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Alex Hales,a batsman who is beginning to warrant the attention of the England selectors, hauled Nottinghamshire back into the match

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge12-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Steve Kirby made early breakthroughts but Nottinghamshire closed in on Somerset’s total•PA PhotosStuart Broad did what was necessary to remain the centre of attention here by picking up the 13th five-wicket haul of his career. His performance was rightly put in its place though, as a sub-plot to the bigger story, as Alex Hales, 22, a batsman who is beginning to warrant the attention of the England selectors, hauled Nottinghamshire back into the match with the second century of his first-class career.It was a moment he greeted with a measure of relief as well as pleasure, having developed a tendency to lay the foundations of good scores without making them count. When he reached 50 it was the 14th time he had done so in 46 first-class innings, which is a measure of how often he has been frustrated.There is always the danger, in such circumstances, for mental barriers to emerge, which is probably why he celebrated with a clenched fist rather than any more exuberant display of elation. It signalled determination and the feeling that he had proved something to himself.Then again, a little impetuosity is forgivable in a batsman of relative youth, particularly from a natural stroke-maker, endowed with the advantage of height and strength. And pitches at Trent Bridge in the three seasons since he made his Championship debut have hardly been the ideal surface on which to build confidence.A broken jaw inflicted by a ball from Yorkshire’s Ajmal Shahzad early in May this year, moreover, has hardly been conducive to uninhibited progress. Yet he has scores of fifty or above in six of his last eight first-class innings either side of the injury, and has outshone David Hussey and Adam Voges, Nottinghamshire’s two Australians, in their successful Twenty20 campaign.This innings was not without errors. A leading edge on 59 just eluded the fingertips of Chris Jones at mid-off, while James Hildreth got both hands to a difficult chance at backward point when he was on 68.He went to 50 with a four and celebrated with a six off Murali Kartik, but mindful of having been out six times in the 80s and 90s, he negotiated the last 15 runs of the century with due care, which was just as well given that Steve Kirby was bowling particularly well at the time. But finally he was presented with an opportunity to cut Kartik for four to move to 102.His century followed a fluent 57 from Voges in a stand of 101 for the fourth wicket, which looked to have the legs to go further had the Australian not left a ball from Adam Dibble that cut back and took his off stump. It was young seamer Dibble’s first Championship wicket.Steven Mullaney, dropped at second slip by Marcus Trescothick on 29, played some pleasing shots as he and Hales added 87 for the fifth wicket before Mullaney was caught behind off Kartik, one short of a half-century. Hales is still there on 130, having given Nottinghamshire the substance they needed in response to Somerset’s 386, after Neil Edwards, Riki Wessels and Samit Patel had all gone cheaply.Somerset, who had been 341 for 5 overnight after Broad’s dismissal of Hildreth shortly before stumps, were bowled out for 386, having lost their last six wickets for 48 in a way that emphasised how well Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter had played in their 290-run partnership.Kieswetter passed his previous career-best when he pushed Broad away for two off the back foot to move to 154 in the first over of the day, but Broad claimed his third wicket when his appeal for lbw against Steve Kirby was granted by umpire Neil Mallender to the visible annoyance of the batsman.Kirby’s thumping of the turf with his bat after the finger had gone up will not have pleased Marcus Trescothick, who is already facing a possible ban because of his side’s poor disciplinary record. Trescothick is due to face an ECB tribunal on Friday because five of his players have had disciplinary issues in the last 12 months, which may explain why he has been ‘rested’ from Somerset’s three-day match against India this weekend, in which the England captain, Andrew Strauss, is playing as a guest.Kieswetter fell nibbling a perfect away swinger by Andre Adams, who claimed his fourth wicket when Peter Trego skied one to backward point. Broad, whose bowling so far has probably encouraged national selector Geoff Miller without removing all doubts from his mind, completed the 13th five-wicket haul of his first-class career and his first for a year by dismissing the debutant, Adam Dibble, and Murali Kartik.He has an impressive record for Nottinghamshire, for whom he has taken 53 wickets in only 10 matches. As a press box colleague pointed out, though, his victims here are hardly or the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid.However, his captain, Chris Read, who as wicketkeeper is ideally placed to offer an assessment, was impressed enough to offer only compliments. “From my point of view, he bowled with good pace, moved the ball off the pitch and through the air, and to get five wickets was a fine return,” he said, adding that he did not believe the selectors were about to lose faith in him.”He has been among the leaders of the England attack in the last couple of years. He is still a young bowler who bowls at 90 mph and we all know what he can do with his height and the bounce he can generate.”

Led by a Virat Kohli classic, India are now within 82 runs of the New Zealand first innings total

The Report by Sharda Ugra01-Sep-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSuresh Raina’s fifty had aggression mixed in with an urgency to find security around his No. 6 spot•Associated PressLed by a Virat Kohli classic, after staggering somewhat at two points of their innings, India find themselves within 82 runs of the New Zealand first innings total of 365. Plus a healthy chance in this Test match. At stumps on day two, India were 283 for 5 with Kohli seven short of his century and MS Dhoni four short of his fifty.Kohli formed the core of two middle-order partnerships that ensured that the Indians kept moving ahead. Just after lunch, India had wobbled at 80 for 4, before Kohli became the fulcrum of the Indian resistance even as New Zealand’s impressive seam bowlers threatened to get their teeth into the Indian lower order.A fifth wicket stand of 99 with Suresh Raina took control of the Indian innings after the loss of the top four. A sixth-wicket unbeaten 104-run partnership with Dhoni had made the most of the softer old ball. New Zealand’s triumvirate of leading quick bowlers, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and Trent Boult had an outstanding day of purpose, energy, swing bowling and wickets, more than ably aided by their fielders. In the final count, though, New Zealand were held off by these two partnerships.At stumps, the Indian response was centered around Kohli’s most intelligently compilied knock. He came in at 67 for 3, at the fall of Virender Sehwag’s wicket. In the early part of innings, he gave the bowling due respect and with two aggressive partners at the other end, Kohli played at his own pace. He was neither over-defensive or overdosing on the aggro. His strokemaking was of the highest calibre, his first boundary only off the 21st ball. He stepped out confidently to hoist Jeetan Patel over midwicket for six and hitting Boult, Bracewell and James Franklin down the ground for straight boundaries. A controlled pull off his face to Bracewell was sufficient proof of his calibre.Raina’s 55 was a different kind of fifty. It had aggression mixed in with an urgency to find security around his No. 6 spot. He was the prime mover in the partnership with Kohli, given enough opportunity to go onto his front foot. His three boundaries in the second over he faced from Bracewell, however, included a cracking pull shot. When Patel tossed one up, Raina struck a sweet six over extra cover. He was given a reprieve on 48, stumped off a no ball off Patel. His innings came to an end quickly after tea. Like Hyderabad, he was caught trying to tickle one down the leg side, this time to Southee.Much like Raina had done on his arrival during a crisis, Dhoni led his innings with big-hitting strokeplay. He took maximum benefit of the fact that his counterpart had offered him Patel’s off spin at one end for as many as eight overs. Dhoni charged down the wicket against Patel, taking on the fielder at long-on and belted two sixes over his head. That kicked off his innings and got the partnership with Kohli going at a good clip.Smart stats

Pragyan Ojha’s five-for is the third of his career and his first against New Zealand. The previous two came against West Indies.

With Ojha’s five-wicket haul, the number of five-fors for India in the series went up to three. It is only the fourth time that India have had three five-fors in a series of two Tests.

The opening stand between Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir yielded just five runs. In the last ten innings, the pair has not been involved in a single fifty-plus stand.

The 104-run stand between MS Dhoni and Kohli is the sixth century stand for the sixth wicket for India against New Zealand. Dhoni has been involved in four of them.

The fifth-wicket stand between Suresh Raina and Kohli is only the fifth 99-run partnership for India (broken stands only). The last such stand was between Syed Kirmani and Sunil Gavaskar in Chennai in 1979.

Sachin Tendulkar was bowled for the second consecutive innings in this series. He became the third batsman after Rahul Dravid and Allan Border to be bowled on fifty or more occasions.

Regardless of what was happening to Patel, Boult, Bracewell and Southee got the ball to move at good pace, even if they were a bit lenient by not putting enough short ball queries to Raina. Like he had done in Hyderabad, Ross Taylor overbowled Patel at a time when his three seamers were – between them – asking constant questions of the batsmen. Rather than use Franklin’s very medium pace to wobble the ball around, Taylor chose to fall back on Patel.Until then, New Zealand had given themselves the best chance in this Test, Southee instantly justifying his selection over Chris Martin, not only because he’d hit a six during his brief time at the crease. Within ten overs of the Indian innings, Southee had the wickets of Gautam Gambhir, shouldering arms and having his bail disturbed, and Cheteshwara Pujara, mistiming a hook leaving the hosts at 2 for 27.At the other end, after a watchful start, Sehwag lashed at the bowling. At the lunch break he was on 39, with seven boundaries, an surviving an appeal for leg before and two nicks through the slips. His partner Sachin Tendulkar played at a subdued pace, searching for touch and timing.In his first over after lunch, Bracewell’s leg stump line to Sehwag was meant to eliminate the width and room he gobbled up on his way to 43. The third ball was whipped to the square leg boundary. The fourth ball, slightly straighter, was hit uppishly and ended up in the hands of the flying Flynn at short midwicket.When Tendulkar hit a classic straight drive off Bracewell, it offered the clue that he may finally have settled in. One ball later, came the bowler’s denouement: Tendulkar played all over a straight one and was bowled through his defence. It is the second time that Tendulkar was bowled through the gate in this series. Within eleven balls after lunch, India were tottering at 80 for 4 before Raina and Kohli got together.Play had started half an hour early and New Zealand lost their last four wickets for 20 runs, within 45 minutes. The two overnight batsmen, Kruger van Wyk and Bracewell who added 99 for the seventh wicket, met with contrasting ends. van Wyk fell to a sustained spell of inquiry from Zaheer Khan, trying to guide one through to third man, Gambhir-style, but instead edged it to a diving Raina at second slip. Bracewell was unlucky to be the non-striker who ended up backing Southee too far. Ojha finished with 5 for 99, when he had Southee leg before for a lusty 14.Overall, it was a tight day’s Test cricket; New Zealand have kept throwing the challenges, Southee finishing with 3 for 35 and Bracewell 2 for 66; the control of the game will, however, depend on what India’s last batting pair do on Sunday morning.

Ricky Ponting knew a big score was coming, and satisfyingly he achieved it in Sydney when his team really needed him, with 134 runs that matched the innings of his pomp

Daniel Brettig at the SCG04-Jan-2012Ricky Ponting knew it was coming. Touch and rhythm had returned slowly to his hands and feet, and all he lacked was a score to prove it beyond doubt. Satisfyingly he achieved it in Sydney, with 134 runs that matched the innings of his pomp.While many had doubted Ponting’s capacity to return to such heights, particularly when he fell lbw three times in four Test innings in South Africa in November, the man himself said he had never felt the end was nigh. There had been much frustration, of course.”I wouldn’t be playing if I didn’t think I could do it,” Ponting said. “I think over the last few weeks even, there’s been enough signs there to know and have faith in what I’ve been working on, to know that a big score was just around the corner. I actually told a few people that after last week in Melbourne I felt a big score was very close.”It’s hard to be frustrated when you’re getting out early, it is easier to be frustrated when you’re getting decent starts and not capitalising. Low scores are always going to be there in our game. Once you get to 40, 50, 60, that’s when the great players go on and make big scores and that’s what, for me over the last few weeks, has been the most frustrating thing. I’ve probably scored a few 50s in between my last hundred, but they’re the ones you get most frustrated about.”Ponting said he had needed to break his technique down and rebuild it in response to a slackening run of scores, pushing the boundaries of hardwork that had already been substantially stretched by his proud, fastidious character.”I’ve had to work exceptionally hard, harder than ever on certain technical aspects of my game, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “I’ve been doing that for a little while now, I’ve been doing a couple of different things over the last couple of weeks, which are starting to pay dividends for me. The thing that is starting to come back is that real rhythm about my batting, and the feeling of being at ease at the crease.”When you’re going through a lean trot it is amazing how many little things creep into your head, and those little things can sometimes take over and get in the way of what you’re trying to do. So I’ve had a really clear mind this week, knowing what I’ve been working on is starting to come good for me, so it’s been a good couple of weeks for the team and today’s an extra special day for us.”It was extra special at least in part, because of the circumstances in which Ponting and Michael Clarke began their stand of 288. Australia had lost three quick wickets, the ball was swinging, and the SCG crowd murmured nervously about a team that had recently developed a habit of horridly low scores.”When Michael came to the crease last night it was a huge period in the game for us. We were three down in the game for not many and the momentum was starting to swing back in India’s favour after we’d had a very good day with the ball,” Ponting said. “The important thing for both of us was to make sure we played our natural games and we showed great intent.”Michael showed great intent from the moment he came to the crease and we both managed to score reasonably quickly last night, which just gave us a bit of momentum going to stumps, and we started the same way this morning. Our scoring rate in this innings has been very good and we’re taking the game forward all the time, which is the way we want to play our cricket. So at the moment we’re sitting in a strong position, thanks to some brilliant batting by the captain.”In the depths of a 33-innings drought between centuries, Ponting said he had been fuelled by pride, by not wanting to let his career fade to black without a rousing conclusion. But there had also been the team, which he no longer leads, but which he does not want to leave behind.”For me over the last few months there’s been a lot more pressure on me than I’ve never had at any stage of my career,” Ponting said. “But that’s just made me work harder. I’m a pretty proud person, and the last thing I wanted to do was to finish off my career the way it had been going the last few months. That’s why I’ve worked as hard as I had.”I wanted to give myself the best chance to play well and win games of cricket for Australia, and that’s the only reason I continue to play. There’s nothing else personally I’m trying to achieve, other than to help the Australian team win games, and get back up from No. 5 or wherever we were a few months ago, back up to the top of the tree where we deserve to be.”Confidence in our game is an amazing thing and spending time in the middle is what every batsman needs to do when they’re going through a lean trot. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been able to spend a bit of time in the middle, and after the innings today I can have a bit more confidence about my game than I’ve had for a long time now.”

For the second time in four days, India and West Indies showed that big hits aren’t crucial ingredients in absorbing cricket

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran29-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nos. 10 and 11, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, managed to string together the 11 runs India required to take a 1-0 lead in the series•AFPFor the second time in four days, India and West Indies showed that big hits aren’t crucial ingredients in absorbing cricket. As in the Mumbai Test, the final delivery of the match was punched to long-on, but this time there were no tears for the home fans as last man Umesh Yadav’s drive went for four to end a pulsating match.It wasn’t the highest quality of cricket, but there was no shortage of entertainment for a voluble Cuttack crowd watching its first international match in two years. Rohit Sharma seemed to have sealed the game with a mostly level-headed half-century after India slipped to 59 for 5, but his dismissal 11 runs short of the target provided an extra dollop of suspense to an already tumultuous match.Watching tailenders bat ranks high among the enjoyable sidelights in cricket, and watching a panicky No. 10 Varun Aaron and Umesh, with all of 10 ODI caps between them, negotiate the final passage was a heart-warmer. The two came together after Vinay Kumar, a relatively more skilled batsman, lost his head and his wicket by charging out and holing out to mid-off, and that five deliveries after Rohit’s dismissal.Eleven runs were needed from the final pair, off 23 deliveries. It was to be expected that the predominant mood in the middle wouldn’t be calm-and-collected, but it was still hard to explain the thinking behind Aaron declining a single off the fifth delivery of the 47th, so that he could take strike in the next over. A visibly stricken Rohit couldn’t believe that decision, and substitute Ajinkya Rahane muttered under his breath.A spell of 15 dot balls was finally ended by Aaron thumping the ball to long-off for a single. More headless-chicken stuff followed as Umesh nurdled the fifth ball of the 48th, with Aaron this time desperately wanting a non-existent second in another attempt to face the start of the next over.In Aaron’s defence, Umesh wasn’t exactly the most confidence-inspiring of batsmen, regularly planting his front foot across the stumps and poking at the ball. Umesh managed to sneak a single towards square leg off the first delivery of the penultimate over, for which the pacy Andre Russell might have been a better choice than the innocuous Darren Sammy. An on-target yorker at Russell’s pace could have been the game, but Sammy perhaps feared the edged boundary to third man or fine leg.In any case, Sammy’s second delivery was a hit-me short-and-wide delivery that was dispatched for four by Aaron, to bring India within four of victory. He guided the next ball towards point for a single, and in his enthusiasm to look for yet another unlikely second, he slipped and had to settle for one. Umesh coolly shouldered arms to the next delivery, before punching a length ball past mid-on for the boundary that extended India’s winning streak in home ODIs to ten. It also ended Aaron’s mad scramble for the second run, something he famously did, without delivering victory, off the final delivery in the Mumbai Test.At the other extreme when it comes to taking the second is R Ashwin, who was mildly criticised after delaying setting off for the potentially winning-run in Mumbai. This time he will receive a lot more criticism, after staying put for too long though his senior partner Rohit was running to the danger end, and was confident of making it.Before that run-out, India were 54 away with plenty of overs to go, with Rohit and Ashwin – fresh from a Test century – in the middle. A fairly comfortable state, which India reached due to a 83-run stand for the sixth wicket between Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja. That stand administered CPR to a chase that was fast fading at 59 for 5.Rohit played the more expansive strokes – a stylish six over the bowler, a textbook cover drive for four off Russell, followed by a controlled pull for another boundary. Jadeja was more content playing the no-frills role, picking up several of his boundaries through glides behind point. It was crucial innings for both players – Rohit, returning after several months out due to a finger injury, is looking to secure a spot in the crowded middle order, while Jadeja is still to emphatically prove he deserves a spot as high as No. 7.All the drama seemed unlikely when India’s openers galloped to 37 four overs into the chase. The dew was expected to play a huge role in the evening, and a chock-a-block crowd was probably one of the biggest many of the West Indians had played in front of. Kemar Roach didn’t let any of that affect him as he pulled West Indies back into the match by removing Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir in the fifth over, and adding the scalp of Virat Kohli soon after.When Russell snuck one past Virender Sehwag’s bat, and Suresh Raina chipped a catch to mid-off, it was West Indies who were in control, particularly as India’s most reliable middle-order finishers, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, were absent.Rohit and the bowlers clinched it for India at the end, but the inexperienced attack had been hugely impressively in the afternoon as well. India had none of the regular members of their World Cup-winning line-up but that didn’t prevent them from limiting the visitors to a small total. Umesh and Varun showed off the pace for which they have made a name, Vinay ‘s patented away-swinger was on display, and the spinners continued to give the selectors no reason to think of Harbhajan Singh.West Indies’ batting had had a reviving stand of its own between Darren Bravo and Danza Hyatt after the top-order stumbled. Bravo doled out his usual share of easy-on-the-eyes boundaries as he extended his rich form from the Tests to make 60, while Hyatt was more controlled after starting problems, due to which he has reached double-digits only twice in six ODI-innings so far.Some amateurish running from Hyatt took away any semblance of momentum from the West Indian batting, and the dismissals of Bravo and Kieron Pollard within a short span, meant the final third of the innings was slow going.The 211 they posted seemed far from substantial, especially as the pitch wasn’t playing too many tricks – the curator had boldly predicted 300-plus ahead of the match – but they again showed an encouraging ability to fight. That may not have translated into results on this trip so far, but it has resulted in the home side being forced to dig very deep in most of the matches.

A round-up of matches from the third week of the Standard Bank Pro20

Firdose Moonda14-Feb-2011The Dolphins became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals with a third consecutive victory before registering their first defeat of the competition. At the other end of the table, the Knights are out of semi-final contention, not having won a single game from their four matches.Their best chance at victory came in the rained out encounter against the Lions on Wednesday in Potchefstroom. The Knights put on a modest 137 for six in their innings with Reeza Hendricks the highest run-scorer with 47. Ethan O’Reilly, Alfonso Thomas and Paul Harris all conceded less than six runs an over and the only other damage came from Johan van der Wath who hit 29 off 21 balls.The Knights bowlers looked up to the task, removing Alviro Petersen for three and Jonathan Vandiar for eight. The Lions were 12 for two when the rain came down and no further play was possible.In Durban, the Dolphins secured their place in the final four with a nine-run win over the Cobras on Friday. Devon Conway led the way, scoring 62 off 60 balls. He shared a 92-run third wicket partnership with Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who scored a bruising 53 off 38 balls. Daryn Smit’s quickfire 22 off 11 balls took the Dolphins to 154 for 3. Vernon Philander was the most successful Cobras bowler, claiming the wicket of David Miller for a duck and finished with 1 for 23.The Cobras lost Richard Levi, who went without scoring, in the first over but Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs kept them in the game with 32 and 31 respectively. The pair were slightly sluggish is their approach and it kept the Cobras behind the run rate. Owais Shah chipped with 28 and when he departed in the 16th over, the Cobras needed 55 to win in 26 balls. Imran Khan’s four overs went for just 13 and Kyle Abbott was economical in picking up two for 21. Dane Vilas tried to resurrect the challenge but the task was too much.The final nail got smacked into the Knights coffin when they lost to the Warriors on the same day in Kimberley. Things started well for them when they restricted the Warriors to 152 for nine. Davy Jacobs and Ashwell Prince went cheaply again, both to Ryan McLaren. It was the 46 off 35 balls from Jon-Jon Smuts and 57 from 42 balls from Justin Kreusch that restored respectability. McLaren ended with four for 16 after mopping up the tail.The Knights looked comfortable in the chase at 99 for two in the 14th over. Kreusch removed Rilee Rossouw for 30 and that started the rot. Nicky Boje accounted for Ryan Bailey’s wicket and then Rusty Theron bowled a typical spell at the death to make sure the Warriors could defend their total. He took two wickets in three balls in the last over of the match and the Warriors won by six runs.On Sunday, the Titans earned a commanding seven wicket win over the Dolphins in Centurion. The Dolphins looked like fish out of water when in the third over, they were 1 for 3. Devon Conway was run out by an athletic Henry Davids, David Miller was caught off the bowling of Andre Nel and Loots bosman fell to Albie Morkel. A hat-trick of ducks sat at the top of the Dolphins scorecard. Ahmed Amla scored 44 in testing circumstances and Yasir Arafat added 17 batting at number eight to take the Dolphins to 103 for 6.The Titans made light work of the target, reaching it in the 16th over. Davids’ impressive showing continued with 45 off 32 balls, Jacques Rudolph scored 29 and Farhaan Behardien 24. Morkel and Wiese, who both impressed with the ball, were there at the end to see the Titans home. They move to second on the standings after their win.Bowler of the week: Ryan McLaren has been in sublime form in this competition and his four-wicket haul against the Warriors should have been a match-winning one. He leads the standings with eight wickets at an average of 10.12.Batsman of the week: Devon Conway was the key man in the Dolphins’ success over the Cobras, the match that secured a place in the knockouts. His 62 earns him this week’s award.

Sri Lanka’s captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has demanded more from his batsmen following their first-innings surrender for 174 in the second Test against Australia in Pallekele

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele08-Sep-2011Sri Lanka’s captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has demanded more from his batsmen following their first-innings surrender for 174 in the second Test against Australia in Pallekele. He threatened numerous changes to the team if performances did not improve.Dilshan was one of a series of batsmen dismissed cheaply as Sri Lanka lurched to 76 for 5 at lunch on the first day, a position from which they never recovered despite an excellent batting pitch. The start seemed to reflect the chaotic nature of the hosts’ lead-in to the Test, with Rangana Herath (finger) and Ajantha Mendis (back) ruled out on the morning of the match due to injuries.”Definitely there is something wrong in the batting,” Dilshan said. “We are talking, discussing, we are doing a lot of hard work in the training and we are discussing a lot of things, but now is the time to deliver.”We can’t say the wicket is bad. They’ve bowled really well but we’ve played the last series in England, where there was a better attack, and on a difficult wicket we batted really well. Now the players should put their hands up and deliver, they have to deliver, now is the time, we can’t wait anymore.”This is the third time we’ve got out cheaply [including 82 on the final day against England in Cardiff]. They bowled really well in the start but our batsmen didn’t bat well, that is why we got out. It is a good wicket, we are playing seven batsmen, we can’t expect 174 all out.”Several ideas have been tossed about in Sri Lanka’s dressing room, including the employment of the sports psychologist Rudi Webster at the conclusion of the series. Dilshan also said the older batsmen, including himself and Thilan Samaraweera, had to take more responsibility or risk being dropped. Their struggles contrasted with the success of Angelo Mathews, who followed a second-innings 95 in Galle with 58 here.”He’s batted really well in the No. 7 position,” Dilshan said. “We have problems with the middle order and the top order. We don’t want to change someone batting really well at No. 7, but we have to think about the second innings. Maybe change the batting line-up and send someone in top.”Dilshan described the changes to the side minutes before play as “unfortunate”. They necessitated the inclusion of the offspinner Suraj Randiv, who was going to be dropped, and the legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna, making his debut.Herath was struck on the finger during a fielding drill on the eve of the Test, while Mendis had a back problem that worsened in the lead-up to the game. “We thought he [Herath] would be okay but today he tried to grip the ball and he couldn’t, his finger was very sore,” Dilshan said. “Ajantha had a back injury in last one-dayer but he managed to play, but today morning he talked to the physio, he was worse than the last few weeks. I don’t want to take a chance and play him, so that is why we gave a youngster a chance. Unfortunately we had to make two changes in the morning.”

Sussex youngster Luke Wells took the opportunity of an County Championship match heading nowhere to score his second century of the season

07-May-2011Sussex 438 and 254 for 6 dec drew with Hampshire 480
ScorecardSussex youngster Luke Wells took the opportunity of an County Championshipmatch heading nowhere to score his second century of the season at the Rose Bowlwhere another easy-paced pitch led to a dramaless last day against Hampshire.Sussex predictably batted through before declaring their second innings 212ahead at 254 for 6, leaving Hampshire no time to respond. The visitors began the day 42 behind after each side had completed their first innings over the first three days and a draw seemed inevitable.Ed Joyce and Chris Nash put on 32 for the first wicket before slow left-armerDanny Briggs took the first of his four wickets. Joyce mistimed a sweep and top edged Briggs to square leg where Friedel de Wet clutched the opportunity.Wells signalled his intentions on arrival with a straight six off Briggs and itbecame clear the match was petering out when Sussex went in at lunch with a leadof 66 at 108 for 1. Briggs, who got through another marathon spell of 30 overs spread across the innings, struck again at 124 when Nash, who had hit six fours in his 56, choppedthe ball onto his stumps.Nash and Wells had put on 92 for the second wicket to make sure there were noalarms and the afternoon session brought little respite for the Hampshirebowlers. Murray Goodwin, the Sussex captain, was the third to go at 157, curiouslyoffering no shot to a delivery from Briggs and being bowled via the top of his pad.Five balls later De Wet struck for the first time when he had Ben Brown caughtat the wicket with the score 158 but there was still no real hope forHampshire. Wells, who made 103 earlier in the season, reached his century off 169 balls,hitting 11 fours in addition to his six.But Wells failed to go on and beat his previous best score because at 248 andhaving faced only another seven balls, Wells drove Sean Ervine to James Vincefor exactly 100.Wells and Luke Wright had put on 90 for the fifth wicket to make the game safeand by then the few spectators were already heading home. Wright perished soon afterwards, edging Briggs to Jimmy Adams after making 39 soon afterwards Goodwin decided to call a halt.Briggs was rewarded with figures of 4 for 99 as the match fell away. Hampshire, still looking for their first Division One win of the season in four attempts, finished with nine points and Sussex took seven back home along the south coast.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the one-off ODI between Afghanistan and Australia in Sharjah

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale25-Aug-2012Match factsThis will be the first match of any format between Australia and Afghanistan•UAE Cricket BoardAugust 25-26, 2012
Start time 1800 (1400 GMT)
Big PictureTen years ago, the idea of a one-day international between Australia and Afghanistan seemed about as plausible as playing cricket on the moon. But Afghanistan’s cricket progress has been one of the most remarkable success stories in the game’s recent history and now they have a chance to play Australia for the first time. The one-off match will be Afghanistan’s second ODI against an ICC full member and Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland said when he announced the fixture last month that he hoped it would help the development of the Afghanistan team.”Everyone in world cricket have been really impressed with how cricket has flourished in Afghanistan, despite its pressing national problems,” Sutherland said at the time. “As an ICC member, CA strongly supports world cricket’s ambition for cricket to continue to develop as a global sport and that, combined with the strong relationships between our two countries, encouraged us to look at how we might recognise and encourage Afghanistan by playing them on the field.”Australia are expected to win the match but their captain Michael Clarke was careful not to underestimate Afghanistan before the game, noting that they would be more familiar with the conditions, whereas Australia have just come from a tour of England and a cold winter back home. The Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal said the match would be “a huge moment” for all of his players.There is another reason this fixture is significant: it is rare, if not unprecedented, for a one-day international to be played across two days. The extreme heat in the UAE forced a rethink of the playing times for a 50-over contest and to avoid the worst of the sun, it was decided that Australia’s ODIs against Afghanistan and Pakistan would start at 6pm and would be scheduled to finish at 1.45am. It is not so much day-night cricket as night-morning cricket.Form guide (Complete matches, most recent first)Afghanistan LWLLW
Australia LLLLWWatch out forThe legspinner Samiullah Shenwari is Afghanistan’s leading wicket taker in one-day internationals, with 27 victims at 26.66. He also doesn’t mind the conditions in Sharjah, where he has played five of his 22 ODIs, and where he picked up his best figures of 4 for 31 against Canada. The Australians will be a stiffer challenge, but on a pitch expected to offer some turn he could prove a tricky customer.Glenn Maxwell will become Australia’s 196th one-day international player and the sixth man to debut for them in the format this year. In 2010-11, he broke the record for the fastest half-century in Australian domestic one-day history, with a 19-ball effort for Victoria, and he will provide some strikepower in the lower middle order. He is athletic in the field and will enjoy bowling on the turning Sharjah surface.Team newsAfghanistan have named a 15-man squad, with their captain Nawroz Mangal back in the mix after he missed their most recent matches in Ireland in July.Afghanistan (possible) 1 Karim Sadiq, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Nawroz Mangal (capt), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Asghar Stanikzai, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Gulbodin Naib, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor ZadranAustralia have named their starting XI ahead of time. Maxwell will make his international debut and Clarke has promoted himself to No.3. The four players to miss out from within the squad were Callum Ferguson, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith and Alister McDermott.Australia 1 Matthew Wade (wk), 2 Dave Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 George Bailey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Xavier DohertyPitch and conditions”The wicket looks quite hard, there’s no grass on it at all,” Clarke said on the day before the match. “I think as the game goes on there’ll probably be a bit more spin throughout the game.”The weather can be summed up in one word: scorching. Even late at night the temperature is not expected to dip below 34C.Stats and trivia This is Afghanistan’s second ODI against a full member of the ICC; they lost their first by seven wickets to Pakistan in Sharjah in February Although most of their games have been against fellow associate members, Afghanistan have an impressive ODI record, having won 12 of the 22 matches they have played The No.3 position has been a problem for Australia in ODIs recently; in the past year they have used six batsmen there for a combined average of 21.13
Quotes”This will be a huge moment for every single one of us, playing against the mighty Australians.”
“They’ve played a lot of cricket over the last couple of weeks in preparation for the T20 World Cup. It’s an opportunity for them to come out with nothing to lose and plenty to gain.”

Mashrafe Mortaza has lost his race to be fit for the World Cup after being left out of Bangladesh’s squad for the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jan-2011Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladesh allrounder, has not been included in the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Mortaza had injured his right knee while playing club cricket in Dhaka in December and was striving to recover in time for the tournament. He had begun bowling off a short run-up during net sessions in the last few days but the selectors decided against including him in the campaign. Shakib Al Hasan was named captain of the squad and Tamim Iqbal will be his deputy.”There is little chance that Mortaza will be fit before the World Cup,” chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP, adding that coach Jamie Siddons supported this assessment. “Mortaza, however, has the chance to be included in the team later if he fully recovers and an opportunity arises.”Mortaza’s absence is a blow to Bangladesh but they have enjoyed a string of positive results under Shakib recently, including beating New Zealand 4-0 in October 2010 and Zimbabwe 3-1 in their most recent outing in December.The doubt over Mortaza’s selection was the only major question ahead of the announcement. And though his exclusion effectively means that Mortaza won’t be part of the World Cup, Siddons was optimistic. “He [Mortaza] is on track with his rehab. He was supposed to bowl today, bowl off a full run-up at the end of the month in eight to ten days,” Siddons had told the day before the squad was announced.”We definitely want him to be fit. If the selectors don’t pick him, and if he’s fit by the first match, we can use him as a replacement in the World Cup. There are a few good reasons for him to bowl. I expect him to be fit by the start of the World Cup. I want him in the team, I want a fit Mashrafe.”The Bangladesh physiotherapist, Michael Henry, had said Mortaza had “responded well and there were no negative repercussions after his bowling stint.”Mortaza described his exclusion “as the most painful day” of his life. “I was 100% confident of regaining my fitness,” Mortaza told reporters. “However, this is life and I am quite accustomed to it.”I respect their decision and you can say this is just bad luck.”Bangladesh will play the tournament opener against India in Dhaka on February 19 after which they play their remaining group games at home.Squad: Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo.

Darren Sammy insisted his side can make the quarter-finals, and that they can overcome the loss of Dwayne Bravo

Firdose Moonda in Delhi27-Feb-2011The West Indies squad formed a circle around the small field where they were going to do their fitness drills in Delhi. Two players took turns standing in the middle and hurling an inflated ball at their team-mates, who had to get out of the way or get hurt. They squealed and squirmed and amid the protests most managed to avoid being blasted in the end.Not so when they are not in training.The squad has been playing a figurative dodgeball with the media since the mid-90s and most times they get stung hard. Most of the international press don’t have any positive feelings about the side, their ability, their commitment, their desire and their skills and nothing the players can say will change their minds. Those critics don’t want justification, they want crucification, a forum to tell the men from the Caribbean, time and time again, that they have failed their predecessors and are simply not good enough.This time it came as an accusation when a reporter said the West Indian batsmen were not prepared for South Africa opening the bowling with a spinner in their World Cup match on Thursday. “We were not caught off guard,” Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain said. He was, of course, challenged on that statement. Why was Chris Gayle out after three balls if they weren’t surprised? “These things happen in cricket,” Sammy explained, before he attempted to justify further. “The second wicket pair put on a partnership of over 100.”None of it mattered, because the hyenas wanted more. The West Indies had only scored 222 in their first match of the tournament and hadn’t even been able to bat out all fifty overs. The Netherlands, who they will play on Monday, managed to bat out their full allotment of overs and post 292 against England. Dodge that one, Darren.Darren Sammy insists West Indies can cope with the loss of Dwayne Bravo•AFP”They put on a good batting display against England. We saw how England bowled to them. We’ve been practicing hard in the nets. Our bowlers did their best defending 223 but we need a better batting and fielding performance.”Ah yes, that’s what they want to hear: the West Indies admitting that they have to try harder and that they need to do more and that’s it going to be difficult for them to do that. Already, the last part of that is fact because they are missing premier allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who injured his knee in the match against South Africa. “He covers two options for us, with bat and ball,” Sammy said. “The other allrounders, and I am one of them, will have to put up their hands and put performances in on the field.”Sammy gave little indication suggesting who may replace Bravo. Having seen the South African spinners perform well on the Kotla pitch, he said that Nikita Miller “has a strong case for coming into the starting XI.” That will leave them a batsman short given the lack of penetration in their attack, it may be more beneficial to have the extra bowler.Bravo’s loss is going to present the West Indies with this puzzle for the remainder of the tournament, they’ll have to continually “rethink combinations” and will need to be able to rely on the top order batsmen like Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo even more than usual. It’s a massive setback in their attempt to dodge more claims of incompetence, but it’s one they are determined to turn into a positive. “Dwayne’s injury will be an inspiration for us,” Sammy said. “We’ve seen him give his heart for the West Indies and we are going to do the same.”It’s a nice thought but not one that has anyone convinced that West Indies are serious about what they’re here to do as could be heard from the snide sneers when that comment came out. Sammy became more serious, trying his best to put across that the knockouts are still in his team’s sights. “Everyone in this team is responsible. We know what to expect. This is a must-win game for us.”