A boundary-laden 79 from Jess Cameron and three wickets apiece for Sarah Coyte and Shelley Nitschke helped Australia to a 29-run win over New Zealand in their opening match of the Natwest Women’s Quadrangular in Chesterfield

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Sara McGlashan’s aggressive fifty was in vain as Australia surged to a 29-run win•Getty Images

A boundary-laden 79 from Jess Cameron and three wickets apiece for Sarah Coyte and Shelley Nitschke helped Australia to a 29-run win over New Zealand in their opening match of the Natwest Women’s Quadrangular in Chesterfield. Cameron’s 128-run stand with Alex Blackwell powered Australia to 261 for 9, and despite Sara McGlashan’s fluent 65 New Zealand were bowled out for 232 in the 48th over.New Zealand appeared to have given themselves every chance of keeping Australia to a gettable total during Nicola Browne’s exemplary opening spell, which yielded the wickets of Meg Lanning and Leah Poulton.But Cameron and Blackwell put Australia back on track after they had slipped to 31 for 3, and though New Zealand captain Aimee Watkins eventually removed Blackwell for 41, a couple of lively cameos from the lower-middle order kept up the momentum. Lisa Sthalekar’s rapid 32 took the score past 200, and though New Zealand kept chipping away the runs continued to flow.Lucy Doolan’s confident 42, scored at better than a-run-a-ball, got New Zealand’s chase off to a fluent start as she put together an opening stand of 63 with Frances Mackay. That was the best partnership of the innings however, and despite a fighting partnership between Suzie Bates and McGlashan that took New Zealand almost halfway to their target, they were always behind the rate.McGlashan reached a 72-ball fifty, but once she chipped a return catch back to Clea Smith the match was Australia’s. Browne and wicketkeeper Rachel Priest smashed a few crisp boundaries before departing. Coyte then returned to bowl Kate Broadmore and end the match.

Trying to come back from being 2-0 down in the series presents MS Dhoni with his toughest challenge as captain

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2011For the second successive Monday, England emerged the superior side. The more happy unit. The more confident team. India, the world’s No. 1 Test side, were never able to entirely dominate on any of the nine playing days. In his three-year stint as Indian captain MS Dhoni has never lost two Tests in a row, nor have India lost a Test series. But now, Andrew Strauss’s men are not only threatening to win the Pataudi Trophy, but also are marching towards the title of the best Test team in the world.On evidence at Lord’s and in these four days at Trent Bridge, Her Majesty’s men might just be able to snatch the crown from India. As they have done over the past two years, England played like a domineering team. The depth in their batting, which Dhoni said he was envious about, plucked them out of a precarious position on the first day at Trent Bridge after they slipped to 124 for 8. The local boy Stuart Broad hit a steely half-century to guide England to a more respectable 221, 97 runs which “really mattered,” according to Dhoni. On the second afternoon, Broad restricted India’s lead to 67 with a fierce spell of seam bowling that included a hat-trick.India needed quick wickets on the third day to keep alive the hope of levelling the series, but one by one, the England batsmen, toyed with the bowling. The Indian attack was down to three specialists as Harbhajan Singh bowled only 13.4 overs in the match due to a stomach muscle injury.”I didn’t have any tricks left,” Dhoni said after the 319-run defeat. “I tried everything I had left. They bat quite deep, [James] Anderson is the only one who doesn’t bat to some extent. They were eight down for 120 and were able to score 100 more runs (in the first innings). The bowlers tried what they could. We were not really successful and that happens in cricket.”Dhoni said he couldn’t blame his bowling attack, especially the new-ball pair of Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, who have now played five Tests since June 20. “Our bowlers were a bit tired. That was one of the reasons. Their batsmen played some big shots. Their mis-hits landed in between the fielders. The bowlers tried everything but nothing really went our way.”But the biggest concern for India is the failure of their esteemed batting order to construct big totals. In the last five Tests, India have crossed 300 only once, at Roseau in the third Test against West Indies. In England, their highest so far has been 288.MS Dhoni’s advice: “Have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do”•Getty Images

The most damning stat is the performance of the Indian lower order (last five batsmen) as compared to their English counterparts. The England lower order comprising Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Broad and Anderson faced 710 deliveries and lasted 1059 minutes over the two Tests, while the Indians could barely survive 356 balls spanning 487 minutes.”It’s important to put runs on the board and we are slightly lacking that. Right from the last series we played, we haven’t scored consistently so that’s also a bit of a concern,” Dhoni said. “One of the big areas of concern is the lower-order; we haven’t been able to see the second new ball through. Hopefully it will get better and we won’t be exposed to the new ball.”Adding to India’s batting problems was the fact the neither Suresh Raina nor Yuvraj Singh could respond convincingly to the short-ball strategy emplyed by the England fast bowlers. Both men had hit fighting half-centuries (Raina in the second innings at Lord’s and Yuvraj in the first innings at Trent Bridge) but today they succumbed cheaply to short-pitched deliveries.Dhoni, though, backed his batsmen and their technique against bouncers. “That’s often said to us but there have been games when we’ve done well in Perth, Durban and Barbados. We will get caught out once in a while but most of the batsmen are used to the short-pitched stuff.”A lot was written about India’s determination and their ability to bounce back after starting poorly in a series. Coming back from 2-0 down, could be the biggest test of Dhoni’s captaincy. And for Duncan Fletcher, who is barely two months into the India coaching job. “We are very confident in the talent in the dressing room and we’ll make the most of the next 10 days,” Dhoni said. He will have some reinforcements for the third Test: Gautam Gambhir is certain to play, while Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag could also return.Dhoni said India needed to remain mentally tough in the nine-day break before the Edgbaston Test. “When you play at the top level you face tough situations and this is one of those. And that is what you are supposed to do: have belief in yourself and the team, in what you do. We will definitely make it tough (for England).”

Sixteen wickets fell in the day – almost half of them during a career-best
spell of 7 for 21 by Darren Stevens – as Kent fought back strongly on the
second day of their County Championship match with Surrey at Canterbury

11-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Sixteen wickets fell in the day – almost half of them during a career-best
spell of 7 for 21 by Darren Stevens – as Kent fought back strongly on the
second day of their County Championship match with Surrey at Canterbury.Stevens’ haul helped Kent dismiss the visitors for a paltry 127 inside 44 overs
and secure a surprise first innings lead of 139, only for the hosts to then lose
six wickets of their own during a chilly final session which lasted 45.4
overs.Kent went in at stumps on 167 for 6 and holding an overall advantage of 306
at the midway point of the game. The hosts had captain Robert Key to thank for their position of strength – his watchful, unbeaten 70 is the only half-century to date in this Division Two
tussle to date.Having been completely outmanoeuvred on day one, Kent’s seam attack led their
worthy fightback by making the most of a cross wind and a thickening bank of
late morning cloud cover. Once the sunshine disappeared Kent’s Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz formed a dangerous ‘little and large’ partnership with swing bowler Stevens that saw
Surrey slip from 54 without loss to 127 all out.Their capitulation started with the loss of five wickets for 10 runs in the
space of 37 deliveries in the face of some excellent bowling, particularly by
Stevens.He started the rout by having Steven Davies caught low at second slip for 23 by
Martin van Jaarsveld. In the next over Mark Ramprakash attempted to get off the mark with a risky single off Riaz, only for Joe Denly to swoop in from cover point and run out
Rory Hamilton-Brown (34) with a direct hit at the striker’s end.One run later Zander de Bruyn followed a Stevens’ awayswinger to guide a simple
catch to Key in the gully and depart for one. Then, without troubling the scorers, Ramprakash nicked a lifting awayswinger to keeper Geraint Jones to give Stevens a third, highly-prized scalp.Surrey’s demise gathered momentum when Jason Roy also went without scoring
after spooning a simple cut off Riaz to Denly at cover point. A short but heavy shower led to a 30-minute interruption and an early lunch, yet Surrey were still unable to stave off their collapse come the resumption.Tom Maynard’s hesitant shuffle at a Stevens’ off-cutter saw him perish leg
before wicket for 16 and though Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari both limped into
the 20s, Kent and Stevens in particular were unstoppable.Ansari holed out in the deep off Adam Ball, leaving Stevens to mop up the
tail. He trapped former team-mate Yasir Arafat leg before wicket and had both Tim
Linley and Jade Dernbach well held low at third slip by Matt Coles.Further showers led to the loss of five overs after tea and the break in
concentration led to the demise of Denly, caught on the crease and leg before
wicket to Linley’s second ball after the resumption.Linley had Sam Northeast caught behind and returned for a third stint to snare
Jones lbw, despite the hint of an inside edge, for a plucky 22. However, there were no mitigating circumstances for Stevens, van Jaarsveld and James Tredwell, who all fell to ill advised shots late in the day.

Worcestershire squandered a decent position on the first day of their County Championship match at Sussex despite a debut half-century from teenager Aneesh Kapil

10-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Worcestershire squandered a decent position on the first day of their County Championship match at Sussex despite a debut half-century from teenager Aneesh Kapil.The 18-year-old from Wolverhampton made an attractive 54 in his first four-day
game while skipper Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali also made half-centuries.When Kapil and Dutchman Alex Kervezee were adding 88 for the fifth wicket
either side of tea to take their side to 244 for 4, Sussex’s decision to bowl
first looked a mistake. But the tide turned when Kervezee chanced his arm looking for a third run which would have taken him to 50 and was run out by Joe Gatting’s accurate return
running round from third man.Worcestershire collapsed, losing their last six wickets for 56 runs and were
bowled out for 290. That left Sussex six overs to negotiate before stumps and Ed Joyce and Gatting, promoted to open in the absence of Chris Nash who is with England Lions,
survived comfortably to close on 16 for none.Sussex had been hoping to exploit any early dampness in the wicket and the
immediate signs were good. Matt Pardoe feathered a catch behind when James Anyon
seamed one away in his first over and then Vikram Solanki was beaten for pace
and bowled for a duck by Anyon to leave Worcestershire six for two.Mitchell and Moeen rebuilt in an excellent stand of 143 in 43 overs. Moeen was
particularly productive through the covers while his more pragmatic partner
accumulated steadily to blunt a Sussex side who used six bowlers before lunch in
search of another breakthrough.It finally came thanks to Monty Panesar, who bowled another long, probing spell
which was rewarded with three wickets. Mitchell (66) was leg before aiming
towards mid-wicket and then Moeen (71) was surprised by a ball which spun back
into him and gave a catch to wicketkeeper Ben Brown.Kapil showed few nerves, top-edging a six when Anyon tried to test him against
the short ball, and he reached his 50 with his fifth four. A pull off Kirk
Wernars brought him a sixth boundary but he perished to a gully catch off the
next ball and was sixth out.Sussex then encountered little resistance from the tail. Panesar returned and
immediately had Gareth Andrew well taken by the diving Mike Yardy at slip.Anyon finished with four for 71 after picking up two wickets with the second
new ball while Wayne Parnell had Saeed Ajmal well caught at third slip off a
flat-footed waft outside off stump.

Pakistan strolled to victory after being untroubled, chasing a below-par score on a batsmen friendly pitch in Harare

Firdose Moonda11-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez, with Imran Farhat, put on Pakistan’s best opening partnership in ODIs•Associated Press

Pakistan strolled to victory with no trouble at all, chasing a below-par score on a batsman-friendly pitch in Harare. They won the three-match series in comprehensive style as Mohammad Hafeez scored his third ODI century and Imran Farhat came good as well, in the second match after making his comeback. The pair put on 228, Pakistan’s highest opening partnership, to ensure an emphatic win.It was a tough day for Zimbabwe’s bowlers, who failed to threaten and were unable to stem the run-flow. By contrast, Pakistan’s attack restricted Zimbabwe after Brendan Taylor mistakenly put his side in to bat. Taylor actually wanted to bowl, but asked to bat instead, and when he asked if he could reverse his decision, he was denied permission to do so.With some assistance on offer for the seamers, Pakistan’s left-arm pair of Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan gave little away. Tanvir extracted movement early on and both bowled around the off stump to deny Zimbabwe easy runs. Their opening pair, Chamu Chibhabha and Vusi Sibanda, gave in to frustration. Chibhabha was caught at mid-off while trying to go over the top and Sibanda perished, for the sixth time in 11 innings this summer, to the pull.Junaid continued to impress as his spell went on and caused problems with the short ball. After seven overs, he injured his ankle while racing to square leg to field off his own bowling and had to go off, but returned to complete his spell.

Smart stats

• The 228-run partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat is the highest opening stand for Pakistan in ODIs and their fourth-highest overall.

• The 253 balls faced during the opening partnership is the highest ever for Pakistan in ODIs, surpassing the previous best of 243 balls between Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti against New Zealand in 1999.

• The double-hundred partnership is the 14th for Pakistan in ODIs, bringing them level second with Australia on the list of teams with the most 200-plus stands. India are on top with 17.

• The victory is Pakistan’s fourth ten-wicket win in ODIs. Their previous such win came against West Indies in the World Cup game in Dhaka.

• Hafeez’s 139 is the second-highest score by a Pakistan batsman against Zimbabwe in ODIs behind Mohammad Yousuf’s 141 in 2002. Hafeez has now scored two centuries and two fifties in his last six ODI innings.

• The 47 balls remaining at the end of the win is the second-highest for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in ODIs, in games in which they have successfully chased 200-plus targets.

• The 104-run stand between Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Zimbabwe against Pakistan in ODIs.

Spin was introduced from both ends after 20 overs and Zimbabwe eased into single scoring mode, with Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor putting on the team’s best performance against Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal. Zimbabwe scored 52 runs in 10 overs with the bulk of them coming in singles. Masakadza played responsibly, spotting the gaps and doing most of the calling.Cheema returned to try and break what was becoming a sizeable partnership but he did not succeed, though he kept the runs down. Masakadza brought up his half- century with a small nudge to fine leg and Taylor reached the milestone with a quick couple in the same area. They had crafted the platform to launch from, but neither were able to.Taylor was caught at third man after upper-cutting a short and wide delivery, and Masakadza was run out by a direct throw from Misbah-ul-Haq, after he had started the acceleration with Tatenda Taibu at the other end. With the energy Taibu brought to the crease, Masakadza was encouraged to take on the bowling and smashed the biggest shot of the match, a six that landed in the rugby field.Taibu swept confidently and was the most at ease with the attack, but could not provide the required impetus. Tanvir bowled him and it was up to Elton Chigumbura to finish strongly but it was a tough ask. Only at the end did Chigumbura launch and Zimbabwe finished with a 14-run over.Zimbabwe’s bowlers were always going to struggle to defend 225. Chris Mpofu and Brian Vitori were able to keep Pakistan to 36 in the first ten overs. The change bowlers, however, were ineffective and expensive, and Pakistan were running away with the chase at 70 without loss after 15 overs.Ray Price tried his best to contain, but had no support from the other end. Hafeez played aggressively, the pull shot serving him well, while Farhat accumulated. The pair had to take few risks as they were rarely put under any sort of pressure.Hafeez’s century came with a slog-sweep for six. He then tore into Vitori, smacking him for three fours in his eighth over. Hafeez, fittingly, finished the match off with a trademark pull behind square to win the series for Pakistan.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between India and England in Mohali

The Preview by Andrew Miller19-Oct-2011

Match Facts

October 20, Mohali
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)There was plenty of needle between England and India in Delhi, but the final result was a trouncing for the visitors•Getty Images

Big Picture

As Rudyard Kipling once put it: “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” The contemptuous dominance that England enjoyed in their home Test series against India is now being reprised in reverse in their one-day tour against the same opponents.England’s opening two ODIs in Hyderabad and Delhi resulted in two crushing defeats, and unless they can stop the rot at the third time of asking in Mohali, they will have squandered the series with two games to play. It’s hard to envisage any such transformation taking place, however. With one victory in their last 15 ODIs in India – and none since April 2006 – England have been in this position before, and have yet to work out an escape route.India are a much-changed team from the outfit that won the World Cup back in April, but in their first home campaign since that momentous achievement, they have tapped into the same well of confidence. England faced trial by spin in the first game, and trial by seam in the second, and while their batsmen faltered on each occasion, India’s have gone from strength to strength.From MS Dhoni’s blistering assault in the final 16 overs of the first match, to Virat Kohli’s crushing double-century partnership with Gautam Gambhir in the second, the defining feature of India’s performances to date has been the fluidity of their run-scoring. Whereas England’s innings have been staccato at best, with occasional boundary shots punctuated by long periods of failed strike rotation, India’s ability to create gaps in the field has been nigh on impossible to match, and even harder to stop.In that regard, the absence of Eoin Morgan has been critical for England. His nominal replacement, Jonny Bairstow, hits a long ball given half a chance, as demonstrated on debut at Cardiff last month, but he has yet to learn the versatility required to dominate on Indian pitches. He’s not alone in that regard. Craig Kieswetter has managed one boundary and seven runs in 13 balls so far, and while Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have looked at ease in the conditions when they’ve got in, neither man has been able to put pedal to metal in the manner of their India counterparts.England’s problems extend to their bowling attack as well. Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan have impressed in an individual capacity, even though their figures hardly reflect their efforts, but Jade Dernbach’s variations have been collared, while Samit Patel has struggled as a spin-bowling allrounder. Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and even Kohli’s leg-rollers have all proven more effective. It will take a considerable swing in fortunes for England to prove greater than the sum of India’s parts in the coming contests.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLTL

England LLWTW

In the spotlight

There was no love lost between England’s bowlers and Virat Kohli in Delhi, but seeing as he butchered them with a sublime 89-ball hundred, there was only one winner of that particular skirmish. Whatever technical suspicions were aired on the England tour, they were nowhere to be seen as he filleted the gaps in the field with aplomb, and he further confirmed his prowess on home soil with five nagging overs of unhittable medium pace. At the age of 22, he is seizing his chance to become the flag-bearer of India’s new generation.Jade Dernbach is a remarkable bowler for England to have in their ranks – a genuinely innovative seamer with an arsenal of variation to call upon, and time on his side to fine-tune his repertoire. When he gets it right, as he did with a looping slower ball to pin Gautam Gambhir lbw in Hyderabad, he can bamboozle the best players; however, when his variations are clocked, the joke is invariably on him – and so far in this campaign, he has one wicket at 99.00 in 16 overs. As Shane Warne once said of young legspin bowlers, he needs a lot of love to build the confidence upon which his skills will be pinned, but he’s not getting it on this most torrid of tours to date.

Pitch and conditions

One of the most northerly venues in India, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium has traditionally offered something to the seamers, although on the evidence of the second ODI, it is India’s pairing of Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar who are better placed to exploit whatever is on offer.

Team news

No change was necessary the hosts in Delhi despite the conditions being markedly different, and so more of the same can be expected in Mohali. It makes quite a contrast to the recent tour of England, on which casualties abounded.India (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh YadavPatel’s place is under scrutiny following two poor bowling performances in the opening two games. Chris Woakes, one of his likelier replacements, has been ruled out of the tour through injury. His replacement is Graham Onions, although the legspinner Scott Borthwick is arguably first in line for a call-up. Despite being at 30s and 40s in Delhi, England may yet resist the temptation to tinker with the batting, with Ian Bell once again set to wait his turn.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Scott Borthwick, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

Stats and trivia

• India have a chequered history in ODIs at Mohali – they have won six and lost four of their ten games at the venue since 1993.
  
• However, Mohali retains a significant place in the nation’s affections, given the result of the last game it hosted in March 2011: the victorious World Cup semi-final against Pakistan.

Quotes

“The challenge for me is to get the players in the right frame of mind. We will have some scars when we get to Mohali, but we’ll have to deal with them.”

Alastair Cook faces up to his toughest test as England captain“The youngsters are stepping up, and coming up with the performances needed at international level – both with ball and bat.”
MS Dhoni is delighted with the development of a new-look India team

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya17-Nov-2011

Match facts

Friday, November 18
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)Mahela Jayawardene is just 13 runs away from reaching 10,000 runs in ODIs•AFP

Big Picture

Sri Lanka’s first victory on this tour of the UAE would come as a relief for them not merely for the fact that they broke a winless run. The win also marked a return to form for Mahela Jayawardene, whose struggles with the bat this tour have been a setback for a team that is heavily reliant on a core group of experienced batsmen that includes him.Equally encouraging was the performance of their bowlers, who’ve collectively fallen short of matching a superior Pakistan attack but have been able to improve their chances with the return of Lasith Malinga for the limited-overs games. The series level 1-1, Sri Lanka have the confidence and the players in form they need to press ahead and put behind them the defeat in the Tests and the capitulation in the first ODI.Pakistan will be disappointed they were bowled out in 46.3 overs in a chase they could have sealed, thanks to Umar Akmal’s own return to form. He made 91 and was looking good in the company of the middle-order batsmen who chipped in with useful contributions, but didn’t do enough to secure a win. Abdul Razzaq, Sarfraz Ahmed and Shahid Afridi were set, yet failed to see their team through. Pakistan are still favourites to take this series but Sri Lanka’s renewed confidence could make that task significantly tougher.

Form guide

Pakistan: LWWWW

Sri Lanka: WLWLW

Watch out for…

He was once a batting allrounder but the role has reversed for Thisara Perera, who opens the bowling and bats at No.8. His onslaught against Zaheer Khan in the World Cup 2011 final is a reminder that he has much to offer with the bat. He’s useful with the ball with his variations in pace. He was included in this series as a replacement for the injured Dhammika Prasad, and will want to seize this opportunity to keep his place. He hasn’t started too badly, with an economical 2 for 30 in nine overs in Sri Lanka’s win.Abdul Razzaq has been around for a while, but he’s still only 31 and a big all-round asset for Pakistan. In a strong bowling line-up, his role has been limited – his last 10-over spell came in November 2009 and as far as opportunities with the bat are concerned, even more so. Though no one would question his ability, a strong all-round performance remains due. With Shoaib Malik also in the squad, he does face competition.

Team news

Pakistan don’t have any compelling reasons to make changes to their side but perhaps they could give Junaid Khan a go, following his impressive show in the Tests.Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema/Junaid Khan.Chanaka Welegedera has been drafted into the Sri Lankan squad in place of an injured Suranga Lakmal, who didn’t play the previous game. However, it remains to be seen if Welegedara plays tomorrow.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Seekkuge Prasanna, 11 Dilhara Fernando.

Stats and trivia

• Mahela Jayawardene is 13 runs short of 10,000 runs in ODIs and 46 runs short of reaching the same landmark in Tests. He’ll become the ninth batsman to reach that landmark in ODIs.

Quotes

“I think 230-250 would be a par score these days with the new rules.”

A car that was carrying Enamul Haque and Johan Cloete, the on-field umpires of the third ODI on Tuesday, was hit by a stone

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2011A car that was carrying Enamul Haque and Johan Cloete, the on-field umpires of the third ODI between Bangladesh and Pakistan on Tuesday, was hit by a stone in Chittagong’s Akbar Shah locality. The umpires were returning to their hotel from the at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium when the incident happened.The Bangladesh Cricket Board media manager Rabeed Imam told ESPNcricinfo that nobody was injured in the incident and the umpires reached their hotel in central Chittagong safely.”An incident has been reported,” Imam said. “An object was hurled at the vehicle carrying the match officials that had the board’s security escort. It damaged part of the window, but nobody was hurt. Everyone reached the hotel safely. The BCB condemns the incident and are taking the matter seriously. The investigation is being conducted in consultation with local police. We are awaiting a report from them.”Bangladesh were beaten by Pakistan in the third and final ODI by 58 runs, completing a 3-0 series sweep.Chittagong does not have a record of crowd attacks but during the last World Cup the West Indies team bus was pelted with stones after Bangladesh were bowled out for 58 and lost by nine wickets in Mirpur.

A tight bowling performance from Mountaineers helped them bowl Eagles out for 115 and win the Stanbic Bank 20 Series for the second time since its inception in 2009-10

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2011
ScorecardMountaineers have won two out of the first three Stanbic Bank 20 Series•Zimbabwe Cricket

A tight bowling performance from Mountaineers helped them bowl Eagles out for 115 and win the Stanbic Bank 20 Series for the second time since its inception in 2009-10. Mountaineers only managed to get 142 after choosing to bat on a humid afternoon in Harare and considering Eagles had scored 207 runs on the same ground in the qualifying final, they were the favourites to win at the half-way stage. However, Mountaineers’ new-ball pair of Dirk Nannes and Shingi Masakadza rocked Eagles chase early before Chris Harris, the former New Zealand allrounder, and Prosper Utseya, the Zimbabwe offspinner, made important strikes and ensured a 27-run victory for Mountaineers.Shingi Masakadza struck the first blow, getting rid of Ryan ten Doeschate, who had scored a rapid century in the qualifying final the previous day, in the second over of the chase. ten Doeschate cut straight to Shingi’s brother Hamilton Masakadza at point when he was on just 1. Peter Trego was dismissed slashing at a Nannes delivery and when Rory Hamilton-Brown was caught at deep square leg Eagles were in trouble at 25 f or 3.Stuart Matsikenyeri made a solid 34 and forged together a 44-run partnership with Forster Mutizwa to get Eagles back into the game. Matsikenyeri was run out in the 12th over and Mountaineers pounced on the opening. Mutizwa, who had been struck on the shoulder by a throw, gave Utseya a return catch to be dismissed for 27, Elton Chigumbura lofted Harris into the hands of long-on and Eagles could not recover. Utseya ended up with figures of 2 for 10 from three overs while Shingi Masakadza had 3 for 21, taking the final wicket with a yorker that bowled Tinotenda Mutombodzi.It was a stirring performance from the Mountaineers bowlers after their batsmen had fallen a few runs short of a good total. After a brisk start, Mountaineers had lost three quick wickets: Kevin Kasuza was caught in the covers, Hamilton Masakadza, the Mountaineers captain, missed a yorker and was bowled and Timycen Maruma was run out. Those losses left Mountaineers 51 for 3. Phil Mustard ensured the scoring-rate did not dip, hitting seven fours and two sixes in his 56 off 31 balls.Chris Harris played a sensible hand to steady the innings and then Shingi Masakadza chipped in with 23 runs off 18 balls. Mountaineers reached 142, which though not a big total was enough for the bowlers to defend.

Had it not rained, and if the full 50 overs of the South African innings had been bowled, Tillakaratne Dilshan may have been able to smile whole-heartedly for the first time this year

Firdose Moonda in Bloemfontein18-Jan-2012Irony can be cruel and it played one of its most callous cards when Sri Lanka’s bid to stay alive in the series was killed off by wet weather. After the favours rained on them in that famous relegation game in the 2003 World Cup – when South Africa’s mathematical deficiency meant the showers fell in Sri Lanka’s favour – the wheel was bound to turn at some stage.When it did, it was violent. Sri Lanka were crushed when they had already been beaten, and even though they got better, they were never quite good enough. So far, their series has been characterised by starts with the bat without pushing on, wayward bowling that lacks penetration and a fielding side that can look worse than a leaky tap.A montage of Tillakaratne Dilshan’s expressions as the series has progressed would tell a tale of hope turning into despair, disappointment and ultimately disillusion. Dilshan, like anyone involved in the series, expected fifty-over contests that would be compelling and competitive. He did not see this coming.After Paarl, where he had struggled to explain exactly what had happened, the expectations appeared too great and a repair job had to be done before East London. Even though Sri Lanka’s batting effort in East London was close to five-and-a-half times better in numerical terms, it wasn’t enough to give them a win. In Bloemfontein, they achieved and surpassed their stated goal of 250, and had a real chance of keeping themselves alive in the series when weather intervened.It could have been different. One more wicket would have put them into the South African tail and changed the Duckworth-Lewis equation. One less run in Lasith Malinga’s last over, the wide perhaps, could have changed the complexion of a tight chase. One more save in the field could have eventually left South Africa just short. Ifs and buts are useless now that the series has been lost.It was difficult to look at Dilshan’s face on Tuesday night. He has appeared at a loss before. When he was hit for two back-to-back fours off an over in East London, for example, he wore an expression of extreme exasperation. When he carelessly lost his wicket in Bloemfontein, he seemed to be angry with himself, for the first time in a series where that sort of self-fury could have emerged after every one of his dismissals. But when he arrived to address the media after Sri Lanka conceded the series, the helplessness on his face was pitiful.”Everything is coming against us,” he said, with a small shake of the head. “We had a good chance to win this one-dayer but we can’t control the rain.”No, they cannot and this time it worked against them. Had it not rained, and if the full 50 overs of the South African innings had been bowled, Dilshan may have been able to smile whole-heartedly for the first time this year. Instead, he was forced to look at the core of Sri Lanka’s problems starting with the simple fact that every time they got better, South Africa did too.Although Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis were rested for the last three games, South Africa had Faf du Plessis to take charge of the chase. Although the seamers struggled on a flat, hard pitch that required them to bend their backs, Robin Peterson bowled 10 impressive overs to keep Sri Lanka in check. Once again, it was a case of not enough runs for the visitors – they were on track to score in excess of 300, after reaching 155 for 3 after 30 overs, but finished with 266 for 9.”All their spinners bowled well but we needed one guy to continue batting after getting a start,” Dilshan said. “One guy should bat 40 to 45 overs in the top order. We were short another 20 runs today. Before we started I thought 250 or 260 will be a good total. But when we started batting I thought 280.”This time, that batsman could have been Dilshan himself. He had a quiet start and scored his first boundary only after 41 balls. He even brought out the Dilscoop, a shot that suggested he was feeling in control. Then, he simply tossed it away and for the first time he admitted that he knew he had done the wrong thing. “They bowled a tight line to me so I didn’t want to take any chances at the beginning,” he said. “Upul was scoring well so I had no need to take any chances. I wanted to bat throughout the innings and I was really disappointed to get out in the 30s.”Already, questions have arisen about Dilshan’s ability to lead and suggestion is thick in the air that his captaincy lease will not be renewed once the series is over. Dilshan said he will not terminate it himself. “I have to finish this one-day series. I have been appointed for this,” he said. “And I will captain for the next few series if asked.”There’s no point even thinking that far. For now, Dilshan will have to lift his team and stave off a rampant South African side that is eyeing a whitewash. “We are doing everything in preparation but everything is going wrong for us,” he said. “We are getting close but we can’t finish it off. We have to finish strongly.”