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Wasim Jaffer’s record-breaking century confirmed the first-innings lead for Mumbai against Saurashtra on the second day of the Ranji Trophy final

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Mumbai27-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
File photo: Wasim Jaffer scored his 32nd hundred in Ranji Trophy•Fotocorp

Wasim Jaffer’s record-breaking century confirmed the first-innings lead for Mumbai but the widely expected barrage of runs didn’t arrive from the home side, allowing a spirited Saurashtra a sliver of a chance to come back in the Ranji final. Mumbai are still in charge though not as emphatically as they would have liked.Saurashtra showed the sort of fighting attitude that has lifted the low-profile team to the finals. This was highlighted in the 34th over when despite several close calls for the batsmen in the morning session, Saurashtra were still looking for the first breakthrough. Jaffer had just struck three successive fours in the previous over to take Mumbai to 75 for 0. There was no wilting under the strain, though, and when Rahul Dave made a diving stop at cover, as many as six fielders ran up to him to give a congratulatory pat. Two balls later, Siddharth Trivedi had the opener Kaustubh Pawar caught and bowled.Aditya Tare, another heavy scorer this season, followed soon after, rousing the Sunday crowd from the stupor of a session of slow-going cricket. The man most of the fans were in to see, Sachin Tendulkar, walked out to the familiar chants of “Sachin, Sachin.” Tendulkar’s record in Ranji finals is as fearsome as Mumbai’s, and once he survived a few anxious minutes early on, Saurashtra looked set for a long haul as Jaffer was also looking fluent and settled.Tendulkar got going with an effortless off drive between the non-striker and mid-off and a disdainful flick through midwicket next ball. When he paddle-swept Kamlesh Makvana’s first ball in the next over, the crowd was at its most vocal.They were silenced not long after, though. You’d think over the course of a 25-season career, there would be few ‘firsts’ left for Tendulkar. Till today, though, he had never been run-out in a Ranji match. He was sent back by Jaffer after he had pushed the ball towards point but couldn’t beat the throw from Makvana.That was the one low point in a day to savour for Jaffer. He claimed two prestigious Ranji Trophy records – most runs and hundreds in the tournament – and also went past 16,000 first-class runs. With most of the other specialist batsmen not contributing anything substantial, Jaffer’s hundred was the cornerstone of Mumbai’s innings. It will help Jaffer put aside the disappointment of making just one run in Mumbai’s two knock-out matches last season when their campaign ground to a halt in the semi-finals. Even more praiseworthy is that Jaffer’s recent run of three centuries in four matches have come despite the fact that his father is in hospital following a heart attack.It wasn’t Jaffer at his best of his innings, though. He survived a close lbw call on his first delivery and was reprieved after a loud caught-behind appeal early on the second morning. There was another life for him when the wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani broke the stumps before the ball had arrived, with Jaffer out of his ground.However, there were some glorious strokes as well. He took on the gentle left-arm spin of Dharmendrasinh Jadeja in the morning after being patient for close to two hours, getting to fifty with a nonchalant six over long-on. There was also a classic drive past extra cover off Saurya Sanandiya to bring up Mumbai’s hundred. He looked more and more difficult to dislodge as his innings progressed and when he was finally dismissed for 132, it was through a poor lbw decision when the ball looked to be sliding down.Abhishek Nayar had provided Jaffer company for a while, using the sweep repeatedly to race to 26 off 35 before he swung a harmless Makvana delivery to midwicket. Ajit Agarkar was also dismissed cheaply and with Mumbai at 237 for 6, Saurashtra were dreaming of a comeback.Mumbai, as usual, found a player to ease their nerves. Hiken Shah stuck around for more than an hour to make an unbeaten 41, and put on an unbroken 50-run stand with the first day’s hero Dhawal Kulkarni. Saurashtra didn’t help their cause by delaying taking the new ball till the 88th over instead of going for the kill earlier itself. That allowed the lead to swell to 139, and left the Mumbai dressing room a more relaxed place.

Sylhet Royals and Chittagong Kings will battle it out in the semi-final to decide the finalist who will play against Dhaka Gladiatiors

Mohammad Isam16-Feb-2013

Match facts

February 17, 2013
Start time 1800 (1200 GMT)Ryan ten Doeschate’s form will be crucial for Chittagong Kings•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Big Picture

Sylhet Royals would take heart from the gumption they have shown against Dhaka Gladiators. After Chris Gayle had flattened them with a century, it would have been easier to fade into the background of such a performance. Instead, they took the fight right till the end. It gave them the momentum to take on Chittagong Kings, who beat Duronto Rajshahi to make it to the second semifinal.The Royals would like to continue to play as the underdogs. It is a tag that has suited them so far, although a team that has Dwayne Smith and the marauding Mushfiqur Rahim alongside Elton Chigumbura has enough firepower to knock over a big total. They have some runs due from Paul Stirling, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mominul Haque.The composition of their bowling attack would once again hover around who they pick between Dirk Nannes and Sajidul Islam. Common sense on a wicket like Mirpur would urge the Royals to pick all their overseas batsmen but leaving aside Nannes hardly makes sense even though Sajidul, his replacement, took three wickets.Kings’ win in the elimination match over Rajshahi would give them enough reason to believe they can knock out the Royals. But they were not tested enough to feel the need of Brendan Taylor, their in-form batsman who left for Zimbabwe. They are likely to pack the team with allrounders, but ultimately a lot will depend on Ryan ten Doeschate and Mahmudullah with the bat.

Form Guide

(Most recent first, completed matches)
Sylhet Royals LWWLW
Chittagong Kings WLWLW

In the spotlight

Mushfiqur Rahim will again be in the thick of things whether with the bat or behind the stumps for the Royals. His brilliant 86 against the Gladiators showed he usually has the measure when the team is chasing. His captaincy will be tested too, particularly after some of his bowling changes completely backfired against Gayle.
The knockout match would be a huge test for Kings’ pace bowler Rubel Hossain for whom bowling at the death has been quite a struggle. He has done well in one game out of three when they were defending a total, so if such a situation arises in this game, Rubel’s over could be the clinching factor.

Team news

Paul Stirling and Dwayne Smith have been passed fit for the game, Smith however will not be able to bowl. The Royals could still go with Sajidul as the left-arm seaming option, despite having Nannes around.
Sylhet Royals (probable): 1 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Dwayne Smith, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Mominul Haque, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Nazmul Hossain Milon, 9 Suhrawadi Shuvo, 10 Sohag Gazi, 11 Sajidul IslamShaun Tait has been ruled out of the match with a groin injury which means Kings are unlikely to break the winning combination from the previous game.Chittagong Kings (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Nurul Hasan (wk), 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Ryan ten Doeschate, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Ariful Haque, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Kevon Cooper, 9 Rubel Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Enamul Haque jnr

Pitch and conditions

A sudden cold spell in Dhaka could reduce the amount of dew during the second innings, though the wicket will still benefit the batsmen.

Stats and trivia

Sylhet captain Mushfiqur Rahim is the third batsman to score more than 400 runs in this edition of the BPL.

Quotes

“It is certain that the match will be highly challenging for both the sides but I’m confident that our boys would give their best effort in tomorrow’s match.”

“We have to be a lot more positive against Sylhet Royals, particularly with the bat. I think that’s the only change in approach we need to make.”

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Shoaib Malik’s knock of 152 helped Sialkot to an innings victory against Rawalpindi•AFP

With an all-round performance, the Karachi Blues secured an eight-wicket victory against Lahore Ravi at the Gaddafi Stadium.Lahore, after being put into bat, stumbled to 6 for 3. After a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket, they suffered another collapse as they lost four wickets for only 19 runs. A half-century from Adnan Akmal got them to 175.The Blues, in their first dig, put up a competitive 265. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with 64, with Tariq Haroon contributing 61. Mohammad Irshad’s 5 for 81 helped keep the Blues in check through the course of their innings.After conceding a 90-run lead, Ravi were in trouble as they were reduced to 57 for 4 through an effective bowling performance from Anwar Ali, who took 5 for 61. A 124-run stand between Akmal and Mirza steadied the innings, but Ravi lost six wickets quickly after that, and folded for 209. The Blues’ batsmen went about their 120-run chase quickly, sealing the match on the third day.
ScorecardCenturies from Mohammad Ayub and Shoaib Malik, who also took a decisive five-wicket haul in the second innings, helped Sialkot beat Rawalpindi by an innings and 60 runs.Rawalpindi were put into bat, and they were unable to build substantial partnerships over the course of their innings. Umar Amin, who top-scored with 75, and Adnan Mufti, who scored 54, were the chief contributors. Bilawal Bhatti was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 71 as Rawalpindi were dismissed for 294.Sialkot, in reply, started well, with opener Majid Jahangir scoring 92. Ayub and Malik were then involved in a 225-run stand for the fourth wicket. Contributions towards the end from Mansoor Amjad (54) and Zeeshan Mushtaq (32) helped push Sialkot to 563, before they declared with seven wickets down, giving them a 269-run lead.The Sialkot bowlers reduced Rawalpindi, in their second dig, to 76 for 4 before Shoaib Ahmed and Babar Naeem put on a 111-run stand for the fifth wicket. Rawalpindi lost their next five wickets for just 22 runs, as Malik and Bhatti combined to bundle them out for 209.The win puts them on top of the points table, after three matches.

Scorecard
Bahawalpur are at the top of the Six Bottom Teams Pool B after taking points for a first-innings lead against Peshwar at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium. Half-centuries from Hamid Ali and captain Rehan Rafiq helped Bahawalpur reach 292 in the first innings, though Afaq Ahmed picked up six wickets. Seamer Kamran Hussain then bagged a five-for to bowl out Peshawar for 172, giving his team a lead of 120. There were four half-centurions for Bahawalpur in the second innings, Hamid and Rafiq being among the runs again. Peshwar just batted 31 overs in the fourth innings after being set 497 to win, and finished at 149 for 4.

Scorecard
Faisalabad picked up three points by narrowly edging out Multan in the first innings in a drawn game at the Multan Cricket Stadium; they keep their place at the top of the Six Bottom Teams in Pool A. Ali Waqas held the innings together with an unbeaten 105, and took his team to 256. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar picked up 6 for 77. Multan fell just six runs short in their response, being bowled out for 250. They had been struggling at 156 for 8 but Rizwan Haider (54) and wicketkeeper Maqbool Ahmed (48*) took them to within six runs of Faisalabad’s score. However, the last two wickets were both bagged by left-arm seamer Samiullah Khan, who finished with a seven-for, with the score on 250. Faisalabad were bowled out for 198 in the second innings but there wasn’t enough time for Multan to chase down 206 for victory, as they could bat just 18 overs in the fourth innings.
Islamabad take first-innings points
Scorecard
Islamabad picked up first-innings points against Karachi Whites to find themselves in third place in Super Eights Group A. Shan Masood made 199 to help them post 414 in the first innings. A collective bowling effort ensured Islamabad were able to keep Karachi to just 209 in the first innings and enforce a follow-on. There were no significant contributions for Karachi apart from half-centuries from Shahzaib Hasan and Khalid Latif. Iftikhar Anjum and Imad Wasim picked up three wickets each. Latif and Fawad Alam hit centuries for Karachi after following-on to get their team to 325 for 5 by the close.

Scorecard
Lahore Shalimar gained a first-innings lead over Hyderabad to finish second in the Super Eight Group B. Centuries from Imran Butt and Umar Akmal took them to 473 and the bowlers responded by bowling out Hyderabad for 258. Mohammad Irfan collected three wickets. Lahore were dominating with the bat in the second innings, smashing 309 runs – four batsmen hit half-centuries – in 50 overs and giving Hyderabad just under six overs to bat in the fourth innings.

Lions ended a five-season trophy drought with a tense victory over their northern neighbours to cap off an outstanding season under new coach, Geoff Toyana.

Firdose Moonda07-Apr-2013
Scorecard Quinton de Kock led the way for Lions•Getty Images

Lions ended a five-season trophy drought with a tense victory over their northern neighbours to cap off an outstanding season under new coach, Geoff Toyana.They finished second in the first-class competition, were joint winners of the one-day cup and have finally added a second piece silverware to their cabinet since the start of the franchise system nine years ago.For Titans, it was a less-than-ideal farewell to coach Matthew Maynard, who has chosen not to renew his contract with them. Despite having a full galaxy of international stars available to them, Titans were unable to chase down a moderate target as the Lions’ bowlers defended with the tenacity and determination of the animals they are named after.After their batsmen were repeatedly stalled in compiling a total, Lions appeared to have conceded the advantage early on. When Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn began the Titans’ chase with 40 runs in the first four overs, it seemed Lions would once again succumb to their local rivals.But a moment of inspiration in the field changed that. Davids got a thick edge to third man off Hardus Viljoen where Imran Tahir was stationed. Although not known for his fielding, Tahir took a difficult catch and steadied himself as he almost fell over the boundary to take the first wicket.The Lions’ spinners struck three times in the next four overs to claw their way back. Aaron Phangiso had Kuhn and AB de Villiers out lbw while Tahir dealt Farhaan Behardien the same fate.But it was only when Herschelle Gibbs and Roelof van der Merwe were dismissed within three balls of each other, that Lions had a real chance. At 87 for 6, Titans needed to score at 9.8 runs an over for the next seven overs.They still had the one person who could do that, Albie Morkel, up their sleeve. Having left the field after bowling 2.3 overs after turning on his ankle, it was unsure whether Morkel would be able to bat. He appeared uneasy on his ankle and hobbled through his first run but soon found his top gear.He slog swept Tahir for six to announce his intent and formed a dangerous partnership with another big hitter, David Wiese. The latter showed his muscle with a six over mid-wicket but then offered a chance when he skied one to square leg but Sohail Tanvir dropped the chance.Wiese and Morkel posted 35 runs, the second highest-stand of the Titans’ innings, before Wiese was fell on his sword, caught at long-off. With him gone, most of the Titans’ hopes went with him. The last four wickets fell in the space of 11 balls with all of the Lions’ bowlers claiming two apiece. Morkel was the last man out, caught at mid-off against his IPL team-mate Chris Morris’ bowling.It spoke volumes of the improvement Lions have made in their strike bowling department, which for seasons lacked bite but outshone their batting today. Although Titans were without death-bowling specialist Alfonso Thomas, they managed to restrict Lions, especially in the latter parts of the innings. After the hosts scored 67 runs in the first eight overs, they managed just 88 from the last 12.Quinton de Kock’s outstanding form in the competition continued. He finished the competition with 524 runs, the highest-ever scored in this tournament. He opened the batting with his usual carefree aggression.Rassie van der Dussen was happy to play second fiddle while de Kock took on the bowling and eventually got a leading edge back to Roelof van der Merwe to give Titans their first wicket. Lions tinkered with their batting line-up and moved Neil McKenzie up to No. 3.The combination of youth and experience brought just 21 runs before de Kock hit Henry Davids’ first ball of his second over, a full toss, straight down deep midwicket’s throat. The Titans’ captain stalled the Lions’ momentum and it was up to his opposite number, Alviro Petersen, to get it back.Petersen hit Davids into the stands and drove Marchant de Lange through the covers before he tried to do the same to Albie Morkel. Petersen swung, missed and his leg stump was out of the ground.Sohail Tanvir was promoted in an effort to lift the run rate but he could not get going quickly enough. With McKenzie and Jean Symes, he added 41 runs in the last five overs with de Lange proving tough to get away at the end but it proved to be enough.

Preview of the fourth Test between India and Australia in Delhi

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran21-Mar-2013

Match facts

March 22-26, Delhi
Start time 0930 (0400 GMT)Shane Watson will have a huge task on his hands•Associated Press

Big Picture

“This is a young Australian team. They are even getting beaten on their home grounds consistently. We should defeat them easily and a 4-0 whitewash is a real possibility.” When Harbhajan Singh said those words at the start of the tour, most people laughed it off as a gratuitous jibe based on wishful thinking. A day ahead of the final Test, though, a whitewash looms as an all-too real possibility.The series victory comes as a salve for India, smarting after the home defeats to England. What will be particularly pleasing for Indian fans is that the win has been built on the back of a new generation, shorn of most of the stalwarts of the past decade. Of the middle-order heavyweights only Sachin Tendulkar remains; India’s most successful opening is on the sidelines, long-time pace spearhead Zaheer Khan hasn’t played in months and Harbhajan remains a bit-part player even after his career was handed a lifeline at the start of the series.Most of India’s heroes have been players in the early stages of their Test career – M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Whether they can thrive in unfamiliar overseas conditions is a debate for later; for now they are spearheading India’s charge towards a fourth victory in the series – an unprecedented feat for the team.From being pilloried for their defeats in Test cricket, India now have an outside chance of finishing the series as joint No. 2 in the rankings. Australia, on the other hand, had the No. 1 within their grasp a few months ago but, after a dreadful tour highlighted by indiscipline, injuries and technical ineptness, could slip down to fourth. Shane Watson and the rest of the “gang of four” are back after sitting out the Mohali Test but Mitchell Starc has become the latest to pull out of the tour due to an injury, and Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is still nursing a bad back which could keep him out of Delhi. If Australia manage to avoid the whitewash from here, it will be a huge achievement.

Form guide

India WWWDL (Last five matches, most recent first)
Australia LLLWW

Watch out for…

One Test after being axed for indiscipline, calling the punishment “very harsh” and that he would weigh up his future, Shane Watson could return not just to the team, but as Australia’s captain. There are question marks over his relationship with Clarke, and there are still plenty of people sceptical about his Test performances. Having given up bowling in this series, he hasn’t yet delivered a substantial score in his four innings. It extends a fallow spell that has yielded just one half-century in 12 Test innings. Ahead of an Ashes-heavy season, Watson needs a big performance in Delhi.Ravindra Jadeja has his share of doubters, and few thought he could deliver at the Test level, but he has been convincing as a second spinner so far in this series. Not only has he kept things tight, he has dismissed Australia’s best batsman five times, and his 17 wickets in the series are more than the combined haul of Australia’s spinners. He hasn’t yet made a significant score with the bat, though there were a couple of cracking boundaries to ease India home in Mohali.

Teams news

India had sent Shikhar Dhawan for the pre-match press conference in Mohali ahead of his debut, but it wasn’t Ajinkya Rahane who faced the press ahead of this game. That doesn’t necessarily rule out a long-awaited debut for Rahane, but it indicates that the team management have not yet made up their minds about blooding him.India (probable) 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 M Vijay, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar and 11 Ishant Sharma.With Clarke not training on Thursday, it is unlikely he will play the Test, leaving Watson in charge. Phillip Hughes has probably done just enough in the Mohali second innings to save his place, while Xavier Doherty’s underwhelming performances should see him on the bench. Moises Henriques will also be a nervous man ahead of the game, after having failed to build on his bright debut.Australia: (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Shane Watson (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

Delhi is one of India’s favourite venues, having won eight out of nine Tests there since losing to Viv Richards’ champion side in 1987. Given the vast gulf in quality between the spinners in the two sides, it will surprise no one if the Kotla track turns out to be a turner. It is nowhere near the peak of summer, but Delhi will still be warm, with temperatures in the mid-30s.

Stats and trivia

• The last time Australia lost four Tests in a series was during the Ashes in 1978-79, and their only 0-4 whitewash was against South Africa in 1969-70
• Fast bowlers have had a difficult time in recent years at the Feroz Shah Kotla, averaging 43.57 since 2000

Quotes

“Till the time the ball gets old, I have to play the defensive role of trying to contain the batsmen. Everyone has been assigned a specific role and we perform our roles accordingly.”
Ishant Sharma
“Of the eight times their batsmen have passed 50, they’ve passed 100 six times and 200 twice. We’ve had eight instances where we’ve passed 50, but we only have one century to show for it.”
Michael Clarke

Christopher Martin-Jenkins will be posthumously honoured at the British Sports Book Awards with the Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing award

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2013Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the cricket broadcaster and journalist who died earlier this year, will be honoured at the British Sports Book Awards with the Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing award. Martin-Jenkins’ memoir, , has also been shortlisted for the Cricket Book of the Year Award.Martin-Jenkins, known throughout the game as CMJ, was a veteran of the BBC’s commentary team, as well as a former editor of the and cricket correspondent for the and the . He died on January 1, after a year-long battle with cancer. The posthumous award will be collected by his wife, Judy, at the May 21 ceremony, which will fittingly be held at Lord’s.”CMJ was a colossus of the cricket world,” David Willis, chairman of the BSBA, said. “He was the ultimate writer and commentator, a professional whose passion for the game earned him an unrivalled respect by his peers and an admiration from cricketers at all levels and fans around the world. We are delighted to be able to honour him with the Outstanding Contribution to Sports Writing award.”Martin-Jenkins’ final book will be up against , Gideon Haigh’s highly regarded biography of Shane Warne, and Steve James’ dissection of how England became the best Test team in the world, , in the cricket category. The awards, in their 11th year, celebrate the best in British sports writing across nine different categories.

Cricket Book of the Year shortlist

by Christopher Martin-Jenkins by Charles Williams by Gideon Haigh by Steve James by Alan Hill by Max Davidson

Chris Lynn has become the second Australian cricketer this week, after David Warner, to be fined for his remarks over Twitter

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013Chris Lynn has become the second Australian cricketer in the last week, after David Warner, to be fined for his remarks over Twitter. Lynn, who plays for Queensland, pleaded guilty to breaching Rule 6 of Cricket Australia’s Code of Conduct, dealing with “Unbecoming Behaviour”. Lynn was fined A$2000 by Queensland-based Code of Behaviour Commissioner Glen Williams.Rule 6 states: “Without limiting any other rule, players and officials must not at any time engage in behaviour unbecoming to a representative player or official that could (a) bring them or the game of game into cricket or (b) be harmful to the interests of cricket.”Lynn used his Twitter account to comment on the assault allegations made against rugby player Ben Te’o by a Brisbane woman. Te’o vehemently denies the accusations of assault and police said on Wednesday they were no longer investigating the alleged incident. Lynn tweeted that “The girl accusing Ben Teo is bad news” and then agreed with another tweeter, who had said “She should serve 2 months in jail for her make up! #booyah”. Lynn replied that “She definately (sic) should!” and went on to tweet: “it does my head in …”The tweets have been since deleted, and Lynn apologised for his comments. “It was inappropriate to express my personal view on a forum like Twitter and I apologise whole-heartedly for that to the individual involved,” Lynn said. “Violence against women is not acceptable and I’m sorry that my words could been seen to condone that.”Warner was fined A$5750 for his angry tweets at two journalists last week.

James Vince and Liam Dawson both struck half centuries as Hampshire shaded the first day of their Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan

08-Jul-2013
ScorecardJames Vince and Liam Dawson both struck half centuries as Hampshire shaded the first day of their Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan in a sun-drenched Cardiff. Vince and Dawson, with a partnership of 132 in 40 overs, helped Hampshire to 274 for 5 at the close of the opening day with both sides looking for their second win of the four-day campaign.Glamorgan toiled in the heat on a slow pitch with Australian seamer Michael Hogan the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 44 from his 23 overs, helping to keep the Hampshire rate below three runs an over. Despite losing Vince in the evening session the patient Dawson showed determination in batting for four hours and 13 minutes for his contribution.After winning an important toss on a batsman-friendly slow pitch Hampshire cruised to 80 for 1 in the opening session. Openers Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams produced a stand of 76 before slow left-armer Dean Cosker struck three overs before lunch. Carberry, who made a patient 31 from 95 balls with five fours, was dismissed when he was caught at mid-on by Stewart Walters.Glamorgan, who were looking to transfer their unbeaten form from the Friends Life t20 competition, included opener Gareth Rees for the injured Will Bragg in his first start of the season.After lunch Hampshire suffered two further setbacks in the hot conditions. Three short of his half century visiting captain Adams edged Will Owen to Walters at second slip. And 93 for 2 became 118 for 3 when South African Neil McKenzie was bowled by Hogan, who registered the first bowling point for Glamorgan. The two wickets fell in the space of 7.3 overs.Hampshire’s post-lunch setbacks were overcome as fourth-wicket pair Vince, who drove well, and Dawson reached tea both 41 not out with their side 183 for 3. In the evening session both Vince and Dawson completed their half centuries but the second new ball saw Glamorgan launch a mini fightback.Just after Hampshire secured a second batting point Hogan claimed his second wicket of the day to trap Vince in front and three overs later Sean Ervine was caught by Walters at second slip after edging Jim Allenby. Dawson and Adam Wheater survived any further scares to take Hampshire to stumps in a solid position.

Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC CEO, has been appointed Cricket South Africa’s CEO

Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2013

Haroon Lorgat timeline

• 1978-1991 – An allrounder with Eastern Province and Transvaal. Scores 2,813 runs and takes 191 wickets in 76 first-class games

• 1999 – Named on the United Cricket Board of South Africa’s finance committee

• 2000 – Named on the ICC’s 2003 World Cup finance committee

• 2001 – Appointed selector by South Africa

• 2003 – Treasurer of Cricket South Africa

• 2004 – Chairman of South Africa’s selectors

• 2008 – Appointed the ICC’s chief executive

• 2012 – Named special advisor by Sri Lanka Cricket, and invited to advise the PCB on setting up a T20 league

• 2013 – Takes over as CSA’s CEO

Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC CEO, has been appointed Cricket South Africa’s new chief executive. The position has been vacant since October last year, when Gerald Majola was fired in the aftermath of the bonus-payments scandal.”Mr Lorgat’s appointment follows a thorough and rigorous process to fill this important position,” CSA president Chris Nenzani said. “The quality of the candidates was exceptional and I would like to express my appreciation to the sub-committee of the board as well as my colleagues on the board who have brought this matter to a highly satisfactory conclusion.”Although CSA refused to confirm the other candidates, Lorgat is believed to have seen off challenges from at least three other hopefuls. They included former football head, Bheki Shongwe, who was the managing director of Kaizer Chiefs, Murphy Morobe, who is in charge of Kagiso media and Denver Hendricks, a director at the University of Pretoria.Of the names on the shortlist, Lorgat was the only one with extensive experience in cricket administration. He was previously a treasurer of CSA and convenor of selectors, and he spent four years as CEO of the ICC.It was in the last of those roles that Lorgat is believed to have bumped heads with the most powerful body in cricket, the BCCI. They are thought to have clashed over the Future Tours Programme, the DRS and an ICC independent governance review. The BCCI expressed their unhappiness at Lorgat’s possible appointment as early as March, when CSA drew up their initial shortlist.At the time, lead independent director on CSA’s board Norman Arendse confirmed that the BCCI had raised concerns over Lorgat. “We said to them we had embarked on a process and that it would be a premature to discuss him or the outcome of that process because we are waiting for it to be concluded,” Arendse said.CSA had also heard that the BCCI were considering pulling out of the upcoming tour should Lorgat be appointed. CSA proceeded to lengthen the process of appointing a new CEO, widened the net and allowed for more applicants to put their names forward.Lorgat, who remained interested in the job, provided the board restructured as they were instructed to by a ministerial investigation into the bonus-payments affair, was also on the list the second time around. Before interviews could be conducted, the fixtures for an India tour comprising of two T20s, seven ODIs and three Tests were released by CSA. The BCCI stated their objection to the schedule but there has been no official news of a bid to boycott the tour. ESPNcricinfo understands the two boards are in discussions over whether to tweak the itinerary and CSA do not foresee any problems with India’s visit.Lorgat and his fellow applicants presented to CSA’s board today and Lorgat was appointed immediately. A date has not been released for Lorgat to officially take up office, but he is believed to be available immediately. That would mean acting CEO Naasei Appiah will vacate the post as soon as next week.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said the plans his attack had drawn up for Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thisara Perera, whom they had identified as key batsmen, were vital to South Africa’s 12-run victory in the first Twenty20

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo03-Aug-2013South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said the plans his attack had drawn up for Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thisara Perera, whom they had identified as key batsmen, were vital to South Africa’s 12-run victory in the first Twenty20.Sangakkara has been in the limited-overs form of his life in the past two months, and though South Africa were unable to dislodge him, they succeeded in keeping his strike rate in check for much of the innings, as they took wickets at the other end. He had been dropped on 12, but was unable to exact as heavy a toll as he had during the ODIs.”For us, Sanga is the big man. He’s the big wicket. If we can get him, we can get some pressure into their changing room,” du Plessis said. “I thought when JP dropped him, we might have lost our chance, but luckily we got other opportunities. We had a plan to him as well and we pulled it off.””When Kumar was there was always a chance for them – he has been finishing games for Sri Lanka for years. Sometime in the middle they got into a good rhythm. But I knew if we go one wicket the pressure would be back on, and that’s what happened.”Thisara Perera has also been in fine touch during the ODI series, a highlight of which was his 34-run plunder of a Robin Peterson over. He was unable to make a run in this match, however, miscuing a slog to extra cover off the third ball he faced.South Africa had ensured Perera walked into a difficult match situation, after striking early in the Sri Lanka innings to remove Dilshan, who had hit a hundred and a 99 in his last two innings but made only a stalling 9 off 19 balls here.”I thought the first six overs were going to be the key,” du Plessis said. “If we could get six wickets in those first six overs and not go for too many, we were in the game. That’s exactly what happened. We got Dilshan early, which was a big wicket. And then, for me, the other big one later on was Perera. He’s a dangerous batsman as well. But we had really good plans and they paid off pretty well.”Du Plessis said South Africa were perhaps 20 runs short in their innings, having made 115 for 6, but had secured vital traction through JP Duminy’s 51, which then paid dividends in the field.”We finished on a high, with JP’s batting there towards the end, and we also knew the pitch does tend to get a bit slow here in the second innings. We were still short, and we knew it would need quite a great bowling performance and some huge character, and that’s exactly what we got.”It’s just nice for us to put some pressure on them for the first time in the tour. The whole one-day series we were taking it and they are very good at that: they put pressure on you and don’t let it go. We got it tonight, and it was crucial for us that we kept that pressure on them. Our bowlers kept their composure and executed their plans.”Duminy took three wickets for 18 runs in addition to his half-century, and was part of a South Africa spin-bowling performance which, for the first time in the tour, was in the same league as what the Sri Lanka spin bowlers had produced. Imran Tahir was also effective on Twenty20 debut, taking one wicket for 22 from his four overs.”It’s great to contribute with bat and ball, with me bowling more often now,” Duminy said. “I’m enjoying that new role. I had a bit of luck with their batsmen finding the fielders today.”The win is a big morale-booster for us. We might have to pop the champagne tonight. We’ve been dead and buried for most of the one-day series, and it’s great to start of the T20 series with the character we showed in the bowling performance. Hopefully we can take that momentum into the next two games”