David Warner has slammed New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum for his comments on Steven Smith’s decision to not withdraw an obstructing-the-field appeal against England’s Ben Stokes

Brydon Coverdale in Brisbane03-Nov-20151:24

‘NZ the nice guys, we’re the aggressors’ – Warner

If Australia and New Zealand are the big brother and little brother across the ditch, they have certainly mastered the art of the sibling insults. You’re immature. No, you are. I know you are but what am I? Such is the niggle that has crept in between the teams this year, a year in which they not only faced off in a World Cup final, but have clearly approached their cricket in different ways.New Zealand under Brendon McCullum are all about the spirit of cricket. No sledging and send-offs for them. By comparison, Australia have been widely viewed as the villains of the rivalry, the masters of the on-field verbals, the send-offs, of playing to win at all costs. They say they try not to cross the line, but in the words of David Warner: “We’ve head-butted it a couple of times”.A key case of carping this year was McCullum’s column in September, when he said that Australia’s captain Steven Smith had “showed his immaturity” by not withdrawing an obstructing the field appeal against England’s Ben Stokes in an ODI. McCullum argued that it was a chance for Smith to make a statement about the way he wanted his side to play.It was a comment that was not well received by the Australians, who in the lead-up to this week’s first Test in Brisbane have clearly not forgotten McCullum’s words. Smith told this week that he was “a little bit disappointed” and that he felt it was none of McCullum’s business; his vice-captain was less polite in his words when asked about the incident on Tuesday.”In my opinion it was something that was quite poor and immature on his behalf, to actually make the comment about Steve,” Warner said. “For one, as an international cricketer I don’t see the need or the right for a current cricket captain to write columns on another series. After I read the first one I didn’t really pay attention to what he was saying.”His opinion is going to be heard worldwide but you can’t be talking about the players the way he did. At the end of the day he’s the captain and you’ve got to respect Brendon, he’s done a great job with the Kiwis and he’s trying to make them the world’s politest team, and well done to him.”Warner was critical of what he considered to be the hypocrisy of McCullum by having his team play as the “Mr Nice Guys” of world cricket on the field, yet criticise Australia’s captain off it. New Zealand have been regular winners of the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award, but that is not something that interests Warner.McCullum had written that Smith had shown his immaturity by not withdrawing an obstructing-the-field appeal against England at Lord’s•Getty Images

“At the end of the day you’re not playing for the Spirit of Cricket Award are you, you’re playing for a series and for us that’s what our goal is, is to win the series,” he said. “Our goal is to be No.1 in all formats and we’re always going to fight for that. At the end of the day we try not to cross that line. A couple of times we’ve head-butted it.”Smith, for his part, said this week that if he had his time over again he would do nothing differently in following through with the obstructing the field appeal against Stokes. McCullum wondered in his newspaper column at the time whether Smith might live to regret the appeal, but Australia’s captain dismissed that suggestion this week.”I actually wouldn’t change a thing,” Smith said. “I think what happened, Starcy threw the ball and Stokes willingly put his hand out when the ball was going to hit the stumps, so for me it was just out. If I faced the same situation again you’d get the same result.”It was a nice little experience. Obviously the crowds can be quite vocal over in England, at Lord’s that day they were getting into you. That doesn’t happen too often but I think it was nice to look back and be able to say if that happened again I’d do the same thing. No regrets.”The New Zealanders can no doubt expect some choice words from the Australians when the Test series begins on Thursday, as was the case during the World Cup; after the final, Brad Haddin said he had wanted to get stuck into New Zealand because they had been so nice it made him feel uncomfortable. Fast bowler Trent Boult said sledging was not in the New Zealand make-up.”In terms of sledging, the Australians are known for that but I can’t see us wasting too much energy there and getting caught up in too much of that stuff,” Boult said. “We haven’t spoken about don’t sledge anyone or anything like that. It’s 38 degrees out there at the moment so we aren’t going to waste our energy trying to spray the Australians.”

The first T20 went down to the wire but it was still Bangladesh who prevailed, winning by four wickets in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam13-Nov-2015
ScorecardMalcolm Waller smashed the fastest fifty by a Zimbabwe player in international cricket•AFP

Finally a contest, eleven days and four matches into Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh. The first T20 went down to the wire but it was still Bangladesh who prevailed, winning by four wickets in Mirpur. Malcolm Waller and Graeme Cremer offered a fight on behalf of Zimbabwe, but ultimately 131 wasn’t a big enough score for the bowlers to work with.Waller got into a six-hitting mode that dug the visitors out from a hole, and later it was Cremer whose double-wicket over gave Bangladesh something to think about at 80 for 5. Liton Das and Mahmudullah and later Mashrafe Mortaza, though, ensured the win with two short but vital partnerships for the sixth and seventh wickets. Mashrafe finished off the contest with a straight smack over the bowler’s head in the 18th over.Zimbabwe were inserted and by the ninth over, they were four down. The openers Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva fell within the first nine balls of the innings before their best hitter Elton Chigumbura, and their best batsman of the year, Sean Williams, got out with the score reading only 38.Raza was dismissed in the first over, giving Liton Das an easy catch at mid-off. Chakabva premeditated a scoop but Al-Amin Hossain changed his length at the last moment to have him flap at a short ball, looping it to Mushfiqur Rahim. In the next over, Mashrafe got his opposite number by getting one to rush past his defenses. Williams was then bowled by Nasir Hossain, who celebrated by blowing a kiss to the heavens. He had managed only one boundary in his 21-ball 15.What happened next was hardly predictable, given how the Zimbabwe batsmen have fared on this tour. Waller suddenly exploded in the most spectacular way. The straight boundaries on both sides had been pulled in by a few metres but most of Waller’s blows cleared the ropes by a long way.Jubair Hossain, playing his first-ever T20 game at any level, bowled one extremely short ball which nearly bounced twice as Waller smashed his first six. He clubbed the next ball for a huge six over midwicket and the Waller machine was up and rumbling. Jubair conceded 17 in that first over but Nasir had more trouble in the next over. Waller took all 20 runs, with two fours and two sixes, the second of which was parried over the ropes by Tamim Iqbal.Waller soon reached his fifty off 20 balls, the fastest for a Zimbabwe batsmen in international cricket, eclipsing the 21-ball fifties of Dougie Marillier, Chigumbura and Williams. Mahmudullah then ended the 67-run fifth wicket stand by bowling Craig Ervine for 20.Jubair was brought back for a second over and much to his relief, he got rid of Luke Jongwe and Neville Madziva. Waller was finally sent back to the pavilion in the 18th over when he holed out to deep midwicket off Mustafizur Rahman. He finished with 68 off 31 balls with four fours and the six sixes. Mustafizur wrapped up the innings with three balls to spare when he had Tinashe Panyangara lbw. Mashrafe, Al-Amin, Mustafizur and Jubair all took two wickets apiece while Mahmudullah and Nasir claimed one each.Bangladesh didn’t have a great start either, after Anamul Haque, in his first international match since the World Cup, fell run out in the first over, courtesy Raza’s brilliant stop at cover. Sabbir Rahman, promoted to No. 3, crashed three boundaries but was undone for 18 off 16 balls, after Ervine too a good diving catch at midwicket in the sixth over.Mushfiqur Rahim, though, got out to the worst ball, top-edging a long hop from Cremer in the next over. Tamim, who was was watching all of this from the other end, batted quite sedately after the fall of Sabbir. Nasir joined Tamim and hit the first six of the innings by creaming Williams over long-on He even got a boundary off Cremer’s next over but was out lbw next ball. Tamim was also dismissed lbw in the same over, despite gesturing that he had hit the ball.Bangladesh slipped to 80 for five in the eleventh over but Mahmudullah and Liton combined to put the hosts back on track. They added 38 runs for the sixth with before Liton guided Chisoro to short third-man for 17, in the 16th over. Mashrafe and Mahmudullah, however, finished the chase with 14 balls to spare.

A round-up of Group A games of the Ranji Trophy played on December 4, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2015
ScorecardFile photo – CM Gautam’s fighting fifty was not enough as Karnataka’s 34-match unbeaten streak came to an end•PTI

Pacer Nikit Dhumal picked up five wickets in the second innings, to add to three in the first, to halt Karnataka’s 37-match unbeaten streak in first-class cricket and knock them out of the Ranji Trophy. Anupam Sanklecha, who took four wickets, including the last two, ably complemented Dhumal, as Karnataka were dismissed for 239, chasing 293 in Pune.Robin Uthappa began positively on the last day, hitting his 46th first-class fifty. However, he could not convert it into a big score and was pinned lbw by Sanklecha. The majority of the middle order fumbled, leaving much to do for CM Gautam and the lower order. He rallied with Vinay Kumar and S Aravind but eventually ran out of partners. Gautam remained unbeaten on 65 off 104 balls, including seven fours, as Karnataka came up short by 53 runs. Mahasrashtra, who were already out of contention for the quarter-finals, finished the season with a consolation win.
ScorecardAfter having struck 110 with the bat, Ravi Jangid bowled Vidarbha to the knockouts with career-best figures of 7-59, which took his wickets tally in the match to 11. Jangid had toiled away for 41 overs and was assisted by spinner Akshay Wakhare who bowled 31.1 overs for two wickets. Yuzvendra Chahal, coming in at No.10 delayed the final rites with 0 off 77 balls.Haryana, though, had begun well before falling away. Having been asked to follow on, Haryana had a solid platform thanks to Nitin Saini (42) and Mohit Hooda (38). Rohit Sharma scored his maiden first-class century even as he lacked substantial support from the middle and lower order. He was the ninth batsman, dismissed by Jangid, for 107 off 241 balls, as Haryana were bowled out for 232, nine less than their first-innings effort.
ScorecardAssam just about held on for a draw against Bengal in Guwahati, a result which ensured that both teams booked their berth for the Ranji knockouts. Assam, following on, needed at least 301 to make Bengal bat again, but as was the case in their first innings, the majority of their top and middle order failed to make good on their starts. Pallavkumar Das top-scored with 55, but offspinner Aamir Gani’s five-wicket haul meant Assam lost wickets at regular intervals. Luckily for the hosts, though, a wet outfield before the start, and bad light towards the end of the day meant only 48 overs of play were possible, with Assam hanging on at 143 for 8.

AB de Villiers has dropped a hint that he might be willing after all to lead South Africa’s Test team in the longer term

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg16-Jan-2016AB de Villiers has dropped a hint that he might be willing after all to lead South Africa’s Test team in the longer term, after stating that it was pressure, not personnel, that led to the side’s downfall on a catastrophic third day at Johannesburg.De Villiers, who had been rumoured to be on the verge of retirement from Test cricket amid concerns about his workload, quashed any such rumours in the wake of South Africa’s seven-wicket defeat at The Wanderers.Faced with an inspired spell of bowling from Stuart Broad, who claimed 5 for 1 in ten overs after lunch, South Africa crumbled to 83 all out in their second innings. The result confirmed the end of South Africa’s reign as the No.1 Test team, and may just have galvanised South Africa’s new Test captain to stick to his guns and lead a side in transition out of their current malaise.”I was never thinking of leaving Test cricket at all. I was just to find a way to rest a little bit throughout the year,” de Villiers said after the match. “Lots of thoughts have been crossing my mind but this [defeat] has got absolutely no influence on that.””Playing on the cricket pitch has never been an issue for me, it’s just a matter of keeping myself fresh. It’s really tough to stay on top of your game if you play up to 12 months a year. I just have to try and find a balance to keep my fight going and keep that skill level up.”South Africa’s skills may have been lacking in the decisive third Test, and the absence of several key members of their team – Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock, not to mention a specialist opening batsman – cannot have helped. However, de Villiers believes the team still has plenty raw materials with which to rebuild their fortunes.”The players we have are not really the issue, there’s still something to work with there,” he said. “The talent is there, it’s just a matter of finding consistency and applying pressure more often”They [England] kept applying the pressure. Every time we looked like starting a good partnership, they took a good catch or bowled a good delivery, and it just kept going like that. I guess when momentum is on your side, things tend to happen that way. Credit to them for creating that kind of pressure.”It was a tough day for AB de Villiers but he wants to carry on•Getty Images

Facing up to the loss of the series, and their No.1 Test ranking, de Villiers conceded, somewhat dramatically, “I almost feel like all hope is gone”. However, throwing ahead to the final dead-rubber Test in Centurion, he struck a more upbeat note.”I’m still the kind of guy that will get myself going for that last Test match, and get the team going,” he said. “I felt we were in the game lots of times throughout the Test match and just didn’t grab those opportunities.”South Africa’s chances came in the first innings when they were 117 for 1 against an England attack struggling with a stomach bug and with a big total on the cards. Instead, they squandered that chance and threw their wickets away, with every batsman reaching double figures but none going past Dean Elgar’s 46, to put themselves under unnecessary pressure.”There were quite a few opportunities that we had throughout the match and one was in the first innings,” de Villiers said. “We were getting a lot of partnerships going, a lot of guys got in. There was a great opportunity to get 400-plus and we didn’t take that. 400-plus on this wicket is very tough to play against. Unfortunately we missed that trick.”Then, South Africa had England 91 for 4 in reply and “let it slip.” De Villiers struggled to use his four quicks effectively, primarily because they all did the same job. Among them, there was no designated holding bowler and, without a spinner, there was no way to slow the game down. However, de Villiers did not blame team selection or player unavailability for the leaked runs.”We miss Dale, there’s no excuse with that. We miss Vern, we miss Kallis as well. But this is the team we have and the team I believe in,” he said. “It’s up to the 11 here and the 11 that get picked at Centurion to do something special. That’s the way past players like a Kallis and a Smith did it. They had some tough times and they found a way to get through it to get to the top of the rankings. We’ve now got to find a way with what we have to become the best.”De Villiers does not know how to find that way at the moment, but he knows the fundamental reason why. “We’re not the same side anymore,” he said. “There are lots of different players. We’re still up there in the rankings, but that means absolutely nothing. I believe our form of late has been really poor and it will take something really special to turn it around. It’s important for us to try and find that mould of cricket we’re looking to play. We’re a little bit offbeat at the moment, that’s for sure.””The youngsters will learn a lot. Not long ago I was that youngster in the team, going through ups and downs at Test level, personally and as a team a while back. You learn a lot from that. It’s important just to survive and for a youngster to get through this and not to give up and gain a lot of experience. If guys like Kagiso [Rabada] and Hardus [Viljoen] and a few others get through this patch, they’ll become much better cricketers.”De Villiers hopes to be the man to guide them through that, even if his captaincy stint is clipped at the end of these two Tests.”It’s a big responsibility for me, and a great opportunity to have an influence on younger players. I would love to walk away from the game knowing I’ve had an influence on the young guys turning into senior players in the team,” de Villiers said. “There’s a group of about four or five players that have the responsibility on their shoulders, and it’s important for us to keep things intact. And to keep the hope going. I’d love to be captain, I’m hopefully still captain in the next game, we’ll see.”In this match, de Villiers could not inspire his players, even though he said he gave it his all. “The message in the change-room was to keep fighting, there’s no doubt in my mind all 11 kept fighting but we just got a good hammering from the opposition,” he said. “I tried everything I could personally, I believe my fellow team-mates also did. It’s difficult to explain how these kind of things happen, we have to give credit to the England bowlers and the team.”That was where de Villiers had to concede South Africa were simply outgunned by a man with a trained eye. Broad dealt them a blow they will take a long time to recover from and for which, at the moment, they have no explanation for.”That’s some of the best bowling I’ve faced from their whole unit. Conditions suited them really well and they made full use of that,” he said. “They asked a lot of questions, right throughout our innings. They didn’t ask as many questions in the first innings and that’s where I thought we missed a trick.”This time around they were spot on, they were a little bit fuller in their lengths and they asked questions all the time. The ball was moving around a lot, but they showed some good skill and you have to give them credit for that, especially Broady for getting the results.”

Zimbabwe batsman Hamilton Masakadza blitzed an unbeaten 162 for Mashonaland Eagles against Mountaineers in the Domestic Twenty20 Competition, notching the second-highest individual score in T20 cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2016Zimbabwe batsman Hamilton Masakadza blitzed an unbeaten 162 for Mountaineers against Mashonaland Eagles in the Domestic Twenty20 Competition, notching the second-highest individual score in T20 cricket. Masakadza, playing his 104th T20 match, did not take long to start firing, taking 16 runs off Tafadzwa Muzarawetu’s first over. The boundaries did not stop there, and Masakadza eventually reached his fifty off just 24 balls; his next 112 runs came off only 47.Overall, Masakadza slammed 14 fours and 11 sixes at an astonishing strike-rate of 228.16. His onslaught did not spare any bowler, though Tanyaradzwa Munyaradzi (41 off 16 balls) and Chamu Chibhahbha (34 off 11 balls) came in for special treatment. Masakadza reached his 150 in the penultimate over with a two, and with two consecutive sixes off Munyaradzi, he overtook the likes of Luke Wright, Aron Finch and Brendon McCullum in the list of highest individual T20 scores.Masakadza ended 13 runs short Chris Gayle’s record-shattering 175* for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2013 IPL, but he did not face a single ball of the final over bowled by Muzarawetu, who ended nursing figures of 4-0-62-1.Masakadza’s blast, coupled with a five-ball 22 from Kudzai Sauramba, powered Mountaineers to 242 for 3. Eagles could only manage 107 for 9 from 12.1 overs in reply, giving Mountaineers a 125-run D/L win.

While India-Sri Lanka have often been high-scoring run fests, the Under-19 World Cup semi-final between the two sides will be determined by their bowling

The Preview by Mohammad Isam08-Feb-2016

Match facts

Tuesday, February 9, 2016Start time 0900 local (0300 GMT)India Under-19s will look to Avesh Khan to provide early breakthroughs•International Cricket Council

Big picture

India-Sri Lanka contests, at all levels, have often been about their batsmen and one team outscoring the other in run fests. This time however, the clash between the India Under-19s and the Sri Lanka Under-19s could come down to their respective bowling attacks and India’s pace or Sri Lanka’s spin could well end up determining the outcome of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup’s first semi-final.The ability of India quick bowler Avesh Khan to bring his side an early breakthrough could make or break this game. If the Sri Lankan opening batsmen can withstand Avesh’s barrage of short balls or make their way past his full deliveries, the contest will be quite open. The game will also be about how the Indian batsmen take on Sri Lanka’s own barrage of spinners.Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka has said that India can expect to face a lot of spin bowling, and Sri Lanka will stick to spin which is their strength. India can handle spin bowling well but it will be interesting to see how they smother the likes of legspinner Wanidu Hasaranga and the left-arm spinner Damith Silva.The spotlight will also be on the captains, Asalanka and Ishan Kishan, particularly the latter who hasn’t made as many runs as he would have liked. Kishan, however, can rely on Sarfaraz Khan or Rishabh Pant to give his team the batting platform. India’s familiarity with the tracks in Mirpur – they played all four league games here, while Sri Lanka have played two – will also work in their favour.Sri Lanka will be India’s second Full Member opposition in the tournament so far and Asalanka has already said his team have an edge having beaten an opposition England in the quarter-final.

Form guide

India: WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLWWL

Strengths

India have shown the ability to score quickly. They have so far put up scores at run rates of 5.36, 5.16, 9.63 and 6.98 in their four matches respectively. Even if they lose wickets early, India haven’t held back their stroke-play. Of the players who have batted for them, six have a strike rate of over 100, while four have batted at a strike rate of more than 90.Sri Lanka’s bowling depth has shown the potential to keep them in contests for long. After a bit of medium-pace from Asitha Fernando, Asalanka brings out his full catalogue of spinners – offspin, legspin and slow left-arm orthodox. For most of the innings, whether in the Powerplays or in the death overs, they have had spinners in operation and, so far, it has been effective.Charith Asalanka has led Sri Lanka Under-19s from the front, with consistent knocks•International Cricket Council

Star performers

While Rishabh Pant has been Man of the Match in India’s last two games, Sarfaraz Khan has been the most prolific batsman for the side in the tournament so far. He walked in during two tight situations against New Zealand and Ireland, and scored 74 each time. He is the team’s second-highest scorer so far with 245 runs, only seven behind Pant’s tally of 252.Charith Asalanka has led from the front with his runs in the middle-order and tight off-breaks. He has, however, fallen twice in the seventies, a statistic he would like to correct against India. Ahead of the tournament, he had said he held the responsibility of bringing the trophy back home and is two wins away from realizing that dream.

Key player

Avesh Khan has been India’s best bowler on show. He has mostly clocked over 130 kph and has found movement whenever he has pitched it up to the batsmen. He also bowled a few short deliveries at the batsmen’s bodies, to get them to play awkward pulls. Having already taken nine wickets, India will now hope that he can remove the Sri Lankan top order cheaply.The leg-spinner Wanidu Hasaranga has taken a wicket every 30 balls for Sri Lanka, and is their joint highest-wicket taker with seven wickets at a bowling average of 15.71. He has bowled with freedom, either giving the ball some air or bowling it slightly fuller and flatter. He took 3 for 34 against England in the quarter-final, and Sri Lanka will hope that he can get the legbreaks to grip on the Mirpur pitch.

Underperformers

Ishan Kishan has made only 62 runs in four innings, including a half-century. Three low scores don’t necessarily suggest a batsman out of form but the India captain has given it away at times and would like to remedy that in the semi-final.Allrounder Shammu Ashan made 74 in Sri Lanka’s first game against Canada Under-19s but since made 3, 1 and 5 not out. In October last year, he made a century and an unbeaten 75 against Pakistan Under-19s and much is expected from him. His offspin has rarely been used, but he took 1 for 20 in six overs against England in the quarter-final.

Pitch and conditions

The Mirpur pitches during this tournament have often played slow but there has been bounce. The tracks have not worn out too quickly, so chasing can still be a choice for the captain who wins the toss. In the six matches of the World Cup held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, so far, three teams have won batting first.

Quotes

“It doesn’t matter what’s the name or the man. We just play the ball. It is like playing another big game for us. We will play our cricket.”

“Pressure is there for everyone because this is not an easy level for cricketers. It is the Under-19 World Cup.”

Defending champions Sri Lanka exited the World T20 with defeat in their final appearance, meaning South Africa left with a consolation win in a contest that lacked intensity

The Report by Firdose Moonda28-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 3:13

Jayawardene: SL’s youngsters no more an excuse

Defending champions Sri Lanka exited the World T20 with defeat in their final appearance. Instead, it was South Africa who left with a consolation win in a contest that lacked intensity as they eased past their opponents, first by restricting Sri Lanka to a small score, and then by clinically chasing it down.For the first time in this World T20, South Africa’s attack had enough slow-bowling options – the two specialist spinners Aaron Phangiso and Imran Tahir, as well as the part-timer Farhaan Behardien – to strangle Sri Lanka’s spin-proficient line-up, minus the injured captain Angelo Mathews. South Africa’s bowlers left their batsmen a target of 121 and, with the ever-calm Hashim Amla as anchor, they had few problems reaching it.But the victory will not gloss over the bigger picture and South Africa will still have questions to answer about their performances in earlier matches. Sri Lanka will face the same scrutiny and have the added worry of a new niggle. Lahiru Thirimanne was helped off the field in the 11th over with what seemed like a hamstring strain. Dale Steyn, who spent much of South Africa’s summer on the sidelines, may sympathise with him.After sitting out the last two matches, Steyn was back to lead South Africa’s attack. He found early movement, but strayed down the leg side in his first over and came under attack in his second. Dilshan brought out his signature scoop to send Steyn to the boundary before Chandimal hooked and drove with power. With Kyle Abbott doing a decent job at the other end, Faf du Plessis’ only choice was to take Steyn out of the attack.He brought on Aaron Phangiso and at first, it seemed a strange decision. Dilshan would not be tied down by the left-arm spinner, as the batsman slog-swept and charged Phangiso. Chandimal aimed to do the same, but the stand-in Sri Lanka captain’s attempt failed when he played for turn to one that stayed straight and Phangiso snuck through the bat-pad gap and onto the stumps.Phangiso’s next delivery did not turn either but Thirimanne, who has been in wretched form, was drawn into the drive and missed. In the space of two balls, Sri Lanka’s innings was derailed, South Africa were in control and Phangiso was on a hat-trick.Having seen success through spin, South Africa continued with it and Tahir was brought on in the Powerplay. Dilshan and Milinda Siriwardana were forced to be more watchful. In frustration, Siriwardana tried to force a single off Phangiso but chanced the arm of du Plessis to his peril. South Africa dragged Sri Lanka back from a speedy start – after 45 runs came off the first five overs, only 32 came off the next five.To strangle them further, Behardien was asked to bowl and his pace off the ball drew Shehan Jayasuriya into a uppish drive to gift du Plessis a catch in the covers. Behardien proved his shrewdness when he had Dilshan trapped lbw and Tahir followed up by bowling Chamara Kapugedera with a googly in a four-over period during which South Africa conceded just 14 runs.Sri Lanka enjoyed some reprieve when Steyn returned but even not at his best, he had some joy. Steyn was doing his best to get the ball to stick in the pitch and when he did, Thisara Perera was drawn into a stroke early and offered a catch to cover. Sri Lanka were seven down and had yet to reach 100 with four overs left. Dasun Shanaka tried to accelerate, but he ran out of partners before the innings was up.If Sri Lanka suspected they did not have enough runs, South Africa’s start, even against spin, would have confirmed that. Quinton de Kock threw his bat at two of the first three deliveries, bowled by Jayasuriya, and found the boundary both times. But his haste was short-lived. In the next over, de Kock wanted a single that Amla had no interest in, and was run out.The early breakthrough gave Sri Lanka some hope and Chandimal played his hand early. Rangana Herath bowled the third over and Amla and du Plessis treated him with requisite respect, but where they could, they scored. Amla used his wrists to whip Herath off his toes and to the boundary, easing the pressure on du Plessis, who took his time to settle.Three overs went by without a boundary before du Plessis swept Herath and then Vandersay to keep South Africa on track. South Africa’s slow-burn was only ignited when du Plessis was given out lbw off Lakmal and the batsman showed some irritation to indicate he thought the ball had met the toe-end of the bat. However, the Feroz Shah Kotla crowd did not mind seeing the end of him, as the wicket brought AB de Villiers to the crease.”AB, AB,” resonated around the stadium, even though their favourite player operated largely in a supporting role. De Villiers was a spectator as Amla brought up 1000 T20I runs and his second fifty of the tournament, but there was still a bit for him to do. De Villiers struck a six off Shanaka before hitting the winning runs in similar style off Lakmal, with 2.2 overs to spare.

At the mid-point of this, their first home game of the campaign, Kent look well set for their first victory against their winless opposition

ECB Reporters Network02-May-2016
ScorecardDarren Stevens was one of four Kent players to pass 50 (file photo)•Getty Images

Dogged by bad weather and unplayable conditions that wiped out six of their first eight days action in this summer’s County Championship, Kent have seemingly decided to take their frustrations out on Glamorgan. At the mid-point of this, their first home game of the campaign, Kent look well set for their first victory against their winless opposition.After banking a 224-run first innings lead and five batting bonus points, Kent picked up the wicket of Jacques Rudolph for a duck in the final half-hour of the day leaving the visitors on 16 for 1 at stumps and facing a mountain to climb simply to save the game.Resuming on their overnight score of 124 without loss, Kent batted on throughout the majority of a cloudy and chilly Bank Holiday Monday, with Tom Latham, Joe Denly, Darren Stevens and Mitch Claydon adding half-centuries to the one Daniel Bell-Drummond scored on Sunday.After an opening stand of 131, their best for three seasons, Kent lost overseas player Latham and top-scorer Bell-Drummond in quick succession and to near-identical dismissals. Both will have been disappointed by hard-handed, leaden-footed, back-foot pokes that resulted in catches behind the wicket.Two down at lunch, Kent lost 3 for 6 inside six overs after the resumption as Glamorgan’s seamers took advantage of the cloudy overhead conditions. But with the floodlights on, Kent’s middle order began to shine in the form of an enterprising sixth-wicket stand of 78 between Stevens and understudy keeper Adam Rouse.Stevens broke the stranglehold of Michael Hogan, the pick of Glamorgan’s attack with 4 for 91, and Craig Meschede, with some belligerent hitting on his way to a 58-ball fifty. Stevens hit three sixes, including a mammoth pull shot that landed in the construction site near the Old Dover Road that will become retirement flats by next June. A new ball was needed.Rouse and Stevens fell in quick succession with their side almost 100 ahead, but Kent were by no means finished as Claydon and Matt Coles joined forces to take up Stevens’ mantle.Though he was dropped on 5, Claydon’s lusty back-foot smears resulted in a fourth first-class fifty from 47 balls, while Coles also cleared the ropes in his cameo 29 only to perish to the very next delivery. Swinging his not inconsiderable weight off his own feet, he was almost fully prone by the time his middle stump went cartwheeling.In the day’s final exchanges and with drizzle in the air, Rudolph pushed hesitantly inside the line of a Stevens’ legcutter to feather a catch to the keeper and depart without scoring. The rain strengthened forcing an early finish to spare Glamorgan from further punishment.

When Colin Graves drew opprobrium in the shires for describing the T20 Blast as ‘mediocre’, this is surely the T20 Blast he had in mind

Will Macpherson at Merchant Taylors' School02-Jun-2016
ScorecardChris Dent put Gloucestershire on course before a tight finish•Getty Images

When Colin Graves drew opprobrium in the shires for describing the T20 Blast as ‘mediocre’, this is surely the T20 Blast he had in mind.In some ways, Graves was just oh so depressingly right. As hard as Middlesex toiled to make this fixture work, the weather was so cold that umpire Neil Mallender wore gloves, the light so terrible that it seemed a miracle that the game was completed and, consequently, a crowd of a tick over 2,100 – in the circumstances, a success – showed up.As with this competition as a whole, just too much was left to the chance of a sunny evening to be an adequate spectator experience. And, given not a soul was able to watch on TV (the broadcasters’ sole contribution was sending a single camera), the spectator experience is all that matters. When a sluggish pitch and a Neil Shipperley-paced outfield were thrown in, as pretty and quaint as all this was, it did not really feel like T20 cricket at all; one senses that this is not quite what Stuart Robertson had in mind when he founded the format 13 years ago. The Big Bash was not looking north green-eyed.Such are the perils of a 135-game season. Yet take a look at the talent on display, particularly in Middlesex’s top order but also in Gloucestershire’s workmanlike side, and it is clear how much the Blast had going for it. Brendon McCullum, making his debut for the club, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan all failed, yet – having, inevitably, given the light, elected to bat – still cobbled together a score good enough to take the game to the penultimate ball thanks to half-centuries from Paul Stirling and Adam Voges.The hardy folk who came to see McCullum bat got five balls worth of value. He nudged the first two – with the crowd utterly silent – into the offside, defended the third, then smashed the fourth against a strong wind over cow for six; just as the party had started, though, he toed into the legside – losing his bat in the process – and Graeme van Buuren ran round to take a return catch. Three balls later, Michael Klinger, back-peddling from slip, took a fine diving catch to dismiss Malan.Stirling immediately found his flow, pulling Andrew Tye’s first ball for six and cutting powerfully, but Morgan was more watchful. After a series of hard-run singles, Morgan hoicked Tom Smith for six, but tamely clothed the excellent Benny Howell to long-off next ball. Stirling and Voges got to work, with the former hitting van Buuren for a straight six, then cover driving Howell. He became the third Middlesex batsman to get out a ball after clearing the ropes, skying Howell to the wicketkeeper.Voges, who finished unbeaten on 52, manned a rather chaotic ending, joined briefly by some lusty slogger Toby Roland-Jones, who was twice dropped at cover by Klinger, before becoming Tye’s second victim, caught at third man. The next two balls, the last of the innings, saw James Fuller and Harry Podmore run out. As Stirling said after, 159 seemed par, but nothing more.Roland-Jones ensured Middlesex’s defence got off to the perfect start, bowling Klinger in his first over and having Hamish Marshall caught at point in his second. Iain Cockbain and Chris Dent settled in, however, to share 65 and appeared to be breezing home. Cockbain was strong through midwicket, particularly to Ravi Patel’s spin, while Dent twice turned the seamers through square leg for four.When Cockbain sent Franklin straight down long-on’s throat, Dent charged on in the sprightly company of Howell, before being brilliantly stumped by John Simpson off Stirling. From there, with Howell skying to Patel off his own bowling and Jack Taylor superbly worked by the rather wild and ragged Fuller, who let a beamer slip, fell in consecutive overs to keep Middlesex, whose fielding had become ragged, interested.So to the final over, with barely any light remaining, and nine required. Podmore found three perfect deliveries, but Gareth Roderick then sliced past a diving point and clipped sweetly to leg for a handsome six to seal Gloucestershire’s eighth consecutive T20 win over Middlesex. The finish, for those who could see it through the gloom, was not so mediocre at all.

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that playing in England will be a steep learning experience for left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman to develop as a bowler

Mohammad Isam02-Jun-2016Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that playing in England will be a steep learning experience for left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman to develop as a bowler.Last month it was learned that Mustafizur had expressed reluctance to those close to him of going to England to play for Sussex soon after completing the IPL season. He also suffered a low-grade right hamstring injury towards the end of the tournament in India but it is not being considered a big problem. Sussex too have been keen on having him over, albeit a little later.”If you want to improve the performance, you have to play in those conditions,” Hathurusingha said. “[If] you don’t go there, you don’t know. Bangladesh cricket will be benefited. Mustafiz will develop quickly and perform well. So if it is not going to harm his health, I think it is a good thing for him to go and play. It is a rare opportunity for Bangladeshi players to play there [in England]. If I can send four players I will send them all. It is the best way to do it.”Hathurusingha’s statement is by far the strongest push for Mustafizur to honour his contract with Sussex, who signed him in March this year, to play in the NatWest T20 Blast and the Royal London One Day Cup this season.Hathurusingha, who arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday evening after his vacation at home in Melbourne, said that while Mustafizur’s next challenge would be to do well in Tests, he would also have to be taken care of, now that many batsmen around the world are seeing more of his bowling.”He has played two Test matches and became Man of the Match in one with four wickets,” Hathurusingha said. “At the start it is impressive but as you said it is going to be a challenge. He has to be fit, we have to look after him.”We all know that his mystery is going to be found out very soon, so at the same time I am looking forward to his cricketing intelligence. So we will find ways for him to be competitive. Our challenge is look after him and develop him and keep him in the pack to play for Bangladesh.”