All posts by n8rngtd.top

AB de Villiers’ second half-century in three matches helped Barbados Tridents beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 25 runs at Kensington Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers hit nine fours and three sixes in his 54-ball 82•CPL/Sportsfile

AB de Villiers’ second half-century in three matches helped Barbados Tridents beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 25 runs at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown and register their second win this season. A superior net run rate meant they moved to second spot in the points table, ahead of Jamaica Tallawahs.Patriots were a batsman down in the chase because Kieran Powell had to be stretchered off the field and then taken in a wheelchair to hospital after a nasty collision with JJ Smuts in the 19th over of Tridents’ innings. Patriots were restricted to 155 for 8.The win was set up by de Villiers, who forged two vital partnerships with Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard during his 54-ball 82 to take Tridents to 180 for 6. Tridents had slipped to 29 for 3 in the sixth over, after being sent in, with Sheldon Cottrell, Alzarri Joseph and Samuel Badree doing the early damage. De Villiers, who walked in at No. 4, found able support from Pooran, who injected momentum into the innings with three sixes off Smuts, the left-arm spinner, in the 11th over.Although Pooran fell soon after for 38 off 19 balls, de Villiers was complemented by Pollard, who made a 21-ball 27, as Tridents scored 88 off their last eight overs. De Villiers, who was dismissed in the last over, hit nine fours and three sixes, including one that hit the roof of the the grandstand. Sheldon Cottrell, the left-arm pacer who broke the 83-run stand between Pollard and de Villiers, finished with 3 for 25.Kieran Powell was stretchered off the field after a nasty collision with JJ Smuts•CPL/Sportsfile

“I thought 160 was a good score, we got more than that. I was pleased with the way we controlled the game,” de Villiers said after the game. “I didn’t feel fluent at the wicket, but was happy to pull it through and see the guys bat around me. Nicholas Pooran knocked it around well and took the pressure off me. The first time I saw him bat, I told Kieron Pollard they’ve got to find a way of including him in the national side. He’s a special talent.”Lendl Simmons gave Patriots a trigger upfront by hitting three fours off Akeal Hossain, the left-arm spinner, before being stumped in the same over. By then, Patriots had raced to 35 in three overs. Faf du Plessis, the captain, walked in at No. 3 and saw Smuts and Brad Hodge fall in quick succession as Patriots were reduced to 59 for 3 in the eighth over. Tridents then choked the runs by not conceding a single boundary between overs seven and eleven.When du Plessis struck David Wiese for a boundary to find some breathing room, Patriots needed 99 off 52 balls. Carter was reprieved on 25, and went on to add 21, but his dismissal two overs after du Plessis had fallen for 42 helped Tridents close out the game.

Yorkshire Diamonds were struck down by Loughborough Lightning who beat them by 43 runs with 17 balls remaining at Headingley in the first match in the new Kia Super League

ECB Reporters Network30-Jul-2016Loughborough Lightning 128 for 9 (Devine 52) beat Yorkshire Diamonds 85 (Grundy 3-21)
ScorecardYorkshire Diamonds were struck down by Loughborough Lightning who beat them by 43 runs with 17 balls remaining at Headingley in the first match in the new Kia Super League.In front of a crowd approaching 1,000, Lightning had to work hard for their 128 for 9 but it was easily defended after Diamonds’ captain, Lauren Winfield was controversially run out for a rapid 23 from 13 balls with five fiercely struck boundaries.It appeared that if she may have been impeded by the bowler, Ellyse Perry, when turning for a second run and she was unable to make her ground in time. Winfield spoke to the umpires but they were happy that she had been fairly dismissed.”I felt I may have been obstructed by the bowler when going for a second run and I had a word with the umpires but it was just one of those things,” Winfield said. “Perhaps if there had been the chance to see it again I may not have been given out but it was a situation which couldn’t be changed.”Diamonds were 37 for 2 in only the fourth over when Winfield left the field but they were never able to regain their early momentum against tight bowling, Rebecca Grundy finishing with 3 for 21 from her four overs while Sophie Devine and Georgia Elwiss had two apiece.The experienced Katherine Brunt managed 16 before being fifth out, bowled by Elwiss, and Danielle Hazell hit a couple of boundaries in her 15 but her dismissal off Devine brought the game to an early conclusion.Four of the wickets fell to lbw decisions and there were two stumpings late in the innings for Amy Jones.Winning the toss, Lightning chose to bat first on a green tinged pitch and captain Elwiss got her side off to a perfect start by delicately cutting Shabnim Ishmail’s first ball for four.But Brunt’s first delivery from the Kirkstall Lane end brought her a wicket as she found the edge of Dane van Nierkerk’s bat and Hollie Armitage held a splendid catch at slip, Brunt going on to complete a wicket maiden.Devine helped Elwiss take the score to 29 in the seventh over before Elwiss took a step down the pitch to the spin of Hazell and was smartly stumped by Beth Mooney but Perry responded positively in the same over by on-driving the first six of the match.Devine hit a big six over midwicket off Katie Levick and Lightning were well placed at 66 for 2 with half their overs gone. Perry then produced one of the shots of the day with a glorious straight drive off Ishmail.It was Devine, however, who was playing the major innings and she reached her 50 off 35 balls with five fours and two sixes but the 55 stand for the third wicket ended at 85 with the running out of Perry for 17 from 20 balls with two fours.Without addition, Amy Jones was lbw to Hazell and Gunn took a hard return catch to send back Sonia Odredra before Levick captured the important wicket of Devine who was well caught by Gunn running in from long on for 52.Lightning’s progress was slowed down by Jenny Gunn who was hard to combat and she well deserved figures of 2 for 20 from her four overs.Thea Brookes was run out as Lightning dipped to 96 for 7, five wickets going down in three overs for 11 runs, but in the end they had sufficient runs on the board to complete an easy win.New Zealand’s vice-captain, Devine, said: “I was really nervous after a winter in New Zealand and a bit scratchy at the start but it was nice to be able to get some runs on the board.”I thought we may have been 15-20 runs short of the score we needed and Yorkshire came out really hard at us and the run out probably helped us. It was a great team win and our bowling performance was very good. Our fielders did well on the big outfield and we took a couple of great catches.”Winfield said: “It was very disappointing to lose because I thought we did a lot right and we were in a good place at half time. I was not too unhappy with their total and we got a decent start but fell away in the middle. It is important that we learn from today’s performance. We probably hit the self-destruct button after losing a few early wickets.”

Seventeen wickets fell on the first day of first-class cricket in India with the pink ball, but it was largely because of poor shot-making rather than any demons that the pink ball bore

The Report by Arun Venugopal23-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSandeep Sharma profited from seam movement and took 4 for 62•AFP

India Red and India Green approached the country’s maiden first-class game with the pink ball with as much excitement as fear of the unknown – the fall of 17 wickets in the day might point to the latter – before coming out with the feeling that it wasn’t an entirely alien beast. It was by no means a jolt-free afternoon and night, though. India Red, having elected to bat, combusted to 161, before India Green hobbled their way to 116 for 7 when they weren’t busy fighting malfunctioning floodlights.The build-up to the game resembled a carnival rolling into town. Despite its usual thrills of stilted clowns and puppet shows, it is often the Ferris wheel that becomes the showstopper. When a sizeable crowd of flag-waving, chirpy fans made their way to the grass banks of the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, India’s latest domestic season had found its Ferris wheel, this one sheathed in pink.

Bowlers surprised by pink ball durability

Pragyan Ojha and Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed three wickets apiece on the opening day, said they were surprised to see the pink ball retain its sheen even after a substantial period of play. A liberal coverage of grass on the pitch and a reasonably lush outfield may have contributed to that end.
“I think for the first time we never had a problem of maintaining the ball – you just have to rub, you don’t need anything to shine the ball,” Ojha said. “It was something we were experiencing for the first time. If we play with the red ball or the white ball there will be some changes to the ball, it deteriorates. I don’t think [it will be a problem for the spinners].”
Kuldeep, the left-arm wristspinner, admitted to finding it difficult to grip the ball initially. “I had to keep it rough. I think there is a lot of difference when compared to the red ball,” he told . “You get a lot more grip on the red ball, and a lot more turn. If you get used to the pink ball, you can get it to drift and turn. If the shine is maintained, it helps in getting drift and dip.”
He also said it was difficult to spot the shiny side of the ball while batting in the afternoon. “It becomes difficult for the batsmen to pick the ball when both sides of the ball retain their shine. There is no problem sighting the ball in the night,” he said.

The first session was instructive in tempering a few popular notions about the pink ball, like its exaggerated early swing, for instance. Exhibit A was provided by India Green’s Ashok Dinda and Sandeep Sharma, who got the new ball to seam a lot more than swing. Despite a grass coverage of 4mm on the pitch, there wasn’t any excessive lateral movement. That India Red slumped to 67 for 6 at the end of the first session was more a consequence of some poor shot-making, and good field-placements from India Green captain Suresh Raina, than any demons that lay hidden inside the pink ball.Dinda said during the tea break the ball stopped swinging and seaming once it had become relatively older, and thereby the bowlers were looking to target the stumps. He said there was no turn on offer, but there was enough evidence to the contrary with spinners accounting for six wickets. There was adequate assistance for both fingerspin and wristspin, with Pragyan Ojha and Jalaj Saxena of India Red, and Kuldeep and Akshay Wakhare of India Green getting fairly appreciable turn.On a day when wickets fell in a heap, Abhinav Mukund was the most successful batsman on either side. Mukund’s 77 was instrumental firstly in India Red reaching triple figures, and then his 50-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Anureet Singh, who swished his way to 32 off 21, helped the team cross 150.Mukund admitted to having trouble with sighting the ball at practice on Monday, but said there were no such issues during the match. “I was timing the ball well personally. I couldn’t sight it quite well in the nets yesterday, but today was better and it was a good experience,” he said after the first day’s play.”To be honest, I didn’t have much of a problem [sighting] today. I thought I was timing the ball and getting into good positions. The ball was holding on to the wicket sometimes, sometimes [it was] skidding on. It’s a new experience. We don’t play with the Kookaburra in domestic cricket; it’s a new experience for a lot of cricketers.”India Green had begun in similarly shaky fashion, with Nathu Singh accounting for all the three wickets that fell inside the first eight overs. Nathu, like Sandeep earlier in the evening, profited when he held the seam upright. Robin Uthappa was dismissed by a jaffa that cut back sharply to shave the top of off stump in the seventh ball of the innings, while Jalaj Saxena slashed one that didn’t bounce as much to be caught behind. Nathu’s swerving in-ducker in his next over caught Rajat Paliwal on the shuffle to leave India Green at 31 for 3. Raina and Parthiv Patel then restored calm with a 41-run stand. But after Kuldeep ran through the middle order, Saurabh Tiwary, the last recognised batsman, remained the key to India Green securing the first-innings advantage.

Sri Lanka A struck regularly on either side of a big partnership to restrict West Indies a to 276

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Vishaul Singh made an impressive start to the tour of Sri Lanka•WICB

West Indies A stumbled on either side of a substantial fourth-wicket partnership between Shamarh Brooks and Vishaul Singh to fold for 276 against the Sri Lanka A team at the Khettarama Stadium.West Indies A were immediately put under pressure after opting to bat, as dropped Test opener Rajendra Chandrika’s poor form continued. He was trapped in front by Lahiru Kumara, who had spearheaded the Sri Lanka Under-19s pace attack on their recent tour to England. Vishaul Singh (96) found himself doing the rescue act twice, coming in at 56 for 3 and putting on 125 for the fourth wicket with his captain Shamarh Brooks, before a second collapse led West Indies to losing three wickets for four runs.Kemar Roach’s unbeaten 45 was the only other notable contribution, as the Sri Lankans didn’t let the batsmen settle. U-19 offspinner Charith Asalanka and allrounder Asela Gunaratne stood out for Sri Lanka A, taking two and three wickets. Chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan, who made his Test debut in the recently concluded series against Australia, bowled 28 overs but only managed to pick up one wicket.Sri Lanka A openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera were unbeaten without scoring in the solitary over they faced before stumps.

A brilliant century from Nick Gubbins anchored Middlesex on an attritional first day of their County Championship decider at Lord’s

George Dobell at Lord's20-Sep-2016
ScorecardThe days have gone, thankfully, when a late-season performance in a key game at Lord’s could sway selection for an England tour.But, as Nick Gubbins pulled Ryan Sidebottom for six to bring up a century of the highest class, you wondered whether the selectors might have been convinced had this innings come a week or two earlier.The selectors will have seen plenty of Gubbins, of course. Not only is one of them, Angus Fraser, his county director of cricket but, having largely developed along the same route (same school; same county) as Andrew Strauss, who sits in on selection meetings in his role as managing director of the England team, he has long been identified as one to watch. They have selected him in the Lions squad, too.But, on a testing surface, in a big game and against a fine attack, Gubbins produced an innings that demonstrated technical and temperamental excellence. Not for the first time, either: this was his fourth century of an outstanding Championship season that has brought more than 1,300 runs and saw him awarded his county cap at the start of the lunch interval. Sooner or later, an England cap will surely follow.It is too early to say whether it will prove to be the innings that secures Middlesex their first Championship trophy since 1993 – this title race remains wonderfully poised – but it does seem fair to state that he kept his side in contention. On a day when nobody else scored more than 22 and in conditions which most seamers would relish, his unbeaten 120 stood out like a giant among pygmies.Might it be relevant that this game was played in front of the TV cameras? It shouldn’t matter, but it probably does. Having now impressed a wider audience – including some influential voices at Sky – perhaps Gubbins’ case will pushed as vociferously as that by some with the ‘right’ agent or ‘right’ supporters in the media?It is Gubbins’ all-round game that is so impressive for a man of just 22. Lots of young batsmen play pleasing strokes. Lots can score a flash fifty and the odd century. And there are several with a strong defensive technique and the determination to bat all day. But there are few, very few, who put both together as well as Gubbins or play within themselves with such maturity or confidence.So, while he does have the patience to leave the ball all day and the discipline to play straight as often as appropriate, he also has the strokes to punish bowlers. A highlights reel might focus on his front-foot driving through cover, which is certainly pleasing, but it is his back-foot strokes that mark him out: early in the day he forced Jack Brooks for three through cover – an exquisite shot that most batsman would have been happy to defend or allow themselves to be lured into playing across the line – while there were a couple of those characteristic clips off the hips – a stroke played to a good length ball on off stump – that must make bowlers wish they had taken up another profession. And, when Sidebottom dropped short, he was pulled for six without fear or fuss. This fellow can really bat.There were times he struggled. Tim Bresnan, who bowled magnificently well from the Pavilion End, beat his bat a couple of times as he moved the ball down the hill and then came perilously close to bowling or trapping him leg before when he persuaded it to nip back. But it bodes well – for England and Middlesex – that Gubbins did not become flustered by the challenge. He shrugged off the beatings and played the next ball with the same unflustered, phlegmatic confidence that was once the hallmark of Graham Gooch.He will face different tests at the highest level – not least, he will be subjected to more short-pitched bowling than was seen against this attack or on this surface – and this is his first really good Championship season, but if bookies took bets on the identity of future England captains, the odds on Gubbins would be short.Yorkshire will rue some missed chances, though. The most expensive saw Gubbins, on 22, put down by Azeem Rafiq at point off the bowling of Steven Patterson, but there were other blemishes that saw Adam Lyth, at second slip, drop a tough chance off Dawid Malan, on 19, and Gary Ballance (at third slip) put down an easier chance offered by James Franklin on 1.Perhaps Yorkshire may consider themselves unfortunate, too. A couple of leg-before shouts must have been perilously close while replays suggested Gubbins should probably have been given out on 96, caught down the leg side off Sidebottom. They bowled with skill and persistence, though, and by keeping the run-rate under three have ensured they remain very much in contention.This was another outstanding showcase of the standard of Championship cricket. Not only are Yorkshire without several of their England players, but they decided to leave out Liam Plunkett – they reasoned the movement of David Willey would be more valuable on a slow surface like this – while it says something for Eoin Morgan’s peripheral role at Middlesex that he was not even considered for selection. He has not played a Championship match all season. It would be no surprise if he never plays another one.After Sam Robson, whose season has deteriorated after a fine start, was pinned on the boot – reward for a well-directed yorker as much as punishment for falling over to the off side, Nick Compton was, for the second successive match, dismissed by a delivery he left. Dawid Malan, after a few gorgeously-timed strokes, played on as he pushed at one without sufficient foot movement, while Stevie Eskinazi also played on as he pushed at from Brooks that may have kept a fraction low. John Simpson, having been beaten outside off by deliveries that left him, was dismissed by one that nipped back into him; outstanding bowling by any standards.This is no classic Lord’s surface. Conditions provided assistance to bowlers throughout – 14 overs were lost to poor light at the end of the day – and a less resolute batting line-up could have been routed. Gubbins’ fortitude ensured Middlesex remained in the race on a day when their challenge could easily have fallen away. With three days left, it’s still too tight to call.

Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill and Adam Voges have been an extended tenure as Australia have opted for the same squad for the second Test, which starts from November 12

Daniel Brettig in Perth06-Nov-2016Australia will not make any changes to the team chosen for the Perth Test against South Africa, irrespective of the result over the final two days at the WACA Ground.The coach Darren Lehmann confirmed an unchanged squad for the Hobart Test, which starts from November 12, meaning guaranteed tenures for Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill and Adam Voges. Australia took a similar approach during the tour of Sri Lanka, making only the injury-enforced change of Jon Holland for Steve O’Keefe for the second Test before introducing more drastic changes in the third.Lehmann reflected on how Australia had let the Perth Test get away, having made such a strong start on the first day and the second morning. He believed that the batsmen had not responded well to South Africa’s loss of Dale Steyn to a shoulder injury, which he had seen as an opportunity to take command of the match.”We spoke about that, probably not playing their natural games at times, especially to the left-arm spinner getting the field back,” Lehmann told . “So we probably were a bit too timid at times and not looking to score and rotate the strike. Having said that they did bowl well, and we didn’t counter it well enough.”They do all the prep, they’re great young men, they’re trying to do as well as they can for Australia each and every time, it’s just a case of little mental lapses at times. Collectively we’re always pretty positive, but stats will show we haven’t batted as well as we would have liked the last few Test matches. There’s no hiding the fact we’ve got to bat better.”There’s always pressure when you’re coaching your country or playing for the country, that’s why the guys have got to where they’ve got to. They’ve been brilliant doing all the work behind the scenes and playing at the level below, now they’ve got to do it at this level. There’s always pressure whether you win or lose, a lot less when you’re winning.”

The two most powerful men in the BCCI – board president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke – have told the Supreme Court of India that the Lodha Committee does not have the “expertise” to administer cricket in the country

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Dec-2016The two most powerful men in the BCCI – board president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke – have told the Supreme Court of India that the Lodha Committee does not have the “expertise” to administer cricket in the country.Thakur and Shirke also said removing office bearers at both the BCCI and state-association levels, as proposed by the committee in its latest status report, will “paralyse” cricket administration and create “chaos” in the game.In separate affidavits, albeit with similar content, filed in the court this week, Thakur and Shirke said the committee was not interested in meeting the pair despite the court asking for the same in its last order, issued on October 21.Thakur said that the committee’s secretary, Gopal Sankaranarayanan, informed BCCI CEO Rahul Johri in an email on November 29 that the committee will offer “further instructions” to the board, following the court’s next hearing. The court was scheduled to hear the case on December 5, but had to defer it to December 9 after TS Thakur, the Chief Justice of India, part of the three-judge bench hearing the case, was absent on the 5th.Thakur said in his affidavit: “The Lodha Committee has not complied with the directions of this Hon’ble Court and its inaction has had a crippling effect on the BCCI and has hurt India cricket and the BCCI tremendously. The present status report also underscores the fact that the Lodha Committee does not want to interact with the BCCI or its office bearers in order to understand the complexities of Indian cricket administration. The said status report in fact acknowledges that the Committee does not have the expertise to administer Indian cricket.”

BCCI against the ‘observer’

The BCCI has strongly objected to the Lodha Committee’s proposal that an “observer” be appointed by the court to oversee the daily financial and business transactions of the board.
The committee had recommended GK Pillai, a former home secretary in the federal government, for the role of the observer, saying he could “supervise the administration of the BCCI [via] the CEO.” The CEO, Rahul Johri, the committee said, would direct all the daily administration of the BCCI without needing approval from the board’s office bearers as per the existing norm. The committee also said Pillai’s appointment was necessary in order to help “confine” its own role to drafting policy to provide direction.
Thakur and Shirke have called the committee’s move “erroneous” and “misconceived”. “The Lodha Committee had asked for and been granted various additional powers for supervision of the affairs of the BCCI. It now cannot, after disregarding the orders of this Hon’ble Court, seek to vary the same unilaterally,” Thakur said in his affidavit.
Thakur also said Pillai is not qualified to be a cricket administrator: “The Lodha Committee cannot shift the responsibility of overseeing the affairs of the BCCI to another third party who does not have any expertise of running cricket in India and has no established administrative credentials in this field.”

With the committee not providing the required guidance to the BCCI, things had come “to a grinding halt” and had “tremendously hurt” the image of Indian cricket, according to Thakur.In its third status report, submitted on November 18 in the court, the committee highlighted that the BCCI and the state associations had failed to implement various decisions approved by the court in its July 18 judgement. The committee mentioned that many ineligible office bearers continued as administrators in clear defiance of the court order.In his affidavit, Thakur objected to the committee’s stance. “It is denied that the BCCI has not complied with the directions of this Hon’ble Court. The efforts made by the BCCI office bearers to effectuate compliance have already been set out.”Thakur and Shirke also disagreed with the eligibility criteria listed by the committee in its November status report. The committee had stated that an office bearer would be disqualified if he or she was not a citizen of India, was 70 years or older, was a minister or a government servant, held any office or post in any other sports association, or had been an office bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of nine years.The BCCI bosses have said that these criteria were not part of the original Lodha report, which was released in January. “Removal of democratically elected office bearers of the BCCI or State Cricket Associations who have been elected in accordance with the statute governing their elections will not result in any benefit to the game of cricket and shall instead paralyse administration immediately creating great chaos in the game,” Thakur said.”It is further submitted that the disqualifications proposed by the Committee in para four (of the status report) are not a part of the memorandum of either the BCCI or the State Cricket Associations in totality. In fact some of the recommendations set out in para four of the status report are not there in the memorandum proposed to be adopted by the Lodha Committee and have only now been added.”According to Thakur, removing the office bearers of the BCCI would also have a direct and adverse impact on India’s standing in global cricket, specifically at the ICC where the BCCI has been regarded as a powerbroker over the last 15 years. “The recommendations made by the Committee do not appear to be in the interest of cricket. These shall have the impact of severely weakening the cricket administration all over the country and shall make the BCCI a weak organisation that is not able to represent itself in international forums,” Thakur’s affidavit said.

Azhar Ali has praised Asad Shafiq’s ability to bat down the order, shepherding the tail and scoring centuries from No. 6

Melinda Farrell at the Gabba18-Dec-2016It was a somewhat incongruous sight on day one in Brisbane: a West Indies legend attending a Test between Australia and Pakistan. Had Sir Garry Sobers, currently on a speaking tour in Australia, stayed at the Gabba a few days more, he would have witnessed Asad Shafiq break a 43-year-old record set by Sobers himself.As Asad steered the tail and led Pakistan’s fightback in a marathon final session on day four, he also passed Sobers’ tally of eight centuries from No. 6.The technically proficient Shafiq, who had never batted at six before making his Test debut, has made the most of his position down the order, becoming something of a specialist at guiding the bowlers through difficult periods at the crease.”He always batted brilliantly with the tail,” his team-mate Azhar Ali said after play. “He always loved to bat up the order, but he performed for us at number six. Especially scoring [nine] centuries at number six is not easy.”Our lower order didn’t really have very good averages, but he bats with them very well and he scored [nine] hundreds, it’s a very special achievement. He has scored a lot of runs also, he’s averaging 40-plus, which is a very good achievement.”It seemed as though the chance to break Sobers’ record had passed Shafiq by when he was promoted up the order for Pakistan’s fourth Test against England in August and scored a century from No. 4. But the emergence of Babar Azam, combined with his own form tapering off, meant Shafiq moved back to his original Test batting position.”He’s a special player. I’ve always rated him as a very fine player, because batting at No. 6 is never easy,” Azhar said. “But as a team plan, he started batting [up the order], but again the team manager thinks that this is our best combination. As team players we always are willing to play wherever our team needs. He’s a brilliant player who can bat at any number. Hopefully he gets his number soon.”He bats at number six really well. He could be probably better than any of us [there]. That’s probably the reason he got back at number six. Sometimes you have to make decisions according to the situation, according to the team plan. That’s why I went to open the batting, because of the requirement of the team. It’s a team game, so we’re all happy with what the team demands of us.”Pakistan’s chase so far – described by the Australia bowling coach, David Saker, as “heroic” – could hardly have been foreseen by the most optimistic of their supporters, given how fragile they appeared in the first innings. Azhar said Mickey Arthur and Misbah-ul-Haq had instilled confidence in their players, telling them to take the fight to the Australians.”Before we started today, the discussion was to back ourselves, and back our ability to score runs in these conditions,” Azhar said. “First innings, it didn’t go to plan and you can easily doubt your techniques and ability to score runs in these conditions.”But the message from the captain and the coach was to back yourself. I think everyone batted with a lot of determination and a lot of skills. As a unit, we’re really happy how this day has gone.”It’s never easy to chase that big a total, but we certainly made a very good effort, especially the way Younis Khan batted – he came back into form, which is very important; he’s a senior player and is always there to perform for us.”Asad was struggling for runs and he came back with a bang and in the dressing room we really enjoyed his innings and the way he batted. It was a really special knock. Also special contributions from Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, the way they showed the determination. It will really help us get more confidence going through the series.”Pakistan came tantalisingly close to finishing the extended session with three wickets still in hand, but Jackson Bird claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the final over of the day. Pakistan went to stumps needing 108 runs more.”Obviously the wicket in the last over really hurt,” Azhar said. “It still would have been a big task, but it looks a bit bigger now because we have only two wickets. But still Asad is there, so we have hopes that if he carries on – and Yasir Shah and Rahat [Ali] can bat with him as long as they can – we can actually get closer at least.”

Sri Lanka need nothing less than a win to keep the three-match T20I series alive against South Africa while the hosts would look to continue their dominant run against the visitors

The Preview by Firdose Moonda21-Jan-2017

Match facts

January 22, 2017
Start time 1430 local (1230 GMT)Theunis de Bruyn was one of five debutants for South Africa in the rain-hit first T20I match in Centurion•Gallo Images

Big picture

A week ago, Sri Lanka were humiliated in Johannesburg, where they lost 16 wickets and succumbed to their biggest defeat of the three-Test series. It may be too soon for them to return but they will be pleasantly surprised at the transformation in conditions for limited-overs cricket. The green mamba will be tamed and should be far more batting-friendly, presenting the visitors a chance to exorcise the ghosts of the Test match. They need to take it because unless they win at the Wanderers, they will concede another cup before the final fixture. Considering that they regard the T20I series as their best chance of upsetting the hosts, this is their most important game of the tour.With such pressure on them, Sri Lanka will need to be calmly led by an increasingly frustrated-looking Angelo Mathews, who needs support from his team as much as he needs to step up. Mathews has tasked himself with the new ball and the No.3 spot in the batting line-up, and needs to deliver.South Africa do not seem to have the same problems. Rookie captain Farhaan Behardien took to the role well and, although it is difficult to analyse a team after a ten-over match, the new-look group has potential. In what was a hit-and-giggle jamboree, the batsmen relied on the experience of David Miller to build their total but all of the top six showed an ability to hit the ball hard and the bowling attack had plenty of young, exciting options. South Africa could have AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel back for the third match but if they win in Johannesburg, they will not need them to seal the series.

Form guide

South Africa: WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LLLLL
Angelo Mathews tasked himself with the No. 3 and the new ball in the first T20I•Associated Press

In the spotlight

Of South Africa’s new batsmen Theunis de Bruyn was the most impressive at SuperSport Park. He is a clean hitter of the ball and showed off some innovative strokeplay. With Rilee Rossouw having signed a Kolpak deal, there is a spot open in South Africa’s limited-overs squads and de Bruyn can make a strong case to be considered depending on his performance in the next two matches. There is also the possibility of de Villiers’ return for the final fixture and this is de Bruyn’s chance to ensure he does not miss out if that happens.Asela Gunaratne gave Sri Lanka their best chance of keeping South Africa quiet and did not concede a boundary in his two overs in the first match. He also struck a six-ball 10 in the chase and was probably the biggest positive for a beleaguered Sri Lankan outfit. Their T20 side is laden with allrounders and Gunaratne has shown the advantage that he can give. If he has a big game, Sri Lanka could lean on him to level the series.

Teams news

Johannesburg is not usually a venue for two specialist spinners so South Africa may bench Aaron Phangiso to give Dane Paterson a debut. Reeza Hendricks, the squad’s reserve batsman, may have to wait his turn after the incumbents all impressed at SuperSport Park.South Africa (probable) 1 Jon-Jon Smuts, 2 Heino Kuhn, 3 Theunis de Bruyn, 4 David Miller, 5 Farhaan Behardien (capt), 6 Mangaliso Mosehle (wk), 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Aaron Phangiso/Dane Paterson 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran TahirHaving played only one spinner in Centurion, Sri Lanka may look to go in with a similar make-up in their attack at the Wanderers. They have another fast-bowling option in left-armer Isuru Udana and could bring him into the mix on a surface that should suit him. They could also look at Danushka Gunathilaka to prop up a fragile batting order.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Niroshan Dickwella 2 Dhananjaya de Silva, 3 Angelo Mathews (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Thikshila de Silva, 6 Kusal Mendis 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Asela Gunaratne, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

The Wanderers’ deck can be a batting paradise in limited-overs cricket and a run-fest can be expected if batsmen manage to cope with the bounce and carry. Without tempting fate, there is no rain forecast for Sunday afternoon but, as was evident from the first match, things change quickly on the Highveld.

Stats and trivia

• Angelo Mathews is seven runs away from 1,000 T20 international runs. He will become the fourth Sri Lanka batsman, after Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, to reach the milestone.
• Imran Tahir needs five more wickets to reach 50 T20 international scalps.

Quotes

“It’s a bit overwhelming because I have never had that many people ask for my autograph or to take pictures. Usually its the odd one or two but now there’s even more. It’s a bit overwhelming but I am going to get there eventually.”

Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni turned the clocks back, adding 256 runs for the fourth wicket to pull India from 25 for 3 to 381, a score which helped them seal the three-match series against England

The Report by Alagappan Muthu19-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:54

Agarkar: Something has to be done for the bowlers

Remember the time chasing was hard in ODIs? A second match of this series assumed heart-stopping proportions as a flat track, a fast outfield, short boundaries and batsmen with self-belief the size of a small planet came together. India put up 381, fuelled by a career-best 150 from Yuvraj Singh and a 10th hundred from MS Dhoni. But they only just came away the victors of the match, and the series, as Eoin Morgan responded with one of the great innings by a batsman in England colours.

England fined for slow over rate

Having fallen one over short of their target, England’s players were fined 10% of their match fees and their captain Eoin Morgan twice that amount.
Match referee Andy Pycroft handed out the punishment after the concern was raised by the four umpires in the match. Morgan pleaded guilty but, should his team commit another minor over rate offence in ODIs within a 12-month period from now, he could end up facing suspension.

Beyond the runs Morgan made [102 off 81], beyond his ball-striking and the weird areas he exploited with those whiplash wrists – his composure under pressure was unreal. There were over 40, 000 people in Cuttack bellowing against him. The Indian spinners had done well despite the dew to complicate matters. The required run-rate had nudged over 10 at the end of the 36th over but, since England had lost half their side by then, Morgan had to wait. He was the set batsman – 46 off 48 balls – and his team needed him to last till the end. To that effect, he would defend his way through an R Ashwin over because after that it would be him against the Indian quicks. Morgan was gambling, and it was even paying off for a while.In the end, a match that featured 747 runs, 19 sixes and 81 fours went down to the penultimate over when Jasprit Bumrah held his nerve to run Morgan out while he was backing up to get back on strike.To get to that stage took a huge effort from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, playing his first ODI in a year. He began his second spell in the 42nd over, conceding just eight runs. He could have had a wicket, too, had Ravindra Jadeja been able to take a skier from Moeen Ali at long-on. In his next over, he gave away only three singles and bowled Moeen, who had hammered back-to-back fours to reach a half-century mere minutes ago. The wicket was the result of a little sleight of hand. With the required rate – two runs a ball – suffocating him, the batsman never saw the offcutter coming. As a result, instead of two well-set hitters at the crease, India had the comfort of aiming at England’s lower order.The other big play came in the middle overs, when Jadeja bowled the dangerous Jason Roy for 82 and Ashwin took care of Joe Root for 54. The offspinner then befuddled both Ben Stokes for 1 and Jos Buttler for 10 to rob England of a majority of their firepower, with the side 176 runs adrift of the target and nearly 20 overs left in the chase. Jadeja was remarkable. In a game where runs were scored at more than seven runs an over, he kept an economy rate of 4.5 by bowling wicket-to-wicket. And Ashwin went back to his old ways of deceiving batsmen in flight – Root top-edged a sweep, probably thinking the trajectory was flatter than it was. That broke a partnership of 100 between him and Roy at over run-a-ball. The crowd at Barabati stadium breathed easier.They had spent the first innings in pure nostalgia with each ball that Yuvraj and Dhoni sent their way during a partnership of 256 in 230 balls. At one end, there were flowing drives with scintillating timing and from the other came brutal swats. No one was safe. Not Stokes, who was winded when Dhoni whacked a ball back at his chest. Not Alex Hales, who was wringing his fingers after trying to get under a pull from Dhoni. Not even the Spidercam was spared damage.Yuvraj wasn’t quite as murderous, or maybe he was and was just a little bit kinder to things both living and non-living on the ground. He came in at the end of the third over, enjoyed England trying to bounce him out on a pitch that barely had any in the first place, and bedded in to make his first hundred since the 2011 World Cup. It came off his 98th delivery and the celebrations made it clear how much the innings meant to him. He looked skyward, with his hands aloft. Then the bat handle thumped into his chest and he may even have become misty-eyed. At 35 years, having spent three years nowhere near the ODI team, wondering what would become of his career, coming back with his highest score had to be sweet.There was no place for such emotion with Dhoni. He was what the situation made him. When he came in at the fall of Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket in the fifth over, he blocked 14 straight deliveries from Chris Woakes, who was the sole reason India were 25 for 3. The next time those two faced each other, the ball was muscled over the midwicket boundary. Dhoni finished on 134 off 122 balls – having been 6 off 22 once – and became the first Indian to hit 200 sixes in ODIs. The shot that took him there – eerily similar to the one that won India the World Cup in 2011 – hit the top tier behind long-on. There was another reminder of that night in Mumbai; the final was the last time Yuvraj and Dhoni had put on 50 runs or more together.But the clear-headed England that made all the early breakthroughs happen by bowling full and keeping a tight line on off stump fell into a trap. They bowled too short at Yuvraj, who eventually realised there was nothing in the pitch to make him fear such a line of attack. It is true that extreme pace has unsettled him regardless of conditions but he didn’t have to face any on Thursday. A one-bounce pull for four got him going, drives through mid-off and cover showcased his timing and a pristine punch down the ground told the crowd they were in for something special. With Dhoni concentrating on staying at the crease to such a point that he barely even thought about runs early in his innings, and a severe lack of wickets, the middle overs became party time.India hammered 94 runs in the 10 overs between the 30th and the 40th and finished with 73 off the last five. Also responsible for the late flourish were Kedar Jadhav, who belted three fours and a six in 10 balls, Hardik Pandya ,who began his innings with a four and six, and Jadeja, who helped take 14 runs off the final over.