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“It augurs well for the team and I would like this to continue, and hopefully continue that form through to the World Cup”

Saurabh Somani20-Mar-20212:41

Gambhir: A perfect T20 batting display from India

Before the deciding fifth T20I against England on Saturday, Virat Kohli had opened the innings in T20Is only seven times in 83 innings, and only once since 2018. However, the India captain is looking at a longer stay up the order, for both the national team as well as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, his IPL franchise, in the lead up to the T20 World Cup in October in India.Kohli’s partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top of the innings paid off spectacularly for India, with Sharma teeing off to smash 64 off 34, and Kohli playing anchor to bat through the innings and end up with 80* off 52 in a mammoth Indian total of 224 for 2. Kohli hopes to replicate that, while also revealing that India are likely to play a few more T20Is just before the World Cup.”Yes. I am going to open in the IPL as well,” Kohli told Star Sports at the presentation after India sealed a 36-run win to take the series 3-2. “Look, I’ve batted at different positions in the past, but I feel like we do have a very solid middle order now, and now it’s about your two best players getting the maximum number of balls in T20 cricket. So I would definitely like to partner Rohit at the top. As I rightly said, if we have a partnership and we both are set, then you know that one of us is going to cause some serious damage. That’s exactly what we want. And the other guys feel much more confident when one of us is still in and set, they know that they can play more freely. It augurs well for the team and I would like this to continue, and hopefully continue that form through to the World Cup.”In India’s original international schedule, these five T20Is against England were the last in the format for them before the T20 World Cup, but Kohli revealed there might now be more games added into the calendar after India’s Test series in England which is scheduled to end on September 14. That could give the pairing of Kohli and Sharma more time together at the top too.”I just found out that we might have some more [games before the T20 World Cup], after the Test series against England,” Kohli said. “Yeah, more or less sorted [in terms of who will make the squad]. We are very very confident. Very happy with how things have panned out. We just want to keep moving forward with more positivity and fearlessness.”Kohli’s opening partner and vice-captain Sharma, however, preferred to take a more pragmatic view of what the combination at the top would be, pointing out that the T20 World Cup was several months away, and things could change.Kohli had said before the series that India’s preferred opening combination would be KL Rahul and Sharma. However, Rahul was left out of the XI for the final T20I after meagre returns of 15 runs in four matches, at a strike rate of 48.38. Sharma, however, said leaving out Rahul was purely a tactical call made for one specific match, in which current form played a part.”It’s still a long time for the World Cup. Early days to talk about what the batting line up will be looking like,” Sharma said at the post-match press conference. “We’ll just have to analyse and think about what suits the team most. Today was, I guess, a tactical move because we wanted an extra bowler to play. We wanted to leave one batsman out, and unfortunately, it was KL, which was very tough.”KL, we know, he has been one of our key players in the limited-overs format, especially in this format. But looking at the current form, the team management decided to go with the best XI. Having said that, it doesn’t send any signal that KL will not be considered or anything like that. This was just for one particular game.”Things might change as and when we get closer to the World Cup. We do understand his ability, we do understand his contribution at the top, what he’s done for us. So I’m not going to rule out anything and neither am I going to say that this is the preferred batting line-up for the World Cup, because it’s still early days. We’ve got a good amount of time, there’s the IPL in between and I’m hearing there will be a few T20s as well before the World Cup.”Stressing the distance that remained, time-wise, between now and the T20 World Cup and that there was a lot of T20 cricket to be played with the IPL and the newly scheduled T20Is Kohli spoke of, Sharma said any calls could only be made closer to the event.”Sometimes you might feel that you need to have six bowlers in your playing XI, which means you might have to sacrifice a batsman,” he said. “As and when we get closer to the World Cup we need to see the opposition that we are playing, the grounds we are playing at. It plays a huge role depending on the opposition and the conditions out there.”I’m sure we need to sit and analyse and recollect our thoughts, think about what will be the right thing to do for the team. If it means he has to open with me, so be it. Whatever we as a team feel is right, we will go ahead with that no matter what is happening outside. But again like I said, the World Cup is too far ahead.”We just finished the T20I series so I don’t think Virat will open in the ODIs (laughs). So let’s talk about what is next for us and try and move from this wonderful series that we played as a team. Everyone contributed towards success, which was good to see. Complete team effort.”

Rovman Powell’s 40-ball 106 not enough for Jamaica to avoid a 13-run loss against Leeward Islands

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2019Rovman Powell hit a blistering 38-ball century – the fifth fastest in men’s List A cricket – against Leeward Islands, but his ton was not enough for Jamaica to avert a 13-run loss in a chase of 256 at the Super50 Cup in Basseterre, as they folded for 242 in 28.3 overs.Rovman, the Jamaica captain, steered the better part of Jamaica’s chase from No. 5, stitching together three 40-plus partnerships, including a sixth-wicket half-century stand with Derval Green, to take his side past 150. However, once his 40-ball 106, featuring 13 fours and seven sixes, came to an end in the last ball of the 15th over, courtesy Quinton Boatswain, who had him caught behind, the rearguard proved inadequate.Aside from Rovman, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, none of the Jamaica batsmen could make a fifty. That the next best score from their line-up was a mere 26-ball 30, struck by No. 8 Jamie Merchant, was in part down to Boatswain’s 4 for 85. Boatswain was complemented well by Sheeno Berridge and Jason Campbell, who took two wickets apiece.Associated Press

The other century in the match came from the Powell in the opposition camp, Kieran, and stood in sharp contrast to Rovman’s. Built on 13 fours and no sixes, the Leeward Islands opener’s 125-ball 105, however, anchored his side’s 255 for 8 after they were sent in.Kieran’s big 154-run second-wicket stand with half-centurion Amir Jangoo in 29 overs set them the perfect platform to eye a total close to 300. However, medium-pacer Green’s double-strike in the 35th over accounted for Kieran and then sent back No. 4 Devon Thomas for a duck.Kieran’s dismissal also triggered a collapse that saw them lose four wickets for eight runs, and then five for 23, with Jamaica reduced to 214 for 6 in the 43rd over. During that slump, Jangoo holed out to Oshane Thomas for an enterprising 85-ball 69. Thomas later capped off his day with the ball with 3 for 59, as Leeward finished on 255 for 8.

Prithvi Shaw was picked as one of the openers while Mayank Agarwal was dropped

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-20181:28

‘We’re looking for a second wicketkeeper’ – MSK Prasad

Rohit Sharma, M Vijay and Parthiv Patel have all been recalled for the Tests in Australia in December and January, as the selectors have decided to fall back on experience for the big series. Prithvi Shaw, who shone with a century on Test debut, was picked as one of the openers in the squad of 18, apart from Vijay and KL Rahul, and the pace attack was back to its full strength of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.Allrounder Hardik Pandya, who had picked up a back injury during the Asia Cup, “had not fully recovered” for the Test series, according to chief selector MSK Prasad. “It’s very difficult to match Hardik’s all-round ability,” Prasad further said. “At least we don’t see that kind of ability now in India. That’s why no other alternatives were discussed. And we expect Bhuvi to come good, we know he can bat.”We felt that Rohit’s nature of play, a very good back-foot player, is suited for Australia. Murali Vijay was dropped from the England series. He went back and he played the county and showed his intent and performed and considering the intensity of the series, we’ve included him for the Australia series.”Hanuma Vihari, who was controversially given a Test debut in England ahead of Karun Nair, was retained while Mayank Agarwal was dropped after he was picked for the two home Tests against West Indies but did not get a game. By dropping Agarwal, the selectors strengthened the middle-order options, but went back to Rohit instead of giving Nair another chance. Vihari recently scored three straight half-centuries, two for India B in the Deodhar Trophy and one for Andhra in domestic one-day matches, and also counts as a bowling option with his offbreaks.The selectors picked the usual spin attack of R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, apart from allrounder Ravindra Jadeja.Both Rohit and Parthiv had played two out of the three Tests each in South Africa earlier this year. While Rohit was dropped later for his poor form with the bat – for a total of 78 runs in four innings in South Africa – Parthiv was dropped not just for lack of runs (56 runs from four innings) but for dropping several catches while keeping. Picked as the second wicketkeeping option apart from Rishabh Pant, it is unlikely Parthiv would have been called up had Wriddhiman Saha been fit for the Test series.While Rohit continued with his form in ODIs during the Asia Cup and against West Indies, Parthiv returned to the domestic circuit to score a half-century in two innings in the Duleep Trophy, but managed a high score of only 47 in eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 182 runs at an average of 22.75 in the tournament, including two ducks.”He was not picked for the game against Afghanistan and also the England series but subsequently he played the Duleep Trophy, he batted well and kept well,” Prasad said of Parthiv. “If you see the selection we’ve done for the whole team, it’s a mixture of youth and experience, which we really wanted because it’s going to be a high-intensity series. Which is why we’ve fallen back on experience. The advantage of Parthiv is that he’s a left-hander and can bat at any position. When the team demanded, even with a fractured hand he opened the innings in South Africa. So considering all these factors, we’ve picked him.”BCCI

Vijay, on the other hand, played the first two Tests in England but made only 26 runs overall, including a pair at Lord’s, before he was dropped from the tour. Soon enough, he represented Essex in the County Championship and impressed with scores of 80, 2, 85, 56 and 100 – the century coming in a chase of 282. He could not impress as much in the Vijay Hazare Trophy back at home but his first-class form was enough to get him picked for the Tests.Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah had been rested from the Tests against West Indies and were slotted back, and so was Ishant, who did not play against West Indies after he picked up an ankle injury during the Oval Test.The Test squad will fly out for Australia on November 16, to play a warm-up game starting the 28th before the four-Test series begins on December 6 in Adelaide.Agarwal found a place in the India A squad that will play first of the three matches in New Zealand. Prasad said that fixture would act as a warm-up before the Australia Tests since it also includes Vijay, Shaw, Vihari, Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane (captain) and Parthiv, among others, from the Test squad. Nair was named captain for a different A squad that would play the remaining two first-class matches in New Zealand; the squad also features Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Ishan Kishan, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mohammed Siraj. The three four-day matches in New Zealand will be played in Mount Maunganui, Hamilton and Whangarei.Test squad: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar KumarA squad for first match in New Zealand: M Vijay, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Parthiv Patel (wk), K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Rajneesh Gurbani, Vijay Shankar, KS BharatA squad for second and third matches in New Zealand: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, Karun Nair (capt), Ankit Bawne, Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan, K Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Rajneesh Gurbani

The draft resolution was sent to the state associations, including the Associate BCCI member units, on Sunday, and requires them to affirm that they will implement the Lodha Committee recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Sep-2017Anticipating appeals for funds for the ongoing domestic and international season in India, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has asked the various state associations to fulfil a draft resolution, wherein they must affirm that they will comply with the Supreme Court order to implement the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.

The draft resolution

Resolved the Name of the Association is agreeable to undertake, implement and support the reforms as proposed by the Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee and accepted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide judgment dated 18 July 2016 in letter and spirit.
Resolved further that in the event the Hon’ble Supreme Court passes any further orders in relation to the recommendations of the Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee and/or the judgment dated 18 July 2016, such orders shall also be accepted and implemented within one month thereof.

The CoA sent the draft resolution to the state associations, including the Associate BCCI member units, on Sunday. With India’s home season having got underway earlier in September, many states have already approached the BCCI, as well as the court, asking for funds to pay for cricket operations for hosting matches. In addition to the various domestic tournaments, India’s international commitments at home comprise a total of 11 ODIs, nine T20s and three Tests as they host Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka before departing for South Africa at the end of December.On Monday, the court rejected the appeals of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) and the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), both of whom had approached the BCCI funds for separate reasons. While the SCA wanted about INR 83 lakhs for cricket expenses, MCA wanted funds to the tune of INR 4 crores, to pay off the installment against a longstanding bank loan.Barring the Vidarbha Cricket Association, which approved the Lodha recommendations without any protest, no other BCCI member has complied with the court order so far. The CoA said despite the resistance, the BCCI had put forth, and will continue to make payments for the “conduct” of the cricket matches. The CoA also said it was “regrettable” that state associations continued to defy the court orders despite such a move having the “potential” to “prejudicially affect cricketing activity.”While the BCCI would continue to take care of the payments concerning cricket operations to third-party vendors, the CoA has said that going forward the state associations need to adopt the draft resolution. “In the hope that the defaulting State Associations would come around and comply with the orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, a draft of the resolution that should be passed by the General Body (or an equivalent forum) of the State Association is enclosed,” the CoA said in its e-mail. “By adopting this resolution, the State Associations will enable BCCI to release additional funds to them in a manner compliant with the orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”

“Not up to international standard” was the damning verdict of Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann after the tourists lost 11 for 77 on a frenetic day in Galle

Daniel Brettig in Galle05-Aug-2016″Not up to international standard” was the damning verdict of Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann after the tourists lost 11 for 77 on a hectic day in Galle to all but hand over the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy to Sri Lanka for the first time in its existence.Lehmann, who recently signed a contract extension to remain coach until October 2019, was frank in conceding that his side does not appear to have improved in playing spin bowling on Asian pitches since a 2-0 drubbing by Pakistan in the UAE in 2014. He also admitted that his players were being conclusively beaten between the ears as well as on the scoreboard by the hosts.”Disappointing full stop the way we played. Not up to international standard on that performance today,” Lehmann said. “Certainly haven’t played as we would like. Sri Lanka have played well and we haven’t. Can’t complain about the preparation from the lads and the work ethic, it gets down to the pressure in the middle of a Test match and being able to cope with it, and at the moment, we haven’t.”Certainly, some blokes have to look at themselves and how they want to go about it in these conditions and how to succeed. We’ve talked a good game in the media and the press, how we want to play, but we’re certainly not showing up at the moment.”I can’t put my finger on it really. It’s up to the players to get there and do that. We give them as much info as we possibly can, we’re pretty open in the way we want to play and the way we want to speak and all those sorts of things. It gets down to the players doing it on the ground, and at the moment, we’re letting ourselves down as a group. So they know what they want to do, it’s having the belief to do it and succeed. That’s the biggest thing with Test match cricket, especially here on the subcontinent.”Australia’s displays have been beset by similar problems to those witnessed in 2014, from batsmen failing to cover straight deliveries aimed at the stumps, to poor attacking shot selection and lapses in concentration that are seldom seen at home. This has been compounded by the fact that Sri Lanka are nowhere near as strong as Pakistan, or, for that matter, the Indian side that inflicted a similar hiding on the team coached by Mickey Arthur the year before.”Results will say we haven’t moved on, won’t they? It’s pretty simple,” Lehmann said. “So, from my point of view, and us as a group, we’ve got to get better, as simple as that. We’ve got to stop the rot. We’ve lost seven in a row, and tomorrow, we’ve got to play better to stop the rot. They know what they have to do, we’ve had lots of people who’ve played on the subcontinent help us out, so it’s not as though they haven’t got the knowledge or the knowhow to do it, it’s actually doing it out there on the ground under the pressure.”You get blame and that’s what happens when you’re a coach. If you play badly, you get blame, there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s part and parcel of professional sport. We’ve got to sit back and work out whether we’re doing the right thing. I believe we are, we’re just not implementing it on the ground. We’ve got to make sure we get the players doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and if they’re not, then we’ve got to find blokes that are going to.”The dire batting performances seen on this tour will add urgency to Cricket Australia’s search for a full-time batting assistant coach, following the departure of Michael Di Venuto earlier this year. While Lehmann’s former state and national teammate Greg Blewett had been appointed on an interim basis, and Stuart Law is in Sri Lanka while Blewett is on paternity leave, it appears a far greater level of Asian batting nous is required ahead of next year’s tour of India.”Still to be a full-time appointment there,” Lehmann said. “Diva’s left, Blewy’s there doing it at the moment and Greg had a baby, so that’s why he’s not on this tour, so Stuey’s come in to fit in there. That’s something we’ll have to look at after this series and all those things moving forward. No timeframe, but if we keep batting like this, it’ll be a bit quicker!”While acknowledging a superlative display from Mitchell Starc, who claimed 11 for 94 with minimal rest between innings, Lehmann said Australia’s spin bowlers, led by Nathan Lyon, also needed to improve. “Disappointing, same as the batters, no doubt about that,” he said.”Nathan Lyon’s experience has been very good for us over a period of time, but his record on the subcontinent’s not great. So he’s got to improve, there’s no doubt about that. Holland’s playing his first game and going to be a little bit nervous, so you give him a bit of leeway there, but, end of the day, their spinners have certainly out-bowled our spinners.”

Kyle Jarvis completed match figures of 9 for 106 as Lancashire strengthened their position at the top of the Division Two table with a 91-run win over Gloucestershire at Bristol

ECB/PA10-Jun-2015
ScorecardKyle Jarvis ran through Gloucestershire’s middle order to set up victory•PA Photos

Kyle Jarvis completed match figures of 9 for 106 as Lancashire strengthened their position at the top of the Division Two table with a 91-run win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.The former Zimbabwe seamer claimed 5 for 39, including four wickets in the space of 17 balls, to induce a second innings collapse by Gloucestershire from 113 for 2 to 160 all out as they chased a victory target of 252.It had looked good for Gloucestershire when they reached lunch on the final day at 104 for 2. But after Michael Klinger and Chris Dent had set up a winning position Jarvis blew away the middle order. He sent back Dent, Ian Cockbain, Benny Howell and Jack Taylor in a superb spell from the Ashley Down Road End to finally swing a compelling match Lancashire’s way.”To have 47 wickets at this stage of the season is very pleasing for me,” Jarvis said. “I am at my best when I can run the ball back at batsmen and that is what started to happen this afternoon.”Gloucestershire played some excellent cricket and made it a very tough game for us. But we never felt out it and knew if we kept the ball on the right line and length things would start to happen. It’s another huge win which has put us in a very strong position in the table. But nothing has been achieved yet and there is a lot of hard work still ahead.”Lancashire took 21 points to Gloucestershire’s five to go 31 clear of second placed Surrey in Division Two. But it was a closer contest than the outcome suggested and both teams could take encouragement from their efforts.Gloucestershire had begun the final day on 26 for 1, needing a further 226 to win. For a long while Klinger and Dent looked to have them in control.
Dent, dropped on 10 by wicketkeeper Alex Davies off Tom Bailey, was unbeaten on 49 at lunch.Klinger had helped add 68 for the second wicket before a rare error of judgement, driving at a good length ball from James Faulkner saw him caught by Davies, having faced 110 balls and hit seven fours.It took Dent until his 99th delivery to hit a boundary, but his application was showing signs of reaping reward as Gloucestershire approached the final two sessions needing only a further 148 to repeat their success at Old Trafford earlier in the season.The turning point came when Dent, who had faced 155 balls and hit six fours, miscued a pull shot off Jarvis and lofted a catch to mid-on. Jarvis grabbed the initiative and four more wickets fell in the space of 29 deliveries, Tom Bailey weighing in with the dismissal of Gareth Roderick, who registered a pair when pinned lbw by a full ball.Gloucestershire were suddenly in disarray as they plunged to 119 for 7. Skipper Geraint Jones and Craig Miles defiantly added 36, but when Jones was caught behind looking to cut Faulkner it was as good as over. Matt Taylor was caught behind to give Faulkner a third wicket and when Miles was last man out, caught at cover off Jordan Clark, the home side had lost their last eight wickets for 47 runs.Defeat for Gloucestershire was compounded by news after the game that Roderick’s thumb injury was a fracture, which will keep him out until the Cheltenham Festival in mid-July. The wicketkeeper batted in both innings against Lancashire, bagging a pair. Last season he spent two spells on the sidelines after breaking the same finger.”We are hurting in the dressing room because we had got ourselves into a position where we felt we had Lancashire,” Jones, Gloucestershire’s captain, said.”That makes the disappointment of losing all the greater. We describe ourselves as a young side, with some experience, and that was evident today. The worst of it was that we lost so many wickets bowled or lbw when we knew Lancashire would bowl at the stumps on that sort of pitch. Every game is a learning experience and we need to get over this setback quickly.”

The PCB has granted Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal permission to play a few games at this season’s Big Bash League, on the request of Cricket Australia

Umar Farooq19-Nov-2012Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan allrounder, has said he will not play for Sydney Thunder despite being given permission by the PCB to take part in Australia’s Big Bash League. Afridi said he wanted to play in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament instead and that clashes with Australia’s Twenty20 competition.”I have ended my contract in the Big Bash League, because I want to play in the national event to improve my form and justify my selection in the team,” Afridi told AFP.The Pakistan board had earlier granted Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal and Afridi permission to play a few games at this season’s Big Bash, on the request of Cricket Australia. Ajmal and Akmal will miss the last round of Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament and will return in time for the conditioning camp in Lahore ahead of the India tour.The PCB had earlier denied the players permission to play this BBL, to ensure their participation in the local tournament. Akmal is signed with Sydney Sixers and Ajmal with Adelaide Strikers for the season, while Afridi was set to play for Sydney Thunder, having transferred from Melbourne Renegades.”We have reconsidered our decision, on the request of Cricket Australia, as the players had already signed their contract,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “They will now leave at the tail end of [Pakistan’s] T20 tournament, which runs from December 2 to 10, and will return when our conditioning camp starts.”As per the arrangement, the players will leave for the BBL at the end of the group stages of Pakistan’s T20 competition; these end on December 7, and the camp for which they must return begins on December 12. The BBL begins on December 7, and each of the three concerned franchises have one game scheduled between the 7th and 12th.1200 GMT This story has been updated after Shahid Afridi said he would not play in the BBL

Michael Hussey says Shaun Marsh has the composure to deal with being 87 not out overnight and praised the debutant’s concentration

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele09-Sep-2011Michael Hussey batted with Shaun Marsh when he made his first-class debut, and again when Marsh clouted a first century for Western Australia. He hopes to be there again to see Marsh mark his Test debut with a century.Marsh was unbeaten on 87 when he and Hussey, 76 not out, were sent to the dressing room more than an hour before the scheduled close of play on the second day in Pallekele due to bad light. Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka batsman, made sure to remind the debutant that he was stuck on a score considered unlucky in Australia because it is 13 runs short of a hundred. But Hussey said Marsh had shown the composure of a Test batsman in an innings played in fluctuating conditions and circumstances, allying it to the talent he had first displayed when spanking 119 against New South Wales in 2003.That day Steve Waugh had attempted to unsettle Marsh in the 90s and, as Hussey recalled, the response was emphatic.”That was an amazing innings,” Hussey said. “I remember that vividly because Steve Waugh was at cover and Mark Waugh was bowling. Shaun got into the 90s and Steve just got into his head a bit saying `don’t get nervous now Shaun, you know you’ve played so well, don’t throw away a hundred now’, and he hit the next two balls for six to bring up his 100. Obviously there is still a lot of work to go in this match and as long as he keeps sticking to his game he’ll be fine.”It’s a bad score to be stuck on and Mahela did give him a little wink as he was walking off and said `Jeez, you wouldn’t want to be 87 not out overnight’. But it’s not going to bother him I don’t think. I said something like `I’d much rather be on 87 than seven overnight’.”In Pallekele, Marsh withstood a sharp early spell from Suranga Lakmal when he first arrived, then matched wits with the spin of Suraj Randiv for most of the day, which saw Australia recover from an iffy 116 for 3 to be powerfully placed at 264 for 3 by the early close. Hussey said Marsh’s concentration was the most impressive feature of his innings, which saw him face 211 balls on the second day.”I thought he showed tremendous concentration because there were periods when scoring was difficult. They bowled really tight for a while and it was tough. Obviously in your first Test match you’re going to be pretty nervous but he got his feet moving well. He showed good composure to be able to get through a tough early period and even beyond that.”They still continually bowled well to him and it was difficult to get any momentum going with his innings. He showed great concentration and then you could just see the confidence grow a little bit as the innings wore on. I think when he got that legspinner [Seekkuge Prasanna] away for a few boundaries in a row you could see him start to believe that he belonged there.”That sense of belonging at the international level has not always been evident, perhaps because Marsh’s overall record is somewhat underwhelming. He averages 37.71 in first-class cricket and has made only six hundreds, but can add to that tally on the third day by employing the more measured and consistent approach Hussey has witnessed him develop in Western Australia.”It’s been well documented that early in his career he was a bit inconsistent but I think if you look at the way he’s played in the last two or three years in first-class cricket he’s been a lot more consistent. With the way he’s prepared, the way he’s approached his innings and the way he’s played out in the middle, he’s had a lot more understanding of his game and the conditions and probably his routines. Obviously he wants more hundreds in the column but it’s pretty tough to make first-class hundreds let alone Test hundreds.”Hussey admitted to struggling for concentration and touch at times throughout his own innings, but it was another vital contribution on a tour during which he has made many, from the 95 on the first day in Galle to the stunning gully catch and freak wicket with the ball to start the Pallekele Test.Kumar Sangakkara had been a most unlikely Test victim of Hussey’s slow-medium seamers on the first afternoon, and attempted to get his own back by not only bowling but taking the new ball. Hussey admitted considerable relief when the ball was given back to a specialist.”You don’t want it to last for very long. I was pretty happy when he took the new ball; I thought at least it might come on a little more, but he got a little swing as well, so it was a relief when he went off. I didn’t want to get out to Kumar and for him to pay me back.”

Malachi Jones, Bermuda’s fiery young fast bowler, has run into further disciplinary issues after being sent to his hotel room by national coach David Moore

Cricinfo staff15-Sep-2010Malachi Jones, Bermuda’s fiery young fast bowler, has run into further disciplinary issues after being sent to his hotel room by national coach David Moore following an angry show of petulance during the team’s eight-wicket defeat to a West Indies High Performance Cricket XI in Canada on Saturday.Jones was previously removed from Bermuda’s squad in May after breaching the protocol that prohibited national players from playing for their domestic club on a scheduled rest day. But Moore dismissed Jones’s latest indiscretion as nothing to worry about and said it would be dealt with internally.Jones’s tantrum was sparked in his second over on Saturday when a wayward delivery was flicked towards the fine-leg boundary by Rajindra Chandrika, only for Kevin Tucker’s fumble on the rope to allow the ball to go for four.Jones angrily kicked the pitch, conceded two more fours in the over, and then marched back to his fielding position on the boundary where he stayed for the remainder of the game. It was his attitude during this period, when he did not walk in or back up and generally appeared to be sulking, that angered former West Indies coach Moore.”I’ve got nothing to say about that,” said Moore. “It’s a minor personal issue that Malachi Jones has to deal with and we gave to him time to do so. It’s an internal team matter, and we’ll deal with it amongst ourselves.”

SL were bowled out for 42, their lowest Test total, as SA gained a 149-run first-innings lead

Firdose Moonda28-Nov-2024South Africa are in control at Kingsmead after a fast-forward second day in which 19 wickets fell, and records tumbled. Sri Lanka were dismissed for 42, their lowest Test total, which was also the lowest Test score against South Africa, and the second-shortest in terms of number of balls faced: 83.Marco Jansen’s 7 for 13 headlined South Africa’s pace pack. He bowled 41 balls in the innings – the joint-fewest in history to take seven wickets – and gave South Africa a 149-run first-innings lead. By the end of the day, that had grown to 281, and the partnership between Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs to 43, the second-highest of the match.Under blue skies and in sunshine, there was still significant movement on offer, and batting conditions remained tough. South Africa had started day two by resuming their first innings on 80 for 4, and found themselves in trouble 15 overs into the day on 117 for 7. They were in danger of being shot out for their lowest score against Sri Lanka – 128 – but three handy lower-order partnerships, and Bavuma’s knock of 70 took them to 191, their third-lowest against Sri Lanka. And it was made to look like a much bigger total when South Africa got the ball in hand.Only two Sri Lanka batters got into double figures, and their misfortunes were a combination of incisive bowling and poor shot selection. Of the top seven, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva all played at deliveries they could have left.Kagiso Rabada started the slide when Dimuth Karunatratne hung his bat out to a length ball outside off. and edged to David Bedingham at first slip. Four balls later, Jansen drew Nissanka forward, as the latter reached out for a wide-ish ball. As a result, he was caught at third slip.Dinesh Chandimal left a gap between bat and pad, and a delivery from Jansen nipped through him•AFP/Getty Images

Two overs after that, Dinesh Chandimal displayed questionable defence when he left a gap between bat and pad, as a delivery from Jansen nipped through to bowl him. Mathews’ experience also let him down when he wafted at a ball that angled away, and edged to Bedingham. Sri Lanka were 16 for 4 in the eighth over.South Africa’s first, and as it turned out only, bowling change was to bring on Gerald Coetzee in place of Rabada. He started with a full toss that Kamindu drove for four. Coetzee soon had reward when Kamindu played a big shot, attempting to whack him through the covers, but edged to first slip.Jansen’s two wickets in his sixth over brought him his second Test five-for. The first of those two wickets was came when Dhananjaya missed an attempted drive and was bowled. The second wicket in the over was of Prabath Jayasuriya’s, as he was kept on the back foot and prodded to Stubbs in the slips.Coetzee took the eighth off the next ball, an lbw that was confirmed on review, before Jansen did another double in his last over to end Sri Lanka’s innings 78 minutes after it began.Their bowling effort eclipsed a strong Sri Lanka performance earlier in the day, led by good pace from Lahiru Kumara, and well supported by Asitha and Vishwa Fernando. They shared five wickets between them, seamed and swung the ball, and enjoyed operating on a surface with good bounce and carry. Add to that Sri Lanka’s good catching in breezy conditions, and they would have been fairly satisfied with their first session’s work.Wiaan Mulder was hit on the middle finger of his right hand by a delivery from Lahiru Kumara•AFP/Getty Images

Vishwa appealed for an lbw against Kyle Verreynne second ball, but replays showed an inside edge. Verreynne only faced three more deliveries, before Kumara fired in a 141kph ball that beat him and rapped him on the front pad.Three balls later, Sri Lanka wasted a review as Wiaan Mulder inside-edged onto his pad, but Mulder’s troubles were only just beginning. In Kumara’s next over, he was hit on the middle finger of his right hand as he tried to defend a ball that nipped back in. He received treatment on field and tried to continue despite struggling to grip the bat.Mulder kept out the next ball he faced and immediately wrung his hand in pain, left the last ball of the over, and then retired hurt. He returned to bat for the final partnership and also in the second innings, though X-rays confirmed he had fractured the finger and would not be able to bowl or field in the match.After Kumara’s opening spell, which had started on day one, ended with an analysis of 8-1-51-3, Sri Lanka went for a double change. Asitha replaced Kumara, while Jayasuriya’s spin came on for Vishwa. Jayasuriya had success with his tenth ball, when Jansen missed a tossed-up delivery, and was rapped on the pads.Coetzee was also drawn in by one that was tossed up, and recklessly hit Jayasuriya to deep midwicket, where Kamindu ran forward to take a good catch. South Africa had lost 3 for 34 in 9.1 overs at that stage, with no real batting to come.Temba Bavuma ramped one for six during his knock of 70•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Keshav Maharaj joined Bavuma on the back of four successive Test ducks, and made his highest Test score in nine innings. He showed some fight against Jayasuriya, whose fourth over he hit for 15 runs, including a stunning six straight down the ground. When Jayasuriya was replaced by Vishwa, Maharaj did not rein his instincts in, and reached for a wide ball to drive it aerially to Dhananjaya at mid-off.Bavuma had only just reached fifty but was running out of partners, and took matters into his own hands. He left his feet to ramp Kumara for six, and drove him through extra cover and then back past him. The fun didn’t last long, and when Kumara was replaced by Asitha, Bavuma swiped across the line and top-edged to midwicket, where Kumara judged the catch well in the wind. That brought the first stanza of Mulder’s bravery, and he ended on 9 not out.Later, Mulder came in at No. 3 in South Africa’s second innings, after Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram’s 47-run opening stand ended when de Zorzi skied Jayasuriya to deep-backward square to become his 100th Test wicket. Jayasuriya, in his 17th Test, became the joint-fastest bowler in 74 years to the landmark.Meanwhile, Mulder scored 16 off 31 balls and looked in increasing levels of discomfort before being given out lbw. Markram, whose last five Test innings have not yielded a single half-century, looked convincing until he inside-edged Vishwa on to his stumps. Bavuma and Stubbs bedded in for the rest of the session, and will resume on what is expected to be an easier day for batting on Friday.