All posts by h716a5.icu

The in-form David Willey produced another breathtaking innings on the second day of promotion-chasing Northamptonshire’s match against Glamorgan.

29-Aug-2013
ScorecardDavid Willey took his T20 batting form into the Championship with a blistering 81•Getty ImagesThe in-form David Willey produced another breathtaking innings on the second day of promotion-chasing Northamptonshire’s match against Glamorgan.Willey followed up his century against Warwickshire in the Yorkshire Bank 40 three days ago with a stunning 81 – his highest first-class total – off just 73 balls, including six huge sixes. It helped Northamptonshire build a big first-innings lead as they were eventually bowled out for 453, 212 runs ahead of Glamorgan’s total, with Andrew Hall hammering 91 not out off 134 deliveries and Mike Reed taking 4 for 109.The hosts began the day on 85 without loss, 156 runs behind their opponents, with their captain Stephen Peters resuming on 39 and James Middlebrook on 38. It did not take long for Peters to reach 50 off 80 balls in the third over of the day but he was to perish on 61 when he edged Reed to Jim Allenby at first slip to break the opening stand on 115.Middlebrook then completed his half-century off 73 deliveries, but he departed for 59 when he sliced a loose drive off Reed to Glamorgan captain and wicketkeeper Mark Wallace.Alex Wakely threw his wicket away on 36 when he gave Gareth Rees an easy catch at mid-on and gift Reed a third wicket before Dean Cosker removed Ben Duckett when he was taken by Wallace. Glamorgan’s fightback continued as Andrew Salter’s terrific delivery clipped David Sales’ off stump to dismiss him for 48 before Steven Crook nudged the very next ball to Wallace.But Willey reinforced his side’s innings with a spectacular half-century off just 51 balls as Northamptonshire reached tea on 309 for six. He and Hall went on to set a new record seventh-wicket partnership for the county against Glamorgan, surpassing the 105 made between William Denton and Benjamin Bellamy at Swansea in 1922.Willey went past his previous first-class best of 77 – made against Leicestershire in May – before he tentatively edged Wagg to Allenby at first slip to end the partnership on 115. Hall then became the fourth Northamptonshire batsman to go past 50, off 85 balls, as the relentless hosts claimed a full set of batting bonus points with 13 overs to spare.Reed then took out Trent Copeland’s off stump after the Australian had bludgeoned 34 before Northamptonshire wicketkeeper David Murphy feathered Allenby to Wallace. Cosker was to end the hosts’ innings – and the day’s proceedings – when he trapped Muhammad Azharullah lbw for 2.

Lord’s was not the first time in recent memory that New Zealand’s batting line-up has crumbled but it was the toughest to take because they had pushed England to their limits for more than three days

Andrew McGlashan20-May-2013Lord’s was not the first time in recent memory that New Zealand’s batting line-up has crumbled but it was the toughest to take because they had pushed England to their limits for more than three days. The morning after it was still raw, as the coach Mike Hesson reflected on the fourth-innings collapse which had left him in shock.He and Brendon McCullum have four days to pick up the pieces and repair fragile confidence but Hesson does not believe the rapid demise, which evoked memories of the South Africa tour at the beginning of the year, will undo the improvement New Zealand have shown over the last couple of months.”Absolute disappointment, stunned is another word,” Hesson said when asked to sum up his feelings. “Having played so well for three of the days and had parity, to perform the way did was very much out of character so it’s frustrating.”South Africa was different, it was the first innings of a series and dictated the way that game went, during this game we had three days of parity, if not being ahead. We are a developing side, we haven’t nailed everything, and occasionally we will have a performance which lets us down.”He also suggested that the enormity of what had been possible for New Zealand, just their second Test victory at Lord’s, overwhelmed the batting line-up although he was also quick to praise England’s performances.”There could be a number of factors – the location, the occasion, the chance to win a Test at Lord’s,” he said. “Throughout the second innings and the fourth innings we got a bid timid with the bat and I think the occasion, and probably the quality of the England bowlers, got to us.”However, Hesson remained determined to ensure that a “shocking” hour would not have to define the rest of the tour after the side had gone toe-to-toe with England, most notably through Tim Southee’s 10-wicket match haul.”We’ve got a lot of good memories to draw on. We played very poorly for that hour before lunch, which determined the outcome of the game, and it’s frustrating that a short period of time could dictate the game.”We are all thoroughly disappointed by that hour, but there were some amazing performances. We caught very well throughout the Test and the bowling was outstanding. Put Tim to one side, who grew another leg in that spell on the third evening, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Bruce Martin in the first innings set the tone.”It’s an experience we need to grow from. But like I said we’ve strung together lots of good days of cricket, we can’t just dwell on the fact we had a shocking hour.”

Dougie Brown hailed Warwickshire’s “incredible strength of character” as Warwickshire’s tenth-wicket pair survived for 21.1 overs to deny Somerset victory at Taunton

George Dobell at Taunton28-Apr-2013
ScorecardRikki Clarke nudged the England selectors with another impressive display•Getty ImagesDougie Brown hailed Warwickshire’s “incredible strength of character” as their tenth-wicket pair survived for 21.1 overs to deny Somerset victory at Taunton.Rikki Clarke and Oliver Hannon-Dalby resisted for the last 78 minutes of the match to help the champions escape with a draw and leave Somerset, winless after their first three games, sitting sixth in the Division One table.In a pulsating finish to a high-quality game that should underline the attraction of county cricket, the Warwickshire pair resisted – with a mixture of luck, application and pure determination – an impressive spell of surprisingly quick bowling form 19-year-old Jamie Overton as Somerset pressed for victory.In the end, though, the lack of experience in the attack showed – Warwickshire were not forced to play at enough deliveries in the final hour – and Clarke, in particular, provided another demonstration of his growing maturity and reliability in batting out the final 45 overs of the game.”They showed exactly what Warwickshire is about,” Brown, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, told ESPNcricinfo afterwards. “They showed that we play as a team and for the team and we never accept defeat. We have something at Edgbaston that you just can’t buy: it’s called team spirit and we leave here taking great encouragement from this performance.”Somerset may consider themselves unfortunate. Oliver Hannon-Dalby was inexplicably reprieved by umpire Nick Cook after he had clearly edged the impressively hostile Jamie Overton to the substitute keeper Jos Buttler with 11 overs to go and the umpires also made the bewildering decision to take the players off for two overs for bad light just as the sun came back out from behind the clouds. It cost Somerset two overs.But they will also rue some self-inflicted errors. Somerset spurned at least four catching opportunities on the final day – Clarke was the beneficiary on two occasions; one a straightforward chance to James Hildreth at slip – and must also reflect on the wisdom of not enforcing the follow-on towards the end of the second day of the match.Somerset led by 248 runs after the first innings but, instead of asking his bowlers for another burst on the second evening, with 13 overs left in the day, Trescothick instead decided to extend his side’s advantage. He might also have declared Somerset’s second innings earlier.”It was a brilliant advert for the county game,” Trescothick said phlegmatically afterwards. “It was a great game and it was on TV.”You always reassess your decisions, but I don’t regret the follow-on decision at this stage. The bowlers were tired and the pitch was flat. No-one means to drop catches, but we missed some crucial opportunities and that cost us.”Warwickshire also deserve much credit. While the pitch remained comfortable for batsmen and the bowling attack was somewhat green – it included two teenage seamers and a 21-year-old spinner – to resist for 144 overs was remarkable. It was the highest score Warwickshire have ever made in the fourth innings of a first-class match and is believed to be their longest ever fourth-innings in terms of overs faced.It says much for the positive outlook in the Warwickshire dressing room that, despite chasing a target of 515, they did not abandon victory hopes until their sixth wicket fell. That ambition may have counted against them, though, when Tim Ambrose’s fluent half-century was ended when he top-edged a pull – Hildreth caught it running back from slip to within 10 yards of the third man fence – and Laurie Evans’ excellent three-and-a-half hour show of defiance was ended when he chased a wide one and edged a cut to slip.Earlier Varun Chopra – missed on 94 when he drove a tough caught-and-bowled chance back at Alfonso Thomas – completed the 12th first-class century of his career and Chris Woakes, batting at No. 6 in this game (Warwickshire utilised a nightwatchman in their second innings) with an idea to his potential role with England, composed a pleasing 42. They still only finished 88 runs short.With so much to admire, then, it is a shame that the drama was overshadowed by some disappointing umpiring. While everyone accepts that human frailty comes with the territory, the standard of decision-making in this match was so low that it threatened to compromise the meaningfulness of the encounter. So many important decisions were wrong – some of them far from difficult – that the game took on an element of chance.Quite apart from the men given out incorrectly – there were several but Nick Compton, William Porterfield and Chris Wright, given out lbw on the last day to a ball that would have bounced over the stumps, could feel particularly aggrieved – the umpires also made a horrendous mess of the light issue.First they insisted that play continue in the rain – Woakes was bowled in remarkably gloomy conditions – and then took the players off just as it stopped and the light brightened. By the time Cook, by some distance the worse of the two umpires, utilised the TV coverage to review two appeals for catches – neither was out – it appeared that even he had lost confidence in his decision-making.At least Jack Leach will remember this game with more affection. Leach, 21-year-old and playing his third Championship game, used to be employed to park trolleys in a branch of Sainsbury’s supermarket in Taunton, but here took his maiden five-wicket haul as he was rewarded for his control and persistence; 24 of his 44 overs were maidens. It seems safe to assume he left those trolleys in good areas.But while Leach demonstrated admirable control, he is not a big turner of the ball – he was reliant on the foot-holes when bowling Chopra, sweeping, behind his legs – and he lacked the bite to inflict the fatal blow. While delighted with his own performance, he admitted the result “felt like a loss” afterwards.”We batted badly in our first innings,” Brown said. “But we bowled well in both innings against a batting line-up that is Test class from one to six and we batted well in the second innings.”It seems neither of Warwickshire’s last-wicket heroes will play their next game. Clarke, who pulled a hamstring, will not play in the Championship match against Sussex starting on Wednesday, while Boyd Rankin will come in for Hannon-Dalby. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell will also play.Craig Kieswetter, who was forced off the field at lunch having sustained a blow to his right-hand when standing up to the stumps off Peter Trego, is also an injury doubt for the next match and will require some sort of scan to ascertain the extent of the damage. In Buttler they possess a remarkably keen and able deputy.

Chittagong Kings confirmed their place in the last four after a 33-run win over Duronto Rajshahi

The Report by Mohammad Isam13-Feb-2013
ScorecardChittagong Kings confirmed their place in the final four after a 33-run win over Duronto Rajshahi. Jason Roy and Ryan ten Doeschate set up the victory with a huge partnership that put Rajshahi’s fate in other teams’ hands.The Kings’ third-wicket pair added 117 runs, with Roy making 92 off 55 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes, while ten Doeschate made a 39-ball 65 with four boundaries and three sixes. Brendan Taylor had earlier given them a fine base to build on, hammering two fours and two sixes in a 21-ball 30, which ended when he holed out at square-leg off a top edge.Rajshahi began the chase promisingly as Charles Coventry carved and blazed at Shaun Tait. He smashed three fours and two sixes but Tait had the last laugh when he bowled the Zimbabwean opener for 24 off 15 balls.Dilshan Munaweera and Simon Katich then added 66 runs for the second wicket, setting up an exciting finish. However, after Munaweera fell on 35 in the 11th over, Rajshahi needed their big-hitters to fire. Katich made 53 off 39 balls, and had some luck after Taylor missed stumpings off Enamul Haque jnr in the eighth over.Ziaur Rahman helped out with two fours and two sixes but Tait made the difference by bowling him in the 15th over. Rajshahi’s spark ended there as their chase fizzled out. Jahurul Islam fell for 1 on such a crucial occasion, denting their hopes of a win.Tait’s fire apart, the final spell of Rubel Hossain, in which he gave away few runs and picked up two vital wickets made a lot of difference to the team’s fortunes as well as his confidence.

Sri Lanka’s new Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal has admitted there is significant pressure on the hosts to finish the home series against Bangladesh on a high note

Andrew Fernando in Pallekele30-Mar-2013Sri Lanka’s new Twenty20 captain Dinesh Chandimal has admitted there is significant pressure on the hosts to finish the home series against Bangladesh on a high note, ahead of the one-off Twenty20 in Pallekele on Sunday. The hosts had been expected to win each series comprehensively, but could only draw the ODI series 1-1, and allowed Bangladesh to draw a Test against Sri Lanka, for the first time.Chandimal is now set to lead a young, inexperienced side, which will feature at least one debutant, as six uncapped Twenty20 players have been named in the 16-man squad. They will likely play four top-order batsmen with less than 15 matches’ experience, and two specialist bowlers who have each played less than five Twenty20s.”Bangladesh won the last match and will be in a good mental state. But our players have got a big chance here and they will hopefully take that opportunity,” Chandimal said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but I like to play with that pressure. As a cricketer, there has to be pressure when we play, because that’s when we can truly overcome challenges. We never underestimated Bangladesh, because they are an improving side in world cricket.”I have to be content with this team, because as youngsters, this is the kind of tour that they should be given opportunities in. When you are playing your first or second match, it’s better if you play teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and then get the confidence to play big matches against Australia and England. It’s good if they can learn from their time with the seniors and take their cricket forward.”Chandimal has never captained a national team at age-group level, but he had had a superlative season as captain of Ananda College, in Colombo, where he led his side to an unprecedented 13 outright wins in 2008. He was one of several candidates for Test captaincy as well, despite his youth, but eventually Angelo Mathews was given the role, and Chandimal made vice-captain.”I was captain in Under-19 and U-15 teams as well, in a few provincial matches. This is a great challenge, because captaining the national team is not something everyone can do. We need to talk to all our players, of every level of experience and figure out how we are going to improve and win more matches for our country.”We don’t have the experienced players like Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who played well in the last two series. But I think there are great young players like Dilshan Munaweera and Kusal Perera. This is a great opportunity for the young players.”Chandimal singled out Nasir Hossain as a particular threat among the opposition batsmen, and said Sri Lanka had grown wary of his strengths during the tour. Nasir walloped 33 runs from 27 deliveries in the third ODI, to propel his side to victory, and had struck 73 not out from 59 deliveries to close out the innings in the first ODI as well, in addition to the Test ton he scored in Galle.”Bangladesh’s batsmen have improved a lot from how they were before. Nasir Hossain has been the batsman who has batted the best in the ODI series, and he’s been consistent throughout the tour, so we’ve got a plan for him. We’ve got plans for all the others as well. We’re hoping that tomorrow we can come through in those situations, and showcase our talent.”

Saurashtra’s trio of spinners, Kamlesh Makvana, Vishal Joshi and debutant Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, earned their team a first-innings lead of 107 against Madhya Pradesh

Abhishek Purohit in Rajkot30-Dec-2012
ScorecardBefore this game started, Saurashtra’s only chance of achieving the outright win that would take them to the quarter-finals was believed to be their spin attack, considered to be better than Madhya Pradesh’s. Despite the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Nayan Doshi, the trio of Kamlesh Makvana, Vishal Joshi and debutant Dharmendrasinh Jadeja showed why that belief was right, earning a first-innings lead of 107. MP’s dismal batting means they too will now have to push for an improbable victory, when a first-innings lead would have sufficed.As was the case on day one, the new ball was productive, with Jaydev Unadkat taking three wickets, including those of Devendra Bundela and Jalaj Saxena in inspired, extended spells of 6-3-7-2 and 6-3-13-1 on either side of lunch. Unadkat had earlier made 20 of the 30 runs he and Makvana added for the last wicket, and carried that confidence into his bowling.The difference between the two sides, however, was the quality of spinners, and the way they were played. There wasn’t a lot of turn from the dry Khandheri pitch, contrary to what was being expected by both sides before the start of the match. Still, Saurashtra’s spinners created chances, half-chances and plenty of excitement among the close-in fielders regularly. While MP’s spinners had been content with cutting down the runs, allowing the opposition to recover from 94 for 5, Saurashtra’s bowled a fuller length, drew the batsmen forward, put in more effort and flight in their deliveries, and generated more bounce. Also, while Saurashtra’s batsmen were prepared to grind it out and wait for runs, MP’s batsmen kept going for their strokes despite the situation demanding some caution.The initial incisions were made by Unadkat. Bowling flat out, he got the sort of lift and zip that had eluded Ishwar Pandey and Anand Rajan in the morning. Saxena did not help MP’s cause by flailing and getting beaten a couple of times outside off. Despite his partner Naman Ojha walking over for a word, Saxena proceeded to play the hook, on the hop, to an Unadkat bouncer, only to be caught at square leg. Rameez Khan played a sharp length delivery from the crease, and lost his off stump, which took such a blow it had to be replaced.Then came the most crucial part of the innings as MP’s best batsmen, Bundela and Ojha, fought. Unadkat reared a short delivery up at Bundela’s throat first ball, which the MP captain defended. The next ball was pitched up, produced an edge, but fell short of the cordon. Bundela responded with a clip to the deep-midwicket boundary.Ojha, a free-flowing batsman, took on spin soon after it was introduced in the 13th over, as he stepped out to lift left-arm spinner Jadeja over mid-on and mid-off. As lunch approached and Ojha continued leaving his crease and lofting the ball, Saurashtra already had a sweeper cover, long-off and long-on for him.Unadkat was at it again soon after lunch though. In the second over after the break, he zipped one across Bundela, which the batsmen could only edge on its way to the keeper. MP were now 57 for 3 and soon slipped to 73 for 4 when Ojha dragged a sweep into the keeper’s gloves down the leg side off Joshi.This was when the difference in the spin attack started to show. The tall Jadeja, the second-highest wicket-taker in the Under-25 CK Nayudu Trophy, put in a lot of work on the ball with an action that had him pivoting on the front foot like the classical spinners of old. He was accurate too, and after some time, had Satyam Choudhary and Udit Birla edging for an alert Shitanshu Kotak at slip to take his 101st and 102nd first-class catches. MP continued to sink, with Harpreet Singh slashing Makvana to second slip, a very sharp chance held nonchalantly by Rahul Dave. Similar chances had gone down in the Saurashtra innings.Unlike the Saurashtra lower order, the MP tail showed absolutely no fight. Anand Rajan drove at a flighted Joshi delivery and was bowled, Ishar Pandey slogged his first ball to midwicket, and Ajay Rajput his second to extra cover.Once again, when they needed to fire in a crunch game, MP came up short. They had batted poorly in the first innings of their quarter-final against Mumbai in the previous season and, this year, had also lost a thriller to them in the previous round.MP did send back Sheldon Jackson in the third over of Saurashtra’s second innings, but Pandey’s length ball barely got above the ankles. MP, who have to bat last, wouldn’t have liked that.

Fund-raising is underway for a commemorative statue of Basil D’Oliveira at the entrance to Worcestershire’s redeveloped New Road ground.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2012Fund-raising is underway for a commemorative statue of Basil D’Oliveira, the cricketer who became the focal point of anti-apartheid protests, at the entrance to Worcestershire’s redeveloped New Road ground.The Basil D’Oliveira Foundation is seeking £70,000 to commission a bronze sculpture of D’Oliveira, who was one of Worcestershire’s most iconic cricketers and who died last November aged 83.Damian, son of Basil and the academy director at New Road, said: “Our family has been a part of Worcestershire for nearly 50 years now. I come in every day and see my father’s name on the stand and hopefully soon I’ll be able to drive along New Road and see his face too.”It is so many years since my father arrived here, but people have long memories and always come up to us to speak about him. We will be very honoured if the statue goes ahead.”John McKenna, the Scotland-based sculptor appointed, was born and brought up in Worcester and went to school with D’Oliveira’s sons.Any additional money would be used to set up an exchange scheme for cricketers in England and South Africa, where D’Oliveira was born. He became the symbol of opposition to South Africa’s apartheid regime after he was called up for England’s tour of South Africa in 1968.South Africa cricket officials, aware that the inclusion of D’Oliveira, as a Cape Coloured, would lead to the cancellation of the tour, exerted pressure on the MCC hierarchy not to select him. MCC’s acquiescence caused a media outcry in England and when D’Oliveira was subsequently chosen because of an injury to Tom Cartwright , the South Africa prime minister B. J. Vorster refused to accept his involvement and the tour was cancelled.The D’Oliveira Affair helped to shift international opinion against South Africa’s regime and caused an end to official cricketing links between England and South Africa until the mid 1990s until the collapse of the apartheid regime.

Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat.Arafat, 30, will join his compatriot Junaid Khan as Lancashire’s second overseas player for the 20-over tournament. Lancashire will be Arafat’s fourth county after spells at Surrey, Sussex and Kent. He has played three Tests for Pakistan as well as 11 ODIs and seven T20Is.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “The addition of Yasir to our squad emphasises our determination to progress in the Friends Life t20 tournament and we are delighted to have him on board. Our squad doesn’t have the depth that we have been accustomed to and Yasir brings experience and skill to fulfil this important role.”Peter Moores, the head coach, said: “Yasir has a wealth of experience of playing in this country. He is a very experienced one day bowler and a big hitter of the ball down the order.”Arafat, who last played for Pakistan two years ago, told PakPassion.net that his aim was a place in World Twenty20.”I’ve been out of favour with the national side for more than two years and all I can do is to try and perform well and to attempt to impress the selection committee,” he said. “I would dearly love to play in the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.”

Bangladesh kept themselves in the running for a spot in the final of the Zimbabwe tri-series, just, with a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club

Liam Brickhill21-Jun-2012
ScorecardHamilton Masakadza made his fourth consecutive score over 50, but it wasn’t enough for Zimbabwe•AFPBangladesh kept themselves in the running for a spot in the final of the Zimbabwe tri-series, just, with a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club. Nasir Hossain held Bangladesh’s pursuit of 150 together, responding to Hamilton Masakadza’s half-century with an unbeaten 41 to guide his side home with 15 balls to spare. The real credit for the win must go to Bangladesh’s bowlers, however, as they scuppered Zimbabwe’s charge at the death of their innings to keep the target within reach.An aggressive start from Zimbabwe’s batsmen had put the home side in a position to reach at least 160 after Brendan Taylor won his third toss in a row and, once again, decided to bat first. Zimbabwe were well-placed at 125 for 3 at the end of the 16th over, with two set batsmen at the crease before Bangladesh clawed their way back into the game.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny provided the breakthrough by having Stuart Matsikenyeri caught at long on for an industrious 27, and from that point onwards wickets fell regularly. The complexion of the match changed completely as Mashrafe Mortaza returned to have Masakadza caught behind, heaving at a slower ball, for 56. In the same over Elton Chigumbura’s run out reduced Zimbabwe to 132 for 6 before Prosper Utseya was undone by an Abul Hasan slower ball and Graeme Cremer sliced an attempted slog to be caught in the deep off Mortaza, who was named Man of the Match for his efforts.Zimbabwe’s stumble, during which they lost five wickets for just 31 runs in the last five overs of their innings, gave Bangladesh a gettable target at which to aim and their openers, Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, launched the chase with gusto. Taylor opened the bowling with Prosper Utseya, the offspinner promptly being despatched for two crisp boundaries in his first five balls. Chris Mpofu’s first over went for 15, and Bangladesh were flying at 25 without loss.Bangladesh then suffered a stutter, courtesy some needlessly reckless batting from Ashraful, who was bowled attempting a paddle, and some equally casual running from Tamim. Graeme Cremer had Anamul Haque caught behind in his first over to reduce Bangladesh to a wobbly 52 for 3 in the seventh over, but Nasir Hossain then joined captain Mushfiqur Rahim in the middle and the pair set about repairing the innings.Theirs was a watchful partnership, and apart from Mushfiqur’s solitary six, their entire stand of 47 was made up of scampered ones and twos. Zimbabwe’s hopes will have been briefly raised when a superb pick-up and throw from Vusi Sibanda had Mushfiqur run out for 31, but Hossain and Mahmudullah closed out the match in a flurry of boundaries. They put on an unbeaten 54 at almost 13-runs an over to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive in this series.Earlier, Masakadza had once again provided the backbone of Zimbabwe’s innings and his extraordinary run of form has now extended to a century and three fifties in his last four innings. After Masakadza lost his opening partner, Vusi Sibanda, to a run out, a partnership of 48 in 32 deliveries with his captain Taylor helped Zimbabwe to weather the early breakthrough and briefly keep the ascendancy. Taylor contributed watchful 38s in Zimbabwe’s previous two wins, holding the middle order together, but with his side seemingly assured of a place in Sunday’s final he chose to take the attack to the bowlers.Taylor raced to 27 from just 12 balls but then played one shot too many, a top-edged hoick ending up in Mahmudullah’s hands at deep midwicket. Taylor’s dismissal meant that Zimbabwe’s middle order, which hasn’t really been tested yet in this series, were offered the chance for some time in the middle. Craig Ervine couldn’t make anything of the opportunity, however, as his dreadful run with the bat continued when he played outside the line of a Mahmudullah straight-break to depart for a golden duck.While Masakadza remained Zimbabwe still looked like passing 160, and he was cheered to a 47-ball fifty in the 15th over. The crowds attending the matches at Harare Sports Club have swelled as Zimbabwe racked up consecutive wins, and a particularly noisy rabble around Castle Corner kept warm on a wintry afternoon with choruses of exuberant and vocal support. Once Masakadza was prised out by Mortaza, however, they had much less cause to celebrate.

Ben Cutting’s highest first-class score rescued Queensland from a potential debacle on the first day against Tasmania in Hobart, where he finished the day unbeaten on 72

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2012
ScorecardBen Cutting showed his skills with the bat•Getty ImagesBen Cutting’s highest first-class score rescued Queensland from a potential debacle on the first day against Tasmania in Hobart, where he finished the day unbeaten on 72. Jackson Bird took five wickets to reduce the Bulls to 8 for 89 shortly after Cutting came to the crease but by stumps they had reached 9 for 195, with Alister McDermott also not out on 10.Cutting and Steve Magoffin (17) had put together a 54-run partnership for the ninth wicket as Cutting went after the Tasmania bowlers, having decided that attack was the only way to survive on a difficult pitch. He scored his 72 off 74 balls, including four sixes, and he went past his previous highest score of 58 with consecutive sixes off Jason Krejza.Queensland had been in early trouble having been sent in when Wade Townsend was caught behind in the first over of the match and his opening partner Ryan Broad was lbw to Bird with the total on 13. Joe Burns dug in with 43 either side of a rain delay, but the only other specialist batsmen to reach double figures were Andrew Robinson with 19 and Chris Lynn with 16.Bird ran through the middle order and finished with 5 for 56, his third five-wicket haul in an outstanding debut season in which he has collected 28 victims at 16.85. His work was all the more important because the Tigers had lost James Faulkner to a back injury before the start of play, while the Queensland captain James Hopes was also ruled out due to a knee problem.