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Half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis took South Africa’s total to 314 – from 5 for 2 and 190 for 6

The Report by Alagappan Muthu26-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:41

De Kock stalls New Zealand despite finger trouble

Injured tendon? The liability New Zealand hoped to exploit became a blaring irritant to their hopes of levelling the series as Quinton de Kock – with a strapped finger on a splint – produced 90 runs of the highest quality. That he has turned 12 of his 29 innings into scores of 50 or more is testament to why South Africa wanted him in their XI for this Test, no matter what.

NZ’s rare opening stand

• 3 Fifty-plus opening stands by New Zealand in 38 Test innings against South Africa since 2000. Before this, they had averaged 17.43 in the last 37 innings.

• 36.50 Average runs per wicket added by South Africa’s last four wickets this series. Their first six wickets have averaged only 32.69. South Africa added 124 runs after the fall of their sixth wicket in Hamilton, and 265 runs for their last four wickets in the first innings in Wellington.

• 29.22 Average of South Africa’s batsmen at No. 8 or lower in this series, as opposed to New Zealand’s average of 14.60. South Africa’s tail has had a significant bearing on this series given that the two teams’ top-orders have similar averages.

• 76.27 Quinton de Kock’s strike rate in his 118-ball 90; the other South African batsmen scored at 52.63. De Kock had rescued South Africa with quick runs in Wellington too – a 118-ball 91 after coming in to bat at 94 for 6.

• 4-93 Matt Henry’s best figures in Tests, on debut at Lord’s in 2015. His figures in South Africa’s first innings equalled that effort.

On a pitch supporting seam movement and under clouds promising swing, South Africa’s 314 was a better-than-par total. To Tom Latham, it might have looked like a monstrous one. He had not passed 10 in the series, and suddenly had 28 overs to survive against Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada. By stumps, however, he had put on the highest opening partnership of the series with Jeet Raval. The determination both men showed, making 67 runs in the process, was necessary, considering they had let South Africa off the hook. A team that had been 190 for 6 should not have made it to 314.Apart from undermining themselves, New Zealand were also fighting their weather. Forty nine overs were lost on the first day and a few more went down the drain at Seddon Park on the second. Both delays were caused by showers that did not last that long.Perhaps the only reason Kane Williamson thought better of leaving the field to investigate who was sabotaging his team with repetitive rain dances was the wickets his bowlers were able to give him. Matt Henry, on comeback, was responsible for four of them. His strength is bowling a full length and controlling his line well enough to test batsmen outside off stump. So much that in 75 deliveries to right-handers, barely any slipped down the leg side.De Kock, being left-handed, coped far better as he made 26 runs off 28 deliveries from New Zealand’s stand-in spearhead. And if Henry couldn’t make him budge, what chance did the rest have? De Kock launched Jeetan Patel’s offspin for a six over midwicket. He carved cuts behind point when there was little room, and his pull shots were outstanding. He finished with 90 off 118 balls – an innings in defiance of a pitch that wasn’t all that great for strokeplay.It was slow as Temba Bavuma found out, toe-ending a pull to first slip. The humidity and cloud cover ensured there was consistent swing too. Knowing that – and perhaps the fact that a draw was enough to win another trophy – Faf du Plessis reached into his closet and put on his Adelaide gear: do as you please but you won’t get past me. It wasn’t that he was particularly troubled by the bowling. At a drinks break, when a chair was run out for him, the only way du Plessis could have looked more at home was if his dog Giorgio had been by his side and there a braai in the background. So calm was du Plessis, just sipping on his water and chatting with his partner.New Zealand needed something magical to remove the South African captain, and they got it soon after he got to his 12th Test fifty. Latham, at short leg, saw du Plessis premeditating a lap sweep and began moving quickly to his right. He had already covered a yard or so when the ball came within his reach, and then, it was a matter of letting his reflexes take over and hoping they were good enough. Latham stuck out his right hand and secured a catch to give Mitchell Santner a wicket. The left-arm spinner had to wait 61 overs to get into the mix.Williamson was far more partial to his quicks, and Henry would feel unlucky that he still does not have a five-for in Tests. He nabbed Philander, who became the sixth South African to the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets, with a teaser outside off stump. Latham did his bit again to enable the wicket with a fine catch, low to his right at second slip.Henry found the edge again the very next ball, but it fell short of the cordon and Keshav Maharaj survived. Later, an inswinging yorker only just missed making a mess of Morkel’s leg stump. Neil Wagner knocked over Rabada in the next over to finish the innings and deny his team-mate his fifth.

Zimbabwe’s domestic season, due to start this weekend, has been postponed for logistical reasons and will now begin later this week

Firdose Moonda10-Dec-2016Zimbabwe’s domestic season, due to start this weekend, has been postponed for logistical reasons and will now begin later this week. Two matches of the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s first-class competition, were due to start on Sunday but will now, according to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), get underway later this week.Zimbabwe Premier League games – 40-over matches that form part of a club competition – were due to start Saturday but have also been moved back. “We regret to announce that unforeseen logistical challenges have forced us to postpone both ZPL and Logan Cup fixtures that were scheduled for this weekend,” the board told ESPNcricinfo in a statement. “We are, however, confident action will finally get underway this coming week.”Though ZC did not give a date, there were suggestions that the season may begin from December 15. One source close to the players confirmed they were informed of the decision via email and that the two matches, which were due to start on December 11 will now start on December 15.The statement came less than a week after ZC announced a bumper domestic season to run from December until August. The first-class competition is due to feature 12 rounds – each team plays the other four times – and is seen as crucial to keeping Zimbabwe’s hopes of being competitive in Test cricket alive.On Tuesday, a day after the announcement of the new season, players from two of the four provincial sides – the Eagles and the Mountaineers – refused to train in protest over unpaid salaries. Although contracts have been issued, provincial players have not been paid for November and were told to expect payment by next Friday, December 16. Nationally contracted players and administrative staff have been paid.

Plans to revive the oldest international cricket rivalry have been confirmed with the USA and Canada set to play three 50-over matches on October 13, 14 and 16 in Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna29-Sep-2016Plans to revive the oldest international cricket rivalry have been confirmed with the USA and Canada set to play three 50-over matches for the KA Auty Cup on October 13, 14 and 16 at Woodley Park in Los Angeles. The Auty Cup has not been played since 2013, in King City, where Canada retained the trophy after securing first-innings points in the drawn two-day match before sweeping a pair of Twenty20s – there was no result in the one scheduled 50-over game then.The matches will serve as key preparation for USA ahead of their participation in ICC World Cricket League Division Four, which begins October 29 at the same venue. The Auty Cup had originally been slated for the weekend of October 22-23, but according to sources the series was mutually decided to be brought up a week in part so that USA can have an extra week of preparation after the Auty Cup and ahead of Division Four.The tentative plan is for members of USA’s squad based outside of Los Angeles to fly in on October 12 and depart the night of the 16th before returning to Los Angeles the following weekend on October 22 for seven days of training and warm-up matches against local Los Angeles club sides leading into their first match of Division Four on October 29. The top two teams in the tournament, which also features Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey and Oman, will be promoted to WCL Division Three, scheduled for early 2017.”Canada certainly have some very talented players,” USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who coached Canada at the 2011 World Cup, said in a press release on Wednesday. “This Auty Cup will be a very good test for our USA team. We are looking forward to the challenge.”For Canada, these are the senior team’s first international matches since the 2015 World T20 Qualifier in Scotland and Ireland, where they went winless to finish last in Group B. It is also the first 50-over matches for Canada since January 2015, when they finished in last place at the six-team Division Two tournament to be relegated to Division Three. Canada is joined in Division Three by Uganda, Singapore and Malaysia.”Cricket Canada is excited about the opportunity to take on the USA again,” Cricket Canada general manager Ingleton Liburd stated in a press release. “We are hoping for some quality 50-over cricket, and hope we can retain the KA Auty Cup while we are on US soil.”The ICC press release announcing the matches also declared that the Auty Cup matches, along with USA and Bermuda’s games at Division Four, will be used to help pick a 15-man squad for an ICC Americas Combined team to participate in the 2017 WICB Nagico Super50 regional tournament. The ICC Americas office had conducted an open trial in Indianapolis last September to help pick a combined team, which featured six USA and nine Canada players, for this year’s tournament.Following the Nagico Super50, six ICC Americas players received Caribbean Premier League contracts, an opportunity which is expected to be offered again for 2017.

Sam Robson’s name has slipped down the list of potential England partners since the last of his seven Tests in August 2014.

George Dobell at Lord's17-Apr-2016
ScorecardSam Robson took advantage of Warwickshire’s early waywardness•Getty Images

Sam Robson’s name has slipped down the list of potential England partners since the last of his seven Tests in August 2014.But at Lord’s, against an attack with a good reputation and inserted on a damp April morning, he provided a reminder of his qualities with an assured century that has given Middlesex a strong platform in this match.Robson’s game is admirably simple. He cuts terrifically well, drives fluently and is efficient off his legs. That is every bit as strong a repertoire as Alastair Cook and he seems to have managed rather well.His problem in his spell in the Test side – his first spell we should probably say – in the summer of 2014 was some uncertainty on and outside off stump. Unsure whether to play or leave, he nicked off a few times early in the summer and was bowled in his final two innings, once as he left one that swung back into him. He passed 50 twice in 11 innings, including a century against Sri Lanka at Leeds.His experience of the life-cycle of an England player – the glare of the spotlight, the focus of the media and the disappointment of his axing – appeared to leave him struggling for equilibrium for a while. He had, until today, scored only one first-class century since he was dropped and, in a disappointing 2015 campaign, averaged a modest 30.72 in the Championship season.But here he showed a good defensive technique – and Keith Barker’s left-arm swing examines a batsman’s ability on the off stump as well as the best in county cricket – and an ability to punish the poor ball that suggested he had recovered his confidence in his style of play.”My off stump play is a strength of mine,” Robson said afterwards, “but, for a little while 18-months or two years ago, I went away from that a bit. But I’ve tried to strengthen it even more recently and I know I have to stick to my game and what I’m good at.”He also has a hunger for runs that is reminiscent of Cook, too. There was no sign of relief or relaxation once he reached his century. His next 10 runs were among his slowest of the innings and his determination to establish a match-defining position was impressive. His skills – patience, denial and accumulation – are not especially fashionable. But, in Test cricket at least, there is still a place for them. If he can sustain this start to the season, his time could yet come again.It would be premature to suggest he is ripe for a recall just yet. This Warwickshire attack, without the injured pair of Chris Woakes and Boyd Rankin (Rankin has “a niggle” in his side and will be assessed again in a couple of days, while Woakes has a minor strain behind his knee and is expected to be fit for the next match) bowled poorly before lunch and perhaps lacked the persistent pace to exploit any potential weakness against the short ball. On one of the few occasions Robson was tested, an attempted pull off Rikki Clarke flew off the top edge and perilously close to Chris Wright at fine leg.His opening partner, Nick Gubbins, was also impressive. While he, like Robson, was the beneficiary of some obliging bowling he played a couple of strokes – notably a back-foot force of a perfectly respectable ball from Wright – that hinted at unusual class. He, too, was troubled by Clarke’s bouncer – one attempted pull flew over the keeper’s head – but, that moment apart, he looked a player of considerable potential. It is no surprise that Middlesex felt they did not require Chris Rogers this season, or that Paul Stirling may be allowed to play on loan elsewhere in the coming weeks.Having effectively given Middlesex a 120-run lead – the score from 31 overs at lunch – Warwickshire tightened up considerably in the afternoon session. With the warmth of the sun appearing to quicken the pitch Wright struck twice in two deliveries, first taking Gubbins’ edge with one that appeared to surprise him with its pace and bounce and then, next delivery, having Nick Compton acrobatically caught off the shoulder of the bat as he pushed at one he could have left. It is unlikely one failure will have any adverse repercussions for his Test place, though Robson and Adam Lyth’s fine starts cannot be completely ignored.Later Dawid Malan left one from Barker that did not swing – he had been set-up by a series of balls leaving the bat – and Adam Voges played on, deceived by a little inswing. Had John Simpson, on 13, been taken by Ian Westwood at point off Clarke, Warwickshire might have felt they were back in the game.As it was, Robson – who scored 175 out of 317 on the day – continued to cut and drive his way merrily and needs only 25 more for his second double-century against this opposition. It could well prove a match-winning contribution.Ian Bell admitted that, in hindsight, his decision to bowl first was probably an error. He also knows that, with no heavy roller in use in this match, the indentations made on the first day on a damp surface could become problematic for batsmen later in the game.”We weren’t at our best before lunch,” he said. “And Robson has played very well. It was a 50-50 decision to have a toss. There had been a lot of rain around London in recent days and the covers were on all day yesterday. There was frost on them this morning.”It did enough, but were didn’t get enough balls in the right area. In hindsight, I’d probably have the toss, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.”

Mosharraf Hossain has continued to claim that his bowling figures from Dhaka Gladiators’ February 2 BPL match against Chittagong Kings are enough evidence to prove his innocence

Mohammad Isam20-Aug-2013Mosharraf Hossain, the Bangladesh left-arm spinner, has said the ICC has charged him for being involved in alleged match-fixing in Dhaka Gladiators’ February 2 BPL match against Chittagong Kings earlier this year. He, however, continued to claim that his bowling figures from the match are enough evidence to prove his innocence.”The ICC has accused me on charges of match fixing in the game between Dhaka Gladiators and Chittagong despite doing well,” Mosharraf said in a statement. “I had picked up two wickets for 17 runs in that game. It seems that I am a victim of situation and decided to take the recourse of law to prove my innocence and I am confident about it.”If anyone wanted to do fixing then he needs to bowl badly – at least bowl three or four deliveries in an over should be a full toss and a short ball. I am not such a fool that I would do fixing and also bowl well.”Several top Bangladeshi newspapers had raised suspicions after the match, especially at the manner in which high-flying Gladiators lost meekly to Kings by 54 runs. Gladiators had won five out of six games before February 2, and were seen as the form team having taken the title the previous season and having further strengthened their side. Kings had won two of their last six games before the match in question.On Tuesday, Mosharraf arranged a press conference at the City Club ground in Mirpur where he denied every angle of questioning that linked him to corruption. But he admitted that after the February 2 match, there was discussion in the dressing-room regarding the team’s performance.”After the match there was no other discussion apart from our bad performance. Some of us fielded badly while our batsmen were getting out. But there was no discussion regarding the fixing issue in the dressing room.”I am totally confident that I had not spoken to anyone regarding any deal of match-fixing. So there cannot be any question of obtaining any recorded telephonic conversation of mine.Mosharraf has now found himself in two of the biggest controversies in Bangladesh cricket. In 2008, he was among the 12 players who were banned for joining the rebel Indian Cricket League. He was pardoned by the BCB the following year, after which he came back strongly. He earned a senior call-up earlier this year in Sri Lanka but did not play any of the ODIs.At the time of receiving the ICC charge letter, he was playing a tournament in Kent in England but had to abandon his team to appeal against the accusations. Having been suspended till the completion of the anti-corruption tribunal’s proceedings, Mosharraf is set to miss next month’s domestic one-day competition, the Dhaka Premier Division League. But at the moment, he is more interested in being proven innocent.”Even if I cannot play anymore, my major goal now is to clear my name from this scandal. If I can prove my innocence, I will be the happiest person.”

As he delivered a series of reassurances that a degenerative back condition would not hobble his forthcoming Ashes campaign, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke issued a stern reminder that the tourists’ promising pace battery would be rendered useless wit

Daniel Brettig15-May-2013As he delivered a series of reassurances that a degenerative back condition would not hobble his forthcoming Ashes campaign, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke issued a stern reminder that the tourists’ promising pace battery would be rendered useless without sufficient runs to defend.The announcement of an Australian Ashes squad stocked to the hilt with pace bowlers of quality, plus the scheduling of the first two Tests at the seam and swing friendly surfaces of Trent Bridge and Lord’s, has contributed a sense of quiet optimism to many Antipodean observers of the game.Clarke, though, was frank in reminding his batsmen that they would have to find ways of constructing decent tallies if that bowling strength is to become meaningful. It was a lesson demonstrated during the ODI series between the two countries in England last year, when Australia’s bowlers looked tame by comparison with their English counterparts – despite helpful conditions – when given few runs to defend.”We’ve got a good attack, there’s no doubt about it. The squad of quicks we have is a really good combination. They gel well together, they’re all a little bit different,” Clarke said. “But there’s the other side. As batters we’ve got to put runs on the board, it’s no good giving our attack 150 runs to bowl at. So as batters we have a huge responsibility and a big job to make sure we’re getting 350, getting 400 and putting those runs on the board, and I’m very confident if we can select the best attack we can have some success over there.”Clarke also disputed the possibility of England winning the series on dry, turning pitches prepared in the wake of Australia’s 4-0 rout by India in February and March, instead noting that the overhead conditions had always been a more critical factor in how batsmen and bowlers fared than the surfaces themselves.”I think conditions more in the air play a bigger part in England than what you see on the surface. If the sun’s out generally the wickets in England are very good for batting. If it’s overcast, it doesn’t matter how dry the wicket is, you get a lot of swing and some seam in the UK. I don’t think you can plan too much over there. I think England will use their strengths in their conditions. We’ll be able to adapt, we’ve got Nathan Lyon, hopefully I can bowl a few part-timers as well. We’ll find a way.”As part of his extended rehabilitation from the back and hamstring injuries that ruled him unfit for a Test match for the first time since his debut in 2004, Clarke recently completed a two-week training camp in the southern highlands of New South Wales with his trainer Duncan Kerr. Clarke said the recipe for his return to full fitness had not been any dramatic change in his regimen, but rather a tightening of its monitoring by the national team physio Alex Kountouris and others.”I’ve used the experts around me,” Clarke said. “Alex Kountouris, the Australian physio, has been fantastic and he’s been monitoring my program. In regards to my back it’s the daily maintenance I do … I’ve had another two-week boot camp with Duncan Kerr, we went away to my property there and trained really hard.”So my preparation in regards to last year has been very similar, but it’s been monitored extra closely by the support staff to make sure I’m getting the strength I need, and to make sure I’m well prepared to play the whole 12 months.”I’m confident it’ll be no different to what it has been through my career. I’ve managed to play 90-odd Test matches and only miss one through my career. That’s a big part of why preparation is so important for me, I need to make sure I’m fit, need to make sure I’m not carrying too much weight, I need to make sure I’m putting in the work to be fit in eight or 12 months’ time.”Clarke has also been a regular visitor to the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, where those Ashes squad members not waylaid by the IPL or already in England have trained on well-grassed pitches and used the Dukes ball that will be a key player in the series to come.”It’s more just getting used to facing a different ball to a Kookaburra,” Clarke said. “With your bowling action hanging on to the ball, catching and fielding as well, just because the ball is a little bit different to what we’re used to in Australia.”We’re disappointed with our most recent results in India, we know that’s unacceptable as an Australian cricket team, and we’ve been working hard to try to turn that around. All I can ask for from the boys is to continue to prepare as well as we can, and give it a red hot crack. We know we’re playing against a very good team in their own back yard. Test cricket in my eyes will always be the pinnacle, and playing against England in England is as big as it gets.”Clarke was speaking in Sydney, where Cricket Australia announced the upgrade of their longtime sponsor Commonwealth Bank to become the major partner of the Test team and home Test series, following their previous commercial support of ODIs and continued backing of the Southern Stars women’s team and grassroots cricket over 26 years.

Wayne Madsen’s first century of the season and fifties from Wes Durston and Dan Redfern put Derbyshire in a strong position against Gloucestershire

02-May-2012
ScorecardDerbyshire captain, Wayne Madsen, scored his first century for nearly a year to put his team in a strong position against Gloucestershire. Madsen celebrated his 10th hundred for the county and, with Wes Durston and Dan Redfern also contributing half-centuries, the home side reached 362 for 9 at the end of the first day.Gloucestershire paid the price for dropped catches and poor bowling after their captain, Alex Gidman, was ruled out before the start of play with a back problem. Madsen was badly missed on 28 while Durston was given a life on 9, and those lapses allowed Derbyshire to recover from the loss of both openers with only 38 on the board.Paul Borrington went without scoring when he pushed at Will Gidman and was caught at first slip and after Martin Guptill had moved confidently to 30 he was caught behind off a bottom edge pulling at James Fuller.At that stage, Madsen’s decision to bat first after days of heavy rain in the Derby area looked questionable, but Gloucestershire’s failure to bowl a consistent line allowed him and Durston to rebuild the innings. Durston made the most of his reprieve by taking the attack to the seamers on a greenish pitch where the odd delivery lifted sharply at one end.When Madsen was put down at point shortly after lunch, it was the start of a dreadful session for the visitors, who conceded 165 runs in 33 overs. Durston scored 68 in a century stand with Madsen until he drove Ed Young’s left-arm spin to mid-on, but there was no respite for the bowlers as Redfern raced to 50 off only 58 balls.He shared a stand of 115 in 21 overs with Madsen but fell on the stroke of tea for 55 when he drove a full toss from Kane Williamson to cover.Madsen, who had scored only 64 in his previous five innings this season, faced 20 balls on 99 before a quickly taken single brought up his 11th first-class century. He went in the next over when he inside-edged a drive on to his leg stump, and although Derbyshire lost another four wickets before the close, it had still been the home side’s day.

Melissa Bulow has made it to Australia’s AIS-Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars squad for the 2012-13 contract period, following her fine Twenty20 season with the Queensland Fire

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2012Melissa Bulow has made it to Australia’s AIS-Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars squad for the 2012-13 contract period, following her fine domestic Twenty20 season with the Queensland Fire. Bulow, a batsman, is one of 18 players in the squad, which was selected by the women’s national selection panel [WNSP] on Tuesday. Shelley Nitschke, who retired from international cricket last July, and Annie-Rose Maloney, are the players to miss out from the previous squad.

The Southern Stars squad

Alex Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Jess Cameron, Sarah Coyte, Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Elliott, Jodie Fields, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Julie Hunter, Jessica Jonassen, Meg Lanning, Sharon Millanta, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Clea Smith, Lisa Sthalekar
In: Melissa Bulow
Out: Shelley Nitschke, Annie-Rose Maloney

The Southern Stars are supported by Australian Government, through the Australian Sports Commission Women in Sport Media Grant, which aims to extend the reach of women’s sport in the Australian media.”The forthcoming season includes two ICC ranking events – the ICC World Twenty20 to be held in Sri Lanka in September 2012 and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup to be held in India in March 2013. It is pleasing to see minimal change in the squad, reflecting the good performances of the team over the past 12 months,” WNSP head, Julie Savage, said. “[The omitted] Annie-Rose Maloney had experienced a disappointing domestic season with the ball.”Melissa Bulow has been added to the squad following an outstanding Women’s Twenty20 season for the Queensland Fire, in which she was the leading run-scorer, scoring 505 runs at an average of 50.5 and a strike-rate of 119.39.”

A round-up of the third day of the ninth round of Division Two in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2011Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited have finished the group stage with eight wins out of nine matches, after beating United Bank Limited at the Jinnah Stadium. SNGPL now have an extra day’s rest before their December 8-12 final against Peshawar, who are playing Quetta in the final round of matches. SNGPL’s new-ball pair of Asad Ali and Bilawal Bhatti took six wickets between them to bowl United Bank Limited out for 301 in their second innings and set up an eight-wicket victory. Most of the work had been done on the first two days over which SNGPL had established a 266-run first-innings lead. United Bank lost wickets steadily on the third day and were 138 for 6 before Kashif Bhatti’s 88 and Zafar Ali’s 52 helped them get past the 300 mark. It was merely enough to set SNGPL a 36-run target, which they reached in five overs.Peshawar are also on course for a win ahead of the final. They need six more wickets to beat Quetta, who finished the third day on 47 for 4 chasing 407 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Mohammad Fayyaz’s 178 ensured Peshawar got to 212 for 8 declared in their second innings, leaving Quetta with a massive target. Fayazz’s innings came off 247 balls and included 31 fours and a six. Twenty-year-old legspinner Shahzaib Ahmed took 6 for 90, giving him ten wickets in the match, but it is likely to come in a losing cause. Quetta’s top order crumbled to left-arm quick Waqar Ahmed in the 16 overs they had to face at the end of the day and it will now take a remarkable turnaround for them to get anything out of the game.Four wickets from left-arm spinner Nayyer Abbas, and unbeaten half-centuries from Saeed Anwar junior and Zain Abbas helped Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) win a low-scoring match against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground by ten wickets. The win was a convincing one in the end as Anwar and Zain Abbas chased down a target of 132 in just 18.4 overs without losing a wicket. Anwar hit nine fours and a six in reaching 63 not out off 56 balls while Zain Abbas had 12 fours and a six in his 69 off 57 balls. Nayyer has set up the win by helping bowl Lahore Ravi out for 175 in their second innings.Karachi Whites need five more wickets to beat Lahore Shalimar at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi despite a bizarre decision from Karachi not to enforce the follow-on and then declare four overs into their second innings. Three wickets from seamer Tabish Khan helped Karachi bowl Lahore Shalimar out for 178, giving Karachi a 373-run first-innings lead. However, their captain Akbar-ur-Rehman did not enforce the follow-on, though his bowlers had only been in the field for 68 overs. Even more strangely, he let his batsmen bat just four overs, in which they reached 21 for 1, before declaring and leaving Lahore Shalimar 395 to chase in a day and around 25 overs. Lahore Shalimar then crumbled to 78 for 5 and look on course for a seventh loss of the season.A century from Naved Yasin offered some resistance but Hyderabad are still favourites to beat Multan at the Bahawal Stadium in Bahawalpur. Yasin’s 122 and Faisal Elahi’s 52 were two of only three double-digit scores in Multan’s first innings, in which they were bowled out for 249. Left-arm spinner Imran Chandio took 5 for 76 as Multan gave Hyderabad a 251-run lead. Hyderabad enforced the follow-on and reduced Multan to 37 for 3 by the end of the day.

Chennai Super Kings’ exceptional run of form has been built on the principle of unity, a theme also visible in the other team led by MS Dhoni

Nitin Sundar07-Apr-2011Big PictureChennai Super Kings’ exceptional run of form has been built on the principle of unity, a theme also visible in the other team led by MS Dhoni. While most sides used the 2011 auction as an opportunity to clean out the closet, Chennai focussed on minimising churn. The four best players were held back, and the franchise fought hard to repurchase the likes of R Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Mike Hussey, Shadab Jakati and S Badrinath from the auction pool. With a solid bunch of performers at their disposal, and the added advantage of familiarity among their ranks, Chennai are primed for another good season.On-field success is only one half of Chennai’s story, though. Chennai is arguably the most successfully branded IPL franchises, with their PR campaign capturing the very essence of cricket on the streets and beaches of the city. Year after year, they come up with the most endearing promos, with everyone from Dhoni to Bollinger joining the Chennai layman in the chorus. The party will resume in full force at Chepauk when they stride out in their yellow jerseys on Friday.Key playersUntil famous bat-twirl after the winning six in the World Cup, the most enduring MS Dhoni image was the uppercut he landed on his own helmet after whacking Chennai into the 2010 IPL semi-finals. It was a rare show of emotion from a man who seldom loses his composure on the field. As wicketkeeper-captain, Dhoni is the team’s brains and the nerve-centre rolled into one. His perceptive use of R Ashwin with the new ball, and positioning of a very straight mid-off to snare Kieron Pollard in the 2010 final are now part of IPL folklore.Michael Hussey is an unusual choice at the top, yet Chennai’s decision to open with him ensures stability and a solid foundation for the muscular middle order to launch from. After a personally fulfilling Ashes, Hussey was laid low by a serious hamstring injury that kept him out of the initial stages of the World Cup. With Matthew Hayden missing in action this year, Hussey should face no hindrance in resuming his alliance with M Vijay at the top of the order. He will, however, join the party a little late after Australia’s one-day tour of Bangladesh.R Ashwin‘s prowess with the new ball, bowling to fields that are pulled in, is based on his accuracy. He may not be able to bowl six different balls in an over, yet he can get each one of them to land them on the same spot, and get the odd one to surprise the batsman by going away. Having picked up the carom ball by watching Ajantha Mendis bowling in Chepauk before he became an international sensation, Ashwin has become as lethal in its use as the inventor himself. Ashwin’s biggest strength, though, is not his variety, but his reluctance to over-use it.Big name inChennai have picked wisely in including Nuwan Kulasekara and Tim Southee for the new season. Their bowling attack in past editions often included three spinners, but this time they have two high-quality seaming options to fall back on. Both Kulasekara and Southee rely on exemplary seam position, and while Southee’s stock ball is the outswinger, Kulasekara specialises in mixing legcutters with huge induckers. Bollinger and Morkel are likely to be the first-choice fast bowlers, but Southee and Kulasekara could come into the picture as the tournament wears on.Big name outTwenty20 was clearly not Muttiah Muralitharan‘s format, yet he found a way to be effective, by going round the wicket and twirling his offspinners and doosras from the same spot around middle and off. He formed a formidable tweak-trio with Ashwin and Shadab Jakati, and Chennai – the team and the city – will miss his presence and personality, as much as his immense skills.Below the radarS Badrinath‘s India days might be behind him, but year after year he turns in stellar middle-order performances for Chennai. Badrinath’s methods will not fill up the stands – his high elbow, straight bat and along-the-ground shots are incongruous in this format, but he is the kind of man Dhoni backs. Badrinath’s domestic record speaks of a man whose appetite for runs borders on gluttony. He provides the stability in a middle order that features attackers like Raina, Morkel and Dhoni himself. Expect more of those typically unsung, unnoticed but invaluable gems from Badrinath this season.Last three seasonsChennai have been the most consistent IPL team, having made the semi-finals in each edition of the tournament. Not once was their passage into the last four straightforward – at one point in the 2010 season, they were languishing at seventh in a field of eight teams – but each time they managed to find a game-breaking performance to see them through trouble. In 2008, they had the upperhand for most of the final against Rajasthan before losing off the last ball. Their 2009 campaign was halted at the semi-final stage by Bangalore, powered by a cool innings from Manish Pandey. Chennai were unstoppable at the business end of the 2010 edition, and easily trumped a nervous Mumbai in the final.