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Somerset beat Middlesex by six wickets at Taunton

David Lloyd at Taunton08-Apr-2012
ScorecardVernon Philander may have been the talk of the County Ground for much of this match but friend, foe and neutral observer alike went away this evening singing the praises of spinner George Dockrell.Fast bowler Philander played a significant role as Somerset launched their latest attempt to win a first championship title by beating Middlesex by six wickets. But it was 19-year-old Dockrell who took centre stage – and looked an absolute natural under the spotlight – when his team needed a generous helping of magic today.Figures of 6 for 27 from 20.1 overs suggest a wizard at work. Well, there will be batsmen on the circuit who play him better than these visitors. And not all pitches are going to yield as much turn and bounce as this splendid early season offering from groundsman Simon Lee. But Dockrell’s left-arm weaved a spell which was a treat to watch – unless you were something like 22 yards away, of course.Dockrell, a tall, slim Irishman, has been gathering an army of admirers for a couple of years now, mainly while playing limited-overs cricket for his country. Indeed, people were purring about him when he appeared against England – as a 17-year-old – in the World Twenty20 tournament of 2010.This season, though, is Dockrell’s chance to play first-class cricket to his heart’s desire. With Murali Kartik having left Taunton for Surrey, the way is clear for young George to fill his boots. And fill them he surely will if he keeps bowling with as much control, flight and variety as he displayed during this match.Somerset were first alerted to Dockrell’s talent when he was just 15. Last year, with Kartik on board, he appeared in only one championship contest. But this summer his development promises to be rapid and, on the evidence of today, spectacular.Middlesex were looking more than capable of earning a draw when they reached 105 for 1 deep into the morning session. The first innings arrears had just been cleared and, with a fair amount of good fortune, admittedly, Philander had been seen off.But Dockrell changed the game from the moment he defeated Sam Robson’s attempted sweep to win a leg before decision. Chris Rogers followed, edging a cut, and the visitors knew a tricky afternoon stretched out before them.Even so, losing their last seven wickets for 40 runs in 20 overs to be hurried out for 175 was pretty remarkable. Philander did for Neil Dexter and Dawid Malan to finish with match figures of 7 for 81. But the Dockrell show resumed with John Simpson being undone by turn and bounce before Gareth Berg, lbw pushing forward, Ollie Rayner, stumped, despite at least one fumble from Craig Kieswetter, and Toby Roland-Jones, holing out in the deep, completed the collection.A match haul of 8 for 62 should have allowed Dockrell to sit back and relax while Somerset knocked off a victory target of 72 in 40 overs. Instead, he and a few others in the home changing room will have moved towards the edge of their seats as the hosts slipped to 44 for 4.Having one eye on approaching dark clouds probably did not help the top order. But just when some mild panic was setting in around the ground, James Hildreth and Jos Buttler settled matters with a few hefty blows – including Buttler’s reverse sweep off Joe Denly, to seal the deal.Having lost their opening match of the last two championship campaigns, Somerset deserve to feel good about themselves after this result. As for Middlesex, they fought so hard for so much of a match in which conditions generally conspired against them that defeat will be tough to take. But in the first division one bad session is usually fatal – and the visitors had a shocker after lunch today.No such worries for Dockrell, of course. “This should give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season,” he said. “Obviously I didn’t get many opportunities last year with Murali Kartik here so I’m pleased to have started well.”You have to go with what you’ve got. I’m quite tall and getting bounce seems to be a big thing for me at the moment. I’m still working on my action and I made a little change this winter while working with Ireland coach Phil Simmons and it seems to have helped because I’m getting a bit more spin.”

Faf du Plessis has been asked by Cricket South Africa not to play for Somerset in the Friends Life T20

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2012Faf du Plessis has been asked by Cricket South Africa not to play for Somerset in the Friends Life T20. He will now stay at home and play for South Africa A against Sri Lanka A and join South Africa’s Twenty20 tour to Zimbabwe.”The period that Somerset want him for is when we have some tours of our own,” Mohammad Moosajee, South Africa team manager, told ESPNcricinfo. “Faf features in the selectors’ plans for those tours so it would not be possible for him to go.”Du Plessis has played 21 ODIs for South Africa and is currently taking part in the IPL, having been signed by Chennai Super Kings for $120,000 in 2011. He will also play for South Africa A against Sri Lanka A in June before South Africa’s T20 side travel to Zimbabwe for an unofficial tri-series that also features Bangladesh.The loss of du Plessis is another blow to Somerset’s plans for the Flt20. They signed Albie Morkel and hoped to bring in Chris Gayle as a second overseas player. But Gayle reneged on his deal and agreed to be available for West Indies’ ODI series against England, potentially making his international comeback after more than a year’s absence.Morkel, who will not be part of the four-day matches against Sri Lanka A, has been given the green light by CSA to play for Somerset. If Morkel is selected for South Africa’s T20 squad to tour Zimbabwe, though, Moosajee said Somerset would have to release him for that period.Along with losing Gayle, Somerset have a string of injuries with captain Marcus Trescothick out with an ankle injury and only 12 fit players available at the moment. They were forced to cancel a second XI match with Gloucestershire this week due to a lack of players.Somerset were also asked by CSA to limit the workload of Vernon Philander, the South African bowler who has taken 18 wickets in four first-class matches.Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket, said he “thought there was a possibility” that du Plessis would be barred from joining them. “We’re still exploring the market but I think I must have run over a whole road of black cats.” Along with Trescothick, Somerset are currently without bowlers Adam Dibble, Gemaal Hussain, Steve Kirby and batsman Jos Buttler.Somerset will keep a close eye on Pakistan’s potential series against Australia. It will no longer be hosted by Sri Lanka and if the tour is postponed, players may become available for the second half of the season.

Surrey opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a 17-run victory over Essex at The Oval

13-Jun-2012
ScorecardSurrey opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a 17-run victory over Essex at The Oval. The hosts managed just 128 for 8 but defended that total, despite the visitors starting their chase with a 44-run opening partnership between Mark Pettini and Ravi Bopara in just six overs.When Pettini edged Jade Dernbach behind the wicket, the complexion of the game altered and by the time the score had been doubled, Essex were in deep trouble. The visitors lost seven wickets in 10 overs, three of them to the spin of Gareth Batty, who finished with 3 for 20.Batty trapped Owais Shah leg before wicket and two overs later gained the prized scalp of Bopara, who top-edged a reverse sweep and was caught by Matt Spriegel at backward point for 28. James Franklin completed Batty’s haul when he skied off a leading edge to mid-off as the visitors’ reply fell away alarmingly.As the panic button was pressed, a horrendous mix-up between Graham Napier and Franklin found both batsmen at the same end, with Napier departing for one as the innings disintegrated.Surrey’s significant partnership came from their sixth wicket pairing of Gary Wilson and Zafar Ansari, who added 40 after coming together with the score on 68 for five shortly after the halfway stage of the innings.Wilson top-scored with a run-a-ball 33 which included three of the 15 boundaries recorded by the home side, whilst Jason Roy contributed 22 from 19 balls. The pick of the Essex attack was Napier, who found line and length from the start to pose problems for the home batsmen throughout his four overs.Napier struck twice with successive deliveries in his opening over, taking a return catch off Rory Hamilton-Brown who skied the ball off a leading edge before Zander du Bruyn fell first ball when he lost his middle stump to a text book yorker.Napier ended with the impressive figures of three for 16 from his four overs, while last year’s leading bowler in the competition – left-arm spinner Tim Phillips – claimed 2 for 19. Phillips was to later finish unbeaten on 16, one of only three Essex batsmen to reach double figures in this South Group game.

Virat Kohli has supported India’s decision to play five bowlers, including Irfan Pathan, in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, saying that in batting conditions, a side needs to back its top six to come good

Abhishek Purohit in Hambantota22-Jul-2012Virat Kohli has supported India’s decision to play five bowlers, including Irfan Pathan, in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, saying that in batting conditions, a side needs to back its top six to come good. Four of the top six, including centurion Kohli, did come good today, and the bowling was led by the allrounder Irfan, who turned in decisive figures of 10-1-37-2 even as three of the other frontline bowlers went for runs.”In batting conditions, you have to bank on your six batsmen,” Kohli said. “You’ve to show faith in them and expect them to perform. You just can’t be on the safer side playing seven batsmen and compromise on a bowler because I think as a captain you need an extra option of a bowler knowing the wicket is going to be good in the second innings as well. The balance we had today was perfect and having a bowler always gives that cushion to the captain if the situation doesn’t go well.”India captain MS Dhoni too was pleased with the balance of the side in the first ODI, and said Irfan showing signs of form was a big advantage for his team. “One good positive was Irfan Pathan doing well,” Dhoni said after the match. “Without [Ravindra] Jadeja or Yuvraj [Singh], it is difficult to make the side balanced in both departments, so this was important.”The situation did go awry briefly for India when Thisara Perera and Kumar Sangakkara clawed their way back with a 78-run seventh-wicket stand in 53 deliveries after Sri Lanka had slipped to 191 for 6. The Indian innings had a similar partnership towards the finish, when Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni put on 79 off 55 to help take India past 300. Kohli said that showed how good the pitch was for batting, and praised the India bowlers for putting pressure early on the home batsmen.”Our bowlers gave us a good start with the new ball, which was swinging a bit. They bowled in good areas. When we batted we had also scored a lot of runs in the last 10 overs. The wicket was good to bat on so I would like to credit our bowlers because the way they bowled in the first phase built pressure on the opposition who lost nine wickets as well.”They are world-class players so you can’t expect to win by 80-90 runs. We had to work hard in the end and put in effort for fielding. The bowlers also had to put a lot of thought into their bowling. A phase of seven-eight overs comes in between when you concede more runs but it is important that you don’t panic, remain calm. Irfan [Pathan], Umesh [Yadav] and Zaheer [Khan] bowled three-four good overs at a crucial time due to which the match turned in our favour again.”Kohli admitted, though, that bowling at the death still remained a concern for India, especially in the subcontinent. “We are playing a lot of cricket in the subcontinent in the coming season and it is very important to hit the right areas at the death because that’s where the game can turn around. Even eight or nine runs an over can be chased in the last 10 overs. We have seen that being done before nd hopefully we can practice that more in the nets and execute our plans perfectly in the games ahead.”Dhoni agreed that India’s bowling in the end overs needed to be better. “It was a good learning experience for the younger bowlers. Zak [Zaheer] was good. [But] The death bowling for us needs to improve.”

When Graeme Smith declared South Africa’s first innings he did something South African cricketers are not known for. He got creative

Firdose Moonda at The Oval22-Jul-2012When Graeme Smith declared South Africa’s first innings with his team 252 runs in front and four sessions left in the game, he did something South African cricketers are not known for. He got creative.Many observers expected him to allow the record run-scoring to continue for a few more overs, especially with Jacques Kallis approaching a double hundred, before unleashing his attack for a short burst. Instead he took the situation by the scurf of the neck and handed the challenge to England’s top order; the end result was four wickets which has put South Africa in prime position for victory.Hashim Amla, who was undefeated on a South African-record 311 when he was told to stop, offered some insight into the captain’s decision. “We saw the wicket is good to bat on and we’d rather have a lot of time to bowl and chase whatever we have to than bat on for 10 or 15 overs that we may need later on,” Amla said, indicating that South Africa have prepared to bat again if needs be. “You’d rather be in our change-room without a doubt.”Despite the unresponsive surface, Amla believes there is something in it for South Africa’s attack, particularly Imran Tahir who already has the scalp of Andrew Strauss. “There’s quite a bit of rough. Even though they don’t have many left-handers to come, the rough is always a danger for the left-handers so maybe Imran can get a bit there,” he said.Amla predicted a tough first hour which has been the pattern throughout the match. He negotiated two days’ worth of first hours; day three when South Africa managed just 32 and day four when they scored 36. “It’s tough going early doors. Fresh bowlers in these conditions are never easy.”England will know that only too well, as they faced the first hour on day two and lost three wickets in that time. With South Africa’s attack proving dangerous, England face a battle early on the final morning “Dale, Morne and Vernon got the ball to move a bit,” Amla said. “It’s their good skill that is coming through.”Skill has been the winner in this match, whatever happens on the final day, with Amla’s masterclass the highlight. His marathon innings resulted in the first triple hundred by a South African in Tests but he said it was not always easy. With Smith, he had to “just hang in there and hang in there,” until conditions allowed for freer flowing play.”Graeme batted superbly,” Amla said. “His knock was a major stepping stone for us in our big total: the way he managed to grind it out. We went through patches where we didn’t score a lot and then either he would score freely or I would. That’s the beauty of a big partnership.”A second sizeable stand, with Kallis, guided Amla to the milestone and he credited his partner with providing “guidance,” during their time together. “You keep encouraging each other as you go on and you keep building,” he said. “You want to put the team in the best position as possible.”Amla had not had much time to think about his achievement by the end of the day’s play but took immense satisfaction from putting his team in control. “The biggest pleasure is that we are in a really dominant position to win this position, that’s the great joy. You want to contribute handsomely to the team. I try not to get into the psycho-babble about it and try and maximise opportunity.”Breaking a record and making history were things Amla had never thought about before and will not put on his to-do list in future. “I didn’t ever dream about getting 300, although I would have loved to,” he said. “I’ve always been the kind of person to never set goals. Fortunately, that means you can keep going without being limited by having set something up.”

Virat Kohli was once again the architect of a successful Indian chase, one that clinched the ODI series for India – they took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series

The Report by Siddhartha Talya31-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Manoj Tiwary claimed his best List A figures – 4 for 61 – to help set up India’s comfortable victory•AFP

Virat Kohli was once again the architect of a successful Indian chase, one that clinched the ODI series for India – they took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match competition. Kohli anchored India’s response to 251, and was helped along by Suresh Raina, who struck his third half-century of the series, each of which came in an India win. Both had their moments of fortune, just when Sri Lanka had fought their way back, but once set, they approached the target confidently, never allowing the required-rate to go above six and often being imperious in their shot-making. A game that promised to be close at one point eventually produced a comprehensive winner.Sri Lanka had edged ahead when Manoj Tiwary was trapped in front trying to sweep Jeevan Mendis to make it 109 for 4. Kohli had survived a run-out chance when on 19 and after he lost Tiwary, it was Raina who went through some jitters. An appeal for caught-behind was turned down when on 2, a run-out was missed when he was on 19 and Mahela Jayawardene dropped a sitter at slip two balls later. Kohli then survived a close shout for lbw while on 77, and was put down after his century – though, by then, India’s task was all but complete. Sri Lanka’s fielding, though occasionally impressive, was below-par for the bulk of the game – they leaked at least 11 runs in overthrows.Those lapses could have been decisive but were rare incidents of discomfort for the two batsmen. On a track favourably disposed to batting, such moments of anxiety were easy to put behind, as both Kohli and Raina drove assuredly through the line, used their feet well against spin and found it easy to step up and go over the top when a victory seemed within striking distance. Kohli played the supporting role when Virender Sehwag was going strong, was an equal contributor in a rebuilding stand with Tiwary and took the lead in the company of Raina. The transition from one role to the other was seamless.

Smart stats

• India won their third consecutive bilateral series in Sri Lanka. Their last loss in a bilateral series in Sri Lanka came in 1997, when they lost 3-0.Since 2006, India have gone on to win all five bilateral series against Sri Lanka (home and away).

• The six-wicket win is MS Dhoni’s 22nd against Sri Lanka in 38 matches. He goes past Imran Khan on the list of captains with the most ODI wins against Sri Lanka.

• Virat Kohli’s century is his eighth in chases and 13th overall. It is also his fifth century against Sri Lanka. Among India batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir have more centuries against Sri Lanka.

• Only Tendulkar (14 centuries) has more hundreds than Kohli has (13) before turning 24. Chris Gayle is a distant third with nine centuries.

• Kohli’s average of 61.02 is the best among batsmen who have scored 1000-plus runs in chases in ODIs. He is already joint-sixth on the list of batsmen with the most centuries in ODI chases.

• The 146-run stand between Kohli and Suresh Raina is the third-highest fifth-wicket stand for India against Sri Lanka. The highest fifth-wicket stand of 223 between Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja also came at the R Premadasa stadium.

• The partnership run-rate of 7.82 during the stand is the second-highest for a fifth-wicket stand (100-plus partnerships) and the seventh-highest overall for India against Sri Lanka. The same pair holds the record for the best run-rate (13.09), which came during their 120-run stand in Hobart earlier this year.

Kohli began his innings with an audacious pull off Lasith Malinga but in a partnership of 49 with Tiwary, after India were 60 for 3, struck just one boundary. Both ran well between the wickets, pressing for twos with the field spread out and Tiwary appeared to be in the groove, flicking a couple of fours through the leg side. His first batting stint this series was preceded by the loss of Sehwag and Rohit Sharma in quick succession. Sehwag, after appearing set for a long knock, was caught smartly at extra cover off a leading edge and Rohit, nervous from the outset and fighting for his place in the XI, was lbw when playing across to debutant seamer Nuwan Pradeep. The umpire’s call to double-check for a no-ball only prolonged his anxiety, but he knew soon he’d fluffed another chance.Raina was shaky to begin with but a generous dose of length deliveries gave him several opportunities to free up. After being dropped, he gradually settled in by picking off singles as Kohli was becoming increasingly dominant at the other end and eventually, in the batting Powerplay, accelerated with a sliced boundary over point off Pradeep before dispatching him for a straight six. At the start of that over, India needed 78 off 14 overs. After Raina had kick-started India’s race to the finish, Kohli made the rest of the innings a one-man show.With the fielding restrictions still on, Kohli entered the nineties, smacking Thisara Perera over midwicket, followed by a six over the sightscreen. He reached his 13th ODI century with a pull off Malinga before thrashing Rangana Herath to different parts of the ground for four fours in an over to all but seal the game. Extra cover, square leg and deep midwicket were his preferred scoring areas, the bowlers having no answers against his powerful, and skilful, wristwork.Though Sri Lanka finished on a high in their innings, they would, presumably, have fallen short of their desired score after choosing to bat. India’s decision to leave out a frontline bowler in Rahul Sharma – instead of the struggling Rohit – to make way for Tiwary raised eyebrows but, as it turned out, Tiwary played a crucial role in restricting the hosts.Dinesh Chandimal was going along fluently but his knock was cut short when he swung a Tiwary long hop straight to deep square leg. The innings began to stagnate when Jayawardene miscued a sweep off Sehwag shortly after and India’s part-timers proved so effective that Zaheer Khan, their best bowler, bowled just six overs. Angelo Mathews consumed 32 deliveries for his 14 before holing out, Mendis was bowled playing the reverse-sweep and Perera was caught in the deep – all off Tiwary. This slide undermined an opening stand of 91 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga, and India’s non-regular bowlers picked up five wickets in 22 overs, conceding 112. Tiwary was an unlikely bowling hero for India; the stars with the bat had already built a solid reputation.

Kumar Sangakkara was rewarded for a prolific year in both Tests and ODIs at the Sri Lanka Cricket Awards, where he took home three of the evening’s top prizes

Andrew Fernando06-Sep-2012Kumar Sangakkara was rewarded for a prolific year in both Tests and ODIs at the Sri Lanka Cricket Awards, where he took home three of the evening’s top prizes. Sangakkara beat Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene to win Cricketer of the Year, and he was also named Best Test Batsman and People’s Player of the Year.Sangakkara scored 1444 runs at an average 60.16 in Tests over the twelve months being considered, and 1457 ODI runs at 42.85. He had five hundreds in Tests and three in ODIs in the same period.Rangana Herath claimed the award for Best Test Bowler for his 70 wickets at 25.24, including a match-winning haul of 9 for 128 in Sri Lanka’s first victory in South Africa, in December. Also nominated were fast bowlers Chanaka Welegedara and Suranga Lakmal.Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan won the ODI awards for Best Batsman, Best Bowler and Best Allrounder, while Dinesh Chandimal was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year, following impressive overseas performances in South Africa and Australia.In the Women’s categories, Chamari Atapattu was named Best Batsman, Sherina Ravikumar Best Bowler, and Shashikala Siriwardene Best Allrounder.It was the second time Sangakkara had won the top prize and the third consecutive year in which he had become People’s Player of the Year, which is awarded based on public voting. He is also in the running for four ICC awards, including Cricketer of Year, at the international awards night in Colombo on September 15.Sri Lanka Cricket Awards list
Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Best Test Batsman: Kumar Sangakkara
Best Test Bowler: Rangana Herath
People’s Player of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Best ODI Batsman: Mahela Jayawardene
Best ODI Bowler: Lasith Malinga
Best ODI Allrounder: Tillakaratne Dilshan
Emerging Player of the Year: Dinesh Chandimal

Women’s Awards
Best Batsman: Chamari Atapattu
Best Bowler: Sherina Ravikumar
Best Allrounder: Shashikala Siriwardene

England’s second practice match, originally scheduled at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Cricket ground, has been shifted to DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2012England’s second practice match, originally scheduled at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Cricket ground, has been shifted to DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Mumbai.According to Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI chief administrative officer, the venue change for the match in the first week of November came at the request of the local organisers, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). “The ECB team had done a recce and were happy but the MCA wanted the venue to be shifted and that has been approved,” Shetty said.The MCA had requested a shift in the venue citing security issues at the BKC ground, but the BCCI had rejected it. In the end, the MCA president Ravi Savant met the BCCI chief N Srinivasan and explained the reasons for MCA’s concerns, after which the venue change was accepted.”I don’t know how that match was scheduled at BKC,” Savant said. “But once the match is given to the association, it is our prerogative to hold the match anywhere we want. When we came to know about the ECB officials inspecting the facilities at the BKC Ground, we immediately wrote to the Board about considering the DY Patil Stadium as an option. The BCCI president was magnanimous in agreeing to shift the match to DY Patil during the meeting. And, within five minutes it was decided. The Mumbai Police had also raised some concerns regarding security.”Savant said that the England board had reservations regarding the choice of the venue too. “The fence around the ground is too low, so anyone can enter the playing area. There are high-rise buildings around. There are no basic facilities like toilets, a cafeteria and seating arrangements for public. So, the best option was to shift the match to the DY Patil Stadium which is a tried and tested venue.”

In an intriguing day’s Test cricket, in which 17 wickets fell, New Zealand left the hosts tottering with the top four back in the pavilion chasing a challenging 363 on the last day at the P Sara Oval

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran28-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTim Southee’s spells in the morning and evening sessions inspired New Zealand•Associated Press

In an intriguing day’s Test cricket, in which 17 wickets fell, New Zealand left the hosts tottering with the top four back in the pavilion chasing a challenging 363 on the last day at the P Sara Oval. Fortunes ebbed and flowed but it was New Zealand who started and ended the day on a high. After wrapping up the Sri Lanka innings early, their top order was jolted and their plans of piling on a big lead before declaring took a hit. A fighting stand frustrated Sri Lanka and the declaration did come after tea, but the seamers were back in business, leaving Sri Lanka to battle for survival going into the fourth day.New Zealand captain Ross Taylor needed sufficient time to try and bowl Sri Lanka out, keeping in mind the time lost due to the elements over the first three days. The declaration came shortly after tea, and with the light still good, New Zealand looked to create early pressure. They had success in the first ball of the innings when Tharanga Paranavitana shuffled too far across to Tim Southee and exposed his leg stump, departing for his third first-ball duck in Tests. Sri Lanka’s hopes of chasing the target rested on an aggressive start from Tillakaratne Dilshan but, after making a start, he fell off a loose drive to the same bowler.

Smart stats

• New Zealand’s lead of 168 was their fifth highest against Sri Lanka and the second highest in Sri Lanka. Click here for Tests in which New Zealand batted first and here for Tests in which New Zealand bowled first.

• In Tests since 1990, visiting teams have taken a lead against Sri Lanka in seven matches. Sri Lanka won once and lost on three of the six previous matches.

• If Sri Lanka are to win, they have to achieve the highest target in Tests in Sri Lanka. No team, however, has won a Test (chasing 300 or more) after losing four wickets for less than 50 in the fourth innings.

• Seventeen wickets fell on the fourth day. There have been only two previous Tests in Sri Lanka when more wickets have fallen in a single day.

• Ross Taylor became the ninth New Zealand player to score 1000 runs as captain. His average of 49.85 is second only to Martin Crowe’s 54.29 among New Zealand players who have scored 1000 plus runs as captain.

• Tharanga Paranavitana was dismissed off the first ball of the innings for the third time. There have been nine instances of Sri Lankan opening batsmen being dismissed off the first ball of the innings.

Kumar Sangakkara, out of sorts in the series, was also guilty of shuffling at the crease and only managed to play on to his stumps off the thigh, giving Doug Bracewell his first wicket. He found time to squeeze in another, and make perhaps the most important breakthrough, when he had Mahela Jayawardene poking at a delivery he should have left. Bracewell, whose stock delivery is just short of a length, got his line right to Jayawardene. He was guilty of straying too wide of off stump in both Tests, but on this occasion got it closer to the off stump.Coming in to this Test on the back of five consecutive defeats, New Zealand needed to rely on their strengths – seam bowling – to reverse their horror run. The seamers set it up first thing in the morning, nipping out the last four wickets in just 7.4 overs to take a healthy first-innings lead of 168. Southee completed his third five-wicket haul but the bowler who inflicted the maximum damage was Trent Boult, who swung the new ball and dismissed the set overnight pair of Thilan Samaraweera and Suraj Randiv to finish with 4 for 42.Samaraweera failed to add to his overnight score when he was squared up by a peach from Boult, which left the right-hand batsman late after pitching on middle stump, the outside edge taken by Martin Guptill at second slip. Boult struck again in his following over with one that swung in late and struck the base of Randiv’s pads. Nuwan Kulasekara then edged Southee to first slip to give the bowler his second five-for in three matches. A display of brilliance sealed the innings as Kane Williamson pulled off a blinder, diving to his left at gully to catch a thick outside edge to get rid of Herath.Behind by 168, Sri Lanka needed to win at least one session to put the pressure right back on the visitors. They got rid of the openers before lunch and picked up three more, in four balls, after the break. It left Taylor with the debutant Todd Astle to muster as much as they could to regain control.New Zealand at that stage were leading by 243 with five wickets in hand. Taylor’s presence was always New Zealand’s safety net, fresh off a century in the first innings, but Astle’s approach was what allowed the stand to flourish. Rather than get bogged down, he was positive, pulling Nuwan Kulasekara over square leg or his first boundary and using his feet to Herath, lofting over midwicket.Taylor displayed the same patience that earned his first-innings ton, staying watchful and picking the singles and allowing Astle to go after the bowling. Being naturally aggressive, it was ironic that Taylor’s first boundary came off his 77th ball, when he drove Randiv past cover to bring up his fifty.Astle had his moments of fortune, when he was let off at slip by Paranavitana, though it was a tough chance. He also survived a run-out at the striker’s end, though bizarrely the umpire Nigel Llong did not referred it, nor did the fielders appear interested in appealing.With the lead going past 350, Sri Lanka’s chances receded. They will need Samaraweera to lead the way again, under pressure, with Angelo Mathews for company. Six more wickets will give New Zealand their first win in Sri Lanka since 1998.

Graeme Smith says the leaked Australian game plan “dossier” and references in the media to their strategies for South Africa have served to motivate his own side

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-2012Graeme Smith says the supposedly leaked Australian game plan “dossier” and references in the media to their strategies for South Africa have served to “touch the motivation springs a little more” in his own side.The document purported to contain an analysis of each of South Africa’s likely Test XI and was published in local media on Thursday. Instead of an explosive summary, it was a predictable assessment which bordered on the amateur and seems to have caused more amusement than angst in the South African camp.”There was nothing really new in that,” Smith said. “I haven’t read it myself, I heard a few lines and it is nothing that we didn’t expect. All of us have played enough against Australia and we know what it’s going to take to be victorious here. Our preparation has been really good and intelligent. Certainly the stuff that happens in the papers and maybe things Mickey [Arthur, Australia’s coach] has said have only added motivation for us.”With theories sprouting over whether the dossier is an official team document, something planted to throw South Africa off kilter or a media ruse, Michael Clarke hinted at the last option. He denied the existence of an actual booklet of information and even said some of the contents were never part of Australia’s planning.”We as a team don’t have an official dossier as such. We look at footage, we talk about opposition players, we study opposition strengths and weaknesses as a bowling group and a batting group, that’s generally what we do as a team,” he said. “There was some stuff in there that is quite common knowledge about the South African team and there was some other stuff in there that we certainly haven’t spoken about.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, took a similar view. “I looked at it and there are things in there that I thought, ‘well, everyone knows that,’ and there were things that I thought, ‘well, I would do the complete opposite to that,” he said. “There are some fun and games in all of that and listening to Graeme, he seems pretty unfussed by all that.”For his part, Arthur later tweeted an unequivocal message: “Just to make one thing clear-there is no secret dossier and there never was! #mediahype”Irrespective of its legitimacy, Clarke does not think the leak will have a significant bearing on the series. “Both teams would have read the papers – that’s for sure,” he said. “The most important thing for me, and I’ve said it for a long time now, it’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do. That’s the Australian team’s attitude at the moment. It’s about making sure tomorrow we turn up. Enough’s been said, there’s been plenty of talk in the media and it’s been built up beautifully, with two very strong cricket teams. Now it’s about what we do.”Smith agreed. “It doesn’t really make a difference [whether that is their strategy or not],” Smith said. “We have prepared for what we going to expect over the next few days. Tactically, we are doing our work anyway. The most important thing for us was maximising our preparation.”One of the things both teams have been preparing for is chin music with bouncers certain to fly on a spicy Gabba pitch. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you see plenty of short stuff, that’s for sure,” Clarke said. “The young quicks know what they have to do. I’ve made it very clear that they need to keep the same aggression they had against India last summer. We understand there’s a line that you can’t cross, but we’ll be pushing that line.”The dossier indicated Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy would be targets of the short ball but Smith was more sedate in his reaction. “When you’ve got fast bowlers on either side, it’s always going to be a topic of discussion, especially at venues like the Wanderers or the Gabba,” he said.Amla was also the subject of a psychological examination by Australia which may be surprising given his reputation as one of the tougher characters in cricket who rarely gets ruffled. Johan Botha, a former team-mate of Amla’s who now captains South Australia, said it is unlikely Australia will be able to change that.”He (Amla) is pretty relaxed and I don’t think it will affect him at all,” Botha said in Adelaide. “He has played against Australia now a few times – he has played against all the other top teams in the world. And he is the type of guy who it doesn’t affect him if you say something or if you don’t. He just goes out there and watches the ball and grinds out big scores. They (Australia) can do what they want (but) you have got to put the ball in the right area and put him under pressure. Hashim will just go about his game as he has always done.”Mental weakness overall though, has cost South Africa on previous occasions so the strategy in itself would not be entirely misplaced but Smith believes the team have gotten over their problems in that department and will not be rattled by mind games.”Our Test side has proven that, especially away from home. You play in other people’s backyards, in front of their crowds and you have different sorts of pressure. You have to be able to stand up at key times,” he said. “When good teams play each other there are small margins and you need to be able to handle those small margins better. Our goal is to match up again. I don’t expect to see us too emotional about things. If we can be focused and clinical, I will be happy.”Already South Africa have given the cold shoulder to attempts by Australia to rile them up. When Arthur mentioned during his media engagements this week that Australia’s seven left-handers will look to capitalise on the statistics that Dale Steyn has been less successful against southpaws than right-handed batsmen, Gary Kirsten shrugged it off with a smile. “Let’s just say it will provide us with good motivation.”Talking down the world’s top-ranked bowler did not last long in the Australian camp and Arthur soon backtracked to say he only meant that because Steyn bowls to fewer left-handers, the numbers are skewed the other way. Ricky Ponting then said Australia will look to “negate Steyn because then we will go a long way to winning.”Again, Smith did not feed the machine with anything more about what he expects form his go-to man on this pitch. “I’m looking forward to Dale taking 10 wickets and looking forward to Vernon taking 10 wickets,” he said non-committal fashion. “You can bowl the speed of light but how effective can you be. Dale has proven that he can do both and hopefully he can show that in this Test match.Rather, Smith’s focus is on making sure South Africa stick to their much talked about processes and follow their own plans. He said they have devised many tactics but they are unlikely to find their way into the public domain. “We try to keep it in the guys’ heads as much as possible so dossiers aren’t left lying around.”