All posts by h716a5.icu

Two young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey at Chester le Street

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street24-Aug-2013
ScorecardJamie Harrison claimed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty ImagesTwo young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey, who are still 261 runs behind with seven wickets in hand after being made to follow on.From 97 for 6 overnight, were only able to add 11 to their first-innings total. Their tail was mopped up by Harrison, a 22-year-old Lancastrian whose left-arm swing and seamers are delivered at a very brisk pace. He disposed of Surrey’s last three batsmen, two lbw and finally scattering Jade Dernbach’s stumps, without conceding a run.It was Harrison’s first five-wicket return in first-class cricket, taken in his first County Championship appearance this year. Steven Davies, easily Surrey’s most impressive batsman in a poor team showing, stood firm amid the mayhem and finished unbeaten on 41, with his team 313 behind.Harrison was a satisfied young man at the end of the day. He suffered a frustrating 2012 when he was hobbled by shin splints, and has worked hard on his fitness in the meantime. “All through the winter I was in the swimming pool at six in the morning and ten at night, and putting ice on my legs,” he said. “That seems minimal when you take five wickets.”He has also put in a lot of overs, 350-plus, this summer for his club side Stockton and the Durham seconds, and the fitness dividend was clear to see.With an eye on the weather forecast and trusting the bowlers who had served him so well in the first innings, Durham’s captain, Paul Collingwood, enforced the follow-on and Harrison was immediately at it again, bowling Arun Harinath behind his legs for a duck. Rory Burns stood firm for three quarters of an hour but then Collingwood introduced Arshad and the innings took a new direction.Arshad, 20, is making his first class debut, and he looks very useful. From Bingley, near Bradford, he has made his way northwards and impressed the Durham coaches with his performances in the second team this summer.The absence of Ben Stokes with the England Lions has given him his opportunity and he grabbed it. He took two good wickets in Surrey’s first innings, then two in two balls in the second. First he had Burns caught by Scott Borthwick at slip, then he tied up Vikram Solanki, who was caught behind down the leg side.The day’s play was restricted to 23 overs by rain and bad light. The decision by the umpires to take the players off in the late afternoon was not popular with the sparse crowd, and the light didn’t appear at that time to offer any danger to batsmen or fielders. It became academic, however, when rain set in.Harrison said that Durham were confident that, if the weather stays fair on Sunday and their bowlers stay patient, they will take the seven wickets they need for the win. He is probably right.

ESPNcricinfo previews the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria10-Apr-2013Match factsThursday, April 11, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Wake-up alarm: Kolkata Knight Riders’ batsmen are yet to fire in the tournament•BCCIBig PictureIt’s the start of the second week of the tournament and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders’ engine is yet to fire properly. They are now in Bangalore, facing the Royal Challengers, who despite their Super Over loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad have already started to rev up their machinery with last night’s win in the rematch.Knight Riders have a strong and vibrant bowling attack. Brett Lee has been generating pace, Rajat Bhatia has been difficult to go after and Sunil Narine is back at being mysterious after a comparatively not-so-productive time in international cricket. But it is their batting which has appeared off colour, with only Eoin Morgan managing a half-century. Manvinder Bisla, the hero of the final last year, has been consumed twice by his own aggression, while Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan are yet to show any intent. Gautam Gambhir has had starts, but as he often reiterates, the team needs to fire collectively.However, they have received a boost ahead of this game. Brendon McCullum, who kicked off the IPL in 2008 with a blazing 158 (still the highest score in IPL cricket), is available for selection.* The New Zealand captain had to postpone his trip, having to wait to recover completely from the hamstring injury he picked during the home series against England last month. He joined the Knight Riders camp on Wednesday.Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batting has an intimidating aura around it. It has also been bolstered with the addition of AB de Villiers and their bowling attack, despite the seesawing fortunes of Vinay Kumar, has shown incisiveness. However, their bottom half of the batting order appears thin, at least on paper, and will be tested if their top falters against Narine and Co.Players to watchAB de Villiers is one of those rare batsmen currently around in international cricket who is as dangerous in Tests as he is in Twenty20s. He can play the most soothing of shots and then follow it up with the most outrageous one. Give him the gloves and he transforms to a more than capable wicketkeeper. Add to that his value as an athletic fielder. He joined the team on Tuesday morning and played a match later that evening. On Thursday, he will be fresh.Eoin Morgan is a player made for the shorter format. He is quick on his feet against the spinners and can hit the ball long. He showed his value on a pacy Jaipur pitch with a well-paced half-century – only his second in 14 matches for the franchise – that kept Knight Riders in the match, and in Bangalore, he is his team’s only man in form.Stats and trivia Knight Riders lead the head-to-head 6-5 in 11 matches between these two teams Yusuf Pathan’s strike rate in 44 matches for Knight Riders is 124.68. In 43 matches for Rajasthan Royals, his strike rate was 161. He is yet to score a half-century for Knight Riders. Knights Riders have the highest team score of 222 in Bangalore, from the opening match of IPL 2008. Royal Challengers’ highest score on this ground came in 2011, when they scored 205 against Kings XI Punjab. Quotes”We should have chased down the score. As champions, you cannot afford to do that. We were not smart at all.”
“We can’t say we are not able to win matches if Gayle fails.”
*03.30GMT, April 11: The preview has been updated with the Brendon McCullum news

Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has said the Indian board should seek a probe into all the IPL 2013 matches by an external investigation agency

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has called for an investigation by an external investigation agency of all the IPL 2013 matches. Manohar said the BCCI should not solely depend on the board’s and the ICC’s Anit-Corruption and Security Units (ACSU) to keep cricket clean as they do not have the authority to track illegal activities – tracking phone conversations, for example.”The BCCI should immediately file a criminal complaint with the investigating agencies, urging them to probe all 75 games [76] in the current IPL edition,” Manohar told the . “The board should provide them [the investigating agency] with a raw feed of the games as well as CCTV footage recorded at every venue.”It has to deal with this menace with an iron fist. The board or ACSU do not have any machinery or legal authority to track the illegal activities, so it should not depend on these agencies alone.”His comments come in wake of the alleged spot-fixing in IPL 2013, in relation to which three Rajasthan Royals cricketers were arrested on May 16. The controversy has since grown, with top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested for allegedly betting on IPL games, and his father-in-law – who is also the BCCI president and managing director Super Kings’ owner, India Cements – N Srinivasan refusing to resign from his post with the Indian board despite mounting pressure to do so.Manohar said in an earlier interview with the that he had spoken to some of the BCCI officials before their emergent working committee meeting on May 19, and told them if they wanted “to clean things up, then do it thoroughly. If, at the end of it all, 13 and not three players are involved in fixing, so be it”.Apart from making sure the IPL is clean, now Manohar said it’s important to have stringent processes in place for international cricket played in India too. “The board should approach the central home minister, requesting governmental support in investigating the criminal actions in any event run by the BCCI, which would also include international fixtures. It should request [the minister] to send an advisory to all states one month before the start of an event, so that the investigating machinery can swing in action well in advance to prevent any match-fixing , betting or spot-fixing.”The BCCI, he said, should ask players to register their mobile-phone numbers with the board, so that the investigating agencies could monitor things with more efficiency.

West Indies Women sealed their T20 series against South Africa Women 2-0 with a six-wicket win in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2013
ScorecardWest Indies Women sealed their T20 series against South Africa Women 2-0 with a six-wicket win in St Lucia. Shemaine Campbelle top-scored with 33 as West Indies chased down their target of 95 with 16 balls to spare.Although Marizanne Kapp struck with the second ball of the innings to bowl Juliana Nero, South Africa’s total never looked like being enough. Kapp bowled superbly to record figures of 4-2-3-3 but she was not supported by her team-mates and a partnership of 56 for the third wicket between Campbelle and Natasha McLean set West Indies on their way. Both fell to the returning Kapp but that brought in the big-hitting Deandra Dottin to help wrap up a comfortable win.Shanel Daley did most of the damage with the ball, claiming 3 for 22, as South Africa struggled to set a testing target. Daley accounted for both openers and then came back to remove top-scorer Mignon du Preez and end a partnership that had lifted South Africa from 25 for 4. Trisha Chetty and Dane van Niekerk further bolstered the score but the damage had already been done.

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks by the knee injury which has been troubling him during the New Zealand tour

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland20-Mar-2013Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks by the knee injury which has been troubling him during the New Zealand tour. He will miss the deciding Test in Auckland, which starts on Friday, as well as the IPL with a view to him being fit for the Champions Trophy and the Ashes.The estimated recovery time makes Pietersen doubtful for the return series against New Zealand, beginning on May 16 at Lord’s. He first felt the problem, which could be caused by cartilage damage, during the warm-up match in Queenstown, although it only really came to light when he was absent for a session of the Dunedin Test. England were fielding at the time and it was played down as nothing serious. He made 0 and 12 in the first Test, and although he responded with 73 in Dunedin, he was never fluent but remained on the field.”Pietersen experienced knee pain while fielding in preparation for the four-day game in Queenstown earlier this month, ahead of the Test series,” the ECB said in a statement. “This has failed to resolve satisfactorily.”Recent scans confirm an injury to the right knee with bone bruising and possible cartilage damage to the kneecap. The 32-year-old will return to the UK for further investigations and specialist review.”The injury is likely to require ongoing assessments and a likely six-eight week period of rest and rehabilitation. Pietersen has therefore been withdrawn from all cricket including the Indian Premier League.”The fact Pietersen has not been kept on in New Zealand with the series at stake shows that time is already of the essence to get him ready for the main events of the English season. In 2009 he was forced out mid-way through the Ashes series with a career-threatening Achilles injury.Pietersen’s withdrawal will mean a likely recall to the middle order for Jonny Bairstow, the Yorkshire batsman who has not played since the Twenty20 series earlier in the tour. His previous Test was against India, in Mumbai, when he stood in for Ian Bell who went home for the birth of his child.It won’t be the first time Bairstow has replaced Pietersen in a Test line-up. He came in for the deciding match against South Africa, at Lord’s, last year following Pietersen’s dropping after the text-message controversy. Baristow responded with scores of 95 and 54. In five Tests he has scored 196 runs at 32.66.England will now be sweating on the fitness of two key players over the next two months. Graeme Swann is currently in the early stages of his recovery from elbow surgery after he was ruled out of the New Zealand tour on the morning of the first Test.

Australia’s cricketers will have “significant concerns” if they are asked to play one-day internationals against Pakistan in the extreme heat of the UAE in August

Brydon Coverdale21-Jun-2012Australia’s cricketers will have “significant concerns” if they are asked to play one-day internationals against Pakistan in the extreme heat of the UAE in August. The format and location of the series has not been officially confirmed, but the UAE is believed to be Pakistan’s favoured venue and the PCB director for international operations, Intikhab Alam, said last week three ODIs and three Twenty20s were likely to be played.But August is one of the hottest months in the UAE; in Dubai, for example, the average daily high temperature during the month is 41.3C. International cricket has never been played in the country in June, July, August or September, and while the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) is open to the idea of its players being asked to play Twenty20s, because the matches could start later and avoid the daytime heat, 50-over games are the major worry.”How wise is it to be going to a region that you know is going to get up to 45-plus at that time of year?” Paul Marsh, the ACA chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s extreme heat. It’s also very humid. It’s of significant concern for us at the moment. The health and safety of the players needs to be at the forefront of any decision that is made.”The PCB was believed to have abandoned their plans for a Twenty20-only series, which would have mitigated the weather issue, but Marsh said his understanding was that permission was still being sought from the ICC to stage a six-match T20 series. According to ICC rules, the maximum length of a bilateral T20 series is three games, and while national boards can make proposals for longer series they cannot be played without ICC approval.”The common-sense approach would be that six Twenty20s is going to be better than three of each because of the weather conditions,” Marsh said. “We would rather see them play six Twenty20s if they have to play in the UAE because they could start later and it takes less time. But we have to wait and see what the ICC says.”If the decision is they can’t play six Twenty20s then you’re faced with the question of what do you do? I’m not an expert on heat but we’ll look at it from an occupational health and safety perspective. We have concerns about the health and safety of our players if they were to have to play 50-over games in those conditions.”A possible starting time of 5pm or 5.30pm has been floated for any ODIs played during the series, which would mean the matches could finish after midnight. However, Marsh said the ACA’s preference remained for the series to be composed entirely of T20s.”Five o’clock is still going to be pretty warm,” he said. “At least with a T20 you could start it at eight or nine o’clock and finish at 11 or midnight and then you’d be getting out of the heat of the day. A three-hour game versus an eight-hour game is obviously the issue.”Cricket Australia also has concerns about the weather in the UAE during August. James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said last week that if the UAE was confirmed as Pakistan’s preferred venue the boards would need to do everything possible to reduce the players’ exposure to the extreme heat.”It’s a time of year when it is very hot and humid in the UAE,” Sutherland said last Friday. “It will be hot for our players and it will be hot for their players. We would expect both countries would have concerns about that and would be doing everything they can to minimise that effect.”

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the 1st SLPL semi-final between Wayamba United and Uva Next

The Preview by Andrew Fernando28-Aug-2012Match factsTamim Iqbal will be a key player for Wayamba United•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPLWayamba United v Uva Next, SLPL 1st semi final
August 28, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)
Big PictureBut for a two-run loss when their captain and best bowler were rested, Wayamba United have seemed nigh on unbeatable during the round robin. Their attack had not promised to be one of the best in the competition before the tournament, but in six matches, only once has the opposition been able to breach 150. Mahela Jayawardene’s keen eye for talent has played a role here, as Wayamba picked up two of the tournament’s finds in Akila Dananjaya and Chathuranga Kumara in the local draft, while a host of allrounders and part-timers have also contributed. The batting, meanwhile, has been the strongest on show by a distance. Kamran Akmal has now left for national duty, but he and Tamim Iqbal have been prolific at the top, while Mahela Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal have also played big innings.Uva Next have achieved quietly, claiming wins over each of the three weakest teams in the SLPL, but they have not made a strong statement against the other semi-finalists. Hamstrung by the withdrawal of Chris Gayle days before the tournament began, Uva Next have made do with a low-key cast who have pulled together tight performances with the ball and in the field. They’ve been unlucky during the tournament as well, losing their leading wicket taker, Dilhara Fernando, to injury after three games. Their record suggests they are no match for Wayamba United, but if openers Dilshan Munaweera and Upul Tharanga can consolidate on the glimpses of form they have shown so far, perhaps they can put a largely inexperienced Wayamba United bowling attack under pressure.Round robin resultsWayamba United
Beat: Uthura Rudras, Basnahira Cricket Dundee, Uva Next, Nagenahira Nagas, Ruhuna Royals
Lost to: Kandurata Warriors

Uva Next
Beat: Uthura Rudras, Basnahira Cricket Dundee, Ruhuna RoyalsLost to: Nagenahira Nagas, Wayamba United
(Drew with Kandurata Warriors, when rain forced abandonment)
Watch out forTamim Iqbal blazed a ravishing 93 not out in Wayamba United’s opener, but had since played second fiddle to the tournament’s top scorer, Kamran Akmal. With Akmal gone and the less aggressive Dinesh Chandimal likely to be pushed up the order again, the job of providing the rapid starts Wayamba United have grown accustomed to in the powerplays will fall to Tamim.Jacob Oram was not initially picked up in the draft, but has become key to Uva Next’s campaign after flying in as a late overseas replacement. His economy rate of 3.93 is the best in the tournament, thanks partly to the four maidens he has bowled in five matches. If he can keep Chandimal at the striker’s end during the opening overs, early breakthroughs may be in the offing.Team newsUva Next may be even more impaired for the semi-final, after both Andrew McDonald and Upul Tharanga left the field with injuries during the match against Nagenahira Nagas on Monday. Management could not confirm whether either would be available for the match against Wayamba, but if both miss out, it will stretch a side already running thin on big names.Uva Next (probable) 1 Dilshan Munaweera, 2 Upul Tharanga (wk), 3 Thilina Kandamby (capt), 4 Chinthaka Jayasinghe, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Andrew McDonald/ Fawad Alam, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Hammad Azam, 9 Seekkuge Prasanna, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Charith JayampathiWayamba United have had Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez exit the fray, but have had the local replacements to replace them, and they even chose to play their final round robin match with only three overseas players. Whether seamer Azhar Mahmood gets to play on Tuesday night may depend on the pitch.Wayamba United 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Shehan Jayasuriya, 5 Abdul Razzak, 6 Kaushalya Weeraratne/ Azhar Mahmood, 7 Milinda Siriwardana, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Brad Hogg, 10 Chathuranga Kumara, 11 Akila DananjayaStats and triviaWayamba United have the two highest totals in the SLPLUva Next have bowled the most maidens in the tournament with six – triple the tally of the next teamDilshan Munaweera is Uva Next’s highest scorer, with 145 from five inningsQuotes”The crowd support we’ve had has been a big plus for us. It really helps us raise our game and we are hoping it will get better for the semi-finals and final.”
“It’s been the ideal scenario to have a month over here before the world T20 which is in these same conditions, so it really couldn’t be any better.”
13.50GMT, August 28: Umar Gul has not left to join the Pakistan team in the UAE as the article originally stated

It will be months, or in all probability years, before a final agreement is reached on whether MCC should proceed with any kind of ‘Vision for Lord’s’

Ivo Tennant02-May-2012It will be months, or in all probability years, before a final agreement is reached on whether MCC should proceed with any kind of ‘Vision for Lord’s’. A decision on whether to continue with this grandiose scheme, originally involving the rebuilding of five stands, an undercroft and a sunken real tennis court, was deferred at MCC’s annual meeting on Wednesday to enable Derek Brewer, the incoming chief executive, to look at it afresh.Brewer, who attended the packed meeting – it was delayed for 25 minutes to enable members to take their seats – starts work this week. He and Colin Maber, the architect who was instrumental in redeveloping Trent Bridge, will preside over a third working party that will decide what work, if any, should take place on MCC’s leasehold land at the Nursery End.A resolution – later withdrawn – at the meeting asked the club’s 18,000 members to “ratify the decision of the MCC committee not to permit any residential development on the club’s leasehold land at the Nursery End”. This runs alongside Wellington Road, above disused railway tunnels. Temporary hospitality marquees, where the meeting took place, stand there for the time being.The withdrawal was proposed by Robert Griffiths QC, the chairman of the original development committee, which was disbanded. Two further development committees, or working parties, have deliberated on this vexed project, which will have cost at least £3m since 2008 – and considerably more if Almacantar, the property developer and MCC’s former business partner, succeeds in suing the club.A further reason for the withdrawal of the resolution was to avoid more mud-slinging in the hour-long debate that had been set aside for the meeting. MCC reiterated that it has no evidence of money owed to Almacantar, which claims to have email evidence from Keith Bradshaw, the previous chief executive, that it would be paid. Almacantar is prepared to subpoena him and bring him back from Australia if necessary.The decision to withdraw the resolution was taken by Phillip Hodson, MCC’s president, after consultation with chairman Oliver Stocken and treasurer Justin Dowley. It was apparent that numerous members were not happy with the wording of the resolution and were prepared to put up with further delay. MCC now has to resolve whether to try to continue to work with Almacantar or choose another business partner, and how to make progress with Rifkind Levy Partnership, who own the head lease on the disused railway tunnels.Stocken was re-elected chairman through considerable support but the withdrawal of the resolution will be of some embarrassment to him given his strong opposition to major elements of the original £400m development. Sir John Major, who resigned from the main committee in protest at the way its decision-making was reached, did not attend the meeting.Numerous individuals have left the club over the past 18 months, including Bradshaw, who was originally enthusiastically in favour of sweeping changes to the ground, David Batts, the project manager, and Stephen Musgrave, a property expert, as well as members of a development committee that included Mike Atherton and Lord Grabiner QC in addition to Griffiths and Major.Mike Griffith, a former captain of Sussex who also chaired MCC’s cricket committee, was nominated at the close of the meeting to succeed Hodson as president for 2012-13. He now has to try to assist Brewer over what inevitably will be tricky and contentious decision making.

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has hinted at asking India to host a limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia later this year, after Sri Lanka had earlier backed out of staging it

Umar Farooq23-May-2012Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has hinted at asking India to host a limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia later this year. Pakistan are seeking a venue for the series after Sri Lanka’s refusal to stage it.Ashraf, who has been invited by the BCCI to watch the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday, said he will discuss the idea with the Indian board officials, but maintained the main agenda would be to revive bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.The other possible venues for the series are Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The series was scheduled to comprise five one-dayers and three T20Is to help the sides prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, which begins on September 18.”It isn’t a bad idea (considering India) but a good choice to maintain the healthy relationship with them (India), but let us see the mood there,” Ashraf told ESPNcricinfo. “But our primary purpose is to revive ties with them. However, in the meantime we have three options under consideration to host our series.”Ashraf was optimistic about a healthy dialogue with the BCCI, following India’s decision to invite Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 later this year, in India.”We are ready to play them and I can see that they [India] are also positive and gradually the ice is melting,” Ashraf said.The UAE, which has hosted most of Pakistan’s home series, was doubtful due to the hot weather. However, Ashraf didn’t rule out UAE’s chances either, as it’s more cost-effective for the PCB.”We have been ruling out UAE mainly because of the month of Ramzan and the hot weather there,” Ashraf said. “But we can counter that by playing day-night matches.”Dilawar Mani, the Emirates Cricket Board chief operating officer, confirmed that they had offered to host another series for Pakistan. “We have offered them but are yet to get a response,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “We didn’t offer them until Sri Lanka backed out. The main concern is the humidity, otherwise the temperature starts to drop after 4pm and the conditions are convenient to play.”The PCB has been planning on starting its own Twenty20 league, but Ashraf didn’t sound optimistic about launching it this year. Various companies have made presentations to the board, but each company requires a minimum of six months to plan the league.”We were hoping to have it this October but I think due time constraints we might have to push it back,” Ashraf said. “However, the plan is in the pipeline and if we aren’t able to get it organised this year then we have to find another window next year.”Eight companies, including Ten Sports, Nimbus and Geo TV, have already made their pitches to the PCB.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

The Hobart Hurricanes Twenty20 blueprint, or more accurately purpleprint, has worked again. This time the Adelaide Strikers succumbed to Xavier Doherty’s team by 14 runs

Alex Malcolm28-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsXavier Doherty’s 4 for 17 was the standout performance in the match•Getty ImagesThe Hobart Hurricanes Twenty20 blueprint, or more accurately purpleprint, has worked again. This time the Adelaide Strikers succumbed to Xavier Doherty’s team by 14 runs at the Adelaide Oval in front of more than 27,000 patrons.The Hurricanes skipper Doherty was again the chief architect of the win, taking 4 for 17 in a match-winning display of spin bowling. His side have now won three from three and sit atop the BBL table. But the identical nature of the three wins is most intriguing, although tonight’s victory was their toughest yet.For the third consecutive match Doherty won the toss and elected to bat. For the third consecutive time the Hurricanes had eight or more wickets in hand with 10 overs to go, having crawled through the first half of their innings at less than seven runs per over.Yet they were able to post 4 for 171. Again it was Travis Birt who ignited the Hurricanes. In the eleventh over, having faced only two balls after Jonathan Wells fell to Johan Botha at the start of the tenth, Birt launched an assault on Bryce McGain. He clubbed two sixes and one four from the over. McGain had delivered two overs that cost 29.Only 15 runs came from the next three overs however. McGain was held back while Kane Richardson, Aaron O’Brien, and Alfonso Thomas tied Phil Jaques in knots. McGain exacted some revenge when he ended Jaques’ 42-ball stay at the start of the 15th over. Jaques’ 41, which included just two boundaries, left onlookers wondering if the Hurricanes tactics had finally come unstuck.Enter English import Owais Shah. He smashed 36 unbeaten runs from just 18 balls. He and Birt again accelerated the innings at a rapid rate. Birt thumped 44 from 26 including three fours and three sixes. He became Botha’s second scalp in the 18th over, but it did not slow the rate. Shah, in combination with Matt Johnston, orchestrated 66 from the last five overs to push the total to 171.The Strikers bowling group were reasonably impressive. Botha, O’Brien, Thomas and Richardson all conceded eight an over or less. But McGain’s four overs cost 49, which meant the Strikers were chasing a testing target. No side had ever chased more than 170 in a T20 in Adelaide.With the spinners having done well in the Hurricanes’ innings, Doherty and Jason Krejza opened the bowling but conceded 19 in the first two overs to Aiden Blizzard. Doherty then put on a masterclass of T20 bowling. He clean bowled Blizzard in the third over before saving his last two overs for the second half of the innings.In between he mixed and matched his bowlers well. Johnston bowled two overs for just nine. His awkward action, with which he delivers swerving inswingers off the wrong foot, caused significant difficulties for Michael Klinger and Adam Crosthwaite. Krejza returned to dismiss Crosthwaite lbw, while Rana Naved picked up the vital wicket of Callum Ferguson, in the following over, with Rhett Lockyear clutching a sharp chance in the gully.Doherty brought himself back on in the eleventh over to bowl at the key partnership of Klinger and Cameron Borgas. He struck immediately, forcing a miss-hit from his opposing captain, and only conceded three from the over.Klinger’s dismissal left the Strikers needing 99 from 55 balls. Borgas and Tom Cooper were unperturbed by the absurdity of the task. They ramped balls over the keeper’s head, switch-hit boundaries through backward point, and generally caused Hobart headaches in their 62-run partnership. Cooper even hit Rana onto the roof of the Chappell Stands.But Rana removed Borgas later in the 17th over. Tom Triffitt, the wicketkeeper, held his nerve under the towering skier, something Krejza had failed to do the previous delivery, but the game was still alive with the Strikers needing 37 from 18 balls.Ben Laughlin delivered the 18th over that cost just nine and saw Botha being run out.Then Doherty delivered the last rites. He bowled Richardson and O’Brien in consecutive balls to finish with four wickets. After his first over had cost nine, his next three yielded figures of 4 for 8.Cooper was left stranded on 44 having hit five fours along with his enormous six. The Strikers may well lament that he was only able to face 27 deliveries as their chase went awry. The Strikers have now lost two in succession after thumping the Renegades in their opening match.