Essex overcame a 12-run penalty to return to the winning ways in the Friends Life t20 with a six-wicket win over Sussex

14-Jul-2013
ScorecardShaun Tait, seen here in the IPL, fired through Sussex with 4 for 26•BCCI

Essex overcame a 12-run penalty to return to the winning ways in the Friends Life t20 with a six-wicket win over Sussex in front of a near-capacity crowd at Chelmsford.Even though they penalised because of their failure to bowl their overs in the permitted time – which boosted Sussex’s total – Essex still had enough in reserve as they chased down 171 for 9 with four deliveries to spare.After losing their openers Hamish Rutherford and Greg Smith, Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah seized the initiative for Essex with a partnership of 56 in six overs before the former was caught in the deep off Dwayne Smith.Bopara’s 35 came off 21 balls and contained three fours and two sixes, while Shah made 40 from 36 balls with four fours and two sixes before he holed out against the nagging spin of Mike Yardy.Essex arrived in the final five overs needing 51 but that did not prove a problem as Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster struck a series of lusty blows in an unbeaten stand of 57 to see their side home. Ten Doeschate’s innings included two fours and two sixes while Foster helped
himself to three fours and a six in his 15-ball cameo.Essex’s success was in complete contrast to their last Twenty20 outing when they were crushed by eight wickets against Middlesex after recording their lowest-ever total in the competition of 74.Sussex had looked set for better when they reached the halfway stage 95 for 1 but they lost their way when Matt Machan departed six runs later after contributing 57 from 30 balls with the help of eight fours and a six.He was removed lbw by left-arm spinner Tim Philips, paving the way for Australian pace bowler Shaun Tait to run through the middle order on his way to 4 for 26.Rory Hamilton-Brown did his best to keep the Sussex innings afloat before he succumbed to Reece Topley for 43. Even with the gift of 12 runs thanks to Essex’s slow pace, the visitors could only manage 53 from their final five overs and their failure to find momentum during that crucial stage was to cost them dearly.

Sussex Sharks’ dismal Twenty20 campaign ended on a suitably downbeat note as Kent Spitfires condemned them to a ninth defeat in this season’s competition

31-Jul-2013
ScorecardMatt Coles took three wickets and top-scored for Kent•Getty Images

Sussex Sharks’ dismal Twenty20 campaign ended on a suitably downbeat note as Kent Spitfires condemned them to a ninth defeat in this season’s competition. The hosts were bowled out for 113 off the final ball of their innings and Kent eased to an eight-wicket victory with 41 balls to spare to ensure Sussex finished bottom of the South Group.Quarter-finalists for the last four years and one of the pre-tournament favourites, Sussex’s campaign never got any momentum and another woeful batting performance was typical of their efforts in this season’s tournament.Openers Matt Machan and Luke Wright gave them a decent start by putting on 39 in five overs, 22 of them coming in the third over when Machan hit Mark Davies for three sixes, two of them slog-swept over midwicket and the other hoisted high over long-on. But when Machan fell for 31 the innings nosedived with only Ed Joyce and Rory Hamilton-Brown getting into double figures.A slow pitch inhibited Sussex’s strokeplayers but no one seemed willing to play the anchor role that might have taken them to a reasonable total. Instead, wickets fell regularly after Wright was caught off a leading edge in the sixth over to give Matt Coles the first of his three wickets.Coles had Chris Nash caught on the midwicket boundary in his next over when Daniel Bell-Drummond cleverly parried upwards before completing the catch and Coles returned to the attack in the 19th over to have Joyce held at long-off.Offspinner Adam Riley also impressed for Kent with 1 for 14 while Mitch Claydon took two wickets in the last over to finish with 3 for 22, the innings ending when Chris Liddle was run out off the final ball.Kent had little trouble knocking off their target despite losing Bell-Drummond in the third over when he mistimed a drive to mid-off to give James Anyon, who was making his competition debut for Sussex, his first T20 wicket for three years.The powerful Coles put Kent in control with 40 off 23 deliveries, including three sixes and three fours, and although he fell to legspinner Will Beer’s first ball – bowled slogging across the line in the ninth over – Kent only needed 41 to win at that stage and cantered to their third win in the competition, Fabien Cowdrey finishing unbeaten on 28.

Last man Simon Jones struck a four in the final over as Glamorgan sealed a dramatic victory over Yorkshire Bank 40 Group C leaders Somerset by one wicket at Cardiff

12-Aug-2013
ScorecardMark Wallace laid the foundations of the chase but it became very nervy for Glamorgan•Getty Images

Last man Simon Jones struck a four in the final over as Glamorgan sealed a dramatic victory over Yorkshire Bank 40 Group C leaders Somerset by one wicket at Cardiff.The former England bowler was the hero after Glamorgan made a meal of what looked like being a simple victory charge when they were well set on 195 for 4 in the 33rd over, chasing 223 to win.But the loss of captain Marcus North, after a partnership of 42 with Goodwin, sparked a collapse with the wickets of Ben Wright, Goodwin, Dean Cosker and Graham Wagg. Five wickets fell in the space of 25 balls as Glamorgan sank from 195 for 4 to 215 for 9. It left Glamorgan needing eight from the final three overs.With the scores level going into the final over Jones struck the winning runs with three balls remaining.Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace cracked 70 from 57 balls and Chris Cooke (44) which laid down the foundations of a win which moves Glamorgan up to second in Group C on run rate.Somerset had been indebted to England one-day star Jos Buttler (67 from 49 balls) and Nick Compton (50), who had shared in a 116 partnership for the fifth wicket in 18 overs after their side had slipped to 64 for four.Somerset lost captain Marcus Trescothick, who had his off stump pinned back by to the fourth ball of the match by Michael Hogan. Hogan struck again to remove the in-form Craig Kieswetter, who had scored an unbeaten 126 in his county’s YB40 win over Gloucestershire the day before.Kieswetter had looked to get in his stride with a drive for four but in trying to repeat the shot he was caught at cover leaving Somerset 19 for 2. The visitors, mainly thanks to Peter Trego, reached 50 in the 14th over before Jones bowled former Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen.Somerset suffered a major setback when Trego – 42 from 50 balls – holed out to Hogan on the long-off boundary to leave the group leaders 64 for four in the 16th over. But England pair Buttler and Compton gradually got the visitors back into the contest with their partnership. Buttler was particularly effective planting Jim Allenby for six over long-on to bring up the Somerset 100 in the 26th over.Somerset took the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over and proceeded to take 54 off the four overs with Buttler – 50 from 39 balls – hitting a six and two fours off an over from Hogan.Compton, who went to his half-century from 74 balls, perished to the last ball of the Powerplay when he was bowled by a Hogan full toss, and Buttler’s impressive contribution ended when he went leg before wicket to Jones.

Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad said he was happy with his consistency during the T20 series against Zimbabwe

Umar Farooq25-Aug-2013Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad said he was pleased with his consistency after helping Pakistan win the T20 series against Zimbabwe with a record knock. Shehzad, who is making his third comeback to the national side in four years, hit two successive half-centuries, including the highest ever international Twenty20 score by a Pakistan batsman, to lead the team to their second win in as many days at the Harare Sports Club.”It is important to be consistent and I tried very hard to remain so,” Shehzad said. “In the first few overs, I did not get much strike and could have panicked, but then as my confidence built up, I was able to get on strike more often and hit good shots. Zimbabwe played some good cricket and now we will be looking forward to playing them in the ODIs.”Shehzad, who hails from a street near the Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore, was among a crop of the most promising young cricketers in the Pakistan set-up in recent years, and played at the Under-19 level with the likes of Umar Akmal, Mohammad Amir, Umar Amin, Junaid Khan and Raza Hasan. In last 12 List A matches played between 2007 and 2009, before his debut for Pakistan, Ahmed racked up five fifties and his form caught the attention of the then chief selector, Abdul Qadir. His career, however, has been under scrutiny following discipline issues.On Saturday, Shehzad smashed an unbeaten 98, after scoring 70 in the first T20. He hit six sixes during his innings, but missed out on a historic century, scrambling for a single off the last ball of the innings. He had a slow start and hit just one six in his first 20 deliveries, off Prosper Utseya in the first over. However, he began to accelerate after the wicket of Nasir Jamshed in the sixth over, reaching his fifty in just 42 balls and scoring the next 48 off just 22 deliveries, to finish with a strike-rate of 153.12. The performances helped him move up 41 places on the ICC rankings for T20 batsmen and he is now ranked 18th.Even though the runs came against a 12th-ranked Zimbabwe team that has been overshadowed by off-field issues in recent weeks, Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s T20 captain, said that the batsman had fulfilled an important role for the side.”I am pleased to see Ahmed batting nicely throughout the series,” Hafeez said “We really need someone to hold the innings from the top and he is the one who gave us the result we wanted to achieve.”When Pakistan lost Jamshed for 23, they were 36 for 1 in 5.4 overs at a run-rate below seven. But Shehzad and Hafeez powered on, and shared an unbeaten 143-run partnership for the second wicket to give Zimbabwe a target of 180 runs, much to Hafeez’s delight.”We knew they (Zimbabwe) were very much capable of causing a set back for us, so every game was important for us,” Hafeez said. “We were thinking of getting around 150-160 runs on the board but Ahmed boosted our total and we knew we just had to bowl a disciplined line to clinch the match. The boys are very confident and have started trusting each other, which is something we’ve been trying to develop.”

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to field first in Ranchi, where dew later in the evening has made bowling difficult for sides defending a total

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Hussey struck seven fours in his half-century•BCCI

Chennai Super Kings sauntered through to the Champions League semi-finals with an effortless eight-wicket win in Ranchi, while scuttling Brisbane Heat’s tournament hopes. A stuttering Heat top order laid a mediocre foundation, before the men in the middle ran aground on Super Kings’ spin.R Ashwin was almost indecipherable in the middle overs, but Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina contributed fine spells as well; the trio shared four wickets and conceded just 37 runs in 11 overs collectively. Michael Hussey then stroked an unhurried, unbeaten half century, to help run down the target of 138 in 15.5 overs.Dom Michael had had quite a road to the Champions League in 2013, but could not manage to make a run in his first Twenty20 match, departing in the first over to Mohit Sharma. James Hopes then promised much during his 14-ball 20, but mis-hit Albie Morkel to mid-off to leave his side at 29 for 2 in the fourth over.It wasn’t until spin arrived after the Powerplay, however, that Heat’s evening truly took a nosedive. Ravindra Jadeja had had a poor tournament with the ball until tonight, and perhaps Heat had planned to dominate him early, but Dan Christian’s attempt to hit Jadeja’s first ball for a straight six, ended with him being caught at long-off for three. Four balls later, Joe Burns edged Jadeja to slip to collect a golden duck.All this did was set the scene for Ashwin’s last three overs, which cost two runs and claimed the wicket of Chris Lynn who underestimated the turn Ashwin generated from a conventional offbreak, and top-edged to short third man. The remaining 17 deliveries were a canny mix of googlies, offbreaks, carrom balls and more big-spinning leggies. Heat’s middle order could hardly lay a bat on his deliveries, and soon abandoned any thoughts of hitting him to the fence.The six overs following the Powerplay cost Heat four wickets for 12 runs, and from 66 for 6, a total below 120 beckoned. Ben Cutting, however, stroked his best Twenty20 innings to elevate his side toward credibility. He was watchful alongside Chris Hartley to begin with, hitting six from his first 14 balls, but adopted violence as the innings drew to a close, hitting five sixes from the last 10 balls he faced to finish on 42 not out from 25.On a decent batting pitch, and with dew collecting on the outfield, 137 for 7 would rarely have been a base for victory, and at no stage in the chase did it test a purring Super Kings batting order. Hussey and Vijay punished indiscipline, but the pair were largely content to push runs into the outfield when the bowlers found their line.With Super Kings’ bowlers having prospered, Nathan Hauritz’s overs shaped as crucial ones for Heat, but he was launched for two sixes in his first over, and was almost as expensive in his two subsequent overs. Vijay departed for 42, breaking a run of three consecutive ducks, but after having helped put on 75 runs for the first wicket in 9.2 overs, the side were well on their way to victory. MS Dhoni finished the match with a six, much to the delight of his home crowd, and Super Kings confirmed themselves as the in-form side of yet another tournament.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are right in the mix with ten points and four matches in hand, but the same cannot be said about Delhi Daredevils, whose defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders has nearly ended their playoff chances

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit08-May-2015

Match facts

Saturday, May 9, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Ten games into the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad may just have found the solution to their batting issues. That involved playing neither Dale Steyn nor Trent Boult for the first time this IPL, against Rajasthan Royals, and having a top five of Shikhar Dhawan plus two overseas batsmen and two overseas allrounders. It gave them their first 200-plus total of IPL 2015, at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.As they move to Raipur to face Delhi Daredevils, it has to be seen if they will keep both their star fast bowlers on the bench again. Even if they do that, they still have the luxury of fielding an all-international attack, with the two Kumars and the two Sharmas plus Ravi Bopara and Moises Henriques.

How Daredevils could still make it

With three matches to play, Delhi Daredevils are seventh in the league after four wins and seven defeats. Their situation is dire, but the teams are bunched so closely that Daredevils can still finish in the top four. Here’s how:
First, they need to win all their games and get to 14 points. Then, other results need to go Daredevils’ way. That would mean two or three of the top-placed teams winning a lot, while the others don’t go past 14.
For example, if Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders win two of their remaining three games, they will have 18 and 17 points. Mumbai Indians are on an amazing run with five wins on the trot, and if they win two of their next three they will finish with 16.
That will leave one spot available, and Daredevils could take it if they win three games, and others don’t do as well. If Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad win only one of their last four games, they will finish on 13 and 12 points. If Rajasthan Royals lose their remaining two games, it will be a fight between Daredevils and Royals, both of whom will have 14. Daredevils will prevail because they have more wins – Royals’ 14 points includes two washouts – and the first tie-breaker for teams with equal points is the number of wins.

Sunrisers are right in the mix with ten points and four matches in hand, but the same cannot be said about their opponents. Daredevils were outhit and outspun at Eden Gardens by Kolkata Knight Riders, and the defeat has nearly ended their playoff chances. They have only three more matches to go, of which two will be at their “home” ground in the Chhattisgarh capital.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils LLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sunrisers Hyderabad WLWWL

Watch out for…

Ten innings, 203 runs at a strike-rate of 121. These are pretty average numbers even for a young domestic Indian batsman, forget someone of the stature of Yuvraj Singh. To add to that, the costliest man in the IPL auction has been missing sitters in the field. Each game he plays, the television commentators remind us of how destructive he can be when he gets going. Barring the odd innings, people are still waiting for that to happen.Eoin Morgan carries a considerable reputation but his 63 against Royals was only his third half-century in 31 IPL innings. That he has faced more than 30 deliveries in an IPL innings only thrice is also a factor, but given his capabilities, it is fair to argue he has underachieved with a tournament strike-rate of 125. Against Royals, he provided the finish Sunrisers have so often lacked after solid starts from the openers, and his team will want more with a playoff spot at stake.

Stats and trivia

• Daredevils have won both IPL games played in Raipur, in 2013
• Amit Mishra is the first bowler to take 50 wickets for Daredevils in the IPL

Quotes

“It’s been great opening with Davy. It has been comfortable. We both are really good in running between the wickets. Our combination suits both of us and our team. It is good to have two aggressive players batting together – that puts immense pressure on the opposition.”

Ryan ten Doeschate spear-headed a middle order revival as Essex fought back to leave their LV= County Championship clash at Glamorgan finely poised after the second day

ECB/PA19-May-2015
ScorecardCraig Meschede hit a brisk 68 to lift Glamorgan over 300•Getty Images

Ryan ten Doeschate spear-headed a middle order revival as Essex fought back to leave their LV= County Championship clash at Glamorgan finely poised after the second day.Earlier on the hosts reached 314 all out with Craig Meschede’s 52-ball 68 giving Glamorgan a valuable nudge towards a respectable first innings total.Things looked even better for Glamorgan when their Division Two rivals slumped to 86 for 3 in reply, but ten Doeschate and James Foster combined to add 54 for the fourth wicket and keep Essex in the hunt before they reached 183 for 4 at stumps.Glamorgan resumed on 187 for 5, but they quickly lost their captain Jacques Rudolph who added just a single to his overnight score before he nudged a delivery from James Porter to gully.Meschede then joined Graham Wagg and immediately changed the course of the Glamorgan innings. His explosive 52 included four sixes – three in one over from leg spinner Adeel Malik – and seven fours. The pair added 92 in 14.3 overs before Wagg was out leg before on 47, and after Meschede had holed out on the midwicket boundary the innings quickly folded.But after being 151 for 5 at one point on day one Glamorgan will have been more than happy with their recovery and three batting points.Essex’s Jaik Mickleburgh (19) and Nick Browne (31) shared 54 for the first wicket, before David Lloyd dismissed both of them in the space of three balls. Mickleburgh was the first to go, edging to Rudolph at slip – who caught it at the third attempt, then Browne got a delivery that left him off the pitch and nicked to Mark Wallace.After a second break for rain, Meschede made further inroads when Dan Lawrence, attempting to cut, edged low down to Wallace who held on to a good catch low to his right.That left the visitors in a spot of bother, 229 runs off taking the lead with seven wickets remaining before the middle order got to work. Foster, who has promoted himself in the batting order this season, and ten Doeschate had much to do to keep Essex in contention, while Glamorgan lost the services of Lloyd – who left the field with a hamstring strain after bowling two balls of his fifth over.Foster looked the most assured of the Essex batsmen, and apart from a couple of wafts outside the off stump, settled into a useful partnership with ten Doeschate.They put 54 for the fifth wicket before Foster, who had struck three fours was bowled for 38 by Wagg with one that nipped back off the pitch.Callum Taylor, one of two 17-year-olds in the Essex team, stepped up to the crease to make his championship debut – but he was not overawed by the occasion.He joined ten Doeschate and saw out the rest of the day, finishing on 23 not out at the close himself as Essex trailed by 131 runs with six wickets remaining at the close.