Inzamam-ul-Haq may be appointed chief selector of Pakistan, after the PCB requested the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to release him for the Pakistan job

Umar Farooq16-Apr-2016Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is likely to be appointed chief selector of Pakistan, after the PCB requested the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) to release him from his role as Afghanistan head coach. If appointed, this will be Inzamam’s first appointment as selector at any level.The move came after Waqar Younis, who recently resigned as Pakistan’s head coach, argued in favour of hiring Inzamam as chief selector.Despite Inzamam’s coaching stint with Afghanistan being in its infancy, ACB Chief Shafiq Stanikzai confirmed that they are ready to release him.”Today Shaharyar Khan called me and asked a favour to release Inzamam-ul-Haq as they are keen to hire him,” Stanikzai said. “Although he was in contract with us until December this year, we are patriotic people and if Pakistan needs Inzamam for their own country, we are ready to release him. We are looking at the contract right now with all the terms and conditions but we are not going to drag this and rather finish this on good and high note.”Inzamam had joined the Afghanistan set-up as head coach for the team’s tour of Zimbabwe in late 2015. After Afghanistan won the ODI and T20I series in Zimbabwe, he signed a contract extending his tenure. In the recent World T20, he oversaw the team’s progression to the Super 10s and their famous win over eventual champions West Indies. Prior to his role with Afghanistan, Inzamam’s last coaching assignment at the international level was a short-term stint as Pakistan’s batting consultant in 2012-13.

The USA Cricket Association’s status as a suspended Associate member is expected to be upheld but without going to the next step of expulsion at the upcoming ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh

Peter Della Penna10-Jun-2016The USA Cricket Association’s status as a suspended Associate member is expected to be upheld but without going to the next step of expulsion at the upcoming ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo during his recent meetings held in the USA, the ICC head of global development Tim Anderson stated that USACA needs to be given a fair chance to meet reinstatement conditions that were laid out to them last year before a final determination is given.”USACA cannot be expelled at this year’s annual conference,” Anderson told ESPNcricinfo in Colorado Springs where the ICC are in the process of shifting their Americas office from Toronto. “I think that is an important point to make that a suspended member is still a member. There will be an update to our board at our annual conference meeting at the end of June. I know the community at large is very interested in this topic. USACA as our current member needs to be given sufficient opportunity to meet those reinstatement conditions.””Some of the conditions have changed over the last 12 months including the requirement to develop a new constitution for US cricket which is now sitting with the US cricket advisory committee to consider that. Things have changed over the course of time so we need to appreciate that because we’ve changed things, USACA needs to be given appropriate time to assess that.”According to the ICC’s Articles of Association, article 2.6 section B states that expulsion or cessation of membership following a period of suspension can only occur “upon the requisite resolution being passed at [Annual] Conference following a proposal notified in writing to the Chief Executive prior to 31st December in any year for consideration at Conference in the immediately following year, such proposal being made and seconded by Full Members.”No such resolution was put forward to the ICC board by the end of 2015. Anderson sent out an email to the US cricket community on Thursday informing them that USACA has until December 15 to meet reinstatement conditions, chief among them to ratify a new constitution. If USACA does not, it would leave 16 days for a board resolution to be proposed, setting up USACA for potentially being expelled from membership in June 2017.On the topic of the constitution, Anderson held a meeting with the 10-person Sustainable Foundation US advisory group last weekend in Colorado Springs in which members of the US Olympic Committee were also in attendance. Developing a constitution that fits in with USOC guidelines is something Anderson said is a priority for the Sustainable Foundation group going forward.”We’re all aware of the disjointed nature of the community at this point in time,” Anderson said. “Having a constitution that is able to secure the future of US cricket and bring all parties together is absolutely fundamental to the game’s successful future here. So as part of the reinstatement conditions as they currently stand, we’ve put together an advisory group representative of a broad spectrum of US cricket and other experts that over this weekend were considering what a unifying constitution might look like and what principles and fundamentals should be included to bring US cricket together.”One of the elements of that was whether cricket should be a member of the USOC. The USOC has a number of mandatory requirements for its members to have in their constitution. Rick Adams, one of the senior executives of the USOC, attended that meeting and gave some background on what the USOC is about, what benefits it can offer sports in America and how being part of the USOC has some obligations not just in terms of constitution but other things as well. The general view of the group is that it’s right for cricket to be a part of the USOC and therefore the mainstream American sports family.”Among the constitutional guidelines required to meet USOC statutes are athlete representation on the USACA board as well as independent directors. Those were included in a series of recommendations produced by TSE Consulting in a governance review in 2013, but were eventually rejected for inclusion in a proposed new constitution at that year’s USACA Annual General Meeting.As for a timeframe for when a new constitution might be presented to USACA for ratification or rejection, Anderson hopes that it can be accomplished within the next one to two months. Anderson said though that although ratifying a new constitution is the number one condition for reinstatement, it would not be the sole determining factor in USACA’s suspension potentially being lifted and that the other 38 terms and conditions must be met as well.”USACA will be requested to consider the adoption of a proposed constitution in order to meet that reinstatement condition,” Anderson said. “But at this point the [ICC] board’s position is that USACA needs to meet all the reinstatement conditions in order to be reinstated as an ICC member. It doesn’t meet all those reinstatement conditions right now. It continues to be suspended but it has more time to work on those things.”

Brad Haddin, David Hussey and Michael Hussey will have a chance to demonstrate their coaching skills during Australia A’s forthcoming winter fixtures

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2016Brad Haddin, David Hussey and Michael Hussey will have a chance to demonstrate their coaching skills during Australia A’s forthcoming winter fixtures against South Africa A, India A and the National Performance Squad (NPS). Their performances in a coaching capacity are likely to be followed closely as Cricket Australia mulls various options for the eventual successor to Darren Lehmann as head coach of the senior team.Haddin will serve as assistant coach to Troy Cooley for Australia A’s two four-day matches against South Africa A in Brisbane and Townsville, in July-August. He will then hand over the role to David Hussey for the side’s one-day quadrangular series with South Africa A, India A and the NPS in Townsville and Mackay, in August-September. Finally, Michael Hussey will take over as assistant coach when Australia A return to Brisbane for two four-day matches against India A in September.Haddin, who retired from international cricket last year, is currently completing his High Performance (Level III) Coaching Programme at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. He recently led a week-long wicketkeeping camp – alongside Ian Healy and Peter Nevill – for eight promising young Australian wicketkeepers.Haddin agreed the appointment will provide him with a chance to learn more about coaching. “I’ve played with some great players and had some great coaches and mentors along the way, so if I can pass on some of my experience to the younger generation and help them get better, it will be great,” he said. “But it will also be a great learning tool for me, to be involved on the other side of the fence with Troy and his staff.”David Hussey, who was a limited-overs specialist for Australia between 2008 and 2013, completed his Level III coaching qualification last year. He has been a batting coach with Cricket Victoria in recent seasons, while continuing to play domestic cricket, including captaining Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL).Michael Hussey retired from international cricket in 2013 and from all professional cricket after leading Sydney Thunder to their maiden BBL triumph earlier this year. Since his international retirement, Michael Hussey has been involved in various consultant coaching roles, including for South Africa at the 2015 World Cup and for Australia at the World T20 in March-April this year.

A career-best 73 from Worcestershire nightwatchman Ed Barnard scuppered Derbyshire;s hopes of a first Championship home win since 2014

ECB Reporters Network23-Jun-2016
ScorecardEd Barnard’s nightwatchman stint saw off Derbyshire•Getty Images

A career-best 73 from nightwatchman Ed Barnard helped Worcestershire save the Division Two match against Derbyshire at the 3aaa County Ground, Derby.Barnard and fellow former England Under-19 team mate Joe Clarke, who made 63, shared a third wicket stand of 146 to rescue the visitors after Brett D’Oliveira had gone in the first over of the day.Will Davis removed them both but Alexei Kervezee made 41, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore 48 in 40 overs as Worcestershire closed on 294 for 6 , denying Derbyshire a first home Championship win since the end of the 2014 season.The day had started so well for Derbyshire with Tony Palladino striking with the sixth ball of the morning when D’Oliveira played across the line and was lbw without a run added.But that was the last success until 13 overs into the afternoon session as Barnard and Clarke played with impressive judgement and maturity to raise Worcestershire’s hopes of saving the game.Derbyshire used seven bowlers but could not break the concentration of the two 20-year-old’s whose approach and application was an example to some of the senior batsmen.Barnard completed the second first-class 50 of his career before lunch and the pair had been together for nearly 44 overs when Derbyshire finally broke the stand.Will Davis was rewarded for an aggressive spell from the Racecourse End when he tempted Clarke into a mistimed pull which ended in the hands of midwicket and Barnard’s admirable innings ended when he was succoured into taking on another short ball.If Alexei Kervezee had been taken down the legside off Davis on 13, Worcestershire would have been 188 for 5 but it was another 25 overs before Derbyshire broke the fifth wicket stand.The second new ball was always likely to be Derbyshire’s last chance and Ben Cotton broke through when Kervezee tried to play the ball off his hip and this time Tom Poynton made no mistake.The light was murky enough for the floodlights to be switched on but Kohler-Cadmore dug in and although he edged a big drive at Chesney Hughes with seven overs left, Ross Whiteley faced 59 balls to finally close the door on his former team.Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman said: “I’m really proud, other than the first couple of hours on the opening day it was a very flat and slow wicket so for us to have taken 16 wickets having made them follow-on and bowled 120 overs plus on the trot is an exceptional effort.”We’ve played a lot of four day cricket this year where we’ve been either fighting to stay in the game or losing the game so to be playing on the last day and to be in charge and dominating definitely gives us a lot of confidence going into the game against Kent.”

Centuries from Oli Westbury and George Bartlett put England Under-19s in control on the opening day of their Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2016
ScorecardOli Westbury celebrates his hundred•Getty Images

Centuries from Oli Westbury and George Bartlett put England Under-19s in control on the opening day of their Youth Test against Sri Lanka Under-19s. Westbury batted all day to reach the close unbeaten on 157, as the Sri Lanka attack was made to toil.Two late strikes did redress the balance slightly, after Westbury and Bartlett had put on 231 for the third wicket. Lahiru Kumara picked up his second wicket when he removed Bartlett for 131, off just 152 balls, and Jehan Daniel then bowled Joshua Dell to leave England on 327 for 4, before Ollie Pope accompanied Westbury to stumps.Bartlett, who was dropped twice in his innings, was one of ten new caps in England’s four-day side. “Today has been surreal, playing cricket for your country is what you dream,” he said.”Me and Wes fought hard early on and as the ball got a bit older the boundaries came a bit easier and it became easier to build on our partnership. It’s a shame I couldn’t build an even bigger score off the back of that hundred – it felt like we have built a great platform for the team to go on and get a great score.”Kumara had struck early, dismissing England captain Max Holden with the score on 20, and Shammu Ashan got rid of George Hankins, caught at short leg for 28 from the final ball before lunch, after a 65-run stand.Westbury and Bartlett then combined for most of the afternoon and evening to give a new-look England side an excellent platform. Westbury’s hundred was more watchful, coming off 172 balls, while Bartlett took 127 deliveries in reaching three figures.

Andrew Gale mustered his best sore of a difficult season but it did not ease his troubles entirely as Lancashire continued to dominate the Roses match

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford15-Aug-2016
ScorecardAndrew Gale buckled down for his highest score of the season•Getty Images

At 9.45 on the third morning of this match the Yorkshire cricketer, Andrew Gale, strolled back to the away dressing room from the Old Trafford nets. His body cast a clear, sharp shadow as he walked across the outfield. With his batting gloves and helmet wedged neatly under his arm and the bat held rather like a lance in hand, Gale cut a faintly chivalric figure as he glanced across to the square where he has played on many occasions. Yorkshire’s skipper is an old warrior, though, and these lists hold many memories for him, not all of them congenial. “O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms…?” Rather a lot, since you ask.This has been not only a tough season for Gale but also a slightly strange one for his county. And even though he made 83, his highest score of the season, and Yorkshire avoided the follow-on, neither of those trends were lobbed out of kilter on a Monday when the cricket was watched by a good-sized crowd including – ECB panjandrums, please note – a large number of schoolchildren.Gale wanted a hundred but fell 17 short and County Championships are not won by sides battling to concede deficits of less than 150. By the close, Tom Smith and Haseeb Hameed had extended Lancashire’s 134-run first-innings lead to 204, Hameed stroking quite lovely boundaries to the cover and midwicket boundaries. While Middlesex were thrashing Durham on Monday evening, Yorkshire will almost certainly be batting two sessions or so to save the Roses match on Tuesday. Beating Nottinghamshire at Scarborough next week is looking a necessity.Moreover, while Yorkshire are the only team with a chance of winning all three trophies, their club captain, who has played only four-day games, has struggled in his quest for big runs. Gale has netted for numberless hours and declared himself in decent nick. He has played second-team cricket on slow pitches like that at Derbyshire’s Belper Meadows in an effort to get the scores that would justify his view. Yet he began this 269th Roses match with 327 Championship runs in the bank at an average of 19.23.For much of the first session, it seemed as though Gale was going to find his grail in a place as strange as Trafford. Resuming on 136 for 2, he and Alex Lees were already well set on a wicket containing few obvious ogres and they had added another 47 runs in 75 minutes before Lees was leg before to Kyle Jarvis for a hard-worked 85 when playing across a ball that held its line.Gale was batting well. His style is unlikely to inspire sonnets but he has made over eight thousand runs, so who gives a damn? There had been a cheery clump to the boundary off Jarvis long-hop and a fine drive over mid-on off Simon Kerrigan. In the first hour of the morning he added 20 runs to his overnight 36 and he had faced a Lancashire attack emboldened by their first-innings total of 594. So emboldened, indeed that one or two home players had made observations to Gale which required the brief intercession of the umpires, Paul Baldwin and David Millns. After his infamous contretemps with Ashwell Prince, Yorkshire’s captain has almost certainly had enough of conversations with Lancashire players on the Old Trafford outfield.For most of the second hour of Monday’s play, Gale was partnered by 24-year-old Melburnian Jake Lehmann, who was playing his first innings for the county. Rather than resembling his father, Darren, in any particular way, Lehmann sports a rather natty moustache vaguely reminiscent of Edwardian England. So perhaps it was not only the youngster’s fine straight boundaries off Jarvis which encouraged the watching Gale. If you are engaged in a battle for Yorkshire’s pride, it probably doesn’t harm if you’re batting with a bloke who looks like FS Jackson.Notwithstanding such reminders of yet another golden age for White Rose cricket, Gale was out five minutes before lunch when he cut Tom Smith to gully where Simon Kerrigan delightedly took his first catch in that position for Lancashire. There was an annoyed wave of the bat from Gale and a resigned departure. He needs a century, the batsman’s litmus test of achievement. It’s one more than 99 but it’s the one run that everyone notices.Throughout the morning session Lancashire had been bowling well. Steven Croft’s attack was no doubt encouraged by their side’s dominance in a fixture they have not won since 2011 and they deserved their successes. In the afternoon more were to follow as Lehmann played on to the excellent Kyle Jarvis after making a quietly impressive 46 off 53 balls. Three balls earlier Rashid had been brilliantly caught by Hameed at short leg off Kerrigan, the ball being clipped crisply at head height where the 19-year-old clutched it in two hands before scampering back to the justifiably astonished bowler.Lehmann’s dismissal left Yorkshire on 272 for 6, 73 short of the follow-on. It is doubtful, of course, whether Croft would have invited Gale to have another bat but it would have been an affront to White Rose honour had he even had the opportunity. The indignity was avoided thanks to a typically determined effort from Andy Hodd who made 43 and had taken his side to within four runs of their first objective when he was brilliantly caught by a diving Liam Livingstone, who sprinted 15 yards from slip before hurling himself forward to take the skied snare off KerriganEleven overs later Yorkshire were all out for 360 but the innings ended in perhaps unprecedented fashion when Ryan Sidebottom “walked” for a catch at the wicket off Kerrigan. For a few Yorkshire supporters, Lancastrians too, perhaps, it was as though Yorkshire’s last man had taken a page from a Shakespeare First Folio and made a paper aeroplane out of it. Most people, of course, call it honesty and it would be interesting to see what cricket might be like if the game’s often admirable ethics incorporated such behaviour.

Australia vice-captain David Warner said his side’s 142-run loss in the second ODI at Johannesburg could be traced to a poor start in each innings

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2016Australia vice-captain David Warner said his side’s 142-run loss in the second ODI at Johannesburg could be traced to a poor start in each innings. Warner said Australia found it hard to recover in the field after South Africa finished the first 10 overs at 66 for 0, setting up a platform for an imposing 361 for 6 which was more than enough for the hosts to defend.”We didn’t start well,” Warner said after the game. “We always talk about trying to start well with the bat and the ball in the first 10. We lacked that a bit today and I think our energy and intent was probably lacking. But look when a team puts 360 on the board, it’s always going to be a tough chase. You have to start positive and try not to lose too many wickets in the first 10. It’s unfortunate today but we’ve got another chance to come back and show up again in Durban.”Australia’s debutant new-ball combo of Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie took the brunt of the punishment from Rilee Rossouw and Faf du Plessis, who produced his sixth ODI ton. Tremain and Mennie took a combined 1 for 160 in 20 overs, with Mennie’s 0 for 82 the worst return for an Australian bowler on ODI debut.However, Warner noted that the Johannesburg pitch is never an easy place for bowlers, noting Mennie didn’t have it as bad as Mick Lewis, who conceded figures of 0 for 113 in the famous 438 chase by South Africa on the same ground 10 years earlier. He also said Mitchell Starc’s absence was not an excuse for a lackluster bowling performance and that the young attack will hopefully learn from the experience.”You’ve got to play the cards that you’re dealt and at the moment we’ve got two young guys making their debut. We do have a young attack but they’ve done everything they can to be here and be in this position to play for the country. It’s going to be a learning experience for them especially today.”They have to go back and reflect on what they can do better, especially in the first 10. With Starcy and them out, it is what it is. We have to deal with it and we can only control what we can at the moment and that’s with the guys that we have.”As for Australia’s reply, Warner said the team needed to find a better balance between attacking in the first 10 overs and remaining patient enough to wait for scoring opportunities that open up over the course of the innings. While South Africa ended their Powerplay blemish free, Australia were 54 for 2 after 10 and lost George Bailey one over later, setting them back to a position they could not dig out of.Warner singled himself out for poor shot selection despite making Australia’s second-best score in the match and said Australia needed to produce bigger scores in the manner of du Plessis on Saturday and Quinton de Kock from the first ODI if they want to make a comeback in the series.”We have to get hungry and we have to be hungry,” Warner said. “We are that on our day. Obviously it hasn’t been our day the last couple of games but we have to keep having that positive mindset and go big. We’ve seen the wickets. They’re very very good wickets and if you get in… today I played probably a poor shot. I’ve had a couple of soft dismissals. A few of the guys got caught down the leg side.”

Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin took nine wickets between them as India bowled New Zealand out for 262 before building a commanding lead by stumps on day three

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:11

Agarkar: Ashwin showed he is a quick learner

A roughly even contest through its first six completed sessions, the Green Park Test swung emphatically India’s way after lunch on day three, as Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin ran through New Zealand to earn India a 56-run first-innings lead. By stumps, they had swelled this to 215 thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, who put on their second century stand of the match.India, well ahead at tea, pulled away rapidly thereafter. With Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig serving up a feast of short balls, Vijay and Pujara hit seven fours in the first three overs of the final session. Then, after four relatively quiet overs, Vijay played two of the shots of the match, off Mitchell Santner, an inside-out drive to the left of extra-cover and a late cut with bat meeting ball inches in front of off stump.By the end of the day, India’s run-rate had slowed to normal Test-match proportions, but the economy rates of Craig (4.36) and Sodhi (4.14) told a story. On a pitch where Ashwin and Jadeja were causing all kinds of problems, India’s batsmen had shone an unforgiving light on the inadequacies of New Zealand’s spinners.New Zealand’s only wicket came in the last over before tea, when KL Rahul late-cut Sodhi straight into slip’s hands. As he had done in the first innings, Rahul had shown plenty of attacking enterprise – in this instance using sweeps, reverse-sweeps and lofted drives to move along at a 70-plus strike rate – before falling in the 30s.Wickets often fall in clusters in India. One brings many. There were two such clusters in New Zealand’s innings. First, they lost three wickets in 23 balls at the start of the morning session. After lunch, even more damagingly, they lost their last five in the space of 29 balls, for the addition of only seven runs. In the process, Jadeja picked up his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests, and Ashwin swelled his Test wicket count from 193 to 197.The two teams’ first innings almost mirrored each other. India had gone from 154 for 1 to 318 all out. New Zealand had lost their second wicket with their score 159. The magnitude of India’s lead was probably down to lower-order contributions: Jadeja had scored an unbeaten 42, and added 41 for the last wicket with Umesh Yadav. Not for the first time in home Tests on turning pitches, he had played a vital role with both ball and bat.New Zealand went to lunch 238 for 5, and had moved to 255 for 5 when Ashwin came back into the attack to bowl the seventh over of the session. From over the wicket, his first ball was a well-flighted offbreak that brought Mitchell Santner on to the front foot and turned just enough to take a thin edge through to Wriddhiman Saha.Santner, out for 32 off 107 balls, had defended resolutely till that point, and featured in partnerships of 49 with Luke Ronchi and 36 with BJ Watling.Three overs later, New Zealand felt the full force of Jadeja. He had Craig and Sodhi lbw off successive balls, both caught shuffling across the crease rather than going forward or back, though the ball that dismissed Sodhi may have been sliding down leg. Trent Boult survived two balls, and then, defending his third onto his boot, was caught brilliantly by Rohit Sharma diving forward from silly point.The innings ended in the very next over, Watling looking to drive a teasing Ashwin offbreak down the ground and ending up offering a return catch.The day began much like day two had prematurely ended, with Ashwin and Jadeja causing plenty of discomfort with their turn and bounce. They beat the outside edge four times in the first five overs before Ashwin struck the first blow. He got the ball to drift into the left-handed Tom Latham, causing him to play down the wrong line as he pressed forward to defend. By the time he realised this, it was too late, and ball straightened to hit front pad right in front.Four balls later, 159 for 2 became 160 for 3. Ross Taylor’s bat tends to come down from gully towards wide mid-on while he defends, and such a technique can leave a batsman vulnerable against a left-arm spinner as relentlessly stump-to-stump as Jadeja. The ball went with the arm, and Richard Kettleborough did not hesitate to uphold Jadeja’s lbw appeal. Replays suggested it was a tight call on whether the ball would have carried on to hit or miss leg stump.For most of day two, Kane Williamson had been able to trust the slowness of the Green Park pitch and play comfortably back to good-length balls. But in the half-hour or so before tea, the ball had begun spitting and hissing with greater frequency. On one occasion, an Ashwin offbreak hurried into him when he sat on the back foot and produced a loud lbw shout.In the ninth over of the morning, he went back again to Ashwin, possibly shaping to cut or punch through the off side, and this time the ball turned extravagantly, like one of Muttiah Muralitharan’s specials, zipping in to breach the gap between bat and body and clip the top of the stumps. It had perhaps needed a special delivery to get Williamson out in the form he was in, and Ashwin had produced just that.New Zealand were 170 for 4 at that point, 148 adrift and rocking unsteadily. They repelled India for the next 23.3 overs, with Luke Ronchi and Santner putting on 49 and bringing a measure of calm to proceedings before Jadeja struck again, six overs before lunch.Ronchi was the batsman dismissed, and India would have been relieved to see him walk back. Showing excellent footwork, particularly while going on the back foot, he had cut and driven Jadeja and Ashwin for four fours in the arc between point and extra-cover while moving to 38. Then, looking to sweep Jadeja, he misread the trajectory of a dipping delivery that hit him on the back leg. Rod Tucker gave him out, but replays suggested that the ball, bowled from left-arm over and spinning sharply, would probably have missed off stump.Tucker, though, did not see any replays; what he saw was a batsman sweeping from the stumps, a ball pitching fairly close to the batsman, and dust flying everywhere. At first glance, there was even the suggestion – dispelled by later viewings – that the ball may have hit Ronchi’s front pad. It was one of those errors that slow-motion replays tend to magnify. Likewise with the Taylor and Sodhi decisions. Unfortunately for New Zealand, all three went against them.

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer soaked up 175 balls and 121 dots to lead another lower-order rally, but Sri Lanka dug deep into their reserves to secure a hard-earned victory with 45 balls to spare

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu02-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Cremer followed his hundred in the first innings with a dogged 43•Associated Press

Graeme Cremer soaked up 175 balls and 121 dots to lead another lower-order rally and raise Zimbabwe’s hopes of saving their 100th Test, but Sri Lanka dug deep into their reserves to secure a hard-earned victory with 45 balls to spare.When the last hour began, Zimbabwe needed to bat out 15 overs with Cremer on 41 and No. 10 Carl Mumba on 3. Both batsmen played close to their bodies with a straight bat, blocking single-mindedly, and leaving Sri Lanka on the tenterhooks. They negotiated four more overs before Cremer jumped out of the crease and attempted an injudicious flick against the turn, off Rangana Herath, and was stumped for 43. He had faced 351 balls across both innings, the second-most by a No. 8 in a Test behind Wasim Akram’s 363, which incidentally came against Zimbabwe in 1996.Nineteen balls after the key wicket of Cremer, Dilruwan Perera knocked out Chris Mpofu’s off stump to wrap up Sri Lanka’s 225-run victory.Cremer entered the fray at 100 for 6, seven overs after lunch, after Zimbabwe had lost their last five wickets for 32 runs. He first added 39 for the seventh wicket with Sean Williams in 19.4 overs before marshalling Mumba in a 38-run ninth-wicket stand that lasted 19.1 overs.Cremer endured a nervy moment when he padded up to a straight delivery from Herath, but umpire Ian Gould turned down the bowler’s appeal, with ball-tracking backing up his decision, indicating the ball would have missed off stump. Cremer shook that off and soldiered on. His first boundary came off his 53rd ball when he drove a Suranga Lakmal half-volley through extra cover.It was Williams who laid the groundwork for Zimbabwe’s fightback. He showed restraint, taking 21 balls to get off the mark, before unfurling his range with paddle-sweeps and even reverse-sweeps against the spinners.Williams went onto make 40 off 92 balls, before Herath struck with the fourth ball after tea, getting him to nick to slip. Herath sensed an opening and broke through six overs later when he had Donald Tiripano lbw for a 21-ball duck. It was a dubious decision from Gould, though, with replays detecting an inside edge onto the pad. He should have been out off the previous ball he faced – a Herath arm ball struck his front pad in front of middle and leg – but Gould did not budge.Sri Lanka secured victory with 45 balls left in final session of the final day•AFP

The cloud cover that had built up during tea moved off and Sri Lanka then strained every sinew. Herath brought out the carrom ball from wide of the crease, and even tried to shake things up with part-time legspinner Kusal Mendis. The second new ball ultimately snuffled out Zimbabwe’s dogged resistance.In the morning Lakmal swung the first new ball and teased Zimbabwe’s openers in the channel outside off after Sri Lanka had declared overnight, keeping in view the rain threat and setting Zimbabwe a target of 412 in 98 overs. Brian Chari struggled to even put bat on ball in the early exchanges, failing to get fully forward or go fully back against Lakmal’s awayswingers and Herath’s arm balls. To compound his woes, Chari attempted to sweep Herath against the turn, but the top edge did not carry to fine leg or deep square leg.It was the extra pace of teenage debutant Lahiru Kumara that ended the tentative 31-run opening partnership. In his first over, an inducker at 141kph burst through Chari’s defences and sent the off stump cartwheeling.Once the swing faded, Lakmal briefly peppered the batsmen with short balls from around the wicket with a leg slip, forward short leg, and square leg placed halfway to the boundary, but it was reverse-swing with the old ball that provided him the breakthroughs. In the space of three balls, he coaxed a couple to veer back into Hamilton Masakadza and Malcolm Waller to trap both lbw.It came after Dilruwan had struck twice in nine balls to remove Tino Mawoyo for 37 and Sean Ervine for an eight-ball duck. Mawoyo was adjudged lbw by Simon Fry, though the slider from Dilruwan was comfortably missing leg stump with the angle from over the wicket. Ervine, though, was pinned plumb in front by a full delivery that drifted in and then turned away.Zimbabwe lost four wickets for only six runs and later Herath worked his way past Cremer and the tail to give Sri Lanka their first away Test win after seven matches, on captaincy debut.

Ravi Jadeja struck with the final ball of the fourth day – trapping Alastair Cook lbw for a 188-ball 54 -to leave England 87 for 2 as they attempted to save the second Test

The Report by Andrew Miller20-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:15

Compton: Umpire’s call leaves too much to debate

In an era of faster, harder, shorter – when the virtue of a young batsman is increasingly judged by strike-rate rather than overs endured – Haseeb Hameed produced a throwback innings to match that produced by his captain and opening partner, Alastair Cook, as England launched what already counts as a heroic rearguard, irrespective of what may come to pass on the fifth and final day at Visakhapatnam.While Cook and Hameed were in harness, calmly withstanding India’s best efforts throughout a magnificent opening stand of 75 that spanned 50.2 overs (which is longer, incidentally than four of Australia’s last eight completed innings), survival had seemed very much within England’s grasp – much as it had done for South Africa in similar circumstances 12 months ago, when AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla came together for another mighty blockathon in Delhi.But, in a devastating denouement in the final half hour before stumps, England lost both of their incumbents to a pair of memorable lbws – Hameed for 25 from 144 deliveries, pinned on the shin as R Ashwin grubbed an unplayable offbreak along the deck in a manner utterly reminiscent of Nasser Hussain’s shooter against Carl Hooper in 1997-98.Then, in the final over of the day, Cook, the rock of England’s resistance, played once too often across the line to Ravi Jadeja, and Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger. The umpire’s judgment was spot on on this occasion, for the ball was heading straight for middle and leg, but with India already out of reviews and Dharmasena’s relationship with DRS at an all-time low, he deserved credit for trusting his judgment at such a critical juncture.That late strike allowed India to leave the field with the spring back in their step, and Virat Kohli took the chance to gather his men into a huddle before they returned to the dressing room. India remain strong favourites on a surface that will compromise the more stroke-based techniques in England’s middle order – not least that of Ben Duckett, who is next man in to join Joe Root when play resumes tomorrow – but if any further proof were needed that this five-Test series will be a fight to the finish, this was it.Not for the first time in this match, England’s determination with the bat had been replicated with the ball. With Stuart Broad in another of his rhythmic moods, and with Adil Rashid mixing it impressively to claim four wickets in the morning session, including the prize scalp of Kohli for 81, it required a spiky tenth-wicket stand of 42 between Jayant Yadav and Mohammad Shami to revive India’s second innings, as they slipped from their overnight 98 for 3 to 204 all out on the stroke of a delayed lunch break.Of course, England’s success with the ball wasn’t entirely encouraging, given what it implied about the challenge of batting last, but they were happy to settle for pyrrhic victories wherever they could find them.Broad was particularly eager to strike some psychological blows. He may not feature in next week’s third match in Mohali but, buoyed by the confirmation that his foot injury was not as severe as he might have feared, he produced one of his most skilful spells of a stellar year, manipulating the old ball with cut and cross-seamers alike, and a variety of angles on the crease. He deserved more than just the scalps of Ajinkya Rahane and Ashwin for his morning efforts, as he finished with figures of 4 for 33 in 14 hard-pounding overs.Broad’s success was a reminder that seam, as well as spin, can play a part when surfaces start to crumble, and Hameed received a similarly timely reminder from the very first ball he received in England’s rearguard – a skiddy bouncer from Shami that rapped him on the glove as he took his eyes off the ball. But, when tea was taken 28 overs later, he was looking settled and solid, 12 not out from 84 balls, and oblivious to the attentions of up to four close catchers round the bat.It was a staggering display of technique, resolve and stamina way beyond his tender years, and further enhanced the impression that he is The One, as far as England’s long-term opening ambitions are concerned.However, Hameed could have asked for no better role model in his defiance than Cook, England’s past master in the art of batting time, whose long strides have been so adept for so long at smothering the attentions of Asian spinners.Kohli shuffled his pack largely in vain for the first 33 overs of England’s innings, resuming after tea with his seamers reunited but still no way through England’s defiance. But, then, suddenly, he hit upon the right formula, bringing Jadeja on at the Subba Rao End to target the footholes outside Cook’s off stump, with Ashwin handed the duties from the Vizzy End where Broad’s cutters had found their purchase.The heightened threat to both batsmen’s outside edges prompted a more proactive response, with Cook lining up a series of cuts and a well-placed drive through the covers for four to combat Jadeja, before Hameed responded to an Ashwin drifter that beat the bat by walloping his next ball hard and flat through mid-off for his first boundary in 80 deliveries from the spinners.On 45, Cook survived a reviewed lbw against Jadeja that was adjudged to be turning down the leg-side, although had umpire Rod Tucker raised his finger, it would have stayed up. One over later, he was living dangerously again, when Ashwin implored Kohli to take a second look at another lbw that he was convinced had squeezed pad before bat. Ashwin was right, but the impact was adjudged to be umpire’s call. India, somewhat disbelievingly, had burned through both of their reviews in the space of five balls.But then, with England’s thoughts just beginning to drift towards stumps, came the brace of body blows that undermined so much of their good work. All is not yet lost, with Root in a mood to atone for his wasteful first-innings dismissal, and Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow already attuned to the challenge of batting long on this surface. But as Hameed’s demise showed, accidents can and will happen in the fourth innings. India will believe victory is only a matter of time.