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Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, is targetting a strong finish to the ODI series after his team won the fourth match by five wickets in Kimberley

Firdose Moonda in Kimberley21-Jan-2012What if Tillakaratne Dilshan had come good more than just once in the Tests and in the four ODIs so far? What if Sri Lanka’s bowlers had been able to take 4 for 47 in one of the previous matches as well? What if their fielders had shown the commitment they did in Kimberley throughout?Then, according to Dilshan, “the last match could have been a final.” Instead, the corpse of the series will travel to Johannesburg. However, Sri Lanka’s steady improvement in each game promises a contest worthy of more than dead-rubber status, and if they can further redeem their reputation at the Wanderers it will take some pressure off the team, which will return home to face the possibility of a change of regime.”We need to finish strongly,” Dilshan said after his team chased 300 with five wickets in hand and eight balls to spare. “A 3-2 result will be a fantastic effort, but we have to play well. We can’t relax because South Africa are a good team and they are playing well. We know we are capable, and knew we could do much better than the first game.”Dilshan probably has the most at stake. Whispers are becoming louder that his term as captain, which runs until the end of the tour of South Africa, will not be extended and that he may be dropped from the team after a string of poor performances and badly judged dismissals. Through the tour, however, the Sri Lankan camp has used the same excuse when asked about Dilshan’s poor form – that when he fires, the fireworks are worth the wait.In Kimberley, Dilshan showed why people were willing to wait. He recorded his highest score of the ODI series – a run-a-ball 87 – and looked good for many more. After two ducks and an uncharacteristically watchful 33 in the first three games, Dilshan was himself again.”It feels good to score some runs, but it’s a bit late,” Dilshan said, unable to hide his regret. “The pitch was really good and when Upul [Tharanga] got out, I took a few chances because we were chasing 300. I just played my own game. After the Dilscoop went for six, I got more confident.”Dilshan brought out his signature shot off Vernon Philander’s second ball. It sailed over the fine-leg boundary and the ease with which Dilshan conducted the rest of his innings was noticeable.He took the bullishness of his innings to the press conference as well and, for the first time, defended his leadership with some aggression. “I am not listening to the news, anyone can write anything,” he said. “I want to finish this series because they [the selectors] appointed me for the South Africa tour. It’s up to them if I carry on. I am waiting for their call. I’m still enjoying my captaincy.”Although Dilshan has not led Sri Lanka to a single Test or ODI series win during his tenure since the World Cup, he said he had achieved other goals for the country, among them blooding the next generation at enormous self-sacrifice.”The main thing is that I want to see youngsters performing for Sri Lanka. I have done everything for my country. When they wanted me to keep wicket, I did it. When they wanted me to bat at No. 1, I did it. When they want me to bat at No. 6, I do it. These are the last few years of my international career and I want to finish strongly. After another few years I can sit and watch these youngsters do these things for Sri Lanka.”One of the most promising youngsters to have emerged under Dilshan’s captaincy is Dinesh Chandimal, who has been the shining light of Sri Lanka’s ODI series. Dilshan has talked up the 22-year old and, after Chandimal scored 59 in Kimberley, had more praise for the young man. “He is improving in every single game and learning in every game. He will have a long career and I think he will become one of the best cricketers in the world.”Sri Lanka’s Man of the Match in the fourth ODI was Thisara Perera, another youngster who has started to flourish. Dilshan sent him in at No. 6, ahead of Angelo Mathews, and Perera responded with a match-winning 69 off 44 balls, hitting a flurry of sixes to take Sri Lanka past the target.”We thought we would give him an opportunity because he hits the ball hard,” Dilshan said. “Even his mis-hits can clear the boundary easily. He grabbed the opportunity well.”Sri Lanka’s last opportunities will present themselves in Johannesburg. What if Sri Lanka are able to take every one of them?

A round-up of the action from the third day of matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2012West ZoneYusuf Pathan and Ajit Agarkar made steady comebacks to domestic cricket after having stayed away since November for different reasons. Yusuf made 30 off 57 deliveries and Agarkar took two late wickets as Mumbai beat Baroda by four wickets at Wankhede Stadium. Ambati Rayudu (69) was the only Baroda batsman to make a substantial score after Mumbai chose to field. Dhawal Kulkarni did the early damage with two strikes. Rayudu and Yusuf were involved in a slow 63-run partnership but Ankeet Chavan bowled Yusuf for the first of his three wickets as Baroda collapsed from 122 for 3 to be bowled out for 183. Despite Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer departing early, Mumbai’s chase was steadied by Sushant Marathe (55) and Abhishek Nayar (38) who took them past 100. Suryakumar Yadav finished the job with an unbeaten 38 in the company of Agarkar – now the Mumbai captain after not having played since being left out of the playing XI for the Ranji Trophy game against Orissa in November.Kedar Jadhav blazed an unbeaten hundred to set up Maharashtra’s 43-run win over Gujarat at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in Mumbai. Maharashtra were reduced to 6 for 2 by Amit Singh after choosing to bat but Rohit Motwani (71) and Ankit Bawne (52) revived their side. Salil Yadav removed the duo off successive deliveries to make it 131 for 4. Jadhav and Nikhil Paradkar took the game away from Gujarat with an unbeaten 199-run partnership that came at close to nine runs an over. Jadhav took just 68 balls for his 107 while Paradkar made 87 off 70. Priyank Panchal kept Gujarat’s chase going with a breezy century. Niraj Patel chipped in with 64 as he added 114 with Panchal. Samad Fallah bowled Niraj and the rest of the line-up could not last for long. Panchal’s dismissal for 129 off 113 made it 258 for 7 and Gujarat were bowled out for 287, Fallah taking the last wicket to finish with 4 for 48.North ZoneDelhi hammered Punjab by 135 runs at Feroz Shah Kotla. They shrugged off the loss of three quick wickets to post 265 for 5 and then blew Punjab away for 130. Puneet Bisht, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia made half-centuries. While Manhas (60) and Bisht (73) repaired the innings, Bhatia smashed an unbeaten 60 off 38 deliveries to lift Delhi past 250. Parvinder Awana sliced through the Punjab top order and the visitors never recovered from 31 for 3. India offspinner Harbhajan Singh, who had figures of 0 for 38 with the ball, top-scored with 36 off 29 but Punjab lasted only 32 overs to lose heavily.Services won a low-scoring game narrowly against Jammu & Kashmir by 14 runs at the Palam A Ground in Delhi. Services had a poor outing with the bat with no batsman making more than 29 as they managed 187. Their lower order did well to get even that much from 133 for 7. J&K had a worse start to their chase and were 38 for 4 at one stage. Hardeep Singh kept them in the hunt with a fifty but once he departed with the score on 146, Services terminated the innings on 173, with 33 deliveries still left.Sachin Rana led with a century as Haryana comfortably got past Himachal Pradesh at the Palam B Ground in Delhi. Rana made 110 off 105 to take Himachal to 291 for 7. Rana got support from Sunny Singh (42) and Rahul Dewan (54). Rishi Dhawan had 4 for 64 but that didn’t deter Haryana from posting a stiff total. Himachal were never in the chase and lost wickets regularly to be dismissed for 212, with Kuldeep Hooda taking 3 for 27.East ZoneAssam defeated Orissa by six wickets at Eden Gardens with Govind Podder’s maiden List A century in vain. Podder made 136 off 121 to lift Orissa from 46 for 3. Biplab Samantray (43) was the only batsman to support Podder for a while. Podder struck 16 boundaries and was ninth out as Orissa were dismissed for 258 with Gokul Sharma taking 4 for 31. Dheeraj Jadhav (77) began strongly for Assam with Sibsankar Roy (56) also making a decent contribution. R Sathish brought up the win with an unbeaten 44 off 28.Jharkhand completed a tight chase against Tripura winning by three wickets in the last over at the Jadavpur University Complex in Kolkata. Ishank Jaggi made 63 to rescue the tottering innings from 44 for 3. Rana Dutta, who took 4 for 47, reduced Jharkhand to 168 for 6 but Deepak Chougule steered them home with an unbeaten fifty. Half-centuries from Samrat Singha and Nirupam Sen Chowdhary had earlier taken Tripura to 236 for 9.

Andrew McDonald and Jayde Herrick kept Victoria’s hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final alive as the Bushrangers strangled the New South Wales batting line-up on the first day in Melbourne

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2012
ScorecardAndrew McDonald finished with 3 for 8 from 14 overs•Getty ImagesAndrew McDonald and Jayde Herrick kept Victoria’s hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final alive as the Bushrangers strangled the New South Wales batting line-up on the first day in Melbourne. Steven Smith scored 86 for the Blues, who were dismissed late in the day for 208, and by stumps Victoria head reached 1 for 22 with Rob Quiney on 7 and nightwatchman Jon Holland on 2.They had lost Chris Rogers for 9 to the bowling of the debutant Chris Tremain, but Victoria would be pleased with their efforts on the opening day. They need at least two points from the game to have any hope of making the final and although an outright win would give them a much better chance, their fate also rests on the results of the other two matches this round.William Sheridan struck two early blows when he got rid of Phillip Hughes for 22 and Nic Maddinson (19), who was caught behind by the part-time wicketkeeper Peter Handscomb. Victoria had taken the risk of playing Handscomb behind the stumps in an effort to strengthen their batting, leaving out the more regular wicketkeeper Ryan Carters.Handscomb dropped a catch early but gloved two throughout the innings, including Usman Khawaja off the bowling of Herrick, who took 3 for 50. But it was McDonald whose bowling really increased the pressure on the Blues as he sent down 14 overs, including nine maidens, and collected 3 for 8.

Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers have gone joint-top of the ICC Test batsmen rankings after Kumar Sangakkara slipped from the spot

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2012Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers have gone joint-top of the ICC Test batsmen rankings after Kumar Sangakkara slipped from the spot due to a poor return in the Galle Test. Sangakkara, who had been on top of the rankings for four months, had scores of 0 and 14 in Galle, costing him 37 rating points and three places. Jacques Kallis, who was second in the rankings, also lost points, after missing the Wellington Test, meaning Clarke, who had moved to third after his outstanding series against India, moved to the No. 1 spot. de Villiers joined him there after a couple of important half-centuries in South Africa’s series against New Zealand.Not surprisingly, Vernon Philander has stormed into the top ten in the bowlers rankings, after taking 21 wickets in three Tests in New Zealand and becoming the second fastest bowler to 50 Test wickets. That means South Africa now have all their three frontline fast bowlers in the top ten, with Dale Steyn still leading the rankings and Morne Morkel in tenth place. Also moving into the top ten is Rangana Herath, who, in Galle, took the first 12-wicket match-haul in a Test since Jason Krejza’s in 2008.After losing in Galle, England must win against Sri Lanka in Colombo to retain their No. 1 ranking. Anything less would see South Africa claim the No. 1 spot. If England lose in Colombo, it would open the door for Australia to overtake them, though they would need to beat West Indies 3-0 to do it.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals in Kolkata

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya12-Apr-2012Match factsFriday, April 13 , Kolkata
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Owais Shah has had a good run•AFPBig PictureJust into the second week of the IPL, the Rajasthan Royals take on Kolkata Knight Riders for the second time this season. The Knight Riders lost that contest, their second in a row, but recovered to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in comprehensive fashion.The Royals, since then, lost to Mumbai Indians, and the teams have endured contrasting fortunes after their previous meeting. The Royals perhaps miscalculated by playing Brad Hogg in their defeat to Mumbai instead of Brad Hodge and then conceding 197. The Knight Riders had their top order back in touch in their win against Royal Challengers, after being dismissed cheaply in their loss to the Royals. The Knight Riders may have more confidence on their side this time, and home support to back it up.Players to watchWhile Ajinkya Rahane has impressed at the top, Owais Shah has proved highly reliable in the middle order for the Royals with scores of 14*, 23* and 76 – the last one included five sixes – and an admirable average of 35.28 in the shortest format.As he was for his former team, the Royals, in the first three seasons, Yusuf Pathan is a key member of the Knight Riders side but has failed to fire so far. With 16 runs in three innings and nothing to show for with the ball, his side needs him to step up quickly.2011 head-to-headThe teams played each other back to back in the IPL last year, with Knight Riders winning each time. Jacques Kallis and Gautam Gambhir scored unbeaten half-centuries to help their side chase down 160 to win by nine wickets in Jaipur, and a collective bowling effort led by L Balaji skittled out the Royals for 85 two days later at Eden Gardens.Stats and triviaGambhir has struck 187 fours in the five seasons of the IPL, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 219. Kallis is fourth on the list, with 177.Knight Riders have won 28 and lost 35 of their IPL games. Fifteen of those wins have come at home (they’ve played 28 games in all at Eden Gardens). Quotes”This was the best spell that I have ever seen in a Twenty20 competition.”
.”This is the first time I’ve had much of a chance, this is the first time I’ve played in an IPL team. I actually feel like I’m having a proper run in a side now.”

The intricacies of the system used to recalculate run targets in rain-affected one-day matches are unfathomable to most people

David Hopps30-May-2012The intricacies of the system used to recalculate run targets in rain-affected one-day matches are unfathomable to most people, but the ICC’s cricket committee must grapple with the subject at Lord’s over the next two days when it is presented with an alternative to the dreaded D/L method which has been adopted in international cricket in the past 15 years.The Battle of the Rain Gods might not quite rival the best of Greek mythology – Hollywood is not yet thought to be interested – but it does not lack importance. A World Cup could one day depend on the outcome.On one side are two reserved statisticians from Lytham St Annes, a peaceful seaside resort on the Lancashire coast, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, whose system has benefited from an ever-increasing amount of data and has gradually won acceptance in cricket circles as making the best of a bad job.On the other side is a persistent engineer from the southern Indian state of Kerala, V Jayadevan, who has had the audacity to challenge the established order by claiming that the D/L method “comprises several silly mistakes.”In its place, he proposes the alternative that he has worked on tirelessly for the past 15 years – the VJD method. VJD, to British minds at least, sounds disturbingly like the return of Mad Cow Disease, but Jayadevan insists that cricketing sanity is one of the advantages of his system, which has already been trialled in Indian domestic cricket and was also adopted in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League.The D/L system was eventually introduced in response to a farcical finish to England’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1992 when South Africa resumed after rain to find their target had been reduced to 21 runs from one ball.There is a sense that Jayadevan’s rival system is too much for the ICC to cope with. It took cricket officials years to respond to his letters. One set of rain rules was quite enough. But gradually Jayadevan, a deputy director in the Kerala Engineering and Research Institute*, won support, notably from the former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.And so, the ICC annual meeting in Hong Kong last June received his proposals and, doubtless with a grimace, passed them down to the cricket committee at Lord’s for their consideration. Dave Richardson, the ICC’s chief-executive-in-waiting, has indicated that they will be taken seriously. Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, chairs the committee and played in an era when the response to rain was to turn to the newspaper crossword and put your feet up.”I wish they get time to go through my views that bring out the anomalies in the D/L method,” Jayadevan has told India’s . “If the members read it, half the job is done.”The inherent fear of people for mathematics seems to have helped D/L method being questioned beyond a limit. The D/L system comprises several silly mistakes. But somehow it has managed to create an impression in the entire cricket community that it’s highly scientific.”The challenge for the ICC, and indeed the cricket public, is to go beyond nationalistic rivalries, judge the stringency of two complex systems and calculate the benefits they can bring to the game. There are differences and a few can be outlined in laymen’s terms.The battle between Duckworth and Lewis on one hand and Jayadevan on the other has been characterised as a battle between mathematics and engineering. The mathematician pins faith in the purity of the mathematical algorithm; the engineer is prepared to more emphasis on the evidence of what works. In other words, Jayadevan will adopt what one specialist called “intelligent use of trial and error” if it produces a better outcome.To add to the debate that is raging in statistical circles, the view is growing that Twenty20 behaves very differently from ODIs and requires its own separate tables.”Like in cricket, the ultimate result of a stroke is more important than how it is played,” Jayadevan said. “The most important point regarding the acceptability of a method is its reasonability to adjust targets in a truncated match, and here my system is far ahead. A majority of cricketers and officials are looking for a change and hence it makes sense to give an opportunity to VJD system at least for the next two years.”Both systems recalculate a rain-reduced target based on the number of overs faced and the number of wickets remaining – described as the “resources” still available. There are, however, key differences.Firstly, the D/L method relies upon a pure mathematical curve that assumes a team’s scoring rate accelerates throughout a team’s innings. Jayadevan argues that this is no longer the case because of fielding restrictions in the early overs which cause a rush of early scoring before mid-innings consolidation. His tables are adjusted empirically to take this into account. He even claims to take Powerplays into account.Secondly, and this is where it gets difficult, the D/L method relies upon a single curve which is used to make adjustments to the target. Jayadevan uses two curves: a normal curve to adjust runs already scored, and a target curve to adjust runs still to be scored. The normal curve takes note of both runs scored and wickets lost, but the target curve takes note of only runs remaining.The greater complexity of Jayadevan’s system is less of a problem than it once was. Both methods are computer-based. Calculations are no longer made on the back of an envelope. In theory at least, you can just key in the match details and await the printout.*08:30 GMT, May 31, 2012 The story has been edited to correct the name of Jayadevan’s institute

In the 2012-13 season, Kingsmead will be without its usual Boxing Day Test, breaking a tradition that has stood fairly firm since readmission in 1992

Firdose Moonda05-Jun-2012Kingsmead Stadium’s most defining feature is probably the Castle Corner. The beer garden on the grass bank furthest from the press box is one of the liveliest places to watch a cricket match. By contrast, the stands are one of the best places to catch a late afternoon brawl, if you are so inclined. The local joke is that no match is complete without at least one member of the crowd being hauled out by security. Few really know what for: too many samosas, too much spice, or too much spunk?Ok, you get it. There is nothing overly spectacular about Kingsmead. It’s just another cricket ground with a concrete face, bowels that have too many stairs and in summer, a cauldron of humidity and heat. That does not mean it isn’t a special place.Kingsmead is the ground on which Gary Kirsten spent hours chiselling out an innings of 275 to become the joint highest individual run-scorer for South Africa in 1999. It is the ground on which South Africa chased down a record score of 335 against Australia in 2002. Neither of those records stands anymore and Kingsmead too, has fallen.In the 2012-13 season, Kingsmead will be without its usual Boxing Day Test, breaking a tradition that has stood fairly firm since readmission in 1992. Worse than that, Kingsmead will not host a Test match at all in the coming summer. Instead, the five Tests have been spread out across other venues, with Newlands in charge of two of them, the Wanderers and Centurion being given their usual share of one each and St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, the recipient of the other. Kingsmead has not been forgotten entirely. It will host two Twenty20s and an ODI, giving it at least three days fewer than its usual allocation of a Test match and an ODI a season.”We are disappointed,” Jessie Chellan, chief executive of Kwa-Zulu Natal Cricket Board told ESPNcricinfo. “The one thing is that we are not getting the Boxing Day Test, which has become a tradition and has grown legs of its own. But we are also disappointed that we are not getting a Test at all.”Financial considerations are among the main reasons for the new schedule and the cancellation of the Boxing Day Test this summer. It is not a permanent change, rather a “trial of something different” over the holiday season, as South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee put it, and the Durban Boxing Day Test could well return to the calendar in future.But why the complete removal of Kingsmead as a Test venue? It’s not as though there aren’t enough matches to go around, with South Africa hosting five Tests. Rather, it seems as though the Durban stadium has been punished for a combination of poor crowds and poor results for the home side, which inevitably affect each other.South Africa have lost the last four Tests they have played at the ground, all of them after being bowled out cheaply in one of their innings. Kingsmead has never hosted the first match of a series and in the last two seasons, against India and Sri Lanka, South Africa have gone to the venue with a convincing first Test win. Against sub-continental teams, South Africa have often felt they are playing away in Durban, because of the large presence of supporters for the touring teams.Complacency, the seaming and swinging pitch, the presence of families with the team, have all been offered as excuses for the defeats in Durban. The one explanation never mentioned were the demons that sometimes exist in the mind of the South African team, who are haunted by mental issues ranging from the chokers tag in ICC events to their Durban jinx. The national side has shown a distinct dislike for Durban, choosing to stay north of the city in the beach town of Umhlanga instead of in the main hub, where the visiting teams are put up.

Irrespective of the ghosts that have come to linger over the Durban Test, the fixture has remained popular among fans and Chellan is saddened that it has been taken away. “For the last three years, we have been sold out on the first day of the Boxing Day Test,” he said. “Over the five days, yes, there has been a decline but whether that has to do with the popularity of Test cricket or the performances of the national team here, can be debated.”

Irrespective of the ghosts that have come to linger over the Durban Test, the fixture has remained popular among fans and Chellan is saddened that it has been taken away. “For the last three years, we have been sold out on the first day of the Boxing Day Test,” he said. “Over the five days, yes, there has been a decline but whether that has to do with the popularity of Test cricket or the performances of the national team here, can be debated.”Moosajee said that suggestions that a request was put in from the national side to avoid playing Tests at Kingsmead were not true. “As a professional team, they have to learn to play in all conditions,” he said. But, CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul admitted the team’s record there “was taken into consideration” when the schedule was decided. He added that Kingsmead would not be deprived of Tests in the long term. “It’s not to say that we won’t play Tests there again,” Faul said. “The board just thought this was the best decision for this season.”Perhaps that best decision was taken because New Zealand are considered a smaller team, who will not draw much interest, so CSA are happy to stick them in Port Elizabeth. Perhaps it is because they want to give the team time to learn to win at home again. After all, South Africa won their first Test series on home soil since 2008 against any team other than Bangladesh when they beat Sri Lanka earlier this year. Perhaps they just don’t know what to do with Durban, as a venue.Whatever it is, the team is “very happy,” with the decision. Moosajee said the team has welcomed the change. “It is disappointing not to be playing a Test there, because Kingsmead is a wonderful place to play cricket,” he said. “But we are looking forward to the change. It is a different concept to play a Twenty20 over the holiday period. For some of the guys it will also mean they can spend Christmas at home, which hasn’t happened for a long time.”Kingsmead will host one of those Twenty20s – on December 21 – and another in January. Chellan said that although it is too early to forecast whether the local board will profit from the change in schedule, but having two Twenty20s, instead of one “should have a positive effect on our bottom line.” Much will depend on advertising and suite holder interest which will only be determined at a later stage. And even if it does mean money, Chellan said Durban “would have still preferred to host a Test match.”

Jason Gillespie has praised Steve Harmison’s honesty with his new Yorkshire team-mates after a wicket-taking display against Derbyshire

Nigel Gardner at Chesterfield19-Jul-2012
ScorecardSteve Harmison has struggled for form and rhythm this season, leading to a loan switch to Yorkshire•Getty ImagesIt is not known if Steve Harmison harbours a secret desire to launch a career as a pop singer but Yorkshire’s first-team coach, Jason Gillespie, believes the former England paceman certainly has the X-factor.That was the reason, according to Gillespie, that Yorkshire took the decision to sign the 33-year-old on a month’s loan from Durham and it was presumably based on what he can do with a ball in his hand rather than a microphone.”We signed Steve for that X-factor and while the balls he got wickets with you wouldn’t class as classic deliveries, he got wickets and he’s that type of bowler,” Gillespie said of Harmison’s contribution on day one. “He finds a way to get wickets and he got three for none and really turned the game on its head.”He just came in and attacked and while he did spray the odd ball, he found ways to get wickets and that’s what we signed him for.”With Ryan Sidebottom injured and Mitchell Starc on Australia A duty, Yorkshire turned to Harmison to help them try to regain the Division One place they lost last season.Gillespie, of course, knows the havoc Harmison is capable of inflicting after the Durham man spearheaded England’s attack in 2005 to take the Ashes away from Australia. But seven years on Harmison has slipped out of international contention as well as a struggling Durham side, which cast doubts on Yorkshire’s wisdom in taking him to Headingley.His first outing against Hampshire last week was decidedly rusty and his opening spell in the match with Division Two leaders Derbyshire at Queen’s Park had even the most forgiving of Yorkshire folk shaking their heads. In three wild overs, Harmison leaked 27 runs, bowling five wides – one of which careered down the leg-side to the boundary – and two no-balls.Phil Jaques’ decision to take him off could have been viewed as an act of kindness but his move in restoring him to the attack 20 overs later proved to be inspired. In 11 balls, he took three wickets and even if he was assisted by some reckless batting, his jubilation and that of his new team-mates spoke volumes.”Steve spoke in the dressing room after the day’s play,” Gillespie said. “It was great to hear him say that, although the ball wasn’t coming out as well as he would have liked, what he was most pleased with was that he was continually getting the support from his team-mates who were backing him up and he got a lot of confidence from that.”He told all the boys in the dressing room that and I thought for a guy who has come to the club on loan with over 200 Test wickets and over 700 first class wickets, to acknowledge that he wasn’t at his best and he appreciated all the support of his team-mates, who he is still getting to know, I thought showed the character of the lad and the spirit in our dressing room.”Steve has had a frustrating season up at Durham, he hasn’t got the opportunities he’s wanted, the weather has wrecked havoc and Steve is very much a rhythm bowler.”He likes to bowl lots of overs and he’s a 100% trier. The more he bowls, the better he gets but it’s been a very stop-start season for bowlers all around the country who have struggled with that. But Steve especially needs that bowling, back to back, day to day, and we felt when we signed him that if we could get some overs under his belt he could possibly play an important role for us and I think yesterday showed the sort of things that can happen.”Further rain in the Chesterfield area meant that Harmison was denied a chance to continue his search for form on Thursday, as a wet outfield caused an abandonment. However, with two days left and both teams chasing promotion, Harmison still could play a key role for Yorkshire.”Steve was pretty chuffed on Wednesday night,” Gillespie said. “I said he’s got that X-factor and he finds ways to get wickets, seemingly from situations where you wonder ‘where is that wicket coming from’ but he just manages to do it and that’s one of the main reasons we got him on board.”We constantly talk with him – good communication is the key – to keep his spirits up, and he loves talking about the game. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have him regardless of what happens for the rest of the month. For us, it’s been absolutely worthwhile to sign him.”

The Sri Lanka Premier League will be broadcast to a global audience via Youtube, SLC president Upali Dharmadasa confirmed on Thursday, with all 24 matches to be streamed on an official SLPL channel

Andrew Fernando02-Aug-2012The Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) will be broadcast to a global audience via Youtube, SLC president Upali Dharmadasa confirmed on Thursday, with all 24 matches to be streamed on an official SLPL channel.The move to stream the tournament on Youtube had been initiated by Somerset Entertainment Ventures, who are handling the marketing and operations of the SLPL. “It was an idea that was brought to us, and we approved it because it gives the tournament the benefit of reaching more cricket fans around the world,” Dharmadasa said.ESPN Star Sports* hold the broadcast rights to the SLPL and will be screening the tournament in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as in a host of other South and South East Asian countries.The SLPL begins on August 11, and will see seven franchises competing over three weeks. The final is scheduled for August 31.*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

For all that spin bowling is considered an art involving guile and deception, India’s spinners took apart the New Zealand batting with the precision of surgeons combined with the calculations of mathematicians

The Report by Sharda Ugra26-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPragyan Ojha and R Ashwin shared a massive 18 wickets between them•Associated PressFor all that spin bowling is considered an art involving guile and deception, India’s spinners took apart the New Zealand batting with the precision of surgeons combined with the calculation of mathematicians. The first Test in Hyderabad had a severely truncated third day and a slightly curtailed fourth, but ended with a day to spare.India won by an innings and 115 runs, its spinners taking 18 of the 20 wickets to fall. New Zealand, following on in their second innings, were all out for 164 an hour before the scheduled close of play on Sunday, losing their last nine wickets for 66 runs.At the top of the pile stood R Ashwin, who finished the game with his first ten-wicket bag in Tests, taking 6 for 54 in the second innings and a match tally of 12 for 85 – the best figures for an Indian bowler in Tests versus New Zealand.Ashwin sent down a repertoire of flighted off-breaks and top-spinners of varing pace, made canny use of his special “carrom” ball. It helped clean up the New Zealand tail, with four still left for the taking after tea. Ashwin got three of the remaining four, two with the carrom ball that leaves the batsman. Ashwin’s second-innings tally followed up his 6 for 31 in the first.Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha bowled in perfect tandem with Ashwin, both making maximum use of the frequent bite and bounce on the surface, and also the struggle of the New Zealand batsmen against spin. Ojha’s match tally was 6 for 92.The morning session was delayed by two hours due to rain and India’s push for victory was resisted handsomely up by a gutsy 72-run second wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson. They batted all through the 90 minutes before lunch, scoring 51 careful runs and holding off the Indian spinners.McCullum’s departure early on in the second session gave the Indians the opening. New Zealand’s last nine wickets fell for 66 runs; it had taken a few pieces of masterful spin to pull the ground out from underneath New Zealand’s feet.It all began when McCullum steamed off when given out leg before in Umesh Yadav’s second over after lunch, an inside edge the source of his fury. The sound of the inside edge appeared decisive but replays showed simultaneous points of contact off both bat and pad. McCullum was later reprimanded by the match referee for showing dissent to umpire Steve Davis’ decision. McCullum’s had been a sagacious innings, the perfect senior colleague in partnership with the 22-year-old Williamson, scoring 32 in close to three hours of batting.Until then, McCullum had played the assured hand, Williamson taking the risks of trying to drive against the spin. Ashwin tried to lure him into a false stroke. In the first session, the waiting game worked for New Zealand, Williamson driving Ashwin down the ground for a boundary the moment he over pitched. McCullum pulled out his patent pull shot when Ojha bowled one short and on leg stump. It was New Zealand’s session in which their batsmen held some control.After the break, though, came the deluge. If McCullum fell to a somewhat controversial lbw, seven runs later, Ross Taylor shouldered arms to Ashwin, who got the ball to turn and knock the top of his off stump. Williamson – clearly New Zealand’s batsman of the entire Test – held his own at the other end, getting to 50 with a steer past third man for three.With less than half an hour left for tea, Ojha, who had bowled 11 overs non-stop from one end, came in for his second spell of the day. The second ball was a peach: it looped up towards the stumps and drew Williamson forward. As it pitched, it bounced and turned away from him, nibbled at the edge of Williamson’s bat and flew to Virender Sehwag at first slip.Daniel Flynn, who had until then played foil to Williamson, tried to sweep Ashwin in his 54-minute innings for the first time. The end result was identical to his first innings: unequivocally, leg before for 11. Three runs later, Ashwin worked out the dismissal of James Franklin, with five minutes left for tea. Franklin nicked a climbing off break, and Sehwag dived to his right to take a one-handed catch at first slip. Five wickets had fallen for 54 runs in the 30 overs between lunch and tea. Right there, New Zealand’s time in the Test match was as good as up.