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A round-up of all the matches played in the Premier Limited Overs Tournament on December 5, 2013

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Dec-2013Group AA five-wicket haul from Sajeewa Weerakoon, and 72 from Lahiru Thirimanne helped Ragama Cricket Club maintain their unbeaten run in the competition, inflicting a seven-wicket defeat on Badureliya Sports Club. Badureliya had ridden fifties from Saman Jayantha and Andy Solomons to 152 for 3 after 36 overs, but surrendered seven wickets – four of them to Weerakoon – for 37 runs after that, to finish on 189.Batting at his favoured no. 3 position, Thirimanne hit his second fifty in the three matches so far, and forged a 114-run partnership with Ian Daniel, who also hit his second fifty in the tournament. Daniel was at the crease when Ragama strolled to victory, in the 39th over.Air Force Sports Club resisted the Army Sports Club spinners better than either of the previous visitors to Army’s Panagoda ground had, but the hosts still waltzed to an easy five-wicket victory, with 10.3 overs left. Most batsmen in Air Force’s top order got starts, but although they lost only four wickets to Army’s often-irresistible spinners, none went on to a half-century. Wickets at regular intervals slowed their progress, and Air Force finished on 219 for 9 in their 50 overs.The visitors were in the game when they had Army at 104 for 4 in the 28th over, but having failed to provide a defining contribution with his legspin, Seekkuge Prasanna produced one with the bat. His manic 84 not out came from 32 deliveries, and included 10 sixes – a fact which should not evade the national selectors who are considering Prasanna for a place in the World Twenty20 squad, as a slow-bowling allrounder.Panadura Sports Club’s rolling collapse handed Colts Cricket Club the easiest victory in a round populated with one-sided games. Colts’ opening bowlers Ishan Jayaratne and Kanishka Alvitigala removed Panadura’s top four for 24, in their opening spells, before seam-bowler Sanitha de Mel and offspinner Dilruwan Perera took two wickets each. Charitha Buddhika was the only Panadura batsman to play a significant innings, as he ground out an unbeaten 38, while his side fell for 121 in the 42nd over.Shehan Fernando’s unbeaten 73 secured the eight-wicket win for Colts, in the 27th over.Group BA Tamil Union attack featuring three Sri Lanka Test bowlers posed very resistance to Sinhalese Sports Club, who reeled in the 155 with seven wickets in hand, inside 39 overs. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s dismissal for one run sparked a Tamil Union collapse that left them precariously placed at 89 for 6, before Rangana Herath’s 42-run stand with Ramith Rambukwella took the team to 155. SSC’s fast bowlers and their spinners prospered with equal measure at their home ground, as four bowlers took two wickets apiece.Tamil Union created the makings of a comeback win when Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal dismissed the SSC openers in the first four overs, but Kaushal Silva further entrenched himself as Dilshan’s likely Test successor, with a steadying, unbeaten 74. Herath struck to remove Chamara Kapugedara with the score on 63, but that was all the success the visitors had, as Silva and Thilina Kandamby’s 96-run stand took SSC home.Geeth Kumara’s 92-ball 109 and Umesh Karunaratne’s 5 for 49 set up Chilaw Marian’s 19-run Duckworth-Lewis victory over Moors Sports Club, in the only match curtailed by rain in round three. Having chosen to bat first at Moors’ home ground, Chilaw were 37 for 3 before Kumara and Karunaratne steadied he innings with an 85-run stand. A brisk 70-run association with Buddi Samarawickrama followed, before Saliya Saman’s 34-ball 43 propelled Chilaw to 283 all in the final over. Moors left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara took 4 for 43.Moors lost both their openers cheaply to Karunaratne, before Chaturanga de Silva led a resurgence with 50. Moors, however, could not manage a meaningful stand until Dilhara Lokuhettige joined forces with Isham Ghouse for the seventh wicket. The pair made 65 before Ghouse was dismissed, and the rain came two balls later, leaving Lokuhettige stranded on 40 off 30, chasing an unlikely win.Nondescripts Cricket Club did not stray from the tournament trend of teams batting second comfortably chasing down unconvincing totals, as they surpassed Ports Authority Cricket Club’s 194 with five wickets in hand, and ten overs remaining.NCC seam bowler Chaminda Vidanapathirana struck early blows to help restrict Ports Authority to 95 for 5, before the spin bowlers took over, albeit after a brief resurgence from the opposition. Left-arm spinner Sohan Boralessa and offspinner Tharindu Kaushal have competed fiercely for wickets in this tournament, and they took three apiece in this match, alongside Vidanapathirana. Kaushal’s figures were the more remarkable however, as he conceded only 16 from his 10 overs.Opening wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella struck his second fine innings in the tournament, as he ensured the chase stayed on course despite wickets at the other end. When he departed for 87 from 108 balls, NCC required only 26 for victory, and Angelo Perera was unbeaten on his second fifty of the tournament when they got there.

A 163-run third-wicket stand between Sudip Chetterjee and Abhimanyu Easwaran helped Bengal recover from 3 for 2 in the second over, to end the day at 274 for 8 against Railways in Kolkata

The Report by Rachna Shetty in Kolkata08-Jan-2014
ScorecardFile photo: Wriddhiman Saha’s unbeaten 60 helped Bengal recover from a middle-order wobble•ESPNcricinfo LtdFitness concern for Railways

Abhay Sharma, the Railways coach, has said that fast bowler Anureet Singh should be fit on the second morning, following an injury concern. Anureet, Railways’ most successful bowler on the first day, bowled 28.2 overs before leaving the field and Sharma clarified that the bowler had picked up a cramp.
“Anureet is having some problem, but hopefully he’ll be okay in the morning,” Sharma said. “It’s a cramp and he will be able to bowl in the second innings.”
Another injury concern for Railways was batsman Nitin Bhille, who was hit on the shoulder by a Laxmi Shukla pull shot, that resulted in the batsman’s dismissal.
“Nitin Bhille got struck on the shoulder and he is having some pain,” he said. “So let’s see how he reacts in the night and we’ll take a call in the morning.”
Sharma praised Chatterjee and Abhimanyu for their 163-run stand and said the match was evenly poised after his side bounced back to take five wickets in the third session.

A 163-run stand between Sudip Chatterjee and Abhimanyu Easwaran, hailed by Bengal coach Ashok Malhotra as the “next generation” of Bengal batting, rescued the side from 3 for 2 in the third over, before a lively 41-run eighth-wicket partnership between Wriddhiman Saha and Ashoke Dinda ensured that a middle-order slump didn’t wipe out the team’s hard-fought advantage on the first day against Railways at Eden Gardens.On the eve of the quarter-final, one of Bengal’s achievements that Malhotra was proud to point out was the development of youngsters, something which Chatterjee and Easwaran gave ample evidence of growth.They were brought together in the third over by Railways pacer Anureet Singh, who dismissed opener Arindam Das and Subhomoy Das off successive deliveries, after Bengal were put in to bat. Before this game, Chatterjee and Abhimanyu Easwaran had a combined first-class experience of six matches, but they showed maturity with some watchful batting which guided Bengal through a tough period of play in the first session when the Railways pacers – Anureet, Krishnakant Upadhyay and Ranjitkumar Mali – bowled six successive maidens to build on their early advantage.Whenever the bowlers erred, however, the pair were ready. Chatterjee took advantage of any ball drifting down leg side, while Easwaran gradually played some crisp drives through the off side. The only real opportunity the pair offered, which Railways failed to capitalise, was through their running between the wickets.The post-lunch session did not bring much relief for Railways, as the pair promptly set about dictating the flow of the game by hitting 22 runs off the first five overs. Bengal’s 100 and century for the third-wicket partnership were reached quickly, but the stand would have ended much earlier had Murali Karthik held on to a tough chance off Easwaran at first slip, off the bowling of Upadhyay.The breakthrough for Railways came via legspinner Karn Sharma, who had Easwaran caught behind for 65. An even bigger break came five overs later when Chatterjee’s first loose shot in nearly four-and-a-half hours resulted in his fall for 96, four runs short of what would have been a maiden first-class ton. The left-handed batsman had been playing a balanced game and was confident against both the seamers and spinners – he smacked Murali Kartik for two fours either side of the cover fielder in the bowler’s first over – but a waft outside the off stump, off Anureet’s bowling, brought an end to a good innings. In a wonderful gesture, a few Railways players patted the batsman on the back as he walked off.”They (Chatterjee and Easwaran) batted very impressively, especially Sudip who played so responsibly,” Laxmi Shukla later said. “It was a treat to watch. We hope Saha and Dinda can add another 50-60 runs on the second day.”The wicket nonetheless gave Railways an opening which they exploited well, picking up another four scalps. The Railways seamers sent down nearly 50 overs and worked hard to extract some movement and bounce off the pitch late in the day. Shukla played a brisk 21-ball 17 but fell to a freakish dismissal – his pull took down Nitin Bhille at forward short leg, and the rebound was snapped up wicketkeeper Mahesh Rawat, off Kartik’s bowling. Writtick Chatterjee was caught behind and was followed soon after by Saurasish Lahiri and Sourav Sarkar. From a position of strength, Bengal were suddenly 233 for 8, before Saha and Dinda stemmed the fall of wickets.Saha, in search of form before the New Zealand tour, struck two early fours and a hit a lofted six straight over Kartik’s head before settling down to play a calm 60 off 116 balls. At the other end, Dinda played some attacking shots much to the delight of the crowd, with his strokeplay even prompting Malhotra to remark in jest: “Now that Sachin has retired, we have Dinda”.The elation of having helped the team recover from potential disaster eased some of Chatterjee’s disappointment at having missed his maiden century. “I was disappointed, but it’s more important to help the team win,” he said. “Both Abhimanyu and I set small goals for each other after we had lost those early wickets and whatever we tried, luckily worked for us. It was important to spend time at the crease, and we struggled, but the wicket got better and allowed us to play shots.”

A round-up of the second day’s play from the final round of Ranji Trophy Group B matches

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2013
ScorecardThe second day’s play between Uttar Pradesh and Railways in Lucknow was abandoned to bad light and rain•ESPNcricinfoSaurashtra achieved a comprehensive, nine-wicket win over Services in a little over four sessions, but the victory may not be enough to give them a spot in the knock-out. Saurashtra may be in line for the next round if there is no result in the match between Tamil Nadu and Bengal.For Services, the loss has pushed them once again to Group C. In 2012-13, Services had topped Group C and made it to the semi-finals, which boosted their promotion to Group B, but they have failed to win a single game this season, losing four of the eight games and drawing the rest.Saurashtra came in to the game needing a bonus-point win to keep their hopes of qualification alive, but their chances of bagging seven points were dashed by the loss of the opener Chirag Pathak when the team was just six runs short of the 31-run target.On the second morning, the Saurashtra innings lasted just three balls before Jaydev Unadkat became Rajat Paliwal’s fourth victim. After being shot out for 72 on the first day, Services didn’t fare much better in their second innings either, mustering just 135. Anshul Gupta was the only Services batsman to offer any resistance, scoring 85 off 122 balls with eight fours and a six. His team-mates, however, succumbed once again to the Saurashtra spinners. Nayan Doshi took 4 for 31, while Kamlesh Makvana and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja finished with three wickets each.Saurashtra eased past the target in a little more than six overs, but they will be left ruing the fall of Pathak’s wicket which denied them the seven points.Sarabjit Singh, the veteran Services wicketkeeper-batsman, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after the match. Sarabjit, 39, played 91 first-class games and 72 List A games in a career spanning two decades.
ScorecardTamil Nadu kept their chances of progressing to the knock-outs alive, finishing the second day 83 runs adrift of a victory over Bengal in Chennai, after being set a target of 185. Beginning the game on 18 points, both Tamil Nadu and Bengal need an outright victory to stay in contention for the next round.Tamil Nadu started the second morning at 66 for 6 and quickly folded for 85, offspinner Arnab Nandi picking up three of the last four wickets to fall. Left-arm spinner Rahil Shah (6 for 64) and offspinner Malolan Rangarajan (4 for 48) then brought TN back into the game scuttling Bengal for 139. A 58-run, fifth-wicket stand between Laxmi Shukla and Sudip Chatterjee was the only bright spark for Bengal, with Shukla in particular playing a belligerent 25-ball 46. Once he was out, however, Chatterjee failed to find partners.TN openers Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund shared a stand of 72, before the latter was dismissed by Writtick Chatterjee. Karthik finished unbeaten on 56 off 109 balls.The second day’s play between Uttar Pradesh and Railways in Lucknow was abandoned to bad light and rain.Read the full report of Rajasthan v Baroda here: Rajasthan top order frustrates Baroda

Angelo Mathews criticised Bangladesh for declining to go after what would have been the biggest successful chase in Test history, while Mushfiqur Rahim said Sri Lanka declared too late

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Mohammad Isam08-Feb-20140:00

Fernando: Losing Herath and Eranga was a big blow

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews felt the Bangladesh batsmen, including Tamim Iqbal, didn’t show enough intent to try and level the series•AFPShamsur reprimanded for inappropriate comments against decision

Bangladesh opener Shamsur Rahman has been reprimanded after pleading guilty to making inappropriate comments about an umpiring decision while interacting with the media after the third day’s play in Chittagong.
Shamsur, and the Bangladesh dressing room, had been irked by Nasir Hossain’s dismissal as he was erroneously given out by umpire Paul Reiffel. Hossain had tried to cut a delivery from Ajantha Mendis towards the end of the day and was adjudged caught behind by wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal. Shamsur had said after the match their “day had been ruined by one decision”.
Shamsur breached Article 2.1.7 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an international match or any player, player support personnel, match official or team participating in the match.
Shamsur admitted the offence on Friday evening and accepted the proposed sanction offered by match referee David Boon. There was no need for a formal hearing.

Angelo Mathews has criticised Bangladesh for declining to orchestrate the highest successful chase in cricket’s 137-year history. Mathews also labelled the Chittagong surface “a road”, after which Mushfiqur Rahim countered by saying Sri Lanka had not bowled well enough to win. The two-Test series finished at 1-0, after Bangladesh chose to bat for the draw, instead of going after a target of 467. That total would have also been their highest ever second-innings score.Sri Lanka had also delayed their declaration on day four, ostensibly, in part, to let Dinesh Chandimal score a third Test hundred. The move allowed Sri Lanka no more than eight overs at the hosts on the fourth evening.”We didn’t really declare late,” Mathews said. “If they wanted to chase the 467, they could have, but they did not show any intent. They had 98 overs, and we actually could have bowled more than 98 overs, but they didn’t show any intent. We were one-nil up in the series and they had to make a move. But we declared yesterday itself, rather than waiting for today. We were being positive and we were going all out for the win.”We know that we could get them all out if they were going for runs. You could just block and survive on this wicket, but you can’t actually go for big shots because the wicket was a slow one. We had different kinds of bowlers – we had Ajantha Mendis, we had Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal who were bowling well – so if they wanted to go for it, we were up for the challenge.”In response, Mushfiqur questioned the timing of Mathews’ declaration. “I am also surprised that they only made us play a few overs [on day four],” Mushfiqur said. “If I was captaining Sri Lanka, I would have left it with 20 overs to go. I think I would have been happy with a 350-400 lead.”I think we never get the credit we deserve when we bat well. I don’t think they bowled in a way to take 20 wickets.”Mathews suggested Pakistan’s recent historic chase of 302 at 5.25 runs an over, against Sri Lanka, indicated 467 was a chaseable target. “If they wanted to, it was possible,” Mathews said. “You’d rather try to square up the series [even though you could] lose 2-0. That’s what the Pakistanis did in Sharjah. If they wanted to make it 1-all they could have at least showed [some intent], but they didn’t want to. We were just trying to get them all out, but the wicket wasn’t assisting the bowlers.”Mushfiqur said his team had taken their Test record into account while formulating their fourth-innings strategy. “There may not have been a big difference between 1-0 and 2-0 for them, but not for us. I am disappointed at losing the series. If we had played well in the first Test, we could have drawn the series.”The second Test featured six centuries, including a triple-hundred, and Mathews said the Chittagong surface was not conducive to a result. He had expressed similar frustration last year in Galle, when that Test against Bangladesh had also ended in a draw.”I’m very disappointed with the draw, but I actually thought we could start another Test match on the same wicket,” Mathews said. “It didn’t assist the bowlers at all. It wasn’t a sporty wicket. It was a batsman’s paradise. It was very hard and once the seam got soft, the bowlers didn’t have any chance.”The wicket was flat as a road. We couldn’t do much. The bowlers gave their hearts out. Unfortunately that’s all we got. We might have missed Rangana Herath’s experience, but Mendis and Dilruwan bowled well.”

The Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association has asked that the board set aside 25% of its revenue from participating in the World Twenty20 to guarantee the players’ salaries over the next 12 months

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2014The Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association (ZPCA) has asked that the board set aside 25% of its revenue from participating in the World Twenty20 to guarantee the players’ salaries over the next 12 months. The players have also rejected Zimbabwe Cricket’s offer of arbitration on the issue.While the cricketers have not gone on strike again, they issued a demand that the problem of payments be resolved quickly and requested a discussion with ZC in Bulawayo on Monday.Both ZC and ZPCA agreed the money earned by board from the World T20 and will amount to US$8.9 million, of which the players demanded US$2.225 million for salaries over the next year. The ZPCA said it was “shocking and highly unacceptable that ZC has been failing to pay players and staff when they have been getting such huge amounts from ICC”.ZC’s offer was that each player participating in the World Twenty20 would receive US $11,500 and could earn bonuses of US $2700 per player if they won matches in the second round. The board made no mention of future payments but recommended a memorandum of understanding by end of May, when ZC would be negotiate with players for next season’s contracts.The players rejected the board’s offer of arbitration because they felt “ZC still has an obligation to convince us that they are still capable of being the custodians of the game of cricket in Zimbabwe and players salaries in particular”. ZC had offered three arbitrators, including former board president Alwyn Pichanick and former managing director Don Arnott, but the players said they “were not privy to how they chose these arbitrators and we questioned their impartiality”.They insisted on following internal procedures first and would only go to arbitration if a judicial commission appoints the arbitrators. The players made their statement only after ZC had issued one in which it said the ZPCA had reneged on a previous agreement to go to arbitration if meetings between the two bodies were deadlocked.”ZPCA is not engaged in any industrial action. Franchise games are underway country wide and the national team is in camp in preparation,” the ZPCA said in a statement. “ZPCA advised ZC that this matter must be attended to as early as possible and accorded the seriousness it deserves, otherwise we will not participate in any ZC organised event.”ZC said it may have a claim on the players should a boycott be reinstated. The board’s statement said: “Zimbabwe’s participation at the ICC WT20 tournament was in terms of the current contracts between the ZC and the players and, that with ZC having paid the players all that it owed them, if their action led to ZC breaching its obligation with the ICC to play in the tournament, the players would be liable for the breach and ZC would claim from them any damages occasioned by their conduct.”The situation is presently deadlocked because ZC wanted to hold Monday’s meeting in Harare, where they say all their documents are. The ZPCA wanted the discussions to take place in Bulawayo and asked ZC to courier their documents to the city.

Sri Lanka head into the World T20 on the back of 13 wins from their last 18 matches, and will bank on their tried and tested to claim the title in Bangladesh

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Mar-2014OverviewKusal Perera’s aggressive bursts at the top of the order will be crucial to Sri Lanka’s chances in Bangladesh•AFP”It can all change in one over” is the line sold by Twenty20 hype-men, but in 18 months of T20 efficiency, Sri Lanka have clung to a different truth. The format is fickle, but not unpredictable, they’ve felt. It shifts rapidly, but it is not immune to forethought. It’s swayed by fortune, but not defined by it. Sri Lanka’s best tactician Mahela Jayawardene put it this way: “The key to T20 is making fewer mistakes than the opposition.”So, over the past two years, Sri Lanka have absorbed that philosophy and chalked out a formula, refining elements as required, tinkering with the mechanism by trial and error. They have taken “hit and giggle” cricket seriously, dropping seniors temporarily to build depth in the squad, drawn up specific battle plans to target a range of opponents, and started rehearsing for the World T20 as far back as nine months ago. They have arrived in Bangladesh now with 13 wins from their last 18 matches, having topped the T20 rankings since the last global event. Thanks to the Asia Cup, they also have the taste of tournament victory fresh in their minds.The top-order strategy goes something like this: Kusal Perera has the license to attack, Tillakaratne Dilshan – slyer and slower now than he used to be – seeks to bat through the innings. Kumar Sangakkara then imparts energy to the middle overs, and the versatile Mahela Jayawardene plays any role required, from accumulator to aggressor. Angelo Mathews’ zest for finishing innings has been reclaimed in the past few months, and even if he fails, the likes of Thisara Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara are on hand to deliver the final blows. These players have fulfilled their roles so consistently, they have largely masked captain Dinesh Chandimal’s shortcomings in the middle order.With the ball, Mathews sneaks in a couple of cheap early overs while Kulasekara attacks, often successfully if there is swing to be had. Sachithra Senanayake comes from around the wicket to tie batsmen down, sometimes during the Powerplay, as Ajantha Mendis or Rangana Herath pose more menace through the middle. Lasith Malinga’s yorkers close out the innings, and once again, Sri Lanka have fail safes if the above goes awry. Mathews and Thisara often have overs to spare at the death, and Dilshan pitches in with reliable offspin at a pinch.Though they have embraced this formula, they have also remained elastic. Sri Lanka’s success in big tournaments has largely been due to their ability to adapt to diverse oppositions and changing conditions in short intervals. They have proved to themselves that they are good at the format. They are familiar with Bangladesh, having spent six weeks there, and key men are in form. Sri Lanka want nothing less than the title.Key playersMahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have announced their T20 international retirements after this tournament, which represents their penultimate chance of global-tournament glory. Sangakkara’s returns in all formats are as good now as they ever have been, and having developed a violent strain to his strokeplay in the last 18 months, he will hope to contribute heavily in this tournament.Jayawardene has been less consistent, but if the Asia Cup was any indication, he can still make the crunch matches pivot on his blade. Respected in the dressing room as they are in public, there will an element of wanting to win the tournament for Sanga and Mahela, but as they approach the end of 30 collective years in top-level cricket, no one will be more desperate than themselves.Surprise packageKusal Perera had been something of a gimmick in his first few months in international cricket; a Sanath Jayasuriya lookalike with a penchant for short bowling, who moved up the order to open. The iron bottom hand and the short-arm pick-up shot remain unchanged, but he has begun to tread down his own path in the past few months, steadily working towards more consistent results. He provided two good starts to the team in the Asia Cup, and weeks before had hit his maiden ODI ton against Bangladesh. He is sometimes guilty of attacking too many balls, but if he can refine his method for this tournament, he is capable of providing the sustained aggression at the top of the innings that has brought Sri Lanka success in the past.WeaknessDInesh Chandimal has been astute in brief brushes with captaincy, but his T20 record is unflattering. He has barely averaged 10 in the past year. There were signs he could change his form around when he hit 29 from 25 in the warm-up against India, but he will need to string several similar scores together to quell doubts about his place.World T20 historySri Lanka left the tournament at the group stage in 2007, but made the final against Pakistan in 2009 and against West Indies in 2012. They also played a semi-final in the 2010 tournament in the Caribbean. A title still eludes them.Recent formAcross all formats, Sri Lanka have played 12 matches in Bangladesh since the last week of January, and are yet to drop a game. Since November, they have won four of their five T20s.

Basil Anthony, the former Sri Lanka umpire who officiated in his Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test, against Australia in Kandy in 1983, has died in Perth. He was aged 76

Sa'adi Thawfeeq25-Apr-2014Basil Anthony, the former Sri Lanka umpire who officiated in Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test, against Australia in Kandy in 1983, has died in Perth. He was aged 76.A right-hand batsman and offspinner, Anthony played for State Services before taking up umpiring. That landmark Test was the only one he officiated in, but he also stood in several club matches and two ODIs – against England in 1982 and Australia in 1983, both in Colombo.He served as vice-president and general secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricket Umpires Association, before migrating to Australia where he continued umpiring in grade cricket.

Fifties from Dinesh Karthik and JP Duminy ended a seven-match losing streak for Delhi Daredevils

The Report by Alagappan Muthu19-Apr-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details7:33

Duminy an understated match-winner

The burning question for Delhi Daredevils was their mettle under pressure. They were on a losing streak that was now at seven matches across two seasons. They still had to contend with their biggest influence – Kevin Pietersen – being restricted to the bench. They had to best one of the wilier attacks in the IPL, which believed – at 167 – it had enough to defend. However, fifties from stand-in captain Dinesh Karthik and new recruit JP Duminy took them home in an emphatic flurry.The Daredevils captain was on the receiving end of a snorter from Albie Morkel in the last match, but today he was at his busy best. He nudged those singles and twos, his footwork against spin was precise and more importantly he held the chase together until Duminy arrived at No. 5 and took Morne Morkel for 21 runs in the 18th over to shift the balance.Sunil Narine was Knight Riders’ go-to man again, gamely delivering a 19th over that allowed only six runs to leave the equation at run-a-ball. The pressure shifted to Piyush Chawla who beat Jimmy Neesham with a legbreak that didn’t turn, and then snapped him up with a seam-up delivery. Duminy hared across to the other end so that he was on strike, and belted another quick delivery over square leg to take the honours with three balls to spare.A big target requires some risks at the top and can sometimes contribute to wickets without much doing from the bowlers. M Vijay was one such casualty when his search for a non-existent single resulted in his run-out. Ross Taylor could not get going for a second game in a row, and was undone by an offcutter from Jacques Kallis. Daredevils, though, still managed a quick start, thanks to Mayank Agarwal’s 26 off 14, which ensured the Powerplay fetched 49 runs.Karthik and Duminy got together with 107 needed off 13 overs, and began milking the spinners. Narine was kept back until the 11th over, by which time Karthik had a measure of the situation. His strike rate spent only two balls under 100 as he trusted his nurdles on either side of the wicket to keep the score ticking. Chawla’s first over highlighted Karthik’s range against spin when he carted a six over square leg, and then cut a four through point. A languid four over extra cover brought up his fifty, and was probably the shot of the match.Duminy was at his innovative best. His first boundary was a scoop over the keeper. He would need to pull out his finishing skills. He lost Karthik in the 15th over, Manoj Tiwary could only last six balls, and Knight Riders scented a turnaround with 40 needed off the final four overs.It was then that Duminy exploded. Morne Morkel had set up Knight Riders’ victory on Wednesday with a brutal first spell. His pace and lift was just as troublesome to deal with today as he claimed two wickets, but at the crunch he almost seemed to play into Duminy’s hands. A length ball, a short one and a full toss were blitzed for four, six and six.Pace on ball might have let Knight Riders down at the crucial moment, but it worked for Daredevils when asked Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jaydev Unadkat to join Mohammed Shami. The pitch might have been slow, but under lights the ball began to seam.Mohammed Shami exploited it in the first over to hand Jacques Kallis his ninth duck, and mark him as the specialist batsman with the most ducks in the tournament. Gautam Gambhir, was still searching for his first runs this season, when he tucked one off the hip, straight to leg gully, to join Kallis at nine ducks.Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa rebuilt the innings with a 64-run partnership, telling themselves the release was around the corner. Uthappa survived a scare Taylor dropped him on seven. Even though Pandey fell in the 11th over, Uthappa, assisted by cameos from Shakib Al Hasan and Suryakumar Yadav, set up a total that visibly energised the Knight Riders’ dug-out at the innings-break. But Daredevils just wanted it more.

Jacques Kallis has signed up with Sydney Thunder for the next two seasons of Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-20140:22

‘Looking forward to play for Sydney Thunder’ – Kallis

Jacques Kallis has signed up with Sydney Thunder for the next two seasons of Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. Kallis, who has been part of the two IPL titles-winning Kolkata Knight Riders side, said he was looking forward to playing in Australia.”I will be playing against a few guys who I have played against most of my career, guys like Huss [Michael Hussey], now I am looking forward to play with these guys,” Kallis said.Kallis, who retired from Tests in December last year, has scored 3673 runs and taken 95 wickets in 143 T20 matches. He will join England’s Eoin Morgan and Chris Woakes, and Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis in the Thunder team, captained by Michael Clarke.”Signing a player of Jacques’ quality and experience is phenomenal news for Thunder fans,” Nick Cummins, the Sydney Thunder general manager, said. “He is one of the greatest cricketers to have ever played the game and apart from his experience and leadership, he is still a brilliant allrounder who will give the side a quality top-order batsman and versatile bowling option.”Just having a player of his stature around the group will be great for our young players and he will bring big match temperament and a winning attitude to our squad.”

Looking forward to playing for Sydney Thunder in Big Bash this year. I am sure it gonna be a lot of fun pic.twitter.com/jTjYPIbz22

— Jacques Kallis (@jacqueskallis75) June 12, 2014

West Indies were made to work hard for the win, which was hastened by a blazing Chris Gayle innings

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran20-Jun-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
BJ Watling hit only four fours in a six-and-a-half hour rearguard•Associated PressIt’s not easy to win a Test match. Just ask West Indies. Their victory drought in Tests seemed set to end yesterday evening itself, but Mark Craig and BJ Watling made them wait. And wait. The odd drizzle and some threatening rain clouds on the fifth morning only increased the anxiety for the home side. More than two hours into play on the fifth morning, they finally did get New Zealand all out, and though they faced a not-too-challenging target of 93, a downpour soon after the final wicket meant there was little relief for West Indies.As the skies cleared, so too did the home side’s troubles. West Indies fans got to see the sight that perhaps cheers them up the most: Chris Gayle batting in Twenty20 mode to demolish the bowling. The target was hunted down in just 13.2 overs, the long wait for a Test win was finally over, and the series was level.The rough period may be over for Gayle but one man wasn’t finding Test cricket that arduous. After beginning with a Man-of-the-Match performance on debut at Sabina Park, Craig frustrated West Indies with the fifth longest Test innings by a No. 10. He made light of a lack of footwork to stick around for more than three hours, surviving a bunch of chances, including two in the cordon off successive deliveries from Jerome Taylor in the 130th over.He put on 99 in 43.1 overs with Watling before finally nicking a full ball to the keeper. Watling remained unruffled though, persevering past 200 deliveries as he enhanced his reputation as one of the finest wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world. There were just four fours from him in nearly six-and-a-half hours of defiance, and it came on the back of a splendid performance behind the stumps in Jamaica last week. As the partnership ate up more and more time, advice came even from the crowd, a woman wearing a West Indies jersey shouting for a short leg to be put in place and for the quicks to bang it short.Even as Watling showed off tremendous powers of concentration, the No. 11 Trent Boult applied himself to hang around. The intermittent drizzle only gave West Indies more to worry about. When Shannon Gabriel finally got rid of Boult, there was almost no celebration from the home side – Gabriel walking back to the umpire, thankful the toil was over, with Chris Gayle and the rest of slip cordon shuffling towards the dressing room, keeping an eye on the weather.When the rain relented after an hour and a half, Gayle got going. He flicked the first ball of the chase for four, and hit four more boundaries in the next four overs. Then he switched to smashing sixes, clubbing three in a Boult over including one to the roof of the stadium. He galloped to a 50 off 28 balls – the second quickest by a West Indian in Tests – as the chase was finished off in quick time. Gayle and Kraigg Brathwaite are at the opposite ends of the batting spectrum, and it was never more clear than in this partnership: Gayle made 80, Brathwaite 14. Gayle getting among the runs ahead of the deciding Test was the icing on the cake for West Indies.New Zealand’s run of eight Tests without defeat – their longest in over a decade – has been snapped, but they will be pleased they at least made West Indies toil for the win, especially after their limp batting on the first day. The Barbados match will be a test of how far Brendon McCullum’s men have progressed.