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Lizaad Williams’ second three-wicket haul in two days left Zimbabweans reeling with a measly lead of 29 in their only warm-up fixture ahead of the inaugural four-day Test

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2017
ScorecardAFP

Lizaad Williams’ second three-wicket haul in two days left Zimbabweans reeling at 120 for 7 in their second dig against CSA Invitation XI at Paarl, with a measly lead of 29. The hosts were earlier lifted to 287 in their first innings, courtesy half-centuries from Temba Bavuma and Dayyaan Galiem.Having snared a 91-run lead, Williams led CSA Invitation XI’s charge, bowling the visitors’ first-innings top-scorer, Hamilton Masakadza, off the second delivery of the innings. A 49-run second-wicket stand between Solomon Mire (20) and Craig Ervine (34) steadied Zimbabweans after the early wobble, but Ervine’s dismissal – via Williams – in the 13th over led to the tourists subsiding from 50 for 1 to 107 for 7. Ryan Burl (17*) and Chamu Chibhaba (48) kept vigil at stumps on second day even as Shaun von Berg and Michael Cohen finished with two wickets apiece.Earlier, CSA Invitation XI’s resumption on 55 for 3 on second day featured a collapse of its own – 5 wickets for 61 runs – which was bookended by fifty stands. While Bavuma anchored the first, in Tladi Bokako’s (41) company, with his 70-run knock, Galiem’s 54-ball 57 steered the second, with von Berg (24), helping the side scramble past 250 even in the face of a four-for from Graeme Cremer.

Scorchers went top after winning their sixth-straight game at the WACA, this time against third-placed Hurricanes – and Jofra Archer was exciting IPL observers once more

The Report by Geoff Lemon20-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnce again, it was the Hobart Hurricanes in third position taking on the team in second. Once again, the team from Hobart couldn’t quite get over the line. Once again, their opponent went top of the table, and now all of Hurricanes’ hopes are pinned on winning their last game of the season against the Melbourne Stars.Perth Scorchers, meanwhile, have the chance of yet another home final after running down Hurricanes’ 167 with four balls to spare. Both sides stuttered at the halfway mark before finding a strong finish and ending up five wickets down. The Hurricanes total was built on the back of a fightback half-century from Simon Milenko, but Scorchers found a couple of fifties of their own from Cameron Bancroft and Ashton Turner to seal a close finish.Wade up your optionsIt hasn’t been the greatest season for Matthew Wade, dumped as wicketkeeper for Australia’s Test and ODI teams, struggling for Tasmania, and failing to set the BBL alight. But a new challenge arose because of Alex Doolan’s recent concussion, with Wade sent up to open the innings with D’Arcy Short.It wasn’t easy, with Mitchell Johnson fast and fiery from the get-go. Wade was nearly knocked over keeping out a yorker, while short balls trampolined to the keeper. Johnson conceded just three runs from the bat in his first over. But Wade did the damage against Joel Paris, slamming four balls to the fence and one over it for 22 from the second set of six.Paris got his man in the fourth over, but 31 from 16 was the fast start Hurricanes required. Short, the talk of the tournament, had only 6.Are you Agar jelly?What T20 side wouldn’t be jealous of having Ashton Agar? He’s a lock for the Australian T20 team, with national selectors bound to further raid Scorchers’ bowling stocks just before the Big Bash final. His economy rate of 5.51 per over puts him among Big Bash royalty.Agar kicked things off by catching Short at mid on before bowling the 7th over. His first eight deliveries were all to George Bailey, and cost one run. Four balls to Ben McDermott cost another single.Starting Agar’s third over, McDermott decided it had to go. Only problem was he missed the ball, giving up a stumping as it dropped shorter and spun past the edge. Then Agar came wide on the crease and angled in to bowl Dan Christian. Three overs, two wickets for five runs, and the Hurricanes were 4 for 69 from 11 overs.Gotta be made of MilenkoNo one could hit Agar, but Milenko got him in the 13th. No one could hit Johnson, but Milenko got him in the 15th. First a sweep, then a hook that went 100 metres, then a couple of sixes off Tim Bresnan. Bailey fell, Jofra Archer came to the crease, but Milenko kept going, pumping Johnson for a straight six that raised his fifty from 29 balls. The all-rounder finished unbeaten with 66 off 37, having masterminded 101 off the last 10 overs. Johnson’s 0 for 35 was his worst return in the BBL, and Hurricanes’ sub-par total had become 167, the exact average winning score when batting first in BBL07.Archer on target againAgainst the Strikers, Archer kept hitting the stumps, either with yorkers or run-out throws. This time he was zeroing in with the short ball to end the fifth over, a nasty bouncer that hit Michael Klinger’s grille and bounced back onto his stumps.Later, in the 16th, Archer produced a frankly absurd piece of fielding, charging around at long-on, picking up cleanly, and throwing down the stumps at the striker’s end of the pitch with a direct hit as Adam Voges tried to complete a second run. Bullseye.Bancroft Turner OverdriveIt wasn’t quite enough, though. With Sam Whiteman superbly caught Short in the first over, and Christian bowling Hilton Cartwright in the 10th, it was 2 for 76, advantage Hurricanes. But Bancroft and Turner put on 38 together before Australia’s new Test opener was caught behind for 54 in the 14th over. At that stage the run rate was 8.31, the required rate 8.59. It was set up beautifully for Turner, one of the more destructive batsmen in the competition.Hobart stayed in it until there were eight balls to go. Christian had bowled a suffocating line and length, aiming at the batsmen’s heels and giving up only singles, but eventually Turner was able to dig him out, first for a four that hit the long-on gap, then for a six. Archer bowled the last, but with only five runs to defend, the ask was too much even for the man with the golden arm.

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 helped dismiss Kenya for 83, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase, forced an end to play with no result

The report by Peter Della Penna in Windhoek10-Feb-2018Match abandoned
Peter Della Penna

Left-arm medium-pacer Tangeni Lungameni’s List A career-best 3 for 6 propelled Namibia’s bowling attack to wipe out Kenya for 83 at United Cricket Club Ground, but heavy rain just five overs into the host’s chase forced an end to play with no result. According to tournament rules, the match is now set to be replayed from scratch on the next tournament reserve day on Tuesday.The match had originally been scheduled for Friday but never got started due to damp bowler’s run-ups forcing tournament officials to push the match back into Saturday’s reserve day. Though the outfield dried up by Saturday morning, sweat from the pitch covers resulted in a slightly damp pitch that caused a 90-minute delay and a reduction to 45 overs.After losing a crucial toss and being sent in, Kenya struggled throughout the Powerplay to survive the generous movement on offer. Craig Williams finally made the first breakthrough three balls into his first-change spell in the ninth over, getting Alex Obanda to loft a drive to long-off.Lungameni replaced Smit at the opposite end for the 10th over and had Irfan Karim edging into the slips for his first wicket. Across his next four overs, Lungameni conceded just one run. Dhiren Gondaria drove to mid-on for Lungameni’s second wicket before Collins Obuya’s painstaking innings of 2 in 27 balls ended when he charged in frustration only to drive a bullet straight to Gerhard Erasmus at short extra cover.Captain Sarel Burger continued to set attacking fields, with no less than two men catching behind the wicket throughout the innings to the medium-pacers, as the final four men out were caught behind the wicket. After bowling out Kenya in 38.5 overs, Namibia had just under a half-hour to bat before lunch but thunder began to rumble across the field as the opening pair of Stephan Baard and Lohan Louwrens took the field. A steady drizzle came down throughout their short chase before it worsened into a downpour, robbing Namibia a golden chance of two points and a much-needed net run rate boost.

On the day of a heroic draw, the big number that loomed was that New Zealand have played only four Tests this season, a reality that captain Williamson said was frustrating

Andrew McGlashan in Christchurch 03-Apr-2018Kane Williamson had never bagged a golden duck in Test cricket. When he edged his first ball from Stuart Broad on the final day in Christchurch, it meant New Zealand had lost two wickets off the first two balls of the day – just the fourth time that had happened in Test cricket.By the end of the first hour they had lost four wickets, including Ross Taylor, and the prospect of preserving their 1-0 lead was rapidly slipping away. Yet six hours later, as the setting autumn sun illuminated Hagley Oval until the dying moments of a gripping contest, they were celebrating just a fourth series win over England.Though, officially, the umpires ended things because of the light, there was no assistance in this escape. New Zealand did it all themselves, from a position few would have given them a chance. It was a shame that Neil Wagner was given out – eventually caught off an inside edge on the DRS – because there was no time for the match to continue, but Wagner had left the field so could not walk off triumphant alongside Ish Sodhi.Instead, there was the somewhat odd scene of Sodhi the lone batsman in the middle, Tim Southee having not yet reached the centre, being embraced by the 12th man as the umpires removed the bails and the England players sagged in disappointment. Sodhi, unbeaten on 56 off 168 balls, had played the innings of his life and so, too, had Wagner as he blocked for 103 balls in making 7 when every ounce of him was probably wanting to try and deposit the spinners out of the ground.At times, the pair even managed who would take which type of bowling with Sodhi reckoning Jack Leach’s spin was more of a danger to Wagner out of the footmarks but easier for him to defended as a right hander.”He kept me going, there were some demons out there for sure,” Sodhi said. “The ball started turning from rough a little and found it quite to pick up the bowlers from around the wicket. He’s a bit of mongrel with the ball and he’s got that same mentality with the bat. He was trying to keep fighting against his instinct. Was probably tough but he did it so well. The way he played the bumpers was amazing and showed his character…we got a bit of luck along the way but you have to ride it.”New Zealand’s tail had looked a little longer in this Test without the injured Todd Astle, but in the first innings Tim Southee made an important half-century to narrow the deficit then Sodhi and Wagner defied England during the final session. The pitch, by and large, continued its history of not deteriorating massively but for the eighth-wicket pair to soak up 31 overs was a magnificent effort along with the previous stand between Sodhi and Colin de Grandhomme which lasted 25 overs. The efforts of Tom Latham, in stemming the early trouble, were also very impressive.Sodhi was given a life at silly point before he had scored – at that time it did not appear a major moment – then after tea, when England found the second new ball didn’t swing, he was handed a peppering by the short stuff from Mark Wood and Broad (as was Wagner in a taste of his own medicine) taking a blow on the arm which required treatment and a hastily delivered arm guard.”I was trying to figure out which balls to play and which to get under,” he said. “It started becoming quite difficult when the odd one would jump and another would keep a bit low. But you can’t really nick it, you can’t really get bowled or lbw so if you can get out of the road it’s a bit of a win.”The result meant Williamson joined the small group of New Zealand captains to secure series wins over England: Stephen Fleming, Geoff Howarth and Jeremy Coney. His attempts to control the final day ended with the first-ball lifter from Broad, so all he could do was watch nervously through 100 overs.”We thought there were all three results still possible at the start,” he said. “The first two balls today changed that, but credit to the way the guys batted – de Grandhomme curbed his instincts, Neil and Ish were heroic really. If it wasn’t for them, putting their hand up and weathering the storm, bumps and bruises and all, this series result could have been so different. Fantastic to see that, credit to their character. Just so satisfying to come away with the series win.”Emotions are running high, guys are pretty stoked in the sheds so it’s a great way to finish the season which had a lot of white-ball cricket. The way the Test team performed was superb in a number of different situations.”That Test team is now ranked No. 3 in the world after leap-frogging Australia on the back of their hammering in Johannesburg. There can be no sweeter feeling for a New Zealander than to be above the Australians in a sporting table. But this home season has consisted of just four Tests and the 2018-19 summer is likely to be same with visits from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. When the team faces Pakistan later this year, it will be their first Test cricket overseas in two years.”We’ve played four Tests this year, I think there’s a little bit of frustration, guys want to play more Test cricket,” Williamson said. “But it is what it is, a year without much Test cricket. We know the coming years have a lot more so it’s about being patient. We’ve had so many great games against England. The team love playing Test cricket. As a Test team we are growing, and I think we’ve seen that in this series.”This team consists of some of New Zealand’s finest ever Test players and some new heroes. For now they can bask in the glory of a significant series win, but they deserve not to be undersold.

The South Africa fast bowler will only be considered for the fourth Test against Australia, and not the third as initially hoped as he continues to recover from a heel injury

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2018South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will only be considered for the fourth Test against Australia on March 30, and not the third as initially hoped as he continues to recover from a heel injury.Steyn was due to play for the Titans in the first-class competition on Thursday, but will not turn out for the fixture. Instead, he is targeting the final round of franchise matches, which starts on March 22, the same day as the Newlands Test, with the aim to be fit for Johannesburg. That means if South Africa are without Kagiso Rabada – who is awaiting the outcome of a hearing on a Level 2 charge – they won’t have Steyn to take his place. Instead, Morne Morkel, who was left out for Lungi Ngidi, could come into contention.Faf du Plessis was not fully aware of Steyn’s situation in the immediate aftermath of the Port Elizabeth Test but his hopes of the fast bowler being available have been dashed.”I’m not 100% sure where Dale is. From my understanding, he would have needed to play a game this week, which he didn’t, which would probably set him back for the third Test, I would assume,” du Plessis said. “Our plan for him was to play a game. But I would be praying extra hard that he would be ready for that third Test to make sure we can have him available if he [is fit]. On the spot now, I would assume probably on the fourth Test.”Steyn needs three wickets to overtake Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker.

Growing up and hoping to emulate his famous uncle, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imam wanted to play Tests for his country – even if he did not expect his first to be in Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-20181:06

Imam-ul-Haq warns against underestimating Ireland

It will be a dream realised for Imam-ul-Haq, should he make his Test debut as expected this week. Growing up and hoping to emulate his uncle, former Pakistan captain and now chief selector, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imam wanted to play Tests for his country – even if he did not expect his first to be in Ireland.Imam has already played four ODIs, scoring a century on debut against Sri Lanka last year, and he is set to slot into the top three of the Test side. In two warm-up matches over the past fortnight, Imam, 22, has scored two half-centuries – 61 against Kent and 59* against Northamptonshire. Now he hopes to provide some batting fibre in a side that has struggled somewhat since the retirement of two Pakistan greats last year.”It’s a very proud feeling,” Imam said. “Everybody knows that Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have just retired and our young guys have to do a lot of work. It’s always good to come and prove a point, and we’re looking forward to this series. I have been scoring runs in the two four-day matches and that gives me confidence. I’m very hopeful that I’ll do well in this series.”Obviously it will be my first Test match, my first pressure match. I will be very nervous, I won’t lie – that’s what we play for, that’s my dream since I grew up, to play Test cricket for your country. I didn’t think I would play my first Test match in Ireland, so it’s different but as a sportsman you have to be ready for everything.”Malahide will be the scene for not only Imam’s Test bow, but that of the Ireland men’s team. Granted Test status last year, Ireland will welcome Pakistan as their first five-day opponents, looking to revive memories of the famous 2007 World Cup upset at Sabina Park.”I remember that match, it was a very big day for Ireland cricket and a very sad day for Pakistan,” Imam said. “But in sport, these things happen. On the same day, India lost as well against Bangladesh, so we were happy. Jokes apart, it was a sad day for Pakistan as a nation, so hopefully we’ll get our own back by winning the Test.”They are playing their first Test match, so we want to give them good luck, it’s very good for Irish cricket. We hope they will play good and be a very good side in future.”While Ireland will go into the Test as firm underdogs – a position Pakistan often revel in – Mickey Arthur’s team will have to guard against complacency. Pakistan briefly topped the Test rankings in 2016, after drawing 2-2 with England, but have since slipped to No. 7 in the world and will be hoping to avoid an ambush in what could be challenging conditions for batting.”Cricket is a funny game and you can’t take any side lightly,” Imam said. “We have to do our best, and we have to prove a point and win the game. It doesn’t matter, against Ireland or England, we have to play good cricket and that will give us confidence, and make our youngsters to do well in the England series. The conditions are difficult, as you see the rain and the wicket will be tough because it’s early [summer] here.”It’s a very young side … Test cricket is different, you need patience over here and it tests your fitness as well. Back home we had a very tough camp, so we are very hopeful and very excited. We’re hoping to do something very special here .”While Pakistan’s opening tour game was a soggy affair at Kent, they show some impressive form to brush aside Northamptonshire by nine wickets on Monday. Asad Shafiq’s 186 was the highlight, while Shadab Khan claimed a ten-wicket haul, and Imam said the players were confident of rising to the occasion.”We’ve been working hard, as a subcontinent nation it’s difficult to perform over here in England and Ireland. We’ve had two very good four-day matches, the guys were working hard and talking to our batting coach. There are personal goals there, we’re working on it and we’ll do well.”

Matt Henry claimed his fourth five-wicket haul of the season as Gloucestershire were made to follow on at Bristol

Paul Bolton11-Jun-2018
ScorecardSam Billings is in danger of becoming a captain without portfolio, observing from afar while Kent make impressive progress towards possible County Championship promotion.Since he succeeded Sam Northeast as captain, Billings has played just four Royal London Cup matches for Kent and has yet to feature in their Championship campaign.Billings opted to start the season with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL rather than Kent and is now away on international duty with England. If he remains in England’s ODI and T20 squads, it could be another month before Kent see their captain again.But Billings’ international future is far from assured. Since he made 56 against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 10, Billings has scraped just 78 in runs in his last 12 innings – 10 of them in three innings for Kent. His latest failure came in England’s embarrassing defeat by Scotland on Sunday when he slapped a full toss to midwicket.In Billings’ absence, Adam Rouse has performed admirably behind the stumps and vice-captain Joe Denly has led the side to three successive Championship wins. A fourth, which would avenge an opening-round defeat by Gloucestershire at Canterbury, is possible here against a side that has struggled to match the intensity of Kent’s cricket over the first three days.Despite Billings’ absences and lack of runs, it seems certain that Rouse will make way the next time the captain becomes available for county duty with Kent placing faith in Billings’ leadership qualities and historic performances with the bat.”Off the field, Sam has been unbelievable,” Kent assistant coach Allan Donald said. “There is nothing we can do about his England commitments because everyone wants to play international cricket. When he comes back someone has to make space, it’s as simple as that.”Sam is a world-class cricketer. I have been very impressed with the way he captains the team especially his aura in the dressing room and the way he speaks to the players. He is very impressive. He hasn’t burnt the house down at the moment in terms of runs but he will come good, there is no question about it.”Kent seem to be doing very nicely without Billings thanks largely to the outstanding contribution of Matt Henry, the New Zealand pace bowler, who has taken 43 of their 85 Championship wickets so far.Henry will be available for the top-of-the-table clash against Warwickshire at Tunbridge Wells next week and the day-night match against Middlesex at Canterbury before he returns home. Kent are already trying to persuade New Zealand to allow Henry to return for their last five Championship matches, including a potential Division Two title decider against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.”Matt has brought leadership, he’s brought skill and great intensity to this group which is what you want from a guy who has played international cricket,” Donald said.Donald displayed similar qualities during a long and distinguished career as Warwickshire’s overseas player and the former South Africa fast bowler watched admiringly as Henry overcame a slow, low and used pitch with skill and aggression.Henry, who claimed his fourth five-wicket haul of the season, took three for nine in 27 balls with the second new ball and needed only two deliveries with it to break an obdurate seventh-wicket partnership of 104 between Graeme van Buuren and Kieran Noema-Barnett.Chris Dent and Benny Howell applied themselves better when Gloucestershire followed on 342 in arrears and Kent suffered a setback when Harry Podmore crumpled in his delivery stride clutching his right knee and was helped off the field by Donald.

The decision to retire from international cricket became much easier once he had made peace with the fact that his career wouldn’t be defined by not winning a World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-2018When AB de Villiers announced his surprise retirement from international cricket in May, he left the question of playing overseas in any form vague. De Villiers has now confirmed that the IPL will be part of his post-international retirement plans, while reiterating that he also hopes to play for his domestic franchise, Titans, for a while.”I will keep on playing IPL for a few years, and I would like to play for the Titans, and help some of the youngsters. But there are no set plans. I haven’t been able to say that for a long time,” de Villiers told . “There are some offers on the table from around the world, but it will be nice to wake up and wonder what to do; to be normal.”When he had retired, de Villiers had stated he had “no plans to play overseas, in fact, I hope I can continue to be available for the Titans in domestic cricket”, likely referring to taking up a Kolpak deal the way several of his South African team-mates did.The timing of his retirement also meant that de Villiers would end his career without a World Cup winner’s medal, but he said he had made peace with that fact.”For a long time, the World Cup was a massive goal,” de Villiers said. “But, in the last few years, I have realised that it isn’t realistic to measure yourself purely on what you achieve in that tournament. That will not be the be-all and end-all of my career.”Yes, I would have loved to win it, but I have great memories from World Cups. The 2007 tournament – my first – was very special. We fell short against Australia, when we tried to play too much cricket too soon, but that shift in mentality probably helped us to go over there and win the Test series we then won over there. Personally, I scored my first ODI century in that 2007 tournament, and I loved the whole experience of being in the Caribbean.”The same goes for the others, in 2011 and in 2015. India has always been close to my heart, because of the passion for cricket, and then obviously 2015 was an amazing game,” he further said about the classic semi-final against New Zealand in which South Africa fell agonisingly short. “We fell on the wrong side of it, but we gave it everything.”De Villiers said that his decision to retire was made simpler when he accepted that the World Cup wouldn’t define his career, and that he didn’t want to pick and choose when he would be playing for South Africa in an effort to carry on until the 2019 event.”I guess that once I acknowledged to myself that I didn’t have to measure my career on one tournament, place so much emphasis on it, it became easier to make my decision,” he said. “I also didn’t want to be picking and choosing my way through fixtures from now until then. It wouldn’t be fair.”

England were bowled out in a session on the second day at Trent Bridge with an unlikely figure doing much of the damage

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2018

24.1 – Root c Rahul b Pandya 16 (86 for 4)

Pandya to Root, OUT, has that carried to second slip? KL Rahul has certainly celebrated like it has. Hard to think the soft signal will be anything other than out, given that. Yes, soft signal is out…it is a legal delivery…oh this will be close! There is possibility of there being a bounce and he can only possibly have fingertips under it…third umpire rules he has fingertips under it! Joe Root cannot believe it. Neither can the crowd. By the rules, that is the correct decision – there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overturn an out decision. But it wouldn’t have been overturned if it was given not out in the first place. It’s that soft signal debate lurking again. That was short of a length and straightening in the corridor as Root defended inside the line. Pandya bowled from wide of the crease. Root never looked convinced, not even before the replay was taken. He was marking his guard as the review happened.

30.1 – Bairstow c Rahul b Pandya 15 (110 for 6)

Pandya to Bairstow, OUT, What a ball, Hardik Pandya! What a spell, Hardik Pandya! Perfectly-pitched ball, full, angling in towards middle and off, makes Bairstow play, the late seam movement squares him up, and finds the outside edge. This is held comfortably by Rahul at second slip. From 54 for 0, England have fallen to 110 for 6

30.6 – Woakes c Pant b Pandya 8 (118 for 7)

Pandya to Woakes, OUT, Pant takes a step to the leg side, then stretches out his right glove, the ball just about sticks in his webbing even as it keeps swerving away from his reach. Umpire Erasmus raises his finger and gives Woakes out caught behind. Woakes challenges the on-field out decision. Bouncer aimed at the arm-pit, cramps the batsman for room. Woakes still dares to hook, he only tickles it off the bat to Pant

32.1 – Rashid c Pant b Pandya 5 (128 for 8)

Pandya to Rashid, OUT, Four wickets for Pandya, five catches for Pant. Pant dives to his right and snaffles this edge. Shastri and Bangar are up on their feet, applauding their boys. Full, angling in just a shade outside off, and nibbling away, Rashid has a defensive push at it and nicks it behind to the debutant. England’s procession continues…

32.5 – Broad lbw b Pandya 0 (128 for 9)

Pandya to Broad, OUT, Pandya bags his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He holds the red ball aloft and celebrates. Broad thinks about a review but decides against it. Plumb. This is full and straight, swings in, 142ks, Broad falls over a leg-side flick and is pinned in front of middle. This is some spell from Pandya. Five wickets inside five oversGraphic: Hardik Pandya’s maiden Test five-for took all of 29 balls•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The opener currently stands provisionally suspended from all international and domestic cricket after returning a positive result on a dope test

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2018Habib Bank Limited (HBL) will appoint a new captain for this year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy after the team stripped Ahmed Shehzad of the role. Shehzad captained HBL last year in the QeA, but currently stands provisionally suspended from all international and domestic cricket organised by any national cricket board or its affiliate members after returning a positive result on a dope test. He is not part of HBL’s current 25-man squad for the QeA, meaning the removal from the captaincy was something of an inevitability. In the absence of Ahmed Shehzad last year, HBL were captained by former Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul.Shehzad underwent a random test during the 50-over Pakistan Cup in April, but it was only in June that news reports suggested he had failed to clear it. The PCB tweeted confirmation of the failed test, but said that according to ICC rules, it could not name the player until the result was backed up by Pakistan’s anti-doping agency; the original finding was from a WADA-accredited laboratory in India.Shehzad had the right to apply for his B sample to be tested separately (taken at the same time as his A sample), but opted not to do so, instead accepting the charge in response to the PCB’s show-cause notice to the player. The PCB will form a panel to hear Shehzad’s explanation, before determining what sanctions to apply. A date for the hearing is yet to be decided.Depending on the nature of the prohibited substance, the player could face up to a two-year ban. The last Pakistan international to suffer that fate was Raza Hasan, who tested positive for cocaine in 2015, and was banned until 2017. In the last few years, Pakistan spinners Yasir Shah and Abdur Rehman were also banned for minor doping offences, each serving three-month bans.