ball and rescued a tie for the Falcons finding the boundary on the leg side to claim a valuable point.The visitors won the toss and elected to field, but were put on the back foot by Michael Jones’ early attack. The Scotland international, replacing Graham Clark at opener due to illness, crashed five boundaries in the powerplay before he picked out Mattie McKiernan on the fence to hand Khan the breakthrough.Alex Lees found his touch after a slow start but then suffered an unfortunate end when he was run out at the non-strikers’ end by McKiernan deflecting Carse’s drive back into the stumps. Carse responded to the misfortune by blasting two huge sixes straight down the ground to propel Durham’s scoring rate over nine runs per over.The Falcons kept themselves in the contest as Ollie Robinson and Ashton Turner were dismissed cheaply, reducing the hosts to 100 for 4 with eight overs remaining. Carse notched his second T20 fifty clearing the rope with two further strikes down the ground before Khan returned to the attack and prised out the all-rounder for 58.Carse’s dismissal sparked a collapse in the Durham ranks. The hosts fell from 161 for 5 to 178 all out in the final 15 balls of the innings. Zak Chappell did the damage with four late wickets, while Khan added a fourth for himself to bottle up the Durham lower order.Derbyshire issued a rapid response to their chase as Harry Came set the tone against Parnell, smashing his first over for three-straight boundaries. Came made his way to 34 from 17 before Parnell had his revenge to remove the Falcons’ opener in the final over of the powerplay.But, Reece and Wayne Madsen kept the visitors well ahead of the run rate, finding the fence with ease against slack Durham bowling. Reece made a slow start to his knock but he accelerated through the gears to reach his 16th T20 fifty from 38 balls, including two towering sixes against Liam Trevaskis.Paul Coughlin drew a false shot from Madsen and Nathan Sowter added the wicket of Leus du Plooy to his collection this season to put the visitors back under pressure, elevating the required run rate beyond 12 per over. Haider Ali responded with back-to-back boundaries in the 17th over to open up a tense finale, requiring 31 from the final three overs.Parnell and Trevaskis turned the screw for the hosts, combining twice to prise out Reece for 58 and Brook Guest, swinging the momentum back to Durham. Haider Ali and McKiernan drilled De Leede’s penultimate over for 14, aided by two wides from the Netherlands international, leaving the game in the balance heading into the final six balls.Parnell cost a run with his first ball throwing it needlessly back at the stumps after holding McKiernan in check. But his following four balls were on the money to leave Derbyshire needing five from the final delivery. With the game on the line, Haider Ali found the gap in a leg-side boundary to snatch a tie for the Falcons on the road.

The left hander will be the spare batter against West Indies after winning the selection race

AAP11-Jan-20241:30

Michael Clarke not concerned by ageing Australia Test side

After being recalled to Australia’s Test squad, batter Matt Renshaw has been left musing on how the last six months has been “a weird time”, but also the best of times, for him.Renshaw is not in the playing XI, but has been named in the 13-man squad as the spare batter for the first Test against the West Indies, starting in Adelaide on January 17, edging out fellow red-ball openers Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft who were also in the mix.Related

• Bancroft has no concerns over relationships with Australia's bowlers

• Smith to open, Green to bat No.4, Renshaw added to squad

• No ghosts of 2018: overlooking Bancroft 'purely a cricketing decision'

When David Warner announced in the middle of last year that he would retire from Test cricket after the recently concluded Pakistan series, the race was on to find his successor, with Steven Smith now confirmed as opener after being elevated from No. 4.But the 27-year-old Renshaw is just happy to be back in the Test environment, after learning a lot about himself since last being part of the squad during the Test series in India last year.”It is really nice and a lot of hard work has gone into that. It has been a weird six months since Davey said what he said but I have just tried to enjoy my cricket,” Renshaw explained. “That is the big one for me. As much as all this stuff has been looming over my head, I play my best when I am having fun.”Obviously, people come and go. That’s the way cricket is but I’ve just tried to enjoy my cricket…whether that is for Australia A, Prime Minister’s XI, Queensland and in county cricket as well.”Matt Renshaw had a brief return to the Test side last year•Getty Images

Renshaw has scored 1566 first-class runs at an average of 52.20, with seven centuries, since July 1, 2022. They are impressive figures and reveal his consistency.His selection is a message from selectors that he is the next cab off the rank if he can stay on his upward trajectory. The opening position that could have been his has been taken by Smith, rather than a regular red-ball opener.Smith volunteered to move up from No. 4 but Renshaw is not kicking stones. It is a move he understands.”He averages 60 in Test cricket. He is the best player in the world. It gets Cam [Green] in the team as well and we all know what Cam is capable of,” he said. “Selectors talked about the top six batters in the country and there is no doubt those six guys are. It is just about me trying to learn from them while I am in the squad.”We have got amazing players in the team but I’ve had a little nibble at Test cricket already. I know what it is like to score a hundred, and how that feels. I jut want to try and get that enjoyment and be myself around the Test team.”Renshaw was just 20 when he scored 184, his sole Test century, against Pakistan in Sydney.”I feel a completely different player. I look back at that and I think I was very naïve with cricket,” he said. “I came in wet behind the ears and hadn’t really had much experience with what the game can do. I’ve learned from that…tried to get better with that and tried to improve myself as a cricketer.”That’s all-round with my game knowledge and probably some technical aspects. I look back at my technique then and it probably wasn’t that pretty. It is still probably not that pretty, but I feel like I have ironed out a few things I needed to.”

Lance Morris’ spectacular return was cut short by a side strain injury, but Xavier Bartlett continued a strong start to his international career with four wickets as Australia thrashed a hapless West Indies at Manuka Oval to sweep the ODI series.Openers Josh Inglis and Jake Fraser-McGurk raced toward the low target by smashing 67 runs within five overs. They had struck Australia’s fastest team 50 in men’s ODIs since 2002.Their eight-wicket victory with 43.1 overs to spare was the shortest men’s ODI ever played in Australia. The match lasted just 31 overs and was completed in three hours, including the innings break.Related

• Comparisons with Warner: Ponting backs Fraser-McGurk to become a Test player

• Stats – The shortest completed ODI ever in Australia

• Sean Abbott's all-round show helps Australia seal series

• No rest on Abbott's mind: 'Hard team to get in, even harder to stay'

• Short ruled out of final ODI with McDermott called up

Bartlett had starred with 4 for 21 as West Indies were embarrassingly bowled out for 86 in 24.1 overs in their fifth lowest ODI score. Playing their 1000th ODI, the second nation to do so after India, Australia were almost flawless following comprehensive victories in Melbourne and Sydney.Inglis raced to 22 off seven deliveries as he played gorgeous orthodox shots, but was quickly overtaken by Fraser-McGurk who muscled three sixes in four balls off seamer Matthew Forde.Fraser-McGurk was on track for a rapid half-century, but holed out to mid-on to end his 18-ball 41 and dashed Australia’s hopes for a 10-wicket win. Aaron Hardie made just two before Australia passed the target after 6.5 overs.Australia recorded their 12th straight victory in the 50-over format, but were aided by a shoddy West Indies effort with a number of batters dismissed in tame fashion.It wasn’t all rosy for Australia with Morris, who returned to the side along with Bartlett in place of injured Matthew Short and a rested Josh Hazlewood, coming off the ground midway through his fifth over with a left side strain. He will have a scan and faces a nervous wait ahead of Australia’s tour of New Zealand.Steven Smith elected to bowl under bleak skies with Bartlett looming as a major threat in seaming conditions. After having a breather following his stunning four-wicket debut at the MCG, Bartlett was immediately on the money with the new ball and he had opener Kjorn Ottley lbw in his second over.Ottley trudged off after a short discussion with Alick Athanaze, but replays showed he had inside edged the ball. Bartlett continued to showcase his prowess for swing bowling and he bowled an unrelenting line and length to finish with 1 for 11 off his opening five-over spell.Jake Fraser-McGurk gave a glimpse of his potential•Getty Images

But Athanaze and Keacy Carty held firm as West Indies’ fortunes momentarily seemed to turn with the sun emerging and they eyed a decent total on the traditionally batting-friendly Manuka Oval surface.West Indies avoided the early collapses that marred their opening two games, but the introduction of Morris in the 11th over soon left them in familiar woe.Morris had his first international wicket when Carty was brilliantly caught by a flying Marnus Labuschagne at backward point. Captain Shai Hope unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw decision off Sean Abbott in the next over before Morris clean bowled debutant Teddy Bishop with a searing full delivery that rattled the stumps.In contrast to when he took the new ball at the MCG, Morris enjoyed being held back in a role he usually relishes with Western Australia at domestic level. He bowled consistently in the mid 140kph and a threatening short of a length before going off the ground.Athanaze had held the innings together until he threw away his wicket with a rash sweep stroke against legspinner Adam Zampa that was caught deep backward squareSmith went on the attack and brought back Bartlett, who on his first delivery nicked off Romario Shepherd. Bartlett soon became just the sixth men’s bowler to record four-plus wicket hauls in his first two ODIs.West Indies’ woeful performance was summed up with a comical run out of Forde, who bickered with batting partner Roston Chase on his way off, as their 27-year ODI drought against Australia in Australia continues.

Dhoni had told Gaikwad to “be ready, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you”

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-20244:52

Is this the right time for Gaikwad the captain?

MS Dhoni had given feelers to Ruturaj Gaikwad about a possible captaincy switch during IPL 2023 itself. Those feelers came alive on the eve of Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2024 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, when Dhoni officially relinquished his captaincy to Gaikwad.”Last year itself, Mahi bhai had hinted about captaincy at some point of time,” Gaikwad told IPLT20.com. “He just hinted that, ‘be ready, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you’. When we came into the camp, he involved me in some of the match simulation.”Prior to the season, Dhoni stoked fan-sentiment on social media by hinting about a “new role”. At the time, it was believed to be promotional campaign towards a broadcast sponsor. But on Thursday evening, it became evident that may have not been the case entirely.Related

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A season begins, an era ends, and life goes on for MS Dhoni

“I remember him posting about a new role on social media and everybody was pointing towards me and asking me, ‘are you the next captain?’. I was like, ‘maybe it meant something else for social media’. But back of the mind, it was there. He came and said, ‘I’ve decided this and this’, but definitely now that I’m here, I’m looking forward to this.”Gaikwad was first signed at base price [INR 20 lakh] prior to the 2019 season, where he didn’t get a game. In IPL 2020, Gaikwad had a tough initiation as he began with three ducks in a season where he also contracted covid. He returned towards the back end of the season and became the first uncapped Indian to hit three back-to-back half-centuries.Since then, he’s been an integral part of the group. In 2021, he formed a superb opening combination with Faf du Plessis as Super Kings won their fourth title. He ended the tournament with the Orange Cap for most runs [635 in 16 games], with du Plessis second on the list. After that tournament, Gaikwad had glowingly talked about the backing and encouragement he’d received from du Plessis.MS Dhoni with new CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad at a training session•PTI

“I just met Faf at the [captains’] meeting and said, ‘who would’ve thought a few years down the line, you are playing and leading RCB and me sharing the stage with you at the toss’,” Gaikwad said. “A lot to look forward to. It [opening game] is one of the most exciting first-day games to look forward to.”Dhoni had done something similar in 2022, when he handed the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja prior to the start of the season. The move backfired, and after Super Kings lost six of their first eight games, Dhoni took over the reins again. Super Kings finished ninth that season.The question of succession planning at Super Kings has been a hot topic of debate ever since, which even head coach Stephen Fleming touched upon at his pre-match press conference. This time around, he felt, the change will be a lot “smoother.””It feels great for two reasons,” Gaikwad said of his new role. “To be part of this wonderful franchise right from when my IPL journey started and then to be trusted by MS Dhoni for a leadership role speaks a lot. The challenge lies ahead and I’m looking forward to it.”I’ve got to know how the franchise works throughout the year, got to know their mantra, the reasons behind their success, what kind of things the franchise goes through, what Mahi bhai or the support staff do. I wouldn’t like to change a single bit of it.”He’s a great backbone to have on the field. I also have Ajju [Ajinkya Rahane] and Jaddu as well, a lot of options to look around. I don’t think I’ll need to change anything. Just give the kind of freedom the players want and everything will be fine.”

Marcus Rashford is back together with childhood sweetheart and ex-fiancee Lucia Loi, two years after the couple split up. Loi was spotted in Barcelona alongside Rashford, before the striker was formally announced as a Blaugrana player. Rashford had been with Loi since he was 15 years old and they got engaged in 2022. The couple, however, decided to part ways in June 2023.

Rashford back together with ex-fiancee LoiLoi accompanied Rashford during Barcelona presentationBarca face Vissel Kobe on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

More than two years since they broke up, Rashford and Loi were once again spotted together in Barcelona. Loi took photos of the Manchester United outcast just minutes before his presentation at Barcelona. Rashford signed a year-long loan deal with the Blaugrana earlier this week.

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According to , Rashford has requested that his former fiancee helps him to settle in Barcelona so that he can fully focus on playing football and revive his career at the Catalan side. Rashford has been given the No.14 shirt, an iconic number which was previously worn by legends like Thierry Henry and Ronald Koeman.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

On Rashford rekindling his relationship with Loi, a source told : "Marcus knows that some of the best moments in his career have occurred when Lucia has been at his side. They got together when they were very young and have had ups and downs, but a friendship has always remained.

"He knows that she is good for him and she is one of the few people in the world he knows has got his best interests at heart. She is very sensible and helps keep him grounded."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

The 27-year-old is in Barcelona's squad travelling to Asia for a pre-season tour and could make his debut for the club in a friendly match against J1 League side Vissel Kobe on Sunday.

Hemalatha was hit on her forehead after dropping a catch in the 15th over of the Capitals’ innings

Srinidhi Ramanujam03-Mar-2024Middle-order batter D Hemalatha was ruled out of Gujarat Giants’ clash against Delhi Capitals after suffering concussion. Sayali Satghare was brought in her place, making her the first concussion substitute in the Women’s Premier League.Hemalatha sustained a blow on the forehead while attempting a catch at deep midwicket in the 15th over of Capitals’ innings. Jess Jonassen heaved one across off Kathryn Bryce, but Hemaltha failed to hold on and the ball burst through her hands to hit her. She immediately sought the physio’s help and was out of the field for the rest of the match.Satghare was approved as the replacement during Giants’ chase of 164. She was brought in as a replacement for fast bowler Kashvee Gautam, who was picked up in the auction for a record INR 2 crore.Satghare, 23, is a seam-bowling allrounder who plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit. She struck a century against Arunachal Pradesh in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy last month and averaged 52 with the bat. She also picked up ten wickets in the competition.Giants had lost three games in a row, coming to the contest against Capitals. In those three games, Hemalatha managed a total of 36 with a best of 31 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Lalas said he was initially cynical about tearful comments, but added he "would rather have somebody that is passionate"

• Lalas surprised by Pochettino's emotion
• Says USMNT didn’t deserve to win the game
• Appreciates coach's passion, even if still skeptical

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Mauricio Pochettino struggled to contain his emotions while addressing the team in a behind-the-scenes video following the USMNT’s 2-1 defeat to Mexico in the 2025 Gold Cup final. The USMNT head coach praised his players’ resilience in what he described as an adverse situation and highlighted the growth they’ve shown since the previous camp.

  Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas said he was surprised to see the outpouring of emotion, and described his initial reaction to seeing Pochettino's response as "jarring."

  “Immediately following the game you're always emotional," Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. "The gist of it was that you deserved more. But he's doing it through tears, and you can see that this hurt him, that they had lost. And I'll be honest with you, it was, for me at least, it was a little strange, a little jarring. Not that crying or a coach or a player crying is necessarily that, but again, this is the official documentary of the team."

  Lalas said the video made Pochettino "much more sympathetic" but still maintains that Mexico were deserving winners in the Gold Cup final.

  “You know that Mauricio Pochettino had to approve this coming out, understanding how people were going to look at it," Lalas said. "I do think that there is an argument to be made that this makes him look much more sympathetic. I would disagree in that he said you deserved more. I don't think that you deserved more. In that final game against Mexico, they were thoroughly beaten by a better Mexican team. So I didn't think that they deserved more.”

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• WHAT LALAS SAID

  Lalas said he was of two minds when he first saw the video of the emotional USMNT coach.

  “There is the part of me that is the cynic and says, 'What is this? Why are you bawling and in tears?' " he said. "And then there's the part of me that's the romantic and says, 'I love the fact that my national team coach is brought to tears' because the pain that he feels of failure and not, you know, getting it across the line in a Gold Cup that everyone else seemed to think – or not everybody, but a lot of people seem to think – was inconsequential anyway.

  “And that it meant that much to him, so much that when he's talking to these players, the emotion is just pouring out him in the form of tears. Yeah, I think that, to some, that will endear him… a lot of people will point to this and say, 'Well, there is a graphic illustration of how much it means to him, how much he cares, how much he put into the Gold Cup' ….But when all is said and done, I would rather have somebody who is emotional. I would rather have somebody that is passionate and, in that moment isn't afraid to show it.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mauricio Pochettino has been in charge of the USMNT since September of last year, and led the team in 16 matches, including five straight wins before the loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The USMNT will regroup during the September international break, where they will face South Korea and Japan as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup.

KKR handed Capitals a thrashing to make it three wins in three and go to the top of the table with a massive net run rate boost

Sidharth Monga03-Apr-20242:21

Moody: ‘Raghuvanshi’s hands, bat path similar to Gill’

Last Wednesday at the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad set the record for the highest IPL score: 277. What should have been a once-in-a-decade effort was very nearly taken down by a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders batting unit tonight in Visakhapatnam. Sunil Narine plundered his personal best in T20s – 85 off 39 – almost home-grown Angkrish Raghuvanshi matched him with 54 off 27, and Andre Russell added the finishing touches with 41 off 19.A searing yorker from Ishant Sharma to get Russell in the last over prevented the record being broken, but the 272 KKR put up was more than enough to register a comfortable win – by 106 runs – and join Rajasthan Royals with three wins from three matches at the top of the table. In taking four wickets in the powerplay, two each for Vaibhav Arora and Mitchell Starc, KKR ticked another box in a season in which they have presented themselves as serious title contenders.Pant fined for slow over-rate again

Rishabh Pant, the Capitals captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate against KKR in their 106-run loss in Visakhapatnam. As it was Capitals’ second offence of the season – in just four matches – Pant was fined INR 24 lakh, while the rest of the members of the playing XII, were each fined either INR 6 lakh or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lower.

Narine, Raghuvanshi hammer CapitalsKhaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma set Capitals’ win in the previous match in Vizag with swing early on. Here, though, probably because of Narine’s presence, both of them started slightly short of a length. The one ball that Khaleel pitched up swung to beat Narine.It seems ridiculous now but Narine took six balls to get off the mark. Capitals had managed to keep Narine quiet, but had they missed the small window of swing to try to get him out? Another chance would arrive soon to a short-of-a-length delivery, but neither Ishant Sharma nor Rishabh Pant heard the edge. No appeal, no review.Narine and Phil Salt had got down to work by then, but Capitals could still have got Narine for 24 off 13 had they listened to Mitchell Marsh and reviewed. Then again, reviews were not the only thing they were getting wrong. They kept offering Narine room, when they went short they didn’t get it high enough, and the ball had stopped swinging by now.Sunil Narine smacked seven fours and as many sixes in his 39-ball innings•AFP/Getty Images

Anrich Nortje got rid of Salt in the fifth over, but Raghuvanshi, trained from the age of 11 by KKR’s own Abhishek Nayar, walked out and laced fours off the first two balls he faced. Mukesh Kumar is not express, but his injury has left DC with even less of a pace threat. Narine jumped on Rasikh Salam’s medium-pace in the last over of the powerplay, hitting him for three fours and a six to bring up his half-century in just 21 balls. Their 88 for 1 in the powerplay was the highest by any team so far at IPL 2024.The end of the powerplay brought DC relief only for one over, bowled by Sumit Kumar, but Narine ended any threats of variations in the attack by hitting two sixes off Axar Patel, who wouldn’t bowl again. Raghuvanshi matched him with a reverse-pull over short third for a six. Their 135 for 1 was the third-highest 10-over score in the IPL – all three have come this season.Wickets fail to slow KKR downEventually it was the short ball from Marsh that got the better of Narine, but it wasn’t just one short ball. He kept bowling short and wide outside off with changes of pace. Narine still ended with a boundary every two-and-a-half balls, and the wicket came too late anyway. The 13th over was the right point of entry for Russell, and he punished the samey attack. Capitals didn’t go back to spin despite right-hand batters at the wicket, and Nortje was the only one who presented the batters with an inbuilt challenge.Andre Russell and Rinku Singh smashed 32 runs off 11 balls for the fifth wicket•AFP/Getty Images

Russell was too good for the rest, and when Nortje started the 19th over with one fewer fielder on the fence because of a poor over-rate, Rinku Singh got stuck into him, taking 25 off the over.Ishant then produced a beauty that drew an applause from Russell himself and prevented Capitals from ending up on the wrong side of the record.Arora announces himselfOne of the two tall domestic fast bowlers in the KKR stable, Arora came on as the Impact Player and found inswing immediately. It wasn’t just swing, though. He mixed it up with accurate bouncers. Prithvi Shaw fell to the inswinger before Abhishek Porel top-edged a bouncer.Vaibhav Arora took 3 for 27 in KKR’s clinical win•BCCI

At the other end, Starc took care of his Australia team-mates, Marsh caught trying to square-drive and Warner playing on immediately after slogging him for a six. These were his first wickets this IPL after his eight overs in the first two matches had gone for 100 runs.At 33 for 4 in the fifth over, even batting for net run rate would need heavy hitting and risks. For a while Pant and Tristan Stubbs managed to score quickly. Pant was especially pleasing as he continues his return from a life-threatening accident, but their fifties were never going to be enough to deny KKR a third consecutive win – the first time they have started a season with three wins in three in their history.

His 6 for 24 against Pakistan are the best bowling figures in a semi-final or final of the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2024Fast bowler Tom Straker produced a match-winning spell of 6 for 24 to blow Pakistan away in the second semi-final Benoni, as Australia won a close contest to set up a final with India in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup.Straker, who sat out of the previous game* and replaced Charlie Anderson for the semi-final, picked up two wickets in his first spell and then returned to clean up the tail and flatten Pakistan for 179. Straker’s figures are also the best for a bowler in a semi-final or final of the Under-19 World Cup, as he bettered Kagiso Rabada’s 6 for 25 against Australia in the 2014 semi-final.”Charlie Anderson is obviously a quality fast bowler and really tough to leave,” Australia captain Hugh Weibgen said. “On the other side, Tom Straker bowled unbelievably today and yeah, I thought he was brilliant.”Related

• Kuhnemann leaves Queensland, Burns not offered a contract

• India vs Australia in a title clash yet again as Under-19 World Cup reaches climax in Benoni

• Under-19 World Cup: Six things about India as they chase their sixth title

• Saharan, Dhas lead India into ninth final with epic partnership

• Saharan: 'I knew it was a matter of one partnership'

Having started strongly, Australia looked on track to chase the total down comfortably. But the Pakistan bowlers had other plans. Ali Raza removed Sam Konstas to end the 33-run opening stand, and soon Australia were 59 for 4. Harry Dixon and Oliver Peake took the side past 100 before Arafat Minhas caused another collapse, removing Dixon and Tom Campbell. The chase then got tense when Raza added three more scalps to his tally. At that point, Australia needed 16 from 24 balls with one wicket left.Unlike their thrilling win against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament, Pakistan weren’t able to get across the line this time as cool-headed Raf MacMillan and Callum Vidler sealed Australia’s win with five balls to spare.”We fought so hard,” Weibgen said. “Every time we thought we were nearly there on top, we lost a wicket, but we just kept fighting. Those partnerships, a few contributions through the middle there. Seventeen-year-old Oli Peake – unbelievable – showed such maturity for such a young bloke. Everyone contributed really well.”[I was] never in doubt. Had full faith in Vids [Vidler] and Raf to get the job done. A lot of emotions, to be honest. I was quite nervous. I still don’t know really what happened, but it was awesome.”Pakistan captain Saad Baig acknowledged his bowlers’ efforts in the tournament and called the loss a “part of the game”. Fast bowler Ubaid Shah is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament before the final, with 18 wickets in six games.”I think we were short of 10-20 runs, but we put our 100% effort,” Baig said. “We played well, we fought well but Australia played very well. Our boys throughout the tournament were brilliant [and] our bowling was quite well in the tournament.”* 0900 GMT, Feb 9, 2024 The earlier version said Straker missed three games leading up to the semi-final. The error has been corrected.

Former Cricket Scotland chair Tony Brian has raised “serious concerns” over a damning review which has called into question the organisation’s culture and attitude towards women.Responding to Monday’s publication of the McKinney Report, an independent neutral assessment carried out by a leading Scottish HR firm which found a “high degree of prejudice towards female staff and players” within Cricket Scotland and that “antiquated attitudes and behaviour towards women in the game are still prevalent, particularly at club level”, Brian – who chaired Cricket Scotland from 2015 to 2022 – said sexism and inequality had no place in society or cricket and that “proven cases must be addressed”.But he urged those reading the review “to look at the conclusions with high degree of caution as some lack the supporting investigative work and evidence required”.”I fully recognise that some staff in Cricket Scotland were very unhappy in their work in 2021, something I deeply regret,” Brian said in a statement on Wednesday. “While clearly acknowledging those, I do however have serious concerns with some of the conclusions reached in the McKinney review, its selective use of interviewees and its admitted absence of investigative rigour.”Firstly, the review’s conclusions are based principally on questionnaire feedback from 21 existing staff (just over half of the 41 current staff) and three former staff who McKinney, very surprisingly, allowed to be nominated by an interested third party. Other former staff have been excluded from the review for reasons which are not explained – their voices have therefore not been heard.Related

• Kathryn Bryce: 'Hopefully it's a good reset for Cricket Scotland'

• Cricket Scotland facing new crisis as independent report slams sexist culture

• Former Cricket Scotland chair attacks 'fatally flawed' racism report

• Cricket Scotland revealed to be institutionally racist in damning independent report

“Secondly, McKinney used a methodology called a ‘Neutral Assessment’ defined as: ‘an informal fact- finding process, generally used to explore areas of concern or to explore current cultures. It is not an investigation’.”Having acknowledged that investigative work was not undertaken, the review then ignores that obvious limitation and goes on to draw conclusions on various issues based on the perceptions and feelings of the survey respondents. No attempt has been made to gather readily available evidence from others who were close to the individual issues.”The 35-page report comes just two years after Cricket Scotland was found to be institutionally racist by another independent review – entitled “Changing The Boundaries” and carried out by Plan4Sport – in July 2022. That document led to the entire Cricket Scotland board resigning on the eve of its publication.The McKinney report analysed behaviours, cultures and practices within Cricket Scotland, both prior to the publication of the Changing the Boundaries report in 2022, and in the two years since. Its six key themes covered culture and inclusion, leadership, general behaviours, employment practices and wellbeing, psychological safety and sexism and misogyny. Nine recommendations have been developed, with its priorities centred around general behaviours, and sexism and misogyny.Brian, who has been a vocal critic of the Changing The Boundaries Report, took issue with the McKinney review’s “contention that Cricket Scotland did not devote enough attention and resource to women and girls’ cricket up until 2022 and that amounted to inequality”.”If they had spoken to the relevant people, they would have understood that between 2016 and 2023 Cricket Scotland grew women and girls’ playing numbers in Scotland many times over,” he said. “In 2015 there was a tiny number of a hundred or so players, and the women’s game was at serious risk of dying. That number has risen to a sustainable base of approaching 1,000 women and girls’ participants across all formats in 2023. And that was despite two years of very restricted development activity during 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.”As well as much better participant numbers, Scotland now has a much higher quality of representative player with one Scottish player playing in the biggest women’s domestic competition in the world (the Indian Women’s Premier League) and eight Scottish players appearing in the Hundred (the top level of the English domestic game) – performance standards that are light years away from 2015.”These improvements were as a result of a long-term strategy established in 2016/17 which invested in the essential building blocks of club and school structures, of coaching expertise, of a range of playing opportunities and of a wider and deeper talent pool, all to create a sustainable and long-term future for women and girls’ cricket. Taking the simple investigative steps described above would quickly have demonstrated to McKinney the true position.”And Brian refuted claims by a respondent contributing to the McKinney review that an investigation into allegations made in 2021 was “botched”.”The investigation referred to was carried out to conclusion robustly and in detail by a panel of two with relevant skills,” he said. “If McKinney had taken the trouble to speak to those involved, it would not have left a wholly misleading impression on such an important point.”But, upon its release, Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade described the McKinney report as “a damning indictment of the treatment of female players and staff within our organisation” and apologised “to every single person who was affected and let down by the governing body”.