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Plenty of players vying for the attention of the selectors of the world’s No. 1 Test side

Firdose Moonda19-Sep-2012South Africa’s first-class competition may not have the same aura as its English counterpart, but it is still regarded as one of the best breeding grounds for Test cricketers. Since the franchise system started in 2004-05, the quality of the contests has become stronger and the cricketers produced have shown a readiness for a bigger stage.Last summer, the tournament went down to the final weekend, and this time the level of competition is expected to be just as strong.Titans Captain Henry Davids
Coach Matthew MaynardWhat’s changed
Most noticeably, the captaincy. Martin van Jaarsveld, who had a torrid time on his return to the South African domestic scene, has been replaced by Henry Davids. Less obvious could be the change in mood. A double tragedy struck in the off season and its effects could linger over the camp. The Titans will have to move on without long-serving chief executive Elise Lombard, who died of a heart attack in August, and coach Matthew Maynard lost his son, Tom, in an accident in the UK. Usually one of the most festive franchises, the Titans may be tinged with sadness this season.How they fared last season
The Titans won the competition with five victories from ten fixtures. Their season did not begin as planned, though, with a loss in their opening match to the Knights at home. They recovered to win in Durban against the Dolphins the following week. The pattern continued with a big win over the Lions and an innings defeat to the Cobras. By mid-season, the Titans were barely in contention. They gained consistency after that and three more wins secured the title.Faf du Plessis earned his Test call-up due to his 599 runs from four matches while new captain Davids was their most consistent player, with 637 runs from nine matches at an average of 37.47. Rowan Richards was their highest wicket-taker – 26 at 20.07, including two five-wicket hauls.Who to watch
Mangaliso Mosehle is on wicketkeeper watch as South Africa continue their search for a permanent replacement for Mark Boucher. Spinner Paul Harris still has a point to prove after he was dropped from the national team. Farhaan Behardien is trying to secure a spot in it.Cobras Captain Justin Ontong
Coach Paul AdamsWhat’s changed
Everything. With Richard Pybus resigning the post under a cloud – he said he was being undermined by the chief executive Andre Odendaal – the Cobras have new management. Paul Adams will hope to bring his knowledge of the international game into his first venture as a franchise coach. Justin Kemp has handed the armband to Justin Ontong, who will head up a unit that is used to winning but only had one trophy to show for it last season.How they fared last season
Participation in the CLT20 meant that the Cobras’ domestic season started later than normal but they made an impact immediately with an eight-wicket win over the Warriors. Innings victories over the Titans and Lions set them up well before their first defeat came – a shock result at the hands of the Warriors. They rallied to beat the Knights comprehensively but three draws and a narrow loss to the Titans at home ended up proving decisive. They remained on top of the table until the final weekend when they had to beat the Lions but were held to a draw.Justin Ontong scored 658 runs at an average of 59.81 to finish as their leading run-scorer while Dane Vilas caught the national selectors’ attention, averaging 48 with his with 528. Johann Louw and Rory Kleinveldt were the chief destroyers with 33 and 32 wickets respectively.Who to watch
Monde Zondeki makes his return to professional cricket after injuries forced him to lose his contract for a significant period. Dane Piedt and Siya Simetu are two spinners who have registered on the radar.Knights Captain Morne van Wyk
Coach Sarel CilliersWhat’s changed
The Knights have been consistent in the engine room and the playing field for many seasons and will continue in that vein this summer. Morne van Wyk continues to lead a familiar squad of few superstars.How they fared last season
Promise faded into mid-table mediocrity as the Knights surged to three wins from their first four fixtures but then compiled a succession of draws to finish third. Victories over the Titans, Dolphins and Warriors were followed by two draws. Remarkably, they only lost once but it was a heavy defeat. An innings-and-54 run humiliation at the hands of the Cobras preceded two more draws but they ended the season on a high, with a win over the Warriors.van Wyk continued his evergreen form with 754 runs at an average of 44.35. He was closely followed by Reeza Hendricks, who featured in the South Africa A side after scoring 748 runs. Experience topped the bowling charts with Quinton Friend claiming 40 wickets and Johan van der Wath, 34.Knights’ Reeza Hendricks is pushing for national selection•Getty ImagesWho to watch
Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw are both pushing for national selection. With runs aplenty between them in seasons past, they must feel they don’t need many more before the national selectors come calling.Lions Captain Alviro Petersen
Coach Geoffrey ToyanaWhat’s changed
The bowling attack. The Lions have headhunted two strike bowlers in paceman Hardus Viljoen and legspinner Imran Tahir to bolster their ranks. Dave Nosworthy’s resignation paved the way for Geoffrey Toyana to take over as coach. As a former first-class cricketer, Toyana knows the structures at the union well and is also South Africa’s first black African franchise coach.How they fared last season
Two draws and a loss in their first three matches summed up what would become the Lions’ biggest problem over the season: an inability to bowl teams out. They were able to take 20 wickets against the Warriors, who they beat to earn their first win of the season. A crushing innings-and-83-run loss to the Cobras was followed by two victories, over the Titans and Warriors but their season petered out with three draws.Run-scoring came in droves for the Lions. Alviro Petersen wrested back his international spot with 816 runs from seven matches at an average of 62.76 and was the competition’s top run-scorer. Neil McKenzie was second highest with 790 runs, and Steven Cook contributed 690 to give the Lions a healthy top order. Pumi Matshikwe’s 30 wickets got him picked for the South Africa A side and Eddie Leie’s 24 scalps saw him emerge as an exciting legspin prospect.Who to watch
Quinton de Kock is being talked up as the next big wicketkeeper-batsman and will be closely monitored. Chris Morris was part of the South African squad who competed in an unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe and Matshikwe has shown promising signs in the fast-bowling department.Warriors Captain Colin Ingram
Coach Piet BothaWhat’s changed
The loss of Lonwabo Tsotsobe is the biggest concern for the Warriors who have a talented but underperforming squad. Since Russell Domingo was poached for the national assistant coach job, they have struggled to reach the highs of the 2009-10 season when they won two trophies. Not much has changed in their personnel, but they will need a change in attitude if they hope for success this season.How they fared last season
With seven losses from ten matches, it’s a wonder the Warriors did not finish last on the table. They managed over 350 runs just once in the competition and conceded over 350 six times. With three defeats from their first three matches, reaching parity was always going to be tricky for them but they almost stood up to the challenge. Wins over the Dolphins and Cobras kept them above water. But three defeats, a weather-affected abandoned match and a fourth loss ended their season dismally.It was not all woe though – Simon Harmer’s 44 wickets made him the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. Jon-Jon Smuts was their leading run-scorer with 742 runs at an average of 43.64.Who to watch
The Smuts brothers, Kelly and Jon-Jon, are entertaining and resourceful cricketers who could attract the attention of people in important places. Makhaya Ntini is still playing, despite international retirement, and Ashwell Prince is the senior statesman who has not given up on playing for South Africa just yet.DolphinsCaptain Daryn Smit
Coach Lance KlusenerWhat’s changed
Another franchise who have had a complete change at the top, the Dolphins are another new-look team. After Graham Ford’s departure to Sri Lanka mid-season, Klusener was appointed interim coach and the players enjoyed playing under him so much that he was given the job full time. Smit is a new, enthusiastic leader, and they have acquired Tsotsobe and Jonathan Vandiar, but lost Tahir to the Lions.How they fared last season
A forgettable season for the Dolphins, who won one match in 2012, beating the Warriors by 227 runs.Divan van Wyk scored 669 runs at just under 40 and Imraan Khan contributed 652 runs. Kyle Abbott and Robbie Frylinck both took 33 wickets to lead the bowler’s rankings.Who to watch
Khaya Zondo and Mthokozisi Shezi have made waves in the batting and bowling departments respectively, while Vaughn van Jaarsveld is always on the national selectors’ minds.

Stunning allround displays from James Faulkner and Evan Gulbis lifted Tasmania to a comprehensive defeat of Western Australia in Burnie

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Stunning allround displays from James Faulkner and Evan Gulbis lifted Tasmania to a comprehensive defeat of Western Australia in a low-scoring domestic limited overs match in Burnie.Batting first after winning the toss, the Tigers slid quickly to 6 for 51 before Faulkner and Gulbis united for a stand of 114 that helped take the hosts to what proved a more than adequate 8 for 192.WA’s pursuit was in trouble from the moment Gulbis burst through Shaun Marsh’s defences with the tally at 17. Gulbis and Faulkner shared eight wickets between them to reel in a bonus point for Tasmania and consign the Warriors’ new coach Justin Langer to his third consecutive loss since taking the job.

A round-up of the fifth round of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches on December 10, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Rohit Sharma ended the third day unbeaten on 163 at the Wankhede•FotocorpMadhya Pradesh shelved the safety-first approach so common in Ranji Trophy by enforcing the follow-on against Railways after taking a 163-run first-innings lead. They were rewarded for their positive move with five second-innings wickets before stumps, as Railways’ top order folded with little resistance. Railways ended the day on 54 for 5, still over a 100 behind. MP were in a position to decide whether to ask Railways to bat again thanks to quick bowler Ishwar Pandey, who took his fourth five-for in three matches to roll over Railways for 214. Railways could have been bowled out for even less, but a battling half-century from No. 8 Ashish Yadav lifted them above 200.
ScorecardA day after being ignored by the national selectors for the Test squad, Rohit Sharma gave them a reminder of his talent with an unbeaten 163 that kept Mumbai in with a chance of overhauling Punjab’s massive first-innings total of 580. It was Rohit’s 14th first-class century, and second of the season, and it pushed his career average above 60. Rohit’s knock will get the headlines but there were solid supporting performances: first from opener Kaustubh Pawar, who made a watchful 78 and later by the in-form Hiken Shah, who ended the day unbeaten on 54. Mumbai are still more than 200 runs away and a couple of early wickets will make runaway leaders Punjab favourites to take the first-innings lead.
Scorecard
Sheldon Jackson, playing only his fourth first-class game and yet to establish himself in the Saurashtra side, picked the perfect time to score his maiden century, and it set Bengal a mammoth target of 431 on a tricky pitch. The in-form Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed after he added just one run to his overnight score, but Jackson and another youngster playing his fourth game, Aarpit Vasavada, put on 116 for the sixth wicket to effectively bat Bengal out of the game. Bengal left-arm spinner Iresh Saxena followed up his first innings five-for with a six-wicket bag but it wasn’t enough to stop Saurashtra from dominating. Bengal fell into a deeper hole towards stumps as they lost three early wickets, including that of Wriddhiman Saha, to leave Saurashtra sniffing an outright victory. To make matters worse for Bengal, their best batsman Manoj Tiwary has been ruled out for around six weeks due to a back injury.
Scorecard
It was a tense battle for the first-innings lead in Ahmedabad, but Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel’s resolute 92 helped his side overtake Rajasthan’s 294 and in all likelihood secure three points. Parthiv continued his astonishing form, with his ninth fifty-plus score in ten innings that put him second on the Ranji run-charts this season. Gujarat had fallen to 247 for 8, but a patient 42-run stand for the ninth wicket between Parthiv and Kushang Patel guided them to within five runs of Rajasthan’s total before Parthiv fell. Gujarat’s last-wicket pair, however, kept their cool to add the six crucial runs.

MS Dhoni has said Rohit Sharma’s half-century was a timely innings and one that would give the batsman confidence after a succession of low scores

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2013MS Dhoni has said Rohit Sharma’s half-century in the fourth ODI against England was a timely innings and one that would give the batsman confidence after a succession of low scores at international level.Rohit opened in India’s chase of 258 and contributed significantly to India’s series-clinching victory in Mohali. He made 83 off 93 deliveries in the five-wicket win.”I am glad he scored runs because he is one of the most god-gifted talents that is around,” Dhoni said after the game. “Of course an innings like this was very much needed for him. It will give him a lot of confidence and also time at the top level. Personally I am very happy for him.”Rohit had not played in the previous three ODIs against England, with India choosing to give Ajinkya Rahane a run in the side. But after several unconvincing performances, Rahane was left out and Rohit was asked to open for only the fourth time in his ODI career.”We all felt he is someone who can be a really good opener, in the sense he cuts and pulls really well,” Dhoni said. “Also, with two openers, you want one of them to be slightly more aggressive than the other. I think he accepted the challenge, he also felt he got into the side because Manoj [Tiwary] was unfit. So it was an opportunity for him. The good thing was he took it as a challenge.”Rohit anchored the first half of India’s chase, forming half-century stands with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, before his dismissal in the 32nd over. When asked what might have happened had Rohit not performed today, Dhoni said it was a difficult question to answer. “It’s very important to think and go in one direction, not only as coach and captain but also with the selectors because at the end of the day, mutually we decide who is the best available talent and you have to give those guys a bit of a rope.”I don’t know what would have happened if Rohit had not scored runs or in any other scenario. The best that we could have done was give him another chance in Dharamsala and then see, because we are not playing too many ODIs after that. We all felt he is very talented, he got an opportunity in the last series in Sri Lanka where he got a few good deliveries.”

A key figure of the Pakistan Super League, its managing director Salman Sarwar Butt, has stepped down and will be replaced by Javed Miandad in the interim

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2013A key figure of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), its managing director Salman Sarwar Butt, has stepped down from his post and will be replaced by the director general PCB Javed Miandad in the interim. The inaugural season of the Twenty20 tournament was indefinitely postponed because of logistical issues.Butt, a banker by profession, was instrumental in setting up Pakistan’s domestic T20 competition, whose first edition in 2005 was sponsored by his then employer, ABN-AMRO Bank. He is an influential figure on the Pakistan corporate circuit and was involved in setting up the PSL since 2011.”Before joining, I had intimated the PCB of my plans and commitments beyond April 2013, which would prevent me from working on future editions of PSL,” Butt said in a statement. “As the league is now most likely to be held after April, I will not be available to work further on this first edition. We have therefore mutually agreed that it would make sense to appoint a successor sooner rather than later.”I would naturally be happy to provide all possible assistance to PCB and PSL even if I am not officially associated with the league, and would remain an ardent ambassador of PSL.”The PSL was supposed to be held between March 26 and April 7 in Pakistan but was delayed to give investors more time to submit bids and also to avoid scheduling conflicts with other cricket tournaments. It was also going to clash with the pre-poll campaigns ahead of general elections, expected to be held in May. The PCB is working on another slot for the league and no precise timeframe has been indicated.”A committee is working full time to find available and appropriate dates and we are hopeful that the process for the sale of various rights will restart soon,” said Butt. “We are constantly in touch with all parties who have shown interest in our League and we hope to announce new dates soon.”

Pakistan’s decision to include an extra pace bowler yielded rich rewards as Mohammed Irfan extracted significant bounce from the Centurion surface to dismantle South Africa’s top order

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Centurion15-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Mohammad Irfan’s four-wicket haul was chiefly responsible for restricting South Africa to a below-par total•Associated PressPakistan’s decision to include an extra pace bowler paid off as they levelled the series against South Africa in a rain-affected match, reduced to 44 overs a side, in Centurion. Mohammed Irfan was chiefly responsible for dismantling South Africa’s top order and contributions from all of the top six ensured Pakistan’s chase was comfortable in the end.South Africa lost the match when they slumped to 62 for 5, even though Farhaan Behardien and the bowlers gave them some chance of fighting back. Behardien stoically clambered out of trouble and featured in two important partnerships while achieving his career-best score but the total was still less than satisfactory. South Africa defended aggressively and it was not until the 33rd over that the contest was truly decided.It was then that Shoaib Malik slammed four boundaries off Lonwabo Tsotsobe to seal the advantage Irfan had given them upfront. Irfan extracted significant bounce from the Centurion surface in an extended seven-over spell.His incision began when he removed Hashim Amla and Colin Ingram in successive balls in the eighth over. Amla thrived briefly against the short ball but then inside-edged through to Kamran Akmal while Ingram was out on review, adjudged caught-behind by the third umpire even though Hot Spot did not confirm an edge.The best example of the impact the extra bounce had on batsmen was in AB de Villiers’ dismissal; he was undecided and edged to second slip. By the time Irfan had swooped on Faf du Plessis’ leading edge, Graeme Smith’s dismissal was already forgotten and South Africa were in some trouble. Smith did not look comfortable against the back-of-a-length approach and mistimed an attempted hook to gift Akmal another catch.Behardien, who plays his domestic cricket at SuperSport Park, found himself in a situation that called for two qualities he is best known for: temperament and grind. He coped well against the spinners and managed not to get too tied down by lack of boundaries.Between the 19th and 35th over, the rope was only breached three times, largely thanks to Mohmmad Hafeez. He rushed through the overs and limited batsmen’s scoring options but Behardien and Ryan McLaren were still able to put on 44 before the latter was trapped lbw.South Africa went one better, though. Berhardien and Peterson put on 67 runs in 18 overs and although the going was slow, they worked on strike rotation until Gul was brought back. Peterson opened up against him, with some risk, and also notched up his highest ODI score.With the storm brewing and frustration building for Behardien, he tried to clear midwicket off Hafeez. He was caught on the boundary a ball before the Highveld thunderstorm arrived to lash his home ground and cause a delay of almost two and a half hours.On resumption, South Africa resorted to blocking and Pakistan conceded only 14 runs more runs, bowling the hosts out with four balls remaining.With a manageable required-rate of 4.36 facing them, Pakistan’s openers were more concerned with survival than speed, especially Hafeez. Dale Steyn, who dismissed him four times in the Test series, was back in the attack and Hafeez treated him with due respect. McLaren dropped a catch offered by Hafeez off Kyle Abbott, but bowled the next over and made up for his blunder when he had Nasir Jamshed caught at slip.Akmal was promoted to No.3 and it seemed a good decision. After a streaky opening, he built a stand with Hafeez and the pair scored briskly to push Pakistan along. Hafeez eventually fell to his nemesis as he chipped Steyn to midwicket. Steven gave him a five-finger sendoff to remind him of the number of times he has taken his wicket on this tour.South Africa were given a small opening when Kamran tried to smack Peterson over midwicket but the ball rolled onto his stumps. At 69 for 3, they hoped to force an implosion but Pakistan’s experienced hands were up for it. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq batted together for most of the 10 overs in which Pakistan did not find a boundary and coped with good lengths from Abbott and McLaren. Misbah eventually broke the pressure with a six over long-off.Their partnership was worth 46 and looked good to go on for more but Younis fell to a full toss. After taking six off the first two balls of Peterson’s seventh over, he swept one straight to Amla at deep square leg.The match was in the balance again with Misbah and Shoaib Malik forced to lie low until Malik was ready to pounce. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who was brought back for a second spell, slid two down the leg side, and Malik helped himself to boundaries. Then he got two more, to third man and point off short and wide balls and the winner was evident.It still needed Misbah and Malik to apply final rites and the captain did so in particularly impressive fashion. He dispatched Peterson over midwicket for a six and and four and brought up a half-century to see Pakistan home and take an even contest to the Wanderers on Sunday.

Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against Pakistan and the first four weeks of the IPL with back trouble

Firdose Moonda19-Mar-2013Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against Pakistan and the first four weeks of the IPL with back trouble. Du Plessis will require six weeks rest and has been replaced by Quinton de Kock in the South Africa squad.”Faf has been troubled by low back pain over the past while,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, who is also a medical doctor said. “He was recently diagnosed with bony inflammation in the lumbar spine. His symptoms have worsened over the past two weeks to the extent that it has become necessary to withdraw him immediately in order to allow for rest and rehabilitation as well as a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy to further facilitate healing.”Du Plessis revealed after the second Twenty20 in Centurion just over two weeks ago that he did not bowl himself in the match because of his back condition, although he was tempted to call on his own legspin. “The doctors advised that I don’t bowl for a while, until this is sorted out,” he said then.Since that has not happened, du Plessis will be sidelined for six weeks. He is certain to miss the first nine matches of the IPL, where he plays for the Chennai Super Kings, and is expected to make a comeback in the week starting April 29. If his recovery goes as planned, he should play seven matches for his franchise as well as any knockout contests in preparation for the Champions Trophy in June.Du Plessis’ unavailability leaves a gap in South Africa’s middle order which young de Kock may be required to fill. Also in the squad is Dolphins batsman David Miller who could play in du Plessis’ place as well.De Kock was dropped from the ODI squad after the series against New Zealand, in which he kept wickets and opened the batting with limited success. He will not be handed the gloves in this series, because AB de Villiers has gone back to wicketkeeping permanently in ODIs, neither will he bat upfront so he will have a change of roles.”As disappointing as Faf’s injury is, it must be seen as an opportunity for Quinton,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors said. “He made a good start to his international career during the previous series against New Zealand and this is a chance for him to build on that.”De Kock will play for his domestic team, the Lions, in Tuesday’s T20 match against the Titans in Centurion before joining the national squad tomorrow. The fourth ODI takes place in Durban on Thursday and the final match of the series will be played in Benoni on Sunday. Should de Kock feature in both, the Lions will have to do without him on Friday when they play the Warriors but they may have already qualified for the tournament final by then.

Ned Eckersley’s unbeaten 99 enabled Leicestershire to keep alive their hopes of avoiding a heavy defeat by Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2013
ScorecardNed Eckersley reached 99 by the close to defy Hampshire•Getty ImagesNed Eckersley’s unbeaten 99 enabled Leicestershire to keep alive their hopes of avoiding a heavy defeat by Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.Eckersley went to the brink of his third first-class century in an innings spread over 170 balls and which has so far including 17 boundaries as Hampshire were also frustrated by the weather.Bad light and rain wiped 24 overs from the third day’s allocation as Leicestershire fought tenaciously to reach 182 for five – still trailing by 129 – and take a one-sided match into a fourth day.Leicestershire began their second innings needing 312 to make Hampshire bat a second time and with the pitch still offering help to the pace bowlers and, later, to the spin of Danny Briggs.Sean Ervine made the first breakthrough for Hampshire when he pinned Michael Thornely leg before wicket for 28 but it was their only success before the lunch interval.Niall O’Brien batted almost 28 overs for his 17 before James Vince at second slip clutched a smart catch off Chris Wood and there was worse to follow for Leicestershire when their captain Ramnaresh Sarwan soon followed O’Brien to the pavilion.Sarwan managed only three before driving James Tomlinson, who took four for 23 in the first innings, to point where Michael Carberry held the catch.Leicestershire slumped to 95 for 4 when Joshua Cobb was held by Vince’s reflex catch at short leg and only then did a minor recovery begin, inspired by Eckersley.With Matthew Boyce as his fifth wicket partner, Eckersley dominated a stand of 64 in 26 overs and for the first time in two days in the field Hampshire were struggling to make the best of their dominance.Briggs eventually ended the partnership when Boyce, who had made 30, drove to Wood at backward point to leave Leicestershire on 159 for five.Shiv Thakor then supported Eckersley until the close although much depends on the pair if Hampshire are to be denied an opening-fixture victory after being on top for so long.

Dhawal Kulkarni’s last over against Kings XI Punjab may have drawn criticism from many quarters but the pace bowler has the firm backing of his Mumbai Indians captain, Rohit Sharma

Amol Karhadkar01-May-2013Dhawal Kulkarni found himself in a strange place on Monday night. Against Kings XI Punjab on Monday, with 17 needed to win, the Mumbai Indians bowler conceded 12 runs in an eight-ball final over, which included a wide and a no-ball. Two nights before the match against Kings XI, Kulkarni had bowled a match-winning, three-wicket spell at the same venue, with the wickets of Tillekaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to his name, but the manner in which he bowled the final over against Kings XI turned from a hero to its antithesis.Six deliveries in the eight-ball over – and what should have been a nine-ball over when square-leg umpire Asad Rauf failed to notice a full toss above waist height – were full tosses. Such was the angst against Kulkarni that a reporter asked Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma how “Dhawal Kulkarni did everything he could to lose the match”. But Rohit stood firmly behind his team-mate.”Dew takes a lot of things out of equation,” Rohit said. “Spinners find it very hard to turn the ball. Bowlers, in general, find it difficult to grip the ball. As far as Dhawal is concerned, you can’t be so aggressive. It’s just that anybody can have a bad game. You see the way he bowled in the last game. As I said, it’s not easy with the dew. You’ve got to give him some time.”This was just his second game and he came and bowled pretty well, I would say. It’s not easy to come and bowl the last over with that wet ball. I think he did a pretty good job.”Kulkarni is one of the shadow men, who belongs to a list of premier domestic pace bowlers who do not come into the frame for India selection. Though Pankaj Singh tops that list, Kulkarni is not far behind. Those on Kulkarni’s side say that his number of five-wicket hauls – 11, to be precise – is almost as much as the number of first-class games played by some of the reputed bowlers. Yet after being on the tour with the Indian team to New Zealand in 2009, Kulkarni has stayed in the wilderness and is yet to be offered a central contract.One of Kulkarni’s main drawbacks, after returning from the tour in New Zealand in 2009, was said to be lack of genuine pace. Over the last four years, though, he has improved on his physique and fitness and it has reflected on his pace as well. “He’s an absolute gym man,” Rohit said. “He likes to work out, he likes to be fit. I know that he bowled [at] about 140[kph], so it shows that he has been really working hard.”Captain of the Mumbai Indians for the last three matches, Rohit reiterated that Kulkarni’s performance in his two IPL matches so matches had been remarkable for a player who had spent a month on the bench.”It’s very tough for any player, not just Dhawal,” he said. ” [The poor guy was benched for the last six-seven games]. Yet, he bowled a match-winning spell in the last game. On Monday, he defended 17 runs under pressure in the last over.””It’s not easy for a guy sitting out to come in with all of us expecting a huge performance from him. Still, I think he showed a lot of maturity. Having played together for many years now, we both understand each other well and it helps both of us,” Rohit said.

One of the two men accused of attacking Jesse Ryder outside a Christchurch bar in March has pleaded guilty to assault

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2013One of the two men accused of attacking Jesse Ryder outside a Christchurch bar in March has pleaded guilty to assault. At an appearance at the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday, the 20-year-old man, whose name has been suppressed, admitted to the assault but disputed some of the alleged details of the incident, according to .Judge John MacDonald noted that the man admitted that he had kicked Ryder in the shoulder but believed a punch that he threw did not connect with Ryder. The man has been remanded until June 5, when a date for a hearing regarding the disputed aspects of the case will be set.The man’s 37-year-old uncle, who has been charged with injuring with reckless disregard for safety and assault, has chosen to go to trial. Jonathan Eaton, the lawyer for the 37-year-old, said the alleged attack occurred after the men had shared drinks with Ryder, who then left Aikmans Bar in Merivale, a suburb of Christchurch, without repaying a round of drinks.Ryder was in an induced coma after the incident on March 27 but was discharged from hospital a week later.