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Kolkata Knight Riders had their Champions League debut all but booked when they began the last over with 21 to defend

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga22-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
James Franklin followed up his two wickets with a match-winning 45•Associated PressKolkata Knight Riders had their Champions League debut all but booked when they began the last over with 21 to defend. Three edged boundaries off L Balaji and two missed yorkers later, James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu had seen Mumbai Indians to a highly unlikely win, breaking their three-match losing streak. The win set up a repeat clash between the two teams in the eliminator, an equivalent of a quarter-final.In all the chaos of the last over, which stunned the full house at Eden Gardens, Chennai Super Kings emerged the biggest gainers. Had Kolkata won the game, which they should have despite all those edges, Chennai would have finished third, and would have had to win two games in order to make the final. Now they need win only one of the two.Mumbai gained too: they needed to finish the chase off in 5.1 overs to make it to the top two, but by beating Kolkata they could have ensured a psychological advantage in their eliminator. For the best part of their 19 overs of batting, Mumbai scarcely looked like a team that could do so. Iqbal Abdulla removed T Suman in the second over, the pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh managed 30 off 29, and Rajat Bhatia’s leg-rollers broke the batting order’s back with thee wickets in three overs.At 96 for 4 in the 13th over, it seemed too much was left for Kieron Pollard and Franklin. Pollard lived up to that expectation, but Franklin kept the fight up mostly with well-placed couples. A six and a four in between meant Mumbai were not completely out of it even when Balaji ripped Pollard’s leg stump out with 40 required off 15.If this was robbery in broad floodlights, Kolkata weren’t the most vigilant victims either. As much as the edged boundaries in the last over, Kolkata will also look back at little moments towards the end that proved to be decisive. Balaji bowled a wide with one ball left in the 18th over, and Ambati Rayudu lofted the compensation delivery over extra cover for a six. It wouldn’t be Rayudu’s last six of the night.The last ball of the 19th over hit Rayudu in the pad and rolled towards the keeper. The batsmen had all but stolen a leg-bye when wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami went for a direct hit, and conceded an overthrow. That kept Franklin – 28 off 18 now – on strike for the last over. L Balaji went for a wide yorker first ball, and a thick edge off the low full toss went between the keeper and the short third man. A slower bouncer followed, and the tope edge cleared the keeper again. Thirteen off four now looked so much more gettable.Balaji went back to the wide-yorker plan, and Franklin smacked the next low full toss past extra cover for four. Under pressure and in the face of some ill luck, Balaji was just not landing them right. The next ball was a low, wide full toss again, and another thick edge beat third man to make it five of two. The next low full toss found extra cover, and brought Kolkata some relief. However, just then Balaji chose to bowl the worst delivery of the over – a high full toss on the pads – and Rayudu helped himself to his second, and decisive, six.The stunned Eden gardens crowd could scarcely believe what they were seeing after they had cheered their team all night to what looked like a comfortable win. Most of it was thanks to Jacques Kallis who batted solidly at first and rapaciously towards the end. Along the way he was helped by breezy 30s from Manoj Tiwary and Yusuf Pathan, but it was Kallis who provided the innings the final impetus with 19 off the last five balls he faced. It was fitting then that the man who minimised the damage with the wickets of Kallis and Yusuf was none other than Franklin.

N Srinivasan has reiterated the BCCI’s stance against the use of the DRS, saying it was not convinced the technology used at present was accurate all the time

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2011N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, has reiterated the board’s stance against the DRS, saying it was not convinced the technology used at present was accurate all the time and that the resistance would continue until further improvements were made.”Nothing much has changed since we first opposed it. We welcome technology when it is 100% error-free,” Srinivasan told the . “In this case it is not, so we would continue to oppose the implementation of the DRS.”The BCCI has been consistent in its refusal to use the system – most recently for India’s upcoming tour of England – since it was first trialled in the India-Sri Lanka Test series in 2008. Sachin Tendulkar is often named as one of two Indian players (captain MS Dhoni the other) who are resistant to the referral system and therefore tacitly responsible for the BCCI’s opposition of the DRS. Tendulkar told ESPNcricinfo that while he was not against the use of technology, the DRS needed the support of Snickometer and Hot Spot to make it more consistent.Srinivasan, however, said the BCCI’s stand had not changed despite the growing support for the system.”They [the players] are entitled to their opinion and they can express it as well. But the BCCI is a structured organisation. Yes, we are always open to ideas but we make our own decisions.”Everyone has their own choice and we cannot question them. At the same time, we have our own ideas and we would stick to our decision till further improvements are made.”Srinivasan said the BCCI had no objection to Snickometer or Hot Spot, but was not convinced about the accuracy of Hawk Eye, which is one of the technological aids used in the DRS.”The Hawk-Eye is yet to convince us. This is a technology that deals with the projection, trajectory and angle of the ball. And from where the cameras are placed, it cannot give a foolproof solution.”We raised these issues when the company had made a presentation in Chennai and no one was completely certain about its accuracy,” he said. “This technology is basically based on assumption, which comes in the way of the judgment of the umpires, which we think is not good for the game. So, for us to approve the DRS, it has to be totally error-free.”

West Indies captain Darren Sammy is pleased with the character and fight shown by his team right through the final Test in Dominica

Sriram Veera at Windsor Park11-Jul-2011″As you saw, the crowd, who are very understanding, treated the drawn result as a win for us because we got out there and fought,” Darren Sammy said, at the end of a day when West Indies came out with their heads held high. They walked around the ground, with the crowds cheering them on wildly.The West Indies’ fighting spirit first came to the fore on the third day of the Test. They were a bowler short but the rest of their attack fought on impressively. Even then you wondered whether the batsmen would rise to the challenge in the second innings. After all, the bowling unit had done well through the series; it was the batsmen who had let the team down. However, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Kirk Edwards and propped up by a wonderful rearguard action from the indefatigable Fidel Edwards, the batsmen gave a stirring performance.”That’s exactly what the coach and the public have been asking for,” Sammy said. “Even if we are not winning games, as long as we go and show the fight that we showed in this Test … the batsmen saw how hard the bowlers worked to get the wickets, so that was motivation enough for them to go out and give them some rest and more time in the dressing room. The way we batted in the second innings: Shiv, Kirk and even Fidel [who] faced more than a 100 balls. It was really pleasing to see the fight shown by both the batting and the bowling departments.”Sammy said he was happy with the result, though he was a touch surprised that the Indians shut shop early. “With 15 overs to go and 86 runs required, and considering the calibre of players they have like Dhoni and guys who can hit the ball, I thought they would it give it a go, being one-up. But I guess [with] my ploy to have [Devendra] Bishoo bowl in the rough, they didn’t fancy their chances of going after him. I am quite happy with the result. Starting the first innings, with one of our main bowlers Ravi [Rampaul] down, the way the guys stuck at it, we showed a lot of character. And the batting came good in the very last innings of the series … it helped us salvage a draw. So well done to the team.”Darren Sammy: “Even if we are not winning games, [we go have to] show the fight that we showed in this Test”•Associated PressApart from the bowlers, Sammy said the spirit show the team showed was a big positive. “We’ve got some really young players in there. If we had bowled better after we had India 80-something for six [in the first Test in Jamaica] or if we had scored more runs in Jamaica or Barbados, it could have been a different result. But you can’t fault the bowling effort or the way we batted here.”Kirk came through in the middle order, Chanderpaul returned with a bang, Marlon Samuels played a fine knock in the second Test and Darren Bravo played couple of innings of substance. But the openers haven’t seized the opportunities. “I would have loved to have seen the young guys like [Lendl] Simmons, [Adrian] Barath, [Kieran] Powell do well. They have shown signs they are capable of scoring runs, like Barath playing well in his comeback innings in the first Test. But it’s about being consistent. They are still young: Powell has made his debut, Barath and Simmons have played around eight Test matches. So there’s a little bit of inexperience. They will have to back their talent and continue to work hard with Desmond [Haynes] … [and] there will be some improvement.”Sammy himself has been at the centre of the storm for a while. There have been questions raised over his spot in the Test team and he said he expected it when he took up the job. “My back is broad. I will still come out smiling. You can’t please everyone. The best man who walked the face of the earth never did anything wrong, but he was still crucified. And I am nowhere close to that.”So I think I am in line for a lot of criticism. It comes with the job. What the public wants is performance. If you judge me on what I do on the field of play, I go about doing my job – the field placements and bowling changes. I think I have done okay. I can’t captain when there are two people out there batting. It’s for them to put on a partnership.”His batting has led to more criticism and Sammy said he was working hard on it. “I have got a few options. There’s Desmond, the Sagicor Performance Centre, and I have a coach at home. Dessie has suggested a few things that I can improve and I am working on them: my back-lift and playing across the ball. I can go back home, look at ODIs and Tests where I have done well, and take the positives from them.”Sammy came through as a bowler, bowling tireless spells and his captaincy is up for review. His tenure ended with this series and the board will decide whether to continue with him or not. Asked whether he would like to remain captain Sammy said: “West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. There are people to appoint captains. If they give me a job, I will go out there and give it my all. I have something to offer to this team as captain. The guys are relaxed in the dressing-room and when we are out there as a bowling unit, I think the guys are really responding to me. And if the people in charge me to continue, I will do it.”

A round-up of the sixth day of matches in the ICC Africa Region Division One Twenty20 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2011Uganda crushed Kenya by eight wickets at the Kyambogo Cricket Ground, registering their sixth win of the ICC Africa Division One Twenty20 2011, to set up a final with table-toppers Namibia. Choosing to bat, Kenya limped to 74 for 9 in their 20 overs – just three of their batsmen managed to get into double figures with Kennedy Ochieng top scoring with 26. Deusdedit Muhumuza and Davis Arinaitwe picked up two wickets each, and three run-outs were effected in the innings.Despite losing opener Arthur Kyobe off the second ball of the chase, Uganda faced no real threat, with Abdulah Lubega and Arthur Ziraba putting on 69 for the second wicket and effectively sealing the match. The winning runs came in the 15th over with Lubega unbeaten on 36.Nigeria beat Ghana by a convincing six-wicket margin at the Lugogo Cricket Oval, to finish third in the points table. Choosing to bat, Ghana were off to an impressive start with a 44-run opening partnership, but the rest of the line-up failed to capitalise. Francis Bakiweyem fell soon after reaching his half-century, edging Kunle Adegbola to the keeper, but his knock was key to Ghana reaching 127 for 9 in their 20.Nigeria were solid in their reply. There were handy contributions from four of their top five batsmen with No. 4 Ramit Gill top-scoring with a run-a-ball 35. Adegbola, who had picked up three wickets, was unbeaten on 28 off 25 balls, as Nigeria finished the game with 15 balls to spare. While Ghana’s one win from eight games puts them at the bottom of the table, Nigeria have qualified for Friday’s third-place playoff in which they will play Kenya.

It is understandable that Leicestershire haven’t been entirely focussed since their Twenty20 triumph on Saturday

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's01-Sep-2011
ScorecardIt is understandable that Leicestershire haven’t been entirely focussed since their Twenty20 triumph on Saturday, but after five days the foggy post-celebration haze lifted a little at Lord’s as they showed some fight in the follow-on against Middlesex. However, it won’t be enough to prevent their ninth defeat of the season while, in turn, a victory will send the home side momentarily top of the Division Two table.Even as summer turns to autumn, the same rules apply at Lord’s. If the sun is out, life is a lot tougher for the bowlers. England have previously found to their cost that asking a side to follow-on here can be the path to some hard toil and Middlesex’s bowlers had to earn their rewards – although that isn’t a bad thing because often this season Division Two wickets have fallen too easily.Middlesex only gained two breakthroughs up to tea, as Greg Smith hit 84, his first Championship fifty of the season, but inroads came during the final session including James Taylor for a determined 85. He faced 164 balls, in front of England selector James Whitaker, before gloving Tim Murtagh, armed with the second new ball, down the leg side although Middlesex were convinced they’d got him caught behind in single figures.Taylor’s display will help ease some of the frustrations of being left out of England’s Twenty20 and ODI squads having made his international debut against Ireland last week. Unlike in Dublin, where he fell to a top-edged pull, the shot was in good working order today . Overall, Taylor’s numbers for the season are impressive but it hasn’t been the most productive of summer’s in the Championship for him so a strong finish would be timely.Given he isn’t in the current England squad it appears unlikely he will make the tour to India next month (unless another player is rested) and, based on the recent India Test matches, remains behind Ravi Bopara in the pecking order for the reserve batsmen. It may be that Taylor has to be content with another winter of development for the Lions, which would actually be more beneficial than a couple of tours carrying drinks with the senior side.In the more immediate future he will need to decide where his county career lies. Leicestershire are going to offer him a new deal, but a move away – which would enable his current club to cash in – is still the likeliest option.Someone who may feature with Taylor for the Lions before next season is Toby Roland-Jones. He he has yet to gain any representative honours, but has registered interest with his economical action and ability to plug away on a nagging length. He may have already advanced further if shin splints hadn’t limited his season – this is just his sixth Championship game – but his spell post-tea was impressive.He had Josh Cobb, one of the heroes of finals day, caught behind from a loose drive that was well taken by John Simpson diving forward then produced an excellent delivery which lifted from a length to remove Ned Eckersley. When Wayne White was trapped lbw to the second new ball and Taylor followed shortly afterwards a three-day finish was on the cards but Robert Taylor and Jigar Naik erased the deficit.

Keegan Meth could return to international cricket during Zimbabwe’s Twenty20 series against New Zealand after being named in their squad for the matches on October 15 and October 17

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011Keegan Meth could return to international cricket during Zimbabwe’s Twenty20 series against New Zealand after being named in their squad for the matches on October 15 and October 17. Meth suffered a horrific mouth injury after being struck by the ball during an ODI against Bangladesh in August, but has showed good all-round form since returning to competitive cricket with Matabeleland Tuskers.The names on Zimbabwe’s team list showed continuity in selection after their home series against Bangladesh and Pakistan, but Brian Vitori’s was a notable absence. After an explosive start to his international career against Bangladesh, Vitori found Pakistan more of a challenge and was sidelined by a shin niggle during their visit. He has not played a competitive match since the third ODI against Pakistan, and has not taken part in the opening rounds of matches in Zimbabwe’s domestic season.He is yet to regain full fitness, but is expected to return in time for the one-off Test against New Zealand on November 1. Another injury casualty, batsman Craig Ervine, will play no part in the tour, however, after being ruled out with a shoulder injury.”I’m happy with the balance of the side, but obviously the injuries to Ervine and Vitori mean that we have to make minor changes to our plans,” said coach Alan Butcher. “But I feel we have a strong squad which can compete against New Zealand. New Zealand are bringing a very strong squad, but it’s going to be important for the players to believe that they can compete which hopefully can see us cause some surprises.”Chris Mpofu and Kyle Jarvis will lead the seam attack in Vitori’s absence, with Meth and former captain Elton Chigumbura able to provide medium-paced support. Indeed, depending on what bowling combination is opted for, Chigumbura and Meth could both be competing for one allrounder’s slot in the line-up, particularly as both Ray Price and Prosper Utseya are in the squad and likely to play.There is also a third slow-bowling option in the group in the form of Mountaineers legspinner Natsai Mushangwe. Mushangwe, 20, has risen through the ranks during Graeme Cremer’s injury lay-off, and was part of the Zimbabwe XI team that took on A sides from Australia and South Africa during the winter.With Brendan Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda and Tatenda Taibu virtual certainties in the starting XI, there will be some stiff competition for batting places between Charles Coventry, Chamu Chibhabha, Forster Mutizwa and Malcolm Waller.Waller and Mutizwa have both started the domestic season in purring form, Waller having slammed 174 during his 341-run stand with Gary Ballance in the innings victory over Southern Rocks and followed that up with an unbeaten 59-ball 86 in the tied one-day match against the same opposition. Mutizwa has also found the Rocks attack to his liking, his 73 guiding Mashonaland Eagles to a six-wicket win over them at Masvingo Sports Club and his unbeaten 164 securing a hefty fourth-innings run chase in the Logan Cup.Coventry, on the other hand, has not played any domestic cricket since Pakistan’s visit, while Chibhabha has managed a pair of first-class half-centuries in two Rocks defeats. Both men have undeniable potential and international experience, however, which may swing selection in their favour.After the two Twenty20s in Harare, Zimbabwe will play three one-day internationals against New Zealand, the third of that will be played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, which is also the venue for the Test match which begins on November 1.Zimbabwe Twenty20 squad: Brendan Taylor (Captain), Charles Coventry, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Kyle Jarvis, Hamilton Masakadza, Keegan Meth, Natsai M’shangwe, Christopher Mpofu, Forster Mutizwa, Raymond Price, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Prosper Utseya, Malcolm Waller

Stuart Broad has revealed there is “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up in against India, at Lord’s, on Sunday although exact details were still to be confirmed

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2011Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s home season, as well as the five-match ODI series in India next month, after sustaining a muscle tear to his right shoulder. He suffered the injury while bowling during the tied fourth ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, and will now miss both the final match in Cardiff next Friday, and the two Twenty20s against West Indies, which he was due to captain.ECB chief medical officer, Dr Nick Peirce, said: “Stuart has a muscle tear within his shoulder and will require an initial period of rest and rehabilitation. Exact timescales will be determined in due course but he is likely to be ruled out of cricket for a number of weeks.”If his recovery goes to plan, there is a chance Broad could be fit to join the England squad and resume his captaincy duties for the one-off Twenty20 against India in Kolkata on October 29.Broad had earlier revealed there was “bad news” about the extent of the injury he picked up two balls into his final over of the Lord’s ODI. “Bad news on the shoulder, torn a muscle, I know which one, just can’t spell it. Gutted,” he posted on Twitter. He was subsequently dosed up on painkillers and ready to bat at No.11 if needed during England’s chase, which was ended seven balls early by rain.With Morgan, England’s Twenty20 vice-captain, sidelined due to a shoulder injury there is no obvious replacement for Broad as captain. One option would be to give the job to the 50-over captain, Alastair Cook, but he refused to think too far ahead, saying, “We’ll cross all those bridges when they arrive.”The fact that the one-day series is now safe for England takes pressure off the final match at Cardiff on Friday. Jade Dernbach was left out at Lord’s – England played Steven Finn instead – so he would be the logical replacement for Broad in Cardiff. However, the pitch can favour spin so it may be an opportunity to give Samit Patel another outing before the Twenty20s against West Indies and the tour to India.England have had been hit by far fewer injuries than India during the Test and one-day series, but had to contend with some problems nonetheless. Chris Tremlett (back) missed three Tests and Jonathan Trott (shoulder) two, while Morgan was ruled out of action following the first one-day international at Chester-le-Street.For Broad, meanwhile, it adds to an injury-hit 10 months which included the stomach strain that ruled him out of the final three Ashes Tests in Australia, and the rib injury which ended his World Cup campaign. He had been dropped from the one-day side after a lacklustre first half of the English summer against Sri Lanka, but enjoyed a superb second half to the season which included a Man of the Series performance in the 4-0 Test whitewash against India.

R Ashwin’s six wickets – the second-best match haul for an Indian debutant – and quick runs from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Sammy pulled the game in opposite directions and left it in a state of delicate balance

The Report by Sidharth Monga08-Nov-2011
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
I’ll have five, and then some: R Ashwin during his match-turning spell in his debut Test•AFPSmart stats

R Ashwin’s 9 for 128 is the second-best match haul for an India bowler on debut behind Narendra Hirwani’s 16 for 136 in Madras in 1988.

Ashwin also becomes the fifth India spinner and the seventh India bowler overall to pick up a five-wicket haul on Test debut. His second-innings figures of 6 for 47 are third behind Hirwani’s twin eight-wicket hauls in 1988.

If India are to win the first Test, they have to equal the record fourth-innings chase in Delhi, by West Indies in 1987. On that occasion, West Indies chased the 276-run target with the help of Viv Richards’ unbeaten 109.

Virender Sehwag scored a half-century in both innings for the fifth time in his career. It is also the 30th time that an India batsman has made a fifty-plus score in both innings against West Indies.

There have been ten leg-before dismissals in the game so far. On eight previous occasions, there have been more leg-before dismissals in Tests in India.

Tendulkar reached the 15,000-run landmark in Tests in his 182nd match. He has now scored 15005 runs at an average of 56.19.

R Ashwin’s six wickets, which gave him the second-best match haul for an Indian debutant, and quick runs from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Sammy pulled the game in opposite directions to leave it in a state of delicate balance. India were left with 276 to get for a first win in seven Tests, which if managed would be their third-highest successful chase. Virender Sehwag then rudely shook the balance with his sixth half-century in chases, but Sammy pulled West Indies back with Sehwag’s wicket, only for two highest run-getters in Test cricket and its fourth innings, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, to give India the edge with an assured partnership before stumps.India had every reason to feel good about the chase: they had built some momentum, and only one of the 10 wickets to fall in the day was a direct consequence of the pitch’s misbehaviour. The first session of the day, though, looked like the continuation of an exercise in making the Kotla pitch look brutish. India had started it yesterday, losing 10 wickets for 120 runs, and on this slow track with low but manageable bounce, West Indies found a way to lose four wickets in the first hour today. It could have been three wickets in the first three overs, but Ishant Sharma was denied one by the umpire and Ashwin failed to catch a half chance.The beneficiaries, Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo, added 27 for the fourth wicket. Edwards played positively, hitting three fours in the first four overs of spin, but for some reason he chose to leave alone a straight delivery to give Umesh Yadav his maiden Test wicket. More uncertain cricket followed. Bravo thrust his pad forward to Ashwin and was trapped by one that didn’t turn as much as expected. Ashwin then cleaned up Marlon Samuels with one of his first carrom balls in Test cricket. He uses that variation regularly in limited-overs cricket, but had hardly done it on Test debut until he got through the defence of Samuels.A familiar thorn in the side remained, though. Chanderpaul began with two fours off the first two balls he faced, using his wrists on both occasions to manipulate the off-side field. First he rolled them on the cut shot to beat the squarish third man, and then he pushed through a length ball, placing it to the left of point. Despite Carlton Baugh’s careless dismissal, Chanderpaul kept scoring unaffected.With an aggressive Sammy for company, Chanderpaul threatened serious damage. Ashwin, though, interrupted him three runs short of a fifty with an offbreak that didn’t turn as much as he expected. It was a brave lbw decision by Rod Tucker, as this was bowled from over the wicket and pitched within the stumps, but proved to be correct because of the small degree of turn. Sammy, though, continued to exploit the open field sets for him. He found the gaps for couples, hit a four with the field up, and in the most Caribbean of fashions drove Ishant for a six even with the field back. It took a straight Ashwin delivery that stayed low to get rid of Sammy, the first signs of the pitch playing unmanageable tricks. Ravi Rampaul and Devendra Bishoo didn’t throw it away, and added 23 for the last wicket.Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir came out aggressive. A potentially game-changing moment arrived in the fourth over, when Sehwag was a touch early into a straight-drive, but Rampaul couldn’t take the tough return catch to his right. India took 23 off the first four overs, but it would become challenging when pace was taken off.Sammy did so as early as the fifth over, and the openers went into singles mode. Sehwag, though, didn’t like the sight of Samuels’ offspin that early in the innings, and drove him over extra cover for six. Even though Samuels came back with Gambhir’s lbw, Sehwag continued to beat the slowness of the pitch. The fields were spread, the ball didn’t come on, but Sehwag adjusted superbly to score behind square on the off side. The quicker balls he guided past slip, for the slower ones he arched back and used the wrists to impart power. Three of his five fours he hit there.He did not hit everything behind square. He lofted Bishoo, the opposition’s only specialist spinner, for a six over long-on in his first over. Quietly Dravid slipped into positive mode, too, driving two boundaries through midwicket and extra cover before Sehwag managed to reach a score of fifty in both innings of a match for only the fifth time in his career.A typical slow-pitch dismissal followed when Sehwag chopped Sammy on. More control and interrogation was a natural expectation. Immediately West Indies bowled the first maiden of the innings. They could now have some control over where they bowled, but Tendulkar and Dravid remained resolute. Tendulkar avoided playing across the line, and made positive forward movements every time he could. Dravid scored only 17 off the last 73 balls he faced, and the partnership was worth only 57 off 25.5 overs, but the two were desperate to stay unbeaten in fading light, which they managed.Just about. For two overs before stumps, running in classical Indian style, Dravid crossed the stumps without grounding his bat or his feet. A lazy bail and inconclusive replays saved him there, after which he berated himself. The reaction would have been much more severe had he been given out.

Fast bowler Mohammad Talha was the only notable inclusion in Pakistan’s squads for the upcoming full tour of Bangladesh

Umar Farooq21-Nov-2011Fast bowler Mohammad Talha was the one notable inclusion in Pakistan’s squads for the upcoming full tour of Bangladesh. Talha replaced Wahab Riaz in the Test squad that beat Sri Lanka 1-0, while the limited-overs side remained unchanged. Pakistan depart from Abu Dhabi for Dhaka on November 26, and the tour will kick off with a T20I on November 29, followed by three ODIs and two Tests.Talha, 23, is one of the fastest bowlers on the domestic circuit. He has played only once for Pakistan – the fateful Lahore Test of 2009 that was disrupted after the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team’s bus.Misbah-ul-Haq will continue to lead the side in all three formats while middle order will depend on Younis Khan, supported by youngsters Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq. Umar Akmal continues to be sidelined from the Test side, since he is yet to prove his temperament in the longest format. Shoaib Mallik, who has been unimpressive since his comeback to the side was preferred over Akmal, probably for his all-round abilities. The selectors also retained Sohail Tanvir in the limited-overs side despite his ordinary form.ODI and T20I squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Abdul Razzaq, Asad ShafiqReserves: Awais Zia, Raza Hasan, Yasir ShahTest squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Adnan Akmal (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Mohammad Talha, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid KhanReserves: Mohammad Khalil, Ayub Dogar, Raza Hasan

Sean Ervine, the Hampshire allrounder, has signed for Zimbabwean side Matabeleland Tuskers for the remainder of the season.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2011Sean Ervine, the Hampshire and former Zimbabwe allrounder, has signed for Zimbabwe domestic side Matabeleland Tuskers for the remainder of the season. He could make his debut on December 12 against Mountaineers.Having scored 1,155 runs and taken 22 wickets in all competitions for Hampshire last season, Ervine, 29, will be available for the Castle Logan Cup and Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship. He will return home in time for Hampshire’s pre-season tour of Barbados.Ervine has previously played for other franchises in Zimbabwe’s Twenty20 competition. In February 2010 he played for Southern Rocks before appearing for Mountaineers in November of that year.