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Sarfraz Ahmed’s 80-ball century hurtled Pakistan to a first innings of 454 before Australia’s openers replied with a solid unbroken 113-run stand

The Report by Daniel Brettig23-Oct-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSarfraz Ahmed clobbered an 80-ball 100•Getty ImagesAustralia haven’t been this confounded by a Sarfraz since the feisty Nawaz introduced them to reverse swing at the MCG in 1979. Sarfraz Ahmed’s 80-ball century hurtled Pakistan to a first innings of 454, chastening Australia’s bowlers and ensuring the first Test will have to be fought to the finish on a parched and dusty Dubai pitch.David Warner and Chris Rogers made the best of their time in the final session, adding a busy 113 with only the occasional hiccup, but there is still some way to go after Australia’s bowlers were left looking bereft for much of the day. The platform set by Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq allowed Sarfraz to launch into an innings every bit as joyful as the celebration he unleashed upon cresting three figures.If Australia’s bowlers had been forewarned by Sarfraz’s recent Test form – scores of 74, 5, 48, 55, 52*, 103 and 55 – before this match, they were disarmed by long hours in the field and a pitch utterly foreign to them. What followed was a display that allowed Pakistan to more than double their first day tally inside two sessions. Warner and Rogers lifted the day two total to 348, the most scored at the DSC in a single Test match day.Well as Mitchell Johnson bowled for standout figures of 3-39 from 31 overs with no fewer than 18 maidens, Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe returned combined figures of 4 for 255 from 67 overs. An early chance dropped by Alex Doolan, following another by Rogers on day one, took on critical dimensions as Pakistan’s first innings grew.Pakistan had needed to search more readily for runs when play began, Australia more pointedly for wickets. Lyon’s first ball of the day should have reaped the desired breakthrough, as a sharp off break skewed off Shafiq’s bat and pad to short leg. But Doolan dropped it, and from there the batsmen took the initiative.Misbah sallied forth to loft Lyon for six over midwicket, while Shafiq used his feet where the previous night he had thrusted his pad. Their stand grew the total far more quickly than anything on the opening day, and Lyon’s opening spell of the morning leaked runs at five per over.The attack on Lyon was critical, for his off breaks seemed most likely to claim a wicket. Though Mitchell Johnson retained his pace and threat, none of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Marsh or Steve O’Keefe could attain the sort of deviation in the air or off the pitch to force a false stroke.Michael Clarke was moved to try Smith’s leg breaks, and his combination of sharp spin and looseners drew Misbah into a heave that sailed only as far as Johnson, posted halfway to the long on boundary. That wicket brought some momentary relief, but Sarfraz’s intentions to attack were clear in the same over the wicket had fallen, and by lunch he already had a sprightly 27.Shafiq had been the dominant Pakistani batsman for most of the morning, but as play resumed he reverted to a role in support of Sarfraz, who offered a starburst of strokes all round the ground as Clarke’s brow furrowed. All bowlers were scored off, the spinners most of all, and in what seemed no time at all the total had zoomed past 400.Both batsmen appeared destined for centuries, but Shafiq perished when he tried to slog sweep O’Keefe, the top edge landing in the hands of his fellow debutant Marsh behind square leg. Sarfraz was undeterred, and cuffed Marsh impudently over the slips for his second Test hundred and the second of the innings.If he had appeared limited against Pakistan’s batsmen, O’Keefe is accomplished at winkling out the tail, and soon he also drew a top edge from Yasir Shah. Johnson struck the left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar a nasty blow on the hand, drawing blood, and on the stroke of tea Sarfraz failed to regather his ground when missing a tired-looking sweep at Lyon.The innings lasted only two more balls after tea due to Zulfiqar’s retirement on account of his bandaged right fingers, leaving Warner and Rogers to face more than 30 overs in the evening. Mohammad Hafeez was handed the new ball as a nod to Rogers’ previous difficulties against Graeme Swann, and his first few balls were played with something less than assurance.But Warner has been on a Test match hot streak of his own to match that of Sarfraz, and he built up steadily in the shadows of late afternoon. There were some straight drives of rare brutality, and a reverse sweep from the debut leg spin of Yasir to pass 50 for the sixth Test innings in a row. Warner looked primed for a long stay on the morrow when stumps were drawn. After Sarfraz’s effort, he will need one.

Sussex haven’t won at The Oval since 1994 but have a chance to break that run after building up a good lead and asking Surrey to bat out the final day for a draw

Alex Winter at The Oval26-Apr-2013
ScorecardLuke Wells made his highest first-class score•Getty ImagesSussex haven’t won at The Oval since 1994 but have a chance to break that run after building up a good lead and asking Surrey to bat out the final day for a draw.Graeme Smith, Surrey’s captain, led an excellent riposte as his side faced 17 overs before the close with an unbeaten 43 in 46 balls. He will be relieved after failing in his first two innings for his new club but will know tomorrow’s biggest challenge may well be against Monty Panesar on a wearing wicket.Panesar may be the only hope for a positive result on a surface that appears to be getting slower and lower. Sussex would have liked more than their solitary success by the close, Steve Magoffin swinging a full ball into Rory Burns who drove and edged behind, but the reality is the wicket is not competitive enough.Panesar’s initial burst on the third evening did not suggest he can win the match on day four. Smith biffed his first over for 14, putting a full toss past mid-off, a half-volley past mid-on and a short ball through square leg. Smith has already negated a much-vaunted English spinner on this ground in the past 12 months – Graeme Swann finding no joy in the Test match last July – and Smith will undoubtedly seek to unsettle Panesar tomorrow en route to a morale-boosting draw.His side have been on the back foot for the past two days, having failed to take advantage of being 247 for 3 in their first innings. They crumbled to the second new ball, whereas Sussex thrived against it on the third morning and picked up the scoring rate.Luke Wells predicted a fresh ball would be easier to score against and so it proved as he and Ed Joyce extended their partnership to exactly 200 before Joyce, like he did in the season opener at Headingley, failed to move through the 90s and was bowled by a Gareth Batty slider. It was the high point in Batty’s day. He recorded an undesirable career record, with the most expensive innings figures he has sent down in the Championship.Matt Prior played around with him in a typically jaunty half-century in 36 balls. Batty tossed it up just outside off stump and went over extra-cover; he bowled straighter and went past fine leg; he bowled flatter and went past backward point. Prior was a breath of fresh air that broke up what was an uninspiring day as the contest between bat and ball that thrived on the second afternoon was totally lost.Luke Well was the beneficiary, going through to a career-best 208. The way he plays suggests that he is not one to waste opportunities. He took full advantage to become only the fourth Sussex batsman, after CB Fry, Murray Goodwin and Ranjitsinhji to make a double century against Surrey. It was also the highest individual score by anyone in a first-class match involving these two teams and the first Sussex double-hundred at The Oval since 1903.His century was completed off Vikram Solanki on Thursday and it was the same bowler that allowed Wells to flick to deep point to bring up his double hundred as he emulated his father, Alan – whose sole Test cap came at The Oval – and uncle, Colin, in scoring double centuries in the County Championship.”Luke was brilliant,” Sussex captain Ed Joyce said, “200 from a young man is an incredible achievement. It’s great that he’s got runs because he failed in the first game and didn’t look in great nick but it’s good to know that everyone’s now got a few.”He loves batting. When he got his hundred he was talking straight away about getting 150 and then 200. He just keeps going and it’s great to see because even if he’s in bad form, if he does get that score he’ll make it a big one. He’s got a bright future for sure.”

Tim Bresnan struck an unbeaten half-century for the England Performance Programme on the first day of their match against Queensland 2nd XI in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Tim Bresnan could return to contention for England in Adelaide•Getty ImagesTim Bresnan struck an unbeaten half-century for the England Performance Programme on the first day of their match against Queensland 2nd XI in Brisbane. Bresnan could be in line to return for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide if he can prove his fitness after a stress fracture in his back.England will hope Bresnan has further success with the ball, after he scored 57 not out batting at No. 9. The three-day match is his first competitive appearance since the fourth Test against Australia in August, after which Bresnan missed the rest of the season through injury.The Test squad have headed to Alice Springs for their match against a CA Chairman’s XI on Friday and Saturday but Bresnan remained in Brisbane with the EPP for the game at Allan Border Field.The EPP posted 376 for 9, after being put in to bat, with Middlesex batsman Sam Robson scoring a century in the country of his birth. Robson, whose future had been subject of much conjecture until he committed himself to a prospective England career by joining this tour, retired out for 102.Moeen Ali made 83 in the middle order and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler 54. The EPP have fielded 13 players in the match but only batted with 11.

New Zealand have accepted they must manage the later stages of Daniel Vettori’s career with care after he was ruled out of the Headingley Test

David Hopps23-May-2013Daniel Vettori’s distinguished Test career is not about to be “swept away”, in the words of his captain Brendon McCullum, but even as he returns to fitness New Zealand have accepted they must manage the later stages of his career with care after reluctantly ruling him out of the second Test against England at Headingley.Vettori was enthusiastic enough to jump on a plane and travel around the world to try to bail out New Zealand but not fit enough to play. He has sat on the bench throughout the 2013 IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore and now, eight months after his last New Zealand appearance at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, New Zealand are facing up to the fact that, at 34, his workload will never be the same again.”It’s something we’re going to have to discuss down the track,” McCullum admitted. “It’s going to be a rolling conversation that we need to have with Dan as to what he needs to prioritise with where he’s at in his career.”It would be nice to think that he’d be able to play every game in all three forms but it’s not realistic. I certainly see a place for him in the team. It would be silly for us to sweep away 112 Test matches, nearly 400 wickets and six Test centuries.”He jumped on a plane as soon as he got the phone call. He’s a great guy to have around, a tremendous player and he’s always keen to help out the NZ cricket team. But he didn’t scrub up that well today and the confidence to go into a five-day game with the workload he’s had was just a bridge too far.”It was a very rational decision from all of us on Dan. He wasn’t quite confident he’d be able to get through the entire five days and he didn’t want to let the team down.”McCullum was honest enough to admit that the wish to protect Vettori’s fitness for the Champions Trophy influenced their decision. When it comes to surviving a five-day Test, there is no substitute for match practice, especially if that substitute is in an inactive series at the IPL and a lifestyle based upon lightweight training sessions, internal flights and a room service menu.”I guess that was one of the things we looked at as well,” McCullum said. “In terms of his playing opportunity in this game, would we sacrifice the coming few weeks? That wasn’t the right thing for Dan or for us.”

Thilan Samaraweera has indicated he would like to retire from international cricket in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket, but the board is yet to accept his retirement

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Mar-2013Thilan Samaraweera has indicated he would like to retire from international cricket in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket, but the board is yet to accept his retirement.”He has sent a letter saying he would like to retire from all three segments of the game, but we have told him to have a talk with the selectors before we make a final call,” SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said. Samaraweera is expected to meet with the selectors on Wednesday.Samaraweera was one of 22 players who signed their national contracts on Monday after a 24-hour lock out over the weekend, but he was not named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, which begins on Friday.At 36, Samaraweera was the oldest member of Sri Lanka’s touring party to Australia, where he was woeful with the bat, making 79 runs in six Test innings. He reclaimed form in Sri Lanka’s first class competition, hitting 464 runs at an average of 92.80 in four matches.Samaraweera was originally left out of Sri Lanka’s preliminary Test squad for the Bangladesh series, but was later called up when Mahela Jayawardene’s finger injury ruled him out of the series. He could not find a place in the final 16, however.Samaraweera’s decision was likely brought on as much by a lack of Tests for Sri Lanka in 2013, as his non-selection. Apart from the two home Tests in March against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka have only one away tour to Zimbabwe – which it is understood Samaraweera was unlikely to attend – before a scheduled year-end tour to Pakistan. He has also signed for a full county season with Worcestershire for 2013.Though he had received a central contract from SLC, the selectors had expressed a desire to build a youthful Test side in 2013, and Samaraweera was unlikely to play a major role in what little Test cricket Sri Lanka had scheduled.

Antonio Conte believes that Bayern Munich have made Harry Kane better and the striker deserves to win trophies after summer switch from Tottenham.

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Conte managed Kane during spell at TottenhamEngland striker yet to win trophy in his careerCoach wants striker to win silverware with BayernWHAT HAPPENED?

Conte managed the England international during his spell in charge of the north London outfit. The Italian coach spoke highly of Kane's ability to find the net and insisted that moving to Germany has helped him evolve as a player.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesWHAT CONTE SAID

In an exclusive interview with , Conte said: "We’re talking about a player who is amazing. This opportunity to play for Bayern Munich made him better. No doubt about his capacity to score.

"I think he needed to go and to change, to find another club, another mentality, another situation. It was important for him. He deserves to win trophies and we are talking about one of the best strikers in the world. He is one of the best I’ve worked with, for sure. He’s a good guy and a good person too. He needed this new experience, another chance. Now he is a more complete player than before.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Conte raised questions about Tottenham's mentality and aimed a dig at his former club after he found it "really strange" to celebrate a fourth-place finish. No wonder he is delighted that Kane has left Spurs for a fresh challenge at a new club which potentially provides him more opportunities to win silverware.

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Despite Kane's individual success, having scored 28 goals for Bayern, he is yet to secure a trophy with the German outfit. He lost the DFL Supercup at the beginning of the season and was subsequently knocked out from the DFB-Pokal in the second round in November. Winning the Bundesliga is also proving to be a challenge as they currently find themselves second in the table, trailing Bayer Leverkusen by five points.

The Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas battled the pain of twice tearing tendons in his shoulder to lead the county to the Friends Life t20

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2012The Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas battled the pain of twice tearing tendons in his shoulder in recent weeks to lead the county to the Friends Life t20 title with victory against Yorkshire.Mascarenhas needed fitness tests before both the semi-final against Somerset and the final and did not bat in either match even though his clean striking would have been valuable in the closing stages of the innings. When asked before the final how the injury was effecting his bowling he said: “I can’t get much slower.”Mascarenhas played a crucial role with the ball on Finals Day – his nagging medium pace proving difficult to score off on a sluggish pitch – taking a miserly 2 for 11 in the semi-final which he followed with 2 for 20 against Yorkshire to leave Hampshire chasing 151 for victory. Despite an onslaught by David Miller, who struck 72 off 46 balls, Hampshire held their nerve in the closing overs as Danny Briggs and Chris Wood followed the impressive work of their captain.”I’ve torn my lat tendon. I tore it two weeks ago and then I tore it again last week when I tried to play CB40,” Mascarenhas said. “I had a scan and it’s torn so I had to grin and bear it. It was a huge stress to be honest. It’s not one of those where you can have an injection.”We were trying to sort out team selection if I didn’t play and for the team balance. It’s not easy when your captain is looking like he’s not going to be fit. I was lucky enough to get through. I actually felt a bit better in the final – maybe it was the adrenaline. It took me through it. It felt a lot sorer in the semi-final, I felt like I was bowling a bit faster in the final.”It was Hampshire’s second Twenty20 title in three seasons following their victory in 2010 when they won by losing fewer wickets against Somerset. However, they began this year’s Finals Day as the least favoured of the four teams to make an impact.”Personally for me – it’s the best one by far,” he said. “I missed the first win two years ago because I was injured. To win two games today and captain a young and inexperienced side was a great thrill and one I’ll remember for a long time.”There were much different emotions for Andrew Gale, the Yorkshire captain, who had seen his side produce a superb all-round display in the semi-final against Sussex led by Jonny Bairstow’s 68 off 45 balls. However, in both matches Yorkshire’s top order failed to fire and, despite Miller’s fantastic display, they had too much ground to make up in the final.”When we were 40-odd for four I thought someone had to play very well to get us in a position to win and David played out of his skin,” Gale said. “Going into the last over I was backing us. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way but fair play to David for getting us in a position to win that game because we were dead and buried.”If it wasn’t for him we would have been nowhere; we could have been bowled out for 80. It would have been nice for us to spray that champagne around, I’m not going to lie, but when we reflect on this we’ll see we’ve achieved something as a group.”Still, there is consolation for Yorkshire. Both finalists have earned places at the Champions League Twenty20 which will be held in South Africa during October although English teams have to go through the pre-qualifying phase before joining the main tournament.

India quick Ishant Sharma and Pakistan keeper Kamran Akmal have been fined for their altercation in the closing overs of the Pakistan innings in Bangalore on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2012India quick Ishant Sharma and Pakistan keeper Kamran Akmal have been fined for their altercation in the closing overs of the Pakistan innings in Bangalore on Tuesday. The players had been involved in a heated argument in the 18th over of the chase, which Pakistan eventually completed successfully to win the first Twenty20 by five wickets.Both players were reported to the match referee, Roshan Mahanama, by the umpires – S Ravi, C Shamsuddin, TV umpire VA Kulkarni and fourth umpire K Srinath – and charged with ‘conduct contrary to the spirit to the game’. They both pleaded guilty, and Kamran was fined 5% of his match fee. Ishant, though, appealed against the penalty levied; after reviewing video footage and reiterating his view that Ishant had initiated the incident, Mahanama fined Ishant 15% of his fee.Mahanama said with this series being so high profile, it became all the more important for the players to set the right example: “This is clearly a high profile and high-intensity series, and the players on both sides have been reminded of their responsibility. Both players recognised their duty to set the right type of example through their on-field behaviour and they have accepted that they fell short of the level of conduct required.”The game was played in the true spirit till this incident was initiated by Ishant, who is an experienced cricketer.”The incident occurred soon after Ishant had the well-set Shoaib Malik caught of a ball that was deemed too high to be legal. Earlier the same over, Ishant had claimed Pakistan’s other set batsman, Mohammad Hafeez. With the pressure building and a tight finish in view, Ishant beat Kamran and, after exchanging words in his follow-through, the two ended up standing inches apart from each other, yelling. Suresh Raina – followed by his India team-mates – came between the two, as did the umpires, but the talk continued for a while. When Ishant caught Kamran off Ashok Dinda in the next over, he was quite vocal in his celebration.This series is a marquee one, as it revives bilateral ties between the neighbours. The previous one-on-one series between the teams was five years earlier, in late 2007, with bilateral ties hitting a roadblock following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Gold League 2014-15 matches that ended on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2014Islamabad Leopards’ strong batting performance led by a century from Faizan Riaz and and fifties from Ali Sarfraz and Mohammad Irfan set the foundation for their comprehensive nine-wicket win over Peshawar Panthers.Leopards built on Riaz’s 114 to score 402, before their bowlers restricted Panthers to 251. Following on, left-arm spinner Imad Wasim’s 6 for 47 ensured Panthers were kept to 201. That left Leopards with a target of 51 for a win and they achieved it in 7.5 overs.The batting-dominated match between National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank Limited, which had 10 fifty-plus scores, including two centuries, ended in a draw in Islamabad.National Bank amassed 451 in their first innings, building on Umar Waheed’s 120 and fifties from Mohammad Nawaz (98), Usman Qadir (52) and Raza Hasan (57) respectively.In reply, Ali Asad’s 176 led United Bank to a position of strength but a late collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for 48 runs to fold for 310.National Bank’s brief second innings was fired by Kamran Akmal’s 88 and their declaration of 168 for 4 set United Bank a target of 310. Although United Bank lost a couple of early wickets, fifties from Umair Khan and Riaz Kail helped them seal a draw.Strong batting performances and a six-for from pacer Abdur Rauf helped Port Qasim Authority dominate in their drawn game against Water and Power Development Authority.Daniyal Ahsan’s maiden first-class hundred lifted Port Qasim to 379 after they had crumbled to 93 for 6 in the first innings. He had support from Mohammad Sami (75) and Azam Hussain (49).Rauf’s 6 for 52 then helped Port Qasim restrict WAPDA to 278, despite a century from Aamer Sajjad. Port Qasim’s second innings saw fifties from Khalid Latif (95) and Umar Amin (50) as they were dismissed for 303.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited held on to their top position in the table despite a draw against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited.Khurram Shehzad’s 109 had led SNGPL to 306 before their bowlers skittled ZTBL out for 138, setting up a 168-run lead. Another strong effort with the bat, led by fifties from Adnan Akmal (75), Ali Waqas (50*) and Shehzad (52*) helped them extend their lead to 422 runs.ZTBL then batted out the entire fourth day to secure a draw, finishing at 296 for 6, with half-centuries from Shoaib Malik (69) and Shahid Yousuf (77).

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, believes Misbah-ul-Haq’s side has the ability to become the best team in the world following its second successive Test victory over England

George Dobell in Abu Dhabi29-Jan-2012Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s interim coach, believes Misbah-ul-Haq’s side has the ability to become the best team in the world following its second successive Test victory over England.Pakistan’s 72-run win in Abu Dhabi gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series over the No.1 Test side. It also meant that Pakistan had won four series in a row. Mohsin did warn, however, that England’s struggles on Asian pitches illustrated how hard it can be for teams to adapt to a foreign environment and said Pakistan had “a lot to prove” in overseas conditions.”I think this team has the capacity to become the world’s best team,” Mohsin said. “Our target should be to gradually come in the top three in both Tests and one-day cricket, and then gradually go to world number one.”Now we have to perform when we play in other parts of the world. We have a lot to prove. When we go to England, our batsmen struggle against swing and seam bowling just as England struggle against spin. But give our bowlers credit: it needs skill to exploit rivals’ weaknesses. Our spinners bowled well.”Mohsin also praised Misbah’s leadership and credited the warm relationship between captain and coach as a key ingredient in Pakistan’s success. “He is a very good captain,” Mohsin said, “and I have a wonderful rapport with him. He gives me respect as coach and as his senior and I give him respect as captain, so it is a mutual thing.”We make a game plan and take inputs from senior and junior players. Maybe a junior player has something good and wise to tell us. Misbah respects my experience and as coach it is my duty to support him as he is to make the team fight. He is doing that.”When I became coach I knew that this team had talent in abundance. My first priority was to make them mentally and physically strong and that was on display when Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq batted. We won a lost match on Saturday and the kind of belief and self confidence this team has shown is great.”Mohsin’s own future remains unclear. He was only appointed as interim coach after Waqar Younis stepped down in September 2011 and it is still anticipated that Dav Whatmore will win the position on a full time basis after the limited-overs section of the series against England is completed. The manner in which the Pakistan players lifted Mohsin upon their shoulders in the immediate aftermath of the victory in Abu Dhabi, however, spoke volumes for the high regard in which he is held by them.”I am proud of my team and the moment when we won and then the playerslifted me and celebrated the win, that was a joy to behold,” Mohsin said. “It showed team spirit and the unity in joy. That was the biggest gift I can have from my players. Our actions are louder than words and I hope that this good work goes on and on.”