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Once again the fourth day of a Test ended with the likeliest result being a draw, but after events in Cardiff last week that can’t be taken for granted as England closed with a lead of 156

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan06-Jun-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSteven Finn ended with four wickets as England took a narrow lead•Getty Images

Once again the fourth day of a Test ended with the likeliest result being a draw, but after events in Cardiff last week that can’t be taken for granted as England closed with a lead of 156 at Lord’s. They gained a narrow first-innings advantage by bowling Sri Lanka out for 479, in a steadily improving display, then recovered from the early loss of Andrew Strauss for a duck with Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott added 117 for the second wicket.After half of the third day was lost to the weather more overs disappeared on a damp morning, but the Test progressed at a decent pace with the bowlers finally having a say for the first time since the opening exchanges. Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 85 and their game plan had to change from putting pressure on England with a big lead to trying to give themselves a chance of a final-day run chase. However, while Strauss watched his bowlers rip out the visitors in 24 overs in Cardiff he won’t be putting too much on the line here by dangling the carrot.For a moment, though, Sri Lanka were buoyant when they removed Strauss second ball. In overcast conditions Chanaka Welegedara, the left-arm seamer who claimed Strauss lbw in the first innings, swung the first ball past the outside edge before the second was a touch fuller and squared up the batsman to take the back pad. Strauss opted to review the decision, but he was stone dead, completing a poor match with the bat, and it was the 22nd time he’d fallen to a left-arm paceman.Yet nothing knocked Cook and Trott out of their comfort zone as they set about compiling another century partnership. This time Trott was the aggressor, picking off plenty of runs through the leg side and also driving sweetly, during a fifty that took 66 balls. The only time he looked slightly uncomfortable was when Dilhara Fernando went for a short-pitched approach and struck him on the glove. However, it came as almost a shock to see him play over a full delivery from Rangana Herath that took leg stump.That brought in Kevin Pietersen to face the left-arm spinner and his first two defensive shots were cheered by a small crowd. He wasn’t entirely convincing, although a thumping straight drive provided a moment of release, as he survived until the close on 15 off 44 deliveries. Even for a player of Pietersen’s calibre, the small steps are important. Cook, meanwhile, has far fewer concerns and ticked over to fifty from 86 balls and will have his sights set on atoning for his missed ton in the first innings.In the field it was an improved performance from England’s bowlers, but they were still not at their best with plenty of leg-side deliveries giving Matt Prior a huge amount of work and many of the 25 byes weren’t the keeper’s fault. When Sri Lanka were 407 for 6 the home side will have a sensed a more significant lead, but a counter-attacking stand of 57 between Herath and Prasanna Jayawardene ensured the visitors got close before the last four wickets fell for 13.The start was delayed until 1.10pm after morning rain and Sri Lanka resumed with the intention of batting for most of the day, but that became unlikely when Mahela Jayawardene edged to third slip off Steven Finn for 49. Then, like the London buses that fill the roads around Lord’s, England had another wicket almost straight away. Thilan Samaraweera played a horrid flat-footed drive at Chris Tremlett to give Prior a low catch with the bowlers benefiting from finding a fuller length.Farveez Maharoof didn’t last long when he was beaten for pace by Stuart Broad to give him his only wicket of the innings. Sri Lanka, though, played the right way by taking the attack back to England and kept the game moving forward. Prasanna swept Graeme Swann over midwicket for six and Herath swung himself off his feet repeating the dose.Herath finally went for one big hit too many, charging down at Swann and being stumped, and when Prasanna edged a good one from Finn to slip there wasn’t much left in Sri Lanka’s batting. For Finn it was a landmark wicket, his 50th in Tests, overtaking Ian Botham as the youngest Englishman to reach the milestone. Despite problems with consistency, no one can argue his wicket-taking abilities.Finn bombarded Sri Lanka’s tailenders with a series of bouncers – striking Suranga Lakmal flush on the helmet – but it was Swann who wrapped up the innings and Strauss held a superb reflex catch at slip to remove Fernando. The final day will give us an idea of how attacking England are willing to be in the quest for world No. 1 unless Sri Lanka’s bowlers can pull off a surprise.

A career-best unbeaten 81 by rookie allrounder Alex Blake helped Kent secure their first home win of the season with a comfortable 58-run Clydesdale Bank 40 success over Scotland at Canterbury

31-May-2010
ScorecardA career-best unbeaten 81 by rookie allrounder Alex Blake helped Kent secure their first home win of the season with a comfortable 58-run Clydesdale Bank 40 success over Scotland at Canterbury.Blake, 21, went to the wicket with his side in a spot of bother on 108 for 4, a situation that quickly worsened when in-form Darren Stevens drove on the up against Ross Lyons to go for 24 and make it 113 for 5. That brought together Blake, playing only his 13th list A game, and the experienced Azhar Mahmood for a sixth-wicket stand worth 102 in 24 overs that turned the course of the game.Having won the toss and elected to field in cool, overcast conditions, Scotland’s attack nipped the ball around and performed well to winkle out Kent’s top five inside the opening 24 overs. After an opening stand of 45 between internationals Joe Denly and Rob Key, Denly blotted his copybook by missing an attempted slashing drive against Gordon Drummond to be bowled for 24.Martin van Jaarsveld had his off stump plucked out by an off-cutter from Richie Berrington and, in the following over, Key worked across a straight one from Majid Haq and also had his stumps rearranged. Stevens and Geraint Jones added 47 for the fourth wicket but when both fell in the space of two overs Kent were in danger of becoming Scotland’s second county scalp of the campaign following their shock away win over Leicestershire a fortnight ago.But Blake, with eight fours and a cover-driven six in his 56-ball innings, joined forces with Mahmood, who clattered 44 from 41 balls, to bat the visitors out of the game and take Kent to a respectable 249 at a scoring rate of 6.22 an over.Scotland’s reply floundered from the off against the pace of Makhaya Ntini, on his last appearance for Kent, and the wiles of Mahmood. He knocked back Omer Hussain’s off stump in the second over and then Ntini bowled Gavin Hamilton to finish his eight over stint with one for 28.Simon Cook then took two wickets in as many overs on his way to figures of two for 50, he trapped Gregor Maiden leg before and had Berrington caught at slip off an edged drive.Scotland regrouped through George Bailey, with a 57-ball 50, and Neil McCallum who added 93 for the fifth wicket but much to the detriment of the required run-rate, which had escalated to 14.5 by the time Bailey went for 70, bowled around his legs by Khan when attempting a leg-side clip. Then, when McCallum holed out in Khan’s next over Scotland’s outside hopes of causing an upset went with him.

Afghanistan were led by four-fors from Naveen and Rashid in a match that had a few rain interventions

S Sudarshanan25-Jun-2024

Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib soak in Afghanistan’s historic win•AFP/Getty Images

Jonathan Trott first kicked a bag in the dressing room. He then signaled to Afghanistan to slow the game down when rain was around. Rashid Khan had his hands on his head at various moments in the chase. Mohammad Nabi had a constant smile on his face. Dwayne Bravo wasn’t able to watch it.But the one moment that encapsulated the emotionally-charged night in Kingstown was Naveen-ul-Haq taking off after taking the final Bangladesh wicket. That sealed Afghanistan’s maiden spot in the semi-final of any men’s senior World Cup.In a match that had a start-stop nature owing to multiple rain interventions, Afghanistan – led by four-fors from Naveen and Rashid – edged out Bangladesh by a mere eight runs, and in the process, also knocked Australia out of the T20 World Cup 2024.Related

• Semi-finals: India vs England, Afghanistan vs South Africa

• Gulbadin Naib's apparent cramp comes under scrutiny

Both teams, along with Australia, were in contention for one semi-final spot from Group 1 of Super Eight, and the rain only added to the drama. For the best part of the last hour, a cat-and-mouse game ensued. There were moments when Bangladesh edged Afghanistan out on the DLS par score, only for the latter to come back to snatch back the advantage by picking up wickets.Litton Das, with a best of 36 before Monday in the tournament, stayed through it all, but couldn’t take Bangladesh over the line. Rashid and Co. danced their hearts out after knocking two teams with a single blow, and the celebrations are only likely to go on for longer.

The drama after the second rain interval

Bangladesh had to chase their original target of 116 down in 12.1 overs to pip both Australia and Afghanistan to the semi-final. Their chase was delayed by half an hour, thanks to a 20-minute downpour. A shorter game, therefore, was disadvantageous to Bangladesh.After the second rain break, though, Bangladesh sent out mixed signals. Litton attacked Naveen but Soumya Sarkar fell in a bid to do so against Rashid. Towhid Hridoy’s risks against Mohammad Nabi, which included a dropped catch, came off but he, too, holed out off Rashid. But with Litton hitting Rashid for successive fours – first over mid-off and then just past slip – Bangladesh looked on track to hunt the target down to qualify.But soon, Mahmudullah’s indecisiveness and Rishad Hossain’s adventurousness meant they slipped to 80 for 7 after 11 overs. Which is when the rainy clouds returned to continuously hover around the stadium, and constantly brought the DLS par scores into picture for the rest of the night.In the face of increasing pressure, Litton seemingly kept his calm. He has had a forgettable 2024 in T20Is, striking at under 100 and his place in the Bangladesh set-up under scanner. But he started off with intent and kept up their hopes of signing off from the T20 World Cup with a win. But it was not meant to be.

Naveen’s new-ball burst bursts Bangladesh

Fazalhaq Farooqi, Afghanistan’s weapon with the new ball, trapped Tanzid Hasan lbw with his third ball, making it his 16th wicket, which drew him equal with Wanindu Hasaranga for most wickets in a men’s T20 World Cup.Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq got three early wickets between them•ICC/Getty Images

Naveen’s first over was expensive, with Litton hitting him for a four and a six. Then Najmul Hossain Shanto heaved one over midwicket in his second over. But with a deep midwicket in place, Naveen once again bowled a length ball angling into Shanto, who picked out the fielder there. Naveen then got the next ball to straighten just enough to catch Shakib Al Hasan’s leading edge for a return catch and Bangladesh were 23 for 3.

Afghanistan steady but slow

One of the methods that has worked for Afghanistan, and their openers, in this World Cup is a non-enterprising start. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stayed true to form, taking very few chances inside the powerplay as well as in the first ten overs. They finished the powerplay on 27 for 0 and at the ten-over mark were 58 for 0.It was Gurbaz and Ibrahim’s fourth fifty partnership, the most by any pair in a T20 World Cup. In the first ten overs, there were only 15 attempts of attacking shots, that too on a surface that was slowing down and was going to see dew later on.

Rishad leads Bangladesh squeeze

When Rishad was brought on in the ninth over, the wind was blowing diagonally from right to left, in the direction of his natural spin. He immediately beat Ibrahim’s outside edge, and in his second over used the bounce on offer to get the same batter’s leading edge caught at long-off.Gurbaz then took the attack to Rishad in his third over. He first slapped one over cover point to end a phase of 38 legal balls without a four, and then used the sweep for another four through backward-square-leg region. However, Rishad had the last laugh when he had Gurbaz holing out to deep cover in his last over. A couple of balls later, he also had Gulbadin Naib miscue a slice towards cover point. Naib could have gotten away if not for Sarkar, who sprinted in from the deep and dived forward almost near the 30-metre circle. And just like that, Afghanistan had ceded early advantage to slip from 59 for 0 to 89 for 4.

The Rashid intervention

Rashid walked in at 93 for 5 with just 14 balls left. He faced ten of those, attempted attacking shots on nine of those, and finished on 19 not out. He struck three sixes, two of those in the last over bowled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib. He used good use of the willow generally, except on one occasion when he flung it towards his partner, Karim Janat. It was the last over of the innings and Rashid wanted a second run to retain strike but Janat refused it. Still, he helped Afghanistan score 22 in the last 14 balls that helped them to a total they could fight with, just as the heavens in Kingstown opened up.Afghanistan faced 66 dot balls in their innings, which was the third-most by a team with five or fewer wickets lost in men’s T20I where ball-by-ball records are available with ESPNcricinfo. But it did not come back to haunt Afghanistan, who kept a clean slate of successfully defending totals in St Vincent.

Australians Nathan Ellis and Ben McDermott will return to the Ageas Bowl in 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Mar-2023Hampshire have confirmed that Ben McDermott and Nathan Ellis, their T20 Blast-winning overseas pairing, will return to the club to help their bid to defend the title in 2023.McDermott scored 494 runs in the Blast last season including five centuries, second only to his opening partner and captain James Vince among Hampshire players. He top-scored in the final against Lancashire with 62 – Hampshire’s next-highest score was 22 – and was also involved in 19 dismissals, the second-most in the competition.Ellis, meanwhile, took 15 wickets for Hampshire last year and finished the season with a remarkable economy rate of 6.87, despite predominantly operating as a death bowler.He was involved in a memorable climax to the final: Ellis appeared to have sealed the trophy when he bowled Richard Gleeson, but Hampshire’s celebrations were cut short when replays confirmed he had over-stepped. With three runs to win, he deceived Gleeson with a slower ball, and Lancashire could only manage one bye.Both players were initially signed, in part, through Hampshire’s ties to George Bailey, who captained the club in 2017 and has since become Australia’s lead selector. Bailey has a long-standing connection with Hobart Hurricanes, the Big Bash team that McDermott and Ellis represent.Related

• Vince's calm amid the chaos secures Hampshire their night of glory

• Ellis on final-over drama: 'It was a little bit of cat-and-mouse'

• Lancashire argue final-ball umpiring error cost them T20 Blast title

• Ellis keeps his cool – twice – to seal one-run thriller for Hampshire

“Both Ben and Nathan were fantastic for us last year and it’s a great boost to the squad to have them back,” Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said.”They made a big impact at the club and were exceptional on the field. The clarity that comes with continuity will hopefully help in our pursuit of another Finals Day in 2023.”Ellis may miss some early fixtures depending on Punjab Kings’ progress in the IPL. “After the success of last year it was a no-brainer to re-sign with the Hawks for this summer,” he said.McDermott, who does not have an IPL contract, is likely to be available for the whole season. “I’m over the moon to have re-signed with the Hawks and can’t wait to play in front of the Ageas Bowl crowd again,” he said.Both players also represented London Spirit in the Hundred last year, though only Ellis has been retained (on a £100,000 contract). McDermott has entered the draft on March 23 without a reserve price.

South Africa will be eyeing a clean sweep in the ODIs – something that seemed unlikely when the tour started

Hemant Brar22-Jan-20221:42

Should South Africa experiment? And should Rishabh Pant continue at No. 4?

Big picture

Outbatted. Outbowled. Outcaptained. That’s what South Africa did to India in the first two ODIs. Under Temba Bavuma, they played like a close-knit unit and, on a Boland Park pitch that looked more Indian than South African, defeated India comprehensively in successive games.In the first ODI, Rassie van der Dussen and Bavuma’s hundreds helped them post an above-par total before their bowlers closed out the game. In the second, they chased down 288 with little discomfort. Now, in the third in Cape Town, they will step out to attempt what not many would have imagined at the start of the series: a whitewash.India, on the other hand, had said before the series that they were looking to build a team for the 2023 World Cup and wouldn’t mind trying out a few things. They will have another opportunity to do that, but it’s not clear if they have ticked any boxes so far.Ahead of the series, stand-in captain KL Rahul spoke about how important it was to have a sixth bowling option in the XI but then he didn’t give Venkatesh Iyer a single over in the first ODI. Rahul’s own approach with the bat – a strike rate of 69.79 in the series – has also been a little puzzling, while the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin has looked anything but threatening despite the spin-friendly conditions in the first two ODIs.

Form guide

South Africa WWLWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India LLLWW

In the spotlight

Aiden Markram was arguably South Africa’s best batter at the 2021 T20 World Cup. However, his poor returns during the Test series against India started the chatter about whether he needed to go back to domestic cricket to find his form. In the second ODI, Markram showed encouraging signs with an unbeaten 37 off 41 and would be eager to build on it.It hasn’t been a memorable comeback for R Ashwin in ODI cricket. He did score a crucial 25 not out in the second ODI, but he is in the side primarily for his bowling. So far in the series, he has had figures of 1 for 53 and none for 68.India’s powerplay bowling will also be under the microscope. Their bowlers have picked up only ten wickets in the powerplay overs in the last 23 ODIs. They have the worst average (132.10) and the worst economy (5.74) among all teams in that phase. Can they find a solution to their new-ball issues?Tabraiz Shamsi pats Rishabh Pant on the back as he walks off after scoring 85 off 71 balls in the second ODI•AFP/Getty Images

Team news

South Africa may rest Lungi Ngidi, who has played all three Tests and two ODIs so far. In his place, they could either bring back Marco Jansen, or give an opportunity to Dwaine Pretorius.South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Janneman Malan, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 David Miller, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Marco Jansen/Dwaine Pretorius, 10 Sisanda Magala, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiIndia played the same XI in the first two ODIs but they could rest Jasprit Bumrah and give a chance to Mohammed Siraj. Deepak Chahar could get a look-in as well.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Venkatesh Iyer, 7 Shardul Thakur, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Deepak Chahar/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Cape Town last hosted an ODI in February 2020, so it’s difficult to say how the pitch will behave. Conditions wise, it should be cooler than Paarl, with a peak temperature of around 31-degree Celsius.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won 31 out of 37 ODIs they have played in Cape Town.
• Chahal is two short of 100 ODI wickets. If he reaches there on Sunday, in his 59th ODI, he will become the joint fourth-fastest Indian to the landmark.
• India have lost three out of their last four away ODI series.
• It has been 64 innings now since Virat Kohli scored his last international hundred.

Quotes

“A guy like me has always seen them bowl in the IPL and international cricket. So it was good to go out and get some game-time against them. You need more time to face guys like those because you need to get the rhythm of each and every one of them. So it was a kind of challenge for me to do it in the first and second game.”
“The way Rishabh batted, with two wickets down, it’s not easy. We all know he can play shots but the way he managed the first 20 balls and then took down the spinners… He targeted the areas where he is strong, which is something he is really working on. It’s great to see he has done that and it will give him a lot of confidence going ahead.”

County’s new blood makes inroads into Derbyshire’s batting at Aigburth

Paul Edwards07-Sep-2020
Liverpool’s pavilion might have been designed to host cricket in the Covidian age. For one thing it is huge. The three-storey pile was one of the largest in England when the ground was opened in 1881 and even now it could be mistaken for a venerable county headquarters. Certainly it was a splendid location for scenes in . During this game Lancashire have been allotted the enormous dressing rooms on the third floor while Derbyshire have the use of the squash changing rooms at ground level plus The Century Pavilion, which is normally used for hospitality, and a small tent on the boundary. The umpires have their own facilities so there is no need for either teams or officials to come into contact beyond the boundary.But after yesterday morning’s play Derbyshire probably appreciated the chance to have time to themselves. A score of 17 for 4 hardly creates the ideal atmosphere for small talk over the melon and couscous. Billy Godleman’s men probably preferred to take tea alone, too, given that by the second interval they had subsided to 71 for 7 against a Lancashire attack four of whose five members had not played any first-class cricket before the Bob Willis Trophy began.Facing a deficit of 138 and with only three wickets in hand, it was easy to see how Lancashire might build a position of Vizigothic dominance by the close. Too easy, perhaps. There has been a healthy helping of Peak District grit about Derbyshire’s cricket this season and this was apparent again in a gloomy and glorious evening session during which Harvey Hosein and Mattie McKiernan added most of the 59 runs in their unbroken eighth-wicket partnership. It may not be enough to save Derbyshire from defeat in this match, much less give them a hope of the victory they need to qualify for the Bob Willis Trophy final. But it was fine cricket and all it needed to make it perfect was the appreciation of supporters who knew good stuff when they saw it.Qualification for the final at Lord’s final must wait for the third or fourth day of this game when the results of the games at Chelmsford and Worcester are known. To judge from various discussions everything seems to depend on a range of factors, which may include the Doppler Effect, the Turkish bank rate, the Brexit withdrawal deal, Jurgen Klopp’s inside-leg measurement, the average temperature in the Atacama Desert, the mating pattern of Mexican spiders, Priti Patel’s IQ and the length of time it takes to cook a cheese soufflé in the Hindu Kush. At some stage we will add the points up and see who’s got the most.None of it troubles Lancashire’s coaches. Their side’s chance of reaching the final has long since disappeared and they are enjoying the sight of a fine crop of young cricketers making the most of their opportunities. And no one did this with greater relish during this heavily clouded Monday on Merseyside than Danny Lamb and George Balderson, both of whom took three wickets.In the second over of Derbyshire innings, Lamb pitched one on off stump and the left-handed Luis Reece edged a catch to George Lavelle, thereby becoming the keeper’s maiden first-class victim. In Lamb’s next over Godleman departed in like fashion except that his snick was taken by Keaton Jennings at first slip. Three balls later Leus du Plooy played across a very full inswinger to give Steve O’Shaughnessy another easy decision. And just before the persistent rain showers prompted a two-hour lunch break Wayne Madsen played outside a straight ball from Balderson and was leg before to one of Lancashire’s most promising cricketers.On the resumption Matt Critchley and Fynn Hudson-Prentice attempted to rescue the innings. It was not a foolish quest; Derbyshire’s short season has contained many wonders. But having helped Hudson-Prentice add 27 for the fifth wicket Critchley fell, and was nearly felled, when he ducked into a full toss from George Burrows and was leg before wicket for 14 when patently playing no shot.Some thought the ball might have been missing off stump but their number did not include Graham Lloyd. And there was no doubt about the slip catches taken by Tom Hartley and Jennings which subsequently removed both Hudson-Prentice and Anuj Dal off the bowling off Balderson. Hartley’s low catch was particularly fine and there is currently scarcely a session that passes without him or Balderson showing something which proclaims their professional pedigree. Lancashire will not win the Bob Willis Trophy but this has been a valuable season for the club. It is good news in these febrile times.

Chasing 176, Rajasthan Royals slipped to 123 for six before their seventh-wicket pair turned the tide with a partnership of 44 in 21 balls

The Report by Mohammad Isam25-Apr-20191:20

We are aware our bowling needs to get better – Dinesh Karthik

After Riyan Parag’s stunning 47 took Rajasthan Royals within striking distance of their fourth win, Jofra Archer signed off his blockbuster IPL campaign with successive boundaries to complete a three-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders. It was the sixth consecutive loss for the home side, who failed to defend a total of 175 that was primarily achieved thanks to Dinesh Karthik’s valiant 97 not out.Riyan and Archer added a crucial 44 for the seventh wicket, with Riyan hitting five fours and two sixes in his 31-ball 47. Archer was left to score nine off the last over. First he edged Prasidh Krishna for a four through third man, and then he smacked him over wide long-off for the winning runs.It was heartbreak for Karthik who had batted so well for his unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, which contained nine sixes and seven fours, an innings that led Knight Riders’ recovery from early trouble, mainly caused by Varun Aaron.

Aaron from nowhereAaron, who had conceded 16 runs in his only over in this season’s IPL, had little to lose when he was brought back into the side and handed the new ball by Royals captain Steven Smith. He struck straightaway, bowling Chris Lynn with an inducker in the first over and dismissing Shubman Gill with a similar delivery in the fifth over. His first spell of 3-1-10-2 prevented the Knight Riders from making a quick start.Royals “drop” their guardKnight Riders lost Nitish Rana too and struggled to 49 for 3 at the halfway mark. The first cracks in Royals’ effort appeared when Stuart Binny misfielded at the deep midwicket boundary in the 11th over, which went for 25. Karthik had struck Shreyas Gopal for two sixes and three fours in the over.Binny then dropped Andre Russell in the 15th over before substitute Prashant Chopra shelled another Russell skier, in the 17th over. Russell’s third offering was taken well by Ajinkya Rahane at deep midwicket later in the over, and Royals were lucky the in-form West Indian only managed 14 off 14.Karthik’s solo actKarthik, who was stuck in Knight Riders’ slowness in the first 10 overs, took full toll of Royals in the second half of the innings, hitting 55 of the Knight Riders’ 75 in the last five overs. He slammed Jaydev Unadkat for three sixes, including two in the last over, sent a free-hit from Oshane Thomas sailing over long-on in the 17th, and carted the last two balls of Archer’s IPL campaign, in the 19th over, for sixes as well..It was an almost single-handed effort from Karthik to take Knight Riders to 175; their second-highest score was Nitish Rana’s 21 off 26 at No. 3Jofra Archer and Riyan Parag meet mid-pitch•BCCI

Royals slip to spinSanju Samson began Royals’ chase with sixes off Prasidh Krishna and Russell in the first two overs, before Ajinkya Rahane smashed Prithvi Raj over point for his first six. But Sunil Narine had him lbw in the last over of the Powerplay, after the openers had added 53 for the first wicket.The wicket brought another when Piyush Chawla removed Samson with a wrong’un. Narine came back from the other end to bowl Royals captain Steven Smith for 2, and could have had another in the same over had he held onto a return catch from Riyan.The stranglehold of spin continued, however, as Chawla took the wickets of Stokes and Binny, and Royals sank to 98 for 5 in the 13th over.Riyan announces himselfRiyan let the batsman at the other end do more of the hitting in his first three partnerships, and moved quietly to 22 off 21. But after Archer slammed Narine for a six in the 17th over, Parag sprung into action. He slammed Prasidh Krishna for a hooked six, before hammering Russell over the straight boundary, only just beating the outstretched Brathwaite at long-on.But he fell next ball when he hooked Russell but flicked the bails in his follow-through. That left nine to win, and Archer, duly completed the job with two decisive blows in the last over.

James Vince and Mark Stoneman produced valuable fifties to build on England’s hard-earned advantage at Christchurch

The Report by Andrew Miller01-Apr-2018England 307 (Bairstow 101, Wood 52, Southee 6-62, Boult 4-87) and 202 for 3 (Vince 76, Stoneman 60) lead New Zealand 278 (Watling 85, Broad 6-54) by 231 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt the Gabba in November, James Vince and Mark Stoneman began a long and arduous winter as a pair of question marks in England’s Test-match top three. At Christchurch in April, the pair came good in a vital century partnership for England’s second wicket – good enough, that is, to set their side up for what may yet turn out to be a series-levelling victory against New Zealand, if not quite good enough to assuage the lingering doubts about their futures at the highest level.For the record, Vince made 76, and Stoneman a career-best 60 – a pair of crucial, balm-applying performances that helped to turn a slender 29-run first-innings lead into an overall advantage of 231 on the third day at Hagley Oval, with seven wickets in hand.By stumps, Joe Root and Dawid Malan – himself in a lean run of form – had added 37 for the fourth wicket with few alarms beyond a mix-up between the wickets, as the Barmy Army went through their full repertoire at a sleepy and autumnal venue, where the overnight changing of the clocks had lent a decidedly end-of-season feel to the contest.And if, in two days’ time, England do manage to secure their first overseas win in 13 attempts, they will owe a major debt to a 123-run stand for the second wicket between Vince and Stoneman, who showcased from the outset the sort of fluency and resolve that the selectors have long believed was within their capability.They came together in the ninth over, following another troubling failure for Alastair Cook, and were not separated until the 47th, by which stage the shine had long gone from the new ball and New Zealand’s over-reliance on the brilliance of Tim Southee and Trent Boult was beginning to be felt.Both men began their innings knowing that further Test chances could not be guaranteed, especially after such a winter of underachievement from England’s red-ball outfit. And Vince in particular – recalled for this Test having sat out in Auckland – seemed determined to go out on his own terms. He lashed his second delivery from Boult for a typically glorious cover-drive, the sort of flash of beauty that has earned him selectorial forgiveness in spite of his very average average.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Vince added two more off-side boundaries in his first seven deliveries (one of them a bit chancy, if truth be told), to establish the parameters of his innings. And his commitment to calculated aggression served him well in a typically attractive performance studded with ten boundaries, arguably the best of which was a trademark creaming through the covers, shortly before tea, to bring up the third half-century of his Test career.At the other end, Stoneman took a more attritional route to the top – at least in the early part of his innings – as he drew the sting of New Zealand’s new ball before cashing in with a quartet of rifled boundaries through the covers. He played his strokes with less flourish than Vince, maybe, but no less authority, as he bided his time on each occasion and made sure he punished the loose delivery.But then, on 35, the composure of Stoneman’s innings seemed to dissipate after he was struck on the shoulder by a Neil Wagner lifter and given out caught behind. He successfully reviewed the decision, but seemed unable thereafter to shake off the shadow of impending doom, as he developed a death wish to balls outside the off stump, particularly against the medium pace of Colin de Grandhomme.Twice in the space of three balls, he edged de Grandhomme into the slips from round the wicket – the first looped safely away to the boundary but the second, an open-faced steer, went into Ross Taylor’s right hand at first slip and straight out again. Two overs later, Stoneman brought up his fifty with another chancy slap over the cordon, off Southee, and was dropped for a second time off de Grandhomme when Southee himself, now at first slip with Taylor off the field, tipped a flying edge over the bar.In the end, it took a brilliant spring-loaded leap from BJ Watling to bring Stoneman’s innings to an end, but the manner of his departure had been sadly telegraphed for several overs before his demise.And the same, cruelly, could also be said of Vince, who had not played with such fluency since that fateful 83 on the first day of the Ashes in Brisbane. That effort eventually ended with a “what if?” run-out, but today’s provided a more familiar ending. Another ball in the channel, this time from Boult, and a cramped drive straight into the hands of first slip. He’s not the first batsman whose greatest strength is also his greatest weakness – David Gower, for one, endured a career of stick for getting out so often on the drive. But Gower also averaged 44.25 to Vince’s 24.90.Still, at least England’s Nos. 2 and 3 produced scores that enhanced their reputations. The same unfortunately could not be said of Cook, England’s leading Test run-scorer, whose dismissal for 14 took his tally for the tour to a dismal 23 runs in four innings, at an average of 5.75 that is, by a distance, his worst return in any completed Test series.Stuart Broad finished with a six-wicket haul•Associated Press

After his tentative displays in the first three innings of the series, Cook seemed determined to make his presence felt this time out. His footwork was more confident as he latched on a brace of short balls from Southee to pick up his first boundaries of the series, but from his very next delivery, he was trapped in no-man’s land by his nemesis Boult, who nipped a length ball off his outside edge to claim his wicket for the ninth time in Tests. Cook trudged off for 14 with a huge amount to ponder before England’s next Test engagement, against Pakistan in May.Cook might have anticipated being called on to bat earlier in the day, but for a combative morning’s work from New Zealand’s lower order. Stuart Broad eventually wrapped up the innings for 278 with figures of 6 for 54, but not before Southee had posted his first Test half-century since 2014 and Wagner and Boult had reduced the deficit to 29 in an enterprising 39-run stand for the tenth wicket.After resuming on 192 for 6, Southee signalled New Zealand’s intent by pulling the fourth ball of the morning over wide long-on for the 64th six of his Test career, drawing him level with AB de Villiers for the most by any active player, and it took the arrival of the second new ball for England to regain a measure of control, as Watling was uprooted for 85 by the ball of the innings, a full-length outswinger from James Anderson that bent from leg to off to smash the stumps. Watling had been denied his seventh Test century, but having hauled his team off the canvas at 36 for 5, he had more than played his part.Ish Sodhi edged to the keeper to give Broad his first five-wicket haul since the Johannesburg Test against South Africa in January 2016. And when Anderson ended Southee’s fun, plucking out his middle stump three balls after he had reached his fifty, England were looking at a substantial lead.Boult and Wagner, however, had other ideas. Wagner, pinned on the helmet by a fierce Broad lifter early in his stay, slapped Anderson out of the attack with a 13-run over, including an impulsive hook over fine leg for six, while Boult – as idiosyncratic as Courtney Walsh in his pomp – ducked and dived at the crease, and occasionally connected with power. He rattled along to 16 from 22 balls before top-edging Broad to fine leg to ensure, for the second innings in the match, that all ten wickets were shared by just the opening bowlers.

Half-centuries from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi Hasan buoyed Bangladesh after Umesh Yadav made light work of the top order

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu11-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:02

Kalra: Shakib snatched the momentum away from India

India made light work of the Bangladesh top order before fifties from Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz hauled the visitors to 322 for 6 in reply to India’s 687. Bangladesh’s most experienced batsmen, Shakib and Mushfiqur, sparked the resistance with a 107-run partnership off 165 balls. Mushfiqur and the 19-year-old Mehedi, who scored his maiden half-century, then saw off the second new ball and stubbornly played out a wicketless post-tea session.Glaring errors on the first two days had put Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping and captaincy in the spotlight. On the third afternoon, his running was in the spotlight, and he was frequently caught ball-watching early in his innings, but he overcame it to progress to an unbeaten 81.When Shakib danced out and drilled R Ashwin to mid-off in the 50th over, Mushfiqur was late to respond to his partner’s call for a single. Ravindra Jadeja hunted the ball down and speared it to Wriddhiman Saha, who broke the bails. Mushfiqur had brought out a desperate full-length dive, but his bat had popped up in the air momentarily. The shoulder of the bat was seemingly on the line when the bail came off the groove. Chris Gaffney, the TV umpire, ultimately gave Mushfiqur the benefit of the doubt. He was on 18 at that point.Mushfiqur then accumulated with sweeps while Shakib reached his maiden Test half-century against India off 69 balls. The scorecard will tell you Shakib hit 14 boundaries, but it was a chancy innings throughout. He repeatedly drove away from the body against the seamers and often drove out of the footmarks against the spinners. The century stand ended when Shakib skipped out and heedlessly dragged a catch against the spin to mid-on.It was a repeat of his fateful shot against Mitchell Santner on the fifth day in Wellington in January when the Test was on the line. This time he gave Ashwin his 249th wicket in Tests. He was kept waiting for the 250th.Mushfiqur Rahim brought out a variety of sweeps against the spinners•AFP

A sure-footed Mehedi took over from Shakib and ably complemented Mushfiqur’s patience. Mehedi claimed 51 of the unbroken 87-run stand for the seventh wicket after Jadeja had removed Sabbir Rahman ten minutes before tea.Mehedi dared to club Ashwin over midwicket and even picked a carrom ball and drove it exquisitely through cover. He got to his fifty when he late-cut Ashwin for four in the penultimate over of the day. In the last over, Mushfiqur became the fourth Bangladesh player, after Habibul Bashar, Tamim Iqbal, and Shakib Al Hasan, to reach 3000 runs in Test cricket.Things weren’t as rosy for Bangladesh in the morning session. Tamim fell in the third over of the day, taking on Umesh’s arm from the deep. A mix-up resulted in both Tamim and Mominul Haque stopping near the middle of the pitch while running a second. Umesh swooped in from long leg, attacked the ball, and fired a throw to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the bowler, who collected and under-armed adroitly onto the stumps.In addition to being uncertain while running between the wickets, Mominul was uncertain outside his off stump. Virat Kohli reinforced the slip cordon and even posted a silly mid-on to apply more pressure. Mominul’s tentative stay ended on 12 when Umesh trapped him in front with reverse-swing.Mahmudullah survived a tight lbw call on 6 off Bhuvneshwar with India’s review of Joel Wilson’s on-field not-out decision returning umpire’s call on leg stump. He managed to regroup to put on 45 with Shakib before Ishant Sharma had him lbw with an inswinger for 28. This time Wilson raised his finger, and Mahmudullah coaxed Shakib and reviewed only for ball-tracking to suggest it would have grazed leg stump.

Three days into this series England hold a 261-run lead over a South Africa side riddled with problems, chief of which was another injury to Dale Steyn, after their batting had slumped in the morning session

The Report by Andrew McGlashan28-Dec-2015
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThree days into this series England hold a 261-run lead over a South Africa side riddled with problems, chief of which was another injury to Dale Steyn after their batting had slumped in the morning session. Moeen Ali, who claimed 4 for 69, continued their difficulties against spin to earn a priceless 89-run advantage before England benefited from crucial fielding lapses to increase the lead steadily with Joe Root unbeaten on 60.Any hopes that a return to home soil would ease the ills of the India tour for South Africa have not come to pass early in this series with England’s impressive attack compounding the pressure on a fragile batting order. They lost 6 for 77 in the opening session as their first innings finished on 214 although Dean Elgar fought outstandingly to become the sixth South Africa batsman to carry his bat for 118.Then Steyn pulled up after the second ball of his fourth over with a right shoulder injury and an attempted return was aborted after three deliveries. After play, though, the South Africa camp said the problem was being treated as “shoulder stiffness” after Steyn had been sent for a scan and there was hope he would be able to bowl on the fourth day although it may come too late to change the course of this match.To further compound South Africa’s woes their fielding also let them down. Dane Piedt had removed both openers – Alastair Cook lbw with one that slid on and Alex Hales defeated by drift to be caught at long-on – but in consecutive Morne Morkel overs shortly before tea they had the stuffing knocked out of them.Nick Compton was shelled on 11 when Elgar missed a sitter at second slip and Root was missed on 6 when he gloved a pull which AB de Villiers, whose future was the subject of much speculation during the day, could not gather one-handed above his head.

SA frustrated by ball change

South Africa have said they were unimpressed when the umpires changed the ball in the 26th over of England’s second innings after it had been damaged by one of the advertising screens around the boundary.
The damage, which was classed as “unnatural wear and tear” occurred when Alex Hales hit Dane Piedt for six in the 16th over but the umpires allowed play to continue before deciding the impact had enabled the ball to reverse swing. The change of ball came when Hales was dismissed, caught at long-on against Piedt, while Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott had been operating from the other end.
“The ball was changed because when it hit the LED screen…a chunk of it came out and because there was unnatural wear and tear, they had a right to change the ball,” Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager, said. “We were not very impressed but the match officials made the final call.
“When the ball goes to the boundary and it comes back, the umpire has a look. Initially he allowed the match continue and then felt that with the reverse swing, there was unnatural wear and tear.”
Law 5.5 states: “If, during play, the ball cannot be found or recovered or the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, the umpires shall replace it with a ball which has had wear comparable with that which the previous ball had received before the need for its replacement. When the ball is replaced the umpire shall inform the batsmen and the fielding captain.”

Morkel put in sterling service in the absence of Steyn but, astonishingly, a third chance was to be missed off his bowling when Compton, on 45, edged a pearler only for de Villiers to grass another. That opportunity, at least, did not prove costly as two balls later Compton glanced Morkel down the leg side and de Villiers made amends. De Villiers puffed out his cheeks; Morkel just about managed a celebration.By then, however, England’s lead was over 200 on a surface offering considerable assistance for the spinners and a hint of uneven bounce. England’s progress was never electric but time was on their side. Root made the most of his life with a 96-ball fifty which kept the scoreboard ticking over. He collected a six with a slog-sweep off Piedt and some of his off-side driving was a delight on a surface where few batsmen have found that sort of strokeplay easy.At the start of the day there was not a consensus as to whether England had their noses in front or it was honours even. By the close there was no doubt after the match had been seized in the morning session.As when Stuart Broad started the innings, it took him just two deliveries to locate the stumps, Temba Bavuma this time defeated by some low bounce outside off and dragging on an inside edge. There was certainly some variation in bounce, but it was also the shot of a batsman who had yet to get his feet moving early in the day.In another shrewd piece of captaincy, Cook did not wait long to introduce Moeen with two left-handers now at the crease, one of whom, JP Duminy, who has had his travails against offspin. And it took Moeen just two balls to find Duminy’s outside edge with a beautiful delivery which turned from middle and off, safely held by Ben Stokes at slip.Kyle Abbott did not stay long, prodding forward at Moeen and getting a thick inside edge into his pad which was well held by James Taylor diving forward at short leg, although it needed the intervention of the third umpire after Rod Tucker had failed to spot the sizeable deflection.The support provided by Steyn to Elgar suggested that he should be at No. 8 ahead of Abbott. Their stand took South Africa to the brink of the second new ball only for Steyn to try and send Moeen down the ground and instead find mid-off where Chris Woakes held the chance with a juggle. His spell ended on 12-3-24-3 and overall it was the first time Moeen had taken more than three wickets in an innings since facing India, at Old Trafford, in August 2014.Steven Finn cleaned up the last two wickets in his first over with the second new ball to leave Elgar undefeated with his fourth Test hundred having brought up three figures from 211 deliveries. In an innings marked by his defensive technique, he continued to prosper on the leg side where two thirds of his runs came.It was his second hundred in a Boxing Day Test, following the 121 he made against West Indies last year, and this was his first 50-plus score in ten innings. When the innings ended he became the first South Africa opener to carry his bat since Gary Kirsten against Pakistan in 1997. He may have to perform a repeat to save his team.