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Essex saw their slim chances of promotion all but wiped out while Derbyshire took another step towards Division One

31-Aug-2012Derbyshire 266 (Masters 5-51) and 173 for 7 (Durston 60, Craddock 4-66) drew with Essex 245 (Wainwright 4-64) and 294 for 5 dec (Westley 82, Foster 58*, ten Doeschate 52, Pettini 50)
ScorecardEssex saw their slim chances of promotion all but wiped out while Derbyshire took another step towards Division One when they held out for a draw in a tense finale to the LV= County Championship match at Derby.The visitors set Derbyshire a target of 274 in a minimum of 58 overs but the home side’s chase faltered after leg spinner Tom Craddock struck twice in successive overs. Wes Durston, with 60, and Dan Redfern (46) put them back in the hunt with a stand of 107 in 23 overs but Craddock took two more wickets to leave the Division Two leaders to bat out the last hour.Nerves were jangling in the home camp at 163 for seven but former Essex bowler Tony Palladino joined Ross Whiteley and they dug in for 18 minutes to steer Derbyshire to 173 for seven before rain had the final say with six overs still to bowl.Essex had to give themselves the best part of two sessions to bowl Derbyshire out and although the home side set defensive fields, the runs flowed in the morning.Essex started the day with a lead of 64 and despite losing Owais Shah in the fourth over when his miscued drive gave Palladino his 50th Championship victim of the summer, Tom Westley and Mark Pettini soon had the scoreboard ticking over.Westley twice came down the track to drive seamer Tim Groenewald back over his head for four and had scored 82 off 95 balls when he was caught behind driving at a wide ball from Mark Turner.Pettini and Ryan ten Doeschate added 56 in 10 overs, with the former Essex skipper completing his fifty off 54 balls before he pulled Ross Whiteley to deep midwicket. Essex had scored 158 runs before lunch and Ten Doeschate and James Foster scored at six an over to add 72, with the Holland all-rounder scoring 52 before he edged a drive at Turner.Foster drove David Wainwright for six to bring up his half-century off only 40 balls and then declared on 294 for 5 setting Derbyshire a target which always looked at least 25 too many.Wayne Madsen responded to the challenge by scoring 31 out of 42 in less than nine overs before he was lbw to a full-length ball from David Masters and when Craddock struck, the home side had some rebuilding to do. Paul Borrington and Usman Khawaja were both stumped coming down the pitch but Durston and Redfern found the right mixture of caution and aggression to get Derbyshire back on course.They added 107 in 23 overs but the game swung back to Essex when Redfern got a leading edge to mid-on and Craddock bowled Durston and Wainwright in the space of four balls.When Masters had Tom Poynton caught behind with 11 overs remaining, Essex sniffed victory but Whiteley and Palladino clung on for 5.2 overs to steer Derbyshire to 173 for 7 before the rain became too heavy.

Rahul Dravid’s retirement from international cricket was announced at his home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in a function room filled with more than 200 people

Sharda Ugra in Bangalore09-Mar-2012Rahul Dravid’s retirement from international cricket was announced at his home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in a function room filled with more than 200 people. Family, team-mates, friends, KSCA members, officials and journalists had gathered – as did fans watching a live broadcast on national television – to mark the end of a remarkable career and a “reassuring presence” in the Indian team. Dravid, the second-highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket, possibly the last of India’s classical Test batsmen, was a cricketer who successfully straddled the old school with the new age, becoming a pivotal figure in the growth of India’s Test team in the 21st century.The press conference began on schedule and, within three-quarters of an hour, Dravid left the room and international cricket as he had walked in. Swift, smooth, business-like, and, on Friday, to the sound-and-light burst of camera flashbulbs. The significance of Friday’s announcement will be understood only six months down the line, when India play Test cricket for the first time in 16 years without the most reliable one-drop in their history.The decision to retire was not sudden, he said; the period of contemplation had lasted over a year as he assessed his game series after series. The disappointment of the Australia tour had not given him any ‘eureka’ moment around his decision to leave the game. “I didn’t take the decision based on one series… these decisions are based on a lot of other things, it’s the culmination of a lot of things. I don’t think it’s based on what happened in the last series. For each one it comes differently, for me it’s come with a bit of contemplation, a bit of thought, with friends and family.”On Friday, Rahul Dravid retired after 16 years in international cricket•Associated PressOn his return from Australia, Dravid spent a month, taking out the “emotion” from the overall result in order to “look at things dispassionately,” he said. At the end he said, “I came to this decision and when I came to it, I was very clear in my mind.” It had, he said, been easy as it was difficult, that he had known “deep down in his heart” that it was time for the “next generation of the young Indian cricketer” to take over.It was tough to leave “the life I have lived for 16 years and, before that, five years of first class cricket. It [cricket] is all I have known all my grown life … it wasn’t a difficult decision for me because I just knew in my heart that the time was right, and I was very happy and comfortable in what I had achieved and what I had done. You just know deep down that it is time to move on and let the next generation take over.”Dravid entered the function room straight into a scrum of photographers, looking almost apologetic at having caused such a fuss. He was dressed in his India blazer and seated on the podium next to BCCI president N Srinivasan and his former team-mate, captain and now KSCA president, Anil Kumble. The walls around him were lined with portraits of Karnataka’s Test players, in the front row of the audience were members of his family, team-mates and the cricket community of the city.He began by reading out his statement, his voice steady as he listed the people who’d played a part in every stage of his career – coaches, selectors, trainers, physios, officials, team-mates, family, even the media. He ended with the Indian cricket fan. “The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you… My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.”With the statement ended and applause breaking out, Dravid looked at his wife in the first row. There was both relief and calm on his face and something other than television lights reflecting in his eyes. After the contemplation and the deliberation, the conversations with people he trusted, it was over.Dravid became the first of India’s senior-most cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman being the others – to quit the game after a season of speculation surrounding their future. His decision follows a poor tour of Australia but he enjoyed a prolific run through 2011, scoring five centuries – including four in the Caribbean and England. However, he is set to captain Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming IPL season.Kumble called Dravid one of Karnataka’s “finest cricketing sons” and spoke of his “reassuring presence” for India in the dressing room and on the field.•Getty ImagesThe biggest surprise of the afternoon, however – far more unexpected than even the finality of Dravid’s retirement – was to follow. It came from BCCI president N Srinivasan: a man famous for an undemonstrative, glacial public face made an emotional and heartfelt speech. He spoke extempore of an “irreplaceable” cricketer, his voice wavering more than once. Srinivasan recalled having watched Dravid “grow from the days he played club cricket in Chennai, from the Ranji Trophy days … to the time he captained India”. Dravid, he said, was an “ambassador for the sport, for the Indian team and for India”.”None of us really want to see such great players go away, we like to think they are permanent,” Srinivasan said. “I think that deciding when to retire is possibly the hardest decision Rahul has ever faced. It is not easy to say adieu…”Kumble called Dravid one of Karnataka’s “finest cricketing sons” and spoke of his “reassuring presence” for India in the dressing room and on the field. It was Kumble who got Dravid to eventually crack his first smile of the afternoon, when he said the KSCA would now “expect to see you often in the association wearing the administrative hat.” There were also a few tips on life after retirement, Kumble telling Dravid that apart from being busier “with exceptional demands made on your time, your ability to say no will be challenged like never before”.Sitting in the audience was Dravid’s former team-mate Javagal Srinath, the current KSCA secretary, who had walked into the room before the event to check if the arrangements were in order. Dravid’s immediate future includes six weeks of the IPL and he offered no clues as to whether he would take up a post-retirement life as coach, administrator or commentator. “I truly believe that some time away from the game will be good for me, I’ve played the game for 20 years I’ve lived in a cocoon, in a surreal world, this world has been away from reality in some ways.” He did say though that because he loved routines, his return to the real world could include his new routines that involve dropping his sons off at school and shopping for groceries.Among Dravid’s contemporaries, both Kumble and Sourav Ganguly retired just after Test matches and Dravid was asked whether he had not wanted to end his career that way, walking off a field of play. “Just to keep playing for the sake of playing just one Test match, I didn’t think was right.” He needed to play, “for the right reasons – to win Test matches for India. I’ve done that for 16 years and I feel the time was right, I’ve had a great run. I have given this some thought … at the end of the day when a player has to go, he knows he has to go and I didn’t feel the need to drag it on longer [in order to have a farewell Test].” Dravid was replying to questions in three of the four languages he speaks, taking particular pride in receiving special applause from the back of the room for working his way through a fairly long answer in Kannada.Along with his wife, sons and brother, Dravid had walked onto the Chinnaswamy field for a short while just before he came in to speak to the media. The stadium was his finishing school before his graduation to Test cricket, and the adjacent NCA nets turned into a trusted training ground over the past decade where Dravid had always showed up early to work on his game.Now retired, he will finally be free of the 7am gym and nets sessions. But what about the pure love of just batting? Of striking the ball with bat? Wouldn’t he want to steal into the nets just for a hit or two? Dravid paused for a moment, smiled and then said: “Probably in the quiet. I’ll come very late at night.”On the day he left the international game, this became the perfect final image of Rahul Dravid. Not that of the obdurate competitor in the arclights of cricket’s ‘surreal’ centre. But of the “reassuring presence”, of the craftsman in the quiet of dusk, of the man who never stopped trying.

Legspinner Rahul Sharma, who received his maiden call-up to the India squad on Thursday, has said he wants to perform on-field, rather than make big promises

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2011Legspinner Rahul Sharma, who received his maiden international call-up on Thursday, has said he wants to perform on the field, rather than make big promises. Sharma, along with uncapped Karnataka medium-pacer S Aravind, was named in the 15-man squad for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against England that begins on October 14.”My aim is to capitalise on the opportunity given to me. I don’t want to make big statements,” Sharma told . “I have fulfilled my first dream of getting the national call-up. Now, my next goal is to don the India cap and do well for the country. [Being a legspinner] I am not thinking about taking Anil Kumble’s place in the team.”His performance for Pune Warriors in IPL 2011 – he claimed 16 wickets and had a miserly economy rate of 5.46 – despite health issues [he has Bell’s Palsy, which effects his vision] put him in the national spotlight. However, he said, he did not expect to break into the national side so early. “I didn’t expect it [the call-up] to come. It was unbelievable when Parthiv Patel disclosed the news to me.”Sharma said he was disappointed to miss out on working with Harbhajan Singh, who has been India’s first choice spinner for a while but was left out from the squad following a run of poor form. “It is an irony that I walk into the team as Bhajji [Harbhajan] goes out,” he said. “I wanted to play with him and bowl in tandem with him.”Left-arm fast bowler Aravind, the other new face in the squad, said he had expected to make the national team only next season. “I wasn’t expecting the call this year, especially after I missed the Emerging Players Tournament [in Australia in August] due to injury,” Aravind said. “After I recovered, I was hoping to do well this [domestic] season and was looking forward to a call next year.”I am really looking forward to the challenge. I have been really working hard on my bowling ever since I recovered from the injury. I think I am a better bowler than what I was a couple of years back. I hope to get a match and give my best.”Aravind is currently playing in the Champions League T20 with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had a strong 2010-11 domestic season, leading the attack for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. Aravind said he would look to state-mate Vinay Kumar, who is also in the ODI squad, to calm any nerves. “In the Karnataka Ranji side, Vinay plays the role of a mentor to me and [Abhimanyu] Mithun. I’ll be getting guidance from him even in the Indian team, and that will help ease the pressure.”

The biggest mystery of the day came from the Bulawayo pitch and Zimbabwe’s opener Vusi Sibanda said he was surprised that it didn’t do much, while Mohammad Hafeez said the challenge would benefit Pakistan’s inexperienced bowlers

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo01-Sep-2011Zimbabwe and Pakistan have not played a Test match against each other in nine years, a time span in which both teams have changed considerably. They were expecting a few surprises. But the biggest mystery of the day wasn’t provided by either side, it came from the Bulawayo pitch.With a fair covering of green on it, Misbah-ul-Haq was probably justified in putting Zimbabwe in to bat, a decision that became questionable midway through the first session. “I was surprised that it [the pitch] didn’t do much,” Vusi Sibanda said after the day’s play. “It seamed a little bit to start off with, but after about five overs it flattened out.”The batsman escaped the proverbial Green Mamba and it was the bowlers who had to avoid being bitten by it. Pakistan’s opening pair of Sohail Khan and Aizaz Cheema failed to impress, with neither able to trouble the batsmen. “They tried to do quite a bit, which made it easier to score,” Sibanda said. “Cheema bowled quite well with the new ball and got it to swing a lot more, but Sohail was just bashing out that length, hitting the bat really hard and was a lot straighter.”Even though they did not create a breakthrough, Pakistan’s opening batsman and offspinner, Mohammad Hafeez said that it was a fine challenge for an inexperienced attack. “This is a learning process for our bowling attack,” he said, “because they are not mature enough at this level yet.”Hafeez acknowledged that the “day belonged to the Zimbabweans”, and even hinted that Pakistan may have taken their opposition, and their prowess as a Test nation, a little lightly. “Their application in Test cricket was impressive, especially as they were out of it for the last three or four years,” he said. “The way they came back against Bangladesh boosted their confidence.”Tino Mawoyo, whose unbeaten 82 anchored the Zimbabwe innings, was the batsmen that took the day away from Pakistan. “He showed good technique, he really showed what was required of Test cricket,” Hafeez said. “He was passionate and determined.”Mawoyo batted through the day, and took 161 balls to get to his fifty, after a characteristically slow start. Sibanda, his opening partner, said that approach is the one Mawoyo flourishes with. “That’s his game, he likes to take his time,” he said. “Once he gets going he will carry on and he will be looking to get a big one. He will probably struggle to sleep tonight though.”Mawoyo’s toughest task was dealing with offspinner Saeed Ajmal, whose doosra he was unable to pick. Sibanda was also victim to Ajmal’s wrong ‘un and felt that he let himself down by not capitalising on a good start. “I’ve just got to be a bit hungrier, because I think I gave my wicket away today,” he said.” I have to try and convert those 30s and 40s into bigger scores.”Still, Ajmal, he said, was one of the more difficult bowlers he has had to face. “There’s not much difference between his doosra and the normal offbreak, so you have to pick it through the air,” he said. Although Mawoyo struggled against Ajmal, he put up an exceptional fight, something that Sibanda thinks is starting to define the new era of Zimbabwean cricket.He said the team were looking forward to facing Sohail Tanvir, despite signs that the pitch will reverse swing, and were disappointed that he was left out of the starting XI. “I was looking forward to facing him [Tanvir] in the Test,” Sibanda said. “It would have been a challenge considering that the last time I played against him was a bit of a challenge. We were hoping he was going to play.”Without the threat of Tanvir, Zimbabwe’s middle order will probably feel more at ease trying to put on a significant first innings score, which will serve them well as the match wears on, because of the nature of the pitch. “It’s an unusual wicket, because it is also breaking up. It might have been a good toss to lose actually,” Sibanda said. “Anything around 370 plus would be decent and psychologically it will play on their [Pakistan’s] minds as well.”

Michael Clarke, the Australia captain, has said that his decision not to play Twenty20 cricket has given him time to work on his Test and one-day skills, and the results are showing

Daniel Brettig in Sydney06-Jan-2012This day last year, Australia were about to be splintered by England in the fifth Ashes Test, and their stand-in captain Michael Clarke was about to announce his retirement from international Twenty20 matches.Twelve months later, Clarke has led his team to an overwhelming victory against India, and his monumental 329 not out was its centerpiece. The first step Clarke made between then and now was to excuse himself from the game’s shortest format, and it now appears among the wisest decisions he has made.Clarke was never the most natural fit for Twenty20 anyway, but his muddled batting in the Ashes was the best encapsulation of the syndrome that had Australia spreading its diminished resources too thinly across the formats. It was an approach the former coach Tim Nielsen said had made the team “jack of all trades and master of none”.Michael Clarke: “I feel my game is in a better place now than it was 12 months ago, that’s for sure.”•Getty Images”The greatest thing about the Twenty20 competitions is it’s very individual, each individual player has the opportunity to make his own decision, and I think the T20 in Australia has been outstanding,” Clarke said. “For me, I think I made the right decision to stand down from T20 cricket internationally at the time, to be able to focus on my one-day cricket and Test cricket. I really thought I had to improve my game, to try to become the player I want to be, to become the best player I can possibly be.”I think that time, whether it be four or five days to be able to work on Test cricket before we travel and play a Test match [has been helpful]. I don’t know what my results say, my statistics over the last 12 months, but I feel my game is in a better place now than it was 12 months ago, that’s for sure.”Clarke’s batting and captaincy have been given valuable time to breathe by his absence from T20, both internationally and in the domestic Big Bash League. That time allows Clarke, as captain a man with many responsibilities and distractions, the chance to look after his own game.”The reality is as a player you need to perform, if you don’t perform you’re not in the team, and it’s no different whether you’re captain or not … I learned that the hard way when I got dropped,” Clarke said. “My focus my whole career has been winning games of cricket, the teams winning whether I was a player, vice-captain or now captain, so I don’t think that’s changed, my attitude towards that hasn’t changed.”There’s enough time in a day in my opinion to look after your own individual preparation and make sure everyone in the team is fully prepared and ready to go. It takes a lot of help from all the people around me, all the support staff, the coach and the rest of my team. I’m lucky in this team that I have some senior players that help me out a lot, and I have some young players that are really keen to learn and improve.”This whole team in my opinion is heading in the right direction. We have a lot of work to do but we’re heading in the right direction and I’m just enjoying the opportunity to lead so many good young players.”As captain and T20 retiree, Clarke has now compiled 819 runs at 68.25 with four centuries. The tally is swelled greatly by his Sydney effort, but greater responsibility and presence has been evident in innings played on a wide variety of surfaces, from the Galle dustbowl to the Cape Town green top.”[Captaincy has] probably put a bit of extra responsibility on me, but I don’t feel like I’ve changed my game,” Clarke said. “I guess what I’ve worked on over the last 12 months is really trying hard to improve my game, facing our bowlers in the nets with brand new balls to improve my technique, my defence. Facing a lot of spin on unprepared wickets, to improve my play against spin for when we travel to the subcontinent.”So I just think and hope my game is improving. That’s been my goal for a long time now, to become the best player I can be, and I certainly don’t think one innings determines whether your game’s improved or not. I think the last 12 months in every part, getting fit, getting strong, getting my back right and training hard in the nets, that’s a reward for the work I’ve put in.”As for the magnitude of what he achieved in Sydney, Clarke said he may not fully grasp it until he retires. In cricket’s endless 21st century cycle of matches and tours, a moment’s reflection can be hard to come by.”I don’t think it does until you’ve retired to be honest, until your career’s come to an end,” he said. “I got asked the same question about my Test debut, and until this day I don’t think I’ve ever stopped and looked at my debut and thought, ‘how did I play and how special was that’. It’s exciting at the time, don’t get me wrong, but this Test match I’m very proud of the achievement of being able to bat for a long period of time, and the runs took care of themselves I guess.”I don’t think I’ll ever look back on it until my career’s ended. I’m most pleased as to my personal performance, just being able to make runs and contribute in this series. It’s a huge series for this team, the first series I’ve been full-time captain in Australia, in front of my fans and the Australian public, and it is important that I stood up.”

Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2011Alastair Cook, England’s ODI captain, has warned his team-mates that “no player is guaranteed a place in his side” as England prepare for the one-day series against India that starts on Saturday.Kevin Pietersen is being rested for this series and reports emerged on Friday that he will not play for England until January – which would rule him out of the tour to India in October. Pietersen made just two ODI half-centuries in the previous two years but the England management insisted he had been rested, and not dropped, from the current series.”Kevin’s omission is part of our policy of monitoring the workload of players.”‘ Cook told the Daily Mail. “He also has a wrist injury that has to be sorted out. It gives a fantastic opportunity for someone else at four, but Kevin is very much part of our one-day future.”Yet Cook told reporters, “There is no guarantee for anything, because we haven’t had that selection meeting for India,” and when asked if he would prefer someone like Pietersen in his side, Cook repeated “There’s no guarantee for anything.”Pietersen’s absence was an opportunity for Ben Stokes to come into the squad, though it is more likely that Ravi Bopara will feature down the order and Ian Bell be promoted. Unlike the Test arena, where Bell has made himself into one of the best in the world, he is yet to seal his spot in England’s one-day team.

Azhar Mahmood broke the hearts of a 15,000 crowd at The Oval with a stunning all-round performance that helped steer Kent to a crucial 15-run Friends Life t20 South Group win

14-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Azhar Mahmood helped set up a match-winning total with a 40-ball 60•Getty ImagesFormer Surrey star Azhar Mahmood broke the hearts of a 15,000 crowd at The Oval with a stunning all-round performance that helped steer Kent to a crucial 15-run Friends Life t20 South Group win.Mahmood top-scored by cracking 60 out of the Spitfires’ total of 181 for 9, ran out home skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown to stifle Surrey’s reply then, with 20 needed from his final over of the game, ran out Zafar Ansari with another direct hit to win the game with four balls to spare and help his side leapfrog Surrey into the qualification places.Surrey’s pursuit started badly when Steven Davies clipped a poor, leg-stump ball from Charl Langeveldt into the hands of Joe Denly at deep square, but at the other end Jason Roy was taking no prisoners. He deposited a six into the pavilion then hooked and cut to the ropes offLangeveldt before surviving a run-out scare with a full-length dive that defeated a direct hit by Sam Northeast.Roy and Hamilton-Brown sprinted to a 50 partnership in 27 balls as Kent’s attempt to take pace off the ball initially came unstuck until Roy, three balls after celebrating a 31-ball 50, holed out to long off against Darren Stevens. Hamilton-Brown departed for 29 after risking a single to mid-off to be run out by Mahmood’s shy, then Stevens struck again having Zander de Bruyn caught atlong-off for 7 from a toe-ended drive.Mahmood then held a comfortable catch at short fine-leg to dismiss countryman Yasir Arafat from a mis-timed hook, after which Tom Maynard (36) picked out Denly at long-on to give Langeveldt flattering figures of 3 for 37 as Surrey ran out of steam.Kent, having elected to bat first, banked 13 from the first over of the night bowled by their former allrounder Yasir Arafat, who was unlucky to see Key dropped at slip from his fourth delivery as Gareth Batty parried a sharp, one-handed chance to his left for four to third man. Key failed to capitalise, however, and was run out by Roy’s direct hit from backward point as he dawdled for a single.Roy was in the thick of the action again, taking a stunning mid-air catch at wide long-on five overs later to account for Denly, yet 16 came off the over once Mahmood clubbed a six and two fours.Maynard at deep midwicket intercepted a chip destined for Stuart Meaker to run out Martin van Jaarsveld at the striker’s end, bringing in Stevens, who quickly deposited two sixes into the OCS Stand against left-arm spinner Ansari. Mahmood cut fiercely for four against Yasir Arafat to move past 50 for the third time in this season’s competition from 30 balls, then Stevens upper-cutfor six over backward point two balls later.Stevens clattered two more sixes off Batty in the 15th over but, in aiming for a third, holed out to Zander de Bruyn at deep mid-wicket to depart for 43 from 19 balls and end a scintillating fourth-wicket stand of 67 in 33 balls. Moments later Mahmood miscued to mid-off against Dirk Nannes to perish for 60 from 40 deliveries and Northeast quickly followed, skying a catch to Davies offDernbach.In a frantic bid for late runs the Spitfires suffered further run-outs when Jones and James Tredwell attempted suicidal singles – the six run-outs in the match representing a record for Twenty20 cricket – but they still posted the top t20 score at The Oval this summer.

The Cobras’ three-wicket victory earned them the right to play the table-topping Lions in Friday’s final at the Wanderers

The Report by Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2012
Scorecard Justin Ontong made an unbeaten 82 to help the Cobras reach the Momentum Cup final•Getty ImagesDale Steyn’s five-wicket haul for the Cobras helped offset AB de Villiers’ century for the Titans as national heavyweights played starring roles in the one-day cup playoff. The Cobras’ three-wicket victory earned them the right to play the table-topping Lions in Friday’s final at the Wanderers.They had their bowlers to thank for restricting the Titans to a below-par score on a slow Newlands pitch and Justin Ontong and Yaseen Vallie’s century stand for anchoring the chase. Despite, eventful dismissals – like Dane Vilas’ for obstructing the field – the Cobras won with 21 balls to spare.Steyn was not even due to play this match after he signed a one-game deal with the Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Big Bash League. CSA withdrew his NOC at the last minute and even though Steyn said he was disappointed not to be able to participate in the BBL, he did not show it. Instead, he struck telling blows for the Cobras against his former franchise, with two wickets in his first spell and three in one over in his last.The Titans were without their BBL-contracted player, Faf du Plessis, who returned from Australia on Saturday but was left out of the XI. They did have Morne Morkel at their disposal, but his efforts with the ball were not enough, despite an early breakthrough.After Eden Links caught Andrew Puttick spectacularly at short midwicket off Roelof van der Merwe, Morkel had Stiaan van Zyl caught at third man. Richard Levi got a top-edge a heave over long-off to leave the Cobras 72 for 3 in the 14th over.Vilas should have been out caught off the glove when he was on 23 but stood his ground and the umpire did not raise the finger. In the next over, Vilas danced out of his crease and drove the ball back to David Wiese. Before Vilas had made his ground, Wiese threw the ball back and Vilas got into position to block it with his bat.The Titans appealed for obstruction and, after a lengthy delay, Vilas was given out. Graeme Smith, the national captain who plays for the Cobras but missed the match through injury, called the dismissal a “disgraceful decision setting the wrong precedent,” on Twitter.Ontong and Vallie ensured Vilas’ departure did not affect the Cobras too badly. They played aggressively and targeted relative newcomer Tumi Masekela. Vallie became van der Merwe’s third victim and Robin Peterson his fourth but Ontong batted to the end, turning it on against Henry Davids* when he hit the medium-pacer for back-to-back sixes over square leg. But, it was Rory Kleinveldt who blasted the winning runs in boundaries off Wiese, who he hit for two fours and a six.Earlier, Steyn found swing on a warm Cape Town day and dismissed the Titans openers cheaply. When de Villiers walked in, his side was in trouble on 18 for 2 in the fifth over. He joined fellow international Jacques Rudolph and the two did a good repair job to add 49 runs for the third-wicket before Rudolph was run-out.The Titans then had another wobble. When Martin van Jaarsveld was caught behind off Rory Kleinveldt they were 85 for 4 but with de Villiers still there to build the second recovery. De Villiers and Farhaan Behardien rotated the strike well, with de Villiers finding boundaries off Johann Louw.Their 120-run fifth wicket stand gave the Titans a launch pad but the rocket did not take off. De Villiers was run out by a direct hit from Ontong at point and the Titans stalled. Steyn was brought back in the 47th over and pegged them back further.He had Wiese caught behind off the first ball and Behardien deceived by a change of pace off the fourth. But his marquee wicket was bowling his South Africa team-mate Morkel, who did not get forward to a delivery that uprooted off stump.With their lower-order in tatters, the Titans stuttered to 241 for 9. It was a score that did not look enough and in the end, proved not to be.*11.58 GMT, December 11, 2012: Corrected bowler from Eden Links to Henry Davids

Pakistan left-arm seamer Junaid Khan has been signed by Lancashire

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2011Lanchashire have signed Pakistan left-arm seamer Junaid Khan as an overseas player for the remainder of the Friends life t20 tournament, subject to his registration.”Junaid is a hot prospect who was recommended to us by Wasim Akram,” Lancashire Cricket director Mike Watkinson said. “He is initially with us for our Friends Life t20 campaign but there may be some scope for him to feature in our County Championship squad later in the summer.”The 21-year-old fast bowler has played seven ODIs and one Twenty20 game for Pakistan and was part of their Test squad on the recent tour of West Indies. He was Pakistan’s second-highest wicket-taker in the recent two-match ODI series against Ireland.”Junaid is an extremely talented cricketer,” head coach Peter Moores added, “who will supplement our seam attack. He bowls with good pace and variation and we look forward to working with him.”Lancashire had earlier signed Sri Lankan allrounder Farveez Maharoof for the season.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Group B match between Ireland and West Indies in Mohali

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya10-Mar-2011Match FactsMarch 11, Mohali
Start time 09.30 (0400 GMT)Ed Joyce is yet to make an impact•Associated PressThe Big PictureTheir ability to compete with and challenge top teams apart, Ireland will bank on another factor ahead of a crucial clash against West Indies in Mohali on Friday. One bound to bring back sweet memories for the Irish and bitter ones for their opponents – history. What was expected to be a routine hammering for the minnows in 1969 turned out to be a shocking win as Ireland shot out the travelling West Indians for 25. Thirty-five years later, in another tour game, one that featured five West Indies players and four Irishmen who are part of the current squads, Ireland pulled off an upset again, chasing down 293 against Brian Lara’s side.With 13 professionals in their 15-man squad and a stunning win over England, things have looked up for Ireland this World Cup; a side determined for an encore. West Indies’ demolition of a Bangladesh side that was expected to challenge them at home, preceded by a dominating performance against Netherlands, has helped them put behind a dispiriting loss to South Africa. Can their present do the same to some unsavoury recollections with the Irish?In a keenly-contested Group where the fight for a berth in the quarter-finals is of greater intensity than the other, Friday’s fixture will have a significant bearing on who goes through to the knockouts from this half. A win for West Indies will be a consolidation – a preparation for bigger tests that await them against India and England. A win for Ireland will put them in an excellent position to realise their pre-tournament objective of making it to the next stage, with a game against Netherlands, whom they’ll expect to beat, in hand.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies: WWLLL
Ireland: LWLWL
Watch out for…Ed Joyce: His return to Ireland ahead of the World Cup was a major boost, but the impact is yet to be felt. Forcing the pace has been a problem, two starts have been squandered and there’s been one out-and-out failure when batting first. A player reputed for his solidity in the top and middle orders, Joyce is relied on to drop anchor. For that, he needs to spend long enough at the crease.Kemar Roach: He’s been West Indies’ most promising pace prospect in years, and weaker teams that have come his way this tournament have been comfortably brushed aside. Ireland may be weaker on paper but their batting line-up is infused with plenty of grit and spunk, and is likely to offer more resistance against his fiery pace and accuracy. But on a track expected to favour seamers more than some others have this tournament, that ability to resist will be tested.Pitch and conditions”Being a non-India match, some grass has been left on the pitch, giving it a greenish tinge,” Daljit Singh, the curator at the PCA Stadium, has said. “The first hour will help fast bowlers, but the batsmen can prosper with time as South Africa showed (scoring 330 against Netherlands) in the previous match.” It was cloudy in Mohali even in the afternoon on Thursday, and if Friday’s no different, fast bowlers will be kept interested for much longer than the first hour.Team newsWest Indies went in with two spinners in their previous game against Bangladesh. The seemingly favourable conditions for seamers in Mohali may just tempt them to replace a spinner with a seamer. Ravi Rampaul may get a look-in.West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Devon Thomas (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.Trent Johnston was the best of Ireland’s bowlers against India but picked up an injury after five overs and picking up two wickets. It will be a major blow for Ireland if he misses out on Friday, as it’ll deprive them an experienced player with all-round abilities. In the event of his absence, Nigel Jones, a medium-pacer and a lower-middle order batsman, could be picked.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield, 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien (wk), 5 Andrew White, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 8 John Mooney, 9 Nigel Jones/Trent Johnston, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Boyd Rankin.Stats and trivia Those two surprise wins in tour games aside, Ireland have faced West Indies thrice in ODIs and lost twice, their latest defeat as recent as April 2010. One game as washed out. Left-arm spinners Sulieman Benn and George Dockrell have both picked up 25 wickets in ODIs, though the Irishman has done it in fewer games – 19 compared to 22 – at a better average and economy rate. Their opponents for the most part, though, have differed considerably in strength.Quotes”We have a lot of respect for them. They are a team that is improving constantly which shows their cricket is moving forward. We are definitely not taking them lightly. We have seen what they are capable of doing.”