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Mohammad Rizwan made 46 before Mohammad Hafeez helped seal a seven-run victory with 4-1-6-1 against West Indies

Sreshth Shah31-Jul-2021Nicholas Pooran made his highest T20I score of 62 runs off 33 balls, but with no other West Indian striking at a rate above 107, the hosts, chasing 158, went down by seven runs against Pakistan in the second T20I in Guyana.West Indies were strangled by Mohammad Hafeez’s accurate offbreaks and Shadab Khan’s mix of legbreaks and googlies, and the loss of regular wickets kept them behind in the chase. Hafeez’s four-over spell at an economy of 1.50 earned him the Player-of-the-Match award, though Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, too, made strong claims to that prize.

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Azam, the only other half-centurion on the day, scored a 40-ball 51 that helped Pakistan cruise through the middle overs. With Rizwan, who made a 36-ball 46, Azam put on a 67-run second-wicket partnership. It set the tone for Pakistan to post a total well beyond the 157 they eventually achieved, but Jason Holder – who picked a four-wicket haul – and Dwayne Bravo kept taking wickets in the death overs to keep the visitors’ hard-hitting middle and lower order quiet.Rizwan, Babar show their class
With Sharjeel Khan falling for a promising 16-ball 20, it was well inside the powerplay that Pakistan’s two most prolific batters of the last year got together. Initially, Azam was the slower one between the two as Rizwan punished Akeal Hosein for two sixes and followed it up with a four off Bravo.Azam then found two boundaries off Romario Shepherd – playing instead of Andre Russell – through the leg side to get his day going, and despite accumulating a few dots thereafter, he found a way to break the rut. Hayden Walsh’s googly was pulled for six, his half-tracker was cut for four, and in the space of a few overs, Azam had raced away to 41 in 33 balls.All this while, Rizwan was content dabbing the ball for ones and twos while Azam changed gears. But, in the 15th over, Rizwan fell victim to a direct-hit four runs short of a ninth T20I fifty. Azam had tapped a ball to the vacant midwicket and called early for the two, but a top effort from Evin Lewis to hit the non-striker’s stumps while the batters scurried for the second sent Rizwan back. However, Rizwan’s 46 was enough for him to earn the distinction of being the most prolific T20I batter in any calendar year with five months still to go in 2021. In the following over, Azam hit Shepherd for six to reach his fifty in 38 balls. A rain interruption followed soon after.Pakistan collapse after rain
The rain break was short, and when Pakistan returned with four overs to go with the score 134 for 2, there was a genuine chance for them to aim for over 180. But Azam fell right then, out caught behind in a contentious decision where it appeared the bat may have hit the ground – and not the ball – but the umpire deemed it fair.Bravo then picked up Hafeez and Fakhar Zaman in quick succession, followed by Holder removing Hasan Ali and Sohaib Maqsood, with Shepherd taking a one-handed stunner by the boundary line. Eventually, Pakistan added just 23 in their last 24 balls to reach 157.A lesson from the professorWith right-hander Andre Fletcher taking strike in the chase, it was Hafeez’s spin that kicked off the proceedings. He struck second ball when Fletcher looked to defend a delivery that he had expected would turn in, leaving the channel outside off vacant. The ball zipped through, and knocked the off stump back, making his return to the XI – in place of the injured Lendl Simmons – somewhat underwhelming.That spin would be a dominant factor in the chase, and Hafeez would continue to bowl in the powerplay against the two left-handers Evin Lewis and No. 3 Chris Gayle. Hafeez was mostly full on off and middle stump, and with the assistance of some sharp work from the infielders, he eked out 13 dot balls in his first spell of three overs where he conceded just five runs, including one maiden.Later, when Pooran came in as the new batter in the 12th over, Hafeez was brought back against the left-hander, where he kept the pressure up with five dots and one single. In all, his four-over spell went for only six runs and earned him a wicket – his most economical T20I spell ever.Lewis cramps up at a crucial time
Having seen Fletcher and Gayle fall without making much impact in a 31-run powerplay, Lewis took the conservative route early on. When Usman Qadir tossed it up early in his spell, Lewis went for the slog sweep for six that helped break his shackles. Soon after, Lewis had deposited fast bowler Mohammad Wasim’s slower ball for six over long off, and in Shimron Hetmyer’s company it seemed that the asking rate – that was starting to touch ten – would be brought down.Related

• Azam Khan taken to hospital after blow to head during training

However, Hetmyer was struggling with his timing, and scoring at a strike rate of just around 100. He had to join Lewis in finding those big shots, and lost his middle stump trying to hit Wasim over cow corner, out for an 18-ball 17.With Pooran, the new batter at No. 5, only starting to get his eyes in, West Indies suffered another setback as Lewis was grounded by a stomach cramp on 35, and had to leave the field retired hurt with the equation reading 82 required off 36.Pooran power
Pollard walked in as Lewis walked out, and the first thing he did with Pooran was to see Shadab Khan’s final over out. After that, Pollard observed from the non-striker’s end as Pooran tore into a wayward 16th over that exposed the teenager’s inexperience.More such overs were needed if West Indies were to swing the result in their favour. However, only one of the batters could make adequate contact between bat and ball. While Pooran smashed Hasan for three sixes in the 17th and 19th overs, and Shaheen Shah Afridi for back-to-back fours in the 18th, Pollard kept finding the fielders.The last of those sixes off Hasan brought up Pooran’s fifty, in 28 balls, but only 11 from Pollard’s first 12 balls meant West Indies needed 20 off the final six deliveries. Shaheen conceded just two off the first four, and took Pollard’s wicket, and that meant he had done enough to seal Pakistan’s victory, though he got hit by Pooran for four and six off the game’s last two deliveries.

South Africa’s coach was hired on a deal that would keep him in place until the originally scheduled end of the tournament

Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2020Cricket South Africa’s board will need to consider if Mark Boucher’s contract as head coach will extend to the rescheduled 2023 World Cup after the ICC moved the tournament from its original February-March window to October-November.Boucher was hired in mid-December 2019 on a deal that would keep him in place until the World Cup’s originally scheduled finish in the first quarter of 2023. With the competition moved back by seven months, the duration of Boucher’s tenure could be reconsidered.”The board may need to consider the fact that with the World Cup being moved, the dates no longer doesn’t align with World Cup,” CSA acting CEO Dr. Jacques Faul told ESPNcricinfo.Boucher has so far overseen South Africa through one summer, in which they lost a home Test series to England and won only one of five trophies on offer. His next assignment was due to be a white-ball series in Sri Lanka in June, followed by a two-Test, five-T20I series in West Indies.In the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sri Lanka tour has been postponed and the Caribbean trip will have to be rescheduled, with West Indies due to be in England until July 29. CSA is in ongoing discussions with Cricket West Indies on when and where to play the series, especially as South Africa’s coronavirus cases rise.The news of the rescheduling of the ICC’s next three global tournaments also means that South Africa’s Future Tours Programme is likely to be reworked. They were due to host India for three T20Is in August, but the matches could be played as late as March in order to ensure they take place in the 2020-21 financial year. The fixtures will earn CSA USD 10 million.

Sixers booked their place in the semi-finals and kept themselves firmly in the hunt for a home tie as they dispatched defending champions Strikers in thumping fashion

The Report by Andrew McGlashan29-Jan-2019Set up by outstanding bowling from left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis, Sydney Sixers have one foot in the Big Bash semi-finals and kept themselves firmly in the hunt for a home tie as they dispatched defending champions Adelaide Strikers in thumping fashion by eight wickets at the SCG with the Strikers seeing their hopes all-but ended in a one-sided contest.The tone was set by Alex Carey’s first-over run out, a continuation of a problem that has hit the Strikers’ this season, and they couldn’t find any early momentum against some excellent Sixers bowling. Jono Wells and Jake Lehmann, who made his highest T20 score, built a promising stand but the Sixers always had a grip on proceedings.Dwarshuis claimed standout career-best figures of 3 for 7 and such was the effectiveness of the display in the field that a slightly below-par display from Tom Curran was barely felt. The Strikers needed much more than the two early wickets they managed to have any hope and an unbroken stand of 106 between Daniel Hughes, who made 42-ball fifty, and Moises Henriques whose half-century took just 26 balls did the job in style with 35 balls to spare.Strikers run out of chancesRun-outs happen in all formats, but the nature of T20 makes them especially prevalent. Still, Carey and Jake Weatherald have had an issue this season. Four times when batting together one of them has been run out, this innings was the third time it fell Carey’s way when he played the ball to backward point only to be sent back by Weatherald. Carey’s look of thunder told the story. It hasn’t just been when batting together they’ve had problems, either. Weatherald has been involved in six run outs this season and Carey five all told.To compound matters, Weatherald couldn’t make amends as he struggled to find his timing against an impressive Sixers attack. He didn’t find the boundary in a 19-ball stay which ended when he clubbed to mid-on and when Colin Ingram was caught at short third man in the next over it left the Strikers with a horrid Powerplay of 3 for 30.Dwarshuis’ day outA year ago Dwarshuis was named in Australia’s T20 squad for the tri-series against England and New Zealand. He wasn’t used as Australia won the tournament and hasn’t featured in squad since, but he is enjoying the sort of season that could keep his name in frame if the selectors want to delve in to their reserves.His figures of 3 for 7 were the joint second-most economical spell in BBL history behind Mitchell Johnson’s 3 for 3 in 2017 and level with Lasith Malinga’s incredible 6 for 7 against Perth Scorchers in 2012 and Fawad Ahmed’s 1 for 7 against Brisbane Heat in 2015. He’d started by removing Weatherald and then showed sharp skill to react to Wells’ movement around the crease to fire in a leg-stump yorker to halt the Strikers’ attempts at a recovery. He added top scorer Lehmann, well caught over his shoulder by Hughes, and should have had a fourth wicket but James Vince couldn’t hold on to a chance at cover when Michael Neser clothed a full toss. He escaped with what should have been a wide call off his penultimate delivery then closed out with another dot.Efficient SixersThere were a couple of blips early in the chase as the in-form pair of Josh Philippe and Vince fell cheaply. Philippe took a painful blow from Billy Stanlake before being trapped lbw by Neser then Vince, having clipped back-to-back leg-side boundaries, smashed a short ball straight to cover. But the result was never in doubt.Somewhat surprisingly, given the dire need of wickets, Rashid Khan was held back until the sixth over by when Hughes was settled and Henriques had had some sighters. Hughes played some delightful drives and then the pair tore into Stanlake’s third over which cost 16, including a crunching flat six over deep square leg by Henriques. The captain went to his fifty by taking Rashid for 6, 4, 6 to put a rubberstamp on a dominant display and finished the match with a huge six over deep midwicket.Tough sellChris Lynn’s comments a few days about the tournament being too long has given a prominent voice to the debates around this year’s BBL. They will linger throughout the rest of the tournament and well into the off-season ahead of potential tweaks for next year – but that won’t include a reduction in games; the full home-and-away program is locked into the new six-year broadcast deals.This match was a tough sell and just 8,083 were at the SCG. It was the first day back for most schools following the Australia Day weekend marking the end of the holiday season. Cricket Australia will continue to talk about overall numbers, but vast swathes of empty seats are not a great look for a tournament that seemed to have it just right. There is still another home match for Sixers as they look to secure a home semi-final. Everyone will be hoping they pack them in if it happens.

The India captain defended MS Dhoni emphasising the latter’s fitness despite his age, and his contributions and importance to the side

Vishal Dikshit in Thiruvananthapuram08-Nov-20172:08

‘Happy for the fans that they saw us play’ – Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli has spoken out in support of MS Dhoni, pointing to his importance in the team and emphasising on Dhoni’s fitness despite his age. Questions were raised about Dhoni’s strike rate and his inability to being able to clear the boundary the way he used to, after a 37-ball 49 in the second T20 in Rajkot where India were unable to chase down 197 on a flat track. Kohli himself scored a fighting 65 off 42 balls but Dhoni could not strike at a similar rate.”First, I don’t understand why are people only pointing him out, I’m not able to understand this,” Kohli said on Tuesday after the third T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram. “If I fail three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I’m not over 35. The guy is fit, he is passing all the fitness tests, he is contributing to the team in every way possible, tactically on the field, with the bat. If you look at the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, he did really well and in this series he hasn’t got much time to bat.”Questions have also been raised about Dhoni’s batting position. He usually bats at Nos 5 or 6, giving him less time to build a knock in the latter half of an innings. In the second T20I in Rajkot, Dhoni walked out at No. 6 when India were 67 for 4 and needed 130 runs in just under 11 overs. Kohli believed the criticism against Dhoni for that innings was unfair as the asking rate had already shot up past 11 an over when he came out to bat.BCCI

“You have to understand, the position in which he comes out to bat, even Hardik [Pandya] could not score in that game,” Kohli said. “Then why are we only pointing out one man? Hardik also got out in the last T20 that we played in Rajkot. We are conveniently targeting only one man which is not fair. We also have to look at the fact that by the time he comes in, either the run rate is already eight-and-a-half or nine-and-a-half and the wicket is also not the same when the new ball is bowled.”Also, the batsmen who are set from the top, they find it easier to strike the ball straightaway compared to the guys who come lower down the order. And the kind of wicket that we have played on, the wear and tear has been much more in the latter half. You have to assess everything.”As team management and players, we understand the situations in which he goes out to bat. We don’t get emotional and excited by the opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. If you are playing, you know how the wicket is and what the situation is like. So, I think he is doing absolutely fine. He understands his game, he understands his role, but it doesn’t come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it was shown five times in the post-match show. Everyone got really happy. And suddenly he doesn’t score in one game and we are after his life. I think people need to be a bit more patient. He’s a guy who understands various cricketers. He’s a very smart guy. He understands where he stands with his body, with his game. So I don’t think anyone else has the right to decide that for him.”

Asela Gunaratne followed up an impressive 38 with two top-order wickets to help Sri Lanka A close in on victory against West Indies A, who ended day three nine wickets down in their second innings and only 55 in front

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Asela Gunaratne put in an all-round performance for Sri Lanka A•AFP

Asela Gunaratne followed up an impressive 38 with two top-order wickets to help Sri Lanka A close in on victory against West Indies A, who ended day three nine wickets down in their second innings and only 55 in front.Gunaratne first helped Sri Lanka stretch their overnight lead of 72 to 110, adding 49 for the ninth wicket with Lahiru Kumara. Then he took the wickets of Rajendra Chandrika, who failed to go past 5 for the fourth innings in a row, and Shamarh Brooks to hasten West Indies’ second-innings slide. Four West Indies batsmen got past 20, but none of them managed a half-century, with Vishaul Singh top-scoring once again with 46.Gunaratne and offspinner Charith Asalanka took two wickets each, and Asith Fernando removed Singh for 46 as the visitors were reduced to 132 for 8. Sri Lanka were then frustrated by Gudakesh Moti-Kanhai and Keon Joseph, the ninth-wicket pair batting for 19 overs before Lakshan Sandakan trapped Moti-Kanhai in front, off the last ball of the day, to pick up his third wicket.In the morning session, offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall picked up the last two Sri Lanka wickets to end with career-best figures of 8 for 108.

The PCB is set to chalk out a rehabilitation programme for Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, as part of their reintegration into the cricketing community

Umar Farooq25-Aug-20150:54

‘Focus is on scoring runs’ – Salman Butt

The PCB is set to chalk out a rehabilitation programme for Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, as part of their reintegration into the cricketing community. The two, whose ban for spot-fixing lifts on September 2, will be required to take part in an anti-corruption educational programme, have sessions with a psychologist, and ply their trade in grade cricket for a start. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the PCB will make the programme public next week.The Pakistan board has accepted the ICC’s decision to lift the ban imposed on Asif and Butt at the earliest possible, but they will not be allowed to take part in the domestic T20 cup in Rawalpindi next month, it said. Instead, they will have to start at the bottom and prove their form and fitness before making it to higher levels of the game.As part of the educational programme, the pair will have to visit all domestic regions, across four provinces, and spread awareness on corruption issues. They will lecture the players, coaches, and officials at the domestic level on anti-corruption.

PCB schedule for Butt, Amir and Asif rehabilitation

• 26th Aug. – 1st Sept: Amir, Asif and Butt to work with PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department in preparing lectures to be delivered to the players.

• 2nd Sept. – 30th Oct Amir, Asif and Butt to deliver lectures in 16 regions.

• 2nd Sept onwards: Asif and Butt to start playing district level and club cricket.

• 2nd Sept onwards: Amir, Asif and Butt to practice regularly at National Cricket Academy, except when Pakistan national players practice, to avoid any untoward incident. Players will be able to use the NCA at will once the rehabilitation programme is completed.

• 2nd Sept onwards: All three players to maintain fitness and achieve levels of 11 in the bleep test for three consecutive months – September, October and November. This should be conducted under the supervision of the NCA specialist staff, who will submit their report to PCB.

• 5th Sept. – 31st Dec: All three players to pay regular visits to Edhi homes, orphanages and places like Army Public School Peshawar in order to publicly contribute towards social responsibility obligations.

• 5th Sept. 2015 – 28th Feb. 2016: All three players to have integration sessions with bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed and Pakistan team members in order to foster better relations in the dressing room in first-class or international engagements. The players should have an apologetic attitude towards their fellow players, selectors and other stakeholders as a sign of sincere remorse.

• 15th Sept onwards: Asif and Butt to attend sessions with a psychologist spread over two days to prepare themselves to deal with pressures on their return.

“ICC requires us to put these boys under a programme in which they address the players and lecture them on anti-corruption,” Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “They should tell the players at all levels about their misconduct and the disgrace they brought into cricket. Meanwhile, we are allowing them to play club cricket and grade 2 cricket, the same policy we adopted with Amir.”They also have to see psychologist, and by playing grade 2 cricket have to prove their ability and fitness. They can’t assume they will pick up where they left off five years ago. After all, they haven’t played cricket for last five years. We have to see many factors, including how age has affected them. At the moment they cannot walk back into contention for top cricket, they have to prove their ability to make their way into first-class cricket.”Amid legal rumblings, the PCB can’t hold the players back from playing once the ICC’s ban lifts on September 2, but they can be restricted to lower levels of the game while they prove their form and complete their rehabilitation programme, which could take several months. Butt, who will turn 31 in October, and Asif, who will be 33 this December, were set to represent Lahore Blue in the upcoming national T20 cup.”We will tell the region too they cannot play until they prove their ability at the low level,” Khan said. “They can’t be allowed to play any national championship but can only be allowed to play the second-class cricket. They can’t walk back in the system with the reputation they had five years ago.”The point to understand is the public must accept them, and more importantly the other present players – many players expressed to us that they will not play with them. So this rehabilitation will eventually help them to be accepted in the dressing room and in the public. We have been in disgrace these last many years, and it’s a big stigma on Pakistan cricket.”Butt, Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned for 10 (five years suspended), seven (two years suspended) and five years respectively, after an ICC tribunal found them guilty of spot-fixing in a case stemming from the 2010 Lord’s Test. The possible reduction in the penalty came on the condition that Asif and Butt would commit no further breach of the anti-corruption code and participate in a PCB-controlled anti-corruption education programme.The ICC ACSU official met both the players to assess how both have changed over the last five years – in which they could not engage in any kind of cricket activity. The details of the meeting haven’t been disclosed, but the ICC has confirmed it has decided against activating the additional suspended years.After a series of appeals against their suspensions and long periods of maintaining that they are innocent, the duo finally issued public apologies and said they were available to undergo educational programmes. The PCB, though, it is understood, denied them access to educational programmes for more than two years, but now after the ICC’s clearance it is offering it to them.Amir, who had pleaded guilty to spot-fixing at a very early stage, was allowed to return to domestic cricket in January this year, given his remorse and cooperation with the authorities. He will play in the upcoming T20 cup for Rawalpindi. He has already completed his rehabilitation programme by featuring in various educational ventures, including the ICC’s anti-corruption video. His return might have been fast-tracked, but he too was made to play club and grade 2 cricket before making his way into major competitive cricket.

Former captain Anjum Chopra believes that women’s cricket hasn’t developed as much as it should have after being taken over by the BCCI, but says it’s a function of market forces

Amol Karhadkar06-Feb-2013Anjum Chopra, the former India captain, believes women’s cricket hasn’t developed as much as it should since being taken over by the BCCI in 2005. However, unlike her predecessor Diana Edulji, who squarely blamed the BCCI, Chopra said it was a reflection of reality and of market forces in sport.India failed to qualify for the Super Six stage of the World Cup after their defeat to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.”I don’t blame the BCCI for it. I don’t blame them completely. I know it’s a big statement but there are reasons,” Chopra, currently a technical advisor to the South African women’s team, told ESPNcricinfo. “Ideally, I would have liked to be in the same boat as men cricketers. But I come from a managerial background and I understand finance. So if I say it has to be on the same pedestal, it would be unfair.”Chopra, the first woman cricketer to earn 100 ODI caps, felt it was too much for Indian women’s cricket to ask for the same monetary benefits as their male counterparts. “I can ask for the same adulation but I can’t ask for the same remuneration. It will take myself and my game some time to reach that level,” Chopra said.”I look at it from this perspective: if somebody is getting ten rupees and I am getting two, at least I know that somebody is getting ten rupees and I can also get ten at the end of the day. Let’s work hard and bridge that gap. If I don’t get [that money] after performing, I can come back and complain. But at least I know somebody is getting, so the world is wide open.”I had a chat with the sponsors of the men’s team and asked them why they didn’t sponsor the women’s team. They said, ‘The Board never forced us to do it, so we took the easier way out.’ Again, it’s their decision. I am just an onlooker and commenting on it. But I am sure they would have sat down and discussed it before making that decision. Again, I would say the world is far wide open, it’s not closed.”Chopra said the issue of remuneration worked differently for different people. “I had a job so I was getting paid even before the BCCI came in. The remuneration has increased and, though it’s not gone from zero to hundred, a lot of players were not getting paid at all [earlier]. As I say, when you are in a bigger structure and you are small fry, you have to learn to swim as well. If you learn to swim in a pond, you can learn to swim in an ocean later.”The other point of concern for India’s women cricketers is the drastic reduction in their international commitments over the past eight years. India played just 26 ODIs between the 2009 and 2013 World Cups, much less than the top three teams in women’s cricket. Australia, England and New Zealand have featured in 36, 39 and 34 ODIs during the same period. Even West Indies, ranked lower than India, have played 38 ODIs during the same period. The lack of game practice was perhaps one of the major reasons for India bowing out of title race in the preliminary round.This is in stark contrast to their schedule when the sport was under the Women’s Cricket Association of India. “That’s a drawback,” Chopra admitted. “We could have played more international cricket. Again I say, I don’t know why the BCCI has reduced our international commitments. But looking at it from their perspective, I know that they say that if you are the fourth-ranked team in the world, you should play against the top three teams; not the ones who are below us, which is fair. But the difference right know is so great that we are not able to climb higher. So, I would rather get the best results out consistently as a player or as a team member and then knock on the doors for opportunities.”Despite having joined the South African set-up, Chopra stressed that she is “still an active player” and the thoughts of hanging up her boots have never crossed her mind. In fact, she is relishing being a part of the dressing room of an international team, that too for a World Cup. “First of all, I am getting an opportunity to be with an international team, which is a huge honour for me. The best part is, I am still around the dressing room that has some of the players who I have played against.”Besides, there are a few talented cricketers coming about. Working for Cricket South Africa, especially to talk about the South African culture and the great sporting culture over there, I get to know what’s happening on the other side of the world. So it’s been brilliant. Especially, their men’s is doing so well, so you get to know a lot about how they prepare, how they interact and what all are the things they do while preparing for a big series.”

Powered by a blistering ton from Rob Nicol, Canterbury chased down a target of 203 rather comfortably against Auckland at the Colin Maiden Park, in what was essentially a dress rehearsal for the HRV Cup final on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2012
ScorecardRob Nicol smacked 101 not out off 57 balls•Getty Images

Powered by a blistering ton from Rob Nicol, Canterbury chased down a target of 203 rather comfortably against Auckland at the Colin Maiden Park, in what was essentially a dress rehearsal for the HRV Cup final on Saturday. Auckland’s Azhar Mahmood, too, scored a century, but it went in vain as Canterbury knocked off what was the highest total in this season’s HRV Cup with three balls and seven wickets to spare.Canterbury’s decision to bowl looked to have backfired when Mahmood, opening Auckland’s innings, teed off. He hit three sixes and 10 fours to bring up a hundred in 61 balls – the third ton of the season overall. He was particularly supported by his captain, Gareth Hopkins, who made 42 off 28 as Auckland finished on 202 for 4.The Canterbury openers, Nicol and George Worker got the chase off to a fine start, putting on 85 in under eight overs. Worker fell for a rapid 44, but Nicol was unstoppable: he hit nine sixes during the course of the innings to finish on 101 not out of just 57 balls and nullify Mahmood’s effort. His unbeaten 101 is the joint second-highest individual score in this edition of the HRV Cup. Canterbury would have strolled home much sooner had it not been for left-arm spinner Ronnie Hira – he went for a very respectable 23 runs in 3.3 overs, and picked up two wickets.