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England batter hits second fifty in four Blast innings after Glamorgan slump to 104 all out

ECB Reporters' Network01-Jul-2021Dan Lawrence produced his second Vitality Blast fifty of the season to set up Essex Eagles’ painless eight-wicket victory over a depleted Glamorgan.Essex were only chasing 105 after an all-round frugal bowling and fielding display stunted the visitors, who had four key players unavailable.But Lawrence took charge of the chase with 55 off 31 balls, after a 70-run stand with Adam Wheater, to make sure the Eagles cantered to the victory line with 46 balls to spare.The victory handed Essex their fourth win in their last five Blast matches to keep alive their hopes of regaining the trophy, while all but extinguishing Glamorgan’s chances of a place in the knockouts.Related

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• Labuschagne sidelined by Selman's positive Covid test

Glamorgan won the toss, decided to bat but never looked like scoring a big total on a slow hybrid pitch for the fifth time. In mitigation, Nick Selman, Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser were already absent due to Covid isolation before Prem Sisodiya was forced to pull out in the warm-ups.Kiran Carlson began the revolving door when his wristy flick was caught on the square leg boundary by Michael Pepper as Jack Plom began with a wicket maiden.South African Colin Ingram was bowled off his pads by Dan Lawrence and Plom produced a stunning piece of fielding to directly hit from the fine leg boundary to see off David Lloyd.Chris Cooke and Billy Root added an innings high 37 for the fourth wicket before the former thrashed to extra cover and the latter picked Pepper at long-on.Ryan ten Doeschate celebrates with Simon Harmer•Getty Images

Dan Douthwaite feathered Aron Nijjar behind and James Weighell flumped to long-off, where Pepper claimed his third catch of the innings.The last three wickets fell in the 16th over Sam Cook had Sam Pearce inside edging behind and Roman Walker lbw either side of a Ryan ten Doeschate direct hit.Wheater made sure the chase was as comfortable on the pitch as it looked on paper, thumping the third ball of the innings over mid-on to the boundary.He lost opening partner Will Buttleman leg-before to Walker but continued his march with successive boundaries – giving himself a bit of space to carve a drive through the covers before cutting off his tip-toes.Lawrence wasn’t at his fluent best, dropped on 11 and 15, but composed himself with a rocket cut and a straight six – the latter bringing up the 50 run partnership.Wheater was stumped on 39 but Lawrence, who thumped two more maximums to bring up his half-century in 30 deliveries, and Pepper made sure there were no more hiccups – with the former striking the winning boundary.

The paceman is undergoing online treatment supervised by a neurosurgeon and a spinal therapist

Umar Farooq08-Jun-2020Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali is understood to have avoided a surgery to resolve a back problem, but will continue his rehabilitation for another five weeks, a decision the PCB made after he responded positively to an online session. Ali, who lost his central contract last month, will have his medical expenses covered by the PCB until he achieves full recovery, and also get additional financial assistance from the board’s welfare fund, a safety net reserved only for retired players in dire need.Ali’s back injury, diagnosed as an intervertebral disc protrusion, could have led to a surgery in a worst-case scenario. The PCB, after consulting local doctors, had planned to fly Ali to Australia. However, with lockdowns and travel restrictions in place across the globe, the board resorted to seeking medical advice online, and had Ali undergo a two-hour rehabilitation session under the watch of a two-person panel: Lahore-based neurosurgeon Asif Bashir and Australian spinal therapist Peter O’Sullivan. The committee ruled out the need for an operation, opting to carry on with the treatment involving conservative rehabilitation for the next five weeks, with further decisions to be made only after fresh scans are conducted.”Hasan Ali picking up injuries around the same area twice in less than a year was not a normal thing,” Dr Sohail Saleem, the PCB director of medical and sports sciences, said in a statement. “Consequently, we consulted some of the best and most experienced specialists and it is heartening to hear their feedback following the opening online rehabilitation session in which Hasan showed no signs of symptomatic regression.”However, these are early days of his rehabilitation programme and we will continue to monitor his progress for the next five weeks before collectively making future decisions. But one thing is for certain, he is under the treatment of the very best in the business and hopefully he will return fitter and stronger to competitive cricket without any surgery.”The 25-year-old paceman suffered the injury last season during the opening round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Lahore, following which he underwent a seven-week rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in the same city. He was declared fit for the final round of the tournament, only to suffer a fresh injury – a rib fracture – in November that ruled him out for another six weeks. He consequently missed Pakistan’s international commitments during the season, but returned after another spell of rehab ahead of the PSL.He, however, was below his best in the tournament, picking up eight wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 8.59 for Peshawar Zalmi. Ali complained of persistent pain in his back, and scans confirmed the problem, which had flared up and revealed symptoms consistent with a lumbar herniated disc.The injury, as well as a run of average form, resulted in Ali’s omission from the 2020-21 central-contract roster, which will come into effect from July 1. His contract for the previous season, though, will be active until June 31, technically qualifying him for medical cover. Also, ESPNcricinfo understands, because a fit Ali is a shoo-in in most Pakistan squads, the PCB decided to bear the expenses of his treatment even beyond his current contract term.”Hasan Ali is one of our assets and heroes of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 victory. It is the PCB’s responsibility to look after him during these difficult times so that he focuses and works solely on his fitness,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said. “Hasan is a young and energetic cricketer who has a lot of cricket left in him. Like most of his followers, the PCB will like to see him regain complete fitness, so that he can resume normal services for the Pakistan men’s national cricket team. Till that time, the PCB will provide him financial assistance from the PCB Welfare Fund, which exists exactly for this purpose.”

The dual roles of Mickey Arthur and Azhar Mahmood with the national team and Karachi Kings could come under review at the board’s next governing council meeting

Umar Farooq07-Feb-2019The PCB’s board of governors (BoG) has formally taken up the issue of dual roles causing potential conflicts of interest ahead of the Pakistan Super League. The BoG has agreed to chalk out a policy on engagement of PCB employees with PSL franchises.In the 52th governing council meeting today, the issue came up for discussion officially, with a focus on national-team coaches who also work with PSL teams. The PCB has confirmed the development, but with the league starting in a week’s time, a final decision on the issue will have to wait until the next board meeting, with all appointments to be reviewed after PSL season ends on March 17.Ever since Ehsan Mani took over as PCB chairman in September 2018, high-profile names such as Mickey Arthur have come under the spotlight, with other high-profile names having to give up roles in the PSL.Last year, the PCB removed chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq from the PSL player draft committee because of a potential conflict of interest since he was involved with a talent-hunt programme run by one of the tournament’s franchises, Lahore Qalandars. Tauseef Ahmed, who is part of the national selection committee while also being Islamabad United’s spin coach, was also left out of the PSL draft committee and later axed by the franchise.ALSO READ – Mickey Arthur’s dual roles with Pakistan and Karachi Kings back in the spotlightPakistan head coach Arthur is also part of the Karachi Kings coaching staff, which has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.In 2016, Arthur was already Karachi Kings’ head coach when he took over the Pakistan role shortly after Waqar Younis’ resignation. Arthur, with then PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, had negotiated a contract to allow him to fill both roles, foregoing his monthly PCB retainer during the duration of the PSL. When he renewed his contract as Pakistan coach until the 2019 World Cup, this agreement remained intact. Arthur has coached Karachi Kings in all three seasons of the PSL so far, and is set to do so again in the 2019 edition. Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood had been part of the franchise as well but that is no longer the case.PSL franchises haven’t raised the issue openly, but have hinted at concerns about having Arthur in both set-ups. “If you talk about me as a head coach, its challenging for a coach and selector within one set-up,” Aaqib Javed, the Lahore Qalandars head coach, told ESPNcricifo after the first season. “There is a reason why it’s been avoided and seen as awkward. I have great regard for Mickey but this should be avoided.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Arthur has no vote in picking Pakistan’s squads, though the selectors take his inputs on board, but he does have a vote in selecting the final playing XI. “I see absolutely no conflict at all and in fact see it as a massive benefit because it allows me to see all the best young talent available,” Arthur said in 2016. “I certainly am professional enough not to in any way be biased in selections or opinions on any player because at he end of the day I am here to assist Pakistan cricket and make Pakistan cricket the best and I am not going to jeopardise that in any way.”

Sri Lanka need drastic improvement in every facet of their game to compete with India, who are yet to lose a bilateral series under Virat Kohli

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Nov-20174:48

Dasgupta: Rohit doesn’t fit if India play five bowlers

Match facts

November 24-28, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

Pride is an often-abused word in sports commentary. This, though, might be one justified case to evoke Sri Lanka’s pride. They have travelled to India for a full Test series for the first time in eight years, and India are not concerned about them. They are concerned about South Africa. They rested their No. 1 allrounder because they want him ready for South Africa. Now it turns out the green itch at Kolkata wasn’t a one-off; they have actually asked for similar surfaces through the tour, not to invoke some kind of home advantage or exploit some Sri Lankan weakness, but to prepare for South Africa. Even being bowled out for 170 in Kolkata is not enough to change their minds because they know they can still eventually put Sri Lanka in a state where they are hanging on for dear lives in the dying moments of the Test.As India look to simulate Newlands in Nagpur, Sri Lanka have to ask them if they have become so bad that the first thing they invoke in India is not ghosts of batsmen and spinners past but an idea that the hosts can afford to use them almost as tour games for the South Africa tour. While it is definitely a welcome move from the perspective of Indian fans, their Sri Lanka counterparts will see this as lack of respect.They will also know that their side needs to give a better account of themselves. They had everything going for them in Kolkata – they won the toss, put India in on a damp pitch under overcast skies, got the early wickets, had the best batting conditions to themselves – and yet when the last ball was bowled they were the ones who sighed in relief at having come out with a draw.It is justified to think of a hurt pride but pride alone won’t cut it. Sri Lanka need drastic improvement in every facet of their game to compete with India, who are yet to lose a bilateral series under Virat Kohli. Under the clear blue skies of Nagpur, they will look to make sure that record is kept intact even before they go to Delhi for the final Test of the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: DWWWW
Sri Lanka: DWWLL

In the spotlight

The three India openers share mutual respect despite being competitors for two slots, but for some reason or the other they also end up accommodating each other in the side. One of the three keeps getting injured or losing form to make sure the other two stay relevant. If it was the resurfacing of M Vijay’s injury that allowed Shikhar Dhawan launch a Test comeback in Sri Lanka earlier this year, personal commitments for Dhawan have now opened up the door for Vijay to present his case before India travel to tougher conditions for opening. Now it is up to him to give India more selection headaches. Pleasant ones no doubt.With his gamesmanship in Kolkata – he annoyed India and then watched them waste their own time by arguing about him – Niroshan Dickwella showed some of the qualities that have him anointed as Kumar Sangakkara’s heir. It is unlikely time will be a factor in Nagpur, though. In Nagpur, it will be more about runs. As a No. 6 batsman, Dickwella’s plate is too full too early in his career, but that is probably because Sri Lanka rate him that highly. These two Tests might be the time to justify that rating and add to the blank hundreds column in his batting records.

Team news

Vijay will take the slot vacated by Dhawan but India have different options when it comes to replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who will get married during the Test. Ishant Sharma could be his like-for-like replacement or Rohit Sharma could slot in as the extra batsman or rookie Vijay Shankar could play as a seaming allrounder if India want to test a seaming allrounder for South Africa. The spinners should both play because unlike Kolkata, there will be work to do for them, especially in the second innings.India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 R Ashwin, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Ishant Sharma/Rohit Sharma/Vijay Shankar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav.With conditions not skewed as heavily in favour of fast bowling as they were in Kolkata, Sri Lanka will have to decide if they need an extra batsman. That could mean Dasun Shanaka might have to make way for Dhananjaya de Silva. Lahiru Gamage was unimpressive in Kolkata, and should vacate his place for left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dhananjaya de Silva/ Dasun Shanaka ,8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, 11 Vishwa Fernando

Pitch and conditions

Another greentop awaits India and Sri Lanka, but an even covering of grass does not guarantee the same help fast bowlers found in Kolkata. Not many pitches in the world would, not even in South Africa. The weather in Nagpur is expected to be sunny and dry, and conditions, as a result, could traverse the full arc: early assistance for the quicks, flat batting conditions on days two and three, and then, perhaps, some turn and uneven bounce.”The wicket is quite hard as it usually is at Nagpur with a nice grass covering on it,” Virat Kohli said. “So, the fast bowlers should be in play for the first couple of days, for sure, because of the bounce and the nice carry off it as well. From there on, the spinners will come into play. It is a pretty good wicket for overall Test cricket, I feel.”

Stats and trivia

• Umesh Yadav is three short of 100 Test wickets. If he gets there with his current average of 35.89, his will be the sixth-worst cost-per-wicket among fast bowlers who have taken 100 wickets. No. 5 is Ishant Sharma, whose wickets have cost 36.93 each.
• If India happen to play both Ishant Sharma and Vijay Shankar, this will be the first time in their history that they will have included four seamers in their XI in a home Test, not counting Mohinder Amarnath who occasionally bowled.

Quotes

“If you take the Indian team, they are a very good side. It is a big challenge for us as a team to come here and win a game or a series. But I am sure we can do some miracle here. We have to do our basics, stick to our game plans. In the middle we have to execute our game plans. If we can do that, we can put the Indians under pressure. We are looking at that as a team.”
“I like to see that competitiveness on the field. In the heat of things, I will do anything for my team to win. Afterwards we had a normal chat [with Dickewella], and on the flight as well. Those things end on the field. When you are competitive as an opponent, we always respect that about any opponent.”

Dhananjaya De Silva’s second Test century and a serene 79 from Upul Tharanga helped Sri Lanka fight back from 112 for 4 to end the opening day of the second Test in Harare on 290 for 5

The Report by Shashank Kishore06-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDhananjaya de Silva’s 143-run stand with Upul Tharanga helped Sri Lanka fight back from 112 for 4•Getty Images

It took Upul Tharanga multiple stints and close to 11 years after his first Test century to bring up his second. A week on, he looked set to add to that tally. He had progressed serenely to 79 during the course of a 143-run fifth-wicket stand with Dhananjaya De Silva and revived Sri Lanka after a top order wobble, before fading light brought about a slightly more circumspect approach that may have contributed to his dismissal. At the other end, Dhananjaya calmly waded through the 90s to bring up his second Test century as Sri Lanka nudged ahead on a see-saw opening day, ending it 290 for 5.Things could have been much better for Zimbabwe had they fielded and caught better. In the penultimate over of the day, Brian Chari’s underarm flick at the bowler’s end missed the stumps and reprieved Asela Gunaratne, who was on 10. Before that came a costlier miss, Peter Moor fluffing a chance down the leg side off Graeme Cremer to let Dhananjaya off on 64. That was the only uncertain moment in Dhananjaya’s innings, which showcased his ability to tailor his tactics to Sri Lanka’s situation.Happy to hit through the line against the seamers, he eliminated drives against Cremer’s legspin as the day wore on. That wasn’t to say he was completely guarded, for the bad balls were punished, at times with a touch of disdain.If Tharanga was an accumulator, Dhananjaya was the artist during the course of Sri Lanka’s highest fifth-wicket stand against Zimbabwe – they surpassed the previous best of 114 between Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakaratne at Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo) in 1996. The pair batted through 50.3 overs on a surface that offered plenty of lateral movement.As the day progressed, there was even a hint of turn and inconsistent bounce, which further underlined the importance of the partnership. Dhananjaya, who walked in to bat with Sri Lanka 112 for 4, hit 11 fours and was batting on 100 at stumps.Zimbabwe, who were on the wrong side of several decisions in the first Test, were beneficiaries of the Decision Review System that was introduced for the first time in the country. Tharanga, initially given not out by umpire Simon Fry, had to walk back when replays suggested he had nicked the ball while driving away from his body at Cremer, before the ball bounced to slip off the wicketkeeper’s pads.Zimbabwe’s relief was palpable, and continued to attack with the seamers, taking the second new ball as soon as it became available, but Dhananjaya and Gunaratne saw out the rest of the day’s play.Choosing to bowl first, Zimbabwe were dealt an early blow when Carl Mumba, one of their three frontline seamers, left the field with knee trouble after bowling his first over. His absence, coupled with the waywardness of Christopher Mpofu, helped Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva to rattle off 60 in the first hour.Hamilton Masakadza led Zimbabwe’s revival with his part-time seam after being summoned up to give Mpofu and Donald Tiripano a breather. It took him just 10 balls to break the 62-run opening stand, Dimuth Karunarate gliding an away-going delivery into the hands of Sean Williams at gully. In Masakadza’s next over, Kusal Perera swiped a full-length delivery to Mumba at long-on.The pressure Zimbabwe maintained thereon played a part in their next breakthrough, Mpofu trapping Kaushal Silva lbw with an in-dipper in the penultimate over before lunch. It was a dramatic dismissal. Given out by umpire Fry, Kaushal was denied a review by his own indecision – he took more than the prescribed 15 seconds before asking for it. Replays suggested Zimbabwe were lucky, with ball-tracking showing the angle taking the ball past leg stump.Two overs after lunch, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis and were a precarious 112 for 4. Tharanga, who walked in at No 5, laced the first two balls he faced to the cover boundary and glanced his fourth ball for another four. Having gotten off to that turbocharged start, he progressed steadily. Early in his innings, Dhananjaya marked his arrival, splitting midwicket and mid-on with a whiplash flick off Mpofu. That was just one of several moments of class in his effort to lead Sri Lanka’s revival.

The Melbourne Stars have named David Hussey their new captain and James Faulkner the vice-captain for the upcoming fifth season of the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2015The Melbourne Stars have named David Hussey their new captain and James Faulkner the vice-captain for the upcoming fifth season of the Big Bash League. The Stars had to pick a new captain after recently retired Michael Clarke, who was supposed to lead them, pulled out of the tournament, and Cameron White, who led them last season, switched to Melbourne Renegades.Hussey was upbeat about captaining the side with Faulkner as deputy and described his appointment as “interesting”.”It’s an interesting decision by the Melbourne Stars,” Hussey told . “James Faulkner’s going to be the vice-captain and he’s going to be a great person to bounce ideas off. I’ve also learnt from two great captains before me in Shane Warne and Cameron White. In terms of me being captain, it’s a tough one.”The Stars have made the semi-finals in all four seasons so far, but have not reached the final even once. Addressing that was Hussey’s main concern. “I’m really focused on helping the Melbourne Stars. I want to win some silverware,” he said. “It is frustrating. We’ve been semi-finalists every year since the inception of the competition.”Hussey, 38, was not sure of his appointment as a long-term plan and said Faulkner could be the future captain of the Stars in the coming years. Hussey had played only four matches last season with an unimpressive tally of 37 runs at an average of 12.33 and strike rate of 97.36.”I’m always for never standing in the way of a younger player coming through,” he said. “James Faulkner, hopefully we can work together and maybe he’s going to be a future captain of the Melbourne Stars, maybe next year or the year after.”The Stars will also have a new coach for this season – former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming who has coached IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. Fleming was banking on the familiarity he shares with Hussey and was eager to have their international star Kevin Pietersen in the camp. Their other international recruit is an England batsman as well – Luke Wright.”It’s nice to have a strong Victorian presence as captain,” Fleming said. “To be working with him is quite a key component because I know him so well.”There’s been a lot written about Kevin, and whether or not he should be playing international cricket. I’m pretty pleased he’s playing with the Stars,” Fleming had said after his appointment earlier this year.The Stars will start their tournament on December 18 against the Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval.

Parvez Rasool, the Jammu and Kashmir allrounder, is set to join Pune Warriors for IPL 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Feb-2013Parvez Rasool, the Jammu and Kashmir allrounder, is set to join Pune Warriors for IPL 2013. Rasool was in the spotlight earlier this week, when he bagged seven wickets against the touring Australians. He will be the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the league.The formalities are yet to be completed but the franchise is in the process of signing Rasool, a Warriors official confirmed.Rasool said Warriors were not the only IPL team to contact him, but they had been in touch with him even before that tour match. “A few franchises approached me but it was Pune who approached me first. So it was an ethical decision to join them as they had shown interest much before the Australia match happened,” Rasool told . “I am very excited and it is an honour to play in the IPL and become the first cricketer from the valley to achieve this feat.”Twenty-four-year-old Rasool had an impressive 2012-13 Ranji season too, leading both the bowling and batting charts for Jammu and Kashmir; his 594 runs from seven games came at an average of 54, while his 33 wickets came at 18.09 apiece.He is looking forward to drawing on the knowledge of the international players at the IPL, he said, to further lift his game. “It is a dream come true for me that I will be interacting with Michael Clarke. Also having Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh] will be a bonus. I have just started my journey in top-flight cricket, and this stint with Pune will only help me grow. I hope that I will be able soak in all the information that I can get from our coach Allan Donald too.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore have picked up Andrew McDonald, the allrounder from Australia, from the Delhi Daredevils for the 2012 IPL season

Tariq Engineer11-Jan-2012Royal Challengers Bangalore have picked up Andrew McDonald, the allrounder from Australia, from the Delhi Daredevils for the 2012 IPL season, the IPL has said. Harmeet Singh, the Punjab medium-pacer, has also moved from Deccan Chargers to Kings XI Punjab.According to a Daredevils official, the transfer fee for McDonald was US$100,000. McDonald played only one game for the Daredevils in 2011. In his three seasons with the team, he played just six games, scoring 76 runs and taking five wickets.”All-rounders are a priceless asset and we are pleased to add Andrew to our squad,” Sidhartha Mallya, the director of Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, said. “He has excelled with bat and ball in different formats. We have no doubt that he will make a big difference to our prospects in the coming IPL season.”TA Sekar, the head of cricket for Daredevils owner GMR Sports, said McDonald “would fit in well with the Royal Challengers.”McDonald is currently playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, where he has made 156 runs from five games at an average of 52.00 and a strike-rate of 136.84.Harmeet played two games for the Chargers in 2011, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.57.Harmeet and McDonald were the fourth and fifth players to be traded during the current transfer window. Dinesh Karthik moved from Kings XI to the Mumbai Indians for a record $2.35 million, with R Sathish heading in the opposite direction. Kevin Pietersen was transferred to the Daredevils from the Chargers.”The process of player-transfers during the trading window is gaining in momentum, and we are likely to see more action in the days leading up to 20 January 2012, when the first part of the window will close,” Rajeev Shukla, the IPL chairman, said.There will be another short window for trading after the February 4 auction in which the players of now-terminated franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be sold. The 2012 IPL will run from April 4 to May 27.

Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has termed his side’s performance in the fifth ODI against Pakistan at Hamilton as “dumb cricket”, and said captain Daniel Vettori gave the team an appropriately harsh talk after the match

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2011Jacob Oram, the New Zealand allrounder, has termed his side’s performance in the fifth ODI against Pakistan in Hamilton as “dumb cricket”, and said captain Daniel Vettori gave the team an appropriately harsh talk after the match.Vettori missed the match with a hamstring injury but called a team meeting under the Seddon Park grandstand straight after the match. “Basically Dan kicked the management and support staff out, or maybe they just chose not to come and look us in the eye,” Oram said. “For an hour-and-a-half it was just the players in the dressing room and we didn’t get back to the hotel till 12.30am.”New Zealand’s loss in Hamilton was their 14th in their last 15 completed ODIs, and they have just one more match to play, against Pakistan in Auckland on Saturday, before the World Cup. Ross Taylor had said, after the fifth ODI, that the team was not far away from a win but individuals had to take more responsibility, and Oram said similar themes were discussed in the post-match meeting.”We’re just trying to get to the bottom of what is going on. We’re not far away but it’s happened too often for it to be just a coincidence. As we said, talent isn’t the issue. We all know how good the individuals in this team are. We’re not gelling and we’re not taking responsibility for winning the match for New Zealand.”Coach John Wright and his assistants Allan Donald and Trent Woodhill were absent from the meeting. Wright took over the coach’s job from Mark Greatbatch in December last year, and Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler, joined the team as bowling coach just before the start of the ODI series against Pakistan.Vettori announced after the Test series he would step down from captaincy after the World Cup, but Oram said he was still very much in charge of the current team. “Dan ran the show. He’s captain and he’s hurting more than anyone else because this team is his baby. Everyone had their say and there were a lot of home truths spoken.”There were conversations and it led to debates and arguments but we needed to get a lot of things out in the open. There was some serious honesty. But it will mean nothing if we don’t win tomorrow [Saturday] or do well at the World Cup. It will just be another chat. We’ve got to make sure this big chat means something.”Oram also expressed his disappointment with the apparent lack of composure his team showed in failing to reach Pakistan’s 268 in Hamilton – a gettable total on a flat track. New Zealand had two needless run-outs of Jesse Ryder and Scott Styris, and were eventually bowled out for just 227.Prior to the on-going six-match series, Oram had not played international cricket since August last year, when he had to return home from New Zealand’s tri-series in Sri Lanka because of the recurrence of a tendon injury in his knee. He had later said he would consider retirement if he wasn’t named in the World Cup squad. He was included for the World Cup and has played in four of the five games in the current series, impressing with his end-over bowling in the fifth match.

Tamil Nadu and Bengal marched into the finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to set up a replay of last year’s title clash

Cricinfo staff27-Feb-2010
Scorecard
Abhinav Mukund kept piling on the runs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tamil Nadu’s formidable batting unit clicked again to set up a thrashing of Madhya Pradesh in the semi-finals at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket ground. It was Abhinav Mukund who made a century this time, supported by half-centuries from opener S Anirudha and S Badrinath. The other major contribution was an all-round effort from R Sathish, blazing a 17-ball 39 and then bagging four wickets to bury MP’s chances.After choosing to bat, Tamil Nadu’s openers piled on a 177-run stand before Anirudha fell at the end of the 32nd over. With the foundation in place, Tamil Nadu stepped up the pace, with Badrinath slapping eight fours and a six to slam a 40-ball 58. Abhinav, meanwhile, progressed to his third List A century, making a steady 130. Medium-pacer Amarjeet Singh removed both off consecutive deliveries in the 44th over to reduce Tamil Nadu to 276 for 3. Even then, there was no respite for MP, with Sathish and K Vasudevadas ransacking 72 runs in the final six overs to set a massive target of 349.MP lost opener Jalaj Saxena early but kept fighting through a brisk 72-run association between Naman Ojha and Monish Mishra. However, a double-strike from medium-pacer Yo Mahesh, removing both set batsmen in the space of the three deliveries in the 14th over took the momentum out of the chase, and MP never recovered. It didn’t help that none of their batsmen reached even 50, and they were bowled out in the 44th over, 134 runs short.
Scorecard
Manoj Tiwary’s patient half-century steered Bengal past Karnataka and into the finals, setting up a replay of last year’s title clash. His effort came after a solid platform laid by the openers, Shreevats Goswami and Arindam Das, who put up 118 runs, which meant even a late wobble didn’t hurt Bengal. The game had been billed as a clash between Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, but neither of the former India captains had much of an impact on the outcome.Karnataka’s top-order batsmen flopped after they were sent in, and it was only a battling 93-run partnership between CM Gautam and S Aravind that lifted them from the depths of 130 for 8 to a middling score. The experiment to play Vinay Kumar at No. 3 worked to an extent, his 43 was the highest score among Karnataka’s top six. Dravid stuck around for 48 deliveries to compile 29 before he was caught behind off debutant offspinner Soumya Pakre. That dismissal came in the middle of a collapse that started with Vinay’s exit – Karnataka losing five wickets for 29 runs. It was then that Gautam combined with Aravind, who had made only 15 runs in his career before today’s unbeaten 38, to revive Karnataka.Bengal’s chase had its shakiest period when four wickets went down for 24 runs after the openers had put on a big stand. Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha, though, put Bengal back on top with a 74-run association, and the target was overhauled with an over to spare.