Superhero Hussey returns

Michael Hussey has grown wiser in his four years as a Test batsman and can fashion runs on days when the fluency of his early days is hiding

Peter English at the SCG06-Jan-2010For the first three years of Michael Hussey’s Test career he was the side’s superhero, achieving unimaginable results with the swing of his bat. After an extended stint as a mortal he reprised the role at the SCG to set up Australia’s astonishing 36-run win.Hussey has scored two of the side’s past three centuries, with the 134 not out in Sydney following the 121 when the urn was handed back in London, but those innings carried distinctly different emotions. “The last time I scored a hundred we lost the Ashes,” he said. “I can tell you I feel a whole lot better now than I did on that particular day.”In six Tests including The Oval he has 604 runs at 60.40, ending the short-term doubts over his place in the side. He has often looked scratchy for long periods, but has shown how much he likes to scrap. Hussey does not want to hand over his hard-won position and while he was making many ugly runs – and some old-style Hussey ones, particularly with drives through the off side – the selection trapdoor was moved under Marcus North.”It has been a little bit more difficult leading up to this season,” Hussey said. “I felt like I’ve had the complete support of the captain, the coaches, so it was a case of me going away and concentrating on preparing my game and scoring runs. Just trying to do the business for the team.”In the first innings Hussey was the most capable batsman, sweating over 28 during the extremely difficult phase, and over the final two days he refused to bend. Hussey’s stand of 123 with Peter Siddle kept Australia breathing on the fourth morning and was ultimately responsible for the stunning success.”As I said to Siddle tonight, his batting has won us a Test match, along with this bloke [Hussey] as well,” Ricky Ponting said. “For them to do what they did today, it takes a lot of courage and it takes a lot of discipline.”Hussey has grown wiser in his four years as a Test batsman and can fashion runs on days when the fluency of his early days is hiding. He knows his scoring areas whatever the field and today he drove strongly through the offside for four off the fast and slow men. A shot straight down the ground off Umar Gul took Hussey to an 11th century, his first in Australia since the opening week of 2008.”Today made me realise how hard [Test centuries] are,” he said. “I had my fair share of luck and you probably need a fair share of luck and you need someone like Siddle to show that much courage and application for such a long period of time to be able to get to a Test century. Every single one you try and cherish as much as you can.”As calm as he looks and as measured as he speaks, Hussey has been feeling the strain, particularly after his first nine hundreds flooded in three glorious years. He wanted to start celebrating this one at the end of his first run, but the ball was not certain of reaching the rope so he stuck up one arm like a kite flyer at take-off and continued to sprint. When the boundary was confirmed he jumped skyward before finding Siddle for a cuddle. In the background Kamran Akmal clapped his hands together, making similar sounds to the ones created by his three drops of Hussey off Danish Kaneria on the third day.”I was fortunate in this game but you need some fortune,” Hussey said. “I felt in the last 12 months a lot of fortune hadn’t really gone my way. In this game it has and thankfully I was able to reap the rewards and get to a position where we had the chance to win.”Hussey, who is good at forgetting moments of discomfort, was not bothered by anything that Pakistan did on the fourth morning. After resuming on 73, he was pleased that Mohammad Yousuf set most of his fielders on the boundary, giving him a single whenever he wanted it. As Hussey’s confidence in Siddle grew there was even less fear in taking the run and increasing the lead, which began the day at 80 and finished on an unconquerable 175.

Mehidy and Nasum help Khulna Tigers progress to Qualifer 2; Rangpur Riders eliminated

Khulna’s spinners bowled out Rangpur for 85, before needing just 10.1 overs to knock off the target

Mohammad Isam03-Feb-2025Khulna Tigers roared to a nine-wicket win against the star-studded Rangpur Riders in the BPL’s eliminator match. The victory puts them in the second qualifier to face the losing side from the first qualifier later on Monday. Khulna’s spinners helped bowl out Rangpur for 85, before needing just 10.1 overs to knock off the target.Rangpur, who decided to bat first, couldn’t get going despite a stronger batting line-up than their previous outings. Khulna’s captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Nasum Ahmed took three wickets each, opening the bowling quite successfully. Rangpur were in danger of posting an even lower total after being 52 for 9 at one stage.

Rangpur’s big guns misfire

The image of Andre Russell, James Vince and Tim David walking through the Dhaka airport on Monday morning was a sight for sore eyes in the Rangpur camp. They had lost their way in the latter part of the BPL, falling to four defeats after winning eight in a row. Rangpur needed this boost from their big guns coming in after their stints in the ILT20. But it didn’t quite pan out the way they would have hoped.Vince got into a mix-up with his opening partner Soumya Sarkar off the second ball of the match, resulting in the latter being run out for a duck. Vince himself got caught and bowled in the second over. David was the next one to go, falling to a catch in the deep for 7 off 9 balls. Mohammad Nawaz clean bowled a slogging Russell in the 12th over, the last nail in the coffin for Rangpur.

Khulna spinners shut down the locals too

Having handled the recently arrived big-hitters very well, Khulna were also relentless against the Rangpur locals. After Soumya and Vince departed, Nasum removed Mahedi Hasan before Saif Hassan slogged Mehidy to no avail. When Mehidy removed his opposite number Nurul Hasan for 23, Rangpur were reduced to 52 for 9. It was only thanks to Aakif Javed’s intervention from No. 10 that they scored a few more runs.

Khulna glide in smooth chase

Mehidy’s wicket in the first over was the only blip in Khulna’s reply. Mohammad Naim continued his great form of the last two months, striking three fours and four sixes in his 33-ball 48 not out. It took him top of the BPL run-getters’ chart. Alex Ross added 29 runs off 27 balls, hitting four boundaries.Khulna have returned to form in the right time in the tournament, having won three matches in a row. They finished fourth in the league stage, equal on points with Durbar Rajshahi, qualifying only through a better net run-rate. Now, they have a chance to reach the BPL final. It is however the end of the road for Rangpur this season, having come into the BPL with the Global Super League title under their belt.

Litchfield: 'I play the reverse-sweep whether it spins or not'

“The reverse is a strength of mine and I practice it a lot on the nets and just work on my wrist speed”

S Sudarshanan02-Jan-20241:17

Litchfield: ‘The reverse is fine, got to work on the conventional sweep’

Phoebe Litchfield can do it all. She takes gravity-defying flying catches as a habit. In fact, India batter Jemimah Rodrigues, her team-mate at Northern Superchargers in the women’s Hundred, joked that she doesn’t want to be Litchfield’s friend anymore after one such blinder resulted in her dismissal. But Litchfield also bats stylishly and plays a mean reverse-sweep. It’s a shot that the bowlers still don’t expect her to play, despite it being one of her strengths. She displayed that stroke multiple times in her maiden women’s Hundred season last year as well as the WBBL in the past few seasons. Those exploits led Gujarat Giants to splurge INR 1 crore (USD 120,000 approx) on her for WPL 2024.Litchfield attempted the reverse sweep against Sneh Rana in the one-off Test in India last month but chopped on. However, that did not deter her as she exhibited the shot multiple times during her chart-topping show in Australia’s clean sweep of the three-match ODI series against India. None of the batters from either side played the reverse sweep in the ODIs as much as Litchfield did. She brought it out on 12 occasions and scored 22; Alyssa Healy attempted the reverse-sweep four times, the next-most.Related

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“I still play it no matter if it spins or not,” Litchfield said of the reverse-sweep after her 119 at the Wankhede Stadium in the third ODI. “It’s more about the area of the ground I can access rather than [thinking] if it’s spinning, and then if it is spinning it’s probably a good option because it’s hard to play with a straight bat.”Litchfield finished the ODIs – her first in India – with 260 runs, scoring two fifties and a hundred. But she also identified a possible area to work on – the conventional sweep. In each of the three games, she fell while attempting a sweep. She missed a slog sweep and was bowled by Rana in the opening game, feathered an edge attempting the shot off Shreyanka Patil in the second, and top-edged a slog sweep towards cover off Patil on Tuesday.”I have got to work on the conventional sweep because it’s got me out every ODI innings hit so far. The reverse is a strength of mine and I practice it a lot on the nets and just work on my wrist speed. I think that’s an important factor of it. And just sort of controlling it. One of them went in the air close to [Pooja] Vastrakar [at backward point] today. It’s just all down to practice.”But there was a phase during her second ODI century where she felt the pressure. Healy and Ellyse Perry had been dismissed in relatively quick succession and Patil was brought on for a two-over spell. With close-in fielders in position, Patil stifled Beth Mooney before dismissing her and Tahlia McGrath off successive deliveries.Litchfield was on 91 off 88 balls when Healy was dismissed and crawled to 98 off 107 before the Patil double-strike. She then played a pristine drive to beat mid-off and got to her century off 109 balls.”I thought I was going to bring it up with Pez [Perry] as a fairy tale,” she said. “But it took me a long time to get to the hundred and it was nerve wracking to say the least. Then with the wickets falling around me it was a bit stressful. But I just stayed really calm. I probably scored each run in singles.”Litchfield is only 20, and is already being spoken about in the same league as former Australia captains Meg Lanning and Belinda Clark – that she termed “huge honor”. If her first year in international cricket is anything to go by, it won’t be outlandish if Phoebe Litchfield is the name that comes to mind when talking about the best batters in the world over the next five years.

Central Sparks don't fly as South East Stars ease to thumping victory

Comfortable win sealed by 59 runs as Brewer, Davidson-Richards show way with the bat

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2022South East Stars 254 for 9 (Brewer 57, Davidson-Richards 50, Russell 3-44) beat Central Sparks 159 for 9 (Davis 52*, Gray 3-28) by 59 runsThe South East Stars thrashed the Central Sparks by 59 runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham, limiting them to 159 for nine from 50 overs.Chloe Brewer and Alice Davidson-Richards were the top scorers with 57 and 50 as the Stars posted 254 for nine.Liz Russell took three for 44, but it was a total the visitors never looked like getting anywhere near after they lost their top six for 43 runs, despite a late stand between Georgia Davis and Grace Potts who made 52 not out and 30 respectively. Eva Gray had the Stars’ best bowling figures with 3 for 28.The Sparks won the toss and chose to field on a damp Beckenham wicket, but they were frustrated until the 16th over, when Russell struck twice.Jemima Spence was caught behind for 26, before Kira Chathli was out lbw to the third ball she faced.Brewer passed 50 when she nudged Hannah Baker to mid off for a single, but she was subsequently stumped by Abbey Freeborn after being lured down the wicket by Davis.Phoebe Franklin made 37 before she was caught at backward point by Milly Home, trying to cut Emily Arlott and Kirstie White was caught behind for two off Baker, with Freeborn standing up to the stumps.Davis claimed her second wicket when Rhianna Southby chipped her to Russell at mid-off for nine and Davidson-Richards’ hopes of batting through the death overs ended when she was caught by Russell off Grace Potts.Alexa Stonehouse holed out to Potts and was caught by Ami Campbell for six, before Arlott was then taken out of the attack after bowling a second full toss over waist height. Russell had Eva Gray caught at backward square by Baker for five, but Ryana MacDonald-Gay batted through to 50 overs to finish on 37 not out, alongside Danielle Gregory, who was unbeaten on six.Franklin struck first in the chase, bowling Gabby Basketeer off an inside-edge for 14, then pinging out Davina Perrin’s off stump for two.Gray then took two wickets in as many overs, getting Campbell to drive to midwicket, where she was caught by Franklin for six, before Sparks captain Eve Jones played at a leg-side delivery and was caught behind. She was denied a third when Stonehouse put down a top edge from Arlott two balls later, but it was a fleeting stay of execution as Arlott’s middle stump was bowled by MacDonald-Gay at the start of the next over.Gray then bowled Home in equally emphatic fashion, sending her middle stump flying for one to reduce the Sparks to 54 for six, but Freeborn lingered for 19 and was unlucky to be given lbw to Davidson-Richards.Davis and Potts then put on 66 for the eighth wicket, but the rate rose from around six at the start of their partnership to over ten by the time the latter swiped Davidson-Richards to Gray. Russell then joined Davis and made an entertaining 23 before she hit Stonehouse to MacDonald-Gay at cover point.That left Davis with the impossible task of hitting 67 from the final over, though she at least managed to get her half-century with two off MacDonald-Gay and then survived when the next delivery hit her stumps without dislodging the bails.

Batting depth, spin twins Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja seal it for Chennai Super Kings

With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, they were beaten long before the match ended

Alagappan Muthu19-Apr-2021A batting order that stretches all the way down to No. 11 continues to mask the Chennai Super Kings’ flaws – two very glaring ones at least. But the rest of their team is functioning pretty well. Too well as it turned out for Rajasthan Royals, who collapsed in the middle overs in a chase of 189, and were beaten long before the match ended.The opener rising to the challenge

When Faf du Plessis walks out to bat, he knows he needs to score runs for two people, and he kinda seems okay with it.Jaydev Unadkat probably wasn’t. He was left utterly confused as he leaked two fours behind the wicket and two sixes in front of it.du Plessis’ innovation – he appears one of the few Super Kings batters willing to try unorthodox shots – helped them to 46 for 2 in the powerplay. And so long as he can do that, his under-fire partner has some room to breathe.Ruturaj Gaikwad doesn’t have a power game and in all three of his innings so far he has looked very out of place.The fading captain

There were so many times in the past that the arrival of MS Dhoni, with the score at 125 and six overs left in the game, would herald total destruction.Here he faced 17 of the last 37 balls of the innings and made 18 uncomfortable runs. A run a ball for half the deliveries at the death is just not ideal at all.The Royals deserve credit for that. They forced him to play spin, which he hates at the start of his innings, and their two left-arm quicks, Chetan Sakariya in particular, were brilliant with their changes of pace.So it’s not just that Dhoni’s powers are fading. His opponents know just what to do to make them fade.The end-overs rally

The Super Kings bat deep. And they just wouldn’t stop swinging. Sam Curran (13 off six) launched his second delivery for a jaw-dropping six over point. It is hard to reconcile his power and his frame. But he has it. And he uses it superbly.Dwayne Bravo (20* off eight) was on it too, starting off with a vintage loft over extra cover and signing off with a six straight down the ground. The amount of effort he was putting into clearing the boundary was apparent when one time when he tried the bat just flew out of his hand and went halfway to fine leg.Thanks to them, the Super Kings made 45 runs off the last three overs to finish with 188.The new Mr Super King

Last season he was their best hitter. And as a result of that the management is now giving him the chance to face more deliveries. Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat in the 14th over tonight. And while he couldn’t reprise his big-hitting heroics from 2020, he has found his bowling groove again.An impossibly beautiful delivery that bowled Jos Buttler was ample proof of that.It pitched on middle and leg, at a spot and pace that didn’t allow the batter to push forward or back, and turned waspishly to strike the middle and off. Buttler was practically keeling over, his balance and his wicket both ripped out of his hands.That kickstarted a Royals collapse. Five wickets – two to Jadeja, three to Moeen Ali – for just eight runs. And here are the names that were part of that procession. Shivam Dube, David Miller, Chris Morris and Riyan Parag. All potential match-winners. All undone in the tamest way. The first two lbw playing across the line. The next two caught slogging to the deep.With Royals slipping from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, their chase was, y’know… sad face emoji.

England turn screw after Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope hundreds

Dom Bess claimed two wickets to leave South Africa wobbling after England’s declaration

The Report by Alan Gardner17-Jan-2020Ollie Pope scored a maiden Test hundred to follow the latest demonstration of Ben Stokes’ immense value to the England cause as South Africa were backed into a corner in Port Elizabeth. The tone was set by England’s fifth-wicket pair during the morning session and followed up with some lower-order humpty, allowing Joe Root to declare – having also un-declared – in pursuit of wickets amid the evening gloom at St George’s Park.Although South Africa responded with their second consecutive fifty stand between openers Dean Elgar and Pieter Malan, there was time for Dom Bess to strike twice before the close. With plenty of runs in the bank, signs of spin from the surface and Mark Wood also pushing the speed gun up to 150kph/93mph, England walked off in the belief that they had the tools to crack the Test open in pursuit of a series lead.South Africa’s day began badly with the news that Kagiso Rabada would miss the final Test of the series after accruing his latest ICC demerit point. Although Keshav Maharaj toiled admirably for a five-wicket haul – at a cost of 180 the most expensive for South Africa in Tests – they were left on the ropes by Stokes and Pope, before the late one-two combo from Bess.South Africa had reached 50 without loss when the early introduction of spin coaxed an error from Malan, who tried to come down the pitch but only managed to chip a return catch. Zubayr Hamza then fenced unconvincingly at an over of short-and-nasty stuff from Wood, before falling in the next to Bess, popping to short leg via his inside edge. The return of the rain, which had earlier delayed the start by 45 minutes, presented South Africa with an escape route.The first part of the day saw England’s middle order flex its muscles in a manner not seen for a long time. Once Stokes and Pope were done adding 203 – the second-highest fifth-wicket stand for England against South Africa in Tests – the home bowlers had been thoroughly pounded into this unforgiving surface, but there was further pain to come as Sam Curran and Wood cut loose before the declaration. A total of 499 for 9 was England’s highest since the 2017 Edgbaston Test against West Indies.There was nothing surprising about Stokes taking centre stage, however. Despite having to battle through at times on the first day, having survived numerous scratchy moments – including a tough chance to short leg on 10 – he resumed his innings in a more recognisably bullish frame of mind. Twice was Maharaj battered on to the grass banks at deep midwicket, as Stokes accelerated past his junior partner towards a ninth Test hundred (and third against South Africa) during a session that saw England score 111 runs without loss.When he moved to 95, via another slog-sweep off the spinner, he became only the seventh man in Test history to have scored 4000 runs and taken 100 wickets. A few overs later, off his 174th ball, came a punch through the covers to take him to three figures, the achievement acknowledged with a crooked-fingered salute in recognition of his father, Ged, who remains in hospital after being taken ill over Christmas.Ollie Pope celebrates his maiden Test ton•Stu Forster/Getty Images

He had been ably supported by Pope, who cut, pulled and drove with what is quickly becoming customary elan to move past 50 for the third time in as many Tests. However, a ball after Stokes reached his century, Pope was given out lbw off the bowling of Dane Paterson; although a review saved Pope and extended Paterson’s wait for a first wicket on debut, the realisation of what was at stake seemed to interrupt the England man’s fluency.Pope spent 53 balls moving from 74 into the 90s, losing Stokes and Jos Buttler in that time – the former giving Paterson some relief by carving to backward point, before Buttler chipped tamely back to Maharaj. Pope survived a close stumping chance off Maharaj on 84, but Curran helped take some of the pressure off, cracking along to 44 off 50 and scoring three-quarters of the runs during a stand worth 59.Suddenly Pope was freed up once again, scooting through the 90s to reach three figures in his sixth Test – at 22 and 15 days the youngest Englishman to score a Test hundred since Alastair Cook. The landmark achieved, he was able to have some fun against a tiring attack, bringing out the uppercuts and reverse-ramps as England drove home their advantage; a glove behind off Rabada on 106 going unnoticed as South Africa began to unravel.Wood, too, geared up for his bowling return after 11 months out of the Test side by throwing the bat around to good effect, five times clearing the ropes – although he was the beneficiary of a bizarre episode on the way to 42 from 23 balls. A slog against Rabada was taken at mid-on, with Root then signalling his men in, only for the umpires to review and find that the delivery should have been called for a front-foot no-ball. Root gleefully reversed his call, with Wood extending their ninth-wicket happy-slap to 73 in 8.4 overs before Maharaj finally put a stop to the antics.

Hamstring strain rules Neesham out of one-off SL T20

Central Districts allrounder Doug Bracewell, who was a part of the ODI squad, will replace him in the 13-member T20 squad

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2019Days after having made an impressive return to international cricket, James Neesham has been sidelined again, this time due to injury. The New Zealand allrounder has been ruled out of the one-off T20 against Sri Lanka on January 11, due to a grade-one hamstring strain he picked up during the third ODI in Nelson on Tuesday.Neesham will return home to rest and Central Districts allrounder Doug Bracewell, who was a part of the ODI squad, will replace him in the 13-member T20 squad. According to New Zealand’s physio Vijay Vallabh, Neesham felt some tightness in his right hamstring during Sri Lanka’s pursuit of 365 on Tuesday and left the field for treatment.”He’s iced and compressed the injury and will be reassessed in a couple of days,” Vallabh said in a release from New Zealand Cricket.The ODI series against Sri Lanka – which concluded on Tuesday with the hosts winning 3-0 – had been Neesham’s first appearance for the national side since June 2017, and he made an immediate impact. In the first ODI, he clubbed an unbeaten 47 off 13 balls, which included five sixes in an over off Thisara Perera. He provided another round of death-overs fireworks in the second ODI, hitting 64 off 37. Across the three matches, Neesham scored 123 runs at a strike rate of 219.64, and hit ten sixes. He was effective with the ball, too, picking up six wickets in the series, at an economy rate of 6 runs per over.

Has the Bell tolled for Hampshire?

Ian Bell has had a dispiriting season which led him to resign the Warwickshire captaincy and privately wonder about his future but his return to form might lead to Hampshire’s relegation

Jon Culley at Edgbaston27-Sep-20172:06

County Championship Round-up: Final-day drama awaits

Appropriately enough, given that timing has been the foundation of his career, Ian Bell chose the day an uninspiring Ashes squad was announced to offer a reminder that while his star may be on the wane it has not yet been extinguished.Days such as these are not coming around as often as they once were, yet when they do it is difficult to look at the current crop of England batsmen and argue that he would be out of place among them. The same thought might have occurred to James Vince, watching in the field as Bell’s unbeaten 77 guided Warwickshire from 65 for five to a total that might have sounded the death knell for Hampshire’s survival chances.Needing to draw to ensure that they do not join Warwickshire in Division Two next season, this glimpse into Bell’s past left them with a target of 259 to win or a day and a half in which not to lose 10 wickets, depending on how you looked at it.In the event, the arrival of rain just as the players set themselves to restart after tea has cut the survival time by a considerable chunk, with 46 overs left in the day when the players were told to make way for the covers. On a pitch that has seen 31 wickets fall in a day and a half, however, getting through a couple of sessions might be tough enough.Even with Bell’s 159-minute masterclass to give it substance, Warwickshire’s second innings encompassed 10 wickets falling in 44.1 overs, with the four seamers doing all the damage.Fidel Edwards and Ian Holland found movement to remove both openers in quick succession before Jonathan Trott followed them back, plainly unimpressed to given out caught behind off Gareth Berg, his gestures suggesting he did not believe his bat had made any contact.Bell, whose first task was to avoid a pair, had barely settled when Matt Lamb was squarely leg before and Tim Ambrose taken at second slip in the same Berg over. At 65 for five, Warwickshire’s lead was just 137.There have been times this season when Bell has looked like a player whose best days have gone and given that he is 35 now perhaps that is not so surprising. The longevity of a Trescothick or a Collingwood is not bestowed upon every batsman.Even on his poorer days, there is inevitably at least one moment of undeniable class in a Bell innings, yet as he found his stride with three boundaries in the same over off Berg there was a sense that this might be different. Maybe it was because it was the last innings of the season, a rare year without a century to his name. Perhaps he wanted to make a statement, on this of all days, for the benefit of the doubters.Or perhaps it just the mind-focussing consequence of a sense of senior responsibility, to salvage something from Warwickshire’s dismal season, to set up a chance to avoid the double indignity of a season not only finishing in relegation but winless. He could recognise, no doubt, that if he played with aggression and it came off he could give Hampshire a real test of their mettle. Even an extra 30 or so runs on the Warwickshire total could make the difference.In the event, he did better even than that. The wickets kept falling at the other end, Alex Thomson, who again looked a batsman of composure and skill, fell to Kyle Abbott the last ball before lunch, Jeetan Patel bowled by the first one of the afternoon. Then Chris Wright was run out by George Bailey’s direct hit from cover point.But Bell attacked at every opportunity and when he connected it was usually with the middle of the bat. Twice he sent Berg soaring over the rope but it was Edwards who took the most punishment as Bell used the West Indian’s pace to his own advantage.Twice steered deliberately for four over the slips, Edwards was frustrated enough to swish a hand angrily at the stumps at the end of one three-boundary over.It seemed for a while that Bell might get that elusive hundred after all, the one he had come closest to in April when he fell on 99 against Surrey. Olly Hannon-Dalby and Ryan Sidebottom did all they could to help as 72 were added for the last two wickets, of which Bell made exactly 50.Ultimately both ran into a ball that was too good but they had played their part in ensuring Hampshire will have a difficult final day. Although there are signs the pitch is flattening out a little, a draw looks the least likely outcome, unless the heavy rain forecast overnight takes out more time, and Warwickshire are favourites, with Hampshire already one down.

Australia lose openers after Sri Lanka make 281

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.

South Africa chip away at Bangladesh's lead

Liton Das shared an 82-run stand with Shakib Al Hasan to help Bangladesh build a 78-run lead, but South Africa’s openers, Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl, all but wiped that away

The Report by Firdose Moonda23-Jul-2015

Scorecard and ball-by ball details 2:07

Isam: Bangladesh have made for intriguing viewing

Liton Das scored his first Test fifty and shared an 82-run stand with Shakib Al Hasan to help Bangladesh build their biggest lead, 78, against any team when batting second, but South Africa’s openers, Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl, all but wiped that away. They reached the close of a curtailed day unscathed and just 17 runs behind, with enough time, weather-permitting, to set a target.South Africa may regard this as their best day so far. Despite the Shakib-Liton partnership, Bangladesh’s last four wickets fell for 15 runs as Dale Steyn found his bite with the bouncer and finished one short of the 400-wicket mark. Then, the South African openers batted with more ease than their entire line-up did in the first innings and grew in confidence, especially against the spinners, to negate the advantage Bangladesh gained.The hosts’ day began energetically as Mushfiqur Rahim tried to make the most of the old ball. He took on Steyn and was successful until the fast bowler rapped him on the pads with a length ball, and asked for the review after Umpire Joe Wilson wasn’t convinced it was out. Replays showed the ball was going on to hit middle stump and Steyn had made his first incision in the series.South Africa took the new ball one over after it became available, and tasked Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel with picking up wickets. When neither could, Steyn was brought back, with Simon Harmer operating at the other end. Although Harmer found turn, he was at times too short and both Shakib and Liton were comfortable taking him on. They became even more comfortable after they secured the lead with Liton’s pinpoint drive off Steyn before lunch, and South Africa then had another spinner, JP Duminy, operating after the break.Shakib reached his highest Test score against South Africa and had a half-century in sight, so went for a glory shot off Harmer. But what he hoped would be a full-blooded pull turned into a top-edge to give Duminy a comfortable catch at short midwicket and leave Liton with the tail.Mohammad Shahid offered strong support when he took 18 runs off Harmer’s next over, all in boundaries. The first was a fortuitous outside edge; the next three meaty blows over mid-off, midwicket and straight down the ground. His fun only lasted ten more deliveries. After belting Vernon Philander through cow corner, Shahid tried to slog but van Zyl took a good catch at midwicket.Liton was more cautious and displayed maturity and class. His cover drive off Morkel was the most elegant stroke across the two-and-a-half days of hard grind of either side. There was nothing quite as stylish to bring up his half-century – it came with a single to the leg side off the 101st delivery he faced.Later, in the same over, his innings ended. Liton was caught in his crease by a sharp offbreak and inside edged the ball onto his pad. Quinton de Kock took the catch and broke the stumps at the same time and umpire Richard Kettleborough had to check for a clean catch, which replays showed it was.South Africa could see the end when de Kock appealed for a caught behind off Taijul Islam off Morne Morkel but Umpire Wilson gave it not out and it stayed that way on review, so Steyn was brought back. And it was with a vengeance. He banged it in short, hit Mustafizur on the helmet as a warning and then had Taijul caught at gully and Mustafizur Rahman at point to end Bangladesh’s innings, and give South Africa a chance to put pressure on Bangladesh for the first time.Elgar and van Zyl took that opportunity. They negotiated a tricky 40 minute period before tea, which included facing a spinner, Taijul, first up and then, Mahmudullah and Shakib, with caution and then knuckled down in a shortened third session. Bad light ended play after 50 minutes but not before both Elgar and van Zyl showed their ability to handle spin better. Unlike the first innings, when South Africa’s batsmen were often stuck in the crease, they moved their feet and looked for gaps in the field. They found the method worked but it will have to keep working if South Africa want a winning target.