All posts by n8rngtd.top

This tournament has so far been about slow tracks, and even slower bowlers slowing things further down. With this match, that state of affairs could change

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Sep-2011

Match facts

Cape Cobras v New South Wales, September 24
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Steyn v Watson sets the match up beautifully•Getty Images

Big Picture

This tournament has so far been about slow tracks, and even slower bowlers slowing things further down. The low scores haven’t been a product of great spin bowling – well, there has been hardly any turn – but of slowness and lowness.The state of affairs could change when the South African champions and the Australian runners-up go against each other. The clash will involve a contest between arguably the most exciting opening combination and the best pace attack. Shane Watson and Dale Steyn will duel in a much more inviting contest in Tests later this year, but this is not half bad as an appetiser. If Test cricket calls for more adjustments from Watson, Steyn will be the one trying harder to fit in in the shortest format on slow Indian tracks. David Warner and Charl Langeveldt should make it a right contest between the explosive batsmen and fast bowlers. Now if only the Chennai pitch plays ball.

Watch out for …

With Watson and Warner promising much as openers, it can be easy – and hazardous – to overlook Herschelle Gibbs. He might be out of international cricket, but along with Richard Levi – they added 88 to set up the South African domestic final win – he forms a potentially dangerous combination.With his Michael Kasprowicz-like cutters, Stuart Clark could be a handful in Indian conditions. Even in the Big Bash, he went for under six an over in the seven matches he played, taking nine wickets at 17.22.

Team news

Cape Cobras have lost Claude Henderson from the side that won the domestic final – he played for Leicestershire – but Steyn is a welcome addition.New South Wales have three spinners in their ranks – Nathan Hauritz, Steve O’Keefe and Steven Smith – which gives them ample options should the pitch be a turner. Watson is a big addition to the side that lost the Big Bash final.

Stats and trivia

• Warner has hit 304 fours and 116 sixes in Twenty20 cricket. He is ninth on on the overall six-hitters’ list, and only three men have hit more fours than him.
• This is the first time these two teams are playing each other

Quotes

“I think we are underdogs. The other teams have some players who have done exceptionally well in the last few years, but we are confident and can play good cricket.”

“The ball seems to keep low here and spin is the order of the day. We played a practice game at Chepauk and that was helpful. Since we have three good spinners in the squad, we will not be afraid to experiment.”

Anil Kumble the former India captain, is at the centre of a controversy over possible conflict-of-interest issues relating to his various roles in cricket administration

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2011Anil Kumble, the former India captain, is at the centre of a controversy over possible conflict-of-interest issues relating to his various roles in cricket administration.Kumble is currently president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, head of the National Cricket Academy and is also mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore; he also co-owns a talent management firm called Tenvic that has on its books several young players including R Vinay Kumar and S Aravind, both part of the India squad for the forthcoming series against England.It is the last role that has raised eyebrows. Tenvic – named after Kumble’s ten-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999 – looks after the commercial interests of the players, his partner Vasanth Bharadwaj told the magazine. “It doesn’t make any sense for someone to do the mentoring and someone else to do the commercial handling,” he is quoted as saying. That is being seen as an area of conflicted interests, given the potential for Kumble to influence selection in both Karnataka and Royal Challengers sides, and given his role at the NCA, the nursery of Indian cricket.Kumble did not respond when contacted by ESPNcricinfo but explained his position to , who first ran the story. “I do not see any conflict of interest here. I am very clear in my mind about this. The important thing is to focus on what you are trying to achieve, and I am trying to do that.”Asked whether it was important to be seen to be above board, he said: “I focus on what has to be done, not on what people might be thinking. The positions with the KSCA and NCA are honorary jobs, and I have to look after myself. At this stage of my career, I have to do that. Otherwise, you would have to become like Gandhi and give up everything.”However, his explanations have not washed with several of his peers. Bishan Singh Bedi, another former spinner and India captain, told Outlook: “I can’t believe it, I don’t want to believe it. I don’t want to sully the image I have of him.”A similar controversy broke out earlier this year, during India’s tour of England, when Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, who were part of the ESPN-Star Sports commentary team, were seen in public perception as compromised given that they are also BCCI employees.A more serious case of conflict of interest is currently being heard by the Supreme Court: it is former president AC Muthiah’s petition that the current incumbent, N Srinivasan, cannot both be a BCCI official and the owner of an IPL franchise (his company owns Chennai Super Kings). The Supreme Court had allowed Srinivasan’s elevation to the president’s position to go ahead last month but said its decision was subject to the outcome of the larger petition.In September 2008, shortly after the first IPL season, the BCCI had amended clause 6.2.4 of the regulations for players, team officials, umpires and administrators. Before the amendment the clause read: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the board.” After the change, it read: “No administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI, excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”

Sri Lanka Women notched up another easy victory over Bangladesh Women ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier that begins in Bangladesh on November 14

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2011
ScorecardSri Lanka Women notched up another easy victory over Bangladesh Women ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier that begins in Bangladesh on November 14. Sri Lanka had come to Bangladesh early to play two matches against the hosts and after winning the first by 64 runs, cruised home by six wickets and with 21.5 overs to spare in the second. Bangladesh were put in to bat, and like in the first game scored extremely slowly. They lasted the whole 50 overs but scored at just 2.58 an over to reach 129 for 8. Most of the top order got into double digits, with Farjan Hoque’s 34 the top score, but none of the top six batsmen had a strike-rate over 50.Sri Lanka’s spinners, left- armer Suwini de Alwis and offspinner Shashikala Siriwardene, struck at regular intervals and finished with five wickets between them. The chase was always going to be comfortable and Sri Lanka got to the target in 28.1 overs. Prasadani Weerakkody scored 38 at the top of the order while Eshani Kaushalya raced to 40 not out off 36 balls.

A round-up of the third day’s play of the seventh round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2011Group AMedium-pacer Rituraj Singh, playing only his second first-class match, took 6 for 75 to bowl Rajasthan to victory by an innings and 56 runs against Orissa in Jaipur. The result significantly boosted the defending champions’ chances of making the quarter-finals for the second year in a row. Orissa began the day on 76 for 6 and, though Deepak Behera and Govind Podder extended their partnership to 69, once Pankaj Singh removed Behera for 27, the end came swiftly. Sumit Mathur picked up two more wickets to finish with 5 for 30 as Orissa were bundled out for 134 in their first innings. Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain, enforced the follow-on in the quest to register an innings victory, which could fetch the bonus point necessary to keep their knockout chances alive.It was not going to be a smooth journey, though. Subhrajit Sahoo, who made 55, and Biplap Samantray, with 82, offered resistance against Rajasthan’s three-pronged pace attack. Rituraj, however, had Samantray caught behind and two overs later removed Abhilash Mallick in similar fashion to start the slide. Orissa lost their last five wickets for only 27 runs.The win, Rajasthan’s second in two weeks, gave them six points – sixteen in total – and took them to third spot in the group. Even if Saurashtra, who had an exciting victory against Railways, had same number of outright victories and points as Rajasthan, the defending champions had a better run quotient (total runs against total wickets). Rajashtan’s quotient of 0.984 was a shade higher than Saurashtra’a 0.925.If Uttar Pradesh fail to beat Karnataka, Rajasthan will make the quarterfinals because they have more wins. The only way UP can pip Rajasthan is by beating Karnataka.Saurashtra beat Railways by 97 runs at the Karnail Singh Stadium. After the carnage of the first two days, when 36 wickets fell, expecting Railways to mount a rearguard action with only four wickets in hand was always going to be more fantasy than reality. It only took 70 minutes for Saurashtra to finish the job. Ravindara Jadeja added four wickets to his kitty to finish with a ten-wicket match haul. For Railways, M Suresh had offered some hope but he could add just three runs to his overnight score before becoming Sandip Maniar’s lone wicket of the innings. Maniar had bowled only three overs across the match on a pitch where spinners reigned supreme. Jadeja then knocked over the last three wickets, including that of Ashish Yadav, who top scored with 50.”We are in a group where six of the eight teams have won the Ranji Trophy in the last 10 years. But for this game we played hard cricket,” said Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach.Group BHalf-centuries from Nitin Saini and Priyank Tehlan shifted the momentum Haryana‘s way against Gujarat in Surat. Saini anchored the innings, batting for three hours to make 91. He was initially well supportd by Rahul Dewan (42) and Sunny Singh (40), but his dismissal began a period in which Haryana lost four wickets for 33 runs, two of them being run-outs. Tehlan and Amit Mishra wrested the initiative, however, adding 127 runs to take their side to 321 for 6, a lead of exactly 300. Tehlan’s 85 contained 12 fours and a six, while Mishra was more circumspect, taking 106 balls for his 39.Haryana’s declaration left Gujarat 12 overs to face before the close, which proved to be enough time for medium-pacer Harshal Patel to have opener Priyanka Panchal caught behind for 10. Gujarat ended the day on 34 for 1, needing 267 more for victory.Having already conceded the first-innings lead, Haryana need an outright win to avoid being relegated to the Plate League next year. However, should they pull off the victory and Baroda finish second to Bengal, Haryana will also qualify for the quarter-finals. If Gujarat lose the match, they will be relegated instead.A career-best 111 from Anustup Majumdar, and 99 from Laxmi Ratan Shukla, set up Bengal‘s total of 390 before Ashok Dinda took three wickets to leave Baroda reeling at 103 for 5, still trailing by three runs at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Bengal began the day needing 21 to take a crucial first-innings lead and Majumdar and Shukla first took them past Baroda’s total of 284 and then past 300. Majumdar was eventually caught of Sankalp Vohra for 111. Shukla added a further 51 with Sourav Sarkar before being bowled by Swapnil Singh one short of his hundred.Faced with a deficit of 106, Baroda got off to the horror start, with Dinda removing both openers in his first over with only a run on the board. Rakesh Solanki battled to his half-century, but wickets fell consistently at the other end. Dinda picked up a third wicket when he bowled Pinal Shah for 10. Irfan Solanki was on 55 and Irfan Pathan on 4 at stumps.If Haryana beat Gujarat, Baroda will need a a draw to qualify for the quarter-finals.A defiant 98 from Zafar Ali could not prevent Tamil Nadu from taking a 197-run first-innings lead as Madhya Pradesh was dismissed for 289 in Chennai. Ali was the seventh wicket to fall, having faced 291 deliveries, but he received little support from the rest of the line-up. Jalaj Saxena made 43 but the next highest contributor was extras, with 38. Five bowlers shared the wickets, with Jangannathan Kaushik the pick of the bunch, taking 3 for 48 from 21 overs. Tamil Nadu then extended their lead to 227 by the close, but lost Abhinav Mukund and S Badrinath in the process, while M Vijay was forced to retire hurt. Dinesh Karthik, who made a century in the first innings, was unbeaten on 14.

MS Dhoni has said he is not aware of any ultimatum the BCCI might have given to VVS Laxman after the batsman’s lean series in England and Australia

Sidharth Monga at the WACA15-Jan-2012MS Dhoni has said he is not aware of any ultimatum the BCCI might have given to VVS Laxman after the batsman’s lean series in England and Australia. It was reported in some Indian newspapers, quoting BCCI officials, that Laxman might have played his last Test in Perth. “As of now there is nothing like that that I know of officially,” Dhoni said when asked about the development.When asked if he would try to talk him out of it if Laxman indeed decided to call it quits, Dhoni said: “I won’t like to answer something where there is a big if and big but. I don’t know where this came from, but unless Laxman comes and tells me I don’t know whether it’s happening or not happening. I really don’t have to think about it [now].”Dhoni, however, spoke about the importance of phasing out the seniors thoughtfully. He said he hadn’t sat and thought about it, but the end of the series might be a good time to start. “Not really right now,” he said. “May be at the end of the series will be a right time. We also have to see what the senior’s thoughts are. I think there is a bit more emphasis right now about getting rid of the seniors but it will be a very careful decision. Because of what they have done for the country, and the amount of experience they can share with the youngsters.”Dhoni spoke of getting a right combination of youth and experience. “Very important to have the right mixture at the right time,” he said. “You can’t have all the seniors missing out all of a sudden, and all the juniors coming in. We will have to thoughtfully decide the best option. Give a bit of exposure to youngsters coming [in], at the same time have the fair mix of experienced guys and youngsters.”Ultimately [in] Test cricket a lot of people will be tested, but once they transfer that experience or share that experience, the job of the youngsters will become slightly easy. That’s something we need to be very careful about.”There has been widespread criticism that India have already delayed the phasing out of their three great batting stars. There have been calls to lose with young players if they have to keep losing, like they have done over the last seven overseas Tests. The Adelaide Test will be India’s last away from home over the next two years. “Ultimately we know that most of our batsmen who will come in or will be part of the team will perform in India because we have played in India,” Dhoni said. “But we need to find ways as to how we perform outside India. Definitely it will be a good option to see the youngsters coming in. Of course we are playing quite a few games in India, but we are playing tough opposition at the same time. I think it will be a good exposure for them.”Dhoni was asked if the Indian set-up lacked the courage to drop legends of the game when they were out of form. “It’s not about courage,” he said. “It’s about taking the right decision. Just for example, if you see in this series, people went after Virat [Kohli] to be dropped, and he batted really well in this series. You have to give that span of time to people. Especially when you know somebody is a really talented guy, you have to give that extra time to that particular batsman to keep going on.”Dhoni was also asked how he would like to see the transition happen. “I have not sat and thought over it,” he said. “It’s something everybody needs to be a part of. The players and the BCCI also. It will be a process rather than just an event. We will be carefully deciding as to what needs to be done in the best interest of the country.”

Tasmania kept in touch with the Sheffield Shield pace-setters Queensland and Western Australia with a six-wicket defeat of New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2012

ScorecardTasmania kept in touch with the Sheffield Shield pace-setters Queensland and Western Australia and maintained hope of defending last summer’s title with a six-wicket defeat of New South Wales on the final day of the match in Hobart.Six points at Bellerive Oval took the Tigers to 22, four behind WA after their dramatic victory over Queensland at the Gabba, which kept the Bulls on 30 points with three rounds remaining.The Blues began the day uncertainly placed at 4 for 75 and the seamer Jackson Bird ensured the visitors’ lead would not be substantial by matching James Faulkner’s four wickets for the innings.Simon Katcih was unable to bat as he continued to suffer from headaches and dizziness following a blow to the head while batting in the first innings. Only Phillip Hughes and the captain Steve O’Keefe passed 20 for NSW as the Tigers were set 147 to win.The openers Ed Cowan and Steven Cazzulino brought the target well within sight via a stand of 49, and while no local batsmna passed 50, solid contributions down the order reaped a comfortable victory.NSW are now out of contention for the final, having won only one of seven matches so far.

Mark Gillespie’s impressive return to Test cricket continued as he completed his second five-wicket haul in as many matches, but the strikes did little to rein in South Africa, who declared 30 minutes into the third session

The Report by Andrew Fernando25-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
JP Duminy scored his second Test ton•Getty Images

Centuries from Alviro Petersen and JP Duminy tightened South Africa’s grip on the series, and although New Zealand responded strongly thereafter, they face an unlikely battle to level the series with two days remaining. Petersen made his best Test score of 156 while Duminy made 103, and their 200-run third-wicket stand ensured South Africa amassed 474 for 9 declared. Daniel Flynn and Martin Guptill were unbeaten at stumps, having made New Zealand’s best opening stand of the series, but at stumps New Zealand were still 409 runs behind the visitors.Petersen had been perched on 96 overnight, and although New Zealand had the new ball to eke out a nervous stroke, he moved to triple-figures as calmly as he had navigated the wind and the rain on day two. A cover drive off Chris Martin’s fourth ball reaped the first two runs of the day, before a rasping cut brought his third Test ton, confirming his place in the batting order after four muddling performances on tour had put it in jeopardy.His approach changed little following the milestone as he stuck methodically to the strokes that had carried him to his first success in New Zealand. Drives straight and through cover were measured out when the hosts went looking for swing, and the pull proved productive, particularly off Daniel Vettori, who had bowled a touch short throughout the Test. It was an uncomplicated innings, set up by a dour 44 on the opening day, where he found the rhythm of the pitch and batted to its easy beat thereafter.While Petersen progressed carefully, Duminy had more goodwill from New Zealand. The hosts had fed his drives throughout the first two days, but Doug Bracewell granted three of their most generous gifts, floating consecutive half-volleys that eased Duminy to 98 in a flurry of handsome fours. He was then made to wait 18 balls before he moved to triple-figures when New Zealand mustered the only real period of pressure of the morning session, but he did not allow anxiety to turn into a rash stroke. A clip off the pads brought him his second Test ton, three years and three months after his match-winning 166 at the MCG.Though only Duminy had fallen in a disheartening morning session for New Zealand, a reinvigorated attack used seam movement to claw through South Africa’s middle order. Martin led the assault initially, removing Petersen with the fourth ball of the afternoon session by nipping one back to trap him in front. AB de Villiers perished to a similar ball five overs later, an inside edge deflecting onto the stumps.

Smart stats

• Alviro Petersen’s 156 is the seventh-highest score by a South African batsman against New Zealand and the second-highest by a South African in Wellington.

• Petersen’s century is his third in 13 Tests. He scored his first century on debut against India and his second in the previous series against Sri Lanka in Cape Town.

• JP Duminy, who started his Test career with a half-century and century in his first two Tests, returned to the team after nearly two years. His century on return takes his average to 32.68 after 12 Tests.

• The 200-run stand between Petersen and Duminy is joint-third on the list of highest third-wicket stands for South Africa against New Zealand. Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith shared a 200-run partnership in the Dunedin Test earlier in the series.

• The total of 474 is South Africa’s second-highest in Tests in Wellington since their readmission and their third-highest at the venue overall. The highest total by a visiting team at the venue is West Indies’ 660 in 1995 when they went on to win by an innings and 322 runs.

• Mark Gillespie, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the second Test in Hamilton, ended with his best bowling figures (6 for 113). All three five-wicket hauls for Gillespie have come against South Africa.

Mark Gillespie had found the least movement of any of the hosts’ pacemen in the innings, but had still bowled the most menacing spells. When he found movement off the seam after lunch, he accounted for Jacques Rudolph and then Dale Steyn in quick succession. Having toiled over three days to take three wickets for 362 runs, New Zealand suddenly had four for 42.Mark Boucher contributed a belligerent 42, as South Africa attacked after tea following a quiet period. Boucher peppered the square boundaries either side of the wicket, targeting an off-colour Doug Bracewell in particular, while Vettori, who has taken only two wickets for 246 runs so far in the series, was pushed comfortably for singles into a now-vacant infield. Vernon Philander partnered him astutely, granting his partner most of the strike, until Gillespie nabbed Boucher at gully. Philander’s wicket soon after prompted the declaration.Flynn survived a nervous early period as Philander and Steyn attacked with the new ball, but with the Basin Reserve surface offering little movement, South Africa were unable to separate the opening pair as they had routinely done so far in the series. A push through mid-on for four opened Flynn’s account, but he was content to leave balls alone for the most part, taking particular care with Philander who rarely attacked the stumps.Guptill was equally cautious, getting forward quickly and keeping bat close to pad when he defended, after being dismissed through the gate twice off the seamers in the previous four innings. But he took his chances as well, clipping off the leg side when South Africa strayed onto his pads.Morne Morkel gave Flynn his most serious working over, inducing an inside edge that just evaded Boucher and hitting the batsman twice in one over. But Flynn recovered well enough to hit Philander over square leg for six towards the end of the day, finishing unbeaten on 35.

With the England selectors in the stands, Nottinghamshire’s top order, including Alex Hales, James Taylor and Samit Patel, again failed to convince

Jon Culley at New Road26-Apr-2012
ScorecardAlex Hales top-scored for Nottinghamshire but was one of several batsmen to fall after making a decent start•Getty Images

One way or another, the onus was on Nottinghamshire to make a good impression, not least to avoid another public panning from their director of cricket, Mick Newell, who was decidedly unimpressed by a performance against Somerset last week from which they would surely have emerged without a single point but for the weather.For three of their number there was also the presence of the England selectors, including Andy Flower, who had chosen New Road for a selection meeting ahead of the coming England Lions match against the touring West Indians, to concentrate minds.But while they managed at least to secure a batting point in unpromising conditions – something they had not managed in their three matches hitherto, despite winning two of them – there was an inescapable feeling that they had not really done as well as they ought.Given the wet weather of the last few days and the grip so far exerted by bowlers almost everywhere, 243 all out might not look too bad for a side invited to bat, but there was not a wicket to fall in which the victim was not party to his own downfall.None of the top seven batsmen was at the crease for less than an hour and yet none progressed beyond 49. And none was more frustrated, one imagined, than the trio in whom Flower and company would have most interest.Alex Hales fell one short of a half-century. He and Neil Edwards, uncommonly, had given Nottinghamshire a useful platform, a luxurious one by their own recent standards, putting on 70 before the left-handed Edwards flicked a ball from Alan Richardson off his legs to short midwicket. There was an opportunity for Hales to take against a Worcestershire attack of whom he seemed to have the measure in hitting seven confident boundaries but then, trying to force Richard Jones off the back foot, he edged to second slip.If Hales missed a chance, so too did Samit Patel and James Taylor, the others eager to impress but who were similarly wasteful, again after it appeared they had done all the hard work. After Michael Lumb had chopped on to Jones – with another poorly judged shot – Patel and Taylor put their heads together and applied themselves with due diligence for a dozen overs, which appeared to be precisely what was required.But having given a solid exhibition of self-restraint for an hour and 48 minutes, Patel was suddenly tempted to carve at a ball from Richardson outside off stump and directed it straight to Michael Klinger at wide gully, the Australian taking a good catch above his head. Newell had told Patel without attempting to sugar the pill that 33 runs from his four previous innings had not exactly enhanced his claim on a place for England’s first Test against West Indies and he is running out of chances.Taylor, not selected in England’s Performance Squad but captain of the Lions on tour this winter, batted for five minutes short of two hours, a large chunk of it during a stand of 46 for the fifth wicket with Chris Read, but moments after Read had been caught at the second attempt by Klinger at point, he chased a wide-ish ball from Aneesh Kapil to be caught behind for 38.Those two dismissals came in a spell from the lively Kapil, an 18-year-old from an impressive crop of Worcestershire academy graduates, that yielded three wickets in four overs at a cost of only two runs.Steven Mullaney and Andre Adams added useful runs to take the total beyond 200, the latter typically blasting a couple of sixes in his 17-ball 21, but it was difficult not to measure the whole as an underachievement. Worcestershire may be able to show that it was.

Simon Katich wants to pay back Hampshire for helping to turn him into a Test cricketer – and an unbeaten 180 against Yorkshire will do for a start

Myles Hodgson at Headingley16-May-2012
ScorecardSimon Katich’s Australia days might well be behind him but his century for Hampshire against Yorkshire was part of his payback for the opportunities they gave him•Getty Images

Yorkshire may have looked to Australia for a solution to last summer’s relegation, but it was Hampshire’s own recruit from down under who transformed the opening day with Simon Katich marking his return to Headingley with his highest first-class score in four years.The first team coach Jason Gillespie, senior batsman Phil Jacques and overseas signing Mitchell Starc were all recruited from Australia by Yorkshire during the winter and charged with securing an immediate return to the first division, and until today’s turnaround their formula was working with successive wins over Gloucestershire and Leicestershire taking them to joint top of the table.Should Yorkshire fail to record three championship wins in a row for the first time since 2005, they can blame their failure to dislodge Katich as a major reason for their frustration. He began by rescuing a dismal start to Hampshire’s innings, and finished it unbeaten on 180 – his highest innings since scoring 157 for Australia against West Indies at Bridgetown in 2008.Currently on his fifth county, a sequence which began at Durham in 2000 and included a short spell with Yorkshire in 2002, Katich’s first job was to repair an innings that was in danger of collapse before lunch on the opening day after Hampshire won the toss and chose to bat.Liam Dawson fell before a run was scored, earning Ryan Sidebottom his 550th first-class wicket by edging behind, and the tone for the early overs was set.Jimmy Adams fell lbw to Steve Patterson and Michael Carberry edged Iain Wardlaw to slip attempting a drive that could be regarded as a little too extravagant in the circumstances. Plucked from league cricket by Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale mid-way through last summer, Wardlaw was unfortunate that umpire Steve Gale rejected an lbw appeal against Katich from the next delivery.Having made his Test debut at Headingley 11 years ago, Katich will no doubt always have happy memories of the place, an affection which will have strengthened by several reprieves during an innings which began in the sixth over of the day. He was dropped on 114 by Sidebottom at mid-on and then smashed a return catch back at Adil Rashid on 144, but was otherwise dominant throughout the day.It is the first major innings he has played since returning to Hampshire, a county he wants to help for their role in helping to regain his place in Australia’s Test side after his previous spell between 2002 and 2005. “I feel I owe the club for the opportunities they gave me nine years ago,” said Katich, now 36. “It certainly helped me get back to playing Test cricket for Australia, so it would be nice at this stage of my career to give something back.”Sean Ervine, the former Zimbabwe batsman, helped Katich add 124 for the fifth wicket but was caught at deep mid-on after getting a leading edge against Root, a deserved reward for an impressive spell from the Kirkstall Lane End. Captain Andrew Gale was suitably enough impressed to continue with Root immediately after tea and remove Rashid from the attack.If Yorkshire believed Ervine’s dismissal would allow them to rally in the final session, they were to be disappointed. Instead Michael Bates, 21, helped himself to a championship-best score of 88 and enjoyed an unbroken 145-run stand with Katich that ensured Hampshire made the most of the sunny conditions.”Batsmen have had it tough the first part of the season and now with a bit of sun, hopefully it will be a little tougher for the bowlers,” Katich said.

A game-changing spell from Pawan Negi followed by a fifth consecutive half-century from Virender Sehwag overwhelmed Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur

The Report by George Binoy01-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPawan Negi’s spell swung the game Delhi Daredevils’ way•AFP

A game-changing spell from left-arm spinner Pawan Negi followed by a fifth consecutive half-century from Virender Sehwag overwhelmed Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur and helped Delhi Daredevils strengthen their hold on the No. 1 position. The six-wicket victory, achieved with 28 balls to spare, was Daredevils’ fourth consecutive win this season and gave them 16 points after ten games, while Kolkata Knight Riders are second with 13 after ten. One more win in six remaining games will assure Daredevils a place in the playoffs.The previous game between these sides, two days ago at the Kotla, had been decided by a one-run margin, with Daredevils stealing victory from a dire situation. Royals looked like stretching Daredevils today as well, until Negi began to spin through the top order. After replacing Ajit Agarkar in Daredevils’ XI, Negi began his spell when Royals were 56 for 0 in six overs. By the time he finished they had slumped to 95 for 5 after 13, and were eventually restricted to 141.Negi was brought into the attack after the fielding restrictions were lifted and went for only six in his first over. In his next, after bowling two dot balls, he induced in Ajinkya Rahane the need to attempt the unorthodox, a reverse swat that landed in Virender Sehwag’s hands at point. Until then Rahane had helped Royals score at about ten an over with mostly conventional yet extremely potent strokes. Rajasthan were 71 for 1.Shane Watson, playing his first game this season in place of the injured Kevon Cooper, did not take long to unfurl a trademark heave against the other left-arm spinner, Shahbaz Nadeem, depositing the ball over deep midwicket. When he exhibited similar intent against Negi, he missed and lost off stump. In his final over, Negi had Brad Hodge caught cutting to point and Ashok Menaria holing out to long-on to finish with 4 for 18. Before that brace of wickets another in-form Royals batsman, Owais Shah, had been caught behind, top-edging a pull off Umesh Yadav. Royals had lost 5 for 24.Through all this, Rahul Dravid stood firm. He had contributed a fair share to the early momentum, then watched the advantage fritter away, and took it upon himself to bat through the innings. In the 17th over, he drove Morne Morkel inside out to bring up a half-century off 35 balls. In the penultimate over, though, Dravid’s slog across the line resulted in the ball going off the inside edge on to his leg and then on to hit the off stump.Royals’ hopes of defending 141 surged when Mahela Jayawardene was lbw without scoring in the first over. They were short lived, though, as Sehwag launched a withering assault. He hit five of his first six balls for four and after 17 deliveries that count was up to nine. When the fielding restrictions were over, Daredevils had raced to 61 for 1 and their momentum did not abate.In the eighth over, Sehwag used his bat like a ramp to launch Pankaj Singh over the third-man boundary. The shot made him the only batsman with five consecutive Twenty20 half-centuries, this one taking only 20 deliveries. With Sehwag ripping apart Royals, Pietersen was overshadowed in his final innings this season during a partnership of 96 for the second wicket. Daredevils will miss Pietersen’s consistency at No. 3, but with Sehwag in some of the best form the format has known, Daredevils’ place in the playoffs is virtually sealed.