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A day after Ireland’s heroics in Bangalore, normal service resumed in Mohali where AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla reeled off contrasting hundreds to set up 231-run hammering of Netherlands

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar03-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla’s obduracy combined with AB de Villiers’ aggression to leave Netherlands floundering•AFP

A day after Ireland’s heroics in Bangalore gave the Associates a major fillip, normal service resumed in Mohali where AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla reeled off contrasting hundreds to set up a hammering of Netherlands. Peter Borren elected to field under overcast skies, but things unraveled at an alarming rate after a disciplined show in the first quarter of the match. Amla overcame a sluggish start and focused on accumulation, while de Villiers shredded the attack in a blaze of big hits that was reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs’ assault in the last World Cup encounter between these two teams. South Africa’s bowlers then backed up the batting with a near-perfect display to set up the fourth-biggest win in World Cup history.

Smart Stats

• AB de Villiers has now scored two consecutive centuries in the 2011 World Cup. He becomes the first South African to score two centuries in a single World Cup and the fifth batsman after Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar, Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden to score two consecutive centuries in a single World Cup tournament.

• de Villiers also became the 16th batsman to score two or more centuries in one World Cup tournament. The record is three centuries in one tournament, jointly held by Mark Waugh (1996), Sourav Ganguly (2003) and Matthew Hayden (2007).

• de Villiers’ strike rate of 136.73 is the highest among South African batsmen who have scored centuries in World Cup matches.

• Hashim Amla reached his first century in World Cups off 121 balls. Overall, he has scored over 2200 runs at an average of 60.07 with eight centuries and 12 fifties.

• The 69 runs scored in South Africa’s batting powerplay is second only to Pakistan’s aggregate of 70 runs in their batting powerplay against Kenya.

• The 221-run stand between de Villiers and Amla is the highest third-wicket partnership for South Africa in World Cups and the third highest for any team in the World Cup. It is also the highest partnership for the third wicket for South Africa in all ODIs.

• South Africa’s 351 is their third-highest World Cup score and the 12th highest score for any team in World Cups. South Africa’s highest World Cup score is the 356 against West Indies in the 2007 World Cup.

• From a decent position of 81 for 2, Netherlands lost their last eight wickets for just 39 runs to be bowled out for 120.

• The 231-run win is the fourth largest margin of victory for any team in World Cups and the largest for South Africa in World Cups. It is also the second largest margin of victory for South Africa in ODIs.

• With his third player of the match award in World Cups, de Villiers is joint second with Jacques Kallis on the list of South African players with most match awards in World Cups. Lance Klusener heads the list with five awards.

Chasing 352, Netherlands’ best chance of getting anywhere depended on the top order’s ability to see off Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The openers played out six overs from South Africa’s fastest bowlers, but Jacques Kallis ruined their efforts by snaring two quick wickets after coming in first-change. With the run-rate under control, Graeme Smith deployed his spinners on the lower order, and Netherlands sank without a trace, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs against Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson.The margin of victory completely eclipsed Netherlands’ spirited efforts with the new ball. Their steady army of seamers stuck to tight lengths, and their accuracy left Smith prodding uncertainly from the outset, unsure of his footwork and indecisive in his outlook. After 31 balls of struggle, Smith had seen enough, and lost his leg stump while trying to shovel Bernard Loots across the line. Ryan ten Doeschate then won the first round in the battle of the prolific allrounders, strangling Kallis into glancing one down the leg side through to the wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi. At 58 for 2 in the 16th over, South Africa were in some strife. Thankfully for them, their two best batsmen in recent times were on hand to revive the innings. Even their most optimistic fans, though, would not have envisaged the emphatic manner in which the tide was turned.Restless to put the failure against West Indies behind him, Amla tried to kick off his World Cup career by disregarding the lengths, and punching on the up. He nearly paid the price in Berend Westdijk’s third over, when his drive fell just short of the man at short cover. In Mudassar Bukhari’s next, he mishit another forcing shot through the off side, getting an inside edge that was pouched by Barresi on the bounce. Amla tightened his approach following the two reprieves, resorting to deflections behind square, and compact drives down the ground. His first eight balls yielded three fours, but he got only one more – a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg off ten Doeschate – on his way to a vital half-century.As he had done against West Indies, de Villiers checked in with a surge of immaculate boundaries, flicking and cutting ten Doeschate for fours in the 18th over. They were shots of intent that changed the complexion of the game, ending a period of nearly ten overs in which South Africa’s only boundary was Amla’s edge to fine leg. de Villiers then went on to expose Netherlands’ limitations, leaving the accumulation to Amla and throwing punches in all directions. He looted boundaries in all but two of the overs between 27 and 35, pinging boundaries in a comprehensive arc from third man to midwicket, with shots ranging from the revers- sweep to the slapped flick. While his improvisation was top class, the hallmark of his innings remained the trademark crunched cover-drives whenever the bowlers over-pitched.Netherlands enjoyed a boundary-drought between overs 36 and 41, but it was clearly a case of the batsmen calibrating their guns for a final assault. Amla strolled to one of his quieter hundreds in the 40th over, and South Africa took the batting Powerplay soon after. de Villiers began the carnage by lapping Pieter Seelar for the first six of the innings, before reaching his century off 88 balls. His next ten deliveries brought him 34 runs, as he smashed Loots for three successive sixes and then ten Doeschate for a hat-trick of fours. Netherlands managed to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession, but it was scarce solace as the Powerplay went for 69. The fields fell back for the last four overs, but that did not seem to affect Duminy, who kept getting under length deliveries to swing four gleeful sixes. Netherlands must have known they were out of the game once South Africa finished with 351. Unfortunately, they did not have Kevin O’Brien in their ranks.

Match Timeline

Shahid Afridi has been named captain of the Pakistan squad for the World Twenty20 starting next month in the Caribbean

Osman Samiuddin23-Mar-2010The Pakistan Cricket Board ended weeks of uncertainty, by appointing Shahid Afridi to lead the country’s campaign to defend the World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean from the end of next month. Afridi will once again take up the role he was given last year, after Younis Khan stepped away from the format, though he has for now only been handed the role for the duration of the tournament.”It’s a challenge for me and I accept it,” Afridi said. “We are going to the West Indies with only one aim and that is to defend our title.”The limit on the tenure appears to be a result of the disciplinary action Afridi has faced since he was found guilty of ball-tampering – biting the ball repeatedly – in an ODI in Perth where he was captain. Until then, Pakistan had settled on Afridi as the Twenty20 captain till the World Cup and potentially as an ODI leader as well. But after that incident Afridi’s stock fell considerably.He was banned by the ICC for two T20Is, which led to Shoaib Malik taking over, albeit reluctantly. Then, the board slapped him with a Rs 3 million ($35,000) fine for the same incident, as well as placing him under probation for six months. Any further breaches, the message is clear, and punishment could be harsher.The board took the unusual step of announcing a 15-man squad for the tournament without naming a captain earlier this month. Since then, and despite his punishments, Afridi was the clear frontrunner among a limited pool of alternatives. He met the chairman Ijaz Butt once in that period. He is flying in to Lahore today, having collected a presidential award during the day in Karachi.Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq and Salman Butt were thought to be in the running as well, but Afridi’s record in the format – he is among the most influential all-round players in the world – and a naturally aggressive streak has made the choice an easier one.Afridi has already led his country in three T20Is and won all of them, with little outward detriment to his own individual impact. The decision to announce the captain so late does leave open the charge, however, that neither captain nor coach – the recently-appointed Waqar Younis – had any say in the team they will be in charge of in the Caribbean.Pakistan will be without the services of Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, both banned by the PCB, as well as the injured Sohail Tanvir. Afridi said their absences from the Caribbean campaign were unfortunate. “Rana, Malik and Tanvir could have been in my playing eleven because they had performed well in the past,” he said.

Pakistan lost six wickets for 40 runs late in the chase to lose the match by 25 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025With 11 days to go for the World Cup, Pakistan and South Africa played out a high-scoring thriller in Lahore. There were three centuries: Tazmin Brits posted her career-best 171 not out, Laura Wolvaardt brought up her ninth ODI hundred, and Sidra Amin hit 122. After over 90 overs and a rain break, South Africa won the match and took a 2-0 unassailable lead in the series with a match to spare.Chasing a revised target of 313 in 46 overs due to rain, Pakistan lost their first three wickets for 101, with Omaima Sohail making a brisk 43 and laying a solid platform. From there, Amin and Natalia Pervaiz stitched a momentum-changing 146-run stand off just 111 deliveries to lift Pakistan to a strong position. When Amin was cleaned up by Chloe Tryon, attempting to slog to the midwicket region, Pakistan needed 66 from 49 balls, with Pervaiz batting on 55 off 46. However, South Africa struck again, thanks to Tryon, and that shifted the momentum in their favour.Pakistan lost captain Fatima Sana, Natalia Pervaiz (73 off 60), and Diana Baig in a span of just nine balls, as South Africa seized control late in the chase. The hosts eventually folded for 287 in 44.4 overs, losing their final seven wickets for just 40 runs. Nadine de Klerk led the bowling effort with 3 for 45.South Africa posted 292 for 3 after being asked to bat first, but were sloppy in the field. Sidra Amin, who went on to register her sixth ODI hundred, was dropped several times during her innings.Earlier, Brits and Wolvaardt got off to a steady start and converted it to a 260-run opening stand. Brits was the aggressor in the stand and reached her sixth ODI ton a few overs before rain interrupted play. After 41 overs, South Africa were 238 for no loss, with Wolvaardt unbeaten on 95. Once play resumed and the contest was reduced to 46 overs per side, Wolvaardt reached her ninth hundred in ODIs, and South Africa added 54 runs in the last five overs. Brits, who scored 101 not out in the series opener, remained unbeaten on Friday, scoring 20 fours and four sixes.

With four back-to-back games in Mullanpur, Kings will hope home comforts help them get out of the mid-table points jam

Vishal Dikshit08-Apr-20241:48

What’s the secret to Abhishek Sharma’s success at the top?

Match details

Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Mullanpur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big Picture – Sunrisers might exploit Kings’ death bowling

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings look like two teams who have had very similar journeys so far this IPL – two wins from four games and sitting in the middle of the points table – but their passage to get there could have hardly been more contrasting. If Sunrisers have been the second-quickest batting team in powerplays this IPL (before the CSK vs KKR game on Monday) with a run rate of 11.66, Kings have been the second-worst bowling in the death overs (17-20) this IPL, leaking runs at 12.65.Sunrisers’ fresh batting approach this IPL has largely been because of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma’s success at the top. While Head carried forward his stellar form from 2023, Abhishek’s firepower has surprised many. Hardly a household name in T20 cricket, he has left many big-hitters behind in recent months with his boundary-hitting. Since October 2023, Abhishek has smashed 101 boundaries (47 fours and 54 sixes) in 326 balls, which adds up to one boundary every 3.23 balls, second only to Andre Russell’s 3.12 (taking into account stats for batters with at least 50 boundaries in this period).Abhishek’s methods might be high-risk but they’ve brought high-reward: he has not been dismissed very often while going for the big hits. His 101 boundaries have come across 14 innings in which he has averaged 46 while batting in the top three. He has struck two centuries in this phase, which also includes ten knocks for champions Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was the second-highest scorer while striking at 192. He has been smashing runs at 217.56 this IPL. If in the last two IPLs he hit a six almost every 25 balls, this IPL he is doing it five times as often, hitting a six every five balls.And he has done it against pace and spin, in the powerplay and the middle overs. With batters like Head alongside him, and Heinrich Klaasen and Abdul Samad to follow, the Kings bowlers will have to up their game significantly. They will be hoping their international bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel fare much better in the death overs.Kings will play their next four games in Mullanpur, and will want to take full advantage of home comforts to climb up the points table.

Form guide

PBKS WLLW (most recent first)
SRH WLWL

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Punjab Kings
Kings were without Liam Livingstone in their last game because of injury. He was replaced by Sikandar Raza, who couldn’t make an impact with either bat or ball against Gujarat Titans. Livingstone resumed training with the team on Monday but is still being assessed.For their impact subs, Kings have consistently subbed out Arshdeep Singh for a batter like Prabhsimran Singh, or vice versa.Likely XII: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Prabhsimran Singh, 4 Sam Curran, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Sikandar Raza, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 , 12 2:28

Punjab Kings: Indian batters > overseas batters

Sunrisers Hyderabad
T Natarajan returned in their last game after recovering from injury but Mayank Agarwal missed out because he was unwell. It is as yet unclear if Agarwal is fit for Tuesday, although he trained on Monday.For their Impact Player strategy, Sunrisers have kept it straightforward so far by swapping out one of the top-order batters – Head, Abhishek or Agarwal – for a frontline quick like Natarajan or Umran Malik, except in one game where they brought in allrounder Washington Sundar while batting first because they were 114 for 5.Likely XII: 1 , 2 Travis Head, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Shahbaz Ahmed, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Jaydev Unadkat, 12 .

In the spotlight – Pat Cummins and Arshdeep Singh

Pat Cummins was once a powerplay enforcer with the ball for Kolkata Knight Riders who went for quite a few runs, but a change of role in a new team has seen his numbers improve. He is now bowling a lot more in the middle overs (7-16), conceding runs at just 7.75 an over, his second-best economy rate since his maiden IPL season of 2014. If he can continue that form, it will bode very well for Sunrisers.Arshdeep Singh made his name in the IPL with his swing upfront and his nerveless death bowling. However, his death-bowling exploits have faded in the last couple of seasons. If he was economical in that phase (7.58) in IPL 2022, he failed to pick more than four wickets. And when he picked seven wickets at the death in IPL 2023, he leaked 9.50 runs an over. This IPL has been even worse – just one wicket and an economy rate of 11.70 in 20 balls. Will the real Arshdeep please stand up?2:17

Moody: Jitesh Sharma also has the calmness for challenging situations

Pitch and conditions – Back to Mullanpur

This is going to be just the second IPL game at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur. In the first, Kings started on a winning note against Delhi Capitals by chasing down 175. The spinners didn’t leak as many runs as the quicks on that night, but it’s been more than two weeks since then and conditions could easily have changed.

Stats that matter – Cummins against Kings’ top order

“We’ll keep an eye on what we need to do as a team, where we need to improve, and see how it comes along for us,” says India’s captain

Himanshu Agrawal03-Dec-20222:15

Rohit Sharma: ‘Impossible to always play with your best 15’

As per the ICC’S Future Tours Programme, India have six bilateral series – including the one in Bangladesh starting on Sunday – and an Asia Cup to plan for next year’s World Cup.Multiple members of the squad in Bangladesh are touring the country for the first time as India continue to expand their player base. Things are being set in motion but, the captain Rohit Sharma, insisted it was also important to focus on the present.Related

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“Every time you play a game, it is preparation for something that is going to come in the future,” he said. “But the World Cup is still eight to nine months [away] from now. We can’t think so far ahead. But yeah, we’ll keep an eye on what we need to do as a team, where we need to improve, and see how it comes along for us.”I believe it’s very important for us not to start thinking about so many things – the World Cup, the combination, this guy or that guy. Me and coach [Rahul Dravid] have a fair idea as to what we want to do, and we’ll narrow it down once we get closer to the World Cup. But [for now] we just want to play good cricket until the World Cup.”Amidst an upcoming global tournament lies the challenge of changing formats and a clutter of cricket, which often makes it difficult to ensure the availability of best players for each series, irrespective of the opposition.The last time India fielded a full-strength ODI side was during the England tour in July. Since then, they have played three-match series against West Indies, Zimbabwe, South Africa and New Zealand, but every time it was with a second-string team. This squad in Bangladesh, though, is a lot closer to India’s first 15. It’s only missing Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal, who are rested, and Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, who are injured.”People need to understand at times that we rest players,” Rohit said, “Give them a break. It’s [done] only to manage the workload keeping the bigger picture in mind. Cricket is not going to stop; there’s always going to be lots of cricket. But we have to manage ourselves and our players. You want your best players to play all the time, and with higher intensity. So it’s important to manage them.””The freshness of the players is also important. A lot of the guys have been on the road since before the World Cup. We played two series at home against Australia and South Africa, and we travelled straight to the World Cup from there. Some of the guys went to New Zealand, so they’ve been out for virtually two-and-a-half months.”With just four days between two assignments on opposite ends of the world, only six of the players that India took to New Zealand are part of this Bangladesh tour. A seventh was added only when Umran Malik replaced Shami, with India now looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat where two matches were washed out.

Uncapped Molly Penfold comes into the squad that will depart at the end of the week

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2021New Zealand pace bowler Rosemary Mair has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of England due to a stress reaction in her left shin.Mair will be replaced in the 16-player squad by uncapped Auckland quick Molly Penfold for the tour that includes three T20Is and five ODIs.Mair has taken four wickets in 11 ODIs but has enjoyed more success in T20Is with 13 wickets at 24.69Related

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“It’s very unfortunate news for Rosemary who’s started to form a key part of our bowling attack in recent times,” New Zealand head coach Bob Carter said. “Rosemary is naturally gutted she can’t tour but we wish her well with the injury and look forward to having her back on the park soon.”Bowling coach Jacob Oram was looking forward to working with 20-year-old Penfold on what is hoped will be a valuable learning experience.”Molly has raw, fast bowling talent,” he said. “She brings a desire to learn about her game and a willingness to work hard and absorb new information. She will benefit a lot from touring and training day in, day out with our best bowlers in the country.”New Zealand are hosts of next year’s ODI World Cup but have only won one of their last one of their last 15 matches in the format.

Warner expressed confidence in the BCCI creating a safe bio-security bubble for the IPL to take place

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2020David Warner has said that the Australian players who are part of the Indian Premier League would be open to travelling to India for the tournament, subject to getting clearance from Cricket Australia and the Australian government.The timing of this year’s IPL could hinge on whether the T20 World Cup takes place as scheduled or not, in Australia in October and November. While the ICC has deferred a decision on the event, two members on the ICC Board have expressed doubts about the feasibility of holding the tournament this year.Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings felt it was “unrealistic” while Ehsan Mani said it was likely to be deferred by a year. Warner pointed out that if the T20 World Cup wasn’t going to take place, it opened up a window where no other international cricket had been scheduled in any case, which meant playing in the IPL was possible. However, the Australian players will have to get clearance from their board and their government, with CA giving them permission to skip their own domestic season.”If it is unlikely that the World Cup can go ahead, I’m definitely sure and positive that we’ll be able to come and play in the IPL if that replaces the World Cup,” Warner said in an interview with . “If that permits, CA giving us the go-ahead to go over there, I’m sure that we will put our hand up to come over and play cricket and do what we love.”All the players that have been selected and picked in the auction will put their hand up if they are permitted… we have to get government clearance as well, if we’re allowed to travel,” he added.ALSO READ: ICC to wait and watch before deciding T20 World Cup fate“Obviously what will happen is that, there is a World Cup that was planned so there is probably no international cricket that would have been able to have been scheduled anyway, so they can rescheduled and put the IPL in place. The other thing we have to think about is obviously state cricket starts here in Australia, that’s another thing Cricket Australia will have to consider. But I’m sure if we’re given the opportunity to go over and play, most certain the guys will go over there and play.”Warner expressed confidence in the Indian government and the BCCI creating a safe bio-security bubble for the IPL to take place. “At the end of the day we want to get back on the park, but [it’s about] making sure that we do that in a safe environment as well,” he said. “I’m sure that the Indian government and the BCCI will be putting perfect parameters in place to ensure the safety of the players, the staff that’s working at the venue, everyone that’s involved. Whether or not there’s crowds or no crowds, I’m sure the BCCI will be doing everything they can to try and get this off the ground and all the players in one safe place.”Sweat but no saliva “bizarre”While acknowledging the need for safety measures put in place and praising the thinking behind them, Warner also found it strange that saliva was banned while sweat was not for bowlers shining the ball when cricket resumes.”It’s a bizarre one. We’re in a position that’s new to everyone,” he said. “These parameters have obviously been put in place for health reasons, and obviously we’ve got to abide by those laws. It’s interesting, it’s going to be different that’s for sure. Whether or not down the track there is a designated ball shiner, only one person can shine the ball… it’s weird.”But from my point of view, if you can’t put saliva on the ball but you throw the ball, you catch the ball, you throw it back to that person… you’ve got more sweat on your palms than anything. I’m not educated in that sort of sector, but for me it just seems a little bit silly that you can’t use saliva but you can catch the ball and have sweaty hands and all that. It’s weird but it’s good to see them putting something in place that can negate the chances of spreading that [Covid-19].”

David Richardson will continue till July as originally planned, with his focus mainly on the smooth conduct of the 50-over World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2019Manu Sawhney has assumed formal charge as ICC chief executive officer with “immediate effect”, three months before he was meant to start the job.In January, the ICC Board approved Sawhney’s appointment as the next ICC CEO to replace the incumbent, Dave Richardson, whose seven-year tenure comes ends with the World Cup. Sawhney was meant to work till July in tandem with Richardson, but the ICC has now said that with the transitioning having gone smoothly, he was ready to start the job from Monday.Sawhney has attended various ICC discussions already and sat during the Chief Executives’ Committee and Board meetings in February. It is understood that taking early charge would allow Sawhney to set the ball rolling on newer projects while allowing Richardson to focus on the World Cup.One of the key and significant project that Sawhney has already started work on is the broadcast rights cycle after the 2023 World Cup. Currently Star India holds the rights for ICC’s global events till then.In a media release, the ICC said Sawhney had been working “alongside” Richardson for the past six weeks “to ensure a smooth transition for the organization”.Sawhney said he could not wait to start the new job, while outlining some of the key areas he would be focusing on: “I am excited by the opportunities ahead and I am looking forward to working in partnership with our Members, partners and staff to ambitiously accelerate the global growth of the game. Technology, engagement, women’s cricket and driving greater value are key focus areas for us as we consider how we can innovate to transform the sport’s long-term future and create a vibrant and sustainable sport globally.”India-born Sawhney, the unanimous choice of the nominations committee, came to prominence during a 17-year-long career at ESPN-Star Sports (ESS), where he rose to become managing director. It was in his time with the company that ESS sealed the broadcasting deal for global ICC events in the 2007-15 cycle. Sawhney then moved to Singapore Sports Hub (SSH), where he worked as CEO, and also sits on the audit committee of Manchester United Sports Ltd.

Ben Stokes has confirmed that his England comeback will be deferred after he was given a date of February 13 to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2018Ben Stokes has confirmed that his England comeback will be deferred after he was given a date of February 13 to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of affray.That date coincided with the first of England’s T20 fixtures in New Zealand, when Stokes had initially been scheduled to make his return to action. Though he might have been able to enter a plea through his legal representatives, he has now confirmed his intention to remain in England and appear at court in person.”As has been confirmed in the media a first hearing date at court has been set for 13th February,” Stokes wrote on Twitter. “In the circumstances, I have decided that it would not be right to join my teammates until after attending court on the 13th.”Stokes was cleared for selection by England on Wednesday, following an ECB board meeting. He had greeted the news by tweeting: “I’m extremely delighted to be given this opportunity to do this again. I can’t wait to get back out on a pitch with the three Lions on my chest.”Having already been named as part of England’s squad for the T20 tri-series, which also involves Australia, he was set to join up with the tour party when they move to New Zealand. However, that comeback was quickly thrown into doubt when Avon and Somerset police confirmed the date of his court appearance.Affray, depending on the circumstances, can be prosecuted at either Magistrates Court or Crown Court. At a Crown Court, the maximum sentence is three years imprisonment, but if tried in a Magistrates Court it is only six months.The expectation is that Stokes will plead not guilty to the charge. “I am keen to have an opportunity to clear my name but on advice the appropriate time to do this is when the case comes to trial,” he said in a statement shortly after his England recall was confirmed.Trevor Bayliss, the head coach, had hinted last week that England would like Stokes to gain some match practice before his comeback, potentially in New Zealand, where he turned out for Canterbury before Christmas while unavailable for England. But that plan has now been complicated by his need to return to the UK.”Hopefully we can get him some cricket somewhere as part of his practice going into the New Zealand leg. That’ll be up to him,” Bayliss said.”It’s all about performance. We want him to be up and running and ready to go. I think there’s a few legal things to get through in the next week or so, 10 days, but then it’s about being prepared to play. We can’t get him to come in and perform in an international match straight away, so it’s about getting him ready.”The announcement that Stokes was free to return while awaiting trial provided the latest entry in a saga that has overshadowed England’s winter. After being arrested in September, Stokes missed the entirety of the Ashes with the police investigation ongoing, despite being named in the squad; he was also included in the ODI squad to play Australia, before being replaced.

Maharashtra have turned down Karnataka’s request for a replacement player after Manish Pandey was pulled out of their ongoing Ranji Trophy fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2016Maharashtra have turned down Karnataka’s request for a replacement player after Manish Pandey was pulled out of their ongoing Ranji Trophy fixture in Mohali. Pandey was drafted into the India squad after Ajinkya Rahane was ruled out of the fourth and fifth Tests against England with a finger injury.Faced with the prospect of playing with only ten batsmen, Karnataka requested Pranab Roy, the match referee, for a replacement. According to , Roy, after consultations with MV Sridhar, BCCI’s general manager (cricket operations), sought Maharashtra captain Swapnil Gugale’s consent to allow a replacement for Pandey. Gugale, however, denied the request.”The match referee had asked for a substitute and we said no. That’s it,” Gugale told ESPNcricinfo. “The game is a little crucial for us and you never know what can happen tomorrow.”Roy said the match officials went by the rules. “[The] rules are clear that a replacement can be allowed subject to the consent of the captain of the opposing team,” he told . “But when fielding in the second innings, Karnataka will be allowed a substitute fielder.” Roy also confirmed that should Pandey not play in the Mumbai Test and if the team management releases him, he could return for the match.Karnataka already have an injury concern, with Abhimanyu Mithun leaving the field after bowling only two deliveries on the opening day. They had a good day, however, as they dismissed Maharashtra for 163 after sending them in. Karnataka began their reply in solid fashion, and went to stumps on 67 for 1.Karnataka, along with Jharkhand, have already qualified for the knockouts from Group B, while Maharashtra are in a three-way battle with Delhi and Odisha for the final qualification spot.