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South Africa held their nerve in the face of David Warner’s hundred to seal a 10-run victory in the final group game

The Report by Liam Brickhill06-Jul-2019
As it happenedThey have one foot on the plane home, and South Africa have finally turned up at the World Cup. In the final league game of the tournament, the Proteas corrected many of the mistakes that had plagued their campaign to secure a consolatory 10-run victory over Australia at Old Trafford.Their batsmen have struggled to convert starts, yet here there were very nearly two tons scored, Faf du Plessis leading the way with a round 100 and Rassie van der Dussen backing him up with 95. Kagiso Rabada has struggled for incision in the UK, but he bounced back with three vital wickets. And where they have wilted under pressure in previous games, South Africa steeled themselves to come out ahead in the crunch moments, holding the catches that mattered and weathering David Warner’s third hundred of the World Cup and a career-best knock from Alex Carey to secure a winning end to the ODI careers of Imran Tahir and JP Duminy.Faf du Plessis celebrates bringing up his century•Getty Images

The result means that it’s the old firm, Australia v England, who will meet in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday. New Zealand will play India in the first semi, here at Old Trafford, on Tuesday.Twenty years on from the Greatest ODI Ever, this wasn’t quite the game it could have been had South Africa’s campaign through this tournament charted a different course. But on a day when 640 runs were scored and the final result was not decided until the penultimate delivery of the match, this was still an excellent exhibition of cricket, and du Plessis, accepting the Player of the Match award, said that South Africa’s first World Cup win over Australia since 1992 meant they would at least ” go home with a smile, a small smile”.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Faf du Plessis’ 100Du Plessis also had a smile on his face when he brought up a cathartic hundred in the 43rd over. He got close in South Africa’s last match against Sri Lanka, finishing on 96 not out while completing a nine-wicket win, but if there was any team against which you’d back du Plessis to score a hundred, it’s probably Australia. He now has eight tons against them, across formats, and averages well over 50 against Australia in ODIs. “I do like playing against Australia, I’ve tried to figure out why I bat nicely when I play them as compared to the other teams,” he said afterwards.Whatever the reasons, Australia certainly seem to bring out a defiant streak in him, and a keenness for a scrap. It was there in his hundred on Test debut in Adelaide almost seven years ago, in his four previous hundreds against them in ODIs, and it was there again as he hit Mitchell Starc out of the attack early in his knock, and charged Pat Cummins to smite him back over his head later on.He was helped along the way by van der Dussen, who once again showed the composure that is becoming his calling card during a 151-run third wicket stand. Van der Dussen seemed to have been ruffled when he was struck on the head by a Cummins bouncer before he had reached double figures, offering up three half-chances in the space of two overs thereafter, but once he settled back down he gave further indications that he will be a vital part of South Africa’s immediate post-World Cup future and came within a couple of feet of clearing Glenn Maxwell in the deep and bringing up what would have been a maiden international ton off the last ball of the innings.He didn’t quite get there, but he and du Plessis had done enough for South Africa to build a challenging total from what was – by far – their best start of the tournament with the bat. With Hashim Amla sidelined by an injury picked up during a warm-up game of football on Friday, Aiden Markram opened with Quinton de Kock and together they cruised through the Powerplay at seven an over before they were eventually parted by Nathan Lyon.David Warner attempts a reverse sweep•Getty Images

Australia needed a similarly rapid start from their openers to set up their chase, but du Plessis decision to open the bowling with Tahir brought immediate dividends. Finch chipped the first ball of Tahir’s second over to a diving Markram in the covers, and for the last time in ODI cricket Tahir set off on a solo celebratory run into the outfield.Worse was to come for Australia as Usman Khawaja tweaked a hamstring running between the wickets and had to leave the field having faced just five deliveries. Khawaja came out to bat later in the innings, but Finch admitted that things “don’t look ideal” afterwards and he could join Shaun Marsh on the injury list ahead of the semi-final. And his wasn’t the only injury worry for Australia, with Marcus Stoinis also batting through some discomfort that seemed to be located in his lower back, and Starc showing some strain on his knee in the midst of a generally off-colour performance with the ball.WATCH on Hotstar (US only): Full highlightsOne area that certainly won’t be a worry, however, is Warner’s form. Once again, he took his time to settle at the top of the innings, but when he got going, he was virtually unstoppable. A quick single to mid-off took him to a 58-ball fifty in the 18th over, and he only built momentum even as two moments of brilliance from de Kock in the field – an unsighted, back-handed run-out and a leaping one-handed catch – sent Stoinis and Maxwell packing.Wickets in the middle put South Africa ahead, but Warner found an able partner in Carey, whose crisp hitting added 50 to a sixth-wicket stand of 108. It took a sprawling blinder of a catch from Morris, tumbling to his left at mid-on, to get rid of Warner, but Carey wasn’t done yet, and he proceeded to record his highest ODI score before holing out on the cover boundary in pursuit of an unlikely victory.Unlikely looked like impossible when Cummins and Carey both fell in the space of four deliveries as the match neared its end, but Khawaja hobbled back out to the middle and, with Starc, proceeded to take 17 from Morris’ ninth over to keep Australia in the hunt. A Rabada double-strike, and a nerveless final over from Andile Phehlukwayo, put paid to those hopes.

Mithali Raj’s unbeaten 97 powered India to a score that was far too much for Malaysia, who were shot out for 27 in the tournament’s opening match

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMithali Raj’s unbeaten 97 powered India women to 169 for 3 before the bowlers shot Malaysia out for 27 in a resounding 142-run victory to open the Women’s T20 Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Not a single Malaysia batsman managed to make a score in double-figures as India ran through their line-up with six bowlers who bowled a combined five maiden overs. Medium-pacer Pooja Vastrakar was the most successful bowler, taking 3 for 6, while Poonam Yadav chipped in with two wickets without conceding a run in her two overs.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur had elected to bat and was needed in the middle overs to add impetus, after her team had fallen to 35 for 2 just after the Powerplay was done. Her 23-ball 32 did exactly that, but the innings was dictated by Raj, who batted through the 20 overs with a strike rate of 140.57.Raj hit 13 fours and a six in her knock, but couldn’t find the boundary in the last two overs when she was eight away from a century. Her 86-run stand with Kaur came off just 53 balls and she closed the innings off with Deepti Sharma, who did manage to find boundaries at the end to lift India to 169.In response, Malaysia lost half their side within five overs, falling to 12 for 5. Captain Winifred Duraisingam, Sasha Azmi, and Zumika Azmi were the only batsmen to display resistance, but their comparatively long stays at the crease yielded no substantial scores as India completed a massive victory.

Kedar Jadhav on his batting in Pune, on batting with Virat Kohli, and on batting through pain

Sidharth Monga17-Jan-2017Kedar Jadhav is 31 years old, but on Sunday he did what only boys not bogged down by realities of life can dream of. He walked out at 63 for 4, with his parents, his wife and his daughter in attendance, and stunned England with a century that helped India chase down 350. It was an innings that overshadowed a really exceptional effort from a man who now has legitimate claims to being one of India’s best three ODI batsmen of all time. It was an innings where Kohli had to push himself. Imagine. Jadhav played a knock that outshone Kohli effort. Only boys dream of just walking in with the match all but lost and then running away with it, with a man destined to be an all-time great watching in awe at times.One such time was when Joe Root and Moeen Ali had bowled 10 straight balls without a boundary. Thirty-three runs had come off the last 35 balls. This was the quietest England had managed to keep this Jadhav-Kohli partnership of 200. To the last ball of this over, the 27th, Jadhav made room. Moeen saw it. He fired it into the pads. There was no room to play a forceful shot now, especially with the leg side packed. Jadhav, though, went ahead with his attempted drive over mid-off to this short ball. The ball flew far enough to meet the boundary skirting on the half-volley.A Hawk-Eye indication of where Moeen Ali pitched that ball•Hawk-Eye

It was just Jadhav’s bad luck that, later in the night, Kohli played a shot even more awesome. This one didn’t get talked about so much. Two days later, Jadhav explained why he could execute a shot like that. And one sweep against the turn of Adil Rashid, straight over mid-on for a six.”As a kid, I played more tennis-ball cricket than with the cricket ball,” Jadhav said. “There used to be a tournament where you could hit fours and sixes only straight down the ground. If you hit on the sides you were given out. So that’s how I got into this habit that even if there is bounce, if the ball is at a manageable height and if I feel I can clear 30 yards, I can do it. I could do this with the tennis ball. So the flow with which I was playing yesterday, I thought if there isn’t much bounce and if I can get a bit of elevation, I can hit out. In that over we hadn’t got a boundary and you needed a boundary every over to maintain that asking rate. So I took that option and it clicked.”On the night, as Kohli pushed Jadhav with the running between the wickets, you got the impression he was struggling to keep up, but he turned down only those runs that were not on. Jadhav later said he will come back as a better runner, but his strength and endurance is not to be underestimated. Two years ago he went to Australia to represent India A and played on despite what he thought was some pain in his hand. When the pain didn’t recede even after he came back home, he got it checked only to find he had fractured his hand.”I realised that if I could perform well in Australia for India despite carrying a fracture, I can bear any pain,” Jadhav said. “If I have to overcome odds, I know I can do anything. That’s how I always think, and since I keep achieving it most of the times, my belief in my abilities continues to grow.”That doesn’t stop Jadhav from watching against complacency. Jadhav’s second century may have given him a more permanent spot in the India ODI side, but he is not taking it for granted. “There shouldn’t be a change [in my approach],” Jadhav said. “I always play every game as my last game. Whenever you represent your country, you’ve to give more than 100%. I’ll try and do that in whatever games I get, whenever I bat or bowl.”Jadhav played some IPL cricket with Virender Sehwag at Delhi Daredevils, and he showed shades of Sehwag’s thinking in the way he approached the chase.’Whenever you bat with Virat, it helps you, because the bowlers focus on him’ – Jadhav•Associated Press

“Since we were four down, England were looking to attack,” Jadhav said. “It was good that many fielders were in catching positions rather than saving boundaries. The wicket was good for batting, so I had a lot of gaps to score boundaries. And my natural game is to try and dominate the opposition whenever I bat. I look to take the bowlers on. So I was just playing in that flow, and because we had to chase 350, irrespective of the situation, we had to maintain the tempo.”It helped that Kohli was at the other end, which meant all of England’s energies were spent on the more accomplished partner. Jadhav had said after the match that he rued that he hadn’t got to bat as much with Kohli as he would have liked. Before Sunday, Jadhav had batted with Kohli three times.”Whenever you bat with Virat, it helps you,” Jadhav said. “Because the bowlers’ focus would be on him – how to get him out, how to control him. So that’s an advantage. If you are batting with him, you sometimes get loose balls and more opportunities to score. The bowlers are not able to put a lot of pressure on you, so that helps a lot.”

BCCI’s decision to make the ‘actual’ salaries of retained players in the IPL public – ostensibly as a part of its recent attempts to ensure transparency – has evoked mixed responses from franchises

Arun Venugopal17-Dec-20150:29

‘Will put up salaries on the website’ – Shukla

The BCCI’s decision to make the ‘actual’ salaries of retained players in the IPL public – ostensibly as a part of its recent attempts to ensure transparency – has evoked mixed responses from franchises. After the IPL draft held on Tuesday, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla had said that details of payments made to the players retained will be put up on the BCCI’s website. It is learnt that such information is likely to be available at the end of the first trading window on December 31.If the rule comes into effect, the franchises may have to disclose the actual remuneration paid to the players retained for the first time since the introduction of the retention system in 2010, which allowed teams to sign a certain number of players from their squad ahead of the auction. The earnings of the players on the retention list are not necessarily the same as the fixed price bands they are slotted in. For example, if Royal Challengers Bangalore retain Virat Kohli as their first player, a deduction of Rs 12.5 crore from their auction purse will be made, but they may pay Kohli either the same amount or more or less.The BCCI, by virtue of being a party in this tripartite agreement, is privy to the payment made, but such numbers are not easily available in the public realm, as opposed to the non-negotiable hammer-price for which a player is picked up in the auctions.Kasi Viswanathan, one of the directors of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd, the company that owns the suspended franchise, Chennai Super Kings, felt franchises were loath to disclose the actual payments because of the fear of leaking business strategy. “This is a business proposition,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Why would they want to let out trade secrets?”Viswanathan, however, said the players retained by Super Kings in 2014 – MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo – were compensated in accordance with the prescribed money brackets. Dhoni was paid Rs 12.5 crore, Raina 9.5 crore, Ashwin 7.5 crore, Jadeja 5.5 crore and Bravo Rs 4 crore. Viswanathan also said the subject of revealing such payments had never come for discussion in the past.Another franchise official felt it would create a wedge between the players, and facilitate an environment conducive for horse-trading. “Why should everyone know what price he has been retained?” he asked. “If other franchises come to know of what a player is being paid, they might try to pick holes in the contract and dissuade the player from signing a contract. You know how these things work.”It will also create a lot of unpleasantness in the team. Some foreigner maybe as good or better than a retained [Indian] player, but he might be miffed if he doesn’t get the same amount or more in the auction.” The franchise official contended that Shane Watson wasn’t picked up in the draft by either Pune or Rajkot because they knew he was paid a “huge sum” by Rajasthan Royals, and they had to match thatHowever, two other people involved with IPL teams – one of them a former franchise official – contested this argument and said franchises wouldn’t fret over salary disclosures. He also said the figures were anyway made public to a large extent when the balance sheets were submitted.”The inequalities of salaries exist anyway and are publicly clear to everyone,” the former official said. “These are only four or five cases that are coming from retention. Otherwise everyone else’s salary is crystal clear to everyone. I see no reason [why franchises would have a problem revealing the figures].”The franchise is declaring it in the books – the auditors have to see it anyway – so it doesn’t really kill them. If it is a publicly listed company they will have to open their books anyway.”The former official said the system of payments wasn’t altogether transparent. “It is not transparent to everybody else; at this point it is not. I think the BCCI couldn’t really care if you pay more or less [to the player]. As far as the BCCI is concerned it’s the purse that matters.
“If you are retaining a guy that’s when the money is actually written down saying that my cost of retaining for the IPL purse is X but my cost of retention otherwise is Y,” he said.There are murmurs of an undisclosed component being paid to players that is kept off the books, but it could not be independently verified.

Preview of the second match of the Champions Trophy, between West Indies and Pakistan

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya06-Jun-2013

Match facts

Friday, June 7, The Oval
Start time 9.30am GMTICC Champions Trophy 2004: West Indies seal a famous victory at The Oval•Getty Images

Big Picture

West Indies have fond memories of playing in the Champions Trophy, famously winning the tournament in 2004 at The Oval, the venue where they will be beginning their campaign on Friday. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, and Ramnaresh Sarwan played that game almost nine years ago and are part of a side that can go all the way in this competition. West Indies seemed to gel well under the leadership of Darren Sammy, who led them to the World Twenty20 title, but poor returns in the ODI format meant Bravo was appointed his replacement as captain in 50-over cricket. This Champions Trophy will be his first major assignment, starting against opponents who have consistently been strong contenders in ICC tournaments.Even though Pakistan are missing players who’ve been key members of their side in the past, and just barely managed to beat Ireland ahead of the Champions Trophy warm-ups, they’ve grown accustomed to the conditions and have a strong bowling attack to defend competitive scores. Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan have been dropped; Umar Gul is out due to injury; Mohammad Hafeez has been solid at the top of the order; there’s the experience of Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq in the middle, and Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan have been impressive as seamers.A defeat is a significant setback in a short competition such as this, so expect both sides to be high on intensity, also in part because of the support they are likely to receive at the ground. West Indies, in their pomp, were best supported at The Oval when they played in England, and Pakistan are never short of followers wherever they go.

Form Guide

(most recent first)
Pakistan: WTWLW (last five completed games)
West Indies: WWWLL

Watch out for…

Ramnaresh Sarwan was once the most important member of West Indies’ top and middle orders, but didn’t play ODIs for almost a year-and-a-half until his return against Australia in February this year. Though that series was a disappointment, he struck a century in the three-match series against Zimbabwe, followed by a stint with Leicestershire, which would have helped him get used to the conditions.Wahab Riaz could be a handful in favourable conditions in England. He bowls with pace, can swing it and can be effective in the shorter format with his ability to bowl the yorker on target. He is more than handy with the bat, having played a key role in Pakistan’s close victory over Ireland followed by a three-for in the warm-up win over South Africa.

Team news

West Indies could have some tough choices to make. They have plenty of depth in their batting, and it’ll be interesting to see if they pick Sammy in the playing XI. They opened with Sarwan in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in February, but Johnson Charles is fresh from two straight half-centuries in the warm-ups. Would they prefer going in with an extra specialist batsman?West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Kemar Roach/Tino Best.Pakistan played just one warm-up game (their first was washed out) and gave Umar Amin a go in the middle order, but it remains to be seen if he’s picked tomorrow.Pakistan (possible): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Saeed Ajmal, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Asad Ali/Ehsan Adil.

Pitch and conditions

On a sunny day, The Oval track could cater to a high-scoring game, and take a bit of turn. The conditions may not support much swing. There hasn’t been an ODI played at The Oval in almost 10 months; scores of 238 and 252 were chased down comfortably by West Indies and England there last year.

Stats

• In ICC ODI tournaments, Pakistan have beaten West Indies on four occasions and lost eight times. They won the last two encounters between the teams in ICC tournaments – in the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa and the World Cup quarter-final in Dhaka.
• Chris Gayle has scored 840 runs against Pakistan in ODIs, at 31.11. Sarwan has a good record against Pakistan in the format, scoring 514 runs in 14 games at 46.72.

Quotes

“The plan should be that Imran Farhat plays as an anchor and last for 40 overs or so and the boys around him play freely but sensibly. Pakistani batting always comes under pressure if the openers fall early.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Pune

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria10-May-2012

Match facts

Friday, May 11, Pune
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Sourav Ganguly has left his best behind•AFP

Big Picture

Pune Warriors have lost six matches in a row – a sequence even worse than bottom-placed Deccan Chargers, who have been clueless against everyone but the Warriors. The losses have meant that Warriors’ promising start in the tournament has been squandered. With only three games to go, Warriors can only hope to trip others on their rush to make it to the playoffs and they can start with the fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore.Royal Challengers earned valuable two points after their bowlers had restricted Mumbai Indians to 141 – the lowest score against them this season – on a responsive pitch and their batsmen strolled to the target. That Virat Kohli scored useful runs must have come as a relief to the team and they would hope that he continues the form. Royal Challengers face Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers after the game against Warriors, and with the race to the finish getting hotter, they wouldn’t want to lose points against bottom-placed teams.After the first four matches, Warriors had shot to the top of the table only to be shaken off the perch by Royal Challengers in a game where Gayle punished Rahul Sharma with five sixes in an over and Ashish Nehra failed to defend 21 runs in the last over. Warriors have the chance to dish out revenge this time but their batting needs to fire. Their last three totals have been 125, 143 and 119 and Sourav Ganguly’s tinkering with the batting order hasn’t helped him or the team. Ganguly’s role in the team has been questioned just as much as a few other captains and his position in the team is, reportedly, in doubt. Now, in their penultimate game in Pune, Warriors would hope to give their fans, who have filled the stadium every time, something to cheer. With nothing to lose, Warriors could win some more fans in Bangladesh if they include Tamim Iqbal.

Form guide

(most recent first, completed games)
Pune Warriors: LLLLL
Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWLLW

Players to watch

Muttiah Muralitharan is the leading wicket-taker for Royal Challengers with ten although he has just played six games. Muralitharan’s double-wicket over derailed a recovering Mumbai Indians batting and inspired a much-improved bowling performance. He would aim to keep the straightjacket on the struggling Warriors’ batting.Michael Clarke has scored 31 runs in his last three innings after scoring 41 on debut. He doesn’t have much of a reputation in Twenty20 cricket and with only a few games remaining, he would hope to leave a mark on the tournament.

Stats and trivia

• Steven Smith has taken the most catches – nine – in this IPL.
• Sourav Ganguly has the lowest strike-rate of 107.27 of all batsmen who have scored more than 1000 runs in IPL. This season, his strike-rate is 100.81, which is the lowest among regular batsmen in his team.
• Warriors have played Royal Challengers twice, losing both.
  

  Quotes

  “It is a good feeling to get it [orange cap]. Do you want it?”
  .

Rohit Sharma dazzled the senses, Harbhajan Singh sucker-punched with three wickets in an over, and Mumbai Indians hustled on the field to go around a sublime S Badrinath and clinch a well-fought win at the Wankhede Stadium

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera22-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma lifted Mumbai with his 87•AFP

Rohit Sharma dazzled the senses, Harbhajan Singh sucker-punched with three wickets in an over, and Mumbai Indians hustled on the field to go around a sublime S Badrinath and clinch a well-fought win at the Wankhede Stadium.Though Badrinath batted with so much serenity under pressure that he eclipsed Rohit’s knock on the elegance scale, he was left with too much to do on his own. And in the end overs, he looked a forlorn figure in the middle, hardly getting the strike as his team-mates succumbed meekly.Badrinath tried his best, though. His first scoring shot – a gorgeous off-driven boundary against Munaf Patel of the third ball he faced, set the tone for the night but it was the late cuts that really caught the eye. In the seventh over, he caressed Harbhajan Singh to third man and in the ninth over, he glided Rohit Sharma to backward point boundary. He even lofted Rohit for a pretty six – with the high front elbow and a graceful swing of the bat – over long-off in the same over. He pulled down the shutter briefly to consolidate after the fall of Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni before he opened up again in the end overs.With 59 runs required from 37 balls, Badrinath sashayed to the leg side and laced an excellent square drive off Lasith Malinga to close the gap. The situation turned grim again as S Anirudha, who had pulled Kieron Pollard for a six, swung a full toss from Harbhajan Singh to deep midwicket to leave Chennai needing 42 from 24 deliveries.It was an over later that Harbhajan, who had earlier lured Suresh Raina into hitting a return catch, killed the contest with a triple strike. He slipped one past the attempted slog-sweep to bowl Albie Morkel, lured R Ashwin to hole out to long-on, and induced Joginder Sharma to top-edge a slog. Badrinath kept up with the fight, even getting a six in the final over, but Chennai’s fight had evaporated into the Mumbai night during that Harbhajan over.Before Badrinath’s sensuous knock, Rohit Sharma owned the evening. He collected three boundaries in his first four deliveries, never looked back from then on and charged Mumbai Indians to a competitive 164. Big hitters usually pulverise the opposition with violence but Rohit seems to caress them to submission.When Sachin Tendulkar fell in the fourth over with Mumbai on 13 for 2 and with the ball jagging around, Chennai had a great chance to strangle the hosts but they were thwarted by Rohit’s belligerence and let down by their bowlers. Rohit was involved in a 61-run partnership with the enterprising Ambati Rayudu and a brutal 87-run stand in 8.1 overs with Andrew Symonds but it was his imprints that lay all over the Wankhede.Sometimes, you just need a shot or two to get going. Rohit entered the scene after Tendulkar was done for pace and bounce by a sharp lifter but got two gift-wrapped boundary deliveries from Doug Bollinger to kick start his innings. He creamed two over-pitched deliveries to the point boundary and all of a sudden, venom evaporated out of Chennai’s bowling. Even Albie Morkel, who was menacing until then, slipped a half-volley on the legs and Rohit collected his third boundary in just four deliveries.A potentially nervy settling-in period in seamer-friendly conditions had turned into an imperious start and Rohit never looked back, unfurling an array of dazzling shots. He crashed a length delivery from Joginder Sharma over long-on before he was involved in a mini-contest with Suraj Randiv. The off breaks, the doosras, and the topspinners came swirling down and Rohit started to caress and steer his way out of trouble. He glided one to backward point boundary, late cut another to third man and nonchalantly lifted another over extra cover.He brought up his fifty and Mumbai’s 100 in the 15th over with a six over long-off against Randiv and the floodgates were well and truly open. With Mumbai on 107 for 3 in 15 overs, Dhoni turned to Joginder. Mistake. Rohit flayed a length ball to point boundary and shuffled across to pull another to square-leg boundary. That was the start for more imperious innovations.He paddle-scooped a low full toss from Bollinger for a six over fine-leg before he turned brutal against Suresh Raina in the 19th over. He smote the second delivery, a gentle length ball, over wide long-on, top-edged a slog sweep for couple, and torpedoed the next delivery over cowcorner as Raina leaked 17 runs. Rohit fell in the final over, holing out to long-on, but by then he had entertained the Mumbai crowd in some style.Rohit had one more crowd-pleasing, and game-turning, moment left in the night. When Chennai needed 64 runs from 47 balls, Dhoni top-edged a swat-flick and Rohit charged in from third man and flung himself forward to pouch a stunner. It was the beginning of the end for Chennai.

It’s a contest between Ajmal Shahzad, the uncapped Yorkshire paceman, or Ryan Sidebottom to replace the injured Tim Bresnan, and the final decision will provide an insight into the selectors’ long-term planning

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford03-Jun-2010Assuming England don’t take everyone by surprise on Friday morning and change the balance of their side, they have just one selection poser ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh. It’s a contest between Ajmal Shahzad, the uncapped Yorkshire paceman, or Ryan Sidebottom to replace the injured Tim Bresnan, and the final decision will provide an insight into the selectors’ long-term planning.Throughout this season England are trying to increase the pool of players from which they can choose for any particular Test. It’s part of the reason behind the rotation system which has been implemented, with Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss keen to have a strong squad rather just a strong first XI. With a view to that it’s important they learn about new players, which would suggest these next five days are an ideal chance to find out about Shahzad.He has been part of the England squad since the Twenty20s against Pakistan in Dubai – where he marked his debut with two wickets in his first over before being dismantled by Abdul Razzaq at the end of the run chase – and he later made his ODI debut in Chittagong. However, he has since been overtaken on the Test scene by Steven Finn who leapfrogged him into the starting line-up for the first Test in Chittagong, only a matter of days after stepping off the plane from London.While playing Sidebottom may be a safer option – and his left-arm angle will also be tempting – the selectors won’t learn anything they don’t already know, and this may be the last chance in the near future to test Shahzad’s credentials, with Stuart Broad expected to return to face Pakistan later in the summer. Shahzad is also a like-for-like replacement for Bresnan with a first-class batting average of 32, and so would be expected to contribute usefully down the order.”With Ryan we know what we will get, he’s a very experienced campaigner, very good in English conditions, very good against left-handers and brings that different angle being a left-armer,” said England’s captain, Andrew Strauss. “Ajmal we don’t know as much about at this stage but are very excited about what we’ve seen which is why he’s been in the squad. He bowls with good pace, keeps running and can swing the ball both ways. It’s a choice between youth and experience and we have to decide what is the best way of winning this Test.”Bresnan received encouraging news after his injury was downgraded to a “stress reaction” with “no established fracture” following further scans, but his performance at Lord’s suggested he would have struggled either way to remain part of a three-man pace attack. There were occasions when England’s four-pronged unit looked light on firepower, especially with Graeme Swann having little influence on the match. Strauss is expecting more from the Old Trafford pitch, both for the quicks and the spinners, but a surface that aids the bowlers won’t do much to clear up the question of whether England need an extra option.”The balance-of-the-side issue is something we look at on a case-by-case basis but this wicket should have a bit more in it for the bowlers,” said Strauss. “Generally there’s a bit more pace and bounce and the spinner usually comes into the game a bit more so we are probably leaning towards four bowlers.”Two areas we wanted to improve were getting big hundreds, which to some extent we did with Jonathan Trott getting a double, and the second was finding ways of taking wickets when the ball isn’t doing much. I don’t think we did that as well as we could during the Test, certainly on day two and to a certain extent on day four when the sun was out and the ball wasn’t swinging. We weren’t able to apply as much pressure as we’d like and it’s an area we want to touch up on.”The pitches will be flat in Australia and the Ashes hype was notched up a few levels in Sydney on Wednesday when a selection of Australia players, including Ricky Ponting, launched the title sponsorship for the series. Strauss again admitted that the contest was never far from his mind even at the start of the English season, but that it was important not to lose focus on the present.”You have to look at a bit of both but primarily this game,” he said.
“As I said at the start of the summer it’s about winning and winning consistently then things will become clear as the summer goes on as to the personnel we need. I’d like to say we’ve half an eye on it, but the more immediate concern is this game.”

Division Two challengers wrap up win, need ten more points for return to top flight

ECB Reporters Network20-Sep-2024Yorkshire bowled Glamorgan out for 209 to win by 186 runs and put themselves on the verge of a return to Division One with one round of matches to go.A draw and a couple of bonus points in their final game at home to Northamptonshire would clinch promotion, as they lead third-placed Middlesex by 15 points, 20 behind leaders Sussex, after taking the final three Glamorgan wickets in an hour.They were relegated by a single point two years ago and were handicapped by a points deduction last season, so there is an air of determination about Yorkshire as they target a return to the top level.”We played well, we have played well for a number of weeks now,” Yorkshire head coach, Ottis Gibson, said. “This week was important for us the way Sussex keep playing, keep winning, so to lose the toss and get put in meant the way we have played in the last three-and-a-half days we fully deserved our win.”Glamorgan’s focus turns to the One-Day Cup final against Somerset at Trent Bridge on Sunday as they try to bring silverware back to Sophia Gardens this season despite their Championship form, which has seen them drop to second from bottom in the table.”That was disappointing, really gutting,” Glamorgan coach, Grant Bradburn, said. “We take the loss on the chin up against very good teams in the last couple of weeks and we have not quite been sharp enough in all aspects. We don’t want to lose, of course, but we don’t mind losing if we are putting ourselves in a position to win.”James Harris and Asa Tribe started the morning knowing they had a mountain to climb, even if the target was to survive until forecast bad weather later in the day.Yorkshire opening bowlers Ben Coad and Matthew Fisher started the day with 13 wickets between them, so it was no surprise that they continued their partnership looking for the breakthrough.They had to be patient for half an hour before Fisher was able to get one to cut away and bowl Tribe for a patient 58, a significant step forward for the 20-year-old opener as he tries to establish a place in the Glamorgan line-up.Fisher was buoyed by his success and pinned Andy Gorvin lbw a few balls later to put his team close to the finish.”I have been begging for Fish and Coad to be fit together for a period of time and to have those two taking the new ball then you know they will challenge the opposition and take wickets,” Gibson said.Harris kept plugging away at the other end as he did his best to delay the inevitable, getting more aggressive in the final wicket partnership with Ben Morris which put on 41. Inevitably the fun came to an end as Harris was clean bowled by Jordan Thompson one short of a half-century.

Bangladesh A were skittled for 96 after Vrinda Dinesh top-scored with the bat to help set a 128-run target

PTI21-Jun-2023The spin duo of Shreyanka Patil and Mannat Kashyap starred with the ball after a sedate batting effort to guide the India A team to the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup title with a 31-run win over Bangladesh A in the final in Mong Kok.Electing to bat, India A first posted a modest 127 for 7 before the bowlers rose to the occasion with Patil (4 for 13) and Kashyap (3 for 20) sharing seven wickets between them to bundle out Bangladesh A for 96 in 19.2 overs. Off-break bowler Kanika Ahuja also chipped in with two wickets.It was complete spin-show from the Indians with off-spinner Patil and slow left-arm orthodox Kashyap ruling the roost on a slow Mission Road Ground pitch. Sobhana Mostary scored 16, while Nahida Akter remained stranded on 17 not out for Bangladesh A.Vrinda Dinesh was the top-scorer for India with 36 off just 29 balls while Ahuja remained unbeaten on 30 off 23 balls. It was a struggle for Indian batters as only four of them managed double-digit scores with Bangladesh A bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals, not allowing India to build any substantial partnership. Besides Vrinda and Ahuja, wicketkeeper Uma Chetry (22) and skipper Shweta Sehrawat (13) were the other two Indian batters to reach double figures.For Bangladesh, slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nahida Akter (2/13) and off-spinner Sultana Khatun (2/30) picked up two wickets apiece.India progressed to the final after their semifinal against Sri Lanka was washed out without a ball being bowled on Tuesday.In a bizarre run of events, India played only one game in the run-up to the final, their opener against hosts Hong Kong, which they won by nine wickets. India’s other three matches, including the semifinal against Sri Lanka, were washed out without a ball being bowled. In fact, rain played spoilsport throughout the tournament, forcing as many as eight games to be washed out.