Pakistan Cricket Board to buy 680 high-priced Delhi one-day tickets

Delhi has emerged as the most sought after destination for PakistaniVVIPs, VIPs and celebrities for the upcoming bilateral series as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought almost 700 tickets for the January 6 one-day match here.

This is besides the 1,000 tickets earmarked for fans.

It is the highest number of tickets that the PCB would be buying at any of the five venues hosting the matches, beginning on December 25 in Bangalore. The visiting delegation to Delhi is expected to include ministers, celebrities and businessmen, even though Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has chosen to go to Kolkata for the second ODI. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also keen to play the perfect host, particularly to the VVIPs and VIPs who would be heading to India from all parts of the world to watch the first India-Pakistan bilateral series in five years. Sources said that the BCCI has told the match-hosting associations to reserve the best seats for these guests, and ensure a constant supply of snacks and beverages for them during the matches.

It was decided at a recent BCCI working committee meeting that four of the five match- hosting associations would reserve 50 tickets for the VIPs as per PCB's request while for Delhi the number was 100. Besides these, the source said, the PCB has sought 30 seats in the VVIP Box, 50 tickets in the highest paid enclosure of the stadium and 500 tickets in general stands of the Ferozeshah Kotla, taking the number to 680.

"The BCCI has told the associations that they should also provide car parking space for these VVIPs and VIPs and ensure that they are served well while watching matches. Preferably, they should be housed in corporate boxes, which are there at all stadiums, and food and beverage services should be close to their enclosure," a top source told Mail Today. At the same time, the Home Ministry has, for the first time, told the BCCI to provide a list of hotels, along with room tariff, where the visiting fans could stay. The source said that the ministry would set up a "police reporting desk" at all the hotels where fans would stay, so that they can keep an eye on them as well as make their stay hassle- free.

At a recent meeting with top BCCI officials in Delhi, home ministry officials spelled out the strict do's and don'ts for the associations that will host the matches, to be played in Bangalore (T20 International, Dec 25), Ahmedabad (T20 International, Dec 27), Chennai (ODI, Dec 30), Kolkata (ODI, Jan 3) and Delhi.

"The BCCI told the association representatives to inform the chief secretary of the state, the state police, and the district magistrate about the match so that they could make the necessary bandobast," the source said." The Board will inform the home ministry about these match details so that it could coordinate with the host states.

A ministry liaison officer will travel with the team throughout the series," he disclosed.

All five associations have been asked to provide a list of hotels to fans for booking rooms. "These hotels, not the ones where the two teams would be staying, should preferably have many rooms so that many fans could stay at one place for easy monitoring." the source said.

"Amongst the details that were mandatory for the associations to submit by December 1 was the room tariff, and name of persons who should be contacted for booking rooms," he said. 

"The ministry explained that it was necessary because it would be instructing the police to set up police desk for fans. This could serve two purposes: assistance for fans and monitor them." The police are taking precaution especially as some Pakistani fans, who had come to watch matches during the previous bilateral series in 2007, stayed back without valid visas." That is why this time fans will get visas on producing match tickets, hotel accommodation, and return tickets to their homes," said the source. "The ministry has specifically told top BCCI officials that these are the obligations and they are to be met by all five associations where matches will be played, besides fixing deadlines for delivery of tickets to the PCB."

We all wanted to be like Pankaj Roy: Ganguly

KOLKATA: Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday said his generation of players in Bengal all wanted to be like celebrated Test opener Pankaj Roy when he started playing cricket.

"The modern generation wants to be like (MS) Dhoni, (Rahul) Dravid or Yuvraj (Singh) but when we started playing cricket all we knew was about Pankaj-da," said Ganguly at the launch of a book on Bengal's cricket legend Roy.

Pankaj Roy is best known for establishing the world record opening partnership of 413 runs with Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand at Chennai in 1956, which remained unbroken for 52 years.

The Bengali version of the biography 'Pankaj', written by journalist Gautam Bhattacharya and edited and conceptualised by Roy's son Pranab - also a former Test cricketer - was released by cricketing iconSachin Tendulkar at the glittering function graced by the entire Indian cricket team and a host of Bengali film celebrities and business magnates.

"I never got to see the great one play. I have only heard stories about him. It will be good to know more things about him and his contribution to the sport," said Tendulkar.

Current India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni released the English edition of the book along with Ganguly.

Cricket Kenya picks first chairwoman

Cricket Kenya has unanimously elected Zehra Janmohammed as its new chairwoman, the first woman to head a national cricket board.

Janmohammed, a Nairobi-based lawyer, who previously served as a legal adviser to the old Kenya Cricket Association (KCA), was elected unopposed to replace the incumbent Samir Inamdar, who has served for the last seven years.

"I take this opportunity to thank the cricket fraternity for placing their trust for leadership under me," she said.

"I would like to make a covenant of uniting everyone for the benefit of the sport and my only agenda will be to grow resultJanmohammed takes over at a time when the national cricket board is implementing a comprehensive review initiated by the outgoing office following the country's worst performance at the World Cup.

"My short term plans are to ensure both the national under-19 and the senior men's team qualify for the next World Cup," she added.

"Kenya plays Canada in the UAE in March, in a match we need to win to stay in contention for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand."

New looks for Australian cricket grounds

Before the iconic arc of Moses Mabhida held up the Durban sky, there was a grotty grey concrete block masquerading as a football stadium in its place. It was so nondescript that I can barely remember it. But I have vivid recollections of how the new stadium grew each time I went back to Durban. Over three years from 2006, what started as a building site turned into a gleaming white façade.

All over the country, works of art were being erected. Not far from my home in Johannesburg, the calabash shaped Soccer City was being sculpted, in Port Elizabeth the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was taking the shape of the Sydney Opera House, and in Nelspruit giraffe-shaped supports held together the Mbombela Stadium. It seemed as though the whole country was under construction.

The ten theatres of dreams that were being refurbished, and in some cases created, were for the 2010 Football World Cup. Australia’s Cricket World Cup is still three years away, but there is building going on at three of the four grounds I’ve visited on this tour, and only in Perth is the construction because of cricket.

An ambitious apartment project, which will offer buyers a view of the cricket from their balconies, is about to get underway at the WACA. It is the brainchild of Dennis Lillee and will not be for the average cricket fan. One-bedroom apartments will start at AUD 520,000 with penthouses costing AUD 2.7 million. I’m told property is more expensive in Perth, but for those prices a more than decent abode could be bought in South Africa.

A new grandstand is also being built. Lillee said the two developments will keep Test cricket at the WACA for the foreseeable future while limited-overs matches may be played at a venue like Burswood, which is still under construction. It also means the WACA will not be at risk of substituting its “unique” pitch, as Lillee called it, while other Australian grounds like the Adelaide Oval are moving towards drop-in pitches.

Australian Rules Football, the winter sport, is the moneymaker in these parts and often shares grounds with cricket, the summer sport. It’s because of the popularity of the AFL and the demand for more seats that stadiums are expanding. Both the SCG and the Adelaide Oval will soon have completely different characters, as they become bigger and more modern.

The WACA is no danger of that. Subiaco Oval is the where all the kicking games, including soccer, are played in Perth, and that leaves the WACA solely for cricket. Lillee’s dream is to turn that into a lifestyle, which is why he has been the driving force behind the living complex. It made me wonder if there could ever be a way to do the same in South Africa.

The Wanderers in Johannesburg already has an apartment block next to it and the residents have occasionally been known to get tetchy over the parking situation, the roads being closed and the music and fireworks during a cricket match. While it remains my favourite ground in South Africa, SuperSport Park in Centurion is more homely.

Over the years, SuperSport Park is also the ground that has changed most notably. The wooden chalets on the grass embankment were replaced with brick ones, and two seasons ago a swimming pool and deck were added to the main stand. Apart from occasional flooding of the Hennops River, it would accommodate housing quite comfortably in the area closest to the river.

Other grounds have remained pretty and there seems to be little need for that to change drastically. Kingsmead’s grandstand could do with a lick of a paint, Paarl could use a proper press box instead of single-level scaffolding, and Benoni is long overdue a make-over. But for the rest, if ain’t broke, we don’t fix it.

The other difference, of course, is that none of South Africa’s grounds are used for any other sport. Moses Mabhida was in danger of becoming the first, when it hosted Makhaya Ntini’s farewell match, a disappointing T20 on a slow, drop-in pitch. While the cricket was bland, the spectacle was not.

It was the first time I had been inside the stadium I watched being built, and it was magnificent. But that kind of flash is best enjoyed occasionally. The WACA, whose redevelopment is being confined to one side, seems to know that.

Cricket: Huge changes at Sri Lanka Cricket

Come January Sri Lanka Cricket will have a new Chief Executive Officer who will be responsible for all matters pertaining to cricket.

 

It is learned that the position will be advertised next week.

 

A senior member of the SLC executive committee said that the present acting CEO Ajith Jayasekera has been moved to handle matters regarding the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), but he will handle administration till the vacancy is filled by January 15.

 

The SLC member said: “The new CEO will be given the task of handling all matters on cricket with his staff keeping with the recommendation of former ICC chief Haroon Lorgat and the executive committee will handle only policy matters.” However, the new CEO will be a person with both cricket and an administrative background, he said.

 

The position of CEO was earlier handled by Dhammika Ranatunga, Anura Tennekoon and Duleep Mendis.

 

On Friday (30) the executive committee met Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and discussed the Lorgat report and the ways to implement its recommendations.

 

Minister Aluthgamage said: “It is embarrassing to say that till I met the SLC executive committee and discussed about the Lorgat report they had not even planned to discuss the matter. I asked them after spending that huge sum of money to get professional opinion, why they had not taken any steps to implement the Lorgat recommendations.

 

“I directed the ex-co to ascertain what segments of the report that they could implement from that report and report back to me by the end of December. However I stressed that a strong CEO who should be running the show – not SLC President Upali Dharmadasa and Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga as it is happening now. I directed them to make that move with immediate effect.

 

“Besides that, I also told the ex-co to reduce its members – it has 22 now –and limit it to about six in keeping with the Lorgat report.”

 

Another matter that the minister pointed out was that the SLC should have one opinion on the cricket structure – whether it is going to be a club-based structure or a cascading provincial system.

 

The minister said the recommendations of the Lorgat report would be implemented during next year.

 

County Cricket Round-Up - 6th September

6 September 2012

Warwickshire were crowned LV= County Champions a little after lunch on third day at New Road as they bowled Worcestershire out for 209 in their second innings to win by an innings and 202 runs. Chris Wright took the last three wickets to fall to end with figures of four for 65, while Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin took two each today. Full story
Nottinghamshire need 347 to win on the final day at The Oval having bowled Surrey out for 304 in their second innings. Spinners Graeme White and Sam Wood shared seven Surrey wickets between them as Zander de Bruyn and Gary Wilson both made half-centuries and added 90 for the sixth-wicket.
An interesting final day is also in store at Hove, where Somerset closed on 155 for four in pursuit of 396 to win. Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah had added 147 for the first-wicket, but Steve Magoffin struck three times just before the close after Monty Panesar had bowled Trescothick for 71. Murray Goodwin had earlier fallen 23 runs short of a farewell century in what could be his last match for Sussex as they were all out for 308 in their second innings. Alfonso Thomas ended with five for 68.
A draw looks the likely result at Lord’s as Middlesex closed on 129 for two in their second innings after finally bowling Lancashire out for 448 in their first. Karl Brown top-scored with 78 for the visitors, while Gareth Cross hit 59 off only 35 balls to help them claim an important fourth batting bonus point. Slow left-arm spinner Ravi Patel ended with figures of four for 126 from 35 overs.
Yorkshire went up to second in Division Two after wrapping up victory over Glamorgan with a day to spare at Headingley. They bowled the visitors out for just 182 in their second innings to set themselves a none-too-challenging target of 111. Steven Patterson ended with four wickets for Yorkshire, while Adam Lyth hit 50 in the run chase as they won by eight wickets.
Gloucestershire remain at the foot of Division Two in spite of recording a comprehensive 207-run win over Northamptonshire on the third day at Bristol. Liam Norwell took five for 51 to help bowl the visitors out for 224 after they had been set 432 to win by dismissing the home side for 311 in the morning. David Sales and Andrew Hall both hit half-centuries in Northamptonshire’s run chase, but they were all out for 224 to fall comfortably short.
Derbyshire endured a frustrating third day against Kent at Canterbury. First they had to overcome their displeasure at England off-spinner James Tredwell being allowed to replace Adam Riley despite initially being told that he wouldn’t be able to do so; and then they had to watch Kent rack up 342 for eight in their second innings prior to declaring. Sam Northeast scored a large proportion of those runs, falling 11 short of his highest first-class score in making 165, while Brendan Nash (62) and Mike Powell (56 not out) both passed 50. The visitors then lost Wayne Madsen to the fourth ball of their run chase and closed on 30 for one in pursuit of 404 to win. Tredwell bowled five overs without conceding a run.
Hampshire look destined to fail in pursuit of the victory which would help them considerably in their promotion quest as they closed on 73 for three after being set 427 to win by Essex. Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster had backed up Owais Shah’s century yesterday with a pair of brisk of half-centuries today as Essex were bowled out for the formidable second innings total of 475.
Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
Day Four, CCD1, Middlesex v Lancashire at Lord’s
Day Four, CCD1, Surrey v Nottinghamshire at The Oval
Day Four, CCD1, Sussex v Somerset at Hove
Day Four, CCD2, Hampshire v Essex at Southampton
Day Four, CCD2, Kent v Derbyshire at Canterbury
Weather Forecast: Tomorrow will be another dry and mostly sunny day. The northern half of England and Wales may cloud over in the afternoon, but temperatures will remain mild and peak at between 19 and 25 degrees Celsius.
County News In Brief:
Warwickshire all-rounder Neil Carter has spoken of his desire to play international cricket for Scotland in the near future. Carter was born in South Africa, but his mother was born in Scotland. He is targeting a One-Day International against Australia next year as a possible debut fixture.
Durham have given fast-bowler Liam Plunkett permission to speak to other counties. The club have been penalised for breaching the ECB’s salary cap and have been fined £2500, and will be docked 2.5 points in the LV= County Championship and a quarter of a point each in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and Friends Life t20 standings for next season.
Robert Croft has, as expected, announced his retirement from professional cricket. He will now work in a coaching and ambassadorial role at Glamorgan. Croft said, “It’s finally dawning on me that my career is coming to an end. I’m pleased to end my career with a home match against Kent at the SWALEC next week, but when I walk up those stairs for the last time as a player, I will be emotional, there’s sure to be a tear in my eye.”
Middlesex have either signed or re-signed four players. Joe Denly has penned a new three-year deal, which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2015 season, while Tom Smith has signed a one-year contract extension. Ravi Patel has decided to forgo his course at Loughborough University and has signed a two-year deal, while Nick Gubbins has graduated from an Academy contract to a three-year summer one. He starts a course at Leeds University next month.
According to the BBC, Northamptonshire are interested in signing Surrey all-rounder Matthew Spriegel for next season. The 25 year-old is out of contract at The Oval at the end of this season.
Yorkshire have completed the signing of Sussex wicket-keeper Andrew Hodd on a two-year deal. Hodd is currently on-loan at the club following the departure of Gerard Brophy.
© Cricket World 2012

County Cricket Round-Up - 6th September

6 September 2012

Warwickshire were crowned LV= County Champions a little after lunch on third day at New Road as they bowled Worcestershire out for 209 in their second innings to win by an innings and 202 runs. Chris Wright took the last three wickets to fall to end with figures of four for 65, while Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin took two each today. Full story
Nottinghamshire need 347 to win on the final day at The Oval having bowled Surrey out for 304 in their second innings. Spinners Graeme White and Sam Wood shared seven Surrey wickets between them as Zander de Bruyn and Gary Wilson both made half-centuries and added 90 for the sixth-wicket.
An interesting final day is also in store at Hove, where Somerset closed on 155 for four in pursuit of 396 to win. Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah had added 147 for the first-wicket, but Steve Magoffin struck three times just before the close after Monty Panesar had bowled Trescothick for 71. Murray Goodwin had earlier fallen 23 runs short of a farewell century in what could be his last match for Sussex as they were all out for 308 in their second innings. Alfonso Thomas ended with five for 68.
A draw looks the likely result at Lord’s as Middlesex closed on 129 for two in their second innings after finally bowling Lancashire out for 448 in their first. Karl Brown top-scored with 78 for the visitors, while Gareth Cross hit 59 off only 35 balls to help them claim an important fourth batting bonus point. Slow left-arm spinner Ravi Patel ended with figures of four for 126 from 35 overs.
Yorkshire went up to second in Division Two after wrapping up victory over Glamorgan with a day to spare at Headingley. They bowled the visitors out for just 182 in their second innings to set themselves a none-too-challenging target of 111. Steven Patterson ended with four wickets for Yorkshire, while Adam Lyth hit 50 in the run chase as they won by eight wickets.
Gloucestershire remain at the foot of Division Two in spite of recording a comprehensive 207-run win over Northamptonshire on the third day at Bristol. Liam Norwell took five for 51 to help bowl the visitors out for 224 after they had been set 432 to win by dismissing the home side for 311 in the morning. David Sales and Andrew Hall both hit half-centuries in Northamptonshire’s run chase, but they were all out for 224 to fall comfortably short.
Derbyshire endured a frustrating third day against Kent at Canterbury. First they had to overcome their displeasure at England off-spinner James Tredwell being allowed to replace Adam Riley despite initially being told that he wouldn’t be able to do so; and then they had to watch Kent rack up 342 for eight in their second innings prior to declaring. Sam Northeast scored a large proportion of those runs, falling 11 short of his highest first-class score in making 165, while Brendan Nash (62) and Mike Powell (56 not out) both passed 50. The visitors then lost Wayne Madsen to the fourth ball of their run chase and closed on 30 for one in pursuit of 404 to win. Tredwell bowled five overs without conceding a run.
Hampshire look destined to fail in pursuit of the victory which would help them considerably in their promotion quest as they closed on 73 for three after being set 427 to win by Essex. Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster had backed up Owais Shah’s century yesterday with a pair of brisk of half-centuries today as Essex were bowled out for the formidable second innings total of 475.
Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
Day Four, CCD1, Middlesex v Lancashire at Lord’s
Day Four, CCD1, Surrey v Nottinghamshire at The Oval
Day Four, CCD1, Sussex v Somerset at Hove
Day Four, CCD2, Hampshire v Essex at Southampton
Day Four, CCD2, Kent v Derbyshire at Canterbury
Weather Forecast: Tomorrow will be another dry and mostly sunny day. The northern half of England and Wales may cloud over in the afternoon, but temperatures will remain mild and peak at between 19 and 25 degrees Celsius.
County News In Brief:
Warwickshire all-rounder Neil Carter has spoken of his desire to play international cricket for Scotland in the near future. Carter was born in South Africa, but his mother was born in Scotland. He is targeting a One-Day International against Australia next year as a possible debut fixture.
Durham have given fast-bowler Liam Plunkett permission to speak to other counties. The club have been penalised for breaching the ECB’s salary cap and have been fined £2500, and will be docked 2.5 points in the LV= County Championship and a quarter of a point each in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and Friends Life t20 standings for next season.
Robert Croft has, as expected, announced his retirement from professional cricket. He will now work in a coaching and ambassadorial role at Glamorgan. Croft said, “It’s finally dawning on me that my career is coming to an end. I’m pleased to end my career with a home match against Kent at the SWALEC next week, but when I walk up those stairs for the last time as a player, I will be emotional, there’s sure to be a tear in my eye.”
Middlesex have either signed or re-signed four players. Joe Denly has penned a new three-year deal, which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2015 season, while Tom Smith has signed a one-year contract extension. Ravi Patel has decided to forgo his course at Loughborough University and has signed a two-year deal, while Nick Gubbins has graduated from an Academy contract to a three-year summer one. He starts a course at Leeds University next month.
According to the BBC, Northamptonshire are interested in signing Surrey all-rounder Matthew Spriegel for next season. The 25 year-old is out of contract at The Oval at the end of this season.
Yorkshire have completed the signing of Sussex wicket-keeper Andrew Hodd on a two-year deal. Hodd is currently on-loan at the club following the departure of Gerard Brophy.
© Cricket World 2012

Essex Award Masters Benefit Year For 2013

5 September 2012

Experienced Essex fast bowler David Masters has been awarded a Benefit Year by the club for the 2013 season.
Masters, 34, joined Essex in 2008 from Kent and enjoyed unprecedented success in 2011 when he took 93 first-class wickets. In all competitions since the move, he has taken 387 wickets.
He said: "The 2013 season is going to be an exciting year as being rewarded a benefit year is a privilege and huge accolade for any county cricketer.
"I would like to thank the Club and the Members for all the support I've received over the years and for awarding me with this Benefit Year."
This season he has taken 46 first-class wickets at an average of 18.97.
© Cricket World 2012

County Cricket Round-Up - 5th September

5 September 2012

Warwickshire need eight more wickets tomorrow to secure the 2012 Championship title with a round of matches still to play. They racked up 471 for eight before declaring on the second day at New Road to take a monumental first innings lead of 411 against Worcestershire. Varun Chopra took his overnight 115 to 195 before being bowled by Joe Leach, while Ian Blackwell hit 84 off only 81 balls at number seven. Worcestershire lost Phil Hughes in the second over of their second innings, but recovered to close on 100 for two.
Should Warwickshire somehow slip up over the next two days at New Road, then Sussex are handily placed to beat Somerset to keep their title dreams alive. They bowled the visitors out for 134 on the second day at Hove to earn a first innings lead of 87 as each of Steve Magoffin, Lewis Hatchett and Monty Panesar ended with three wickets. Chris Nash then ended unbeaten on 106 in Sussex’s second innings as they closed on 186 for two. Murray Goodwin is not out on 51 in his final innings at Hove.
Nottinghamshire conceded a first innings lead of 42 runs after being bowled out for 227 against Surrey on day two at The Oval. The home side had been dismissed for 269 at the start of the day, with Tim Linley then starring with the ball, taking five for 62, including the key wickets of Alex Hales and James Taylor. Murali Kartik (three for 43) and Stuart Meaker (two for 50) shared the other wickets to fall.
Relegation-threatened Lancashire fought back on day two against Middlesex at Lord’s. They took the home side’s last four first innings wickets for 57 runs, mainly thanks to Glen Chapple (five for 86), and then reached stumps on 232 for three in their first innings. Tom Smith (55) and Luke Procter (30) added 95 for the first-wicket, while Paul Horton (64) and Ashwell Prince (57 not out) added 130 for the third-wicket.
Derbyshire’s match against Kent at Canterbury is evenly poised after two days thanks to a late wicket apiece from David Wainwright and Wes Durston which reduced the home side to 59 for three in their second innings. They had earlier dismissed the second division leaders for exactly 200 as former Durham bowler Mark Davies ended with figures of five for 27.
Gloucestershire lead by 406 runs at the end of the second day against Northamptonshire at Bristol. They bowled the visitors out for just 100 in the morning session, as James Fuller completed his five-wicket haul, and then overcame the early loss of both openers in their second innings to close on 286 for six. Ian Cockbain top-scored with 99 and shared a fifth-wicket stand of 98 with Hamish Marshall (30) and a sixth-wicket one of 78 with Will Gidman, who ended on 52 not out.
Owais Shah ended on 124 not out as Essex closed day two in the ascendancy against Hampshire in Southampton. He added 193 for the second-wicket with Jaik Mickleburgh (73) as they closed on 217 foe two in their second innings after limiting Hampshire’s first innings lead to 49 by bowling them out for 229.
Promotion-chasing Yorkshire took control against Glamorgan on the second day at Headingley. They earnt a 72-run first innings lead before reducing the visitors to 27 for two in their second innings courtesy of a brace of wickets from Steven Patterson. Yorkshire had earlier been bowled out for 344, with Adam Lyth (95) and Andrew Gale (55) both passing 50 and adding 120 for the third-wicket.
Tomorrow’s Fixtures:
Day Three, CCD1, Middlesex v Lancashire at Lord’s
Day Three, CCD1, Surrey v Nottinghamshire at The Oval
Day Three, CCD1, Sussex v Somerset at Hove
Day Three, CCD1, Worcestershire v Warwickshire at New Road
Day Three, CCD2, Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire at Bristol
Day Three, CCD2, Hampshire v Essex at Southampton
Day Three, CCD2, Kent v Derbyshire at Canterbury
Day Three, CCD2, Yorkshire v Glamorgan at Headingley
Weather Forecast: It should be another dry and sunny day tomorrow, with temperatures peaking at around 21 degrees Celsius under clear blue skies.
County News In Brief:
Leicestershire have signed 19 year-old all-rounder on his first professional contract for 2013.
Brian Rose will step down as Somerset’s Director of Cricket at the end of the season. The parting is believed to be amicable with Rose saying, “After the result on Finals Day (Somerset lost in the semi-final), I have come to the conclusion that a new and fresh approach is needed at first-team level.” He will continue in an advisory capacity at the club next season.
Essex CCC have awarded David Masters a benefit year for 2013. Full story
Glamorgan off-spinner Robert Croft is expected to announce his retirement from professional cricket in the coming days. He will take up a coaching and marketing role with the club.
Middlesex have extended the contract of overseas batsman Chris Rogers until the end of the 2014 season. The 35 year-old Australian will not play any Twenty20 cricket for the county over the next two seasons under the terms of his contract.
Jonathan Trott has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2012 season with a fractured hand, meaning that he will not be available for Warwickshire’s CB40 final at Lord’s on 15th September. Full story
Yorkshire opener Joe Root has been announced as the winner of the inaugural LV= County Championship Breakthrough Player Award.
© Cricket World 2012

County Cricket Round-Up - 7th September

7 September 2012

Lancashire’s failure to chase down the 304 for that they needed to beat Middlesex, coupled with Surrey’s win over Nottinghamshire, was enough to send the county champions down into Division Two for 2013 less than 12 months after they won their historic title.
They were bowled out for just 194 from 32 overs after being set an unlikely 304 to win from 39. Karl Brown top-scored with an aggressive 33 from 24 balls, but Ravi Patel (four for 72) and Steven Crook (five for 48) shared nine wickets. Earlier, Middlesex had declared on 305 for nine in their second innings, with Chris Rogers (86) and Dawid Malan (95) taking their overnight third-wicket stand to 134. Glen Chapple took five for 47, but it was all ultimately in vain.
Nottinghamshire flopped in pursuit of 347 to win against Surrey and were bowled out for only 151. Surrey captain Gareth Batty led the way with four for 30 from 21 overs, while Murali Kartik and Kevin Pietersen picked up two wickets each. Neil Edwards, replacing Alex Hales, who was withdrawn by England ahead of the World Twenty20, top-scored for Nottinghamshire with 31.
Somerset completed their successful pursuit of 396 on the final day against Sussex at Hove as James Hildreth ended unbeaten on 101 to guide them home with five wickets to spare. Hildreth added 80 for the fifth-wicket with Alex Barrow (40) and an unbroken 166 for the sixth-wicket with Peter Trego, who struck a typically robust 89 not out off only 72 balls.
Three teams are separated by just six points at the top of Division Two following Kent’s win over Derbyshire at Canterbury. Chasing 404 to win, or more likely, hoping to survive for the draw, Derbyshire were all out for 181 in the 109th over of their second innings, with Matt Coles (three for 29) and Darren Stevens (four for 37) sharing seven wickets.
Essex look to have ended Hampshire’s hopes of promotion by wrapping up victory by 122 runs on the final day in Southampton. Set 425 to win, and resuming on 73 for three, the home side were dismissed for 302, in spite of an excellent century from their captain Jimmy Adams, who carried his bat for 139. He shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 160 with Liam Dawson (90), but Reece Topley and Ryan ten Doeschate ended with three wickets apiece as Hampshire lost six wickets for 57 runs.
County News In Brief:
Lancashire have released seam bowler Naqaash Tahir after only one season on the staff.
Northamptonshire have completed the signing of Surrey all-rounder Matthew Spriegel on a two-year contract.
Work will begin on Monday on the £38.5 million redevelopment of Hampshire's Ageas Bowl ground in Southampton. The revamp will include the construction of a hotel and is expected to be completed in time for the Test match against India in 2014.
Surrey have released opening batsman Tom Lancefield. The 21 year-old is a product of the county’s youth system.

© Cricket World 2012

Cricket World Player Of The Week - Virat Kohli

Warwickshire confirmed themselves as 2012 County Champions yesterday by beating Worcestershire at New Road. Daniel Grummitt takes a look at some of the reasons behind their success.
At the beginning of the season in my preview piece for the LV= County Championship, I predicted that Warwickshire would finish a lowly sixth in Division One. I backed up my prediction with the observation that their batting looked “a little fragile, especially after they chose a bowler to fill the overseas spot” and that the “loss of Chris Woakes early in the season (through injury) is also a big blow.” While I was proved right to some degree with regards to the first statement – three of their first choice top six averaged less than 40, with two of those averaging less than 25 – I could not have been wider of the mark with the second point.
When Woakes played after recovering from his injury and in between call ups by England, he did extremely well – averaging an astonishing 87.75 with the bat and 23.32 with the ball – but it was the previously pretty much unheralded pairing of Keith Barker and Chris Wright who led the bowling attack. Both men passed 50 Championship wickets and averaged less than 25, complementing each other perfectly. Barker, a left-arm seamer, found swing, while Wright, backed up to an extent by Boyd Rankin towards the end of the season, provided the pace and hostility. When you add Jeetan Patel (46 wickets at an average of 22.02) – who looked like a mediocre overseas signing at the start of the year – Rikki Clarke (18 at 26.5) and Darren Maddy (11 at 29.27) to those four then you have a pretty potent bowling attack.
Another key ingredient of Warwickshire’s success was their excellent lower-order batting which made up for the frailty of the middle-order. While Maddy and William Porterfield endured poor seasons and Troughton was virtually runless for the first half, the likes of Clarke, Barker, Woakes and even Patel and Wright would regularly do more than just chip in. Clarke ended with an average of more than 45, while Barker, Patel and Wright all hovered around the 20 mark and made at least one important contribution each.
The opening match of the season against Somerset was a case in point. The excellence of Peter Trego had reduced them to 207 for eight in pursuit of 259 to win, but Patel hit an unbeaten 43 off only 36 balls and they won by two wickets. Indeed, Somerset were the only team that seemed to cause them any problems all season – their only loss came in the reverse fixture against them later in the season.
Lastly, a tribute to Warwickshire’s success wouldn’t be complete without mentioning their superb coaching and administrative staff – past and present. Ashley Giles has steadily rebuilt the club on the field since taking over at the end of 2007, while chief executive Colin Povey has done likewise off it since taking over the reins from Dennis Amiss in 2005. Giles has admitted that he was helped both in his playing and coaching career by Warwickshire stalwart Neal Abberley, who died in August last year, and has dedicated the win to his memory.
Warwickshire’s current coaching set-up is, besides Giles, led by former Derbyshire and Warwickshire seamer Graeme Welch, who has coaxed the best out of talents that were discarded by other counties – Keith Barker was turned down by Lancashire, while Chris Wright was released by Essex at the end of last season. As well as him there are Dougie Brown, the assistant coach and Tony Frost, the batting coach, who has helped the development of another Essex reject, Varun Chopra, who reflected on his and Wright’s sudden change in fortune, saying, “maybe a change is all me and Chris needed."
Warwickshire will be hoping that one thing that doesn’t change next season is the name on the winner’s trophy.
© Cricket World 2012

Pudsey Congs Beat Woodlands By One Wicket

5 September 2012

Pudsey Congs won at leaders Woodlands by one wicket after a dramatic last over on a day of exciting finishes in the JCT 600 Bradford League First Division. It was only Woodlands second defeat of the season.
The defending champions posted 201-8 with Simon Mason (44) and Chris Brice putting on 65 for the third wicket and, when Mason was out, Brice continued to hold the innings together finishing on 73 not out.
In-form opener Nick Lindley ensured Congs made a sound start with 55 out of 82 and they stayed on course despite losing wickets regularly, but when Richie Lamb was ninth out at 188 they still needed 14 to win. However, their last pair, wicket keeper Barney Gibson and Mushy Shah scored 11 runs from the final over to guide them home with one ball to spare.
At one stage the 2010 champions were in danger of relegation, but three wins out of their last four matches have all but ensured their First Division future while Woodlands saw their lead over second placed Cleckheaton cut from 42 to 33 points following Cleckheaton’s one run win in a dramatic finish at Manningham Mills.
After bowling out Cleckheaton for 162 in 49.4 overs, opener Adal Islam gave Mills a strong lead with 55 and they were in touching distance of victory at 158-7 with only five runs needed to win. However, they lost their last three wickets for three runs, two of them to former Yorkshire pace bowler James Lee, who finished with 4-28 while current Yorkshire bowler Iain Wardlaw took 3-46 and Andy Deegan 3-43.
There was another thrilling finish at Lightcliffe where the home side gained a three wicket win over Pudsey St Lawrence off the last ball of the match after scoring 17 from off spinner Chris Marsden’s last over.
The visitors were in trouble at 33-4 before James Smith led the recovery with 61 and Paul Hutchison, making a rare appearance, scored 42 lower down the order to enable them to reach 161-8.
Marsden with 4-49 and fellow off spinner Steve Watts 3-34 came close to winning the match for St Lawrence after reducing Lightcliffe to 56-5, but Josh Wheatley (46) and Richard Thompson (10) led the home side to victory with an unbroken eighth wicket stand of 29.
Lightcliffe are level on points with East Bierley for whom spinners Kez Ahmed with 5-25 and Luke Jarvis 3-22 led them to an 89-run home win over Hanging Heaton. Bierley recovered from a bad start – at one stage they were 18-3 – to reach 198-8 with Richard Atkins top scoring with 71. Hanging Heaton then collapsed to 109 all out, losing their last four wickets for no runs.
The positions of the bottom two clubs are looking increasingly desperate after both were beaten.
Bottom club Undercliffe crashed to an eight wicket defeat at Bradford & Bingley after being bowled out for 77, Matthew Simpson (3-33), skipper Phil Slater (3-25) and Chris Thompson (3-3) each taking three wickets in helpful bowling conditions.
Farsley lost at home to Saltaire by seven wickets. a result that goes a long way to ensuring Saltaire’s survival. The home side totalled 175-7 with Nawaz Sardar taking 4-23. Opener Farhan Kahn made 67 before Fahid Rehman (56) and Sardar (28) led the visitors home with an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 48.
David Markham
© Cricket World 2012

Village Cricketers Prepare For Lord's Final

3 September 2012

Village Cricketers Prepare For Lord's Final

Lord's awaits the cricketers of Reed CC and Woodhouse Grange

©REUTERS / Action Images

Cricketers from the villages of Reed in Hertfordshire and Woodhouse Grange in North Yorkshire will pit their cricketing skills against each other when they meet at Lord’s on Sunday 9th September to contest the final of the 2012 Village Cup, sponsored by Yorkshire Tea.
To get to Lord’s, both sides have progressed through six regional knock-out rounds followed by a national quarter and semi-final.  Whilst it is the first time that Reed CC has made it through to the final, it will be the fifth time that Woodhouse Grange have visited the Home of Cricket for a Village Cup Final – having won the competition in 1995 and 2007, and finishing as runners-up in 1999 and 2008.  The tournament has been run by The Cricketer magazine since 1972.
In 2012 292 teams entered the competition, with Reed CC knocking out 1988 winners Goatacre CC in their successful semi-final, and Woodhouse Grange CC beating Leicestershire-based Cropston CC.
MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, said: "MCC is delighted to once again host the Village Cup Final – it is always a real highlight in the Lord’s fixture list, and I am sure that this year will be no exception.  Congratulations to both Reed and Woodhouse Grange on making it through to the final – with the standard improving year after year this is a fantastic achievement for both clubs.
"I very much look forward to welcoming all the players and the supporters to Lord’s for the day – there is no better place in the world to play and watch cricket – but for those who can’t make it to the Ground on Sunday, MCC are providing live ball-by-ball commentary through the Lord’s website."
Tickets for the Yorkshire Tea Village Cup Final are available to purchase on the day, priced from £5.00 to £10.00.

Louis Bentley Is G&M Cricket World Player Of The Month

2 September 2012

Louis Bentley Is G&M Cricket World Player Of The Month

Louis Bentley hits out, showing the sort of form that earned him the award

©Louis Bentley

Nantwich’s young Lancashire Second XI batsman Louis Bentley has been announced as this month’s Gunn & Moore Cricket World batting performer of the month. Across four matches for his club, the 22 year-old hit 313 runs at an average of 156.5, including two unbeaten centuries.
He began with an innings of 134 not out off 125 balls against Chester Boughton Hall and followed that up with an unbeaten 110 off only 76 balls in his side’s victory over Neston the proceeding weekend. His last innings in August was a 41-ball 50 which took Nantwich to the brink of victory against Macclesfield. Nantwich are currently top of the Cheshire County Premier League and are aiming for a hat-trick of titles following their 2010 and 2011 triumphs.
Bentley, a left-handed top-order batsman, only joined Nantwich at the start of the 2012 season after leaving Oulton Park, who were relegated from the Cheshire County Premier League in 2011. His first-team debut for Oulton had come in 2008, but he struggled to make a century in his first three seasons there, before exploding to prominence last season. He ended 2011 with almost 1000 runs at an average of nearly 50 and clearly felt that dropping down to play Division One cricket with Oulton the following year would have hampered his development.
Bentley had come through the Cheshire age-group set-up; playing for their Under-15, Under-17 and Development sides before moving onto second team cricket with Lancashire CCC in 2010. On his Second XI Championship debut against Nottinghamshire in May 2010, he showed glimpses of promise, hitting 41 and 39 and finished the season with an average of 36 from five matches. In 2011, he matched his excellent form for Oulton Park by hitting more than 700 runs in nine matches, while this season he averages 30.71 from seven matches. Overall his league record for Nantwich in 2012 stands at 590 runs at an average of 53.64 from 14 games.
Other contenders for this month’s award, which cannot be awarded to current or former professional cricketers, included Hyde batsman Danny Berry and Eastbourne’s Mark Tomsett, who both also topped 300 runs for the month – a feat also achieved by last month’s winner Duncan Snell, albeit from six rather than four matches. Richard Waite (Stockton); Lutterworth’s former Leicestershire Second XI batsman Oliver Pickering; Southport & Birkdale’s young South Australian Mitchell Quinn; Wayne Morgan (Bromley); Oliver Mills (Ventnor); and Dave Hammond (Brentwood) all managed more than 250 runs and were also considered for the award.
NOTES
The GM Cricket World ECB Premier League batting performance awards
CricketWorld.com and the world renowned cricket manufacturer Gunn & Moore have teamed up to provide a monthly award for the leading batsman in the ECB Premier League.
The winner each month will receive a Gunn and Moore Original LE bat of their choice (see GM™'s unique Bat Selector) and all winners will get an invitation to visit the famous Gunn & Moore factory in Nottingham after the season.
The winner will be chosen each month by the Editorial panel and their decision will be based on either an individual performance or a succession of individual performances during that month. The Editorial panel is aware that there are a number of ex-professional and current pro-cricketers in the ECB Premier Leagues and their decisions on the winners are weighted towards the 'non-professional' club cricketers' performances and their decisions are final.
For the last 3 years, CricketWorld.com has published online, weekly results and performances of all ECB Premier Leagues, in the UK, throughout the season and also compile their unique Club Cricket MVP (Most Valuable Player) ratings as well.
© Cricket World 2012

Wimbledon Win ECB National Club T20 Championship

7 September 2012

Wimbledon Win ECB National Club T20 Championship

©REUTERS / Action Images

Wimbledon Cricket Club won the ECB National Club t20 Finals with a convincing seven wicket victory over Northern Cricket Club at Edgbaston yesterday.
Wimbledon, who also won the Surrey Championship this season, took early wickets with disciplined bowling from Darren Hooey (3-28), Will Leith (2-11) and captain Neil Turk (2-8) to bowl Northern out for 90 in the final over.
In reply, Turk (30) and Graham Grace (32*) patiently worked their way towards the low target as Wimbledon eased to 91-3 in the 17th over.

As ECB National Club t20 champions, Wimbledon Cricket Club will now go on to play in a Lord’s Taverners competition in La Manga in October.

England Women Ease To Victory

8 September 2012

England Women Ease To Victory

Katherine Brunt (centre) celebrates the early wicket of Juliana Nero with her team-mates.

©Action Images / Lee Smith Livepic

England Women 72-2 (Marsh 31, Edwards 27no) beat
West Indies Women 71-8 (Colvin 2-5) by 8 wickets
First Twenty20 International, Chester-le-Street
Scorecard
England Women recorded their 16th successive win in Twenty20 Internationals by defeating West Indies Women by eight wickets in the first match of their five match series at Chester-le-Street.
Charlotte Edwards and Laura Marsh ensured that England made short work of the tourists’ woeful total of 71 for eight and added 59 inside the first seven overs. They found the boundary with a regularity that West Indies had been lacking in their innings, with Edwards’ tally of three boundaries in her 26-ball 27 not out the same as that for the entire West Indies innings.
Marsh was even more aggressive and hit 31 off only 22 balls, including five boundary fours, which, combined with her earlier spell of tidy off-spin, was enough to earn her the player of the match award.
The West Indies were without their best player, all-rounder Stafanie Taylor, and it showed as they lost regular wickets throughout their 20 overs and their scoring rate was strangled by the home side’s spinners. Besides Marsh (one for 11), Holly Colvin returned remarkable figures of two for five from her four overs, while Danielle Wyatt chipped in with one for 17 from her four.
West Indies had begun their innings in the worst possible fashion as Katherine Brunt found swing in her first over and removed both openers for ducks. She ended with two for 16 from her four overs and from her second ball, which had Juliana Nero leg-before, England never looked back.

Ashley Giles committed to Warwickshire

Ambitious Warwickshire coach Ashley Giles admits that, while the England job might appeal to him one day, for now he is committed to the Bears.

Following Warwickshire's County Championship win, their second piece of silverware in three years, he told BBC Sport: "I've never hidden my ambition to one day coach internationally.
"But I've got a lot of work to do here. We're going in the right direction.
"And, of course, England have a very good head coach [in Andy Flower]."
Giles added: "One day, if it happens, then great, but I'm a firm believer in keeping your eye on the ball and doing the day job."

County cricket's double winners

• 1977 - Middlesex were joint county champions, as well as winning the Gillette Cup
• 1987 - Nottinghamshire won the Championship and the Nat West Trophy
• 2006 - Sussex won the Championship and the C& G Trophy

With his other hat on, as one of England's three selectors, Giles, who took 143 wickets in 54 Test appearances for his country between 1998 and 2006, is in an ideal position to keep his eye on affairs at international level.

But it is his success at county level that most concerns him now, as he briefly basks in the glory of Warwickshire's seventh County Championship triumph, ahead of next Saturday's big CB40 final date with Hampshire at Lord's.
And he puts the Bears' success down simply to their sense of teamwork under skipper Jim Troughton, Giles' team-mate when the Bears last won the title in 2004.
"I just feel very proud for the guys," said Giles. "They're the ones who put their necks on the block every day.
"And I'm delighted for Jim Troughton, who has led them really well. All the players would run through a brick wall for him."
What made Warwickshire's success in this rain-ravaged this summer all the more impressive was the handicaps they had to overcome along the way.
Early season injuries deprived them of both Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes, who was then called up for England one-day duty later in the season.

Warwickshire have now won the County Championship seven times.
Before this week, they had also lifted the trophy in 1911, 1951, 1972, 1994, 1995 and under Nick Knight in 2004 (pictured).

Jeetan Patel also received a call-up from New Zealand towards the end of the season, while England duo Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott managed just six Championship matches between them.

"We miss Bell and Trott for most of the time anyway. That's taken as read," said Giles.
"Then Chris Woakes got called up, which was great for him and Jeetan Patel too. And we had Rikki Clarke out injured.
"But it was the hard work that the guys put in earlier in the season that got us over the line.
"Over the course of the 16 four-day games, the bowlers get tired and there can be difficult times throughout the season when the players must hate me.
"But good people added to hard work makes for a very simple equation."
Now they have the chance to follow Nottinghamshire (1987)and Sussex (2006) as only the third team to claim cricket's double of winning both the Championship outright and the major one-day knockout trophy.
"The guys will have some time off before Tuesday's final Championship game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge," added Giles, whose first one-day success as Bears coach was in the CB40 two years ago.
"But the focus will then move on during that game towards Saturday and the CB40."

Also related to this story

• Warwicks crowned county champions 06 Sep 2012 Cricket
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• Troughton named new Bears skipper 22 Nov 2010 Warwickshire
• Bears beat Somerset in CB40 final 18 Sep 2010 Counties

England women beat West Indies in Twenty20 international

First women's Twenty20 international, Chester-le-Street:

England 72-2 (9.2 overs) beat West Indies 71-8 (20 overs) by eight wickets

Match scorecard

England's women cruised to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the first of five Twenty20 internationals.

Katherine Brunt took two wickets to help reduce West Indies to 7-3 and the visitors could only post 71-8 from their 20 overs at Chester-le-Street.
Captain Charlotte Edwards hit an unbeaten 27 and Laura Marsh 31 to help England secure their win in the 10th over and with 62 balls to spare.
The second match of the series takes place at Old Trafford on Monday.
Marsh was named player of the match, having also taken 1-11 from her four overs.
Her 31 runs came off 28 balls, helping to propel England to a score of 59 by the time she was stumped off the bowling of Anisha Mohammed in the seventh over.
The 25-year-old Sussex player said: "It was great to start the series off like that.
"We're really pleased with our performance today, the opening bowlers bowled brilliantly and the spinners backed them up. We followed up well with the bat to get the job done.
"We're all looking forward to carrying this momentum forward to Old Trafford."

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England lose to South Africa in Twenty20 international

By Becky Ashton BBC Sport

1st Twenty20 international, Chester-le-Street

South Africa 119-3 (19 ovs) beat England 118-7 by seven wickets

Match scorecard

Poor batting from England saw them fall to a seven-wicket loss to South Africa in the first of three Twenty20 matches.

The visitors secured the win with six balls left after England managed only 118-7 at Chester-le-Street.
After losing three early wickets, South Africa's Jacques Kallis (48 not out) and JP Duminy (47 not out) put on an unbeaten 90 for the fourth wicket.
Craig Kieswetter top-scored with 25 but Ravi Bopara made only six in England's third-lowest total in T20s.
After a disappointing batting performance in the final one-day international in midweek, poor shot selection, too many gambles and some good South African fielding left England struggling to post a decent score.

"It's been one-sided. We questioned whether bowling first was the right idea, but it was. England, when they review this, will say they gave their wickets away far too cheaply. They bowled OK, took a couple of early wickets, but then the experienced Kallis and exciting JP Duminy could bat without any pressure and it was a convincing win. England are not batting well in this format of the game. It was very ordinary and no-one took responsibility."

"It was a similar batting performance really [to Trent Bridge] - some soft dismissals in there," said England captain Stuart Broad.

"One thing we have to be very aware of is that you win games of Twenty20 cricket with numbers eight, nine, 10 and 11 not batting.
"Whether or not it's tough to find the boundary in the middle overs - I think that wicket was a bit like that, a bit sticky, a bit stoppy, and hard to know what a good score was - someone's got to put their hand up and try to bat through."
The eighth-wicket partnership between captain Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann was the most productive as they put on 33 runs to help the world champions reach 118-7.
The most worrying performance for the selectors was that of Bopara. Since pulling out of the second Test with South Africa for personal reasons, the Essex all-rounder has struggled with the bat.
In his last four England appearances the 27-year-old has scored just 22 runs and he added only six at Chester-le-Street, to raise questions over his place with the World Twenty20 starting in Sri Lanka next week.
He was also the most expensive of the bowlers going for 20 runs from just two overs.
Despite the low total England got off to a flying start with the ball as they got an early breakthrough in the second over.
Richard Levi was caught for eight, nicking Jade Dernbach to Swann in the slips.
Debutant Faf du Plessis was then out leg-before to Steven Finn for four before captain AB de Villiers was caught behind off the bowling of Dernbach.
But any hope was quickly extinguished as Kallis, restored to the team after being rested for the one-day series, and Duminy batted with ease.
The two sides are next in action on Monday, when they meet at Old Trafford from 18:30 BST.

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Live Cricket Score: India vs New Zealand, second Test at Bengaluru - Day four

Ravichandra Ashwin ended with figures of five wickets on Sunday while Pragyan Ojha (L) finished with two wickets © AFP

By CricketCountry Staff

Bangalore: Sep 03, 2012

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his third five-wicket haul in four innings on Sunday to push the second Test against New Zealand on a knife edge.

Ashwin (5 for 69), who had a 12-wicket haul in the Hyderabad Test that India won by an innings and 115 runs, bowled quite beautifully to fox the Kiwi batsmen into errors as the visitors ended the day at 232 for nine, just 244 runs in front with two more days left in the Test.

Earlier, the Indians were bowled out for 353, 12 runs behind the Kiwi first innings total after Virat Kohli (103) notched his second century in 10 Tests, but it was seamer Tim Southee who took the honours in the morning by claiming seven for 64, his best figures to date.

If the second new ball pegged the Indian innings, then Umesh Yadav struck two telling blows first up to open the doors for India while Ashwin, who had 3 for 24 in his third spell of eight overs, and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-48) made further inroads into the Kiwi line-up.

India's chances hinge on their ability to counter the Kiwi seamers on the morrow while the weather, which has been sunny thus far, could also influence the course of the match that is nicely poised.

India enjoyed a fruitful post-lunch session when they delivered big blows to put New Zealand under pressure as the visitors lost four top-order batsmen after early strikes by Yadav, who dismissed openers Martin Guptill (7) and Brendon McCullum (23) in quick succession.

Guptill missed a full-toss to be bowled leg-stump in the first over after lunch while McCullum, who had started off in a bright fashion with a series of boundary hits, nicked to 'keeper Dhoni in the next over.

A dour Kane Williamson (13) and skipper Ross Taylor (35), the first innings centurion, then batted with defiance. However, the introduction of Ashwin saw the exit of Williamson who edged to lone slip fielder Virender Sehwag.

Taylor and Daniel Flynn (31) batted steadily until Taylor missed a sweep off Ojha and was trapped in front after a 42-run partnership. Soon after tea break, Flynn was dismissed as he guided Ashwin into the hands of Sehwag and the Kiwis were floundering on 140 for five.

However, little Kruger van Wyk (31), who was struck on the head and left fore-arm off consecutive deliveries from Yadav, and the tall James Franklin did a brief rescue act by adding 55 runs for the sixth wicket before Ashwin struck.

The tall off-spinner beat van Wyk's tentative bat to catch him plumb in front and later, drew Franklin out and had him stumped. Ashwin went on to take his fifth wicket by knocking back Tim Southee's stumps with one that turned and went in through the gate.

Towards close, Ojha trapped Bracewell in front to leave the Kiwis on 232 for nine at stumps.

Earlier, it was a sensational first hour's play that saw Southee coming up with a brilliant spell during which he took four wickets to pin India, overnight 283 for five, on the ropes.

The Kiwis wasted no time to take the second new ball and after a poor over by Trent Boult who conceded nine runs, Southee took over at the other end and carved his way through the Indian line-up.

In the meantime, Kohli, overnight 93, got to his century with two boundaries, but became first of Southee's four victims of the morning when he padded up to an in-coming delivery to be adjudged leg-before, thus ending a 122-run partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (62).

In the following over, Southee claimed another leg-before decision, this time Dhoni playing down the wrong line. Zaheer Khan blasted a six off Southee, but the Kiwi got rid of the tail-ender with a snorter to have him caught behind and followed up with the wicket of Ojha, also snicking to the wicket-keeper in the same over.

Thereafter, the plucky Ashwin (32 not out), who has a Test century to his name, and Yadav (4) put on 33 runs for the last wicket before the latter fell to Boult as India fell 12 runs in arrears on the first innings.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 365 & 232 for 9 (James Franklin 41, Ross Taylor 35; Ravichandran Ashwin 5 for 69) lead India 353 (Virat Kohli 103, MS Dhoni 62, Suresh Raina 55, Virender Sehwag 43; Tim Southee 7 for 64) by 244 runs.

Andrew Strauss' decline as Test batsman and captain: in numbers

The England captain has failed in recent years to match his heroics from the 2009 Ashes Series, when he finished the year with an average of 53.27.

A gradual decline in Strauss' batting is obvious when looking at the statistics.

His best year as captain undoubtedly came in 2009 when over the course of 24 innings Strauss racked up four centuries and four 50s at an average of 53.27, his highest figures since he first emerged in 2004 and finished with an average of 60.68 from 18 innings.

<noframes>Interactive chart: Strauss Test career by year</noframes>

That 2009 peak included the Ashes series win over Australia on home soil, for which Strauss was named English Player of the Series by Australia coach Tim Nielsen after scoring an aggregate of 474 runs.

The following year however saw his annual average drop to 34.57, with Strauss only making one century in the first Test against Australia in Brisbane despite reaching 50 on five occasions in 2010. He was also out for a duck three times.

2011 saw his decline in Test cricket continue after failing to make a 100, although England played half the matches they had the previous year, leaving his average for the year at 28.72.
Under pressure having not produced a century for over a year, Strauss then hit two in the Test Series against the West Indies in 2012 with scores of 122 and 141 in the 1st and 2nd Tests. His form though disappeared in the recent series against South Africa, top-scoring with 37 and opening the door for discussion on his future following the scandal with Kevin Pietersen ahead of the 3rd Test.
<noframes>Datatable: England players with most games as captain</noframes>
Despite failing to re-capture the heights of 2009, Strauss finishes his Test career with an average of 40.76 after 50 matches, which leaves him above the other two England captains to reach 50 Tests - Michael Atherton (54 matches, Ave. 40.58) and Michael Vaughan (51 matches, Ave. 36.02).