Cricket news round-up – August 27: New Zealand level series 1-1, Hong Kong cricketers banned

New Zealand have recorded a thrilling win against Sri Lanka to level the series 1-1. Rahul Dravid has been asked to meet the board’s ethics officer to sort conflict of interest issue. Misbah-ul-Haq has stepped down from the role of chief selector. Ijaz Ahmed has been appointed Under 19 coach of Pakistan. Three Hong Kong cricketers are banned by ICC for match-fixing.

New Zealand register a thrilling win

New Zealand completed an astonishing win over Sri Lanka and leveled the series 1-1. Their last gasps win at P Sara Oval came despite most part of day one and two were affected by rain. This win also gave them important 60 points in the ICC Test championship.

New Zealand started the day on 382/5 in their first innings. They already had a lead of 138 and they wanted to stretch this lead and also had a significant amount of time to bowl out Sri Lanka to win the test as rain was always on the corner. The match started with 15 minutes delay but New Zealand declaration came after five overs once Watling reached his 7^th test hundred. The Kiwis ended with 431/6, thanks to Tim Southee’s 10-ball 24.

Sri Lanka had to survive 91 overs for a draw and series win but they had a terrible start. Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne could not open and by Lunch Sri Lanka were 33/5 as New Zealand bowlers were on the money from the start. Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella batted together for more than 20 overs but on 73/5 Karunartne was given leg before wicket off Southee. Dilruwan Perera went soon after and despite a frustrating partnership between Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal, the Kiwis completed the victory on time as Sri Lanka was all out for 122 runs. An innings and 65 runs victory was recorded as all the bowlers took at least one wicket.

Dravid to meet BCCI ethics officer

Rahul Dravid, the recently appointed head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru by the BCCI, has been asked to appear before the board’s ethics officer Justice (retired) DK Jain over allegations of conflict of interest. According to the reports on PTI, Dravid will be the meeting will be held in Mumbai on September 26.

The alleged conflict of interest was brought up by Sanjeev Gupta, a life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. According to him, Dravid should not be on the BCCI payroll because he was a long-term employee of Chennai-based India Cements. In response, Dravid sent a written reply to Justice Jain explaining he had suspended his employment with India Cements and was getting no pay. But now after a number of such issues, the board wants to have a meeting in person with the concerned to bring an end to this episode.

The conflict of interest issue has been in focus for a while now, with a number of high-profile former cricketers being called into question. Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar are among the other big names in Indian cricket to find themselves in similar situations.

Misbah steps down from role of selector

Misbah-ul-Haq stepped down from the PCB Cricket Committee in order to apply for the post of the national head coach. After much speculation, Misbah decided to resign from the chief selector’s role as he is more interested to work with the national team as the head coach.

Misbah said. “I am applying for the head coach’s role fully aware that the competition will be tough as I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game.” The process for the appointment of the coach is expected to get over by early September.

Ijaz Ahmed, the new Pakistan Under 19 coach

Ijaz Ahmed has been appointed as Pakistan’s Under 19 coach on a three-year contract. He will be working closely with the ‘A’ team and the Under 16 team as well. He will take over the role after the conclusion of the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, scheduled from September 5-14 in Colombo.

ing closely with the ‘A’ team and the Under 16 team as well. He will take over the role after the conclusion of the ACC Under 19 Asia Cup, scheduled from September 5-14 in Colombo.

Ijaz has represented Pakistan in 60 Tests and 250 ODIs and is into coaching since 2009. On the appointment, he said, “I am thankful to the PCB for trusting me with the important responsibility of grooming and nurturing the future stars of Pakistan cricket. Junior cricket is a lifeline for any cricketing nation; as it sees talented youngsters graduate to senior cricket and carry forward the legacy of some of the greatest cricketers this proud nation has produced.”

Three Hong Kong cricketers banned

Hong Kong’s Irfan Ahmed and Nadeem Ahmed have been banned from cricket for life for match-fixing. Haseeb Amjad has been handed over a five years ban. They were provisionally suspended by ICC in October after being charged for “fixing or contriving” aspects of Hong Kong’s World Cup qualifiers against Scotland and Canada in 2014.

Irfan was found guilty of nine offences under the ICC’s anti-corruption code whereas his brother Nadeem and Amjad were found guilty of three offences each.

The anti-corruption unit’s general manager Alex Marshall said “This has been a long and complex investigation which has uncovered systematic attempts to influence moments in matches by experienced international cricketers over a period of time.”

Vitality Blast 2019

Nottinghamshire beat Yorkshire by three runs. Joe Clarke’s 50 and Jake Libby’s 35 held the innings after the initial blow. Daniel Christian’s late firework of a 16-ball 31 helped Nottinghamshire to set a total of 148/7. Adam Lyth ran through the lineup to finish with 5/31 in four overs. In reply, Lyth showcased his calibre with bat again and scored a 39-ball 48. Even after a few mid-size scores in the middle, Yorkshire could not save the match. They kept losing wickets and at the end, some tight bowling helped Nottinghamshire to seal the win.

Derbyshire set a total of 162/3 followed by a 57 from Billy Godleman and a smashing 69 off 39 balls from Wayne Madsen.  They had a poor start but soon these two took the charge. Then two back to back wickets of two set batsmen brought Alex Hughes in the middle. His 14-ball 22* was a real booster at the end. Lancashire were losing wickets at regular intervals from the beginning. Only Liam Livingstone could score a decent 58 off 36 but that was not enough. From 13^th over Derbyshire lost wicket almost in every over and the momentum was lost. They eventually lost by 11 runs.