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The investigation into Pakistan cricketer Haider Ali, who was arrested on suspicion of rape by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in the UK last month, has been closed, with all charges against the player dropped. Haider, who had been released on bail following his arrest, is now free to leave the UK.”We always take allegations of this nature very seriously and will assess each incident thoroughly,” the GMP told ESPNcricinfo. “Following a comprehensive review of all available evidence, the investigation has been closed at this time. Should any further information come to light, we would review the material and case again appropriately.”Related

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Haider, 24, was part of a tour by the Shaheens – effectively a Pakistan A side – to the UK, playing matches against a select XI in Beckenham and Hove. During a game on August 3, GMP officers arrived at the ground in Beckenham, where Haider was arrested during the game. According to a GMP statement at the time, the alleged offence leading to the arrest had occurred in Manchester on July 23, the day after the Shaheens’ first tour game, which Haider played. Haider was bailed at the time and the alleged victim was being “supported by officers”.The PCB confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that charges against Haider had been dropped. At the time of his arrest, the PCB had put out a statement saying it “reserve[d] the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary”.ESPNcricinfo understands a decision on whether to take action against Haider has not been made yet, with the PCB waiting on the player to return to Pakistan before it takes a decision.Haider has played two ODIs and 35 T20Is for Pakistan. Initially feted as a destructive hitter, he burnished his reputation with standout performances in the PSL with Peshawar Zalmi in 2020, when he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 157.23. He was called up to the national side later that year, his international debut coming in a T20I game in Manchester, where he scored a 33-ball 54 as Pakistan won by five runs.Inconsistency has dogged him since, and he has repeatedly found himself in and out of the Pakistan side. However, his talent and explosiveness have kept him in international contention, and the current Shaheens tour was widely viewed as an opportunity to reintegrate a player whose batting approach aligns with the aggressive style Pakistan’s current T20 set-up has made no secret it wants to pursue.

MI New York and San Francisco Unicorns rode a rollercoaster in Dallas with unending twists and turns, till inaugural champions MINY edged last year’s runners-up Unicorns to a two-wicket win. In a game that featured several small but crucial contributions from various players, Trent Boult stood out with his returns of 2 for 19, and even more the back-to-back sixes towards the end of the tense chase of 132, which took MINY to victory and to Qualifier 2 and eliminated Unicorns.MINY will now face Texas Super Kings to decide who takes on Washington Freedom in the MLC 2025 final.Unicorns were lagging behind in the game almost from the start, when they were reduced to 16 for 5 in the powerplay. The twist came when No. 8 Xavier Bartlett powered them to a respectable 131 with a 24-ball 44.MINY were then cruising in their chase with an opening stand of 43, before Matthew Short’s three strikes started their slide and Hassan Khan’s two double-wicket overs added to the Unicorns comeback. MINY were left needing 24 to get off 19 balls but with only two wickets in hand. The final twist came when Boult smashed two sixes off Hassan to turn the equation into a comfortable five to win from nine balls. MINY did not falter thereafter.Matthew Short’s three wickets almost derailed the MI New York chase•Sportzpics for MLC

MINY made the most of their decision to bowl, with Boult and Nosthush Kenjige removing Unicorns’ top four for single-digit scores. While Boult had Tim Seifert and Jake Fraser-McGurk edging behind, Kenjige had Short and Sanjay Krishnamurthi out caught. The last wicket was thanks to a sharp running catch, with Boult running backwards from short third and finishing with a juggle.Unicorns’ problems were compounded when Hassan Khan was involved in a mix-up with Cooper Connolly, falling short to a direct hit from Nicholas Pooran while on a golden duck.Bartlett then rebuilt the innings in partnerships with Hammad Azam and Brody Couch, smashing towering sixes down the ground. He helped Unicorns race from 50 to 100 in just four overs after the halfway mark, and finally fell when he slapped a slow and short delivery from Kieron Pollard straight to midwicket in the 18th over. Rushil Ugarkar dismissed Liam Plunkett and Couch on either side of Bartlett’s wicket to finish with 3 for 19.A rain break delayed the start of the chase but didn’t reduce any overs. Monank Patel and Quinton de Kock were going steady, scoring 37 runs in the powerplay. But then came Short’s double blow: he trapped de Kock lbw from around the wicket, and four balls later struck the top of middle stump by going through Pooran’s bat and pad.Hassan Khan hurt MINY with two double-wicket overs•Sportzpics for MLC

Monank led the chase, going at just over a-run-a-ball. But he soon pulled a Short delivery to deep square leg and MINY were 81 for 3. The alarm bells went off when Pollard, who had scored two fifties in the last three games, chipped an innocuous delivery to long-on. Fraser-McGurk took a diving catch, and suddenly, Pooran was looking worried in the dugout.The alarm bells rang much louder when Hassan struck on consecutive deliveries, first going through Michael Bracewell’s pull to knock his stumps over, and then drawing an outside edge from Heath Richards that stuck in Seifert’s gloves. MINY were now 98 for 6, still 34 adrift with 31 balls to go.Hassan struck two more times in the 17th over. MINY were in a lot more trouble, with the equation soon reading 19 to get from 12. Boult stepped up with consecutive sixes off Hassan and even farmed the strike to deny Kenjige much exposure.In the end, Kenjige himself went on to hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.

Derbyshire 197 for 3 (Donald 60, Scriven 3-29) beat Leicestershire 196 for 5 (Budinger 49, Brown 3-51) by seven wicketsDerbyshire Falcons completed back-to-back Vitality Blast derby wins in 24 hours with a seven-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes at Edgbaston.The Foxes were lifted to a hefty 196 for five by an impressive collective effort headed by Sol Budinger 49 and Shan Masood’s 43. Pat Brown took 3 for 51.But the Falcons chased it down with ten balls to spare, reaching 197 for 3 as Aneurin Donald launched the chase with an explosive 60 from 25 balls and Samit Patel crowned it with an unbeaten 52 from 32. Having belatedly opened their Blast account at the sixth attempt against Notts Outlaws on Friday night, suddenly the Falcons are flying and right back in contention for quallification.After the Foxes chose to bat, Budinger tore into the Falcons for the second time in a month. When these teams met in the group opener at Leicester, the 25-year-old blasted a 15-ball half-century. This time he thundered to 49, with seven fours and two sixes, by the eighth over. When he skied Samit Patel to backward point, his two Blast innings against the Foxes this season and yielded 100 runs from 41 balls.Masood and Rehan Ahmed (29) maintained the momentum with a stand of 71 from 43 balls. At 136 for 2 in the 15th over with two batters well set, the Foxes were racing but the Falcons hit back with three wickets in five balls. Pat Brown removed Ahmed, who edged to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest, and Masood, caught at third man, in four balls before Louis Kimber missed a cut at Patel and was bowled.Wickets usually slow the scoring but not in this case. Sixth-wicket pair Ben Cox (28 not out) and Logan van Beek (26 not out) settled quickly to smash 55 from the last 29 balls of the innings to ensure an imposing total.Undaunted, Derbyshire openers Donald and Caleb Jewell galloped to 50 from just 23 balls. Donald took 22 from five balls from Matt Salisbury and thundered to 50, 48 of which came in fours and sixes, from 18 balls.The Falcons were 93 without loss in the eighth over when Tom Scriven was brought on and took out both openers in his first over. Jewell edged to wicketkeeper Cox and two balls later an excellent delivery hit Donald’s off-stump. Scriven followed his successful first over with another excellent one (2-0-7-2 at that stage) to further peg back the Falcons.Patel and Wayne Madsen (35) deployed their considerable experience to good effect in a stand of 60 in 42 balls before Scriven returned to have the latter caught at long leg. Needing 22 from three overs, the Falcons still had a bit to do but Patel smote Scriven for successive sixes in the first of those overs to settle matters.

Alex Hepburn, the former Worcestershire allrounder, has been suspended from playing in ECB competitions for 10 years by the Cricket Discipline Commission, three years after serving a prison sentence for rape.Earlier this year, Hepburn was charged by the Cricket Regulator with two breaches of ECB Directive 3.3. The first related to his conviction in 2019, for which he was released in October 2021 after serving two years of a five-year sentence, while the second related to his participation in a misogynistic Whatsapp group during his playing days with Worcestershire in 2017.Hepburn, now 28, has not played professionally since the details of his arrest in April 2017 were made public. In the course of his four-day trial, it was heard how Hepburn had “dehumanised” women, rating them in text messages to his team-mates in a “sexual conquest competition”.He was subsequently found guilty on one count of oral rape, after an attack that took place in the flat that he shared with his then team-mate, Joe Clarke, with whom the victim had initially believed she was having sex. He appealed against the conviction, but the appeal was dismissed in September 2020.Given Hepburn’s time in prison, the Cricket Regulator was only able to serve him notification of the charge earlier this year, but his suspension has been backdated to the date of his release, on October 30, 2021. The suspension relating on the second charge, for a period of two years, is deemed to have been already served.A statement from the Cricket Regulator added: “Mr Hepburn failed to respond to the charge letter and related communication. As such, the CDC panel reached its decision in his absence. Mr Hepburn has not appealed the CDC panel’s decision.”Hepburn will also have to undertake “appropriate professional treatment” for the issues which led to his criminal conviction, and undertake appropriate training and education courses before he will be permitted to play, coach or undertake any cricket-related activity which falls under the authority of the ECB.He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life as part of his conviction.

Hasan Mahmud stuck to bowling fuller lengths for most of the first day of Bangladesh’s Test tour of India. When he wasn’t bowling gentle outswingers to tempt the Indian batters to go for the cover drive, he was trying to hit the stumps or the pads.Taskin Ahmed, who has played more Tests than Mahmud, and Nahid Rana, who bowls much quicker, did not stick to this simple approach. They bowled too short, too wide or too full, giving the batters plenty of freebies. Mahmud simply used the devices available to him – seam, swing, pace and the right lengths – and became the first overseas quick in nearly 15 years to take three wickets in the first session of a Test match against India in India.”It is obviously great to take Test wickets,” Mahmud said. “I took a five-for against Pakistan so it was about trying to be consistent in my effort to contribute to the team. Today’s plan was very simple. I tried to shape the ball with the seam up. I kept trying to do it and [it paid off]. After the morning session which we dominated, the wicket got settled. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely. Still, I was getting some movement later on. Maybe tomorrow we can create more chances.”Related

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Every wicket Mahmud took on the first day in Chennai was well thought out. He built up a case against each batter, whether over a short or long period. Mahmud got the ball to hoop in slightly overcast conditions and tested both of Rohit Sharma’s edges. A skewed edge got Rohit an early boundary before he survived an lbw shout in the fourth over, when the ball ducked in from a slightly shorter length. Then came a subtle outgoing delivery that took his outside edge, well taken by Najmul Hossain Shanto at second slip.India’s No. 3 Shubman Gill, who couldn’t get Mahmud away for seven balls, also survived an lbw shout. His dismissal was a lucky one perhaps, when he was caught down the leg side, but it looked like Gill was itching to get off the mark. A batter strangling one down the leg side is often the result of early dot-ball pressure.Mahmud then had Virat Kohli caught behind chasing an outside-off-stump delivery. The ball before, Kohli had played a confident forward push, but Mahmud stuck to his guns. He got the seam to wobble again and lured Kohli out for a drive.Shanto gave Mahmud a first spell of seven overs, mainly because of the overcast conditions and how well he was bowling at that time. As he had shown in Rawalpindi, though, Mahmud isn’t only about the new ball. He took a wicket shortly into his second spell, getting Rishabh Pant caught behind. This time too, he tested Pant outside the off stump. When he was cut for a boundary, Mahmud dragged the next ball across but moved the line slightly closer to Pant, who edged it to the wicketkeeper.Mahmud kept creating chances in his later spells too, having R Ashwin edge one between slip and gully, and having Ravindra Jadeja given out lbw before the decision was overturned on review. He got another to nip back into Ashwin but this appeal didn’t have a lot of merit.Hasan Mahmud picked up four wickets on day one of the Chennai Test•Associated Press

Mahmud built his foundations as a seamer on predominantly flat or dry pitches in Bangladesh’s domestic scene. They brought him rewards when there was a bit of help available in the two Tests in Rawalpindi. He took eight wickets, the most by a Bangladesh fast bowler on the tour, at an average of 24.12. He paired well with Shoriful Islam to give Bangladesh an opening burst in the first Test, removing both openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub on day one. On the crucial fifth day, Mahmud again gave the visitors a good start by removing opposition captain Shan Masood. He came into his own in the second Test, taking his maiden five-wicket haul. While Nahid Rana’s pace generated more headlines, it was Mahmud who kept giving Bangladesh vital breakthroughs to reinforce their dominant position.Bangladesh were certainly not in a dominant position at the end of day one in Chennai, but with the second new ball available, Mahmud felt they could still fight their way back into the contest.”If we can get early breakthroughs tomorrow, we will be back in the game,” he said. “We want to restrict them below 400 runs. It is however a good wicket now. The conditions here are almost the same [as Pakistan], but it is the bowlers’ duty to bowl aggressively, or cut down the boundaries, whatever is required.”We were in a dominating position in the morning but the wicket is very good now. We are all trying to minimise the boundaries. The momentum has shifted today, but we could bring it back with better bowling tomorrow.”Mahmud also has some experience in white-ball cricket, where he has usually bowled with both the new and old ball, but he has gone down the pecking order in recent times, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib playing ahead of him whiile Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are mainstays.Mahmud’s transition into red-ball cricket now means Bangladesh’s pace attack is ever-expanding. They have Khaled Ahmed in the Test squad in India. Shoriful Islam, Tanzim and Mustafizur are go-tos in T20Is, while Ebadot Hossain is close to full fitness and could be available from the home Test series against South Africa next month.Despite their recent uptick, the pace attack remains a work in progress. It seemed like the Bangladesh bowlers took their foot off the gas as the day went on, letting Ashwin and Jadeja build a counterattacking stand. If the pace attack’s development is anything to go by, though, they can be expected to come up with better plans on the second morning.

Matthew Mott has stepped down as England Men’s white-ball head coach with immediate effect.Mott was halfway through a four-year contract, during which time he presided over triumph at the 2022 T20 World Cup as well as the side’s failure to defend that title this year or the 50-over crown they won in 2019 at the 2023 edition, where they won just three of their nine games.He will be replaced by assistant coach Marcus Trescothick on an interim basis for the rest of the home summer, which includes three T20Is and five ODIs against Australia in September.Related

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On Sunday, Mott met with Rob Key, ECB managing director of England men’s cricket, to gauge his view on the last nine months as part of a review into the drop in team’s limited-overs performances.”I am immensely proud to have coached the England Men’s team; it has been an honour,” Mott said. “We have put everything into trying to achieve success over the past two years, and I am incredibly proud of the character and passion that the team has displayed during that period, including a magnificent T20 World Cup victory in 2022.”I would like to thank the players, management, and everyone at the ECB for their commitment, support, and hard work during my time. I leave with many great friendships and incredible memories. Finally, I would like to thank the England fans, who have always backed us and given us fantastic support wherever we have travelled around the world.”Appointed in May 2022, Mott also led England to white-ball series victories against Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan. But it appears that England’s most recent campaign, where they were knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the semi-finals by eventual winners India, was pivotal to the decision.Matthew Mott was halfway through his contract•Getty Images

Key said the search for a full-time replacement would begin immediately. He believed the rapport between Trescothick and white-ball captain Jos Buttler “will help us maintain continuity and stability”.”On behalf of everyone connected to England cricket and me personally, I would like to thank Matthew for all he has done for the team since his appointment,” Key said. “He can be proud of his achievements as he leaves his post as one of only three coaches who have won a Men’s World Cup with England.”After three World Cup cycles in a short space of time, I now feel the team needs a new direction to prepare for the challenges ahead. This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it is the right time for the team’s future success. With our focus shifting towards the Champions Trophy early next year and the next cycle of white-ball competition, it is crucial that we ensure the team is focused and prepared.”Trescothick, added: “England cricket is in a strong position, and the potential is huge, given the quality we have available. It is about harnessing that potential and developing the work that has already been put in place by Matthew Mott and the rest of the set-up. I’m excited about the challenge and shaping how we want to play.”Eoin Morgan, England’s former World Cup-winning captain who now works as a commentator, recently dismissed reports that he could replace Mott as nothing more than “speculation”.Other names such as Andrew Flintoff, currently in his first coaching role with Northern Superchargers in the men’s Hundred, Mike Hussey, who was part of the coaching staff for the successful 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, and Kumar Sangakkara have also been touted for the role. However, it is understood no prospective successors to Mott have been sounded out at this juncture.

For the second season running Melbourne Stars will have pick one in the BBL overseas draft while local rivals Melbourne Renegades will follow as second.The weighted lottery – split between the four sides who missed finals and those who qualified – has Sydney Sixers, last season’s beaten finalists, coming out eighth while defending champions Brisbane Heat will have pick six.Stars will hope for better fortune with their first pick, potentially a platinum player, than last season when they went for England’s Harry Brook only for him to withdraw from the tournament to manage his workload.Related

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Picks can be traded between clubs and that has already happened once with Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder swapping their second-round positions as part of Wes Agar’s move to Thunder.Stars will have the first pick in rounds one, two and four with the order reversing in round three meaning Sixers get pick 17.The draft will again have four price bands: platinum (AU$420,000), gold (AU$300,000), silver (AU$200,000) and bronze (AU$100,000).Cricket Australia

Clubs can sign up to four players overall with one of those available under the new multi-year contract option brought in to try to secure key names ahead of rival T20 leagues. Sam Billings became the first player to agree to a deal under that after signing for three years with Thunder. If a fourth player is selected, they become a club’s first overseas replacement.The WBBL draft order was revealed yesterday with Hobart Hurricanes getting pick one.