Worcestershire should be able to secure their first Championship win of the season, but they have a habit of letting strong positions slip

George Dobell at New Road31-May-2011
ScorecardOne of the oldest clichés in sport is the ‘Lazarus syndrome’: the Biblical metaphor churned out whenever a team comes back from the brink of defeat.Worcestershire, however, have mastered the reverse-Lazarus syndrome. So far in the 2011 season they have made a habit of miraculously transforming almost impregnable match-winning positions into remarkable match-losing ones. Truly, there have been times this season when they have given the impression that they could put down the living and infect the healthy. Their form has been quite wretched.For that reason, and no other, Worcestershire supporters will approach the last day of their championship match against Nottinghamshire with some trepidation. This really should be the game where Worcestershire end their horrendous record of results at New Road and secure their first Championship win of the season. They’ve not won here in Division One of the Championship since May 2004.They’ve already squandered one opportunity to strike the fatal blow, however. At 223 for 3, with two batsmen well set, they had drawn level with Nottinghamshire’s first innings total and had the chance to establish a match-winning lead.Instead they collapsed. Through a combination of a tricky pitch, some fine bowling and some less than robust batting, Worcestershire lost their final seven wickets for 20 runs in just 48 balls. It left them just 20 ahead.It was a decline that had seemed most improbable only minutes earlier. While batting was never comfortable, Moeen Ali and Alexei Kervezee had added 93 in 31 overs for their fourth-wicket, exercising fine judgement over which balls to leave and which to attack.Moeen was especially impressive. While there were few of the elegant strokes that have come to characterise his batting, he looked secure outside off stump and, when the opportunity arose, attacked judiciously. Twice he skipped down the wicket to loft Samit Patel’s left-arm spin over the top – once for four; once for six – and when the bowler retaliated with a flatter delivery, Moeen leant back and cut him through cover for four.When he and Kervezee fell right before the new ball, however, Worcestershire suffered a sharp decline. First Kervezee was drawn into playing at one that left him, before Moeen edged one that was pushed onto him from Samit Patel.From then on, Charlie Shreck dominated. Armed with the new ball, the 33-year-old Cornishman, ripped out the remaining batsmen in a 16-ball spell of four wickets for 15 runs. It was the 19th five-wicket haul of his career and his first since July 2008.Shreck was never the quickest of seamers and, since the injuries began to mount a couple of years ago, he’s lost a bit more pace than he could afford to lose.But he was never going to miss out on conditions like this. Armed with the new ball and on a surface offering variable bounce and movement off the seam, Shreck delivered a probing line and length, defeating Ben Scott with one that kept low, Jack Shantry’s hapless drive with one that swung back sharply and dismissed Neil Pinner to a return catch when the batsman adjusted to deal with Shreck’s late swing.The hosts are not out of this game, though. Nottinghamshire were soon reeling at 40 for 4 after Alan Richardson, also utilising the conditions expertly, claimed three early wickets. Akhil Patel and Mark Wagh edged deliveries that left them, while Adam Voges was trapped in front by one that kept horribly low.Had Damien Wright – Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker – not limped off the field with a calf strain, the hosts could have made further inroads. As it was, however, the excellent Richardson lacked support and Nottinghamshire’s sixth-wicket paid of Chris Read and Patel were able to stage a partial recovery. Their stand if currently worth 43. On this pitch, that’s a highly valuable contribution.Patel’s batting stood out. The match, apparently an uneven battle between bat and ball when colleagues faced, was transformed when Patel was on strike. Lots of batsmen can shine on flat tracks; class shows in circumstances like this.Wright, meanwhile, will undergo a scan and is most unlikely to take any further part in the game. Indeed, he may well have bowled his last ball for the club.It might just have been Mark Wagh’s final first-class innings, too. He is intending to retire in August but, after failing to pass 50 in 18 innings this season, there seems every chance the club might bring that date forward. Alex Hales is set to return to first team action for Friday’s T20 match.Still, either side could still win this game. Nottinghamshire’s lead is only 84 and Worcestershire should be able to chase anything under 170. It promises to be an intriguing final day.Meanwhile ‘Shankargate’ rumbles on. It has been suggested by some that Worcestershire should strip the disgraced Adrian Shankar of his club colours. And it’s true he scarcely deserves to have his name listed along the likes of Kenyon, Hick, Flavell and Turner. It might, however, set a dangerous precedent. After all, the last time a player lied to the club about his age (Basil D’Oliveira), they named a stand after him. Sometimes it’s better just to move on.

The ICC will only allow government intervention in cricket in matters related to security, its chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2011The ICC will only allow government intervention in cricket in matters related to security, its chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said. In its annual conference in Hong Kong which concluded on June 30, the ICC agreed to an amendment to its constitution that would require all member boards to hold free elections in a bid to democratise the governance of the game and do away with political or government interference. But that did not apply to security matters, Lorgat clarified.”Only in one case will the ICC allow governments to interfere with the affairs of the member board: when there are security issues involved between the two countries, and if any national squad do not tour any other country on security grounds the ICC will accept government’s writ,” Lorgat told . Cricket tours to countries have been called off due to government directives, with Australia not touring Pakistan in the past and England refusing to play in Zimbabwe, most notably in the 2003 World Cup.The boards most affected by the ICC’s decision are the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket, though everyone has until 2013 to comply with the provisions of free elections and no political interference in their respective constitutions. The PCB chairman is appointed by the president of the country; all board presidents in Bangladesh are government-appointed and in Sri Lanka the board answers directly to the sports ministry, which on Friday dissolved SLC’s interim committee and appointed a new one.The PCB had objected to the ICC’s proposal in April, sending a legal notice. The board had pointed to the issue of government involvement in security matters as evidence that there may be grey areas as a result of the amendment. But a compromise was worked out in meetings before the annual conference where it was agreed that boards would have till 2013 to comply with the new rules. During this period, the boards can discuss and try to resolve any potential problems of implementing the decision. The support for the amendment, Lorgat said, was unanimous.”Every member country supported the amendment and it was required to make the member countries have a free election system, to hold a democratic process in the administration, which can strengthen the leadership of the board.” When asked if the PCB supported it as well, Lorgat said: “Everyone”.The PCB will be discussing the amendment with the Pakistan government. “How we implement this reform will depend on our talks with the government,” its chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told reporters following his arrival in Pakistan from Hong Kong.The ICC had appointed a Pakistan Task Force (PTT) with its initial aim being to examine ways to ensure international cricket returned to Pakistan. But the task force’s objectives were broadened in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal to also promote an improvement in governance by the PCB. Lorgat said the task force, led by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, had submitted its state of affairs report along with some recommendations, and its role had ended.”Now it comes to its logical ending and we have provided the full report by the task force to the PCB. The report has many parts; one relates to the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in 2009 while another concerns the spot-fixing issues that surfaced in the Lord’s Test [between Pakistan and England] in August 2010.”What if the recommendations suggested a return of international cricket to Pakistan? “Then the ICC will encourage the visiting country to go to Pakistan, but again we will accept government’s directives over safety and security issues.”

New Zealand’s six major cricket associations have announced their list of contracted players for the year 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2011New Zealand’s six major cricket associations have announced their list of contracted players for the year 2011-12. During a two-step process, each association had offered between 9 and 11 contracts in the first round on July 22, and the final contracts were given today. A total of 92 players were contracted.New Zealand Cricket also announced the schedules for its domestic completions – Plunket Shield, Men’s One-Day and HRV Cup – for the 2011-12 season. A total of 89 games will be played through the summer.The season will begin with the first of four pre-Christmas Plunket Shield rounds scheduled to start on November 7, with the final round getting underway on March 26 next year. The winner will be the team that finishes on top of the points table at the end of ten rounds.The Men’s One-Day trophy will be contested over eight rounds, followed by an extended finals series that includes preliminary finals, a semi-final and final. The competition is also split across the season with five rounds starting on November 25, while the preliminary finals will be played on February 5 and the final on February 12.The first round of action in the HRV Cup will start on December 18. There will be two rounds with points that will decide the top two teams who will meet in the final on January 22.List of contracted players
Auckland Aces: Michael Bates, Andrew de Boorder, Colin de Grandhomme, Gareth Hopkins, Anaru Kitchen, Bruce Martin, Tim McIntosh, Colin Munro, Jeet Raval, Bhupinder Singh, Daryl Tuffey, Brad Cachopa (added).
Canterbury Wizards: Todd Astle, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Peter Fulton, Matt Henry,
Tom Latham, Ryan McCone, Richard Sherlock, Shanan Stewart, George Worker, Willie Lonsdale (added), Logan van Beek (added).
Central Stags: Doug Bracewell, Jamie How, Peter Ingram, Michael Mason,Adam Milne
Kieran Noema-Barnett, Tarun Nethula, Mathew Sinclair, Bevan Small, Kruger van Wyk, Ben Wheeler, Greg Todd (added).
Northern Knights: Graeme Aldridge, Brent Arnel, James Baker, Anton Devcich, Brook Hatwell, James Marshall, Peter McGlashan, Daryl Mitchell, Anurag Verma, Brad Wilson, Joseph Yovich, Bradley Scott (added).
Otago Volts: Nick Beard, Michael Bracewell, Darren Broom, Ian Butler, Craig Cumming, Derek De Boorder, Aaron Redmond, Warren McSkimming, Neil Wagner, Sam Wells, Anthony Bullick (added), James McMillan (added).
Wellington Firebirds: Joe Austin-Smellie, Harry Boam, Josh Brodie, Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Mark Gillespie, Stephen Murdoch, Iain O’Brien, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Stewart Rhodes, Leighton Burtt (added).

Explosive hitting from Nottinghamshire’s top order paved the way for a 19-run
victory over Gloucestershire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Cheltenham

24-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Explosive hitting from Nottinghamshire’s top order paved the way for a 19-run
victory over Gloucestershire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 match at Cheltenham.Alex Hales led the way with 61 off 32 balls, while Riki Wessels (37), Samit
Patel (45) and Scott Elstone (36) all scored briskly as the visitors took 174
off the first 20 overs on their way to a final total of 266 all out.Five of the wickets were taken by the Taylor brothers as 19-year-old spinner
Jack returned three for 50 and 17-year-old left-arm seamer Matthew claimed two
for 43 on his debut. Gloucestershire never seriously threatened to chase down their target, although Ian Cockbain made a fine 79 as the hosts finished on 247 for 9.It had looked as if Nottinghamshire would plunder well in excess of 300 after
reaching 96 for two off 10 overs and 174 for three off 20. After Ali Brown had been bowled by James Fuller in the second over, Hales and Wessels hammered 77 off 44 balls, which included taking 21 off an over from Kevin O’Brien.Wessels had scored 37 off 24 balls when he was caught on the mid-wicket
boundary by Cockbain off slow left-armer Ed Young. Hales followed him back to the pavilion three overs later when he was bowled swinging across the line at Jack Taylor, having hit 10 fours and two sixes in his 32-ball innings,Patel and Elstone kept the score rattling along with a partnership of 67 in 10
overs, which ended when Elstone miscued a pull off James Fuller to Hamish
Marshall at mid-on.Patel was brilliantly caught by the diving Kane Williamson at extra cover off
Jack Taylor, whose brother Matthew then got in the act with a double wicket
maiden. He accounted for Steven Mullaney, who skied a drive to Cockbain on the
midwicket boundary, and Chris Read, who cut to Marshall at point.The last three wickets fell in the final five overs as Williamson had Ben
Phillips taken by Matthew Taylor at short third man, Darren Pattinson skied
Fuller to Alex Gidman at cover and Luke Fletcher was bowled by Jack Taylor.Paul Franks was left unbeaten on 28 from 29 balls, having struck four
boundaries. In reply, Gloucestershire were reduced to 57 for three in the ninth over after
Fletcher yorked Marshall and had Williamson caught by Hales at deep mid-wicket
and Pattinson had Alex Gidman taken at point by Mullaney.Chris Taylor and Cockbain put on 40 for the fourth wicket, but the partnership
took 11 overs as Franks, Phillips and Patel bowled with impressive control and
variation. It looked all but over for Gloucestershire when Chris Taylor was lbw sweeping
at Patel to make it 97 for four in the 20th over.O’Brien and Cockbain briefly revived the home side’s hopes with a stand of 46
in six overs, which ended when O’Brien was leg before to Pattinson. Jon Batty, on 32, was next to go when holed out to Elstone at long-on off Patel, and Ed Young was caught by Patel at deep mid-wicket in the next over from Mullaney’s bowling.Then, after Jack Taylor was caught at square leg off Phillips, Cockbain’s
impressive 84-ball innings, which contained seven fours, ended when he was
bowled round his legs by Fletcher.Fuller and Matthew Taylor put on an unbroken 32 in an entertaining last-wicket
stand, but there was stopping the visitors registering a fourth win in the
competition.

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has counselled the national selectors to be patient with fledgling spin bowler Nathan Lyon, and said that Lyon has plenty of development ahead before his talent can bloom fully

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele06-Sep-2011Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has counselled the national selectors to be patient with fledgling spin bowler Nathan Lyon, and said that Lyon has plenty of development ahead before his talent can bloom fully.Lyon, 23, scooped 5 for 34 in his first Test innings but struggled a little in his second, when, according to Haddin, fatigue affected his work. Until this year’s Australian winter, Lyon had never put his body through the rigours of pre-season training, and his slight, wispy frame can only grow in strength and durability.”I think it’s important that we’re patient with him,” Haddin said. “We can’t expect all these spinners to come in and be world-beaters. We’ve just got to make sure we’re clear in what we expect from them and what he expects from himself.”He’s only five games into a first class career but [from] what we’ve seen, he has got good shape on the ball. He is a work in progress so he’s only going to get better and better as time goes on. We all know we’ve got to be patient with the spinners and give them an opportunity to develop.”Haddin said Lyon’s drift was comparable to that of the England offspinner Graeme Swann, but also felt he had some distance to go before he was a fully-formed cricketer.”I think Nathan has obviously got something pretty special in him but he’s obviously got a bit of work to do on his bowling and he knows that,” Haddin said. “It was good that he got the rewards in the first innings; get that first ball out of the way, get his wicket and get into a spell.”From keeping to him, he’s got similar drift to what Swann has. He’s got quite a nice little shape on it … I think he’s got something there that’s going to be pretty good for Australian cricket.”Most of Lyon’s spin bowling apprenticeship took place in the Futures League second XI competition with the ACT, in three-day matches with over restrictions. The questions asked of physical recovery were less taxing; something Lyon discovered when he made his first-class debut for South Australia towards the end of last summer.”He obviously got a bit tired and that could come from the fact he actually hasn’t played that much four-day cricket at all,” Haddin said. “He’s just got to make sure he’s doing what works for him. Whether that’s going outside off stump or going tight into the stumps, because he’s got that natural drift.”I think in the future he’s going to be someone that’s very handy to us but he’s got to develop. We’ve all got to be sure we’re patient with that and not pushing him too quick or expecting him to jump over mountains straight away.”By contrast, Lyon’s childhood friend Trent Copeland looked ready for the physical and mental rigours of Tests, bowling with tremendous consistency throughout the Galle Test without much reward in the wickets column.”With Trent I thought we got exactly what we would have expected over the last two years. Seeing him for New South Wales, he’s very consistent in what he bowls,” Haddin said. “He knows he’s not going to blast anyone out but what he can do is shut a scoreboard down and build pressure from one end so you can roll the other guys from the other end. He did a good job there.”Haddin enlarged upon the tactical battles between Copeland and Sri Lanka’s batsmen, who sought to decrease his effectiveness by batting well down the pitch.”They were batting out of the crease and starting to walk into his line,” Haddin said. “The one thing Trent’s very good at is building pressure and he knows exactly where he wants to put the ball. We wanted to make sure we blocked that end, so we thought the best way sometimes was for me to go up to the stumps to stop them walking into his line, working the ball on the legside to get some pace on the ball.”It seemed to work for the last Test, whether we do the same for this Test, I’m not too sure. Because, especially with the old ball, the wicket was so dead, it just took one of their scoring options out of play and allowed us to build some pressure from that end.”

David Willey took eight wickets as Northamptonshire kept their promotion hopes alive on an astonishing second day against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road

13-Sep-2011
Scorecard
David Willey took eight wickets as Northamptonshire kept their promotion hopes alive on an astonishing second day of their County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Wantage Road.The hosts, who started the day third in Division Two, were bowled out for 343 in the morning with Jon Lewis taking the final wicket – that of James Middlebrook for 39 – to claim figures of 4 for 61.Any remaining promotion hopes Gloucestershire harboured then went up in smoke as they were skittled out for 183 with Willey taking a magnificent five for 29 and Lee Daggett finishing with 4 for 69. Forced to follow on, the visitors closed on 84 for 5 as Willey took three more wickets to take his match figures to 8 for 44.Northamptonshire began the day on 316 for 9, with Middlebrook resuming on 28 and Daggett on 5. Middlebrook added 11 more runs before he edged Lewis’ delivery onto his stumps to leave Daggett unbeaten on 19.Chaminda Vaas broke through for his side when he trapped Chris Dent lbw for 28 before Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie departed on 40 as he edged Willey to his opposite number, Niall O’Brien. Daggett was then nudged by Chris Taylor to O’Brien and the same combination accounted for Gloucester captain Alex Gidman with the very next ball.Willey dismissed Hamish Marshall when he dragged his delivery onto his stumps before Kane Williamson fell on 44 when he chipped Daggett to David Lucas at mid-on. Gloucestershire were then given some respite when rain stopped play leading to an early tea interval.Will Gidman was to go past 1,000 Championship runs this season but his partner Ian Cockbain walked on 10 when he was pinned lbw by Willey. He was followed back to the pavilion by Will Gidman with the next ball when he edged Daggett to O’Brien.Willey then had Ian Saxelby trapped leg before and he sealed the maiden five-wicket haul of his career when he bowled Lewis.With a lead of 160, Northamptonshire enforced the follow-on but more rain was to delay the start of Gloucestershire’s second innings. When play resumed, Vaas dismissed Coughtrie when he was again caught by O’Brien before Dent went cheaply on 26 when he smashed Willey to Rob Newton at point.Two balls later, Willey trapped Taylor lbw and the same man repeated the trick to Williamson, who made 29, before Daggett bowled nightwatchman David Payne with the day’s last ball.

A round-up of the action from the Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2011An all-round team performance helped Mid West Rhinos to a five-wicket win against Mountaineers at Kwekwe Sports Club in the Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship.Mountaineers chose to bat and were dented early by medium-pacer Richard Muzhange, who claimed three quick wickets to leave Mountaineers 27 for 3 in the ninth over. Opener Jethro Maudzi , though, prevented a collapse with a fluent half-century. He hit 77 off 85 balls with seven fours, and put on 115 for the fourth wicket with his captain Timycen Maruma. A couple of handy cameos followed from Ned Eckersley and Gary Chirimuuta, which carried Mountaineers past 200. Muzhange eventually picked up Mawudzi to finish with 4 for 45.Chasing 222, Rhinos lost Bothwell Chapungu early, but a 70-run stand between Steve Marillier and captain Gary Ballance got the innings back on track. Apart from Chapungu, Rhinos’ top order batsmen all managed between 35 and 48, with Riki Wessels top scoring. Fast bowler Tendai Chatara picked up three wickets, but it was not close to being enough as Rhinos got home with all of 11 overs to spare.The result, Rhinos’ first win in three games following a loss and a tie, put them at No. 2 on the points table, while Mountaineers are languishing in last spot after their third straight loss.Mashonaland Eagles consolidated their position at the top of the points table with a 38-run win against Matabeleland Tuskers at the Harare Sports Club.Eagles’ top order came good after they were inserted. Three successive half-century partnerships – 95, 59 and 87, the last one at a run-rate of over nine an over – set up their total of 278. Cephas Zhuwao and Ryan Bishop both hit half-centuries, with Zhuwao top scoring with 71. Glen Querl was the pick of the Tuskers bowlers, claiming 4 for 49. Bradley Staddon also snagged four wickets, but was expensive, going for 6.54 an over.The chase was dotted with regular wickets. Tuskers’ captain Gavin Ewing made 50 off 60 balls but, as the others scratched around and then got dismissed, his team slumped to 116 for 6 in the 30th over. Steven Trenchard showed some purpose with a rapid 60 – it included six fours and one six, and came off 43 balls – but after the early listlessness, even the late surge could not lift Tuskers to a win. Mark Mbofana finished with the best figures for Eagles: 3 for 26 in 6.1 overs.

West Indies A won a low-scoring, rain-affected contest in St Vincent to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Bangladesh A

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2011West Indies A won a low-scoring, rain-affected contest in St Vincent to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series against Bangladesh A. The hosts were in early trouble at 56 for 5 after being asked to bat, with Robiul Islam and Kamrul Islam Rabbi taking two wickets each. Leon Johnson and Carlos Brathwaite, who top scored with 53, steadied the innings with an 82-run partnership and helped West Indies A reach 204 for 9 in 50 overs.Shannon Gabriel hurt Bangladesh A by dismissing the openers early to leave the visitors on 20 for 2 after 8.2 overs. They reached 52 for 3 in 14 overs when rain interrupted play and forced a revision of the target to 198 in 45 overs. The chase went into free-fall after the resumption with wickets falling regularly. Only Shuvagata Hom and Suhrawadi Shuvo, apart from extras, made it past 20 and Bangladesh A were dismissed for 164 in 41.4 overs. Gabriel took 3 for 31 while Veerasammy Permaul finished with 3 for 28 to complete a 33-run win by D/L method.

Younis Khan made his 18th Test century as Pakistan’s batting put in a solid performance against Sri Lanka

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran05-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Younis Khan brought up his 18th Test ton•AFP

Pakistan gave yet another demonstration of how far they have progressed from their collapse-prone avatar of recent years by posting a solid 282 for 6 on the third day of the final Test in Sharjah. The three middle-order batsmen instrumental in providing steel to the Pakistan line-up over the past year all made substantial contributions on a track which was truer than expected. Younis Khan made the biggest impact by going on to his 18th Test century, Azhar Ali collected his sixth 50-plus score in five Tests and Misbah-ul-Haq helped himself to another laboriously crafted half-century.With the Pakistan openers dismissed on Friday, when the pitch was providing plenty of turn and bounce, Sri Lanka would have expected their bowlers to be a handful in the morning. Instead, they had the bad news that fast bowler Dhammika Prasad wouldn’t bowl in the match due to a thigh strain. The other medium-pacers Chanaka Welegedara and Kosala Kulasekara bowled at a gentle pace, and got some movement to induce a few plays-and-misses from the batsmen but weren’t able to prise out a wicket.Every time they strayed, Pakistan’s batsmen capitalised. It was one of those loose deliveries that helped Pakistan end a series of nine successive maidens as Azhar slashed a short and wide ball from Kulasekara past cover to get Pakistan going in the morning. Most of his six boundaries came when the quicks either drifted on to the pads or provided him plenty of width.After their slow start, Azhar and Younis stepped up the pace to put together one of the most productive batting sessions of the Test. Younis consumed 30 deliveries before getting off the mark, but was full of positive intent after that. There was no better sign of his growing confidence than his big grin after muscling Rangana Herath for a one-bounce four over extra cover midway through the morning session. His innings showcased his mastery of the sweep shot – the paddle sweep, the slog-sweep and the reverse-sweep were all used effectively against the spinners.The second session began with Herath bowling well outside leg stump, trying to get some turn out of the rough. That did produce a leading edge off Younis, but there were no major alarms and the tactic only helped to stifle the runs. Kulasekara, forced off the field in the morning due to a bloodied thumb after a botched fielding effort, returned to produce the breakthrough Sri Lanka were desperately seeking, getting a ball to snake in sharply to beat Azhar’s bat and crash into off stump.

Smart stats

• Younis Khan’s century is his fifth against Sri Lanka. This brings him level with Inzamam-ul-Haq as the Pakistan batsman with the most centuries against Sri Lanka.

• The 100-run stand between Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq is the sixth century stand for the pair in their last eight partnerships. They have now aggregated 937 runs in 14 partnerships at an average of 78.08.

• Misbah’s half-century is his 13th in Tests, to go with three centuries. In his last 16 innings, he has scored 841 runs at an average of 84.10.

• The century is also Younis Khan’s third at a neutral venue. This is a record for the most centuries scored by a batsman at neutral venues.

• The 98-run stand between Younis and Azhar Ali is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Pakistan in neutral Tests. The pair has been involved in three of the top four third-wicket stands at neutral venues.

That brought in Misbah-ul-Haq, who was extremely watchful, even by his own leisurely standards, laboriously making his way to 2 off 52 deliveries. Younis, though, showed he couldn’t be restrained, sashaying down the track to launch Herath over long-on for a boundary. Even though Misbah was in his shell, Younis produced the most profitable over of the day for Pakistan, paddling Suraj Randiv from outside off for four, before clubbing him over deep square leg for a six. His only moment of concern in the session was when he was hit on the helmet by a throw from mid-off as he completed a tight single.It was a race against the clock to reach his century before tea, and he managed to get there in the final over of the session, pushing the ball to cover to zip through for a single. He continued to be aggressive against the spinners after reaching his hundred, but the second new ball accounted for him. The first delivery after the ball was changed bent in sharply, beating his bat and taking off stump.By then, Misbah was being a bit more expansive, and he guided Pakistan towards stumps. Asad Shafiq hit a couple of boundaries in an otherwise watchful innings that ended on 16 when he feathered Welegedara to the keeper.The two relatively quick wickets perked up Sri Lanka, and they almost had the crucial one of Misbah as well soon after when he attempted a swipe to midwicket. That resulted in a top-edge which flew over the slips and Misbah survived. Adnan Akmal, though, couldn’t make it to stumps as he was undone by Herath, who got the ball to hold its line after the previous delivery had spun away. Adnan didn’t read it and was trapped lbw.Despite those late wickets, it was a satisfying day for Pakistan as they bettered their chances of averting defeat, and winning the series – the sort of news their fans await after a dark week for Pakistan cricket.

On another eventful day in Bangalore, which saw fifteen wickets fall, Haryana ended the day with a slight edge after Karnataka lost two quick wickets at the end of the day

Nagraj Gollapudi 03-Jan-2012
ScorecardAmit Mishra helped Haryana recover from their collapse in the morning with his 49•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On another eventful day in Bangalore, which saw fifteen wickets fall, Karnataka won the first session, then gave away the middle one to Haryana, and just when it seemed like they had bounced back after tea lost their top order, giving the visitors a slight edge at the halfway stage of the quarter-final contest. In response to Karnataka’s 151, Haryana started solidly but lost seven wickets for 36 runs in the second hour of the morning before a stubborn 74-run eighth-wicket partnership between captain Amit Mishra and Mohit Sharma allowed them to take a vital 121-run lead. At stumps, Karnataka had managed to go ahead by one run on the back of an aggressive half-century from Robin Uthappa.Uthappa started the second innings with a powerful square cut against Ashish Hooda that raced past the point boundary. KB Pawan, his opening partner, matched Uthappa with a fluent square-driven four. But in the sixth over, Pawan was defeated by an inswinger from Sachin Rana that hit him in line with middle stump.At the other end Uthappa remained unaffected, playing with confidence and getting his feet near the pitch of the ball. Cuts, punched drives, both off the front and back foot, and straight drives helped Uthappa dominate the bowling. He reached his half-century with a straight six against the medium pace of Mohit Sharma. But on 53, Uthappa, in a moment of complacency, was dismissed in similar fashion to Pawan; Rana trapped him plumb in front with one that nipped in.Then, five overs before stumps, Karnataka suffered another setback when their captain Ganesh Satish ran out out his partner Bharat Chipli. Satish pushed an off break from Mishra to point and started off for a run. Chipli responded positively but, having seen the point fielder charge in on the ball, Satish decided to turn back. Chipli had already come midway down the pitch, and an agile Rahul Dewan, the wicketkeeper, caught the throw in front of the stumps and threw down the wickets at the bowler’s end down to beat Chipli’s retreat.Even though they finished the day on an even keel, it had been a topsy-turvy day for Haryana. Their overnight batsmen Rahul Dewan and Nitin Saini were circumspect for the first 45 minutes. At 152 for no loss, Haryana were in a good position to build a big lead. However, in a lazy moment, Saini attempted a half-hearted pull against Stuart Binny. Uthappa, standing at mid-wicket, took the catch easily.Saini’s dismissal was part of a mini-collapse of four wickets for just twelve runs. Binny, Karanataka’s best bowler in the match, and season, bowled a perfected outswinger that induced a thick outside edge from Haryana’s most-dependable batsman Sunny Singh. The morning was 90 minutes old. Karanataka’s bowlers were getting hungry now. NC Aiyappa bowled aggressive lines and good lengths to induce edges from Prateek Pawar and Sachin Rana off successive deliveries in his first over of the morning. Aiyappa missed his hat-trick and was not the only bowler to miss one on the day.Left-arm spinner KP Appanna, joint-fourth on the wicket-charts in the Elite division this season, got the important wicket of Dewan and then dismissed Jayant Yadav next ball in only his second over of the day. Mohit Sharma negotiated his arm ball, denying him a hat-trick.Till his erroneous decision to attempt a cut off Appanna, Dewan had managed to keep his head despite the flurry of wickets at the other end. He pulled Aiyappa to get to his third century of the season, which took him 192 deliveries and included 13 boundaries. But three balls later, he tried to cut Appanna with the ball far from his body, and got a thick edge that was pouched brilliantly by wicketkeeper CM Gautam, giving him his fifth catch of the innings. The next delivery from Appanna was, not surprisingly, an arm ball that slid in to new batsman Yadav and hit him on the back leg. He was rightly adjudged lbw for a duck. Haryana finished the first session having got 75 runs for seven wickets off 34 overs.The pitch became a bit slower after lunch and the Karnataka bowlers’ lines got shorter, allowing Mishra and Mohit Sharma to settle down. Even the second new ball, taken immediately after 80 overs, did not stop the Haryana pair from scoring easy runs.An hour after lunch, Mishra, on 44, attempted a hook shot against Binny. He could not make clean contact and the top-edge sailed towards deep square leg where an advancing Aiyappa claimed he had taken the catch. Replays, though, clearly showed the ball had slipped through his palms and he had picked it up on the bounce as he fell forward. The square-leg umpire Amiesh Saheba informed Sudhir Asnani that the catch had not been taken, and the Karnataka appeal was quashed instantly. Five runs later Mishra was adjudged leg before by Asnani to a Binny delivery that had deviated into his legs and appeared to be marginally missing leg stump.The match has been full of incident, with the momentum swinging like a pendulum between both sides; the final two days promise more.