All posts by h716a5.icu

Two young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey at Chester le Street

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street24-Aug-2013
ScorecardJamie Harrison claimed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty ImagesTwo young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey, who are still 261 runs behind with seven wickets in hand after being made to follow on.From 97 for 6 overnight, were only able to add 11 to their first-innings total. Their tail was mopped up by Harrison, a 22-year-old Lancastrian whose left-arm swing and seamers are delivered at a very brisk pace. He disposed of Surrey’s last three batsmen, two lbw and finally scattering Jade Dernbach’s stumps, without conceding a run.It was Harrison’s first five-wicket return in first-class cricket, taken in his first County Championship appearance this year. Steven Davies, easily Surrey’s most impressive batsman in a poor team showing, stood firm amid the mayhem and finished unbeaten on 41, with his team 313 behind.Harrison was a satisfied young man at the end of the day. He suffered a frustrating 2012 when he was hobbled by shin splints, and has worked hard on his fitness in the meantime. “All through the winter I was in the swimming pool at six in the morning and ten at night, and putting ice on my legs,” he said. “That seems minimal when you take five wickets.”He has also put in a lot of overs, 350-plus, this summer for his club side Stockton and the Durham seconds, and the fitness dividend was clear to see.With an eye on the weather forecast and trusting the bowlers who had served him so well in the first innings, Durham’s captain, Paul Collingwood, enforced the follow-on and Harrison was immediately at it again, bowling Arun Harinath behind his legs for a duck. Rory Burns stood firm for three quarters of an hour but then Collingwood introduced Arshad and the innings took a new direction.Arshad, 20, is making his first class debut, and he looks very useful. From Bingley, near Bradford, he has made his way northwards and impressed the Durham coaches with his performances in the second team this summer.The absence of Ben Stokes with the England Lions has given him his opportunity and he grabbed it. He took two good wickets in Surrey’s first innings, then two in two balls in the second. First he had Burns caught by Scott Borthwick at slip, then he tied up Vikram Solanki, who was caught behind down the leg side.The day’s play was restricted to 23 overs by rain and bad light. The decision by the umpires to take the players off in the late afternoon was not popular with the sparse crowd, and the light didn’t appear at that time to offer any danger to batsmen or fielders. It became academic, however, when rain set in.Harrison said that Durham were confident that, if the weather stays fair on Sunday and their bowlers stay patient, they will take the seven wickets they need for the win. He is probably right.

Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has said the Indian board should seek a probe into all the IPL 2013 matches by an external investigation agency

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Shashank Manohar, the former BCCI president, has called for an investigation by an external investigation agency of all the IPL 2013 matches. Manohar said the BCCI should not solely depend on the board’s and the ICC’s Anit-Corruption and Security Units (ACSU) to keep cricket clean as they do not have the authority to track illegal activities – tracking phone conversations, for example.”The BCCI should immediately file a criminal complaint with the investigating agencies, urging them to probe all 75 games [76] in the current IPL edition,” Manohar told the . “The board should provide them [the investigating agency] with a raw feed of the games as well as CCTV footage recorded at every venue.”It has to deal with this menace with an iron fist. The board or ACSU do not have any machinery or legal authority to track the illegal activities, so it should not depend on these agencies alone.”His comments come in wake of the alleged spot-fixing in IPL 2013, in relation to which three Rajasthan Royals cricketers were arrested on May 16. The controversy has since grown, with top Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested for allegedly betting on IPL games, and his father-in-law – who is also the BCCI president and managing director Super Kings’ owner, India Cements – N Srinivasan refusing to resign from his post with the Indian board despite mounting pressure to do so.Manohar said in an earlier interview with the that he had spoken to some of the BCCI officials before their emergent working committee meeting on May 19, and told them if they wanted “to clean things up, then do it thoroughly. If, at the end of it all, 13 and not three players are involved in fixing, so be it”.Apart from making sure the IPL is clean, now Manohar said it’s important to have stringent processes in place for international cricket played in India too. “The board should approach the central home minister, requesting governmental support in investigating the criminal actions in any event run by the BCCI, which would also include international fixtures. It should request [the minister] to send an advisory to all states one month before the start of an event, so that the investigating machinery can swing in action well in advance to prevent any match-fixing , betting or spot-fixing.”The BCCI, he said, should ask players to register their mobile-phone numbers with the board, so that the investigating agencies could monitor things with more efficiency.

Ishant Sharma, one of the key figures in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s seven-wicket win against Mumbai Indians at Uppal on Wednesday, has said he is pleased with the way IPL 2013 has gone for him so far

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2013Ishant Sharma, one of the key figures in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s seven-wicket win against Mumbai Indians at Uppal on Wednesday, has said he is pleased with the way IPL 2013 has gone for him so far. In the Mumbai Indians game, he said, he just looked to stick to his plans and that worked for him.”I assessed the conditions and tried to execute whatever set plan we had for each batsmen. I bowled according to my strengths without thinking about the batsman,” Ishant told the IPL site. “I am pleased that we did well as a collective bowling unit. We kept things simple, without trying anything extraordinary, and did our basics right today.”I have been going in with a relaxed mindset these days, which is something that has worked for me in the IPL. I have been consistent throughout the tournament. My economy rate has been close to seven, which I feel is fair enough to have in this format of the game. I am pretty happy with the way I am bowling.”Sunrisers kept Mumbai Indians to 129 and then chased down the target with a couple of overs to spare. Ishant was the most effective of the home side’s bowlers, taking 2 for 15 in his four, including a maiden over and the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and the in-form Dinesh Karthik. “It is a tremendous feeling to get Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket,” Ishant said. “When I started playing cricket, I never felt I would someday bowl to Tendulkar or be playing against him. It is a big moment for any bowler to get the wicket of one of the best batsman in the world.”Sharma had got both Tendulkar and Karthik in the same over, the fifth of the innings. Mumbai Indians suffered another double-strike in the 13th over, losing Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma to legspinner Amit Mishra. Ishant said Mishra’s contribution was vital: “He did a great job by keeping the Mumbai batsmen silent and taking crucial wickets. I guess we bowled well in pairs and did a great job in restricting Mumbai to 129.”Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai Indians captain, said the credit for curbing his side had to go to the Sunrisers bowlers. “Probably we were 10-15 runs short. You have to give credit to Sunrisers bowlers. They bowled well, stuck to their plan,” Rohit said. “Sometimes it doesn’t come off. It was one of those days where our batting didn’t click. In the last nine games we scored more than 70 runs in last five overs but today was one of those days when things didn’t go our way. I thought they played better cricket than us so they won the game.”

West Indies Women sealed their T20 series against South Africa Women 2-0 with a six-wicket win in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2013
ScorecardWest Indies Women sealed their T20 series against South Africa Women 2-0 with a six-wicket win in St Lucia. Shemaine Campbelle top-scored with 33 as West Indies chased down their target of 95 with 16 balls to spare.Although Marizanne Kapp struck with the second ball of the innings to bowl Juliana Nero, South Africa’s total never looked like being enough. Kapp bowled superbly to record figures of 4-2-3-3 but she was not supported by her team-mates and a partnership of 56 for the third wicket between Campbelle and Natasha McLean set West Indies on their way. Both fell to the returning Kapp but that brought in the big-hitting Deandra Dottin to help wrap up a comfortable win.Shanel Daley did most of the damage with the ball, claiming 3 for 22, as South Africa struggled to set a testing target. Daley accounted for both openers and then came back to remove top-scorer Mignon du Preez and end a partnership that had lifted South Africa from 25 for 4. Trisha Chetty and Dane van Niekerk further bolstered the score but the damage had already been done.

Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks by the knee injury which has been troubling him during the New Zealand tour

Andrew McGlashan in Auckland20-Mar-2013Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of all cricket for up to eight weeks by the knee injury which has been troubling him during the New Zealand tour. He will miss the deciding Test in Auckland, which starts on Friday, as well as the IPL with a view to him being fit for the Champions Trophy and the Ashes.The estimated recovery time makes Pietersen doubtful for the return series against New Zealand, beginning on May 16 at Lord’s. He first felt the problem, which could be caused by cartilage damage, during the warm-up match in Queenstown, although it only really came to light when he was absent for a session of the Dunedin Test. England were fielding at the time and it was played down as nothing serious. He made 0 and 12 in the first Test, and although he responded with 73 in Dunedin, he was never fluent but remained on the field.”Pietersen experienced knee pain while fielding in preparation for the four-day game in Queenstown earlier this month, ahead of the Test series,” the ECB said in a statement. “This has failed to resolve satisfactorily.”Recent scans confirm an injury to the right knee with bone bruising and possible cartilage damage to the kneecap. The 32-year-old will return to the UK for further investigations and specialist review.”The injury is likely to require ongoing assessments and a likely six-eight week period of rest and rehabilitation. Pietersen has therefore been withdrawn from all cricket including the Indian Premier League.”The fact Pietersen has not been kept on in New Zealand with the series at stake shows that time is already of the essence to get him ready for the main events of the English season. In 2009 he was forced out mid-way through the Ashes series with a career-threatening Achilles injury.Pietersen’s withdrawal will mean a likely recall to the middle order for Jonny Bairstow, the Yorkshire batsman who has not played since the Twenty20 series earlier in the tour. His previous Test was against India, in Mumbai, when he stood in for Ian Bell who went home for the birth of his child.It won’t be the first time Bairstow has replaced Pietersen in a Test line-up. He came in for the deciding match against South Africa, at Lord’s, last year following Pietersen’s dropping after the text-message controversy. Baristow responded with scores of 95 and 54. In five Tests he has scored 196 runs at 32.66.England will now be sweating on the fitness of two key players over the next two months. Graeme Swann is currently in the early stages of his recovery from elbow surgery after he was ruled out of the New Zealand tour on the morning of the first Test.

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’s exit from the World Twenty20 has drawn criticism from several former players

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2012Pakistan’s exit from the World Twenty20 has drawn criticism from several former players. Having restricted Sri Lanka to 139 in the semi-final in Colombo, Pakistan were beaten by 16 runs. The team has qualified for the semi-finals in each of the four World T20s so far, winning the title in 2009 and going down to India in the final in 2007.The inconsistency of Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir prompted former fast bowler Aaqib Javed, who has also been Pakistan’s bowling coach, to question their place in the side. Former captain Zaheer Abbas and legspinner Abdul Qadir were surprised at the decision to exclude allrounder Abdul Razzaq from the playing XI in the semi-final.”I don’t know why these players don’t show the sportsmanship and walk away themselves as he should have gone after Mohali semi-final [in the 2011 World Cup] against India”,” Aaqib said about Afridi. “He had scored fastest hundred 16 years back, it’s the past and it has nothing to do with the present. I don’t understand why Imran Nazir is still there despite previous several unsuccessful comebacks and this is yet another one.””It’s been 12 years that Imran has been playing around the national team and he’s yet to settle. In a player’s career, a one-time sacking is enough [for one] to realise but as many as nine comeback [in his case] are still not enough to learn a lesson,” Aaqib added.Former fast bowler Sikander Bakht echoed similar views about Afridi and called for dropping other senior players in the side as well. “Its time for a change and drop Imran, Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, and ensure they don’t come back again.”Razzaq was selected in the squad after a gap of nine months, but he played just one game in the World T20 this year, scoring 22 off 17 balls in the Super Eights win over Australia.”I don’t think Abdul Razzaq has been treated fairly and given the respect he deserves as a senior player with many match-winning performances to his credit,” Qadir said. “There was no way you could go in to the semi-final without Razzaq after the way he performed against Australia. Unfortunately the truth is he has never been treated properly by the team management and we paid the price today.”Abbas said the captain Mohammad Hafeez had made some poor decisions, leaving out Razzaq being one of them along with not trying Kamran Akmal as opener. “The batsmen didn’t play according to the situation and pitch conditions. I thought 140 was gettable in the match but the execution was missing, and Hafeez got out at a very crucial time. He should have finished off the game.”

It will be months, or in all probability years, before a final agreement is reached on whether MCC should proceed with any kind of ‘Vision for Lord’s’

Ivo Tennant02-May-2012It will be months, or in all probability years, before a final agreement is reached on whether MCC should proceed with any kind of ‘Vision for Lord’s’. A decision on whether to continue with this grandiose scheme, originally involving the rebuilding of five stands, an undercroft and a sunken real tennis court, was deferred at MCC’s annual meeting on Wednesday to enable Derek Brewer, the incoming chief executive, to look at it afresh.Brewer, who attended the packed meeting – it was delayed for 25 minutes to enable members to take their seats – starts work this week. He and Colin Maber, the architect who was instrumental in redeveloping Trent Bridge, will preside over a third working party that will decide what work, if any, should take place on MCC’s leasehold land at the Nursery End.A resolution – later withdrawn – at the meeting asked the club’s 18,000 members to “ratify the decision of the MCC committee not to permit any residential development on the club’s leasehold land at the Nursery End”. This runs alongside Wellington Road, above disused railway tunnels. Temporary hospitality marquees, where the meeting took place, stand there for the time being.The withdrawal was proposed by Robert Griffiths QC, the chairman of the original development committee, which was disbanded. Two further development committees, or working parties, have deliberated on this vexed project, which will have cost at least £3m since 2008 – and considerably more if Almacantar, the property developer and MCC’s former business partner, succeeds in suing the club.A further reason for the withdrawal of the resolution was to avoid more mud-slinging in the hour-long debate that had been set aside for the meeting. MCC reiterated that it has no evidence of money owed to Almacantar, which claims to have email evidence from Keith Bradshaw, the previous chief executive, that it would be paid. Almacantar is prepared to subpoena him and bring him back from Australia if necessary.The decision to withdraw the resolution was taken by Phillip Hodson, MCC’s president, after consultation with chairman Oliver Stocken and treasurer Justin Dowley. It was apparent that numerous members were not happy with the wording of the resolution and were prepared to put up with further delay. MCC now has to resolve whether to try to continue to work with Almacantar or choose another business partner, and how to make progress with Rifkind Levy Partnership, who own the head lease on the disused railway tunnels.Stocken was re-elected chairman through considerable support but the withdrawal of the resolution will be of some embarrassment to him given his strong opposition to major elements of the original £400m development. Sir John Major, who resigned from the main committee in protest at the way its decision-making was reached, did not attend the meeting.Numerous individuals have left the club over the past 18 months, including Bradshaw, who was originally enthusiastically in favour of sweeping changes to the ground, David Batts, the project manager, and Stephen Musgrave, a property expert, as well as members of a development committee that included Mike Atherton and Lord Grabiner QC in addition to Griffiths and Major.Mike Griffith, a former captain of Sussex who also chaired MCC’s cricket committee, was nominated at the close of the meeting to succeed Hodson as president for 2012-13. He now has to try to assist Brewer over what inevitably will be tricky and contentious decision making.

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has hinted at asking India to host a limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia later this year, after Sri Lanka had earlier backed out of staging it

Umar Farooq23-May-2012Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, has hinted at asking India to host a limited-overs series between Pakistan and Australia later this year. Pakistan are seeking a venue for the series after Sri Lanka’s refusal to stage it.Ashraf, who has been invited by the BCCI to watch the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday, said he will discuss the idea with the Indian board officials, but maintained the main agenda would be to revive bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.The other possible venues for the series are Malaysia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The series was scheduled to comprise five one-dayers and three T20Is to help the sides prepare for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, which begins on September 18.”It isn’t a bad idea (considering India) but a good choice to maintain the healthy relationship with them (India), but let us see the mood there,” Ashraf told ESPNcricinfo. “But our primary purpose is to revive ties with them. However, in the meantime we have three options under consideration to host our series.”Ashraf was optimistic about a healthy dialogue with the BCCI, following India’s decision to invite Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions, Sialkot Stallions, to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 later this year, in India.”We are ready to play them and I can see that they [India] are also positive and gradually the ice is melting,” Ashraf said.The UAE, which has hosted most of Pakistan’s home series, was doubtful due to the hot weather. However, Ashraf didn’t rule out UAE’s chances either, as it’s more cost-effective for the PCB.”We have been ruling out UAE mainly because of the month of Ramzan and the hot weather there,” Ashraf said. “But we can counter that by playing day-night matches.”Dilawar Mani, the Emirates Cricket Board chief operating officer, confirmed that they had offered to host another series for Pakistan. “We have offered them but are yet to get a response,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “We didn’t offer them until Sri Lanka backed out. The main concern is the humidity, otherwise the temperature starts to drop after 4pm and the conditions are convenient to play.”The PCB has been planning on starting its own Twenty20 league, but Ashraf didn’t sound optimistic about launching it this year. Various companies have made presentations to the board, but each company requires a minimum of six months to plan the league.”We were hoping to have it this October but I think due time constraints we might have to push it back,” Ashraf said. “However, the plan is in the pipeline and if we aren’t able to get it organised this year then we have to find another window next year.”Eight companies, including Ten Sports, Nimbus and Geo TV, have already made their pitches to the PCB.Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

East Zone surged to their maiden Duleep Trophy title in less than eight sessions in Indore

The Report by Abhishek Purohit in Indore14-Feb-2012
ScorecardWriddhiman Saha flayed the Central Zone medium-pacers during his 170•ESPNcricinfo LtdEast Zone surged to their maiden Duleep Trophy title in less than eight sessions in Indore, their fast bowlers ripping through a spineless Central Zone line-up with a succession of short deliveries. Despite trailing by 237 runs after the first innings in a five-day game, Central tried to pull and hook their way out of trouble, but only managed to top-edge catches.Central Zone had caved in for 133 in the first innings. Take out the opening partnership of 79, and they managed 138 in the second – they were minus opener Vineet Saxena, who wasn’t able to bat after fracturing a finger. The Holkar Stadium pitch had eased out on day two going by the way Wriddhiman Saha had flayed the Central Zone medium-pacers for 170. But Shami Ahmed and Ashok Dinda showed that there was still help from the surface for those who had the ability and the intent to extract it.Bengal fast bowler Shami was outstanding, consistently getting bounce and zip from just short of a good length. Dinda, whether he was running in during his first over or his 25th, leapt into his delivery stride with the same effort to end the first-class season with a staggering 59 wickets.The only sore point in an otherwise dominant performance was East Zone’s slip catching. Shami alone had at least a couple of catches put down and at one point shrieked at his blundering team-mates in frustration, “” (What are you guys doing?). It also led a spectator to wryly shout, “” (You should hold your catches at times as well).Central Zone, though, were in no mood to put up any sort of fight, despite national selector Narendra Hirwani’s presence. Central Zone began the day trailing by 189, and had to go for quick runs if they were to come back into the game. Saha had said yesterday that East Zone would look for wickets in the first session on day three, and their fast bowlers were relentless in that quest today. That Naman Ojha and Jalaj Saxena were able to last for almost nine overs today was down more to their good fortune than their survival skills.Jalaj had resisted through a mix of inside edges, slashes, slogs and lofted shots. On 46, he steered Dinda straight to gully, where Shahbaz Nadeem juggled and put down the catch. Two balls later, Dinda produced a searing bouncer, Jalaj went for the hook, but could only top-edge to fine leg. It was to become a pattern.Before that, though, Shami served more notice of his ability to get the ball to rear from just short of a length. Ojha could only fend the snorter to Saha. Mohammad Kaif, who is usually a jittery starter, seemed like getting out at any moment, edging through the cordon a couple of times. He chose to pull a short Shami ball from outside off stump, and fine leg was in business again.The Ranji Trophy’s highest run-getter, Robin Bist, fluffed another opportunity to push his case at the zonal level. Dinda sent one at his throat, Bist hooked, and Saha ran behind square leg to take the offering.The bouncers to the batsmen before him made Parvinder Singh try to play even a good length Shami delivery from the crease, only to be trapped plumb in front. Parvinder fell off the last ball before lunch, and the talk during the break was about how soon the innings-defeat would arrive.It arrived just over an hour into the second session. If the specialist batsmen had not held back on the pull, there was no question of Piyush Chawla doing so. Another bouncer. Another top-edge to fine leg. Another tame dismissal.Mohnish Mishra played some big strokes during his 44, but he was put down three times in the cordon – two of the chances were straightforward. Anustup Majumdar finally held on to a chance to end Mishra’s stay and give Dinda his third wicket.The end came soon with TP Sudhindra holing out to deep midwicket, setting off celebrations among the East Zone players, who took back all six stumps as mementos. Three wins in three games, two of them outright. No longer were they pushovers in the Duleep Trophy.