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Josh Hazlewood will return for the home side while Pakistan need victory to take the series to a decider

Tristan Lavalette07-Nov-2024

Big picture: Pakistan out to keep series alive, last hit-out for several of Australia’s Test stars

After falling short of an incredible heist in game one at the MCG, Pakistan will need to regroup and conjure a rare victory at the picturesque Adelaide Oval on Friday to keep the series alive.Pakistan’s quicks gamely attempted to defend a modest score of 203, with fiery bowling from Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah on a fast and bouncy surface almost leading to a dream start for new ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan.Related

• Starc's early-season form is getting people talking

• Rauf rues 'untidy mistakes' as MCG ghosts continue to haunt Pakistan

• Short: Pakistan may have to change tactics in Adelaide

The short-pitched tactics worked well and rattled Australia’s batters, but Pakistan will likely need to change their approach on a ground with much shorter dimensions square of the wicket compared to the MCG. They will be wise to focus on bowling a disciplined line and length against an explosive Australia batting-order determined to stick with an ultra-aggressive method.To keep the series alive heading into Sunday’s decider in Perth, Pakistan will also need to defy a poor record against Australia having only won twice in the last 14 ODIs between the two sides.Australia weren’t overly convincing in game one, but can wrap up the series in what will be the final hit-out for skipper Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne before the first Test against India.Starc has been in sizzling early season form, while Cummins was clutch with ball and bat at the MCG. Smith’s crisp 44 allayed fears over his form but Labuschagne is in the midst of a lean patch and scored just 16 in the first ODI before being hustled by the extra bounce of Rauf.

Form guide

AustraliaWWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
PakistanLLWWL

In the spotlight: Matt Short and Babar Azam

While the Test ‘bat off’ continues during the second Australia A match at the MCG, Australia also have David Warner’s shoes to fill in ODI cricket. With regular opener Travis Head on paternity leave, Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk are trying to make compelling cases ahead of the Champions Trophy but both fell cheaply in the opening game. Short has been viewed as having the inside running after performing well against England in the UK recently but made just one run in the series-opener after top-edging Shaheen Shah Afridi to third man. He should relish returning to the Adelaide Oval, where he has made a heap of runs in the BBL over the years for Strikers. Short has a golden opportunity in front of him in conditions he knows very well.Babar Azam looked in good touch before being beaten by Adam Zampa in Melbourne•AFP

Pakistan’s batters were exposed in challenging MCG conditions after being sent in. The exception was Babar Azam, who was a class above his team-mates with an elegant 37 off 44. He got through Australia’s quicks until he stumbled trying to accelerate the run rate against legspinner Adam Zampa. Babar’s recent struggles have been well documented and led to his controversial axing during the England Test series. But he seemed well at home back in ODI cricket, his favored format where he averages 56.52 – the fourth highest all-time – and is one century away from equalling Saeed Anwar’s Pakistan record of 20. He’ll have fond memories of playing at the Adelaide Oval having scored an even century against Australia in January 2017 – the last time the teams clashed in an ODI at the ground.

Team news: Hazlewood returns; Naseem expected to be fit

Hazlewood is likely to replace Sean Abbott in the XI and play his sole international match before the first Test. After a month’s break following the UK tour, Hazlewood made his return for New South Wales against Queensland in a Sheffield Shield fixture at Cricket Central that finished earlier in the week. He went wicketless from 24 overs in Queensland’s only innings of the drawn match.Australia (possible): 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodNaseem was forced to leave the field in the first ODI due to cramps but is expected to be available. Pakistan may need to consider playing a frontline spinner in Adelaide.Pakistan (possible): 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Pitch and conditions

Despite its reputation as a batting paradise, Adelaide Oval has been tough to bat on as underlined in a low-scoring Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Victoria that finished earlier in the week although that was designed to assist the home side’s spinners. The surface is usually considerably flatter for white-ball cricket with the short square dimensions leading to rapid scoring. There has been rain in the lead-up to the match and a shower is forecast on Friday morning. But play should be unaffected with sunny conditions expected throughout the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Mitchell Starc is six wickets away from becoming the fourth Australian to take 250 ODI wickets. He has the best strike-rate by an Australian in ODI cricket (minimum 50 wickets).
• Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs.
• Shaheen Shah Afridi (25.99) and Haris Rauf (26.23) sit seventh and eighth respectively for bowling strike-rates in ODI history (minimum 1000 balls).
• Pakistan have beaten Australia just once from eight ODIs at the Adelaide Oval. Their only win was by 12 runs in December 1996.
  

  Quotes

  “The game is changing and we want to take the game on in the first 10 overs. Instead of scrapping to 240-250, which aren’t winnable scores out here, getting towards the high 300 mark is more of a winning total we think.”

Jaiswal’s captain was impressed by the temperament he showed while playing the longest innings by an India Test debutant

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2023India captain Rohit Sharma has hailed Yashasvi Jaiswal for the temperament he showed while scoring 171 on debut in the Dominica Test against West Indies. The 21-year-old Jaiswal was adjudged Player of the Match after India wrapped up victory by an innings and 141 runs late on the third evening.Jaiswal’s innings, lasting 501 minutes and 387 balls, was the longest by an India Test debutant, and Rohit watched a large part of it from the other end during an opening stand of 229.Related

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“He’s got the talent,” Rohit said of Jaiswal. “We knew about it. He’s shown us in the past couple of years that he’s ready for this big stage. Came and batted sensibly, showed a lot of patience, and the temperament was tested as well – at no stage [did it look] like he was panicking or going away from his plans, which was good to see.”Rohit, who experienced scoring a century on Test debut against West Indies a decade ago, said all he told Jaiswal during their partnership was that he belonged at the Test level.”In the middle, it was just about having a chat, letting him know, ‘You belong here.’ That is the most important thing, because when you’re playing your first Test match, you kind of keep asking yourself whether you belong here or not, but my job from the other side was to just keep telling him, ‘You’ve done all the hard yards, it’s just about enjoying your time in the middle. Don’t worry about the results, just enjoy your time, and if you do that the results will flow.'”Paras Mhambrey, India’s bowling coach, also heaped praise on Jaiswal, particularly for his application as per the conditions.”The way he batted was fabulous, Mhambrey said of Jaiswal’s innings. “It was a slow wicket and got slower as the game progressed, stroke-making wasn’t easy. If you look at the way he’s batted earlier, he’s the kind of guy who likes to take on the game, likes to play his stroles. But the way he applied himself on that wicket was very good to see. That’s what you need at the international level, to be able to adapt to different conditions and situations, and that was expected by the team. He did the role for the team so it’s definitely very heartening and positive to see. This performance will give him a lot of confidence and hold him good going ahead.”India had two debutants in Dominica, the other being the keeper-batter Ishan Kishan who spent 145.2 overs waiting for his turn to bat, and only got to spend seven overs at the crease before Rohit declared. The declaration came two balls after Rohit had indicated from the dressing-room balcony that it was imminent. That early warning gave Kishan just enough time to work Alzarri Joseph off his hip for a single and get off the mark in Test cricket, off the 20th ball he had faced.”I was just letting them know that we probably have an over or so and then we’re declaring,” Rohit said. “I just wanted Ishan to get off the mark, because he had probably played close to 15-20 balls without getting off the mark, so I wanted to tell him, get your first runs in Test cricket and then we have to declare.”I can understand, playing your first Test match, you have a lot of nerves going around, and I could see, he was sitting there in the dressing room, entire [second] day, wanting to go out to bat, so I know the feeling, but I was just letting him know that we probably have an over or two and then we’re going to declare.”On a pitch with slow but sharp turn, the biggest match-winners, inevitably, were R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared 17 of the 20 wickets India took, with Ashwin claiming match figures of 12 for 131, his best in overseas Tests.”The results speak for themselves,” Rohit said of the two spinners. “Both of these guys have been doing it for a while for us now. They know exactly what is expected out of them. There’s not much to tell them [about] what we need to do. It’s just about going to them and giving them that freedom to go and express, because that is when they’re doing their best for the side as well.”When you have the kind of experience that these guys have, bowling on pitches like this, it’s always a luxury, but yeah, you’ve got to come out and pitch it in the area that you want, and get the pitch to do the rest. Both Ashwin and Jadeja were magnificent in the game, especially Ashwin. To come out and bowl like that shows his class.”Mhambrey didn’t fall short of calling Ashwin “one of the greatest match-winners” India has produced.”He has been one of the greatest matchwinners from India, he’s right up there,” Mhambrey said. “The way he has won us so many matches can’t be praised enough. He has been performing for so many years, I can’t even put it into words.”

Second hundred of Blast for Australian, before Josh Cobb takes 5 for 25 with offbreaks

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2022Chris Lynn continued his purple patch with another unbeaten century as Northamptonshire Steelbacks cruised past Worcestershire Rapids by 73 runs to climb to second in the Vitality Blast North Group.The Steelbacks opener struck 113 not out from 57 balls, despite batting with a runner for part of his innings, to equal his highest score in T20 cricket and set up Northamptonshire’s third straight victory. It was a second Blast hundred for Lynn, who averages almost 95 in the tournament so far, and his second-wicket stand of 115 from 62 with skipper Josh Cobb laid the foundations for their side’s winning total of 220 for 3 at Wantage Road.Worcestershire, who have now lost six of their seven matches, never looked like getting close and subsided tamely to 147 all out, with Cobb claiming career-best figures of 5 for 25.Rapids handed a T20 debut to Jacques Banton – younger brother of Tom – and also entrusted the left-arm spinner with the new ball, a move that brought instant rewards as Ben Curran reverse-swept his third delivery into the hands of backward point.Aside from two isolated sixes off Dillon Pennington, Lynn looked relatively sedate at the other end and initially it was Cobb, hitting over the leg-side infield, who brought impetus to the Steelbacks’ innings. But Lynn began to get into his stride after the powerplay, with Pennington taking the brunt of the assault as the Australian dispatched two colossal maximums over midwicket to bring up his half-century from 25 balls.Cobb was just two deliveries slower to that landmark – his second successive 50 – but the captain got no further, drilling Dwayne Bravo to long-off, where Moeen Ali stretched to take the catch above his head.Despite being hampered by a niggle that meant Curran returned to act as his runner, Lynn continued unabated, clattering Ed Barnard for three consecutive sixes and advancing to his hundred. The shrewd Bravo, with figures of 2 for 15, was the only bowler to establish any kind of control as Saif Zaib and Jimmy Neesham, with an unbeaten 24 from 11 balls, steered Northamptonshire beyond 200.The visitors immediately sank into trouble when they replied, with Jake Libby patting the second delivery of the innings straight to square leg before Tom Taylor ripped out Moeen’s middle stump. Taylor had Colin Munro caught behind two balls later to leave Worcestershire teetering at 16 for 3, but Jack Haynes launched a brief bid to rescue the situation single-handedly, with some clean hitting producing a string of boundaries.Once Haynes had holed out to long-off for 33, Rapids continued to crumble, with Cobb’s offbreaks accounting for five wickets, including those of Ben Cox and Banton in successive balls.Barnard prolonged the visitors’ resistance with a defiant 42 from 29 before he was the last man to depart, caught by Freddie Heldreich at backward square with 20 balls unused.

Miller has 78 T20I caps, a shave under three times as many as the next most experienced member of the squad picked to play Pakistan

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2021David Miller aims to use his position as the senior-most member of South Africa’s T20I squad to have an influence on and off the field in their upcoming series against Pakistan.Miller has 78 T20I caps, a shave under three times as many as the next most experienced member of the squad, Andile Phehlukwayo and is one of only four players (including Tabraiz Shamsi and Reeza Hendricks) to have played more than 20 internationals in this format. He is not the captain – that job has gone to Heinrich Klaasen – but Miller intends to play a big behind-the-scenes role.”I’m secure in my role and in what I want to do which brings calmness and clarity to the squad and to players that haven’t been on the international circuit. It can give them reassurance in their role and am looking to help out with youngsters off the field,” Miller said. “And then on the field, cricket it’s about performance. You need to stick up your hand and perform when the team requires you to. We all need to perform as players but it helps when senior players perform.”That much was evident by its absence in the recently completed Test series where Quinton de Kock contributed just 46 runs in four innings, Faf du Plessis scored 55 runs and Dean Elgar 119 runs, and South Africa suffered batting collapses in every innings. Head coach Mark Boucher was critical in his analysis when he said, “if you want to have a shot at winning an overseas series, you need your senior players to stand up and unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”The T20 rubber holds less weight in the bigger scheme of things, especially since South Africa have been forced to field a new-look side because the bulk of their Test squad has returned home, originally to prepare for a series against Australia but that has been postponed and it was too late to change plans already in place. While Miller didn’t go to the extent Klaasen did when he rubbished their second-string status, he echoed Klaasen’s assertion that this is still an international-quality side on a mission to win. “We are representing our country and we are here to win,” he said. “It would be great to play guys that we are accustomed to but at the same time it gives us a great opportunity for guys that haven’t played to step up. As a senior player, I would like to step up in a lot of different areas on and off the field.”Not only is Miller the most experienced but he is also the only one who has played in Pakistan. He featured in three matches for the World XI in 2017 and described the tour as “very brief,” and not necessarily a good eye-opener into conditions. Instead, the week the T20I squad have spent in Lahore has better equipped them for what to expect in the series. “We’ve quickly realised what the conditions will be. Generally, the bounce is a lot lower than back in South Africa,” Miller said.David Miller was with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL but played only one game•BCCI

The same was true for the Tests and those who were able to adapt to it, like Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma, were fairly successful. South Africa won’t have either of them for this series and will instead look at the likes of Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Jacques Snyman, Jon-Jon Smuts and Pite van Biljon to navigate the different bounce. “They’ve played enough in South Africa where there might be particular venues that keep low,” Miller said.Similarly, Glenton Stuurman and Lutho Sipamla, who have spent time bowling on tracks like Port Elizabeth’s St George’s Park, where it keeps low, also have domestic experience to call on. “Some of these guys have been around the block in domestic cricket for many years so they know their games,” Miller said. “Cricket is played the same way at all levels. The only difference is the intensity has risen.”Exposing more players to international white-ball experience had been South Africa’s approach throughout last summer as they hoped to finalise a playing group for the T20 World Cup and begin looking ahead to the 2023 50-over World Cup. As a result, they handed out six new ODI caps and five new T20I caps in the last 18 months, and won one out of five series, a 3-0 ODI whitewash over Australia last March. Miller acknowledged that casting the net wide made it “difficult to try and build things as a team when the team has different players all the time,” but expects that from now until the T20 World Cup, the squad will become “a bit more consistent.”That means time is running out for players in the fringes, like so many in this squad, to nail down a spot and for the experienced core to make sure they are in form ahead of October’s T20 World Cup. Miller said the younger guys “have to take their chances where they come,” and he hopes to find some rhythm after a long period on the sidelines.Miller last played international cricket last March, played in only one IPL game and two domestic fifty-over matches and missed the T20Is against England for health reasons but has prepared well and believes he is ready to be challenged at the highest level again. “It has been a long time since I’ve played. I have to start again but I feel well-prepared and organised. I am mentally fresh and ready to go,” he said.Miller will return home with the T20 squad next Monday to play in the domestic T20 competition and then will head back to Pakistan for the second half of the PSL.

Punjab were 52 for 2, chasing 195 in 39 overs, when the weather put paid to play

The Report by Hemant Brar in Alur21-Oct-2019No result Tamil Nadu qualified for the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy on the basis of more wins in the league stage after rain washed out their quarter-final against Punjab in Alur. The match was evenly poised at the time of the call off, but Tamil Nadu’s nine out of nine wins to Punjab’s five out of eight saw them through.Due to a wet outfield, the game itself started 45 minutes late, as a 47-over contest, and was further reduced to 39-overs-a-side when a passing shower brought a pre-mature end to Tamil Nadu’s innings. At that stage, Tamil Nadu were 174 for 6, thanks to B Aparajith’s 56.Chasing a VJD-adjusted target of 195, Punjab reached 52 for 2 in 12.2 overs before it started raining again, this time bringing a complete end to play.ALSO READ: Dinesh Karthik tells the story of Tamil Nadu’s nine wins in a rowTamil Nadu had a nervy start after being put in. Abhinav Mukund tried to impose himself but ended up chopping Sandeep Sharma onto his stumps. M Vijay struck two fours, flicking Sidharth Kaul’s pace with ease over midwicket, but he missed the same shot against left-arm spinner Karan Kalia and was lbw for 22.When Mayank Markande dismissed Vijay Shankar, Tamil Nadu were 82 for 3. Aparajith and Dinesh Karthik took the side past 100 before Karthik pulled a long hop from Markande straight to short midwicket.Aparajith though kept chipping away and took his tournament tally past 500. Along the way, he smashed a free hit from Sanvir Singh over long-on, pulled Sandeep over deep-backward square leg and brought up his fifty in 68 balls. Washington Sundar held it together at the other end as the duo added 51 in 59 balls. Aparajith was looking set for a big score but he ended up hitting an innocuous Gurkeerat Mann delivery straight to deep midwicket. In his next over, Mann dismissed Shahrukh Khan in the same manner as well.Punjab lost Abhishek Sharma in the fourth over of their chase. Anmolpreet Singh hit a couple of boundaries before Sai Kishore got him caught-behind, leaving Punjab 37 for 2 at the end of seven overs. Sanvir hit a couple of good-looking drives to keep the chase on track but the rain had other plans.

There is still time for India to get back into this series and their batting coach believes the top order may have turned a corner

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge18-Aug-20181:06

India left the ball better than they have done – Woakes

Adjustments to individual techniques coupled with the focus and discipline of the India batsmen were the key to them ending the first day in a good position, according to batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who believed it could be a turning point for the batting line-upFraught techniques, weak application, inappropriate shot selection and lack of partnerships were identified as reasons for the failure of all the India specialist batsmen, barring Virat Kohli, over the first two Tests. It meant the team think tank were forced to ring in changes, which further exacerbated the issue.However, asked to bat by England captain Joe Root on a slow and dry pitch, India’s batsmen showed patience, composure and a renewed vigour and the first impact was the 60-run opening partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.”The most important thing was the opening partnership was according to our expectation,” Bangar said. “In the previous two Tests we were losing two or three wickets inside the first 15 overs. Because of that the middle order was walking in early in difficult conditions. It was not just the start but also the way they were batting was good.”The adjustments were subtle and Bangar gave a few examples: Dhawan tinkered with his bat speed, Rahul waited for the ball to come, Ajinkya Rahane used his feet more to play strokes confidently.”The way Shikhar made the changes to his batting, the way he reduced his bat speed, the way he played the ball later, these adjustments he made in the last six or seven days, he should get credit. KL Rahul, too, was playing on the back foot, he was reacting after the ball’s movement. These changes the batsmen have made make me hopeful for the rest of the series. With five more innings left, if our batsmen can play in the same way, their performance graph will carry on to improve.”All India’s batsmen played shots more in front of square, both on the front and the back foot. At Edgbaston, the they played a total of 94 balls in front of square. At Lord’s that came down to 68. In this third Test, already that count stands at 80.Anotther significant difference was the batsmen were committed to scoring unlike the rut they found themselves in the first two Tests. Bangar said the batting group was conscious of the fast outfield at Trent Bridge.”We all realise that the outfield is very, very fast here in Nottingham. So you get value for your shots. Because the ball is swinging, the way it has been, you always have a lot of players in catching positions. It leaves big gaps in the field, so if you get bat on ball, time it well, there is always value for… I don’t think any side can control run rate here beyond a certain limit because value for shots, it is a fast outfield, anybody timing the ball will get value for shots.”The backbone of the India innings was the 159-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Rahane although both batsmen missed out on centuries. Nonetheless, the significant bit was Rahane finding form with his first half-century in 14 Test innings.”His mindset was very clear,” Bangar said. “He was very positive, his feet were moving well. He was getting into good positions…at times there can be a lapse in concentration which can lead to losing your wicket, which had happened in the previous Test. But he seemed to be in good nick and he capitalised, put us in a good position and he would be hurting because a big score was on the cards.”

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is on a collision course with the BCCI after it reaffirmed its ambition to sign up ‘outstation’ players for the Tamil Nadu Premier League

Arun Venugopal21-Jun-2017The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) is on a collision course with the BCCI after it reaffirmed its ambition to sign up ‘outstation’ players for the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).Responding to a BCCI query about a large number of non-Tamil Nadu players, including some big names like Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan and Manoj Tiwary, on the draft list for TNPL, the TNCA has reiterated that these players are eligible having been registered with the local leagues in the state.This is a not position the BCCI seems inclined to accept. In 2009, it had rejected a request from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to allow outstation players to participate in the Karnataka Premier League.N Srinivasan, who was at the time both BCCI secretary and TNCA president, had said the board would have no problem with the league “as long as they do not include players from outside Karnataka”. The TNPL is Srinivasan’s brainchild.The question of allowing outstation players in the TNPL had first cropped up during its inaugural edition last year. The BCCI had in a working committee meeting last year ruled that no player outside the jurisdiction of a state would be allowed to take part in such leagues. Now, the TNCA in its letter to the board on Tuesday has claimed the outstation players, by virtue of registering with the TNCA, are under its jurisdiction for the purposes of the TNPL.”We have taken a stand that we are going by BCCI rules,” a TNPL official told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. “The BCCI Executive Committee last year said that only players who have registered with the state [association] can play. They further added that the players should come under the state association’s jurisdiction. Now, all these players have registered with the TNCA to play league cricket, and therefore they are under our jurisdiction.”If an outstation player can play in the TNCA’s first-division league and its 50-overs competition, how is TNPL any different? It is a tournament conducted by the TNCA; it is not that we have outsourced this to somebody else. For instance, Piyush Chawla, employed by Chemplast, can play in the final of the TNCA first-division league, so what is the logic in not allowing him to play in the TNPL?”[As far as jurisdiction is concerned] if an outstation player playing in the TNCA league gets embroiled in a disciplinary issue, doesn’t the TNCA have the right to take disciplinary action? We exercise jurisdiction over the players when they are registered with us.”Questioning the BCCI’s interpretation of the rule, the official said the board didn’t have a case to prevent the participation of these players. He didn’t rule out the possibility of exploring legal options as well. “This year, we are not going to take it lying down. We will ask them under which authority they are asking us [to not include these players],” he said. “The Lodha Committee puts players’ rights first, but the BCCI is imposing restrictions.”The official called for free movement of players and said there should be no restriction on where they play so long as their commitment to their state teams isn’t affected. “The only restriction should be when those players are called up for Ranji camps or state matches,” he said. “That’s player is coming here because he is free now. Obviously, their first priority is towards their state teams. But when they are free, they are entitled to play whatever tournament they want.”

Mumbai hold the aces going into the Ranji semi-final, but Madhya Pradesh will bank on pluck and collective effort to raise title aspirations for the first time in over a decade and a half

Shashank Kishore12-Feb-2016Three seasons ago, Harpreet Singh, all of 21 and trying to establish himself in first-class cricket, had an opportunity to help Madhya Pradesh clinch their first-ever win in the Ranji Trophy over Mumbai in Indore. Chasing 311 in 78 overs, MP were powered by a Jalaj Saxena century before a middle-order wobble left the game on an even keel. Harpreet dug his way in to a fighting 38, but lack of experience, rush of blood, and constant pressure exerted by the wily Zaheer Khan consumed him. MP collapsed in a heap after his dismissal to lose by seven runs; the win rejuvenated Mumbai, who would go on to lift their 40th title that season.A lot has changed since. Mumbai have undergone a transformation with a number of veterans paving way for the younger brigade to take them forward. As a result, they are still searching for their 41st title, having bowed out of the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Maharashtra and Karnataka over the last two seasons. The pressure of having to force the pace will fall on Mumbai as they take on MP in the semi-final in Cuttack starting Saturday.There are those, particularly in Gujarat, who feel MP were lucky to get this far. With net run rate, and not quotient which was earlier the norm to decide the qualifier in case of tied points, being preferred, MP snuck in by the thinnest of margins. But after crushing Bengal by 355 runs in the quarter-final at the Brabourne Stadium, MP have quickly managed to shift focus from their qualification to their on-field performances.Mumbai, looking to rediscover their hunger to win titles for fun, have played an aggressive brand of cricket that has been a sharp contrast to their method over the years. The ruthlessness and push to register outright wins and not just sit on a lead has added to the aura around a team that has been powered by the belligerence of Shreyas Iyer, and core group led by Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Aditya Tare, who is set to return after missing the last game because of a finger injury.Iyer leads the run charts by some distance with 1056 runs in 15 innings at 70.40. The talking point has not been about his penchant for runs alone, but the manner in which he has accrued them. A strike-rate of 93.20, three centuries, including a double, and five fifties in his second season to go with his impressive tally of 809 runs in 2014-15, has marked his coming of age. In comparison, Akhil Herwadkar’s approach has been slow, but equally rewarding. With 863 runs, he is second on the season run charts, but unlike Iyer, the focus here has been on crease occupation, a method that has allayed top-order fears, paving way for the experience of Tare, the captain, Suryakumar and Abhishek Nayar.Allrounder Jalaj Saxena has been the central force behind Madhya Pradesh’s surge this season•BCCI

Unlike Mumbai, MP have had to rely on equal contributions from their top order. With a century and a fifty in the quarter-final, Harpreet is clearly the form batsman and their leading run-getter with 609 runs, while Rajat Patidar, Jalaj and Aditya Shrivastava have all scored over 500 runs. That Naman Ojha and Devendra Bundela, their most experienced batsmen, have not hit peak form yet despite delivering consistent scores could be a cause for optimism.While Mumbai clearly have the X-factor with the bat, they will be without the services of their most experienced seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, who is recovering from a niggle, which means Shardul Thakur will lead the pace attack, with Balwinder Sandhu and Nayar to complement him. Mumbai also have the option of picking either Vishal Dabholkar or Iqbal Abdulla, or even both depending on the nature of the surface.MP’s bowling stocks have relied around their spinners on dry turners at home. Jalaj is just two short of becoming only the second bowler after Shahbaz Nadeem to take 50 wickets this season, while Ankit Sharma, the left-arm spinner, has held the other end up superbly over the course of the season, the reward being 33 scalps. With Ishwar Pandey’s confidence having received a fillip following an eight-wicket haul in the quarter-final, Mumbai would do well to not underestimate an unheralded bowling attack.Mumbai hold the aces on the face of it, but MP, who are happy to wear the underdogs tag, could take a huge step towards title aspirations for the first time in over a decade and a half if they manage to take down the giants.

A clinical performance from the South Africa A seamers and composed batting from Dean Elgar gave them a 19-run lead in the second unofficial Test as Australia folded for 146 in the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2013
ScorecardA clinical performance from the South Africa A seamers, led by 23 year-old Beuran Hendricks’ seventh five-wicket haul, routed Australia A for 146 in the first innings of the second unofficial Test in Rustenberg. Dean Elgar followed up his double century from the previous match with a composed 83 to put South Africa A in the lead by the end of day one.Captain Aaron Finch, though, having called correctly at the toss, joined Alex Doolan in bagging a duck. Nic Maddinson arrived with the score still five and counterattacked. His stroke-filled 88 included 11 fours and three sixes, but he received no support at the other end, with two more ducks, from Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Chadd Sayers’s 22 being the second-highest score. Hendricks’ 5 for 52 went along with Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange who took two and three wickets respectively to bowl out Australia A.South Africa A’s start was opposite as openers Elgar and Reeza Hendricks put on 104 runs together. Elgar was approaching his century before Coulter-Nile had him caught by Pat Cummins, but not before he had set up his side in a strong position.

Michael Yardy scored 89 as Sussex established a first-innings lead of more than 100 against Middlesex before taking two late wickets

David Lloyd at Hove11-Aug-2012
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones took career-best first-class figures of 6 for 66•Middlesex CCC

Change your captain, change your luck? Well, to be fair, things were going quite nicely for Sussex before Mike Yardy decided to hand the Championship reins to Ed Joyce a fortnight ago but both men seem to have benefitted significantly from the switch.Joyce, having scored 107 during last week’s win against Worcestershire, gave his team a sound base in this match by making 68 at the top of the order. And Yardy, who announced that he wished to concentrate on his own game, ended an indifferent run of four-day form with an excellent innings of 89.Yardy had passed 50 on only a couple of occasions in Championship cricket since hitting 110 against Lancashire back in April but here he looked all set for three figures – and would have deserved them on a still-tricky pitch – until miscuing a pull into the hands of long leg.Although the former England player’s unexpected departure, seventh out with the total 238, put something of a dent in Sussex’s plans to post a truly commanding total, they were still able to reach 287 – despite a career-best 6 for 66 from Toby Roland-Jones. That gave the hosts a first-innings lead of 117, an advantage which ought to prove decisive as they seek to take over second place in the table behind title favourites Warwickshire.There is nothing particularly pretty about Yardy’s batting style, at least not when he sets up with his splayed feet stance. But the left-hander can be mighty effective, and was so on Saturday as he punished Middlesex whenever they fed his strong leg-side play or offered him a bit too much width outside off stump.No batsman has been able to operate with complete freedom (although Chris Rogers tried to late on when he gave Middlesex a flying start) because the odd ball continued to lift quite alarmingly from a good length. Ollie Rayner suffered most, in terms of pain, on Friday when hit on the left hand by a delivery from James Anyon. Today it was Joyce who had to call for the magic spray after one from Roland-Jones reared to locate the opener’s rib cage.Another snorter from Roland-Jones, soon after, did Joyce no physical damage but brought about his downfall, leaping to hit a glove and present keeper John Simpson with a simple, lobbed catch. That breakthrough ended a stand of 78 for the fourth wicket, the highest partnership of the match so far, and came at a time when Middlesex were still hopeful of limiting the first innings damage to around 50.Unfortunately for the visitors, they cannot quite match Sussex for pace and bounce. But in Roland-Jones they possessed a constant threat and it was only fitting that the 24-year-old, who is already on England’s radar, returned the county’s best bowling analysis of the season.The wicket of Yardy, who had concentrated hard for four and half hours, was a bit of a gift. But the youngster worked hard for his other successes, and had to contend with the likes of Steve Magoffin and Anyon scoring valuable runs down the order for the second consecutive match.When Middlesex set about trying to clear the arrears, Rogers looked like a man in a hurry but although his 48 came from only 53 balls he was living dangerously and it came as no great surprise when Monty Panesar had him caught behind. Joe Denly soon played on, to Magoffin, and the same bowler then saw nightwatchman Roland-Jones dropped by Chris Nash at short leg just before the close.It is not game over, by any means, with Middlesex only 25 behind and eight wickets in hand. But it is certainly game on for Sussex as they try to continue their impressive rise up the table.