The wicketkeeper-batsman was guilty of causing damage to a part of the ground during their two-run defeat to hosts Zimbabwe in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2018Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad has been suspended from his team’s two remaining Group B matches in the World Cup Qualifier, after he was guilty of causing damage to a part of the ground during their two-run defeat to hosts Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

Injured Stanikzai ruled out of tournament

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai, who underwent surgery for appendicitis, has been ruled out of the tournament. Stanikzai, whose surgery happened on the eve of his side’s first warm-up match against West Indies, was initially expected to be out for 10 days. Nineteen-year old legspinner Rashid Khan has been captaining Afghanistan in Stanikzai’s absence.
Stanikzai has been replaced by Afsar Zazai, the 24-year old wicketkeeper-batsman, with the ICC’s event technical committee approving the replacement on Wednesday.

Shahzad was the second wicket to fall in Afghanistan’s chase of 197, in the ninth over, after he had settled in with three boundaries. Upset with himself, Shahzad slammed his bat hard onto the adjacent pitch, leaving behind a noticeable divot as a result. He was fined 15 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point for his actions.As this was Shahzad’s second breach of the ICC’s code of conduct within a two-year period – he was fined the whole of his match fee and handed three demerit points after a T20I against UAE in December 2016 – the accumulated four demerit points, as per the ICC’s norms, translated into two suspension points.The latest penalty comes two months into his return to the national squad, after he spent a year out serving a doping ban. Shahzad’s suspension also leaves Afghanistan on shaky ground for the remainder of the group play. Having lost both their matches so far, Afghanistan are desperate to bounce back in upcoming matches against Hong Kong and Nepal to give themselves the best chance of advancing to the Super Sixes round and maintain hope of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in England.In separate incidents during the same match, Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor and 16-year old Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman were also handed out penalties. Taylor was fined 15 percent of his match fee and received one demerit point for showing dissent when umpire C Shamsuddin withheld an lbw appeal against Dawlat Zadran late in the Afghanistan chase. Mujeeb was handed out a 50 percent fine and three demerit points for throwing the ball back at batsman Taylor off his own bowling during the first innings in what the umpires deemed a dangerous manner.Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Nizakat Khan was fined 50 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points for making deliberate and inappropriate contact using his shoulder to barge into Scotland bowler Alasdair Evans while attempting a run.

“It’s a special feeling, especially because I am the world record holder for the most [wickets off] no-balls,” Morkel joked afterwards

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town23-Mar-2018Before Morne Morkel celebrates a wicket, he looks up at the big screen to double check that he has not overstepped. Before he celebrated his 300th Test wicket, he may have double checked with a little more trepidation.But when Morkel saw that his foot was behind the line and Shaun Marsh had nicked off, he celebrated with more gusto than usual. Animated air punches and screams of delight were followed by a group hug with his team-mates and some personal time to acknowledge the crowd.He had done it. Morkel had reached 300.”It’s a special feeling, especially because I am the world record holder for the most [wickets off] no-balls,” Morkel joked afterwards. “When I got the first one, I had to turn around and see if it was a legal delivery. And then second one and third one. To reach it is something I have worked hard on for a long time and to get it at this amazing venue made it even better. It meant quite a lot to get that wicket. I have really worked hard. I wasn’t blessed with natural talent to run up and hit a length. For me, over the 12 years it’s been a lot of hard work. To get that was an achievement, I was proud of myself to get that milestone.”Morkel could have had 315 Test wickets to his name to date, but the 14 missing from his record were taken off no-balls and he has now found a way to laugh them off. But only now that he has reached the 300 mark in what is his penultimate Test.Before this series began, Morkel announced his retirement at its end and by midway through the contest, he may have thought his career was over already. He was left out of the second Test at St George’s Park after a relatively indifferent performance in the first match at Kingsmead. His replacement, Lungi Ngidi, bowled well and was set to play at Newlands before a toe niggle kept him out and gave Morkel the chance for what could be a final hurrah.”You think about those sorts of things, especially with Lungi and the guys bowling so well. Luckily for me, I got an opportunity with Lungi picking up a small niggle and I knew it was my Test match to do it,” Morkel said. “I put in a lot of hard work over the week, especially in PE. I sat down for hours and analysed my Durban spells and things I needed to improve on and worked hard.”Morne Morkel removed Steven Smith in the third over after lunch•AFP

Morkel’s challenge has always been to get his lengths right because he tends to err on the shorter side, given his height. At Newlands, where he found extra bounce from the Wynberg End, that length worked and for once, Morkel could just be himself. “Of late, the Newlands wicket, there is a little bit of extra bounce.There was a little bit of extra bounce on a fifth stump line. It was my game plan to run in and hit an area quite hard and trying to get some extra bounce and there were one or two cracks as well,” he said.That bounce and those cracks have led Morkel to believe that the strip will become more difficult to bat on as the match goes on and that with a lead of around 60, South Africa can look to apply pressure on Australia. But first they need one more wicket and though Morkel has 301 to celebrate, it’s the scalp he still needs to get that he is most concerned about.”The main thing for me is to stay in the moment. There’s still a second innings, a Test match to be won and still one more in Jo’burg and that’s my focus. I want to be part of this team to beat Australia for the first time in South Africa. That’s my goal,” he said.And it is his last goal as an international cricketer. Winning a World Cup is not something Morkel has given himself the opportunity to experience, because he is leaving the stage before then. Winning a Test Championship is also not something he will do, though his recent form and fitness suggest he could keep playing. “My body is still feeling great. Mentally I am still feeling fantastic. I am still feeling good. I can still play for a coupe of years. But it was a family decision. I’ve made that call, once you’ve made your mind up, you can’t really turn back on your decision. I’d rather go out on a high now than having a few average games and the love is gone.”Right now, the appreciation for Morkel is everywhere, especially on the big screen.On day one, it regularly showed images of Morkel’s long-time team-mate Dale Steyn sitting at Newlands, wearing Morkel’s one-day shirt with the number 65 on it, supporting it. “That’s very special. To see a team-mate that has been beside me for so long supporting me was amazing,” Morkel said.On day two, it showed Morkel’s wife, Roz Kelly, and their two-year old son, Arias, applauding his achievements.For the next three days, it will show many others, sending Morkel off with warm hearts. And it will also show some replays of Morkel and the line, which he will keep double checking if he thinks he can add to his tally.

ESPNcricinfo understands that he is the same person who had allegedly made a corrupt approach on Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed in October 2017

Umar Farooq10-May-2018The ICC has charged a long-serving Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC) coach Irfan Ansari on three counts of breaching their anti-corruption code. Ansari, also a tournament organising committee member, was suspended from every position he holds in UAE cricket and has 14 days, from May 19, to respond to the charge sheet.ESPNcricinfo understands that he is the same person who had allegedly made a corrupt approach on Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed after the third ODI against Sri Lanka in October last year. The ICC had launched an investigation into the matter and, according to them, Ansari refused to cooperate with the Anti-Corruption Unit. In light of those failed meetings, in October 2017 and February 2018, the ICC felt compelled to charge him.”Ansari is party to the code through his position as a person who is affiliated to a team that participates in International Matches and the Coach of the One Stop Tourism and Multiplex international teams who participate in domestic matches in the UAE,” the ICC said in a statement. “He has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect after been charged with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.”An important voice in Sharjah cricket affairs, Ansari had been working alongside the SCC for the last three decades. He had been in charge of the Al Dhaid Cricket Village, where he mainly helped organise tournaments that take place in the city. He had been the head coach of the Sharjah Cricket Club until he was axed last year as part of a revamp, and had also been actively involved in Sharjah’s Ramzan tournaments.

Kevin O’Brien, Body Rankin and Simi Singh also made significant contributions to Ireland’s massive 226-run DLS win

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2018
ICC

Paul Stirling and William Porterfield put on a 205-run opening stand to lead Ireland to a 226-run drubbing of United Arab Emirates in Harare. Stirling went on to make his seventh ODI hundred, a 117-ball 126 that included 15 fours and five sixes. Porterfield struck 10 fours and two sixes in his 103-ball 92. Together, they added the highest opening stand in ODIs for Ireland. Both sides, though, made the Super Sixes stage of the World Cup Qualifier after Netherlands lost to West Indies.Rain in Harare had interrupted Ireland’s innings twice, resulting in a reduction of six overs. After Stirling fell in the 38th over, Kevin O’Brien led the charge, smashing seven fours and one six in his unbeaten 26-ball 50. Ireland scored 75 runs in the final seven overs to post 313 for 6. Fast bowler Mohammad Naveed took three wickets.UAE made a steady start to their chase, before they lost wickets in clumps. At one point, they were 65 for 2 after 13 overs. However, a spectacular collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for 26 runs.Fast bowler Boyd Rankin returned exceptional figures of 6-2-15-4, while Simi Singh finished with 3 for 15 from his six overs. UAE’s net run-rate took a beating after the result.

The two spinners took six wickets between them to fashion Afghanistan’s first T20I series win over Bangladesh

The Report by Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

After teaming up with Rashid Khan to limit Bangladesh to 134 for 8, Mohammad Nabi smashed an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls to guide Afghanistan to their first T20I series win over a Test side other than Zimbabwe. Seventeen-year-old mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman also contributed to the win with 15 dots in a four-over spell.Rashid, Nabi and Mujeeb claimed combined figures of 6 for 46 in 12 overs to run through Bangladesh’s batting line-up. Rashid did the bulk of the damage, taking 4 for 12, including the vital wickets of Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mosaddek Hossain in one over, the 16th of the innings. Nabi, meanwhile, dismissed Sabbir Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim.Bangladesh, though, had a positive start, moving to 81 for 3 in 10 overs, with opener Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah setting up for a late burst. However, two overs later, Karim Janat removed Mahmudullah to set Bangladesh up for a collapse.Rashid first had Shakib holing out to long-on before getting Tamim and Mosaddek off successive deliveries. In his next over, Rashid had Soumya Sarkar holing out to cap an outstanding spell. Abu Hider then launched some late blows with Nazmul Islam in a 26-run partnership for the ninth wicket off 13 balls to boost the total. Bangladesh’s highest stand was 45 between Tamim and Mushfiq but the pair could not find a tempo high enough to hurt Afghanistan.Afghanistan also started slowly in their chase and lost Mohammad Shahzad inside the Powerplay, but Samiullah Shenwari repaired the innings with 49 off 41 balls and took his side to within 20 runs of a series victory. With Afghanistan needing 20 off the last two overs, Nabi clobbered four boundaries in five balls off fast bowler Rubel Hossain to seal it in style.Bangladesh might rue not holding onto their chances. When Shahzad was scoreless in the first over, wicketkeeper Mushfiqur dropped a thick edge to reprieve him. The opener went onto hit four fours and a six in his 18-ball 24 to set the tone for the chase. Following Shahzad’s dismissal, Afghanistan went 30 balls without a boundary before Shenwari disdainfully pulled Rubel to the midwicket fence in the 11th over. He then hammered three sixes off spinners Mahmudullah and Mosaddek.Mosaddek bowled Shenwari in the 18th over to give Bangladesh hope but Nabi dashed it with a breathtaking late assault that ticked off another landmark for Afghanistan.

The two batsmen hit counterattacking centuries in the second innings after Central Zone had secured a 111-run first-innings lead in Rajshahi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2018Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain hit centuries to help South Zone secure a draw against Central Zone, after they had conceded a 111-run first-innings lead in Rajshahi.After being sent in, South Zone collapsed to 191 all out in 49.5 overs, with only opener Fazle Mahmud (40) passing 30. Seamer Ebadot Hossain and left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain took four wickets each for Central Zone.Central Zone’s batsmen showed greater fight and posted 302, with opener Shadman Islam top-scoring with 93. Left-arm spinner
Abdur Razzak, who had recently made a comeback to the national team, claimed 6 for 106 in 31 overs for South Zone.South Zone started shakily in their second innings, too, and were 84 for 3 in the 26th over. Mithun, however, revived the innings with a 193-run stand for the fourth wicket with Tushar Imran. Mithun hit 118 off 121 balls, including 16 fours and a six, while Tushar made 88 off 141 balls, with 10 fours and a six.Mosaddek then took charge of the innings, despite a shoulder injury. He added 53 for the seventh wicket with Ziaur Rahman before adding 121 runs for the eighth wicket with Nayeem Hasan, who chipped in with 43. Mosaddek stayed unbeaten on 102 off 107 balls.Central Zone were 158 for 5 when play was called off on the final day. Razzak took three wickets to stretch his match tally to nine.

Northamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2018
ScorecardNorthamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road to claim their first win in the Specsavers County Championship this season.Having resisted on the second evening to take the game into day three, Gloucestershire could last only another 17 balls to be bowled out for 250, leaving a target of only 31 that Ben Duckett knocked off himself in just four overs.Brett Hutton removed the final two wickets within three balls to finish with 8 for 57 – the third-best figures for Northants this century.”We’ve played very well this week, we’ve been disappointed in the Championship so far but we showed if we play somewhere near our best cricket we’re capable of winning games.”Ben and Brett will take the headlines but the whole attack did their bit and added to the pressure and they never got away from us,” head coach David Ripley said. “We took the majority of our catches as well, the surface offered a bit more carry which brought the cordon into play so a great effort from the groundsman as well.”We need to back up this performance now at Cardiff and it’s about building the confidence up and we can take that into the T20s too.”Matt Taylor only added a single to his overnight 37 before pushing at a length ball and edging to second slip where Richard Levi dived to his right to take a sharp catch. No. 11 Chris Liddle then lost his off stump for a duck leaving Craig Miles stranded on 38 not out.The chase was over very quickly as Duckett played an emphatic extra-cover drive off Miles, a flick through midwicket and two top-edged pulls over the wicketkeeper’s head. Another pull off Miles took Northants to within one hit of victory before an outside edge found the third man fence to complete the win.Northants, who took 21 points from the match, now head to Glamorgan on Monday while Gloucestershire are left to concentrate on the T20 Blast that begins in two weeks.Gloucestershire head coach said: “We’ve been outplayed, and it’s more to do with the ball – it wasn’t a 280 wicket. We didn’t exert any pressure with the ball, we bowled two sides of the wicket and the wrong length.”We were a bit more up for the fight in the second innings but day one we were behind the eight ball and couldn’t recover from that.”We’ve got the T20 coming up but also the Cheltenham festival and we want to be playing some good cricket in the Championship there so by no means will we just be focussing on T20.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is looking at signing a new striker in the January transfer window, with a report revealing one of the main targets he has in mind…

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners are already running the rule over potential targets ahead of the January transfer window, with it recently emerging they have set their sights on Real Sociedad's Igor Zubimendi, who could be brought in to refresh Arteta's midfield options.

Not only is a new midfielder of interest to the north Londoners, but they could also look at signing a new winger, and Club Brugge's Antonio Nusa has now been named as a target, with contact already being made by Arteta to discuss a deal.

However, a report from TEAMtalk has now revealed that Arsenal's priority in the January transfer window could be signing a new striker, depending on how the season is going, with Arteta keen on adding some more versatile players to his squad.

The manager already has Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah at his disposal in attack, but they are similar players, and Charles Watts believes a more physical option could be looked at in January or next summer.

Brentford's Ivan Toney is named as a potential target by Watts, who believes the Englishman could take the Gunners "to another level", with the journalist also highlighting Victor Osimhen as an option, as there has been interest in the Napoli striker for some time.

Talks have previously been held over a deal for the Nigerian, whose agent has been over at the training ground, and Watts has revealed he will still be on Arsenal's list of targets, simply because of how good he is.

However, there is likely to be fierce competition for the forward, as he is going to be at the top of pretty much every club's list, and he will command a huge fee, indicating that a deal may be difficult to orchestrate.

The 24-year-old is set to put pen to paper on a new contract with Napoli, but Watts believes there will be an agreement in the deal allowing him to leave if a certain fee is met.

How good is Victor Osimhen?

The Lagos-born striker played a vital role in Napoli's title-winning 2022-23 season, weighing in with 26 goals and five assists in 32 league games, while he also showcased his ability in the Champions League, scoring five in six matches.

Hailed as "world class" by members of the media, the Napoli star has made the perfect start to the current campaign, scoring three goals in as many games, and he ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 in the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

It is still very early days in the Premier League season, but Manchester City have made a perfect start, winning their opening four games to cement their place at the top of the table.

As such, Arsenal may be in need of a signing to help bridge the gap in January, and Osimhen is a top-level striker, who could take them to the next level.

It is suspected the fast bowler may have broken his thumb going for a catch at the long-on boundary

Liam Brickhill01-Jul-2018

A depleted Zimbabwe suffered a further blow when Kyle Jarvis, their senior seamer, injured his bowling hand while attempting a catch during Pakistan’s innings in the opening game of the T20I tri-series in Harare.The injury occured in the 14th over of the innings, when Fakhar Zaman hoicked a delivery from Ryan Burl into the leg side. Sprinting around the boundary from wide long-on, Jarvis dived to his right attempting to hold onto a low catch. The difficult chance was spilled, and it was immediately apparent that Jarvis had suffered an injury when he collapsed in pain and signalled to the team physio, who rushed onto the field.Jarvis was taken to hospital and X-rayed for a suspected broken bone in his right thumb. He had taken 1 for 9 from two overs and was one of the only bowlers to escape severe punishment. In his absence, Pakistan plundered 61 from the last five overs of their innings, eventually winning the game.

The PCB said ICC rules prevented the player from being named until the chemical report was confirmed by the government’s anti-doping agency

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2018A prominent Pakistani cricketer has tested positive for a prohibited substance. This was confirmed by the PCB on Twitter when it said ICC rules prevented the player from being named until the chemical report was confirmed by the government’s anti-doping agency.
While the dope test has come back positive, the report from the laboratory that tested the player’s blood sample has yet to be confirmed by Pakistan’s anti-doping department. The PCB is awaiting the results of that test, saying it would be available in the next day or so. The test is understood to have taken place during the recent domestic 50-over tournament in Faisalabad.Depending on the nature of the prohibited substance, the player could face up to a two-year ban. The last Pakistan international to suffer that fate was Raza Hasan, who tested positive for cocaine in 2015, and was banned till 2017. In the last few years, Pakistan spinners Yasir Shah and Abdur Rehman were also banned for minor doping offences, each serving three-month bans.