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ESPNcricinfo understands that the board has suspended 236 players in the last two years

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Aug-2020In its most high-profile move against age fraud, the BCCI has proposed an amnesty scheme accompanied by a system of punishments for offenders. Under this, registered players will get an opportunity to voluntarily declare any age fraud and avoid suspension if they provide their actual date of birth, but face bans if they are found to have breached this.A press statement from the board on Monday said that if the BCCI discovered such a fraud after the deadline of declaration – September 15, 2020 – the players could be banned for two years and barred from any age-group tournaments even after the ban ended. That rule would be both applicable both at the India and the state levels.ALSO READ: Indian cricket’s age-fraud problemAge fraud, as the BCCI said, has been a “menace: in Indian cricket for long specifically at age-group level: Under-16, Under 19 and Under 23 (both men women categories).” ESPNcricinfo understands that in the last two years itself, the BCCI has suspended 236 players – 210 men and 26 women. A total of 159 players were detected to have committed age fraud in 2019-20 season.Rahul Dravid, the former India captain who is now director of cricket at the National Cricket Academy, has long considered age fraud as “seriously detrimental” to the culture of Indian cricket. Dravid reiterated that stance in the media release on Monday.”Age fraud is a serious matter and is detrimental to the health of the sport,” Dravid said. “Many youngsters who are supposed to be playing in a particular age group fail to make it owing to age fraud. With the BCCI taking stern actions to curb this, it is only advisable for the players to come forward and abide by the directives issued by the board.”Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, has underlined his commitment to “providing a level-playing field across all age groups”. “The BCCI has been taking steps to counter age fraud and are now introducing even stricter measures from the upcoming domestic season. Those who do not voluntarily disclose their misdemeanour will be punished heavily and will be banned for two years,” he said.How does the age verification process work?As part of the age verification process, at Under-19 level, the player has to submit his birth certificate along with as many documents concerning his school/college educational reports. For the Under-16 category, the BCCI conducts a one-time TW3 (Tanner-Whitehouse3) bone maturation test at the Under-16 level only. The TW3 test, adopted by the BCCI in 2012, allows accurate estimation of a player’s age by the analysis of x-rays of the lower end of the player’s forearm.Going forward, from the 2020-21 season, the BCCI said only players aged between 14 and 16 will be permitted to register for the Under-16 level. For the Under-19 category, if a player’s birth certificate has a date two years after his actual date of birth, there will a cap imposed on the number of years the player can feature at that level.Nonetheless, players have managed to bypass these rules. Last year, the BCCI banned Rasikh Salam, the Jammu & Kashmir pace bowler who represented Mumbai Indians in one IPL game, for two years for submitting a faulty birth certificate when registering with the board. At the time, he was part of the India Under-19 side to play a triangular one-day series in Bangladesh.ALSO READ: Age-fudging no different from fixing – Rahul DravidThe BCCI introduced a 24-hour helpline last year (see footnote) to report age and domicile fraud. Upon receiving complaints, the BCCI has launched investigations that reach out to the players’ schools, hospitals of birth, local municipalities and panchayats etc. to verify the documentation provided.Domicile fraudThe voluntary disclosure scheme will not apply to domicile fraud, which also carries a two-year ban. The number of such cases might have gone up with newer states qualifying to play Ranji Trophy in accordance with Lodha reforms. So, a player qualified to play for a more established state might find it easier to get selected for newer states.The BCCI also said players under the age of 14 would not be allowed to play in Under-16 tournaments. And those whose birth was registered more than two years after the date of birth would be allowed to play only a certain number of years in the Under-19 events. It didn’t spell out the restriction.

The fast bowler, who turned his back on an international career with South Africa, reiterated that his decision to relocate to Yorkshire was the best for his and his family’s future

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2019Having decided to end his South Africa international career last month, following a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire, fast bowler Duanne Olivier has revealed his hopes of playing Test cricket for England.”I accept that my Test career is over for South Africa but if I do well, hopefully in the future, I can play for England,” Olivier told . “You always need to put your mind to certain goals.”Maybe people will think it’s unrealistic but for me, if I really do well, you never know. I can’t tell you what will happen in the future. All I can do, as of now, is control what I am doing this season and give 100% every game.”In February, Olivier agreed to a three-year county deal with Yorkshire, subject to clearance through Kolpak regulations. He had also turned down a two-year contract with Cricket South Africa, offered to him as an incentive to continue playing for the national side. While announcing his decision, Olivier stated in an Instagram post that the decision to turn his back on South Africa was “possibly the most difficult … I’ll ever have to make”.Addressing the criticism around his move, especially him having given up a possible spot in the World Cup squad, Olivier he didn’t personally feel he would be part of South Africa’s World Cup attack, given the already existing variety in the bowling line-up. He also reiterated that the decision to play for Yorkshire had been made keeping in mind his future and that of his family.”I can understand that people are upset but I have not played a lot of one-day cricket, especially for South Africa or the A side,” he said. “‘I made my ODI debut only this year and, over those couple of games I think they were seeing what I could offer. Personally, I don’t think I would have been in the World Cup squad as they have enough bowlers. I wasn’t looking too far ahead at World Cup spots being up for grabs, it was just taking it day by day.”For me, it was just the best decision to make. For me and my family, re-locating is the best decision for our future. I realise some people will understand and some people won’t at all but it doesn’t really faze me what they think. At the end of the day, it’s about what I want to do. I want to see things going forward and I feel like my cricket will improve playing county cricket.”An aggressive fast bowler, Olivier made his Test debut in Johannesburg in January 2017 – ironically as a replacement for Kyle Abbott, who signed a Kolpak deal with Hampshire – and took 48 wickets in ten Tests at an average of 19.25. He featured in two Tests on South Africa’s tour of England in July and August 2017, at Trent Bridge and Old Trafford, and returned to the country in 2018 as an overseas player for Derbyshire.He had an impressive run in Test cricket over the last two home series for South Africa – in three matches against Pakistan, Olivier took 24 wickets – the most on either side – and followed it up with seven wickets in two Tests against Sri Lanka. Olivier also played two ODIs against Pakistan – his only matches in the format – after being called to the ODI team as a cover for Dale Steyn.Olivier has prior county experience. In 2018, he turned out for Derbyshire in the County Championship Division 2, taking 31 wickets in seven first-class matches, and 13 wickets in eight List A matches. Yorkshire, who are in Division 1 of the Championship, will begin their campaign against Nottingham on April 5.

North Zone finished on top of the table after the last round of matches before the break for this year’s Dhaka Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2018East Zone and Central Zone played out a high-scoring draw at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna. In a match of several notable individual performances, Zakir Hasan scored his maiden double-hundred, while five other East Zone batsmen made centuries. East Zone made 735 for 6, the third highest team score in Bangladesh’s first-class history. Zakir top-scored with 211 off 320 balls, hitting 23 fours. He added 193 runs for the third wicket with Liton Das who made 112 off 186 balls with eight fours and a six.Zakir then added 132 runs for the fourth wicket with Tasamul Haque who made 60, before departing on the second day, following which Yasir Ali and Alok Kapali also struck hundreds. Yasir made 132 off 175 balls with 12 fours and two sixes while Kapali blasted an unbeaten 165 off 139 balls with nine sixes and 10 fours.Central Zone were then bowled out for 428 after fifties from Shadman Islam, Raqibul Hasan, Marshall Ayub, Shuvagata Hom and Tanbir Hayder. Sohag Gazi was the pick of the bowlers, taking 7 for 141 in 46.1 overs.There was enough time for two more centuries in the game. East Zone openers Tasamul Haque and Mehedi Maruf made unbeaten scores of 108 and 111 respectively during their unbroken first wicket stand of 226 runs in 52 overs in the second innings.Junaid Siddique raises his bat after notching up his century•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Junaid Siddique scored hundreds in each innings during North Zone’s drawn match against South Zone. They are now on top of the points table with 34 points as the Bangladesh Cricket League heads into a break for the Dhaka Premier League List-A competition that begins next month.Batting first, North Zone were bowled out for 408 runs after a big opening stand. Mizanur Rahman and Junaid added 169 runs, with both getting hundreds. Mizanur made 106 off 155 balls with 16 fours while Junaid, who batted till the 96th over, struck 13 fours and two sixes in his 137 off 238 balls. Dhiman Ghosh and Taijul Islam later struck fifties.Abdur Razzak, who recently became the first Bangladeshi to take 500 first-class wickets, took six wickets in the first innings from his 34.2 overs.South Zone took a 25-run lead wit their 433 runs in 115.1 overs. Tushar Imran, who recently became the first Bangladeshi to reach 10,000 first-class runs, top-scored with 148. Imrul Kayes made 118 off 131 balls and the pair added 143 runs for the third wicket.Taijul Islam and Shafiul Islam took four wickets each, following which North Zone batted 71.3 overs in the second innings. Junaid made 150 off 170 balls with 16 fours and a six. He added 109 runs for the fourth wicket with Naeem Islam who chipped in with 61, before adding 160 runs for the fifth wicket with Ariful Haque who remained unbeaten on 103 when the match ended.

For all his white-ball exploits in 2016, David Warner has endured one of his poorest years in Test cricket but is confident the tide will turn

Brydon Coverdale in Melbourne24-Dec-20162:07

I’m hitting them well in the nets – Warner

It’s been a big year for David Warner.In January, he won the Allan Border Medal for the first time. Also in January he became a father for the second time, with the birth of his daughter Indi Rae.In August, he captained Australia for the first time, leading them to ODI and T20 series wins over Sri Lanka. Also in August, he was named Australia’s Sporting Father of the Year.In September, he smashed two ODI hundreds in South Africa, and in December he plundered back-to-back centuries against New Zealand in the Chappell-Hadlee Series. In all, 2016 has been a stunning year for Warner in ODIs: 1388 runs at 63.09 and seven hundreds. Only Sachin Tendulkar has made more ODI centuries in a year (nine in 1998).Along the way, Warner has earned a new nickname from his team-mates. Once, he was the Bull, but they believe the Bull has been tamed somewhat by the responsibilities of vice-captaincy and fatherhood. He is now The Reverend.And yet for all the white-ball runs that Warner has made in 2016, for all the personal highlights along the way, there is one considerable caveat: 2016 has been Warner’s worst year in Test cricket. With just one Test left in the year, he has managed just 604 runs at 35.52; prior to 2016, his lowest yearly tally was 788, scored in 2012, which was his first full year as a Test cricketer.Warner’s only Test hundred of 2016 so far came in the first Test of the year, the washed-out SCG Test against West Indies in January. There, he blasted a quick unbeaten 122, but it was an innings of no value, for it came on day five as Australia batted for the first time in a match that was utterly ruined by rain. In 18 innings, he has only two half-centuries and that one hundred.”It’s just a little bit of a cycle, I think,” Warner said on Saturday. “I go out there every time I go out to bat, trying to put as many runs as I can on the board. Same mindset, same sort of process I go through with training.”At the moment I’m hitting them well enough in the nets and not making them in the middle. The tide will change. Many players before have experienced the same thing. I’ve just got to keep a level head, cool head and make sure that I watch every ball as hard and as closely as I can.”One of Warner’s more surprising failures in 2016 came in his most recent innings, when he was beaten for pace by Mohammad Amir and pulled a catch on 12. It was the second innings at the Gabba and Australia already had a lead of nearly 300. Warner had license to look for quick runs to build a big target, precisely the sort of innings in which he has often thrived before.”In the nets I’m hitting them well. But you’ve got to try and take that out on the field,” he said. “Sometimes you see a ball there that might be to hit, like the other day. Probably in white-ball cricket I wouldn’t think twice about pulling that ball, and the other day he beat me for pace.”They’re just the little things that come into your mind, going ‘okay, we’ve got some runs on the board, I want to up the ante a little bit’. You can afford to do that. It’s just about execution, and the other day was a bit of poor execution. I’ve got to keep going out there and backing myself.”And while Warner would love nothing more than to finish the year with a bang, history suggests it will be tough. Not only has 2016 been his least productive Test year, the MCG is his least productive Test venue. It is the only Test ground in Australia at which Warner has not scored a century, and the only one where he averages less than 50. His MCG average? 24.22.Warner has so far played in five Boxing Day Tests and has managed only one half-century – he made 62 against Sri Lanka at the MCG four years ago. Last year, he made starts in both innings against West Indies but then fell playing his shots against short deliveries. Perhaps Warner would do well to heed the words MCG curator David Sandurski.”Melbourne isn’t the sort of wicket where you can’t just go blasting off from ball one,” Sandurski said on Saturday. “You’ve got to take your time and get used to the conditions, because the weather here can be so inconsistent that it is hard to get a wicket spot-on. It’s a pretty good idea for a batsman to be cautious early before he gets going.”A good idea in theory, maybe. But good luck preaching caution to this Reverend.

The chance to show off their depth rather than the concerns of whether the waters may be too shallow is how Hashim Amla has described the challenge South Africa face in Bangalore

Firdose Moonda in Bangalore13-Nov-20152:12

‘Fortunate to have depth in our bowling’ – Amla

The chance to show off their depth rather than the concerns of whether the waters may be too shallow is how Hashim Amla has described the challenge South Africa face in Bangalore. His team go into the match without two of three first-choice fast bowlers, after Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn were ruled out of the series and match respectively, leaving South Africa with a young attack who Amla believes will be able to fill big shoes.”A series is generally won with 15 players and not just 11,” Amla said. “Obviously losing Dale – the best bowler in the world – and Vernon – arguably the best allrounder in the world – changes the dynamics of our team but the guys who are going to be replacing them are quality cricketers and we are very fortunate to have great depth in our bowling attack.”South Africa’s new-look pace pack will be led by Morne Morkel, who has recovered from the quad strain that kept him out of the last two ODIs and the first Test, and seconded by Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada. Between them, they have played just four Tests and Rabada only one – South Africa’s previous one in Mohali – but they will be need to take on the roles of much more experienced men. But Amla brushed off worries about his attack being too green.”Things like this happen and sometimes you get fairy tales coming out of these type of things. If Kyle rocks up and has an amazing day then so be it,” he said.Abbott has already been part of one Cinderella story. On debut, he stood in for Jacques Kallis, who missed the 2013 Centurion Test against Pakistan with a calf injury and became the second most successful South African on debut. He took 7 for 29 in the first innings and finished the match with nine scalps.Although he has not had the same success in the two other Tests he played – as part of a four-man pace pack against Australia in March 2014 and against West Indies in December 2014 – he has done well when filling in for the likes of Philander and Steyn in ODI cricket and is regarded as South Africa’s go-to deputiser.”Over the last couple of years Kyle has been one of our outstanding reserve bowlers. Whenever he has had an opportunity for us in T20s, ODIs and even in Tests, he has done exceptionally well,” Amla said. “It’s great to have him back.”Abbott will be back barely after stepping off the plane, having arrived in India on Thursday evening. Less than 48 hours later he could be on the field but Amla is not worried about jet-lag either. “Kyle is a wonderful professional and when he puts his boots on he’s ready, even if he got off the plane 10 minutes before he bowled the first ball,” Amla said.South Africa’s desperation to use Abbott comes because they see him as a like-for-like replacement for both Philander and Steyn because of his consistency and his ability to swing the ball. “He brings a little bit of what Vernon brings in terms of consistency, you kind of know what you are going to get, he is extremely consistent in where he lands the ball,” Amla said. “He brings a lot of control and he has got a great know-how of what he wants to do.”Abbott stood in for Philander at the 2015 World Cup, where he played four matches including the quarter-final because Philander was battling a hamstring injury. Abbott finished with South Africa’s best average in the tournament – 14.44 – and was controversially replaced in the semi-final when Philander regained fitness. The irony of Abbott now replacing Philander will not be lost on the many who followed the story of Abbott being left out of the semi-final XI for what was later revealed as political, not tactical, considerations.This time there are no politics involved, only strategy. South Africa seem set on three seamers in every match, not fewer, because they don’t want to leave too much for their part-timer bowlers, specifically JP Duminy, to do. Duminy has recovered from a cut on his hand and will be back in the XI but selector Ashwell Prince, speaking on a television show, said Duminy’s focus should be his batting.”I would like him, if he comes back into the team, to play as a batsman, a world-class batsman… the responsibility of his off spin needs to come off his shoulders. It must be seen as a bonus, as with Dean Elgar’s left-arm spin,” Prince said.Amla seems to be leaning the same way. He spoke about Duminy’s value as a batsmen above the options he provides with ball in hand. “JP has been a quality player over many years for us. He bats in a crucial position down at No. 5, 6 and 7. In all forms of cricket, that’s the business end of the game,” Amla said. “He brings a lot of know-how and experience to the middle order and his off spin has been vital for us.”Duminy will do some bowling but all indications are that South Africa will continue to rely on their traditional strength in seamers although not all their strong men are available anymore.

Dinesh Karthik has returned to the national squad almost three years after he last played for India

Amol Karhadkar04-May-2013Ever since he burst on to the domestic scene as a teenager more than a
decade ago, Dinesh Karthik has been considered as a prodigious talent with the bat. Add to it his skills as a wicketkeeper and exceptional fielder and he becomes an all-round package.But without consistent performances, talent doesn’t get you too far. As a result, it wasn’t a surprise when Karthik was dropped from the Indian team after an ordinary outing during the tri-series in Dambulla where he scored 33 runs in five innings against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.Similarly, after a season in which Karthik was at his consistent best, nobody was surprised when Karthik returned to India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, to be played in England from June 6. Even the man himself wasn’t surprised.”I am happy about it [selection]. I’ve been batting well and it feels good when your efforts are rewarded,” Karthik said. He has been in exceptional touch while batting at No. 3 for Mumbai Indians during the IPL – 331 runs in 10 matches at a strike-rate of almost 140 – and it has come at the back of a run-heavy domestic season.In the season-opening Corporate Trophy, he emerged as the highest run-getter with 301 runs from three innings for India Cements. Then in the Ranji Trophy, even though it was a disappointing season for Tamil Nadu, Karthik was by far their top scorer with 577 runs at 64.11.Then came the domestic one-dayers. And even though Tamil Nadu failed to progress to the all-India knockouts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karthik scored at least a fifty in each of his five innings. As a result, despite playing only five games, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament.”All along [these three years], I have been working hard in domestic cricket,” he said. “I have been trying to be as consistent as possible. And it feels good enough to score virtually every time I bat these days.”The confidence drawn from such consistency means Karthik wasn’t weighed down at the prospect of replacing an ODI stalwart like Yuvraj Singh. Though Karthik hasn’t yet been spoken to either by the selectors or team management about his specific role in the team, the squad composition hints that he may well be required to bat in the middle order. And he is up for the
challenge. “That is what I have done even earlier, so I am ready to play any role that the team management expects of me – whether a specialist batsman or a keeper-batsman.”Over the last two years, Karthik has been working with his personal coach Prasanna Agoram, the South African national team’s performance analyst. And the efforts have culminated in Karthik being recalled to the national squad, incidentally for a tour to the same country where Karthik made his international debut more than eight years ago.”We had to make minor corrections to my batting techniques,” Karthik said. “That has helped me immensely in order to be good enough to score every time I go out to bat. I would like to thank Prasanna and all my family members who have stood behind me during difficult times.”

Local cricket clubs in England and Wales will be given the chance to host a game against a team of England ‘legends’ in a scheme designed to provide a boost to club finances

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2012Local cricket clubs in England and Wales will be given the chance to host a game against a team of England ‘legends’ in a scheme designed to provide a boost to club finances.Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, will lead the legends team in three Twenty20 matches over the August Bank Holiday weekend, with clubs encouraged to utilise the games to organise activities to generate funds to help improve and repair their facilities.To be in with a chance of hosting one of the games, clubs must be registered for NatWest CricketForce Fundraiser. Once clubs have registered they need to demonstrate the strength of their support by enlisting supporters to vote for them online and make it into the top ten on the leaderboard at natwest.com/cricket.The ten clubs with the most points when voting closes at 9am on Tuesday June 26 will be submitted to a judging panel who will decide which clubs will host one of the three NatWest Locals v Legends T20 games.”Every local cricket club has its own legends who, on their day, believe that they can compete against the best,” Vaughan said. “The NatWest Locals v Legends T20 Series will allow three grassroots clubs to win the chance for my team of former England stars to come and play them at their home ground for a one-off match to raise funds for their club.”All clubs who register will be eligible to win a range of prizes from signed merchandise and tickets to attending training sessions with current England players.

Paul Collingwood will undergo knee surgery after the World Cup but remains available for the remainder of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011Paul Collingwood will undergo knee surgery after the World Cup but remains available for the remainder of the tournament. He has been struggling since the one-day series in Australia and will now miss at least the beginning of the IPL next month following a keyhole operation once England’s World Cup campaign is complete.Collingwood, 34, retired from Test cricket after the Ashes in January and repeatedly said he wanted to prolong his one-day and Twenty20 career despite a prolonged slump in form. He was dropped for two of England’s six group matches and didn’t play in the crunch game against West Indies last week, but remains the Twenty20 captain.”Paul felt some discomfort in his left knee during the group stages of the World Cup and a precautionary scan ahead of England’s match against South Africa showed no significant damage,” said the ECB’s chief medical officer, Dr Nick Peirce. “However, further assessment suggests a loose piece of cartilage floating in his knee that will require surgical removal.”We’ll be able to establish a definitive rehabilitation timescale following surgery but we expect Paul to make a full recovery in due course.”Collingwood had been due to take up his deal with Rajasthan Royals shortly after the World Cup finishes but that will now be on the back burner although an appearance later in the tournament remained a possibility.England play their quarter-final against Sri Lanka, in Colombo, on March 26 and despite his 197-match career Collingwood could again find himself on the sidelines after Luke Wright hit an important 44 against West Indies in his first appearance of the competition.The squad has been struck by a number of injury problems during the World Cup with Kevin Pietersen (hernia), Stuart Broad (side strain) and Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) all returning home early.

A magnificent display of clean hitting from Albie Morkel, South Africa’s slog-over specialist, and good support from AB de Villiers helped South Africa to a 13-run victory against New Zealand in their opening Super Eights game at the Kensington Oval

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran06-May-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outAlbie Morkel made a mockery of the low full tosses dished out by New Zealand, tonking five huge sixes in his 40•AFP

A magnificent display of clean hitting from Albie Morkel, South Africa’s slog-over specialist, and good support from AB de Villiers helped South Africa reach a match-winning score against New Zealand in their opening Super Eights game at the Kensington Oval. A target of 170 required a solid partnership or two from New Zealand, but a committed display in the field ensured that the initiative always remained with South Africa.The last five overs of South Africa’s innings, which produced 62, proved the difference between the teams. After a sprightly start by Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith, South Africa slumped a little in the middle overs but importantly, kept wickets in hand to allow Morkel and de Villiers to step on the gas.de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs saw off a quiet period including a boundary-drought that lasted 22 balls. The New Zealand slow bowlers kept things tight with the wicketkeeper up to the stumps and the pair pinched singles before knocking off boundaries to give the innings momentum.The bowlers lost the plot when Morkel walked in and he made a mockery of the low full tosses dished out by the bowlers. He began with a mis-hit off Vettori which cleared the rope but the rest was out of sheer power. Using the crease, he ensured he got under the ball and muscled it powerfully straight down the ground. Three of his five sixes came in a single over from Tim Southee, which leaked 21 runs. The bowlers erred by bowling too full to Morkel, in his hitting area, while he was hardly tested by the short delivery. de Villiers, who was dropped on 35 by Nathan McCullum at long-on, made New Zealand pay by smashing Shane Bond over wide long-on two balls later. His bludgeoned six off Nathan McCullum over deep midwicket to a ball which kept low, was his stand-out shot.The partnership produced 72 runs in just 6.2 overs and wrecked New Zealand’s plans of restricting South Africa to a score in the 140s, which England chased down easily a couple of hours earlier.A brilliant piece of fielding set South Africa rolling the minute they got the ball. Gibbs swooped to his right to pluck a punchy drive off Brendon McCullum in the first over. Gibbs went on to take two more catches to halt threatening partnerships as the chase progressed.The best partnership New Zealand could manage was 44 between Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill for the second wicket. But it wasn’t a very convincing stint at the crease for Guptill, who looked edgy outside the off stump. He carved two consecutive boundaries off Dale Steyn to get some semblance of momentum going, but the bowler largely got on top of him with his pace. When Guptill tried to break free against the spin of Johan Botha, he found the hands of Morkel at long-on.New Zealand needed one of their other hitters to carry on after making starts, but both Ryder and Ross Taylor failed in that regard. Ryder’s 33 featured two effortless hits over the rope but he was foxed by Botha’s flight and ended up spooning a simple catch to mid-off. With the required rate climbing beyond 10, Taylor’s powerful boundary hits on the on side seemed to give New Zealand some respite, but Gibbs’ agility at midwicket ensured that South Africa held the initiative.Curiously, New Zealand held back their biggest hitter, Jacob Oram, and instead sent in Gareth Hopkins. Though Hopkins blazed two sixes in his short stint, it came a little too late. Oram had only five overs to try and get New Zealand out of jail, but he only lasted two balls. When he walked off, the match was firmly in South Africa’s hands and it was only a matter of how close New Zealand could get.The only downside for South Africa was they were fined for being an over short of the expected rate. Smith was docked 20% of his match fee by Alan Hurst, the match referee, and his players suffered a 10% reduction.

Former England batter looking for “fresh challenge” after six seasons with White Rose

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2025Former England batter Dawid Malan says he is looking for a “fresh challenge” after being released by Yorkshire following six seasons with the club.Malan, 38, came through at Middlesex before joining Yorkshire in 2020. He captained the club in the Blast last season, but despite leading the way with 365 runs at a strike rate of 156.65, could not prevent them from finishing second-bottom in the North Group.During his time at Headingley, Malan was Yorkshire’s second-leading run-scorer in T20, with 1642. He also scored 2014 runs at 54.43 in first-class cricket.”I have enjoyed six happy and successful seasons with Yorkshire, but feel now is the right time for the club to make a fresh start,” Malan said. “I am grateful to the general manager of cricket Gavin Hamilton and head coach Anthony McGrath for allowing me to seek a new challenge elsewhere.”Malan, who last played for England at the 2023 ODI World Cup, has extensive experience of the global T20 circuit, featuring in the PSL, BPL, SA20 and, most recently, the Nepal Premier League.He has also started to explore a media career, commentating on BBC radio during the summer.Hamilton said: “Dawid has been a consistent run-scorer across all formats, and will always be welcome at Headingley. We thank him for his very significant contribution in recent seasons, and we wish him well for the future.”