All posts by csb10.top

ScorecardLonwabo Tsotsobe produced his best performance of the season so far to inspire Essex to a seven-wicket victory over Lancashire in their Clydesdale Bank 40 duel at Chelmsford.The South African paceman, after conceding 13 in his opening over, recovered to emerge with figures of four wickets for 43 runs from 7.4 overs as the visitors were bowled out for 190. It was never enough to test Essex who, after losing two early wickets, won with 35 deliveries to spare following half-centuries from skipper James Foster and Ravi Bopara.Following the brisk start given to them by Stephen Moore and Karl Brown, Lancashire will have been bitterly disappointed to have been bowled out in the 37th over. The openers looked completely at ease as they proceeded to 87 in the 14th over – but then left-arm spinner Tim Phillips struck to have Moore taken low down at backward point by Graham Napier for 45.Tsotsobe then claimed the first of his wickets when Brown drove to cover for 47, Jaik Mickleburgh holding on to a firmly struck drive. From then onwards, Lancashire completely lost their way as wickets fell at regular intervals. In between Tsotsobe inflicting further damage, Bopara struck twice in an over to get rid of Paul Horton and Farveez Maharoof.Once the openers were dismissed only Gareth Cross and Luke Procter, with 24 each, managed to reach double figures. Bopara finished with 3 for 49 from his eight overs, while Phillips collected 2 for 32 from his full allocation.Lancashire spirits were briefly lifted when they quickly got rid of the openers when Essex replied. Mark Pettini departed leg before to Sajid Mahmood for seven, while Alastair Cook, having made 17 of the 32 on the board, swung the same bowler into the hands of Procter at deep square-leg.But then Bopara and Foster, who scored half-centuries in the victory over Nottinghamshire by the same margin a day earlier, took charge. Without the need to take risks they put on 135 in 24 overs before Foster was stumped by Cross off Simon Kerrigan for 77 that arrived off 76 balls and contained nine fours.Bopara, who enjoyed a life on 17 when wicketkeeper Cross put down a catch, finished unbeaten on a 75 that spanned 76 deliveries and included just five boundaries.

Scorecard
Andrew Russell rattled CCC•AFP

Jamaica seized control of the final of the Regional Four Day Competition, skittling out Combined Campuses and Colleges for 112 on the opening day at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown. In what was a collective bowling effort, seamer Andre Russell picked up 3 for 11 and was backed up by the legspin of Odean Brown, who took 3 for 34. Only two CCC batsmen reached double-figures and were it not for their efforts, a score of even 100 seemed far from possible.The seamers, Russell and Jason Dawes, rattled the CCC top order, reducing them to 20 for 5. Raymon Reifer resisted with 42 and was supported by Nkruma Bonner, who chipped in with 37 before being run out. Brown, along with Nikita Miller, helped clean up the tail and Jamaica’s batsmen ensured the advantage stayed with them at stumps.Though Jamaica lost three wickets, the top three chipped in with useful contributions to end the day on 106 for 3, only six behind and with a strong chance of building a substantial first-innings lead.

Match Facts

March 7, Delhi
Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)
Ashish Bagai feels that Balaji Rao, the legspinner, will be crucial for Canada on the Kotla pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Canada and Kenya usually don’t go in to a World Cup game expecting to win, and certainly aren’t expected to do so by others. Tomorrow’s encounter provides an exception. Despite having misfired in several areas in their previous three games, both sides know they are expected to win this time. Having given Pakistan a scare in Colombo, Canada would feel they are slightly ahead going in to this one, but their bowlers were helped by the cloud cover that hung over the Premadasa. Chances of getting that kind of assistance in Delhi are slim.There is not much that separates the sides. In fact, they have a lot in common. Both have conceded 300-plus totals, and while that may be in keeping with the trend this tournament, they haven’t managed to bat themselves past 150 in a single game. Kenya looked to be on their way to do that against Sri Lanka, but were blown away by Lasith Malinga’s yorkers.Kenya would like to think they have the better pedigree, but Canada have displayed more spirit and gumption so far. Jimmy Kamande, Kenya’s captain, has instead had to deny reports of a rift between the coach Eldine Baptiste and some players. He has admitted it is difficult to keep motivating a side that has consistently under-performed.Given how little there is to choose between the two, the odds are that there might not be a familiar batting collapse at the least.

Form guide

(Most recent completed games first)
Canada LLLLW
Kenya LLLWL

Pitch and conditions

If it’s the Kotla, turn and low bounce cannot be that far. The spinners will like the surface. Imran Tahir and Pieter Seelaar certainly did, when South Africa and Netherlands played here. The weather is expected to be moderately warm by Delhi’s hot standards.

Watch out for…

Collins Obuya laboured to a half-century against Sri Lanka. That was what his team needed after a couple of early wickets had fallen. He should find it easier against Canada. He has been Kenya’s most prolific batsman of late, and possesses a game that can be altered depending on the situation.Balaji Rao enjoyed his battle against Pakistan’s heavyweight middle order, and snapped up Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. The legspinner was unafraid to flight the ball, and though he went for some runs, he tested a line-up that plays spin very well. Kenya don’t, and Balaji will be itching to have a go.

Team news

Ashish Bagai has said that Parth Desai, the 20-year old left-arm spinner, could play tomorrow. That means one of the seamers could sit out. John Davison, the veteran opener, could also be back after a niggle made him miss the Pakistan game.Canada: (probable) 1 John Davison, 2 Nitish Kumar/Ruvindu Gunasekera, 3 Ashish Bagai (wk/capt), 4 Zubin Surkari, 5 Rizwan Cheema, 6 Jimmy Hansra, 7 Tyson Gordon, 8 Khurram Chohan, 9 Harvir Baidwan, 10 Balaji Rao, 11 Parth Desai.Kenya have no major injury concerns, and Thomas Odoyo should come back after missing the match against Sri Lanka.Kenya: (probable) 1 Maurice Ouma (wk), 2 Seren Waters, 3 Collins Obuya, 4 Steve Tikolo, 5 David Obuya, 6 Tanmay Mishra/Rakep Patel, 7 Thomas Odoyo, 8 Jimmy Kamande (capt), 9 Nehemiah Odhiambo, 10 Shem Ngoche, 11 Elijah Otieno..

Stats and trivia

• The Canada squad has scored a total of 4359 ODI runs. Steve Tikolo alone has made 3399.
• The sides have played against each other in 12 ODIs, Kenya winning seven of them, including their two encounters at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

Quotes

“This is our best chance of a win in the World Cup. If we get our batting right we should be competitive.”
.”I guarantee you tomorrow we are going to express much more than we did in the past matches.”
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Match Facts

February 19, Mirpur
Start time 14:30 local time (08:30 GMT)
Few players have as much responsibility with bat and ball as Shakib Al Hasan does for Bangladesh•AFP

Big Picture

Events unfolding in Port of Spain four years ago culminated in euphoria on one side of the Bengal border, and gloom on the other. With every dance down the wicket from Tamim Iqbal, little-fancied Bangladesh landed another blow in a series of blows that would eventually eliminate India, wearied by the weight of expectation and a discordant dressing room, from the first round of the World Cup. Four years later the teams meet again, but in a tournament protected from the domino effect of a shock like the one in Trinidad. The stakes this time are different as well, for it is not just India, overwhelming favourites again, who carry a tremendous weight of expectation.As Shakib Al Hasan entered the opening ceremony in a decorated cycle rickshaw, soaking in the goodwill from tens of thousands inside the Bangabandhu Stadium and the crowds surrounding it, his demeanour revealed pride and a sense of the grandeur of the occasion, and none of the reluctance he’s had in captaining Bangladesh in series past. There would also have been a feeling of responsibility, of a magnitude no Bangladesh captain has ever faced before.For the first time, Bangladesh are expected to go beyond the first round of a World Cup. For the first time, and largely because of a significant home advantage, their passage will not be considered an upset. For the first time, they are hosting a World Cup and can see all around them a stirring passion saturating the country. Bangladesh too will be relieved that the format allows a little room for error, while striving to avoid it against one of the tournament heavyweights.Justifiably or not, India have begun several World Cups wearing the favourites tag, but never has that label been more authentic than now. Their bowling attack might blow hot and cold, but even on their most frigid days India possess a batting line-up capable of overhauling anything. And they play all their matches on the familiar pitches of home, apart from the opener against Bangladesh, which is at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. The Indians won’t say that revenge for 2007 is on their minds but there is no chance they will go into the contest with an iota of complacency.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Bangladesh: WWWLW
India: LLWWL

Pitch and conditions

The pitch used for the practice game between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Mirpur had turn for the spinners. Not much is known about the surface for Saturday but it is expected to aid the slow bowlers. Dew has traditionally had an impact on day-night fixtures in Dhaka but it is supposedly not as big a concern in February. However, this is what Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, said after the warm-up game: “There was a little bit [of dew], maybe in the last 15 overs. It can be trouble later on in the tournament, so good luck to whoever is playing here.”

Watch out for…

India’s batsmen: Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Yusuf. The weakest link on paper in that line-up, Virat Kohli, is also India’s most in-form batsman. And Suresh Raina, who was a rabbit in South Africa but is a force on the subcontinent, is an option too. Each one is capable of producing a match-winning innings. This Indian side is calibrated for scoring a 300-plus total, and chasing one down.Spin, and dew: In their last ODI at home before the World Cup, against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh played four spinners: specialists Abdur Razzak and Suhrawadi Shuvo, allrounder Shakib, and part-time offspinner Naeem Islam. On slow tracks that turn, with batsmen needing to create the pace, they can control the pace of the game. India have played just one specialist, Harbhajan Singh, in recent games and relied on a phalanx of able part-timers – Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina. Given the prominent role of spin, the dew in Mirpur, if it is heavy, could have a considerable role in the day-night contest. A slippery ball and a slick outfield will be a disadvantage for the team defending a target under floodlights.A fever-pitch atmosphere: The build-up to the World Cup has visibly been more intense in Bangladesh than in either India or Sri Lanka. The excitement reached a crescendo in the hours before the opening ceremony and it is poised to spill over when the opening game gets underway. India rarely play in front of a crowd in which they have virtually no support. That is likely to happen tomorrow. If Shakib’s men are looking for a little more inspiration, they will hear it reverberate around the Shere Bangla.This is the beginning of Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup, and MS Dhoni’s first as captain•AFP

Team news

There was a fitness concern over Shafiul Islam, who bowled only five overs in the warm-up against Pakistan, but he is expected to be fit. Raqibul Hasan could make the XI ahead of Mohammad Ashraful and Bangladesh could also play two spinning allrounders in Mahmudullah and Naeem Islam.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Raqibul Hasan 6 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Naeem Islam 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain.After sitting out of both of India’s warm-up matches with a groin niggle, Zaheer Khan bowled during India’s net session and will lead the attack on Saturday. The major decision India will have to make is whether to play Kohli or Raina. Kohli has been in excellent form, but an extra left-hander, Raina, could be useful in combating Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners. Dhoni, however, had indicated a few days ago that Kohli could edge Raina out.India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli/Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Munaf Patel..

Stats and trivia

• Mirpur is easily Bangladesh’s most successful ODI venue – they’ve won 18 matches here, which is three times the number they’ve won at their next-best venue. They’ve won 64 games in all, which means 28% of their ODI wins have come in Mirpur.
• The last 12 day-night matches in Mirpur have all been won by the team batting second. Overall, in 16 day-night ODIs, the team batting first has won only three times.
• India have won seven and lost three ODIs in Mirpur, but they’ve beaten Bangladesh in all five matches here. Three of those were day-night games, and in all of them India chased.
• Most of India’s top order has done well in Mirpur, with Gambhir, Dhoni, Kohli and Raina all averaging more than 50, and scoring at least one century here. For Bangladesh, Shakib and Tamim have scored two hundreds each in ODIs at this venue.

Quotes

“The guys have played enough cricket to cope with the pressure. We are not looking too far ahead. We will take it one game at a time and concentrate on the job at hand. I don’t think it can get better than this. Playing a strong side like India has its advantages. We want to prove ourselves against the best.”
.”Being a co-host will always bring a lot of expectations. But we do not get bogged down by expectations. The important thing is to do the process right. We always look to put more emphasis on the process, rather than on winning, and this is what has made us a successful team.”

The BCCI had the final say on the management of the IPL’s finances when the league was moved to South Africa in 2009, and in some cases framed the plan to be adopted, according to correspondence between the various officials involved. This is contrary to the recently reported deposition of senior board officials, who told a parliamentary committee that is probing the Twenty20 tournament’s finances that several transactions were carried out by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi.Official documents acquired by ESPNcricinfo suggest that the board was not only aware, at the highest levels, of the accounting and financial transactions required to move the event to South Africa, but also played a large role in advising Modi on how to carry them out.Board president Shashank Manohar, secretary N Srinivasan and current IPL chairman Chirayu Amin recently appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance over allegations of foreign exchange violations related to moving the tournament to South Africa. The parliamentary committee had expressed its opinion that opening and operating a current account in South Africa through an explicit arrangement with Cricket South Africa (CSA) could be construed as violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act as the BCCI had failed to ask the RBI for permission. The committee also asked the officials about the funding patterns of the IPL and the method of payment of players’ salaries.The board reportedly admitted that mistakes were made, but claimed that certain transactions were carried out by Lalit Modi, then the IPL chairman, and they had simply approved those in good faith. However, documents show the BCCI was involved in managing the IPL’s finances every step of the way. At the governing council meeting on March 22, 2009, Manohar stated that the board would open an account of US$ 10 million to cover the expenses of holding the IPL in another country “after seeking clearance from RBI and that the account would be operated by the treasurer MP Pandove.”Once the decision was taken to move the tournament to South Africa, Srinivasan outlined the RBI restrictions on operating an account in a foreign country in a letter dated March 24, 2009 that was sent to Modi and Manohar, and suggested that CSA operate the account under the supervision of the BCCI. “The payments that are made would be monitored by us and would be made after only after ensuring that proper authorisation is received from IPL Chairman and Hon. Secretary, BCCI,” Srinivasan says. The letter also states that after the expenses were approved by Modi, they were to be sent to Srinivasan “for final authorisation.” Meanwhile, Pandove was to “oversee this operation and will be responsible for reconciliation of the accounts, including tax matters”.The agreement to stage the IPL in South Africa was then signed with Cricket South Africa on March 30, 2009 by Srinivasan. Subsequently, a number of emails were sent by Prasanna Kannan, the IPL’s chief financial officer, detailing the transactions that had been carried out and the various tax concerns arising out of hosting the tournament abroad. In an email dated April 3 that was sent to Modi, Srinivasan and Pandove, among others, Kannan outlines a discussion with the South African Revenue Services (SARS). SARS requires 15% of the players’ fees to be paid as withholding tax, and in another email dated April 9 sent by the board’s internal auditor, the BCCI states that it “will help the franchises in fulfilling these obligations and pay the withholding tax in South Africa.”Another email dated April 10 lays out the amount of money that had been dispersed to each team up to that point and how much was still left in the bank. In the same email, Kannan asks the secretary and treasurer “to approve a further transfer of US$ 10 million to CSA”. The documents make it clear that the BCCI was not only involved in the decision-making process, but was overseeing it as well.The 2009 IPL was moved at the last minute over security concerns arising out of the tournament overlapping with the Indian general elections.

Scorecard
South Africa Under-19 completed a clean sweep of Zimbabwe across both limited-overs formats with a crushing eight-wicket win in the second Twenty20 at Northerns-Goodwood Cricket Club Oval in Cape Town. Quinton de Kock’s imperious hundred helped his team to easily overhaul Zimbabwe’s 151 for 8, the landmark coming from just 51 balls as victory was achieved with 25 balls to spare.Zimbabwe gave themselves a chance of scoring a consolation win to close their tour when Matthew Bentley bowled Regardt Verster to reduce South Africa to 68 for 2 in the eighth over. That was as good as it got for them, however, and the match slipped rapidly away in the course of de Kock’s whirlwind innings.He had looked a threatening prospect in the first match at Paarl, making 49 in 29 balls to go with 118 runs in three innings during the one-day series, and took full toll today hitting 13 fours and three sixes. Only Roy Kaia and Liberty Nherera escaped the full wrath of de Kock’s bat, with Tochukwu Enwerem, Vuyisile Mapala and Peacemore Zimwa conceding 58 runs in a combined four overs and five balls.Grant Edmeades was a mere spectator in an 87-run partnership for the third wicket, the runs flow at better than 10-an-over as de Kock stormed towards his hundred and the series whitewash for South Africa.Zimbabwe had once again relied upon a couple of good individual performances to shore up their batting after South Africa’s bowlers scythed through their line-up. Kevin Kasuza was in the runs once again, making a confident 39 to go with his half-century yesterday before he was stumped by de Kock off Malcolm Nofal. Kaia’s unbeaten 60 held the rest of the innings together, with every South African bowler finding some reward to set up a triumphant end to a one-sided tour.

Three days after appointing John Wright as New Zealand coach, NZC has announced sweeping changes to the support staff for the national team, including reducing the role of performance director Roger Mortimer and naming a new physiotherapist. The decisions come as part of a review following forgettable tours of Bangladesh and India in the past three months.Earlier in the week, former New Zealand batsman Mark Greatbatch was sacked as coach and the captain Daniel Vettori lost his position as a selector. The three-man selection committee will now include Greatbatch, former captain Glenn Turner and new appointment Lance Cairns.Mortimer will continue to work with NZC but will no longer travel with the team on tours. He had been appointed in May after guiding cyclist Sarah Ulmer and triathlete Hamish Carter to Olympic glory.Other changes include Dayle Shackel, who was the team’s long-time psyhiotherapist till 2008, returning to the role, replacing Kate Stalker. Fielding coach Mark O’Donnell and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen have been axed. Those who retain their posts include the assistant coach Trent Woodhill, the team manager Dave Currie and the team trainer Bryan Stronach.New Zealand were drubbed 4-0 in the one-dayers against Bangladesh in October, and followed that up with a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of an under-strength Indian side. Their next challenge is a home series against Pakistan, starting Sunday.”I am positive the changes outlined will act as a great stimulus to improve performance for the Black Caps,” NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said. “I am hopeful the Auckland cricketing public will get out and support the team on Boxing Day for the T20 international against Pakistan.”Meanwhile, former internationals Paul Wiseman and Matt Horne have been appointed as co-coaches of the New Zealand under-19 team and will lead the side to the 2012 World Cup in Australia.

The family of Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has reported receiving threatening phone calls to the police after Haider, who is still in England, said he would expose those involved in corrupt practices in Pakistan cricket.”Zulqarnain’s wife got three calls today, two from an unknown number and one from a number in Greece, in which the caller, speaking in Urdu, threatened her of dire consequences if Zulqarnain said anything about anyone,” Aqeel Haider, one of Haider’s brother, told .Aqeel said the calls were received after Haider had updated his Facebook page with a message saying he would blow the whistle on ” those who have taken money”. “All these people who are saying negative things about me, they should wait for five more days, then I will show them my background and status,” Haider wrote. “After five days I will show them their background and place, and also those who don’t take money and those who have taken money.”Haider had gone missing from the team hotel on the morning of Pakistan’s fifth ODI against South Africa in Dubai and resurfaced in London later the same day. He was said to be seeking protection in the UK after he was threatened by unidentified people following his team’s one-wicket win in the fourth ODI against South Africa. As a result of the threats Haider announced his retirement from cricket.

North Zone

Harshad Khadiwale’s aggressive half-century took Maharashtra to the knock-outs with a five-run win against Baroda•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi crushed Services‘ hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage with an easy nine-wicket victory at the Palam B Ground. Delhi overhauled Services’ score of 124 with 18 balls to spare, leaving them tied on points with Haryana, but behind on net run-rate in the North Zone table.Medium-pacer Kapil Yadav took 3 for 18 for Delhi, while opener Irfan Khan was the only Services’ batsman to get going, with a score of 46 off 39 balls. The rest of Delhi’s attack supported Yadav well as Services finished with a below-par score. Opener Puneet Bisht set the tone for Delhi’s chase with 24 off 16 balls, and after his exit Chetan Sharma settled down to finish unbeaten on 65. Mithun Manhas stayed with Sharma as Delhi eased home by nine wickets, giving them a spotless record going into the next round.Haryana qualified past the group stage despite a nine-wicket loss to Himachal Pradesh in their final group match at the Palam A Ground. Choosing to bat, Haryana stumbled to 14 for 4 in the fifth over before a lower-order recovery took the score into triple figures. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Diwan finished with 3 for 25, while Ashok Thakur supported him with 2 for 19, leaving Himachal chasing 109 for a win.Sangram Singh scored 58 of 57 balls, and his 92-run opening stand with Manvinder Bisla put the result beyond doubt, but Haryana managed to qualify for the next round on net run-rate courtesy of Delhi beating Services by a similar margin. Himachal finished fourth in the North Zone table.Punjab beat Jammu & Kashmir by 29 runs in the battle of the North Zone also-rans, at the Palam A Ground in Delhi. Punjab chose to bat and were sent on their way by a 40-run opening stand off 4.2 overs between Jaskaran Singh and Sarul Kanwar. Ravi Inder Singh, Amit Parashar and Bipul Sharma ensured that the momentum was maintained as Punjab surged to a strong score. Abid Nabi suffered the most, conceding 40 runs in his four overs as J&K faced a chase of 141.Opener Arshad Bhatt held one end up with a steady 43, but the steady loss of wickets at the other end meant that J&K gradually lost steam. Seamer Manpreet Gony finished with 3 for 17 as Punjab closed the J&K innings at 111 for 6.

West Zone

Baroda frittered away a dominant position against Maharashtra and the chance to make the knock-out stage at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara, falling short of the target of 153 by five runs, after being 99 for 1 at one stage. Pinal Shah’s half-century got Baroda off to a strong start, and they needed 54 off 53 deliveries with nine wickets remaining. However, offspinner Ganesh Gaikwad ran through the middle order, taking 4 for 28, including the wicket of Pinal for 61. With 12 needed off the last over, Baroda lost two wickets to finish at 147 for 7.Openers Harshad Khadiwale and Nikhil Paradkar had smashed 109 in 71 balls to give Maharashtra a solid platform. Khadiwale was the more aggressive of the duo, slamming 59 off 34 balls while Paradkar made 49 off 40. But Baroda’s spinners picked up six wickets as Maharashtra’s middle order collapsed to 131 for 7. They recovered somewhat to post 152, which proved just enough to take them through.Left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat’s incisive three-wicket burst gave Saurashtra a three-run win in a low-scoring scrap against Gujarat in Vadodara. Defending a paltry 89 on a pitch where run-scoring was not easy, Saurashtra’s fast-bowling attack, led by Unadkat, struck at regular intervals to reduce Gujarat to 56 for 5. A watchful 18-run stand between Rujul Bhatt and Rohit Dahiya brought Gujarat back in the game, but Unadkat removed both off successive balls before a spate of run-outs left the hosts three short.Siddharth Trivedi was the main threat when Saurashtra batted, as he picked two of three early wickets that left the visitors gasping at 3 for 3. Shitanshu Kotak and Jaydev Shah then featured in the best partnership of the game, but Saurasthra stumbled again following their 41-run alliance. No. 8 Sandip Maniar’s late onslaught lifted them from 64 for 8 to their final score of 89, which in the end analysis proved just enough for Saurashtra’s first win in the tournament, while Gujarat finished their engagements winless.

Central Zone

Madhya Pradesh surged into the top spot of Central Zone with a hard-fought nine-run win against Railways who were bowled out with one over to spare in Jaipur. Needing a win to progress to the knock-out stage, MP began well with Naman Ojha anchoring their innings with a boundary-filled 49 off 38 balls. Sanjay Bangar slowed down proceedings in the middle overs with a tight spell of 3 for 22, but Amarjeet Singh went on the attack in the end overs, smashing five fours and two sixes in his 37 off 15 balls.Railways’ chase was derailed early as opening bowlers TP Sudhindra and Anand Rajan reduced them to 40 for 6 in seven overs. However, a late counterattack led by tail-enders DP Salvi, Shadab Khan and Murali Kartik brought them roaring back into the game. Kartik and Shadab lifted the score from 81 for 8 in the 13th over to 139 in the 19th. With 10 needed from eight balls, Kartik was run-out before Amarjeet, who had bled 40 runs in his first 3.5 overs, finished the game by castling Shadab with his last ball.Amit Paunikar’s unbeaten half-century took Vidarbha to the knock-outs with a 34-run win against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Paunikar didn’t let the loss of two wickets in the first two overs bother him, and added 65 runs in 43 deliveries with Ravi Jangid. After Jangid fell for a quick 36, Paunikar carried on, hitting three sixes and six fours in his unbeaten 78 off 56. Vidarbha surged to 169 as 36 runs came off the last three overs.Rajasthan began well, with Dishant Yagnik hammering three sixes in his 36 off 22 balls to lift the score to 49 in the sixth over. Aakash Chopra’s steady 42 kept them in the chase, taking them to 110 for 2 with six overs to go. However, offspinner Akshay Wakhare took two wickets in three balls to stem the scoring, and also effected two run-outs to turn the tables. Rajasthan managed only 25 runs off the last six overs as Vidharbha completed their third win in four group games.

When Graeme Smith stepped down as South Africa’s Twenty20 captain in August this year, he made a point of speaking about how he had softened as a person over time. When he was first made captain, Smith was cocksure, bordering on arrogant, but once he made it clear that he could stamp his authority, a real personality began to emerge. It was out in full force during the SuperSport Series match between the Cobras and the Lions at the Oppenheimer’s private ground in Randjesfontein.Smith tiptoed on his heels because he was wearing spikes on the pavilion floor. He grinned as he imitated an injured duck and explained, “This floor is probably worth more than my house.” That was the only thing that associated the burly left hander with the bird with webbed feet. He scored a magnificent double-hundred, 217 off 220 balls, in the Cobras’ second innings to take the game away from the Lions.The Cobras were bowled out for 197 in their first stint at the crease, with all the Lions bowlers among the wickets. Cliffie Deacon led the pack with 3 for 41. On a pitch that is known to flatten as the match goes on, the Lions had perfect batting conditions to amass 416 for nine. None of the batsman managed a century in that total. Vaughn van Jaarsveld came closest with 87, followed by Zander de Bruyn’s 76.Then came the magnificent Smith, who shared in a 333-run first-wicket partnership with Andrew Puttick (111). Wickets for the Lions came from unlikely sources, as Neil McKenzie (1/14) dismissed Smith, and Alviro Petersen (1/17) got rid of Puttick. JP Duminy added 69 and the Cobras posted 499 for five declared, setting the Lions a target of 281.Time ran out for a result, but with the Lions teetering on 55 for four, it looked as if the men from the Cape might get it to go their way. De Bruyn’s 55 and van Jaarsveld’s 44 saved the match for the hosts.That was the only draw of the weekend. Further north in Centurion, the Titans earned a nine wicket win over the Warriors. The Eastern Cape side appeared to have quite a hangover from twenty-over cricket and was skittled out for 89. Ethy Mbhalati took five for 33 while Morne Morkel (2/11) and CJ de Villiers (2/16) chipped in with two apiece. The Titans replied with 318 in their first innings. Heino Kuhn was left stranded on 94 and Jacques Rudolph made his bid for national honours clear with 72.Ashwell Prince led the Warriors line-up in their second knock. He scored 144, Jon-Jon Smuts made 78 and Arno Jacobs 71. Morne Morkel took four for 81 as the Warriors were bowled out for 380, leaving the Titans with 152 to win. Vice-captain Blake Snijman scored the bulk of the runs with an unbeaten 78 as the Titans wrapped up the match inside three days.In Kimberley, the newly-named Knights beat the Dolphins by 128 runs. Batting first, the Knights recovered from 76 for three to post 407. Morne van Wyk’s 97 and Ryan Bailey’s 70 were the two biggest contributions. The Dolphins were clearly at sea with the bat and were bowled out for 167 as Victor Mpitsang claimed 6 for 30.The Knights had a lead of 240 and declared their second innings closed on 140 for five, setting the Dolphins 381 to win. Dean Elgar scored 53 in the hosts’ second knock. It was always going to be a tough ask for the men from Durban, and they were bowled out for 252. Ryan McLaren took 5 for 35 for the Knights and earned a call-up to the South African Twenty20 squad to replace the injured Albie Morkel.Batsman of the week: For growing his legendary status, Graeme Smith earns the award for his double hundred at almost run-a-ball for the Cobras.Bowler of the week: He bowled the Knights to victory and earned a national call up, albeit in a different format. Ryan McLaren for his five-wicket hall against the Dolphins gets this week’s accolade.