Franchise Cricket

Image source, International League T20

Captain Nicholas Pooran hit an unbeaten 58 off 37 balls as he drove MI Emirates to a five-wicket victory over Gulf Giants in the International League T20.

Having already hit six fours and two sixes, the West Indies wicketkeeper cleared the ropes once more from the first ball of Chris Jordan's final over to seal the win.

Chasing 174, Pooran came in at number five with his side 61-3 in the eighth over.

He started his innings slowly, scoring just 10 from his first 22 balls, but struck his first boundaries with back-to-back fours at the end of the 15th over to leave his team needing 71 from 30.

From that point he powered on, accompanied by compatriot Romario Shepherd (23 not out from nine) who hit a six of his own from the final ball of the 19th to ensure MI Emirates needed just six from the final over.

English batter James Vince hit 86 off 50 balls from the top of the order for the Giants as they posted 173-6, but no other batter passed 20.

In a tight table, MI Emirates move up to second in the table with eight points from eight matches, while Giants are bottom with six from the same number of games.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

Image source, Getty Images

Australia all-rounder Beau Webster has signed for Big Bash League (BBL) champions Hobart Hurricanes.

The 31-year-old, who made his international debut in January's Sydney Test against India, played five games for the Hurricanes in 2016-17 and returns on a three-year deal.

Webster has spent the past eight BBL campaigns in Melbourne, enjoying four seasons with the Renegades before moving to the Stars for another four-year stint.

"I am pumped to return to Hobart next summer for the BBL and get the opportunity to play on a packed Ninja Stadium in front of our fans, my friends and family," the Tasmanian said.

The right-hander averages 28.67 with the bat, with a strike-rate of 120.38, across 83 Big Bash games, while he has taken 19 wickets at 36.52 with the ball.

"We have seen over the past eighteen months just how special of a player Beau is, and to have him re-join the Hurricanes is something that will make all Tasmanians proud to hear," Hurricanes general manager Salliann Beams said.

"Beau's skill set in the short form of the game is up there with some of the best in the country, and he can take the game away from the opposition with the bat while also providing another wicket-taking option with the ball."

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Faf du Plessis made a brilliant 87 to guide Joburg Super Kings to a seven-wicket win over Paarl Royals and keep their play-off hopes in their own hands in the SA20.

Chasing 151, opener Du Plessis hit four fours and seven sixes in his 55-ball knock before he was dismissed with 21 required.

Donovan Ferreira was also out but Jonny Bairstow (eight not out off five) and Leus du Plooy (18 not out off 16) saw Super Kings over the line with 13 balls to spare.

Royals, who opted not to play England's Joe Root before he leaves for the 50-over series in India on Friday, were restricted to 150-9 from their 20 overs.

They were 80-6 but Dinesh Karthik made 53 off 39 balls to drag them to a respectable total.

Super Kings move to third, above two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and ensure they go into their final game with their destiny in their own hands.

Royals have already guaranteed a top-two spot and two chances at reaching the final on 8 February.

• SA20 fixtures & table

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England opener Zak Crawley was left out by Sunrisers Eastern Cape after a miserable run of form in the SA20.

Crawley has scored just 88 runs in eight innings in the competition and had made single-figure scores in five of his past six innings.

It comes after the 26-year-old managed just 52 runs across six innings at an average of 8.66 in England's Test series in New Zealand before Christmas.

No details were given for his absence but Sunrisers coach Adi Birrell seemingly opened the door to Crawley being dropped after his first-ball duck in the previous match.

"T20 is a brutal game if you're out of form," he said. "It doesn't give time.

"I really feel for him. He's a great guy who puts in the hard work and tries his utmost best to turn it around. But it's been hard for him.

"He's been getting out to straight balls but also caught behind off wide balls. He's been getting out in two modes.

"We are going to have to look at it and come up with the plan for the next game. We've obviously backed him until now. We have got other options."

Victory against MI Cape Town on Wednesday would have secured Sunrisers place in the play-off places but they were thrashed by 10 wickets.

Asked to bat first, the defending champions were dismissed for just 107 with Crawley's replacement Tony de Zorzi making two from eight balls.

MI Cape Town then completed their chase in 11 overs with Ryan Rickelton ending 59 not out and Rassie van der Dussen unbeaten on 48.

The win, which was only the second 10-wicket win in the tournament's history, secured their place in the play-offs.

• SA20 fixtures & table

Image source, SA20

Pretoria Capitals boosted their hopes of reaching the SA20 play-off stages by thrashing Joburg Super Kings by six wickets.

Jonny Bairstow made 30 from 32 balls for the Super Kings but they managed just 99-9 from their 20 overs with seamer Migael Pretorius taking 3-22.

Despite losing England opener Will Jacks for 15 and Somerset's Will Smeed for seven, the Capitals then took just 12 overs to complete their chase.

Marques Ackerman top scored with 39.

The win takes the Capitals within a point of the fourth-placed Super Kings with two matches remaining.

The teams that finish third and fourth in the standings will contest an eliminator, with the winner progressing to face the loser of the qualifier between the teams that finish first and second.

SA20 fixtures & table

Image source, International League T20

Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles put on 123 for the first wicket as Sharjah Warriorz beat Dubai Capitals by nine wickets in the International League T20.

Somerset batter Kohler-Cadmore scored an unbeaten 54 from 32 balls, while West Indian Charles struck 71 from 33 before he was caught by Najibullah Zadran off the bowling of Sikandar Raza.

Avishka Fernando joined Kohler-Cadmore at the crease and the Warriorz passed their target of 132 in the 12th over of the case.

The Capitals opened their innings with an strong opening stand of their own as Adam Rossington (37) and Shai Hope (45) put on 60.

But when Rossington was caught by Tim Southee off Adam Zampa's bowling it started a collapse of 9-65, as the Dubai side finished 131-9 from their 20 overs.

Zampa and UAE international Rohan Mustafa took two wickets apiece, while Rovman Powell (32* from 16) was the only other Capitals batter to make it into double figures.

Warriorz remain bottom of the table with three wins from their eight games, while Capitals sit in third with four wins and four defeats.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

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Left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff has signed a three-year contract with Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Behrendorff, 34, was the leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 season with 17.

He has won four titles with Perth Scorchers and has taken 140 wickets in 106 games.

The move comes as the BBL's new player movement window opened on Tuesday. The window allows clubs to sign eligible free agents and trade uncontracted players or draft picks.

The eight teams have been able to secure a maximum of 10 players but Scorchers, who failed to make the play-offs, opted against offering Behrendorff a deal in time.

"Moving to Melbourne has something my wife, Juvelle, and I have talked about as a goal whether the end of my career happened so to continue my career and play cricket in a city we both love is a blessing," said Behrendorff.

"I am really excited for what the next chapter holds with the Melbourne Renegades but just as importantly for my family too."

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Joe Root was out for a first-ball duck but Paarl Royals beat Durban's Super Giants by six wickets to extend their lead at the top of the SA20 table.

Root, who went into the game as the top scorer in the tournament with 279 runs in seven innings, was trapped lbw by Prenelan Subrayen as he looked to sweep.

It was given not out on field but Super Giants reviewed and the technology showed the ball would have crashed into leg stump.

Royals recovered from the early loss to chase 144 from the penultimate ball with Rubin Hermann (59 off 51) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (43 off 29), who has overtaken Root as leading run-scorer, sharing 91 for the second wicket.

Both fell in a 10-ball spell but Dinesh Karthik made 21 and Mitchell van Buuren an unbeaten 13 to see Royals to their seventh win in eight games.

Super Giants had posted 143-7 with Marcus Stoinis making 55 not out from 40 balls and Kane Williamson 45 off 36 balls.

Royals are seven points clear of MI Cape Town at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra game.

Super Giants, who were beaten finalists last year, are bottom of the table and can no longer reach the play-offs.

• SA20 fixtures & table

Image source, International League T20

Tom Banton hit his second century of the International League T20 as MI Emirates thrashed Desert Vipers by 154 runs.

Banton, who had already made 102 not out in MI Emirates' win over Sharjah Warriorz on 19 January, smashed 105 off 55 balls.

The Somerset batter hit nine fours and seven sixes as he shared 198 for the second wicket with Andre Fletcher, who made 96 not out off 50 balls.

Banton, who has now hit four T20 centuries, was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings as MI Emirates posted 228-2.

Sam Curran was the most expensive bowler, conceding 53 from his four overs.

In response Vipers were skittled for 74 with Curran and Azam Khan the only batters to make double figures.

Alex Hales, Dan Lawrence and Adam Hose were among the batters to make single figures while Dan Mousley claimed 2-8 in his sole over for MI Emirates.

The 154-run winning margin is the second-biggest in the tournament's history, behind a 157-run win for MI Emirates against Vipers in 2023.

Vipers remain top of the six-team table despite the defeat and MI Emirates move up to second.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

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The 2024-25 men's Big Bash League is over with Hobart Hurricanes winning the tournament for the first time.

The final saw Mitch Owen smash a record-equalling 39-ball century to cement his place as the tournament's leading run-scorer.

Here is who starred with bat and ball in the 14th edition of the Australian T20 tournament.

Top run-scorers in men's Big Bash 2024-25

1. Mitch Owen (Hobart Hurricanes) - 452 runs

2. David Warner (Sydney Thunder) - 405

3. Cooper Connolly (Perth Scorchers) - 351

4. Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars) - 325

5. Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars) - 311

Sam Billings, who played for Thunder, was the highest-scoring Englishman with 271 runs.

Top wicket-takers in men's Big Bash 2024-25

1. Jason Behrendorff (Perth Scorchers) - 17 wickets

=2. Tom Rogers (Melbourne Renegades) & Riley Meredith (Hobart Hurricanes) - 16

=4. Mark Steketee (Melbourne Stars), Lance Morris (Perth Scorchers) & Lloyd Pope (Adelaide Strikers) - 15

Jamie Overton, who played for Strikers, was the leading English wicket-taker with 11.

Image source, International League T20

Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten 85 off 60 balls to lead Gulf Giants to a six-wicket win over Sharjah Warriorz in the International League T20.

Chasing 172, Alsop hit seven fours and two sixes and shared 65 off 35 balls with Tom Curran (26 not out off 17) to get Giants over the line with three balls to spare.

Warriorz had posted 171-6 with Jason Roy making 44 off 30 balls and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 29 off 25 balls.

Giants remain fifth despite the win, but close on the knockout spots, while Warriorz are bottom.

Sunday's other game saw Dubai Capitals chase 204 against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to win by eight wickets with one ball to spare.

West Indies batter Shai Hope made an unbeaten 74 off 59 balls and Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib crashed 80 off 46.

Knight Riders had made 203-4 with Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka making 74 off 38 balls.

Capitals are second in the six-team table, with Knight Riders fourth.

• ILT20 fixtures & table

Image source, SA20

Joburg Super Kings raced to a nine-wicket win over defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.

Chasing 119, Super Kings knocked off the chase in 14 overs with Faf du Plessis making an unbeaten 76 from 56 balls.

Sunrisers, who have both of the previous editions of the SA20, were bowled out for 118.

England opener Zak Crawley was caught at slip off the first ball of the match and was one of four ducks in the powerplay as Sunrisers slipped to 17-4.

It continues a difficult tournament for Crawley, who has scored 88 runs in eight games, at an average of 11.

David Bedingham made 48 in a stand of 57 with Tristan Stubbs (37), who also added 41 with Marco Jansen.

The bonus-point win reinvigorates Super Kings' knockout hopes. They stay fourth but move to within four points of Sunrisers in third.

• SA20 fixtures & table

Image source, International League T20

Alex Hales smashed an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls as Desert Vipers eased to an eight-wicket victory over Sharjah Warriorz to consolidate their position at the top of the International League T20 table.

Warriorz had posted 151-8 from their allocation thanks to Jason Roy's 38-ball 55 and 42 from Tom Kohler-Cadmore as Khuzaima Tanveer took 4-22 for the Vipers.

Vipers had stuttered to 24-2 after the loss of Pakistan star Fakhar Zaman for eight and Dan Lawrence for a duck.

However, Hales plundered five sixes and seven fours in his knock as he and Sam Curran - 54 not out off 53 balls - got the Viperz home with 31 balls to spare.

Second-placed MI Emirates suffered back-to-back defeats after they lost by two wickets in a last-ball thriller against Gulf Giants.

Tom Banton's 56 off 39 balls helped Emirates reach 151-6 as Dan Worrall took 2-19 for the Giants.

Afghanistan left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi took 3-34 to peg back the Giants after Gerhard Erasmus top scored with 37.

With 11 needed by the Giants off the last over, bowled by Dan Mousley, the England all-rounder saw a no-ball full toss smacked for six by UAE teenager Aayan Afzal Khan.

Zuhaib Zubair then slog swept the final ball of the match for a single to seal the victory for the Giants.

ILT20 fixtures & table.

Image source, SA20

Joe Root hit 78 not out as his SA20 side Paarl Royals beat Pretoria Capitals by 11 runs.

Opening the batting, Root hit eight fours and two sixes in his 56-ball innings, anchoring the Royals to 140-4 in their full 20 overs.

He put on an unbeaten 59 stand with skipper David Miller after a run of early wickets.

The former England captain then also chipped in with two wickets for good measure as the Capitals were restricted to 129-7.

Root said: "Today was a case of being brave enough to take it deeper and you might have a better match-up down the line. I thought we did that pretty well.

"When I was bowling I tried to stay as low as I can. There was a lack of bounce, which makes it hard to get after.

"I didn't think it would spin as much as that. It was a great game of cricket. I've really enjoyed my time here and want to keep putting in winning performances."

Root is one of 14 England players taking part in the six-team tournament.

Scorecard, SA20 fixtures & table

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It is the Big Bash League final on Monday as Hobart Hurricanes host Sydney Thunder at Ninja Stadium (listen to commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport app from 08:15 GMT).

With the tournament heading towards its finale, let's have a look at the top performers in this year's BBL...

Top run-scorers

• 357 - David Warner, Sydney Thunder

• 351 - Cooper Connolly, Perth Scorchers

• 344 - Mitchell Owen, Hobart Hurricanes

• 325 - Glenn Maxwell, Melbourne Stars

• 311 - Marcus Stoinis, Melbourne Stars

Highest strike-rate (min. five innings)

• 191.11 - Mitchell Owen, Hobart Hurricanes

• 186.78 - Glenn Maxwell, Melbourne Stars

• 184.69 - Finn Allen, Perth Scorchers

• 177.62 - Tim David, Hobart Hurricanes

• 176.08 - James Bazley, Adelaide Strikers

Leading wicket-takers

Image source, Getty Images

• 17 - Jason Behrendorff, Perth Scorchers

• 16 - Tom Rogers, Melbourne Renegades

• 15 - Mark Steketee, Melbourne Stars

• 15 - Lance Morris, Perth Scorchers

• 15 - Lloyd Pope, Adelaide Strikers

Best economy rates (min. 15 overs)

• 5.83 - Ashton Agar, Perth Scorchers

• 6.45 - Tanveer Sangha, Sydney Thunder

• 6.59 - Joel Paris, Melbourne Stars

• 6.92 - Tom Andrews, Sydney Thunder

• 6.94 - Fergus O'Neill, Melbourne Renegades

Image source, SA20

Defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape picked up their fourth successive win with a 14-run victory over Joburg Super Kings in the SA20.

Sunrisers, who have won both editions of the tournament, lost their opening three games but are now up to second in the six-team table.

They posted 165-4 with captain Aiden Markram making 43 off 29 balls, David Bedingham 37 off 34 and Tristan Stubbs an unbeaten 35 off 22.

New-ball bowlers Marco Jansen and Richard Gleeson have played a key part in Sunrisers revival and they were again superb and pushed the required run-rate up.

Super Kings were reasonably set at 105-2 but with the run-rate pushing 11 an over the pressure told.

Devon Conway fell for 43 and then Jonny Bairstow (14) picked out deep mid-wicket in the next over.

They finished on 151-8 with Jansen (2-19), Gleeson (2-37) and Ottneil Baartman (2-32) sharing the wickets.

Sunrisers are one point behind leaders Paarl Royals, who have played a game less, while Super Kings sit fourth.

• SA20 fixtures & table

Image source, SA20

England's Joe Root was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Chris Woakes but Paarl Royals beat Durban's Super Giants by five wickets in the SA20.

Chashing 143 to win Root chased a wide delivery and was caught at slip in the first over.

Despite that Royals made a fast start with Lhuan-dre Pretorius (25 off 13) and Rubin Hermann (44 off 22) finding regular boundaries, but both were dismissed to leave Royals 77-3.

Mitchell van Buuren (41 off 41) and David Miller (24 off 21) shared 59 for the fourth wicket to take control of the game but both were dismissed with seven and two required respectively.

India legend Dinesh Karthik came to the crease and hit the winning runs as Royals won with 15 balls to spare.

Super Giants posted 142-7 with Quinton de Kock making 43 off 30 balls at the top of the order.

Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed 2-23, while Root dismissed New Zealand's Kane Williamson in taking 1-18 from four overs.

Royals are top of the six-team table with 20 points and Super Giants sit bottom on eight points.

• SA20 fixtures & table