Cricket

A thrilling Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick provided a suitably dramatic end to a magnificent Specsavers County Championship finale as Middlesex clinched their first title for 23 years by beating champions Yorkshire by 61 runs with 28 balls to spare on a golden, sunlit evening at Lord’s. An eleventh championship title, their first since 1993, and a first to be won on their home ground at Lord’s since 1920, was Middlesex’s deserved reward for a brave declaration as the county cricket season ended in unforgettable scenes. Yorkshire, set 240 to win in 40 overs – they also needed a victory to take a third successive title – were bowled out for 178 with Roland-Jones finishing with 6 for 54 and, after bowling Yorkshire last man Ryan Sidebottom around his legs, sprinting away in ecstasy before being engulfed by his joyous teammates. Roland-Jones had bowled Andy Hodd with the first ball of the 36th over, having removed Azeem Rafiq with the last ball of his previous … [Read more...] about Middlesex County Cricket Club

Nick Compton has likened Middlesex's County Championship win to the legendary Arsenal side of 2003/04 The county champions went through the whole season unbeaten, much like the Gunners side did in that campaign. And Compton, who returned to the county in 2015, admitted being hard to beat was one of the main things talked about after his arrival. He said: “We're the invincibles – the Arsenal. I support the Gunners. One of our mantras were to become a resilient team and tough to beat and we've done that.” Compton has endured a difficult season, losing his England place, and scored eight and one in the title winning game against Yorkshire, but was able to enjoy one of the best moments of his career. “It's been a tough year. I didn't perform well in this game but who cares? We won. You feel worse when you don't contribute to a win but if the team wins, it's fantastic,” he said. “In terms of team performance, it's been up there. Winning in India was … [Read more...] about Middlesex are the Arsenal of cricket

Player of Quaid-e-Azam trophy final reques­ts PCB to prepar­e better ones 0SHARES Share Tweet Email PHOTO COURTESY: ESPNCRICINFO/ SOHAIL ABBAS SNGPL left-arm pacer Samiullah Niazi believes the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to improve the quality of pitches in the premier domestic four-day tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Samiullah, who bagged an 8-62 in the final to guide his team to victory in the final and played a pivotal role in SNGPL’s victorious campaign, says pitches should be allowed to breathe before the next match is played on them during the season. When asked to comment on the standards followed in the domestic circuit, Samiullah told PakPassion: “First of all, let me say that this is the toughest standard of cricket in Pakistan and there is nothing easy about first-class cricket at all. To succeed at this level requires immense dedication, skills, as well as fitness. So, the standard is world-class.” He continued by ruing the … [Read more...] about Samiullah Niazi rues lack of quality pitches in domestic cricket

Sushma Swaraj rules out bilate­ral series betwee­n arch-rivals due to politi­cal tensio­ns 0SHARES Share Tweet Email PHOTO COURTESY: ICC India’s Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj, has ruled out the resumption of cricketing ties between arch-rivals Pakistan and India for the foreseeable future. Indian media reported that Swaraj, while talking after the meeting of the consultative committee attached to the Indian foreign ministry, said that due to tensions on the border, cricket diplomacy with Pakistan is not possible. How Pakistan fared in ODIs in 2017 “The high number of cross-border firings did not set the tone for engagements such as a cricket series,” Swaraj was quoted as saying by the local media as she was replying to the question regarding the resumptions of cricketing ties between the two countries. Both countries have not faced each other in a bilateral series since 2012, when Pakistan — under the leadership of captain Misbahul … [Read more...] about Cricket with Pakistan not possible, says Indian FM Sushma Swaraj

Videos of the incide­nt went viral on social media 0SHARES Share Tweet Email PHOTO: FILE Two cricket teams were booked and some players reportedly detained after they stood in honour of Pakistan’s national anthem played before the start of a match in Indian occupied Kashmir’s (IoK) Bandipora disctrict. Videos of the incident which took place on January 3 went viral on social media after which the arrests were made,  reported Hindustan Times. Indian-occupied Kashmir’s top footballer joins freedom movement According to HT, the video shows two cricket teams, one wearing white and one wearing green, standing in two lines on the pitch as Pakistan’s national anthem played in the background. The players were also seeing bowing their heads as the national anthem played. While police confirmed the booking of the teams and arrest of individuals, they did not divulge any details about the number of people who were arrested and the identity of … [Read more...] about Four arrested in IoK for honouring Pakistan’s national anthem at cricket match