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Axar Patel and Rahul Chahar were dismissed in the 49th over and Sandeep Warrier and Ishan Porel in the next four balls as India A, with 18 runs required from two overs, collapsed dramatically to lose their last four wickets for the addition of just 12 runs to concede the three-match one-day series against New Zealand A. Ishan Kishan, the Indian captain, hit eight of those runs in five balls but could only look on from the other end as his partners came and went, ending unbeaten on an 84-ball 71.The penultimate over started with Axar hitting Ajaz Patel for a boundary, but he was dismissed next ball for a quick 32. Kishan picked up seven runs off the next three balls, but Chahar fell first ball, bowled by Ajaz.Kishan was back on strike next over, bowled by Kyle Jamieson, but collected just a single off the second ball, and that was that as Jamieson hit the stumps of Warrier and Porel off back-to-back deliveries to seal the win. Jamieson ended with 4 for 49 and Ajaz 3 for 44.The game might have turned out differently had the New Zealand lower-order batsmen not done as well as they did. It had looked quite iffy for them when Cole McConchie became the sixth man out with the scoreboard reading 105 for 6 in the 27th over. But Mark Chapman, batting at No. 6, and No. 8 Todd Astle changed the script completely with a 136-run stand. Chapman scored an unbeaten 110 from 98 balls, hitting ten fours and a six along the way, and Astle scored 56 in 65. Once Astle fell, with 14 balls left, Jamieson chipped in with a valuable 13 off seven balls, runs that proved more than useful at the end of the game.Chasing 271 to take the series, which they led 1-0 after winning the first fixture by five wickets, the Indians got going with Prithvi Shaw and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who had a 78-run stand at the top, Shaw quite the more aggressive partner, scoring 55 of those runs off just 38 balls.Gaikwad, who scored 44 in 66 balls, had another good stand with Mayank Agarwal, but wickets fell a bit too quickly for the Indians’ comfort as they, too, got into a bit of a tricky situation at 188 for 6 after 39 overs. But, for a while, Kishan and Axar did for the Indians what Chapman and Astle had done earlier in the day, adding 69 for the seventh wicket, and it all looked loaded in their favour till that 49th over, when everything went awry.The two teams next play the first of two four-day matches in Christchurch from January 30.

Cameron Bancroft has been dropped from Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield side to face Queensland after a horror run of form this summer.Bancroft, 27, has scored just 158 runs from 13 Shield innings this season at an average of 13.16 with a highest score of 30.He will make way at the top of the order with Sam Whiteman likely to move up to open alongside Jake Carder to create room for the return of Marcus Stoinis from injury and Josh Inglis from Australia A duty for WA’s must-win clash at the WACA starting on Friday.It is an extraordinary fall in form for Bancroft having started the Ashes series in August as Australia’s Test opener alongside David Warner in the pair’s first Test back since the ball-tampering bans. He was axed after two Tests in England following scores of 8, 7, 13 and 16, and replaced by Marcus Harris.Bancroft began the home summer with a run of dismissals in Shield cricket where he was bizarrely and repeatedly caught at leg gully with several teams setting leg-side traps. He was initially not selected for Australia A’s tour match against Pakistan in November but despite his dismissals was called in to replace Nic Maddinson who withdrew due to mental health issues.Bancroft top-scored with 49 as Australia A were skittled by Pakistan and was strangely added to Australia’s first Test squad of the summer but was overlooked for selection with Joe Burns getting the nod.Bancroft’s white-ball form has been steady across the summer despite his lean red-ball form. He scored three half-centuries during WA’s Marsh Cup 50-over campaign prior to the BBL season to help them win the title. He also scored two half-centuries batting in the middle order for the Perth Scorchers during the BBL.But upon return to Shield cricket, he scored 25 off 155 balls against South Australia, before adding 19, 12, and 0 in his next three innings. He also missed out in two second XI innings against Queensland prior to the South Australia match.Bancroft has been working diligently with WA-based batting coach and former first-class player Bob Meuleman on his technique. Meuleman has long been regarded as one of WA’s best technical coaches, having worked with Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Marcus North and Adam Voges during their international careers.Voges is Bancroft’s current WA coach and a former teammate. He made the call to drop Bancroft from the WA side but backed him to come good.”Cameron Bancroft is a quality player, ultimately he hasn’t been at his best this season which sees him miss this match,” Voges said. “We are looking forward to seeing him bounce back.”Bancroft now finds himself out of the WA Shield team alongside Hilton Cartwright and Ashton Turner, with all three having played international cricket for Australia within the last three years. Bancroft and Turner have both played for Australia within the last nine months.Matt Renshaw, who replaced Bancroft as the Test opener for Australia after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, having lost his place to Bancroft for the 2017-18 Ashes, is also out of Queensland’s Shield team at the moment and subsequently took a short break from the game.Renshaw returned to Queensland grade cricket last Saturday for his club side Toombul, scoring 42 against Valley. But he has not been selected in the Bulls squad to travel west to WA.

The 2020 edition of the IPL will be played in the UAE, Brijesh Patel, the IPL Governing Council chairman, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo today. Patel said that a formal announcement on the matter would be made when the body meets next.Patel did not confirm the dates for the tournament, but as reported recently, the BCCI has penciled in the window between September 26 and November 7 for the IPL, which comprises 60 matches. Patel said that the BCCI had been waiting for the ICC to formally postpone the men’s T20 World Cup this year, which has happened now, and freed up a window for the tournament.”We were waiting for the ICC to officially announce [the postponement],” Patel said. “We have applied [for permission] with the Indian government. Should get it.”Patel said Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah would be the three main venues. Asked about whether the tournament would be played behind closed doors, Patel said that “depends on the UAE government”. It is understood that the franchises are yet to be formally informed about the tournament being shifted out of India.In April, the BCCI had postponed the IPL indefinitely because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the BCCI had intended to host the IPL in India, the pandemic’s spread has over the last few months has made that unfeasible. With officially more than a million Covid-19 infections confirmed, India ranks third on the list of active cases worldwide.When the plan was to host the tournament in India, the BCCI wanted to conduct it behind closed doors in limited venues and had singled out Mumbai as the hub, but India’s commercial capital has a huge number of Covid-19 infections, putting paid to those thoughts.This would be the second time for the IPL in the UAE, after the first 20 matches of the tournament were staged in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in 2014 because of the general elections in India. The franchises are likely to set up their bases a month in advance if and when the green light is given – for training and also to abide by any quarantine measures imposed by the UAE government.It is understood that the main reason for marking November 7 as the date for the IPL final was to ensure Indian players get enough time to travel to Australia for the four-match Test series, set to begin in December.

The ECB’s plans to professionalise the domestic level of women’s cricket have been stepped up with the announcement of 25 Regional Retainers, in spite of the complications caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.The recipients are split across the eight regions of the women’s game, and represent the first tranche of professional contracts at domestic level, with the ECB still intending to upgrade these players, and 15 further names, to full-time contracts before the end of the year.”In what has been a challenging year for the whole game, it is pleasing to be able to support 25 women’s domestic cricketers by offering them Regional Retainers,” said Clare Connor, the ECB’s director of women’s cricket.”In doing so, we are taking another step towards contracting our first cohort of full-time, professional players in the women’s domestic game.”We know that in order for the women’s game to continue to grow, we need a strong and thriving domestic set-up to enable more women to be able to make a living from the game.ALSO READ: Women’s Hundred salaries to be ringfenced – PCA chairman“Girls need to see visible role models and to know that a talent and performance system exists for them to fulfil their potential. I’m excited to see how these players progress with greater support over the next couple of years – it’s another significant step forward for our sport.”The 25 players include five England women’s rookies – Linsey Smith, Emma Lamb, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley and Bryony Smith – and the rising star Issy Wong, all of whom were part of a 24-strong group who returned to individual training earlier this week with a view to taking part in a delayed England itinerary against India and South Africa in September.The players on the retainer will adhere to strength and conditioning programmes and undertake certain online modules including anti-corruption and anti-doping education. They will also give some of their time for “good of the game” activities and appearances.The recruitment process was driven by the eight regions and their respective Regional Directors of Women’s Cricket. Once the 40 full-time contracts are awarded, the players will be split evenly across the eight regions with five professional players at each region.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo earlier this week, the PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell welcomed the ECB’s commitments to the retainers scheme, especially given the extent to which the women’s game has borne the brunt of the lockdown, with the bulk of the board’s efforts so far this season being devoted to protecting the more financially critical men’s game.”Credit to the ECB – they’ve put 24 [players on] retainers to try and help those people out,” said Mitchell. “There’s a little bit lacking for a lot of players financially, not playing in the Hundred as well, so it’s been tough for some of those players on the fringes who would have expected to become a full-time pro this year.”But I think there’s light at the end of the tunnel with those contracts being awarded at some point in the near future. As chairman, I’m looking forward to being able to welcome 40 women into the PCA as professional members.”Regional Retainers

North East Hollie Armitage, Beth Langston, Linsey Smith (EW Rookie)
North West Georgie Boyce, Alex Hartley, Emma Lamb (EW Rookie), Ellie Threlkeld
West Midlands Eve Jones, Marie Kelly, Issy Wong
East Midlands Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce
South West and Wales Dani Gibson, Sophie Luff, Fi Morris
South Central Georgia Adams, Tara Norris, Paige Scholfield
London and South East Alice Davidson-Richards (EW Rookie), Sophia Dunkley (EW Rookie), Tash Farrant, Bryony Smith (EW Rookie)
London and East Amara Carr, Naomi Dattani, Cordelia Griffith

Half-centuries from Colin Munro and Darren Bravo, who also shared in a 98-run stand with Kieron Pollard, propelled the Trinbago Knight Riders to the highest score of this year’s CPL and the top of the points’ table. The defending champion Barbados Tridents made a fist of the chase, and were ahead of the required run-rate after the PowerPlay but could not sustain their scoring. They remain in the bottom half of the table.Knight Riders picked up pace after a watchful start which brought just 27 runs in the first five overs. They scored at more than 10 runs an over for the remainder of their innings, giving Tridents a mountain to climb in response. Tridents’ innings played out in opposite fashion. They raced to 68 inside eight overs, thanks largely to Johnson Charles’ 52, but then lost three wickets for seven runs, leaving the middle order with too much to do in the second half of the innings.Nursing the scoring rate Ashley Nurse was the first spinner Jason Holder turned to immediately after the Powerplay, just as Munro had started to free his arms, and he proved the most economical of the Tridents’ attack. Nurse found turn and grip on a wearing surface and would have had Sunil Narine’s wicket at the start of his second over but Shai Hope could not hold on to a thick outside edge. Narine only lasted until the next over anyway, as Nurse and Raymon Reifer kept the Knight Riders’ fairly quiet. Nurse was the only bowler to concede less than eight runs an over and was eventually rewarded when Munro slogged his final ball to deep midwicket, where Rashid Khan took a tumbling catch. The One-Handed Six Specialist and his 3,000 run partner Knight Riders entered the last four overs with a strong foundation of 116 for 3 and then upped the ante. Mitchell Santner’s only over cost 19 runs and included Pollard fetching a wide delivery with one hand to send it down the ground for six. At the end of the next over, Pollard pulled it off again, this time against Reifer, who bowled it too full. Pollard took his bottom-hand off the bat to get under the ball and hoist it over long-on. And in the over after that, Darren Bravo reached the milestone of 3,000 T20 runs when he belted a low-full toss from Jason Holder down the ground for four. The Knight Riders’ scored 69 runs in the last four overs, 52 of them in boundaries.Not quite brotherly love Only the off-side seemed to get the better of Charles, who all but three of his 52 runs on the other side of the field, but Dwayne Bravo could have caused Charles trouble with his first ball. Charles hit Dwayne to the left of deep midwicket, who just happened to be Bravo’s little brother, Darren, who ran and dived and tried to hold on but couldn’t. Worse than the missed chance, or that Charles was on a roll, was that the wicket would have been Dwayne’s 500th. Darren made amends when he took the catch that dismissed Kyle Mayers but Dwayne will have to wait for the next match to take his milestone wicket.Back of the bat and back to the changeroomPollard was not the only innovative stroke-maker on the day. Jonathan Carter, whose contribution was a mere 8, scored four of them off the back of his bat when he got down on one knee to scoop Dwayne Bravo over fine leg. Carter switched his stance but not his bat and instead of turning it around in his hands, just used the other side. He wasn’t able to provide much more entertainment though. He lost his leg stump to Ali Khan and the most exuberant celebration in the two overs later. Apart from the customary fast-bowlers’ roar, Ali ripped off his sweat band and chucked it away in delight.

West Indies allrounders Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews believe that having a “strong mindset” proved pivotal in keeping themselves motivated through the Covid-19 pandemic-induced off season. It helped them overcome fears that “we wouldn’t have any women’s cricket for the rest of the year” after the T20 World Cup in Australia ended in early March.The 2021 Women’s World Cup has been postponed by a year. That along with the cancellation of several bilateral women’s series, even after international men’s cricket resumed in July, threatened to leave the women’s calendar vacant for the rest of 2020, outside of Australia’s home series against New Zealand which begins September 26.However, the ECB successfully drew up contingency plans to make up for India and South Africa’s withdrawal for tours in July-August by inviting West Indies. Their first T20I against England in Derby on Monday is set to mark the return of top-level women’s international cricket 196 days on from the T20 World Cup final at the MCG.”The whole time in the pandemic I just thought that that was it for the year for women’s cricket,” Dottin, the West Indies vice-captain, told ESPNcricinfo. “I think this pandemic [has taught] that mentally you’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to have a strong mindset. It [is] something that you can’t easily give up.”I actually thought we wouldn’t have any women’s cricket for the rest of the year. I just kept training and doing things here and there and kept motivating myself in all ways. I started playing cricket with my cousins, the boys, just to keep active and keep that work up: of playing cricket.”Matthews echoed her team-mate’s apprehensions. She was, like Dottin, part of West Indies’ 2016 T20 World Cup-winning side. She has also been a sought-after name in domestic T20 competitions, plying her trade in the WBBL, the now-defunct KSL and the Women’s T20 Challenge.ALSO READ: West Indies women in England: ‘Women’s cricket needs this’ – Stafanie Taylor“It’s obviously something very challenging,” said Matthews, who will play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL later this year. “You have to have a strong mentality to go out there, still be training, and putting in all the hard work, not knowing if you’re going to be able to be playing again this year. I’m just really glad we are able to get back over again and that Cricket West Indies and ECB have [made that possible] for us to play.”We also see the Women’s Big Bash League; it seems it’s going to come off as well. It’s really good to see these boards are stepping up at this point and get cricket played – not only for the men’s sides but the women’s sides as well.”Hayley Matthews leaves the field after her dismissal•Getty Images

West Indies have lost (19) more times than they’ve won (17) in their 37 T20Is since their 2016 T20 World Cup victory. Like the side, Matthews, the Player of the final in that tournament, too, has struggled to replicate the abandon that became a hallmark of the side’s maiden world title triumph four years ago. In her last 15 T20I innings, she has reached 30 only thrice, her maiden T20I hundred in May last year included.In the T20 World Cup earlier this year, Matthews, who opens for the side, made only 26 runs in three innings as eventual semi-finalists England knocked West Indies out in the league stage with a game to go. Their poor performance prompted then head coach Gus Logie to describe their performance in the world tournament as “timid” and possessing a “fear factor”.Matthews, however, was hopeful the upcoming five-T20I series against England could be a starting point for West Indies to make up lost ground.”Probably of late, the pressure [on us] has eased off a bit,” Matthews said. “If you look at our performances [from the recent past], because they probably weren’t the best, the expectations from us for a lot of people aren’t as high.”I don’t necessarily say that as a bad thing, though. Coming back after the pandemic and being given the opportunity to start afresh, especially against a team like England, we’re going out there knowing we’re the underdogs. I think it kind of gives us that freedom to really be able to go out there and play our natural game and play freely and express ourselves as players and as a team as well.”With Logie’s tenure having ended with the T20 World Cup, Andre Coley, who was West Indies women’s head coach in 2012, has stepped in an interim capacity. He’s overseeing the tourists’ 18-member squad, which will be based in a biosecure environment in Derby throughout the tour and is without Anisa Mohammed, the veteran offspinner who declined the invitation to tour, with uncapped Guyanese left-arm spinner Kaysia Schultz included.Matthews, 22, underlined that the opposition’s lack of familiarity with the West Indian rookies could hold them in good stead as would the experience of the seasoned campaigners in the likes of captain Stafanie Taylor, legspinner Afy Fletcher, Dottin and herself.”We have a lot of versatility,” Matthews said. “We have a lot of different players that have stepped in, including the new players. Obviously, there wouldn’t have been much footage on them out there and stuff, so it definitely brings something new to the table when we face up against England.”We also have a lot of experience within the team: people have been playing for the last five, ten years now, so that makes our combination pretty good, and hopefully it will win us some games as well.”

Kyle Jamieson’s impressive start to the New Zealand season continued as he claimed a hat-trick on the second day of the Plunket Shield match against Central Districts.Jamieson, who took match figures of 8 for 45 in the opening round against Otago, removed Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver and Brad Schmulian for his hat-trick in the 27th over. The Auckland quick finished with figures of 5 for 41.The hat-trick delivery to Schmulian was a booming inswinger which came back sharply to take off stump as the batsman shouldered arms.”I said to mid-off and mid-on, I’m just going to bowl a big [inswinger] and try to make him play,” Jamieson said. “When you are on a hat-trick you have to try and go pole-hunting a little bit, it managed to come back a wee bit and the rest got swept up in the emotion of it. Pretty cool moment.” Jamieson has been working on adding the inswinger to his armoury over the last couple of seasons and has started to use it with greater regularity at the start of this summer. He has also tried to attack the crease more in his delivery stride having watched the Australia and New Zealand bowlers when he was first called into the Test squad as a replacement late last year on the tour of Australia.”It’s been a couple of years work,” he said. “Did a little bit last winter and continued it this winter. I got a couple out of the hand last week which settled the nerves in terms of bowling it in a game, it’s nice to be able to offer a couple variations to keep the batter guessing.”My first impressions of watching all the guys run, both the Aussies and the Kiwis, was just how much they attacked the crease and I thought there’s probably a little room to move for me in that area. I did a little work in the nets in Sydney and then brought it back, it’s about finding ways to keep improving and adding bits to your game. It helped me at the back end of last season and just trying to take it forward into this one.”Jamieson made an immediate mark on international cricket when he debuted against India in February, taking nine wickets in his first two Tests including 5 for 45 in Christchurch. He is now looking in fine form ahead of New Zealand’s home international season, which begins against West Indies late next month before a visit by Pakistan, boosted by a winter of fitness work with the cancellation of cricket due to Covid-19.”I’m very comfortable with where my game’s at at the moment, the things I’ve been working on and how I’ve been feeling in the middle more importantly. I certainly feel in the best shape I ever have going into a season.”

How the game played outOutside of Shahid Afridi’s furious 23-ball 58, Jaffna Stallions were almost totally in control. They slowed Galle Gladiators down after the Gladiators got a decent start with the bat, made breakthroughs through the middle overs, thanks partly to an outstanding spell from Wanindu Hasaranga, and prevented Afridi from turning a good score into an imposing one.With the bat, the Stallions were measured but insistent, never allowing the required rate to get very high, even when Avishka Fernando – their star local batsman – was struggling early on. Part of the refusal to panic, was perhaps grounded on the knowledge that 176 was gettable on a fast outfield that was increasingly being slicked by dew.The rest was just trust in their skills and experience. Avishka recovered from a score of 10 off 20 at the end of the seventh over, to hit seven sixes and finish on 92 not out off 63. At the other end, Shoaib Malik – the most experienced T20 players in the most experienced player in the tournament – just kept turning the strike over to Avishka, and let him track the target down virtually on his own. Avishka hit 74 off 40 balls in Malik company, and Stallions waltzed home with three balls remaining.What was most impressive about the Stallions’ win, was that they didn’t need to use their depth. Dhananjaya de Silva was not required with bat or ball, and Thisara Perera’s batting went unused as well. Even Malik, who did actually bat, never saw it necessary to move out of third gear.Stars of the match (aside from Avishka)Hasaranga’s 2 for 12 off four overs headlined a solid Stallions bowling effort, for the team which – at least on paper – seems to have the best attack in the competition. One of their overseas bowlers – Kyle Abbott – had an expensive start to the tournament, but Hasaranga’s control allowed Stallions the leeway to have a few bad overs. He also took the wickets of Azam Khan, and the dangerous Danushka Gunathilaka.On the fast-bowling front, meanwhile, Duanne Olivier – the quickest on show in this match – took 4 for 44 from his four overs.The Gladiators would barely have been competitive if not for Afridi. He came to the crease with the Gladiators struggling at 92 for four after 13.1 overs, and bashed six sixes – four of them off a single Olivier over – to complete a 20-ball fifty, and propel the Gladiators to a decent score.The big missHasaranga did make a major mistake in this game, which perhaps turned what might have been a cakewalk for the Stallions into a slightly more competitive game. When Afridi was on 18, he mishit a ball to deep midwicket, where Chaturanga de Silva was lining up the catch beautifully. Hasaranga, though, ran across from deep square leg and attempted to steal the catch, and in the course of all this, dropped it. Afridi would go on to hit 40 off the next 11 balls.Thankfully for Hasaranga, he’d done enough with the ball, and the Stallions had enough talent at the top of their order to see them through.