Moeen defies workmanlike Lancs

Worcestershire 227 for 6 (Moeen 78) v Lancashire
Scorecard

Any illusions that Lancashire would find Championship promotion easy were dispelled on an attritional opening day at Old Trafford. Lancashire puffed without ever threatening to blow the house down; Worcestershire seemed more concerned with self-preservation than domination on their own return to Division Two.

When these sides met at Old Trafford in Division One last season, Moeen Ali claimed 12 for 96 in the match with his offbreaks. He continued his fine record at the ground, albeit in a different discipline, with a mature 78 as Worcestershire held their own.

Despite his considerable talent, Moeen's batting average was only 25 last year: an important reason why Worcestershire only won one Championship game. Light on his feet and a crisp timer, Moeen's cutting, and a straight six off Simon Kerrigan, showed why he has a reputation as a stylist. Yet it was his discipline - he lasted 188 balls - that was even more impressive, although he was dropped in the gully after a loose cut on 41. It was a shame when, attempting to replicate his earlier six against Kerrigan, Moeen was caught at long-on. Still, his cousin Kabir Ali would have looked on enviously: a new signing for Lancashire but not playing here, he has a problem with his knee that the county will monitor over the next month, though he looked sprightly warming up.

Without Kabir, Lancashire's attack was unable to rise above the workmanlike. Both Glen Chapple, into his 40th year, and Kyle Hogg (with an opening spell of 8-3-11-0) were typically parsimonious but Lancashire would have hoped for more when they inserted Worcestershire. The suspicion remains that an injury to Chapple could make regularly taking 20 wickets, even in Division Two, a struggle.

So Wayne White's Lancashire Championship debut was encouraging. His first ball could scarcely have been worse - the longest of long hops - but at the end of his over he claimed the opening wicket, a leading edge from Matthew Pardoe that was athletically taken by Chapple at mid-on. Although he bowled too wide for periods, White consistently looked the most likely wicket-taker, generating more pace and bounce than the other seamers, and later had Alexei Kervezee sharply taken by Steven Croft at second slip. Having averaged 30 with bat and ball in his last two seasons at Leicestershire, White may prove one of 2013's most prudent signings.

In a largely turgid day, the highlight was a duel between Kerrigan and Thilan Samaweerawa, making his county debut aged 36. The Sri Lankan is an excellent player of spin, able to hit the ball powerfully in front of the wicket or with finesse behind it. So it was to Kerrigan's huge credit that, the ball after Samaraweera had glided a delivery for four to third man, he claimed him caught behind with a slightly quicker delivery.

Despite Samaraweera's anger at his dismissal, Worcestershire could be very satisfied with their day. It did not start well. Richard Jones was injured in the warm-up and was replaced by David Lucas before Daryl Mitchell lost the toss. Mitchell himself then suffered what Worcestershire described as a "24-hour bug", and didn't bat until No. 7. He didn't look like a man who needed the exercise of running quick singles, but, along with the almost strokeless Neil Pinner, withstood Chapple's probing second new ball spell. Luke Procter's nagging seam claimed Pinner lbw for 29 as Worcestershire closed on 227 for 6.

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Crook four puts Northants on top

Northamptonshire 108 for 3 (Peters 60*) trail Glamorgan 134 (Crook 4-30) by 26 runs
Scorecard

Steven Crook claimed four wickets and captain Stephen Peters cracked a half-century to put Northamptonshire in a strong position at the end of the first day in Cardiff.

After being put into bat Glamorgan were bowled out for 134 in 50 overs with the last nine wickets accruing only 76. Crook took four for 30 in 12 overs. Northamptonshire responded with 108 for 3, a deficit of 26, with 20.3 overs of the day remaining when rain brought a premature close with Peters on 60 not out.

Glamorgan, who gave debuts to Murray Goodwin, the former Sussex batsman, and Australian Michael Hogan, struggled to 74 for 4 at lunch. Ben Wright was caught behind by wicketkeeper David Murphy off David Willey in the third over before opener Will Bragg and Stewart Walters looked as if they had weathered the threat of the new ball putting on 51 in 20 overs before Northamptonshire struck to take three wickets in the space of 17 balls.

Bragg was caught at square leg by Kyle Coetzer off Crook before Walters was trapped lbw by Andrew Hall, who pulled off a sharp catch at first slip to remove Marcus North to give Crook his second victim.

It did not get much better after lunch as they slumped further to 117 for 7. Much had been expected of Goodwin but he went for just eight in the sixth over after the break, caught behind off Willey. Jim Allenby lasted only another six balls before he was trapped leg before by Trent Copeland.

Some positive batting from Mark Wallace gave Glamorgan brief respite before the captain was bowled not offering a shot to Crook. Dean Cosker hung around for 18 balls without scoring, acting as a foil to the hard-hitting Wagg, before he was bowled by Hall. Wagg was Glamorgan's last hope of posting a half-respectable score but after reaching 26 from 36 balls he edged to Copeland at third slip to give Crook his fourth victim and Hogan was last man out.

In reply, Northamptonshire had reached 17 when they lost their first wicket when Kyle Coetzer was bowled by Hogan and after tea Reed claimed two wickets in two balls. David Sales was caught in the gully before Alex Wakely was trapped lbw.

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Bailey shows immediate value

Hampshire 286 for 4 (Bailey 93, Vince 77*, Ervine 57*) v Leicestershire
Scorecard

Australian newcomer George Bailey marked his debut by making 93 as Hampshire recovered to 286 for 4 after losing both opening batsmen without a run on the board.

Leicestershire captain Ramnaresh Sarwan decided to field first under overcast skies and was rewarded with the wickets of Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry in the first five overs. Adams was bowled fifth ball by Alex Wyatt and Carberry edged defensively to new wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien to give veteran former England bowler Matthew Hoggard an early breakthrough.

But then Bailey, the Australian T20 captain, joined Liam Dawson in partnership of 141 for the third wicket in only 32 overs as Leicestershire struggled to make the best of their promising start. Sarwan used seven bowlers before lunch as Tasmanian Bailey dominated the stand, rapidly outscoring Dawson to help Hampshire seize the initiative.

Dawson, the more circumspect of the two, reached 46 from 83 balls before he chased a wide delivery from medium-pacer Ollie Freckingham and gave Jigar Naik a catch in the gully. Dawson's wicket was Freckingham's first in first-class cricket and he followed it with another four runs later when Bailey was dismissed in sight of his century.

Hampshire had reached 150 for 3 when Bailey, who led Tasmania to Sheffield Shield glory last month, was stumped as he attacked Freckingham. Bailey, fluent from the start despite only joining the squad recently, made light of the dank conditions by striking 14 fours in his 133-ball innings.

His exit failed to give the frail Leicestershire attack any respite and James Vince and Sean Ervine - the hosts' fifth-wicket pair - soon got on top every bit as commandingly as Bailey had done before them.

Bad light and rain eventually intruded after 71.2 overs, by which time Vince and Ervine had added a further 136 runs without being troubled or in danger of being parted. At the premature close, Hampshire's recovery was complete with Vince unbeaten with 77 and Ervine, who has just signed a new contract with the county, 57 not out.

After their early successes, Leicestershire's bowling fell away even though conditions were always helpful. Freckingham finished the day with figures of 2 for 71 from 14 overs but, like his team-mates, struggled to contain the free-scoring Bailey.

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Mahmood left out but Essex bowlers still toil

Gloucestershire 300 for 3 (Marshall 124*, Housego 120*) v Essex
Scorecard

Sajid Mahmood's career remains on hold after he was left out of the first Essex squad of the new season. But his reputation may have been polished in his absence as Essex's attack were rendered impotent by an unbroken, double-century partnership for Gloucestershire's fourth wicket between Dan Housego and Hamish Marshall.

Having played eight Tests and 26 ODIs only to fall away - his last England appearance was in 2009 - Mahmood spiralled further into the abyss after being released by Lancashire at the end of last season and failing to find a new deal at a Division One county.

Essex offered him a chance to rebuild but James Foster, the captain, said Mahmood was out-bowled in pre-season and didn't warrant inclusion against Gloucestershire. Instead, Mahmood was at Derby playing for Essex second XI. He took 1 for 40 and was overshadowed by Rees Topley - a young bowler of great promise - who returned 4 for 20.

"Saj had a good pre-season but it was one of those things where he's bowled well but the other guys have bowled better," Foster told ESPNcricinfo. "It's only the start of the season but Saj is a quality performer and he'll be featuring heavily this season.

"I'm really impressed with the bowling unit. I believe it's the best attack I've seen since I've been at the club, with six big seamers."

It would appear some luxury for Essex to have resources to leave a big-name signing out of their side. Perhaps Mahmood has now been relegated from big-name status. But only his best would have improved Essex's fortunes on the opening day of the season as Marshall and Housego compiled a chanceless 229-run stand at almost three-and-a-half an over - a fourth-wicket record against Essex.

The partnership began after lunch and saw them through to the close. It was a rare day of batting dominance from Gloucestershire and looked unlikely from 34 for 2 with both openers dismissed by David Masters. But in Marshall, Gloucestershire have a player who could easily be playing Test cricket and Housego, a determined player with a solid technique. The pair gave Gloucestershire a dream opening to 2013.

Housego arrived in Bristol on the back of a superb second-XI season for Middlesex in 2011 but he failed to transfer that to regular first-team cricket last season. He gets a long stride in when playing forward but his best stroke came from a slightly shorter stride to flick Graham Napier's first ball after tea through midwicket. The timing was immense.

Usurped by Marshall for the first ton of the year, he nervously played off the back foot into the covers on 99 and could have been run out. The throw missed and Housego had his first first-class century for Gloucestershire.

It was steady work on a slightly slow wicket that was green-tinged. That and the history of Gloucestershire's batting - most pertinently they were shot out for 180 and 146 here last season - was all the encouragement Foster needed to insert them having won the toss.

But his bowlers didn't probe away consistently enough, especially Maurice Chambers, who at one stage of the afternoon had conceded over four-an-over. Masters was Masters - nipped a couple out with the new ball and kept it tight - and Napier found a little seam movement from the Hayes Close End after lunch. Aside from that, including the second new ball, there was only the hard work of the visiting batsman for a healthy day one crowd to get excited about.

Despite the close score, Foster was satisfied with his bowler's efforts. "I guess it's one of those where you hope it's going to do more for a longer period of time than it did," he said. "It would have been nice to have another wicket by lunch but after that, credit to the batsman. We did not bowl poorly."

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Ervine refuses winter contract, opts for club cricket in UK

Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe's leading run-scorer across all three formats on their recent tour of West Indies, has refused a winter contract and will not be part of the series against Bangladesh. Ervine has instead opted to play club cricket in the UK. Meanwhile, the threatened player boycott has been averted after eight players signed winter contracts.

He is one of three players who decided not to take up Zimbabwe Cricket's offer. The other two, Sean Williams and uncapped Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, are still in discussions with the board.

All-rounder Keegan Meth and bowlers Shingi Masakadza and Tendai Chatara, who were a part of the squad that toured Caribbean, are among the players who have signed the winter contracts. The team has resumed training, after only the centrally contracted players took to the field while negotiations were on-going.

Ervine, who has played four Tests since Zimbabwe made their Test comeback in 2011, has not made the reason for his decision public, but a source close to the players told ESPNcricinfo that the money offered by ZC amounted to only US$100 a week. He is likely to earn at least double that overseas. His brother, Sean, walked away from Zimbabwe Cricket, seeking stability in the UK, and there are fears more players could do the same in the future.

Though Zimbabwe's preparations for the Bangladesh series, which begins in nine days, are back on track, the financial situation in ZC is still unresolved. An insider revealed that although the centrally contracted players "don't have many complaints" over what they earn, the situation among franchise players is dire.

Franchise cricketers are contracted for seven months of the year on low salaries, which according to one player only "pays for the rent". They are left to fend for themselves for the other five months and most of them try to play overseas in that time. However, since ZC tries to schedule international fixtures during the winter, they often have to choose between higher income from club cricket and playing for their country, where they only earn match fees.

A player, who did not want to named, said monies are often paid late or not at all. "Every single cricketer in Zimbabwe is owed money of some sort," he said. "We are due to be paid from our franchise contracts on the last day of the month. Sometimes by the 10th of the next month, we still don't have our money. Some people may say we are greedy, but we have bills to pay. It's sad that it pays more to play club cricket abroad than it does for the country, but that's the way it is."

With that in mind, those who have accepted winter contracts will be aware that they have signed up for some uncertainty. Their contracts will cover four tours, including the Bangladesh series, the three ODIs against India and series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Franchise cricketers will be given fresh contracts from September 1, while new central contracts will be announced in August.

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Nasir Hossain plays down expectations

Bangladesh batsman Nasir Hossain has said the team will have to handle the weight of expectations on them in Zimbabwe, their closest rivals in Test cricket, and played down the lack of training at home ahead of the tour. Bangladesh leave for Zimbabwe on Wednesday, about a week after returning from Sri Lanka on April 2.

"When we play a team like Zimbabwe, we always have that pressure of trying not to lose," Nasir said. "If we can overcome that pressure than we will be able to play normal cricket. When we play against a big team there is nothing to lose for us and we can play 100% without any pressure."

"I think Zimbabwe is a very difficult opponent in their own backyard. They are well prepared to give us a hard time, but we are confident we can beat them."

Nasir recently scored his maiden Test hundred and had a fruitful tour of Sri Lanka, which included a match-winning innings in the third ODI and a half-century in the first game of the series. Like many in the team, he has been playing constantly since the start of the domestic season in October. As a result, he doesn't think a few days of practice ahead of the departure for Zimbabwe would have made any difference.

"We just had a tour of one month so we are not [out] of practice. In Zimbabwe we will get a few days before the start of the series and that would help us to recover.

"It is due to the prevailing condition in the country as we opted for safety first. Even if we had done it [trained], it would not have been anything more than two days and I don't feel that we could have made a huge difference in this short span of time."

Nasir was in the Test squad when Bangladesh last played against Zimbabwe, but he didn't get a game. He made his international debut in the one-day series there, and has established his position as a middle-order batsman. He will again be expected to play a key role in the Test series, as he had done in Sri Lanka when the team was without some big names.

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Rafatullah powers WAPDA to victory over UBL

A Rafatullah Mohmand century helped WAPDA pull off a 76-run victory over United Bank Limited at National Stadium in Karachi. Asked to bat first, WAPDA got off to a flying start, with opener Mohmand (107) and Saad Nasim (75) laying a solid 140-run stand. A brisk 31-ball 62 by Aamer Sajjad, along with Mohammad Ayub (33) powered WAPDA to an imposing 352 for 5. Shabbir Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets.

UBL got off to a decent start, despite losing opener Khaqan Arsal with the score on 19. Saad Sukhail (84) and Imran Ali (70) shared a 147-run stand for the third wicket, but it wasn't enough to lower the asking rate, with UBL losing wickets on a regular basis. Kashif Bhatti scored a quick fire 37, which included two fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Kashif Naved, who took best figures of 3 for 19 in five overs. UBL ultimately reached 276 for 8, falling short by 76 runs.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited wrapped a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Khan Research Laboratories at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. KRL put on 200 for 9 after being asked to bat first, with the main contributions coming from Saeed Anwar jnr (51 off 101 balls) and Shoaib Ahmed (46). Iftikhar Anjum had best figures of 3 for 39, and he was ably supported by Zohaib Khan with 2 for 34.

While chasing, ZTBL never faced a serious threat as Sharjeel Khan (90) and Babar Azam (72 not out) chased KRL's total with more than 13 overs to spare. KRL were laden with international bowlers like Mohammad Irfan, Yasir Arafat and Rahat Ali, but the target was not defendable. Irfan was the only bowler to have any success, picking up 2 for 38.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited beat Port Qasim Authority by four wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. After choosing to bowl, PQA removed Mohammad Hafeez in the first over. Azhar Ali battled hard for his 95, with No.7 batsman Mohamamd Rizwan contributing 83 to help the side put on a respectable 238.

PQA's chase centered around opener Khurram Manzoor, who hit a match-winning century to help lead the side home with 40 balls to spare. There was a mini jolt for PQA, as they lost two quick wickets on 203, but Umar Amin (32) and Kamran Younis (20*) held their nerve to chase down the target for the loss of only six wickets. Manzoor hit three sixes and 13 fours in his innings of 115.

Habib Bank Limited beat State Bank of Pakistan by three wickets and eight balls to spare. SBP chose to bat, with Kashif Siddiq (69) and Usman Saeed (49) top scoring as they posted 231 for 8. Abdur Rehman, Ehsan Adil and Mohamad Aslam all picked up two wickets apiece.

HBL got off to solid start with Ahmed Shahzad (61) and Imran Farhat (49) putting on a 97-run opening stand. They lost a few in the middle overs, leaving the score at 122 for 4. A 54-run partnership between Asad Shafiq and Aftab Alam helped restore balance to the innings. Shafiq (57*) and Fahad Masood (20*) ultimately took the team home despite two slip-ups, as they finished with three wickets and eight balls to spare.

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Yorkshire forced to deny Rashid rift

Yorkshire have been forced to deny a rift with their legspinner Adil Rashid, with the start of the Championship season only a few hours away.

Rashid was quoted in the Independent on Tuesday as saying that if his season did not go well he would insist on going to another county on loan - the same route followed by Ajmal Shahzad, whose disenchantment with Yorkshire led him to play out last season with Lancashire before joining Nottinghamshire on a three-year deal.

A statement from Yorkshire said that the interview had taken place on January 24 and that Rashid had apologised to the captain, Andrew Gale, for the embarrassment caused.

Rashid only took 16 wickets at 41 runs each in 10 Championship matches last season and his batting fared equally badly - 129 runs at 16.12. His reputation as an exciting England legspinner in the making has collapsed, as he has even fallen out of recent Lions squads.

"Now is the time to draw the line, and if it happens again I'll say: 'OK, I'll go out on loan somewhere else to play'," he said in the original interview. "I hope it doesn't come down to that. I've been playing here seven years and I want to stay. But I have a career and I can't waste another year.

"It's hard to come straight on and hit your length and line with every delivery if you're hardly bowling and the coaches and people around you don't give you the backing."

Rashid said that he accepted some of the blame, but it had to be shared with the captains and the coaches. "If a player's not performing, don't just all of a sudden disrespect him, or think: 'Oh, he's nothing now' then as soon as he starts playing well: 'OK, I'll respect him again now'.

"The captain knows what I can do because I've got 200-plus first-class wickets. He should have thought: 'OK, he's done this in the past, I need to back him.' If I don't get that from the captain obviously my confidence is going to go down."

In response, Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire's director of cricket, said: "It is disappointing and frustrating that this article has been used on the eve of the season. Although an interview was conducted in January, the way Adil has worked and behaved throughout the winter would not suggest to me that we have a problem.

"Adil has worked extremely hard and has been a vibrant member of the squad. He is someone who is valued at the club and all the staff here are committed to helping him become a consistent performer and fulfil his obvious potential."

There was also the sound of backtracking from Rashid. "It was an error of judgement to make those comments to the media back in January," he said. "Yorkshire is a great club and there is a very positive atmosphere within the squad. I just want to concentrate on my game and work hard to be part of Yorkshire's aim for success in 2013."

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Kaushal Silva hands SSC Premier League title

Sinhalese Sports Club 324 (Silva 171, Dilhara 4-77) and 262 for 4 (Silva 88) beat Moors Sports Club 262 (Jayasuriya 68, Gunathilaka 4-54) and 323 (de Saram 101, Madushanka 4-87)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sinhalese Sports Club has triumphed in the Premier League Tournament final, defeating Moors Sports Club by six wickets in the four-day match at SSC. League top-scorer Kaushal Silva starred again, hitting 171 in the first innings to help SSC to a 62-run lead, before making a rapid 88 from 105 in the second innings, as SSC chased down the 262 runs they required, with only 4.3 overs still remaining in the game.

The hosts arrived on the final day still needing three wickets to end Moors' impressive third innings, and already 248 to get on the final day, in order to secure the trophy. Moors' resistance lasted only four overs on the fourth morning however - just long enough for Indika de Saram to complete his 28th first-class hundred, having ended the previous day at 89 not out. He made 12 of Moors' 13 runs to finish with 101, as the SSC fast bowlers made short work of the tailenders around him.

SSC then had 83 overs in which to secure victory, and they began with a positive half-century to Dimuth Karunaratne, who made 73 from 98. His opening partner Tharanga Paranavitana had taken 101 balls to make 32, but Silva's swift progress ensured the hosts did not fall behind the virtual asking rate. Perera hit nine fours and a six in his 88, but perished to the left-arm spin of Malinda Pushpakumara, five overs before the winning runs were hit by captain Thilina Kandamby, who had made 340 not out in the previous match to secure SSC's place in the final.

Moors had opted to bat on the first morning, but despite an opening partnership worth 108, could not bat themselves into a strong position, succumbing instead for 262 in the evening. Shehan Jayasuriya's 68 from 66, during which he hit 10 fours and a six, provided a good foundation, but Moor's middle order fell in a heap, and could not capitalise. From 108 for none, Moors stumbled to 147 for 4, largely thanks to left-arm seam bowler Charith Jayampathi, who dismissed both openers and effected a run out. Moors then launched recoveries through Janaka Gunaratne, then Chaturanga de Silva, who made 51, but both batsmen continued to lose partners at the other end and could not make a substantial-enough score themselves. Gunathilaka's offspin brought him 4 for 54, for SSC.

SSC began their reply poorly, and having reduced them to 59 for 4, Moors might were headed for a substantial first-innings lead despite their own sub-par score. But a stellar hand from Silva in a season full of them, not only rescued his side, but put them into a commanding position. He first featured in a 73-run partnership with Kandamby, before Moors struck four times quickly to have SSC eight down for 168. Silva's 102-run ninth-wicket partnership with Dhammika Prasad, however, took his side beyond their opponents' score, before his 54-run partnership with last-man Kasun Madushanka, took SSC well beyond 300. Madushanka made five of those runs.

Jayasuriya launched a quick start for Moors again, but could only make 35 from 31 this time, and his demise, with Moors still behind, brought two more quick scalps for the opposition. De Saram held firm on one end, but regular wickets fell at the other, and Moors were quickly in a desperate position, at 142 for 6. Captain Dilhara Lokuhettige, batting at No. 8, finally provided de Saram the support that he needed however, and Lokuhettige contributed 78 to the 167-run partnership that hauled Moors out of a mire. But his departure near the close of day three, exposed the tail, and his side would eventually finish runners-up after the drama of the final day.

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'I decided I'd finish the match' - Vihari

The plan Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates Hanuma Vihari and Ashish Reddy discussed before Vinay Kumar started the final over of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was to play every ball and not panic. Sunrisers needed seven to register their second win in as many matches. "If we did not waste a single ball then seven runs were possible in the final over. But Ashish got out on the first ball," Vihari said a day after Sunrisers won a thriller in the Super Over.

When Dale Steyn walked in, the message was clear. "We discussed hitting bat on ball and running hard between the wickets and looking to take the match to the last ball," Vihari said. He watched Steyn take two runs from the second delivery of the over and then play and miss the third. "I decided I'd finish the match if and when I get the strike," Vihari said. He finally took strike with the Sunrisers needing four runs off the final two balls, which was reduced to two off the final delivery after he dug out a "good yorker" to get a double.

For the final ball, Vihari stood deep in the crease. As soon as Vinay delivered the ball, Steyn charged blindly forward. But Vinay second-guessed his opponent with a smart slower delivery. "I expected a yorker, but he bowled a slower ball. I tried to hit it hard for two runs but could not connect." Vihari ran a bye and could not believe it was a tie.

It was a bittersweet moment for Vihari and Sunrisers. Having restricted Royal Challengers to a modest 130, the hosts faltered frequently in the chase. And when the Lankan pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera departed in quick succession, the onus was on Vihari. Despite his age - 19 - Vihari decided to play the guiding hand to his partner Reddy, an aggressive player. Their 23-run partnership for the seventh wicket snatched the momentum in Sunrisers' favour. "A player like Ashish can strike at any given point. So I was telling him to pick the right ball and if it was not in his range to focus on taking singles and keep the dot balls count low," Vihari says.

It's this sensible streak that prompted the team management to promote Vihari to No. 3. Sangakkara, Sunrisers' captain, had decided to drop himself to No. 5 to counter the middle overs from the Muralis - Muttiah Muralitharan and Murali Kartik. "When early wickets fell, Tom [Moody] told me I would bat at No. 4. My plan was to take it as close as possible to the target," Vihari said.

Despite his batting prowess, Vihari's most telling impact had come with the ball - in fact his very first ball of the match. Sangakkara had already told him that he would be bowling with the new ball against Chris Gayle since the Jamaican had got out a few times in the past to off spinners. Being the only off-break bowler in the team on Sunday, Vihari executed the plan nicely: pitching on the off he got a little bounce that surprised Gayle, who went for the cut and was caught behind.  "I have kept the picture of the Gayle wicket," Vihari says of his best souvenir.

A wristy player, Vihari is a good striker of the ball and plays shots on both sides of the wicket. His best innings to date has been against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season when he scored a career-best 191 runs in a drawn match.

John Manoj, Vihari's coach at St. John's Cricket Academy in Hyderabad, noticed that the youngster could hit the ball "very hard" when he picked him as a nine-year-old. Manoj's best student has been VVS Laxman, who is the mentor at Sunrisers now. Manoj had helped Vihari join the St. Andrew School in Bowenpally in Secunderabad and observed a keen student in Vihari. "I observed him playing confidently against the ball on the rise against fast bowlers from a tender age," Manoj said. Last year Laxman was impressed by Vihari's strokeplay on wet practice pitches and enquired more about the youngster.

At the beginning of the IPL, Laxman told Vihari to "express himself and play his natural game" without getting distracted at all about playing such a big tournament. The significance of those words has not been lost on Vihari.

Vihari dedicated his Man-of-the-Match award to his mother, who was at the ground with his sister, and his late father, who'd died in 2005. At the time, the 11-year-old Vihari was playing in a school tournament. His mother asked him to play cricket since his father always wanted him to play cricket. "It was two days after his death but my mother asked me to go ahead and I decided to respect her word," Vihari says.

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