Previous Entry South Africa beat Zimbabwe

South Africa’s bowlers delivered a 61-run win over Zimbabwe as Dale Steyn and Ryan McLaren took three wickets each to bowl the hosts out for 170 in the triangular one-day series. South Africa was kept to a mediocre total of 231 at Harare Sports Club but was saved by its bowlers as Zimbabwe’s batsmen succumbed under the pressure. Sean Williams made 46 for Zimbabwe in the middle order but was the only Zimbabwean to threaten South Africa’s attack. He was furious with himself for his error when he was caught by Hashim Amla off McLaren with the score on 138-5. Zimbabwe collapsed after that. McLaren finished with 3-24 and Steyn 3-36 to take South Africa to two wins from two in the tournament after beating top-ranked Australia on Wednesday. Zimbabwe had a good chance of a first win in the series after spinner Prosper Utseya took a hat trick in his 5-36 to restrict the Proteas at Harare Sports Club. But Steyn, McLaren and two valuable wickets from left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso meant Zimbabwe didn’t come close to the target and took South Africa to the top of the three-team standings. Australia plays Zimbabwe in the next game on Sunday.
Utseya’s career-best return in ODIs had given the home team a good chance of a first victory over South Africa in 14 years. South African openers Hashim Amla (66) and Quinton de Kock (76) both made half-centuries in a 142-run opening stand before Utseya intervened, taking the first five wickets including De Kock, Rilee Rossouw and David Miller in consecutive deliveries. It was the second hat trick by a Zimbabwean in ODIs after Eddo Brandes against England in 1997 at the same Harare ground and Utseya celebrated by falling onto his back and kicking his feet up in the air as teammates mobbed him. Utseya is also on report over a suspected illegal action but is allowed to bowl pending tests. Utseya was backed up by fellow off-spinner John Nyumbu, who took 3-42. Zimbabwe was never settled in its chase, though, after Tino Mawoyo was run out with the score on one. Phangiso took the crucial wickets of Hamilton Masakadza (25) and Brendan Taylor for a duck as he beat both of Zimbabwe’s most experienced batsmen to rattle their stumps. Steyn and McLaren did the rest, with McLaren taking two wickets in two balls near the end and threatening to claim the second hat trick of the game.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Raina leads India to win

Suresh Raina struck a rapid 100 and off-spinner Ravindra Jadeja took 4-28 as India thrashed England by 133 runs in the second one-day international to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. After capitulating to a 3-1 loss in the recent test series, the Indians quickly found their groove in their favored 50-over format to start the long build-up to next year’s World Cup impressively. Raina’s fourth ODI century, reached off 74 balls, helped India recover from a poor start and post a challenging total of 304-6 in chilly, overcast conditions at Sophia Gardens. England’s target was revised to 295 off 47 overs because of rain, but the hosts didn’t get close and were always behind the run rate as they were bowled out for 161 in 38.1 overs. Opener Alex Hales top-scored on his ODI debut with 40 before becoming one of Jadeja’s wickets. The first ODI in Bristol was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain. The third match is at Nottingham on Saturday.
Raina shared a 144-run stand with Dhoni (52 off 51 balls) for the fifth wicket to accelerate India’s innings, which stumbled to 19-2 after the cheap departures of Shikhar Dhawan (11) and Virat Kohli (0) and then 132-4 following opener Rohit Sharma’s demise for 52 in the 30th over. Raina, who didn’t play in the test series, showed the benefits of practicing with a taped tennis ball to get used to the kind of ball movement seen on English wickets, with the aggressive left-hander hitting three sixes and 12 fours in his first hundred in 95 ODI innings. Paceman Chris Woakes removed both Raina and Dhoni to finish with figures of 4-52, but a total of more than 300 was a brilliant score considering the very English conditions the hosts were bowling in and the fact that India lost the toss. England quickly fell behind the run-rate and lost three wickets in 20 balls, with Alastair Cook trapped lbw for 19 after playing across the line and both Ian Bell (1) and Joe Root (4) misjudging straight deliveries to be bowled by Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, respectively. When the big-hitting Hales top-edged a sweep off Jadeja and was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin, England was tottering on 81-4 and only Eoin Morgan (28) put up any worthwhile resistance in the middle and lower order.
Dhoni hails knock
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni heaped praises on Suresh Raina for his match-winning hundred in the second one-dayer against England that helped the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. “It was a fantastic knock,” said Dhoni, about Raina’s 75-ball 100. “It’s a very different format,” said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, welcoming the world champions’ return to playing ODIs, “and it gives them freedom to express themselves in the field.” On the other hand, English captain was not happy with his team’s performance. “We didn’t play very well at all,” Cook said. “Credit to MS (Dhoni) and Raina, they took the game away from us.”
Source-http://crictoday.com/

Anderson and Broad: The new lead pair in modern fast bowling

Anderson and Broad: That sounds like the name of a chartered accountant firm or an attorney firm. They do not evoke the same menace of other fast bowling combos: such as a Lillee and Thomson or a Wasim and Waqar. Still, they take truckloads of wickets. Not just against India. Whoever comes to England, suffer their wrath. In English conditions, no batsman has mastered them. Not even Sachin Tendulkar.
If there is moisture in the air and there is bounce on the pitch, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are virtually unplayable. Or you ask Virat Kohli – or Cheteshwar Pujara. Anderson and Broad have convinced these young Indian batsmen that they have miles to go before they become the next Tendulkar and Dravid.
Setting a record
It is a well-worn cliché: that fast bowlers hunt in pairs. But if you look closely at the fast-bowling history, you will find far too many lonely hunters than celebrated pairs. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, and Richard Hadlee, all were magnificent soloists.
In any case, Anderson and Broad were not considered as a deadly pair; but they have quietly notched up a remarkable record. In the series against India, they plucked out their 500th wicket. As far as opening bowlers go, only the Pakistani pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and the West Indian pair of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh have taken more wickets.
Unlike the other prolific fast-bowling pairs, they do not appear larger than life. Somehow, they miss the swagger and terrifying air of great fast-bowling pairs of yore. What sets them apart is their unassuming way. The fun and frolic through their Twitter accounts make them look like harmless young brats than dangerous fast-bowling giants.
What they have to show off for their worth is wickets. Together, they have already taken 523 wickets from 69 matches. Anderson and Broad entered the 500-club in their 67th match. To put this into perspective, Walsh and Ambrose have taken 762 wickets from 95 matches. Akram and Younis have taken 559 wickets from just 61 matches. Akram and Younis are in a class of their own. They have the best strike rate among fast-bowling pairs. Anderson and Broad have almost the same strike rate as that of Walsh and Ambrose.
Technically, there are two other bowling pairs who have taken more wickets than Anderson and Broad. The South African pairs of Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis have taken 547 and 538 wickets, respectively, from 93 matches. However, they were not exactly bowling ‘pairs’. Kallis was more of a silent partner in these partnerships. Pollock and Ntini took the bulk of their wickets.
It is a matter of time, really, that Broad and Anderson will overtake Akram and Younis in this list. They need just 37 more wickets to go past the Pakistani greats. India are not touring England for a five match series in the near future. Still, they get enough opportunity in the next couple of series.During the 69 matches they played together, England took a total 1155 wickets. And they accounted for 523 of those wickets – almost half of the total wickets. At that rate, they will need just another 12-15 matches to edge past Akram and Younis. Barring an injury or a sudden dip of form, they are likely to achieve that feat. But Walsh and Ambrose are a long way ahead.
Broad is only 28; but Anderson is 32. The latter is unlikely to go on playing for a maximum of about four more years. They will have to race against time to catch up with the Caribbean giants.
Among the currently active players, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have scalped 463 wickets together from 54 matches. Among the current crop, only they have any realistic chance of breaking into this elite club of fast bowling pairs.
What make Anderson and Broad click?
The easiest thing to find is their different sorts of bowling styles. Anderson swings the ball by making it to kiss the surface. Broad bounces the ball by banging it hard of surface. Anderson swings the ball both ways, but his stock delivery is the one that goes away. Broad bowls inswingers all day and he uses outswinger as surprise delivery. Their different bowling styles complement each other.
Another factor that works for them is their relentless accuracy. Broad has a McGrath-like accuracy – he bowls almost every ball in the channel just outside the off stump. While he does not have a prodigious swing, he moves the ball enough to beat the bat or find the edge. Anderson relies on super-natural swing. His deliveries appear coming to the leg stump, but end up well outside off-stump. The ball goes like teasing asteroids that pass the earth every now and then.
Both of them are disciplined with their line and length. They rarely offer boundary balls. They often get wickets by creating pressure and sustaining it for a long time. And they are ruthless against new batsmen. When a new batter comes to the crease, they do not allow him to settle by offering easy boundary balls. The batsman will have to play at every ball, but at the same time he will have to be judicious in his stroke-making. No one now knows more about their tricks and vile than the Indian batsmen.
Let us now see how Anderson and Broad started their individual journeys and how those journeys fused into a collective march towards the top of the cricket world.
James Anderson
Born in 1982, Anderson made his test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003. After the retirement of Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, he assumed the leadership of English pace bowling attack. He has taken so far 380 wickets in 99 matches.
In his early days, he was a mercurial bowler. In swinging conditions, he was a magician capable of making the ball obey his orders. He would produce some memorable spells. But he had lacked consistency. When there was no swing on offer, he was like a rabbit under headlights. He bowled like amateurs in such situations. By about 2007, when he became the leader of the pace attack, he had realized the need to improve his consistency. It was then that he dropped the idea to bowl a magic delivery in every ball. He learnt to bowl line and length and began to use his big-swinging deliveries as a surprise weapon or when he is in the zone. The new approach offered him handsome dividends. He became a consistent bowler, troubling the top batsmen of the era. He would still have occasional off-days. But by and large, rival openers began to hate the sight of Anderson.
Stuart Broad
Born in 1986 as son of former English opener Chris Broad, Stuart Broad was destined to become a cricketer. He made his debut in 2007 against Sri Lanka when Anderson was assuming the leadership role of English pace attack. Unlike Anderson who is a perennial number 11, Broad is a capable lower order hitter. In the early days, he was more known for his intense attitude than actual results. In fact, he became the laughing stoke of whole of India when Yuvraj Singh hit him for six sixes in an over in the inaugural World T-20 championship.
He came back strongly from that setback. If anything, he only became a better, and fearless, bowler after that. In the shadow of Anderson, he found his mojo. He bowls at roughly the same pace as that of Anderson – in the 140-145 kmph range. But he does appear quicker. Perhaps that is because of the bounce he generates from the pitch. He attacks the top of the off-stump more regularly than any of today’s bowlers. Batsmen cannot keep leaving the deliveries. They have to play at the deliveries and he will test their skills. Unless the batsman is at the top of his game, Broad will get on top of him.A Place in Hall of Fame
Anderson and Broad are destined to earn their place in the hall of fame of opening bowlers by the sheer weight of wickets they take. Of late, both the players have acquired a reputation as nasty sledgers. It is often seen as spurts of anger than consistent menace. If they continue like this for a couple of more years, they will come close to Walsh and Ambrose, if not move past them in the wicket tally. If they do become the highest wicket taking fast-bowling pair, nobody will confuse them for chartered accountants and attorneys. They will be the AB of opening bowling.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/

Dhoni, the Test captain, has to go

Another overseas tour, another series defeat. Or let us just rephrase that a bit. Another overseas tour and another humiliating, embarrassing and crushing Test series annihilation. That is the Indian Test team story. A story, which Indian fans have been quite used to witnessing for quite some time now. In spite of that, the 3-1 series loss to England has come as a rude shock to Indian cricket. After India had surprisingly won the second Test match at Lord’s, many had expected them to show some more fire and go on to win the series. However, the tame manner in which the entire team capitulated was shocking to say the least.
While a lot of introspection and analysis is now being done on the Indian team’s performance, the one thing which is standing out in the mess is captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s future. It is true that since the time that Dhoni took up the reigns of the Indian team, he has brought the country several laurels. However, his record as a Test captain leaves a lot to be desired and his performance in England has further put a massive question mark on his leadership abilities in the longer format of the game.
There was a time, not too long ago, when Dhoni was known as ‘Captain Cool’. However, over the last few years, especially as was witnessed in this series, chinks have started to appear in his cool demeanor. Dhoni has increasingly started to become sarcastic and angry in his post-match interviews. What has become alarming is that instead of accepting his faults and trying to find a solution, Dhoni resorts to snide comments and laughs off pertinent questions. Clearly, this is not the ideal way the captain of national team should be behaving. Especially one who is continuously losing Test matches in disgraceful ways.
It is perhaps time now, for Dhoni, the Test captain, to move away. Let us now look the reasons to support this argument.
Looks quite jaded and uninspiring
Dhoni clearly is not made out for the longer haul of cricket; especially when it is in overseas tours. If it is a four or five match series, then Dhoni tends to become quite tired and exhausted as a captain. True that he is one of the fittest people in cricket, but leading a side in Test cricket is an entirely different ball game altogether. When the Test series against England began, Dhoni was his usual smiling and composed self. However, as it progressed and reached the third Test, Dhoni began to slowly lose the plot. His eyes seemed droopy and he looked battle-worn. By the time India was playing the last Test, it seemed as if Dhoni just did not care and wanted the misery to end. His jaded looks did nothing to inspire the team to push themselves. And that, unfortunately, has been the story for far too long with Dhoni.
Team selections are baffling
The hallmark of a good captain is his astute team selection. With Dhoni, things seem to be the quite the opposite. His team selections in Test matches border on the bizarre, confusing and baffling. Persisting with part-timer Ravindra Jadeja in Test matches and ignoring frontline spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, playing Stuart Binny instead of a pure batsman or bowler and including rookie Pankaj Singh ahead of Varun Aaron (who went on to impress later) are some of his glaring selection errors that could be seen in this Test series. Dhoni has been known to make such strange decisions on previous tours as well which have resulted in India’s chances of doing well eventually.
Confusing field settings and bowling changes
If there is one thing that Dhoni really lacks behind as a Test captain it is his field settings. To continuously keeping his favourite leg-slip position, which never really comes of use, to not keeping a third-man when boundaries keep getting hit there, to placing a short fine-leg when the situation never demands it, Dhoni does it all. To top that, Dhoni’s field settings in overseas Test matches, are hardly ever attacking; even if his team has the upper hand. He will keep the mandatory two slips for most of the time and even if the situation asks for it, he never goes for a third or fourth slip. His placement of fielders too in pertinent positions is not very smart. The most glaring example of his baffling field settings can perhaps be best summarized in the way he stood up behind the wickets to spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the last day of the second Test match at Lord’s against England. It left most experts and even ex-players scratching their heads and none had the answer to this weird position.
Another point worth noting is Dhoni’s bowling changes which are often times absurd, ridiculous and simply preposterous. When a bowler is doing well, Dhoni suddenly takes him off when he can be persisted with for a bit more. In the current series against England, the Indian captain often started new sessions with Ravindra Jadeja and even Stuart Binny when he had the better option of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar or Varun Aaron. His persistent usage of Pankaj Singh before Varun Aaron too was quite baffling in the fourth Test match against England. It seemed that either Dhoni had run out of ideas or was simply doing things to prove people wrong. As many had questioned the selection of Jadeja, Binny and Pankaj; Dhoni perhaps was determined to use these players more so that they could prove him right and the ones who had questioned him would then be proved wrong.Lets game drift
As was seen in this series and has been seen in several previous occasions, Dhoni has the nagging tendency of letting games drift when things aren’t going his way. Instead of taking the game by the scruff of the neck and enforcing some changes, Dhoni has the habit of getting laidback and hoping that the batsmen would commit some errors. This particular habit of his has been oft-repeated and has cost India dear on more occasions that one.
When you have captains like Michael Clarke who make smart bowling changes, making early declarations to enforce a result and regularly coming up to the bowlers to pump them up, Dhoni is the exact opposite of all these traits in Test matches. Clearly, he does not observe the better captains in world cricket and try and learn the tricks of the trade from them.
Tactics more suited for ODIs
There is no question of Dhoni’s credibility as a captain in the shorter format of the game. It is the format which is tailor made for him and it is where he feels very relaxed and sharp. However, it seems Dhoni doesn’t seem to revel or enjoy himself in the Test matches as a captain. To captain the side in tiring circumstances session after session, day after day is an arduous task. And even though he may not like to hear this, Dhoni’s tactics and modus operandi looks more befitting for Test matches.Dhoni as an overseas captain in numbers
Dhoni has been the captain of the national Test team for close to six years now and his records aren’t too pleasing to the eye. He now holds the dubious record of most Test losses as an Indian captain in overseas matches; which currently stands at 11. With India set to tour Australia later in the year for a four Test match series, the numbers look set to be increasing. Dhoni’s win percentage, after captaining India to a record 58 Test matches, currently stands at 46.55; with most of the victories having come on Indian soil. He is the captain who had overseen his team to appalling losses of 0-4 each in England and Australia back in 2011. He then also embarrassingly lost a Test series 2-1 to England in his own country in 2012. And to add to his tally, the current humiliation has been piled up. Clearly, some rampant changes are required to resurrect the Indian Test team and we have to start at the top.
Looking ahead
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has to be relived of captaining the Test side with immediate effect. This move can make a big difference in the future, if taken without any further ado, to both Team India and Dhoni himself. There is no denying that Dhoni has been a great servant of Indian cricket and in these dire times, India needs him more than ever. Perhaps when the burden of captaincy is removed from his shoulders, he can concentrate more on his wicket-keeping- which has been found wanting of late – and also improve his batting. Dhoni will be an asset to any side he plays for and perhaps reliving him off his captaincy duties would regenerate him and let him perform at his best.
Now this bring is to the most important question. If not Dhoni, then who? The answer to that would be the players who are regulars in the Test team and have been performing decently well for some time. The obvious people who would fit these criteria would be Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. Although, their performance in the current series against England was quite disappointing; that cannot be taken into account for their future. They are very good batsmen and are sure to come back strongly very soon. Both have been in the Test side for some time now and have had enough grooming. Either of the two hence can and should be given the mantle to lead India in Tests and see how they take that from there. The West Indies would be coming to India for a three-Test series in October this year. It would do good to make either Kohli or Pujara have a go at Test captaincy in that tour. We can see how they perform and then things can be taken forward from there. The Indian Test team currently needs a young and vibrant approach to lift up its sagging fortunes. Some changes are imminent and the change in captaincy seems to be the most prudent one. It may not bring us immediate results as our team is one in transition. However, with proper guidance and positive approach, Team India can be revived. Hence, whether some people like it or not, for the future of Indian Test cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, has to go. Source-http://www.crictoday.com

SA takes series 3-0

A scintillating 84 from 75 balls by opener Quinton de Kock led South Africa to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe and a 3-0 whitewash in the one-day international series. Spurred on by De Kock, South Africa needed just 27.2 overs to reach 171-3 and easily chase down Zimbabwe’s 165 all out at Queens Sports Club. De Kock plundered seven fours and two sixes and appeared to be racing to a sixth century of his young career when he smashed a catch straight to Sean Williams near the mid-wicket boundary with South Africa only 22 short of the target. JP Duminy finished the game with a six to end 28 not out as the Proteas cruised to a fourth success in Zimbabwe after also winning the one-off test. Stand-in captain Faf du Plessis made 40.

“I’m enjoying every moment of it,” De Kock said of his rich vein of form. He was named man of the series. South Africa rested a string of top players through the series in Bulawayo and was still a class above the Zimbabweans. Front-line fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel sat out the entire ODI series ahead of a triangular tournament also involving Australia. Regular ODI skipper AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla were rested for the final game. Without them, South Africa still retained its record of winning every ODI series it has contested against Zimbabwe. The second-string pace attack of Marchant de Lange, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell was easily good enough. Abbott removed Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza in the first over, De Lange (3-31) took a wicket off the first ball of the second over, and the Zimbabweans never recovered from being 4-2. At 119-9 the home team was destined for a much lower total until some late hitting by captain Elton Chigumbura in a last-wicket partnership of 46 with Tinashe Panyangara. Chigumbura made 90 with 10 fours and two sixes and launched some big shots before he had his off stump knocked back by De Lange trying another heave to the leg side.


Facing the modest total, De Kock looked likely to take South Africa charging to victory. He advanced down the track to stroke fast bowler Panyangara over mid-off for six in his best shot. But he hit the next delivery low and hard to Williams to get out. It made no difference, with Duminy and David Miller (13 not out) seeing South Africa to a comfortable win. “Very happy,” stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis said. “We started this series wanting to beat Zimbabwe convincingly. To do it 3-0 and in the fashion we finished the game off today, I’m very happy.” South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia will now contest a triangular series in Harare starting next week. “I think our batting has to improve,” Zimbabwe captain Chigumbura said

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Australia arrives for tour The Australia cricket team arrived for its first tour of Zimbabwe in a decade, promising to play hard and shrugging off questions over the trip. Australia avoided playing in the troubled southern African country for 10 years from 2004 because of the rule of longtime president Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party, which has been criticized by human rights organizations. Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, whose father Geoff once coached Zimbabwe, was asked at Harare International Airport if it was right to come to Zimbabwe now. Marsh replied: “I’m not the right person to ask.” Australia’s government directed its cricket team in the mid-2000s not to tour Zimbabwe because of Mugabe, describing him as a dictator. But although it hasn’t played an international game in Zimbabwe for 10 years, Australia has sent a second-string “A” team here recently. “A couple of guys have been here over the last two years (with Australia A) and we obviously love being back here,” Marsh said. “So we are ready to have a good few weeks.” Australia will play in a triangular ODI series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, the first of a string of limited-overs contests for the Aussies as they count down to co-hosting the World Cup with New Zealand early next year. “We come here with an attitude that it doesn’t matter who we are playing. We bring a good attitude. We play hard cricket. We play to win every game,” Marsh said. Top-ranked Australia is without top-order batsmen David Warner, Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh.

The tournament begins at Harare Sports Club with Australia vs. Zimbabwe.

Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Chopra joins Sachin Tendulkar-owned team

Former Newcastle striker Michael Chopra’s Indian origin made him a top pick as he was bought quickly by Kerala Blasters in the international player draft of the Indian Super League. Chopra, the only English player among 49 players in the draft, was picked by the south Indian franchise which is part-owned by retired cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. “When the drafts came up, the first name that caught our attention was that of Chopra,” said former England goalkeeper David James, a player and manager with the Kerala Blasters. “We immediately decided to pick him and are happy to have him in this team.” Chopra will get $58,185 per season, according to organizers. Other prominent picks included French defender Bernard Mendy ($80,000) and former Manchester United midfielder Bojan Djordjic of Sweden ($58,185) by the Chennai franchise, while Spanish midfielder Jofre Mateu ($58,185) went to Atletico de Kolkata. The players were classified in pay brackets of $39,000 to $80,000 as the league, to be played from Oct. 12-Dec. 20, brought in a mix of some big names by Indian standards as well as upcoming players in a bid to boost the game’s following. The order of draft picks was decided by draw of lots, with the teams choosing from players in pre-decided sets according to their positions of play.
Unlike the biddings at cricket’s Indian Premier League, from which the ISL is inspired, there was no glamour quotient as the cricketers and film stars associated with the tournament did not turn up for the draft. Giant screens showed the team selection process inside the hall for the draft at a prominent five-star hotel facing the Arabian sea. All the teams have the option of selecting three players from outside the draft process, including a marquee player. Luis Garcia (Kolkata), Joan Capdevila (North East United FC) and David Trezeguet (Pune) are some of the marquee players announced so far, while other teams are still scouting for big names, which are being paid more than those in the draft. Teams will have squads of 22 with a similar process for Indian players completed last month. Most of the Indian players also figure in the national I-League tournament run by the All India Football Federation, which is likely to play second fiddle to the heavily-promoted ISL in the coming seasons. The I-League also features several foreign players but no big names since fees are generally much lower. “Frankly speaking, the I-League has not delivered,” All India Football Federation secretary-general Kushal Das said. “Indian football needed some adrenalin and we are hoping the ISL will help attract people to the game.”
The eight-team ISL is being organized by IMG-Reliance in collaboration with Rupert Murdoch’s Star India group. The presence of former cricketers and Indian film stars as co-owners in the league is expected to arouse interest in the cricket-crazy country of 1.2 billion where a number of franchise leagues in other sports have mushroomed over the past few years. Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has a stake in Atletico de Kolkata, while Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham are among the other co-owners of teams in Pune, Mumbai and Shillong, respectively. Meanwhile, organizers announced that Bangalore owner Sun Group has dropped out and will be replaced with one from Chennai that will be run in collaboration with Italian club Inter Milan. The name of the team will be announced later.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Captaincy not up to standard

Former England captain Mike Brearley has stated that MS Dhoni’s captaincy and wicketkeeping is not up to Test standard. Brearley, writing in his column for The Times, said India have been a disappointment in the Test series even though their bowling has throughout been energetic and often skillful. “In three of the past four Tests, including the one at Lord’s won by India, the pitches have been designed to suit England, and to test India’s batsmen, but much of the rest of their play, including slip fielding, has been, for the last three matches, poor,” the former England skipper said. “Mahendra Singh Dhoni has batted with skill and courage, standing out above the rest. He seems able in his batting and in his captaincy to put much of the past behind him, and to avoid touchy or petulant reactions,” Brearley said. “But his wicketkeeping is not up to Test standard. Nor, I think is his captaincy,” he said.
Windies beat Bangladesh
All-rounder Kieron Pollard hit 89 and Denesh Ramdin chipped in with 74 as the West Indies overcame a disastrous start to beat Bangladesh by three wickets in their opening one-day international at the National Stadium. With five fours and six sixes off 70 balls, Pollard added a critical 145 off 132 deliveries with fellow Trinidadian Ramdin after the hosts had slumped to 34-5. The West Indies eventually got home at 219-7 off 39.4 overs after Bangladesh reached 217-9 from its 50 overs. Al-Amin Hossain took 4-51 from 8.4 overs for Bangladesh, whose 21-year-old opener Anamul Haque hammered 109 off 138 balls after being sent in by the hosts. In only his 20th match, Anamul hit 11 fours and one six in his third century at this level. He shared an opening stand of 41 with Tamim Iqbal, who contributed 26, and a sixth wicket partnership of 53 with Nasir Hossain, who also supported with 26. However, the Bangladesh innings never got the momentum needed and the final total was well short of par. Captain Dwayne Bravo took 4-32 with his medium pace for the West Indies. The hosts’ reply stuttered badly early on as Al-Amin, with support from fellow seamer Mashrafe Mortaza and off-spinner Mahmudullah, reduced them to 34-5 after 13.1 overs. Chris Gayle (3) sliced to third man off Mortaza while Al-Amin picked up Darren Bravo (7) and Lendl Simmons (0) from outside edges to the wicketkeeper. In between, Kirk Edwards was bowled by Mahmudullah as he missed a sweep.
When Dwayne Bravo clipped to deep square leg for Al-Amin’s third scalp, Bangladesh looked to have taken control of the match — only for Ramdin and Pollard to share a record sixth wicket stand. Ramdin was busy throughout while Pollard used his straight hitting to good effect. Their association of was the best sixth wicket partnership for the West Indies against Bangladesh and the best for the wicket at this venue. Bangladesh sensed a way back when Pollard and Ramdin were dismissed shortly after a rain delay of half an hour. Ramdin bottom-edged Shag Gazi onto his stumps while Pollard holed out off Al-Amin with Mahmudullah holding a fantastic running catch. But Jason Holder hit 22 not out off 15 balls to see his side home.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com

South Africa takes series

South Africa claimed the one-day international series against Zimbabwe after a 61-run victory in the second game gave the tourists an unassailable 2-0 lead. South Africa made 257 after being put in at Queens Sports Club and Zimbabwe’s batting lineup crumbled in pursuit of only an average score on a tame pitch to be bowled out for 196 in the last over. Zimbabwe was 88-6 at one point before a minor flurry of runs down the order. Sean Williams provided the only prolonged resistance with his 55. Seamers Ryan McLaren took 3-21 and Wayne Parnell 3-38 for South Africa, which clinched the series with a game to spare and without front-line fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. They are being rested for the three matches. Zimbabwe limited the visitors to 211-7 after winning the toss and applying pressure through its three-man spin attack. A late partnership of 41 between tailenders Wayne Parnell and Kyle Abbott took South Africa past 250, a below-par score on the batting-friendly surface but more than enough runs in the end. Faf du Plessis made 55 for his second straight half-century of the series, while Quinton de Kock (38), JP Duminy (36) and David Miller (45) all contributed. De Kock became the joint-fastest batsman to reach 1,000 ODI runs, equaling the 21 innings it took the West Indies’ Viv Richards and England’s Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott to reach the mark. Zimbabwe spinners Williams, Prosper Utseya and John Nyumbu all took two wickets each.
Zimbabwe’s chase was effectively over inside 30 overs, however, as the top order collapsed. When Luke Jongwe edged to Hashim Amla at slip to be one of McLaren’s three wickets and leave Zimbabwe 88-6, it left just Williams and the tail. The left-handed Williams hit three fours and two sixes and No. 11 Brian Vitori launched two big sixes over mid-wicket at the very end, but it was in a lost cause for the home team. South Africa maintained its record of winning every one of its ODI series against its African neighbors ahead of the last game. Steyn, Philander and Morkel will return for South Africa in an upcoming triangular series that also involves Australia.
Gibson out as coach
The West Indies Cricket Board has terminated its contract with coach Ottis Gibson and said team manager Richie Richardson will take charge of the West Indies on an interim basis. The board said in a statement that it and Gibson, a former pace bowler for Barbados who played two tests for the West Indies, had “mutually agreed to terminate their association with immediate effect.” Gibson, a former England bowling coach, began as coach of the West Indies in February 2010. Since, the West Indies have won just nine of 29 tests and 36 of 90 one-day internationals. Richardson, a former West Indies captain who played 86 tests, will lead the team for a three-match limited-overs international series against Bangladesh beginning in St. George’s, Grenada.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Dhoni blamed for debacle

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy has come under increasing scrutiny with many former cricketers blaming him for India’s 3-1 test series defeat in England. A debate erupted on Dhoni’s future as test captain after India was bowled out for a measly 94 and lost by an innings and 244 runs at the Oval in the final test of a five-game series. The innings lasted only 29.2 overs in what was a second successive loss inside three days for India. Dhoni, who survived the axe after India suffered 4-0 losses in both England and Australia in 2011, has now lost 14 away tests. Former India captain and selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels Dhoni had been found wanting time and again. “Dhoni led the team poorly,” Vengsarkar told the Press Trust of India. “His selection policy, strategy, field placing and bowling changes lacked common sense. He made some glaring mistakes match after match for which India paid heavily.” Though there does not seem to be any immediate alternative since Virat Kohli will be struggling to hold on to his place after failing to register a single half-century in 10 innings, former New Zealand player Martin Crowe suggests a change in captaincy.
“If he did back down from test cricket, India wouldn’t miss his strange, often weird, tactics,” Crowe wrote in a column on the website Cricinfo.com. “His selections are illogical when finding the appropriate balance in picking enough specialist players to out-skill the opposition over long periods. His maneuverings on the field as ‘keeper and strategist are too often at odds with what the game situation demands – Ishant Sharma bowling short at Lord’s the exception,” he said. Dhoni put England under pressure in the second test at Lord’s, using Sharma, as they secured their only win in the series. However, the India captain has been blamed for not attacking enough at other times. He has also been criticized for backing players like Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny who are more adept in limited overs cricket. “Dhoni could focus on his defense of the World Cup he brilliantly coordinated and won, back in 2011. With his limited-overs triumphs he shows a completely different energy, proactive and attacking; those are formats where he has to use the bits-and-pieces players he likes so much,” Crowe added.
Dhoni has the distinction of winning all three ICC tournaments as captain – the World Cup, the Champions Trophy and the World Twenty20 – but he has never been admired for leading in tests, especially abroad. Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels Dhoni is not the kind of thinking captain needed for test cricket. “I feel India should look beyond Dhoni because he does not look capable of strategizing for five days of a test match,” Azharuddin told the Hindi news channel Aaj Tak. Former India wicketkeeper Surender Khanna feels Dhoni has been given a long rope by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. “Selector Mohinder Amarnath had questioned why Dhoni should not be removed as test captain after seeing his dismal away record a few years ago,” Khanna told the Associated Press. “But what instead happened was that Amarnath was shown the door.” Dhoni is considered close to International Cricket Council chairman and BCCI president Narainswamy Srinivasan, who has stepped aside from the BCCI on a Supreme Court order owing to corruption charges in the Indian Premier League, but is considered to still enjoy some clout there. Dhoni is the captain of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, which is owned by Srinivasan’s India Cements company. India’s next test engagement will be in October-November when it hosts the West Indies for three matches.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

World Cup buildup begins for Aus

The continent-hopping buildup to the cricket World Cup will start this week for Darren Lehmann and his Australia squad, who’ll test themselves against five countries in six months. The Aussies head to Zimbabwe to take on the hosts and South Africa in a limited-overs series. Next stop after that is in the Middle East against Pakistan in October, then limited-overs matches at home against South Africa in November before a test tour by India and a tri-series against the Indians and England that will finish just ahead of the World Cup which Australia is co-hosting with New Zealand. “It’s a good little tournament leading into obviously a pretty big 12 months for us,” Lehmann said of the Zimbabwe trip, where Australia will play at least four ODIs. “It’s good to have all the lads back together. They all look fit and firing.” Openers David Warner and Shane Watson aren’t traveling to Zimbabwe, with top-order batsman Phillip Hughes earning a recall after scoring a pile of runs for Australia A and Nathan Lyon getting another chance as Lehmann looks for an attacking spinner for the one-day format. The Australian team has had time off since April after a heavy schedule that included a 5-0 Ashes sweep of England and a test series win in South Africa.
Skipper Michael Clarke said some of the Australian players were at breaking point before the rest, but were now recharged and prepared for the long haul. Lehmann said the squad picked for the Zimbabwe tour — Australia’s first to the African country in a decade — was part experiment, part building on combinations with up to 20 ODIs to play between and around two test series before the World Cup. “A bit of both. Have a look at some young guys, get prepared for February, but still we’ve got to win the series over in Zimbabwe,” he said. “That’s our primary focus at the moment.” Lehmann emphasized his desire for Australia to play positive cricket in all formats leading up to the World Cup. That’s something India and Pakistan have struggled with in recent series. India was humbled in a 3-1 series defeat in England, skittled for 94 in the last match at The Oval in an innings and 244-run on Sunday. It sparked heavy criticism from the likes of India great Sunil Gavaskar, who described the performance as “jelly-like” and said it embarrassed the nation. Pakistan was swept in a two-test series in Sri Lanka. Lehmann said India was “obviously having a bit of a form slump” but still had a lineup of class players and he expected them to rebound in Australia. “They’re still a good side … the wickets were quite, ahh, sporting over there,” Lehmann said of the seaming pitches in England. “The last couple of test matches — The Oval, I can’t remember that sort of wicket being produced for an Australian test match over (in England in) the last 50 or 60 years. I’m looking forward to those wickets next year” for the Ashes.
The former test batsman said Australia had trouble adapting to Indian conditions at times — being swept 4-0 in a test series on the subcontinent last year — so India’s problems in England weren’t unique. “So we’ve got to improve that — like they have to when they come here,” he said. Some critics have accused India, the reigning World Cup champion and host of the cash-rich Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition, of being too focused on limited-overs cricket, and suggested results in the five-day format would be no indication of form ahead of the World Cup. “They’re a very good one-day side, India. Full stop. But test cricket is still the pinnacle for us as an Australian team,” Lehmann said. “Obviously it’s a big year in the four-year cycle because it’s World Cup. So (India) will come out with their plans — they’ll probably play a few guys that do a bit of both in the test series. But I can’t worry about what they do. We’ve got to worry about getting the test series right, and getting the one-day series right.”
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/

Criticism for Team India's capitulation

Sunil Gavaskar described India’s capitulation against England as traumatic, embarrassing and jelly-like, while Sourav Ganguly called for “harsh decisions” to be made on team selections. The former India captains were just two of the many harsh critics of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s test team after it was bundled out for 94 in the second innings at The Oval, losing the test by an innings and 244 runs and surrendering the five-match series 3-1. Players, analysts and the public questioned the team’s resolve after it lost consecutive tests inside three days. India led the series after winning the second test at Lord’s, but lost the third test by 266 runs and the fourth by an innings and 54 runs. “If we do well in the ODIs, the test series will be forgotten and that will be a tragedy,” Gavaskar told the NDTV news channel. “The tragedy of Indian cricket is that a lot of the defeats are swept under the carpet.” World Cup-winning captain Dhoni’s record crept up to 14 away test defeats. Batsmen Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara failed time and again. Ganguly urged selectors to take some tough decisions, saying the team had shown “no effort, no heart, no fight.”

“There have to be some harsh decisions,” Ganguly told the Headlines Today news channel. “The selectors’ outlook has to change — when you pick your players, when you identify talent, these are the things you have to look for: who gets runs for you in difficult circumstances, who gets runs for you when the chips are down, who gets runs for you when you are 50-5.” Former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth wondered what India coach Duncan Fletcher had been doing. “Some of the strategies adopted, field placements and even the batting order for instance could have been handled better,” Srikkanth wrote in a column in The Times of India. “The coach definitely has a say in all these. Either he is not ready to question the authority of Dhoni, else he wants to collect his pay check till the World Cup before waving goodbye.” Indian newspapers ran banner headlines and television channels ran programs dissecting the defeat. “Team India uprooted” read the headline in The Times of India, which went on to give statistical details of India’s third biggest innings defeat as well as dwelled on Dhoni’s poor captaincy, lack of batsmen’s technique and shoddy slip catching among other things.

“Nightmare ends with a horror show” screamed the Hindustan Times headline. Social media, too, was abuzz with comments and tongue-in-cheek remarks as the Indian innings lasted just 29.2 overs. “There you are,” noted international commentator Harsha Bhogle posted on his twitter page after England completed a third consecutive test series win over India in quick time. “Our post game show was as long as the Indian innings.” England beat India 4-0 at home in 2011 and then came from behind to prevail 2-1 in a four-test test series in India the following year.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

https://www.crictoday.com

Dark days disappear for England

Drenched in champagne and surrounded by jubilant teammates, England captain Alastair Cook held his arms aloft and savored the feeling of winning a test series again. It had been a while. Following the humiliation of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia and the dejection of a last-gasp home series loss to Sri Lanka, England found itself 1-0 behind to India after two tests of a five-match series against India. And Cook, whose own form with the bat was wretched, faced calls to resign. “I’m quite stubborn, I believe in my ability and I’m a resilient guy — that was when I needed it most,” Cook said. Some straight talking from his wife also helped Cook get through his darkest days as captain. “You can bear your soul to Alice,” Cook said, “and she’s very good at getting you back on the straight and narrow.” It clearly worked. Cook’s form returned, senior teammates like Ian Bell, James Anderson and Stuart Broad also stepped up and England won three straight test victories to beat the Indians 3-1. After a stunning transformation, England can suddenly look forward to the visit of arch-rival Australia for the 2015 Ashes with renewed optimism. “England, with so many players coming through, are a team to invest in,” former England captain Nasser Hussain said in his column in The Daily Mail. “They are on an upward curve. Australia, meanwhile, have got some older players who might be going in the other direction. Let us see.” One of cricket’s oldest adages is “catches win matches.” In Cook’s case, one particular catch could have ended his time as captain.
In England’s first innings in the crucial third test, Cook was dropped in the slips by Ravindra Jadeja when on 15. Cook went on to make 95 — one of the most important knocks of his career — and England and its captain never looked back. For most pundits, it was a turning point in the series. England’s joy will be tempered by the knowledge that the Indians put up weak opposition. Away test series are never their forte but even by their standards, not scoring above 178 in their last five innings of the series is a poor effort. There is also concern over some departments in England’s lineup. There are still doubts about Sam Robson as Cook’s opening partner, and worries about the dependence on Broad and Anderson and whether Moeen Ali can keep up his surprisingly good form as the team’s part-time spinner. But Cook will point to the resurgence of middle-order batsman Joe Root, who scored 518 runs an average of 103.50 this series, the seamless introduction to the team of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and the blossoming of Chris Jordan as the third fast bowler. The India series also showed that in typically English conditions, England’s bowling attack can be unstoppable with their tails up. The Ashes series should at least be competitive now England has some confidence back. Something many neutrals likely feared would not be the case when Cook’s men were at rock bottom a month ago. “I’m glad I stuck through the tough times,” Cook said. Before the Ashes, however, England will put the whites away and slip into one-day mode for the next eight months in preparation for the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand early next year.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/

Bowling variations: A lost cause

Bowlers are treated like Aliens as far as rules and regulations in cricket are concerned. The playing field has been molded in favor of the batters in such a way that bowlers are being taken for plenty. Apart from this, the common notion with the bowlers is try to use as many variations as they can to limit the flow of runs. However, this is wrong. I still remembered one of the matches in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, which was held in Bangladesh. Australia was up against the formidable West Indies side with latter needing 12 runs of the last over. The Caribbean captain Darren Sammy had the task of seeing his side through against James Faulkner. The Aussie bowler was exceptional in his previous three overs and a lot was expected out of him. He bowled the first ball full on leg stump and Sammy was surprised by it. The second one was a Yorker, which again resulted in a dot ball. However, the idea of trying too many variations proved fatal for the bowler.
Sammy was able to launch the next ball, which was a full toss, into the stands. Faulkner once again went for something different and bowled too full which was once again carved for a six. He conceded no runs on the first two balls but things turned bad when Faulkner tried to vary things. This is just one of the examples where an idea of variations backfired in a big way. With the evolution in the game, variations have become a fashion for the bowlers. It has become mandatory for a bowler to atleast try four different deliveries every over. The slower ones, leg cutters, slow Yorkers and few more have become the need of the hour for the bowlers. However, the example which I quoted above is enough to show that using numerous variations in bowling is not a great idea these days. The modern day batsmen have mastered the art of handling variations and they know what would be bowled to them on the next one. It’s time for the bowlers especially pacers to rethink on their strategy when it comes to variations.
The different type of deliveries came into existence to surprise the batsman in the shorter formats of the game but extensive use has defused their effectiveness. The surprise element that came from variations is now non-existence for the batters. Dale Steyn was hammered by AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League and it had all to do with his habit of bowling different deliveries to the rivals. It was a shock for his fans who have seen him rattling batsman confidence with his good line and length. I am pretty sure that he would have kept them quite if he had stuck to his strengths rather than going for something which has become predictable these days. Spinners have the tendency to bowl the same ball even if they have been hit for a four or a six on the previous one. This surprises the batsman who is expecting some kind of a different treatment from a bowler. Karan Sharma, Akshar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal are young and new to the game but bowled well in the last season of the cash rich league.
They were among the wicket takers on consistent basis and foxed the batsman with their smart bowling. The above mentioned budding bowlers kept challenging the batsmen with the flighted deliveries, which could have been easily hit for sixes. Let me make one thing very clear over here that I am not against variations in the shorter formats of the game but as a bowler one should have the knowledge of using them at a proper or required time. Moreover, a bowler should develop supreme control over one or two variations first before unleashing them at the batsman. It is next to impossible to bowl different balls one after the other with perfection. Are most of the bowlers capable of landing deliveries at the right place? Can bowlers maintain the effectiveness of the variations in pressure situation? The answer is big no as a judgment in error could cause the game for the side. We have seen this happening on many occasions in the recent times and the bowlers should be held accountable for this. The best thing is to focus on one or two balls and getting them right in the course of a game. The role of a bowling coach has become preciously important for the bowlers in modern times. A fast bowler like Wasim Akram has enough experience under his belt to teach his disciples about do’s and don’ts of the bowling. It was his magic which guided Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL trophy. Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar, the Indian pacers had a good tournament as they sticked to Yorker or full length in their bowling. They didn’t try too many things, which not only fetched them wickets but were able to contain the batsman from going for big shots. It was Akram’s magic all the way. Life has become hard for the seam bowlers in international cricket so bowling according to a planned way is the mantra of success.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Jayawardene to end career among greats

At age 37 and with hundreds of innings behind him, Mahela Jayawardene tried something new in his next-to-last test match — a move typical of his innovative attitude when it involves pursuing victories for Sri Lanka. He opened the innings for the first time in a test match — his 148th — on the last day at Galle as Sri Lanka chased 99 runs to win, with time running out and rain imminent. He propelled the hosts to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan with a few overs to spare, giving him the chance to clinch a series win on his home ground when he plays his last test. One of cricket’s most elegant and enduring batsmen takes an average of 50 — he has 11,756 runs from 250 test innings — into the second test at the Sinhalese Sports Club, where he will be a key to Sri Lanka’s goal of achieving the win or draw it needs to hold off Pakistan. Jayawardene broke into test cricket in 1997 on the strength of his solid batting technique but a broadening of his stroke-play meant he also established himself as an accomplished limited-overs batsman. His fluent drives, deft cuts and fine flicks made him a popular player to watch, as he seemed to play most of his shots with the soft grip and supple hands reminiscent of batsmen of earlier eras. And his successful combination with good friend Kumar Sangakkara helped Sri Lanka long remain a formidable team in the international arena, particularly on home soil. Jayawardene’s top score of 374 — the fourth highest individual score in test cricket — came during a world-record partnership of 624 runs with Sangakkara, who scored 287. Eight years later, both played their parts in last week’s win at Galle. Together, they’ll likely lead the way again in Colombo in partnership for the last time in the five-day format. “I don’t think you can take anything away from the fact that Mahela has been one of the most elegant, most prolific batsmen not just of his generation but in the game in its entirety,” Sangakkara said. Jayawardene, who has posted 34 test centuries and 49 half centuries, always had a penchant for big scores and reveled on the Indian sub-continent.
He has scored all his five test double-centuries close to home — either in Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan — and also a triple-century on home ground against South Africa in 2006. Voted the International Cricket Council’s best international captain in 2006 and the best test player in 2007, Jayawardene was considered the ideal team man and frequently guided Sri Lanka out of trouble in games. He was also a fine fielder with more than 200 catches in tests and one-dayers. Many were off the bowling of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan; test cricket’s most prolific bowler with 800 wickets. Muralitharan considers Jayawardene among the best players that Sri Lanka has ever produced. “He is one of the greatest to have played for Sri Lanka. He is in that group with Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya, who have all contributed so much to Sri Lankan cricket,” he said. Jayawardene’s long quest for an ICC world title ended when Sri Lanka won the World Twenty20 earlier this year in Bangladesh after two previous final appearances. But the coveted World Cup title has so far evaded Jayawardene, who made his international debut the year after Sri Lanka won the prestigious tournament for the only time. He has been part of two teams that lost the final. Jayawardene was the captain when Sri Lanka lost to Australia in fading light in the West Indies in 2007, and in 2011 he was again on the losing side, against India, despite scoring a century himself. “I would swap that century any day for a championship medal,” Jayawardene said following the 2011 final at Wankhede Stadium.
And that’s his biggest motivation to continue playing in the limited-overs format, at least until March next year. Jayawardene will devote the next six months to one-day cricket, with the aim of breaking his personal drought when the World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand early in 2015.
Source-https://www.crictoday.com

Casanova Warne The real lover boy of cricket

There is just something about Shane Warne and his love for the opposite sex. The man seems to cause more of a stir there than on the cricket ground. This has been the case with him since last few years. It won’t be wrong to say that he is the real playboy from the gentlemen’s game. And these days he is seeing playboy model Emily Scott. They recently became a “committed couple”. While the two have been friends for a long time but they recently took the “next step” of hanging out and going on dates. Warne and Scott were together all over Europe, snapping pictures of themselves in London, going to a Coldplay gig and watching Aussie tennis ace Nick Kyrgios’s fantastic win against Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Wimbledon. This was the time when Warne broke the news on Twitter about his latest love interest. “Ps And yes I’m taking my girlfriend @EmilyLScott to the Wimbledon, who’s looking smoking hot too hahaha!!!” Warne had tweeted. After seeing Warne’s tweet, Emily Scott too wrote about her relationship with the former cricketer on Twitter. According to her, this was the right time to go ahead with Warne as they have been friends since long. 30-yearold Emily Scott had also accompanied the cricket legend to Jeff Fenech’s 50th birthday party and the couple wasn’t shy about locking lips in front of onlookers.
Who is Emily Scott?
She is a model who has graced the covers of several magazines, from FHM, Maxim and even Playboy. The beautiful looking blonde has appeared on TV shows like I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here and Love Island. Apart from this, she also happens to be a professional DJ who has played in clubs and at music festivals around the world. Much like Shane Warne, she has changed partners over the years. She dated David Walliams from Little Britain in 2006 while got married to Ritchie Neville from boy band Five for just four months in 2008.
No end to relationships
Shane Warne is one man who is never satisfied with one woman in his life. His private life has been beset by scandals. He came under criticism for text messaging a woman while on tour in South Africa, accused of sending lewd and harassing messages in 1997. However, the woman who made the claims was subsequently charged with extortion in her own country. In 2000, he lost his Australian vice-captaincy after sending erotic text messages to a British nurse. Allegations of his extramarital affairs broke in 2005 as Australia began its tour of England in preparation for The Ashes. On 25 June 2005, Warne and his wife Simone Callahan announced that they had decided to separate. However, they decided to get back after he issued an apology to her in 2007. But, Simone returned to Australia from England after her husband had accidentally sent a text message meant for another woman to her phone in September 2007. He has three children—Brooke, Summer and Jackson—with his exwife Simone Callahan. He fell in love with British actress Elizabeth Hurley after moving on from his divorce. He started dating Hurley in the late 2010 after she separated from her husband of four years, Indian textile businessman Arun Nayar. Warne was engaged to her in October 2011, and the couple confirmed the news via Twitter. Hurley was photographed by British newspapers wearing an engagement ring at the Dunhill Links Championship golf tournament in Scotland that week, in which Warne was participating. In December 2013, however, the couple called their engagement off, with Warne adding a philosophical tweet after the announcement, “Live life for what tomorrow has to offer, not for what happened yesterday.” It was reported that Warne was not willing to settle down with Hurley which led to the ugly breakup. She was interested in marrying him but the cricketer star was not ready to confirm the date. His name was also associated with millionaire businesswoman Michelle Mone. He spent four hours in her hotel room after breaking up with Liz Hurley. The 44-yearold former cricketer, who split from the actress in 2013, reportedly met up with Mone at her suite in London’s Dorchester Hotel. However, they both denied that they were involved. The entrepreneur took to twitter to confirm that she has been single for the past 18 months, while Shane had also tweeted denying the claims. If this was not enough, his name was linked to some hairdresser as well. The 44-year-old former cricketer was utterly smitten by Sydney salon owner Zanbagh Khalili. But like always, there was a denial from the personality concerned. He is now officially linked with Emily Scott and it would be interesting to see the outcome of Warne’s new relationship in the time to come.
Source-http://www.crictoday.com/magazine/feature/12513-casanova-warne-the-real-lover-boy-of-cricket.html

Srinivasan Heads Plum ICC Role

Amidst huge furore within national and international cricket circles, N. Srinivasan assumed the office of the ICC Chairman even while being denied reinstatement to the post of the BCCI president by the Supreme Court of India. A brake in one ambition has not halted the Chennai strongman’s march into the top administrative role in the sport’s world governing body thereby, signalling once more his only too dominant presence even in the midst of overriding concerns prevailing in contemporary world cricket.
The tectonic shift of the all encompassing cricket body into a subservient version under the auspices of the now nicknamed “big three” was complete with the coronation of N. Srinivasan as the first ICC Chairman at the end of the ICC annual conference held in the last week of June at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) that also saw the creation of the International Cricket Council Executive Committee. With the appointment, the ICC virtually ceded its role as the world’s premier decision making governing body, the initiative now more formally in the hands of a new oligarchy that would essentially dictate the shape, direction and future of world cricket over the next eight year cycle.
Under such circumstances it seems almost too mute a point to discuss if N. Srinivasan will change his style of functioning which has tended to border more on authoritarian rule, ruthless commercialization at all costs and self-serving interests rather than about preserving and protecting the integrity of the game which despite Srinivasan’s denials has taken a beating in public perception not only in India but also, the world over. The formation of the new Executive Committee comprising the three major cricket boards had been the result of a secret collusion between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief, Giles Clarke, Cricket Australia’s Wally Edwards and N. Srinivasan himself over clandestine meetings dating back almost two years although it was only about six months ago that the reality was made public and put forth before other Full Member and associate boards.
Furthermore, given India’s undisputed financial clout in international cricket and Srinivasan’s reputation and dogged defiance within the BCCI corridors, it seemed almost inevitable that India would have a leading role to play in the restructure. Given Srinivasan’s hold, there would be no other representative from the BCCI to helm the post. Apart from the money itself, it was the fact that opposition would lead to more strife, an avoidable scenario in face of the quest for survival, that forced several cricket boards of Full Members to move from outrage to exasperation to tame submission.
That Srinivasan was getting ready to get down to the brass tacks of the business was evident in the fact that even before being formally elected to the post of the ICC Chairman at the ICC conference, N. Srinivasan was already assuaging the fears and apprehensions of the Associate and Affiliate nations about falling in line in the torrid game of survival. Full Member nations have had to accede to the change in policy of the ICC’s Future Tours Programme which will now be decided on a bilateral basis, succumbing to the pressure of a well laid out, surreptitious plan with a view to benefit generously from a share of the revenue pie that would keep the sport alive and running in a struggling world scenario even if it meant that they may not necessarily enjoy equal footing in terms of opportunities to ply their trade home and away.
The story has been little different for the Associate and Affiliate members who, by Srinivasan’s laid out agenda and design as the ICC Chairman, are expected to find themselves working more within their own domain rather being the face of new additions at the international level. While Srinivasan emphasized the need for the Associate and Affiliate nations to develop the sport at the grass root level, he did not spell out how the Full Members would really engage with them in the process of this development with India having held back from providing facilities support to teams from Afghanistan and Nepal in the past and the opportunities to compete on an equal footing with Full Members virtually drying up. Agendas, as proposed by Srinivasan at the ICC Conference, seem rather conflicting in that the proposal to develop the game indigenously for the Associate and Affiliate nations while leaving the door open for qualification at the top level of Test cricket but denying them opportunities of participation at the World Cup level in limited formats after the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 and then believing that greater competition will boost audience and spectator numbers and eventually gate revenue seems rather contradictory when in fact the competitive value of the sport cannot be enhanced unless teams get more opportunities to pit themselves against more formidable rivals to assess their degree of development.
There has been the perception for some time that cricket is operating in an elitist fashion wherein it does not see the need for an Olympics to further its expansion policy to access the greater reaches of the world. Furthermore, there has also been concern that some of the Full Member nations have been allowed to languish at the bottom due to internal strife and the Associate nations, while being seen as being lent a helping hand, have been more of a hindrance than an asset and addition at prestigious ICC events. Bridging the gap of competitiveness has not been a priority on the agenda enough to see the kind of progress that concentrated attention brings towards integrating more teams into the fold at the topmost level.
Under Srinivasan, one can expect pretty much the status quo where apart from the few Associates that manage to break ranks and outperform will receive half the share allotted to the Associate and Affiliates, the rest will have to remain content with sharing the crumbs. Furthermore, one can expect partial treatment as there has been a growing voice that untapped potential markets such as the U.S. and China may indeed get a better look-in than some of the other regions that would form the peripheral regions supporting the sport. Commercial motivations have clearly dictated doing away with smaller, non Test playing nations for future ICC multi-team events in view of dwindling spectator interest and the huge divide of level of competitiveness between teams.
Two areas though are a big concern as far as Srinivasan is concerned. One is his penchant for obfuscating the truth and the second being his blind pursuit of ambition. One of his first statements since assuming office at the international headquarters has been his self-exonerating statement that he recused himself from the office of the BCCI president pending the Supreme Court appointed Mukul Mugdal committee investigation into the corruption and fixing charges that also involve his son-in-law and mentions Srinivasan’s name on the list of people considered under investigation. His version is so far from the truth that it is blatantly exposed in the fact that his counsel have argued at least twice before the Supreme Court of India for Srinivasan to be reinstated only to be shot down repeatedly by the Supreme Court. The power struggle that went on before an emergency BCCI meeting before Srinivasan’s hand was forced provided plenty of drama but little by way to suggest that the BCCI had more proactive powers over arguably the most influential man in the richest cricket board in the world.
It is hard to see formidable opposition even amongst the cricket boards standing up to Srinivasan given that the BCCI will earn about five times more than what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and almost ten times the revenue that Cricket Australia (CA) will pocket. Whether the agenda then will be on improving performances of existing Test members or forcing incapacitated Associate members to outreach themselves for a few extra crumbs while being denied greater exposure on the international platform or merely enhancing the revenue prospects as is expected following the post-2015 media rights for the eight year cycle to last through 2023, will become evident all too soon. The very fact that the ICC has not been a big player in the initial formation of the big three may continue to see a sidelined role for the world’s sporting body, further reducing the post of the ICC president essentially to a figurehead while Srinivasan brings his clout to the table.
The threat that India would have formed a parallel cricket body if they were denied the lion’s share of the revenue and a greater say in cricket administration has been confirmed legitimate from within the ICC corridors as well as other cricket members privy to the knowledge although it was also one of the first things that Srinivasan denied even as the BCCI secretary, Sanjay Patel, made it known to the public at large. What is not being debated is India’s legitimacy in demanding a greater share of profits and revenue when it brings in virtually eighty percent of the income into the ICC coffers. But whether the agendas affecting world cricket will now assume and revolve purely around the new revenue model that derives its power from threat, coercion and/or withholding revenue will dictate if the formation was a step in the right direction and if it was wise for the ICC for form an executive committee in addition to an already existing executive board.
It is also of grave concern that Srinivasan’s brazen attitude in one critical area of the sport may see compromise in what should always been a zero tolerance zone. While Srinivasan has talked the big talk about commercializing the sport and entrenching it deeper within cricket circles, his repeated stance that the brand of cricket has not taken a beating over issues of corruption and match fixing seem more like a man protecting his own vested interests rather than someone who is in denial about the present state of affairs. If anything, the controversies that have been headline grabbing no less should be alarming that what has been unearthed by only be the tip of the iceberg. If international cricketers are not immune to the greed, lust and pressures, it goes without saying that lesser known cricketers and even officials, which could well include Gurunath Meiyyappan, Srinivasan’s own son-in-law, would be more enticing bait for those looking to make nefarious profits through the game, unmindful of its impact on the integrity of the game.
With the sport’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) now slated to report to the Executive committee chaired by N. Srinivasan, there is a great deal of concern that issues of fixing and corruption that have reared their ugly head time and again may be further shoved under the carpet rather than being dragged out in the open and trashed once and for all. It is not an easy task weeding out the problem areas and even in the handful of incidents that have come to light, it has been sufficiently exposed that once affected, players have carried the malice with them around the world, affecting the outcome of more than one match across several tournaments, small and big.
In that scenario, for Srinivasan to reduce the gravity of the situation even back home to a ‘few rotten eggs’ to use his own term is a dangerous attitude coming from someone of such an officious position and now with the governing body that has long claimed a zero tolerance policy although execution of that has left much to be desired. The success of Srinivasan’s tenure is then dependent not only on how his own legacy shapes up but also, how he is able to collude with the other powerful boards to bring about a consensus policy to set in place tough precedents and effective deterrents that would prevent further erosion of the sport’s integrity. But with so much of Srinivasan’s own identity mired in murky waters of conflict of interest requiring constitutional amendments within the BCCI to accommodate his dual roles as the BCCI president and the owner of the Chennai Super Kings, there is reasonable skepticism about whether such ambitions are even realistic.
Being circumspect was the domain not only of only those outside the boardroom but also, within the crux of the new core. Cricket Australia’s Wally Edwards admitted apprehensions that the appointment of N. Srinivasan could cause an inconvenience in the event of an adverse report at the conclusion of the Supreme Court hearings into the Mugdal committee report and findings. Incidentally Edwards heads the role of drafting a code of ethics that will undergo as many changes to the ICC’s constitution to accommodate Srinivasan in this rather ambiguous state of affairs. That Edwards has alluded to assurances from the BCCI as to the unopposed appointment of Srinivasan would suggest that this was their way of assuring themselves of avoiding any untoward, embarrassing scenario that may be incumbent upon them upon assuming office.
How far this assurance stands ground depends on how thin the ice is even for the thick skinned Srinivasan who has not left himself above suspicion in the manner of his defense of his son-in-law, a co-owner of the Chennai Super Kings who was later downgraded to team official following the breaking of the story, by dubbing Gurunath Meiyyapan as a mere ‘cricket enthusiast’ who had access to the team dug out and dressing room which is definitely not standard procedure. Srinivasan’s double talk when the Supreme Court had laid bare clear facts about the former’s unabashed ambitions should be a worrying sign about the blatant attempt at cover up of any dissent within the ranks, unmindful of the matters being made public for the people to arrive at their own conclusions.
From the BCCI and India’s perspective, irrespective of Srinivasan’s turbulent time within the BCCI corridors which has proved that Srinivasan is a hard man to dethrone if little else, it is equally relevant that Srinivasan is able to make an even stronger case as the ICC chairman if India are to step away from the impression of being presented as a bully with the threat to break away if he did not get his way and take his toys with him to a more holistic image of a benevolent leader whose interests in the game do not override the larger interests of enhancing the quality, integrity and encompassing capacity of the sport. That is a tall order.
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Piedt leads SA to win

South Africa beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets inside four days in the one-off test at Harare Sports Club to reinforce its position as the top-ranked team. The South Africans easily knocked off the 41 runs they needed in their second innings, finishing on 44-1 to seal victory and follow up a series win over Sri Lanka last month under new captain Hashim Amla. South Africa earlier bowled Zimbabwe out for 181 in its second innings after off-spinner Dane Piedt took 4-62 to increase his match haul to eight wickets on debut. Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel picked up three wickets each in the second innings, as Zimbabwe's initial resistance was swept away and it slumped from 98-2, losing eight wickets for 83 runs on the final afternoon. Steyn, the top-ranked bowler in tests, finished with match figures of 8-84 and South Africa was seldom in trouble on a slow, lifeless pitch in Harare that the visiting batsmen and bowlers both took a little time to work out. "Very satisfied with the win, we played well through the day," South Africa's AB de Villiers said. "Test cricket is all about playing well away from home." Zimbabwe fought hard and had its own offspinner making a successful debut. John Nyumbu took 5-157 in South Africa's telling first innings of 397 to give the strugglers a positive outlook despite their batting collapse on the last day. "We were competitive for three days and were blown away after lunch today," Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said. "A lot of positives for us. Nyumbu has been in first-class form for a number of years. Full credit to him." Playing its first test in a year and first against South Africa in a decade, Zimbabwe made 256 batting first, relying heavily on Taylor's 93. South Africa's Piedt returned 4-90 in his first bowl in tests and was an instant success when he removed Mark Vermeulen with his first ball, a delivery that turned sharply from outside the off stump on a pitch that helped the spinners more than anyone.

Steyn had enough pace and skill to trouble the Zimbabweans despite the pitch to take 5-46 in the first innings, his 24th career five-wicket haul. South Africa replied with 397, with Faf du Plessis making 98, Quinton de Kock 81, and JP Duminy 55. Opener Vusi Sibanda gritted his way to 45 as Zimbabwe held off the South Africans at the start of the second innings, but he and Vermeulen fell in successive overs to start the collapse. Steyn had 3-38 and Morkel 3-15 to back up Piedt, who won the man of the match prize.

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Ajmal reported for action

Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has been reported for suspect bowling action for the second time in his career and will undergo further testing over the next three weeks. The International Cricket Council said in a statement that match officials handed a report on Ajmal's suspect bowling action to Pakistan team manager Moin Khan soon after Sri Lanka's dramatic seven-wicket victory at Galle International Stadium. The report, according to ICC, "cited concerns over a number of deliveries that were considered to be suspect and concluded that the bowler's action must needed to be tested." According to regulations, a bowler is not allowed to bend his bowling arm more than 15 degrees. Ajmal was previously reported in 2009 during one-day series against Australia in Dubai before he cleared all the tests. Over the next three weeks Ajmal is permitted to continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the testing are known.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said it has no "choice but to wait for the outcome of the process before proceeding further in this matter." The 36-year-old off-spinner has taken 174 wickets in 34 test matches and 182 wickets while competing in 110 one-day internationals. He has also played 63 Twenty20 internationals and taken 85 wickets. Ajmal has often troubled batsman with his "doosra" — a delivery that spins away from right-handed batsmen. But it was the same delivery that ran him into trouble in 2009 before he was cleared by University of Western Australia. In May England's fast bowler Stuart Broad had also questioned Ajmal's bowling action in his tweet and said that the off-spinner used different bowling actions on the field and during testing. Ajmal claimed 5-166 after bowling nearly 60 overs in Sri Lanka's mammoth reply of 533-9 in the first test, but his first wicket came after conceding over 100 runs in the 47th over when he dismissed captain Angelo Mathews for 91.

Nyumbu's five limits SA

South Africa made 357 in its first innings and led Zimbabwe by 113 at the end of the third day of the one-off test at Harare Sports Club. The Zimbabweans were 28-1 in their second innings after posting 256 in the first, and were facing an expected uphill battle against the top-ranked team. South Africa's 141-run first-innings lead was built on scores of 98 by Faf du Plessis and 81 from Quinton de Kock, who combined for a 119-run partnership for the fifth wicket to put South Africa in control. Still, South Africa's run-scoring was slow at 2 ½ runs per over as the visitors ground their way in front on a lifeless pitch where batsmen worked hard for their runs. Off-spinner John Nyumbu took 5-157 on debut for Zimbabwe, making use of a surface that favored the slow bowlers to claim the important wickets of Du Plessis and JP Duminy, who made 55, among his haul. Vusi Sibanda (8 not out) and nightwatchman Donald Tiripano (1 not out) took Zimbabwe to the close in its second innings, still more than 100 runs behind and without experienced opener Hamilton Masakadza, who fell for 19 to a fierce rising delivery from Morne Morkel. Morkel got one near the end of the day to rear up sharply toward the throat of Masakadza, who fended it away to AB de Villiers in the slips. It was one of very few balls to find some life on the dry deck in Harare. With South Africa continuing on 201-4 in the morning, Du Plessis and De Kock put together the best stand of the match to give the tourists a clear advantage. Du Plessis batted for nearly six hours and faced 264 balls, but fell two short of his fourth test hundred when he clipped a catch to a close fielder off Nyumbu. He hit 11 fours. De Kock had to restrain his normally attacking game to hit only five fours and a six, and he also fell to spin when he miscued a drive off Sean Williams to Sibanda.

Duminy made his sixth test half-century and Dale Steyn briefly raised the tempo with two sixes off Nyumbu before the spinner struck back to remove him for 19. Nyumbu's maiden five-wicket haul came when Duminy fell to another close catch trying to reverse sweep, and the bowler went down on his knees to celebrate an impressive debut despite Zimbabwe's tough position overall.

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England trounce India in 4th test

England ripped through India’s fragile batting lineup for the second time in three days to win the fourth test by an innings and 54 runs, earning a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Staring at a 215-run deficit from the first innings, the Indians mustered just 161 in less than four hours as part-time off-spinner Moeen Ali sparked a collapse from 53-2 to 66-6 to finish with figures of 4-39. Chris Jordan clinched victory by claiming the final two wickets in two balls, ensuring the bad weather forecast for Manchester for Sunday and Monday would not be a factor. The home attack prospered even without paceman Stuart Broad, who retired hurt toward the end of England’s first innings of 367 — after edging Varun Aaron’s quick delivery between the grille and peak of his helmet and into his face while going for his third straight six. Broad looked groggy as he crouched down, with the ball still lodged in his visor. He was led off the pitch with blood pouring from his nose, and needed stitches. “I think he has broken his nose,” said England captain Alastair Cook, who added that Broad had been taken to the hospital. “He had a nasty blow but I think he’ll be all right.” England posted an update on Broad’s condition later. It said X-rays confirmed a fractured nose but added that Broad is still likely to be available for the fifth test starting Friday at The Oval. Resuming on 237-6, overnight pair Joe Root (77) and Jos Buttler (70) pushed their seventh-wicket partnership to 134 in the morning session, taking even the outside possibility of a victory away from India.

Some lusty blows from the tail lifted the lead above 200 — Broad (12) didn’t reappear — but England had less than two sessions to wrap up the win before the arrival of stormy weather forecast for Sunday. Simply surviving until stumps was the order of the day for India but after reaching tea at 33-1, the batsmen disintegrated in the face of some fine spin bowling by Ali, who found pace and bounce on a good Old Trafford wicket. The last nine wickets fell in 22 overs and a little over two hours, even with Broad absent and James Anderson feeling ill and only bowling nine overs. India was bowled out for 152 in the first innings after some brilliant swing bowling by Broad and Anderson. The tourists’ two innings lasted a total of 89.4 overs. When Virat Kohli edged Anderson to second slip to be out for 7, leaving the batsman’s average for the series at just 13.5, India had lost four wickets for just eight runs in 23 balls and was reeling on 61-5. Only Ravichandran Ashwin with 46 not out offered any real resistance in the lower order.

Earlier, Root passed 50 for the fourth time in six innings this series and had added 29 runs to his overnight 48 before gloving a legside delivery by Pankaj Singh to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It was Singh’s first test wicket and he then removed the dangerous Buttler, who resumed on 22 and had settled into an attacking groove by the time he drove a shot straight to Cheteshwar Pujara at mid-off. That brought Broad to the crease and, in the first over after lunch, he hooked Aaron for successive sixes and attempted a third in a row from a delivery timed at 88.1 mph (141.8 kph). Broad was late onto it, edging it into his own face through the visor. England didn’t take any risks on one of its two premier fast bowlers, keeping him in the dressing room for more treatment. Ali, and some dreadful shot-making from the Indians, ensured Broad wouldn’t be required.
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South Africa creep up on Zimbabwe

Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar made half-centuries as top-ranked South Africa slowly chased down Zimbabwe in the one-off test at Harare Sports Club. Du Plessis was 69 not out and opener Elgar earlier made 61 to take South Africa to 201-4 by stumps on the second day, 55 behind Zimbabwe’s first-innings score of 256. South Africa had to work hard against the lowly-ranked Zimbabweans on a dry, slow pitch where batsmen found it hard to score freely through the opening two days. Du Plessis ground out his 69 off 192 balls with eight fours and South Africa scored at less than 2 ½ runs per over in its first innings. Off-spinner John Nyumbu made the most of a helpful surface for slow bowlers to collect 2-71 for Zimbabwe on his test debut. Nyumbu removed opener Alviro Petersen (32) and then the dangerous AB de Villiers for seven to have Zimbabwe’s neighbor 157-4 midway through the day and in a little trouble. Du Plessis combined for an unbroken 44-run stand with wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock to take South Africa past 200 and within sight of Zimbabwe. South Africa needs to win to retain the No. 1 ranking it won back from Australia with a series victory in Sri Lanka last month. The test in Harare is the first between the African neighbors in a decade. South Africa’s only slip before lunch on day two had been the loss of opener Petersen when he tried to sweep Nyumbu and was dismissed by a superb catch by wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, who reacted instantly after an edge hit him to dive to his right and hold the chance. Du Plessis and Elgar appeared to put the visitors firmly in charge with a 75-run partnership for the second wicket but Elgar, new captain Hashim Amla and De Villiers all fell within 25 runs as South Africa stuttered. Seamer Donald Tiripano, Zimbabwe’s second debutant in the test, took his first wicket when Elgar nicked behind and Mutumbami dived for another impressive take.

De Villiers and Amla, the No. 2 and No. 3 batsmen in the world respectively, both failed to reach double figures. But having just survived a run out chance when he was on only 1, Du Plessis fought to give South Africa back control with a typically gritty innings and found support in De Kock, who was 27 not out. At the start of the day, South African fast bowler Dale Steyn needed less than two overs to end Zimbabwe’s first innings when he had Nyumbu caught down the leg-side, giving the world’s top-ranked bowler 5-46 and his 24th career five-wicket haul. Spinner Dane Piedt finished with 4-90 for South Africa on debut after an impressive start to his international career. Skipper Brendan Taylor top-scored for Zimbabwe with his 93 on the first day.

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Lanka thwarts rain, beat Pak

Rangana Herath grabbed 6-48 as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by seven wickets on a remarkable last day of the first test. The left-arm spinner turned the game on its head when Pakistan, which trailed by 82 after the first innings, was bowled out for 180. Sri Lanka then needed 99 runs in a minimum 21 overs with dark clouds hovering over Galle International Stadium. Captain Angelo Mathews (25 not out) showed urgency by hitting two sixes and two fours as Sri Lanka reached 99-3 in 16.2 overs — just in time before the rain arrived. Mahela Jayawardene, playing in his penultimate test, set the tempo with a quick 26 as an opener before Mathews took charge under bad light. Kumar Sangakkara’s 10th double century (221) helped Sri Lanka respond solidly by declaring at 533-9 after Younis Khan hit a brilliant 177 in Pakistan’s first innings total of 451. But Pakistan’s batsmen paid a heavy price of protecting their wickets instead of scoring runs after resuming the day at 4-1 as Herath got rid of the top order before mopping up the tail just after tea. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed top scored with an unbeaten 52 before he ran out of partners.

Herath ravaged Pakistan’s innings by removing Azhar Ali (41), Younis Khan (13) and Asad Shafiq (8) while offspinner Dilruwan Perera got rid of dangerman Misbah (28) and Ahmed Shehzad (16). Pakistan showed no urgency and looked for a draw as it lost three wickets in the morning session while adding 62 runs. Misbah and Ali defied Sri Lanka briefly with a 56-run stand but not before the Pakistan captain twice survived lbw appeals. He was ruled out leg before wicket off Perera on 8 but successfully overturned umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision as the ball had brushed his gloves off a mistimed sweep. Misbah wiped out the deficit by hoisting the off-spinner to midwicket for a six before reverse sweeping the off-spinner for another boundary. He was on 26 when Eranga went for the DRS but his high full toss hit Misbah’s pads outside the line of leg stump. However, both batsmen departed within three deliveries when Herath found Ali’s outside edge and Misbah was trapped lbw off the backfoot. Herath trapped Shafiq lbw off an arm ball before Eranga picked up his 50th test wicket when he had Abdul Rehman caught behind to reduce Pakistan to 153-8 at tea. Earlier, Pakistan scored only four boundaries in the morning session after nightwatchman Saeed Ajmal (4) was caught behind off Dhammika Prasad in the eighth over of the day. Shehzad could have overturned English umpire Ian Gould’s lbw decision against him off Perera, but didn’t use the DRS and walked off after scoring a painstaking 16 off 74 balls.

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