ScorecardRob Keogh’s maiden first-class century, which he upgraded to 221, was near wiped from the record books•PA Photos

The final day of this match predictably ended in a dull draw, watched by all too few spectators. That there was any play at all was not just as a consequence of an improvement in the weather. The ECB, had it decided to stick rigidly to the Laws of the game, could have ordered the umpires to bring proceedings to a close and to re-start this contest on the same pitch.The reason being because one of the two official scorers, Tony Weld of Hampshire, was taken ill and returned home. There was no replacement for him.Tony Kingston, representing Northamptonshire, had to score for both clubs for the entire day, using one computer. This is contrary to Law 4 (The Scorers) which stipulates the appointment of two scorers. Indeed, the “notchers” or “chalkers”, as they were known, have long been considered integral to the staging of a cricket match.A scorer for OPTA, supplying data, continued to operate in the same scorebox here but did not take over Weld’s work as well. Hence, in theory, the umpires, Martin Saggers and Steve O’Shaughnessy, could have insisted that the match be restarted and another four days allocated.What occurred instead was that Alan Fordham, the ECB’s Operations Manager, “used his discretion” to ensure this fixture was completed. “The alternative,” according to a spokesman, “was to end the game.” Tim Tremlett, Hampshire’s Cricket Secretary, spoke to the umpires and contemplated scoring himself, but had other work to consume him. Asked if he had contemplated contacting Vic Isaacs, the club’s long-serving former scorer who lives near the ground, he said he would not be taking up that option.Isaacs would have been the obvious replacement in that his 31 years service with the club remains a post-war record and he continues to score in local club matches. Yet he fell out with the club and Tremlett, his “line manager” as he called him over the public address at the end of his final match in 2006. It was anticipated that Isaacs would be granted a Benefit year by the club the following season, but instead Rod Bransgrove, the chairman, imposed a ban on his attendance. Isaacs’ son, Richard, who scores for Sky, said his father would have been happy to be called up if asked.There have been other instances of clubs being without their scorers, if not for an entire day’s play. Mike Selvey, the former England bowler, recalls a match at Tunbridge Wells in which both the Middlesex and Kent scorers, Harry Sharp and Claude Lewis, did not pick up their fountain pens in the first half hour of the second session because they were having such a good lunch. When Lewis wanted to go to the lavatory at other times, Derek Underwood, whom once he coached, would fill in his scorebook. Computerisation brought all this to an end. Kevin Baker, the Hampshire analyst, will stand in for Weld for the club’s Yorkshire Bank 40 semi-final against Glamorgan.The match itself started half an hour late owing to rain and was concluded with a declaration by Northamptonshire at 4.20 pm. Hampshire, no doubt, would have preferred an earlier finish given their looming semi-final. Maybe the ECB could have done them a favour in bringing about an early conclusion, after all.

A controlled chase, followed by a merciless onslaught from Andre Russell, helped Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndre Russell’s astounding knock of 29 off six balls included four sixes and a four•Getty Images

A controlled chase, followed by a merciless onslaught from Andre Russell, helped Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the Caribbean Premier League. They will now play Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final on Saturday.Kumar Sangakkara, playing his first game for Jamaica, anchored the 149-run chase with a measured 50 not out, after the side lost captain Chris Gayle in the fourth over with just 16 runs on the board. The Sri Lanka batsman was involved in two crucial partnerships – the first a 71-run, second-wicket stand with Chadwick Walton, followed by a 30-run stand with Danza Hyatt, where Sangakkara kept pace with the scoring rate, even as his partner struggled to an 18-ball 12.Hyatt brought his labored innings to an end with a heave to long on into the hands of Barbados captain, Kieron Pollard. That brought Andre Russell to the crease. Jamaica needed 32 from 20 and the bowling side had an even chance of winning the game. What followed, however, was pure mayhem from Barbados’ point of view.Sangakkara and Russell needed just 11 balls to race past the target. Russell faced six of those and, in a fearsome batting display, ended up scoring 4, 1, 6, 6, 6, 6 off the six deliveries.Earlier, Barbados, who were put in to bat, put together a challenging total in spite of an indifferent start. David Bernard had Dwayne Smith trapped leg before at the start of the second over and Vernon Philander dismissed Jason Holder, promoted to No. 3, in the next over.Raymon Reifer and Shoaib Malik then added 102 runs for the third wicket, the first hundred-run stand in the CPL. Malik used his feet to play Jamaica’s spinners, stepping down the track to hit two sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan and Nikita Miller early on. Reifer, who had a slow start, gained confidence gradually and began playing his shots. The pair, however, were out off successive deliveries in the 17th over, bowled by Chris Gayle.Kieron Pollard and Azhar Mahmood hit some quick runs towards the end to help Barbados post a challenging total of 148 for 6.

Adam Lyth showed what a fine batsman he is with 93 to set Yorkshire up with the chance to build a first-innings lead over Sussex

Paul Edwards at Hove12-Sep-2013
ScorecardAdam Lyth played well but again fell short of a century•Getty ImagesPrecisely one year and six days ago two young Yorkshire batsmen put on 63 for their county’s first wicket in the second innings of the Division Two match against Glamorgan. One of them made 11 in 39 balls and looked so terribly out of touch that it seemed his bat was made of teak; the other took 60 balls to make a fifty which included nine creamy boundaries and rarely can batting have looked so natural and easy an art. The first cricketer was Joe Root, the second, Adam Lyth.No one these days is disputing Root’s quality, albeit that the jury is still out as to whether he is quite yet a Test opener; but what is more interesting, is what a fine batsman Lyth looks when he plays as he did in making 93 on the second day at Hove.Yet Lyth’s innings against Ed Joyce’s attack was very different in style from his wonderful cameo at Headingley over a year ago. Few bowlers this summer can have kept batsmen as honest as did seamer Steve Magoffin who conceded just 29 runs in 25 overs and trapped opener Phil Jaques lbw for 21 in the middle of the morning session.Line and length seemed almost to be gospel for the Magoffin, who submitted the defensive techniques of both Lyth and his second-wicket partner Kane Williamson to the most severe of examinations. Yorkshire supporters, all of whom know how valuable a win on the south coast will be in furthering their team’s title ambitions, were grateful that the pair passed the test. Indeed they put on 164 in 60 overs and their stand was only seven shy of the county’s record for the second wicket when Lyth meekly dabbed Sussex debutant Ashar Zaidi to Matt Prior at slip when he had made 93.If that was galling for White Rose zealots, it was probably even more irritating for Lyth, who has reached 90 on 14 occasions in first-class cricket but had only made seven centuries. Or to put it another way, when he gets to 90 it is even money as to whether he will make a century. For a batsman of his pedigree that is nowhere near good enough.”At the beginning of the day I would have taken 93 but I was very disappointed not to go on and get three figures,” Lyth said. “I don’t really think about getting out in the nineties but I have got out between 90 and 99 seven times now. Hopefully in the next game I can go on and get that hundred that I need.”They bowled very well to Kane and myself but we knew that if we dug in the runs would come. There was no real tactic to lay a platform for later batsmen but they just bowled well and you have to respect that. We know that it’s a very good wicket but when they bowl line and length it’s tough to score. Steve Magoffin’s line and length were unbelievable.”By close of play the consequences of Lyth’s lapse at the end of his 205-ball vigil were even clearer for Yorkshire who probably need to build a large first-innings lead if they are to have a chance of winning this game.True, Williamson is still there on 80, having sculpted the day’s second monument to concentration, but Andrew Gale and Jonny Bairstow have both departed, Gale caught at the wicket by Ben Brown for a breezy 28 when following a ball from James Anyon and Bairstow castled by the same bowler when attempting a rash drive immediately after hitting him for two fine boundaries.Given his team’s situation in what is a vital match, Bairstow’s shot was not consonant with the approach expected of an international cricketer. It was, to be frank, a rather stupid way to get out, for it helped to take the gloss off a day in which Lyth and Williamson’s application had proved a match for Sussex’s bowlers, led by Magoffin, whose accuracy was peerless.

أكد نادر شوقي وكيل اللاعبين على معاناة أحمد رفعت لاعب فيوتشر من المرض قبل مشاركته أمام الزمالك في المباراة الماضية بالدوري المصري.

وكان أحمد رفعت قد خرج أثناء سير مباراة فيوتشر أمام الزمالك بسبب معاناته من الإصابة وعدم قدرته على استكمال اللقاء.

وقال نادر شوقي في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “المحور”: “رؤية المدير الفني وراء رحيل أحمد رفعت عن الوحدة الإماراتي، وشارك أمام الزمالك وهو مريض وكان يجب ألا يلعب هذا اللقاء”.

وأكمل: “أحمد رفعت حصل على حقنة من أجل نزول درجة الحرارة وكان سيموت ورغم ذلك شارك في المباراة”.

طالع | عبد الظاهر السقا: الزمالك لديه جمهور يُحسد عليه.. ولست منزعجاً من محمد الصباحي

وتابع: “رفضت فكرة خوض أحمد رفعت مباراة الزمالك بسبب مرضه ورغم ذلك اللاعب أصر على المشاركة”.

وأردف: “لم أجلس مع محمد محمود أو أتحدث مع الأهلي بشأن عودة اللاعب، منتظر الدوري ينتهي، ولكن وجهة نظري أنه يحتاج إلى للخروج موسم آخر إعارة”.

واختتم: “محمد محمود يحتاج للمشاركة في المباريات، وفي الأهلي يوجد لاعبون كثيرون في مركزه”.

يذكر، أن محمد محمود يتواجد في صفوف الاتحاد السكندري على سبيل الإعارة منذ شهر يناير الماضي.

England have named the uncapped pair of Beth Langston and Kate Cross in their 14-player squad to tour West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013

England have named the uncapped pair of Beth Langston and Kate Cross in their 14-player squad to tour West Indies. The players were picked from a 21-strong England Women’s Performance Squad for 2013-14.The tour to West Indies will feature a T20 tri-series with New Zealand followed by three ODIs against the hosts. First-choice players Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Laura Marsh and Heather Knight have been omitted in order to recover from injuries sustained during the Ashes, which England won 12-4 on the points-based system. Arran Brindle was not included for personal reasons.The return series in Australia will take place in January and February, with a 15-player squad to be selected after the West Indies trip.”After an inspirational summer regaining the Women’s Ashes, the England team now embarks on a full winter schedule starting with a tour to the West Indies,” Clare Connor, the head of England women’s cricket, said. “With a few experienced players currently rehabilitating injuries sustained during the Ashes campaign, a number of young players will have the opportunity to play key roles for the side in what promises to be an exciting tour against the hosts West Indies and also New Zealand.”Kate Cross and Beth Langston should both be congratulated on their selection after delivering consistently strong performances at England Women’s Academy level. Strength in depth is going to be critical to England’s success over the next couple of years with more and more international cricket on the horizon, including the return Ashes to Australia in January 2014 and the ICC World Twenty20 in March/April 2014.”England Women’s Performance Squad 2013-14: Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Katie Cross, Charlotte Edwards, Georgia Elwiss, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danielle WyattEngland squad to tour West Indies: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Holly Colvin, Katie Cross, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Beth Langston, Natalie Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Danielle Wyatt

South Africa’s march towards a result that will draw the series and prolong their seven-year unbeaten record away from home continued unabated, but the gloss on their seemingly impeccable performance was lost when the on-field umpires penalised them for t

The Report by George Binoy25-Oct-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSouth Africa’s bowlers made slow but steady progress towards squaring the Test series•Associated PressSouth Africa’s march towards a result that will draw the series and prolong their seven-year unbeaten record away from home continued unabated, but the gloss on their seemingly impeccable performance was lost when the on-field umpires penalised them for tampering with the ball. Graeme Smith’s team ended the third day needing six wickets to complete an emphatic victory – probably by an innings considering Pakistan were still trailing by 286 with two days remaining – but the likelihood of a meeting with the Match Referee loomed large as the sun set in Dubai.The incident occurred two overs after tea, before the start of the 31st over, following television visuals of one player rubbing the ball allegedly on the zipper of his trouser pocket. The umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker called Graeme Smith over for a chat and subsequently changed the ball and awarded a five-run penalty against South Africa, sanctions that are consistent with the penalty for unlawfully changing the condition of the ball. A second television visual showed another player allegedly picking at the side of the ball with his finger.On either side of that unsavoury episode, however, South Africa made strides towards victory, albeit not at the pace at which they had shut Pakistan out of the Test over the first two days. After South Africa were dismissed for 517 with a lead of 418, 16 minutes before lunch, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander punched Pakistan in the gut by dismissing their openers in their only overs before the break.Steyn swung the ball back into Shan Masood’s front pad and the left-hand batsman continued Pakistan’s lousy use of reviews by wasting one on an lbw that was plumb. Philander then handed Khurram Manzoor his first pair in Test cricket; the right-hand batsman hung his bat outside off stump and watched Jacques Kallis dive to his right at second slip to take the catch at head height. Pakistan were 2 for 2.After lunch, Younis Khan and Azhar Ali focused on survival. Steyn swung and seamed the new ball away from the right-handers; Philander bowled with unrelenting accuracy; Morne Morkel hit speeds off 149.6 kph – the fastest ball of the Test – in his first over. With four slips and other catches in place, there were gaps to exploit on the huge outfield but only 18 runs were scored in the first 13 overs. One of Tahir’s legbreaks spun so viciously from the rough around off stump that it went straight to first slip.Azhar and Younis, however, survived all that until Smith brought on the part-time offspinner JP Duminy ten minutes before tea. His first ball spun sharply into Azhar and kept low to hit the back pad just in line with off stump. In an instant, a vast amount of hard graft had come undone and Pakistan were 48 for 3. Duminy could have struck in his second over, too, but Kallis failed to catch an outside edge from Younis off the penultimate ball before the break.Younis’ composure, which had served him well through the second session, disappeared soon after the tampering incident, when he charged Tahir and attempted a mow across the line. He missed and the ball bounced off his pad on to his stumps. At 70 for 4, Pakistan were in danger of sliding further towards defeat but Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq put on an unbeaten 62-run stand. Shafiq was fortunate to survive a stumping chance on 18 off Duminy, and Pakistan will need a miraculous performance from him and the rest to prevent an innings defeat.The third day had begun with promise of more records being broken, with Smith resuming on 227 and de Villiers on 157. However, with the job already done unlike when they had come together early on the second day, their stroke-play wasn’t as tight.De Villiers began to drive at Mohammad Irfan from the start, but a ball after he placed one to the straight boundary, he drove again and edged. This time Adnan Akmal caught it, 164 runs and 273 deliveries after he should have caught de Villiers first ball. Irfan had now worked up a brisk pace and soon drew an edge from Smith. Akmal dropped it again, and Irfan told the wicketkeeper just what he thought of that effort. The mistake did not cost Pakistan, though, because Ajmal had Smith caught at slip a ball later, leaving South Africa 478 for 6.What followed made Pakistan wonder about the different paths this match might have taken had Akmal not dropped de Villiers before he had scored. Irfan ran in from over the wicket and tormented Duminy with deliveries that pitched on a good length outside off stump and jagged into the left-handed batsman. Three times in a row, Irfan struck Duminy on the pad and bellowed appeals for lbw. He was denied each time because the impact was too high.In his next over, after hitting Faf du Plessis on the glove, Irfan took the umpire out of the equation by bowling Duminy between bat and pad with a fuller delivery. He celebrated with vigour, but in his next over – the innings’ 149th – Irfan ran out of rope the umpires had given him by following through on the danger area once again. He was suspended from bowling further in the innings.With Irfan lost, and Junaid Khan blunt, Ajmal was the only threat and du Plessis steered South Africa past 500 and the lead past 400. Ajmal gradually worked his way through the tail to pick up a six-wicket haul, but the end of South Africa’s innings provided little relief for Pakistan.

ينتظر أحد لاعبي فريق مانشستر سيتي، محادثة حاسمة مع المدرب بيب جوارديولا، من أجل حسم مستقبله، وفقًا لما ذكرته تقارير صحفية اليوم.

ووفقًا لما أفاده الصحفي الشهير فابريزو رومانو، فإن كايل ووكر سيتحدث إلى بيب جوارديولا الأسبوع المقبل.

يأتي هذا في ظل التكهنات المنتشرة حول مستقبل كايل ووكر، حيث تشير التقارير الصحفية إلى اقترابه من نادي بايرن ميونخ.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية مختلفة أن بايرن ميونخ توصل إلى اتفاق مع اللاعب الإنجليزي حول ضمه، ولكن دون وجود لاتفاق مع بطل الدوري الإنجليزي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مانشستر سيتي يثير الغموض بعد أنباء اقتراب رياض محرز من أهلي جدة

وأشار الصحفي إلى أن ووكر سيتحدث مع جوارديولا عندما يعود مانشستر سيتي إلى تدريباته الاستعدادية للموسم الجديد.

وأفاد أن تلك المحادثة ستكون حاسمة قبل القرار النهائي للاعب، سواء الخاص ببقائه في ملعب “الاتحاد”، أو رحيله في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta segunda-feira, Cuca falou com a imprensa após seu primeiro treino como técnico do São Paulo. Entre outros assuntos, deixou claro que pretende manter a base do trabalho feito por Vagner Mancini, a quem teceu elogios, nos últimos nove jogos. À vontade, o treinador assegurou estar 100% bem e recuperado após problema de saúde descoberto no ano passado.

– Estou totalmente liberado dentro do tratamento que fiz, estou 100%, graças a Deus pude corrigir um erro que tinha sem ficar doente. O estresse que é nosso meio, quantos profissionais sofrem, não é só o Cuca… Planejava para o dia 15, mas antecipamos para o dia 1 com licença médica. Dentro desse processo, estamos fazendo com que o São Paulo fique mais fortalecido nesses jogos finais. Não abrimos mão do conhecimento do Mancini nem da presença do Cuca. Era fácil olhar de cima, do camarote. Estou aqui para trabalhar, vamos trabalhar – disse, e seguiu:

– Infelizmente, esse ano o São Paulo foi eliminado da Libertadores e com isso veio uma perda grande não só em nível financeiro, como técnico e emocional. Todos perdem. Vim a algumas reuniões, traçamos planejamento e mexemos com a juventude. O Mancini foi extraordinário na tocada do projeto formatado. Descobriu-se grandes jogadores em um rumo novo. A vida é feita de oportunidades. O que vai ser mantido? Quase tudo. Quem está treinando melhor, é quem vai se manter.

O treinador pretende estimular a competição sadia internamente para ver o São Paulo evoluindo ainda mais na temporada.

– Quem está correndo atrás vai buscar o lugar de quem é titular. Independentemente de quantos anos tenha o dono da posição. O torcedor está envolvido, querendo participar e assim vamos engrenando. Tomara que possamos nos fortalecer ainda mais dentro do projeto que montamos. É possível que venha mais algum além de Pato e Tchê Tchê.

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O contato com Mancini e o apreço pelo futebol que vem sendo apresentado pelo São Paulo nos últimos jogos fez com que Cuca optasse por manter o treinador interino ao seu lado na reta final do Campeonato Paulista – na primeira atividade no CT da Barra Funda, os dois passaram o tempo todo conversando.

– Com o Vagner nós tínhamos três caminhos: eu ficar fora observando no camarote, eu tomar as medidas já como treinador e ele voltar a ser coordenador e a terceira era agregar tudo em cima dessa semifinal de Paulistão. Não sabemos se será um jogo ou três. Tomara que três. Fiz o mais correto e justo. Quero Vagner comigo nos treinos e no jogo, os jogadores vão se sentir mais protegidos, mais fortes para os desafios – agregou Cuca.

Veja outros pontos da entrevista coletiva do treinador:

Retrospecto do São Paulo
“É uma pressão que existe em cima de ganhar clássicos, mas uma evolução natural que está ocorrendo. Os meninos estão se soltando, ganhando confiança. E as oportunidades, que é o mais importante. Eles vão ter a oportunidade de quebrar o tabu no domingo que vem. Eu não sei o que vai acontecer, mas temos uma oportunidade.”

Confronto contra o Palmeiras
“É o destino, né? Logo na minha volta, um jogo decisivo na casa do Palmeiras, onde fui muito feliz em 2016 e 2017. São coisas que acontecem na nossa carreira, um grande desafio, tomara que a gente possa sair de lá com a vitória.”

Tempo afastado do futebol
“É muito estranho, eu estava trabalhando, junto com o Pássaro, é estranho estar longe. De uma forma geral, foi tudo muito bem conduzido tanto pelo Raí quanto pelo Mancini, deram uma motivada geral em todos, inclusive no torcedor, que é muito importante para esses meninos. Ter o direito de errar. Estão recuperando a autoestima, é um passo gigantesco para as conquistas.”

ScorecardFile photo – Gautam Gambhir’s knock of 128 was his third first-class century of the year, and the third since January 2010•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was a distracting sort of day in Hubli. Even before Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement, taking the fizz out of the game, there was enough to sidetrack you. West Indies A used four wicketkeepers – one of them not even part of their XI, but allowed on humanitarian grounds, – on two separate occasions bees invaded the field forcing the players to lie prone for minutes, a batsman was hit-wicket and bowled to the same delivery, and the goods train kept honking its horns on the nearby railway track. Gautam Gambhir, though, managed to put all that aside, concentrated hard, got lucky when the concentration broke on the rare occasion, and scored his third first-class century of the year. He has scored only three since January 2010, which is why he finds himself out of the Test side.With Gambhir, for a majority of the innings, was a man with whom he has been discussing batting in the lead-up to the match, Cheteshwar Pujara. The two put on 207 for the second wicket to put India A in a position from where they can push for a win. At the end of the second day, they led West Indies A by 66 runs with seven wickets in hand. While Pujara remained unbeaten on 139, Virender Sehwag fell for a middling 38 after he had begun well and had the dispirited West Indies A attack at his mercy.If that soft dismissal wasn’t enough for Sehwag, he walked back to the news that his good friend, ODI opening partner, mentor and team-mate of 93 Tests, had retired. His reaction was a stunned “Oh, he is retiring?”Gambhir had already been dismissed by then. His century was not quite a scratchy effort, but it had periods where the conviction was missing. It isn’t entirely unexpected of a batsman fighting to come back to form. There were the reassuring off-drives and late cuts, and the milking of the spinners to go with it. Along the way he was helped by the generous fielding: 10 overthrows came his way to go with a dropped chance.Gambhir’s day began with two plays-and-misses in the first over, but he saw off the new ball well. Even during the spells when boundaries didn’t come regularly, he didn’t go out of his way looking for them. He left well on length, and reacted well to the fuller change-up deliveries, either driving them down the ground or clipping them to leg.The first blip in concentration came in the last over before lunch when Gambhir went driving at a wide delivery, but was dropped at second slip by Ashley Nurse. He was 56 then. Soon after lunch other elements would test his concentration. In the first over after the interval, wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton hurt his finger, handing the gloves over to Jonathan Carter, who looked pretty uncomfortable but there was no better option around. Soon Carter hurt his finger too, and Nurse had to don the gloves. While that was happening, bees attacked the field. The crowd went wild. Minutes were wasted, and the batsmen wondered what was going on.By the time Nurse took a knock himself, the match referee had allowed West Indies A to use the specialist wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, who had sat out this game. Even as the surreal session went ahead, the odd delivery would jump out of nowhere. Gambhir was 85 when he tried his dab to third man, but was beaten by a stinger from Delorn Johnson.When Gambhir was 93, the tea break arrived. After the break he went from 93 to 99 without fuss, but grew awfully nervous on one run short of the hundred. The first two balls on 99 went well, but the next six were excruciating even as the 15,000 spectators cheered him on. He tried to rock back and cut, he tried to step out and loft, on the odd occasion he began to run after hitting straight, and also survived a loud lbw shout when he played Nurse across the line.Finally Nurse provided him a long hop, which Gambhir pulled in the air – not high enough to go over the head of a fielder – but in the gap between the two midwickets placed for him. Gambhir couldn’t carry on for much longer. When he went back to cut Narsingh Deonarine, he went too deep into the crease, the bat came down on the middle stump, after which the ball hit the stumps.Gambhir was given out bowled. Just like “bowled” takes precedence even though a decision against a batsman for any other method of dismissal is justified, the Tendulkar news was bound to take precedence.

Pragyan Ojha, who took his sixth five-wicket haul, in his 24th Test, said he never felt threatened when the batsmen attacked him

Sidharth Monga in Mumbai14-Nov-20130:00

Ajit Agarkar on India’s quicks: Upright seam an asset

When Shivnarine Chanderpaul came out to bat in his 150th Test, he danced down and chipped Pragyan Ojha for a six over midwicket first ball. India sent a fielder back to deep midwicket. In the next over, Chanderpaul swept him for four, and India had protection for that too. This was not a defensive move. It was just India knowing that West Indies didn’t have enough confidence in themselves to properly bat out time.India’s strategy remained the same to most of the West Indies batsmen except Marlon Samuels, with whom they probably felt the need to strike early because he could settle down and hurt India. When Mohammed Shami bowled to Samuels, India had four slips and a gully, but no boundary rider. With Chanderpaul, they knew they wouldn’t incur enough damage even if he batted till the end because he doesn’t hit out or farm the strike, and more often than not, the others don’t hang around.Ojha, who took his sixth five-wicket haul, in his 24th Test, to dismiss West Indies cheaply on the first day of the Test for the second time in the series, said he never felt threatened when the batsmen attacked him. “I think it’s very simple you know,” Ojha said. “In a Test match, when a batsman isn’t sure about his defence, he wants to go after you and disturb your line and length. I wasn’t thinking about what he was doing, I was just thinking about my bowling because I knew there was a lot of bounce in the wicket, and if I keep hitting the right areas, it will be difficult for them.”Pragyan Ojha’s sixth five-wicket haul helped bundle West Indies out for 182•BCCI

And right areas Ojha hit. That the five-for came in Tendulkar’s last match made it more special, Ojha said. “It’s a great feeling, getting a five-wicket haul in a special Test match like this,” he said. “Always, getting a five-wicket haul in a Test match is a special feeling.” He dedicated the haul to Tendulkar.Ojha felt the pitch helped the spinners, as did his accuracy. “I think there was some bounce in the wicket and as the ball got older it started turning a bit,” Ojha said. “So it was all about sticking to your basics and keeping tight lines and length and putting pressure.”Ojha said he didn’t mind being overshadowed by Tendulkar’s 38 not out in the final session of the day. “Whatever it is, this Test match belongs to Sachin paaji,” Ojha said. “It’s a special one for all of us. Definitely we all want him to get a lot of runs in this special match, and I don’t mind getting overshadowed.”Ojha is one of the few India players who got some time off to go and play domestic cricket before the start of this season, and he is thankful for that. “I think all the credit goes to domestic cricket,” he said. “I always feel it’s important to go back to domestic cricket and perform there. If you perform there consistently, what our seniors have advised, is that the selectors will notice you.”