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The quick bowler is due to make his first appearance on December 27

Tristan Lavalette07-Dec-2021Pakistan quick Haris Rauf will return to injury-hit Melbourne Stars in a signing coup hoped to bolster their inexperienced attack, which copped a hammering against two-time defending champion Sydney Sixers in the BBL season opener.Having originally caught the eye bowling at speeds over 90mph/145kph for Lahore Qalanders, Rauf enjoyed worldwide attention during the 2019-20 BBL season, where he quickly became a fan favourite after claiming 20 wickets from 10 matches.Admirably filling the shoes of an injured Dale Steyn, he consistently bowled with great pace to become a talisman for Stars and a headliner in the competition highlighted by a famous hat-trick against Sydney Thunder in his MCG debut.Related

• 'A superstar Pakistan deserves': The rise and rise of Haris Rauf

• Philippe and Henriques light up Sydney Sixers as Melbourne Stars slumped to heaviest ever loss

Those heroics powered him into Pakistan’s national team and he made his international debut during a T20 match against Bangladesh in January 2020. He has played eight ODIs and 32 T20Is overall and was a key cog in Pakistan’s strong T20 World Cup campaign with eight wickets from six matches.Rauf did struggle during his brief appearance for Stars last season with just one wicket from three matches. However, he’s hoped to shore up an attack that leaked 213 runs from 20 overs against a ruthless Sixers at the SCG in the biggest defeat in the competition’s history.Missing towering quick Billy Stanlake, fellow quick Liam Hatcher and Marcus Stoinis, the Stars deployed an inexperienced attack featuring debutants Sam Elliott, Brody Couch and young spinner Syed Faridoun, who like Rauf hails from Lahore Qalanders.”We can’t wait to see Haris Rauf back at the Stars. His addition brings experience, energy and quality to our fast-bowling stocks,” Stars coach David Hussey said.Rauf is set to make his season debut against Brisbane Heat on December 27 and will be available for the rest of the tournament.In the meantime, Stars will be out to rebound against Sydney Thunder in their home opener at the MCG on Friday.

He believes India feed off confrontation and also expects players to be able to adapt to empty stands

Andrew McGlashan09-Jun-2020Australia’s Test series against India later this year could be played in echoing, empty stadiums but Matthew Wade does not think it would be wise to try and compensate for the lack of atmosphere with too much talking to Virat Kohli’s team.Wade, who currently occupies a middle-order spot in the Test side, is not shy of having a few words but believes India have become the best side in the world at feeding off any aggravation from the opposition. The recent documentary showed last time when the two sides met in 2018-19, how captain Tim Paine made a conscious effort not to engage with Kohli knowing it’s something he feeds off, although that was recently criticised by Michael Clarke who suggested it was because of fear of losing IPL deals.”I’ll go out and play the way I like to play. We certainly don’t go out chasing it. If it comes our way then you deal with it out on the field,” Wade, who wasn’t part of the previous Test series against India, said. “Virat’s very clever in the way he uses his words or his body language so they [India] use it as an advantage.ALSO READ: Steven Smith willing to play IPL if T20 World Cup is postponed“To be honest I don’t want to engage too much into that, I know they thrive off that energy which comes from two [confronting] players. They are probably as good at doing that as anyone in the world at the moment, so it’s something I might stay away from this time.”The chances of the series taking place in December and January are continually improving and Cricket Australia announced the tentative fixture list last month that has the series beginning in Brisbane, where the home side haven’t lost since 1988, before heading to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Perth, where Australia won in the 2018-19 series, has missed out.It is not beyond possibility that crowds could be allowed back in some capacity by the time India arrive, but CA are still planning for the series to be a lockout in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The prospect of facing India without crowds had previously prompted Nathan Lyon to consider what it would like watching Kohli “try to rev up empty seats” and Wade, who experienced an empty ground for the ODI against New Zealand at the SCG in March, concedes it will take some adjustment.The Australia v New Zealand ODI on March 13 was played to empty stands at the SCG•Getty Images

“It’s just the atmosphere and buzz it gives you as a player,” he said. “To play at Edgbaston with that crowd going in the first Ashes Test is obviously a lot different than playing Bellerive Oval in front of not a lot of people, so it’s just the feeling, the energy you get off the crowd. The actual skill – bat versus ball – is pretty much exactly the same.”I didn’t play [at the SCG] and was only running drinks, but I spoke to the players out there and they said walking out to play was a weird feeling, but once a ball was bowled it felt like a normal game of cricket, which we are used to playing. Guys have played hundreds of games of cricket in front of nobody. So they are used to that.”I see the NRL [rugby league] are doing little things to make the atmosphere better for players and those watching on TV, so I’m sure CA and the ICC will be talking about things they can do to make it a little more entertaining. We’ll just be really happy to be out on the cricket field. Over the last few months, we’ve all got used to things that are changing. So whatever happens, we’ll deal with.”On a personal level, Wade is eager to get back into pre-season training with Tasmania having taken the opportunity of the enforced break – which led to a deal with Somerset being cancelled as well as the postponed Test tour to Bangladesh – to have surgery to clear up a knee problem he had been carrying for the second half of last summer. Had Covid-19 not come along he would have continued to play through the pain, but is now focused on building towards the start of the domestic season although there remains a chance the limited-overs tour of England could take place in September.”It has given me an opportunity to get my body right, had a pretty good crack for two years playing a lot of cricket to try and get back in the Australian team,” he said. “At my age, I want to keep playing as much as I can, that’s why I signed with Somerset to continue to play cricket in the break period we were going to have. The injury probably got a little bit worse, I probably wasn’t expecting to be back in the one-day team and I pushed it pretty hard.”

Jason Behrendorff hasn’t arrived in India yet, while Lasith Malinga and Adam Milne are already unavailable for the two-time champions

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Mar-20195:33

Yet to talk to SLC about Malinga’s unavailability – Jayawardene

Big Picture

After 11 seasons of disappointment, disillusionment, and discarding countless players who have gone on to become superstars in other teams, Delhi Daredevils have put their faith in the power of the makeover, and rebranded themselves – they are now Delhi Capitals. Give them some time if that name rolls a little awkwardly off your tongue right now, but they will not want to take too much time to get into gear on the field.Their opponents on Sunday, Mumbai Indians, are renowned for their slow starts, but Delhi have been no better. The two teams have the joint-worst win percentage (36.40) of all the current IPL teams in season-opening matches, having each won four out of 11 so far. Mumbai are known for rebounding spectacularly from sluggish starts, but they couldn’t quite manage it last season, finishing fifth on the points table. Delhi did even worse, ending up rock bottom with only five wins. Both teams, therefore, are looking for a fresh start.With the World Cup squad announcement deadline (April 23) exactly a month away, the players will also want to begin the IPL brightly, particularly those whose ODI spots aren’t entirely certain. Among India players, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, the latter mostly for fitness reasons, belong in that category, and a great start to the IPL could be just the push they need.

In the news

• Mumbai’s overseas pace stocks have taken a hit with a heel injury ruling Adam Milne out for the entire season and Lasith Malinga possibly missing their first six matches to play domestic 50-overs cricket and keep himself in contention for a World Cup place.
• They will be without another of their overseas fast-bowling options for this game, with Jason Behrendorff not having arrived in India yet.
• Chris Morris won’t be available for Delhi since he’s in South Africa’s squad for Sunday’s third T20I against Sri Lanka. Kagiso Rabada (Delhi) and Quinton de Kock (Mumbai), however, are in India and have trained with their respective teams.
• Rohit Sharma batted at Nos. 3 or 4 through most of a disappointing 2018 campaign with the bat. This year, however, he has promised he will open in “all the games”.
• Hardik Pandya is returning from a lower-back issue that kept him out of the ODIs and T20Is against Australia at home. Mumbai coach Mahela Jayawardene insisted on Saturday that Hardik was “200% fit”.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk)/Evin Lewis, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4, Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ben Cutting, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Jasprit BumrahDelhi Capitals: 1 Colin Munro, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 Sandeep Lamichhane, 9 Kagiso Rabada/Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan/Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant SharmaRishabh Pant completes a stumping of Evin Lewis•BCCI

Strategy punt

• Kagiso Rabada or Trent Boult? A difficult question for Delhi to answer, but it becomes easier when you know who the main threat in the opposition’s top order is. In six meetings in T20 cricket, Rohit Sharma has faced 18 balls from Boult, scoring 24 runs off them while being dismissed three times. He’s done better against Rabada: 24 off 20 balls with one dismissal, and has performed better against right-arm pace (average 34.1, SR 145.8) than left-arm pace (average 21.8, SR 141.9) in T20s since the start of 2015.
• Prithvi Shaw is destructive against pace: he averages 44.3 and has a strike rate of 162.4 against the quicks in T20 cricket. Against spin, though, he only averages 13.6 while striking at 128.3. Mumbai don’t have too much depth in the spin department, but they could call upon Krunal Pandya or Mayank Markande for an over or two in the Powerplay against Shaw.

Stats that matter

• Mumbai and Delhi have met 22 times in the IPL, and have won 11 games each. Delhi won both their meetings last season, Jason Roy sealing a last-ball finish at Wankhede Stadium and legspinners Amit Mishra and Sandeep Lamichhane combining to knock Mumbai out of contention for the playoffs in Delhi.
• Rohit has only opened 19 times in his IPL career, and at the top of the order has achieved his best average (40.9) at any position, and his second-best strike rate (131.8).
• Sunday’s match will be Rohit’s 300th T20 appearance.
• Teams winning the toss chose to bowl in all nine matches at the Wankhede last season, but teams batting first didn’t do too badly, winning four times.
• If he plays, Ishant Sharma will play an IPL match for the first time since May 2017, when he featured for Rising Pune Supergiant against Kings XI Punjab.
• Jasprit Bumrah has an exceptional T20 record against Pant, having dismissed him three times in 17 balls across five meetings, while conceding only eight runs.

The legspinner was eligible to feature in his second successive Under-19 World Cup, but the selectors did not want to distract him from his progress at the senior level

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Jan-2018Rashid Khan is eligible to play his second Under-19 World Cup but isn’t part of Afghanistan’s squad for the 2018 edition of the tournament. Rashid, the second-highest ODI wicket-taker in 2017 (43 wickets), was one of the names on the selectors’ shortlist, but they decided not to pick him, given how far he has progressed at the senior level, and given the wealth of other spin options in their squad.Players born on or after September 1, 1998, are eligible to play the 2018 edition of the tournament, which begins on Saturday in New Zealand; Rashid was born on September 20, 1998.Rashid was Afghanistan’s top wicket-taker in the 2016 edition of the tournament, with 10 wickets at an average of 17.10. The legspinner made his ODI and T20I debuts a few months before that tournament, and has since gone on to become the senior Afghanistan side’s leading strike bowler. He is also among the most sought-after wristspinners in franchise T20 leagues. Delivering stump-to-stump legbreaks and a well-disguised googly at a brisk pace, Rashid has flummoxed a number of batsmen around the world.Afghanistan, who earned Full Membership of the ICC last June, enter the Under-19 World Cup as contenders based on their recent form: the Under-19s won their maiden Youth Asia Cup late 2017. Afghanistan’s strength remains their bowling attack, which is dominated by spinners including the mystery offbreak bowler Mujeeb Zadran, the third-highest wicket-taker in Under-19 ODIs since the 2016 World Cup.Immediately after the Under-19 team’s Asia Cup triumph, coach Andy Moles requested the selection panel, led by the former Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal, to consider including Rashid in the squad. Yet, despite the temptation of playing him, the Afghanistan selectors felt bringing Rashid back into the Under-19 fold would only distract him.”We have three very good spinners in the squad and the selectors felt that Rashid has moved on with his career and these young spinners need to develop their game for the good and future of Afghanistan cricket,” Moles told ESPNcricinfo. “I am very happy with the selection policy as it ensures and encourages growth in our outstanding talent for the future.”If Rashid had been picked, he would have been the fifth member of the Afghanistan squad to feature in consecutive Under-19 World Cups, the others being Naveen-ul-Haq, Tariq Stanikzai, Zahir Khan and Ikram Ali Khil.Those four could be the last Afghanistan players to feature in two Under-19 World Cups. Chief executive officer Shafiqullah Stanikzai has said the ACB has put in place a policy that, going forward, no player can play more than one edition of the tournament.”We have passed a new resolution about our junior cricket that a player will participate in only one Under-19 World Cup [from the next edition],” Stanikzai said. “That way every two years we will have a new pool of players and help our development programmes in junior cricket.”Stanikzai also said the ACB backed the selectors’ decision on Rashid. “The core idea is for the player to go from strength to strength. Rashid has represented Afghanistan senior side, he is playing all the leagues, so we have to push him up, not bring him down. Instead of giving Rashid, we (the selectors) preferred giving a chance to Qais Ahmad, Zahir Khan and Mujeeb Zadran. We are quite strong in the spin department and we are keen to see how these bowler cope in New Zealand.”

A round-up of the CSA T20 Challenge matches on December 7

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2016JJ Smuts lashed nine sixes in his 107 off 58 balls in East London, where Warriors chased down a target of 217 with an over to spare against Dolphins. The result kept Warriors within two points of Titans, the table leaders.Warriors lost opener Clyde Fortuin for a duck in the first over of the imposing chase, but Smuts and Colin Ingram made shrugged away that setback. They added 107 in nine overs before Ingram was out for 55 off 26, lbw to Imran Tahir. Colin Ackerman fell cheaply, but Christiaan Jonker made an unbeaten 36 off 20 balls in a partnership of 88 with Smuts to complete the seven-wicket victory.Smuts’ performance meant that for a second successive game Kevin Pietersen made a half-century in defeat. Pietersen had scored 79 in Dolphins’ loss against Cobras on December 4, and against Warriors he clobbered 81 off 46 with six sixes. His partnership of 145 for the second wicket with opener Morne van Wyk, who made 77 off 52, led Warriors to 216 for 5. Of the 14 bowlers used at Buffalo Park, only Smuts conceded less than 8.50 per over, finishing with figures of 0 for 23 in four overs for Warriors.A powerful batting performance at Supersport Park helped Titans beat Lions by 46 runs and open up a two-point lead at the top of the league. Opener Jonathan Vandiar headlined the show, smacking 67 off 41 balls, but the thrust that spurred Titans to 230 for 5 came from their middle and lower order. Heinrich Klassen made 26 off 15, Heino Kuhn 29 off 11, Albie Morkel 32 off 17, Farhaan Behardien 19 off 9, and David Wiese 17 off 5. Though Titans did not have big individual scores, their relentless hitting ensured that all the Lions bowlers, except for Bjorn Fortuin, went for over eight an over.Rassie van der Dussen got the Lions chase off to a cracking start, his 45 off 18 balls charging them to 53 before he fell in the fifth over. The chase fell away after that – only Temba Bavuma passed 30 – with batsmen failing to convert starts and score at the same intensity that Titans did. Malusi Siboto took three top order wickets for Titans, but it was Wiese’s spell of 1 for 21 in four overs that was the bowling performance of the match.Wayne Parnell led a Cobras bowling performance that set up victory against Knights in a low-scoring contest in Cape Town, after the 200-plus run fests in the other two games. Parnell took 3 for 20 in four overs, Kieron Pollard 2 for 18 in three, and Rory Kleinveldt 1 for 21 in four. Patrick Kruger and Theunis de Bruyn, who made 52, took Knights to 94 for 1 in the 12th over, but they fell away after that, losing 7 for 52 to finish with 146 for 8.Richard Levi’s 58 off 32 balls led the Cobras chase. He put on 78 for the first wicket with Wayne Parnell, who scored 34. Pollard smashed 39 off 12 balls to complete an eight-wicket victory with 32 balls to spare.

A strengthened Sri Lanka side will be aiming to complete a series win in the second ODI against a weakened West Indies outfit

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Nov-2015

Match facts

November 4, 2015
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)1:05

‘Have to be ready for what comes our way’ – Baptiste

Big Picture

Spectators who came to the opening ODI spent much of their time wondering if the rains would relent long enough to allow the game’s completion. In the end, they were rewarded for their patience with a shortened match that featured myriad peaks and troughs for either team, hairpin bends, collapses and dropped catches, all leading to a delicious climax featuring unlikely heroes. Sri Lanka should have sauntered to victory after the start Tillakaratne Dilshan had given them. Instead, they had their middle order exposed by spin – not for the first time this home season – and squeaked home thanks to a steady hand from Ajantha Mendis.What the exercise suggested, was that while there was a chasm between the quality of the Test teams, West Indies and Sri Lanka are well-matched in the shorter formats. Sri Lanka have a better top order, but West Indies have finishers who can put the ball into orbit. The hosts’ seam attack is more reliable, but in Sunil Narine, West Indies have a spinner who can send a whole section of the batting order tumbling, in an over. With daily rains around now, shortening of matches may suit the visitors’ explosive brand of cricket.Sri Lanka will be strengthened, and West Indies weakened for the second ODI, however. Dinesh Chandimal is available for Sri Lanka again, after having served his one-match ban for an altercation with Ishant Sharma in August. Jason Holder, meanwhile, is suspended for the match due to slow over rates in the previous match, and Andre Russell remains in doubt due to the abdominal strain he sustained during the previous match. Those changes are significant. Holder and Russell had been West Indies’ best batsmen in the first ODI, and Chandimal’s return helps steady a wobbly middle order.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)


West Indies: LLWLL

In the spotlight

Lahiru Thirimanne‘s Test form has been mediocre all year, but on past tours he has been a rejuvenated batsman in ODIs. The cover drives begin to find the boundary, instead of a pair of hands in the slips. The swivel pulls and slog sweeps return to his game. And the movement of his limbs no longer invite comparisons with planks of wood afflicted by rigor mortis, which they did just before he was dropped in Tests. He played his 100th ODI on Sunday, but now needs a substantial score to shore up his place in the ODI side.Marlon Samuels will have fond memories of his match-winning performance at the Premadasa Stadium in the World T20 final three years ago. His more recent outings on the island have been forgettable. Disqualified from bowling now, after allowing the 14-day grace period in which he can have his action tested to lapse, Samuels finds himself in charge of the team in Holders absence. Perhaps the extra responsibility can spark something in his batting.

Teams news

With Chandimal likely to return to the No. 4 position, Shehan Jayasuriya seems likeliest to make way from the top seven. Suranga Lakmal and a trimmer Lasith Malinga are likely to take the new ball, but Sri Lanka may consider playing tearaway quick Dushmantha Chameera ahead of one of their frontline spinners.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal , 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Danushka Gunathilaka, 8 Sachithra Senanayake, 9, Ajantha Mendis 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga LakmalRavi Rampaul is likely to play in Holder’s stead. The team has said it will wait till Wednesday morning to make a call on Russell’s fitness. If he can’t play, West Indies will be tempted to play batsman Jason Mohammed, who bowls a little offspin. Jonathan Carter may also be required to bowl a few overs.West Indies (probable): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Andre Fletcher, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jonathan Carter, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Andre Russell/Jason Mohammed, 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Ravi Rampaul

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is unlikely to have changes substantially since Sunday. It had offered the seamers good bounce and a little bit of seam movement with the new ball, but the spinners got turn out of it as well.Given the weather in Colombo over the past week, expect rain delays and interruptions.

Stats and trivia

• Despite inconsistency in Tests, Thirimanne has made steady contributions in ODIs, averaging 41.05 last year, and 39.41 so far in 2015.
• Denesh Ramdin needs 80 runs to complete 2000 in ODIs. He averages 24.93 after 99 innings.
• Dinesh Chandimal and Thirimanne, who debuted in 2010, have both played 100 ODIs – 16 more than Ajantha Mendis, who debuted in 2008.

Lancashire’s inability to post a competitive first-innings total has allowed Essex to take command at Old Trafford

Myles Hodgson at Old Trafford08-May-2013Essex 226 and 120 for 2 (Cook 57*) lead Lancashire 177 (Cross 45, Phillips 3-20) by 169 runs
ScorecardKarl Brown’s two-ball duck was typical of another poor Lancashire batting display•Getty Images

It may only be their third home match of the summer but already there are worrying signs that Lancashire’s fragile batting may undermine their hopes of an immediate return to Division One. Having strengthened their top-order during the winter, their inability to post a competitive first-innings total has allowed Essex to take command at Old Trafford.Their relegation summer last year was plagued with disappointing batting performances, with Lancashire dismissed for under 300 on 15 occasions. They were bowled out for fewer than 200 in eight matches. That record prompted Lancashire to secure the return of Ashwell Prince and persuade Simon Katich, the former Australia Test batsman, to help improve their batting options.They also signed Wayne White, Leicestershire’s promising allrounder, and provided with slow wickets on their opening two home matches, against Worcestershire and Kent, the recruitment policy appeared to work after they recorded first-innings totals of 448 and 395. Given a wicket with more pace and bounce, however, and the familiar failings returned.Resuming 219 runs adrift, Lancashire were always facing a tough start to the day against Reece Topley and David Masters with the new ball and failed the test by slipping to 22 for 4. Once conditions eased, however, they were little better and were dismissed for 177 in 58.3 overs.The consequences of another first-innings failure were laid bare by Alastair Cook battling through the new-ball spell to reach an unbeaten 57, with sights set on securing an emphatic Essex win on his final appearance before resuming England captaincy duties in next week’s opening Test against New Zealand.”It is a very disappointing day for us,” Lancashire coach Peter Moores said. “We’re not out of it yet but we certainly haven’t helped our cause. Essex used the new ball well and put balls in the right areas and there were a couple of shots where the lads would think they could have done better.”It’s frustrating for us because the goal was to see off the new ball and build a decent platform to get up with them and then go on and get a decent first innings lead. We didn’t do that and we’re going to have to play very well second innings, but there is work to be done first in bowling them out.”None of Lancashire’s batsmen showed the application demonstrated by Cook, or Graham Napier during his opening day century, and paid a heavy price as a consequence. Katich contributed an aggressive 23 off 26 balls but from the moment he fell lbw shuffling across his stumps to earn Sajid Mahmood his first Championship wicket for Essex, their hopes of reaching parity seemed remote.Mahmood enjoyed the extra bounce generated from the Pavilion End on his Old Trafford return, but it was Tim Phillips, Essex’s left-arm spinner, that secured their useful 49-run first innings lead. Gareth Cross showed signs of playing with a resolve required and added a promising 44 for their eighth wicket with White.In sight of his first half-century of the season, however, Cross fell lbw five runs short attempting to sweep. That gave Phillips the first of three wickets and, with Cook’s experience, Essex finished the day firmly in control.

Robin Peterson borrowed shots from his namesake, Kevin Pietersen, as he played a cameo punctuated with switch hits on his IPL debut to snatch victory for the Mumbai Indians

The Report by Firdose Moonda25-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Rohit Sharma gave Mumbai hope with 50 off 30 balls•AFP

Robin Peterson borrowed shots from his namesake, Kevin Pietersen, as he played a cameo punctuated with switch hits on his IPL debut to snatch victory for the Mumbai Indians. Peterson scored 15 runs off four balls in the penultimate over and Ambati Rayudu smacked two sixes to cost Kings XI 27 runs. The pair took Mumbai from a position where victory seemed unlikely, with 32 runs needed of 12 balls, to where it became an obvious conclusion with only five runs to get in the last over.After allowing Kings XI Punjab to post their highest total in IPL 2012 with a bowling effort that was dominated by deliveries that were too short, Mumbai were favourites to win when Rohit Sharma was at the crease, marching to his half-century. Parvinder Awana swung the pendulum back towards Kings XI with a double strike in his final over – the 18th – in which he removed both Sharma and Harbhajan Singh. Peterson and Rayudu had the final say though, as they ravaged the 19th over and prevented Kings XI from completing the home and away double against Mumbai this season.In an innings which mirrored the Kings XI’s, Mumbai started solidly, were held up in the middle and blazed their way through to the end. Sachin Tendulkar and James Franklin, who was moved to open the batting in the previous match and stayed there, built a sturdy foundation. Tendulkar started by sweeping Bhargav Bhatt to long-leg, allowing his touches of finesse to shine through. Franklin clipped Praveen Kumar through midwicket and drove Parvinder Awana over the covers and the pair put on a fuss-free fifty-two run stand.Azhar Mahmood caused some jitters in the Mumbai camp when he had Franklin caught behind off a beautiful delivery that nipped away from him. In his next over, Mahmood accounted for Tendulkar, who got a thin inside edge through to Nitin Saini. Piyush Chawla had Dinesh Karthik caught at short fine leg and Mumbai were no longer in command.
It set the stage for Rohit, who had not performed to expectation so far, to step up and he did. He announced his intent by smashing Chawla for a flat six over long-off and helped himself to boundaries off full tosses offered by both Awana and Praveen when they missed their lines.Rohit was guiding Mumbai to victory when he slashed the ball to Mahmood at backward point and the advantage returned to Kings XI. Harbhajan made little contribution as he top-edged without moving his feet to be caught at long-off and Mumbai seemed to need a little miracle to dig themselves out of the hole Awana created.Peterson started the seemingly impossible, switch hitting Chawla twice for four and slog sweeping him for six before Rayudu launched the legspinner for back to back sixes. Mahmood made it tough for Mumbai to score the last five but they did so with a ball to spare to claim a memorable win.Kings XI would have thought they had enough runs at the halfway stage, having scored 88 runs off the last seven overs of their innings. David Hussey and David Miller starred in the last third of the Kings XI innings to give them a competitive total on a slow surface with a fourth-wicket stand that mixed defiance with aggression.Saini and Mandeep Singh built a sturdy foundation for Kings XI with an opening stand of 35 but Kings XI stagnated when Mandeep was dismissed. They scored just 12 runs in four overs after Mandeep returned to the dug out and crawled to the 10-over mark at 56 for 2. In a surprise move, Harbhajan brought Franklin on to bowl and he slowed Kings XI up further. He bowled four good balls upfront, which yielded only four runs, before Shaun Marsh attempted to slice a ball over the off-side but top-edged it to Harbhajan at cover, who took a swirling catch.Miller was the perfect for partner for Hussey and showed aggression from the get-go, when he pulled the second ball he faced, a short one from RP, through midwicket. Having seen short balls get punished, Kieron Pollard offered Hussey two more and was clubbed over midwicket and upper cut over third man.Munaf Patel searched for yorkers but missed his length and dished out full tosses. Miller swiped him over long-on and Hussey did the same, to bring up a well-earned half-century. Clint McKay copied Munaf and got the yorker right on occasion. Still, he did not survive the late assault from Hussey, who steered him third man and made room to hit him over his head for six. Munaf finished the innings having conceded back to back sixes off Miller, who ended unbeaten on 34 off 17 balls.

A round-up of the action from the seventh round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2011Johnson Charles hit an unbeaten half-century to carry Windward Islands to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Leeward Islands in St Lucia.Leeward, who were bowled out for a paltry 72 in their first-innings, fared much better in their second. They ended the third day on 284 for 7 with Jacques Taylor (48*) and Gavin Tonge (41*). Both batsmen went on to make half-centuries, and put on a further 60 runs, before they were dismissed in quick succession. The Leeward innings folded for 344 with Gary Mathurin picking up the three wickets to fall, ending with 5 for 86. This meant that Windward had to get 99 runs for victory, which they managed with ease, with Charles anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 52. Winward, who finished with 41 points, will now play Combined Campuses and Colleges in the semi-final beginning April 1 in Bridgetown.

Defeats in their most recent games have resulted in Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders dropping a place in the points table, to sixth and seventh respectively

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran31-Mar-2010

Match facts

Thursday, April 1
Start time 20.00 local (14.30 GMT)Kolkata have blown hot and cold this season. What they’re looking for is consistency•Indian Premier League

Big picture

Defeats in their most recent games have resulted in Deccan Chargers and Kolkata Knight Riders dropping a place in the points table, to sixth and seventh respectively. They opened this year’s tournament at the DY Patil Stadium on March 12, and Deccan will aim to level the score against a team which has blown hot and cold this season.Deccan are coming off two successive defeats, the cause of both being the disappointing batting. Adam Gilchrist said his team had been inconsistent and that nobody was getting a big enough score. A target of 149 wasn’t challenging enough for Rajasthan Royals and Yusuf Pathan, who blitzed 73 off 44 balls to complete a thumping win. Against Mumbai Indians, a Harbhajan Singh blitzkrieg dented their bowling figures and confidence even before they began the chase. Their key players, including Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds, didn’t fire and the rest – barring Rohit Sharma – weren’t good enough backup options. A win will take them closer to the top four.Kolkata have performed better than they did last year, but they’re still a work in progress. With players of the caliber of Chris Gayle and Angelo Mathews, they have underperformed, as three wins and four losses suggest. There’s inconsistency in the batting, like in the case of Manoj Tiwary, who has two fifties and two ducks in six innings. They will need to win at least five of their next seven games to stand a chance of making the semis and, in order to do that, they’ll have to find their best combination as soon as possible. Their coach Dav Whatmore said he wants them to win all their remaining home games. They’re unpredictable, extremely mediocre in defeat but also capable on their day, like when they choked Punjab.

Form guide (most recent first)

Kolkata Knight Riders LWLLL
Deccan Chargers LLWWW

Team talk

Dav Whatmore, the Kolkata coach, didn’t reveal any details of the team composition on the eve of the game. He said Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis would be considered at some stage. He also backed Sourav Ganguly to open and dismissed suggestions that he was struggling.For Deccan, Gilchrist said the team would decide on VVS Laxman’s inclusion later. Monish Mishra replaced him in the previous game but scored only 13. Kemar Roach gave them extra speed, but will they sacrifice him for Chaminda Vaas’ accuracy?

Previously…

Kolkata 3 Deccan 2
In their first meeting this year, Kolkata overcame a poor start thanks to Mathews and Owais Shah to post 161. Deccan appeared on course to chase it down but collapsed to lose by 11 runs.

Prime numbers

• Kolkata have the lowest average runs per over during the Powerplay in this IPL – 7.35. Deccan have the third-highest – 9.08.
• RP Singh has conceded nine sixes, the joint-highest for a bowler in this IPL.

In the spotlight

Ishant Sharma bowled just one over against Delhi, got pasted for 17 but took a wicket. He is Kolkata’s leading wicket-taker at the moment with seven wickets but his economy rate of 9.04 in six games isn’t so flattering.Scores of 1 and 0 have put a lot of pressure on Deccan’s captain Gilchrist. He insists that the batting is not just dependent on him, but his twin failures have had an effect on the rest in the last two games.

The chatter

“We won one game chasing. But chasing can sometimes be a little bit tricky with the extra pressure of losing wickets. Yes, we have talked about it. We feel that we have got the team to come up, whether we bat first or second.”
Dav Whatmore“I do not see our match against KKR as a revenge match. Rather, I would term it as a match where we should rectify the mistakes we made in the previous matches.”
Adam Gilchrist