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New Zealand Cricket announced a 14-member Women’s team for the tour of West Indies in October

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2013New Zealand Women’s tour of West Indies

ODIs v West Indies, Kingston
October 6 – 1st ODI
October 8 – 2nd ODI
October 10 – 3rd ODI
T20 Tri-series, Barbados
October 14 – v West Indies
October 16 – v England
October 20 – v West Indies
October 22 – v England
October 26 – Final

Maddie Green, who last played an international match for New Zealand in February 2012, has been named in the 14-member women’s team for the tour to West Indies in October. Green, 21, has played two T20Is for New Zealand since her debut against Australia in 2012 but has not played ODIs yet.Erin Bermingham, who was dropped from the squad for the Women’s World Cup earlier this year, has also been named in the team, while allrounder Kate Broadmore has been omitted after she made herself unavailable for selection due to academic commitments.The squad, led by Suzie Bates, will play three ODIs against West Indies, followed by a T20 tri-series against West Indies and England. The team was picked from an initial list of 26 players, who took part in training camps over the last couple of months.”The Caribbean tour is a great opportunity for us in both formats and we’re confident we can be successful in both,” Katrina Keenan, the coach of the women’s team, said. “I’m very confident in the players we’ve picked and believe that there is a good balance of skills, youth and experience. An extensive off-season programme has the team well prepared for the upcoming summer.”New Zealand begin their tour with a warm-up match on October 4. They play West Indies in the first ODI on October 6, before again squaring off against the hosts for the first tri-series match on October 14.New Zealand Women’s squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Erin Bermingham, Nicola Browne, Rachel Candy, Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Maddie Green, Frances MacKay, Morna Nielsen, Katie Perkins, Rachel Priest , Sian Ruck, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu

Even as he fell for 248 with 32 deliveries left in the India A innings, Shikhar Dhawan could not help but realise he could have become the first man in the world to make a triple-century in a one-dayer

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2013As he ravaged South Africa A for 248 off 150 balls, Shikhar Dhawan knew he had achieved what only Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag had before – a double-century in limited-overs cricket by an Indian. But even as he finally fell with 32 deliveries still left in the India A innings, Dhawan could not help but realise he could have become the first man in the world to make a triple in the format.”I was aware of the record and it felt really special to score these runs,” Dhawan told . “When I got out in the 44th over it occurred to me that if I had batted till the end I had a chance to score a triple hundred. I am happy with what I scored though.”The way Dhawan went on and on, the India A coach Lalchand Rajput thought the triple was within sight. “Shikhar batted exceptionally well,” Rajput told ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t seen a better innings in one-day cricket than this one. The way he batted today, I thought he would get 300. They were clean hits, all proper cricketing shots. He pulled, he cut, he drove. He played all shots today and it was a real treat to watch.”While Dhawan was pleased to be mentioned alongside Tendulkar and Sehwag, he was quick to dismiss comparisons between the knocks. “It did cross my mind that I joined Sachin and Viru in scoring a double-century in a one-day game,” Dhawan said. “However, those were two of the greatest innings in cricket history and they came at the international level. So, they are much bigger than my innings.”I’ve always loved watching them bat. But I love my batting as well. So, it’s difficult for me to pick one favourite knock of the three. This will remain one of my favourite matches because I scored 200 for the first time in a 50-over game. Unfortunately it didn’t come live on television but that’s fine because I loved batting.”It was a must-win game for India A if they had to meet Australia A in the final of the tri-series. Their batsmen had come up short on both occasions in tall chases against Australia A but had taken South Africa A for 309 in 38 overs in a rain-hit victory three days ago. Dhawan had made 85 in that game and said he wanted to make a larger score today.”I had scored 85 in the previous match and I wanted to score a big hundred for the team because our batsmen were all getting out in the 80s and 90s,” Dhawan said. “A big century was necessary for giving a good total to the team. Once I crossed 100, I was in a different flow. I thought I made a smart choice of shots and things went my way.”I especially enjoyed it as it came against a South African side in their own backyard. They are very tough to play at home and they play good quality cricket.”

West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo, team-mate Kemar Roach and former captain Richie Richardson will visit Papua New Guinea this week to to help groom cricketers through coaching clinics and other circuits

Renaldo Matadeen09-Sep-2013West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo has signed on as a development mentor and ambassador to Cricket Papua New Guinea. Bravo will be joined by team-mate Kemar Roach, and former captain, Richie Richardson during the course of this week to help groom cricketers in PNG through coaching clinics and other circuits.”Advancing the game of cricket in developing nations of the world is something I have always wanted to become involved in,” said Bravo. “A cricketer today is a role model to millions and I wanted to use this opportunity to pass my knowledge, skills and expertise onto promising new talent and use my own experiences and leadership aptitude to motivate youth across the world.”Cricket PNG Chief and former Australia cricketer Greg Campbell was looking forward to the trio’s participation in the efforts to better cricket in the region. “Papua New Guinea is a cricket-mad nation and our team has historically always looked up to West Indies cricketers,” he said. “In fact, the West Indies were the first international team to tour PNG back in 1975 and our cricketers look to emulate their entertaining style of play and their spirit of the game. The atmosphere and excitement in the air that Dwayne Bravo, Kemar Roach and Richie Richardson are coming to town, has been astonishing.”As ambassador, Bravo will make sponsored visits across schools, academies and rural communities throughout greater Port Moresby to assist with junior participation programs and use cricket as a platform to motivate and inspire the youth. Bravo’s inputs will come in handy, especially on the back of the PNG Under-19s beating Vanuatu Under-19s in the final of the East Asia-Pacific Championship in July.Bravo will also act as a mentor to Papua New Guinean cricketers and help them with their efforts to acclimatise on the world stage and catch the eye of talent scouts of professional T20 franchises around the world.PNG has enjoyed previous attention from former Test cricketers with Andy Bichel having enjoyed a successful two-year tenure as coach before stepping down in 2011. He was succeeded by Brad Hogg, who relinquished the post following his recall to the Australian T20 side. Former England wicketkeeper and PNG-born Geraint Jones was part of their campaign during the 2012 World T20 qualifiers in the UAE.PNG, who are ranked 19th in the world, will participate as a national team in the inaugural South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) T20 Premier League that begins this month. They will then travel to Dubai in November to take part in the World T20 Qualifiers, where a top six finish would see them qualify for the World T20 in Bangladesh. In January, PNG will fight for one of the remaining two spots in the World Cup 2015 at the Qualifier tournament in New Zealand.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group A match between Lions and Otago in Jaipur

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran28-Sep-2013Match factsSunday, September 29, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Big PictureAfter the highs of reaching the final of last year’s Champions League, Lions find themselves in a situation where even a win on Sunday might not guarantee them a place in the knockouts. With two defeats in three completed games, Lions will not only have to beat Otago but hope for other results to go their way to get a backdoor entry to the semi-finals. That, though looks unlikely with Rajasthan Royals already on top with eight points and Otago on six and both teams still have two more league games to play. Lions conceded too many in their first defeat to Royals (183) and in the second, against Mumbai Indians, didn’t make enough (140). Their tournament could end on Sunday, so the best they can do is make the passage to the semis a little tougher for Otago.Ryan ten Doeschate has been a valuable finisher for Otago•BCCIOtago made it through the qualifiers unbeaten and have already emerged as one of the teams to beat. They piled on the tournament’s highest team score, 242, against Perth Scorchers after losing two wickets off successive balls at the start of their innings. Their strength lies in the presence of big-hitting allrounders in the middle order, including Ryan ten Doeschate, wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder and Nathan McCullum. James Neesham, another allrounder, said that the depth in batting allows them to play aggressively at all times. Right through the qualifiers, their top order has carried them through with their captain Brendon McCullum leading the way. A win for Otago will give them a chance to go to the top of the table, should Royals lose the second match of the Sunday double-header.In the spotlightAaron Phangiso was one of the revelations of the Champions League last year, finishing with ten wickets with an economy rate of less than six. The Lions left-arm spinner thrived in conditions at home – clean bowling Sachin Tendulkar in the process – but ironically, has so far struggled in more spinner-friendly conditions in India. His four overs against Royals went for 52 and against Mumbai he was taken off after his only over leaked ten. Expensive and with no wickets to show for, Phangiso’s fortunes are quite a contrast to last year’s.In three innings so far, Ryan ten Doeschate already has two 60-plus scores, both scored at strike-rates of 200 and above. Ten Doeschate has been in destructive form in the middle overs, smashing six sixes against a shell-shocked Perth Scorchers in their last game. The Netherlands allrounder has been a valuable finisher for Otago.Quotes”We are probably quite lucky that the wickets aren’t typical Indian wickets. We are used to something similar, and it’s what we play on back home in New Zealand where we do have sporting wickets around the country and wickets that can keep a bit low at times.”
“We still have a mathematical chance of making it. Hopefully the Scorchers can beat Mumbai and Otago can do us some favours.”

Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana was “perfect preparation” for Sachin Tendulkar ahead of his farewell Test series against West Indies, Zaheer Khan has said

Abhishek Purohit in Lahli30-Oct-2013Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana was “perfect preparation” for Sachin Tendulkar ahead of his farewell Test series against West Indies, Zaheer Khan has said. Tendulkar made an unbeaten 79 in his last domestic match as Mumbai chased down 240 on a grassy pitch. Zaheer, the Mumbai captain, also praised the Chaudhry Bansi Lal Stadium pitch, saying such result-oriented surfaces could only help cricket.”Like I said before the game, this match was an important one for Sachin in light of the two Tests he’s going to play,” Zaheer said. “The practice he got in this game against a disciplined Haryana attack was perfect preparation for the Tests.”Zaheer said Tendulkar’s team-mates want him to enjoy his final two games, just like he had taken pleasure in playing cricket over the course of his career. “If I had to say something to him, it would be: ‘Make the most of it, enjoy these last two games.’ We’ll enjoy watching him bat.”It’s difficult to sum it up. It has been special. He has been a special player. An all-time great. His record speaks for itself. He has been a master of batting.”Tendulkar’s final Ranji game was a tight scrap, both sides holding the advantage at various times before Mumbai finally plodded home with four wickets to spare on the final morning. Zaheer said it was the pitch that had enabled such a contest. “When there’s an outright result, it’s always good. This game definitely shows that good pitches produce interesting games. This is an encouraging sign, to see result-producing wickets such as this one.”The match went the distance and till the end you were not sure who was winning. This was a very good wicket for cricket. Match practice is the best practice. If matches are played on wickets like this one, the game will benefit. If you produce good, result-oriented wickets, it’s going to help cricket.”Zaheer commended the Haryana captain, Ajay Jadeja, for the way he led during the chase. Tendulkar and Dhawal Kulkarni were made to work for almost two hours to make the 39 runs Mumbai needed on the fourth day. “Ajay led well. The bowling changes, the pressure they put on us, the field placings, the discipline they maintained, I felt Ajay was influential there. This Haryana side is a young side, so the knowledge and experience he has will definitely help them.”Mumbai had bowled out Haryana for 134 in an extended opening session on day one but themselves crumbled for 136 on the second morning against Joginder Sharma. Zaheer said Joginder’s four wickets in four overs turned the match but he was glad Mumbai displayed character in the chase. “I felt that we were in the driver’s seat till the end of the first day. The second morning was crucial but Joginder Sharma produced a brilliant spell to get them back in the game. I felt that we could have sealed the game there if we had taken a decent lead. That didn’t happen.”I’m happy with the way we fought in the second innings. The help in the wicket was dying, but we showed patience. Sachin’s knock was crucial, but the manner in which Ajinkya [Rahane] and Kaustubh [Pawar] applied themselves was encouraging. And Dhawal’s innings at the end was crucial too.”

The return of Mitchell Johnson and a possible call-up for George Bailey are among few expected changes to Australia’s side for the Ashes

Daniel Brettig11-Nov-20130:00

Switch Hit clip ‘Neither Australia or England have had the best preparation’

For once, it should not be necessary to scour left-field. Australia’s desire to carry stability and continuity into the forthcoming Ashes battle will be reflected when the national selector, John Inverarity, unveils the squad for the first Test in Brisbane on Tuesday, in a departure from the chaotic and surprising choices that characterised the start of the past two series against England.Unlike Xavier Doherty’s usurping of Nathan Hauritz in 2010, or the surprising selection of Ashton Agar ahead of Nathan Lyon at Trent Bridge earlier this year, there will be few hunches taken by Inverarity’s panel, especially after the cricketers in their Ashes sights put in largely encouraging displays in the round of first-class matches that concluded on Saturday. Mitchell Johnson and George Bailey are heavily favoured to be the additions to the XI who took the field at The Oval, minus the injured Mitchell Starc.Shane Watson’s likely inability to bowl at the Gabba due to his recovery from a hamstring problem has created the only element of uncertainty around the team. As a result, the Tasmania allrounder James Faulkner is expected to keep his place in the squad after a debut in the final Test in England, with conditions then weighed up before it is decided whether to take four or five bowlers into the match.This decision will be linked to the inclusion of a sixth batsman, with Bailey widely expected to take his place in the squad after performing creditably for Tasmania in his only Shield appearance since returning from India. Bailey’s selection would be based as much on his outstanding ODI record and leadership characteristics as his recent first-class record. The elegant No. 3 batsman Alex Doolan is the other major candidate and also the most likely inclusion should Watson’s recovery stall.Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Lyon will form the core of the bowling attack, while Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus are expected to fill the remaining places in the squad. Lyon’s retention will make a welcome change from the spin cycle of recent years, rewarding his strong displays in the latter part of the Ashes in England. There remains some chance that the Queenslander Ben Cutting may be included as the final pace bowler ahead of Hilfenhaus following his staunch display for Australia A against England in Hobart.Nathan Lyon, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle are expected to form part of a settled Australia line-up•Getty ImagesOtherwise the team is shaping up far more stable fashion than it did ahead of either of the previous two Ashes bouts, something the captain, Michael Clarke, acknowledged at the launch of his at the SCG. “There’s no doubt there’s a lot more stability in our teams … honestly I believe if they’re going to pick 12 players then 11 of them are no-brainers,” Clarke said. “We’re looking at probably one spot to know what our first 11 or first 12 are going to be for the Gabba.”The exciting thing where we sit right now is whether it be batters or bowlers, individual players have stood up, have performed … guys have really picked themselves, which is an impressive thing for our team. It’s what Darren Lehmann and I asked our team to do, to go back to state cricket and make sure you were taking wickets or scoring runs to be in the front of the selectors’ minds.”Australia changed the composition of their team for every Test match in England, but the subsequent performances of those who took part in the final match of that series has left few places in doubt. Among the batsmen, Chris Rogers, David Warner, Watson, Clarke and Steve Smith have all made runs in various formats, while each of Harris, Siddle and Lyon have been building their form to carefully tailored plans.Clarke, who had noted Shane Warne’s recent comments that he must keep working to improve the team environment, said that communication, trust and respect for differences had increased in recent months. “I think the communication within the team is outstanding at the moment, I think everybody knows where we’re going, what we’re trying to achieve and how we’re going to get there,” he said. “I think everybody knows their own personal role in the team as well, which is critical, and I think ‘Boof’ and myself are trying to create an environment that allows each individual to be themselves.”In our team now we’ve got a great mix of some 20-year-old single boys, we’ve got Brad, a 36-year-old married dad with three kids, so there’s a huge gap in between and it’s about trying to set-up an environment that allows each individual to be themselves and feel comfortable. Part of Darren’s and my job is to get the best out of each of them, and you don’t do that on your own, you do that with a lot of people around you.”Possible Australia Test squad: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson (fitness pending), Michael Clarke (capt), Steve Smith, George Bailey, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon

Australia will wait until Friday morning to make a call on the fitness of Ryan Harris for the third Test at the WACA, but the captain Michael Clarke said he was confident Harris would retain his place in the side

Brydon Coverdale in Perth12-Dec-2013Australia will wait until Friday morning to make a call on the fitness of Ryan Harris for the third Test at the WACA, but the captain Michael Clarke said he was confident Harris would retain his place in the side.Australia ‘s cover for Harris was reduced when allrounder James Faulkner was ruled out of the Test – and perhaps the series – after suffering a fractured thumb while batting in the nets on Thursday against a little-known English-born bowler.Aaron Onyon, a 26-year-old seamer from Lincolnshire in England who moved to Perth three years ago, was the bowler who broke Faulkner’s thumb having been recruited as a net bowler. Onyon, a fast bowler in the Jimmy Ormond mould, represented Nottinghamshire and Northants second XIs up until the end of 2010 but was unable to break into the first-class game.Faulkner was unlikely to play in any case, but his injury means that should Harris struggle with his ongoing knee problem on Friday morning, Australia would need to look to the standby fast men Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile for a replacement. Harris bowled in the nets on Thursday morning, starting gingerly off a few steps as he tested the knee that has troubled him for several years, before working into a rhythm and coming off his long run.Harris had David Warner hopping about and his pace looked good, but he appeared to be cautious in his follow-through. Clarke said the Australians would wait until the morning of the match to decide on their team for the WACA Test.”I don’t have a team at this stage,” Clarke said after training on Thursday. “We’re going to wait until the toss, see how everybody pulls up after training yesterday and today, and [it] gives us another opportunity to have a look at the wicket as well.”I’m hopeful that everybody will come up. There’s the obvious one in Rhino [Harris], he bowled today, so we’re going to wait and see how he pulls up, but I’m confident he’ll be fine. It gives the selectors another chance to see if the wicket changes at all come tomorrow morning. But it looks like a pretty good wicket to me.”Faulkner, 12th man for the first two Tests of the series, was struck on the right hand while batting against a net bowler and he immediately left the net for checking by team doctor Peter Brukner and physio Alex Kountouris. Faulkner appeared to be in considerable pain and was sent for scans, which confirmed a break.”James was struck on the right thumb while batting in the nets and was subsequently taken for an x-ray which revealed a fracture of the thumb,” Brukner said. “As a result he will not be available for the third Test. His progress will be monitored for a return to playing duty depending on how quickly the injury heals.”The coach Darren Lehmann said on Wednesday that Australia would almost certainly play the spinner Nathan Lyon despite expectations the WACA pitch would offer plenty of bounce and carry for the fast men. The forecast for the first four days of the Test is for temperatures in the high 30s, and a spinner would provide important down-time for the fast bowlers.

Unlike the first two Tests, the Sharjah match will be a trial by spin, Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, said after inspecting the pitch on the eve of the game

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Sharjah15-Jan-2014Unlike the first two Tests, the Sharjah match will be a trial by spin, Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, said after inspecting the pitch on the eve of the game. Uncharacteristically for a series played in the UAE, fast bowlers have been the primary wicket-takers for both teams. Rangana Herath and Saeed Ajmal are the two top-ranked spinners in the world, but neither has been able to generate substantial turn in the series, save for with a handful of deliveries.”It’s not going to be anywhere close to what we had in Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” Mathews said. “It looks like the main factors will be spin and some reverse swing.”There had been some confusion over which surface would be used, with the Pakistan team believed to have been unhappy with the pitch that had been prepared. Misbah-ul-Haq had asked for a turning pitch in Sharjah and he refused to comment on the nature of the surface before the match. Mathews revealed, however, that there had been talk of changing to another surface two days before the match.”Yesterday when we came to the ground, they showed us the pitch we were going to play on, but in the evening we were told that another surface would be used,” Mathews said. “In the end, I think we are playing on the surface that was originally prepared. This pitch doesn’t look like it will help fast bowlers much.”Pakistan had appeared to command the better fast bowling resources ahead of the Tests, which Mathews suspected had been part of the reason why the first two pitches assisted seam-bowling more than usual.”I’ve never seen a wicket as we had in Abu Dhabi before, and there was a lot of help for the seamers. Our seamers bowled better than their seamers, so we got more wickets than them,” he said. “Having confusion is always good for us. It worked, but I think we have to start well once again here and can’t be complacent against Pakistanis.”Saeed Ajmal has averaged almost 50 per wicket so far – his worst in a series in which he has played more than one Test. If the surface assists him, however, Ajmal could be a force in Sharjah, according to Mathews.”He was a bit frustrated when he actually didn’t get any wickets,” Mathews said. “He’s a very good bowler after all. He has a lot of control and the ability to pick up wickets at any stage. We are not looking down on him, because he can come back hard so we will have our guards on him as well.”When you take their bowling line-up, they’ve got four very good bowlers. The three seamers were very good, so we had to sort of look at the whole bowling unit, rather than just Ajmal.”Sri Lanka played three frontline seam bowlers in Dubai, while Pakistan have fielded three seamers in both Tests. Mathews suggested either Sachithra Senanayake, who debuted in Abu Dhabi, or uncapped Dilruwan Perera would play on Thursday, at the expense of the third seamer.”We might have to rethink our strategies and there may be a place for a spinner,” Mathews said. “We still haven’t decided who it will be, because both of them are very good bowlers. I know Senanayake had the opportunity and he hasn’t done well, but we all know he’s a very good bowler and can turn the ball on a good track like this.”The last two encounters between the teams have ended 1-0, but Mathews said his side had higher ambitions on this occasion: “We need to play positive cricket once again, because we will try to win it 2-0. We are not going for a draw here, because it sends a negative message to the whole team.”

Former first-class cricketer PR Ashokanand has taken over as president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, filling the vacancy created by the death of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the former KSCA president.

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2013Former first-class cricketer PR Ashokanand has taken over as president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, filling the vacancy created by the death of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the former KSCA president.Wadiyar had died on December 10, a few days after reclaiming the post of the association’s president. Ashokanand, one of KSCA’s elected vice-presidents, was unanimously nominated to take over as president at a managing committee meeting.Ashokanand played first-class cricket between 1957 and 1972, representing Hyderabad, Madras and Mysore. He scored 2410 runs in 62 matches at an average of 26.77 and took 14 wickets with his medium pace, at 30.78.

A round-up of the ICC Under-19 World Cup matches played on February 14, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2014Fifties from Ben Duckett and Ed Barnard, followed by a three-wicket haul from the seamer Will Rhodes, paved the way for England Under-19s’ 213-run thrashing of UAE Under-19s in Abu Dhabi.England, put in to bat, were dominant right from the start as the openers Jonathan Tattersall and Harry Finch raced to 71 in 11 overs to lay a solid platform. UAE fought back with three wickets, but Duckett and Barnard helped England wrest the advantage, combining for a fourth-wicket association that yielded 151 runs in just 122 balls. Both batsmen struck 12 fours each, but Barnard was the more aggressive, blasting a 73-ball 93 while Duckett hit 83 off 80 deliveries.Medium-pacer Pankaj Prakash picked up three wickets for the hosts, but Duckett and Barnard’s stand helped the team reach 315 for 8.UAE had very little to show for in their chase, as they struggled to produce even a single meaningful partnership. Shivank Vijayakumar and the captain Rohit Singh were the only two batsmen to reach double digits, as the other nine batsmen contributed just 31 runs altogether. Rhodes finished with 3 for 14, while the other two fast bowlers Josh Shaw and Matthew Fisher chipped in with two scalps each to dismiss UAE for 102 in 33 overs.A half-century from Sri Lanka Under-19s captain Kusal Mendis helped set up the team’s 49-run victory against New Zealand Under-19s in Sharjah.Sri Lanka, batting first, made a bright start as the openers Sadeera Samarawickrama and Hashan Dumindu put up 48 in 6.1 overs before Dumindu was out for a 14-ball 17. Sri Lanka, however, regrouped and were buoyed by a 97-run partnership for the second wicket between Samarawickrama and Mendis. Samarawickrama eventually fell for 67 having struck six fours, while Mendis’ 90 included 11 fours.The medium-pacer Kyle Jamieson took four wickets to hamper Sri Lanka’s progress, but handy knocks from Priyamal Perera and Thilaksha Sumanasiri pushed the team to a formidable 275 for 9.New Zealand’s top order all made starts, but none of the batsmen could convert it into a fifty. Robert O’Donnell top-scored with 43, and Raki Weerasundara and Luke Williamson chipped in with thirties, but New Zealand’s slow progress was hampered by wickets at regular intervals. Binura Fernando, Anuk Fernando and Lakshan Jayasinghe each took two wickets to help restrict New Zealand to 226 for 8.An all-round performance from Tinashe Kamunhukamwe helped Zimbabwe Under-19s to a six-wicket win against Canada Under-19s in Abu Dhabi.Kamunhukamwe first picked up three wickets to restrict Canada to 192, before contributing 24 handy runs with the bat to aid Zimbabwe’s chase. That Zimbabwe only had to chase 193 was mainly because of a batting collapse from Canada.After putting up 50-plus stands for the third and fourth wickets, Canada slumped from 145 for 3 to 192 for 9. Nikhil Dutta was the pick of Canada’s batsman, top-scoring with an unhurried 56 that included four fours. For Zimbabwe, Herbert Chikomba snatched two wickets before Kamunhukamwe ran through the tail.Joylord Gumbie and Tarisai Musakanda got Zimbabwe’s chase off to a flying start by putting up 95 in 16 overs, but once the pair fell in successive deliveries, the team slowed down. From there on, Charles Kunje dropped anchor, scoring a patient 42 not out to take Zimbabwe home in 43.5 overs.