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An eleventh-hour surge put Basnahira Greens in touching distance of victory, but ultimately Kandurata Maroons’ 124 for 8 proved just enough on a used Premadasa pitch that has steadily deteriorated

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Aug-2013
ScorecardAn eleventh-hour surge put Basnahira Greens in touching distance of victory, but ultimately Kandurata Maroons’ 124 for 8 proved just enough on a used Premadasa pitch that has steadily deteriorated. As has been the case during the tournament so far, the chasing side could not secure a situation of dominance throughout the innings, and for Basnahira, it was the five wickets they lost between the 9th and the 14th over that sealed their fate.Kithuruwan Vithanage attempted a valiant resurgence from No. 6, hitting 37 not out from 30, but in the end, spinners Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Shehan Jayasuriya had dismissed too many of his teammates for his innings to pay off. Basnahira lost by two runs, leaving Kandurata with two victories in as many matches.Although his spinners had been the most effective bowlers on this surface, Lahiru Thirimanne opted to hand Dhammika Prasad the last over of the innings, with Basnahira needing 21. Isuru Udana struck two sixes off the first two balls – the first a monumental straight strike – and having not threatened Kandurata’s total for most of the chase, Basnahira needed only 9 from the last four deliveries. Basnahira managed only two runs from the next three balls, with Udana falling off the penultimate ball. Vithanage needed to hit a six off the final delivery to tie the match, but could only get it behind point for four.Jayasuriya could not make an impact with the bat, earlier in the match, but his spell of 3-0-7-3 broke the back of Basnahira’s chase, which had begun steadily. In between Lokuarachchi had Angelo Mathews stumped for the second time in the tournament, and also dismissed Janaka Gunaratne and Sachithra Senanayake – both dangerous batsmen. Lokuarachchi finished with figures of 3 for 25 from his full quota.Earlier, Milinda Siriwardana had propelled Kandurata’s innings beyond 120, after it had threatened to stagnate during the middle overs. His unbeaten ninth-wicket stand with Prasad was worth 23, and the pair took 21 from the last 12 deliveries, with Siriwardana playing primary aggressor. Opener Upul Tharanga had helped lay the foundation for the innings with 27, before Lahiru Thirimanne ensured the scoreboard kept moving during the middle overs, with a 17-ball 22.

Steve Mullaney and Paul Franks cut loose after solid work by the Nottinghamshire top order before late wickets put Yorkshire on the back foot

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road06-Jun-2013
ScorecardSteven Mullaney’s innings helped Nottinghamshire up the tempo of their innings•Getty ImagesFor four sessions this match was rich in adagio and short on allegro. No shame in that, of course. Nottinghamshire’s batsmen were charged with building a substantial first-innings total on a testing wicket against an accurateYorkshire attack. Their lunchtime score on the second day – 242 for 5 off 101.5 overs – bore testimony to the hard work both sides had doneThere had been no criticism of the tempo of the cricket from the knowledgeable crowd either. Decked as they were in sunhats and pastel shades on this glorious Thursday in June, promenaders of both loyalties understood very well that it is not always possible to play festival cricket, even at Scarborough.And, yes, there is often a symphonic quality to a fine innings, whether it is played by a team or an individual. Not for nothing do the coaches talk about the value of batting in partnerships: one pair shows fierce restraint in order that their successors can play with gorgeous freedom.Nottinghamshire’s first innings 443 possessed something of this musical balance.Michael Lumb and Ed Cowan’s 101-run stand on the first day was the prelude to Lumb’s attack on the Yorkshire attack in the evening session. On Thursday, Lumb and Taylor, the latter batsman probably carrying his defensive duties from principle to dogma, blunted Andrew Gale’s bowlers in the morning in the hope that a big score would be the consequence of their self-denying ordinance.Lumb added 19 runs to his overnight score before being caught by second-slip Adam Lyth off Steven Patterson for 135; Taylor had faced 148 balls for his 38 runs when he unwisely tried to whip the same admirable fast bowler to leg in the over before lunch.The strategy bore fruit but the sheer brio and chutzpah of what took place in the afternoon session still came as a lovely surprise for Nottinghamshire fans, many of whom were prepared for yet more studious sonatas and scurried singles. Steven Mullaney, unbeaten on nought at the break, unveiled a series of excellent drives and cuts as the Yorkshire bowlers finally forswore their vows of rectitude and accuracy.In company with Paul Franks, Mullaney added 87 in 16 overs before he was caught off bat and boot at short leg for a 97-ball 79. Richard Pyrah came in for particularly rough treatment, Mullaney cutting and gliding the medium-pacer for five boundaries in nine balls. And before dismissing Mullaney, Adil Rashid had been hit for two sixes, one straight, the other over long-on as the batsman capitalised on his colleagues’ work.After tea Franks, too, played with far greater freedom as the innings moved from exposition to its final development. Long regarded as one of county cricket’s more valuable performers – a players’ player, if you will – Franks made 70 off 108 balls, taking his team’s total beyond the 400-mark and finally battering Gale’s bowlers into defeat. Three late wickets made not a minim of difference to the balance of the piece. Patterson, who took 3 for 74 off 37 overs was the pick of the Yorkshire attack and it is a little puzzling that this most consistent of seamers has never received any sort of England call.There was a late clatter of wickets for the Nottinghamshire supporters to enjoy too. Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney are one of the English game’s more hostile pace duos. With the new ball and on a pitch that offers bounce and movement to those prepared to bend their backs, the pair removed Adam Lyth and Alex Lees and nightwatchman Patterson, the latter getting a touch to a Hannibal Lecter of a delivery: it was very nasty and went straight for the throat.Yorkshire still need 265 runs to avoid the follow-on. Almost every member of Chris Read’s orchestra had played their parts to perfection; there had been few duff notes. It was something for home supporters to ponder as they made their way out of North Marine Road and back to their hotels and guest houses on a tearfully lovely evening. They may place their hopes on yet another virtuoso performance with the bat from Rashid. But they cannot rely on their newly crowned maestro forever.

Michael Klinger’s century ensured Gloucestershire had no trouble in chasing 188 to beat Leicestershire by nine wickets at Grace Road, their first win of the season

03-May-2013Gloucestershire 280 (Taylor 61, Freckingham 4-69) and 191 for 1 (Klinger 103*, Dent 71) beat Leicestershire 250 (Thakor 75, Howell 5-57) and 217 (W Gidman 4-39) by nine wickets
ScorecardMichael Klinger, seen here for Worcestershire last season, steered Gloucestershire home•Getty ImagesAustralian Michael Klinger hit his first County Championship century to lead Gloucestershire to a nine-wicket victory on the final day at Grace Road.After surviving a tricky first half-hour, openers Klinger and Chris Dent shared a stand of 129 to ensure there would be no major problems chasing a target of 188.Dent was out for 71 to the last ball before lunch but Klinger hit the winning runs and reached his century at the same time with his 16th boundary. He was unbeaten on 103 from 172 balls.It was Gloucestershire’s first win of the season and earned them 21 points, while Leicestershire collected five as they slipped to their first defeat of the season following drawn games against Hampshire and Kent.With Gloucestershire starting the day on 16 for 0, Leicestershire needed to take early wickets if they were to have any chance of snatching an unlikely victory. Pacemen Ollie Freckingham and Robbie Williams bowled well without any luck early on a slow pitch starting to show signs of uneven bounce.Both batsmen played and missed on several occasions and three times the ball flashed through the slip cordon down to the vacant third-man boundary. But as the shine went off the ball, the sting went out of the bowling, and both Klinger and Dent began to play with far more confidence and assurance.Dent was the first to reach his 50 off 68 balls with eight fours and Gloucestershire captain, Klinger, brought up the 100 partnership with a well-timed square drive to the boundary off Freckingham.A neat late cut off Michael Thornely saw Klinger reach his 50 off 100 balls, and Leicestershire’s frustrating morning was summed up when Josh Cobb put down an easy slip catch offered by Dent off Jigar Naik’s off spin.Naik gained some revenge by having Dent lbw with the last ball before lunch. But Klinger remained in good touch, straight driving Claude Henderson for a six before square cutting another boundary off Shiv Thakor to reach his landmark century and clinch victory.

Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has said the second Test in Hyderabad next week is not in doubt at this stage, despite bombs in the city killing at least 12 people on Thursday night

Brydon Coverdale in Chennai21-Feb-2013Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland has said the second Test in Hyderabad next week is not in doubt at this stage, despite bombs in the city killing at least 12 people on Thursday night. The BCCI too confirmed that the Test should go ahead as usual and is unlikely to have a change of venue.The twin blasts came on the eve of the first Test between Australia and India in Chennai, and the teams are due to travel to Hyderabad on Wednesday ahead of the second Test.The bombs hit the Dilsukhnagar region of Hyderabad about ten minutes apart and were labelled “a dastardly attack” by India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh. Sutherland, who is in Chennai, said on Friday morning that he had spoken to a BCCI official on Thursday night and the two organisations would work together to assess the security situation.”It is sad news overnight,” Sutherland said. “From our perspective the focus around the team is very much on this Test in Chennai, everyone is very comfortable here in terms of the security arrangements in place. The players are focused on what they have ahead of them.”We will take advice from relevant authorities and work with the BCCI and others here to make assessments around Hyderabad, but at the same time plans have been in place for a long time and at this stage I wouldn’t be calling into question things going ahead in Hyderabad as planned.”BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla confirmed that the Indian board had approached government officials regarding security in Hyderabad.”I spoke to the Union home secretary [Sushil Kumar Shinde], who was in Hyderabad, and had a discussion with the chief minister [Kiran Kumar Reddy] and officials of the state government. After that he told me that adequate security will be provided to the players as well as the spectators. So Test match should not be shifted out of Hyderabad,” Shukla was quoted as saying by . “I have conveyed this to the BCCI president [N Srinivasan], who in turn is going to speak to chairman of Cricket Australia and convey that when government is giving a guarantee of security for the players and the spectators, we think we should not change the venue.”Australia’s team manager Gavin Dovey spoke to the players and kept them up to date with developments, but Sutherland said they wanted to ensure they could remain focused on the Chennai Test.”We don’t hold anything back from the players, they know where everything is at,” Sutherland said. “But at the same time they have expressed a desire to be focused and minimise this so that they can focus on cricket this week.”We will work together with the players and the players’ association on these sorts of issues. There is a high level of confidence among the group that the management will work through that. We will communicate openly and make assessments … As far as I’m concerned we’re playing the second Test match in Hyderabad next week.”Sutherland said Cricket Australia had great confidence in the BCCI’s ability to deal with security issues on a day-to-day basis. Shortly before departing for the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke said his players were happy to be guided by the team’s security experts.”From the team’s point of view, our focus is wholly and solely on the field because we’ve got people off the field who are experts in what is going on, we’ll be advised by them,” Clarke said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the people of Hyderabad who have been affected.”03.25GMT, February 22: This story has been updated with the latest quotes from James Sutherland

A round up of the Faysal Bank One-Day Cup matches on March 9, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2013Group AFile photo: Aizaz Cheema’s five-wicket haul gave Peshawar Panthers an 80-run win over Lahore Lions•AFPA maiden century by Mansoor Amjad took Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket win – and thereby top of the points table – over Multan Tigers in Ghari Khuda Baksh.Multan’s innings of 234 revolved around Sohaib Maqsood’s 91. The rest of the batting, though, couldn’t last long enough to provide him much-needed support. Wickets fell regularly after a second-wicket stand of 96. From 122 for 2, they would be reduced to being bowled out in the last over. All six of the oppositions’ bowlers were among the wickets.In reply, Sialkot struggled at 27 for 3, with offspinner Aamer Yamin taking two of those wickets. But Amjad and opener Yasir Aziz staged a recover with 102 for the fourth wicket, before the later was dismissed for 66. Amjad found able support through Adeel Malik (44), which helped them get home in the 46th over.An all-round show from Bahawalpur Stags took them to a convincing six-wicket win over Quetta Bears in Karachi. The foundation for the win was laid by seamer Mohammad Mudassar and spinner Faisal Elahi, who shared seven wickets between them to bowl the Bears out for 144, and an aggressive career-best knock of 93 by opener Imranullah Aslam.Quetta were behind in the game from the outset, as they were 6 for 3. Although a recovery stand of 49 between Taimur Ali and Abid Ali followed, the lower order couldn’t follow it up with any resistance.They picked up an early wicket in Bahawalpur’s chase, but that proved to be a false dawn, as Imranullah punished the bowlers in his 88-ball knock with ten fours and four sixes, effectively taking the game away.A responsible 71 by Sami Aslam was backed up by a decent middle-order batting performance asLahore Eagles defeated Hyderabad Hawks by four wickets in Hyderabad. This was the Hawks’ first loss in the tournament, and the Eagles’ first win.They had a shaky start to their chase of 238, with two wickets falling early, but Jahangir Mirza, who scored 54, stuck with Aslam to put on a 111-run stand. Later, the captain and wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal also chipped in with a half-century, to help his side get home with two overs to spare.Hyderabad, with a 132-run stand for the third wicket between Taj Wasan and Rizwan Ahmed, got to a commanding 173 for 2 at one stage in their innings. But the next eight wickets fell for 64 runs, as the middle and lower order crumbled. Wasan finished on 69, while Rizwan finished on 73. Adnan Rasool was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 28.Group BKarachi Zebras won their rain-affected encounter with Faisalabad Wolves in Rawalpinidi by 1 run through D/L method, and moved to top spot in Group B.Karachi were put into bat, and started solidly to get to 105 for 2. The innings lost momentum thereafter, as Faisalabad struck regularly. Contributions from Tariq Haroon (37) and Anwar Ali (37) helped push the total to 215, as they were dismissed in 46 overs.Faisalabad, in reply, were in trouble at 18 for 3. They lost two more in quick succession to be reduced to 60 for 5. Zeeshan Butt’s unbeaten 67, along with Imran Khalid’s 42, did their best to steer the ship, as they put on a 97-run stand for the seventh wicket. However, once rain intervened, Faisalabad were 1 run short of the D/L comparative score.Islamabad Leopards won their rain-affected game against Abbottabad Falcons by 20 runs through D/L method, in Islamabad.Islamabad chose to bat, with opener Raheel Majeed scoring 47. A brace of wickets left Umair Khan batting with the rest of the tail as Islamabad struggled to string substantial partnerships. Khan’s unbeaten 91, supported by small contributions from other batsmen, and 31 extras, pushed their score to 275 for 9. Kamran Ghulam was the pick of the bowlers with a career-best 3 for 29.Abbottabad started strongly with a 102-run stand between Ghulam and Sajjad Ali. However, with the fall of regular wickets, they fell behind in the chase, which was revived by a 51-run stand for the seventh wicket. A late rally from Yasir Shah, with an unbeaten 66, tried to keep them abreast of the required run-rate. But once rain intervened they were found short by 20 runs on D/L.Peshawar Panthers comprehensively beat Lahore Lions by 80 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, to move up to second spot on the points table.Peshawar, after electing to bat, lost Israrullah for 4. Nawaz Ahmed and wicketkeeper Mohammed Rizwan combined for 118 runs for the second wicket to stage a recovery. Nawaz finished with 93, with further contributions from Rizwan (55), Iftikhar Ahmed (81) and Gauhar Ali (26). Aizaz Cheema took wickets both up front and towards the end of the innings, as Panthers finished with 294 for 7 in their fifty overs. Cheema had best figures of 5 for 61.Lahore Lions didn’t start assuredly well, as they lost opener Imran Butt for 10. They could not string together meaningful partnerships, as the top and middle-order struggled to keep pace with the soaring required run-rate. The innings was kept in check through the bowling of spinner Mohammad Adnan, who picked up 5 for 46, and Zohaib Khan, who picked up 3 for 33. Despite a late order hit-out from Asif Raza (30) and Agha Salman (42), Lahore folded for 214 in the 48th over.

Graham Gooch has hailed England’s back-to-back Test wins in India as a “monumental achievement”

George Dobell in Kolkata10-Dec-2012Graham Gooch has hailed England’s back-to-back Test wins in India as a “monumental achievement”. Gooch, the highest run-scorer in England’s Test history and the side’s current batting coach, claimed England were now “in the ascendancy”, but warned that with one Test remaining, plenty of hard work lay ahead if they were to claim their first series win in India since 1984-85.After losing the first Test in Ahmedabad, England won in Mumbai and Kolkata to take a 2-1 lead with one match to play. While Gooch praised the team for their fightback, he also suggested India might prepare a “result pitch” for the last Test in Nagpur, starting on Thursday, to maximise their chances of securing a result to draw the series.”It was a monumental achievement,” Gooch said. “We know these conditions are sometimes alien to English players. We lost the first Test, we took a bit of a beating there, and in their conditions – India have set up the conditions in Mumbai and Kolkata – our guys have responded magnificently. Let’s be fair, they’ve outplayed India in both the last two Tests.”When you go 1-0 down against hosts who have a very good record in their own conditions, it’s very satisfying when you can turn it round and use the skills you have practised long and hard to outplay the opposition.”But I don’t think for one minute that the guys think the job is done. We’re 2-1 up with one to play. We want a positive result in Nagpur. I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying it’s going to be a result pitch in Nagpur. If I was India I would want a result pitch to take my chances.”The things MS Dhoni has said after Mumbai I totally agree with – he wants to play on pitches that produce results and I don’t have a problem with that. I’d rather have a pitch that produces a result that one that produces 600 plays 600. So we know it’s likely to be a pitch where it will be tough for the batsmen, with the ball turning. But after our last two performances we can go there with confidence and we’ve got to make sure we bring our A game to Nagpur.”Gooch was particularly keen to credit Alastair Cook for England’s revival. Cook scored his third century of the series and the 23rd of his Test career to set up the victory in Kolkata and has also impressed as a new captain in helping his side come from behind in a series in conditions where many expected them to struggle.”He’s always been an impressive young man, mature beyond his years,” Gooch said. “He works hard at his game. We’ve spent hours and hours in the nets over a long period of time and credit to him, he’s the one who deserves to take the plaudits. He’s worked hard at all types of his technique against spin, pace and swing bowling and he’s had some low moments – as you do as a player – and now he’s reaping the rewards for that hard work.”We showed lots of character coming back, but Alastair is a character who tried to keep his feet on the ground in defeat or in success and when he does well or has a bad day. It’s a good way to approach it. He’s very level-headed. From the time he first came into the Essex professional set-up to the time he scored his first Test hundred, he has been very mature about his cricket. He knows exactly what he wants and he knows how to go about it. He works very hard and, generally, that’s a winning combination.”He has led this team really well. He’s still learning as a captain and he’ll continue to develop. He’s only new to captaincy. He’s had a good start, there’ll be highs and lows along the way but he’ll take them equally and move forward. English cricket is lucky to have a player like him at the head of their team.”Gooch also praised the desire and commitment of England’s other batsmen. “The guys have worked hard at their game,” he said. “Our guys have a good work ethic. They’ve taken on board all the help they’ve been given about playing the turning ball and how to shape their technique. Credit to them, they’ve worked hard since the first training camp in Mumbai. All the work they’ve put in over a long period of time has now started to show rewards. We’ve got to make sure we carry that on in the next game and perform well there and come away from this country with our supporters being proud of the England cricket team.”

The BCCI has sold the title sponsorship of the IPL for the next five years to PepsiCo for Rs. 396.8 crore

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Nov-2012Global beverage giant PepsiCo has bagged the IPL title sponsorship rights for the next five years (2013-17) for Rs 396.8 crore ($71.77 million approx), almost double the original title sponsorship deal done in 2008. Along with PepsiCo, the only other contender for the title sponsorships rights was Airtel, an Indian telecommunications company, who bid Rs 316 crore ($57.27 million approx). For the next five years the tournament is to be called Pepsi-IPL.In 2008, DLF, Indian’s biggest real estate company, had paid a sum of Rs 200 crore ($36.25 million approx), to own title rights for the first five years (2008-12) of the tournament. But in August DLF decided not to renew its contract, forcing the BCCI to issue a new tender. The BCCI had set Rs 300 crore as the base price for the title sponsorship.”So far our record of selling various properties of IPL has been very good,” IPL governing council chairman Rajiv Shukla said after a meeting of BCCI’s marketing committee in Mumbai. “We have doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount while selling some of the properties,” Shukla said. Gautham Mukkavilli, CEO, Beverages, PepsiCo India region, said that in a country where “cricket was a religion,” the IPL had become the “most revered temple where the faithful flock to.”The news of the new title sponsorship was approved of by the IPL franchises, who believe the Pepsi deal will have a positive effect on their own businesses. Raghu Iyer, the chief financial officer at Rajasthan Royals, said the new title sponsorship will, “ignite the market” for the franchises. “It is absolutely double the value. What was expected was one-half-times what DLF paid, but these guys have paid something like 80-crore mark (per year)… IPL needed this kind of positive reinstatement from a global brand like Pepsi.”Venky Mysore, the CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, said the title sponsorship would add “tremendous value” to both the league as well as the global beverage brand. “It is terrific news that they have come on board. Pepsi would have done their homework. They know their numbers and they would have clearly seen some value,” Mysore said.According to Mysore the value addition and the returns on Pepsi’s investment would be manifold. “There are analytical models that we also use to show our brands who are associated with our franchise in terms on what their return on investment is. Leave aside the fact that it is an association with a marquee product (IPL) and the synergies that brings, if you look at just pure advertisement value and the kind of the exposure that happens leading upto the IPL, during the IPL and then the rub-off effect of it continuing on, there is a very clear way of calculating what the value of that exposure is. That is how you calculate the return on investment. Pepsi would get at least five times the exposure it would normally get,” Mysore said.After DLF let the deadline of July 28 (meant for the renewal of the title sponsorship contract) pass, speculation grew about whether the value of the IPL as a brand was shrinking. The timing of that news coincided with the controversy surrounding the Deccan Chargers franchise. According to TAM Sports, a division of TAM Research, one of the leading television ratings agencies, the overall tournament rating for the fifth IPL was 3.45, compared to 3.51 the previous year – far from the TVR of 5.51 reached in 2010. The telecommunications pair of Airtel and Nokia had decided to not renew their annual title sponsorship of the Champions League Twenty20, adding weight to the growing perception that the IPL was no longer a valuable property.The new title sponsorship with Pepsi silenced those doubts. According to a senior official from a different franchise, who did not want to be identified, despite all the negative colours IPL had been painted in, the league has always achieved what it wanted. “People have spoken negative about IPL but in the end everybody has paid the money which we have always asked for. We have never had problems at getting sponsors at our price. I will get it even in future. People will still talk so it is best we keep quiet,” the official said. “Pepsi will not put in money unless they are sure about their numbers, isn’t it? They are putting hardcore cash. Pepsi operates not only in India. It is a global giant and they would have done their studies,” the official pointed out.

The fifth edition of the IPL, which began in tepid fashion, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a thrilling finish for Mumbai Indians

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran09-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rohit Sharma’s two sixes in the final over, including one off the last ball, sealed it for Mumbai Indians•AFPThe fifth edition of the IPL, which began in tepid fashion, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a thrilling finish for Mumbai Indians against Deccan Chargers, who fought tooth and nail while defending 139. Daniel Christian, not the wisest choice for the final over, as very recent history tells us, dished out two full tosses to Rohit. One of them was off the final ball, which was dispatched over long-on to spark wild celebrations.The Chargers were still favourites with 18 to defend off the last over. Kumar Sangakkara had bowled out his best bowler, Dale Steyn, leaving the final task with Christian. The first ball was smashed by James Franklin past long-off for four; the second down the same region; the batsmen sneaked a bye off the third; the fourth was a high full toss slammed by Rohit Sharma over deep backward point. With five needed off two, the penultimate ball was forced to long-off and Rohit Sharma timed his dive just in time to survive a run-out appeal. Christian couldn’t come up with anything special, gifting Rohit Sharma the most hittable delivery of the over, breaking the hearts of the home fans who saw their side slip to a second straight defeat.Fortunes kept oscillating in the final overs, but for most periods in the chase, the Chargers were in control. Much of the credit should go to Steyn, who ran in with the same vigour as he does for South Africa. He defeated the best hitters in the Mumbai line-up with raw pace and fizzy bounce, nipping out three wickets for just 12 runs. He took 2 for 6 in his first spell, conceded just two off his next over and only five off his final over. In hindsight, Sangakkara will feel he should have kept him for the final over.Steyn gave the Chargers the early advantage by plucking a return catch in his follow-through to get rid of T Suman. The fourth over, a wicket-maiden from Steyn, was the spectacle of the evening. He ran in high on adrenaline and had his fellow countryman Richard Levi all at sea with raw pace. He targeted the stumps, forced Levi to stab at deliveries cramping him for room, foxed him with a slower one that sneaked past the outside edge and the stumps, bounced him, but saved his best delivery for the last. Levi played all around a fiery full ball that knocked back his middle stump.For a team with big hitters at the top, Mumbai were struggling at 15 for 2 after five overs. The run-rate touched the five mark only after 11 overs, indicative of how miserly the Chargers were. The ball spun, gripped and even kept low, meaning the batsmen had to concentrate harder. Rohit fetched two boundaries and a six – over extra cover – off Christian to keep Mumbai afloat.The arrival of Kieron Pollard, in the 12th over, perked up the run-rate. The spinners were always vulnerable against Pollard, who swung two sixes and a four to leave Mumbai a gettable 56 off the last six overs. Another spiteful over from Steyn, in which he hit the deck hard, softened up Pollard. He slammed Amit Mishra over long-off the following over, but perished trying the same against Christian, skying it to Shikhar Dhawan at long-off. Mumbai’s shoulders would have dropped after Pollard walked off, but not Rohit’s, as he walloped two more sixes off Mishra to restore hope for his side.Rohit’s hitting overshadowed Munaf Patel’s four-wicket haul, which was responsible for restricting the Chargers. It also masked an ugly incident involving Sangakkara’s dismissal, where some of the Mumbai players got confrontational with the umpires. Munaf bowled a low full toss which Sangakkara shaped to drive, but got an inside edge which shaved the off stump and knocked off the bails. The wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was standing up close and the ball deflected back to the stumps off his pads, causing confusion as to whether he was legitimately bowled in the first place. The umpires initially gave Sangakkara the benefit of the doubt, choosing not to refer it to the third umpire. The Mumbai players were peeved, particularly Munaf, who flung the ball on the turf as he ambled back to his mark.A furious Harbhajan Singh marched to the square leg umpire Johan Cloete, who was soon enveloped by Munaf and Karthik. A clueless Sangakkara went across to have a word with the umpires but by then, it was as if the umpires were coerced into referring it. In theory, Sangakkara was legitimately out and the umpires should have had the presence of mind to consult. Mumbai’s road-rage, though, left a bad taste in the mouth and it makes one wonder how different it could have been had Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai’s original captain, been in charge. Tendulkar, unfortunately, was at the dug out, and there was nobody around to defuse the situation.Cameron White and Christian added a quick 41 for the fifth wicket, smashing four sixes in their stand to boost the Chargers before the lower order was reined in. The target proved a challenging one, but the visitors were fortunate to run into a bowler who suffered another nightmare of conceding a six off the last ball in front of a global television audience.

Tasmania have finalised their contract list for the next year, with the former Queensland wicketkeeper Ben Dunk joining the Tigers on a one-year deal

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012Tasmania have finalised their contract list for the next year, with the former Queensland wicketkeeper Ben Dunk joining the Tigers on a one-year deal. Dunk was the final addition to Tasmania’s squad, which had gradually been revealed over the past fortnight, and the local batsman Beau Webster was the last man to join the rookie list.Dunk is the fourth interstate player the Tigers have secured, along with the batsman Aiden Blizzard from South Australia, the fast bowler Timm van der Gugten from New South Wales, and fellow fast man Andrew Fekete from Victoria. Dunk, 25, has captained the Bulls in the past but was not offered a new contract by Queensland.His opportunities may be limited, with Tim Paine fit again and ready to resume his place behind the stumps for Tasmania, but the departure of Tom Triffitt to Western Australia meant there was a place available as the back-up gloveman. Tim Coyle, the Tasmania coach, said he was happy with the squad the Tigers had put together.”To retain our important players from our program over the last few years, which was the absolute priority for us, was great but to then value-add to the list as we have to give us depth in both forms of the game has been an outstanding result,” Coyle said.The Tigers announced in April that they would not offer new contracts to a number of players, including Brendan Drew, Nick Kruger, Brady Jones, Jon Wells, Ben Laughlin, Ashton May, Matthew Day and Marc Simonds.Tasmania squad George Bailey (capt), Jackson Bird, Aiden Blizzard, Luke Butterworth, Steve Cazzulino, Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan, Xavier Doherty (Cricket Australia contract), Alex Doolan, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus (CA), Matt Johnston, Jason Krejza, Adam Maher, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting (CA), Timm van der Gugten Rookies Harry Allanby, Sam Rainbird, Jordan Silk, Beau Webster.

Two of the players named in court evidence against Chris Cairns have stood by their statements about his involvement in match-fixing during live video link evidence from India

Alan Gardner at the High Court12-Mar-2012Three of the players named in court evidence against Chris Cairns have stood by their statements about the former New Zealand international’s involvement in match-fixing during live video link evidence from India. Their testimony formed part of the sixth day of hearings in Cairns’ libel case against Lalit Modi, the former commissioner of the IPL, at the High Court in London.Cairns is suing Modi for defamation over a 2010 tweet that implicated him in fixing. Cairns denies the reason for his dismissal from the Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008 was in linked to alleged corruption, maintaining that failing to disclose an ankle injury was behind his suspension.Gaurav Gupta, Karanveer Singh and Rajesh Sharma, three of Cairns’ former Chandigarh Lions team-mates who have made separate accusations against him, appeared via a video link-up from Delhi. Gupta, a batsman who played first-class cricket for Punjab, has alleged that Cairns told him to score “no more than five runs” during a match between Chandigarh and Mumbai Champs.Questioned about evidence given by Andrew Hall, the former South Africa international who succeeded Cairns as captain of Chandigarh, Gupta denied telling Hall that the instruction had been given by Dinesh Mongia.”No, Chris Cairns told me between the innings and on the pitch as well,” Gupta said. It has previously been claimed in court that Cairns joined Gupta in the middle, with the latter on 4, and told him to “Get out now”.Karanveer, a legspinner who was 19 at the time, described a meeting in which Mongia, a former India international, allegedly told him and his father that everyone within the ICL, from “top to bottom” knew about fixing. He said that he was “shocked” and “broken from inside” to hear the Mongia’s claims.He described a subsequent conversation with Cairns that took place during training, in which Karanveer was asked if he had spoken to Mongia.”This talk was about match-fixing, I was very much convinced,” Karanveer said, though Cairns did not refer to any specific instructions. Karanveer added that he did not report either Mongia or Cairns to the ICL because he was scared that the blame would be shifted on to him.The court also heard from Rajesh Sharma, another witness for Modi, who required the assistance of a Hindi translator to give evidence. He restated his claim that Cairns told him to “keep quiet” about match-fixing and said that he had concluded from this conversation that Cairns was involved. Cairns denies discussing fixing with Sharma.Sharma, who has admitted to receiving money from spot-fixing, said he did not report Cairns’ name to ICL executives or Hall, when questioned, because it would have become a “bigger problem” for him.The judge, David Bean, has allowed for a break in proceedings on Tuesday before summing up speeches on behalf of the claimant and the defence begin on Wednesday. Bean will then retire to consider his verdict.