Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry set a new Hampshire record with a
second-wicket stand of 373 on the second day of the Championship
match with Somerset at Taunton

01-Sep-2011
ScorecardJimmy Adams and Michael Carberry set a new Hampshire record with a
second-wicket stand of 373 on the second day of the Championship
match with Somerset at Taunton.The partnership was already worth 123 at the start of the day and the pair
batted through the morning and afternoon sessions before Carberry fell to the
fourth ball after tea for 182. Adams went on to be undefeated on 204 at the close – the second double century of his career – and at 480 for 4 Hampshire had established a commanding
first-innings lead of 276.It was a day of toil for the Somerset bowlers in hot sunshine as their hopes of
a first ever championship title were ground remorselessly into the dust. Adams and Carberry needed luck on their side in the morning session as the ball beat the bat on numerous occasions, Steve Kirby and Alfonso Thomas being particularly unfortunate.But both batsmen reached their centuries before lunch, Carberry off 189 balls,
with 20 fours, and Adams in the final over before the interval off 212
deliveries, with 16 boundaries. They needed no good fortune in an afternoon session, which saw Somerset take the second new ball with no positive effect. The frustrated home side wilted as
Carberry and Adams scored at will and by tea the stand was worth 372.That meant it had already comfortably passed Hampshire’s previous best
second-wicket partnership, the 321 put together by George Brown and Edward
Barrett against Gloucestershire at Southampton in 1920.Carberry finally fell to Kirby in the first over after tea, for 182, caught
behind by Jos Buttler, back in Somerset’s team after missing the opening day
through England Twenty20 duty. The batsman had faced 313 balls and hit 33 fours
and a six. Buttler’s superb diving catch to dismiss Neil McKenzie soon afterwards was all
the more praiseworthy for the fact that the young Somerset keeper had only
arrived back from Old Trafford in the early hours of the morning.James Vince soon followed and Hampshire missed out on a fifth batting point,
reaching 395 for 4 at the end of the 110th over. Adams reached his double hundred with a top-edged six off Craig Meschede, having faced 388 balls and hit 29 fours.Hampshire’s acting-captain had good cause to feel weary after batting right
through the day with immense application. Sean Ervine’s rapid half-century off 60 balls rubbed salt into Somerset wounds.

South African players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), have distanced themselves from the ongoing spat between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president Mtutzeli Nyoka

Firdose Moonda10-Sep-2011South African players, through the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), have distanced themselves from the ongoing spat between CSA chief executive Gerald Majola and the body’s president Mtutzeli Nyoka. This comes after CSA said on Friday, at the conclusion of its annual conference, that the national team said Nyoka was a “poor example” because he allegedly breached CSA’s media protocol.”The players are not involved in this issue and have expressed no views in favour of, or against, one side or the other,” Tony Irish, SACA chief executive said. “There have been no letters or statements by the players or by SACA as suggested in some reports.”A letter, written by national team manager, Mohammad Moosajee was presented to the board at their special general meeting on September 8, about his concerns. Moosajee said that he was worried about enforcing protocols and holding the players accountable for their actions in the media if the most senior office bearer of the body is not doing the same.While not stating it explicitly, Moosajee was referring to incidents that have taken place over the past year in the national media. This includes an interview that Nyoka gave to Johannesburg’s biggest talk-radio station, 702, in January in which he called Majola a “liar” and accused him of being dishonest about the IPL bonuses that were paid to Majola and 40 CSA staff. Nyoka has also made various references to corruption in cricket and South African society.The latest development in the CSA saga is a second motion of no confidence in Nyoka, which was tabled at the same meeting. The first attempt to oust the president took place on the eve of the World Cup in February and was said to be a distraction to the players as they entered an important tournament.The national players have not commented on the issue but Moosajee, as manager of the team, has penned the letter to express his concern about the potential for setting a poor media example. He confirmed that the players have “nothing to do with the letter.”Irish said that although the players are not involving themselves in the saga, they would like to see it reach a speedy conclusion. “SACA and the players do however appeal to the leaders within CSA to do whatever they can to resolve the current differences within the organisation in order to prevent further damage to the game.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chittagong

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo17-Oct-2011

Match facts

Bangladesh v West Indies, October 18, Chittagong
Start time 1330 (0730 GMT)How many more chances will Mohammad Ashraful get?•Associated Press

Big Picture

There is no doubt that the expectations of the Bangladesh cricket fan have grown disproportionately to the achievements of their team. Some of the cricket Bangladesh have played in this series has been deserving of the fans’ wrath; it has not been a case of a still-developing team doing their best but coming up short against a much better side, but rather of a team playing well below their potential and not even challenging the opposition.In the first ODI, Bangladesh appeared to give up the ghost before the second innings even began. Tamim Iqbal, a man who scored two run-a-ball centuries in Tests in England last year, could only strike at 55.26 in a home ODI, and even though Bangladesh got to 122 for 1 in their chase of West Indies’ 298 they were never in the game.The second game in Mirpur included a batting performance that even captain Mushfiqur Rahim could not explain. If you looked at the scorecard, you’d think Bangladesh’s top order had been bullied by tall, quick West Indies fast bowlers. In truth, out of the four wickets that fell for 18 runs at the top, three were to slashes at wide deliveries and one was so perfectly guided to second slip by Mohammad Ashraful it appeared he was giving the fielder catching practice.In these performances, the Bangladesh fans can hardly find the valour in defeat that is often the saving grace of those who support underdogs. As the action shifts to Chittagong, where Bangladesh have lost only one of their last six completed games, nothing less than a win will appease the home fans. Unfortunately the home team may not have a shot at redemption with thunderstorms forecast for Tuesday.West Indies, meanwhile, are enjoying the luxury of having won a series before it has finished for the first time since March 2010, and can now eye a move up the rankings. The difference between a win and loss for them tomorrow is four rating-points on the ICC’s one-day rankings, something Darren Sammy is aware of. Sammy has had a chance to study his team during the series without the pressure of defeats, and is looking for improvement in the fielding department and continued successes from the top-order batsmen.

Form guide

Bangladesh: LLWWL
West Indies: WWWWL

In the spotlight

With scores of 122 and 80 in the first two games, this is easily the best series of Lendl Simmons‘ career. He will want to keep the momentum going into the Test series, a format in which he has struggled.Just how long can Bangladesh wait for Mohammad Ashraful to develop into the player he was supposed to be. They drop him, bring him back, drop him again … the net result is a shockingly poor record in recent times: his last ODI half-century was in January 2010, since then he has averaged 10.11 in 18 one-day innings with a highest score of 31. Surely, he has to run out of second-chances at some stage.

Pitch and conditions

Nasir Hossain said at the pre-match press conference that the Bangladesh players were expecting the pitch in Chittagong to turn much more than the one in Mirpur did. Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Chittagong tomorrow is not good, and there is a high chance of rain. The ground is infamous for having very poor drainage and even a single shower could wash out the whole game.

Team news

With rating points to play for, West Indies may not make too many changes to their side. With Adrian Barath struggling with a hamstring injury, the experiment to open with Danza Hyatt was moderately successful in the last match, but Kieran Powell is also around as a specialist opener. The track in Chittagong is expected to turn, but West Indies have been averse to going in with two spinners, and their quicks have been successful enough so far.West Indies (probable) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Danza Hyatt/Kieran Powell, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Devendra Bishoo, 11 Kemar Roach.Shuvagata Hom and Shahriar Nafees are the options available for Bangladesh to strengthen their misfiring batting. Nafees got two half-centuries during the home series against Australia in April and has been dropped after just two failures in Zimbabwe. Hom has only played one ODI since his impressive 35 not out that helped Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Abdur Razzak has been expensive in the first two games and may make way for Suhrawadi Shuvo.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful/Shahriar Nafees, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Alok Kapali, 7 Naeem Islam, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain.

Stats & Trivia

• If West Indies win this match, it will be the first time they have won five consecutive ODIs against Test playing nations since 1998.
• Out of the 11 completed ODIs at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, only four have been won by the team that won the toss.

Quotes

“Everyone enjoys playing in Chittagong, so everyone is confident. The ball didn’t turn in Dhaka like we had expected but since I’ve played here, I know it will turn here.”
“We’ve still got a job to do. We win the series 3-0 and we get four ranking points so it’s a very important match.”

A round-up of the action from the third day of the sixth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2011Multan were on course for another defeat, losing three second-innings wickets after following on against Karachi Whites at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Karachi. Faraz Ahmed and Tabish Khan picked up nine wickets between them as Multan managed 210 in reply to Karachi’s 440. Jahanzeb Khan was the lone half-centurion while three other batsmen got starts but none managed more than 41. Ali Mudassar struck twice early in the second innings to leave Multan on 47 for 3, needing 183 more to avoid an innings loss.Quetta snuck past United Bank Limited‘s first-innings score by four runs despite a late collapse in which they lost their last six wickets for 45 runs at the National Ground in Islamabad. United Bank reached 107 for 4 by stumps leaving a draw the likely result. Quetta started the day well placed, on 136 for 1 in response to United Bank’s 273 but two early strikes by seamer Shabbir Ahmed and a run-out left them 150 for 4. Captain Taimur Ali and Ata-ur-Rehman got Quetta’s innings back on track with an 82-run partnership but things began to unravel once they were dismissed. Shabbir stepped in to wipe out the tail and finish with 6 for 47, but a last-wicket stand of six runs took Quetta just past United Bank’s first innings score.Lahore Ravi were in trouble against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, ending the day on 25 for 2 after being made to follow on at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Mohammad Zohaib (59) and captain Usman Salahuddin (76) were the only ones to resist for Lahore in the first innings but the rest of the line-up caved in as Lahore were dismissed for 242, leaving a deficit of 249. Asad Ali ended with 5 for 52 and was supported by Bilawal Bhatti’s three wickets. Lahore lost their openers early in the second innings, and need another 224 to make SNGPL bat again.Twenty-one wickets fell in a chaotic day’s play between Lahore Shalimar and Hyderabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Mir Ali took 5 for 15 in nine overs as Lahore were shot out for 79 in their second innings after having taken a lead of 82. Lahore were 19 for 6 at one stage and only an unbeaten 33 from No. 9 Ali Manzoor enabled them to set a target of 162. Asif Raza grabbed four wickets in Hyderabad’s chase to leave them tottering at 74 for 6, needing another 88 to win. Hyderabad will derive hope from the effort of their last pair of Imran Chandio and Nasir Awais who added 47 in the first innings to take them to 266.Peshawar‘s openers laid the platform for their chase of 302, adding 102 upfront after Khan Research Laboratories had extended their second innings to 261 at the Arbaz Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Mohammad Fayyaz and Israrullah went briskly at the start of the chase, with Fayyaz’s 55 coming off 51 balls. Though he was caught behind soon, Israrullah ended the day on an unbeaten 78 and Peshawar were 154 for 1. Yasir Arafat’s unbeaten 99 had earlier taken KRL to 261 from their overnight 124 for 4. Batting with the lower order throughout, Arafat’s effort gave KRL a healthy target to defend, but Peshawar’s top three had knocked off more than half of the required runs by stumps.

Cape Cobras chased down 243 with five wickets to spare, to win the Franchise 1-Day Cup final against Warriors in Cape Town

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2011
Scorecard
Cape Cobras chased down 243 with five wickets to spare to win the Franchise 1-Day Cup final against Warriors in Cape Town.Cobras chose to bowl and went ahead early in the match when Charl Langeveldt knocked over Arno Jacobs and Colin Ingram in the same over – the seventh of the innings. Langeveldt went on to take a five-for, as none of the Warriors batsmen managed to build on starts. Ashwell Prince was the topscorer with 63; no one else got a half-century, though seven others got into double-digit scores. Warriors finished with 242 for 9.The chase was steered by solid knocks from Richard Levi and Owais Shah. Opening the innings, Levi made 84 off 111, while Shah hit 83 from 109. After the pair was dismissed, quick cameos from Justin Ontong and Mark Boucher took the side home in the 49th over. Langeveldt was named Man of the Match.

Abhimanyu Mithun, the Karnataka fast bowler, has been named as Praveen Kumar’s replacement in India’s Test squad for their tour of Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2011Abhimanyu Mithun, the Karnataka fast bowler, has been named as Praveen Kumar’s replacement in India’s Test squad for their tour of Australia. Irfan Pathan, the Baroda allrounder, has been picked for the last two one-dayers against West Indies, marking his return to the international setup after more than two years.After Praveen was ruled out of the Tests with a fractured rib, the selectors had to add another seamer to the 17-man squad for Australia and the place was expected to go to either one of Mithun, Vinay Kumar or Irfan Pathan. Mithun got that spot, but a place in the ODI squad was vacated because Umesh Yadav is departing for Australia early. Irfan’s performances in the ongoing domestic season have been rewarded with that spot for the final two one-dayers.Irfan has not played for India since 2009, but drew attention because of his performance in this season’s Ranji Trophy, in which he is the leading wicket-taker in the Elite division, having taken 21 wickets in three games.Mithun took six wickets in three Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2010, his debut series. However, he had to make way for the returning Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth after that series, and his next opportunity did not come until May 2011 in the Caribbean. He took three wickets in the Test against West Indies in Barbados but was subsequently left out of India’s tour of England.He has also been in and out of India’s one-day squads, typically only being called up as a replacement for other players. He replaced Praveen for the home ODIs against West Indies. He and Vinay both played the third ODI, at Motera; Vinay took 2 for 39 in eight overs while Mithun took just one wicket and conceded 47 runs from his seven overs. Vinay has been a more regular member of India’s one-day team – he has 11 wickets from his last eight ODIs – but has never been part of an India Test squad.Mithun joins Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Ishant Sharma in India’s pace department for the Australia tour, with Zaheer Khan selected provisionally, subject to him proving his fitness before the squad’s departure. Seven of the players from the Test squad – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Wriddhiman Saha – will leave early for Australia, on December 8, to prepare for the series. The first tour game is a two-day match that starts on December 16, while the first Test starts December 26.Irfan’s inclusion is the only change to the ODI squad for the home series against West Indies, which India lead 2-1. Rahul Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary, none of whom have played a game in the series so far, remain in the squad.India squad for last two ODIs: Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel (wk), Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Varun Aaron, R Ashwin, Manoj Tiwary, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma

Michael Clarke declared Australia’s innings when he was on 329, giving up the chance to try and break Brian Lara’s world record. He said he wanted to put the team’s priorities first

Daniel Brettig at the SCG05-Jan-2012Where others saw records or dollar signs, Michael Clarke could only surmise Australia’s chances of victory. In declaring on 329 not out after a stand of 334 with Michael Hussey, Clarke gave his side half the match to round up India a second time, and had taken two choice wickets in the form of Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid before the close.Against a nation that has a well-entrenched fascination, even obsession, with individual run-scoring achievements, Clarke’s decision drew plenty of post-play questions about why he had not gone on in pursuit of Brian Lara’s 400, or even surpassed Don Bradman and Mark Taylor only five runs further on from his tally. But Clarke was adamant that the pursuit of the win came first.Michael Clarke: “It’s about respect, continuing to earn the public’s respect, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”•Getty Images

“I didn’t think about it at all, I didn’t have Don Bradman or Mark Taylor’s score in my head whatsoever,” Clarke said. “It was about trying to get the team to a number, a total I thought would be a good score to make a declaration, then have a crack this afternoon to get a couple of wickets.”I think it is about putting the team first, that’s why we play. What I love most about this game is seeing this team win. I’ve always been like that as a player and I’ll be no different as a captain. If it was best for the team to continue batting I would have continued to bat.”While he stopped short of such records, Clarke could be content with the highest Test score ever made at the SCG, surpassing RE Foster’s 287 for England more than a century ago. He said the magnitude of his innings would not sink in until the match ended, preferably in victory for his side.”I don’t think it’ll sink in properly until we win the Test match,” Clarke said. “That’s why we play, that was my goal walking out there today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m stoked that I’ve managed to make 300-odd runs in this Test match, but the most important thing for me now is we win the Test.”That was a big part of the reason for my declaration. I spoke to Huss just before we declared and I really wanted him to make 150, he deserved it, and once he got that I thought now we have a 450-run lead, it is a good time to pull up stumps and try to get a couple of wickets tonight.”I didn’t expect to score 300 in one innings, so the fact I’ve done that I’m stoked, and [as for] all the other records, I’m happy where I sit to be honest.”Clarke said the most testing aspect of his innings was simply to sustain his energy and concentration over nearly two days of batting. His previous first-class best of 201 not out for New South Wales had receded a long way into the distance by the time he had finished.”Batting the amount of time for me [was the toughest thing]. I’ve never batted that long in any form of the game in any team in my career,” he said. “Physically I felt pretty good, when I came to the ground I felt pretty fresh, and my body felt in a pretty good position. It’s just the mental application and concentration that you need to have.”Clarke’s application has if anything been enhanced by the captaincy, and he is now doing great things in the role to earn the respect of his team and the Australian public. The former captain Mark Taylor has said vice-captaincy can be difficult when the leader is a figure a legendary as Allan Border or Ricky Ponting, but Clarke said he had appreciated the apprenticeship, too.”I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, it’s about respect, continuing to earn the public’s respect and that’s all I’ve ever wanted,” he said. “People are going to dislike me, that’s life, the way it is, but the most important thing for me, especially being the Australian captain now, you want your home fans to respect you, so that’s all I’ve ever asked for.”I enjoyed the vice-captaincy a lot. I thought it was fantastic to sit underneath Ricky and learn as much as I could from him, learn about leadership, learn about captaincy, learn about what it takes off the field to captain Australia. That probably opened my eyes to leadership more than anything else.”And I’ve enjoyed this challenge. It’s an honour and privilege to captain Australia, there’s a lot that goes with it, but I’m enjoying it at the moment. The team having some success obviously makes life a lot easier. We’ve got a lot of talent out there so that makes my job a lot easier as well.”Hussey’s own 150 was put in the shade by Clarke, much as anyone who batted any length of time with Don Bradman had been. But he said he had simply enjoyed the chance to bat alongside Clarke for 334 runs, and to witness the SCG’s highest individual tally from the other end.”I don’t really mind [being overshadowed]. I said to Pup out in the middle I was honoured and privileged to witness and be a part of that,” Hussey said. “It was a fantastic innings and one I’ll remember for a long time, I’m sure Pup will as well, and one that got our team into a very strong position in the Test match, that’s what I’ll remember about it.”

A round-up of the third match-day’s action from the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Singapore

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2012Argentina slipped to their third straight defeat, going down by 29 runs to Guernsey in a rain-affected match at Padang, which was eventually reduced to 29 overs a side. The start was delayed by rain and the Argentina opening bowlers, led by Pablo Ryan, made early inroads, taking two top-order wickets to reduce Guernsey to 53 for 4. The complexion of the innings changed when Ross Kneller came out and blasted 86 off 54 balls, with six sixes. He took the score to 213 for 7 after rain reduced the game to 42 overs a side. It was reduced further to 29, following another rain interruption when Argentina were struggling at 54 for 3. Grant Dugmore top scored with 42 but lacked support as Guernsey, led by David Hooper, chipped away at the wickets.At the Indian Association Ground, Cayman Islands coasted to an eight-wicket win over Bahrain in another rain-affected encounter. Bahrain were put in to bat, and like Guernsey, were struggling at the start before they were revived by the middle order. Adil Hanif made a patient 56 off 86 balls to steady the innings, before Tahir Dar made an unbeaten 60 off 50 balls to take the score past 200. He hit six sixes in his knock. Rain intervened 17 overs into the chase, when Cayman Islands proceeded steadily to 50 for 1. However, Duckworth Lewis reduced the game to 21 overs, leaving Cayman Islands needing 30 off the last four. Ramon Sealy and Omar Willis ensured they reached the target with three balls to spare.Malaysia recorded their third-straight win, beating hosts and neighbours Singapore by 27 runs at the Kallang Ground. Malaysia’s opening duo, R Madhavan and Shafiq Sharif, made half-centuries but the rest of the batsmen failed to measure up, stumbling to a combined bowling effort. Sharif fell for 48, but Madhavan remained unbeaten on 77, off 141 balls. The next highest score was 13. Chasing 185, Singapore were in trouble at 117 for 5 in 30 overs when rain interrupted play. Their target was reduced to 161 from 39, and they eventually folded up for 133.

Surrey once again departed Lord’s glum-faced after another defeat. Their record is miserable over the Thames – one win in their last 18 visits

Alex Winter at Lord's15-Apr-2012
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones took four wickets in the second innings•Getty Images

Surrey once again departed Lord’s glum-faced after another defeat. Their record is miserable over the Thames – one win in their last 18 visits. They turned on the wicket as the primary cause of this loss: a soft pitch, perhaps underprepared after poor weather in the days before the match, which created havoc for the 76 overs the final two innings lasted.Chris Adams, Surrey’s team director, described it as the worst pitch he had ever seen at Lord’s. Surrey, in pursuit of 141, lost 6 for 36 to fail by three runs – Surrey’s narrowest margin of defeat to their neighbours.Victory here was envisaged as part of their early-season run to confirm them as many people’s outside tip for the title. Sussex, Middlesex and Worcestershire – with two of those games at The Oval – are the three opponents many would pick out for early-season points. But they were left stunned by their final morning collapse.”It was one of the worst wickets I’ve played on,” Surrey’s captain Rory Hamilton-Brown said. “It went up and down, the seam movement was so exaggerated, people were getting hit and two first-class sides scored not many more than a hundred. It made for a battle out there.”Hamilton-Brown is grateful for a quick return to The Oval next week where Surrey should bounce back against Worcestershire. But his victorious Middlesex counterpart did not see the surface as a hindrance to playing good cricket.”It was one of those wickets you knew there was something in it all game,” Neil Dexter said. “The pitch lasted almost the four days so to be playing on that wicket early season I don’t think was too bad. The way they got out this morning had nothing to do with the wicket, it was the shots and some good bowling.”The victory song in the home dressing room wasn’t quite by Dexy’s Midnight Runners but Middlesex’s “Dexy” – of no pop music fame – was certainly declaring: “I’m in heaven, I’m in heaven” after a miraculous victory.The celebrations probably sent the MCC secretary straight to his inkwell. Tim Murtagh has a history of wild abandon after sealing big wins – once whipping off his shirt to acclaim his success in a T20 quarter-final bowlout for Surrey against Warwickshire at The Oval. Here his fourth wicket sparked a 50-yard sprint towards the Tavern, creating a heap of elated Middlesex bodies on the Lord’s turf.”I think I’ve been watching too much football recently, but that’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had on a cricket field,” said Murtagh, a Liverpool supporter, of what he described as his best win for Middlesex. “It would have been a great shame to lose two games having played decent cricket in both. We have had two collapses in both games but we’ve showed unbelievable fighting spirit.”Middlesex would have begun to move a little uneasily with consecutive defeats and a powerful Durham side arriving next week. This victory is an early fillip for their survival hopes. And they have Andrew Strauss and Steven Finn against Durham, causing a selection headache. Dexter said he will feel bad leaving out players who have done little wrong.None of the bowlers deserved to be dropped. On the final morning, Gareth Berg took two wickets; Tim Murtagh bowled Chris Jordan and took the final wicket; Toby Roland-Jones removed Tim Linley caught at slip and had Hamilton-Brown caught behind.Hamilton-Brown sought to blast his way through the dangers of a seaming ball and varying bounce. His 49-ball half-century was the most aggressive innings of the match. But he watched Tom Maynard, for the addition of three, and Gareth Batty, for a duck, depart as the task of 46 more runs lurched from the formality it was proving the previous evening to a stern examination of technique and guts. Had bad light not intervened on Saturday evening, Surrey may well have claimed the extra half hour that would have allowed Hamilton-Brown and Maynard, both free scoring, to knock off the runs.The small chase was created by Jon Lewis’ five wickets the previous afternoon – the spell of the match. His 17-ball 21 looked to be the late-order innings Surrey needed but he could only look to the heavens as Hamilton-Brown edged Roland-Jones, who was excellent from the Pavilion End, to the wicketkeeper John Simpson. Lewis was then too trusting of Nos. 10 and 11; leaving Linley the entire 38th over to face from Roland-Jones. He nicked the fifth ball to slip. Lewis then offered Jade Dernbach the chance of five balls from Tim Murtagh. A straight-drive gone wrong skied the winning catch to Sam Robson at cover.

The fifth edition of the IPL, which began in tepid fashion, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a thrilling finish for Mumbai Indians

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran09-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rohit Sharma’s two sixes in the final over, including one off the last ball, sealed it for Mumbai Indians•AFP

The fifth edition of the IPL, which began in tepid fashion, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a thrilling finish for Mumbai Indians against Deccan Chargers, who fought tooth and nail while defending 139. Daniel Christian, not the wisest choice for the final over, as very recent history tells us, dished out two full tosses to Rohit. One of them was off the final ball, which was dispatched over long-on to spark wild celebrations.The Chargers were still favourites with 18 to defend off the last over. Kumar Sangakkara had bowled out his best bowler, Dale Steyn, leaving the final task with Christian. The first ball was smashed by James Franklin past long-off for four; the second down the same region; the batsmen sneaked a bye off the third; the fourth was a high full toss slammed by Rohit Sharma over deep backward point. With five needed off two, the penultimate ball was forced to long-off and Rohit Sharma timed his dive just in time to survive a run-out appeal. Christian couldn’t come up with anything special, gifting Rohit Sharma the most hittable delivery of the over, breaking the hearts of the home fans who saw their side slip to a second straight defeat.Fortunes kept oscillating in the final overs, but for most periods in the chase, the Chargers were in control. Much of the credit should go to Steyn, who ran in with the same vigour as he does for South Africa. He defeated the best hitters in the Mumbai line-up with raw pace and fizzy bounce, nipping out three wickets for just 12 runs. He took 2 for 6 in his first spell, conceded just two off his next over and only five off his final over. In hindsight, Sangakkara will feel he should have kept him for the final over.Steyn gave the Chargers the early advantage by plucking a return catch in his follow-through to get rid of T Suman. The fourth over, a wicket-maiden from Steyn, was the spectacle of the evening. He ran in high on adrenaline and had his fellow countryman Richard Levi all at sea with raw pace. He targeted the stumps, forced Levi to stab at deliveries cramping him for room, foxed him with a slower one that sneaked past the outside edge and the stumps, bounced him, but saved his best delivery for the last. Levi played all around a fiery full ball that knocked back his middle stump.For a team with big hitters at the top, Mumbai were struggling at 15 for 2 after five overs. The run-rate touched the five mark only after 11 overs, indicative of how miserly the Chargers were. The ball spun, gripped and even kept low, meaning the batsmen had to concentrate harder. Rohit fetched two boundaries and a six – over extra cover – off Christian to keep Mumbai afloat.The arrival of Kieron Pollard, in the 12th over, perked up the run-rate. The spinners were always vulnerable against Pollard, who swung two sixes and a four to leave Mumbai a gettable 56 off the last six overs. Another spiteful over from Steyn, in which he hit the deck hard, softened up Pollard. He slammed Amit Mishra over long-off the following over, but perished trying the same against Christian, skying it to Shikhar Dhawan at long-off. Mumbai’s shoulders would have dropped after Pollard walked off, but not Rohit’s, as he walloped two more sixes off Mishra to restore hope for his side.Rohit’s hitting overshadowed Munaf Patel’s four-wicket haul, which was responsible for restricting the Chargers. It also masked an ugly incident involving Sangakkara’s dismissal, where some of the Mumbai players got confrontational with the umpires. Munaf bowled a low full toss which Sangakkara shaped to drive, but got an inside edge which shaved the off stump and knocked off the bails. The wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was standing up close and the ball deflected back to the stumps off his pads, causing confusion as to whether he was legitimately bowled in the first place. The umpires initially gave Sangakkara the benefit of the doubt, choosing not to refer it to the third umpire. The Mumbai players were peeved, particularly Munaf, who flung the ball on the turf as he ambled back to his mark.A furious Harbhajan Singh marched to the square leg umpire Johan Cloete, who was soon enveloped by Munaf and Karthik. A clueless Sangakkara went across to have a word with the umpires but by then, it was as if the umpires were coerced into referring it. In theory, Sangakkara was legitimately out and the umpires should have had the presence of mind to consult. Mumbai’s road-rage, though, left a bad taste in the mouth and it makes one wonder how different it could have been had Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai’s original captain, been in charge. Tendulkar, unfortunately, was at the dug out, and there was nobody around to defuse the situation.Cameron White and Christian added a quick 41 for the fifth wicket, smashing four sixes in their stand to boost the Chargers before the lower order was reined in. The target proved a challenging one, but the visitors were fortunate to run into a bowler who suffered another nightmare of conceding a six off the last ball in front of a global television audience.