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Captain’s century leads from the front but Surrey hit back late in the day

Matt Roller21-Apr-2022Tom Abell raised his bat to the Somerset dressing room then breathed a sigh of relief. His unbeaten hundred against Surrey at the Kia Oval was an overdue return to form and an innings that offered his side some reassurance after a miserable run with the bat dating back to the end of last season.Somerset’s totals this season have made for grim reading: 180, 135, 109 and 154. Since the start of the divisional phase of last year’s Championship, they had passed 200 only twice in 12 completed innings and lost six games in a row for the first time since the 1960s. They have played on some challenging pitches, but the statistics are grisly enough to make even England’s top order wince.Abell has worn the look of a wartime leader throughout that run, fronting up with his brow furrowed as the local media demanded answers after each collapse. His own form had disintegrated: across his previous 14 first-class innings, including two for the England Lions against Australia A, he had managed only 109 runs at 7.79.After the drought came a deluge: Abell surpassed that tally in a day in the south London sun, whipping Surrey’s seamers through midwicket when they attacked his stumps and driving elegantly through extra cover if they strayed too wide. When he walked off at the close, he had 121 of Somerset’s 283 for 6, a scoreline which vindicated his decision to bat first on a green, but slowish pitch.Abell had looked in complete control until he reached the 90s, when his poise briefly deserted him. On 95, he edged Jordan Clark just short of gully; on 97, he watched Ollie Pope fling himself to his right at second slip but fail to cling onto a thick outside edge; on 99, he heard Ben Foakes and Reece Topley plead for a leg-side strangle, then saw Martin Saggers shake his head.When he tucked Topley off his pads to reach 100, Abell acknowledged the applause from his team-mates, embraced Josh Davey, and took a deep breath that exuded reassurance rather than rapture. This was only his second first-class hundred since August 2020, and served as a reminder of his quality, to himself more than anyone.”I’ve obviously been in a pretty tough place for the last couple of weeks, really,” he said at the close. “I was desperate, particularly as captain, to lead from the front with my batting and I’ve not been satisfied with my performances.”I’ve been batting, really searching for something. I felt like I’ve not been in a great place with my batting so the main emotion was just relief, to be honest. I appreciate the love from the boys as well up there. It meant a lot to me.”Related

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Abell has been discussed in some quarters as a left-field candidate for England’s Test captaincy, a suggestion which has mainly served to highlight the paucity of options. His recent run of form underlines the obvious problem with handing the role to someone who is not sure of their place – how could anyone survive the scrutiny that would fall on their batting as well as their leadership? – but his leadership credentials are obvious and he has served Somerset with distinction.The thought emerged when he was compiling a 103-run stand for the fourth wicket with James Hildreth that these might be the two outstanding uncapped batters of their respective generations. Hildreth’s dismissal, when he slapped the final delivery with the old ball – a wide, non-turning offbreak from Will Jacks – to backward point for a flashy 54, perhaps underlined why the selectors have never called.That was the first of three wickets in 22 balls, a sequence which brought Surrey back into the game after a day of hard graft: Clark had Steven Davies caught behind, looking to drive his second ball to the cover boundary, while Topley, the pick of the attack, was rewarded with a cheap wicket of his own as Craig Overton cut a short ball to point.Sam Curran, returning to professional cricket after an absence of more than six months that saw him miss the T20 World Cup, the Ashes, two Caribbean tours and the ongoing IPL, was limited to 10 overs, with an abundance of caution over his comeback after a stress fracture in his lower back. He bowled tightly, probing in the off-stump channel, but went wicketless.Curran was one of six seamers – including Ryan Patel’s medium pace – that Surrey used on the first day, as they went in without a specialist spinner for the third consecutive game. The fact that Gareth Batty, the erstwhile president of the Spinners’ Union, is their head coach makes the decision particularly intriguing; Daniel Moriarty and Amar Virdi have bowled 54 wicketless overs between them for the second XI this week, but must feel disheartened about the make-up of this attack.

Darren Stevens hit a sumptuous unbeaten 205 to edge Kent over the line for a two-wicket Championship win and condemn champions Lancashire to their first defeat of the campaign

27-Sep-2013Kent 260 (Key 134, Harmison 59) and 418 for 8 (Stevens 205*, Northeast 70, Ball 69) beat Lancashire 284 (Prince 134) and 393 for 5 dec (Prince 108, Horton 106, Agathangelou 51) by two wickets
ScorecardDarren Stevens flayed a double-century to complete Kent’s second-highest fourth-innings chase•Getty Images

Darren Stevens hit a sumptuous unbeaten 205 to edge Kent over the line for a two-wicket Championship win and condemn champions Lancashire to their first defeat of the campaign. Chasing an improbable 418 for victory, Kent eased home with 14.2 overs to spare to record their maiden win on Kentish soil this summer and the second-highest successful fourth-innings pursuit in the club’s first-class history.Stevens, who faces an ICC hearing in the new year for failing to report an illegal approach during this year’s Bangladesh Premier League campaign, proved unstoppable to a Lancashire attack without their three leading wicket-takers. Stevens’ 218-ball innings included 21 fours and three sixes and was his fourth three-figure score in the Championship this year – and it helped Kent avoid an unwanted record of not securing a Championship win at home.Resuming on their overnight total of 32 for 1 – which was effectively two wickets down after Rob Key fractured his left thumb whilst in the field on day three – their position soon worsened when they lost Brendan Nash to the ninth ball of the day, caught behind after an attempted push-drive against Kyle Jarvis to make it 39 for 2.Five overs later Kent’s second top-scorer of the first innings Ben Harmison went back only to offer no shot to a Tom Smith offcutter that trapped him leg before.With little to lose, Sam Northeast went for his shots to post an attractive 54-ball 50 full of rasping drives and with eight fours. Stevens, Kent’s player of the season, marched in to follow Northeast’s lead as the fourth-wicket pair added an eye-catching 82 in 17.1 overs before Northeast (70) was trapped leg-before on the back-foot by a Luke Procter inswinger.Stevens reached a 60-ball 50 before lunch and moved through the gears after the break to add 71 in 17.1 overs with Sam Billings (24) before the understudy keeper edged a back-foot drive against Smith to be caught behind.Adam Ball, playing only his second game of the season, joined forces with Stevens and notched a career-best 69 as the pair posted 148 in 34.2 overs for the sixth wicket. Having reached a 55-ball 50, his first in Championship cricket, Ball perished to the second new ball, leg-before when playing back in defence to Smith.Home skipper James Tredwell went soon after when nudging one to second slip off Oliver Newby and the alarm bells rang for Kent supporters when Mark Davies followed without scoring when Newby trapped him lbw on the back foot. The injured Key then sidled in to add a vital three runs from 11 balls, allowing Stevens to hit the winning boundary off Newby.

Pune Warriors beat Delhi Daredevils comfortably, consigning the visitors to the last place in the IPL points table

The Report by Siddhartha Talya19-May-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Luke Wright’s cameo at the death played an important role in Pune Warriors’ win [file photo]•BCCI

Amid the bad news in the IPL, and with the knowledge that this afternoon’s game was as dead as it could get in this tournament in the battle of the bottom-placed sides, a healthy crowd made its way to the Sahara Stadium in Pune, a considerable distance from the main city. It was worth it, as they saw their team beat Delhi Daredevils comfortably, consigning the visitors to the last place in the IPL points table and marking an ignominious end to a journey that began with Unmukt Chand’s off stump being knocked out of its place in the tournament opener.Aaron Finch, Angelo Mathews, and Luke Wright played a critical role with the bat to set a tough target on a slowish pitch, and Ali Murtaza, who had been scarred by Chris Gayle during his assault of 175, picked up three wickets in the chase to put the task beyond Daredevils. Robin Uthappa and Finch have shared a productive opening stand this IPL, and Uthappa began Warriors’ charge with some lovely drives through the off side before his stay ended with the score on 38. Finch then took over, opening up in the ninth over bowled by Umesh Yadav, who was in for an expensive spell.Umesh struggled with his length, serving up one in the slot that Finch dispatched over long-on, a short one that was pulled over midwicket, before doling out a full toss that was slammed through extra cover in an over that went for 17. Irfan Pathan was flicked through square leg for 12 runs in an over, but Daredevils found their way back with the wickets of Finch and Yuvraj Singh to leave Warriors at 97 for 4 in 14 overs.Wright has had a quiet tournament with the bat, while Mathews has had a consistent run, and both stepped up at the death. Some of their shots were a result of luck – a top-edge for six, an inside edge for four – but both also middled the ball well, tearing in to Yadav in the penultimate over, both smacking him for sixes to snatch 24. Length balls were not spared, and Wright was especially adept at playing the pull and clipping the ball past square leg. The last five overs yielded 65, and it proved decisive.In the chase David Warner’s poor form continued, but Mahela Jayawardene and Bharat Chipli, who replaced Chand, appeared to be putting Daredevils on track. The pair added 23 in quick time, but Daredevils’ slide began when Murtaza was brought on to bowl in the fifth over. He was unlucky not to get Jayawardene stumped, but dismissed him next ball as he spooned a catch to point. Virender Sehwag struck a couple of attractive boundaries, but holed out against Murtaza, who also trapped Chipli in front next ball to leave Delhi at 55 for 4. Ben Rohrer dragged one back on from Ashok Dinda and Irfan was left with too much to get with the lower order.Warriors have slipped up badly in the last few overs with the ball, but a half-century stand between Irfan and CM Gautam didn’t unsettle them. A double-strike from Mathews in one over all but sealed the game for Warriors, who may have won today but, bought for US$370 million, have had three forgettable seasons on the trot.

The ICC has introduced a largely-anticipated new playing condition to international cricket with a no-ball set to be called when a bowler breaks the non-striker’s end stumps in the delivery stride

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2013The ICC has introduced a largely-anticipated new playing condition to international cricket with a no-ball set to be called when a bowler breaks the non-striker’s end stumps in the delivery stride.The MCC had already announced a change to the Laws of the game from October 1 and the ICC has taken the initiative to introduce a new playing recognition for Tests, ODIs and T20s from April 30.Previously, when the non-striker’s end stumps were broken in the delivery stride a dead-ball was called, following an initial warning, regardless of the outcome of the delivery. The new regulation provides clarity on what had been an issue of controversy.The change was prompted by England bowler Steven Finn who repeatedly broke the non-striker’s end stumps against South Africa in 2012. In the Headingley Test, Graeme Smith complained that he was being distracted and the umpires decided to begin calling a dead-ball. Smith was subsequently caught at slip when Finn had broken the stumps and a dead-ball was called.ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, said a change in playing conditions was necessary because the current solution of a dead-ball was inadequate. “The MCC recently decided to address this issue by introducing a new no-ball Law. The ICC cricket committee noted the MCC’s decision and recommended that a playing condition, mirroring the new Law, be introduced to international cricket as early as possible.”The decision was ratified at the ICC chief executives committee meeting in Dubai. “The ICC has decided to introduce this playing condition five months prior to the MCC changing the Law because there is a lot of important cricket to be played before October 1, including the ICC Champions Trophy in June,” Allardice said.”The introduction of this playing condition will now provide greater certainty for all involved when a bowler breaks the wickets during the act of delivery.”

The hosts will miss 12 first-choice players who will be away at the IPL, with Tom Latham to lead both white-ball squads

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2022Allrounder Michael Bracewell and wicketkeeper-batter Dane Cleaver have earned their maiden New Zealand call-ups for the upcoming white-ball home series against Netherlands. While Bracewell has been named in both the ODI and the T20I squads, Cleaver has been chosen only for the T20Is.Bracewell and Cleaver were the top two run-getters in this season’s Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition, scoring 478 and 369 runs respectively.Bracewell is in line to become the fourth member of his family to play for New Zealand, after his uncles John and Brendon, and his cousin Doug, who is also part of both white-ball squads.Related

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“Both players have been on the national radar for some time and certainly deserve their selection off the back of another quality domestic season,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “Michael is a superb ball-striker who can mix touch with his power, while his right arm offbreaks are an asset to any side.”Dane… has been the stand-out wicketkeeper-batsman of the Super Smash in recent years. We felt Dane’s consistent weight of runs and the role he can play at the top of the order gave him the slight edge.”With 12 of New Zealand’s first-choice players missing the series to take part in the IPL, fast bowlers Ben Sears and Scott Kuggeleijn were also named in the T20I squad.”Anytime you lose 12 front-liners it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re really excited by the players we’ve been able to call on,” Stead said. “With another T20 World Cup later this year and the ODI World Cup next year it’s a good time to be offering opportunities to a wider group of players.”Meanwhile, the ODI series will be Ross Taylor’s farewell, as he is set to retire from international cricket after its conclusion. Taylor is a part of only the ODI squad, along with Henry Nicholls and Kyle Jamieson.The tour begins with the one-off T20I in Napier on March 25, with the three-match ODI series – which will be a part of the ODI Super League – starting in Mount Maunganui on March 29. Tom Latham will lead both sides in the absence of regular captain Kane Williamson.New Zealand ODI squad: Tom Latham (capt, wk), Doug Bracewell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner, Will YoungNew Zealand T20I squad: Tom Latham (capt, wk), Doug Bracewell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young

Indian fans have requested BCCI vice president Arun Jaitley to publish the unedited probe report prepared by the two-man team on the alleged corruption in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2013A group of Indian fans, in a bid to help clean up the game, have requested BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley to publish the unedited probe report that will be submitted on Monday at the BCCI working committee meeting in Delhi. In a letter, the fans have asked for the report – put together by the two-man team assigned to investigate allegations of betting and spot-fixing in IPL – to be posted on the BCCI website, saying it would be “disappointing if BCCI decides not to publish it”.The letter, penned by Vijay Navaratnam and signed by 43 others, went on to ask for a secure email address through which the public could contact and provide evidence to the two-member investigation committee, comprised of retired Tamil Nadu High Court judges R Balasubramanian and T Jayaram Chouta. The letter referred to “video clips/photos/copies of emails in the media that show Mr Meiyappan is a formal member of Chennai Super Kings”.In its third point, the letter suggested a governance review of the BCCI. “We dare say the current sorry saga occurred precisely due to BCCI’s poor governance. Poor governance and corruption are interrelated,” the letter read. There was also a call to appoint BCCI directors who are independent of state associations to ensure there is no conflict of interest, and “to bring meaningful debate and fair decision-making into the BCCI boardroom”.

While Pakistan had a game to forget in every department, South Africa’s one-day squad made a promising start to their preparations for the Champions Trophy

Firdose Moonda in Bloemfontein10-Mar-2013A batsman to see off more than half the overs, bowlers who could continually apply pressure, and committed fielding on the biggest ground in South Africa, is what Misbah-ul-Haq felt he needed in Bloemfontein. In other words, “everything went wrong,” and he admitted as much.Everything from selection – Pakistan were a seamer short – to the toss, where AB de Villiers was happy Misbah sent him in, to the efforts with bat and ball.On a flat pitch, Misbah conceded that although he would have preferred a target of around 280, “even nine an over was chaseable,” to fall so far short was not a good reflection on Pakistan. The bowling was challenging – there was some swing from Lonwabo Tsotsobe and some bounce from Ryan McLaren – but it was not impossible to score.What Pakistan lacked was someone with the temperament to stay at the crease. Mohammad Hafeez was unlucky – “what can you do?” Misbah said in response to questions about the run-out – but Nasir Jamshed and Younis Khan chased wide deliveries, Asad Shafiq misdirected a hook, Misbah was found wanting against the short ball and Shoaib Malik did not pick a slower one.”We needed someone to bat through,” Misbah said “It’s difficult when you are losing wickets to chase a total like that. Wickets in hand is key. You want your main batsmen to go in and keep scoring.”Having conceded a large total, it was important that Pakistan’s batsmen showed more discipline than their bowlers. The attack did not escape Misbah’s criticism. “We did not manage to take wickets, we could not manage to create pressure and the fielding was mediocre,” he said.It is not the time for crisis talks yet, though. Misbah chose to take a measured view of the defeat. “Everybody knows what we did wrong. We need to improve the areas we are bowling, build more partnerships and every batsmen who is set needs to carry on.”Not so for South Africa. Even though the next match is five days away, AB de Villiers said the boost this has given the team will serve them well for the rest of the series. “We’ve got confidence now,” he said. “We had a really good performance with a lot of pressure on us.”Expectation on South Africa was low before this series because they appeared an unsettled unit. It is only one performance but already they look ready to shelve that notion as the former bit-part players had starring roles. Colin Ingram, Farhaan Behardien and Ryan McLaren were under the most scrutiny coming into the match and all three put in impressive performances.Ingram had to build an innings and a partnership, and faith in him appeared low when de Villiers came in at No.3 instead of him. “It’s taken us a while to come up with some sort of plan for batting. When we have a solid foundation, like we did today, it’s a good time for me to come in,” de Villiers explained. “I enjoy playing against the spinners and I can work it around a little.”Ingram followed soon after and helped de Villiers create the “game changer,” with a 120-run stand. “We hussled between deliveries, we showed intent and we showed two good cricket brains,” de Villiers said. “We played the spinners well so it was easy for me to bat with Colin.”Behardien showed his ability to finish, something that he has not managed to do so far. The end result was that the bowlers went into the second half with an advantage and McLaren exploited it fully.On his home turf, he used the short ball well and formed an important part of the seam quartet that tied Pakistan down. McLaren has not had his standout performance in ODI cricket yet, and with Dale Steyn returning and Morne Morkel close to recovery, he needed to do something to prove his worth.”It’s probably the most pleasing thing of all to watch Ryan develop,” de Villiers said. “Every game I have ever played against, he has been a real fighter and even though he struggled in the past, to see him perform like this is great. He looks comfortable at this level now.”With an all-round effort from his charges, de Villiers found the captaincy less of a burden and “felt more in control.” He was also able to gauge the level of commitment from the men he commands, and on the evidence of this effort, he was satisfied. “I can see guys wanting to be in this team and perform in this team,” he said. Even those who didn’t do that emphatically in previous games.

After completing their third convincing win in four matches, New Zealand captain Suzie Bates said that she expected a ‘really tough game’ against Sri Lanka

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai08-Feb-2013After completing their third convincing win in four matches, New Zealand captain Suzie Bates said that she expected a ‘really tough game’ against Sri Lanka, who have beaten defending champions England and India in the tournament. On Friday, though, they were dismissed for 103 after being unable to cope with the New Zealand attack in helpful conditions”We came out and we expected a really tough game against an improved Sri Lankan side,” Bates said. “After we won the toss today, it was difficult [for them] in the morning in varying conditions first up. We got early wickets which put them on the back foot. It was easier than we had perhaps planned for, so we are really happy with the win.”Her bowlers made the most of the toss and Lea Tahuhu, who recorded her career-best figures of 4 for 27, was happy to bowl first and exploit the conditions which never allowed Sri Lanka to get a grip on the game.”It was a really nice pitch to bowl on to be honest, especially after winning the toss. There was a bit of swing and it was really nice to get those figures,” Tahuhu said with a smile sitting with the Player of the Match award.There were contrasting emotions for Sri Lanka captain Shashikala Siriwardene who admitted the team’s eight-wicket loss stemmed from being able to combat the early conditions. After being asked to bat in their first Super Six encounter, Sri Lanka were tottering on 23 for 4 at the end of the ten overs.In their previous game, against India on Tuesday, Sri Lanka’s top five had put together 258, nut against New Zealand that figure dropped to 55.”We have done well whenever our top order has done something special,” Siriwardene said. “Our top order has to do well, that is the main thing for the team. At last three out of four have to be in good form to get past the score of 200.”The conditions at the Bandra Kurla Complex were ideal for fast bowling in the morning. The sun had not shown itself completely, the pitch was moist and the ball was swinging around. Chamari Atapattu failed to open her account for nearly half an hour and Yasoda Mendis was clean bowled first ball by Tahuhu.”We would have liked to bowl first,” Siriwardene said. “It was a good pitch to bowl, especially for fast bowlers and we played with three fast bowlers. Once again, our top order failed so I think that’s main reason for the loss.”It’s our first game here and they were really swinging the ball and we struggled. Gradually, Dilani [Manodara] and Sandamali [Dolawatte] built a good partnership but couldn’t continue till the end.”Labelled as the underdogs before the World Cup started, Sri Lanka upset two big teams within their first three matches. However, despite New Zealand handing them their second big loss but that did not make Siriwardene question the team’s ability.”We knew that we always had that ability and potential but unfortunately we couldn’t perform in the middle. That is the main problem we are having since 2005. We really wanted to fight well, play good cricket and show what we can do. Now, we have to continue with the things which are going well for us and come up with good performances again.”

“We will have a board meeting soon after we receive the report and then we will release it publicly,” CSA acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2021CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report will be delivered to the organisation a week later than scheduled, with the ombudsman, Dumisa Ntsebeza, requesting an extension to the revised November 30 deadline. The report will now be sent to the board on December 6.Pholetsi Moseki, the CSA acting chief executive, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the report would be made public after the board has spent time deliberating on its contents: “We will have a board meeting soon after we receive the report and then we will release it publicly.”The report will contain recommendations made by Ntsebeza on issues relating to discrimination in South African cricket, and is expected to cover issues around the culture in the national teams, selection, match fees, and the grassroots.Related

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CSA is not obligated to implement any of Ntsebeza’s suggestions, but is likely to act on at least some of them.This is the second time the report has been delayed after it was initially expected to be completed by September 30. The deadline had to be extended after several parties that were implicated in the first phase of testimonies between July 5 and August 6 requested for time to compile their replies, which was granted.The second phase of testimonies was held in October and included responses by current head coach Mark Boucher, director of cricket Graeme Smith, and former men’s captain AB de Villiers. All three submitted written affidavits and did not appear before the SJN to give oral evidence, and only Boucher’s statement has been made public so far.Although Ntsebeza had previously indicated that the process could do with more time, it has already run for most of 2021 after the first call for submissions was put out at the end of April. It is believed that CSA had budgeted Rand 5 million (US$ 350,000 approx) for the project but the amount has gone up because of the extensions. The costs have come at a time when CSA is waiting to see if its coffers will be filled by an India tour, scheduled to begin in mid-December but in doubt because of the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant in southern Africa.South Africa’s men’s team is also due to play New Zealand (away) and Bangladesh (at home) this summer, while the women’s team is scheduled to host West Indies before the Women’s World Cup.Last week, CSA confirmed that all national teams would continue to take a knee before each match this season to show solidarity with the fight against racism.

Melbourne Renegades beat cross-town rivals Melbourne Stars by a comfortable nine wickets to seal a berth in the semi-finals of the Big Bash League

The Report by Andrew Fuss and ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2013
ScorecardShane Warne and Marlon Samuels were involved in an ugly confrontation as Melbourne Renegades secured a home semi-final in the Big Bash League in front of a record crowd for domestic cricket in Australia.Aaron Finch’s 67 off just 47 balls helped the Renegades to a nine-wicket win with seven balls to spare in front of a crowd of 46,581 which turned out for a fiery Melbourne derby.Cricket Australia’s delight at the success of the much-debated derby formula will be overshadowed by the ill discipline on the field as tempers flared between Warne, the Melbourne Stars captain, and Samuels, the enigmatic Renegades West Indies all-rounder, with several incidents likely to be looked at closely in the coming days.CA officials are expected to announce details of a disciplinary hearing on Monday, although they will first check on the well-being of Samuels, who damaged an eye-socket after top-edging a ball from Lasith Malinga through the grill of his helmet and needed treatment at a Melbourne hospital. His tournament is assumed to be over.Samuels angered the hosts during the Melboune Stars innings when he grabbed David Hussey as he was trying to turn for a second run – and Warne let him know all about it when he came out to bat.In a verbal tirade picked up by Fox Sports microphones, Warne criticised Samuels for his unsporting behaviour at the end of the leg-spinner’s second over, grabbing the West Indian by the shirt in illustration and jabbing his finger in his face.Tempers reached boiling point the following over when Warne fielded a drive by Samuels and flipped the ball straight at the West Indian from close range as he stood in his crease. Samuels reacted angrily at the provocation, throwing his bat over Warne’s head as the umpires rushed in to calm the situation.It was a clear display of gamesmanship by Warne, who was trying desperately to pull his charges back into the match after they were restricted to just 146 having won the toss and electing to bat.The Renegades privately criticised Warne’s behaviour as deliberately provocative and theatrical.In what many will regard as another distasteful aspect of the stand-off, Warne was again wearing a microphone for the benefit of TV viewers and with the game going on used it to defend his actions to commentators.”What are you meant to do when someone throws a bat at you?” he asked.The night went from bad to worse for Samuels as he tried to hook a short ball from Malinga and top-edged it into his face. He was forced to retire hurt with blood streaming from an eye wound with only Malinga among the Stars players making obvious attempts to check on his welfare.Warne later told the : Warne later tried to downplay the drama, saying he didn’t expect to be disciplined by Cricket Australia. “I tried to throw the ball to Bobby Quiney and the next minute I decided to get out of the way of that bat,” he said. “I’m more disappointed that we lost, that was just a heat of the moment thing. That’s just the way it goes, I hope he’s OK.Samuels, acclaimed for his matchwinning display in the final of World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in Australia, has been a marked man in Australia. Darren Lehmann, the Brisbane coach, was fined for questioning the legality of his quicker ball, a theme later picked up by the Adelaide coach Darren Berry.For Renegades, it was another impressive all-round team performance with a number of contributors with the ball leading to an easy win.Aaron O’Brien continued his great form, conceding just 22 runs off his four
overs and taking the valuable wicket of Brad Hodge. He was backed up by Darren Pattinson (2 for 12), Will Sheridan (3 for 36) and the ever-reliable Muralitharan (1 for 27) as the Stars limped to a score well below par given the pace and consistency of the pitch.The Stars had four batsmen reach 20 but not one of them was able to convert it into a bigger score. All-rounder James Faulkner hit two massive sixes to start the final over before the Renegades took a team hat-trick to stem the flow of runs.Finch and Alex Doolan (30 off 28) were brutal early against the Stars fast bowlers and quickly took the game away from the hosts with a 70-run partnership in just 49 balls.The Stars will look to re-group quickly ahead of their do-or-die clash with the Sydney Thunder in Melbourne on Tuesday. The task won’t be made any easier by the loss of Malinga, McKay, Hussey and Maxwell to international duty. With the Heat, Hurricanes, Strikers and Scorchers all battling for the final three spots in the semi-finals, nothing less than a win will do for the Stars.Despite securing top place, the Renegades have problems of their own, with Finch joining the Australian team for the series against Sri Lanka and Doolan (ankle) and Samuels (face) both under injury clouds ahead of their game against the Sydney Sixers in Sydney on Wednesday.