Tag Futebol

Usain Bolt has spoken of his desire to play in the Big Bash League this year, and the Melbourne Stars are keeping the door open to potentially sign him

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012Usain Bolt has spoken of his desire to play in the Big Bash League this year, and the Melbourne Stars are keeping the door open to potentially sign him. The possibility was first raised in June when Bolt was interviewed on Australian TV by Eddie McGuire, a presenter who is also the Stars president, and the team’s marquee player Shane Warne has also asked Bolt whether he was interested.Fresh from an Olympic campaign in which he won three gold medals, Bolt said at the weekend he was still open to the idea. “He [Shane Warne] contacted me and asked me about if I am serious and if I really want to do it then he can put in a few words that should get it done,” Bolt said on Channel Nine.”So we will see if I get the time off. I will try. Twenty20, I love it. Just the fact that it is so exciting, it’s about going hard the whole time, not just about playing shots. It’s about being aggressive and I like that style of batsman. If I get the chance I will definitely try because I know it’s going to be a lot of fun. I don’t know how good I am. I will probably have to get a lot of practice in.”One of the major issues would be whether Bolt could hold his own as a cricketer. Although he played junior cricket and famously bowled Chris Gayle in a charity match in Jamaica in 2009, facing the likes of Brett Lee and Pat Cummins would be another matter entirely.In 2006-07, the rugby league star Andrew Johns turned out in two Big Bash matches for New South Wales in an effort to boost crowd numbers and attention for the competition, but the move backfired for the Blues. On debut, Johns batted at No.11 and was at the crease when New South Wales needed 13 from the final over to win, but his partner Simon Katich refused to put him on strike and the Blues lost.The stakes have risen considerably since then, with the eight BBL franchises all competing not only for the trophy but also for two spots at the Champions League T20, where the winning team earns $2.5 million in prize money. Cricket Australia is cautious about the idea of Bolt playing in the BBL, declaring that the competition has moved past the “novelty factor” and that he would need to be able to play to the appropriate standard, but the Stars remain keen on the idea.”We’re going to wait until the Olympics is over and re-engage with him and his management company,” Clint Cooper, the Stars CEO told the . “We’ve got a couple of spots left on our list.”

Two bowlers who have been injured for most of the last two seasons helped Hampshire to their first Championship win of the season and inflicted a serious blow to Durham’s title hopes

13-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Two bowlers who have been injured for most of the last two seasons helped Hampshire to their first County Championship win of the season and inflicted a serious blow to Durham’s title hopes.With two innings forfeited in the rain-ruined match at Chester-le-Street, Durham were set what looked a generous target of 276 in 82 overs. However, the title hopefuls were all out for 225 with Dimitri Mascarenhas taking six wickets for 62 runs and Kabir Ali 3 for 69.Although he was playing only his third championship game in two years following his Achilles injury, Hampshire must have sensed conditions were tailor-made for Mascarenhas when they declared on 275 for 7. The former England one-day allrounder’s medium pace always proves very effective in the north-east whenever there is any moisture around and in his first eight overs he took 3 for 11.Although Michael Di Venuto had less than his share of the strike, he had faced 23 balls when he tried to cut a ball which was moving into him and edged to second slip to depart for 1. In the last over before lunch Mark Stoneman padded up to a swinging delivery from Mascarenhas and was leg before wicket.Then, straight after the break, Gordon Muchall played back to a ball which skidded on to him and lost his off stump. Will Smith made 31 before edging Ali to first slip and Durham were rocking on
79 for 5 before Dale Benkenstein and Phil Mustard revived them with a stand of 45.Both batsmen were on 28 when Benkenstein drove at left-arm seamer Chris Wood and Hampshire’s acting captain Jimmy Adams took a fine catch high to his left at wide mid-off.With Callum Thorp coming to the crease there were still 45 overs left and survival was not really an option. He took 10 off Wood’s next over, prompting the introduction of legspinner Imran Tahir.
Thorp hit him for two fours in each of his second and third overs to move to 29 off 22 balls at tea and with Mustard on 36 Durham were 163 for 6, still needing 113 off 37 overs.The target was down to 88 when Thorp departed for 43, replicating Ian Blackwell’s dismissal by trying to pull a short ball wide of leg stump from Ali, only to glove it to wicketkeeper Michael Bates.
In the next over Mitch Claydon drove at Mascarenhas and also edged to Bates, who completed his maiden first-class half-century in the morning.It was as good as over for Durham when Mustard fell for 56, cutting low to Michael Carberry at backward point. Finally Rushworth hooked Mascarenhas to long leg and Durham had taken only two points from the match. They lead by eight points from Lancashire, but their three title rivals can all overtake them next week, when Durham are not in action.Hampshire took 18 points but are still 32 adrift of safety and faced an unwelcome coach trip to Aberdeen after the match for a Clydesdale Bank 40 League match against Scotland, knowing the ground had been far too wet to stage today’s game against Leicestershire.

The spoils were shared between Australia, England and South Africa while Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were not too far behind

Siddhartha Talya24-Aug-2010Australia and South Africa have the best bowling attacks in world cricket today, with Pakistan, led by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and England not too far behind, according to Ian Chappell, Allan Donald and Sanjay Manjrekar. Speaking on the latest episode of , they also agreed that India and Sri Lanka didn’t measure up to the rest.Among the parameters used to rate the line-ups was their effectiveness in all conditions. The ability of Australia and South Africa’s bowlers to challenge batsmen on placid surfaces gave them an edge over the others, said Manjrekar. “When you look at bowling attacks from around the world Australia will still perhaps be No.1, because you can imagine that attack being pretty good on Indian conditions, in Sri Lanka as well,” he said.”Getting everything in the air, trying to beat batsmen in pace and not using the surface at all by bowling the ball full – that’s where Australia are good. They have got Mitchell Johnson who uses the length well. Doug Bollinger is also quite happy pitching the ball up. Australia and South Africa to me are the attacks that can perhaps make an impression in all sorts of conditions.”England, with a strong pace attack and a successful spinner in Graeme Swann, Donald said, were formidable in home conditions. But he felt they would be tested in Australia later in the year. “It’ll be very interesting for them to go to Australia during the Ashes and bowl on those flat pitches,” Donald said. “With the new ball, they’re pretty good. James Anderson is the bowler for me who really stands out in that regard. Stuart Broad is pretty much a line bowler, he’s quite aggressive. But in conditions with the Kookaburra ball, they’re going to need something off the deck as well. So they’re going to be tested during the Ashes.”

The success of the Pakistan seamers in England would have earned them more points among the experts had it not been for some poor catching and a “horrible” slip cordon. “You never know what you are going to get from Kamran Akmal, some days he has got bricks in his gloves. So that makes it very hard for the bowlers, when sometimes you have to get the guy out three times,” Chappell said.Donald rated Dale Steyn as the best fast bowler in the world, though Chappell had his doubts. “There was a classic example when Phil Hughes got his hundred in Durban. Steyn did not go after him, after Hughes at all until he got the hundred. I was starting to wonder when you had a handicap in Test cricket where they let you get a hundred before they get after you. So that’s my query with Steyn. When he is good, he is very good; but he is a little bit moody.”The uncertainty with Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh’s lack of form in the recent past meant India were among the bottom-placed teams while Sri Lanka had much to thank Lasith Malinga for. “These are the sides that will struggle bowling people out,” Donald said.

South Australia had stumbled to 23 for 4 early on the final day but twin centuries produced an impressive fightback

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2024New South Wales 366 (Konstas 152, Philippe 56) and 282 for 6 dec (Konstas 105, Henriques 52) drew with South Australia 260 (Carey 90, Lyon 5-47) and 309 for 5 (McSweeney 127*, Carey 111, Lyon 3-94)Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey has fired a warning shot ahead of this summer’s tour by India, notching a superb century in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield draw with New South Wales.After posting a rapid-fire 90 in the first innings at Cricket Central, Carey pulled South Australia back from the brink with 111 from 158 deliveries in the second on day four. The two knocks combined to mark his most successful start to a Sheffield Shield season since his Test debut in 2021.Related

Yashasvi Jaiswal averages 80 in first-class cricket. He has hit nine centuries in 15 matches. And while it may be an entirely different format, his performances in the IPL showed he has the ability to handle all kinds of bowling, from extreme pace to mystery spin.India’s Test captain Rohit Sharma, in no uncertain terms, welcomed the new addition to the batting line-up. “Indian cricket desperately needed a left-hander and we found a very good player. Looks very promising.”Jaiswal’s arrival has even had a healthy knock-on effect with one of India’s other important players. “Shubman Gill will play at No. 3 because he wants to play at three,” Rohit said. “He told [coach] Rahul [Dravid] bhai that he has played all of his cricket at No. 3 and No. 4 and that he can do better for the team at No. 3. It helps us too as it creates a left-right opening combination. This is what we are trying and hopefully, this becomes a long-term thing as we have been desperate for a left-hander. We have got that left-hander in Jaiswal and let’s hope that he performs well for the team and he can really make that spot his own.”When the Indian Test squad for the two-match tour of the West Indies was chosen, there were a lot of questions about Sarfaraz Khan’s exclusion. The Mumbai batter has been setting the Ranji Trophy alight over the past two or three years but he is yet to be included in the team. Rohit, unprompted, spoke about the people who have missed out and asked them to keep the faith.”There are a couple of guys who have missed out. Unfortunately, you can pick only 15-16 players in the squad. But everyone’s time will come. That is what I want to say.”2:06

Deep Dasgupta picks India’s playing XI for the first Test

Rohit defends the make-up of the bowling attack on tour

The other feature of the squad is the lack of experience among the fast bowlers – they have a combined 88 wickets between them and Mohammed Siraj accounts for 52. While Rohit said he had full faith in the group that has been picked, he highlighted how situations like this might become more and more common.”Indian cricket will always face this challenge because we play a lot of cricket, so obviously we have to manage players, rotate them and give them enough breaks. When they return, we want them fresh. We need to be wary of the tournaments ahead of us; there is a World Cup coming, so we have to keep that in mind too. We do not have the luxury to focus on one particular series, we have to look ahead also. We have to see which player is needed where. That is why we’ve had to rotate players, and then the new players come. It is a good thing also in a way as others are getting a chance.”We have to create our bench strength, because you cannot play with just one team for years on. You have to create a bench strength and the players that are toiling, you need to bring them in the team so that they get a chance and we can also see how well they handle pressure on the international stage, how they bring out their best.”I have a lot of confidence in the new bowlers. Jaydev Unadkat is not new, he has been around for 10-12 years [in domestic cricket]. Mukesh Kumar has been very consistent in domestic cricket. He has done well for his state, in the zonal games and for India A. He has been given a chance, and we will see the combination we play.”

‘This team will fight to win championships’

Rohit was faced once again with a question of why they were unable to win the Test championship despite making the finals both times it was played and in a moment of exasperation he hinted that India did not have their best team to play with in 2023. Jasprit Bumrah (back) and Pant (knee) were missing due to serious injuries.”Firstly I want everyone to be available. All my players who are there I want them to be available 100%. I don’t want any injuries, anything. The second thing is, we’ve not crossed the line in a long time but I feel that as long as we keep ticking the boxes, we keep playing good cricket and we keep doing the right things, it will fall into place. Over the years we’ve done a lot of good things. Just that sometimes you want luck to be on your side as well. Over the last five six years we’ve played consistent cricket. We’ve probably won everywhere. But yeah, winning championships are more important. But I believe that until we get that championship we’ll be fighting hard for it.”

“The character and the resilience to turn it around after those first three games shows volumes about this group,” Knight said

Valkerie Baynes03-Apr-2022Nat Sciver had carried the disappointment of scoring an unbeaten century in a losing cause against Australia throughout the World Cup. So, given the chance to put that right, she’d be damned if she was going to let it slip again.That’s how she played a remarkable innings in the final which might have left the most optimistic of England fans daring to dream and, by Meg Lanning’s own admission, made the Australia captain “nervous”. The problem was, just as in their first encounter on March 5, Sciver’s knock was only the second-best of the day.Related

• Meg Lanning: 'I think we deserved a victory today'

• Australia lift seventh World Cup with Healy's monumental 170

• WWC stats – Australia's overall dominance vs England's hot streak

Upstaged by Alyssa Healy’s record-breaking 170 off 138 balls, Sciver’s unbeaten 148 from 121 could not stop the Australian juggernaut that succeeded in a five-year quest to take the trophy from England, winning by 71 runs after posting a mammoth total of 356 for 5.Sciver was on a hiding to nothing after England’s bowlers were toothless against Healy and fellow opener Rachael Haynes, with whom she shared a 160-run opening partnership, not to mention Beth Mooney’s rapid half-century.Then there was England’s top-order collapse that reduced the defending champions to 38 for 2 and 86 for 3, leading to the inevitability that Sciver would run out of partners, notwithstanding a fifth-wicket stand with Sophia Dunkley worth 50 and the 65 she put on for the ninth wicket with rookie offspinner Charlie Dean.”After the first match, getting so close, I guess the disappointment was something that stuck with me,” Sciver said. “Getting a century against the top-ranked team was really special as well, so it’s weird how it’s worked out, how it’s been against Australia.”With my batting over this tournament, I felt pretty confident and I’d probably not done as well as I had expected having felt that way, so it’s nice to end with a good score, but it would have been nicer to have the trophy.”Australia won their group game by 12 runs after Haynes’ 130 put England’s target of 311 just out of reach, despite Sciver’s 109 not out. And Sciver was left wondering what might have been had those two half-century stands in the final – not to mention the 48 she shared with captain Heather Knight – gone bigger.”When Charlie Dean was there, we had a really good chat,” Sciver said. “If we were there with two or three overs to spare, we knew that it would be a big ask but there would be a chance we could get over the line.”You could tell that the Australians were really keen on taking our wicket and changing the momentum again, because we did have a bit of momentum, I guess.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As it happened, Dunkley fell for a run-a-ball 22 and Dean for a confident 21 off 24 to Alana King and Jess Jonassen, respectively, as the Australian spinners claimed three wickets apiece.And while Healy had hoped her innings would be seen as “brave” in that she played her way, regardless of the occasion, Sciver could perhaps take some solace from the fact that she had done the same.”When you’re chasing 350-odd, there’s only really one way you can play it,” Sciver said of her boundary-laden innings that featured the only six of the match, a pull off King over deep midwicket. “When you’re chasing, the mentality of scoring runs takes care of itself. You know that you need to be out there for a long time but also pick up boundaries where you can. Luckily, that seemed to come naturally, but it just got a bit too much at the end.”Knight said it had been a “50-50″ call when she put Australia in upon winning the toss but, in hindsight, she wouldn’t have changed it.”Something Australia do really well as a batting unit is when they get a partnership together they really make it a match-defining partnership,” Knight said. “They’re really ruthless with that and they extend those big partnerships, and I think it’s something we can certainly do a little bit better as a side.”Tonight, Nat had an outstanding innings, but we have someone else with her and with the potential of chasing that score – although we let them get a few too many with the ball.”I’m very disappointed but really proud of Nat and the fight she put on to give us a chance of winning. We, unfortunately, didn’t have anyone with her to be able to really maximise two set batters. We can take a lot of pride in what we’ve done as a group, the way we fought throughout the competition to be in this position and the way we fought tonight.”Lanning was also full of praise for Sciver.”There were a few nervous moments, there’s no doubt about that,” Lanning said. “She also played an incredible innings, Nat Sciver, that was something really special, and on another day, that wins your team the game, so we always felt under the pump a little bit while she was at the crease in particular.”But we were able to get wickets at the right time – whenever they were able to build a partnership we felt like we were able to break it. Chasing that total, you have to keep going the whole time, so we knew that if we could stick to our guns and just keep it really simple, it should have been enough, but absolutely, there were some nerves there.”The key feature of England’s campaign was that they bounced back from a three-match losing streak at the start of the tournament to win their next five games and earn the right to defend their title against an Australian side building a reputation as the best in women’s cricketing history. As a result, Knight said there were “a lot of positives” to take away.”The character and the resilience in the group to turn it around after those first three games when obviously we were in a pretty tough situation shows volumes about this group and the people that we’ve got in it and the staff we’ve got as well to get here with a chance of winning,” Knight said.”In terms of things we need to do differently, it will take a little bit of time to digest what went wrong and I think also, it’s fair to say, credit to Australia they’ve outplayed us tonight.”

How the teams reached the knockouts, the leading performers and injury news

Andrew McGlashan24-Nov-2020

Melbourne Stars (1st) v Perth Scorchers (4th)

How the group stage wentIt took the Stars three matches before they could complete a game as rain ruined the first week of the tournament, but once the sun came out (mostly) so did the Stars’ class. A run of seven wins on the bounce did most of the qualifying work before a brief hiccup in a Super Over defeat against the Renegades. The Stars followed that up with two more victories, but lost their last two group matches – against the Heat and Sixers – and the way they did not respond too well to Alyssa Healy’s onslaught (albeit there was nothing riding on the innings) and briefly Laura Kimmince the game before was perhaps a template for others. You can’t sit back against them.The Scorchers’ opening pair of Sophie Devine, who was named Player of the Tournament for the second consecutive year, and Beth Mooney are certainly in the form to apply that sort of pressure, although their group campaign was less consistent. But four wins in a row in the middle of the competition was where things came together, before just one win in the last four – two of the defeats coming when Devine was injured – left things a little tighter than they would have liked.When they met in the groupMelbourne Stars won by eight wickets – Devine and Mooney were dismissed in the Powerplay and it was rarely a contest from there
Melbourne Stars won by six runs – At 1 for 82 in the 11th over chase 150, the Scorchers were well place despite the absence of Devine but Sophie Day and Alana King took 5 for 31 between them.StatsMost runs:
Beth Mooney (524)
Meg Lanning (458)
Sophie Devine (448)Most wickets:
Nat Sciver (18)
Sarah Glenn (16)
Taneale Peschel (13)Injury-watchElyse Villani tweaked her hamstring against the Sydney Sixers and Annabel Sutherland suffered a knock to a finger, but both trained on Tuesday with the Stars hopeful they will be available. Erin Osborne also missed the end of the group stage with a hamstring niggle. For the Scorchers, Heather Graham picked up a knee injury over the weekend but scans have cleared of a major injury and she is in the squad.Where the game could be decidedAn awful lot appears to rest on the shoulders of Devine and Mooney for the Scorchers. They are capable of doing it on their own, but the Stars feel like the team with more bases covered and more routes to victory. Mignon du Preez has been the glue below their powerful opening pair while Alana King’s form has answered added depth with bat and ball.What they said“I love knockout cricket because everyone starts from scratch and it’s game on. It’s the best type of cricket to play, puts you under pressure and everything is on the line.”
Sophie Devine“They [Devine and Mooney] have been pretty crucial during the season, but they have other girls in the line-up – including my team-mate Amy Jones – so it’s not only about the opening pair but they are crucial wickets.”
Nat Sciver

Brisbane Heat (2nd) v Sydney Thunder (3rd)

Laura Kimmince has hit a stunning run of form•Getty Images

How the group stage wentA story of two halves for the Heat, who looked a long way short of challenging at the midway mark of the tournament with one win in seven matches. “If we get on the board next game, look out, because we could be on from there,” Grace Harris said. And she has been proved spot on. Seven wins on the bounce and they were safely into the knockouts before the last match. Laura Kimmince has become the ace in the pack when it comes to closing out innings and the spinners have come to the fore.The Thunder laid down an early marker with three strong wins after the rain had cleared, but that was followed by four defeats in five which left them in the tight mid-table. Despite a defeat in the derby against the Sixers they pulled it together in the hectic final week with three wins, the last spearheaded by the outstanding spell from Shabnim Ismail.When they met in the groupSydney Thunder won by 14 runs (DLS) – The chase was reduced to five overs and the Heat were 7 for 30 in pursuit of 45. Sam Bates bowled a double-wicket maiden in the second over
Brisbane Heat won by eight wickets – The win that started the run for the Heat, set up by Amelia Kerr’s 4 for 20.StatsMost runs:
Heather Knight (403)
Georgia Redmayne (332)
Rachael Haynes (268)
Most wickets:
Sammy-Jo Johnson (18)
Amelia Kerr (16)
Jess Jonassen (16)Injury-watchSam Bates left the field at the end of her third over against the Hobart Hurricanes in the last group match after landing awkwardly as she dived from her follow through. However, she trained fully on Tuesday so there is no concern about her availability.Where the game could be decidedThe Heat know how to win, but they will have to be careful in the batting Powerplay where they will face the excellent Ismail and Bates. How the Thunder deal with Kerr is likely to be a key part of the match. Laura Kimmince is the x-factor, a player who can swing the match in just a few deliveries.What they said“We knew we were still playing pretty good cricket, we just weren’t winning the one or two overs within the game that in T20 can win you those games. We knew our plans were right, we just had to keep backing ourselves. We’ve fought hard the last seven games but really tried to enjoy our cricket at the same time.”
Delissa Kimmince“It turned into a bit of tournament play for us, having to keep on winning to get to finals, and now we’ve got the opportunity to play in finals it’s another really good experience for this group to play in big games, under pressure, it’s the reason you play and train.”
Rachael Haynes

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood manage two wickets in the day as Worcestershire recover from 75 for 8

Daniel Brettig at New Road08-Aug-2019During a pesky lower order stand between Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad that looked to have given England a significant advantage at the midpoint of the Edgbaston Ashes Test, a common refrain throughout was how the pace of Mitchell Starc and perhaps the bounce of Josh Hazlewood might have been handy to clean up the tail.Certainly both have been known to do the trick at times in the past, but their chances of selection for the Lord’s Test next week were not exactly aided by a day on which Worcestershire, having limped to 75 for 8 after a flurry of morning wickets, wriggled their way to 201 for 9 and gave their captain Joe Leach the pleasure of declaring the innings closed.Starc and Hazlewood’s chief frustraters were Worcestershire’s second-string wicketkeeper Alex Milton and the right-arm seamer Charlie Morris, who played their shots with steadily increasing ferocity across a stand of 88 that was only ended by the part-time legbreaks of Marnus Labuschagne.The union may have been ended somewhat earlier, only for Starc to have bowled a no-ball when he sent Morris’ off stump cartwheeling out of the ground on 12, before he and Hazlewood were spelled for much of the latter part of the partnership. Starc was back on, however, for the subsequent partnership of 38 between Morris and the last man Adam Finch, concluding an analysis that read 11.5-2-29-1 for the day.Hazlewood, with 3 for 34 from 15 overs for the innings and 1 for 32 from 11 for the day, took the best innings figures, though he too would have been somewhat nonplussed to have a diminishing impact as the innings went on. Michael Neser (2 for 32 from 12 overs) fulfilled the role he is on tour to perform as a back-up merchant for the frontline.Whether that is enough to convince the selectors that Australia could do with Starc’s speed or Hazlewood’s trajectory at Lord’s will be more or less up to the selection chairman Trevor Hohns and the captain Tim Paine, with the coach Justin Langer not venturing to Worcester and taking a brief sojourn in London between Tests – likewise Steven Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.The closure from Leach – who took some time to get the attention of Morris and Finch to actually do so – provided the Australians with the full final session in which to bat. Cameron Bancroft spent 40 halting balls over 7 before edging behind, but Marcus Harris was rather more fluent in gliding to 62 from 78 balls by stumps.Mitchell Marsh was promoted to No. 3 to be given the chance for some time at the crease. In being beaten numerous times outside the off stump he showed himself still to be more of a lower-middle order player on a pitch that had, by the evidence of Worcestershire’s tail, eased considerably on the seam it offered on day one.What happens next in this match will be largely determined by the forecast for Worcester over the next 24 hours, with heavy overnight rain predicted, almost to the level of the storms that forced Australia A’s earlier fixture here to be shifted to Kidderminster.

One day after their historic win over India, Bangladesh limited Thailand to 60 in 20 overs to set up a massive nine-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsICC/Getty Images

One day after picking up their first win over India in women’s international cricket, Bangladesh demolished Thailand by nine wickets to register their third successive victory in the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur. The win was fashioned by their bowling strength as they restricted Thailand to 60 for 8 in 20 overs. Bangladsh ran down the target with 11.1 overs to spare.Salma Khatun, the Bangladesh captain, led that stellar performance with 2 for 6 in four overs, while Nahida Akter, the left-arm spinner, took 2 for 10 from her four overs.Thailand were a miserable 39 for 7 when their best partnership of the innings came – 21 runs between Sirintra Saengsakaorat and the captain Sornnarin Tippoch. They were two of only three Thailand batsmen to make double-figures; Nattaya Boochatham, who top-scored with 15.Each of Bangladesh’s bowlers took at least a wicket each, with Jahanara Alam, who opened the bowling, proving to be the most expensive, going at five an over.The chase began with wicket in the second over – but Ayasha Rahman and Nigar Sultana put on an unbeaten 54-run stand at a run a ball to steer the team home. Both women made identical contributions, finishing on 25 each, with Rahman sealing the win with a six.

South Africa’s batting coach Neil Mckenzie wants his team to add another 60-70 runs to set an imposing fourth-innings target for New Zealand but admits there may not be enough time to do so given the weather and the scoring rates in the match

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin11-Mar-2017South Africa will look for a lead of around 250 if they are to force the result their way in the Dunedin Test, but they have acknowledged that time may not be on their side. Apart from the possibility of rain shortening or completely washing out the final day, the slow scoring rates which have dominated this Test mean that the visitors may not be able to set a target they are comfortable defending and leave themselves enough overs to bowl New Zealand out a second time.”We definitely want another 60 or 70 more runs. It’s about dictating terms,” Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, said. “The runs are not just going to come in 10 overs – that’s the nature of the wicket. We’ll have to graft up front. If we can look to take the lead beyond 260 or 270, then dictate when we are going to declare and have a look at them. I’m sure in their dressing room they will be saying that if they can get a few early and run through us, they could chase 220 or 230. Thirty or 40 runs on this sort of wicket makes a huge difference.”New Zealand are similarly skeptical about things speeding up as they go in search of a win. “We might rock and roll them, we might not,” Jeetan Patel, New Zealand’s offspinner, said. “We may take three hours to bowl them out but it leaves an opportunity to win a Test match and the excitement of that is massive. They (the team) probably need that little bit of confidence to keep going with their season.”Patel was particularly pleased with New Zealand’s bowling effort in keeping the scoring rate down even though they did not take all of their chances. “To keep them to 230 over that many overs, is pretty special. The guys need a pat on the back for what they did today,” he said.That New Zealand did it in the absence of Trent Boult, who has a sore hip, only makes Patel prouder. “That’s why I say these guys are an amazing bunch,” Patel said. “They find a way. Look at Wagner’s last spell, it was just as potent as his first. Maybe not so much with the pace or the kilometres on the screen but with the questions that he asked.”Myself, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neeshan, we’ve all got roles to play and that’s where we just pick up the slack. We’ve just got to find a way to get over the line and that’s all that matters.”Although Patel did not go as far as to say New Zealand would take a psychological advantage from a draw – if that is how this match ends up – he did say the team’s first innings lead was “a little win by itself”. McKenzie dead-batted any such suggestion.Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, believes Quinton de Kock’s struggles against spin will make him a better, smarter player•Getty Images

“The Test has asked questions of both sides and both have stood up reasonably well. I don’t think any side, if there is no play tomorrow, will take any momentum or any extra one-ups into the next Test match,” McKenzie said. “A lot of the batters have got starts and got runs under their belt,. The bowlers have got a couple of wickets and Keshav Maharaj has got his maiden five-for, which will give him a bit of confidence. A lot of the New Zealand guys have also got something out of it.”With conditions expected to remain similar throughout the series, South Africa may use this match to ponder the make-up of their squad, which only includes one specialist spinner at the moment in Maharaj. New Zealand have showed that a second would not go amiss and even though South Africa may not need one for Wellington, they may call for a second spinner for the final match in Hamilton, which starts from March 25.”There is talk, given the nature of Hamilton, and having played the one-day games there and see the turn that was offered,” McKenzie said. “We are blessed with quite a few options so we will see how the next couple of days pan out. I don’t think Wellington will turn as much as Hamilton so we’ll have a couple of days to sort things out.”If South Africa send for reinforcements, they will likely choose between offspinner Dane Piedt, left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi or could even recall legspiner Imran Tahir, who has not played a Test since December 2015.What they won’t look for just yet is someone to give Quinton de Kock lessons on how to play spin. De Kock has been dismissed four times by Patel in as many innings, but McKenzie is confident he can turn that around. “It happens in Test cricket. I’m not too worried. Jeetan Patel is a serious player,” McKenzie said. “I have played against him and watched him bowl, he’s played county cricket for years and is a seasoned professional. He’s a quality performer playing against a quality batsman, but I’m sure Quinton will overcome most obstacles. He will think about it and come back a smarter, better player.”