All posts by csb10.top

Match facts

March 16, 2014
Start time 3.30pm local (0930 GMT)Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan have the weight of a nation on their shoulders•AFP

Big picture

In the three host cities, street corners have been spruced up with more than just the extra coat of paint. Christmas-like lightings have made Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet look quite different. The cricket stadiums have been made to look like someone’s wedding is around the corner.Security men, thousands of them, have taken up their positions, flash mob videos have been YouTubed and almost everything else is in place in Bangladesh for the World T20. All except the host nation’s cricket team.They play on the opening day, against Afghanistan, with the threat of elimination hanging over both teams. Since only one team will qualify from Group A of the World T20’s first round, result of this particular game will set the mood of the tournament in the country.For Afghanistan, the extra pressure on Bangladesh is an advantage. They have already taken the upper-hand by beating the home side in the Asia Cup earlier this month, and have been talking up this exact phenomenon at every opportunity. They would like to latch on every opportunity, particularly with Shapoor and Dawlat Zadran with the new ball.However, they have lost some momentum in their last four outings, particularly with the bat. Mohammad Shahzad, captain Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari have to take control of the top, middle and lower-order while at the same time, Nabi and Shenwari have a tough job ahead of them with the older ball.The return from injury of Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza and Sohag Gazi will be a welcome boost for the home side, but the two senior pros still have be handled with care. Tamim has to be monitored daily for his neck strain while Mashrafe has to play with the sort of discomfort he has always played with. Gazi’s finger injury has healed considerably, and he is match fit too.Shakib Al Hasan will have a major say on the game too, particularly having claimed the No. 3 position in T20s. Bangladesh also have the luxury to pick either of Anamul Haque or Shamsur Rahman to open with Tamim, but a tougher call is required when they have to pick two among Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman and Mahmudullah. Conventional wisdom would be slightly harsh on Mominul but Sabbir and Mahmudullah are more useful after Mushfiqur Rahim in the batting order in T20s.Shakib will also be the key bowler for Mushfiqur, but it will be rotating the others around the lead left-arm spinner that will be the real test for the captain. Bangladesh will want a good day for Rubel Hossain and Abdur Razzak, which would balance out the bowling attack.Without taking a negative look at the outcome of this game, consider the possibilities for both sides. If Bangladesh win, they will have one foot in the second round, and a chance to ride on the wave of excitement and frenzy of a cricket-mad nation gone madder for its team. If Afghanistan does the same, they will have endless possibilities in front of them and all the bragging rights that an Associate nation can have in progress.The match will be full of emotional highs and the tension will be at its peak. This, bear in mind, is the first game of the tournament.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLWL
Afghanistan LLWWL

Watch out for

He has returned after a month-long break with a neck strain, and haven’t Bangladesh missed Tamim Iqbal dearly? He will be tasked to take full advantage of the Powerplay against Afghanistan’s impressive pace attack, which will be the sort of contest he relishes.Mohammad Nabi has not fired fully in this trip to Bangladesh, so this is the big occasion for him. He is Afghanistan’s captain and most talented cricketer, and will be expected to have a major influence with the bat and offspin.

Team news

Bangladesh will have to leave out Al-Amin Hossain if Mashrafe Mortaza is fit to play. There will be a last-minute call between Farhad Reza and Sohag Gazi depending on who offers Mushfiqur more safety. Either one of Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman would be given a place in the playing XI.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Mominul Haque/Sabbir Rahman, 6 Nasir Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Farhad Reza/Sohag Gazi, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza/Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel HossainBoth Twenty20 specialists Najeeb Tarakai and Shafiqullah are likely to be given places in the final XI, making it difficult for Asghar Stanikzai to find a place. Mirwais Ashraf’s medium pace will be handy in Mirpur, but he will have to fight for a spot with Gulbadin Naib, who has prior experience of playing at the ground.Afghanistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Nawroz Mangal, 3 Karim Sadiq, 4 Shafiqullah, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Dawlat Zadran, 10 Shappoor Zadran, 11 Hamza Hotak

Pitch and conditions

The Mirpur wicket will cater to the demand of the organisers. There will be a flat, batting-friendly surface with short boundaries on at least one side, depending on which wicket is used for the tournament opener. By the time the match starts, the weather will cool down according to the forecast for Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• From the current Afghanistan team, Nabi has the highest strike-rate at 129.64, while Shenwari bowls at 5.87, the best economy rate.
• Despite being not out six times in his T20i career, Mushfiqur averages 18.33 with the bat in this format.

Quotes

“When you’re hosting a world tournament and you want to be in the tournament and you’re afraid of getting out of it that is the sort of pressure that is on you. I personally think they [Bangladesh] are facing more pressure than us.”
“I am sure if we can minimise our mistakes from here, we will be confident as a team, which we need the most on the 16th [of March].”

On May 14, 1999, Sri Lanka opened the defence of their World Cup title, against England at Lord’s. Their top seven, in batting order, went like this: Jayasuriya, Mahanama, Atapattu, Hashan Tillakaratne, de Silva, Ranatunga, Kaluwitharana. No one knew it then, but it would be nearly 15 years before they next lined up for an ODI without Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan or Kumar Sangakkara.On Saturday, against Bangladesh, the three batsmen weren’t really missed. Jayawardene hadn’t featured in the entire series and in the absence of Dilshan, who had injured his finger, Kusal Perera slammed his first ODI century. Dinesh Chandimal, who took over the rested Sangakkara’s wicketkeeping gloves, scored 64 as Sri Lanka completed a comfortable six-wicket win to sweep the series 3-0.It was a good end to a tour that had contained, across all formats, plenty of glimpses of batting potential for a future without the big three. Chandimal, Kaushal Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage had scored centuries during the Test series, Ashan Priyanjan made an important 60 in the second ODI and Thisara Perera smashed a 57-ball 80 to dig Sri Lanka out of a hole during the first ODI.All of this will have given Sri Lanka a not too shabby vision of how things might look in the post-big-three era. With two of them back in the side, it will also give the team the appearance of a solid top order when they open their Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan. A top seven of Kusal Perera, Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Chandimal, Priyanjan, Mathews and Thisara Perera looks like a pretty good mix of talent, experience and recent form.Scratch beneath the surface, however, and things don’t look quite as good. Since the start of 2013, only four Sri Lankan batsmen with 10 or more ODI appearances have averaged over 30. Predictably enough, those four are Sangakkara, Dilshan, Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews.With their scores in the final ODI against Bangladesh, Perera and Chandimal only bought themselves a bit of breathing room. In a team with a bigger talent pool, they may not have had that chance.Leading up to his century, Perera had averaged 15.00 over 13 innings leading up to the start of the World T20 in June 2013. He had been dismissed for single-digit scores in nine of those 13 innings. Those aren’t the most reassuring numbers for an opener. Chandimal, meanwhile, had come into the match plagued by a very different issue: he had been out in single figures only three times in that period, but had only scored one half-century.Both will need to build on what they did in their last match. For Sri Lanka’s younger batsmen, in general, the Asia Cup could be an important tournament, in the sense of showing them where they stand, in their last major ODI tournament before the World Cup.Sri Lanka have been in Bangladesh for nearly a month now, and that might give them a small advantage at the start of the tournament. But when their batsmen strap on their pads on Tuesday, they will face a genuinely high-class attack for the first time on this entire trip.They didn’t do too badly when they faced Pakistan in the UAE two months ago, losing 3-2 in a generally high-scoring series. But in the third and fourth ODIs, when the pressure was at its highest, they were bowled out for 213 (chasing 327) and 225. Both times, they were three down for less than 50 against the new ball.Sri Lanka will face plenty of situations like that, against bowling attacks of similar quality, on their road to the World Cup. Their younger batsmen will need to show they can perform in those situations if they are to lessen the load on the big three. Sangakkara and Jayawardene are 36, and Dilshan is 37. They won’t be around forever.

Before the hail, lightning, gust and rain, it was Sri Lanka who were bossing it at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Their fielding, bowling and decision-making pushed West Indies on the back foot for 13.5 overs of the chase.Dinesh Chandimal’s decision not to play in the semi-final can be seen as a defensive move, especially coming from the team’s appointed captain himself. But it was daring of the man not to play, and let the winning combination stick. And it worked, with his replacement Lahiru Thirimanne hitting a crucial 44.It was only fitting for Angelo Mathews, the only Sri Lanka player to have played all 17 games of a long stay in Bangladesh, to play a major role in taking them a stage they would have targeted when they landed in Bangladesh. And he was quick to praise Chandimal for stepping aside for the team’s benefit, a rare occurrence but one that made complete sense.”It was a collective decision,” Mathews said. “The selectors, management and Chandimal [decided]. We have to do what is best for the team all the time, regardless of who you are. I think he opted out because he wanted the best XI on the park. So I think it was a great and brave decision.”Angelo Mathews showed off his finishing skills•Getty Images

For the second game running, Sri Lanka has showed the importance of bowling tight and backing it up with strong fielding. They have been doing it in Bangladesh since January 27, when they started their long sojourn in the country. They have been beaten the home side 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0 in the Tests, T20s and ODIs respectively as well as winning the Asia Cup. But despite playing 17 matches so far, Sri Lanka’s fielding standards have hardly dropped and they have looked even better at the fag end of a very long tour.Mathews praised the effort of his team-mates as well as the coaching staff for the unflagging levels. “It is all the hard work that the boys do. I think they have been managed pretty well. When you play the intensity every other day, it takes a lot out of you. You need to manage yourself and still work really hard.”Fitness, fielding and skills, we were consistent in the last couple of months in these areas. It will be ideal to win the title and go back home.”After Sri Lanka posted 160 for 6, Dwayne Smith began with a bang, caning Nuwan Kulasekara for 17 runs in the first over. On cue, Sri Lanka started to bowl better lengths, drying up the runs. By the time Chris Gayle was put out of his misery in the fifth over by Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka had put a foot on the door that had started to slam on them. Smith was gone in the same over, and from then on, the fielding came to the fore.West Indies are generally not the most athletic side between the wickets, preferring to dealing more in big shots. So it was important that the boundaries were cut off, and it started with Tillakaratne Dilshan in the eighth over when he slid to save a boundary, and repeated it in the 10th over. Apart from these two, there were several other mini-stops and slides that cut off whatever the West Indies were trying to add.Mathews said it was important to pick up wickets when they got wind, quite literally, of rain nearing Mirpur. It prompted Malinga to bowl more in the first six overs, instead of keeping most of his quota for the death.”After the first half, we heard there might be bit of rain. We just had to keep them tight because they have some big hitters who can’t be stopped if they got going.”We had to take wickets to push them back. Lasith came to bowl in the first six overs which he doesn’t do normally, but we needed our best bowler to come and take wickets”Sri Lanka could have been expected to be tired against New Zealand in their last group game and in the semi-final, but they sprung up at the right time and look on the way to a perfect ending to their stay in Bangladesh.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:17

Agarkar: RCB will be desperate for Gayle return

Two days ago, when Royal Challengers Bangalore blew a winning position to lose to Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs, Virat Kohli had said his side had lost the game more than the opposition winning it. Royal Challengers repeated the performance against Rajasthan Royals, minus the winning-position part. Within the first 14 deliveries of the match, they lost four wickets, including those of AB de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh. Just past the halfway stage of their innings, they lost their last realistic hope – Kohli. From 46 for 7, it was somewhat of an achievement to move past the lowest IPL total of 58, but there was no getting back in the game. Royal Challengers posted 70, the third-worst score in the IPL, and Royals completed the formalities for the loss of four wickets.After Kohli was asked to bat, he said he would have done that anyway had he won the toss. What was to follow, however, wouldn’t have figured even in his worst nightmare. This was a pitch with something for the bowlers. There was some seam and bounce, and also a bit of swing. But considering the kind of shots Royal Challengers played, they would have been in trouble on almost any surface.A couple of dots in the opening over were enough for Yogesh Takawale to charge out and heave at Stuart Binny, only to edge a gentle outswinger to the keeper. Kohli walked in and took a wicket off his first ball. His call for a single following a push to off was so late Parthiv Patel, not the best of runners, had little chance of making it across.Yuvraj Singh had a nervy seven-ball stay. He was beaten a couple of times by Tim Southee, and almost yorked himself. Then Kane Richardson trotted in and sent down a 129.6 kph outswinger. And Yuvraj promptly followed it and tickled it to second slip.At 5 for 3, Royal Challengers had their best pair in the middle to combat the crisis. Instead, AB de Villiers played on first ball, attempting a half-hearted back-foot punch without having the width. Kohli needed someone to just last for a few overs. But that was asking for too much.Three quiet overs later, Sachin Rana played on to Shane Watson in the same manner as de Villiers. Albie Morkel is used to coming in at the death to try and hit his big sixes, but even the Powerplay was not over yet this time. His second ball against spin, Morkel went for a big six, and holed out off a googly from Pravin Tambe.Kohli must have surely been fuming inside, but the very next ball, he calmly swatted Tambe for four through extra cover. First ball of the next over, he stepped out and lifted Southee over mid-on. That was about as close as Royal Challengers were coming to a fightback. In Tambe’s next over, Kohli received a half-tracker and pulled it straight to midwicket.Mitchell Starc and Ravi Rampaul helped their side move past 58, before Tambe wrapped up the innings to end with 4 for 20, his best IPL figures. The RCB pair bowled their hearts out, but by the time Starc reduced Royals to 36 for 3, they were already more than half way to their target.

ScorecardDarren Stevens kept Kent in the game with bat and ball•Getty Images

Darren Stevens’ fantastic efforts with both ball and bat were not enough to seal victory for Kent as they were held to a tie in a sensational contest against Glamorgan.Stevens was the pick of Kent’s attack with 3 for 22 as Glamorgan reached 177 for 7 at Sophia Gardens and the 38-year-old dragged the visitors back from the brink of defeat with an amazing innings.Kent needed 102 for victory in the final 10 overs and Stevens gave them a chance with a breathtaking 71 off 39 balls and, although Rob Key’s men needed just three off the final over, sensational bowling from Michael Hogan ensured neither side would walk away with victory.Kent’s decision to field first appeared astute when Jacques Rudolph became Stevens’ first victim in the opening over, although fellow opener Jim Allenby settled into his stride with three fours in an over off Mitchell Claydon. Allenby and Mark Wallace added 76 in just seven overs before the latter departed for 33 after holing out to Alex Blake off Adam Ball, with Daniel Bell-Drummond taking a magnificent catch in the deep to dismiss Murray Goodwin off Stevens soon after.Allenby passed his half-century but fell for 54 after clubbing Stevens into the deep but his innings laid the platform for Glamorgan in the final eight overs. Chris Cooke with 34 and Darren Sammy, 19, took up the challenge to boost the home side’s total to an imposing total.It appeared to be more than enough as Kent fell to 76 for 4 at the halfway point, with Sammy claiming openers Bell-Drummond and Key in the fourth over, while Cosker ran out Sam Northeast and then cleaned up Blake for 22.But Stevens rose to the challenge and, after thumping Sammy and Cosker for maximums to keep the scoreboard ticking over, the allrounder plundered the latter for two sixes and a four in an over to move past his half-century. Sammy also came in for more punishment before Andrew Salter tipped the balance back in Kent’s favour by dismissing Stevens, who had hammered two fours and six sixes, in the 18th over.Sam Billings, who shared in a 73-run partnership with Stevens, smashed six-four off Salter before departing in the penultimate over as Kent appeared certain to home in on victory. They needed three runs from the final six balls but Hogan removed both Claydon and Ball to set up a thrilling finale, and, although the visitors matched the total, Doug Bollinger was ran out off the final delivery as the match thrillingly finished as a tie.

Boult breaks into top-ten ranking

Fast bowler Trent Boult joined his seam-bowling partner Tim Southee in the list of top ten Test bowlers in ICC’s rankings. Boult, who claimed nine wickets in the series including five in the third Test, climbed two spots to be ninth on the list. He shared six wickets with Southee on the final day of the Barbados Test, helping set-up New Zealand’s first overseas series win against a top-eight country in 12 years. Southee remained at sixth in the rankings.

Jimmy Neesham’s profitable run with the bat during New Zealand’s Test-series win against West Indies is likely to earn him a promotion to the top order in the upcoming Twenty20s. Neesham, who scored a century and two fifties in the three Tests, was the third-highest run-getter in the series, behind Kane Williamson and Tom Latham.With New Zealand using the same pool of 15 players for the two T20s in Dominica, Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, has said the experiment, if successful, could make it easier to include both Neesham and Corey Anderson in the side’s future limited-overs plans. During the World T20, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson had opened the innings for New Zealand.”In short form cricket he’s batted as high as three and opened before in domestic cricket when he was with Auckland so we know he’s got the capabilities,” Hesson told . “We also know that in our one-day side we’ve struggled to get both Corey [Anderson] and James into our line-up. We want to see James at the top of the order and see how he goes.”In a squad of 15 we need a number of guys that can cover that position and we certainly see that he can do that. This is a really good opportunity to see how he goes and there could be some other opportunities leading up to the World Cup.”Unlike Tests, Neesham is yet to make an impact in limited-overs cricket. He has played 11 ODIs and seven T20s but has only faced 154 deliveries in the two formats. The highest he has batted in ODIs is at No. 6 and according to Hesson, he is “certainly excited about doing it and it’s something he’s certainly got a good skill set for”.”It is something I haven’t done a whole lot of in the past but for this team to win games then you want to have guys like Corey in the middle order, who is a massive asset for us with his bowling as well, so I think it is something that might be looked at in the future,” Neesham told LiveSPORT Radio. “But at the moment I’m quite happy in the middle order”Hesson also added that Neesham’s promotion as an opener had “nothing to do with Test cricket.” In the three Tests, New Zealand’s best opening partnership was just 17. Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford, who partnered Tom Latham in the Tests, were both unconvincing.”The opening spot has been a little bit of trouble for New Zealand over the last couple of years and it is one of those things you are always looking for solution and new ways for going about getting a Test victory, so if that in the future is something that will give our team a better balance then it will be something that will be looked at,” Neesham said.New Zealand’s series win was their second in the West Indies, and despite it coinciding with the news of Lou Vincent’s admission of involvement in fixing and a life ban from the ECB, Neesham said it was a “massive feeling” to win overseas.”It’s slightly disappointing [Vincent’s ban]. It’s good for the game that that sort of stuff is coming out and there are investigations going on, but obviously the timing wasn’t ideal,” Neesham said. It’s a massive feeling for us to get a Test series win overseas. The only way you can rebuild your credibility is by winning games of cricket.”

England fast bowler James Anderson has been charged under Level 3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for allegedly “abusing and pushing Ravindra Jadeja” on the second day of the first Investec Test at Trent Bridge.Anderson faces a ban of at least two Tests if he is found guilty as the minimum sanction for a Level 3 violation is four suspension points and two equates to missing one Test. He now faces a hearing which, according to the ICC code, needs to take place within 14 days.The complaint was not brought by the umpires but by the India team manager, Sunil Dev, who told ESPNcricinfo he lodged the complaint only after confirming the incident with India captain MS Dhoni, other players and coach Duncan Fletcher. Players from both sides could be called to give evidence at the hearing.”Mahi [Dhoni] and everyone complained that he [Anderson] physically touched him [Jadeja] and pushed him. It was all over the dressing room,” Dev said. “It is serious matter only because you can’t push anybody. So I put in a complaint with the match referee.”The ECB reacted with surprise and anger that India had reported Anderson for what they described as a “minor incident” in a press release. In retaliation, the ECB notified its intention of lodging a complaint against Jadeja as well.James Anderson has emerged as the subject of a charge that came out of the blue•Getty Images

“James Anderson categorically denies the accusations made against him and the ECB have pledged their total support for the player should he be charged,” the board said.Though Dev did not respond to the ECB reaction, another India team official said had it actually been a minor incident, it would not have warranted a complaint.The alleged incident took place after the players left the field for lunch on the second day and that it was reportedly a continuation of a verbal altercation between Anderson and Jadeja as they were walking off.Anderson was Man of the Match in the first Test after scoring 81, a maiden professional half-century, at No. 11 as part of the world record final-wicket stand 198 with Joe Root which took England from a position where they were in danger of losing the Test to one where they were able to put India under pressure on the final day.During India’s second innings Anderson had Jadeja caught behind shortly after lunch on the final day, his fourth and last wicket for a match which was back-breaking work for the pace bowlers.There has been debate about whether Jadeja will keep his place for the Lord’s Test ahead of offspinner R Ashwin, after going wicketless in 35 overs at Trent Bridge, although indications are that India could remain unchanged, which means he and Anderson will be head-to-head again in the middle.Anderson was charged under Article 2.3.3, which states: “Where the facts of the alleged incident are not adequately or clearly covered by any of the above offences, conduct that either: (a) is contrary to the spirit of the game; or (b) brings the game into disrepute.”Level 3 charges are referred to a Judicial Commissioner for adjudication,” the ICC continued. “As such, where required under Article 5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, the ICC will appoint a Judicial Commissioner who will hold a hearing as soon as reasonably practicable. These details will be announced in due course.”All Level 3 breaches carry a penalty of between four and eight suspension points. Two suspension points equates to a ban of one Test, or two ODIs, depending on which type of match is scheduled next for the suspended player.”

Batsman Mark Vermeulen has been recalled to Zimbabwe’s Test squad for the one-off Test against South Africa in Harare starting on Saturday. It will be his first Test in ten years and first international in four years. The 15-man squad has two uncapped players in offspinner John Nyumbu and right-arm seamer Cuthbert Musoko.Vermeulen had been in impressive form for Zimbabwe A against the touring Afghanistan side recently, with a century in the first unofficial Test in Harare. He was also the second-highest run-getter for Eagles in the 2013-14 first-class Logan Cup with 580 runs in seven games with a century and four fifties. Vermeulen’s career had been halted by court cases – he was acquitted of arson – and psychiatric problems.In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, he said how he was desperate to make use of whatever time he had left in the game.Nyumbu, who plays for Matabeleland Tuskers was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the Logan Cup with 34 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls. Musoko took four wickets for Zimbabwe A in the second unofficial Test against Afghanistan.Donald Tiripano, the right-arm seamer who has played three ODIs for Zimbabwe, was also named in the squad. Tiripano took a five-wicket haul in the third ODI against Afghanistan.Although Sikanda Raza was included in the squad, the batsman is still recovering from a broken thumb and will not play in the Test. Zimbabwe’s coach Stephen Mangongo confirmed Butt, Musoko and Malcolm Waller would not be in the XI.Despite Butt’s injury, there was no room in the squad for opening batsman Tino Mawoyo, who was part of the 25-man training group. Shingi Masakadza was also left out of the Test squad as well as left-arm seamer Brian Vitori, after picking up an ankle injury.A dry Harare pitch has led to speculation that spin may become a factor earlier than expected in the match but Zimbabwe’s squad did not include some of their better known spinners. Legspinner Natsai M’Shangwe did not make the cut while veteran Prosper Utseya is ill with chicken pox.Squad: Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), Regis Chakabva, Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Cuthbert Musoko, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), John Nyumbu, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Mark Vermeulen, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams

ScorecardJames Taylor would be quite justified in asking what more he must do to be given the chance to relaunch his England career. As Nottinghamshire advanced to the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup, it was their captain who made it possible, marking his 100th appearance in List A matches with his third century in five outings, his 11th in the format overall, going on to finish with a career-best 146 not out.The first of the aforementioned three in five was for England Lions, whom he also captained, in the 50-over tri-series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand’s A teams earlier this month, which would seem to be as good a place as any for him to advertise his form.Given that they have lost both Alex Hales and Harry Gurney at a key point in their season, his Nottinghamshire team-mates would have been seriously inconvenienced if England had wanted Taylor for the one-day matches against India as well, yet they must wonder why he was overlooked. Interestingly, his average in one-day cricket is 52.33, compared with 36.55 for Hales.On a slow pitch, this was a wonderful, beautifully paced innings, sensibly cautious at the start, when the bowlers were getting some movement under heavy cloud cover following Monday’s deluge, nicely measured thereafter as Samit Patel, Riki Wessels and James Franklin played the key supporting roles, and with an explosion at the end.He and Patel added 136 for the third wicket despite the best efforts of the latter to bring about his demise, calling for a single not once but twice and sending his captain back when halfway down the pitch. Thus, on 26 and then 71, Taylor had to propel himself through the dirt and hope his bat was grounded at the critical moment. Patel did at least make some runs of his own, passing fifty for the first time this year in 50-over cricket.James Taylor’s stunning form continued with an unbeaten 146•Getty Images

This followed a double calamity in the fourth over after Taylor had won the toss and elected to bat first. Michael Lumb, looking in good touch as he hit the erratic Mark Footitt for four boundaries in the third, was run out at the non-striker’s end as Ben Cotton deflected a firm drive by Steven Mullaney into the stumps. Two balls later, Mullaney pushed at one outside off stump and edged to Wayne Madsen at first slip.Patel fell, hooking Footitt into the hands of Bill Godleman on the square-leg boundary, during a batting Powerplay that added 40 between the 33rd over and the 38th, advancing Nottinghamshire’s total to 198 for 3. Wessels hit 28 off 19 balls before he was caught at midwicket off a mistimed sweep, Franklin 27 off 26 before he was run out, and Taylor, once he had completed his hundred off 134 balls, let rip to add 46 more from 20 deliveries, including three sixes off Cotton and another off Tony Palladino.David Wainwright, the left-arm spinner, bowled nicely, conceding only 35 runs from his 10 overs, but the frontline bowlers leaked runs at more than seven an over, with Footitt a particular disappointment after enjoying a good season in general, his county’s leading wicket-taker in this competition and the Championship.Derbyshire would have needed to make the highest total in their history to win a one-day match batting second and though they kept pace with Nottinghamshire’s scoring rate for the first 20 overs or so they fell away steadily thereafter, despite Marcus North’s 67. Patel denied North the chance to inflict any further damage and was supported to greatest effect by Ajmal Shahzad, who took 3 for 33.Shahzad, having bowled Godleman off an inside edge for 25, struck an important blow when Madsen drove a slower ball in the air to Sam Wood at cover. Patel bowled Alex Hughes and had Scott Elstone caught behind thanks to the still extraordinary reflexes of wicketkeeper Chris Read before Derbyshire’s chance diminished to the point of mere academic possibility during the batting Powerplay, when North went down the pitch to be stumped off Patel and Gareth Cross, who had threatened briefly by smiting 23 off 14 balls before a miscue that Taylor took very well over his shoulder at cover gave the left-arm spinner his fourth success in the space of 22 deliveries.Wainwright gamely gathered 41 off 30 balls coming in at nine as Nottinghamshire allowed the last two wickets to add 65 but it was labour in vain.

Captain Imad Wasim clinched a thrilling one-wicket win for Islamabad Leopards against United Bank Limited at the Diamond Club Ground.Chasing 173, Leopards were 113 for 8 at one stage but Wasim took his team home with an unbeaten 75 to earn nine points.UBL collapsed for 95 to Mudassar Ali’s maiden five-for (5 for 24) after they were put in to bat. Only three batsmen scored in double-figures and Rumman Raees top-scored with an unbeaten 43 off 36. Leopards lost their openers for a duck but recovered with the help of Ali Sarfraz (41), Faizan Riaz (37) and Sarmad Bhatti (46*) to score 151, which secured a lead of 56 runs.UBL improved on their first-innings performance and scored 228 in their second attempt. Naved Sarwar led the way with 81, even though Hamza Nadeem took 5 for 35. Leopards stuttered in their chase of 173 early, losing four wickets for 28 runs. Wasim came at No. 6 and offspinner Junaid Ilyas started running through the middle and lower order. Wasim’s patient fifty with Mudassar unbeaten at the other end on 0 off 12 saw them through.Water and Power Development Authority completed a second crushing win in two games, beating Peshawar Panthers by an innings and 99 runs. In the first round of games, too, WAPDA had won by an innings, meaning they’ve taken a maximum of ten points each in both matches.This victory was crafted by their pace-bowling pair of Mohammad Ali and Waqas Maqsood, both of whom finished with eight-wicket match hauls. Panthers were inserted and hardly ever got going, falling to 109 not out in 35 overs. WAPDA made 278 in reply, a total build on a 179-run third-wicket stand between Iftikhar Ahmed and Ayaz Tasawwar. Iftikhar went on to make a career-best 107, and the lead he helped build proved to be way out of Panthers’ reach.They were even poorer in their second innings, lasting only 27 overs for 70, as Ali and Maqsood ripped through the line-up again. The game ended seven balls into day three.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited also won big to hand Lahore Lions their second defeat in the tournament. ZTBL were propelled by a fabulous all-round show from Sohail Tanvir, who claimed a five-for and scored a rapid hundred.ZTBL chose to bowl and kept Lahore Lions well in check primarily courtesy the movement of Tanvir and the spin of Shoaib Malik. Tanvir finished with 5 for 42, and Lahore Lions finished with just 226, despite 82 coming from opener Arsalan Arshad.Lahore Lions seemed like they might be getting back into the game when Tanvir, batting at No.7, came in at 190 for 5. He shut the door firmly in their faces, though, with 163 off 161 balls, including 20 fours and seven sixes. His knock lifted ZTBL to 431, and the lead of 205 proved to be more than enough to secure an innings win and the bonus point. Malik was among the wickets again in Lahore Lions’ second innings, taking 4 for 49 – exactly the same figures as left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan’s – to skittle out the opposition for 180.