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Kumar Sangakkara met with the SLC executive committee on Tuesday evening to discuss further whether he would represent Kandurata Maroons or Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Champions League, but no decision has been made yet

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Aug-2013Kumar Sangakkara met with the SLC executive committee on Tuesday evening to discuss whether he would represent Kandurata Maroons or Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Champions League, but no decision has been made yet. SLC remains hopeful that Sangakkara will play for Kandurata, and has begun a discussion with Sunrisers regarding Sangakkara’s release.”What we told Kumar at the meeting was that we would like him to play for the local team,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. “We have told the franchise we would like Kumar to play for the local team as well.”Ranatunga also said Sangakkara was “happy to play for Kandurata,” but stopped short of confirming he would appear for his local team. Champions League organisers had confirmed on Monday that players who do not play for their IPL team in the tournament do not breach any contracts, although they do take a significant pay cut.Sangakkara stands to lose $140,000 from his $700,000 IPL salary if he opts out of playing for the Sunrisers and the board’s correspondence with the franchise is understood to include a request to mitigate this penalty. Whether Sunrisers are content to allow Sangakkara to play for Kandurata but still pay him his full salary may be dependent on whether Sangakkara shapes as a major cog in their tournament strategy.SLC will hope Sunrisers did not plan to play Sangakkara in their preferred XI, and that they will be swayed by the prospect of retaining the $150,000 sum that a foreign franchise must pay a players’ qualifying home team, if he plays for the foreign team in the Champions League.Despite its dire financial situation, SLC has seemed unconcerned about receiving this payment and Ranatunga confirmed the board was happy to effectively incur that loss.Sangakkara is crucial to Kandurata’s hopes in the tournament as he was their most experienced player in the domestic competition, and is also capable of providing leadership support to young captain Lahiru Thirimanne. He has also been in the limited-overs form of his life in the past three months, in which he has revealed a new, hyper-aggressive facet to his batting, borne out through an unprecedented range of strokes.In contrast, Sangakkara had had a poor IPL for Sunrisers, and although he began the season as captain, he increasingly left himself out of the side towards the end of the tournament.

Will Smith snapped a lean run with the bat as he made a century to lead a strong Durham reply on day two at Trent Bridge

George Dobell at Trent Bridge30-Apr-2013
ScorecardWill Smith snapped a run of low scores to make his first century of the season•Getty ImagesOn a day on which Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann were in county action together, it is highly unlikely that many of the spectators at Trent Bridge had come to watch Will Smith. And, after watching him bat throughout the 96 overs of the day, it is highly unlikely that many of them will be hurrying back to watch him again.For Smith, batting is a serious business. Each run has to be hewn from his soul like a miner crushing rocks in search of gold. His discipline outside the off stump would make a Trappist monk look frivolous. Pregnant mothers or those with heart conditions need not fear watching him in action. And the word “action” is used somewhat liberally. It is not pretty and it is not exciting.But it is effective. Smith’s marathon of concentration and denial – he resumed in the morning unbeaten on three and reached his century from his 270th ball – rescued his team from a precarious position against Nottinghamshire.He has, so far, repelled a good bowling attack on a pitch renown as seamer-friendly for 106 overs and, from time to time, he has accumulated from the short ball, the wide ball or deliveries straying on to his pads. It was just what Durham required.Smith needed this innings, too. He had not passed 50 in the Championship since last May – a run of 22 innings – and his scores this season have been 1, 0, 15, 0, 42 and 4.This was a return of sorts for him, too. He spent five years with Nottinghamshire between 2002 and 2006, but had never managed a century on this ground and, in his last 10 innings against his old club, had failed to pass 15.He did not give a chance and, in partnership with the characteristically obdurate Paul Collingwood added 115 for Durham’s sixth wicket after they had slipped to 148 for 5 and were in danger of conceding a decisive first innings deficit. For a while it seemed there must have been a time before they started batting together – a happier, simpler time when people drove the ball through the covers – but it became desperately difficult to remember it.Smith’s excellence has been partially overshadowed the return of Swann and Broad. Both bowled tidily, though Broad again left the pitch near the end of the day complaining of groin pain. The club expect a repeat performance of the previous day when, after a rub down, he is able to play a full part the following day with the cause of the problem still thought to be an impact injury; he edged the ball into his groin when batting on the first day.Broad managed 18 overs. He claimed two important wickets – Ben Stokes, attempting to turn one on the leg side, beaten by a bit of bounce and movement and giving a return catch, and Collingwood, nibbling at one that may have left him slightly in the dangerous channel outside off. Broad maintained a nice, full length and gained just enough movement to demand respect.But whether this was enough of a performance to warrant selection for the first Test against New Zealand remains to be seen. According to the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, Mick Newell, Broad is not planning on playing again before the Test, but he still looked a yard short of his optimum pace. Certainly that was the impression of Smith, afterwards.”He was OK,” Smith said, when asked about Broad’s pace. “It wasn’t like he was rapid or anything. He would readily admit he’s got a bit more to work to do. He didn’t give much to hit.” All of which hardly sounds like a ringing endorsement.It may be that Broad has the experience to time his return perfectly and is aiming to peak for Lord’s against New Zealand. He has, after all, played nearly 200 international matches. But whether he is, at the moment, a more threatening bowler than Toby Roland-Jones, Jamie Overton, Chris Wright, Chris Woakes et al. is debatable. Certainly if Broad is to play in the first Test, he will face tougher opposition on less helpful surfaces than this.Swann, enjoying his first bowl in competitive cricket since March 2, was also tidy. Apart from one chest-high full toss – gratefully dispatched by Smith – he was as tight as ever and, on a pitch offering him nothing, delivered 20 demanding overs. He is currently planning on playing two YB40 games before the Test.Swann had hoped to return a game earlier. But his keenness to do so resulted in some swelling in the right elbow that was operated on a couple of months ago and some concerns as to his future.”He was pushing himself to play against Derbyshire,” Newell said, “And maybe he pushed a bit early. Now he is looking for a game where he bowls 30 or 40 overs to prove it’s ok. He’ll probably bowl eight overs in each of the YB40 games, too.”But I think he said he didn’t want an operation again. He doesn’t want to go through the six weeks or two months of rehab. He likes playing and I don’t talk to him about retirement or anything like that. But, if he had the injury again and the jungle series came up, or a dancing in ice series or something, I think he would do that.”Durham had dug themselves into a bit of a hole before Smith and Collingwood’s stand. The nightwatchman, Chris Rushworth, fell early edging a waft, while Scott Borthwick, promoted up the order, was drawn into playing at one he could have left and Dale Benkenstain was punished for lingering on the back foot by one that may have nipped back a fraction.But Smith resisted stoically. While he may lack the run-scoring options of a Test batsman, he at least demonstrated the concentration of one here. And in providing a tough work out for Broad and Swann, he may just have played his part in helping England in a busy summer.

Luke Fletcher helped reduce Surrey to 29 for 3 in pursuit of 259 after the Nottinghamshire batsmen had failed to build a bigger advantage

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge17-May-2013
ScorecardLuke Fletcher took two wickets to go with a useful innings as nightwatchman•Getty ImagesAssuming it is not the weather, the key to a match that enters the final day nicely poised will probably be Surrey’s ability to reach lunch without suffering much more damage than that inflicted on the third evening, before bad light slashed a further 14 overs from an already shortened day.Having earned themselves a target of 259 to win by bowling out Nottinghamshire for 191 in a contest of diminishing returns, they suffered three blows during Luke Fletcher’s opening spell at the Pavilion End and were grateful that Rory Burns did not waste many scoring opportunities. Thanks largely to the opener’s eight boundaries, they have a slightly less daunting 186 to pursue now.One way or another it was Fletcher’s day. Having bowled impressively in the first innings, when figures of 2 for 40 did not really do him justice, he began by swinging the bat lustily in an extended stay as nightwatchman and rode his luck profitably in the circumstances, contributing a useful 26 runs on a day when none of the recognised batsmen was able to build on a start.He was dropped twice at second slip, first by Vikram Solanki and then Jason Roy, before Zander de Bruyn held on to one at third slip, giving Stuart Meaker the second of his four wickets in the innings. As in the first innings, Meaker, Jade Dernbach and Tim Linley made the batsmen work for any rewards on a pitch that always had something for the bowler. Surrey do need to be sharper in the field, though. Roy put down Paul Franks later and Steven Davies, diving across first slip, spilled a chance offered by James Taylor before he had scored, much to Dernbach’s annoyance.No batsman, though, was able to punish the errors to any notable degree. Taylor made only 13 before Dernbach took his revenge, via a catch taken so low by Gary Wilson at first slip there seemed to be some doubt in Taylor’s mind over whether it carried, judging by his body language at the crease. But off he went, before Riki Wessels edged his first ball to second slip, this time with no element of doubt.Michael Lumb might have been unlucky, looking relatively in control before a typically theatrical appeal from Linley, who fell over in the process, persuaded umpire Steve O’Shaughnessy to raise the finger. Lumb looked squarely in front but stood aghast at the decision, as if he felt he had put bat to ball first.All this happened during a period in which O’Shaughnessy and Martin Bodenham were constantly required to consider whether or not the floodlights, in use pretty much all day, were aiding or impeding the batsman’s ability to see the red ball. Spectators are frustrated when the lights are on and the players still go off but the use of lights is for the most part a benefit. This was a day, certainly, when there would have been much less to watch without them.With Notts 161 for 9, Surrey had the upper hand but the last wicket proved infuriatingly elusive until Arun Harinath ran out Ajmal Shahzad, whose breezy stand with Harry Gurney added what may yet prove to be 30 vital runs.As Surrey began their pursuit, Fletcher thundered in with conviction and struck two quick blows, first conjuring up a brutish delivery that climbed off a length as Roy shaped to defend, inducing an outside edge taken in front of his face at first slip by Alex Hales. Soon afterwards, he drew Harinath to push at one that left him outside off stump, Wessels taking a more comfortable catch behind the stumps. In the same Fletcher spell, Vikram Solanki chanced a quick single to mid-on and was run out brilliantly by Steven Mullaney, who scored a direct hit with a back-handed throw to leave Surrey wobbling at 29 for 3.

The Warriors and Cape Cobras remain in a tight race for the South African first-class title with just 0.18 of a point separating them at the top of the table.

Firdose Moonda19-Jan-2013The Warriors and Cape Cobras remain in a tight race for the South African first-class title with just 0.18 of a point separating them at the top of the table.Warriors franchise kept themselves within touching distance of the table-topping Cobras with a 10-wicket win over the Knights in Bloemfontein while the Cobras were defeated for a second successive week. A thriller in Cape Town saw them lose by 15 runs to the Dolphins. The other team in contention for the title, the Lions, will take their contest against the Titans into a fourth day with bad weather in Johannesburg threatening to wash out the fixture.Interestingly, both today’s results saw a bowler from South Africa’s most recent emerging squad take eight wickets in an innings. Kyle Abbott did it for the Dolphins to take his match haul to 12 while Andrew Birch was the Warriors destroyer. There was only one century scored across the matches, Rillee Rossouw’s 100 in the Knights losing cause.Rossouw’s innings was much needed, after the Knights slumped to 21 for 3, having opted to bat first against the Warriors. Gurshwin Rabie took two of three early wickets to fall, including that of Test batsman Dean Elgar, who made 4. Rabie returned to remove Ryan Bailey and Obus Pienaar even as the Knights recovery had barely got underway.Lower-order partnerships of 58 for the eighth wickets and 64 for the ninth, largely thanks to Dillon du Preez’s aggressive 88 saw the Knights bowled out for a fairly competitive 268. A dream start saw the Knights reduce the Warriors to 36 for 2 but contributions from Arno Jacobs (40), Ashwell Prince (37) and Vuyisa Makhapela (35) followed by the only half-century of the Warriors innings, 50 from Simon Harmer helped them take a slender 13-run lead.Birch made it count for much more as he sliced through the Knights in the second innings. He singlehandedly reduced them to 22 for 4 before Harmer took the fifth wicket. Elgar’s 34 was the top-score and one off just three that went into double figures. The Knights were skittled for 106 and the Warriors required 94 runs to win.They polished off the target inside 14 overs to show the surface was no demon. Michael Price was unbeaten on 48 while Davy Jacobs finished 44 not out in one-day fashion, off 35 balls. The victory puts the Warriors on 92 points and in firm contention to win their maiden first-class trophy since the franchise system started in 2004-05.The Cobras have been frequent recipients of the title and would have thought they could open a gap against the chasing pack when they bowled the Dolphins out for 174. Divan van Wyk’s 92 was the only score of substance as the Dolphins registered seven single figure scores. Beuran Hendricks’ five-for was the main protagonist in the Dolphins demise but they responded well to their below-par performance.Andrew Puttick was caught behind with the score on 21 but Alistair Gray and Stiaan van Zyl’s 51-run second wicket stand seemed to steady the Cobras. When van Zyl was dismissed with the score on 112, the Dolphins bowlers sensed an opening. They hunted as a pack and took seven wickets for 94 runs to ensure the Cobras lead was only 32 runs.The Dolphins began woefully in the second innings. At 57 for 5 it seemed they had learnt nothing from their first knock but Jonathan Vandiar’s 78 combined with three scores in the twenties from the lower order gave them a fighting chance. The Cobras were set 183 to win, a chase they would have fancied.Abbott had other ideas, though. He and his new-ball partner, Mthokozisi Shezi, got rid of the Cobras openers but then van Zyl and Justin Ontong put on 55 for the third wicket. At 71 for 2, the Cobras were well set. But Abbott took three quick wickets, including two in the same over, to put the Dolphins back in the frame with the Cobras on 82 for 5.Justin Kemp scored 29, Johann Louw 16 and Dane Piedt 20 to push the Cobras ever closer but all of them failed to take their side over the line. When the ninth wicket fell, the Cobras needed 17 runs to win but Abbott plucked the last man four balls later to cap off a thrilling win for the Dolphins.

The preview of the final ODI between South Africa and Pakistan in Benoni

The Preview by Firdose Moonda23-Mar-2013Match Facts March 24, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0800GMT)Big Picture Can Pakistan win their first bilateral series in South Africa?•Getty ImagesSunday could well be Benoni’s biggest day since Charlize Theron won the Oscar. International cricket seldom reaches Johannesburg’s East Rand and when it does, it is unlikely to be this meaningful. For both South Africa and Pakistan, its Benoni or bust in their last outing before the Champions Trophy and they will have a sell-out crowd to do that in front of.The series has got steadily more competitive as it has progressed, so the 8,500-odd people can expect a fiery affair especially because there is more than just a trophy on the line for both teams. Reputation tends to mean more than silverware in bilateral ODI series anyway.For South Africa, it is a chance to give their home fans a format to cheer them in that is not Test cricket and to prove to them they have developed as a limited-overs unit. After winning all five longest form fixtures, South Africa’s Twenty20 and ODI squads did not follow suit. They are in transition but even a phase of change cannot go on without some reward.Sporadically, South Africa have had it. They blew Pakistan away in Bloemfontein and defended stoically at the Wanderers. But consistently, they have not. When forced into situations from which they have to respond unconventionally, they struggle – an indication that the evolution into a complete unit is still, as Gary Kirsten would put it, in process.For Pakistan, the picture may not be that big. They are more likely to be focused on the immediate goal of leaving this tour with enough to be able to call it a success. Misbah-ul-Haq indicated at the very beginning that he expected the Test phase to be difficult but the limited-overs contests to be the area in which Pakistan could push South Africa and even topple them over.So far, they have. They’ve exposed the hosts’ obvious weaknesses and demonstrated some of their own major strengths. They will want one more big effort to underline those and there would be no better place to that than in the decider.Form guide (Most recent first)South Africa: LWLWWPakistan: WLWLLIn the Spotlight:Instead of one player, it will be South Africa’s collective mental strength under scrutiny as they find themselves in a must-win situation. Understandably, it is not a major tournament knockout game and it may have absolutely no bearing on one, but is still a test of character more than it is one of skill and if South Africa have lacked in either department, it is the first. The team will have to take responsibility as a whole and watching how they work together in trying to win the series will be more important than any individual brilliance.Similarly, Pakistan’s big match temperament will be challenged. Twice, they have needed to come back in the rubber and twice they have. Both times, they’ve got the bit between their teeth early. If that happens again, they are likely to run away with it. If it doesn’t, they will have to be up to clambering their way out of trouble. Shahid Afridi showed how to do it at the Wanderers but it may take more than one firework to light up the contest. Team news: Graeme Smith’s ankle injury means that Quinton de Kock will appear for the first time in the series in the position he prefers. Morne Morkel has been declared fit to play and could come in place of Dale Steyn if Steyn’s shoulder is still acting up after he hurt it in the field.South Africa: (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Dale Steyn/Morne Morkel, 10 Rory Kleinveldt, 11 Lonwabo TsotsobeImran Farhat’s successful recall means Nasir Jamshed will miss out again. The only batting place up for debate is Younis Khan’s. Pakistan may look to bring in Asad Shafiq in place of the underperforming Younis. If Umar Gul is available, he may replace Wahab Riaz but the rest of the bowing will remain unchanged.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Kamran Akmal (wkt), 4 Younis Khan/Asad Shafiq, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Saeed Ajmal 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Mohammed IrfanPitch and conditions:Known to be as lifeless as the town around it can sometimes seem, the Benoni pitch will not be expected to do anything too special. It should be sluggish, a few will keep low and it will be hard work for batsmen and bowlers alike. A typical late summer’s day with warm temperatures is forecast but there is a chance of an afternoon thundershower.Stats and Trivia:* Victory for Pakistan would give them their first win in a bilateral series over South Africa* Willowmoore Park is best known for two things: it was the first ground in the country to have floodlights and it was the venue of Dennis Compton’s 300 in a first-class match in 1948-49Quotes:”It’s two great teams and it was bound to happen that the results would go up and down like a rollercoaster.”
“Whenever you come to different conditions, you struggle and not sure when you’re starting a series, what you can do in these sorts of surfaces, but after winning two games and levelling the series 2-2 and after seeing different players perform, we are a bit sure and you grow your confidence.”

Steven Croft’s second successive century and some devastating new-ball bowling helped Lancashire seize control of their Championship match against Worcestershire at Blackpool

17-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Steven Croft’s second successive century and some devastating new-ball bowling helped Lancashire seize control of their Championship match against Worcestershire at Blackpool. Returning to his home club, Croft made 107 off 111 balls as Glen Chapple’s batsmen scored 282 in their first innings. That total looked formidable as Worcestershire slumped to 21 for 5 before Aneesh Kapil and Gareth Andrew guided their side to 77 for 5 at the close.In a dramatic last 90 minutes of the day, Chapple took three wickets and Kyle Hogg two more as the visitors’ top order had no answer to late swing and sharp movement off the Stanley Park wicket. Matt Pardoe, Vikram Solanki and Alexei Kervezee all fell to slip catches whileMoeen Ali was lbw first ball and skipper Daryl Mitchell played on.The performance of the Lancashire seamers almost overshadowed the achievementof 26-year-old Croft, who had come to the wicket with his side on 62 for 3. He soon lost Paul Horton before adding 87 with Farveez Maharoof, who made 29, and 90 in under 14 overs wicket with his sixth-wicket partner Gareth Cross.Croft dominated both stands, reaching his 50 in 60 balls and then hitting four big sixes as he reached his century off only 38 further deliveries. The Worcestershire spinners came in for rough treatment, Ali being dispatched for two leg-side sixes and Shaaiq Choudhry conceding 25 runs off two overs as Croft reached his hundred with a six over long on.Croft’s destruction of the Worcestershire bowling left Mitchell’s team deeply regretting the escape they had given him on 33 when the sun’s reflection off a window prevented substitute fielder Nick Harrison even getting a hand to a straightforward chance at long leg off Alan Richardson.The Worcestershire attack eventually got their man when Croft fended a vicious Kapil delivery straight to Mitchell at slip and that wicket sparked a collapse as Lancashire lost their last five wickets for 26 runs in just 53 balls. Richard Jones finished with 3 for 62 and Andrew 3 for 47.The afternoon’s rapid dramas were in sharp contrast to a tough morning session in which Mitchell’s bowlers had made reasonable use of winning the toss to reduce Lancashire to 97 for 4 at lunch. On a wicket offering the visitors’ attack plenty of early help, Horton made a watchful 47 but the opener was fourth out 10 minutes before lunch when he edged Ali to Mitchell at slip.The Worcestershire seamers had controlled the rest of the session, Jones taking two wickets and Richardson the other as the Red Rose top order sought to see off the new ball.

Alex Hales fell one run short of England’s first Twenty20 international hundred but his 99 powered the home side to a convincing seven-wicket victory

The Report by Andrew McGlashan24-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Hales hit four sixes in his 99, the highest score by an England player in T20Is•Associated PressAlex Hales fell one run short of England’s first Twenty20 international hundred but his 99, in a record 159-run partnership with Ravi Bopara, powered the home side to a convincing seven-wicket victory against West Indies at Trent Bridge, with their highest successful T20I chase.Hales’ matchwinning innings, on his home ground, overtook Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 85 against South Africa at Johannesburg as England’s best in this format and secured his place for the World Twenty20 title defence in Sri Lanka later this year. He fell to the last ball of penultimate over, bowled trying to work Ravi Rampaul to leg, and neither could Ravi Bopara stay to the end as he found long-off for 59 off 44 balls, but Eoin Morgan collected the winning runs (with the help of a misfield at mid-off) with two deliveries remaining.The second-wicket partnership – England’s highest in T20Is and the third-highest by any team – was a superbly constructed stand by two batsmen still trying to find their place in international cricket. Although Hales struck four sixes, smart placement and quick running were key ingredients to their success as they exploited a large playing area. West Indies had earlier gone down a more brutal route with the final eight overs of their innings bringing 107 runs as Dwayne Bravo sparkled and in all they hit 10 sixes.As in the one-day series, West Indies’ bowling disappointed and there were a number of fumbles in the field which aided England’s progress. Sunil Narine went wicketless in the format that has made his name, although did not have much luck. In the 13th over – his third – he watched a Bopara shot fall between two fielders then Hales got a bottom edge between the keeper’s legs. With 22 needed off 17 balls Bopara was dropped at midwicket by Darren Sammy off Narine, which was West Indies last chance to try and exert some pressure on a new batsman.As with Ian Bell’s success at the top of the order in 50-over cricket, Hales’ performance is a significant moment as England aim to fill the vacancy left by Kevin Pietersen’s enforced retirement from Twenty20. Hales had a brief taste in the team last year – against India and West Indies – but missed out against Pakistan in the UAE, when Pietersen opened alongside Craig Kieswetter.Three of Hales’ sixes came from hooks and pulls, after some discussion last year that he struggled against short bowling. He favoured the leg side early in his innings, but picked up more runs through the off side the longer he stayed, including a couple of expertly placed late cuts. A feature of England’s chase was each time a boundary was needed to release some pressure either Hales or Bopara found the rope. The five overs from 13 to 17 all went for double figures to keep them ahead of the rate.It was an equally important innings for Bopara who is still trying to find his home in both limited-overs formats. His chances in the 50-over series were limited but this was an opportunity to shape a match at a crucial stage and his 59 was also a career-best. With 46 needed off 30 balls he took two important boundaries off Marlon Samuels then latched on to a poor penultimate over by Rampaul with two leg-side fours.It did not appear West Indies would post such a testing target when they slipped to 30 for 3. Steven Finn had set a good tone for England with a tight, rapid, opening over. There was a clear plan to bowl short at Chris Gayle and it did not take long for the ploy to work when he top-edged a well-directed bouncer from Finn to fine leg where Jonny Bairstow held a well-judged catch.Bairstow showed his prowess in the outfield again when he sprinted in from the boundary edge to dive and slide to get underneath Lendl Simmons’ pull at deep midwicket. One area where this England Twenty20 side should not suffer is in the field with Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Morgan all outstanding.The six-over Powerplay brought just 29 runs for West Indies. Graeme Swann then struck with his second delivery with one that gripped to take Samuels’ glove and bobble through to Kieswetter. Smith started to locate the boundary again in the ninth over with consecutive blows off Swann and also drove Samit Patel straight drive down the ground, a shot he repeated with even greater distance in Swann’s final over. It was superbly controlled striking – not hot-headed slogging – and his third six took him to fifty off 46 balls.Following Smith’s departure Kieron Pollard had five overs to make an impression and saw Patel’s final over as an opportunity cut loose, as it went for 14. It meant England’s eight combined overs of spin – which will be important in Sri Lanka – had cost 66 while Jade Dernbach’s last spell was expensive. Bravo, having worked his way to 22 off 24 balls, finished the innings in style as 32 came off his final 12 deliveries but he was not the batsman being talked about when the game finished.

A heavy downpour drenched Eden Gardens, leaving ankle-deep water in parts of the outfield and forcing the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers to be abandoned

The Report by Abhishek Purohit24-Apr-2012Match abandoned without a ball bowled
ScorecardA makeshift wooden structure for security personnel came apart•AFPA heavy downpour drenched Eden Gardens, leaving ankle-deep water in parts of the outfield and forcing the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers to be abandoned without even the toss taking place. It took the first washout of this IPL season for Chargers to finally get a point after five consecutive losses.A drizzle, which had delayed the toss, soon turned torrential with strong winds accompanying the rain. Despite the rain stopping within an hour, there was too much water on the ground, and the game was called off around 10.30 pm local time.Apart from the outfield getting waterlogged, a makeshift wooden structure for security personnel also came apart, injuring three people. “There was a temporary structure housing security [that was] broken due to heavy rains and strong winds. There were three minor injuries,” Biswaraup Dey, the Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.The structure was located in front of the J block at the ground, to the left of the club house/pavilion. Out of the injured, reportedly two were policemen and the third was a spectator.The washout put Knight Riders second on the points table, behind Delhi Daredevils.

West Indies Women avoided a whitewash against England but took their full 20 overs to chase down 140 at Arundel.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2012
ScorecardJuliana Nero held her nerve to get West Indies Women over the line•Getty ImagesWest Indies Women avoided a whitewash against England but took their full 20 overs to chase down 140 at Arundel. England had been a class apart in the opening four matches of the series but this victory sees West Indies travel to the World T20 with confidence.Deandra Dottin was the star with the bat for West Indies, clearing the ropes five times in a brutal innings of 62 from just 34 balls. But she was bowled with 17 still required from 20 balls. A tight over and another wicket from Danni Wyatt saw 11 needed from 12 balls and six from the final over. Juliana Nero kept her cool to guide West Indies over the line.England tinkered with their batting order with Tammy Beaumont and Wyatt opening the batting. But again it was Sarah Taylor at No. 3 that led the innings with 34 from 30 balls. Katherine Brunt also made a valuable contribution, top scoring with 35 but England’s 139 for 7 proved not enough as they lost their first fixture in 21 matches.”We were just undone by an unbelievable innings by Deandra Dottin, credit to her for a match winning performance,” England’s captain, Charlotte Edwards, conceded. “But we’ll be taking a huge amount of positives from the series; there have been key contributions from a lot of our players over the five matches which is always good with World Cups ahead. We’re going to Sri Lanka with confidence and are really looking forward to the next few weeks.”

Mushfiqur Rahim said poor shot selection hindered Bangladesh’s chances of saving the second Test

Mohammad Isam21-Dec-2011The shots played by Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, Bangladesh’s captain and vice-captain, were dreadful examples of leading from the front. The captain getting out with his team just a session away from safety was the bigger offender. Pakistan eventually beat the clock and the fading light, chasing down the target of 103 to win the series 2-0.With bad light being so much of an issue in the second Test in Mirpur, it was likely to come into play as Bangladesh fought for a draw. Mushfiqur had done the hard work of keeping the two-hour morning session wicketless, with 86 runs in 29 overs. He added 107 for the sixth wicket with Nasir Hossain, who batted without trouble against a Pakistan attack that waned at times.The pair surged along, knocking off Pakistan’s 132-run lead, and both batsmen reached half-centuries. However, Abdur Rehman found a way through Nasir Hossain’s defences after lunch, and it was all down to Mushfiqur and the tail. What the captain did next is another example of how Bangladesh implode all of a sudden. After batting nearly three hours, Mushfiqur skipped down the wicket and, in his effort to attack Rehman, ended up lofting one to Saeed Ajmal at mid-off to depart for 53.”Of course I will take the blame. If I didn’t get out, we could have batted 30 minutes more,” Mushfiqur said after the defeat. “I feel guilty for my shot as I let my team down.”I was set so I thought if I take a chance, I could score 20-30 more runs. My plan was correct but execution was wrong. They only had square-leg back. I tried it earlier but couldn’t get to the ball.”The timing of Mushfiqur’s dismissal was a sickening blow to Bangladesh’s pursuit for safety. It was all over in 25 minutes.On the fourth evening, Mushfiqur’s deputy, Mahmudullah, had committed a similar blunder. After Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees suffered poor decisions, Mahmudullah’s shot was hard to comprehend. He chased a wide delivery from Aizaz Cheema and top-edged to deep point to be dismissed for 32 off 50 balls.”He [Mahmudullah] knows it well that when he got out, it was a bad time. He was having good partnerships with Nazimuddin and Nasir,” Mushfiqur said. “We have to cut down on some shots in such situations.”Ever since I started playing for Bangladesh, this has happened. This is the fact. We make mistakes in situations and we can’t recover. If we had taken all the catches, they wouldn’t have taken the 130-run lead. It would have been a different ball game if we took a 250-280 lead.”Mushfiqur, however, believed his team had improved with every innings during this Test series against Pakistan. “Overall batting-wise, we have gradually improved. Some of our batsmen could bat for a long time, which was our goal. We often get out after a quick 30-40. These are the positives.”If we lose four, five wickets in a session, or they score 100 for 0, it becomes difficult to come back. Our bowlers created a lot of chances in this game, but we couldn’t capture it.”