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Fast bowler marks return from injury in style to set up four-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2024Northern Diamonds 111 for 6 (Burns 35*, Coppack 3-35) beat Sunrisers 109 (Langston 6-24) by four wicketsSix-time England fast bowler Beth Langston made a dream return from her injury nightmare with a stunning six for 24 as Northern Diamonds continued their march towards the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy semi-finals with an enthralling four-wicket win over Sunrisers at York.Langston had – prior to this fixture – only played once for the Diamonds since the end of July 2022 and hadn’t take a 50-over wicket since the previous September following a ruptured ACL (knee) and resulting complications.However, she returned at Clifton Park to put the skids under the Sunrisers, who were bowled out for 109 inside 31 overs to pave the way for a home victory which saw Diamonds slip to 32 for four chasing. Australian overseas Erin Burns sealed the win with an unbeaten 35.Diamonds leap-frogged their fellow contenders into second place in the table with a seventh win in nine to all but seal a semi-final place with five games still to play.Sunrisers lost their third game in nine but remain handily placed inside the top four.Langston, 31, was part of England’s triumphant World Cup-winning squad on home soil in 2017 without actually playing in that campaign.She ruptured her right ACL during the 2022 Hundred (Northern Superchargers) and has struggled for fitness since.She played only one T20 match last season. But this was a seamless return, with her wickets spread across spells of six overs and four overs from the Pavilion End.After Hollie Armitage elected to bowl on a muggy, wicket-ladened Minster City day, Langston made the most of helpful conditions – sideways movement was obvious – to set her team up for their fifth straight 50-over win.After fellow pacer Lizzie Scott bowled visiting captain Grace Scrivens in the second over, Langston came into the attack to bowl the fifth.She was quickly into her stride and had opener Jo Gardner caught behind in the ninth for 21 and Jodi Grewcock lbw in the 11th, leaving Sunrisers at 43 for three.Mady Villiers was run out following a mix-up with Lissy MacLeod as they thought about three out to deep cover before MacLeod was caught behind off Phoebe Turner’s seam.And then Langston really turned the screw en-route to the best figures by any bowler in regional cricket this summer.Late away swing did for Flo Miller caught behind before Amara Carr was bowled next ball offering no shot – 54 for seven in the 15th over, the last of Langston’s first six-over spell, which yielded four for nine.But she wasn’t out of the attack – or the wickets – for long.Armitage brought her back to bowl the 23rd, by which time Sunrisers were 85 for seven.She bowled Eva Gray, offering no stroke, and then Amu Surenkumar, leaving the Sunrisers at 90 for nine in the 25th.Sunrisers limped beyond 100, with only opener Gardner passing 20. Along with seamers Scott and Turner, off-spinning all-rounder Burns also struck once as the Diamonds sparkled.But spirited Sunrisers weren’t done. Like Langston, their seamer Kate Coppack impressed.She claimed three of four wickets as Diamonds fell to 32 for four inside nine overs of their chase, removing openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and Emma Marlow, added to Rebecca Duckworth’s scalp.Armitage and Burns settled the ship by sharing 43, the former making 33 before clubbing Sophie Munro’s seam to mid-on – 75 for five.Langston also fell for eight, but the presence of experienced Burns was telling. She completed victory with 25.2 overs remaining.

“Huge difference in a right-armer and a left-armer bowling a couple of inches outside the wide line to a right-hand batter,” argues the RCB quick

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Mar-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore strike bowler Harshal Patel is not convinced the use of DRS to review wides and over-the-waist no balls this IPL will increase the accuracy of decisions. While he admits he will use a review for a tight umpiring call, especially in the death overs, Harshal argues that technology might not be definitive in determining a wide or an over-the-waist no-ball, and suspects those calls will fall in a “grey” area.”Technology can definitely be helpful in situations where you can separate black and white. But these balls are always going to be grey, especially wide-ball lines. Because you can’t really judge how much the batter has moved, whether the ball was within his reach, the angle of the delivery…,” Harshal said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo before joining the Royal Challengers camp for the IPL.”There’s going to be a huge difference in where the ball finishes between a right-hander bowling the same [ball] a couple of inches outside the wide line and a left-hander bowling from over the stumps a couple of inches outside the wide line. When the [right-hand] batter tries to reach, it’s always going to be wider when he plays the left-hander, [and] it’s always going to be closer when he plays the right-hander.Related

• Harshal Patel: 'I'm always thinking about how I can offer my team more value'

• 'Home-and-away is what makes the IPL what it is'

• Why has BCCI allowed teams to use DRS for wides and no-balls?

• WPL and IPL: Players can use DRS for wides and no-balls

“I don’t know how many of these factors will be taken into account when making decisions. Obviously, they can’t take a lot of these factors into account because that will consume a lot of time. In my humble opinion, this doesn’t solve the problem. You have to call it the human factor in the game and move on.”Harshal’s fears came to the fore last Sunday in the final of the inaugural WPL, for which the BCCI had trialled the new playing condition of using DRS for wides and over-the-waist no-balls. The WPL final, between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, witnessed high drama early in the match when Shafali Verma was given out caught off an Issy Wong full toss which fell in that “grey” area Harshal described. Wong was celebrating with her Mumbai team-mates when on-field umpire Vrinda Rathi sent the matter to the TV umpire Pashchim Pathak, who took a few looks at the replay before ruling Shafali out.Such reviews will be a part of the two unsuccessful reviews each team will have per innings in the IPL, just like it was in the WPL. So, while it might not always go the way of your team, the option is there for the teams, but to use it smartly.”The other thing is you get only two reviews, right? Do you really want to use a review on a marginal call, which may or may not go in your favour, as opposed to use it in a situation where you can get the batter out,” Harshal said in response to that question. But if you have a review in hand and you are bowling at the death, a phase where fast bowlers tend to bowl wide yorkers outside the off stump?”For sure – 100%,” Harshal said, that in such a scenario he will press his captain to use the review.Incidentally, Harshal’s thoughts match that of former ICC Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel, who last year told ESPNcricinfo why he disagreed with having wides and height no-balls being reviewed by technology.”With wides, for example, and here we’re going to, potentially according to you, or according to the player or the debate, take a wide call and throw that back to the third umpire for them to judge on something that might be marginal and is still a judgement call,” Taufel had said. “Are you going to be able to over-rule as a third umpire what a leg-side wide might look like? That’s a really interesting proposition to throw to a third umpire and say: I definitely think you got that wide wrong.”If you look at a ball that cuts across a right-hander from a left-armer [fast bowler], that cuts the wide guideline – that’s a pretty big call to over-rule. Can you clearly define for me what conclusive evidence is to overturn a wide both leg side, off side and height? And where do you then draw the line as to what a wide is? Because with wides, for example, you still got this opinion around: either could the batsman have played a shot? Has the batsman brought the ball sufficiently within reach? And you are putting them [under] a lot more stress and pressure around those definitions. Of course, if the ball has flicked the bat or the pad, and an umpire’s called a wide – yeah, that’s quite clearly an error. [But] I worry about where this is going to end up. Is everything that an umpire does likely to fall under the Decision Review System?”

Shadab seals United’s 43-run victory with five-for as they move up to second

Danyal Rasool03-Feb-2022
Before this week, Islamabad United had won just 10 of 33 matches batting first, and lost only 6 of 33 while chasing. But the team that most famously goes by the numbers have turned them on their head over the last two games. After they failed to chase 218 against Multan Sultans on Tuesday, they went on to defend a 200-plus total on Thursday, thrashing Quetta Gladiators by 43 runs after a devastating batting performance.Paul Stirling (58), Colin Munro (72*) and Azam Khan (65) all registered whirlwind half-centuries as United racked up 229, the fourth-highest score in PSL history. Shadab Khan then cleaned up with the ball, taking five wickets for 28 to bundle Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side out for 186.United’s all-out attack got them to within 20 runs of an unlikely chase on Tuesday, but batting first here, there went even harder, if possible. Stirling whacking Mohammad Nawaz over cow corner off the second ball was an omen, and with Alex Hales and Munro joining the onslaught, United plundered 81 off the powerplay. They barely seemed to notice that the field had spread out, though, with the scoring continuing unabated across the next eight overs. By this time, Azam, playing against his former side and the one coached by his father, Moin Khan, had joined the attack, and singled Shahid Afridi out for particular punishment.After United had raced along to 173 in 14 overs, Gladiators somehow found a way to rein them back in, thanks to some brilliant variations by Sohail Tanvir and Naseem Shah. Only 36 came off the next five overs, but with Sarfaraz’s side playing just five bowlers, they were just putting off the final Afridi over; he had already conceded 47 in three. Azam bludgeoned him for three more sixes before Afridi finally yorked him, but by then he’d gone for 67. It’s the most expensive anyone has ever been in the PSL, and the second-most expensive figures for a T20 spinner in any competition.Gladiators had for some reason left the free-scoring Will Smeed out of the line-up, opting to play with just three overseas players, and pairing emerging cricketer Abdul Bangalzai with Ahsan Ali up top. The youngster struggled and fell early, and while Ahsan Ali clubbed eight fours and a six en route to a 26-ball fifty, Shadab snared him the very next ball. Despite Ahsan’s best efforts, his side were way behind the monstrous asking rate at that point, and the scoreboard pressure saw the United captain run riot. Ben Duckett was undone by a slider before Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Afridi all fell to the legspinner, leaving Gladiators reeling at 110 for 7.It was left to Nawaz and James Faulkner to keep the scoreline respectable, something they managed through an entertaining 76-run partnership off 32 balls. But while it prevented an absolute bloodbath, United returned to have the last laugh, cleaning up the final three in four balls to condemn Gladiators to a comprehensive defeat.

Scans showed the allrounder suffered “a moderate to high grade” injury to his right ankle

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2020Mitchell Marsh will have to wait until later this month to find out whether he will require surgery on the ankle problem he suffered at the IPL after scans showed “a moderate to high grade” injury.Marsh is unable to see a specialist under he completes his 14-day quarantine period on October 10. Speaking earlier this week he was hopeful he would be able to avoid surgery and had his sights set on pushing for a return late in the opening stages of the Sheffield Shield which will be played in an Adelaide hub.ALSO READ: Injury, illness, selection: the ups and downs of Mitchell Marsh“Scans have revealed that Mitch Marsh has suffered a moderate to high grade syndesmosis injury to his right ankle, which he sustained in the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening match in the United Arab Emirates early last week,” a WACA statement said.”A specialist will further assess Mitch’s ankle once he is out of hotel quarantine next Saturday 10 October to determine if surgery or non-surgical management is required. Return to play timelines will be mapped out once he has completed quarantine and met with the specialist.”Meanwhile, Western Australia have named a 17-man squad for the Sheffield Shield hub. Players will take part in Premier cricket over the weekend before self-isolating from Monday prior to heading to Adelaide later next week. Their first match is against South Australia from October 10.Ashton Agar, who was part of the limited-overs tour of England and has been quarantining in Adelaide, will link up with the squad when they arrive in the city.Off-season signing Cameron Gannon, the former Queensland quick, is in line for his Western Australia debut while uncapped pair Corey Rocchiccioli and Lance Morris have been included.”We’re ready to go and can’t wait to get over to Adelaide and begin the season,” head coach Adam Voges said. “It’s a tight knit group, the commitment of the players during the pre-season has been excellent and this will hold us in good stead as we enter the hub.”This will be a season like no other, we are well prepared to tackle the challenges that present throughout the year.”Western Australia squad Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner, Sam Whiteman

William Porterfield claims games could end up lasting “15 hours” if all keepers started following Ben Foakes’ lead

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2019Brilliant piece of wicketkeeping or pushing the Laws of the game? Ben Foakes’ stumping of Andy Balbirnie in Friday’s ODI between Ireland and England left many praising his smart glovework, but Ireland’s captain, William Porterfield, was less impressed and afterwards suggested the ball was “pretty much dead”.The issue of a wicketkeeper waiting behind the stumps for the merest hint of a batsman lifting his foot is not quite as contentious as running out a batsman backing up – and Porterfield declined to make a comparison with Mankad dismissals – but similar questions were asked in some quarters about the legitimacy of such stumpings by stealth.Porterfield was more concerned about the tactic delaying play, if wicketkeepers regularly sought to wait for a batsman to accidentally leave his ground, and suggested games could end up lasting “15 hours” .”You can say it was great wicketkeeping or you can say it’s a bit of a grey area of ‘when is the ball dead?'” Porterfield said. “The ball was pretty much dead. The batsman wasn’t going anywhere or over-balanced. The keeper has waited for three or four seconds. If we do that all day, it’s going be a pretty long game. How long do you wait? We’ll be playing 15-hour games if you wait that long.”
On the subject of whether it was similar to Mankading a batsman at the non-striker’s end – recently (and controversially) employed by R Ashwin when running out Jos Buttler in the IPL – Porterfield suggested this was a different matter.”He [Balbirnie] was probably more unhappy that he did lift his foot a little bit as he wasn’t going anywhere or trying to do anything,” he said. “The ball is pretty much dead like. On another day, that ball is probably [thrown by Foakes] into the covers.”Foakes himself saw the dismissal as simply going about his normal business. “When it’s a sweep you think they might fall over and I just saw he lifted his foot and nicked [the bails] off,” he said.

New South Wales needed just 29 runs with three wickets in hand when the legspinner turned the game, which Victoria won by 23 runs to move one step closer to a fourth successive Sheffield Shield final

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2018
ScorecardFive wickets from legspinner Fawad Ahmed helped Victoria move one step closer to making a fourth successive Sheffield Shield final after a nailbiting win over New South Wales at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.The Blues needed just 29 runs with three wickets in hand when Fawad turned the game. He had Trent Copeland caught behind with a big, fizzing legbreak. Four balls later he completely deceived Sean Abbott. The Blues quick shouldered arms to a wrong ‘un and was clean bowled.In Fawad’s next over he lured Peter Nevill down the track and did him with flight and spin to have the Blues keeper stumped to end the game.Earlier, the Blues had put themselves in a strong position despite making some mistakes. Daniel Hughes trod on his stumps without adding to his overnight 59. Kurtis Patterson made a half-century before he was run out by Glenn Maxwell while Moises Henriques was trapped in front by Peter Siddle for 49.The Bushrangers now move seven points clear of the Blues in second spot on the table but there are still two other matches to be completed in the penultimate round.

A round-up of the WICB Regional Super50 matches that took place on January 30, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2017Barbados secured a one-wicket win in a low-scoring Group B clash against Jamaica at the Kensington Oval, to keep their unbeaten streak intact in the competition so far.After Jamaica were bowled out for 190, Barbados lost half their side for 83, before recovering through late contributions and eventually limping past the finish line with two overs to spare. They rode on a vital 40 from Shane Dowrich who came out with the score on 62 for 4; by the time he fell, caught behind in the 38th over, Barbados were eight down and still needed 48. The ninth-wicket partnership between Ashley Nurse and Kemar Roach knocked off 42 of those runs, with Nurse calmly seeing the side to the win and finishing on 21 not out. Jamaica’s new-ball duo of Jerome Taylor and Reynard Leveridge took five wickets between them, while Nikita Miller impressed with 1 for 22 in 10 overs.When Jamaica batted, after winning the toss, they were in an early wobble at 27 for 3. Jermaine Blackwood held up his end for 40, but his wicket left the side at 97 for 6. They recovered through a seventh-wicket partnership of 77 between Rovman Powell, who top-scored with 74, and Damion Jacobs, who struck 31. Powell’s knock, which came at a strike rate of 93.67, included three fours and six sixes. He was the eighth man to be dismissed, seven balls before Jamaica were all out. Barbados’ new-ball duo did the bulk of the damage with Roach and Jason Holder snaring three wickets each.ICC Americas continued to languish at the bottom of Group B after conceding a five-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis method against Guyana, their third defeat is as many matches. In a match reduced to 45 overs a side at the start, ICC Americas rode on contributions from the middle order to put up 220 for 7. In reply, Guyana were 212 for 4 with nine to get off as many balls when bad light forced the match to be called off. Guyana were found to be four runs ahead of the target at that stage and picked up their second win.ICC Americas got into a solid position of 120 for 2 in the 31st over after being invited to bat, before Alex Amsterdam and captain Nitish Kumar, who top-scored with 66, fell in quick succession. Timroy Allen (37) and Srimantha Wijeratne (27) got off to starts at No. 5 and 6 but the side could not finish strongly. bowler Ronsford Beaton took 4 for 28 in nine overs for Guyana.Guyana were reduced to 29 for 2 by the 11th over of the chase but they got back on track through a third-wicket stand of 131 between opener Assad Fudadin (54) and captain Leon Johnson (78). The batsmen fell in successive overs, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Barnwell struck unbeaten 20s to see their team through.

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the third Test between Australia and West Indies in Sydney

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale02-Jan-2016

Match facts

January 3-7, 2016

Start time 1030 local (2330 GMT)4:05

Brettig: Too much professionalism in Australia to let WI win

Big Picture

New year, same old story? Maybe, maybe not, for it is worth noting that over the final two days in Melbourne, West Indies put up more fight than they had at any point in the series. If they can bring that to the start of the Sydney Test then the gap between the teams might close up just a little bit. Much like New Zealand earlier in the summer, West Indies took until midway through the second Test before they started to look comfortable in the Australian conditions. At least, their batsmen did. Their bowling has remained lacklustre throughout, and taking the 20 wickets required to win a Test might be a bridge too far, bearing in mind they have so far taken only 10 for the series.The conditions they will be confronted with in Sydney might be slightly different to the first two Tests, with curator Tom Parker expecting some of the traditional SCG turn. Australia have chosen two spinners with Steve O’Keefe to join Nathan Lyon, but there should also be plenty of runs in the wicket. The Frank Worrell Trophy has already been retained and Australia’s task now is to finish off the summer with a 3-0 series win, before they look ahead to ODI matches against India, a Test tour of New Zealand and the World T20. For Jason Holder’s men, the next five days in Sydney is a chance to build on what they showed in Melbourne, and display the consistency they crave.

Form guide

Australia: WWWDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)


West Indies: LLLLL

In the spotlight

Adam Voges will be over 40 by the time Australia next play West Indies in a Test, so this should be his last chance to plunder more gold from the Caribbean. Voges has played four Tests against West Indies for scores of 130*, 37, 269* and 106*, and since he has been dismissed only once he has the incredible average of 542.00 against them. The next highest average by any Test batsman against a single opposition is 293.00, from Jacques Rudolph’s two Tests against Bangladesh.Darren Bravo is the only West Indian in the top six run scorers this series, his 214 putting him equal second on the list with Steven Smith. He has stood up in the first innings in both Tests, with 108 in Hobart and 81 at the MCG, and while West Indies again need a strong display from him in Sydney they also require some greater support to allow him to build a really big innings.

Team news

Australia’s XI has been confirmed, with left-arm spinner O’Keefe to play his second Test in a twin spin attack with Lyon. Peter Siddle was left out after struggling with an ankle problem in Melbourne.Australia 1 Joe Burns, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan LyonAustralia’s decision to include two spinners might have encouraged West Indies to do the same had legspinner Devendra Bishoo been fit, but he has not recovered from a shoulder injury suffered during training in Melbourne. It is hard to see how Kemar Roach can be retained after his bowling struggles over the first two Tests: his pace and confidence have been down, and he has series figures of 0 for 218. Perhaps the selectors will view this as a chance to see what fast bowler Miguel Cummins has to offer at Test level.West Indies (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Rajendra Chandrika, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Jomel Warrican, 11 Miguel Cummins

Pitch and conditions

Curator Tom Parker said it was a traditional SCG pitch, extremely hard but with a little bit of grass. “I think there will be some turn, the pitch has been turning in the Shield games this year and also during the Sixers matches,” Parker said. The forecast is for showers across the first four days, so the teams could be in for more than a few interruptions.

Stats and trivia

• The chasm between the two sides in this series is shown by the average runs per wicket lost: Australia have scored 131.30 to West Indies’ 24.31
• The five leading wicket takers in the series are all Australians; Jomel Warrican tops the West Indies list with three at 106.00
• Last time Australia played two specialist spinners in a Sydney Test (not counting Steven Smith’s legspin) was 2006, when Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill played together against South Africa

Quotes

“It’s going to spin and it gives us an opportunity now to see Steve and see how he goes. They have bowled well together. Hopefully they can do that this week.”

Dale Steyn is in doubt for South Africa’s first fixture against India with a side strain, Robin Peterson took a blow to the left foot and Quinton de Kock has unofficially joined the group as cover for AB de Villiers

Firdose Moonda04-Jun-2013A hat-trick of concerns descended on South Africa two days before their Champions Trophy opener against India on Thursday. Dale Steyn is in doubt for the match with a side strain, Quinton de Kock has unofficially joined the group as cover for AB de Villiers and first-choice spinner Robin Peterson suffered a blow to the left foot.Steyn’s injury appears to be the most serious. He could only bowl five overs in Monday’s warm-up match against Pakistan at the Oval before he left the field in obvious discomfort. He was taken for an MRI scan which revealed “mild swelling in a left-intercostal muscle,” according to team manager Mohammed Moosajee.South Africa will take a call on Steyn’s availability as late as possible to give the paceman as much time as they can to recover. Should he be ruled out, the side will be without their bowling spearhead whose form at the IPL (19 wickets in 17 games at 20.21) was promising. Rory Kleinveldt is likely to replace him to form a three-pronged seam attack with Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.While Steyn’s case is straightforward, de Villiers’ is more complicated. CSA did not state exactly why he needs cover in their statement. After clarification was sought by ESPNcricinfo, Moosajee revealed the captain is “absolutely fine” and said it was “always part of the plan” to include de Kock, because it would be logistically easier to have him around should de Villiers suffer a last-minute injury.However, if de Kock needs to play he will still need approval from the ICC’s event technical committee because he is not a part of the 15-man squad. According to Moosajee, de Kock was aware he would be in England even before he went to the IPL, where he played three matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad and scored six runs. His domestic franchise, the Lions, however, were not aware of any national call-up when contacted earlier this morning.Worth remembering here, among the unclear circumstances surrounding de Kock’s call-up, is that de Villiers has a history of chronic back problems which flare up after he has played for a long period of time. He came through a full IPL and took part in South Africa’s two warm-up matches, against the Netherlands and Pakistan. He did not bat in the first match but kept wicket in both.De Villiers did not appear to experience any problems apart from one incident when he addressed the media after the Pakistan game. Although not audible at the event, on recordings of the press conference he can he heard whispering “Eina” (Afrikaans for “Ouch”) as he sat down. There may be nothing to that or it may explain why a nervous looking de Villiers chewed his nails for a significant part of the interaction.Should he become unavailable, the side will be without their captain and most experienced batsman. Faf du Plessis, who is the Twenty20 captain, would most likely to step in with de Kock taking de Villiers’ place behind the stumps and in the batting line-up.Peterson’s niggle is not a cause for worry. He was hit on the left foot while batting during the Pakistan match and could not bowl because of the swelling. He has responded to overnight treatment and should be able to play but South Africa have Aaron Phangiso in reserve, if Peterson is unfit.South Africa’s three group stage matches take place in eight days, so the severity of the injuries could significantly impact their hopes of making the semi-finals.

You can’t rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again when it seemed their qualification prospects were in peril in Jaipur

The Report by Siddhartha Talya10-May-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ben Hilfenhaus’ economical spell gave Chennai Super Kings the early advantage•AFP

You can’t rule out Chennai Super Kings. They are no strangers to wriggling out of a difficult situation, and they did it again in Jaipur, when it seemed their playoff prospects were in peril. The teams, at a crucial juncture in the season, could ill-afford a slip-up, and Super Kings huffed and puffed in a low-scoring chase but made it thanks to a late onslaught from Albie Morkel and S Anirudha. They completely altered the flow of a game heading for a close finish and, with 13 points in the bag, Super Kings broke into the top four.Royals were favourites when they had Super Kings at 84 for 6 in the 17th over, the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, caught in the deep, prompting a roar of relief from a usually calm Rahul Dravid. But Super Kings were always in the game with Morkel around, and Anirudha matched him shot for shot as the Royals bowlers buckled under pressure. That surge, which produced 43 off 13 balls, left the home crowd deflated and Royals stunned by the sudden transformation it wrought.As has often been the case this IPL, the seamers erred at the death, with attempts at bowling yorkers failing miserably to end up as length deliveries. With 41 needed off 21, Morkel launched Pankaj Singh just over the long-off boundary, a mistimed hit carrying all the way. A top-edged four and a single later, the equation was down to 30 required off three overs.Not even the experienced Shane Watson could maintain Royals’ hold. A length ball was smashed over long-on, and Anirudha, having a go himself instead of giving his senior partner the strike, pulled over the midwicket fence before steering a full toss past point for a boundary. Shaun Tait was brought back with 12 needed off 12, but another pitched up delivery was swung towards cow corner. Tait then bowled Anirudha with a perfect yorker, only to find out he’d overstepped, just marginally, before doling out five wides down the leg side to hasten the finish.Morkel and Anirudha undid an impressive performance from the Royals bowlers for the bulk of the innings; they had given the hosts hope of defending their lowest score this season. Suresh Raina had looked threatening, finding boundaries with effortless ease but his attempt to go over extra cover failed against Pankaj. Michael Hussey and Dwayne Bravo tried to consolidate but the ball was not coming on well enough on a slow track, and the Royals bowlers, especially Siddharth Trivedi, kept the pressure on with their accuracy. Bravo holed out, Hussey was run out, MS Dhoni slashed one to point and Jadeja soon followed. That was until Morkel and Anirudha got together.Royals’ below-par score owed partly to the frustration of having their innings interrupted three times by rain, but largely to some disciplined bowling by the Super Kings seamers, especially Ben Hilfenhaus, that kept the batsmen in check. Hilfenhaus beat the bat often, getting the ball to nip away past the outside edge, and maintained a tight line in the channel outside off. His victims were Dravid and Watson, both caught while trying to accelerate during a troubling spell; Watson was brilliantly taken by R Ashwin, diving forward at third man.While Hilfenhaus finished with figures of 2 for 8 in four overs, Yo Mahesh backed him up with the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Stuart Binny, out after a brief counterattack. Though Brad Hodge targeted the spinners for a couple of boundaries, and an erratic Bravo was taken for runs, the good work done at the start of the game by Super Kings’ bowlers was to serve their middle order well in the end.