Cricket news round-up – November 8: India level series, two arrested in KPL spot-fixing case

India mauled Bangladesh by 8 wickets at Rajkot to draw level in the 3-match T20I series; CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi were arrested on spot-fixing charges; Islamabad United sacked Dean Jones as coach; and Rosemary Mair took 4 wickets in 4 balls as part of figures of 4-4-0-4 in a district match in New Zealand.

India level series

India thrashed Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the second T20I at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, to level the series 1-1. The decider will be played at VCA Stadium, Nagpur, on Sunday.

Asked to bat, Liton Das (29 in 21 balls) and Mohammad Naim (36 in 31) added 60 for the opening stand in just 44 balls. Two missed opportunities enabled Soumya Sarkar to get a 20-ball 30, while Mahmudullah got 30 off 21. However, the Indians bowled tightly (Yuzvendra Chahal 4-0-28-2, Deepak Chahar 4-0-25-1) to restrict Bangladesh to 153/6.

Rohit Sharma then celebrated his 100th T20I – he became the first Indian male to the landmark – with a blistering 43-ball 85 to seal the match. Shikhar Dhawan (31 in 27) helped him add 118 for the opening stand in just 65 balls, while Shreyas Iyer (24* in 13) finished things off in a flurry of boundaries. India won in the 16th over as Aminul Islam returned 4-0-29-2.

Gautam, Kazi arrested for spot-fixing

Karnataka Police arrested two Bellary Tuskers cricketers, CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi, on allegations of spot-fixing in two matches: a league clash against Bengaluru Blasters, and the final of the 2019 KPL, a match the Tuskers lost to the Hubli Tigers by 8 runs. The cricketers were paid INR 20 lakhs each.

Gautam, one of the pillars of the Karnataka side that had done wonders in the domestic circuit earlier this decade, was to lead Goa in this season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kazi, on the other hand, is in the Mizoram squad. Both have been dropped with immediate effect.

Islamabad sack Jones, Misbah as good as named replacement

Islamabad United have sacked Dean Jones as their coach, replacing him with Misbah-ul-Haq with immediate effect. The move came as a surprise, for Jones had coached Islamabad to two PSL titles in four seasons.

Islamabad have also zeroed in on Misbah-ul-Haq as replacement. This may cause some stir, for Misbah is currently serving the national team as both coach and chief selector, which will almost certainly lead to conflict of interest accusations.

Mair runs rout

Playing for HBCA against Taranaki Cricket Representative in an inter-district match at Victoria Park, Wanganui, Rosemary Mair returned figures of 4-4-0-4 including 4 wickets in 4 balls.

Mair had already warmed up with a 16-ball 33, helping HBCA put up 263/9 in 40 overs. Now she had Jessie Hollard (bowled), Aimee Wisnewski (bowled), Jordan Bolger (leg-before), and Kate Baxter (bowled) with the first 4 balls of the third over of the Taranaki innings. She finished with 4-4-0-4 at Taranaki collapsed to 56.

A medium-pace bowler, Mair has played 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is for New Zealand Women.