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The victory was set up by a trio of half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Ali Khil, and Darwish Rasooli, to set up an imposing total of 284 for 7

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2018Ikram Ali Khil gets off his feet to play a shot during his innings of 55•Getty Images

Reigning Under-19 Asia Cup champions Afghanistan reprised their regional success on a global stage at the World Cup in New Zealand, defeating Sri Lanka by 32 runs on DLS Method in Whangerei. Having already beaten Pakistan in Group D, Afghanistan clinched a place in the quarter-finals for the second time in their history, having done it in 2014 in the UAE before losing to eventual champions South Africa.The success for Afghanistan is also a 180-degree turn from the 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, when they were similarly placed in a group with Pakistan and Sri Lanka but were defeated by both sides.

SL’s Kalana Perera out injured

Sri Lanka Cricket has named Thilan Wallekamkanamge as a replacement for left-arm spinner Kalana Perera, who has been ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle injury. Perera had hurt his ankle during a training session on January 16 in Whangarei.

Wednesday’s victory was set up by a trio of half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran (86 off 112 balls), Ikram Ali Khil (55 off 89 balls), and Darwish Rasooli (63 off 44 balls) to set up an imposing total of 284 for 7. The chase was in the balance when rain arrived after 24 overs with Sri Lanka 108 for 3. A revised target of 127 off the final 14 overs was set when play resumed, and the required run rate jumped from 6.80 to nearly ten an over.Afghanistan’s bowlers seized on this to successfully apply pressure. Captain Naveen-ul-Haq snared two wickets in the first four overs after play resumed, including the well-set Jehan Daniel for Sri Lanka’s eventual top score of 48. Naveen finished with 4 for 35 in eight overs and also effected a run-out.Afghanistan play Ireland in their final Group D match. Sri Lanka play Pakistan with the winner joining Afghanistan in the quarter-finals. A tie or a washout would also put Pakistan into the knockouts due to the net run rate tiebreaker.

A round-up of the fourth day of Ranji Trophy games from Group B

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2016Seamers Rahul Shukla and Ashish Kumar combined to knock Assam over for 299 on the fourth morning before Jharkhand chased down the target of 110 with five wickets in hand. The win pushed Jharkhand to first place on the Group B points table with 32 from seven matches. Resuming on 269 for 5, Assam lost Arun Karthik in the second over of the morning. Overnight batsman Sibsankar Roy was subsequently dismissed for 86 as Assam lost their last five wickets for 30 runs. Shukla returned figures of 3 for 74, while Kumar chipped in with two wickets.Coming in at 52 for 3, Ishank Jaggi quelled any hope of an Assam fightback with a 15-ball 34 that included four fours and two sixes. Arup Das claimed 3 for 49.Karnataka offspinner K Gowtham ripped out four wickets and gave Saurashtra a bit of a scare but couldn’t prevent them from wrapping up a four-wicket win in Patiala and climbing off the bottom of the table. Karnataka began the day 168 for 5 – effectively 9 for 5 – in their second innings, and their last five wickets only managed to add 48 to their total as the left-arm spinner Jay Chauhan finished with 4 for 71 to end with match figures of 7 for 123 on debut.Apart from two overs from their captain Vinay Kumar, Karnataka used spin throughout in a desperate bid to defend a target of 58. Gowtham took four wickets in 7.4 overs and left-arm spinner Abrar Kazi two in eight, before Arpit Vasavada and first-innings centurion Prerak Mankad steered Saurashtra home with an unbroken 22-run stand for the seventh wicket. The defeat meant Karnataka slipped to second place, two points behind Jharkhand.Only 19 overs were possible on another rain-hit day at the SSN College of Engineering ground in Chennai, where Delhi picked up three points for their first-innings lead against Vidarbha. With day three washed out completely, Delhi declared on their day-two total of 250 for 8, with a lead of 67. Vidarbha lost three wickets in getting to 37, with seamers Sumit Narwal, Navdeep Saini and Vikas Tokas picking up one each.

Quality won out in the day/night Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval, with New South Wales obliterating South Australia in three days that served as a dry run for the floodlit Test to be played there next month

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2015
ScorecardSteven Smith struck 17 fours and four sixes for his unbeaten 152•Getty Images

Quality won out in the day/night Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval, with New South Wales obliterating South Australia in three days that served as a dry run for the floodlit Test to be played there next month.After Steven Smith and Ed Cowan continued on their merry way to set SA a distant target, the Blues bowlers shared the wickets to end the match early.Mitchell Starc was again a fiendish proposition, but he was well supported by Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, a combination that will next be seen against New Zealand at the Gabba.Starc’s dismissal of Travis Head for a duck maintained his recent domination of SA’s new captain, and though Callum Ferguson frustrated the Blues with a defiant 96, the result always seemed likely to be sealed a night early.

Andy Flower has said that he will look into his side’s problems with starting overseas Tests poorly and suggested that he will implement changes for future series

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin11-Mar-2013

England overseas: shall we skip the first Test?

• 2004-05 – Port Elizabeth: won by seven wickets

• 2005-06 – Multan: lost by 22 runs; Nagpur: draw

• 2006-07 – Brisbane: lost by 277 runs

• 2007-08 – Kandy: lost by 88 runs; Hamilton: lost by 189 runs

• 2008-09 – Chennai: lost by six wickets; Jamaica: lost by an innings and 23 runs

• 2009-10 – Centurion: draw; Chittagong: won by 181 runs

• 2010-11 – Brisbane: draw

• 2011-12 – Dubai: lost by 10 wickets; Galle: lost by 75 runs

• 2012-13 – Ahmedabad: lost by 9 wickets; Dunedin: draw

Andy Flower, the England Test coach, has said he will take a look at his role in the side’s continued problems with starting overseas Test series poorly and suggested that he will implement changes for future tours.England fought back to save the opening match against New Zealand, in Dunedin, but the performance on the second day – being bowled out for 167 and watching the home side reach 131 without loss – was probably their worst start to a Test under Flower.”If you are asking about a trend, that is certainly something that I should be addressing myself,” he said before the team travelled to Wellington. “I have some ideas on rejigging a couple of things in our preparation, in our management team firstly, and we’ll see if we can do something about it.”We always encourage our players to be honest with themselves, and each other. So then we’ve got to do the same. The coaches have to do that, and I’m the first guy that has to do it.”Since 2004-05, England have only beaten Bangladesh in an opening Test in 2010. Of the away 14 series since they won at Port Elizabeth under Michael Vaughan’s captaincy (incidentally having prepared by being hammered by South Africa A), nine have started with a defeat and only in one, against India in Nagpur in 2006, did England take control of a match for any considerable time.The lack of a sustained warm-up period is often cited as a key reason. Flower has gone to great lengths to ensure the team have high-quality preparation leading into a series, but on this tour that was restricted to one four-day game – albeit against a strong New Zealand XI side. For the Ashes later this year, England will repeat the 2010-11 schedule of three first-class warm-ups before Brisbane.Flower, obviously, has no control over the strength of opposition for warm-ups and some of the matches during the early stages of the India were of debatable quality, although India’s plan to hide top-class spin did not stop them from losing the series. However, he does not believe the poor start in Dunedin can be purely put down to not having more games before the series.”The way we started this tour, principally in that first innings, has nothing to do with people not having enough cricket,” he said. “We’ve had a reasonable amount of preparation time, and enough to get ready for that first Test. So that is not the reason why we under-performed.”Am I happy with the preparation for this series? Well, I’m not happy in that we lost the four-day game – we go into those games trying to win them,” Flower said. “So that is not a habit we want to keep. We transferred some of the sloppiness that we showed in that four-day game into the Test match.”England finally kicked into gear on the fourth day as they faced a deficit of 293. Alastair Cook and Nick Compton added 231 before further half-centuries from Steven Finn, on his first occasion as the nightwatchman, and Jonathan Trott helped keep New Zealand at bay, although a wobble either side of tea kept the day alive. “We had a long time to bat and, even on flat pitches when you are batting under that type of pressure where a mistake might cost the match, I thought they did an outstanding job,” Flower said.For Compton, though, it was still too early for any assurances over the Ashes with Flower taking a similarly guarded tone to his views on Joe Root. “It was great to see him get the big score he’s been after. There are no guarantees about the future for any of us, and the Ashes is still a little way away. So let’s just take it one step at a time.”He also gave a strong hint that he does not want Cook to always be the man to have set the tone at the top of the order after the captain scored his 24th Test hundred. “He’s handled the captaincy very well, and has also led from the front with the bat. We need some of our other top-order batsmen to do the same.”

Mahela Jayawardene has said that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but he knows his side needs to start winning games

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval14-Feb-2012It was a bittersweet night for Sri Lanka.They were set for a big total at 3 for 168 after 35 overs with the batting Powerplay at hand, but they contrived to end up with only 236. Angelo Mathews, the man who brought Sri Lanka heartbreakingly close in Perth against Australia, let the game slip with two full tosses in the 49th over of the chase, and then pulled it back with two direct-hits. Lasith Malinga bowled these four overs towards the end to keep Sri Lanka alive: four runs in the 39th, a maiden with a run-out in the 41st, five in 45th, and four and wicket in the 48th. Then, in the final over, he failed to make two collections and would have got them run-outs, and went for three over extra cover off the last ball. And spare a thought for the young Dinesh Chandimal. Yet another good innings, but one that ended in a suicidal run-out and short of being the decisive one.The overall fielding, too, went from being flash to flaccid. There were four direct-hit run-outs, but Kumar Sangakkara dropped a sitter, and then Malinga missed those two run-outs. It can be difficult to decide how to feel after such a night. Mahela Jayawardene wouldn’t blame the fielding for sure. “But I think the fielding got us into the game,” he said. “The run-outs and the way we stopped at least 20-25 runs on the field, on a hot day, on a bigger ground as well. We didn’t give them any easy twos. Only the last few fumbles. That’s the thing. Make or break situations. We have got to be ruthless.”Jayawardene said his instinct told him to trust Mathews, and that he will learn a lot from this night. Mathews bowled the 49th over with 24 runs required and Malinga to bowl the last. He slipped up, though, and bowled two full tosses – one of them a no-ball – that went for six and four. “This is how these guys are going to learn,” Jayawardene said. “The more games these guys play, they will become better finishers and they will take more responsibility. That’s probably why I had my gut feeling, giving the ball to Angie in the 49th over.”I feel he is ready now to take more responsibility. Apart from those couple of bad balls, I thought he bowled a very, very good over. So let’s put them in these situations, let them learn. I am quite happy, we are headed in the right direction, we are close, playing two top teams. Once we get that win we can get come momentum going.”Malinga’s bowling is the reason why Sri Lanka not only came back from the dead but were the favourites in the last over. With the ball, Malinga hardly faltered, except – if you were harsh – with the final ball, which Dhoni went deep into his crease to get under. “He [Malinga] bowled beautifully,” Jayawardene said. “I mean, you love to have a guy like that in the field. You know he is going to deliver for you. He did in the last three-four overs.”He changed ends as well. It wasn’t a problem for him. He didn’t give a single loose ball. He created the pressure for us. Otherwise we probably would have lost in the 46th-47th over. Lasith has been the difference. He has been in these situations, you know. We have lost some matches, he has won some matches for us, no issues with him. He will come back strong.”However, with Malinga, when you have three runs to defend off the last ball, you expect him to pull through. Jayawardene thought so too. “Well, 10 overs to go, they had a run a ball, I am sure they will be disappointed,” Jayawardene said. “I was disappointed when we had one ball, four runs. I would back Malinga to finish it off. I am happy with the two points after the amount of mistakes we made in the last few overs and in the entire game. To come back with two points, it is always good. But not a win in our column. Hopefully we get that and some momentum going forward.”Jayawardene felt that India would be more disappointed with the tie, but know his side needs to start winning games. They now need four wins from their last five games, which is a tough ask. “The last bit, we aren’t finishing games off, we are making mistakes,” he said. “But overall I thought we came back strongly in this game. 230 was not good enough on this surface. After making so many mistakes, I should be happy, but at the same time the way we are making mistakes we need to be a bit more focussed. And try and be ruthless in finishing games off. That’s what you expect, especially with these two teams.”

Canterbury beat Wellington in a close game by five runs at the Aorangi Oval in Timaru to nudge ahead of them in the points table in the HRV Cup and keep their hopes of making the finals

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010Canterbury beat Wellington in a close game by five runs at the Aorangi Oval in Timaru to nudge ahead of them in the points table in the HRV Cup and keep their hopes of making the finals.Wellington won the toss and elected to field but it was Canterbury who got off to a good start with openers Rob Nicol and Peter Fulton (25) putting on 65 in the first six overs before Fulton was dismissed. Nicol celebrated his inclusion in New Zealand’s preliminary 30-man squad for the 2011 World Cup by top-scoring with a blistering 85 off 48 balls. Handy contributions from Dean Brownlie (22) and Michael Papps (33), together with Johan van der Wath’s cameo of 22 off just 9 balls at the end carried Canterbury to a competitive 207 for 6 off their allotted overs.Wellington started their chase in positive fashion with Jesse Ryder and England import Luke Wright putting on 115 in the first 9 overs. van der Wath struck to pick up the crucial wicket of Wright and Canterbury were soon back in the game as Carl Frauenstein dismissed Ryder and had Grant Elliot run out in quick succession. James Franklin and Stewart Rhodes tried to get Canterbury’s chase back on track with a 49-run fourth-wicket partnership. However Canterbury lost the momentum when Frauenstein picked up the crucial wicket of Franklin. They needed 26 runs off 15 balls but failed to get over the line as they only managed to reach 202 for 4.

Central Districts left-arm spinners George Worker and English import Ian Blackwell led them to a comfortable win over Northern Districts at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth. CD needed only 17.3 overs to chase ND’s 110 and pick up a six-wicket win. The win means CD are level with their opponents on points at second in the table, with just one more round of games to be played before the final.Worker and Blackwell took five wickets between them for 35 runs in eight overs, and stalled a Northern Districts innings that was motoring on till the last ball of the eighth over when Herschelle Gibbs was trapped lbw by Blackwell for 7. That left Northern Districts at 67 for 2. Another left-arm spinner, England’s Michael Yardy, then picked up the big wicket of Brad Wilson (37) in the next over. Worker got into the act in the tenth over, taking the wickets of Anton Devcich and James Marshall to leave ND in trouble at 71 for 5.Scott Styris tried to lead a recovery with his 19, but failed to receive any support as none of the remaining six batsmen reached double figures as ND were all out in 18.5 overs. Worker finished with 3 for 18. A large chunk of the early runs came off fast bowler Adam Milne, who was named in New Zealand’s Twenty20 squad for their series against Pakistan. He went at 11.50 in his two overs.Central Districts’ chase suffered two early setbacks after fast bowler Graeme Aldridge dismissed Peter Ingram and Worker to leave them at 13 for 2. Captain Jamie How steadied the ship with his 35, and Ross Taylor, who will captain New Zealand in the Twenty20s against Pakistan, took his team home with 35 off 29.

A round-up of the action from the fifth day of matches in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy

Cricinfo staff14-Feb-2010

West Zone

With Rajasthan Royals opting to do without Ravindra Jadeja’s services for the third season of the IPL, the allrounder decided to bring out his best for Saurashtra as they thrashed Baroda by seven wickets at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground. Baroda were gritty in their approach, after being put in, and managed to reach 105 for 4 in the 30th over. But Jadeja, along with Jayesh Odedra, had other plans as they ran through the rest of the batting line-up. While Jadeja picked up four wickets with his left-arm spin, Odedra partnered well with 3 for 18, as Baroda were shot out in 40.2 overs. Captain Jaydev Shah’s dismissal during the reply gave Baroda some hope, only for Chirag Pathak (47) and Cheteshwar Pujara’s second-wicket stand of 53 to snuff it out soon. Pujara brought up his fifty, including seven fours and two sixes, and remained unbeaten with Jadeja to complete formalities by the 32nd over. Saurashtra are the only unbeaten team in the West Zone and will no doubt look to extend their supremacy when they play Gujarat on Tuesday.A classy century from captain Wasim Jaffer laid the foundation for Ranji champions Mumbai‘s crushing win against Maharashtra at the Sardar Patel Stadium C Ground. Maharashtra wilted in the 40th over in reply to Mumbai’s imposing 308, with Ramesh Powar and Avishkar Salvi sharing the majority of the spoils. Choosing to bat, Mumbai were given a strong start by opener Sushant Marathe (53), before Jaffer and Rohit Sharma (96) took centrestage. The 172 run-stand for the third wicket had them in pole position early on. Sharma hit five fours and six sixes during his 78-ball stay, while Jaffer smashed eight boundaries during his 128-ball 109. Twin fifties from Sangram Atitkar and Kedar Jadhav were not enough as Maharashtra failed to cope with Powar (4 for 44) and Salvi (3 for 21) during the reply. The negative point they earned added more sorrow to another disappointing campaign.

East Zone

A fascinating high-scorer at the Ravenshaw College Ground went Bengal‘s way as they beat Assam by seven wickets in a match that witnessed over 600 runs being scored. Bengal’s choice to field first looked to have backfired as Assam openers Dheeraj Jadhav and Parvez Aziz took the score to 176 in the 32nd over. Though Aziz departed for 83, Jadhav continued the charge, finishing unbeaten on 148 off 150 balls, comprising 15 fours. Ashok Dinda’s 3 for 57 in the late overs kept Assam to just below 300. It was once again Shreevats Goswami who was the star for Bengal as they maintained a terrific pace during the chase. Goswami hit a breezy 133 off 114 balls, smashing 18 fours and three sixes, and figured in two key partnerships with Sourav Ganguly (64), who returned for this fixture, and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (83 not out). The fast rate of scoring worked well in Bengal’s favour as Jhunjhunwala and Wriddhiman Saha completed the victory with more than seven overs to go.Middle-order masterclasses were on display as Orissa edged out Jharkhand by 11 runs at the Barabati Stadium. Put in by Jharkhand, the hosts were struggling at 68 for 5, thanks to Varun Aaron’s early strikes, before wicketkeeper-captain Haladhar Das and Rashmi Das combined for a 173-run stand. While Haladhar exercised control during his 98-ball 88, Rashmi was merciless during his hurricane 104, which included 15 fours and two sixes. The target of 279 looked all the more imposing when Jharkhand stuttered to 37 for 3, but Ishank Jaggi led a spirited revival which had Orissa sweating. His fluent 109 from 111 balls though, failed to inspire any of the remaining batsmen. Debasis Mohanty was Orissa’s most successful bowler with 4 for 56, as Jharkhand could manage only 267.

Central Zone

Rashmi Parida and Rajasthan must have fancied their chances getting to 303 after being put in, but Naman Ojha’s sparkling century ensured unbeaten Madhya Pradesh took the honours at the Emerald High School Ground. Rashmi’s run-a-ball 122, comprising 11 fours and a six, along with Robin Bist’s 57 proved to the highlights of Rajasthan’s innings, with the two adding 93 for the third wicket. During the reply, it was the stand of 146 between Ojha and Monish Mishra (83) which lent the initial momentum. Having lost fellow-opener Jalaj Saxena early, it was Ojha who rose to the occasion and tore into the opposition bowling with 12 fours and four sixes, before falling with the score on 216 for 4. But Shadab Khan’s quick unbeaten 40, coming in at No.7, took them home with four balls to spare.Uttar Pradesh made amends for the loss in their opening match with a thumping nine-wicket win against Vidarbha at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground. Choosing to field, Uttar Pradesh were lifted by Sudeep Tyagi, who was recently axed from India’s Test squad to take on South Africa. The right-arm fast bowler finished with a five-for and repeatedly dented the Vidarbha batting line-up to ensure their downfall for 141 in the 38th over. The below-par target was never going to trouble Uttar Pradesh and twin fifties from wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi and Ali Murtaza helped them wrap up the win in 24.4 overs.

North Zone

Himachal Pradesh picked up their first win of the campaign, an impressive seven-wicket defeat of Delhi at Shah Satnam Ji Stadium in Sirsa. After being put in, Delhi were floundering at 58 for 4, with Virat Kohli and Mithun Manhas dismissed. Rajat Bhatia and Puneet Mehra started a recovery with a 65-run stand, before half-centuries from Puneet Bisht and Joginder Singh pushed Delhi to 234. Himachal were never in trouble during the chase, with opener Sangram Singh making a century and adding 127 runs for the third wicket with captain Paras Dogra. The target was reached with 21 deliveries to spare, Dogra remaining unbeaten on 70.At the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon, Punjab brushed aside Jammu & Kashmir’s challenge, cruising to a eight-wicket victory with 97 deliveries remaining. Punjab’s new-ball bowlers Jaskaran Singh and Manpreet Gony reduced J&K to 13 for 3, and except for a 53-run stand between Parveez Rassol and Obaid Ahmed for the fifth wicket, it was a steady procession. Rassol held the innings together with an unbeaten 81 but no one else passed 25, and J&K could manage only 170. Punjab captain and opener Karan Goel’s unbeaten century and a 57 from wicketkeeper Uday Kaul made short work of the target, reaching it in the 34th over.A meltdown from the Services’ lower-order handed Haryana a five-run victory in a 49-over-a-side match at Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. After choosing to bat, Haryana slid to 11 for 2 before a stabilising 118-run partnership between opener Rahul Dewan (76) and Sachin Rana (45). The pair used up more than 33 overs to add those runs, and Haryana needed captain Joginder Sharma’s 29-ball 44 to get them to 209. Services’ chase got off to a similarly dreadful start, but Jasvir Singh’s 78 kept them afloat. With Soomik Chatarjee on a 31-ball 33, and Services on 196 for 6 with 11 balls to go, Haryana’s chances were fading. Chatarjee was then run-out and Services lost two more wickets over the next eight deliveries to end up five short.

South Zone

Defending champions Tamil Nadu pulled off a thrilling two-run win over Karnataka in a high-scoring top-of-the-table clash at the Indian Institute of Technology Chemplast ground in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu top order delivered yet again, this time Abhinav Mukund being the standout performer with a near run-a-ball 89. Saturday’s centurion S Anirudha blitzed a 43 before being run out and No. 4 K Vasudevadas chipped in with 65 to help Tamil Nadu to 316. Karnataka’s chase got off to a poor start when R Jonathan was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Their other opener, Robin Uthappa, though made his first century of the season to drive the reply. He and Manish Pandey (57) put on 120 for the third wicket and at 208 for 2 in the 32nd over, it was Karnataka who were on course for a victory. However, both were dismissed in the space of eight runs and the run-out of a rampaging Vinay Kumar in the 45th over turned the match Tamil Nadu’s way. Karnataka needed 13 off the final over, but Raju Bhatkal could only manage ten in the company of last man KP Appanna. Both teams have already qualified for the next round.In another batsmen-dominated game, at the India Cement Limited Guru Nanak College ground, it was the chasing team that won, Goa picking up their second victory of the weekend. Powered by opener Akshath Reddy’s 121, and half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Neeraj Bist, Hyderabad piled on 310 for 7. The cornerstone of Goa’s reply was opener Amit Yadav’s maiden century, assisted by S Sriram’s 32-ball 48. Still, Goa were at 285 for 8 in the 47th over and only made it past the finish line thanks to No. 8 Shadab Jakati’s 19-ball 25.Andhra slumped to their four straight defeat, going down by six wickets to Kerala at the MRF Pachyappas Ground. Their batsmen turned in a decent effort: Y Venugopal Rao made 113 and was supported by Y Gnaneswara Rao’s 67, the pair bailing Andhra out from 22 for 3 and taking the side to a competitive 269. A solid effort from the Kerala top-order, though, dampened Andhra’s chances of a first victory. Opener VA Jagadeesh went on to make a century, and No. 3 Robert Fernandez scored 62 to take Kerala to 193 for 1. It could still have been a close finish had it not been for a hurricane 18-ball 41 from P Prasanth, who ensured the game ended with 14 deliveries remaining.

KL Rahul went unbeaten at 98, as India tallied 103 runs in 22.3 overs in the session

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2025

The big partnership between Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul dominated England•Associated Press

Lunch KL Rahul’s imminent century gave England a chance, and they took it. Rishabh Pant was run-out in the last over before lunch as he tried to hand the strike over to his partner so that he could bring up the landmark. Apart from that mistake, though, India were ruling the roost on the third day at Lord’s.An otherwise profitable session’s play – 103 runs in 22.3 overs – ended on a sour note for the visitors, and for Pant in particular – because he was out there with an injured finger. There were moments where he was placed in discomfort, but there were also moments that were straight out of his top drawer.Pant charged at Jofra Archer in the first over. He tried to break a sequence of 25 dots with a fall-away scoop. He was happy to risk the reverse ramp for just a single run. And, after securing his eighth half-century in England, he hammered his 88th six in Test cricket, which puts him only two shy of Virender Sehwag, who holds the India record.That is why Pant will be peeved at how he fell. It was needless, except for the fact that he thought he was trying to help his team-mate. Ben Stokes understood the urge. He might also have factored Pant’s injury into his calculations because the throw would’ve been a lot more straight forward to the batter’s end from his position. Instead, Stokes turned himself around and nailed the target at the other one, sparking a somewhat angry celebration.This happened towards the tail-end of Stokes bowling one of his fiery old spells, five overs where 26 balls were either short or short of a length, and his pace up at 90mph as he tried to make things happen. When he did, the whole team gathered around him, galvanised. Stokes himself knew how big a wicket Pant’s was and the circumstances in which it came, because England were very much second best throughout the session – though for no fault of trying.And perhaps that’s why there was a point in the celebrations where Stokes felt the need to bring his cap up to his mouth, a trick used to make sure the cameras don’t catch what you’re saying.Rahul, meanwhile, was the picture of simplicity and grace. Since his comeback into the Test team in 2021, on a tour of England, he has made four centuries away from home, the joint-most by an India batter. Pant is the man he shares the podium with, and it was in the effort to go clear at No. 1 that India lost a needless wicket and must now try and smother the momentum England might have gained thanks to their inspirational captain.

Kulkarni, Kotian and Mulani picked three wickets each to bowl Vidarbha out for 105

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2024Vidarbha’s hopes of winning the Ranji Trophy for the third time seem to be hanging by a thread. They needed one big batting performance on the second day to inch closer to Mumbai’s 224. Even that would’ve perhaps just kept them in the game, but by being bowled out for 105, they seem to have conceded way too much ground to recover.That became increasingly evident when Musheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane hit industrious unbeaten half-centuries in an unbroken 107-run third-wicket stand that helped Mumbai end the day effectively on 260 for 2.Resuming on 31 for 3, Vidarbha ran into an inspired Dhawal Kulkarni. The veteran, playing in his final Ranji Trophy game, built on his overnight two wickets by snaring a third when he had the in-form Atharva Taide nicking a superb away-swinger behind in the same over where he nearly had him lbw.Related

• Rahane, Musheer get down and dirty to leave Vidarbha in the mud

• Tanush Kotian raises his all-round game for Mumbai

• Heroic Shardul Thakur experiences his Ranji Groundhog Day

• 'Just a rough patch' – Thakur defends Rahane and Iyer after latest failures

Aditya Thakare, the nightwatcher, and Akshay Wadkar, the captain, resisted briefly in putting together 40 for the fifth wicket. It was the only passage where Mumbai were made to earn their wicket, with Tushar Deshpande, the fast bowler, resorting to short-ball tactics especially when the two offered good technique against the seaming ball.As he’s often done over the past two seasons for Mumbai, Shams Mulani, the left-arm spinner, delivered the breakthrough. He first had Thakare lbw with an arm-ball and then had Wadkar jabbing at one that dipped and spun away, as wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore took an excellent catch.From 85 for 6, offspinner Tanush Kotian got into the act, running through the lower order as Vidarbha lost all their seven wickets before lunch, lasting all of 45.3 overs. Kulkarni finished with 3 for 15, while Mulani and Kotian between them had 6 for 39.Deflated but needing early wickets to stay alive, Vidarbha had a shot in the arm when Yash Thakur clean bowled Prithvi Shaw with an in-ducker that snuck through bat and pad. One became two when Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner, had Bhupen Lalwani flicking to short midwicket to leave Mumbai 34 for 2, with their lead at 153.This is when Rahane and Musheer got together in the middle session. For a better part of their first hour at the crease, batting was a struggle. Rahane was beaten on both edges, he played and missed on a number of occasions and seemed extremely fidgety while defending, especially against Umesh Yadav’s late reverse.Musheer tried to negate the movement by batting well outside the crease and then taking a step further down the pitch as part of his trigger to try and meet the ball early. It didn’t necessarily make for pretty viewing with both of them struggling to get going, even as scoring was reduced to a crawl. At tea, Mumbai were 52 for 2 after 25 overs.After the break, Rahane seemed to turn a corner. He played a gorgeous on-drive and then executed a superb pull in front of square to get into his element. As his innings progressed, time spent at the crease helped him grow in confidence and runs began to flow. He brought out a trademark flick against the turn through midwicket off Aditya Sarvate and then superbly square drove Umesh for a four to bring up only his second half-century of the season.On 38, Rahane was given out lbw to Dubey, but was saved by the DRS when replays confirmed he had got a thin inside edge onto the pad. That he built on this reprieve and batted sedately for the remainder of the day had the entire Mumbai contingent delighted as they closed out a day of dominance.Rahane has been steadfast in his belief that it needs just one knock to turn the tide. After an entire season of struggle, it looks like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. He’d want – and all of Mumbai would want – for him to go on and get to that century and beyond to bat Vidarbha completely out of the match.

Former England assistant coach hopeful of opportunity for 2023 season

Matt Roller07-Nov-2022Paul Farbrace has declared his interest in a role in the Hundred next year, after leaving his position as Warwickshire’s director of cricket at the end of the 2022 county season.Farbrace turned down a job offer during the initial recruitment phase for Hundred coaches in 2019 in order to join Warwickshire after four years working with Trevor Bayliss as England’s assistant coach, and said he would be interested in a role in the tournament if an opportunity presents itself.Head coaches in the Hundred are appointed on rolling one-year contracts and while most incumbents are expected to stay put for the tournament’s third season in 2023, Gary Kirsten appears unlikely to return after Welsh Fire’s winless campaign.Farbrace left his role at Edgbaston in order to spend more time with his family, who live in Kent, but is due to spend two of the next four months in the UAE, coaching Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10 after taking the role on last year, before returning in January as head coach of Sharjah Warriors in the inaugural ILT20.”Before I took the job at Warwickshire, I was offered the head coach role at one of the Hundred teams when I came back from [England’s tour to] the West Indies,” Farbrace told ESPNcricinfo. “But I turned it down at the last minute because the Warwickshire role had come up.”I definitely would be interested, if things go well at these two franchises and an opportunity comes up in the Hundred. If I get a chance next year, that could be a nice way to go. As much as I love county cricket, the Hundred is a great tournament.”Related

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Farbrace hopes to use the winter to see whether he can take his skills as a coach from county and international cricket into the franchise world, and is approaching the challenge with an open mind. “For the first time in my life, I’ve actually given myself a bit of a breather,” Farbrace said. “The only time I’ve ever been in this position is when I got the sack at Kent 11 years ago.”I don’t know yet whether franchise cricket is for me or not but I’ve got these two opportunities and it gives me a chance to see what I want to do. Warwickshire was a 12-months-of-the-year job and after four years living in Birmingham with my wife living in Kent, it was probably the right time. With franchise cricket, you can do a month away and then a month at home.”Team Abu Dhabi finished third under Farbrace last season and he has signed Chris Lynn, Alex Hales and Adil Rashid for 2022 in a bid to win the title for the first time. “It was a real eye-opener for me last year,” Farbrace said. “I went in thinking it was going to be brutal for the bowlers but actually, it’s just as tough for the batters because you’re expected to line up world-class bowlers and hit them out the park.”We’ve learned from last year in how we’ve set our squad up: we took the second-most wickets and thought that would slow runs rates down at the end but didn’t quite manage that, and that cost us, so we’ve got a little bit more variation in our attack this time round. It’s a brilliant environment to be around with world-class players in every team.”