Happy with the top order’s efforts in a rare Test win without a significant contribution from his bat, Steven Smith wants his fast bowlers to bowl better lengths with the new ball come the second Test in Perth

Brydon Coverdale at the Gabba09-Nov-20151:04

‘Burns and Warner set the tone for us’ – Smith

For once, Steven Smith had other people to talk about. Joe Burns, tick. Usman Khawaja, tick. David Warner, tick, tick, boom. So much went perfectly for Australia in this win over New Zealand that it was easy to overlook one thing that didn’t: Smith himself didn’t so much as score a half-century. It mattered not. In fact, it was kind of a good thing. It meant others had carried the batting load.This was Australia’s tenth Test victory since the start of last year, and just the second time in those ten games that Smith had failed to pass fifty – the lowish-scoring win over West Indies in Dominica last year was the only other. In fact, in seven of them, Smith had scored first-innings hundreds that helped set up the wins: 115, 100, 162*, 133, 199, 215, 143.It was not surprising, then, that Smith’s decision to move down the order from No.3 to No.4 for this series was a subject of much debate. The lack of experience in the top three could have been the source of some hope among the New Zealanders: Burns opening in a Test for the first time, Khawaja having a third crack at Test cricket at first drop.The result? A first-innings ton for Khawaja, a second-innings hundred for Burns. Not to mention a century in each innings for Warner. It meant there was little for Smith to do except suffer a case of pad rash. He came to the crease at 2 for 311 in the first innings and struck 48, and walked out at 2 for 254 in the second and fell for 1.”They did a terrific job,” Smith said. “It was tough early on day one and for Davey and Joe to get through that period was really crucial for us. The partnerships we had in the top three were crucial to our success for this Test match. It enabled me to come out and play quite freely at No.4. I thought they really set the game up for us.”The numbers were quite staggering. It was the first time in Australia’s 781-Test history that they had raised century opening partnerships in each innings of a Test. More than 80% of Australia’s runs in the Test came from their top three batsmen alone. Life without Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke could hardly have started in a more positive fashion.Of course, it will not always be this easy. More revealing will be the future occasions when Burns and Khawaja have to scrap against an attack on top of its game. Here, they faced a New Zealand attack lacking any sort of bite. Tim Southee’s new-ball spell on the first day featured a few good balls that beat the edge, but that was about it. It did not help that Southee later sat out with a back injury.New Zealand’s lack of fight was not the only disappointing thing about the match. Australia’s fielding was sub-standard, with catches dropped at slip, point and short leg. And although Australia had no trouble claiming 20 wickets, their work with the new ball was also inconsistent. New Zealand’s opening batsmen were able to allow too many deliveries to sail by without using their bats.”I think we improved this morning on our line and length,” Smith said. “I thought our new-ball bowling in this game needs a bit of improvement. I thought we bowled a little bit too short. That’s what we normally don’t do out here, we usually get the ball up and make the batters drive and I think that is going to be important for us leading into Perth, which are probably going to be similar conditions.”Crowd numbers at the WACA will also be closely watched; a record crowd attended for Australia-New Zealand contests at the Gabba but the numbers became lacklustre as the game wore on. The 1373 who attended the final day – which began with New Zealand still having seven wickets in hand – was the size of a Sheffield Shield crowd, not a Test attendance.”There wasn’t many out there today, it’s obviously disappointing as we would like everyone coming out and watching us play,” Smith said. “Both sides play a very aggressive brand of cricket and a good brand to watch, so it was disappointing not to have the crowds out here and hopefully we get a bit more support at the WACA.”

Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has replaced Robin Singh as coach of the Chittagong Vikings for the third edition of the BPL that begins on November 22

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2015Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has replaced Robin Singh as coach of the Chittagong Vikings for the third edition of the BPL that begins on November 22.”Aaqib took the Chittagong job after Robin Singh failed to fulfill the contract with Chittagong Vikings for the season. Former Indian cricketer Robin was signed by Chittagong as the head coach but due to personal reasons had to pull out from the job,” a Vikings statement said.The press release also quoted Singh apologising for his having to back out. “It is regretful that for personal reasons I will now be unable to fulfill my contract with the Chittagong Vikings in the BPL. I would like to convey my apologies to the franchise owners, players and support staff. My best wishes go to the team for the tournament.”Javed, who helped UAE qualify for the World T20 2014, is expected to arrive on November 17 while the team has already begun training with some of their local cricketers. The Vikings will play their first match of BPL 3 against the Sylhet Superstars on November 23.

No. 9 Rayad Emrit’s unbeaten 54 gave Barisal Bulls a two-wicket win over Dhaka Dynamites, as well as much-needed confidence before Saturday’s Eliminator between the same two teams

The Report by Mohammad Isam10-Dec-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Rayad Emrit picked up two wickets and slammed a 28-ball 54 to stun Dhaka Dynamites•BCCI

Comilla’s win earlier in the day against Sylhet made this game inconsequential in the race for the last four, but No. 9 Rayad Emrit’s unbeaten 54 gave Barisal Bulls a two-wicket win over Dhaka Dynamites, as well as much-needed confidence before Saturday’s Eliminator between the same two teams.Dhaka seemed well on course for victory when Suhrawadi Shuvo became Mosharraf Hossain’s third wicket in the 17th over, with Barisal slumping to 94 for 8. Emrit, though, struck two sixes in the same over to reduce the equation to 29 needed off three overs.Nine runs were taken in the next over, leaving Emrit and Nikhil Dutta needing 20 off the last two. After taking three singles and a double, Emrit swung Farhad Reza for a four past short fine-leg, but crucially took a single off the last ball.Irfan’s first ball of the last over went for four and when Emrit took a single off the next ball, he reached 50 off 27 balls. Dutta ran a bye next ball before Emrit carved the fourth ball past the point fielder for a four, sealing the win. Emrit took off in ecstasy while Dhaka were left scratching their heads, especially as they had dominated most of the game.Both teams had rested four players each, including Kumar Sangakkara for Dhaka and Chris Gayle for Barisal. It gave opportunities to younger players and Mosaddek Hossain, playing on his 20th birthday, made Dhaka’s top score with 30 off 31 balls while Dutta, playing his first match in the BPL, took 3 for 18.Mohammad Irfan struck in the third over of Barisal’s chase when he had Rony Talukdar caught behind for four, after striking him with a bouncer. Nabil Samad then had Brendan Taylor leg-before for 3 and Mahmudullah bowled for 1, before Mosaddek Hossain took the big wicket of Evin Lewis, caught at long-off for 9.Sabbir Rahman was then trapped lbw by Mosharraf, although the ball appeared to be heading down the leg side. Soon after, Mohammad Hafeez took an excellent running catch, coming forward from long-off, from a Sohag Gazi miscue in the 12th over, as Barisal slipped to 59 for 6. Mehedi Maruf was batting well, attacking and picking singles at will, but he ran past a Mosharraf delivery in the 14th over to be stumped, seemingly ending any hopes of a Barisal win. His 41-ball 37 had three fours and two big sixes over midwicket.Earlier, Dutta foxed an advancing Hafeez with a wide delivery that was only toe-ended to cover for a simple catch. Hafeez had made 25 off 27 balls, helped by four fours. In his next over, Dutta bowled Malcolm Waller with a delivery that dipped late on the batsman who was trying to slog him. Nasir Hossain finally connected a slog off Dutta, but was caught at deep midwicket in the bowler’s third over. Dutta finished with figures of 3 for 18 from four overs.Mosaddek, who struck a four and a six in his 31-ball innings, came to the crease at this point and added 33 runs for the fifth wicket with Ryan ten Doeschate, who made 22 and was caught at cover off Emrit. There was a second wicket in store for Emrit in the final over of the innings, when he clean bowled Shykat Ali. Emrit would also have the last word with the bat.

Afghanistan are poised to capture a second trophy on this tour unless Zimbabwe, who have lost two matches on the trot now, can get themselves out of their funk

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu09-Jan-2016

Match facts

Sunday, January 10, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1600GMT)

Big picture

Chaos in T20 cricket is always a spectacle, like the last over in a tense chase dragging on for nine balls, including two free hits, two big hits and two massive wickets. Whilst the fans may throng into the stadium hoping for a repeat, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe might well prefer pulling the plug on such amateur hour. Dawlat Zadran had been left to defend 20 runs off six balls, he ended up bowling an over and a half. Elton Chigumbura managed to get himself run-out off a free-hit delivery, and though his eagerness to pinch runs was understandable at that stage of the game, Zimbabwe should not have put themselves in a position that forced them to steal runs.Both teams have shown growth at various stages of the tour. Afghanistan shot Zimbabwe out for 82 and Zimbabwe shot Afghanistan out for 58. There was a Mohammad Shahzad century that led a cool chase and a Chamu Chibhabha special that will not soon be forgotten. The problem though is such fine performances have occasionally dovetailed with other players not pulling their weight. Greame Cremer picked up a five-for and ended up on the losing side. Afghanistan’s bowlers had offered a chase of 176 to their batsmen, who simply self-destructed.Correcting this discrepancy will be chief among both teams’ plans, and there is one last match on this tour to do so. For Afghanistan, the incentive will be adding the T20 trophy to their ODI trophy. And for Zimbabwe, the chance to come away with a squared series and a better account of their fight in unfamiliar territory.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan WWWLW
Zimbabwe LWLLL

In the spotlight

Afghanistan aren’t quite lacking in players fond on using the long handle, but Gulbadin Naib‘s ability to do so in the closing stages of an innings without allowing the pressure of run rates to disorient his plans has stood out. He is 24 years old, and perhaps with time he can address a batting average below 30 in ODIs and T20Is. But for now all he needs to do is see ball, hit ball, which is one of his strong suits.Zimbabwe’s bowlers haven’t had the best time of it in the closing stages of an innings, including Luke Jongwe, who has recently taken over as their death-overs specialist. But having given away 27 runs in the 17th and 19th overs on Friday, he may need to show he is worth the thinktank’s faith.

Team news

Although Afghanistan have a vast pool of players to choose from, it is unlikely that they will disturb a winning combination.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Mohammad Nabi, 4 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Karim Sadiq, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mirwais Ashraf, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Amir HamzaZimbabwe may need to rejig their batting order. Hamilton Masakadza is the only one bowlers would worry about among the top four, so perhaps someone like Sikandar Raza could be pushed up the order.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Peter Moor, 2 Hamilton Masakadza, 3 Chamu Chibhabha, 4 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Donald Tiripano/ Neville Madziva, 11 Tendai Chisoro

Pitch and conditions

Sharjah offered excellent batting conditions, replete with dew to help the ball come onto the bat more. There isn’t much to suggest that will change. A pleasant night is forecast, with temperatures around 20C.

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe have the worst win-loss ratio – 0.235 – among all teams who have played at least 30 T20Is. Afghanistan’s 1.466 puts them in fourth place
• Zimbabwe’s bowlers, who concede an average of 7.81 runs per over, have the second-worst economy rate among all teams who have played at least 30 T20Is. Afghanistan’s 7.13 puts them at fourth again.

New Zealand were bowled out cheaply in their first innings for the third time in successive Wellington Tests, but Australia will be wary that they recovered to draw and win on the last two occasions

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington12-Feb-20160:59

‘We bowled well as a group’ – Hazlewood

For the third straight Basin Reserve Test, Brendon McCullum lost the toss. For the third straight time New Zealand were sent in on a pitch that was expected to offer the fast men some assistance. For the third straight time, they were knocked over inside 60 overs. If that scenario seems like it should favour Australia, it is worth noting that in neither of the previous two instances did New Zealand go on to lose the Test; they won one and drew the other.To that end, the Australians finished the first day pleased with their performance but wary that there remained plenty of work to come. Hefty second-innings partnerships against both Sri Lanka and India got New Zealand out of their previous Wellington troubles, when the pitch had flattened out and become easier for batting. Josh Hazlewood, who took 4 for 42, forecast harder times in the second innings.”I think while the ball is new at any stage it’s going to do a little bit, once the shine and the hardness of the ball is gone it’s quite a good wicket for batting,” Hazlewood said. “It didn’t turn much and once our ball got older it didn’t seam much, so I think it’s going to hold together pretty well. The next ten wickets that we need will be quite tough to get.”For the second time in consecutive Test matches, all ten New Zealand wickets fell to catches, as they struggled against deliveries that moved just enough, particularly from Hazlewood and Peter Siddle. Jackson Bird, playing his first Test in two-and-a-half years, could not find the right length and served up too many half-volleys and short balls, but Siddle was typically miserly and built important pressure bowling into the wind.”It does make a big difference, bowling in partnerships,” Hazlewood said. “He’s done a great job, not only this Test but throughout his whole career of just drying up one end and building those dots and that pressure which obviously ends in wickets, eventually. He was outstanding again today.”There was perhaps not as much swing as the Australians might have expected in Wellington but the ball did move about off the seam, and Hazlewood showed that he had learnt the lessons of his Ashes tour last year, on which he tried too often for the “miracle ball” instead of letting the conditions help him build pressure.Josh Hazlewood expects the Basin Reserve pitch to ‘hold together pretty well’ over the course of the Test match•Getty Images

He was well supported in the field. The coach Darren Lehmann had mentioned in the lead-up to this series that fielding was an area in which Australia needed significant improvement. They did not drop a catch on day one in Wellington and took ten, including a sharp take from Adam Voges at slip, a clever boundary juggle from Usman Khawaja, and most impressively a dive down the leg side from Peter Nevill to an inside edge off Siddle that dismissed Kane Williamson cheaply.”Not much gets past Nev, he has very high standards and that’s right up there with some of the best we’ve seen from Nev,” Hazlewood said. “We’ve done a lot of work over the last few days especially fine-tuning that catching and ground fielding and I think we saw today that we held on to everything and that makes a massive difference.”The same could not be said of New Zealand. On 18, Steven Smith was put down by Mark Craig in the cordon, and the miss cost New Zealand the opportunity to have Australia wobbling at 43 for 3. Smith went on to make 71 before Craig redeemed himself by snaring a good return catch low to his left.”Looking back I probably owe the boys 50 runs after putting Smith down at second slip,” Craig said. “No one likes dropping catches. It’s pretty disappointing personally, but we move forward.”Earlier, Craig had been one of the key reasons that New Zealand had not crumbled for something just over 100. He had come to the crease at 97 for 7 and went on to be his team’s highest scorer, finishing unbeaten on 41 and compiling impressive fighting partnerships with Corey Anderson and then Trent Boult.”You’ve got to give it to the way those Aussie boys bowled,” Craig said. “When they got it in the right areas they showed it was very tough to score. We would have liked a few more runs but the game is nicely advanced now.”The ball was a bit softer [when I batted] and it didn’t do as much as what it was doing early in the day … I wouldn’t say it was seaming massively but once they bowled that slightly fuller length it was doing enough to grab either way, grab both edges. It was definitely doing enough with that newer ball, once they got it full enough.”New Zealand’s bowlers also made a strong start and two early wickets from Tim Southee had Australia at 5 for 2, but Smith and Khawaja put on a fighting 126 for the third wicket to put Australia back on top by the end of the day. Still, only the incorrect no-balling of Doug Bracewell in the final over of the afternoon denied New Zealand the chance to have Australia four down at stumps.”If we managed to get one or two more wickets at the end it probably would have been parity, a pretty even day,” Craig said. “After losing the toss and getting put in, we’d take them five or six down any day. One or two more wickets and we’d have been really happy.”

Sunil Narine has written to the National League Representatives (NLR) after allegedly being mocked by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Feb-2016West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine has written to the National League Representatives (NLR) asking for an independent probe into whether an email that mocked him for “pelting” was sent by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath.Narine, who was banned from bowling in international cricket on November 29, had undergone biometric testing at Loughborough University after being reported for a suspect action during the third ODI of West Indies’ tour of Sri Lanka earlier that month.In his letter to the six-member NLR, a copy of which has been seen by ESPNcricinfo, Narine claimed that Bassarath’s email had been sent on the very same day as his ban to various TTCB officials, including executive member Baldath Mahabir.”If indeed the letter came from Mr Bassarath and I have to stress the ‘if’ right now, it seems that he must have long believed that my bowling action was illegal,” Narine wrote.”There was such venom and almost joy in my being suspended that was evident in the email which said, “Let him start to Bowl !!!!!! He was not turning much in d first place!!!!! Straight ball and faster one all the time. !!!! PELTING !!!!!!!”But in a TTCB media release sent this week Bassarath strongly denied he had sent the alleged email. Bassarath also stressed that he would take legal recourse if the email was attributed to his name in the local media.In the immediate aftermath of his suspension, Narine claimed to have received a sympathetic email from TTCB chief executive Sooraj Ragoonath, a copy of which was sent to Bassarath, extending the board’s support to the offspinner and, soon afterwards, inviting Narine to play in the Nagico Super 50, the regional ODI tournament in which he had been the leading wicket-taker last year.However on December 18, Ragoonath wrote back, saying the WICB would not allow “any person who is debarred by the ICC” to participate in regional tournaments until cleared and that the TTCB had withdrawn Narine from the one-day squad. Narine was subsequently barred from entering the T&T players’ enclosure by the ground security at Queen’s Park Oval.”It was a time of extreme stress for me and I was grateful when I received an email from Suruj Ragoonath, the CEO of the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board, which contained the promise to provide me ‘with all the necessary support’ and invited me to a meeting to discuss how the TTCB could assist me and to get an idea of the support I would require,” Narine wrote.Instead, Narine said that he was taken totally aback on learning that the TTCB was contemplating banning him from bowling in club cricket in T&T. At a TTCB meeting chaired by Bassarath, Narine said, “An attempt was made to change the rules of the national tournament to prevent players suspended by the ICC from participating at the national level.”Responding to Narine’s allegation, Bassarath, through a TTCB release titled ‘Email link denied’, issued by the board’s media manager, stated, “Mr Bassarath wishes to totally disassociate himself from the alleged email currently making the rounds and which is being pronounced upon to suggest that it is authentic.”The president of the TTCB reserves the right to seek legal recourse to clear his name should the alleged email be attributed to him in reports carried in the local media,” the release read.Narine concluded, “Even though I seem to have been denied natural justice by the writer of the email which accused me of “pelting”, I believe that an independent investigation should be undertaken to determine, if it was not Mr Bassarath himself, who indeed was the person who sent the Emails using Mr Bassarath’s known and familiar email address as well as Mr Baldath Mahabir.”The NLR comprises six members elected by the local T&T clubs, and they sit on the TTCB. The members of the NLR are: Dinanath Ramnarine, Daren Ganga, Giles Antoine, Andre Lawrence, Anil Kamal and Clint Pamphille.

A round-up of all the Plunket Shield matches that were played from March 15-18, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2016Seamer Lachie Ferguson’s figures of 5 for 68 in Otago‘s second innings stretched his match haul to eight wickets as Auckland claimed a narrow 10-run win in Dunedin.Chasing 218, Otago were bowled out for 207 in 49.3 overs and to add their woes, offspinner Mark Craig was struck flush on the hand by a Ferguson beamer while batting. The injury forced Craig off the field, and is likely to put him completely out of action for at least six weeks.Ferguson was quick to dismiss the openers on the third day and leave Otago in early trouble at 33 for 2. Derek de Boorder counterattacked, but lacked support from the other end. He struck 81 off 76 before he was bowled by Ferguson. Allrounder Colin de Grandhomme complemented Ferguson well by taking two wickets. Auckland eventually walked away with 18 points.The match was set up by Robert O’Donnell’s 87, which helped Auckland to 255 in the first innings, and a lead of 78 runs, after they were asked to bat. Ferguson and Grandhomme had done the damage in Otago’s first innings as well, with combined figures of 27.5 -8- 66-6. Opener Ryan Duffy carried his bat for 90* off 163, but the other end was a case of revolving doors as Otago were bowled out for 177.Auckland collapsed to 139 within 51 overs in the second innings as Craig Smith took 4 for 35, but had the cushion of the first-innings advantage, and a solid bowling attack.Wellington defended 183 against Canterbury, courtesy three-fors from Ian McPeake and Jeetan Patel. Canterbury were skittled for 129 on a maniac final day, which witnessed the fall of 20 wickets.Having been inserted, Wellington made 206 on the back of England professional Scott Borthwick’s century, which included 13 fours. After rain wiped out the second day, Canterbury, riding on fifties from openers Leo Carter and Michael Davidson, opted for a bold declaration at 159 for 2.Fast bowler Hamish Bennett raised Canterbury’s hopes with figures of 5 for 54, which dismissed Wellington for only 136, with only three batsmen managing double figures, the highest being Michael Papps’ 51 at the top of the order.However, Canterbury’s hopes faded away as they succumbed to a collapse of their own. Each of their top-four batsmen reached double figures, but none managed a substantial contribution.Big centuries by Daniel Flynn and Bharat Popli set up a 115-run win for Northern Districts over Central Districts in Hamilton.After being put in to bat, Northern Districts piled up 458 for 6 declared on the back of a 258-run partnership between Flynn and Popli. Opener Flynn struck 26 fours during his 158 while Popli collected 27 fours during his 172.Central Districts were then bowled out for 293, with several of their batsmen failing to capitalise on their starts. Riding on a 165-run lead, Northern Districts put on 332 for 7, led by fifties from Dean Brownlie, Popli and Daryl Mitchell’s 49-ball 72, before declaring to set a target of 498. Central Districts showed more fight in the second innings, but came up short. Tom Bruce led the way for them with 166 off 233 balls and No. 8 Bevan Small scored 76. Spinners Joe Walker and Anton Devcich wheeled away for 57.2 overs, to share eight wickets between them, to seal the win. Devcich finished with eight wickets in the match.

Arun Harinath and Kumar Sangakkara led the Surrey fightback on the third day of their match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

George Dobell12-Apr-2016
ScorecardArun Harinath dug in throughout a shortened third day to give Surrey hope of surviving•Getty Images

There was a mournful atmosphere at Trent Bridge for much of Tuesday.While the rain that delayed the start until 2pm drifted away in fact, in spirit it appeared to remain. And, amid the gloom, with all present reeling from the sickening news of James Taylor’s untimely retirement, the pavilion flag was lowered to half-mast to acknowledge Brian Hewes, the club’s former scorer. A well-respected and popular man, he collapsed in the Trent Bridge Tavern on Monday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital. In such times, it becomes apparent that the result of a cricket match really doesn’t amount to much.To the credit of both teams, though – the cricket world is not large and the shock will have been felt well beyond the confines of the Nottinghamshire dressing room – they managed to produce a highly competitive day’s cricket during which Arun Harinath gave his Surrey side a decent chance of claiming a draw and an outside chance of a victory.Harinath was reckoned by Opta, the data providers, to have played and missed 35 times during the day. But such his is method of leaving the ball – playing inside the delivery in the manner of Marcus Trescothick among many others – that a realistic figure would be a fraction of that.A more generous assessment would acknowledge that he left the ball well, made full use of the lack of third man for much of the day and put away the poor ball with some style. The greatest praise of all is that, for a while when he was batting with Kumar Sangakkara during their stand of 142 in 33 overs, it was hard to tell them apart.Having initially come into the first-class game as something of an old-fashioned blocked, Harinath demonstrated an increased range of aggressive strokes. He punished anything on his legs with a flourish, reacted with a series of hooks and pulls when Notts tested him with the short ball and attacked the spin with sweeps and lofted drives.Sangakkara almost ran him out on 44. Greg Smith’s direct hit from cover looked to have punished Harinath for his inability to have recover his ground – certainly a picture from a local photographer suggested so – having been sent back, but the umpire disagreed and he survived to register the sixth century of an increasingly impressive career.It might be tempting to conclude from the scorecard that Notts were distracted, they actually bowled beautifully at times. Jake Ball, in particular, seems to have come on significantly over the winter and drew warm admiration from the watching James Whitaker. Both Sangakkara and Steven Davies were undone by fine deliveries angled across them that bounced sharply and drew the edge, while Rory Burns may have been undone by a fraction of movement.Harry Gurney also impressed. Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket and England director, recently remarked that Gurney’s England days were over but he appears to have added the inswinger to his armoury over the winter and looks a much more effective performer for the improvement. Here he beat the bat regularly and will bowl less well and take a hatful of wickets. It was an admirable effort for a man who was clearly upset by the news from one of his oldest friends.”Titch and I first played together for Loughborough Town when he was eight and I was 11,” Gurney said afterwards. “We’ve played together pretty much the whole time. We signed for Leicestershire, came to Notts and then were in England squads together. That’s a lot of time spent on a cricket field with him. It’s devastating I won’t do that again.”Life is cruel. He’s always been so committed to all aspects of the game, not just his batting, but his fielding and fitness. He’s probably the last person this should have happened to, but supposedly his level of fitness has saved his life. We’ve got that silver lining I guess.”It’s devastating news. It was a rough morning with the news that came through. When we went out there we said let’s try and put the emotion to one side and give our all. We knew Titch would be in hospital checking the score and probably watching the live stream. We’re desperate to win the game for him and longer term try to win a trophy for him. That would be fitting.”Each time it appeared Surrey were inching towards safety, the Notts attack struck back. Jason Roy played back – and slightly across – a straight one and Ben Foakes attempted to drive over the top and managed only to give a return catch to Samit Patel. But a lead of 76, on a pitch showing signs of indifferent bounce, is not insignificant. Any result is still possible on the final day and the second new ball, due about half-an-hour into the morning, could prove crucial.

Amit Mishra, Chris Morris and Nathan Coulter-Nile claimed combined figures of 11-0-63-5 to set up Delhi Dardevils’ seven-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu12-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Morris took 1 for 19 and effected a run out off his own bowling•BCCI

Delhi Daredevils were without captain Zaheer Khan who missed his second game of the season because of a niggle. Chris Morris stepped up and unfurled cutters, fast yorkers, slower yorkers, and bouncers. Amit Mishra tested Sunrisers Hyderabad with googlies and claimed two wickets, both with seam-up balls, clocked at over 110kph. Nathan Coulter-Nile, playing his second game of the season, impressed in the end overs as the bowlers triggered Sunrisers’ disintegration, after a fast start from David Warner. From 80 for 1 after ten overs, Sunrisers finished with 146 for 8. Warner later said that they were 20-30 runs short.Quinton de Kock took charge of the chase. His cuts and pick-up shots flew off his bat. He looked in control until he was given out caught behind by umpire Marais Erasmus after a prolonged appeal. De Kock slashed at a short, wide ball and his helmet fell onto the ground as he completed his stroke, but Ultra Edge indicated there was no bat involved. When he was dismissed for a 31-ball 44, Daredevils needed 69 off 61 balls and Mustafizur Rahman had three overs left. Sunrisers believed but Sanju Samson and teenager Rishabh Pant showed nous to end Sunrisers’ four-match winning streak.Daredevils’ stand-in captain JP Duminy credited the “collective bowling effort” for the side’s sixth win in ten games. Mishra was introduced into the attack in the 11th over, after offspinner Jayant Yadav completed a tidy spell. Jayant gave the ball plenty of air in his three Powerplay overs. His reward, though, came off a quicker ball when Warner backed away outside leg, played inside the line, and had his leg stump pegged back for 46 off 30 balls. Mishra cranked up his pace in his second over, ending Dhawan’s sedate 34 with a 114kph seam-up ball. The variation accounted for Yuvraj Singh as well, as a leading edge carried to short fine leg. The shaky middle order was exposed.Mohammed Shami made another dent when he pinned Moises Henriques lbw for a duck. The ball wasn’t coming onto the bat and stroke-making was difficult. Kane Williamson aimed to force the pace before he was bowled by an inswinging Morris full toss for 27 off 24 balls. The fast bowler capped his spell by kicking an inside edge, that rolled back up the pitch, onto the stumps to effect the run out of Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 1. Deepak Hooda stepped on his stumps off the bowling of Coulter-Nile in the 19th over. Naman Ojha was caught at square leg off a full toss in the last over. This meant that Daredevils picked up five wickets in the last five overs for 33.The returning Mayank Agarwal began brightly with a lofted drive over mid-on for four. The opener was undone by the slowness of the pitch when he sliced Ashish Nehra to extra cover in the fourth over. An unfazed de Kock cracked Nehra for back-to-back boundaries in the same over before cutting Mustafizur for four in the sixth over. De Kock’s blows meant that Daredevils closed the Powerplay at 50 for 1.Henriques, however, dismissed Karun Nair and de Kock in the tenth over to tighten the chase. Samson and Pant steered Daredevils home with an unbroken 72-run stand off 50 balls. Pant, in particular, was aggressive against Mustafizur – first launching him over long-on for six and three balls later, whipping him for four past midwicket.Pant plundered 26 off Mustafizur from 13 balls, the most by any batsman against the left-arm seamer in a T20. Samson sealed the chase with a pulled six, and the night ended with Nehra warmly embracing Pant.

Zimbabwe are a better side than their displays in this series have suggested, and it is in their interests – as well as in India’s – for them to play to potential in the third and final ODI

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Jun-2016

Match facts

Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Start time 0900 local (0700 GMT)1:03

Can Zimbabwe stop series whitewash in Harare?

Big picture

Over the last two years and a bit, India’s ODI top three has been among the best in the world. They have had issues, however, with Nos. 4, 5 and 6. Addressing those issues must have been among the selectors’ primary concerns when they picked a largely experimental squad to tour Zimbabwe. Two-thirds of the way into the ODI series, India’s Nos. 4, 5 and 6 have faced one ball between them. One ball.Two matches down, the series already won, India have barely been tested. Their bowlers have enjoyed the conditions, which have offered a bit of swing and seam for the quicks and a bit of grip for the spinners, and have racked up sensational numbers. Of the five bowlers India have used, only Axar Patel (24.00) averages more than 20 in this series. But perhaps they have had it all too easy. No meaningful partnerships to stretch their patience or skillsets, no withering attack to quell, not one batsman building an innings and refusing to give his wicket away.The batsmen, needless to say, have had it even easier: they had to chase 169 in the first ODI and 127 in the second.Zimbabwe aren’t a great side. This was known even before the series began. But they are better than their displays so far suggest. It will be in both sides’ interests if they actually show up on Wednesday, and play to their potential. The series cries out for a big top-order partnership from Zimbabwe, for a burst of wickets from their bowlers, for the crackling contest that isn’t beyond them.

Form guide

Zimbabwe: LLLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
India: WWWLL

In the spotlight

It isn’t his fault that he has bowled with woefully inadequate totals to defend, and, given those circumstances, Tendai Chatara has actually bowled pretty well so far. His pace isn’t yet up to the level it was at before he broke his shin last year, but he has hit the deck, straightened a few past the edge, picked up Zimbabwe’s only wicket in the first ODI and could have had one in the second game too, had he not overstepped. He will hope Zimbabwe either bowl first or put decent total on the board on Wednesday, giving him a chance to apply some sort of pressure on India’s batsmen.Kedar Jadhav scored an unbeaten 105 the last time he batted in an ODI. That was in July 2015. Since then, he has lost his place to more established names and come back for this series only to notch up DNBs in the first two matches. He will hope India bat first, or that they get a decent target to chase, or that he gets a major promotion up the order.

Team news

Craig Ervine injured his hamstring before the second ODI, and Sean Williams, who replaced him, injured his finger soon after the toss and was unable to bat. It is unclear if either will be available on Wednesday. Timycen Maruma could get a look-in if both are ruled out. Zimbabwe already have a lengthy batting line-up, though, and might be tempted instead to pick an extra bowler – either a seamer in Donald Tiripano or Tawanda Mupariwa, or a spinner in Wellington Masakadza or Tendai Chisoro.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Peter Moor, 4 Vusi Sibanda, 5 Sean Williams/Craig Ervine/Timycen Maruma, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 9 Graeme Cremer (capt), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Taurai MuzarabaniIndia played the same XI in the first two games and, given the lack of batting time for their middle order, could shuffle the top six. MS Dhoni hinted after the second ODI that India might rest one of their bowlers, and that could mean Jaydev Unadkat, Rishi Dhawan or Jayant Yadav gets a look-in.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul/Mandeep Singh, 2 & 3 Karun Nair/Ambati Rayudu/Faiz Fazal, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Axar Patel/Jayant Yadav, 8 Dhawal Kulkarni, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah/Rishi Dhawan, 11 Barinder Sran/Jaydev Unadkat

Pitch and conditions

Chilly weather is likely to continue on Wednesday, with a high in the low 20s, though no rain is forecast. The early morning start will tempt both teams to bowl first and utilise the swing on offer, but India might look to bat first and challenge both their batsmen and bowlers.

Stats and trivia

• MS Dhoni is one short of 350 ODI dismissals. He currently has 260 catches and 89 stumpings from 277 matches.
• One stat to sum up the series so far: India’s batsmen average 100.66 per wicket. Zimbabwe’s average 15.47.

Quotes

“They put a fielder there. If there’s a fielder, hit it down, get the single. We didn’t do that.”