Australian fast bowler Andrew Tye is returning to Gloucestershire in 2017 to play in the NatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2016Australian fast bowler Andrew Tye is returning to Gloucestershire in 2017 to play in the NatWest T20 Blast.Tye, 30, a team-mate of Gloucestershire’s Michael Klinger and Cameron Bancroft at Perth Scorchers, who begin their Big Bash campaign on December 23, was instrumental in the county reaching the T20 Quarter-Final after finishing top of the South Group.He picked up an impressive 18 wickets in 14 matches, with a match best of 3 for 16 against Surrey in Bristol in July.

West Indies allrounder Carlos Brathwaite will fly back home after playing Sydney Thunder’s next match

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2017Carlos Brathwaite will exit the Big Bash League after defending champions Sydney Thunder’s final league match against the Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday. Brathwaite will return to the Caribbean to represent Barbados in the Regional Super50 domestic one-day tournament.Brathwaite said he will leave Australia on Thursday morning for Barbados, where the hosts will play their first Super50 match against Guyana on January 24. “Unfortunately, I still have to go home on [Thursday] morning to play in the Super50 tournament,” Brathwaite told the Australia.Brathwaite was hired by the Thunder as a replacement for fellow West Indies allrounder Andre Russell, who suffered a combination of hamstring and knee injuries. In the two matches he has played so far in the BBL, Brathwaite has taken five wickets: 2 for 31 against Hobart Hurricanes and 3 for 21 in the Saturday Sydney derby against the Sixers. He batted only against the Hurricanes and scored 6. He had become an instant hit in the tournament with his ‘dab’ celebrations.Currently, the Thunder are placed sixth on the table and a win against the Strikers would keep them in contention for the knockouts.

Jason Holder has appealed for patience from West Indies supporters as his inexperienced side try to come to grips with one-day cricket

George Dobell08-Mar-20171:13

‘We’ve shown glimpses we can compete’ – Holder

Jason Holder has appealed for patience from West Indies supporters as his inexperienced side try to come to grips with one-day cricket.Holder, West Indies’ captain, knows that time is running out if West Indies are to qualify automatically for the World Cup in 2019. Currently sitting ninth in the ODI rankings, they must make it back into the top eight before the end of September if they are to avoid the qualifying tournament. A series against Pakistan, the eighth ranked side, in the Caribbean in April could prove crucial.The final match against England is also important. While the series is lost – West Indies are 2-0 down with only Thursday’s final ODI in Barbados to play – Holder knows that any ranking points picked up in the last match could still prove important with World Cup qualification in mind.But, while appreciating the need to improve results in the short term, Holder also knows it will take time for his side to adapt to the demands of international cricket. England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, has more ODI caps than the whole West Indies team could have in Barbados.”Obviously, the patience is running out with the public,” Holder admitted. “But we’re still human beings. We’re very young on the international circuit.”You’ve got to bear with them a bit, but it’s important we learn as quickly as possible.”West Indies held promising positions in both the first two ODIs (England were 129 for 4 in the first match and 124 for 6 in second) but, perhaps in part due to a lack of experience or a lack of confidence, were unable to take advantage. Holder, while frustrated by the results, described himself as “encouraged” by the potential he saw in his side.”I’m definitely encouraged,” Holder said. “We just need to string it altogether. In the first game, we obviously showed glimpses that we can compete. But it’s just those pivotal moments we just need to seize and I think that’s maybe where our inexperience comes to the fore.”In the last game, we were a main bowler short with Shannon Gabriel pulling up after his second or third over. That set us back a little bit. There’s obviously still a lot to play for. Every point is crucial now, going into the World Cup qualification and that’s the way we’re seeing this game.”

Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty

Firdose Moonda09-Feb-2017Allrounder Solomon Mire, who has played 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe, most recently at the 2015 World Cup, has made himself available for international duty. Zimbabwe Cricket have included him in the squad to play Afghanistan in a five-match ODI series that starts next Thursday. Mire, who has been playing grade cricket in Australia since the end of the World Cup, will bolster a Zimbabwe squad that is desperate for fixtures ahead of next year’s qualification for the 2019 World Cup.Mire is accompanied by another allrounder Elton Chigumbura, who has kept his place despite a poor tri-series in which he scored only nine runs in three matches and did not bowl. Whether Chigumbura’s allround ability will be needed in an XI that welcomes back a key strike bowler is yet to be seen.Tendai Chatara, who last played an international in June 2016, has returned to full fitness after recovering from a leg injury and will likely form one half of the new-ball pair with Chris Mpofu.Zimbabwe have left out seven players from the squad that reached the final of the tri-series. Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Brian Chari, Carl Mumba, Tinashe Panyangara and Sean Williams all miss out with Mire, Chatara, Wellington Masakadza and two uncapped players, Ryan Burl and Nathan Waller, included. Burl is a left-hand batsman fresh off a a century and two fifties against Afghanistan A, while Waller is an allrounder and cousin of Malcolm.Two more players will be added to the group after this weekend’s round of Pro50 matches.Zimbabwe do not have anything on their calendar until a tour to Sri Lanka in mid-2017 and have not played international cricket since a triangular series featuring Sri Lanka and West Indies in November. ESPNcricinfo understands they are in talks to host Scotland and West Indies in June and October respectively in a bid to fill up their calendar, which has also seen a dearth of domestic fixtures.Zimbabwe were due to have a bumper home season with 12 rounds of Logan Cup first-class fixtures, List A matches and a club competition but the Logan Cup has been delayed several times. It will be pushed back further with this weekend’s fixtures moved to later in the month, but with good reason. The Pro50 Championship will be played instead, in preparation for the Afghanistan series.Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomon Mire.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has sought the Supreme Court’s immediate interference to ensure both the fourth Test between India and Australia and the IPL are not disrupted by disgruntled state associations

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2017The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has sought the Supreme Court’s immediate interference to ensure both the fourth Test between India and Australia and the IPL are not disrupted by disgruntled state associations.In its second status report, submitted in the court last week, the CoA singled out the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), which will host the fourth Test in Dharamsala later this week, for “intransigence”. The CoA also had stern words for the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), which wanted more funds to host IPL matches despite having “substantial” reserves.”The Committee of Administrators believes that there is an urgent need to issue appropriate directions to ensure the smooth conduct of the fourth Test match between India and Australia by the HPCA as well as the smooth conduct of IPL matches by the state/member associations,” the CoA said in the status report, which was prepared on March 17.The court is likely to hear the matter on Friday, a day before the Test match starts in Dharamsala, where the two teams arrived on Monday.The HPCA, the CoA said, had asked the BCCI to release funds to host the Tests despite not having adhered to the twin orders delivered by the court last October. Through two separate orders in October, the court had made it clear to the BCCI “cease and desist” from disbursing funds to the states associations until they had submitted a written resolution saying they would adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.”One of the intransigent state/member association is the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, which has not demonstrated compliance with the orders, but has sought funds for smooth conduct of the fourth Test match between India and Australia,” the status report said.The HPCA, the CoA said, had enough in its reserves to conduct the Test without any issue. According to the CoA, the HPCA had about INR 6.27 crore as savings on March 31, 2016. An amount of approximately INR 59.44 crore was transferred by the BCCI to the HPCA account between April and October last year. This was not including the INR 16 crore that each state association received from the BCCI towards the cancellation of the Champions League T20.The CoA was also wary of the threat posed by some the 10 state associations set to host the IPL, which starts in two weeks’ time. The tournament opener between defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore – the 2016 finalists – is scheduled in Hyderabad on April 5. Incidentally the Hyderabad Cricket Association is under duress after its groundstaff went on an indefinite strike last week for the non-payment of their salaries.The CoA told the court that the SCA had written to the BCCI “more than once” asking for funds to be released to address various payments including the “conduct” of the IPL. Rajkot, where the SCA is based, is the home base for Gujarat Lions, who will play five matches there. In its letter, the SCA had asked the BCCI to release INR 30 lakh per match, an amount which every venue that hosts IPL receives from the BCCI. This sum is separate to a similar amount the venue gets from the host franchise a day before each of the matches.Again, as in the case of HPCA, the SCA, too, had a substantial amount in its reserves as per its audited accounts from last March. According to the CoA, the SCA had about INR 213.47 crore as bank savings in addition to the sum of INR 42.66 crore it received from the BCCI between April and October last year.Even as it waits for the court to issue further directives, the CoA authorised BCCI CEO Rahul Johri to address the SCA and the other IPL host associations, telling them that the fee payable to the states associations will be transferred as per the contract: 14 days after the tournament ends. Johri also reminded all 10 state associations that payment will be made pending their compliance with the court orders.Ever since its institution on January 30 this year, the CoA has been locked in a tussle with the state associations, which have been reluctant to implement the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. On February 22, the CoA sent an email to all the state associations asking for a status update relating to their compliance with the court orders issued on implementing the recommendations.The state associations wrote back to the CoA citing reasons as to why they would not be adopting the recommendations prescribed by the Lodha Committee. The CoA was also told that the states had approached the court requesting further clarity.In its status report, the CoA said it had “noted with regret” the replies of the state associations. “Instead of upfront compliance with what was primarily a request for information/status update on the implementation of the reforms, they have unfortunately used the pendency of various applications as an excuse to avoid necessary compliance,” it said.The CoA told the court that the state associations had themselves to blame for not receiving the BCCI funds. “The Committee of Administrators understands that adequate funds are necessary in order to ensure that cricketing activity continues smoothly. However, it is the intransigence of state/member association to comply with this Hon’ble Court’s order dated October 7, 2016 and October 21, 2016 that has resulted in the consequential inability of BCCI to release funds to them.”It appears that the stand taken by these state/member association is part of a well thought out strategy of refusing to comply with the orders even at the cost of letting players, employees, etc. suffer, and cricketing activity be adversely affected, which is unfortunate.”In its first status report, submitted on March 5, the CoA had told the court that the state associations had not complied with even one of the steps that had to be implemented to meet the timelines set by the Lodha Committee.

Alex Wakely’s unbeaten hundred condemned Lancashire to a third successive defeat and left them in danger of elimination in the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network05-May-2017
ScorecardAlex Wakely’s unbeaten hundred fashioned an excellent run chase•Getty Images

A well-crafted unbeaten century by Northants Steelbacks’ captain Alex Wakely piloted his side to their first win in this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup and condemned Lancashire Lightning to their third successive defeat, a position from which they will find it immensely difficult to qualify for the quarter-finals.Needing 325 to win this 50-over match at Aigburth, the Steelbacks reached their target with 20 balls to spare and with six wickets in hand. Wakely was 109 not out when the win was confirmed by Adam Rossington’s four and six off Liam Livingstone and never during their pursuit of Lancashire’s target had the visitors appeared seriously discomfited.That this was so was partly due to Richard Levi, who bludgeoned twelve boundaries in his 46-ball 62, and helped Northants reach three figures inside 15 overs. When Levi had holed out to mid on Ryan McLaren off Jordan Clark, Rob Newton continued the assault but was caught by Alex Davies off Tom Bailey for 44 when the score was 125.With Josh Cobb having been Anderson’s first victim in the second over of the innings, Northants’ reply was interestingly poised but Wakely and Rob Keogh then put the game beyond Lancashire’s reach with a 152-run fourth-wicket stand in 23 overs.Wakely survived a stumping chance on 24 when Davies failed to gather the ball and was also dropped by the Lancashire keeper when he inside-edged a very difficult chance off Anderson, the resulting boundary taking him to his 42-ball fifty.From then on it was the plainest of sailing on the calmest of seas for the Northants batsmen as they put Lancashire’s total into perspective on a very hard, very true pitch. Wakely reached his century having hit 12 fours and faced 92 balls. Keogh played on to Anderson when he had made 69 five overs before the close but that was of little more than statistical importance. The game had been all but settled long before.Earlier in the day four batsmen had made fifties in Lancashire’s total and the most crucial was that of Jordan Clark who finished the innings with 76 not out off 51 balls and took 24 runs off Nathan Buck’s final six balls. Clark’s fine knock included eight fours and two sixes and it placed on the finishing touches to a recovery which saw Lightning recover from 94 for 5 in the 19th over when Steven Croft was superbly caught at the wicket by Rossington off Muhammad Azharullah for 19The fightback was begun by Dane Vilas and McLaren who put on 86 for the sixth wicket before Vilas cut Ben Sanderson to Newton on the point boundary and departed plainly angry with himself despite having batted with considerable responsibility for his 47-ball 61.Vilas and McLaren’s partnership was a List A record for Lancashire’s sixth wicket against Northamptonshire and a similar mark was established for the seventh wicket by McLaren and Clark’s 108-run stand, which was only ended when McLaren hoisted Azharullah high to long on where Steven Crook took a fine running catch.Some of the Northants’ bowling figures hardly reflected the merit of their earlier efforts, most notably in the first twenty overs of the innings when Lancashire lost five prime wickets. That early period in the game was marked by Karl Brown’s stylish 58 off 47 balls and including 11 boundaries, but it also saw Davies caught at the wicket for a first-ball nought off Sanderson in the opening over and Haseeb Hameed caught at backward point by Graeme White off Buck for nine.When Livingstone fell into Azharullah’s none too subtle trap and hooked a short ball straight to substitute fielder, Saif Zaib at deep backward square leg Lancashire were 77 for 4 and a total in excess of 300 appeared a distant objective. Azharullah was the most successful Steelbacks bowler with three for 55 but White sent down ten overs of left-arm spin at a cost of 47 runs and Sanderson took two good wickets before coming in for some late punishment.

Having picked up their first ODI win over a Full Member nation, Scotland will now target a maiden ODI series win over a Full Member, while Zimbabwe fight to avoid a series sweep

The Preview by Peter Della Penna in Edinburgh16-Jun-2017

Match facts

June 17, 2017
Start time 10:45 local (09:45 GMT)Con de Lange and Malcolm Waller, who played huge roles for their respective teams in the first ODI, once again figure to be crucial to their teams’ success•Peter Della Penna

Big Picture

The far north of the UK is a place where chilly, damp weather is a common occurrence round the year. Regardless of what Zimbabwe may have read about Edinburgh beforehand, not much would have prepared them for the cold shower they experienced on Thursday in the form of a loss to Scotland in the maiden ODI between the two countries.Losing a pair of home series to Afghanistan is one thing, with the consensus being that Afghanistan’s on-field quality has outstripped their administrative status as an Associate – a view further cemented by Afghanistan drawing the ODI series on their first visit to the West Indies earlier this month. As much as Scotland have improved their on-field product in recent years under coach Grant Bradburn, the bare fact was that they’d never beaten a Full Member in 23 attempts prior to Thursday. But, by the end of the day, Zimbabwe found themselves on the wrong side of history.Less than two days after that wake-up call, Zimbabwe have a chance to save face and level the series. Scotland are currently third in the WCL Championship, three points behind Netherlands, and if Zimbabwe are swept 2-0 in Edinburgh, the prospect of three one-dayers next week in Amsterdam becomes even more daunting.Scotland, on the other hand, have a chance to create a double-dose of history. “Securing a maiden ODI win over a Full Member” has been checked off the to-do list. They have the pen in hand waiting to mark off the next item on their summer agenda: “securing a maiden ODI win over a Full Member.”

Form guide

Scotland: WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)Zimbabwe: LLWWL

In the spotlight

South Africa-born Con de Lange first came to Scotland in 2003 as an overseas pro for Ferguslie CC in Paisley. After marrying a local girl and putting down roots in his adopted homeland, he made his Scotland debut in 2015 and has since become one of their most reliable talents. Named vice-captain in January, he turned in his maiden ODI five-for in the win on Thursday and will look to restrict Zimbabwe once again.Malcolm Waller’s last four scores, playing for Rhinos in Zimbabwe’s domestic competition Pro50 Championship, prior to the Scotland tour were 52, 49, 57 and 113. His 92 off 62 balls in the first ODI was his fifth ODI half-century, and he came within inches of making it a match-winning maiden ton before being snuffed out by a controversial catch. Scotland had few answers for containing him in the first match, and he may be a handful once again in the middle order.

Team news

Somerset’s Josh Davey has been released from the county for the second ODI, and he won’t be making the trip up north just to sit on the bench. Though Chris Sole is the youngest and least experienced of Scotland’s medium-pace unit, his opening five-over spell of 1 for 10 was exceptional. But Sole looked rattled by Waller, conceding 0 for 30 in three overs later in the innings. Safyaan Sharif was also expensive, finishing with 1 for 69, making them the most likely candidates to make way for Davey, with Alasdair Evans staying to take the new ball.Scotland (probable): 1 Kyle Coetzer (capt), 2 Matthew Cross (wk), 3 Calum MacLeod, 4 Richie Berrington, 5 Preston Mommsen, 6 Craig Wallace, 7 Michael Leask, 8 Josh Davey, 9 Con de Lange, 10 Chris Sole/Safyaan Sharif, 11 Alasdair EvansChris Mpofu, who was Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker in the five-match series against Afghanistan, was a surprising omission in the first ODI. Richard Ngarava struggled badly, both with the new ball and at the death, to finish with 1 for 96 – the joint second-worst figures for a Zimbabwe bowler in ODIs. A direct swap for the two is most likely on the bowling front, while Chamu Chibhabha might also get a look in after another ODI failure for Ryan Burl.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Solomon Mire, 3 Chamu Chibhabha, 4 Craig Ervine, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Malcolm Waller, 8 PJ Moor (wk), 9 Graeme Cremer (capt), 10 Tendai Chatara, 11 Chris Mpofu

Pitch and conditions

Unlike the on-and-off rain on Thursday that resulted in Zimbabwe’s chase being reduced to 43 overs, Saturday is forecast to be one of the clearest and hottest days of the late spring and early summer in Edinburgh with a high of 24 degrees centigrade and no rain in the area. Expect another flat, bat-first pitch with a 300-plus target in mind.

Stats and trivia

• Con de Lange’s 5 for 60 was just the sixth five-wicket haul in Scotland’s ODI history and the first since Josh Davey’s 6 for 28 against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi just before the 2015 World Cup.
• Scotland’s 317 for 6 in the first ODI was the fifth time they scored 300 or more in an ODI innings, and their second-highest total against a Full Member, one short of the 318 for 8 they made in a World Cup loss to Bangladesh.
• Zimbabwe’s overall record against Associates in ODIs is 49-20-1 after the loss to Scotland. But since that lone tie, against Ireland in the 2007 World Cup, it has been much less dominant at 25-17. That includes 11 losses to Afghanistan, three to Ireland and two to Kenya.

Quotes

“This is what we’ve been waiting to do for a little while. We’ve taken a little bit longer than other teams have, but we’ve now got a strong squad of players and we hope that we could still keep on challenging and maybe play some of the other Test-ranked teams.”
“They do play good shots and we knew we were going to be up against it, especially in their home conditions, our first game. But we’ve got to jump around. We’ve got to be ready for the next game and make sure that we finish on top.”

The ECB has shelved plans for a women’s domestic 50-over competition to mirror the T20 Kia Super League

Melinda Farrell27-Jul-2017The ECB has shelved plans for a women’s domestic 50-over competition to mirror the T20 Kia Super League.The second edition of the KSL, which commences in August, was originally supposed to pave the way for an additional 50-over version involving the same teams, starting this summer. But the ECB will instead expand the KSL next year, doubling the group games for each of the six teams from five to ten, and consider other ways to improve the domestic structure of 50-over cricket.A major reason for the decision not to create a new competition is the perceived lack of a sufficient window in which to run anther domestic tournament alongside the expanded KSL.Despite England’s success in the recent Women’s World Cup, there has long been concern at the lack of a strong pyramid structure in the women’s domestic game. The unwieldy county set up has led to a dilution of talent in comparison to Australia, where the 50-over domestic WNCL, made up of seven state and territory teams, has been running successfully for more than 20 years. Instead, England have developed most of their players through the high performance academy at Loughborough.Players who are contracted to WNCL teams are paid on at least a semi-professional basis and the New South Wales Breakers became the first fully professional domestic women’s team last year when sponsor Lend Lease guaranteed them a minimum wage of $35,000.Such a scenario is unworkable in the current women’s 50-over county structure in England, which consists of 36 teams spread over three divisions.While the ECB recognises it must find ways to strengthen the talent pathway through counties and regions, no changes will be made to the 50-over competition until 2019 at the earliest.The next World Cup will be held in New Zealand in 2021.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and MS Dhoni added an unbroken 100, an Indian record for the eighth wicket, to turn the tables on Sri Lanka and lead India to a three-wicket win

The Report by Alagappan Muthu24-Aug-20171:59

Agarkar: India had two guys with the right temperament

His name is Akila Dananjaya. He is supposed to be an offspinner but his nimble fingers can do what they want to the ball. One minute in 2012, he was bowling in the nets, the next he was fast-tracked into the Sri Lanka team by no less a spotter of talent than Mahela Jayawardene, in a World T20 to boot. If that isn’t enough drama, on debut, he struck in his first over, and then got hit in the face by a cricket ball. If his career had ended then, he would still have felt it was a roller-coaster.Then came August 24, 2017. And even if it ended with victory for India by three wickets, he would never forget this rain-hit night.Twenty-three-years-old now, a day after getting married, Dananjaya took 6 for 54 and had one of the world’s mightiest batting line-ups looking at him like he was a ghost. Virat Kohli was bowled for 4, deceived in the manner he might once have been while playing backyard cricket while still a child. He cast a dumbstruck look at the pitch as he walked off but the demon wasn’t there. He was 22 yards away, smiling and whooping and dancing with a bunch of men who had put only 236 runs on the board, but felt they were on their way to defending it.MS Dhoni watched all of the revelry, typically expressionless. He had more important work to do, like reviving India’s chase, yet again.From 131 for 7, through sheer force of will and fiendish common sense, he marshalled India towards their target. He had advice for those who would listen, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in the course of a record-breaking eighth-wicket partnership of 100, certainly did. Don’t get stuck on the back foot, said the master to his protégé. Stick with him, pleaded all of India as they turned to a familiar hero.Akila Dananjaya celebrates with his team-mates after snaring his sixth victim•Associated Press

Most of the Dhoni innings that stick in the mind feature brutish strokes and calculated carnage. But with a small target defended by a set of bowlers that were on an almighty roll, a different type of innings was required. One that would fetch 45 runs off 68 deliveries at a strike-rate of 66.17 with only one boundary. He had denied Muttiah Muralitharan in 2011. He did the same to Dananjaya on Thursday.For one brief moment though, Sri Lanka thought they had glory. In the 35th over, with India 59 runs away, Vishwa Fernando produced a false shot from Dhoni and the ball trickled between his legs to hit the stumps. But the zing bails – heavier than the normal ones – wouldn’t fall. And neither would Dhoni. He and Bhuvneshwar brought the target down below 50, with a slog sweep for six. To 30, with back-to-back fours. Under 10, as both the sky and Sri Lanka’s hopes faded to black.It was so that Pallekele, which had gasped and swooned and howled and cried, had to go back home knowing their country had lost playing its 800th ODI. But there might well be a smile on their faces once the wound stops feeling so fresh. At long last, their prayers had been answered. They had found someone who could actually land the ball where an Indian batsman didn’t want it.There had been 329 runs and 44.2 overs between a Sri Lankan bowler taking a wicket on this tour. In the space of 15 balls, Dananjaya had four. By his fifth over, he had a five-for. Where was he all this time? Why hasn’t he been playing every match for his country? Why would anyone hide a bowler who, on one of his days, rouses thousands of people up and make them forget woes which had seemed all-consuming only last weekend?Bhuvneshwar Kumar posted his maiden ODI half-century and led India’s chase•Associated Press

But to do that, Dananjaya had to become a villain to a few people. Like Rohit Sharma, who had, until the 16th over, batted with such ease that he was playing any shot that popped into his mind, like a scoop against the express pace of Dushmantha Chameera. In the blink of an eye, he had scored one-sixth of the 37 runs he had made over his last 10 ODIs on the island. Then he had to face an offspinner. He saw a good length ball pitching on middle and leg and thought it ripe to sweep. After all, it would be turning further down leg. Except, it didn’t. It couldn’t. It was a legbreak. It spun the other way and pinned the man who dared to make 264 against Sri Lanka right in front. India were 109 for 1 in the 16th over.Up the order came Kedar Jadhav. He was previously earmarked to be a finisher, but India wanted to experiment in this series. Only Frankenstein would not find the monster he was looking for this night. Dananjaya got back to his mark. He changed his grip; instead of the front two fingers gripping the ball, all of them wrapped around it. And after he trotted up to the crease, he released it from the back of his hand. Jadhav did not see it. But he sure as heck heard it crashing into middle stump.Proper legspiners would not have the control Dananjaya does. Nor would they have his ripping googly. He got four of his wickets with it – three of them bowled, all of them in the same over. Hardik Pandya handed him his third five-wicket haul in all representative cricket, blindly charging out of his crease to be stumped off an ugly shot.But such a special spell still ended up on the wrong side of a scorecard because Sri Lanka’s batsmen had let him down. Five of the top six faced at least 20 deliveries, and even Upul Tharanga, the man who missed out, got two scintillating boundaries. The pitch held no threat, the bowling wasn’t anything more than efficient, a more experienced team might have got through the tough stages to post a monumental total.Sri Lanka were certainly heading that way after being put in. They were coasting at 70 for 1 in the 14th over, but lurched to 121 for 5 in the 29th, and if it wasn’t for Milinda Siriwardana finally unveiling the composure and shot selection expected of an international batsman, who knows what the score might have been? The allrounder made a timely half-century – his third in the format – and lifted Sri Lanka to a total that came within three wickets of being enough.It wasn’t because of two India players who had the gumption to stay at the crease for longer than any of member of their opposition. And one of them was a No. 9, scoring his maiden fifty in ODIs.

India took back their No. 1 ODI ranking by shacking Australia after yet another good start and then chasing down the possibly tricky 243 with apparent ease

The Report by Sidharth Monga01-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:29

Muzumdar: Haven’t seen India this intense in a dead rubber

India took back their No. 1 ODI ranking by shackling Australia after yet another good start and then chasing down the possibly tricky 243 with apparent ease. India won the series 4-1 – a reversal of the scoreline in the ODIs in Australia early last year – with just one century from their batsmen, that too in the last innings by Rohit Sharma, but a third successive hundred-run opening partnership between Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane.India won the final match on the dry and slow Nagpur track through spin. India’s spinners pulled back a bolted horse, conceding 134 for 4 in 30 overs between them; Australia’s Adam Zampa released all the pressure exerted by the quicks with the new ball, conceding 48 in six insipid overs before getting Rohit out with a long hop when the match was over for all practical purposes.For a change, Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head staged half a recovery from the strikes of the spinners, but the returning Jasprit Bumrah put in a stellar spell of death bowling, removing Stoinis, bowling a maiden in the 45th over, not conceding a single boundary in his last six overs.Australia went from 100 for 1 to 118 for 4 to 205 for 4 to their eventual total, which was not straightforward on this pitch. However, Rohit and Rahane absorbed the good spells from Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins at the top, before cashing in on the absence of the unwell Kane Richardson and the error-prone spin.India, too, had to contend with the illness of Yuzvendra Chahal, but Kuldeep Yadav proved to be a more than fitting replacement, Axar Patel returned another impressive set of figures of 3 for 38, and for the first time in his career, Kedar Jadhav bowled his full allotment of 10 overs. He also kickstarted the first collapse by adding Steven Smith to the illustrious list of batsmen he has dismissed, which includes Kane Williamson, David Warner, Angelo Mathews and Tamim Iqbal among others.This had come after yet another rapid start by Aaron Finch and David Warner, who seemed mindful that batting was going to get difficult once spin came on. In striving for quick runs before the inevitable slowdown, Finch took one risk too many and fell to Hardik Pandya in the 12th over. Smith and Warner added 34, but Smith, who seems to have allowed the frustrations of leading a flattering side creep into his batting, played a frustrated sweep after Jadhav had gone for 11 in his first three overs. The almost underarm delivery came slowly and bounced little. Smith didn’t even wait to check with Warner if he should review the lbw decision.There would have been lots the two could have discussed in the dressing room when Warner soon miscued an intended chip over midwicket to give Axar his first wicket. The frustration that singles weren’t coming easily enough showed in the aerial shots attempted. Warner had attempted it after reaching his fifty, but Peter Handscomb did so even before getting his eye in. The big sweep dragged from wide outside off only produced a fatal top edge.Watching in the balcony, Smith couldn’t hide his exasperation. You couldn’t blame him. You know how ugly these Australian collapses can get. With more than half the innings to go, you wondered if they would even play the whole 50 overs out. Stoinis and Head, though, staged a recovery. They played Jadhav only down the ground, with Stoinis taking the odd risk every now and then. Stoinis did enjoy some good fortune, as he edged Axar three times without getting caught. Two of these went between MS Dhoni and Rahane, who stood a touch too wide at slip, with his left foot outside the return crease.Stoinis began to look dangerous as the last 10 overs approached. He hit Jadhav for a four and a six in his last over, and then went after Kuldeep in the 40th. Before signing off, though, Axar sent back Head with a fast yorker, which Head had already premeditated to sweep. Then it was all down to Bumrah, who first produced just enough movement to trap Stoinis and then handcuffed the rest. Only two boundaries came in the last 10 overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing an able supporting role to Bumrah.The value of these last few overs cannot be overstated. That even 242 was tricky showed in how Rohit struggled to get his timing for a long time. He didn’t score a run off the first 14 balls he faced. He tried an ungainly heave off the 14th. Had the asking rate been higher, would he have been able to take his time and pick his targets?How well Rohit picked his targets, though. Not one of the first 14 balls was pitched up to him. He was clearly looking uncomfortable, but when the 15th one was in his driving arc, he caressed it to the right of mid-off. The next full ball went sailing over mid-off. Coulter-Nile, the highest wicket-taker of the series, and Pat Cummins tested the openers, but ran out of support.As the bowling errors piled on, the India openers delighted the capacity crowd in the outskirts of Nagpur. If Rahane drove on the up through covers, Rohit managed to somehow find enough timing on this low pitch to punch a short ball for a six over long-on. Twice. Despite a slow start to the series, Rohit now topped the runs chart. If there was one blemish on the victory, it was that despite his fourth straight half-century, Rahane once again perished the moment he tried to look for a higher gear.