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Half-centuries from Haris Sohail and an unexpectedly restrained Shahid Afridi revived a floundering chase as Pakistan won a thrilling first ODI by three wickets

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy08-Dec-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:06

Pakistan break six-match drought

Half-centuries from Haris Sohail and an unexpectedly restrained Shahid Afridi revived a floundering chase as Pakistan won a thrilling first ODI by three wickets. New Zealand, having hauled themselves out of a mire of their own thanks to a century from Ross Taylor, were running away with the game at the three-quarter mark, but Haris and Afridi snatched it away with breathtaking coolness. Haris finished on an unbeaten 85, to go with 10 tight overs of left-arm spin earlier in the day.When Afridi walked in to bat, Pakistan were six down, and needed 123 off 122 balls. The left-handed Haris was batting on 34, and had played a couple of lovely lofted drives against the spinners in a fighting innings that seemed destined to go down as a small positive in a big defeat. That’s all it would have been if Afridi had made a typically harebrained 15 or 20 at the other end.But Afridi knuckled down, and brought out his first slog only 21 balls into his innings. By then, he had picked up boundaries with a screaming drive over extra cover and a crafty dab behind the wicket, but had otherwise simply knocked the ball around for ones and twos. That first slog produced a thick edge to the third man boundary. The next slog came when he was on 30. He swung and missed and the ball was wide of off stump.Feeding off a senior partner who was batting like one, Haris grew in confidence and reached his half-century with a glance off his hips. The runs kept flowing, and the decades rolled away from the equation. When Pakistan needed 40 off 30, Haris smacked James Neesham over mid-off. With 27 required from 19, Afridi launched Kyle Mills over long-on. Taylor kept New Zealand in the game, running out Afridi with a direct hit when 13 were still required, but Wahab Riaz kept his cool at No. 8 to see Pakistan home with three balls remaining.Three consecutive hundreds in ODIs

Quinton de Kock (2013): 135 (v India), 106 (v India), 101 (v India)

AB de Villiers (2010): 114* (v India), 102* (v India), 102 (v West Indies)

Herschelle Gibbs (2002): 116 (v Kenya), 116* (v India), 153 (v Bangladesh)

Saeed Anwar (1993): 107 (v Sri Lanka), 131 (v West Indies), 111 (v Sri Lanka)

Zaheer Abbas (1982-83): 118 (v India), 105 (v India), 113 (v India)

Ross Taylor (2014): 112* (v India), 102 (v India), 105* (v Pakistan)

Pakistan had left out Umar Akmal, and the lack of urgency in their new-look top six – among whom Younis Khan boasted the highest strike rate, 75.33 – was shown up as they began their chase of 247. Never the most confident chasers, Pakistan lacked thrust at the top of the order, particularly with Sarfraz Ahmed batting at No. 7. The runs came at a trickle, and scoreboard pressure produced wickets. By the 18th over, they were 52 for 4.Misbah-ul-Haq and Haris then added 34 in 48 balls – which was relatively brisk going, considering the pace of the innings till then – before Vettori sent back Misbah with a blinding one-handed grab at mid-on.Sarfraz sparkled with positivity during his brief stint at the crease, his strokes finding hitherto unexplored parts of the ground and causing the team management, possibly, to wonder if his inventiveness would have been better served up the order. When he holed out to long-on in the 31st over, Pakistan were 124 for 5 and it looked like the game was up.Sent in to bat, New Zealand had been in a similar situation – 111 for 5 in the 29th over – before Taylor rallied the lower-order to steer them to 246. Taylor last played an ODI back in January against India, but showed no signs of having been away, extending his form from that series to complete his third hundred on the bounce in the format.The single that took Taylor to 100 caused him considerable pain, a lifter from Riaz in the final over catching him on his right thumb and going on to strike him on the neck. By then, though, he had ensured – via lower-order partnerships with Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum – that New Zealand would set Pakistan a challenging target. At 111 for 5 in the 29th over, they had seemed in danger of falling short of 200.With Mohammad Hafeez banned from bowling, there was serious doubt over how Pakistan would fill their fifth-bowler quota. Their five specialist batsmen apart from Hafeez had taken a combined haul of three ODI wickets.It was a hole New Zealand might have looked to target when they were sent in to bat, but by the time Haris came on to bowl his left-arm spin, they were in no position to go after him, having lost two wickets to Mohammad Irfan in their first 11 overs.Haris almost had Anton Devcich stumped with his second ball, with only a faint deflection off the pad causing the ball to elude Sarfraz’s gloves behind the wicket. Haris kept finding sharp, if slowish, turn off the dry Dubai surface, and bowled with enough control to fulfill the fifth bowler’s quota all by himself, and all in one spell, finishing with figures of 10-0-39-0.By that time, New Zealand had lost three more wickets, and Taylor was waging a lone fight. Apart from a couple of thrillingly precise cuts off Afridi, he was batting in risk-free fashion, knocking the spinners for singles down the ground and either side of sweeper cover. He needed help.He got that from Ronchi and Vettori, with whom he put on 44 and 58 for the sixth and seventh wickets. Having receded into the background during his partnership with Ronchi, Taylor’s scoring went up a gear during the last 10 overs. When Umar Gul dug one in short in the 44th over, he swatted him away over the midwicket boundary. Given width four balls later, he slapped Gul away through the covers.The 200 came up in the next over, and Vettori swung Riaz away for fours off the first two balls of the 46th, before he walked too far across his stumps to a yorker. With McCullum and Taylor adding a further 33, New Zealand ended up taking 78 from the last 10 overs.

Sunil Gavaskar has written to the Supreme Court, asking it to clarify what the status of his position in the BCCI is at present

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Jul-2014Sunil Gavaskar has written to the Supreme Court, asking it to clarify the status of his position in the BCCI at present.* The court had put Gavaskar in charge of the IPL this March, after asking BCCI president N Srinivasan to step down till the investigation into the IPL spot-fixing case was completed.It had also directed that Gavaskar should be released from his contractual obligations with the BCCI as a commentator but said he should be compensated for his new role. Reports on Friday had suggested that Gavaskar had written to the court regarding this compensation, but he denied this, telling ESPNcricinfo that it was an “utterly false and mischievous story”.”I have not written to the Supreme Court complaining about the BCCI or anything as the story suggests. All I have written to the Superme Court is asking for the clarification regarding my current situation,” Gavaskar said. “The first order, given at the end of March, was pretty clear that I would be the BCCI interim president, IPL, till the end of the tournament. In the middle of May the court said Shivlal [Yadav, who was named interim BCCI president for non-IPL affairs by the court] and I would continue till further orders. So it is just that little bit of confusion and that is all that I had asked for.”This business of asking for any compensation from BCCI is utter rubbish. I wanted an update from the court on whether I am still the temporary BCCI president, IPL, because the Champions League T20 starts soon. I did not mention not one word about compensation. It is an utterly mischievous story. Whoever has put this out owes me an apology.”The issue dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised charges of a conflict of interest in the formation of BCCI’s two-member inquiry panel into the IPL corruption issue, which led to the suspension of Sreesanth and several other players. A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, in October 2013, to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players. The committee had submitted its findings to the court on February 10, including a sealed envelop with allegations against 13 persons. In April, the court asked the committee to continue its investigations into the matter, probing the allegations against those 13 persons, and the inquiry is ongoing.*11.00GMT, July 11: This article has been updated after Sunil Gavaskar spoke to ESPNcricinfo

Scotland coach Grant Bradburn was insistent that his side could overcome the tourists, despite their good form shown in winning the triangular series against Sri Lanka A and the England Lions

James Gray13-Aug-2014As Scotland prepare for their three-match series against New Zealand A, new coach Grant Bradburn was insistent that his side could overcome the tourists, despite their good form shown in winning the triangular series against Sri Lanka A and the England Lions.”We absolutely can win,” Bradburn said. “We’re well aware they’re a quality side and they’re playing very well as a unit at the moment. We relish all playing experiences, in particular ones against full member sides like this, but for us it’s a huge opportunity.”Scotland suffered a blow to their plans when vice-captain Preston Mommsen broke his finger playing for his club Carlton, weakening an already under-strength batting line-up after captain Kyle Coetzer was not released by his county, Northamptonshire. Sussex’s Matt Machan will lead the side in the two games in Ayr, the first of which takes place on Friday.Bradburn will also be without Ruaidhri Smith, Gavin Main and wicketkeeper Matthew Cross due to injuries, as well as only having Calum MacLeod available for the third of the games due to his commitments at Durham.”While it is frustrating not to have our top team out the overriding concern has to be about looking at the big picture. However there are some players who have earned their right to play for Scotland through performances in trial games and in the Pro Series, as well as in club cricket who will get the opportunity to keep pushing their names forward. There’s plenty of impressive youth in the set-up.”One of those young players is uncapped George Munsey of Mazar Grange, who is in line to make his debut at the age of 21.Facing them will be a New Zealand A side featuring a number of players with Test caps, including Dean Brownlie, Tom Latham, BJ Watling and the explosive Hamish Rutherford, who will be returning to the ground where he spent the summer as an overseas amateur in 2007. However Bradburn, a former New Zealand A coach himself, is confident in taking on a group of familiar faces.”The scouting I presented to the team certainly did take long to do and we’ve got a good handle on what we’re up against, but it’s as much about knowing what they’re going to do as making sure that our players go out and perform properly. If we can create an environment where players can express their skills then I’m sure we’ll see some good performances.”The first two meetings between the sides will take place at Cambusdoon in Ayr, with the final game being held at The Grange in Edinburgh.Scotland squad: Matt Machan (capt, 1st and 2nd games), Hamish Gardiner, Craig Wallace, George Munsey, Richie Berrington, Josh Davey, Michael Leask, Majid Haq, David Murphy, Safyaan Sharif, Iain Wardlaw, Alasdair Evans, Freddie Coleman (2nd game), Calum MacLeod (3rd game), Rob Taylor (3rd game)

After their worst start in the IPL, Mumbai Indians begin the India leg with a home game against Kings XI Punjab and will be hoping to recover from the early jolt

The Preview by Rachna Shetty02-May-20145:53

Agarkar: Not going to get easier for Mumbai

Match factsSaturday, May 3, 2014
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)Kieron Pollard may find the Wankhede track to his liking•BCCIBig pictureThere’s nothing like the comfort of home venues, specially for IPL teams, and Saturday’s match against Kings XI Punjab may just be the fresh start Mumbai Indians are looking for. They were unbeaten in all home games last season and will hope they can keep the table-toppers from ruining their winning streak at the Wankhede.Mumbai have some of the biggest names in cricket as part of their think-tank, but their squad selections have been baffling. They have three full-time wicketkeepers in (not including Ben Dunk) and are thin on batting back-ups. With little room to manoeuvre with their foreign selections, it was therefore surprising to see Jalaj Saxena replaced by West Indies’ Lendl Simmons, a top-order batsman and part-time medium-pacer. An Indian batsman would have been ideal for the side, but if they opt for Simmons, it would mean that either Ben Dunk or Corey Anderson would have to be left out.Compare this with Kings XI who have found balance in the squad early on. Their bowling was profligate at the start of the tournament but on pitches that were wearing down, they stepped up and did well on the days the batting failed. Indian grounds, with their flat tracks and short boundaries, will be a different challenge for them.There’s another level of interest to this match. Three Kings XI players – Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson and Rishi Dhawan – were on the Mumbai roster until last season. Maxwell spent a lot of that time on the bench – he played fewer games than Dhawan – but after scores of 15 and 6 in his last two games, he’ll be hankering for a big score.Form guide (most recent first)Mumbai Indians: LLLLL
Kings XI Punjab: WWWWWPlayers to watchAfter an indifferent start to the tournament, Kieron Pollard struck form with an unbeaten 33 against Delhi and then bludgeoned six sixes on his way to a 48-ball 78 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, that almost took Mumbai Indians to their first win. With an unsettled combination rocking Mumbai’s boat, Pollard’s form is about the only thing positive for them right now.Young Indian fast bowlers had an impressive outing in the UAE leg but amid that hype, L Balaji has quietly emerged as one of Kings XI’s more successful bowlers with eight wickets in five games. He’s provided a steady back-up to Mitchell Johnson and Sandeep Sharma and has also taken on the role of a mentor with the younger quicks in the side.Stats and trivia Sandeep Sharma has the best strike rate among all bowlers so far – 9.4 after three matches and seven wickets Harbhajan Singh has been the most economical bowler for Mumbai conceding only 5.52 runs an over so far. Punjab have beaten Mumbai seven times in 12 games between the two sides

Northants turned in a respectable showing against champions Durham on their return to Division One despite having horrendous bad luck in the build-up to the season

Alex Winter at Wantage Road13-Apr-2014
ScorecardDavid Willey returned for Northants in more pressing circumstances than when he helped them to Twenty20 success last season•PA PhotosFar from bolstering their squad for a return to Division One of the County Championship, Northamptonshire have seen their options significantly squeezed by injury but they performed soundly on the opening day with defending champions Durham.To lack both their leading wicket-takers of last season was not how Northants would want to have begun life back in Division One after a 10-year absence. Trent Copeland, a tremendous servant in 2013, could not obtain a work permit for this year and David Willey is not fit enough to bowl yet, although is in the XI so short are Northants on healthy bodies.The 12 named for this match were almost the only fit players in the squad and after seeing their third option for an overseas player declined, Northants are in urgent need to add to their numbers. Rory Klienveldt, the South African seamer, was the latest to be prevented from travelling to Wantage Road after Cricket South Africa cancelled the deal because of a knee injury. Copeland fell foul of the tighter ECB regulations and Jackson Bird, initially unveiled as Northants’ overseas player for 2014, suffered more back trouble – an ailment that could prove career-threatening.But with an attack lacking obvious quality, Northants performed gamely having been asked to field first. Maurice Chambers, a winter recruit from Essex, was lively and took two wickets; Azharullah, the biggest surprise of 2013 having been plucked out of the Yorkshire leagues to star in T20 cricket, put up another solid display to match his efforts when he signed a full-time contract at the end of last season. The bustling Steven Crook, wily old Andrew Hall and James Middlebrook’s offspinners completed the attack which nibbled away in decent batting conditions: a fairly slow wicket and a warm sunny day.The left-arm variation of Willey would have been a useful option. Some early swing deceived Mark Stoneman into leaving an inswinger from Azharulla which clipped the top of off stump; Scott Borthwick was also trapped by inswing, Hall angling one into his pads from around the wicket. But as the swing disappeared, Michael Richardson shared two healthy partnerships to put Durham in a solid position.But they could have dominated the day and may feel the top order has not done enough work with this XI featuring a longer tail than last season. Phil Mustard has to guide this innings much further if Durham are to take control. He played carefully for a 113-ball fifty.Jennings and Richardson – who spent most of last season at No. 8 – shared 82 either side of lunch but both fell to poor strokes when well set. Jennings worked hard in the morning to earn the chance to play some more stokes in the afternoon. But after cutting the first ball of a new Chambers spell for four, he tried to force the next off a tighter line and edged to first slip. Richardson was equally careless, going back to cut Middlebrook and edging behind three balls before the second new ball was due. Paul Collingwood only lasted 16 balls against it before edging Chambers to third slip.It would arguably be a greater feat if Collingwood can mastermind a second Championship success this year. Durham are also beginning a new season with a trimmed squad after allowing several players to leave owing to financial constraints – including former captain Will Smith, who was a member of all three teams who won the Championship.But Northants can only blame sheer dumb luck for their losses. The cruellest injury befell Alex Wakley who set off for a single in a pre-season match in the Caribbean and snapped his Achilles tendon. He is out for six months although it will be in the one-day competitions where he is most missed; Wakley was captain of the victorious T20 side.Veteran David Sales – who averaged 45.95 last season – and talented youngsters Rob Keogh and Ben Duckett* are all unavailable here. But on their first day of the new season it was Copeland and Willey who were most missed with the ball.Both players were instrumental in the county’s “best season ever” – the words of chief executive David Smith – in 2013. They defied a horrendous T20 record to win the Friends Life t20 and gained promotion with the 45 wickets Copeland and Willey each took a crucial facet. Copeland, the Australian right-hander, averaged just 18.26 and also 35.28 with the bat. Northants lower-order batting was a great asset last season and Willey played his part too.

Mumbai Indians have retained Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu ahead of IPL 2014. This means that the franchise will have one right-to-match card at their disposal at the auction in February

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2014Mumbai Indians have retained Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu ahead of IPL 2014. This means that the franchise will have one right-to-match card, and Rs 210 million, at their disposal at the auction in February.Rohit had been appointed captain by Mumbai midway through the previous IPL, taking over from Ricky Ponting, and led them to wins in both the IPL and the Champions League T20. Rohit has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the IPL with 2513 runs at 32.63 and a strike rate of 129.66 – second only to Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina on the runs chart.Sri Lanka’s Malinga signed with Mumbai in 2009, and has been with them since. He is the only bowler with more than 100 wickets IPL to his name – his 103 scalps have come at 17.95, and he has conceded just over a run-a-ball (6.54 per over).Kieron Pollard, the big-hitting West Indies allrounder, was retained despite doubts over a knee injury that has kept him out of action since October.Harbhajan, who has been with the franchise since the inaugural IPL, has often filled in as captain and in 2011, standing in for the injured Sachin Tendulkar, he led Mumbai to the Champions League T20 title. “I am very happy because I have been with Mumbai Indians since the first day, for the last seven years,” Harbhajan said. “I’m hoping [the now-retired] Sachin Tendulkar will be with us in the dugout. Without Tendulkar it will be very strange.”India batsman Rayudu completes the list but missing out were wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who was in red-hot form during the recent Ashes.The retention rules allow for a franchise to keep on a maximum of five players, of which a maximum of four can be capped India players. Since Mumbai have retained only three capped India players, they can use their right-to-match card at the auction to buy another India player.A fixed amount will be deducted from Mumbai Indians’ auction purse of Rs 600 million (approx. US$ 9.6 million, at the current exchange rate) for each player retained: Rs 125 million for player one, Rs 95 million for player two, Rs 75 million for player three, Rs 55 million for player four and Rs 40 million for player five. That will leave the franchise with Rs 210 million to spend at the auction. This season, each squad must include no less than 16 and no more than 27 players, with a maximum of nine overseas players.The amount deducted from the auction purse is not necessarily the IPL fee agreed to between the franchise and the retained player.

Nat Watkins’ knock of 116 helped Jersey win the ICC World Cricket League Division Five final against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2014Nat Watkins’ knock of 116 helped Jersey win the ICC World Cricket League Division Five final against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur by 71 runs. With Watkins’ hundred and an 84 from Ben Stevens, Jersey set Malaysia a target of 248 in 50 overs. Malaysia were all out for 176 despite a fifty from opener Shafiq Sharif (62) as Stevens took three wickets. Both the teams will now get promoted to Division Four.Stevens also finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 403 runs from six innings at an average of 67.16 and was named the Player of the Series. Malaysia’s offspinner Khizar Hayat, who took a five-for in the final, was the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets from six matches at 11.46, and an economy rate of 3.24.During the league stage too Jersey were the most successful team, winning all their five matches. Runners-up Malaysia lost only one of their five, and were two points ahead of Tanzania, who finished third in the tournament after winning the third-place playoff against Nigeria by three wickets. Tanzania had won three of their five league games while Nigeria had won one lesser.Guernsey had finished last in the league stage by losing all their matches but managed to register a win when they beat Cayman Islands by seven wickets to finish fifth. Regardless of the result of the fifth-place playoff, the bottom two teams, Guernsey and Cayman Islands, will be relegated to Division Six.

Virat Kohli eased some of the doubts over India’s ability to compete in South Africa with a superbly crafted century that made it at least an even first day

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran18-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
0:00

Manjrekar: India’s day

Virat Kohli hit the spinners for 50 off 44 deliveries•Associated PressIt’s been a while since India entered a series as much of an underdog as they are on this South Africa visit – even the whitewashes in England and Australia began as a clash of equals. Bereft of the batting legends that have forged India’s most successful decade in Tests, and even of proper match practice ahead of this short series, there were widespread doubts over their ability to compete.Virat Kohli, the man who occupied the fabled No. 4 spot after Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, eased some of that anxiety with a superbly crafted century and at the end of an intriguing day of Test cricket in Johannesburg, the teams were more or less on level terms. The hallmarks of Kohli’s innings were the perfectly judged leaves outside off, even as South Africa’s pacers persistently probed away, and his punishment of the wayward spinners – caning 50 off 44 deliveries from them – to ensure he didn’t get bogged down.The one big mistake he committed on the day was the muddled calling that led to the run-out of Cheteshwar Pujara, snapping an 89-run stand that had revived India after the openers departed early. India were 24 for 2 then and memories of previous overseas collapses came rushing back.Kohli’s first runs on a track where the bounce was more of a worry than the lateral movement was an authoritative pull for four off Jacques Kallis. He was troubled early on by South Africa’s best bowler of the day, Morne Morkel, who had Kohli top-edging and then inside-edging off successive deliveries. After that, though, Kohli was completely in control.In the first hour after lunch, South Africa employed a strategy that involved keeping the ball in the channel outside off and mixing it up with the odd short delivery. Neither the attempts to play on the batsmen’s patience nor the attempts to unsettle them with the rising delivery worked as Kohli and Pujara kept their calm and wore down the pacers.While the weaker links in the South African attack came in for the most stick, Kohli also went after Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander when they strayed from their usual discipline. A majority of his runs came square of the wicket, with several eye-catching pulls and drives past point and cover.The pressure was building after tea as South Africa strung together a bunch of maidens with Kohli in the 90s. Perhaps influenced by the flagging over-rate, Graeme Smith turned to JP Duminy who, like Imran Tahir, struggled to land the ball and Kohli picked off the nine runs he needed to reach a landmark century.Pujara was the other batsman whose technique and temperament promised big runs, and after surviving a couple of close calls early, he settled in. For two hours, with Kohli for company, he kept South Africa at bay. South Africa had turned to the erratic Tahir for a breakthrough, and India finally thought they had some relief, only for the mix-up with Kohli resulting in Pujara’s run-out.The other batsmen didn’t adjust their game to the conditions as well. M Vijay and Rohit Sharma both went for over-ambitious drives away from their body, only to nick behind to undo the good work they had done in getting their eye in.The other wicket was a fast bowler’s dream. Steyn normally relies on his late and natural out swing, but sensing the surface wasn’t providing him enough, he unleashed a string of bouncers against Shikhar Dhawan in the ninth over. Dhawan, never shy of the aggressive stroke, kept going for his shots as Steyn banged it in short four times in a row; the first went for an unconvincing boundary towards backward square leg, the next flew off the handle towards gully, the third was left down the leg side before an attempted hook landed safely in the hands of fine leg. Steyn’s chainsaw celebration showed how thrilled he was at the perfectly executed plan.It wasn’t perfect planning but a loose stroke that ended Kohli’s innings midway through the final session, as he chipped Kallis to cover on 119. Had he still been in the middle at stumps, it would have definitely been India’s day.There were heartening signs for India even after his exit though, as Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni played out the final hour in fading light without too many alarms. After a difficult debut in Delhi against Australia early this year, Rahane had a long wait to get another look-in, and he didn’t look out of place as he kept out everything South Africa threw at him in an extended final session.More of the same tomorrow morning and India will end on a score that will challenge South Africa’s mighty batting line-up.

Five years after he last played a first-class game, Punjab pacer VRV Singh returned to the domestic circuit and grabbed a five-for, routing Haryana for 163 in Lahli

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2013
ScorecardLahli, the setting for Sachin Tendulkar’s final domestic game, became the scene for a memorable comeback. Five years after he last played a first-class game, Punjab fast bowler VRV Singh returned to the domestic circuit and took a five-for, routing Haryana for 163. The hosts, however, hit right back, grabbing three Punjab wickets, including that of Jiwanjot Singh before the end of the day.The opening day’s honours belonged to VRV Singh. Aided by a pitch that looked as green as the outfield around it, he built on the early advantage that Sandeep Sharma had created by dismissing Sunny Singh and Rahul Dalal cheaply. Opener Avi Barot, who had transferred from Gujarat for this season, was playing a watchful innings at the other end. Soon after he was introduced into the attack, VRV Singh had Barot playing a lofted drive, straight to Taruwar Kohli at cover.That dismissal triggered the slide for Haryana, even as Nitin Saini tried stepping into Barot’s role. VRV Singh then dismissed Sachin Rana for 1 and took three lower-order wickets, ensuring that Punjab did not miss the services of Harbhajan Singh, who has been advised rest due to a shoulder niggle. Amit Mishra, playing his first first-class game in a year was out for 5 off 26 balls. Saini was the last man to fall for 163 in an innings that lasted only 59.1 overs.The Punjab openers started steadily before Sanjay Badhwar got Jiwanjot out for 8 off 40 balls and Mohit Sharma bowled Ravi Inder Singh for 22. Harshal Patel struck another blow by dismissing Mandeep Singh for 2 to leave Punjab on 50 for 3, trailing by 113 runs.

Middlesex needed just 80 minutes to wrap up a ten-wicket win and condemn Sussex to their first defeat of the season in the County Championship.

20-Jul-2013
ScorecardIt was fitting that Sam Robson was not out as Middlesex claimed victory•Getty ImagesMiddlesex needed just 80 minutes to wrap up a ten-wicket win and condemn Sussex to their first defeat of the season in the County Championship. Luke Wright was last out for 161 as Sussex were dismissed for 310 in their second innings and the Middlesex openers knocked off their target of 44 in nine overs at Hove.Sussex led by just 21 runs overnight with Wright on 151 but Middlesex made inroads as soon as they took the second new ball. Tim Murtagh’s first delivery with it made the breakthrough when Chris Jordan edged a lifter to wicketkeeper John Simpson.Sussex lost their eighth wicket in the next over when Steve Magoffin wafted outside off stump on nought and Simpson again did the honours to reward Corey Collymore’s excellent line.James Anyon briefly gave Wright some support as the ninth wicket pair added a further 15 but Murtagh struck again with the score on 308 when Anyon was caught behind off another ball which lifted sharply off a length to give Simpson his eighth catch of the game.With only last man Monty Panesar for company, Wright tried to hit out but only succeeded in finding Neil Dexter on the long off boundary, having added ten runs to his overnight score. Wright’s 161 came off 185 balls with 24 boundaries and a six.Murtagh and Collymore both picked up three wickets while Steve Finn, deemed surplus to requirements by England at Lord’s, was not required to bowl today.Middlesex needed 44 to seal their fourth win of the season and Dawid Malan finished unbeaten on 19 and Sam Robson, whose first-innings 166 had done so much to set up their victory, was 18 not out.