With a 199-run second Test victory over England at Headingley, the current New Zealand side added evidence to a case which suggests this is the country’s best Test era under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum and stewardship of Mike Hesson

Andrew Alderson03-Jun-20154:05

‘Can play hard cricket without playing nasty cricket’

With a 199-run second Test victory over England at Headingley, the current New Zealand side added evidence to a case which suggests this is the country’s best Test era under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum and stewardship of Mike Hesson.Their attacking tactics with bat, ball and field have been dubbed revolutionary and make for compelling viewing in the eyes of many beholders. However, a couple of facts suggest the perception extends beyond the anecdotal and into reality.1. A run of seven undefeated series, starting with the Bangladesh series in October 2013 and extending to this drawn England series, is the most by any New Zealand side. They have also beaten the West Indies home and away, beaten India and Sri Lanka at home, and drawn with Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.The previous best era began with the 2-1 away victory over Australia in November 1985 and finished with a draw on the bomb-curtailed Sri Lanka tour of April 1987. Between those bookends they beat Australia and the West Indies at home and England away. When you consider that era included two undisputed greats of the New Zealand game in Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe, it puts the feat into perspective.Tuesday’s victory was New Zealand’s first away win against England in 16 years, second at Headingley, and ninth overall in 101 Tests between the countries but, perhaps most importantly, it was their first win in a Test starting during May. In seven previous examples – 1965, 2004, 2008 (twice), 2013 (twice), 2015 – they had lost six and drawn one.2. The Headingley victory provided another tribute to McCullum’s leadership. He insisted they could play the same way as they did at Lord’s, despite seeing the test slip from their grasp on the fourth day.With the win he edges ahead of Geoff Howarth as the most successful New Zealand captain on the basis of percentage wins. Howarth had 11 from 30 matches (36.67 per cent); McCullum has nine from 24 matches (37.50 per cent). As a further benchmark, Stephen Fleming earned 28 from 80 matches (35 per cent).Home and away series against Australia this summer will provide the best gauge yet as to their place in history.Hesson, who along with McCullum was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List during the second Test, said their aggressive mindset was justified at Headingley.”It is challenging if it doesn’t work out because you can get exposed, but if you truly believe the way you play gives you the best chances of success then, regardless of the situation, you need to stick to your guns.”We were under pressure a lot and took steps forward from 2 for 2 and 23 for 2 in each innings respectively. We could have gone into our shell but stuck with the way we wanted to play. Within a short space of time we got back the initiative.”If you look at the players in the group, most instinctively play with flair. There’s also balance with the likes of Kane Williamson, BJ Watling and Tom Latham.”Seven undefeated test series in a row is something we’re proud of, especially challenging good sides in their home conditions.”New Zealand now prepare for five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 against England.World Cup incumbents Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan rejoin the squad, while left-arm pace bowler Ben Wheeler and left-arm orthodox allrounder Mitchell Santner are expected to make their limited-overs debuts.

Matthew Carter’s ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback

Andrew Miller at Taunton17-Jun-2015
ScorecardPeter Trego’s bristling innings helped take Somerset most of the way to victory•Getty Images

After summoning the spirit of the Wurzels in clouting Somerset to a monumental and, potentially, season-altering run-chase at Taunton, a croaky Peter Trego admitted afterwards that he had “blown his larynx” in a lusty dressing-room rendition of the team’s victory song.”I like to add a little bit of Wurzel to the Wurzels team song,” he said. “This is why we play the game and love pulling on the shirt. Win, lose or draw, we put heart and soul into each game, and days like this are worth all the bad days.”There have been a fair few bad days flying around the west country in recent weeks, but the euphoria that greeted Somerset’s achievement on the final day at Taunton was so heartfelt it was as if that eponymous blackbird himself had been been hunted down.The triumph was sealed with five minutes of the morning session remaining as Abdur Rehman launched a volley of three fours in four balls off the 19-year-old Nottinghamshire offspinner Matthew Carter, whose ten wickets on debut proved in vain as Somerset’s veterans completed an epic comeback.”To chase down 400 on a wicket that was assisting, that’s a massive feather in the cap of our batting line-up who have been having their rough times in the season,” Trego said. “But we are coming good and hopefully this will be the catalyst for a few more good results.”It wasn’t simply the size of the chase that astonished – Somerset had themselves been on the wrong end of a 400-plus chase when Middlesex beat them by five wickets at Taunton in April, so they knew that such a feat could be achieved at the County Ground.More remarkable still was their comeback from a first-innings deficit of 210, especially having shipped 300 runs in 71 overs on the first day, with Brendan Taylor’s 152 steering Nottinghamshire towards what ought to have been an unassailable position.”We showed great character to fight back from that deficit,” Trego said. “Our ageing attack bowling the team out for 190, and two ageing middle-order players putting on a hundred partnership. That’s one thing in this game you can’t replace: experience.”Needing a further 127 for victory, but having squandered a very solid start by losing four wickets for 46 in a nervy evening session on day three, Trego launched his day’s work as if he’d come out whistling his favourite refrain. “With a girt big stick I’ll knock ‘im down. Blackbird, I’ll ‘ave ee!”The blackbird in his sights from the outset was Carter, whose 7 for 56 in the first innings had done so much to put the skids under Somerset’s hopes in this contest. But Trego swung his big stick for two whistling cover drives from his first two balls of the day to set an emphatic and aggressive tone for his team.Alongside him in a critical sixth-wicket stand of 116 was Jim Allenby, who bided his time as his team-mate set the tempo by reaching his fifty from 63 balls. Allenby took half an hour to add four runs to his overnight 32, before stepping up his tempo with a whistling pull for four off Jake Ball.The pair had whittled the victory target down to a meagre 42 before the wobble that all of Somerset had expected and feared. Allenby was trapped lbw for 62 by Samit Patel, whose natural feistiness had been exacerbated by the rap on the knuckles he had received for a run-in with umpire Benson on the third afternoon.Tim Groenewald then survived an early chance as Ben Hilfenhaus spilled a skier, running in from third man, but Carter, the unlucky bowler, then claimed an even more vital scalp three runs later, as Trego pushed too firmly outside off once too often, and Steve Mullaney at slip set up an agonising finale, with 36 still needed and three wickets standing.Groenewald ground out a vital 13 before, with the requirement now whittled down to 20, he became Patel’s second lbw victim of the morning. At the other end was the Somerset debutant Michael Bates – one of the finest wicketkeepers in the country, no doubt, but a man who had been released by Hampshire for his failure to score enough runs.But Bates showed immense composure in what could hardly have been a more taxing audition, picking off the gaps in an oddly deep-set field to make 14 not out from 31 balls, then Rehman saw his opportunity for a sprint to the finish, with two back cuts for four through third man off Carter, before a hoick to leg and a punch of the air sealed the glory.Afterwards, Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain, praised the composure of Trego and the tail in sealing a result that has earned them 20 precious points and enabled them to vault from rock bottom in the first division to the mid-table sanctuary of sixth. Suddenly it is Nottinghamshire, with one win from seven and home-and-away losses against Somerset to contemplate, who can’t help but have one anxious eye on that trapdoor.”It wasn’t just how many they got but the fashion they got them in,” he said. “It’s always good to be positive in this situation, when you are trying to bring down low totals. You need to score the runs quickly otherwise the pressure builds up and it plays a different part in the game.””Ow’s yer father?” the Wurzels might have added. “Alright!”

A natural progression, business expansion, brand synergy and an attractive fan presence are the main reasons that convinced owners of Kolkata Knight Riders to buy total ownership of the Trinidad & Tobago franchise in the Caribbean Premier League

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jun-20154:59

‘CPL has all the ingredients for success’ – Mysore

A natural progression, business expansion, brand synergy and an attractive fan presence are the main reasons the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders bought total ownership of the Trinidad & Tobago franchise in the Caribbean Premier League. The deal raised curiosity because it was the first time an IPL franchise had invested in an overseas league.The majority shareholders of Knight Riders are Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri, who own 55% of the franchise, with the remainder held by the Sea Island group, a family-owned trust of Jay Mehta, husband of Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla.According to Venky Mysore, the chief executive of Knight Riders, T&T Red Steel was the best place to invest from the perspective of crowds, sponsorship opportunities, the rich cricketing tradition in the region, and the talent base. “Forty percent of the population in Trinidad & Tobago is of Indian origin. There is a very strong connect of those people to Bollywood,” Mysore said. “And they are all extremely big Shah Rukh fans. And Trinidad is among the most advanced economies in the Caribbean.”Mysore said his vision had always been to expand the Knight Riders brand and go beyond the IPL in terms of earning revenues. One of the ways was to globalise and the CPL opportunity came at the right time. Peter Russell, the CPL’s chief operating officer, traveled to India during this IPL to meet Mysore and place the deal on the table.In 2013, Mysore had rejected a proposal from the CPL because the “timing” was wrong. “There were people involved at that stage with the league [CPL] with whom we did not vibe well so we let it pass.”So what convinced him the second time? “There has to be a strategic fit, firstly. Secondly, you have to figure out if it is a viable business. If the answer is yes, you take it forward,” Mysore said, adding he had rejected similar proposals from various organisers of franchise-based tournaments in other sports who had approached him to leverage the value and reach of the Knights Riders’ brand.The day the T&T deal was made public, the news made the front page of most of the newspapers in the country. Few days later, Mysore was in a meeting with Shah Rukh when he received the call from Trinidad. It was Gerald Hadeed, who holds the twin portfolios of communications and tourism in the T&T government.Hadeed extended support to Mysore and said he and his country were looking forward to seeing Shah Rukh soon. Hadeed was subsequently elated when Shah Rukh personally accepted the invitation over the call and said he would try to come for a couple of matches this CPL. According to Mysore, Shah Rukh is “extremely kicked” about the CPL deal.Mysore, who is in the Caribbean for the season launch, is already thinking of making some plans: changing the franchise name from T&T Red Steel to T&T Knight Riders, as well as changing the kit to purple and gold. “We will be very careful in making sure when we go out there we are not imposing ourselves. We know the business. But our aim would be to let us learn the environment first and how to manage it and what are the sensitivities there.”Mysore is not only looking at this as a business expansion into an overseas market but also as an expansion of the fan base to the Indian origin fans from the Caribbean to the strong Indian diaspora in North America, which falls in the same timezone.Mysore is aware that the CPL is working hard towards increasing the Indian presence and viewership. “If we are able to impact that and influence that we will do that. Our role is to go in and say let us partner. Let us figure out how we can bring in the best practices of what we have done into an environment which is very exciting.”Mysore pointed out that apart from the look and feel – logo, name, uniform – it will be the cricket that will attract further business. “If you are able to make an impact, Indian brands will get interested in that property, especially brands that are interested in that market place. Another ancillary excitement for me is that this league is in the best position to tap into the US market. They are in the same time zone.”It is also a case of synergising and leveraging the various brands Shah Rukh & co own. “We are in the entertainment space. So how do we disseminate entertainment? You have to be aware of the different platforms on which this entertainment is being disseminated and consumed.”That is where the synergies come in. We are going to be in Kolkata. We are going to be playing in the Caribbean. We are going to be say playing in the US. At the same time if we are launching a movie. Now Shah Rukh is huge in international market and by far the bigger than any star in India. So this [CPL] gives us a platform to market as well in many ways when you think about the business.”

Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, has been given a break by Middlesex amid a form slump that has not seen him pass fifty since the one-day series against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2015Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, has been given a break by Middlesex amid a form slump that has not seen him pass fifty since the one-day series against New Zealand.He will miss three Royal London Cup matches and the Championship match against Sussex in a bid to recharge his batteries before the limited-overs matches against Australia which begin with the one-off T20 at Cardiff on August 31.In 15 innings since he made 113 in the fourth ODI at Trent Bridge – marshalling an England record run-chase alongside Joe Root – he has a top score of 48 and has made five ducks. His only substantial innings was a century for Middlesex 2nd XI.”Eoin has been on the go since October 2014 and is in need of a rest,” Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director, said. “He has been working his socks off away from matches trying to find the form he wants and it has so far not brought the results he is looking for.”We believe a week or two away from cricket will allow him to recharge and to play the cricket he wants for the remainder of the season.”Morgan had been named England captain for the World Cup just weeks before the team left for Australia following the sacking of Alastair Cook after the one-day series in Sri Lanka last December.He endured a poor campaign during England’s early exit from the tournament – making 90 runs in five innings – and there was a suggestion he would be removed as captain, but he was given a vote of confidence by the new director of England cricket, Andrew Strauss, as soon as Strauss took the role in May.He responded with an outstanding series against New Zealand where he scored 322 runs at 64.40 with a strike-rate of 124.80 as England bounced back to win 3-2.In Morgan’s absence, James Franklin will take on the captaincy of the Middlesex one-day side.

Kumar Sangakkara speaks after the end of the second Test against India at the P Sara Oval in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2015Your excellency, the President of Sri Lanka, the honourable Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, all the well wishers and the invitees, fans, all my friends, my family – who are all here, which is a rare occasion that all of us are together – Virat Kohli and the Indian team, Angelo and my team, I have got so many people to thank here.I will start off with my school – Trinity College, Kandy. Trinity College gave me a fantastic ground there in Kandy. It was an amazing school to go to. I owe a lot of who I am today to the grounding and foundation I got there. To all my coaches – I had so many because my father used to take me to so many coaches when I was young – a big thank you.To all my past captains, to Sri Lanka Cricket, to all my team-mates, thank you very much for everything that you’ve done for me. The support that I received, the inspiration, the drive and the commitment you have shown, not just to the game but also to each other and to me, I value all very, very highly. I am going to miss all that chat we had in the dressing room.To Charlie and Suthami Austin, thank you very much for managing me. You’ve become much more than managing, you’ve become family. I know I haven’t thanked you enough in the past but today I’d like to say a huge thank you to Charlie and Suthami for being friends and being my managers and most of all for making me the godfather of your beautiful children.I didn’t have to look far for inspiration (gets emotional). My parents are here. I didn’t have to look far. I had amazing siblings. I am blessed with a wonderful family. I was blessed to be born as your children. When I look up at the box, people that I’ve known for 30 years, friends, family, everyone is here and to see that they love me is great and it will be my greatest achievement.Lot of people ask me who inspired me and I always say I didn’t have to look far for inspiration. I am sorry I don’t want to embarrass you too much, but I didn’t have to look far from my home for inspiration because I have the most amazing parents that anyone could wish for.I had amazing siblings and all the support, the love that they showed over the years, whether I played cricket or not, whether I did well or not, the only place I could go and feel safe was home and thank you ‘amma’ (mother) and ‘apachchi’ (father). Thank you.It’s been one of the most special privileges of my life to play in front of the Sri Lankan people and Sri Lankan fans. I’m especially thankful to your love and support. My innings has ended. I won’t play international cricket again. But I’ll come with you Khettarama, to Galle, to Tamil Union, and to SSC to watch the young cricketers play.To Virat and his team, thank you most of all for the wonderful cricket that you’ve played. I can’t ask for anything more than tough cricket when I’m leaving and you guys over the years have been our toughest opponents.We’ve planned to beat you, we have at times and at other times we have failed, but thank you so much for putting in that effort. It doesn’t matter whether we lost today, we will try to beat you again in the next game, but thank you for the toughness, thank you for giving no quarter, and thank you for really making it a privilege of mine to play against you.And to Angelo and the team… Angie you’ve got an amazing team, you’ve got an amazing future and I just hope you will work hard and enjoy this sport, this sport we only play for a short times. It comes and goes, but don’t be afraid. Take pride in what you do, don’t be afraid to lose when you are searching for a win, and keep Sri Lanka and the flag flying high.Thank you.

Uncapped allrounder Gurkeerat Mann has been included in India’s ODI squad for the first three matches against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-20155:55

Ajit Agarkar reacts to India’s squad announcements for the T20Is and the first 3 ODIs against South Africa

Uncapped Punjab allrounder Gurkeerat Singh has been included in India’s ODI squad for the first three matches against South Africa in October, while uncapped Karnataka seamer S Aravind was picked for the T20 internationals.The players left out from the full-strength ODI squad that had toured Bangladesh were allrounder Ravindra Jadeja and seamer Dhawal Kulkarni. Gurkeerat, who bowls offspin took Jadeja’s spot in the squad while legspinner Amit Mishra came in for Kulkarni.Gurkeerat, 25, had two impressive outings for India A recently. He had taken 2 for 42 and scored an unbeaten 87 in the tri-series final victory against Australia A in August, and then he made 65 and took 5 for 29 against a Bangladesh A team comprising several international players in the first one-day game in Bangalore.”Gurkeerat was picked looking at his all-round capabilities,” Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, said. “The demands of the game are such that we need more allrounders.”The selectors, who met in Bangalore on Sunday afternoon, said they had not contemplated any change in the captaincy, with MS Dhoni returning to lead the ODI and T20I squads after Virat Kohli had captained India to a Test series win in Sri Lanka. Dhoni had retired from Test cricket during the tour of Australia last year.”We have not discussed anything regarding the ODI captaincy,” Patil said. “We are very happy the way Dhoni has led. We have total backing for Dhoni during this series.”Fast bowler Mohammed Shami was not included in either squad because he is still undergoing rehabilitation for the knee injury he suffered during the tour of Australia in 2014-15. Shami last played for India during the 2015 World Cup and been sidelined from all competitive cricket since.India did not pick any of their fastest bowlers – Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron or Ishant Sharma – for the T20 internationals, preferring the medium pace offered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Aravind, and Stuart Binny.”We have picked this side looking at the wickets,” Patil said. “We have not lost faith in our [fast] bowlers. There is still a lot of time to go to World Twenty20. We did discuss Ishant Sharma also. Not like we have earmarked him only for Tests.”South Africa arrive in India in the last week of September and play three T20Is, five ODIs and four Tests during a tour that ends on December 7.ODI squad: MS Dhoni (captain), R Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Amit MishraT20I squad: MS Dhoni (captain), R Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Sharma, S Aravind, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on October 22, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Virender Sehwag treated the Mysore crowd to 14 fours and three sixes•Getty Images

Virender Sehwag and Jayant Yadav feasted on Karnataka’s bowling for over two sessions, before a sensational implosion helped the defending champions storm back into the contest, as Haryana ended the opening day in Mysore on 319 for 8.Sehwag made a chanceless 136 in his first innings since announcing his international retirement, while Jayant, who was reprieved thrice, made 100 during the course of a 206-run, third-wicket stand. But Haryana, cruising along at 278 for 3, suddenly fell apart, with the second new ball denting their chances of putting up a 400-plus score.Medium-pacer HS Sharath overcame a bout of cramps on an unusually hot afternoon before returning to take a hat-trick. He finished with 4 for 48, while David Mathias, the debutant, took two to even the scales for Karnataka.While the spinners were largely ineffective on a green-tinged pitch, the pacers kept their intensity up for most parts of the day, despite four catches being fluffed behind the wicket, with KL Rahul accountable for two of them. Jayant, who lived a charmed live after being dropped on 8, 10 and 22, played some authoritative strokes to bring up his second first-class century.But the day clearly belonged to Sehwag, who hit 16 fours and three sixes during the course of his 170-ball vigil to give the festive Mysore crowd wholesome entertainment on a fascinating day.
ScorecardSudip Chatterjee’s third first-class ton lifted Bengal to a position of strength against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Bengal, after being inserted, lost their openers Parthasarathi Bhattacharjee and Naved Ahmed early, but Chatterjee and Manoj Tiwary led a recovery, joining hands for a third-wicket association which yielded 103 runs. Tiwary eventually fell for 55 after striking six fours and a six, but Chatterjee carried on till stumps, remaining unbeaten on 108 with fours. Chatterjee received ample support from Wriddhiman Saha, who himself remained unbeaten on 67. The pair’s 142-run partnership took Bengal to 272 for 3 before the day ended.
ScorecardFast bowler Umesh Yadav and offspinner Akshay Wakhare claimed four wickets apiece, as Vidarbha bowled Assam out for 206 on the first day of their Ranji clash in Nagpur. Assam, opting to bat, were dealt two early blows, as the opener Pallavkumar Das was trapped lbw by Aditya Sarwate off the second ball of the innings, before Gokul Sharma followed suit for a duck two overs later. A 59-run stand between Amit Verma (57) and Arun Karthik helped Assam past the 100-run mark, but regular blows from Yadav (4 for 49) and Wakhare (4 for 47) meant Assam collapsed from 106 for 3 to 115 for 7. Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad (69) and Kunal Saika stitched together a 58-run partnership, but Assam folded soon after that. Vidarbha were 1 for 0 in the two overs they batted before stumps.Rajasthan v Maharashtra – Maharashtra fight back after Menaria fifty

Following excellent home series against Pakistan and India, Dhammika Prasad has become the Sri Lanka pace attack’s new leader.

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Oct-2015Dhammika Prasad once rode the Sri Lanka fast bowlers’ injury carousel. He would come into international contention briefly, play one or two Tests, then disappear into the shadows with another ailment only to be replaced by the next quick who would play for a little while before fading out of view.Last year Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal were Sri Lanka’s best fast bowlers. In 2015, they’ve each been ruled out through a litany of complaints, or usurped during the months they spent out of the match.In the meantime, Prasad has found a way to exit the carousel. Following excellent home series against Pakistan and India, he has become the pace attack’s new leader. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that he has now played in each of Sri Lanka’s last 11 Tests – a sequence that goes back to August last year. Having come through this stretch in one piece, Prasad has set himself new goals.”My main target used to be to stay fit, but thankfully I don’t have problems with that now,” Prasad said. “Now I have other targets. At the moment, out of the Sri Lankan quicks, Chaminda Vaas has the highest number of wickets. Behind him are Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, who have around 100 wickets. I think I should get the chance to go past them and become the second-highest wicket-taker out of the Sri Lankan quicks. That’s something I’ve set for myself.”Prasad is currently at 70 wickets, and though his overall average is 37.51, he has taken is 36 wickets at 26.41 this year. That excellent run, he said, had to do with building rhythm during his long stretch in the Test team, which he thanks the SLC physios and trainers for.”It came to a point when I had a chat with the team physio and the team trainer and analysed my previous injuries to work out the weaknesses in my body,” Prasad said. “We then tailored exercises for me, which I started to use in the gym and training sessions.”I used to struggle a lot with my hamstring and my back and my side. So when I got a programme that was tailored to me and my body type, that helped a lot. Before I just lifted weights. That’s what you think the gym is for. But only when I sat down and talked about this with them that I realised that you need to do specific exercises geared towards cricket and fast bowling. So that’s what I am doing.”Working with Champaka Ramanayake, who was reappointed bowling coach following the World Cup, has also helped, Prasad said.”He’s not a new coach to me at all. Even when I was playing Under-19 cricket, Champaka was coaching me. He knows a lot about me, so it was very easy for me to work with him. We had a partnership, and that helps when I’m trying to sharpen my bowling up.”When I started out, all I was trying to do was bowl fast. With time and experience you work out how to set up a batsman for a dismissal. So those are the things I speak with my coach. He’s always reminding me to be consistent with my lines and lengths and keep stacking those dot balls.”Prasad has recently struck up a partnership with Nuwan Pradeep, whose own bowling has been more successful this year. Pradeep has had injury concerns over the past few months, but they have not upset his bowling, Prasad said.”Nuwan Pradeep has been in very good rhythm recently. When I bowl my over, I really enjoy watching him from the other side of the field. His action and his rhythm is great to look at. I think he’ll be able to go far with the way he’s bowling.”Prasad and Pradeep are both expected to play in the second Test against West Indies at the P Sara Oval beginning on Thursday.

A round-up of the matches in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge 2015-16

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Andre Russell helped keep Dolphins to 82 for 9 with figures of 3 for 15•Getty Images

A dominant bowling performance followed by Theunis de Bruyn’s 42 steered Knights to a comfortable eight-wicket win – their second win of the season – over the Dolphins in a low-scoring game in Port Elizabeth. Andre Russell and Malusi Siboto took three wickets apiece, as Dolphins were restricted to 82 for 9 in 20 overs.Dolphins got off to a horror start after choosing to bat, as they were left reeling at 35 for 5 at the end of the 10th over. They failed to recover from that start as wickets fell regularly – including two run-outs – and substantial partnerships were hard to stitch. Dwayne Bravo, who was the only batsman to score more than 15, top-scored with a 24-ball 23, before he was dismissed by Russell in the final over.In the chase, Knights too were off to a dodgy start, losing both openers within the first three overs. De Bruyn then came in and combined with Aubrey Swanepoel to post an unbeaten 75-run partnership which helped Knights reach their target with eight overs to spare, earning them a bonus-point in the process.
ScorecardA strong batting performance from the Titans top order – headlined by Mangaliso Mosehle’s career-best innings – set up a 40-run victory against Warriors in Port Elizabeth. The margin gave Titans a bonus point and have all but secured their place in the tournament final.The Titans openers Quinton de Kock and Henry Davids put on 71 in 9.1 overs after their captain Albie Morkel chose to bat, laying a strong platform. Though they fell in the space of 13 runs, Mosehle gave the innings stability and momentum by making an unbeaten 65 off 36 balls. Warriors used seven bowlers but only two were able to take a wicket each as Titans finished on 167 for 3.The Warriors chase had a poor start – they lost one opener JJ Smuts with the score on 4 in 2.1 overs, and the other opener David White seven balls later with no addition to the total. When Yaseen Vallie was bowled by Junior Dala, reducing the innings to 8 for 3 in 5.1 overs, there was no coming back from that for Warriors. They slipped further to 49 for 5, and then again from 100 for 5 to 127 all out. Chris Morris had figures of 3 for 15, while Morkel finished with 2-1-2-1.

Mitchell Starc is almost certainly out of the World Twenty20 in India after deciding to undergo surgery for his long-term ankle problems while also recovering from a foot fracture he suffered during the Adelaide Test

Daniel Brettig10-Dec-20151:26

Farrell: Starc absence could force Australia to rethink bowling strategy

Mitchell Starc is almost certainly out of the World Twenty20 in India after deciding to undergo surgery for his long-term ankle problems while also recovering from a foot fracture he suffered during the Adelaide Test.The decision was a difficult one for Starc, who spent several days mulling over the prospect of returning from the foot ailment and continuing to manage his problematic right ankle, which has been afflicted by bone spurs at regular intervals over his career thus far.But his conclusion that it was best to get both issues out of the way at once is a significant blow to Australia’s chances of lifting the only ICC trophy to have eluded them since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007.”Mitchell met with specialists late last week to get an opinion on his recent foot injury and ongoing right ankle impingement,” the team physio David Beakley said.”After discussions with specialists, and in consultation with Mitchell, we believe the best course of action would be for Mitchell to have the surgery for his ankle impingement now while he is currently laid off with the stress fracture in his foot.”His return to play timeframes will be clearer once the surgery is complete but it is unlikely that he will be available for the ICC World T20.”Starc battled the bone spurs issue three summers ago, notably missing the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka in December 2012 before pushing through to the tour of India.He then had surgery on the problem ahead of the 2013 Champions Trophy and Ashes. However sharp pain returned during the Cardiff Test of this year’s Ashes tour, and while Starc was able to struggle through, the prospect of surgery was always in the back of his mind.