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Tillakaratne Dilshan batted through the innings with a century to take Sri Lanka to 280. Azhar Ali looked set to match Dilshan’s feat and nearly launched his maiden ODI ton. Ultimately, it was Thisara Perera’s six-wicket haul, aided by his own brilliant f

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran09-Jun-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTillakaratne Dilshan batted through the innings with a century to take Sri Lanka to 280. Azhar Ali looked set to match Dilshan’s feat and nearly reached his maiden ODI ton. Ultimately though, it was Thisara Perera’s six-wicket haul, aided by his own brilliant fielding, which helped Sri Lanka level the series after a disappointing showing on Thursday. Perera’s efforts were all the more special because four of those wickets included top-order victims. In the process, he bagged the overall best bowling figures against Pakistan in one-dayers.Pakistan gambled with their line-up by playing only five specialist batsmen in both games. It didn’t matter in the first ODI, where they were chasing a paltry target. However, in their chase of 281, their over-reliance on Azhar bit them. As the required-rate increased, Azhar’s own strike-rate dipped. None of the others passed 50, the next highest being 27.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, didn’t gamble with theirs. Thursday’s batting meltdown necessitated a reshuffle and the change gave the hosts a greater sense of security. It was imperative that at least one of the seniors – who were struggling for consistency – batted through. Upul Tharanga returned to the position he’s best known for, while Dinesh Chandimal was sandwiched between two experienced players to ease the pressure off his shoulders. It led to an efficient batting effort, led by Dilshan, who dropped anchor and batted with the intention of playing 50 overs. The foundation he provided allowed the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, dropping to No.5, the freedom to innovate in the slog overs.

Smart stats

• Thisara Perera’s 6 for 44 is his third five-wicket haul and best bowling performance in ODIs. It is also the best bowling performance against Pakistan in ODIs.

• Perera’s 6 for 44 is also sixth on the list of best bowling performances by a Sri Lankan bowler in home ODIs. The best is Chaminda Vaas’ 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in 2001.

• Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 119 is his second-highest score against Pakistan after the 137 in Lahore in 2009. It is also the fourth-highest score in Pallekele. Dilshan holds the record at the venue with 144 against Zimbabwe.

• Sri Lanka’s 76-run win is their highest margin of victory against Pakistan at home.

• Sri Lanka’s total of 280 is their second-highest total against Pakistan at home after the 289 in Dambulla in 2009. Their highest at home remains the 398 against Kenya in 1996.

• Azhar Ali’s 96 is the fourth-highest score by a Pakistani batsman in an ODI defeat against Sri Lanka. The highest is Zaheer Abbas’ 123 in Lahore in 1982.

A drier pitch, devoid of the moisture present in the first game, made life easier for the batsmen, allowing them to play across the line. Two boundaries whipped off the pads early on gave Dilshan the confidence to settle in and take on a leadership role at the top of the order. After looking like a walking wicket in the first ODI, he was more sure of his off stump and was prepared to leave deliveries angling across him. Sohail Tanvir troubled him with a few that beat the bat, but he played out his spell and cashed in when debutant left-arm seamer Rahat Ali strayed too wide of the off stump.Dilshan shared shared stands of 37 with Tharanga and 47 with Kumar Sangakkara. Chandimal and Dilshan ensured the run-rate didn’t drop after that dismissal, knocking the singles and scoring boundaries when the spinners, in particular, erred in length. A sweep off Afridi brought up Dilshan’s fifty.Afridi trapped Chandimal lbw but there was no respite for Pakistan as what followed was Sri Lanka’s most productive partnership, of 86. Jayawardene, no stranger to unconventional shots, unsettled the spinners with a delicate late cut, a Dilscoop, a paddle sweep, reverse sweep and a conventional sweep.Dilshan nudged and punched the singles during the stand, allowing Jayawardene to play the aggressor. Though Dilshan slowed down after getting his century, it didn’t cause a slowdown because Perera tonked two fours and two sixes in a 14-ball 24 to lift Sri Lanka to a challenging score.Pakistan got more than what would have expected from a makeshift opener. Azhar did well to shrug off the tag of being a ‘Test-match player’. It was classical batsmanship on view as Azhar relied purely on timing to fetch his boundaries. With minimal foot movement, he managed to drive on the up and yet place it in the gaps through the off side. The pace at which he scored would have surprised Sri Lanka. The short of a length deliveries were punched off the back foot, while the fuller ones were driven through the covers.Sri Lanka’s seamers may have failed to make early inroads but Perera more than made up for that. He sent back Mohammad Hafeez off his first ball, flinging himself in the opposite direction of his follow-through to pull off a return catch. He then had Younis Khan nicking to the wicketkeeper and later sparked Pakistan’s slide by trapping Misbah-ul-Haq lbw.The boundaries dried up for Pakistan after the 20th over. Misbah’s departure left the inexperienced Azhar marshaling the unpredictable Umar Akmal and Afridi, both of whom failed to turn the game around. Perera had Akmal caught behind – a doubtful dismissal – and then got rid of Gul to register his third five-wicket haul. The game was all but over when Azhar’s leg stump was taken to pieces by a Nuwan Kulasekara yorker. Sri Lanka’s emphatic comeback has set the series up nicely for the last three games in Colombo.

The Pakistan board has offered its cooperation to the ECB, should the England board decide to hold an inquiry into Danish Kaneria’s alleged involvement in the Westfield spot-fixing case

Umar Farooq18-Feb-2012The Pakistan board’s integrity committee has offered its full cooperation to the ECB, should the England board decide to hold an inquiry into Danish Kaneria’s alleged involvement in the Mervyn Westfield spot-fixing case, Taffuzul Rizvi, the PCB’s legal advisor, has said.Kaneria, the former Pakistan and Essex legspinner, was not on trial in London, where former Essex bowler Westfield was sentenced to four months in jail after pleading guilty to the charge of accepting or obtaining corrupt payments. Kaneria’s name, however, dominated the proceedings in court as he was presented as the influential figure who led Westfield astray.Westfield, 23, had admitted to accepting £6000 in return for conceding a set number of runs in an over during a Pro40 match against Durham in September 2009. Kaneria, who was arrested along with Westfield in 2010 only for charges to be dropped due to a lack of evidence, could now face an investigation by the ECB.”This match was an England domestic match, so it’s in the ECB’s basic jurisdiction, but since Danish is a Pakistan player we are obviously looking into the matter with a lot of concern,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “The stance of the PCB is one of zero tolerance towards any player with questionable integrity.”The judgment of Westfield raised a lot of questions but in law everybody is innocent until proven guilty. A detailed inquiry is required and the integrity committee will resume its proceedings in due course. The PCB will be working closely with the ECB to get to the bottom of this matter.”ESPNcricinfo understands Kaneria did not give an undertaking to return to England nor was he asked by the Essex Police to return to face any inquiry.Despite the latest developments concerning Kaneria, he is captaining Sind in the Pentangular Cup final, which began today in Lahore. The PCB did not prevent Kaneria from playing the match because it did not want to act in haste. “Even Westfield was suspended after he was sentenced so there should not be a knee-jerk reaction,” Rizvi said. “The integrity committee has taken up a detailed inquiry proceeding and obviously fairness has to be followed in all proceedings.”Kaneria has always pleaded his innocence and his lawyer, Farogh Naseem, reiterated that his client had been cleared. “At the time of the police inquiry, Kaneria was not charged and [was] cleared,” Naseem said. “The ICC cleared him. We feel that Kaneria was discharged in the case.”

Andrew McDonald smashed an enthralling century for Leicestershire on the first day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

24-May-2011
ScorecardAndrew McDonald smashed an enthralling century for Leicestershire on the first day of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.The visitors were teetering on 15 for 3 when Australia international McDonald came to the crease but he hammered 164 off just 140 balls with his sensational knock including 26 fours and two sixes.Paceman Jack Brooks took the first five-wicket haul of his career, with figures of five for 80 as Leicestershire were bowled out for 313 before Northants survived 12 overs to close on 32 without loss. Leicestershire won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Will Jefferson for just a single in the fourth over when he was trapped lbw by Brooks, who was to wreak havoc from the Lynn Wilson End.Veteran Paul Nixon then made only three before chopping Brooks’ delivery onto his leg stump and things were to soon get worse. England Lion James Taylor edged to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy to give Brooks his third wicket, but McDonald led the recovery by crashing a half-century off 51 balls.However, Brooks was to have the last word before lunch by forcing Matthew Boyce, who was on 26, to edge to Northants captain Andrew Hall at first slip. McDonald went on to complete an explosive century off 98 balls with a four behind square leg off Hall.Wayne White was to fall just short of a half-century on 47 when he smashed James Middlebrook to Stephen Peters at mid-wicket to end a fifth-wicket stand of 118. McDonald then reached 150 off 130 balls with a straight six off Brooks as the visitors piled on 174 runs in the afternoon session to reach tea on 264 for 5.But he walked after the first ball of the evening when he nudged David Lucas to Murphy to end a breathtaking innings. Wicketkeeper Paul Dixey then faced 16 balls without scoring before being pinned lbw by Middlebrook after missing his attempted sweep.Leicestershire were now struggling again and they soon lost Jigar Naik for 27 when he wildly slashed Lucas to Middlebrook at gully. Their captain Matthew Hoggard went for a duck when he was caught by Murphy off Lucas before Brooks sealed his five-for when Claude Henderson (23) launched him to Alex Wakely at mid-on to end the innings.The Northants openers, Peters and Ben Howgego, then batted through to the close of play and will resume tomorrow on 26 and 6 respectively.

Michael Clarke, the out-of-form one-day captain, will continue to receive the support of Australia’s selectors at least until the end of the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2011Michael Clarke, the out-of-form one-day captain, will continue to receive the support of Australia’s selectors at least until the end of the World Cup. While Clarke has been struggling for runs throughout the summer, Greg Chappell said the panel has been impressed with his leadership against England, who the hosts lead 3-0 in the seven-match series.”We have a lot of reasons to support him at this time,” Chappell said in the Sydney Morning Herald. ”We’ve been delighted with his leadership. His captaincy in the first three games has been excellent. His strategies, bowling changes, everything that he’s done – not least winning matches – has been good, and I’m sure that will only be good for him.”However, Clarke’s batting is more of a problem, with him unable to exit the slump which worsened during the Ashes. He scored 193 runs in that campaign and has posted 36, 10 and 9 in the first three ODIs.”Many wanted Mike Hussey out of the team, we decided to back his ability to perform at the top level and we were repaid in spades by his performances in the Ashes series,” Chappell said in the Courier-Mail. “We are pretty confident that given the same opportunities Michael Clarke will repay us the same way. I believe he has got through to the end of the World Cup to sort it out and we are confident he well and truly will have it sorted before then.”Clarke, who is preparing for Wednesday’s fourth ODI, said it was “nice” to hear Chappell’s positive comments. “I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of people over the last couple of months and that helps,” Clarke said. “A lot of people who support me don’t have a story written about them. I know I’ve got a lot of supporters and fans out there who continue to get behind me. I’m confident that if I keep doing the hard work things will change.”Chappell told Clarke to believe in himself to correct the “state-of-mind” problem. “You can turn it around very quickly and for that reason I’m confident Michael only needs to get a few runs at some stage in the next few games and he’ll go to India [for the World Cup] in a very different space than he’s in now,” he said. ”When you’re not playing well you start to think about anything and everything and stop watching the ball. It’s nearly as simple as that.”

Emma Lamb top-scores for new team with 55 as Phoenix get off to winning start

ECB Media08-Aug-2025Runs from the in-form Emma Lamb and impressive bowling from wristspinners Hannah Baker and Millie Taylor saw Birmingham Phoenix to an 11-run win over Trent Rockets despite a defiant 64 from Nat Sciver-Brunt.Birmingham Phoenix posted 148 for 5 from their 100 balls, a fine half-century from Lamb (55 from 32) leading the way at the top of the order.Electing to bat first, Phoenix started slowly, reaching 16 for 0 from their first 15 balls. They were 36 for 0 after the 25-ball power play and by the halfway mark, in front of a growing Edgbaston crowd, the home side were 78 for 1, having lost Georgia Voll (19) bowled by Australia legspinner Alana King.Lamb brought up her half-century from 28 balls with eight boundaries, eventually falling with the score on 89, flat-batting Ash Gardner’s offspin into the hands of King at deep midwicket.Emma Lamb swings leg-side•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images

In reply, economical bowling from the home side then stifled the Rockets’ run chase throughout, Ellyse Perry’s 20 balls conceding just 17 runs as the Phoenix captain led from the front.A lofted drive off Baker saw Sciver-Brunt reach 1,000 career runs in the Hundred, becoming the first woman or man to reach the milestone, reaching the landmark at an average of exactly 50.She brought up her half-century with a violent six off Em Arlott over midwicket and followed it up with a straight four to see the equation to 37 required from 15 balls. Another boundary off Megan Schutt’s final ball then made the equation 27 from 10 balls.Left-arm wrist-spinner Taylor (1 for 22) bowled the penultimate five, conceding just seven to leave 20 runs for Arlott to defend from the final set, and then pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at short fine-leg to see the back of Sciver-Brunt.Arlott finished with figures of 2 for 38 and Baker 2 for 18 from 15 balls as the Rockets closed on 137 for 6.

Rishabh Pant vs Jasprit Bumrah could be a key contest to determining the result of this Sunday-afternoon clash

Abhimanyu Bose06-Apr-2024

Match Details

Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Delhi Capitals (DC)
Mumbai, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT)

Big picture – Suryakumar’s potential return, and Bumrah vs Pant

Sunday’s double-header will be kicked off by a bottom-of-the-table clash as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals look to turn their fortunes around. Mumbai are still without a win, while Capitals have won just one of their four games. And both teams are coming into the game on the back of comprehensive defeats.One major boost for the hosts will be the potential return of the world’s No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, who trained with the squad for the first time on Friday after missing the start of the season. He will add much-needed firepower to Mumbai’s batting should he be cleared to play – and it’s a department they need some confidence in after being restricted to just 125 in their last match against Rajasthan Royals.Related

• All eyes on SKY as Mumbai hope for batting boost

• The still feet and knee-flex of Rishabh Pant

• Suryakumar links up with Mumbai at Wankhede

• Kuldeep Yadav advised rest after groin niggle

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, suffered a 106-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, a performance that left their head coach Ricky Ponting “almost embarrassed”. But their one big positive was Rishabh Pant scoring his second consecutive half-century.IPL 2024 has marked Pant’s return to professional cricket after a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. After a slow start to the season, Pant blazed quick fifties against Chennai Super Kings and KKR, and seems to be batting with a great degree of freedom. Apart from David Warner, Pant is the one big batting threat Mumbai will be vary of.But they have on their side an in-form Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, who has been the standout bowler for Mumbai this season after missing IPL 2023 with injury, has dismissed Pant six times in 13 games in the IPL, getting him out more often than any other bowler.Pant has also struggled to score quickly off Bumrah, striking at 111.62 against him.With Akash Madhwal in their attack as well, Mumbai can be flexible in their use of Bumrah, and can save him up for this crucial match-up. How this battle pans out could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.Rishabh Pant is striking the ball beautifully, but he’ll be up against his nemesis Jasprit Bumrah•BCCI

Form guide

Mumbai LLL (Most recent match first)
Capitals LWLL

Team news and impact player strategy

Mumbai Indians
If Suryakumar is available, Naman Dhir will likely make way for him. How Mumbai use the impact player will be interesting to see. In their last match, they brought in Dewald Brevis as the impact player as early as the end of the first over, and he was out for a golden duck. Brevis and Romario Shepherd are likely candidates for the role if Mumbai bowl first – or if they bat and suffer early losses – while a sixth bowler could come in if they bat first.Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Naman Dhir/Suryakumar Yadav, 4 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Tim David, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Akash Madhwal, 12 .Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals could have Kuldeep Yadav back in the mix, after he missed their last two games. Kuldeep started the season well, but was then advised rest due to a groin niggle. Capitals will take a final call on his availability after a fitness test either on the eve of the game, or on matchday. Mitchell Marsh also picked up an injury during Capitals’ last game and that could set his compatriot Jake Fraser-McGurk up for an IPL debut.Probable XII: 1 David Warner, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 , 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sumit Kumar/Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Rasikh Salam, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Ishant Sharma, 12 .Akash Madhwal has a terrific record at the Wankhede•Associated Press

In the spotlight – Akash Madhwal and Khaleel Ahmed

For their first two games, Mumbai Indians opted for the extra spin option in Shams Mulani, but brought in Akash Madhwal for their first home game of the season. Madhwal, who made his debut in the back half of the 2023 season, had impressed for Mumbai in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, even registering record figures of 5 for 5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. In his first match this year, he accounted for Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and R Ashwin as he gave away just 20 runs in his four overs. He was a rare positive on an otherwise forgettable day for Mumbai, who will hope he can continue to deliver. The last time he played a day game at the Wankhede, he took four wickets to slow Sunrisers down after a 140-run opening stand.Capitals would have undoubtedly taken notes from the Royals’ powerplay performance with the ball in the last match at the Wankhede, and have, in Khaleel Ahmed, a left-arm seamer who they know can cause significant damage at the top. Khaleel went for runs against KKR, but has generally been threatening with the new ball, as he displayed in his first spell against CSK. He averages 19.5 with the ball against Mumbai, an impressive record that he will look to better.

Stats that matter

• Since the start of IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians have a 45.8% win percentage with Suryakumar Yadav in their side. The number drops to 22.2% without him.
• Rohit Sharma has struggled to score against Axar Patel, scoring just 51 runs off 61 deliveries against the left-arm spinner. Axar has also got him out twice in nine innings.
• Akash Madhwal has a bowling average of 11.1 at the Wankhede stadium, with 10 wickets in four matches at the ground.

Pitch and conditions

Last year, the Wankhede was a high-scoring ground, but this match will see the same strip used as in the match against Royals. That pitch was not used in IPL 2023, and it proved to be a tricky one to bat on. There was seam movement early on and the ball also held in the pitch as the match wore on. So expect batters to work hard for their runs.

Quotes

“I don’t think [fans] should boo Hardik Pandya. The franchise has appointed him as captain. That’s what happens in sport, whether you captain India or whether you captain your state or whether you captain your franchise, you are appointed as captain. Rohit Sharma is different class, his performance for his franchise and for India has been a different level whether as captain or player. It is not Hardik’s fault he has been appointed captain.”

Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma helped South Africa take a slender lead before India moved ahead again

Hemant Brar04-Jan-2022Stumps Shardul Thakur’s seven-wicket haul couldn’t stop South Africa from taking a 27-run first-innings lead but India started their second innings positively and were 85 for 2 – ahead by 58 – at stumps on day two of the second Test in Johannesburg.With Mohammed Siraj not looking 100% fit, Thakur stepped up with the ball and finished with 7 for 61, the best bowling figures for India against South Africa. However, a 38-run stand for the eighth wicket between Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj took South Africa past India’s total.Both Jansen and Maharaj took the attacking route, hitting three boundaries each in their respective 21s. Jasprit Bumrah, for a change, failed to nail his yorkers and even ended up bowling a beamer to Jansen but eventually pegged Maharaj’s off stump back to end the partnership.Two balls later, Bumrah hit Duanne Olivier on his left arm as the batter took his eyes off against a raring delivery. Jansen then tried to keep the strike to himself and even struck two fours in Bumrah’s next over, but Thakur dismissed him and Lungi Ngidi in the space of four balls to wrap the innings up.In response, India lost KL Rahul early, with the opener edging Jansen to second slip where Aiden Markram took a low catch. The on-field umpires referred it upstairs with the soft signal out; the third umpire didn’t find any conclusive evidence to overrule that decision.Mayank Agarwal was looking fluent, having hit five fours in his 23, but an error in judgement resulted in his wicket. He didn’t offer a shot to an Olivier delivery that nipped back off the surface to trap him lbw.Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, though, ensured India didn’t lose another wicket. Pujara finished the day on 35 off 42 balls with the help of seven fours, two of which came in the final over of the day, while Rahane was batting on 11.Earlier in the day, Keegan Petersen and Dean Elgar kept India at bay despite a probing first hour of bowling. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami tested the duo – Bumrah with a bit of wobble in the air and Shami with the movement off the seam – but neither was successful in providing a breakthrough.Bumrah got one to come back in to Petersen after a string of awayswingers. The batter shouldered arms and, luckily for him, the ball went over the stumps.Keegan Petersen hit his maiden fifty, but India came back strongly•AFP/Getty Images

A few overs later, Elgar edged one off Bumrah and Pant took it low, which the on-field umpires referred upstairs with the soft signal as out. The third umpire concluded that it was a bump ball. In the next over, Shami cut Petersen in half but on this occasion, too, the ball sailed over the wicket.Rahul then turned to Siraj. The seamer had left the field after hurting his hamstring in the penultimate over of the first day but on Tuesday, he was on the field right from the start. He started with a shorter run-up and was down in pace as well. Petersen took advantage of that, hitting two boundaries in his first over of the day.Elgar, meanwhile, was stuck on his overnight score of 11. It took him 32 balls to score his first runs of the morning – at one point, he had faced 47 dots in a row. He broke that sequence with a flicked boundary off R Ashwin.It was Thakur who brought India back in the game, by picking up three quick wickets. Elgar and Petersen had added 74 in 35 overs when he had Elgar caught behind for 28. Petersen reached his maiden half-century with a boundary off Shami and celebrated it with two more fours in the over, but a rare loose shot outside off against Thakur cost him his wicket.And then, in the last over before lunch, Thakur found Rassie van der Dussen’s inside edge, which hit his thigh and lobbed behind the stumps. The batter walked back, but replays showed that the ball had perhaps bounced just in front of the diving Rishabh Pant. That meant South Africa slipped from 88 for 1 to 102 for 4.Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne revived the innings after lunch. They added 60 for the fifth wicket in what was South Africa’s third 50-plus stand of the series. But just like the last two times, it was Thakur who broke it, trapping Verreynne lbw with the one that came back in sharply.In his next over, Thakur had Bavuma caught down the leg side for 51 to complete his maiden five-for in Test cricket. Bavuma, who reached his half-century off just 59 balls, hit six fours and a six during his knock, the most eye-catching being an on-drive against Bumrah.From the other end, Shami got Kagiso Rabada mistiming a drive to mid-on. At 179 for 7, it looked like India could even take a lead but South Africa’s lower order didn’t let that happen.

Fifties from three of the top four lead visitors to 305 for 3 and a lead of 86 with one day to play

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2019Derbyshire’s batsmen fought back strongly to frustrate promotion-chasing Gloucestershire on the third day of the match at Derby. Gloucestershire had an imposing lead of 219 after they were bowled out for 419 with Luis Reece taking 4 for 91 but by the close, the game was back in the balance with Derbyshire 305 for 3, a lead of 86.Billy Godleman top-scored with 86, Wayne Madsen made 69 and Tom Lace an unbeaten 69 to raise the home side’s hopes of pulling off an unlikely victory on the final day.Gloucestershire had started holding all the cards but after their last three wickets added only 23, the bowlers lost line and length on a pitch which had flattened out.The wicket did not appear so benign at the start when Reece again showed his quality as a seam and swing bowler by polishing off the tail in the space of four overs. He nipped one back to defeat Jack Taylor’s defensive push and knock out middle stump and after Josh Shaw played across the line, more late movement bowled Ben Allison first ball.Even so, Gloucestershire’s lead was still a formidable one but they were unable to put Derbyshire under pressure with a consistent line and by lunch, Godleman and Reece were established.Ryan Higgins and David Payne, who had been struck on the helmet by Ravi Rampaul, could not reproduce the sustained discipline which had undermined Derbyshire on the first day and the ball was 20 overs old when Shaw broke through.Reece missed an attempted pull and was lbw for 38 but another 106 runs were added before the next wicket fell as Godleman and Madsen ticked along at four an over.Some of Gloucestershire’s fielding became scruffy and Derbyshire were close to clearing the arrears before Godleman lost concentration and edged a loose drive at Allison. But Madsen was the wicket they wanted given his impressive record against Gloucestershire which included an unbeaten double-century at Bristol in April.He reached his 50 just before tea and with Lace, put Derbyshire in credit in the 65th over as Gloucestershire’s seamers continued to offer too much width.Ben Charlsworth conceded four fours in his first two overs and Miles Hammond became the seventh bowler used as Gloucestershire became increasingly desperate for a wicket. When it came, it was the result of a poor shot from Madsen who reached for a drive at Allison and spooned a catch to cover.Gloucestershire should have had another but Tom Smith dropped Leus du Plooy on 7 and when he spilled the same player on 22 off Payne with the new ball, Derbyshire sensed the momentum was now with them.

Jesse Ryder hit 87 but Essex lost their last six wickets for 39 runs as Northamptonshire fought back to enjoy the better of the opening day

ECB/PA07-Jun-2015
ScorecardJesse Ryder’s 87 had but Essex on top before they lost their way late in the day•Getty Images

Jesse Ryder hit 87 but Essex lost their last six wickets for 39 runs as Northamptonshire fought back to enjoy the better of the opening day of the County Championship Division Two match at Wantage Road.After Nick Browne’s 58 at the top of the order, Essex were well placed on 237 for 4 with Ryder in full flow, but his dismissal shortly after tea sparked a dramatic collapse, Rob Keogh taking a career-best 3 for 35 while Rory Kleinveldt also picked up three wickets.Stephen Peters and Rob Newton then safely negotiated the remaining 12 overs of the day as Northants closed on 43 without loss.James Foster won the toss and opted to bat on a sunny day in Northampton and Browne got the visitor’s off to a flying start, reaching 32 at a run-a-ball, but an opening stand of 48 was broken when Jaik Mickleburgh left a straight one from Steven Crook and was lbw for 8.Browne, who completed his second half century of the season, and Tom Westley appeared to be guiding Essex to lunch in relative comfort until Crook excellently ran out the later for 14, a full length dive at mid-off before throwing down the stumps with Westley stranded.Kleinveldt found Browne’s outside edge in the third over after lunch, and despite Ryder quickly finding his stride with his first six scoring shots all boundaries, Northants kept chipping away as Ravi Bopara was sharply caught by Alex Wakely low at second slip off Muhammed Azharullah.After his initial flurry of boundaries Ryder, together with Ryan ten Doeschate reigned in their natural aggressive tendencies to share a partnership of 90 in 29 overs, a stand that appeared to be putting Essex in a strong position, Ryder reaching 50 in 81 balls, as Essex went to tea 212 for 4.Having looked in little danger throughout his 87, which included 11 fours and a six, Crook found a leading edge, smartly taken by Peters at cover and Essex would go on to lose their final six wickets in 64 balls.Three overs later ten Doeschate was caught behind driving Keogh for 32 and Keogh, who had never previously taken more than a single wicket in a Championship innings with his part time offspin, got one to turn past Graham Napier’s attempted drive.James Foster passed 12,000 career first class runs but would be left stranded on 21 as Adeel Malik was bowled attempted to slog sweep Keogh, and Rory Kleinveldt returned to remove David Masters and Reece Topley inside four ballsNewton moved up to open the batting in place of Richard Levi, and together with Peters ensured Northants reached the close without loss, Newton hitting four fours in his 21, while Peters will resume on 15.

Pakistan will have to consider playing three seamers after the defeat in Bloemfontein

Firdose Moonda14-Mar-2013What seems to be keeping Misbah-ul-Haq from panicking is the faith that Pakistan can only get better after Bloemfontein. Given what he called their overall “mediocrity,” in the first match, even just a more spirited display will prove him right.But to achieve that Pakistan will have to do more than simply up their motivation levels. They will have to get their selection right because that was one of the primary reasons they were shut out of the contest last Sunday.Pakistan went into the match with only two quicks who, as Misbah said, “gave us a very good start in the first eight overs.” Umar Gul and Junaid Khan moved the ball off the seam and beat the bat but after them there was little else.It was not long before Pakistan discovered leaving out a third quick on a South African surface was the equivalent of touring the subcontinent without a spinner: it just does not work. Their slew of spinners were unable to make breakthroughs or keep the run-rate down even though have established themselves as the team’s strength.Misbah-ul-Haq will ponder playing a third seamer•AFP

“South Africa played really well against them on a pitch where it was gripping and turning. Our bowlers did not find the right length,” Misbah said. “Offspinners are our strength and we could not get Colin Ingram out.”As a consequence, even someone as cagey about starting XIs as Misbah was forced to admit his team is considering an obvious change. “We might need another fast bowler after looking at the last game,” he said ahead of the Centurion match. Mohammad Irfan may come into contention on surfaces that will offer bounce or Wahab Riaz could be used.Either way, Pakistan will have to sacrifice either one of their frontline batsmen or one of the two allrounders. Shahid Afridi found his boom-boom in the latter stages of the first match which puts Shoaib Malik in the firing line. Other suggestions would be dropping Younis Khan and even considering finding a way to make room for Umar Akmal in the team.Misbah acknowledged that changes have to be made in the batting but ruled out sweeping personnel swaps. “Just because we lost one match, does not mean we have to make a lot of changes. If we do that players could lose confidence. At the moment, we’ve got a few batsmen who are still waiting for their turn. They are good enough to be in the side but the combinations we are looking at are keeping them out.”Instead, the alteration will come in approach. Pakistan will look to create more run-scoring opportunities and turn around both the strike and their reputation as middle-overs’ stagnates.”We need to be more aggressive, rotate the strike and take a few chances so we can push the fielders a little bit back in the circle. We need to improve that because when we play dot balls in the innings it creates pressure on the batsmen who are playing and the batsmen coming in,” he said. “The batsmen need to show a little more responsibility and we also have to understand the opposition’s line of attack. Most of the time, they are bowling back of a length so we have to be able to play that.Allan Donald has promised South Africa will send down more yorkers so Pakistan will know they have to watch out for that as well. What they should also be wary, according to Misbah, is the moments in which the opposition could take the game away from them because that affected their morale.”Once they got us on the back foot we lost a bit of confidence,” he explained. “The most important thing in one-day cricket is wickets. When we didn’t get wickets, automatically and slowly, it drained us.” That goes back to the opening point. If Pakistan can play with more energy they will better their Bloemfontein showing and repay Misbah’s faith. If they get their selections right as well, then they can have an eye on winning too.