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Hohns conceded that the fatigue, which forced Burns home after just one match in county cricket, played heavily against him

Daniel Brettig26-Jul-2019In the cruellest cut to Australia’s Ashes squad, the selection chairman Trevor Hohns has conceded that Joe Burns’ bout of post-viral fatigue, forcing him home after just one match of a contracted stint with Lancashire in county cricket, played heavily against him in the final deliberations for choosing the 17 players to launch a defence of the urn.Where logic could be found for the omissions of most other players, whether a poor recent run of form for Kurtis Patterson, Alex Carey’s continuing presence via a Twenty20 deal with Sussex, or the conclusion that Jon Holland would simply be unlikely to be needed given Nathan Lyon’s excellent record of avoiding injury, it was harder to rationalise Burns’ omission.Recalled as more or less Australia’s last resort against Sri Lanka earlier this year, Burns responded by making 180 on day one of the Canberra Test, helping Travis Head to rescue the innings from 3 for 28 to form the platform for a resounding victory.Burns has, with the exception of the Sri Lanka series in 2016, virtually always delivered for Australia when called upon, even though he seems at times to suffer in the eyes of the selectors for lacking the outward fanaticism of a Cameron Bancroft, Marnus Labuschagne or Head. Even in the supportive words of the coach Justin Langer during that Canberra century could be found a twist: by being told to make the most of his opportunity, Burns might have been able to intuit that, even if they make the required runs, the returns of Steven Smith, David Warner and Bancroft would push him out.Nevertheless, it was illness more than anything that left the selectors with just enough arguing room to omit Burns from the 17, while Labuschagne and Bancroft were rewarded for a combination of runs in county cricket and a demonstration in the Southampton tour game that they had learned plenty of lessons from their time over here, in compiling two of the three highest scores of the match on an often devilish pitch. Marcus Harris, too, was fortunate, having done rather less with his Test chances so far than Burns has.”It probably didn’t help his cause, going home,” Hohns admitted. “It would have been ideal for good preparation to put the best case forward for himself to stay and play county cricket. However, there was an issue there for him and no one can blame him for going home. He came over here, scored a hundred as did Marcus Harris, so it was a tough call that one as to which one would suit us best over here, and in the end Marcus has got the nod.”No one has done anything wrong at all. It’s just a judgement call on how people are playing at the time and what we think the requirements are. He hasn’t done anything wrong and we ask all of our players these days if they are left to just go back and bang the door down, a little bit like Matthew Wade has done. He’s really made a good case for himself by scoring runs and that’s all we can ask them to do.”ALSO READ: How Matthew Wade became too good for Australia to ignoreElsewhere, the silken technique of Patterson was deemed surplus to requirements, with a dip in run-making at just the wrong time as Labuschagne, in particular, was churning it out for Glamorgan. A top score of 38 in eight innings on the Australia A tour contrasted with the hot streak that vaulted Patterson into the Test team in the first place. At 26, with many a lesson learned over the past year, his time will surely come around again.”Desperately unlucky those two fellows but of course with the three we’ve just spoken about coming back in there was always going to be a squeeze on,” Hohns said. “We’re very comfortable with the form of Marcus Harris, very much so. He had a wonderful season back home, he’s been in good form since he’s been here. So he probably got the nod over Burns in that area.”And the same can be said about the middle-order area where Kurtis Patterson operates. We have people like Travis Head who is averaging 50 in Test cricket and then of course Marnus gives us the option of A his batting and B his legspin bowling. We thought it was very important to include him.”As for the theatre of paring down 25 players to 17 with a series of individual meetings, whereupon players were sent a text message to inform them it was time to visit with Hohns and the head coach Justin Langer, the chairman agreed there were more than a few anguished reactions to events.”Very hard for some of them because they were disappointed, but they also knew that with 25 here we couldn’t pick them all,” Hohns said. “Some probably knew or felt they were on the line ball, others thought they were a good chance of being included.”So yes there were some disappointments and all we can say to those fellows is desperately unlucky, but go back, keep doing what you’re doing, try to improve your game and belt the door down. We can’t say much more to them, it’s just the way the selection has gone, and desperately bad luck.”None more desperate than Burns, who must now wonder whether he will ever gain another chance.

Pakistan’s win with 40.1 overs to spare is their biggest in a chase; seal series 3-0

Danyal Rasool18-Jul-2018
AFP / Getty Images

A hapless Zimbabwe side ran into red-hot Pakistan in the third ODI in Bulawayo, turning in a performance that made the first two games look like heroic over-achievement.Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan effectively killed off the contest in the first hour, Zimbabwe slumping to 43 for 7 within 15 overs. Slight resistance by Wellington Masakadza at the end took them past 64 – the lowest total for which Pakistan has ever bowled out an international side – but only just.As Faheem Ashraf’s yorker cannoned into Richard Ngarava’s off stump to give the allrounder his first five-wicket haul, Zimbabwe had been bowled out for 67, which Pakistan chased in just under 10 overs to wrap up their second consecutive nine-wicket win and a series win to boot.With Mohammad Amir rested, Usman Khan was the de facto leader of the attack, and he began proceedings by removing Prince Masvaure off just his second delivery. This began the merry-go-round between the Zimbabwean pavilion and the crease.Junaid Khan, who looked sharp despite not having played at this level for nearly a year, sent skipper Hamilton Masakadza and Tarisai Musakanda on their way. He managed to get good bounce from the surface, particularly for Musakanda’s wicket, lulling him into a hook as the ball rose on him far too sharply to control.The middle overs – if that’s what overs 8-14 could be called here – belonged to Faheem. Bowling with great pace and accuracy, he blew away the hosts’ middle order; what began as an unsteady start turned into an embarrassing catastrophe. He was accurate with his yorker, dangerous with his bounce and canny with his line and length.It was much too much for this dispirited Zimbabwean side, but Blessing Muzarabani conjured him one last act of resistance, removing Imam-ul-Haq off the first ball of the innings. That was all Zimbabwe had to celebrate though. Fakhar Zaman smashed 43 off 24 balls as Pakistan hurtled towards the target in record time; never before have Pakistan chased down a target with over 40 overs to spare.When he smashed the 59th ball of the innings through midwicket for four, the target had been achieved and the game was over, half an hour before the scheduled lunch break.

Keaton Jennings’ authority seems to have grown but other Durham players will have to prosper if they are to provide answers in a testing season that lies ahead

Paul Edwards16-Apr-2017
ScorecardKeaton Jennings receives staunch support from the Durham faithful•Getty Images

A mere 69 balls is no evidence at all upon which to base any judgement about Durham’s prospects this season. All the same, the four supremely authoritative boundaries hit by Keaton Jennings on the third morning of this game made it quite clear what a loss he would have been had he chosen, like Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, to further his career elsewhere.Jennings’ efforts may not be enough to save his side against a resurgent Nottinghamshire; Durham go into the final day with a lead of 58 and only three second-innings wickets in hand. But the accuracy of the opener’s attacking shots – a straight drive, a cover drive, a back cut and a clip through midwicket – and the precision of his defensive batting seem to have grown over the winter.Certainly his overall assurance was in clear contrast to the porous techniques of his two dismissed partners this damp Easter Sunday. Ryan Pringle was bowled by the 11th ball of the morning when he swished rather haplessly across the line to Jake Ball; nine overs later, Stuart Poynter lost his off stump to one from from Harry Gurney which swung back inside his forward push.Four balls after Poynter’s wicket fell the rain which had delayed the start of play for 85 minutes returned with renewed vigour and the dull confection of covers on the whole square – white, light green and beige – revealed the groundstaff’s pessimism. The small group of spectators who had braved a poor forecast had to be content with having seen 39 runs scored and a restatement of what they surely knew: that Jennings is comfortably their best batsman.However, the tasks facing Durham over the next two or three seasons will require more than the efforts of their finest cricketers, some of whom are likely to be playing international cricket of one sort or another in any case.Relegation and points deductions will, in their way, make demands on the whole county, not least their highly-regarded Academy and even the North East Premier League, whose leading clubs, Chester-le-Street and South Northumberland, regularly appear in national club knockout finals.When Paul Collingwood says that people in this area know how to fight, he is not talking about the leisure habits of well-lubricated, Novocastrian twenty-somethings strutting their stuff on The Bigg Market every Saturday night. Rather he is referring to the deep-seated inner resolve possessed by folk up here who manage to combine patriotism with a stubbornly independent spirit. Over the next five months, and for far longer, that resolve will be tested and tested again.On the final day of this game it may have to deal with an early defeat inflicted by a Nottinghamshire team unrecognisable from the dispirited bunch dispatched to the Second Division last September.Matches between relegated teams rarely promise to be meetings of the blissfully contented but Chris Read’s men have given every indication that they will treat this season in the second tier with unfussed determination. It is good to see them back to normal, although whether they will begin their season by notching successive wins now depends largely on their ability to remove Jennings early on the last day.

AB de Villiers has dropped another hint that he is willing to stay on as South Africa’s long-term Test captain, after his new-look team completed an impressive 280-run victory

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2016AB de Villiers has dropped another hint that he is willing to stay on as South Africa’s long-term Test captain, after his new-look team completed an impressive 280-run victory in the fourth and final Test at Centurion.De Villiers, who himself made a pair in the match and has averaged just 9.00 in his two Tests since taking over from Hashim Amla as captain in the aftermath of the second Test at Cape Town, praised the character shown by his players s they secured their first Test victory in ten matches since January 2015.”The guys were very fired up for this Test match,” de Villiers said during the post-match presentations. “It’s been a while since we won a Test match so we are obviously very excited about that and we will enjoy the celebrations afterwards now.”South Africa’s side featured five changes from the seven-wicket defeat in Johannesburg, in which they conceded an insurmountable 2-0 series deficit, and de Villiers singled out one of the new faces, debutant opener Stephen Cook, for particular praise, following his maiden century in the first innings. However, the star of the show was unequivocally Kagiso Rabada, whose match figures of 13 for 144 were the second-best in South Africa’s Test history.”We are very excited about some of the guys coming through and taking their opportunities with both hands,” de Villiers said. “Obviously Kagiso had a fantastic Test match, it doesn’t come around every day that you take 13 wickets in a Test so we are very proud of him, and obviously Temba [Bavuma] and Cooky have played their roles in this Test match, and Temba obviously in the whole series.”It’s a great team performance, coming back from 2-0 against a very solid England team, and we showed a lot of character and hopefully we can build on this now and in the future.”Asked about his own future in Test cricket, amid series-long speculation about his workload, de Villiers implied that he was ready to commit to the leadership, with South Africa’s next Test engagement coming at home against New Zealand in August.”Yeah, I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said. “I’m keen to move forward and the team is in a really good space, with a few guys coming through and enjoying their cricket. It’s a good place to be in, and it’s a bright future for us.”We’ve got a long way to go, it’s a bit of a rebuilding phase, we’ve lost quite a few players in the last few years, but the guys who’ve come through have shown a lot of character and shown us that they can take the team forward. I think there’s a bright future and we are looking forward to everything that’s going to come our way, and all the challenges.”Rabada followed up his first-innings figures of 7 for 112 with 6 for 32 second time around, including a destructive final-morning spell of 4 for 4 in 21 balls to bundle England out before the drinks break, and was deservedly named Man of the Match.”It was a bit up and down so the key was to hit the deck, bowl in a relatively good area and believe that you’d get your rewards,” he said. “It’s great to be in this environment, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s great to play against a quality cricket team.””To take seven wickets this morning in the time that we did probably wasn’t part of my thinking in bed last night,” de Villiers admitted. “We were prepared to go to 5.30pm today and guts it out. They have a few match-winners in their team so we were wary of that, it wasn’t an impossible run-chase.”
Alastair Cook, England’s captain, conceded his side had been second-best throughout the match.”It’s been a disappointing five days, we haven’t quite been on it, pretty much the whole five days,” he said. “We’ve hung in there without ever being able to get on top of South Africa. Credit to them, they played well, but we weren’t quite at the races.”Trevor [Bayliss, the coach] just described it as a limp batting performance, which probably sums it up perfectly.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has retained Mushfiqur Rahim as captain until December 31, 2013

Mohammad Isam03-Jul-2013

The BCB ad-hoc committee’s other decisions

• The Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2012-13 – which has already been postponed three times – will begin on August 29, after the players return from tours in England (Bangladesh A and Under-19s) and Singapore (Under-23s). The player transfers will take place under a new rotation system on July 25.

• The super league phase (the second phase) of the league will be held after the New Zealand tour, while the 2013-14 season’s Dhaka Premier League will be held after the World Twenty20’s conclusion in April.

• The BCB will request the National Sports Council, the regulatory body for sports in Bangladesh, to provide them with a schedule for elections as soon as possible. The board expects its election dates to be announced within the next 30 days.

• Nadir Shah’s mercy plea is being considered. The umpire, who was banned for corruption, had asked the board to lift the 10-year suspension.

Mushfiqur Rahim has been retained as Bangladesh’s captain, after he accepted the job following a discussion with BCB president Nazmul Hassan. The Bangladesh board handed Mushfiqur – who had resigned his post following Bangladesh’s ODI series loss to Zimbabwe in May – the captaincy till December 31 this year, meaning he will be in charge till the home series against New Zealand that begins in October.Mushfiqur, in the days following his resignation, had admitted to making a “mistake”. The board had said they would conduct an investigation into the matter, but it was ultimately Mushfiqur’s discussion with Hassan that produced the decision.”The tenures of Mushfiqur Rahim and [vice-captain] Mahmudullah ended recently,” the BCB’s media committee chairman, Jalal Yunus, said. “Mushfiqur has talked to the president, there he agreed to lead Bangladesh. He and Mahmudullah have been given extension as captain and vice-captain till December 31, 2013.”The decision to keep Mushfiqur in the job, provided he agreed to it, was always a certainty, given that he had led Bangladesh to an ODI series win over West Indies last year, a Test win over Zimbabwe, drew a Test against Sri Lanka and also secured an ODI series draw against the same opponents. Mahmudullah remains his deputy despite a run of low scores in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.The captaincy issue was one of several discussion points during the BCB’s ad-hoc executive committee’s meeting on Wednesday, which lasted more than six hours. Another major decision to come out of the meeting was the confirmation of Shane Jurgensen as head coach till the 2015 World Cup. Jurgensen was made the interim coach last year, after Richard Pybus quit the job in October. He is considered to be a calming influence on the team.Bangladesh’s three-man selection panel will be in charge till September this year. The tenure of chief selector Akram Khan, Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar expired on June 30, but they will select the squad for the New Zealand series. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the selection panel is unlikely to change even after September. The board’s cricket operations committee did not propose an expansion of the selection panel to a five-member committee, as they had talked about doing recently.

Alan Isaac is only five days into his term as president of ICC but the New Zealander is already thinking of his legacy

Ger Siggins at Clontarf03-Jul-2012Alan Isaac is only five days into his term as president of ICC but the New Zealander is already thinking of his legacy.”I’d like to think that, at the end of my two years, that ICC is seen to have a bit more credibility about its governance and how it governs the game,” he said. “That it’s seen to be governing the sport on a global basis better than perhaps it’s seen at the moment.”Isaac was speaking to ESPNcricinfo before the scheduled World Cricket League ODI between Ireland and Afghanistan in Dublin – which was pushed into a reverse day by rain – and had much to say about the Associate and Affiliate side of the game, specifically the row about their exclusion from the 2015 World Cup.”That was a huge debate – is that the best way to develop the game or should it be just the best sides, and you do other things to develop the game? Or is Twenty20 the best format to do that? The facts stand for themselves that cricket in Ireland has developed dramatically since 2007 with the wins at the World Cup.”A ten-team World Cup actually provides a better format. It’s a more exciting competition and commercially it has a bit more value. And the matches arguably are better matches.””One of the reasons for the reduction was because the 1992 World Cup, with nine countries, was a fantastic success – there were 87,000 at the final between England and Pakistan. That format where everybody played everybody was very popular and, arguably, is ideal.”Another major issue for Associates such as Ireland is the plunder of its players by Full Members, much as how the All Blacks raid the Pacific islands. Isaac said the situation was always being monitored but the problem was not just below Test level.”The eligibility rules are continually being reviewed. But it’s an issue for the lesser-ranked full members as well. There are a lot of young cricketers in Australia who could qualify to play for New Zealand but obviously they would rather play for Australia if they could because the rewards are much greater.”I think if we’re going to have more competitive teams we need to have a little more flexibility around those eligibility rules so that the guy that doesn’t make the Australian team – even though he might have played for the Australian A side – can play for New Zealand after a period of time,” he added. “You can’t have them swopping countries all the time, but I think we could look at how some of the other sports are refreshing that eligibility rule, to get more competitive teams.”Isaac has decided to begin his stint as president with a visit to the two Associates – Ireland and Scotland – that received a $500,000 funding boost last week.”I was keen I come to the UK and some ICC staff suggested it was an opportunity to come to Ireland and, next week visit Scotland. Ireland have made huge progress so it was opportunity to see that first hand.”Obviously I haven’t seen any cricket, but when you meet people in Associate environments, it’s like the scene back home where you meet people who are passionate and enthusiastic about cricket. You don’t always get that when you’re watching England play Australia. It’s really good to get in touch with the people who are working at the grass roots level,” he said.”I was very involved with the TAPP application which tells a really good story about what’s happened here in the last ten years in terms of development and the increase in playing numbers.”One of the items on Ireland’s wish list is 12-15 ODIs a year, and Isaacs is encouraging on this count. “It was really disappointing for Ireland that last week’s game against Australia was rained off, but I see more of those games happening. I know Ireland are working closer with the ECB which should see more games with England and also as countries tour England.”However, he was less enthusiastic about Ireland’s stated aim of being a Test playing nation by 2020.”That raises the whole question of where the three formats of the game sit. But I think if you are serious about playing cricket you have to aspire to be the best test player and if you want to be serious about being a cricket nation then that’s a good aspiration to have.”

Maurice Holmes, the Warwickshire offspinner, has been reported for a suspect bowling action and could face remedial work for the second time in his short career

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jun-2011Maurice Holmes, the Warwickshire offspinner, has been reported for a suspect bowling action and could face remedial work for the second time in his short career.Holmes, 21, was twice reported last month and the umpires will now examine footage to see if they want to uphold their decision. If they do Holmes will then be examined by the ECB and may be forced to remodel his action.He has been dubbed the ‘English Murali’ because of his ability to bowl a doosra and was recruited by Andy Moles when he was coach of New Zealand to help their batsmen prepare to face Muttiah Muralitharan. However, it is the doosra that is believed to be the cause of most cocern.Holmes’ initial registration with Warwickshire was delayed as the ECB previously investigated his action although in the current situation he is allowed to continuing playing until a final ruling.

Muttiah Muralitharan has singled out Harbhajan Singh as the only bowler capable of emulating his record feat in Tests

Cricinfo staff07-Jul-2010Muttiah Muralitharan has singled out Harbhajan Singh as the only bowler capable of emulating his record feat in Tests. Murali, the leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, who will retire from the longest format later this month, also said the decline of Tests and 50-over cricket meant slow bowlers would struggle for survival.”I think only Harbhajan can do this,” Murali, who currently has 792 wickets, told . I don’t know how old is he and how long he will continue. But he is the only one who can achieve this feat in Test cricket.” Harbhajan, 30, has bagged 355 wickets in 83 Tests to date.Murali said it would get increasingly difficult for spinners to set the kind of records he has. “In the current scenario Test cricket is dying. One-day cricket does not have bright future. Only Twenty20 is going to survive. So it will be difficult for any slow bowler to survive so long,” he said.Murali’s success was a significant factor in the turn in Sri Lanka’s fortunes as a Test-playing nation, but they were unable to win a Test in India, South Africa or Australia during his 18-year career. The absence of a win in either of these countries during his career, Murali said, remained his biggest regret. “I have achieved everything that an international cricketer can dream about. I have only one regret that I could not win in India, South Africa and Australia. But one cannot get everything in life.”Murali is just eight wickets away from reaching 800 wickets, and said reaching that landmark would mark a satisfactory end to his Test career. “I don’t run after records. I have the world record in my name. Although if I could get eight more wickets, it will be a good way to end. I am sure I will be able to do that in one match. If not, no worries,” he said.When asked who was the toughest batsman he bowled to, Murali said: “If we talk about the consistency, then no other batsman can match Sachin [Tendulkar] and [Brian] Lara. They are the best against whom I have bowled. I had to put in extra effort against them. I am happy that I will be able to bowl Sachin in my last Test.”Murali said he is yet to decide whether to participate in the 2011 World Cup, but was available for the IPL. “I have not given it a thought yet [about the 2011 World Cup]. I cannot say that it is off my radar but I will think about this. After that I will be able to say something about participating in the tournament,” he said. “I want to continue playing in the IPL till the franchise (Chennai Super Kings) needs me.”

Ollie Pope in the spotlight as England choose not to bowl final 22 overs of third day

Matt Roller31-Aug-2024Eoin Morgan criticised England and Ollie Pope for a lack of killer instinct with “everything in their favour”, as their refusal to continue bowling spin from both ends brought the third day of their second Test against Sri Lanka to a premature close at Lord’s.Pope brought on Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root to bowl in tandem for three overs with Sri Lanka 24 for 1, after umpires Paul Reiffel and Joel Wilson determined that the light was too poor for seamers to bowl. It briefly improved enough for Matthew Potts and Olly Stone to return – with Stone dismissing Pathum Nissanka – before Bashir and Root returned for five further overs.With 22 overs left in the day, the players then left the field – with Pope seemingly keen to avoid further wear on the new ball – and did not return for the rest of the day. It was a notable contrast to his decision to stay on the field in similar bad light in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, where Root and Bashir bowled 12 consecutive overs of spin as Sri Lanka’s No.9 Milan Rathnayake made 72 in his debut innings.”I think it’s a questionable decision,” Morgan, who spent seven years as England’s white-ball captain, said on Sky Sports’ coverage. “The reason behind that is just the whole context of the last hour or so: it is dark. There’s a reason the seamers can’t bowl: it is dangerous for everybody concerned.”If you’re sitting in Sri Lanka’s changing room, you’re thinking, ‘Jeez the last place I want to be is out there with the bat in hand – facing anybody.’ It’s a lose-lose situation. I totally understand the concern for the condition of the ball, but you’re talking about England’s premium fingerspinner in Shoaib Bashir, who needs to bowl. The ball is turning and bouncing.”Sri Lanka had promoted Prabath Jayasuriya, who batted at No. 9 in the first innings, to No. 4 in a bid to reach the close of play unscathed. “They’re bowling at a No. 9 at one end. Everything is in England’s favour,” Morgan said. “I question the decision… you have runs to play with, you have two or three new balls, everything in your favour. And yet you’re sitting in the changing room.”Related

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England’s decision to come off meant a near-capacity crowd at Lord’s headed home early – in the face of the team’s stated desire to entertain. “We pride ourselves on wanting people to come into the ground and feel like they’ve had a really enjoyable day of cricket, and can walk away wanting to come back for more Test cricket,” Joe Root said, after the early close.Pope, who is deputising for Ben Stokes against Sri Lanka, has already come in for heavy criticism as captain, with Michael Vaughan suggesting that he is “not the kind of personality” for the role. After he was caught in the deep for 17 on Saturday when attempting to upper-cut Asitha Fernando over point, he has now scored 30 runs in four innings across the first two Tests.Jayasuriya successfully saw out 23 balls as Sri Lanka’s ‘lightwatchman’, with Dimuth Karunaratne 23 not out overnight. Sri Lanka still require a further 430 runs across the final two days for an improbable series-squaring win, but their batting coach Ian Bell suggested they still have some hope of saving the game.”The more we can spend time in the middle and that ball gets a bit softer…” Bell said. “This wicket has been quite a new-ball wicket, if you can get through that. There’s still plenty of batting, and that’s probably been the strength so far this tour: that middle-lower order have got some good runs. Tomorrow, the first hour is important and we’ll go from there.”Bell said he was pleased with the “character” that Sri Lanka showed on the third day: “What we asked the guys last night was to come in with the attitude that we saw in Manchester… A bit unfortunate to lose a second wicket in that little period of an over or two in between the bad light, but more of the same tomorrow.”It’s more the character we want to see, that we’ve seen so far in this tour. Obviously, you want to win games, but also want to see the guys fight for everything they’ve got in these conditions, which are a bit more tricky than what they play in in Sri Lanka.”

Arshdeep kept Punjab Kings in the game until the very end during an eventful final over

Sidharth Monga08-May-20233:09

Bishop: Varun doing the job that Narine did for KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders hung on by the skin of their teeth, both in their match against Punjab Kings and in the tournament. Rinku Singh sealed another last-ball win for them, but this was no miraculous comeback from the dead. This was a topsy-turvy contest set up by KKR’s spinners, but even their batters struggled on a slow surface.

Rana fined INR 12 lakh

The KKR captain was handed an INR 12 lakh fine after his side were deemed to be maintaining a slow over-rate during their fixture against Kings at the Eden Gardens. This was KKR’s first offence of the season under IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences.

Nitish Rana set up the chase with 51 off 38, but it took Andre Russell to finally turn up and take 20 runs off the 19th over, bowled by Sam Curran, to bring the equation down to six required off the last over. Arshdeep Singh managed to push them all the way to the last ball, before Rinku Singh found the boundary with two runs required.The result left KKR and PBKS level at 10 points from 11 matches. Five teams are currently tied on that points total in the middle of the table, but both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians – who meet on Tuesday – have a game in hand.Rinku Singh leaps in joy after hitting the winning boundary•BCCI

Harshit Rana keeps a check

PBKS were always going to target the new ball because they expected the spinners to be effective on this pitch, which is why they batted first. Prabhsimran Singh was up early, using Vaibhav Arora’s inswing to pick up three boundaries in the first over.The impressive Harshit Rana, though, bowled hard lengths and got disconcerting bounce from the pitch. He had both Prabhsimran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa caught at the wicket while looking to hit big shots. Rajapksa’s return to the side ended with a three-ball duck. Liam Livingstone still kept going hard, helping PBKS take 19 off the fifth over, bowled by Russell, to make it 51 for 2.

The spin choke

KKR are not shy to use spin during the powerplay or at the death. They had picked three spinners. So they began the spin attack in earnest. Varun Chakravarthy got the first shot, and produced a beautiful legbreak to trap the rampaging Livingstone in front.Having lost a third wicket inside the powerplay, PBKS had to go into rebuild mode especially with the KKR spinners bowling well. Jitesh Sharma then hit Suyash Sharma for a six, and Shikhar Dhawan had just about begun to open up again with sweeps and reverse-sweeps when Varun came back for the 13th over.Once again, Varun produced the breakthrough, spinning the ball away from Jitesh, taking the edge through to the keeper. Nitish brought himself on when two left-hand batters were at the wicket, and got Dhawan for 57 off 47. Suyash proceeded to tighten the screws with the wicket of Sam Curran. In effect, PBKS were tied down on a slow pitch by 13 straight overs of spin, which brought them just 92 runs for five wickets.Varun Chakravarthy picked up three wickets including those of Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma•AFP via Getty Images

Pace on, game on

As soon as KKR went back to pace for the last two overs, PBKS came back to life and took 36 runs to make it a total of 87 from just seven overs of pace. Shahrukh Khan scored 21 off 8, and Harpreet Brar 17 off 9.

Nathan Ellis gives PBKS early lead

A similar pattern of batters going after pace followed but Nathan Ellis, deservingly playing ahead of Kagiso Rabada, flummoxed Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his slower one. At 39 for 1 after five overs, with Venkatesh Iyer not allowed to bat at No. 3 at that moment because he had spent time off the field during the PBKS innings, KKR needed something special.

Rana attacks Livingstone

PBKS went to take pace off the ball, but Jason Roy and Nitish managed to hit Livingstone for a total of five boundaries in his two overs. It softened the blow of KKR losing Roy to Brar with the ball arriving too late for his slog-sweep. The equation had got tricky – 104 from 10 overs on a tricky surface – when Nitish took down Livingstone’s second over, bringing KKR’s task down to 88 from 54 balls.Arshdeep Singh sinks to the ground after conceding a four off the final ball•BCCI

Chahar keeps PBKS in it

He might not be having the greatest season, but Rahul Chahar turned up for PBKS with the wickets of Iyer and Rana, earned through the slowing down of pace, which he himself carried out. At the fall of Rana’s wicket, KKR needed 56 off 28, and it was down to Russell and Rinku.

The finishing touches

Chahar bowled out in the 16th over, leaving KKR 51 to get off 24, but PBKS had a question to answer: bowl four overs of pace or go to Brar’s left-arm spin. They took the safe route. Ellis bowled out in the 17th, but went for 15 as Russell hit a four and Rinku a six. Ellis’ figures of 4-0-29-1 almost made up for the absence of the extra spinner, but KKR were still ahead in the game.With 26 required off two, though, Curran made a couple of errors in execution, and Russell climbed in with two sixes over the bigger boundary. For good measure he skimmed one over the short side too.Arshdeep bowled a superb last over, denying Russell the big hit, and then running him out as he scrambled for a bye to tie the game off the fifth ball. Off the last ball, Arshdeep finally erred, and Rinku flicked the full-toss square of fine leg to get twice the requirement.