Sri Lanka completed their third Test victory in five matches, and their largest win over Pakistan on the fourth day in Galle

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran25-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Asad Shafiq made a solid half-century•AFP

For a year and a half after Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, every match Sri Lanka played was accompanied by questions about their ability to be a top Test nation in the absence of the game’s greatest wicket-taker. Those questions will be less frequent after Sri Lanka completed their third Test victory in five matches, and their largest win over Pakistan on the fourth day in Galle. The result also snapped Pakistan’s winning streak, which included a 3-0 blanking of world No. 1 England, at five Tests.It wasn’t one-way traffic on Monday, as it had been on the three previous days as Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan defied Sri Lanka for nearly two sessions. Younis gave another demonstration of his fourth-innings mastery, while Shafiq once again showed his appetite for a scrap, as he had in his two previous Tests, against England. Their resistance stretched the game to the final minutes of the fourth day, but Sri Lanka were never in any serious danger, remaining firmly in control all through.Pakistan’s only casualty in the morning was the nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal, run-out in the second over of the day after a direct hit by Suraj Randiv from cover. An early finish to the game looked on the cards when Younis started to walk off after seemingly holing out to mid-off, but there was some doubt over whether Tillakaratne Dilshan had got his fingers under the ball as he took a low catch. It was hard to tell from the replays, and Younis was given the benefit of the doubt.The only other clear-cut chance in the session for Pakistan was when Kumar Sangakkara put down a tough catch at midwicket off Shafiq ten minutes before lunch. There were a few mild lbw appeals, and Shafiq’s french-cut for four early in his innings, but for the most part, Younis and Shafiq were more comfortable than any other Pakistan pair has been this match.They didn’t go into a defensive shell, looking to score even though the target was well out of sight. Younis used the sweep, mostly the conventional version but on one occasion the reverse as well. Shafiq capitalised on the deliveries bowled on his pads, and also pulled out some hard-hit lofted shots as Sri Lanka’s bowlers were made to wait for a breakthrough longer than they have had all match.The pattern continued after lunch as well, as the pair negated the generally slow spin easily. Both batsmen confidently used their feet against spin, and were quick to put away the loose deliveries. Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers weren’t at their best, not testing the batsmen enough and being inconsistent with their lines, while the spinners patiently plugged away. The slow bowlers managed to find a few edges which didn’t carry to slip on several occasions.As the session progressed, it seemed Sri Lanka’s best hope of a wicket would be once the new ball was taken, but Herath got one to spin off the pitch with pace, and Shafiq nicked it through to slip, via the wicketkeeper’s gloves, to fall for 80.Younis went on to become the first Pakistan batsman to complete 1000 runs in the fourth innings, but he couldn’t become the first man to score five centuries in the fourth innings of a Test. Sri Lanka hadn’t needed to wait for the second new ball to break the Younis-Shafiq stand but when they did take it, they got the big wicket of Younis in the very first over. Nuwan Kulasekara, who has been a huge threat with the new ball, got one delivery to hold its line, and not dip in as his deliveries usually do, causing a faint Younis nick to the keeper.With those two strikes, Sri Lanka were in sniffing distance of a win. Debutant Mohammad Ayub, the last of the specialist batsmen, hung around for an hour and a half before becoming fast bowler’s Nuwan Pradeep first Test victim.In a disappointing match for Pakistan, one of the bright spots for them was the wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal. Not only was he competent behind the stumps, he showed promise with the bat as well, besides conveying a sense of enjoying the game. He battled for an unbeaten 40, shielding the tail from the strike as much as he could, but couldn’t take the game into a fifth day as Sri Lanka’s spinners completed the job a few minutes before stumps.

Thami Tsolekile, the Lions wicketkeeper, will replace Mark Boucher in South Africa’s squad for the Test series in England

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2012Thami Tsolekile, the Lions wicketkeeper, will replace Mark Boucher in South Africa’s squad for the Test series in England. Tsolekile, however, is unlikely to play the first Test from July 19, with South Africa coach Gary Kirsten saying AB de Villiers will keep wicket at The Oval.”Thami has done very well [for] both the Lions and South Africa A for a couple of seasons, culminating in his South African record [of] eight catches in an innings this past week,” Andrew Hudson, Cricket South Africa’s convener of selectors, said. “With AB de Villiers also able to fill the role of wicketkeeper in the Test series it gives the tour selectors options in this important position.”Tsolekile’s inclusion was necessary because of Boucher’s retirement from cricket, following a severe eye injury sustained during the tour match against Somerset in Taunton. Boucher was struck by a bail and had to undergo surgery for a lacerated eyeball.Tsolekile, 31, played three Tests for South Africa in 2004, when Boucher was left out of the team. He scored only 47 runs in five innings and was dropped when Boucher made a comeback. Tsolekile has vast domestic experience, having played 132 first-class matches over a 13-year career that began in 1999. He has been second in line to the national team for years but did not get an opportunity because of Boucher’s permanence in South Africa’s plans.Tsolekile was given a central contract in February, the first time CSA had contracted a second wicketkeeper in 13 years since contracts were first awarded in 1998.During a recent game between South Africa A and Sri Lanka A in Durban, Tsolekile took eight catches in the first innings, a South African record.

Kieran Powell, who reached his maiden Test century, on the third day of the first Test against New Zealand in Antigua, has said his focus was on playing the way he “knew it”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2012On a day when Chris Gayle marked his comeback to Test cricket with his 14th century, Kieran Powell, one of several openers West Indies trialled during Gayle’s 19-month absence, scored his first. Powell’s 134 was a patient innings and it contributed to the fourth-highest opening stand for West Indies – 254.”I started slowly and I just supported Chris and watched on as he played his natural game,” Powell said after the third day, with West Indies leading by 91. “I told myself all I had to do is play it the way I know it and just try to build the lead of the team.”Powell had scored 97 off 241 balls before he pulled Neil Wagner to the square-leg boundary. He’d sustained his concentration for 74 overs to reach the landmark. “I felt I played really well and when I saw the ball going to the boundary I couldn’t help but jump for joy,” Powell said. “It felt really good and it’s a moment to cherish.”I knew I was hitting the ball very well. I have worked on my shot selection and I was happy with the way my bat was coming down and my ability to hit the ball down the ground. I hit three fours in the over I got out … I won’t say I was carried away, I think I chose the wrong ball to hit at that stage.”The hundred was Powell’s third first-class century in the last three months – following his 108 for West Indies against England Lions in early May and 139 for West Indies A against India A in June. Powell, who had made his debut in the third Test against India in Dominica in 2011, said his stint at the Sagicor High Performance Centre in Barbados had been a “massive boost” to his game.”The time at the Sagicor HPC has totally changed my game,” he said. “It has helped me with both the technical side and mental side of my game. It has helped to refine my game and overall I am now a calmer person. A lot of things I developed there I put into place, and I was able to assess the situation and go about the business of building an innings.”There was a time I used to go in and look to play all the shots and see how many I could get. All that has changed now. I’m more settled and aware of my role.”

Australia’s captain William Bosisto, who was in the middle when Jimmy Peirson was Mankaded by Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar, said a lesson had been learned from the experience

George Binoy in Townsville19-Aug-2012Australia’s Jimmy Peirson was dismissed between the fourth and fifth deliveries of the 11th over of the chase in the World Cup quarterfinal against Bangladesh. He was ‘Mankaded’ by the bowler Soumya Sarkar: run out after backing up too far before the bowler had entered delivery stride. The Mankad, and one without at least one warning, is perhaps not in the Spirit of Cricket, which is a vast expanse of grey, but it is certainly in the rules of the game, which are more black and white.Defending 171 in a high-stakes game such as a quarter-final, Bangladesh were within their rights to punish Peirson for trying to take an advantage he shouldn’t be taking. These Under-19 cricketers are on the cusp of their careers in professional sport, where no inches are given, and Australia’s captain William Bosisto, who was in the middle when the dismissal occurred, said a lesson had been learned from the experience.”We certainly won’t be getting out like that again,” Bosisto said, after steering Australia to a five-wicket victory with his fourth unbeaten knock in as many innings. “It was obviously disappointing from our perspective but that’s within the laws of the game and I think our boys will learn a lesson from that.”Peirson had been given no warning by Sarkar before the bails were whipped off, according to Bosisto, who then spoke to the Bangladesh captain Anamul Haque to try and resolve the situation in Australia’s favour. Even after the umpires spoke to him, Anamul did not withdraw the appeal and Peirson had to go, leaving Australia on 33 for 4.Stuart Law, Australia’s coach, did not see the Mankad live, and there are no television facilities at Endeavour Park since the matches from the venue are not being broadcast. He said the lesson learned was a valuable one. “It is in the laws of cricket. If you are out of your crease and they decide to uphold the appeal, it is out,” Law said. “You don’t have to give the warning. The guys now realise that they can’t leave their crease before the ball is bowled.”In the aftermath of the Peirson dismissal, the game heated up, with the Australian supporters who’d come to watch voicing their disapproval. Travis Head joined Bosisto with Australia needing 139 and they went on to have a 67-run partnership for the fifth wicket.”To go out there, there was a bit of emotion, which is good,” Head said. “A few of the boys were getting stuck into each other. It was good, hard cricket and it was good to go out on that stage and try and prove my skills I guess. In my own head, I probably went out there and wanted to obviously do it for my team. It gave me a little bit more emotion and ticker I guess, to stay in.”Head made 44 off 49 balls, his pace of scoring reducing pressure, while Bosisto continued accumulating. He ensured the Peirson run-out did not cost Australia the match, and set up a semi-final clash against South Africa on Tuesday.

The BCCI holds its annual general meeting in Mumbai on Thursday with the constitution of a new national selection committee dominating the agenda

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Sep-2012The BCCI holds its annual general meeting in Mumbai on Thursday with the constitution of a new national selection committee dominating the agenda. Only one member of the current selection panel, Mohinder Amarnath, is eligible for retention, and even his position is not guaranteed given the number of contenders from all five zones.Amarnath, who turned 62 this Monday, was the North Zone representative in the five-man committee, which was Indian cricket’s first paid selection panel. The committee was headed by former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth (South) and included Narendra Hirwani (Central), Surendra Bhave (West) and Raja Venkat (East). Amarnath replaced the former Indian batsman Yashpal Sharma last year.Logic would suggest Amarnath is the frontrunner to head the new panel given his experience, pedigree and credibility. “Where he has to be soft and polite, he was exactly that and when he needed to be firm he was not shy about speaking his mind,” a co-selector from current selection panel said about Amarnath. According to him, being part of the current panel gave Amarnath an advantage as he can guide the new members.

Other items on AGM agenda

• To ratify changes in the election and tenure of its president and office-bearers, which were made at the special general body meeting on September 15

• To appoint all of the BCCI’s 13 committees

• To ratify the minutes of the various working committee and the sub-committee reports, including IPL

However, if the BCCI top brass decides against Amarnath, or if he opts out, the next best option is likely to be former Indian fast bowler Roger Binny, the unanimous choice from the South Zone. Binny, a contemporary of Amarnath’s, spent some time at the Asian Cricket Council in Kuala Lumpur before moving back to Bangalore, where he is part of Anil Kumble’s team running the Karnataka State Cricket Association.Another straightforward decision is likely to come from the West Zone in Abey Kuruvilla, the Mumbai fast bowler who featured in 10 Tests for India. Kuruvilla is chairman of the junior national selection committee, which picked the Under-19 World Cup winning squad. He is also chairman of the Mumbai selection panel.The outcome of the remaining two zones is not so clear, though, with a lot of lobbying taking place to finalise a name from the East and Central Zones. Members from the various states from each of those zones were reportedly locked in late-night meetings on Wednesday to pick the eventual candidate. For the East Zone, the one-time Indian opening pair of Deep Dasgupta and Devang Gandhi are pitted against each other. Former Bengal left-arm spinner Arup Bhattacharya is also in the running.Similarly there is a tussle between former Uttar Pradesh captain Gynanendra Pandey and Sunil Chaturvedi, a former UP wicketkeeper who is one of the longest serving match referees in domestic cricket. Unconfirmed reports also have brought Praveen Amre, the former Indian batsman, into the fold. Though Amre originally hails from Mumbai, he played for Rajasthan for seven years and for Railways for three. He was the coach of Mumbai between 2007 and 2010, during which Mumbai were the Ranji Trophy champions three times. He also coached India A at two Emerging Players’ tournaments and on a tour of England.

Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, believes that winning a Test series against India in India equates to a bigger task than beating Australia at home

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2012Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, believes that winning a Test series against India in India equates to a bigger task than beating Australia away, which England did for the first time in 24 years in 2010-11.Later this week England depart for a training camp in Dubai before the four-Test tour of India, where they will be seeking a first series win since 1984. In the latest edition of Alison’s Tea Break, Prior describes winning on the subcontinent as “the final frontier” for a team who are determined to climb the Test rankings again after losing their No. 1 status to South Africa at home earlier this year.Prior’s contention is perhaps one of the reasons why he was central in attempting to smooth Kevin Pietersen’s return to the England set-up ahead of the India series. Prior was one of the senior England players to meet with Pietersen ahead of his return to the Test squad. He was also quick to pick up the phone to Pietersen in the aftermath of the batsman’s extraordinary press conference at Headingley when he stated “it’s tough being me” in the England dressing room.”I’ve seen Kev, we had a good chat or meeting, whatever you want to call it,” Prior says. “Obviously I don’t want to go into too much detail about what went on in the meeting but the important thing about it is KP playing for England will make England a better team. He is a phenomenal player, we all know that.”The really important thing is that we are all pulling and moving in the same direction, and whether it be KP, or myself – if one person steps out of line in the other direction, it’s tough. Our team ethic and team ethos has been the most important thing in our success over the last couple of years and we want to make sure we look after that and make sure we can get it back to where it was.”Prior explains why he felt compelled to speak to Pietersen after the second Test against South Africa, what he felt it achieved and the extent to which he believes England can recapture the dressing room ethos that he feels has been central to the team’s success over the last couple of years.”To be honest, all the time it was KP having an issue with the ECB, IPL, etc, but the minute he said he had an issue with the dressing room, it suddenly became the players’ problem,” he says. “I felt the only thing to do was to say ‘Right, what are your issues?’ Kev will probably admit he did a few things wrong but if one of our senior players is saying he’s struggling in the dressing room then it would be wrong of us not to look at it and say, ‘Okay what are we doing that’s making him feel that way?’ So it works a bit both ways.”In the interview, Prior also discusses what makes for a successful and happy dressing room and the importance of trust and respect in a team game, as well as reiterating his desire to get back in the one-day and Twenty20 squads once again for England.

Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, has been appointed the head coach of England’s ODI and T20 teams

David Hopps28-Nov-2012Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, has been appointed the head coach of England’s ODI and T20 teams, paving the way for Andy Flower to take significant breaks from touring.Flower, who took over as England team director in April 2009, will continue to be have overall accountability for England cricket and tour with the England Test side but he will no longer be responsible for the day to day leadership of the ODI and T20 teams, with Giles assuming that role and being accountable to Flower. Giles will also remain as an England selector.Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, said that Flower’s abandonment of his one-day role was necessary to achieve “a realistic and sustainable work-life balance”.It remains to be seen whether the Professional Cricketers’ Association will now argue in impending negotiations on the small print of England’s new central contracts that this work-life balance should apply to players as well as coaches, a certain Kevin Pietersen being an easy point of reference.Giles travelled to India as England’s selector on tour and is regarded within the ECB as a natural successor to Flower. His appointment sees him leave his post at Warwickshire, whom he guided to the County Championship last season.His first task will be to halt England’s dreadful run of ODI results in India. They have lost 12 and tied one of the last 13 matches, with the previous victory coming back in 2006.Giles, back at his beloved Edgbaston, where he has served both as player and coach for the past 20 years, said that he had first been approached about a potential coaching role in India three weeks ago.”There was a possibility of me taking the one-day squad to India after Christmas. Then it developed to if there was a restructuring would I be interested and the answer was ‘yes’. I have never hidden the ambition to coach internationally.”There was obviously a concern about the workload for the head coach and, if they split the roles and there was restructuring, what the roles and responsibilities would look like. There were things that could come up – selection, the rest and rotation policy and results. It was about getting your head around what it would look like as a split role.”Giles captured a prevailing mood among coaches when he predicted that the high level of international cricket makes shared coaching roles inevitable.”It’s started with captains, we are now seeing it with players – the rest and rotation of players is going to be important for keeping them fit and fresh for the really big tournaments – and now it’s coaches.”Andy has been a brilliant coach and rather than burning out your best people and then get rid of them you need to keep them as long as you can and this structure allows you to do that.”This could be the new edge that we need. It’s important that we and Andy work closely together. Andy ultimately is the boss and I will report to him, but we will work closely on strategy and selection.”It definitely allows you much more time to plan properly for series, to spend time with the analysts and some of the one-day players and watch one-day cricket domestically and see young guys coming through as well as the importance of the work-life balance for the head coach.””There will be times when we have disagreements but we have disagreements in a room and we get over then very quickly.”Giles has long been identified within the ECB as a candidate for a leading coaching role. As a player he was highly valued by one captain, Michael Vaughan, in particular, and his reputation for even-handedness ensured that his dual role of selector and Warwickshire coach never brought the qualms which it might have done in different hands.”I hope I’m a better coach and a lot of that is through experience: consistently talking about cricket, working with people, managing different individuals, managing your management team, working with your boss, budgets and committees,” he said. “I hope I have been a decent sponge. I like to suck all that stuff up.”I’m pretty well-structured, I think I’m fair, I’m straight with people if I think they are out of line I tell them.”He is not unduly perturbed by the fact that he has been a team mate of several players in the England side. “There are still people I have played with, but I have been retired six years now. I hope people don’t think I am going to take it easy on them because I have played with them.”I suppose when I first came to Warwickshire as coach because I was an old player some people tried to take the mick a bit or steal a yard but if you are consistently clear with what the message is there is only one way to go.”A Championship title for Warwickshire will do no harm to his authority. Giles’ four-day sides have played consistent, pragmatic, disciplined cricket. They lost the title to Lancashire only in the last hour of the season in 2011 and won handsomely a year later. “I guess it’s good for the CV and good the confidence,” he said. But it is in the shorter game where he must now make an impact.”

Kevin Pietersen played one of the great Test innings to leave England scenting victory in the second Test during a day of high drama in Mumbai

The Report by David Hopps25-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen followed Alastair Cook with his 22nd Test hundred•BCCI

Kevin Pietersen played one of the great Test innings to leave England scenting victory in the second Test during a day of high drama in Mumbai. Pietersen bestrode the first two sessions with a brilliant 186 and England’s spinners did not waste the opportunity he had provided as Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar terrorised India’s second innings in turn.Rarely has a Test of any era had such an emphasis upon spin bowling, and the result has been a compelling contest. India will start the fourth day precariously placed with a 31-run lead and three second innings remaining. Swann and Panesar, yet to win a Test in tandem for England in eight attempts, proved themselves at least the equals of India’s spinners. However, there is just a glimmer of hope for India: England will not chase any fourth-innings total above 100 with certainty.This was a historic day as Pietersen and Alastair Cook both equalled the record for most England Test centuries, it was an enthralling day of virtually perpetual spin, it even had an element of controversy in the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, but it largely swooned in the presence of the batting genius of Pietersen, who unveiled one of his most exceptional innings for England, 186 from 233 balls on a wickedly turning pitch, an innings played with utter conviction, awash with moments of rare skill.The quality of his innings – and, in a different key, that of Cook – was emphasised by what followed. England’s tail collapsed in quick time and then India caved in in turn, only Gautam Gambhir gamely assembling an unbeaten half-century. Panesar and Swann outbowled their India counterparts on this occasion, even if the difference was overstated because of Pietersen’s brilliance, with Panesar’s extra pace making him a particularly challenging proposition on a surface where he could also turn the ball markedly.Nearly eight overs elapsed before England, holding a lead of 86, made an impression, Panesar drawing Virender Sehwag cagily forward and Swann taking a catch at gully. Cheteshwar Pujara, England’s scourge, was caught at short leg off an inside edge as Swann followed suit in the next over.The stage was set for what might prove to be Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test innings in Mumbai, but there was no heroic script, no summoning of powers of old. Tendulkar survived a stumping appeal off Panesar by a whisker as his back foot momentarily lifted and was then late on his shot against Panesar to be lbw.Was it the pressure, or merely carelessness, which then caused Virat Kohil to mistime a full toss from Swann horribly to mid-off where the substitute, Joe Root, held his nerve? Yuvraj Singh followed off the glove to short leg; MS Dhoni, a captain who had demanded turning surfaces to expose England, found himself exposed as he edged Panesar to slip. A breathless third day ended with R Ashwin’s failed attempts at adventure and a skied catch to Samit Patel at extra cover.Panesar has 10 wickets in the match to date, the first time an England spinner has done that since Hedley Verity in the 1930s. His quicker pace than India’s slow left-armer, Ojha, on a pitch where both could find substantial turn, made him a more difficult proposition.But as the dust settled – and there was lots of it – the emphasis remained with Pietersen. This was an innings of daring and presumption, one that could only be played by a batsman of great talent and even greater ego. India’s spinners waited for the storm to abate in the knowledge that only when it did normal life could be resumed.

Smart stats

• Kevin Pietersen’s 186 is the third-highest score by an England batsman in India. It is also the highest score by an England batsman in Mumbai surpassing Graeme Hick’s 178 in 1993.

• Pietersen and Alastair Cook, who scored 122, now have 22 centuries each and are joint-highest on the list of England batsmen with the most centuries.

• The 206-run stand between Pietersen and Cook is the third-highest third-wicket stand for England against India and and the highest such stand in Tests in India.

• Pietersen’s strike rate of 79.82 is the sixth-highest for a 100-plus score by an England batsman against India. It is also the third-highest strike rate for Pietersen in away Tests (100-plus knocks only).

• The century is Pietersen’s tenth score of 150 or more in Tests. He is now joint-highest with Wally Hammond and Len Hutton on the list of England batsmen with the most 150-plus scores.

• Cook became only the fifth England batsman to score two or more centuries in a Test series in India.

• Monty Panesar’s 10 for 190 is the second-best match haul for an England spinner against India. The best is Hedley Verity’s 11 for 153 in 1934.

• The lowest target successfully defended in Mumbai is 107 by India against Australia in 2004. India went on to win the game by 13 runs.

Pietersen’s hundred was achieved with a reverse sweep against Harbhajan Singh, outrageous, yes, but caressed with such composure there was not the merest hint of excess. For his 150, he performed an exceptional pick-up over mid wicket off Pragyan Ojha. There was also an extraordinary loft over cover for six against Ojha, which he deposited there as if in a dream.Ohja finally got his man, drawing a lavish drive which he nicked to the wicketkeeper, and when it was all over, and Pietersen fell, utterly fulfilled, England’s last five wickets fell for 31 in nine overs as the spinners restored the natural order of things, just as houses and shops are repaired and reopened after a storm has left townEngland’s collapse was quickened by the soft run out of Matt Prior, who half-attempted a stolen offside single and was then sent back by Stuart Broad, Dhoni’s rapid retrieve and throw beating his desperate dive for the crease. The rest fell quickly, with Harbhajan nipping in for two tail-end wickets and Panesar slogging Ashwin to deep midwicket. Perhaps he was desperate to get the ball in his hands.The stand of 206 in 53 overs between Pietersen and Cook moved them alongside Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott with 22 Test hundreds. Even if one India fielder looking on, Tendulkar, had the right to remark that they had barely started, the sense of achievement was palpable in a year that has brought England little joy.Such achievements are years in the making, and they have been reached by two very different individuals following two very different routes, but they came within two overs of each other on a sunny Sunday morning in Mumbai.Cook reached his hundred with a perfectly fashioned off drive against Harbhajan, lips licked in anticipation as he leant into the shot with such poise that when his career ends a representation of the shot should rightly stand alongside Henry Moore’s Old Flo. Pietersen would be better celebrated with a dance song, complete with laser show.Cook, who continued his unparalleled record of hundreds in four successive Tests as captain, fell for 122, 35 minutes before lunch, caught at the wicket by Dhoni as Ashwin found turn and bounce. Cook and Pietersen, introvert and extrovert, loyalist and rebel, had been at the peak of their game.India took the second new ball immediately upon Cook’s dismissal and they struck again on the stroke of lunch as Bairstow, controversially, became Ojha’s third victim as he tried to work him against the spin into the leg side and got a leading edge to Gambhir at silly point. England felt they had a case that Bairstow should have been reprieved on the grounds that the ball had struck the grille of Gambhir’s helmet.England’s director of cricket, Andy Flower, approached the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, to ask for the decision to be reversed, but as Bairstow had left the field of play, the decision could only be withdrawn if India’s captain, Dhoni, withdrew his appeal. Dhoni, with the support of his coach, Duncan Fletcher, chose not to do so. By the close of a remarkable day, it all seemed quite inconsequential.

Lower-order batsmen Jimmy Neesham and Neil Wagner scored 74 runs in 7.4 overs together to steer Otago to a close three-wicket victory against Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2012
ScorecardLower-order batsmen Jimmy Neesham and Neil Wagner scored 74 runs in 7.4 overs to steer Otago to a three-wicket victory against Auckland. Despite Nathan McCullum’s 77, Otago were reduced to 169 for 7 in their chase of 218, after Chris Martin and Mitchell Mclenaghan took three wickets each. However, Neesham struck some heavy blows and took his side to the target. A 57-run first-innings lead helped Otago get an achievable target to chase, as Colin Munro’s century had helped Auckland to a strong second-innings total of 274.Auckland, batting first, succumbed to seamer Ian Butler on the first day, and they couldn’t overcome the disadvantage caused due to this throughout the rest of the match. Munro scored 59, but besides him and Lou Vincent, no one provided resistance to Butler as Auckland were bowled out for 196 in the 52nd over. Otago finished the day at 86 for 0, firmly in control of the contest.But this strong foundation of a 103-run opening stand gave way to a lower-order collapse as 25-year old seamer Dean Bartlett took five wickets to bowl them out for 253. At 240 for 4, they lost their last six wickets for 13 runs. Opener Aaron Redmond was the top-scorer with 98, and his opening partner Hamish Rutherford scored 70, but of the following batsmen there were six who scored in single digits, and only one of them scored more than 17 – middle-order batsman Sam Wells. Well’s was the fifth wicket to fall, and it led to the collapse.Auckland’s comeback was undone by Butler again. He dismissed the openers, to contribute to their disarray at 96 for 5. But Munro and Craig Cachopa steadied the innings by sharing a 96-run stand. After Butler removed Cachopa and Kyle Mills to leave them at 198 for 7, Munro rallied with No. 9 Bruce Martin to push their side to 274. Munro’s 118 off 124 deliveries featured six hits for sixes.Martin and McLenaghan consolidated on the platform provided by his knock, and Otago’s top order was rocked early. Redmond and McCullum, and later McCullum and Wells kept them in the hunt for the target. But this time, Wells’ dismissal in the 53rd over did not lead to another collapse, as Otago fought it out to win by three wickets.

Half-centuries by Mathew Sinclair and Will Young and a combined bowling performance helped Central Districts claim their first win, by 43 runs, at Pukekura Park

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2012
ScorecardHalf-centuries by Mathew Sinclair and Will Young and a combined bowling performance helped Central Districts claim their first win, by 43 runs, at Pukekura Park. Northern Districts chose to field and they were made to regret their decision as Sinclair and Young added 111 for the second wicket in just under 11 overs. Sinclair smashed five fours and three consecutive sixes off Steven Croft before falling to the same bowler for 71. Young was out the next ball, off Anton Devich for 57 off 29 balls. Kieren Noema-Barnett and Carl Cachopa then added a quick 33 to take the score past 180.Chasing 187, Northern Districts got off to a poor start, losing their top three for 29. The only resistance came from Scott Styris, who smashed 77 off 47 balls with five sixes as wickets tumbled around him. Kyle Jarvis was the most effective bowler with 3 for 39 while the rest of the wickets were shared by the four remaining bowlers. Northern Districts are in second place with 16 points, behind Wellington who are ahead on net run rate.