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Mal Loye made his first century since returning to Northamptonshire as the
hosts’ batsmen put them in charge on the first day of their County
Championship Division Two encounter against Surrey at Wantage Road

24-May-2010

ScorecardMal Loye led Northamptonshire’s recovery with a century•Getty Images

Mal Loye made his first century since returning to Northamptonshire as the
hosts’ batsmen put them in charge on the first day of their County
Championship Division Two encounter against Surrey at Wantage Road.Loye made his ton off 203 balls on his way to a magnificent 121 not out, as he
and former captain Nicky Boje made 161 between them, with Boje making an
unbeaten 77 and opener Stephen Peters also claiming a half-century.Surrey had threatened a revival after lunch in reducing Northants to 169 for
5, with Championship debutant Tom Jewell taking the scalp of their skipper
Andrew Hall. But Loye’s century was the cornerstone as the hosts reached the close on 330
for 5.Surrey won the toss but chose to bowl in glorious conditions as they looked for
their first Championship win in 17 matches. Northants wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien was given an early let-off when he was dropped by his Surrey counterpart Steven Davies off Andre Nel in only the third over.The Ireland international went on to make an explosive 44 off 54 balls before
Tim Linley forced him to edge to Davies, who this time made no mistake, to end
an opening stand of 90 with Peters.Peters went on to reach his fifty off 86 balls with a four smashed through
cover off Jade Dernbach as Northants went into lunch on 115 for 1. Linley struck again in the fifth over after the restart when Peters (61) went cheaply by launching him straight to Chris Schofield at extra cover.David Sales went for a duck when he was well and truly bowled by Nel, with all
three of his stumps toppled. Northants were starting to look less assured at the crease and they lost their fourth wicket when Rob White (8) nudged to Davies.Hall made just five before he gave 19-year-old Jewell, playing in just his
fourth first-class game, his first wicket by slashing wildly at his short
delivery to give Davies an easy catch. Loye then reached his fifty off 114 balls, including a six smashed over square leg off Linley.Boje, who resigned as skipper last week, became the third batsman to go past 50
after tea, doing so off 87 balls after being dropped on 29 by Schofield at
mid-on.His and Loye’s partnership put Northants back on top as Surrey’s bowlers began
to toil in the sun as they had done in the morning, with Loye making his century
with a four through square leg off Dernbach. The sixth-wicket pairing then comfortably batted out the rest of the day without alarm.

Lancashire produced a county-record run chase success in the Friends Provident t20 at Old Trafford to claim bragging rights over Roses rivals Yorkshire

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Stephen Moore launched Lancashire’s chase with 59 from just 32 balls•Getty Images

Lancashire produced a county-record run chase success in the Friends Provident t20 at Old Trafford to claim bragging rights over Roses rivals Yorkshire. Backed by a sell-out crowd, Stephen Moore blasted a rapid half-century as the Red Rose chased down 163 to claim a five-wicket win. Earlier, new England Lions spinner Stephen Parry claimed 3 for 19. The victory consolidates Lancashire’s top-three position in the North Division and keeps them on course for the quarter-finals.Herschelle Gibbs passed 50 for the third time this season and with Adam Lyth’s rapid 36, Yorkshire looked at one stage set to reach 200 having won the toss. But Parry, who accounted for Lyth thanks to a great catch from Simon Kerrigan at mid-on, led the Lancashire recovery with wickets at key times.Sajid Mahmood also bounced back from conceding 21 off his first over to finish with 3 for 30 as Yorkshire lost five wickets for 32 runs. Gibbs became the first batsman to pass 400 runs in this group, blasting his half-century from 34 balls.But he was caught well for 51 by Nathan McCullum in Parry’s first over, bringing an end to a 50-run partnership with Jacques Rudolph. Rudolph followed in the same manner six overs later as he went for 16 – again caught well by the New Zealander.At that stage Yorkshire were 119 for 3 after 13 overs and still going well. However Parry, Kerrigan and Tom Smith began to make runs hard to come by, backed up with some good fielding.And once dangerman Gibbs had gone, Yorkshire fell apart with Anthony McGrath soon following him as he was caught by Mahmood off Kerrigan for 10. In the final over McCullum pulled off his third catch of the innings as Jonathan Bairstow holed out for 13 and then, two balls later, Adil Rashid went for 13 as he chipped one to Steven Croft at mid-on.Mahmood then ran out Clint McKay as Yorkshire finished on 162 for 8. Moore made a powerful start in Lancashire’s reply, smashing 14 from Steven Patterson’s first over including a huge six into the pavilion, and then hitting three consecutive boundaries off Rich Pyrah.Fellow opener Smith had a rare failure as he fell to Pyrah for just four. But Moore and Croft continued the onslaught with the former Worcestershire opener racing to his fifty in just 24 balls with nine boundaries.They had put on 49 when Moore went for 59 in the ninth over, caught by Andrew Gale off Pyrah, who finished with 3 for 33. Croft then took over and, after guiding Lancashire safely to three figures, belted a straight six back of Rashid’s head.He fell to the next ball though when trying to repeat the trick and was caught by Rudolph for a 28-ball 36 with Lightning still needing 46 off 36. And although McCullum and Gareth Cross were both dismissed before the end, Paul Horton saw Lancashire home with an unbeaten 37 from 30 balls.

Jonathan Foo, the 19 year-old lower-order discovery of Chinese descent exploded in sensational fashion as wickets clattered at the other end to steal a one-wicket victory for Guyana in the Caribbean T20 final

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar01-Aug-2010
ScorecardJonathan Foo crashed Barbados’ party with a blitzy 42 off 17 balls•Anthony Harris/West Indies Cricket Board

It was a finish befitting a big final on a night when both teams displayed nerves befitting a big final. In the end, it came down to one man who held his nerve under pressure. Jonathan Foo, the 19-year-old Guyanese discovery of Chinese descent, exploded sensationally as wickets clattered at the other end to steal victory, and a berth in the Champions League, from Barbados’ grasp.Foo arrived with his side’s hopes all but dashed. The Bajan spinners, led by Ashley Nurse, had choked Guyana’s batting. Their last four batsmen needed 59 off the last five overs but Lennox Cush and Esuan Crandon fell in quick succession. Barbados were already celebrating when Foo marked his guard for one final onslaught: Nurse was lofted over long-off but the smiles were still on the Bajan faces. Dwayne Smith was worked for fours to third man and square leg in the 18th over, but surely Guyana could not pull this off from here? Not after they lost their ninth wicket, Nurse’s fifth, with 26 required off 11.Foo responded by launching Nurse for another huge six over long-off. Barbados’ smiles were replaced by frowns now. Then came the defining moment: Nurse delivered a low full toss on leg stump, Foo smashed it high in the direction of deep midwicket where Larry Babb readied himself to take the catch that would have given Barbados the title. It was not to be – he palmed it over the ropes. The force was with Foo and Barbados had just dropped the Caribbean T20.With 11 to get off the last over, Foo smashed Javon Searles through point for two fours, reminiscent of Lance Klusener’s boundaries in World Cup semi-final. Unlike at Edgbaston, though, Foo had not come this far to return disappointed. More importantly, he had for company a calm No 11. Foo tapped a single to mid-on, giving Devendra Bishoo strike with two required off two. Searles aimed a yorker at off stump and did not miss by much, Bishoo squeezed it out to cover for one, but Sulieman Benn fumbled a regulation stop to allow a second. Foo charged back to the non-striker’s end and threw his arms aloft. The Guyanese supporters invaded the field and surrounded their hero, while Ryan Hinds, the Barbados captain, was down on the ground holding his head in despair.The dramatic denouement to the chase of 135 was preceded by a sluggish and nervy start. Guyana’s approach was confusing. They did away with the experimental line-up, which worked wonders in the semi-final, and nearly paid the price for being too conservative. Travis Dowlin, who had batted with freedom in that game, played well within himself tonight against bowling that was at best steady. Searles sprayed wides down leg side and over the batsmen’s heads, but Benn was at the batsmen from the start. He trapped Dowlin in the fourth over with an arm ball for 8 off 17 balls. Sewnarine Chattergoon did not fare any better, pottering to 9 off 15 balls before falling in Hinds’ first over. Suddenly Guyana were staring at a required-rate in excess of eight in their last 12 overs – no cause for alarm by Twenty20 standards, but not in these conditions against a determined attack.Runs came in singles until the 12th over when Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine swung Hinds for a four and a six each. Things went awry in the next over though, as Nurse got Sarwan and Christopher Barnwell to hole out. When Hinds took out Deonarine in the 14th over, Guyana had lost half their side with less than half the target achieved. Hurricane Foo, though, was about to ravage Barbados.Both teams had disregarded the conditions at the start of the game: despite the possibility of showers Barbados chose to bat, and despite the bounce and movement on offer, Guyana used offspinner Cush with the new ball. Initially Cush’s lengths were poor and Dale Richards capitalised to kick-start Barbados’ innings. Esuan got sharp movement but repeatedly bowled inswingers down the leg side.In the third over, Cush got Richards to top-edge a full toss to short third man. That brought Jonathan Carter to the crease and just like that Esuan transformed from inconsistent to unplayable. Carter rarely got bat on ball and his early troubles against Esuan set the tone for his entire innings, though, to his credit he did not throw it away. Barnwell struck after the Powerplay with a smart change of pace, foxing Kirk Edwards into an early waft.Carter played and missed often and was guilty of not rotating the strike enough. His momentum was subdued further by a short ball from Barnwell that thudded into his box and had him in strife. Alcindo Holder tried to inject urgency by coming down the track. He picked a couple of boundaries but the ploy did not work against Bishoo, and Holder holed out to deep midwicket in the 15th over. Dwayne Smith also failed under pressure, slogging Bishoo straight to Foo at long on.Barbados desperately needed to finish on a high and they succeeded by stealing 33 runs off the last three overs. Three sixes were struck in that passage of play, including a monster blow from Carlo Morris that nearly landed in the commentary box and a last-ball six over midwicket by Carter. That was after Carter had reached 50 off 60 balls, getting a couple after heaving to cow corner where Foo put him down. Unfortunately for Barbados, it was to be Foo’s only error on the night.

The reserve day for all matches in this tournament means nothing much has changed due to Thursday’s washout; whoever loses the replay on Friday will still be left staring at a must-win situation in their final league match

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla18-Aug-2010

Match Facts

Friday, August 20, 2010

Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)

Big Picture

The washout means Suraj Randiv has yet to serve his suspension and will miss the replay on Friday•AFP

Anyone looking to predict how the second half of the tri-series will pan out will have a hard time finding a pattern from the first set of league matches. Consistency has eluded all three teams, each of whom have had one comfortable victory and one big defeat so far. The reserve day for all matches in this tournament means nothing much has changed due to Thursday’s washout; whoever loses the replay on Friday will still be left staring at a must-win situation in their final league match.Missing out on a bonus point has left Sri Lanka at a bit of a disadvantage, but their immediate challenge will be to switch the focus back to cricket after the brouhaha over the Suraj Randiv no-ball incident. There have been accusations of breaching the spirit of cricket, apologies aplenty and an internal probe into the incident by the Sri Lankan board, which resulted in Randiv’s suspension for a game and him and Tillakaratne Dilshan losing their match fees. The controversy overshadowed a comprehensive defeat to India, after which Kumar Sangakkara criticised his team for batting that was “not at all professional and not up to standard at this level of cricket”.New Zealand surprised everyone in the opening match with a strong batting performance, before their batting fragility was exposed by Sri Lanka. One of New Zealand’s main worries in the tournament has been the top-order batting, and that will be amplified if Martin Guptill fails to recover from injury in time for Friday’s game. They have lost three wickets cheaply in both their matches so far, leaving the middle order plenty of rescue-and-recovery work.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LWLWW
New Zealand:LWWLL

Watch out for…

Kane Williamson has had a difficult initiation to international cricket, he’s yet to score a run after two innings. Talked up by Ross Taylor ahead of the series and rated as New Zealand’s best backfoot player by the coach of his domestic side, Northern Districts, 20-year-old Williamson will be keen to justify the hype surrounding his call-up.Another player who has had a couple of failures in the tournament is Mahela Jayawardene. A couple of months ago in Dambulla, he effortlessly piled on the runs during the Asia Cup to smoothen Sri Lanka’s path to the final. He will be looking to recapture that form as the tussle for a final’s spot heats up.

Team news

Randiv remains suspended for the game on Friday. Sangakkara had said the presence of many right-hand batsmen in the New Zealand line-up had prompted him to pick Rangana Herath in the opening match. Given how little New Zealand have seen of Ajantha Mendis, the spinner could also get a look-in ahead of Dilhara Fernando, though the quick bowler may be preferred if the incessant rain has made the pitch more suited for fast bowling.Sri Lanka: 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Ajantha Mendis/Dilhara Fernando, 11 Lasith MalingaGuptill’s injury could leave New Zealand with three players in the top four with a combined experience of 13 matches.New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill/Peter Ingram, 2 BJ Watling, 3 Ross Taylor (capt), 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Daryl Tuffey

Pitch and conditions

Both captains have talked about how the ball seams more under lights but swings less than it does during the day. Ross Taylor reckoned 230-240 will be a par score but, if there is more rain in the air, his estimates are likely to change.The three captains have had differing views on the importance of the toss: MS Dhoni thinks it crucial, Taylor says it doesn’t have big influence on the game while Sangakkara says it gives a slight advantage. Taylor elected to bat on Thursday and the captain winning the toss in the replay is likely to do the same.

Quotes

“The openers are there and it is a tough job when the ball does swing around. I am sure they are used to it and hopefully we can lose less wickets at the top and give ourselves a better chance through the middle.”

“As professionals, whatever happens before games or after games, it’s immaterial when we go onto the field. There the focus is to win the game and try things out.”

Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara could be Zimbabwe Cricket’s next high-profile signing, according to reports in a local newspaper

Cricinfo staff11-Sep-2010Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara could be Zimbabwe Cricket’s next high-profile signing, according to reports in local newspaper the . Lara, who was guest of honour and keynote speaker at the recent ZC annual awards ceremony, could take up a player/coach role with one of Zimbabwe’s domestic franchises.”The season is long, discussions are taking place, let us wait and see. You might see me coming back here,” Lara is quoted as saying. Ozias Bvute, ZC’s managing director added: “We are talking but its early days to say whether he is coming back to play or coach here.”The report suggests that Lara could play in the domestic Twenty20 competition and may also be called upon to help coach the national side’s batsmen and claims that a source close to ZC has revealed that an offer has already been made.Former South Africa fast bowler Allan Donald and Australian Jason Gillespie have already taken up coaching contracts in Zimbabwe, while Sean Clingeleffer, Andrew Hall and a handful of English county players have also been linked to domestic franchises.

S Badrinath led a strong counterattack after early losses to guide Chennai to 151, a score that their varied bowling attack defended easily under lights to launch their side’s Champions League campaign with a win

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar11-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsS Badrinath was the Man of the Match for his cultured, unbeaten half-century that rescued Chennai from a poor start•AFP

S Badrinath led a strong counterattack after early losses to guide Chennai to 151, a score that their varied bowling attack defended easily under lights to launch their side’s Champions League Twenty20 campaign with a win. Chennai’s batsmen recovered from 48 for 3 at the halfway mark of their innings, looting 103 runs off their last 10 overs, nine more than Central Districts managed in their entire chase. Chennai’s bowlers maintained control from start to finish, in the process taking a small step towards questioning the theory that IPL teams would struggle in this event.The game was always going to be decided by how well Central Districts’ batsmen would stand up to Chennai’s world-class bowling arsenal. And the answers came soon enough: R Ashwin and Suresh Raina dropped chances early in the piece, but even that failed to level the playing field. Doug Bolliner hustled away with a heady mix of pace, bounce and movement. Albie Morkel began the procession, coaxing Peter Ingram into an impulsive pull that went nowhere. Lakshmipathy Balaji then settled into an impressive spell, bowling legcutters at will to outclass the top order, and produced the first maiden of the tournament. Then the spinners came on, and Central Districts’ misery was complete.Ashwin, denied the new-ball role that he relished in IPL 2010, foxed Jamie How with a carom ball that sped past his tentative prod. Muttiah Muralitharan, sporting the 800-number jersey, then sent back Mathew Sinclair and Kieran Noema-Barnett in his opening over. Five down for 36 in the eighth over and no escape routes in sight. Chennai made good use of the remainder of the game, correcting the early blips on the field, led by Matthew Hayden who plucked a couple of screamers in the slips.The margin and manner of defeat were both long shots given the way Central Districts’ seamers started. MS Dhoni’s decision to bat on a fresh pitch was tested immediately by sharp movement and spongy bounce. M Vijay poked nervously at the first ball of the innings, edged the second short of slip and sparred uncertainly at the third, all outside the off stump. Matthew Hayden did not learn from Vijay’s travails and top-edged a pull off the last ball of the over to continue his miserable run from the IPL.Suresh Raina succumbed to a vicious bouncer from Adam Milne that he could not evade in time. The pressure was on Chennai and Vijay was clueless against the swing, and more obviously, the bounce. He kept committing to shots early, edging into vacant areas, before Doug Bracewell removed him with a brute that took the shoulder of his bat on its way to the slips.In conditions that were not cut out for flashy strokeplay, Badrinath, arguably Chennai’s most correct local batsman, took control. Brendon Diamanti grassed him at point in the fifth over, but otherwise his innings was chanceless. Srikkanth Anirudha, who got a promotion ahead of Dhoni, was reprieved early as well, Michael Mason dropping a regulation offering at deep midwicket. Soon, Central Districts were left ruing their two blemishes in an otherwise impressive fielding effort.Badrinath’s plan initially was to pick singles and settle in. With the wicket losing its early spice, he opened up in the tenth over, drilling Mitchell McClenaghan off the backfoot for four. Unlike his colleagues who struggled to handle the bounce, Badrinath repeatedly used it to his advantage, cutting and pulling bumpers for sixes.Anirudha, at the other end, hit the ground running, and soon Central Districts were leaking runs at both ends. He hung deep in the crease, converting full-length balls into half-volleys and gaining extra time to handle short balls. The result was a flurry of boundaries through the off side, the best being an inside-out carve for six, off Mason in the 15th over.Anirudha departed after a stand of 73 in 8.1 overs, but despite Dhoni’s continued absence at the crease on account of a flu, Morkel ensured a strong finish. Badrinath did not get much strike in the end overs, but he had already played his part. An upper-cut for four, off Milne in the final over, took him past fifty and Chennai had completed a strong recovery. At that stage it seemed like Chennai’s bowlers had been given something to work with. Around a hour-and-a-half later later, their ruthlessness on the field made even that score look superfluous.

Trevor Barsby, the Queensland coach, has slammed Australia’s selectors for their treatment of the allrounder James Hopes, who has been left out of next week’s one-day series against Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2010Trevor Barsby, the Queensland coach, has slammed Australia’s selectors for their treatment of the allrounder James Hopes, who has been left out of next week’s one-day series against Sri Lanka. A 15-man squad was chosen but surprisingly there was no room for Hopes, who has not missed any of Australia’s past 15 ODIs but will instead line up for the Bulls.This year has also been one of Hopes’ best on the international scene; he has won two Man-of-the-Match awards since February, having never claimed that honour in his first 71 one-day internationals. Despite his record, Hopes has reportedly been told by the selectors they are looking to take only two allrounders, Shane Watson and Steven Smith, to next year’s World Cup.”I’m not sure what is going on,” Barsby said on Wednesday. “I hope this decision just means they wanted to give James some [domestic] cricket after the Indian series. I would be disgusted if, after having done everything that has been asked of him in the Australian side – whether that be opening the batting, opening the bowling, closing out the innings at No. 6 or 7 or bowling at the death – that they would even think of discarding him like this.”It’s not the sort of treatment you expect of a player who does whatever job was asked of him, and does it by executing his skill to the very best of his ability. You won’t hear the bloke himself complain, that’s not his way. He just gets on with things and puts the team first. But I can say without a shadow of doubt that he remains one of the best players in the country in the limited-overs arena and hopefully the selectors continue to acknowledge that.”Hopes has played 84 ODIs since his debut in 2005 and has a decent collection of 1326 runs at 25.01 and 67 wickets at 35.58, but he is often the first man dropped if the selectors want a different balance. At 32, next year will probably be his final chance to play in a World Cup after he was overlooked in 2007.

Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting has admitted to having one eye on his legacy as he approaches the final years of a formidable Test career

Andrew Miller in Brisbane22-Nov-2010Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting has admitted to having one eye on his legacy as he approaches the final years of a formidable Test career, but insists that his future as an international cricketer will not be dictated by the outcome of the Ashes.Ponting’s place among Australia’s all-time great batsmen is already guaranteed thanks to his national record of 12250 runs in 148 Test appearances, while his credentials as a leader include a tally of 47 victories in 73 Tests as captain, a win-loss ratio that is second only to Viv Richards and Steve Waugh among men who’ve led their country more than 50 times.In addition, Ponting led his side to consecutive World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007, as well as the first Ashes whitewash since 1920-21. Nevertheless, with England launching their latest tour with ominous purpose, Ponting knows he is in danger of being remembered as the first Australian captain since Billy Murdoch in 1890 to lead his country to three Ashes defeats. Given the status of the rivalry between the two countries, that would be an indelible stain on his CV, regardless of his personal achievements.”Of course I’m worried about a legacy, but if it is how I’m remembered, so be it,” he said. “The reason I play the game and cherish the captaincy so much is that I want to make sure the team are in a better position when I leave than when I started. I want to make sure I’ve got a good group of leaders under me when my time comes to move on and that’s why I spend so much time with the younger group. I’m always the first on the training track and the last one to leave, and most of that time is spent helping the younger guys understand different things about the game. Of course I’m worried about the legacy because I want to leave a great legacy for Australian cricket.”There’s not much more I can do,” he added. “I’ll do everything I can to play well and give the team the best chance to win. That’s all I can do and all I’ve ever been able to do. I’m really excited about what I think this group of players is capable of. If we play to our levels for five days, I think we’ll have the results go our way this time. I’m not worried about the other stuff. How I am as captain or player, people will have different opinions.”For all his bravado, Ponting knows that the buzzards are circling. Since launching the last Ashes with a bloody-minded hundred at Cardiff in July 2009, he has managed just one more hundred in 29 Test innings, and even that effort – a masterful 209 against Pakistan at Hobart last year – relied on him being dropped by Mohammad Amir on 0. He turns 36 on December 19, and goes into the Ashes on the back of three consecutive Test defeats against Pakistan and India. Despite his own desire to push on until the 2013 Ashes in England, he knows – like Allan Border and Steve Waugh before him – that selectorial pressure tends to bear down on ageing Australian captains sooner rather than later.In fact, Ponting was already feeling that pressure in England back in July, when he said in an interview: “I’d probably be looking for a new job if we lose [the Ashes] again”. On the eve of the series, however, he played down those remarks. “I said it as a throwaway line that turned into something a bit more than that,” he explained. “I’m probably the wrong bloke to ask. I’m giving myself the best chance possible. I’ve worked pretty hard on the physical side of my game over the last few months, and I just want to enjoy this series for what it is.”This week is the most exciting week you have as an international player,” he added. “The first Test of the summer is always a big one, and when it’s an Ashes series there’s always a little bit extra on the line. I will enjoy this week as much as possible. Hopefully we have a good game, the boys play well and the next few months go to plan. That’s all I can say.”Despite the pressure, Ponting still retains the support of his team-mates, who believe his desire for revenge will be a major motivating factor. “Without a doubt,” said Simon Katich. “We sensed that [during the Test series] in India, which in the past has probably been a tough place for him, but the way he batted – he didn’t get a hundred, but he got three 70s in four innings and he was in ominous form all those times. There’s no doubt he’s primed for a big summer. We’re all disappointed about what happened in England so hopefully that will be a big spur for us to put the past year behind us.”As for the strategy required to wrest the Ashes back from England’s grasp, Ponting was unequivocal. “We have to play at our best for longer periods – simple as that,” he said. “Every series in the last couple of years we’ve played some really good cricket but not for long enough. India is a good example. By not playing that brand of cricket for long enough, we’ve allowed other teams back into the game and they’ve pinched Test matches we should’ve won. That’s the way I look at it and it’s what we spoke about yesterday. If we don’t play five days’ good cricket, we don’t win. We know what we have to do and we’ll train to give ourselves the best chance at Brisbane.”On a personal note, Ponting fully expects to be targeted by England’s bowlers, especially their tall quicks who have noted a susceptibility to the short ball in recent seasons. But, he pointed out, he’s not the only leader in the firing line in this series. “I don’t think I’m any different to [Andrew] Strauss,” he said. “Captains are always expected to be that way, especially if you’re a top-order batter. You need your top order to score consistent runs, and if you’re doing that as captain, captaincy is a bit easier. I don’t see how it’s different from any other series I’ve played in. I’m always expected to score runs and to lead. There has probably been a bit made of that, but I honestly feel it’s been that way the whole time.”

Round-up of the fourth day of the sixth round of Division Two of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2010Sohail Khan led Karachi Whites to a big win over Lahore Shalimar at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium in Karachi. Sohail took 6 for 58, and Atif Maqbool took 3 for 40. None of the Lahore batsmen were able to make even a half-century, as they were bowled out for 164, with Ali Haider top-scoring with 46. Karachi are now third in the table, 12 points behind State Bank of Pakistan.Peshawar won their first game of the season, beating Quetta by 220 runs at the Arbaz Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Starting the day on 216 for 4, the vistiors lost Ata-ur-Rehman quickly – he could only add 8 runs to his overnight 60 – and though Arun Lal made a valiant half-century, the other batsmen did not offer much resistance. Quetta remains rooted to the bottom of the table, having lost five of their six matches, and have earned no points so far in the competition.Lahore Ravi wrapped up a 10-wicket win over Hyderabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground, with only 17.4 overs needed in the day. Shabir Ahmad and Asif Ashfaq shared eight wickets between them, with the former taking 4 for 54 and the latter 4 for 49, as Hyderabad folded for 188. Lahore then needed 4.5 overs to knock off the 15 runs required for victory.Pakistan Television declared their second innings on 215 for 7, giving them a lead of 326 and a chance to bowl Khan Research Laboratories out, but there just wasn’t enough time to force a result at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi, despite Mohammad Ali’s second five-for of the match. Ali removed both openers with just 36 on the board to raise PT’s hopes, but Bazid Khan dropped anchor, taking two and a quarter hours to make 20, and blunt the visitor’s hopes. Ali finished with 5 for 32 from 22 overs, and 10 for 137 for the match. Zaheer Elahi was 31 not out, having faced 98 balls, as KRL ended the day on 138 for 5.Adnan Raees made a whirlwind half-century to ensure State Bank of Pakistan drew with Abbottabad, but the division leaders picked up no points, narrowing the gap between them and the hosts to 9 points at the top of the table. In an innings more suitable to Twenty20 cricket, Raees hit an unbeaten 65 from just 43 deliveries, with 10 fours. In a bid to chase a win, SBP scored at almost 7 runs an over (6.96), leaving them short of their target by just 20 runs.

Bhargav Bhatt picked up a five-for but could not stop Rajasthan from putting up a stiff first-innings target of 394

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit at Moti Bagh12-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBhargav Bhatt picked up five wickets but had to bowl 43 overs to get them•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bhargav Bhatt toiled his way to a well-deserved five-wicket haul, but could not prevent Rajasthan from getting close to 400, a total which looks competitive on a wicket where uneven bounce is in play, with numerous deliveries failing to rise above ankle height. Jaykishan Kolsawala led a strong reply for Baroda, but Rajasthan managed to remove his opening partner Connor Williams, and will think they hold the initiative against a line-up that is thin on experience.That the second day saw more action after the dullness that had characterised the first was due to the batsmen taking more initiative, and the bowlers getting more help from the surface. While Bhatt was rewarded for his efforts, Murtuja Vahora got the ball to nip around and hurried the batsmen, though that was not reflected in his 36 wicketless overs that went for 108 runs.None of Rajasthan’s batsmen made a hundred, but the intent today was to look for every opportunity to score, and they added almost the same number of runs they had yesterday in fewer than two-thirds of the overs. The approach was characterised by Ashok Menaria, whose quick 45 inched Rajasthan close to the psychological mark of 400, even as the left-arm spinners Bhatt and Swapnil Singh were getting the ball to turn and bounce.Menaria’s innings was crucial as it came after Rajasthan had lost the pair of nightwatchman Vivek Yadav and Robin Bist, the latter to a ripper from Bhatt, with the score on 269. Bowling from over the wicket, Bhatt pitched one in the rough outside the right-hander’s leg stump, and got it to turn sharply past the angled forward push from Bist to uproot his off stump. Like yesterday, there was turn, but it was sharper, and the unevenness of the surface showed when consecutive deliveries from offspinner Aditya Waghmode took off to reach shoulder height, the second ball beating wicketkeeper Pinal Shah as well.Another wicket or two at that stage, and Rajasthan would have struggled to reach 350. Menaria showed the importance of being positive on this track, starting with two swept fours off Bhatt that went either side of the deep-backward square leg fielder. In the next over, he hit Waghmode for fours on either side of the wicket, and two overs later, looted 12 runs from Swapnil Singh with a six over midwicket and a four through extra cover. With Menaria dismantling the bowling and Rashmi Parida looking solid at the other end, Rajasthan added 120 runs in the first session, and were eyeing a total in the region of 450.Baroda, who had started to wilt under Menaria’s assault, came back with purpose after lunch, tying down the batsmen. Bhatt got Menaria pushing hard at one that gripped and bounced to take the inside edge, the ball then striking the pad before ending up in the hands of forward short leg.Parida ensured Rajasthan did at least get close to 400, playing safely, but using the steer, glance and sweep to pick up boundaries. He brought up his half-century with another sweep off Bhatt, but the tail did not offer him much support. Rohit Jhalani got a beauty from Sankalp Vohra, and Deepak Chahar and Pankaj Singh went to back to deliveries that came in and were bowled, though the ball that got Pankaj did not get up above his ankle. Bhatt bowled Parida with a quick yorker-length delivery in his 43rd over for his fourth five-wicket haul in ten first-class games.Pankaj and Chahar have formed a potent new-ball combination this season, but Kolsawala and Williams negotiated them safely. Both chose to defend the seamers mostly on the back foot. Kolsawala was a treat to watch, especially when he drove straight down the ground and through extra cover. An overly defensive approach could have played into Rajasthan’s hands, but Kolsawala made sure that didn’t happen.Rajasthan did end the day on a positive note, when Williams pushed at legspinner Yadav, playing for turn where there wasn’t any, and Aakash Chopra took a sharp diving chance at slip. The pressure of a final showed on Kedar Devdhar, who had made 4 and 0 in the semi-final, and looked anxious to get off the mark. But Rajasthan made him wait for 23 deliveries, and he finally got off the mark courtesy a misfield at mid-on. Rajasthan will hope the uneven nature of the track creates further doubts in the minds of the Baroda batsmen tomorrow, for whom 394 appears miles away at the moment.