Sri Lanka not worried about following on - Herath

Sri Lanka may have lost three of the four most prolific batsmen in their side on the second evening at the P Sara, but Rangana Herath says Sri Lanka will give little thought to avoiding the follow on. New Zealand made 412 in their first innings, with Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson both making hundreds, but Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene could only manage nine among the three of them.

Dilshan played around a straight ball that clattered into middle and off from Tim Southee, before Sangakkara failed to control a hook on zero, finding the only leg-side fielder in the deep. Mahela Jayawardene then flirted outside off stump repeatedly before edging a cover drive to gully off Trent Boult, who angled the ball across him.

The loss of three wickets means Sri Lanka have to rebuild in the first session tomorrow to earn parity with their opponents, but Angelo Mathews batted positively towards the end of play for an unbeaten 20, giving Sri Lanka hope of salvaging a good first-innings score. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana remained unbeaten on nine alongside him.

"We're not looking at the follow-on target, because we know the capability of our batsmen and if we bat well, we can go past 400 and past their score," Herath said. "We trust our batsmen to be able to do that. The first hour of tomorrow is very important for us. We have to make sure that we don't give away a wicket in that period and score as many runs as we can.

Mathews had contributed to a first-innings rescue in Galle, where Sri Lanka recovered from 50 for 5 to take a lead. Sri Lanka finished at a comparatively more comfortable 43 for 3 at the P Sara, but have a much steeper New Zealand total to overhaul than the visitors' 221 of the first Test.

"I think we can do it, like we did in Galle. This is a similar situation and Angelo and Para are batting really well for us."

Herath said that although Sri Lanka could have been more circumspect, New Zealand's fast men bowled well with the new ball. "I think we should have been little more cautious in batting than we were today, but mistakes can be there in any match. The most important thing is not really what happened, but how we are going to recover from this situation."

The hosts are unlikely to be without Thilan Samaraweera in the first innings, despite a split webbing on his hand that required stitches. Samaraweera sustained the injury at slip, when he spilt a difficult chance off Daniel Flynn, and Mathews was sent out to bat to allow him time to recover.

Herath also completed his third consecutive five-wicket haul on day two, taking 6 for 103 in the first innings. He became the highest wicket-taker in 2012 when he bagged 11 scalps in the first Test, but now trails Graeme Swann by one wicket after Swann took eight wickets against India. With Monty Panesar and Pragyan Ojha also taking five-wicket hauls in the Test in Mumbai, Herath said it had been a special few days for left-arm spinners.

"I think patience plays a crucial role for spinners. I played first-class cricket for more than 15 years and that taught me patience. This is my 42nd Test match but I think I have played more than 170 first-class matches."

Read More..

Championship returns to late September in 2013

County cricket will return to the latter half of September in 2013, with the fixture list confirming that the window in the ICC's Future Tours Programme reserved for the T20 Champions League will not be kept free. The final round of the Championship will begin on September 24, 2013, meaning that the season will not be subject to the record early starts of recent years.

For the last three seasons, cricket in England has ceased in mid-September, to accommodate the Champions League. However, the counties recently agreed not to participate in the 2013 competition, in order to protect the domestic calendar.

The opening round of Championship matches will commence on April 10, five days later than in 2012, when the traditional pre-season university fixtures were forced to begin in March. The final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 will be held at Lord's on Saturday September 21, meaning that the domestic season will start and finish with first-class cricket.

The Friends Life t20 group stage, in its final year as a block, has been moved back due to the staging of the Champions Trophy in England and is scheduled to run for six weeks from June 26. The tournament retains the same format as last season, with three groups and ten games per county; Finals Day will be held at Edgbaston on Saturday August 17.

Warwickshire, winners of the 2012 Championship, will play the Champion County match against MCC in Abu Dhabi at the end of March before beginning their defence against newly promoted Derbyshire. Yorkshire, runners-up behind Derbyshire in Division Two, will mark their return to the top tier by hosting Sussex at Headingley. The two relegated clubs, Lancashire and Worcestershire, are to face off at Old Trafford in the opening round of Division Two.

Hampshire, holders of both limited-overs trophies, will play the first CB40 fixture of the season in a floodlit match at Essex on May 3, with Scotland, Netherlands and the Unicorns again joining the 18 counties in three groups. The competition is due to revert to a 50-over format from 2014, after the ECB and the counties agreed a compromise that would retain the current Championship structure.

As well as the Champions Trophy, which runs from June 6 until June 23, New Zealand will tour England in the first part of the summer, followed by the Ashes, with the first Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge on July 10. Derbyshire, Kent, Somerset, Worcestershire, Sussex and Northamptonshire are all scheduled to host tour matches, while England will play an Ashes warm-up fixture at Essex.

Read More..

Pressure on Sri Lanka - Williamson

On a surface that even New Zealand's tail made seem friendly, three of Sri Lanka's big four batsmen could not manage better than single figures, and Kane Williamson said the value of those wickets could not be understated, given the pitch remained good for batting.

New Zealand amassed 412 on the P Sara surface, thanks in the main to a 262-run partnership between Ross Taylor and Williamson, which was almost chanceless beyond the first hour of their union. In reply, however, Sri Lanka were reduced to 12 for 3 inside the first six overs of their innings, with their most experienced men in the top order all falling to New Zealand's opening bowlers.

Angelo Mathews then joined Tharanga Paranavitana at the crease and the pair survived the remaining 11.5 overs until stumps, but two boundaries that Mathews ventured in one Tim Southee over suggested the wicket had plenty more runs to give. The New Zealand bowlers also had far less assistance from the conditions than in Galle, achieving only a fraction of the movement they had showed themselves capable of gaining in the first Test.

"It's great to finish the evening the way we did, getting those three wickets," Williamson said. "I guess that makes our first innings total look a lot better, and there is a lot of pressure going on the Sri Lankan side tomorrow. "But as Mathews showed towards the end when he started playing some shots, it is still a good wicket."

Few would have imagined New Zealand would be in a position to pursue a large first-innings total only a few days ago, after their batsmen had collapsed woefully in their second innings in Galle, recording their lowest total in an already bleak year. Williamson's doughty 135 and a measured 142 from Taylor were the backbone of New Zealand's innings and Williamson said time in the nets had been key to their turnaround, in the absence of adequate match practice. The limited-overs leg of the tour was ravaged by rain, and the match schedule did not allow New Zealand time to play a warm-up before the Tests.

"It's been tough not having time in the middle and batting in the one-dayers, the circumstances didn't allow you to figure out whether you were hitting the ball well or not. I've been practising hard this week and it was very nice to put together an innings. I had a lot of time with batting coach, and hit a lot of balls."

Williamson's century was the third of his Test career and his second in the subcontinent, but he had only passed fifty once since his last hundred, a match saving 102 not out in Wellington. He said encouragement and insight from his more experienced team-mates helped him overcome the dry spell.

"I talked to Brendon McCullum and a few of the other batsmen, just to get my head around a few things because I hadn't scored for a few Tests. They all helped out and the team were supportive. Having not scored in the first Test, it was good to get the word from them on how things played here and take that into this match."

Despite their terrific position, New Zealand must still take 17 more wickets on a surface showing few signs of wear, if they are to score an unexpected triumph. Thilan Samaraweera moved down the order after he received stitches on his hand for split webbing, but he is expected to bat in Sri Lanka's first innings, and beyond the batsmen, the tail is one of the more capable Sri Lanka have fielded, with last man in Shaminda Eranga having made a first-class ton.

"They've got some seriously good cricketers, and to bowl them out twice is not going to be an easy feat," Williamson said. "We're not getting too far ahead of ourselves and we know we have to play good cricket each time we go out there."

Read More..

Punjab continue relentless march

Punjab 205 (Jiwanjot 61, Trivedi 5-64) and 120 for 2 (Goel 75*) beat Saurashtra 90 (Sandeep 7-25) and 233 (Jogiyani 76, S Kaul 6-63) by eight wickets
Scorecard

A solid all-round showing from Punjab on Monday helped them ease past Saurashtra by eight wickets in Mohali with over a day to spare, and record their third win in four games in the Ranji Trophy this season. While medium pacer Siddarth Kaul closed out the Saurashtra innings quickly in the morning to ensure Punjab were chasing just 119, Karan Goel anchored the chase with 75 not out.

Saurashtra had begun the day on 212 for 7, 97 ahead, and it took Punjab less than eight overs to claim the remaining wickets. Kaul took two of those wickets to finish with a career-best 6 for 63. Like in Saurashtra's first innings, it was the seamers who did all the damage, claiming all 10 wickets among them. Kaul's six-for puts him at joint-third on the wickets chart, tied for the moment with his team-mate Sandeep Sharma (who took three in the innings to finish with a 10-for) and Assam offspinner Arlen Konwar.

In the chase, opener Jiwanjot Singh had his first real failure of the tournament, but Goel held firm at his end. Mayank Sidhana made a contribution too with a rapid 21, before Mandeep Singh and Goel took Punjab home. The win helps them extend their already sizeable lead on the Group A points table.

Hyderabad 423 for 3 (Akshath Reddy 196, Vihari 191) trail Mumbai 443 (Shah 156, Rohit 112, Nayar 64, Tare 62, Ashish Reddy 4-77) by 20 runs
Scorecard

Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari put on the largest partnership in Hyderabad's history to pummel Mumbai at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. Twenty-one-year-old Reddy, who is the stand-in captain, and 19-year-old Vihari, who was part of India Under-19s World Cup-winning squad, batted almost the entire day as they added 386 for the second wicket to put Hyderabad comfortably on course for taking the first-innings lead. Mumbai were weakened by the absence of their captain Ajit Agarkar and fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, and experienced bowlers like Aavishkar Salvi and Ramesh Powar could make little impact against the young Hyderabad pair. Both batsmen made career-best scores, but both missed out on double-centuries, dismissed a handful of overs before stumps. Still, this was a dramatic turnaround in the match after Mumbai were at a dominant 325 for 2 at stumps on the first day.

Gujarat 117 (Parthiv 55, Bangar 5-12) and 288 for 6 (Parthiv 65, Juneja 57*, Smit 55, Gohel 53) lead Railways 308 (Paunikar 85, Rawat 66, Bangar 61) by 97 runs
Scorecard

A slew of half-centuries from Gujarat's batsmen helped them stay in the game against Railways, and though they still have work ahead, Gujarat finished the day in a relatively more comfortable position than they have been in all match. After the openers Smit Patel and Samit Gohel hit half-centuries, Parthiv Patel made his sixth 50-plus score in seven first-class innings to keep Gujarat's hopes of salvaging a draw alive. After his dismissal, Manprit Juneja took over, ending the day unbeaten on 57 to put Gujarat 97 ahead with four wickets still remaining. Taking the game to the fourth day itself is an achievement for Gujarat, after imploding for 117 on the first day and then letting Railways take an almost 200-run lead.

Madhya Pradesh 342 (Ojha 99, Bundela 61, Birla 50, Ahmed 7-79) and 135 for 3 (Birla 60*, Ankit 56*) lead Bengal 299 (Jhunjhunwala 107, Saha 87, Pandey 5-87) by 178 runs
Scorecard

Madhya Pradesh secured a first-innings lead, bowling Bengal out for 299 despite some stiff resistance from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and No. 10 Veer Pratap Singh. Jhunjhunwala, playing his first game of the Ranji season, kicked on from an overnight 41 to his fourth first-class century. Bengal began the day disastrously, losing Laxmi Shukla and hat-trick man Shami Ahmed for ducks, before Jhunjhunwala put on a fighting tenth-wicket stand of 83 with Veer. That was still not enough to lift them past MP's 342 - they fell 43 short. In their second innings, MP suffered a wobble, falling to 37 for 3, before an unbroken 98-run stand between Ankit Sharma and Udit Birla put them firmly on top.

Read More..

Asnodkar century gives Goa advantage

Kerala 47 for 1 trail Goa 512 for 8 dec (Kamat 107, Asnodkar 100*, Shahid 4-147) by 465 runs
Scorecard

An unbeaten century from Rohit Asnodkar, batting at No. 7, and useful lower-order contributions led Goa to a strong first-innings total against Kerala in Malappuram. Overnight batsman Ravikant Shukla scored 87 and Asnodkar made his maiden first-class century in his 13th match. Goa declared on 512 for 8, giving themselves a strong chance of taking a first-innings lead. Kerala lost VA Jagadeesh for 19 before stumps.

Jammu and Kashmir 153 (Sahabuddin 5-53) and 13 for 0 trail Andhra 390 (Pradeep 136, Dayal 5-63) by 224 runs
Scorecard

A century from AG Pradeep and fifties from Syed Sahabuddin and Rajesh Pawar led Andhra to a 237-run lead in the first innings against Jammu and Kashmir. Resuming on 118 for 4 on the second morning, Andhra lost Amol Muzumdar before a run was scored, and were further reduced to 163 for 6, before the lower order lifted them to 390. Ram Dayal took 5 for 63 for J&K, his maiden five-wicket haul.

J&K had to face four overs before stumps and their openers scored 13 without being dismissed.

Himachal Pradesh 201 for 4 (Prashant Chopra 101, Aakash Chopra 61) trail Jharkhand 236 (Tiwary 102, Dhawan 6-63) by 35 runs
Scorecard

A 154-run partnership between Himachal Pradesh's openers, Aakash Chopra and Prashant Chopra, laid a solid platform for their team to take a first-innings lead against Jharkhand. Prashant, who was part of the India Under-19 team that won the World Cup, scored a century, while Aakash made 61. Himachal suffered a slide towards the end of the day, with three wickets falling for 21 runs, but trailed by only 35 runs.

That batting effort came after fast bowler Rishi Dhawan took a career-best 6 for 63 to dismiss Jharkhand for 236. The visitors had begun the second day on 176 for 5 and Dhawan trapped Sunny Gupta lbw early. Saurabh Tiwary, who was 65 not out overnight, went on to make 102. He was the last man dismissed as Jharkhand lost five wickets for 60 runs on the second day.

Services 302 for 8 (Paliwal 143*) lead Assam 182 (Yadav 4-58) by 120 runs
Scorecard

Rajat Paliwal scored his second hundred in consecutive games to give Services the first-innings lead against Assam. Replying to Assam's 182, Services began the second day on 11 for 0, and slipped to 113 for 6, with seamer Arup Das taking three wickets. Paliwal held one end up, making an unbeaten 143, and 20s from Suraj Yadav and Shadab Nazar led Services past 300. They ended the day on 302 for 8, ahead by 120 runs.

Read More..

Murad spins Khulna to big win

Khulna Division 367 (Imran 156, Kayes 62, Haque 4-145) and 8 for 0 beat Sylhet Division 244 (Imtiaz 108, Mabud 43, Razzak 3-65) and 130 (Ahmed 41, Murad 6-64) by ten wickets
Scorecard

Khulna Division have taken a big lead in the National Cricket League after they crushed Sylhet Division by ten wickets in Rangpur. Sylhet narrowly avoided an innings defeat as Left-arm spinner Murad Khan took six wickets to take his team to a winning position in the second innings. They are now on 34 points after five straight wins.

Khulna, in the first innings, rode on Tushar Imran's 156 as they made a competitive 367 in their first innings, in reply to Sylhet's 244. Imtiaz Hossain struck 108 for Sylhet but Abdur Razzak's three wickets did much of the damage.

Enamul Haque jnr took four wickets, but the batsmen floundered as they were bowled out for just 130 runs in the second innings, succumbing to Murad.

Dhaka Division 401 (Chowdhury 114, Nazmul 77, Nurul 49, Arafat 3-66) beat Chittagong Division 138 (Karim 46, Islam 4-34, Mosharraf 4-58) and 194 (Karim 54, Faisal 50, Mosharraf 5-49, Hom 4-47) by an innings and 69 runs
Scorecard

Dhaka Division have moved to the second position after they posted their third win, defeating Chittagong Division by an innings and 69 runs. The comprehensive victory was set up on the first day when left-arm spinners Mosharraf Hossain and Nazmul Islam took four wickets each to skittle out Chittagong for 138 runs.

Dhaka replied well, piling up 401 runs, as Nadif Chowdhury scored 114 while the big-hitting Nazmul Hossain Milon smashed 77 off 88 balls.

Chittagong required 263 to avoid an innings defeat, but Mosharraf's five-for helped bowl them out for 194 runs in the 71st over, ensuring a smooth third day for Dhaka, who won handsomely.

Read More..

Ontong, Vilas lead Cape Cobras to tight win

Cape Cobras 246 for 3 (Vilas 78*, van Zyl 57, Ontong 52*) beat Lions 245 for 5 (Cook 59, Morris 49*, Bodi 43) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten 85-run partnership between Dane Vilas and Justin Ontong in 8.2 overs took Cape Cobras to a seven-wicket win against Lions with one over to spare in a tight chase in a 37-overs-a-side contest Potchefstroom.

After a wet outfield had delayed the start, the overs were reduced, and an opening partnership of 92 and a sixth-wicket stand of 80 in 6.1 overs at the death helped Lions put up a strong 245 for 5. Opener Stephen Cook scored a half-century, but the more impactful innings came from Chris Morris, who scored an unbeaten 49 off 25 deliveries. But, the strong total proved to be insufficient.

Opener Richard Levi began the chase well for Cape Cobras, with 37 off 28 deliveries including six fours and a six. Zander de Bruyn, in the eighth over, removed him, and his partner Andrew Puttick soon after to leave them at 62 for 2 in the 12th over. Middle-order batsmen Stiaan van Zyl and Vilas steadied the innings, adding 99 in 16.3 overs. But when van Zyl was dismissed, the required run rate had climbed up to 9.23 runs per over.

Captain Ontong smashed an unbeaten 52 off 27 deliveries, and with Vilas (78* off 71), helped seal the chase. With the win, Cobras occupy the second spot, and boost their chances of taking a play-off position. Lions, who are at the top of the table, weren't affected much by this defeat.

Titans 242 for 3 (van Jaarsveld 109*, Kuhn 86) beat Warriors 241 for 9 (Jacobs 51, Prince 41, van der Merwe 4-50, Morkel 3-36) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A quick, unbeaten century by Titans captain Martin van Jaarsveld and an aggressive half-century from wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn guided their side to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Warriors in Benoni. After left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe and seamer Albie Morkel, with seven wickets between them, helped restrict Warriors to 241 for 9, van Jaarsveld and Kuhn struck a 142-run partnership to take their side home in the 42nd over.

Warriors, after choosing to bat, kept losing wickets regularly. Van der Merwe and Morkel claimed the top-order wickets, reducing them to 166 for 6 in the 37th over. But an eighth-wicket partnership between Ayabulela Gqamane and Basheeru-Deen Walters of 46 in seven overs took them past the 200-run mark. Captain Davy Jacobs was Warriors' highest scorer with a quick 51.

Titans began their chase steadily through their openers, who put on 41 in nine overs. Two wickets then fell quickly, before the big partnership. When Heino Kuhn was dismissed, Titans were 191 for 3, and in control of the chase. The victory was complete with 8.4 overs to spare.

The win pushed Titans to the third spot on the points table, boosting their chances for one of the two play-off places. Warriors' lie at the bottom with seven points from as many games.

Dolphins v Knights Match abandoned
Scorecard

The game between Knights and Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg was washed out without a ball being bowled. Both teams received two points each.

This is the Dolphins' third abandoned game, and this has hurt their chances of claiming a play-off spot.

Read More..

Du Plessis and de Villiers keep stonewalling

Lunch South Africa 388 and 4 for 126 (du Plessis 49*, de Villiers 31*) need another 304 runs to beat Australia 550 and 8 for 267 dec
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers gave South Africa hope of salvaging a draw at Adelaide Oval, where they stone-walled until lunch on the fifth day and left Australia needing six wickets in the final two sessions. Runs were of little consequence for South Africa, who on the fourth afternoon had given up any hope of chasing the target of 430, but wickets were the key and Australia did not manage to take one before lunch.

There were a number of close calls, including two lbw decisions in which Billy Bowden sent du Plessis on his way off the bowling of Clarke, only to have both overturned on review. On 33, du Plessis thrust his pad out and offered no shot to a Clarke delivery that turned and would have hit the stumps, but the replays showed that the angle - Clarke was bowling over the wicket - meant the ball had pitched just a fraction outside leg stump.

Du Plessis was much more confident in asking for a review of the second decision, which involved Clarke coming around the wicket and darting a fullish delivery in towards the off stump. Du Plessis jammed the bat down on the ball and Bowden appeared to have been convinced by hearing two noises, but replays showed the ball had touched bat only, not pad or foot, and du Plessis, on 37, was reprieved again.

The Australians also used up their final review shortly before lunch when du Plessis, on 49, offered no shot to a Nathan Lyon delivery that pitched and struck him outside the line of off stump but was turning enough to interest Clarke. However, Eagle Eye suggested the ball would have bounced over the top of the stumps, and Clarke was left to consider how he would find six wickets in two sessions with no further reviews available.

Clarke and Lyon had created plenty of pressure bowling in tandem with men all around the bat, but du Plessis and de Villiers were up to the challenge. The debutant du Plessis was slightly more interested in runs than his partner and at lunch was on 49 from 177 deliveries, while de Villiers was on 31 from 207 balls, and the total had moved on to 4 for 126.

De Villiers was batting with the kind of occupying intent that Trevor Bailey famously did at the Gabba in 1958, and at lunch his strike-rate of 14.97 was even lower than the 15.92 per hundred deliveries that Bailey scored at on that occasion. The South Africans had added only 49 runs during the session but the most important thing was that du Plessis and de Villiers remained, and with Jacques Kallis the next man in, Australia needed to come up with some wicket-taking strategies over the lunch break.

Read More..

Chand and Dhawan score centuries

Delhi 287 for 1 (Chand 134*, Dhawan 104) v Tamil Nadu
Scorecard

Unmukt Chand is one of many prodigies almost mysteriously produced by Delhi cricket. Now only 19, he has already played 16 first-class games since his debut in 2010. That his second century came in his 17th match brought relief to the young man.

In this Ranji season Chand must, at double speed, graduate from being India's under-19 captain to one of Delhi's more reliable openers. He will bat in worse conditions and face tougher bowling attacks in the future. But his 134 not out against Tamil Nadu on day one at Feroz Shah Kotla was a personal triumph over the more youthful side of his batting and mistakes of his past.

On a slow day, in which only 80 overs were bowled, Delhi ended on 287 for 1 after they were sent in to bat. The lone wicket was that of the captain Shikhar Dhawan but not before he completed his first Ranji Trophy century in a prolific domestic season. Dhawan had already scored more than 600 runs in the Duleep Trophy and the Challenger Trophy.

Dhawan's 104 was a dominant and confident innings but Chand's sparkler of a 134 was as significant. It was an innings that began with Chand being considered the weaker link among the openers but the day ended with an acknowledgement that he was actually growing up.

The first session made the toughest demands on Chand, the ball swinging as it is expected to. Chand was judicious in picking what to leave and also checked himself from launching into a few of his eye-catching strokes. The off side was packed, there were two wide gullies, and it took him 12 balls to get off the mark.

The first hour brought a total of 28 runs to Delhi and Chand had a streaky half-chance off J Kaushik go past a diving third slip. Shouts came from the boundary asking him to be patient. Patience took its time arriving, and Chand slashed Kaushik again to the point boundary.

As the ball lost its shine and zip heading into lunch, and the sun began to climb, the Delhi batsmen opened their shoulders. Chand hit three boundaries in an over from L Balaji, through mid-on and cover and a screaming cut through point.

Dhawan seized control of the innings after the first hour, and at the first sight of spin, the batsmen lit up. Offspinner M Rangarajan was hit out of the attack after five overs that cost 27 runs. Chand turned the strike over to the more experienced Dhawan and then, by hitting the hard working left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas for six over long off, spread the field.

It took Chand 102 balls and nine boundaries to get to his 50. The next 50 took 64 balls, but offered fewer chances with six fours and a six. "We were able to stick to the messages we got from the dressing room," Chaid said. No losing early wickets, and capitalising in the post-lunch session. As his 100 neared and Delhi lost Dhawan, Chand went from 95 to 100 in singles. "I had got tempted to score quickly in the past when on 93 and 86 and the thought came in my mind that I should not repeat the same mistake."

Delhi had lost the toss but they made only gains after that. The pitch was different from the previous drawn game against Baroda, but had they won the toss, Dhawan said with a grin that Delhi would have loved to bat.

Read More..

Best jumps hurdles to hurt Bangladesh

West Indies fast bowler Tino Best is having a fruitful Test series in Bangladesh. On the fourth day in Khulna, he once again blew away the hosts' top order, but not through raw pace alone, like he had in Mirpur.

Best bowled only ten overs in the first innings, after aggravating a hamstring injury that has been troubling him since his county stint with Yorkshire in 2010. Having undergone a scan on the first day, Best decided two days later that he could bowl in the second innings.

Moments after lunch on Saturday, Best walked out with West Indies coach Ottis Gibson to bowl on the adjacent wicket, mostly off a short run-up. It indicated that he could bowl, but not at his fastest. He would utilise swing and the effect he created with his wrist position triggered the collapse. Best's three wickets reduced Bangladesh to 62 for 4

"I wasn't bowling at full tilt at all. I was concentrating more on keeping my wrist behind the ball," Best said after the day's play. "I was trying to get some shape, an area that I have been working really hard for the last couple of months with Gibson. When I'm playing in the subcontinent, [I'm not just] trying to bowl at 90miles per hour, but getting some shape on the ball. Getting some inswing and outswing at my pace is going to help me on slow pitches."

"I have had this [hamstring] injury since 2010 when I played county cricket. It came back on me from the Dhaka Test where I really pushed my body. It was painful but I came back and bowled well."

Best began his spell by surprising opener Tamim Iqbal. The first ball wasn't short, but the length pushed the batsman on to the back foot, and Tamim was undone by the inswing and bowled. Naeem Islam, the man picked to solidify Bangladesh's batting line-up, left the fourth ball of the over and had his off bail fly. It was Best's favourite wicket among his three, mainly because he had been working hard to dismiss Islam. "I think I bowled really well at him in the last three innings. I knew I was going to beat him for pace, but the ball just swung back fantastically. I just got him on a little tired legs, got him bowled."

Best, however, didn't forget how useful the bouncer had been in the Mirpur Test, where he pitched the ball short of a good length to take three of his five wickets in the second innings. To get rid of the flamboyant Shahriar Nafees, Best used both lengths, but ultimately it was the one at the throat that had the left-hand batsman fending awkwardly and being caught in the slips. Nafees' reluctance to duck under the ball also played a part in the dismissal.

Like some fast bowlers before him who were successful in the subcontinent, Best attributed his success to his ability to be indifferent to the pitch. "When I was making my debut years ago for Barbados, my head coach Henderson Springer used to say, 'Try to make sure you are quick on sand as a fast bowler.'

"When you go to the subcontinent it is easy to say, "I am not going to give it my all because this pitch is so flat.' It is important to bowl quick, but also not to hurt yourself. These pitches [aren't helpful for] fast bowlers, but it is best to take it out of your mind and focus on using your strengths."

Read More..