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With the focus firmly on how the Australians would front up to Test cricket following Phillip Hughes’ demise, David Warner scattered whatever nerves or doubts there may have been with a blazing start to the first Test

The Report by Abhishek Purohit08-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:00

Emotional start to the series

David Warner scattered whatever nerves or doubts there may have been ahead of Australia’s resumption of the international season following Phillip Hughes’ death with a blazing start to the first Test. Warner hit seven of his first 15 deliveries for four on the way to his fifth century in seven Tests in 2014 after Michael Clarke chose to bat on an easy-paced Adelaide Oval pitch. Clarke motored to 60 before he retired hurt, and Steven Smith breezed to an unbeaten 72. India regained some ground with the second new ball producing three late strikes.The day belonged to Warner, as he shredded India’s attack for 145 off 163 deliveries before mis-hitting the debutant legspinner Karn Sharma to deep midwicket. India’s new-ball pair of Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron were taken for 178 in 34.2 overs, and the visitors would have suffered more had it not been for Ishant Sharma’s discipline.Far more worrying for Australia than India’s attack was what seemed to be a relapse of Clarke’s chronic back problem. Clarke’s partnership with Warner had grown to 118 when he grimaced as soon as he avoided a short ball in the 44th over, and had to leave the field after some doing stretching and talking to the team physio. Barring the odd play-and-miss and some edged boundaries, Clarke had batted with assurance.India stuck to their strategy of bowling round the wicket to Warner throughout the first session, even though it had proved expensive enough already. They may have probably wanted to deny Warner width, but still ended up providing plenty of room, particularly at the start, and the opener punished them. He was especially severe on Aaron who went for three fours in his opening over, driven first ball through extra cover and flayed backward of point twice. Shami got the same treatment in his second over.Apart from a probing first over from Shami to Rogers, India’s fast bowlers could not find much swing or seam and the ball came on nicely for Warner to hit on the up freely. The first bouncer the Indians tried was in the fourth over when Aaron made Warner crouch. The batsman’s response was to play an upper cut the next ball, another bouncer, for four.Warner was already on 37 off 20 when Ishant came on and bowled a maiden to the opener. In his next over, he slanted one across to have Chris Rogers nicking a drive to second slip for 9. Shane Watson eased himself to a start in his first Test since March, before chasing a wide one from Aaron on 14 and slashing to second slip, where Shikhar Dhawan made no mistake again.Warner pulled Aaron for successive fours to reach his fifty off 45 balls and moved to 100 off 105, Virat Kohli allowing an easy single with mid-off pushed to the deep. Warner looked up to the skies with emotion each time, something he also did on reaching 63, the score Hughes was batting on when he was felled by a bouncer.Clarke was welcomed by a sharp bouncer from Aaron, as Watson had been by Ishant. Even as Clarke gradually settled down, Warner kept drilling the fast bowlers through the off side.Shami began from over the wicket to Warner after lunch but wasn’t disciplined for long enough and leaked runs to Clarke. He did start the session with three successive dot balls to Warner, who pushed the fourth in the air, but Kohli had placed point too deep for it to be a chance.Karn made little impact with his largely flattish trajectory and up-and-down lengths and Warner slog-swept and reverse-swept him for boundaries. Apart from Warner’s ever-increasing score, India’s over-rate was also a concern for Kohli in his first Test as captain as they managed 50 in the first two sessions.Warner’s failed attempt to clear the field soon after tea took care of Kohli’s first worry, and M Vijay’s introduction lifted the over-rate. It also allowed a cautious Mitchell Marsh to bat himself in against harmless part-time offspin as Kohli used his slow bowlers for 13 successive overs.Smith was in superb touch, using his feet regularly to spin and driving and clipping the fast bowlers elegantly. Marsh developed enough confidence to step out and drive Karn against the turn through midwicket.Vijay was used for as many as 12 overs as India waited for the second new ball. Ishant Sharma deservingly took it as soon as it was available, but offered Smith a couple of freebies on the pads, the second of which took the batsman to 63, bringing another emotional acknowledgment.With Australia having reached 345 for 3, India appeared to be wasting the second new ball too when out of nowhere, Aaron got one to kick from a tight line and a surprised Marsh edged to gully on 41. Shami too found some control to go with his pace. The nightwatchman Nathan Lyon could not make it to stumps, and neither could Brad Haddin, edging Shami behind off what turned out to be the last ball of the day.

Surrey have signed Ben Foakes in the first major transfer in county cricket’s late-season shuffle – the second young wicketkeeper lost by Essex in two years

George Dobell14-Aug-2014Surrey have signed Ben Foakes from Essex in the first major transfer in county cricket’s late-season shuffle.Foakes, a 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, has long been on the radar of the England selectors and has already represented the Lions side.But, frustrated by his lack of first-team opportunities at Essex, where James Foster remains first-choice keeper and is showing no signs of decline at 33, he has chosen to forge his career elsewhere.Surrey insist that Gary Wilson, the current keeper and captain, remains a key part of their plans. Wilson has won many plaudits since assuming the captaincy role vacated when Graeme Smith succumbed to a long-standing knee injury in early season and returned to South Africa.Surrey lie in second place in Division 2 of the LV= Championship, although they have played one more game than their rivals, Essex among them, and have also qualified for Finals Day in the NatWest t20 Blast.But Wilson is expected to have growing commitments with Ireland over the next couple of years, leaving Surrey anxious to strengthen their resources.Foakes’ signing does raise questions over the future of Steven Davies, the former England keeper, who caused widespread surprise by telling Surrey he wanted a break from keeping earlier this season so he could concentrate on improving his batting form.It continued a troubled period for Davies, who also suffered from depression in 2012 after the death of Tom Maynard brought about one of the most troubled periods in Surrey’s history.He has since cut a somewhat peripheral figure at the club. It may well prove hard for him to justify his large salary as the club continue to rebuild the squad.Regarded as England’s deputy to Matt Prior as late as June 2012, when he was called into the squad as cover when Matt Prior had an ear infection, he has since been supplanted by Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow and has international prospects have dramatically receded.Foakes struck a career-best 132 against Gloucestershire at Bristol in April, but he has scraped barely 200 runs in his other 15 innings and has played largely Second XI cricket since mid-July, quickening the impression that a parting of the ways was inevitable.Essex’s head coach Paul Grayson said, “We have been lucky enough at Essex to have had a line of top class wicket-keeper batsmen over the past few years and with James Foster continuing to perform at the highest level as England’s best wicket-keeper, Ben has found his keeping options limited.”We wanted Ben to stay at the club, especially as he is one of our own who we have nurtured through our academy, but we totally understand the reasons why he wants to leave and we wish him all the best.”Foakes is the latest unfulfilled talent to leave Essex in search of greater opportunities. Adam Wheater, another keeper, has made a good impression at Hampshire and and Varun Chopra, the opening batsman, has gained a reputation as one of the county game’s most reliable opening batsmen at Warwickshire.Essex face a fight to retain the service of fast bowler Tymal Mills, whose raw pace has also attracted England’s attention, but who has rarely illustrated his promise with matchwinning performances.

West Indies took less than two hours to end Bangladesh’s promise of a prolonged fifth day by bowling them out for 314 before their openers knocked off the required 13 runs in 2.4 overs

The Report by Mohammad Isam09-Sep-20141:21

Isam: Clinical performance by West Indies

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies took less than two hours to end Bangladesh’s promise of a prolonged fifth day by bowling them out for 314 before their openers knocked off the required 13 runs in 2.4 overs. There was enough time for Mushfiqur Rahim to reach his third Test century but support was non-existent at the other end, as Bangladesh lost five wickets for the addition of 58 runs.Kemar Roach was the morning’s most effective bowler, picking up two wickets to finish with a four-wicket haul. Shannon Gabriel was rewarded for his strong work on the fourth day with two cheap wickets while Sulieman Benn, who didn’t have to bowl an over on the fifth morning, finished the match on seven wickets.Mushfiqur reached his century with a straight six off Roach with his side seven wickets down. He was dropped twice during the 90 minutes of play – on 71 by Chris Gayle at slip and by Jerome Taylor on 115. Gayle had dropped Mushfiqur on 10 yesterday, as had Darren Bravo when he was 25. But of the four drops, Taylor’s was the simplest chance, the ball looping straight to him at mid-on.Mushfiqur Rahim completed his third Test century•WICBThe day began well for the visitors. Taylor’s juicy full-toss was put away by Nasir Hossain and the batsman found the boundary again three overs later with a controlled pull off Roach. It looked as if he too was finding some form, just as the out-of-form Mahmudullah had with his 66.In Roach’s next over, however, Nasir stopped short of pulling the ball and his half-hearted shot popped a simple chance to Gabriel, who ran in from mid-on to complete the catch near the non-striker’s end. It ended the 42-run sixth-wicket stand between Mushfiqur and Nasir, which had taken Bangladesh through a difficult period late on the fourth day. But when it ended, so did Bangladesh’s hope for a fight.Mushfiqur continued to bat positively, hitting Taylor for three boundaries in an over. He cut one past point, drove one on the up through the covers and then played a leg-glance to enter the nineties.But the other end wasn’t giving him any support. Shuvagata Hom was late on a Roach in-dipper and given out lbw. He reviewed the decision but it was always going to hit the stumps. Taijul Islam and Rubel Hossain were swiftly removed with decent pace aimed at the stumps, and the spate of wickets threatened to inflict an innings defeat on Bangladesh, before Taylor’s drop averted that result.

A Moeen Ali-less Worcestershire is a lesser team, but it was the early loss of Daryl Mitchell – the country’s leading Championship run-scorer – that was a bigger blow in the context of the game

Vithushan Ehantharajah at New Road08-Jun-2014
ScorecardAlexei Kervezee, picture with team-mate Saeed Ajmal, made an unbeaten half-century•Getty ImagesBeing shorn of Moeen Ali after his selection in the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka next week was always going to elicit a mixture of pride and worry for Worcestershire supporters. Sitting top of Division Two, their success with the bat has very much been dependent on Moeen and Daryl Mitchell.There was a moment before lunch that seemed to sum it all up quite neatly. With Mitchell already gone, Moeen, in training garb and pads, wandered around the outfield, greeted with applause as he passed each stand on his way to the main pavilion. He is set to be the county’s first Test cricketer since Gareth Batty. In wishing him every success, they are well aware they may see little of him for the rest of the season.With his family present, Moeen took the ovation with good grace, before practising his offspinners on an outer strip. At the time, his county were 85 for 2, having battled through a morning session in which Hampshire’s attack bowled with good lines and patience.A Moeen-less Worcestershire is a lesser team, but it was the early loss of Mitchell – the country’s leading Championship run-scorer – that was a bigger blow in the context of the game. As evidenced this season, his presence has a huge bearing on their success, with his knack of accumulating runs via a sound and thorough game.But David Balcombe, a brute of a bowler with a grunt that would make French Open champion Maria Sharapova blush, forced one to nip away from Mitchell, who had committed to a drive and edged through to Michael Bates. And so it fell to the others to share the burden, or at least try to, as Matt Coles and James Tomlinson, entrusted with attacking fields, operated from over and around the wicket, to good effect.Matt Pardoe, on 4 from 22 balls, was lucky to survive when he nicked the ball between first and second slip, when Coles got one to deck across him. The reprieve, of sorts, loosened him up, as he thrashed behind point for another boundary in Coles’ next over. But, having looked set, he played down the wrong line to Tomlinson and was trapped in front, much to his disappointment.Tom Fell and Ross Whiteley did not fare much better, though the latter was responsible for a ball change when he hit Danny Briggs over midwicket for a big six.It was only really Alexei Kervezee who provided staunch resistance and then a flow of runs to ensure that Hampshire did not claim all the glory on this rain-addled day. As the only member of the XI with a Championship century this season, his assurance compared to his middle-order teammates was apparent in his ability to hit effective release shots. He timed the ball off his pads well, and was the only batsman to show enough conviction to drive Coles through the off side and allow the slick outfield to do the rest.Once he had reached his half-century off 97 balls, he looked to be picking up the pace with a fine charge and drive over the head of Briggs for the day’s second maximum. His partnership with Ben Cox could well be the innings’ last pairing of substance, as they saw out the day thanks to a downpour that cancelled out all but one over of the final session.

Peter Moores has been confirmed as England’s new head coach five years after he was sacked from the same job

Alan Gardner19-Apr-20142:27

England go back to the future with Moores

Peter Moores has been confirmed as England’s new head coach five years after he was sacked from the same position. He returns after being identified as the “outstanding coach of his generation” by Paul Downton, the ECB’s managing director, during a three-month recruitment process to find Andy Flower’s successor.There was no immediate announcement on whether Paul Farbrace, currently under contract as coach of Sri Lanka, would come in as Moores’ assistant, although Downton said the ECB was in “advanced negotiations” over the role. Moores’ reappointment means that Ashley Giles, England’s limited-overs coach since the start of 2013 and the early favourite to succeed Flower, is out of a job.Downton said that the ECB had interviewed five candidates – Moores, Giles, Mick Newell, Mark Robinson and Trevor Bayliss – and that “one person stood out”. He described Moores and Alastair Cook, England’s Test and ODI captain who was present at the Lord’s unveiling, as “the future of English cricket”. Moores, who previously coached England between 2007 and 2009, once again begins his tenure in the aftermath of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia. “I think this is his time,” Downton said.Peter Moores has been appointed as England coach for the second time•Getty ImagesMoores admitted it was “great to be back”, expressing pride at being given another opportunity in the job. Since being removed from the England position, after a breakdown in his relationship with the captain at the time, Kevin Pietersen, Moores has rebuilt his reputation with Lancashire, guiding the county to their first Championship in 77 years in 2011.”I think you’ve got to earn the right to have the job,” Moores said, in response to being asked whether he deserved a second chance. “Since being England coach first time I’ve had five years at Lancashire, which I’ve loved – a great club and a great chance for me to reflect and move on and develop. I think I’ve managed to do that and I’m looking forward to bringing that back, working with Alastair over the coming months.”I’d like to be involved with a team that’s connected to the public, that’s connected to the media, it’s open, it commits totally and it’s a team that everybody’s proud of … You do learn from your mistakes, you evolve. I’m proud of some of the things that happened last time as well.”Moores will take charge in all three formats on the recommendation of Flower, who stepped down after England’s disastrous tour of Australia. Pietersen has also been discarded by England since then and there are few certainties about team selection for the summer. England suffered further humiliation at the World T20 in Bangladesh, where they lost to Netherlands, and Moores has a significant restoration job on his hands.”I am very excited about the prospect of returning to a role I have done before and to building a strong relationship with Alastair Cook and the rest of the players and staff,” Moores said. “In any time of change there comes opportunity and this is one I can’t wait to get stuck into.”England’s heavy workload and the experience of splitting the Test and limited-overs coaching roles between Flower and Giles seems to have persuaded the ECB to appoint a senior assistant who is able to step in and deputise for Moores. Robinson, who worked with Moores during their successful period at Sussex, had been tipped for the position but Farbrace is now the favoured candidate – despite SLC expressing its surprise and disappointment at the possibility of losing the man who has been Sri Lanka’s coach for less than three months.Moores’ return, which became more likely after he publicly stated his interest in the job at the start of the month, completes a full-scale restructuring at the ECB, with Downton replacing Hugh Morris and James Whitaker becoming the new National Selector. Downton dismissed the idea that Pietersen’s exclusion was in any way related to the appointment, underlining that it had been the “unanimous conclusion” of the England hierarchy after the disintegration of the Test team in Australia.Downton statement on Moores’ appointment

“Peter has a great reputation around the world as an outstanding coach and he will return to the role as England head coach with a great deal more experience and understanding of the challenges that the role presents. There is no doubt that he is the leading English coach of his generation and I believe that this is his time.
“His domestic credentials are beyond reproach having won the County Championship at Sussex and then repeating the feat at Lancashire, whose 2011 triumph was their first for 77 years. He was also the lead at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough between 2005 and his appointment as England coach in 2007.
“In his time with England he gave Test debuts to Stuart Broad, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann as well as helping to further the international careers of players like the current England captain Alastair Cook and James Anderson. He also brought Andy Flower into the England set-up as well as influential individuals like Mushtaq Ahmed as spin bowling coach. I was hugely impressed by his vision for the future of the England team and I am looking forward to working with him in the years to come.
“I would personally like to thank Ashley Giles for the job he did with the limited-overs squads in the last 18 months. It was a really difficult decision to make as we had an outstanding field but the panel were unanimous in the choice of Peter and I know that support will be echoed around the counties.”

Cook said it was a relief to “finally get to a day where we’ve got a new coach and we can start planning for the future”. He and Moores will begin to plot the way forward immediately, with less than three weeks until England’s first ODI of the summer, before Test series against Sri Lanka and India. Moores also gave a hint that he may attempt to overhaul the pragmatic approach favoured by England under Flower by referring to the team playing “a style of cricket that’s really worth watching”.Downton said the opportunity had come too early for Giles, who was brought in as part of a split coaching brief at the end of 2012. Giles, who rarely had a first-choice squad to work with, guided England to the final of the Champions Trophy but experienced defeat in seven limited-overs series before the disappointment of their World T20 campaign.”In all honesty, I think it has just come slightly too early for Ashley,” Downton said. “He’s been a coach since 2007 and you compare that to Peter, who has coached for 16 years. What I said to Ashley is that this is by no means the end, he and the other guys that applied for the job are the spine and backbone of English cricket coaches going forward. I’d be surprised if Ashley doesn’t come back and maybe in the future he will be England coach.”David Collier, the ECB’s chief executive, added: “Paul Downton conducted a thorough and far-reaching recruitment process. He has canvassed opinion worldwide resulting in the recommendation of Peter Moores. The board unanimously endorsed the recommendation and have every confidence in the choice of Peter. We wish him every success in the future. I would like to thank all the other candidates who made up what was an extremely impressive shortlist and in particular I would like to acknowledge the work of Ashley Giles, who has made a major contribution to cricket in England and Wales.”The manner in which Moores’ stint ended is what it is largely remembered for the rupture with Pietersen but he laid the foundations for several years of success under Flower and has continued to enhance his standing in the county game. Having led Sussex to the Championship title in 2003, Moores won his second pennant with Lancashire and although relegation followed a season later they were promoted straight back in 2013. Before discharging his duties with Lancashire, he will oversee their Division One fixture against Warwickshire, which begins at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Zaheer Khan has said that dismissing New Zealand for 105 was one of the best collective Indian bowling efforts he has been part of

Abhishek Purohit in Auckland08-Feb-20140:00

‘Brilliant slip catches made the difference’ – Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan said the events of the third day had left the momentum of the Test with India•Getty ImagesZaheer Khan has said that dismissing New Zealand for 105 was one of the best collective Indian bowling efforts he has been part of. The performance brought India back from a first-innings deficit of 301, and Zaheer said the visitors had gained the advantage, having ended the day on 87 for 1 in their pursuit of 407.”Definitely one of the top spells we have bowled as a unit,” Zaheer said. “Brilliant performance by the bowlers. As a bowling unit we clicked. It was a collective effort. That is what is crucial when we get teams out for low totals. Last time I remember was in Trinidad in 2001, (when) we had a similar kind of innings where all the bowlers chipped with three wickets. That was a collective effort.”Ishant Sharma was the most successful of the Indian bowlers with a match haul of nine wickets, and Zaheer said it was good to see him convert his experience of 54 Tests into results. “He has come a long way. It is important that he picks up wickets. He has been around for a while. Definitely has the potential to create that impact at this level and happy that he is among the wickets.”Backing up the bowlers were Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane, whose sharp catches accounted for the key wickets of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. India had dropped a few in the first innings, and Zaheer said it was crucial they held them this time. “Important thing was brilliant catching as well in the slip cordon. We held our catches and that really made a difference.”India’s lengths were also different to the ones they bowled in the first innings. Their fast bowlers had overdone the short ball as New Zealand racked up 503 but the lengths were fuller in the second innings. Zaheer said different strategies were at work both times. “That was the plan in the first innings. We wanted to be aggressive as a bowling unit,” he said. “Bowling bouncers was one of our plans. In the second innings we went in with the approach that we have to focus on bowling areas and that really worked for us.”Zaheer said the pressure created by the Indian attack, and not the Eden Park pitch, was the reason for New Zealand’s capitulation. “Pitch is looking good. What really got to them was the pressure I guess and some disciplined bowling by our bowlers. I don’t think the pitch has changed a great deal. In fact, it has got better, if at all.”The pitch did not offer much as the ball got older. It was the new ball that produced wickets in the first three innings, and Zaheer said it was crucial to make it count. “With the Kookaburra ball, it is important to get those early breakthroughs and with the new ball there is always a bit more help. It is good that we have seen off the new ball today and tomorrow hopefully will be a better day for us.”India survived the new ball for the loss of only M Vijay and Zaheer said they were in front now. “Definitely. The momentum is with us and we will look to capitalise on that. It was important that we have a good start, which we got today. So it’s important to start well tomorrow morning.”

Russell Domingo, the South Africa coach, has hit back at his detractors following another disappointing campaign at an ICC event saying that “there were a lot of positives” to be taken out of the tournament

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2014When Russell Domingo succeeded Gary Kirsten as South Africa’s head coach, he compared the expectations thrust on his shoulders to what David Moyes may have experienced when he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It turns out Domingo has more in common with Moyes than just the nature of their appointments.In February, when United drew 2-2 with the then bottom-of-the-table club Fulham, Moyes had to meet the media to explain the team’s performance. On Monday, after South Africa crashed out of a14th ICC event without making the final, Domingo had to front up to the fourth estate.Both men defended their teams and their tactics by hitting out at critics. Moyes described his players as “terrific,” despite the stalemate and half-insulted those who disagreed, saying they needed “to have a football brain to understand,” United’s approach.Domingo claimed “there were a lot of positives,” to be taken out of the World T20 showing, so he was “not displeased with the way we played.” He added that the group as a whole “feel there is a lot of unfair criticism to what’s happened.”While Moyes’ popularity shrunk among the Old Trafford faithful, Domingo has been targeted by not only the fans, but even former pundits and players. He is nonetheless putting on a brave face.”The opinions that matter to me are the opinions of the players. It is disappointing that guys who have been in this situation before are throwing darts,” Domingo said. “I guess that’s just the way it goes in South African sport. It’s sad when that type of thing happens because some of those people have also been here before, they have also lost games and they have also made mistakes. Those opinions aren’t the ones that are important to me.”Most notable among the critics is former national captain Kepler Wessels who wrote in his column on that “as far as strategy is concerned, in the shortest format, the Proteas are some way behind the leading teams.” Wessels took aim at the coaching staff saying “they refuse to accept that impact players, with either bat or ball, have to be put in positions consistently where they can influence the outcome of the match.”Wessels also suggested the current management should continue in the Test arena but a specialist limited-overs coaching team should take over to prepare the team for the fifty-over World Cup. “It may be time for fresh ideas from a coaching group that embraces the modern T20 and 50-over format,” Wessels wrote.Daryll Cullinan on Match Point on these pages held a similar view but was not as generous in his assessment of Domingo or the captain Faf du Plessis. “The sooner SA Cricket realise that Russell Domingo will not take this team forward and that Faf de Plessis has a long way to go as captain, the better,” Cullinan said. “You have to point fingers at their thinking in terms of how they think games can be won; everyone else has firm beliefs on it except those two.”Both Wessels and Cullinan were among the slew of outsiders who advocated the theory that AB de Villiers should bat higher up the order, preferably at No.3, so he could face the bulk of the bowling. Domingo batted de Villiers in a position where he could only walk to the wicket after 10 overs based on statistical evidence that de Villiers’ average and strike rate is higher in the second half of the innings while he fails to make an impact in the first half. That is a principle Domingo is sticking to.”AB has batted at 3 a few times and has had limited success. It’s not the number he bats; it’s the situation of the game when he comes in,” Domingo explained. De Villiers has come in after 10 overs nine times in the 42 innings in which he has batted at No.3 or No.4 in T20s for South Africa and averages 43.5 with a strike rate of 169.48 compared to an average of 19.55 with a strike rate of 110.74 when he is in before the end of the 10th over, batting in the same positions. His highest score at the World T20, 69 against England, was also his only score over 30 and came when he batted in the second half of the innings.”It’s not just for South Africa, but for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as well that AB plays better where there is a good start. AB will be the first to admit that he is a better player when then game is set up for him. he is an impact player. Faf and JP were voted to be included in the ESPNcricinfo T20 team of the year,” he said. “We have quality players. I would hate the whole team strategy to be around one player. The problem is that people want AB to face 120 balls and Dale to bowl 120 balls and that ain’t gonna happen.”That Domingo mentioned Steyn in the same breath points to the other issue South Africa have faced. Steyn only opened the bowling once and was held back to strangle teams at the death, while JP Duminy and Albie Morkel shared the new ball on three occasions. While many feel using the scariest bowler first up is the best option, Domingo explained why he disagreed.”The statistics will show the first two overs are the overs that go for the least runs, while overs four, five and six are targeted. We would rather have JP bowling in less pressured situations and then have Dale coming in later on.”Domingo also explained the decision to leave out the second specialist spinner, Aaron Phangiso in the semi-final on a surface which suited spin. “We were thinking JP and Imran would bowl eight overs and then Aaron, when would he bowl?,” Domingo asked. “With three left-arm batsmen in the Indian top six and him being a left-arm spinner, it didn’t seem a good option. It’s also about who you are playing against.”Whether Phangiso would have been able to restrict India to under the 172 South Africa posted will always be the stuff of hindsight. So will whether South Africa could have done anything differently to finally claim a major title and Domingo can only see sense in dealing with certainties.Having been in charge of South Africa’s T20 side since December 2012, overseen series wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, taken over the ODI side and watched them beat Pakistan and India, he is sure that South Africa are improving in their limited-overs cricket even though they don’t have a trophy to show for it.”I went to one previous ICC event, the Champions Trophy in England and we were completely blown away. In this semi-final, we were in this game for 36 overs of the 40 overs. That in itself is progress,” Domingo said, without denying there is room for improvement. “There are times when you will be outplayed so in terms of winning the game, there is no progress.”He had this to say to the doubters. “I think our limited-overs cricket has improved a lot. There’s an upward trend. Maybe some people don’t see it, maybe they don’t want to see it, maybe they just have other issues.” Whatever it is, Domingo insists he will “keep doing the job I have to do.”

Fourteen overs spread over three sessions is not much to go by but Varun Aaron’s furious seven-over burst before lunch against Mumbai was another indication that his comeback from a long injury layoff is progressing well

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai07-Dec-2013Fourteen overs spread over three sessions is not much to go by but Varun Aaron’s furious seven-over burst before lunch against Mumbai was another indication that his comeback from a long injury layoff is progressing well. Aaron returned to first-class cricket after two years this Ranji season following his recurrent back troubles. Into his fourth match, he’s taken 13 wickets at an average of 20.30. More heartening than the numbers was the pace, bounce, seam and swing he generated in those seven overs before lunch that claimed Wasim Jaffer and Sushant Marathe.Aaron was unplayable at times during that spell, straightening the ball on a tight line around off stump and getting it to climb sharply. He also slipped in the surprise yorker, nearly claiming Siddhesh Lad after making him think a short ball was forthcoming with a short leg in place. Often, deliveries took off from good length and flew high into the keeper’s gloves.”I think the first spell was very fast,” Shahbaz Nadeem, the Jharkhand captain, said. “I was standing at point and there were one or two deliveries that I could not spot at all. I saw them being released and then straight in the hands of the keeper. He bowled even quicker against Karnataka. If Varun is in rhythm, the nature of the pitch does not matter to him. What he did in the first spell was tremendous. The first two wickets were very important for us.”This wasn’t a helpful pitch, as Mumbai’s seamers had discovered and their keeper Aditya Tare admitted. To beat as good a batsman as Jaffer with pace and bounce on the cut needed some effort. “That [Aaron’s spell] shook us,” Tare said. “Wasim is a big batsman and in good form. That was a big wicket. The pitch isn’t all that great for a fast bowler and is kind of slow. But he bowled quick. But I think Umesh [Yadav] bowled a bit quicker [for Vidarbha in Mumbai’s previous game].”Aaron was used quite sparingly after lunch. He bowled two spells of two overs each in the second session and sent down only three overs after tea. Given his frequent breakdowns, Jharkhand did not want to extend their premier fast bowler as he seeks to rebuild his career. Aaron also did not go flat out like he had before lunch.”He is returning from injury after two years,” Nadeem said. “He is not a bowler who can bowl long spells. He is a bowler who will come for three-four overs and bowl quick. He requires more effort. In the two overs he bowled after lunch, he saw that the ball was not swinging. So I suggested that you stop and I’ll try the other bowlers.Nadeem did not think Aaron was holding himself back at all. “He goes all out each time he plays a game,” he said. “This season, every game he’s delivered spells where you can see he’s bowling quick and is on top of the batsmen. But as your shoulders tire, you automatically slow down. You lose your freshness. A fast bowler cannot bowl 145-146 kph every spell in days’ cricket. It can happen in one-day cricket, but in days’ cricket the second and third spells will come down to 140-141.”As long as Aaron can deliver a similar, energetic spurt on the third morning, Jharkhand will be glad to manage his workload for the remainder, if any, of the Mumbai innings.

A round-up of the first day’s play of Group C’s sixth-round matches in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2013
ScorecardAn unbeaten 90 from Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad – his third first-class fifty – helped Assam overcome a shaky start and lift the team to 236 for 8 against Goa in Guwhati.That total had seemed unlikely when the Goa medium-pacer Harshad Hanumant Gadekar – whose second-innings five-for had helped his team seal last round’s match against Tripura – had run through Assam’s top order in the morning to leave them at 68 for 5 in the 31st over. Then Jamaluddin and Gokul Sharma stage a recovery with a sixth-wicket stand of 101. The pair batted out more than 43 overs before Gokul was eventually caught by Amogh Sunil Desai off his own bowling for 46.Jamaluddin however carried on, hitting a total of 14 fours on the day, and added a further 67 runs with the lower order to take Assam into a decent position heading into the second day.
ScorecardManisankar Murasingh’s maiden first-class ton capped off an extremely productive day for Tripura, as they finished strongly at 285 for 2 against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.Murasingh struck 13 fours and four sixes during his unbeaten 140, and together with Yogesh Takawale, who made 65, added 188 for the third wicket. Takawale hit six fours during his knock, as the pair batted out almost 52 overs to build on the solid starts provided by their openers Samrat Singha and KB Pawan.Hyderabad captain Akshath Reddy shuffled his pack to try and make a breakthrough, introducing as many as nine bowlers, but only Ravi Kiran and Amol Shinde ended with scalps, in a frustrating day’s play for the hosts.
ScorecardMedium-pacers Samad Fallah and Shrikant Mundhe picked up seven wickets between them to skittle Jammu & Kashmir out for 85, before a fifty from Harshad Khadiwale helped Maharashtra take firm control of the match in Pune.J&K, put in to bat, failed to get going in their innings, as only four batsmen managed to reach double digits. Ram Dayal, with 18, was the team’s top-scorer at No.9, as Fallah and Mundhe ran through their line-up in less than 30 overs. Fallah finished with 4 for 32, while Mundhe took 3 for 21.Maharashtra lost Vijay Zol for 23 in the 14th over, but recovered with a 119-run partnership for the second wicket between Khadiwale and Sangram Dilp Atitkar, who chipped in with 62. Atitkar looked to be heading towards his fourth first-class hundred, but was caught off Samiullah Beigh in the 49th over.Nonetheless, Khadiwale carried on and made his way to an unbeaten 79, as the hosts ended at 185 for 2, with a lead of 100 to carry into day two.
ScorecardVishal Bhatia, the left-arm spinner, took a five-wicket haul to restrict Kerala to a small total before Bipul Sharma struck a spirited half-century to help Himachal Pradesh score some vital psychological points at the end of an eventful first day in Kannur. Although Himachal still trail by 50 with five wickets down, they would believe they now hold the edge on a tailor-made pitch for the spinners.Click here to read the full report.

Zimbabwe’s bowlers did a superb job to reduce Pakistan to 172 for 8 before Saeed Ajmal battled to lift the total towards 250

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran03-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tinashe Panyangara took three wickets as Zimbabwe’s bowlers posed plenty of questions to Pakistan•AFPEven 24 hours before the toss, there had been uncertainty over whether this match would take place as Zimbabwe’s players were again threatening a boycott over delayed payments. The Test started on schedule but Zimbabwe were hamstrung as Sean Williams decided he wouldn’t play till he was paid, and their regular captain Brendan Taylor was away on paternity leave after his son was born late on Monday.Few teams have had such major distractions to deal with, and there had been concerns about whether Zimbabwe’s players would be able to focus on the challenges of Test cricket. The home side’s bowlers, though, responded superbly to reduce Pakistan to 182 for 8, before some of the gloss was taken off by a battling ninth-wicket partnership between Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan.The first hour was near perfect for Zimbabwe. The trio of Tendai Chatara, Tinashe Panyangara and Shingi Masakadza may have little Test experience and only moderate pace, but their accuracy and movement left Pakistan hobbling at 27 for 3 by drinks.Once again, Misbah-ul-Haq walked out with his team having lost early wickets, and began more adventurously than you’d expect from him in the first session of a Test. Along with Azhar Ali, Misbah extricated Pakistan from the hole caused by the top-order’s failure. After lunch, the pitch had settled down a bit, and both Misbah and Azhar reached their half-centuries. The stand had grown to 93, and the pair was looking comfortable in the middle.This was supposed to be the big challenge for Zimbabwe – could their bowlers keep the pressure on when the conditions eased out? They didn’t have to, as Misbah attempted one of those occasional, unpredictable big hits over the leg side and miscued to short midwicket. Prosper Utseya had even more to celebrate soon after, as Asad Shafiq also tried a wild slog and ended up inside-edging it to leg slip for 4.Zimbabwe’s bowlers could take more credit for the wickets in the morning session. The basis of their early success was a steady line and length, constantly questioning the batsmen around off stump and getting the odd delivery to swerve around or bounce awkwardly. They posed enough of a threat to give the stand-in captain, Hamilton Masakadza, the confidence to put three slips in place for much of the first hour. Panyangara and Chatara had the ball snaking both ways, and the batsmen guessing.Mohammad Hafeez had racked up the runs in the recent limited-overs matches, but his Test form has been suspect this year. The South Africa Tests had been a humbling experience for Hafeez, and there weren’t many runs today either as he again poked outside off, handing second slip an easy catch.His opening partner, Khurram Manzoor, had even more at stake as he was playing his first Test in three-and-a-half years. He was cautious early on, not attempting anything flashy, and had seen off 11 overs when a big incutter from Panyangara struck him on the pads. The ball looked like it would sail over the stumps, but the umpire disagreed and Manzoor had to trudge off.Younis Khan began his innings looking for quick singles, and he was dismissed when the ball spun back onto the stumps after an attempted forward defence. Younis had taken a couple of steps down the track after playing the delivery and could only watch the ball roll back towards the base of middle stump.Zimbabwe were cock-a-hoop at that stage, but Misbah and Azhar slowly deflated them over the next couple of hours. The frontline trio kept testing the batsmen but the odd loose ball crept in, which Misbah profited off. He didn’t bat in a manner that has earned him the nickname , but went for his strokes and he was rewarded especially towards the end of the morning session as Elton Chigumbura and Utseya offered some easy runs.Pakistan began in a similarly confident mode after lunch and Zimbabwe’s limited attack seemed set for a struggle. Azhar had a bit of a battle through the forties, taking his time to complete the final steps of his half-century but Pakistan were slowly levelling the game. The responsibility on Azhar grew after the ordinary strokes from Misbah and Shafiq left Pakistan at 132 for 5, and he continued to bat sensibly.Zimbabwe’s bowlers built on the advantage soon after tea, getting three quick wickets, and the innings seemed set for an early finish when Azhar nicked to the slips. Pakistan were still some way away from their previous lowest total against Zimbabwe (231), but Zimbabwe just couldn’t deliver the final blows.Though Ajmal may not have the most orthodox technique, his merry swinging of the bat proved extremely effective late in the day. He signalled how he was going to play with a murderous straight hit over Utseya’s head early in his innings. With Junaid flailing at everything but somehow staying in the middle, the partnership began to swell. Zimbabwe turned to the new ball in search of the breakthrough but that only quickened the run-flow with Ajmal’s hook for six off Chatara among the highlights.The home team’s frustration continued as the pair resisted for more than an hour, and it wasn’t till the final over of the day that Junaid finally edged to the keeper, after countless misses. Ajmal was still unbeaten on 49, and the stand of 67 had lent some respectability to Pakistan’s innings.