Shardul and Pooran make light work of SRH

Before the match, many expected Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to post the first 300-plus total in IPL history. There were reasons to justify the speculation. After a record-breaking IPL 2024, SRH had posted 286 for 6 in their IPL 2025 opener, also in Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were without at least two of their first-choice bowlers.Forget 300, SRH could not even score 200. They managed 190 for 9 with Shardul Thakur picking up 4 for 34, his best figures in the IPL.Still, 190 was not a small total. But Nicholas Pooran made it look minuscule. He smashed 70 off just 26 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes. By the time Pat Cummins had him lbw, LSG needed only 71 from 68 balls.Related

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Mitchell Marsh, who played second fiddle to Pooran while they were together, also scored a fifty before Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches.LSG chasing down their target with 23 balls and five wickets to spare was giving SRH a taste of their own medicine. Last season, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma had taken just 9.4 overs to chase down LSG’s 165 at this very venue.

Thakur gets two in two

LSG knew the only way to stop the marauding SRH batting unit was to take early wickets. Thakur went in search of swing in the first over but did not find success. But in his next over, he dismissed Abhishek and Ishan Kishan off successive balls. Abhishek pulled a short ball into the hands of deep square-leg, and Kishan was caught down the leg side.1:28

What makes Shardul Thakur effective?

Head went after the returning Avesh Khan, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the fourth over. Two overs later, he tried to take on Ravi Bishnoi but ended up skying a slog sweep. Pooran, though, put the chance down at long-on. Four balls later, Bishnoi failed to latch on to a tough return catch. Head was on 35 at the time of the first drop but it cost LSG only 12 as Prince Yadav made a mess of Head’s stumps for his first wicket in the IPL.

Klaasen’s bizarre run out

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen took SRH past 100 in the 11th over before Klaasen was run out in bizarre fashion. Nitish hit a full toss from Prince to the bowler’s left. Prince failed to hold on to the catch, but the ball found a way to ricochet on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Klaasen well outside his crease. Soon after, Bishnoi castled Nitish for 32 off 28, leaving SRH in a spot.

Sixes and outs

In keeping with the SRH team ethos, the batters kept attacking. But while they kept hitting sixes, they also kept getting out. Aniket Verma smashed Bishnoi for back-to-back sixes and repeated it against Digvesh Rathi in the following over before getting out for 36 off 13 balls. Cummins walked out at No. 8, hit the first three balls he faced for three sixes, and was out on the fourth. That took SRH to 180 for 8 after 18 overs. However, only ten runs came from the last two.1:49

Knight breaks down Pooran’s six-hitting

Pooran makes it a one-sided contest

Mohammed Shami removed Aiden Markram in the second over of the chase, but Pooran took the attack to the opposition as soon as he walked out. His first boundary came via a misfield before he smoked Simarjeet Singh over deep midwicket twice in two balls.Bringing on a left-arm orthodox spinner with Pooran in the middle is always risky. But Cummins took that gamble with Abhishek. Pooran faced only two balls from him and slog-swept both for sixes. He has now hit seven sixes off nine balls against Abhishek in T20 cricket.He didn’t spare legspinner Adam Zampa either, hitting him for two sixes and a four in the seventh over. Off the first 20 balls he faced, he hit five fours and six sixes.

Marsh’s fifty, Samad’s cameo

Marsh was on 37 off 22 balls when Pooran got out. He had hit Shami for two straight sixes in the powerplay. In the 11th over, he hit Cummins for back-to-back fours to bring up his fifty off 29 balls. Cummins had him caught at long-on soon after but it was too late.At the end of 11 overs, LSG needed only 53. They did lose Rishabh Pant and Ayush Badoni along the way, but their victory was never in doubt. Samad, a former SRH player, smashed an unbeaten 22 off eight balls to complete the formalities.

Rehan Ahmed assault keep Leicestershire in charge against Derbyshire

Leicestershire will take a lead of 382 into the final day of their Rothesay County Championship against neighbours Derbyshire, who will need to pull off the biggest fourth-innings run chase in their history to emerge with a win.Leicestershire were 291 for 8 in their second innings when bad light followed by rain ended play eight overs ahead of the scheduled finish time.Rehan Ahmed hammered 77 off 59 balls in an explosive start to their second innings after Derbyshire had been bowled out for 393, Netherlands international allrounder Logan van Beek taking 4 for 100 to go with his unbeaten 82 on his Leicestershire debut.By the end of the day, however, the scoring rate had slowed considerably, the home side appearing to take a safety-first approach, intent first on avoiding defeat on a pitch that has yielded runs quickly for most of the game.At the start of play, it took only 10 balls of the morning session for Leicestershire to take the ninth Derbyshire wicket as day two centurion Martin Andersson was bowled by van Beek with no addition to his or his team’s overnight score, 138 behind.The second new ball was not yet four overs old yet it took Leicestershire a further three quarters of an hour to claim the tenth, Blair Tickner and Jack Morley adding 47 before a short delivery from Ben Mike had the New Zealander caught at second slip off the shoulder of the bat.Derbyshire thus faced a final first-innings deficit of 91, with which they might have been relatively pleased, having been still 345 behind when their sixth wicket fell on Saturday. By lunch they were much less happy.As was seen in the first innings, Leicestershire’s openers, Rehan and Sol Budinger, took on the bowlers from the off and this time the approach proved highly profitable, putting on 86 in just 13 overs before the interval and another 46 afterwards before Derbyshire could stop them.Rehan led the charge, his range of shots combining the conventional with the improvised in a way that caused Derbyshire’s bowling plans to unravel at a disconcerting pace. Luis Reece, the left-arm seamer, was taken out of the attack after two overs, as was offspinner David Lloyd, summoned after just five overs and dispensed with 12 balls later, having gone for 23 runs.There was no stopping Rehan. Having reached 51 from 32 balls with his 11th boundary just before lunch, he was briefly checked at the start of the afternoon session before a glancing blow on the helmet inflicted by Tickner seemed to galvanise him afresh.Tickner persisted in banging the ball in short, in response to which Rehan persisted in helping it on its way to the boundary until eventually miscueing one to be caught at mid-off.He stood his ground momentarily as Derbyshire celebrated, perhaps querying whether Tickner had exceeded the limit of two balls bouncing above shoulder height in the same over. Nonetheless, his 77 from 59 balls, with 14 fours and a six (off Tickner) had given Leicestershire’s second innings as good a start as they could have hoped for, putting them 223 ahead.The middle session went better for Derbyshire in that they took five wickets but the concession of another 150 runs within it stretched Leicestershire’s lead to 327, already 30 more than Derbyshire have successfully chased in the fourth innings in this fixture’s history.Two more wickets followed swiftly after Rehan’s demise, Budinger falling leg before with no argument to Reece, Ian Holland tickling one down the leg side to be caught behind off Tickner as 132 without loss became 138 for 3.Lewis Hill and Peter Handscomb added 32 before Andersson obtained an lbw verdict that appeared to surprise the Leicestershire captain, Louis Kimber edging behind in Andersson’s next over.After tea, Tickner removed Ben Cox via a leading edge to mid-on, Morley had Hill leg before sweeping, after which Leicestershire’s batting became as conservative as it had at any point in the contest as Derbyshire spinners Morley and Lloyd bowled accurately in tandem.Van Beek and Ben Green added 43 in 19 overs before Morley induced a thin edge from the former, caught behind for 25 from 66 balls, shortly before bad light forced the players off.

Rain ends KKR's playoff hopes and extends pause on IPL

Match abandoned Kolkata Knight Riders’ title defence ended with a washout in Bengaluru knocking them out of IPL 2025. The tournament’s return after a break because of tensions between India and Pakistan was a wet one as heavy rains lashed the city. The downpour was so consistent the players couldn’t even come out to stretch.The one point from this match took KKR to 12, which means the maximum they can get to is 14. Three teams are already past 14, and there is a match remaining between the ones at 14 and 13.The one point also confirmed progress for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but they were looking to maximise points in order to seal a top-two spot. They moved to 17 from 12 matches. Their closest rivals were Gujarat Titans with 16 from 11 matches and Punjab Kings with 15 from 11.

A top-two finish ensures two shots at making the final of the IPL. Unlike the usual semi-final formation, sides finishing in the top two don’t get knocked out with their first defeat in the playoffs. They get a chance to play a virtual semi-final against the winner of a playoff match between the third- and fourth-placed teams.Only once has a side finishing outside the top two gone on to win the IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.It was a frustrating night out for Virat Kohli fans, who came out in whites to pay tribute to Kohli, who announced his Test retirement during this break. They will be hoping for better luck with the weather on Friday as the rainy season in Bengaluru has kicked in, and RCB still have one home match to go. The said match is against Sunrisers, a team that has already been knocked out. They will want to have a shot at two points against them.

Levitt 90 leads Netherlands to victory over Scotland

Opener Michael Levitt’s breezy 90 helped Netherlands beat Scotland by 17 runs in a high-scoring contest in the T20I tri-series in Glasgow on Wednesday. His 57-ball innings lifted Netherlands to 198 for 7 after they were asked to bat. In reply, Scotland managed only 181 for 9 on the back of Brandon McMullen’s half-century and Michael Leask’s quickfire 46.Netherlands lost Max O’Dowd and Teja Nidamanuru inside the powerplay but it was the 75-run third-wicket partnership off 45 balls between Levitt and Scott Edwards that steered Netherlands to a competitive total. While Levitt, who had scored a T20I century before, smashed six fours and five sixes in his knock, Edwards chipped in with a 21-ball 31. Fast bowler Charlie Cassell broke the threatening stand, trapping Edwards lbw in the 13th over. Three overs late, Levitt was dismissed by fast bowler Jasper Davidson. There were also handy lower-order contributions from Ryan Klein and Roelof van der Merwe that ensured Netherlands had enough on the board.For Scotland, Cassell and Davidson shared four wickets among them.In the chase, Scotland stumbled early, when opener Mark Watt was run out in the third over for a 9-ball 6. However, No.3 McMullen and George Munsey revived Scotland briefly with their 50-run stand for the third wicket. Offspinner Nidamanuru gave the breakthrough by ending Musney’s stay in the eighth over and dismissed captain Richie Berrington in his next over. McMullen too fell after a 27-ball 51 leaving Scotland in trouble.While No. 6 Leask stood up with his 46 off 23 – where he struck five sixes and one four – Scotland kept losing wickets regularly on the other end. From 151 for 5, Scotland lost the next four wickets for 30 runs to eventually finish at 181 for 9. Netherlands’ left-arm spinner Van der Merwe, though leaked 44 runs in his four overs, accounted for two wickets in the 17th and 19th over to halt Scotland. Nidamanuru finished with 3 for 30 from his four overs while Aryan Dutt and Daniel Doram also scalped a wicket each.With this victory, Netherlands have moved to top of the points table with four points from three matches. They will face Nepal on Thursday Scotland are second with two points from three matches.

Malan passes 10,000 T20 runs to lead Yorkshire rout

Captain Dawid Malan became the fifth English batter to reach 10,000 career T20 runs at the start of a superb 88 which helped his Yorkshire side achieve their first Vitality Blast win of the season at the expense of Leicestershire Foxes at Headingley.The former England left-hander hit five sixes in an opening 48-ball knock which helped his side, on the back of three North Group defeats, set the Foxes an imposing 214-target that was never threatened.Yorkshire’s 213 for seven was underpinned by Malan and his second-wicket partner Will Luxton, whose 62 off 34 balls from number three represented a maiden career fifty in this format in his ninth match. They shared 132 inside 12 overs.Leicestershire, in suffering their second defeat in five, were bowled out for 107 inside 17 overs and suffered their heaviest ever runs defeat in this format – by 106 runs. Leg-spinner Jafer Chohan claimed four for 27.Malan, aged 37, was playing his 365th career T20 game and followed Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Jason Roy and James Vince to that milestone.Yorkshire – inserted following a 30-minute rain delay – made an excellent start, reaching 65 for one after six overs of powerplay, including three successive fours for Adam Lyth against Logan van Beek and a big six over midwicket apiece for Malan and Luxton.Malan reached the 10,000-mark in style by hoisting Matt Salisbury’s seam over cover to pass the two runs he needed at the start of this fixture.Lyth feathered Roman Walker’s seam behind, leaving the White Rose at 30 for one in the fourth over, before Malan and Luxton motored.They took the score to 101 after 10 overs and beyond.Malan reached his fifty off 30 balls shortly afterwards before both he and Luxton hoisted sixes off Tom Scriven’s seam in the 13th over to notch a century stand.Luxton’s fifty was achieved off 24 balls, and he hit four sixes in all.Both then fell caught, leaving Yorkshire 177 for three at the start of the 17th over, Luxton to the left-arm spin of Liam Trevaskis and Malan to Walker.Having struggled for early control on a ground which time after time produces big totals, Leicestershire struck six times in the last 5.1 overs even though 51 runs were added in that time.Van Beek finished with three expensive wickets, while Dom Bess clobbered a late 18.The Foxes’ chase then failed to get off the ground, reduced to 20 for two at the start of the fifth over. New Zealander Will O’Rourke and fellow pacer Matt Milnes got Rishi Patel and Louis Kimber caught in the ring.Not even the presence of former Yorkshire captain Shan Masood in the visiting line-up could alter the course of this fixture.Malan brought the part-time off-spin of Lyth on immediately after the powerplay, and Masood knew he had to take a risk with the run-rate spiralling.He could only loft his first ball down long-on’s throat, and at 34 for three it was all but game over.Wickets continued to fall as Leicestershire’s task reached the impossible stage.Chohan struck twice in two balls on two occasions with his leg-spin, while Bess’s off-spin also accounted for two wickets.Chohan had Logan van Beek stumped for an innings-high 26.

Kohler-Cadmore century ensures Somerset ease to stalemate

Somerset 379 (Banton 84, Abbas 3-59) and 238 for 4 drew with Nottinghamshire 509 (Haynes 157, Slater 124, Kishan 77, James 66, Leach 6-121)Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore defied Nottinghamshire with a match-saving final day century as the Rothesay County Championship Division One match at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton, ended in a draw.The visitors had realistic hopes of victory when reducing their opponents to 28 for three, still needing 102 to avoid an innings defeat. But Kohler-Cadmore hit an unbeaten 147, off 196 balls, with 11 fours and six sixes, sharing stands of 96 with James Rew and 114 with Tom Abell, to see Somerset to 238 for four by the time the players shook hands at 4.50pm.Left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White bowled 29 overs unchanged from the River End either side of lunch and finished with four for 104 from 33, but no other Notts bowler could make a significant impression with the Kookaburra ball on a pitch offering only occasional turn and no assistance for the seamers. Somerset took 11 points from the game and Notts 12.The home side set out at four for one, having lost nightwatchman Matt Henry to the only over bowled the previous evening. Soon it was 18 for two as Sean Dickson was rapped on the back pad by a ball from Patterson-White that turned and departed lbw for six.Worse was to follow for Somerset when Tom Lammonby, on seven, pulled a short ball from Patterson-White and picked out the only fielder on the leg side, Farhan Ahmed at deep square, who pouched a comfortable catch.Kohler-Cadmore went on the counter-attack, launching three big sixes back over the head of off-spinner Ahmed, each sending the ball further than the one before and the last pitching on top of the Marcus Trescothick stand.But the most impressive aspect of the former Yorkshire player’s innings was the respect he showed the other bowlers having spread the field, content to pick up ones and twos as he and Rew laid the first foundations for avoiding defeat.Left-hander Rew was equally intelligent in his shot selection, nullifying the effect of Patterson-White, who displayed the same control of line and length that his Somerset counterpart Jack Leach had shown on day three.By lunch the scoreboard read 112 for three and the Notts lead was down to 18 runs. Patterson-White had bowled throughout the morning, sending down 15 overs for 46 runs and two wickets. Somerset could feel some relief, but there was still work to be done, especially when Rew fell for 43 early in the afternoon session, top-edging a sweep off Patterson-White to Joe Clarke at short fine leg.The reassuring figure of Abell took his place and batted through the rest of the session with Kohler-Cadmore, who blasted his fourth six over wide long-on off Patterson-White and then clipped a four through the leg side off Ahmed to reach a fine hundred off 138 balls.It was Kohler-Cadmore’s third Championship century since joining the Cider county for the start of the 2023 season, two of them coming in the last two matches. Cloudless skies did not aid the Notts bowlers and by tea, with the Somerset total advanced to 197 for four, the draw looked inevitable.The final session saw Kohler-Cadmore strike another straight six, this time onto the roof of the Lord Ian Botham Stand off Patterson-White, before moving past his previous best Somerset score of 130, made against Northamptonshire at Taunton in 2023.By then the outcome was all but settled. Abell had contributed just 21 when his stand with Kohler-Cadmore reached the century mark, but it was a typically solid knock that extinguished any lingering notions of a Notts victory.When Notts wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan entered the attack to bowl what proved the last over of the game it was a tame end to an often compelling contest.

Bangladesh bowl with Mahedi and Shoriful in

Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl, as the Asia Cup Super Fours stage kicked off in Dubai. Chasing sides have a 70% win record at this venue and that played a big part in Litton Das’ decision. He also added that he was a little “confused” by how the wicket would behave.Sri Lanka are a side that prefers to chase in general, and Charith Asalanka said as much though, with this being a used pitch, he’s not too bothered by batting first.Sri Lanka have gone with an unchanged XI with Dunith Wellalage rejoining the team after leaving for home following his father’s death. Bangladesh have made two changes with Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam coming back into the side. Offspinner Mahedi’s return is presumably to combat Sri Lanka’s left-hander heavy batting line-up.Related

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Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar during the pitch report noted that while the potential of dew means chasing might be easier, if it doesn’t come in and the pitch continues to get drier, that equation could change. In terms of ground dimensions, one square boundary is shorter than the other.Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dunith Wellalage, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan ThusharaBangladesh: 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.

Nepal, Oman qualify for 2026 T20 World Cup

Nepal and Oman have confirmed their places in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka even before their Super Six meeting in Al Amerat in the Asia-EAP Qualifier. One more team from the tournament will join them in next year’s T20 World Cup.Nepal and Oman were assured of their T20 World Cup spots after UAE thumped Samoa by 77 runs earlier in the day. UAE are currently third on the Super Six points table, with four points. Both Oman and Nepal are on top, with only net run rate separating the two teams.UAE will next face Japan in a crucial fixture on October 16.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Wristspinner Sandeep Lamichhane has been central to Nepal’s progress to the T20 World Cup, taking ten wickets in four innings at an outstanding average of 9.40 and an economy rate of under six. His 5 for 18 helped Nepal dismiss Qatar for 142 in their chase of 148.Oman’s Jiten Ramanandi is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with seven strikes in four innings at an economy rate of 5.90. Before the Asia-EAP Qualifier, the left-arm seamer had also impressed against India in the Asia Cup, where he took the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma.

Kwena Maphaka to go for scans after injury scare

Fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who was named in South Africa’s second-string squad to play a T20I in Namibia on October 11 and their white-ball sides to tour Pakistan later this month, is being assessed for an injury he sustained while playing a domestic match.Maphaka, 19, was in action for his provincial side, the Lions, in a four-day match against Western Province at Newlands last week. He bowled 5.5 overs in the first innings but had to leave the field with hamstring discomfort. He was taken for a scan which revealed no major damage and returned to take the new ball in the second innings. His 3 for 26 in 10 overs led the Lions’ charge to victory by an innings and 134 runs. He will now have a precautionary MRI to confirm his fitness ahead of a busy season.Maphaka is expected to be a part of South Africa’s international engagements over the next two-and-a-half months, which include tours of Pakistan and India, though there has been conversation about ensuring he has more time in the domestic game, particularly the four-day competition. To date, he has only played six first-class matches, which includes two Tests. He has also played three ODIs and 13 T20Is for South Africa and was signed by Durban’s Super Giants for the fourth season of the SA20.South Africa are due to play Namibia in a one-off T20I on Saturday to inaugurate the new stadium in Windhoek. The match takes place the day before the Test side begins the World Test Championship title defence in Pakistan, which has ruled several frontline players including captain Aiden Markram, out of the trip across the border. South Africa will be captained by Donovan Ferreira, who will lead Quinton de Kock in his international comeback. De Kock reversed his ODI retirement and made himself available for international cricket last month.

Green finds runs ahead of Ashes series as contest bursts wide open

Queensland 390 and 187 for 8 (Clayton 54, Renshaw 51, Rocchiccioli 4-41) lead Western Australia 322 for 7 dec (Green 94, Bancroft 76, Hardie 55*) by 255 runsHe fell in the nervous 90s, but Cameron Green gave his Ashes hopes an almighty boost with a determined knock during Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland at the WACA Ground.In reply to Queensland’s 390, WA started day three at a somewhat shaky 210 for 5 but with Green unbeaten on 49 and holding the key.Green drove spinner Mitch Swepson for four on the first ball on Thursday to bring up his half-century and looked set for a ton before being trapped leg before on 94 by Michael Neser just after lunch.Related

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WA, who are bottom of the table, declared at 322 for 7 immediately following Green’s dismissal, with Aaron Hardie the other notable scorer of the day.Queensland went to stumps at 187 for 7 in their second innings, a lead of 255 and with everything to play for on Friday.Opener Matt Renshaw, who narrowly missed selection in Australia’s Ashes squad, made 51 off 73 balls while battling a knee complaint, and Jack Clayton scored 54.The in-form Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed for 11 when he was bowled by Brody Couch.WA spinner Corey Rocchiccioli was the chief destroyer, snaring 4 for 41, with all four of those wickets coming across two of his overs late in the day as Queensland crumpled from 183 for 4 to 184 for 8.The performances of both Green and Rocchiccioli gave WA a shot at victory on what shapes to be an intriguing final day.Green’s 172-ball innings featured eight fours and one six, but more importantly plenty of patience when the occasion called for it.The impressive knock came after he had returned the economical figures of 1 for 13 from eight overs in his most significant bowling stint since undergoing spinal surgery a year ago. He followed that up with none for 17 off eight overs in Queensland’s second innings mean he has hit the target met by selection chair George Bailey.Australian selectors are yet to reveal whether they will unleash both Green and Beau Webster in the first Ashes Test in Perth, starting on November 21.But if they only opt for just one allrounder, Green’s performances with both bat and ball are certain to see him earn the nod.WA’s start to the day wasn’t great with Green’s attempt to come back for a second run resulting in Rocchiccioli’s run out on the third over of the morning.His runs dried up when Queensland took the new ball a short time later, with the 26-year-old forced to work hard against the swinging ball. Green was on 63 when he survived a confident lbw appeal from Neser, and he was on 74 when Gurinder Sandhu’s lbw shout fell on deaf ears.Queensland’s pace attack tried their best to put the squeeze on, but Green managed to survive the tough period to push closer to his century. He was finally undone when Neser’s delivery cut back and struck him flush on the pads.

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