Styris returns to Sussex for t20

Sussex have re-signed Scott Styris as an overseas player for the 2013 Friends Life t20 season.

Styris, the 37-year-old former New Zealand international, who has previously had spells in county cricket with Middlesex, Durham and Essex, enjoyed an impressive season with Sussex in 2012. Most eye-catching was the 37-ball century against Gloucestershire in the quarter-final which included five fours and nine sixes and equalled the third fastest century in global Twenty20 cricket. The innings not only won Styris the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the fastest century in an English season, but helped Sussex reach T20 finals day.

Styris retired from international cricket soon after the 2011 World Cup, ending a New Zealand career that spanned 188 ODIs and 31 Twenty20 internationals. He also played 29 Tests, the last of them in 2007. Since then he has become one of the first T20 specialists, though he has continued to play the occasional List A game. He has represented sides in the IPL, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Sri Lanka Premier League and in English and New Zealand domestic T20 competitions.

"I'm delighted to sign this contract with Sussex," Styris said. "I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the team this year and feel we have unfinished business in this competition. I want to contribute next season so we can go all the way to securing the silverware."

"We are all delighted at the prospect of having Scott back," Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager, said. "His performances on and off the pitch obviously made him not only a crowd favourite but one within the whole club."

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Chennai look to bounce back against Lions

Match facts

October 16, 2012
Start time 1730 (Start time 1530 GMT)

Big Picture

Both Chennai Super Kings and Lions had contrasting results at the Wanderers on Sunday. In the first game of the double-header, Chennai failed to keep Sydney Sixers to a par score and couldn't overhaul the target of 185. Later in the evening, the Lions did well to keep Mumbai Indians to 157, and came out victorious in a chase that ebbed and flowed. Both captains chose to chase because of the view that South African grounds are difficult to defend scores. It proved to be a good decision in the end for Lions. The action shifts to Cape Town tomorrow and both teams may have an eye on the Auckland-Kolkata Knight Riders game on Monday to gauge the conditions.

Chennai went in with their strongest batting line-up but left out the allrounder Albie Morkel. Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger were the overseas picks and the pair came in for some stick in the end overs. Morkel would have been useful given his knowledge of South African conditions. Spin is Chennai's strength and the Lions will be tested, particularly Gulam Bodi who struggled to get going on Sunday. From the Lions' point of view it was pleasing to see two youngsters, Quinton de Kock and Aaron Phangiso, make telling contributions with bat and ball respectively.

Watch out for...

Sohail Tanvir is fast establishing himself as a sought-after Twenty20 bowler, freelancing for clubs like Lions and Kandurata Warriors. He was one of the most penetrative bowlers in the SLPL, picking up 11 wickets and can be quite a handful in seaming conditions. His round-the-wicket angle seems to work against the right-handers, as Kieron Pollard found out on Sunday when he failed to dig out a yorker swerving in from wide of the crease.

R Ashwin has opened the bowling in Twenty20s with a lot of success. The Lions top order wouldn't have seen too much of him so it wouldn't be a bad idea for Dhoni to toss the new ball to his best spinner and create early pressure.

Quotes

"Where we lacked was the death bowling. We gave away about 15 runs too many."
MS Dhoni on where his team went wrong against Sydney Sixers

"In big games, it's the senior players who must be counted. I don't want to put pressure him at this stage."
Lions captain Alviro Petersen on Quinton de Kock

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'Yuvraj has proved a lot of critics wrong'

Yuvraj Singh has answered questions over his fitness with a double-century against Central Zone in his first first-class match since recovering from cancer, according to two men who watched the innings closely. Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj's North Zone captain, said no one could play such a long knock without being fit. Ajay Mehra, the former first-class cricketer who is working as a commentator on the game in Hyderabad, said Yuvraj had proved a lot of critics wrong with his performance.

Yuvraj's innings lasted over five-and-a-half hours and he took the field after lunch on the second day during Central Zone's innings, standing in the slip cordon for most of the day. Dhawan, who made 121 and batted for over 20 overs with Yuvraj during their third-wicket partnership, praised his senior partner's mental strength.

"I felt really good for Yuvi paaji," Dhawan told ESPNcricinfo. "He is such a motivation for all youngsters. It was a classy innings. I loved seeing him from the other end. The way he came in and started batting, I [laughing] told him he had almost finished the game. He is a very strong man mentally.

"If someone is scoring a double-century, he has to be fit. He was running very fast during the innings. We ran several quick singles and threes."

Yuvraj was selected for the recently concluded World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka without having played any competitive match since November 2011, though he trained at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. He showed signs of rustiness in Sri Lanka and he looked tired after running twos and sharp singles, leading former players to question the timing of his comeback.

Dhawan, who also trained at the NCA when Yuvraj did, spoke about the effort he had put into his preparation at that time. "I trained with him in the NCA as well before he went to Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20. Even then, he was sprinting hard with high intensity. Of course, it takes time for things to get together for one in a match."

Mehra said Yuvraj had the option of taking some more time off the field but it was good to see that he had chosen to turn out for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy. "It was a test for him," Mehra said. "He was playing the longer format for the first time since recovering from cancer and he has proved a lot of critics wrong. He could have easily opted out of the Duleep Trophy. He could have said that he wanted some time to get fitter. What was good to see was the way he slogged it out in the middle. He looked very determined and focused. It was pleasing to see the way he applied himself.

"There is nothing like match practice. The more he plays, the more he will improve. He has worked hard on his fitness and is looking much better than he did during the World Twenty20."

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All-round Mahmood pushes Kolkata to the brink

Auckland Aces 139 for 3 (Mahmood 51*) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 137 for 6 (McCullum 40, Mahmood 3-16) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A high impact all-round performance from Azhar Mahmood, his second of this Champions League Twenty20, gave qualifiers Auckland Aces their third comprehensive victory in South Africa, and severely damaged Kolkata Knight Riders' prospects of progress in the tournament. Mahmood's timely wickets and composed innings during the chase, which was supported by several top-order cameos, led Auckland to the target with 14 balls to spare, a considerable boost to their net run rate.

While this was Auckland's first match of the Champions League proper, it was Kolkata's second, and a second defeat left the IPL champions needing to win both their remaining games, while keeping an eye on run rate, in order to make the semi-finals from Group A.

After winning the toss on a cold and windy day in Cape Town, Kolkata looked like setting a formidable total on two occasions, and both times they were stymied by Mahmood. Gautam Gambhir had fallen early - caught by Martin Guptill diving low and to his left at point - but despite the new ball seaming and bouncing, Manvinder Bisla and Brendon McCullum had begun finding the boundary regularly. They got to 72 for 1 in the ninth over when left-arm spinner Ronnie Hira made the breakthrough by having Bisla caught at long-off, and then it was over to Mahmood.

In his first over, Mahmood had Jacques Kallis caught at slip and Manoj Tiwary caught and bowled off successive deliveries, reducing Kolkata to 72 for 4. His two-over spell contained a maiden and returned figures of 2 for 7. The loss of those wickets forced McCullum and Shakib Al Hasan to consolidate and Auckland were able to drag the run rate from 8 down to just above six and a half per over.

McCullum was Auckland's major threat and he began to break free with a tremendous six against Andre Adams, charging the medium pacer and smashing him beyond the midwicket boundary. Gareth Hopkins brought Mahmood back for the next over - the 15th - and he had McCullum edging behind with the third ball.

Shakib didn't last much longer, toe ending a slash off Kyle Mills to deep cover to be dismissed for 15 off 22. He didn't come off with the bat and his selection ahead of Brett Lee on a pitch that had seam movement and bounce was questionable.

From 108 for 6 in the 17th over, Yusuf Pathan wasn't able to provide the kind of acceleration he's done on occasion during the IPL. He managed to pull twice in succession for fours, in the 18th over bowled by Michael Bates, but Kolkata found the boundary only once in the last two overs. Mahmood finished with 3 for 16 in his four overs, after he had taken a five-for to knock out Hampshire in the qualifying stage.

Chasing 138, Lou Vincent waylaid Kolkata. In the first over, bowled by L Balaji, Vincent smashed over mid-off and clipped over midwicket for fours, before hitting a towering six over long-on. He slog swept Shakib for another six to blast Auckland to 31 for 0 after two overs.

Realising Kolkata needed wickets and fast, Gambhir gave Narine the third over and the spinner had Vincent top edging to square leg the ball after conceding a boundary. Mahmood joined Guptill and the pair used the buffer provided by Vincent's aggression to accumulate steadily, while hitting the odd boundary. Auckland were 51 for 1 when the fielding restrictions were lifted.

Auckland seemed to want to target some bowlers more than others and Balaji was one of them. He returned to bowl the tenth and Mahmood immediately hoisted towards deep square leg, where Pradeep Sangwan took the catch but stepped on the boundary cushions. Guptill fell in that over, slogging to long-on, leaving Auckland 62 to get off 61. Anaru Kitchen then hit a four off his first ball and a six off his third, hacking at the equation, while Mahmood calmly stayed the course.

With three runs to get and plenty of deliveries remaining, Mahmood pulled to the square-leg boundary, the winning shot bringing up a successive half-century in the Champions League.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s PP Overs 16-20 NB/Wides Kolkata 51 13 3 43-1 39-1 1/3 Auckland 38 13 5 51-1 22/0 0/0

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Chittagong Kings confirm Lara as ambassador

Brian Lara has become the brand ambassador of the Bangladesh Premier League franchise Chittagong Kings, its owner confirmed on Sunday. Lara has signed a three-year contract with Kings and will arrive inDhaka to complete formalities in November.

"I am excited and honoured to announce that Brian Lara has agreed to join us as the brand ambassador of the Chittagong Kings," Sameer Quader Chowdhury, the franchise's owner, told ESPNcricinfo.

Lara will be part of the Chittagong franchise's delegation at the auction on December 7, Chowdhury said. "He will also be with us throughout the BPL campaign, which starts on January 17. Before the tournament starts, he will be present for our corporate dealings and marketing activities. Apart from this, he will do social work and be involved in team's activities and selection."

During the inaugural season of the BPL, former Australia players Michael Bevan and Dean Jones were part of the Chittagong Kings, as batting coach and technical director respectively.

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Warriors collapse hands Cobras narrow victory

Cape Cobras 262 (Gray 67, Vilas 45, Smuts 3-22) and 297 for 8 dec (Gray 125, Van Zyl 75, Smuts 4-45) beat Warriors 266 (Ingram 80, Prince 53, Kleinveldt 3-51) and 275 (Jacobs 104, Smuts 54, Louw 3-42) by 18 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A century by Davy Jacobs went in vain as Warriors lost six wickets for 30 runs to lose by 18 runs in a thrilling Sunfoil Series match against Cape Cobras in Paarl. Jacobs, who scored 104, fell in the 71st over and Warriors' innings lasted for 59 more deliveries. The game, after similar first-innings scores, drifted towards Cobras after a century by Cobras opener Alistair Gray but Jacobs's hundred and JJ Smuts' half-century helped Warriors get close.

After choosing to bat, the Cobras got off to a positive start through opener Gray's 67. The innings progressed through stops and starts, and a couple of productive innings by the lower-order batsmen - wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (45) and Rory Kleinveldt (36) - helped them to 262. Left-arm spinner Smuts was the top wicket-taker for Warriors with three wickets.

The Warriors, though, failed to start their innings well. After being reduced to 37 for 3, Ashwell Prince and Colin Ingram added 121 runs, with both batsmen scoring half-centuries. The pair had departed by the 75th over, with the score at 205 when Ingram went, and their innings didn't last much longer. Simon Harmer scored 33 to boost the total to 266 - four more than the Cobras had made. Vernon Philander and Kleinveldt took three wickets each.

But the Cobras laid the base for a strong second-innings total when openers Gray and Andrew Puttick put on 93 runs. Stiaan van Zyl stuck with Gray and the pair weren't separated for 41.1 overs. At 209 for 4, when the pair had departed, they again lost wickets quickly, largely through Smuts, who claimed four wickets.

Warriors were in command in their chase at 211 for 3, but Kleinveldt and seamer Johann Louw took six wickets between them. Justin Kemp took two wickets off the 80th over to finish the match.

The match between Dolphins and Knights was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of a wet ground.

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Professional Lions outclass Mumbai Indians

Lions 158 for 2 (McKenzie 68*, de Kock 51*) beat Mumbai Indians 157 for 6 (Johnson 30) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A calm and collected Neil McKenzie, and a young and fearless Quinton de Kock added 123 for the third wicket to take Lions to a comprehensive win, their second over the superstar-filled Mumbai Indians.

It was a scrappy ungainly match until McKenzie and de Kock came together. Sachin Tendulkar (16 off 24) and Rohit Sharma struggled for momentum, Champions League debutant Mitchell Johnson was promoted to No. 4 for a 29-ball 30 that frustrated the others into playing low-percentage shots, extras and edges helped Mumbai Indians to a fighting total, and then the Lions openers matched the Mumbai batsmen in the go-slow.

Lions had seen three teams before them win the toss and choose to chase because South African grounds are difficult to defend. All three had failed. Alviro Petersen, though, showed no signs of second thoughts before asking Mumbai to bat. Perhaps he knew something about Mumbai batsmen. Six of them reached double figures, but only three of them went at more than 103.44 per 100 balls.

Clearly the Mumbai batsmen didn't fancy the pace and bounce of Dirk Nannes, Sohail Tanvir and Chris Morris, who bowled 12 overs for 90 runs and four wickets between them. And those figures hardly do them justice.

Their biggest test, though, was Dwayne Smith's charmed 26 off 19. Good shots and edges existed in equal measure in Smith's effort. It seemed to almost infuriate the Lions bowlers, especially Morris who began to bowl wides while trying too hard. However, he got his own back by trapping Smith in front. It might have been 45 for 1 in the fifth over then, but Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma were about to stall the innings.

Rohit went at a run a ball, and Tendulkar at one point was 3 off 10 balls. Left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso found this the perfect time to turn the screws tighter, and finally got Tendulkar when he missed with a heave-ho. Harbhajan Singh sprung a surprise by sending Johnson in at No. 4, but that hardly seem to perturb Lions.

Phangiso and Zander de Bruyn hurried through with a few quiet overs. The pressure duly resulted in wickets, but Dinesh Karthik provided Mumbai 19 quick runs off nine balls. Mumbai seemed to have carried that momentum with them. Johnson and Lasith Malinga gave nothing away at the start, and Gulam Bodi and Petersen threatened to undo Tendulkar and Johnson's work with the bat.

McKenzie joined de Kock at 37 for 2 in the seventh over, and began with a reverse-sweep for four first ball. De Kock had already slog-swept two sixes. Even as the asking rate went as high as 10.66 for the last six overs. McKenzie, 26 off 24, and de Kock, 30 off 21, were in by then. Now was the time to launch.

Wrong. It was time to caress, McKenzie style. He hit Pollard over midwicket, watched the third man come up to accommodate a deep midwicket, and then steered a full delivery fine of that short third man. This was lovely touch play. It continued with two pulled boundaries off Dhawal Kulkarni, chosen ahead of the seasoned Munaf Patel.

The best, however, was reserved for the captain Harbhajan Singh, as if he had not had a bad day already with his tactics. McKenzie swept him either side of square leg, then wide of deep midwicket, and then past point for fours to kill the game in the 17th over. The finishing touch was that de Kock, too, reached a fifty.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s Powerplay 16-20 NB/Wides Mumbai Indians 64 18 2 53/1 37/3 0/9 Lions 51 22 3 36/1 35/0(18.5) 0/5

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Auckland look to cause surprises

Match facts

October 15, 2012
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)

Big Picture

The Champions League moves to Newlands in Cape Town, which will host its first game, between Auckland and Kolkata Knight Riders. The IPL 2012 winners, Knight Riders, got off to a terrible start on Saturday, losing heavily to Delhi Daredevils in Centurion. Chasing 161, Knight Riders were reeling at 3 for 3, undone by pace and movement. It was a puzzling decision by the captain Gautam Gambhir, to chase on a ground that heavily favours the team batting first under lights. Five of their batsmen got hit and Delhi's four-man pace attack was too imposing to tackle.

Knight Riders will be up against a team making its debut in the main round of the Champions League. Auckland arrived in South Africa two weeks before the qualifying round to acclimatise and things have gone smoothly for them, with victories in both their qualifying matches. Kyle Mills has been parsimonious - he had figures of 4-1-6-2 against Sialkot Stallions - and Azhar Mahmood has been among the wickets. Sterner tests lie ahead, when they come up against franchise teams that have the best foreign Twenty20 talent.

Watch out for...

Azhar Mahmood demolished Hampshire with bat and ball, becoming only the sixth player to take five wickets and score a fifty in a Twenty20 match. He may not be an international player anymore but he is enjoying a second coming as a freelance T20 specialist. Gareth Hopkins, the Auckland captain, emphasised the experience Mahmood brings to the unit. His game-changing abilities made him an asset during his on-and-off career for Pakistan and, at 37, his skills haven't diminished.

Brendon McCullum began his World Twenty20 campaign with a blazing 123 against Bangladesh in Pallekele - his second T20 international century. His CLT20 campaign wasn't so special though, getting out for a second-ball duck. Knight Riders also lost Jacques Kallis to an injury before he could open his account. If Kallis misses out, McCullum's contributions at the top will be all the more crucial.

Stats and trivia

• Gautam Gambhir's last five scores in competitive matches, including India games, are 0,8,0,17,45.
• Manvinder Bisla needs another 44 for 1000 runs in Twenty20s.

Quotes

"We played badly and it was an embarrassing batting performance. We have the talent and we will come back."
Gautam Gambhir

"Our guys were a step ahead of the opposition in the fielding department and they adjusted to the pitch conditions and the bounce."
Auckland coach Paul Strang

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Tuskers, Rhinos post wins

After Mashonaland Eagles were bowled out for 182, half-centuries from Vusi Sibanda and Jaik Mickleburgh helped Mid West Rhinos win by four wickets at the Kwekwe Sports Club. Spinners Malcolm Waller and Graeme Cremer, who also effected two run outs, didn't allow Eagles to build big partnerships as the opening stand of 40 was their highest of the innings. A confident chase, led by a second-wicket stand of 109 runs between Sibanda and Mickleburgh effectively sealed the contest.

After being put in to bat, Eagles started positively through their openers, but from 71 for one, they slipped to 80 for four, and kept losing wickets regularly thereafter. A lower order defiance was led by Ray Price, but they failed to cross the 200-run mark, being bowled out in the 48th over.

The Eagles, however, made a positive start in the following innings when Rhinos' captain, opener and wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor was run out for 10 in the fifth over. After the ensuing Sibanda-Mickleburgh partnership, which ended in the 28th over with Sibanda's dismissal, Rhinos suffered a minor collapse. Mickleburgh had stuck around for long to score 73 and secure their victory. When he departed with the score at 160 for five, 23 more runs were needed, which were scored in 56 deliveries and the loss of a wicket.

At the Masingvo Sports Club, a four-wicket haul by Chris Mpofu overshadowed Curthbert Musoko's four-wicket haul as it helped Matabeleland Tuskers defeat Southern Rocks by nine runs in a rain-shortened game. Tuskers' Keegan Meth scored 36 turned out to be highest in the low-scoring game.

Chasing 141 in 31 overs, the Rocks fell into trouble early with the wicket of opener Kudzai Monze in the fourth over. Although half their side was out for 70 in the 21st over, a middle-order resurgence, led by Peter Burgoyne Tawanda Mupariwa helped them get close to the target. But Mpofu's timely wickets pegged them back. With 23 needed off the final two overs, Rocks lost two wickets and fell nine runs short to end the game at 131 for nine.

With five single-digit scores and two ducks, Tuskers' innings also stuttered to reach 140 for nine. Two partnerships proved to be the bedrock of their innings - a 28 run stand for the fifth wicket after they were in trouble at 32 for four, and a quick 50-run partnership in 6.2 overs between Meth and Glen Querl that pushed them towards a total that they could defend.

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Lions out for another IPL scalp

When the Lions lined up against Mumbai Indians for the first match of the Champions League T20 in 2010, there were very few people expecting anything from them. Most of the crowd cheered Mumbai, even though the match was played at the Wanderers, and Indian flags waved from the stands.

There was a moment of stunned silence when a young allrounder Shane Burger dismissed every young boy's cricketing hero Sachin Tendulkar. As the match turned, so did the spectators and at the end the Lions had a big victory and some of their home fans back.

As luck would have it, the Lions have been drawn to open their CLT20 campaign against the Mumbai Indians again and they are expecting a grudge match. "They will come at us this time around," Lions captain Alviro Petersen said. "In 2010, they were the favourites to win and we just did things well. One or two guys made big plays for us. This time will want to prove a point. They won't want to lose to the same opposition twice."

The Lions of 2012 are an improved version of the team they were just two years ago. Then wide-eyed and largely inexperienced, they were just in it for the fun. This time they are in it to win it. "When we played the first one the guys didn't really understand what it was all about, especially guys who have not played international cricket," Petersen said. "This time, we're more aware of what we need to do, how we need to go about things. The preparation has been important for us and it has gone very well."

Like the other South African franchises, the Lions have had two first-class matches to start the season. They lost the first one badly but stormed to victory in the second, defending a small total on the fourth morning. Chris Morris, who was their top wicket-taker in T20s in the domestic competition, took 12 wickets in that match and is looking in top form ahead of the format he has gained the most recognition in.

Petersen thinks Morris' development was spurred on by the inclusion of two overseas players in last season domestic tournament. Dirk Nannes and Sohail Tanvir will play for the Lions in the CLT20 as well and have turned their attack from middling to close to magnificent. "The bowling unit has come on in leaps and bounds," Petersen said. "Having the internationals helps bringing in other bowlers through as well. Chris Morris came through really nicely last year and I think they had a lot to do with that. It's not just about performance; it's what they bring us a package."

The same statement can be said for the way the Lions approach the game as a whole. There is a noticeable seriousness about them. "Twenty-over cricket is not really a slog at all. We've seen that you've got to have structure to it," Petersen said. "Power, skill all that sort of stuff are the key ingredients to being successful in T20 cricket. But most important is to have structure."

Petersen said the importance of having a plan is evident in the fact that the batsmen who succeed in the format are all strong across longer versions of the game as well. "It has been shown over the years that the guys with good techniques have come out on top in T20 cricket over a long period of time." As recently as in the first match of the tournament, Jacques Rudolph, a batsman thought to be suited to only Test cricket scored a blazing 83 not out for the Titans against Perth.

The same strategic thinking is what Petersen believed will make a good captain in this format. He dismissed the idea of leading by instinct and spur of the moment decisions that people often think are made in twenty-over cricket. "You sometimes get a gut feel but it's really about execution of plans. If you leave it up to gut, you leave it to chance. I don't captain by chance."

The Lions have made sure they leave nothing to fortune ahead of their first match. They spent four days at their smaller home base in Potchefstroom, where they had an intense camp and say they are "absolutely ready," to topple an IPL side once again.

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