Islamabad United 191 for 7 (Shadab 34, Asif 28, Imad 2-30) beat Karachi Kings 190 for 8 (Imad 55, Qasim 51, Maqsood 3-34) by one run

Islamabad United were the side beset by injuries, but the insult was all Karachi Kings. It went much, much deeper than anyone might have believed six overs before the death, and took a third umpire’s decision on a marginal run-out to settle the outcome. But for the Kings, the result in the end was no different to their previous six games: a defeat. They become the first PSL side to lose their first seven PSL games, and the first to be eliminated from this year’s competition. But in the end, the story of United’s one-run win was much too dramatic to be reduced to mere numbers.

It came down to a nail-biting final over from Waqas Maqsood, in which Kings needed eight. A boundary off the second ball brought it down to a run-a-ball, but two wickets took the game right down to the final delivery, off which the Kings needed two. Chris Jordan spooned it back to Maqsood, who somehow dropped it, but managed to gather and effect a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Jordan was inches short of the popping crease that would have guaranteed the Kings a Super Over, and United had just about clung on to victory in a game they should have sealed long ago.

United had major problems throughout their defence of 191 with Shadab and Zameer missing, and for much of the first ten overs, the Kings needed to bide their time, stay in the game, and target whoever bowled the other three overs. But when Asif Ali, who had a grand total of two career T20 wickets, stepped up, he removed Sharjeel off a rank long-hop with his first ball, and cleaned up Mohammad Nabi four deliveries later. The Kings were 80 for 5, and the game seemed done and dusted.

But Pakistan U-19 captain Qasim and Imad struck up a glorious counterattacking partnership that put their side on the brink of victory. Qasim rode his luck to score an unbeaten 51 off 26, while Imad Wasim smashed 55 off 28, both capitalising on United losing their discipline on the field. No fewer than half-a-dozen catches were shelled, and ones were allowed to turn into two and four as the nerves tightened while the runs flowed freely. Hasan Ali was at the receiving end of another death-overs pasting; he was smashed for 16 runs in the penultimate over that left Qasim with so little to work with.

If you’ve seen United bat once, you’ve probably seen them bat every time. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Muhammad Akhlaq fell early, but that didn’t deter them from continuing to go after the bowling. Once more, there wasn’t one outstanding contributor to their total, but five batters scored between 22 and 34, all at strike rates in excess of 130. Faheem Ashraf (29* off 10) and Asif Ali (28 off 11) blitzed a 57 off a combined 21 balls at the death as United walloped 78 off the final six overs. A couple of hours later, they would need every single one of those as they just about held off a resurgent Kings side, and shored up their own hopes of playoff qualification in the process.

“I would like to thank CWI for the opportunity to serve West Indies cricket in the role of lead selector and I wish the organisation the very best for the future,” Harper said. “I would also like to thank all those whose efforts and cooperation helped me to perform my role efficiently.”

“We want to thank Roger and Miles for their work and dedicated services to West Indies cricket in the last two years, as members of the Men’s Senior Selection Panel,” Adams said. “Selecting West Indies teams for international competition is a very challenging assignment, and both gentlemen performed their roles with transparency and dignity.”

“Thanks a lot to Dr Goenka and the RPSG Group for presenting me this wonderful opportunity in their setup,” Gambhir said. “The fire to win a contest still burns bright inside me, the desire to leave a winner’s legacy still kicks me 24×7. I will not be contesting for a dressing room but for the spirit and soul of Uttar Pradesh.”

“Gautam has an impeccable career record,” Goenka said. “I respect his cricketing mind and look forward to working with him.”

Gambhir played in the IPL for 10 seasons, being part of his home franchise Delhi Daredevils from 2008 to 2010. He was then bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 and was also named the captain. Under his captaincy, Knight Riders won the title twice, in 2012 and 2014. He was released ahead of the 2018 season and returned to captain the Daredevils, but stepped down midway, handing over the reins to Shreyas Iyer following a woeful start to the season. Following his retirement, Gambhir moved into politics but has maintained his association with cricket, having taken up a role as a broadcaster.

Gambhir’s prolific international career – during which he made 4154 runs in 58 Tests, 5238 runs in 147 ODIs and 932 runs in 37 T20Is – ended in December 2018, when he announced his retirement from all cricket.

“The points deduction for penalty overs is not capped and must reflect the actual number of penalty overs a team is short of the minimum requirement as per Clause 16.1.2 of the ICC Playing Conditions, hence they have been penalised one point for each over they were short.”

England managed to bowl 89 of the scheduled 90 overs on the first day in Adelaide, albeit relying on five overs of Joe Root’s part-time off-spin to catch up.

Brown has been a Sussex player since Under-11 level and has been a first-team player since 2007. He was awarded the club captaincy on a full-time basis in 2018 after taking on the role midway through the 2017 season and signed a contract extension in 2020, but Sussex announced midway through last summer that they had decided “the time is right for new leadership”.

“Ben had two seasons remaining on his contract and, as you’d expect with a player of his quality, was very much a part of our plans for the future,” Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“We’ve tried hard to find a way forward that keeps him at the club and until very recently thought that would be something we could achieve. However, it’s now clear that Ben is set on a change, and it would be in nobody’s interests to keep him at Sussex against his will.

“Despite hoping it wouldn’t be necessary, once Ben first mentioned that he was feeling unsettled it was only prudent that we began exploring potential replacements for next summer. Ben has been part of Sussex for over two decades and has a record he can be extremely proud of. He has always given everything with the bat, the gloves or with his captaincy.”

Under tapping-up regulations, Brown has not been permitted to speak to other counties but is likely to prove an attractive signing. He has 22 first-class hundreds and a career average above 40, is widely recognised as one of the best wicketkeepers in the country and has leadership experience. He has little T20 experience but as a result is not involved in the Hundred and made his first List A hundred against Middlesex in August.

“As this chapter of my career draws to a close, I would like to say an enormous thank you to Sussex for the opportunities I have been afforded over a twenty-two-year association with the club,” Brown said in a statement. “Since I was first selected as an eleven-year-old I have made life-long friends, travelled the world, and made memories for life playing cricket for Sussex.

“To have had the opportunity to play as much as I have for my home club makes me immensely proud and I am hugely grateful to everyone at Sussex over the years who have helped turn my dreams into a reality. I am also thankful for the opportunity to become club captain, a job that gave me immense pride and pleasure to do, and I look forward to returning to Hove in the future to reflect on seeing my name on the captain’s board, alongside so many great names of Sussex Cricket.

“I would like to wish the current squad and support staff all the best in the coming years, and I look forward to seeing the young squad flourish over seasons to come at Hove. For me personally it is time to return to being a Sussex supporter as I look forward to a new chapter of my cricket career.”

Sussex have been in a state of transition in four-day cricket since their relegation from Division One of the Championship in 2015. They were expected to compete for promotion under Jason Gillespie but never managed to finish in the top two and they won the wooden spoon in Ian Salisbury’s first season in charge in 2021 while fielding the youngest team in the country and using as many as 26 different players.

However, several of their best young players – including 50-over captain and leading Championship run-scorer Tom Haines, George Garton, Jack Carson and Delray Rawlins – have signed contract extensions, as have senior T20 players like Wright, Tymal Mills and Ravi Bopara. Travis Head, who struggled with the bat in his first season at the club but scored an 85-ball hundred in the first Ashes Test last week, will return as Championship captain in 2022, while the club are due to announce a major overseas signing on Thursday afternoon.

This is the first major appointment by Ramiz, who has seen off several big names since taking over as the PCB chairman. Other than Wasim, head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis were the first ones to leave after Ramiz’s formal appointment in September. Commercial director Babar Hamid was also sacked while PSL players acquisition manager Imran Ahmed Khan is the next man in line to depart from the PCB in two weeks’ time.

Sixty-two-year-old Hasnain’s credentials are based on 35 years spent in finance and sports administration roles, and his last job was with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) as managing director until 2018. He had two stints with the ICC as CFO – 2002 to 2008 and 2010 to 2017. He has been actively involved in uplifting the ICC’s financial health and was part of the sales of the ICC commercial rights cycles 2007 to 2015 and 2016 to 2023. His role with Zimbabwe Cricket was broadly to mitigate the crisis in the board to bring them back on the map by refinancing their commercial debts and finding a node from the ICC on getting financial support.

He managed to secure hosting rights for ZC for the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers, he helped upgrade and refurbish stadiums, and he helped bring back marquee players such as Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis and Solomon Mire. But the word was unable to fully claw its way out of a financial crisis that has haunted the country for the last decade-and-a-half. He resigned only a year later, citing the failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup as the major factor.

Born in Karachi, Hasnain is a UK-qualified Chartered Accountant and made his career largely in the UK and the Middle-East.

“I feel honoured and privileged to have been awarded with this once in a lifetime opportunity to serve Pakistan cricket and thank the PCB Chairman and the Board of Governors for having the confidence in my capabilities,” he said. “I am fully committed to playing my part in delivering the PCB Chairman’s vision for Pakistan cricket, fulfilling the expectations and dreams of millions of passionate Pakistan cricket fans and strengthening the relationships with our existing commercial partners, the ICC and other Cricket Boards and developing new partnerships as we move forward.

“These are highly exciting times in Pakistan cricket and I look forward to working very closely with my colleagues at the PCB so that we can collectively further enhance the image, reputation and profile of this great institution.”

After moving to his fourth PSL franchise, Afridi said: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”

Leaving Iftikhar was a tricky decision for United as they were allowed to have up to two local players in each of the Platinum and Diamond categories. Since they now have Shadab Khan and Asif in platinum, they had to leave one of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar out. They added Azam in the Gold category instead.

“It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead at my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move,” Iftikhar said.

“I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions. I am thrilled to be rejoining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket.”

The seventh PSL season will be beginning on January 27 next year, with a pre-tournament draft on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan in March-April, will be ending on February 27.

Every franchise is allowed to retain up to eight players from their previous roster and pick another eight in the draft. Players who were picked up as replacements for the Abu Dhabi leg in PSL 6 have not been considered in the original roster. Each team is also allowed to pick two additional players in the supplementary round.

Only two venues will be hosting the PSL: Karachi’s National Stadium will be staging the first 15 matches, while all other games – including the final – will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The deadline for PSL trades closed on Thursday with only United, Gladiators and Sultans utilising the option to trade. Teams now must decide their retentions – maximum of eight – by 4pm Pakistan time on Friday.

He took to the arena like a duck to water with a Player of the Match performance. Batting under lights for the first time in his life, he made 64 not out opening the innings, calmly guiding Glenelg home in a chase of 154 after they had been 2 for 22.

The pressure of a maiden Test appearance as a 30-year-old in the opening match of an Ashes is clearly on another level. But again, Carey handled it with aplomb, keeping flawlessly to claim eight catches, the most by any wicketkeeper on Test debut.

“I’ve got lots of confidence in my game,” he said. “I guess playing a little bit of white-ball cricket for Australia helps that. Once the bowler is running in, I focus on the ball and that is the same with the bat. Obviously your first Test you’ve got a bit going through your mind.

“It didn’t take me too long I guess to get into the rhythm. Probably a few overs and then we’re playing cricket again. It was great fun.”

Confidence and calmness are traits Carey has in abundance. He rarely gets fazed or overawed. In his first 50-over World Cup in England in 2019 he was one of Australia’s most reliable performers, and nothing epitomised his ability to stay present in the moment than the semi-final against England.

He was famously clocked on the chin by a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer that dislodged his helmet. Despite the delivery splitting his chin open, his first split-second reaction was to catch his helmet before it fell on the stumps. Needing stitches, he remained on the field with his head swathed in bandages as blood seeped through and made 46 from 70 balls to help Australia avoid complete embarrassment.

There was no need for such heroics at the Gabba, but there was pressure to keep a clean sheet behind the stumps in the cauldron of an Ashes opener and he did just that.

“I guess as a wicketkeeper you’re only going to get judged on catches taken or catches dropped,” Carey said.

“I think it’s been an absolutely incredible debut,” Lyon said. “I’m not surprised by it. I’ve watched him train in the lead-up and his preparation has been world-class. He’s played obviously a lot of white-ball cricket for Australia and our relationship is only going to get bigger and better and stronger.

“He’s coming down on the early bus with me to catch in the nets. To debut at the Gabba in an Ashes series, take eight catches, [we’re] pretty proud of him.”

“Thought he was tremendous,” Cummins said. “Really clean against Lyno as well. Not surprised, he’s played a lot of international cricket and we knew he’d slot straight in and be high quality. Really happy for him. Also, putting his hand up when David Warner wasn’t going to open and saying, ‘I’ll open’ shows a lot of confidence to do whatever he can for the team.”

Carey had opened just twice in first-class cricket previously but had no hesitation in taking on the job to protect Warner and the middle order.

“Why disrupt number three, four and five?” Carey said. “I felt confident to go out there and do the job. Unfortunately, I nicked one but we won the Test match. I’m pretty happy. I’ll play any role for this team.”

On Thursday, nearly 13 years after his first appearance at Adelaide Oval, Carey will get to live out a dream of playing a day-night Test match at home in front of family and friends.

“I’m really excited to now head to Adelaide,” Carey said. “We all know what the pink-ball Test means. It’s a really good atmosphere in Adelaide. But growing up watching games there and to have my family there is going to be very exciting. And obviously, winning this Test puts us in a good place to hopefully start really well on Thursday.”

Melbourne Stars 4 for 165 (Larkin 52*, Cartwright 42, Tanveer Sangha 2-29) beat Sydney Thunder 5 for 161 (Gilkes 56, Billings 43, Coulter-Nile 2-27) by four runs

Stars welcomed the inclusions of Russell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pakistani spinner Qais Ahmad, but were pushed to the brink by Thunder, whose bid for consecutive wins to start the season fell short.

Thunder rue late stutter as Zampa keeps his cool

Their momentum was halted when Billings fell to a brilliant outfield catch from Glenn Maxwell and Thunder then fell in a hole leaving Alex Ross and Ben Cutting a lot of work to do in the final overs.

The pair were up for it as they smashed 12 runs in the penultimate over from a rusty-looking Russell. In a manic final over, where a nervous Stars fumbled in the field marked by a rare dropped catch from Maxwell, a composed Zampa thwarted Cutting’s attempts at a match-winning, result-sealing six by bowling a dot ball.

Zampa wins blockbuster battle with Hales

Zampa’s heroics started in the second over when he had the tough task of bowling to Alex Hales in the powerplay.

The English dynamo drew first blood with a beautiful drive to the boundary to overtake compatriot Luke Wright as the leading overseas run scorer in BBL history. An inventive Hales sought to rattle Zampa and it did the trick on the fourth ball of the over when he went down on one knee and swatted a boundary to backward point.

Zampa, in reply, kept calm and he promptly outwitted Hales on the last ball of the over with a faster delivery that trapped the opener in front.

It kick-started a memorable night for the T20 World Cup champion.

Stoinis’ return ends comically

After being bowled out for a record low of 61 against Sixers, Stars desperately needed batting reinforcements and Marcus Stoinis, obviously, fitted the bill. He missed the season-opener due to a side stain sustained during his starring role at the T20 World Cup.

Stoinis was watchful early, but it wasn’t long before he displayed his trademark pyrotechnics with consecutive boundaries off Daniel Sams in the fourth over. There was an air of anticipation when Stoinis and fellow T20 World Cup winner Maxwell combined in the middle.

The Stars had at least passed the ignominy of Sunday’s collapse, but were shakily positioned at 3 for 62 at the midpoint.

Russell provides cameo under strict protocols

There was excitement over the BBL return of Russell, a prized late signing having last played in the tournament in 2017 after three seasons with, coincidentally, Thunder and Melbourne Renegades.

They took advantage of an increasingly sloppy Thunder who fell apart through dropped catches and wickets off no-balls.

Russell finally entered the fray in the 18th over and, predictably, swung for the fences. His timing was off but he still clubbed two boundaries and spooked Sams in the final over, who bowled consecutive wides down the leg side on the final delivery.

Russell finished with an unbeaten 17 off 9 balls in a sign of what’s ahead during his five-match stint as he capped off his BBL return with a thrilling victory.

“The next wicket is always the hardest one to get. That’s my mindset and that’s not going to change.”

But no matter what Lyon believes, some wickets are easier to get than others, and some should be savoured more than others. Lyon had been stuck on 399 Test wickets for 326 days and had to bowl 208 deliveries before finally reaching the milestone.

It had been a long wait and a huge build-up over those 326 days. He couldn’t even escape it in the changerooms as his team-mates ribbed him relentlessly. He claims his 404th is now the hardest to get, but 400 was no picnic.

“It was a big relief,” Lyon said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet, to be honest. No doubt I’ll get my phone out and call my family and friends and that will probably hit a little bit closer to home, I guess. But it’s something that I’m very proud of. There’s no doubt about that. It’s been some hard toil to get it but it’s very, very rewarding.”

With the weight off his shoulders, Lyon returned to his best to help Australia clean up England. His 401st wicket took just 11 more deliveries to get, bamboozling Ollie Pope with sharp bounce and turn as he tried to cut a ball that pitched wide of off. It only took 37 more to reach 403 as Ollie Robinson gifted Lyon his wicket with an attempted reverse sweep while Mark Wood was bowled by a full ball that drifted and dropped under the bat.

I think the biggest thing for me and my skill set is being able to get the ball to drift and drop and use my bounce. It’s all well and good to be a massive turner but if you can only turn the ball half a bat that brings in the edges

 

Nathan Lyon

 

In 38 deliveries Lyon had gone from carrying the weight of the world to producing another match-winning four-wicket haul.

There had been whispers around Lyon in recent times. It hasn’t been as vociferous as the one around Mitchell Starc, but nine Test wickets in nine innings over a near two-year span, despite Australia barely playing in that time, caused eyebrows to inevitably be raised.

“I think he’s just about our most important bowler,” Pat Cummins said. “[He’s] a wicket-taking option but also, the amount of overs he bowls. Yesterday he bowled without luck but went at two-and-a-half an over for 20-odd overs on a hot day which is a huge asset for us.”

There is no tougher challenge than bowling finger spin well on Australian pitches, and Lyon is nicknamed the goat for that reason.

“That’s what I grew up on,” Lyon said. “I think the biggest thing for me and my skill set is being able to get the ball to drift and drop and use my bounce. It’s all well and good to be a massive turner but if you can only turn the ball half a bat that brings in the edges. That’s my strength and that’s what I believe in and that’s what I’ll keep doing until I’m done.”

“There are a couple of challenges there that’s for sure,” Lyon said. “He’s a very good player off the front and back foot and he sweeps. So it does provide a really decent challenge for spinners to get him caught on the crease and challenge his defence for a long period of time.

“But he’s the best batter in the world at the moment and he showed his class out there and so it’s going to be a big summer against Joe. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him and the way he’s gone about it. I’m going to have to make sure that I keep looking at footage keep planning and try and come up with a few different things for him.”

Nathan Lyon’s 400th wicket has come and gone. The next one is the hardest to get.