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BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Jersey out of T20 World Cup qualifiers after Sweden loss
Jersey's hopes of reaching the Women's T20 World Cup are over after they surprisingly lost to bottom side Sweden by 18 skipper Chloe Greechan had taken a hat-trick for the islanders as they restricted the Swedes to in reply, Jersey's batting woes continued as Gaya Jayaweera took a hat-trick and the islanders were bowled out for 110 in 18 overs. The loss means any hopes Jersey had of catching Germany for second place, and a spot in the first division of European qualifying later this year, are over. Jersey were the second-highest ranked side going into the six-team round-robin tournament but won just two beat Spain and the Isle of Man after losing to hosts and tournament winners Italy and the Germans in their first two games. Swedish openers Anya Vaidya (25) and Eman Asim (45) put on 64 for the opening wicket. Elsa Thelander's 21 not out held the innings together as Jersey took regular wickets before Greechan got her hat-trick with the final three deliveries of the innings to return figures of reply, Jersey's poor form with the bat continued. They were reduced to 22-3 off four overs as top order batters Analise Merritt, Grace Wetherall and Mia Maguire scored eight runs between it not for opener Aimee Aikenhead's 58 not out the islanders would have been lucky to make 50 - extras of 28 were the second-highest contributor to Jersey's total as no other player scored more than eight runs. Their poor display was typified when Jayaweera dismissed Annabel Mossop, Nia Greig and Kate Follain in successive balls in the 16th over to leave Jersey on tried her best to bring Jersey home as she hit eight boundaries in a 53-ball knock. But when tail-ender Olivia Bastin was caught off Jayaweera for a seven-ball duck, the game was over as Jersey were bowled out for 110 off 18 overs. "We've just got to regroup as a team and take a lot of positives away from this tournament," Greechan said after the game."There are lots of things to improve on, but overall there's mixed emotions in the camp right now."
The National
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Bodyline, underarm, Brearley … and Ahmed Raza? Tactical innovations that prompted law changes in cricket
Ahmed Raza will be grateful for a normal day of cricket on Tuesday. A nice quiet one, where his name is not cropping up in sports news reports on the BBC, Sky Sports, ESPN, the Times of India, plus plenty more besides. The coach of the UAE women's team will have cringed about all the attention that came his way this weekend. Who would have thought a fixture between the UAE and Qatar, in the first phase of Women's T20 World Cup regional qualifying in Thailand, would cause such a kerfuffle? It all started with some peals of thunder. The UAE had amassed 192 for no loss in their first 16 overs. More than enough to beat a Qatar side who are still finding their feet in international cricket. Panicked by the idea rain might prevent them bowling the five overs of Qatar's innings required for a result to stand – and thus have to share the points – they needed to speed up the game. Declarations are not permitted in limited-overs cricket, so Raza got creative. He asked all his batters to pad up. They then took turns running out to the middle, very briefly standing at the crease, then retiring out. It effectively ended the innings immediately, allowing them to start their bowling effort sooner. They promptly bowled Qatar out in double quick time, winning by 163 runs. Raza's sole intent had been to get the win. It was informed by plenty of heartache from his own career. He played 17 years of international cricket for the UAE men's team. Often, his side missed out on trips to a World Cup or other major tournament due to some arcane law, the vagaries of net run-rate, or just plain bad luck. If there is anything he could do to prevent his new charges in the women's national team suffering the same, he will look for it. He knew how the strategy of 10 retired outs would look. It was telling his first utterance after the match was to beg that it did not detract from Esha Oza's brilliant century – the fourth of the UAE captain's sparkling T20I career – or her 192-run stand with Theertha Satish. His young side have marched up the world rankings to the point where, last weekend, they were granted one-day international status for the first time. That is a huge achievement, but not one that merited much coverage beyond the Emirates. Not like the raft of retirements against Qatar did. What will happen next? Most immediately, the national team will be looking to pick up a third win in the qualifier, when they face Malaysia in Bangkok on Tuesday. Whether they use a similar strategy now, or ever again, remains to be seen. Plenty of people will be watching keenly to see if they do. Not least those who make the rules. It is almost certain the ICC's world cricket committee will meet at some point to discuss whether it is necessary to close the loophole Raza exposed. Cricket's laws – whether they be those overseen by the MCC which are the basis for the sport, or the playing conditions for international cricket run by ICC – have forever been tweaked. Usually, it has taken a fertile cricket brain to expose a problem. Below are some of the rules of the game that had to be changed. Limited-overs playing condition 15: Declaration and forfeiture - shall not apply Raza might not have needed such drastic measures were it not for Brian Rose. Somerset v Worcestershire in Group A of the 1979 Benson and Hedges Cup might not sound like a big deal, but it was a seminal moment in cricket. After it, declarations were outlawed from limited-overs matches. As per the rules of the 55-over competition, Somerset only needed to maintain the greater bowling strike-rate which they already had, to ensure progress to the next round. Rose, their captain, hatched a plan – and, as Raza did, sought clarification of its validity from officials. He went out to open the batting against Worcestershire, saw off the first ball – a no ball – then immediately declared the innings with the score on one for no loss. The sides switched round, Worcestershire score the two needed to win, and the game was over, 18 minutes after it started. All with no damage done to the strike-rate permutation. Somerset did not make it through, though. After outrage and investigations, Rose was deemed to have brought the game into disrepute. His team were thrown out, and declarations were later struck from the playing conditions. Meaning the need for a cunning ruse like Raza's. There is a fundamental difference, though. Rose had no issue losing the game in order to progress towards a greater goal; Raza was doing his best to win it for the same reason. Law 21.1.2 - Underarm bowling shall not be permitted except by special agreement before the match Raza said after the Qatar game that he had no intention of disrespecting either the sport or the Qatar side with his plan. No doubt he was wary it could be perceived negatively, or against the intangible 'spirit of the game'. Some unique strategies have caused all sorts of angst. One of the most famous examples was when Greg Chappell, Australia's captain, instructed his brother Trevor to bowl the last ball of a one-day international against New Zealand underarm. It meant the New Zealanders had no chance of scoring the six they needed to tie, but it caused a furore that has had long-lasting ramifications. The most relevant one was that the laws were amended to rule out bowling underarm. Law 28.3.1 Protective helmets, when not in use by fielders, may not be placed on the ground, above the surface except behind the wicketkeeper and in line with both sets of stumps All very wordy. But the specifics are necessary. Helmets that are unused by the fielding team have to be placed behind the wicketkeeper. That limits least likelihood of them being hit, which incurs a five-run penalty for the fielding team. And that was once used as a ploy – before the lawmakers acted. In a county match at Lord's, the Middlesex captain Mike Brearley had two helmets stationed as fielders on the leg side. The thinking was they wanted to induce the right-handed batter to play against the left-arm spin of Phil Edmonds for the reward of five runs, and hopefully induce an error. It did not work, and the practice was done away with not long after. 28.4 Limitation of on side fielders This caps the number of fielders allowed behind square on the leg side to just two. Any more than that, and it is a no-ball. It came about in 1957 for a couple of reasons. The idea was to stop negative bowling tactics where off spinners and inswing bowlers aimed at batters' legs, and packed the field on that side. Such tactics would stifle runs. But it also made to limit the effects of hostile bowling at the head and body. That was the tactic most famously employed by Douglas Jardine's England side to try to combat Don Bradman in the Ashes series of 1932/33 that was known as the 'Bodyline' series.
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Madness': All 10 batters retire in cricket scorecard chaos
The cricket world has been left in disbelief after watching the United Arab Emirates (UAE) retire all 10 batters in a crazy Women's T20 World Cup qualifier. Saturday's Asia qualifier produced scenes of 'proper madness' as the UAE deployed a deliberate tactic of retiring all of their batters in order to complete their innings as quickly as possible. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. UAE openers Esha Oza and Theertha Satish had smashed their way to 0/192 in 16 overs when the team made the call to speed up their innings in order to try and wrap the game up before rain was expected to hit the TerdThai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand. There were extraordinary scenes as UAE's batters lined up in procession on the boundary rope to retire their innings without facing a delivery. There are no declarations in international T20 cricket, so retiring all their batters was the quickest option available to coach Ahmed Raza. Leading cricket scribe Paul Radley described the scenes as 'proper madness'. Understandably, he also described the innings scorecard as 'crazy'. In reply, Qatar survived just 11.1 and were knocked over for 29 runs, giving the UAE a 163-run victory. Only three Qatari batters were able to score runs with seven ducks recorded on their innings. With the UAE retirements counting as ducks, there were a history-shattering 15 ducks in the game. The UAE's innings was the first instance of a team retiring more than two batters in a men's or women's international match. Captain Oza was the player of the match after striking 113 from 55 balls and also picking up a wicket. Satish also hit 74 from 42 balls before the retirements began. It was Michelle Botha who did the damage with the ball for the UAE, taking three wickets for just 11 runs. It was the UAE's second consecutive victory at the Asia Qualifier event and puts them in the box seat to progress to the Super Three stage of the event as the top team in Group B. The top two teams will progress to the Global Qualifier.
The National
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
World first in cricket: UAE retire out all 10 batters to beat rain and thrash Qatar in T20 World Cup qualifier
A unique tactical move in which they opted to retire out all their batters helped the UAE to a massive 163-run over Qatar in Women's T20 World Cup qualifying in Thailand. After Esha Oza and Theertha Satish racked up 192 for the first wicket in 16 overs, coach Ahmed Raza opted to retire out both batters, as well as everyone else in the side. The Asian regional tournament in Bangkok is the first step of the qualifying process for the World Cup in England in the summer of 2026. The two finalists in the event will advance to the global qualifier early next year, and the UAE are targeting a place at that event. Matches have already been rain effected. In their opening fixture, the UAE themselves won a game against Malaysia which was shortened to seven overs. Knowing that they needed to bowl five overs of the Qatar innings for a match to be constituted, Raza invoked a new ruse to save time. At that stage, there were storms in the vicinity of the ground. Declarations are not applicable in limited-over cricket, so Raza told each batter to get padded up. They then took turns – in pairs – racing to the middle to stand at the batting crease, then return straight back without facing a ball. The UAE innings was effectively 'declared' at that point. The plan worked as they then bowled out Qatar for just 29 in 11.1 overs. 'It was an extraordinary day and I don't want this series of events overshadowing the brilliant hundred Esha got,' Raza said. 'The opening partnership of 192 between Esha and Theertha was brilliant. In terms of the retiring out of players, by the end of the 13th or 14th over, we could hear thunder, see lightning and there was a heavy breeze. 'So we were pretty scared something was going to happen, and as soon as we boarded the bus after the game, there was a thunderstorm and the weather was really bad. 'Everything which happened was within the laws. In white-ball cricket, you cannot declare the innings, so the other way round is to retire all your players. 'I checked with the match ref, I checked with the reserve umpire, and once they were happy with me doing that, that is when we retired all the players at the end of the 16th over.' The tactic was perhaps not enacted as efficiently as the team themselves would have liked. It caught both players and the umpires in the middle by surprise, leading to delay and debate on the field. Tabarak Dar and N Janani, the two standing officials, conferred with Akbar Ali, the reserve umpire, and the match referee was also called to adjudicate. Once it was deemed to be within the laws, the match continued, and the national team ran out convincing winners. 'We got through our first five overs quickly, because that is what you need to constitute a T20 game,' Raza said. 'It was drizzling throughout the innings but our bowlers managed to get all 10 wickets, which was great, and we got the two crucial points. 'Our actions were by no means to disrespect our opposition or cricket. Cricket runs in my blood, it is my passion, and is everything to me. 'Everything which happened was within the laws and was well communicated to the match ref and the reserve umpire.' Oza, the reigning ICC associate cricketer of the year, said she was 'not exactly' aware of the plan when she was called from the batting crease, 'but once we crossed the rope we got a better idea of what was happening'. 'It was a different day out on the field,' Oza, who made her fourth T20I century, said. 'With the kind of weather we are playing under, it is unpredictable. We were hearing the thunderstorms, and you never know. 'In these kinds of tournaments the result is all important so that was the tactical decision that was made.' Aysha Mohammed, Qatar's captain, accepted what had occurred with a laugh, saying her side had learnt a lot. 'There were a lot of things going on in the middle and we were confused as to what was happening,' she said. 'What can you say? We were not aware [of the retirements], we just saw the batters running in and we were like, 'What is going on here?' 'It was the first time in my career I have experienced a scenario like that.'
The National
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
World first in cricket: UAE retire out all 10 batters to beat rain and thrash Qatar in T20 World Cup qualifer
A unique tactical move in which they opted to retire out all their batters helped the UAE to a massive 163-run over Qatar in Women's T20 World Cup qualifying in Thailand. After Esha Oza and Theertha Satish racked up 192 for the first wicket in 16 overs, coach Ahmed Raza opted to retire out both batters, as well as everyone else in the side. The Asian regional tournament in Bangkok is the first step of the qualifying process for the World Cup in England in the summer of 2026. The two finalists in the event will advance to the global qualifier early next year, and the UAE are targeting a place at that event. Matches have already been rain effected. In their opening fixture, the UAE themselves won a game against Malaysia which was shortened to seven overs. Knowing that they needed to bowl five overs of the Qatar innings for a match to be constituted, Raza invoked a new ruse to save time. At that stage, there were storms in the vicinity of the ground. Declarations are not applicable in limited-over cricket, so Raza told each batter to get padded up. They then took turns – in pairs – racing to the middle to stand at the batting crease, then return straight back without facing a ball. The UAE innings was effectively 'declared' at that point. The plan worked as they then bowled out Qatar for just 29 in 11.1 overs. 'It was an extraordinary day and I don't want this series of events overshadowing the brilliant hundred Esha got,' Raza said. 'The opening partnership of 192 between Esha and Theertha was brilliant. In terms of the retiring out of players, by the end of the 13th or 14th over, we could hear thunder, see lightning and there was a heavy breeze. 'So we were pretty scared something was going to happen, and as soon as we boarded the bus after the game, there was a thunderstorm and the weather was really bad. 'Everything which happened was within the laws. In white-ball cricket, you cannot declare the innings, so the other way round is to retire all your players. 'I checked with the match ref, I checked with the reserve umpire, and once they were happy with me doing that, that is when we retired all the players at the end of the 16th over.' The tactic was perhaps not enacted as efficiently as the team themselves would have liked. It caught both players and the umpires in the middle by surprise, leading to delay and debate on the field. Tabarak Dar and N Janani, the two standing officials, conferred with Akbar Ali, the reserve umpire, and the match referee was also called to adjudicate. Once it was deemed to be within the laws, the match continued, and the national team ran out convincing winners. 'We got through our first five overs quickly, because that is what you need to constitute a T20 game,' Raza said. 'It was drizzling throughout the innings but our bowlers managed to get all 10 wickets, which was great, and we got the two crucial points. 'Our actions were by no means to disrespect our opposition or cricket. Cricket runs in my blood, it is my passion, and is everything to me. 'Everything which happened was within the laws and was well communicated to the match ref and the reserve umpire.' Oza, the reigning ICC associate cricketer of the year, said she was 'not exactly' aware of the plan when she was called from the batting crease, 'but once we crossed the rope we got a better idea of what was happening'. 'It was a different day out on the field,' Oza, who made her fourth T20I century, said. 'With the kind of weather we are playing under, it is unpredictable. We were hearing the thunderstorms, and you never know. 'In these kinds of tournaments the result is all important so that was the tactical decision that was made.' Aysha Mohammed, Qatar's captain, accepted what had occurred with a laugh, saying her side had learnt a lot. 'There were a lot of things going on in the middle and we were confused as to what was happening,' she said. 'What can you say? We were not aware [of the retirements], we just saw the batters running in and we were like, 'What is going on here?' 'It was the first time in my career I have experienced a scenario like that.'
