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With 20-year-old Kusal Mendis likely to debut, the top order will be light on experience, but captain Angelo Mathews said Sri Lanka had little choice but to take the risk

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo21-Oct-20151:51

‘Looking to improve in all departments’ – Mathews

Little more than a week after moving Lahiru Thirimanne to no. 3 in the hope he will end his lean trot, Sri Lanka seem set to replace him in the side with 20-year-old Kusal Mendis. Thirimanne’s contribution to Sri Lanka’s 484 in Galle was 16 from 62 balls, and captain Angelo Mathews suggested that both Thirimanne and the team could benefit from his exclusion from the XI for the second Test.Thirimanne has been a consistent top-order batsman in ODIs, but has not reproduced that form in Tests, where he averages 24.84 after 45 innings. His form in 2015’s home season has been particularly worrying. In seven Tests since June, Thirimanne has hit 248 runs at an average of 20.66.With Kusal Perera playing his third Test, and Milinda Siriwardene playing his second, Mendis’ likely inclusion does leave Sri Lanka’s top order light on experience. Mathews said Sri Lanka had little choice but to take the risk.”We’re looking at Kusal Mendis tomorrow for no. 3, so if he plays it will be a straight swap,” Mathews said. “We are in a position where we have to make changes. Sometimes a change is refreshing on those players failing quite a lot in the recent past. When you hit a rough patch you need a break. They are good players. They will always come back hard. I am pretty sure that Thirimanne will bounce back really hard. At the moment we haven’t got any choices we just have to make that call. We had lots of debate about it, but sometimes you just have to give things a go.”Mendis, a recipient of the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award, and last year’s Sri Lanka under-19 captain is largely untested, in senior cricket. He was picked in the squad on potential, after he hit 255 runs from three innings in the Moin-ud-Dowlah three-day tournament in Hyderabad, in September.”Kusal Mendis has earned his place and hopefully he’ll grab his opportunity,” Mathews said. “We can’t put a lot of pressure on him and we can’t expect him to do wonders. There will be nervous times for him but we’re there to help him out as a team and as a captain. He’s got the talent. We’re hopeful that he’ll come out good.”Sri Lanka are also set to retain Kusal Perera as wicketkeeper batsman. He has been impressive with the bat so far, with two fifties from three Test innings, but has not been as convincing behind the stumps. However, Mathews suggested his role would not change in the short-term, particularly as Perera’s keeping wickets allows Dinesh Chandimal to move to no. 4.”Kusal Perera is the ideal no. 7 for us because his game is more suited to that position. He plays a lot of shots and we need someone who can bat with the tailenders and go for big shots. Kusal Perera plays his normal game any given time, whether it’s a T20 or ODI or Test. We don’t want him to change. We are trying to slot him in a position where he bats normally.”Mathews said Rangana Herath would take over the vice-captaincy role if Thirimanne is dropped for the second Test.

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group C matches on November 8, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Paras Dogra raised his third double-hundred in five matches•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Paras Dogra struck 227, equalling Ajay Sharma’s record for most double centuries (7) in Ranji Trophy history, to propel Himachal Pradesh to 531, but Railways began positively in their reply. They shaved 105 runs off the deficit in 39 overs, with all ten wickets in the bag, by stumps on the second day in Dharamsala.Soumik Chatterjee was the more dominant partner in the strong opening stand, hitting eight fours during his 57.Earlier in the day, Nikhil Gangta added only five runs to his overnight tally before he was dismissed for 98. However, Dogra kicked on, and No.8 Bipul Sharma hit a 103-ball 74, before he was the last man out. Seamer Diwesh Pathania finished with three wickets but was among three bowlers to have conceded over 100 runs.
ScorecardRohan Prem’s third century in four games formed the backbone of Kerala’s 347 but Tripura hit back, reaching 119 for 2 with opener Udiyan Bose making 52 before he was forced to retire hurt in the 28th over.Tripura, though, had suffered an early dent, when Sandeep Warrier had Arindam Das nicking behind for a 12-ball duck. Bose and Nirupam Sen Chowdhary then took their side past the 100-mark before the latter was run out for 36. Tripura had another scare when Bose retired hurt but Parvinder Singh (11*) and Manisankar Murasingh (17*) guided the visitors to stumps in Mallapuram without any further damage.Earlier, Prem was firm for Kerala and helpful knocks from Robert Fernandez (37), Akshay Chandran (41*), and MD Nidheesh (34) pushed Kerala past 300. Rana Dutta was the chief wicket-taker for Tripura, claiming figures of 5 for 50 in 21.5 overs.
ScorecardSaurashtra suffered a middle-order meltdown but their opening stand of 59 and handy lower-order contributions left Goa’s chances of a first-innings lead in the balance.Mohsin Dodia and Avi Barot gave Saurashtra a solid base only for the middle order to toss it away. From 94 for 1, Saurashtra slipped to 116 for 4, before Sheldon Jackson and Arpit Vasavada made 38 each to help their team recover despite a four-wicket haul from pacer Rituraj Singh.Kamlesh Makvana pitched in with an unbeaten 27 and No.10 Jaydev Unadkat hung on as Saurashtra inched closer to first-innings points.
ScorecardJharkhand continued to pile on the runs in Jamshedpur with five of their batsman whipping up fifty-plus scores. While Ishan Kishan and Anand Singh made hundreds on the first day, Ishank Jaggi looked set to become the third centurion of the innings on the second day until he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Waseem Raza for 93.Saurabh Tiwary and No.7 Kaushal Singh also hit fifties to lead Jharkand to 551. At the fall of Kaushal’s wicket, captain Shahbaz Nadeem declared the innings, after which he nipped out Jammu & Kashmir opener Shubham Khajuria for 6.

For so long unwanted when it comes to Australia’s limited overs plans, Nathan Lyon can take his latest omission from the ODI team as a sign he is actually closer than ever to a start at the next major ICC tournament

Daniel Brettig04-Jan-2016A paradox, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox. For so long unwanted when it comes to Australia’s limited overs plans, Nathan Lyon can take his latest omission from the ODI team as a sign he is actually closer than ever to a start at the next major ICC tournament.The World Twenty20 in India in March looms as the event in which Lyon will belatedly make his mark as a bowler in Australian gold rather than Test match cream. His exclusion from the squad to face India in five 50-over matches at the start of a new World Cup cycle means that Lyon can play out the remainder of the Big Bash League, honing his T20 skills ahead of 20-over series against India and South Africa that precede the ICC event.The selector Trevor Hohns said this year’s calendar had been a factor in the decision to use only Glenn Maxwell’s part-time off spin in the ODIs against India, allowing Lyon to play T20 for the Sydney Sixers ahead of the more pivotal tournament in India. Hohns said that the event on the subcontinent would require more than one spin bowler, meaning Lyon is firming as the man to make the trip.”Nathan is not far out of the picture … for one-day cricket, and of course with the [World] T20 coming up it’s probably ideal for him to go back and play some of those games,” Hohns said. “Also, if we look where we’re playing the first few games – you’ve got Brisbane, you’ve got Perth – normally you play with your faster bowlers there.”Glenn Maxwell has done a pretty good job in the spinning role when we’re only playing that one type of spinner-cum-allrounder, plus the quicks. I think we’ll find that, for the T20 World Cup in particular in those conditions over there, we’ll probably need a couple of spinners in our squad. I can’t see why [Lyon and Maxwell can’t play together] – depending on conditions, of course.”There was a contrasting verdict from Hohns on the young fast man James Pattinson, who has made promising progress in his first Test series back from injury since early 2014. At some times Pattinson has been irresistible, at others eminently hittable, as shown when Carlos Brathwaite went after him on the rain-hit second day of the SCG Test before he responded with a pearler to bowl the allrounder.Hohns said the panel had been happy with Pattinson’s progress, but doubted he would be a limited-overs prospect in the medium term as he build back towards his very best rhythm and speed. “With Patto as we know he’s just coming back from pretty extensive injury,” Hohns said.”He’s now played a few Test matches on the trot, so we’re thinking more about the future for him, rather than just clogging him up immediately and bringing up his workloads as they say. It’s more about management for him in particular. One-day cricket there’s probably a question mark there I must say, but certainly Test cricket we want him back flying how he was a couple of years ago and he’s not quite there yet, but gradually getting there.”As for Australia’s batting, Hohns noted positively that there was now an emerging sense of depth that has not been evident for some time. The likes of Chris Lynn, Travis Head and the indefatigable Michael Klinger are keeping pressure on the players being picked in the Test ODI and T20 teams, something the selectors view as vital to the success of the national side across all formats.”There’s quite a few on the fringes there and the back half of the one day series might give us an opportunity to have a look at a couple of those players,” Hohns said. “What we’re finding now with your Lynns, Khawajas, Travis Head another one, it’s really starting to build our depth back up again, and those are the players we want to have keeping the pressure on the blokes in the side. It’s all about depth and we’re starting to get there in the batting line-up.”

India Women began their tour of Australia by pulling off their highest ever chase in T20 internationals, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIndia Women put up a strong batting performance to win their first T20I in Australia•Getty Images

India Women began their tour of Australia by pulling off their highest ever chase in T20 internationals, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series in Adelaide. Before today, their best chase was 128 for 7 against New Zealand in Bangalore in July 2015, but Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy ensured that bar was raised by hauling in Australia Women’s 140 for 5 with eight balls to spare.Australia did well to make as much as they did after getting sent in to bat. They lost opener Grace Harris for a duck to Jhulan Goswami in the first over, and their captain Meg Lanning was bowled by Shikha Pandey in the fourth, leaving them 2 for 17. The other opener Beth Mooney made a run-a-ball 36 on international debut and added 49 with Ellyse Perry before both of them fell in quick succession. When Jess Jonassen was bowled by Anuja Patil for 2, Australia were struggling at 5 for 81 in 15.4 overs.They were lifted by Alyssa Healy’s blitz. She smacked 41 off 15 balls – her strike rate of 273 was the third best for a score of 30 or more in Women’s T20 internationals – and she added 59 off the last 26 balls with Alex Blackwell, who was unbeaten on 27 off 22. Healy hit Ekta Bisht for three fours in the 17th over, and then carted Niranjana Nagarajan for consecutive sixes and a four in the 19th to finish the innings powerfully.India’s chase did not begin well either as Mithali Raj was caught for 4 in the second over. Smriti Mandhana and Krishnamurthy (35 off 32) steadied the innings with a 55-run stand for the second wicket, but Australia fought back with three quick strikes – reducing India to 4 for 91 in 14 overs.Having come in at the fall of the second wicket, Kaur watched two big wickets fall at the other end, the equation boiling down to 50 runs off the last six overs. She had started slowly, scoring only 8 off her first 13 balls, but raised the pace quickly. Kaur struck a six and six fours in the space of 16 deliveries before her dismissal, leaving her team-mates with an easily achieveable equation.

The BCCI ombudsman, Justice AP Shah, has asked India offspinner Harbhajan Singh to respond to an allegation of conflict of interest related to his links to a sports apparel company that sponsors various state teams in domestic cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2016The BCCI ombudsman, Justice AP Shah, has asked India offspinner Harbhajan Singh to respond to an allegation of conflict of interest related to his links to a sports apparel company that sponsors various state teams in domestic cricket. On January 16, Justice Shah forwarded a complaint from Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde to Harbhajan and asked the player to respond to the allegation by January 30.”It is widely reported that Mr. Harbhajan Singh had started a company by name of Bhajji sports, which is a sports apparel company,” Gunde wrote in an email to Shah on January 14. The same e-mail, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, was copied to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI manager, game development. “Further, news reports have indicated that this Bhajji sports is sponsoring upto 6 Ranji Teams (Member Associations of the BCCI),” Gunde wrote.According Gunde, Harbhajan has specifically violated the sub-clauses C and D dealing with conflict of interest in the three-page document prepared by Manohar, in which the BCCI president listed various guidelines that would help administrators, match officials, players and board staff avoid involvement in conflict of interest.For the current players, Manohar wrote:A. Current Cricketers shall declare the name and details of his/her Player Agent or the Player Management Company.
B. Current Cricketers shall not have any business interest in a Player Management Company.
C. Current Cricketers shall not have any conflict arising with the BCCI sponsors including the apparel sponsor.
D. Current Cricketers shall not accept any Controlling position in any Commercial Organization having a contract with the BCCI or its State Unit.
“It is very clear from the above context, Mr. Harbhajan Singh is conflicted in C & D of the code,” Gunde concluded in his e-mail to Shah.This is the second complaint that the BCCI ombudsman has received over the last week, with the first one raising an allegation of conflict of interest against former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has been asked to respond by January 28. The complaint against Ganguly, which was also filed by Gunde, alleged the former India captain has a commercial tie-up with the RP Sanjiv Goenka group, which has a stake in the Atletico de Kolkata football club in Indian Super League (ISL) and, in December, secured the rights to run the Pune franchise in the IPL.

The imminent return of Dale Steyn means Kyle Abbott cannot feel assured of his place in South Africa’s T20 starting XI

Firdose Moonda02-Mar-20161:00

Dale Steyn back for Australia series

After finishing as the joint-leading wicket-taker in two of South Africa’s last four T20 series, Kyle Abbott should feel assured of his place in the starting XI but the imminent return of Dale Steyn means he is not. With Steyn certain to play in at least two of the three matches against Australia to confirm his spot in the World T20 squad and space for only one other specialist seamer, Abbott could find himself carrying drinks and his progression halted.”I always feel like a bowler that needs to bowl a lot and get into rhythms. To play one game in a series is tough,” Abbott said. “To get an extended run has really built my confidence.”Abbott has played in South Africa’s last 14 T20 matches across six series but never with Steyn, who last played in the shortest format at international level in April 2014, at the previous World T20. South Africa have won three of those series and Abbott played a starring role in the victories. In Bangladesh, his four scalps led the wicket-takers’ list along with Aaron Phangiso. At home against England, Abbott’s five wickets was the most alongside Imran Tahir.

Australia’s specialist keeper

While South Africa are looking to allrounders to fill their World T20 squad, Australia have gone old-school and sought a specialist in the shortest format. Peter Nevill, their Test gloveman, was chosen ahead of Matthew Wade or Cameron Bancroft and has been told he only has one job.
“I’ve been told what my role is going to be and that’s ‘catch the ball’,” Nevill said in Durban, where Australia are preparing for their three-match series against South Africa. “As a wicketkeeper, first and foremost your job is to do the work behind the stumps. I suppose we haven’t seen much of that [specialisation] to the same degree in T20. I’ve always been a believer that wicketkeeping is the most fundamental skill.”
Nevill is expected to bat at No. 8, which means that he is unlikely to be required to build an innings but may be called on for some finishing. Even in that role, he will defer to the batsmen in the side.
“We’ve got a lot of hitters in our team so while I am trying to find the boundary, I will also trying to get some of those guys on strike,” he said. “I know I have to keep well and make a contribution if needed at the bottom of the order.”

Abbott has proved himself in a range of conditions and situations, shown ability to swing the ball, threaten at the start and the death and lead an attack that typically includes Kagiso Rabada and allrounders Chris Morris and David Wiese. The problem is that Steyn is expected to do the same thing – albeit a little faster – and that would likely force Abbott out of the side.Steyn’s two-month, injury-enforced break has not dampened South Africa’s willingness to have him as their first-choice. In fact, it has only enhanced his status.”A hungry, fit, energised Dale is a massive plus for us,” Russell Domingo, South Africa’s coach, said. “He hasn’t played for a long period of time now and he has come here with a great attitude. He is desperate to play, desperate to do well. He wants to win a World Cup. He wants to be involved in all formats of the game so his energy levels are right up there.”His skills are always going to be there. It’s about making sure the hunger and the passion is there and he definitely has that at the moment.”So the focus is on giving Steyn game time because he has not had any beyond a spell in club cricket last Saturday. “He needs to play some cricket at international level because there is a big difference between club cricket and international cricket,” Domingo said.And if Steyn needs any advice for getting back into the groove, Abbott has some. “Batting has progressed from a guy just standing still to trying to hit you out of the ground to hitting you for a six over the keeper. To keep up with the speed of the game is vital,” Abbott said.Abbott explained that T20 captain Faf du Plessis has instrumental in allowing the bowlers to stay ahead of the game by helping them make decisions about what to bowl, when. “Sometimes it’s just gut feel at the top of your mark. Faf is excellent with that – understanding what a batsman is going to do and then narrowing down our options of what to bowl,” Abbott said.But Abbott admitted that it becomes increasingly difficult when things gets heated. “It’s so short and quick, this format, that it’s sometimes hard to dissect it too much.” He may not feel the same way about his selection.

During Ireland’s training session on Monday morning, Himachal Pradesh Under-23 bowler Mahesh Thakur was hit flush above his right eye by a ball played back at him

Sidharth Monga in Dharamsala07-Mar-2016The issue of player safety has been raised again, after a net bowler was struck on the head while Ireland were training in Dharamsala. Balls are being hit harder than ever with modern bats and the nets have become a hazardous place, especially for local bowlers who are not as skilled as international cricketers.During Ireland’s training session on Monday morning, Himachal Pradesh Under-23 bowler Mahesh Thakur was hit flush above his right eye by a ball played back at him. He fell over in his follow-through, unconscious. The Ireland physio immediately attended to him and the venue doctor arrived in five minutes. Thakur was taken by ambulance to hospital where he needed stitches for the wound. It could have been much worse.The modern portable nets increase the danger because if the ball ricochets off their metal frames, it gains speed and reduces reaction time.Ireland coach John Bracewell has been watching this with concern for some time now – not just from the point of view of safety but also the technique of spinners.”I think it’s been a bit of concern for a while with players getting hit at the nets,” Bracewell said. “When we practise indoors we can probably put nets in front of them. I think it’s a real concern with spinners because they are not completing the action and are getting into a more defensive position and therefore they get square on. That is a bit worrying technically, and young kids are afraid to bowl in the nets. Maybe we can put up pitching guards and not worry about defending.”Some coaches now wear a baseball-style helmet when giving batsmen throwdowns. A similar protective device for bowlers, while still allowing the arm movement as close to the ear as possible, will be welcome. “It could have been a frontline bowler,” Bracewell said. “It hit him square, and it is a big concern surely. May be pitch guards, face guards, but it shouldn’t disturb what you’re doing. Some makers might be working on it, who knows.”Ireland batsman Andrew Balbirnie saw the injury happen and was disturbed by it. However, he said that in a game that requires the ball to be hit hard, you can’t afford to not hit the ball hard in the nets.At ESPNcricinfo’s last year, both Martin Crowe and Rahul Dravid had raised the issue. “One of the people I really worry for is net bowlers,” Dravid had said. “I have worked in the IPL. We have young kids who bowl in the nets. All university kids, college kids. All 17, 18, 19-year-olds bowling in the nets, and you have the likes of Shane Watson and Chris Gayle batting in the nets and practising T20 batting. I am amazed no one has seriously got hurt.”On the eve of the World T20, the problem has once again arisen through the injury to Thakur.

Kolkata Knight Riders opener Robin Uthappa has said the “batting chemistry” he shares with his partner Gautam Gambhir has helped their productivity in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-2016Kolkata Knight Riders opener Robin Uthappa has said the “batting chemistry” he shares with his partner Gautam Gambhir has helped their productivity in the IPL. Gambhir and Uthappa shared a 92-run opening stand in Knight Riders’ eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. While Uthappa made a 34-ball 38, Gambhir was unbeaten on 90 off 60 deliveries in the chase.”The batting chemistry between us is really good. Like today, in the initial part of the innings, Gauti was taking some time and then I went on the offensive for a little bit. Then I got hit and Gauti took over from there,” Uthappa told . “That is where all the understanding and the complementing each other factor comes into the picture – in situations like that. When I found it difficult to grip the bat, Gambhir took the onus upon himself and I played second fiddle where I was just rotating the strike to give him a lot more of the strike during the course of the innings. He did what was required of him – to take the onus on himself.”With 1094 runs in 27 innings, Uthappa and Gambhir have the second-highest aggregate for an opening pair in the IPL, after Chennai Super Kings’ M Vijay and Michael Hussey. In Knight Riders’ title-winning campaign in 2014, Uthappa and Gambhir had two century and three half-century stands and ended the season with second-highest aggregate – 490 runs in 11 innings. Uthappa was bought by Knight Riders in the 2014 auction and has opened with Gambhir in all but five matches since.”It helps to have a stable opening combination throughout the tournament,” Uthappa said. “I think we kind of cracked it in the first year when I joined KKR. Once we got that figured, it became a very formidable opening partnership.”I think myself and Gautam complement each other beautifully and we have a great understanding between each other. We understand the importance of rotating strike and backing each other. We know exactly what to say to each other when we are batting in the middle, during the course of the innings.”Uthappa also said the off-field relationship he shared with Gambhir helped their on-field performance: “We have played a lot of cricket together. We do open a lot together so there is a great understanding, and over the years we have gotten along really well. It has also got to do a lot with the kind of relationship we share off the field, which has always been great with him. I do believe when you spend so much time with each other, and you have been opening consistently over a period of time, you tend to find your space and stay within that. You also help each other out.”Knight Riders’ win over Sunrisers in Hyderabad was their first of six successive matches away from home, and Uthappa hoped they could build on the success. They now have two wins from three games this season.”Winning games away from home matters a lot. We are playing six on the bounce outside our home ground, so it is important for us to start well,” Uthappa said. “We are very happy with the way we played this game. I truly believe that we will be really successful if, more often than not, we play to our potential.”

When it’s the bold brush strokes of a flamboyant dasher like Herschelle Gibbs, watching the paint dry isn’t quite as boring as it’s made out to be

Anand Vasu27-May-2016When it’s the bold brush strokes of a flamboyant dasher like Herschelle Gibbs, watching the paint dry isn’t quite as boring as it’s made out to be. An emphatic display from the South Africans saw them reach the victory target of 109 in just 12 overs to collect four more easy points from their mis-match against Bangladesh at Bloemfontein.With debate raging over the omission of ace paceman Allan Donald, South Africa could not afford to slip up when the match got underway. Well, they didn’t as Bangladesh never really gave the home side a chance to make a mistake. With Monde Zondeki coming in for Donald, Andrew Hall taking Graeme Smith’s place and Robin Peterson getting an outing in place of Nicky Boje, South Africa had no hesitation in putting Bangladesh in when they won the toss.There was no joy whatsoever for the Bangladeshis who are fast becoming the whipping boys of this tournament. Having lost even to Canada, there was little way for Bangladesh to heap fresh disgrace on themselves.Al-Sahariar set the Proteas fast bowlers on their way, losing his wicket before he could get off the mark.Makhaya Ntini then struck, having Mohammad Ashraful (6) caught behind. Next, Pollock accounted for Ehsanul Haq and Bangladesh were down in the dumps at 21/3.Andrew Hall coming into the playing eleven for the first time in this tournament proved his utility straightaway, picking up a wicket with his second delivery. Bowling a good line, Hall tempted batsmen to drive and just a touch of movement was enough to induce edges. Sanwar Hossain, who looked promising for 11 that included one boundary, fell to Hall’s tidy bowling, edging to Jacques Kallis.The constant fall of wickets did nothing to help the Bangladeshi cause. The arrival of fresh legs in the form of Monde Zondeki encouraged the home side. Despite being a bit wayward, Zondeki’s whippy action helped beat the batsmen for pace. If he had bowled a fuller length, the youngster playing in just his second ODI would certainly have better results to show for his effort. In any case, Zondeki removed the dangerous Alok Kapali, caught well by Boeta Dippenaar in the slips and Bangladesh had slipped further towards ruin at 33/5.Eventually, Bangladesh were shot out for a mere 108 in 35.1 overs. The hard hitting of Khaled Mashud and Khaled Mahmud helped Bangladesh avert utter humiliation but was not enough to take them to a respectable total.Skipper Khaled Mashud struck three boundaries in his 67-ball stay at the wicket that earned him 29 runs. Mashud was the top-scorer of the Bangladesh innings.The shot of the Bangladesh innings, however, came from the free-stroking Mahmud, who lofted Robin Peterson over long on for the only six of the innings. In 35 balls, Mahmud contributed 23.With no other batsman reaching 20, extras was the next highest scorer on 20.
For South Africa, Makhaya Ntini was the most successful bowler, picking up 4/24 from 7.1 overs of intense medium-pace bowling.With just 109 needed for an amble to victory, South Africa got off to a brisk start.Nine overs were possible before the scheduled lunch break was taken. In those 54 balls, the South African opening pair of Gibbs and Gary Kirsten clattered 75 runs at a run-rate of 8.33. The openers in their contrasting styles and strengths achieved the same results, scoring 34 each with seven boundaries apiece.Just 34 more runs were required after the resumption of play and there were no frights at all. Only three more overs were required, and no more wickets lost, as South Africa breezed to victory with 38 overs to spare.In putting up an opening partnership of 109, the Gibbs-Kirsten pair became the third most prolific in the game with nine century opening stands. They are now behind the Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly (17 century stands) pairing and the legendary pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, who managed to reach three figures together on 12 occasions.Gibbs (49 not out) and Kirsten (52 not out) barely broke into a sweat in the process.But then again, which of the South Africans were made to sweat in this one-sided game?

Shib Paul, the Bengal pacer, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday in Kolkata

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2016Bengal pacer Shib Paul announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in Kolkata on Monday. Paul, who made his debut in the 2000-01 season, finished with 220 first-class wickets from 61 matches at an average of 24.95. In 61 List A matches, he claimed 86 wickets at 24.68.”All these years, the only thing I have known is cricket. The game has been an integral part of my life. I am happy to have played for Bengal all these years and am grateful for all the support that I received from my coaches, team-mates and the CAB,” Paul said during his farewell. He made the announcement after his team, Kalighat Club, won the P Sen Trophy Invitational meet at Eden Gardens. CAB president Sourav Ganguly and Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary were also present at Paul’s farewell.The bowler was a regular for Bengal in the mid-2000s and was selected in the India squad twice – for the Mumbai Test against Australia in October 2004, and the two-Test series against Bangladesh in December that year.”Sharing the dressing room with Dadi (Sourav Ganguly), Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar will remain the most cherished moment of my playing career,” Paul said. He added that his most memorable dismissal was Marcus Trescothick’s wicket during England’s tour match against an Indian Board President’s XI in February 2006.”I took the wicket of England opener Marcus Trescothick in 2006. He just left the delivery and the ball went on to hit the off-stump,” Paul said.Paul’s last first-class match was Bengal’s Ranji Trophy clash against Karnataka in December 2014. His last List A appearance was in April 2008 and he also played eight T20s in 2007.