A five-for in the only innings so far of Glamorgan’s match with Kent means that James Harris is well and truly back in business

20-Jul-2012
ScorecardJames Harris secured the eighth five-wicket haul of his first-class career against Kent•Getty Images

They are not the most flattering figures of his fledgling career, by any means, but a five-for in the only innings so far of this match means that James Harris is well and truly back in business.Still just 22, the fast bowler from Swansea has been earning rave reviews ever since he made his first-class debut for Glamorgan as a 16-year-old and became the county’s youngest player to take a wicket at that level. England U-19s and Lions selection followed in due course and there is no doubt he remains firmly on the selectors’ radar, even though the competition for places in the international pace department may never have been stronger. So far as this season goes, though, Harris is just pleased to be fit and firing again.A groin injury that required surgery forced him to not only miss last winter’s Lions tours but also to sit out the first half of this year’s Championship campaign. And when he did return, progress – unsurprisingly – was steady rather than spectacular with three wickets in three innings, against Leicestershire and Northants.All that has changed here, though, with an analysis of 5 for 118 from 33 overs. Four of those strikes came on the first day and this morning he deservedly bowled Mark Davies with a fast and straight delivery to make sure he finished with a handful for the eighth time in his first-class career.The immediate aim for Harris is to keep on taking wickets for Glamorgan but he admits to having his eyes on representative honours, despite being a late-starter this campaign. “There are a couple of Lions games coming up which I would love to be involved in and then there are tours this winter,” he said. “It was so frustrating missing out last winter.”Frustration was the name of the game on Friday with only 38 of a possible 96 overs being bowled. During that time Kent added another 146 runs for the loss of five more wickets – but with rain arriving in mid-afternoon and then returning just when a re-start seemed imminent, a draw is now the likeliest result.Whatever happens, Kent have bagged a full haul of batting points for the first time this season. They did so by passing 400 with three overs to spare and despite losing first-day century-makers Brendan Nash and Darren Stevens within the opening half an hour. Huw Waters, handicapped by illness yesterday, did the damage with the second new-ball. He also had an appeal against Geraint Jones, for a catch behind, turned down when the former England keeper had scored just 3.Jones went on to make an unbeaten 69, from 96 balls, enabling Kent to shrug off their early losses. And importantly, he received good support from tail-enders Matt Coles and Davies. Even when Davies fell to Harris, the fun continued with No. 11 Charlie Shreck driving spinner Dean Cosker for a straight six – his first maximum in first-class cricket after 119 innings without clearing the rope.If that blow was something of a shock to the system, the arrival of rain most certainly was not. The forecast is good for the second half of this match but Kent’s bowlers will need to go some to earn the promotion hopefuls a victory from here.

Bamford Fieldhouse, York, Havant, and Wansted and Snaresbrook will contest the semi-finals of the Kingfisher Cup

George Dobell24-Aug-2012Just four clubs are left in the hunt for the biggest prize in recreational cricket as the Kingfisher Cup reaches the semi-final stage this weekend.The winning team in this year’s competition – one of Bamford Fieldhouse, York, Havant or Wansted and Snaresbrook – will be given a cheque for £5,000, with the runners-up earning £2,000. The final is scheduled to take place at Derbyshire County Cricket Club’s ground on September 16.The former Lancashire and England wicketkeeper Warren Hegg and fellow Lancashire and England team-mate Chris Schofield are the driving force behind Bamford Fieldhouse reaching the semi-final. The Rochdale, Saddleworth and District League side secured their last-four place by beating Birmingham League side Kidderminster Victoria, with Hegg contributing a well-paced 40 runs in his side’s total of 212-6. They will now travel to York, who defeated Cuckney in an enthralling seven-run victory.York, who have won the Yorkshire League nine times and the National Knockout competition in 1975, will offer stern competition in what promises to be a tough Roses encounter. The York team are coached by the former Yorkshire and England middle-order batsman Jim Love, who was responsible for transforming Scottish cricket and eventually took the country to the Commonwealth Games and the ICC World Cup.In the south section of the Kingfisher Cup, Havant from the Southern Electric Hampshire League secured a 65-run win over Birmingham League champions Barnt Green, skippered by the former Warwickshire, Scotland and England allrounder Dougie Brown.Havant host Wansted and Snaresbrook , the Essex Premier League team who managed to dispose of Somerset-based West of England Premier League team Bridgewater. Wansted, the club which helped develop Essex and England wicketkeeper James Foster, are competing in their first national knockout semi-final.The semi-finals of this year’s tournament will be attended by Professional Cricketers Association ambassadors, who will adjudicate over Man of the Match awards for both games. Former Surrey and England captain Mark Butcher will adjudicate the Havant match, whilst Devon Malcolm will travel to York for the Roses encounter.

Matthew Wade’s place in the Australian batting order against Pakistan may hinge on the outcome of the coin toss as concerns mount over his workload in the Sharjah heat

Daniel Brettig27-Aug-2012Matthew Wade’s place in the Australian batting order against Pakistan may hinge on the outcome of the coin toss, as concerns mount over his ability to play as an opener after keeping wicket for 50 overs in the enervating heat of Sharjah.Australia’s acting coach – and former Test wicketkeeper – Steve Rixon has flagged the possibility of Wade being sent down the order should Australia field first against Pakistan in the opening match of the series, even suggesting that Michael Hussey may be promoted to open the batting as he does for Chennai, Rixon’s IPL team.In the defeat of Afghanistan, Wade batted at the top of the order and contributed a battling 75 before snaffling three catches. He was noticeably drained by the end, but would be stretched even further with only the dinner break between keeping wicket and opening the batting in a chase.”Matthew Wade is probably the biggest concern,” Rixon said in Sharjah. “He has a dual role to play. If he has to field first, and then go out and do the batting, he’s going to look a lot more tired doing it that way than the way he did it last night. He’s a guy we will have to manage well and his position in the batting may have a bearing on that.”Rixon made it clear he would welcome the chance to send Hussey up the order, though he demonstrated his value in the middle order with a rapid-fire 49 from 37 balls to ensure Australia reached a strong total against Afghanistan. The captain Michael Clarke, just promoted to No. 3, and the floating George Bailey are other options to open the batting.”Probably a really positive option would be Mike Hussey,” Rixon said, “who has opened with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.”Ahead of Australia’s first meeting with Pakistan since the 2011 World Cup, Rixon suggested that Australia needed to play to the pace strength demonstrated against Afghanistan, though it is known that Pakistan will stack their side with up to four slow bowlers of quality.”We’ve learnt a lot by actually playing a lot of our guys over the years in the Indian Premier League and other subcontinent competitions where we’ve actually seen how quicks bowling into the wicket with pace can be hard work,” Rixon said. “To me, if that’s our trump card, by all means we’ll be using it accordingly. You don’t just play spinners for the sake of it.”You’ve got to be getting people who are going to play a role in your side. If that means three or four quicks, or three quicks and say [absent allrounder] Shane Watson to come into your bowling attack, by all means, that will be our attack. It’s something we took on board and we’ll probably be using it as one of our strengths.”Nonetheless, Clarke was keen to emphasise the importance of handling and using spin bowling as critical to the outcome of the series. Xavier Doherty, Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith may be used primarily in support of Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson, but Clarke did not wish to underplay their importance to a winning combination.”Whoever bowls spin the best and whoever plays spin the best will win the series,” Clarke said. “Whether it is attacking or defending, the way our spinners bowl is going to be crucial to us having success. It doesn’t mean they take all the wickets, as we’ve seen.”The Australian way is, for a long time, fast bowlers have had success all around the world. I see this series being no different, but I do believe our spinners are going to play a huge part in us taking 10 wickets in every game.”As for the issue of humidity, Clarke said extra attention had to be paid in the form of sweatbands, and towels. “Probably the most important thing for us is when bowling second, realise how much you’re sweating,” Clarke said. “So we’ll combat that with guys wearing sweatbands, make sure there’s towels, to be able to hang onto the ball.”

England Women romped to victory in the first of five Twenty20 internationals against West Indies Women, taking just 9.4 overs to chase 72

The Report by Alan Gardner08-Sep-2012
ScorecardLaura Marsh hit a rapid 31 after taking 1 for 11 with her offspin to win Player of the Match•Getty Images

England Women romped to victory in the first of five Twenty20 internationals against West Indies Women, taking just 9.4 overs to chase down a target of 72 and complete their 16th consecutive win in the format. Though the pitches in Sri Lanka will not be quite the same as that at Chester-le-Street, the success of England’s spinners augurs well for the upcoming Women’s World Twenty20 and the chances of the team reclaiming the title they lost to Australia in 2010.England openers, Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh, rattled along at almost ten an over, tickling the ball to all parts of the ground. Two strokes from Marsh showcased a combination of power and precision, as she lofted Tremayne Smartt down the pitch for four in the second over and later stepped away to thread a drive through the covers against Shanel Daley.”It was great to start the series off like that,” Marsh, the player of the match, said. “We’re really pleased with our performance today, the opening bowlers bowled brilliantly and the spinners backed them up. We followed up well with the bat to get the job done. We’re all looking forward to carrying this momentum forwards to Old Trafford on Monday.”Marsh put on a 58-run opening stand with Edwards, who was was strong square on both side of the wicket, as the on-looking members of the England men’s side, including Ravi Bopara and Craig Kieswetter, were given a lesson in how to bat on the pitch ahead of their T20 international against South Africa. Although Marsh was stumped trying to slog down the ground and Sarah Taylor chipped to mid-off with six required, Edwards steered the winning single to third man without the need for even a halfway drink.West Indies, missing star allrounder Stafanie Taylor, who was last month nominated for the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year award alongside the likes of Saeed Ajmla and Alastair Cook, decided to bat after winning the toss. They got off to an abysmal start, however, as the ball swung from Katherine Brunt’s very first delivery. Juliana Nero fiddled across the line second ball to be lbw and the left-handed Kycia Knight was also trapped in front by the last delivery, which snaked back in a manner reminiscent of a Vernon Philander inswinger.Worse was to come when Deandra Dottin, holder of the record for the fastest hundred in T20 international cricket (male or female), pushed forward to her third delivery from Anya Shrubsole and was hit on the front pad as the ball again curved in seductively.Captain Merissa Aguilleira lofted Brunt’s slower ball over midwicket for the first four of the West Indies innings, putting on 28 with Shemaine Campbelle, but England’s spinners found turn and bounce to stifle the scoring. After a string of overs that saw seven runs conceded from 21 balls, Campbelle was bowled round her legs by Holly Colvin as she shuffled across her stumps and, after finding Marsh almost impossible to score off, Aguilleira miscued an attacking stroke straight to mid-off.England were tigerish, if occasionally wayward, in the field and Edwards demonstrated the effects of working with specialist coach Cookie Patel this year with a one-handed pick-up and throw from short fine leg to run out Britney Cooper with a direct hit. Taylor’s hands then flashed quicksilver behind the stumps to have Stacy-Ann King stumped first ball before Shanel Daley skewed to point trying to hit across the line against Wyatt.Smartt’s run-a-ball 14 from No. 9 was liveliest knock of the innings as West Indies added 17 from the last three overs to avoid setting a new lowest score in the format. Though that was probably scant consolation.

Marcus North, Perth Scorchers’ captain, confirmed that breaches of team discipline harmed the squad’s Champions League campaign but would not name which players were involved

Firdose Moonda in Centurion23-Oct-2012Marcus North, Perth Scorchers’ captain, confirmed that breaches of team discipline harmed the squad’s Champions League campaign but would not name which players were involved.”All I will say is that there are players that played today and players that didn’t play today that let the team down in preparation last week,” North said at Scorchers’ final appearance in the tournament. “Last week, against Delhi, there are players in our side that didn’t reach the standards of preparations that we require from them. It was not the night before the game against Delhi, but our preparations for the Delhi game in Cape Town.”The Scorchers’ lost that match by three wickets, after posting a below par 121 for 5 and were knocked out of the tournament because of that. They also lost the opening game against Titans in Centurion and had one washout but came back to earn a consolation win in their final game.Knowing that the result would have no bearing on their chances, the Scorchers made three changes to their starting XI. Their leaving out of both Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and Nathan Rimmington led to speculation that those were the players who had breached team protocol, especially since the Marsh brothers have been in trouble for misbehaviour previously.North did not verify that but stuck to his line about giving everyone a run in the event. “We brought 15 players over for this tournament, it was a dead rubber for us and we wanted to give those guys an opportunity to play in a big tournament like this,” he said.Scorchers’ coach Lachlan Steven had earlier said there would be “further discussions about things” once the team returned home, hinting that some corrective measures would be taken. But North could not say whether there would be any action: “I have no idea. I can’t speak on behalf of Cricket Australia.”Instead, he chose to focus on the reasons for the teams’ poor performance in South Africa, especially after they were expected to do better. “It’s been a frustrating campaign for us. We had the Titans first, who were very hungry on their home patch. And then in Durban against Kolkata, [we were] very much on our way to posting a winning total … ” North said. Rain came down with the Scorchers on 91 for 2 and they did not get back on the field.”Against Delhi we came back against a side who have four players who have been international captains [Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen and Virender Sehwag] and are so good that David Warner can’t even get a place. It was good to get a win today. Titans’ Martin van Jaarsveld, who I played with at Glamorgan, came to me and said we should do them a favour and we did.” Scorchers’ victory meant both the Titans and Delhi Daredevils qualified for the semis.What awaits the Scorchers once they’re home is uncertain, especially after national chairman of selectors John Inverarity told SEN radio station that there needed to be “some changes,” at Western Australia to “recapture their culture”. North dismissed the seriousness of that comment when he said, “He is not part of Western Australia management.”The team has suffered a few barren years, having last won silverware in 2004, and are believed to have a number of behind the scenes problems. North did not delve into any of them but said he is “excited” for the season ahead. In the meanwhile, he thinks his countrymen at Sydney Sixers could go on to win the Champions League and called them the “best performing unit” of the tournament.

Sharmila Tagore, the widow of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, asked the BCCI to name India-England series as the Pataudi trophy but the board said the series is already played for the Anthony de Mello Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2012Sharmila Tagore, the widow of former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, has written to the BCCI asking for the upcoming series between India and England to be recognised as the Pataudi Trophy. The Indian board has responded saying that England’s Test series in India are contested for the Anthony de Mello Trophy.Pataudi, who died in September 2011, played 46 Tests for India, captaining in 40, and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91. Pataudi’s father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, represented both England and India in Tests. De Mello was an administrator who was instrumental in the formation of the BCCI, the Cricket Club of India and other cricketing institutions.In Tagore’s letter, written on November 2, to BCCI President N Srinivasan, she said she was disappointed that the board had not instituted a Pataudi lecture and the Pataudi Trophy.
“As you are aware, next week the India-England Test series begins,” Tagore said. “I am given to understand ECB has already written to BCCI requesting to make the trophy official.”The BCCI responded in a press release saying it couldn’t name the series after Pataudi. “India-England Test Series in India is played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951 in the name of the first secretary of the BCCI, recognising his contribution to Indian cricket.”The MCC had commissioned the Pataudi Trophy in 2007, to be presented to the winning captain at the end of future England-India Test series. It was conceived to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series that took place in 1932, named after the Pataudi family for their contribution to Anglo-Indian cricket. The BCCI, though, didn’t give its official stamp of approval to the naming of the trophy.”In 2007, when MCC proposed the institution of Pataudi Trophy for England-India series, the BCCI had clarified that the trophy is already named after Anthony De Mello.”November 6, 2.15pm GMT This story has been updated with the BCCI’s response

Alastair Cook hailed a fantastic achievement after England closed out a 2-1 series win in India

David Hopps17-Dec-2012Alastair Cook left the presentation in Nagpur overladen with trophies after England completed their first series win in India for 28 years.Not just one series trophy but two, plus individual recognition as man of the series, completed a perfect start to Cook’s Test captaincy as he joined Douglas Jardine, David Gower and Tony Greig as the only England skippers to win a Test series in India.Add his unofficial stint as Test captain in Bangladesh when he stood in for Andrew Strauss and he has already twice led England to victories in sub-continent conditions which have so often proved alien.Cook even put the 2-1 series win alongside the accepted pinnacle for an England player – victory in the Ashes. “It is obviously a very special day, a special tour,” he said. “I think it is on a par with the Ashes. As an Englishman winning in Australia after so long meant a huge amount. But to be in that that dressing room there for that last half an hour knowing what we had achieved was a very special place and it will live long in my memory.”England’s celebrations were a world away from their misery in Ahmedabad less than a month ago when they were beaten by nine wickets in the opening Test, their frailties against spin again apparent.Since then, Cook has taken particular pride in England’s ability to silence their demons and to adapt to whatever conditions have been thrown at them. His own run tally of 562 in the series led the way set the example with the bat as England conquered India’s spinners and they also unveiled two superior slow bowlers themselves in Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.”We have played on four very different wickets,” he said. “We didn’t handle the Ahmedabad wicket so well, but the other three wickets were all very different in sub-continent style. Everyone in this squad can be proud of what they achieved, especially the way we bounced back after the heavy defeat in Ahmedabad.”I was surprised at the level we managed to achieve so soon after Ahmedabad to be honest with you. I was talking about playing to our potential but I was surprised we managed to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed and prove to ourselves that we could bat in these conditions.”Cook credited a sharply-turning pitch in Mumbai, as advocated by India’s captain MS Dhoni, with jolting England into a response.”After the first game in Ahmedabad it would have been so easy to let head drops, but we showed a lot of character in Mumbai,” he said. “I think the fact it was a result wicket in Mumbai really helped us.”It freed us up knowing that one way or another there would be a result and that people weren’t expecting us to win. Once we got over that mental hurdle and were able to trust our ability on these wickets with the bat we certainly made a big leap forward.”
But that recovery began earlier than Mumbai. It was Cook’s defiant second-innings in the defeat in Ahmedabad that began to set the tone. “You want to prove that the captaincy is not a burden. To do it straight away is a big monkey of your back. It made me very proud that night when I went home after the game. If it gave other people confidence that is even more pleasing.”As the tour developed, Cook got the support he needed from senior players in the dressing room: Kevin Pietersen, the integrated version, looking content with life; Matt Prior, as big an influence on England as Adam Gilchrist once was on Australia; James Anderson, proving himself in India as a skilled practitioner on demoralising surfaces for fast bowling with old ball and new; and the ever-garrulous Swann, delighted to have a partner in crime in Panesar.”They are big characters in the dressing room,” Cook said. “The support they have given me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. To captain those guys can be tough in certain circumstances, but you want that, you want a lot of ideas and strong opinions because that is when you normally get the best thinking done.”Nagpur was the oddest test of all, a pitch that was strikingly slow and uneven at the start and which gradually became more docile, a perfect surface for an England side prepared to bat with discipline to avoid defeat and so win the series.”We were slightly surprised by the pitch at the start, how low and slow it was,” Cook said. “We thought it would get worse but actually it got better. We knew when we were batting in the second innings it was going to be very hard for India to take those wickets and if we applied ourselves with not too many soft dismissals it would be very hard to bowl us out.”England’s authority on the final day was unshakeable as the Warwickshire pair of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell took their fourth-wicket stand to 208 in 79 overs, both making hundreds, before the sides shook hands on a draw with England 352 for 4 and celebratory hugs broke out on the England balcony.”I can’t credit the batters enough for fronting up and taking on that challenge. Normally there are a few nerves on day like this but the calm way that Trotty and Belly batted was just fantastic. You can say it’s a flat wicket but when you know you have to bat for 150 overs a series win seems a long way away.”This article was updated at 2.30pm on December 17, 2012 with additional media conference material

Bengal squandered an opportunity to dominate the Ranji match against Mumbai, and conceded a big lead

The Report by Siddhartha Talya at Brabourne Stadium02-Dec-2012
Scorecard
Ankeet Chavan’s 4-61 is his best haul so far in first-class cricket•Fotocorp

Bengal have never beaten Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and at stumps on the second day it seemed they may have squandered another opportunity to end that winless run since 1949. Bengal have had a frustrating tournament so far, and the current game is threatening to head the way of their low-scoring encounter against Madhya Pradesh in the previous round, which they had lost. Having bowled Mumbai out for 297, Bengal should have got themselves into a position to take a lead, but their batsmen, barring opener Arindam Das, who stayed through to the finish to be stranded on 98, let them down. Ankeet Chavan, the left-arm spinner, picked up four for 61, his best haul in first-class cricket.The Brabourne Stadium track continued to offer assistance to the seamers, and helped the spinners derive extra bounce and sharp turn. But Bengal’s performance had less to do with the conditions than failing to seize on a second chance offered through slip-ups in the field from Mumbai. Three senior Bengal players, including their captain, were guilty of that. Manoj Tiwary, who did better than his counterpart Rohit Sharma, was given a life on 23 when Wasim Jaffer dropped a simple chance at slip. Wriddhiman Saha, the vice-captain, was bowled off a no-ball on nought and Subhomoy Das was put down at first slip on 19. Tiwary added just 16 more after his reprieve, and the other two fell the very next delivery.Mumbai came hard at Bengal. They rarely stationed more than two fielders in the deep, and showed the urgency in their approach, if not their fielding, to defend a gettable total. They began with four slips and a gully for Dhawal Kulkarni and the steady flow of wickets that followed enabled them to retain packed close-in fields against the seamers as well as the two specialist spinners. The first wicket, of Rohan Banerjee, was a slice of luck, however, as he was run out after being sent back while attempting a third run. Shortly after, the first ball Kulkarni bowled round the wicket got him the wicket of Writam Porel, who was caught at third slip.Tiwary is not one to look completely settled but he’s got a prolific record in domestic cricket to back up his style. His brief innings today had its fair share of plays and misses. It included a leading edge that wasn’t far from extra cover, an edge over the slips, an airy shot into the off side that almost carried, and a missed chance by Jaffer at slip off Chavan’s next ball. Tiwary counter-attacked, lofting Chavan for successive boundaries that over, one being a six over long-on. He added 72 with Arindam but loosely chipped a flighted delivery from Chavan to mid-off immediately after punching a short ball through cover for four.Chavan bowled consistently from the Club House end, and round the wicket, targeting some rough areas on the track. He averaged 63.5 for his four wickets on flat tracks in the two games before this, and his captain Rohit Sharma had an extended conversation with him on the eve of this game. “It was a pep talk. On my part, in the previous games my bowling wasn’t that good as such so I had to do well getting this game. Fortunately, the wicket favoured me and it happened,” Chavan said. “On that [flat] wicket, we needed patience and [were required to] just keep bowling, and if the batsman made a mistake, you could get him out. Here, you had chances of getting him out.”Saha was bowled by a flighted delivery from Ramesh Powar, only for the umpire to double-check for a no-ball and rule that Pawar had overstepped. But the next ball was even better, as Pawar got it to jump off a good length and rap Saha on the glove, resulting in a catch at short leg. Subhomoy looked promising during his innings, smashing Pawar over his head and welcoming Kulkarni in his new spell with an imperious drive down the ground. He, too, was put down, by Hiken Shah at second slip, but prodded again at one of Chavan’s deliveries that turned away to be caught at first slip. Bengal had slid to 132 for 5.There was still depth in Bengal’s batting, but Abhishek Jhunjhunwala nicked Avishkar Salvi after looking good with a couple of boundaries and Chavan trapped Laxmi Shukla in front while he tried to sweep. All this time, as wickets kept crushing Bengal’s hopes raised by partnerships that had looked encouraging, Arindam’s solidity and assuredness stood out at the other end.Arindam, playing his first game in this Ranji season, cashed in on the width provided by seamers to pierce the off-side field. He used his feet well against spin, though he, too, had some nervous moments when he edged to slip, but the ball had bounced before reaching the fielder as he had played it down with soft hands. As Mumbai spread the field to give him the single when Bengal were eight down, he still managed to find the ropes, once pulling Kulkarni handsomely past two men in the deep. But he was to be deprived of a ninth first-class ton, as Kshemal Waingankar nipped out the last two wickets and robbed Bengal of greater consolation.

The presence of a possible sixth day and the flat nature of the Wankhede pitch meant both Mumbai and Baroda set themselves up for the long haul in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final

The Report by Sidharth Monga07-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Abhishek Nayar scored his third hundred of the season•Fotocorp

The presence of a possible sixth day and the flat nature of the Wankhede pitch meant both Mumbai and Baroda set themselves up for the long haul in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final. Baroda stayed away from claiming the third new ball, and Mumbai showed no intent to go for quick runs and declare the innings closed: 252 runs came on the second day for the loss of three wickets, with final session representing a near ceasefire.However, that shouldn’t take away from another stellar effort from Mumbai’s most valuable player, Abhishek Nayar, who crossed 50 for the 10th time this season, converted it into a third century, and ended unbeaten on 852 runs, the fifth-highest tally this season. Three of the four mean ahead of him are already out of the tournament. Nayar has also fielded superbly and picked up 16 wickets to go with his runs.Mumbai began the day at 272 for 3 with Wasim Jaffer unbeaten on 137, but Jaffer never quite got going. After two dropped chances, Jaffer played on to be dismissed for 150. Mumbai were 286 for 4 then, and still needed runs to feel comfortable on a pitch that didn’t have much for the bowlers. Enter Nayar, who provided them momentum even as nightwatchman Dhawal Kulkarni enjoyed his rare chance at blocking and playing like a proper batsman.Kulkarni never looked in much trouble, but the runs on the slow pitch came off Nayar’s bat. He began sweeping and reverse-sweeping to distraction. Kulkarni grew a little adventurous, hit a straight six, and fell at the team score of 356 to bring in the last recognised batsman, wicketkeeper Aditya Tare. Tare, too, had a tough time scoring runs at the start, but Nayar kept manipulating fields with shots and style entirely his own. Against spin he played all kinds of sweeps, against pace he moved across and worked the ball to leg.Nayar scored 20 off the first 29 balls he faced, then moved to 42 off 62, and brought up the fifty with a nudge to leg. Immediately he reverse-swept a four to celebrate. While Tare persevered to score 31 off 102, Nayar went fluently and had reached 78 off 122. Baroda were trying to defend, but it was difficult to do so against the dexterous Nayar.Tare quickened up, brought up his fifty, but fell in the final session for 64. Nayar was 94 then off 155 balls, a healthy strike rate on a slow pitch, Mumbai were 479 for 6, but with more than 20 overs to go in the day they changed their strategy. Against deep-set fields Mumbai endeavoured to come back on the third day for no further loss, and Baroda tried to minimise damage, presumably, before they take new ball with bowlers fresh on a fresh day.Over the next 21.4 overs, only 45 runs came without any incident. Nayar added only 28 off 62 balls over that period, bringing up his 11th first-class hundred in the process, but indications were that he wasn’t done yet.

It would be a sad end to England’s campaign if West Indies spring a surprise against Australia on Wednesday

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai12-Feb-2013The finalists of the 2009 Women’s World Cup, England and New Zealand, could have their last chance to qualify for the final of the 2013 edition snatched from them before they step onto the field at Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. If West Indies manage to surprise confirmed finalists Australia at the MIG Club ground in the suburb of Bandra in a morning start, the final on Sunday will be between the same sides.Though England left-arm spinner Holly Colvin said all that was in her side’s control was to go out and beat New Zealand under lights, there is no doubt that Charlotte Edwards and Co will be keeping a close eye on developments at MIG Club. The West Indies-Australia game will not be televised, though, and England and New Zealand will have to rely on score updates.West Indies have not beaten Australia in three previous ODIs, but those matches were back in the 1993, 2005 and 2009 World Cups. If Australia are shocked, and there has been no shortage of shocks in this tournament – courtesy Sri Lanka and West Indies – it will be an unfortunate way for defending champions England to exit.Apart from Australia, England are the only side who haven’t had a bad game in the tournament. Unlike Australia, who are undefeated, England lost twice, but they could have won those matches. Their one-wicket loss to Sri Lanka came off the last ball of the game. Their own last-wicket pair of Colvin and Anya Shrubsole took them within one stroke of ending Australia’s streak, only to fall short by two runs.Edwards’ side has showed character by roaring back from both the defeats, something the captain had said after the Sri Lanka match would not be hard for them to do. India were quelled by 32 runs, and West Indies were routed for 101 in a six-wicket win. Then, at the start of the Super Six stage, arrived the shattering defeat to old rivals Australia, as England failed to close the game after dismissing their opponents for 147.Edwards looked spent after that match. England had been in Mumbai all the while and she said getting away to Cuttack to play South Africa would be helpful. More than a thousand miles away from Mumbai, England bulldozed South Africa, who managed 77.Twice, England have had to regroup, and twice, they have done it. In 2009, they had hardly been tested on their way to the title. In 2013, the rest of the world has shown it’s catching up, and England have shown that champions will withstand blows and come back stronger.Tomorrow will be a big day personally for Edwards as well. She’s 33, the elder statesman of the game with most ODI runs, most ODI appearances and second-most as captain, and this might be her final World Cup. She has made no secret of what a successful defence of the title will mean, calling it a crowning glory in a 17-year long career. If Australia go down to West Indies, it will be a heartbreaking end to Edwards’ ambition.England have lost just three of their previous 15 ODIs to New Zealand, but will go into the game hoping Australia are able to avoid the West Indies banana peel. If they don’t, the last Super Six match will cease to be anything more than a practice game for the third-place playoff on Friday.