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Graeme Swann is a jovial character at the best of times, but he will go into the first Test against South Africa with a spring in his step after bagging a six-wicket haul against the Invitational XI at Buffalo Park

Andrew McGlashan in East London10-Dec-2009
ScorecardGraeme Swann will hope for similar success when the first Test gets under way•Getty Images

Graeme Swann is a jovial character at the best of times, but he will go into the first Test against South Africa with a spring in his step after bagging a six-wicket haul against the Invitational XI at Buffalo Park. His collection included three wickets in four balls although some of the shot selection from the home side provided Swann with the sort of freebies that won’t be on offer at Centurion next week.It was a good day all-round for Swann who hit a sprightly 39 off 31 balls as England declared mid-way through the afternoon on 328 for 8 with Ian Bell (48) and Matt Prior (44) also adding 83 for the sixth wicket before the pair retired. Swann then struck with his second ball before running through the line-up during the final session as he tossed the ball up against batsmen happy to swing from the hip. The most impressive of them was Sammy-Joe Avontuur who made an attractive 68 before missing a wild swipe at Swann. David Wiese edged an ambitious drive to slip and Swann was within a whisker of a hat-trick when the ball just missed the stumps.The quick bowlers enjoyed less success as they tried to shake off the rust. Graham Onions made the opening breakthrough but Stuart Broad’s first spell cost 42 runs as he dropped too short on a surface that remained slow. He ended with 11 overs in the tank although looked as though he needs another run-out in the second match, when James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom are both set to play after resting their respective knee and side injuries.Sidebottom has been given the all-clear while Anderson had an outdoor net to test out his right knee that has had three injections for a mystery problem. England’s bowling plans revolve around Anderson so all eyes will be on him over the next two days. As far as this game goes, the visitors will be pleased they managed to get as much action as they did.The fact that any play was possible at all on the second day was miraculous after further heavy rain fell the previous day and left the outfield underwater. However, hard work by the ground staff and impressive keenness from the home side to continue the game meant play started on time despite large mud patches on the outfield covered in heaps of sawdust.Alastair Cook began the day on 66 and lost his overnight partner, Paul Collingwood, in the second over when he chipped a soft catch to midwicket. Cook again had to dig in for his runs and the reworked technique benefited him with another well-timed straight drive, however, he too was undone by the sluggish surface when he chipped a low catch to mid-on. Although a hundred would have been a satisfying landmark for him, he has had more time than most in the middle lately and his dismissal benefited the middle order.Whatever Bell does over the next few days it may not be enough to force the selectors’ hands if they decide to go with five frontline batsmen alongside Prior for the first Test. However, he made batting look comfortable and, like Cook, showed the value of his spell with the Performance Squad in Pretoria. Prior only had a single innings during the one-day series but was soon reacquainting himself with bat on ball. Ironically, it is Prior’s ability to bat at No. 6 that is likely to leave Bell on the sidelines.The sixth-wicket pair retired during lunch so Broad and Swann emerged from the pavilion for the afternoon session. Broad, who may yet bat at No. 7 next week, inside-edged an attempted drive into his stumps but Swann struck the ball cleanly before the declaration.Andrea Agathagelou could have gone lbw a couple of times during his brief innings before finally being trapped as he shuffled across his crease against Onions. van Wyk dispatched Broad for consecutive boundaries before planting his front foot across the crease against Swann and Temba Bavuma was undone by some extra bounce as he gloved to short leg.Mark Davies, the Durham quick called up as cover for Anderson and Sidebottom, bustled in when handed his chance for ten tight overs. He is due to be released back to the Performance Squad when the team arrives in Johannesburg on Monday barring any further injury problems. England will be keeping their fingers crossed that he isn’t needed again.

Fortress Newlands brought the best out of South Africa again as they levelled the one-day series with a crushing 112-run victory on the back of a blistering 85-ball 121 by AB de Villiers

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan27-Nov-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers celebrates his breathtaking hundred which powered South Africa to 354 at Newlands•Getty Images

Fortress Newlands brought the best out of South Africa again as they levelled the one-day series with a crushing 112-run victory on the back of a blistering 85-ball 121 by AB de Villiers. There had been some strong words in the home camp after the defeat at Centurion and a refocused group of players emerged to produce a powerful all-round display, capped off with the fit-again Wayne Parnell claiming a career-best 5 for 48.It would be easy to look at Graeme Smith winning the toss and surmise that it made a huge difference given the ground’s history. There is no doubt it helped – batting under pristine blue skies was a head start – but it would be a huge disservice to South Africa’s top order, and especially de Villiers, to suggest it was the deciding factor. This wasn’t one of those nights where the ball zipped around under the lights, instead England were beaten by sheer weight of runs from a batting display that wasn’t far off the perfect gameplan.England didn’t roll over in a daunting run chase but after losing their top three for 58 and Kevin Pietersen at the half-way mark the task was always too much. Paul Collingwood continued his recent rich vein of form with a combative 86 including three sixes – taking his tally since the start of the Champions Trophy to 393 runs in six innings – but it was only an effort in narrowing the margin of defeat. South Africa’s attack was far sharper with the return of Parnell and Morne Morkel who shared eight wickets in a throw-ahead of what the Test series could entail.From early in the innings it appeared a given that South Africa would make hay, but not quite to the extent of 354 – comfortably a record score against England and equalling their best for this venue. Smith and Hashim Amla opened with a stand of 107 in 18 overs which paved the way for de Villiers to produce one of his finest one-day innings.In a wonderful display of clean and controlled striking de Villiers went a long way towards correcting his poor one-day record against England which stood as an anomaly in his career where his previous best was 42. At no stage did de Villiers take his foot off the gas, but the innings really exploded into life when South Africa took their batting Powerplay in the 43rd over.De Villiers greeted Stuart Broad with an audacious ramp-turned-scoop over the keeper’s head then swept him fiercely through midwicket in an over that cost 15. His hundred – the fourth of his career – came in the next over off 75 balls with another boundary pummelled through midwicket. When he finally skied to cover, a number of England players acknowledged the innings as he left the field. Along the way de Villiers shared stands of 98 with Amla and 95 in 10 overs with Alviro Petersen, but on both occasions his partners became almost forgotten bystanders.Amla and Smith were allowed to kick-start the innings against some wayward new-ball bowling. Smith went to a run-a-ball fifty then dragged Luke Wright into his stumps, but Amla settled into the anchor role. Amla wouldn’t have been playing in this series if Jacques Kallis hadn’t been ruled out with a fractured rib but, as he always does, he continued to make the most of his opportunity. De Villiers backed up the opening stand with a positive start as he took advantage of the delayed bowling Powerplay with a flick over midwicket and two rasping cut shots. The warning signs were flashing.De Villiers rushed his fifty from 39 balls as he made good ground on catching his partner. Amla had a century for the taking when he bottom-edged a pull to Matt Prior and momentarily England held the run-rate in check as Wright had JP Duminy taken at deep square-leg. However, South Africa were just biding their time.De Villiers and Petersen consolidated for a few overs until the mayhem started. The fourth-wicket stand was worth 95 with 57 of those coming from the batting Powerplay as de Villiers cut loose against Broad and Anderson. Mark Boucher ensured the innings ended with a flourish as the final 10 overs brought 109 runs. Extraordinarily, given the total, Boucher launched the first six of the innings in the 48th over with a straight drive off Wright. Petersen reached an almost-ignored fifty from 39 balls – matching de Villiers’ rate – during the final over as South Africa moved past 350.Faced with an asking rate of seven England shuffled their batting order and the promoted Wright chanced his arm for 24 off 19 balls before picking out deep square-leg. Andrew Strauss batted with intent and no little flourish, but not for nearly long enough when he edged a wide ball from Morkel. In the next over Jonathan Trott was brilliantly held at first slip by Smith who was having one of those days that captains savour.Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen, the latter still searching for form, had to try and rebuild in the face of an ever-rising asking rate and just when a partnership was settling Pietersen failed to cover his leg stump when he swept at Duminy. Despite Collingwood’s strong biffing, which included consecutive sixes off Ryan McLaren, sustaining the required rate was mission impossible.On both occasions that South Africa have been surprised by England on this tour – the opening Twenty20 and at Centurion – they have bounced back in grand style. They will be eager for the next meeting in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, while England face another test of their confidence.

Ricky Ponting has warned his side to be prepared for a Pakistan backlash in the second Test at the SCG following the one-sided result in the opening match

Peter English at the SCG02-Jan-2010Ricky Ponting has warned his side to be prepared for a Pakistan backlash in the second Test at the SCG following the one-sided result in the opening match. Ponting rated Australia’s bowling at the MCG during the 170-run win as the best of the past couple of years and has told his men to maintain the standard over the rest of the three-match series.”Teams are probably at their most dangerous when they’ve come off a heavy loss like last week,” Ponting said. “The challenge for us is to not get carried away with what we’ve done.”West Indies stood up to Australia in the final two games of the opening series of the local summer, but there were fewer concerns created by Pakistan at the MCG. However, Ponting is wary of their unpredictability as he plots a 2-0 series win before the final game in Hobart.”Pakistan, for as long as I can remember, can be as good as anybody going around and then an over, or a couple of overs, later, look as ordinary as anybody,” he aid. “That’s the nature of the way they play their cricket. That’s the unpredictability about them, we can’t afford to think that things will happen well for us again this week.”They’re already talking up the fact they think they can bounce back quickly. We know what to expect from them, we know they have some very talented players. Last week we had their measure, it’s up to us to make sure we start well again.”Ponting is still being hampered by an elbow problem suffered in the final Test against West Indies when he was hit by a Kemar Roach bouncer. When Chris Gayle said his side had unearthed a weakness against Ponting, the Australian captain basically challenged opposition bowlers to come after him.”I said that going into the last game and I got out playing a pull shot,” he said, having been caught at deep square leg in the second innings. “I’m more than happy for anybody to bowl there to me. I just need to play the shot a bit better than I did last week.”

Until this match Ricky Ponting looked like a man whose best days were behind him

Brydon Coverdale at Bellerive Oval15-Jan-2010Ricky Ponting never stops surprising. Until this season he had enforced the follow-on twice in 62 Tests as captain; he now hopes to do it for the second time this summer. Until this match he looked, at 35, like a man whose best days were behind him; he countered that perception with his third-highest Test score and the biggest partnership he has ever been involved in at Test level.It was significant that the 352-run stand came with Michael Clarke, the vice-captain and the man who will take over the leadership whenever Ponting decides to carry his Kookaburra and faded baggy-green off into the sunset. If he keeps playing like he has over the past two days, that could be several years away.Whenever it arrives, Australia want Clarke to be perfectly prepared and gradual moves into the Twenty20 and one-day captaincy have been part of the process. As the two men dragged the match further and further out of Pakistan’s reach, it felt as if Ponting was an old warrior teaching the younger man how to kill off a prey, clinically and without mercy.For all Clarke’s successes as a Test player, turning hundreds into big ones had been a problem. Until today, his highest score remained the 151 he carved on debut in Bangalore and his longest innings was 367 minutes. Here, he lasted 437 minutes for 166.”We haven’t actually shared many big partnerships together in Test cricket, so to get that done, when we were under a bit of pressure early in the innings at 3 for 70 when we came together, was nice,” Ponting said. “I knew he made that 150 on debut, so when he was getting close to that today I was urging him along to make sure he went past that total.”At different times we pushed each other along and at different times told each other to pull the reins back in a little bit as well. That’s a big part of it. That was one of the great strengths that Hayden and Langer and myself and Marto and those guys had. Because we knew each other so well and knew our games so well, it was quite easy to coach each other through difficult times. Michael and I have played a lot of cricket together now and know each other’s games really well.”Even for Ponting, who has now scored five double-centuries for his country, his 530-minute stay was the second-longest he had ever batted in a Test innings, exactly an hour short of the period needed to make his career-high 257 six years ago. He finished with 209 and only departed because he was looking for quick runs. Staying focused for so many hours was not terribly difficult, he said, especially when he was keen to atone for a disappointing summer.”You’re only concentrating for a couple of seconds at a time but it’s having that ability to switch off between balls and look around the crowd, or talk with your partner, or whatever you need to do to keep fresh,” he said. “But I’ve had plenty of batting time stored up, I haven’t done a lot lately, so there was plenty of patience and concentration left in me for the summer.”Ponting’s wonderful innings was followed by four wickets within 36 overs as Pakistan replied late in the day and it has given Australia an excellent opportunity to make their opponents bat again. Ponting did that to West Indies at the Gabba in November and with showers expected at different stages over the remainder of the Test, he is keen to make it twice in three months if his bowlers keep breaking through.”A lot of the reason today for us batting around that tea interval and getting around 500 was to hopefully be able to make them follow-on,” he said. “It gave us two options in the game – if they batted long, we were hopefully still going to have a reasonable lead but if we happen to bowl them out it obviously gave us a chance to enforce the follow-on with that sort of total. There was a bit of that thinking today, with that weather in mind.”He was praised in Brisbane for keeping West Indies under his control and finishing the Test in three days. He will be congratulated again if he delivers Australia’s fifth win of the summer.

A round-up of matches from the second day of the RBS one-day competition

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2010

Group A

A fine unbeaten ton from opener Ali Asad helped Karachi Dolphins successfully chase down 253 against Peshawar Panthers at the National Stadium. Haroon Ahmed struck an adventurous 61 off 73 balls and was supported by Azam Jan’s 56, but the Panthers were pegged back by their inability to kick on. Faraz Ahmed’s medium-pace compounded their problems with a tight spell of 4 for 48. Chasing 253 for the win, Asad’s innings ensured that the Dolphins were never in trouble. Fahadullah Khan struck a busy 66 to ensure that he had the necessary support and the target was overhauled in 44 overs.Multan Tigers’ bowlers wrapped up Quetta Bears for 190 and set the tone for a fluent win at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi. Abdur Rauf started the slide by striking twice early to set the Bears back. Shoaib Khan jnr and Taimur Ali resisted briefly before the spinners – Zulfiqar Babar, Faisal Ali and Mohammad Hafeez (1) – got into the act. Taimur Khan’s 52 was the only saving grace as the spin trio picked seven wickets to asphyxiate the innings. The Tigers were troubled by Shoiab’s medium pace and lost six wickets in their chase, but a target of 191 was never going to pose major problems.

Group B

Mohammad Idrees’ 91-ball 104 propelled Khan Research Laboratories to a comfortable 88-run win over Lahore Eagles at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Despite losing Saeed Anwar for 0 in the first over, and two more before the score reached 60, Idrees ensured that the innings did not slow down. He was assisted by a sedate 59 from Bazid Khan who helped raise 119 runs for the fifth wicket. The innings closed at 263, after Emmad Ali and Mohammad Saeed picked three wickets apiece. The Eagles’ chase was derailed by a spate of wickets that saw the score plummet from 78 for 2 to 89 for 7. They eventually finished at 175, well short of the target.National Bank trumped Habib Bank by three wickets in a last-ball thriller at the Gaddaffi Stadium in Lahore. Chasing a reduced target of 256 in 46 overs, Nasir Jamshed and the middle order overcame a torrid start where two top-order wickets fell for ducks. Shahid Nazir bowled well to finish with 3 for 48, but it was not enough as Mansoor Amjad took his side home. Earlier, a fine hundred from Hassan Raza and a strong support role from Younis Khan propelled HBL to 271 in 50 overs. Raza struck ten fours in his run-a-ball innings, but it proved insufficient to force a win.In another nailbiter at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground, Karachi Zebras pulled off a one-run win over Sui Southern Gas Corporation. Ashraf Ali, whose 71 had taken SSGC to the brink of victory, was run out off the final delivery of the match to hand the Zebras four points. At 195 for 8, still needing 51, SSGC looked well out of the game, but Ashraf forged two solid partnerships with Sohail Khan and Dilawar Khan, neither of whom had any batting expertise to keep SSGC fighting. They were helped by a generous Zebras bowling, which conceded 39 etxras including 25 wides. Zebras had been put in to bat earlier in the day, and were struggling at 91 for 5 before Wajihuddin and Babar Rehman made half-centuries to drive them to a useful 245.

Group C

Fine spells from spinners Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain formed the cornerstone for Islamabad Leopards’ four-wicket win over Abbottabad Rhinos at the Diamond Club Ground. The Leopards chose to field first and tormented the Rhinos from the very first over when Ghulam Mohammad departed for no score. Javedullah’s run-out set them further back before the spinners took over. Both finished with identical figures of 4 for 24, as the innings floundered after Mir Azam’s belligerent 39. Irfan Talib anchored the chase with a calm 65 to take his side home, though six wickets fell in the process.Shehzad Malik’s 72 was the highlight in Sialkot Stallions’ successful chase of 187 against Rawalpindi Rams at the Jinnah Stadium. Asked to bat first, the Rams never got going and lost wickets too often in a shoddy performance. Only two batsmen – Usman Saeed and Adnan Mufti – reached 40, but neither could push on to a substantial score, as they folded in the 44th over for 187. At 51 for 4, the Stallions’ chase seemed to be going down the same road before Shehzad and Adeel Malik put their heads down to strike the only half-centuries of the day. Adeel perished for 55, but Shehzad ensured that he saw the job through, to give his side four points.Faisalabad Wolves made short work of Lahore Lions, trouncing them by 74 runs in Sargodha. Batting first, the Wolves racked up 274, thanks to Zeeshan Asif’s 74-ball 80. He was supported by Mohammad Shahid, who made 56 in 63 balls. Junaid Zia and Asif Ashfaq picked up three wickets each, as the Wolves were bowled out in the final over. The Lions were never in the hunt and folded up for 200 in the penultimate over. Rana Adnan hit 65 and Yasir Ajmal contributed 46, but the big chase required a more substantial anchor. Aqeel Ahmed picked 3 for 21 to put paid to ensure that the chase never picked momentum.

Group D

Despite a career-best 133 from Rameez Raja, Water and Power Development Authority sneaked a one-run victory over Pakistan Customs at the Bahawal Stadium. Chasing 257, Customs lost their top three for 19, but Raja combined with Rameez Aziz for a 113-run stand that evened the match. After another couple of quick blows, he was involved in a steadying 66-run partnership with wicketkeeper Hanif Malik. Customs seemed to have sealed the match reaching 254 for 7, but contrived to lose their final three wickets for one run, with Imranullah Aslam striking twice in the final over of the match. Earlier, half-centuries from Rafatullah Mohmand, Bilal Khilji and Jahangir Mirza proved the backbone of WAPDA’s batting effort after they won the toss.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited opened their campaign with a convincing 53-run victory over Pakistan International Airlines at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Half-centuries from opener Naeemuddin and No. 3 Raza Ali Dar powered SNGPL after they were put in. There was a lower-order collapse towards the end of the innings – five wickets going down for 18 runs – but SNGPL managed to put up a competitive 245. PIA opener Khurram Manzoor’s 89 was the cornerstone of the chase but with Fahad Iqbal being the only other batsman making it past 15, they were bowled out for 192. Dar was the most successful of the SNGPL bowlers, striking four times in five overs to finish off PIA’s challenge.

Cricinfo’s preview of the second Test between New Zealand and Australia in Hamilton

Brydon Coverdale in Hamilton25-Mar-2010

Match Facts

Brent Arnel was the only local bowler to take more than one wicket in Wellington•Getty Images

March 27-31, Seddon Park, Hamilton

Start time 11am (2200 GMT)

The Big Picture

By winning the first match Australia have done enough to retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy, which they held coming in to the series, but they are keen to end their Test summer with seven wins instead of six. Their chances of taking the series 2-0 will be boosted by the inclusion of Shane Watson, who has declared himself fit after missing the first Test with a hip injury that he picked up during the one-day series. Watson batted for nearly an hour in the nets at Seddon Park on Friday and will take back his spot from Phillip Hughes on Saturday morning. “In the last four or five days it has come together really well,” Watson said. “I’ll be right to go at full speed.”The visitors will need another big effort from the attack after the fast men toiled over four consecutive days in Wellington. Watson was confident that he could bolster the bowling group despite his lay-off. “I’ve had a fairly big workload in the last six months with my bowling so a week off, not bowling, won’t make much difference to my workload,” he said. “I’ll be able to bowl the overs that Ricky wants me to bowl.”For New Zealand, there’s not much to lose at 1-0 down in a two-Test series. However, questions have been raised over whether they have the belief that they can beat Australia in the five-day format, a theory that the captain Daniel Vettori didn’t entirely dismiss on the eve of the match. “Maybe in the Test match form of the game that’s fair,” Vettori told Radio Sport. ” I think we’ve proved ourselves in the other forms of the game but Test matches has been the part of the game that we’ve struggled in. And coming up against one of the best teams in the world is a real test of that ability. Our ability to hang in there longer and persevere longer as we did on that fourth day [in Wellington] is the only way we’re going to compete against Australia.”The match is also Vettori’s 100th Test and at his home ground he will be desperate for a strong individual performance. New Zealand might need some Vettori brilliance to end their 17-year Test drought against Australia.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW

New Zealand LWDLW

Watch out for…

Most of the attention will surround Vettori but there is another Hamilton lad who could prove important for New Zealand. Brent Arnel bowled well on his Test debut with accuracy and subtle movement. Match figures of 2 for 120 don’t look impressive but bear in mind no other New Zealand bowler took more than one wicket for the game. Arnel was chosen based on his first-class success and much of his cricket over the past few years has been played at his home ground of Seddon Park, so New Zealand will look to him for valuable contributions.


Doug Bollinger struggled in the one-dayers but turned his form around dramatically in the first Test, grabbing 5 for 28 in the first innings and seven wickets for the match. He extracted more bounce from the Wellington pitch than any other bowler and his ability to swing and seam the ball will make him a handful if Hamilton produces a surface with a touch of grass. New Zealand need a stronger first-innings effort to really challenge Australia and Bollinger is the key to ensuring that doesn’t happen.

Team news

The Watson-Hughes swap is the only likely change for Australia. Marcus North eased doubts over his place with a century in the first Test and Ryan Harris’ six wickets on debut means he will stay ahead of Clint McKay in the pace pecking order.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Doug Bollinger.New Zealand’s line-up is not quite so settled. Vettori said Jeetan Patel would play, while the teenager Kane Williamson was unlikely to make his debut. That would mean only one question remaining – Mathew Sinclair or Peter Ingram at No. 3? Ingram’s lack of success during the series so far could mean a recall for Sinclair, who has the support of the batting coach Martin Crowe.New Zealand (possible) 1 Tim McIntosh, 2 BJ Watling, 3 Mathew Sinclair, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Martin Guptill, 6 Daniel Vettori (capt), 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Jeetan Patel, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel, 11 Chris Martin.

Pitch and conditions

Two days out from the Test there was a lot of grass on the pitch and the outfield was moist but Vettori expected good playing conditions. “It’s still quite dry,” he said. “The greenness is probably misrepresenting the wicket. We’ve played here enough times to know that it will probably have a little bit in it early on, but it’s not going to be anything too terrible. It may be a tough first session but I think it will get lower and slower as the game goes on.” The forecast for the first day is fine and 24C.

Stats and trivia

• Australia and New Zealand have met only once in a Test match at Hamilton, back in 1999-2000 when Australia won by six wickets. The only man from either squad who took part in that match was Mathew Sinclair
• This match will be Daniel Vettori’s 100th Test, while Simon Katich and Michael Hussey are each playing their 50th
• Two of Vettori’s five Test centuries have been scored at Seddon Park, where his Test batting average is 43.25
  

  Quotes

  “We can’t afford to be on the back foot at any stage against Australia in Hamilton.”
  
  Daniel Vettori
  
  
  “There’s no doubt our bowlers put their top order under a lot of pressure. Our opening bowlers will pose the same questions this week of those guys.”
  Simon Katich

West Zone turned in an allround effort that totally outclassed Central Zone in an exceedingly one-sided 216-run victory , at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010
Scorecard
West Zone turned in an all-round effort that totally outclassed Central Zone in an exceedingly one-sided 216-run victory, at the Moti Bagh Stadium.Central won the toss and little else, on a day when they were dominated almost from the outset. Chirag Pathak’s early dismissal gave them a handy start after they decided to field first, but Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in with classy knocks that easily nullified the early loss. Rahane dropped anchor and kept one end up while Pujara unleashed an attractive array of strokes. Both batsmen hit a couple of sixes each and a handful of boundaries, but were unable to go on to three figures. Pankaj Singh stalled West’s progress, picking three quick wickets after the 154-run partnership, to finish with creditable figures of 4 for 38. However, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja changed the complexion of the game completely in the last ten overs, off which West plundered 126 runs. Both the India allrounders took a liking to the length-offerings from Sudeep Tyagi and RP Singh, as well as Suresh Raina’s part-time offspin. Yusuf raced to a 24-ball 59, while Jadeja was unbeaten on 42 off 18 balls.The stuffing had been knocked out of Central and their token effort at chasing the mammoth 336 never took off. Despite early drops from Rohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni, the top-order could not capitalize, and wickets fell at regular intervals. Munaf Patel was unlucky not to be rewarded in his tight spell, but Dhawal Kulkarni and Jayesh Odedra chipped in with two scalps apiece. Central were in deep trouble when the in-form Mohammad Kaif fell to a leading edge after closing the face of his bat too soon against Kulkarni. When Suresh Raina dragged his foot out of the crease, in front of an alert Parthiv Patel, the chase was practically over. Jadeja hastened the end with his incisive brand of left-arm spin, as West marched into the final to be played tomorrow, where they will face North Zone, at the same venue.

Derbyshire wrapped up their first County Championship win in SE11 since
1966 by 208 runs after dominating play over all four days at The Oval

12-Apr-2010
ScorecardDerbyshire wrapped up their first County Championship win in SE11 since 1966 by 208 runs after dominating play over all four days at The Oval.Inspired by 340 runs from Australian captain Chris Rogers, Derbyshire clinched only their fifth ever victory at The Oval with 35 balls to spare. With just over five hours remaining in the game, Surrey went in to bat for a second time facing a target of 374 in the remaining 76 overs.They were two down by lunch, six down by tea and deep in trouble soon after the final interval when Steve Davies fell for 56. Left-arm seamer Mark Footitt gave Derbyshire their first breakthrough when Arun Harinath (five) chopped onto his stumps. Three overs later Tim Groenewald accounted for first innings century-maker Mark Ramprakash, this time without scoring.Surrey’s demise gathered momentum after lunch when Usman Afzaal had his stumps
rearranged when Greg Smith nipped one through the left-hander’s gate to make it
16 for 3.Though Rory Hamilton-Brown doubled his side’s total, he had scored only eight
when he edged Graham Wagg to the wicketkeeper. Soon after, opener Matt Spriegel edged onto his leg stump when cutting at one of Smith’s offspinner’s.Either side of tea, Gareth Batty (12) fell lbw to Groenewald and, with 27 overs remaining, the resistance of Davies came to a surprising end when his attempted drive against Footitt cannoned onto off stump off a thin inside edge. Stuart Meaker went for a dogged 21, clean bowled by left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who finished with 3 for 32 after pinning Andre Nel leg before and having Jade Dernbach caught at silly point.Earlier, visiting skipper Rogers duly scored the single he needed from the first delivery of the day from Matt Spriegel to become the first Derbyshire batsman in history to hit single and double hundreds in the same game.Not content with his 127-ball century, the determined opener added a further 40 runs during his four-hour stay before declaring soon after noon with his score on 140 and his side on 274 for 6.The left-hander lost Greg Smith (20), Dan Redfern (44) and Wagg (16) in a lively opening hour in which the visitors added 114 runs to effectively bat Surrey out of the game.

Junaid Siddique, the Bangladesh opener, has been ruled out of the unofficial four-day Test series against South Africa after injuring his hand while fielding on day two in Mirpur

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010Junaid Siddique, the Bangladesh opener, has been ruled out of the unofficial four-day Test series against South Africa after injuring his hand while fielding on day two in Mirpur. Junaid, captaining Bangladesh A, hurt himself while fielding in the slips and faces at least a ten-day lay-off.”He had three stitches in his right hand and needs at least 10 to 12 days to recover from it. There is no chance for him to play the second four-dayer also,” said the Bangladesh chief selector Rafiqul Alam.The second unofficial Test begins April 28. Bangladesh will then host a one-day tournament against South Africa A and West Indies A. They will then play two four-day games against West Indies A.

Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same

Cricinfo staff29-May-2010Sreesanth, the India fast bowler, will not captain Kerala in the 2010-11 domestic season but has been included in a list of 24 probables for the same. Allrounder Raiphi Gomez replaces Sreesanth at the helm with batsman Robert Fernandez as his deputy. The reason for a change in leadership was the uncertainty over Sreesanth’s availability.”We need a captain who can lead the side for a few years at least to help develop our young team,” TC Mathew, the Kerala State Cricket Association secretary told Cricinfo. “The last time Sreesanth was appointed he had to leave after the first Ranji Trophy match because he had to join the Indian team last year. So we felt the need to appoint Gomez, who has been leading right from age-group cricket.”A significant exclusion from the list is medium-pacer and India’s first Test cricketer from Kerala, Tinu Yohannan. He played three Ranji Trophy Plate League games last season and went wicketless.Sreesanth was only marginally better, grabbing one wicket in three games while conceding 146 runs at over four-an-over.Kerala drew their first two games Ranji Trophy last season before losing the next two to Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana by substantial margins.Kerala probables list: Raiphi Gomez (capt), Robert Fernandez (vice-captain), Sreesanth, Rohan Prem, Abhishek Hegde, Karimuttathu Rakesh, VA Jagadeesh, Sony Cheruvathur, Sachin Baby, Arun Paulose, Sebastian Antony, Padmanabhan Prasanth, Sambasiva Sarma, CP Riswan, Arjun NK, Jineesh, Ramesh Kumar, Surjith, Kanakkatharaparambu Sreejith, Sunil Thomas, Chandra Tejas (wk), Prasanth Pramaeswaran, Manu Krishnan, Nizar Niyas.