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Full coverage of Sachin Tendulkar’s announcement to retire from Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2013October 10
News – Tendulkar to retire after 200th Test
Tributes – ‘It’s not just the talent he was born with but what he did with it’
Timeline – A look back at Tendulkar’s journey
Gallery – Tendulkar’s 51 Test centuries
Video – ‘We were all crying happy tears’
Video – ‘The hero India was looking for’
Statistics – 34,273 runs and counting
Feature – Tendulkar’s Mumbai roots
Video – ‘Overseas centuries set Sachin apart’ – Manjrekar
Video – Dravid: ‘He would have listened to his heart’
Feature – My favourite Tendulkar moment

Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has said the Indian board should seek a probe into all the IPL 2013 matches by an external investigation agency

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has called for an investigation by an external investigation agency of all the IPL 2013 matches. Manohar said the BCCI should not solely depend on the board’s and the ICC’s Anit-Corruption and Security Units (ACSU) to keep cricket clean as they do not have the authority to track illegal activities – tracking phone conversations, for example.”The BCCI should immediately file a criminal complaint with the investigating agencies, urging them to probe all 75 games [76] in the current IPL edition,” Manohar told the . “The board should provide them [the investigating agency] with a raw feed of the games as well as CCTV footage recorded at every venue.”It has to deal with this menace with an iron fist. The board or ACSU do not have any machinery or legal authority to track the illegal activities, so it should not depend on these agencies alone.”His comments come in wake of the alleged spot-fixing in IPL 2013, in relation to which three Rajasthan Royals cricketers were arrested on May 16. The controversy has since grown, with top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested for allegedly betting on IPL games, and his father-in-law – who is also the BCCI president and managing director Super Kings’ owner, India Cements – N Srinivasan refusing to resign from his post with the Indian board despite mounting pressure to do so.Manohar said in an earlier interview with the that he had spoken to some of the BCCI officials before their emergent working committee meeting on May 19, and told them if they wanted “to clean things up, then do it thoroughly. If, at the end of it all, 13 and not three players are involved in fixing, so be it”.Apart from making sure the IPL is clean, now Manohar said it’s important to have stringent processes in place for international cricket played in India too. “The board should approach the central home minister, requesting governmental support in investigating the criminal actions in any event run by the BCCI, which would also include international fixtures. It should request [the minister] to send an advisory to all states one month before the start of an event, so that the investigating machinery can swing in action well in advance to prevent any match-fixing , betting or spot-fixing.”The BCCI, he said, should ask players to register their mobile-phone numbers with the board, so that the investigating agencies could monitor things with more efficiency.

With the T20 World Cup later this year, every match and series is an opportunity to finetune preparations

Saurabh Somani15-Feb-20222:53

Who should open with Rohit? Can either team afford to experiment?

Big picture

India outclassed West Indies in each of the three ODIs, but the T20I series is expected to be more competitive, given that the shortest format is arguably the one West Indies are at their strongest in. However, while West Indies did have a stirring 3-2 win against England in their most recent T20I outing, it bears remembering that India are right now on a six-match winning streak in the format. It began in the T20 World Cup, with wins against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia, and if those can be discounted as coming against relatively weaker teams, India also blanked New Zealand 3-0 at home after the World Cup.The age-old maxim of India being tough to beat at home still holds true, and West Indies will need to be a much more consistently firing unit to leave India with something to show. India have some regulars missing, but there is enough depth in the squad to make them a daunting proposition. The most pressing question for India is: who will Rohit Sharma’s opening partner be? KL Rahul is absent, after all.Just about a year ago, when Virat Kohli was still leading the side, he had indicated that Rohit and he could form a long-term opening partnership. Ishan Kishan has had a fair bit of success in the role in the IPL, as have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer. In the ODIs, India threw a curve-ball with Rishabh Pant walking out in one game. So, there are options aplenty. Kohli and Pant are certainties in the XI, and very comfortable in the middle-order, so by that logic, Kishan could be the front-runner for the position.West Indies, meanwhile, have a curious mix of new-age T20 big-hitters alongside the accumulators in Shai Hope, Darren Bravo and the like, and they will have to deploy that mix judiciously to maximise the full impact of their power-hitters.

Form guide

India WWWWW
West Indies WLWLW

In the spotlight

Rishabh Pant has curiously underwhelming T20I numbers, with a strike rate of only 122.87. That is more to do perhaps with a lack of role clarity in the set-up. Now, he’s been installed as the vice-captain to Rohit for this series, and will be part of the leadership group. That should give him the freedom to define his own role, and play in the manner that he is most comfortable with. Elevation to the vice-captaincy also comes with the intangible greater security of a spot in the XI, which could free him up mentally.Jason Holder‘s stocks have risen dramatically of late. He was always one of West Indies’ lynchpins in Test cricket and ODIs, but from not being part of the main squad at the T20 World Cup to having IPL franchises compete fiercely for him four months later, it’s been a steep rise. Holder’s versatility with bat and ball is remarkable. He can bowl across phases in T20 cricket, he can also bat at different spots. He can bowl a heavy ball, using his height to good effect, and he has the power to clear the ropes.Kieron Pollard didn’t play the last two ODIs with a niggle•Associated Press

Team news

If Kishan is locked in as Rohit’s opening partner, it still leaves the question of numbers five and six for India. Suryakumar Yadav should get one of those spots. The other depends on whether the team wants the insurance of a sixth bowling option, in which case there’s Venkatesh and Deepak Hooda to choose from. Or they might want someone like Shreyas Iyer, who could offer more with the bat.Among the bowlers, an injured Washington Sundar has been replaced by Kuldeep Yadav, and the left-arm wristspinner could get a game because the other two spinners in the squad are both leggies – albeit of different types: Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. There’s six pacers to choose from, of whom only three are likely to play. If, as Rohit has said, India want to make plans keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind, they could lean more towards a hit-the-deck Avesh Khan than someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Deepak Chahar. Given his ability to bowl at the death, Harshal Patel could win out ahead of Shardul Thakur.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Shreyas Iyer, 7 Harshal Patel, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Avesh KhanThe big question for West Indies was to do with captain Kieron Pollard’s fitness. He missed the last two ODIs with a niggle, and West Indies missed his presence with the bat and in the field. He is now fit, he confirmed on the eve of the match, and that lends the batting a lot of heft. If they still want to add more stolid batters, West Indies might have to turn to Bravo or Roston Chase. The plethora of allrounders they have ensures that the bowling will have options and the batting will have depth.West Indies (possible) 1 Kyle Mayers, 2 Brandon King, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Kieron Pollard (capt), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Odean Smith, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

It’s expected to be a pitch with good pace, bounce and carry. However, the dew factor could be significant. There was heavy dew on the outfield two days out from the game, and the eve of the match had a very foggy morning. That makes the toss crucial.

Stats and trivia

• India and West Indies have played 17 T20Is so far, of which India have won ten and West Indies six.
• Only 30 runs separate Kohli (3227) and Rohit (3197) on the overall runs tally in T20Is, with Kohli in second place right now and Rohit third. They could both overtake Martin Guptill, who has the most T20I runs in the world with 3299, in this series.

This preview was updated at 3.00pm GMT with Kieron Pollard’s fitness status.

Australia are hopeful Marsh will return to play later in the series, Inglis isolates for five days, while Matt Renshaw is flown in as cover

Tristan Lavalette28-Mar-2022Australia’s already depleted white-ball squad suffered two more blows when Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the opening ODI with a hip flexor injury and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis tested positive for Covid on Monday*. Australia are hopeful Marsh will return to play later in the series, and Inglis will isolate for five days before returning to the squad, which will make him miss the second ODI as well.All other members of the squad returned negative results following routine daily testing. Australia has flown in Queensland batter Matt Renshaw as cover and will join the group after completing three days of isolation in Lahore. Renshaw has played 11 Tests for Australia, the last of which was in 2018, but has yet to play an ODI or T20I.Emerging star Cameron Green is set to be Marsh’s replacement for the opening ODI on Tuesday in Lahore.Marsh’s scans in Lahore on Monday revealed his left-hip injury, which he had sustained during fielding drills on Sunday. “Scans confirmed the injury was a low-grade hip flexor strain. Marsh will be managed clinically with a view to potentially returning to play later in the series,” a Cricket Australia statement said later on Monday.The T20 World Cup hero’s likely absence will challenge an inexperienced Australia’s depth with a number of key players unavailable after a gruelling triumph in the recently concluded historic Test series, the first played between the teams in Pakistan since 1998.Marsh, who has played 63 ODIs since debuting in 2011, was tipped to bat in the top order while also providing useful seam bowling for a team missing spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. His Player-of-the-Match performance in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand was the last time Marsh played for Australia after being a reserve squad member during the Pakistan Test series and the Ashes.Related

• Mitchell Marsh out of Pakistan tour but keeps IPL hopes alive

• Ashton Agar ruled out of ODI series after testing positive for Covid-19

• Depleted Australia look to make up ground in Super League against formidable Pakistan

• Zampa not worried about three-month break

• Australia set to experiment in Pakistan

“He’s injured his hip-flexor, we think, at training. We are going to have to wait and see what that looks like but I don’t think he’ll be available for the series based on how he was feeling yesterday,” Finch told reporters on Monday morning.”He sustained that in a fielding drill, it was a high intensity, lateral movement drill and he bent down to pick it up one-handed and went to throw and felt a twinge.”Green, who has played just one ODI on his fledgling career, is set to take his Western Australia team-mate’s place on the back of an encouraging Test series where he averaged 51.67 batting at No. 6 and took three wickets with his probing seam bowling.The 22-year-old played a particularly important role in Australia’s series-deciding third Test victory with a vital 79 in the first innings and he claimed the big wicket of in-form opener Abdullah Shafique early on day five.”Cam will play and probably bat in that middle-order role,” Finch said. “We’ve seen he’s a super talented cricketer. He’s someone who has been quite consistent in his Test career, his impact with the bat and ball can’t be understated. Really excited for Cam to get that opportunity.”Even though they are undermanned, Finch said it was a welcome opportunity for Australia to test their depth with an eye towards next year’s ODI World Cup in India. It’s been a barren run for Australia, who last played an ODI in July 2021 against West Indies and they have only played four since December 2020.”It’s about trying to build the depth of the squad and build experience in players,” he said. “It’s a really good opportunity. With every decision we make there is one eye towards the 50-over World Cup and to tie everything back to that is really important.”Having memorably claimed the Test series, Australia are hoping to complete a momentous tour with success in the white-ball leg which involves three ODIs and a one-off T20I to be played entirely in Lahore.”Our goal 100% is to win this series,” Finch said. “We still feel like we have a squad to do that even though it is inexperienced at times that can be a blessing because you have guys who can play freely and express themselves.”*1205 GMT: The story was updated after Cricket Australia issued a statement.

Miserly on his return to action for Australia A following the back injury that curtailed his India tour, Jackson Bird has outlined the tourists’ Ashes bowling blueprint

Daniel Brettig in Bristol22-Jun-2013Typically miserly on his return to action for Australia A following the back injury that curtailed his India tour, Jackson Bird has outlined the tourists’ Ashes bowling blueprint to place England under the kind of sustained pressure so desired by their coach Mickey Arthur.Should Australia be seeking a purveyor of sustained tight bowling with subtle swing and bounce from a decent height, then Bird is a non-negotiable selection for the first match of the series at Trent Bridge, having shown in two Tests so far that he has the rare capacity to land the ball more or less where he wants to. He hinted at this again on day one in Bristol, nearly pinning Michael Klinger lbw twice in the first over of the innings and going to stumps with 0 for 29 from 10 overs.As part of Australia’s long-term planning for this northern summer, Bird was a tourist to these parts with Australia A in 2012 also, and learned valuable lessons about bowling in England. Chief among these is that any paceman who walks onto the ground with delusions of grandiose swing and bowling the perfect ball will soon find himself nursing expensive figures while patrolling the boundary – consistency is everything.”You’ve got to be pretty strict on your lines and length,” Bird said. “The wickets are a little bit slower so anything too full or short or anything with width just gets put away so you’ve got to be really diligent with your lines and length and not give away too much. I probably didn’t bowl as well as I would have liked last year [in England].”When I first came over here I was more worried about the movement and trying to swing the ball and trying to get that sideways movement as well, so when I reverted to trying to just hit my line and length, if I put the ball in the right area I tend to swing the ball anyway. So I learnt that pretty quickly and by the end of the tour I was able to do that.”Bird was perhaps the most valuable find of the past Australian summer, the delay in his selection when he might have been chosen for the pivotal Perth Test against South Africa immediately looking foolish as he moved the ball appreciably against Sri Lanka while scooping 11 wickets at 16.18 on the Boxing Day/New Year swing.He was likely to figure in the India Tests on less forgiving surfaces before a back stress fracture was diagnosed, forcing him home. The early return to Australia may have cost Bird a Cricket Australia contract, but he bore no grudge about the fate that befell him, reasoning it allowed him time to freshen up for a tour far more amenable to his modus operandi.”I hadn’t had an injury in about six years before that so to get it during a Test series was pretty disappointing but it probably happened at a good time,” Bird said. “I got the three months off to get myself fit and strong, get rid of my back injury and also a few other niggles. If it had happened at the end of the tour I probably would have missed out on the Ashes as well so looking at it that way it probably was good timing.”Like Ed Cowan, George Bailey, James Faulkner and numerous others in the Australian set-up, Bird has benefited greatly from a strong team and culture in Tasmania, having moved south from New South Wales in search of improved fitness, focus and performance. He said the Tigers had imbued him with plenty of belief, something he was now seeing among other members of the Australian Test bowling attack after their work together so far in England.”When I first got down to Tassie I basically wanted to get myself into a position to play first-class cricket – I tried to get as fit as I could,” Bird said. “Then when I got my chance I definitely had the full support of [now retired coach] Tim Coyle, the coaching staff, George and all the players as well. It puts your mind at ease when you’re running in knowing that everyone’s behind you. Tim was a great coach and we’re sad to see him go, but he definitely made me feel very welcome.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between West Indies and Zimbabwe in Grenada

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria23-Feb-2013

Match facts

February 24, 2013
Start time 0930 local (1330 GMT)Could Darren Bravo’s hundred in the first ODI be his breakthrough innings?• WICB Media/Randy Brooks Photo

Big picture

In a short three-ODI series that doesn’t last a week, a heavy defeat in the first game can quickly become a nightmare. It wouldn’t be outlandish to say that 3-0 to West Indies is an expected result, but for Zimbabwe, who hardly play international cricket these days, this series offers a vital chance to show improvement. Their first outing was forgettable, but they need to avoid a repeat performance.Their bowlers were battered by the West Indies batsmen, who could have got more than the 337 they eventually did, and when it was their turn to bat, their batsmen slipped at the first sight of Sunil Narine. In the end, it became a question of how badly would they lose. That they lasted 50 overs was largely due to a 67-ball 18 by No. 8 Prosper Utseya. In both innings, there were only a couple of performers of note and in international cricket, other teams feast upon such weaknesses. Zimbabwe need to regroup quickly, as a team, and must show the will and confidence to stay competitive.West Indies, on the other hand, need to find the ruthlessness that went missing after their World Twenty20 title win. They are expected to steamroll the opposition in this series and the only competition is with themselves. Can they get more if they bat first? Can they bowl out Zimbabwe within 40 overs? These are the challenges that Dwayne Bravo would want his team to take head on after the recent reverses in ODIs in Australia.

Form guide

West Indies WLLLL
Zimbabwe LLLLW

In the spotlight

Darren Bravo has been around for close to four years now. He has shown numerous glimpses of his talent in the past – especially in Tests – but the hundred on Friday was his first in 51 ODI outings. He followed up his maiden Test hundred with two more soon after. With the quality of bowling Zimbabwe offer, he would certainly be hoping for another one in this series.If Zimbabwe need to show improvement, it has to start from two of their experienced batsmen, Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza. The two were out in consecutive overs without getting into double-digit scores. With 249 matches between them, Zimbabwe would hope the pillars of their batting line-up show some resistance.

Team news

Kieron Pollard, who missed the previous match due to travel difficulties in getting to Grenada, will be available for selection for the second ODI.West Indies: (probable) 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Tino Best, 11 Sunil NarineZimbabwe (from) Brendan Taylor (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Tino Mawoyo, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, Keegan Meth, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Tino Mutombodzi, Natsai M’shangwe

Stats and trivia

• Zimbabwe’s first ODI win against West Indies came in their ninth encounter – in July 2000.
• Their last win against West Indies was three years ago, in Providence.

Quotes

“A first century in a winning cause is a great feeling. The hard work is paying off and the aim is to continue and get more big scores.”
.

Bangladesh’s bowlers put in a spirited display on the second morning but Sangakkara and Chandimal put on a century stand to bail out Sri Lanka

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran17-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kumar Sangakkara hit Test century No. 33•AFP

Smart stats

• Kumar Sangakkara has become the second Sri Lankan batsman, after Aravinda de Silva, to score three hundreds in a Test series. De Silva did it twice, against Pakistan and India.

• Sangakkara’s 33 Test hundreds put him in seventh place in the all-time list, one behind Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara.

• It’s his fifth Test hundred against Bangladesh, which puts him level with Sachin Tendulkar as the batsmen who’ve scored the most hundreds against them. Tendulkar scored his five in seven Tests, while Sangakkara has scored them in 13.

• The 195-run stand between Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal is Sri Lanka’s fifth-best for the fifth wicket in Tests. Four of those five partnerships have come in home Tests against Bangladesh.

• Among those batting in the top seven positions, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 14 ducks is the third-highest for Sri Lanka, after Marvan Atapattu (22) and Sanath Jayasuriya (15).

When Bangladesh folded for 240 on the first day in Colombo, it seemed an insufficient total. Only three times have Bangladesh managed to bowl out serious Test opposition below that score. Coming into this Test, their bowlers had only 22 Test caps between them, and their bowlers’ averages made for alarming reading – only offspinner Sohag Gazi manages below 75.There had also been worries that Bangladesh had gone in with three fast bowlers and no left-arm spinners, an almost unheard-of strategy for a team that has usually relied heavily on spin. But they put those dreadful numbers behind them in the morning session with a spirited display that left Sri Lanka at 69 for 4, before they were thwarted by a familiar bogeyman.The last time Bangladesh toured Sri Lanka, Kumar Sangakkara racked up 200* and 222*, and this time he opened with twin tons in Galle. With Mahela Jayawardene out with an injury, Thilan Samaraweera retired and Tillakaratne Dilshan dismissed on the first day, there was plenty of responsibility left with Sangakkara to guide an inexperienced line-up. He duly delivered, completing a third Test century in 10 days, as he methodically negotiated the challenges posed by a testing track and Bangladesh’s attack.Dinesh Chandimal, for whom Test cricket continued to be easy, assisted Sangakkara with his second hundred of the series. The pair’s 195-run stand shifted the balance of the match towards Sri Lanka. An already feeble Bangladesh attack was further hampered by the unavailability of Robiul Islam, one of their four specialist bowlers, who had to leave the field just before tea due to cramps.This was not a track that encouraged flamboyance, and was more about waiting for the bad ball and patiently keeping out the good ones. Sangakkara did just that, cutting out the risks, and capitalised when the Bangladesh bowlers dropped short or bowled on the pads. Chandimal was a bit more enterprising, using his feet to Gazi, who bowled a marathon 18-over spell, to loft the ball as he made an energetic century. Both batsmen scored plenty of runs with dabs and tucks square of the wicket. As the partnership flourished, the batsmen brought out the big shots more often, and the pace of scoring picked up after tea.Sangakkara had a couple of close calls, with a bottom-edge on 81 evading both the stumps and the wicketkeeper, and a punch landing just out of reach of short cover, but other than that Bangladesh’s bowlers didn’t pose too much of a problem. He was the first to a hundred, and didn’t mark the occasion with any exuberant celebration, befitting someone who scores them often. Chandimal was more pumped up on reaching his second Test century, the additional duties of wicketkeeper and vice-captain seem to be resting easy on his shoulders so far.The pair were looking exceedingly comfortable, and you started to wonder where a wicket would come from for Bangladesh. It came through Rubel Hossain, who got one to nip in and beat Chandimal’s defence, leaving him bowled for 102.Before stumps, another of Sri Lanka’s next-generation batsmen, Kithruwan Vithanage, came out and played a series of shots, including an authoritative pull to get off the mark, but he perished as he flailed a wide delivery to deep point.Although Bangladesh’s bowlers wilted as the day progressed, they began with intent to rattle the top order. Dimuth Karunaratne was one of the youngsters who didn’t pile up a big score on the shirtfront in Galle, and with six of his ten Test innings having ended before he reached 15, he needed some runs to shore up his place. He and Sangakkara began confidently with a trio of boundaries in the first three overs, which was as many as Bangladesh managed in the entire first session yesterday. Karunaratne gave it away though, flashing at a short and wide delivery to edge to the keeper for 17.That wicket was a freebie for Abul Hasan, but the other two Bangladesh got came off more threatening deliveries. Lahiru Thirimanne was caught-behind for a duck, nicking a pitched up delivery that moved away slightly and Angelo Mathews was foxed by Gazi as he played for the turn, getting an outside edge that was snaffled by Mahmudullah at slip.That was as good as it got for Bangladesh, as Sangakkara and Chandimal then bailed Sri Lanka out of a tight spot. Sangakkara is still in the middle, and a lead of around 100 is likely to prove pivotal in this relatively low-scoring game.

South Africa captain also heaps praise on Keegan Petersen who, he says, has “gone into a ‘great player’ mould now”

Vishal Dikshit14-Jan-20223:41

Cullinan: ‘Jansen a great find, Rabada No. 1 pacer in the world’

South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar is “extremely proud” of his team for “responding brilliantly” after being down 1-0 in the series to fight back and claim the trophy against the No. 1 Test side in the world. After clinching the series 2-1 with a seven-wicket win in Cape Town, Elgar said his team was “thrown under the sword” a few times in the series, and he had a few “tough chats” with his players, which they responded to “and grew massively in the last two Tests.””Pretty elated, I think it will obviously sink in in a day or two, maybe this evening,” Elgar told the host broadcaster at the presentation. “Couldn’t be prouder of the group, of players I have underneath me. We were thrown under the sword quite a few times in the series and the guys responded brilliantly. After the first loss, the boys had a lot of hope going into the second and third [Tests] knowing we can still win this. We obviously had to follow our ways and processes going into those games. [I] asked the players to respond in a better nature, better way and they responded brilliantly. Extremely happy.Related

• The pace comparison – Where Rabada and Co bettered India's fast bowlers

• The rise of Petersen, the wisdom of Elgar and a great SA victory

• Stats – South Africa first team to win a three-match Test series without scoring 250

• India's Newlands nemeses: Risky full length, SA's height and home edge, the Jadeja void

• 'I am lost for words' – Mark Boucher on 'tough nut' Keegan Petersen's showing against India

When asked how the hosts turned things around despite not being as experienced as India, Elgar said: “Challenging your players within the group, characters as well. You need immense characters to stand up in these kinds of tough situations. The way our bowling unit came in and operated throughout the last two Tests has been brilliant; throughout the series they’ve been brilliant. Sixty wickets in a Test series is quite a tough challenge for them but I threw down the challenge after the first game and the guys responded brilliantly. We’ve got a young, talented group but the experience they’ve been gaining…in this environment every day we’re gaining this experience, which is brilliant for us. It was unreal to see how a group that doesn’t have the repertoire or names, how they could gel together and play as one. This is a proper unit that we’ve operated in and it’s a proper team, by no means I can single-handedly pick out players because everyone has played a big part in vital situations throughout the series. Extremely, extremely proud of this group.”Like Elgar said, South Africa’s bowling outshone their Indian counterparts throughout the series. Three of South Africa’s four fast bowlers – Kagiso Rabada (20), Marco Jansen (19) and Lungi Ngidi (15) – topped the wicket charts while no India bowler could get to 15 wickets in the series.India captain Virat Kohli also admitted at the presentation that South Africa’s bowlers “were better at applying pressure in long periods of time.” Elgar further said once he had laid down the challenge for his players, it was down to the XI to perform.”Ultimately, if you want to operate at a high performance level, you need to have tough chats,” Elgar said. “If guys don’t like it, that’s up for them to deal with. I’ve got an old-school mentality with bit of a new-school twist. I laid down some proper challenges to the senior players as well, to obviously stand up and respond and it was brilliant to see the guys take the message and follow it. It’s one of the bigger challenges to get everyone on your side and buy in from a captain’s point of view. The guys responded brilliantly. I’ve got absolutely no regrets going into the three-match series that we’ve played. I’d like to think I gave us the best message going forward in order to pull off a series win.”Elgar also extolled the determination Keegan Petersen showed in the series, to emerge as their biggest highlight and a prospect for the future. Petersen, 28, struck three half-centuries in the last two Tests, including 72 and 82 in the third game, to lead the scoring charts with a tally of 276, which earned him the Player-of-the-Match and Series awards in only his fifth Test.”Brilliant. He’s the one who responded since the first game,” Elgar said of Petersen. “He’s been immense. I’ve known Keegan for quite some time now, I’ve played a lot of domestic cricket against him. Always known he’s a good player. He’s gone into a ‘great player’ mould now which is obviously a lot to say for guys who’ve only played a few or handful of Tests. He’s only into his fifth Test now. I’ve always known he had this ability; he has dominated domestic cricket leagues from a run-scoring point of view and it’s awesome to see him have a great series in the second and third Tests obviously. And long may he grow.Keegan Petersen acknowledges the ovation as he walks back•AFP/Getty Images

“I think there’s still a lot of scope for improvement from his point of view. I think the world’s his oyster at the moment. Even though he’s a little bit older but he’s somebody who’s willing to learn, and you need characters like that. He’s a proper character in the change room as well. He’s got a bit of a light-hearted manner to him as well which is something you take for granted when you’re playing serious cricket. Extremely proud of what KP has achieved.”Elgar said his responsibility as captain was to pull the team together after the first loss in Centurion “hurt” them when they went down by 113 runs.”Us as a group, we’ve been hurting a little bit which is something for us to feed off,” he said. “We played as a unit, and the bottom of the line is if you’re playing as a unit, you can go a lot quicker.”I think as a unit, we’ve grown massively within the last two Tests. The first Test loss hurt us, and we know from a South African point of view, if you want to compete in Test cricket and you want to be world No. 1 one day, you have to compete and beat the best in the world. I’m extremely happy that things worked out for us after that. It could have gone wrong, and I could have had egg on my face but massive respect for the players for following my message.”Elgar also hinted the series win could be a sign of things to come for the future of South Africa’s Test cricket. After the ODIs against India, South Africa will fly to New Zealand for two Tests in February before they host Bangladesh for two Tests in March-April.”By no means we’re a finished article, I can tell you that,” Elgar said with a smile. “I’m already thinking about the next series, which is something I need to manage and control because I’m going to blow my brain out. It’s a lot of positives going into that next series, there’s a lot of negatives that we also have to work on. We have hit it on the head and in order to grow we need to curb those challenges that we have.”

Andersson claims four as hosts are bowled out for 136 in reply to 295 built on Simpson’s 95*

Jon Culley28-May-2021Middlesex’s faith in their young bowling attack looked fully justified as Leicestershire were dismissed for 136 in this shoot-out between the fifth and sixth placed teams in Group Two, although it was the seamers rather than the two rookie spinners among them who inflicted 90 per cent of the damage.Martin Andersson, the 24-year-old, was the most successful, his 4 for 27 representing his best bowling for Middlesex and including a burst of three in six balls as Leicestershire, having been 17 for 3, reeled again at 42 for 6.Ethan Bamber, 22, followed with 3 for 36 and head coach Stuart Law’s smile broadened further when Luke Hollman, the tall 20-year-old leg spinner, turned one past the bat to dismiss last man Ed Barnes, his second first-class wicket in his third match.He and Thilan Walallawita, the 22-year-old left-arm finger spinner who bowled eight occasionally threatening but wicketless overs, may play a bigger part in the fourth innings after Middlesex, 159 ahead on first innings on the back of John Simpson’s unbeaten 95, declined to enforce the follow-on. By the close, they had stretched the lead to 216 for the solitary loss of opener Sam Robson, leg before to a full ball from Chris Wright.Related

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The swing towards the visiting team that had begun in the final session on Thursday was momentarily checked but then accelerated again on the second morning as Leicestershire’s response to Middlesex’s 295 took some early hits, leaving them three down for 21 at lunch.Simpson, 73 overnight, had missed out on what would have been a first century since September 2019 and Middlesex missed out on a third batting point, but those regrets were soon forgotten as Bamber removed Hassan Azad and Tom Helm saw off Leicestershire’s two best batting hands in consecutive overs, following his dismissal of Australian Test opener Marcus Harris with that of the Leicestershire captain, Colin Ackermann.Middlesex have left themselves a seamer light by going with two spinners here but Bamber and Helm made their presence count emphatically as Leicestershire unwittingly exposed themselves to 40 minutes at the crease just before lunch in which neither bowler held back.Azad, who took a painful blow on his bottom hand while fielding at short leg on day one, was deemed in good enough shape to open as usual but had barely time to work out how comfortable or otherwise he was when Bamber produced a ball that squared him up slightly and took the edge, Stevie Eskinazi pouching a routine catch at third slip.Ackermann likewise found himself dealt an unplayable delivery, Helm finding some bounce off a pitch that looked to have quickened up a little, the ball taking the shoulder of the bat and caught brilliantly at second slip by Sam Robson, leaning back to make the grab with both hands above his head.By contrast, there were no extenuating circumstances for Harris, who made a complete misjudgement of a ball in Helm’s previous over that bounced much less, the left-hander taking a shuffle-step forward in his crease but deciding he’d leave it alone, which is not a wise policy when it is going to hit middle and off.John Simpson scored an unbeaten 95•Getty Images

Sam Evans and Lewis Hill sought to repair the damage after lunch, but the introduction of Andersson as Helm took a breather simply inflicted more, the change seamer drawing the benefit of batsman error as Evans got himself caught behind down the leg side before dismissing Harry Swindells and Ben Mike, both leg before to consecutive balls, the former playing round one, Mike pinned in his crease by a full inswinger.If anyone was likely to mount anything resembling a fightback, on this season’s form, it would be Hill, and for an hour he and Callum Parkinson stemmed the bleeding, Peter Handscomb turning to spin for the first time with Walallawita, who was not afraid to give the ball some air.Yet it was Andersson, switching to the Bennett End, who broke the seventh-wicket resistance after 44 had been added, finding just enough movement to pass the outside edge as Hill offered a defensive push, the ball clipping off stump.Parkinson battled gamely, he and Wright adding 39, but Bamber removed both in consecutive overs before Handscomb offered Hollman the chance to take the last wicket and he duly obliged with the first ball of his second spellEarlier, Helm and Barber had been the two wickets claimed in an impressive seven-over spell from Mike, who did not bowl at all on Thursday, having missed Leicestershire’s trip to Southampton last week with what was described as a side niggle.Walallawita played a couple of nice shots against Wright, picking up four from the second of them, to which Wright responded by uprooting his off stump, leaving Simpson stranded on 95 for what had been a composed and chanceless innings of 15 fours.

Chris Wright, the Warwickshire and England Lions pace bowler, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due a stress fracture of his back

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2013Chris Wright, the Warwickshire and England Lions pace bowler, has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due a stress fracture of his back.Wright had taken 19 wickets at 36.26 in eight Championship matches and also played against the New Zealanders for the Lions at Grace Road in May.He confirmed the diagnosis over Twitter: “Good luck 2 @CricketingBears 2day & 4 rest of season. Bad news will miss it due 2a stress fracture but will return stronger & better!”In a subsequent message he added that the recovery time is expected to be around six months which means he could struggle to be in contention for the Lions’ winter commitments which include shadowing the main squad during the Ashes series in Australia.Warwickshire’s bowling attack has been badly hit by injuries during this season and they seem unlikely to defend their Championship title. They currently sit sixth in the table, 50 points behind leaders Sussex, with seven matches remaining.