Category Uncategorized

Player receives penalty after team-mate raises complaint

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2019A Mumbai age-group player has been banned for three years for “gross misconduct” towards a team-mate during an all-India tournament in December. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) took the decision after a complaint was raised against the player by his team-mate on December 22. The ban will last till January 14, 2022, during which the player will not be allowed to participate in any cricket organised by the MCA, or represent Mumbai in any BCCI tournament.The player’s details are being withheld given that he is a minor.ESPNcricinfo understands that the in addition to using bad language, something the player admitted to during the inquiry by an ad-hoc committee set up by the MCA, the player exposed himself in front of his team-mate. It is understood that the player will appeal to the MCA to review the ban.This is believed to be the first such case where a player in India has been punished for a sexually offensive act in front of, and following a complaint by, his peers.The MCA’s verdict did not specify the offence. But in the notice sent to the player, the MCA said he was guilty of “gross misconduct and bringing the name of the association to disrepute”. It also pointed out that the player had resorted to “the ugliest behaviour, which has shocked the entire team. In fact, this [incident] also affected the team atmosphere and is against the very principles of sportsmanship and healthy atmosphere amongst the team members.”The verdict was reached by the ad-hoc inquiry committee, after a meeting held at the MCA office on January 14. In addition to hearing the player and the complainant, the committee also spoke with the team coach, manager and chairman of the age-group selection committee. The ad-hoc committee comprised MCA secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar, CEO CS Naik, and managing committee members Naveen Shetty, Ganesh Iyer and Shah Alam Shaikh.

Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad, pending further investigation into his alleged street brawl in Bristol last month. Steven Finn has been drafted into the squad in his place

Andrew Miller06-Oct-20171:23

Stokes set to miss Ashes as Finn gets the call

Ben Stokes has been withdrawn from England’s Ashes squad, pending further investigation into his alleged street brawl in Bristol last month, with Steven Finn stepping into the squad for the full five-Test series.Stokes has, however, retained his place on England’s list of centrally contracted players for 2017-18, and could yet be recalled to the party if no further police action is taken. Alex Hales – who is also currently unavailable for selection in the wake of the events on September 25 – also keeps hold of his white-ball contract.In a raft of announcements from the ECB, it was also confirmed that three other players who had been out drinking with Stokes and Hales on the night in question – namely Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett – have accepted a formal written warning and a fine for unprofessional conduct.All three players have paid an undisclosed sum to to the Professional Cricketers’ Association Benevolent Fund and the Hornsby Professional Cricketers’ Fund. The ECB added that the internal investigation into that matter had been closed and that it will make no further comment.The measures against Stokes and Hales, who were the only two England cricketers still present at the time of the alleged incident outside Mbargo nightclub, were last week referred to the Cricket Discipline Commission, headed by Tim O’Gorman, who will independently review any breach by the pair of the ECB’s directives and regulations.In a statement, Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said that Stokes’ retention on an ECB central contract should be taken as a sign that the board were not prejudging the police investigation, but rather were seeking a measure of clarity for the whole squad ahead of what is guaranteed to be their highest-profile series in recent memory.”With the Ashes just around the corner, it’s important to give the players, the coaching staff and supporters some clarity around a complex situation,” Strauss said.”This decision will help us in the weeks ahead and give every player and the whole England set-up the best chance to focus on the challenge ahead in Australia.””We have spoken to Ben and assured him that our decision in no way prejudges the outcome of the ongoing Police investigation or Cricket Discipline Commission process, as can be seen by the award of Central Contracts.”Finn, who was overlooked in the original tour party in spite of a late burst of form for Middlesex in the County Championship, now steps in for what will be his third consecutive Ashes tour. In 2010-11 he claimed 14 wickets in the first three Tests, more than any other England bowler at the time, but four years later he was rendered “unselectable” after suffering a meltdown in his bowling action.”Steven is a high-quality cricketer, with considerable experience of both international cricket and Australian conditions,” said Strauss. “The selectors believe he will add to the range of options and the squad will be further supported by the arrival of the Lions in Australia in November.”The decision to replace Stokes, who would have been England’s designated No. 6, with an extra fast bowler instead of reinforcing the batting is an indication of how England plan to fill such a huge hole in their first-choice XI.The three other allrounders in the middle-order – Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow – can be expected at this stage to move up a place in the order, to allow England to retain a four-man pace attack.With James Anderson and Stuart Broad also sure to feature in the first Test at Brisbane on November 23, Finn will now be competing with Craig Overton and Jake Ball for the remaining place in the team. Ben Foakes, the reserve wicketkeeper, could also come into consideration if Bairstow – one of England’s most in-form players – is chosen as a specialist batsman.

Liam Plunkett’s four wickets enabled Yorkshire to edge a tense quarter-final against Kent on a dead Canterbury surface

Paul Edwards at Canterbury18-Aug-2016
ScorecardLiam Plunkett pulls off a vital return catch to dismiss Darren Stevens•PA Photos

There is an old cricketing saw that if you want to know how good a pitch is, you need to wait until both sides have batted on it. Like most proverbs, this is a useful saying only when used carefully; trotted out uncritically, it is tripe. This close and noble match, which ended with Yorkshire looking forward to a home semi-final against Surrey, illustrated the point.Between the two innings, as a St Lawrence ground which had brimmed with afternoon sunshine gave itself over to the gentler grace of evening, Kent’s supporters had reason to be optimistic. A Yorkshire side containing seven Test cricketers had managed no more than 256 in their 50 overs, a good score to be sure but self-evidently not the 300-plus the home fans may have feared.Kent skipper, Sam Northeast, may even have half toyed with notions of a Lord’s final. That would have capped a great season for the still youthful-looking Northeast, who has scored runs for the fun of doing so in the Championship. He has also been appointed club captain in succession to the slightly aldermanic figure of Rob Key. Sam Weller has taken over from Mr Pickwick.Eighteen overs into their innings the mood in the home dressing room was probably considerably less sanguine. Although 64 runs had been scored, four prime wickets had been lost, including that of Daniel Bell-Drummond, leg before to a David Willey yorker in the second over and Sam Billings, lbw on the front foot to Steve Patterson when he had made a mere single. Sandwiched between these dismissals, Northeast had gone, too, when he chipped a catch to Gary Ballance at midwicket.Thus did one Old Harrovian send another packing, although this very posh dismissal was moderated a little by the involvement of the bowler, Liam Plunkett, he of Nunthorpe Comprehensive. Maybe we should have known then that it would be Plunkett’s night, just as it had been against Essex at the same stage of the same competition a year earlier.

Alex Lees, Yorkshire captain: “I thought we were 20 runs or so light at the end of our innings, although Adam Lyth played quite beautifully, because we lost our way a bit after he got out. It is such an asset having someone like Liam who takes wickets in the middle overs, because in one-day cricket that is so important. Adil, at the end, bowled with great skill and it was testament to his ability that he got us wickets just when we needed them.”
Sam Northeast, Kent captain: “We lost too many wickets in the first 20 overs. We made a good show of it in the end but we were just not good enough overall today. We pegged them back really well on a pitch that was slower than we expected. Rashid bowled really well at the end, and we came up short.”

Faced with Kent’s grim situation, Darren Stevens and Alex Blake resolved to die with their boots on and their magazines empty, if necessary. The fifth-wicket pair took 61 runs off the next seven overs, most of the damage being done to the spinners, Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq, both of whom were lifted for sixes into the crowd sitting in front of the mustard-coloured crane on the Old Dover Road side of the ground.The pair had added 86 in 13 overs when Blake was caught behind by Jonny Bairstow for 50 when attempting to pull a bouncer from Plunkett but only edging a catch. Nevertheless, the later Kent batsmen took their cue from this stand and it needed some outstanding cricket from Plunkett to prevent them winning the game.Northeast’s men needed 109 off 20 overs when Blake was out and the rate was not to drop much above or below five an over for the rest of the innings. Crucially, of course, though, wickets were to fall, the first of them that of Stevens, whose leading edge was clutched one-handed with supreme athleticism by the diving Plunkett. Will Gidman gave the same bowler a much easier return catch two overs later but Kent battled on and the crowd warmed to themMatt Coles took a four and two sixes off a Rafiq over before being stumped off a Rashid googly – his foot raised just for an instant, but exposed by Bairstow’s fast work.Charlie Hartley and James Tredwell maintained a rate of five an over and 37 were needed off the last 48 balls. Yorkshire’s bowlers became nervous, then irritated. But with only 16 needed, Hartley was leg before to Rashid and his 29-run stand with the calm Tredwell was ended. Then a borderline lbw for Willey finally killed Kent’s chances when 12 runs were required, 13 balls were left and most in the 6000 capacity crowd were beginning to think that, just for once, hope was not going to betray them.All this floodlit tension followed a Yorkshire innings which had been dominated more by accumulation than the artillery which Blake and Coles favoured. Although Adam Lyth hit two fours and a straight six in his first 15 balls, the boundaries were not to flow with comparable frequency until the final over of the innings, when Rashid drove successive balls from Mitch Claydon to the Nackington Road for four and over midwicket for six. Claydon had been the early sufferer, too, when he pitched the ball up rather too far to Lyth, who rarely passes up such pleasant opportunities, especially when the deep field is as empty as a gambler’s wallet.But this early fun more or less marked the end of the visitors’ big shots. After Alex Lees had pulled Claydon straight to Blake on the square leg boundary, Lyth and Joe Root added 90 for the second wicket in 19 overs by pushing the ball into gaps, working it around and scampering twos.Root’s innings exemplified the few problems Yorkshire’s batsmen encountered on this pitch. England’s finest batsman is so well balanced at the crease that he is almost incapable of inelegance, yet the accuracy of the Kent attack and the apparent slowness of the wicket prevented him playing any of his straight drives or signature back-foot forces. Instead he and Lyth were content for the most part to milk Tredwell, the off-spinner conceding 52 runs off his ten overs.Root and Lyth’s partnership was by far the best of Yorkshire’s innings. Three other pairs added 27 runs apiece, a statistic which itself rather reveals the absence of rhythm in the visitors’ innings. The batsmen’s problems were caused – some would say merely exacerbated – by the accuracy of Kent’s bowling. The pick of the attack was the medium-pacer, Hartley, who was playing just his fourth List A game and will dine out on his removal of Root, well caught at deep midwicket by Blake for 45, and Bairstow, who drove too soon and chipped a catch to Bell-Drummond when he had only 9 to his name.Although Gidman later removed Tim Bresnan and Willey in the same over, the latter departing to a contentious leg-side catch by Billings when the ball appeared to have hit only the pad, the most successful Kent bowler was Coles. Like Chaucer’s Miller, “a stout carl for the nones” Coles has plenty of pace and perhaps more variations than is sometimes assumed. “Ful byg…of brawn, and eek of bones” he may be but there is craft there, too, and in this game, it was sufficient to account for Lyth for 88 when edging a drive and both Plunkett and Rafiq late in the piece. Coles finished with 3 for 39 and maybe he, too, was pondering spending a September Saturday in St John’s Wood as he ate his tea.Instead it will be Yorkshire’s players who have that chance when they play Surrey in a semi-final at Headingley a week on Sunday. Having set up one semi-final Lees and his players can now travel to Edgbaston to play in another. Kent’s players were left with deep disappointment and the ink-blue glory of a Canterbury night.Matt Coles dismisses Yorkshire’s top scorer Adam Lyth•PA Photos

Even in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late

Tim Wigmore at Beckenham26-May-2015
ScorecardZafar Ansari produced an impressive spell to take out Kent’s middle order•PA Photos

Even in Division Two, the County Championship demands tenacity and bloody-minded resolve – especially for Surrey of late. A back spasm limited Luke Fletcher to six overs in the match, the third time in four games that a Surrey bowler has been injured mid-match.With Surrey left relying upon two young pace bowlers and spin twins, a rarely spotted sight in England in May, it felt rather ominous as Kent cruised to 182 for 2 on the first afternoon. But Tom Curran and Matt Dunn, two men of whom much is expected at The Oval, shared six wickets to restrict Kent to 282 all out.Asking them to do something similar, even after Surrey had eked out a lead of ten, was to demand a lot. The wicket at Beckenham, enjoying its first Championship match since 2009, was a little slow and low, but possessed nothing of menace. Yet they dismantled Kent for a second time, Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty sharing seven wickets, to leave Surrey well place for victory.”There was not anything out of the ordinary,” was the assessment of Kent’s Joe Denly, who reckoned that only “one ball misbehaved all day” after top-scoring with 66. That was a brute from Dunn, which lifted from a good length to catch Rob Key’s bat.Still, as Kent cruised to 97 for 2, the game had a rather somnolent feel, enlivened only by Denly’s delightful straight six off Ansari. Perhaps cruising too much after reaching an effortless run-a-ball 26, Sam Northeast then edged Ansari to slip.If Surrey could just about glimpse an opening, there was no hint of the bedlam to come. Attempting an extravagant heave, Fabian Cowdrey was stumped off Ansari, a shot that had locals accustomed to the technical proficiency of Cowdreys furrowing their brows. The following over Darren Stevens was neatly snaffled at slip after a delivery gripped and bounced. And the next ball Sam Billings, who did not quite join Ansari in making his ODI debut earlier this month in Dublin, got a leading edge straight to cover.Three Ansari wickets in four balls had transformed the game. Yet he was scarcely less impressive either side of that burst, bowling with purpose and poise, daring to flight the ball and eschewing the temptation to bowl flatter when he was driven. It was no isolated success, either. Ansari is Surrey’s highest Championship wicket-taker, with 20 wickets at 32.55 apiece, elevating himself above skipper Batty as Surrey’s leading spinner.Batty might not be the sort to care but he bowled as if a man whose pride had been prickled just a little. The delivery that spun between Denly’s bat and pad prompted howls of delight: Denly had married circumspection and class in his 66.Thereafter, there was only contrasting tail-end resistance to come. Calum Haggett batted with almost exaggerated care as he took 101 balls over 24 precious runs. Matt Coles took the opposite approach, driving with ferocious strength for 29 until slapping Batty to point. While Surrey had bowled with skill and control and fielded with intensity, no one could deny Denly’s verdict on Kent’s batting performance. “Some of the dismissals were on the soft side – mine included,” he reflected.Kent did enjoy the consolation of a wicket in the 11 overs they bowled at Surrey before the close, but with Rory Burns in counter-punching mood Surrey are left with only 151 more runs to secure their second victory of the season.A few minutes after leading Surrey off after his sterling bowling effort, Ansari trudged disconsolately off after playing around a straight ball from Stevens, and was in no mood to speak to the media after play. While the development of Ansari’s bowling has been one of the noteworthy aspects of Surrey’s season so far, there is good reason why few cricketers in history have combined opening the batting with being a frontline bowler.

After watching India bat through 160 overs, England were plunged into huge trouble in the closing stages of the second day as they lost three late wickets to close on 41 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ imposing 521 for 8 dec

The Report by David Hopps16-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball by ball detailsFile photo: On day two in Ahmedabad, Cheteshwar Pujara made his first Test double hundred (ESPNcricinfo is not carrying live pictures due to curbs on the media)•Associated Press

After the certainty of Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten double century for India, England’s fallibility against spin bowling was even more painful for them to bear. India have plotted turning pitches, they opened the bowling with a spinner and in 18 overs of gathering mayhem struck three times in the closing phase of the second day. Initial evidence at least suggests that England’s Asian nightmare is about to continue.One of those three wickets was a nightwatchman – Jimmy Anderson, who prodded the left-arm spinner, Pragyan Ojha to short leg – but that was small consolation for England. Nick Compton batted reasonably securely on debut until R Ashwin, who had opened the bowling, found sharp turn to bowl him through the gate. Jonathan Trott also fell to Ashwin for a fourth-ball duck, a cast-iron push forward and another catch at short leg off bat and pad.What a contrast this was with what had passed earlier. England knew little of Pujara before the series: a bit of a recce in a warm-up match, a few shots watched on a laptop, a provisional theory or two about how best to get him out and a worried expression or two from statisticians unable to deliver megabytes of data.England know lots more about Pujara now. When India declared, to leave England 18 overs before the close of the second day, Pujara had batted in accomplished fashion for more eight-and-a-half hours. But they still do not have much idea how to get him out. Not on low, ponderous surfaces like this, at any rate.When Jimmy Anderson took the first wicket by an England seamer, in the 158th over, there was an emotional argument for throwing the laptops in the skip, but England’s management stared into them with the staunch, glassy-eyed futility of a touring party under enormous pressure.The scorecard showed them that Graeme Swann, valiantly bearing an onerous responsibility as England’s only specialist spinner, had maintained an immaculate line, bowling in traditional offspinner’s style, to finish with 5 for 144. Swann added one more wicket on the second day, bowling MS Dhoni behind his legs, a deflection off a glove as he tried to sweep.Pujara’s progress will have had the connoisseurs purring. He played in stately and composed manner, producing a masterpiece of strategic thinking. Rahul Dravid has retired to England’s relief and they have walked straight into another India batsman with an insatiable appetite for batting. It is understandable how to an Indian eye he might occasionally resemble VVS Laxman, but his mindset is pure Dravid. He bats more elegantly but, like Dravid, has no need for flourish or frippery. The man himself, looking on from the commentary box, could not fail to be mightily impressed.

Smart stats

• Cheteshwar Pujara’s 206 is his highest Test score surpassing the 159 he made against New Zealand in Hyderabad in 2012. It is also the first double-century for India against England since Rahul Dravid’s 217 at The Oval in 2002.

• India’s total of 521 is their tenth 500-plus total against England overall and their fourth against England in home Tests. The previous 500-plus total at home came in Mumbai in 1993.

• The 130-run stand between Pujara and Yuvraj Singh is the fifth-highest fifth-wicket stand in Tests in Ahmedabad.

• R Ashwin is now the joint fourth-fastest bowler to reach the 50-wicket mark in Tests (nine Tests) and the fastest Indian bowler to reach the mark going past Anil Kumble (ten Tests).

• Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul is his fifth in the subcontinent. His tally of 58 wickets in ten Tests is the second-highest for an England spinner in the subcontinent.

Swann apart, for England there was no encouragement. The ball refused to deviate, in the air or off the ground, for a hard-pressed seam attack as India’s first innings moved inexorably forward. After the Sehwag-fuelled start on the first day, India ground on, their rate slowing. By the declaration, they had added a further 198 at 2.82 runs per over. It was a day in which India’s domination was not expressed noisily but seeped into England’s consciousness.Pujara had rounded off the first day by driving Jimmy Anderson crisply through mid-off for four, a satisfying finale, but one which left him on 98 not out. England sensed an opportunity.Stuart Broad allowed him a comfortable leg-side single to move to 99, and hammed up a vociferous lbw appeal for a ball pitching outside leg; Swann bowled an intelligent maiden. But he picked off another single in Broad’s next over to reach his second Test hundred and celebrated with a quiet air of contentment. When he later reached 200 by steering Anderson past gully, the crowd were ecstatic at the success of one of Gujurat’s own, but Pujara struck you as the sort of level-headed man who does not dance easily in company.His innings, characterised by subtle placement and a sober mind, was a model of restraint and orthodoxy. How England must regret Anderson’s inexplicable misjudgement when Pujara was 8, dashing forward too far at mid-on as he misjudged the flight of Pujara’s leading edge against Tim Bresnan. The decline in England’s fielding has been marked for some time and, as Anderson showed again, it is afflicting both the best and the worst.The most romantic story of all failed to materialise. Yuvraj Singh made a successful return to Test cricket after treatment for cancer, but there was no comeback century, that hope ending when he was unhinged by a groin-high full toss which he whacked obligingly down to long on in the fourth over of the afternoon. Patel had the good grace to look sheepish.Yuvraj entertained, though. His skip down the pitch to strike Swann straight for six was the shot of the morning and was followed by a sweep that fell short of six by inches. Fifteen came from the over; if India broke Swann, England really were in trouble. They never did, but Yuvraj, as a left-hander, had an appetite for Patel, an inconsequential second spinner. His place at No. 6 is justified by his adroitness against spin but, in this Test, his own left-arm slows look slightly round-arm and unthreatening.

Virat Kohli has said India have been playing good cricket from the one-day series in England and were confident ahead of the ODI in Hyderabad

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2011India’s 126-run win against England in Hyderabad was a dramatic turnaround after they had been battered by the same opposition all summer, but Virat Kohli said they had been playing good cricket from the one-day series in England. Rather than any drastic change in approach, Kohli said it was the fact that the team had continued to stay positive through the 0-3 loss in the ODIs in England that allowed them to win the game.”I think we played really well in the ODIs in England,” Kohli said. “It was just a matter of crossing the line which we couldn’t do there. Unfortunately, a few times we had rain and Duckworth/Lewis coming in at the wrong time, though we can’t really blame that. We fought hard through that series and kept our heads high; and that probably made the difference in this first game here.”India were also helped by home conditions in Hyderabad and Kohli said the spinners would be the key through the series. The second ODI, on Monday, is at Kohli’s home ground – the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, where the pitch had been quite inconsistent during the IPL in April-May.”This pitch has always been on the slower side and there isn’t much bounce,” Kohli said. “Apparently it’s improved from before. You might not see too much bounce but it should be better than before.”In Hyderabad, it was slow and it spun, and the spinners did well. That’s our strength and we would like to exploit it as much as we can. The spinners know the conditions in India really well; it’s about them expressing their skills and if they get it right it’s very difficult to tackle them on Indian wickets.”England lost six wickets to the spinners in Hyderabad, and though they had more than a week in India to prepare for the series, Jade Dernbach says they are still adjusting to conditions. “Conditions here are very different from what we experience back home,” he said. “We have just got to adapt; we can’t use the different pitches as an excuse. We know what to expect and have had good preparation for ten days.”The pitch does play a part in how quickly I bowl, and how much pace I take off the ball for the slower ones. If the pitch is very slow, then obviously you get a lot more pace taken off if you bowl a slower ball, so it gives the batsman a bit more time to see it. Those are the things you have to adapt to in terms of deciding what variations to use, and you also have to consider boundary sizes and other things.”After the first one-dayer, MS Dhoni had said that while the pitches would help the spinners, the possibility of dew could play a big role in the series, as that would affect the spinners’ ability to grip the ball. “There will be some dew here in the winter,” Kohli said. “The team batting second will also have an advantage as the wicket will settle down. This is my home ground but I have played just two games here this year so I’ll have to see what happens in the match tomorrow.”England’s coach Andy Flower admitted his side had been out-fielded by India in the first ODI, something he said did not happen often. India have a young squad for the one-day series with several senior players missing, and Kohli said there had been a concerted effort to raise the standard of fielding.”We have started to warm-up for practice sessions with fielding now. It’s a daily routine though it’s left up to the individuals how much time they want to spend on fielding practice. Whenever you have time before nets or after practice, you go and put some time in on fielding.”All of us are trying to improve as a fielding unit because it makes a huge difference if you can save 10-15 runs in the first ten overs. It sends the opposition a message and from then on they are wary of taking you on for an extra run. It’s enjoyable fielding at home because you have 60,000 people backing you. If you are feeling a bit off one day the crowd lifts you. You can’t really teach someone to enjoy fielding as it comes from within.”

Rest of India continued to dominate against Mumbai, dismissing them for 274 to take a huge first-innings lead

The Bulletin by Abhishek Purohit03-Oct-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Wasim Jaffer was the only Mumbai batsman to offer some resistance•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rest of India continued to dominate against Mumbai, dismissing them for 274, but chose not to enforce the follow-on and extended their lead to 439 at stumps on the third day in Jaipur. Jaidev Unadkat and Piyush Chawla picked up seven wickets between them, as only Wasim Jaffer resisted for Mumbai with a half-century. There were only two partnerships of any substance for the Ranji Trophy champions – one between Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane for the second wicket, and another one for the ninth wicket between Iqbal Abdulla and Dhawal Kulkarni.Yuvraj Singh came in ahead of S Badrinath at the fall of Shikhar Dhawan’s wicket in the second innings, and survived a few close calls to remain unbeaten on 10.The difference between the two seam attacks was obvious in the morning when Unadkat, Abhimanyu Mithun and a largely erratic Umesh Yadav – all of whom were much quicker than Kulkarni and Usman Malvi – made the Mumbai batsmen hurry their shots.One pacy short delivery from Unadkat made Sushant Marathe top-edge a pull to mid wicket in the fourth over of the day, to provide the initial breakthrough. That brought Rahane – who had made an unbeaten century against the Australians in the tour game in Chandigarh a week ago – to the middle. He dominated the 75-run stand with Jaffer, driving and punching through the off side for boundaries at will. At 103 for 1, and both batsmen going strong, Mumbai looked like they, too, would prosper in good batting conditions. But Rahane, on 41, hit R Ashwin straight to midwicket where Badrinath pulled of a brilliant diving catch.Three overs later, Chawla foxed Abhishek Nayar – who came in ahead of Rohit Sharma – with a googly to claim a simple caught-and-bowled off the leading edge. Four overs later, he bowled Rohit with a delivery that pitched on leg, turned across the face of the bat, and took the off bail. From 103 for 1, Mumbai had slumped to 124 for 4.Jaffer was left to wage a lone battle, getting behind the line and playing late, but driving and lofting when the opportunity presented itself. He scored most of his runs through midwicket and mid-on, but also drove elegantly through extra cover. However, once he was caught at first slip off Chawla after lunch for 71, trying to guide a full delivery to third man, Mumbai were staring at a follow-on situation.Though Abdulla and Kulkarni resisted briefly with a 70-run partnership after Mumbai had collapsed to 200 for 8, Unadkat returned to run through the tail, finishing with 4 for 41. He used the quick short delivery to good effect, getting three of his four wickets through catches off top-edged pulls. Chawla had earlier displayed his entire repertoire, flighting the ball, getting it to turn and bounce, and making judicious use of the googly.Despite the 394-run cushion, Yuvraj chose to bat again and Rest of India raced to 45 off 10.1 overs for the loss of Dhawan, who was out early to a short ball from Kulkarni.

A round-up of the second day’s action from the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff16-Dec-2009

Group A

Rohit Sharma sent the national selectors a strong message•K Sivaraman

Scorecard
Mumbai’s bats have continued to make headlines this season, but none more sensational than Rohit Sharma. “There are several batsmen who score a hundred on a given day in Ranji cricket. I need to continue and score and a really big knock to stand out,” Rohit told the after he batted himself to 145 on day one at the Brabourne Stadium. A day later Rohit walked the talk with the first triple-century of his career, an unbeaten 309 from 322 deliveries, that formed the fulcrum of a massive first-innings total, leaving a weary Gujarat facing a mountain to climb.Rohit was a hulk on the second day on a flat track, extending his overnight stand with Sushant Marathe (144) to 342. Marathe’s dismissal was followed by two wickets, but Vinayak Samant chipped in with an unbeaten 50 to further torment Gujarat in Rohit’s company. Rohit, whose previous best was 205, outdid that by some distance, hitting 36 fours and four sixes. Four of seven bowlers carried the burden of the bowling attack against an enormous innings, and it was legspinner Salil Yadav who leaked the most runs: 201 in 50 overs for one wicket. The bowlers even resorted to a negative line but Rohit was batting on a whole different level.”After hitting the first ball for four I felt like I could continue to bat like yesterday,” he told reporters after the day’s play. “The track was good and I knew it would be more easy for me once Gujarat opts for the new ball. I just wanted to take it ball by ball. I was prepared to play my natural game even if I get out. But after crossing 200 I didn’t want to take a chance.”
Scorecard
Hyderabad’s chances of avoiding relegation to the Plate League next season took a beating on day two against Tamil Nadu at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. They pressed on from 269 for 4 to 347, with Anoop Pai scoring 51, but a mute performance with the ball let them down majorly. Tamil Nadu’s openers Srikanth Anirudha (70) and Abhinav Mukund (66*) put on 96 after which Arun Karthik came out and made an unbeaten 49 to help Mukund get the score to 189 for 1. If Hyderabad get three points via a first-innings lead, they could equal Himachal Pradesh but the latter have one outright victory. It’s not looking too bright for Hyderabad.
Scorecard
A brisk 144 from Orissa’s Halhadar Das gave the visitors a 191 first-innings lead over Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, which was reduced to 144 by stumps. Resuming day two on 55 for 2, Orissa were boosted by Halhadar’s 155-ball effort and 53 from Niranjan Behera to put up 316. Halhadar tucked into the attack with gusto, adding 90 with Behera, and hit 20 fours and three sixes. Mohinder Sharma, with 5 for 102, carried Himachal Pradesh’s attack with determination. They then reached 47 for 2 at the close with defeat looming large.
Scorecard
Two wickets before stumps on day two at the Karnail Singh Stadium denied Punjab the day’s honours. Railways had been boosted from 191 for 6 to 276 thanks to Karan Sharma’s unbeaten 59 from the No. 8 spot, against a six-wicket haul from young Rahul Sharma. Punjab then made a good start after an early wicket, through Mayank Sharma (54) and Sunny Sohal (30), but Railways pegged them back. Murali Kartik, Railways’ captain, snapped up Sohal, after which Sidhana and Uday Kaul put together 86. From 123 for 2, however, Punjab lost Sidhana and Pankaj Dharmani for 0 in the space of three overs in the last hour of play.

Group B

ScorecardA second day of bat-powered domination allowed Bengal to tighten their grip over Delhi at the Jadavpur University Ground. Delhi’s hopes of running into the lower order and aiding their chances of claiming the needed first-innings lead
were given a boost when Pradeep Sangwan dismissed Wriddhiman Saha for 120 to snap a 249-run stand, but in walked Bengal’s captain, Laxmi Shukla. Shukla eased himself in alongside Sourav Ganguly, and by the time the former India captain went for 150, followed by Saurashis Lahiri for 0, Shukla was firm. Ashok Dinda, back after making his first India appearance, made 41 and with Shukla carried Bengal close to 500. Shukla was last out for 132 from 137 balls. Bengal were further lifted by veteran workhorse Ranadeb Bose, who took out Delhi’s openers in his first 19 deliveries. Aditya Jain and Mithun Manhas put on 50 before stumps, leaving Delhi with much to do on day three.
Scorecard
A pair of centuries from two experienced players helped Baroda claim the second day’s honours in Pune. Baroda batted the entire day, moving from a 277-run deficit into a small lead and with it vital points, thanks to Connor Williams’ 18th ton and Shatrunjay Gaekwad’s maiden ton. Williams, in his 115th game, hit 129 and Gaekwad, son of former India opener Anshuman, made a patient 103. They put on 214 for the third wicket. Baroda lost two wickets in relative succession following Williams’ exit and will look to a vigilant Gaekwad for more.
Scorecard
Ganesh Satish’s second first-class century rallied Karnataka to a strong total on day two in Rajkot. From 45 from 41 balls overnight, Satish pressed on to 120, adding 125 for the fourth wicket with Amit Verma (68). Satish’s dismissal at 250 for 5 was followed by a century stand between Manish Pandey (55) and his captain Robin Uthappa (62 from 56 balls)as Karnataka put up 384. For Saurashtra, spinner Vishal Joshi picked up 4 for 77 and was supported by Kamlesh Makvana’s 3 for 82. The home side was given a good opening stand in the 16 overs remaining in the day, with Chirag Pathak dominating, but Saurashtra face a tough third day.

Henry and Nathan Smith dismantled Zimbabwe before Conway and Young completed a perfect day for the visitors

Firdose Moonda30-Jul-2025New Zealand 92 for 0 (Conway 51*, Young 41*) trail Zimbabwe 149 (Ervine 39, Henry 6-39, Smith 3-20) by 57 runsMatt Henry’s 6 for 39 scythed through Zimbabwe, who were bowled out for their lowest total in seven innings and second-lowest in 2025, and their lead has already been reduced to just 57 runs by the end of the first day. New Zealand wiped off 92 of the 149 runs in the 26 overs they faced and hold the advantage in all departments. Their batting was solid and bowling was incisive where Zimbabwe’s has not been throughout their last few home Tests.Henry took wickets with the new and old ball, with full and short deliveries, and followed up perfectly from finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the T20I tri-series. He was well supported by Nathan Smith, who picked up 3 for 20 in his third Test. Those figures do justice to bowlers that had the batters completely confounded with subtle changes in line and length.Related

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According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, Zimbabwe edged 22 deliveries in total, and had a control percentage of just 68.8%. Only two Zimbabwe batters, Craig Ervine and Tafadzwa Tsiga, got past 30 and both were dropped before they had reached 20. They also shared in Zimbabwe’s best partnership: a sixth-wicket stand of 54. New Zealand have already surpassed that with their opening pair.New Zealand’s threat was apparent from the outset as they found the edge six times in the first three overs, which ended with the opening wicket. Brian Bennett – who inside-edged the first ball of the match, then edged one just out of the reach from short leg and then got four as another edge went between gully and the cordon – stayed back to a slightly fuller ball from Henry and this time, the edge flew to Will Young at third slip. Ben Curran, his opening partner, went the same way but only after Henry had changed angles to go around the wicket in his fourth over.Sean Williams was fortunate not to run out Nick Welch when he got off the mark with a single that chanced Mitchell Santner’s arm, but could not find any fortune against Smith. He tried to steer past third and inside-edged onto his stumps to leave Zimbabwe in a mess at 31 for 3 after the first hour.Nathan Smith took three wickets and offered good support to Matt Henry•Zimbabwe Cricket

Welch and captain Craig Ervine used up deliveries and time but did not get many runs for most of the second hour. It took Ervine 23 balls to get off the mark, and he did it with a push past mid-off off Will O’Rourke.Santner, captaining in place of the injured Tom Latham, brought himself on in the 20th over and the introduction of spin allowed Welch to get comfortable. He swept both Santner and Michael Bracewell, who he also reverse-swept for three boundaries in nine balls to get Zimbabwe over 50. But his fun only lasted until Henry was brought back. Welch edged the second ball of the fast bowler’s second spell to second slip to send Zimbabwe to lunch on 67 for 4.Henry completed his over after the break with the wicket of Sikandar Raza, who tried to take on the short ball but gloved it high for Tom Blundell to take a simple catch. Henry could have had Tsiga in his next over but the edge fell short. Tsiga got his own back when he flicked Henry off his pads for four and then drove Smith down the ground to show his range.Ervine was on 18 when he offered Smith a return catch but it hit him on the boot. Nine overs later, Tsiga could have been O’Rourke’s first of the match when he cut him to gully but Devon Conway put it down. Ervine brought up the 50-run stand with a well-timed punch down the ground for four.The pair looked like taking Zimbabwe to tea without further damage but it was not to be. Ervine was given out lbw when he missed a flick off Smith, though the ball seemed to be sliding down leg. With no DRS in place, he could not review. Tsiga was also out lbw, when he was beaten on the inside edge and hit on the back leg in what seemed a better decision. At tea, Zimbabwe were 138 for 7.Devon Conway and Will Young gave Zimbabwe a solid start•Zimbabwe Cricket

Henry took his fifth with a snorter, short and aimed at Newman Nyamhuri’s head. He ducked and the ball took the shoulder of his bat and was caught, again, by Young. Vincent Masekesa was run out after his partner Blessing Muzarabani did not respond to his call for a single and he had to make his way back to the striker’s end. Muzarabani only lasted into the next over, when he got a leading edge off Henry and was caught by Santner at cover to give Henry his sixth. Zimbabwe were bowled out inside 61 overs.If they gave the impression run-scoring was difficult, New Zealand swiftly dispelled the notion. They raced to 40 without loss in the first ten overs when Young hit a short, wide Muzarabani ball for four and Conway took three boundaries off Tanaka Chivanga’s fourth over: a cut, a drive and a pull.Zimbabwe had their best chance when Nyamhuri, in his second over, appealed for lbw against Young when he hit him on the boot with a yorker but it was given not out.New Zealand brought up their 50 off Nyamhuri when Conway cut him for four in the 14th over. Nyamhuri continued to cause problems for New Zealand and hit Conway on the knee – too high for lbw, but enough to cause some pain. Conway continued and reached his half-century off 83 balls with a single of Raza in the penultimate over of the day. Young is nine runs away from his and with the pitch showing few signs of bother and Zimbabwe already using the spinners, both will eye going bigger on the second day.

Australia allrounder will arrive in late May and be available throughout Blast group stage

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2024Surrey have signed Australia allrounder Aaron Hardie for a two-month spell that will encompass the Vitality Blast group stage and three rounds of the County Championship.Hardie, who had a short stint with Surrey in 2022, will arrive ahead of the Championship fixture against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl from May 24. Surrey will also play Hampshire in their Blast opener on May 30, with the group stage running until late July either side of a break for back-to-back Championship games against Worcestershire and Essex.”It’s great to have Aaron back at the Kia Oval as his character and all round skills in both red and white ball cricket will be an excellent addition to our squad,” Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said. “He already knows our dressing room from his time with us in 2022 and I’m very confident he will show everyone why he is so highly regarded in Australia.”Related

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Hardie, 25, has been capped four times in ODIs and six times in T20Is and was the third-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded Big Bash League. He was called up as cover for Australia’s ongoing T20I series West Indies and Surrey will hope that he remains off the radar ahead of the T20 World Cup, which takes place in the Caribbean and USA in June.Although Hardie only made four appearances for Surrey in 2022, he played a role in their Championship success, hitting the winning runs against Yorkshire after a match-turning 81-run stand in the fourth innings at Scarborough.Hardie said: “I’m stoked to come back to Surrey this summer. I loved my time at the Club in 2022 and got a real sense of what it means to wear the Three Feathers. I’m ready to chip in and support the team with bat or ball and do my bit in trying to bring more success to south London.”His arrival will come at the back end of Kemar Roach’s spell, with the West Indies quick having signed for the first seven rounds of the Championship season.