Munaf, Yusuf put Baroda in command

Baroda 62 for 0 (Mistry 33*, Wakaskar 24*) trail Services 191 (Swain 62, Munaf 4-38, Yusuf 3-19) by 129 runs
Scorecard

Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan shared seven wickets between them to give Baroda the advantage on the first day against Services in Vadodara. While Munaf removed the top-order batsmen, Yusuf took three from the middle and lower order to restrict Services to 191.

Put in to bat, Services were rocked by two wickets in Munaf's consecutive overs as he removed the openers with the score on 23. He struck again in the 11th over, and Murtuja Vahora dismissed captain Rajat Paliwal at the other end for a 16-ball duck to leave the visitors struggling at 42 for 4. Yashpal Singh and Soumya Swain revived the innings with an 87-run stand, and struck fifties to take them past 100.

However, the partnership ended when Yashpal was stumped off Bhargav Bhatt for 58, and the left-arm spinner struck again six overs later to trap Vishnu Tiwari lbw for 8, leaving the score at 146 for 6. Swain resisted more at the other end to score 62, his second fifty of the season. Once he was caught behind off Yusuf with the score on 181, Services added only 10 more to their tally as Yusuf took the last two wickets to finish with 3 for 19.

Baroda were given a steady start by openers Saurabh Wakaskar and Dhiren Mistry, who were unbeaten till stumps on 24 and 33, leaving Baroda 129 behind Services.

Madhya Pradesh 342 for 2 (Jalaj 157*, Ojha 154) v Saurashtra
Scorecard

Naman Ojha struck his second successive hundred and fourth of the season, while Jalaj Saxena scored an unbeaten hundred as Madhya Pradesh piled on 342 runs for the loss of only two wickets against Saurashtra in Indore. Both batsmen scored over 150 and put on 207 runs for the second wicket to put MP in a strong position.

Saurashtra bowler Abhishek Bhatt struck in the tenth over, after his captain Jaydev Shah elected to bat, with the wicket of Satyam Choudhary with the score of 29. Jalaj and Ojha started their run-fest from there, batting for the next 78 overs. Jalaj's hundred was the seventh of his first-class career and Ojha scored his 13th to take MP past 200. Saurashtra's six bowlers proved ineffective against the batsmen as the stand was broken with Ojha's run-out for 154 in the 87th over. Jalaj stayed unbeaten on 157, along with Mohnish Mishra on 6, at stumps.

Tamil Nadu 200 for 8 (Prasanna 88*, Mali 3-29, Anureet 3-49,) v Railways
Scorecard

A half-century from R Prasanna took Tamil Nadu to 200 by the end of the day after Railways bowlers Anureet Singh and Ranjitkumar Mali took three wickets each on the first day. TN were reeling at 49 for 4 as Mali took three of the first five wickets before an unbeaten 88 from Prasanna saved them from being dismissed for a paltry score.

Railways made use of their opportunity to bowl after winning the toss as Anureet struck on the second ball of the match to trap Arun Karthik lbw for 0. Abhinav Mukund and S Badrinath survived the next 11 overs, but Mali had both of them caught behind, sending Dinesh Karthik back for 1 to put them in a precarious position. No. 6 Prasanna faced over 200 deliveries and revived the innings, first with B Aparajith, who scored 29 off 119, and then with L Balaji for the eighth wicket.

Bengal v Uttar Pradesh

UP make competitive 212 on greentop

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Nehra six-for decimates Vidarbha for 88

Delhi 96 for 2 (Gambhir 49) lead Vidarbha 88 (Nehra 6-16) by eight runs
Scorecard

Ashish Nehra turned the clock back with some incisive swing bowling as his six-wicket haul decimated Vidarbha on a proverbial green-top at the Roshanara Club ground in Delhi.

Nehra, who finished with figures of 6 for 16 - his 14th five-for in first-class cricket - took a wicket in each of his first six overs, running through Vidarbha's top and middle order with effortless ease. The day also had a few controversial moments as play was stopped for 28 minutes after a delivery from Parvinder Awana took off from the good-length spot and hit Vidarbha's Amol Jungade (27) on the right shoulder.

The stoppage led to the use of a heavy roller which probably eased out the pitch for Delhi as they pushed the score to 96 for 2 in 48.3 overs. Gautam Gambhir , the Delhi captain, and Unmukt Chand added 78 runs for the opening stand before both fell to poor shots.

Gambhir won a good toss on a pitch that hardly looked any different from the square around it. It was the kind of track a bowler like Nehra needed to make the Vidarbha batsmen dance to his tunes. The grass on the pitch ensured there was steep but even bounce.

Nehra extracted swing to trouble right- and left-handed batsmen. Vidarbha opener Faiz Fazal (4) and No. 3 Ravi Jangid (1), both left-handed batsmen, were dismissed by with two deliveries that came into them. Vidarbha's right-handed opener Akshay Kolhar also got an incoming ball and he responded by spooning a simple catch to Rajat Bhatia at short leg.

Shalabh Srivastava, the Vidarbha captain, got a ball that pitched on middle before beating the right-hander's bat to hit the off stump.

Nehra soon had a five-for in his fourth over, the eighth of the day, as Ranjit Paradkar edged an away-going delivery to Delhi wicketkeeper, Rahul Yadav. Rashmi Parida watched from the other end as 21 for 5 became 33 for 7 and he tried to fight back with a 28-run stand for the eighth wicket, in the company of Amol Jungade.

The teams had a few anxious moments, however, as Jungade was hit by a delivery from Awana in the 19th over. The batsman was writhing in pain as he cried for medical help and panic struck the Vidarbha bench as match referee Sanjay Patil, in consultation with umpires Syed Khalid and CK Nandan, decided to temporarily halt the match.

The use of heavy rollers during the stoppage did not help Vidarbha's cause. Once play resumed, Awana got a ball to rear up and Parida's leading edge flew to Mithun Manhas at second slip. Debutant Navdeep Saini then bowled a beauty to remove Jungade as the delivery pitched on middle and late swing saw the off-stump go cartwheeling. Saini also dismissed the last batsman to finish with 2 for 18, as Vidarbha's innings folded in only 31.1 overs.

In reply, Chand and Gambhir batted for nearly 38 overs before frittering away a good start. Chand, who hit some crisp drives edged one from part-time seamer Faiz Fazal giving a simple catch to Urvesh Patel behind stumps for a score of 37.

Gambhir once again curbed his aggressive strokeplay but threw it away when he was nearing a well-compiled half century. He chased a wide delivery from Sandeep Singh down the leg side, which was taken well by Urvesh behind the stumps.

Delhi will now be aiming to bat out the whole day tomorrow and take a substantial lead, giving themselves a shot at a bonus-point victory.

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Bowlers take Sialkot to innings win

Group I

Hasan Ali took nine wickets in the match to help Sialkot demolish Bahawalpur by an innings and 19 runs inside of two days at Bahawal Stadium. Sialkot won the toss and put Bahawalpur in to bat, which proved an inspired decision as Hasan and Waqas Ahmed tore into their line-up, claiming nine wickets between them, as Bahawalpur were bowled out for 39 in 19 overs. No batsmen went past 8 as Hasan claimed 6 for 15 off 10 overs, with Waqas Ahmed supporting him with 3 for 14.

Although Sialkot lost opener Majid Jahangir for just 2, the second-wicket stand between Yasir Aziz and Faisal Rasheed almost overhauled the deficit when Rasheed went with the score on 32. The captain, Mansoor Amjad, led the way with his 64 as Sialkot posted 153. Wasim Mustafa and Zahir Siddiqi were the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 for 22 and 3 for 50 respectively.

Trailing by 114 runs, it was imperative that Bahawalpur's batsmen showed some form, but Hasan and Waqas Ahmed again stole the show, dismissing six of the first seven batsmen, as Bahawalpur again crashed for a low score, this time for 95, failing to recover the deficit set by Sialkot.

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Bangladesh's weak T20 bowling worries Mushfiqur

Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, expressed concern over the failure of his bowlers to defend scores of 171 and 188 in the Twenty20 Challenge Series against Bangladesh A. Mushfiqur captained a side that lost all three games against Bangladesh A, including the final T20 on Saturday.

The poor bowling by the senior side is an extension of a trend where they managed to restrict international teams to a score of less than 150 only once in their last seven matches. Bangladesh conceded 204 runs against New Zealand last month and were also hit for 190-plus totals on three occasions in the last two years.

On Saturday, Mashrafe Mortaza and Rubel Hossain were blasted out of the attack, each conceding more than 10 runs an over from their three overs. Al-Amin Hossain picked up two wickets but he, too, gave away 28 runs in 2.3 overs. For Bangladesh, the more concerning performances came from Abdur Razzak, who gave away 45 runs in three overs, and Sohag Gazi, who was taken for 26 in his two overs.

"The matches were quite one-sided so we are concerned, particularly about our bowling," Mushfiqur said. "Our biggest problem was batting but over the last 12 months, we have improved in that area. We have scored 170-plus regularly. Our worry is bowling in the first six overs and at the death. We must work in these areas.

"Bowlers will leak runs on such a wicket but we have to minimise the damage. We have to practise in these regards. Bowlers have to survive by bowling bouncers and yorkers, in particular. We have enough time to rectify ourselves in these areas."

According to Shane Jurgensen, the Bangladesh coach, the bowlers are yet to bridge the gap between practice and execution. He admitted there is some confusion within the bowling group as they seem to do well in one-day cricket but have delivered different results in T20s.

"We had set up this week to put the bowlers in tough situations so to be fair on them, they tried hard," Jurgensen said. "But we are still struggling to execute what we learn in practice.

"If a bowler is confused from the top of the mark as to what he wants to bowl, then he is not in the right frame of mind. I think we have enough time to mend these problems, and yes, more matches would be helpful."

Faruque Ahmed, the newly appointed chief selector, said the batsmen, too, needed to have better plans.

"I would consider these matches as practice matches, but I would have felt better if the national team had won one or two games," Ahmed said. "Bangladesh A played hard to win all three matches, very easily. Mominul Haque and Nasir Hossain had important roles to play.

"It helps the team to play these matches. I think the senior side lacked in batting plans. We have to play more matches to improve and understand the game, and prepare better for the next matches. The bowling wasn't good today, probably because the wicket was really good for batting."

The three members of Bangladesh's team management agreed that a few new players were staking a serious claim for a place in the national side. Jurgensen saw T20 potential in Muktar Ali's ability to bowl accurately, while Faruque believed that Sabbir Rahman was a contender for the allrounder's role in the lower-middle order. Mushfiqur, too, spoke about the cricketers he believed would push the national players.

"We have guys like Farhad Reza, Muktar Ali, Arafat Sunny, Rumman [Sabbir Rahman] and Mithun Ali who have done well. We want these players to push us in the senior side," Mushfiqur said. "We have more matches in the near future when we will monitor performances of these players as well as those from the Bangladesh team."

The senior side is likely to play another set of T20 matches in the coming weeks as the Bangladesh Cricket Board is looking to arrange another short tournament before the National Cricket League, the country's first-class competition.

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Bowlers set up big win for England

England Under-19s 97 for 3 (Tattersall 42*) beat United Arab Emirates Under-19s 94 (Chopra 46, Jones 3-19) by seven wickets
Scorecard

A comprehensive bowling performance from England Under-19s, led by legspinner Rob Jones, set up a seven-wicket win over United Arab Emirates Under-19s in Sharjah, keeping them in top spot, but tied on four points with Pakistan who still have a game in hand.

England began dominating proceedings soon after putting UAE in. Pacer Jack Winslade dismissed both openers within the first four overs to leave UAE struggling at 10 for 2. Fast bowler Harry Finch pitched in with two wickets in the ninth over before a 41-run, fifth-wicket stand between Shorye Chopra and Qazi Ayub tried injecting some resistance into the innings. Chopra was eventually dismissed for 46 off 57 balls by Jones, with the score at 66 for 5, and the legspinner combined with Miles Hammond to dismiss the rest of the UAE line-up for 94. Jones finished with figures of 3 for 19, while Winslade, Finch and Hammond took two wickets apiece.

In spite of a few quick wickets, England took a little more than 21 overs to overhaul the 95-run target. Opener Jonathan Tattersall, the captain of the side, scored an unbeaten 42 off 63 balls to guide England to its second win in the tournament.

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South Africa's ODI drought 'not ideal'

When South Africa next play ODI cricket, the country could have a new president, another IPL season will be complete, and winter will be on its way out. Their next 50-over assignment, according to the FTP, is in July - seven months away. With the focus on Test and Twenty20 cricket, ahead of the 2014 World T20, there is a danger that the gains AB de Villiers' ODI side has made over the last six weeks will be lost, affecting their build-up to the 2015 World Cup.

The tournament in Australia and New Zealand is in 15 months and South Africa's long break from ODI cricket is "absolutely not ideal," former players Shaun Pollock, Herschelle Gibbs and Boeta Dippenaar told ESPNcricinfo. They agreed that South Africa need to play more one-dayers to build on their recent impressive performance, which could shape their World Cup strategy, and have asked the national board to look at ways to schedule more one-dayers at home.

If the present schedule were adhered to, Dippenaar said, none of the players would have enough games - and not enough, according to Pollock, against good enough opposition. The series in July is in Zimbabwe and it is far from guaranteed because Zimbabwe Cricket is suffering from financial problems, which forced it to postpone a visit by Sri Lanka this year. Should that series be put off, South Africa's next scheduled ODIs are only in November 2014, five matches in Australia. Following that tour, South Africa will host West Indies for five more ODIs before the World Cup.

Cricket South Africa had displayed its proactivity by organising a last-minute home series against Pakistan to fill the gap in the season caused by the shortening of India's visit. "The amount of ODI cricket needs to go up when you're preparing for a World Cup. Its like a marathon runner who increased the distance every week in training before tapering off just before the race," Dippenaar said. "The pace and bounce of our pitches are similar to Australian wickets so it would be a good place to practice. I'd invite a team like England or New Zealand - they are scrappers so it would be good to play them, or even Sri Lanka.

"If that doesn't work then I'd say they should play three exhibition matches in South Africa. A best versus the rest, or something like that. They absolutely have to play something else before the World Cup."

While Dippenaar was adamant about adding to the schedule, Gibbs said that as long as South Africa were playing "some form of cricket against someone," they would benefit. De Villiers wasn't too concerned either.

"If we didn't win a series I would be very worried but now that we have, I feel we will get back into it again," de Villiers said. "It is a long time but when you finish things on a good note, you can pick it up again. The guys are doing well together, they seem to enjoy each others successes so I feel we will pick things up straight again in July."

Whether South Africa do so will have a significant impact on their chances of ending a poor run in ICC tournaments. After they crashed out of the 2011 World Cup, one-day cricket took a back seat as South Africa strived to become the No. 1 Test side. A result of that neglect was a poor showing at the 2013 Champions Trophy and in Sri Lanka, two tours that exposed how much South Africa's batting hadregressed.

In the past six weeks, however, South Africa have smoothened out those wrinkles. They won two series out of three, one in the UAE against Pakistan and the other at home against India, the top-ranked ODI side. They had seven wins in 11 matches across the three series but the win-loss record did not highlight the numbers that mattered to de Villiers. South Africa's batsmen are showing more "care," he said, for partnerships.

In eight ODIs during the Champions Trophy and the tour of Sri Lanka, South Africa had only two century stands and eight half-century partnerships. In the next three series, they had five century stands and 13half-century partnerships. Their bowling was always impressive and now their batting has caught up. According to Pollock, South Africa have "probably settled on the 16 names they will take to the 2015 World Cup."

Whether they will be able to pick up where they left off is the question. "A break can be a dangerous thing when you are in good form," Dippenaar said, making a reference to the performance of the Test team after a seven-month break earlier this year. "The only reason they lost that first Test against Pakistan in Dubai is because they were rusty. It showed that when you're playing well, you need keep playing, so you can build on the things you do well to help you when you are struggling a bit."

Dippenaar stressed the concern was over younger players, like Quinton de Kock and David Miller, who are just starting to carve a niche for themselves and will now have that process interrupted. "Quinton needs to play as much as possible," he said.

Gibbs also said de Kock must be given opportunity to gain as much experience as possible. He believed the youngster will keep Graeme Smith out of World Cup contention. "I can't see Graeme forcing his way back now," Gibbs said. "So Quinton needs to play."

So does the person who may need to step in for Jacques Kallis, who should use the next seven months to make a firm decision about his ODI future, according to Pollock, Gibbs and Dippenaar. They seemed to be sayingthat Kallis may have to accept that the 2015 World Cup could be a bridge too far. "It will give Jacques the time to decide if he wants to continue," Pollock said.

Dippenaar was of the opinion that it may not be up to Kallis to make a decision. "There is the real question that he may not make it to the World Cup and then it's going to be tough on whoever has to replace him, because that person won't have enough games," Dippenaar said. Unless CSA step in and do something about the schedule.

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Zimbabwe players strike over non-payment of dues

Zimbabwe's players have gone on strike following delays in the payment of their salaries. ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that cricketers on national and domestic contracts will not participate in the ongoing domestic season until they are paid their dues.

It was learnt that players on national contract had not received payments for the last four months, while dues to players on domestic contracts had been delayed by two months. The players decided not to participate in the forthcoming round of the Logan Cup, the domestic first-class competition, which is scheduled before the Christmas break.

Zimbabwe Cricket has been undergoing financial problems, prompting action from players. In August this year, Zimbabwe players formed a union to participate in salary negotiations, prior to the series against Pakistan. The board's financial condition also resulted in Sri Lanka's tour to the country being deferred. The domestic competitions in Zimbabwe, scheduled to begin in November, were delayed due to lack of funds but the tournaments were finally held without any sponsors.

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Time for Fletcher to make visible impact

Duncan Flethcer hardly interacts with anyone except his bosses and the players, and the players have always been full of praise for him without being able to articulate how exactly he helps

Enigma is a word loosely used in sport analysis. Duncan Fletcher, the India coach, though, is one man on whom the word enigma won't be wasted. Fletcher the England coach was ruthless, result-oriented, modern, even before his time. He worked best with young batsmen, preferred pace, and didn't mind gamesmanship - remember how England riled Ricky Ponting with their substitute fielders during the 2005 Ashes? From what we know of him as the India coach, or rather India under him, for whatever reason youth hasn't been pushed for actively despite poor results - eight straight away defeats in Tests, accurate trundlers have been preferred to pace, and batsmen dismissed purely by their own fault have been called back.

The extent of Fletcher's role in all this is not known. We don't know if he has had the free rein he needs. He hardly interacts with anyone except his bosses and the players, and the players have always been full of praise for him without being able to articulate how exactly he helps. You knew Fletcher's role as a member of the support staff better when India last came to South Africa. No, he had nothing to do with India then. This was when Fletcher was the part-time batting consultant of South Africa. Back then, he would attend press conferences, talk about his role and about his players.    

Therein might lay an advantage for Fletcher, a big chance to improve the overseas record of the India team under his watch: one win and eight losses outside Asia. Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis were part of the ODI squad that Fletcher worked with. That edge might not have been visible during the ODIs where India struggled to make an impression on pretty much the same set of batsmen - Quinton de Kock being the addition - but Fletcher's knowledge of South African cricket and conditions will still be a cane to this Indian team walking blind into the den, with negligible experience and little match time.

Other than this, Fletcher finally has a young side that he can mould. His expertise, it was said, was the main reason he was brought in as the coach in the first place, after Gary Kirsten didn't extend his contract soon after the World Cup win in 2011. At the start of his stint, Fletcher followed the Kirsten strategy of letting the senior players be, but with their games waning, it didn't work. Fletcher, though, managed to stay under the radar. Now, when he is back to what he was supposed to do - aid India in conditions he knows well, in England and South Africa, and facilitate the transition - Fletcher's role will be under more scrutiny.

The problem with scrutinising Fletcher's role, though, is the same: we don't exactly know how he works. What is clear, though, is that the players are impressed and singularly take the blame when the team fails to perform. "See, I think no failure can be pinpointed upon the support staff sitting back," R Ashwin said. "As players we have to accept the failure and say, 'Yes, we have failed as a group.' A person cannot go through the entire 11 players on the field, and what's going through their head and all that.

"Support staff can definitely facilitate you from behind. Support staff's role is always about creating a good environment. Having good facilities to practice and try and aid somebody who is going through a lean patch, and all that. On those regards he has never been short of what he has done. We had poor tours of Australia and England, but he has always been on the mark in terms of arranging practice and in terms of what guys want, going to them, talking to them. He has wanted to make a difference.

"There are two things: wanting to make a difference and actually creating a difference. [For] creating the difference the player also needs to play a role. He has always wanted to be the difference that a player wants. He has never been shy of going to talking to anybody, he has never been shy of going and offering a new suggestion for somebody to change his game. It's always up to the individual to take it or not. But I think for a failure the team has to accept the failure as a lot rather than saying the coach has not had a great record and all that. We have not had a great record."

That's a glowing endorsement at one level, but it doesn't really say much about Fletcher's role, other than facilitating training and ensuring good facilities. As a professional, Fletcher will see it as his failure, too, that he oversaw eight straight defeats away from home. He will be desperate to make sure it doesn't become 10 before 2013 is over.

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Gibbs sees a bit of himself in fearless de Kock

On a day when Quinton de Kock joined elite company with a third successive century, one of those who had managed the feat before him, Herschelle Gibbs, applauded the young batsman for his carefree method of play

When Quinton de Kock was on 99, he decided he was in a hurry. He charged down the track to Mohammad Shami and swung hard. Luckily for him, it didn't take the edge but ended up being mistimed down the track. There was a collective gulp at SuperSport Park from all but one man. Herschelle Gibbs was beaming.

"Look - he's not even interested in stats," Gibbs, who was part of one of the commentary teams, told ESPNcricinfo. "Others would have played a more conservative shot. But at least he wants to do something different."

A delivery later, de Kock tucked one away on the leg side to bring up his third consecutive century. Only Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs had managed that feat before him.

The man on air, Mluleki Ntsabo, reeled off the elite list de Kock had joined and when he got to Gibbs' name, Sunil Gavaskar fist bumped the South African, interrupting his soft applause. "It's out with the old and in with the new," Gibbs bellowed. For the first time since he last turned out for South Africa in May 2010, it sounded like he actually believed those words.

Gibbs has not retired from international cricket and he doesn't let people forget that. Just last month, in an interview with the local press agency, Gibbs reiterated his desire to play at top level. "I'd still like to play for South Africa... I know what I can offer and what I am capable of," he said then.

Fearless cricket is what Gibbs has always advocated and is the thing he believed he could to contribute to an outfit he has often criticised for being too formulaic. Gibbs held that up as the primary reason South Africa have failed to win a World Cup so far, and what he has repeatedly said they need to change if they are to be successful in future events. He usually put himself forward as the man who could lead that strategy but today, he handed the baton to someone else. Someone who reminds him a little bit of himself.

"He also doesn't think a lot," Gibbs joked. "He is more of an instinctive player. Which is what a lot of 20-year-olds are. I haven't seen a lot of him but I know he has got all the shots. Now he's putting the pieces together."

What impresses Gibbs about de Kock is his carefreeness at the crease, something South Africa are trying to keep under some control. That's why a senior player reminds him to "take it easy" at the end of most overs. De Kock has mostly heeded the advice and reined in the urge to whack everything that comes his way into next week.

That was on display today more than usual when he saw off a controlled opening spell of swing from Shami and more discipline from the other two Indian pacers than they have shown in the series so far. "We saw him bat uncharacteristically for the first 40 runs," Gibbs said. "He kept the big shots in the bag, which was a good thing to see at his age. And then he rode his luck."

De Kock was dropped twice - on 37 and 43 - but did not let that affect the way he played. He had AB de Villiers to run singles with and was allowed some aggression, particularly off Virat Kohli.

Once he passed the fifty mark, de Kock converted the knock into a triple-digit score again to keep his record at 100%. He played the drive and pull that he is making his name on, but also continued to charge all the bowlers and punish half volleys.

"His shot selection is really good," Gibbs said. "But his power play is as good as his touch play, which is what you need to score hundreds. He likes the game going forward and is not shy to hit boundaries even in the middle period. He has got all the shots and all the understanding. The more he plays, the more he will learn."

Gibbs predicted de Kock will continue to keep Graeme Smith out of the side and will be one the key players in South Africa's 2015 World Cup campaign. Gibbs hopes de Kock does not focus that far ahead just yet, however, but concentrates on more immediate matters instead.

"Who is the next one-day series against?" Gibbs asked. When he was informed South Africa are not scheduled to play any 50-overs cricket before taking on Zimbabwe next July, he only had one thing on his mind. "He could make it four in four," he said, referring to hundreds.

"I almost did it," he remembered. Gibbs' three consecutive hundreds started at the 2002 Champions Trophy when he raised his bat against Kenya and India. In the home series which followed against Bangladesh he scored 153 off 131 balls and saw an opportunity to do it again in Benoni but with South Africa chasing just 155, he ended unbeaten on 97. "We ran out of runs," he said, with a tinge of regret that soon gave way to smile.

So does Gibbs have any advice for de Kock if he finds himself in a similar situation? "No, I don't really know him that well. I just chatted with him briefly on the plane from Johannesburg to Cape Town after the first Twenty20 against Pakistan. We didn't speak about too much," Gibbs confessed. "He didn't ask my advice. He doesn't need it."

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De Kock laughs off Ishant's 'lucky' remark

There were a few sniggers in the pressroom when India fast bowler Ishant Sharma said that Quinton de Kock, who scored three consecutive hundreds in the ODI series, had "been quite lucky."

When asked if India were sick and tired at the sight of de Kock at the wicket, and if they were relieved he was not part of the Test squad, Ishant said: "I think he has been quite lucky. I can say that. Because the ball is getting in between fielders, he is getting top edges, players have been dropping catches off him. I think, you have to take positives. If he is scoring, good for him. What we can do is more important."

Minutes later, de Kock and his captain AB de Villiers had a laugh about it. "He was telling the truth," de Kock said, folding his arms and trying to hide his laughter. "I did get a bit lucky today. There were two dropped catches and I was really angry with myself. I just had to go back into my bubble again."

De Kock, on 37, had offered Ajinkya Rahane a regulation chance at short fine leg, and he also gave Yuvraj Singh an opportunity at mid-on six runs later. Neither catch was taken and de Kock was shaken by his carelessness, in conditions "where you had to fight for runs upfront."

De Kock's only rash move after those reprieves was on 99, when he charged Mohammed Shami and mis-timed the ball. In the commentator's box Herschelle Gibbs, whom de Kock joined as one of five batsmen to score three successive ODI hundreds, was impressed because he believed the young batsman had showed guts. At the non-striker's end, de Villiers, who also has three straight ODI tons, was not. He marched towards de Kock to have a word.

"I don't remember what he said," de Kock admitted, after the game had been washed out. De Villiers, who was sitting beside him, put on an expression of mock shock. "You don't remember anything," he joked. De Kock blushed a little while the people in the room laughed, and de Villiers explained what he had told the newest member of his team.

"I spoke to him twice," de Villiers said. "I spoke to him before the start of the game today and I told him never to be satisfied. And then I spoke to him when he was the 90s. Anyway, he can't remember anything."

De Kock does remember that this was, "one of the harder hundreds of these last three," and not only because of the conditions. South Africa had been in trouble at 28 for 3 and de Kock did not have the support of Hashim Amla in this game. He said the innings - 101 off 120 balls - showed how he had matured "I think I have grown a lot," he said. "My confidence was never there before. It has grown a lot. My work ethic has grown as well."

Despite de Kock being in such rich form, South Africa's selectors did not pick him for the two Tests against India. He simply accepted he has more work to do to play the longer format at the top level. "I'm sure anybody would love to be part of the Test squad, but I will have to go back to four-day cricket, bide my time and hopefully score some runs there.

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