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Mohammad Nabi made more history on Friday when he became the first Afghanistan player to be picked in the 2017 CPL draft. The former captain was picked up by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for USD 90,000 in the fourth round of the draft and was closely followed by team-mate Rashid Khan, who was taken in the sixth round for USD 60,000 by Guyana Amazon Warriors.This follows an excellent couple of months for Afghanistan cricket in general. The same pair of Nabi and Rashid had been snapped up at the IPL auction in February by Sunrisers Hyderabad and beginning in December the team has been on a 10-match winning streak in T20Is – a world record. Mere hours before he was picked up, Rashid produced a spellbinding display against Ireland, picking up five wickets in nine balls to turn the game around in an eventual 17-run win.

CPL squads

BARBADOS TRIDENTS: Kieron Pollard, Kane Williamson*, Shoaib Malik, Dwayne Smith, Nicholas Pooran, Wayne Parnell, Ravi Rampaul, Wahab Riaz, Raymon Reifer, Christopher Barnwell, Imran Khan, Damion Jacobs, Akeal Hosein, Ryan Wiggins, Tino Best, Shamar Springer, Akeem Dodson
GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS: Sohail Tanvir, Martin Guptill*, Chadwick Walton, Chris Lynn, Rayad Emrit, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshan Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Shimron Hetmyer, Ali Khan
JAMAICA TALLAWAHS: Lendl Simmons, Kumar Sangakkara*, Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Sami, Rovman Powell, Gidron Pope, Kesrick Williams, Garey Mathurin, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Foo, Kennar Lewis, Andre McCarthy, Odean Smith, O’Shane Thomas, Timroy Allen
ST. KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS: Chris Gayle, Chris Morris*, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nabi, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Jonathan Carter, Tabraiz Shamsi, Brandon King, Devon Thomas, Sheldon Cotterell, Kieran Powell, Fabian Allen, Shamarh Brooks, Jeremiah Louis, Alzarri Joseph, Nikhil Dutta, Carlos Brathwaite
ST. LUCIA STARS: David Miller, Lasith Malinga*, Shane Watson, Darren Sammy, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Kamran Akmal, Rakheem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers, Shane Shillingford, Eddie Leie, Keddy Lesporis, Sunil Ambris, Obed McCoy, Timil Patel
TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS: Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum*, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Colin Munro, Shadab Khan, Khary Pierre, Ronsford Beaton, Javon Searles, Nikita Miller, William Perkins, Kevon Cooper, Brad Hogg, Anderson Phillip, Hamza Tariq
* denotes marquee players

The top pick at the draft was Lendl Simmons, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament’s three-year history with a tally of 1238 from 39 matches. Also a two-time World T20 winner, he went to Jamaica Tallawahs for USD 160,000 having represented Patriots in 2016. Tallawahs, the defending champions, needed the muscle at the top of the order after they traded their captain Chris Gayle and top-scorer in all of CPL to the team that finished bottom last season, the Patriots. West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite might also turn out for the Patriots provided he does not have any WICB commitments at the time.Among the biggest gainers from the draft were West Indies wicketkeeper batsman Chadwick Walton. His USD 30,000 contract last year became a thing of the distant past after he was bought for over three times the price – USD 110,000 – by Amazon Warriors. Australia allrounder Ben Cutting also went for the same amount and is all set to play in his first CPL, for Patriots, who had also enlisted the services of South Africa’s Chris Morris for USD 130,000 the day before the draft.There were several notable players who went unsold as well. To name a few, Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah, their Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who struck six successive sixes in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz on Thursday, England T20 specialist Tymal Mills, Corey Anderson, who at one time held the record for the fastest century in ODIs and Shaun Marsh, who plays for Perth Scorchers, three-time BBL champions.Tallawahs invested in, among others, Mohammad Sami, who defended four runs off the last over in the recently concluded PSL to put Islamabad United into the play-offs, and Krishmar Santokie, the former West Indies left-arm quick known for his slingy action and accurate yorkers. They were the most active team in the draft, alongside the newly renamed St Lucia Stars, picking up seven players each.Marlon Samuels may have dismantled Lasith Malinga in the 2012 World T20 final, but they will be playing together under the leadership of Darren Sammy for the Stars this CPL. They also purchased Pakistan wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, who was the only centurion in the 2017 PSL, and the big-hitting offspinning allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who had previously represented the defunct Antigua Hawksbills.The six franchises had chosen their marquee picks a day before the draft. Kane Williamson joined team-mates Martin Guptill (Amazon Warriors) and Brendon McCullum (Trinbago Knight Riders) as the only New Zealand players in the tournament. Williamson was recruited by Barbados Tridents, who also bulked up their fast bowling reserves by picking up Wahab Riaz, Wayne Parnell and Tino Best. Knight Riders, like their namesake in the IPL, showed a fondness for unusual spinners and bought the 46-year old Brad Hogg and the 18-year old Shadab Khan, whose googlies were rarely picked by the batsmen in the PSL.A total of nine Associate players have been placed with teams in the CPL along with Rashid and Nabi. From the USA team, allrounder Timroy Allen was retained by Tallawahs after appearing in six matches during their 2016 title campaign. Fast bowler Ali Khan was retained by Amazon Warriors while batsman Steven Taylor was snapped up for USD 30,000 by Amazon Warriors after spending the last two seasons with Barbados Tridents. Legspinner Timil Patel was picked for the first time, by Stars, and wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson was taken by Tridents. Canada’s Nikhil Dutta and Hamza Tariq were retained by Patriots and Knight Riders respectively.

Yorkshire have returned to profit for the first time since 2009, as the club’s on-field success was matched by an improved financial position. The positive news threatens to be overshadowed, however, by a disagreement with Geoff Boycott over his desire to rejoin the Yorkshire board.According to the , Boycott has gathered the necessary support to be stand for election at the forthcoming AGM but the club is resistant to a “destabilising” bid from the former England batsman.Boycott is understood to be concerned about a decline in membership, as well as the club’s level of debt, which stands at around £22m. However, Yorkshire chairman Steve Denison has written to members setting out reasons for opposing Boycott’s return – he served on the board between 2007 and 2012 and was elected president for 2012-13.These include the fact that Yorkshire subsequently won the Championship in 2014 and 2015 – having suffered relegation in 2011 – during which time there has been a clear operational divide between the board and team management. Denison said it would be “counter-productive to disrupt things now”.Boycott, a legendary figure around the club, has been offered a role as “global ambassador” but there remains the possibility of a clash reminiscent of the infamous 1980s struggles between Yorkshire and their star player ahead of the March 26 AGM.One of Boycott’s concerns has been the amount of money owed to former chairman Colin Graves and he has called on the club “to start living within our own means”. Graves, who saved Yorkshire from bankruptcy, is now chairman of the ECB and loans worth £18.9m have been divested into the independent Graves family trust.The announcement of a £368,000 profit for 2015 should go some way to easing concerns about the club’s financial position. That represents a significant turnaround from their 2014 losses and will encourage hopes that Yorkshire can be run as a sustainable business post-Graves.Denison described the surplus as a “significant milestone” but warned the club’s debt is likely to rise as it seeks to fund a rebuilt Football Stand at Headingley. Development of the ground is considered vital to maintaining its status as an international venue after Yorkshire’s staging agreement with the ECB runs out in 2019.Yorkshire’s income rose from £7.3m to £8.4m in 2015, with their continued supply of players to the England sides – including Test debuts for Adam Lyth and Adil Rashid – leading to increased ECB funding. That led to a rise in the club’s wage bill, with a bigger squad required to cover for absences.The club also agreed a loan repayment with Leeds City Council, which accepted £6.5m in settlement of the £7.4m capital outstanding. The restructuring of Yorkshire’s debts mean that annual interest has been reduced by £300,000 and there are no scheduled capital repayments until 2019.”We have made further progress in 2015 and to report an annual profit for the first time since 2009 is a significant step forward,” Paul Hudson, Yorkshire’s director of finance, said. “It is gratifying that turnover in all areas has increased consistently over the past three years and we expect this trend to continue in 2016.”The successful completion of the club’s refinancing was a watershed and we are confident that the existing debt is now at a manageable level. The club is in a stronger financial position than it has been at any time in recent years.”

England are going to have to improve significantly if they are to win the Women’s World T20, Mark Robinson believes. Despite winning the Women’s World Cup only a few months ago, the England coach admitted his side’s T20 cricket is not at the same level.Part of the issue, he believes, is simply that they do not play enough. England went into their Ashes T20 matches having not played international T20 for nearly 18 months (from July 2016 to November 2017) and, as a consequence, are unsure of their best side or tactics. Clearly, however, they are looking for more pace from their bowlers and more power from their hitters ahead of the tournament in the Caribbean in November.”We have to address some areas we haven’t done very well in T20,” Robinson said as he looked ahead to England’s T20 tri-series against India and Australia in India. “We’ve looked at the Big Bash and the Super League to see how our players do. And our batters don’t come out of it with big numbers.”I watch the Super League and the Big Bash and the overseas players are dominating a bit. I don’t want that. I want our players to dominate. I’m challenging my players to dominate. We know we need to win big moments and Powerplays.”We’ve got to look to improve that. What we’re doing at the moment isn’t going to win you a World Cup. And we have to change that.”In the long-term, Robinson believes the standard of England’s fast bowling must improve. The game around the world, he feels, is disproportionately dominated by what he refers to as “dobbers” but, as the standard of pitches improves, he feels greater skills will be required.”At the moment our game is being dominated by dobbers,” he said. “Not spinners but slow bowlers. The women’s game is a trial by spin. The standard of fast bowling is not good enough in world cricket. If the wickets improve like they have been then they – the bowlers – are going to have to get better.”The ability to bowl the wide yorkers and the ability to bowl the bouncer is really important. You are going to want to have impact bowlers. New Zealand have Lea Tahuhu and South Africa have Shabnim Ismail and they are really important on good wickets as they can grab you a wicket.”That’s one thing that is starting to change now. The bowlers have to fight back – not dumb down – and get better and not be bossed all over the place like we were in the last two Ashes games.”One advantage enjoyed by England’s men but not extended to the women was the erection of a tent at Loughborough enabling players to practise on grass ahead of the tour. “The tent is put up for the men,” Robinson said. “We don’t get that luxury unfortunately. Maybe in a few years’ time we will.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:26

Agarkar: Jadhav, Kohli almost seemed unflappable

England brought their heavy artillery to the MCA Stadium in Pune but still they were outgunned. They posted 350 and then had India 63 for 4 but could not finish the job. They removed Virat Kohli, the king of the chase, but others stepped into the breach. They saw off Kedar Jadhav, who scored a 65-ball hundred, but could not see off the rest. A match that aggregated more than 700 runs was finally settled in India’s favour with the 23rd six of the night. This could be some series.Kohli extended the imperious form that saw him reign in all formats in 2016 to score his 27th ODI hundred and he was ably supported by Jadhav, 31 years old and playing his 13th ODI, during a partnership of exactly 200 that set up India to achieve their joint second-highest successful chase. Victory was completed with 11 balls to spare as Hardik Pandya followed up his two wickets with a cool-headed and inventive 40 not out to guide India home.Kohli was visibly anguished to be dismissed with 88 still needed and Jadhav, struggling with cramp, fell shortly after to give England hope of pulling the match back. In the end, defending the short boundaries was too difficult a task, with only Jake Ball – who took 3 for 67 – and Chris Woakes going at fewer than India’s required rate of seven an over.Half-centuries of varying tempo from Jason Roy, Joe Root and Ben Stokes took England to what seemed a formidable total – the seventh time they had touched 350 since the 2015 World Cup – but, crucially, none of their early successes with the ball included Kohli. Stokes finally induced an error after Kohli and Jadhav had raised the double-century stand – India’s second-highest for any wicket in ODIs – and Jadhav was then reduced to standing and swinging as cramp prevented him from running.Stokes, with the fastest fifty by an Englishman against India, had provided the high-velocity finish England needed to set a challenging target. Their innings had threatened to subside after the dismissal of Root for 78 but Stokes hit the pedal in response, going from 14 off 19 to a 33-ball fifty in a starburst of sixes, as 105 runs flowed from the last eight overs to give England their highest ODI total in India – surpassing the 338 made in Bangalore at the 2011 World Cup (which also wasn’t good enough for victory). Only twice had India chased as many, during their 2013-14 series with Australia.Kohli, in his first match since succeeding MS Dhoni as ODI captain, may have been frustrated with his bowlers at halfway but he set about making up for it himself. He wanted to bat second and showed his relish for the chase, cracking his fourth ball into the stands and taking every opportunity to put pressure on England as the bowlers sought wickets. Five sixes rained from his bat in all, along with numerous more subtle dissections.Jadhav made an ODI century against Zimbabwe in 2015 but has had to bide his time with India, despite a List A average approaching 50. With Kohli looking as regal as ever, he just needed someone to stay with him, but Jadhav did more than that. He outscored Kohli during their partnership and was particularly severe on Adil Rashid, one of the stars of England’s white-ball revival, who was twice hit out of the attack. At 262 for 4 with 14 overs to go, India were favourites and late strikes from Stokes and Ball could not derail them.The outcome had been less certain after David Willey removed both openers, then India’s veteran middle-order pairing of Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni also fell cheaply. Yuvraj, playing his first ODI in more than three years, sent his first scoring shot over the rope at deep midwicket, a throwback to his days of youthful marauding, but was caught tamely down the leg side off Stokes; Dhoni departed in the next over, top-edging a misbegotten pull to midwicket off Ball to leave India in trouble.This England one-day side have come to India as both a curiosity and a threat. Their pumped-up approach has made them the fastest-scoring side in ODIs since a dismal showing at the last World Cup and subject of genuine interest in a country that knows more about limited-overs success than most – and one where England have tended to fail in coloured clothing. Eoin Morgan’s side have got into the habit of breaking records and you can now throw in the highest ODI total England have failed to defend.Some of that spark was provided by England’s daring run to the final of last year’s World T20 in India. Roy was one of the breakout stars of that tournament and he continued to show a liking for the conditions after Kohli chose to insert England. Roy played several crisp drive and flicks, either side of overturning an lbw decision after being given out on 18, to give the innings its early impetus.His endeavour allowed Alex Hales to settle in, as is his preferred method, but the partnership was broken on 39 when Jasprit Bumrah’s flat throw from deep-backward square leg caught Hales millimetres short. Roy’s blade continued to flash, the pick of his fours a beautifully timed straight drive off Bumrah, during a 36-ball half-century as England ended the opening Powerplay on 67 for 1 (Roy with 52 of them). Then came the challenge of spin.Root took his time to adjust and was mostly content to deal in dabs and deflections, although he did clear the ropes with a lofted sweep off Jadeja after reaching his fifty, from 72 balls. England played the spinners intelligently, with only Ravindra Jadeja taking a wicket, although Roy had a life on 66 when top-edging a reverse-swipe off R Ashwin to short third man, where Umesh Yadav couldn’t hold on. He was finally removed in the following over, walking past a non-turning delivery from Jadeja to be stumped.Morgan, back to lead England after opting out of the tour to Bangladesh, came into his first ODI since England lost to Pakistan at Cardiff in September having made scores of 3 and 0 in the warm-ups. After watchfully accruing four off 12 balls, he struck the first six of the innings, slog-sweeping over midwicket as Ashwin’s spell turned expensive, but just when he appeared set for some steady middle-overs accumulation a thin edge behind – undetected by the umpire but confirmed by DRS – ended his stay.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDilani Manodara struck a career-best 84 off 111 balls•Getty/ICC

Pakistan flirted with their first victory in 14 World Cup matches several times over the course of the action in Leicester. They had Sri Lanka at 98 for 5 in the 27th over but somehow let them scramble to 221. Then, in the chase, they were 134 for 4 with a well-set Nain Abidi finding the boundaries at will. But she would be run out – the result of a mix up with her captain Sana Mir – as self-inflicted wounds eventually led to a defeat most agonising. They needed 16 runs in 21 balls when their last wicket fell.

Will come back stronger – Mir

After finishing a second successive World Cup campaign without a victory, Pakistan captain Sana Mir highlighted weaknesses in their batting line-up as a major area that needed improvement.
“Our batters have been under pressure throughout the tournament but they put up a fight today,” she said. “Mostly we are not able to finish matches when we get on top as we give away wickets at crucial times and that happened again today.
“We are very disappointed. But in life, these things happen but you have to bounce back. We will learn from the tournament and the younger players will come back stronger.”

Watching the chaos unfold from behind the wicket was Dilani Manodara. Thirty-four years old, and perhaps playing her last World Cup game, she couldn’t have hoped for more as she first resurrected Sri Lanka’s innings with a career-best 84 off 111 balls and then savoured a hard-fought victory – the only one her team will take home. Could she have imagined that when she had been at the crease, trying determinedly to glue Sri Lanka together? She might have despaired as her top four couldn’t move past a score of 27, but in Eshani Lokusuriyage, she found someone willing to stick around. The two batsmen put on a pivotal 76 runs in 16.2 overs and the momentum shifted.The other major contributor was left-arm spinner Chandima Gunaratne, who, also, at 35, might wonder if she can stay on the radar until 2021. Perhaps that had only spurred her on to grab her chance. She was given the new ball and it worked for her so well that her first spell lasted eight overs and fetched two wickets – Nahida Khan, bowled by the quicker ball, and Ayesha Zafar, caught off the slower one. Sri Lanka saved the last of her overs for the death, and that too proved a master stroke – she was brought back in the 34th and with her first ball she pinned Mir lbw and eventually finished with 4 for 41.Abidi, by this time, was left to stew in the dressing room. Having come in at 43 for 2 in the 14th over, she did her best to upset the strangle Sri Lanka were so desperate to pull off. She was adept at finding gaps through point, third man and fine leg and her her free-flowing innings – 57 off only 68 balls with nine fours – seemed to suggest Pakistan might not have to walk away from another World Cup winless; they had lost all of their four matches in 2013.But it was not to be. She was run out with the target 88 runs away. Asmavia Iqbal took up her place and fought bravely, guiding a brittle tail so very close to the finish line. But she ended up at the non-strikers end, with 38 off 45 balls, when Sri Lanka captain Inoka Ranaweera bowled No. 11 Sadia Yousuf to cap a special spell. Forty-six of her 58 deliveries were dots and then she took the match-sealing wicket.It was Sri Lanka’s first win in seven World-Cup matches, secured under the watchful eyes of Kathy Cross and Sue Redfern, the first set of female on-field umpires to officiate an international game since at least 2000.

It might not have had much of a bearing on the result of the match, but the third umpire might have looked at the wrong replay when the on-field officials turned to him to check on a no-ball during the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Jasprit Bumrah is no stranger to bowling no-balls – his costliest one coming in last year’s Champions Trophy final – but he got away without scrutiny when he dismissed Umesh Yadav, the eighth Royal Challengers batsman to fall, on Tuesday. The on-field umpire immediately asked to see if he had overstepped. The replay shown, though, has Umesh at the non-striker’s end, and the heel of Bumrah’s front foot lands well inside the crease. The commentators were surprised that it was even checked. “No need to go [to the third umpire] for that,” commentator Sunil Gavaskar said on air.It went unnoticed that Umesh was in the picture at the non-striker’s end until Twitter user @ronak_169 brought it to ESPNcricinfo’s notice. While this was not significant to the result – Royal Challengers were 137 for 7, chasing 214, with only 13 balls left – it once again raises the possibility of this human error in more critical stages of the match. Nor is this the first time that the third umpire has ruled on a no-ball when watching the wrong replay.In the 2011 IPL, Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out similarly. The first two replays showed that the bowler Amit Mishra was close to overstepping, but a third angle, from cover, had him just okay. It was later noticed that in the third replay, Tendulkar was at the non-striker’s end. Later that year, in a Test match in Barbados, MS Dhoni was ruled out off a no-ball even though on-field umpire Ian Gould suspected Fidel Edwards had overstepped and went upstairs to check. The wrong replay was shown to the third umpire on that occasion, which the broadcasters, , then admitted as “a human error, compounded by a senior replay operative having to return home at a very short notice”. There must be others that go unnoticed.This kind of error often occurs when the replay operator clicks twice, thus going to the previous ball and missing the ball in question. In this case, Umesh was indeed at the non-striker’s end one ball before he got out. There is no plausible reason for this to be anything other than an innocent human mistake, but such an error has the potential to attain major significance in a tight situation.In this particular instance, perhaps the third umpire could have been more vigilant. Perhaps checking who is at the non-striker’s end when checking for no-balls can be added to the third umpire’s protocols, but by no means is it an exhaustive check: in this case, for example, if the previous ball had been a dot played out by Umesh, a wrong replay would have shown Virat Kohli at the non-striker’s end.The trickiest part of the situation is the delegation of the decision-making arm to the broadcaster, which is not neutral in international cricket. The ICC doesn’t pay for the technology used for decision making, which means it cannot hold the broadcasters accountable for any errors. If ICC does assume control of the decision making, the money will have to ultimately come from the member boards’ share of profits, which reduces the likelihood of this happening in the near future.

Freedom was the hallmark of Bangladesh’s victory in the second T20I, said Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who top-scored for his side with a 31-ball 38, before claiming 3 for 24, having opened the bowling.That Bangladesh played without fear was clear in the first six overs of the match: Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes cracked eight fours and three sixes inside the Powerplay, fetching 68 runs. Shakib subsequently consolidated the innings alongside Sabbir Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain. Even though Bangladesh lost quick wickets towards the end of the innings, 176 for 9 always seemed a formidable score.The 45-run victory was Bangladesh’s first in the format since they beat Oman in Dharamsala in March last year.”We played with more freedom in the second T20I, compared to the first game,” Shakib said. “I think it is a positive sign. We have to play like this in T20s. It is important because we hadn’t won the last eight games. The Asia Cup last year was our last good tournament. It was a big challenge for us in this game, as we had lost the first game. This is a satisfying win.”Though Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza didn’t have an especially memorable game himself – he got out for a golden duck, and then returned 1 for 30 from his four overs – his team was intent on sending their captain into retirement with a win, Shakib said.Furthermore, despite being the frontrunner to take over the reins from Mashrafe as the new T20I captain, Shakib said he was “not thinking about captaincy” at present. Instead, he chose to dwell on Mashrafe’s legacy.”Mashrafe is a special figure in the dressing room,” Shakib said. “Naturally, everyone will miss him. We need support on and off the field, and there’s no one more helpful than him. Nobody can play forever, so I wish him all the very best in life. I would want him to continue in the ODI team for a long time, and take Bangladesh cricket forward.”Shakib stopped short of proclaiming the Sri Lanka tour as Bangladesh’s best-ever abroad, but mentioned that victories in the country were “rare”. All three series were drawn 1-1.”We made huge improvements in the Test series after losing the first game. In ODIs, we showed the consistency of the last couple of years. We didn’t bat well in the third ODI, but overall we had a mindset change in Tests and T20s. We don’t often win like this abroad.”

Following his impressive form in T20s this year, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan has signed with the Adelaide Strikers for the 2017-18 Big Bash League.The 18-year old legspinner ended his first IPL earlier this year as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s second-highest wicket-taker, with 17 from 14 matches. In the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League, he claimed the tournament’s first-ever hat-trick and finished with the best economy-rate of 5.82 for Guyana Amazon Warriors.”I am very happy to have signed with the Strikers for the BBL,” Rashid said. “It is a huge honour to be a part of such a great tournament and even more of an honour to be the first Afghanistan player to participate on the BBL stage. I look forward to linking up with my Strikers team-mates and backroom staff.”Strikers coach Jason Gillespie said: “Rashid has set the world alight in T20 cricket with his energy, enthusiasm, and great control for a young guy. He has some great variations, can bowl stump-to-stump and can be very hard to pick. We’re delighted to be able to offer him the opportunity to play for the Adelaide Strikers.”Rashid joins former South Africa batsman Colin Ingram as the franchise’s two overseas signings.Strikers, who had finished sixth out of eight in the last season, will open their campaign this year against Sydney Thunder on December 22.Adelaide Strikers squad: Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jono Dean, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Michael Neser, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Jake Weatherald, Colin Ingram, Rashid Khan

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBCB

Darren Sammy’s scorching last-over burst, followed by Mohammad Sami’s four-wicket haul, broke Comilla Victorians’ five-match winning streak, as they lost to Rajshahi Kings by 30 runs in Chittagong.Rajshahi had seemed to be ambling towards a middling score, but blitzed 72 runs off 22 balls following Sammy’s arrival. They ended up with 185 for 7, with Sammy unbeaten on 47 off 14 balls. His strike-rate of 335.71 is the highest for a batsman to have struck more than 40 runs in a BPL innings.Sammy tonked six sixes in total, four of which came in the last over that went for 32 runs. Mohammad Saifuddin, who had the misfortune of sending down that over, now holds the unenviable record of conceding the most runs in an over in BPL history.Comilla recovered well from that late onslaught and were going well in the chase, with Tamim Iqbal and Shoaib Malik putting together an 87-run stand. But once Sami dismissed Tamim, the rest simply caved. It was similar to their bowling effort that came apart after a very good start.Comilla hit back after early blowsEach of Rajshahi’s top four fell after getting their eye in. Dwayne Smith, who had got going with four punchy boundaries, was first to fall when he inside-edged Saifuddin onto the stumps after reaching out for an expansive drive. In the next over, Mominul Haque, who had raced away to a brisk start with five crisply-struck fours, paid the price for a moment’s hesitation. Mominul pushed the legspinner Rashid Khan behind point and Luke Wright called for a single straight away. Mominul, though, wasn’t as convinced and was felled by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Zakir Hasan found the bounce of an Al-Amin Hossain bouncer disconcerting and top-edged a pull that was snaffled by the bowler, before Imrul Kayes’ terrific catch at long-on ended Mushfiqur Rahim’s stay. From 43 for no loss, Rajshahi lost four wickets by the time they could double that score.Wright keeps Rajshahi tickingThe gift of timing completely abandoned Luke Wright, who struggled for large parts of his 42. But to his credit, he gritted it out. After scratching around for 20 balls for his first 14 runs, Wright showed the first signs of acceleration by collecting 16 runs off his next six balls. That included two sublime fours through midwicket off successive deliveries against Al-Amin. He added 37 runs for the fifth wicket with James Franklin in quick time, before the latter fell leg-before to a Hasan Ali yorker. Wright fell in the following over, when his scoop found short fine leg. He fell eight short of a fifty but had kept Rajshahi intact till the 18th over before Sammy took over.Sammy lays a brutal finishing touchWhen Tamim Iqbal threw Saifuddin the ball for the final over, it was in the hope that he could finish off a job well-started. Saifuddin had figures of 3-0-18-3, but nothing could have prepared him for the onslaught he suffered at the hands of Sammy. His first delivery to Sammy was a fuller ball that came into him, and all Sammy had to do was help it on its way to deep backward square leg. The rest of the over was a generous mix of fuller deliveries, or worse still, full tosses that were shoveled with brute force. Saifuddin set out on a search for the wide yorker and instead fed to Sammy’s swinging arc and offered him ample room. To make matters worse, Saifuddin sent down two wides, extending Sammy’s party to an eight-ball over. Just last month, Saifuddin had suffered a similar shellacking at the hands of David Miller, who took him apart for five successive sixes in one over, in a T20 international against South Africa.Comilla shrug off early stutterFakhar Zaman’s BPL debut lasted just five balls as he chopped Sami onto his stumps, and Imrul Kayes fell to a harsh lbw decision, with replays suggesting the ball would have missed leg – as Comilla lost two wickets in the first two overs of their chase.Tamim and Malik then resurrected Comilla’s chase with an 87-run stand for the third wicket. It was broken when Malik’s stroke-filled 45 ended tamely. One ball after a stunning four that split short third man and backward point, Malik chipped a simple return catch to Dwayne Smith, leaving Comilla with 95 to get in 52 balls.Sami’s 3-in-1Comilla did not feel the pinch of Malik’s dismissal as much as Buttler picked up from where Malik left. With Tamim, he struck 34 runs in three overs to keep Comilla’s prospects alive. Tamim launched Hossain Ali over extra cover to bring up his fifty and the 4000th run of his T20 career while Buttler used his favoured reverse sweep to good effect.Sami then got Tamim to skew an inside-out shot to deep point in the 15th over to open the gates. Alok Kapali perished two balls later when he swung across the line and lost his stumps. Sami then ended the over by having Saifuddin hole out to deep point. He gave away just one run in his last over to finish with 4 for 9 in four overs. His effort left Comilla with 32 to get from the last over, which was precisely how much Sammy hit in Rajshahi’s last over.What they said“Darren Sammy doing that made a huge difference. I think if we just got 150, we would have probably lost. And then Mohammad Sami with the ball was amazing, but I think Sammy put massive pressure on them, which helped take those wickets in the end.”