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A round-up of the third day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff26-Nov-2009

Group B

Scorecard
Eden Gardens lived up to its billing of a run paradise, as Bengal made merry on the third day against Saurashtra. Resuming on 37 for 1, the home side were powered by centuries from opener Arindam Das and captain Manoj Tiwary. It was Arindam who played the lead role to perfection, teaming up with Deep Dasgupta in the first half of the day to put on 112 for the second wicket. Manoj Tiwary then joined him and the 196-run partnership for the third wicket further strengthened Bengal. Arindam’s 282-ball effort included 15 boundaries, while Tiwary hit 11 fours and a six during his 178-ball innings. With both batsmen at the crease, Bengal have reason to believe that they can still go past Saurashtra’s mammoth first-innings total, and pick up three points.
Scorecard
Abhimanyu Mithun looked to have fast-tracked Maharashtra’s demise at the Poona Club Ground before a fighting unbeaten century from Ankit Bawne kept the hosts alive. Balanchandra Akhil and overnight centurion Amit Verma continued to plunder the Maharashtra bowling attack when play resumed and Karnataka finally declared on 553 for 4 in the 20th over – a gargantuan lead of 448. Mithun’s pace proved too much for the Maharashtra top order, reducing them to 39 for 4. But Bawne and wicketkeeper Rohit Motwani led the rescue effort with a fifth-wicket stand of 188. Motwani struck 11 fours and a six during his half-century, while Bawne hit 19 boundaries and a six. The responsibility now weighs heavy on Bawne if Maharashtra are to salvage anything from this match.
Scorecard
Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla picked up three wickets each as Uttar Pradesh not only picked up first-innings points, but enforced the follow-on as well against Delhi in Lucknow. Resuming on 9 for no loss, Delhi lost wickets regularly as Uttar Pradesh bowlers fired in unison with Praveen and RP Singh inflicting the initial damage. Despite some determined thirties, Delhi failed to stop the hosts from grabbing a lead and were bowled out in the 58th over of the day. It was an improved showing from Delhi second time around, with Virat Kohli scoring a half-century and together with the other not out batsman Puneet Bisht (37), their first aim will be to erase the challenging deficit and avoid an innings-defeat embarrassment.

Group A

Scorecard
Punjab were on the verge of a comprehensive win as Gujarat floundered in their second innings in Mohali. Beginning the day at 261 for 5, Punjab went on to add another 183 runs as overnight batsman Sunny Sohal completed his half-century. Taruwar Kohli, the previous day’s centurion, could add only 18 to his score. Both fell victims to the leg spin of Salil Yadav, who finished with six wickets for Gujarat. Punjab’s pace trio of Manpreet Gony, Harmeet Singh and Love Ablish rocked the Gujarat top order during their second innings and left them struggling at 95 for 5. Rujul Bhatt however, held one end together as he neared a well-deserved hundred, having hit 15 boundaries. Punjab will look to go in for the kill tomorrow and it will need a special effort from Bhatt if Gujarat are to save the match.
Scorecard
A lead of 73 is what Himachal Pradesh could manage following Dinesh Karthik’s declaration slip yesterday, but they would be buoyed by the fact that Tamil Nadu had lost half their side for less than 200 at the end of the day. HP needed just three runs to take a lead when play began in Dharamsala, but they got more, as Kuldeep Diwan (31) and wicketkeeper Ajay Mannu (20) held back Tamil Nadu. A 63-run opening stand, led by Srikkanth Anirudha, looked to have got Tamil Nadu going during their second innings, but Vikramjeet Malik had the final word, striking thrice to knock the wind out of Tamil Nadu’s sails. Captain S Badrinath and Yo Mahesh held fort till stumps, but HP look to be in the driver’s seat.
ScorecardDefending champions Mumbai are in with a good shout to take full points from their encounter against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium after the home team ran out of steam in their second essay. Rohit Sharma reached his sixth first-class hundred as Mumbai finished on 284, having begun the day at 248 for 8. Faiz Fazal’s 42 at the top of the order was the only bright spot in what was a disappointing Railways second-innings scorecard. Sanjib Sanyal showed some fight with 40, but Harmeet Singh’s three wickets along with Iqbal Abdulla’s two meant Mumbai took pole position.
Scorecard
Debasis Mohanty led the charge with four wickets, while his new-ball partner Basant Mohanty also chipped in with a valuable performance, as Orissa took a first-innings lead in Hyderabad. Resuming on 123 for 5, the hosts earlier could add just 76 in their first essay as the Mohanty duo capitalised on early moisture to make it tough for the batsmen. Barring a patient 38 by MP Arjun, none of the Hyderabad batsmen offered resistance and they succumbed in the 25thover of the day. Bikas Pati (36) and Pravanjan Mullick (35) then helped the visitors to increase their lead in second innings to over 200, bettering their chances of an outright win.

A result in Wellington is almost certain, but Pakistan will be desperate for it to go their way

The Preview by Osman Samiuddin02-Dec-2009

Match facts

December 3-7, 2009
Start time 12:00 (23:00 GMT)

Big Picture

Daryl Tuffey is set to take Shane Bond’s place in the XI•AFP

If only these two could spin it a bit more. Then, Pakistan-New Zealand contests would be among the most eagerly-awaited of the modern age. But with Australia loudly moaning over the quality of their opponents (few did it in 2006-07 when England were walloped), India trying to become the No. 1 side in the world, and South Africa doing a fair impersonation of England during their post-2005 Ashes slide, nobody seems much fussed about a genuinely competitive Test battle. Even news agencies can’t be bothered.Yet few rivalries – too intense a description maybe, but what else? – have been as fantastic to follow as this over the last two decades. Arguably the last time it really wasn’t worth tuning in was way back in 1988-89, when Shoaib Mohammad was busy making his father look like Tillakaratne Dilshan. Since then there have been, remarkably, only two draws and one of those – the last time Pakistan visited – would have been but for rain. The first Test at Dunedin happily continued this fine trend.A result is almost certain then, but Pakistan will be desperate for it to go their way. They have now gone 12 Tests without a win, which is their third-worst winless streak ever (they went 22 Tests and 16 Tests without a win through the 60s). Next month, it will be three years without a Test win, another time altogether, even if they have played so little since then.To break that streak they will also need something to happen that hasn’t happened for a long time: their top order to fire. Currently, their top three must be the weakest in world cricket, as brittle as papyrus in a windstorm. So they have decided to strengthen the middle order by calling up Misbah-ul-Haq. As you would. At least he might hold onto catches in the slip.New Zealand had also not won a significant Test for a while, until Dunedin and little surprise that it was the only one Shane Bond has played in that run. He was magnificent throughout, but he will now be no more, for this series at least. Yet another injury means one major obstacle on Pakistan’s path to a win is removed.Daniel Vettori’s men have other concerns besides that. The batsmen in their first innings had much to thank Imran Farhat for and their collapse in the second innings was ugly and, worryingly, predictable given their history with Pakistan.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LDLLD
New Zealand WLLDD

Watch out for…

Shane Bond’s injury has opened the door for Daryl Tuffey in the playing XI, and Tim Southee in the squad. Pakistan are probably Tuffey’s favourite opponents (24 of his 66 Test wickets have come against them, in six Tests), while Southee’s most recent first-class outing returned figures of 8 for 27Pakistan’s batting order: How many holes will they try to plug? Opening, one-down, middle order? Better maybe to keep an eye on their wonderfully incisive pace attack.

Team news

New Zealand are likely to only make the one enforced change to replace Bond with either Southee or Tuffey. Southee is the future and a man in fine form.New Zealand: Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori (capt), Tim Southee/Daryl Tuffey, Ian O’Brien, Chris Martin.Pakistan’s XI is open to all kinds of conjecture and permutation. Both openers may be dropped and replaced by Salman Butt, possibly pushing Shoaib Malik or Fawad Alam up. If Malik were to be dropped altogether – given his history with Mohammad Yousuf, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Misbah-ul-Haq is likely to slip straight back into the XI. Even Danish Kaneria is in the running to bring the promise of yet more wickets at the expense of the tightness of Saeed Ajmal.Pakistan: Salman Butt, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria/Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Asif.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is expected to disrupt the Test on the first three days and it will be windy throughout, hardly the kind of ‘home’ weather Pakistan would have wanted. The teams have been practicing indoors.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan and New Zealand have played out just two draws in their last 17 Tests.
• New Zealand have not beaten Pakistan in a Test series home or away, since 1984-85, when they won a series in New Zealand 2-0.

Quotes

“I’m pretty sad for him, we’ve grown accustomed to having Shane around and obviously his performance [in Dunedin] was outstanding. He basically won the first Test on his own, he played a huge role in it and however this series goes, we’re indebted to Shane.”
“New Zealand will miss him dearly. It’s bad luck, this is a very, very crucial Test match. I wouldn’t say it’s a relief, we have come to play cricket, it doesn’t matter who you are playing against.”

A summary of the third round of matches in New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition

Cricinfo staff20-Dec-2009Canterbury trumped Wellington by 140 runs at the Basin Reserve to notch up their second win of the competition and reach the top of the table. Boosted by half-centuries from Peter Fulton and Corey Anderson, and useful contributions from the middle and lower-order batsmen, Canterbury posted a competitive 279. Anderson was particularly harsh, smashing an unbeaten 52 off just 29 balls with eight fours and a six to make the most of the death overs. Wellington were hapless in their reply, failing to measure up to the bowling of Chris Martin, who took 4 for 25, and capitulating for 139. They now find themselves at the bottom of the table with two losses from three games.Northern Districts and Otago were involved in a more closely-fought truncated fixture in Invercargill. ND secured a 19-run win, thanks to the efforts of seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who shared five wickets between them and undermined a fighting 58 from Neil Broom. ND’s innings was laced with three half-centuries, from openers BJ Watling and Anton Devcich and captain Peter McGlashan. The three scored briskly to take their team to a formidable 224 for 6 in 30 overs, and the seamers backed them up to bowl out Otago in the final over. Yasir Arafat, the Pakistan allrounder, provided some late entertainment, smashing 31 off 14 but Southee ended the innings to consign Otago to the second-last spot on the points table.Ravi Bopara was the star for Auckland yet again, following up on his 89 in his previous outing with a century against Central Districts to help his team win by 20 runs in Palmerston North. Auckland, after opting to bat, were in a terrible situation at 64 for 5 – Michael Mason grabbed three wickets – but Bopara, aided by Andrew de Brooder’s 55, resurrected the innings. The pair added 94 for the sixth wicket, and Bopara held one end firm, batting with the tail, to take his team to 246. CD were dented early in their reply, losing their first three wickets for just 11, but captain Jamie How fought back with a determined 94. However, CD would regret the fact that the other middle and lower-order batsmen, despite getting starts, could not push on. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates picked up 4 for 27 to keep the opposition in check and ensure they fell significantly short of the finish line.

India’s selectors await fitness updates on key Test players, ahead of their meeting on Thursday to pick the squad for the two-Test home series against South Africa

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2010India’s selectors await fitness updates on key Test players, ahead of their meeting on Thursday to pick the squad for the two-Test home series against South Africa. While Yuvraj Singh is almost ruled out of the first Test in Nagpur, the panel is not yet sure about the availability of Rahul Dravid (cheekbone fracture), VVS Laxman (injured left hand) and Sreesanth (strained hamstring). Fortunately, Sachin Tendulkar’s shoulder injury is not that serious. Given the long injury list, it’s plausible that they might name a team only for the first match.Accordingly, several middle-order batsmen will spend an anxious night if either Dravid or Laxman, or both, are indisposed. M Vijay, who replaced Laxman in the second Test against Bangladesh, should be slotted in Yuvraj’s place. S Badrinath may make it to the squad as cover, even if Dravid and Laxman are both picked. The next vacancy will interest Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who have both been a bit of a fixture in the ODI side of late. Mohammad Kaif, who has scored a double-century and a century in one week, in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, is also believed to have an outside chance.Other batsmen who have been doing well in domestic cricket – Cheteshwar Pujara, Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane – will know that their performances in the Board President’s XI tour match against the South Africans might count for more than usual in these circumstances. The Board President’s side will also be decided on in the meeting on Thursday.If Sreesanth doesn’t recover in time, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma should make the starting XI. Sudeep Tyagi, who was the fourth seamer for the Bangladesh Tests, should fill in as the back-up seamer. However, for the last home series, against Sri Lanka, India’s squad comprised three fast bowlers, so it’s unlikely that a replacement will be named should Sreesanth fail to recover. If they do name a replacement, Karnataka’s Abhimanyu Mithun, who led the wickets tally in the Ranji Trophy, could get a look-in.The selectors are likely to retain the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha – with two making the final XI. Dinesh Karthik might not be required as back-up wicketkeeper for a home series – unless MS Dhoni’s injury worries them still.

Plays of the Day for the third day of the second Test in Kolkata

N Hunter16-Feb-2010South Africa’s scattered mindsets
Team huddles have become a ritual after India pioneered it famously during the 2003 World Cup. But the South Africans took these congregations to another level with three groups scattered around Eden Gardens, each one with its own group head. Kepler Wessels, the batting consultant, took care of the batsmen while Corrie van Zyl, the head coach, handled the bowlers. The rest of the coaching staff comprising Vincent Barnes (assistant coach), Jeremy Snape (psychologist) and Rob Walters (fitness trainer, who also helps with fielding drills) had their own meeting. Sadly, at the end of the day, all those meetings were rendered meaningless and only exposed their scattered mindsets.Mishra’s jabs hurt visitors
Time and again the South African fast bowlers tried to intimidate Amit Mishra with the short stuff. But the nightwatchman, who had scored a half-century in the first Test in Bangladesh, was not bothered as he stood calm and placed the balls with exquisite poise. His standout shots were the jabs over slips and gully which even made the bowlers re-think their strategy. Eventually, though, Mishra fell to another uppercut, it still came off the full face of the bat and he walked back proud, having survived the crucial first hour.Reverse swept to cover
It was a noble thought. To counter Paul Harris’ leg-theory, Dhoni tried to reverse sweep the left-arm spinner, but failed to connect properly as the ball travelled towards short cover. The Indian captain has already ripped apart the textbook with his unorthodox approach. Now he wants to change the geometry of shot making.

Kolkata Knight Riders are set to give the Australian batsman a run at the top of the order for the third season of the IPL

Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2010Kolkata Knight Riders are likely to open with Australian batsman Brad Hodge in the third season of the Indian Premier League in the absence of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, who will miss the early stages of the tournament due to international commitments.”We are looking at him [Hodge] as one of the possible opening options,” Kolkata coach Dav Whatmore said. “Hodgey is a fine addition to our squad. He looked good at the practice session on Sunday. Along with David Hussey, he has been one of the key players for Victoria in their Twenty20 Big Bash triumph. Also, his performance in this edition of Sheffield Shield has been really good.”Hodge scored 276 runs in four innings at an average of 69 for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the Twenty20 Big Bash with 181 in seven innings at 25.85. Though Hodge announced his retirement from first-class cricket, Whatmore said he remained a force.There are several candidates for the role of Hodge’s opening partner: Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary, Saurashtra’s Chirag Pathak are possiblities along with Sourav Ganguly. Whatmore said Hodge’s success would determine whether he continued as opener once Gayle and McCullum joined the team. “If Hodgey does well at the top of the order, he will certainly continue playing at that position,” Whatmore said. “I firmly believe that the person who is in form should be persisted with in a particular position.”Whatmore also said fast bowler Ishant Sharma’s sessions with Wasim Akram would be of great help. “If Ishant benefits from Akram’s advice, it will not only be of help for the KKR but also for the national team.”When asked if fielding was an area of concern for Kolkata, Whatmore said the team was gradually improving. “We have identified the areas we need to work upon and those areas are being addressed. It is a continuous process. Not that if we are taking catches means that we stop working hard on our fielding. We have to work hard on each and every aspect of the game.”Kolkata, having finished sixth and last in the two previous seasons, kick off their campaign against defending champions Deccan Chargers in the tournament opener on March 12 in Mumbai.

Andrew Symonds starred in an impressive all-round effort, racing to 35 and picking up three wickets, to help Deccan Chargers achieve their third consecutive victory in the IPL

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya21-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outRohit Sharma ensured that Deccan did not lose momentum despite the periodic loss of crucial wickets•Indian Premier League

Andrew Symonds starred in an impressive all-round effort, racing to 35 and picking up three wickets, to help Deccan Chargers achieve their third consecutive victory in the IPL – a result in contrast to Delhi Daredevils’ run in the competition, as they slipped to their third defeat in as many games despite a counter-attack from captain Dinesh Karthik. Symonds’ effort was backed up by an attacking knock from Rohit Sharma, who burst into spotlight after a quiet start to the competition to take Deccan to a challenging score, which proved just about adequate for them to continue their winning ways.Deccan will look back at three stages where they came up trumps to snatch the game. They ensured the task of posting a competitive total was achieved, as Rohit and T Suman added 60 in quick time after three threatening innings by Deccan’s overseas batsmen – Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Symonds – had been cut short by timely changes in bowling; they fought back in the middle overs after David Warner and AB de Villiers had combined to give Delhi a strong foundation for a successful chase; and they saw off a late scare from Karthik, who blasted 46 off 27. Symonds, bowling seam-up, bagged two wickets, including Karthik, off successive balls in the penultimate over to help seal a tight win.The start to Delhi’s chase was encouraging, as Warner began in ruthless fashion and followed that up with steady progress once the restrictions were lifted, underlining his determination to see his team through. While reaffirming his reputation as a big hitter, smashing four fours and two sixes in the first two overs, he proved equally adept nudging the ball around for singles and twos in the later overs.Chaminda Vaas, among the most economical bowlers in the tournament, was taken for nine in his opening over. His partner RP Singh continued to be expensive, wilting to a brutal assault from Warner who alternated between clearing the ropes and drilling the bowler to the long-off boundary. A length delivery was sent over long-on and when RP held back to bowl short, he was flat-batted over point for another six.Deccan, though, got rid of a major obstacle early in the chase, as Virender Sehwag suffered a rare lapse, miscuing Pragyan Ojha to be caught superbly by Gibbs. But de Villiers kept Warner good company, supporting him in a 51-run stand that gave Delhi the upper hand with two set batsman in the middle.The partnership’s end, however, marked a decisive moment in Delhi’s chase. Warner attempted an impossible run, to be caught short at the striker’s end; de Villiers soon fell, bowled off a full toss from Rahul Sharma in the 13th over, and when Mithun Manhas skied the same bowler to Suman 14 balls later, the game had turned Deccan’s way. Moises Henriques, struck two fours but sliced Symonds to RP at point to make it 132 for 5 in the 17th over.Rahul had enjoyed a successful start to his IPL season but Karthik’s attack in the 18th over spoiled his figures. With his team in need of a desperate revival, Karthik bludgeoned Rahul through midwicket for a four and six, followed by a fearsome cut through point for a boundary. Symonds, too, was welcomed with a slash through point on the first ball of the next over, but showed sharp reflexes to send Karthik on his way, plucking an uppish drive with his outstretched right hand. Amit Mishra was caught behind the next delivery and Vaas bowled a typically miserly final over to finish things off.The track in Cuttack was conducive to spin, taking turn and some extra bounce and Delhi used the conditions well, opting for a change in strategy, opening the bowling with a spinner. The slow bowlers grabbed the first three wickets; Monish Mishra and Gilchrist, who had blasted 24 off 14, and Gibbs, who, after smacking Dirk Nannes for two fours and two sixes, cut Yogesh Nagar straight to point. Symonds, with the confidence of two half-centuries behind him, looked ominous during his knock, finding the ropes with ease using the conventional shots but a mistimed slog put an end to his stay, as he slapped one straight to extra cover in the 14th over.Suman, though, kept Deccan on course, picking out Henriques and Nannes for three boundaries before Rohit took off at the other end. Umesh Yadav was smashed for 18 in the 17th over, pulled over square leg and struck over long-on for sixes and sliced over point for a boundary. Henriques, too, wasn’t spared, as he was dispatched over the ropes by Rohit in the next over, which fetched another 14. His parting shot was a steer over point off Nannes before a miscue to mid-off ended his innings. The final two overs yielded just 15, but Deccan’s bowlers were able to put an under-performing Delhi under pressure and accomplish a hard-fought win.

Half-centuries by Tatenda Taibu, Craig Ervine and Andy Blignaut propped up Zimbabwe on the third day in Grenada to stretch the lead to a competitive 225 with three wickets in hand

Cricinfo staff19-Apr-2010 Zimbabwe 183 and 322 for 7 (Blignaut 72*, Ervine 58, Taibu 59) lead West Indies A 280 (Dowlin 84, Edwards 69, Mpofu 7-37) by 225 runs
ScorecardHalf-centuries by Tatenda Taibu, Craig Ervine and Andy Blignaut propped up Zimbabwe on the third day in Grenada to stretch the lead to a competitive 225 with three wickets in hand. West Indies A extended their overnight lead to 97 before the tourists put in a much better batting performance to leave the final day interestingly poised.Zimbabwe seized the initiative first thing in the morning when they wrapped up the last five West Indian wickets for just 23 runs. Christopher Mpofu mopped up the tail to finish with a seven-wicket haul, including the wicket of Kirk Edwards who added only seven runs to his overnight score of 62.The tourists didn’t get off to the best of starts as they lost three wickets for 61 before lunch. The offspinner Shane Shillingford was the pick of the home bowlers with figures of 4 for 109. Taibu and Ervine started the revival with a stand of 103 for the fourth wicket. But Nelon Pascal and Imran Khan took two wickets in quick succession to pull things back for the hosts. Ervine and Blignaut then came together to add another 103 in just under 20 overs.

Contrasting hundreds from Durham’s Dale Benkenstein and Ben Stokes ensured that the County Champions reached a respectable 347 for 6 and
held their own against fellow strugglers Kent on the second day in Canterbury

Cricinfo staff18-May-2010
Scorecard
Contrasting hundreds from Durham’s Dale Benkenstein and Ben Stokes ensured that the County Champions reached a respectable 347 for 6 and
held their own against fellow strugglers Kent on the second day in Canterbury.While Benkenstein played the tortoise, as his hundred took almost four hours after he became marooned in the nervous 90s for 14 overs, the England Under-19 prospect Stokes became the hare.Stokes was the star of the U19s’ winter World Cup campaign in New Zealand, and followed his 106 against Nottinghamshire six days earlier with a sumptuous career-best 122 not out to move Durham within 77 runs of Kent’s first innings 424 come the mid-point of the game.While Benkenstein nudged and nurdled, Stokes took on a weakened Kent attack with drives and lusty pulls that earned him 15 fours and a brace of sixes.The first session had belonged to Kent who, through Makhaya Ntini, Azhar
Mahmood and Amjad Khan, bowled tightly and intelligently to limit the visitors to only 67 runs in the 28 overs through to lunch.Ntini trapped Kyle Coetzer (12) lbw with an off-cutter that hit the
him just above the knee roll on his front pad as he pushed half-forward then, four overs later, Scott Borthwick (2) pushed away from his
body after Ntini attacked around the wicket to steer a catch to second slip.Kent should have had a third victim before lunch when Michael Di Venuto, on 32, edged a turning ball from Rob Ferley to slip only to see Martin van
Jaarsveld drop a chance down by his left boot.Ferley finally got his man 19 overs after the interval, but only after he had contributed 67 to a third-wicket stand of 118 in 31 overs with Benkenstein. Pushing at a looping, turning delivery he was bowled
through the gate.After a breezy 17 Ian Blackwell chopped on to his off stump when aiming a
back-foot force against Amjad Khan and at 165 for 4 Kent were seemingly
fighting back, but Ferley lost his length and Stokes came in to make hay.Stokes took toll of two full tosses to lift them over the ropes at midwicket on his way to a 58-ball half-century, as he and Benkenstein posted 143 for the fifth wicket.It took the second new ball to break the partnership as Amjad
Khan persuaded Benkenstein to leave his first delivery on length and he lost his off stump and go for a stoic 114 from 179 balls.Durham captain Phil Mustard (10) went soon after, driving at one angled across him to give Ntini figures of 3 for 58, but Stokes ploughed on until stumps to further endorse his status as a Test batsman in the making.

Ross Taylor blasted 80 not out from 33 balls to set record-breaking Durham on their way to a 71-run victory over Leicestershire in the Friends Provident t20

14-Jun-2010
ScorecardRoss Taylor blasted 80 not out from 33 balls to set record-breaking Durham on their way to a 71-run victory over Leicestershire in the Friends Provident t20. Taylor hit nine sixes in his innings and shared in an unbroken stand of 117 in 45 balls with Dale Benkenstein as they plundered 81 off the last four overs of the hosts’ innings at Chester-le-Street.Both the batting records Durham broke at Edgbaston on Friday were beaten again. The total of 225 for 2 was 10 more than they scored against Warwickshire, and Taylor beat Ian Blackwell’s Durham record score of 79. Durham’s total was also the highest in the competition this season, and although Leicestershire kept up with the required run rate for much of their innings they lost wickets regularly and were all out for 154.Four of the last five wickets went to Paul Collingwood, with Taylor completing the win by holding his third catch at deep midwicket. England star Collingwood completed his two-game stint without having a bat, although he did bring along the World Twenty20 trophy for photo opportunities.Nadeem Malik conceded only two runs off the first over of the Durham innings and Claude Henderson only one off the 10th. But young seamers Harry Gurney and Wayne White between them conceded 102 from seven overs.Phil Mustard, who won the toss, and Blackwell put on 102 for the first wicket. Mustard fell for 65, made from 41 balls, when he lifted Henderson to long on, bringing in Taylor in the 12th over. Five overs later and three successive sixes off the bowling of left-armer Gurney took him to 50 from 23 balls.When Blackwell departed for 37, skying a heave at Matthew Hoggard, Benkenstein went in ahead of Collingwood and hit three sixes in his unbeaten 35, which came off 17 balls.Leicestershire needed a big innings from Brad Hodge, but after making 12 he took a wild hit at Mitch Claydon and was caught by Taylor at backward point. Ben Harmison, recalled in place of brother Steve, took the next two wickets, then Blackwell struck with his first ball, having James Benning caught behind. It was a sign of the visitors’ desperation when Paul Nixon was stumped swinging wildly at Blackwell.James Taylor scored most of the 21 runs which came in the 13th over, bowled by Liam Plunkett, and at that point Leicestershire were 15 ahead of Durham’s score at the same stage. But Taylor departed for 38 and wickets continued to fall as Collingwood left his mark.