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Surrey close with lead of 133, after seven wickets for spinner Will Jacks

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2024A maiden century in only his third first-class innings from the 19-year old, locally raised left-hander Freddie McCann helped take Nottinghamshire’s reply to 405 at Trent Bridge despite a caree-best seven for 129 from Surrey spinner Will Jacks. Batting again, Surrey ended the third day of their Vitality County Championship match 133 ahead on 13 for 1.Play was soured in the afternoon, however, when Jacks, selected in both England’s white-ball squads for their games against Australia in September, smartly fielded a pull on the bounce at short mid-wicket and threw the ball hard and high towards the wicketkeeper causing McCann to take evasive action.Umpires James Middlebrook and Paul Pollard immediately summoned Surrey skipper, Rory Burns, and applied five penalty runs under Law 42.3.1 for “throwing the ball at a player in an inappropriate or dangerous manner”. The matter will also now be referred to Surrey for any further disciplinary action they deem condign.Half an hour later McCann became the fourth victim in the innings of Jacks’s off-spin, slog-sweeping to long-on for 154. And Jack Haynes soon went for 68 to the same all-rounder but the follow-on target of 376 was passed just after tea with six wickets down.On 144 for 3 overnight after the nightwatcher had gone to what proved Friday’s final ball, the home side lost Joe Clarke in the morning’s fourth full over when, rashly, he advanced to launch a straight drive at Jacks only to be stumped as the ball spun sharply out of the rough trough thew gate. Clarke, gone for four, was Jacks’s third success in 11 balls after his breakthroughs the previous evening.He remained a threat at the end from which fellow off-spinner Farhan Ahmed had taken seven wickets on the opening two days. But, with Haynes surviving an early alarm when edging a Cam Steel leg-break between wicketkeeper and slip on three, resistance of some character brought lunch at 231 for 4.The partnership had added 154 when McCann departed after 268 balls of high application straight after Haynes had posted a sixth fifty in his 15 innings since joining from Worcestershire. None of these though has passed 77 and the pattern continued when, glancing, his thin legside edge was taken behind.Kyle Verreynne, the South Africa wicketkeeper in his maiden county innings after arriving as Nottinghamshire’s third overseas player this season, was joined by Lyndon James to see the innings to 369 for 4 at tea. But two overs after they had averted the follow-on, James, slicing a drive to backward point for 23, gave Steel his first success in completing 22 of the 110 overs.With bonus points decided as five to Surrey, four to Notts, Liam Patterson-White was leg-before, one run later, giving Jacks his only six-wicket bag since his success at Rawalpindi in the first of his two Tests, against Pakistan in 2022. He had bowled a mere six championship overs hitherto this year.Rob Lord, on debut, came and went for 10 to Steel and Ahmed to Jacks without score as the final four fell for 21 in 30 balls, leaving Verreyyne unbeaten on 50 from just 60 balls. Leading by 120 on first innings, Surrey then faced spin at both ends from the off.It took Ahmed eight balls to add to his match tally when Dom Sibley clipped to mid-wicket but after seven overs bad light intervened with eleven of the day’s quota left unbowled. Surrey’s pursuit of an eighth win in nine games and a third successive championship title was put on hold for the night.

Dhawan made 99 but his team couldn’t give him any support until the No. 11 came out and took an extremely minimal part in a fifty-run partnership

Deivarayan Muthu09-Apr-20233:34

Dhawan and the difficulty of being an anchor batter in T20s

Shikhar Dhawan watched nine wickets tumble around him, but he stood out amid the rubble, his unbeaten 99 taking Punjab Kings to a respectable 143 for 9. That total looked even more respectable when Sunrisers lost their openers Harry Brook and Mayank Agarwal early with the slower balls gripping the Hyderabad surface.But Rahul Tripathi rose above the conditions to score a sprightly half-century and give Sunrisers their first victory of the season. He contributed 63 in an unbroken 100-run stand off 52 balls with his captain Aiden Markram to help ice the chase and hand Kings their first defeat of the season.

Bhuvneshwar, Jansen go bang, bang, bang

On Friday, Sunrisers’ seamers were neutralised on a black-soil turner. Two days later, Bhuvneshwar and co. were on the money from the get-go on a pace-friendly red-soil Hyderabad track. Bhuvneshwar struck first ball to trap Prabhsimran Singh lbw for a duck.Much like Bhuvneshwar, Jansen, picked ahead of legspinner Adil Rashid, exploited the early swing on offer. The left-arm seamer struck with his second legal ball to pin IPL debutant Matt Short lbw for 1. He won another lbw appeal from umpire Bruce Oxenford next ball, but Jitesh Sharma overturned the on-field decision on review. Jitesh managed four before Jansen had him chipping a drive to mid-off in his next over. T Natarajan also found swing in the powerplay as Sunrisers’ seam attack thrived at home.

Dhawan or nothing for PBKS

Once the early movement disappeared for the seamers, Dhawan took some trips down the pitch and hit them over the top. However, at the other end, legspinner Mayank Markande, who was playing his first game for Sunrisers, tore through the middle and lower order with his stock ball and the wrong’un. The innings was going so badly pear shaped that Kings had to Impact Sub a batter for a batter, bringing Sikandar Raza in for the already dismissed Prabhsimran, but it didn’t really help matters. Together the two players contributed 5 runs off 7 ballsMarkande, meanwhile, came away with figures of 4 for 15 in his four overs. Dhawan quietly played him out, but laid into Natarajan and Umran Malik, taking 61 off 31 balls from them. He reached his fifty off 42 balls by launching Natarajan over midwicket for six and then went 6,4,6 against Malik in the 18th over. Dhawan was dropped three times along the way, but he carried on until the end of the innings. He contributed 52 in an unbroken 55-run partnership for a last wicket with debutant Mohit Rathee – an IPL record.Dhawan’s 69.2 was the second-highest percentage of runs scored in a completed IPL innings that went 20 overs or ended with a team all out. It was second only to Brendon McCullum in the first match of the IPL, where he shellacked 158 out of KKR’s total of 222 (71.2%).2:49

Moody: ‘Tripathi showed that he is of high value’

Tripathi, Markram see SRH home

Sunrisers decided to shake up their batting line-up by pairing up Agarwal with Brook at the top. Brook seemed comfortable with pace on the ball, but when Arshdeep Singh cut it down to 117kph and bowled a knuckle ball, he was bowled through the gate for 13 off 14. Then, when Agarwal dared to sweep Rahul Chahar off the stumps, he spliced a catch to long-on, leaving Sunrisers at 45 for 2 in the ninth over.Tripathi and Markram then got together to settle the innings. When Chahar darted it quicker and flatter outside off, Tripathi used the pace to glide the ball behind point. When Chahar slowed his pace down and tossed up his legbreaks, Tripathi stretched out to either drive him inside out over extra cover or sweep him over midwicket. He treated Rathee with even more disdain, smashing him for two sixes and two fours in eight balls.Tripathi’s high intent and execution allowed Markram to sit back and tap the ball into the gaps. Fittingly, it was Tripathi who finished the game for Sunrisers with eight wickets and almost three overs to spare.

Nangeyalia Kharote triggered a collapse late in the chase but Australia clung on to win by two wickets

Sreshth Shah05-Feb-2022Nivethan Radhakrishnan was the hero for Australia in the third-place playoff match as his all-round show downed Afghanistan in a close contest. His three-wicket haul limited Afghanistan to 201, and his 66 from No. 3 set up the chase. Australia were in for a scare when they went from 193 for 5 to 196 for 8 late in the contest, but they hung on, winning by two wickets.Radhakrishnan, known for being an ambidextrous spinner, used his right-arm offbreaks to run through the Afghanistan middle order. Suliman Safi was adjudged lbw while trying to sweep Radhakrishnan, given out even though the impact seemed to be outside the line of the stumps. Safi had to walk back for a promising 37. Bilal Ahmad holed out down the ground and Noor Ahmad was bowled trying to slog Radhakrishnan as he finished with 3 for 31.The early bowling impact from Australia, though, came from the seamer William Salzmann, who also grabbed a three-for. It was his opening spell that rattled Afghanistan, and by his second over, he had sent Nangeyalia Kharote and Allah Noor packing. Salzmann also contributed to the third Afghan wicket when his throw from cover caught Mohammad Ishaq napping outside his crease.After Radhakrishnan got into the act with the Safi wicket, Khaiber Wali was run-out trying to pinch a single that wasn’t there before Salzmann returned to dismiss Afghanistan’s highest scorer Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai (81). With five fours and five sixes, Ijaz’s hand ensured Afghanistan had some sort of total to bowl at, and his 79-ball innings took the side past 200. He held up one end when wickets were tumbling from the other, and he eventually fell to Salzmann in the 49th over while trying to find the boundary.Cooper Connolly then knocked the tailenders over, leaving Australia needing 202 to win.Radhakrishnan walked in at No. 3 when Teague Wyllie fell early for 13. He took his time against Afghanistan’s spin attack, and put on 60 with Campbell Kellaway in 15.2 overs. Their stand took Australia past 100, before Kellaway was bowled by the left-arm wristspinner Noor soon after reaching his fifty. Noor was soon in the act again when he bowled Connolly with a googly.Radhakrishnan, though, kept the innings moving, his occasional boundaries taking Australia closer. He had begun his innings with two cover drives for four before dispatching a short Noor delivery for another boundary. He even played a dab, a sweep and a cut and reached his fifty in 72 balls. He was the fifth Australian out when he was stumped after misreading the flight of a Shahidullah Hasani delivery.At 167 for 5, Australia were expected to cruise to victory, but Kharote was not going down without a fight. With Australia in the 190s, he removed wicketkeeper Lachlan Shaw and Salzmann in quick succession. Between the two wickets Kharote sandwiched an effort from backward point that ran Corey Miller out.With five to defend and only the No. 11 still to come, the game was in the balance going into the last two overs. Joshua Garner and Jack Sinfield knocked off four singles in a nervy 49th over, before Garner found the gap through a packed infield in the first ball of the final over to give Australia the bronze medal.

Seamer will miss first two games of 2021 as well after nine-match ban imposed by CDC

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2020The ECB have confirmed that Mitchell Claydon, the Sussex seamer, missed Thursday’s T20 Blast quarter-final defeat against Lancashire due to a nine-match suspension for ball-tampering after applying hand sanitiser to the ball.Claydon, the veteran Australian who joined the club from Kent last winter, admitted a charge relating to altering the condition of the ball after being pulled up in a Bob Willis Trophy match against Middlesex, in which he took three first-innings wickets.Sussex initially suspended him for six games across formats, releasing a short statement at the start of September ahead of their Bob Willis Trophy fixture against Surrey, before he returned to the side for the final two matches of the Blast group stage.He was left out of the side for the quarter-final on Thursday after initially being named in a 16-man squad – his replacement, Will Beer, batted at No. 8 and was not used with the ball – and the ECB announced after the game that he had been made unavailable for selection.A Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) panel met on Wednesday to discuss Claydon’s sanction. He was charged with a breach of two ECB directives which said that his conduct should be regarded as “unfair and improper” and “prejudicial to the interests of cricket and likely to bring the game into disrepute”.The CDC panel took into account the six-game suspension that Sussex had already imposed, and suspended him for a further three matches, including the Blast quarter-final. He will now miss the first two games of the 2021 season.Sussex will also face a CDC hearing panel after being charged in relation to the incident, which could see them docked points for the 2021 season.

The former West Indies opener has chosen not to extend his contract, and believes it is time for him to move on from the post

Nagraj Gollapudi19-May-2019Phil Simmons will step down as Afghanistan coach after the World Cup. The former West Indies opener, who was appointed to the position in December 2017, said the time was right for him to move on as the target he had been given – of helping Afghanistan qualify for the World Cup – had been achieved.Simmons is understood to have communicated his decision to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Saturday. His contract, which runs until the end of the World Cup, would likely have been extended given Afghanistan’s results during his tenure, including their tournament win in Zimbabwe at the World Cup Qualifier last March.”I have thought about it and I have actually given the ACB my notice that I will not be renewing my contract,” Simmons told ESPNcricinfo. “I will move on to something different once my contract expires on July 15.”I signed up originally for 18 months and I think I have done a lot in this period. It is time for me to move on to something else now. To want to get to the World Cup – that was ACB’s goal at the time they appointed me. My goal is always to leave things better than when I joined: the way we practice, the way we think about the game, the way we assess other teams. I’ve tried to help the players in all those areas.”Simmons’ decision to not extend his contract came close on the heels of the ACB’s much talked-about change in the side’s leadership, which brought an end to Asghar Afghan’s four-year captaincy reign across formats. Gulbadin Naib was appointed ODI captain, while Rahmat Shah and Rashid Khan were put in charge of the Test and T20I teams respectively. Rashid and Mohammad Nabi, the two global superstars of Afghanistan cricket, had strongly criticised the move, tweeting in support of Afghan. Nabi said it wasn’t “the right time” to change the captain, and credited Afghan for helping the team “gel” well. Rashid, who has also been the ODI vice-captain, called the move “irresponsible and biased”.Simmons revealed that neither the ACB nor the national selection committee had consulted or alerted him to the changes, catching him off guard.”No, I was not aware of it. I was not given any reasons. It was the decision of the Afghanistan Cricket Board and the selectors,” Simmons said. “How can I take it? I can’t change it. So I have to just get on with what I have to do and make sure the squad is preparing in the same way I wanted them to prepare barring the [captaincy] change.”

PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell has described David Leatherdale as a brilliant chief executive who retains “the full support of the members”

George Dobell03-Mar-2018Daryl Mitchell has sprung to the defence of David Leatherdale after criticism in several newspapers suggesting he no longer enjoyed the full confidence of the players he is meant to represent. Leatherdale, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), effectively the players’ union in England and Wales, has recently taken time off due to illness.But while some have suggested Leatherdale is overly influenced by the ECB, Mitchell, the organisation’s chairman, has described him as a “brilliant CEO” who retains “the full support of the members”. He has also described much of the criticism Leatherdale has faced – specifically over a change in the nature of England player contracts with the ECB and the ending of a sponsored car deal with Toyota – as unfounded.”There have been accusations that the PCA is too close to the ECB,” Mitchell told ESPNcricinfo, “but the way I see it, we have a strong, constructive relationship with the ECB that allows our voice to be heard and our views to shape plans.”We will negotiate hard and take a strong line when necessary. But nobody wants the situation we saw in Australia where the relationship between the board and players breaks down. I’d have thought the relationship we have with the ECB, a relationship that allows us a place at the table when all decisions are taken, is extremely positive.”Much of the criticism David has faced in recent days has been unfounded and inaccurate. I’m not aware of any angry emails from England players complaining about their sponsorship deals. There have been a couple asking for clarification, but nothing more than that, and those commercial deals are arranged by the ECB in any case.”And the idea that players are suddenly upset by a change in the awarding of incremental contracts is very strange. The way incremental contracts are awarded was changed in October 2016 as the ECB moved away from the points scoring system and are now awarded on a discretionary basis and have been for the past 18 months.”It is certainly a busy time for the PCA. As well as negotiating the next Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) – effectively the new central contracts – and England Women’s Player Partnership, the PCA is also central to talks regarding new Memorandums of Understanding between the first-class counties and the ECB.With the new broadcast deal having brought unprecedented amounts of money into the game in England and Wales, there is pressure on Leatherdale and the PCA to strike a deal that will see players’ remuneration reflect that windfall. It is understood, however, that family health issues may have contributed to Leatherdale’s current illness as much as work issues.Either way, Mitchell insists it is a case of “business as usual” for the organisation in Leatherdale’s absence. Bob Mitchell, a PCA trustee and successful lawyer, will take the lead on negotiations regarding TEPP and Matthew Wheeler, the PCA’s non-executive chairman, will also take more responsibility. Marcus Trescothick and Joe Root are also involved in the TEPP management committee. It is understood Root was involved in a TEPP discussion on Friday.”It is business as usual for the PCA,” Daryl Mitchell said. “We continue to deliver all those services – the personal development, the helplines, the training opportunities, the support and contract advice – that our members rely on us for.”The important thing is that David is given the time and space to fully recover. He has the full support of PCA members and we all wish him well. There is no timeframe as to when we expect him back. He must take as long as he needs.”Mitchell’s words were echoed by Tammy Beaumont, who is the PCA representative for the England women’s team. “There is no crisis of confidence from our side,” she tweeted. “PCA has always worked with our best interest at heart. Wishing David a speedy recovery.”

Australia have dropped batsman Nic Maddinson for next week’s Sydney Test, while left-arm spinners Steve O’Keefe and Ashton Agar have been included in a 13-man squad

Daniel Brettig30-Dec-20163:36

Coverdale: Cartwright, Agar could contest allrounder slot

Australia squad for Sydney

David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Hilton Cartwright, Ashton Agar, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird
In: Steve O’Keefe, Ashton Agar
Out: Nic Maddinson, Chadd Sayers

Australia have dropped Nic Maddinson for next week’s Sydney Test, while left-arm spinners Steve O’Keefe and Ashton Agar have been included in a 13-man squad.Agar, the wunderkind of the 2013 Ashes tour, merited a place on the strength of 16 well-priced Sheffield Shield wickets in the first half of the season, including 10 against New South Wales at the SCG. O’Keefe has been the favoured left-arm option for some time, but must now prove his ability to stay fit for the lengths of time required following a string of calf issues.”We wanted a left-armer to go away from all their right-handers as well to give us options,” Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann said of Agar. “He got 10 in Sydney [Sheffield Shield game]. He has improved, we get feedback from JL [Justin Langer] and the guys have been watching him, they’ve been impressed with him. The hardest thing we’ve got at the moment is no Shield cricket, so you go with a bit of BBL form as well. So they’re not bowling as much as we’d like, but before that he was doing really well.”[O’Keefe’s] got to be fit and he’s playing now, so that’s the main thing. He wouldn’t want too many more injuries, he’d want to make sure he’s playing cricket. That’s the greatest thing we have now, young players coming through that are fit and ready to go. He did a really good job in Sri Lanka for us before he got injured. He knows he has got to be fit and ready to play each and every game.”Lehmann spoke warmly of Nathan Lyon following his strong display on the final day of the MCG Test, particularly the greater consistency shown by Australia’s most prolific offspin bowler. “I thought he was outstanding,” Lehmann said. “He bowled consistent line and length, which was up and down in the previous few Test matches, and he got through the middle order, so pleased for him.”I was just pleased the way he bowled today, more so than fourth innings winning the game, bowling that consistent line and length we’ve been after all summer. Three or four balls an over had been there, but today was a lot better.”Allrounder Hilton Cartwright has been retained in the squad, but there was no room for swing bowler Chadd Sayers, who had been part of the squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan. Lehmann said that Cartwright and Agar would both be under consideration in an all-round role.”If you play two spinners you normally need an allrounder, so that’s what we’re looking at,” he said. “Agar’s a genuine [allrounder], yeah. He has made Shield hundreds, and batted well in that Test match at 11, and has certainly got the talent to be a batting allrounder or a spinning allrounder, either way.”Maddinson was axed after struggling for impact in the first three Tests of his career, with scores of 0, 1, 4 and 22 in his four Test innings so far. “He has still got a bright future,” Lehmann said. “I thought he batted really well this game, he would’ve liked a bigger score. I thought he played well, got a start and could have gone on big and put pressure on the selectors.”Rather than recalling Shaun Marsh, Lehmann said the selectors had chosen to keep him playing T20 matches while retaining the services of the young Queensland opening batsman Matt Renshaw. “We decided to keep [Marsh] playing BBL,” Lehmann said. “Matt has done a reasonable job for us in the Test matches, so we’re going to go with that same opening combination for the last one.”

Peter Siddle has insisted that he is not disheartened by the fact that Australia’s selectors declined to pick him in the XI until the final Test against New Zealand

Daniel Brettig24-Nov-20152:03

‘I’ll make sure I’m ready to go’ – Siddle

Having considered Peter Siddle surplus to requirements until the moment of last resort during the Ashes, Australia’s selectors have once again declined to pick him until the final Test against New Zealand.For a time, Siddle was not considered fast enough, explosive enough or good enough next to others. But Siddle is now needed more than ever because of two other things he does not do: retiring, and conceding too many runs.The way Siddle’s fortunes have turned is pronounced. Before the dual tours of the West Indies and England, he was more or less the last man picked, and did not even enjoy the security of a Cricket Australia contract – the first time he had missed out since 2008. Now, however, he has been termed one of four “prime bowlers” – alongside Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson – by the coach Darren Lehmann, who has reservations about the pace stocks beneath.”It’s always been about not worrying about what I can’t control,” Siddle said of his time on the outer. “That opportunity in England gave me that little bit of confidence that I can come in and perform. I think that is the added bonus. I obviously missed out on the first two here but know it isn’t that long since I came out and performed. It gives myself a boost but the powers that be above know that I can perform when called upon.”[Losing my contract] didn’t worry me at all, like the selections. I knew last year that I went back to state cricket and performed well and took the most wickets after Christmas of the fast bowlers in state cricket. I did the same when I went to England, took wickets again. I have confidence in my own ability, what I can do and that’s all I worry about, preparing well and looking for my opportunity.”You can’t worry about the other things, it gives you too much stress. If you worry about little things like that you can’t prepare as well as you want to. That’s the thing with me I am always positive, and laid back.”Though he has in recent times been a fringe member of the squad, Siddle’s record as a bowler would suggest he is at his best when confronting players of the highest class. His first Test wicket was one Sachin Tendulkar, and he enjoys enviable records against the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. No matter the player, it seems, Siddle’s minimalist methods have as strong a chance of success as anything more spectacular from others.Rightly, he recalled that the Ashes success of two summers ago was built as much on the pressure applied by Ryan Harris, Nathan Lyon and himself as it was the naked intimidation of Mitchell Johnson.In the first two Tests of this series, Australia’s pace attack did not perform in quite the same balanced manner. Starc, Hazlewood and Johnson all offered outstanding spells at various points, but none were consistent enough to create the suffocating pressure so loathed by batsmen. Siddle pointed to this as a key reason why Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have been able to flourish.”You can’t worry about the other things, it gives you too much stress. That’s the thing with me I am always positive, and laid back” – Peter Siddle•Getty Images

“I don’t think he has changed a hell of a lot, he has got a lot smarter with how he plays,” Siddle said of Williamson. “He still plays the same game but he’s probably just a bit tighter than the past and it’s working for him. I think it’s just about being patient; that’s one thing he’s very good at, and that’s one thing we can be slightly better at in our bowling, building a bit more pressure, having a bit more patience and working players like that over.”The good players are happy to spend a lot of time out there and make you bowl a lot. So the more pressure you can put on them early on is going to work in our favour. You look at all the class players in world cricket, it’s worked hasn’t it? It worked against Sachin, it worked against KP, it works against Kohli, that’s the thing, it works. It’s pretty basic but it happens against all the best teams.”Going back to the big success we had during the Ashes here in Australia, that was the big key thing for us, building pressure and getting them out that way. Smudger’s [Steven Smith] a good captain to work with in that he’s willing to put players in the positions you want, and works well with the bowlers. I think it’ll be no different coming into this match, which might need a few little tactical manoeuvres to get some of these guys out.”These words come with plenty of experience behind them, and also a close relationship with the assistant coach Craig McDermott that helped Siddle to understand his own game better. Starting in Adelaide, Siddle is hopeful of acting as a “bowling captain” to the pace battery, counselling them on the field while also leading with his own parsimonious example of how to bowl relentlessly and well. The exit of Johnson has afforded him that chance.”I’ve been around for just a little bit shorter time than Mitch but I’ve been around and played enough Test cricket, played enough around the world, to be able to give enough knowledge and experience to these guys,” he said. “All these guys debuted with me alongside them, especially Starcy and Patto a few years ago. Having that relationship with those guys – I grew up with a lot of them – I think I’ll be able to pass on enough to them and work alongside them. Obviously my skill set works well with the way their play their games.”All in all we’re still in a good place. Starcy has shown over the past especially 12 months, the way he can perform, that he can take over that mantle as the type of player Mitch Johnson was in the [2013-14] Ashes: the fast, aggressive wicket-taker. ‘Starcy’ has definitely shown in the past 12 months that he can fill that role – and fill it well. Cricket-wise we don’t lose too much, but as a mate and a class player we definitely lose out. But I think there’s enough players around to cover the role from now on.”

Chris Dent scored a maiden one-day century to help Gloucestershire to an exciting seven-run victory over Glamorgan in a high-scoring Group C clash

19-May-2013
ScorecardChris Dent’s previous highest score in one-day cricket was 36•Getty Images

Chris Dent scored a maiden one-day century to help Gloucestershire to an exciting seven-run victory over Glamorgan in a high-scoring Group C clash.Dent’s 151 not out led Gloucestershire to 288 for 5 from their 40 overs at the SWALEC Stadium, before Mark Wallace (118 not out) and Graham Wagg (54) saw Glamorgan fall just short.On an easy-paced pitch Dent was able to help Gloucestershire punish Glamorgan’s attack after being put into bat by Marcus North. The visitors lost Hamish Marshall early on but they were nevertheless not hanging about with Dean Cosker’s first two overs conceded 19 runs.Gloucestershire lost captain Michael Klinger for 40 from 47 balls, caught off a leading edge at cover, but the 100 came up in only the 16th over with Dent bringing up his 50 off 39 balls. Former England paceman Simon Jones, playing his first game of the season, did peg Gloucestershire back briefly by bowling a maiden to Dent, whose previous List A best was just 36.Gloucestershire reached the halfway stage in a good position at 120 for 2 but they lost Alex Gidman to Will Bragg, who claimed his first wicket in one-day cricket. Dent, though, continued his assault on the Glamorgan bowlers and brought up his century off 89 balls, including 10 fours and two sixes.In the final 10 overs Gloucestershire racked up 110 runs, with Dent remaining instrumental as he put on 73 with James Fuller in just 24 balls.Glamorgan made a disastrous start to their run-chase with Bragg out for a duck, trapped lbw to James Fuller’s second ball, and then having Chris Cooke removed by the same bowler for 15. Glamorgan’s hopes looked dashed when North was run out for 5 with a direct hit from Benny Howell, leaving the hosts on 27 for 3.But Wallace and Jim Allenby launched a recovery, with a slog sweep for six by the latter bringing up the Glamorgan 100 in the 17th over. Wallace shared in partnerships of 95 with Allenby in 12.3 overs and then 67 with Murray Goodwin. But it was the Wallace-Wagg alliance that so nearly brought Glamorgan victory.The pair put on 82 in 8.4 overs to bring the prospect of victory ever closer. Glamorgan had needed 100 off the final 10 overs, but that was brought down to 60 off six overs and then 31 off three overs as Wallace reached 100 off 98 balls and Wagg struck three big sixes.But with 18 needed off eight balls, the pressure mounted on Glamorgan and Wagg holed out to Marshall at long-on off Fuller. And the 17 required from the final over proved too much for Wallace and Will Owen as Gloucestershire held on for the win.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in Bangalore

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria14-Apr-2012

Match facts

Sunday, April 15, Bangalore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Johan Botha will need to lead the young spinners to counter the Royal Challengers batsmen•Associated Press

Big picture

Both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals have lost two consecutive games. In their last outing, Royal Challengers suffered a freak loss at the hands of Albie Morkel in Chennai, while Royals failed to put enough runs in Kolkata. For both teams, their last defeats have come in away games* and therefore, Royal Challengers playing in Bangalore would hold an edge.The venue is not the only difference between the teams. Royal Challengers have a far more potent line up of international players – Indian and foreign. Compare that to Royals and they have Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Amit Singh and Shreevats Goswami to challenge Daniel Vettori, Saurabh Tiwary, Zaheer Khan and Virat Kohli. Man to man, there is a massive gap in experience. However, the Royals have fought hard, even in their losses and at the helm, they have a relaxed Rahul Dravid who has been a part of a number of upset wins in his career.In the last game played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Muttiah Muralitharan and Vettori derailed Delhi Daredevils’ chase with incisive spells. Royals have used a combination of spinners in their last two games. They might want to keep it that way and not allow any pace to Royal Challengers’ ensemble of stroke makers. For the home side, Tillakaratne Dilshan will struggle to find a place in the eleven.

Players to watch

Virat Kohli had a forgettable outing in his last game but he still managed to score 57 runs, not fluent, but still important runs. He is known to be a fierce competitor and he would quickly want to acquit himself from the ignominy of bowling that 28-run over.If Johan Botha opens the bowling, which he often does, his duel with Chris Gayle could decide the rest of the game. He has bowled with control in the four games, but has managed to pick up only two wickets. Just one big wicket here and his captain wouldn’t complain.

2011 head-to-head

Last year, Royal Challengers demolished the Royals in Jaipur by nine wickets, courtesy of a 44-ball 76 from Gayle. The other match in Bangalore was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Stats and trivia

• Johan Botha has bowled 13 balls to Chris Gayle in IPL and has given away 21 runs. Four off them in overthrows and another four off a dropped catch.
• Cheteshwar Pujara has played six innings for Royal Challengers and has scored 51 runs.
• Royal challengers have played Royals seven times and hold a 4-3 advantage.
  

  Quotes

  ” We had about 40 runs [in last two overs]. We thought even if they get 20 runs off Virat, they will have 20 runs to get. Unfortunately that over went for 29 runs (sic. 28), so they had about 15 runs to get [off the last over].”

  “We are trying to make them [young Indian bowlers] learn as quickly as possible. We have not been outclassed at all. Credit to youngsters who are fighting hard. We just hope to come over the line soon”
  April 14: 13:40 GMT The article earlier stated that RCB won their home game. This has been corrected.