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James Anderson has been reprimanded by the ICC for showing disrespect to umpire S Ravi on the third day of the Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2016James Anderson has been reprimanded by the ICC for showing disrespect to umpire S Ravi on the third day of the Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka.Anderson was found to have breached Level 1 Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.” Anderson admitted the charged and accepted the sanction from the match referee Andy Pycroft so there was no need for a hearing.The incident occurred during Sri Lanka’s seventh-wicket stand between Kusal Perera and Rangana Herath when Ravi told Anderson, who was becoming frustrated, not to sledge Herath. The umpire was seen talking with Joe Root who was captaining England at the time due to Alastair Cook being absent from the field after the blow to the knee which forced him to hospital for an x-ray.The charge was laid by the on-field umpires, Ravi and Rod Tucker, as well as third umpire Aleem Dar and fourth umpire Michael Gough.All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a warning/reprimand and/or the imposition of a fine of up to 50% of the applicable match fee.

The USA Cricket Association has filed a lawsuit in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County, Florida attempting to stop six Caribbean Premier League matches from being played in Lauderhill

Peter Della Penna20-Jul-2016The USA Cricket Association has filed a lawsuit in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County, Florida attempting to stop six Caribbean Premier League matches from being played in Lauderhill. The matches were to be played at the Central Broward Regional Park from July 28 to 31 and the USACA argued that the CPL did not go through the proper sanctioning process to be able to stage games in the USA.ESPNcricinfo had access to the court filings that were made on the afternoon of July 18, showing the defendents as Broward County, Broward County parks & recreation, CBRP parks and recreation manager Duncan Finch and Lauderhill Mayor Richard J Kaplan. Along with USACA, the plaintiffs in the filings are listed as former USACA executive secretary Kenwyn Williams and current USACA vice-president Owen Grey. The court documents showed that Williams directly filed them with the 17th Circuit Court, listing himself as “Managing Director” of USACA. In a sworn affidavit included in the court filings, Williams claimed to have been managing director of USACA since March 2015 and that he reports directly to Grey.However, the USACA has no formal paid or board position by that title and Williams is not listed as a current staff or board member on their website. Lawyers representing USACA had sent Williams a cease and desist notice last month after he threatened to sue Broward County over the CPL staging, claiming he did not represent the interest of USACA, which was suspended in 2015.However, Grey and Williams have been longtime allies since Williams’ time on the USACA board in 2012. Grey offered his support to Williams last month after the cease and desist letter was sent to Williams and Grey’s status as a co-plaintiff in the case is an indication of conflict within the board. Grey has signed a sworn affidavit in support of the suit dated July 13 and included in the court documents.In the filings, Williams stated that USACA is seeking an emergency injunction to stop the matches, claiming that the board is the sanctioning authority for cricket in the USA and that the CPL had bypassed them to reach an agreement with Broward County. Williams also argued that Broward County’s actions to partner with the CPL “tortuously interfere with USA Cricket’s prospective economic relationship, causing irreparable injury to petitioners’ revenue potential and reputation” and that the revenue is “desperately needed to promote and develop amateur cricket among its thousands of members.”However, USACA’s sanctioning authority was stripped by the ICC in June 2015 under the terms of USACA’s administrative suspension.As part of support documents in the court filings, Williams submitted a letter dated June 6, 2012, written by then ICC Americas regional development manager Martin Vieira, stating that the ICC “recognize USACA as the sole governing body for the sport in the United States of America and can confirm that they are in good standing and in compliance with all rules and regulations of the ICC.” Vieira has since retired and been replaced by Ben Kavenagh and the letter predates USACA’s suspension by three years. While announcing the suspension, ICC chief executive Dave Richardson had labelled the USACA “unprofessional and not trustworthy”.Also included in the documents was a letter written to CPL chief executive Damien O’Donohoe, attributed to ICC operations manager Clive Hitchcock, dated November 16, 2015, which claimed that “the CPL, as the event organizer, must apply for sanctioning/approval of the matches/event to be played in the USA” because USACA is the home governing body. However, the letter also acknowledged USACA’s suspension and stated that “the final decision on whether to approve/sanction the matches will be taken by the ICC within two months of having received the application.”ICC Americas and CPL officials declined to comment on the legal filings made by Williams, when contacted by ESPNcricinfo. Mayor Kaplan did respond, saying that he believed the matches would go ahead as planned and that Williams’ attempt to block the matches would be struck down.”I am very confident that the injunction will fail and the games will proceed since USACA is not the sanctioning body for international games in the US,” Kaplan, who is also a practising lawyer, told ESPNcricinfo. “That authority is exclusively controlled by the ICC which authorised the games. This lawsuit demonstrates the problems that we have had trying to schedule international games within the US and I thank the ICC in taking the action that they have.”

If it is in adversity that a player can most accurately be judged, Essex have unearthed another gem in Dan Lawrence

George Dobell24-Aug-2016
ScorecardDan Lawrence show all the qualities which have made him stand out as a young player•Getty Images

If it is in adversity that a player can most accurately be judged, Essex have unearthed another gem in Dan Lawrence.Watching from the other end as his side subsided to 68 for 5 – the follow-on not averted and promotion hopes receding – Lawrence contributed a serene, chanceless century against a strong seam attack on a wicket where few other batsmen have looked comfortable. It would have been an impressive effort from any player. From a 19-year-old, it was exceptional.There is more than a hint of Alastair Cook about Lawrence. It is not just his precocious achievements – Lawrence’s polished century against Surrey in just his second Championship game made him (aged 17 years and 290 days) Essex’s youngest centurion and the third youngest in the history of the Championship – but his ability to concentrate for long periods and complement his obvious flair with discipline and patience.There were some fine strokes in this innings; not least the flowing drive off Richard Jones to reach his third century of the campaign (no Essex batsman has made more) and the fourth of his career. But it was more his ability to defend and leave the moving ball that marked him out as a special talent. Like Cook, he oozes Test match temperament.He shared in two century stands – 125 for the sixth wicket and 130 for the seventh – turning a probable first innings deficit into an imposing lead. And he helped secure four batting bonus points that looked mighty unlikely in the morning.There will, as ever, be a temptation to mitigate this success with the disclaimer that it came against Division Two bowling. It is, to a degree, a fair point, too.But this has been a high quality game and this is a good Leicestershire attack. While Dieter Klein tired noticeably during the day – you might say he deKleined – he generated good pace in his early spells (he had 3 for 14 at one stage), has a quick bouncer and a dangerous, swinging full ball that accounted for Cook on the first evening and Nick Browne from the first delivery of the day.Jones generates movement at a good pace – it really is a mystery that he has not enjoyed more sustained success – while Ben Raine is the sort of nagging, disciplined seamer that captains love. Charlie Shreck, meanwhile, produced such a beautiful delivery to account for Ravi Bopara – the ball swung late, beat the outside edge and clipped the top of off stump – that there was a temptation to have a cigarette after it.Lawrence has shown an ability to read the situation that bodes well for his future, too. While at Cheltenham he reached his century from 162 balls, here he understood that the game was in the balance and he needed to see his side through a tough period. He took 144 balls to reach his 50, the ball moving in the air and off the pitch, and 226 to reach three figures as the sun quickened a slow surface and drained the attack.It was his captain, Ryan ten Doeschate, who produced the most fluent batting of the day. While all other have batsmen in this match have struggled to score at a rate of 50-runs per 100 balls, ten Doescahte made 86 from 83 deliveries. If he had a little fortune early on – in ducking a Shreck bouncer, he was fortunate that the ball struck the back of the bat and sped to the boundary – he put away the poor ball sweetly and ran swiftly between the wickets. He missed out on the century he deserved when he was drawn into pushing at one outside off stump and edged to the keeper.While James Foster was cautious initially – his first boundary came from his 59th ball and, until then, he had scored just 12 – he accelerated against a tired attack and the second new ball and left Leicestershire looking visibly frustrated and weary in the field.They are not out of this match, though. If the used surface deteriorates, as they hope, in the fourth innings, Essex could yet find themselves batting last with a tricky chase. But the extra overs bowled in the first innings may show in the legs of the Leicestershire bowlers in the second and the absence of a spinner is far from ideal.Meanwhile Essex announced that Jesse Ryder, their overseas player, has been released from the remainder of his contract and allowed to return to New Zealand without delay. While Ryder has contributed some outstanding innings in white-ball cricket this season, he suffered a calf injury that prevented him from playing four-day cricket in recent weeks.In truth, Ryder’s three-year spell with Essex has been at least as notable for his gentle swing bowling as his batting. Making use of the green surfaces that were prevalent in county cricket for a couple of years, he claimed 92 first-class wickets at an average of 24.71 for the club. With the bat he averaged 36.53. The improved pitches this season limited his effectiveness with the ball and, as a consequence, he took only one Championship wicket. It seems unlikely that he will return.Essex do have plans for further recruitment, though. As well as Varun Chopra, already secured from Warwickshire, the club has spoken to Mohammad Amir, with a view to him fulfilling the role of overseas player from late June next year. Rumours also persist that Adam Wheater may one day return from Hampshire. Foster, as he has shown in this game, remains a high-quality player but, now aged 36, he hopes to combine his playing career with his future in education next year.

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is to advise England-qualified players against participating in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on security grounds

George Dobell03-Oct-2016The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is to advise England-qualified players against participating in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on security grounds.While the organisation, effectively the players’ union, was happy to sanction the England tour of Bangladesh after the PCA chief executive, David Leatherdale, witnessed security arrangements at first hand, it does not anticipate the same level of protection at the BPL.The PCA has advised players not to take part in the tournament before. Last year it asked players to sign an acknowledgment that they understood security arrangements were their own responsibility and that they went in spite of the PCA’s advice. In previous years it has warned of the unreliability of payments for playing in the league and expressed concerns over the anti-corruption arrangements.Among the England-qualified players expected to take part in the BPL this year are Ravi Bopara, Tymal Mills, Riki Wessels, Samit Patel, Josh Cobb and Richard Gleeson.It is understood that Jason Roy, who is centrally contracted by the ECB, and Kevin Pietersen are among those who declined offers to participate this year. Roy’s decision was not made on the instigation of the ECB but with the benefit of some advice from the PCA.Any player taking part in the league will require a No Objection Certificate signed by their county and the ECB. It is far from certain they will be granted in all instances.While the PCA believes that Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice has not changed since it warned players against participation in the BPL in 2015, the issue has gained more attention following a terrorist attack in Dhaka on July 1 that left 22 dead and in light of the England team’s decision to go ahead with their tour.The FCO currently warns of a “heightened threat of further terrorist attacks” and states that Dhaka airport does not currently meet international security standards.Advice on its website says: “Attacks could be indiscriminate although foreigners, in particular westerners, may be directly targeted. Crowded areas and places where westerners are known to gather may be at higher risk of attack. You should minimise your exposure to these areas, consider your movements carefully and take appropriate security precautions.”The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) is also understood to have apprehensions over the tournament. It stresses it has not seen security arrangements for the BPL and insists that any playing taking part will do so “at their own risk”. It also notes that, while “security provided to international touring teams in Bangladesh relies heavily on government input from numerous agencies… It is unclear whether a similar level of security will be provided at this event.”The FICA statement adds: “Anyone taking part in the event needs to be aware of the increased level of risk and understand clearly that all informed advice is to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Bangladesh.”

A round-up of the fourth day’s play from the third round of Group A matches in Ranji Trophy 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016Railways lost six wickets for 30 runs on the fourth day, lurching from 176 for 4 to 206 all out, to hand Gujarat a 294-run victory in Lahli. Resuming from a score of 171 for 4 in a mammoth chase of 501, Railways lasted only 16.2 overs as seamers Ishwar Chaudhary and Rush Kalaria and debutant offspinner Karan Patel mopped up the lower order once overnight batsman Mahesh Rawat was dismissed for 54 in the fourth over of the day. Chaudhary, Kalaria and Patel finished with three wickets each.Unbeaten centuries from Siddhesh Lad and Abhishek Nayar helped Mumbai bag three points in a high-scoring draw against Madhya Pradesh in Raipur. The pair added 200 runs in an eighth-wicket partnership, taking Mumbai to 568 for 7 declared in response to MP’s total of 445. Mumbai’s prospects of a first-innings lead looked shaky early on the fourth day as both overnight batsmen, Tushar Deshpande (62) and Akhil Herwadkar (153), were dismissed by left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma within seven overs. Their wickets left the score at 368 for 7 before Nayar and Lad swung the match for Mumbai with their decisive partnership. Lad, who had scored 100* against the New Zealanders in a tour match in Delhi last month, finished on the same score in Raipur, taking 171 balls for his knock with eight fours. Nayar’s 103 not out, on the other hand, came off 184 balls with nine fours and a six.B Indrajith’s unbeaten 127 could not give Tamil Nadu a first-innings lead, as the team fell 44 runs short of Uttar Pradesh‘s total of 524 in a drawn match in Dharamsala. Tamil Nadu were on the back foot at the start of day four, with an overnight score of 398 for 6, and Indrajith, who was on 70 in the morning, did most of the heavy lifting, shepherding the tail and bringing up his third first-class century. He ran out of partners, however, as seamer Ankit Rajpoot struck twice to finish with a four-wicket haul. Tanmay Srivastava then struck 59 not out as Uttar Pradesh closed the day at 114 for 1 declared after batting for 49 overs.Pragyan Ojha and debutant seamer Amit Kuila picked up seven wickets between them to bowl Bengal to their first win of the season, against Punjab in Bilaspur. Chasing 360, Punjab were bowled out for 244 in the dying moments of play under fading light with debutant Ayan Bhattacharya breaking the last-wicket stand of 55 with the wicket of second-highest scorer Manpreet Gony.Bengal, who claimed a 133-run lead, were all out for 226 in the second innings, losing their last five wickets on Sunday morning for 34 runs. Captain Manoj Tiwary held fort with 92, even as Siddarth Kaul, the right-arm quick, finished with 6 for 57, his seventh first-class five-for in nine years. Punjab were driven by a 100-run opening stand between Manan Vohra (75) and Jiwanjot Singh (44). Ashok Dinda, Bengal’s pace spearhead, broke the stand to trigger a downfall before Ojha and Kuila took over. Ojha finished with 4 for 70, including the wicket of Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh for 26, after he went wicketless in the first innings.

India coach Anil Kumble has said he was heartened by Hardik Pandya’s performance with the new ball on his ODI debut, and that the team management would give the allrounder the freedom to bat and bowl without specific instructions

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016India coach Anil Kumble has said he was heartened by Hardik Pandya’s performance with the new ball on his ODI debut, and that the team management would give the allrounder the freedom to bat and bowl without specific instructions. Pandya opened the bowling along with Umesh Yadav in Dharamsala and was responsible for New Zealand’s batting meltdown. His figures of 3 for 31 from seven overs earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.”[Pandya] is someone who obviously gives us the right balance,” Kumble said on the eve of the second ODI in Delhi. “He can not only bowl but also bowl at a pretty decent pace as well. [Bowling with the new ball] was certainly the strategy MS [Dhoni] wanted Hardik to try. He certainly has the potential and he showed his potential in the limited opportunities that he has got, whether it be the T20s or in the ODI. With him giving us those seven-eight overs, sometimes even 10, certainly gives us a better balance in the team.”When asked if Pandya’s ball-striking ability gave India lower-order insurance, especially with MS Dhoni moving up the order, Kumble said the team backed Pandya to play the way he wanted to. “For someone who is just starting his international career, we don’t want to put pressure on him by giving him definite plans as to this is what is expected of him,” he said. “He is someone who likes the freedom and that’s exactly what we have given someone like a Hardik. Even with regard to his bowling, we have told him to bowl with freedom and not worry about getting hit.”The moment you start putting pressure saying we want you to bowl six deliveries in one spot… it doesn’t work like that in international cricket especially if someone is just starting his international career. So even with his batting, he has all the freedom; it doesn’t matter what the situation is when he walks in. I’m sure he’ll play the way he wants to play rather than how you want him to play.”Kumble backed Manish Pandey to continue batting at No.4, but said the batting order remained fluid and would change according to the situation. “In one-day cricket it is not necessary that you need to have certain positions fixed as far as batting goes. It all depends on the situation,” he said. “So, you could see someone else walking in at No. 4 [depending upon] if we bat first or we bat second. We have a couple of options [for No.4]. Obviously Manish is someone who has done really well in the recent past and he started off well even in Dharamsala.”He comes into international cricket with solid domestic performance over the years. So that certainly gives him the additional advantage of knowing exactly what to do in different situations. Yes, he is certainly your No.4, but it depends on the situation, you could see someone else walking in at No. 4 as well.”Kumble, however, said Ajinkya Rahane would continue opening the batting through the series, and that it was premature to pencil in a permanent opening combination. “At the moment I think Rahane certainly fits in at the top of the order and that’s something that we will persist with,” he said. “Yes, it does give us an option once Shikhar [Dhawan] and [KL] Rahul are fit.”But we will only look at that probably post the England Test series, when England come for one-dayers. Looking at the Champions Trophy, we will then decide as to who will be our opening batting combination and then who will bat at 4, 5, I think all that will come in much later.”

A round-up of the fourth round of matches from the Plunket Shield 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2016Openers Dean Brownlie and Martin Guptill both scored centuries in the drawn game between Northern Districts and Auckland at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.Brownlie, who was to feature for New Zealand A in the cancelled tour game against Pakistan, was involved in two significant partnerships on the first day – 93 for the first wicket with Anton Devcich (26) and 158 for the third with Corey Anderson (103) – and went into stumps unbeaten on 143. Northern Districts were 324 for 5 at stumps, but the prospect of an outright result diminished as the second day was completely washed out. Brownlie was dismissed early on the third day, without adding a run, and Northern Districts added 93 before declaring on 417 for 7. Legspinner Tarun Nethula followed up his five-for in the previous game with 3 for 99, while fast bowler Lachlan Ferguson took 3 for 70, including the wicket of Brownlie.Auckland’s response was aggressive – their run-rate was consistently hovering about six per over for the first 50 overs of their innings. Martin Guptill, who was axed from the Test squad just before this game, was at the crease during those overs. He hit 20 fours and four sixes in his 138-ball 151, before Ish Sodhi (2-113) dismissed him with the score on 295. All of Auckland’s regular bowlers were put under pressure by Guptill, and it took part-timer Daryl Mitchell’s 4 for 39 to restrict them to 351. No other batsman got past 33.Rain truncated play on the final day as well, as Northern Districts lost regular wickets on either side of a 63-run stand for the third wicket between Corey Anderson (46*) and Mitchell (26), to be reduced to 83 for 5, courtesy Ferguson’s 3 for 19. They played out the 13 overs from that point without the loss of another wicket, and took 8 points from the game that keeps them on top of the table.Batsman Cole McConchie and captain Andrew Ellis struck centuries for Canterbury in a rain-hit draw against Otago in Invercargill. Otago bowled 98.1 overs with play possible only on the first day and briefly on the second day.Otago won the toss and put Canterbury in to bat, and seamers Michael Rae and Christi Viljoen prised out the top four batsmen by the 41st over, leaving Canterbury at 108 for 4. McConchie and Ellis then added 258 runs for the fifth wicket, leading Canterbury past 350 before they were separated. Their partnership was Canterbury’s best for the fifth wicket against Otago, surpassing the 236 added by Chris Harris and Nathan Astle in 1996-97.McConchie, playing his seventh first-class match, brought up his half-century off 110 balls before rapidly completing a maiden ton off the next 49 balls. His 103 off 161 deliveries included 15 fours and a six. Ellis, at the other end, brought up his seventh first-class century and surpassed a previous career best of 171 with an aggressive innings. He smacked three sixes in an over and took 21 runs in an over off Viljoen to finish the first day on 184. Ellis, however, fell four runs short of a maiden first-class double-hundred after he was dismissed by Viljoen on a rain-affected day in which only 7.1 overs were bowled. Canterbury eventually declared their innings at 446 for 6.Rae finished with a career-best 4 for 112 while Viljoen had returns of 2 for 120.

Sri Lanka allrounder Thisara Perera and England pacer Tymal Mills are the latest additions to the Big Bash League 2016-17, coming in for the Melbourne Renegades and the Brisbane Heat respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2017Sri Lanka allrounder Thisara Perera and England pacer Tymal Mills are the latest additions to the Big Bash League 2016-17, coming in for the Melbourne Renegades and the Brisbane Heat respectively. While Thisara replaces West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo, Mills was brought in for West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree.Thisara brings with him the vast experience of 114 ODIs and 54 T20 internationals, something the Renegades’ coach Andrew McDonald is happy to have his team tap into. “It has obviously been a quick turnaround following Dwayne’s injury but we’re happy we’ve been able to secure someone of Thisara’s experience for the remainder of the BBL,” he said, according to the Renegades site. “I’m looking forward to having him in the group and showing what he can do.”Mills has played one T20I, against Sri Lanka in July 2016. He played the Bangladesh Premier League in November, and then went to New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, the Super Smash. He is set to play England’s T20s against India, which begin on January 26.”With Sam Badree and Josh Lalor both out injured at the moment, the opportunity to provide additional variety to the attack was very attractive,” the Heat coach Daniel Vettori said of Mills’ selection, according to the Cricket Australia site. “Tymal has been going well for Auckland so he is match-ready. We’re looking forward to having him join us and prepare for the matches ahead at the Gabba and the MCG where the conditions should suit him.”Bravo was ruled out last week after doing damage his left hamstring, while fielding against the Perth Scorchers, an injury for which he requires surgery. Badree too injured his hamstring, on January 3 against the Sydney Sixes, and scans subsequently ruled him out.

Queensland’s stand-in captain guided his side to 9 for 405 declared, before equalling the record for most dismissals in the Sheffield Shield

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2017
ScorecardChris Hartley moved to 546 Sheffield Shield dismissals, equalling Darren Berry’s record•Cricket Australia

It was quite a day for Queensland’s stand-in captain Chris Hartley at the Gabba, where he scored his 10th first-class century and then equalled the all-time record for most wicketkeeping dismissals in Sheffield Shield history. When he pouched a catch late in the day to remove Tasmania opener Jordan Silk for 15, Hartley moved to 546 Sheffield Shield dismissals, equalling the record set by Darren Berry.Queensland had resumed on 6 for 251, with Hartley on 31, and he went on to lift them to 9 for 405 declared, with the help of the tail, finishing his own innings on 102 not out. Tasmania’s first-class debutant fast bowler Andrew Perrin finished with 3 for 84, while Cameron Stevenson picked up 3 for 77.In reply, the Tigers wobbled to 4 for 113 at stumps, trailing by 292 runs, with George Bailey on 36 and Dom Michael on 27. Michael Neser claimed two top-order wickets for the Bulls.

Netherlands held off another furious charge by Hong Kong to pull out a 13-run win at Tin Kwong Road, completing a two-match WCL Championship sweep to strengthen their hold on first place

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBabar Hayat’s run-out for 86 at the start of the 48th over dented Hong Kong’s chances of a successful chase•Panda Man

Michael Rippon and Ben Cooper scored half-centuries for Netherlands before the visitors held off another stern charge from Hong Kong to secure a 13-run win, sealing a crucial series sweep in the pair of WCL Championship matches at Tin Kwong Road.Hong Kong’s chase unraveled in eerily similar circumstances to their first effort that fell short on Thursday as Anshy Rath, captain Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan all made key contributions before getting out at critical stages in chasing a target of 315. Rath added 80 for the first wicket with Chris Carter (24), before Carter was beaten by turn after coming down the track to Roelof van der Merwe in the 17th over.Rippon had gone wicketless in his initial five-over spell but Rath elected to charge him on his first ball after returning to the attack to start the 30th and the left-hander was beaten in flight and turn to be stumped for 85. Nizakat replaced him at the crease and was undeterred by the fate of the previous two batsmen, skipping down the track in the 32nd to loft Rippon against the turn over mid-off for consecutive sixes. Nizakat then carted Ahsan Malik over long-off and long-on for two more sixes in the 37th, speeding to 41 off 25 balls while bringing the equation down to 103 off 79 balls with eight wickets in hand.However, van der Merwe dislodged him off the first ball of the 38th after Nizakat’s loose whip across the line resulted in his off stump being knocked back. It was the start of a tight three-over stretch in the field for Netherlands during which the only boundary came courtesy of a dropped chance off Hayat at cover on 47. Rippon had Waqas Khan caught for 1, sweeping to deep square leg in the 40th to put more pressure on Hayat to finish the chase as Hong Kong entered the last 10 overs needing 94 to win.The equation turned to 58 off the last five and Peter Borren struck in the 46th, having Shahid Wasif caught at long-off for 20, leaving Hong Kong’s long tail exposed at 266 for 5. With 39 needed off the final three overs, Hayat finally cracked and was run out for 86 off the first ball of the 48th when a desperate attempt at a second run to stay on strike was beaten by substitute fielder Sikander Zulfiqar’s throw from deep square leg.Paul van Meekeren had Ehsan Khan caught at deep midwicket for 10 to end the 49th, leaving Ahsan Malik 24 to defend off the final over. Singles off the first three balls clinched the win mathematically, before Aizaz Khan was caught on the leg side boundary off the final ball to put a stamp on the Dutch victory.Netherlands’ imposing total of 314 for 9 was set up by Rippon, who made 53 opening the batting to go along with his 2 for 57 in the field. Rippon was named Man of the Match for the second straight game, underlining his all-round value to the Dutch after having been absent for the drawn Intercontinental Cup encounter against Hong Kong due to playing commitments with Otago in the New Zealand domestic competition.Cooper built off the start by Rippon to top-score with 78 and teamed with van der Merwe for a 78-run fourth-wicket stand. Cooper eventually chopped on to Ehsan Khan’s offspin in the 38th. Borren carried the innings further with 49 off 43 balls until he was caught at third man off a full toss from Aizaz in the 49th despite protests that the delivery should have been called a no ball on height. Hong Kong’s death bowling was sharp as they conceded just two boundaries among 46 runs over the final seven overs. But they were trumped at the finish once again by an equally resilient late-overs bowling effort from Netherlands.The result means Netherlands now sit four points clear of Papua New Guinea in first place on the WCL Championship table, putting the Dutch in a dominant position to win the competition outright. Their last four games come against Namibia, who are tied for last with just one win in eight matches, and fifth-placed Kenya. Hong Kong continue to sit on 11 points in third place and play Nepal and Papua New Guinea for their remaining four games while Papua New Guinea’s final six contests come against Hong Kong, Namibia and fourth-placed Scotland – also on 11 points – in order to catch Netherlands.