Rather than talking up the batting effort, Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, credited his bowlers with fashioning the comprehensive victory at Newlands

Firdose Moonda at Newlands 06-Jan-2012The deciding Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka swung the way of the hosts as early as the first morning. South Africa were put in to bat and reached lunch on 135 for 2. Before tea on the second day that had become 580 for 4 and the hosts had effectively batted the visitors out of the contest.Rather than talking up the batting effort, Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, credited his bowlers with fashioning the comprehensive victory. “This was our best bowling performance of the summer,” Smith said. “We bowled well as a unit. Yesterday, each guy bowled really well in their spells and we were able to create pressure. It wasn’t just one guy bowling outstandingly and picking up seven or eight wickets. All three seamers and Imran [Tahir] worked together in partnerships.”South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 239 in their first innings, taking the last eight wickets for 90 runs. After enforcing the follow-on, they managed to nip out four wickets by stumps on the third day and completed the win just after tea on the fourth, sealing their first series win at home since they beat Bangladesh in 2008. They have since drawn home series against England, India and Australia but Smith said they had lacked the ability to close out series.”We haven’t lost too many [series] but we haven’t had the killer punch. Durban [where South Africa have lost their last four Tests] was a disappointing moment for us again this summer. It was a big wake-up call for the guys in terms of the standards that we need to produce as a team. But otherwise, the rest has been positive. This win in particular gives us a lot to build on for the year to come.”South Africa embark on a trio of away tours in 2012: they play in New Zealand in February, England in July and Australia in November. Smith said they will draw inspiration from the way they ended the home summer when on the road. “The way we won here was important. We had good partnerships with the bat and the ball, and everything we’ve been talking about came out strongly.”Although South Africa finished with authority, there are still some unanswered questions about the make-up of their Test squad, particularly with regards to the batting line-up. “At the moment, everyone is finding questions somewhere in a Test match,” Smith said. “We just need to build our strength as a team and each guy needs to get strong in his role. There are a few things that need to be cemented.”The same areas that were under scrutiny at the beginning of the series are at the end: the opening berth and the No. 6 slot. South Africa made a change to both for the third Test, dropping Ashwell Prince and moving Jacques Rudolph down the order while replacing him with Alviro Petersen at the top.Both Petersen and Rudolph had success in their new roles, the former scoring a century and the latter an unbeaten 51. While Petersen fit in seamlessly, Rudolph still has some critics to convince, but Smith said he was pleased with the progress Rudolph made. “I’m sure he was very nervous even though we were in a strong position; you’ve got to come in and play a certain way. With the changes and everything he must have been nervous and it was great to see him play that way.”The other question mark is the place of Mark Boucher, who did not get an opportunity with the bat at Newlands and dropped a catch in Sri Lanka’s second innings. Smith stressed that Boucher is in no danger of being dropped from the team anytime soon, especially not before the tour of England in six months.”I think that’s the first catch I’ve seen him drop from 10 to 15 metres back. I think he is secure. As a gloveman he has been excellent for us. Overall, in the time that I’ve played with him, his consistency in taking chances has been excellent. He is ultra-reliable so when he does put down a chance a big thing gets made of it. Going to England, having a really good keeper is going to be the key factor there.”

Call it a lesson learned from the Test series or the importance of fielding in one-day cricket, but India are going to give their young batsmen a long run in the ODI series

Sidharth Monga in Perth07-Feb-2012Call it a lesson learned from the Test series or the importance of fielding in one-day cricket, but India are going to give their young batsmen a long run in the ODI series. That is an important call especially considering the return of Sachin Tendulkar to the ODI fold. In normal circumstances one of the youngsters would have had to make way for him, but now India are looking to rotate the openers – Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Tendulkar.It also explains why Sehwag didn’t play the previous ODI, at the MCG. It also indicates that either Gambhir or Tendulkar will sit out if Sehwag is to play. “We are giving breaks to top three batsmen,” Sehwag said. “Maybe tomorrow is somebody else’s turn. Either Gautam or Tendulkar will take a break, and maybe I can play.” Indications, though, are Sehwag will play, and Gambhir will rest.Sehwag explained the thinking behind the concept of resting one of the top-order batsmen, and not one out or Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. “We want to give chances to the youngsters because the next World Cup is here [in Australia and New Zealand],” Sehwag said. “Make sure all the youngsters can play all the matches here, and get used to the conditions for the time they come to play for the next World Cup. It is good thinking.”We have good youngsters. [What is] important is, they have to play more one-dayers so they have experience when the World Cup comes. That’s our aim. When the World Cup is there, they should have played at least 75-100 ODIs, so they are ready for the World Cup.”It is worth noting that in the Test series India didn’t change their batting line-up or the order despite continued failures. It showed a distinct lack of faith in Rohit Sharma’s ability as a batsman. As of now, the ODI side is reacting differently although there are calls for rotating the youngsters too after their performance in the Melbourne ODI. Suresh Raina fell to the short ball again, and Rohit didn’t look comfortable either. However, to act so hastily would be akin to having dropped Virat Kohli after the MCG Test, the demerits of which Kohli demonstrated in the rest of the series.About his own break, Sehwag said he felt good for it. “Sometimes it is good. You are playing four Test matches and then Twenty20s and then you play in one-dayers” Sehwag said. “If you get a break, the body’s fatigue, the mental fatigue, goes away. That break is good for the players. That’s why we decided the top three batsmen can be given breaks. We can rotate Tendulkar, Gambhir, Sehwag. Then all the youngsters can play.”There is another set of thinking that has been harder to fathom, though. It is the use of two specialist spinners when the side already has two part-time spinners, and the selection of the spinning allrounder, Ravindra Jadeja, on top of that, ahead of the seaming allrounder, Irfan Pathan. Sehwag said there was no imbalance in the squad. “We are clear from day one we are going to play with two spinners if the wicket is dry, and Jadeja is an allrounder,” Sehwag said. “[It looks] pretty good at the moment.”However, Sehwag said the side was not set on the strategy of playing two spinners by default. “Tomorrow we can see the wicket. Captain will see the wicket, and make the decision. Maybe Perth is different so we can play three or four fast bowlers here.”When asked why there was such a change in tactics, considering India often play three seamers even in the slower conditions at home, Sehwag said it was part of a plan. “It’s captain, coach and team management strategy that we can play with two spinners, especially in Melbourne with big boundaries,” Sehwag said. “The wicket was dry, the ball was, maybe, stopping and coming. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In India it is difficult with spinners bowling in Powerplays. We played with two spinners [in India] too. Ashwin and Harbhajan played against Australia in [the World Cup] quarterfinals.”

An unbeaten century and four wickets from allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal beat Mumbai at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since the tournament’s inception

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2012
ScorecardAn unbeaten century and four wickets from allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal beat Mumbai at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since the tournament’s inception. Mumbai had scored 295 at the Kotla in the semi-final, on Saturday, but could only manage 248 this time, after Shukla prevented the top-order batsmen from kicking on from starts, and repeated strikes in the middle overs prevented an acceleration.It was still a competitive total, though, and Shukla came in after Bengal had crawled to 69 for 2 in 17.5 overs. He took control of the chase, and, after losing a couple of partners, found company in Anustup Majumdar, who scored 50 not out off 45 balls. The pair shared an unbeaten 107-run partnership to take Bengal home in 46.1 overs. Both were aggressive: Shukla hit 12 fours and two sixes in his 106 not out off 90 balls, while Majumdar struck seven boundaries in his half-century.The partnership came after Sourav Ganguly’s 38 off 53 balls and Shreevats Goswami’s 42 off 73 had left Bengal behind the asking-rate. When Wriddhiman Saha was dismissed for 11 in the 33rd over, Bengal were 145 for 4 and the match was still even. Shukla and Majumdar took it away from Mumbai, whose spinners were expensive.Mumbai chose to bat, after the strategy had worked in the semi-final, and had a bright beginning thanks to Wasim Jaffer’s 61 off 48 balls, which included 10 fours and a six. They were 83 for 0 in the 13th over when Shukla bowled Jaffer. Shukla then dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Anup Revandkar to slow the run-rate down. The dangerous Abhishek Nayar was dismissed for 11 and Bengal kept chipping away at the wickets after that. Suryakumar Yadav held one end up, and scored 50 off 68 balls, but once he was dismissed, Mumbai’s lower order failed to make significant contributions, and they were bowled out in 49.2 overs, Shukla taking the final wicket.

Jamaica and Barbados will contest the final of the Regional Four-Day Competition after winning their semi-finals by large margins

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2012Jamaica entered the finals of the Regional Four-Day Competition by beating Guyana by 133 runs in three days at Sabina Park. They took control of the game after the first day, on which they were dismissed for 196 after choosing to bat. Donovan Pagon and Tamar Lambert scored half-centuries but Jamaica collapsed from 131 for 3, losing seven wickets for 65 runs. Three Guyana spinners – Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo and Narsingh Deonarine – took three wickets each.Guyana, however, were shot out for 126 in their first innings, conceding a lead of 70. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 47, was the only batsman to pass 20. Nikita Miller claimed 3 for 16 for Jamaica, while David Bernard took 3 for 35. Jamaica could not improve on their first-innings performance in their second, though, getting dismissed for 189. Bishoo took 5 for 62, and Permaul added three more to his match haul. Xavier Marshall top scored for Jamaica this time with 59. Their lead, however, ensured Guyana would have to make the highest total of the match to reach the finals.Chasing 260, Guyana were dismissed for 126 once again. Miller took 4 for 28, and Odean Brown had figures of 3 for 42 for Jamaica, ensuring the match did not enter the fourth day.Sulieman Benn took 9 for 63 in the match to help bowl Barbados into the final with a 227-run victory against Trinidad & Tobago at Queen’s Park Oval. Having chosen to bat, Barbados made only 223 in the first innings. Most of the top-order batsmen got starts but nobody carried on, and Jonathan Carter’s 47 was the top score. Ravi Rampaul and Kavesh Kantasingh took four wickets each for T&T.The Barbados bowlers, however, gave their side a huge lead by dismissing T&T for 84. Benn bowled with the new ball and took 5 for 28, while Carlos Brathwaite had figures of 4 for 12. T&T were 63 for 3 at one stage and then lost seven wickets for 21 runs.Barbados made 216 in their second innings, setting a target of 356. Carter once again top scored with 52, and Brathwaite followed his success with the ball by making an unbeaten 45. Shannon Gabriel was T&T’s best bowler, taking 5 for 78.The target was always likely to be out of T&T’s reach and they fell massively short. They collapsed once again, from 79 for 2, and were dismissed for 128. Benn took 4 for 35 in this innings; Javon Scantlebury-Searles contributed 3 for 22.

Tim Paine has conceded he was nervous when he batted in the nets this week after spending nearly a year out of the game with a finger injury

Brydon Coverdale28-May-2012Tim Paine has conceded he was nervous when he batted in the nets this week after spending nearly a year out of the game with a finger injury. Paine has been chosen as the gloveman for the Australia A tour of England in July and it will give him a chance to prove he can still be an option for Australian selection despite being overtaken by Matthew Wade in the national wicketkeeping queue.It has been a tough 18 months for Paine, who made his Test debut in 2010 when Australia played Pakistan in England, and retained the position for the tour of India later that year. In November 2010 he broke the index finger on his right hand while batting against Dirk Nannes in an exhibition match and while he was able to play during 2011, he missed the entire 2011-12 summer after breaking the finger again during pre-season training with Tasmania.But Paine believes the time off has allowed him to heal properly, and he has been training at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane ahead of the Australia A tour. Keeping wicket has not been a problem for Paine during his training but it was only this week that he returned to batting, and he said it would take some time to get used to a new pair of batting gloves designed to give his finger extra protection.”The finger is going really well,” Paine said. “It has been a long 16 or 18 months. I’m glad to be back now … I’ve had my first hit against bowlers today and I’m training wicketkeeping more, that’s pretty much at 100%. I’ll build that up over the next four or five weeks before I head off to England. It’s going well.”I was a bit nervous [when batting]. It’s been a long time. I’ve got some new gloves made up from Kookaburra and Alex Kountouris, the Australian physio, has put even more protection on that. That’s something I have to get used to as well, I have to hold the bat slightly differently, because there’s a lot of padding and a lot of tape on the fingers. That’s something that will take time but I’ll get that right over the next month or so.”Paine has plenty of training to catch up on. Not only did he miss all of last summer, he spent hardly any time with the Tasmania squad, given leave by the state coach Tim Coyle to pursue other activities. He said the time off had helped keep his mind fresh and prevented him from trying to return too quickly, which had been a problem when he first broke the finger in 2010.”Last summer I didn’t do a hell of a lot of cricket, I had a bit to do with the Big Bash with the [Hobart] Hurricanes but stayed away from any sort of training and had plenty of time off, away from cricket, away from Bellerive Oval, which was really good,” he said. “It’s got me in a good frame of mind now, I’m nice and fresh and excited to be back.”The first one I struggled a bit more because hanging around and wanting to do stuff and not being able to was frustrating. Then every time I’d try to do something it would break again, or something would go wrong. That was frustrating. It was important this time to just get away for four or five months. I didn’t even try and pick up a cricket bat or catch a ball in that whole period. I didn’t think too much about cricket. I spent a bit of time in Melbourne and had a good time recharging.”But while Paine was recuperating, he remained in the minds of John Inverarity and the rest of the Australian selection panel. Although Paine, 27, has watched his childhood friend Matthew Wade, 24, grab his opportunity in the baggy green and score a Test century against West Indies, a strong summer for Tasmania would ensure Paine was firmly in the frame once again for national selection.The Australia A squad is set to play two three-day games against Derbyshire and Durham, and two four-day games against the England Lions, in July and August.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Jaipur

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit19-May-2012

Match facts

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Sachin Tendulkar has had a modest run this season by his standards•AFP

Big Picture

With Delhi Daredevils crushing Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians are into the playoffs, rendering the 72nd and final league game of IPL 2012 inconsequential. Rajasthan Royals are already knocked out, while Mumbai Indians’ focus will be on the eliminator and whether they will play Royal Challengers Bangalore or Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai Indians and Royals met in the closing stages of last season, with Shane Watson’s 3 for 19 and unbeaten 89 off 47 balls delivering a 10-wicket win. It was also Shane Warne’s final IPL game and his side gave him a rousing send-off with the victory. It may or may not be Rahul Dravid’s final IPL game tomorrow. After a tame loss to Deccan Chargers finished their playoff hopes, can Royals end their season with a win?Mumbai Indians are also coming off a big loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, and could do with a win going into the eliminator.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LWLWW (most recent first)
Mumbai Indians : LWWLW

Players to watch

After the defeat to Chargers, Rahul Dravid reflected on what he said had been an emotional two months for him in this IPL. This has been by far his most productive IPL season, with 457 runs. He might be back next year, he might not be. Tomorrow will his last innings, for quite some time at least.The other great, Sachin Tendulkar, has had a modest run this season by his standards, averaging 25.50 from 11 innings with just one half-century. Like all batsmen have this season, he struggled to pick Sunil Narine on Wednesday, eventually getting bowled trying to cut a big offbreak. Expect an even more determined Tendulkar tomorrow.

Stats and trivia

• Royals still have a strong home record with 19 wins from 28 games, second only to Chennai Super Kings
• This is Rohit Sharma’s best IPL in terms of runs – 419 so far – but in terms of strike-rate, 2008 was his best year. His 404 runs from that edition came at 147.98 against 129.72 this season
  

  Quotes

  “We accept that we haven’t played the way we wanted to play. People say we haven’t played to our potential, [but] still we are at No.3 [in the points table]. So, if we as a team can play to our potential, I am sure we are going to do well.”

Greg Smith took five wickets in two overs in a thrilling climax as Essex collected their first Friends Life t20 success of the campaign with a three-run victory against Kent at Chelmsford.

20-Jun-2012Essex 158 for 6 (Foster 51) beat Kent 155 (Smith 5-17) by 3 runs
ScorecardGreg Smith took five wickets in two overs in a controversial climax as Essex collected their first Friends Life t20 success of the campaign with a three-run victory against Kent at Chelmsford.Kent’s chase was going steadily until the start of the 17th over, at which point they were 118 for 3. From that point, Essex hoover up seven wickets for the addition of 37 runs, including three sixes with Smith finishing with 5 for 17.A six-run penalty against Essex for a slow over-rate moved Kent’s chase closer but with four runs officially needed to win off the final ball, Graham Napier bowled last man Mark Davies.Confusion about the score in the closing stages added to the uncertainty with Kent insisting they actually needed two runs from the last ball and Matt Coles saying as he left the ground that he had scored eight runs, not six as shown in the scorecard.His view was supported by other independent statisticians and left scorers and statisticians anxious to study video evidence.Prior to the tense finale, Foster’s innings was the main attraction. Foster hit four sixes in a top score of 51 in 27 balls as Essex posted 158 for 6, with James Franklin’s 39 the next best contribution. He arrived in the 11th over with only 69 on the board and brought much-needed impetus to his side’s cause with a swashbuckling knock.His effort included four sixes and two fours before he departed in an eventful final over sent down by Kent’s pace bowler Matt Coles. It cost 24 runs including one delivery that cost eight runs when Foster despatched a no-ball for six. Foster also hit another six in the over, as did Adam Wheater before he was bowled.Thanks to that onslaught, Essex amassed 53 from the final four overs, Coles conceding 46 from his full allocation.James Franklin was Essex’s other main contributor, striking six boundaries in his 39. He was bowled by Adam Ball after sharing in a stand of 53 in eight overs for the second wicket with Graham Napier, who was run out in the same over for 20.Kent’s hopes of launching their reply on a solid foundation were ruined by David Masters, playing against his former county. In his third over, he bowled Rob Key for five and had Azhar Mahmood leg before with his next delivery. Although Kent reached the halfway stage without further loss, they had progressed to only 61.Darren Stevens fell for 21 but opener Sam Billings and Brendan Nash brought about an acceleration with a fourth-wicket stand of 54 in seven overs.Medium-pacer Smith then made a dramatic impact in the 17th over, removing Billings for 59, an innings containing four fours and two sixes and spanning 55 balls, and Nash with successive deliveries.He then bowled Geraint Jones for a single but Kent made a tremendous effort to reach their target despite the clatter of wickets.Sam Northeast hit two sixes while compiling 14 before he too became a victim of Smith, who also removed Matt Coles on his way to career-best figures.

Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2012Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford because he was stuck on the train from London but the club remain ‘disappointed’ by the situation.Morgan was caught in disruption on the London to Manchester line from Euston station and did not make it to the ground in time for the toss which forced Middlesex to leave him out of the side for what as a key match with semi-final places at stake.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said lessons will need to be learned. “We are disappointed and frustrated it happened. It was an important match for us,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ll have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”However, Fraser also suggested that because Morgan is still employed by the ECB on a central contact that it would be quite difficult for Middlesex to discipline him as he is not contracted to them.The majority of Middlesex’s squad travelled north on Sunday evening following the abandoned game against Leicestershire at Uxbridge although a couple of players were allowed to drive up on the morning of game. Fraser said the club were aware that Morgan wanted to take the train.During his lengthy journey, Morgan tweeted: “Just the 7 hours to Manchester… not sure the train is an option any more!!”He arrived shortly after the scheduled start time at Old Trafford, ironically as rain was falling so Middlesex’s innings had been suspended, and watched from the dressing room. The game was curtailed to a 16-over aside match and Middlesex could only muster 97 for 8 with Lancashire chasing a slightly revised target with ease.The result left both teams level on eight points but Lancashire jumped ahead of Middlesex by virtue of having four victories to Middlesex’s three. Morgan’s travel disruption could yet prove very costly for the county.

Worcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road.

17-Aug-2012
ScorecardWorcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road. The match was at standstill for more than five hours before Gareth Andrew and Ben Scott came out to add 27 runs and lever their side up to 251 for 7.Scott (14 not out) twice drove Kyle Hogg for four and when Andrew (12 not out) clipped the same bowler backward of square to register a second bonus point, Daryl Mitchell called his side in. With 27 balls still available before the 110-over cut-off, his declaration denied Lancashire an opportunity to try for the two wickets they needed for a third bowling point but Paul Horton and his new opening partner, Luke Procter, negotiated seven overs to the close.Allrounder Procter, promoted to the top of the order after Stephen Moore was left out, nudged the only boundary off Chris Russell as they made 10 without loss. Where the game goes from here depends on whether the captains are prepared to strike a deal. Otherwise the last day is set to be a battle for bonus points.Only eight overs were squeezed in before lunch but that was enough to dash Worcestershire batsman Neil Pinner’s hopes of making a maiden century some 15 months after being dismissed for a duck in his only previous Championship innings.Resuming on 79, the 21-year-old, who has been playing for Kidderminster Victoria in the Birmingham League, confidently clipped Glen Chapple’s third ball for two but this was the only action before a shower stopped play after two overs. After a 35-minute delay, Pinner added a single in the first over but 21 dot balls were logged before Worcestershire added another run.For Pinner, that proved to be the end of the road after batting for nearly four hours. As on Saturday, when he was out for 98 in Kidderminster’s game at Himley, a three-figure score eluded him. Having played so well, hitting 11 boundaries from 190 balls, he was leg-before for 82 when moving across his stumps as he shaped to turn a delivery from Chapple off his pads.It was a well-deserved success for Chapple, Lancashire’s 38-year-old captain, who eventually got through 31 overs with a return 4 for 60. Like his new-ball partner, Hogg (2 for 63), he beat the bat often enough to merit even better figures.

Kruger van Wyk has been ruled out of taking further part in the Bangalore Test, due to an injured arm

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2012Kruger van Wyk, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, will not take any further part in the Bangalore Test, due to an injured arm. Brendon McCullum will take on the wicketkeeping duties when India bat in the fourth innings.Van Wyk was hit on the left forearm while batting, late on the third day, by a short of a length ball from Umesh Yadav; he wasn’t wearing an arm guard at the time. An X-ray confirmed the arm was not* fractured, but he failed to pass a fitness test on the fourth morning.That was the second blow van Wyk had taken off Umesh’s bowling during his innings of 31, having been struck on the helmet after coming down the track to a short ball the previous delivery. He was set to return to New Zealand after the Test, as he was not picked in the Twenty20 squad that will play India in two games on September 8 and 11.*7:08 GMT, September 3: The article had originally said ‘was fractured’. The typo has been corrected.