All posts by h716a5.icu

The second day’s play in Sharjah was suspended following the death of Phillip Hughes. An extra day has been added to the Test which will resume from Friday, the teams decided

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2014The second day’s play of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sharjah has been suspended following the death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes in Sydney because of a head injury. An extra day has been added to the Test which will resume from Friday.Both teams decided not to take the field after the news of Hughes’ death arrived an hour-and-a-half before the start of the second day. Play was suspended for an hour as the team managements discussed the course of action before finally deciding to call off the day.”The whole team is shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Phil Hughes,” Moin Khan, the Pakistan team manager, said. “He was here for the Australia limited-overs squad and was very cheerful. He was always ready to talk about cricket.”Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, also expressed sadness on behalf of the New Zealand team and said the mood in the dressing room was “sombre”.”Today isn’t about cricket, it’s about Phil,” Hesson said. “Like the rest of the cricketing family, the Blackcaps players and management are devastated to hear about Phil’s tragic passing.”

Martin Snedden, the NZC director, has backed N Srinivasan’s confirmation as ICC’s first chairman and said the Indian Supreme Court’s decision not to interfere in Srinivasan’s ICC appointment had guided NZC’s decision

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2014Martin Snedden, the New Zealand Cricket director, has backed N Srinivasan’s confirmation as ICC’s first chairman after the restructuring of the organisation. He said the Indian Supreme Court’s decision not to interfere in Srinivasan’s ICC appointment had guided NZC’s decision.Srinivasan had been barred from carrying out his duties as BCCI president by the Supreme Court, which is currently investigating allegations of fixing and corruption in IPL 2013. While the court turned down Srinivasan’s appeal to be reinstated within the BCCI, it did not stop him from representing the Indian board at the ICC and he was confirmed as the world governing body’s first chairman at the annual conference in Melbourne on Thursday. Snedden said NZC had studied the situation and had even sought external advice before backing Srinivasan in the ICC.”There was a conflict of interest because the investigations related to his son-in-law [Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan concerning bets he placed on matches],” Snedden, who represents New Zealand on the ICC board, told . “Mr Srinivasan said ‘Okay, I’ll step aside’*. Three times the Supreme Court has been asked to exclude him from ICC affairs and each time they have said ‘No, it’s not our business so we won’t interfere’. That alone is a tool to guide us. No one knows what the allegations are. They’re under the Supreme Court seal and they don’t want to risk damaging innocent reputations.”It’s the highest court in India; it’s not like anyone can point the finger and say it’s a shonky investigation. Ultimately they’ll drive that to a conclusion, the findings will be made public and the ICC will have to deal with what comes out of it. At least then we’ll be dealing with something factual … That’s not fair on Mr Srinivasan and it’s not good process.”Pragmatism was also a factor in NZC’s decision to back the Big Three boards, Snedden said. He admitted that the board did not believe a coalition of smaller members could withstand pressure from the BCCI, the ECB and CA. Snedden had been supportive of the proposed revamp by the three boards in January, and had also backed the BCCI’s demand for a greater share of the revenue, explaining that the Indian market had “escalated out of proportion”.”Confronted with a situation where Australia and England had already agreed with India [to be permanent members on the five-member executive committee], you were dealing with three countries,” Snedden said. “In those circumstances we didn’t think they were bluffing, nor did we think any coalition among other members could withstand their pressure. There were all sorts of comments that it was bad for cricket and we’d stop playing the big guys but, in the four to five months since, we’re about to put the finishing touches to a future tours programme until 2023 which doesn’t disadvantage any of the smaller [Full Member] countries.”We’re also about to sell commercial rights to world events from 2015-2023 with India’s support. In terms of stability we’re miles ahead of a position where we were left guessing what stance India would take.”*

A Delhi district court has cleared former India batsman Ajay Sharma of all charges related to match-fixing, and has asked the BCCI to allow him to take part in the board’s activities and those of its associates

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2014A Delhi district court has cleared former India batsman Ajay Sharma of all charges related to match-fixing, and has asked the BCCI to allow him to take part in the board’s activities and those of its associates. The court also asked the board to release his benevolent fund and allowance.Sharma, now 50, had challenged the BCCI’s appointment of K Madhavan as a commissioner to enquire into the match-fixing allegations in 2000, and his life ban imposed by the board’s disciplinary committee. Sharma was banned after being found guilty of having associations with bookmakers, but he argued Madhavan’s appointment was in violation of the rules and regulations of the BCCI.”It’s been a turbulent phase in my life for the past 14 years,” Sharma told after he was cleared. “It’s hard for anybody, but now that the court has cleared my name of any wrongdoing, I can look forward towards starting a meaningful chapter in my life after all these years. Hope the stigma goes away.”I have no bitter feelings against anyone. No regrets that my first-class career came to an abrupt end. I just want to look forward. Now I can at least watch my son Manan [Sharma] play from the stands during Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments. I would like to contribute meaningfully in Delhi cricket.”The court order also stated the BCCI will need to disburse Sharma’s dues and he will be entitled to monthly pension.”Hopefully, I will be getting all my dues as the court has cleared my name. I would also like to now share my experiences and technical inputs with juniors. I would be available if DDCA wants to use my services in any manner,” Sharma said.Sharma played one Test and 31 ODIs between 1988 and 1993, and scored 10,120 first-class runs in 129 matches at an average of 67.46.

A round-up of IPL-related news on May 12, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2014Steyn speaks out on D/L method
Dale Steyn, the Sunrisers Hyderabad seamer, has become the first major player in the IPL this season to speak up about the much-debated Duckworth-Lewis method, admitting that it was an “ongoing discussion in changing rooms”.Steyn snared two wickets on Saturday to help restrict Delhi Daredevils to 143, and after a couple of rain interruptions, the Sunrisers’ task was made even easier as the target was revised to 43 from five overs.”No doubt the Daredevils would have felt hard done by the last game when the Duckworth-Lewis method gave us a five-over target of less than 50,” Steyn wrote in his column for the . “The rules regarding rain-affected matches are the subject of ongoing discussion in IPL changing rooms.”Let me skip straight to the conclusion. The way D/L is calculated at the moment, it doesn’t work in T20s. But until they, or somebody else, comes up with an improved formula – or even something completely different – we have to stick with it. It’s better than tossing a coin or drawing a target out of a hat.”Shastri tips Praveen for England tour
One of the few positives for Mumbai Indians during their defeat to Chennai Super Kings which all but ended their hopes of reaching the playoffs, was a spirited showing from their seamer Praveen Kumar.Praveen, who went unsold at the IPL auction in February, was roped in by Mumbai as a replacement for the injured Zaheer Khan, and he marked his first appearance for the franchise by picking up the crucial wickets of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum.Ravi Shastri, writing for believes that an in-form Praveen warrants selection for the upcoming tour of England, where the bowler’s late swing could be a potent weapon.”This is important for Indian cricket. Praveen is excellent with his control and swing either way; notably late swing. He has the heart of a lion. His Test figures are good,” Shastri wrote. “In English conditions, which are expected to be colder this year, he could form a healthy pair with state-mate and protégé, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.”The fact that he is a genuine swing bowler is something that you must take into account as they are a breed who are getting rarer by the day and hence have to be nurtured.”Been a legspinners’ tournament – Vettori
While the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Dwayne Smith and David Miller have hogged the limelight this season for their big hitting, Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach, struck a different note, insisting that this year had been a “legspinners’ tournament”.”I think this has been a legspinner’s tournament – Pravin Tambe and Rahul Tewatia today for Rajasthan Royals, Amit Mishra and Karn Sharma for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Yuzvendra Chahal for us,” Vettori told . “We’ve seen the rise of the legspinners, which is great because everyone loves watching a leggie in action. It’s a really tough art to master, but when you see these guys do so well, it inspires youngsters.””Arrogant” Pollard got away lightly – Donald
One of the biggest flashpoints of this season’s IPL was the ugly altercation between Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard, with both players eventually admitting to a level two offence under the IPL’s code of conduct.Pollard lost 75% of his match fee, but Allan Donald, the bowling coach of the Royal Challengers, had strong words for the Mumbai allrounder, branding him “arrogant” and worthy of a bigger punishment.”I have a fairly strong opinion about what happened the other day at the Wankhede Stadium. It’s not something that should be tolerated,” Donald told . “As far as I am concerned, Pollard pulled out deliberately at the last moment and that’s not acceptable. Pollard is a fairly arrogant individual. I can’t stand a player who wants to throw his bat at the bowler.”It’s just not on. There’s space for a bit of niggling but beyond that, I don’t think these things should be allowed to take place on the field. And from the fines that were imposed, I must say that Pollard got away pretty lightly.” RCB quash Gayle injury rumours
The Royal Challengers Bangalore dismissed reports that Chris Gayle had been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL. Gayle, who was dismissed for 19 on Sunday, had missed the Royal Challengers’ first few games with a back injury, and speculation was rife that he would miss the franchise’s remaining games as well.”Gayle is not ruled out and no replacement is sought,” the Royal Challengers said in a statement.

Glenn Maxwell’s 38-ball 90 led Kings XI Punjab to 231, the season’s best total, and set up a rout of the Super Kings

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran07-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details7:59

Hattangadi: Ashwin’s plan fails against Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell fell within touching distance of a century for the fourth time in the competition, but neither he nor Kings XI Punjab were complaining in the end as the side maintained their winning run each time Maxwell made a massive contribution. Maxwell and David Miller set off fireworks in Cuttack to lift Kings XI to the season’s highest total – 231 – and though Super Kings managed 187, at no stage were they serious contenders in the chase. The win took Kings XI to the top of the table.Such was the carnage by Kings XI that it was easy to forget that only 69 came off the first ten overs. The next ten produced a whopping 162, an IPL record, of which the last five produced 78. The Miller-Maxwell partnership was worth 135 and after both departed, there was no respite for Super Kings as George Bailey and Mitchell Johnson swung their bats around to add 49 off just 16 balls to end the innings.Both captains weren’t quite sure how the pitch would play out, given that it was Cuttack’s first match, but Virender Sehwag’s rousing start was an indication that the batsmen would have it easy. However, at 37 for 2 and with Maxwell having just arrived, Kings XI abandoned their strategy of sending in the relatively passive Wriddhiman Saha and instead promoted Miller. Investing in their power hitters with nearly 15 overs remaining was the way to go.The blitzkrieg began in the 11th over. R Ashwin continued with his tried-and-tested plan by bowling round the wicket to the right-hander, but his variations had no effect on Maxwell who smashed two sixes over deep square-leg. A rattled Ashwin strayed too wide either side of the stumps to check Maxwell but he was penalised. Ashwin was in for greater punishment in his following over as Maxwell smashed two fours and two sixes, including one that was reverse swept over third man.Three overs of spin, including one from Ravindra Jadeja, leaked 52 and Ashwin was carted for 38 off two overs. The boundary barrage started to wear down the fielders as the normally safe Brendon McCullum let one slip at the boundary.MS Dhoni later said that the inability of the spinners to contain Maxwell and Miller was the turning point. He turned to Ishwar Pandey to limit the damage and he too was spanked, for 18 in an over. Length balls were duly smashed and attempted yorkers turned into low full tosses that were dispatched. Jadeja tried bowling it flat and quick as a defensive option but Miller put him away, slashing past short third man and launching one over deep cover. Miller and Maxwell brought up the century stand off just 8.5 overs.Dwayne Smith broke the partnership when Miller inside edged on to his stumps. Prior to that, though, Maxwell had biffed Smith for three sixes, including two audacious reverse pulls over third man. With a century in sight, however, Maxwell didn’t slow down and his knock ended on 90 when he slogged a slower ball from Mohit to Jadeja at deep midwicket.The depth in Kings XI’s batting took them past 200 for the second time this season, both against Super Kings, though the previous occasion was a successful chase. Bailey and Johnson took 40 off the last two overs to push the score to 231.Super Kings failed to put on partnerships even close to the tune of Miller and Maxwell. Their best hopes rested on their successful opening pair of Smith and McCullum, but their association ended in the first over. Following Jadeja’s departure in the 11th over, Super Kings dropped the idea of attaining the target and focused on getting as many as possible for the sake of net run-rate. Du Plessis made an attractive fifty, but his efforts were lost in the din of Maxwell and Miller.

The Mumbai Cricket Association is likely to sack Sulakshan Kulkarni as coach of the senior team, after the side’s quarterfinal exit from the Ranji Trophy last week

Amol Karhadkar16-Jan-2014The Mumbai Cricket Association is set to sack Sulakshan Kulkarni as coach of the senior team, after the side’s quarter-final exit from the Ranji Trophy last week. The MCA technical committee has recommended Lalchand Rajput’s appointment as coach for the rest of the 2013-14 season, which includes the West Zone one-dayers for the Ramakant Desai Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament.Mumbai, who were defending champions this season, lost to Maharashtra by eight wickets in the quarterfinal, in spite of a 122-run lead.When asked for a reaction, Kulkarni told ESPNcricinfo: “I have not heard anything from MCA so far. I can comment on it only after someone from the MCA officially informs me.”Rajput, who is the coach at the BCCI’s batting academy in Mumbai and is in charge of the India A squad, said he will seek the board’s permission before committing to the position.”I have been offered the position,” Rajput said. “I have told MCA that even though I respect their decision, I can accept it only after I get a clearance from the BCCI. I will now request the BCCI to release me for the limited-overs’ leg.”Rajput, the former Mumbai and India opener, coached Mumbai in 2001-02 when the team exited in the pre-quarterfinal round of the Ranji Trophy. He was then in charge of the India U-19 team for a couple of years before being appointed cricket manager and assistant coach of India’s senior team during the transition period between Greg Chappell and Gary Kirsten. In 2008-09, he was offered the post of national junior selection committee chairman, but he declined saying he wanted to continue as the coach.The MCA managing committee will meet on January 24 to ratify Rajput’s appointment, provided he gets a BCCI go-ahead. The technical committee, which replaced the association’s cricket improvement committee earlier this season, has also recommended a selection committee overhaul before the limited-overs leg of the domestic season.Kulkarni replaced Pravin Amre as the coach at the start of the 2011-12 season. In his three seasons as coach, Mumbai were eliminated in the semi-finals in 2011-12, won the championship last season and were defeated in the quarter-finals by neighbouring rivals, Maharashtra. However, the former wicketkeeper-batsman’s tenure was controversial due to his spat with Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar in his opening season.Agarkar left the team in Cuttack on the morning of a Ranji game in 2011-12 alleging he was unfairly treated. Zaheer Khan had also backed Agarkar during the crisis. Even though Agarkar and Kulkarni patched up and the former even led the team to its 40th Ranji title last season, the squad appeared to be divided in multiple groups over the last three years. Before the start of the 2013-14 season, offspinner Ramesh Powar, who had been dropped the previous season and didn’t share a good rapport with Kulkarni and Wasim Jaffer, moved to Rajasthan as a professional.

ESPNcricinfo looks ahead to the final Twenty20 International between West Indies and England – the final match for both sides before World Twenty20 in Bangladesh

The Preview by David Hopps12-Mar-20140:00

Ian Bell could use the final T20 match in Bridgetown as an unexpected audition for World Twenty20

Match FactsMarch 13, Bridgetown
Start time 1400 local (1800GMT)Big PictureThere could hardly be a greater gulf in expectations as West Indies and England meet for the last time before they head to Bangladesh for World Twenty20. West Indies have done enough to encourage expectations that they can put up a powerful defence of the trophy they won in similar conditions in Sri Lanka 17 months ago, whereas England’s chances are held to be as poor as those of the football team heading for their own World Cup in Brazil in a few months’ time.England, after five successive T20 defeats, could turn to an unlikely saviour. Ian Bell has not played a Twenty20 international since January 2011, but expectations are high that he will take part in England’s final warm-up match, even if his coach, Ashley Giles, has warned that he is not quite ready after being with the squad for only a few days.England have been overcome by West Indies’ greater weight of stroke in their defeats in the first two matches of this three-match series, and Bell, a slight figure with no penchant for six-hitting, is not about to change that, but he is regarded as one of England’s most skilful players of spin, and that talent is in short supply.We must wait to see whether Bell, called up to replace the injured Joe Root, can make good use of his experience — almost 100 Tests and approaching 150 ODIs – in the shortest format, but for all his ability, his inclusion after being ignored so long seems to illustrate England’s desperation for any sort of stability at the top of the order rather than a conviction that they have alighted on a new super-powered approach.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WWWLL
England LLLLL Watch out forThere is an ebullience about Darren Sammy, West Indies’ captain, which wins approval from the neutral supporter. His unbeaten 30 from nine balls at Kensington Oval on Tuesday settled the second T20 and barring a reversal of fortune in the final encounter has ensured that he will lead the squad in Bangladesh in hearty frame of mind. If his batting can be potent, his bowling is vulnerable and his fielding inconsistent but West Indies have responded to his leadership in this form of the game.Alex Hales has rarely found form during the English winter•AFPWhat are we to make of the form of Alex Hales as he prepares for Bangladesh? Hales has had a disappointing six months, his rating for a time as the No 1 Twenty20 batsman in the world is hard to credit, and it is far from certain that Chittagong’s slow turners will suit him. He showed hints of a return to form on Tuesday, but if England are to regain confidence in their top order, his resurgence would be the easiest way to achieve it.Team newsWith the series already won, it would be a surprise if West Indies gambled on the fitness of Sunil Narine for the final match. Far better to rest him for the matches that matter. Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher are still awaiting a chance in the top order and, as well as the top five have played, there must be a temptation to rest Dwayne Smith and give one of them some match time.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Andre Russell, 9 Krishmar Santokie, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Samuel BadreeMoeen Ali did not bowl in the second match and did not cover himself in glory with the bat; he seems the obvious man to stand down if England give Ian Bell a run. That switch might also lead England to strengthen their bowling by substituting Ben Stokes for the struggling Luke Wright. It is only conjecture, but now that the series is lost, why not give Chris Jordan a first international appearance in his native island? It would seem churlish not to.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Michael Lumb, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Ben Stokes, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Stephen ParryPitch and conditionsMore of the same: a decent pitch for T20, with a hint of turn and uneven bounce, and boundaries that seem to shrink when West Indies are batting.Quotes”We’d be naive and stupid to think that probably every team we come up againstis not going to open up with spin against us.”
“He has been sitting on the sidelines but everytime he gets an opportunity he takes it. He’s given the selectors a headache.”

Matt Prior accepted that the England side was struggling for form but said that he was counting on the side’s ability to fight its way out of a corner in the third Ashes Test, which starts in Perth on Friday

George Dobell in Perth11-Dec-20130:00

Prior banks on England fightback

Had Matt Prior talked through a cigar and worn a Homburg hat, he could hardly have appeared more Churchillian.Leading the call to arms from England’s grim position in the series, Prior did not quite promise to fight Mitchell Johnson and co on the beaches and the landing grounds and in the fields and streets, but the overriding impression was pretty much the same. England have suffered their Dunkirk defeat at Adelaide; now is the time for their ‘finest hour’ in Perth. Well, Alastair Cook did call the Ashes something of a war.”This isn’t the time for mincing words,” Prior said. “It’s not the time for ‘positive this’ and ‘positive that.'”Sometimes you have to look at yourself straight in the mirror and know where you’re at as an individual and from a team point of view.”It’s all well and good me sitting here talking and going on about fight and hunger and everything. But the only way we’re going to show fight and hunger is out on that cricket pitch. With batsmen getting big hundreds, bowlers taking wickets and fielders diving on every ball. It doesn’t matter what other people want to see. That’s what we want to see in the dressing room. And that’s what we expect. We’ve got to go and do it.”The form book offers little encouragement for England. Quite the opposite, really. Not only have England been thrashed in the first two Tests of this series, but their record at Perth is awful: they have won there only once in their history – against an Australian side weakened by World Series Cricket – and they have lost all six of their most recent Tests there stretching back over two decades.Prior knows all this. He knows the form of England’s batsman has not been good enough, he knows the fielding has been substandard and he knows that Australia are playing with a confidence that will be hard to repress.But, in an odd way, he and the rest of the England camp have concluded that the best method of dealing with their predicament is to embrace it and accept that if they can turn the series around from here, it will be the greatest achievement of their careers.Matt Prior: “You expect to perform at a certain standard and I haven’t been doing that”•PA Photos”It doesn’t get any harder than this,” Prior admitted. “We’re two down in an Ashes series coming to Perth.”It’s been a very tough time for this team. Two-nil down is quite obviously not where we want to be. Not just two down but we’ve not played the sort of cricket we want to play. We haven’t won here for however many years.”But quite frankly that excites me. Records are there to be broken. There is a huge amount of hunger in this dressing room to turn this around.”We can absolutely, 100 percent, turn this around. When we get to this place we come out fighting. You have no option. You can sit there and sulk, moan, whinge and make excuses but you will just get beaten. You have to get rid of all that and fight.”Prior accepted his own form has been poor – before the second innings in Adelaide, he had not made a 50 in 16 Tests innings and had suffered three ducks in his previous five completed innings – but defended the record of England’s bowlers amid calls for changes in Perth.”It’s very hard to criticise our bowlers,” he said. “When they’ve come in fresh to an innings, they’ve bowled brilliantly. In the first innings in Brisbane, we could have done better, but to bowl Australia out for 295 on a very good wicket was a fantastic result. Then in Adelaide on the first day, we bowled fantastically well.”The problem is when you’re only batting for 50 overs in your first innings, the guys have to strap their boots on again straightaway. They’ve just done 100 overs and then have to go again. You’re not giving them enough opportunity to rest and come back strong.”You can look at different things from the bowling point of view but the first thing to address is to make sure we bat time and give the guys the opportunity to rest and recover to come in hard again. We know we’ve got the skill to take 20 wickets.”It’s very fair to say that I’ve not scored enough runs. You expect to perform at a certain standard and I haven’t been doing that. No one hurts more than me. You fight your battles, have your good and bad times but you have to stay positive and keep your belief.”I’ve done that. I’ve got one fifty. It’s not turned anything around. I start on nought again going into the first innings. I’ve got a nice bit of rhythm again and fingers crossed I can use that as a bit of a springboard for the rest of the series.”It’s a strange one because everyone talks about playing for your place, but the only thing I’m interested in is performing for the team. Helping us win or save games. If I’m not doing that, that’s what hurts me more. If I’m not the best player to play for England, that’s up to the selectors and I can’t worry about it.”Prior, at least, is certain to play in Perth. While England have admitted change is inevitable, it seems probable that Tim Bresnan, the seamer, replacing Monty Panesar, the left-arm spinner, will be the only difference in the team beaten in Adelaide. The chances of Panesar ousting Graeme Swann as first-choice spinner are vastly reduced by the contrast in the pair’s fielding in the second Test – Swann took an exceptional catch; Panesar was some way below the required standard. While England could go without a specialist spinner at all – Joe Root could provide variation – it seems that, in the heat of Perth and on a pitch offering some bounce, Swann could still have a role to play.Meanwhile the England management have confirmed they will not be adding any of the England Performance Programme squad to the Test party.

A round-up of the fourth day’s play of Group C’s second-round matches from the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Sanju Samson scored a century and fifty•BCCIJammu & Kashmir earned an opening win in the tournament against Goa after Hardeep Singh and Samiullah Beigh’s rearguard efforts saw through a chase of 262, with three wickets to spare. Resuming on 245 for 9, Goa’s resistance ended quickly when Mohammed Mudhasir trapped No. 11 Gauresh Gawas for a duck to end their innings on 246.With a target of 262 set for victory, J&K found themselves in deep trouble when they were reduced to 26 for 3 by the efforts of opening bowlers Harshad Gadekar and Saurabh Bandekar. A 63-run stand between captain Parvez Rasool and Manzoor Dar steading the innings somewhat, but at 148 for 7, J&K were looking in danger of falling short. This brought Beigh to the crease, and along with Hardeep, the pair continued to battle as they first got past 150, then 200 and were able to see the chase to its denouement in the 87th over – the penultimate over of the mandatory allotment. Beigh struck his sixth first-class fifty in the process, while Hardeep just missed out on a third first-class century, finishing unbeaten on 95.
ScorecardKerala’s tie with Andhra ended up a stalemate after Andhra resumed their first innings overnight on 288 for 3, still behind Kerala’s 486. Seamer Chovvakkaran Shahid struck in the first over itself to remove Murumulla Sriram for 82. A 70-run stand between D Shivkumar and AG Pradeep for the sixth wicket got them closer, but the rest of the batting could not add much more as Andhra reached 431. V Manoharan, the offspinner, was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 82, while Shahid supported him admirably with 3 for 104.With a lead of 55, Kerala knew the match was heading to a foregone conclusion as their openers walked out to the middle. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Kerala reached 89 for 3 after 24 overs, with Sanju Samson standing out with an unbeaten 51 to add to his first innings score of 115.
ScorecardAssam’s bowlers combined to dismiss Hyderabad and claim first-innings points for their side on the final day of their drawn game in Guwahati. Hyderabad began the fourth morning on 218 for 4, still trailing by 283 runs. Bavanaka Sandeep went on to convert his overnight 8 into his fourth first-class century but had little support at the other end. Ashish Reddy was the only batsman of Hyderabad’s last seven to make a double-digit score. Abu Nechim, Arup Das, Syed Mohammad and Tarjinder Singh took two wickets each as the visitors were dismissed for 370.Assam were 20 for 1 in their second innings when the match ended in a draw. They took three points from the game while Hyderabad got one.

Yorkshire survived a brilliant all-round display by Albie Morkel to claim a six-run Friends Life T20 win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield

14-Jul-2013
ScorecardYorkshire survived a brilliant all-round display by Albie Morkel to claim a six-run Friends Life T20 win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield. Morkel followed his best-ever T20 bowling figures of 4 for 25 with an astonishing last over assault on Liam Plunkett that almost pulled off an improbable victory for the hosts.Derbyshire needed 32 to overhaul Yorkshire’s 142 for 9 but although Morkel smashed Plunkett for three fours and two sixes, he failed to make contact with the last ball and was left unbeaten on 51 from 31 balls.Yorkshire had looked on course for a more challenging total after Phil Jaques and Dan Hodgson established a solid platform with a second-wicket stand of 49 in 6 overs. Hodgson pulled Tim Groenewald for six and Jaques twice reverse-swept boundaries as Yorkshire reached 70 for 1 in the ninth over but intelligent bowling backed up by sharp fielding allowed Derbyshire to rein the visitors in on a slow pitch.Jaques was bowled sweeping at Dan Redfern for 22 in the 10th over and Morkel struck twice in the 12th when Hodgson drove him to deep mid-on and Andy Hodd was bowled for a duck trying to clip a full length ball through midwicket.Former Derbyshire batsman Gary Ballance threatened to take the momentum awayfrom the home side with 28 from 22 balls including a straight driven six off Wes Durston but after he skied Morkel to deep midwicket in the 16th over, the rest of the innings fell away. Mark Turner varied his pace cleverly to run through the lower order and when Ryan Sidebottom pulled the last ball of the innings to midwicket, Yorkshire had lost eight wickets for 72 in 11 overs.Derbyshire suffered a setback at the start of their reply when Durston slipped going for a single and had to retire hurt on 8 but Chesney Hughes and skipper Wayne Madsen took the score to 49 before two wickets in the eighth over put Yorkshire back in it. First Madsen was run out for 19 in a mix-up with Hughes, who was out next ball for 21 when he drove Azeem Rafiq to mid off where Richard Pyrah held an excellent diving catch.The spinners were hard to get away and Rafiq struck again when Redfern cut tamely to point before Billy Godleman was caught in the same position trying to reverse sweep to leave Derbyshire struggling on 67 for 4.Morkel responded by driving Rafiq over long-on for six and cutting Pyrah for four but despite his last over heroics, Plunkett had the final word when he delivered a dot ball to give Yorkshire only their second win in the North Division and dent Derbyshire’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.