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Mitchell Starc stayed away from the IPL for the best part of his peak years, but after winning the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), will consider dropping one format from his life, and that might be ODI cricket.”The last nine years, I’ve prioritised Australian cricket. I have given myself a chance to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well, so that’s certainly been where my head’s been for the last nine years,” Starc said at a press conference after the IPL 2024 final in Chennai, where KKR steamrolled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win their third title, with Starc playing a starring role.”Moving forward… look, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There is long time before the next one-day World Cup and whether that format continues for me or not… it may open doors for more franchise cricket.”Related

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And franchise cricket could mean two months of the IPL, a tournament he had played just twice in the past, for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and 2015, but usually skipped to be fit and fresh for international cricket.In fact, in all these years of playing top-level cricket – he made his international debut in 2009 – Starc has only played 137 T20s.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season,” he said. “It’s been great, it leads into the World Cup, that’s the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It’s a great lead-up to a World Cup.”Next year – I don’t know the schedule exactly – but I’ve enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold [KKR’s colours] again.”Starc, the most expensive IPL auction buy ever when KKR splurged INR 24.75 crore (US$2,982,000 approx.) had a terrible time of it to start with, going wicketless in his eight overs in the first two games while conceding 100 runs. He took time to get it right, picking up a three-for against Lucknow Super Giants and a four-for against Mumbai Indians, but really came into his own in the playoffs, with 3 for 34 and 2 for 14 against SRH in Qualifier 1 and the final.”I’ve played a lot of cricket, so I know how to manage myself,” Starc said. “I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last few years, so for me, it was trying to find that rhythm of [the] T20 format, and trying to stay ahead of batters.”

Big picture

Kolkata Knight Riders have been on a fairytale ride since the UAE leg of the tournament began. Their top-order batters have scored consistently at a brisk pace and their spinners have stifled oppositions on sluggish tracks. Even though Eoin Morgan hasn’t struck form with the bat, he has led Knight Riders to six wins in the last eight matches. Now they are in Qualifier 2, one step away from the final.Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals have been the most consistent IPL side in recent years – they are the only ones to qualify for the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The key to their success has been identifying their best XI early and changing it only when forced to do so.This season, Capitals topped the league stage despite missing Marcus Stoinis for five games. But after their defeat to Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1, cracks seem to have emerged in their line-up. Suddenly, in the absence of Stoinis, their balance looks comprised, while R Ashwin’s bowling form is giving them headaches. Can they regroup quickly and make it to their second successive final?The chasing teams have won five out of seven games in Sharjah so far this season. Moreover, four of Capitals’ five losses this season have come when batting first, while Knight Riders have won on all five occasions they have chased during the UAE leg of the tournament. So it will not be a surprise if both teams are keen to bowl first.Shakib Al Hasan has made the most of his limited opportunities in the UAE leg•BCCI

In the news

Andre Russell is still recovering from his hamstring injury. According to West Indies coach Phil Simmons, Russell has been batting in the Knight Riders nets and is “running at a certain level”. But given the slow nature of the Sharjah surface, Knight Riders could continue with Shakib Al Hasan even if Russell regains full fitness in the next 24 hours.Rishabh Pant had hoped for Stoinis to be fit for Qualifier 1. That didn’t happen but Capitals will be keeping a close eye on him. If available, Stoinis will replace Tom Curran in the side.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Marcus Stoinis/Tom Curran, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh KhanKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Eoin Morgan (capt), 7 Shakib Al Hasan, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Shivam Mavi

Strategy punt

• Capitals have tried Lalit Yadav, Steven Smith, Ripal Patel and Curran to fill the Hulk-sized hole Stoinis has left behind. But none of them offers the balance Stoinis provides, by being a finisher who can bowl seam-up. A left-field option could be going back to Smith as the Sharjah pitch is likely to suit his style of batting. But given Ashwin’s form, Capitals could continue with Curran.
• If Knight Riders go unchanged, they will have five left-hand batters in the top eight. On the face of it, that should work in Ashwin’s favour, but a closer look tells he doesn’t have particularly impressive numbers against them in T20 cricket: 74 runs off 35 balls (no dismissal) against Nitish Rana, 60 runs in 21 balls (no dismissal) against Sunil Narine, 32 runs off 23 balls (two dismissals) against Eoin Morgan. He has hardly bowled against Venkatesh Iyer and has a favourable match-up only against Shakib: 30 runs in 31 balls and two dismissals. Generally, Ashwin is an economical bowler in the powerplay but Shubman Gill has taken him for 38 runs in 25 balls without getting out.Rana, though, has struggled against Axar Patel. The left-arm spinner has dismissed him twice in 22 balls while conceding only 23 runs. So it will be interesting to see how Capitals use their spinners.
• Knight Riders can once again promote Narine up the batting order, especially when the spinners are operating. In T20 cricket, Narine has a strike rate of 287.5 against Ashwin and 187.5 against Axar. Neither bowler has been able to dismiss him in a combined 29 balls.
• Instead of Kagiso Rabada, Capitals could use Anrich Nortje at the death. Rabada has a death-overs economy of 10.84 in this season, whereas Nortje has gone for only 6.81 per over. Rabada could be used in the powerplay and middle overs where has conceded 6.93 and 7.86 per over respectively.

Stats that matter

• This season Ashwin has picked up only five wickets in 12 games at an average of 60.80 and a strike rate of 49.0. Of the 22 bowlers who have bowled at least 40 overs in the tournament, Ashwin’s average and strike rate are the poorest.
• Knight Riders have played three games in Sharjah this season. In two of them, against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, they didn’t concede even one six.
• In the IPL playoffs, including finals, Pant has scored 199 runs in six innings, at an average of 49.75 and a strike rate of 151.91.
• The teams that have scored more runs in the powerplay have won eight out of nine games in Sharjah this season.
• Capitals have hit the most number of fours (227) and the least number of sixes (60) for any team in IPL 2021.

Andre Russell, one of the most devastating T20 players in the world, was deemed too much of a risk to play in the IPL 2021 final due to a hamstring injury that he picked up early into the UAE leg of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum said that given the occasion of a final, and the injury Russell had, the team “couldn’t afford” to take the risk of playing Russell.

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Knight Riders missed Russell’s explosiveness with bat and ball, as Chennai Super Kings won by 27 runs to lift their fourth IPL trophy. Super Kings faced little trouble from the bowlers in piling up 192 for 3, and Knight Riders then found boundaries hard to come by, especially in the second half of their chase.”Look, Andre, he obviously had a hamstring tear earlier on in the competition. He worked unbelievably hard to try and get himself available. There was still a risk there, and it was a risk that I felt in a final, we just couldn’t afford to take,” McCullum said at the post-match press conference.”Such is the nature of hamstrings, you’re just never really sure whether they’re going to be fully healed or not. It was just such a big risk. Look, in the end, we decided to go for the guys who had done so well for us to get us into the final. I’m really proud of all their achievements. It’s a shame we fell short, but we were outplayed by a very good CSK side today.”Russell had played only three of ten games for Knight Riders in the UAE leg, with his last one on September 26, nearly three weeks before the October 15 final. In the lead up to the playoffs, chief mentor David Hussey had said Russell was “pushing hard” to be fit in time while captain Eoin Morgan pointed to Russell’s quick recovery from injuries in the past.Kolkata Knight Riders missed Andre Russell’s explosiveness, as he was sidelined due to a hamstring injury•BCCI/IPL

In Russell’s absence, the overseas players that Knight Riders went with were Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Lockie Ferguson and Morgan. While the others had several crucial performances, Morgan’s already bad form in the India leg of the IPL, nosedived further in the UAE. Overall, he made only 133 runs in 16 innings, scoring at less than a run a ball, with a strike rate of 95.68. In the UAE though, he had just 41 runs in nine innings, at an average of 6.83 and a strike rate of 71.92.Related

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Morgan’s form meant Knight Riders had to wrestle with a question several franchises have faced over the years: How to deal with an overseas player who’s completely out of sorts but is also the captain, and thus cannot be dropped from the XI easily. Knight Riders chose to stick with Morgan, with McCullum saying that he had backed Morgan to come good in the later stages of the tournament.”It’s a really unique situation, isn’t it? He was captaining out of his skin. He’s captained as well as what I’ve ever seen him captain, as well as I’ve seen anyone really captain in a T20 competition,” McCullum said of Morgan. “I thought he was driving the team forward with his captaincy. Unfortunately, the runs weren’t there for him, no matter how hard he tried. We tried to put him in that position where he’s been so successful, in those last five overs in T20 cricket right throughout his career. But unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”You know, there’s many examples over the years of guys who have struggled for form leading into big games who have then been able to find something in that situation to be able to get a performance. That was what I was clinging on to tonight, with both the captain and also the vice-captain [Dinesh Karthik, who had 100 runs in eight innings in UAE ]. But it wasn’t to be. Those guys, they played their hearts out, they did their absolute best, and they just weren’t quite able to get the performances they would have liked. In the end, I’m still really proud of everyone who bought into the vision that we had for the group, invested in what we’re trying to achieve, and ultimately, took us on this journey which allowed us to have some great memories, but just fell short.”

Usman Khawaja lamented the recent abandonment of cricket tours to Pakistan, arguing it reflects double standards and how “money talks”.New Zealand last week fled Rawalpindi on the day their men’s ODI series was due to start, citing an escalated security threat.England then pulled the pin on men’s and women’s tours in October, although British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner said concerns about player safety was not part of that decision.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), having worked tirelessly in recent years to convince players and national boards it is safe to return, is fearful its homeland will return to being a no-go zone.Related

• Usman Khawaja's Test renaissance down to being daring and being himself

• England's withdrawal is a slap to Pakistan's face

• PCB to make back-up plans ahead of 2022 home England tour, says Ramiz Raja

• ECB's hypocrisy and double-standards could fast lose them friends

• Tour cancellation ECB's decision, not government's, says British HC to Pakistan

Cricket Australia will soon have to reach its own decision, with Tim Paine’s team slated to tour Pakistan after this summer’s Ashes.Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan then emigrated with his family to Sydney at age five, says the past week has been “extremely disappointing” in a cricketing sense.”I feel it’s very easy for players and organisations to say no to Pakistan, because it’s Pakistan,” Khawaja said in Brisbane. “I think the same thing would apply too, if it were Bangladesh. But nobody would say no to India, if they’re in the same situation.”Money talks, we all know that, and that’s probably a big part of it. They keep proving time and time again through their tournaments that they’re a safe place to play cricket. I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go back.”Khawaja added staging games in Pakistan should be a “big objective” for the global cricket community.The PCB has been forced to shift the vast majority of its home matches to the UAE since a 2009 armed attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus in Lahore.Test skipper Paine and national selector George Bailey played in Pakistan during a T20 exhibition series in 2017.Khawaja took part in this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), although his section of the T20 tournament was held in the UAE because of a rise in Pakistan’s Covid-19 cases.Khawaja would have happily travelled to Pakistan, noting close friend Ben Cutting has felt “really safe” while playing in the country during recent years.”There’s a lot of security. Heavy, heavy security,” he said. “I’ve heard nothing but reports about people feeling safe. Even talking to the guys during the PSL about what it’s like…they would say the same thing to me ‘like 10 years ago, maybe not, but now 100 percent’.”Queensland captain Khawaja will have a chance to build his case for a Test recall next week, when his side hosts Tasmania in Sheffield Shield and one-day matches.

Oval Invincibles Women cranked up their Hundred challenge with a crunching eight-wicket victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston.Invincibles captain Dane van Niekerk led from the front with bat and ball as her side recorded their third victory of the campaign.An excellent bowling performance by the Invincibles restricted the Phoenix to 129 for 9. Only Erin Burns, with 45 off 28 balls, found any fluency against a well-directed attack in which van Niekerk took 2 for 16 from 20 balls and Tash Farrant took 3 for 23 from 20, the latter claiming Player of the Match honours.The Invincibles then reached 133 for 2 with three balls to spare, powered by an opening stand of 90 between van Niekerk, who was unbeaten with 67 off 51 balls, and Georgia Adams, who scored 42 off 30.The Invincibles are right back on the front foot in the qualification race but the Phoenix are now under serious pressure. They have struggled to cope with the withdrawal of big-name players just before the tournament began but need to find some answers quickly after winning just one of five games.The Phoenix chose to bat but just one run came from the first nine balls from Alice Capsey and Farrant. Shafali Verma, who scored a run-a-ball 16, threatened briefly but fell to Eva Gray and Phoenix hopes took another jolt when skipper Amy Jones was stumped by Sarah Bryce off van Niekerk.Burns took the attack to the Invincibles and struck seven on the way to scoring 45 out of the next 59 runs but then attacked Danielle Gregory once too often and sent up a catch to Grace Gibbs. It was left to Issy Wong, Gwenan Davies and Kirstie Gordon to eke the total upwards with a combined 33 from 25 balls.The Invincibles’ reply was launched in impressive fashion by Adams and van Niekerk. The latter hit four of her first ten balls for four and when Adams hoisted Abtaha Maqsood to the long off boundary, the opening stand had passed 50 in 41 balls.Dropped catches added to the Phoenix woes and Adams was reprieved twice on the way to 42 with five fours and a six before she chipped Gordon to extra cover and a catch finally stuck.It was far too late to affect the result though, as van Niekerk passed 50 in 40 balls and her side eased home with greater comfort than three balls to spare suggests.

Jonny Bairstow’s relentless pursuit of a Champions Trophy starting berth has fallen, officially, on deaf ears, after it was confirmed by Eoin Morgan, England’s ODI captain, that the out-of-form Jason Roy will be backed to the hilt in the forthcoming Champions Trophy – even if his barren run of form continues in Thursday’s tournament opener against Bangladesh at The Oval.Roy, whose career-best 162 against Sri Lanka came on his Surrey home ground in June 2016, has misplaced his mojo in recent months. He is in the midst of a run of four single-figure scores in his last five ODI innings, and has a top score of 44 in all competitions this season, including a short-lived stint with Gujarat Lions in the IPL.Bairstow, by contrast, has been in ragingly belligerent form for both Yorkshire and England, on the rare occasions he’s been able to muscle his way into the starting XI. He started his season with a career-best 174 against Durham in the Royal London Cup, and has made three fifties in his last four England innings, including a turbo-charged 72 from 44 balls against Ireland, and a pride-salvaging 51 against South Africa at Lord’s earlier this week after the top order had slumped to 20 for 6.Morgan, however, will not be swayed on the subject, arguing with some justification that England’s opening partnership of Roy and Alex Hales has been one of the central planks of their white-ball renaissance since the 2015 World Cup, and that to disrupt that now would send precisely the wrong message to an otherwise settled, confident and in-form unit.”The decision remains the same throughout the tournament,” Morgan told reporters at The Oval, on the eve of the tournament opener against Bangladesh. “Jason Roy is part of our strong opening partnership with Alex Hales. He’ll definitely play.”If we want our players to play cagily or without freedom, yes, we would change things and probably half of us wouldn’t be here. So backing it up with selection and the way that we want to play, you know, Jason really epitomises the way that we play; the aggression in which he plays, he always plays for the team, and he plays in a manner that is dictated by that. He’s a very important part of our side.”Jonny will miss out unfortunately. It’s been the case like that for the last couple of years. He’s been very good when he’s come in, but each and every one of us within the batting department has had ups and downs over the years. And one of the strongest parts of reinforcing the way that we play, and the freedom in which we play with, is backing that up with selection.”Off to a flyer: Jason Roy is charged with giving England a fast start with the bat•AFP

Bairstow’s mood was not improved during England’s morning training session, when he took a painful blow to the hand during a catching drill and was forced to leave the field for an ice pack. Thankfully there was no lasting damage, but even if there had been, it would have had insultingly little impact on England’s plans for the Bangladesh encounter, with Morgan also confirming that Ben Stokes is set to play as a batsman only if his dodgy left knee is unable to withstand the rigours of bowling.”Ben Stokes has had a little bowl today. We will see how he pulls up tomorrow to see how much he will bowl. But I certainly see him bowling,” Morgan said. “It’s a very strange injury in that it’s only in his delivery stride that he feels the pain. So if given he couldn’t bowl, I still think he’d make great contributions with the bat and in the field.”Morgan’s determination to show faith in his first-choice XI was arguably reinforced by the events in their most recent ODI performance – when a batting side that had been piling up 300-plus scores for fun was shredded by South Africa’s seamers on a lively but not unplayable Lord’s surface. After slumping to six down in the space of five overs, Morgan admitted that a pre-tournament reality check wasn’t necessarily a terrible thing.”If you’re looking for positives out of it, absolutely. It certainly was a wake-up call in the fact that you need to be able to adapt in different circumstances,” he said. “When you play against one of the better sides in the world, you can be susceptible to things like that happening in given conditions.”Thursday’s opponents are not used to being clumped among the “better sides” in the world. And yet, there is no danger of England being anything less than on their guard for the visit of a Bangladesh team who got the better of them at both the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, when their stunning victory at Adelaide delivered the coup de grace to the most miserable campaign yet in England’s sorry history of ICC failure.”Probably, since then, we’ve been on a huge upward curve,” said Morgan, “and we’ve been tremendously lucky in the fact that we’ve had a group of players that have bought into a way of playing and enjoyed it, and executed extremely well.”We need to bring our ‘A Game’ if we’re going to win this trophy. If at the end of it, we are holding the trophy, I think we’ll have played really well.”

Match facts

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Gujarat Lions
Hyderabad, April 9, 2017
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)

Head to head

Sunrisers have won all three matches played between the two teams so far.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs
Gujarat Lions lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by ten wickets

In the news

After the 10-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, when five of six bowlers used went at more than 10 an over, James Faulkner or Andrew Tye is likely to make the Lions XI. Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja are still unavailable due to injuries.Sunrisers, who thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener, will miss the services of left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman for the second match in a row. But coach Tom Moody said he is “more than likely” to be available for their first away game of the season, against Mumbai Indians, on April 12.

The likely XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Moises Henriques, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Ben Cutting, 7 Naman Ojha (wk) , 8 Bipul Sharma, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Ashish NehraGujarat Lions: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 James Faulkner, 7 Shubham Agarwal/ Akshdeep Nath , 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Pradeep Sangwan/Basil Thampi, 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shadab Jakati/ Shivil Kaushik

Stats that matter

• Sunrisers are the only side Lions are yet to beat in the IPL. In 2016, Lions scored at a run-rate of 7.05 against Sunrisers, which is considerably lower than the 8.34 they have managed across all their matches against all other teams.
• In the last eight matches at Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, fast bowlers have picked up 66 wickets at 27.39 with an economy rate of 7.82. By contrast spin has yielded only 10 wickets at 54.3 with an economy rate of 7.72.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar boasts the best figures against Lions: eight wickets for 84 runs with an average of 10.50. He has also won two Man of the Match awards in three games against Lions. Against all other teams, across 74 matches in the IPL, he has only two more such awards.
• Among the 20 bowlers who have bowled more than 30 balls to David Warner in the IPL, Dhawal Kulkarni is the only one to have conceded less than five an over.
• Kulkarni averaged 16.12 against left-handers and Bhuvneshwar 17.57 against right-handers in IPL 2016, which gives each team an excellent option at the top.
• Lions joined Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals as one of four teams to be beaten by 10 wickets in the IPL twice. In nine seasons of the tournament so far, there have been only 10 such one-sided matches. Lions’ first such loss was against Sunrisers in 2016 and their latest was against Knight Riders on Friday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:17

Highlights – Peshawar edge out Lahore

In a nutshellPeshawar Zalmi limped over the line against the Lahore Qalandars in one of the more extraordinary contests in franchise T20 history. After skittling Lahore for 59 in 10.2 overs – the second-shortest innings in the format’s history – Peshawar found a hole and then promptly dug themselves into it, going from 47 for 3 to 51 for 7 as the most straightforward of run chases suddenly turned complicated in large part due to a brilliant spell by Yasir Shah. From there, Wahab Riaz and Chris Jordan forged a priceless nine-run partnership to ensure that Peshawar secured two points.Matches are often lost between the ears, but Lahore seemed to lose this one overcompensating in reaction to a scathing post-match presentation from their captain Brendon McCullum two days earlier, who criticised his team for being “too timid” in their chase against Quetta on Friday. McCullum said he would prefer to see his batsmen caught on the boundary than being bowled or dismissed lbw.They took his advice to heart, swinging from ball one. McCullum practiced what he preached, being caught at deep midwicket for a duck in the first over. The Qalandars continued to swing from the hip as they fell to 9 for 3 in two overs and then 27 for 4 inside of four overs, and an approach that started off as aggressive began to look asinine. As they fell for what was by some distance the lowest score ever in the PSL – the second lowest is 111 – they looked headed for embarrassment. Yet with this being a Pakistani competition, it was never going to be that simple.Where the match was wonIt would be churlish to say Peshawar didn’t bowl well. After all, they shot the opposition out for 59. But they didn’t appear to do anything exceptional. They simply didn’t need to as they watched Lahore continue to go after shots that were never on, not learning from each subsequent dismissal. Peshawar were outstanding in the field, though, taking every chance that came their way, both in the deep and behind the wicket. Their throwing was accurate too, highlighted by a direct hit from Chris Jordan to run out Sohail Tanvir from midwicket.The men that won itEoin Morgan, invaluable in Peshawar’s chase against Karachi with an unbeaten 80 on Friday, found himself playing an equally crucial role in a much smaller chase today. He might be known on the T20 circuit for his explosive shotmaking, but just like he had against Karachi, came in to settle his side’s nerves by scoring 23 in 26 balls to take his side within touching distance. He was unlucky to be given out when he was, Aleem Dar judging Morgan to have inside edged a ball to short leg when there seemed to be only pad involved.Legspin masterclassIt is a mark of how extraordinary Yasir’s bowling must have been for the Man of the Match award to go to a player from the side bowled out for 59. Building on a spell from teammate Sunil Narine, who extracted more turn than has been seen in the PSL so far, Yasir bowled an unrelentingly aggressive spell, making Peshawar work for every one of their 60 runs. It was legspin at its finest: attacking, accurate, fearless and effective. His figures of 4-0-7-4 did not flatter him in the slightest.Moment of the matchWhile Lahore’s batting strategy seemed somewhat peculiar throughout, the daftness reached its lowest point when Tanvir decided to risk a single to midwicket at 53 for 6 in the ninth over, where Peshawar’s best fielder Jordan was stationed. He didn’t run in a straight line, and didn’t attempt to drag his bat in either. Not that any of that would have made a difference. Jordan’s bullseye throw meant that even the third umpire didn’t need to be disturbed. Nine balls later, the innings came to a close when, in hindsight, batting out a few more overs could have made all the difference.Where they standPeshawar now have two wins from three and top the table with four points thanks to a better net run rate than Quetta Gladiators, though Quetta have a game in hand. Lahore, with one win in three, sit in third place level on points with Islamabad United but ahead on net run rate.

CSA has added three players to their usual 18-member men’s contract list, bringing the total number of new deals to five for the 2017-18 season. Stephen Cook, Keshav Maharaj, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo and Tabraiz Shamsi were all awarded deals with Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw, who both signed Kolpak agreements with Hampshire the only two players from the 2016-17 period not on the list.In an important development, Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada were awarded multi-year contracts, although CSA did not specify the duration of their deals. In the past two-year contracts were the longest awarded but CSA is seeking to give players greater certainty in the aftermath of the Kolpak-exodus which has seen seven recent internationals sign deals.

CSA central contracts

Men: Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Stephen Cook, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn
Women: Dané van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Suné Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Mignon du Preez, Shabnim Ismail, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Lizelle Lee, Matshipi Marcia Letsoalo, Laura Wolvaardt, Masabata Klaas, Andrie Steyn, Moseline Daniels

When Abbott and Rossouw’s exit was confirmed in January, CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat said his organisation was considering various ways of keeping players in the South African system and longer-term contracts were one option.There were also no details on the type of contract awarded to AB de Villiers, who has opted out of Test cricket for most of 2017, or that of Dale Steyn, who will be out of action until at least June, as he recovers from a shoulder injury. Both players were on two-year deals last year.The only other player nursing a injury on the list is Morne Morkel, who has not played for South Africa since June last year but has been included in the Test squad for the upcoming series in New Zealand and is expected to make a comeback.CSA also award 14 women’s contracts and have made one change to their previous list. Batsman Laura Wolvaardt, who is just 17 and became South Africa’s youngest international centurion (male or female) when she scored 105 against Ireland in August 2016, was the only new inclusion while Dinesha Devnarain was left out. Sune Luus and Ayabonga Khaka were promoted to the top tier.

Scorecard
Amid a confusing conclusion, Sydney Sixers pulled off the highest successful BBL chase at the SCG – hauling down Melbourne Renegades’ 170 with three balls to spare – to move a step closer to finals qualifications.Finch starvedAaron Finch spoke after Renegades’ defeat to Stars on Saturday about how he was frustrated to keep falling in the 20s and 30s. So, having won the toss and chosen to bat (just the third time that has happened this BBL) he will have been pleased to make 57, his second – and Renegades’ third – half-century of the season. Only problem is, he was starved of the strike when at his most dangerous – in the Powerplay. He faced just eight balls for 12 runs in the first six overs as Sunil Narine, and then Cameron White, were dismissed without making a huge impact.Finch grew into his innings, but with the field spread and the boundaries fairly long, he was unable to accelerate as he would have hoped. Indeed Renegades’ efforts to clear the ropes were not limited to their captain – they hit more twos – 18 – than they did fours and sixes – 17.Ferguson shows his worthMuch has been made of the fact that Australia used four No. 6 batsmen in their six Tests this summer. Well, two of them were on show – and looking in good touch – here. The forgotten man, Callum Ferguson, was perhaps lucky to be retained in the Renegades team ahead of Marcus Harris, but after a slow start he anchored the rest of the innings well. Renegades had gone ten overs without taking ten from an over, but Ferguson – know for his classical strokeplay – smote the first two balls of the 20th over from Sean Abbott into the Bill O’Reilly Stand, with the first travelling 108m, the second longest six of the tournament.Is there anything Aaron Finch can’t do?Opening batsman, captain, death bowler. Now, wicketkeeper. Finch has done the lot this season. Rainfall had made the ground wet and Peter Nevill was hit on the forehead by a skidding throw from the deep and – after a lengthy delay – was asked by the doctor to leave the field for a concussion test. Much to the enjoyment of his team-mates, Finch strapped on the gauntlets. Just an over later, Nevill was cleared to return, but the trick worked – Sixers had been cruising to their target before the incident, but a ball after Finch padded up, Michael Lumb sent Thisara Perera straight to Narine at short third man!Sixers chase – and that thrilling final overSixers’ chase went to the final over because the weight was spread and none of the top four capitalised on impressive starts. Openers Daniel Hughes and Michael Lumb set things up with a stand of 72. Then Nic Maddinson and Moises Henriques both got themselves in and got themselves out, with the former stumped off Narine and the latter picking out the man on the fence off the excellent Perera, whose variations and defensive bowling were outstanding in his first game for the Renegades.And so came the confusing final over, from which Sixers required nine. With Brad Haddin set – but not striking the ball well – James Pattinson found a dot ball. Haddin threw his hands at a shortand wide ball, and got four through point, then – with the umpire’s arm outstretched for a no-ball – scrambled two into the legside. Sixers needed two from three, and from the resultant free-hit, Haddin was brilliantly caught on the fence at long-on by Cooper, but they sprinted through for two. As the umpire incorrectly signalled six, and Finch called for him to check Cooper’s foot, neither team appeared to know the game was over. But after the game, Haddin explained the ingenious strategy he and Jordan Silk used, and made it clear they knew what was happening.”It wasn’t confusing for us!” said Haddin. “Silky just said to get it as high as I can off the free hit and we will run two, which would win us the game. I actually thought that Tom Cooper trod on the fence, but we knew exactly what we needed.”The Renegades were a bit more confused, however. Captain Finch said after the game, “I thought they needed three when Jimmy [Pattinson] bowled that last ball!”