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Colin Ingram gave Glamorgan a chance in a steep adjusted target

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2023Hampshire 97 for 2 (McDermott 54) beat Glamorgan 54 for 1 by 21 runs (DLS method) Ben McDermott smashed his fourth fifty of his Vitality Blast season against Glamorgan to put defending champions Hampshire Hawks in prime position for a quarter-final spot.Australian McDermott pinged 54 off 27 as Hampshire scored 97 for 2 in 9.2 overs before rain descended on the Ageas Bowl and Glamorgan were set 83 in six overs.Colin Ingram splattered a quick-fire 34 to give the Welsh side hope but John Turner’s two-run over and good defensive bowling from Nathan Ellis and James Fuller meant the Hawks restricted them to 54 for 1 and won by 21 runs.Hampshire move level with Surrey in second on 16 points to open up the possibility of a home knockout tie, with victory against Gloucestershire on Sunday confirming their progression. Glamorgan’s unlikely route to the quarter-finals, which would have need two wins and a big net run rate swing, is now ended.James Vince had initially been the aggressor, having been asked to bat by Glamorgan, with the first legal delivery of the match carted to the straight boundary.But he fell to a steepling catch at fine leg by Prem Sisodiya in the fourth over to give Jamie McIlroy his 19th wicket of a successful campaign.On his return from a broken foot, Tom Prest leaned back and pummelled his third delivery for six but was leg before to Peter Hatzoglou soon after.McDermott had taken control of that 48-run stand with a pair of maximums to the longest boundary at midwicket and another over square leg.The Hobart Hurricanes star has been overshadowed by Vince’s scoring exploits but has now pilfered 371 runs at a strike-rate of 144.He reached his half-century in 23 balls as the Hawks intelligently raced to 97 for 2 in 9.2 overs before the persistent drizzle kept the players off for just over two hours.Glamorgan were given six overs, with an eight-ball powerplay, to find their way to their new target and sent overseas Ingram up to open with Kiran Carlson.Ingram did what he was asked to do in the first over by hitting a six over long off before a pair of boundaries in a 19-run opening over.But Turner bounced back with a superb second over which only went for two and included five dot balls. Ellis and Benny Howell kept the visitors under the rate before the former had the dangerous Ingram caught for a 13-ball 34 with 40 needed off 10 balls.Ellis only went for 17 in his two overs before Fuller’s finale was cut three balls short as rain returned with an impossible 29 still needed.

Wicketkeeper-batter becomes youngest Somerset player to record a double-hundred

ECB Reporters Network11-Jul-2023 Hampshire 58 for 2 trail Somerset 500 (Rew 221, Aldridge 88, Bess 54, Abbott 4-56, Dawson 4-118) by 442 runsJames Rew confirmed his emergence as the brightest batting prospect in the LV= Insurance County Championship by becoming Somerset’s youngest-ever first-class double-centurion on the second day of the match with Hampshire at Taunton.At the age of just 19 years and 181 days, Rew extended his overnight score of 77 to 221 before being last man out in his side’s first-innings total of 500, having walked to the crease on day one with the scoreboard reading 41 for 4. The young left-hander’s memorable knock occupied seven hours and 42 minutes, 310 balls, and featured 23 fours and four sixes. His previous four Championship centuries this summer had already established him as the leading run-maker in the competition.Kasey Aldridge and Dom Bess also contributed to Somerset’s impressive recovery from 80 for 5 before a last-wicket stand of 108 with Shoaib Bashir, who hit a career-best 44 not out, piled on the misery for Hampshire. By the close, the visitors had replied with 58 for 2, having lost Joe Weatherley to the opening ball of their innings after spending a draining 120 overs in the field.The day was all about wicketkeeper Rew, already an England player at Under-19 and Lions levels, from the moment Somerset began an overcast morning on 196 for 5. He required just one moment of luck when, having added only nine to his overnight score, he was dropped at slip by James Vince off the bowling of Liam Dawson.A classic cover-driven four off Dawson brought up Rew’s century off 184 balls and the remainder of the innings featured what are fast becoming trademark traits of composure, patience, sound technique and sensible shot selection. There was also a plethora of sweetly timed strokes on both sides of the pitch.Aldridge, a fellow graduate of their county’s Academy, lost little in comparison as the pair extended their stand to 188, a Somerset record for the sixth wicket against Hampshire. He had hit 13 fours and moved to within 12 of a ton when Dawson found an edge with a ball that turned and wicketkeeper Ben Brown took the catch.Bess, back with the club where he launched his career, marked the first innings of a short-term loan from Yorkshire by being positive from the start, hitting seven fours and a six in partnership of 94 in 22 overs with Rew before falling to another catch behind off Dawson, who was extracting some help from the dry pitch.The left-arm spinner quickly cleaned up Alfie Ogbourne, making his first-class debut, and Jack Brooks on his way to figures of 4 for 118. But if Hampshire thought their trials were almost over at 392 for 9, they were proved cruelly mistaken by another 19-year-old in Bashir, who marked only his third Championship appearance by coolly settling in to strike three sixes and three fours in a 61-ball knock.With Rew cutting loose at the other end, the tenth-wicket stand occupied less than 17 overs. The ball flew to and over a short boundary on the town side of the ground with increasing regularity before an on-driven single took Rew to 200 off 297 balls, a moment he greeted with an understated clenched fist salute.His marathon display of concentration ended when Vince, who had introduced himself into the bowling attack for the first time at 480 for 9, trapped him lbw looking to clear the ropes again. Several Hampshire players offered handshakes as the fresh-faced hero of the hour left the field to a standing ovation.It seemed the day could not get worse for Hampshire. But after tea had been taken, Brooks penetrated Weatherley’s defence with his first delivery to knock back off stump. Fletcha Middleton and Nick Gubbins had responded aggressively with an unbroken stand of 39 when the rain that threatened for most of the day arrived to interrupt proceedings.The resumption brought another first-ball drama, Middleton fending a steeply rising delivery from Aldridge to third slip and departing for 24. The rain returned with seven runs added and another restart at 5.45pm saw 4.2 more overs bowled before a third shower and stumps.

Ireland international Harry Tector adds quick-fire 86 to compound Derbyshire’s woes

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2023In-form Ollie Price registered his maiden List-A hundred to steer Gloucestershire to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Derbyshire in their opening Metro Bank One-Day Cup fixture at the Cheltenham Festival.Price carved out an authoritative 116 not out and shared in stands of 142 with debutant Harry Tector and 108 with Jack Taylor for the third and fifth wickets respectively as Gloucestershire chased down a target of 299 with 6.4 overs in hand.Signed for just one game, 23-year-old Ireland international Tector made the most of his only opportunity to impress a substantial Festival audience, scoring a startling 86 from 69 balls, while Taylor finished unbeaten on 51.Pakistan batter Haider Ali had earlier top-scored with 82 and opener Luis Reece hit 50 as Derbyshire posted 298 for 9 after losing the toss, Paul van Meekeren claiming 4 for 66 and Zaman Akhter 3 for 56 to enable Gloucestershire to keep a lid on things.Required to score at 5.98 an over, Gloucestershire made a poor start to their reply, Sam Connors sweeping up openers Ben Charlesworth and Chris Dent in the space of four deliveries from the College Lawn End to reduce the home side to 16 for 2 in the third over.Fresh from representing Ireland against Scotland in a T20 international in Edinburgh three days earlier, Tector took a challenging situation firmly in his stride, scoring at a run-a-ball from the outset to set a defiant tone.Taking advantage of a short boundary at the famous old College Ground, the Dubliner produced an innings of controlled aggression to raise 50 from 52 balls before tucking into Mark Watt’s slow left arm as he pressed on the accelerator.He and Price staged a 100 partnership in 92 balls and, by the time his electrifying innings was terminated by David Lloyd, who had him held at mid-on in the 23rd over, Tector had plundered eight fours and four sixes and given Gloucestershire the upper hand.With a further 141 required at 5.2 an over, Price took it upon himself to see the job through, going to his hundred from 101 balls, a landmark that elicited a standing ovation from all who witnessed it. James Bracey was bowled by Alex Thomson for 23, but Taylor remained at large for long enough to raise a 45-ball 50 and confirm his return to form.These two were still there at the end, Price having faced 115 deliveries and amassed 13 fours to continue his outstanding run of form at the College Ground.Put in to bat, Derbyshire were afforded a super-charged start by openers Reece and Harry Came, who mustered a blaze of boundaries in posting a progressive stand of 71 in 11.1 overs. Josh Shaw and Ajeet Singh Dale proved expensive with the new ball, the visitors rushing to 50 from 51 balls.Severe on anything short or wide, the openers helped themselves to 12 fours and a six, scoring 54 runs in boundaries to take the wind out of Gloucestershire sails. With runs coming too easily, the home side introduced slow left armer Zafar Gohar and experienced paceman van Meekeren in an attempt to apply the brakes.Came had raised 40 from 32 balls and had his eyes trained firmly on a half century when he was bowled by van Meekeren, who then made good the breakthrough by persuading Lloyd to chip to mid-wicket in an incisive five-over spell of 2 got 28.Reece mustered further belligerence in scoring 50 from 58 balls, with eight fours and a six, only to pull Zafar to deep backward square as the Pakistani produced a wicket maiden to reduce the visitors to 101-3 in the nineteenth over.Required to rebuild the innings, Haider and Brooke Guest advanced the score to 140 for 3 at the halfway stage, the 50 partnership occupying 53 balls. These two plundered 29 off three overs of off spin from Ollie Price to give their alliance momentum, Haider collecting a half-century in the process. Content to play a supporting role, Guest contributed a 48-ball 43 in a stand of 104 that served to put Derbyshire back on track.It was Derbyshire’s first hundred stand in any one-day match played at Cheltenham and Gloucestershire were sorely in need of relief by the time Guest pulled the returning van Meekeren to mid-wicket and Zaman Akhter removed Anuj Dal. But while Haider remained at large, anything still seemed possible for the East Midlands county.Having straight-driven and pulled Akhter for four and six in successive balls, the Pakistani international allowed complacency to creep in, chipping the same bowler to mid-wicket and departing for 80. He had faced 65 balls and accrued eight fours and three sixes and, with him, went Derbyshire’s best chance to posting a truly imposing total.Tom Wood struck 28 and Watt 22 not out as the final 10 overs yielded 69 runs, but there was a feeling that the visitors could and should have done better. For their part, Gloucestershire were indebted to van Meekeren and Zafar, who returned figures of 4 for 66 and 1 for 30 respectively, the latter sending down a remarkable 40 dot balls in his 10 overs.

Last season’s edition of the South African T20 franchise league did not feature any players from India or Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2023Robin Uthappa could become the first Indian player to feature in the SA20, after having registered for the auction ahead of the second season of the South African franchise T20 league. And in another first, he could be joined by five Pakistan players, including Naseem Shah. Neither Indian nor Pakistani players were part of the inaugural season of the SA20.While Uthappa is the only Indian in the list, there are other Pakistan players in the auction, set for September 27 in Johannesburg. This includes allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, batter Shan Masood and legspinners Usama Mir and Usman Qadir.No Pakistan player had featured in last season’s auction, and none of them were picked via the wild-card rule that allowed franchises to sign up one player from outside the auction list. This was in part because the SA20 happened amid a busy Pakistan home season, but there was also a sense that their players would be snubbed because all six SA20 franchises are owned by owners of Indian Premier League teams and relations – both cricketing and political – between India and Pakistan remain poor. No Pakistan player has played in the IPL since 2008.Related

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India players, meanwhile, rarely feature in T20 leagues outside of the IPL, with the BCCI reluctant to allow them to do so. Uthappa, 37, last turned out for India in 2015 but only retired from all Indian cricket – IPL included – in September 2022.In all, 122 players from 14 countries are on the auction shortlist, and 14 of them have listed their base price at the maximum Rand 850,000 (US $45,000 approx.). These include Masood, Nawaz and Naseem from Pakistan; India’s Uthappa; Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Kumara and Angelo Mathews; New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme; West Indies’ Romario Shepherd and Brandon King; England’s Adam Lyth, Josh Tongue, David Payne and Wayne Madsen; and Australia’s Kane Richardson.

South Africa players could miss New Zealand Tests

In a world where T20 franchise cricket increasingly eats into the international calendar, the SA20 comes with complications of its own. South Africa’s Test series against New Zealand next February is set to clash with the SA20 – New Zealand Cricket has said it cannot postpone the series because of New Zealand’s other commitments – and several first-choice Test players are expected to miss the series with Cricket South Africa (CSA) guaranteeing the SA20 first rights to its players.Already, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada are among the retained players who will not go to New Zealand, and if picked at the auction the list could extend to Kyle Verreynne, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Stiaan van Zyl, Keegan Petersen, Lutho Sipamla, Dean Elgar, Duanne Olivier and Khaya Zondo, all of whom have Test caps.ESPNcricinfo has confirmed with several sources that CSA will not seek to postpone the New Zealand Tests again, and red-ball coach Shukri Conrad will assemble a makeshift squad for the series.

Rookie players introduced for SA20

This season’s SA20 auction will include a new category: rookie player – that is, South African players aged 22 or under on the day of the auction, who have not been contracted to SA20 before. Each squad will need to get in one rookie player. A SA20 press release said, “Each rookie player has a set value, which will be deducted from the team’s salary cap of R39.1 million – an increase of R5.1 million from last season.”Recent South Africa U-19 captains Bryce Parsons, George van Heerden and Juan James are among the Rookie player list, along with domestic first-class players such as Jonathan Bird, Ruan Terblanche and Tiaan van Vuuren.”

When, where and how much – auction nitty gritty

The auction is set to happen on September 27, in Johannesburg, from 4pm local time. The shortlist includes 122 players from 14 countries.All squads will need a minimum of ten South African players, a maximum of seven international players, a rookie player, and a wildcard. The wildcard can be signed outside the auction, until December 30.The teams have a salary purse of Rand 39.1 million (US $2 million approx.) – an increase of Rand 5.1 million (US $260,000 approx.) from last season.Durban’s Super Giants:
Players pre-signed: Quinton de Kock, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Mayers, Naveen-ul-Haq, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Reece Topley
Purse remaining: Rand 1.675 million (US $88,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: ThreeJoburg Super Kings:
Players pre-signed: Faf du Plessis, Gerald Coetzee, Moeen Ali, David Wiese, Sam Cook, Zahir Khan
Purse remaining: Rand 6.1 million (US $320,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: FiveMI Cape Town:
Players pre-signed: Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Rashid Khan, Tom Banton
Purse remaining: Rand 5.05 million (US $265,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: FourPaarl Royals:
Players pre-signed: David Miller, Corbin Bosch, Jos Buttler, Obed McCoy
Purse remaining: Rand 8.865 million (US $465,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: FourPretoria Capitals:
Players pre-signed: Migael Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Jimmy Neesham
Purse remaining: Rand 9.737 million (US $511,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: SixSunrisers Eastern Cape:
Players pre-signed: Aiden Markram, Ottniel Baartman, Dawid Malan, Liam Dawson
Purse remaining: Rand 1.790 million (US $94,000 approx.)
Minimum slots to fill: Three

West Indies’ captain went past 300 runs in a three-match T20 series but picked up a quad strain in the process

AAP06-Oct-2023Hayley Matthews is hopeful a leg injury won’t interrupt the form of her life after the West Indies captain claimed an incredible eighth-straight player-of-the-match gong to cap a historic series against Australia.The opener blasted 79 off 40 balls in a 47-run loss to Australia in Brisbane’s series decider on Thursday night, having already mustered an unbeaten 99 off 74 and 132 from 64 on Sunday and Monday.She became the first player to score more than 300 runs across three women’s T20I games as West Indies fell just short of a first series win against the world champions.Related

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“I don’t think so,” the 25-year-old said when asked if she’d ever been in better form. “Being able to notch up 300 runs in a three-game T20 series is something unbelievable. I set targets coming down here and I can tell you it definitely wasn’t getting 300 runs in three T20s.”The sides begin a three-game ODI series in Brisbane on Sunday with Matthews hopeful a quadriceps niggle won’t keep her from leading an improving team who, she knows, rely on her deeply.The captain said she felt some tightness in Monday’s second game. She was troubled by it again on Thursday and will have scans to determine the severity of the injury.”So maybe a little strain there but we’re going to assess it when I cool down, and have a better picture of what’s going on,” she said. “Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and I’m all ready to go in the first game for the ODI series.”Matthews was playing for the Barbados senior women’s team as a 12-year-old, debuted for her country at 16 and powered the successful chase against Australia to win a T20 World Cup when she was 18.Matthews’ wicket on Thursday at Allan Border Field triggered a collapse of 5 for 7, West Indies falling from 97 without loss to be all out for 143.”I know that I have a big impact on the way that the game goes,” she said.In 27 T20 innings as captain Matthews averages 40, compared to an average of 18 in 61 innings without the responsibility.”Sometimes, it can be stressful, but as a leader they’re things you have to put on your shoulders,” she said. “And in the second game I couldn’t win that game without what Stafanie [Taylor] did. How I’ve been batting here is just trying to play really, really good cricket shots and that’s my exact plan going into the 50-over series as well.”If I get fluent I’ll be happy with that, but there’s definitely a lot less pressure to score quickly.”West Indies have won once in 15 ODI meetings against Australia, Matthews confident her inexperienced middle order will fare better with less pressure to score quickly in the longer format.

Plans also underway for women’s T10 competition, as Sri Lanka become second Full Member to stage a ten-over league

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2023Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has unveiled Lanka T10, their first ten-over competition to be played from December 12-23. The tournament will be held in Colombo, with the player auction to be conducted on November 10. There are also plans to also host a women’s T10 league at the same time.While details about the women’s league remain scant, the men’s event will comprise six franchises named after iconic Sri Lankan cities, according to an SLC release. All games will be played in Colombo, with player registrations already underway until November 5.”Cricket has been continuing to evolve and T10 is the latest form to enter the fray, and is becoming a popular format in the game,” SLC president Shammi Silva said in a press release. “We are delighted to be a part of this newer venture, and are confident that the initial version of Lanka T10 will be a success story.”Lanka T10 will be run by SLC in partnership with T Ten Sports Management group, the same organisers of the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Zim-Afro T10 events. The US Master T10 event is another one of their products.”We have not only established T10 as a legitimate format of the game over the years, but also the most entertaining one,” Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman T Ten Sports, said about the partnership.Sri Lanka are now the second ICC Full Member country to approve a T10 league. The first was the Zimbabwe Cricket-backed Zim-Afro competition played in July. Sri Lanka also host the Lanka Premier League, a six-team T20 competition that was last played in August 2023.

Wicketkeeper agrees multi-year deal to move to south coast

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2023John Simpson, the veteran wicketkeeper, has agreed to join Sussex on a multi-year deal after being released by Middlesex.Simpson, 35, made 448 appearances for Middlesex after making his debut for the club in 2009, also winning three one-day caps for England.
Although his contract had been extended to the end of 2024, Middlesex agreed to let him move on after an approach from Sussex.Sussex’s head coach, Paul Farbrace, spoke at the end of the 2023 campaign about the need to add experienced players to the squad at Hove, after they finished third in Division Two, and the arrival of Simpson will provide competition for the gloves with Oli Carter.”I’m absolutely delighted John has chosen to join us at a vital time in our challenge to compete and be successful on the field,” Farbrace said.”John will be a central point of our progression bringing huge experience, calmness, a high level of skill and leadership. We are all looking forward to John coming to Hove and being a big part of the exciting future.”Although Simpson came through the Lancashire age groups, it was in London that he won a chance at county level. He leaves Middlesex having scored 13,195 runs across formats, to go with 866 dismissals – the third-highest total in the club’s history.”I am excited to be joining Sussex at such an exciting time for the club and look forward to working with the coaches and talented players in the squad,” Simpson said. “After 16 happy seasons at Middlesex it was time for a fresh challenge and I can’t wait to get started at Hove.”Middlesex, who were relegated to Division Two on the final day of the season, were last month placed in special measures by the ECB after an investigation into the club’s financial mismanagement.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, added: “It is always disappointing to lose players of John’s quality, however given our current circumstances, we were simply unable to match the long-term security that Sussex have been able to offer him over the coming few seasons. John will always be welcome back at Middlesex – the club will always be his home.”John has been an outstanding servant to Middlesex Cricket over the years and has given so much to the club over the last decade and a half. He leaves us on good terms, leaves behind many friends, and will always be remembered as one of the finest wicketkeepers to have played for Middlesex.”

Nitish Rana, who led the team in IPL 2023, has been named vice-captain

Sreshth Shah14-Dec-2023Shreyas Iyer will return as Kolkata Knight Riders captain for IPL 2024 after missing the 2023 season with a back injury. Nitish Rana, KKR’s stand-in captain last season, is their vice-captain for IPL 2024.Iyer was bought by KKR for INR 12.25 crore (approx. USD 1.5 million) ahead of IPL 2022 and led the franchise to a seventh-place finish that season, with six wins and eight defeats. A back injury in April 2023 ruled him out of the IPL and the World Test Championship final that summer. Under Rana’s captaincy, Knight Riders finished seventh again with six wins and eight defeats in IPL 2023.”I believe the last season presented us with several challenges, including my absence due to injury,” Iyer said in a statement. “Nitish did a great job not only filling in for me but also with his commendable leadership. I am delighted that KKR has named him vice captain. No doubt it will strengthen the leadership group”A lot has changed at KKR since Iyer was their captain. Having earlier led the side with Brendon McCullum as coach, he will now be working with Chandrakant Pandit and new team mentor Gautam Gambhir. It was under Gambhir’s captaincy that KKR won their only two IPL titles – in 2012 and 2014.Iyer has previously worked with Pandit in the Mumbai state set-up in his formative years and alongside Gambhir briefly at Delhi Daredevils. Iyer’s first stint as an IPL captain came in 2018, when he succeeded Gambhir at Delhi Daredevils midway through the season.KKR had released 12 players including Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav ahead of the IPL player auction on December 19. They have a purse of INR 32.7 crore to spend.”It was indeed unfortunate that Shreyas missed IPL 2023 due to injury. We are delighted that he’s back and at the helm as captain,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said. “The way he has worked hard to recover from his injury and the form he has displayed is a testament to his character.”We are also grateful that Nitish had agreed to step into Shreyas’s shoes last season and did a great job. There’s no doubt Nitish as vice-captain will support Shreyas in every possible way for the benefit of #TeamKKR.”

Henriques kept his cool to get Sixers over the line in dramatic fashion in the last over

Tristan Lavalette16-Jan-2024Daniel Hughes and Moises Henriques inspired Sydney Sixers to an extraordinary run chase at Optus Stadium to stun defending champions Perth Scorchers and lift into the coveted second place on the ladder.Sixers appeared to be cruising to victory at 181 for 3 with two overs left, but then collapsed until skipper Henriques kept his cool in a nerve-jangling final over.Needing 13 runs off the final over, Henriques blasted a six off opposite number Aaron Hardie on the fourth ball and then hit a boundary off the last ball – with one required – to get Sixers over the line in dramatic fashion.Sixers will face table-toppers Brisbane Heat in Friday’s Qualifier on the Gold Coast with both teams having the safety net of a double chance. It was a costly defeat for Scorchers, who will host an elimination final against surging Adelaide Strikers on Saturday.Laurie Evans had signed off from his BBL stint in style with 72 off 34 balls to ignite Scorchers in the high stakes blockbuster between the competition’s powerhouse teams. Scorchers’ total of 197 for 4 seemed enough on their favoured ground, but Hughes blasted 74 off 43 balls to leave the match on a knife’s edge.Hughes holed out to Hardie in the 15th over with Sixers still needing 52 runs for victory. The momentum changed when Henriques blasted 10 runs in two deliveries off seamer Andrew Tye in the 17th over as Sixers edged ahead.In another late twist, with Sixers needing 17 off 12 balls, wicketkeeper Josh Inglis held onto a spectacular catch running back to the boundary to dismiss Jordan Silk and ignite a collapse where the visitors lost four wickets in the span of eight balls.But Henriques stepped up and Sixers had the added satisfaction of ending a poor recent record to Scorchers, who had won six of the past seven matches between the teams.Scorchers’ bid for a historic three-peat now has to go through the long way and they face the tough task of replacing the dynamic middle-order batter Evans, who departs Perth tomorrow for the UAE’s ILT20.Scorchers had elected to bat in warm conditions with players undoubtedly grateful of a later start time compared to the last match at the ground between Scorchers-Heat played in the early afternoon amid oppressive heat.Scorchers will need to address their top-order woes which again reared. Opener Sam Whiteman has not got going this season, but hit a first-ball boundary and looked fluent playing traditional shots down the ground.Laurie Evans played another superb innings•Getty Images

He became bogged down attempting cavalier strokes, as disaster struck for opening partner Steve Eskinazi who was forced to retire hurt due to a finger injury.Eskinazi sought medical attention at the end of the third over before having a life after resumption when Moises Henriques dropped a chance at midwicket. But Eskinazi immediately trudged off the field with Whiteman dismissed on the next delivery after being strangled down the leg side from recalled seamer Jackson Bird.It brought together Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie, who have been used to rescuing Scorchers and they enjoy batting together. Inglis made a statement by smashing offspinner Todd Murphy for a first ball boundary in the eighth over, but he fell later in the over after a faint edge was well juggled by wicketkeeper Josh Philippe.But it brought to the crease in-form Evans, who started cautiously before electing to take the power surge in the 12th over. Evans has stated his liking for taking the power surge early in his innings and he proved why by pummelling left-arm seamer Hayden Kerr for 28 runs in the 13th over.Evans was all over Kerr’s rather innocuous pace as he peppered the boundaries and feasted on deliveries whether pitched up or short. Along the way he motored past his half-century off just 22 balls to earn strong applause from the 33, 412 crowd.Evans and Hardie smashed 41 runs in the most profitable power surge this season by any team. Evans continued on his merry way until holing out in the penultimate over where he walked waving his bat to a standing ovation from his ever-growing legion of fans.The jubilant Scorchers faithful were in a mood for celebration, but the night ended in despair and unfamiliar heartbreak for them.

The accident happened on Sunday and the opener won’t be able face Tasmania from Thursday

Andrew McGlashan19-Mar-20241:21

Inglis: Finding it easier now to move between formats

Cameron Bancroft has been ruled out of the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania after suffering concussion when falling off his bike.The accident happened on Sunday and Bancroft won’t be able to take his place in the XI on Thursday at the WACA. His loss is a huge blow for Western Australia as they aim for a hat-trick of Shield titles after another impressive season where he is the second-highest run-scorer with 778 at 48.62.Related

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• Shield team of the season: Webster, Davies, McAndrew… and who else?

• Refocused Bancroft puts Test snub behind while gearing up for Shield final

He has formed an excellent opening partnership with captain Sam Whiteman and this season they have become WA’s most prolific first-wicket pair.His absence means WA will have to rejig their opening combination with D’Arcy Short and Teague Wyllie likely to be in contention for the role while Jayden Goodwin could be an option to promote from within the XI.Cameron Bancroft has been a key figure in WA’s success•Getty Images

Bancroft was overlooked for a Test recall when David Warner retired in January and last week admitted he had taken some time to get over the disappointment. However, he has maintained his standing as the most consistent opener in the Shield.”It’s been a challenging back half of the season. We’ve played on some challenging wickets,” he said. “It’s been nice to fight through some tough periods. I tried to be really consistent.”In better news for WA, Aaron Hardie has been passed fit to bowl in the final which gives the home side a key all-round option.WA’s squad depth has been on show regularly throughout the season with numerous players absent on international duty while they have juggled injuries to key bowlers.”At the start of every season, we say it’s not eleven players who will get you to the final, it’s 20-plus who are going to get you there,” Bancroft said. “It’s a big squad mentality and we push that and emphasise that. It’s been a great opportunity for everyone to be part of.”