All posts by csb10.top

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:00

Agarkar: India’s top three the best in T20 cricket

India’s first series victory of any kind in Australia since the summer of Monkeygate is proving an unmitigated disaster for the hosts, who now face real uncertainty over their captaincy. Aaron Finch twanged a hamstring as his side fell apart under the pressure of a chase for the second time in as many matches.The game evolved in a near action replay of the opening match in Adelaide, as Australia were unable to capitalise on a strong start by Finch and Shaun Marsh in pursuit of a strong Indian total built upon the batting of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.Steven Smith and David Warner are set to fly to New Zealand on Saturday, leaving a considerable leadership vacuum should Finch be unfit for the third T20 in Sydney on Sunday. His likely absence may at least mean an opportunity for Usman Khawaja, the outstanding batsman of the summer so far.India’s serenity made for a marked contrast, as an unchanged team from Adelaide built steadily into a firm tally batting first before defending it grandly with the help of some tremendous fielding. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were aided by Yuvraj Singh, while the medically-enforced absence of Darren Lehmann appears to have been felt in the way the Australians have shown little composure under pressure.As had been the case in Adelaide, Australia’s openers began with fluency and power, this time zooming to 94 inside 10 overs. However, the introduction of spin had again drawn chances, as Marsh and Finch (thrice) were both reprieved by MS Dhoni and his outfielders.Oddly, Marsh responded to the surfeit of good fortune by trying his luck yet again against R Ashwin and being caught at long on. Chris Lynn did not last long, skying Hardik Pandya to be taken safely by Dhoni, before Glenn Maxwell was lured down by Yuvraj and stumped in the blink of an eye by India’s captain.Momentum was now flowing to India just as surely as it had done in the opening match, and Jadeja turned it into a torrent by holding a return catch from Shane Watson that may have struck him in the head without a brilliant interception. At the other end Finch’s frustration was mounting despite his own strong effort.This all compounded in the very next over when Matthew Wade called his captain through for a single so rapid that Jadeja’s wide throw was good enough to have Dhoni breaking the stumps in time. On his way down the pitch, Finch appeared to ping a hamstring, and cursed the world as he hobbled off the field, his place in future plans now under a cloud to rank with any that hovered over Melbourne this afternoon.The rest was academic – Wade hit out by way of contrition, James Faulkner was unluckily out when Dhoni fumbled onto the wicket for an accidental stumping, and the run rate blew out to dimensions that quietened a healthy crowd of 58,787. They went home aware that Australia’s problems are mounting, while Indian plans fall usefully into place.In addition to Warner and Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Boyce, Shaun Tait and Kane Richardson were dropped in the biggest upheaval to an Australian side since another T20 series, against West Indies in early 2013.In their places were Tye, Maxwell, John Hastings, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon. Hastings, Lyon and Tye made their T20 debuts as the selectors experimented ahead of the World T20 in India.In the absence of Tait, it was a lower velocity pairing of Watson and John Hastings who shared the new ball, but the change of pace did not serve to diminish India’s Powerplay strength. Forty-four from the first five overs was a fine start from Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan,A greasy night following considerable rain in Melbourne throughout the day was always going to make Lyon’s night challenging, and his first T20 over was to be his only one for the night. It was hurt badly by one ball that slipped, a high full toss being called no-ball and the free hit being deposited well over long on by Rohit.Maxwell was also sent into the stands by Rohit, but he was to claim the wicket of Shikhar when the opener essayed a reverse sweep. That wicket left India 1 for 97 after 11 overs, and they were unable to accelerate full from there.This had little to do with Kohli, who careered to 59 from 33 balls with some shots of matchless mastery, and more to do with an improved collective effort from the hots at the back end. Rohit lost some of his earlier momentum before being run out looking for a second, and Dhoni was not quite able to free his arms before Tye had him taken at long off as part of a generally impressive last over.If anything, Tye’s quietly assured display is the greatest discovery for Australia in the series so far. Bolstered by Big Bash League exposure, he looks capable of landing his yorkers under international pressure. By the end of the night, Tye was the selectors’ only solace – the match and series plaudits were all India’s, a feeling they last enjoyed in Australia after the triangular ODI series of early 2008.

Uttar Pradesh will meet Delhi in the Vijay Merchant Trophy (under 16)Tournament final. The three day match commences in Calcutta on January13. Uttar Pradesh confirmed their place in the title clash thanks to the206-run first innings lead over Punjab in the semifinal match at the EdenGardens on Thursday.Resuming at 248/4, UP lost three quick wickets in the morning to findthemselves at 267/3. Alok Singh made 20 as Mohd Amir and Vishal Francisfailed to open their account. Praveen Gupta made 12 and was caught andbowled by Vipul Sharma at 288. UP lost their overnight batsman Aris Alam,who was shaping well with 78, when he was stumped by Bupinder Singh offAnkur Jand at 300. Alam struck nine boundaries off 238 balls in his fiveand a half hour stay at the crease. Devendra Singh and last man AvinashYadav put on 66 runs for the tenth wicket. Yadav was the last man to bedismissed after making a patient 43 off 131 balls which included six fours.The UP innings lasted 144.4 overs to be bowled out for 366. Vipul Sharmawas the best of the bowlers with figures of 47-15-81-3In their second innings which would have made no difference to the resultof the match, Punjab were 69/4 in the 29th over when play was called off atthe fall of the fourth wicket. Viswas Bhalla was unbeaten on 29. DevendraSingh picked up 2/28 in nine overs.

Bangladesh will once again employ three spinners as they head to Mirpur for the second ODI against South Africa. Conditions in Mirpur, the venue for both the second and third ODIs, are expected to be similar to those of the first match in Chittagong, which South Africa won comfortably by nine wickets.For the hosts, Mashrafe Mortaza makes a return to the playing XI and will spearhead the attack in place of Shahadat Hossain. Mortaza, the vice-captain, was overlooked for the first ODI, in which Bangladesh opted for three left-arm spinners in Abdur Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mosharraf Hossain.The other change for Bangladesh has Junaid Siddique making way for Nazimuddin, who will become the sixth ODI debutant in the series. “We rested Mortaza in Chittagong and hopefully he will be fresh and energized for tomorrow’s match. We need him to be in his best form with the ball. His big-hitting in the closing overs will also an added bonus,” Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, said. “Junaid we feel is a little low on confidence after not getting the runs in ODIs. He has featured in partnerships but has not made the scores he is capable of. He has been given a break.”Bangladesh’s persistence with spin means the pitch is again likely to be low and slow, also acknowledged by Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach. “We will have our work cut out once again for the second and third matches as the conditions will be virtually the same,” Arthur told the . “There’s nothing in the pitch that indicates that the quick bowlers will have any juice in it for them. They will need to put their backs into it and stick rigidly with their disciplines.”South Africa restricted Bangladesh to 178 in Chittagong on Sunday, and all their frontline bowlers were among the wickets. Andre Nel was the most impressive of the lot – with 3 for 24 off his ten overs. The visitors played two spinners in Johan Botha and Paul Harris, and Arthur indicated the two would feature in Wednesday’s match.”It certainly looks that way,” Arthur said. “But a final decision will be made after a practice session later today. We don’t know what the curator is going to be up to this morning as he was still working on the track late yesterday [Monday]. These issues change by the hour in this part of the world and until their job is complete you cannot cast anything in stone.”Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs led the chase in Chittagong, but an inexperienced middle-order – with Jacques Kallis rested for the series – is a vulnerability Bangladesh could exploit if they can make early inroads.Wins in both matches will see South Africa jump to the top spot in the ICC rankings for ODI teams, and would be the ideal way to head to the tougher test that awaits them in India.Team:
Bangladesh: 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Nazimuddin, 3 Shahriar Nafees, 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Raqibul Hasan, 7 Dhiman Ghosh (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Mosharraf Hossain, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Syed RaselSouth Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 JP Duminy, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Alviro Peterson, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Andre Nel, 11 Charl Langeveldt

Scorecard

A persistent afternoon spell from Tim Murtagh earned him career-best figures of 7 for 95 to help Middlesex to a scrawny eight-run lead over Glamorgan on the third day at Lord’s. At stumps, Andrew Strauss and Billy Godleman had extended Middlesex’s lead to 64, and any hopes Glamorgan have of breaking their 54-year duck at Lord’s diminished by the ball.Murtagh was again well supported by Steven Finn who bowled rather more than his captain would have liked, owing to Chris Silverwood hobbling off midway through his 10th over. He was later spotted on cautionary crutches behind the pavilion, cheerfully announcing “I’ll be back”, and for all Murtagh and Finn’s persistence, Middlesex missed his explosiveness.Mike Powell reached a 75-ball fifty early in the day, but Finn produced a beauty from the Nursery End, climbing and slanting down the slope away from Powell who poked at it tentatively, without the conviction which had earned him 45 of his 50 runs yesterday evening. Dalrymple, however, was far more secure outside his off stump – though he survived a confident appeal from Finn – twice cracking Gareth Berg for four square of the wicket to reach 50 from 105 balls.At the other end, Mark Wallace rode his luck but took advantage of Murtagh’s occasional waywardness, gliding him through extra cover with ease to take Glamorgan to 173 for 4 at lunch. After he interval, the pair reached their hundred stand and thoughts turned to the prospect of Dalrymple reaching three figures against his former club, on his former ground. Not since Matthew Maynard in 1985 has a British-born Glamorgan batsman made a hundred on debut, but the record remained intact when Dalrymple mis-hooked Finn to Murtagh who took an excellent, tumbling catch at fine-leg.The gates were open. Wallace departed to a re-energised Murtagh, feeling for one outside his off stump, before Robert Croft was beaten for pace by Gareth Berg, becoming his maiden first-class victim. Glamorgan weren’t quite finished, however, with Ryan Watkins and David Harrison adding a quickfire 48 for the last wicket. Harrison’s six fours weren’t all as agricultural as his position at No.11 should imply, carting Murtagh for successive fours and timing the ball sweetly.Murtagh had the last laugh, Strauss holding a simple catch head-high at slip to dismiss Harrison, and Strauss was immediately into his stride with the bat. Jason Gillespie conceded just six runs from a four-over burst from the pavilion end, but Strauss laid into Wharf in the dying light, unleashing a cover-drive before cutting him with immense power square of the wicket.He played beautifully, regardless of the Glamorgan bowlers’ persistence in dropping it short, and more easy runs beckon tomorrow morning with the first Test against New Zealand looming so soon.

It was another no-show at the Sports Ministry in New Delhi on Tuesday withformer Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin choosing not to appearbefore a one-man panel to explain why the Arjuna Award conferred on himshould not be withdrawn.Azhar, who along with Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar has been found guiltyof match-fixing practices by the CBI and the Board of Control for Cricketin India’s internal inquiry, had been issued a show-cause notice by theGovernment which said it was considering taking back the Arjuna Awardsconferred on all the tainted players.Joint Secretary JP Singh, before whom Azhar had to appear at 11 am onTuesday, told waiting mediapersons at noon that Azhar would not come.”He was to come at 11 (o’clock). It’s already 12. He won’t come now,” Singhsaid.Prabhakar too had not turned up on Monday and Singh said Jadeja, who is toappear on Wednesday, was also unlikely to come.Azhar, who has been slapped with a life-ban by the BCCI following hisindictment, was conferred the national honour in 1986.

Former foes, including Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly, have become Indian Premier League team-mates and publicly patched up their differences. Ponting and Ganguly played small parts in Kolkata’s 140-run thrashing of Bangalore and set out to work together on the field.”We’ve always got on really well right throughout our careers,” Ponting said in the Daily Telegraph. “Ganguly mentioned that he wanted to work pretty closely with me to make sure we get everything right on tactics on the field.”Ganguly said any tension between the players was in the past and he was excited about joining forces with Ponting. “Things happen when you compete in series,” he said, “and that’s over and done and we need to look forward.”Matthew Hayden, one of the key figures in the hearings after the SCG Test, now believes the events surrounding Harbhajan Singh’s race charge were “blown out of all proportion”. “Bhaji is a true fighter and we enjoy the on-field rivalry,” Hayden said. The pair is likely to face off again when Hayden’s Chennai take on Harbhajan’s Mumbai on Wednesday.”Whatever happened in Australia was blown out of proportion and has been talked to death,” Hayden said. “In fact, playing Bhaji helped me understand how to get into the mind of a spinner.”Shane Warne and Graeme Smith, who had a prickly on-field relationship before the legspinner’s international retirement, are in the same team at the Rajasthan Royals, but Warne doesn’t expect any problems. “We have had a fair go at each other as opponents but I believe we will jell quickly,” he said in the Herald Sun. “He is a competitor and is always up for a scrap, which I like, and I’m sure playing in the same side will be fun.” Smith’s entry has been delayed while he completes domestic duties in South Africa.

Match facts

Sunday, May 18, 2008
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

The last time these teams met Adam Gilchrist blasted a century off 42 balls to hand Mumbai a crushing defeat, their fourth in a row. It was Deccan’s first win in the IPL; they have won just one more game since and must win on Sunday to keep alive their faint hopes of a semi-final spot. Mumbai went on from that match to string together five consecutive wins, the last two in spectacular and emphatic fashion, and will fancy their chances of becoming the first team in the IPL to win six in a row.Mumbai’s streak has been based on the explosive batting of Sanath Jayasuriya, the bowling led by Shaun Pollock and the morale-boosting return to the side of captain and icon Sachin Tendulkar. Their annihilation of Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday and the ease with which they dismantled Chennai Super Kings in the match before that are ominous signs of a well-oiled machine hitting full throttle.Deccan are yet to win a game at home and, languishing one spot above the bottom of the table, have seen the wheels come off their campaign. None of their bowlers has been able to provide early breakthroughs and the batting has been over-reliant on Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma. The big names – especially Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi – have flattered to deceive.

Tournament position

Deccan Chargers: P10, W2, L8, NRR -0.380
Mumbai Indians: P9, W5, L4, NRR +0.658

Form (last five matches, most recent first)

Deccan Chargers: LLLWL
Mumbai Indians: WWWWW

Watch out for …

Tim May, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations chief executive, has begun investigating how many players have not received their initial Indian Premier League fees and has warned if the problem is widespread they could walk away from their contracts. The Twenty20 tournament is due to begin on Friday and the Age reported two Australians had not been given a payment following the first IPL auction in February.May said the rush to set up the competition had led to teething problems, but he was concerned by the absence of crucial documents and financial transfers. “There is a worry that some players have not been paid nor received their signed copies of contracts,” May told the paper. “We need to get a good feel on how widespread it is. If it has just alienated a couple of players I’m sure the thing can be worked out reasonably sensibly.”He said organisations that started from scratch needed some leeway before warning the IPL of the potential consequences. “There may be a significant amount of players and their managers who, if obligations from the employer have not been honoured at this stage, the player, if he’s taken the proper procedures to recover these obligations, might want to walk away from the contract or not take part in the game,” he said. “That is a long shot at the moment. We need to get a feel for the size of the problem and then try to address it properly.”David Hussey, who sold for US$625,000 in February, is one of the Australians who has not received the 15% payment for their auction price, which was reportedly due on April 1. “It’s been an absolute nightmare in terms of the paperwork required to get the players there,” Hussey’s manager Rick Olarenshaw said. “I don’t think it’s anything sinister. We’re expecting to have all the paperwork done and Huss will be ready to play.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Ross crunched seven fours and three sixes•Getty Images

A record partnership between Brad Hodge and Alex Ross ensured Adelaide Strikers’ coach Jason Gillespie enjoyed a fairy-tale homecoming. The pair complemented each other perfectly during a record BBL fifth-wicket stand of 115 to punctuate Striker’s 19-run win over the fancied Melbourne Stars at the Adelaide Oval.Defending 187, Strikers overcame a nervous start in the field to restrict the power-packed Stars batting line-up to 7 for 168. Assisted by a pitch offering turn, English import Adil Rashid menaced with figures of 2 for 27, including the prized scalp of Glenn Maxwell who threatened to seal the deal for the Stars.Strikers fluffed as many as five chances early in the chase, most notably Craig Simmons’ dropped sitter at first slip when Marcus Stoinis was on 2, but they recovered to grasp the initiative. The bowling attack stepped up to curb Stars’ batting line-up with discipline highlighted by the visitor’s inability to hit a six until the 14th over.Stars seemed on track to overhaul the target when they reached 1 for 90 after 11 overs, but Ben Laughlin changed the complexion of the match, taking the key wickets of Stoinis and Kevin Pietersen in the next over. Apart from a brief whirlwind partnership between Maxwell and captain David Hussey, the total appeared beyond Stars.Amid sweltering conditions where temperatures hovered at 38 degrees when the match started, Hodge and Ross starred and rescued Strikers from early trouble, after being sent in by Hussey.When Travis Head (16) fell to a questionable caught-behind decision, despite replays showing the ball appearing to land in front of wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb, Strikers slumped to 4 for 64 in the 10th over, and were in serious peril of posting a competitive total on a flat pitch.Hodge, the Strikers’ new captain, showcased his experience and composure during a stabilising period of batting where he was content in rotating the strike with clever singles. Juxtaposing this was Ross’ audacious batting complete with a plethora of bold sweep shots, which accounted for two of his three sixes in the innings.Fittingly, Ross notched his maiden BBL half century, off just 25 balls, when he swept pacer Scott Boland for a massive six. Boland then got his revenge by trapping Ross lbw in the last over of the innings, but the damage had been done.Showcasing his class, Hodge timed his innings to perfection scoring 29 off as many balls before accelerating towards the end to finish unbeaten on 56 from 41 deliveries. The Strikers plundered 67 runs in the final four overs.The Hodge and Ross brilliance came after Strikers’ top order had failed to fire, despite a tease from openers Craig Simmons and Tim Ludeman, who hit two sixes each. However, they were unable to produce scores of substance. Mahela Jayawardene, a replacement into the Strikers’ squad for the injured Kieron Pollard, seemed likely to try to bat throughout the innings but looked out of touch. Jayawardene was dropped by Handscomb before he had scored, but soon perished attempting a rash slash off James Faulkner, who was the pick of the Stars’ bowlers finishing with 1 for 21.It eventually turned out to be a satisfying start for the Strikers’ new leadership combination of Gillespie and Hodge.

Santosh Kumar’s six wicket haul on the final day propelled theKarnataka Under-19 team to enter the knock out stage of the CoochBehar Trophy with a 173-run victory on the third and final day overKerala in the South Zone league match at the KRL Ground in Ambalamugalon Monday. The other team to enter the knock out stage from the zoneis Andhra who scored an innings and 67 run win over Goa on Sunday.Resuming their second innings at 217 for 8, Karnataka were all out for246, leaving Kerala a stiff victory target of 300.Kerala folded up for 126 off 35.3 overs. The openers R Kapil (9) andMM Nathani (18) made a sedate start adding 24 runs in 9.4 overs. Offspinner Santosh Kumar who was introduced early into the attack thenbowled Kapil. Rejas joined Nathani and the two took the score to 38when Rejas was bowled by Santosh Kumar. The last ball of Santosh’snext over saw the exit of Nathani in similar fashion. Skipper VipinLal (19) and RP Sujith (39) took the score to 58. But at this junctureVipin was caught by Krishna off Kumar. Three balls later NJ John (0)returned to the pavilion after being bowled by Kumar.In the next over Dharmichand had AC Antony caught by KV Bhatt beforethe batsman had opened his account. At 59 for 6 in the 21st over,Kerala were staring at certain defeat. But Sujith found some goodcompany in the later order batsmen to take Kerala past the 100 runmark. Sujith after a 46-run seventh wicket stand with Aneesh (10) in7.5 overs, was caught by HTS Rao off Dharmichand. For his brightknock, Sujith faced 23 balls while hitting 6 boundaries and 2 sixes.Kumar now came back to claim the wicket of Aneesh by shattering hisdefences. Dharmichand then dismissed S Santh (12) and S Sooraj (7) offsuccessive deliveries. Santosh Kumar finished with six for 35 whileDharmichand had four for 64.