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Hashim Amla gave Sri Lanka four sessions to chase 370 and the hosts began strongly, knocking 110 off the target with Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten fifty

The Report by Abhishek Purohit19-Jul-20145:44

Fernando: SL not looking for draw

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers made 51 off 58•AFPHashim Amla gave Sri Lanka four sessions to chase 370 and the hosts began strongly, knocking 110 off the target with Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten fifty. Sharp turn and bounce finally made an appearance when South Africa batted, but they rode on a 163-run first-innings cushion to score at more than four an over to set up the declaration. The South African spinners were not consistent enough again to be a persistent threat, and Sangakkara and Kaushal Silva collected 96 after Dale Steyn took out Upul Tharanga.Tharanga was eager to drive, and edged to the wicketkeeper for 14 when he attempted one. Steyn welcomed Sangakkara with a snorter that was fended awkwardly, but the batsman was in little trouble after that, just like in the first innings. He got going with two fours in an over off Vernon Philander. Imran Tahir repeatedly provided the boundary ball. He did lure Sangakkara out once, only for the batsman to escape with an inside edge past the keeper. Two balls later arrived a full toss, which Sangakkara hit for six. On a day four pitch with sizeable rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, South Africa would have wanted their lone specialist spinner to not bowl frequent full tosses and long hops. JP Duminy served up long hops as well with his offspin, and it was Silva’s turn to cash in.Steyn was brought back for a late burst but Silva, who had ducked and left superbly in the first innings, survived with similar skill again.AB de Villiers had shown expertise of his own in making a breezy fifty that made light of the difficult batting conditions. All South Africa needed to do was avoid a collapse in the second innings, and the top order ensured that. The middle order provided the push, led by de Villiers.Some of the dismissals would not have enthused Sri Lanka’s batsmen, on a ground where the highest successful chase is 95. Dean Elgar inside-edged a drive to the wicketkeeper as Rangana Herath spun one in considerably from the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump. Faf du Plessis lost his off stump as Herath jagged one across his back-foot defence from the same rough.At the other end, De Villiers made 51 off 58, using various versions of the sweep to pick up boundaries. He swept Herath against the turn, and Dilruwan Perera with the turn. He saw deep square leg nearly reach a sweep on the full, so he lapped the next ball much finer for four more. He stayed beside the line and square-drove, he stepped out to take deliveries on the full and ease them through midwicket.Hashim Amla did all of the above barring the sweep, but he fell to his second soft and cheap dismissal of the match, when he chipped Perera to short midwicket for 22.Elgar and Alviro Petersen had tried camping on the back foot to tackle the turn and resorted to the sweep and reverse-sweep but the spinners soon broke through. Petersen fought back as long as he lasted. He reverse-swept Perera for fours on either side of being beaten by a straighter one. All the spin had made this delivery particularly dangerous, and it claimed Petersen for 32 when he pushed inside the line and was given caught behind. In the absence of Hot Spot and Snicko, there was nothing conclusive for the third umpire to hold against Billy Bowden’s decision on Petersen’s review.Du Plessis nudged the spinners around and attacked the lone fast bowler Suranga Lakmal to contribute 37. Quinton de Kock again had nervy moments against spin but prospered after a dropped caught-and-bowled chance by Herath to make a swift 36. He eventually pushed one back to the bowler Perera which led the umpires to signal tea and South Africa declared during the break.The spinners bowled all but nine of the 50.2 overs South Africa batted as the injured Shaminda Eranga did not take the field after his batting labours in the morning. The final pair of Herath and Eranga lasted just shy of five overs, with de Villiers ending the former’s resistance with a spectacular diving take at second slip off Morne Morkel.Eranga came out to bat with eight stitches in the webbing of his right hand and had a tape securing his thumb and index finger. The fast bowler still played out an entire over from Dale Steyn, wincing in pain as a yorker thudded into his bat. He was unconquered after facing 12 deliveries, taking the right hand off the bat whenever he could while defending.Sri Lanka may or may not need him on the final day. The longest any side has batted in Galle in the fourth innings is 114 overs.

The BCCI’s working committee meeting today will be crucial in determining whether N Srinivasan is restored as president or whether he will remain on the sidelines

Amol Karhadkar02-Aug-2013The BCCI’s working committee meeting today in Delhi will be crucial in determining whether N Srinivasan is restored to his office as board president or whether he will remain on the sidelines in the wake of his son-in-law’s arrest in the IPL’s betting and spot-fixing scandal.The meeting, which will be preceded by an IPL governing council meeting, was originally supposed to have Srinivasan re-take control of the BCCI’s affairs after the two-member independent probe panel cleared the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, as well as Royals co-owner Raj Kundra, of any wrong doing with regards to betting and spot-fixing in IPL 2013. Srinivasan had announced his decision to attend his first working committee in two months.However, two days after the working committee passed the former judges’ report to the governing council, the Bombay High Court termed the probe panel “illegal and unconstitutional”. The order was a setback not only for Srinivasan’s return but also to the already diminished public image of the BCCI. Following the court’s ruling some BCCI officials such as Niranjan Shah, who has managed to be on the right side of the power equation year after year, called for a fresh inquiry panel to be appointed.However, as has been the case with BCCI politics over the years, it won’t be surprising if the voices making their unhappiness public ahead of a crucial meeting end up being silent during the meeting.Despite the court’s ruling, Srinivasan reached New Delhi for the meeting and can resume office as BCCI president any time. However, a section of the board, including some staunch Srinivasan supporters, is of the opinion that his return as the face of the BCCI won’t do its image any good.If Srinivasan’s supporters convince him not to preside over the meeting and only attend it as a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association representative, it will be a rare incident of a BCCI president attending but not chairing the meeting. In such a scenario, Jagmohan Dalmiya, who has been looking after the board’s affairs for the last two months, will continue to preside over the meeting.Another point of interest will be to see who chairs the IPL governing council meeting, which will recommend the future course of action to the working committee with regard to the probe report. After Rajiv Shukla’s resignation as IPL chairman, the BCCI has not appointed his successor. While Dalmiya said last week that Shukla’s resignation had not been accepted, according to the BCCI website Shukla had been replaced with Arun Jaitley, leader of the principal opposition in Indian politics, in the list of governing council members.

Bahawalpur are playing with a team of their own after nearly ten years and they’ve qualified for the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank T-20

Umar Farooq07-Dec-2012Having been merged with the Multan region during the overhaul of Pakistan’s domestic cricket in 2003-04, Bahawalpur returned to top-level competition by qualifying for the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank T-20. They had spent nearly a decade in the wilderness before being restored to full regional status this season.Bahawalpur five matches in a row – beating Rawalpindi Rams, Peshawar Panthers, Karachi Dolphins, Lahore Eagles and Hyderabad Hawks – to make the semi-finals of the 14-team tournament. They then lost to Faisalabad Wolves, but were not out of their depth, losing by only ten runs. Their next step is the semi-final on Saturday, against Sialkot Stallions or Lahore Lions.After partition in 1947, Bahawalpur became a province of Pakistan only in 1952, and was merged into the province of West Pakistan in 1955. They were the champions of the inaugural Quaid-e-Azam trophy in 1953, beating Punjab in the final. They won in 1958 as well, thrashing Karachi C by 211 runs.”The region has been isolated for so long despite a historic cricketing background and having players talented enough to play for the national team,” Syed Hassan Ahmed, president of the Bahawalpur Cricket Association, told ESPNcricinfo. “This part of the region never got the spotlight, instead the focus has been on bigger cities like Lahore and Karachi. I can assure you the talent is here but it requires attention and development.”Bahawalpur also has a cricket stadium know locally as Dring Stadium. It was the first cricket ground in Western Pakistan to host a Test match – the second Test of the India’s first tour to Pakistan in 1955. It was the only international match to be held at this ground.They now have six districts in their region – Muzaffargarh, Layya, Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar – whereas when Bahawalpur was merged with Multan the entire province had 14 districts.”In the last ten years, we have suffered a lot as most of the boys have been moving out of the country to play league cricket in England, but now nobody has to go out and we have our team,” Ahmed said. “I am excited to see that Stags have reached to the semi-final, it’s just a glimpse that we have players with the calibre to make their way to the national side. We are playing the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and within the next couple of years we will bring out the best talent to make up a steady and competitive team.”Bilal Khilji, the captain of Bahawalpur Stags, was thrilled with his team’s progress in the Faysal Bank T-20. “We had a point to prove that we can do it,” Khilji said. “We don’t have a list of prolific players but what we have is the confidence and motive to do well. We entered the tournament with a minnow tag and critics were even questioning our existence in the event, but we have a simple goal – to win every game no matter if it’s a Karachi or Rawalpindi.”I have been playing for Multan but there was always a sense of insecurity as the team was made with 14 districts. But now a team has been made with players from a region and we have a better understanding and unity.”

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations

Andrew Miller in Delhi22-Mar-20163:16

Chappell: Consider a combined Associate team for World Cup

Asghar Stanikzai, the Afghanistan captain, has welcomed the call from a trio of former international captains, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Michael Vaughan, for greater opportunities to be given to Associate nations, and has challenged cricket’s senior sides to offer his team bilateral series in which their true ability and progress could be assessed.In the wake of Afghanistan’s spirited showing against South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday, in which Mohammad Shahzad’s blistering 44 from 19 balls briefly threatened an upset, Vaughan took to Twitter to reiterate his criticism of the 10-team format that has been agreed for the next World Cup in 2019.”Such a shame we won’t see Countries like Afghanistan in the next WC.It’s refreshing and great for the game.Please change your minds @ICC,” he wrote.His sentiments were echoed by Lara and later Tendulkar, who added: “Completely agree. Spirit & performance of teams like Afghanistan & Oman echo the need for more teams at WC & beyond!”Speaking on the eve of Afghanistan’s penultimate Group 1 showdown, against England in Delhi, Stanikzai said that his players had been emboldened by the support, and stated that their ambition was to claim at least one Full Member scalp in their remaining two Super 10s fixtures.”Definitely, it’s been highly proud for us that we are hearing such tweets from cricket legends,” he said. “It is true that the team is playing good cricket, so definitely we need ICC support for the upcoming World Cup [in 2019].”In this World Cup many people thought that our games would be one-sided, but now [our opponents] are really preparing and planning, and scaring to be honest, that this is a side which can beat us.”Our guys have the potential so we need the ICC’s support,” he added. “Definitely we are eager to play in each and every World Cup, and we have requested Full Members to play a series with us. If you only play one game with a team, you cannot compare how good they are, but if you play two or three matches, you have a good chance to beat them.”

Completely agree. Spirit & performance of teams like Afghanistan & Oman echo the need for more teams at WC & beyond! https://t.co/H190gk7YdE

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 21, 2016

In the past six months alone, Afghanistan have proven this point handsomely with home and away series victories against Zimbabwe, in both ODIs and T20Is. They won 3-2 and 2-0 respectively in Bulawayo in October, before repeating the same scoreline in Sharjah two months later.”We have beaten them in all of them, we have won four series against a Full Member,” said Stanikzai. “So you can see how competitive we would be if we were given the chance in the upcoming World Cup.”Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, also leant his support to Afghanistan’s cause, adding that his experiences with Ireland in the early part of his international career demonstrate the importance of nurturing emerging nations.”I think it is very important for the sport to grow,” said Morgan. “Associate nations are key in evolving our sport and giving them as much opportunities as we can.”Asked whether he would welcome the prospect of playing Afghanistan in a bilateral series in the future, Morgan was cautiously positive about the prospect.”Certainly, as an England captain sitting here and captaining guys who play in all three formats of the game, I know the gruelling schedules they go through and the need for time off.”But I can see a time when we do play tri-series against different sides, not necessarily with our strongest side, but with as good a side as we can at the time and giving some guys a bit of a break. I see that coming down the line.”

Luke Ronchi will continue opening the batting for New Zealand if asked, but does not consider it the best place for him in international cricket.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2013Luke Ronchi, the New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman, will continue opening the batting if asked, but does not consider it the best position for him in international cricket. Ronchi currently opens for his domestic side of Wellington, but has played the same role in the past for Western Australia and Mumbai Indians.Ronchi made his New Zealand debut against England on May 31 at Lords with a three-ball duck, and underwent a torrid re-initiation as an opener. In six innings, the longest of which lasted only 17 balls, he bagged four single-digit scores.”After the first game, I just started thinking things that I didn’t need to think [about],” Ronchi said. “That’s what disappointed me the most. I’d still go into games feeling confident, but I’d get out there and start to feel nervous.”When I walked out to bat I was looking round [at] all the fielders thinking ‘I know all these guys’. I’d played with or against them all, and I’d been to the academy with some [and] roomed with some on tours. I didn’t know how to feel [or] what to think.”With New Zealand Cricket set to announce central contracts on July 7, Ronchi chose to take a pragmatic approach. “I’ll still have a contract with Cricket Wellington [then]. There’s an (New Zealand) A tour in August and September so hopefully I can get on that. If I can get some good games in there and some runs, hopefully that [will] get me a gig to go to Bangladesh (in October) and onwards.”Ronchi made his debut in international cricket as an opening wicketkeeper batsman for Australia in 2008 against West Indies. As he was born in New Zealand, and was not getting selected for the Australian team regularly, Ronchi decided to move to New Zealand and apply for citizenship, in the hopes of pushing his name for selection into the national team.

Fifties from James Faulkner and Peter Forrest helped Australia A put up 7 for 288 on the opening day of the second four-day game against India in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20141:51

‘Will try to create a platform for our bowlers’ – Faulkner

ScorecardFifties from James Faulkner and Peter Forrest helped Australia A put up 7 for 288 on the opening day of the second four-day game against India A in Brisbane. The pair put on 133 runs for the fourth wicket but on either side of the partnership, Australia A lost wickets in clusters to Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra.Mishra, who replaced Pragyan Ojha, was the most successful bowler with four wickets, but he was also the most expensive. Three of his wickets came towards the end of the day. He dismissed Faulkner six runs short of a maiden first-class century after the batsman had hit him for four sixes in the 71st over. In his next four overs, Mishra removed the two batsmen who had rescued Australia A in the first four-day game – Mitchell Marsh was caught at slip for 14 trying to slash, while Sam Whiteman was bowled for 12.File photo – Amit Mishra was expensive but took key wickets towards the end of the day•ESPNcricinfo LtdApart from the knocks by Forrest and Faulkner, the other Australia A batsmen had little to show for, as they failed to build on starts. Australia A won the toss and batted first, but their opening stand was broken in the eighth over when Phillip Hughes was caught behind off Yadav. The fast bowler then accounted for Alex Doolan, who made a 64-ball 18. Chris Lynn’s wicket in the last over before lunch left Australia A on a shaky 3 for 64 but Faulkner and Forrest steadied the innings in the second session and gradually accumulated runs. Faulkner was the first to switch gears, getting to an 80-ball 50 with nine fours, while Forrest reached his fifty a few overs later.Faulkner pushed the scoring-rate after Forrest fell and attacked Mishra. The fifth-wicket partnership between Faulkner and Marsh yielded 51 of which Marsh contributed just 12. Mishra’s late strikes, however, left the onus of a fightback on Australia A’s lower order, comprising Ben Cutting, Cameron Boyce, Nathan Lyon and Chadd Sayers. Lyon, who had joined the Australia A squad earlier this week, replaced Moises Henriques in the XI.India A also made changes. Apart from Mishra’s inclusion, B Aparajith replaced Karun Nair in the batting line-up while fast bowler Anureet Singh came in for Dhawal Kulkarni.

Kaushal Silva narrowly missed a maiden hundred on day two in Abu Dhabi, but Mahela Jayawardene emphasised the value of Silva’s 95, which he said was as good as a ton

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Dubai09-Jan-2014Kaushal Silva narrowly missed a maiden hundred on day two in Abu Dhabi, but Mahela Jayawardene emphasised the value of Silva’s 95, which he said was as good as a ton. Silva forged a 139-run fourth-wicket stand with Jayawardene to help consolidate the advantage Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers had earned on day one, and had been the more fluent partner during their association.Silva had also hit 81 in Abu Dhabi – his first Test since 2011 – as he stepped into the opener’s role made vacant by Tillakaratne Dilshan. Silva has been a middle-order batsman for his first-class side, but Jayawardene lauded the work-ethic that has bred his success in a new position.”Kaushal was unfortunate to miss a hundred,” Jayawardene said. “The little guy is batting really well. I’m very proud of him. He’s a clubmate of mine and he works really hard at his game. Good to see that he has shown the same kind of commitment at this level and he fully deserves what he has got. Two good knocks, but although he didn’t get a hundred, today’s knock was as good as a hundred. He batted through the pressure situations and carried the team in that time. He’s quite familiar getting big scores so I’m sure once he gets one he’ll continue to get a few more for us.”Pakistan had only made 165 in the first innings, but Jayawardene joined Silva in a tense period, after Sri Lanka’s third wicket had fallen for 88. The pair scored at only 2.4 runs per over in the first 30 overs of their stand, as Pakistan bowled with discipline.”There was a bit of pressure early on when I was batting with Kaushal. We talked and spoke of batting long, because the longer we batted and the more tired the bowlers got, the better chances we had of getting in the game.”Jayawardene said the pitch also still posed difficulties for batsmen, despite only three wickets having fallen on day two. Sri Lanka finished the day 153 runs ahead, with six first-innings wickets still in hand.”A first day wicket should have a little bit in it, and we were fortunate enough to win the toss and get the first use out of that. If you see, the new ball is still doing a bit. It’s a wicket that you don’t feel that you’re set all the time. There’s a little bit of spin for Saeed Ajmal as well. We had to really fight hard. Batting against Pakistan was not easy – they were not giving us easy runs. They bowled well in patches and we had to ride that through.”Batting with three stitches after splitting the webbing between two fingers on his left hand on the first day, Jayawardene revealed why he had come in at No. 5 – one place lower than his normal position.”Last night, Dinesh Chandimal had been ready to bat at No. 4, so we didn’t want to change that too much this morning. I had already decided I would bat either 4 or 5 and not lower, because with my injury, I can’t go for too many big shots and that doesn’t help when you have to bat with the tail.”

Pakistan sports channel Geo Super’s business-unit head, Mohammad Ali, has said the channel struck up a “fair deal” with the PCB for the rights to broadcast the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE

Umar Farooq07-Sep-2013Pakistan sports channel Geo Super’s business-unit head, Mohammad Ali, has said the channel struck up a “fair deal” with the PCB for the rights to broadcast the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.While Ten Sports bagged the rights for the series against South Africa, Geo Super won the television rights for a series of three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s along with a one-off T20 against Afghanistan. The values of the deals were kept confidential by the PCB when the deal was announced, but the board had said the amount was “higher than the previous contract”. Media reports had the deal valued at close to $3.5 million.”It’s a fair deal compared to the previous contract [the Sri Lanka series in 2012, covered by Ten Sports], which was much lower than the current one,” Ali told ESPNcricinfo. “This time the values are higher by up to 35%, so I think we offered a very decent price. We are looking to build our reputation here and establish a long-term relationship. For us it’s a positive thing.”It’s not easy to do your business going away from your base but we wanted it and we got it and we will manage it. With the venture, we want to get our presence noticed and want people to know that we are promoting international cricket as well.”Geo also holds the rights for domestic cricket in Pakistan until October 2013 and is said to have run into financial difficulties during previous broadcast deals while showing world events. While the PCB has asked for a full bank guarantee before the series, Ali claimed that the channel had never defaulted in business in the past. “We never defaulted on any front,” he said. “I am not saying we don’t owe others money but when you are in business, you owe others money and others owe you money as well, so it’s all about business.”There is also said to be excessive advertisements aired by Geo Super while broadcasting domestic games; when asked about the same for the upcoming international matches, Ali said they would “try to maintain a balance” and the “focus would be on cricket”.”It will be different but we will try to balance things. It’s an extensive series with three Test matches so we have plenty of time to balance the advertisements with no intrusion. Yes, sometimes there are exceptional stages in rain-affected matches but obviously we won’t book more than our capacity. The focus will be mainly on the cricket and we will ensure the best international cricket coverage for our viewers.”Ali also said the channel would not be sharing the broadcast rights with PTV, Pakistan’s national channel, as there was no such specification in the contract. Geo Super was involved in a conflict with PTV in 2003 but Ali said their rivalry aside, they are “improving” their relationship with the national channel.”There is no clause of sharing the rights with PTV at all in the contract but it has been written that we are to share the feed with the terrestrial networks at a price,” Ali said. “We will share after a commercial arrangement, we believe people should not be deprived of anything. We are negotiating with them [PTV] and have maintained good relations with them. The rivalry aspect is put to one side, but we are improving our relationship with them and will move on together in a mutually beneficial relationship.”This is not the first time Geo TV network has taken international cricket rights from the PCB. The previous instance, in 2003, ended in a bizarre episode when the first one-day match of New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan was blacked out worldwide. The controversy was defused when the then-president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, intervened. A meeting led to an agreement for a joint broadcast of the remaining matches, with Pakistan Television screening the games for viewers in Pakistan and Geo TV beaming the signal abroad.

A statue of Harry Kane continues to face an uncertain future having been locked up in storage for years with no sign of finding a home.

Article continues below

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Kane storage funded by Chingford councilImage of striker is locked up in storageCouncillors looking for place to install itWHAT HAPPENED?

Waltham Forest Council in north-east London paid £7,200 five years ago to have a life-sized sculpture of the footballer, who was raised in the area, built. However, the effigy remains locked up after the initial plan to place it at the Chingford Overground station fell through following a risk assessment, reports.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT KANE SAID

A spokesperson for Kane said the Bayern Munich and England striker is excited to see the image installed soon, saying: "Especially with Harry being England and Tottenham's all time top goal scorer. It is what he deserves. The location of the statue is really important to us and like Emma said we are having some issues at the moment, but when we get it right, we will be happy to go."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane became a Tottenham and England icon, scoring 278 goals in 430 competitive appearances for his club, while he has struck 62 times in 89 games for the Three Lions. He is off to a flying start at Bayern Munich since joining the German side in the summer, scoring 29 times in 30 games.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

While councillors continue to look for a new home for the Kane statue, the man himself will hope to fire Bayern to success in Germany and in Europe this season. The 30-year-old and his Bavarian team-mates have a mountain to climb, though, as they sit eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and trail Lazio after the first leg of their Champions League tie. The chaos continued on Wednesday as Bayern announced that head coach Thomas Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season.

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.