Category Uncategorized

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Zaheer Khan ended with nine wickets for the match, and was easily the playerwho made the most difference. © Getty Images

Mumbai raced to their 37th Ranji Trophy title in fine style, beatingBengal by 132 runs shortly after tea on the fourth day. Magnificentinnings from Manoj Tiwary and Sourav Ganguly kept Bengal in the hunt, but in the end the combined firepower of Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar proved too much to resist, as the last six wickets fell for the addition of only five runs and Bengal folded for 339.While Ganguly was at the crease there was room for the faithful to hopethat Bengal might pull off something sensational, but when he fell – againto Zaheer – pulling and only managing to lob a high catch to Ramesh Powarat midwicket, Bengal had lost their prize wicket with 338 on theboard. Ganguly was visibly upset with himself when he lost his wicket, butcan take joy from the 90 that he made.The end came when Ashok Dinda attempted to heave Zaheer over the ropes andholed out to Abhishek Nair at midwicket. The 19-strong Mumbai squad rushedas one to the pitch, plucking out stumps for souvenirs and celebrating.Zaheer ended with nine wickets for the match, and was easily the playerwho made the most difference.Tiwary’s bold strokeplay had Mumbai running for cover, and huntingleather, for the best part of the first two sessions. On the third day itwas Deep Dasgupta who led from the front, ducking, weaving, dabbing anddefending, keeping Agarkar and Zaheer at bay. When the fourth day dawned,with Bengal on 98 for 2, it was clear that the initial plan was to justoccupy the crease, even if it meant that no runs came. Both Dasgupta, andthe usually aggressive Tiwary, left alone more than they played at, andforced the bowlers to bowl to them.To Bengal’s credit, they battled hard for the best part of the day, makingMumbai work hard for their wickets. Tiwary was terrific in his shotselection, committing wholeheartedly when he played the big shots and yetnot committing early to front or back foot. With the pitch having easedout considerably, Zaheer found the going tough, and was operating belowfull pace. He slanted the ball away from the right-handers, andoccasionally caused a bit of hesitation when he got his line right, butthe absence of inswing vastly reduced his wicket-taking options.Tiwary sensed that Zaheer was flagging, and took him on. The shot of theday being a clean hit over mid-off that sailed the distance and went forsix. In the course of his innings, Tiwary became the highest run-getter ina single season for Bengal. Arun Lal held the record, but Tiwary alreadyhas 776 and looks far from finished.The one spot of joy for Mumbai in an otherwise fruitless morning came whenDasgupta fell, against the run of play. A momentary lapse in concentrationmade Dasgupta chase a delivery outside the off stump, and this onlyresulted in a nick for Vinayak Samant to pouch behind the stumps. Onceagain Wilkin Mota had struck, and Dasgupta was gone for a well made 57.

To Bengal’s credit, they battled hard for the best part of the day, makingMumbai work hard for their wickets. Tiwary was terrific in his shotselection, committing wholeheartedly when he played the big shots and yetnot committing early to front or back foot.

Ganguly walked out to the middle with plenty to do, and fortunatelyfor Bengal was in good nick. He was fluent from the word go, and playedsome pleasing shots, especially square of the wicket on the off side. BothZaheer and Agarkar were handled easily as Ganguly timed the ball away inthe arc between point and cover, picking up boundaries early on in hisinnings.On a pitch that was affording turn Ramesh Powar was ineffective, andGanguly was able to easily leave the ball alone to begin with, and thenpick off singles at will, even occasionally lofting the ball for plenty.In the company of Rohan Gavaskar, who unfurled an array of strokes on bothsides of the wicket, Ganguly kept Bengal well on target for an amazingwin. Gavaskar was especially severe on Zaheer, who sprayed the ball arounda bit and made it hard for Amol Muzumdar to set fields. But, when Agarkargot Gavaskar to nibble at one outside off, and had him caught behind,Mumbai had the foot in the door that they needed.Bengal went from a strong 270 for 3 to 335 for 7 by tea, and hopes of agrand win fast receded. After Gavaskar was dismissed Zaheer snaffled twoquick wickets, bowling Laxmi Ratan Shukla for a duck and following it upby trapping Sourashish Lahiri in front of the stumps. And soon after, thewheels came off, giving Mumbai yet another win in the premier domesticcompetition.

‘I think under the conditions, our bowlers have done admirably well’ – Dravid © AFP

In what is their first big foreign tour in two years, India find themselves in a strange situation – all square with the prospect of a greentop awaiting them on the first morning at the National Stadium in Karachi. If the blades do retain their length and if the ball darts around alarmingly, the whole series could be decided within the space of a session. Yet, it’s India’s medium-pace attack that has shown more promise through the series and there is no reason to not trust them to finish off the job when it comes down to the crunch.India have taken some aggressive decisions throughout the series – opening with Rahul Dravid at Lahore, choosing five specialist bowlers at Faisalabad – and have looked like a side that aren’t too paranoid about losing. They also appeared a relaxed lot ahead of one of their biggest tests in recent times – not scheduling practice yesterday and beginning today’s session with a round of fun and games. Karachi may be Pakistan’s cricketing fortress (they have lost here just once) but India seem least perturbed.Having been disappointed with the pitches at the two previous venues, Dravid appeared upbeat in the pre-match press conference. “It looks a very good pitch, might do a bit initially, but should be a very good wicket as the game goes on,” he said. “It is different to the ones we played in the last couple of Tests, but I feel that while it might help the bowlers a bit more and it might have a little bit in it early on, it will then pan out into a good batting pitch. Hopefully, we will have a result here, and it will go the way of the team that plays the better cricket for five days.”India named their 13-man squad on the eve of the match. As expected, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer and Parthiv Patel were left out. Dravid added that the toss might not make such a vital difference, hinting that the team management might not be thinking of accommodating an extra batsman. With their 210-run partnership at Faisalabad, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan showed that they can handle the simmering pressure of an India-Pakistan contest and India may decide that they don’t require additional batting cover. “Our batsmen give us a lot of confidence and experience,” he added. “They have had success and scored hundreds in different parts of the world and under different conditions in the last four or five years, and we are confident we can play in any conditions given to us.”India’s crucial decision will probably revolve around the bowling attack. At Faisalabad, Rudra Pratap Singh and Zaheer Khan had impressive bursts in trying conditions while Pathan went from pedestrian to probing as the game wore on. Ajit Agarkar, Dravid said, had recovered from his hamstring injury and considerable grass on the pitch may actually tempt India into using all four, with Anil Kumble being the lone spinner.”I think under the conditions, our bowlers have done admirably well,” Dravid continued. “It has been a challenge for them, and I think they have gained and learnt a fair bit. RP Singh, Zaheer and even Irfan in that spell on the final day showed encouraging signs. The way you motivate them on flat tracks is to tell them that they will benefit from what they have learnt from bowling on flat pitches when they bowl in more helpful conditions.”India will be well aware of another option, picking an extra batsmen who will provide them with a medium-pace option. Sourav Ganguly is yet to play a single innings in this series and, as always, it’s tough to rule out another comeback. Around 16 years ago, a 16-year-old boy played his first Test on this ground and began a new era in Indian cricket. Dare we suggest it, but is another era about to come to an end? Maybe, but as always, maybe not.

ScorecardZimbabwe A romped to a 2-1 series lead, after comfortably overhauling Bangladesh A’s mediocre total with more than 16 overs to spare, at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. An opening stand of 141 between Terrance Duffin and Chamunorwa Chibhabha saw them most of the way towards their target before Duffin was stumped off Enamul Haque jnr, the highly promising left-arm spinner.Bangladesh A never recovered from 10 for three early in their innings, after choosing to bat first. Bryan Strang, the left-arm seamer, bowled a very tight spell and also removed the top-score, Mahmudullah (30), to finish with 2 for 21. Innocent Chinyoka ensured there was no recovery with four wickets and only a last-wicket stand of 46 gave the score any semblance of respectability.

Hardly a day goes by without self-inflicted unrest rocking the Pakistan camp, and this time it is former captain Rashid Latif who has put his stick into the hornets’ nest and given it a good stir.Appearing on television to discuss the squad selection for the one-day series against New Zealand, Rashid leveled all sorts of accusations against the Pakistan authorities. Among other remarks, Latif slammed the cricketing structure within the country, claimed that the relationship between journalists and selectors was too cozy, that selections were not always based on merit, and that various administrators did not always act in the best interests of the game. Latif concluded by saying that he was collecting evidence and would present his findings soon.Rashid was more conciliatory on the subject of players’ pay, admitting that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had looked after their welfare and gone a long way to improving their pay and conditions. But the concession was tempered with a call for an even greater share of sponsorship and television rights to be passed on to the squad.A source close to the PCB dismissed Latif’s attack, saying that his views on cricket were blinkered. “In Rashid’s book," he commented, "there probably is only the word ‘take’ while the word ‘give’ is missing”.He went on to condemn Latif for adding to an already uneasy situation and for giving more ammunition to those willing to snipe at the authorities. "With his reckless and even irresponsible statements continues to provide these elements with nourishment," he said. "He can contribute far more through his cricketing skills."

As they entered their dressing rooms at the Sharjah Stadium after practice yesterday, a sign above the door warned the West Indies and Pakistan cricketers: No mobile phones.In the adjacent corner, a small, elevated closed-circuit camera monitored their every move. Another similar device watched them in their hotel foyer.They will be there throughout the two Tests and three One-Day Internationals of the unique series, the first held outside an accredited Test-playing country and only grudgingly agreed to by the host Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the West Indies’ insistence because of war and rumours of war just beyond their borders.The measures, more typical of Hollywood than Lord’s, are part of the drive by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to preclude dealings with bookmakers that led to the life bans for match-fixing against former Test captain Hansie Cronje of South Africa.Robert Smalley and Bruce Ewan, members of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), established 18 months ago at great expense by the ICC under former head of the Metropolitan Police, Lord Condon, are mounting the operation.Smalley, the ACU’s security and support manager, and Ewan, the information manager, on Tuesday night spelt out to both teams the purpose of and need for their mission.They were explicit and made everyone aware of how widespread betting on the game is, West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt said. I don’t think any one on our side is unhappy with the measures.It was startling to learn, for instance, that as much as $50 million is bet on every day of every international match the world over, he added. When you’re talking that sort of money, you realise why bookies are willing to offer a lot of money for information and why the players have to be careful in their dealings.In a more conventional, but still controversial area, the players’ behaviour would be monitored by match referee Mike Denness whose disciplinary action against six Indian players in his last Test in South Africa, in November, led to a tense stand-off between their board and the International Cricket Council (ICC).Indian board president Jagmohan Dalmiya demanded the former England captain’s withdrawal for the next, and final Test, and, while the South Africans acceded, the ICC responded by declaring the match unofficial.The ICC subsequently set up a commission to review the match referee’s terms of reference but Dalmiya, whose board objected to two of its appointees, will doubtless see Denness’ appointment, even before the commission has met, as deliberate provocation.Since there are 19 other ICC referees, he would have a point. Insensitivity, if not arrogance, are no less appropriate expressions.

Rain after tea on Monday ended the SuperSport Series match between Free State and the Highveld Strikers at Goodyear Park with the Highveld Strikers 47 runs ahead on 204 for five in their second innings.The Strikers resumed their second innings on 23 without loss needing 134 to erase the deficit. They were never in danger of falling short of that goal, and once it was achieved all interestdrained from the match.Adam Bacher and Sven Koenig did most of the work towards ushering the Strikers into the black with a solid partnership of 81 for the first wicket. Andre Seymour and Zander de Bruyn then added 36 for the third wicket, before De Bruyn and Geoff Toyana took the visitors to 152 for four and safety.De Bruyn ambled to an unbeaten 59 off 154 balls with 10 fours, while the day was also not wasted for Dewald Pretorius.The lively Free State fast bowler singlehandedly dismissed Bacher, Koenig – both bowled – and Toyana, who he trapped in front, to finish with three for 23 off 12 overs.Offspinner Kosie Venter, scorer of a fine 112 not out on Sunday, supported Pretorius well in his 26 overs, in which he earned two for 66.But there was only one genuine candidate for the man-of-the-match award, and Herman Bakkes was duly awarded the prize for a brilliant bowling performance in the Highveld Strikers’ first innings which brought him figures of six for 108.Deservedly, Free State claimed six bonus points to the Gautengers’ four.

Patrick Boyland has now dropped a fresh injury blow for Everton before they play away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Monday night.

The Lowdown: Godfrey recovering

Just over a week ago, the Goodison Park faithful revealed that Ben Godfrey was ‘making progress‘ in his attempts to recover from his latest injury setback, but the former Norwich City central defender has still not featured since the 4-1 win at home to Brentford in the FA Cup last month.

He had to watch from afar again as they won 2-0 at home to Boreham Wood on Thursday night to book themselves a place in the quarter-final stage of the competition.

The Latest: Still too soon

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Boyland has shared that Spurs will still come ‘too soon’ for Godfrey, but added that he will train with the squad next week, while Andre Gomes has already started training again Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set to start training on Saturday.

The Verdict: Blow

It is certainly a blow for Frank Lampard and the Merseyside club not to have Godfrey available once more.

To give them the best possible chance against the European hopefuls, they would need as many of their key players fit and in the squad, and Godfrey certainly counts as one of those.

He is currently ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, clearances and blocks per match in the top flight so far this term (WhoScored), and so is clearly a good influence on the rest of the backline.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Nonetheless, the Toffees will now have to find a way to win without him.

In other news, find out who the Blues’ three worst performers were against Boreham Wood here!

Man of the week: Mario Olivier in his follow through © Keith Lane

SuperSport Series

The polite indifference which some stars feign when they reflect a fine performance cannot be applied to Mario Olivier, the Warriors fast bowler who last week became the third South African to take 10 wickets in an innings.”I can’t describe how I am feeling,” Olivier said. “I am in the clouds. I have just been looking at the scorecard and it is unbelievable. Everything came together today. I had good rhythm and the ball was moving a bit. I couldn’t find good rhythm at the beginning of the season but I have been working hard in the nets and today it paid off.”Bert Vogler, who according to delivered “the off-break with a leg-break action” and could also bowl fast, took 10 for 26 for Eastern Province against Griqualand West in 1906-07. Twenty years ago, Western Province’s Stephen Jefferies, the bristling left-arm fast bowler who was denied an international career by apartheid, took 10 for 59 against Free State. And now comes Olivier, who took 10 for 65 – but his haul wasn’t enough to deny Eagles heading to a 10-wicket win at Bloemfontein.The Warriors were dismissed for 215 in their second innings, leaving the Eagles to notch an easy 24-run to win.The Maritzburg Oval is one of the game’s most gracious grounds, resplendent with grand old trees and a creaking pavilion that is propped up by a pair of turreted towers. But the pitch is something else – straight off a rubbish tip. That might have the view of some of the batsmen: 39 fell on the first three days of Dolphins’ match against the Cobras at at Pietermaritzburg. Monde Zondeki, the Cobras fast bowler, wasn’t complaining after taking match figures of 10 for 93, but the Dolphins had the last laugh when they claimed the last wicket early on the fourth day to win by 47 runs.In stark contrast, little rose above the level of mediocrity in the drawn match between the Titans and the Lions at Centurion.

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Eagles	5	3	0	0	2	0	67.16
Dolphins	5	3	1	0	1	0	60.88
Warriors	5	1	2	0	2	0	40.46
Titans	5	0	1	0	4	0	28.98
Lions	5	0	1	0	4	0	28.92
Cape Cobras	5	0	2	0	3	0	28.6

SAA Provincial Three-Day Challenge

Pool A

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Western Province	4	2	2	0	0	0	47.64
Eastern Province	3	2	0	0	1	0	43.12
Boland	3	1	1	0	1	0	36.56
KwaZulu-Natal	3	1	1	0	1	0	32.2
Border	3	1	1	0	1	0	29.76
KwaZulu-Inld	2	0	0	0	2	0	12.06
S West D	2	0	2	0	0	0	7.64

Pool B

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Griqualand West	4	2	0	0	2	0	52.68
Easterns	4	1	0	0	3	0	39.78
North West	4	0	0	0	4	0	33.14
Northerns	3	1	0	0	2	0	31.16
Gauteng	3	1	1	0	1	0	30.14
Free State	4	0	1	0	3	0	25.96
Namibia	3	0	1	0	2	0	22.62
Zim Provs	3	0	2	0	1	0	19.18

Craig Wright can lead Scotland into the final with a win over UAE © AFP

Scotland face UAE in Sharjah from Thursday knowing that it is the start of a crucial time for the team. The national side has embarked on perhaps its busiest and highest profile period in their history.Having played an ODI series in Bangladesh at the tail-end of last year, the squad is preparing for an ODI tri-series in Mombasa, the inaugural World Cricket League in Nairobi, the World Cup in West Indies and then the ECB one-day Trophy against top county opposition from May 2007.But now the team are focussed on the longer form of the game as it prepares for a crucial four-day Intercontinental Cup match at Sharjah Stadium. Victory for Craig Wright’s team will secure Scotland’s place in the final of this competition, which it won in 2004.Scotland coach Peter Drinnen said: “I feel we have made good improvements recently and there is a lot of confidence. Our bowlers are hitting the right areas, our batsmen know what to do and are taking responsibility, and we also have a very good fielding side.”This is the longest tour ever taken by a Scotland side and it is great to get the chance to play a consistently high quality of matches while also spending a long time together. We are hoping that it shows here over the next few days.”But there is plenty at stake from UAE’s point of view, too. Despite losing outright to Namibia in Windhoek back in December, captain Arshad Ali knows that a win in Sharjah will put his side right back in contention, teeing up a winner-take-all clash with Ireland in Abu Dhabi on February 10.”We have a lot to play for in this match,” said Arshad. “Scotland is a very good team with plenty of experience but we will give it our very best over the next few days.”Apart from Scotland and UAE, the other sides in Group A are Namibia and defending champions Ireland. If the Scots win, they are through to the final but if they fail, it will open the door for Ireland to retain its title, setting up a group decider in Abu Dhabi next month.UAE (from) Arshad Ali (capt), Khuram Khan, Saqib Ali, Kashif Khan, Naeemuddin Aslam, Rameez Shahzad, Gayan Silva, Ali Asad Abbas, Shadeep Silva, Awais Aftab, Qasim Zubair, Ahmed Nadeem, Mohammed Iqbal, Ahmed Raza.Scotland (from) Craig Wright (capt), John Blain, Dougie Brown, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Glenn Rogers, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.

Jacques Kallis will not take part in the Twenty20 match at Brisbane © Getty Images

Jacques Kallis, the South African allrounder, will miss South Africa’s Twenty20 cricketinternational against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane on Monday.Kallis, who has been troubled by an elbow injury during the Test series against Australia, will be rested along with Andre Nel, Charl Langeveldt and Justin Kemp, said Mickey Arthur, South Afria’s coach.Nel failed to finish the third Test loss at the Sydney Cricket Groundwith a foot problem, while Kemp missed the last two Tests with a shoulderinjury. Langeveldt is set to be made 12th man following a heavy workload in theeight-wicket Test defeat. Johan Botha, the offspinner, has been included in the team despite being reported by the International Cricket Council for a suspect bowling action during the Sydney Test.Arthur said all four players would be available for South Africa’s one-day VB Series opener against Australia at the Gabba on Sunday. The Twenty20 match is the first full 20-over-a-side international to be played in Australia.South Africa Graeme Smith (capt), Johan Botha, Mark Boucher (w/k), BoetaDippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Garnett Kruger, Shaun Pollock,Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt (likely 12th man).