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The weather forecast for London was not wrong as the fourth day of the final Investec Ashes Test was abandoned without a ball bowled

Andrew McGlashan24-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe groundstaff fought a losing battle on the fourth day•PA PhotosThe weather forecast for London was not wrong as the fourth day of the final Investec Ashes Test was abandoned without a ball bowled.There was never any real prospect of play as rain of varying strength shrouded the ground throughout the day and the umpires made their decision at 4pm. The spectators will get full refunds for the wiped out day – it did not take long for Twitter to be abuzz with suggestions they should have received refunds for the third day as well.The forecast for Sunday is more promising, although it is hard to escape the feeling that it will be a rather low-key affair when Alastair Cook has handed the urn at some point in the afternoon. Stuart Broad issued a rally call when he tweeted: “Who is coming to The Oval 2moro to share the special moment of lifting The Ashes with us?! Lets make it a party!!!”England will resume on 247 for 4, still 46 short of saving the follow-on. From their point of view there are personal milestones to aim for and, in Chris Woakes’ case, Test match experience to gain. If Australia did manage to skittle the remaining batsmen inside the follow-on – which is not a completely implausible scenario given the pitch has been covered for a day – they could yet have an outside chance of applying some pressure.The one element of intrigue remaining is that if England narrowly save the follow-on whether Clarke, ever the adventurous captain, would leave a run chase on the final afternoon.

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, has lauded the aggression and confidence of new batsman Kusal Perera, who helped Sri Lanka achieve two rapid starts in the first two ODIs

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Mar-2013Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, has lauded the aggression and confidence of new batsman Kusal Perera, who helped the team achieve two rapid starts in the first two ODIs, after being pushed up the order.Perera came into the side as a wicketkeeper batsman who bats in the middle order, but has since been elevated to opener in both ODIs and Twenty20s. He and Tillakaratne Dilshan blitzed 83 runs in the first eight overs of the first match, before launching another early assault in the second ODI, until the rains came.”Kusal reminds me of the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya, because of the shots that he plays,” Mathews said. “He’s very fearless and he hasn’t changed anything about the way he plays since he was in the under-19 teams. He wants to take on any bowler that comes his way, and he takes a lot of pressure off Dilshan as well. That combination works for us.”Perera first impressed during the limited-overs leg of Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia, where he played several brief but belligerent innings – the most notable of which was an unbeaten 22 to see the side home in a low-scorer at the Gabba. He has not crossed fifty in internationals, but is coming off first-class scores of 203, 97 and 336, the last of which is a Sri Lankan domestic record.”Every single player has his own way. We don’t want to change that in any player. We want him to go out there and enjoy it. The selectors are very transparent with the players, so I’m sure as the chief selector, Sanath Jayasuriya has had a chat with Kusal about his longer-term plans for the team.”Sri Lanka had made 33 for no loss after five overs, before the rains came in the second ODI, and the washout means Sri Lanka must win their final match to win the series. Mathews suggested, Sri Lanka are likely to name an unchanged XI in the final match, meaning Angelo Perera, Sachith Pathirana and Kithuruwan Vithanage may not debut in ODIs in this series.Vithanage and Angelo Perera have been picked in the Twenty20 squad, and are well in the running to play in that match, given the absence of senior players in that squad.”If we had won the second ODI we would have tried out some new players. We still haven’t decided on our XI but I’m pretty sure that the team might have been changed if we had won the second ODI. The first few overs we got off to a really good start, but it was disappointing that the rain came down quite heavily and we couldn’t play a single over after that. As far as the team is concerned, you have to be relaxed about something like that, but we need to get our focus back and get things in line for the next game.”I feel that it is a good challenge for us. We haven’t won the series yet, so we have to play some really good cricket to win it. From a thinking point of view we have to be as positive as we can, and try and play to our potential.”

The ICC and ECB have signed the host agreement to stage the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, formalising the arrangement of 2006.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013The ICC and ECB have signed the host agreement to stage the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, formalising the arrangement of 2006.The tournament will be held throughout June 2019, will be played at 10 venues and is currently scheduled to involve 10 teams.”The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into staging agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the World Cup,” ECB chief executive David Collier said after signing the agreement in Dubai.”The Organising Team from the 2013 Champions Trophy, led by tournament director Steve Elworthy, will commence the preparation work for this event immediately following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy, which ends with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.”The ECB is honoured to have been selected to stage one of the largest and most important global sports events which will be a wonderful boost to sport and cricket in particular throughout England and Wales.”England last staged the World Cup in 1999, without great success, not least the hosts’ performance – England were knocked out in the group stage. The 2004 Champions Trophy and second edition of the World Twenty20, in 2009, were also staged in the UK.ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: “The World Cup attracts a broadcast audience in excess of 1.5 billion people and is one of the premier events in world cricket. England and Wales boasts a number of high quality cricket venues providing players, officials and spectators with excellent facilities. We look forward to working with the ECB to deliver an outstanding tournament.”Bidding to host World Cup matches is expected to be fierce with at least 11 clubs expected to apply: MCC, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Michael Clarke has warned Shane Watson faces much stiffer competition for a place in Australia’s Test team by choosing to play as a batsman rather than an allrounder

Brydon Coverdale05-Feb-2013Michael Clarke has warned his vice-captain Shane Watson that he faces much stiffer competition for a place in Australia’s Test team by choosing to play as a batsman rather than an allrounder.Watson will return to international cricket in Wednesday’s ODI against West Indies in Canberra, ahead of the four-Test tour of India, having spent a month out of the game due to a calf injury that he aggravated during the Boxing Day Test.For the time being Watson has decided not to bowl, as it has typically been bowling that has caused his many injury problems over the years. He is desperate to enjoy a sustained run in the national team instead of constantly battling niggles. Although he hopes to be in a position to start bowling again ahead of this year’s Ashes tour, Watson will for the time being need to justify his place as a batsman only.”I don’t think anybody walks into the Australian cricket team. It’s about performance, and the strength of Shane is that he’s performed over a period of time, in all three forms of the game,” Clarke said. “He’s vice-captain of the team and it will be great to have Watto back.”As I’ve said to Watto, while he’s not bowling he goes into a much bigger pool of players … the pool of batsmen is much bigger than the pool of allrounders in Australian cricket at the moment. But Shane knows if he’s at his best, he’s as good as any player in the world, let alone in the Australian team. Our goal as a team is to help Watto get back to his best.”On Monday night in Melbourne, Watson was named the Twenty20 International Player of the Year at the Allan Border Medal ceremony, no surprise given his dominance with bat and ball at the World T20 in Sri Lanka last year. But it has also been an injury-plagued pair of summers for Watson, who missed all of the 2011-12 home Tests with calf and hamstring problems and managed only three of the six played this season.His position in the batting order has also been variable: in November 2011 he was opening on the tour of South Africa, then he filled the No.3 spot for most of his appearances last year before slipping down into the No.4 space vacated by Ricky Ponting in December. Watson has spoken of his desire to return to the opening position in Test cricket at some point but he is aware that he needs to be happy with any spot available for him as a batsman only.”At this point in time it is purely as a batsman and wherever I fit in,” Watson said of his role in the Test side. “It’s been something that I’ve been thinking about for a long period of time, especially over the last 12 months, when things haven’t gone exactly to plan with my body. Hopefully I can just get some continuity with my batting over the next few months and then slowly build into getting some bowling under my belt.”The perfect world for me would be making sure I’m able to bowl and contribute with the ball during the Ashes. I know that’s looking a long way forward, but even just physically to be able to give myself a chance to get to that is a dream for me at the moment.”Over the course of Watson’s career, he has played 38 Tests of a possible 89, the majority having been missed through injury, and his main goal now is to allow himself to pursue a period of stability. That begins with the remaining three ODIs against West Indies, his first matches back at the elite level after returning via grade cricket and a Ryobi Cup match for New South Wales last week.”One of the hardest things about being injured is coming back and trying to find form as quick as you possibly can,” Watson said. “Hopefully I can do that over the next couple of weeks leading into the Indian Test series. Then we’ll see how things evolve from there. But I’m certainly not getting in front of myself because I know how quickly it can change.”The times when I’ve had the most success playing for Australia has been when I’ve been able to play games back to back. That’s been one of the most frustrating things about the past 12 months, it seems like a lot of the times when I’ve been playing I’ve been coming back from injury, which makes it difficult to be able to build some momentum and find some form and hold some form, which I’ve been able to do in the past.”

The Gunners winger has made 78 consecutive Premier League appearances for Mikel Arteta's team, and he has looked tired in recent weeks

Arsenal spent a lot of time last summer looking to bring in some cover for Bukayo Saka on the right side of their attack. Raphinha was the player they wanted, and they did make a bid for the Leeds United winger. But when that bid was rejected and Raphinha’s determination to seal a dream move to Barcelona became abundantly clear, Arsenal took a step back.

At that point you thought the Gunners would move on to other targets. Moussa Diaby, the Bayer Leverkusen winger, is a player they are known to have admired for some time, and there was a feeling the north London club could make a move for the 23-year-old. But they never did.

And when the transfer window closed at the end of the summer the only right winger who had arrived at Arsenal was Marquinhos, the 19-year-old Brazilian who had come in from Sao Paulo.

The capture of Marquinhos was seen as one for the future. He was talented, but he wasn’t a player who was expected to immediately challenge for the first-team. In fact, the expectation was that he would head out on loan almost immediately. So that left Mikel Arteta once again relying almost purely on Saka on the right hand side of his front-line. 

GettyA player in need of protection

Saka’s durability is one of his biggest strengths. No matter how many games he plays and how many kicks he takes, he always seems to be available. And for Arsenal, that has been hugely important during the past two seasons, because they haven’t really had anyone around who could fill in for him, should he be absent for a sustained period of time.

Reiss Nelson is one possibility, but Arteta has always seemed to prefer using him on the left on the odd occasion he has been handed any game time during the past couple of campaigns.

The fact Saka hasn’t picked up any sort of serious injury seems more down to good fortune rather than anything else, given the treatment he receives on a weekly basis from defenders. His team-mates and Arteta have long called for the winger to be given more protection from referees, but so far those appeals have fallen on deaf ears.

AdvertisementGetty Images78 consecutive league appearances

Saka has featured in every single Premier League game for Arsenal this season. The only game he didn’t start, against Leeds, he was introduced as a second-half substitute despite the fact he had been ill and hadn’t been able to train the day before.

In fact, Saka has made an appearance in Arsenal’s last 78 Premier League fixtures. The last game he missed was against Newcastle in May 2021, when he was an unused substitute. That’s currently the longest run of consecutive league appearances in the league (David de Gea is second with 75).

Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Saka has featured 74 times – again, more than any other player in the league. Of those 74 appearances, 71 have been starts. For a 21-year-old, those are remarkable numbers, especially when you factor in the games he has played for England during the same period of time. 

They are also numbers, however, which show how important it is that Arsenal finally bring in some much-needed cover for Saka this summer.

Getty ImagesOne goal in eight games

Saka may have the capability to consistently be available, but his performances in recent weeks suggest the incredible workload he has had to take on has started to catch up with him. Since scoring twice against Crystal Palace on March 19, the winger has started eight times for Arsenal and has struggled to find the same level of performance that he had produced during the earlier part of the campaign.

In those eight games, Saka has managed just one goal and one assist. Previously, he had been averaging 0.82 direct goal involvements per 90 minutes, but since the win against Palace that has dropped sharply, falling to just 0.29.

Saka is now taking fewer shots per 90 minutes (2.3 compared to 2.6), creating fewer chances (1.6 compared to 2.3) and having fewer touches (53.3 compared to 59.6). He also missed a crucial penalty during that run, firing wide in the 2-2 draw at West Ham.

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GettyArteta's need to rotate

When you consider the amount of football Saka has been asked to play, both for his club and his country over the past two years, it is no surprise that physically he may be beginning to struggle a bit as the season comes to a close.

And that doesn’t just go for him when you are looking at the Arsenal team. Up to this point of the campaign, Saka, Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes have all featured in every league game this season for the Gunners. Saka has clocked up 3,041 Premier League minutes this season. For comparison, Bernardo Silva at Manchester City has 2,119, Jack Grealish has 2,063, Riyad Mahrez has 1,669 and Phil Foden has 1,612.

Pep Guardiola’s embarrassment of riches in the attacking areas means he can pick and choose who he wants for games, safe in the knowledge that the drop off in performance will not be vast. His players now look as sharp as they have all season as a result.

Arteta doesn’t really have that luxury. The core group of his team have started almost every game when available, and that has to change if Arsenal are going to take another step forward next season and compete not just for the Premier League, but also in the Champions League.

Kapil Dev, the former India captain, has cut off his association with the unofficial Indian Cricket League opening the door to work again with the BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2012Kapil Dev, the former India captain, has cut off his association with the unofficial Indian Cricket League, which is now defunct, opening the door to work again with the BCCI. He also stands to be awarded his benefit of Rs 1.5 crore ($270,000) and possibly his pension arrears.”Mr Kapil Dev has informed the Board that he has resigned from the Essel Sports Private Limited/ICL,” the BCCI said. “He has also stated in the letter that he has always supported the BCCI, and will continue to do so in the future.”The BCCI acknowledges Mr Kapil Dev’s immense contribution to Indian cricket, and looks forward to a fruitful association with him in the years to come.”Kapil spoke briefly to reporters after the meeting. “The BCCI is like a parent and we are like its children. I have contributed to the welfare of cricket and cricketers during my earlier association [with the BCCI] and aim to do so even now.”Speaking to the BCCI’s website, Kapil was all praise for the Indian board and its president, N Srinivasan. “There can be misunderstandings at times, but as part of Indian cricket, I’ve always had respect for the organisation more than the individuals [that form it]. I love my cricket board and I’m so happy to be back here. I’m proud to be part of one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world.”He [Srinivasan] is a wonderful administrator and has shown his worth. I was so delighted to hear from him. He’s a man with endless passion for Indian cricket and that’s what I admire the most about him. There are people who are only interested in name and fame, but few work sincerely for 25 to 30 years for the betterment of the game.”This ends a long and bitter battle between the board and Kapil, which began with the birth of the ICL in 2007 in the aftermath of India’s disastrous World Cup campaign in the West Indies. The ICL, promoted by the Zee group, pre-empted the BCCI’s own IPL and was promptly declared unofficial, its players barred from all forms of the game in India and eventually globally. Kapil himself was sacked as chairman of the National Cricket Academy and there followed a series of events, court cases and failed negotiations that led to the ICL’s closure; the league’s last competitive match was in November 2008.Kapil spent the next five years on the margins of the game as a television talking head and a newspaper columnist, his relationship with the official side of Indian cricket remaining rocky. However, he held centrestage at the official silver jubilee celebration of India’s 1983 World Cup win and, two years later, was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame.In April 2008 the BCCI announced an amnesty scheme for all involved with the ICL, with a May 31 deadline to cut off all ties with the rebel league. On June 2 it announced an amnesty for 79 players, 11 former players and 11 officials. Kapil Dev was not on that list but his rehabilitation has now been completed.The BCCI will tick July 2012 off as a month of restoration: first came the Indo-Pak cricket ties, then Kiran More was returned to the fold, and on Wednesday, it was time for reconciliation with the biggest fish of them all, Kapil Dev. A five-year cold war over the ICL has ended in a warm embrace of cordiality and bonhomie. The BCCI has kindly recognised Kapil’s “immense” contribution to Indian cricket and Kapil has called the BCCI his “parent”. Behind all this are two simple truths: one, that the BCCI’s financial clout is very hard to resist, and two, fighting words from Kapil Dev are to be taken as seriously as crackpot news television. This is the same cricketer who had threatened to go on a hunger strike if the ICL’s younger players were ignored by the BCCI.The BCCI’s first response to Kapil joining the ICL was to sack him as head of the National Cricket Academy and cut off his monthly pension. Devastating for a cricketer of small means, much less so to someone with Kapil’s hefty financial earnings. Then the BCCI tried to snub him by not inviting him to a few functions and, as he was India’s only World Cup-winning captain until 2011, that only made them look small. The master move came two months ago when the BCCI announced one-time benefits to former cricketers; Kapil was omitted, losing about Rs 1.5 crore ($270,000 approx). The BCCI’s pound of flesh was in the form of written assurances of loyalty from former players who have had sterling careers for India. In an angry newspaper column, Kapil, though, drew himself up to his impressive height and said: “Not all cricketers are answerable to the board.” On Wednesday, he put himself in the category of cricketers who are affordable.
Sharda Ugra

Cameron White has said the Pakistan series is “fantastic preparation” for the upcoming World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2012Australia may have already lost the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, but their middle-order batsman Cameron White has said the series is “fantastic preparation” for the upcoming World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Australia collapsed to 89 all out in the first T20 but turned in an improved performance in the second, going down on the last delivery of the Super Over.”We’d like to be winning, we made great steps from the first game to the second,” White said, a day ahead of the third T20 in Dubai. “We are heading in the right direction, and from a prep point of view this is fantastic.”The conditions in Dubai have been helping spinners, with Pakistan packing the side with three/four slow bowlers. White said the testing series would hold Australia in good stead in the World T20. “I don’t think you can ask any more than what we are experiencing at the moment (in terms of preparations),” he said. “I know we are experiencing very tough conditions, very similar conditions to what we are going to experience in Sri Lanka, and against very good bowlers.”White was also pleased with the amount of matches Australia were getting to fine-tune their World T20 strategies. “The way the Twenty20 game is set up internationally, it is just two games at the back of a Test and ODI series. You come in for two games and then you might not play again for a month, two, three or six months,” he said. “(Here) we are playing three games in a row, we have two more warm-up matches, five solid games leading into a big tournament.”Despite Australia’s series defeat against Pakistan, and just one victory in five previous T20 matches, White said his team was “definitely looking to win” the World T20. “We finished second in the last [World] T20, Australia traditionally have a good record in big tournaments, so I think we are a good chance going into the tournament.”The loss on Friday pushed Australia down to tenth place in the ICC’s T20 rankings, though White was confident his side’s position would improve after the world event. “We know where we are ranked, you lose a game you go down two or three spots. We haven’t been winning enough games, so that’s why are down there,” he said. “Things can change around quickly, if we get a couple of wins under our belt, start winning in the World T20, we could easily shoot back up, and if we win it there’s no arguments to say we are not the No. 1 in the world.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya05-May-2012Match factsSunday, May 6
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Lasith Malinga has continued to be Mumbai Indians’ MVP•AFPBig PictureWins for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in their previous games helped clear a few lingering doubts for both teams. Mumbai Indians just about held on, but got their opening combination to click. They had tried six combinations in nine games prior to that; with James Franklin and Sachin Tendulkar adding 50, they may have finally settled on one. But the middle-order collapse that ensued and the absence of Kieron Pollard due to injury pose another headache.Super Kings’ win over Deccan Chargers revived their campaign, helping them bounce back after a winless two weeks that involved two losses and a rained-out game. The win also kept them marginally ahead of competitors below them in the points table and with the tournament now well past the half-way stage, Super Kings need to achieve some consistency to retain that advantage.Form guide (most recent first, completed games)
Chennai Super Kings: WLLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLWLPlayers to watchIt is probably safe to say that Lasith Malinga would be leading the wicket-taking charts this IPL had he played all of his team’s 10 matches. He missed three due to a back injury, but since his return has continued to be his side’s MVP, playing an instrumental role in his side’s two wins in that period.Suresh Raina, after an indifferent start to the season, has finally got going, making 44 and 32 in his previous two games. But he’s been relatively restrained on a slowish Chennai track, and will hope the Mumbai conditions offer him a chance to be play with more freedom.Stats and trivia Seamers have taken 310 wickets thus far in the IPL, out of 464, almost 67%. Spinners, though, have been marginally more economical, going at 7.26 an over as opposed to 7.82 * Fifteen matches thus far in the IPL have gone into the last over.Quotes”Franklin gives us stability (in the top order), but we are still looking for a middle-order batsman who can fill Franklin’s spot. We have Dwayne Smith (he has joined the squad as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Johnson) and hopefully he can fill that slot.”
“We have the best fielding unit in the tournament but still there are areas we need to improve like with our direct throws. For a team, there is always some scope of improvement.”

* Stats do not include numbers from Saturday’s matches

Several of India’s batting heavyweights helped themselves to half-centuries as the home side got halfway to West Indies’ 590

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran24-Nov-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Darren Sammy removed Virender Sehwag for the third time in the series•AFPFor the third day in a row, the batsmen had an easy time at the Wankhede Stadium. Several of India’s batting heavyweights helped themselves to half-centuries as the home side got halfway to West Indies’ 590. Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid didn’t make it to triple figures, but Sachin Tendulkar was well on his way towards reaching the most talked-about milestone of the year.West Indies didn’t declare overnight, allowing their final pair to bat on, and after 15 minutes of entertaining tail-ender swings, Devendra Bishoo was bowled by offspinner R Ashwin, who completed his second five-wicket haul in his debut series.A typically quick start followed from India’s openers: Virender Sehwag routinely scything the ball through cover, and Gambhir poking the ball either side of point for runs. Gambhir was a touch loose to start with – chasing and missing several wide deliveries and surviving an early lbw appeal off Fidel Edwards – before getting more fluent.Edwards and Ravi Rampaul bowled with aggression but there wasn’t much extra bounce or sideways movement to encourage them. West Indies resorted to a defensive field half an hour into the innings – seven fielders on the off side, with two of them in the deep in front of point.It was the least pacy of the West Indian quicks, Darren Sammy, who snapped the opening stand at 67. He got one to slide past Sehwag’s inside-edge and hit the stumps, signalling with three fingers that it was the third time he had dismissed Sehwag in the series.The tempo was predictably slower after Sehwag’s exit, and West Indies could have added to the advantage after lunch. Dravid seemed to have hurt his back after slipping when Gambhir turned down a single. Gambhir had a reprieve when he guided Sammy towards first slip, where Kirk Edwards made a lazy attempt at a catch, barely getting a finger on the ball.Smart stats

Virender Sehwag moved to joint-second position with Brian Lara and Jacques Kallis on the list of Test batsmen with the most sixes. He now has 88 sixes and is second only to Adam Gilchrist, who has 100 sixes.

Rahul Dravid became the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the 13000-run mark in Tests. He has now scored 13061 runs at an average of 53.31. Dravid is the fastest to the mark in terms of matches (160) but Tendulkar got there in 11 fewer innings.

Dravid also passed 1000 runs in a calendar year for the third time in his career. Among Indian batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar (6) and Sunil Gavaskar (4) have done so more times than Dravid.

Gautam Gambhir scored his second consecutive half-century of the series and went past the 3500-run mark in his 44th Test.

Tendulkar’s half-century is his 63rd in Tests bringing him level with Allan Border on the list of batsmen with the most Test half-centuries.

Dravid, who scored his 62nd half-century, was involved in his 48th fifty-plus stand with Tendulkar. This is the highest for any batting pair in Tests.

Dravid’s half-century is his 13th against West Indies. He now has 18 fifty-plus scores against them, which is second only to Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 20.

R Ashwin’s 5 for 156 is his second five-wicket haul in Tests. The 156 runs conceded by Ashwin is sixth on the list of most runs conceded by an Indian bowler in an innings against West Indies while picking up five or more wickets.

After those close calls, Gambhir and Dravid were more solid against the West Indian quicks. Dravid reached 13,000 runs by classically driving a half-volley for four, while Gambhir’s increasing confidence was on display as he launched one over midwicket to reach his half-century. With Bishoo off the field for half the post-lunch session, getting his injured knee attended to, Dravid feasted on Marlon Samuels’ gentle offbreaks, crashing him through covers for successive fours.Both batsmen were set, and the track was still a shirtfront, but West Indies managed to wheedle out a wicket, when Rampaul banged in a bouncer that Gambhir threw his bat at. The ball flew through to the keeper, and though the Snickometer showed nothing, the umpire was convinced there was an edge.The crowd wasn’t too disappointed since it brought in Sachin Tendulkar, continuing his quest for the century that has eluded him since March. Tendulkar used his feet well against the spinners right from the start, and quickly progressed to 20. After tea, the crowd had more to cheer as he upper-cut Fidel Edwards into the stands beyond third man. It was a shot he repeated against a quicker one from Samuels, getting four for his effort.Dravid, meanwhile, worked his way to 1000 runs for the year, and his half-century soon after. He showed his presence of mind off the final delivery before tea: after he defended the ball, it spun alarmingly back towards the stumps, but he reacted just in time, booting the ball away when the it was inches away from the wickets.His sixth hundred of 2011 – his personal-best for a calendar year – seemed inevitable as he soldiered on untroubled after tea, jumping down the track to power Bishoo over mid-on before powerfully square-cutting Edwards for another boundary. He coaxed the ball past mid-off to move into the eighties, but was dismissed off the next delivery, top-edging on to the stumps.Tendulkar carried on, unfurling several stylish boundaries to march past 50, a landmark that was greeted by his home ground with expected boisterousness. VVS Laxman also joined in the fun, showing off the wristy whips to midwicket that make him such a delight to watch. Both had a moment of worry each: Laxman top-edging towards a vacant point region, and Tendulkar surviving on 58 as Cartlon Baugh put down a regulation outside edge.Those two wickets would have swung the match in West Indies’ favour. Instead, with only 13 wickets toppled in three days, and the track showing little signs of degenerating, it remains an even game with chances of an outright result receding.

One hundred and forty four players from 11 countries will go under the hammer on Saturday in the 2012 IPL auction in Bangalore, but the vast majority of them are likely to go home empty handed

Tariq Engineer03-Feb-2012One hundred and forty four players from 11 countries will go under the hammer on Saturday in the 2012 IPL auction in Bangalore, but the vast majority of them are likely to go home empty handed. While the franchises having been allowed to spend an additional $2 million, and had their squad sizes increased from 30 to 33, no more than 30 players are likely to be bought, and that number could be closer to 20, franchise officials said. Having had a season to evaluate their teams and pinpoint their weaknesses, this auction is about shopping smart, not shopping in bulk.”Teams will be looking to fill in the gaps that they have identified,” a franchise official told ESPNcricinfo.One player that won’t lack for suitors though, is India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. His ability as an allrounder, coupled with his excellent fielding, makes him the most attractive player in the auction. Bought for US$950,000 by Kochi Tuskers Kerala last year, Jadeja is expected to go for over a $1 million and could potentially end up in a tie-breaker situation, with two or more franchises bidding the maximum of $2 million for his services. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are believed to be the front runners to land his services, with interest from the Pune Warriors as well, though their purse is down to US$1.6 million after they retained Sourav Ganguly.The Kochi franchise was terminated by the BCCI last September for breaching its terms of agreement. The board encashed the team’s bank guarantee worth Rs 156 crores (US$ 30.39 million) and decided to include their players in the IPL auction.Other India internationals, such as Vinay Kumar and Parthiv Patel, are also in demand, given their availability and the lack of restrictions on playing India players.At the other end of the spectrum lies VVS Laxman, who might struggle to attract bids with a base price of $400,000 as he is not seen as a Twenty20 player. He only played three of Kochi’s 14 games last season. However, one franchise official thought Laxman could be worth buying if he was willing to serve as a mentor for the team.Among the foreign players, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, and Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand opener, are thought to be the most in demand. The duo was Kochi’s leading scorers last season. Jayawardene is not expected to command the $1.3 million that Kochi paid, but the BCCI has said it will honour any difference between the new contracts for former Kochi players and their old ones.Muttiah Muralitharan, the retired Sri Lanka offspinner who has been playing in New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition, is considered more of a gamble. He played only five out of 14 games for Kochi last season, and one official said he would be surprised if Muralitharan “went for a lot”. Last year Kochi bought him for $1.1 million.Chris Gayle, the West Indies opener, would have been the biggest draw had he been included in the auction, but Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to retain his services for $550,000 ($100,000 less than he was paid last season). Given his multiple match-winning innings in 2011, had he been in available, he probably would have commanded the maximum $2 million contract. His deal with Royal Challengers also allowed the franchise to have $1.45 million to spend in the auction.In general, the foreign players are riskier bets because the IPL only allows teams to field four in their playing XIs. “Many good players are just sitting on the bench [already],” another franchise official said. “What’s the point of having more good players sitting on the bench?”Another consideration franchises must take into account is the availability of players. The IPL season overlaps with a number of international tours featuring England, Australia and West Indies, so franchises might chose to mix and match players who are available at different times. The likes of Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Ian Bell could draw interest because the England players are available in April but not in May, while the Australia players will join the IPL only after their tour of the West Indies ends on April 27. Anderson, who is not currently part of England’s Twenty20 plans, has said he is hopeful a good stint in the IPL could lead to a recall to the national side.Those West Indies players who are not fixtures in all the formats for the national side, such as allrounder Andre Russell, are also expected to attract interest. Russell was one of the better performers for West Indies in last year’s one-day series in India, and it was his crucial partnership with captain Darren Sammy that clinched their only victory of the tour in the third ODI in Ahmedabad. Kevin O’Brien, the Ireland international who made the fastest century in a World Cup to shock England last year, might also find an IPL home.Among the more intriguing options are the 40-year-old former Australia spinners, Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill, who are available for the first time. Both men came out of retirement to play in the Big Bash League and their performances in that tournament convinced them to test the IPL waters. The pair has the advantage of not being tied down by international commitments and at a base price of $100,000 each, could be good value. The crucial factor will be how teams think they will perform in Indian conditions, a franchise official said.The limited number of India players in the auction – eight in total – guarantees that a number of foreign players will find a home. Those who do will receive a two-year contract (the second year is optional). Most of them though, will have to wait until the next auction and try again.