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In the match of the tournament, Scotland pulled off a stunning heist in defence of 148 to defeat Netherlands by seven runs

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi17-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCon de Lange produced a telling spell to slow Netherlands’ chase•Peter Della Penna

In the match of the tournament, Scotland pulled off a stunning heist in defence of 148 to defeat Netherlands by seven runs. Only two of the first eight matches have been won by the team fielding second and on both occasions Scotland has been the one to do it, but this victory was particularly remarkable considering the positions they clawed back from in both innings.Sent in to bat, Scotland ended the first six overs at 17 for 3, the worst start in the first six by any side in this event. The middle order led the rescue effort as Richie Berrington and Calum MacLeod added 57 for the fourth wicket. Scotland were seven down though by the end of the 18th over but Netherlands failed to land the knockout punch and paid the price. Safyaan Sharif hit two sixes among the 27 runs that came off the final 12 balls, including one off the final ball of the innings.Netherlands’ batting script was almost a 180-degree flip from the Scotland innings. They raced away in the Powerplay to reach 49 after five overs. Man of the Match Josh Davey sparked Netherlands’ slide by getting Ben Cooper out pulling to deep square leg for 24 and then nailed Tobias Visee on the crease three balls later. An hour later, Davey came back to take two more – Max O’Dowd pulling a bouncer to deep midwicket and Pieter Seelaar lacing another short ball straight to point – and Netherlands were on the verge of a complete meltdown entering the final over needing ten to win with two wickets in hand. Berrington and Sharif then teamed up for run outs off back-to-back balls to seal a memorable escape for Scotland.MacLeod-Berrington déjà vuThe two middle-order batsmen put on a Scotland T20I record 127-run stand for the third wicket against Oman on Saturday. In that situation, they were piling on to the robust start provided by George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer. On Tuesday night, the scenario was far more perilous with both openers plus Matthew Cross all dismissed on 4.Paul van Meekeren had claimed Coetzer and Cross, but Berrington took him on in the 10th, cracking a four through midwicket off a no ball and then used the free hit to smash him past mid-off to spark the Scotland revival. MacLeod targeted Michael Rippon’s left-arm wrist spin, sweeping him both ways for a pair of boundaries until his innings ended in fluke fashion when he chopped the bails off the stumps going back to cut. The pair had done the dirty work to dig Scotland out of the early hole though and give them a fighting chance through the rest of the match.Con Artist Netherlands looked like they were running away with victory behind Cooper and Rippon’s opening partnership. Davey may have struck twice in the sixth to thwart the stand, but it was left-arm spinner Con de Lange’s four-over spell that turned the tide Scotland’s way. He gave up just two off his first over, then struck on the second ball of his second by inducing Wesley Barresi to drive in the air to long-off.Borren swept him in the air barely wide of short fine-leg in his third over for the only boundary he conceded but he bounced back at the start of his final over, beating Rippon’s charge down the wicket to bowl the opener for 42. De Lange never takes big hauls, but the deft brushstrokes he paints on a match canvas via clever flight and control leave a distinct impression on the opposition.Action replayTimm van der Gugten was the man on strike to begin the final over bowled by Sharif. Berrington, arguably Scotland’s best all-round fielder, was positioned at long-on. Tasked with defending ten runs, Sharif was honed in on the blockhole to near perfection.Van der Gugten dug out the first ball back down the ground and it rolled gently to the edge of the circle at mid-on. Van der Gugten was desperate to stay on strike and called Malik back for a desperate second. Berrington charged and fired to Sharif over the stumps to put Scotland one wicket away from victory.Van Meekeren replaced Malik at the non-striker’s end with nine needed off five balls. Sharif ran in again and the sequence that followed was a virtual carbon copy of the previous delivery. Full and straight, chipped down the ground, Berrington locking in like a cyborg to scoop and throw almost all in one motion, Sharif with a clean take and break of the stumps. The second decision for the umpire wasn’t nearly as close as the first as Van Meekeren’s bat got stuck in the turf while his body momentum continued forward. A theatrical tumble to the ground ensued, providing a symbolic ending to the series of Netherlands’ missteps that led to defeat.

Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against India, while Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal are unavailable due to injury

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Aug-2015Uncapped left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the three-Test series against India, while Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal miss out due to injury.Fernando had featured in the Test squads to the UAE and Bangladesh in 2014, but had not been picked to play. He has won his way back to the side largely through his excellent 2015 first class season. He was the most penetrative pace bowler in the Premier League Tournament, with 40 wickets at 21.97. Fernando is part of the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI that is playing the ongoing tour game against the Indians in Colombo and took the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha on the second day.Eranga had been sidelined by a back complaint during the home Tests against Pakistan, and though he had recovered from that injury, he picked up another injury, chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene said. “He was bowling well in the nets, but there is now an issue with his groin. It’s too early to tell whether he is out of the whole series. We’re waiting on the physiotherapist’s report.”Lakmal played against Pakistan, but has been ruled out because of a side strain. He and Eranga had been Sri Lanka’s top pace bowlers in 2014, featuring heavily in wins in Dubai and Dhaka. Eranga had also played a pivotal role in the victory at Headingley against England last year.Dhammika Prasad now leads the pace options in the current squad, with Nuwan Pradeep and Fernando in support. Dushmantha Chameera – who was impressive in his debut against Pakistan – has been named in the squad subject to fitness, however Wijegunawardene said he was “confident Chameera would be ok for the Galle Test”, though “whether we will risk him in that match or not is a decision that’s yet to be made”.The batting and spin departments feature no major surprises. Lahiru Thirimanne has been retained despite a slim run of Test scores and a score of 5 in the first innings of the practice match in Khettarama. Kithuruwan Vithanage, who played in the first two Tests against Pakistan, has been dropped from the squad. Kusal Perera has been named again, as have Jehan Mubarak and Upul Tharanga, who both played in the third Test in Pallekele.Spinners Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera and Tharindu Kaushal all find places in the squad. Dinesh Chandimal is the frontline wicket keeper, though Kusal is also an option behind the stumps, if he can find a place in the XI.The series will be Kumar Sangakkara’s final Test foray. Sri Lanka Cricket has granted free entrance to the Galle Test for school children.The first Test begins on August 12.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera (subject to fitness)

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title

The Report by Alex Malcolm09-Jan-2013
ScorecardAlex Hales smashed eight sixes in his 89•Getty Images

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title. Hales, fresh off the plane from the UK having been flown in to replace the injured Marlon Samuels, smashed 89 from 52 balls to guide the Renegades to a match-winning total of 178 after they elected to bat. It was a one-sided affair as the Sixers fell 29 short.Many wondered how the Renegades batting would fare without their dominant captain Aaron Finch, absent with international duties, but Hales answered that with a hailstorm of sixes – eight in all, along with five fours.The Renegades started poorly when the out-of-form Daniel Harris faced nine balls for just one run, before being stumped off the Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake. Hales also began cautiously, managing three runs from his first 11 balls, before tearing into Josh Hazlewood. He clubbed two fours, two sixes, and was dropped by the bowler in his follow-through in a frenetic fifth over. Alex Doolan fell off the first ball of the next to leave the Renegades at 2 for 38 after the Powerplay.It brought Ben Rohrer to the crease. The acting Renegades captain was released by the Sixers after the Champions League and has proved a brilliant acquisition for the Melbourne side. He continued his red-hot form, combining with Hales for a 112-run partnership in just 10.3 overs.
Rohrer found the gaps while Hales peppered the crowd with big hits, with both gaining reprieves from a woeful Sixers fielding effort.Steve O’Keefe felt the brunt of Hales’ brutality. Twice in the 11th over, Hales slog swept O’Keefe into the Members Stand. Then in the 15th Hales clobbered O’Keefe again, clearing the fence four times. One landing on the roof of the Members Stand was measured at 111m, with the following ball travelling 109m in the same direction. Hales holed out to Moises Henriques in the next over but the damage was done.Rohrer quietly passed fifty for the second time in the tournament, off just 33 deliveries. The Renegades scored 113 from the last ten overs, the anomaly being that Senanayake and Brett Lee each bowled their full quota of four overs for just 19 runs, with the other four bowlers getting smashed for more than 11 runs-per-over.The Sixers’ chase started horrendously, losing four for 46 inside seven overs. Three fell meekly pulling soft catches to midwicket. The exception was Nic Maddinson who nicked Nathan Rimmington to the keeper.O’Keefe arrived, intent on erasing the 50 runs he conceded with the ball. He played some unorthodox strokes, found the rope five times and cleared it once. Hales gave him a life when he lost the ball in the lights at deep midwicket.O’Keefe’s unorthodoxy proved his undoing. He walked well outside the off stump to paddle Darren Pattinson fine, only to find the keeper’s gloves, although replays suggested it might have been pad rather than bat causing the deflection. Daniel Smith holed out to Pattinson in the same over to give the seamer his third scalp.Rimmington returned to clean up Senanayake and Hazlewood to also claim three wickets. The Renegades’ 29-run win was all the more impressive, given the absences of Finch, Samuels, and Muttiah Muralitharan who was rested. Asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed got an opportunity to play his first professional match in Australia, in Murali’s place, to cap an uplifting night for the Melbourne side. They now wait to see who they will host a home semi-final next Tuesday.

The PCB has denied Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi permission to play this season’s Big Bash League (BBL) to ensure the trio’s participation in their domestic Twenty20 tournament ahead of the tour of India

Umar Farooq15-Nov-2012The PCB has denied Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi permission to play this season’s Big Bash League (BBL), the Australia Twenty20 league, to ensure the trio’s participation in their domestic Twenty20 tournament ahead of the tour of India. Akmal had signed with Sydney Sixers and Ajmal with Adelaide Strikers for the season, while Afridi would have moved from Melbourne Renegades to Sydney Thunder.The PCB had earlier issued the players No Objection Certificates to play in the BBL that begins on December 7. The PCB’s national T20 championship is set to be played between December 2 and 10, and will be followed by a week-long conditioning camp before the team leaves for India on December 22.Ajmal and Akmal, who signed with their respective BBL teams earlier this month, had not played in the league’s inaugural edition. Afridi had moved to Thunder during the transfer window in July. In the last season, for Renegades, while he did not have much of an impact with the bat – he made 69 in four innings – he was their leading wicket-taker, with 10 scalps at 20.80 apiece.Sydney Thunder will now move to find a replacement for Afridi. The franchise’s general manager, John Dyson, said he was disappointed with this late development: “Afridi is one of the most exciting and popular T20 players in the world. It is a pity that our Thunder supporters, many of whom follow Afridi closely, will miss out on seeing him first hand this season at our home ground.”Adelaide Strikers have also begun the hunt for Ajmal’s replacement. “We’ve already started hunting for an international replacement and, let me assure you, there are some really exciting prospects out there, ” Jamie Cox, SACA’s Director of Cricket, said. “Once we’ve finalised Ajmal’s replacement, Striker fans will be the first to know.”

Ben Stokes rewrote Durham’s one-day record books with a superb unbeaten 150 but still finished up on the losing side after Warwickshire stepped up their defence of their Clydesdale Bank 40 title at Edgbaston

22-May-2011
ScorecardBen Stokes rewrote Durham’s one-day record books with a superb unbeaten 150 but still finished up on the losing side after Warwickshire stepped up their defence of their Clydesdale Bank 40 title at Edgbaston.Stokes’ innings was the highest by a Durham batsman in one-day cricket, surpassing the 145 that former England batsman John Morris made against Leicestershire in a Benson and Hedges Cup match 16 years ago.However, Warwickshire’s batsmen also enjoyed themselves on a flat pitch to seal a seven-wicket win. Ireland captain William Porterfield and Varun Chopra launched the run chase with an opening stand of 144 in 18 overs and Mohammad Yousuf and Darren Maddy accelerated Warwickshire to their fourth win in six matches with an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 109.Chopra passed 1,000 runs in all cricket this season in his stylish 80, made from just 70 balls – although he was outscored by Porterfield, who turned a 30-ball 50 into 84 from just 51 balls. Last week Porterfield and Chopra shared a Warwickshire one-day record opening stand of 189 against Leicestershire – and a severely-depleted Durham attack was no match for them today.Durham managed to dislodge the openers and Jim Troughton but there was no respite for their bowlers as Yousuf swept Warwickshire to victory with 21 balls to spare, with a brutal unbeaten 74 from 55 balls. The visitors’ total of 286 for three was their highest one-day score against Warwickshire and it owed much to Stokes and support from Gordon Muchall and Dale Benkenstein.Muchall passed 50 for the fifth time in six matches this season and shared a third-wicket stand of 157 in 24 over with Stokes before he holed out to long-on aiming for his second six. Benkenstein played a resourceful innings, with 42 not out from 27 balls, while Stokes was at his most aggressive.The 19-year-old left-hander used superb timing and brute strength to flay a toiling Warwickshire attack as he accelerated a run-a-ball half-century to an 88-ball century and 150 from just 113 balls when he scrambled a single from the last ball of the innings.His seven sixes included an audacious reverse paddle off slow left-armer Paul Best, which landed halfway up the Eric Hollies Stand. Stokes, who toured the West Indies with England Lions earlier this year, also drove Maddy for a six out of the ground over long-on in an innings of controlled aggression.

Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, has termed MS Dhoni as the best captain in the team’s history

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2011Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, has called MS Dhoni the greatest Indian captain. Dhoni led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup, with a crucial unbeaten 91 in the final against Sri Lanka and Ganguly said Dhoni’s leadership record in each of the game’s three formats spoke for itself.”There can’t be any doubt about it,” Ganguly told . “Dhoni is the greatest captain of our country. His record is proof of that. Under Dhoni, India have won the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Under him, India have become the No. 1 ranked side in Test cricket. And now, we have won the World Cup. Obviously, he is the greatest ever captain to lead India.”Ganguly’s pronouncement came a day after Sachin Tendulkar rated Dhoni as the best captain he had played under. Dhoni made his international debut under Ganguly, before becoming a key player under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. Eventually, Dhoni took over the reins of the side and Ganguly even played under him in the closing stages of his international career.Ganguly said he was sure India would win the tournament once they got past their 2003 nemesis, Australia. “When they beat Australia in the quarter-finals, I knew India would win the World Cup,” Ganguly said. “A lot of people thought Sri Lanka would win, but I was confident.”

Only one wicket falls all day as Somerset toil in vain at Trent Bridge

ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2024Nottinghamshire 360 and 425 for 2 (Slater 168*, Hameed 91, Young 68*, Stone 63) drew with Somerset 470 (Abell 111, Pretorius 95*, Pennington 5-96) Nottinghamshire opener Ben Slater turned the 13th hundred of his career into an unbeaten 168 but a lifeless final-day pitch had consigned this Vitality County Championship match to a draw long before that conclusion was reached with an exchange of handshakes at ten minutes to five as the home side declared on 425 for two.Only one wicket fell in 72 overs on the day, Slater finishing on a score he has bettered only twice in his career, with overseas batter Will Young making 68 not out after Olly Stone had been out for 63 nine overs after lunch, the England fast bowler again showing off his batting skills with a half-century in each innings for the first time in his career.There was too little in the pitch to encourage much interest for the bowlers, however, and it was hardly surprising that Nottinghamshire showed no interest in setting Somerset a target, given that their prospects of taking 10 wickets were almost non-existent.The 13 points they take ensure they remain at a comfortable distance from the relegation places in the Division One table; Somerset’s 15 keep them third.After sharing an opening partnership of 172 with Haseeb Hameed that was broken shortly before Tuesday’s close, Slater found two more long-term companions in Stone and Young.Stone ostensibly joined him as nightwatchman with Hameed’s demise but is making a strong case to be recognised as a genuine all-rounder.The 30-year-old England fast bowler had made only one half-century in 47 first-class matches before surprising onlookers with a very good 90 against Lancashire on this ground in May but now has three in his last five innings.This time he chipped in with 63 to go with his first-innings 83 batting at nine. Not all of his nine boundaries came off the middle of the bat, yet his defence was solid and he had helped Slater add another 136 before Jake Ball, using a belatedly taken second new ball, thudded one into his front pad as he played across the line.Slater, meanwhile, whose stand with Hameed had been the highest for Nottinghamshire’s first wicket since two shared an unbroken 236 against Worcestershire in 2021, was by then into three figures for the first time this season, reaching the century mark with a six and 12 fours, a good proportion of which clunked into the advertising boards on the short Bridgford Road side as the left-hander cut and pulled to profitable effect.When Stone departed, Nottinghamshire’s lead was 198 and, with little in the pitch to excite bowlers of any variety, Somerset could only hope a declaration might keep them in the game.Yet the docile surface meant that realistically there could be only one winner in such a scenario and there was nothing in the way Slater and Young went about their business to suggest that such a course of action was even being considered.Meanwhile Slater – dropped on 21 – pushed on past 150 for the third time in his career, having ticked off that milestone from 317 balls with 19 fours to go with the one six. By tea, at 396 for two, the lead was 286 with 37 overs remaining.New Zealand Test opener Young, whose only noteworthy score in a disappointing season so far was his unbeaten 174 in the drawn match between these sides at Taunton, almost missed out on a half-century, dropped at short midwicket by James Rew, who had handed the wicketkeeper’s gloves to Tom Kohler-Cadmore and later became the ninth Somerset player to have a bowl.

CSK seem to have run out of gas after being the pace-setters early on, but are still in the top four on the table

Deivarayan Muthu05-May-20235:48

Can Mumbai’s in-form batters overcome resurgent Jadeja and Co?

Big picture – MI have the wood on CSK at Chepauk

The last time Chennai Super Kings lost two home games in the league stage of an IPL season was way back in 2013. After they suffered a last-ball defeat to Punjab Kings last weekend, CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming suggested that the Impact Player rule has allowed teams to go harder at oppositions this IPL – both Adam Zampa and Prabhsimran Singh, who had been brought in as Impact Players for the two games, messed with CSK’s plans and set them up for rare home defeats.But even before the introduction of the Impact Player, Mumbai Indians had breached CSK’s fortress multiple times. In fact, MI have a dominant 6-2 win-loss record against CSK at Chepauk, and are on a six-match winning streak against CSK at the venue.Related

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MI’s recent form is also encouraging: they’ve won five of their last seven games, with their middle order, in particular, dripping with explosive power and class. Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David and Tilak Varma have all contributed handsomely to MI becoming the first IPL team to hunt down 200-plus totals in back-to-back games. MI also have depth in their spin attack, which will be handy if Chepauk rolls out a black-soil turner.As for CSK, they seem to have run out of gas after having been the pace-setters in the first half of the season. Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali are yet to properly fire with the bat while Tushar Deshpande has leaked runs at the death although he has the knack of taking wickets in clusters. Deepak Chahar, who had pulled up injured when CSK and MI last met at the Wankhede, is fit again and could lend some experience and powerplay bite to their attack.A win for CSK on Saturday could potentially take them back to the top two, while a win for MI could see them break away from the mid-table logjam and enter the top half of the standings.

The big question

Team news – Hrithik Shokeen could return for MI

MI are usually big on match-ups, so they might bring back offspinner Hrithik Shokeen against a left-hander-heavy CSK line-up. There is no official news from CSK’s camp on whether Ben Stokes is available for selection – he has been batting and bowling in the nets over the past week. Sisanda Magala has also resumed both batting and bowling in the nets, but with Matheesha Pathirana establishing himself as CSK’s go-to death bowler, there is no room for him.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings: NRLLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLLW

Impact Player strategy

As far as the Impact Player is concerned, CSK have followed a fairly consistent pattern, with Rayudu replacing one of the bowlers when they chase. They could start with Deshpande if they bowl first and replace him with Rayudu in the second innings, or vice versa.CSK Probable XII: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 , 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 If the Chepauk pitch plays true to its nature, MI could consider using left-arm-all-sorts spinner Kumar Kartikeya as an Impact Player and strengthen their spin attack even further. Suryakumar might make way for Kartikeya if MI go down this route.MI Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 , 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tim David, 7 Nehal Wadhera, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Hrithik Shokeen, 11 Akash Madhwal/Arshad Khan, 12 Matheesha Pathirana has been a revelation for CSK at the death•AFP/Getty Images

Stats and Trivia

• David has a strike rate of 199 between overs 16 and 20 this season – the highest among batters who have faced at least 60 balls in this phase. Jadeja, in comparison, has struck at only 146 in this phase.
• MI have the worst death-overs economy rate (13.36) in the IPL. CSK have fared much better in this phase, conceding 10.47 an over.
• Piyush Chawla has a good head-to-head record against Rayudu in the IPL, having dismissed him six times in 13 innings while giving up only nine boundaries in 53 balls against him.
• Rohit Sharma holds the unwanted record of having bagged the joint-most ducks in the IPL. Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh and Sunil Narine have also collected 15 ducks each in the tournament.

Pitch and conditions

While the Chepauk pitches in this IPL have offered some purchase for spinners, the true bounce has allowed batters to hit through the line. The overhead conditions were overcast when MI and CSK started training on the eve of the game and there’s also some rain forecast for Saturday evening.

Quotes

“We’ve played [Lasith] Malinga in the nets when I came here in Mumbai Indians and that gives us a lot of confidence. He was a legend and we did practice well when he was bowling, so we will just look to watch the ball and play our own game.”

Mujeeb ur Rahman,who has been named among the reserves, will be added to the main squad once he gets his visa sorted

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2022Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Naveen-ul-Haq have been named in Afghanistan’s 16-member squad for the five-match T20I series in Ireland. Spinners Qais Ahmad and Mujeeb ur Rahman, who were not part of Afghanistan’s series against Zimbabwe in June due to T20 Blast commitments, have been added as reserves. ESPNcricinfo understands that Mujeeb will be added to the main squad once he gets his visa sorted. Ihsanullah Janat, who made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe, has been left out.Opening batter Ibrahim was part of the ODI side for the Zimbabwe tour, but his last T20I was in November 2019 against West Indies. He has been in good form in the ongoing Shpageeza Cricket League, where he is currently the third highest run-getter with 283 runs in seven innings at an average of 56.60. Top-order batter Shahidi was also part of the ODI series against Zimbabwe and last played a T20I in March 2021. Fast bowler Naveen, who has not represented Afghanistan in any format since November last year, was the second highest wicket-taker in the T20 Blast this season, taking 24 wickets in 14 matches for Leicestershire.Top-order batter Usman Ghani and seam bowler Nijat Masood, who were part of the side that played against Zimbabwe, will also travel to Ireland as reserves along with Qais and Mujeeb.Mohammad Nabi continues to lead the side, which also includes 17-year-old left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad, who took 4 for 10 on his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in June.Former Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib was left out of the squad once again, after being dropped following the ODI series against Bangladesh in February. He was omitted from the T20I series of that tour and has not represented Afghanistan since.The series against Ireland comprises five T20Is in Belfast and starts on August 9. To avoid visa issues that have plagued Afghanistan of late, the Afghanistan Cricket Board had obtained UAE residency visas for nearly dozen players and officials.Afghanistan squad: Mohammad Nabi (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharfuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmed

Rafiq has alleged it was an “open secret” that the name “Kevin” was used to describe people of colour

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2021Alex Hales has denied “any racial connotation” in naming his dog ‘Kevin’ after Azeem Rafiq alleged that the name was used by former Yorkshire team-mate Gary Ballance “to describe people of colour”.Rafiq told a parliamentary hearing into the Yorkshire County Cricket Club racism scandal on Tuesday that he believed Hales, the former England batter, had named his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black.In a statement released on Wednesday, Hales said: “Having heard the allegations made against me, I categorically and absolutely deny there was any racial connotation in the naming of my dog.”I entirely respect and have huge sympathy for both the stance Azeem Rafiq has taken and what he has had to endure. His evidence was harrowing.”There is no place for racism or discrimination of any kind in cricket and I will gladly cooperate with any investigation the game’s authorities choose to hold. Neither I nor my representatives will be making any further comment on the matter.”Related

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Hales’ county club, Nottinghamshire, said it had “commenced the appropriate internal process” following Rafiq’s claims.”Following on from the testimony provided to the DCMS Select Committee regarding Alex Hales, we have commenced the appropriate internal process and will continue to liaise with Alex and his advisers accordingly,” a club statement said.The club also encouraged “anyone who wishes to share concerns or discuss their experiences to come forward and speak freely” either directly or through the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC).”Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club remains totally committed to making cricket in our county, at every level, welcoming and accessible for all,” the statement said. “We have always tried to create positive and fulfilling cricketing experiences for people from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, and we will continue to do so.”We acknowledge that, given the experiences recently being shared within the wider game, individuals may not have felt comfortable in voicing their concerns in the past.”We would encourage anyone who wishes to share concerns or discuss their experiences to come forward and speak freely… it is vital that individuals do so, in order for the game of cricket to learn and move forward together.”Alex Hales says he will cooperate with any investigation into racism claims•Getty Images

During the hearing, before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee, Rafiq was asked by Julian Knight MP, the committee chair, about references to the word “Kevin” in Yorkshire’s controversial report into Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the club.Rafiq replied that it was a derogatory word used by Ballance to describe non-white team-mates. “It was an open secret in the England dressing room,” he said. “Anyone who came across Gary would know that was a phrase he would use to describe people of colour.”Rafiq then alleged that Hales had picked up on the word and named his dog ‘Kevin’ because it was black. “It’s disgusting how much of a joke it was,” Rafiq added.