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Recently retired Hashim Amla advised the entire South African team to buy into the idea of batting out 98 overs

Firdose Moonda05-Oct-2019Whatever happens on the final day of the Vizag Test, there is one thing South Africa will not be complaining about. The pitch.

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After the raging turners of 2015, which saw only one of the three non-rain affected Tests go into a fourth day, the visitors have been pleasantly surprised with the surface so far and as a result, are hopeful they can add to their history of hard-fought draws.”The last time we came here, the wickets were a lot worse,” Vernon Philander said at the press conference. “But you can still bat on there. Their batters showed it today. Guys have to get in. Hopefully two guys can get in and can get big hundreds for us.”While there is ample evidence of uneven bounce and further deterioration, which will bring India’s spinners into play, Philander’s optimism is not entirely deluded (or it may be PR nonsense). South Africa, and in particular their captain Faf du Plessis, thrive in this kind of scrap. They batted out 148 overs to draw the 2012 Test in Adelaide, 136 overs to share spoils with India at the Wanderers in 2013 and 111 to deny Sri Lanka victory in Colombo in 2014. At Vizag, they ‘only’ need to last 98 overs.Recently retired Hashim Amla, who is now an analyst for the broadcaster , said he had “strong belief” that South Africa could hold out, provided they approach it in the right way. Amla’s broad-brush advice was to have the common goal of surviving 98 overs but to leave it up to individual batsmen to decide how they would go about it.ALSO READ: Dean Elgar to Keshav Maharaj, 10 seriously underrated cricketersWhen asked what he would do personally, Amla said, “I would try and block every ball dead.” He did just that five years ago at the SSC, absorbing 171 balls for 25 runs to ensure a 1-0 series victory. Amla said strike rotation did not even come into consideration because all he sought to do was “minimise the risk of getting out”. He added that even someone like AB de Villiers, who has “every shot in the book,” went into a super-defensive bubble when trying to play for the draw but also acknowledged that not all players would be able to maintain such stoicism.Though Dean Elgar has been dismissed, Amla used the opener as an example for how South Africa’s batsmen should approach the final day’s play tomorrow. “He might hit one or two over the top, to get a man sent back and then there are not so many fielders in his space,” Amla said, indicating how the score could still tick over even when accumulating runs was not the primary objective.Quinton de Kock is a player who may look to be more aggressive than Amla may like but that could work to his, and South Africa’s advantage. So too, could the team composition. South Africa bat competently all the way to No.11, where Kagiso Rabada has proven he is no bunny. That, however, may be the only benefit of leaving wicket-takers like Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje on the bench and South Africa will still have to address whether they went into this Test with their best XI, considering how Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy have struggled to make an impact.Philander defended his team-mates, saying South Africa were simply outplayed by quality batsmen. “The seamers have only taken four wickets for both teams. You can say it this way or that way but I think three spinners was the right call to have made. They have played our spinners really well and credit to them.”

Kieron Pollard’s team, already occupying bottom position and having the worst net run rate of the competition, had it reduced by a further 0.15 after they were found to be two overs short against Jamaica Tallawahs

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2018In a first, following the introduction of new rules in the Caribbean Premier League this year, St Lucia Stars were punished for slow over rate by having their net run rate docked. The Stars, captained by Kieron Pollard, completed their bowling innings against Jamaica Tallawahs in 94 minutes: nine minutes longer than the permissible 85. As a result, their net run rate was reduced by 0.15.The new rule punishes teams that fail to complete their 20 overs in the allotted 85 minutes, after taking into account all allowances for stoppages. In accordance with that, Stars were deemed to be two overs short. The first over results in a docking of 0.05 from the team’s NRR, with each following over reducing the NRR by 0.10.The Stars ended up losing the match by 21 runs. This latest penalty adds to their woes in what has been a wretched CPL season, where they are currently bottom of the table. They also have, by some distance, the worst net run rate in the competition, which has now been exacerbated by this latest penalty.

Mahela Jayawardene has effectively ended his playing career in Bangladesh after being signed for two seasons as head coach of BPL franchise Khulna Titans

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2017Mahela Jayawardene has effectively ended his playing career in Bangladesh after being signed for two seasons as head coach of BPL franchise Khulna Titans. Jayawardene featured in two games for Dhaka Dynamites alongside his former Sri Lankan team-mate Kumar Sangakkara in 2016.Jayawardene’s signing comes a week after he coached Mumbai Indians to an IPL crown in his first season with the franchise. The former Sri Lankan captain takes over the mantle from Stuart Law, the former Australia batsman who recently took over as head coach of West Indies.”I enjoyed playing in the BPL last year and that has given me a great insight into what will be required to be successful in the 2017 tournament,” Jayawardene said in a statement. “BPL is an exciting tournament for Bangladesh, as well the region as a whole, and I am excited to be partnering with one of the most respected and forward-thinking franchises.”Kazi Inam Ahmed, Khulna’s managing director, said that the franchise can only benefit from the expertise of a cricketer of Jayawardene’s stature. “We are excited to have Mahela Jayawardane join the Titans as head coach for next two editions of BPL,” Ahmed said. “He has always been a great leader on the field and has won big tournaments for Sri Lanka.”We were thrilled to see him win the IPL recently as the coach of the Mumbai Indians. I am sure all of us Titans will learn a lot from him and the tournament will be enriched by his presence.”The 2017 edition is slated to start on November 4, with Sylhet likely to join the ranks and make it an eight-team event. The players’ draft is likely to be held on September 16 in Dhaka.

Lance Klusener, the former Dolphins coach, is seeking arbitration over his dismissal from the franchise through South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration

Firdose Moonda19-Apr-2016Lance Klusener, the former Dolphins coach, is seeking arbitration over his dismissal from the franchise through South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The hearing is expected to take place in two weeks’ time.The CCMA is an independent dispute resolution body, not a court of law. It looks at, among other things, unfair dismissals.Klusener confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he is seeking arbitration but declined to discuss the nature of his complaint. “The process is still ongoing, so I cannot say too much,” he said.Dolphins CEO Pete de Wet said, similarly, “I am unable to comment on the process or the likely outcomes.”Klusener was informed that his contract would not be renewed in February and was relieved of his duties immediately, even though the season’s fixtures had not been completed. At the time de Wet said Klusener’s dismissal was purely a “business decision”.Coaching duties were handed over to Yashin Ebrahim, a former Dolphins coach, and Roger Telemachus, who was previously in charge of the Kwa-Zulu Natal provincial side. Ebrahim is known to have applied for the main job. Dolphins are likely to announce their new coach at the same time as Klusener’s hearing is scheduled.The time frame makes it unlikely that Klusener will get his job back, although he remains open to that possibility. He has not had other work since he was sacked, and admitted he would still like to be part of the cricketing structures at the franchise, even as it negotiates difficult times. “I invested a lot of time and effort there,” he said. “So I would be upset if things didn’t work out – not just for me, but for the franchise and cricket as a whole.”Dolphins went trophy-less in the 2015-16 season, finishing fifth out of six teams in both the first-class and the one-day cup, although they reached the final of the 20-over competition. The franchise has also lost several players ahead of next season. Kyle Abbott, who is nationally contracted and can thus choose which franchise he wants to play for, has opted for Warriors, while batsmen Jonathan Vandiar and Daniel Sincuba have signed with Titans.

Kieran Powell takes over from Kirk Edwards as captain of the West Indies A one-day team, for the tour of India in September

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2013Kieran Powell takes over from Kirk Edwards as captain of the West Indies A one-day team, for the tour of India in September. Edwards will continue to lead the team in the first-class format on the tour.Powell, the opening batsman who has played 15 Tests and 19 ODIs, is making his way back from injury. He had to sit out the Champions Trophy and the home series against Pakistan, before making a return to international cricket in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League.Powell said he was up for the challenges the tour would provide: “I played in India before and it’s a great place for cricket with the crowds, the atmosphere and the level of competition. We anticipate a good, competitive series. I’m eager and confident as we prepare for the tour and I know all the other players are as well.”West Indies A’s previous series was at home, against Sri Lanka A in June, when they drew the unofficial Tests and won in both limited-overs formats. Edwards had led the team in the four-day and 50-over matches in that series. Edwards said he was confident the side could do as well in the India series: “As one of the most experienced members of the squad, I know I will have a very important leadership role to perform on and off the field. We played well against Sri Lanka A earlier this year and we expect to do very well against India A as well.”India and West Indies A teams had previously met last summer, when India toured the Caribbean. Then, the hosts won the unofficial Tests and the limited-overs series finished all square. Now, West Indies will play one T20 and three ODIs, followed by the first-class games, in India.First-class squad: Kirk Edwards (capt), Kieran Powell (vice-capt), Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Jahmar Hamilton, Delorn Johnson, Leon Johnson, Nikita Miller, Veerasammy Permaul, Shane Shillingford, Chadwick WaltonLimited-overs squad: Kieran Powell (capt), Veerasammy Permaul (vice-capt), Ronsford Beaton, Nkrumah Bonner, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Kirk Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Leon Johnson, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse, Andre Russell, Devon Thomas

India will take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the last time the tournament will be played

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2012India will take on South Africa in the opening game of the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, the last time the tournament will be held. Two other big draws in the group stages are India versus Pakistan on June 15, and Australia playing New Zealand on June 12, both at Edgbaston.The top eight in the ICC ODI rankings will be competing in the tournament, starting June 6 next year, divided into two groups of four each. Apart from Edgbaston, also the venue for the final, Cardiff and The Oval will stage the group games as well as the semi-finals.Group A features defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka; Group B includes world champions India, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, to be held on June 19 and 20. The final will be played on June 23.”This will be an incredible opportunity for fans to see the world’s very best one-day sides in action over the space of less than three weeks and the fixture schedule has thrown up a host of exciting head-to-head contests,” Steve Elworthy, the tournament director, said. “The format means every match counts and all eight teams will feel that they are capable of winning the tournament in a competition which is set to be one of the highlights of the 2013 summer.”The tournament does not appear in the Future Tournament Programme after 2013, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game’s three formats from 2015.

Surrey’s County Championship clash with Kent hangs in the balance heading into the final day at The Oval after a century by visiting captain Rob Key

12-Jul-2011
ScorecardSurrey’s County Championship clash with Kent hangs in the balance heading into the final day at The Oval after a century by visiting captain Rob Key left side needing 52 runs for victory with just two wickets remaining.While three of his team-mates needlessly tossed away their wickets, former England batsman Key played sublimely to score the 44th hundred of his career and help Kent to 270 for 8 at stumps on day three. Key featured in three significant stands and survived an additional half-hour’s play to go into the deciding day unbeaten on 144 alongside ninth-wicket partner Robbie Joseph.Chasing 322 to secure only the third victory of their Division Two campaign, Kent lost Joe Denly to the eighth ball of the reply, the right-hander dragging the ball onto his leg stump from a good length off-cutter by Tim Linley.Then, to Gareth Batty’s final ball before lunch, Sam Northeast played back and across the line of a turning delivery to become the 10th lbw victim of the match. Martin van Jaarsveld and Key then combined forces to add 109 in 29 overs either side of lunch to reduce Kent’s target below 200. Key reached an 83-ball half-century, but soon after van Jaarsveld went for 35, gloving Linley’s leg-side long hop to the wicketkeeper.Three overs later, Darren Stevens became Zafar Ansari’s maiden Championship scalp when he missed an ambitious sweep and went lbw to make it 149 for 4 at tea. Key marched on to his 39th century for Kent and his first of the season from 163 balls as he and Geraint Jones added 67 inside 25 overs, only for Jones to lose his concentration and his wicket.Charging down the wicket and aiming to dispatch one from Batty into the pavilion, Jones was caught behind off a thin edge that counterpart Steve Davies clung on to at the second attempt. Alex Blake contributed a bright 26 to a 30-run partnership before shouldering arms to a Batty arm ball that grazed off stump, then Wahab Riaz flayed haplessly at his fourth ball from Linley to spoon a catch to cover.With eight extra overs to bowl, seven of them with the new ball, Surrey snapped up David Balcombe when he fenced at a short one from Linley and steered it to slip to tip the balance firmly in Surrey’s favour.Earlier, Kent took a shade over an hour of the morning to session to take Surrey’s three remaining second-innings wickets as the hosts eventually reached 184. Balcombe, on loan for the month from Hampshire, finished with 5 for 63 on his Kent debut.

Pakistan would be best advised to hold a healthy respect for the task that lies ahead of them, as England will not hand over the series without a serious fight

Nagraj Gollapudi25-Aug-2010Pakistan dare not hesitate now. There are bound to be nerves and uneasiness ahead of the fourth Test at Lord’s, but this may not be the worst thing for a brash young side raised on the easy thrills of Twenty20 cricket. This is not the moment to be overconfident. Pakistan would be best advised to hold a healthy respect for the task that lies ahead of them, as England will not hand over the series without a serious fight.Exactly a month ago, despite a nerve-shattering win over Australia at Headingley, Pakistan walked into the England series as the weaker opponent. Over the following two weeks, at Trent Bridge and then Edgbaston, their batsmen stood numb against James Anderson’s prodigious swing, their fielders forgot they had hands to catch the ball and many people were starting to predict a 4-0 whitewash.Yet at The Oval, the site of the controversial 2006 Test, Pakistan played with belief and a hunger to win at all costs. Suddenly they had more than one matchwinner in their ranks. Their fast bowlers, who had carried the entire team up to that point, had some of the burden taken off their shoulders as the batsmen began to show some support. Almost every catch was held, and suddenly it was England who had more questions with Pakistan having found the answers to their problems.If Pakistan have managed not to be sucked in by the whirlpool of instability in their home country it is only because of the wise and mature leadership of Waqar Younis and Salman Butt. Both men remained level-headed regardless of Pakistan’s roller coaster ride on this exhaustive six-Test tour. As Pakistan enter the final match as equals for the first time this summer, once again it will be these two who will have to help the side find their feet as quickly as possible on unfamiliar territory.”We know the slopes and from where the winds comes. If we can play to our potential I do believe we can beat them and level the series,” Butt said with an assured smile, but without arrogance.Having touched both defeat and victory Butt’s philosophy is to see his glass as half full. “There is no need of going very high or very low. What we have to do is stick to our basics and do our best,” he said.Pakistan have never bounced back in a live series after being 2-0 down, and it is five years since they won consecutive Tests. Those wins were spread over two different Test series: the first achieved in Kingston against the West Indies in July 2005 followed by the narrow 22-run defeat they inflicted on England in Multan three months later.They couldn’t have picked a better venue to try and re-write history: Lord’s has a rich history of inspiring visiting cricketers and can inspire the most insipid of cricket fans. After the victory last week Butt stressed about the importance of history and how that can motivate young players. The walls at Lord’s are steeped in more than two centuries of historic performances.

Victory against Warwickshire not out of question on spinning surface

ECB Reporters Network28-Sep-2024With Lancashire all out for 177 in Worcester, both Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire became safe from relegation just before 5pm on the third day of their Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge. But a good batting surface is just beginning to take spin and, if the main issue is resolved, this game could yet see a result should rain stay away on Sunday.Nottinghamshire eventually posted 487 after Kyle Verreynne, their South Africa Test wicketkeeper, sped to a first century in England en route to an unbeaten 148 from just 167 balls. Warwickshire, needing 338 to avoid the follow on, finished 344 behind at 143 for 4. Sam Hain will resume on a determined 59.Only 155 overs remained in the match, and 15 would fall foul of bad light, when the visitors finally gained their chance to enjoy what seeemed a distinctly benevolent pitch. Yet both openers very soon departed and, after a recovery to 105 for 2, Farhan Ahmed, spinning the ball away, removed two left-handers in three balls before the premature close 14 overs later.Will Rhodes, who had passed 1000 runs for the first time in his career, lost off stump for 37 as Ahmed beat the outside edge and Dan Mousley arrived to be LBW for a second-ball duck. In the same over the 16-year old, who now has 21 wickets in six innings since debut, had required lengthy attention after being hit on the left arm by his captain’s full-blooded shy at the non-striker’s stumps.Warwickshire’s start earlier, could hardly have been worse. Rob Yates, working to leg, sent a leading edge to second slip as Brett Hutton began the reply with a wicket maiden and Alex Davies played on to Jacob Duffy for five when trying to remove his bat.Things were calmer by the time the September shadows closed in, with Ed Barnard supporting Hain, both right-handers finding life marginally easier against Ahmed and judiciously employing the sweep.The preliminary to play in the morning was a presentation to Luke Fletcher in acknowledgement of the local favourite’s departure after 17 seasons with Nottinghamshire. The tall, massively built “Bulwell Bomber”, who had turned 36 ten days earlier, would have been glad to escape bowling on this flat pitch.Warwickshire did manage a wicket after 40 minutes following Nottinghamshire’s resumption on 324 for 6 when Rob Lord, whipping across the line, was LBW for 31 as Olly Hannon-Dalby notched his landmark 50th success of the season for a third successive campaign.Runs were already flowing, however, and the 70 that took Notts to 400 and their fourth batting point required only 14 overs. By the time an eighth man fell, just 22 balls remained for the visitors to search, in vain, for a last bowling point.Off-spinner Yates, with his second ball of the day, and eighth of the match, had Hutton smartly stumped for 29 when he advanced, missed and raised his back foot but Ahmed, the teenager at the very other end of the spectrum to Fletcher, joined Verreyyne to deny them.He finally cut Yates to backward point for ten from what became the last ball before lunch, taken at 440 for 9 with Verreyyne on 130, and the innings closed when Duffy charged Mousley, the eighth bowler employed, to be stumped by a mile for 29.

North Zone and Central Zone all but secured their berths in the semi-finals on day three

Himanshu Agrawal30-Jun-2023

Saurabh four-for shakes East up

Saurabh Kumar’s four wickets helped Central Zone take a big step towards the Duleep Trophy semi-final ahead of the final day’s play against East Zone in Alur. Saurabh’s wickets included the Bengal trio of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed, as East ended the third evening at 69 for 6, another 231 runs away from their target of 300.East’s slide began with Saurabh dismissing captain Abhimanyu early in the sixth over to get Abhimanyu for 11. Three overs later, Avesh Khan got into the action by dismissing Sudip Kumar Gharami for a duck. And before Shantanu Mishra and Majumdar had hardly even settled down, Saurabh removed Majumdar for 13, as East started losing their way.Related

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They lost 4 for 33 in a middle-order collapse – losing the last three wickets for just eight runs – as Saurabh ended with figures of 4 for 33, while Avesh and Shivam Mavi got one wicket each. Before that, Central had had a slide of their won, losing all ten wickets while adding only 115 after the opening partnership fetched 124.Himanshu Mantri got 68 while Vivek Singh hit 56, but once Ishan Porel bowled Vivek to break the first-wicket stand, East found a way back. Porel finished with 3 for 15 – he got Upendra Yadav and Saurabh off back-to-back balls in the 69th over – while Shahbaz took 3 for 66 to restrict Central to 239 after they were 60 ahead in the first innings. However, the day eventually belonged to Central.

All-round North decimate North East

North Zone warmed up for the semi-final by continuing to dominate over North East Zone in Bengaluru. Set an improbable 666 to win, North East lost three early wickets on the third evening.The day had begun when they were 65 for 3 in the first innings, where they soon folded for 134 to hand North a huge first-innings lead of 406. Siddarth Kaul and Pulkit Narang grabbed three wickets each to secure that for North.However, North chose not to ask North East to follow-on, instead opting to bat again despite the huge advantage, and their bowlers having bowled only 39.2 overs spread across two days. They were 23 for 2 in their second innings, before the middle order got down to some batting practice. Ankit Kalsi and Prabhsimran Singh added 83 before Kalsi fell one short of a fifty. Prabhsimran went on to hit a quick 59 with nine fours and a six.It was then Ankit Kumar and Jayant Yadav’s turn to entertain, as they formed a union of 113 for the sixth wicket, their partnership coming at above four runs an over. While Jayant remained unbeaten on 55, North declared their second innings on 259 after Ankit was dismissed for 70. And soon after, their bowlers left the result a mere formality.