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Record attendance as Middlesex secure London bragging rights

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An attendance of 27,119, a domestic record for Twenty20 cricket in the UK, watched a thrilling Middlesex victory over Surrey

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's21-Jul-2016
ScorecardEoin Morgan’s 42 helped Middlesex beat local rivals Surrey•Getty Images

A thrilling match, in front of a record crowd, broadcast on TV and with the very best on show taking star turns. The T20 Blast has not always been able to get all those ingredients into the same pot. But tonight, everything seemed to fall into place.The attendance of 27,119 is now a domestic record for Twenty20 cricket in the UK. Lord’s also happens to hold the record for an international, too, when the 2009 World T20 final reeled in over 28,000. There were a couple factors that threatened today’s record.Severe delays on the Jubilee Line had some punters thinking twice about joining the clammy rush-hour scrum to St John’s Wood. The walk from Baker Street station, normally a leisurely stroll past some of Sherlock Holmes’ old watering holes, was a steady stream of fans frog-marching cooler bags along the westerly brim of Regent’s Park. Middlesex’s own form, too, might have encouraged some diehards to stay away to avoid the gloating bellows of their rivals from south London, who had enjoyed a six-game winning streak at Lord’s before the tables turned last season.But just as bigger steps cut down the 20-minute walk, signal failures rectified from Bond Street, and the opening of the Warner Stand (roof still to be attached) increased the potential for a bumper crowd, so too did Middlesex’s rediscovered knack of winning short form games. There is a marked difference to the way they are now approaching Twenty20 cricket.Dawid Malan, following his appointment as white-ball captain, has ensured that elements of Middlesex’s T20 plans are now player-led. That his side triumphed tonight by chasing down a target of 197, with plenty left in the tank, while he, their leading run-scorer in the competition, was slapping Sri Lanka A about for 185 off 126 balls, says it all. With bat and ball, this was a free-form T20 performance that sees them jump to third in the south group, with 13 points from 11 played.It is worth starting with the chase of 197, done with five balls and as many wickets to spare. Paul Stirling could not have hit a more Paul Stirling 34: cover drives played with a savagery rarely associated with the shot while also finessing a back-of-a-length ball over backward square leg for a dainty six. Eoin Morgan, pushed up to three, then clobbered 42 off 24 balls, which included putting Azhar Mahmood on the roof of the Grandstand. Rarely one for holding the pose or a lingering gaze, even he looked on wistfully at his own majesty.In the last two months, Morgan has played to 50,000 in a World T20 final at Eden Gardens, stepped out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the IPL and then, in his opening T20 Blast fixture, batted on a school ground. A lot is made of Morgan’s appetite for English domestic cricket, but who can blame him when life outside it sees him on Broadway. He showed today what keeps him going – a challenge, an atmosphere, a prize to be won. Never mind attracting overseas stars, it’s imperative to have a competition that motivates your own.He departed in the 11th over, one which started with 85 needed from 60 balls. With 30 balls left, that had been chopped down to 37, thanks to a brisk partnership between George Bailey (50) and John Simpson (43 from 26) that was eventually broken for 67. By then, the ask was simply 10 from 14.Quite how Surrey failed to breach 200, having smashed 80 for none off the first six overs, was a mystery. Once Jason Roy departed at the beginning of the eighth over, for a thrill-a-ball half-century which took just 24 deliveries, the constant fear of boundaries subsided. The 10 overs that followed the Powerplay saw just 74 scored. Surrey’s middle order has long been a problem area masked by the dashers up top. For them to evolve as a T20 force, it needs addressing.It was the introduction of legspinner Nathan Sowter that shored Middlesex up, allowing them to retain respectability in the field. Coming on in the seventh over, he returned figures of two for 29 from his four overs: a back-of-the-hand delivery slowing up on Steven Davies, who skewed a drive to gully before Rory Burns, stuck in a rut, top-edged a sweep to John Simpson.The main squeeze came between the 11th and 16th overs as Sowter and Ryan Higgins bowled in tandem for a five-over period that saw 33 runs and just one boundary conceded. Higgins is an interesting case: primarily a batsman, he found himself bowling a few overs here and there during preseason and in the warm-up Twenty20 matches. It was in these fixtures that he surprised coaches and Middlesex’s analyst with his ability to seemingly bowl yorkers at will.Today was the first time that Middlesex really put his newly discovered talents to the test. Initially, his three overs went for just 17 runs – none of them from boundaries. But when Harry Podmore was removed from the attack after a second waist-high full toss, he returned to bowl the remaining five balls of the penultimate over. The first delivery hit straight over his head and into the members by Chris Morris. The very next was caught at midwicket for his first wicket in the T20 Blast. He was the only bowler that restricted Finch to less than a run a ball.The individual to benefit most from the squeeze was James Fuller, whose spell at the death, which returned 2 for 14 – he took 2 for 3 in the 20th over – helped offset a catastrophic opening burst that saw him concede 29 from his opening two overs.Surrey’s destiny is now out of their hands. Winning their remaining games will help, but without the goodwill of others, they face another season of T20 disappointment.

Australia lose openers after Sri Lanka make 281

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On a wicket renowned for being spin friendly, Mitchell Starc claimed the best figures ever by an Australian fast bowler in Sri Lanka as the hosts were dismissed for 281 on the first day in Galle

The Report by Brydon Coverdale04-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:01

By The Numbers – Starc, the touring menace in Sri Lanka

A wicket fell from the first ball of the first innings of this Test. A wicket fell from the second ball of the second innings. Ten others tumbled throughout the opening day in Galle, where Mitchell Starc’s reverse swing was just as much of a weapon as the anticipated turn on a very dry pitch. But in amongst it all was some good batting, from Kusal Mendis especially. Forget about two tiers of Test cricket, two divisions of batting already exist in this series: Mendis, and everyone else.His 176 in Pallekele was the difference between the two sides, and his 86 in Galle may again turn out to be a match-winning effort. Much of the script of this Test is yet to be written, but by stumps on day one Sri Lanka were in the stronger position: having been bowled out for 281, they had Australia at 54 for 2 in reply. And most of those runs had come from a frantic David Warner, who was dismissed in the last over of the day.Warner decided that his runs would come rapidly if at all, and flew by the seat of his pants to 42 from 41 balls. But with four balls left came the critical wicket, as he edged Dilruwan Perera to slip. He had given Australia a platform but like an unqualified builder, one that felt anything but stable. Australia’s batsmen will have to work exceptionally hard against Sri Lanka’s spinners and still trailed by 227 runs, with Usman Khawaja on 11.Shudders went through the Australian camp when Joe Burns pulled the second ball of the innings to midwicket to give debutant Vishwa Fernando a wicket from his second delivery in Test cricket. For the second time in the day, the scoreboard read 0 for 1. But just as Australia recovered to a degree, so had Sri Lanka to an even greater one. Not immediately, though.Starc bowled the first ball of the Test to Dimuth Karunaratne, who flicked uppishly to midwicket, where Burns took the catch. Not since Glenn McGrath dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya on the same ground in 1999 had Australia taken a wicket on the first ball of a Test, nor Sri Lanka lost one. By the fifth over, they were 9 for 2 when Kaushal Silva lazily drove away from his body and edged Starc behind.Starc would go on to finish with 5 for 44, the finest figures by an Australian fast bowler in a Test in Sri Lanka, and the best by any visiting pace bowler in Galle. But not before Mendis, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Perera put some distance between the teams. A 108-run stand between Mendis and Perera was followed by a 67-run union between Mendis and Mathews. As Mendis batted on and on Australia must have feared a repeat of his Pallekele innings.It was not quite to be, though he was again a class above all others. Mendis was strong through the leg side but also when driving through covers. He launched a couple of sixes, down the ground and over midwicket off Nathan Lyon, and his fifty came up from 74 deliveries. Australia were thrilled when they had Mendis adjudged lbw for 78, but a review found Josh Hazlewood had hooped the ball in too much.The Australians did not have to wait too long to see the back of Mendis, who on 86 got a faint nick behind when Starc moved one away. It was Starc’s 100th Test wicket and was fine reward for consistent work in tough conditions. By this stage Kusal Perera had already departed, caught at slip off a big-turning Lyon offbreak for 49, but Mathews was still around to trouble the Australians.Mathews was intent on attacking the spinners and crashed his second ball over long-on for six off Lyon, then followed in Lyon’s next over with a reverse sweep for four. When debutant Jon Holland came back into the attack, Mathews was watchful for five balls and then thumped the sixth over long-on for six. Another six off Holland followed a few overs later.Australia’s spinners were attacking, giving the ball air and turning it, but Mathews was attacking, giving the ball air and turning it into runs for Sri Lanka. He lost Dinesh Chandimal, caught flicking Hazlewood to short midwicket for 5, but by tea Mathews was still at the crease and Sri Lanka looked dangerous with the score beyond 200.Australia did well to finish off the innings cheaply enough; the last five wickets fell for 57 runs and all came after tea. Mathews departed for 54 when he flashed at Mitchell Marsh and was caught behind, and Marsh should have had another when Dhananjaya de Silva edged to first slip, but Steven Smith spilled the opportunity and Peter Nevill was unable to clasp Smith’s parry.Dilruwan Perera fell for 16 when he tried to whip Lyon, bowling around the wicket through leg, but was trapped lbw by a ball that pitched in line and straightened. Eventually Australia did get de Silva, who had been dropped on 17 and went on to make 37. He gave Holland his first Test wicket by attempting to paddle a low full toss, missing, and being adjudged lbw.Starc came back to finish off the tail, striking Lakshan Sandakan’s stumps with a delivery that swung in, and then bowling Rangana Herath with another ball that tailed in. Starc’s five-wicket haul was greatly deserved, but will mean little unless Australia’s batsmen back him up on day two.

Lyth's curse sums up Yorkshire's frustration

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Jack Brooks gave Yorkshire fleeting hopes of victory but rain intervened to leave them frustrated on the final day at the Ageas Bowl

Freddie Wilde at the Ageas Bowl03-Sep-2016
ScorecardJack Brooks gave Yorkshire fleetinh hopes of victory•Getty Images

The frustrations Yorkshire must have felt, having certainly been the better of the two teams across the four days and on course for victory were it not for the weather, were most succinctly summarised by Adam Lyth as he scurried through the downpour towards the team bus, shoulders hunched and towel draped over his head. “F*****g rain” he growled in his thick Yorkshire accent.But it is testament to the quality of this Yorkshire team that a result even appeared to be a possibility heading into this final day. After 77 overs were lost to rain and bad light on a frustrating third day and, with heavy rain forecast by tea on the fourth, the two-time defending champions had, at best, two sessions in which to push for victory. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? Certainly not.Ultimately the rain forecast for tea did arrive, and ultimately Yorkshire ran out of time but not before they gave Hampshire a scare. When play was halted for the final time at 3.40pm Hampshire were 84 for 4 and had the scheduled 38.2 overs been completed it felt more likely that Yorkshire would take the six wickets than they would not.On a day in which talk of the weather was never far away it feels appropriate to describe this Yorkshire team as a force of nature in their own right and their ability to conjure something out of this rain-ravaged match deserves respect.

‘It’s wide open’ – Gale

“It was one of those where people will you say you could have declared earlier but had we got the full time in then it might have been a tight game,” said Yorkshire’s captain Andrew Gale after play. “You can’t keep declaring by the weather forecast. Another 40 overs and we could have won that game.
“It’s wide open now. Four points in it now. We have two home games and we have a fantastic home record. We must have one of the best home records in the country over the last few years. That’s on our side. We know what we get with our pitches. We win our next two games at home and we are right up there.”

Not only did they make a game out of a match that, given the 128.2 overs lost to rain, had no right to be as competitive as it was, but they made something out a day that appeared to be petering slowly towards a draw.With Hampshire 50 for 1 midway through the afternoon session, Will Smith the man to go, and with the ball not swinging and the pitch showing no signs of life, the slim chance of a Yorkshire victory was fading. In what seemed to be a final throw of the dice Andrew Gale turned to Jack Brooks, who took five wickets in the first innings, to spark the match into life. How much credit Gale, or indeed Brooks, can take for Tom Alsop’s miscued pull that ended up in the hands of square leg is questionable, but the change had worked: Yorkshire smelt blood.Fourteen balls later Jimmy Adams was gone too. Propping forward to Brooks, the edge was found and Adam Lyth pouched the catch at second slip. Now the visitors were ticking; the fielders imbued with energy, throws zipped in above the stumps, clapping and chatter echoing around the ground. The light was closing in but so too were Yorkshire. Seven wickets needed.An over of Sidebottom. Two fours, a two and a single. Eleven runs but things were happening. One ball beat the edge, another fizzed off a length. More clapping, more chatter. Then James Vince. The ball was full, with a hint of swing, Vince threw his hands at it outside off stump – this story has been told before – Tim Bresnan took the catch. Four down. Six wickets needed. Hampshire had lost three for 24, Brooks had taken 3 for 12 in a spell that felt match-winning.And then, quite suddenly, the weather intervened. An early tea was taken for bad light. And before long the rain began. At 4.38pm the match was declared a draw.Earlier in the day Yorkshire had huffed and puffed for 22 overs to add 94 to their overnight lead before declaring to set Hampshire 298. In the end it was not the runs that mattered but the time.

Kotla pitch stymies NZ's quest to acclimatise

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New Zealand’s only warm-up match in a tour played during India’s off-season will be played on a pitch that bears little resemblance to the raging turners that they are likely to confront during the Test matches

The Preview by Sidharth Monga in Delhi15-Sep-2016Two weeks ago New Zealand were facing the pace barrage of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada in South Africa’s off-season. A short stop at home later, they are in Delhi, during India’s off-season, preparing for what promises to be a challenging Test series on India’s raging turners. It is so early in the season that even the pre-season fumigation in the press-conference room – Delhi is fighting an outbreak of mosquito-infested diseases – was carried out only minutes before New Zealand arrived.All New Zealand have between landing in India and the Test series, to prepare for what has the makings of the biggest challenge in Test cricket today, are a couple of training sessions in Delhi, a three-day game against Mumbai that begins on Friday, and two more training sessions at the venue of the first Test.India are not going to do them any favours either. Not that New Zealand expected any. They didn’t expect the track for the three-day game to prepare them for what is in store, and Feroz Shah Kotla is certainly in no mood to surprise them pleasantly. The track for the match against Mumbai, which won’t be a first-class fixture and will thus let all 15 have a bat and a bowl, is not quite a greentop but looks nothing like what you will encounter at Indian Test venues.”It is what we expected to see here,” Ross Taylor said of the grass on the Kotla pitch. This is consistent with what Virat Kohli felt when India gave England barely any spin to face in their warm-up matches before the Tests in 2012-13.”We were given flattest of tracks during practice matches in England and Australia, and then suddenly presented with a greentop during the Tests,” Kohli had said back then. “During practice matches, we would face those 120kmph bowlers … If they [England and Australia] wanted to be fair to us, they could have provided us with same kind of tracks for practice matches, like what were used in Tests. Especially, when they knew that visiting teams get very less time to practise. Now they would be playing on turning tracks and definitely would know where they stand.”England played three warm-up matches before the Tests on that tour, but only once, against Haryana, did they get to face genuine spinners. In the other two games, the only spin they faced was delivered by part-timers. New Zealand, having seen the pitch at the Kotla, didn’t look in a mood to complain. “We are expecting the wickets to turn,” Taylor said at the press conference a day before the warm-up game. “We are not expecting the Test wickets to look the way it is looking at Kotla.”For New Zealand the warm-up game is more about getting used to the weather, with temperatures in the mid-30s when it is winter back home. “A warm-up game is a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “A chance to get out and play in Indian conditions. Obviously a lot warmer than a couple of days ago back home in New Zealand. Stretch your legs so to speak. We are expecting a tough match against Mumbai tomorrow.”Before the reversal in South Africa, New Zealand were the side expected to present the toughest challenge to the hosts in this season of 13 Tests. They still possibly have the best spin resources among the touring teams this season. But the scheduling of the series relegates them to being a bit of a sideshow. They are used to this. When they go to England, they play in May; their last tour to India was in August-September, and this year they are playing back-to-back Test series in off-seasons. It is a fact not lost on them.”The last two tours we had here we didn’t even have a warm-up game,” Taylor said. “So it’s nice to have a warm-up game against a good opposition. It’s going to be a hard-fought series over the next three weeks. The boys are looking forward to it.”If the warm-up game is just a means to acclimatise yourselves to the heat and if you are expected to adjust from South African conditions to Indian ones suddenly, how do you do it? In the nets, Taylor said. “Regardless of whether you are playing on a bouncy green wicket or on a turning wicket, you have got to put yourself under pressure in training and try to simulate as much as possible.”Accordingly, one of the members of New Zealand’s support staff was seen asking the groundsmen to shave off the grass on the nets pitches. The next three days are not just about what goes on in the middle at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but also about how much the ones not on the field can take away from their nets sessions.

USA shelves Taylor middle-order experiment

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USA’s captain Steven Taylor will move back into the opening role during the ICC World Cricket League Divsion Four which begins on October 29

Peter Della Penna21-Oct-2016USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake has said that captain Steven Taylor will move back to opening the innings in the ICC World Cricket League Division Four beginning on October 29 in Los Angeles.Taylor has had a number of trials in the middle order recently, with varied results.The plan to shift him down the order came after Dassanayake witnessed the left-hander’s unbeaten 81 off 53 balls while batting at No. 6 in Florida XI’s one-wicket win over a touring Marylebone Cricket Club XI last month. He then got scores of 5, 1, and 1 in three games at No. 4, before moving back to the opening slot where he scored 27 in USA’s two-wicket win over Canada in the Auty Cup.Dassanayake said that after experimenting with Taylor in the middle, he felt both Taylor and the team had the best chance for success in Division Four with him batting as an opener.”We tried a few things and now we’ve settled down back into the opening [slot],” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo. “This is our batting order. What we had [in the win], we’re going to stick to it throughout the tournament.”We were discussing it and he’s comfortable coming down [the order] to bat when the team needs it during the tough periods. But after looking at these conditions, and these wickets where the ball comes onto the bat pretty well, we had a small discussion about it. With his calibre, I think he is better at the top of the order.”The news bodes well for Ravi Timbawala, who was drafted into the USA squad for Division Four on Thursday as a replacement for Srini Santhanam, who was ruled out due to an injury to the right shoulder. Timbawala scored an unbeaten 73, batting at No. 3 in the two-wicket win over Canada, and appears set to keep that role when USA take the field for their first match against Bermuda on October 29.Timbawala’s presence in the middle order also provides more stability for USA as cover for Taylor’s inconsistency. Ever since making a career-best 162 off 102 balls against Nepal – who Dassanayake was coaching at the time – in 2013, Taylor has scored 277 runs in 14 innings at 19.79 in 50-over cricket for USA.In that stretch he has two fifties, but also three ducks to go along with the pair of ones against Canada last week. Dassanayake says that it is important for Taylor to stay aggressive in spite of the low scores, because his approach can devastate opponents the way it did to Dassanayake’s Nepal side in 2013.”His type of batting is not going to be consistent,” Dassanayake said. “I’m happy if he can get [big runs in] three games for us. If he scores in three games and we’re going to win those games, that’s what I’m looking for. He’s hungry. As a leader, first time captaining USA [in an ICC tournament], he wants to win this tournament. He wants to contribute.”A part of those contributions are now coming with the ball. In 21 career 50-over matches for USA, prior to last weekend’s Auty Cup, Taylor had bowled a total of 7.2 overs, taking one wicket. But in his first match after being named captain, he brought himself on and took 5 for 47 with his part-time offspin. That spurred him to bowl out his maximum quota of overs in all three games against Canada, the only USA bowler to do so in the series.It may be a sign of things to come in Division Four as he takes on an increased role with the ball, now that he has given up wicketkeeping. However, Dassanayake says Taylor’s batting is still what will win USA matches at the end of the day and he is backing Taylor to come through.”I can see his feelings. When he gets out, he’s disappointed, but I know that with his calibre and the way that he’s moving, he will get there. I think he understands pretty well how to adjust to conditions. I have confidence that he’ll get us through in the five games coming up.”

Upbeat New Zealand chase history in decider

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New Zealand eye their first ever ODI series win in India when they take on the hosts in the series decider in Visakhapatnam on Saturday

The Preview by Arun Venugopal in Visakhapatnam28-Oct-2016

Match facts

Saturday, October 29
Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)1:30

Taylor ‘excited’ at prospect of winning series

Big picture

New Zealand have never won an ODI series in India. While the prospect of correcting such a record is daunting at the best of times, the whitewash in the Test series and the drubbing in Dharamsala only made it seem near-impossible. But after nearly two weeks, with the series at 2-2, they would rather look at Saturday’s game as a chance to create history. After the Ranchi ODI, every member of New Zealand’s team management has used elegant variations of the same theme.New Zealand’s greatest strength during their last visit to India, for the World T20, lay in their astute reading of pitches. Tim Southee put it down to effective information exchange between batsmen and bowlers. “Not every time we can get it right. We just give ourselves the best chance to read the conditions and adapt quickly,” he said on the eve of the match.One area where they have not adapted quickly enough is their middle order. Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi struggled in the first three ODIs and were subsequently dropped, but Ross Taylor has shown signs of form in the last two games. In a crunch game, they will need most of their batsmen to back what has generally been a competent bowling unit.India, on the other hand, will probably look at an opportunity missed after they could not close out the series in Ranchi. That means Jayant Yadav and Mandeep Singh will have to wait till at least the new year to make their ODI debuts, unless there is a last-minute injury or a left-field selection punt. For a young middle order, though, this is another chance to repay the faith that MS Dhoni has invested in them.

Form guide

India LWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WLWLW

In the spotlight

Axar Patel‘s record of two wickets from four games does not really indicate how well he has bowled this series. He has been Dhoni’s go-to holding bowler every time New Zealand’s batsmen have looked threatening, and in Ranchi he even contributed a gutsy 38 after being promoted to No.5. Axar’s niggardly bowling will once again remain crucial to bottling up New Zealand’s middle order.With seven wickets from four games, Tim Southee has quietly climbed to second place in the top wicket-takers’ list for the series. His late swing with the new ball and nerveless death bowling has given New Zealand all-round bowling cover. Southee’s knack of striking at the right time, like his dismissals of Dhoni in Delhi, and Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav in Ranchi, has proved to be game changing.

Team news

Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav were among those that did not feature in India’s optional training session. Dhoni had an extended hit in the spinners’ net and, along with Jadhav, practised the sweep for a considerable length of time. Jasprit Bumrah appeared to have regained his fitness and will likely take Dhawal Kulkarni’s place in the XI. India are unlikely to tinker with the side too much otherwise.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahIn Ranchi, New Zealand had replaced Corey Anderson and Matt Henry with two spinners in Ish Sodhi and Anton Devcich. Taylor felt the six-bowler dynamic gave captain Kane Williamson greater latitude. Williamson and Mike Hesson will probably have to choose between the extra batting muscle of Anderson and the extra spin option of Devcich.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 BJ Watling (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Anton Devcich/Corey Anderson, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Matt Henry

Pitch and conditions

The cyclone Kyant, which threatened to hit Visakhapatnam, has weakened into a deep depression, but there is forecast for showers on Friday and thunderstorm on Saturday. There were heavy showers on Thursday night as well, but the curator, K Nagamallaiah, said the ground staff had covered 80% of the outfield. On Saturday, the pitch appeared bald and devoid of any grass, even as the outfield remained lush. “The rain won’t have any effect on the pitch. It will remain good for batting and have good bounce,” he said.

Stats and trivia

  • Amit Mishra has taken 10 wickets in the series, three more than any other bowler from either sides.
  •  Tim Southee is the only New Zealand bowler to have taken three-wicket hauls in the series. He did it twice and both came in wins – Delhi and Ranchi.
  • India have a 4-1 win-loss record in Visakhapatnam. The lone defeat came in the last completed game here, against West Indies in November 2013.
  • India won the deciding match against New Zealand in the 1995-96 and 1999-2000 series.

Quotes

“We have been on the road for a long period of time but we have three more days to get ourselves up. You don’t often win series away from home, especially in the subcontinent. We know what we need to do to win.”
“Virat is a great player and it’s always nice if he scores. It makes life easy for the batsmen coming in. But, we have too many quality batsmen in the team and we need to deliver whenever we get the opportunity.”

Eight-team Associate T20I tournament slated for January

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The eight Associate countries with T20I status will take part in a round-robin tournament that is being viewed as a strong signal that the 2018 World T20 will be approved by the ICC

Peter Della Penna22-Nov-2016The eight Associate countries with T20I status are set to take part in a round-robin tournament planned for the start of the new year, multiple sources have told ESPNcricinfo.Although a 2018 World T20 is yet to be confirmed by the ICC, a source said that this tournament is being viewed as a strong signal that the 2018 World T20 will be approved. The tournament would also be separate from a possible World T20 Qualifier involving other Associates advancing out of their regional tournaments that could be held later in 2017 or early 2018 pending ICC approval of a World T20 in 2018.In addition to the top six Associates with dual ODI and T20I status – Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland, Hong Kong, UAE, Papua New Guinea – the two other participating countries are Netherlands and Oman, who each secured T20I status by qualifying for the 2016 World T20 in India. The tournament is tentatively scheduled for January 6 to 20 at the ICC Academy in Dubai.According to one source, both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have also been invited, but their participation is not confirmed. For Afghanistan, Scotland, Netherlands, and Oman, this would be their first T20Is since the 2016 World T20 in March. Ireland hosted Hong Kong for a T20I series in September. For UAE, these would be their first T20Is since reaching the main draw of the Asia Cup in February, while PNG’s last T20Is came in February when they lost a series 1-2 to Ireland in Townsville.

Northern Districts cruise to win on Watling, Brownlie fifties

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On the back of half-centuries from their openers, Northern Districts cantered to a nine-wicket win with all of 27 balls remaining against Auckland in Mount Maunganui

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Dean Brownlie’s 54 off 34 balls included four fours and three sixes•Getty Images

On the back of half-centuries from their openers, Northern Districts cantered to a nine-wicket win with all of 27 balls remaining against Auckland in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday.Dean Brownlie slammed 54 off 34 balls, while BJ Watling anchored the chase of 143 with an unbeaten 53 off 48, to help the team race home in the 16th over. The pair put on 87 in ten overs to set up the chase nicely, before Corey Anderson joined Watling and put the result beyond doubt with a couple of big hits. Anderson stayed not out on 23 off 13 balls, including two sixes.Auckland, after choosing to bat, were kept to 142 for 6 via contributions from most of the Northern Districts bowlers. Pacer Scott Kuggeleijn got rid off both Auckland openers, while a run-out accounted for No. 3 Rob Nicol for a duck. Offspinner Jono Boult and fast bowler Trent Lawford saw off the middle order, taking three wickets between them in economical spells. Legspinner Ish Sodhi did not break through, but he too kept the runs in check, giving away only 25 in four overs.The biggest contributions for Auckland came from Ben Horne and Mark Chapman, their Nos. 6 and 5, who scored 39 and 30 respectively. Donovan Grobbelaar powered them over 140 with two sixes in four balls at the end, but the total still proved to be inadequate for a rampant Northern Districts top order.

Edulji confident of delivering on interim panel of administrators

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Diana Edulji, the former India women’s captain, knew she was in the reckoning for the panel as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role

Arun Venugopal30-Jan-2017In the afternoon, Diana Edulji had almost given up hope of anything definitive emerging from the Supreme Court hearing where a panel of administrators was due to be appointed. The former India women’s captain knew she was in the reckoning as Gopal Subramanium, the amicus curiae, had asked if she would be interested in such a role. But, while Edulji admitted to a tinge of expectation, the adjournment of last week’s hearing had made her “sceptical”. Now, she had seen no news of the hearing on television for nearly two hours and was going to turn it off when the phone rang.”I got a call from one of the channels congratulating me. I said, ‘There is no breaking news anywhere.’ Then suddenly, every channel started carrying the story one after the other,” Edulji told ESPNcricinfo. “Given the number of twists and turns this case has been taking, I was a little sceptical. This time also it [a decision] didn’t come up till 3.45 or 4pm. When the first time it didn’t happen [during the earlier hearing], I didn’t go deeper into it. I left it to God – if it is due for me, I will accept it. If it doesn’t come also, I am okay.”Edulji, who has played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1976 and 1993, is the only cricketer on the four-member committee which also includes Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Ramachandra Guha, the historian and cricket writer, and Vikram Limaye, managing director and CEO of IDFC (Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation). She is also a part of the four-member steering committee, led by former union home secretary GK Pillai, that has been tasked with the responsibility of setting up a players’ association.Edulji felt her presence in the interim committee of administrators was symbolic of what the Lodha reforms aimed to achieve. “It is a very good thing because what I have wanted [to do], now I am in a position to implement it, if that is the role that is given to us,” she said. “I first thought it was the steering committee and the players’ association, but this is a bigger and more prestigious role given, that I am the only player in India to be nominated by the Supreme Court. I hope I will live up to the expectations.”Edulji hadn’t spoken with her colleagues yet – “I don’t even have their numbers” – and wasn’t sure about the nature of her role with the terms of reference of the panel yet to be issued. While she was aware it wouldn’t be an easy job, she was confident her experience as sports officer in the Western Railways would serve her well.”I was administrating 40 games and 40 teams there. Right from the recruitment to the promotions, to the practice sessions, to the departmental tournaments, everything was looked after,” she said. “It was a huge job but a very satisfying job. Tomorrow [January 31], I complete one year of my retirement – so this is my third innings, I would say.”Edulji also said she was prepared to handle the mudslinging – a possible occupational hazard of being an administrator, even if on a short-term basis – that might come her way. “I am quite used to it,” she said, adding that she would rather work “amicably” and hoped to be a bridge between the old administration and the new era.It helped that former board secretary Ajay Shirke and veteran administrator Niranjan Shah were among the first people to congratulate her. “In fact all MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association] office-bearers rang me up,” she said. “I immediately left for MCA. I wanted to be with them at this moment, because they have been so nice with me.”I got a message from the [BCCI] CEO, Mr Rahul Johri, congratulating me and looking forward to working with me. That was a good sign also. Because I am the only player, it may just work out in my favour, [everybody] may co-operate with me.”

Fire alarm forces stoppage in Dunedin

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Play was stopped for 20 minutes in the third session, while players and fans were evacuated while the cause of the alarm was being investigated

Firdose Moonda in Dunedin10-Mar-2017A fire alarm prompted a full ground evacuation at the University Oval, where play was stopped for 20 minutes in the third session. There was neither imminent danger nor any damage caused after steam caused the alarm to go off in the grandstand, which was the first to be emptied. Spectators, numbering 3296, were asked to leave their seats and dispatched to the rims of the ground while players and match officials were sent onto the field while the cause of the alarm was investigated.Within minutes of the alarm being sounded, a fire engine arrived on the scene but it was not needed. The grass banks were the next to be cleared out before the buildings on the northern end of the ground, which includes the television commentary team, were also cleared onto the adjacent rugby field.Although the exact cause of the steam is not yet known, the situation was quickly assessed as being under control and fans were allowed back in. With heavy cloud cover and cool temperatures, not as many of them returned, putting a damper on what had been well-attended, albeit feisty, day at the ground.None of the players were too perturbed by the interruption although both sides lamented the loss of the crowd,after they were allowed back in. “The biggest shame was that the crowd left and it was quite a good atmosphere,” BJ Watling, New Zealand’s wicket-keeper said.South Africa have been involved in some unusual breaks in play recently – the ODI against Sri Lanka last month was stopped after a bee invasion – but of the players, Keshav Maharaj has seen a fire alarm stoppage before. “It was on a South Africa A tour to Australia last year, we were sitting in the change room and the fire alarm went off. So I guess it was nothing new to me,” he said.Earlier in the day, some spectators were ushered out by security officials for being too rowdy while on day two, 35 people were ejected for the same reason.