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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFor the second day running, Edgbaston was a picture under lights – resplendent in the setting sun, as a tanked-up crowd sang gleefully into the advancing night. This time, however, their dulcet overtures were accompanied by the incessant thud of raindrops, as the down side of staging day-night Test cricket in England revealed itself in no uncertain terms.The lights had been involved in the day’s action for just seven overs of the evening session, in which time West Indies responded to another Alastair Cook magnum opus by inching along to 44 for 1, a deficit of 470. After the early loss of Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck, Kyle Hope and Kieran Powell were granted a life in the cordon apiece as they reached stumps on 25 and 18 respectively – their pride still just about as intact as their wickets.But the day, and the match so far for that matter, belonged to Cook, who had resumed with intent on 153 overnight, and ground on, and on, and on, eventually falling to the spin of Roston Chase for a gargantuan 243 from 407 balls. His departure, deep into the tenth hour of his innings, triggered an immediate declaration and, as he left the field to a justified ovation, West Indies’ fielders made a point of chasing after him to offer their congratulations – a magnanimous gesture that spoke of the huge esteem in which he is held by his opponents.By that stage, he had run most of their team into the ground, in compiling his fourth Test double-century, and what would eventually be the third-highest of his 31 hundreds.The sheer mental will that went into Cook’s innings was amplified (Joe Root aside) by the relative paucity of the scores around him – Dawid Malan’s 65 was the next largest contribution – but he might as well have been batting in the nets for all the resistance that was offered by a supine West Indies attack.Rarely in the course of his 145-Test career can Cook have been less challenged by either the conditions or the opponents. His resumption in the morning was epitomised by the struggles that Kemar Roach, in particular, endured in his spirited but unsupported attempt to raise the collective levels of West Indies’ attack.Though he was obtaining some appreciable outswing with the still-new pink ball, the closest that Roach came to a breakthrough was when Cook, on 159, fell across his stumps to a delivery that struck his pads but was missing leg stump. He rarely missed out on his bread-and-butter clips off the pads thereafter, with Alzarri Joseph particularly culpable in that regard. All told, he conceded 20 boundaries in his 22 overs, a rate of attrition that rendered him unusable in the closing stages of the innings.The manner in which Cook brought up his double-century epitomised the occasion’s air of lethargy. On 198, he slashed the toiling Roach for a single to third man, only for the fielder, Kyle Hope, to trip over his own feet as the ball dribbled through his legs to the boundary. Cook acknowledged the crowd’s ovation with an underwhelmed wave of the bat – a sign of enduring ambition, maybe, or an acknowledgement that it was all coming to him a bit too easily.At the other end, of both the pitch and the career graph, Malan built on his overnight 28 to record his maiden Test fifty, a landmark that he achieved with a forceful pull through square leg in the final 20 minutes of the session. But then, on the stroke of lunch, he poked an off-stump delivery into the hands of Blackwood at slip, and stalked from the field swishing his bat in anger. He knew he could, and should, have piled on the agony deep into the afternoon session.After enduring a sticky start to his innings on the first evening, Malan had been decidedly more assured this time out, with his cover-drive in particularly good order on two eye-catching occasions. He may not be offered quite so many half-volleys in Australia, should he go on to book his place on the Ashes tour, but it is a Test batsman’s duty to take advantage when the going is in your favour – a lesson that his senior partner demonstrated admirably.The final hour of England’s innings heralded the start of what would prove to be West Indies’ most effective mini-session to date. England shipped five wickets for 65 runs in the space of 18 overs, including the dangerous Ben Stokes and the in-form Jonny Bairstow, in their attempt to raise the tempo as the declaration drew nigh.Stokes’ departure was a particularly deflating moment for another packed crowd who had been nodding contently along to Cook’s rhythms but were clearly ready to rock out in the afternoon session. Instead, on 10, Stokes attempted a reverse sweep and was smartly caught by an alert Jermaine Blackwood at slip, and the atmosphere went audibly flat. Bairstow soon followed, playing on to Jason Holder for 18, before Moeen Ali – never one to stick when he can twist, especially with a scoreline of 505 for 6 to back him up – slashed airily to point for a duck against Chase who finished with a hard-earned four-wicket haul.By that stage, however, England were already in utter control of the contest. A combination of fallible catching – Stokes, unusually, let Powell elude him at gully before Moeen failed to lay a hand on Hope – and slightly less-than-pinpoint new-ball bowling from Broad, in particular, allowed West Indies to finish the day with more optimism than might have been anticipated. But the rain had the final say on a day that, Cook’s feat notwithstanding, seemed tinged with grey throughout.

ScorecardThisara Perera took three wickets [file picture]•Getty Images

Gloucestershire moved level on points with south group leaders Hampshire after beating NatWest T20 Blast rivals Kent Spitfires byeight runs in a low-scoring thriller in Canterbury.Michael Klinger’s unbeaten side fielded tigerishly and caught superbly to defend a modest total of 138 for nine on a spin-friendly pitch andcomplete a T20 Blast double over Spitfires as well as their third successive short-form win on Kentish soil.Set to chase at almost seven an over for victory, Kent’s in-form opener Daniel Bell-Drummond played out a David Payne maiden beforecrunching 12 off the second over from Matt Taylor, including a leg-side six by Joe Denly and Bell-Drummond’s crisp off-drive forfour.Thisara Perera, the experienced Sri Lanka all-rounder, concededsuccessive boundaries from his first four deliveries of the night as Bell-Drummond raced to 25, but the right-armer struck back by pinningthe Kent opener lbw with a quicker, low full-toss as Kent ended their Powerplay on 45 for 1.Fresh from a career-best 116* at The Oval on Friday, Denly was, on this occasion, guilty of tossing away his wicket by driving a TomSmith delivery straight into the hands of long-off to spark a dramatic Kent collapse.Sam Billings opened his shoulders with a back-foot force off Chris Liddle and a pulled six off the same bowler, but his skipper Sam Northeast miscued to extra cover off the wily Benny Howell to leave his side on 68 for 3 after 10 overs.Jimmy Neesham needlessly slog swept high to mid-wicket to gift the slow left-arm spinner a second wicket then, to Smith’s next delivery,Billings was snaffled low down by Klinger at short extra – a catch confirmed on review by third umpire Michael Gough.Alex Blake plundered the biggest six of the night over mid-wicket to raise Kent’s 100 as Smith completed his spell with 3 for 28.Needing 38 off the last 30 balls, Spitfires lost Darren Stevens caught and bowled to a slower ball as Howell finished with anexcellent 2 for 12.In the dash for late runs Matt Coles was superbly caught on the run at deep mid-wicket by Jack Taylor, who then held another steeplingcatch at long-off that accounted for Alex Blake.James Tredwell was skittled in the final over as Spitfires crashed to their second defeat in four starts.Bowling first after winning the toss, Kent defended their long boundaries well to restrict the visitors to only 13 fours and three sixes.Neesham struck with his third delivery by having Phil Mustard spectacularly caught off a sliced drive at cover point. On the run and diving forward, Bell-Drummond came up with the ball to make it 18 for one.Klinger showed his class with the first six of the night in Neesham’s next over, a leg-side clip with barely any bat pick-up that sailed over the mid-wicket ropes. He blotted his copybook soon after however, cracking the first ball of the night from Mitch Claydon to Stevens who held an overhead catch at mid-off to send Gloucestershire’s dangerman packing for 25 as the visitors reached 42 for 2 at the end of their Powerplay.Kent turned to spin at both ends in England off-spinner Tredwell and Imran Qayyum, a rookie slow left-armer making only his second Blastappearance. The pair bowled well on a dry pitch, turning the occasional delivery and restricting the boundary count.Qayyum span one past the outside edge as George Hankins ran down the pitch looking to drive only to be stumped by Billings.Tredwell finished his four with creditable figures of nought for 25 then, in his last over, Qayyum deceived Ian Cockbain (40) in theflight to have the visiting top-scorer caught at extra cover and finish with 2 for 19 – a stint that included 11 dot balls.Gloucestershire raised their hundred in the 16th over as Matt Coles wrapped up with nought for 31, but Jack Taylor upped the tempo bytaking six and four off successive Neesham deliveries before chipping a Claydon slower ball to mid-off to go for 21.Perera clubbed to long-on to give Neesham 2 for 30 then, in the final over, Smith, Matt Taylor and Howell were all run outrisking second runs into the deep.Victorious captain Klinger said: “It’s slightly easier to be captain when your bowlers perform so well and we fielded like we did. I feltthat over all we probably gave a wicket or two too many away in our Powerplay, but our spinners and change of pace bowlers came backreally well on a wicket that was quite tough to bat on.”We talked about 145 to 150 being a par score on that wicket because it was holding and turning, but we’ve made a name for ourselves overthe past few years for being able to strangle batting sides in those positions and luckily enough that’s how it worked out for us today.It’s always nice to win some tight ones, especially early in the tournament.”Kent skipper Sam Northeast said: “I thought we did really well in the field to keep them below 150, which was our target. We knew it wouldbe tough through those middle periods with the bowlers they have in Howell and Smith. We felt we had enough batting calibre to chase thatdown and maybe we could have gone harder in the Powerplay, or we could have chosen better options through the middle. It wasn’t the greatestpitch in the world but you have to adapt as a team.”

Scorecard Ben Foakes celebrates reaching his hundred for England Lions•Getty Images

England Lions stunned South Africa A with a late burst of six wickets in 16 overs to capitalise on a superb unbeaten century by Ben Foakes on a fluctuating second day of the first-class match in Canterbury.Foakes, who was on 77 overnight, ended unbeaten on 127 in a total of 386, his first Lions century and his seventh in first-class cricket.The tourists responded with an aggressive opening partnership of 164 inside 41 overs between their young captain Aiden Markram and Heino Kuhn, a 33-year-old who has made seven T20 international appearances.But Jamie Overton dragged the Lions back into the game with a superb spell from the Pavilion End in the evening session.Then Jamie Porter followed up with a burst of three wickets in three overs – his first for the Lions.Tom Helm chipped in with the prize scalp of Temba Bavuma, and when Sam Curran trapped Dane Piedt lbw, the tourists had lost six wickets for 31. They will resume on Friday on 227 for 7 – still 159 behind.Overton’s first wicket was a gift from Markram, who top-edged a pull to long leg where Helm took a cool catch.But Overton then stunned Kuhn with a rapid yorker which won an lbw decision, shortly after he had reached a 114-ball century.The Somerset bowler could easily have had at least one more wicket but it was Porter who claimed the third breakthrough as Theunis de Bruyn, another of the six members of this South African team with senior international experience, pulled a short ball to Haseeb Hameed at midwicket.The 23-year-old Essex seamer then dismissed Khaya Zondo and Heinrich Klaasen in the space of four balls, both snapped up at second slip by Lions captain Keaton Jennings.Earlier Foakes had continued to play with positive intent, punching the first two balls of the morning from Beuran Hendricks through the covers for four.He reached his century from 151 balls with 13 fours and added four more, helped by lower-order support from Helm and Jack Leach in stands of 44 and 53 respectively – although the morning session was interrupted by a violent electrical storm.Porter fell quickly to leave Foakes 14 short of his career best, and after 284 minutes at the crease he trotted back to the pavilion to change into his wicketkeeping gear – meaning he has now been on the field for every ball of well over four sessions.

Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning has declared why her team is staying united with male players in the current pay impasse with Cricket Australia (CA), despite the board’s offer of massive pay increases for both international and domestic females in their current MoU offer.Ahead of the team’s departure for a World Cup campaign which will end after the June 30 expiry of the existing pay deal, Lanning said that Australia’s female players shared the view that a fair deal for all cricketers was key to the resolution of the dispute, even if pay rises for her group sounded attractive at face value. Women have not previously been included in the MoU, and have been paid separately by CA.CA’s proposal features average increases of A$79,000 to $179,000 for centrally-contracted female players, with average pay for domestic female cricketers to rise from $22,000 to $52,000. However, only international players – both male and female – have been offered any of the game’s blue sky above fixed rates of pay, rather than the fixed revenue percentage that has been at the core of agreements between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) for two decades. Lanning said the players had no desire to be divided along these lines.”All the players are behind a revenue share model for all cricketers, and we’ve been able to stay really strong and we’ll continue to do that and hopefully there’s a resolution pretty soon,” Lanning said. “I think CA and the ACA are talking at the moment, so as players we just want to play cricket and we’ve left the rest of that to the ACA and CA. We’re looking forward to getting to the World Cup and playing, and we’ll leave it to the ACA to negotiate on our behalf.”[Pay rises are] certainly a step in the right direction, but it’s a whole player [group] agreement and we’re fully behind all players, male, female, state, international so that’s where we’re at. It’s about every player playing the game and grassroots as well. We’re not going to individualise any players or teams, male or female, it’s about all the players moving forward and getting a result that’s good for the game.”At the start, we came out with what we wanted and where we wanted to go and we’re pretty clear on that.”Lanning’s squad is due to depart for England at the end of the week, and all players have been handed short-term contracts for the duration of the tournament in acknowledgement of the fact it will conclude after the MoU deadline. While admitting the dispute was a topic of frequent conversation, Lanning insisted the players would forge on with clear minds when they begin their campaign to defend the title won in India four years ago.”It’s definitely been spoken about, it’s not something you can hide away from,” she said. “But as a squad once we get over to the UK we’re very keen on just playing cricket and our job and priority is to go over there, play really good cricket and win games. We won’t be distracted by it at all, everything’s in place contract-wise, so we’re just going to focus on playing and winning games.”These words arrived at a time when members of CA and the ACA negotiating teams have resumed talks after some weeks. Knowing this, the players were perplexed to be sent another package of graphics and video from the board’s lead negotiator Kevin Roberts on Wednesday, in which the fixed revenue percentage model was again challenged.”The latest attempt by Cricket Australia to directly communicate with Australia’s cricketers has undermined current behind the scenes efforts to break the impasse for a new Cricket MoU,” the ACA said in a statement. “It is also a mischaracterisation of the true position regarding grassroots investment which every Australian male and female cricketer is passionate about.”The video comes a day after productive talks for a ‘without prejudice’ process for attempting to rebuild trust and break the current impasse. [It] is another attempt to directly communicate with players who have asked for the last 6 months to be left alone to concentrate on cricket. As has been the case with CA throughout the negotiation it is 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. This latest effort exposes what the ACA have been dealing with.”One member of the Australian squad particularly eager to get on the field will be allrounder Ellyse Perry, who had the latter part of her Australian summer curtailed by a hamstring injury suffered during the WBBL. Despite a lack of recent cricket apart from training, Lanning was confident Perry would be able to deliver her best in England.”She’s 100% fit, it was a pretty major injury she sustained in the WBBL, so she’s had some time to get over that and she’s been in full training now with the squad,” Lanning said. “She’s a very key member of our team, an important player for us, and looking forward to having her back on the park.”

ScorecardFile photo – Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan failed to make runs in the practice game•Getty Images

Pakistan had a poor outing in their only warm-up game in the lead up to the first Test against West Indies, their batsmen conceding a large first-innings lead and their bowlers unable to make swift inroads into the West Indies President’s XI.The home team chose to bat at the Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica and made 419 in the first innings, a score built on half-centuries from Shimron Hetmyer and Kieran Powell, and an unbeaten hundred from Vishaul Singh, all of whom were eventually rewarded by a call-up to the West Indies squad for the first Test. Mohammad Amir claimed 3 for 66 in 22.1 overs, while Yasir Shah sent down 37 overs for his two wickets.Hasan Ali strained his groin while fielding in the first innings, but the PCB remained hopeful that he would recover in time to play a role in the Test series.The hosts were dismissed in 126.1 overs, on the second day, and Pakistan did not begin their reply well. Apart from Ahmed Shehzad, who made 55, none of the top five made it to 20, with Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq scoring 7 and 8 respectively. Sarfraz Ahmed made a brisk 50 to shore up the innings but Pakistan were shot out in 68 overs for 192, trailing by 227.The West Indies President’s XI opted to bat again, though, and Powell made another half-century as the match ended in a draw. Pakistan were able to take only two second-innings wickets in 42 overs, as the hosts posted 152. Ali did not bowl in the second innings.The first Test between West Indies and Pakistan begin in Kingston on April 21.

New Zealand have done themselves a disservice by not trusting their seam strength, according to Dane Piedt. The South African offspinner joined the squad on Sunday, as a reinforcement in the spin department for the Hamilton Test, and said he was surprised by New Zealand conditions.”I think they have shot themselves in the foot. They didn’t back their seamers to do the job, and I thought their seamers bowled pretty well in South Africa. They bowled us out for 263 in Durban on quite a sporting deck,” Piedt said. “I didn’t expect that New Zealand would play two spinners in the first Test and when they left Tim Southee out I was also surprised. Just the fact that two series before that, Bangladesh and Pakistan were here and they played on surfaces that were quite sporting for the seamers. I expected it to be the same, but obviously with the type of seam attack we have they thought they would be under pressure.”In the four home Tests before this series, in which New Zealand were victorious in every one, their quicks contributed heavily to their success. They bowled Pakistan out four times out of four – twice under 180, twice under 240 – and bowled Bangladesh out three times out of four – twice under 180. In the Pakistan series, Tim Southee topped the wicket charts, followed by Colin de Grandhomme and Neil Wagner. In the Bangladesh rubber, Trent Boult topped the bowlers’ list, with Southee and Wagner next.Piedt can’t be blamed for expecting conditions to be prepared to favour those players but a combination of wet weather and slower venues have prevented New Zealand from tapping into that. Instead, they have gone the other way and two of the three surfaces for this series – Dunedin and Hamilton – are the complete opposite of seamer-friendly. Still, it was in Wellington, the greenest and bounciest of the tracks, that New Zealand succumbed to a spin threat they may have underestimated, which didn’t even include Piedt.They lost a dozen wickets to Keshav Maharaj and JP Duminy which selector Gavin Larsen called the “most disappointing thing” about their eight-wicket defeat. “You couldn’t call that Basin deck a raging, turning deck. Maharaj, to his credit, bowled nicely with control and put the ball in the right areas but I don’t think it was overly threatening. To allow a spinner like him to take 6 for 40 is unacceptable,” Larsen said. “When you come to a deck that might turn a little bit more, you might argue it’s going to present even more challenges.”Will South Africa change a winning combination to include Dane Piedt?•Getty Images

That would be Hamilton, where Faf du Plessis expects a “dustbowl” and although Larsen clarified that New Zealand have not specifically asked for one, it may be what they get. “The history would suggest that this season, in particular, it has turned up there. If you’re asking if we’ve ordered the pitch to turn, no we haven’t,” he said. “The reality is that that’s the way it has been panning out in Hamilton and we’ve picked our team accordingly, similar to Dunedin where we thought it would be dry.”And so, Piedt has his best chance of making a Test comeback after being discarded following the home series against New Zealand last August. Although Piedt had not done much wrong, the South African selectors felt they needed someone with a little more control and Maharaj provided that. In previous interviews, Piedt admitted to his ability taking a knock but he has nothing but praise for the man who ousted him.”He’s shown that he’s in unbelievable form and he’s done that in domestic cricket so I can only be happy for him. I spoke to him last night and I told him how impressive it’s been to watch him bowl on the international stage. It’s never hard feelings. It’s about spin bowlers coming through and being able to show their skill to the rest of the world,” Piedt said. “His changes of pace and the angles he bowls at are impressive. The shape of his ball is really good as well. If you’re bowling consistently in the same sort of area you’re always going to be rewarded, like he has. He’s quite a patient guy so he does it for long periods of time.”While Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, “doesn’t need a lot of tricks” according to Piedt, who cited Rangana Herath and Ravindra Jadeja as examples, Piedt has been working on a few variations that he may bring out if selected. “There’s always something I’m trying in the nets. I’m bowling to the old dogs like Andrew Puttick and Dane Vilas, and I’m trying new things all the time,” he said.But will South Africa tinker with a winning combination that Piedt himself believes is “the superior team at the moment”? Perhaps not.”I had just got onto the plane and I saw JP had taken four wickets, and I told myself even if I don’t play at least I’m getting recognised again. I think that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I’ve had quite an up-and-down Test career. I made my debut in 2014, had a freak shoulder injury and came back from that. So there’s been a lot of frustration and thinking will I ever play for South Africa again. Just to be here again is a privilege.”

England allrounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes and their limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan are among the seven players who have listed themselves at the highest base price of INR 2 crore (approx US $298,000) for the IPL player auction scheduled in Bangalore on February 20. India seamer Ishant Sharma, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, and the Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins are the rest of the players in this set.

Also in the top bracket

INR 1.5 crore: Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, Brad Haddin, Nathan Lyon, Kyle Abbott, Jason Holder

*INR 1 crore = INR 100 lakh = INR 10000000 = USD 149 thousand approx
INR 1 lakh = INR 100 thousand = INR 100000 = USD 1490 approx

A total of 799 players were part of the initial roster which would be pruned once the franchises submit their choices before the deadline this weekend. There were 160 capped players from eight countries – leaving out Bangladesh and Pakistan – and 639 from India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Of the 24 capped Indian cricketers, everyone barring Ishant has listed their base price at INR 30 lakh.Considering they will have to put a majority of their players back into the auction in 2018, some franchise officials said they would not be too aggressive in buying players this season. However, they did agree that there would be considerable interest in the English players.Although the IPL is yet to decide on the retention rules, franchises expect the right-to-match option to be available. This allows franchises to buy back a specific number of the players they have released for the auction, by matching the highest bid those players attract; if they match the bid they win the player.With the impressive all-round skills he showed during England’s recent tour of India, Stokes tops the list of marquee players that several franchises have said they would like to have.0:47

Quick Facts: IPL 2017 Auction

After Andrew Strauss took over as the ECB director of cricket last year, he has allowed England players the freedom to play in domestic T20 leagues like the IPL to gain wider exposure. Morgan, who has played for three different teams, Jos Butler (Mumbai Indians), Sam Billings (Delhi Daredevils), Chris Jordan (Royal Challengers Bangalore) have all commented on the positive influence of playing the IPL.Many England players who attended media briefings during the six-match limited-overs series in India last month spoke about the attraction of the IPL. Wicketkeeper batsman Jonny Bairstow (INR 1.5 crore), hard-hitting opening batsmen Alex Hales and Jason Roy (INR 1 crore) and fast bowlers Jordan and Tymal Mills (INR 50 lakh) have put their names up for auction.Franchises retained a total of 140 players and released 89 ahead of this IPL auction. Among those released and now trying to make a return are Johnson (Kings XI Punjab, INR 6.5 crore), Mathews (Delhi Daredevils, INR 7.5 crore), Ishant (Rising Pune Supergiants, INR 3.8 crore) and Morgan (Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 1.5 crore).ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Former South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott, who recently moved to Hampshire as a Kolpak player, has listed his base price at INR 1.5 cr. Abott was bought by Kings XI in 2016 for INR 2.1 crore but was released in December. Another player attempting to make a return is New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, who was hired by Sunrisers in 2015 for INR 3.8 crore. Boult has now listed his base price at INR 1.5 crore.West Indies ODI captain Jason Holder has also kept his price at INR 1.5 crore. He was with Kolkata Knight Riders, who had bought him for INR 75 lakh in 2014, until last season. India left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who was the second-most expensive player bought at last year’s auction by the Daredevils for INR 8.5 crore comes into the auction with a base price of INR 30 lakh.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshell
A blistering 78-run knock from Islamabad United opener Sam Billings neutralised Quetta Gladiators’ impressive spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Hasan Khan and ensured the defending champions inflicted the season’s first defeat upon Quetta. In the first game of this season’s PSL at the Sharjah Stadium, the 25-year-old England batsman combined clean timing with explosive power-hitting to keep his side on course throughout the chase.Quetta had earlier managed a slightly under-par 148, thanks to a disciplined bowling display from Misbah’s men. It centred around 18-year old legspinner Shadab Khan, who was extremely difficult to read as he spun the ball sharply both ways. Each of the bowlers bowled according to their strengths; Mohammad Sami consistently found the inswinging yorker – one of which accounted for Kevin Pietersen’s second successive golden duck – and Shane Watson’s short deliveries and pace variations were just as hard to dispatch as they have been all tournament. Quetta’s innings never really took off as wickets fell regularly and the scoring rate stayed below seven for much of the first 15 overs, before a late partnership between Mahmudullah and Thisara Perera took them near 150. It was to be competitive, but not match-winning.Where the match was won
Quetta’s middle-order pairing of Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw – the PSL’s top scorer thus far – got them over the line against Karachi in their last game. So when Ahmed Shehzad got off to a quick start with Pietersen and that duo lying in wait, Quetta might have looked set for a total nearer 200. However, they reckoned without a fiery Mohammad Sami having one of his better days. He beat Shehzad for pace, forcing him to pull right down midwicket’s throat, before a 146 kph yorker crashed into Pietersen’s pads and pinned him lbw.Shadab and Shane Watson then took charge of the middle overs, strangulating Quetta, and continuing to push the run rate down. In the ten overs that began with Shehzad’s dismissal, Quetta managed only 56 runs, and lost four wickets. Powerplays and death overs might make for better talking points, but these middle overs were what handed Islamabad the two points today.The men that won it
Billings seemed to be batting on a different surface to his fellow team-mates, finding the gaps regularly in the first six overs and clearing the ropes periodically thereafter. It wasn’t all guns blazing, either; he was content to show respect where it was due, taking the singles off left-arm spinners Nawaz and Hasan, while unleashing his ire on the pace attack. Perera bore the brunt of Billings’ buffeting, going for 40 in 3.1 overs. It was a mark of Billings’ dominance that by the end the 17th over of the Islamabad innings, no other batsman had a strike rate above 100. Billings, meanwhile, was coasting along at 150.Shane Watson removed Asad Shafiq and Rilee Rossouw•PCB

The drop v the missed stumping
When Rilee Rossouw was on 5 in the first innings, he charged down the track to the young Shadab, missing the ball completely. Haddin, however, fluffed an easy stumping chance, and must have feared the worst after reprieving the South African. Next over, however, Rossouw holed out to deep midwicket. In contrast, when Watson joined Billings with their side wobbling at 72 for 3, he nicked Mohammad Nawaz behind before he had got off the mark. It popped right out of Sarfraz’s hands, and from thereon, Quetta’s fate was sealed. The pair combined for what turned out to be a match-winning 63-run partnership, Watson contributing 36 in 27 balls. He, unlike Rossouw, made the opposition pay.The moment of the match
Hasan, singled out by Moin Khan as the most promising of Quetta’s youngsters, might have been on the losing side, but there was a moment the 18-year old is unlikely to forget. He had been bowling a tight line to opposition captain Misbah-ul-Haq, not hesitating to follow him when he attempted to make room. So when Misbah stepped inside the line to sweep the teenager over fine leg for four, Hasan appeared to be under pressure. Two balls later, he bowled a similar delivery, except he had slid it in with the arm. Misbah attempted the same shot, but he was too late. The ball struck him on the thigh and the umpire raised the finger. Hasan, more than 24 years his junior, had out-thought Pakistan’s most successful Test captain.Where they stand
This result means both Quetta and Islamabad now have two wins from three games. They occupy second and third position respectively on four points each, with Quetta ahead on net run rate.

The Supreme Court has put on hold, for at least a week, the appointment of a committee of administrators which it said would supervise the BCCI until the board amended its constitution as per the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

Court to pick BCCI rep for ICC board meeting

The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI to submit the names of three eligible office bearers from which it would pick one as the board’s representative at the next round of quarterly ICC Board meetings in Dubai from February 2.
On Tuesday, the court told the BCCI legal counsel that the board would need to submit the three names by January 27 for it to make a final decision on the January 30 hearing.
This round of ICC meetings is significant because a raft of global issues that would affect the game, and thus the BCCI as well, are up on the agenda. There is expected to be progress on the vast governance changes ICC board members have been working on, changes that undo much of the administration and revenue distribution measures that were put forth by the Big Three in 2014.
There will also be continued discussions on the shape and format of international cricket in the future. As the board with the biggest financial sway in the game, the BCCI would ordinarily have expected to be a key influence during the meeting.

The court has now sought a fresh list of candidates from the BCCI, as well as from state cricket associations run by the federal government, which stepped into the long-standing case for the first time last week. The new names will have to be submitted in a sealed envelope by January 27. The court has convened the next hearing of the matter on January 30. The case is being heard by a three-judge bench of Dipak Mishra, A M Khanvilkar and D Y Chandrachud.On January 2, after removing the BCCI president Anurag Thakur and board secretary Ajay Shirke, the court had said a committee of administrators would take charge of the BCCI until fresh elections are held. On January 20, nine names were suggested by amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium and senior counsel Anil Divan in a sealed envelope.At that hearing, the three-judge bench was curious over why there were a few people over the age of 70 on that list. The Lodha Committee had placed a cap of 70 for administrators as one of its recommendations which the court had approved in its primary judgement on July 18 last year. On Tuesday, the court made it clear it would not consider any 70-year-olds among the names suggested by Subramanium and Divan.The court also rejected a request from Mukul Rohatgi, the attorney general of India, who asked the order appointing the committee of administrators be delayed by two weeks. Rohatgi told the court that the Indian government was considering formulating a new bill that would provide more autonomy to sports associations.Rohatgi’s original request was for the July 18 order, which had made the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations mandatory across the BCCI, to be reviewed but the court said, “Once we pen an order, it is clear as day that it will be implemented.”Justice Mishra was particularly stern on the counsel from the respondents when they sought to dispute and delay the formation and composition of the committee of administrators.He asked the attorney general why he had not been present through the six months of hearings and arguments over the Lodha recommendations between January and July 2016. “Where were you when SC passed the orders [on appointment of the Lodha committee]?”We are not trying to destroy the autonomy of sports bodies. We are removing the impure elements from them, so that they gain autonomy.”At one point in the hearings on Tuesday, when Kapil Sibal, counsel for some of the state associations, appealed for the BCCI to make its own recommendations for the COA, Justice Mishra pointed out that on January 2, the BCCI had been asked to make its suggestions but had not responded in any manner. He then had Sibal read out loud to open court a section from the January 2 order which stated: “We request the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the parties to also place their suggestions before the court so as to facilitate a considered decision.”When attorney general Rohatgi asked the court to defer a decision by two weeks, stating that the Centre was “mulling” over bringing in a sports code to make sports bodies more autonomous, Mishra who was dictating his order responded by saying, “you are only mulling over it.[]”

Ed Joyce has embarked upon a novel job-sharing deal by continuing his county career at Sussex while accepting a role as batting coach and mentor for Cricket Ireland during the inaugural season of their first-class competition.Joyce’s availability for Sussex sounds tenuous at best, as he also intends to play in Ireland’s inter-provincial competition, but the county are reluctant to abandon links with an influential former captain who remains one of the mainstays of their batting.Sussex’s coach Mark Davis referred to Joyce as “cover for our full-time squad”, but it is highly unlikely that they would not select him automatically in the Championship, even at 38, if and when he was available, considering his Championship average of 64 last season, including a career-best 250 against Derbyshire, and first-class career average approaching 50.Joyce is one of ten players to agree a central Category A contract with Cricket Ireland and his commitment not just to Ireland but the Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Series is a fillip as Ireland attempt to arrest a recent decline and advance their claims to become a full-fledged Test nation.He will be based in Ireland, training with the national squad, and will also take up a specialist batting and leadership coaching role, working with the Shapoorji Pallonji National Academy and Ireland youth squads as well as mentoring some national performance squad players.”Coming back to play full-time for Ireland and also play in the Inter-Provincial series was a big decision but also quite an easy one in the end,” Joyce said. “Test cricket is the pinnacle for any cricketer. Ireland has a huge opportunity in the next few years to play at the highest level and I want to be part of the team that plays Ireland’s first Test match.Joyce has 81 caps in the two limited-overs formats for Ireland and England but never realised his ambitions to play Test cricket before reconfirming his commitment to the country of his birth.”With Ireland’s fixture list growing year on year it makes sense to come back at this stage,” he said. “Also now that the Inter-pros have first-class and List A status, I wanted to be involved right from the start and lend my experience to that competition. It’s a really exciting time to be an Irish cricketer and I can’t wait for the 2017 season to get going.”We’re at the stage where we need to be more consistent and competitive as an international side and we also require the Inter-pros to improve and provide a steady stream of players ready to perform well for Ireland. My focus in the next few years while I’m still playing is to help us achieve both of these goals.”Ireland have ODIs in 2017 against New Zealand, Bangladesh and West Indies on home soil, as well as playing England at Bristol and Lord’s.Cricket Ireland performance director, Richard Holdsworth, welcomed Joyce’s decision to play a full role in the coming season, saying: “It has been one of our strategic objectives to bring players back home from England and for Ed to be the first is very appropriate. He has given great service to Sussex as an outstanding batsman and leader, and we are grateful for their support to Ed’s Ireland career over those years.”Sussex put a brave face on Joyce’s decision, suggesting that he would be available for part of their Specsavers Championship campaign.He joined them in 2009, assuming the captaincy three years later. He skippered Sussex to two successive third-placed finishes in the first division, the highest place that the county has finished since being crowned champions in 2007.”Ed is still one of the best domestic players in the country, and for us to be able to call upon his talents as cover for our full-time squad is fantastic news,” Davis said. “The sheer volume of runs he has scored in recent seasons makes him such an important player for us.”Ed will be a cover player for us and depending on his availability with Ireland, we will have the option of selecting him. He has moved with his family back home to Ireland as his commitments to international cricket with Ireland grow, but to have him available to call upon is a real boost for us.”