Shakib stars as Dhaka return to top

Dhaka Gladiators 115 for 2 (Shakib 54, Dilshan 49*) beat Barisal Burners 114 for 9 (Mahmood 30, Liddle 2-16) by eight wickets
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Dhaka Gladiators returned on top of the points table after posting their seventh win in the competition. They crushed Barisal Burners by eight wickets and with 44 balls to spare as the Burners' hopes of a final four finish took a beating.

Shakib Al Hasan's half-century hastened the victory and ended the night game early. Shakib struck 54 off 31 balls with seven boundaries and a six, and was helped on the way by Tillakaratne Dilshan who made an unbeaten 49 off 39 balls. The pair came together after Mohammad Ashraful fell to a pull shot off Azhar Mahmood in the second over of the small chase, and added 92 runs for the second wicket.

Shakib was particularly attacking and played some splendid shots off the four-pronged seam attack of the Burners. Afghanistan fast bowler Hamid Hassan's debut match at the BPL ended without a wicket as he went for 28 off his four overs.

But batting seemed more difficult when the Burners batted first after they were stifled to 114 for 9 in 20 overs. Mahmood made 30 off 33 balls but found no support as Brad Hodge fell for 12 and Sabbir Rahman, the other in-form batsman in the Burners line-up, made only 18 off 14 balls.

Mashrafe Mortaza, Alfonso Thomas, Shakib Al Hasan and Chris Liddle took two wickets each.

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Davies opens up about depression

Steven Davies, the Surrey wicketkeeper, has spoken openly for the first time about suffering from depression after a difficult 2012 season in which he experienced the loss of his friend and team-mate Tom Maynard, coupled with a dip in form that cost him his place in the England set-up and also saw him dropped by Surrey.

Davies was left out of Surrey's crucial fixture against Nottinghamshire in September, which they won to secure Division One status, although he returned for the final game of the season after his replacement, Gary Wilson, departed for the World T20 with Ireland. At the end of the season, Davies chose to take some time away from cricket and he has come back refreshed and keen to return to international contention.

"I took a bit of a break at the end of last season," Davies told Surrey TV. "I suffered with depression and took a few months off and it's done me the world of good. I spent some time with my family and now I'm fresh and ready to crack on this year."

Maynard's death in June, after an accident on the London Underground, hit Surrey's young squad hard, with Davies among those struggling to come to terms with the loss. The tragedy contributed to Rory Hamilton-Brown, Maynard's flat-mate, standing down from the Surrey captaincy after a period of compassionate leave. He eventually left the club, choosing to move back to Sussex over the close season.

"Last year was tough for everyone," Davies said. "It affects people in different ways. For me, I really struggled. I knew I just needed some family time. I had a bit of break away and now I'm ready and really looking forward to the 2013 season."

The subject of depression in cricket has become a more openly discussed, with players such as Marcus Trescothick, Matthew Hoggard and Iain O'Brien - who has recently contributed to a PCA awareness campaign - revealing their experiences of the illness. A book on dealing with depression, with a foreword by Trescothick, has been distributed to all PCA members this year.

After choosing to take a break, Davies, 26, was offered an unusual touring experience - for a cricketer - over the winter. Davies is one of the few openly gay sportsmen in the UK and he has developed a friendship with the singer Elton John, a cricket fan known for being a regular around the England dressing room during the 1980s. At John's suggestion, Davies joined him on the road for a few weeks.

"Since I came out, we've bonded," Davies said. "He's looked after me in many ways, he knew I was going through a hard time and I mentioned that I was going to take some time away from cricket. He said that winters in England can be a bit depressing and he asked me 'Why don't you come on tour with me?' ... I had a great time. It's a different world that he lives in but it was great to experience it."

Back at The Oval, where Davies has resumed his preparations for the new season, the wicketkeeper was encouraged by Surrey's prospects. With Graeme Smith signing as the club's overseas player and captain, as well as the arrivals of Vikram Solanki and Gary Keedy, Surrey have added experience to their squad as they attempt to make a more confident statement in 2013.

Davies also knows that a strong start with Surrey could aid his ambitions with England. After touring with England in the UAE last year, he was put on standby for the Edgbaston Test against West Indies in June, after Matt Prior sustained an eye infection. That was his last involvement, however, and the rise of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler seemed to have squeezed Davies out of contention, even after Craig Kieswetter was dropped, but he has not given up on adding to his 13 caps.

"I had some time away from cricket but really kept up my strength work," Davies said. "I spent a lot of time in the gym getting my core strength up. County seasons are long - you need to be strong and fit.

"Initially it's getting back into things and doing well for Surrey. We've got a great squad this season and have recruited some experience. I feel like we're going to do great things and it's about scoring my runs and taking my catches. After that it's about getting back into the England set-up. It's where I want to be and it's why I play the game of cricket."

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Strong Lahore Shalimar blow away Ravi

Lahore Shalimar 322 (U Akmal 77, Butt 70, K Akmal 53, Rasool 4-117) and 87 (Imam 52*) beat Lahore Ravi 153 (Riaz 9-59) and 255 (Shehzad 66, Abid 63) by ten wickets
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A 12-wicket match haul from left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz, including a hat-trick, and a strong batting performance led Lahore Shalimar to a ten-wicket victory over Lahore Ravi in the first round of the Super Eights in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Riaz took nine wickets in the first innings as Ravi were shot out for 153, and took three wickets in their second dig, when Ravi faced an innings defeat after a 169-run first-innings deficit. Some resolve by their batsmen, however, helped them set a target of 87, which Shalimar overhauled on the final day without the loss of a wicket.

Ravi's openers started positively when they batted first, putting on 70, before Riaz had them struggling at 124 for 9. Riaz's performance was backed up by half-centuries from Shalimar's opener Imran Butt, Umar Akmal and his brother Kamran, which strengthened their grip on the contest.

Ravi's openers scored half-centuries to help erase their deficit, but no other batsman scored beyond 25 as Ravi were bowled out for 255. Shalimar's Imam-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 52 to help seal the victory.

Rawalpindi 362 (Shoaib 147, Naeem 101, Tanvir 59, Ifthikar 5-73, Nasrullah 4-87) and 187 for 4 (Amin 63) drew with Islamabad 196 (Majeed 78, Tanvir 4-47)
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Centuries from Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem helped Rawalpindi gain three points against Islamabad in a drawn game. The first day being washed out stole valuable time from the game, and by the end of the third day, when Islamabad scored 123 for 3, the possibility of an outright result was virtually over.

After being put in to bat, Rawalpindi lost three quick wickets to be struggling at 42 for 3, before a 177-run stand between Shoaib and Naeem helped them recover. Although wickets fell regularly thereafter, a knock of 59 from Sohail Tanvir helped them get past 350. Islamabad, in reply, stuttered throughout their innings, as besides opener Raheel Majeed, who scored 78, and Imad Wasim, no one put up much resistance. Tanvir and seamer Hammad Azam shared seven wickets between them.

With the lead being secured, the rest of the match didn't have much relevance. Umar Amin scored a half-century to lead Rawalpindi to 187 for 4, before the match was drawn.

Abbottabad 131 (Anwar 5-14) drew with Multan 220 for 4 (Anwar 100*)
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In Swabi, the first two days of the Bottom Six match was washed out but an all-round effort from Saeed Anwar jnr helped Multan clinch a first-innings lead and three points against Multan. Left-arm spinner Anwar took 5 for 14 off 14 overs to help bowl Abbottabad out for 131, and scored an unbeaten century as Multan reached a strong 220 for 4 on the final day, before the match was drawn.

Abbottabad struggled after they were put in to bat as their top order flopped. No.7 Khalid Usman, who scored 30, was the top scorer as Anwar and fellow spinner Aamer Yamin took eight of their wickets. In reply, Multan lost the first wicket without a run being scored, before Zeeshan Ashraf, Yasir Butt and Anwar led the recovery.

Peshawar 0/0 and 322 for 7 dec (Nawaz 111, Rizwan 69*) drew with Quetta 0/0 and 261 for 8 (Asad 100, Bismillah 58)
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Quetta narrowly avoided defeat in the other game of the group of the six bottom teams, against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. With the first day being washed out, both teams forfeited their first-innings to try chase an outright result.

A century from Nawaz Ahmed and an unbeaten half-century from Mohammad Rizwan took Peshawar to 322 for 7 on the third day. Opener Bismillah Khan, who scored 58, and No.3 Ali Asad, who scored a century, led Quetta's strong reply before a collapse had them losing four wickets for 21 runs. But lack of time prevented Peshawar to get the final two wickets.

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Cape Cobras clinch title in style

Cape Cobras 416 for 6 dec (Van Zyl 148, Levi 121, Ontong 109) and 4 for 0 beat Knights 191 (Rossouw 59, Hendricks 4-50) and 227 (Du Preez 44, Louw 5-70) by ten wickets
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Having already clinched the Sunfoil Series midway through the game, the Cape Cobras rounded off their season in style with a ten-wicket victory over Knights inside three days in Bloemfontein.

The Knights were bundled out for 191 in their first innings after being put in to bat, led by the seamer Beuran Hendricks, who took 4 for 50. Rilee Rossouw offered some resistance with a half-century. In reply, Richard Levi, Stiaan van Zyl and captain Justin Ontong all scored centuries as Cape Cobras declared at 416 for 6 with a 225-run lead.

The Knights were struggling to fight back in the second innings when they lost four top-order wickets to the seamer Johann Louw, who finished with 5 for 70. The lower order showed some resistance but the Knights could only manage a two-run lead. Levi, with a boundary in the first over after lunch, wrapped up a successful tournament.

Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams was pleased with the mettle of his team. "We had two do-or-die games at the back-end of the competition. The key was to graft and to respect partnerships. Stiaan van Zyl was a massive factor for us with two centuries in the final two games.

"We had a special blend of youth and experience. The seasoned campaigners deserve credit for creating an environment in which the young players could perform and be comfortable."

Knights coach Sarel Cilliers gave due credit to the winners. "The Cobras performed like true champions. We went to lunch on 80 for 1 on Thursday, but they dominated every subsequent session. We needed to convert good starts into centuries, but didn't achieve that. Levi and Stiaan (van Zyl) showed us the way by scoring tons."

Dolphins 456 (Van Jaarsveld 101, Smit 79, Chetty 49) and 224 for 5 (Van Jaarsveld 83, Van Wyk 57) beat Titans 218 (Shezi 4-47) and 69 (Maharaj 5-11) by 393 runs
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Titans ended their Sunfoil Series tournament without a win as the Dolphins crushed them by 393 runs in Centurion.

The Dolphins, after choosing to bat, put up 456, led by a century from Vaughn van Jaarsveld and fifties from Daryn Smit and Khayelihle Zondo. The Titans, in reply, struggled against Dolphins' bowlers, and were in trouble at 120 for 6. Roelof van der Merwe and Shaun von Berg led the recovery, adding 76 runs for the seventh wicket, as the Titans were eventually bowled out for 218. Left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi picked up 4 for 47, and was ably supported by left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who took 3 for 54.

The Dolphins were 27 for 2 in their second innings, with Rowan Richards taking both wickets, but van Jaarsveld and Divan van Wyk put on a 128-run stand for the third wicket. Van Jaarsveld top-scored again with a quickfire 83, helping the Dolphins set a challenging target of 463.

Maharaj extracted turn and bowled to an attacking field to bowl Dolphins to a third victory in this Sunfoil Series, taking a career-best 5 for 11. Farhaan Behardien was the only player to score in double figures as Titans were dismissed for only 69 runs, the sixth-lowest total this season.

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Ferling overcomes her nerves

A gangling, giggling fast bowler, all of 17, finds out she's playing an important World Cup match against the old rivals after the woman she idolizes is ruled out unfit. "Instant nerves" result, but in a low-scoring game, she pounds in, a bow holding her flying long hair together, and strikes with her first delivery. She strikes again in the first over of a comeback spell, removing the game's top-scorer. She ends with 10-0-35-3 in only her second international match. Not exactly a normal Friday for your average teenager.

But Australia's Holly Ferling is no normal teenager. And it is not the first time she's made an immediate impact after replacing an injured player. She took a hat-trick with her first three balls in men's grade cricket in her hometown of Kingaroy in Queensland. She was 14 then. She is the first female to be declared the Queensland Junior Cricketer of the Year and has reportedly impressed Jeff Thomson, the former Australia fast bowler. Today, she tested England with the bounce she generated at speeds in the late 110kphs, striking for someone so young.

Her obvious talent cannot mask her age, and when she walked into the media room at Brabourne Stadium, she looked every bit the awkward teenager feeling overwhelmed, with spotlights trained on her and people waiting to ask questions. Just like she was able to overcome her nerves on the field, though, she answered without inhibition, flashing the radiant smile of a young girl thrilled beyond measure to have done what she did.

With her inspiration Ellyse Perry ruled out with a stomach bug, Ferling found out she was going to play about an hour before the start. "I was like, 'oh my God, I am playing England'. It was an unreal feeling," Ferling said. "I was just excited to get another game."

Perry had a few words of advice for Ferling, whose international debut had come only a week ago against Pakistan. "She just wished me luck and told me to hit the deck. My goal was just to come in and bowl fast."

Brought back for her third spell in the 41st over of England's chase, Ferling felt tense again. "I was so nervous. I was trying to keep things simple which is something I have struggled with in the past, and tried to do too much. Hopefully they'd make the mistakes." Lydia Greenway, on 49, hit the final ball of that Ferling over to short extra cover.

Ferling felt she had come a long way in the past year, with support from Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia. She then forgot the name of the place she trains at. "Centre of Excellence," the team's media manager helpfully reminded her.

Ferling's voice was laced with emotion when she revealed what Perry, who has represented Australia in World Cup football as well, meant to her. "I have always looked up to her. To do what she has done at such a young age is an incredible feat and I don't think it will ever be done again. To play alongside her against Pakistan and then to train alongside her and to be in the team environment with her is just an incredible feeling."

Didn't she feel she would be inevitably compared with her idol? The 17-year old laughed as she pointed out the differences. "I wear a bow and my hair is curly."

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McCullum has no issues with Taylor

Ross Taylor, who took temporary leave of absence from New Zealand cricket after losing the Test captaincy, is in the right frame of mind to return in style against England, according to the man who got his job.

Brendon McCullum took over the New Zealand side that lost two Tests heavily in Taylor's absence in South Africa, but which went on to pull off a surprise win in the subsequent ODI series.

Taylor's frosty relationship with the coach who replaced him, Mike Hesson, has been well chronicled, and led to prolonged soul-searching within New Zealand cricket, but McCullum insisted on the eve of a three-match Twenty20 series against England that his own rapport with Taylor was fine.

"There's not too much to discuss from our point of view - there was never really an issue between us," he said. "It was obviously an uncomfortable time for Ross and other people concerned. But as far as our relationship goes, we're fine. We're looking forward to getting out and playing some cricket together."

McCullum suggested that Taylor's reintegration into the New Zealand set-up had been a swift affair, that the player had returned "happy and smiling" and that Taylor and Hesson have patched up some sort of professional relationship ahead of the first T20 match in Hamilton.

"They seem to be working professionally together as well, and I'm sure over time everything will be healed," McCullum said. "Within the team, it's been dealt with really well. The inner sanctum of the group is working well together and it's a cohesive unit so far. We're comfortable where it sits. Everyone is fine. Ross has come back into the group, and fitted in seamlessly."

McCullum accepted that New Zealand do not have the resources to make light of disruption within their ranks. "We can't let any off-field issues have an impact," he said. ""We're not good enough as a team to allow these sorts of distractions."

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Unpaid Rajshahi players threatened boycott

The dispute over the lack of player payments in the BPL has intensified with Chamara Kapugedera confirming that he and other overseas players for Duronto Rajshahi had been set to boycott their match against Khulna Royal Bengals on Friday.

Though a pullout was averted, a source close to the situation told ESPNcricinfo that foreign players from all franchises would stop playing in the BPL if they were not paid by Monday.

Kapugedera and other overseas Rajshahi players were convinced to take the field just before the start of Friday's afternoon game by BCB officials and the match began on time, though the players remain unpaid. The situation was so dire that the Rajshahi management had to request the match referee and the opposition captain to let them field an all-local line-up even after a delayed toss.

"We were going to sit out this game," Kapugedera said in the post-match press conference. "Most of the foreign guys who have been playing these games were doing so without being paid. We played to keep BCB's respect and to give them a chance to pay. We needed to give them a point that we are not going to play without anything.

"The foreign players, seven of us, were waiting for some confirmation from BCB that our first 25% money that they are due to pay us, will go to our accounts, or some certificate that's already going. So we were just waiting for that. We didn't get the money yet but the transaction is being made. Hopefully by Monday we will get the money."

Friday's drama first became visible when Tamim Iqbal walked out for the toss, in place of Kapugedera who has been the captain in recent matches.

ESPNcricinfo understands that although the Rajshahi management had sent out a team list with five overseas players (Charles Coventry, Dilshan Munaweera, Kapugedera, Sean Ervine and Ben Edmondson) in the playing eleven, they had to ask the match referee and the opposing captain Lou Vincent if the line-up could be changed later as there was a clear threat of a pull-out. Vincent agreed and the match referee went along with Tamim for the toss but the BCB managed to avoid a boycott.

"By the time of the toss, we hadn't received the confirmation so we were waiting for it," Kapugedera said. "That's why Tamim went to the toss because we were not sure if we are going to play. But before 20 minutes, we got the confirmation."

This season the BCB have taken up the responsibility to make all payments to players, and had asked the franchises to send them the money in three installments. The Rajshahi overseas players were given assurances by the BCB chairman that the first 25% will be given to them, but according to Kapugedera, time ran out.

"We have held couple of meetings with the [Duronto Rajshahi] owners and chairman of BCB, and told them that we are not going to play if we don't get paid.

"We have played almost all the matches, we haven't been paid anything. That's what we told them, 'What is the guarantee that we will get the money by the end of this tournament?'"

As far as his decision to play this year's BPL was concerned, Kapugedera said that BCB's assurance ahead of the tournament that they would handle all payment convinced him to come to Bangladesh.

"Our agents guaranteed us. The owners were very generous, promised us that we will get money. We didn't have any doubts coming here. When we knew that everything will go through BCB, we have enough foundation to believe that nothing dramatic will be happening.

"You can't blame any one person, end of the day we had discussions. I think the problem is solved," he said.

Despite BCB's promise, Kapugedera warned that if the money doesn't arrive by Monday (February 11), the boycott would be enforced. "We haven't seen anything yet. The players will stand the same position as today, if we don't see anything in the bank accounts. But from what I have seen and heard today, there won't be any issues on Monday."

With additional inputs from Firdose Moonda

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Chittagong crush leaders Sylhet

Chittagong Kings 193 for 4 (Naeem 58, Nabi 3-27) beat Sylhet Royals 74 all out (Rubel 3-14, Enamul 3-14) by 119 runs
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Chittagong Kings blazed to their fourth win in a row as they trounced Sylhet Royals by a whopping 119 runs. Their opening batsmen and new-ball bowlers set up the win, their fifth overall, in the most dominant fashion this season.

After trouncing Dhaka by 88 runs the previous day, they bettered the highest victory margin in the competition with this big win.

Naeem Islam and Brendan Taylor began the game with a fiery 118-run opening stand with the Bangladesh batsman taking over his Zimbabwean team-mate when it was time to attack. Naeem struck six boundaries and two sixes in his 43-ball 58 and Taylor matched his score.

After both were dismissed within ten balls of each other, Ryan ten Doeschate and Mahmudullah quickly added 56 for the fourth wicket. Ten Doeschate, the Netherlands allrounder, made 37 off 18 balls with three sixes while Mahmudullah was unbeaten on a 13-ball 24 with a couple of sixes.

Only Mohammad Nabi made any in-roads into Kings picking up three cheap wickets with his offspin, while the rest of the attack floundered badly.

But Royals were always facing an uphill task as they chased 194 runs to win. They were without captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the duo whose fifties helped them chase a big total against Rangpur Riders the previous day.

Shaun Tait removed the openers and big-hitter Nazmul Hossain Milon with his pace, before Rubel Hossain worked out the middle-order. After both pace bowlers took three wickets each, Arafat Sunny removed Mohammad Nabi who was Royals' only substantial contributor with 35 runs. Enamul Haque jnr completed the rout with three more wickets.

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Wahab takes hat-trick in nine-wicket haul

Wahab Riaz, the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler, took a hat-trick in the Quaid-e-Azam as he finished with career-best figures of 9 for 59 against Lahore Ravi to boost his chances of a recall for the one-day series against South Africa.

Riaz, 27, last played for Pakistan 11 months ago in the Asia Cup but is having a productive first-class season with 48 wickets in 12 matches so far. He was selected for recent tour of India but was not included for any of the one-day internationals.

Lahore Ravi had made a solid start to their innings with an opening stand of 70 before Riaz started to make his mark. He first dismissed Abid Ali with penultimate ball of his ninth over and returned for this 10th over to claim a hat-trick. He dismissed Ahmed Shahzad (29) - who was caught by Usman Salahuddin at first slips - and then bowled of Adnan Akmal and Waqas Ahmed with his next two balls.

In the 41st over of the innings Imran Ali prevented Riaz fron taking another hat-trick after Mohammad Salman and Emmad Ali had fallen to successive ball. Ravi crumbled up at 153 all out in 48.1 overs with Shalimar 121 for 1 in reply at the close.

Riaz hoped his performance would make a difference when it comes being in contention for Pakistan. "I am working hard and never let my hopes down," he said. "I am heading in the right direction bowling hard and keeping myself in best shape."

Riaz took a five-wicket haul on his Test debut against England, at The Oval, in 2010 and collected his first ODI five-wicket bag in the World Cup semi-final against India.

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Asif presents appeal case in Switzerland

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has presented his case to have his ICC ban for spot-fixing overturned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Asif appeared before CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday to try and have his seven-year ban, with two years suspended, quashed but will have to wait at least three weeks for an outcome and it could take as many as six.

"Today was quite busy," Asif told AFP after emerging from the CAS headquarters. "They will give us their decision in the next three weeks. Hopefully I am going to win this case. I'd like to play cricket again."

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, will have his hearing on Friday in an attempt to overturn his 10-year ban following the News of the World sting in August 2010 which exposed plans to bowl on-demand no-balls.

On Wednesday Butt said in a statement that he wanted the chance to resume his career. "Cricket is my life and every single day that has passed has been so painful because I have not been able to play. All I want is an opportunity to get back into cricket whilst I am still young and I can still play well."

Mohammad Amir, the third player to be caught in the News of the World sting, decided not to appeal against the five-year ban against him. The ban does not permit the players to take part in any official match - international, domestic or club - until at least September 2015. All three players served time.

Butt served seven months of a 30-month prison sentence, Asif was released from Canterbury Prison in Kent on June 3 last year after he served half of a year-long sentence while Amir spent three months in a young offenders' institution after admitting his charge at a pre-trial hearing.

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