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Scorecard Lisa Sthalekar ended with 3 for 9 to halt the Hurricanes’ charge•Getty Images

Not even the rain could stop Sydney Sixers. Inspired by the bowling of veteran Lisa Sthalekar, they romped to their ninth consecutive victory to set up a Sydney derby in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League final.The rain had been forecast and, true to form, it would simply not stay away. Torrential, persistent drizzle in the early part of the day delayed the game’s start and reduced it to 14 overs per side. After Hobart Hurricanes won the toss, elected to bat and posted a subpar 8 for 86, the rain returned, with a misty vengeance, forcing ground staff to bring on the full covers.Hurricanes knew, having finished second in the ladder, that a no-result would see them advance to the final. The second innings of the match had been due to start at 4.37 pm, and could start no later than 5.12 pm, with Sixers set to bat just five overs. Fortunately for the Sixers, however, the showers eased, the covers were peeled back and, at 5pm, with eight overs to be bowled and a target of 55, the players returned to the field.When they did, the sun even dared to shine. The Sixers had just a two-over Powerplay, and Alyssa Healy was determined to take advantage of it, with a brutal drive off Julie Hunter, and twice pulling Pyke – for four then six – to take Sixers’ target below a run a ball. With 20 from the Powerplay and in a small chase with no margin for error for the Hurricanes, Healy was dropped at square-leg by Brooke Hepburn, and spared a stumping when dancing down the track by wicketkeeper Em Smith.Healy and Ellyse Perry were in no mood to let the Hurricanes off. They ran hard and picked off boundaries with ease, both strong in front and behind square on the legside. Despite Hunter’s best efforts – her second over, the sixth, included three dot balls – the Sixers strolled home with 10 balls to spare as Perry drove Knight through the offside. It had taken just 22 minutes.Earlier, Veronica Pyke looked to guide Marizanne Kapp’s second ball of the innings to third man, but only succeeded in edging behind, where Healy took a fine diving catch. Heather Knight found some rhythm, consecutively ramping and swinging Sarah Aley hard to leg for boundaries. With Erin Burns also looking at ease against Kapp, whose second over cost 15, the Hurricanes’ four-over Powerplay looked productive, with 30 runs scored for the loss of just Pyke.Enter Sthalekar. She tossed her first ball up, enticing Knight to drive down the ground, and the bowler dove to her right to take a fine catch. Her first two overs would cost just five runs to put the breaks on the Hurricanes, even if Amy Satterthwaite swiped twice to drive Lauren Smith for boundaries in the over between. Sthalekar was withdrawn from the attack and the batsmen settled again, with Burns late-cutting Perry beautifully. The Hurricanes looked well-placed on 68 for the loss of two wickets.Perry brought Sthalekar back to bowl her third and final over in the innings’ 11th, and the offspinner dismissed both set batsmen in three balls to derail the Hurricanes’ charge. First, Burns used her feet but slapped straight to cover. Then, off the last ball of her spell, Sthalekar gave a full ball plenty of flight and trapped Satterthwaite plumb in front.From there, Hurricanes’ innings never recovered, losing four more wickets, with Hayley Matthews inside edging Aley, Corinne Hall playing on to Kapp, and both Sasha Moloney and Julie Hunter run out going for the third in Perry’s final over. Indeed Sthalekar, surprisingly, provided the only blot on the Sixers’ superb finish, dropping Moloney at cover off Perry.Otherwise, this was a highly professional performance. Sixers were a team thrown together a matter of days before the tournament. They took time – six defeats – to find their feet. Now, however, they are within touching distance of completing a truly outstanding, unfathomable turnaround.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Twenty20 cricket is that in such a shortened format, no team can be taken for granted. The Australians were at the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in this decade, going down to Zimbabwe in Cape Town, and it’s the element of surprise people will look forward to when they take guard against Bangladesh in the first part of the double-header at Newlands.The manner in which Aftab Ahmed and Mohammad Ashraful detonated West Indies in Johannesburg and nearly took the South Africans to the cleaners has proved that they are no pushovers against the best. The defeat against South Africa will force them to rethink their batting strategy. Australia overcame their rustiness with a crushing eight-wicket win against England and that could well be a sneak preview for what is yet to come.Bat play : High-adrenalin willow-bashing gets the crowds pouring in, and in that department, Bangladesh have not disappointed. Ashraful and Aftab knocked West Indies out of the tournament with fearless hitting, and the crowds gasped at the way Aftab threw his bat at everything in Cape Town. One would have to wonder what would have been had the batsmen tempered their aggression after the initial blitz. Nazimuddin’s twin failures at the top could leave an opening for fellow newcomers like Junaid Siddique.The results of Ricky Ponting’s talk of not respecting the game enough after the Zimbabwe debacle reflected in the way Australia chased down England’s modest target of 136 with over five overs to spare. The openers, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist have fired and the middle order will be waiting to have a go.Wrecking ball: Mashrafe Mortaza has been a disappointment so far, adding to the burden on Syed Rasel to check the flow of runs. Ashraful will continue to rely heavily on his spinners, and Abdur Razzak’s ability to fire the ball in at a flat trajectory will be a useful weapon to curb hitters like Hayden from stepping down the track.Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken shared the spoils with three wickets each against England and also kept the runs down. Brad Hogg, after a successful World Cup is due to get a game and with the business end of the tournament set to begin, they’d be better off bringing on the specialists, instead of relying on part-timers like Brad Hodge.Keep your eye on: Andrew Symonds. There may be little to differentiate him with the rest in a team of big hitters but his presence bound to have a demoralising effect on the bowlers, given his ability to stand at the crease and hoick balls out of the ground. Following his 31 against Zimbabwe, a big score is lurking around the corner somewhere.Shop Talk: “We beat them [Australia] in a 50-over game in Cardiff, so in Twenty20 cricket we still have a very good chance”, said a confident Ashraful after the loss to South Africa. Ashraful has the license to fire off pre-match salvos like that after masterminding that victory two years ago. Bangladesh have only gained in confidence as a team since then so the pressure will be on Australia.Pitching it right: With rain in the air, the pitch at Newlands should give the bowlers the kind of purchase they’re looking for. The South Africa- Bangladesh was played on a dry surface with plenty of cracks, assisting both the seamers and spinners so one can expect similar conditions.TeamsAustralia (probable) Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Andrew Symonds, Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell JohnsonBangladesh (probable) Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Farhad Reza, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mashrafe Mortaza, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak

Kiran More, whose high-profile and controversial four-year term as chairman of selectors comes to an end later this month, has said that, contrary to popular perception, he was not anti-Ganguly and believed Ganguly could still make a comeback into the national side.”Sourav was in a difficult phase,” he told when asked about one of the toughest decisions of his tenure. “He was captain and had been a great player … All of us had debated it long and I was very clear about it. The media hype made things worse. But when you are dropped, you need good people around you. I have been dropped and went through that phase when people around you attribute reasons to the dropping. India’s culture is such that a person’s dropping affects not just him but his parents, family, friends and the city. Soon, you forget about performing and instead, put on a performance. It is tremendous pressure and takes your focus off cricket.”However, he asserted that he is “not anti-Ganguly” and believed that Ganguly can make a comeback. “A strong domestic performance, a place in the team management’s plan, an open slot. Most cricketers make five-six comebacks. I am not anti-Ganguly. I am against no one. Sometimes players get dropped and they glare at you, stop wishing you. Players have said a few things to me, have argued, I have put it out of my head.”More also felt the board needed to be flexible about the terms given to the selectors. “If someone is good, give him a longer term, even seven-eight years,” he said. “Otherwise, if every year the appointment has to be made, then obviously a selector comes under pressure. He is only human.”Despite many criticisms against the selection system – John Wright, the former coach, went to the extent of comparing it to “horse trading” – More spoke about the benefits of having such a policy. “The system per se is not that bad, you need zonal representation because in a country as large as India, you need to see players from all over. Then, I don’t think that if a selector is unpaid, he is not professional. Still, I agree selectors should be paid. They spend too much time doing this job, away from family and regular commitments.”We tried to remove a zonal bias, and even in the West Zone we’ve tried to make changes. I am human, I can make mistakes but as long as I have done so in good faith, it is OK.”More also spoke about one of his biggest disappointments. “I really have to think [about regrets] but probably, Aakash Chopra. [He was] a fantastic talent and great temperament and we really believed in him and supported him after his knee injury but somehow, he just shut himself down – mentally more than technically, I think.”If you see his scores before he played for India, they were all big, but then he slowed down. Perhaps what affected him was the media hype about technical perfection, about him being the best-equipped Indian opener in a long time, maybe technique took him over. It can be difficult to deal with, I know him very well and wondered. Only, the doors aren’t shut for him, for anyone. An outstanding season, win a couple of games for your state, you’re back in contention.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board is under fire from senators after failing to persaude its English counterparts to agree to play a Test at Karachi during their tour later this year.According to , the senators have asked Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, to appear before the Senate Standing Committee on Sports and provide an explanation. The England board agreed to play a one-day international at Karachi after Shaharyar spent nearly two months lobbying it to play a Test.The committee had also probed the affairs of the PCB following last year’s home series against India, but has yet to give its final recommendations, which are likely to be finalised in this meeting.International teams have been wary of touring Karachi for security reasons. South Africa and India refused to play there after a bomb blast outside the New Zealand team’s hotel in May 2002.Several cricketers, including Inzamam-ul-Haq, have criticised the PCB’s decision. Wasim Akram urged the two boards to show more faith and confidence in the security advice offered by the government, while Javed Miandad had asked the PCB to cancel the England tour.England will commence their tour on October 26, with Tests scheduled in Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore.

In a thrilling encounter at Utrecht, Ireland beat Holland by 10 runs in another rain-affected match to draw level with Scotland and Holland on the points table. The ECB XI are two points clear at the top, but they still have Scotland and Holland to play, meaning the championship is still wide open. The Irish victory was set up by a superb allround performance by man-of-the-match Trent Johnston, who hit a rapid 49 from 30 balls, then took 3 for 44 as Holland fell just short of their target.Persistent rain delayed the start of the match for some time, and when play did start Ireland got off to a poor start, losing Jeremy Bray (8) and Jason Molins (13), who has just recovered from a hamstring injury, in quick succession. Andre Botha was run-out for 24 after some excellent fielding on the boundary, but Andrew White and Trent Johnston swung the match firmly back into Ireland’s favour with their aggressive batting.Johnston’s innings included a clutch of sixes, but he fell one short of his half-century when he was caught by Tom de Grooth off the bowling of Tim de Leede. White also fell short of his milestone, caught and bowled by Luuk van Troost for 40. Kyle McCallan was run out for 12 after he attempted a single to a misfield, and JJ Esmeijer took two wickets in the last three balls, as Ireland finished on 181 for 9 after their 31 overs.Naseer Shaukat, who took 5 for 30 in Holland’s second innings in Ireland’s Intercontinental Cup victory prior to the championship, immediately put Holland on the back foot again here, removing Tom de Grooth early, caught behind by Steve Ogilby.Darron Reekers was then bowled by Botha for 17, but Daan van Bunge and Bas Zuiderent fought back, taking Holland to 100 for 20 after 20 overs. Then came the vital breakthrough as Johnston bowled van Bunge for 50. In the next over Paul Mooney had Zuiderent caught by Molins for 36, and despite good innings from de Leede and Edgar Schiferli, two wickets each to Johnston and Gordon Cooke kept Holland in check, and Ireland squeezed home.

Australian top-order batsman Damien Martyn has been ruled-out of the one-day international leg of the 2003 Travelex Tour of the West Indies due to a finger injury, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced today.He will be replaced in the 15-man squad by New South Wales Blues batsman Michael Clarke, currently on tour in the West Indies with the Australian Test side.Martyn, who fractured his right index finger while fielding during Australia’s five-wicket World Cup victory over Kenya on 15 March, missing the Test leg of the West Indies tour, has been undergoing specialist treatment since his return from South Africa in March.A medical review of the injury has discovered that whilst the fracture has healed, joint stiffness will prevent him from batting for another four weeks.Upon learning of the news that he would not be taking part in the one-day international leg of the tour Martyn said: "Having had some time to contemplate the injury, I have been able to come to terms with sitting on the sidelines."Missing the Test series in the West Indies was probably the biggest blow, but as time went by it became apparent that things weren’t going to be entirely right for the one-dayers either."I guess the selectors could have ruled me out of the squad earlier, but they gave me as much time as possible to prove my fitness, which I appreciate."I’m naturally disappointed that I won’t be on the plane to the Caribbean, but it’s important that I allow the treatment to take its course and get things right for good."I’m making steady progress, which is encouraging, and I’m really looking getting myself 100 per cent right for the Top End Tour in Cairns and Darwin," he said.Clarke, 22, made his one-day international debut for Australia in the VB Series match against England at the Adelaide Oval in January, scoring an unbeaten 39 runs from 47 balls, and taking 1-24 from seven overs with his left-arm orthodox spin.Speaking from Barbados, Clarke said: "I feel really sorry for Damien that he still isn’t fit, after what must be a frustrating time on the sidelines."However I’m thrilled to be able to stay on with the Australian side and hopefully play some part in the one-day series."Just being around the senior players on tour has been a terrific learning experience and I’m grateful for being given the chance to continue that."The one-day international that I played in Adelaide in January was the highlight of my career to date, so to I’m really excited that there’s the opportunity for more matches in national colours," he said.

A logistical headache in the lead-up to the New Zealand tour of Pakistan appears to have been solved should New Zealand A make the final of the Coromandel King Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup in Hyderabad.New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan opens with a warm-up game on Sunday and three of four members of the NZ A team need to be in Karachi on Saturday. The A players who have been selected for the One-Day International series against Pakistan are: Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram, Glen Sulzberger and Lou Vincent.If the NZ A side loses its quarter-final game tonight, or a semi-final game on Friday, there will be no problem.To cover the eventuality of NZ A making the final, Test selection Chris Martin will fly to India on Friday morning. That would see him arrive on Saturday for the Sunday match.If NZ play the semi-final and lose, Martin will carry on to Pakistan arriving before other members of the Test side but having the chance to practice with the ODI side.New Zealand Cricket’s operations manager John Reid said the NZA team had been told that NZC did not want to pull them out of their tournament to solve the logistical problems. They had done so well NZC wanted to see them continue.”We are flying Test player Chris Martin to India which will give the A team 11 players and the CLEAR Black Caps 12 players for their first warm-up game, as captain Stephen Fleming does not finish his Middlesex commitments until the weekend,” Reid said.”The priority for us has to be the Black Caps.”Of the players who would go to Pakistan, Reid said Nevin had to be one as he is the wicket-keeper and it was likely that Vincent would remain in India because he could also keep wickets.”It is probably not the solution they want but it is the practical solution to a practical problem,” Reid said.

Muthumudalige Pushpakumara led a Sri Lankan recovery in the second Under-19s’Test at Northampton.Pushpakumara scored 125 not out in four hours, including a stand of 129 for the seventh wicket with Kausbal Lokuarachchi after the tourists had collapsed to 74 for six in their second innings.Sri Lanka, who trail 1-0 in the three-match series, finished the day on 268 for eight. They lead by 291 runs, so England’s batsmen have a mountain to climb on a pitch already generating a response for Sri Lanka’s four-man spin attack.England were all out for 263, their last four wickets falling for the addition of 41 runs at the start of the day. Ian Pattison of Durham was ninth out after battling his way to 39 in over three hours.Slow left-arm spinner Ranil Dhammika secured two more scalps to finish with five for 59 from 37 overs, while Pushpakumara accounted for Justin Bishop and Pattison with his off-breaks.When Sri Lanka batted the Surrey seamer Tim Murtagh used the new ball to good effect, taking the wickets of Ian Daniels, Thilina Kandamby and Jehana Mubarak for just seven runs in six overs.David Harrison trapped Malintha Gajanayake lbw, and opener Nimesh Perera was beautifully caught at extra cover by Ian Bell, leaving Sri Lanka just 74 runs ahead with five wickets gone.Then captain Kaushalya Weeraratne was clean bowled by Bishop. It was then thatLokuarachchi arrived to join Pushpakumara.Just after tea Lokuarachchi was missed at slip off Monty Panesar, who later bowled him to break the dangerous partnership.Panesar also dismissed Dhammika before the close, but Sri Lanka remain in the driving seat with Pushpakumara still at the crease.

Tammy Beaumont, the Kent wicketkeeper-batsman, has been recalled to the England Women’s squad for the T20 series against South Africa but Mark Robinson, the new head coach, has kept faith with the players who lost the Ashes to Australia last yearBeaumont last played in the one-day series against India in August 2014 and her previous T20 came against Australia in Dhaka in the final of the 2014 World T20.She is only included in the 15-player squad for the T20 with Lancashire’s Kate Cross playing the one-day series.

England squad for SA tour

Charlotte Edwards (capt), Tammy Beaumont (T20 only), Katherine Brunt, Kathryn Cross (ODI only), Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

Sarah Taylor is in line to win her 100th ODI cap during the series. She currently sits on 98 one-day appearances and will be the seventh England player to reach a hundred caps.The nine members of the squad who are currently playing the Women’s Big Bash will join the rest of the party in South Africa at the end of January for a 10-day training camp before the ODI series starts on February 7 in Benoni. The three ODIs will form part of the ICC’s Women’s Championship in which England currently sit fifth and South Africa fourth.It will be the first assignment for Robinson and he is looking forward to getting the team back into the middle.”Having started to work with some of them, having watched recent footage and through following the progress of those playing in the WBBL, there is no doubt that this is a hugely talented squad with enormous potential,” he said. “I am relishing the prospect of helping them unearth even more of that potential and to seeing them develop in their next chapter as professional cricketers.”The ICC Women’s Championship table is currently very tight so the next twelve months are vitally important for us. We need to hit the ground running in the three ODIs against South Africa, who we know will pose a strong challenge on home soil. I am excited to see what this England team can do.”

Michael Clarke says Australia are approaching the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship with enormous confidence and are eager to annex another trophy after their recent World Cup triumph. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of playing in the inaugural Twenty20 championship and I’m certain we can bring home the trophy,” Clarke told journalists in Johannesburg during an ICC conference call from Sydney.”In a game of such a short amount of overs, one player can win the match, whether it be in batting, bowling or fielding. We have a lot of talent, a lot of guys who can win a game on their own.”Clarke named the hosts South Africa and England as Australia’s main rivals for cricket’s newest prize, but it is, as usual, going to take something special to snatch another trophy from Ricky Ponting’s grasp. In the last year Australia have widened their lead in the Test Championship rankings, won the Champions Trophy and the World Cup, and they will arrive in South Africa with almost the same squad that triumphed in the Caribbean. Brett Lee comes in for the retired Glenn McGrath and Clarke believes the passing of one great generation will provide the gap for new stars to reveal their talents.”That’s a part of the game, people come and go and they will be missed,” Clarke said. “But other players in Australia will see it as an opportunity and some new blood has now moved into the national team. That is good, it keeps the team fresh and I’m looking forward to seeing how we go without Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.”Clarke is one of those players who can be a match-winner in all three departments and after making merry in the World Cup, he is looking forward to providing more entertainment in South Africa. He said Twenty20 cricket was the most instinctive form of the game.”It would be wrong to plan too much ahead of a match,” he said. “You’ve got to go with the flow, go with your instincts. As a batsman, you’ve probably got to go for it a bit earlier than you’d like. Twenty20 cricket is fantastic. I love it, especially how fast it is.”