Gautam Gambhir guided the Kolkata Knight Riders to an easy eight-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab © AFP
Source:espncricinfo
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Roach fires out top order but rain intervenes
Australia 311 and 73 for 3 (Ponting 32*, Roach 3-27) lead West Indies 257 (Chanderpaul 94, Lyon 5-68) by 127 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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| Related Links Players/Officials: Ricky Ponting | Kemar Roach Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies Teams: Australia | West Indies | |||
Heavy rain on the fourth day in Port-of-Spain severely reduced the chances of a positive result as Australia closed 127 ahead following a hostile spell from Kemar Roach who removed the top of the visitors' batting. Ricky Ponting was threatening to play his first major innings of the series to keep West Indies at bay before the weather closed in early during the afternoon and did not allow the players back.
Roach has been the stand-out fast bowler during a match dominated by spin and added another impressive collection of scalps to his first-innings five-wicket haul. Australia had wrapped up West Indies' innings four balls into the day, to earn a 54-run cushion, and Roach had to wait for his opening spell when Shane Shillingford started the attack alongside Fidel Edwards. Roach, though, wasted no time in making an impact when his turn arrived.
Starting from round the wicket, a line that has troubled Australia's left-handers, he drew an edge from David Warner which carried low to Darren Bravo at first slip. Warner had flirted with the catching cordon during his stay although had started with three crisp boundaries. Then, three deliveries later, Roach beat Shane Watson for pace with a ball that perhaps kept a fraction low and took out the off stump to leave Australia 26 for 2.
It meant another head-to-head between Roach and Ponting which the former won in the first innings. Ponting did not find life easy and could have been run out by Edwards from mid-off when he had given up the chance of making his ground only for the throw to miss and Carlton Baugh had not reached the stumps. A second chance was offered an over later when he lunged at Shillingford and an inside edge carried low to Adrian Barath at short leg who could not hold on.
Ed Cowan had also been offered a life before he had scored and it was the simplest of the lot when he edged Edwards to Darren Sammy in the slips but it went to ground. He was made to battle for his runs, his one release coming when he swept Shillingford for four although the offspinner caused him, and Ponting, plenty of problems and unveiled his doosra during a probing unbroken 15-over spell.
At the start of the afternoon session West Indies spurned another opportunity for a run out, this time to remove Cowan, when Baugh could not produce a good throw to the bowler. Cowan, having once again forged a base for his innings, fell in very similar fashion to the first innings when Roach speared one into his pads from around the wicket which the batsman tried to work to leg. For the second time in the game Cowan tried the DRS but there was no escape.
Earlier in the same over West Indies had used up their first review when Roach jagged a delivery into Ponting which brought a massive appeal. Sammy trusted his paceman's instincts and asked for the TV umpire but, as has often been shown, the bowler is often the least reliable person to ask.
Although Ponting was far from fluent - few batsmen have been on this surface - he was beginning to tick over more comfortably and moments before the rain flicked Shillingford through midwicket with timing that has not often been seen during the match. The contest was at another fascinating stage but was not allowed to progress any further.
Source:espncricinfo
Chargers face daredevils' pace battery
Match facts
Thursday, April 19, DelhiStart time 1600 (1030 GMT)
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| Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League | |||
Big picture
Delhi Daredevils' stocks in the tournament have risen higher after their bowlers masterminded a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. While other teams have been busy putting up and chasing down totals in excess of 160, Daredevils' hustling pace has razed three strong batting line-ups to scores below 110. The only game that they lost was to Royal Challengers Bangalore, partially due to the inexperience of their middle order and partially, due to the guile of Muttiah Muralitharan who took three wickets. However, that batting order has been beefed up since then. With the influx of Ross Taylor in the last game, their batting looks as intimidating as their bowling. Daredevils will need to be careful though, as their batting firepower hasn't been tested yet. In all four games, they have batted second after their bowlers had done the job.
Deccan Chargers on the other hand have lost three games in a row - the last two slipped through their fingers. Although such defeats can be disheartening, Kumar Sangakkara could take positives out from the fact that their relatively inexperienced team has had their chances. They have just missed that one last push. Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra will both need to fire in tandem and their fielding needs to inspire.
Daredevils test is as hard as it gets for Chargers. It could be a daunting challenge, but it could also kindle the fire inside the big names among Chargers' ranks. Both teams will hope to win the toss and avoid fielding first in the sun. However, sun or no sun, Daredevils bowlers should be a handful.
Players to watch
Umesh Yadav has been cranking up the pace in every game and has proven to be a difficult bowler to hit. In his last match, he took out Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Karthik, beating both batsmen for pace. Such was his accuracy that he didn't give away a single boundary in his four-over spell.
Chargers replaced a struggling Cameron White with JP Duminy and his 26-ball 58 pushed the team to 196, which had looked improbable. Duminy, who hit five sixes in his innings, can also hold an innings together if required.
2011 head-to-head
Daredevils played Chargers twice in 2011. They lost their home game by 16 runs while a Sehwag century helped them win the second by four wickets in Hyderabad. Stats and trivia
- Sehwag's 32 against Mumbai Indians came in 36 balls. In all Twenty20 innings where he has scored more than 20, this was his slowest innings.
- This year, the three most economical spells (four overs) have been bowled by Yadav (2-11), Dale Steyn (3-12) and Irfan Pathan (1-12).
- Chargers have played the Daredevils nine times in IPL. They have won four and lost five of these games. However, in Delhi, the record is 2-1 in favour of Chargers. Quotes"We would work more on the fielding. We were working on it earlier too but now we would stress on it a bit more."
Shikhar Dhawan was upset with the team's fielding against Rajasthan Royals
"He gave me a call and was worried for my injury. But he is now happy seeing me back in action."
Ross Taylor on Morne Morkel .Source:espncricinfo
clinical kolkata trounce punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders 127 for 2 (Gambhir 66*) beat Kings XI Punjab 124 for 7 (Gilchrist 40*, Lee 2-26, Narine 2-24) by eight wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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| Related Links Players/Officials: Gautam Gambhir Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League | |||
In one of the more one-sided games of the tournament, Kolkata Knight Riders breezed to an eight-wicket win and made amends for fluffing a chase against the same opponents, Kings XI Punjab, three days ago. A deflated Kings XI limped to 124 on their home surface after winning the toss but there were no twists as Knight Riders, led by Gautam Gambhir, attained the target with a risk-free approach.
The pitch had a layer of grass and offered movement off the seam, but it didn't have the kind of moisture that gave the bowlers an edge in the previous Mohali game, against Pune Warriors. Nevertheless, the batsmen didn't have the freedom to hit through the line - a staple fare in the plenty of games so far in the IPL.
None of the Kings XI batsmen could bat through. Adam Gilchrist kept the momentum going with a couple of boundaries through the on side, but pulled a hamstring while completing a quick single. He had to retire, and his untimely departure in the sixth over dented the run-rate.
Kings XI were going along at 7.50 but post-Gilchrist, it had declined to as low as 5.93. The Knight Riders bowlers didn't allow any big partnerships to develop, nothing higher than 24.
Much depended on Marsh to give the team momentum, but he departed for 33, albeit in controversial circumstances. He chased a wide delivery from Lee shaping away and got a thick outside edge which dipped to the wicketkeeper, but Manvinder Bisla immediately claimed the catch. The umpires conferred and took Bisla's word, but replays couldn't confirm if he had his gloves underneath the ball. Marsh accepted the ruling, but the team owner Preity Zinta didn't appear too pleased with the decision, querying one of the match officials before Gilchrist stepped in to restore calm.
It triggered off a steady collapse as David Hussey fell shortly after due to bad calling, before Dimitri Mascarenhas and Paras Dogra perished going for the big shots. Gilchrist returned in the 17th over to pick up the pieces and he struck the only six of the innings, in the final over. That Kings XI managed only three boundaries in the last ten overs showed how Knight Riders tightened the noose.
Brendon McCullum got the chase off the blocks with forceful pulls to the on side, but ironically fell to an embarrassing shot in the same region. Piyush Chawla bowled a long hop way down the leg side but somehow, McCullum contrived to find short fine leg, prompting a disbelieving grin from Chawla.
Gambhir remained strong square of the wicket on both sides, cutting when given width and nudging away deliveries on the pads.
Bisla launched Harmeet Singh for a six over mid-off but was bowled dragging one on to his stumps just before the halfway stage. With a paltry target to defend, Kings XI could have attacked more, kept a slip or a couple of men in close catching positions to force a mistake. Gambhir had the freedom to use his feet against the spinners, getting to his half-century off 36 balls.
Gambhir had earlier demanded more application from his middle order. Today, he led by example.
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Source:espncricinfo
Swann names England's winter MVP
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| Related Links Players/Officials: Kevin Pietersen | Graeme Swann Teams: England | |||
Graeme Swann has been named as England's Most Valuable Player over the winter, according to the ranking system used by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA). Swann's 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka earlier this month helped England to a first Test win in five matches and took his tally to 39 wickets in all formats.
Swann held off Kevin Pietersen, who scored 151 as England levelled the two-Test series with Sri Lanka at 1-1, to win the FTI MVP award, which includes a cheque for £2,000 to be given the charity Lowe Syndrome Trust. Swann has previously been England's MVP twice before - after the tours to South Africa and Bangladesh in 2009-10 and following the 2010 English summer.
The draw in Colombo - in which Swann finished with match figures of 10 for 181 - also ensured England retained their No. 1 Test ranking for a while longer.
"I'm delighted to have won the FTI MVP after what has been a tough winter and it's obviously great that we're still number one too," Swann said. "It is nice to win any award but it is especially pleasing to win one where you are compared to your team-mates on hard statistics.
"Losing the three Tests against Pakistan was a real blow, but we picked ourselves up in the ODIs and again after the defeat in Galle to prove there's plenty of fight in this team. The performance in Colombo bodes well for the summer, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into the Test series against the West Indies."
Sebastian Mathews, senior vice-president of FTI Consulting, said: "Congratulations to Graeme on his win, not only for this winter, but for becoming the first person to win a hat-trick of England FTI MVP awards. It was a very exciting end to the winter FTI MVPs where Graeme was run very close and this sets us up for an exciting summer of cricket ahead of us."
The MVP ranking system, used by the PCA since 2007, takes into account factors such as bowlers' economy rates and the percentage of a team's runs scored by individual batsmen, alongside more standard measurements such as wickets, runs and catches.
Swann also topped the individual Test statistics with 146 points from five matches at an average of 29.17. His total was over 40 points clear of nearest challenger James Anderson. ODI captain Alastair Cook led from the front in 50-over cricket, topping the standings with 113 points, while Pietersen, who scored 30% of England's runs in the shortest format, was the T20 FTI MVP.
Source:espncricinfo
lyon haul gives Australia advantage
West Indies 252 for 9 (Chanderpaul 94, Deonarine 55, Baugh 17*, Edwards 0*, Lyon 5-68) trail Australia 311 by 59 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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| Related Links Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of West Indies Teams: Australia | West Indies | |||
West Indies came close to having a very good day in Port-of-Spain but finished on the verge of conceding a significant first-innings lead to Australia. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who fell six short of another hundred, and Narsingh Deonarine added 130 for the fifth wicket before Nathan Lyon broke the resistance then swept through the lower order with the second five-wicket haul of his career to leave West Indies trailing by 59 and the last pair together.
Nothing appeared more certain than Chanderpaul reaching his 26th Test century, and second of the series, after another masterful display of defiance but he was pinned lbw by Lyon from around the wicket - the fifth such decision of the innings. Opposition teams expend huge energy trying to shift Chanderpaul, but know there are likely to be some easier rewards once he has gone. To make the timing even worse for West Indies, two overs earlier Deonarine's excellent supporting hand had also been ended when, with his first ball back into the attack, Lyon drew him down the pitch and Matthew Wade showed the importance of having a tidy wicketkeeper.
Lyon had be brought back to the bowling crease with the second new-ball only seven overs after Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson had not made the most of it. He waited until his 21st over for a wicket but a bowlers' lot can change in a flash. Darren Sammy, in an attempt to repeat his breezy first innings in Barbados, picked out long-on and Shane Shillingford added to his opposite number's success when he got an inside edge that was superbly held by Ed Cowan at short leg. Lyon's fifth wicket came when Kemar Roach was given caught down the leg side although Wade was more interested in the stumping opportunity. Australia's new keeper was impressive in tough conditions, not conceding a bye in 104 overs.
Smart stats |
The evening collapse of five for 19 in 12 overs was another example of West Indies not being able to sustain a performance for long enough to take control. The 44 overs that Chanderpaul and Deonarine combined (and the period when Darren Bravo was also at the crease) was another of those uplifting passages that West Indies are just managing to produce slightly more regularly. Chanderpaul's role came was no surprise but Deonarine showed application that was less well known, remaining calm as he reached 4 off 43 balls before beginning to expand his strokeplay either side of lunch.
Before Lyon's intervention Australia's only breakthrough had come from Michael Hussey as Michael Clarke again went through his book of captaincy tricks. On a surface gripping for medium-pacers Hussey, developing something of a golden-arm of late, and Shane Watson were tough to score off. Hussey produced a delivery that swung late to beat Bravo and take his back pad. Again, though, Bravo had given flashes of what makes him stand out as a batsman particularly his off-side driving.
Chanderpaul had been given a life on 8, off Lyon's bowling, when Clarke could not hold a thick edge at slip which came off Wade's pad. Alongside Deonarine he initially focused solely on survival - although Deonarine was inches from being run-out the ball before lunch - but at the start of the afternoon session Australia lost their way a little and the batsmen cashed in.
Pattinson struggled with his rhythm throughout the day and later left the field with back spasms after an awkward piece of fielding. His first over of then afternoon was taken for 16 by Chanderpaul which included three boundaries alongside two no-balls. Deonarine was not all defence, either, and a whip through midwicket off Lyon stood out before he launched David Warner over midwicket for six. Rain brought an early tea, but had not seemed to disrupt West Indies.
Chanderpaul brought up the 200 with another six, a slog-sweep off Michael Beer, and when Deonarine's third half-century arrived from 132 balls with a rasping cover drive thoughts were even turning to the potential of the hosts building a first-innings lead that would put the pressure back on Australia. Then, however, Test cricket showed that despite it being the longest format a strong position can unravel in the blink of an eye. And, for West Indies, it was a familiar feeling.
Source:espncricinfo
Will gambir have reason to smile
Match facts
Wednesday, April 18, MohaliStart time 2000 (1430 GMT)
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| Related Links Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League | |||
Big picture
Three days after they failed to chase 132 after having been 73 for 2 at home against Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders run into the same team again, this time in Mohali. The Eden Gardens game was Knight Riders' to lose; they went ahead and and somehow contrived to lose it, failing to get 13 off the final 12 deliveries. It was one of those Knight Riders defeats that just happened though they had no business getting defeated. There are numerous sides that fail to win from strong positions, but the underachievers tag has stuck particularly hard to Knight Riders, not least due to the many big players they have. The slow and turning Kolkata pitch has worked against them twice in three games now; even in the third match, they had to work hard to get past Rajasthan Royals. A change of venue and wicket would be welcome for the visitors. However, the Kings XI medium-pacers, led by Dimitri Mascarenhas, proved difficult to get away on the Mohali pitch against Pune Warriors.
Players to watch
Gautam Gambhir was livid after the loss to Kings XI in Kolkata, saying that his batsmen needed to play "intelligent cricket." Strong decisions would be taken unless players started performing, Gambhir said. Gambhir hasn't exactly done that himself so far, apart from a 64 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. That innings set up Knight Riders' first win of the season after consecutive losses. Gambhir needs to show his misfiring team-mates the way again. While Gambhir has at least one match-winning innings so far, his counterpart Adam Gilchrist has failed to get going. The retired Gilchrist plays only in the IPL, which makes it only more difficult for him at the start of the season. The sooner he finds some form, the better for his side.
Stats and trivia
- Of the eight old IPL franchises, Knight Riders' win-loss ratio of 0.78 is the second-worst, after Deccan Chargers' 0.67
- Mandeep Singh is the only Kings XI batsman to have made more than 100 runs so far this season Quotes"He is a hard worker. He is a terrific young man. I'm just trying to create the environment that he is comfortable to be a part of and that he knows the specific role that he has got.."
Adam Gilchrist on Kings XI's hero of the previous game, Harmeet Singh
"He's a match-winner. He can turn a match in a blink of an eye. We are showing confidence in him. He's got the full support of everyone in the team. Everyone knows what a devastating player he can be. It's only a matter of time before he wins us that game."
Knight Riders' coach Trevor Bayliss on Yusuf PathanSource:espncricinfo
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