PSL 2022: Wahab Riaz escapes injury scare

Returning Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz escaped a scary injury after a horrific fall on Sunday, January 2022. Riaz, while on the run up to bowl his first ball, got his boot stuck on the ground and ended up falling horribly on his bowling arm.

Medics had to be called on the ground, but the veteran stood up and finished his remaining number of balls.

Watch the incident here


At the time of writing, Zalmi were not able to put up much resistance against the attacking intent of Islamabad United and were struggling to contain the scoring rate. Islamabad were batting at 121/1 after 10.5 overs.

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'My main aim is to play for the country again' - Dinesh Karthik targets India comeback

India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is aiming to make a comeback in the national side, preferably in the T20Is. Karthik last represented India in the 2019 ODI World Cup and since then has spent his time playing in the IPL and representing Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. With the team management looking towards the future, Karthik’s chances of making a comeback at the highest level appear bleak. However, the 36-year-old cricketer is still hopeful about donning the blue jersey again in his career. "I genuinely harbour the ambition of playing for the country again and I want to do everything possible, that is my ultimate goal. I train and practice, everything I do right now is working towards that goal. The next three years for me is about playing the sport and doing everything I can. I enjoy playing the sport," Karthik told ANI. Looking to play the role of the finisher, Karthik asserted that he will aim to fit himself into India's T20I squad. "My main aim is to play for the country again, especially the T20 format. T20 is something, the fire is still burning very brightly. Even in the last T20 World Cup, one of the main areas is a finisher and that is a role I am looking at very keenly. Over the period of time, the stats and performances show that I have done a decent job in the limited time I have spent in Indian colours and the franchises I have played for," he added. Karthik also had a brief commentary stint during India's tour of England last year, his on-point analysis was appreciated by the fans. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer shared that he sees commentary as a full-time job post his retirement as a player. "Obviously, I have enjoyed the commentary stint, but this is something I want to pursue in a serious fashion when I hang up my boots which I am planning to not do very soon. I think for me, playing the sport is of utmost importance and I want to do that for a bare minimum of three years," Karthik concluded.

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Nail-biting finish to the Women’s Ashes advocates for 5-Day Tests

England keep their Ashes hunt alive as they secure a draw in the only Test by the skin of their teeth at Manuka Oval, Canberra on Sunday. It was the 6th instance this Australian Summer, that an English team was playing a Test Match on Aussie soil. In the first 5 attempts by the Men’s team, they were never close to victory by any chance. The Women’s team on the other hand walked in with a resilience beyond conquest. A situation and position which was tantalizingly close to victory, a true test of the nerves. The challenge they had in front was an on song Alana King on debut who was spinning a web with her leg-spin on a 4th-day pitch. As the batters survived the turn and bounce of King, at the other end was Annabelle Sutherland bowling relentless short-pitch bowling. Away Ashes victories never really come easy. The scenario was incredibly critical to the context of the proceedings as well as the series. The multiformat Women’s Ashes consists of three T20Is and ODIs, and a stand-alone Test. Each of the limited over games carries two points for a win while the Test has four points for a win and two for a draw. England walked into this Test as challengers, losing a T20I and a No-Result in the couple T20Is due to rain. An outright loss in the Test match would have meant them losing grips on the Ashes series with three matches to spare. England started the Test positively after electing to bowl on a wicket helpful for the seamers. After picking three crucial wickets in the first 15 overs itself, English Women were looking threatening to seize the opportunity. The opportunity came but was left begging as Meg Lanning was dropped in the slips with the score reading 67-3. As seasoned a campaigner as Lanning, she piled up on that missed opportunity and smashed 93 to take Australia to shores of safety with a 169 run partnership with Haynes. However, England struck back again as both Lanning and Rachel Haynes (86) missed on their centuries. While England was trying to come back in the game, Ashleigh Gardener and Tahlia McGrath counter-attack and both compiled quickfire fifties to take Australia to a 300 plus score. Only after taking the second new ball were England able to clean up the Aussie lower order, where Katherine Brunt picked up a well-deserved fifer. Australia carried this momentum into their bowling. The quartet of Ellyse Perry, Darcy Brown, Sutherland, and McGrath absolutely peppered the English women with their quick bowling, along with the wily spin duo of King and Gardner. Their collective efforts reduced England to 169-8 as the English fans sighed “Not again”. The Australians were pumped and were already smelling a victory, but what stood in their way was the English captain Heather Knight. Knight ended up with a monumental knock of 168* with a right balance of stroke play and defiance, taking England within touching distance of Australia’s first innings total. Rains played spoilsport on Day 2 & 3 as many overs were lost. However, on Day 4 Australia came out with an enterprising approach. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, some impetus from Gardner and Jess Jonassen, in the end, ensured that Australia declared at 216/7 in 64 overs. This left England with 257 runs to chase in 48 overs on a tricky wicket to bag four points in the multi-format Ashes. After an inspiring performance by Captain Knight, the English side was pumped and keen to make a statement in the Ashes. The intent was visible right at the top as Lauren Winfield and Beaumont provided a good platform to build the innings. And then everyone else chipped in with handed contributions at healthy strike rates including Knight, Natalie Sciver and Sophie Dunkley. At one point England was marching to victory at 218-3 with two set batters at the crease in Sciver and Dunkley and only 39 needed in 45 balls. Australia counter-punched with different tactics. They spread the field deep and dried the boundaries to build pressure. While King was bowling her ripping leg spinners from around the stumps, Sutherland was peppering them with short-pitched bowling. Finally, the pressure got big on England and wickets fell in a heap. In the zeal to continuously attack they lost wickets, and once Sciver fell it was a procession. The equation for England was simple, with 13 runs required from 16 deliveries and three wickets in hand. But a double strike in the next two balls ensured that England gave up hopes of a win. They hoped to survive, with King getting the ball to spit off the surface and Sutherland getting it to whizz past the edge. But the resilience in the English rose again as they successfully as number 10 and 11 successfully blocked eleven more deliveries. Then, all the fielders came in. Nine catchers around the bat to an English number 11 with a leg spinner bowling wasn’t a hard memory to recall. The result ended up being the same as Kate Cross played the day out without fuss, as England safeguarded their two points and kept the Ashes alive. England survive to fight another day as the Ashes moves on to the ODI leg now.