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Gloucestershire put in a powerful batting performance but it came to nothing against Glamorgan as rain swept in

Ryan Bailey in Bristol09-Jun-2014
ScorecardMichael Klinger top-scored with 70•Getty ImagesIn all its glory, on what began as a balmy June afternoon, Bristol is one of the most quaint grounds on the circuit. You could not help but wonder, though, if Darren Sammy’s mind was set on the more cacophonous surroundings of Kingston.Sammy’s name was sung at regular intervals but he flagged in the face of a Gloucestershire onslaught, while some five thousand miles away, his compatriots began their series against New Zealand. Four overs, none for 53 tells its own story but three no-balls – two of which were deposited to the fence – was an indication of an underlying issue.Later he exhibited an ice pack on his right shoulder as the visitors emerged from a lengthy post mortem. “It wasn’t acceptable,” Jim Allenby admitted. “It was our worst performance of the season bar none.” And if truth be told, Sammy and Glamorgan were only spared by an abrupt thunderstorm that left Nevil Road saturated.Usually such a reliable performer, Sammy looked a shadow of himself, as did Glamorgan. Though, if the visitors endured an off-day, Gloucestershire were clinically brilliant. Michael Klinger tucked into the visitors’ profligacy as he continued a rich vein of form that last week saw him plunder an unbeaten century in the Championship victory over Leicestershire. Here, he played with equal disdain and with similar reward.Klinger’s methods further underlined the benefits of accomplished strokeplay even in the shortest format. Strong all around the wicket, he is a natural timer of the ball and exhibited all his proficiency with a fluent half-century. Particularly powerful behind square, he cut and carved anything on offer before going through the gears seamlessly; at one point he slapped Michael Hogan down the ground for a maximum although exerting very little effort.He was given able support in the process. Ian Cockbain played understudy for a couple of overs either side of the first rain interval but when Klinger fell – picking Sammy out in the deep – Cockbain took centre stage.That said, the Glamorgan bowlers were in generous mood and their fielders quickly followed suit. Jacques Rudolph dropped a straightforward chance at cover to give Geraint Jones a second life, and he duly accepted the invitation to combine with Cockbain to great effect.Jones, who is on-loan from Kent, highlighted his worth with this innings alone. He only has a week remaining in Bristol but Klinger insisted “the club are doing everything they can to retain his services” for the long-run. He played with no inhibitions as he clubbed a quickfire 37 to ensure Gloucestershire’s innings did not falter after a second rain break allowed the visitors to catch their breath and regroup.Instead, Glamorgan’s carelessness allowed the hosts to put their foot firmly on the pedal. Sammy’s attempts to find some control, by switching ends, proved toothless as he was bludgeoned for eighteen off his third over – Cockbain tested the durability of one of Bristol’s new apartments’ windows – before leaking just as many in his final over to lift their side to their fourth highest Twenty20 total. How they would love to bottle it up and save it for another day, Glamorgan not so much.

A stunning 43-ball 90 from Suresh Raina was the cornerstone of Chennai Super Kings’ 54-run win over Dolphins in Bangalore

The Report by Rachna Shetty22-Sep-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSuresh Raina’s 31st T20 fifty battered the Dolphins bowling•BCCIA stunning 43-ball 90 from Suresh Raina was the cornerstone of Chennai Super Kings’ 54-run win over Dolphins in Bangalore but the contest, at least for the early part of the Dolphins chase, was far more closely matched than the eventual victory margin suggested.Dolphins captain Morne van Wyk had opted to bowl and said his decision had been influenced by the reputation the Chinnaswamy Stadium had for aiding sides batting second. For 20 overs of Super Kings’ innings, however, van Wyk could only watch from behind the stumps as Raina, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja plundered runs at will, powering Super Kings to 242 for 6.The Dolphins response was equally explosive at the start. Van Wyk and Cameron Delport raised the side’s 50 in 15 balls. By the end of the Powerplay, Dolphins had raced to 85 for 2, bettering the CLT20 record set by Super Kings earlier in the day. As is typical in big chases, the breakthroughs came when the Dolphins batsmen kept playing for the big shots, but they were also left to rue a poor decision from umpire K Srinath, who adjudged Van Wyk lbw when a ball from R Ashwin had pitched several inches outside leg stump. The dismissal came in an over where the Dolphins captain had smacked two fours and a six off the bowler.After van Wyk was dismissed, Dolphins’ hopes rested on Delport who swung and swiped his way to a nine-ball 34. All but two of the deliveries he faced had raced to the boundary and his bustling innings had threatened to play out the same way as Andre Russell’s a few days ago before Mohit Sharma ended it with a slower ball.After Delport was out, the pressure of keeping pace with a spiraling asking rate was squarely on Cody Chetty. He tried with a gamely 37 off 28 balls but his dismissal gave Super Kings an opening to stifle the scoring rate for a couple of overs and the bowlers responded. The target left Dolphins with no room for quiet overs and when those did come, especially during Bravo’s tight spell filled with variations of slower balls, whatever little hope they had left slipped away quickly.In sharp contrast, unburdened by a target hanging over them, the Super Kings innings motored along at top speed. MS Dhoni had some concerns at the toss about how the track would behave due to the presence of a few patches but there was little to worry about for Super Kings once they began. After Dwayne Smith fell early to the left-arm spin of Keshav Maharaj, Raina and McCullum set about dismantling the Dolphins attack, matching each other almost stroke for stroke during a relentless 91-run stand that came off 45 balls.The Dolphin pacers, including Kyle Abbott, had few answers to the fearsome shots McCullum unleashed either side of the wicket, harking back in some ways to the whirlwind century he played during the first game of the Indian Premier League.The pair led Super Kings to the second-best Powerplay score of the season, smashing 70 in the first six overs. Raina got off the mark with a four and after that, kept carving out sixes effortlessly. The scoring rate barely suffered a hiccup when McCullum was out for 49 – caught at deep midwicket off a mis-timed shot – as Raina took over the lead role. He marched to a fifty off 27 balls and in a third-wicket partnership of 65 with du Plessis, contributed 53 runs.The gaps between the landmarks showed how effectively Super Kings had negated the Dolphins attack as the side progressed to 50 to 100 and 150 in 25, 28 and 26 balls, respectively. Sixty-four of Raina’s 90 runs came in boundaries and by the time his top edge settled in Delport’s hands at point, Raina had become the first Indian batsman to move past 5000 runs in T20s and was one short of 200 sixes in the format.Dolphins’ relief over quick wickets at the end was also short-lived as Jadeja smashed 40 off 14 balls to produce a big flourish. Abbott came back and bowled a couple of quiet overs but by then the total had swelled to 242, equalling the tournament record set by Otago Volts last season.

GOAL reviews how stars from the continent performed in the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, and in Scotland with their respective clubs

Rangers.Review of Africans in Europe

Different African stars were in action across the weekend in different leagues and some, unfortunately, found themselves writing unwanted history.

AdvertisementNapoli.Too Good: Victor Osimhen

The 23-year-old Super Eagle was among the goals as Napoli recovered from their previous 3-2 defeat against Empoli to hammer Sassuolo 6-1 in a Serie A fixture at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Saturday.

Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly put the Partenopei ahead before Osimhen grabbed the second and assisted in the entertaining fixture which also saw Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens (2) and Amir Rrahmani inscribe their names on the scoresheet.

The attacker is currently ranked joint seventh in the Serie A goalscoring charts with a tally of 13 goals this campaign, as well as being the team’s top league scorer.

GettyToo Bad: Edouard Mendy

The 30-year-old Senegal international conceded yet again courtesy of a clinical finish from Richarlison as Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Going into the fixture, Mendy had also failed to keep a clean sheet for the Blues as they battled to a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Thursday.

So far in this campaign, the Lion of Teranga has kept 13 clean sheets, which is tied for the third-most in the competition. In last season's Premier League, he played in 31 games for Chelsea and kept a clean sheet in 16 of those fixtures.

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Rangers.Too Good: Fashion Sakala

The Zambia international was on target as Rangers snatched a 1-1 draw against Celtic in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park on Sunday.

After the Bhoys took a deserved lead courtesy of Jota, the 25-year-old Chipolopolo star popped up with a goal for the Gers in the 67th minute, beating goalkeeper Joe Hart with a powerful left-footed effort.

Sakala, who joined Rangers from KV Oostende, has managed eight goals in the Scottish Premiership from 28 appearances and he will hope to add to his tally when Rangers host Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday.

A round-up of the East Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games that took place on April 2, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2014East ZonePritam Das took a four-wicket haul to help Assam defend 137 against Odisha at Jadhavpur University Complex. The right-arm seamer took 4 for 19 to send Odisha crashing to 102. Assam were driven by a third-wicket stand of 50 between Dheeraj Jadhav and Sibsankar Roy, who top-scored with 47 off 29 balls. Deepak Behera got rid of the pair to finish with 2 for 24. In reply, Odisha were off to a poor start, losing two wickets in the second over to Arup Das. The openers Paresh Patel top-scored with 38 but the rest failed to show any resistance as Pritam Das chipped away. After Patel was dismissed in the 16th over with the score on 96 for 7, the innings came to a swift end and Assam recorded their first win.At Eden Gardens, Jharkhand squeezed in a 11-run win over Tripura. Tripura’s chase of 139 hinged on their captain Yogesh Takawale who scored a fifty but their task became improbable in the final over when they lost Takawale for 58, still needing 20 from the last four balls. Jharkhand opted to bat first but lost early wickets. Ishank Jaggi’s departure for 36 left them at 47 for 3 and it was their middle order that chipped in to raise the score to 138. Manisankar Murasingh and Tushar Saha were economical and took two wickets each. Tripura were jolted early in their chase by Jaskaran Singh, who took two wickets. Tripura had lost half their side for 72 in the 15th over and the pressure increased on Takawale. Jaskaran got rid of him to finish with 3 for 27 as Jharkhand registered their first win.

Both teams are coming off defeats from their previous games. Royal Challengers took their eye off the ball, while Royals might need their captain to move up the order

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran25-Apr-2014Match factsApril 26, 2014
Start time 1430 local (1030 GMT, 1600 IST)4:24

Agarkar: Can’t see RCB sticking with Murali

Big PictureTwo teams jolted by recent defeats will be eager to get back the winning momentum. Royal Challengers Bangalore have just a day to shake off a stunning defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, for it was a game they weren’t meant to lose. Any team needing 25 off 18 balls with seven wickets in hand would back itself to seal it, but a combination of nerves, intelligent death bowling from Vinay Kumar, and a blinder of an outfield catch from Chris Lynn turned the match on its head.It was Royal Challengers’ first defeat in three games, but more importantly, it was the wake-up call they needed to ward off complacency. Chris Gayle’s likely return will perk them up, but the opening position is not their worry, for they have managed well without him. Yuvraj Singh has scores of 52*, 0 and 31 but he won’t be very satisfied with his strike-rate. Virat Kohli cannot be expected to win them every game, which means the others around him have to be more consistent.Still, the Royal Challengers may not be as concerned about form as the Rajasthan Royals will be. The team succumbed to Glenn Maxwell defending 191 and against Chennai Super Kings, they failed to chase 141. They could not pin down Super Kings at 74 for 5, and despite restricting them to a middling total, the batsmen never really asserted themselves. It begs the question of whether Shane Watson should move up the order, with Abhishek Nayar struggling. If Watson can take control at the top, it relieves the pressure on the middle order.Watch out forVarun Aaron had to endure negative press coming into this IPL, after he leaked 74 off only 7.5 overs in an ODI against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Fortunately, he has managed to turn that around with economical spells. He took 1 for 9 off three overs against Delhi Daredevils and his best performance was 3 for 16 against Knight Riders. That he has managed to be penetrative without compromising on his pace is a bonus for Royal Challengers and himself.Rajat Bhatia joked that the Dubai pitch was slower than his bowling. The experienced medium-pacer has been hard to get at because of the pace he takes off the ball, forcing the batsmen to use extra muscle to clear the long boundaries. He makes the batsmen play to his tunes and that explains his economy rate of 6.63. He was at his miserly best against Super Kings, giving away just 13 off four overs and picking up two wickets.Stats and trivia Among current players, Shane Watson is the leading run-scorer in matches between Royals and Royal Challengers, with 210 runs. The record, though, is held by Rahul Dravid (323) who has retired. Virat Kohli has a below-par record against Royals, with only 158 runs at a below-par strike rate of 92 and an average of 17.55

England Lions settled for a draw in their warm-up game against Sri Lanka A Emerging Players after the Yorkshire pair Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett had both made hundreds

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2014
ScorecardLiam Plunkett is finding cricket appealing again•PA PhotosEngland Lions failed to force victory on a decent pitch and settled for a draw in their warm-up game against Sri Lanka A Emerging Players after the Yorkshire pair Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett had both made hundreds.Bairstow and Plunkett, who resumed on 58 and 34 respectively, hit 117 and 114 as the Lions struck 289 for six declared in their second innings to set Sri Lanka A Emerging Players a nominal 464 to win. Madawa Warnapura and Chaturanga de Silva scored half-centuries as they reached 177 for 4 by the close.Simon Kerrigan, who had such a traumatic Test debut against Australia at The Oval last year, took two more wickets and finished with heartening match figures of 5 for 81.For Plunkett, a career-best score represented the continuation of a turnaround that began following his move to Yorkshire last year. He had fallen away at Durham as he struggled to groove his action and looked a far cry from the promising bowler worthy of a Test debut at 20. His move to Yorkshire has refuelled his passions for the game.”I am at the stage now where I am 28 and last year I fell back in love with cricket,” Plunkett said. “After a couple of years that were a bit of a downer, last year I really loved cricket. I have been excited to play and I was looking forward to coming out to Sri Lanka with Yorkshire in three or four weeks. To come out a bit earlier is good fun.A bowling all-rounder, Plunkett struck 11 fours and four sixes in a 140-ball innings. Bairstow was no less impressive, ending with 14 boundaries – two of which were maximums – that typified a pugnacious effort.

In a battle of the bottom rung teams, Victoria made big strides against Tasmania on day one at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2014
ScorecardMark Cosgrove’s was the only fifty for Tasmania•Getty ImagesIn a battle of the bottom rung teams, Victoria made big strides against Tasmania on day one at the MCG. In the experimental day-night first-class game, with the experimental pink ball, Victoria bowled Tasmania out for 206, before getting to 0 for 56 by stumps.Tasmania had chosen to bat and were off to a solid start, with Mark Cosgrove and Ed Cowan taking them to 0 for 82. But then Cosgrove was run out on 55 by pacer Jake Reed, and it was all downhill for Tasmania: they would not string together another half-century stand in the innings. Reed claimed another couple of top-order scalps, as did legspinner Fawad Ahmed, and Tasmania had slipped to 5 for 158. Ben Dunk and Tim Paine steadied the innings briefly, before another cluster of wickets meant the visitors went from 5 for 200 to 206 all out.Victoria’s openers Rob Quiney and Dean Russ then backed up their bowlers, negotiating safely to stumps to make sure the first day belonged their team. They’d be hoping to grow their advantage on day two; Victoria have won only one game in the season so far and this being the penultimate round of league games, they’re already well out of contention for the final, but will still be fighting to lift themselves out of last place on the table.

Kane Williamson has been included in the Test squad for the home series against West Indies and is likely to play in Dunedin, pending a final fitness clearance

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2013New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has been included in the Test squad for the home series against West Indies and is likely to play the first match in Dunedin beginning on December 3, pending a final fitness clearance. Williamson had returned home mid-way through the tour of Bangladesh after breaking his thumb, and also missed the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka.”Kane has been in the nets batting and bowling and getting his intensity levels up,” general manager national selection, Bruce Edgar, said. “We’re confident he should be right come Tuesday.”The 13-man squad also included fast bowler Tim Southee, who had ankle surgery in July. Southee played the limited-overs games in Bangladesh, and took match figures of 6 for 79 in his most recent Plunket Shield match for Northern Districts. Allrounder Corey Anderson was also in the squad despite suffering a rib injury in Sri Lanka.Otago batsman Aaron Redmond also made a comeback as injury cover for Williamson. Redmond last played a Test in 2008, but has been in good form of late. “Aaron has made a good start to the Plunket Shield to date, and on top of the 67 he scored yesterday for the New Zealand XI we felt he was the best top-order batting cover,” Edgar said.Redmond was preferred ahead of Dean Brownlie, who was dropped on the tour of Bangladesh, and Tom Latham. Brownlie had been a fixture in the middle order this year, but five lean Tests against England – where his highest score – 36 cost him his position last month and his start to the domestic season has not been enough to earn a recall.Squad: Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Peter Fulton, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson

In a surprise move, New Zealand have announced that Daniel Vettori has been added to the squad for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2014In a surprise move, New Zealand have announced that left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been added to the squad for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah. Vettori, 35, hasn’t played a Test since July 2012 and, after suffering a series of injuries in recent years, had questioned whether he had the fitness necessary to last a five-day game.New Zealand fielded the inexperienced spin pair of Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig in the first two Tests, and are now likely to go in with a spin trio for the Sharjah Test. That would present an unheard-of bowling combination for New Zealand, a side that usually banks heavily on its quick bowlers.”From the first two Tests it’s been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions and we expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “The possibility of having three bowlers who can exploit those conditions is an exciting option for us to have.”Vettori was in the UAE with the New Zealand A side, and trained with the Test squad on Monday. If he is picked, he will move past Stephen Fleming to become New Zealand’s most experienced Test player. The call-up comes even though he hasn’t played any first-class cricket in 2014, and has spoken about focusing on the limited-overs formats as he felt Tests would put too much of a strain on his body.”Dan obviously has an incredible amount of experience and has shown how effective he can be in these sorts of conditions,” Hesson said. “It doesn’t mean that Dan will play in Tests for us in the future, but it’s a great opportunity to use him in this one-off unique situation.”Worries over whether Vettori can withstand the workload of Tests may also have been lessened by the presence of two other specialist spinners to share the overs. New Zealand also need to be aggressive in the final Test as they are trailing 1-0 in the series.Sodhi and Craig have taken eight wickets at 90.13 in the first two Tests compared to the 24 at 32.09 managed by Pakistan’s spin pair of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar. Hesson, though, defended his tweakers.”Our spinners aren’t used to bowling on conditions where footholes play such a part. Pakistan spinners beat us off the wicket and at home traditionally we try and beat guys in the air,” he said. “When you have footholes to hit, it’s very hard to change the method that you’ve trained your whole life. I thought the way Ish and Mark have adapted over the last couple of Tests is pleasing but they are still striving for consistency of pace as well.”

Paul Farbrace has been named as Sri Lanka coach and will take up his post on January 1

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2013Paul Farbrace, the former Sri Lanka assistant coach, has been appointed the new Sri Lanka coach on a two-year contract, starting on January 1.Farbrace, who will shortly finish his tenure with Yorkshire’s second XI, had been one of the original 11 applicants for the job, before withdrawing, then renewing his interest in the role.He takes the job ahead of current assistant coach Marvan Atapattu and Sussex club coach Mark Davis, who had been the other shortlisted candidates.”The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket arrived at this decision after engagement with the committee appointed to nominate the most suitable candidate for SLC,” a statement said. “The final decision was made after much deliberation as a selection of Sri Lankan candidates showed commendable credentials as applicants to this post.”Farbrace was assistant coach under Trevor Bayliss from 2007 to 2009, a period in which Sri Lanka rose to No. 2 in the Test rankings and progressed to a World Twenty20 final. He had left the job in order to become Kent’s director of cricket, but said he had a “strong affinity for Sri Lanka” at the time of his application for the job.He was wounded along with seven Sri Lankan players in March 2009 when a dozen gunmen opened fire on their bus in Lahore, Pakistan. He left his post four months after the attack, in which he was struck by a piece of shrapnel in his right arm, and became Kent’s director of cricket. He later moved to Yorkshire, stating that he wanted to rediscover his joy in developing young players.His first assignment will be at the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in February. He will then coach the team at the next World Twenty20, which is also due to be held in Bangladesh in March-April.Atapattu is believed to have been the strongest challenger to Farbrace in the final discussions. But there were doubts about whether he could establish full control of a side which still features his former teammates Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Jayawardene had also been Atapattu’s captain from 2005 to 2007.The committee to nominate the coach had been headed by former Sri Lanka cricketer and club stalwart Ranjit Fernando, and included chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, secretary Nishantha Ranatunga and head of coaching Jerome Jayaratne.The current coach, Graham Ford is expected complete the ongoing series of three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.Yorkshire confirmed that they received an official approach from SLC on December 7 and reluctantly agreed to release a man whose work with the next generation of players at Headingley had been widely commended.”Paul’s departure is a loss,” said Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves. “His dedication in developing the careers of some of our young players, who are now coming through the ranks, is a major part in moving the club forward to achieve its aims and ambitions.”Farbrace joined Yorkshire as part of a coaching shake-up which saw Jason Gillespie take over as first-team coach in 2010. His return to Headingley will be relatively swift: Sri Lanka face England in the opening Test series of the summer next June.”Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, said: “Paul has made a huge impact during his tenure at Headingley. He is an outstanding coach and deserves to take on this role with Sri Lanka Cricket. His expertise in developing junior talent has seen him contribute to provide exciting players for the long-term future of the club.”