Tag Futebol

Indian openers put up team’s highest stand in the format, helping them clinch the first T20I by 84 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2019Openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put up India’s highest partnership in women’s T20Is, helping them clinch the first game of the five-match series against West Indies by 84 runs in St Lucia. Their opening stand of 143 took India to 185 for 4, the highest by any side against West Indies in the format, after which the hosts were restricted to 101 for 9.After a quiet first over, 15-year-old Verma struck the returning Shakera Selman for two fours and a six in the second over, before launching Chinelle Henry for four fours and a six in the fourth over. At that stage, she was on 40 from just 15 balls.Mandhana, not outscored by her partners too often, took off in the third over by hitting three fours off Hayley Matthews, but Verma was on an 18-ball 43 at the end of the powerplay, while her senior mate was on 31 from the same number of balls. The total had reached 77 by that stage.The scoring rate fell a bit after the 11th over, but India were still eyeing a strong total, with the openers having brought up the 100-run stand within ten overs. Selman finally got the breakthrough in the 16th over, dismissing Shafali for a 49-ball 73, her highest score in a young career so far. Anisa Mohammed sent back Mandhana in the next over for 67, scored off 46 balls, and Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma fell cheaply after that. But a late impetus from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy in the last two overs lifted India to their third-highest total in the format.It didn’t help West Indies that their fielders missed as many as four chances – three dropped catches and a missed stumping – against Mandhana, Natasha McLean missing two out at long-off; McLean also dropped Harmanpreet in the covers in the last over.Smriti Mandhana shapes to pull•PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP

“We definitely don’t want to remember tonight,” West Indies’ stand-in captain Mohammed said after the game. “Our fielding – we need to sharpen up. We can’t restrict a team to a low total if we are going to field like that. And, our batters, they needed to be there at the end, and not expect bowlers to chase 12-13 runs an over.”On that, the batting, West Indies sorely missed their captain Stafanie Taylor, who had scored 94, 20 and 79 in the three ODIs that preceded the T20Is but is out with an injury.West Indies lost three wickets inside the powerplay for just 33 runs. Matthews started the chase by hitting two fours off Deepti but fell in the second over to Shikha Pandey. Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav took McLean out in the third over, while Pandey added one more to her tally when she dismissed Chedean Nation.With the required run-rate soaring, West Indies could not keep up, losing their last five wickets for just 23 runs. Shemaine Campbell finished as their highest runs scorer of the day with a 34-ball 33, while Pandey, Radha and Poonam Yadav finished with two wickets each.The match, though, had slipped from West Indies’ grasp well before that, in the first half itself. “We worked hard on our opening pair,” Harmanpreet said. “We did well today, especially Shafali Verma, because is young and she is giving so much contribution to the team, playing like a senior player. Smriti Mandhana also played really well, both of their contributions played a big role for us.”

Who makes the ESPNcricinfo XI for the Big Bash?

Andrew McGlashan18-Feb-2019Matthew Wade – Hurricanes (592 runs at 42.28, SR 146.89)Promoted to the captaincy shortly before the tournament, Wade led from the front with a continuation of his prolific domestic form. That it coincided with Australia’s struggles only made it more fascinating yet an international comeback doesn’t seem on the cards.D’Arcy Short – Hurricanes (637 runs at 53.08, SR 140.61; 10 wickets at 29.60, econ 8.00)The Player of the Tournament after an outstanding all-round return. He entered the BBL having struggled for Australia but returned to the form that got him selected in the first place and by the end of the competition had earned an ODI recall. Gave off confidence every time he walked to the wicket and only three times in 15 innings scored below 26.Marcus Stoinis – Stars (533 runs at 53.30, SR 130.63; 14 wickets at 16.14, econ 8.37)After beginning the competition in the middle order he found his ideal T20 home – at least domestically – opening the innings and enjoying a dominant time between Australia duties, not making less than 18 in 10 innings at the top. His bowling, full of variation, continues to develop.Callum Ferguson – Thunder (442 runs at 34.00, SR 134.75)Produced one of the innings of the tournament with his unbeaten 113 off 53 balls against Perth Scorchers and finished very strongly, having previously collected two first-ball ducks, as the Thunder narrowly missed the knockouts. Did enough to keep himself in the selectors’ thoughts having revealed he was one of the players asked to prepare a visa for India.Glenn Maxwell – Stars (331 runs at 33.10, SR 142.06)Although a slightly feast or famine tournament (six single-figure scores and six scores over 33) his 82 in the final group match against the Sixers was an innings of the highest order with progression to the group stages at stake, followed by another fine hand in the semi-final. Until the very end, it appeared it had all been timed perfectly for the Stars.Ashton Turner – Scorchers (378 runs at 31.50, SR 132.63)The Scorchers had a miserable season but Turner enhanced his reputation as a finisher – enough to earn Australia recognition. Faded towards the back-end of the tournament with five single-figure scores in his last six innings, but the partnership with Cameron Bancroft against the Sixers in mid-January was some of the best batting of the tournament.Tom Curran – Sixers (185 runs at 30.83; 20 wkts at 19.85, econ 7.65)The first of the overseas players in this XI, Curran proved excellent value for the Sixers and has since signed a three-year deal. Bowls at the tough times of the innings but was rarely taken apart. His batting provided an unexpected bonus, particularly when the Sixers laboured for runs early season and could have long-term benefits for them, Surrey and England. He was sorely missed in the semi-final.Rashid Khan – Strikers (19 wickets at 18.10, econ 6.14)The defending champions ended up battling to avoid the wooden spoon but Rashid was again impressive, never more so than battling the trauma of his father’s death. Having claimed 5 for 41 in 12 overs during his first three matches, as the tournament developed there were signs of oppositions working out that left-handers are the way to go against Rashid. His hitting power with the bat was under-used.Steve O’Keefe – Sixers (21 wickets at 17.52, econ 6.57)A born-again season for the left-arm spinner who became the go-to weapon for Moises Henriques inside and outside of the Powerplay. Only twice did he go for more than eight an over and only twice was he wicketless. He has burnt some bridges during his career, but looks as good as anyone in the country in the T20 format.Josh Lalor – Heat (20 wickets at 14.85, econ 7.61)Enjoyed a productive second half to the tournament as the Heat tried to cling on for a semi-final spot. Claimed the best figures of the season with 5 for 26 against the Sixers and probably the most emotionless hat-trick in history against the Scorchers when he didn’t realise he sat on three in three. In this XI he also provides the priceless left-arm pace option.Kane Richardson – Renegades (24 wickets at 17.70, econ 7.75)The leading wicket-taker in the competition, Richardson’s haul was enough to get him back in the Australia one-day squad. Five times he took three wickets in an innings and he excelled on the sluggish Docklands Stadium pitches.

Sindh High Court issues interim order against promoting “Karachians” in any manner in Pakistan, in response to petition filed by Karachi Kings owner

Umar Farooq10-Nov-2018In a blow to the UAE-based T10 league, the Sindh High Court has issued an interim order against promoting the “Karachians” in any manner in Pakistan. The directive comes after Karachi Kings, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, sought a stay order from the court against the UAE T20 league’s usage of the name Karachi. As per the court’s order, TV and radio organisations in Pakistan are barred from broadcasting, advertising or promoting anything from the T10 league related to the Karachians – or any other team using Karachi in their name in Pakistan or abroad – till the case’s next hearing on November 15.The Karachians is one of the eight franchises in the T10 league, which apparently draws its franchise names from various parts of the subcontinent, for example Kerala Kings, Bengal Tigers and Punjabi Legends. The league is set to be played in Sharjah from November 21.In response to the writ petition filed by Karachi Kings owner Salman Iqbal against the T10 management, the court issued its directive to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). Until yesterday, the Karachians – which is owned by a Pakistani based in the UAE – had been actively involved in the promotion of the league and their team in Karachi and Lahore. The T10 league has been operating in Pakistan in this manner through Pakistani directors.Earlier this week it was learnt that five out of the six PSL franchises had written a letter to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, voicing concern over what they felt was encroachment by the T10 league into what they consider their territory. In their letter, the PSL franchises said it was “a mean attempt by a foreign entity to target Pakistani cricket viewership market despite the fact that the T10 Cricket League has no indigenous affiliation with Pakistan or people of Pakistan”, and asked, among other things, that the PCB prevent its players from participating in the league.The PCB, which had already decided to hand players the required No-Objection Certificates needed to feature in the T10 league after initial concerns, is yet to respond to the PSL franchises.T10 chairman Nawab Shajiul Mulk was confident that the court will cancel its order after hearing their side of the argument. “It’s a temporary thing and our lawyers are confident that the injunction is not based on sound principles,” Mulk told ESPNcricinfo. “We are putting up our own argument [at the next hearing] on November 15, and this injunction will be cancelled.”This is all based on the use of word Karachi, but if you see there are a lot business with the name Karachi included.”But the main point here is that Karachi Kings, from what I know, is a brand name that belongs to the PCB, not to individuals because that’s how the league operates. So our counter argument will be that it’s the PCB’s decision to allow or not to allow this and Karachians is the name actually approved by the ICC and we have a document. So we are on a sound footing.”PSL franchises had voiced concerns over the T10 league in 2017 as well, which was the tournament’s inaugural year. It has expanded in its second year, with two new teams to added, one of which is Karachians and the other is Northern Warriors, whose owners are UAE-based Indians. Season one also featured “Team Sri Lanka”, which has been rebranded this year. High-profile players like Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum have committed to playing in the league this season.

Gareth Roderick marked his first appearance of the season for Gloucestershire with an unbeaten 88 on a hard-fought first day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Nottinghamshire at Bristol

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Bristol09-Jun-2017
Scorecard1:00

County Championship round-up: Stoneman goes big for Surrey

This was a tough day of cricket that asked as much of the players as it did of the spectators. Scoring came tough, taking wickets was tougher, but of those who persisted, Gloucestershire’s Gareth Roderick was the most satisfied, flicking the bails himself before walking off at stumps with bat under one arm and an unbeaten 88 under the other. He had good reason to smile on his first appearance of the season.Roderick, Gloucestershire’s four-day captain, missed the start of the season with what the club simply stated was “an illness”. Head coach Richard Dawson was keen to offer as little detail as possible, with rumours of various ailments, physical and mental, being thrown around Nevill Road ever since he missed the opening fixture of the summer against Kent.Wicketkeeper Phil Mustard has unofficially taken over as captain and continues in this match, though Dawson confirmed that Roderick will claim his usual position behind the stumps when Gloucestershire take to the field. It is now a case of easing him back into the team and allowing him the freedom to bat. “I wanted him to get back into the team, enjoy his cricket and score some runs,” Dawson said.This innings went some way to ticking all three of those boxes. The speculation is bound to continue until the full details are revealed at a time that is suitable for Roderick, but one thing is for certain – they have missed his determination. Without it, Nottinghamshire would have run them ragged for the second time in a month.Chris Read’s decision to forgo the toss and bowl as the away skipper was something of a no-brainer. The clouds were plentiful, the air thick and the pre-match odds stacked heavily in their favour. But once play commenced, there was a sneaking suspicion that this Bristol pitch may have stayed up through the early hours to count every last election vote.It was tired and dull throughout the morning session – maybe even regretting a lot of its social media output from 4am onwards – and was in no mood to engage with anyone. The second ball of the day, delivered by Luke Fletcher, was close to removing Cameron Bancroft for a duck, but from then on there was little to encourage the bowlers. There were 25.4 overs of dot balls in the opening session of 31, and only part of that can be attributed to pressure built up by Read and his attack, aware that patience was needed.Gareth Roderick was in the runs on his first appearance of the season•Getty Images

In that time, they were able to snare a couple of wickets. Harry Gurney fooled Chris Dent, striking the left-hander on the pads as he left a ball he thought would move away from him. Then, with the last ball before lunch, Fletcher yorked Will Tavare superbly to make it 67 for 2 at the break.And so, Roderick strode out after lunch with Bancroft, an absolute humbling at Trent Bridge still at the forefront of their minds, even if last week’s round off allowed for an extended period of wound-licking. Their innings defeat began by conceding 430 before crashing and burning in their reply of 149 all out. Of course, Roderick was not there for that, but he was hardly coming into this match totally at ease.Big scores in 2nd XI cricket against Surrey and Worcestershire allowed him to feel meaningful bat on ball, but the real test came against a Nottinghamshire side ruling Division Two. He began warily: it took him 33 balls to get into double-figures and 115 for his 22nd first-class fifty. Brett Hutton’s two-in-two balls accounted for Bancroft and Graeme van Buuren, before Mustard edged the hat-trick ball through a vacant third slip.It was with Mustard that Roderick continued on until after tea, when their partnership was ended on 83 as the former nicked Gurney, whose skills shone brighter than most, through to Read. Another flurry of wickets was in the offing but Kieran Noema-Barnett’s calm-yet-cavalier 35 saw him and Roderick put on 65 in the evening session to frustrate a Notts attack that was starting to fray around the edges.It was at this point that Roderick began working balls from off to leg and playing with a degree of comfort that suggested he might make it to three figures before the the day was done. Instead, he will have to sleep on 88. But, whatever tomorrow brings, if the cheers of the Gloucestershire balcony and the members that greeted his every boundary and the pride with which his coach spoke of his return is anything to go by, it had already been a day worth savouring.

Zimbabwe found an unlikely hero in Donald TIripano in their dramatic tie against West Indies as the bowler gave away three runs in the final four

Liam Brickhill In Bulawayo20-Nov-2016Donald Tiripano makes for an unlikely, everyday cricketing hero. Well under six feet tall, he occasionally tops 130kph with the ball and just about holds his own the bat, without getting too bolshy. But against West Indies at Queens Sports Club on Saturday afternoon, he showed his mettle as a cricketer and became just the hero Zimbabwe needed. With six deliveries in the final over Tiripano sparked the unlikeliest of comebacks, taking three wickets and giving away just three runs to help Zimbabwe tie.”To me, it was my dream,” Tiripano said, holding back welling emotions. “I was talking to myself, saying. ‘This is the chance I’ve been waiting for since I was a little kid’. I grew up playing cricket in the streets. I was just thinking about that. Thinking ‘Just be positive. Nothing to fear. Just express yourself’. That positivity and that faith … I just thank God for this. It’s great for me. It’s something that many wish for in their lives, to save a match for their country. It’s a blessing.”He had opened the bowling earlier, trapping Johnson Charles lbw with an inducker before the opener could really get going. His opening spell of 1 for 24 was useful, but not flashy – and certainly gave no indication of the heroics that would come later, when he was called upon by his captain Graeme Cremer to bowl the final over of this match, with just four runs to defend. With his second ball, he had the dangerous, World T20-winning Carlos Brathwaite caught at long on. With his third, he ran Ashley Nurse out by deflecting a firm drive from Jason Holder back onto the non-striker’s stumps.Suddenly, hope surged. After a leg bye, he might have had Jonathan Carter caught in the deep, but Chamu Chibhabha couldn’t quite get to the chance despite a stupendous effort. The batsmen crossed, levelling the scores. It all came down to the final delivery, and when Tiripano beat Holder’s drive with a full, wide slower ball and PJ Moor threw down the stumps, the Zimbabweans unleashed their unrestrained joy. This wasn’t a win, but it sure felt like one.”[Cremer] just said ‘Back yourself, and do what you’ve been doing before’,” Tiripano explained after the breathless finish to the game. “So I just backed myself to bowl that slower ball, that I usually know is difficult to hit. Keep it simple. I didn’t want to use too many variations, just that slower ball because there was assistance from the wicket. So I didn’t have to bowl yorkers or anything. Just use the wicket to help me.”I tried to bowl that last ball fuller, because there wasn’t much pace in the wicket so it would be difficult to hit over the top. I bowled it fuller, and he didn’t hit it. I’m just so happy we managed to pull out a tie, out of nothing.”Then there was his batting. Tiripano was the only member of Zimbabwe’s bottom seven to reach double figures, and he took them past 250 and to their highest ODI score this year with a clean six (his first in ODIs) off Shannon Gabriel, the quickest bowler in this tri-series. “I knew before he bowled that the ball would be fuller, because he’d bowled a few back-of-a-length deliveries,” Tiripano explained with nonchalance. “So I just anticipated before the ball was bowled. I was right there to hit it.”Tiripano’s resistance was emblematic of the spirit shown by the Zimbabwean side today, which left coach Heath Streak a very proud man. “I’m proud of the fact that they never gave up,” Streak said. “They managed to claw it back. It was excellent. Those last seven or eight overs were brilliant. The guys took it to the wire. Cricket is funny. If you take it into the last over, it’s amazing what can happen with that pressure.”Probably in the last three overs, I started thinking: ‘We can do this’,” Streak added. “We got a couple of wickets, and I knew Brathwaite and the skipper Holder can hit a long ball, so I was always worried about the damage they can do. But the wicket was pretty tough. It was gripping and I thought Mpofu and Williams bowled really well. And then obviously Donald bowled that last over really well under pressure. He bowled some superb balls. I’m very proud of how they fought.”Yet Streak was also realistic about the areas in which Zimbabwe fell short today. They missed three chances off centurion Shai Hope’s bat, and their fumbles in the field dissipated the pressure being built up on the batsmen.”We know that we’re better than what we showed in the field,” Streak said. “That’s the only disappointment. We dropped opportunities and we had a lot of fumbles. We know we’re better than that. It’s something I know the guys are going to have to work on, getting those fielding standards up, but the fact that we were able to tie and not have had our best day in the field is probably a good omen for us, because we know we’ve still got room for improvement.”Despite today’s tie, we’ve still got a lot of work to do to get ourselves to the final,” Streak added. “Monday (against Sri Lanka) is an important game for us. We’ve just to make sure we come out with that same positivity. We have a big game on Monday, but we’ve got to take it one over at a time, one ball at a time.”

Bangladesh Under-19s left-arm spinner Saleh Ahmed Shawon said he enjoys playing on a big stage and draws motivation from the crowds cheering his name.

Mohammad Isam01-Feb-2016Saleh Ahmed Shawon is fidgety, unlike the mostly calm Nazmul Hossain Shanto or the bright-eyed Bangladesh Under-19s captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz. The left-arm spinner is the Bangladesh team’s prankster, making wisecracks and keeping everyone cheerful, while at times, by his own admission, being the victim of his team-mates’ pranks. Despite his antics, Shawon has been the team’s leading wicket-taker since January last year, with 53 dismissals at 16.01 in 30 matches.He doesn’t look at one person for too long and his hands are constantly fidgeting, but he did stand still for the duration of the press briefing. The bowler has also started to like the big stage, and draws motivation from the crowd cheering his name.”I always try to keep my team-mates amused, I joke around, especially when I see someone down,” Shawon said. “I try to poke him, ask him what’s wrong. And they, too, have fun at my expense. I also find a lot of motivation playing in front of a crowd where they are calling out my name and cheering us. Maybe some people take it as pressure, but I like it.”While bowling, he has the run-up of a front-on bowler but slides into a side-on action and flights the ball consistently. He has set himself a target of finishing as one of the leading wicket-takers in this tournament, although he admitted his primary job was to keep the runs down.”In team meetings, we have been told to keep the runs in check,” he said. “I don’t go for wickets. I just want to keep it to 20-25 in my ten overs. [Getting a] Wicket is a matter of luck. We think that our bowling attack can defend a score like 240, which will be hard for any opponent in any condition.”My target is to be among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament, or if possible the highest wicket-taker.”Shawon stated that in a bid to keep the players under less pressure, the team management had told them to approach the World Cup as a set of two three-match series’. Personally, though, he doesn’t seem too nervous about the big stage.”We are looking at it as a series, not a World Cup. We shouldn’t be tensed about playing a World Cup, that’s what our captain and vice-captain have told us ahead of the tournament,” he said. “We have divided it into two three-match series. So we have the three matches in the group stage, and three in the knockout. If we can win six, we can win the World Cup.”It is not really possible to think this way but it is about believing it yourself, you get what I’m saying?”

Ireland will be without the experience of Alex Cusack when they take on England next month, after the allrounder was ruled out with a back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2013Ireland will be without the experience of Alex Cusack when they take on England next month, after the allrounder was ruled out with a back injury. He has been rested from domestic cricket in recent weeks but will not be fit for the September 3 ODI.Cusack has played 50 ODIs for Ireland, taking 52 wickets with his right-arm medium pace to go with 679 runs at 22.63. He shared a sixth-wicket stand of 162 with Kevin O’Brien, scoring 47, during Ireland’s famous victory over England in Bangalore at the 2011 World Cup.”It’s certainly disappointing for Alex to miss the game as he’s an important player for us, particularly in the Powerplays,” Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons, said. “However, we have strength in depth now and it’ll give one of the other guys a chance to shine. We are blessed with a number of very talented allrounders so have plenty of cover in that department.”The match against England will mark the opening of Ireland’s redeveloped ground at Malahide, which has had its capacity increased to 11,000. With three weeks to go, tickets are still available on the Cricket Ireland website but well over half of the allocation has already been sold and Simmons said that anticipation was building.”We’ve seen just how well the tickets have gone with over 7,000 sold already,” Simmons said. “It’s going to the biggest match ever held in Ireland, and there will be a fantastic atmosphere at the new international venue at Malahide. It’s my home town and I know just how much of a buzz there is around the place to have the Ashes winners coming here. It’ll be a magnificent occasion, and hopefully we’ll give the Irish fans another day to remember.”Despite losing to Ireland in a record run chase at the last World Cup, England have won on each of their four visits to play ODIs. As in 2009, England will arrive in Ireland having won the Ashes – and on that occasion their winning margin was just three runs in a rain-affected game.

Alan Richardson completed his second 10-wicket return in a week as Worcestershire piled the pressure on Gloucestershire in their Division Two match at New Road

24-May-2013
ScorecardAlan Richardson made it consecutive 10-wicket hauls to put Worcestershire in sight of victory•PA Photos

Alan Richardson completed his second 10-wicket return in a week as Worcestershire piled the pressure on Gloucestershire in their Division Two match at New Road.After his side had batted on to make 457, the veteran seamer led the push for victory with 3 for 34 as Gloucestershire continued to struggle on a ground where they have not won in the Championship for 27 years. Needing 223 to avoid an innings defeat, they were still 136 short of their target on closing the third day because of bad light at 87 for 5.At the age of 38, Richardson is in the form of his life with career-best match figures of 12 for 63 in a two-day win against Kent and so far a return of 11 for 71 in the current game following his eight for 37 in the first innings. Yet up to the trip to Canterbury last week, he was beginning to feel he “couldn’t buy a wicket” after taking only 6 for 282 in the first four matches of the season.Now his mood is upbeat after playing on two helpful pitches. When the ball is new and nipping around, as it has done in this match, he is likely to cause problems for the best batsmen. Gloucestershire had no answer on the first day and they were again in trouble when batting again in between afternoon showers.After an initial flurry of boundaries, Richardson brought one back into Chris Dent’s pads and claimed a second success in his next over when wicketkeeper Michael Johnson held a straightforward chance from Dan Housego.Gloucestershire’s captain Michael Klinger, who played for Worcestershire in the first part of last season, looked in good form with five boundaries but having reached 26 he played on as soon as Gareth Andrew switched ends to replace Richardson.Hamish Marshall stayed for more than an hour but then edged Chris Russell’s first ball down the leg-side and Richardson claimed the bigger prize when Alex Gidman was also caught behind after making 26 in 33 overs.Gloucestershire’s struggle was tough on teenage pace bowler Craig Miles after his efforts in taking 6 for 99 in only his fourth Championship appearance. When Worcestershire resumed at 302 for 3, Moeen Ali added only one run before he was out for 123, pulling Miles to square leg for the first of three wickets in nine balls.The home side could have wobbled when Neil Pinner fell to Liam Norwell for 18, but the ever-dangerous Andrew smacked 66 from 71 balls and put on 98 with Jack Shantry (31) before Miles took two of the last three wickets.

With Services 54 for 5 in their chase of 113, Soumik Chatterjee hobbled and went on to play the most significant innings of his career

The Report by Abhishek Purohit in Indore08-Jan-2013Over time, when they look back at the history of the game for inspiration, they would do well to consider Soumik Chatterjee’s unbeaten 34, made on one leg and with plenty of bravado. Unable to walk, the Services captain had been carried off by four of his team-mates from the dressing room to the team bus on day one, after he’d badly damaged his left knee while fielding. He’d dragged himself out to the middle to bat at No 11 in the Services first innings, and lasted one delivery. In the second, with Services 54 for 5 in their chase of 113, Chatterjee hobbled in again and went on to play the most significant innings of his career, which led to what he called the biggest achievement of his life.”This match is my life’s biggest achievement,” Chatterjee said of Services’ Ranji Trophy quarter-final win over Uttar Pradesh. ” [I won’t come back without winning it for the team]. Yes, I was injured but I knew that if I made up my mind, I could win the game for the team.”It was a matter of having a partnership for five-six overs. When that happens, the other side loses the advantage. I knew that if I and Rajat [Paliwal] could play out five-six overs, the game would be ours.”Chatterjee was asked whether he had thought about the chance of aggravating his injury when deciding to come out to bat. Scans had revealed serious clotting around the knee. “There was no risk. Even if I lose my life, I will always be there for team,” he replied in the emotional aftermath of victory.When Chatterjee came out to bat, the immediate reaction among journalists watching the game was that with his perceived inability to run, he would end up squeezing out any remaining momentum from the chase. But to everyone’s disbelief, he soon started limping and then, unable to bear the pain, hopping on his fit right leg for singles.Wing Commander Deepak Bhaskar, the Services manager, said it was a collective decision by himself, the coach and Chatterjee to send in the captain at No 7. “We were not sure whether he would be able to run,” Bhaskar said. “It was all down to him, how he felt out there when he started batting.”While Chatterjee was sure he would be able to recover in time for the semi-final starting on January 16, Bhaskar was more realistic. “It is a call we will have to take,” Bhaskar said. “We will see how his treatment goes.”There is still more than a week left for the semi-finals, and for the moment, Chatterjee was grateful to all his team-mates. “All 11 players of the side are special and I give credit to all of them,” Chatterjee said. “We won because of all of them. Not only the 11, but all the 15 (in the squad) and the 17, including the coach and the manager, and also the four who have sat out, I credit them all. We won because of all their hard work.”

While there is no doubt Jayawardene and his men will have a packed Premadasa cheering for them tomorrow, there is also no doubting who most neutral fans want to win

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo06-Oct-2012As Darren Sammy’s pre-final press conference ended, a few journalists and camerapersons standing at the back of the Premadasa media room actually clapped. If you were looking for evidence of just what West Indies, even a decade-and-a-half after their decline, mean to cricket and its fans, here it was. No one clapped after Mahela Jayawardene had finished speaking to the media; not even the local media men. While there is no doubt Jayawardene and his men will have a packed Premadasa cheering for them tomorrow, there is also no doubting who most neutral fans want to win.West Indies are the game’s original, and only, gladiators. In their prime, their bowlers put the fear of death in opposition batsmen’s minds, their batsmen fearlessly slaughtered opposition bowlers, and their team ruled the cricket world with sheer force. Everywhere, fans loved the raw skill and passion which West Indies brought to cricket. The skill and passion have dimmed over the years, but fans still keep waiting for some performances, or a performance, that will remind them that once, this was a side which forced you to sit down and watch it do its stuff.In these difficult times, West Indies have invested their faith in a man who has divided opinion in a way a modern captain scarcely has. Whether he should be there in the side or not is a debate which will probably continue as long as he is captain, but Sammy is the man who will go down in history as the one who led West Indies to their first World Cup final – albeit in the Twenty20 form – since 1983. Yes, it has taken just two outright wins, over Australia and England in the Super Eights, to make the final, but West Indies won’t mind that.Sammy has been nearly invisible with bat and ball through the tournament while Chris Gayle has soaked in most of the attention. He has had to face difficult questions over Gayle’s absence from the squad and his subsequent return. It was heartwarming to see Sammy jump around in the dugout with delight after every Gayle six in the semi-final. The captain has no pretensions to being a world-class player but has always maintained he’s there to bring the squad together, to involve everyone, and make it easy for his players to perform without inhibition. Even when he was asked about what the final meant for him as a leader, as someone who had worked for a united squad, he only spoke about the Caribbean people.”For me, it is going to be a memorable occasion,” Sammy said. “I am more focussed on the team and the Caribbean people. I have just been playing cricket for a few years but the fans have been supporting for a number of years. To me it is all about them. They are who come and watch us play, wake early in the morning and stay up late at night.”What if West Indies went a step further, what if they beat Sri Lanka tomorrow? “It would be massive,” Sammy said. “It’s been over a decade and the fans are craving for bigger success. That is the goal we left the Caribbean with. We have been saying it in the dressing room, it is one team, one people, one mission. We are just one step away from the World Twenty20. When we do well people in the Caribbean are very happy, work stops for a few hours back home. It would mean everything to us as players, as coaching staff. It would give us a big boost.”Sammy said the last man who won a World Cup for West Indies, Clive Lloyd, had a message for the side ahead of the final. “I got an email from Mr. Lloyd saying we are very proud in the Caribbean of what the team is doing, people are very happy and just go out and win it. ‘Success comes before work only in the dictionary. Continue to work hard so that you can reap success tomorrow,’ he said. It means a lot to everybody. That in itself will be the biggest motivation for us.”Lloyd and the people of the Caribbean won’t be the only ones rooting for West Indies tomorrow. There is a world title to be won, and probably the entire cricketing world, barring the Sri Lankans, will be behind Sammy and his men.