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Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has taken over from Daren Ganga as captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team for the 2011-12 domestic season in the Caribbean

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2011Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has taken over from Daren Ganga as captain of the Trinidad and Tobago team for the 2011-12 domestic season in the Caribbean. Ganga led the side for nine years and received much praise for his leadership, before stepping down earlier this month. Ramdin’s appointment was announced via a media release issued by the T&T cricket board.Ramdin, currently in India on tour with West Indies, made his first-class debut in 2003-04 and has since played 42 Tests and 84 ODIs. At one point, he was vice-captain of the West Indies team but lost his place in the side; the first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests now is Carlton Baugh. He made a return to the national squad for the tour of Bangladesh earlier this year, and even led West Indies in the first ODI in the absence of Darren Sammy.”Ramdin has a wide range of experience and is a very calm character. He has been training in the captaincy role at the youth level over the years, and he is well poised to take the baton and run with it,” Dudnath Ramkessoon, the chairman of national selectors and the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, was quoted as saying in the .”Ramdin has been a key member in the [T&T] team over the years. He has been around for a while and he has grown with some of the players. They will play as a unit. He will have the support of the players and of the management staff.”Ramdin and the rest of the members of the T&T squad who are currently in India are expected to return to the Caribbean in mid-December, and prepare for the Caribbean Twenty20 that starts on January 9.

India turned a bad morning into a bright afternoon despite the committed effort of Shane Watson, who collected his third century in a week

The Bulletin by Peter English01-Oct-2010Day 1 Australia 224 for 5 (Watson 101*, Ponting 71, Zaheer 3-45) v India

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ricky Ponting’s run-out turned the tide•AFP

India turned a bad morning into a bright afternoon despite the committed effort of Shane Watson, who collected his third century in a week. Watson, who posted twin hundreds in the tour game, survived two chances in delivering the sort of performance expected of a specialist opener, not one Australia have manufactured over the past year.Despite Watson’s calm 101 on the opening day, the visitors are far from safe at 224 for 5 after a stinging late burst from Zaheer Khan, India’s only fit paceman following a knee injury to Ishant Sharma. Zaheer, who was steaming in the second session during a confrontation with Ricky Ponting, gained his second lbw when he picked up Michael Hussey (17) with a reverse-swinging delivery and followed up by clipping Marcus North’s off stump when he tried to leave on 0.Zaheer finished with 3 for 45 off 16 overs to continue the fine recovery by a side that was struggling badly over the first half of the day. The locals would have been happier had MS Dhoni, who returned from the Champions League Twenty20 two days ago, caught a regulation chance off Tim Paine (1 not out).On a pitch with low bounce and gaining in turn, Watson began in an aggressive mood but toned down once Ponting and Michael Clarke departed before tea, leaving the tourists at an uncomfortable 172 for 3. Until Ponting’s departure for 71, Australia had been the ones in control but his run-out forced a change of pace, and Watson started grinding towards three-figures.There was no rush from Watson as the Indian spinners delivered tight spells in the afternoon and were called on for more work following Ishant’s departure after 7.4 overs. Only 45 runs were scored in the final session as the ball softened and the spinners closed in against the defensive Watson, Clarke and Hussey.

Smart Stats

• Shane Watson’s unbeaten 101 was his second Test hundred, and his first against India. Since July 2009, when he began opening the batting, Watson averages 51.95, with ten 50-plus scores in 23 innings. Prior to July 2009, Watson averaged 19.76 in 13 innings with one fifty.

• The 141-run second-wicket partnership with Shane Watson was Ricky Ponting’s 79th century stand in Tests, which puts him in second place, behind Rahul Dravid’s 82.

• Australia’s run-rate reduced drastically after Ponting’s dismissal: till he was at the crease, Australia scored at 3.69 runs per over; after his dismissal, the rate fell to 1.45 (70 in 48.2 overs). Watson scored at a strike rate of 52 (64 off 123) till Ponting was around, and 24 (37 off 156) after he was out. Overall, this is the slowest of Watson’s 11 fifty-plus scores.

• Ponting was run out for the 14th time in his Test career, which is the most for any batsman. Border, Dravid and Hayden are next with 12 such dismissals.

• Zaheer Khan has dismissed right and left-handers 58 times each in Tests since the beginning of 2007, but his average against left-handers (26.01) is much better than the average against right-handers (32.10) during this period.

• Rahul Dravid’s catch to dismiss Michael Clarke was his 46th against Australia, which is only second to Ian Botham, who has 57.

Watson has spent some gut-wrenching periods in the nineties during his 21 Tests, but he stayed calm and crept up on a rewarding second century. The milestone came with a legside clip for two off Harbhajan Singh and he stayed until the end, capturing eight fours from his 279 balls. It was a performance that bettered the 78 he made at the same ground two years ago, an innings that showed he could succeed when grit was required.Watson and Ponting had survived some scares and overcame the early loss of Simon Katich (6) in their stabilising 141-run stand. The two-Test series began with Virender Sehwag’s second-ball drop of Watson, who was also missed by Dhoni on 37, while Ponting benefitted from Ishant’s over-stepping when glancing behind.Ponting returned the charity after responding tardily to Watson’s call for a single and was run out by Suresh Raina’s smart direct hit from midwicket. The third umpire was required to decide Ponting’s fate after his mostly composed innings, but as he walked past the fielders he was called out by Zaheer in the first flashpoint of the series. The taunts resulted in the captain changing direction and walking towards the huddle for a short exchange.It was the fourth time Ponting, 35, had been caught short in Tests since going to England last year and the type of dismissal was particularly frustrating given the strong position of his team. Until that point it was India who had been unnecessarily generous with dropped catches, missed run-out chances and a flood of eight no-balls from Ishant.India went in with four specialist bowlers, but only two were fast men, so Ishant’s injured knee was another concerning development, especially as Harbhajan had to pass a fitness test in the morning. The lack of firepower could harm the hosts for the remainder of the game, but not if Zaheer continues weaving the ball late.India’s initial difficulty was eased by Raina’s brilliant throw and the scoring-rate quickly dropped as Watson and Clarke added 18 at 1.5 an over against the spinners. Clarke then tried to cut a wider ball from Harbhajan and edged to Rahul Dravid at first slip.Harbhajan was much more dangerous after lunch, slowing the runs and creating some half-chances in his 1 for 69 off 29 overs, and the pitch will help the slow men more as the game wears on. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm orthodox spinner, also played an important role, rarely allowing an attacking option, as he gave away 39 runs in 31 overs. After a strong start the signs are already worrying for Australia, even though their opponents are possibly a man short.

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.

The wicketkeeper batter came in to face a hat-trick ball and turned everything on its head

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2025

Jamie Smith brought up a century inside a session•Getty Images

Lunch Jamie Smith produced the joint-third fastest century by an Englishman with a stunning 80-ball effort that leaves England 249 for 5 at lunch on day three of this second Test.They still trail India by 338, and the scale of Smith’s feat was underlined by the fact he came to the crease to face a hat-trick ball. Mohammed Siraj had prised out Joe Root and Ben Stokes in successive deliveries in the second over of the session. Smith walked out, drove the hat-trick delivery for four down the ground and walked off for the interval unbeaten on 102, his second Test hundred, with 17 boundaries that not only sent India into a spin, but kept Harry Brook in the shade, on 91*. The 172 in these first 27 overs at Edgbaston is the third-most India have conceded in a session.Brook began the day on 30, angling for consolidation at first before roused by Smith into providing 60 off 72 in a sixth-wicket stand currently reading 165 off 154. Initially, England had hoped he and Root, with two 300-plus partnerships between them, would see out the session only for them to part 10 deliveries into the morning.Root over-balanced to tickle an edge down the leg side through to Rishabh Pant. If that was a little bit of good fortune for Siraj, it was all him for the next delivery, as a snorter – leaping off a short length, scorching the gloves as Stokes attempted to protect his neck – gave England’s Test captain his first golden duck in the format. It was only the second time England’s top six had provided three noughts.Mohammed Siraj struck twice in an over•Getty Images

It was immediately from that point of disarray, with England 84 for 5 in the 22nd over, trailing by 503, that Smith unleashed his astonishing counterattack.The keeper-batter was more or less a-run-a-ball up until he locked horns with Prasidh Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Krishna was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed in handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.Remarkably, Gill persisted with Krishna and the short-ball tactic and, as expected, Smith tonked the first ball of this new over for another six over backward square leg. The previous over had seen Smith move to his sixth fifty-plus score from 43 deliveries.Further shifts came with consecutive boundaries off spinners Washington Sundar (two fours through cover) and Ravindra Jadeja (a cut through point, then a launch back over the left-armer’s head), bringing Smith in with a shout of taking the record for England’s fastest Test century.He was 84 from 62 deliveries, needing 16 from nine to take the record outright with the uncertainty of whether Gilbert Jessop achieved the feat from 72 or 76 deliveries. Alas a slowdown as lunch approached, while sensible, meant that opportunity passed him by.Nevertheless, the century within the session came with three deliveries to go, as Smith lifted Jadeja down the ground and then smeared him through midwicket. Edgbaston roared and then once more as Smith and Brook strolled off, alongside a shellshocked India who, despite losing control, should regroup and remember they still hold a considerable lead.