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A round-up of the fifth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group B matches on December 3, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2012
ScorecardAllrounder Bhuvneshwar Kumar needed just 11.4 overs to take his eighth first-class five-wicket haul as Baroda crumbled either side of lunch on day three in Kanpur. After UP had stretched their first innings to 361 from their overnight total of 310 for 6, Bhuvneshwar ran through the Baroda top order, claiming the first three wickets. Imtiaz Ahmed then removed Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Devdhar, the two batsmen who had resisted in the first innings, in the space of three deliveries. There was swing, seam, bounce, both high and low, on the grassy Kanpur pitch, and Baroda had no answers. A run-out later, Baroda were 44 for 6, still needing 63 more to avoid an innings defeat. Abhimanyu Chauhan and Gagandeep Singh ensured UP would bat again, but the hosts needed just eight to win as Baroda were bowled out for 114 in 32.4 overs. The win was achieved with all ten wickets remaining, giving UP the bonus point and taking them top of Group B with 17 points from four games.
ScorecardHaryana were boosted to an overall lead of 250 by a timely half-century from their captain Amit Mishra in Lahli, Rohtak. Three strikes from left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra and two from medium-pacer Sumit Narwal had reduced Haryana to 109 for 6 before Mishra’s contribution. Mithun Manhas’ fifty had earlier helped Delhi post 224 from their overnight 165 for 6. Medium-pacers Mohit Sharma and Harshal Patel took three wickets each while Mishra got two.
ScorecardCenturies from Niranjan Behera and Biplab Samantray gave Odisha a first-innings lead of 126 over Maharashtra in Sambalpur. Deepak Behera chipped in with 49 and despite the lower order crumbling to Samad Fallah, Odisha were able to post 441. They got 26 overs to bowl at Maharashtra in the second innings, but the visitors lost just one wicket, that of Virag Awate to medium-pacer Basant Mohanty. Harshad Khadiwale took them to 73 for 1 at stumps.
ScorecardFaiz Fazal’s century led Vidarbha’s strong reply to Tamil Nadu’s 443 in Nagpur. Tamil Nadu declared on their overnight score, after which Fazal and Shiv Sunder Das put on 151. The first wicket came through a run-out, Das falling for 62. Urvesh Patel did not last long, but Fazal and Shalabh Shrivastava saw out the day without further damage. Vidarbha are still adrift by 229 runs, and will need to bat the better part of the day if they are to take three points from the match.

Preview of the fourth ODI between India and England in Mohali

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran22-Jan-2013

Match facts

January 23, 2013
Start time 1200 (0630 GMT)Ravindra Jadeja has played an important role in both of India’s wins•BCCI

Big Picture

How quickly this series has turned. In the first ODI in Rajkot, India were beaten in conditions that they usually prosper in, and coming on the heels of the series defeat to Pakistan, India’s home one-day prowess was under the scanner. Alastair Cook and Ian Bell had looked masterful as they put on 158, England’s highest opening partnership against India. In the next match, 158 was all what the entire England team managed. In the third ODI, England couldn’t even muster that, keeling over for 155 and were looking more and more like the hapless outfits that suffered 5-0 reverses in their previous two visits.There is talk of this being an inexperienced England side, though their biggest concern this series is the faltering top order which is packed with players who have been around for years. The only significant batting absentee is Jonathan Trott, whose un-flamboyant batting has typically split opinion over his place in the one-day side despite an unimpeachable average nearing 50. In his absence, his value is continuing to grow.India, on the other hand, are now atop the world rankings, and what is traditionally their weaker department – the bowling – has flourished in the previous two matches. The much-derided Ravindra Jadeja has turned in influential performances in both victories, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has compensated for his lack of pace with movement to trouble the top order. Virat Kohli, the ICC’s ODI Player of the Year, also shrugged aside his indifferent recent form to pocket his first Man-of-the-Match award of 2013 in the last match. One more win will wrap up the series and give some relief to a side that has weathered plenty of criticism in recent times.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
India WWLWL
England LLWLW

In the spotlight

Ajinkya Rahane spent much of the past year carrying drinks, having been part of the Indian squad in all three formats without getting too many matches. Finally, in this series, he has got chances, but has been bowled through the gate early by Steven Finn in the last two ODIs. He will have fond memories of Mohali, though, winning his only ODI Man-of-the-Match award the last time these two sides played here.While not the flashiest of batsman, Joe Root has shown his ability to stabilise the innings when his more experienced colleagues have come up short. On the flat track in Rajkot, he was shunted down the order to allow more expansive batsmen time in the middle, but with the team struggling in the next two games, he took over the steadying role that Trott has perfected.

Team news

England are considering a couple of changes to their XI. They are toying with the idea of bringing in Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper-batsman for Craig Kieswetter, and Jade Dernbach, who now has the unwanted record of being the most expensive among ODI bowlers who have sent down 1000 deliveries, could make way for Stuart Meaker. Steven Finn injured his finger during a fielding drill but is expected to be fit in time for the match.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell,3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Stuart MeakerIndia are likely to go in with the same XI that served them so well in the previous two victories.India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt &wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Shami Ahmed, 11 Ishant Sharma

Pitch and conditions

England are now left needing to win both the remaining matches in the series, but one consolation is that the next match will be in Mohali, where the track traditionally favours the quick bowlers and the temperatures will be in the mid-teens – conditions which Ian Bell termed as ‘English’.

• In 96 ODIs, Virat Kohli already has 13 Man-of-the-Match awards, which is more than Michael Bevan (232 matches) and Michael Clarke (223 games)
• There have been six ODI hundreds scored in Mohali, but none of them have been made by an Indian

Quotes

“It was a bit annoying for me as I was not getting out making too many mistakes. I got a few good balls in the last series and made a few mistakes in this series. But, I was pretty calm at that point of time. You just got to be composed. “”We have a point to prove, absolutely. We spoke about it. It can be quite easy in this part of the world that if you get on a bad trot, you can let your heads drop and we can’t allow that to creep in.”

Oval Invincibles captain excited by new format and opportunities for young players to learn

Matt Roller21-Jul-2021Sam Billings has challenged Jason Roy and Will Jacks to emulate Brendon McCullum’s famous 158 not out on the opening night of the IPL when they open the batting for Oval Invincibles together in the first men’s fixture of the Hundred on Thursday night.McCullum’s innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore set the tone for the tournament’s success as he hit 10 fours and 13 sixes to launch it into mainstream attention back in 2008, and Billings – who will captain the Invincibles against Manchester Originals – said that the occasion would provide Roy and Jacks, their likely opening partnership, with an opportunity to do the same for the Hundred.”I would definitely like to be the guy but I think we’ve got quite a few guys in the dressing room who will want to be that main man,” Billings said. “We’ve seen what Jason can obviously in the T20Is [against Pakistan]. He’s done it for a long time and he does enjoy being the main guy. As an opening batter, like McCullum, he provides the fireworks.”Will Jacks has been in the form of his life for Surrey. It could really be that launchpad for him: first men’s game, showcased at The Oval. It’ll be really exciting to see what he can do and catapult himself to another level. That’s what we’ll see throughout the tournament, these young guys, against the best players in the world. Anyone can make a name for themselves, and how good is that?”Billings’ own preparation for the tournament has hardly been ideal – he was one of the England limited-overs players to test positive for Covid-19 after the third ODI against Sri Lanka, sending the whole squad into self-isolation – but the time he has spent away from the game has given him the opportunity to make some plans for the Invincibles’ campaign.He caught up with Tom Moody, the Invincibles’ head coach and Sri Lanka’s director of cricket, during the international series at the start of the month, and the pair have been in regular contact for a number of weeks to discuss tactics and selection – as well as finding a last-minute replacement for Sandeep Lamichhane, in the form of Tabraiz Shamsi.
“Over the next couple of days it’ll be interesting to get the thoughts of the other guys and how the team view the new format,” he said. “We’re the first men’s game to give it a go and the teams that will progress are the ones that will learn quickly. It’s still cricket, isn’t it? The fundamentals of the game don’t change.”It’s incredibly exciting because we’ve had to wait for so long, really. We were talking in the changing room just now and saying it’s a really cool new environment. It’s a franchise competition essentially, where you have a real mix of people you don’t normally play with and normally play against. Guys like Sunil Narine. Colin Ingram… it’s been brilliant.Related

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“Especially for guys who haven’t necessarily had that exposure around the world in those competitions, it’s going to be so good for them and everyone will learn so much. I’ve benefited from being in those environments hugely over the last few years. Someone like Jordan Cox, an exciting talent I’ve spent a lot of time with at Kent, he could really fly on the back of being around this experience.”The best thing about it is the whole competition is being launched by the women’s game – that’s on Wednesday and we’ll all be tuning into that. There are definitely things we can pick up from that, certain tactical decisions that will or won’t work. It’s an advantage to have a sneak preview – it can only be a good thing for us. We are one team, two squads, but one team. Being aligned with the women’s game is huge for the sport and what we want to do moving forward.”Billings also suggested that the Invincibles might have picked up the bargain signing of the whole competition: Saqib Mahmood, who was snapped up for £60,000 in February’s re-draft after failing to agree personal terms with Manchester Originals. Mahmood starred in England’s ODI series win against Pakistan last week, and Billings expects him to continue his form in the Hundred.”Saq and I did a Lions trip together to Dubai about three years ago against Pakistan A,” Billings said. “[Mohammad] Rizwan was playing and Saqi was the best bowler. He bowls with genuine heat, very very skilful and it’s great to see him showcasing what he can do. It’s just been a matter of opportunity and having a run of games.”Everyone knows international cricket is really tough, particularly when you’re playing sporadic games, so for him to get a run of games and dominate the way he has is great. He’s mentioned the PSL and how he’s benefited from playing as an overseas player and how it’s helped his development. Why can’t a lot of our young guys over here benefit in the same way?”

Full Members outside the WTC have been pushing for a more formalised “second division” for the WTC

Peter Della Penna23-Apr-2021An enhanced structure for more multi-day cricket for Full Members outside the World Test Championship (WTC) and Associates could be a possibility in the next cricket calendar. Though the discussions, which took place last week at the ICC’s scheduling meeting, are at a very formative stage, they took in the possibility of revisiting a past effort to form a second division for Test cricket.According to multiple sources, such a format could be a blended structure combining Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe – who play Tests but are not part of the WTC – and Associates with ODI status including Netherlands, Scotland and potentially others.”I know it’s been mooted,” an Associate administrator told ESPNcricinfo. “I think every nation and every governing body is trying to find ways to make the game better. We’re here to deliver cricket and improve the standards of cricket globally.”Related

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Another official familiar with the discussions said Full Members outside the WTC had pushed – and have been pushing for a while – for a more formalised “second division” for the WTC. That would provide similar context to Tests for these members as there now exists for those in the WTC, though he did stress that discussions were informal and at a very early stage.The nature of Test commitments for the three Full Members who are not in the WTC has been one of the issues to resolve as the next calendar from 2023-31 is drawn up. Members have viewed the WTC itself as a success and there is an appetite to pursue it beyond the next cycle, which plays out from 2021-23.But there has been growing realisation that the situation has been unfulfilling for Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland. The trio have only played ten Tests between them – Ireland just one – since the WTC began in July 2019, albeit in a cycle hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. And though they have a slightly busier Test calendar during the second cycle of the WTC, it is not by much.Any such competition would go some way to filling up a sizable fixture gap in the 2023-2031 FTP for these three Full Members as well as some leading Associates.”What does it look like? Where would we want more cricket?,” said one administrator. “Would it achieve our ambitions? There’s a lot of things in the mix before you actually commit and dig deep into it. If it was kicking around, we’d certainly want to be in the conversation.”As well as the scarce number of Tests for the non-WTC trio, the Associates have not had any multi-day international cricket since the last edition of the Intercontinental Cup concluded in December 2017. Unsurprisingly, financial considerations are believed to be the biggest hurdle to clear if any such structure is to come to fruition, and is one of the main reasons why the Intercontinental Cup has not been played since.”It was a finance-driven issue,” said the administrator. “It was about affordability. Again, what does a new tournament look like? What is the cost of running it? You have to be able to fund it to do it properly. So until any detail is produced, you can’t make any informed decisions.”Being an Associate, it’s quite a tough world when it comes to finances when you’re trying to compete and do the best but you’ve only got a limited budget. So while you want to play cricket, the big question is always – can you afford it?”

Six long years have passed since the South Africans were last beaten in a series away from home, a 2-0 reverse in Sri Lanka in 2006

Daniel Brettig29-Oct-2012When Allan Border went almost four years without a Test century between 1988 and 1992, the phrase “not since Faisalabad” became an increasingly weary staple for radio commentators and touring correspondents. South Africa’s Test tourists in Australia are similarly accompanied by the words “not since Colombo”, but for altogether more auspicious reasons.Six long years have passed since the South Africans were last beaten in a series away from home, a 2-0 reverse in Sri Lanka in 2006. To quantify this achievement, it must be noted that in more than a decade of dominance between 1995 and 2008, the longest stretch of years Australia could manage between Test series defeats on the road was four, between 2001 and 2005.Given the garlands laid out for that Australian side, the South Africans deserve a certain level of reverence for their ability to keep confounding opponents in their own territory, most recently England during the northern summer. They may not be the Invincibles, but the squad that arrived in Australia on Sunday can most definitely be termed the Road Warriors.Their captain, Graeme Smith, believes the team’s ability to prosper overseas developed out of maturity and stability. In keeping a team together, the players learned to work with each other, becoming friends as well as team-mates, and going past any sense of fear or uncertainty about the unknowns of foreign climes to develop a sense of confidence and anticipation about any and every challenge that might be presented, whether it be a sharply turning pitch in Kanpur or the green-tinged seamer that is likely to greet them in Brisbane next week.”We started to get a team together that could adapt to conditions,” Smith said. “The maturity of the team in terms of growing as we’ve gone on … and the players are settled and able to adapt to conditions not only on the pitch but off the field. All the different challenges that you face on a tour now, I think we’re able to meet them. I think the team handles being away from home in a good space and in a mature way.Graeme Smith and Gary Kirsten are in charge of a side that is not only No.1 in the world but has a reputation for winning away from home•Getty Images

“It’s about understanding how you’re going to be successful in the environment that you’re playing. We’ve got a few experienced guys around now that have toured a fair bit and hopefully we use that experience well. Certainly I think it’s the challenge that we look forward to, of winning in someone else’s backyard. It’s a tough thing to do and I think that challenge is something that excites us.”That excitement was never more palpable than during South Africa’s last visit to Australia in 2008-09. Helmed by the captain/coach duo of Smith and Mickey Arthur, the tourists wriggled out of dire positions in each of the first two Tests to secure a dramatic series victory, inflicting Australia’s first defeat at home since the West Indies in 1993. Those memories provide Smith with confidence about the matches ahead.”To beat Australia in those stadiums and those environments is something that I don’t think South Africans had dreamt of for a very long time,” Smith said. “For us to be able to achieve that and be there in those moments was incredible. It probably took us a little bit of time to recover from those highs but since that return leg from Australia we’ve been pretty steady and consistent in our performances and maybe that was the stepping stone for the success that we’ve had.”Winning here four years ago is something that you know you’ve done before. Certainly it does help in the self-belief factor knowing that you’ve overcome a hurdle before. I think the achievements the team has put together the last few years, with England just gone by, we obviously do arrive here with a self-belief that we can perform well.”While Arthur now mentors the opposition, South Africa have in Gary Kirsten a calm character and a calming influence, happy to inherit a team that was already well advanced in its quest to build a record that will stand alongside those of other great teams. His challenge is to go one better than Arthur had done, by keeping South Africa at No. 1 in the ICC’s rankings for a sustained period. That quest, and the maintenance of such an imposing record overseas, are both at stake over these three Tests in Australia.”It’s a well set team, it’s a well balanced team, there’s a lot of experience in it and I think they are hardened Test cricketers in the team so they’re familiar with the different conditions that they’re confronted with,” Kirsten said. “I was particularly proud of the guys the way they went about our business in England. There were some pressure moments throughout that series and we responded well to that.”