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A round-up of the ninth round of matches in the Plunket Shield

Cricinfo staff23-Mar-2010A comprehensive batting display, led by Gareth Hopkins’ double-hundred helped Auckland thrash Central Districts by an innings and 93 runs at the Colin Maiden Park.Central elected to bat, but little else went their way as seamer Dean Bartlett struck twice before they could open their account, removing Brad Patton and Timothy Weston in his first over. Mathew Sinclair followed soon after to leave Central in disarray. George Worker and Bevan Griggs struck fighting half-centuries to give their side a semblance of a competitive score, as offspinner Bhupinder Singh grabbed four wickets to end the innings at 269.When Central’s bowlers reduced Auckland to 128 for 3, the game was in the balance, but things went pear-shaped for the visitors from there. Opener Richard Jones and Hopkins added 135 to all but wipe out the deficit before Jones fell for a fine 123. Anaru Kitchen continued the dominance with his captain, the pair putting on a massive 206 runs to put the game out of Central’s reach. Kitchen struck 14 fours and three sixes in his sparkling innings of 116 before becoming Worker’s third wicket. Colin de Grandhomme then walked in to heap more misery on the tired attack, smashing an unbeaten 86-ball 106. Through it all, Hopkins batted with consummate assurance and style, picking up 23 boundaries on his way to 201.The declaration eventually came with a lead of 366 runs, and with little hope of survival for Central. The new-ball bowlers, Michael Bates and Bartlett, wreaked havoc once again, picking up eight wickets between them, while Sinclair fought hard with 129, but could not prevent the resounding defeat.Canterbury were made to scrap for their five-wicket win over Wellington in Rangiora. After winning the toss, the Canterbury seam attack had Wellington reeling at 66 for 6. Luke Woodcock’s rearguard 76 lifted them out of the morass, to an under-par score of 176, as Brandon Hinii grabbed four wickets.Canterbury’s batsmen then went about building a handy lead, anchored by Shanan Stewart’s ton and a useful contribution from Michael Papps. Ili Tugaga ran through the tail to finish with four wickets and keep the lead down to 142. Wellington put up a much-improved show in the second innings, with the openers Neal Parlane and Stephen Murdoch batting patiently to add 124 and bring their side back into the game. Todd Astle then delivered a twin strike to create a minor wobble, Murdoch departing for 59, and Cameron Merchant, soon after for a duck. But James Franklin and Parlane joined forces to ensure that there was no collapse.Parlane was the first to reach hundred, and eventually fell for a well-made 137 off 243 balls. Michael Pollard helped Franklin add 90 runs and raise visions of a spectacular comeback for Wellington, before both departed within ten runs of each other. Franklin struck 26 fours and a six in his 214-ball 162. Astle, who finished with a five-for, and Johann Myburgh, polished off the lower order to keep Wellington’s lead down to 305. At 85 for 4, it was anybody’s game and for the second time in the match, Stewart seized the moment in style. His 92 was supported well by Peter Fulton’s 77, and Dean Brownlie’s unbeaten 74, as Canterbury coasted home by five wickets.In the only non-decisive result of the ninth round, Northern Districts and Otago played out a high-scoring draw in Whangerei. Otago opted to field and but couldn’t make early inroads due to a solid opening stand from Michael Parlane and Daniel Flynn, who both struck 60s and added 113 runs. Nathan McCullum sparked a middle-order wobble before Brad Wilson’s 107 shepherded the side, in the company of the tail. Peter McGlashan contributed 71, while McCullum and Nick Beard took three wickets each before Northern declared at 465 for 9. Craig Cumming and Darren Broom led Otago’s reply with fine centuries and a 247-run stand for the second wicket. Cumming struck 27 fours in his 160, while Broom made 119. Greg Todd and McCullum then took over, with knocks of 91 and 88 respectively, as Otago went past Northern’s score. They eventually declared 111 runs ahead of Northern, with Graeme Aldridge picking four wickets. Northern had no problems in surviving 63 overs and proceeding to 212 for 7 before the match was called off.Auckland remained at the bottom of the table despite the win, while Northern maintained their top spot.

Stand-in captain backs Khawaja to bounce back from back spasm; hopeful of Cummins return at Brisbane

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2025

Travis Head made a flying start to Australia’s fourth innings•Getty Images

Still in a whirlwind following a frenetic first Ashes Test, skipper Steven Smith was non-committal over whether Travis Head would continue to open the batting after his 69-ball century powered Australia to a crushing eight-wicket victory at Perth. Head opened the batting for the first time in a Test innings outside of South Asia, replacing Usman Khawaja who had spent some time off the ground in England’s second innings due to back spasms.His elevation, after Marnus Labuschagne had been given the task in the first innings, proved a game-changer and he smashed 123 off 83 balls to knock England’s all-out pace attack off the lengths that had proved so effective on the opening day.The opening positions have been a cause for concern for Australia for some time. With Khawaja, 38, under pressure and Jake Weatherald posting scores of 0 and 23 in his debut, there could be a push for Head to take the role on an ongoing basis in this series.”Let’s just digest this first, the last couple of hours have been pretty incredible,” Smith told reporters after the match. “It’s probably too early to say anything on that, but what we just witnessed was quite incredible. I’m glad to have been in the house to see it.”We didn’t like how things functioned in the first innings with Marn going up top and me batting three. So Trav took it on and played one of the great Ashes knocks.”Related

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Khawaja was forced off the field during England’s second innings in a recurrence of back spasms he first experienced on day one. He was fit to take the field on day two, but felt further pain after stretching high for a ball that flew above him in the slips.”He was reasonable this morning. I actually thought it was his knee at one point,” Smith said. “Fortunately, it was the same thing [back spasms]. He [Khawaja] said before that it’s probably one of the best back spasms he’s ever had given the circumstances [of Head’s century].Smith said the circumstances around Khawaja’s ill-timed absence in the field in England’s first innings, making him ineligible to open the batting, was a “little frustrating”. Khawaja eventually batted at No.4 and was dismissed for just 2.”Wasn’t ideal, it all happened pretty quickly,” he said. “I got told, I think just before we got the last wicket….that he needed to be on the field to go and bat.”I think that’s why we landed where we landed yesterday [with Labuschagne opening]. Today we had a little bit more time to go through it and work it out.”I mean, those things can happen in the game. No one’s fault. Move on.”Much like Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, Smith defended Khawaja’s decision to play golf prior to the Test match. “He’s not moving particularly well in there, the old fella, but his preparation was the same as it’s been for every Test match I think that he’s played,” he said.”There was nothing out of whack there by any stretch. Unfortunately, he just pulled up a bit lame early in the game. That happens when your back goes.”I’ve been there myself when your back seizes up and it’s not a nice place to be. So I can feel his pain right now.”Offspinner Nathan Lyon had very little to do in the match, bowling just two overs in the seam-friendly conditions. But he did cop a blow to his hip while batting and was visibly wincing in the field.”He’s got a few bruises, keeps showing them off. He’s tough though, he’ll be fine,” Smith said.There has been no update on quick Josh Hazlewood amid fears that he might miss the entire series with a hamstring injury. But Pat Cummins has revealed that he’s a chance of returning for the second Test in Brisbane starting on December 4, as he progresses well from a lower back injury.”It’s on track and pulling up pretty well. [I’m] half a chance for the next game,” Cummins said on the Fox Sports broadcast. “I’m pretty hopeful and it’s probably better than it was a few weeks ago.”

Emma Lamb’s unbeaten 44 toppled a meek target of 110 with 31 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2024Lancashire Thunder began their Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over ‘Roses’ rivals Northern Diamonds at a sun-soaked Emirates Old Trafford.Excellent bowling figures from Mahika Gaur, Fi Morris and Kate Cross ensured the visitors stuttered their way to 109 for 5 from their 20 overs with only Emma Marlow (47*) showing anything like the resistance needed to post a decent total.Thunder showed no mercy in reply as they reached the target in the 15th over thanks mainly to Emma Lamb, who hit a dominant unbeaten 44 with four boundaries and 30 not out from Seren Smale.Diamonds were immediately on the back foot when Leah Dobson skied a Gaur delivery to Morris for seven in the second over with Lauren Winfield-Hill departing just five balls later when she hit Cross to Alisa Lister at mid on for two.10 for two quickly became 19 for three when Hollie Armitage was trapped in front by Phoebe Graham for three, although the Diamonds skipper couldn’t hide her disgust at the decision as she walked off the field.A semblance of a recovery was triggered by Sterre Kalis, who hit the first boundaries of the day, and put on 32 for the fourth wicket with Marlow before she was caught at long on by Cross off Morris for 16.The emphasis was now on Marlow, and once Phoebe Turner was run out following a mix up for four, she finally found a partner in Katherine Fraser as the sixth wicket pair steered Diamonds to something approaching respectability as they put on 42 unbeaten runs.The very modest target of 110 always looked achievable by the hosts, especially with an in-form Lamb at the top of the order, and Thunder duly got off to a flyer, despite Morris being unlucky to have been given out lbw for six from a Katie Levick delivery she clearly hit.The powerplay finished with Thunder 56 for 1 and already more than halfway to the win with Lamb and Georgia Voll with their foot on the throttle.Voll’s run out for 19 following a bad call stopped the momentum momentarily. But the in-coming Smale’s energy and quick running between the wickets ensured the pace didn’t let up as Thunder closed in on the target before reaching it with 31 balls to spare to secure a bonus point win.

Fast bowler in form and fitness of his life after playing starring role in England’s series win

Vithushan Ehantharajah15-Dec-2022Two Tests against Pakistan down with one to go, with a series win secured and history made, Ollie Robinson is in a good place.He might “only” have eight wickets in his four innings to date, but they have come at an average of 18.37, to reduce his overall Test figure to 19.61 after 13 appearances, and have showcased his impressive dexterity. He has dabbled in bouncers and reverse-swing, along with his usual unerring accuracy with the new ball, and in the second Test at Multan, he became the first seamer to bowl Pakistan’s captain and batting phenomenon Babar Azam twice in a match. Most heartening of all, his 62.1 overs have been of a base level intensity that has not let batters off the hook.Heartening because Robinson has revealed he considered retirement in the summer, after constant bumps in the road on a long journey to his return to action.After having his conditioning called into question at the end of a humbling tour of Australia last winter, back issues meant that Robinson was unable to play any part in the three-Test tour of the Caribbean that followed. Complications followed at the start of the 2022 summer: further back troubles and a dental issue saw him miss a chunk of cricket with Sussex, as well as the first four Tests under the new leadership duo of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.In light of the comments about his lack of fitness, Robinson’s subsequent setbacks triggered something of a pile-on from those who assumed that a lack of work ethic was the reason for his continued absences. In reality, Robinson believes that those ailments were nothing more than unfortunate timing for a cricketer still only 28, and attempting to return fitter than ever before. Speaking on Thursday in Karachi ahead of the third Test which begins on Saturday, Robinson opened up about a dark time which had him wondering about leaving the game altogether, with a vague idea of moving into property.Related

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“There were points when I didn’t think I was going to play for England again, or play cricket again,” Robinson told BBC Sport. “I kept coming back to full fitness, then getting an injury or illness, then another injury. There was a point in June time when I thought ‘I might have to look at what else I can do here, I don’t think I’m going to be able to carry on playing cricket’. It’s been tough and there has been some dark days, but tours and series wins like this make it all worthwhile.””It’s a massive confidence-booster for myself,” he said of the Pakistan series, on pitches that have seemed unhelpful to quick bowlers, and yet England’s have taken 23 of the 40 wickets available so far. “Twelve months ago I was struggling to even get on the park. It’s a really proud tour for me, in the fact my body has got through it, I’ve bowled well and I’ve proved to the world, almost, I can do it in any conditions. Not just for the team, but for myself. It’s been a really good tour so far and hopefully we can win 3-0 this week.”The nature of Robinson’s back issues were particularly grating, and for a time they showed no signs of abating even while he was focussing on the rehabilitation and reinforcement of his body. The root of the problem proved hard to establish, in part because the spasms would come and go, ultimately at random but frustratingly just when it seemed he was on the verge of making a return to competitive action.”I had different types of scans. MRIs, X-rays. It was just a bit of wear and tear,” he said. “Because there was so much inflammation, every time I got back to full fitness, the inflammation was there. It was jarring again and giving me another back spasm. I ended up having five injections, which took the inflammation away and allowed me to train a bit harder. Then it settled down. It was a strange one, because I felt it was career-ending, the way it felt.”Things can change so quickly. When you’re in those dark spaces it’s hard to see through that. When you get to this time, and if it ever happens again in the future, I know I can come out the other sides of it, still fighting, still bowling well.”He feels he is lucky to get out the other end. And so are England. Robinson returned to the Test side for the second match of the series against South Africa at Emirates Old Trafford and, not only has the team won all four matches since, but Robinson has contributed 20 dismissals at 16.35. He went past 50 Test wickets in his 11th Test – the joint-fastest by an England bowler since Ian Botham in 1978 – and, at the age of 29, there is a very real sense he is in it for the long haul as a new-ball bowler for his country.In the absence of Stuart Broad, who sat out the trip following the birth of his first child, the manner in which Robinson has dovetailed with Anderson has been vital to England’s approach. His skills have not been dulled with an older ball in hand, and he has been able to work to unconventional plans, including hitting the pitch on a slightly shorter length, and utilising the skid available from the surfaces to hit the top of off stump.It should be said, none of that application of fine-tuned skill is a coincidence. it is merely the reward for a change of lifestyle based on those around him.”I’ve changed my gym sessions, I’ve changed my training. I’ve upped the intensity of my training,” he said. “You only have to look at Stokesy, when he trains, to look at how intense some people train. I’ve tried to get as near that as possible. Jimmy has played for 20 years now. He’s a great role-model for me and someone I look up to.”Test cricket has thrown up a myriad of challenges for Robinson, even if his on-field exploits have been impressive. His debut against New Zealand was tumultuous when historic offensive tweets emerged hours after he was presented with his maiden cap at Lord’s at the start of the 2021 season.Now, his focus is on closing out 2022 with another win to seal England’s second clean sweep in Asia, after beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in 2018.”It’s an exciting time for English cricket. We’ve done 2-0 and if we can do 3-0 it will be an amazing effort. The boys are prepared for one, last big push to get the 3-0 whitewash.”

Insists Hundred is ‘really important’ for young players called up as replacements from Royal London Cup

Matt Roller03-Aug-2021Sam Billings has insisted that the last-minute withdrawals of a number of players from the Royal London Cup as replacements for teams in the Hundred will leave young cricketers “far better off” than staying with their counties.Kent, where Billings is club captain, have ten Vitality Blast regulars – including overseas players Qais Ahmad and Adam Milne – involved in the Hundred, with Zak Crawley on England Test duty, Jack Leaning (Trent Rockets) and Matt Milnes (Welsh Fire) both called up as late replacements in the last week, and Jordan Cox (Oval Invincibles) and Fred Klaassen (Manchester Originals) picked as wildcards.As a result, their Royal London Cup campaign has started poorly, with three defeats and a no-result, but Billings said that players’ involvement in the competition would serve the club well ahead of their Blast quarter-final against Birmingham Bears later this month and in the longer term.In particular, he highlighted the example of Milnes, who played for Kent in the Royal London Cup on Sunday afternoon and was called into the Fire’s set-up on Monday as an injury replacement for Liam Plunkett. With Jake Ball also sidelined – he had a scan on Monday after leaving the field in Saturday’s fixture against Manchester Originals – Milnes went straight into the side against Billings’ Oval Invincibles and dismissed Jason Roy with his first ball in the Hundred, eventually returning figures of 1 for 28 from 20 balls and capturing the attention of Dale Steyn on Twitter as he was clocked at 87mph/140kph.”What a great opportunity for him,” Billings said. “This is what the Hundred is about. Look, I know that in terms of the 50-over comp, the performances for Kent haven’t quite been there at the moment and of course as a club it’s disappointing.”But the positive is we’ve got nine or ten guys in this Hundred at the moment and this is international cricket. You’ve got a full Oval crowd there and he’s come in for his first game after playing for Kent yesterday. It’s a completely different atmosphere, completely different level, against an international line-up.”What a great experience for a young bloke, getting a wicket with his first ball and riding the emotions of that game. That is what’s going to produce international cricketers. For us as a club – and as Kent fans in general – that’s what we want to do: produce England cricketers and franchise cricketers.Related

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“These young guys, nine or ten of them, for a ‘small county’, that’s really shown the work we’ve done as a club. It’s great for Matt Milnes and other guys like that and going into our T20 quarter-finals as a Kent group, it’s really important that these guys have this experience because they are going to be far better off for it.”The Invincibles won their second game of the men’s Hundred on Monday night, chasing 122 with seven balls to spare against the Fire, and Billings said that it had been a relief to get back to winning ways on the back of a washout against London Spirit and defeat against Northern Superchargers.”It was hard to get into a rhythm so it was nice to get the win on our home ground,” he said. “We weren’t far away at Headingley and considering how badly we played, we did exceptionally well to take that game that deep.”I still think we can play better and that’s the exciting thing for our group. The fielding certainly hasn’t been up to the standards we’ve set and that’s me included, setting the tone with the gloves. That’s the positive thing: I still think there are areas we can make really good strides in, and if we put it together, we know what a quality outfit we are. We don’t fear anyone and can put anyone under pressure on our day.”The Fire, meanwhile, failed to reach 150 for the first time in the competition and have now lost both of their games since Jonny Bairstow joined up with England’s Test squad. Ben Duckett, their stand-in captain and the leading run-scorer in the men’s Hundred, admitted that the loss of Bairstow – as well as Liam Plunkett, Lungi Ngidi and Ball – was “not ideal”.”If you lose big names it’s obviously going to hurt you but we believe we’ve got the squad to come in and cover for that,” he said. “We’ve had guys stepping up, like Milnesy tonight taking a wicket with his first ball to get J-Roy. We were 20 or 30 short of par so obviously nowhere near good enough, but it’s the first time we’ve struggled with the bat and it’s going to happen in this comp at some stage.On his own form, Duckett said: “It’s probably the best I’ve hit the ball – ever, I’d say – but I was probably 10-15 short myself tonight. I really struggled to get going and we kept losing wickets. I’m feeling good but I don’t like scoring runs when you don’t win the game so I’m a bit disappointed.”

He played nine first-class matches, scoring 277 runs at 23.08, and wrote a number of cricket books

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2020Vasant Raiji, the former Bombay and Baroda batsman and prominent cricket historian, has died aged 100. Raiji had been the world’s oldest living first-class cricketer, and Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Steve Waugh visited him at his Mumbai home when he turned 100 on January 26 this year.”He passed away at 2.20am in his sleep at his residence in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai due to old age,” his son-in-law Sudarshan Nanavati was quoted as saying by .ALSO READ – Vasant Raiji brings up special centuryRaiji played nine first-class matches in a career that ran from 1939 to 1950, scoring 277 runs at an average of 23.08. He scored two half-centuries, both in the same Ranji Trophy game for Baroda against Maharashtra in December 1944. After his playing career, Raiji turned his attention to chartered accountancy, but retained close links to cricket, writing a number of books on the sport including biographies of Ranjitsinhji, Duleepsinhji, CK Nayudu and Victor Trumper.

Western Australia roll over for 147 in their second innings to go down by an innings and 51 runs

Alex Malcolm26-Feb-2019A five-wicket haul from Steve O’Keefe helped New South Wales to an innings victory over Western Australia despite another defiant innings from Cameron Bancroft.O’Keefe took 5 for 52 in 33.2 overs on a crumbling Bankstown Oval surface to bowl WA out for 147 in their second innings with more than hour left on the final day.

Bancroft’s feat

He faced a total of 621 deliveries across two innings
Fourth instance of a batsman facing 600-plus deliveries in a Shield game
Steve Waugh holds the record – 649 balls for NSW v Queensland in 1996
Bancroft held the previous WA record too, having faced 567 balls v NSW in 2015
He is the only one to face 550-plus balls in a Shield game twice
He scored 52.58% of WA’s runs in the game; the highest ever when they have batted twice

But Bancroft did cause the Blues a headache. The WA opener faced 263 balls for 86 runs as he stonewalled the New South Wales charge to victory while his teammates collapsed at the other end.The Warriors had slumped to six for 98 before Bancroft finally found an ally he could bank on in Joel Paris. The pair put on 47 in 22 overs and weathered a difficult period against the second new ball.Bancroft reached 620 balls for the match without being dismissed, having faced 358 of them in the first innings for his 138 not out. He did have a fair amount of luck to stay alive before O’Keefe finally found the kryptonite on the 621st. He spun one sharply past Bancroft’s outside edge in the 90th over of the innings and the opener was stumped by Peter Nevill as he overbalanced.WA only lasted ten more balls after that. Trent Copeland dismissed Paris in the next over before O’Keefe took the last two wickets with the first two balls of the 92nd over to complete his five-for.Earlier, WA’s top order found some unusual ways to get out in their efforts to save the game. Josh Inglis and Hilton Cartwright both fell to the part-time leg spin of Jason Sangha. Inglis was caught at cover driving on the up, while Cartwright fell in bizarre fashion when he pulled a long-hop into Nick Larkin at short leg and the ball ricocheted off the fielder’s body and popped straight up in the air for Sangha to complete the catch.New South Wales are on second spot on the Sheffield Shield table with their third win of the season.

With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers ran through Karnataka’s batting order to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Kolkata20-Dec-2017AFP

Vidarbha’s extraordinary resolve and single-mindedness put them within inches of their maiden Ranji Trophy final, as their classic against Karnataka headed towards a stunning conclusion. With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers brought Karnataka’s bullish batting order to its knees to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens. At stumps, Karnataka were seven down in pursuit of 198, still requiring an improbable 87 runs.And it was Rajneesh Gurbani, Vidarbha’s find of the season, who once again ripped through Karnataka. Siddhesh Neral’s double-strike had given Vidarbha an opening, but Gurbani pushed the door wide open. He ran through the heart of Karnataka’s middle order with 4 for 35 that included the game-changing scalps of Karun Nair and CM Gautam.Not once did Karnataka look in control of the chase: an unprecedented instance for a team that has racked up totals of over 400 six times in eight matches this season. Perhaps critically, Karnataka made that one mistake that Vidarbha were wise to avoid when they batted, by going into extreme caution after the loss of early wickets, at one point scoring a solitary run in 27 balls.Throughout, Karnataka’s batsmen were found wanting on several fronts, not covering the line of the delivery, failing to get entirely forward and not getting to the pitch. Such lapses made an appearance early, when Mayank Agarwal, the season’s highest run-scorer, fell to Umesh Yadav’s electric reflexes in the third over. Having closed the face of his bat to one that had straightened, Agarwal popped a leading edge to Umesh’s right, who got down in an instant and stuck out his right hand.Dega Nischal, Karnataka’s promising No. 3, lived a charmed life. First, Akshay Wadkar reprieved him by fluffing a simple catch down the leg side. Nischal survived a second time when Paschim Pathak turned down a huge appeal for leg before when Gurbani cut one back into the batsman and seemed to have him plumb in front of middle and leg.Even R Samarth, whose front-foot game is characterised by assuredness, pushed and prodded tentatively on numerous occasions. It cost him when a skiddy inswinger from Neral hit him dead in front of middle stump. Five balls later, Nischal played a shot he will rue for a long time: pushing at a sixth-stump delivery and edging to the keeper.With Karnataka three down for 40, Faiz Fazal brought back his premier paceman, Umesh. The one trick Fazal missed was in hesitating to place a third slip, perhaps guarding himself against the low target to defend. The flaw was exposed when Umesh found Karun Nair’s outside edge that went past second slip and gully. Fazal immediately closed the gap, but Umesh made a fuller offering on the pads next ball. He continued to be erratic and was easily the least impressive of Vidarbha’s pacers.Usually firm-footed, Nair continued to live on outside edges and streaky boundaries. Ill-judged singles and edges became routine as Karnataka showed signs of cracking under pressure. But one way or the other, Nair and Gautam, like they did in the first innings, began to steady Karnataka and took them to 69 for 3 at the tea break.The post-tea passage began in an all-too-familiar manner, Gautam finding an edged four through third man, before Nair crunched an imperious cover-drive off Neral. And then, Gurbani took centrestage.In his first over after tea, Gurbani had Nair poking at one that jagged off the seam and took the edge. Stuart Binny was trapped on his second ball in front of middle with one that shaped into him. Pathak adjudged Gautam to have tickled one to the keeper too, much to the disappointment of the batsman. Having managed bounce, swing in the air and movement off the deck, Gurbani then found reverse swing that had K Gowtham playing all over a delivery that was angled into him, being adjudged lbw for 1. With each wicket that he took, Gurbani’s celebrations grew increasingly ecstatic, and Karnataka’s shoulders sagged as they slipped from 81 for 3 to 104 for 7.Despite Gurbani’s heroics, the contributions of Aditya Sarwate weren’t forgotten. Karnataka soared early in the day, taking out Vidarbha’s overnight batsmen Ganesh Satish and Akshay Wadkar in the morning.Wadkar and Satish had begun well, smartly extending Vidarbha’s lead through singles. But an incisive spell from Binny, who kept probing batsmen and inviting errors, turned the heat on Vidarbha. He struck first ball after his introduction, and it was to a poor shot from Wadkar, who followed the line loosely of an away-going delivery.Satish, Vidarbha’s biggest hope, was bounced out by a fiery Abhimanyu Mithun, and when Akshay Wakhare played at a Binny outswinger, Vidarbha had lost three wickets for six runs.Karnataka did just about everything right on the field, with Mithun’s pace, Binny’s swing, Vinay’s accuracy, some outstanding slip catching, and tidy ground fielding. But Sarwate stalled their charge with a fighting half-century and added 68 runs for the last two wickets. With the field spread out – at one point, Karnataka had as many as six fielders at the boundary – he capitalised by pinching singles.Though he farmed the strike for the most part, the big shots ensued when he turned it over. Umesh played the biggest of them all when he shoveled Binny over wide long-on. A crunching late cut behind square gave Sarwate his fifty as every run, every four, even a tidy forward defence drew rousing cheers from the Vidarbha dressing room as they continued to believe. By the end of it all, it had stood them in good stead.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said that an expert medical panel had advised him rest with the aim of getting fit for the South Africa tour in December, after a scan showed multiple leg injuries

Sa'adi Thawfeeq25-Oct-20162:37

‘We are all behind Herath’ – Mathews

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said he pulled out of the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe because an MRI scan revealed several injuries to his leg. He said the decision was taken to help him recover in time for the tour of South Africa in December.”I had about one-and-a-half months to recover and I was preparing myself to be ready for the Zimbabwe tour,” Mathews, who had torn his calf during the ODIs against Australia in August and September, said. “Unfortunately there has been a setback.”We did an MRI scan, which revealed that I had multiple injuries on the same leg. I had to pull out after the expert medical panel advised me and [told] SLC not to send me to Zimbabwe because it might jeopardise my chances of playing in South Africa. We are planning to take a closer look at why this is happening. The doctors have advised rest, and the recovery can be earlier than that or more; we will have to play it by ear.”Mathews had been named in the original squad for Zimbabwe, but was ruled out last week. He is expected to be out of action for three weeks and is doubtful for the tri-series in Zimbabwe, also involving West Indies, that follows the Tests.Rangana Herath was appointed captain for the Tests in Zimbabwe, while batsman Upul Tharanga took Mathews’ place in the squad.Sri Lanka have a depleted team for Zimbabwe. Vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal, and fast bowlers Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera were also ruled out due to injuries. The pace attack in Zimbabwe will be led by Suranga Lakmal.Chandimal was unavailable for the Tests due to a thumb injury for which he underwent surgery in September, but was hopeful of playing the tri-series, which starts from November 14.Herath, who will be only the second bowler to lead Sri Lanka in Tests, said the team was confident of a good performance in Zimbabwe after a 3-0 series sweep of Australia at home in August.”If you take our performance in the recent Test series against Australia, the confidence we gained from the 3-0 win will be very beneficial to us,” Herath said before the team’s departure. “The team’s confidence levels are very high after that victory. The team that I have I am confident can perform well in Zimbabwe.”SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala blamed the spate of injuries on poor player management and said the board will address the issue of workloads.Suranga Lakmal’s workload is worrisome, says SLC president•AFP

“We have not managed our players properly for the last three years,” Sumathipala said. “We have good cricketers who have come in from Under-19, U-23 and club level, but once they reach the top level they can’t sustain their physical condition because they have been badly managed.”Mathews is a world-class allrounder and there is so much demand and so much of pressure on his body that it’s not easy for a person like him to be without an injury unless he has a proper scientific approach.”Mathews had the highest number of match days in the past 18 months. At this level a player simply cannot go on. He has to pull out and take a genuine break for the body to recover. We don’t have enough recovery time.”Sumathipala said the possibility of Lakmal going on the South Africa tour without a proper break highlighted how important workload management was for players, particularly bowlers.”You have to make an assessment of the player and then based on the assessment you make a permanent study of the player, which you call player management,” Sumathipala said. “If there is a fast bowler who has bowled 100 overs, there should be a study saying that after 18-20 overs you have to stand him down and pull him out of the game to let him recover physically, which we don’t do. We never had proper player management.”Someone like Suranga Lakmal is being excessively used. Our most important tour is definitely to South Africa. Can we go on this tour without Lakmal being given a break?”Sumathipala said SLC was studying players during matches and practice sessions and would give them a programme to follow. He also said poor practice facilities resulted in injuries to fast bowlers.”We don’t have a single strip in this country with the impact pads on the bowlers’ run-up,” Sumathipala said. “The indoor nets have normal concrete run-ups and the bowlers go and land their foot at such speed and with so much weight of the body every day. This is one way they get injured. We have to change all the run-ups and have impact pads on them.”Sri Lanka’s first Test against Zimbabwe will be played in Harare from October 29, while the second match is scheduled to start from November 6. The two teams last played a Test in May 2004 in Bulawayo.

Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a “bone stress injury” to his left foot

Andrew McGlashan in Abu Dhabi12-Oct-2015Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan with a “bone stress injury” to his left foot.Finn reported soreness after England’s second warm-up match against Pakistan A in Sharjah in which he claimed 4 for 16 in 15 overs to put himself firmly in contention for Abu Dhabi. He bowled in training on Sunday but overnight the pain became worse.Alastair Cook confirmed he had “absolutely” been in the frame for the final XI for tomorrow’s first Test. With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes all certain to feature, Finn and Mark Wood had been in a head-to-head for the last pace-bowling slot.After months of well-documented problems with his bowling action, Finn returned to the Test side against Australia at Edgbaston where he claimed 6 for 79 to help England claim a 2-1 lead in the Ashes. Although England hope to have him available later in the series, the compressed nature of the matches must make that unlikely. More realistically, as one of a handful of players who is part of all three formats, he will be targetting full fitness in time for next month’s ODI and T20 legs of the tour.”It’s a bitter blow for him, he bowled really well in that warm-up game and over the last 12 months he has made huge strides back to where we’d like him to be,” Cook said. “We’ll monitor him over the next period of time and hopefully he could be right or the second Test but we’ll have to wait and see.”Steven Finn was firmly in contention for a Test place before his foot injury•Getty Images

Finn’s absence firms up England’s attack for the opening Test with Wood, who impressed in the first warm-up match, completing a six-man unit which will include Adil Rashid on debut.Rashid, who took three wickets in the second two-day match, will follow in the footsteps of Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield and Scott Borthwick to become England’s fourth Test legspinner since 1971, when Robin Hobbs played the last of his seven matches. His debut had been earmarked even before the tour began with coach Trevor Bayliss, who is keen on a twin-spin attack, giving Rashid the encouragement to be an attacking bowler.”Adil’s made really good strides since the West Indies tour,” Cook said. “He has his one-day experience and is feeling a bit more comfortable around the group. It’s a tough art to master, but he’s got over 400 first-class wickets, so he can definitely bowl. I know he’s looking forward to his opportunity. Yes, there can be some bad balls along the way, but he can also bowl some jaffas.”While it was also confirmed that Moeen Ali will open the batting, Cook did not cement the full XI although the likely outcome is Jonny Bairstow retained at No. 5 with Jos Buttler keeping hold of the wicketkeeper’s position.”We’ve got a lot of tough selection calls to make,” Cook said. “A lot of people are pushing and it’s made my and Trevor’s job very hard to get the right XI.”Cook added that James Taylor was “doing all he can” to force his way into the side after making an unbeaten 61 against Pakistan A to follow up his productive one-day series against Australia which helped earn him a spot for this tour.”He’s been brilliant since he’s come back into the one-day side. A lot of people said because of his size he couldn’t play the short-pitched bowling or the quick bowling. He’s also a really good player of spin. That’s what we want – people pushing for selection, but you’ve also got to respect the guys who have done a good job as well in the team.”