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Mark Richardson talks to Herschelle Gibbs about betting scandals, the Test series against Australia and dropping the 1999 World Cup

17-Dec-2005

Herschelle Gibbs knows he won’t be able to slip under the radar this summer. Australian fans never let him forget his role in a betting scandal which brought down his captain Hansie Cronje, or the moment of madness when he dropped Steve Waugh at the 1999 World Cup.On his third tour of Australia, Gibbs is intent on making his name through his deeds with the bat rather than as the target of a Waugh sledge which, he believes, probably never happened. Despite the pressure he will face from fans and foes, Gibbs knows he has the natural resilience and ability to succeed on the toughest tour of all. But he believes he has yet to show his true abilities, starting with a first tour in 1998.”I wasn’t really an established player but I played in a couple of Tests and four or five one-dayers,” he tells . “We actually probably had our best and most established side at this time. Allan Donald was really quick, Polly [Shaun Pollock] was still firing at around the 140kph mark and we still had Hansie [Cronje], but for me it was very much a learning experience.”And what did he learn? “It is the toughest tour from a mental point of view,” he says. “It is just so mentally tough and draining – on and off the field. It is not just the players you play against; the media and public are very much in your face too.”In 2001, South Africa returned to Australian shores being touted as the second best team in the world. It was a series so keenly awaited that in a moment of frustration against New Zealand, who were the summer’s entrée, Glenn McGrath enquired of a batsman: “When are you lot going to bugger off so we can play a real team?”The Kiwis eventually “buggered off” and in stepped the South Africans. “We didn’t just lose; we got hammered in all three Tests,” Gibbs says. “It was such a disappointment. There was so much tension going into the first Test at Adelaide. Justin Langer described it as being like two heavyweight title fighters apprehensively waiting for the first big punch to be thrown, which I reckon was a pretty accurate description.”The first telling blow was landed and it came in the form of the tag-team duo of Langer and Matthew Hayden. “We simply got outplayed,” he says. “Langer and Hayden made merry all throughout the series and set Australia up for scores of 500 to 600 in all three Tests. We simply couldn’t get in the fight.”And his disappointment doesn’t start and end with the team’s results. “I’d come off a Man-of-the-Series performance against India so I can’t say I was short on confidence and in fact I got off to a good start with 80-odd, but after that I guess the nerves just got the better of me,” he says. “I got too up for the challenge and in the second Test when McGrath chirped me about the Hansie thing I reacted badly. It was a mistake on my part. I’ll admit to being intimidated, but that is quite a common thing for many players in Australia.”

However, Gibbs bounced back from some pretty nasty episodes to fashion a very impressive Test and ODI record. Without a doubt the nastiest episode was his six-month ban in 2000 for his part in the match-fixing scandal. “Perhaps Hansie was as much to blame for my downfall as his own, but I accept I made a mistake,” he says. “Everyone makes mistakes in their lives and their chosen careers and yes I made a big one, but I’m just glad I only got six months off and have been allowed to move on.”Boy it was hard coming back and first-up against Sri Lanka I was so nervous. I think I got a couple of ducks straight up and then in Australia in 2001 I copped a heap from the crowds. But time heals most things and even though I expect to get a little ribbing this time round, I accept it is in my past.”Also in the past is the famous dropped catch off Waugh, who reportedly told him he had just dropped the World Cup. Gibbs believes that story is more myth than legend. “If he did say it I didn’t hear it,” he says. “Maybe he made comment of it in the press conference, but I definitely didn’t hear anything on the field.”That was in limited-overs cricket and Gibbs has pretty strong views as to where that rates. “You never hail the one-day heroes,” he says. “You never really hear about one-day runs. No, it is all about Tests. The greats are measured on their tally of Test runs and averages. I’m not really bothered about my ODI average, strike-rate is perhaps more important.”When it comes to Tests there is no doubt Gibbs is aiming for a tally that will place him among the world’s greats. “I aim to score 1000 Test runs per calendar year,” he says. “If I play another five years I then should have 10,000 Test runs.”Five years is quite conservative for one of the game’s better athletes and a man who has taken over the fielding mantle of Jonty Rhodes. He takes his fitness seriously and prides himself on being in the top three when the South Africans are assessed. It is an understatement when he says: “I’m blessed with natural speed.”This summer Gibbs will have more faith in his natural ability than on the past two tours. It probably helps that his last Test innings against Australia was a century made in the final match of the home series in 2002. “It started to fall into place because I got a little more comfortable against them,” he says. “In the past they knew they could rattle me and I’d lose concentration, but I’ve played a lot more games now and this time I’m where I want to be and it is comforting to know what I’m up for as not much has changed with them.”For many Tests he had been the more flamboyant half of two successful opening partnerships; firstly with the retired Gary Kirsten and later with Graeme Smith as they began to build a record to rival the Langer-Hayden combination. Gibbs is now walking in to bat at No. 5 and while it may not be his favoured position, he has accepted the challenge. He even reckons Australia may not be the worst place to find success in the middle order.

“I got frustrated in the West Indies,” he says. “I’d come in with 300-odd on the board, the ball would be soft, no pace to work with and I just couldn’t play my natural game. In Oz, at least the wickets are quicker, which might help with my natural game.”So how does a natural born ball striker and opener with a terrific record find himself in the middle order? “We didn’t know what to do with AB de Villiers – he has done so well, however no one has really filled their boots at No. 5 or 6 so I’ll do it and see if can provide some solidity. I mean at the end of the day I could have said stuff the team and de Villiers would have had to bide his time, but putting the team first is more important.”It is an attitude that shows Gibbs is far from the naive kid once influenced and manipulated by Cronje. He is now a leader and along with Jacques Kallis carries the experience in the batting lineup. “This is possibly the best top six we have had for a while: inexperienced but talented,” he says. “Obviously myself and Kallis must lead by example but looking at the others they are all quite attacking. We all must play our natural games. We will definitely have a few discussions about going out and being natural.”

Ireland’s woes in the T20 format continued as they were no match for the top-ranked Associate side, meandering to a total of 125 for 6 before Afghanistan coasted to victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi14-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

‘We didn’t feel like we were under pressure at any point’ – Rajput

Ireland’s woes in the T20 format continued as they were no match for the top-ranked Associate side, meandering to a total of 125 for 6 before Afghanistan coasted to victory with eight balls to spare.After electing to bat, Ireland got off to a promising start thanks to a typically belligerent Paul Stirling and a travel-weary Stuart Poynter, who arrived at 2am as an injury replacement after Stuart Thompson had a mishap at training on Friday afternoon. As was the case in the early match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the wind blowing southeast acted as a temptress which sucked Stirling into giving away his wicket, failing to get enough lift into a heave towards the midwicket rope.Once Stirling fell, Ireland’s middle-order struggled against the three-headed spin attack. The most potent threat among them was legspinner Rashid Khan, who had Kevin O’Brien playing down the wrong line before beating Gary Wilson’s attempted sweep for a pair of lbws. It left a long Ireland tail exposed with more than three overs to bat out and they barely managed to finish with a target of more than a run a ball.Afghanistan cruised through their Powerplay behind Mohammad Shahzad and Najeeb Tarakai but Ireland’s own new legspinning hope Jacob Mulder caused some problems by beating Shahzad in flight after a charge down the pitch before claiming Asghar Stanikzai with a slider two overs later. Tarakai was run out off Mulder’s bowling as pressure built slightly. But Mohammad Nabi ensured the match was never in doubt.Nemesis Nabi
The star allrounder made his impact felt with bat and ball in this contest to give Afghanistan a winning start to the tournament with a man-of-the-match display. With Ireland desperate to build confidence after entering this game, having lost 8 of their last 11 completed T20Is, Nabi broke the ominous opening stand with his second ball, teasing Poynter into playing across the line to a straight ball in the sixth over. He ended the 16th over by ending Greg Thompson’s laborious stay for 3 off 9 balls.With the bat, Nabi entered after Mulder had spooked the top order back into the pavilion at 81 for 3 in the 12th. Afghanistan remained ahead of the run-rate for most of his innings but, just when the slightest bit of pressure built with the rate climbing back over a run a ball in the 17th during Mulder’s last over, Nabi provided a release with a deflating heave over midwicket into the southeast stand for six. He clobbered Boyd Rankin for good measure in the following over for another six over midwicket, before tapping the winning single in the 19th over.Home away from home Afghanistan supporters began filing into the stadium during the second innings of Scotland’s victory over Hong Kong, more than two and a half hours before the first ball had been bowled by Fareed Ahmad to Stirling. By that stage, there were about 1500 inside the ground and, when the first wicket fell, that number had swelled to 4000. By the end of the first innings, almost the entire pavilion stand on the south side was filled.Though the atmosphere wasn’t quite as intense as the three finals played between these two sides at the World T20 Qualifiers in 2010, 2012 or 2013, it was still lively nonetheless. In the field, Rashid showed himself to be a fast-rising crowd favorite, getting arguably the loudest reaction when he first came on to bowl. But Nabi is especially beloved among the Afghan faithful and when he cranked sixes in back-to-back overs off Mulder and Rankin late in the chase, the south stand turned delirious.After the teams exchanged handshakes, the Afghanistan players walked from the east to the west, waving back to the crowd to show their appreciation, setting off a volley of mobile-phone camera flashes. UAE may be the official host side, but there is no disputing who has the true home advantage in this event.

West Indies batsman Shai Hope was pleased at having scored a maiden ODI century in only his second game but some off the sheen from that achievement was taken away by the side’s tied match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo19-Nov-2016West Indies’ tie against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo took some of the gloss off what was otherwise an adventurous maiden hundred by West Indies batsman Shai Hope. Playing his second ODI, Hope marshalled West Indies’ chase along with Kraigg Brathwaite, the pair putting on 162 for the third wicket, and reached his ton with a whip through midwicket off the second ball of the 45thover. But two deliveries later a wild swipe resulted in an edge through to the wicketkeeper, opening a window for Zimbabwe to claw their way back into the game.”[Getting the hundred was] a good feeling, but it would be even better with a win,” Hope said. “That’s the main thing: it’s about winning games. So the hundred doesn’t really mean much right now because we didn’t win.”Hope, who also kept wicket today, was at the crease as early as the 12th over in West Indies’ chase after Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis fell in the teens. “It’s a bit tough [keeping wicket and batting up the order], especially if the team loses quick wickets at the beginning,” Hope said. “But it’s about transferring the effort of your wicketkeeping into your batting, and keeping your team on top of things.”After a period of consolidation, during which both batsmen survived confident appeals at the hands of Zimbabwe’s spinners, Hope broke the shackles with 10 runs from consecutive long hops in the 20th over. Thereafter, he was soon outscoring Brathwaite, and rode his luck as West Indies sought to press home their advantage.In the 32nd over, he was caught by Donald Tiripano at long-on, but the fielder stepped on the boundary rope while completing the catch. Three overs later, he slapped a full toss straight to Sikandar Raza but the chance was dropped. In the 39th over, a top-edged slog once again evaded Raza, running towards long-off from cover.Those errors aside, Hope and Brathwaite appeared to be in control, with the latter focusing his efforts on turning the strike over to his more aggressive partner. “We were trying to put the bad balls away, capitalising on those ones and rotating the strike,” Hope said. “We wanted to take it as deep as possible and finish off the game, but it was unfortunate we couldn’t get that done today.”West Indies were 220 for 3 when Hope fell, and still appeared to be on course in their chase. Yet five more wickets fell in the next five overs, and with three needed from five balls in the last over, Carlos Brathwaite swatted a Tiripano legcutter to Sean Williams at long-on to set in motion Zimbabwe’s unlikely comeback.”There’s always nerves, especially in games like this. But I must say it was a bit disappointing not to cross the line. That’s the game of cricket. Sometimes it can go both ways. On another day, that ball Carlos hit would have gone for six. Today he lost his wicket. It’s just about being more aware. It didn’t happen for us today.”

Australia’s captain Steven Smith ranked a surprise hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka among the most deflating results of his career

Daniel Brettig30-Jul-2016Australia’s captain Steven Smith ranked a surprise hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka among the most deflating results of his career, after pledging his leadership would be focused upon improving the national team’s record in overseas territory.The 106-run defeat in little more than three days of actual playing time has put Australia’s No. 1 ranking at risk, being their seventh consecutive loss in Test matches in Asia and first to Sri Lanka in 17 years. Meanwhile a hamstring injury to the left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe means Smith will be relying on the ability of the Victorian spinner Jon Holland to hit the ground running when he links up with the squad in Galle for a match on what is expected to be an even sharper spinning pitch than that seen in Pallekele. A task considered well within the team’s capability ahead of the series now looks exceptionally steep.Familiar Australian weaknesses against spin bowling were laid bare by Rangana Herath and his wrist-spinning offsider Lakshan Sandakan, as they shared 16 wickets between them. At the same time batsmen like David Warner and Usman Khawaja were put to shame by an extraordinarily composed innings of 176 from the 21-year-old Man of the Match Kusal Mendis. Smith, too, had reason for self-recrimination, as his charge down the track at Herath’s first ball on day two had effectively swung the match.”It is disappointing,” Smith said. “I said before the game that we haven’t played well in subcontinent conditions for quite a while now. It’s something that under my captaincy I want to change. There were glimpses throughout this game that we’ve improved in some aspects but I think we just let ourselves down a lot as well.”I generally play spinners quite aggressively. I’ve hit that ball for four or six several times throughout my career. I got beaten on the inside of the bat. It’s just summing it up and making sure I play with a straighter bat if I’m trying to go over the top. I know it looked ugly and it probably didn’t look great. For me, it’s about making sure I still have that intent to score.”In expressing sorrow for O’Keefe’s exit, particularly after he had fought bravely alongside Peter Nevill to try to delay defeat on the final afternoon, Smith also spoke optimistically about the skills of Holland. The pair were fellow academy inductees nearly a decade ago, and will need to find quick rapport as captain and spinner to help bring Sri Lanka’s batsmen to heel.”Galle is the biggest spinning place here in Sri Lanka, or so we’ve been told so it’s going to play a big part again,” Smith said. “Jon Holland is a class bowler, he’s done pretty well in state cricket and having a left-arm orthodox bowler in these conditions is a must. He’s accurate, he hits a good area and hopefully we can see some of the same as what we saw from Steve and Rangana, with some balls spinning and some balls skidding. It’s incredibly hard to play against and I’m looking forward to him getting here and having a couple of days’ preparation with us.”He and I went to the academy together so we know each other reasonably well and I’m sure he’ll fit in well around this group. There’s always challenges when you’re playing international cricket, especially away from home. He’s going to have to get a game plan and the speeds that he needs to bowl together pretty quickly. We’ll be working with him to make sure he gets that in and I’m really excited for him to join us.”Holland for O’Keefe is likely to be the only change to the Australian side, with Smith looking for his team to atone for their missteps in Pallekele.

Maharashtra Cricket Association also says it will conduct a probe into the matter which will be independent of the ICC’s investigation

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Oct-2017Contrary to the BCCI’s assertion that Pandurang Salgaoncar has been “dismissed” from his role, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) says it has only suspended him as head groundsman of the Pune pitch. The MCA will appoint its own committee to conduct a probe, which will be conducted after investigation being carried out by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU).”He has been suspended as curator and as also the MCA member because of any actions which might bring disrepute to the association,” a MCA official told ESPNcricinfo. “There will be an inquiry and depending upon the verdict a final decision will be taken.”Action was taken against Salgaoncar on Thursday, hours before the India-New Zealand T20, for “malpractice” that was captured on camera by undercover reporters from . The decision to suspend Salgaoncar was unilaterally taken by the MCA president Abhay Apte, after the footage was released. It is understood that Salgaoncar had come to the ground on the morning of the T20, but Apte met him and explained the seriousness of the issue. Apte informed Salgaoncar that he was left with no choice but to suspend him. He also said that the best solution was for Salgaoncar to leave the ground.According to the MCA official, Salgaoncar asked if he could watch the match sitting in an MCA box, but Apte declined such a request as the curator’s presence would have added to the media furore. “There was the issue about perception. There is an issue about faith, about trust, and it was not appropriate to let him continue in the job and it would be incorrect,” the MCA official said.The MCA was relieved once ICC match referee Chris Broad gave the match the go-ahead upon examining the pitch.On Thursday, in an emergency meeting, Apte explained to the MCA members the logic behind suspending Salgaoncar. “The MCA suspended him pending enquiry. We cannot terminate him without any proof and finding. And we cannot let him go just based on a perception that he had done something wrong.”Asked whether Salgaoncar had committed a breach of the ICC’s ACU code, the MCA official agreed there was a violation. “Prima facie there is evidence and misconduct and hence he was suspended. If it is confirmed that there was [misconduct] then he will be removed. If it confirmed that was not the case, then he will be reinstated.”

City considered signing a number of players who ended up moving to Old Trafford instead – and the blue half of Manchester must be glad they did

In a parallel universe, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish are getting fired up ahead of the upcoming derby Manchester City. Haaland followed his former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Molde to Manchester United, while Grealish moved from Aston Villa to the Red Devils in 2020.

Meanwhile, City defensive duo Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, wearing light blue tracksuits, are discussing how they will stop Haaland and Grealish and are preparing themselves for the volley of abuse they will receive from the Stretford End.

Maguire joined City in 2019 along with Brazilian winger Antony, while Lindelof moved to the Etihad Stadium two years earlier. Raphael Varane is on the substitutes' bench for City after recovering from a niggling injury along with veteran Alexis Sanchez.

Paul Pogba, who controversially switched from the red half of Manchester to the blue half in 2022 as a free agent, will be lining up in midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes, who chose City over United in 2019…

Ok, let's head back to reality, even if it is fun to ponder what might have been been. Because, but for a few differences of opinion between sporting directors, chairmen and agents, a number of players involved in Sunday's Manchester Derby at Old Trafford could have been lining up on the opposite side of the divide.

With City still in the hunt to repeat last year's incredible treble success while United are looking increasingly likely to miss out on the top four, many of those players may have wished they chose a different destination. And City fans will be thanking their lucky stars they avoided some of the players who ended up flopping at Old Trafford.

Ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, GOAL runs through all the players who were on the verge of moving to City but ended up joining United instead and had a far less happy time as a consequence…

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  Alexis Sanchez

  In January 2018, with just months left on his contract at Arsenal, Sanchez faced a choice between joining two of the best coaches in the world. One option was reuniting with Pep Guardiola, who had signed him for Barcelona and who he has said "was like my dad".

  Then there was Jose Mourinho, who looked to be taking United back to the top. The Portuguese, who was already seeing his arch-rival run away with the title, could not bear the thought of another top player further strengthening City and made an appeal to Sanchez.

  "I was about to go to City," the Chilean told earlier this year. "We talked every day, he sent me messages. Suddenly the phone rings. Mourinho tells me: 'Alexis, here is the number seven shirt available for you'. I wanted to leave at that moment, but I had Guardiola's word.

  "That's when I said to myself, a Chilean footballer playing for Manchester United, something that has never happened. With the seven of Cantona, Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and now a Chilean had it, it was a dream."

  That dream, though, quickly turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned. Sanchez later confessed that after his first training session with United, he asked his agent if he could rip up his contract and go back to Arsenal.

  The Chilean, who earned a reported £400,000 ($485,000)-per-week, never came close to replicating his form for the Gunners at United, and when the Red Devils made a miserable start to the following season, he bore the brunt of criticism.

  Sanchez left United for Inter after a miserable 18 months, scoring just five goals in 45 appearances and looking utterly devoid of confidence and verve, a shadow of the player he once was.

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  Harry Maguire

  Maguire was regarded as one of the best centre-backs in Europe after a stunning 2018 World Cup, and both City and United vied for his signature the following summer. Guardiola was an admirer and the club were ready to match the Red Devils' £70m ($85m) bid for him, but turned away when Leicester, seeing the competition breweing between the two rival clubs, raised their asking price to £80m ($97m).

  "We were interested but we could not afford him. United could," Guardiola later admitted. While Maguire had a perfect debut at Old Trafford, a 4-0 win over Chelsea, things quickly unravelled for him. He recovered his form to steer United to consecutive top-four finishes, but when the team began to fall apart under Solskjaer, he was blamed for their spiral of horrendous results, among them the 5-0 home humiliation by Liverpool.

  Erik ten Hag gave Maguire just eight league starts last season and wanted to sell him in the summer to West Ham for just £30m ($36m), but the defender refused to leave.

  Maguire has staged an impressive recovery after facing merciless ribbing from all quarters and silenced his critics. However, he has continued to be rocked by injury problems and is set to miss the derby. And City, who signed Ruben Dias in 2020 for £64m ($77m), will have few regrets about not getting the deal for Maguire over the line.

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  Paul Pogba

  Pogba's second spell at Manchester United was a long-running and painful saga that finally came to an end when his lucrative, six-year contract ran out in June 2022.

  Despite his many injury issues and the fact he had not managed to truly shine under Mourinho, Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick, City were interested in signing him as a free agent. It was not the first time that Pogba had been linked with City, as Guardiola revealed that he had been offered the chance to sign the Frenchman in 2018 after he fell out with Mourinho, despite agent Mino Raiola calling the City boss "a coward, a dog".

  Pogba, wary of the potential backlash from United fans, opted to move back to Juventus instead. But his second coming in Turin has been a nightmare in every sense, suffering two serious injuries, being subject to blackmail, and then failing a drugs test for elevated levels of testosterone. Another bullet dodged from City's point of view.

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  Cristiano Ronaldo

  With his time at Juventus coming to a bitter end in the summer of 2021, Ronaldo was considering his next move, and City were one of the few clubs who could afford him. When word spread that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was speaking to City, key figures from United, especially Sir Alex Ferguson, began to panic.

  "Honestly, it [moving to City] was close. They spoke a lot and Guardiola said two weeks ago that they tried hard to have me," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan during his infamous interview in December 2022. "Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I spoke with him… He said to me that, 'It's impossible for you to come to Manchester City'. And I said 'OK, Boss'."

  Ronaldo made an immense start to his second coming, scoring twice on his debut against Newcastle and rescuing victories over Villarreal and Atalanta. But it was clear that United were a worse team as a result, as he slowed down their play and forced them to adapt their style of the past three years to suit him. Ronaldo ended the season as the team's top scorer but United registered their worst points total in 30 years in the Premier League, and his capacity to pull off escape acts slowly diminished.

  His me-first attitude had also had a negative effect on the team, and in his second campaign he stunk out the place, leaving a friendly against Rayo Vallecano at half-time and refusing to come on as a substitute before full-time against Tottenham, incurring a brief suspension. His unauthorised sit-down with Morgan embarrassed United further and there was only going to be one ending – ripping up his contract.

  City, meanwhile, won another title without a striker and then welcomed in Erling Haaland, who fired them to the treble. Yet another bullet dodged.

India overcome 110-run deficit to chase down 321 in the fourth innings courtesy half-centuries from Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair and Hanuma Vihari

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2018Getty Images

Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 67 off 71 balls helped India A complete a stirring come-from-behind win in the second four-day Test against West Indies A in Taunton. They chased down 321 with five wickets in hand to clinch the series 1-0.While Pant saw the chase through, the foundation was laid by half-centuries from Hanuma Vihari (68) and captain Karun Nair (55) on Thursday. This allowed India A, who resumed the fourth day needing 107 to win, to rally despite losing two wickets inside the first five overs of play. Jayant Yadav, the offspinner, made 23 not out in an unbroken 100-run stand with Pant for the sixth wicket to seal the win.Two days into the contest though, India A were well behind. They were bowled out for 192 in the first innings, with left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer taking five wickets as West Indies A claimed a 110-run lead. But a sensational fightback led by India’s seamers resulted in West Indies A being bowled out for 210 in their second innings.Half-centuries from John Campbell and Jermaine Blackwood apart, there was little of note in the West Indies second innings; they lost their last nine wickets for 85. Mohammad Siraj picked up four wickets while Rajneesh Gurbani, on India A debut, finished with three. Siraj finished with match figures of 8 for 132.Chasing a huge score, India A openers R Samarth and Abhimanyu Easwaran put on 51. Then Nair, pressing for a middle order berth in India’s Test squad for England, struck eight fours in his 63-ball 55. His 136-run stand with the in-form Vihari put West Indies A on the back foot. Their wickets early on the fourth day threatened to take the game away, but Pant chose to make his mark on the tour with a responsible knock to guide the side home.India A’s final tour game is a one-off Test against England Lions from July 16, one where a number of Test specialists like M Vijay, Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha are likely to feature ahead of the first Test against England on August 1 at Edgbaston.

Finding suitable purches on a slow pitch in Colombo was only possible while the shine remained on the ball, said Sri Lanka’s left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo17-Mar-2017The new ball remained key to the spinners’ menace on this P Sara deck, said Lakshan Sandakan, after he took 4 for 140 in the Colombo Test.Sri Lanka were not particularly effective with either the first or second new ball, taking most of their wickets after the shine had worn off. But they did raise some close lbw shouts, and drew several mistakes from the batsmen, both early in Bangladesh’s innings and soon after taking the second new ball. Rangana Herath emerged with the innings’ best figures, wiping out the tail to finish with 4 for 82 while seam bowler Suranga Lakmal took 2 for 90, and though Dilruwan Perera did not make a breakthrough, he bowled his 33 overs with good control.”The wicket became a bit slow, and when the newness of the ball goes, there’s nothing much from the pitch,” Sandakan said. “You have to toil a bit here and work hard. Rangana and Dilruwan [Perera] bowled in good spots and put good pressure on them, and that’s why we were able to get them out. Suranga [Lakmal] also bowled really well, because it’s not a pitch that favours quicks and he did his job really well. If you keep the ball as new as possible, I think the spinners have a good chance here.”It was Sandakan who dismissed Bangladesh’s top-scorer Shakib Al Hasan in the afternoon session, but he could have had him out for 11 had a catch at deep square leg been held. A couple of chances had gone down off Sandakan’s bowling in the first Test in Galle as well, but he was philosophical about the misses. “Having a catch dropped [is] not a new thing for a bowler. Whether you play club cricket or school cricket, catches can be missed. Maybe the catch goes up because it’s a very good ball so I try to look at it as a positive and keep trying to bowl good balls.”In addition to the dropped catch off Sandakan, Sri Lanka also spilled a chance off Lakmal, missed a straightforward run-out, and were uncharacteristically sloppy on the field.Adding to Sandakan’s problems was a difficulty bowling to a right-left batting combination. He conceded 4.24 per over as Shakib, the left-hander, forged partnerships of 92 and 131 with right-handers Mushfiqur Rahim and Mosaddek Hossain.”Changing according to whether the batsman is a left-hander or right-hander is a bit difficult for me, with the way my action is. But we need to be focused on where to bowl to batsmen. I think if you can bowl straight, you’ll be able to do something. Whether I bowl the googly or the chinaman or whatever, if I pitch it in the right place, I think I have a good chance – it doesn’t really matter whether he’s right or left handed.”

AB de Villiers has said he was “pretty upset” at being asked by the umpires to explain the condition of one of the balls during South Africa’s narrow defeat against England at the Ageas Bowl

Alan Gardner at the Ageas Bowl27-May-20173:03

‘Upset at being held responsible for condition of the ball’ – de Villiers

AB de Villiers has said he was “pretty upset” at being asked by the umpires to explain the condition of one of the balls during South Africa’s narrow defeat against England at the Ageas Bowl.Rob Bailey and Chris Gaffaney, the standing umpires, spoke to de Villiers before the start of the 34th over in England’s innings, bowled by Keshav Maharaj. De Villiers was animated in his response on the field and the ball was not changed; afterwards, South Africa’s captain said he felt it was being implied that his players were at fault for scuffing up the ball.”The umpires felt the condition of the ball changed,” de Villiers said, “in a way, making me feel that we are responsible. I was quite upset about that. I don’t know what else I can say, I was pretty upset. It’s done and dusted now, nothing happened, there were no fines given or anything like that.”I honestly told the umpires we have nothing to do with the condition of ball, except for the fact that Maharaj bowled five overs on the trot from that end. The ball generally scuffs up when the spinner bowls a few overs. I expressed my views about that and we move on.”Asked if he felt that the implication from the umpires was that his side had been engaging in ball-tampering, de Villiers replied: “Yes. That’s the feeling that I got and I expressed that I was quite upset about it. But like I said, no further steps were taken from both parties.”If I can give my five cents, I felt it was a bad ball and that happens sometimes. The leather comes off and you do get that. Unfortunately the umpires didn’t agree. [But] nothing happened, generally there’s a warning or a fine, none of that happened, which tells me they realised we were innocent in this case.”South Africa were sanctioned last year for altering the condition of the ball in a Test against Australia in Hobart, after their captain, Faf du Plessis, was filmed by television cameras with a mint in his mouth when applying saliva to shine the ball. In 2013, during a series against Pakistan, du Plessis also pleaded guilty to a charge of ball-tampering after rubbing the ball near the zipper on his trousers.Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, said his team were unaware of any suggestion that the ball had been scuffed up. “Normally, if there’s any dispute about the ball, they change it straight away,” he said.The umpiring team of Bailey, Gaffaney, the third umpire, Rod Tucker, and match referee, Andy Pycroft, were engaged in their customary debriefing after the game, with no suggestion that the matter would be taken further.Having seen his team lose out off the final ball by two runs, de Villiers praised England’s bowlers for closing out victory and the series. With ten balls to go, South Africa needed ten runs to win but Jake Ball and Mark Wood conceded just six singles and a leg bye to deny David Miller and Chris Morris.”I thought the boys played a great hand at the end there, to get us so close,” de Villiers said. “I got a bit excited, thought we had it in the bag. Got to give credit to the last two bowlers of England, who finished there, they showed some great skill and good plans.”Unfortunately it didn’t go our way, we didn’t get the lucky bounce – if you want to call it that, a little edge over the keeper. We were just waiting for one little break and it would be game over. The boys gave it their best shot. Chris and David played a great knock, built a great partnership but unfortunately we couldn’t cross the line.”

Saurabh Kumar and Upendra Yadav add 246 for the seventh wicket after top order stumbles to 74 for 6 before lunch; Bawne 92 lifts Maharashtra

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2017Counter-attacking centuries from rookie Upendra Yadav and allrounder Saurabh Kumar helped Uttar Pradesh stage a remarkable recovery after being reduced to 74 for 6 before lunch on the first day against Assam in Guwahati. The seventh-wicket pair added 246 in just 38.1 overs to drive the innings, with UP eventually finishing with 349. Rishav Das and Rahul Hazarika played out a tricky new-ball burst towards close as Assam ended on 25 for no loss.Suresh Raina, the UP captain, continued to flounder in his quest to regain lost form, falling for 6. Mohammad Saif and Rinku Singh, who rescued UP in the first innings in their previous outings against Delhi, managed just 4 and 18 respectively. Rajjakuddin Ahmed, the fast bowler, picked up three wickets while Dhiraj Goswami, Abu Nechim and Gokul Sharma, the captain, picked up two wickets apiece for Assam.Ankit Bawne fell eight short of his second century this season and 18th overall, as Maharashtra overcame an early wobble to end on 249 for 5 on an attritional opening day against Railways in Pune. The innings was built on two vital partnerships: 71 for the fourth-wicket (between Bawne and Naushad Shaikh) and 95 for the fifth (Bawne and Motwani). Karaun Thakur, the medium pacer, who removed the in-form Rahul Tripathi earlier in the day, came back to dismiss Bawne minutes before stumps to even the scales for Railways.